So-called vaisnava

Expressions researched:
"so-called timid vaisnava" |"so-called vaisnava"

SB Preface and Introduction

This incident shows clearly that the Lord was not a so-called timid Vaiṣṇava.

SB Introduction: In Kali-yuga only the saṅkīrtana yajña is recommended for all practical purposes. Speaking in this way, the Lord finally convinced the Kazi, who became the Lord's follower. The Kazi thenceforth declared that no one should hinder the saṅkīrtana movement which was started by the Lord, and the Kazi left this order in his will for the sake of progeny. The Kazi's tomb still exists in the area of Navadvīpa, and Hindu pilgrims go there to show their respects. The Kazi's descendants are residents, and they never objected to saṅkīrtana, even during the Hindu-Muslim riot days. This incident shows clearly that the Lord was not a so-called timid Vaiṣṇava. A Vaiṣṇava is a fearless devotee of the Lord, and for the right cause he can take any step suitable for the purpose. Arjuna was also a Vaiṣṇava devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa, and he fought valiantly for the satisfaction of the Lord. Similarly, Vajrāṅgajī, or Hanumān, was also a devotee of Lord Rāma, and he gave lessons to the nondevotee party of Rāvaṇa. The principles of Vaiṣṇavism are to satisfy the Lord by all means. A Vaiṣṇava is by nature a nonviolent, peaceful living being, and he has all the good qualities of God, but when the nondevotee blasphemes the Lord or His devotee, the Vaiṣṇava never tolerates such impudency.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Every one of you should very carefully read and make progress. Don't be victimized by the Māyāvādī so-called Vaiṣṇava. It is very dangerous.

Lecture on SB 1.7.8 -- Vrndavana, September 7, 1976: So you should be very, very careful. Don't go to hear any Māyāvādī. There are many Māyāvādīs in the dress of Vaiṣṇavas. Śrī Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura has explained about them, that ei 'ta eka kali-celā nāke tilaka gale mālā, that "Here is a follower of Kali. Although he has got a tilaka on the nose and neck beads, but he's a kali-celā." If he's Māyāvādī, sahaja-bhajana kache mama saṅge laya pare bala. So these things are there. You have come to Vṛndāvana. Be careful, very careful. Māyāvādi-bhāṣya śunile [Cc. Madhya 6.169]. There are many Māyāvādīs here, many so-called tilaka-mālā, but you do not know what is there inside. But great ācāryas, they can find out.

śruti-smṛti-purāṇādi

pañcarātra-vidhiṁ vinā

aikāntikī harer bhaktir

utpātāyaiva kalpate

[Brs. 1.2.101]

They create disturbance only. Therefore we have to follow the Gosvāmīs, Gosvāmī literature, especially Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, which we have translated in The Nectar of Devotion, every one of you should very carefully read and make progress. Don't be victimized by the Māyāvādī so-called Vaiṣṇava. It is very dangerous.

Therefore it is said, sa saṁhitāṁ bhāgavatīṁ kṛtvānukramya cātma-jam. It is very confidential subject matter. He taught it, instructed to Śukadeva Gosvāmī. Ātma-jam. Like father, like son. There is no difference between son and disciple. Cāṇakya Paṇḍita has equalized,

Durvāsā Muni offended Vaiṣṇava, and immediately sudarśana-cakra came to kill Durvāsā. Vaiṣṇava-aparādha is never tolerated by Kṛṣṇa. Just like the Pāṇḍavas, they were Vaiṣṇavas, and the Duryodhana and company, they were so-called Vaiṣṇava. Actually they were not Vaiṣṇava.

Lecture on SB 1.15.22-23 -- Los Angeles, December 2, 1973: Durvāsā Muni offended Vaiṣṇava, and immediately sudarśana-cakra came to kill Durvāsā. Vaiṣṇava-aparādha is never tolerated by Kṛṣṇa. Just like the Pāṇḍavas, they were Vaiṣṇavas, and the Duryodhana and company, they were so-called Vaiṣṇava. Actually they were not Vaiṣṇava. So they insulted. They put to trouble so many ways. They banished them in the jungle. They insulted their wife and so many ways by clique. So Kṛṣṇa could not tolerate that. So therefore the Battle of Kurukṣetra. So Vaiṣṇava is kind. Arjuna, he said, "My dear Kṛṣṇa, whatever they have done, that doesn't matter. I cannot kill my family men. Please excuse." So just see. Arjuna is kind because he is Vaiṣṇava. But Kṛṣṇa cannot tolerate. Kṛṣṇa said, "You must kill them. That is My order. You must kill them." Then he argued with Kṛṣṇa in so many ways: "There will be so much sin. There will be this, there will be that." Then He preached Bhagavad-gītā, and at last He said that "Arjuna, you are thinking that you shall, by not fighting, you shall be able to save your family men, kinsmen. That is not possible. That is not possible. They are already killed. It is all My plan. They will never return home. If you kill them, then you take the credit. But otherwise, they are already killed. And if you think that you will not kill them, they will be saved, that is not possible. That is not possible." Then Arjuna understood that "It is the determination of Kṛṣṇa that they must be killed. Then why shall I disobey His order? It is my business to serve Him. Yes, then I shall kill, if You have so decided."

Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura has warned that "Don't mix it with Vaiṣṇava who is not well trained up, well behaved." You can offer him respect. A Vaiṣṇava offers respect even to the ant. That is another thing. "Don't mix with them, these professional, so-called Vaiṣṇava."

Lecture on SB 7.9.28 -- Mayapur, March 6, 1976: We should not jump over. There are so many literatures. They place Rādhārāṇī as ordinary baladar(?) woman because they do not understand. So therefore Sanātana Gosvāmī has forbidden strictly that avaiṣṇava-mukhodgīrṇaṁ pūta-hari-kathāmṛtam, śravaṇaṁ na kartavyam: "Don't hear from the professional men who are not situated in the Vaiṣṇava behavior." One must be..., behavior in Vaiṣṇava. Sadācāra-sampannaḥ. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura has warned that "Don't mix it with Vaiṣṇava who is not well trained up, well behaved." You can offer him respect. A Vaiṣṇava offers respect even to the ant. That is another thing. But he has warned, "Don't mix with them, these professional, so-called Vaiṣṇava, sahajiyās." This is warned. Avaiṣṇava-mukhodgīrṇaṁ pūta-hari-kathāmṛtam, śravaṇaṁ na kartavyam: "You should not hear." "Eh? Huh? What is the wrong there? The Kṛṣṇa-kathā is there." No, Kṛṣṇa-kathā is there just like milk is there, but if it is touched by the lips of a serpent, it is no more to be taken. It has become poison. Unless one is situated as pure Vaiṣṇava in his dealing, in his behavior, inside and outside, he should not become a preacher because it will not be effective, neither one should hear from such person. But people in general, they can not understand, but those who are preaching, they must be very sincere, the same way. Rūpa-raghunātha pade, haibe ākuti. They should read the literatures, the instruction, just like Upadeśāmṛta, The Nectar of Instruction. We should follow, strictly follow. Then pṛthivīṁ sa śiṣyāt. Then you'll be able to preach and make disciples all over the world. This is the injunction. That is called gosvāmī. Don't be cheap preacher, cheap guru. No, no. That is not good. It is not possible.

Nectar of Devotion Lectures

But even though they are dog-eaters, they attended the meeting and chanted with us so nicely, better than a so-called Vaiṣṇava in India.

The Nectar of Devotion -- Vrndavana, November 5, 1972: Śvādo 'pi sadyaḥ savanāya kalpate. This is the verse. Actually we have seen it. Last time, when I was coming via Philippines, so we have got a center there, and it is very nicely organized within six months by one of our devotees, Siddha-svarūpa, Siddha-svarūpānanda Mahārāja, and his colleague. So it is very nicely organized. And they are actually dog-eaters. These Philippines, they're dog-eaters. In these parts of the world, the Koreans, the Philippines, even the Chinese, some of the Japanese, they're dog-eaters. But even though they are dog-eaters, they attended the meeting and chanted with us so nicely, better than a so-called Vaiṣṇava in India. Yes. They were so nice. It is practically seen. So that is also stated in the, confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā. Śvādo 'pi sadyaḥ savanāya kalpate. If one dog-eater, a person born in the family of dog-eaters... Because the dog-eaters are considered lowest of the human kind, caṇḍāla, śva-paca. In many places it is said. Aho bata śvapaco 'pi garīyān yaj-jihvāgre nāma tubhyam. Śva-paca. Śvapaca means dog-eaters. They also become glorious provided they chant offenselessly the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. Aho bato śvapaco 'to garīyān yaj-jihvāgre nāma tubhyāṁ.

1977 Conversations and Morning Walks

Even it is jewel there, the snake is ferocious. Similarly, these people are envious. Although they have become so-called Vaiṣṇava, they are ferocious.

Short Dissertations -- May 24-25, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: These rascals, Gauḍīya Maṭha.

Jayapatākā: No. But they don't have any... They don't have any sādhu to go there.

Prabhupāda: They have nothing. Still, they have got... That is called in Bengali, bisnai kulavane cakra(?). There is no poison, but the hood is: "Arrhh." (laughs) That is their... Even this bite, there is no poison. But they are showing kulavana cakra(?). Still, it is bhayaṅkara. Cāṇakya Paṇḍita says, maṇinā bhūṣitaḥ sarpaḥ kim asau na bhayaṅkaraḥ: "A snake..." Sometimes snake has got some jewel on the hood. So he can go in the darkness by the light of the hood. If somebody thinks, "Oh, here is a snake with jewel. Let me embrace him," no, no, no, it is very ferocious. Even it is jewel there, it is ferocious. Similarly, these people are envious. Although they have become so-called Vaiṣṇava, they are ferocious. They have not acquired the qualification of Vaiṣṇava. Simply vesopidin(?), by dress. So what is there? They could not do for the last fifty-sixty years. Still... They wanted to exchange. I stopped it, the Mohini Babu. Mohini... Bali hatti zamindar(?). So if we do not get that place, we can get other place?

1947 to 1965 Correspondence

A person who is not a pure Vaisnava cannot understand Srimad-Bhagavatam. A mayavadi may pretend to become a so-called Vaisnava but because he cherishes at heart to merge into the Supreme, he is unable to develop the devotional cult which is a necessary qualification for understanding Srimad-Bhagavatam.

Letter to Ratanshi Morarji Khatau -- Bombay 5 August, 1958: If you read Srimad-Bhagavatam from the beginning (which is absolutely necessary for a serious student) you will find what is spoken there in the 2nd sloka of the 1st chapter of the 1st Canto. It is clearly stated there that mundane religiosities, economic development, sense gratification and ultimately a frustrated man's desire to merge in the impersonal feature of Godhead and all similar other things are completely thrown away from the transcendental literature of Srimad-Bhagavatam. Sripada Sridhara Swami the most authorized commentator on the Bhagavatam has said that by the prefix of "PRA" in the sloka the desire of liberation (Moksa Vanohha) is also stopped herewith. A person who is not a pure Vaisnava cannot understand Srimad-Bhagavatam. A mayavadi may pretend to become a so-called Vaisnava but because he cherishes at heart to merge into the Supreme, he is unable to develop the devotional cult which is a necessary qualification for understanding Srimad-Bhagavatam. And to qualify the Mayavadis and other common men who indulge in the mental speculative transactions, Srimad-Bhagavatam gives them instructions from the 1st to the 9th canto about the transcendental nature of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.