r Chaitanya Sraswat Mah Philippines

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Pandit Sri Gadadhar Goswami

rla Bhakti Rakak rdhar Dev-Goswm Mahrjs de nitive
article on rla Gaddhar Paits paramount sacri ce.

Pait r Gaddhar Goswm

Om Viupd rla Bhakti Rakak rdhar Dev-Goswm Mahrj
TranslatedfromaBengaliarticle
originallypublishedinr Gauya Daran,
Volume2,Issue1,12August1956

r Gaddhar GoswmisthehighestamongstrGauragas
intimate associates. As r Rdhiks position is, in comparison to
all, undisputedly the highest in r Kas madhura-ll, so the
special audrya-madhura-rasa in r Pait Goswms character
is the object of the greatest attraction for r Gaurga in
comparison to all present within r Gaura-Kas audrya-ll

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and His service in audrya-madhura-rasa. The great souls see r
Rdh within Pait Gaddhar.

Pait Gaddhars appearance is

during the summer on Amvasy
(the new moon) in Jyaiha, and
his disappearance is one month
later on Amvasy in h.Pait
Goswms life is a special
offering of silent and complete
self-sacrifice to his beloved. Only
those who can taste
unprecedented joy by
appreciating the wonder within
the ornament of contradiction in
seeing the bag of a beggar on
Lakm Devs shoulder are fit to
appreciate the extraordinary
glory of rmat Pait Goswms
unprecedented personality. From
his childhood, he was very simple, quiet, modest, courteous,
devoted to the Lord and the brhmas, and affectionate tofriends.
Although he is gentle, he is timid; although he is a surrendered
soul, he feels offensive; although he is fully realised, he feels
inexperienced; and although he is a leader, he is a submissive
servant. His attachment to his Lord r Gaurgaissuchthateven
the glances of Gaurasundarsordinaryfollowersmakehimhesitant
and timid. His mad absorption in his Guru, r Gaura, made him
forget his mantra for worship. Even a little faith in r Gaurga
attracts his heart from afar, so much so that, as an expression of
affection, he accepts insults as praise from anyone who has such
attraction. r Pait Goswms character is, in gist, like the
neglected figure of one who has given away all his wealth and
willinglyacceptedthegarbofabeggar.

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 r Gaddhars wealth is notexternalwealthlikethekingdom
Harichandra sacrificed or thebodiesibiandDadhchisacrificed.
It is not like the nurse Pnns sacrifice of her dear son or the
sacrifice of queens like Padmin, who gave up their bodies for the
sake of their chastity. It is unlike even Socrates sacrifice of his
body for the sake of propagating realisation of the soul or Jesus
Christs sacrifice of his body for thedeliveranceoftheworld.Fora
knower of the soul who is situated in the higher plane, sacrificing
the body is a very insignificant notion. Abandoning the wealth of
ones inner body, ones inherent spiritual wealth, is much more
difficult to do. If we can appreciate a liberated souls wealth of
devotion, and beyond that, the wealth of prema, then only will we
appreciate the heartfelt mood within r Pait Goswms
incomparable gift of the wealth of his heart, and that becomes
understandable only by his graceandthegraceofhisassociates.It
is not possible for all these esoteric matters to become matters of
quick, ordinaryunderstanding.Still,appreciatingtheirimportance,
weareoverviewingthem.

Moreover, as the value of a gift is to be ascertained by

assessing a gradation between gifts, so the gradation in the
worthiness of the recipient of a gift is to be understood. The
greatness and result of a givers gift will be as great as the gifts
recipient is. According to this conception, there is no comparison
to the greatness of both the substance and the recipient of r
Pait Goswmsgiftofhisheart.Thisisbecausethewealthofr
Rdhs prema is the highest substance, and r Kachandra as
the son of a brhma (r Gaurasundar) isthegreatestrecipientof
gifts. While discussing this matter, we are remembering the story
of r Yjavalkya. As higher and higher conceptions of the soul
were being discussed, and even after the highest conception was
introduced, to answer an enquirers enquiry about an even higher
conception, Yjavalkya i heavily established the limit of
curiositysutility.

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 Although we are unable to realise r Pait Goswms
greatness, the great souls have preserved their divine
understanding of Gaddhars identity for us. We, however, as a
result of our misfortune, are unable to have faith in that and
immerse ourselves in the offence of irreverence. Furthermore,
some attribute r Rdhs inherent wealth to Nitynanda-Baladev
or Ds Gaddhar, fly the flag of their own speculations, become
offenders to the Truth, and bar the door to their own perfection
(svarp-siddhi). Some, being unable to understand the nature of
Gaddhars worship of Gaura-Ka, dress Nrya as an enjoyer
and invite Him to enjoy, considering that Viu Priys husband
Gaura Nrya has an enjoying mentality. When r Ka is
adorned with Rdhs heart, He is r Gaura, and when Gaura is
apart from Rdh, He is r Ka. Only r Ka is the object of
worship formadhuraandallotherrasas.FormsoftheLordsuchas
r Rma do not have this qualification. r Gaurasundar, the son
of a brhma, r Ka Chaitanyadev, the leader of the sannyss,
has never and does never talk or otherwise interact with others
wives in the mood of a debauchee. Seeing, according to that
conception, that He enjoys what belongs to others
(parakya-sambhoga) is distasteful (rasbhs); it is an offence; it is
contrary to the teachings of the great souls; and it is a wicked
misconception. In r Chaitanya-bhgavat, r
Chaitanya-charitmta, and the other authoritative works of the
great souls, there are no occurrences or allusions to this
conception of Gaura the enjoyer (Gaura-ngara-vd) whatsoever,
nor can there be.Asachastewife,whenherhusbandworshipsthe
Deity, serves him by helping with his worship, and at that time
does not obstruct his worship by conversing with him amorously
according to the customs of matrimony, so in the Pastimes of r
Kachandra when He is meditative and dedicated to r Kas
worship in r Rdhs moodin His Pastimes of worshipping r
Ka (Himself) in His form befitting for doing so, r
Gaurgar Gaddhar, r Rdhik Herself, lives a life of
assistance to Her Master, who is dedicated to worshipthis form
alone is always manifest in Gaddhar. r Rdh and Ka are
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always in the playful mood of Vraja, and r Gadi and Gaurga
are always in the benevolent mood of Nabadwp. r Rdh and
Ka of Vrajas mdhurya are r Gaddhar and Gaurga of
Nabadwps audrya. Their unity is obstructed by thinking
otherwise. The common conceptions of practitioners should be
abandoned,andthegreatsoulspathshouldbestrictlyfollowed.

r Gaurga is the Deity of prema. Although r Ka is the

Deity of prema, because enjoymentispredominantwithinHim,He
does not manifest as the Deity of prema in all respects. r
Gaurga, however, situated in the rasas of separation
(vipralambha) and benevolence (audrya), is the Deity ofpremafor
even the common conditioned souls. r Nitynanda Prabhu, as
the Deity form of r Guru, eagerly roams from one souls door to
another to give that Deity of prema to the sinners. r Advaita
Prabhu, the Deity of the highest auspiciousness, called the
Premvatr r Chaitanyachandra, brought Him to the earth, and
showed everyone the proper path. rvs Pit and the other
devotees are the assistants and wealth in the God of prema r
Gaurgas sakrtan Pastimes. r Svarp, Rpa, Santan,
Raghunth, Jva, and so on, the nectarean streams from the
fountain of prema, are enlivening the entire world. (This sinner,
cherishing faint hope, is a beggar desirous of one drop of that
nectar. The mercy of r Guru and Vaiava is his only hope.)

r Ka assumed the form of the Deity of prema, r

Gaurga, to chant the glory of prema. Understanding that this
was possibleonlybyacceptingthemoodofHisbeloved,rRdh,
who is the highest repository of the wealth of prema, He took Her
mood. r Ka will, and did, earnestly worship r Rdh. But in
His Gaura-ll with the devotees, His nature as r Ka, that is,
His nature of loving the gops and becoming subdued by r
Rdh, manifest fully. Gauras love for Gaddhar is extraordinary.
But His loves form was reversed. Ka wore the dress of Rdhs
mood,andrRdhstooddestitute.ThisisrGaddharsform.

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 During Gauras worship of Ka in Rdhs mood, after r
Gaddhar offered everything to his beloved, Gaddhars bare,
glorious form reflected into thevisionoftheeyesthathankeredto
see itinto the thirsty vision of the Lords intimateassociateswho
hanker for intense prema. The object of worship dressed as the
worshipper. The worshipper offered to the object of worship even
the fountain of his offerings of worship(hisheart)andstoodinthe
glorious posture of sarva-tm-arpaa: offering the entire self.
Therein, with the desire of attaining the invaluable wealth of the
object of worships attraction and love for the worshipper, the
followers of r Gaura, under Gaddhars guidance, discoveredthe
unprecedented path and result of service to r Gaurga.
Gaddhars followers tasted r Rdhs ecstasy in separation
(vipralambha-rasa)inadeeperway.

gadi-gaurga jaya jhnav jvana

stpati jaya rvsdi-bhakta-gaa
All glory to Gaddhar, Gaurga, Nitynanda, Advaita, rvs, and
alltheLordsdevotees!

References

Harichandra: A member of the solar dynastyandkingofAyodhy

mentioned in rmad Bhgavatam and other scriptures. To keep
his promise to Vivmitra of giving the sage whatever he desired,
Harichandra gave up his kingdom, sold himself, his wife, and his
son into slavery, and underwent extreme hardships. Ultimately he
served as a slave operating a cremation ground and was forced to
demand payment for the cremation of his own son from his wife,
who had become the slave of a wicked brahman. When his virtue
had been tested to the extreme, the gods appeared with
Vivmitra and blessed Harichandra, his wife, son, and all of
Harichandras former subjects in Ayodhy with a kingdom in
heaven.

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ibi: A benevolent and dutiful king mentioned in rmad
Bhgavatam and other scriptures whose virtue was tested by the
demigods. Once, a pigeon fell into Mahrj ibis lap and prayed to
the king for safety from an eagle who was chasing him. The eagle
then came and demanded the pigeon. Mahrj ibi, having
promised to protect the pigeon, eventually appeased the eagle by
agreeing to give the eagle a quantity of his own flesh equal to the
weight of the pigeon. As he repeatedly cut flesh fromhisbodyand
placed it onto a scale, the pigeon again and again outweighed the
flesh. Lastly the king put himself on the scale, in effect, sacrificing
his life to keep his word and set a virtuous example for his
subjects. Seeing this, the eagle and pigeon revealed themselves to
beIndraandAgniandblessedMahrjibiwithaplaceinheaven.

Dadhchi: a sage mentioned in rmad Bhgavatam and other

scriptures who performed austerities, upheld vows, developed a
bodythatwasextremelystrong,acquiredAbsoluteknowledge,and
mastered the chanting of a kavacha (protective mantra) which
made him invincible. When Indra and the demigods were
threatened by Tra and Vtsura, they prayed to the Lord for
help. The Lord instructed them to ask Dadhchi Muni for his body
and then have Vivakarm make a vajra (supernatural thunderbolt
weapon) with the bodys bones. At the gods request, Dadhchi
discussed the virtue of dedicating oneself to the upliftment of
others, began tomeditate,offeredhimselftotheLord,andgaveup
his body on the spot. Indra later defeated Vtsura with the vajra
madefromthebonesofDadhchisbody.

Pnn: a nursemaid who served in the royal palace of the Mewar

kingdom during the rule of the Rajput Maharana Sangram Singhin
the 16th century. She was in charge of caring for the Kings two
young sons, Vikramaditya and Udai, and her own son, Chandan,
who was the same age as the second prince. After King Sangram
Singh died during his battle with Babur, his distant cousin Banbir
attempted to usurp his throne. Banbir killed Vikramaditya, and
then came to kill the younger prince Udai. Panna heard news of
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this, hid Udai in a basket, sent a servant to hide the basket in the
forest outside the palace, and placed her own son Chandan in
Udais bed. Banbir soon entered with his sword drawn, and Panna
watched as he killed her son, thinking him to be Udai. Panna
cremated Chandan and then escaped in the middle of the night
with Udai in the basket. She raised the boy in the Jain kingdom of
Kumbhalgadh, and when he matured, Panna revealed his identity.
He later returned to Mewar, defeated Banbir, and continued the
kingdomsdynasty.

Padmin: the queen of Chittor during the 13th century who was
won by King Rawal Ratan Singh in a svayamvara ceremony. The
Sultan Alauddin Khilji heard about Rani Padmins beauty and
decided to acquire her by force for his harem. He came and laid
siege upon Chittor. King Rawal Ratan Singh eventually
compromised with Alauddin Khilji by allowing him to once see
Padmins reflection in a mirror. Thereafter Alauddin Khilji
kidnapped King Rawal Ratan Singh. Padmin sent a message to
Alauddin Khilji that hecouldtakeherinexchangefortheKing.She
came to meet Alauddin and the King with a troop of one hundred
and fifty palanquins filled with soldiers hiding inside. When she
arrived, the soldiers freed the King, and Padmin safely fled back
to Chittor. Later, Alauddin returned with a stronger army, and,
understanding that defeat was imminent, Padmin and all the
women ofChittorcommittedjauhaur,self-immolationinamassive
pyre.

Socrates: a Greek philosopher, who propounded, among other

things, the conception that the soul is eternal and that the souls
needs shouldtakeprecedentoverthoseofthebody.Socrateslived
under the regime of a materialistic government, which he openly
and profoundly critiqued both in writing and in public. He was
considered a social gadfly, and eventually he was arrested on the
charges of corrupting the minds of the youths of Athens and
introducing new ideas about the divine. During his trial, Socrates
openly admitted guilt, and when he was asked what his
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punishment should be, he replied, A lifetime pension and free
dinner each day in exchange for the services I offer the city of
Athens. Eventually he was sentenced to death, and though his
disciples bribed the guards holding him in captivity, he denied the
chance to escape to another state and instead requested that the
poison hemlock for his execution be brought to him at once. He
chose to die tointhiswaytoshowhehadnofearofdeath,compel
others to have faith in the immortality of the soul, and
demonstrate that spiritual values should take precedence over
materialends.

Yjavalkya: a disciple of Vaiampyan i, who was a disciple of

Ka Dvaipyan Vedavys. Yajavalkya prayed to the Lord in the
form of the sun and was enlightened with V
jasaney-sahit of
the Yajur-veda, which was new to human society. He later taught
Janaka Rja and served as a priest in the Rjasuya sacrifice
performed by the Pavas under Kas direction. His teachings
arefoundintheMahbhrata, the Upaniads, and the Puras.