Sri Advaita Acarya

vraje avesha-rupatvad 

vyuho yo’pi sadashivah  

sa evadvaita-gosvami 

caitanyabhinna-vigrahah 

Sadashiva, an expansion of the Supreme Lord in Vraja, is here known as Advaita Acarya. He is non-different from Caitanya.  

  yash ca gopala-dehah san 

vraje krishnasya sannidhau  

nanarta sri-shiva-tantre 

bhairavasya vaco yatha  

ekada karttike masi 

dipa-yatra-mahotsave  

sa-ramah saha-gopalah 

krishno nrityati yatnavan  

nirikshya mad-gurur devo 

gopa-bhavabhilashavan  

priyena nartitum arabdhash 

cakra-bhramana-lilaya  

sri-krishnasya prasadena 

dvi-vidho’bhut sadashivah  

ekas tatra shivah sakshad 

anyo gopala-vigrahah 

He danced with Krishna in Vraja, in the form of a cowherd boy. In the Shivatantra, we are told the following by Bhairava: 

“Once, during the Divali festival in the month of Karttik, my guru Shankaradeva saw Krishna dancing with Balaram and the cowherd boys. He became desirous of becoming a cowherd boy himself and he began to dance, spinning like a whirling wheel for Krishna’s pleasure.” 

Thus, by Krishna’s mercy, Sadashiva plays two different roles in Vraja, in one he is Shiva himself, in the other, he is a cowherd boy. 

 

The ontological principle of Advaita Acarya is described in the diary of Svarupa Damodar, as quoted by Krishnadas Kaviraj in Caitanya Caritamrita: 

maha-vishnur jagat-karta 

mayaya yah srijaty adah  

tasyavatara evayam 

advaitacarya ishvarah  

advaitam harinadvaitad 

acaryam bhakti-shasanat  

bhaktavataram isham tam 

advaitacaryam ashraye 

Mahavishnu is the master of the universe, which he creates through his power of Maya. Advaita Acarya is the incarnation of this form of the supreme lord. He is known as Advaita because he is none other than Hari, as Acarya because he is the preceptor of devotion. I take shelter of the supreme lord Advaita Acarya who is the incarnation of a devotee.  

  

Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura has written, 

“Maya has two functions, and Maha Vishnu appears in two ways according to those functions. When he is within the material world as creator, he is the universe’s effective cause (nimitta-karana) in his form as Vishnu. In the unmanifest material energy (pradhana), appearing in the form of Rudra, he has a second identity as Advaita.” 

 

Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Gosvami Thakura has also written about Advaita Acarya: 

“Lord Advaita Acarya is Maha Vishnu. He is the supreme preceptor. Vishnu’s activities are auspicious because of his existence as the owner or master of the universe. He is the root source of all auspiciousness…. Anyone who cannot understand that the complications which are ever present in the material universe are beneficial in a way which is pure, eternal, complete and free is deprived of his true spiritual activity, devotion to Krishna.” 

 

Kamalaksha was another name of Advaita Acarya:

“The well-being of the universe is in Advaita. He is the abode of all auspicious qualities. His activities are the eternal source of welfare for the world, so he was given the name Mangala…. Advaita, the abode of virtue, is a portion (amsha) of Mahavishnu; his full name is thus Advaita because he is not different from him…. He is the most noble personality in the universe, the spiritual master of the Vaishnavas; he thus has two names which come together as Advaita Acarya. Because in appearance he has eyes like lotus flowers, he also has the name Kamalaksha.”

  

Advaita was described by Vrindavana Das Thakura as the foremost of the Vaishnavas and also as Shankara: 

“Residing in Nabadwip is the foremost of the Vaishnava, the most fortunate of all people, Advaita Acarya. He is the chief amongst the gurus in knowledge, devotion and renunciation. He especially teaches devotion to Krishna in the same way that Shankara did.”

 

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