A brief look into the history and essential meaning of the ISKCON and Gaudiya Math parampara.
Prior to writing the first article Saraswati Prabhupada Parampara I, I was shown a correspondence from Premananda das to Aghraya Prabhu wherein the anti-party representative (Premananda das) made specific derogatory statements about Saraswati Thakur and his parampara. That is reproduced here as follows:
Premananda das wrote: "What is the connection between Bhaktisiddhanta and Bhaktivinod Thakur that you speak about? Of course there was connection, they were father and son. But not Guru and disciple. Bimala Prasad did not respect Srila Bipin Bihari Goswami, and Srila Bhaktivinod was very unhappy about this show of disrespect. For this reason Bhaktivinod didn't give Bimala Prasad diksa. Bhaktivinod was also unhappy about Bimala Prasad's heavy critique of many Gaudiya Vaisnavas."
"You say that Srila Bhaktivinod found the leading Vaisnava in Srila Jagannath das Babaji and not in his diksa Guru. This is false!!... Jagannath das Babaji was his siksa guru, but that doesn't mean that his position was higher than the diksa guru. I happen to be initiated into the diksa-parampara of Srila Bhaktivinod, and therefore I know what the parampara is. Jagannath das Babaji is not included in it.....There is no such thing as 'siksa-parampara', as something that is independent of diksa. In the other Vaisnava sampradayas the unbroken line of diksa is the Guru-parampara. There is no 'bhagavata parampara' there. In the Gaudiya line you won't find support for it either (outside of Gaudiya Math, ISKCON etc.). But this might be difficult to accept if you want to be a follower of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta's line." (see VNN discussion forum )
It was this statement written by the anti-party which first caught my attention and fueled the first article (Saraswati Prabhupada Parampara) as a response to their misconceptions. Rather than ignore the statements of the anti-party as simply being offensive to both Gaudiya Math and ISKCON, as one might normally do when confronting foolish persons, I decided to answer their questions, counter their arguments and expose their misconceptions with reference to sastra and certain important histories in this regard. Now that the topic has come out in the open on VNN we feel that it is necessary to continue to expose all the misconceptions of the anti-party. There are no doubt hundreds of misconceptions in the anti-party and therefore our work may not be completed in this article or even in this lifetime.
After our first article appeared here on VNN the representative of the followers of Lalita Prasad Thakur wrote a few words on the VNN forum rejecting our original article and then summed it up by stating, "With these words I have demonstrated the invalidity of Narasingha Swami's accusations and misconceptions." (see VNN discussion forum)
We will not so easily concede this argument. The anti-party has failed to demonstrate anything substantial - nor have they countered any of our statements in the previous article wherein we have shown; 1) that the parampara of Saraswati Thakur is indeed drawn from Bhaktivinode Thakur and Jagannatha Dasa Babaji not Bipin Bihari Goswami, 2) that Bhaktivinode Thakur took diksa, for decorum's sake only, from Bipin Bihari Goswami, 3) that Bipin Bihari Goswami did in fact reject Bhaktivinode Thakur (printed in Gaurangasevaka Patrika in 1919) for the reason that the Thakur had preached what the Goswami considered an untruth regarding the birth site of Mahaprabhu being at Mayapur and not at Navadwip, 4) that Bipin Bihari Goswami offended Raghunatha Das Goswami by considering him as born in a lower caste, 5) that Saraswati Thakur defeated Bipin Bihari Goswami in the debate at Midinpur on Brahmins and Vaisnavas, 6) that Bipin Bihari Goswami had the character of the lower Vaisnava-adhikari, 7) that Saraswati Thakur reinitiated a leading disciple of Bipin Bihari Goswami thus showing his complete disregard for the idea that the Goswami was the guru of Bhaktivinode Thakur, 8) that Bhaktivinode was very pleased with the preaching of Saraswati Thakur and gave him his full blessings to defeat all types of philosophical misconception, to establish the birth site of Mahaprabhu at Mayapur and to establish the divine teachings of pure devotional service throughout the world (daiva-varanashram), 9) that ekadasa-bhava as practiced by the followers of Lalita Prasad Thakur is mental speculation, 10) that hari-nama is a superior process to ekadasa-bhava as explained by Kaviraja Goswami in his commentary to Krsna-karanamrta, 11) that the siksa-parampara is the sat-guru-parampara and not simply the line of bodily succession (diksa-parampara), and 12) that one receives entrance into the process of raganuga-bhakti at the time of initiation into the parampara of Saraswati Thakur.
All these points were substantially made in our first article but the anti-party has failed to refute even one of them properly. Rather they have simply resorted to jumbling a few words here and there with the hope of saving face. Of course it is a hard lump for the anti-party to swallow but they have accepted an illusory parampara of bodies and dead mantras.
We would like to give further explanation to some additional points regarding the misconceptions of the anti-party about the parampara of Srila Bhaktivinode, Saraswati Thakur, and the bona fide process to attain perfection in Krishna consciousness.
It is the opinion of the anti-party that Bhaktivinode Thakur was a conditioned soul (nitya-baddha), who was thus bewildered by the three modes of material nature and subject to the reactions of sinful activities in the beginning of his life. The anti-party states as their main source of reference on this point a short autobiography called Svalikhita Jivani wherein Bhaktivinode describes in brief the events of his life in chronological order up to his retirement. In that book scarcely anything is mentioned regarding pure devotional service. The book was originally a letter written by Bhaktivinode to his son Lalita Prasad when the boy was just 15 years old. Much is given to describe the Thakur's previous life style and habits before fully manifesting his mission and reason for descent. There Bhaktivinode describes his old habits of eating non-vegetarian food, his having been a Mayavadi, etc. This the anti-party claims is evidence that the Thakur was a conditioned soul prior to meeting Bipin Bihari Goswami.
The anti-party continues their line of thought and concludes that it was by the mercy of Bipin Bihari Goswami that the Thakur became a liberated soul - one qualified to receive Vraja-bhakti. This point they further try to prove by quoting the Navadwip-bhava-taranga wherein Ananga Manjari takes Bhaktivinode (Kamala Manjari) and introduces him to Rupa Manjari as a nava-dasi (a newcomer).
sri-rupa-manjari-prasne isvari amara
bolibe e nava-dasi sakhi lalitara
kamala-manjari-nama gaurangaika-gati
krpa kori' deho ebe raga-marge gati.
"Being questioned by Sri Rupa Manjari, my mistress Ananga Manjari will reply,' This new dasi will be engaged in Lalita Sakhi's service. Her name is Kamala Manjari, and she is very devoted to Sri Gauranga. Please be merciful now and give her entrance into the flow of spontaneous devotional service to our Lordships.'"
The anti-party say that this verse proves that Bhaktivinode was not a nitya-siddha (eternally liberated) soul, otherwise he would not have referred to himself as a nava-dasi. They further conclude that the Thakur having been introduced to Sri Rupa Manjari by Ananga Manjari further demonstrates that the parampara of Bhaktivinode is coming in the line of the Nityananda-parivad - from Jhanavi Devi to Bipin Bihari Goswami in an unbroken diksa parampara. Jhanavi Devi is Ananga Manjari in Krsna-lila and thus they say this demonstrates that it was by the grace of Bipin Bihari Goswami that the Thakura got entrance into the eternal pastimes of Radha Krsna via Ananga Manjari.
The conception of Saraswati Thakur however is diametrically opposed to that of the followers of Lalita Prasad Thakur. Saraswati Thakur considered Bhaktivinode Thakur as nitya-siddha, eternally liberated. He never for a moment considered Bhaktivinode as father - what to speak of considering Bhaktivinode a conditioned soul. Saraswati Thakur always considered Bhaktivinode as guru (sat-guru - eternal guru). In fact he always saw and spoke of Bhaktivinode as being in the highest plane of guru-tattva - as the delegation or representative of Sri Radhika.
As already mentioned in our first article Lalita Prasad Thakur thought of Bhaktivinode as "Babu" (father). The fact that Lalita Prasad Thakur saw Bhaktivinode as "Babu" is evident at the beginning of Svalikhita Jivani where he writes:
My honorable father ordered me not to misuse whatever was written to me by him. Such was his instruction to me. That is the reason that I cannot give this book to ordinary persons. Only one who has complete love and faith in my father can read this work. If anyone reads this volume and makes his own commentary that is against my father then he alone is responsible, not I.
Saraswati Thakur on the other hand did not consider Bhaktivinode Thakur as "father" - he only saw him as Guru. Nor did he see any so-called mundane thing about the life of Bhaktivinode to be an indication that the Thakur was ever a conditioned soul. Thus Saraswati Thakur gave no importance whatsoever to the book Svalikhita Jivani.
The quotation from Navadwip-bhava-taranga wherein Ananga Manjari takes Bhaktivinode (Kamala Manjari) and introduces him to Rupa Manjari as a nava-dasi (a newcomer) does show however that Bhaktivinode has an intimate friendly relationship with Ananga Manjari in eternal pastimes (aprakrta-lila). His being referred to as a nava-dasi (newcomer) does not prove that he was previously a conditioned soul but rather the description of his being a nava-dasi is given in the mood of showing us how a member of our sampradaya in the stage of perfection (swarupa-siddhi) will be introduced into the divine pastimes of the Lord. The anti-party has no entrance into this understanding because they are victims of a faulty process and they are averse to the practices of pure devotion (suddha-bhakti).
In any chronology of an authors works we would naturally expect that the latter works would reflect the authors deepest thought and development. In this regard we reference the last book written by Bhaktivinode Thakur in 1907, namely Sva-Niyama-Dvadasakam, 12 Verses of My Self-Imposed Regulative Principles. In the first verse Bhaktivinode makes especial reference to the line of Srila Rupa Goswami (Rupa Manjari) and the devotees of his disciplic succession. There he says:
gurau sri-gaurange tad-udita-subhakti-prakarane
saci-sunor-lila-vikasita nija-manau
harer nami presthe hari-tithisu rupanuga-jane
suka-prokte sastre prati-jani mamastam khalu ratih
The third line: harer nami presthe hari-tithisu rupanuga-jane makes special reference to the line of Rupa Goswami and his followers by the words rupanuga-jane. Bhaktivinode prays in his mood of natural humility that whenever and wherever he may happen to take birth he simply desires that his loving affection and attachment will remain unshaken for the line of Rupa Goswami and his followers.
The anti-party however does not give serious consideration to the position of Rupa Goswami in the disciplic succession of Bhaktivinode Thakur. Rupa Goswami simply does not figure predominately in their thinking or understanding of the process of raganuga-bhakti. The anti-party jumps over 269 verses of Rupa Goswami's Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu and tries to immediately enter into the internal sadhana of raganuga leaving the necessary practice of vaidhi-bhakti behind. This amounts to a spiritual dead end.
From the reading of the anti-parties literature one cannot glean even a particle of the proper conception necessary for raganuga-bhakti. One could read such books as "Why Did Caitanya Mahaprabhu Come and What Did He Come to Give" and "Navadwipa Vraja Madhuri" from cover to cover without ever realizing that the life of divine love which Sri Caitanya came to give is based on sacrifice! Enjoying the lilas of Radha Krsna "NOW" while one is still at the stage of bhajana-kriya (practice) and without proper qualification (anartha-nrvrtti, nistha, and ruci) is the odor that the anti-party reeks of. Before one can enter the plane of higher topics one must first embrace a life of divine slavery - that was the conception of Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur. The real ekadasa-bhava (siddha-deha ) is revealed in proportion to one's conversion from the disease of the enjoying spirit to that of a healthy serving disposition. Our actual initiation into raganuga-bhakti is initiation into the conception of divine slavery.
One must always keep the higher conception above and worship that from a little distance:
pujala ragapata gaurava bange
mattala sadhu jana visaya range
This sloka was composed by Saraswati Thakur and it describes the particular type of posing which should be adopted by all sadakas (devotees at the stage of practice). From a little distance and below we should offer our highest regard to the highest quarter. An imitative show of the higher sentiments of divine love will only bring about a negative result in the practicing life of a devotee. Imitation is always to be avoided. The ekadasa-bhava practiced by the anti-party certainly falls into the category of imitation. (The imaginary ekadasa-bhava process practiced by the anti-party consists of receiving the following eleven points of information about one's so-called eternal relationship with Krishna from a so-called guru; sambandha-relationship, vayasa-age, nama-name, rupa-form, yutha-group, vesa-dress, ajna-orders, vasa-sthana-residence, seva-service, parakastha-highest aspiration, and palya-dasi-bhava-the mood of a protected maidservant.)
To support their misconception of receiving ekadasa-bhava at initiation the anti-party quotes the following verse from Bhakti Sandarbha , Annucheta 283, Text 20:
divyam jnanam hy atra srimati mantre bhagavat-svarupa-jnanam,
tena bhagavata sambandha-visesa-jnanam ca
The words "divyam jnanam" (transcendental knowledge) here refers to the descriptions of the Lord's transcendental form in sacred mantras. Chanting those mantras establishes a relationship with the Supreme Lord. The term "visesa-jnanam" here refers to specific knowledge of a specific relationship with that Lord. The anti-party interprets this however to mean receiving ekadasa-bhava. How from tena bhagavata sambandha vishesha-jnanam ca is the ekadasa-bhava construed? It is only the stretch of their imagination. Ekadasa-bhava actually belongs to the prayojana-tattva (the highest stage of realization). The anti-party wants to cut off the word sambandha (the beginning stage of knowledge - fundamental knowledge) and establish their own interpretation thus making ekadasa-bhava a part of sambandha-jnana. They want to take up prayojana at the stage of vaidhi-bhakti leaving aside the abhidheya or means of attainment rather than undergo the real process of purification.
The followers of Saraswati Thakur are certainly not without divyam jnanam or visesa-jnanam. A significant proof of this fact is that the followers of Saraswati Thakur have penetrated into the meaning of the mantras, referred to by the above verse, such as brahma-gayatri, guru-gayatri, gaura-gayatri, gopal-mantra, kama-gayatri, and sannyasa-gayatri (the raga-marg mantra) to such depths that have never been revealed before. In the commentaries to these mantras the followers of Saraswati Thakur, by his grace, have established the acme of divine truths regarding the worship of Sri Sri Radha Krsna and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Thus they have demonstrated that their lineage is the divine succession of Vraja-prema in the parampara of Bhaktivinode Thakur and Srila Rupa Goswami. To satisfy our readers regarding this bold statement we invite you to read the book Sri Gayatri Mantrartha Dipika published by Mandala Publishers.
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu taught sambandha-jnana to Sanatana Goswami (Rati Manjari) and abhidheya-jnana to Rupa Goswami (Rupa Manjari) but we do not find in either case that Mahaprabhu gave ekadasa-bhava to either of them while imparting His general and specific instructions as it is assumed by the followers of Lalita Prasad Thakur. Yet if one follows sincerely the instructions given to both Sanatana Goswami and Rupa Goswami one will no doubt gradually come to the stage of prayojana (perfection) wherein ekadasa-bhava will be revealed.
Another interesting point to note here is that the verse quoted above from Bhakti Sandarbha appears in the section on Deity worship. There Deity worship is being recommended for householders and a reference is given there to the Padma Purana, Uttara-khanda wherein it is recommended that for wealthy householders the path of Deity worship is most important.
While discussing the defects of imitating ekadasa-bhava it should also be noted here that the anti-party frequently recommends the practice of sadharani karon as a stimulus to ekadasa-bhava. This sadharani karon is the process of attending drama performances known as rasa-lilas. Here the anti-party enthusiastically recommends that by watching such lila-dramas one's eternal loving sentiments (bhavas) for Krsna in Madhurya-rasa are aroused. This they say is achieved by identifying one's self with one of the actors and thus experiencing the sentiments being portrayed. Thus they sometimes make a show of shedding tears and manifesting other bodily symptoms of bhava. We point out here the obvious - the sadharani karon process is imitation. One may ask, "What is the harm if neophytes watch rasa-lila dramas?" The answer is that unless one is established in transcendence (nistha, ruci, or asakti) the viewing of rasa-lilas will only arouse one's mundane sentiments of love which are sentiments of prema (divine love) covered by lust. When this happens the whole thing is spoiled and one may loose his highest prospect forever. What to speak of losing our highest prospect - those who are the eternal residents of the Divine World will themselves block our entrance there due to our having committed offenses. When there is imitation, only offenses will be created. Those offenses will be recorded in that circle of the examiners of the upper quarter, and they will give a stamp of disqualification that we are criminal and unfit. This will go against us and hamper our future progress.
Our Guru Maharaja Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada once commented to us in Vrndavana about this sadharani karon process wherein he said, "One who has already realized rasa-lila he can go to see such performances - otherwise not." It is also a known fact that such lila-dramas must be performed by pure devotees in order for the actual sentiments (bhavas) to manifest. This point the anti-party also overlooks and eagerly goes to attend the lila-dramas performed by conditioned souls. Thus from start to finish it is a cheating process. A process of self-deception.
Some devotees in ISKCON are willing to concede that there are two branches from the parampara of Bhaktivinode. One being hari-nama and daiva-varna-ashram as represented by the line of Saraswati Thakur and the other being ekadasa-bhava (siddha-pranali) as represented by Lalita Prasad Thakur. These devotees for want of proper understanding sometimes conclude that these are two parallel paths - one coming from Bhaktivinode's diksa connection (Bipin Bihari Goswami) and one coming from his siksa connection (Jagannatha Dasa Babaji). This idea, however, is completely rejected by the Gaudiya Math. The siddha-pranali mentioned by Kaviraja Goswami in his commentary of Krsna-karanamrta is not the same as the siddha-pranali practiced by the followers of Lalita Prasad Thakur and thus the path of the anti-party is a rejected one. The Gaudiya Math does not consider the path shown by Lalita Prasad Thakur to be bona fide, thus the conclusion of the followers of Saraswati Thakur should be that there is only one authentic line coming down from Bhaktivinode Thakur and that is the line of Saraswati Thakura. This is the opinion of all the disciples of Saraswati Thakur; our Guru Maharaja A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Srila B.R. Sridhar Maharaja, Srila Bhakti Prajnan Keshava Maharaja, Srila Bhakti Daitya Madhava Maharaja, and Srila Bhakti Promod Puri Maharaja - just to name a few. Thus the disciples and followers of the above mentioned disciples of Saraswati Thakur should strictly follow the line of Saraswati Thakur and not be deviated by the flowery words of the anti-party and the short cut to "nectar".
The devotees should know that the anti-party, despite their sometimes quoting the books of the Six Goswamis to support their conception, is not in the rupanuga-parampara, the disciplic succession of Rupa Goswami (Rupa Manjari). The anti-party starts their parampara from Nityananda Prabhu to Jhanavi Devi down to Bipin Bihari Goswami. The Six Goswamis are not included in their parampara.
It is sometimes expressed by the anti-party that Saraswati Thakur was a mahabhagavat, a great devotee. This they say for convenience sake when trying to work themselves out of a corner. What they really think of Saraswati Thakur is evident in the statement by Premananda das quoted at the beginning of this article.
When the anti-party seemingly shows respect to Saraswati Thakur by saying that he is a mahabhagavat - it is actually a hidden criticism. The real meaning of what they say is that they only consider him a preacher of the yuga-dharma (hari-nama) and a devotee of the Narayana aspect of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu - not a member of the Vraja camp. In the conception of the anti-party, hari-nama is something different from raganuga-bhakti and thus they insinuate that Saraswati Thakura cannot give the proper conception of Vraja-bhakti although he did preach yuga-dharma very nicely. Thus, they say, his followers can only attain Vaikuntha-prema but not Krsna-prema in Vraja. The anti-party stresses here that since Saraswati Thakur did not receive ekadasa-bhava from Bhaktivinode that he was given entrance only to Vaikuntha.
By saying that Saraswati Thakur can only give Vaikuntha-prema the anti-party indirectly insinuates that Gaura Kisora Dasa Babaji, a siddha-purusa and eternal resident of Vraja, Guna Manjari, did not bestow the conception of Vraja-bhakti upon his disciple Saraswati Thakur. It is here that the anti-party makes one of their biggest mistakes.
There is also a nice story in this connection regarding Saraswati Thakur being a Vaikuntha Man and a man of Vraja as well:
"Once a kanistha-adhikari Vaisnava spent some time at Mayapur in the association of Saraswati Thakur. After some days this man went to Navadwip to be in the association of Gaura Kisora Dasa Babaji. Hearing that this man had come from Mayapur, Babaji was very happy and he inquired about Mayapur. The man replied that he would not go to Mayapur any more, because Saraswati and others there are Vaikuntha men. They are only interested in aisvarya mood - they are not in the Vraja mood. Hearing these words Babaji Maharaja was quite disgusted and he scolded that man for his foolishness and offense at the lotus feet of a pure Vaisnava. Babaji said, 'It is ridiculous for a sparrow to attempt to cross the ocean. If you are serious about living in Vraja, then give up your criticism of pure devotees. Do you think that you will get information about Vaikuntha from hell? Saraswati is in Vaikuntha and he is in Vrndavana as well. You are presently in the lap of the witch Maya. How will you know the Saraswati of Vraja? You do not possess the eyes to see how Bhaktivinode and Saraswati Prabhu have exemplified the performance of hari-bhajana with pure ecstatic emotion.'"
The highest ekadasa-bhava that one can achieve is that of a manjari maidservant in the camp of Srimati Radharani. This was actually the bhava of Saraswati Thakur. There is a short anecdote in this connection which shows that Saraswati Thakur (Nayana-mani Manjari) was indeed in manjari-bhava:
"In Navadwip there lived a very famous and revered Vaisnava saint named Vamsidas Babaji Maharaja. Vamsidas was accepted by all the Vaisnavas as a siddha-purusa (perfected soul). Vamsidas had a special affectionate relationship with Saraswati Thakur. Saraswati Thakur sometimes visited Vamsidas at his place of bhajana in Navadwip - seeing Saraswati approaching Vamsidas would shout in a very loud voice, 'Oh, a Manjari (Nayana-mani Manjari) has come! Will Radha come also? She will come, she will come!'"
The anti-party considers both Bhaktivinode and Saraswati Thakur to have been conditioned souls. Both these conclusions are thoroughly rejected by Gaudiya Math and ISKCON. The words of Vamsidas alone are sufficient to verify the position of Saraswati Thakur in manjari-bhava - provided that is - that one has faith in the words of great saintly persons:
yasya deve para bhaktir, yatha-deve tatha gurau
tasyait kathita hy arthah, prakasante mahatmanah
"Only unto those great souls who have faith in both the Lord and the spiritual master are all imports of Vedic knowledge automatically revealed."
Our Guru Maharaja A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada used to say that Saraswati Thakur was "A Vaikuntha Man." The meaning of this statement is that Saraswati Thakur was beyond all mundane calculations and designations. He descended to this world at Sri Kshetra Jagannatha Puri to dispel the ignorance which covered the teachings of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and reveal the pastimes of the Supreme Lord. That is the meaning of the name which his father gave him, Bimala Prasad. Bimala Devi is the Yogamaya potency of Lord Jagannatha and it is Bimala Devi who reveals the pastimes of Jagannatha. Thus Bimala Prasad means one who has descended by the arrangement of the internal potency (antaranga-sakti). Due to a poor fund of knowledge the anti-party cannot see this truth.
The greatest defect of the anti-party is that they do not have complete faith that the holy name of Krsna can reveal one's siddha-swarupa (eternally perfected form). The anti-party actually lacks faith in the holy name of Krsna. Furthermore they consider that the attainment of divine consciousness is an ascending process - By practice alone one can not attain divine consciousness. Divine consciousness is the super-subjective plane of reality and He reserves the right to reveal Himself to His devotee. It is a descending process. The real knowledge of ekadasa-bhava is not the so-called knowledge of relationship, rupa, nama, etc. imparted to a conditioned soul by a so-called guru but the actual attainment of ekadasa-bhava is effected by the descent of the holy name - when one chants the name in pure unalloyed love and devotion without even the slightest trance of desire for kama (enjoyment) or moksha (liberation). This is the method of perfection recommended by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu in Siksatakam - param-vijayate sri-krsna-sankirtanam.
Bhaktivinode Thakur has himself chastized the mind of those who want to jump to the higher plane - neglecting the auspicious process of chanting the holy name. We find the following verse in Kalayana Kalpa-Taru, Song 18, Verse 4:
na manile su-bhajan, sadhu-sange sankirtan
an korile nirjane smaran
na uthiya brksopari, tanatani phal dhori
dusta-phal korile arjan
"But your idea, dear mind, is to neglect the best and most auspicious process for worshiping Krsna, namely the congregational chanting of His holy names in the association of purified devotees. And you don't even bother to try to remember Him in a lonely place. Your attitude is just like trying to pick fruits forcibly from a tree by jumping at them from the ground. Instead of climbing the tree to properly pick the sweet, ripened fruits from the top of the tree, you will simply get the sour, unripe fruits by such a jumping process."
We can write hundreds of articles defeating the anti-party and sahajiya conceptions as Saraswati Thakur has given us the inspiration and courage to do so. He himself wrote hundreds of verses and gave thousands of lectures defeating all types of misconception so that sincere souls could traverse the path of pure devotional service. This however the anti-party considered a lower platform of service to the Supreme Lord. Unfortunately it is they who are the losers - as Gaura Kisora Dasa Babaji said, "They do not possess the eyes to see how Bhaktivinode and Saraswati Prabhu have exemplified the performance of hari-bhajana with pure ecstatic emotion." They do not possess the eyes to see means that the anti-party is blind to self-manifest spiritual truths.
The real divine life of Saraswati Thakur is described in the following two verses:
namaste gaura-vani-sri-murtaye dina-tarine
rupanuga-viruddhapasiddhanta-dhvanta-harine
"I offer my respectful obeisances unto you, who are the personified teachings of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. You are the deliverer of the fallen souls. You do not tolerate any statement which is against the siddhanta enunciated by Srila Rupa Goswami."
nikhila-bhuvana-maya-chinnavichina-kartri
vibudha-bahula-mrgya-mukti-mohanta-dhatri
sithilita-vidhi-raga-radhya-radhesa-dhani
vilasatu hrdi nityam bhaktisiddhanta vani
"With his first step, He cut to pieces the whole plane of exploitation, and with his second, he crushed the speculation of scholars of salvation and liberation. With his third, he softened vaidhi bhakti with a touch of divine love (raga marga). Taking us beyond Vaikuntha, he has introduced us to the highest worship of Sri Radha and Govinda.
"With the softness of Vrndavana within, and the hardness of a devastator without, he created havoc in the world - fighting with one and all. Single-handedly fighting against the whole world, and cutting everything to pieces - that was his external attitude. And his second attitude was to stop the boasting research of the scholars and doctors of different schools of thought; and third, to minimize and slacken the grandeur of the worship of Narayana, and establish the service of Radha-Govinda as the highest attainment. He caused the domain of love to descend into this plane, with the service of Radha - Govinda, establishing the flow of divine love from the heart as all in all.
"That was his history - the real existence of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura Prabhupada. May his teachings dance eternally within the core of our hearts."
