Panca-tattva (Conversations)

Expressions researched:
"Panca-tattva"

1972 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation with Gaurachand Gosvami At the Radha-Damodara Temple (Mostly Bengali) -- March 11, 1972, Vrndavana:

Indian man (2): Situated (indistinct). (laughs) There is something going on always, you know. (laughs) Just now there is a controversy going on. One Kṛṣṇa Caitanya dāsa Bābā has published a book, have you read that?

Prabhupāda: Kṛṣṇa Caitanya is from Rādhā-kuṇḍa?

Indian man (2): No, Prabhupāda, (indistinct). He has brought out a book which is (indistinct).

Prabhupāda: What is that?

Indian man (2): He says that this Pañca-tattva principle, we should recognize that this we have borrowed from Buddhism. And there is no mention of Pañca-tattva before Caitanya-caritāmṛta.

Prabhupāda: That means he defies Caitanya-caritāmṛta.

Indian man (2): He defies Caitanya-caritāmṛta, he defies Caitanya-caritāmṛta like anything, right and left, right and left.

Prabhupāda: He is a demon.

Indian man (2): Huh?

Prabhupāda: Then he is a demon.

Room Conversation with Gaurachand Gosvami At the Radha-Damodara Temple (Mostly Bengali) -- March 11, 1972, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: How he gives quotation from Buddhism?

Indian man (2): No, he...

Prabhupāda: But he says from Buddhism.

Indian man (2): He draws comparisons. He traces the historical background, and then the conditions prevalent..., conditions prevalent particularly in Orissa at that time Vyāsarūpa(?) Gosvāmī lived.

Prabhupāda: One thing is that he says that it is from Buddhism. So where is the authoritative statement in the Buddhism about Pañca-tattva? That he has not mentioned.

Indian man (2): No. He has said in Buddhism you have the principle of pañca-śaktis.

Prabhupāda: Śakti and tattva is not the same thing.

Indian man (2): Well, yes.

Prabhupāda: Śakti is part of tattva.

Room Conversation with Gaurachand Gosvami At the Radha-Damodara Temple (Mostly Bengali) -- March 11, 1972, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Śakti also can be taken as tattva.

Indian man (2): As tattva, yes. And these tattvas, Pañca-tattvas, have been described as śaktis. These Pañca-tattvas also have been described as śakti.

Prabhupāda: But Caitanya Mahaprabhu as śaktimān, and others...

Indian man (2): As śakti.

Prabhupāda: Not all śakti; two Pañca-tattva. Īśāvatāra, tat-prakāśa(?) avatāra, they are not śakti. They are all the śaktimān.

Indian man (2): Yes, yes.

Prabhupāda: And only śakti-tattva, Gadādhara and Śrīvāsa. And other three, they are śaktimān-tattva.

Indian man (2): They are śaktimān-tattva.

Prabhupāda: Pañca-tattvātmakaṁ kṛṣṇaṁ bhakta...

Room Conversation -- April 18, 1972, Hong Kong:

Prabhupāda: ...Bangladesh. That is his vision.

rādhā-kṛṣṇa bol bol bolo re sobāi,

(ei) śikhā diyā, sab nadīyā,

phirche nece gaura-nitāi

Gaura-Nitāi, these two brothers, Gaura and Nitāi. There are Pañca-tattva: Śrī Caitanya, Nityānanda, Śrī Advaita, Gadādhara, Śrīvāsa, five tattvas. So rādhā kṛṣṇa bol bol, bolo re sobāi, ei śikhā diyā: "This is the teaching of Lord Caitanya." And he says, jay sakal bipod: Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, the composer of this song, he says that "you get out of all kinds of dangers," jay sakal bipod, gāi bhaktivinod, jakhon o nām gāi. "If you simply take to chanting this Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra." And at last he says, rādhā kṛṣṇa bolo sañge calo: "Please cooperate with Me," Lord Caitanya says, "and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa." Ei mātra bhikhā: "I am asking all this. I am begging." So our mission is like that. The same thing. We are asking people without any argument or political purpose or social or... No. Simply we are asking that you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. That's all. Wherever we are opening our branches, it is our only business that we are requesting people to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa or Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. We don't want anything. We don't want to do any business, but we are simply spreading this Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra because people are being washed away. māyār bośe, jāccho bhese. They are being washed away, khāccho hābu, always in trouble. Khāccho hābuḍubu bhāi. Jīv kṛṣṇa dās e biśwās korle to'ār duḥkho nāi: "But if you try to understand that your position is eternal servitude to Kṛṣṇa, then your all troubles are over." This is our mission. So wherever we are preaching this instruction of Lord Caitanya, people are accepting.

Room Conversations -- April 22, 1972, Japan:

Bhānu: Śrīla Prabhupāda? Since we are going to have three altars, then we should also have three different plates, a different plate for each altar?

Prabhupāda: Yes. That is already known to you. Bhānu knows very well. You have seen in Los Angeles. Why three plates? If you can spare more plates for each, that will be nice. Just like one for Rādhā and for Kṛṣṇa, one for Jagannātha, one for Balarāma, one for Subhadrā, one for guru, one for Gaurāṅga, Pañca-tattva, five. If you can increase, you can manage, that is nice. Otherwise one plate to guru is sufficient. If you cannot spare. If you can spare, you can increase as many plates as you can. Otherwise one plate to guru is sufficient.

Devotee: On ekādaśī, we can offer the Deity grains?

Prabhupāda: Oh yes. But not guru. Ekādaśī observed by jīva-tattva, not by Viṣṇu-tattva. We are fasting for clearing our material disease, but Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, Caitanya Mahāprabhu... Caitanya Mahāprabhu also may not be offered grains because He is playing the part of a devotee. Only Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, Jagannātha can be offered grains. Otherwise, Guru-Gaurāṅga, no. And the prasādam should not be taken by anyone. It should be kept for next day.

1974 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- April 20, 1974, Hyderabad:

Pañcadraviḍa: One gets mercy by sādhana-bhakti.

Prabhupāda: Yes. In the stage of sādhana-bhakti... Sadhana-bhakti is for the conditioned soul. And siddha. Siddha means they are already mature. Siddha means nitya-siddha.

Pañcadraviḍa: (break) Also, Prabhupāda you said that if one does not worship Pañca-tattva, whatever actions he performs, even if he is so-called Kṛṣṇa-bhakta, is to be considered offensive.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Pañcadraviḍa: Does this mean other sampradāyas also?

Prabhupāda: Other sampradāyas?

Pañcadraviḍa: For instance, Rāmānuja sampradāya or also Madhva-sampradāya, they sometimes don't accept Pañca-tattva as being supreme. So is their actions also considered offensive even if they are acting within sampradāya?

Prabhupāda: Yes, yes, yes.

1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation with Yoga Student -- March 14, 1975, Iran:

Prabhupāda: Oh, that's it. Then the ultimate goal is how to love God.

Yoga student: Yes.

Prabhupāda: That is very good. That is our philosophy. Sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokṣaje (SB 1.2.6). Premā pumārtho mahān. This is the highest goal of life, how one has developed his love for God. And Bhāgavata says, "That is first-class religion which trains the followers how to love God and serve Him." That is first-class religion. Then Islam is Vaiṣṇava dharma in a crude form like the Christian. So we can amalgamate them all if they are sane men. I suggested that there are many churches vacant. If they give us these churches we shall install Deity—Gaurasundara, Nitāi-Gaura and Pañca-tattva—and along with them we shall worship Lord Jesus Christ also. Similarly, we can do Muhammad. There is no harm.

Morning Walk -- March 15, 1975, Tehran:

Guest: ...the more you love Me, the closer I come to you.

Prabhupāda: Then the ultimate goal is how to love God.

Guest: Yes.

Prabhupāda: That is our philosophy. sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokṣaje (SB 1.2.6). Premā pumartho mahān. This is the highest goal of life, how one has developed his love for God. And Bhāgavata says that is first-class religion which trains the followers how to love God and serve Him. That is first-class religion. Then Islam is Vaisnalam in crude form, like the Christians (indistinct) if they are sane man. I suggested that there are many churches vacant, if they give us these churches, we shall install Deity, Gaurasundara, Nitāi-Gaura and Pañca-tattva, and along with them we can worship Jesus Christ. Similarly, we can do Mohammed. But they are against this Deity worship. Yes?

Guest: Yes.

Prabhupāda: Mohammedans?

Guest: Yes, with that sort of expression.

Morning Walk -- April 8, 1975, Mayapur:

Prabhupāda: I do not follow what you say.

Jayādvaita: Just like sometimes we'll hear our men. They'll be chanting... Like yesterday I heard that someone was chanting, "Nitāi-Gaura, Nitāi-Gaura, Nitāi-Nitāi-Gaura." Like that, I'll hear different mantras. Someone is chanting: "Rādhe, Rādhe, Rādhe, Rādhe," like that, at kīrtana.

Prabhupāda: Well, that is not done by the ācāryas. But there is no harm chanting "Rādhe." But sometimes it is degraded to make something new, invention. Therefore better to stick to "Hare Kṛṣṇa" and to "Śrī-Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Prabhupāda-Nityānanda." Otherwise... Just like the sahajiyās, they have invented: "Nitāi-Gaura Rādhe Śyāma, Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Rāma." These things will come gradually. But they are not approved. They are called chara kīrtana (?), means "concocted kīrtana." But there is no harm chanting "Rādhe, Nitāi-Gaura." So better stick to this Pañca-tattva, and mahā-mantra. Just like "Nitāi Gaura Rādhe Śyāma, Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Rāma." There is "Nitāi-Gaura, Rādhe Śyāma," but it is not approved. Mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ (CC Madhya 17.186). We have to follow the mahājana. In Caitanya-caritāmṛta you'll find "Śrī-Kṛṣṇa-Caitanya Prabhu-Nityānanda, Śrī-Advaita Gadādhara...," never "Nitāi Gaura, Rādhe Śyāma." So why should we do that?

Jayapatāka: The concocter of the "Nitāi Gaura Rādhe Śyāma," previously he was a follower of Bhaktisiddhānta, but then he was rejected, and then he started his own camp.

Room Conversation with Director of Research of the Dept. of Social Welfare -- May 21, 1975, Melbourne:

Devotee: So they'll be able to take care of the situation there by themselves?

Prabhupāda: Who?

Devotee: In Hong Kong?

Prabhupāda: They are taking. Pañca-draviḍa Mahārāja is there. He is a sannyāsī. That is all right. You don't change your mind. You are already trained up about Kṛṣṇa consciousness, so you try to become an ideal householder in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Because we are not rejecting householder. We are accepting everyone. Gṛhe vā thāke hā gaurāṅga bole ḍāke. Anyone, either he remains as a sannyāsī in the forest or he remains a gṛhastha at home, if he is cultivating this Kṛṣṇa consciousness and Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mercy, then he is all right. That is the verdict. So now you are living as gṛhastha. Live as an ideal gṛhastha, don't change your mind. Be fixed up. They are all gṛhasthas, all these Pañca-tattva, you see? Advaita Prabhu was a gṛhastha. He did not take sannyāsa. And Caitanya Mahāprabhu also was married. Nityānanda Prabhu was gṛhastha. They were all gṛhasthas, but ideal gṛhastha. So you become an ideal gṛhastha. That also wanted.

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- January 16, 1976, Mayapur:

Bhavānanda: These are the remnants of old dioramas that we had.

Prabhupāda: That means you have broken them?

Bhavānanda: They were broken.

Prabhupāda: Huh? Broken by?

Jayapatāka: Time. They were clay. They started just falling.... No doll maker is here. After one year they started to fall apart.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Is this last years' exhibit?

Bhavānanda: From three years ago.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Three years ago. Last years' are still good?

Prabhupāda: No, they break.

Bhavānanda: Some. The Pañca-tattva and...

Jayapatāka: They should have been put in the Ganges.

Prabhupāda: No, how it breaks? They keep it for years, and you broke them? How you...? How you broke? Automatically?

Jayapatāka: No, because there was no place to store them, by moving them and moving them from different rooms then they gradually broke.

Prabhupāda: So there are so many rooms. You could not make any store?

Jayapatāka: First they were in the building to here. When they moved it then many became damaged. And somebody came in and vandaled them.

Prabhupāda: Huh?

Jayapatāka: Somebody came in and destroyed them.

Prabhupāda: Somebody came in?

Jayapatāka: Vandalized.

Room Conversation with Ambarisa and Catholic Priest -- June 14, 1976, Detroit:

Śrutikīrti: ...everyone's following the program? People are up 'til midnight.

Ambarīṣa: Still they will come to the morning program.

Prabhupāda: But there will be picture of Caitanya Mahāprabhu?

Ambarīṣa: Yes.

Śrutikīrti: A nice altar, small altar, Pañca-tattva.

Ambarīṣa: The temple is only one block away. We were wondering, should we offer the food to the Deities in the temple or should we offer it in the restaurant?

Prabhupāda: Better in the restaurant.

Ambarīṣa: Better in the restaurant. Yes, that is a little easier also.

Prabhupāda: They must know that they're eating prasādam.

Garden Conversation -- September 6, 1976, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Why? There is already... Why should you go here and there? There is already śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu nityānanda. Why you are so anxious to go out of it?

Caraṇāravindam: No, I'm saying is it more beneficial for people to hear that mantra than the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. Is it more beneficial for people to hear the Pañca-tattva mantra than the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra?

Prabhupāda: Oh yes. You are going to Hare Kṛṣṇa through Nitāi-Gaura. Nitāiyer karuṇā habe braje rādhā-kṛṣṇa pābe. The principle is don't try to manufacture. Because you are not experienced. So what nonsense you will manufacture, that will be offensive. Better go on, the simple thing.

Akṣayānanda: I know one devotee that chants Pañca-tattva mantra...

Prabhupāda: Let them chant whatever. We shall chant like this, Pañca-tattva-śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu nityānanda śrī-advaita gadādhara śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda. I've explained that. Five features of Lord Caitanya.

Morning Walk and Room Conversation -- December 7, 1976, Hyderabad:

Devotee (4): How shall the worship be in the temple, Śrīla Prabhupāda, the small temples. What shall they worship?

Prabhupāda: Yes, you introduce kīrtana.

Devotee (4): Kīrtana?

Prabhupāda: That's all. And whatever they eat must be offered. That's all.

Devotee (4): Pañca-tattva picture?

Prabhupāda: Hm. Yes, any viṣṇu-tattva. We have got in our, what is called, cover so many Viṣṇu names.

Devotee (5): Yes, on the Bhāgavatam.

Mahāṁśa: Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, all the different planets.

Prabhupāda: They'll be glad to have darśana. "Here is Padmanābha; here is Mādhava; here is Govinda; here is Pradyumna," like that.

Mahāṁśa: And then there must be one main temple over there, one major temple.

Prabhupāda: No, every temple is... You can make a main temple there. They'll be remembering Viṣṇu's name always. "Here is Padmanābha temple; here is Mādhava temple; here is Govinda temple," that's all.

1977 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- January 9, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Put in the posta. But you must (mash?) take out the skin.

Pālikā: Yes.

Rāmeśvara: These were taken just before I left Los Angeles. This is a figure of Kṛṣṇa from the rasa-līlā being dressed in cloth.

Prabhupāda: His face is like Acyutānanda. (Rāmeśvara chuckles) Acyutānanda's face is beautiful.

Rāmeśvara: This figure is going to be Lord Gadādhara in the exhibit of the Pañca-tattva dancing at kīrtana. She is just beginning to make the form.

Prabhupāda: So you have got any business?

Girirāja: Yes.

Prabhupāda: So let... Let me finish (break) ...but devotees of... Oh.

Rāmeśvara: These two pictures show dolls being painted.

Prabhupāda: Why not engage Govinda dāsī?

Rāmeśvara: If she will come, she can be engaged in many ways.

Prabhupāda: She is also very expert.