Is it possible that a prominent Gaudiya matha sannyasi would not believe in the Vaikuntha planets? See below
April 30 1977 conversations.
Prabhupāda: There was a Gosāi. He was reading Caitanya-caritāmṛta. So the description of the planetary system there is. He used to say to his audience, “Actually these things are not there. These are imaginary descriptions.” He was such a fool. So the whole world has taken like that, “symbolic, imagination.”
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: And he was lecturing on Caitanya-caritāmṛta. I think you mentioned that one of your Godbrothers once said to you, “You really believe that there is such a place, Kṛṣṇaloka, Vaikuṇṭhaloka?” He was himself…
Prabhupāda: Bon Mahārāja did not believe. No… Nobody ever thought of it.
Here is the description of the spiritual World by Srila Krsna das Kaviraj
Madhya 21.4--“The breadth of each Vaikuṇṭha planet is described as eight miles multiplied by one hundred, by one thousand, by ten thousand, by one hundred thousand, and by ten million. In other words, each Vaikuṇṭha planet is expanded beyond our ability to measure.
Madhya 21.6--“Since all the Vaikuṇṭha planets are located in a certain corner of the spiritual sky, who can measure the spiritual sky?
Madhya 21.7–“The shape of the spiritual sky is compared to a lotus flower. The topmost region of that flower is called the whorl, and within that whorl is Kṛṣṇa’s abode. The petals of the spiritual lotus flower consist of many Vaikuṇṭha planets.
Madhya 21.8–“Each Vaikuṇṭha planet is full of spiritual bliss, complete opulence and space, and each is inhabited by incarnations. If Lord Brahmā and Lord Śiva cannot estimate the length and breadth of the spiritual sky and the Vaikuṇṭha planets, how can ordinary living entities begin to imagine them?
Madhya 21.9–” ‘O supreme great one! O Supreme Personality of Godhead! O Supersoul, master of all mystic power! Your pastimes are taking place continuously in these worlds, but who can estimate where, how and when You are employing Your spiritual energy and performing Your pastimes? No one can understand the mystery of these activities.’
PURPORT-This verse is quoted from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.14.21).
Madhya 21.15–” ‘My Lord, You are unlimited. Even the predominating deities of the higher planetary systems, including Lord Brahmā, could not find Your limitations. Nor could You Yourself ascertain the limit of Your qualities. Like atoms in the sky, there are multi-universes with seven coverings, and these are rotating in due course of time. All the experts in Vedic understanding are searching for You by eliminating the material elements. In this way, searching and searching, they come to the conclusion that everything is complete in You. Thus You are the resort of everything. This is the conclusion of all Vedic experts.’
PURPORT-This verse from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.87.41) is confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā: After many births and deaths, he who is actually in knowledge surrenders unto Me, knowing Me to be the cause of all causes and all that is. Such a great soul is very rare.” (Bg. 7.19)
After searching for the Absolute Truth throughout the universe, learned scholars and Vedic experts cannot reach the ultimate goal. In this way they come to Kṛṣṇa.
When there is a discussion about the Absolute Truth, there are always various pros and cons. The purpose of such arguments is to come to the right conclusion. Such an argument is generally known as neti neti (“not this, not that”). Until one comes to the right conclusion, the process of thinking, “This is not the Absolute Truth, that is not the Absolute Truth,” will continue. When we come to the right conclusion, we accept the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, as the ultimate truth.
Madhya 21.16–“Apart from all argument, logic and negative or positive processes, when Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa was present as the Supreme Personality of Godhead at Vṛndāvana, one could not find a limit to His potencies by studying His characteristics and activities.
Madhya 21.17–“At Vṛndāvana, the Lord immediately created all material and spiritual planets in one moment. Indeed, all of them were created with their predominating deities.
Madhya 21.18--“We do not hear of such wonderful things anywhere. Simply by hearing of those incidents, one’s consciousness is agitated and cleansed.
PURPORT-When Lord Kṛṣṇa was present in the earthly Vṛndāvana, Lord Brahmā, taking Him to be an ordinary cowherd boy, wanted to test His potency. Therefore Lord Brahmā stole all the cows, calves and cowherd boys from Kṛṣṇa and hid them by his illusory energy. When Kṛṣṇa saw that Brahmā had stolen His cows, calves and cowherd boys, He immediately created many material and spiritual planets in Lord Brahmā’s presence. Within a moment, cows, cowherd boys, calves and unlimited Vaikuṇṭhas-all expansions of the Lord’s spiritual energy-were manifested. As stated in the Brahma-saṁhitā: ānanda-cinmaya-rasa-pratibhāvitābhiḥ. Not only did Kṛṣṇa create all the paraphernalia of His spiritual energy, but He also created unlimited material universes with unlimited Brahmās. All these pastimes, which are described in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, will cleanse one’s consciousness. In this way one can actually understand the Absolute Truth.
Some Conclusions-The above descriptions of the spiritual world are very nice and one will never hear or read this detailed explanation anywhere-except in the authorized Vedic literatures.
Below we have shown how Srila Prabhupada says that hearing about these things is much better than thinking about this -especially thru the ascending process of neti neti-its not this, its not that in an attempt to find our what IT or Krsna actually. is.
Prabhupada even tells us that his godbrother Bon maharaj once asked SP if he believed in these Vaikuntha planets? I know that is hard to understand or believe that how could a Gaudiya matha sannyasi-even ask such a question? But then how can iskcon’s so called leaders not understand the very simple process Srila Prabhupada set up for continuing his movement thru ritvik initiations? Lack of faith and envy of the Acarya.
As Srila Prabhupada often said-these things are going on….
Hearing more important than thinking in kali yuga
SB 3.24.35– purport-– In this age, hearing is more important than thinking because one’s thinking may be disturbed by mental agitation, but if one concentrates on hearing, he will be forced to associate with the sound vibration of Krsna. Kṛṣṇa and the sound vibration “Kṛṣṇa” are nondifferent, so if one loudly vibrates Hare Krsna, he will be able to think of Krsna immediately. This process of chanting is the best process of self-realization in this age; therefore Lord Caitanya preached it so nicely for the benefit of all humanity.
SB 3.22.7–TRANSLATION
I have fortunately been instructed by you, and thus great favor has been bestowed upon me. I thank God that I have listened with open ears to your pure words.
PURPORT-It is especially mentioned here that one should be very inquisitive to hear with open ears from the authorized source of the bona fide spiritual master. How is one to receive? One should receive the transcendental message by aural reception. The word karṇa-randhraiḥ means “through the holes of the ears.” The favor of the spiritual master is not received through any other part of the body but the ears.
April 30 1977 conversations.
Prabhupāda: There was a Gosāi. He was reading Caitanya-caritāmṛta. So the description of the planetary system there is. He used to say to his audience, “Actually these things are not there. These are imaginary descriptions.” He was such a fool. So the whole world has taken like that, “symbolic, imagination.”
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: And he was lecturing on Caitanya-caritāmṛta. I think you mentioned that one of your Godbrothers once said to you, “You really believe that there is such a place, Kṛṣṇaloka, Vaikuṇṭhaloka?” He was himself…
Prabhupāda: Bon Mahārāja did not believe. No… Nobody ever thought of it.
“Unto those great souls who have implicit faith in both the Lord and the spiritual master, all the imports of Vedic knowledge are automatically revealed.” (Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 6.23)
April 13 1975 Hyderabad
Just like you have come here in this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement meeting because you have got little śraddhā, faith. This is called śraddhā. You have to increase this śraddhā. How? Ādau śraddhā tataḥ sādhu saṅga [Cc. Madhya 22.83], those who are Kṛṣṇa’s devotees, you have to associate with them. You cannot develop Kṛṣṇa consciousness by associating with drunkards and others. No. That is not possible. You have to associate with kṛṣṇa bhakta. Ādau śraddhā tataḥ sādhu saṅga [Cc. Madhya 23.14-15], sādhu means bhajate mām ananya-bhāk, sādhur eva sa mantavyaḥ [Bg. 9.30]. I’ve already described the sādhu. If you want love of Kṛṣṇa, then you have associate with sādhu. Sādhu means kṛṣṇa-bhakta.
Letter to Rupanuga 1974…..“Therefore, we may not commit the same mistake in our ISKCON camp. Actually, amongst my Godbrothers no one is qualified to become acarya. So, it is better not to mix with my Godbrothers very intimately because instead of inspiring our students and disciples they may sometimes pollute them. This attempt was made previously by them, especially Madhava Maharaja and Tirtha Maharaja and Bon Maharaja but somehow or other I saved the situation. This is going on. We shall be very careful about them and not mix with them. This is my instruction to you all. They cannot help us in our movement, but they are very competent to harm our natural progress. So, we must be very careful about them.
Similarly we also must be very careful with whom we associate with if- we want to remain a faithful disciple of His Divine Grace A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada
Hare Krsna
damaghosa das
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