- ...harer nāma eva kevalam
- kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva
- nāsty eva gatir anyathā
- (CC Adi 17.21)
Caitanya Mahāprabhu is explaining His position, why He's chanting this transcendental vibration,
- Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare
- Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare
The reason is that Vedānta philosophy, because the Māyāvādī sannyāsīns... The Vedānta philosophy actually belongs to the Vaiṣṇava sampradāya because it was compiled by Vyāsadeva, who is the original spiritual master of this Vaiṣṇava sampradāya. Of course, the Māyāvādī philosophers, they also accept Vyāsadeva as their original spiritual master, but they have interpreted Vyāsadeva's views; therefore they are not considered to be bona fide disciples. Just like you'll see in the Bhagavad-gītā that Arjuna, in the beginning he was arguing with Kṛṣṇa, between friend and friend, but when he surrendered himself as student, śiṣyas te 'haṁ śādhi māṁ prapannam... (BG 2.7). He said, "My dear Kṛṣṇa, now I am surrendering unto You. I accept You as my spiritual master." Śiṣyas te aham: "I am Your disciple, not friend." Because friendly talks, arguments, there is no end. But when there is talk between spiritual master and disciple, there is no argument. No argument. As soon as the spiritual master says, "This is to be done," it is to be done. That's all, final. So you'll find, throughout the whole instruction of Bhagavad-gītā, not that blindly. There is submissive presentation, "Kṛṣṇa, I cannot understand this." That is allowed. But it is not that you have to change the decision of the spiritual master. No. If you cannot understand, it is..., you should know it that "Due to my less intelligence, I just now do not understand what the spiritual master said, but that is already concluded. But I may try to understand so that I may not be misleading." That is the position. So just see. Caitanya Mahāprabhu says that "My Guru Mahārāja saw Me a rascal, fool. Therefore he asked Me, 'You don't touch Vedānta-sūtra. It is not for You. You simply chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare.' "
Now Caitanya Mahāprabhu's explaining, ei ājñā pāñā nāma la-i anukṣaṇa. "After reception of this order from My spiritual master, I have engaged Myself constantly in chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa." That is disciplic succession. Even if you do not understand the version, the motive, of spiritual master, you have to follow without any argument. In the Bhagavad-gītā also you'll find this verse,
- vyavasāyātmikā buddhir
- ekeha kuru-nandana
- bahu-śākhā hy anantāś ca
- buddhayo 'vyavasāyinām
- (BG 2.41)
The purport is that those who are intelligent, they take the message from the spiritual master—whatever he says. And one has to execute that particular order without any deviation. That will make him perfect. There may be different orders for different disciples, but a disciple should take the order of the spiritual master as his life: "Here it is, the order. So let me execute it without any deviation." That will make him perfect. Just see, the Caitanya Mahāprabhu's, this is His instruction. He says, ei ājñā pāñā nāma la-i anukṣaṇa. He did not think, "Oh, My spiritual master thought Me a fool, rascal (CC Adi 7.71). Oh, why I am rascal? Let Me see Vedānta-sūtra. Why shall I not see?" Oh, that is rascaldom again. That is rascaldom again. You cannot deviate the order of the spiritual master by an inch if you really want success.
So Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, ei ājñā pāñā: "I received this order from My spiritual master, and I follow it strictly." Nāma la-i anukṣaṇa: "Because My spiritual master told Me that 'You don't touch Vedānta. You, You fool. You just go on.' " Or, in other words, Caitanya Mahāprabhu was not a fool. He was a vastly learned man. He's representing the fools of the present age. What they will understand, Vedānta-sūtra? Their life is so molded by the present atmosphere, materialistic atmosphere, that they are unable to touch Vedānta-sūtra. They are unfit to touch even Vedānta-sūtra, what to speak of understanding it. Therefore they'll create more rascaldom to create so many Vedānta societies and they are the same rascals, still. For hundred years they are studying Vedānta-sūtra, and the same thing, the same bad habit—same illicit connection, same intoxication, same gambling. Everything is going on. And they're Vedānta-sūtra student? This is rascaldom. There must be change in life. Otherwise, what is the use of Vedānta-sūtra? Veda-anta. Vedānta means... Veda means knowledge, and anta means end, end of all knowledge. Everyone is searching after knowledge, but there must be some end. What is the ultimate end? The Bhagavad-gītā says, vedānta-vid vedānta-kṛd ca aham: "I am the compiler of Vedānta. I am the knower of Vedānta." So, if you simply understand what Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, you are Vedantist. And what says Kṛṣṇa? What does He say? He says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja: (BG 18.66) "You give up all rascaldom. Simply surrender unto Me." This is Vedānta. This is Vedānta. Ārādhito yadi haris tapasā tataḥ kim (Nārada Pañcarātra).
So Vedānta-sūtra means... To understand Vedānta-sūtra means that one has to know the Supreme Personality of Godhead, full knowledge, and knowing it fully, knowing his own position fully and God's position fully, one has to surrender. Vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ (BG 7.19). That surrendered soul is a great soul who has surrendered, "Oh, God is great." That is Vedānta. Not that giving his own interpretation, as if Vyāsadeva was a fool, and he left Vedānta for being commented by another rascal. No. Then what is the authority of Vedānta? If you can... You are a common man. Your intelligence is so imperfect. You are cheaters, and your senses are imperfect. How you can comment on Vedānta which was compiled by Vyāsadeva, the most perfect personality, liberated personality? How you can comment on Bhagavad-gītā? It is spoken by Kṛṣṇa. So you have no right. If you at all want to study Vedānta-sūtra, you have to accept it as it is, without any change. That is understanding. Vedānta-sūtra... Just like, several times I have given this example in this class, that it is... Lord Caitanya said to Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya that "In the Vedas, it is stated that if you touch the stool of any animal, you'll be, I mean to say, infected. So you have to take your bath." Just like we go to evacuate in the bathroom and, after evacuating, you have to take bath. This is the system to become cleansed. This is Vedic system. But again the Vedas says that if you touch the cow dung, the stool of cow or another animal, oh, it is pure. Rather, if you are impure, by touching cow dung, you'll be purified. Now here is contradiction, that you... The Vedas says that if you touch the stool of any animal, then you become infected—you have to take bath, cleanse yourself. And again you say that cow dung, which is also stool of another animal, if you touch it, then you'll be purified. Now, if you put your argument, "Oh, this is contradictory. So Veda is full of contradiction," no, it is not contradiction. It is fact. One doctor, Mr., Dr. Goshal, he is a medical college chemist. He analyzed this cow dung and found all antiseptic properties in cow dung. So this is Vedic injunction. Whatever is there, it is already tested, it is already experimented. You have simply to accept. Don't try to argue. This is acceptance of Vedānta-sūtra. Not that "Oh, I have got to serve some purpose, political purpose. So I'll have to prove from Bhagavad-gītā there is nonviolence." In our country, Gandhi, he was supposed to be a great student of Bhagavad-gītā. He wanted to prove that there... (break) ...by violence. So he was killed. How you can prove Bhagavad-gītā nonviolence? There is tacit order, "You must fight. The other party is impious. So you must fight." These are the injunction. You cannot change. That is not Vedānta-sūtra.