Sri Advaita Acharya—an Ideal Householder Devotee

Giriraj Swami: Today is the auspicious appearance day of Sri Advaita Acharya Prabhu, who is one of the associates of Lord Chaitanya in the Pancha-tattva and the incarnation of Maha-Vishnu. So we shall read some of the pastimes of Advaita Acharya with Lord Chaitanya from Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā, Chapter Three, “Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s Stay at the House of Advaita Ācārya.”

CHAPTER SUMMARY

In his Amṛta-pravāha-bhāṣya, Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura gives the following summary of the third chapter. After accepting the sannyāsa order at Katwa, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu traveled continuously for three days in Rāḍha-deśa and, by the trick of Nityānanda Prabhu, eventually came to the western side of Śāntipura. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was induced to believe that the river Ganges was the Yamunā. When He was worshiping the sacred river, Advaita Prabhu arrived in a boat. Advaita Prabhu asked Him to take His bath in the Ganges and took Him to His (Advaita’s) house.

COMMENT

We shall begin reading from this point:

TEXTS 38–41

Advaita Ācārya said, “You have been fasting continuously for three days in Your ecstasy of love for Kṛṣṇa. I therefore invite You to My home, where You may kindly take Your alms. Come with Me to My residence.”

Advaita Prabhu continued, “At My home I have just cooked one palmful of rice. The vegetables are always very simple. There is no luxurious cooking — simply a little liquid vegetable and spinach.”

Saying this, Śrī Advaita Ācārya took the Lord into the boat and brought the Lord to His residence. There Advaita Ācārya washed the feet of the Lord and was consequently very happy within.

All the eatables were first cooked by the wife of Advaita Ācārya. Then Śrīla Advaita Ācārya personally offered everything to Lord Viṣṇu.

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

This is the ideal householder’s life. The husband and wife live together, and the husband works very hard to secure paraphernalia for worshiping Lord Viṣṇu. The wife at home cooks a variety of foods for Lord Viṣṇu, and the husband offers it to the Deity. After that, ārati is performed, and the prasādam is distributed amongst family members and guests. According to the Vedic principles, there must always be a guest in a householder’s house. In my childhood I have actually seen my father receive not less than four guests every day, and in those days my father’s income was not very great. Nonetheless, there was no difficulty in offering prasādam to at least four guests every day. According to Vedic principles, a householder, before taking lunch, should go outside and shout very loudly to see if there is anyone without food. In this way he invites people to take prasādam. If someone comes, the householder offers him prasādam, and if there is not much left, he should offer his own portion to the guest. If no one responds to his call, the householder can accept his own lunch. Thus the householder’s life is also a kind of austerity. Because of this, the householder’s life is called the gṛhastha-āśrama. Although a person may live with his wife and children happily in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he also observes the regulative principles followed in any temple. If there is no Kṛṣṇa consciousness, the householder’s abode is called a gṛha-medhī’s house. Householders in Kṛṣṇa consciousness are actually gṛhasthas — that is, those living in the āśrama with their families and children. Śrī Advaita Prabhu was an ideal gṛhastha, and His house was the ideal gṛhastha-āśrama.

COMMENT

We can learn many things about how to live in the gṛhastha-āśrama from Advaita Acharya. Acharya means one who teaches by example. So Advaita Acharya taught by example the life of the ideal householder devotee.

The first point is that the grihastha should worship the Deity at home. Deity worship means that the Deity is installed and the householder worships the Deity according to the rules and regulations of the scriptures, under the guidance of the spiritual master. Then the worship is accepted as bona fide. The husband should work very hard to collect the paraphernalia for worship. Householders may be materially opulent, so their opulence must be engaged in the service of the Deity. Otherwise the householders will become contaminated by their material activities and fall down. Deity worship is most essential for householders. The wife cooks nice foods to offer to the Lord, and then the husband offers the foods to the Deity. Then ārati is performed according to the rules and regulations and the prasādam is distributed. In other words, one should invite people to one’s home to attend ārati, hear Bhagavad-gītā, and take prasādam. In this way one’s home becomes an ashrama.

Or one can visit the temple and attend the ārati in the temple, one can sacrifice one’s possessions for the service of the Deity in the temple, and one can invite guests to come to the temple. Thus one can fulfill the basic principles of gṛhastha-āśrama.

TEXT 42

All the prepared food was divided into three equal parts. One part was arranged on a metal plate for offering to Lord Kṛṣṇa.

PURPORT

The word bāḍāila, meaning “increased,” is very significant in this verse. It is a sophisticated word used by the gṛhasthas in Bengal. Whenever food is prepared and we take away a portion, the food is actually decreased. But here it is the system to say bāḍāila, or “increased.” If food is prepared for Kṛṣṇa and offered to Him and the Vaiṣṇavas, the stock is increased, never decreased.

TEXTS 43–47

Of the three divisions, one was arranged on a metal plate, and the other two were arranged on plantain leaves. These leaves were not bifurcated, and they were taken from a banana tree that held at least thirty-two bunches of bananas. The two plates were filled very nicely with the kinds of food described below.

The cooked rice was a stack of very fine grains nicely cooked, and in the middle was yellow clarified butter from the milk of cows. Surrounding the stack of rice were pots made of the skins of banana trees, and in these pots were varieties of vegetables and mung dhal.

Among the cooked vegetables were paṭolas, squash, mānakacu and a salad made with pieces of ginger and various types of spinach.

There was sukhta, bitter melon mixed with all kinds of vegetables, defying the taste of nectar. There were five types of bitter and pungent sukhtas.

Amongst the various vegetables were newly grown leaves of nimba trees fried with eggplant. The fruit known as paṭola was fried with phulabaḍi, a kind of dhal preparation first mashed and then dried in the sun. There was also a preparation known as kuṣmāṇḍa-mānacāki.

PURPORT

We request our editors of cookbooks to add all these nice preparations described by the experienced author Śrīla Kavirāja Gosvāmī.

TEXTS 48–63

The preparation made with coconut pulp mixed with curd and rock candy was very sweet. There was a curry made of banana flowers and squash boiled in milk, all in great quantity.

There were small cakes in sweet and sour sauce and five or six kinds of sour preparations. All the vegetables were so made that everyone present could take prasādam.

There were soft cakes made with mung dhal, soft cakes made with ripe bananas, and soft cakes made with urad dhal. There were various kinds of sweetmeats, condensed milk mixed with rice cakes, a coconut preparation and every kind of cake desirable.

All the vegetables were served in pots made of banana leaves taken from trees producing at least thirty-two bunches of bananas. These pots were very strong and big and did not tilt or totter.

All around the three eating places were a hundred pots filled with various kinds of vegetables.

Along with the various vegetables was sweet rice mixed with ghee. This was kept in new earthen pots. Earthen pots filled with highly condensed milk were placed in three places.

Besides the other preparations, there were chipped rice made with milk and mixed with bananas, and also white squash boiled in milk. Indeed, it is not possible to describe all the preparations that were made.

In two places there were earthen pots filled with another preparation made with yogurt, sandeśa [a sweetmeat made with curd] and banana. I am unable to describe it all.

Upon the stack of boiled rice and all the vegetables were flowers of the tulasī trees. There were also pots filled with scented rosewater.

There were three sitting places where soft cloths were placed. Thus Lord Kṛṣṇa was offered all the food, and the Lord took it very pleasantly.

It is the system, after offering food, to perform bhoga-ārati. Advaita Prabhu asked the two brothers, Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Nityānanda Prabhu, to come see the ārati. The two Lords and all others present went to see the ārati ceremony.

After ārati was performed for the Deities in the temple, Lord Kṛṣṇa was made to lie down to rest. Advaita Ācārya then came out to submit something to Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

Śrī Advaita Prabhu said, “My dear Lords, kindly enter this room.” The two brothers, Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Nityānanda Prabhu, then came forward to take the prasādam.

When Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Nityānanda Prabhu went to accept the prasādam, They both called Mukunda and Haridāsa to come with Them. However, Mukunda and Haridāsa, both with folded hands, spoke as follows.

When Mukunda was called for, he submitted, “My dear sir, I have something to do that is not yet finished. Later I shall accept the prasādam, so You two Prabhus should now please enter the room.”

Haridāsa Ṭhākura said, “I am the most sinful and lowest among men. Later I shall eat one palmful of prasādam while waiting outside.”

PURPORT

Although the Hindus and Muslims lived together in a very friendly manner, still there were distinctions between them. The Muslims were considered yavanas, or low-born, and whenever a Muslim was invited, he would be fed outside of the house. Although personally called by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Nityānanda Prabhu to take prasādam with Them, still, out of great humility, Haridāsa Ṭhākura submitted, “I shall take the prasādam outside of the house.” Although Haridāsa Ṭhākura was an exalted Vaiṣṇava accepted by Advaita Ācārya, Nityānanda Prabhu and Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, nonetheless, in order not to disturb social tranquillity, he humbly kept himself in the position of a Muslim, outside the jurisdiction of the Hindu community. Therefore he proposed to take prasādam outside the house. Although he was in an exalted position and equal to other great Vaiṣṇavas, he considered himself a pāpiṣṭha, a most sinful man, and adhama, the lowest among men. Although a Vaiṣṇava may be very advanced spiritually, he keeps himself externally humble and submissive.

TEXT 64

Advaita Ācārya took Lord Nityānanda Prabhu and Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu within the room, and the two Lords saw the arrangement of the prasādam. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was especially very pleased.

PURPORT

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was pleased because He saw how nicely so many varieties of food were prepared for Kṛṣṇa. Actually all kinds of prasādam are prepared for Kṛṣṇa, not for the people, but the devotees partake of prasādam with great pleasure.

TEXT 65

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu approved of all the methods employed in cooking and offering food to Kṛṣṇa. Indeed, He was so pleased that He said, “Frankly, I will personally take the lotus feet of anyone who can offer Kṛṣṇa such nice food and place those lotus feet on My head birth after birth.”

When Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu entered the room, He saw three divisions of food, and He knew that all of these were meant for Kṛṣṇa. However, He did not understand the intentions of Advaita Ācārya.

PURPORT

Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura states that one of these servings was offered in a metal dish and was meant for Kṛṣṇa, whereas the other two were placed on big banana leaves. The offering on the metal plate was personally offered by Advaita Ācārya to Kṛṣṇa. The other two servings, on banana leaves, were to be accepted by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Lord Nityānanda. That was Advaita Ācārya’s intention, but He did not disclose this to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Thus when Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu saw the food offered in three places, He thought that all of it was meant for Kṛṣṇa.

TEXTS 67–70

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, “Let Us sit down in these three places, and We shall take prasādam.” However, Advaita Ācārya said, “I shall distribute the prasādam.”

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu thought that all three servings were meant for distribution; therefore He asked for another two banana leaves, saying, “Let Us have a very little quantity of vegetable and rice.”

Advaita Ācārya said, “Just sit down here on these seats.” Catching Their hands, He sat Them both down.

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, “It is not proper for a sannyāsī to eat such a variety of foods. If he does, how can he control his senses?”

PURPORT

The word upakaraṇa indicates a variety of foods, such as dhal, vegetables and other varieties of possible dishes that one can eat very nicely with rice. It is not proper, however, for a sannyāsī to eat such palatable dishes. If he did so, he would not be able to control his senses. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu did not encourage sannyāsīs to eat very palatable dishes, for the whole Vaiṣṇava cult is vairāgya-vidyā, as renounced as possible. Caitanya Mahāprabhu also advised Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī not to eat very palatable dishes, wear very nice garments or talk on mundane subjects. These things are all prohibited for those in the renounced order. A devotee does not accept anything to eat that is not first offered to Kṛṣṇa. All the rich foods offered to Kṛṣṇa are given to the gṛhasthas, the householders. There are many nice things offered to Kṛṣṇa — garlands, bedsteads, nice ornaments, nice food and even nicely prepared pan, betel nuts — but a humble Vaiṣṇava, thinking his body material and nasty, does not accept such preparations for himself. He thinks that by accepting such things he will offend the lotus feet of the Lord. Those who are sahajiyās cannot understand what Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu meant when He asked Advaita Ācārya to bring two separate leaves and give a small quantity of the prasādam to Him.

TEXTS 71–74

When Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu did not accept the food that had already been served, Advaita Ācārya said, “Please give up Your concealment. I know what You are, and I know the confidential meaning of Your accepting the sannyāsa order.”

Advaita Ācārya thus requested Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu to eat and give up juggling words. The Lord replied, “I certainly cannot eat so much food.”

Advaita Ācārya then requested the Lord to simply accept the prasādam without pretense. If He could not eat it all, the balance could be left on the plate.

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, “I will not be able to eat so much food, and it is not the duty of a sannyāsī to leave remnants.”

PURPORT

According to Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.18.19):

bahir jalāśayaṁ gatvā tatopaspṛśya vāg-yataḥ
vibhajya pāvitaṁ śeṣaṁ bhuñjītāśeṣam āhṛtam

“Whatever edibles a sannyāsī gets from a householder’s house he should take outside near some lake or river, and after offering the food to Viṣṇu, Brahmā and the sun (three divisions), he should eat the entire offering and not leave anything for others to eat.”

TEXTS 75–85

In this connection Advaita Ācārya referred to Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s eating at Jagannātha Purī. Lord Jagannātha and Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu are identical. Advaita Ācārya pointed out that at Jagannātha Purī Caitanya Mahāprabhu ate fifty-four times a day, and each time He ate many hundreds of pots of food.

Śrī Advaita Ācārya said, “The amount of food that three people can eat does not constitute even a morsel for You. In proportion to that, these edibles are not even five morsels of food for You.”

Advaita Ācārya continued, “By My great fortune You have just come to My home. Please do not juggle words. Just begin eating and do not talk.”

Upon saying this, Advaita Ācārya supplied water to the two Lords so that They could wash Their hands. The two Lords then sat down and, smiling, began to eat the prasādam.

Nityānanda Prabhu said, “I have undergone fasting for three days continuously. Today I had hoped to break My fast.”

Although Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was thinking that the quantity of food was enormous, Nityānanda Prabhu, on the contrary, thought it not even a morsel. He had been fasting for three days and had greatly hoped to break fast on that day. Indeed, He said, “Although I am invited to eat by Advaita Ācārya, today also is a fast. So small a quantity of food will not fill even half My belly.”

Advaita Ācārya replied, “Sir, You are a mendicant traveling on pilgrimage. Sometimes You eat fruits and roots, and sometimes You simply go on fasting.

“I am a poor brāhmaṇa, and You have come to My home. Please be satisfied with whatever little food You have received and give up Your greedy mentality.”

Lord Nityānanda Prabhu replied, “Whatever I may be, You have invited Me. Therefore You must supply as much as I want to eat.”

His Divine Grace Advaita Ācārya, after hearing the statement of Nityānanda Prabhu, took the opportunity presented by the joking words and spoke to Him as follows.

Advaita Ācārya said, “You are a reject paramahaṁsa, and You have accepted the renounced order of life just to fill up Your belly. I can understand that Your business is to give trouble to brāhmaṇas.”

PURPORT

There is always a difference of opinion between a smārta-brāhmaṇa and a Vaiṣṇava gosvāmī. There are even smārta opinions and Vaiṣṇava gosvāmī opinions available in astrological and astronomical calculations. By calling Nityānanda Prabhu a bhraṣṭa avadhūta (a rejected paramahaṁsa), Advaita Ācārya Prabhu in a sense accepted Nityānanda Prabhu as a paramahaṁsa. In other words, Nityānanda Prabhu had nothing to do with the rules governing smārta-brāhmaṇas. Thus under pretense of condemning Him, Advaita Ācārya was actually praising Him. In the avadhūta stage, the paramahaṁsa stage, which is the supermost stage, one may appear to be viṣayī, on the platform of sense gratification, but in actuality he has nothing to do with sense gratification. At that stage, a person sometimes accepts the symbols and dress of a sannyāsī and sometimes does not. Sometimes he dresses like a householder. We should know, however, that these are all joking words between Advaita Ācārya and Nityānanda Prabhu. They are not to be taken as insults.

TEXT 86

Advaita Ācārya accused Nityānanda Prabhu, saying, “You can eat ten to twenty mānas of rice. I am a poor brāhmaṇa. How shall I get so much rice?

PURPORT

A māna is a measurement containing about forty kilos.

TEXTS 87–96

“Whatever You have, though it be a palmful of rice, please eat it and get up. Don’t show Your madness and strew the remnants of food here and there.”

In this way, Nityānanda Prabhu and Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu ate and talked with Advaita Ācārya jokingly. After eating half of each vegetable preparation given to Him, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu abandoned it and went on to the next.

As soon as half of the vegetable in the pot was finished, Advaita Ācārya filled it up again. In this way, as the Lord finished half of a preparation, Advaita Ācārya again and again filled it up.

After filling a pot with vegetables, Advaita Ācārya requested Them to eat more, and Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, “How much more can I go on eating?”

Advaita Ācārya said, “Please do not give up whatever I have already given You. Now, whatever I am giving, You may eat half and leave half.”

In this way, by submitting various humble requests, Advaita Ācārya made Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Lord Nityānanda eat. Thus Caitanya Mahāprabhu fulfilled all the desires of Advaita Ācārya.

Again Nityānanda Prabhu jokingly said, “My belly is not yet filled up. Please take away Your food. I have not taken the least of it.”

After saying this, Nityānanda Prabhu took a handful of rice and threw it on the floor in front of Him, as if He were angry.

When two or four pieces of the thrown rice touched His body, Advaita Ācārya began to dance in various ways with the rice still stuck to His body.

When the rice thrown by Nityānanda Prabhu touched His body, Advaita Ācārya thought Himself purified by the touch of remnants thrown by Paramahaṁsa Nityānanda. Therefore He began dancing.

PURPORT

The word avadhūta refers to one above all rules and regulations. Sometimes, not observing all the rules and regulations of a sannyāsī, Nityānanda Prabhu exhibited the behavior of a mad avadhūta. He threw the remnants of food on the ground, and some of these remnants touched the body of Advaita Ācārya. Advaita Ācārya accepted this happily because He presented Himself as a member of the community of smārta-brāhmaṇas. By touching the remnants of food thrown by Nityānanda Prabhu, Advaita Ācārya immediately felt Himself purified of all smārta contamination. The remnants of food left by a pure Vaiṣṇava are called mahā-mahā-prasādam. This is completely spiritual and is identified with Lord Viṣṇu. Such remnants are not ordinary. The spiritual master is to be considered on the stage of paramahaṁsa and beyond the jurisdiction of the varṇāśrama institution. The remnants of food left by the spiritual master and similar paramahaṁsas, or pure Vaiṣṇavas, are purifying. When an ordinary person touches such prasādam, his mind is purified, and his mind is raised to the status of a pure brāhmaṇa. The behavior and statements of Advaita Ācārya are meant for the understanding of ordinary people who are unaware of the strength of spiritual values, not knowing the potency of food left by the bona fide spiritual master and pure Vaiṣṇavas.

TEXT 97

Advaita Ācārya jokingly said, “My dear Nityānanda, I invited You, and indeed I have received the results. You have no fixed caste or dynasty. By nature You are a madman.

PURPORT

The words sahaje pāgala (“by nature a madman”) indicate that Nityānanda Prabhu was transcendentally situated on the paramahaṁsa stage. Because He always remembered Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa and Their service, this was transcendental madness. Śrī Advaita Ācārya was pointing out this fact.

TEXT 98

“To make Me a madman like Yourself, You have thrown the remnants of Your food at Me. You did not even fear the fact that I am a brāhmaṇa.”

PURPORT

The words āpanāra sama indicate that Advaita Ācārya considered Himself to belong to the smārta-brāhmaṇas, and He considered Nityānanda Prabhu to be on the transcendental stage with pure Vaiṣṇavas. Lord Nityānanda gave Advaita Ācārya His remnants to situate Him on the same platform and make Him a pure unalloyed Vaiṣṇava or paramahaṁsa. Advaita Ācārya’s statement indicates that a paramahaṁsa Vaiṣṇava is transcendentally situated. A pure Vaiṣṇava is not subject to the rules and regulations of the smārta-brāhmaṇas. That was the reason for Advaita Ācārya’s stating, āpanāra sama more karibāra tare: “to raise Me to Your own standard.” A pure Vaiṣṇava, or a person on the paramahaṁsa stage, accepts the remnants of food (mahā-prasādam) as spiritual. He does not consider it to be material or sense gratificatory. He accepts mahā-prasādam not as ordinary dhal and rice but as spiritual substance. To say nothing of the remnants of food left by a pure Vaiṣṇava, prasādam is never polluted even if it is touched by the mouth of a caṇḍāla. Indeed, it retains its spiritual value. Therefore by eating or touching such mahā-prasādam, a brāhmaṇa is not degraded. There is no question of being polluted by touching the remnants of such food. Actually, by eating such mahā-prasādam, one is freed from all the contaminations of the material condition. That is the verdict of the śāstra.

COMMENT

There is a story that a plate of mahā-prasāda that had been offered to the Deity in one of the temples of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura had somehow been approached by a dog who started to sniff and touch the mahā-prasāda. None of the devotees knew what to do with the mahā-prasāda after the dog had touched it, but Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, as the acharya, took the plate of mahā-prasāda and honored it—ate it.

TEXT 99

Nityānanda Prabhu replied, “These are the remnants of food left by Lord Kṛṣṇa. If You take them to be ordinary remnants, You have committed an offense.”

PURPORT

In the Bṛhad-viṣṇu Purāṇa it is stated that one who considers mahā-prasādam to be equal to ordinary rice and dhal certainly commits a great offense. Ordinary edibles are touchable and untouchable, but there are no such dualistic considerations where prasādam is concerned. Prasādam is transcendental, and there are no transformations or contaminations, just as there are no contaminations or transformations in the body of Lord Viṣṇu Himself. Thus even if one is a brāhmaṇa he is certain to be attacked by leprosy and bereft of all family members if he makes such dualistic considerations. Such an offender goes to hell, never to return. This is the injunction of the Bṛhad-viṣṇu Purāṇa.

TEXTS 100–106

Śrīla Nityānanda Prabhu continued, “If You invite at least one hundred sannyāsīs to Your home and feed them sumptuously, Your offense will be nullified.”

Advaita Ācārya replied, “I shall never again invite another sannyāsī, for it is a sannyāsī who has spoiled all My brahminical smṛti regulations.”

After this, Advaita Ācārya made the Lords wash Their hands and mouths. He then took Them to a nice bed and made Them lie down to take rest.

Śrī Advaita Ācārya fed the two Lords cloves and cardamom mixed with tulasī flowers. Thus there was a good flavor within Their mouths.

Śrī Advaita Ācārya then smeared the bodies of the Lords with sandalwood pulp and then placed very fragrant flower garlands on Their chests.

When the Lord lay down on the bed, Advaita Ācārya waited to massage His legs, but the Lord was very hesitant and spoke as follows to Advaita Ācārya.

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, “Advaita Ācārya, You have made Me dance in various ways. Now give up this practice. Go with Mukunda and Haridāsa and accept Your lunch.”

PURPORT

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is here telling Advaita Ācārya that it is not befitting for a sannyāsī to accept nice beds to lie on or to chew cloves and cardamom and have his body smeared with sandalwood pulp. Nor is it befitting for him to accept fragrant garlands and have his legs massaged by a pure Vaiṣṇava. “You have already made Me dance according to Your vow,” Caitanya Mahāprabhu said. “Now please stop it. You can go and take Your lunch with Mukunda and Haridāsa.”

TEXTS 107–111

Thereupon Advaita Ācārya took prasādam with Mukunda and Haridāsa, and they all wholeheartedly ate as much as they desired.

When the people of Śāntipura heard that Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was staying there, they all immediately came to see His lotus feet.

Being very pleased, all the people loudly began to shout the holy name of the Lord, “Hari! Hari!” Indeed, they became struck with wonder upon seeing the beauty of the Lord.

They saw Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s very fair-complexioned body and its bright luster, which conquered the brilliance of the sun. Over and above this was the beauty of the saffron garments that glittered upon His body.

People came and went with great pleasure. There was no calculating how many people assembled there before the day was over.

COMMENT

So we can end the reading now, and you can hand me the papers with the questions to answer.

Sri Advaita Acharya Prabhu ki jaya!

Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu ki jaya!

Question: Some devotees say that one who is chanting Hare Krishna can perform fire sacrifice. Others say no. Please clarify.

Giriraj Swami: A fire sacrifice is meant to be performed on a specific occasion, such as an initiation, marriage, or Deity installation. The fire sacrifice can be performed by twice-initiated brahmans who recite the Gayatri-mantra, not really by devotees who have only been initiated into hari-nāma.

Question: Sandalwood soap in not available in the supermarket. What soap would you recommend us to buy?

Giriraj Swami: Oṁ apavitraḥ pavitro vā sarvāvasthāṁ gato ‘pi vā yaḥ smaret puṇḍarīkākṣaṁ sa bāhyābhyantaraḥ śuciḥ: “One who remembers the lotus-eyed Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna, is purified within and without.”

Question: If Krishna is the supreme creator, then why are there spiritual and material creators?

Giriraj Swami: The Supreme Authority does not have to do everything Himself. He has His agents to do His bidding. In fact, if Krishna had to do all of the work Himself, what would be the meaning of His being Supreme? Being Supreme means that His order cannot be disobeyed. Thus, He orders people to act on His behalf.

There is an interesting story of a German scholar who went to India to find God. He visited so many temples. Finally he came to the Radha-Krishna temple in Calcutta, and he announced, “Now I have found God.” The devotees asked him, “How do you say that now you have found God?” The German scholar replied, “I visited so many temples in this country, and in every temple I saw that the Deity was engaged in some sort of work, either in meditating or killing some demon—something. But here I see that this God is simply playing on His flute and dancing, so He must be the Supreme: He doesn’t have any work to do.”

Even in the ordinary world, a big man doesn’t have much work to do. If the big man wants to create a factory he just orders his secretary, the secretary passes on the order, and the big man’s agents do everything. The big man simply says two words, and his agents do everything else. In the same way, Krishna doesn’t have to create personally. He just tells Brahma, tapah, and Brahma creates the universe for Krishna. Although Brahma is the immediate agent for executing the order of Krishna to create or engineer the material universe, Krishna is the original cause of all causes. He is the origin of Baladeva, His first expansion, and Baladeva expands into Saṅkarṣaṇa, Vasudeva, Pradyumna, and Aniruddha, then Narayana, and then another quadruple expansion. Eventually Maha-Vishnu expands into Garbhodakashayi Vishnu, and from the lotus navel of the Garbhodakashayi Vishnu Lord Brahma is born, and Lord Brahma creates the material universe. Thus Brahma is also an expansion of Krishna, indirectly. So Krishna has His potencies to act on His behalf. Therefore the Vedas say, na tasya kāryaṁ karaṇaṁ ca vidyate na tat-samaś cābhyadhikaś ca dṛśyate parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate svābhāvikī jñāna-bala-kriyā ca. “The Supreme Lord has nothing to do, but He has so many energies which do everything for Him, and those energies act so perfectly that everything seems to be taking place automatically.” That is God.

(Even then, Brahma does not actually create the material elements. Lord Vishnu or Krishna supplies the material ingredients, and Brahma just fashions and assembles them to form the universe.)

Question: Can it be recommended that the book “Process of Deity Worship” by BBT be used to assist the householders in Deity worship?

Giriraj Swami: There are many books that can assist householders in Deity worship. The Nectar of Devotion gives instructions about Deity worship, as do the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and the Caitanya-caritāmṛta. But if one is actually serious about worshiping the Deity, the Deity has to be installed. Then one must worship the Deity according to the rules and regulations. One must be twice initiated as a brahman to worship an installed Deity, and one must follow the rules and regulations—just as we read of Advaita Acharya, the ideal householder. One should follow the same rules and regulations at home as in the temple. So if one is actually serious and able, one must follow the standard process. Otherwise, Deities that are not installed may be like pictures. To a picture you can offer as much as you like: you can offer a flower, you can offer incense, you can offer ārati, you can offer whatever you can. So an uninstalled Deity may be considered the same as a picture in the house. Of course, for the sake of show if one wants to keep Deities so that others may think, “Oh, he is very advanced!” that’s something else. But if one is actually serious about making advancement in spiritual life, one has to begin by following the regulative principles, chanting Hare Krishna, sixteen rounds, taking initiation, and actually becoming qualified to worship the Deity. Then one can really make advancement. And certainly the GBC approved guidelines in the Deity worship book can help.

Question: If one cooks meat in the house and serves the family and then comes and works in the temple, is there karma?

Giriraj Swami: If the woman cooks meat and serves the family because the family insists on eating meat, she is implicated in the sinful activity of animal slaughter. Now, when she comes to the temple and does voluntary devotional service, she gets spiritual credit. You cannot say that because she is cooking meat at home she can’t come to the temple. It is better to come to the temple and do some service even if one cannot follow all of the rules and regulations at home. Sometimes the woman is in an awkward position if the husband is not Krishna conscious, unfortunately. Still, Krishna knows the sincerity of the person, so if she sincerely wants to serve Krishna, even if by circumstances she is forced for some time to do something which is not congenial, Krishna will appreciate her desire to become Krishna conscious and He will help her. Of course, one should not develop the offensive mentality of thinking that, “I can do all nonsense at home and then come to the temple and chant Hare Krishna and do some service to nullify my sinful reactions so I can go on with my sinful activities.” We should never think like that; that is very offensive. Rather, we should think that we must stop our sinful activities and engage in the service of the Lord: then the service will be effective. If one is trying to give up sinful activities, but due to circumstances or bad association or previous conditioning one is not able to give up sinful activities all at once, still one can endeavor to give up the sinful activities and at the same time engage in devotional service. That will help one advance.

Question: Is there any harm if we happen to worship the Deity of Lord Krishna at home?

Giriraj Swami: Generally, worshiping the Deities is beneficial if one worships according to the rules and regulations. But if one worships and commits offenses—of course, even if one worships and commits offenses by accident one can still improve. Still, to protect oneself from offenses one may begin with the worship of the most merciful Pancha-tattva or Sri Sri Gaura-Nitai.

Srila Prabhupada ki jaya!

Hare Krishna.