nana-sastra-vicaranaika-nipunau sad-dharma-samsthapakaulokanam hita-karinau tri-bhuvane manyau saranyakarauradha-krsna-padaravinda-bhajananandena mattalikauvande rupa-sanatanau raghu-yugau sri-jiva-gopalakau
I offer my respectful obeisances unto the six Gosvamis, namely Sri Rupa Gosvami, Sri Sanatana Gosvami, Sri Raghunatha Bhatta Gosvami, Sri Raghunatha dasa Gosvami, Sri Jiva Gosvami, and Sri Gopala Bhatta Gosvami, who are very expert in scrutinizingly studying all the revealed scriptures with the aim of establishing eternal religious principles for the benefit of all human beings. Thus they are honored all over the three worlds and they are worth taking shelter of because they are absorbed in the mood of the gopis and are engaged in the transcendental loving service of Radha and Krsna.
TRANSLATION (Cc Madhya 19.132)
When the personal associates of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu would hear of the activities of Rūpa and Sanātana Gosvāmīs, they would say, "What is wonderful for a person who has been granted the Lord's mercy?"
PURPORT
Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī and Sanātana Gosvāmī had no fixed residence. They stayed beneath a tree for one day only and wrote huge volumes of transcendental literature. They not only wrote books but chanted, danced, discussed Krsna and remembered Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu's pastimes. Thus they executed devotional service.
In Vrndāvana there are prākrta-sahajiyās who say that writing books or even touching books is taboo. For them, devotional service means being relieved from these activities. Whenever they are asked to hear a recitation of Vedic literature, they refuse, saying, "What business do we have reading or hearing transcendental literatures? They are meant for neophytes." They pose themselves as too elevated to exert energy for reading, writing and hearing. However, pure devotees under the guidance of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī reject this sahajiyā philosophy. It is certainly not good to write literature for money or reputation, but to write books and publish them for the enlightenment of the general populace is real service to the Lord. That was Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī's opinion, and he specifically told his disciples to write books. He actually preferred to publish books rather than establish temples. Temple construction is meant for the general populace and neophyte devotees, but the business of advanced and empowered devotees is to write books, publish them and distribute them widely. According to Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Thākura, distributing literature is like playing on a great mrdańga. Consequently we always request members of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness to publish as many books as possible and distribute them widely throughout the world. By thus following in the footsteps of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, one can become a rūpānuga devotee.
TRANSLATION (Cc Adi 3.21)
"Unless one practices devotional service himself, he cannot teach it to others. This conclusion is indeed confirmed throughout the Gītā and Bhāgavatam.
TRANSLATION (Cc Antya 4.102)
"Some behave very well but do not preach the cult of Krsna consciousness, whereas others preach but do not behave properly.
TRANSLATION (Cc Antya 4.103)
"You simultaneously perform both duties in relation to the holy name by your personal behavior and by your preaching. Therefore you are the spiritual master of the entire world, for you are the most advanced devotee in the world."
PURPORT
Sanātana Gosvāmī clearly defines herein the bona fide spiritual master of the world. The qualifications expressed in this connection are that one must act according to the scriptural injunctions and at the same time preach. One who does so is a bona fide spiritual master. Haridāsa Thākura was the ideal spiritual master because he regularly chanted on his beads a prescribed number of times. Indeed, he was chanting the holy name of the Lord 300,000 times a day. Similarly, the members of the Krsna consciousness movement chant a minimum of sixteen rounds a day, which can be done without difficulty, and at the same time they must preach the cult of Caitanya Mahāprabhu according to the gospel of Bhagavad-gītā As It Is. One who does so is quite fit to become a spiritual master for the entire world.
TRANSLATION (Cc Madhya 6.85-86)
Gopīnātha Ācārya then addressed Sārvabhauma Bhattācārya: "You are a great scholar and a teacher of many disciples. Indeed, there is no other scholar like you on earth. Nonetheless, because you are bereft of even a pinch of the Lord's mercy, you cannot understand Him, even though He is present in your home.
TRANSLATION (Cc Madhya 6.87)
"It is not your fault; it is the verdict of the scriptures. You cannot understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead simply by scholarship."
PURPORT
This is a very important verse. Even big scholars cannot understand Krsna, yet they dare comment on the Bhagavad-gītā. Reading the Bhagavad-gītā means understanding Krsna, yet we actually see many scholars making blunders in trying to understand Krsna. Gopīnātha Ācārya's statement is confirmed in many places in the Vedic literature. In the Katha Upanisad (1.2.23) it is stated:
nāyam ātmā pravacanena labhyo
na medhayā na bahunā śrutena
yam evaisa vrnute tena labhyas
tasyaisa ātmā vivrnute tanūm svām
It is also stated in Katha Upanisad (1.2.9):
naisā tarkena matir āpaneyā
proktānyenaiva sujñānāya prestha
yām tvam āpah satya-dhrtir batāsi
tvādrń no bhūyān naciketah prastā
The fact is that the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Supersoul, cannot be attained simply by explanations, logic and erudite scholarship. One cannot understand Him simply by one's brain substance. Even by studying all the Vedic literatures, one cannot understand the Supreme Lord. However, if one is slightly favored by the mercy of the Lord, if the Lord is pleased, one can understand Him. But who are the candidates eligible to receive the mercy of the Lord? Only the devotees. They alone can understand what is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Lord reveals Himself to the sincere devotee when He is pleased with his service: svayam eva sphuraty adah. One should not try to understand the Lord simply from the statements of the Vedas, nor should one uselessly attempt to decry these statements through reasoning and logic.
Citação de Manidhara Prabhu (Discípulo de Srila Prabhupada) Brhat Mrdanga, BBT,1997:
"Alguns devotos e mesmo alguns discípulos criticavam Srila Prabhupada porque ele pregava para a massa de pessoas, mas não para a alta classe de devotos. Por isto ele mantinha seus livros simples e repetia as instruções básicas, dizem eles, e percepções mais altas - madhurya-rasa, gopi-bhava - não eram explicadas.
No entanto, no Caitanya Caritamrta, Ensinamentos do Senhor Caitanya e O Néctar da Devoção Srila Prabhupada explica estes assuntos, e eles não conhecem o processo de entrar nos passatempos íntimos do Senhor.
Não é feito através de conhecimento esotérico ou imaginação.
É somente satisfazendo o mestre espiritual no parampara que se obtém a perfeição.
Anukulyena krsnanu-silanam bhaktir uttama: é só pelo serviço devocional favorável que alcançamos a misericórdia imotivada do Senhor e de Seus devotos....
...os livros de Prabhupada não só descrevem as etapas mais altas de bhakti, mas de facto dão acesso a estas etapas.
E esta é a qualidade única de seus livros."
Vosso servo
Prahladesh Dasa
