Hate Mayavada to Love Krishna

 

 

BY: VRINDAVANA CHANDRA DASA

 

Sep 14, 2012 — INDIA (SUN) — This article is based on two lectures given by H.H. Bhakti Vikasa Maharaj: “Hate Mayavada to Love Krishna“, and “Traditional and Modern Mayavada“.

 

A few days back, I wrote a comment on an article published on Dandavats.com that said: “you cannot love Krishna unless you hate Mayavada.” A devotee asked me to support this statement with valid quotes. I have humbly attempted herewith to do so according to my level of realization, yathadhitam yatha-mati [Srimad Bhagavatam 1.3.44], based on what I have read in Srila Prabhupada’s books and heard from his representatives.

 

I would like to begin with some counter questions:

 

1. Is it possible to love Krishna with soft-heartedness towards the understanding that Krishna is impersonal, without form, qualities, and pastimes?

    

2. Is it possible to be dear to Krishna by giving any credence, even indirect, to the perverse notion that when He comes to the material world He falls into illusion and accepts a material body, as does a conditioned soul?

    

3. Is it possible to love Krishna by deluding everyone into thinking of themselves as god, and thus into competing with Krishna to grab away His position?

    

4. Is it possible to love Krishna by trying to kill His personality by interpreting His words that it is not to Krishna, but to “the unborn, beginningless eternal who speaks through Krishna” whom we have to surrender to?

    

5. Is it possible to love Krishna by supporting the blasphemous statements of Mayavada philosophy that deny varieties in the Absolute Truth?

    

6. Is it possible to love Krishna while simultaneously maintaining that atma and paramatmaare the same and one?

    

7. Is it possible that Krishna is our beloved and still we are soft-spoken to Mayavadis who have made offenses unto the lotus feet of Krishna?

 

The answer to these questions is obviously “no”.

 

A pure devotee always defies Mayavada and refrains from association with Mayavadis, not only because it harms the spiritual lives of the masses, but also because he hates Mayavada from the core of his heart.

 

Srimad Bhagavatam 4.4.17 states that, If one hears an irresponsible person blaspheme the master and controller of religion, one should block his ears and go away if unable to punish him. But if one is able to kill, then one should by force cut out the blasphemer’s tongue and kill the offender, and after that one should give up his own life. The extent of above injunction shows the severity of Visnu or Vaisnava offenses. And Mayavadis are the greatest offenders, as Caitanya-caritamrta 1.7.155 states that: “One who considers the transcendental body of Lord Visnu to be made of material nature is the greatest offender at the lotus feet of the Lord. There is no greater blasphemy against the Supreme Personality of Godhead.” Thus a devotee on any stage of devotional service, either sadhaka or siddha, never tries to be friends with Mayavadis, otherwise he/she may have to hear visnu-ninda (blasphemy of the Lord).

 

Srila Prabhupada writes in the purport of Caitanya Caritamrita Adi-lila 7.110:

 

“How the Mayavada philosophy was condemned by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and His followers is described in CC 3.2.94-99, where Svarupa-damodara Gosvami says that anyone who is eager to understand the Mayavada philosophy must be considered insane. This especially applies to a Vaisnava who reads the Sariraka-bhasya and considers himself to be one with God. The Mayavadi philosophers have presented their arguments in such attractive, flowery language that hearing Mayavada philosophy may sometimes change the mind of even a maha-bhagavata, or very advanced devotee. An actual Vaisnava cannot tolerate any philosophy that claims God and the living being to be one and the same.”

 

In Sri Caitanya Caritamrta, Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, mayavadi-bhasya sunile haya sarva-nasa [CC 2.6.169]. If one follows the instructions of Mayavadi philosophers and believes that the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the individual soul are one, his understanding of real philosophy is forever doomed.

 

Caitanya Mahaprabhu was so opposed to Mayavada that He even physically beat Advaita Acarya for teaching it. He also banished for ten million lifetimes his lifelong friend Mukunda for the fault of associating with Mayavadis. Caitanya Mahaprabhu was never pleased with Mayavada philosophy, as it is antithetical to and destroys bhakti.

 

We also see this in Srila Prabhupada’s preaching. Srila Prabhupada was on a campaign against Mayavada and he was glorified as nirvisesa-sunyavadi pascatya-desa tarine. In purports to Bhagavad-gita and Srimad Bhagavatam, Srila Prabhupada would never miss an opportunity to expose and kill Mayavadi interpretations. He criticized all bogus Mayavadis who tried to screw out a different meaning from Bhagavad-gita. He would openly call them “rascals.” (See “Show-bottle Spiritualists Exposed” in Journey of Self-discovery)

 

All great recent acaryas, such as Sripada Ramanujacarya, Sripada Madhvacarya and Sripada Visnusvami dedicated their whole life to uprooting the Mayavada philosophy. To carry on the legacy of Srila Prabhupada and all the predecessor acaryas, we should also continue to trample on and crush the Mayavada philosophy. It is indeed a pleasure for devotees to fight and defeat those who try to kill Krishna. Is it possible for a genuine lover to hear ill of his beloved? No. Hanuman would not sit idly if Ravana were to attack Lord Rama.

 

Mayavada means an attempt to compete with the Lord by declaring oneself to be on the same or equal level with the Lord, which is actually a “Ravana” type disease affecting all conditioned souls. Hence Mayavada is direct enviousness towards Krishna which is hiding in everyone’s heart. To hate that enviousness is actually advancement in devotional service.

 

It is important to be always cautious of not losing sight of one of our main goals: preaching against Mayavada. Arguably, it is as important as narrating the pastimes of Krsna-lila or even more so, as most of us are not on a level for appreciating or hearing such esoterica as long as our hearts maintain any enviousness towards Krsna — a core characteristic of Mayavada.

 

As Lord Nityananda taught, prema pracarana ara pasanda dalana (Caitanya-caritamrta3.3.149), preaching means, to spread the cult of bhakti and to defeat and subdue the atheists. Therefore, there shouldn’t be any attempt to compromise with or befriend Mayavadis and Mayavada philosophy. As we have a zero tolerance policy in our society for child abuse, the same should hold for Mayavada infiltration.

 

Humbly,
Vrindavana Chandra dasa

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