Sri Advaita Acaryas appearance day

[Paramananda das]

my dear vaisnavas 

Please accept my humble obaisences 

All glories to Srila Prabhupada 

All glories to Sri Sri Radha Shyamasundara, Sri Sri Krsna Balarama and Sri Sri Gaura Nitai 

 

There has been some discussion by some devotees whether Sri Advaita Prakash is bonafide or not it surely is and written by Sri  Isana Thakura  ,that served   Sri Advaita Acarya.Our dear Subhag Swami has translated it , he is most dear to devotees in ISKCON Mayapure and  East and West Bengal and a humble ISKCON sannyasi always preaching the pure teachings of Srila Prabhupada and Lord Caitanya . I offer my pranams to him for having translated it into english .I once had the good forturne to visit Ekachakra with him in 1992 and we cooked for all the inhabitants in  Ekachakra on Nityananda Trayodasi  and I sponsored that and that also a full  set of Srila Prabhupadas Caitanya Caritamrta in Bengali  be placed in the public school there so all students there can read it .The teachers  kindly thanked me .Now ISKCON has build a temple there of which I am so much proud and happy .

 .

 

:We read in Sri Advaita Prakash how Lord Siva did tapasya at the Causual Ocean where Lord Mahavisnu resides, for 700 years of the demigods, 

However Mahavisnu appeared to Lord Siva, and they manifested a combined form. HariHara, that later appeared as Sri Advaita Acarya. So actually Lord Advaita Acarya is both Lord Sada SIva and Lord Mahavisnu combined.

In His Gaura Ganodessa Dipika ,Srila Kavi Karnapure states:  2. We offer respectful obeisances to Lord Advaita and the other dear associates of the Lord, who are all full of compassion for the fallen souls. We offer our respectful obeisances to Srila Svarupa Damodara Gosvami and the other companions of the Lord. As the Lord Himself is full of auspicious transcendental qualities, so are they. As the Lord Himself is full of mercy, so are they. These great devotees are filled with the sweet nectar of devotional rapture. These great devotees remove the grave sins of this material world.

So Advaita Acarya brought Lord Caitanya to this world by His prayers, and Srila Kavi Karnapure reveals:

34. Just as the moon of Lord Caitanya was about to rise in this material world, the Lord said to Advaita Acarya: "Some devotees are attached to Me in the spirit of servitude, some are attached to Me in the spirit of friendship, and others are attached to Me with a mixture of the spirits of servitude and friendship. Some have firm faith and love for My forms as Sri Sri Radha-Madhava, and others are attached to My form as the king of Dvaraka. Some are attached to My various incarnations and thus display various kinds of love for me. I shall show them how to love Me as the residents of Vraja did.

So today is the holy apperance day of Srila Advaita Acarya :

 

 shriladvaita gurum vande harinadvaitam eva tam

prakashitam param brahma yo 'vatirnah kshitau harih
"I offer my respectful obeisances to my spiritual master, Shri Advaita Prabhu, who is nondifferent from Lord Hari. He induced the Supreme Lord Hari to manifest in this world."

 

We should certainly see Lord Advaita Acarya not only as the spiritual master of the whole word  , because He is Lord Mahavisnu Himself and He also invited Lord Caitanya to appear in this Kali yuga and perform His sweet pastimes in Navadvipa . Today is half days fasting for Sri Advaita Acarya and then only taking ekadasi prasadam 

 

14 Feb 2016
Sunday 
Saptamī, G, 07:01, Bhāranī

+Maha-viṣṇu-avatāra Śrī Advaita Ācārya ~ Appearance - Fast till noon then Ekādaśī preparations only

 

Grains are not to be taken on Visnutattva days as they brake the fast some vaisnavas especially in Navadvipa will fast until the next day for Sri Advaita Acaryas apperance day , but this standard is widely accepted in Gaudiya math and ISKCON .To not fast is not Gaudiya vaisnava standard and has to be rejected as well as taking grains on Sri Advaita Acaryas apperance day. We read in the Sri Caitanya Caritamrta how Sri Advaita Acarya worshipped Salagrama sila and begged Lord Caitanya to come , later also at the end of Lord Caitanyas pastimes , Sri Advaita Acarya send a letter to Lord Caitanya that you have  given Krsna prema  and I am drowning as so many vaisnavas are drowning in love of Krsna , the market place is full .So at this time Lord Caitanya left this world in Jagannatha Puri and went back to His supreme abode.

 

The ISKCON GBC has discussed for several years the socalled controversy wether Sri Advaita Acarya had a beard or not it is very simple because Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Prabhupada has stated Sri Advaita Acarya was cleanshaven .Also in Advaita Prakash I read that when He arrived in Sri Ayodhya the birthplace of Lord Ramachandra He immidiatly shaved His head. 

 

Sri Caitanya-bhagavata, Madhya 16.99

tarjje garjje acarya dadite diya hata

bhrukuti kariya nace santipura-natha

“The Acarya threatened and roared, placing His hand on His chin . That Lord of Santipura furled his eyebrows and began to dance.”  

  Bengali commentary by Srila Sarasvati Thakura:

sri-advaita-prabhu sastracara-sampanna gumpha-smasru-kesadi-mundita chilena. dadi va cibuke ye unnata kesa (smasru) deya yaya; uhake sadharana bhasaya ‘dadi’ bale. taj-janya keha keha anabhijnata-vase ajna bauliyara vesa smasru-kesadir niyoga karena. kintu prakrta prastave tini mundita-kesa chilena. tanhake ‘nada’-sabde abhihita karaya mundita-keseri nirdesa bujha yaya.

Translation of Commentary

 Srila Advaita Acarya   Prabhu was perfectly fixed in proper behavior according to scripture, and was clean shaven, without whiskers, beard and hair on his head. A ‘beard’ or long-grown hair (smasru) found on the chin is called in the vernacular dadi. Therefore some people, swayed by their ignorance, try to ascribe to Him the dress of a foolish Baul and a Baul’s beard, hairy head and so on. But actually He had all His hair shaven. This is indicated by the word Nada, which refers to one who is clean-shaven.

So it is very clear and all the Deities installed by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Prabhupada with Sri Advaita Acarya never shows a beard. Old age does not appear in the Supreme Lord though when Lord Caitanya once chastised Sri Advaita Acarya for preaching Mayavadi philosophy ,His wife Sri Sita Thakurani said do not punish Him he is an old man . But this is simply lila , nowhere is the Supreme Lord described as an old man :

in Brahma Samhita, Lord Brahma has chanted: 

 advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam

ādyaḿ purāṇa-puruṣaḿ nava-yauvanaḿ ca

vedeṣu durlabham adurlabham ātma-bhaktau

govindam ādi-puruṣaḿ tam ahaḿ bhajāmi

SYNONYMS

advaitam — without a second; acyutam — without decay; anādim — without a beginning; ananta-rūpam — whose form is endless, or who possesses unlimited forms; ādyam — the beginning; purāṇa-puruṣam — the most ancient person; nava-yauvanam — a blooming youth; ca — also; vedeṣu — through the Vedas; durlabham — inaccessible; adurlabham — not difficult to obtain; ātma-bhaktau — through pure devotion of the soul; govindam — Govinda; ādi-puruṣam — the original person;tam — Him; aham — I; bhajāmi — worship.

TRANSLATION

I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, who is inaccessible to the Vedas, but obtainable by pure unalloyed devotion of the soul, who is without a second, who is not subject to decay, is without a beginning, whose form is endless, who is the beginning, and the eternal puruṣa; yet He is a person possessing the beauty of blooming youth.

 

 

No where in sastra has Sri Advaita Acarya being described as old or with a beard .It is not factual and is a mistake to think He grew old or had a beard . 

 

our former ISKCON Guru Harikesa das followed Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Prabhupada and did not place a beard on Sri Advaita Acarya .However in Arcana Sri Advaita Acarya is given long hair like Lord Caitanya the Deities of Sri Advaita Acarya installed by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Prabhupada are not seen shaven headed mostly ,though in Santipure I recall haven seen a Deity of Sri Advaita Acarya with shaven head , but that is not an ISKCON temple or Gaudiya math temple .  : 

 

your servant 

Paramananda das

 

Chapter One

mangalacarana

sniadvaita gururh vande han'na~dvaitam eva tath

prakasitam param brahma yo 'vaurnah ksitau harih

"I offer my respectful obeisances to my spiritual master, Sri Advaita Prabhu, who is nondifferent from Lord Han. He induced the Supreme Lord Han to manifest in this world."

antah ~ am bahir goram krs.na-caitanya sam jnakam

premabdhim sac-cid-anandam sarva-s'aktas'rayam bhaje

"I worship Lord Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who is out­wardly of a fair complexion but is inwardly Krsna Himself. He is an ocean of love, eternally full of knowledge and bliss, and the origin of all energies."

Sn nilyananda-ramam hi davalum' prema-dipakam

gadadharam ca snyasam vande radhesa sevinam

"I offer my obeisances unto Sri Nityananda Rama, who is most merciful and who illuminates love of God. I offer my obeisances to Gadadhara and Srivasa, who are engaged in the service of the Lord of Radharani."

All glories to Sri Caitanya! All glories to Sitanatha! All glories to Nityananda, along with all the devotees!

When the five-headed Lord Siva saw Kali-yuga was filled with terrible sins, he thought, "How can I deliver the living entities?" After a long discussion with Yogamaya, he concluded that no one other than Lord Han could deliver the fallen souls. Sadasiva, who is always joyful at heart, then went to the shore of the Causal Ocean. That great yogi then sat in yogic meditation for seven hundred years, until Maha-Visnu, the Lord of the universe, was pleased by his severe austerities and appeared before him. When the five-headed Siva saw Lord Narayan.a there, he offered many indescribable prayers. Maha-Visnu then said, "You and I are non-different except for our separate bodies."

Saying this, He embraced Lord Siva and their two bodies be­came one. Who could understand His mind? It was most wonderful how they became one form with pure golden effulgent limbs, chanting, "Krsna! Krsna!" Suddenly there was a miraculous voice from the sky saying, "Listen, Maha-Visnu! You first descend in this form in the womb of Labha, later I will descend in the district of Nadia in the house of Saci and Jagannatha. Balarama and other devotees will also take birth in order to deliver the living entities."

On hearing this, Maha-visnu, who is nondifferent from Lord Siva, entered the womb of Labha in Santipura. Labha was the austere, chaste, religious-minded wife of Kuvera Pandita. Pre­viously, the well-to-do Kuvera Pandita had devotedly performed austerities and chanted mantras to get Lord Siva as his son. Lord Siva was pleased by his austerities and agreed by saying, "So be it. Your desire will be fulfilled." That is why Kuvera took birth in this world. He was given the name Sriman Kuvera Acarya, and by dint of his knowledge and religiousness he was worshipable by all. I am unable to describe all his good qualities. People glorify him as the son of Nrsimha.

Nrsimha was a descendant of Aru Ojha and was also known as Nadiyala. He could remember anything he heard and was famous throughout the three worlds for being well-versed in the scriptures and expert in their explanations. By the strength of Nrsimha's counsel, Sri Ganesa captured the throne of Gauda-desa by killing the Badasaha. The class of Kapa brahmanas who resided in Lauda were formed by his daughter's marriage.

Kuvera Acarya was an inspiration to his family line by his role as the King's Pandita. After marriage he gradually had many sons, but when they all died he had some realization. He went to beau­tiful Santipura on the bank of the Ganges and stayed there with Labha for some days. One day he noted symptoms of pregnancy in Labha's form. He therefore worshiped Lord Narayana with vari­ous articles and satisfied the brahmanas, the poor, and the blind by feeding them.

At that time Kuvera got a letter from the King, so he returned home with his wife. His residence was in Nava-grama, in the dis­trict of Lauda, where Divyasimha was reigning. 'When he returned to Nava-grama, the residents offered him a warm reception. De­lighted on seeing the Acarya after many days, the King greeted him and inquired about his well-being. The King said, "Tell me some good news. Why have you been delayed? Your good association is a source of joy for me. I consider my kingdom void without you.',

The Acarya replied, "You are an ocean of mercy. You are always kind to the poor brahmanas. The bank of the Ganges is an enchanting holy place. Living there is equal to living in Svarga. I returned because of your order, otherwise I had no desire to leave that place. By the will of the Lord, my wife has again became pregnant, for whatever is destined becomes manifest."

The King said, "As she became pregnant in a holy place, I'm sure the result will be auspicious. Forget your past lamentation. Pray to the Lord, and He will bless you with a wonderful son"'

In this way they had many discussions. At that time a brahmana astrologer came there. The astrologer said, "Listen, Pandita Mahasaya. There is no doubt that you will get a divine son. He will live a long life and be fully conversant with the religious codes of the scriptures. I can see that He will widely preach devotional service."

Saying this, the astrologer disappeared. Later, the King searched for him, but he could not be found. Considering this very astounding, people considered that the astrologer must have been some demigod.

The Acarya was pleased by the astrologer's prediction. He returned home and explained everything to Labha, who replied, "The Lord's glories are unlimited. By His grace our miseries may disappear. Saintly persons say that whoever worships Lord Visnu with devotion will meet good fortune everywhere."

On hearing this, Acarya, who is situated in pure knowledge, said, "Yes, dear, this is the Vedic conclusion. By worshiping Visnu, all demigods are worshiped, all perfection is attained, and one is freed from all illusion."

Kuvera then devotedly worshiped Lord Narayana in great opu­lence with many articles. He offered visnu-prasada to the brahmanas and gave clothes to the poor, the blind, and the dis­tressed.

Now listen to a wonderful story. Once at the end of night Labha Thakurani had a dream in which she saw Lord Harihara appear in her lotus heart. The beauty of the Lord's limbs illumined all direc­tions. He sweetly chanted the holy name of Hari and danced with raised arms. Tears of love flowed from His eyes, and He lost all external consciousness. He chanted Hare Krsna and roared loudly. Hearing His chanting, Yamaraja, the son of Surya, came there.

Yamaraja saw that the sweetness of Harihara's combined form resembled that of Hara-Gauri. The enchanting effulgence of His body defeated the shining of millions of suns. Who has the capacity to describe that beauty? As He chanted Hare Krsna, His hairs stood on end and tears incessantly flowed from His eyes like the Ganges. His body was inundated with ecstatic love, and the waves of that love expanded as He danced. Seeing His transcendental mood, the beloved son of Surya offered full obeisances and various prayers.

With folded hands, Yamaraja sweetly said, "0 Lord, please listen. This Kali-yuga is covered with the darkness of ignorance. It is certainly wonderful that You incarnate in such an age. By seeing You, the sinful will be delivered and my authority will be finished. Therefore, dear Lord, kindly remain unmanifest and deliver this servant of Yours from danger."

Hearing Yamarija's appeal, the Lord slightly smiled and said, "0 Dharmaraja, you are in illusion. Be peaceful. Don't you realize how much the sinful living entities are suffering? Learned persons and saints feel sorry for the sufferings of others. If someone is suffering the reactions of his karma, then who has the power to free him? Being covered by illusion, the living entity does not know his own self-interest. He foolishly considers insignificant sense enjoyment as his self-interest. One who is attached to material life is bound by his fruitive work just as a diseased person suffers when he takes the wrong food. Particularly in Kali-yuga the living entity becomes whimsical and suffers in the blazing fire of material life. Seeing their unbearable distress, My mind became impatient and I made a vow. The maha-mantra counteracts the bondage of karma and enables one to attain pure krsna-prema. By teaching sinful persons the transcendental holy name, I will empower and deliver them. That is why I will take birth now. Later, saints will sing the glories of Kali-yuga.

"I have one more staunch vow. I will without doubt make the Lord Himself descend. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu will descend along with His followers, and the whole country will be over-flooded with pure krsna-prema. Your authority will not be lost by this, however, for blasphemers and atheists will never be deliv­ered."

On hearing this, Yamaraja returned to his abode. Labhadevi then woke from her dream and described the wonderful vision to her husband, Kuvera Pandita, who was amazed to hear the story.

The chaste Labhadevi passed ten months in pregnancy, and then Advaita Prabhu took birth on the auspicious seventh day of the waxing moon in the month of Magha [January-Februaryj. On that auspicious day all the ladies took bath, gave charity, chanted the holy names, and made auspicious sounds of hulu. Although the devotees did not understand the cause of their happiness, their bliss knew no bounds.

In due course of time Kuvera called an astrologer, who after calculation named the child Kamalaksa. At the age of five the child looked strikingly wonderful. He didn't eat anything other than krsna-prasada. Thereafter, on an auspicious day, Kuvera gave his son His first lesson, and within a month Advaita Prabhu mastered the entire alphabet.

Praying at the lotus feet of Lord Caitanya and Sri Advaita, always desiring Their mercy, I, Isana Nagara, narrate SnAdvaita Prakasa.