Narasimha Caturdasi - Extracting the mood of the pastime

Today we are celebrating Narasimha Caturdasi. Does anyone have any further thoughts on the essence of Narasimha-lila for raganugiya sadhakas?

Dear Madhava,

Not that I have any intention to change the subject here in; a friend of my Bhakti Ananda Swami, that I had the opportunity to be with in N.Y. 2000, when at that time he could move around, sent an e-mail where he writes an article about Sri Nara Hari Prabhu. Please check-out, he is an interesting Vaishnava



Nrsimhadev caturdasi ki jay !

ys

Hari bol Hari Saran Prabhuji !

Dear brother, please accept my pranams too.

Thankyou for spreading the news about our great protector Lord Narasingha Deva !

If i was physically able, i could write volumes on his worship in the ancient world. Such a vast amount of information is there, but I cannot get it out to the devotees. I can only give tiny bits out.

I hope that Robert prabhu can update the first post about "two lions" (he titled it) on his saragrahi site. The post I sent you is so much better an introduction . At least these little bits of information are a start. The connections are so amazing.

For instance, the lion headed form of the lord in Egypt and the Levant (including Israel and Judah) was the protector of children and women in childbirth ! Notice how he saved prahlada in his mother's womb and then later? His mediterranean and african temples were refuges for pregnant women! He is the patron protector of the unborn / 'right-to-life' !

He manifest in his fullest ferocity against the Canaanites, because they "passed their children through the fire to melech" mlk (melech / molok) means "king". Now think of Prahlad being sacrificed in the fire to his father the king ! He (eli yahu tzabaoth) was also worshiped as djed djed ntr (Jagganatha!) In a story about floating up on the shore of byblos in the form of a great log. The log was made a pillar in the throne room of the king of byblos, and he (asu / wasu / yahu vasudeva) manifest from it in a later pastime !

The Shaivites, pure land Buddhists and tantra Buddhists worship the lion headed form of Shiva called maha kala, who is Nara Hari as time ! Amoung the 108 names of Narasingha Deva are Kalah, Shivayah, Bairavah, and Mahadevah, all names of Shiva ! In Lord Nara Hari, Buddhism, Shaivism, Tibetan bon (the ancient protector za), Zervanism, Zoroastrianism, Mithraism, Judaism, Greek monotheism, roman monotheism, Egyptian and African and later catholic monotheism are all historically united. Seen devouring the worlds, Lord Narahari Kalah is the wrathful form of Sri Krishna as time revealed to Arjuna in his great theophany of the Bhagavad-gita. This is his same central theophany of the bible exodus story. In both he answers the mayavadis by declaring his great self-asserting "I am" verses ! In both he reveals his wrathful form as time devouring the world ! He is the patron of kshatriyas in both the east and the west. In the east devotees of Lord Nara Hari keep a saturn-day sabbath just like the jews ! There are countless connections. Please let everyone know that yahu tzabaoth 'lord of hosts' (heavenly hosts = time, earthly hosts = armies) is Lord Nara Hari (Sri Krishna) as kalah !

I cannot get involved in any more egroup exchanges. I don't have the strength for it. I am chronically scores of emails behind. But i encourage you to post anything from me that you like.

May the Lord and our lady bless you with their prema bhakti !

Your aspiring servant,

Bhakti Ananda Goswami

I know that Bhakti Ananda Gosvami writes in all caps due to his bad eyesight. Still, if you wish to duplicate texts from him, it'd be helpful if you could turn them into regular text. In Microsoft Word, there is a handy utility under Format > Change Case, select "Sentence case" and you get it all turned into regular text. Then just capitalize the names and you're ready to post.

Sri Ananta Dasji has, as usual, given a striking and unique insight.

My own much more obvious view is that the example of Sri Prahlad is one all Vaishnavas can derive inspiration from in living in this oftentimes difficult world with tolerance, forbearance and faith that all is for the best and the Lord will protect.

Dear Harisaran,
Bhakti-Anandji's writings can sometimes suggest interesting possibilities, but I would recommend 'taking them with a grain of salt' because despite his wide reading and amazing retention, he tends to blur distinctions, he doesn't distinguish between well-established fact and mere guessing, and so he sometimes misses the obvious. For example, if everyone is a Vaishnava, is it equally good to go to Rome or Vrindavan? Doesn't this then render the distinctions Vaishnava and Christian, or for that matter Voodooist, meaningless? (In a kind of 'all-is-one' New Age soup?)

With all respect to BA for his obvious sincerity and conviction, and his dedication to the Vaishnava cause despite his physical difficulties of course!
Braj Mohan Das.

Shastra gives a distinct definition of a Vaishnava - he follows ekadashi, is initiated in vishnu mantra and is actively engaged in vishnu's service - saw the Pope or Binladen doing this?

With this thread, I was hoping to bring the story of Narasingha Avatar, and yes, why not the other Vishnu-avataras too, closer to the hearts of those who long for the feelings of Vraja, to distill the essence of bhava which would be particularly relishable for the raganugiya aspirants. Somehow I feel that bringing in Bhairava and Yahu Tzabaoth don't make me feel closer to and more related with the story.

I had the great fortune yesterday to view a fabulous brass centuries old brass Diety of Nrsimhadeva in an art exhibit of Tibetan, Kashmiri and Nepali art that is on tour of the USA. There was also mention of the five Buddhas in the description of one painting. Anyone know more about this?

Just to clarify, 'Mahakala' is viewed as the most terrible form of Shiva, Death personified itself, in Aghora. It is incorrect to say that Mahakala is Narahari. The two are completely different.

HARE KRISHNA !

Please read our Acaryas' definition of "Vaishnava" from their book "Vaishnavism and Nam Bhajan". I have exactly quoted it in my letter to the French Association of Vaishnavas. http://www.vnn.org/editorials/ET0305/ET11-8061.html

wishing you pax and prema,

Bhakti Ananda Goswami

HARE KRISHNA!

Dear Devotees,

Please accept my humble obeisances.

It was not my choice to post my writings here. I generally give permission to anyone to post anything that they want of mine anywhere they want to, as long as it is not altered. However, this often leads to problems. For example, the mood of this thread has been directed away from its original intent. Also, some self-appointed experts here have baselessly impugned my credibility and erroneously challenged my facts.

(See more below.)

My apologies for the intrusion, but now I must respond to the criticisms made here.

Are we discussing Lord Narasingha ? Bairava and Mahakalah are two of His 108 Names. Even though Lord Narasingha Rupa may not be worshiped along side Sri Sri Radha-Krishna (due to rasa differences), prayers to Him are always sung by Vrindavana lila devotees. Vraja lila
must dominate wherever both devotions can be manifest. Vraja lila cannot be the sub-dominant rasa. Thus Narasimha lila was included in the Lila of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, but the 'Bridal Mysticism' of Vraja is not included in the lila of Nara Hari. In the same way, in the Mediterranean region, the Lion Headed Wrathful Form of Heru / Eli / Ari / Hari AS TIME (Kalah, Yahu Tzabaoth) was not considered His original Form. His Original Form was KOUROS on the Isle of Rhodes. This brings the discussion back to Vrindavana lila, because the worship of Helios Kouros and Rhoda on the Island of Rhodes was Vrindavana-related Krishna and Radha worship. The worship of Yahu Tzabaoth was exoteric Nara Hari worship, and the Bridal Mysticism Tradition of Eli-Yahu and His Shekinah / Shakti was more esoteric in the Biblical Tradition. There are many connections, so I can understand why Hari Saran das prabhu thought that there would be no harm in posting my letter here.

pax and prema,

Bhakti Ananda Goswami

HARE KRISHNA !

Please see my introductory series on the historical and theological connections between Pure Land Buddhism and Krishna-centric Vaishnavism on my ONE FAITH column at saragrahi.org. I have studied Buddhism for over 30 years, did accredited graduate degree field-work involving it, and am initiated in three closely Vaishnava-related forms of Pure land Buddhism. I have studied the worship of the Avataras of Krishna-Vishnu and Radha-Shakti in Pure Land Buddhism from India, Afganistan, Tibet and China, to Korea and Japan, and from Sri Lanka to Cambodia and Bali etc. I have studied scores of forms of Buddhism, and while the late Tantrics who worship Mahakala Bairava are certainly corrupt, the fact remains that Maha Kalah was originally and still is Nara Hari by HIS NAME of KALAH.

While in Nepal, I 'viewed' (was blessed with the darshan of) more than 5,000 Buddhist and Vaishnava Murtis and Tangkas etc. I know what I am writing about. If you want some reliable information about Buddhism, please read my Buddhist series (still in progress) on saragrahi.org.

pax and prema,

Bhakti Ananda Goswami

HARE KRISHNA!

Prabhuji, you have a very limited fund of knowledge regarding the worship of Mahakala. Please do not present yourself as an expert when you are not. You know a little bit about how Mahakala is or has been heretically worshiped by some limited group or groups. I have studied His worship over thousands of years, by over a hundred groups from Africa to Japan and Bali. So please, restrain yourself from criticizing me. When you know more than I do on the subject, then your 'corrections' will be valuable. As it is, you have erred in your statement that "The two are completely different". The names of Mahakala are even found in litanies of Nara Hari's Names all over India and the East. When I asked Tibetan Masters about Mahakala, they ALWAYS replied that He was a wrathful expansion of Lokeshvara (Vishnu). More than 90% of His Forms have a leonid or semi-leonid head or face, and He is most certainly associated with Sri Krishna's Wrathful Theophany as TIME KALAH in the Bhagavad-gita.

best wishes,

Bhakti Ananda Goswami

HARE KRISHNA !

Lord Nara Hari appeared to His adversary as Fear Personifiied. At the same time, Prahlad saw Him as his dearmost Beautiful Friend. Among some Mayavadis, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is claimed as a Mayavadi ! Some Sufis claim that Sri Caitanya was a Sufi ! Sri Caitanya played as a bhakta. Sometimes He pretended to be a fool. Some experienced Him as an invincible scholar. Sometimes Sri Mahaprabhu would appear to a devotee like a cowherd boy, and sometimes Gaurangadeva would reveal the combined Forms of Sri Sri Radha-Krishna ! He also exhibited Sad Buja with His six arms revealing 3 lilas. To the dear devotee of Lord Narasingha, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu revealed His Identity by eating Lord Nara Hari's offering ! The greater includes the Lesser. The higher more inclusive lilas can include some other rasas as sub-dominant without rasa bhasa. Thus the private revelation of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu contained a variety of rasas, as was demonsrated repeatedly in His pastimes with His devotees.

May that Lord, Who is simultaneously One and Different, may HE reconcile all of our differences and unite us in relishing the INFINITE FLAVORS OF HIS DIVINE LOVE.

May Lord Baladeva protect and deliver us, and may Srimate Radharani bless us all with Her prema bhakti.

wishing you all well,

Sri Sri Guru and Gauranga ki jaya!

Bhakti Ananda Goswami

Here is the article that I sent to Hari Saran das. Please excuse the irregular capitalization, as the original was in all caps and the nice devotee at VINA tried to fix it for me.


http://www.vina.cc/stories/PHILOSOPHICAL/2...ionofjudah.html

The book "the Mysteries of Mithras" by Fraz Cumont discusses some of the connections between the Persian Zervan (Time) and the Greek Zeus Chronos, and Roman Jupiter Saturnus. The book has a very interesting collection of Icons of the Lion Headed Form of the Supreme Lord. Please note, if you see it, that He is frequently accompanied by Ananta Deva, which art historians call 'the serpent of infinity'.

We might, however, wish to limit the stricter definition of Vaishnava to those who pursue the path of suddha-bhakti, not knowingly mixing their theology with karma and jnana.

The following definitions of a Vaishnava are given by Sri Jiva Gosvami in his Bhakti-sandarbha:

---

The original verse (Anuccheda 202) is as follows:

ete hi vaiSNavAH santo mahattvena san-mAtratvena ca vibhidya nirdiSTAH | san-mAtra-bhede tAratamyaM cAtra yad aviviktaM tad-bhakti-bheda-nirUpaNe purato vivecanIyam | anye tu sva-goSThy-apekSayA vaiSNavAH tatra karmiSu tad-apekSayA

Earlier the greatness of different categories of Vaishnavas was related. Now different kinds of bhakti which were previously described together are discriminated between and compared with each other. Now various classes of Vaishnavas are considered along with fruitive workers.

Then Jiva proceeds to cite three verses in defining a Vaishnava.

yathA skAnde mArkaNDeya-bhagIratha-saMvAde -

dharmArthaM jIvitaM yeSAM santAnArthaM ca maithunam |
pacanaM vipramukhyArthaM jJeyAs te vaiSNavA narAH || ity Adi |

In the Skanda Purana, Markandeya instructs Bhagiratha: "Those people for whom the purpose of life is religion, for whom the purpose of sexual intercourse are children, and for whom the purpose of cooking is to serve the brahmins, they are Vaishnavas."

atra zrI-viSNor AjJA-buddhyaiva tat tat kriyata iti vaiSNava-padena gamyate -- "Thus they who act in awareness of the orders of Vishnu are understood as Vaishnavas."

Jiva cites this verse as a part of a series of verses from the Puranas which define a Vaishnava. He continues:

zrI-visNu-purANe ca -

na calati nija-varNa-dharmato yaH
sama-matir Atma-suhRd-vipakSa-pakSe |
na harati na hanti kiJcid uccaiH
sthita-manasaM tam avehi viSNu-bhaktam || [ViP 3.7.20] iti |

tad-arpaNe tu sutarAm eva vaiSNavatvam |

In the Vishnu Purana: "He who does not abandon his specific varna-dharma, who is equiposed, who is a well-wisher to his enemies, who does not steal, who does not injure anyone, and who is steady in his mind, he is understood as a Vishnu-bhakta." Thus a simple definition of being a Vaishnava is presented.

yathA pAtAla-khaNDe vaizAkha-mAhAtmye --

jIvitaM yasya dharmArthaM dharmo hary-artham eva ca |
aho-rAtrANi puNyArthaM taM manye vaiSNavaM bhuvi || [PadmaP 5.94.8] iti |

In the Patala-Khanda, Vaisakha-mahatmya: "Those who in this world live for the purpose of dharma, and for whom the purpose of dharma is Hari, and who act for the purpose of piety day and night, are known as Vaishnavas.

---

Thus the concept of Sri Jiva Gosvami is given. Perhaps even more significantly, the Hari Bhakti Vilasa (1.55) states:

---

gRhIta-viSNu-dIkSAko viSNu-pUjA-paro naraH |
vaiSNavo 'bhihito 'bhijJair itaro 'smAd avaiSNavaH ||

"That person who has taken diksa of Vishnu and who does the puja of Vishnu, he is known as a Vaishnava and all others are non-vaishnavas."

I think it will be helpful if we maintain our presentation open to challenge, not becoming irritated when we face disagreement. There are countless individuals in this world, each possessing a certain amount of experience and wisdom; naturally everyone agrees and disagrees according to their knowledge. It is not helpful or conducive for a peaceful discussion to criticize any given person. In his statement, Vaishnava-das has not said a single word of critique against you, Bhakti Ananda Goswami, but has merely disagreed with a statement of yours. Please do not take disagreement as personal criticism.

As there appears to be a long, intercontinental history to the worship of Narasingha, I would be curious to know of the different modes of worship that have been adopted in his seva.

Yasodamaiya touches the different parts of Sri Krishna's delicate body while chanting the Narasimha-bija before her son leaves for the gostha in the morning. In the evening, the poets, jesters and artists assemble in Nanda-bhavan, entertaining the assembly; Sri Krishna and the sakhas eagerly attend the show, as pastimes of Rama-lila, Narasimha-lila etc. are narrated and acted out in drama.

Thus the conception of Sri Narasimha's Godhood is evident in Vraja-lila, though the Godhood of Svayam Bhagavan is altogether clouded over by Vraja-prema. However, the Vrajavasis do not pursue the path of suddha-bhakti for Vishnu; rather they approach him for all varieties of boons, such as prosperity and long life for their dear Krishna!

I forgot to mention that in that same Himalayan regions art exhibit, there were a number of murtis of Vishnu that had a human head in the center and a lion and boar head on the sides (I assume those are Narasimha and Varaha).

Please consider the following words of the great Gaudiya Vaishnava Acaryas Srila Thakur Bhaktivinode and Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Sarasvati Thakur from their Book "Vaishnavism and Nam-Bhajan". On pages two and three, these two illustrious Chaitanyaite Vaishnava Saints give the following astounding definition of "Vaishnava".

VAISHNAVA

Real Vaishnavism: The word 'Vaishnavism' indicates the normal, eternal and natural condition, functions and devotional characteristics of all individua-souls in relation to Vishnu, the Supreme, the All-pervading Soul. But an unnatural, unpleasant and regrettable sense has been attributed to the word making one understand by the word, Vaishnava (literally a pure and self-less worshipper of Vishnu) a human form with twelve peculiar signs(Tilak) and dress on, worshipping many gods under the garb of a particular God and hating any other human form who marks himself with different signs, puts on a different dress and worships a different God in a different way and designated by the words 'Shaiva', 'Shakta', 'Ganapatya', 'Jaina', 'Buddhist', 'Mahomedan', 'Christian' etc.

This is the most unnatural, unpleasant and regrettable sense of the word, 'Vaishnava', which literally and naturally means one who worships Vishnu out of pure love expecting nothing from Him in return.

Vishnu, the Supreme, All-pervading Soul, gives life and meaning to all that is. He is the highest unchallengeable Truth devoid of illusion everywhere and existing through eternity. He is Sat, ever existing, Chit, all-knowing, Ananda, ever-blissful and fully free. He is in jivas and jivas are in Him, as are the rays in the glowing sun and the particles of water in the vast rolling ocean. As nothing but heat and light of the sun, and coldness and liquidity etc. of the sea is found in the constituents of the rays and the particles of water respectively, so nothing but Sat, Chit or free will and Ananda is found in the jiva. The ingredients and attributes of the whole must remain in the part in a smaller degree. So the part it identical with the whole when taken qualitatively and different when taken quantitatively. This is the true and eternal relation between jiva and Vishnu. So He always prevails over jiva who is ever subject to Him. As the service of the master is the fundamental function of the servant, so the service of Vishnu is natural and inherent in jiva and it is called Vaishnavata or Vaishnavism and every jiva is a Vaishnava. As a person possessing immense riches is called a miser if he does not display and make proper use of them, so jivas when they do not display Vaishnavata are called Non-Vaishnavas or A-Vaishnavas though in reality they are so."

and from "THE BHAGAVATA" we read on page 18...

"The superiority of Bhagavan consists in the uniting of all sorts of theistical worship into one excellent principle in human nature which passes by the name bhakti. This word has no equivalent in the English Language. Piety, devotion, resignation, and spiritual love unalloyed with any sort of petition except in the way of repentance, compose the highest principle of Bhakti. The Bhagavata tells us to worship God in that great and invaluable principle which is infinitely superior to human knowledge and the principle of yoga.

Our short compass will not admit of an explanation of the principle of bhakti beautifully rising from its first stage of application in the form of brahmic worship in the shape of admiration which is styled the shanta-rasa, to the fifth or the highest stage of absolute union in Love with God, sweetly styled the madhurya-rasa of prema-bhakti. A full explanation will take a big volume which is not our objective here to compose. Suffice it to say that the principle of bhakti passes five distinct stages in the course of its development into its highest and purest form. Then again when it reaches the last form, it is susceptible of further progress from the stage of prema (Love) to that of mahabhava which is in fact a complete transition into the spiritual universe where God alone is the Bridegroom of our soul."

and on page 32...

"The Bhagavata, therefore, allows us to call Vyasa and Narada as shaktyavesh avataras of the infinite energy of God, and the spirit of the text goes far to honour all great reformers and teachers who lived and will live in other countries. The Vaishnava is ready to honour all great men without distinction of caste, because they are filled with the energy of God. See how universal is the religion of the Bhagavata. It is not intended for a certain class of Hindus alone, but it is a gift to man at large, in whatever country he is born and in whatever society he is bred. In short, Vaishnavism is the Absolute Love binding all men together into the infinite unconditioned and absolute God. May it, peace, reign forever in the whole universe in the continual development of its purity by the exertion of the future heroes, who will be blessed according to the promise of the Bhagavata with powers from the Almighty Father, the Creator, Preserver and the Annihilator of all things in Heaven and Earth."

Srila Bhaktivinode, born in 1838, also said (page 32) "Plato looked at the peak of the Spiritual question from the West and Vyasa made the observation from the East."

Regarding divisive sectarianism or the 'party spirit' he also wrote in "THE BHAGAVATA":

"The true critic is a generous judge, void of prejudices and party spirit. One who is at heart the follower of Mohammed will certainly find the doctrines of the New Testament to be a forgery by the fallen angel. A Trinitarian Christian, on the other hand, will denounce the precepts of Mohammed as those of an ambitious reformer. The reason is simply that the critic should be of the same disposition of mind as the author whose merits he is required to judge. Thoughts have different ways. One who is trained up in the thoughts of the Unitarian Society or of the Vedanta of the Benares school, will scarcely find any piety in the faith of the Vaishnavas. An ignorant Vaishnava, on the other hand, whose business it is to beg from door to door in the name of Nityananda, will find no piety in the Christians. This is because the Vaishnava does not think in the way in which the Christian thinks of his own religion. It may be that both the Christian and the Vaishnava will utter the same sentiment, but they will never stop their fight with each other only because they have arrived at their common conclusion by different ways of thought. Thus it is that a great deal of ungenerousness enters into the arguments of the pious Christians when they pass their imperfect opinion on the religion of the Vaishnavas."

and finally Srila Bhaktivinode has lamented ...

"Oh! What a trouble it is to get rid of prejudices gathered in unripe years!"

I did read the text you referred us to in the link in one of your previous posts, thank you for repeating it.

What am I supposed to do, disagree with Jiva and Sanatana Gosvamis to accommodate a more inclusive concept?

Certainly Christians, Moslems, Buddhists and Zoroastrians are good and religious people, we do not disagree on this. However, they are not Vaishnavas according to the clear definitions of Jiva and Sanatana.

HARE KRISHNA!

Dear Devotees,

Please accept my humble obeisances.

My concern is not that someone may personally criticize me, but that unqualified persons, who lack the humility to admit their lack of qualification, represent themselves as experts, when they are not. As a result, they present their puffed-up dis-information to the Vaishnava community as fact, and in so doing, cause harm to all concerned. Because this problem has been so pervasive in the Hare Krishna Movement, the devotees are carrying a great burden of erroneous ideas with regard to other religious traditions, which effects their behavior towards the devotees in those traditions.

The time has come for accountibility. I am simply asking the self-appointed-expert devotees to tell us what their qualification is to teach on these subjects. I am willing to state my qualification and give the proof for my assertions. The time has come for the self-appointed-experts to tell the devotees what their qualification is to publicly challenge the accuracy of my statements, and impugn my credbility. I am trying to serve the Vaishnavas by providing them with reliable significant information. When I come into a forum, such as this, and my credibility is immediately challenged, the devotees have the right to know what the qualification is of those who are calling my credibility into question.

In an academic forum, all the participants are basically qualified. In devotee forums like this one, a trained and repected scholar, such as myself, has no more acknowledgement or respect than some self-appointed-expert who knows absolutely nothing. As a result, statements made by myself, which are the fruit of decades of first-class graduate-level interdisciplinary research, are foolishly and recklessly 'refuted' by persons with no qualification at all to refute them. The devotees reading these challenges to my statements and credibility, do not know that the self-appointed-expert critics are completely unqualified to critique my work. They do not know what my qualifications are, only that other devotees have challenged my credibility. Thus I have now begun to assert my qualifications and to request my critics to tell everyone what their qualifications are for criticizing my work.

The result of the self-appointed-experts' unfounded criticism has been that my ministry has been impeded in the Hare Krishna Movement, by the criticisms and challenges to my credibility that have been made by these completely unqualified persons. For decades I have been struggling uphill against the nonsense opinions of these puffed-up self-appointed-experts. So I am taking a stand here on this forum, and asserting my qualification to write on these subjects, and asking my critics to provide us all with their superior qualification to impeach my assertions of fact. Here is a brief sketch of my qualifications in religious studies. http://www.saragrahi.org/columns/one/one1/...ical_sketch.htm

Since this discussion does not belong on this thread, I will try to create a new thread. I request that my critics, who want to continue to challenge my integrity and credibility as a research historian, move all of their Bhakti Ananda Goswami related comments to the new thread.

A scholar has only 3 things qualifying him or her. These are 1. devotion to God in humility, 2. integrity / truthfulness and 3. expertise / knowledge or actual mastery of scientific methodology and the relevant facts / information. I have submitted myself to God and real experts. I am concerned with the absolute TRUTH, and abhor dishonesty. My rigorous use of proper methods and mastery of the INTERDISCIPLINARY evidence concerning my subjects has been proven. I have stood the 'test of time' as a Vaishnava (by your narrower definitions), as a truth-teller and as a researchist and teacher. What are the qualifications of my critics, who have no shame to question my devotion, integrity or scholarship? Disagreement is personal criticism when my devotion, integrity or knowledge has been challenged. However, it is not the presonal criticism that is the problem. The problem is the effect of the criticism, which has impeded my devotional service in the Movement for decades.

So now I am speaking up, and asking 'what is the qualification of my critics?' Let us hear from them about their qualifications.


everyone's well wisher,

Bhakti Ananda Goswami

I have carefully reviewed your biographical sketch, particularly the section concerning your "Religious Studies and Academic Background".

I can see that you have traveled the lenght and breadth of the world, met many saintly men and studied many scriptures. However, I would be interested in seeing if there are any recognized institutes specialized in studying and teaching the topics you speak on who may have granted you formal recognition of your learning.

I noted the following:

- Honorary Secretary of the Universal Sanatana Dharma Foundation
- Co-founder of the Arcadian Institute

Could you fill us in with the details on the two abovementioned organizations, to help us evaluate the weight of their recognition? I failed to find information on either of them on the internet.

Among your academic credentials you mention a B.A. degree, but it is unclear to me what was the topic you worked on while pursuing the degree.

Also, I would like to know the names and affiliations of the persons under whom you studied, to be able to better evaluate your qualifications in the realm of interreligious presentation.

On another note, if someone challenges a view you present, as a scholar it should not be difficult for you to cite your sources and substantiate your claim. In general, if your writings were annotated with references to the sources, I think you would gain a good deal of additional credibility.

It is very sad to me if you have taken offence of the comments of some members of our audience. Perhaps, if the subject matter is very sensitive to you, it would be wise to saw the seeds of your wisdom to a land which is fertile. Personally, in the light of my scriptural studies, I do not believe that interreligious dialogues are necessary for the growth of our devotion, "our" meaning the present-day sAdhaka-samAja . That does not mean to say that they are devoid of merit; certainly they may be advantageous in dialogues with members of the public with similar inclinations.

HARE KRISHNA !

I appreciate your cordial and sensible letter and will answer it on the other thread. I will not be replying again on this thread. For the devotee interested in Nepal region Vaishnava and Buddhist Icons and connections, I invite him to correspond with me personally at bhakti.eohn@verizon.net so that I can give him some references.

Bhakti Ananda Goswami

Dear Goswamiji:

I appreciate your offer. I will think of some good questions and send them over to you. If I may make a small suggestion, which would help me and others to grasp your position and thoughts on various matters: If you could make your writings briefer and more condensed, that would help. I find myself feeling like I am drowning in an ocean of words and taking a long time to reach the shore in the distance. I hope you do not take offense at this suggestion. I know that I have the same problem when writing and really need to gauge myself as I go along.

Dear Bhakti Ananda Goswamiji,

I don't know how to reply to this intensely emotional reply of yours. I suspect you will not read this message since you have stated several times that you will not reply again, but at least let me be allowed to put my side. I have read some of your work and I have admired your ideas in some places. Interesting that you analyse spiritual topics from a perspective that is largely Judaeo-Christian, and I have indulged in interfaith studies of Gaudiya Vaishnavism from an early Islamic perspective. I'd say that Islam has more in common with Gaudiya Vaishnavism than Judaism or Christianity. Though I tend to disagree with some of your conclusions. Although disagreements of that part is largely irrelevant to this present discussion so please allow me to stick to the topic at hand.

Regarding the topic of the seeming nonduality of Mahakala and Narasimha:


As regarding my qualification to speak on the subject of Mahakala, I was a practicing Aghori before I was introduced to the sublime philosophy of Vaishnavism. If you know anything about the theory and/or practices of Aghora, you will know that Mahakala is revered as the ultimate, most terrifying form of Shiva. The philosophy of Aghora holds that it is Mahakala who appears before you at the time of death, therefore he is Death personified. It is known by all the followers of Aghora that Mahakala is a manifestation of Shiva, and this is supposedly confirmed via the expressions of the tantric agamas. I don't see how my original comments were a personal criticism so I am at a loss to understand why you have taken m y statements too much to heart. I don't see any two way about this; it is confirmed that Mahakala is a form of Shiva. Please refer to "Agora: At The Left Hand of God" by Robert E. Svoboda for further information. The next installments in Svoboda's trilogy may also be useful.


Interesting. However, it is confirmed in various scriptures that Mahakala is referred to as personified Death. As far as I am concerned, if there is any resemblance to Sri Narahari then that surely refers to death. Mahakala-shiva is death personified for every indivudual, and Sri Narahari was certainly the cause of death for Hiranyakasipu.


I believe this is the gap in your argument. Why ask Buddhists about the identity of Mahakala? How would they know anything about a manifestation of Shiva? Also, I am intrigued as to how you define Lokesvara as Visnu. Is that your interpretation, or theirs?


Very interesting. I assume that you have scriptural references from acceptable sources to confirm this point? In any case it is still very interesting, yet there is also confirmation that a large number of philosophical schools revere Mahakala as a manifestation of Shiva. Considering the plurality of beliefs that are prevalent in today's version of "Hinduism" and also accepting the symbiosis of certain doctrines such as Hari-Hara and Ardhana-isvara, I don't see any great problem in accepting that a name can be accepted by more than one individual. In this respect it is not out of place to state that Shiva indeed manifests a terrible Bhairava form to deal with a specific function; in this case, Death.

Kind regards,

Vaishnava das

Now that I've read the term Maha-kala again and again in this thread, I am reminded that the Sudarshana of Vishnu is generally identified as the emblem of time, not Narahari. This is as far as my studies of the Vedic literature is concerned. Perhaps someone may point me to a passage which proves otherwise.

My scholar's ego is piqued, and I just want to petulantly state that I have an advanced degree, equivalent to a Masters, (BAHons, Asian Studies) from a recognised University, in which I spent a year studying Chinese Religion in the original Mandarin looking for links to Indic tradition, along with a year studying the plight of women in Hindu tradition, among many other related topics.

So when I describe another scholar's work as relying on guesswork, I know what I am saying and I am qualified by a widely recognised process to say it. If that scholar takes it as a personal attack he is missing the point.

I am familiar with most of the matters Bhakti Anand refers to, and his arguments do not convince me, nor would the concensus of scholarship be persuaded.

Yet, this is not to dismiss his writings, or at least the non-pretentious part of them. Beyond the hyperbole, Bhakti Anand's creative mind has uncovered interesting connections which normal scholarship may miss. This may well lead to new insights which can be substantiated in the normal way.

One thing I have noticed about BA's abilites in general which I think is relevant, is that Gaudiya Vaishnavism is the one field he probably knows least about, and this is simply because his sources are confused and he has not yet been able to sift through them effectively. This is a process which all of us here have had to face at some stage, and Madhava has tried to point this out to him above. He could benefit from a careful reading of this website, for example, as a beginning.

Respects to all,
Braj Mohan Das.

Well spoken.

Evidently, it is dangerous to be hasty in commenting on another's qualifications.

As I stated in another thread, comparative religion can often be misleading. It is easy to find common denominators between traditions, or to trace common threads like the history of a word, a name, or a concept. But such researches often leave us empty-handed. We have an accumulation of data, but it is lifeless.

Anyone who has studied Hindu literature knows that the names of many gods are almost interchangeable, which comes in part as an effort of devotees to assimilate all other deities to their ishta devata, who incorporates all the attributes familiarly attributed to other deities.

Terror, time and death, protection of devotees and destruction of evildoers have been attributed to all deities at one time or another; this information is simultaneously valuable and void.

Let me cite a passage by G.K.Chesterton:

I was once escorted over the Roman foundations of an ancient British city by a professor, who said something that seems to me a satire on a good many other professors. Possibly the professor saw the joke, though he maintained an iron gravity, and may or may not have realized that it was a joke against a great deal of what is called comparative religion. I pointed out a sculpture of the head of the sun with the usual halo of rays, but with the difference that the face in the disc, instead of being boyish like Apollo, was bearded like Neptune or Jupiter. "Yes," he said with a certain delicate exactitude, "that is supposed to represent the local god Sul. The best authorities identify Sul with Minerva, but this has been held to show that the identification is not complete."

That is what we call a powerful understatement. The modern world is madder than any satires on it. Long ago Mr. Belloc made his burlesque don say that a bust of Ariadne had been proved by modern research to be a Silenus. But that is not better than the real appearance of Minerva as the Bearded Woman of Mr. Barnum. Only both of them are very like many identifications by the "best authorities" on comparative relgion; and when Catholic creeds are identified with various wild myths, I do not laugh or curse or misbehave myself; I confine myself decorously to saying that the identification is not complete. (From The Everlasting Man.)

Though the article goes on in various interesting directions, I think that we can take the point to be careful about the facile identifications common to comparative religious studies.

I agree. I think all those that lack a college education and graduate studies would do well to make the investment of their time. It does not matter what field they study, because the discipline itself is beneficial. In the alternative, the traditional degrees offered in the Indian tol system would suffice, but unfortunately that is dying out.

Lord Rama

Lord Ramacandra's Nrsimha-Pancamrta

Lord Ramacandra 's visit of the Deity of Ahobalam Nrsimha.
47 th chapter of the Harivamsa Purana.

ahobalam narasimham gatva ramah pratapavan
namaskutya sri nrsimham astausit kamala patim

The glorious Rama once visited Ahobala where He saw the deity of Lord Nrsimha. He offered His obeisances to Lord Kamalapati (husband of the goddess of fortune) and prayed as follows.

Text 1
govinda kesava janardana vasudeva
visvesa -visva madhusudana visvarupa
sri padmanabha purusottama puskaraksa
narayanacyuta nrsimho namo namaste

O Govinda, Kesava, Janardana, Vasudeva, Visvesa (the controller of the universe), Visva, Madhusudana, Visvarupa, Sri Padmanabha, Purusottama Puskaraksa, Narayana, Acyuta. O Lord Nrsimha I offer my respectful obeisances unto You again and again.

Text 2
devah samastah khalu gopi mukhyah
gandharva vidyadhara kinnaras ca
yat pada-mulam satatam namanti
tam narasimham saranam gato' smi

I have taken shelter of Lord Nrsimha unto whose lotus feet demigods, prominent yogis, gandharvas, vidyadharas and kinnaras, are constantly offering their obeisances.

Text 3
vedan samastan khalu sastragarbhan
vidyam balam kirtimatim ca laksmim
yasya prasadat purusa labhante
tam narasimham saranam gato 'smi

I have taken shelter of Lord Nrsimha by whose mercy people receive all the vedas, the essence of all scriptures, knowledge, strenght, reputation and wealth.

Text 4
brahma sivas tvam purusottamas ca
narayano'sau marutam patis ca
candrarka vayvagni marud-ganas ca
tvam eva tam tvam satatam nato 'smi

You are Lord Brahma, Lord Siva and the best person Lord Narayana. You are the master of th Marutas and You are the sun, the moon, air and the fire as well as the Marut -ganas. I offer my obeisances unto You.

Text 5
snapne 'pi nitya jagatam asesam
srasta ca hanta vibhura prabheyah
trata tvam eka strividho vibinnah
tam tvam nrsimham satatam nato 'smi

I offer my obeisances unto Lord Nrsimha who is the creator, the maintainer and the destroyer of the entire universe. Although You perform all of these three acts simultaneously You are completely beyond these activities. You are the all pervading, unlimited supreme spirit.

iti stutva raghusresthah
pujayamasa tam harim
puspa vrstih papatasu
tasya devasya murdhani

Praying this way the best of the Raghus, Lord Ramacandra worshipped Lord Hari. At that time the demigods showered a rain of flowers on the head of L ord Nrsimhadeva.

raghavena kutam stotram
pancamrta manuktamam
pathanti ye dvijavarah
tesam svargastu sasvatah

These prayers were compiled by Lord Rama Himself.
One who reads this will be liberated eternally.

http://www.dharmakshetra.com/avatars/rama&...-Pancamrta.html