Varanasi - Benares
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Varanasi | Benares | Kasi
- Vārāṇasī | Benares | Kāsī
Subcategories
This category has the following 3 subcategories, out of 3 total.
Pages in category "Varanasi - Benares"
The following 130 pages are in this category, out of 130 total.
1
A
- Accompanied by a servant carrying his baggage, Raghunatha Bhatta started from Varanasi and traveled along the path leading through Bengal
- Actually, neither the Varanasi nor Saranatha Mayavadis accept the principles of the Bhagavad-gita, due to a poor fund of knowledge
- After a few days, Sanatana Gosvami arrived at Varanasi. He was very pleased to hear about Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's arrival there
- After accepting sannyasa, Sankaracarya stayed with his spiritual master for some days. He then took his permission to go to Varanasi, and from there he went to Badarikasrama, where he stayed until his twelfth year
- After converting into Vaisnavas all the residents of Varanasi, who were headed by the sannyasis, and after completely educating and instructing Sanatana Gosvami there, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu returned to Jagannatha Puri
- After resting, Lord Caitanya introduced one Maharastriya brahmana, a devotee of His, to Sanatana, and that Maharastriya brahmana invited Sanatana to accept lunch daily at his place as long as he remained in Benares
- After seeing that Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu accepted the renounced order, Purusottama Acarya became like a madman and immediately went to Varanasi to take sannyasa
- After speaking to Kamsa, the goddess Durga, Yogamaya, appeared in different places, such as Varanasi, and became celebrated by different names, such as Annapurna, Durga, Kali and Bhadra - SB 10.4.13
- After staying in Varanasi for about ten days, Rupa Gosvami returned to Bengal. In this way I have described the activities of Rupa and Sanatana
- After studying for eleven years at Varanasi, Vallabhacarya returned home. On his return, he heard that his father had departed from the material world
- After taking permission from Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and all the devotees, headed by Svarupa Damodara, Raghunatha Bhatta returned to Varanasi
- After visiting Navadvipa-dhama he (Srila Jiva Gosvami) went to Benares to study Sanskrit under Madhusudana Vacaspati, and after finishing his studies in Benares he went to Vrndavana and took shelter of his uncles, Sri Rupa and Sanatana
- After walking and walking, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu finally arrived at Varanasi, where He met Candrasekhara, who was coming out of the city
- All the inhabitants of Benares were struck with wonder upon seeing the ecstatic dancing of Lord Caitanya. However, Lord Caitanya checked His continuous ecstasy and stopped dancing when He saw the Mayavadi sannyasis
- All these criticisms were carried to Lord Caitanya when He was at Benares, and He was not at all surprised at them (the Mayavadi philosophers). He even smiled when the news was carried to Him
- Although superficially accepting the Vedic principles and considering themselves to be transcendentalists, the philosophers of Benares do not accept spiritual variegatedness
- Among his (Sankaracarya's) many disciples, his four chief disciples are Padmapada, Suresvara, Hastamalaka and Trotaka. After departing from Varanasi, Sankaracarya went to Prayaga, where he met a great learned scholar called Kumarila Bhatta
- "As long as I remain in Benares, I will beg from door to door," Sanatana said. "But the Lord (Caitanya Mahaprabhu) will be so good as to accept this invitation for daily lunch at your house"
- At that time Varanasi was headed by a great sannyasi of the Mayavada school named Sripada Prakasananda Sarasvati
B
- Because Lord Caitanya neither studied Vedanta formally nor ceased from singing and dancing He was criticized by all the sannyasis at Benares, as well as by their householder followers
- Because the vaidyas were supposed to be descendants of brahmana fathers and sudra wives, they were sometimes called sudras. Thus Candrasekhara Acarya, although born in a vaidya family, was called a sudra in Benares
- Because they (the philosophers of Benares) have no information about devotional service, they are called nondevotees, or those who are against the devotional service of Lord Krsna
- Benares Candrasekhara was a vaidya
- Bhagavan Acarya’s brother, whose name was Gopala Bhattacarya, had studied Vedanta philosophy at Benares and had then returned to Bhagavan Acarya’s home
- Both groups (the impersonalist Sankarites of Varanasi and the Buddhists of Saranatha) are Mayavadis, and Krsna takes away their knowledge due to their atheistic philosophies
- Both Navadvipa and Varanasi were celebrated for their highly educational activities. At the present time these cities are still inhabited by great, learned scholars, but Varanasi is especially a center for Mayavadi sannyasis who are learned scholars
- By asking Tapana Misra to go to Varanasi, He (Caitanya Mahaprabhu) indicated that in the future He would accept sannyasa
C
- Candrasekhara continued, "There is no talk at Varanasi other than discussions on the six philosophical theses. Nonetheless, Tapana Misra has been very kind to me, for he speaks about topics relating to Lord Krsna"
- Candrasekhara happened to be a friend of Tapana Misra's, and he was long known to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu as His servant. He was a physician by caste, and by profession he was a clerk. At the time he was living in Varanasi
D
- Due to my past deeds, I am residing at Varanasi, but here I do not hear anything but the words 'maya' and 'Brahman'
- During Caitanya's time there were impersonalist philosophers known as the Mayavadi philosophers of Saranatha. Saranatha is a place near Benares where Buddhist philosophers used to reside, and even today many stupas of the Buddhist Mayavadis can be seen
E
- Even at the present moment one can hear many discussions on Srimad-Bhagavatam taking place on the banks of the Ganges. Many scholars and sannyasis gather there (in Varanasi) to hear Srimad-Bhagavatam and perform sankirtana
- Even many who were not Hindus and who did not follow the Vedic principles accepted Caitanya as the supreme teacher. The only persons who avoided the mercy of Caitanya Mahaprabhu were those sannyasis who were known as the Mayavadi philosophers of Benares
- Everyone met Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya on his way to Varanasi
F
H
- Having failed to set fire to Dvaraka, the fiery demon went back to Varanasi, the kingdom of Kasiraja. As a result of his return, all the priests who had helped instruct the black art of mantras, along with their employer, Sudaksina, were burned to ashes
- He took permission from all the devotees and then departed. Traveling on the forest path, he soon reached Varanasi
- How could Lord Caitanya teach the Mayavadis the importance of chanting the Hare Krsna maha-mantra? The attraction for chanting the holy name of the Lord belongs absolutely to pure devotees, and there was no possibility of finding pure devotees at Kasi
I
- I cannot understand the inconceivable pastimes of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, for although Tapana Misra wanted to live with Him in Navadvipa, the Lord advised him to go to Varanasi
- I shall be glad to know if you can translate our literature into Hindi with the help of friends in Varanasi. Varanasi is the learning site for Hindi language. Can you take charge of this translation work? Then it will be a great service to the Lord
- I shall have to reside at Varanasi the rest of my life. If I do not try to carry out this plan, I shall certainly continue to suffer mental depression
- In the absence of Akrura there were apparently some disturbances in Dvaraka. The superstition arose for the following reason: Once in the province of Kasi (Varanasi) there was severe drought - practically no rain fell
- In the Caitanya-bhagavata (Antya-khanda, Chapter Two) it is said that when Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu arrived at Sri Bhuvanesvara, He visited the temple of Lord Siva known as Gupta-kasi - the concealed Varanasi
- In the Seventh Chapter of the Adi-lila I have already elaborately described Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's deliverance of the sannyasis at Varanasi, but I shall briefly repeat it in this chapter
- In the Twenty-fifth Chapter there is a description of how the residents of Varanasi were converted to Vaisnavism and how the Lord returned to Nilacala (Jagannatha Puri) from Varanasi
- In those days the path from Varanasi to Vrndavana was infested with robbers, and therefore there were ksatriyas to protect travelers
- In Varanasi she (Mayadevi) is known as Durga, in Avanti she is known as Bhadrakali, in Orissa she is known as Vijaya, and in Kulahapura she is known as Vaisnavi or Mahalaksmi
- In Varanasi there are many hundreds and thousands of Lord Siva’s temples, or pancopasaka temples. Consequently Candrasekhara expressed great unhappiness as he informed Lord Caitanya that he was obliged to live at Benares due to his past misdeeds
- India has many holy places of pilgrimage, such as Gaya, Benares, Mathura, Prayaga, Vrndavana, Haridvara, Ramesvaram and Jagannatha Puri, and still people go there by the hundreds and thousands
L
- Like Mayavadi philosophers in the past such as Prakasananda Sarasvati of Benares, modern impersonalists are not interested in Lord Caitanya’s Krsna consciousness movement. They do not know the value of this material world
- Lord Caitanya bestowed His mercy upon these Mayavadi (in Varanasi) sannyasis and delivered them by means of His Vedanta discourses with Prakasananda Sarasvati and Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya
- Lord Caitanya was very much pleased by the behavior of Sanatana, but He noticed the valuable blanket that was given to him by his brother-in-law while en route to Benares
- Lord Siva, who is also known as Visvanatha, is the lord of the kingdom of Kasi. The temple of Lord Visvanatha is still existing in Varanasi, and many thousands of pilgrims still gather daily in that temple
M
- Many Mayavadi sannyasis of Varanasi came to see the Lord after this incident, and the entire city praised Him
- Mayavadi philosophers have no sufficient reason for being impersonalists. They blindly follow a principle that cannot be supported by reason or argument. This was the situation with Prakasananda Sarasvati, the chief Mayavadi sannyasi of Benares
- Most of the inhabitants of Benares were and are impersonalists, worshipers of Lord Siva and followers of the pancopasana method
- My dear Lord, I have invited all the sannyasis of Benares to my home. My desires will be fulfilled if You also accept my invitation
N
O
- Once, in Benares, a Mayavadi sannyasi named Prakasananda Sarasvati objected to these activities. He said that since Lord Caitanya had taken sannyasa, the renounced order of life, He should not act in such an intoxicated way
- Only Varanasi was left because the people there were against Your missionary activities. Now You have delivered them, and we are all very happy
- Outside the city of Varanasi is a place known as Saranatha, where there is a big Buddhist stupa. Many followers of Buddhist philosophy live there, and they are known as Saranatha Mayavadis
P
- Prabodhananda Sarasvati was a great Vaisnava devotee of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, but Prakasananda Sarasvati, the head of the Mayavadi sannyasis in Benares, was a different person
- Prakasananda, a very influential and learned scholar in Benares at that time, derided Lord Caitanya for being a sentimentalist. BG 1972 purports
- Prior to the Lord's acceptance of the renounced order, Purusottama Bhattacarya, a resident of Navadvipa, desired to enter the renounced order of life. Therefore he left home & went to Benares, where he accepted the position of brahmacarya from a Mayavadi
S
- Sanatana Gosvami remained in Vrndavana, and Rupa Gosvami and Anupama returned to Varanasi
- Saranatha is a place near Benares where Buddhist philosophers used to reside, and even today many stupas of the Buddhist Mayavadis can be seen
- Siddhavata, also known as Sidhauta, is ten miles east of the village of Kudapa. Previously this place was also known as the southern Benares. There is a great banyan tree there, and it is therefore known as Siddhavata. Vata means banyan tree
- Siva-kanci is also known as Kancipuram, or the Benares of southern India. In Siva-kanci there are hundreds of temples containing symbolic representations of Lord Siva, and one of these temples is said to be very, very old
- So the Mayavadi philosophers of Benares, after hearing the explanation of Vedanta-sutra from Caitanya Mahaprabhu, they were very much satisfied. Sei haite sannyasira phiri gela mana. Their mind turned. "Oh, this is the real explanation."
- Sometimes in Varanasi, a holy city for impersonalist scholars, there may be seen a sannyasi crying from hearing the glories of the Lord
- Subuddhi Raya was thinking of taking sannyasa, and by the grace of Krsna, he received this opportunity. He therefore left his family and went to Varanasi
T
- Taking the Nawab's sprinkling water upon him as an opportunity, Subuddhi Raya left his family and business affairs and went to Varanasi
- Tapana Misra also heard news of the Lord's arrival in Varanasi, and he went to Candrasekhara's house to meet Him. After talking, he invited the Lord to take lunch at his place
- Tapana Misra and Candrasekhara are understood to be kanistha-adhikaris because they could not refute the arguments of the sannyasis in Benares. They appealed to Caitanya to take action, for they felt that they could not tolerate such criticism
- Tapana Misra desired to live with the Lord in Navadvipa, but the Lord asked him to go to Varanasi (Benares)
- The Bindu Madhava temple is the oldest Visnu temple in Varanasi. At present this temple is known as Veni Madhava, and it is situated on the banks of the Ganges
- The city of Varanasi had been filled with all these material opulences for a very long time
- The fact is that both the Mayavadi philosophers of Benares and the philosophers of Saranatha are entrapped by material nature. None of them actually know the nature of Absolute Transcendence
- The goddess Durga is celebrated in Calcutta as Kali, in Bombay as Mumbadevi, in Varanasi as Annapurna, in Cuttack as Bhadrakali and in Ahmedabad as Bhadra. Thus in different places she is known by different names
- The home of Sivananda Sena was situated on the bank of the Ganges near an almost ruined temple. It is said that Nimai Mullik of Calcutta saw this broken-down temple of Krsna Raya while he was going to Benares and thereafter constructed the present temple
- The impersonalists of Saranatha differ from those of Varanasi
- The Lord (Caitanya) suggested that even though there were no pure devotees in Kasi, if someone was a little inclined to chant the Hare Krsna mantra, He would deliver this big load, although the proper price was not paid
- The Mayavadi sannyasis designate themselves as Narayana. Varanasi is still overflooded with many Mayavadi sannyasis
- The Mayavadis in Varanasi blasphemed Lord Caitanya because His behavior did not follow these (accepting the renounced order very strictly and wearing nothing more than a loincloth) principles
- The Mayavadis, who are not in agreement with the existence of the Lord, can be classified in two groups, exemplified by the impersonalist Sankarites of Varanasi and the Buddhists of Saranatha
- The names by which Mayadevi is known in different places have been listed by Vallabhacarya as follows. In Varanasi she is known as Durga, in Avanti she is known as Bhadrakali, in Orissa she is known as Vijaya
- The next morning, when Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu arose and prepared to leave for Varanasi (Benares), Srila Rupa Gosvami submitted the following statement at the Lord's lotus feet
- The original purpose of the Mayavadi sannyasis of Benares in meeting Caitanya Mahaprabhu was to defeat His personal conception of God. Caitanya Mahaprabhu, as a preacher, turned the minds of the Mayavadis. They were melted by the sweet words of Caitanya
- The plight of such Mayavadi philosophers is described by Sri Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami: The Mayavadi philosophers of Benares were less intelligent because they wanted to measure everything by direct perception
- The prominent devotees at Varanasi were the physician Candrasekhara, Tapana Misra and Raghunatha Bhattacarya, Tapana Misra's son
- The Sudarsana cakra, having thus finished his duty (devastation of Varanasi), came back to his Lord, Sri Krsna, at Dvaraka
- The sun-god became angry, and with his virulent rays he melted the plane. This enraged Lord Siva. Lord Siva then attacked the sun-god, who fled away and at last fell down at Kasi (Varanasi), and the place became famous as Lolarka
- The Varanasi impersonalists propagate the idea that the impersonal Brahman is truth whereas material varieties are false
- Then his parents died at Kasi (Varanasi), and he became detached. He therefore returned to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, giving up all relationships with his home
- There (in Varanasi) were buildings that housed the treasury, elephants, horses, chariots and grain, and places for distribution of food
- There were then many big palaces (in Varanasi), assembly houses, marketplaces and gates, with large and very important monuments by the palaces and gates. Lecturing platforms could be found at each and every crossroads
- These impersonalists, who are followers of Sankaracarya, are generally known as Kasira Mayavadis (impersonalists residing in Varanasi)
- Thinking like this, the Maharashtriyan brahmana extended an invitation to all the sannyasis of Varanasi. After doing this, he finally approached Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu to extend Him an invitation
- This city had been very opulent and great for a very long time. Even now, the city of Varanasi is opulent and famous, and it is one of the important cities of India
- This narration of the devastation of Varanasi by Krsna's disc weapon, is transcendental & auspicious. Anyone who narrates or hears this story with faith & attention will be released from all sinful reactions. This is the assurance of Sukadeva Gosvami
- Thus neglecting the blasphemy of the Varanasi Mayavadis, Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu proceeded to Mathura, and after visiting Mathura He returned to meet the situation
- Thus receiving the order from Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu to go to Vrndavana, Subuddhi Raya left Varanasi and went through Prayaga, Ayodhya and Naimisaranya toward Vrndavana
V
- Vallabhacarya had two sons, Gopinatha and Viththalesvara, and in his old age he accepted the renounced order. In 1452 Sakabda Era (A.D. 1530), he passed away from the material world at Varanasi
- Varanasi, or Kasi, is the chief holy place of pilgrimage for impersonalists, and it is not at all suitable for devotees. A Vaisnava likes to live in a visnu-tirtha, a place where Lord Visnu's temples are present
W
- When he (Damodara Svarupa) went to Varanasi, he took sannyasa from a sannyasi designated Tirtha. Although he received the title Svarupa in his brahmacari stage, he did not change his name when he took sannyasa
- When he (Purusottama Bhattacarya) became a brahmacari, he was given the name Sri Damodara Svarupa. He left Benares shortly thereafter, without taking sannyasa, and he came to Nilacala, Jagannatha Puri, where Lord Caitanya was staying
- When he met Tapana Misra and Candrasekhara in Varanasi, they heard from him about topics concerning Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu
- When Mayavadi sannyasis in Benares saw that Lord Caitanya was indulging in singing, dancing, playing musical instruments and always chanting Hare Krsna, they concluded that He was not educated and that, out of sentiment, He was misleading His followers
- When Rupa Gosvami arrived at Varanasi, he met the Maharashtriyan brahmana, Candrasekhara and Tapana Misra
- When Rupa Gosvami saw that all the people of Varanasi respected Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, he became very happy. He even heard stories from the general populace
- When Sanatana Gosvami reached Benares, he understood that the Lord was there, and he became overjoyed. He was informed by the people that the Lord was staying at the house of Candrasekhara Acarya, and Sanatana went there
- When Sanatana Gosvami went from Bengal to Benares, due to the political situation he did not go along the public road
- When Subuddhi Raya consulted the learned brahmanas at Varanasi, asking them how his conversion to Islam could be counteracted, they advised him to drink hot ghee and give up his life
- When the Mayavadi sannyasis at Varanasi criticized Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the Lord’s devotees became very much depressed. To satisfy them, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu showed His mercy to the sannyasis
- While Rupa Gosvami was staying at Varanasi, he resided at the house of Candrasekhara and took prasadam at the house of Tapana Misra. In this way he heard of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's instructions to Sanatana Gosvami in Varanasi
- While staying at Varanasi, Rupa Gosvami heard of all Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's activities. When he heard of His deliverance of the Mayavadi sannyasis, he became very happy