Vedanta Without Krishna Like Beating Empty Husks

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Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 25.19–30 — January 20, 1967, San Francisco 670120CC-SAN FRANCISCO [25:23 Minutes] Prabhupāda: ...Caitanya Mahāprabhu to the Māyāvādī sannyāsīs. They were convinced with the arguments and presentation of Lord Caitanya. And from that day, not only the sannyāsīs, but also the people in general, they also became very much admirer of Lord Caitanya. So, lokera saṅghaṭṭa āise prabhure dekhite nānā śāstre paṇḍita āise śāstra vicārite [Cc. Madhya 25.19] [Crowds of people came to see Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu from that day on, and scholars of various scriptures discussed different subject matters with the Lord.] And because He defeated the Māyāvādī philosopher, many other scholars also began to meet Him personally and talk with Him, argue with Him. So this was going on naturally. Whenever a man becomes prominent, so many others, they come to challenge him. That is natural sequence. sarva-śāstra khaṇḍi' prabhu bhakti kare sāra sayuktika vākye mana phirāya sabāra [Cc. Madhya 25.20] [When people came to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu to discuss the principles of various scriptures, the Lord defeated their false conclusions and established the predominance of devotional service to the Lord. With logic and argument He very politely changed their minds.] The speciality of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu was that He used to put very sound arguments, and He used to defeat His opponents in such a way that they were satisfied. They were not inimical. And with the evidence of śāstra.

Not that argumentum-ad-vaculum. He was putting reasonable arguments and evidences from śāstra, scripture. Sarva-śāstra khaṇḍi' prabhu bhakti kare sāra. And the beauty was that He was defeating all other arguments against devotional service. He was establishing only that "God is great, and we are meant for serving Him." On this basis He was arguing and He was defeating others. upadeśa lañā kare kṛṣṇa-saṅkīrtana sarva-loka hāse, gāya, karaye nartana [Cc. Madhya 25.21] [As soon as people received instructions from Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, they began to chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. Thus everyone laughed, chanted and danced with the Lord.] And the whole city became surcharged with Kṛṣṇa kīrtana. Everyone began to dance and sing, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare. They may understand or not understand, but the infection was there that everyone was chanting. prabhure praṇata haila sannyāsīra gaṇa ātma-madhye goṣṭhī kare chāḍi' adhyayana [Cc. Madhya 25.22] [All the Māyāvādī sannyāsīs offered their obeisances unto Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and then began to discuss His movement, giving up their studies of Vedānta and Māyāvāda philosophy.] Now, so far the sannyāsīs were concerned, they practically gave up their so-called Vedānta study, and they simply began to discuss on the sublime presentation of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and they were enjoying that. prakāśānandera śiṣya eka tāṭhāra samāna sabhā-madhye kahe prabhura kariyā sammāna [Cc. Madhya 25.23] [One of the disciples of Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī, who was as learned as his guru, began to speak in that assembly, offering all respects to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.] So after this incidence, one of the chief disciples of Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī, he stood up and began to glorify Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu in the following words: śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya haya 'sākṣāt nārāyaṇa' 'vyāsa-sūtrera' artha karena ati-manorama [Cc. Madhya 25.24] [He said, ”Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Nārāyaṇa Himself. When He explains the Vedānta-sūtra, He does so very nicely.] The...

Amongst the Māyāvāda sannyāsīs, the etiquette is to address one another as Nārāyaṇa. They say, "namo nārāyaṇa," "Everyone is Nārāyaṇa." I address you "namo nārāyaṇa," and you address me "namo nārāyaṇa." A mutual praising society of Nārāyaṇa. Nārāyaṇa eko āsīt. In the Vedas it is said that only Nārāyaṇa was before creation. So after creation, all these living entities became Nārāyaṇa.

This is their philosophy, that "There is no separate Nārāyaṇa. Nārāyaṇa has manifested pantheism. Nārāyaṇa has manifested Himself in so many varieties. And the varieties is closed; then again, Nārāyaṇa remains." So this Māyāvāda sannyāsīs, they address one another as "Nārāyaṇa." And Caitanya Mahāprabhu was also a sannyāsī, so he is addressing Caitanya Mahāprabhu as the supreme Nārāyaṇa, as the chief Nārāyaṇa.

Nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām [Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13]. [The Supreme Lord is eternal and the living beings are eternal. The Supreme Lord is cognizant and the living beings are cognizant. The difference is that the Supreme Lord is supplying all the necessities of life for the many other living entities.] As it is stated in the Kaṭha Upaniṣad, that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the leader of all other personalities. He's also person; we are also person; but He is leader.

Of all living entities, He is the supreme living entity. Of all eternals, He is the supreme eternal. So the disciple of Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī, he addressed Caitanya Mahāprabhu as the chief Nārāyaṇa, sākṣād-nārāyaṇa. "We are all imitation Nārāyaṇa, but You are the chief Nārāyaṇa." Vyāsa-sūtrera artha karena ati-manorama. "And Caitanya's Mahāprabhu's special qualification is that He presents Vedānta-sūtra in such a nice way that it is wonderful." upaniṣadera karena mukhyārtha vyākhyāna śuniyā paṇḍita-lokera juḍāya mana-kāṇa [Cc. Madhya 25.25] [Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu explains the direct meaning of the Upaniṣads. When all learned scholars hear this, their minds and ears are satisfied.] "And He presents the import of Upaniṣad in such a way that everyone becomes pleased by hearing His explanation." sūtra-upaniṣadera mukhyārtha chāḍiyā ācārya 'kalpanā' kare āgraha kariyā [Cc. Madhya 25.26] [Giving up the direct meaning of the Vedānta-sūtra and the Upaniṣads, Śaṅkarācārya imagines some other interpretation.] That "So long Śaṅkarācārya, he has imagined some meaning, and therefore that is not so pleasing as much as Caitanya Mahāprabhu's interpretation." Not interpretation; "direct explanation." ācārya-kalpita artha ye paṇḍita śune mukhe 'haya' 'haya' kare, hṛdaya nā māne [Cc. Madhya 25.27] [All the interpretations of Śaṅkarācārya are imaginary. Such imaginary interpretations are verbally accepted by learned scholars, but they do not appeal to the heart.] "So we belong to this Māyāvādī sect. Although we hear the Śārīraka-bhāṣya of Śaṅkarācārya and we say, 'Yes, yes,' but actually, it does not appeal to us." Here is the important point of Māyāvādī philosophers. Every one of them, they say that "I am God," but actually he thinks within himself that "What kind of God I am?" That is the position. But for argument's sake they will play so many things in support of their views, but actually, any sane man will think that "What kind of God I am?

I cannot defend myself from the slightest attack of this material nature, and still I claim..." But they cannot admit frankly. They think like that. That is being admitted here by the chief disciple of Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī, that "Although we say, 'Yes, this is...,' but it does not appeal to our mind." He is frankly saying. śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya-vākya dṛḍha satya māni kali-kāle sannyāse 'saṁsāra' nāhi jini [Cc. Madhya 25.28] [The words of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu are firm and convincing, and I accept them as true. In this Age of Kali, one cannot be delivered from the material clutches simply by formally accepting the renounced order.] Now he says that "What Lord Caitanya, Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya, has said, that is very nice. And we simply accept this sannyāsa order—oh, that will not help us. Simply by accepting, changing the garment, colored garment, and without understanding anything properly or dealing properly, that is not the way for salvation." Because according to Śaṅkarācārya, anyone who accepts sannyāsa, he becomes immediately Nārāyaṇa, God. He immediately becomes God. So that is being refuted by one of the disciple, that "This is nonsense, that simply by accepting and changing the garment I become God.

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