Avatars in Every Species

Question: I have a question, the answer to which should help me frame a paper I will write later this summer for an interfaith presentation on the topic of God among us: A Catholic-Vaishnava Dialog, the Incarnation and Avatar.
Sri Krishna appears in innumerable forms throughout the universes. Some forms appear to be human-like while others resemble lower species, such as the boar, fish, tortoise, etc. Srila Prabhupada writes: (SB 1.2.34 purport), "In each and every universe there are innumerable planets inhabited by different grades of living entities in different modes of nature. The Lord (Vishnu) incarnates Himself in each and every one of them and in each and every type of living society. He manifests His transcendental pastimes amongst them just to create the desire to go back to Godhead. The Lord does not change His original transcendental position, but He appears to be differently manifested according to the particular time, circumstances and society."
The human form of life is the best for achieving self-realization. The activities of the animals are eating, mating, sleeping and defending. The animals cannot understand God. Yet, Srila Prabhupada says that Krishna is the friend of both human and animal society. I suppose if He appears among humans to deliver us, it would only be sensible that He appears among the animals to deliver them. I'm wondering if the dynamic is different among other species. When He appears among the humans or higher species, He can deliver those in His immediate association, and then His teachings are recorded to inspire posterity. When the Lord appears among the lower species, how does He deliver them? They cannot practice religion as humans do (though Lord Caitanya made deer, tigers and elephants chant Hare Krishna and liberated the dog under Sivananda Sena's care). Does He deliver only the current generation among that species (after all, animals don't maintain written historical records)?
This may seem to be an obscure inquiry, and I'm probably not mature enough to understand the answer, but it came to mind, so I was wondering if the acaryas offer us any insight into this matter.
Answer: The conception that God incarnates in the species of those living entities who are lower than human beings has always troubled the mind of the western theologian. Knowing this Srila Bhaktivinode Thakura has dealt with the topic of the Lords incarnations in lower species in his book 'Sri Krsna-samhita.' I suggest that you consult that book in detail before writing your proposed essay.
When the Lord appears in lower species He delivers those species by giving them auspiciousness due to His association. The living entities are then promoted to human life and there they are given a chance to come to God consciousness and love of God. That is my understanding. By the Lord's association the living entity awakens a desire for God consciousness. This desire for God consciousness is also awakened by the association of pure devotees of the Lord and sometimes by ajnata-sukriti.
Categorically the Lord appears in every species.
That the Lord appears in all species of life, means that He appears in each category, not that He appears as each and every individual form like each and every type of fish, each kind of reptile, every type of quadruped (animal) etc. But in each category the Lord appears.
Among the aquatics in the water the Lord appears as Matsya-avatar. Among the trees and plants He appears as Dharu-brahman (the trees bearing the signs of Vishnu from which the Jagannatha Deities are then manifested) (banyan trees and others may also be considered as the Lord's incarnation). Among the insects and reptiles He appears as the Vajrakita (the worm from Vaikuntha) that carves the signs on the Saligram-silas and also as Ananta-sesa and Kurma-avatar, the tortoise. Among the birds He appears as Hamsa-avatar. Among the animals with four feet He appears as Varaha-avatar. And among the humans He appears as Krsna, Rama, and Sri Caitanya.
As stated above the Lord creates auspiciousness for the living entities in the lower species of life by appearing among them. This would benefit those living entities who directly associated with the particular incarnation and it would also benefit all future living entities appearing in that species. That is my understanding. If any species comes in contact with any avatar then there is certainly benefit for those living entities, without doubt. What to speak of the particular species — each and every time the Supreme Lord appears in this universe all the living beings present in the universe are benefited. Some are liberated directly and others are elevated and liberated after some time. The ways of the Supreme Lord are wonderful and sometimes difficult for the tiny brain to understand. Nonetheless, sraddha (faith) tells us that the Lord is all-merciful, the friend of all living beings, and the knower of everything. How He is doing everything may be known to Him alone, but faith tells us that He is the doer of everything and whatever He does is for our benefit.

Katha Kali and Sacred Dance

Katha Kali: As far as historical records show, dance in India has always been associated with spirituality and the pulsating rhythm of cosmic life. Indians have always held dance as sacred and have practiced it as a means of entering into divine consciousness.
Shiva, a principal demigod in Indian religious tradition, is the patron saint of the sacred dance; he is known as "Nataraja," the king of dancers. According to Ananda Cooramaswamy, an eminent Indian scholar, the dance of Shiva is a manifestation of the primal rhythmic energy which has three meanings: first, rhythmic play, the source of all movement within the cosmos; second, the purpose of his dance is to release the countless souls of mankind from the snare of illusion; and finally, the place of dance, Chidambaram, the center of the universe, is within the heart.
According to authorities on Indian sacred dance, and in the words of its countless performers, the dance is profoundly spiritual. The ritual of dance is mentioned in India's earliest literature, the Vedas, and has always accompanied religious ceremonies. The distinguished Indian dancer Enakshi Bhavani, whose book The Dance in India is an authoritative classic on the subject, also calls Indian sacred dance "a science, an art, and an exposition at the same time." Because it demonstrates the deeply philosophical and highly spiritual moods of the Indian people, in India sacred dance is given the foremost position among all the traditional arts.
Whereas spontaneity in Indian dance was previously cherished, over the course of time it evolved into a methodical performing art with various schools and strict disciplines. Over 2000 years ago, Bharata Muni wrote the Natya Shastra,or the science of drama which included a comprehensive guide to sacred Indian dance. In this work Bharata Muni says that Brahma, the predominating demigod of this universe, brought the entire science of natya,dance and drama, to the Earth in ancient times.
Bharata Muni, it seems, possessed a mind that delved deeply into the mysteries of that knowledge which comes with yogic meditation and contemplation, and his inner visions of beauty, perfect rhythm, and noble attributes of the symbolic movements provided a formidable prerequisite to his composing his manual. Amazingly enough, most sacred dance in India still follows the outlines and rules laid down in the Natya Shastra.
As in other sacred arts in India such as architecture, some regard the ideal forms—or postures—as symbolic of truth, while others prefer to see them as being in perfect harmony with the cosmic rhythm. Some schools consider that when the sacred dance is properly performed, the divine entities of Godhead and the celestial beings which the performers portray "manifest" themselves onstage; thus the sacred dance becomes one with reality in that it has the ability to uplift the human consciousness from the mundane world to the supernal. Since this requires the disciplined use of the entire body and all of its means of expression, in the Natya Shastra,ten basic postures of the body, thirty-six of the hand, nine of the neck, and thirteen poses of the head are delineated. The various schools of dance have elaborated on these principal postures, each of which has a specific meaning constituting a precise body language capable of telling complex stories to audiences familiar with these conventions. The dancer requires exacting coordination of footwork, bodily movement, hand gestures, placement of arms, and movements of the head, eyes, eyebrows, and neck, synchronized with the finely intricate beats of a drum.
The most striking feature of India's sacred dance is undoubtedly the hand gesture known as the mudra.By a beautiful and complicated code, the hand alone is capable of portraying not only a wide range of emotions, but gods, mortals, animals, natural scenery, action, and so on, and each posture and body movement creates an effect which invokes transcendental emotion. It is a traditional belief that certain currents generated by repeated rhythmic movements of the body create moods and atmosphere that bring powerful results affecting man and nature alike. Thus seasonal dances, festival dances, and ritual dances evolved.
Ultimately, through practice of the standard dance forms sacred dancers could so awaken their spirituality as to dance their way to divine consciousness. In order to attain this elevated state of consciousness, the Indian dancer had to achieve a true unison of the inner self and the physical being and become immersed in the divine.
Before the advent of Buddhism in India, dancers were generally recruited from the upper classes of Indian society. Princesses and women of culture counted dancing as an accomplishment and cultural asset demanding serious study. And study they did, as sacred dance, being a holistic art and science, required well educated and well rounded performers for success. Therefore, prospective dancers from an early age had to learn not only dance, but dramatics, perfume-making, make-up, music, grammar, and the art of conversation, and had to be learned in philosophy and theology.
The ascendancy of Pali Buddhism in India after 500 B.C. interrupted the full and continuous evolution of sacred Indian dance. This form of Buddhism emphasized a more abstract form of spirituality and all of the sacred arts declined during this period, especially since members of the higher echelons of society were forbidden to dance or sing or play on musical instruments. But around the time of Christ, Vedic concepts of philosophy and spirituality in India rebounded to enjoy a strong renaissance, fueled by the immense popularity of the great Vedic classics Ramayanaand Mahabharata.During the first and second centuries A.D. this resurgence gained new heights of achievement for the Vedicarts, including dance, which continued unabated for almost a thousand years.
The Chola dynasty (ninth century to thirteenth century A.D.) gave new impetus to all the sacred arts, especially dance, by rich patronage and devotion. Elaborate temple construction was a special tour de force of the Cholas, and they established schools of sacred dance in their newly-built temple complexes-hence, sculptures of dance in Orissa, Andhra, and all over South India highlighted the unique status of sacred Indian dance during this period.
Under the weight of the British occupation of India and the secularizing effects of modernization in the nineteenth century, sacred Indian dance suffered a dramatic decline for the second time; however, the Nobel Prize-winning poet Dr. Rabindranath Tagore and other concerned members of India's high society worked to repopularize sacred Indian dance and make it more accessible to the general public. With the new rise of popularity, dancers were now welcome from almost any sector of society: dancing was no more the elite privilege of the upper classes.
In the twentieth century sacred Indian dance has regained a prominent place on the international stage due to the brilliant work of such dancers as Uday Shankar, whose dancing is applauded on four continents. His performance in the Radha-Krishna Ballet is especially appreciated for bringing to light the grace, power, and subtlety of sacred Indian dance to contemporary audiences.
There are many schools of sacred Indian dance--Bharata Natyam, Kathakali, Kathak, Manipuri, Orissi, Mohini Atam, Krishna Atam, and Bhagavat Mela--all loved by the Indian people. To them the sacred dances represent divine beauty in motion, deliberate steps leading to divine consciousness. Among these schools, two are exceptional for surveying as they are prominent and representative of the rest: Bharata Natyam and Kathakali.
Bharata Natyam is sometimes called "an art for eternity" because its practice today is virtually the same as it was thousands of years ago. It is the most common dance style performed throughout all of India, although the tradition is most popular in the southern states like Tamil Nadu and Kanartaka. Bharata Natyam is the mother art for most of the other sacred dance systems of India and is the main source of inspiration for the allied arts of sculpture, painting, and icon-making. Although Bharata Natyam was originally a child of the temples, it has now become extremely popular on the secular stage as well.
The derivation of the word "Bharata" to describe this system is most intriguing: many experts claim it to be a compilation of the first syllables of the three main elements of Bharata Natyam—bhaas in bhavaor mood, raas in ragaor melody, and taas in talaor rhythmic timing.
In ancient times a group of holy adepts known as the Nattuvanars preserved the art of Bharata Natyam and taught it to others. While the Nattuvanars taught, the female temple dancers known as devidasisor "handmaidens of God" performed. Undergoing rigorous training, many devidasisstarted developing their skills at the age of five. Some stone inscriptions in Tangore mention that in the eleventh century A.D. nearly 400 devidasispracticed their art of dancing at the famous Brihat-Ishwara temple, while about 100 were attached to the Shiva temple at Kanchipuram. The monarchs of the time made the devidasisan established institution by paying them a salary for their religious duties.
Traditionally, over the last 1000 years women almost exclusively performed Bharata Natyam with one exception-the Bhagavatars, who were members of the brahman or priestly class who found the dance drama the best medium for interpreting the great philosophic teachings of the Bhagavatamscripture, which contains a biographical study of the life of Sri Krishna. The Bhagavatars' performances were known as Bhagavat Melas.Their dramatic action, lyrical composition, choice music and classic dance form were mingled to glorify the spiritual pastimes of Sri Krishna and other incarnations of Godhead in such an entertaining and artistic way as to create an art which truly expounded dance as Bharata Muni had conceived it in his Natya Shastra.
 

Self Manifest Deities

Question: I have heard that sometimes in India the deities of Ganesa physically drink milk when offered to them. Is this true?
Answer: Yes. There were such rumors of Ganesa deities drinking milk; but what spirituality do we find there? None. You can add those rumors to the thousands of stories created by Hindus to excite the masses into reaffirming their faith in Hinduism. When these stories are let loose, then millions of Hindus crowd to the Ganesa temples and every Tom, Dick and Santosh claims that he or she saw the phenomena. Then everyone starts claiming that the photos of Ganesa in their homes are drinking milk. This is good business for the dairy industry but does not reflect any spiritual principle whatsoever. Rumor also has it that Ganesa drank beer, 7-UP and engine oil — so you can see how such rumors get carried away. Then after a few months everything is forgotten and it’s back to Hinduism as usual.
However, it is the opinion of some intelligent people here in India that the Ganesa milk phenomena was contrived to compete with some of the Christian evangelist propaganda. The incident certainly sounds like the claims of Christians showing the signs of stigmata on their hands and feet or like the weeping Madonna, etc. The Ganesa phenomena however would probably have been more convincing if he had eaten laddus and not simply drank a few drops of milk.
My conclusion is that, as with the stigmata and the weeping Madonna, etc — the Ganesa ‘milk phenomena’ is also a hoax.
Question: During my many travels in India I have visited certain temples where it is claimed that the Deity of Visnu or Krsna was self-manifest. So my second question is, whether it is possible that God self-manifests His Deity form or is it always necessary that an acarya or representative of God be instrumental in establishing a Deity?
Answer: When traveling in India and visiting holy places and ancient temples a ‘grain of salt’ is sometimes advised before blindly believing everything one hears, but it is a fact that since ancient times until quite recently the Supreme Personality of Godhead has indeed self-manifested His Deity form in many places in India. In every instance these self-manifested Deities can be believed as such when we see that great spiritual personalities such as Ramanuja, Madhvacarya, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and others worshipped these Deities. What great personalities accept, we take to be a reality. Otherwise simply believing at face value every story a priest, a panda or a brahmana tells can be misleading.
All these Deities mentioned above have been accepted by previous acaryas as self-manifest and therefore the same can also be safely accepted today.
The Supreme Personality of Godhead is Subjective Reality or even more strongly put, Super-subjective Reality. The Deity [arca-vigraha] is the manifest form of Godhead that appears to accept service from His devotee or devotees. The potency of pure devotion attracts Krsna and He manifests Himself to accept His devotees service but the point still remains that ‘He manifested Himself,’ thus ‘self-manifest.’
If one is not a pure devotee or acting under the direct order of a pure devotee, then ones attempt to establish a Deity form of the Lord will amount to establishing a lifeless statue and nothing more. India has thousands of such statues.
Most of the principle Deities worshipped by Gaudiya Vaisnavas were either established by the direct family members of Lord Krsna or manifest by the pure devotees of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
Many of the main Deities in Vrndavana were established 4,500 years ago by Vajranabha the great grandson of Dvaraka Krsna. Vajranabha’s father was Aniruddha, son of Pradyumna, who was Krsna’s son. Under the direction of Vajranabha [then king of Mathura] the first Deities of Krsna were manifest in the Vraja such as Madan-mohana, Govindaji, Gopala the lifter of Govardhana, Gopinatha, Dauji [Balarama], Harideva, Garuda-Govinda, Kesava, Gopesvara Mahadeva [Siva] and so forth.
During the lila of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the first Deity of Mahaprabhu was established by Visnupriya-devi after Mahaprabhu had accepted sannyasa. The first Deities of Gaura-Gadadhara were established at Campahati by Dvija-Vaninatha, the brother of Gadadhara Pandita and the first Deities of Gaura-Nitai were established by Gauridasa Pandita. For one who has heard the narration of what transpired at Gauridasa Pandita’s house on the day of the installation it is quite clear that these were ‘self-manifest’ Deities in the truest sense of the word [for details of this event please see Chapter Seven of Bhakti-ratnakara].
During the time of Bhaktivinoda Thakura the Deity of Gaura-Visnupriya was manifest at Yogapitha in Mayapura. Following Bhaktivinoda, Sarasvati Thakura constructed the Adbhuta Mandira at Yogapitha and established Deities of Gaura-Radha-Madhava, Panca-tattva, Laksmi-Narasimha, Gaura-Gadadhara, Jagannatha Misra, Saci-mata and Nimai. Also the Deity of Ksetrapala Mahadeva was established at Yogapitha. Sarasvati Thakura also established Deities of Guru-Gauranga-Gandharvika-Giridhari and the four sampradaya-acaryas at Sri Caitanya Matha in Mayapura.
Then in various Gaudiya Matha establishments throughout India, Sarasvati Thakura established Deities such as Sri Sri Gaura-Vinoda-Madhava (in Puri), Sri Sri Gaura-Gopi-Gopinatha (in Alalanath), Sri Sri Gaura-Vinoda-Vilasa (in Naimisaranya), Sri Sri Gaura-Vinoda-Ramana (in Cuttack), Sri Sri Gaura-Vinoda-Vaibhavananda (in Mumbai), Sri Sri Gaura-Vinoda-Vinoda (in Benares) and so forth.
Sarasvati Thakura established Deities to preside over the holy places and to establish in this world the highest conception of Gaudiya Vaisnavism — nay, the highest conception of theism ever to see the light of day — Sri Sri Gaura-Radha-Govinda.
Srila Sridhara Maharaja explains:
To this end Sarasvati Thakura established many Deities of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu standing by the side of Radha and Krsna — thus giving emphasis to this most high and exalted theistic conception. This above all is the essence of the Gaudiya Vaisnava philosophy.
Since the time of Sarasvati Thakura many of his disciples carried on the disciplic succession and established Deities in the holy dhama, throughout India and around the world. These Deities included Gaura-Nitai, Radha-Govinda, Panca-tattva, Sri Narasimha-deva, Jagannatha, Subhadra and Baladeva, Krsna-Balarama, Gaura-Gadadhara, and particularly the Deities of Sri Sri Guru-Gauranga-Gandharvika-Govindasundara, Gaura-Radha-Vinodananda, and Gaura-Radha-Vinodabihari — thus retaining and spreading the Gaudiya concept of mahaprabhu sri caitanya radha krsna nahe anya.
All these Deities and more were established by the bona-fide representatives of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta.
The point of contention involving the history of the Deities at ISKCON Mayapura and what should be the proper Deity conception in the futuristic temple being planned at ISKCON Mayapura [the Planetarium] is indeed a sensitive issue. Since the original Deities at ISKCON Mayapura disappeared, other much larger Deities have been placed there to right the wrong but the original Deity conception has been over-shadowed and all but forgotten. The fact is that the conception of the highest truth once visible in the original Deity arrangement of Mahaprabhu being the combined form of Radha and Krsna has been lost in the confusion.
In private meetings this was brought to the attention of numerous senior ISKCON members, sannyasis, gurus and GBCs before last years GBC meetings but to little or no avail. None of those approached had any argument or rebuttal to the above statements — most simply had a hazy memory of what had happened and showed apathy towards doing anything to rectify the situation. In fact one senior sannyasi commented that ISKCON was having too many land issue problems at Mayapura and that the leaders would not be willing to give attention to such a minor issue as the Deities.
Unfortunately worrying about land ownership issues and neglecting the Deity is not the way to solve their problems. Try to rectify things at the center and all other maladjusted issues will automatically fall into place. That is Krsna consciousness. Serve the center and all else will be adjusted.
The arrangements that Krsna manifests Himself and the arrangements that Krsna manifests through his pure devotees are non-different. One should give special care and attention to such matters, maintaining them for the benefit of future generations.

Conqueror of All Quarters

Since time immemorial, the world has seen and has gone through many ideas and conceptions pertaining to mankind and it’s ideologies. There have been a number of political systems in place like monarchy, socialism, democracy, communism, fascism and many other ‘isms’ have evolved. The world has even seen great reformers, thinkers, philosophers, religionists and revolutionaries who have tried to change the world with their own ideas and theories.
Of course, some of the reformers have been able to expel certain unacceptable practices in society, and some great thinkers and philosophers have triggered positive ideas and thesis amongst the people. Some revolutionaries have definitely upstaged many systems and beliefs in the society.
Hence, a few distinguished people have tried, but have had very little impact or success in bringing peace, stability, sense or prosperity into this world. Still, we are living in a world that is in chaos, which was in chaos and which will be in chaos for a very long time to come. The fundamental aspects or drawbacks of this material world have persisted along with mankind and its advancing civilization. Nothing much has changed in a world that has seen wars, famines, natural catastrophes, poverty and social discrimination for ages.
Does the world need more failed ideas, political systems and leaders or is there something that is beyond material comprehension? What the world needs to know is that mankind is in very urgent need of a new outlook on life that the material and intellectual advancement of modern times has repeatedly failed to provide. The real necessity is a purely religious movement of God consciousness.
The Absolute Truth can be known, and indeed must be known, if we are to solve all the problems of material existence. Yet the truth cannot be known by mental speculation or any other human endeavor. Mundane systems or leaders may create certain short-term happiness and hope in the world, but they certainly cannot diminish anybody’s material bondage. No matter how good a material system is or how great a leader is, they cannot deliver any one from birth, death, old age and disease.
Disparity in human society is due to lack of principles in a godless civilization. There is God, or the Almighty One, from whom everything emanates, by whom everything is maintained and in whom everything is merged to rest. Material science has tried to find the ultimate source of creation most insufficiently, but it is a fact that there is one ultimate source of everything that is. This ultimate source is explained rationally and authoritatively in the beautiful Srimad Bhagavatam. The very first verse speaks of Krsna as the cause of all causes. He is the primal cause, and He is the very form of eternal being, knowledge and bliss.
The world goes on in its own perfect way. The world stands in no need of any reformer. It has a very capable and a complete person for guiding its minutest happenings. The person who determines that there is scope for reform of the world, himself stands in need of reform.
No person can deflect the direction of the world even a hairs breadth from the course chalked out for it by providence. When we perceive any change being actually effected in the course of events of this world by the agency of any particular individual, we must know very well that the agent possesses no real power at any stage. The agent finds himself driven forward by a force belonging to a different category from him. The course of the world does not require that it be changed by the agency of any person.
All material political regimes under the name of many hundreds of ‘isms’ are simply mental concoctions or speculations of a certain class of people adulterated with materialism. The British writer, Ernest Benn once said, “Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it whether it exists or not, diagnosing it incorrectly, and applying the wrong remedy.” The whole material conception of politics, sociology, philanthropy, altruism etc, conceived by the conditioned souls is done so on the basis of this misconceived ‘I’ and ‘mine’, which are products of the strong desire to enjoy material life. Identification with the body and the place where the body is obtained under different conceptions of socialism, nationalism, family affection, and so on and so forth is all due to forgetfulness of the real nature of the living entity. The divine nature of the living entity is spiritual and is completely free from all the concoctions and speculations of any material political system or belief.
Great philosophers of India such as Sri Sankaracarya and Buddha renounced this material world to practice the means of attaining nirvana or the ultimate annihilation of all distress. Buddha preached the cult of non-violence. Sri Sankaracarya preached that this material world is non-reality and the spirit soul is the Supreme Truth. He stressed renunciation and culture of knowledge as the means to attain the highest stage of realization. Neither of them however preached that a material plan, under the guidance of modern scientific and experimental thought, could bring real happiness to a human being. Both of them preached different patterns of ultimate voidness and stressed renunciation. In other words, both of them only stressed the uselessness of the material world. Yet neither of them gave any positive information of the life in eternity.
On the other hand, Western philosophy and philosophers most definitely failed in their attempts to give any genuine knowledge of our purpose of existence and our relation and role in this creation. However, some philosophers of the west were able to understand and propagate some meaningful theories about evolution of consciousness, theism and some below par knowledge on creation, sustenance and assimilation of this material world, But yet again, in the end, these philosophers and their philosophies only influenced a certain type of people and may have provoked some sort of change in the mindset of the people during their time period – but certainly their influence did not pervade the entire world as we do not find their philosophies being followed everywhere today.
Nowadays it is not so much the reformers and philosophers, but the pseudo-religionists that are to be seen everywhere. These fake religionists are there only for the sake of name and fame and easily mislead people. They have neither knowledge nor detachment from material affairs, for most of them want to live with the golden shackles of material bondage under the shadow of philanthropic activities disguised as religious principles. By a false display of religious sentiments, they present a show of devotional service while indulging in all sorts of immoral activities.
In this way, they place themselves as great spiritual leaders with many adherents blindly following these bogus leaders, Such worshippers ultimately follow the pseudo-religionists towards the most obnoxious place in the universe after the completion of their ‘spiritual master business’.
We find that these so-called gurus are more interested in doing social welfare activities such as opening hospitals, distribution of food, shelter and clothing and many programs for uplifting the poor. Such programs have become the most integral and fashionable part of every spiritual institution and leader because these acts immediately catch everyone’s attention and bring admiration. Such men are generally atheists, devoid of any true spiritual knowledge.
Without any doubt, these acts are appreciable in today’s society, but they are not the ultimate solution to the condition of humanity. Simply pouring water on the trunk, branches, twigs and leaves of a tree is not the way to help it grow – rather it needs to be nourished from the root level and automatically every part of the tree will be energized.
Charity can be utilized as the initial way of bringing people’s attention to the realization of their existence in this material world and showing them the real path of spiritual progression for one’s ultimate benefit. But just mere welfare activities should not be the ultimate objective of any individual or institution. These kinds of welfare activities have been going on in this world since time immemorial – but has the situation changed?
Poverty, social discrimination, disease, lack of education and many social barriers still exist in our society. Hence, one should properly understand how the laws of nature in this material world work before venturing out for any social service of any kind.
What is necessary for this material world? The prime necessity is to change our outlook on this temporary world. The greatest example was shown for the contemporary generation by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Precisely 523 years ago Sri Caitanya appeared in this world as the personal manifestation of the Absolute Truth. He is known as the yuga-avatara – the incarnation of the modern age. Many scholars and historians may see Mahaprabhu as a great social reformer, philosopher and a religious leader and this is certainly true. Yet He was widely regarded as the most magnanimous of all spiritual teachers of mankind. He was the true conqueror of all quarters of humanity. Every true reformer, every great religious leader and even God Himself comes to this world in order to reclaim the conditioned souls back to the kingdom of God. That is the real idea of any genuine reformer, philosopher, religionist or anybody who is willing to make a difference in this world.
Mahaprabhu gave us the ultimate knowledge of understanding God, understanding our relationship with Him and taught us the activities that nurture that relationship. Real knowledge promotes that we are not this body, we are the soul. Real knowledge shows us that the soul is within the body and explains the nature of the soul, the necessity of the soul and the goal of soul.
Mahaprabhu and His followers taught us about real humanitarian work and social reform. Caitanya Mahaprabhu accepted everyone in His sankirtana movement. He didn’t differentiate between higher and lower castes, rich or poor, or learned and illiterate. The teachings of Mahaprabhu give the clear connecting line between the mentality of modern day social reformers, philanthropists and philosophers, and the ultimate message of transcendence. The method detailed by Mahaprabhu Sri Krsna Caitanya is categorically different from the method that is presently followed as the study of religion in the east, as well as the west. The futility and inapplicability of the inductive method to the study of transcendence are self-evident.
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s welfare activities were concerned to take the people ‘Back to Godhead’ by the simple devotional activity of sankirtana. His method of welfare work is not only simple, but also applicable universally. Sri Damodara Svarupa Gosvami rightly appreciated the welfare activities of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu as:
That is the picture of the welfare activities of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. People may misunderstand Him because He did not open any hospital, because he did not canvass for the undertakers or because he did not labor for any so-called social welfare work. But in fact what He did includes and surpasses all varieties of social, political, humanitarian, altruistic, moral and spiritual work.
So far as social work is concerned, He gave everyone an equal chance to rise to the highest order of life. Sri Haridasa Thakura was born in the family of a Mohammedan but Lord Sri Caitanya gave him the highest position of a brahmana and he was declared as the acarya of the transcendental Holy Name. He delivered Jagai and Madhai from the most fallen position and He turned Sarvabauma Bhattacarya and Prakasananda Sarasvati, the two great stalwarts of the Mayavada cult, into Vaishnavas. He engaged the services of Rupa and Sanatana Gosvamis in the culture of devotional science from their political activities as ministers of Nawab Hussain Shah. Therefore, He gave equal opportunities to all classes of people – politicians, scholars, the fallen, non-Hindus, atheists, the women, children, the cats and dogs, the beasts of the jungle etc. That is the universal application of the common cult and the standard of real welfare work.
He organized thousands of men armed with mrdangas and karatalas, when the Kazi of Navadvipa banned the sankirtana movement on the streets of Navadvipa. He was the pioneer of the first non-cooperation movement that finally resulted in the Kazi giving himself unto the lotus feet of Mahaprabhu.
Thus, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu wanted to turn everybody into mahatmas, even from the lowest position of mankind, by constant engagement in the chanting process of the transcendental name, fame and qualities of the Supreme Lord Sri Krsna. The Lord was so liberal that by His mercy nobody was incompetent to adopt this transcendental process. Every human being who is articulate can adopt this principle of chanting and by gradual purification by this transcendental chanting process, one can rise up to the highest platform of perfection.
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu wished to divert the different misplaced channels of love into their original form, making use of this human form of life which is most rare to achieve. We therefore request all people in general – religionists, modern philosophers and all other enlightened men and women to take advantage of this opportunity and try to attain the ultimate perfection of life.