Who is Sri Advaita Acharya
Today is the most auspicious and sacred day. It is the day of the divine appearance anniversary of Srila Advaita acarya – one of the divine members of the Pancha Tatva. It is said in Caitanya-Caritamrita “panch tattvatmakma Krishnam bhaktarupsvarupkam bhaktavataram bhaktakhyam namami bhyaktasaktikam”. This means that Lord Sri Krishna appeared in this Kali Yuga, the age of quarrel and hypocrisy, in five features.
The appearance of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is prophesized in Srimad Bhagavatam, Mahabharat, and other great vedic literatures. They all describe that in this particular age when the Lord descends, he descends with his divine associates to propagate the glories of the chanting of the names of God. “Krishna varnam tvaca akrishnam..” And amongst his many many associates, there are five principal associates all of which are direct manifestations of God Himself. The supreme Lord Sri Krishna in his original form appeared as Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. His original expansion Lord Balarama appeared as Lord Nityananda Prabhu. His original incarnation of Karnodakshayi Vishnu or Maha Vishnu appeared as Sri Advaita Äcärya. His pleasure potency or Sri Radharani expanded herself as Sri Gadhadhar and his marginal energy in a perfect state Sri Narada Muni incarnated as Srivasa Thakur.
Present condition of religion
Now of the panchatatva, Sri Advaita Äcärya, who we are observing the anniversary of his appearance today, was most special, and all devotees owe him a great and special honor because it is by the power of his devotion that Krishna appeared in this age of Kali as Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. You see Advaita Äcärya appeared, although he is God himself; he appeared himself as a devotee of God. As did Lord Caitanya. He appeared as a devotee of God.
In Bhagavad-Gita Krishna explains “sarvadharman pariteya ….” That we should become his devotees. But how to become his devotees, He came to show by his own example. It is described in Sri Caitanya-Caritamrita that seeing the very fallen and miserable condition of the spiritual condition of humanity, Sri Advaita Äcärya, with great devotion, appealed to the supreme Lord Krishna to appear in this world. It is described that at that time five hundred years ago, when Sri Advaita Äcärya was observing the condition of humanity, he noticed that most religious people were simply attached to the external ritualistic forms of religion without understanding the real purpose and essence of religion. We find this is very deeply the sad condition of today. People in their homes, they perform their puja, they perform their rituals, they go to the temple, the church, the mosque, the synagogue, and they pray to god and they have so many social forms which they observe.
They give their charity but the real change of heart, that change of your heart which causes love of god, and love, a universal love for all living beings, does not take place. In fact people are more attached and concerned with the external forms and rituals than they are the very purpose of their religion. The rituals and religious observances that we perform in and of themselves mean nothing.
They are a means, they are a vehicle by which we purify our hearts and develop love, love of god and love of all living beings. That is why Krishna concludes the Bhagavad-Gita by explaining “sarva dharman pari parityajya mam ekam saranam varja aham tvam sarva papebhyo moksayisyami me sucah” That you should abandoned all variety of religion and just surrender to God. Without this motion of surrender everything is useless. It is also described in Srimad Bhagavatam “atha pum….” All your duties in life ultimately are perfect, when they are pleasing to Krishna. Without pleasing Krishna everything is useless. “dharma swanus….” This means that what ever religion you perform or practice in your life and whatever occupation you may accept, if in the end it does not conclude in developing a taste of love for hearing the glories of the Lord and praising His glories, then everything you have done in your life, religious or irreligious, it is all “srameva kevalam” – a useless waste of time.
So people have a very sentimental or fanatical approach to religion. Without philosophically understanding, what is the purpose behind it? Religion without philosophy is simply either sentimentalism or fanaticism. We find so many people fighting and arguing about petty little details that differ amongst their religions. That you are baptized by being sprinkled and I was baptized by being dunked therefore you are going to hell and I am going to heaven. Well, you are dunked, you are going to hell because you have to be sprinkled if you are to be going to heaven.
This is literally – I have been in the circles of some of the highest priest in the Christian churches and this is how they talk amongst themselves. They are very much concerned with the details, but they do not understand that whether you are dunked or whether you sprinkle, the purpose is to purify your heart, give up your pettiness and surrender to God. What to speak of in India? My God, if you touch your food with your left hand, you are going to hell for it. What to speak of dunking and sprinkling. What to speak of you born outside of the boundary of India, then you have to take next birth. May be you will be lucky in next time. So religion without philosophy is all sentiments. Sentiments means you perform your rituals, you go to your church or temple, and you do not even know really why you are doing it? So many of the young people in India, especially in the colleges, I speak to them, they see their parents doing the puja They say why are you doing this. While your father did it, your grandfather did it, your great grandfather did it and your great great grandfather did it.
This is our family god and we are supposed to do it. But why? All because we have good fortune and everything alright, do not ask me why – this question? And when they try to explain why, there is such little philosophical substance. People in this age who are being taught in universities to be skeptical and to doubt and to scrutinize scientifically everything, they just think this is all so much superstition, how I am supposed to believe this? Keeps people moral so it has its value. And then philosophy without religion is simply mental speculation.
There are so many great philosophers, so many very very fantastic scholars and pandits, who know the scriptures, academically inside and out, but their hearts are still like stone. Some of them do not even believe with the reading. I know one great pandit he knew the entire Mahabharat by memory. Can you imagine? And he knew the entire Srimad Bhagavatam by memory. And knew the entire Ramayan by memory. Such a brilliant scholar, you just ask him, I want to know the verse from the 11th canto 3rd chapter 48th verse of Srimad Bhagavatam and he will immediately just without even thinking for more than five seconds, he will recite it from memory. But of course, while he was reciting his verses, he was smoking bidis. Between each chapter he would light another bidi. I asked him why you smoke bidis? He said because I am addicted to them and I cannot give them up. I said, well what about everything you are reading? Where does it say in the scriptures that you should smoke bidis? He said, nowhere in the scriptures it is said that I should smoke bidis. I said, then why to smoke bidi? He said, because I do not follow the scriptures.
He said I know them but I do not follow them. Why do not you follow them? He said, because I cannot. I said, do you have a guru? He said no I do not have a guru, but my guru is my mind and I have such a brilliant mind. And I agreed yes you have a brilliant mind. But when your worst enemy is brilliant he is even a worst enemy. Bhagavad-Gita says “bandhur atamtmanas tasya yenatmaivatmana jitah anatmanas tu satrutve vartetatmaiva satru-vat” That the mind when it is uncontrolled it is your worst enemy and more brilliant your enemy is, more deadly is his influence. Better to just be a humble illiterate and give up smoking bidis, and chant Hare Krishna and be happy.
So all this philosophical speculation without understanding the real essence, the real substance, real goal of religion. “srameva hi kevalam” and is useless. And that is practically the condition all over the world. In America, on every block of every city, there is one, two, three, four, five churches. Big big churches with big crosses. Christ was such a great saintly person. And they go into the church, they pray and they come out and then the rest of the block most of it’s restaurants serving meat, bars, and prostitution houses. So they do all this when they come out of the church. What is the use? And the Muslims they have their mosques and they come out. And so many of them, I can not generalize say every one but so many of them, they come out and they feel hatred towards some one who is not just like them. In our temples in India, if you are not born in same color, you are not allowed in. Because our god is only for us, not for you. Our god is very select, although that god they worship, says in Bhagavad-Gita “aham beeja-prada pitä” I am the father of all living beings. So this is the condition.
Why Advaita Acharya worshipped Krishna to call him to uplift humanity
So Advaita Äcärya when he saw that this was the condition of human society, he understood that in this age of Kali yuga “mandä sumanda-matayo manda-bhägyä hy upadrutäù” people are so unlucky, they are so spiritually lazy, they are so inclined towards sinful activities that the only means which is practical to up lift the condition of fallen society is to chant the names of God. Therefore it is said in Brihad Narayn Puran, “harer näma harer näma
harer nämaiva kevalam
kalau nästy eva nästy eva
nästy eva gatir anyathä”
That in this age of Kali-yuga “chanting the name of Lord Hari, chanting the name of Lord Hari, chanting the name of Lord Hari, there is no other way, no other way, no other way to achieve the supreme perfection of life. It is so simple. And by chanting with the proper consciousness, by chanting with the proper understanding of life we can easily attain the supreme perfection simply by this process. Now when we say chanting the name of lord Lord Hari – Lord Hari is the universal god of all religions. Whatever name of the God you call according to the bona fide scriptures. if you chant that name of god, there is no need to change the religion. That is the means of purifying your heart in this age. So Sri Advaita Äcärya and his associates they were feeling great compassion, great sorrow in their hearts to see how people were so proud of their learning and so attached to their superficial rituals and over and above that there were so many people who were just out right atheist because of no scientific tangible information of god.
Therefore people were wasting the valuable opportunity of this human birth. Human life is not meant simple to waste like the animals making economic arrangements to maintain the body. Such a life is available for the dogs on the street. May be not sophisticated as you, but they are eating, sleeping, mating, having nice families, defending. Human life is meant to realize God.
Human life is meant to transcend the limitations of birth and death and realize your eternal nature. And when one attains the human life and does not use it for this purpose there is nothing more unfortunate and sorrowful than that. Loosing all your money, all your fame, all your prestige is not a great loss. But one moment passing without remembrance of God that is the greatest loss.
Therefore the great saints “para duhkh duhkhi” – they are always feeling a very great sense of compassion for those who are not taking the gift that God has given them. So Sri Advaita Acarya with tears filling his eyes, he was begging people take the name of Krishna. It is so simple, perfect your life but nobody would accept. Therefore, he began to think that with all my power there is nothing myself or any of the other devotees can do to convince these people of the necessity of taking to a real spiritual persuaded life.
Therefore, he decided that only Krishna himself has the power to convert them, to enlighten them to the path of Dharma, Sanatan Dharma. So therefore, with great conviction he went to the bank of the Ganges in the holy village Santipur and there he was engaged in very very intense and deep prayer to Lord Hari to descend to this world for the purpose of showing His mercy to fallen humanity. And while he was in this meditation he heard a verse from one of the Vedic literatures which describes that Lord Sri Krishna is very pleased to fulfill any desire of a devotee who worships Him with the water from Ganges and Tulasi leaves, if that devotee calls out His name very loudly. So therefore, Sri Advaita Äcärya, he went to the bank of Ganga and with his salagram sila form of Lord Hari he offered the Lord Ganga jala and tulasi leaves and very carefully with great devotion decorated the Lord and he would call out with thundering voice full of devotion and compassion.
He would cry out for Lord Sri Krishna to come to this world. And of course as described in Bhagavad-Gita, Krishna says everywhere are my eyes, everywhere are my ears, and everywhere are my hands. He sees everything, He hears everything, He feels everything. So hearing the call of pure devotion of Sri Advaita Acarya, the Lord, the Supreme Personality of Godhead Sri Krishna descended into this world and appeared in the holy land of Navadvipa Dham as Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. And from His very infancy, He was inspiring everyone around Him to chant the holy names of God.
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