With the awakening of spiritual consciousness upon initiation, the surrendered devotee’s body becomes transcendental, and thus he becomes fit to render loving service to the Lord. Krsna does not accept anything from a person with a material conception of life. The attitude of exploitation cannot be directed toward Sri Krsna as only His external energy will be visible, not His personal form. Only when we surrender to the Lord, adopting a submissive attitude of dedication, do we become eligible to receive the grace of the internal energy of devotion.
Lord Chaitanya embraced the diseased body of Srila Sanatana Goswami and thus cured his itching sores, causing his entire body to resemble the color of gold.
Srila Sanatana Goswami stayed in the care of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu for one year where he discussed the transcendental qualities of the Lord with Srila Haridasa Thakura. Then he traveled to Vrndavana using the same path previously taken by the Lord so that he could visit all the places where the Lord had performed His pastimes.
After Srila Rupa Goswami renounced his family life, he returned to Bengal to divide whatever money he had amongst his relatives, the brahmanas and the temples. Then he returned to Vrndavana to join his brother Sanatana.
Both Srila Sanatana and Srila Rupa became genuine goswamis. The title goswami is not an inherited designation. It is meant for one who has controlled his senses by redirecting his whole life — body, mind and words — to executing the order of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.
Sripad Puri Maharaja explains how the senses will automatically be engaged when the heart has developed the spirit of service through surrender, dedication and love to Hrisikesa, the controller of the senses. In the stage of sadhana-bhakti we willfully engage the senses by following the rules given to us by the spiritual master. In the higher stage of raganuga-bhakti, when the heart has been melted, the senses of the devotee are spontaneously engaged in the service of the Lord. But a devotee humbly worships the plane of raganuga-bhakti as very high above his head.
Srila Rupa Goswami and Sanatana Goswami collected many revealed scriptures and were thus enabled to excavate all the lost sites of pilgrimage.
By the instruction of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Srila Sanatana Goswami compiled many important books including Brhad-bhagavatamrita, Dasama-tippani and the Hari-bhakti-vilasa. The principle of all these books is to show us how to love Madana-mohana, and Sri Govindaji.
Initiation has a double meaning — transmission of transcendental knowledge and purification of one’s material conception of life. It is literally a second birth when we become transformed by the knowledge of devotion (divya-jnana) through submissive hearing, inquiry and service to Srila Gurudeva.
Maharaja Pariksit wanted to know how the Supreme Personality of Godhead transcendentally acts to create and maintain the phenomenal world. Does He act alone, or expand Himself in many forms and diverse energies to direct the modes of nature like a sportive player?
The Lord is inconceivable even for the greatest learned scholars. Thus, a serious devotee must first approach a spiritual master. Without the help of Guru, one cannot make progress in realizing the transcendental science of Krsna consciousness.
Knowledge, remembrance and forgetfulness come from the Lord. One must have a submissive attitude to obtain perfect knowledge, as revealed through the descending process from guru parampara. Such knowledge is free from the defects of knowledge derived from the limited senses.
The Personality of Godhead is called anupalaksya-vartmane — the Lord of the inconceivable way, or bhakti-yoga. To know someone through having an intimate relationship with them is completely different than simply having indifferent knowledge about a person.
Lord Krsna is the complete form of all existence, both material and spiritual, since they are the external and internal potencies of the Lord. However, the Lord is not of the inferior, material nature. He is completely transcendental to it.
The paramahansa stage of existence is the highest perfectional stage in the renounced order of life, sannyasa. There are two classes of paramahansas — the brahmanandis (impersonalists) and the premanandis (devotees). Both are awarded according to their realization, although the premanandis are more fortunate.
Sripad Puri Maharaja discusses Hegel’s philosophical conclusion that the truth is the whole. One must trace the origin of all things in order to understand the whole of reality. Contrary to the criticism of Bertrand Russell, one must go beyond relative knowledge to understand the truth, absolute spirit.
There are two aspects of the transcendental nature of Sri Krsna — personal and impersonal. For the pure devotees, He is the constant companion. On the other hand, one who is dazzled by the effulgence of the impersonal brahmajyoti cannot know His personal transcendental form.
In the way of material knowledge, each person maintains their own opinion, opposed to others, thus insuring that a conclusion can never be obtained. The only way this can be resolved is to submissively receive revealed knowledge that comes down through Guru, shastra and sadhu. Realized knowledge is more than just “knowing,” as it involves establishing a real relationship with the Lord and His devotees. The nature of what is real involves being-for-another, and such realization can only be obtained by service to the Lord, which is established through His mercy and the grace of His servants.
Srila Sanatana Goswami objects to the embrace of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu due to his oozing sores. So that he might not create more offenses by presenting his diseased and lowborn body before the Lord, he requests that Mahaprabhu order him to return to Vrndavana, also mentioning that he has received such advice from Jagadananda Pandita.
Mahaprabhu chastises Jagadananda Pandita for giving advice to Sanatana Goswami due to his junior status. Sanatana then questions why Mahaprabhu has displayed such intimate mercy to Jagadananda in public. Sripad Puri Maharaja explains that Vaisnava etiquette requires that we try to display neutrality in our public dealings, while more personal feeling may be revealed in private.
In the purport to sloka 4.173, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura explains that a pure devotee’s body becomes transcendental by being engaged in devotional service to the Lord. Yet, a devotee on the topmost platform of devotional service always believes that he does not possess even a drop of love for Krsna.
Sripad Puri Maharaja expands on his comments from our last sadhu-sanga, saying that feeling separation from Krsna is also Krsna smaranam, Krsna consciousness, but in a negative form of feeling His presence. Positive and negative, there are always two sides in the dialectic of spiritual life.
In the material world, conceptions of good and bad are nothing more than mental speculations. Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada states that an advanced devotee has no desire to enjoy or reject anything. His only duty is to accept whatever is favorable for the advancement of Krsna consciousness.
Despite the exudating sores on his disciple’s body, Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu saw Srila Sanatana Goswami as a mother sees her child who has soiled himself. The Lord says, “The stool and urine of the maintained child appear like sandalwood pulp to the mother. Similarly, when the foul moisture oozing from the sores of Sanatana touches My body, I have no hatred for him.”
To honor the occasion of his disappearance, Sripad Puri Maharaja and Sripad Muni Maharaja discuss the excellent qualities displayed by Sripad Bhakti Nandan Narayan Maharaja.
Hearing Srimad Bhagavatam from one who is materially uncontaminated leads to positive enlightenment. Unlike ordinary hearing, devotional hearing of the messages of the Lord from the lips of Guru, is distinguished by a gradual disappearance of ignorance.
Maharaja Pariksit inquires how the Lord has created the phenomenal world via His personal energy. Maharaja Pariksit did not immediately inquire into the intimate pastimes of the Lord, but began at the primary stage so that his inquiry could proceed systematically. We may also proceed step-by-step so that we may build a solid foundation for faith.
All living entities, both in the conditioned state and in the liberated state, are maintained by the Almighty Supreme Lord. The Lord is one with everything, yet He is nevertheless different from all of them. This is the inconceivable mystic nature of the Lord (acintya-bhedabheda-tattva).
No living being can imagine knowing about the unlimited, except when such knowledge is revealed by the Lord Himself. Such is the perfect knowledge which is passed down through the disciplic succession only, and not by any form of empirical knowledge.
Life is not defined in terms of molecules. It has to be understood in terms of consciousness. Present-day scientists know only earth, water, fire and air. They do not even understand the ether, much less the higher material realities — mind, intelligence and ego — which are the basis of life on this and the higher planets. To understand the nature and meaning of life, one must come to an understanding of spiritual reality, on the basis of devotion.
Going back to Godhead does not involve physical or cosmographical travel. Rather it involves a change in heart. Sadhana bhakti is the process of dissolving the exploitative consciousness by submitting oneself to remembering that the Lord is always present (Krsna consciousness), and that we are in actuality the humble servants of the Lord, Who graciously manifests Himself before us as our guardian (acharya mam vijaniyat). Krsna can only be known by devotional service.
We glorify the Lord by chanting His Name and not for any other purpose. Anything that we say about Krsna that is coming from authorized scriptures, and by the order of gurudeva, is also glorification of Krsna (krsna katha). Everything can be done for the glorification of Krsna if we have this proper conception.
Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu forbids Srila Sanatana Goswami to commit suicide saying, “Your body is my property. You have already surrendered unto me. Therefore you no longer have claim to your body.” Mahaprabhu further taught that the body of His surrendered servant is the instrument through which the purposes of his Lord and Master are fulfilled.
Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu accomplished many things through Srila Sanatana Goswami. As our Sambandha Jnana Acarya, on the order of Mahaprabhu, Srila Sanatana Goswami explained how to become a devotee, how to execute devotional service and thus, how to attain love of Krsna. He was further given the task of excavating the lost places of pilgrimage in Vrndavana. He established the first deity in the Vrndavana area and taught by word and deed (by his writing and example) how one should behave in the renounced order.
In the purport to verse 4.98, Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada discusses the importance of taking birth in India (bharata-bumi). Those who are born in India have the good fortune of having a congenial environment for becoming God conscious, and should preach to share that fortune with others.
Srila Santana Goswami defined the essential qualities of a spiritual master in terms of personal behavior in accordance with the scriptures, coupled with preaching the message of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.
Rather than taking the cooler path which passed by the temple, Srila Sanatana Goswami visited the Lord by walking on the hot sand of the beach whereby he blistered the soles of his feet. He chose this route in order to avoid touching the servants of Lord Jagannatha, because he felt himself to be unclean. Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu praised Sanatana for his careful observance of Vaishnava etiquette.
Jagadananda Pandita recommended that Srila Sanatana Goswami take up residence in Vrndavana along with his brother Srila Rupa Goswami, as ordered by the Lord (prabhu-datta desa). Sripad Puri Maharaja further develops this concept of satisfying Krsna by accepting and fulfilling the orders of the spiritual master.