O my friend

O My Friend! O My Friend!

Exploring the Inner Life of A. C. Bhaktivedånta Swami Prabhupåda

babhru dåsa

foreword by swåmî b.v. tripuråri

Copyright © The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust www.Krishna.com

Foreword 3

1. Introduction 6

2. Examiningtheevidence 11

3. Sådhus’perspectives 29

4. AcloserlookatPrabhupåda’sprayer 37

5. Prabhupåda’sfamilyconnectiontothedvådaça-gopålas 41

6. InsightsintoçrîlaPrabhupåda’sfightingspirit 44

7. Sakhya-rasaintheGau∂îyasampradåya 47

8. Objections 51

9. Conclusion 67

Endnotes 72

Glossary 75

Donate

C O N T E N T S

3f O r E wO r d

foreword

Swåmî B. V. Tripuråri

WhenIfirstmetçrîlaPrabhupådapersonally—whenIfirst

seteyesonhim—tearsoflovethelikesofwhichIhadnev-

erexperiencedinthislifeshoweredforthfrommyeyesand

K®ß√anåmadancedeffortlesslyonmytongue.Atthattime

Iwasfilledwithonethoughtandonethoughtalone:“Once

againIhavemetmy long-lost friend.Outof loveforme,

asifafteralongseparation,hehassoughtmeout.”Shortly

thereafterIthought,“Evenifeveryoneelsehereleaveshim,

Iwillneverstrayfromhisshelter.”Thisexperience,meeting

çrîlaPrabhupåda,hassetthecourseformyentireadultlife

andonwardsintoeternity.

ButwhoisçrîlaA.C.BhaktivedåntaSwamiPrabhupåda?

Yes,heisthejagad-guruofmodern-dayGau∂îyaVaiß√avism,

theworldguru,whomsomeknowas their spiritualmas-

ter,whileothersarealsohisdisciplesbutknowitnot.He

hasbuiltabridgefromEasttoWestandcrosseditbackand

forth,plantingseedsofbhakti in theWestwhile tilling its

soil, andnourishing the seeds sown in theEastbyothers

aswellasplantingthereanew.Heisthegreatemissaryof

K®ß√a bhakti doing gauravå√î-pracåri√e. Indeed, he is the

veryextensionofGauralîlå,atidalwavefromthedepthsof

theoceanofloveofGodrisenupandreachingouttodrown

eventhedistantshoreswiththeblessingofNitåicånd.Yet

allofthisandmorewithregardtohisextraordinarypreach-

ingcampaignisbutthetipoftheicebergofwhoheis,the

surfaceoftheoceanicdepthofhisloveofGod.Whothen

canfathomthatdepth,theinnerwealthofthissaffron-clad

trida√∂î-bhikßu?

Asdauntingasitmayseem,it iswewhomusttakeup

thistaskinearnestandanswerdefinitivelywhoheis, for

itisonlybyansweringthisquestionthroughthesincerity

ofourspiritualpracticethatwewilleverreallyknowwho

weare.çrîViçvanåthaCakravartîˇhåkurahastoldusthat

4f O r E wO r d

whileçrîGuruisdirectlyGod,atthesametimeheisdear

toGod,kintu prabhor ya˙ priya eva tasya.çrîGuruisdirect-

lyHari,butaswelookmorecloselywitheyesoflove,we

findthatheorsheembodiesaparticularrelationshipwith

K®ß√a.Assådhanaisperfected,bhåvamanifestsandwithit

eyestoseeçrîGuruintermsofhisorherloveforK®ß√a.

WhileçrîGuru isGod ina representational sense,heor

she is loveofGod inevery respect.Ourguru is thevery

embodimentofaparticularspiritualsentimentwithacor-

respondingform,andrealizingthatformhasmuchtodo

withrealizingourownsvarüpa.

Dauntingindeed,butfortunately,andIshouldsaychar-

acteristicallyinthatitisperhapshismercythatcharacter-

izeshimmorethananythingelse,çrîlaPrabhupådahasnot

leftusentirelyinthedark.Thelightofhisinnerlifeshines

forthhereandthere for thediscerningdisciple.Hehim-

selfhaspointedusinthedirection,andthepresentbooklet

hascollectedhisindicationsinoneplaceforthefirsttime,

reasonedabout them inconsonancewith revelation, and

consideredpossibleobjections.Theconclusion,Ibelieve,

isobvious.

Itisobviousanditisimportant.Itisobviousbecausein

thisbookletwehaveallowedçrîlaPrabhupådatospeakfor

himself.Theauthor’staskhaslargelybeentomerelyunder-

score the significanceofall thatçrîlaPrabhupådahas said

about himself. It is important because it emphasizes the

often-forgotten truth that loveofK®ß√a is anaffairof the

purifiedheart,asubjectiverealitythatconstitutestheperfec-

tionofeachdevotee,regardlessofitsvariety.

Thusthepresenttextiscenteredonthebhåvaofçrîla

A. C. Bhaktivedånta Swami Prabhupåda, a subject of im-

menseimportancetohisdisciples.WhiletheinnerlifeofHis

DivineGraceislefttoeachdiscipletorealizeindetail,the

generaldirectionthathehimself,throughhisownwordsand

actions,haspointedtoisexploredinthepagesahead.The

genesisofthetextliesinanonlinediscussionamongmystu-

5f O r E wO r d

dentsandmyselfinwhichexternalevidenceofPrabhupåda’s

spiritualsentimentwascollected.SometimelaterIaskedmy

GodbrotherçrîmanBabhrudåsa tocompile this evidence

intoonedocument.Thisinitialcompilationturnedintoan

article,whichwastheneditedandaddedtobymyselfand

mystudentV®ndåra√yadevî.Myhopeisthatitwillbeap-

preciatedforwhatitisinitsmostbasicsense:çrîlaPrabhu-

pådaspeakingtousabouthisinnerlife.

Introduction1.

C h a p T E r 1 I N T r O d U C T I O N 7

Offering prostrated obeisances at the feet

ofmyeternalspiritualmaster,HisDivine

GraceA.C.BhaktivedåntaSwamiPrabhu-

påda, I undertake an attempt, however

feeble,toexplorethedepthsofhischarac-

terandthebreadthofthesampradåyacomingfromçrîCait-

anyaMahåprabhu.Heisthebestofmillionsofjagad-gurus,

having takenhisownguru’sorderonhishead,becoming

thusempoweredtobringGau∂îyaVaiß√avismalloverthe

worldandthenbacktoBhåratavarça.Ialsooffermyobei-

sancetoallhisfollowers,whohavebeeninspiredbyhisex-

ampleanddedicatedtheirlivestopracticingandsharingthe

teachingsofçrîCaitanya, carrying them in theirhearts to

someofthemostunlikelyplacesintheworld.Theirasso-

ciationandkindnessarethespiritofmyspirituallife,andI

praytheymayfindpleasure,nourishment,andsatisfaction

inwhattheyreadhere.

IhavebeenaskedwhyIwouldwritesomethingexplor-

ingçrîlaPrabhupåda’s inner life.Manybelieve that it is a

topicbetter leftalone.Although it is truethatouråcåryas

havewarnedagainstindiscreetdiscussionofone’sowninner

life,theeternalspiritual identitiesofmostofourprevious

åcåryasisnotamysterybutratheranopensecret,atreasured

jewelofinsight.Thisinsight,truetotheadmonitionagainst

revealing one’s inner life, is generally not revealed openly

duringan åcårya’slifetimebutratherafterhisdisappearance,

gleanedmostlyfromindicationsfromhisdivinelifeandthe

correspondingrealizationsofhisdisciples.

The disciples of çrîla Sarasvatî ˇhåkura discerned that

their spiritualmaster is amañjarîwhosename isNayana-

ma√i.Theonlyexternalevidenceforthis,asfarasIhave

beenabletoascertain,isasingleletterçrîlaSarasvatîˇhåkura

wrotetooneofhisdisciples.Similarly,theGodbrothersof

BhaktiRakßakaçrîdharaMahåråjahavedeterminedthatçrî-

laBhaktisiddhånta’srequesttohearçrîlaçrîdharaMahåråja

sing“çrîRüpa-mañjarî-pada”tohimashepreparedtoleave


the world indicated that Sarasvatî ˇhåkura had admitted

çrîdhara Mahåråja into his own circle of mañjarîs under

Rüpa-mañjarî.(çrîlaçrîdharaMahåråja,inhistypicalhumil-

ity,concludedthathehadbeenpostedatthegate.)Andthe

disciples of çrîpåd Bhakti Prajñåna Keçava Mahåråja have

alsoinferredfromafewthings,suchasthenamesoftheDe-

itiesheinstalledatallofhismå†has(allofwhichcontained

thenameVinoda),thecolorhechosetopaintoneofthesteps

tothealtarattheDevånandaGau∂îyaMå†hainNavadvîpa,

andperhapshisownbrahmacårîname(Vinodabiharîdåsa)

thattheirgurumustbeamañjarînamedVinoda-mañjarî

whosedress inthenitya-lîlåwasgreen.Sothere’saprece-

dentforsuchdiscussion,evenamongthefollowersofthose

renownedfortheirreticenceindiscussingsuchmatters.

Notunexpectedly,çrîlaPrabhupåda’sinnerspiritualiden-

tityhasbeena topicofdiscussionover theyears.Contra-

dictoryopinions,however, suggest that there is still room

forfurtherexploration.Inthisbooklet,Ihopetoextendthe


discussionbypresentingthesurprisinglynumerousindica-

tionsofçrîlaPrabhupåda’sspiritualidentitythataroseinhis

lifeandmission.Ibelievethatanunbiasedassessmentofthis

evidenceshedssubstantiallightonçrîlaPrabhupåda’sinner

spiritualidentity.Moreover,Ibelievethattheexplorationof

thistopicbyvariousexalteddevoteeshasyieldedawealthof

nectarthatenrichesourunderstandingandappreciationof

çrîlaPrabhupåda’scharacterandmission.Itmayalsoshow

howdesirableitistohavesomeinterestinsuchtopicsand

indicatethebreadthofourmovement’sideals,therangeof

thegoalsattainablebythosefollowingourGau∂îyaVaiß√ava

åcåryas.

Bhaktivinodaˇhåkura’sJaiva Dharmashowsthatthereis

roomforsubjectivityinregardtoone’svisionofçrîGuru:

Vijaya-kumåraandVrajanåthasawtheirguruasrepresent-

ing mådhurya and sakhya-rasa, respectively. This apparent

discrepancyisduetothefactthatwhileçrîGuruisaparticu-

larjîvasoul,theçaktiofguru-tattva issimultaneouslywithin

himandhecanthereforerepresentanyrasa.Thusalthough

disciples’buddingspiritualsentimentsmaycolortheirper-

ceptionandallowformorethanonevisionofçrîlaPrabhu-

påda,ultimatelyheiswhoheis:hehasoneeternalrasain

K®ß√alîlå.WhatIofferhereismyhumbleattempttogath-

erinoneplacetheevidencethatshedslightonhisinnerlife

andmyreflectionsonthesignificanceIseeinthatevidence,

especiallyasitisilluminatedbyçåstraandsådhus.Although

themajorityoftheevidence,includingseveraldisciples’ac-

counts of direct statements by çrîla Prabhupåda himself,

points inonedirection, I remainopen to compelling evi-

dencetothecontrary.Further,Ianticipatethat thisbook-

letwillstimulatefurtherdiscussionofthetopic,andIlook

forwardtohearingmorememoriesandinsightsontheun-

limitednectarofçrîlaPrabhupåda’slife.Letusbyallmeans

churntheoceanofçrîlaPrabhupåda’sgloriesuntilwegen-

erateatidalwaveofkîrtanaandthenridethewavesofthat

kîrtanaforallweareworth!

C h a p T E r 1 I N T r O d U C T I O N 1 0

Ishouldalsorespectfullymentionthatofmuchlessinterest

tomethanhearingfurtherevidenceintheformofmemories

is tohear ideologicaldebate, specifically thewell-wornde-

bateoverwhetherallåcåryasinourlinemustbeinmådhurya-

rasa.Although for me this idea has been contradicted by

statementsofçrîlaBhaktivinodaˇhåkura,Bhaktisiddhånta

Sarasvatîˇhåkura,BhaktiRakßakaçrîdharaMahåråja,Bhak-

tiPromodePurîMahåråja,andourownçrîlaPrabhupåda,I

havestillincludedinthisbookletamorethoroughrebuttal

ofthisideaforthosewhowouldargueotherwise.

The evidence I present here comes from many quarters

andgoesbacktobeforemyowndedicatedinvolvementin

K®ß√aconsciousness.Itcameoverthecourseofmanyyears,

muchofitthroughconversationwithotherdevotees.Ina

recentonlineconversation,agreatdealofthisinformation

cametogetherasifofitsownaccord.Ioweadebtofgrati-

tudetothedevoteeswhoengagedinthatconversation,es-

peciallytoSwåmîB.V.Tripuråri,whoinspiredmetobegin

thisendeavorandwhohascontinuedtoencourageandad-

viseme.Ialsohavefoundsupportinthefriendshipofoth-

er Godbrothers, particularly Bhakti Viçrambha Mådhava

MahåråjaandVidagdhaMådhavadåsa.Andtheultimatein-

spirationcomes,ofcourse,fromçrîlaPrabhupådahimself.

Anythingthathasanyvalueinthisessayisduetotheirmer-

cy;anyshortcomings,faults,oroffensesaremyresponsibil-

ityalone.

2. Examining the evidence


C h a p T E r 2 E x a m I N I N g T h E E v I d E N C E 1 2

Theexternalevidencepointingtothenatureof

çrîlaPrabhupåda’ssvarüpaisconsiderable.As

weshallsee,itincludesstatementsmadebyhis

disciplesthathehimselfmadenoefforttoedit

(hissilenceindicatingtacitagreement),state-

mentsbyhisdisciplesthatheopenlyacknowledged,andhis

ownincontrovertiblestatements.Furtherevidencehascome

fromtherealizationofsådhusofworldrenown,whohavere-

flectedonhisworldwidepreachingcampaignandsupported

theirconclusionswithçåstra-yukti.Evidenceisalsofoundin

hiswriting.Finally,thespiritofhispreachingcampaignalso

speaksclearlytousastothenatureofhissvarüpa,asitisthe

åcårya’sinnerlifethatmotivateshisoutreach.

Letusbeginbyexaminingtheearlydaysofhiscampaign

intheWest.çrîlaPrabhupåda’sdisciplesoftennoticedthings

he said anddid thatprovidedglimpses into thenatureof

çrîlaPrabhupåda’seternalrelationshipwithK®ß√a.Forex-

ample,Govindadåsîsharesthisamongherremembrances

ofher timewithçrîlaPrabhupåda in theearlydaysofhis

preachinginNorthAmerica:

Gaurasundara and I remained in Montreal for the

durationoftimethatSwamijiwasinIndia;thatwas

aboutsixmonths.Duringthattimewedrewmany

pictures for early Back to Godhead magazines, and

dailyweworkedinoursmallartstudiowhilehear-

ing Caitanya-caritåm®ta and Çrîmad-Bhågavatam.

During that time I began working on a drawing

of K®ß√a and Balaråma returning home with their

cows,millionsofcows.Itbecameakindofmedita-

tion.DailyIworkedonthisdrawingandalthough

wehadlittleinformationofhowV®ndåvanalooked,

itseemedtomanifestfromwithintheheart.Though

we did many other pictures, this picture was the

mostdeartome.EvenwhenIclosemyeyesIwould

stillseeanoceanofcowswithK®ß√aandBalaråma


prancingbefore themand inmyview,over to the

right,thatcowherdboywasclearlymeanttobeçrî-

laPrabhupåda.Afterall,Swamijihadrequestedme

topainthisportraitinSanFrancisco,anditwasone

ofthefirstpicturesIpaintedforhim.NowIfeltI

waspaintinghisspiritualportraitinGoloka.Itwas

aninnocentoffering.Isentacopyofthedrawingto

SwamijiinV®ndåvana,saying,“Thiscowherdboyis

myportraitofyou.”

Thankyou,çrîlaPrabhupåda,forgivingmethat

glimpseofGoloka. It spurredmeon inmydesire

toserveyou;evennowwhenIseethispicture,my

originaldrawinghasbeencoloredinandhangsbe-

hindtheDeitiesofK®ß√a-Balaråma,Ithinkofyouas

IseeyouwalkingbesideK®ß√aandBalaråma,herd-

ingthecowshomeintheevening,andIthinkthat

this isnoaccidentthatthisverypicturethatIhad

offeredtoyousomanyyearsbeforeisyourportrait


walking beside your beloved K®ß√a-Balaråma and

youaretherenearby.

Aboutthispicture,Govindadåsîlaterremarked,

Ididn’tknowwhatV®ndåvanalookedlike,butthe

picturewasdone fromçrîlaPrabhupåda’sdescrip-

tionsand,moreover,fromhisguidancewithinthe

heart.Hisbhaktishonethroughtheworkofallthe

artistsatthattimeandthebhaktiwasreal,asitwas

his.Wewere justworkers,marionettes.Thedraw-

inghadacowherdboytotheleftofK®ß√a.Inmyvi-

sion,then,thiswasçrîlaPrabhupåda.Isentacopy

ofittohimasagiftwithanotesaying,“Thisisyour

cowboyformwithK®ß√aandBalaråma.”Strangely

enough,thisdidn’tseemoutofplaceatthetime.It

wasnotprecociousorassuming;itwasjustmysim-

pleperception.Therewasno replyandnodiscus-


“Oh,”saidHarßarå√î,“youwereacowboy!”With

completegravity,youreplied,“Yes.”Atthatsecond,

noonewasthinkingofyouandtheWildWest.We

justknewyouwerespeakingaboutbeingwithK®ß√a

andthecowsinV®ndåvana.Wewereonlyspiritual

toddlersatbest(itwas’67or’68),butyoumerciful-

lygaveusaglimpseintoyourheart.Ifeltverysmall

beingtherewithyouatthatmoment.

After that incident, the same devotee penned a

shortpoemaboutyou.In itshedescribedyouas

playing leapfrog in a pasture with K®ß√a and the

cowsandothergopas.Itseemedfunnyandfrivolous

tous, yet yougravely remarked,“Shehasbecome

advanced,”andorderedthatitbeprintedinBack to

Godheadmagazine.

GovindadåsîalsoremembersHarßarå√î’spoemandçrîla

Prabhupåda’sother,similardealingswithherinthismood.

sionaboutit.Itwasprettymuchacommonunder-

standingamongstallofusdisciplesatthattimethat

çrîlaPrabhupådawasacowherdboy.

Weseeevidenceofhowcommonthisperceptionwasamong

earlydisciplesincommentsbyothersfromthoseearlyyears.

In her 2003Vyåsa-püjå offering, Målatî dåsî remembers a

similar innocent insight fromanotherdevotee in theearly

days:

Irecallanintimatemomentwhenyouincreasedthe

mystiqueofyourbeinghereamongusfoolishboys

andgirls.Nonchalantlyrecallinghowasachildyou

alwaysgotyourway,youproceededtotellalittlevi-

gnetteaboutyourdesireforacowboypistol.Final-

ly,aftermuchinsistence,yourfathercompliedand

boughtyouatoygun.Butyouwerenottobesatis-

fieduntilyouhadtwoguns,oneforeachhand.


ShesharedthisinalettertomyGodbrotherB.V.Mådhava

Mahåråja:

Occasionallyheactedthispartofacowherdboy,es-

peciallyinSeattlewhenHarßarå√îwasthere.Shewas

very finely tuned to the mystical and otherworldly

things.Earlyon,shehadanuncannyunderstanding

ofçrîlaPrabhupåda.In1968,whileçrîlaPrabhupå-

dawasinMontreal,shesenthimapoem.Thegistof

herpoemwas:Ioffermyhumbleobeisancestomy

Spiritual Master, who is running among the trees,

playinghideandseekwiththeSupremePersonality

ofGodhead,çrîK®ß√a...etc.Ireadthepoemtoçrîla

Prabhupådaandwasalittleamazed.ButIwaseven

moreamazedwhenhebecamequietlyblissfulandsaid,

“Yes,shehasbecomeadvanced.Printthispoeminour

BTG.”Isentitinforpublication,butI’vesearchedand

neverfoundit.Perhapstheydidn’tprintit.

In 1968, in Seattle, Harßarå√î, Kårttikeya and I

alllivedwithçrîlaPrabhupåda.Hewasveryinfor-

malandbecauseshehadanunderstandingofhislîlå

form,heoftenactedaccordingly,oftenplayfuland

mischievousasacowherdboy.Itwasveryesoteric.I

hadneverseenthisbefore,butHarßarå√îseemedto

bringoutthisside.

Andyes,hedidexclaim,“IwanttogotoK®ß√aloka

soIcanhaveHislå∂∂usandkacaurîs,”whilesitting

inajoyfultrance-likestatewhileinNewYork.And

thenheadded,“Ifyoumakemelå∂∂usandkacaurîs,

Iwillblessyou!”SoKårttikeyaandIquicklysaid,

“Oh,pleaseteachustomakethem,andwewillmake

themforyou.”Andhedid.

WemaynotethatGovindadåsîandMålatî’saccountsofçrîla

Prabhupåda’sresponsetoHarßarå√î’spoemareidentical.We

mayalsonotethatthepoemwasindeedpublishedinBack


to GodheadasçrîlaPrabhupådainstructedandcanbefound

in theBhaktivedåntaVedaBase, aswell as in theBhakti-

vedånta Archives’ 60 Years of Back to Godhead Magazine.

Hereisthetextofherpoem,aspublishedinBack to Godhead

#17in1968:

DearSwamiji

I offer my respects unto the Lotus

Feet of my Spiritual Master,

Who is always herding cows

In Goloka Vrindaban with His

Dearmost Friend, Krishna.

Sometimes He is running barefoot

Through the forest chasing cows

And sometimes He is hiding behind

A tree waiting for Krishna to

Return with the spoils from

Mother Yasoda’s butter pots.


I offer my respects unto the Lotus

Feet of my Spiritual Master, Who is

Always thinking of what He can

Do in service of His Dearmost

Friend Krishna and never wanting

Anything in return.

OtherdevoteesalsowroteVyåsa-püjåofferingsearlyonex-

pressinginsightssimilartoHarßarå√î’s.In1969,Devånanda

wroteofçrîlaPrabhupåda,

Heis thepromiseofLordChaitanyatooverflood

the world with K®ß√a’s Names enchanting. He is

theSpiritualMessenger,theLord’sAngelofMercy,

thesweetharbingerandbringeroftheLord’sOwn

FluteSongcharmingallsoulstotheLotusLandof

Brajadhama, K®ß√a’s OwnWho knows His Mind.

ThisCowherdofGolokaisexpertinextractingmilk

ofheart’spuredesire.O’HowHeworkssuchartsas

these!

Jyotirmayîdåsîwrotein1970,

çrîlaPrabhupåda,hereonIlavatiVarsa,youarethe

masteratwhosefeetallmastersareassembled,but

inGolokaV®ndåvana.Whoareyou?Whatisyour

name,cowherdboy,playinginthefieldwithK®ß√a

andthousandsofcowsandcalves?Asyouwalk,the

grassatonceunderthetouchofyourlotusfeetre-

gains itsconsciousnessandits loveandraiseshigh

itsfragilelimbs.

ThatsameyearJåmbavatidåsîwrote,

Golden in K®ß√a’s radiant smile,

You are dancing as a cowherd boy.


So kindly help us sing Your glories far and wide,

O saint among the highest.

And,againin1970,Jadurå√îdåsîwrote,

You are always absorbed in the loving affairs of

RådhåandK®ß√a,andifwehearfromyouandfol-

lowyour instructions, thenwecanalsoenter into

thekingdomofV®ndåvana.Whenyousawthepho-

tograph of Kårtamaçåyî in your apartment on the

BoweryyoutoldmeIlikethatdoll,andMydesireis

tobeHisfriend.YouarealwaysthinkingofK®ß√a,

and He also cannot separate His mind from you.

YouareoneoftheLord’sdearfriendsinV®ndåvana,

whoissometimeschasingtheshadowsthatthebirds

makeontheground,sometimesshoutingillnames

intothewell,sometimesimitatingthesoundsofthe

animals,sometimessharingLordK®ß√a’slå∂∂usand


kacaurîs and sometimes hearing Him tell jokes at

lunch.

Wefindasimilarsentimentexpressedintheofferingofthe

Auckland,NewZealandtemplein1972:

You are Prabhupåda

the little Cowherd Boy from Goloka

And when You wander

round Your room

Looking at pictures

of K®ß√a and His friends

We realize how foolish we are

to have ever thought You an old man

AllofthereferencestoçrîlaPrabhupåda’simputedfriendly

relationshipwithK®ß√ainVyåsa-püjåofferingsaretoonu-

meroustocitehere.Somedevoteesmayobjectthattheseare

sentimental speculations from inexperienced devotees.We

shouldnotethatnotonlydidçrîlaPrabhupådaneverrefute

them,butthatthere isnorecordthatheeverevenvoiced

anyobjection.Anyonewhowas involvedwith iskcon in

1970nodoubt remembers the strengthofhis response to

thedeviantpreachingoffournew sannyåsîs.Ifhehadhad

anyobjectiontosuchexpressionsoffaithasthese,hewould

havestoppedthemcold.Moreover,thesestatementsarein

linewiththesentimentsexpressedbyHarßarå√îwhichçrîla

Prabhupådaconfirmed.Whatismore,IcanfindnoVyåsa-

püjåofferingsmadeduringçrîlaPrabhupåda’smanifestpas-

timessuggestingthatheiseitheragopîoramañjarî.

çrîla Prabhupåda sometimes hinted at similar feelings

inrelaxed, intimatedealingswithhisdisciples.OnGaura-

pür√imå 2008, speaking in Måyåpura, çrutakîrti dåsa de-

scribedanincidentin1975.çrîlaPrabhupådawasonawhirl-

windworldtour,seeinghundredsofdevoteeschantingand

dancing in temples where Gaura-Nitåi were being wor-


shipped,everywhere.Onedaywhilevisiting iskcon’sAt-

lantatemple,çrîlaPrabhupådaapparentlybecamestunned

inecstasy.BecauseçrîlaPrabhupådaconsistentlycontained

anyexpressionofbhåva,thiscaughtthedevoteesoffguard.

Ultimately,theystartedakîrtana,andçrîlaPrabhupådare-

turned to external consciousness. çrutakîrti tells us what

Prabhupådawaslikelater,inhisroom:

ButonethingIhavetotellyouthathappenedthere.

AsIsaid,Prabhupådawas...somethingIhadnotex-

periencedsomuchbefore...he justhadthisecstasy

that...it just began escaping from him. He was al-

ways incontrolof that,but itwas justhappening.

SoeverynightIwouldmassagePrabhupådainhis

roomthere.Forthreedayshestayedthere;hisquar-

tersarestilltherejustaswhenhestayedthere.Soas

Prabhupådawaslyingdowninbed,hehadhishead

upalittlebitonthepillow,andIwasrubbinghis


legsandrubbinghisfeet.Sothemassagewasgoing

onfor10or15minutes.

Prabhupåda’smassageintheeveningwasthemost

personalintimatetimetobewithPrabhupåda.The

lightswereout,theroomwasdark.Therewouldbe

somelightfromwherever,andnooneeverentered

Prabhupåda’s room while he received his evening

massage,nooneevercameintoPrabhupåda’squar-

ters.Soitwasjusthimandhisservant.SoasIwas

massaging,Prabhupådaallofasuddensaid,“I like

thecowherdboysverymuch.”Whenhewouldspeak

intheeveningitwasnothingbutnectar,alwaysnec-

tar. So I just continued, never stopped massaging.

Andhewaslookingatthepicture,bigpaintingon

thewallatthefootofhisbed,andhewasjustlook-

ingintoit.SoIlookedandIrealizedhewaslooking

atthispictureofK®ß√aandBalaråma,andTheywere

justyoungboys,eightyearsold,andwithThemthere

werethousandsofcowherdboysandcalves,andthey

werejustintheforestofV®ndåvana.SoPrabhupåda

waslookingatthat.SoIammassaging.

Thenhesaid,“EverydayK®ß√aandBalaråmawould

gointotheforestinV®ndåvana.Beforetheywould

go,Theirmotherswouldmakelunches,preparetif-

finsforThem.”I’mjustshakingmyhead.Prabhu-

påda is speaking very softly. Prabhupåda is just

there,rightthereinsidethatscene,andheisspeak-

ing about it. When Prabhupåda talked, he would

justbringyou,hewouldtransportyourightthere.

Sohesaid,“K®ß√a’smotherYaçodå,shewouldmake

verynicetiffinandinittherewouldbepurî,halava,

kacaurî, lå∂∂u.And theother cowherdboys, their

motherswerenotsoopulentsotheirtiffinswould

havechapati,rice,subji,likethat.”

And then he said, “Then they would go and

they would play all day, and they didn’t have the


cows.Theyare just littleboys so theywouldhave

the calves.The calveswerewith them.Thenfinal-

lytheywouldstopforlunch.Sometimesoneofthe

cowherdboyswouldstealK®ß√a’slunchandbegin

throwingitaround;theywouldplaykeep-awaywith

K®ß√a.”I’mjustmassagingthewholetime.Hesaid,

“Finallythecowherdboyswouldthrowtheirlunch

toK®ß√a,andtheywouldsitdownwithHislunch

andtheywouldeatpurî,halava,kacaurî,andlå∂∂u.

AndK®ß√awouldsitwiththemandHewouldeat

therice,chapati,andsubji.”

Hewassmilingsobrightly.Andthenhestopped,

andI’mstillmassaging.Thenhesaid,“I justwant

togobacktothespiritualworldandeatkacaurîand

lå∂∂uwithK®ß√a.”Thenheclosedhiseyesanddidn’t

sayanythingmore,andIjustkeptmassaging.Soit

wassomethingveryrare.


Thisincidentseemsnottobeanisolatedcommenthemade

onlyonthisoccasion.Rather, itechoesanearlier intimate

momentinNewYork,in1968,asrecountedinSatsvarüpa

dåsaGoswåmî’sÇrîla Prabhupåda-lîlåm®ta:

Oneday,whilePrabhupådawassittinginhisroom

receivinghismassage,hebegantalkingandlaugh-

ing.Ashesatonthefloorwithonelegtuckedunder

hisbodyandone legoutstretchedbeforehim,he

toldthetwoorthreedevoteespresenthowK®ß√a,

carryingthelunchHismotherhadpackedforHim,

would go to the forest with His cowherd boy-

friends,whowerealsocarryinglunchesfromhome.

K®ß√aandHisfriendswouldallsittogethersharing

their lunch, andK®ß√a alwayshad thebest lå∂∂us

and kacaurîs. Prabhupåda’s eyes flashed, and he

rubbedhishandstogether,smiling.“Isimplywant

togotoK®ß√aloka,soIcanhavesomeofK®ß√a’s

lå∂∂uandkacaurîs.Idonothaveanygreatdiversion

fromthis.IsimplywanttogotheresothatIcanen-

joyeating lå∂∂us andkacaurîswithK®ß√a and the

cowherdboys.”Openinghiseyeswidely,heglanced

atDevånanda,whowasmassaginghim,andatthe

othersintheroom.“Oh,”hesaidtothem,“ifyou

willgiveme lå∂∂us andkacaurîs, thenIwillbless

you.”

Commentingonthisincidentinanonlinediscussionwith

somedisciplesandfriends,SwåmîB.V.Tripuråriwrote,

HerePrabhupådaexpresses themoodof thevidü-

ßaka (jester)andpriyanarmaMadhuma∫gala.Batu,

as he is sometimes called, is a bråhma√a friend of

K®ß√a.Heisabigeater,andreligionmeanstofeed

bråhma√as.HeoftenbargainswithK®ß√aformore

sweetsbyofferinghimhisblessings in jest. In the


lastlineabove,Prabhupådaisimitatingnegotiating

withK®ß√a.

AnotherinstanceoccurredinV®ndåvana,in1977:Oneday

whilesittingwithçrîlaPrabhupåda,TamålaK®ß√abeganto

describe thepastimesofK®ß√aasdepicted in thepainting

hangingtotherightofçrîlaPrabhupåda’sprasådam table.

ThepaintingshowedK®ß√aandhiscowherdfriendseating

lunch. çrîla Prabhupåda looked at the painting and then,

closinghiseyesand thinkingof the lîlå, said,“This is the

highestperfectionoflife.”Weshouldnotdiscountthepossi-

bilitythatthereisconsiderablesignificanceinçrîlaPrabhu-

påda’sminddriftingtowardK®ß√a’spastimeswithhiscow-

herd-boyfriends.Afterall,asIndradyumnaSwåmîrecount-

edinarecentclass,çrîlaPrabhupådaexplainedononeoc-

casionthattheHareK®ß√amantrameans,“Omyfriend!O

myfriend!”

Occasionally,however,çrîlaPrabhupådaspokeevenmore


directly.Govindadåsîrecalls,“InthecarinSeattlein1968,

he was talking about this and said, ‘My Guru Mahåråja’s

rasa is thatofgopî,mañjarî,butIaminrelationshipwith

K®ß√aascowherdboy.’”Subaladåsa,anotherdevoteefrom

theearlydays,recallsanothersuchincident:“WhenPrabh-

upådacameforavisit,IgotDr.Kapoortocomewithme

toaskabout it [discussingone’s siddha-deha].Prabhupåda

said,‘Thisisnotdoneinourline.Onemustrealizehisre-

lationshipforhimself.Onecannotjustjumpahead.When

oneisripeandready,itwillberevealedfromwithin…Iam

acowherdboy.’”1 �Anothertime,ina1977recordedandpub-

lished discussion on inauthentic gurus, çrîla Prabhupåda

said, “Svarüpa-siddhi means when he is actually liberated,

heunderstandswhatishisrelationshipwithK®ß√a.Thatis

svarüpa-siddhi.Sakhya.”

Onanotheroccasion,onhearingthatsomeofhisGod-

brothershadconjecturedthathewasinsakhya-rasabecause

hehadinstalledGaura-NitåiDeitiesaroundtheworldand

K®ß√a-Balaråma in V®ndåvana, he just smiled a little and

said, “They say that, do they?” çrîla Prabhupåda did not

commentfurtherbutseemedquitecomfortablewiththeir

assessment.

On still another occasion in which Prabhupåda enter-

tainedadiscussionofhissvarüpaorspokedirectlyaboutit,

H®ßîkeçånandaaskedçrîlaPrabhupådaaboutthenatureof

thedisciple’srelationshipwiththeguruinoursampradåya:

hd:Gurudeva,whataboutrüpånuga-bhakti?What

istheeternalrelationshipbetweenusandyou?

acbsp:(Prabhupådaquotesthesecondhalfofçloka

6ofGurvåß†akam.)Guruisservingunderhismaster

andyouallcandolikewise.Innitya-lîlåeverydevo-

teethinkslikethat,thatmymasteristhemostdear

toRådhå-K®ß√a.

hd: So that means that my relationship with

you is eternal, that it will continue in nitya-lîlå?


acbsp:Yes.

hd:Asmañjarîs?

acbsp:Downtosakhya.

hd:Butforrüpånugasisn’titalwaysmañjarî-rasa?

acbsp:Thatisthehighest;butinthespiritualworld

thereisnosuchdistinction.

Here we find five separate instances directly dealing with

thequestionofPrabhupåda’ssthåyi-bhåva.Inthreeofthem,

PrabhupådadirectlytellshisdisciplesthatheisK®ß√a’ssakhå.

In Subala’s remembrance it is noteworthy that he himself

wasandremainsuninterestedinsakhya-rasa.

Inthethird instance,speakingonthetopicof svarüpa-

siddhi,Prabhupådasays,“sakhya.”Thereisnologicalexpla-

nationforhisconcludingword“sakhya”otherthanthatit

ishispersonalpreoccupation.Inthefourthinstance,Prab-

hupådahearshisGodbrothers’opinionthathewassituat-

edinsakhya-rasa.ThisoccurredinsacredV®ndåvanawhere


someofthemhadassembled.Hewasoftennotfondoftheir

opinionsandwasquick to respond to themto set the re-

cordstraightinthemindsofhisdisciples,butherehesimply

smilesasiftosay,“Theygotitrightthistime.”

FinallywehaveaninstanceinwhichPrabhupådaisdirect-

lyaskedbyoneofhisdisciplesabouthisrelationshipwith

Prabhupåda inçrîK®ß√a’snitya-lîlå.H®ßîkeçånandaasks if

he and all of Prabhupåda’s disciples are related to him in

K®ß√alîlåinmañjarî-bhåvaandPrabhupådareplies“down

to sakhya.”It isvirtually impossibletoconstruePrabhupå-

da’sresponsesandstatementsaboveinanyotherwaythan

as anaffirmationofhis affinity for sakhya-rasa.Assembled

togetherastheyareabove,theymakeforverycompelling

evidence.

3. Sadhus’ perspectives


C h a p T E r 3 S a d h U S ’ p E r S p E C T I v E S 3 0

In addition to the evidence presented thus far, we

alsohavetherealizationsandspirituallogicofçrî-

la Prabhupåda’s longtime friend and Godbrother

çrîla Bhakti Rakßaka çrîdhara Mahåråja, who was

recognized by çrîla Bhaktisiddhånta Sarasvatî

ˇhåkuraasçåstra-nipuna,onewhoknowstheçåstraingreat

depth, a scriptural genius. çrîla Prabhupåda’s association

withçrîlaçrîdharaMahåråjagoesbackto1929andincludes

six years of living together in Calcutta. Reflecting on his

manyyearsoffriendshipwithçrîlaPrabhupåda,Prabhupå-

da’sworldwidepreachingcampaign,andhiswriting,espe-

ciallyhis“PrayertotheLotusFeetofK®ß√a,”writtenonthe

Jaladuta,çrîlaçrîdharaMahåråjaofferedhisownperspec-

tiveonçrîlaPrabhupåda’sinnermood:

Ithinkhehasgiventhehintinhisownautobiogra-

phy.WhenhewasgoingtoAmerica,onthejourney

heexpressedhisfeelingtoplaywithK®ß√ainsakhya-

rasa:kata bane chu†åchu†i bane khåi lu†åpu†i sei din

kabe habe mor,“Runningandfrolickinginthemany

forestsofVraja,Iwillrollonthegroundinspiritual

ecstasy.Owhenwillthatdaybemine?”Thiswashis

“PrayertotheLotusFeetofK®ß√a.”Whenhewas

passing throughtheAtlantic,hegavevent to feel-

ingsthatmaybethesalientpointsinhisVrajalîlå.It

struckmelikethat,V®ndåvanasakhya-rasa.

When he departed from this consciousness of

worldlypreachingpropaganda,thenheisthere.It

isclearlyexpressedinthesesayingsthereintheAt-

lantic.Hediscoveredtheunmanifest(apraka†a)pas-

timesinV®ndåvana,andinV®ndåvanaheestablished

K®ß√a-BalaråmaandGaura-Nitåi.Thatisindicative

of sakhya-rasa. From this we can conclude that he

isinsakhya-rasa,andhehasenteredintothosepas-

times.This ismyunderstandingabouthispresent

position.Hehasexpressedhimself,hiseternalposi-


tion,theacmeofhisaspiration.InV®ndåvanahehas

established Balaråma and K®ß√a and Nitåi-Gaura,

andheissayinglikethat,Nitåi-GauraareK®ß√aand

Balaråma.It’salmostclearthathecomesfromthat

group.Andnowhe’sagainthere.HareK®ß√a.

Heexpressedhisownpositionineternallîlåinhis

poem.Iconjecturelikethat.HareK®ß√a!Inhisdi-

aryinBengalihewrote,“TodayIcookedsomebati-

caccari. Itwasquitedelicious.So I ate something.

Today I expressed my inner feelings to my friend

andwroteapoemaboutthat.”

Andthatfriendcametohisaid.Hewassoearnest

inhisprayertoK®ß√athathemightbeabletodis-

chargethedutythathadbeengiventohimbyhis

GuruMahåråjathatK®ß√acamedowntohelphim,

hisfriendhelpedhiminthispropagandawork.So

çaktyåveça-avatåra.Itakehim;Icannotbuttakehim

tobeso.�2


AddressingK®ß√ahewrote,“Youaremyeternal

friend.ForgettingYou,Ihavecometothisworld

andIhavebeensufferingthekickingofMåyå,the

goddessofmisconception.IfYoucometohelpme

inthiscampaign,thenafterfinishingthisIcanagain

joinYou.WhenIshallbeunitedwithYouagain.I

shallwanderalongwithYouthewholedayinkeep-

ingthecowsintheforest.Runningthissideandthat

sideinthejungle,intheforest.Andthen,lu†åpu†i,

tofallonthegroundindifferentshowsofplay.Ias-

pire after thatday. Ihavegot thisgoodchance to

servemyGurudeva.Forthatreasonmyheartfeltap-

pealtoYouisthatYoupleasecometohelpme.Iam

Youreternalservitor;therefore,somuchaspirationI

havegotforYou.You,noother,aremyonlyresort.”

Soafterperformingthisservice,heaspiresaftera

life inthecow-keeping lîlåofK®ß√a,andhe isap-

preciatingthatsortoffriendlyserviceofK®ß√avery

muchfromthecoreofhisheart,hisaspirationafter

finishinghisworldlypreachingcampaign.

ItakeitthatNityånandaPrabhuhasgivensome

special recognition to the section of the suvar√a-

va√ik communityfromwhichSwamiMahåråjahas

come. He has special grace for that particular sec-

tionandthepreachingaboutGaurå∫ga,andthisis

mentionedinthescriptures.The suvar√a-va√ik are

themostfavoritesectionofNityånandaPrabhu.It

is mentioned in the çåstra, Caitanya-bhågavata. I

thought that Nityånanda Prabhu is also in charge

ofpreachingaboutMahåprabhu’sglory.SoI took

it that Nityånanda Prabhu must have awakened

somespecialdedicationinhiminhislastdayswhich

helpedhimtoinundatewithsuchaninconceivable

magnitude,thewholeoftheworld.

Butthatdoesnotmeanthathewasnothingbe-

fore suchdelegatedpower came inhim.Thatdel-


egationmayonlycomeinaproperplace,justasin

otherçaktyåveça-avatåras,theçaktiacceptsaparticu-

larplaceandthatisnotanordinarything.Onemust

be a proper receptacle to receive that. Çaktyåveça.

Doesitmeanthatwhenthedelegationcomesitwill

entersomebadthing?Thissuppositionismischie-

vous,andthosethatwillmakethismischiefoutof

my statement regarding the delegation of Nityå-

nandaenteringhimwilldiminish faith.Theywill

preparethefieldforbecomingatheists.Thisissui-

cidal,topropagateinthatline.�3

And the sakhya-rasa is also not to be neglected.

DåsaGoswåmî,whoisthoughttoholdthehighest

positionofmådhurya-rasa,ourprayojana åcåryahim-

selfsays,sakhåyam me namasta nityam.Whatdoesit

mean?Foolsrushinwhereangelsfeartotread.Isit

anintellectualfieldthatwecanpassresolutions,pass

remarksinanywaywelikeinourfashion?No.Dåsa


Goswåmî, who is posted in the highest position

of the prayojana-tattva, the åcårya of prayojana in

mådhurya-rasaofRådhådåsyam,hesaysthatIwill

trytoshowmyreverencetosakhya.Itisnotaplay

thing.Thisisveryrarelytobefound.Wemustgoto

thatplaneandthenweshoulddealwiththesethings.

Sakhya-rasaisaverysmallthing?Whatisthis?From

adistanceIwanttoshowmyrespecttosakhya-rasa.

Thatshouldbethetendencyofarealdevotee,and

nottodisregardallthesethings.

InthissectionçrîlaçrîdharaMahåråjaisrespondingtothe

objection that by stating that çrîla Prabhupåda found his

idealinsakhya-rasaratherthanmådhuryathatçrîlaçrîdhara

MahåråjawasconsideringçrîlaPrabhupådaa lowerdevo-

tee.Inhistypicalharmonizingspirit,çrîlaçrîdharaMahå-

råjaalsotriedata laterdatetoaccommodatethosewho

insist that Prabhupåda found his ideal in mådhurya-rasa.

PujyapådaçrîdharaMahåråjadidthisbysuggestinganal-

ternative understanding of Prabhupåda’s obvious affinity

for sakhya-rasa:thatPrabhupådamayhaveheldanaffinity

formådhurya-rasawithin,andowingtohisempowerment

by Nityånanda Prabhu, he outwardly showed affinity for

sakhya-rasa.However,thiswasclearlynotthepersonalopin-

ionofPujyapådaçrîdharaMahåråja,norwasheprivytoall

of the instancescited in thisbooklet that sostrongly sup-

porthisopinion.Furthermore,hemadeitclearthathisreal-

izationthatPrabhupådafoundhisidealinsakhya-rasainno

wayimpliedthathisdisciplesaresomehowunabletoattain

mådhurya-rasaunderçrîlaPrabhupåda’sguidance.

However,itisworthnotingthatinterestinmañjarî-bhåva

onthepartofPrabhupåda’sdiscipleshascomealmosten-

tirelyfromsourcesoutsideofhismission.4�Indeed,theterm

mañjarî-bhåvaisfoundnowhereinanyofçrîlaPrabhupåda’s

books,conversations,orletters,andnowhereinanyVyåsa-

püjåofferingswrittenbyhisdisciplespriortoçikßå-gurusbe-


cominginvolvedwithhisdisciples.This,ofcourse,isnotto

saythattheconceptofmañjarî-bhåvaisnotfoundthrough-

outtheGau∂îyatextstranslatedandcommentedonbyçrîla

Prabhupåda,asitiscentraltoGau∂îyaVaiß√avism.

It should be clear from çrîla çrîdhara Mahåråja’s re-

marks that he carefully considered Prabhupåda’s inner life

fromdifferent anglesof visionover timeand in consider-

ationofçåstra.Thuswearewelladvisedtocarefullyconsid-

ertheweightofthisjudgment.Incaseanyonemightthink

thatçrîlaçrîdharaMahåråjamightbemakingtoomuchof

Prabhupåda’sprayeraboardtheJaladuta,thathemaybetak-

ingtoomuchlibertyinsuggestingthatitrevealssomething

ofçrîlaPrabhupåda’sinnermood,wemaynotetheremarks

Prabhupådahimselfmadeinhisdiaryonthedayhewrote

thatprayer,September13,1965:“TodayIhavedisclosedmy

mindtomycompanionLordçrîK®ß√a.ThereisaBengali

poemmadebymetodayinthisconnection.”çrîlaPrabhu-

pådadidnotwritethispoemwithpublishinginmind—not


forpreachingbutforreflectingontheinnerlifethatfueled

hispreaching.

In 2003 çrîla Prabhupåda’s Back To Godhead magazine

published an article by Satsvarüpa dåsa Goswåmî on this

poem.TheGoswåmîremarkstherein:

çrîla Prabhupåda rarely made entries in his dia-

ry,yetfromthisoceancrossingwehaveanumber

ofintimaterevelationsofhismind.Withthesame

straightforward,factualtoneinwhichhehasnoted

thedate,theweather,andthestateofhishealth,he

hasdescribedhishelplessdependenceonhis“com-

panion” Lord K®ß√a, the Supreme Personality of

Godhead,andhisabsorptionintheecstasyofsep-

aration fromK®ß√a.çrîlaPrabhupåda rarelywrote

poems;wehavefoundalife’stotalofnomorethan

abouthalfadozen.Theywerenottheproductsof

idleliteraryhours,norweretheywrittenforpubli-

cationorfame.(Thepoemsanddiaryentrieswere

found years later by curious disciples who uncov-

ered them among their spiritual master’s miscella-

neouspapers.)

The last twoversesof thispoemgive anunexpectedcon-

fidentialglimpseintoçrîlaPrabhupåda’sdirectrelationship

withLordK®ß√a.Inverse9hecallsonK®ß√aashis“dear

friend”andspeaksofagainexperiencingthejoyofwander-

inginthecowpasturesandfieldsofVraja.Inverse10herel-

isheshowthismemoryofK®ß√ahascometohiminsucha

niceway,becauseofhisgreatdesireforservingK®ß√a.

4. A closer look at Prabhupada’s prayer


C h a p T E r 4 a C l O S E r l O O k a T p r a b h U p a d a ’ S p r a y E r 3 8

ItisclearfromthedeepspiritualinsightsofPujya-

pådaçrîdharaMahåråjaabovethatPrabhupåda’s

prayeraboardtheJaladutaissignificant.Innoun-

certainterms,Prabhupådalongsforsakhya-rasain

his“PrayertotheLotusFeetofK®ß√a.”Thusitwill

beprudenttolookatitmorecloselyandthroughit,çrîla

Prabhupåda’sheartandhighestideal.

Drawing from çrîla çrîdhara Mahåråja’s realizations,

SwåmîB.V.TripuråridiscussesPrabhupåda’spoeminmore

depth.Herewefindnotonly sakhya-rasa,butaparticular

kindofspiritualfriendship.Swåmîwrites,

Prabhupådasays,k®ß√a taba pu√ya habe bhåi e-pu√ya

koribe jabe rådhårå√î khusî habe dhruva ati boli tomå

tåi. Here Prabhupåda negotiates with his brother-

friend (bhåi)K®ß√a.5�HegivesK®ß√amoralinstruc-

tion,justasSubala-sakhåissaidtobeexpertindoing

inRüpaGoswåmî’sRådhå-k®ß√a-ga√oddeça-dipikå.


Inthebhåvaofapriyanarma-sakhå,whoisactively

andintimately involvedinçrîK®ß√a’sromanticaf-

fairswithçrîRådhå,Prabhupådasays,“Omydear

friendK®ß√a,itiscertainthatyouwillattainpietyif

Rådhåispleasedwithyou.”HerePrabhupådasays

thatthisisassureasthepolestar(dhruva)isfixed.

He tellsK®ß√a,“Your life revolves aroundher.” In

thiswayhecapturesK®ß√a’sattention.Havingdone

sointherefrainofhispoem,Prabhupådathenbe-

ginstobargainwithhisfriendinthefollowingverses.

He does so by introducing his Gurudeva into

thenegotiation.Externally,inhissådhaka-deha,his

guruisthegreatpreacherBhaktisiddhåntaSarasvatî

ˇhåkuraPrabhupåda.Internally,heisNayana-ma√i

mañjarî in his spiritual form, an intimate servitor

in çrî Rådhå’s group. Priyanarma-sakhås are inti-

mately connected with a particular yütheçvåri (gopî

groupleader).HerePrabhupådaimplieshisconnec-

tionwithRådhå’sgroupandLalitå-sakhî,inwhose

service Nayana-ma√i mañjarî is situated. In effect

he says to K®ß√a, “My Gurudeva, who represents

çrîRådhå,hasnowappearedasagreatpreacherin

Mahåprabhu’s sa∫kîrtana movement.” Prabhupåda

tellsK®ß√athat“Nayana-ma√imañjarîhasgivenme

anorderthatImustfulfill.However,Icannotdoit

withoutyourhelp.AsIhavepointedoutearlier,it

willbegoodforyouifyoupleaseRådhå.Thisismy

advicetoyou.Therefore,ifyougivemetheçaktito

fulfillherorder,shewillbepleasedandyouwillat-

tainpiety.”

InthisprayerofçrîlaPrabhupåda,wefindthees-

senceofGau∂îyaVaiß√avism.Everyoneistryingto

pleaseK®ß√a,butK®ß√a is trying topleaseRådhå.

Prabhupåda was well aware of this, and by point-

ingitouttoK®ß√asosweetlyhegothisattention,

andthusthepowertoexecutehisGurudeva’sorder


wasbestowedinnosmallwayandhispersonalre-

questwasnodoubtfulfilledaswell.Thatrequestin

hisownwordsisasfollows:“Oncewearetogether,

brother,Iwillagainfeelthehappinessofwandering

alldaylong,grazingthecows.Iprayforthedayto

comewhenwechaseeachotherandwrestleinevery

oneofV®ndåvana’sforests.”

HavingexaminedçrîlaPrabhupåda’spoemindepth,wenow

turntothesignificanceofçrîlaPrabhupåda’sfamilylineage.

5. Prabhupada’s family connection to the dvadasa-gopalas


C h a p T E r 5 p r a b h U pa d a ’ S f a m I l y C O N N E C T I O N T O T h E d v a d a S a - g O pa l a S 4 2

InhiscommentsconcerningçrîlaPrabhupåda’sinner

life,PujyapådaB.R.çrîdharaMahåråjanotedPrab-

hupåda’sfamilyconnectionwiththe suvar√a-vå√ik

community, and çrîla Prabhupåda himself finds

theconnectionsignificantenoughtomentionina

purporttoÇrî Caitanya-caritåm®ta.�6AsCaitanya-bhågavata

(3.5.453)pointsout,thiscommunityandthevillageofSap-

tagråmawereespeciallyblessedbyNityånandaPrabhu,who

wassteepedinsakhya-bhåva.

The patron saint of the suvar√a-vå√ik community is

Uddhåra√aDattaˇhåkura,oneofNityånandaPrabhu’sprin-

cipal associates,who is alsooneof thedvådaça-gopålas of

K®ß√a and Balaråma’s nitya-lîlå, where he is known as

Subåhu-gopa. About the temple in Saptagråma where

Uddhåra√aDattaˇhåkuraisespeciallyhonoredandwhere

his Deity of Mahåprabhu is worshiped, çrîla Prabhu-

pådacomments,“Formerly, inourchildhood,wevisited

this temple with our parents because all the members of

C h a p T E r 5 p r a b h U pa d a ’ S f a m I l y C O N N E C T I O N T O T h E d v a d a S a - g O pa l a S 4 3

the suvar√a-vånikcommunityenthusiasticallytakeinterest

inthis templeofUddhåra√aDattaˇhåkura.” �7Whençrîla

PrabbupådareturnedtoIndiaforthefirsttimeafterpreach-

ingintheWest,heandhisdiscipleswerehonoredbytheex-

ecutivecommitteeofUddhåra√aDatta’stempleandmade

apilgrimagetothetemple.SomeyearslaterçrîlaPrabhu-

påda tried toarrange forhis society to take responsibility

fortheDeity’sserviceatUddhåra√aDattaˇhåkura’stemple

inSaptagråma.

The significance of Prabhupåda’s connection with the

suvar√a-vå√ik community should not be underestimated.

çrîla Prabhupåda appeared in this world in this commu-

nity,a communityofVaiß√avaswho inGaura-Nityånanda

lîlåwereespeciallyblessedbyNitåicåndandledbyoneof

Balaråma’s eternal associates, Uddhåra√a Datta ˇhåkura.

ThusPrabhupåda’sfamily lineageisa sakhya-rasaVaiß√ava

lineage,onethathehonoredthroughouthislifeevenafter

heentered theeternal serviceofBhaktisiddhåntaSarasvatî

ˇhåkura.çrîlaPrabhupåda’sdisciplesconsiderhimtobea

nitya-siddhaVaiß√ava,onewhocomestothisworldfromthe

paravyoma.SuchVaiß√avasarelikelytoappearinthisworld

infamiliesthatinsomewaycorrespondwiththeirinnerlife.

WeshouldalsonotethatçrîlaPrabhupådaconsistentlyre-

ferredtohisfatherasaçuddhaVaiß√avaandthathisconnec-

tiontothesuvar√a-vå√ik communitywasthroughhispater-

nalfamilylineage.

6. Insights into Srila Prabhupada’s fighting spirit


C h a p T E r 6 I N S I g h T S I N T O S r I l a p r a b h U p a d a ’ S f I g h T I N g S p I r I T 4 5

Even some of çrîla Prabhupåda’s more spir-

ited,aggressiveexpressionsmaybeattribut-

edto,oratleastperhapsbetterunderstood

in the context of, an affinity for sakhya-

rasa. When he would get excited some-

times, discussing influential atheists and false incarnations

ofGod,Prabhupådawouldsaythingssuchas“Iwillkickon

hisfacewithboots.”SwåmîTripuråriseesthisasevidenceof

theyuddha-vîra-rasa (chivalrous,fighting spirit).Henotes

thatPrabhupåda’sretortissimilartothatofV®ndåvanadåsa

ˇhåkura,whoinCaitanya-bhågavataoftencomparedthose

whoclaim tobelieve inK®ß√abutnot inçrîCaitanya,or

thosewhobelieveinçrîCaitanyabutnotçrîNityånanda,to

atheistsorasuras.çrîV®ndåvanadåsaalsoboldlyproclaims

thathekicksontheirheadswithboots!TripuråriMahåråja

recentlywrote,“‘Ikickontheirheadswithboots.’Thisis

thelanguageofV®ndåvanadåsaˇhåkurainCaitanya-bhåga-

vata,whoisinsakhya-rasa.Vîra-rasa (chivalry)andsakhya-

rasaarecomplementary.Thisisaparticulartypeofvîra-ra-

sa, yuddha-vîra complimenting sakhya-rasa, the confidence

(viçrambha) and fighting spirit of a cowherd. It was very

characteristicofçrîlaPrabhupåda.”

OnanotheroccasionTripuråriMahåråjarecountsrespond-

ingtoaletterfromadevoteewhowasbewilderedbyread-

ing of çrîla Prabhupåda’s remarks about dropping bombs

ontheheadsofintractableatheists:

Ultimately I said, this ishow tounderstand such

statements:itisyuddha-vîra.Youaretalkingtohim

andhegoesofflikethis;thisishisbhåva.(Veryan-

imated:) “We’ll fight them, yes. We’ll fight them

forK®ß√a,yes!Let’sgo,allofus.Thenwe’lldrop

bombs on them!” It doesn’t mean he really wants

todropbombsonpeople,butyouhavetounder-

stand that devotees who are motivated by bhåva

sometimesmanifest it,while for themostpart it is

subdued.Itlookslikesuchadevoteeishavinganor-

C h a p T E r 6 I N S I g h T S I N T O S r I l a p r a b h U p a d a ’ S f I g h T I N g S p I r I T 4 6

malconversation,buthisbhåvamaymanifestslight-

ly and enter into or influence the conversation:

vaiß√avera kriyå mudrå vijñeha nå bujhaya.Therefore

itissaid,itisverydifficulttounderstandthemotiva-

tionoftheVaiß√ava,whyheorsheissayingordo-

ingsomething.Alloftheirwordsandactionshave

averydeepconnectionto thecenter, to theirbhå-

va.Theirsisaworldverydifferentfromtheexternal

world.Whentheycommentontheexternalworld,

and one tries to make sense of it without under-

standingtheirbhåva,onecanbeconfused.Don’tbe

confused.He’sacowherd!Foramomenthe’sgo-

ingintoyuddha-vîra,tastingthatandremembering

K®ß√a’spastimes.Yes,wewilldropbombsonthem.

InthiswayIwasabletosatisfythatdevotee.

7. Sakhya-rasa in the Gaudiya sampradaya


C h a p T E r 7 S a k h y a - r a S a I N T h E g a U d I y a S a m p r a d a y a 4 8

InlightoftheaboveevidencepointingtoçrîlaPra-

bhupåda’s identification with sakhya-rasa, it will

be helpful to examine the place of sakhya-rasa in

our sampradåya. Does sakhya-rasa have a place in

theGau∂îya sampradåya?What is thegoalofour

sam pra dåya?Morespecifically,whatkindofpremaisitspra-

yojana?Whiletheapexofallpossibleattainmentsisnodoubt

conjugalloveofGodandwithinthatRådhådåsyam,orthe

serviceofahandmaidenofRådhå(alsocommonlyreferred

toasmañjarî-bhåva),owingtotheinfluenceofNityånanda

Prabhu, sakhya-rasa isalsoprominent inour sampradåya.

ItistruethatçrîNityånanda’sconsortJåh√avå-devîisan

incarnationofAna∫ga-mañjarî,çrîRådhå’syoungersister,

andthatafterNitåicånd’sdeparturefromtheworldshebe-

cametheleaderofthelineageofNityånandaPrabhuthat

has become most prominent. However, Nityånanda Pra-

bhuhimselfbegantheentire sampradåyawithhiseternal

associates,thedvådaça-gopålas.Eachofthesecowherdas-

sociatesofK®ß√a andBalaråmabegan initiatingdisciples

in Bengal under the guidance of Nityånanda Prabhu be-

foreanyotherGau∂îyalineagebegan.�8Allofthemwerein

sakhya-rasaandtheirGau∂îyalineageswerefilledwiththis

sentiment.

çrîla Prabhupåda himself takes up this issue on another

levelbyidentifyingBrahmå,whoafterbeingdirectlyiniti-

atedbyçrîK®ß√aservesasthefountainheadoftheBrahmå-

Madhva-Gau∂îya sampradåya, asagopa. JustbeforeK®ß√a

teacheshimtheBhågavataminfourversesBrahmåsays,“O

myLord,theunborn,Youhaveshakenhandswithmejust

asafrienddoeswithafriend[asifequalinposition].Ishall

be engaged in the creation of different types of living en-

tities, andI shallbeoccupied inYour service. I shallhave

noperturbation,butIpraythatallthismaynotgiveriseto

pride,asifIweretheSupreme.”�9

çrîlaPrabhupådaexplainsinhispurport:


LordBrahmåisdefinitelysituatedinthehumorof

friendship with the Lord.…It is clearly exhibited

hereinthatLordBrahmåisrelatedtothePersonality

ofGodheadinthetranscendentalhumoroffriend-

ship.…Brahmåjî, although eternally related with

theLordinthetranscendentalhumoroffriendship,

andalthoughentrustedwiththemostexaltedpost

ofcreatingdifferentgradesoflivingentities,isstill

consciousofhisposition,thatheisneithertheSu-

premeLordnorsupremelypowerful.

TheexampleofBrahmåas explainedbyçrîlaPrabhupåda

bringstolightanothersignificantpoint.Notonlyhavethere

been sakhya-rasa lineages in the Gau∂îya sampradåya, but

differentsentimentsmayappearinalineagedespitethesen-

timentofthelineage’sfounder.Forcenturieswedonotfind

sakhya-rasa in Madhva’s lineage stemming from Brahmå.

However, with the appearance of Lakßmîpati Tîrtha in


thisline,whoistheinitiatingguruofNityånandaPrabhu,

sakhya-rasaappearsprominently inNitåicånd.Theninan-

otherdiscipleofLakßmipatiTîrtha,MådhavendraPurî,we

findconjugallove.

More recent evidence for differing sentiments appear-

ingwithinthesamelineageisfoundinthewell-knowncase

of çyåmånanda Prabhu, the disciple of H®daya-caitanya.

H®daya-caitanyawasadiscipleofGauridåsaPa√∂ita,who

is Subala-sakhå in K®ß√a lîlå. Like his guru Gauridåsa,

H®daya-caitanyawasalsosteepedinsakhya-rasa,yethisdis-

cipleDukhiK®ß√adåsa,wholaterbecamefamousasçyåmå-

nanda,tastedconjugallove.

EvenmorerecentevidenceissuppliedbyˇhåkuraBhakti-

vinoda. In the ˇhåkura’s Jaiva Dharma, Raghunåtha dåsa

Båbåjî ascertained one disciple’s (Vijaya-kumåra) internal

identityasthatofamañjarîservingunderLalitå-devî’sdirec-

tion,andanother’s(Vrajanåtha)asbeingasakhåunderSuba-

la’sdirection.Finallyinveryrecenthistory,manyofushad

thepleasureofmeetingandassociatingwithçrîlaPrabhu-

påda’sGodbrotherAkiñcanaK®ß√adåsaBåbåjî,whofrankly

admittedtoçrîlaçrîdharaMahåråjaandothershisembrace

ofsakhya-bhåva.Thustosaythatonlymañjarî-bhåvaisavail-

ableinourlinecontradictsthefactsasweknowthem.Objec-

tivelyspeaking,itisclearlythehighestreachofourlineage,

butaswehaveseenabove,itisnottheonlytypeofprema

thatservesastheprayojanaoftheGau∂îyasampradåya.

8. Objections


C h a p T E r 8 O b j E C T I O N S 5 2

Thus far we have considered the history of

some of Prabhupåda’s interactions with his

disciples that have provided glimpses into

hisaffinityforsakhya-rasa.Wehavealsocon-

sidered theopinionsof sådhus suchasçrîla

B. R. çrîdhara Deva Goswåmî and Swåmî B.V.Tripuråri,

bothofwhomhavehelpedustounderstandthesignificance

of Prabhupåda’s poem aboard the Jaladuta. Prabhupåda’s

familylineagehasalsobeendiscussedinlightofitssignifi-

cantconnectionwithsakhya-rasa,andfollowingthiswehave

verybrieflydiscussedtheplaceofsakhya-rasaintheGau∂îya

sampradåya.Nowwewillturntoobjectionstotheideathat

Prabhupådaissituatedinsakhya-rasa.

Exclus ive mañjarî-bhåva—the highes t per fect ion

Some devotees have asserted that if we are to think of

Prabhupådaasbeingsituatedinthehighestperfection,he

must be absorbed in mañjarî-bhåva, for this is the high-

est reach of our sampradåya. One claim made by the ad-

vocatesof themådhurya-onlyposition is thatçrîCaitanya

Mahåprabhu, as one writer put it, has come only for un-

natojjvala-rasa, thebrightest jewelof rasånanda—mañjarî-

bhåva.Theycontend,oratleastimply,thathecametoteach

mådhurya-rasa exclusively.However,wedon’tseeevidence

inthescripturestosupportthiscontention,butratheronly

thatmañjarî-bhåvaistheapexofçrîCaitanya’soutreachand

innerexperience.TheLordhimselfassertsinÇrî Caitanya-

caritåm®tathathecametoteachustoloveK®ß√athrough

anyofthefourrasas ofVraja.AccordingtoçrîlaK®ß√adåsa

KaviråjaGoswåmî,çrîK®ß√athinkstohimself,“Ishallper-

sonallyinauguratethereligionoftheage,nåma-sa∫kîrtana,

thecongregationalchantingoftheholyname.Ishallmake

theworlddanceinecstasy,realizingthefourmellowsoflov-

ingdevotionalservice.”�10

Infact,althoughit isunnatojjvala-rasa theLordcameto

tastehimself,hecametoteachthefourbhåvasthroughwhich


theresidentsofVrajapleaseK®ß√a.11�Andwhilethereisno

disputethatRådhå’sloveisthehighestpinnacleoflove,we

alsofeelimpelledtoassertthatinonesensethereisnodiffer-

enceamongtherasas.BeforeK®ß√adåsaKaviråjabeginscom-

paringtherelativeintensityofthedevotionalsentiments,he

says,“Fourkindsofdevoteesarethereceptaclesofthefour

kindsofmellowsinloveofGod,namelyservitude,friend-

ship,parentalaffection,andconjugallove.Eachkindofdev-

oteefeelsthathissentimentisthemostexcellent,andthusin

thatmoodhetastesgreathappinesswithLordK®ß√a.”12�

It isnot the case, then, thatçrîCaitanya came to teach

mådhurya-rasaexclusively.Furthermore,whileitistruethat

objectivelyspeakingwhenwelookatthefourrasasofVraja

throughthelensoftattvathatmañjarî-bhåvaexceedstheoth-

ersinintimacy,thesubjectiverealityofeachandeveryreal-

izeddevoteeultimatelydetermineswhichsentimentishigh-

est.Inotherwords,itisthroughthesubjectivelensofbhåva

that thefinaldetermination ismade,andhere,asPrabhu-


pådaconsistently emphasized,wemustbe carefulnot to

thinkintermsofhigherandlowerandtherebymuddythe

watersofrasånandawiththepollutedstreamofourmun-

danemind.Wemustalsorememberthattheperfectionof

anydevoteederivesfromhisorherwillingnesstoserveçrî

K®ß√aonK®ß√a’sownterms.

Thesensethatone’sownbhåva isthehighest isalsoim-

plied by K®ß√adåsa Kaviråja Goswåmî in his depiction of

theconversationbetweenRåmånandaRåyaandMahåprab-

hu.InthemidstofK®ß√adåsaKaviråja’sdiscussionofsådha-

naandhissubsequentstressongopî-bhåvaandthefactthat

onlybyfollowingthesentimentofandservingthegopîscan

onefullyexperienceallofthepastimesofRådhå-K®ß√a,çrîla

Prabhupåda’scommentsareofinterest.çrîK®ß√adåsawrites,

“Withoutthehelpofthegopîs,onecannotenterintothese

pastimes.Onlyonewhoworships theLord in theecstasy

ofthegopîs,followingintheirfootsteps,canengageinthe

serviceofçrîçrîRådhå-K®ß√ainthebushesofV®ndåvana.

Only then can one understand the conjugal love between

RådhåandK®ß√a.There isnootherprocedure forunder-

standing.”

Whileacknowledgingthatonlygopî-bhåvaaffordsonefull

accesstoçrîK®ß√a’sromanticlife,çrîlaPrabhupådabegins

his purport on this verse thus: “The means for returning

home,forgoingbacktoGodhead,isdevotionalservice,but

everyonehasadifferenttasteintheLord’sservice.Onemay

beinclinedtoservetheLordinservitude(dåsya-rasa),frater-

nity(sakhya-rasa)orparentallove(våtsalya-rasa)…”

Indeed,çrîK®ß√adåsaKaviråjaGoswåmîhimselflaterin

this sectionofCaitanya-caritåm®tapauses inhisownper-

sonalenthusiasmforgopî-bhåvatoremindusthattheteach-

ingisthattheråga-mårgaingeneralconsistsofworshiping

Vrajendranandanaandthatsuchworshipconsistsofanum-

berofbhåvas.And,again,whicheverbhåvaoneembracesin

theserviceofthesonofNandaoneattainsperfectioninthat

bhåvaasaresidentofVraja(Cc.2.4.221–222).


Theuniquepositionofthepriyanarma-sakhåsisalsoim-

portanttonote.Asmentionedearlier,thisparticulargroup

ofK®ß√a’sfriendsalsoservesthegopîs.Indeed,inhisUjjvala-

nîlama√iRüpaGoswåmîhasreferredtotheirbhåvaassakhî-

bhåva.Thisisnottosaythatthepriyanarma-sakhås’experi-

enceisthesamebhåvainallrespectsasthatofçrîRådhå’s

mañjarîs,buttheydoexperienceadegreeofmahåbhåvaand

thus their penetration into Rådhå-K®ß√a lîlå exceeds that

ofdåsyaandvåtsalya-rasa, aswellasthatofotherformsof

sakhya-rasa.

ThusçrîlaPrabhupåda’saffinityforsakhya-rasa document-

edabove shouldneverbe construedas adefect andone

shouldnotthinkthatbecauseofitheislessthanperfect.

Suchthinkingismundaneandoffensive.

Rüpånuga

Another objection we hear is that our sampradåya is the

rüpånugaline;wefollowçrîlaRüpaGoswåmî,who,aswe


know, is Rüpa-mañjarî in his siddha-deha. Thus everyone

whoisarüpånugamustpursuemañjarî-bhåva.Thosewho

takethispositionremindusthatçrîlaBhaktisiddhåntaSaras-

vatîˇhåkura’spra√åm-mantracelebrateshimasveryaverse

to anything different from çrîla Rüpa Goswåmî’s mood:

rüpånuga-viruddhåpa-siddhånta-dhvånta-håri√e. But if we

takeacloselookatthatmantra,weseethatitsaysthatçrîla

Sarasvatî̌ håkurawouldnottolerateanystatementcontrary

toçrîlaRüpaGoswåmî’s teachings/siddhånta (viruddhåpa-

siddhånta).Itdoesnotsaythathenevertoleratedanymood

different from Rüpa Goswåmî’s. Tattva (siddhånta) and

bhåva(one’sspiritualsentiment)aretwodifferentthings.In

siddhåntaallGau∂îyaVaiß√avasareone,buttheirspiritual

sentiments,orbhåvas,maydiffer.

Some may argue that rüpånuga in its narrowest sense

means to follow Rüpa Goswåmî in all respects, including

adopting mañjarî-bhåva. However, all Gau∂îya Vaiß√avas

followRüpaGoswåmî’s teaching,his siddhånta.Everyone

followsBhakti-rasåm®ta-sindhu.HowcouldçrîlaSarasvatî

ˇhåkura,asarüpånuga,decryotherbhåvasofVraja?Vrajais

thatplacewhere,accordingtoçrîlaJîvaGoswåmîinhisin-

troductiontoGopåla-campü, everything isaccommodated,

everythingharmonized.Thevarietyofbhåvas amongdev-

oteesisnotafault;itisanornament.Thisiswhatwefind

whenwereadçrîlaRüpaGoswåmî’s teachings,beginning

with Bhakti-rasåm®ta-sindhu. So in that perhaps broader

sense,allGau∂îyaVaiß√avasarerüpånugas.Thisundermines

theclaimwesometimesencounterthatsakhya-rasa devotees

mayberågånuga bhaktas butnotrüpånuga bhaktas.Instead

offollowingRüpaGoswåmî,orRüpa-mañjarî,wearetold,

thosedevoteesfollowGauridåsaPa√∂ita,whotheysayisa

rågånuga åcårya but not a rüpånuga åcårya. Such narrow

thinkingmaybeacceptedinsomecircles.However,aswe

seeabove,GauridåsaPa√∂ita’sfollowerscertainlydofollow

theteachings,thesiddhånta,ofçrîlaRüpaGoswåmî,which

makesthemrüpånugadevoteesinthebroadersense.


Gau∂îya dikßå-mantras

Still another objection we hear is that the mantras devo-

teesinourlinereceive,particularlytheGopåla mantra and

theKåma-gåyatrî mantra,bestowloveinç®∫gåra-rasa.The

Gopåla mantra, we hear, means, “I accept the same rela-

tionwithK®ß√aas thegopîs: thatK®ß√a ismybeloved.”It

is,theysay,agopî-mantra,forgopî-bhåva-åçrayaonly.What

theyseemtobemissingisçrîlaSanåtanaGoswåmî’sB®had-

Bhågavatåm®ta, another seminal work in our sampradåya.

ThatepicworkfollowsGopa-kumåra,acowherdfromGo-

vardhana,inhissojournthroughthematerialandspiritual

universesallthewaytoK®ß√a’spersonalcompanyinGolo-

ka.WhatisthevehiclethatcarriesGopa-kumåratoGoloka

V®ndåvana?Asfarashisdikßå-mantraisconcerned,itisthe

Gopåla mantra.

Moreover, it is important tonotehere that themantra

Gopa-kumårachantedisnottheeighteen-syllablemantra


wearegivenatdikßå.Thatmantracontainsthreenamesfor

K®ß√a:K®ß√a,Govinda,andGopî-jana-vallabha.Inhiscom-

mentaryonpürva15ofGopåla-tåpanî Upanißad,SwåmîB.V.

Tripuråri,followingourpredecessoråcåryasJîvaGoswåmî,

Prabodhånanda Sarasvatî,Viçvanåtha Cakravartî, and oth-

ers,pointsoutthespecificsignificanceofeachofthenames

includedinthismantra.ThenameK®ß√a,heexplains,cor-

responds most closely with love for K®ß√a as experienced

bypractitionersofvaidhî-bhakti,lovetingedwithreverence

forK®ß√a,asinDvårakå.ThenameGovindacorresponds

most closely with the love of those practicing rågånuga-

bhakti,aspiringforthekindofloveofGovinda’scowherd-

boy friends, as well as those following the våtsalya-rasa

exemplified by Nanda and Yaçodå. Gopî-jana-vallabha,

however,isespeciallyforculturingunnatojjvala-rasa,con-

jugalloveforK®ß√afollowinginthewakeofçrîmatîRåd-

hikå’s cowherd-girl friends. In this connection, Tripuråri

Mahåråjawrites,

Thosewhoaspireforthisspiritualsentiment[con-

jugal love] in K®ß√a’s Vraja lîlå understand the

names K®ß√a and Govinda to be aspects of Gopî-

jana-vallabha. çrî Caitanya Mahåprabhu himself

chanted the ten-syllable Gopåla mantra, klîµ gopî-

jana-vallabhåya-svåhå,ratherthanthefulleighteen-

syllableGopålamantragivenhereinGopåla-tåpani.

ThusitistobeunderstoodthatthenamesK®ß√aand

Govindaarenotabsolutelynecessaryforthosewho

aspirefortheconjugalloveofRådhå-K®ß√a.�13

Sanåtana Goswåmî tells us in B®had-Bhågavatåm®ta that

themantrathatcarriedGopa-kumåraallthewaytoGoloka

V®ndåvana,ultimatelyrevealinghiseternalformasK®ß√a’s

cowherd-boyfriendSarüpa,isthissameten-syllableGopå-

la mantra especiallymeantforthoseaspiringtomådhurya-

rasa.14�This seems to indicate, then, that even this mantra

maygivevarietiesof loveotherthanconjugal love.More-


over,tobringusbacktoearth,sotospeak,themantraour

gurusgiveusistheeighteen-syllableGopåla mantra,which

accommodatesabroaderspectrumofspiritualsentiments.

ReadingB®had-Bhågavatåm®ta should, it seems, raisea

coupleofquestionsinthoughtfulreaders’minds,particularly

thoseconvincedthatour sampradåyaoffersonlymådhurya-

rasa.Oneis,“Whydoesn’tSanåtanaGoswåmî,whois,aswe

know, Lava∫ga-mañjarî, have his protagonist discover his

mañjarîidentity,ratherthanthatofthecowherdboySarü-

pa?”Andtheotherquestionis,“IftheGopåla mantra isfor

gopî-bhåva-åçrayaonly,howisitthatitrevealedacowherd

boy’sbhåva toGopa-kumåra?”SanåtanaGoswåmîhimself

seemsunwillingtoacceptsuchaproposition.

Gurus and di s c ip le s with di f f erent s ent iments

Yet another assertion made by the advocates of exclusive

mådhurya-bhåva is that a disciple cannot have a different

bhåvathanhisorherguru.Theysaytheycannotthinkofa


singleinstancewhereadisciplehasasvarüpa differentfrom

theguruheorshefollows.Whileitistruethatinmostcas-

esthedisciplefollowstheguruintermsofhisorherbhåva,

thisisnotalwaysthecase.Intheleast,thereareexceptions

tothisstandard,exceptionsthatdonotmakefordisciples

whohavesomehowfallenshort.

Thefactthatdisciplesdoindeedsometimesdevelopdif-

ferentbhåvasfromthatoftheirguruhasbeendemonstrat-

edaboveinmybriefexplanationoftheplaceofsakhya-rasa

inoursampradåya.Therein,evidenceofdifferentsentiments

appearing in the same lineage was presented. Perhaps the

mostsignificantevidenceinthatsectioncontrarytotheno-

tionthatthedisciplemustattainthesamesentimentasthat

ofhisorherguru is thereferencetoˇhåkuraBhaktivino-

da’sJaiva Dharma.Asmentioned,inJaiva Dharmatwodis-

ciples of the same guru develop affinity for two different

bhåvas: sakhyaandmådhurya.Istresstheexamplefoundin

Jaiva Dharma, amongother reasons,becausedifferent ex-

planationsof theexamplesofAkiñcanaK®ß√adåsaBåbåjî

andçyåmånandaPrabhu,alsomentionedabove,havebeen

suggestedattimes.

ThecaseofçyåmånandaPrabhuisoftenconsideredanex-

ceptiontothenorm.Asthestorygoes,oneofRådhå’shand-

maidensclaimedhimforhercampdespitehisinitiationina

lineageofsakhya-rasa gurus.Inthisinstanceanentirespiri-

tualdramaunfolded involvingvariouseternalparticipants

inK®ß√alîlåparticipatinginboththeirsiddhaandsådhaka-

dehas.Theinstanceissouniquethatithasbeencelebrated

andwrittenaboutforgenerations.Moreover,itspawneda

newsampradåya,theçyåmånandaParivåra.Nothinglikethis

happenedinthecaseofçrîlaPrabhupåda.Atthesametime,

thelîlåofçyåmånandacannotbeentirelydismissedbyany

means.Inspiteofitsuniqueness,itnonethelessalsospeaks

tousofthepossibilityofexceptionstothenorm.

In thecaseofAkiñcanaK®ß√adåsaBåbåjî, somehavear-

guedthathisfailuretopreachasBhaktisiddhåntaSarasvatî


ˇhåkura desired constituted an offense on his part that

causedhisbhåvatobedowngraded.Bhakti-rasåm®ta-sindhu

1.3.54issometimescitedassupportforthisinterpretation.

çrîJîvacommentsthataslightoffensetoagreatdevoteeor

toçrîK®ß√ahimselfcanresultinone’sbhåvabeingdown-

graded. However, this verse refers to devotees who have

already attained bhåva. In the case ofAkiñcana K®ß√adåsa

Båbåjî,thereisabsolutelynoevidencethatheattainedgopî-

bhåva from which his bhåva was downgraded to sakhya-

bhåva.Frombeginningtoendhisaffinityandultimateat-

tainmentwassakhya-bhåva.

But let me return again to the writing of Bhaktivinoda

ˇhåkurainhisJaiva Dharmatofurtherdemonstratewhythis

evidenceisparticularlycompelling.Thosewhomightob-

jectthatthisbookisaworkoffictionshouldbeadvisedthat

çrîlaçrîdharaMahåråjastatedinnouncertaintermsthat,be-

causetheˇhåkuraisasiddha-mahåtmå, whatevermanifests

inhismindisrealityonsomeplaneoratsometime.More-


over,realorfictitious,çrîlaBhaktivinodaˇhåkurausedthat

booktopresenttheGau∂îyaVaiß√avaphilosophyfromAto

Z.Inhisline,thisbookrepresentsthesiddhånta.Itisthus

verysignificantthathehasgivenanexampleoftwodisciples

of thesamegurudevelopingdifferentbhåvaswiththe full

blessingoftheirguru.Indeed,thetwodisciplesaretheprin-

cipalcharactersofthissectionofthebook!Theiraffinityfor

differingbhåvasispresentedasquitenaturalandhardlyan

exceptiontotheso-calledrulethatadisciplecanonlyattain

thebhåvaofhisorherguru.

The songs Prabhupåda taught us

Somedevoteeshaveobjectedthatafewofthesongsçrîla

Prabhupådataughtustosingindailyworshipindicatean

affinityformådhurya-rasa.OneexampleistheTulasîkîrtana

hegaveus,which says, ei nivedana dharo, sakhîr anugata

koro/ sevå-adhikåra diye koro nîja dåsî: “I beg you to make

meafollowerofthecowherddamselsofVraja.Pleasegive

me the privilege of devotional service and make me your

own maidservant.”This clearly expresses an aspiration for

mådhurya-rati.AnotherexampleisçrîlaViçvanåthaCakra-

vartîˇhåkura’sGurvaß†akam.Thefifthversesays,çrî rådhikå

mådhavayor apåra-mådhurya-lîlå gu√a-rüpa-nåmnåm:“The

spiritualmasterisalwayseagertohearandchantaboutthe

unlimitedconjugalpastimesofRådhikåandMådhava,and

theirqualities,names,andforms.”Andthesixthversesays,

nikuñja-yüno rati-keli-siddhyai yå yålibhir yuktir apekßa√îyå/

tatråti-dåkßyåd ati-vallabhasya:“Thespiritualmasterisvery

dear,becauseheisexpertinassistingthegopîs,whoatdiffer-

enttimesmakedifferenttastefularrangementsfortheper-

fectionofRådhåandK®ß√a’sconjugallovingaffairswithin

thegrovesofV®ndåvana.”

When considering such songs, however, we would do

welltokeepacoupleofthingsinmind.Oneisthatthese

arestandardsongs.Furthermore,thesakhî-bhåvareferredto

in theprayer toV®ndå-devîcouldalsobesung in lightof


one’scultivationofthemådhuryaaspectofthepriyanarma-

sakhå’s“sakhî-bhåva,”althoughinmyminditisdoubtfulthat

Prabhupådahadanythingsospecificinmindwhenhegave

usthispopularsong.

With regard to Viçvanåtha Cakravartî ˇhåkura’s Gurv-

aß†akam,çrîlaPrabhupådaexplainedhowhehimselfthought

of theseversesonat least threeoccasions.AsçrîlaPrabh-

upådawrotetoJayapatåkåMahåråjain1969regardingthe

Mahåråja’squestionaboutCakravartîˇhåkura’ssixthverse:

“TheprayersofferedbyViçvanåthaCakravartîtohisSpiri-

tualMasterhave a special significance.HisSpiritualMas-

terwasoneoftheassistantgopîs,sotheprayerwasoffered

likethat.Onthewhole,theSpiritualMasterisanagentof

K®ß√a.ButeitherHeisassistanttothegopîsorassistantto

thecowherdsboys,HeisonthelevelofK®ß√a.Thatisthe

verdictofallscriptures.”

HerewefindaninstanceinwhichPrabhupåda’sdisciple

directlyaskshimaboutthesignificanceofViçvanåthaCakra-


vartî’sversethatdescribestheguruintermsofgopî-bhåva.

HadPrabhupådabeenabsorbedingopî-bhåva,wewouldex-

pectadifferentanswerthanthatwhichhehasgivenabove.

Instead, Prabhupåda widens the possibilities to include

sakhya-rasa by explaining the verse more broadly, more

broadlythançrîViçvanåthahimselfintended,asPrabhu-

pådahasexplained.

Explainingthesixthverseinalecturethatwaslaterinclud-

edinJourney of Self-Discovery,hesaid,

Thespiritualmaster'sultimategoalisthathewants

tobe transferred to theplanetofK®ß√a,wherehe

canassociatewiththegopîstohelpthemserveK®ß√a.

Somespiritualmastersarethinkingofbecomingas-

sistantstothegopîs,somearethinkingofbecoming

assistantstothecowherdboys,somearethinkingof

becomingassistantstoNandaandMotherYaçodå,

andsomearethinkingofbecomingGod'sservants.�15

In1973çrîlaPrabhupådadiscussedthesymptomsoftheguru

aspresentedinGurvaß†akam attheUniversityofStockholm.

TherehesaidofthefifthverseofGurvaß†akam,“Thespiritu-

almasterisalwaysthinkingofthepastimesofK®ß√a...with

HisconsortçrîmatiRådhårå√îandthegopîs.Sometimeshe

isthinkingaboutK®ß√a’spastimeswiththecowherdboys.

ThismeansthatheisalwaysthinkingofK®ß√aengagedin

some kind of pastime.”Thus each time Prabhupåda is on

recordexplainingthesignificanceofthetwoversesofçrî

Viçvanåtha’sGurvaß†akam that speakdirectlyofgopî-bhåva,

hespeaksofsakhya-bhåvaasanalternative.Theobviousex-

planationforthisisthathehimselfis“thinkingaboutK®ß√a’s

pastimeswiththecowherdboys.”

Note that as pointed out earlier some cowherds also

worship Rådhå-Mådhava and assist them in their union,

the priyanarma-sakhås. çrîla Rüpa Goswåmî says that the

priyanarma-sakhåspossess avery specialbhåva andengage

inthemostconfidentialpastimes.16Inhiscommentsonthis


verse,çrîla JîvaGoswåmîwrites that the specialbhåva re-

ferred to involves the desire to give pleasure to K®ß√a by

helpinghisgirlfriends.Afewverseslater,describingtheanu-

bhåvas thatdistinguishthepriyanarma-sakhås fromK®ß√a’s

otherfriends,çrîRüpasays,

Carrying messages among the young women of

Vraja,encouragingthegopîs’loveforK®ß√a,taking

K®ß√a’ssidewhenthegopîsarepresentandK®ß√ais

not present, showing skill at siding with the chief

gopîswhenK®ß√aispresentandtheyarenot,andar-

guing intensely by whispering in each other’s ears

aretheactivitiesofthepriyanarma-sakhås.17

The second chapter of çrîla Rüpa Goswåmî’s Ujjvala-

nîlama√i says of the priyanarma-sakhås: åtyantika-rahasya-

jña˙, they know the most intimate details of K®ß√a’s pas-

times,andsakhî-bhåva-samåçrita˙,theyhavetakenshelterof


themoodofRådhikå’s sakhîs.18� Inhiscommentaryonthis

verse,çrîlaJîvaGoswåmîsays,“Whenoutofaffectionfor

bothK®ß√aandhisbelovedgopîs theydesiretounitethem

both,theirmasculinenatureissubdued.”

The mood of this particular group of K®ß√a’s friends,

then, has an intimate connection with K®ß√a’s loving af-

fairs with the damsels of Vraja. Indeed, they are influ-

enced by both K®ß√a’s friends and the leaders of Rådhå’s

groupsofgirlfriends.Theirbhåvaisamixtureofsakhyaand

mådhurya.IfçrîlaPrabhupådaisaffiliatedwiththisgroup

ofgopas,itwouldseemthathecouldcertainlyaspireto“be-

comeafollowerofthecowherddamselsofVraja,”aswell

asbe“expert inassisting thegopîs,whoatdifferent times

makedifferent tastefularrangements for theperfectionof

RådhåandK®ß√a’sconjugallovingaffairswithinthegroves

ofV®ndåvana,”andstillloveK®ß√ainsakhya-rasa.Further-

more,consideringthepossibilitythatçrîlaPrabhupådaisa

followerofthepriyanarma-sakhåsisawayofharmonizinga

sakhya-rasa sthåyi-bhåvawithanyperceptionofmådhurya in

hischaracter.

9. Conclusion


C h a p T E r 9 C O N C l U S I O N 6 8

A s we have seen, there is considerable ev-

idence, including personal statements of

çrîlaPrabhupådahimself,thattheidealof

HisDivineGraceissakhya-rasa. Although

çrîlaPrabhupådausually,asiscustomary

amongGau∂îyaVaiß√avas,kepthisinternallifetohimself,

itisnotsomethingthatonecanhidealtogether,atleastnot

tothephilosophicallytrainedeye,muchlesstheawakened

heart. That which can be seen through the eye of çåstra-

yuktiinrelationtotheavailableevidenceisnotsomething

to dismiss altogether, even when lack of personal realiza-

tionremains.Whilemyheartislessthanfullyawakenedin

K®ß√aconsciousness,itshouldbeclearthatthosewhosere-

alizationisdeepwillneedtoreachaconclusionconcerning

Prabhupåda’s svarüpa thateithercorrespondswiththeex-

ternalevidenceor, if itcontradictsthisevidence,provides

uswithcompellingspiritualreasoningastowhysuchevi-

denceshouldbedisregarded.InthecaseofPujyapådaB.R.

çrîdharaDevaGoswåmî,wehavearealizedsoulwholived

withPrabhupåda for six years andwashis lifelong friend

and Godbrother, a Godbrother whom on occasion Prab-

hupåda referred to affectionately as his çikßå-guru, and a

çikßå-guruthatPrabhupådaauthorizedhisdisciplestotake

shelterofshouldtheneedarise.Thusthefactthathisper-

sonal realizationcorrespondswithallof theavailableevi-

dencemakesitdifficultintheleasttoreachanyothercon-

clusion.

Swåmî B.V. Tripuråri relates that when he read çrîla

Prabhupåda’sJaladutaprayer toPrabhupåda’sGodbrother

Pujyapåda Bhakti Promode Purî Mahåråja, Purî Mahåråja

immediatelyexclaimed,“Sakhya-rasa!”ThenwhenTripuråri

Mahåråjasaidthatsomedevoteesassertthatitisaproblem

ifçrîlaPrabhupådaisinsakhya-rasa becauseoursampradåya

is principally a gopî-bhåva lineage, Purî Mahåråja replied,

“Båbå,ifyourguruissituatedin sakhya-rasa,youdon'thave

aproblem.Butifanyonethinkstheyhaveaproblembecause


theirguruisinsakhya-rasaratherthanmådhurya-rasa,then

theyhaveaproblem!”çrîlaPurîMahåråjathenwentonto

explainthatshouldanyofPrabhupåda’sdisciplesdevelop

greedforgopî-bhåvathatPrabhupådawouldmakearrange-

mentstofacilitatetheirpursuit.

WehaveseenthatafterçrîlaPrabhupåda’spassingsome

ofhisdiscipleshavedevelopedakeeninterestinmañjarî-

bhåva.However,ineachinstancethatI’mawareofthisin-

terest has been facilitated by a çikßå-guru from outside of

Prabhupåda’sInternationalSocietyforK®ß√aConsciousness

(whichisnottosaythatIamimplyingthatthisistheneces-

sarycoursethatalldisciplesofçrîlaPrabhupådawithinter-

estinmañjarî-bhåvamusttake).Atthesametime,wefind

thatthereareanumberofPrabhupåda’sdiscipleswhoare

followinginthewakeofhisowninterestinsakhya-rasa.The

majorityofhisdisciples,ontheotherhand,mightrespond

thattheyhavenotcontemplatedtheseissuesinanydetail,

norhavetheybeguntosearchthemoutintheirownhearts.


Myhopeisthatthisbookletwillbehelpfultothem,aswell

astothosewhoconsiderthemselveswellthoughtoutonthe

matter.Myintenthereistosetthehistoricalrecordstraight

withregardtotheavailableevidenceandsupportingrealiza-

tionsfromsådhus,andtomakeclearthatdespitePrabhupå-

da’sobviousaffinity for sakhya-rasa,heremainsfullycom-

petenttoguidethosedisciplesofhisthatdevelopspiritual

greed forgopî-bhåva, evenwhile suchmay includearrang-

ingaçikßå-gurutoassistthem.Afterall,inthefinalanalysis,

guruisone.Letusservehim,followingourownheartsand

avoidingoffenses—sinsofthesoul—atallcosts.

çrîlaPrabhupådaleftthisworldinV®ndåvana,fromwhere

he initially reachedout tous.He left theworldwhileab-

sorbedintranslatingandcommentingonthe Bhågavatam’s

brahmå-vimohana-lîlå.InthislîlåçrîK®ß√aplannedapicnic

lunch,awell-knownpaintingofwhichçrîlaPrabhupådawas

sofondof.Itishere—inthislîlå,longingtogotoGovar-

dhana—thatPrabhupåda’sb®hat m®da∫gawassilenced,not


byanyexternalinfluence,butbytheblessingofçrîK®ß√ain-

vitinghimtolunch.

Bhåvaischaracterizedbylonging,longingwelldeserved,

arisingasitdoesoutofçraddhå andçara√ågati.Weseethis

kindofbhåvainçrîlaPrabhupåda,whosesurrenderwasnot

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partialbutwholesale.Glimpsingbyhismercyalonethedi-

rectionofhisspiritualdestination,mayweallbehumbledto

fallflatinçara√ågatiathislotusfeet.Maywebeshowered

byçrîlaPrabhupåda’sinfinitemercy,andmayweonedaybe

calledtosharesomeofK®ß√a'slå∂∂usandkacaurîswithhim.

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E N d N O T E S 7 2

Endnotes

1 FrombiographicalnotesofSubaladåsa,quotedin

theonlinearticle,“MeditationonSiddhaDeha,”

December25,2004,http://www.swami.org/pages/

sanga/2004/2004_23.php.

2 SwåmîB.V.Tripurårihasalsomentionedthreeseparate

instancesinwhichgurusfromotherGau∂îyalineages

thanthoseofBhaktisiddhåntaSarasvatîˇhåkurahave

toldtheirdisciplesthatBhaktivedåntaSwamiPrabhu-

pådawasempoweredbyNityånandaPrabhu.Thisis

significantinthatPujyapådaçrîdharaMahåråjaisnot

aloneinhisconviction.Indeed,leadersofothersects

haveindependentlyreachedthesameconclusion,acon-

clusionthatinçrîdharaMahåråja’smindalsosupports

hisinsightastoPrabhupåda’sidealofsakhya-rasa.

3 Inthissectionandthefollowingone,çrîlaçrîdhara

Mahåråjaisalludingtoobjectionstohisglorification

ofçrîlaPrabhupådathatwereraisedbysomeofçrîla

Prabhupåda’sneophytedisciples.Hereintheobjec-

tionistoçrîlaçrîdharaMahåråja’sglorificationofçrîla

PrabhupådaasaçaktyåveçaempoweredbyNityånanda

Prabhu.Theobjectionisbasedonthemisunderstand-

ingthatbysayingthatatacertainpointinhislifeçrîla

Prabhupådawasempowered,çrîlaçrîdharaMahåråja

impliedthatçrîlaPrabhupådawasnothimselfan

extraordinarydevotee,butratherthathewassoonlyon

thebasisofhisempowerment.

4 Idonotmeantosaythatinterestinmådhurya-rasais

foreigntoiskcondevotees.Farfromit,Prabhupåda

hasmadeitabundantlyclearthatobjectivelyspeaking

thisisthehighestreachofçrîCaitanya’smission.Thus

theremaybeanynumberofdevoteesiniskconwho

inageneralsenseareinterestedinthisideal,asidefrom

anyoutsideinfluence.However,specificinterestin

mañjarî-bhåvaanddetailedinformationconcerningthis

idealhasbeengeneratedfromoutsidesources.

E N d N O T E S 7 3

Insomeinstances,iskconguruswhohavebeen

soinfluencedhaveconcealedtheirsourceswhilere-

maining in the mission and even denied or reject-

edthemonlytopropagatewhattheylearnedfrom

them in their own names or in the name of çrîla

Prabhupåda.

Interest in mañjarî-bhåva has come not only

fromgurusinthelineofBhaktisiddhåntaSarasvatî

ˇhåkura.Bothbeforeandafterthedepartureofçrî-

laPrabhupåda,gurusfromotherlineagesalsohave

interestediskcondevoteesinmañjarî-bhåva.How-

ever, in these instances the influence has includ-

edapproachestosådhananotembracedbyBhakti-

siddhåntaSarasvatîˇhåkuraandhisfollowers.

5 NotethatSwåmî’stranslationofthisopeninglineof

Prabhupåda’sprayerdiffersfromthatpublishedbythe

BBT,whichintheleastmissestheunderlyingspiritof

thepoem.ItrepresentsB.R.çrîdharaDevaGoswåmî’s

understandingoftheBengaliverse.

6 A.C.BhaktivedåntaSwamiPrabhupåda,Çrî Caitanya-

caritåm®ta (LosAngeles:BhaktivedåntaBookTrust,

1975),Ådi11.41.

7 Ibid,purport.

8 MånsBroo,As Good As God: The Guru in Gau∂îya

Vaiß√avism (Abo,Finland:AboAkademiUniversity

Press,2003).

9 A.C.BhaktivedåntaSwamiPrabhupåda,Çrîmad-

Bhågavatam (LosAngeles:BhaktivedåntaBookTrust,

1972),2.9.30.



1975),Adi3.19.

11 Thisversehasbeeninterpretedbysomedevoteesto

meanthatbecausethefourrasasofVrajaareincluded

withinmådhurya,çrîCaitanyahascometodistribute

thisrasaalone.Suchdevoteeshavealsoconjecturedthat

E N d N O T E S 7 4

thereisnosådhanaintheGau∂îyasampradåyaaimed

atattaininganyotherrasa.However,thesenotionsare

notsupportedbytheevidenceathand.Amongother

things,thesakhyalineagesinspiredbyNityånanda

Prabhustandincontradictiontothem.



1975),Ådi4.42–43.

13 SwåmîB.V.Tripuråri,Gopåla-tåpani Upanißad (San

Rafael,CA:MandalaPublishing,2004),p.32.

14 çrîlaSanåtanaGosvåmî,Çrî B®had Bhågavatåm®ta,

trans.Gopîparå√adhanadåsa(LosAngeles:Bhakti-

vedåntaBookTrust,2002),2.1.36,121.

15 A.C.BhaktivedåntaSwamiPrabhupåda, Journey of

Self-Discovery(LosAngeles:BhaktivedåntaBookTrust,

1990),chap.4.

16 RüpaGoswåmî,Bhakti-rasåm®ta-sindhu, 3.3.43.

17 Ibid,3.3.93–94.

18 RüpaGoswåmî,Ujjvala-nîlama√i, 2.13.

7 5g l O S S a r y

Glossary

anubhåvaDeliberateactionsthatcorrespondwithone’s

dominantspiritualemotion.

bhåvaSpiritualecstasy.

brahmå-vimohana-lîlå Çrîmad-Bhågavatam

10.12–14: K®ß√abewildersBrahmå.

gauravå√î-pracåri√e Propagationoftheteachings

ofçrîCaitanyaMahåprabhu.

gopî-bhåva-åçraya Theshelterofthespiritualsenti-

mentofthegopîs.

mahåbhåvaGreatecstasy,thehighestpointtowhich

prema-bhakticanrise.

mañjarî-bhåvaThesentimentofthemaidservantsof

çrîRådhå.

nitya-siddha Aneternallyperfecteddevotee.

paravyomaThespiritualrealm,beyondheaven.

råga-mårgaThepathofspontaneousloveofK®ß√a.

rasånandaThetranscendentaljoyoftastingaesthetic

raptureinloveofGod.

sådhaka-dehaExternal,spiritualizedbodyofthe

practitioner.

çåstra-yukti Reasoningemployedtosupportthe

conclusionsofscripturalrevelation.

siddha-dehaOne’sperfected,internalspiritualbody.

siddha-mahåtmåAgreat,perfectedsoul.

ç®∫gåra-rasa ConjugalloveofGod.

sthåyi-bhåvaThedominantspiritualsentimentin

whichoneservesK®ß√a.

suvar√a-va√ik AgoldmerchantcommunityinBengal

thatwasespeciallyblessedbyNityånandaPrabhu.

Prabhupådawasborninthiscommunity.

svarüpaOne’sspiritualformornature.

svarüpa-siddhi Theperfectionofidentifyingwith

one’sspiritualform.

trida√∂î-bhikßu AVaiß√avarenunciate(beggar).

7 6C O l O p h O N

Photos courtesy of the Bhaktivedånta Book Trust,

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This booklet was set with Galliard from Carter & Cone,

designed by the legendary Matthew Carter.

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© 2009 by Babhru dåsa. All Rights Reserved.

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