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Srila Gurudeva on Ananta dasa BabajiApril 29, 2014 | Featured, Harikatha, Siddhanta, Srila Gurudeva

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S U B M I T T E D B Y T H E H A R I K AT H A T E A M

[The following is excerpts of a discourse, darsana and letter by SrilaGurudeva, Sri Srimad Bhaktivedanta Narayana Gosvami Maharaja,wherein he discusses Ananta das Babaji. The darsana was slightly editedfor reading clarity.]

A Darsana in Vrndavana, India: 1992

Srila BV Narayan MaharajaSrila BV Narayan Maharaja On Ananta Dasa Babaji

Syamarani dasi: He also wants to know what you think of Ananta dasPandita. The one at Radha Kunda.

Srila Gurudeva: Ananta dasa Pandita. I only know that there is anAnanta dasa Babaji. He lives in Radha Kunda and he has published somebooks. I know only this. What has your Prabhupada spoken aboutAnanta Dasa?

Syamarani dasi: I dont know what he said about him. But he rejectssaha

Gurudeva: I know that Ananta dasa Babaji tells that Mayapura is not thereal Mayapura. He says that Pracina Navadvipa (Old Navadvipa, SrimanMahaprabhus birthplace) is on the western side of the Ganges; he saysthat is the real Mayapura. [Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, with the help ofSrila Jagannatha dasa Babaji Maharaja, found and establishedMahaprabhus birthplace on the eastern bank]. So you can understand

what type of person he is. *[see endnote 1, from Navadvipa-dhamaParikrama book][Then, after a few words describing Ananta das Babajis physicalappearance and apparel:] What does he want to know about him?

Syamarani dasi: He wants to know what you think of his lineage andpublications. It seems you have answered.

Srila Gurudeva: There are so many things to say about him. I know thathis intelligence is misguided. Even though he cannot understand whetherMayapura is here or there, he makes propaganda against GaudiyaVaisnavas, like Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura and others. He ishankering for so many disciples and he preaches against GaudiyaVaisnavism. If any ISKCON member goes to him, he will say, Oh, comeon come on, I will give you babaji vesa. And if you go, he will give youbabaji vesa. [With aectionate sarcasm] Do you want? I will recommendyou.

If your Prabhupada were here, he would have fullywhat is the word?

Syamarani dasi: Condemned him?

Srila Gurudeva: Condemned him. And then he would have done hissraddha ceremony. Do you know the meaning of Sradha ceremony?

Syamarani dasi: The ceremony after death.Gurudeva: Ah, yes. Your Prabhupada would surely have done this. Whatmore can I say?

Vrndavana, India: October 27, 2007

[The class was originally given in Bengali. To hear the sound file:]

Srila BV Narayan Maharaja2007027 GOPINATHBHAVAN AM HIDIENG DAMODARAST R

hakti is of two kinds: bhakti and bhakti-rasa. Unless wehave reached suddha-sattva, if rati has not yet come,along with sthayi-bhava (the foundational ecstasy ofones permanent relationship with Sri Krsna), krsna-priti(love for Krsna), alambana (the coming together of the

subject and object of love), udipana (the stimulus for loving the object oflove), asta-sattvika-bhava (the eight symptoms of transcendentalecstacy), and vyabhicari-bhava (the thirty-three transitory ecstasies thatcome and go like the waves of the ocean of love for Krsna), we cannottaste bhakti-rasa.* [see endnote 2]

Nowadays, in so many places, gopi-bhava is being given to the peoplejust by their saying, I am a gopi. However, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakuraexplains that only when all our anarthas are removed will we be able torealize, inside our heart, our eternally perfect spiritual body. At that timewe will be able to understand who we are. Only after that can we thinkabout asta-kalya-lila (Sri Sri Radha-Krsnas 24-hour daily pastimes) and

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gopi-bhava.

These persons are imagining gopi-bhava before all these stagesmanifest, and therefore they fall down from the right path. In Radha-Kunda, Vrndavana, and other places as well, the Babajis are giving thisso-called gopi-bhava to whomsoever comes to them. This so-calledgopi-bhava is given to even the most unqualified and foolish persons,who do not know even how to clean themselves after using the toilet.

The most unqualified and ignorant people, even from Gaudiyas, go toAnanta das Babaji Maharaja in Radha-Kunda. They at once take thisso-called gopi-bhava and think that everything will be accomplished bythis. But they do not know that 99% of all the people at Radha-Kundahave loose character. Therefore, we should be very careful about thismatter.

According to the instructions of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura and ourguru-parampara, if we perform proper sadhana, then ruci will come,along with asakti (pure attachment for Krsna), rati (bhava-bhakti), andsthayi-bhava (foundational ecstacy). Only by this process will there besome progress in bhakti. Alambana and udipana will also come, and thensneha and mamata will manifest. By this bona fide process, you will beable to attract Krsna and have His darsana.

Thereafter, asta-sattvika-bhava (the eight-fold ecstatic symtoms), asru(tears), romanca (bodily hairs standing on end), and kampa (quivering),one by one, will all appear. It was only because all these symptomsappeared in Mother Yasoda that Krsna was able to relish vatsalya-rasa(parental love). Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura describes this process, and heteaches how we can all follow the same path. If we do not follow it, wewill surely fall down.

Letter of 2008

[Srila Gurudeva was asked about Ananta das Babaji, and the following ishis reply]

My dear disciples of Alachua,

y heartly blessings are for you. All glories to Sri SriGuru and Gauranga, all glories to Sri Sri RadhaVinode Bihariji.

In regard to your concerns that are shared by thedevotees in Alachua, yes there is no need to go to the babajis. Thefortunate living entity who has accepted a bona fide spiritual master inthe line of Srila Rupa Gosvami has nothing to gain in Krsnaconsciousness by associating with the babajis. I have explained all thedeviations of the babajis in Sri Prabhanda Pancakam. Please study thiscarefully with the devotees that have any doubts in this regard.

There are no special mantras to obtain from any babaji. [Regarding SrilaJagannatha dasa Babaji, Gaura-kisora dasa Babaji, and others and theparamahamsa babajis in Jaiva-dharma, the word babaji does not referto the sahajiya babajis. This address or title is part of the general customwithin Vedic culture. Baba refers to an elderly, senior person, and ji isan address of aection and respect.]

But for those devotees who have not actually taken shelter at the lotusfeet of a bona fide spiritual master and who are not interested to practicethe process of bhajana as it has been presented by Srila BhaktivinodaThakura and Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, they must becomebewildered, and as a result of this they will look for a shortcut to attainthe desired goal of bhava-bhakti. Please dont be bewildered, and helpall by carefully studying my classes and Sri Prabanda Pancakam. I havesaid everything in this booklet. We have freely distributed thousands ofcopies in Vrndavana3 years ago and there has not been any reply up tothis day from anyone. Not even one babaji has dared to reply.

I am very pleased to hear that you all are preaching strongly against this

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misconception. Please convey my heartily blessings to all the devotees inAlachua, especially to my dear darling daughter Anuradha and her lovelychildren.

Your ever well-wisher, Swami B.V. Narayan

[For more information on the dierence between Gaudiya Vainavism andsahajiyaism, you can download a PDF of Srila Narayana GosvamiMaharajas books, Discerning the True Sentiments of the Soul (acollection of his lectures) and Five Essential Essays (PrabandaPanchakam) from www.purebhakti.com. You can purchase the booksthemselves from www.bhaktistore.com.]

Endnote 1: The Geographical Location of Old Navadvipa excerpts

from Sri Navadvipa-dhama Parikrama by Srila Bhaktivedanta

Narayana Gosvami Maharaja

[There has been a century old controversy regarding the location ofOld Navadvipa, Sriman Mahaprabhus birthplace. The information inthis section comes from the book Citre-navadvipa by Sri SaradinduNarayana Raya (published by Sri Caitanya Matha, Mayapura). Thisinformation gives conclusive proof that Old Navadvipa was situatedon the eastern bank of the Ganga. The English excerpts from theabove-mentioned book have been quoted directly. ed.]

By studying scriptures such as Urddhamnaya Maha-tantra, SriCaitanya-caritamrta and Bhakti-ratnakara it is clear that OldNavadvipa was situated on the Gangas (Bhagavati-Bhagirathis)eastern bank. The Urddhamnaya Maha-tantra states: vartatehanavadvipe nityadhamni mahesvari, bhagirathi tatepurve mayapurantugokulam O Mahesvari, Sri Navadvipa-dhama is eternal, andMayapura, which is situated on the Bhagirathis eastern bank, is the

same as Gokula.

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta (Adi-lila 1.86) states: gaudadesepurva-saile karila udaya they arose on the eastern horizon in theland of Gauda. And Adi-lila 13.97 states: nadiya-udayagiri,purnacandra gaurahari, krpa kari ha-ila udaya thus by Hiscauseless mercy the full moon, Gaurahari, rose in the district ofNadiya, which is compared to Udayagiri, where the sun first becomesvisible.

Sri Navadvipa-parikrama by Srila Narahari Cakravarti states:sri-suradhunira purva-tire antardvipadika catustaya Sobhakarejahnavira pascikulete koladvipadika panca vikhyata jagate Antardvipa and three other islands are situated in full splendour onthe eastern bank of the Suradhuni (Ganga), and Koladvipa and fourother famous islands are on the Jahnavis (Gangas) western bank.

In the 16th century, during the British Empires occupation of India,Sir William Hunter produced an authoritative historical andgeographical record of India, focusing on many well known places inBengal. In this record (Hunters Statistical Account, pg 142) hedescribed the geographical position of Navadvipa Town: It was onthe east of the Bhagirathi and on the west of the Jalangi. In otherwords, Navadvipa Town was situated on Bhagirathis eastern bankand Jalangis western bank.

From the explanations in the Nadiya Gazetteer one can understandthat Navadvipa was the capital of the kings of the Sena dynasty:Navadvipa is a very ancient city and is reported to have beenfounded in A.D. 1063 by one of the Sen kings of Bengal. In the AiniAkbari it is noted that in the time of Laksmana Sena, Nadia was theCapital of Bengal.

In other words, Navadvipa is an ancient city, said to be founded in1063 by a king of the Sena dynasty. Aini Akbari also mentions thatNavadvipa was the capital of Bengal during the reign of Maharaja Sri

Laksmana Sena.

In his Statistical Account (pg. 142) Sir William Hunter also hasmentioned that Maharaja Laksmana Sena founded Nadiya in A.D.1063. The following statement appeared in the Calcutta Review (pg.398, 1946): The earliest that we know of Nadia is that in 1203 it wasthe Capital of Bengal.

In other words, our first information about Nadiya Town is that it wasthe capital of Bengal in 1203. In this way much proof supports thefact that old Nadiya, or old Navadvipa, was the capital of the kings ofthe Sena dynasty and was situated on the Gangas eastern bank.

Bhakti-ratnakara is an old and authoritative scripture which wascomposed by the well-known Srila Narahari Cakravarti Thakura. In itsdescription of Navadvipa-dhama parikrama, Bhakti-ratnakara givesclear evidence to support that Antardvipa Mayapura, which wassituated on the Gangas eastern bank, was the old Nadiya, orNavadvipa Town. Even today Chand Kazis samadhi, Sridhara-angana and other places are situated on the eastern bank. WhenSrinivasa Acarya and Sri Narottama Thakura performed parikramawith ISana Thakura, they visited Jagannatha-bhavana and the nearbyBarakona-ghata, Ganga-nagara and so forth, and without crossingthe Ganga, they went to Chand Kazis samadhi, Sridhara-angana,Simuliya and other places.]

In 1684 William Hayes, an agent of the East India Company, wrote inhis diary about Richard Temples old map, which also shows thatNavadvipa Town was situated on Bhagirathis eastern bank.

In 1572, Kavi-karnapura wrote his famous play Sri Caitanya-candrodaya. From the geographical description given there it is clearthat the old Navadvipa, or Nadiya Town, was situated on the Gangaseastern bank and that Kuliya-grama was situated on the westernbank.

Sri Vrndavana dasa Thakura compiled Sri Caitanya-bhagavata just afew years after the disappearance of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Fromthe descriptions in this book one can get to know the geographicallocation of Navadvipa and nearby places. Everyone accepts that thesamadhi of Chand Kazi, who was a contemporary of Sri CaitanyaMahaprabhu, is situated in Vamana-pukura (also known asBrahmana-pukura and Brahmana-puskarini). According to SriCaitanya-bhagavatas narration of Chand Kazis defeat, SrimanMahaprabhu took a large sankirtana party to Chand Kazis residence,but there is no mention that they crossed the Ganga.

From the above-mentioned proofs it is clear that the place indicatedby Srila Jagannatha dasa Babaji Maharaja and Srila BhaktivinodaThakura in Sri Mayapura-dhama is the actual place of Sri CaitanyaMahaprabhus appearance.

Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura and Antardvipa Mayapura

Sri Saccidananda Bhaktivinoda Thakura, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhuseternal intimate associate, is revered as the Seventh Gosvami whoagain inaugurated the flow of the Bhagirathi of bhakti. He appeared inthis world to manifest Mahaprabhus holy name (gaura-nama), Hisinnermost desire (gaura-kama) and His holy abode (gaura-dhama).Like Sri Rupa and Sri Sanatana, he wanted to reside in Vraja andperform bhajana there. On his way to Vraja-mandala he came to adeity of Lord Siva, Mahadeva Sri Tadakesvara, a short distance fromKolkata. That night Sri Mahadeva appeared to him in a dream andrequested him to reveal Sri Gauranga Mahaprabhus appearance-place. He also told him to remain in Gauda-mandala and performbhajana. Sri Bhaktivinoda Thakura placed Sri Tadakesvarasinstruction upon his head and returned to Sridhama Navadvipa.There, in Godrumadvipa, he constructed a small hut and beganperforming bhajana, eager to find Sriman Mahaprabhus appearance-place. He wrote in his autobiography:

I was very anxious to find Sriman Mahaprabhus appearance-place. I

went to Navadvipa (the present Navadvipa Town) and with muchendeavour made some investigation, but was unable to find any traceof it. Thus I became very unhappy. Nowadays the people ofNavadvipa are only busy filling their bellies. They know nothing aboutSriman Mahaprabhus pastime-places, nor do they endeavour tolearn about them. One day after twilight, at ten oclock, Kamala and I,together with one clerk, were standing on the roof of the RaniDharmasala looking about. It was very dark and the sky was filledwith clouds. Then, across the Ganga towards the north I saw aneulgent mansion. I asked Kamala, Did you see something? Heanswered, I became awestruck to see an eulgent mansion on theother side of the Ganga towards the north. In the morning I againwent to the roof of the Rani Dharmasala and attentively lookedtowards that place. I was unable to see the eulgent mansion, but Icould see a palm tree there. When I inquired from others about thatplace, they said it was called Ballala-dighi and that one can still seemany traces of King Laksmana Senas old fort there. The comingMonday I went to Krsna-nagara and the following Saturday I wentstraight from there to Ballala-dighi. That night I beheld a wondroussight. Sriman Mahaprabhu, Sri Nityananda Prabhu, Sri AdvaitaAcarya, Sri Gadadhara and the other devotees were completelyabsorbed in chanting and dancing ecstatically. Everyones eyes werefilled with tears. The tumultuous sound of Hari Bol! and the soundof mrdangas and kartalas maddened the devotees. After sometimethat sight disappeared from my eyes.

The next day I walked to those places to take darsana of them andasked the elderly locals about them. They told me that this wasSriman Mahaprabhus birthplace. I visited all the small villagesmentioned in Bhakti-ratnakara as well as those mentioned in SrilaVrndavana dasa Thakuras Sri Caitanya-bhagavata. Thereafter I sat inKrsna-nagara and compiled the book Sri Navadvipa-dhama-mahatmya and sent it to be printed in Kolkata. I told Sri DvarikaBabu, an engineer from Krsna-nagara, about my findings. He couldunderstand everything I said and on the strength of his intelligence he

produced a map of Sri Navadvipa-mandala. I wandered throughoutNavadvipa-dhama and wrote the Dhama-mahatmya, because at thattime I could do nothing else.

In Godruma, 1893, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura performed a greatharinama-sankirtana festival under the auspices of Srila Jagannathadasa Babaji Maharaja. At that time Sri Jagannatha dasa BabajiMaharaja went with many Vaisnavas to take darsana of Sri Mayapura.Overwhelmed by ecstatic sentiments, he himself pointed outMahaprabhus birthplace, the lost Yogapitha-Mayapura. The144-year-old Babaji Maharaja became overwhelmed with ecstasyand jumped into the air, crying out, This is the birthplace ofGauracandra, our very life and soul! Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura,many famous writers of Bengal, many high-posted governmentocers, editors of famous magazines and others witnessed theevent. Amongst them was Sri Syamalala Gosvami, the great anderudite Vaisnava. Also present were Sri Sasibhusana Gosvami, SriRadhikanatha Gosvami, Sri Vipina Bihari Gosvami, Sri Raya Vanamali,Sri Raya Bahadura, Sri Sisira Kumara Ghosa, Sri DvarikanathaSarakara and Sri Naphara Kumara. Some huts were eventually madehere and the temple construction began. Gradually, faithful devoteesfrom the various states of India came here to take darsana and now,crowds of people come from all over the world to this holy place.

Endnote 2:

An excerpt from Sri Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu-bindu, Verse 14, SriBindu-vikasini-vrtti:When krsna-rati, or in other words the sthayibhava (the permanentemotion of the heart in one of the five primary relationships of santa,dasya, sakhya, and so on), becomes exceedingly tasty for thedevotee by virtue of the elements known as vibhava, anubhava,sattvika-bhava, and vyabhicari-bhava, induced through the medium

of sravana (hearing), kirtana (chanting), and so on, it is calledbhakti-rasa. In other words, when the sthayibhava or krsna-rati mixeswith vibhava, anubhava, sattvika-bhava, and vyabhicari-bhava andbecomes fit to be tasted in the heart of the devotee, it is calledbhakti-rasa.

Components of bhakti-rasaSthayibhava The permanent sentiment in one of the five primaryrelationships of santa (passive adoration), dasya (servitude), sakhya(friendship), vatsalya (parental aection), or madhurya (amorous),which is known as mukhya-rati. This also refers to the dominantsentiment in the seven secondary mellows (gauna-rati) of laughter,wonder, chivalry, compassion, anger, fear, and disgust.Anubhava Visible actions that illustrate the spiritual emotionssituated within the heart (dancing, singing, and so on).Sattvika-bhava Eight symptoms of spiritual ecstasy arisingexclusively from visuddha-sattva, or in other words, when the heart isoverwhelmed by emotions in connection with mukhya-rati orgauna-rati.Vyabhicari-bhava Thirty-three internal spiritual emotions, whichemerge from the nectarean ocean of the sthayibhava, cause it toswell, and then merge back into that ocean.Vibhava That in which rati is tasted and the cause by which rati istasted are called vibhava. Vibhava is of two varieties: (1) alambana(the support or repository of rati) and (2) uddipana (that whichstimulates or excites rati).

An excerpt from Srila Bhaktivedanta Svami Maharajas purport to SriCaitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila 23.51:In Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu (2.1.14), vibhava is described as follows:

tatra jseya vibhavas tu raty-asvadana-hetavahte dvidhalambana eke tathaivoddipanah pareThe cause bringing about the tasting of love for Krsna is calledvibhava. Vibhava is divided into two categories: alambana

(support) and uddipana (awakening).

In the Agni Purana it is stated:

vibhavyate hi raty-adir yatra yena vibhavyatevibhavo nama sa dvedhalambanoddipanatmakahThat which causes love for Krsna to appear is called vibhava.That has two divisions alambana (in which love appears) anduddipana (by which love appears).

In Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu (2.1.16), the following is stated aboutalambana:

krsnas ca krsna-bhaktas ca budhair alambana matahraty-ader visayatvena tathadharatayapi caThe object of love is Krsna, and the container of that love is thedevotee of Krsna. Learned scholars call them alambana thefoundations.

Similarly, uddipana is described as follows:

uddipanas tu te prokta bhavam uddipayanti yete tu sri-krsna-candrasya gunas cestah prasadhanamThose things which awaken ecstatic love are called uddipana.Mainly this awakening is made possible by the qualities andactivities of Krsna, as well as by His mode of decoration and theway His hair is arranged (Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu 2.1.301).

Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu (2.1.302) also gives the following furtherexamples of uddipana:

smitanga-saurabhe vamsa-srnga-nupura-kambavahpadanka-ksetra-tulasi-bhakta-tad-vasaradayahKrsnas smile, the fragrance of His transcendental body, His flute,bugle, ankle bells and conch-shell, the marks on His feet, Hisplace of residence, His favorite plant [tulasi], His devotees, and

Srila Gurudevas daughters Gaudiya Girls 2014 TourNectar of Vraja Festival May 19-21, UK

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the observance of fasts and vows connected to His devotion allawaken the symptoms of ecstatic love.

S H A R E T H I S PA G E W I T H F R I E N D S , T H E Y ' L L L O V E Y O U F O R I T :

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9 Responses to Srila Gurudeva on Ananta dasa Babaji

gadadhara das vanacari April 30, 2014 at 6:39 PM #

Dandavats dear vaisnava sevakas,

Very clear and strong presentationThanks to Srila Prabhupada.., Srila Gurudev and our Rupanagu guruvarga forimpeccable guidance.

Radhe Radhe

REPLY &

BV Damodara April 30, 2014 at 8:02 PM # REPLY &

Dandavats,Thanks for this statement of Srila Gurudeva. How can one who tookre-initiation from Ananta Dasa Babaji, still say he is following SrilaGurudeva after hearing this?He disregards Srila Bhaktivinode Thakura!

Admin May 1, 2014 at 8:27 AM #

building castles in the sky

REPLY &

Ananta Das May 8, 2014 at 6:44 AM #

I suppose know one presenting this article has ever been toRadha Kund nor to personally see and interact with Babaji Maharaj?

Of course not.

Srila Narayan Maharaj can say what he must for preaching purposesto guide immature devotees away from the Transcendental aairs ofRadha Kund and its inhabitants, so as not to disturb their bhajan.This He will do as a service.

I quote here from the words of SNM in a small booklet: My SiksaGuru & Priya Bandhu from pg. 25-26 simply as a counter balance tothe Apara Vichara statements presented earlier. (apparentconsideration/time and circumstance)

The following statements may be considered Tattva Vichara orAbsolute consideration as they are based on Shastra:

Quote: Those who are most intelligent want to serve the DivineCouple Sri Sri Radha Krishna on the bank of Radha-Kunda. SrilaSwami Maharaja explains this in his Nectar of Instruction. Suchdevotees want to be there He goes on to say that all of ourGosvamis have permanent seats there. Those who are alwayspresent there in their transcendental bodies, under the guidance of

REPLY &

Sri Rupa-Manjari and Sri Rati-Manjari, are the top most devotees.We want to follow them. This is the mood of Srila Rupa Gosvamiand Srila Raghunatha das Gosvami, and also the mood of SrilaBhaktivedanta Swami Maharaj.

He is indirectly referring to non-other than Srila Ananta Das BabajiMaharaj here as he has been the presiding Mahant of Radha Kundfor the better part of 40 years.

I rest my case in defense of the Holy Vaishnavas.. Dear Devotees,do not fall prey to Vaishnava Ninda!

B V Damodara May 8, 2014 at 2:38 PM #

Dear Ananta Dasa,Which part of the article didnt you understand? It is quiteridiculous of you to claim that Srila BV Narayan GoswamiMaharaja is indirectly referring to non-other than Srila AnantaDas Babaji Maharaj here as he has been the presiding Mahant ofRadha Kund for the better part of 40 years. I suggest you takesome time to read the article again. If you need help with theEnglish language I can recommend someone who can help youin that also.Ananta Dasa Babaji Maharaja is not the presiding mahant ofRadha Kunda. There are numerous sects and mandirs in RadhaKunda, and he is the mahant of one of them.For you to think that Srila BV Narayan Goswami Maharaja hasnever been to Radha Kunda is also absurd. He is the onepresenting the article, as the article consists of nothing elseexcept his direct quotations.Thanks

REPLY &

Bhakti Edwards May 20, 2014 at 2:31 PM # REPLY &

Hare Krsna prabhus,

This is not a comment on Ananta das Babaji. Dont know him. Nevermet him. However, I would like to make the following comment:

This all comes down to authorisation. Who is an authorisedpreacher in disciplic succession? If one didnt get the order from theprevious acarya, then under whose authority is one taking disciples(or even speaking Hari katha)? You just cant sit on the vyasasana orput on a guru t-shirt and pretend you are guru or a bona fidespeaker. It is a question of empowerment and authorisation from theprevious acaryas. Here are some quotes from His Divine Grace SrilaPrabhupada:

You cannot become a spiritual master all of a sudden. There mustbe order from a superior person. Superior to you. If he says, Nowyou can make disciples, then you can do that. This is theeducational process. That means, when one has received orderfrom the spiritual master (Srimad Bhagavatam 1.2.18 NewVrindaban, July 19, 1974)

One should take initiation from a bona fide spiritual master comingin the disciplic succession, who is authorized by his predecessorspiritual master. (SB 4.8.54)

And unless one gets the direct order in parampara, the entireexercise is completely futile:

Unless there is a connection with a bona fide spiritual master,coming in the line of disciplic succession, there is NO POSSIBILITYof making progress in spiritual life. (SPL to Friends, May 23rd, 1972)

Trying to advance in spiritual life outside the disciplic succession isSIMPLY LUDICROUS. (SB 4.22.24)

One should take initiation from a bona fide spiritual master comingin disciplic succession who is authorized by his predecessorspiritual master. This is called diksa-vidhana. (Bhagavad- gita As ItIs, 4.8.54, Purport)

These books have to be received through the channel of thedisciplic succession (parampar). In other words, to learn thescience of bhakti one must accept a guru coming in disciplicsuccession from Krsna. (Dharma, the Way of Transcendence)

And should I associate with any unauthorized gurus or unauthorizedspeakers?

At the present moment so many unauthorized persons arepresenting themselves as guru. But you should be very careful.(Lecture, Bhagavad-gita 7.1, January 22, 1977, Bhuvanesvara)

We have to see whether a person is actually bona fide agent ofKa. Then we accept him as guru. Otherwise useless waste oftime. (Srimad-Bhagavatam 5.6.8, Vrndavana, November 30, 1976)

One should not hear the statements of Srimad-Bhagavatam fromprofessional reciters, or else they will not be eective.(SB 6.17.40)

So, the question one should ask oneself is: was my guru/ speakerauthorised by the previous acaryas?

If we locate a bona fide guru in parampara, there we will find thecurrent link. A sadhu is always present and he will always be inparampara.

If we still find ourselves with anarthas, where will we go to havethem removed? Unless we already think we are perfected beings (orare posing as one), then we must have sadhu sanga.

And, if we are still being independent and thinking we are our ownsadhu, that is a great illusion. Do we think were a sadhu? So, whoare we hearing from to get purified? Ourselves? Are we actuallybeing purified by our so-called preaching activities, or furthercontaminated by our own subtle desires for name and fame, inpretending that we are a sadhu and distributing Krsna?

This is just childs play.

Everyone has to be thoroughly honest with themselves on that one.Let us not be a mutual admiration society. Desires for pratistha are

very, very strong and from my experience many preachers are stillchasing this stool of the she-hog. How do I know? As they did notget authorisation in parampara. They did not follow the process andtherefore did not get mercy. They MAY have some jnana, but jnanais not bhakti. There is a great dierence. The eect is known whenthey speak. Do they change the heart, clear all doubts, get one outof maya, give one Krsna prema? If not, and we are a bona fidehearer, then they are bogus. The proof is in the pudding. Notauthorised means the pudding will not nourish you.

So on whose order are they preaching?

In truth, they are factually disconnected from the power supply.Their preaching will have no potency. All blank fire. No practicalrealisation. All theoretical.

If we havent come in contact with sadhu in 2014, we should ask,Why havent I found a bona fide sadhu guru vaisnava to hearfrom? Who AM I hearing from in 2014? My own mind?

If you do not find a guru, that means Ka is not yet pleased, eitheryou are not serious. (Conversations, September 11, 1972)

So, if we increase our sincerity and seriousness, then we will meet abona fide guru in parampara, otherwise not. Then, we can makefurther advancement on the path. We all need further sadhu sangaand that sadhu sanga must be authorised in parampara.

The path of spiritual realization is undoubtedly dicult. The Lordtherefore advises us to approach a bona fide spiritual master in theline of disciplic succession from the Lord Himself. (Bg 4.34)

And the only way to recognise this personality is to get directionfrom the Supreme Lord Himself. He knows who is His own man inparampara, we dont. If we cry to Him sincerely, He will put us intouch with Sri Guru, and Krsna will speak through his mouth andlips. If we are in touch with Krsna in the heart, he will confirm it.What Krsna is saying inside, guru will say outside. We recognisesadhu through the ear, not by sight.However, we tend to rely on our

eyes and when the genuine guru does not look as our prejudicessay, then we reject him. This is material vision. One must be actuallyfully dependent on Krsna and Krsna will put one in touch with abona fide sadhu.

Carrying a danda and repeating stu I read in sastra does not asadhu make. Arent we sick of hearing dry philosophy? I am notfooled by the proliferation of bogus preachers in whatever institutionthey appear IPBYS, ISKCON, Gaudiya Math or any other group.And they exist in all three. In order not to be fooled, one has topetition the Lord Himself.

Hope this helps.

Your servant,

Bhakti das

murali dhar July 14, 2014 at 2:43 PM #

Stop! Just stop do politics! You people are just laughingstock by making a fun of vaisnava sadhacar. It putting peopleoNowadays, all informations are very easy available on internetso please at least do not contaminate mind of people

Respect and then demand respect

Murali dhar

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jiva November 12, 2014 at 7:35 PM #

I have certainly learned from the books of Srila BV NarayanaGosvami Maharaj, and Ananta Das Babaji Maharaj. I have alsolearned from the books of Sri Kripaluji Maharaj. I have also benefitedfrom the harikatha of Sri Rajendra DasJi Maharaj. I simply cannotand will not deny the tremendous gratitude i have for these toweringpersonalities. Let Sri Bhagavan be the judge. While here on this

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planet, i am going to make up my own mind, because if you try toplease everybody you please none, and if you try to please onlyone, you go into denial of your own influences! Hilarious.

jiva November 12, 2014 at 7:40 PM #

i simply will not be told that i will go to hell or this or that oneis fallen etc etc. there is so much infighting and bias, itsunbelievable. please, i know i dont know everything. but i still havemy own reasoning and my own mind. i will listen to and try to learnfrom whomever i please, in my own way, in my own time. none ofyou can tell me as to what progress i am making or cant make.nobody. you dont have any authority over me than what i volunteer.if someone is so bigoted that they are calling great personalitieswith uncivilized names, all in the hope that it is pleasing theirgurudeva, thats their problem, but i wll take no part in this, becauseits detrimental to me! In iskcon you cant talk about Srila BVnarayana Maharaj, in Srila BV narayana Maharajas sanga you cantmention Ananta das Babaji maharaj, what nonsense is this? I havelearned from Srila Haridas Shastri, and from Syamdasji. I willcontinue to learn and explore whatever i see fit. its better than justblindly following your dictates. i have my own brain, flawed or not.just let me do my own thing, whats it to you?

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