O My Friend!
Q & A with Swami B. V. Tripurari
"Srila Prabhupada said on a number of occasions that he identified with
sakhya rasa. He also wrote a poem to Krishna in his intimate moments
expressing the desire for sakhya rasa. We find no equivalent stated
aspiration on his part for any other rasa."
Q. I recently read your publication O My Friend!, which implies that
Srila Prabhupada's rasa, or eternal spiritual identity, is that of a
cowherd boy in Krishna lila (sakhya rasa). To my knowledge Srila
Prabhupada did not specify which rasa he was in, so isn't it
speculative and therefore mundane to say he is in sakhya rasa?
[See O My Friend! O My Friend!
http://swamitripurari.com/2010/12/o-my-friend/ ]
A. There is a difference between mental speculation and sastra-yukti.
My conviction as to Srila Prabhupada's spiritual affinity is not simply
speculation as I have supported it with Srila Prabhupada's own words,
the realization of sadhus, and Krishna conscious philosophy. This
support constitutes sastra-yukti. Indeed, my position seeks to end
speculation by directing attention to Srila Prabhupada's own words on
the matter, which incidentally refute the idea that he did not specify
his rasa.
What is "mundane" about collecting everything that Srila Prabhupada
said about his sentiment? As it turns out he said quite a lot, so is it
not meaningful to make this evidence available to the community? We
should be interested in all that Srila Prabhupada said about his
sentiment and in thinking about the implications of his statements in
light of sastra. This is exactly how the sentiments of other Gaudiya
acharyas were determined. They said things and their followers have
scripturally reasoned about them to reach a conclusion. This is exactly
how Gaura-ganodesa-dipika was written. Kavi-karnapura collected the
available evidence and testimony and reached his conclusions. This
process is not speculative and mundane but rather the bona fide process
of sastra-yukti.
Furthermore, I don't think talking about what Srila Prabhupada has said
about himself or the idea that he is in sakhya rasa or any other rasa
is any more inappropriate than talking about Rupa Goswami's spiritual
affinity or Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura's affinity. My siksa guru
Pujyapada B. R. Sridhara Maharaja talked about it, and Srila Prabhupada
considered him his own siksa guru.
So let us judge by the fruits. Srila Prabhupada said on a number of
occasions that he identified with sakhya rasa. He also wrote a poem to
Krishna in his intimate moments expressing the desire for sakhya rasa.
We find no equivalent stated aspiration on his part for any other rasa.
So, to keep it simple, if some devotees feel enthused to see Srila
Prabhupada in sakhya rasa and pursue that ideal in relation to him, and
we find that in doing so they remain enthusiastic about their spiritual
practice, do we really need to condemn them for mental speculation?
Q. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura said that one's rasa could never be
grasped by a person who is not completely purified of material
contamination. Therefore it should not be divulged to the general
public in any medium. Could you explain your justification for making
knowledge of Srila Prabhupada's rasa available on the Internet by
publishing O My Friend?
A. Actually Bhaktivinoda Thakura published a book called
Navadiwip-bhava-taranga in which he speaks openly about his rasa,
spiritual form, eternal seva, and so on. It is widely available in
English, even on the Internet. So you misrepresent Bhaktivinoda here
and misunderstand what he writes concerning confidentiality in bhajana.
In contrast, O My Friend! contains general information that speaks only
about Srila Prabhupada's affinity for sakhya rasa. It does not discuss
details of his particular svarupa (form, dress, seva, and so on) but
rather encourages devotees so interested to pursue intense spiritual
practice by which such details can be known in the privacy of one's own
heart. Furthermore, far more intimate truths are available in Sri
Caitanya-caritamrita and other standard Gaudiya scriptures.
Q. Nonetheless, in Sri Caitanya-siksamrita, Bhaktivinoda Thakura
states, "Rasa is not a part of sadhana. Therefore if somebody says,
'Come, I will teach you rasa.' Then it will be his wickedness or
foolishness." Doesn't this quote give sufficient reason to avoid
publishing O My Friend! or similar books?
A. O My Friend! does not "teach rasa," it is citing and reasoning about
what Srila Prabhupada said concerning his spiritual affinity. The book
does not encourage anyone to do anything other than engage in hearing
and chanting the name of Krishna. Yes, rasa is not part of sadhana. It
is the perfection of bhava bhakti--prema. Ultimately, one cannot teach
love, as it is experiential; nonetheless, we do teach the theory of
bhakti rasa in books like Bhakti-rasamrita-sindhu.
Q. In my view, whatever we say on behalf of Srila Prabhupada must be
something we could say in front of him. I find it hard to believe he
would be happy with our raising this subject matter for general
discussion--confidential means confidential. Without a definitive
comment from Srila Prabhupada or a mutually accepted arbiter there can
be no conclusion to this discussion.
A. While telling me that I should not entertain the subject, you
summarily dismiss the fact that Srila Prabhupada himself entertained
the subject and then say that what Srila Prabhupada did say about
himself in this regard was not definitive. It would seem safer to just
go with Srila Prabhupada on this one. O My Friend! sets the record
straight as to what Srila Prabhupada actually said on the matter.
Furthermore, there will be issues that arise that were not dealt with
when Srila Prabhupada was here. Some of them could very well be
spiritually progressive insights into the spiritual reality of our
divine master. I certainly hope so, and it is reasonable that they
would eventually be made public, as have such insights concerning our
previous acharyas.
As for a final arbiter on this issue, I for one accept Pujyapada
Sridhara Maharaja's words on the matter. Others may disagree, but let
them present convincing insight and evidence to the contrary. In any
case, I have no problem if devotees want to think of Srila Prabhupada
as being in madhurya rasa as long as they don't try to suppress
evidence to the contrary. In regard to coming to a conclusion to this
discussion, realization resulting from spiritual practice is the means
of definitive knowing and O My Friend! encourages its readers to take
up such practice.
See Also Sanga: The Dearmost Friend of Krishna
http://swamitripurari.com/2003/03/the-dearmost-friend-of-krsna/
O My Friend! O My Friend!
http://swamitripurari.com/2010/12/o-my-friend/
You need to be a member of puredevoteeseva to add comments!
Replies
Bhadrasena.