Gour Govinda Swami: yaḥ śeva-pādāmbuja-bhakti-labhyo premābhidhāna-paramapum-arthaḥ tasmai jagan-maṅgala-maṅgalāya caitanya-candrāya namo namaste || (Caitanya-candrāmṛta 1.4)
ānanda-līlā-mayo vigrahāya hemābha-divya-cchavi-sundarāya tasmai mahā-prema-rasa-pradāya caitanya-candrāya namo namaste || (Caitanya-candrāmṛta 1.11)
ajñātaṁ karma-niṣṭhair na ca samadhigataṁ yat tapo-dhyāna-yogair vairāgyais tyāga-saṅgair api na ca viditaṁ yat śrutibhir api kaiścit govinda-prema-bhājām api na ca katham-api yad rahasyaṁ svayaṁ ca nāmnevapādirāsi avatāra iti paryāyāt taṁ naumi gauraṁ || (Caitanya-candrāmṛta 1.2)
upaniṣad sahitā sūtra kahe yei tattva mukhya-vṛtte sei artha parama mahattva || (Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā 7.108)
gauṇa-vṛtte vyākhyā karila ācārya tāhāra śravaṇe nāśe haya sarva-kārya || (Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā 7.109)
tāṅhāra nāhika doṣa, īśvara-ājñā pāñā gauṇārtha karila mukhya artha ācchādiyā || (Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā 7.110)
Purport and Commentary:
One must understand the verses as they are. That is the supreme glory in understanding. Purport by Śrīla Prabhupāda: "It has become fashionable since the time of Śaṅkarācārya to explain everything regarding the śāstras in an indirect way.
Scholars take pride in explaining everything in their own way, and they declare that one can understand the Vedic scriptures in any way he likes. This 'any way you like' method is foolishness, and it has created havoc in the Vedic culture.
One cannot accept scientific knowledge in his own whimsical way. In the science of mathematics, for example, two plus two equals four, and one cannot make it equal three or five or eight.
Although it is not possible to alter real knowledge, people have taken to the fashion of understanding Vedic knowledge in any way they like. It is for this reason that we have presented Bhagavad-gītā As It Is. We do not create meanings by concoction.
Sometimes commentators say that the word Kurukṣetra in the first verse of Bhagavad-gītā refers to one's body. But we do not accept this. We understand that Kurukṣetra is a place which still exists.
According to the Vedic version, it is a dharma-kṣetra, or place of pilgrimage. People still go there to perform Vedic sacrifices. Foolish commentators, however, say that Kurukṣetra means the body, and the Pañca Pāṇḍavas refer to the five senses.
In this way, they distort the meaning, and people are misled." Here Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu confirms that all Vedic literatures, including the Upaniṣads, Brahma-sūtras and others, must be understood according to their original statements.
To describe the direct meaning of the Vedic literatures is glorious, but to describe them in one's own way using imperfect senses and imperfect knowledge is a disastrous blunder. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu fully deprecated the attempt to describe the Vedas in this way.
upaniṣad sahitā sūtra kahe yei tattva mukhya-vṛtte sei artha parama mahattva. (Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā 7.108)
Śrīman Mahāprabhu, Kāśī Re, Prakāśānanda Ādi. Here it is said when Mahāprabhu met Māyāvādī sannyāsīs at Kāśī headed by Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī, there was discussion between Mahāprabhu and Māyāvādī sannyāsīs on Veda and Vedānta-sūtra.
They asked Mahāprabhu why he is a sannyāsī, but why he is not reading Vedānta and doing meditation. That sannyāsa is Māyāvāda defined. Why chanting and dancing? Hmm. That is their query, they said.
Here we have got it in Caitanya-caritāmṛta. Our Vyāsadeva is... They asked Kṛṣṇa: kṛṣṇa-bhakta hao tumi, tāhāte santoṣa, vedānta nā śuna kene, ki ihāra doṣa || (Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 25.25)
They asked Mahāprabhu: "Dear sir, there is no objection to your being a great devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa. Everyone is satisfied with this. But why do you avoid discussion on Vedānta-sūtra? What is the fault in it?"
Then Mahāprabhu said:
duḥkha nā kariyā yadi kari nivedana || (Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 25.28)
Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu smiled slightly and said: "My dear sirs, if you don't mind, I can say something to you regarding Vedānta philosophy." Then Mahāprabhu said: upaniṣad-sahita sūtra kahe yei tattva, mukhya-vṛtte sei artha parama mahattva || (Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 6.135)
The absolute truth is described by the Upaniṣads and Brahma-sūtra, but one must understand the verses as they are. That is the supreme glory in understanding. Mukhya-vṛtti—we have two types of this vṛtti.
Mukhya-vṛtti is by direct understanding; this is mukhya-vṛtti. And gauṇa-vṛtti is indirect understanding. We have two types of understanding: mukhya-vṛtti and gauṇa-vṛtti.
Mahāprabhu says one should understand the Vedas, the Vedic literature, in mukhya-vṛtti and by direct understanding. And one should not understand it by indirect understanding, gauṇa-vṛtti. We never accept gauṇa-vṛtti.
If you accept gauṇa-vṛtti, as Śrīla Prabhupāda said, any way you like, this method is foolishness. Scholars take pride in explaining everything in their own way and declare that one can understand the Vedic scriptures in any way he likes.
But this is foolishness. This is always rejected. Because if you accept gauṇa-vṛtti in an indirect way, then it is said: gauṇa-vṛttye yebā bhāṣya karila ācārya, tāhāra śravaṇe nāśe haya sarva-kārya || (Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā 7.109)
Śrīpāda Śaṅkarācārya has described all the basic principles in terms of indirect meaning. One who hears such explanation is ruined, is punished. It is said.
Here also in the purport, Śrīla Prabhupāda says: "Yet although it is not possible to alter real knowledge, people have taken to the fashion of understanding Vedic knowledge in any way they like; it is for this reason that we have presented Bhagavad-gītā As It Is.
We do not create meanings by concoction." Sometimes commentators say that the word Kurukṣetra is like this—they are weak—this is the body and the five Pāṇḍavas are the five senses. That is not the case.
Kurukṣetra is still there. The place is there. Still, they say Kurukṣetra is such a tiny place; it is a small place. "How is it that the 11 Akṣauhiṇī soldiers of the Kaurava side and 8 Akṣauhiṇī soldiers of the Pāṇḍava side are accommodated there?
It is quite impossible." They say they saw a small, clear place and they cannot believe it. You understand? Because their principle is "seeing is believing." But they at some time forget that they are conditioned souls, that they have imperfect senses.
Karaṇa-apāṭava—out of all four defects they have, one of the defects is imperfect senses. Their senses are imperfect, so the knowledge acquired by imperfect senses is imperfect. It is not perfect knowledge at all.
They forget that fact. They are not prepared to admit it. How such a number of people, soldiers, are accommodated there? They cannot understand it. So, Mahāprabhu as the bona fide authority is the original authority of the Veda.
Veda comes out from the breathing of the Supreme Lord, niśvasita-vāṇī. Mahāprabhu is the original authority, the supreme authority. Therefore, what Mahāprabhu says, that is the supreme authority.
He is the original ācārya; Mahāprabhu manifested ācārya-līlā. He condemned this foolishness of "any way you like." He established the mukhya-vṛtti and condemned the gauṇa-vṛtti.
So he says here that Śrīman, as the Supreme authority, the Supreme Personality of the Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, is anādi. īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ, anādir ādir govindaḥ sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam || (Brahma-saṁhitā 5.1)
Because the beginning cannot be traced out, He is anādi, without beginning. Similarly, the Veda is anādi, because it is coming out from the breathing of the Supreme Personality of the Godhead.
But these mundane scholars, the mundane paṇḍits, they have tried to trace out the beginning of the Vedas. "So this is the beginning of the Vedas. In this century, from this, the Vedas came."
So before that, there are no Vedas. "Prāg-aitihāsika-yuga." They say that yuga is before the Vedas. Then the Vedic yuga begins. They say like that. But how is it? Veda is eternal.
As Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is eternal, Veda is eternal. How do you say that there is no Veda? There is no Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is eternal. So, Veda is eternal.
When Veda comes out, it is the breathing of Kṛṣṇa. Here it is said, Mahāprabhu said that thing. Vyāsadeva is the empowered incarnation of Nārāyaṇa, the Supreme Lord Nārāyaṇa.
So in Kali-yuga he came and he wrote the Vedas and Vedic scriptures. Because books are required for the people of Kali-yuga because Kali-yuga people, they forget. You understand? Forgetfulness.
This is very great, you see. In other yugas, people cannot forget. Once they hear, they remember things. There is no need for books. So in Kali-yuga, books are required because they forget.
Therefore, Vyāsadeva came and wrote these Vedas and Vedic scriptures: Upaniṣads, Saṁhitās, Itihāsas, Purāṇas—these are the Vedic śāstras he wrote. Vyāsadeva is the compiler of Vedānta-sūtra.
And he gave the commentary on Vedānta-sūtra, which is the real bona fide commentary on Vedānta-sūtra, that is Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the real bona fide commentary of Vedānta-sūtra.
But these Māyāvādīs, they follow Śrīpāda Śaṅkarācārya; they never follow it. Then, Śaṅkarācārya, who is an incarnation of Lord Śiva or Śaṅkara, by the order of Nārāyaṇa, gave an imaginative commentary.
This is called Pīṭha-bhāṣya, which is known as Śārīraka-bhāṣya. You understand? And people accept it. And the mundane scholars, they accept it. And there, they say: "you may explain it in your own way."
How is it? Two and two, as the example is given here by my revered spiritual master, two and two is equal to four. This is correct. The right thing is one, not more than one.
It is not three or five or eight. Similarly, the mukhya-vṛtti, the direct understanding of the Veda, is one. It is not more than one. How is it? How can you say like that?
So, gauṇa-vṛtti, the indirect commentary, is condemned. Mukhya-vṛtti is established. So, this is there. Eighty-eight many Upaniṣads, one hundred eight Upaniṣads are there.
Sūtra—Brahma-sūtra—there are four chapters. And Upaniṣad and Brahma-sūtra, these are the two main Vedic scriptures. Mukhya-vṛtti, gauṇa-vṛtti—and we say it also lakṣaṇā-vyañjanā in another name.
This means direct understanding and indirect understanding. But direct understanding is accepted; indirect understanding is rejected. And then the question arises: why did Lord Śiva do it?
Why he gave indirect understanding? Why he wrote some imaginative, why he compiled an imaginative commentary on Vedānta-sūtra? It is said here that Śaṅkarācārya is not at fault.
He has just covered the real purpose of the Vedas under the order of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Nārāyaṇa. Śaṅkara, Lord Śiva, is the servant of Lord Nārāyaṇa; he is the order-carrier of Lord Nārāyaṇa.
Lord Nārāyaṇa said, and he just carried out the order. Lord Nārāyaṇa said: "You go as an Ācārya and give an imaginative commentary." That is Nārāyaṇa's order. It will also come later on.
Let's pause this. So, Śaṅkarācārya is not at fault. That is stated here. Śaṅkarācārya has no fault. tāṅhāra nāhika doṣa, īśvara-ājñā pāñā, gauṇārtha karila mukhya artha ācchādiyā || (Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā 7.110)
Only by the order of Lord Nārāyaṇa, he just gave an indirect meaning. He didn't give the direct meaning. So he is not at fault. And also in Padma Purāṇa you will also find:
māyāvādam asat-śāstraṁ pracchannaṁ bauddham ucyate, mayaiva kalpitaṁ devi kalau brāhmaṇa-rūpiṇā || (Padma Purāṇa 6.236.7)
This is the statement given by my Lord Rudra. Śivajī, He speaks to Pārvatī Devī: "Devī Pārvatī, in Kali-yuga I will go as an Ācārya and I will just give this Māyāvāda śāstra."
Which is asat-śāstra, which is not sat-śāstra, which is an imaginative śāstra. "pracchannaṁ bauddham ucyate." Another name is bauddha-vāda, pracchanna-bauddha-vāda. Bauddha-vāda in disguise.
(...) That is the order of Nārāyaṇa—as a brāhmaṇa, I go and speak about the absolute truth, the Supreme Personality, Godhead, as nirākāra or nirguṇa. Nirākāra, formless; nirguṇa, without qualities.
That is that.
tvayā ca mohitā devi puruṣāḥ kathanāyino, sarva-saṁca-tapya-samohana-artham-kalau-yuge || (Padma Purāṇa 6.236.11)
To bewilder these people, atheists and demons, I will do it. That is the order of Nārāyaṇa. vedāntetu mahā-śāstraṁ māyāvādam avaidikam, mayaiva-vaksyate devi jagataṁ nāśa-kāraṇāt || (Padma Purāṇa 6.236.10)
This is the statement given by Rudrarāja. Śivajī: "jagataṁ nāśa-kāraṇāt." Nāśa—for the annihilation of the whole world, I would give this thing.
This indirect meaning of this Māyāvāda, of Vedānta-sūtra, is Māyāvāda. And also in Śiva Purāṇa, Lord Nārāyaṇa's order is that... That's Nārāyaṇa's order.
"O Lord, Mahābhāgo Rudra," Nārāyaṇa gave this order to Rudra, Śivajī. Mahābāho Rudra. Rudra is very powerful. Mahābāho Rudra, mighty arms. You see.
Mahābāho Rudra is very powerful. svāgamaiḥ kalpitais tvaṁ ca janān mad-vimukhān kuru, māṁ ca gopaya yena syāt sṛṣṭir eṣā uttarottarā || (Padma Purāṇa 6.236.8)
This is the order of Lord Nārāyaṇa: "O Rudra, you go as a brāhmaṇa, an ācārya in Kali-yuga and give an imaginative commentary on Vedānta-sūtra.
Thereby you will bewilder the atheists and demons." So they will forget me. You understand? "māṁ ca gopaya"—cover me up. Cover me up. That means don't reveal me, just cover me up.
(...) You just create such delusion, moha. People will be deluded. "Pañca-rudra mahābāho," You are mighty-armed. You are very powerful; you go, you compile asat-śāstra.
This will delude people, delude atheists and demons. (...) Nārāyaṇa's order: "Just cover me up." So, Śaṅkarācārya is not at fault; he is just carrying out the order of the Supreme Lord.
I am not going to speak more than that. Just follow.
Devotee: Jaya Śrīla Prabhupāda kī jaya! Jaya samaveta bhakta-vṛnda kī jaya! Ananta Koṭi Vaiṣṇava Bhakta-vṛnda kī jaya!