FOOT & END NOTES

[1] Bhaktisiddhanta—Sarasvati Thakura Gosvami Maharaja Prabhupada (1874-1937) the spiritual master of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, and thus the spiritual grandfather of the present day Krishna consciousness movement. A powerful preacher, he founded sixty-four missions in India; The transcendentally empowered son of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura appeared in this world on February 6, 1874. His father was deputy magistrate of Jagannatha Puri in Orissa at this time. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura had been very concerned about unauthorized pseudo-Vaisnavas who were usurping the pure teachings of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and therefore had begun a revival of the sankirtana mission. Though very busy with his profession, he wrote profusely about all aspects of Krishna consciousness. He prayed constantly for someone to boldly preach his writings. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s prayers were answered in Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura. When he was six months old, the Ratha-yatra festival of chariots was held in Puri. Lord Jagannatha’s chariot stopped in front of Srila Bhaktivinoda’s house, which was on the main road between the temple and the Gundica mandira. The chariot stayed there for three days. On the third day, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta’s mother brought the child out to see the Lord. The pujaris picked him up and put him on the cart. He crawled to the base of Lord Jagannatha, touching His lotus feet. Simultaneously a garland fell from the neck of the Lord and landed around the child. The pujaris exclaimed that this child was especially blessed by the Lord. The boy grew up to be a great scholar in many fields of learning. But when he reached twenty-two, he left his studies at college, vowing to never take to householder life. For three years, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura held the post of raja-pandita (royal scholar) of the Vaisnava king of Tripura. Thereafter he took initiation from Srila Gaurakisora dasa Babaji. Srila Gaurakisora was a Vaisnava renunciate who had fully absorbed himself in the worship of Krishna at Vrindavana for a long time. Then he settled at the holy city of Navadvipa on the bank of the Ganges. By this time Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura had retired from his government work and was worshiping Lord Krishna in a small house near Navadvipa, at Godruma. Every day he gave Srimad-Bhagavatam class there. Srila Gaurakisora used to attend these classes. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura told his son, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, to accept Srila Gaurakisora as his initiating spiritual master. He received the name Varsabhanavi-devi-dayitaya dasa. Thereafter Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura gave up all other activities to chant 194 rounds daily for seven years. He stayed in a kuöira (hut) but did not take time to repair the roof; if it rained, he just used an umbrella. In 1918 he opened the first center of the Gaudiya Mission in Ultadanga Road in Calcutta. He was then forty-four. All across India he established Lord Caitanya’s teachings as the most excellent spiritual philosophy. He started his mission in the midst of war and political agitation for national liberation. He was uncompromising in his disregard of such mundane concerns. The most important thing is to invoke the spirit of devotion to the Supreme Lord; this concern lies far above any material consideration. Many leaders objected that he was diverting too many young men from India’s national interests, but he paid them no heed. In this period, Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada visited Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura on the rooftop at Ultadanga Road. Srila Prabhupada, at that time known as Abhay Caran De, was an adherent of Gandhi’s svaraja movement. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura convinced him in just one sitting of the vital necessity of Lord Caitanya’s mission over everything else. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura departed this world in 1936. Two weeks before leaving his body, he instructed Srila Prabhupada to introduce the sankirtana mission to the Western world. See Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Bhaktivinoda Thakura, Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Krishna. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada is the foremost Vaisnava acarya in the modern age. In 1896, he appeared in this world as Abhay Caran De in Calcutta, where he received an English-language education. He first met his spiritual master, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, in 1922. At their first meeting, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura requested Srila Prabhupada to broadcast Vedic knowledge through the English language. In 1933, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura initiated Srila Prabhupada as Abhaya Caranaravinda dasa. In the years that followed, he wrote a commentary on the Bhagavad-gita, assisted the Gaudiya Mission in its work, and in 1944 started Back to Godhead, an English fortnightly magazine, still continued by his disciples today. He received the title Bhaktivedanta in 1947 from the Gaudiya Vaisnava Society. In the 1950’s, Srila Prabhupada retired from family life, accepting the vanaprastha order. Thus, he was able to devote more time to his studies and writing. He came to Vrindavana to live humbly at the historic medieval temple of Radha-Damodara. After several years of deep absorption in Krishna consciousness, Srila Prabhupada accepted the order of sannyasa from his Godbrother Kesava Prajïa Maharaja, in 1959. It was then that he began to work on his life’s masterpiece: a multivolume translation of and commentary on the eighteen-thousand verse Srimad-Bhagavatam. After publishing three volumes of the Bhagavatam in India, Srila Prabhupada came to the United States in 1965. After great difficulty, with no initial financial resources, he established the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) in New York in July, 1966. The residents of that great metropolis of materialism were astounded as the youthful American followers of Srila Prabhu-pada danced and chanted the Hare Krishna maha-mantra in their midst, that eternal Vedic sound echoing between the glass and steel skyscraper canyon walls. The Krishna consciousness movement soon spread to San Francisco, where the Ratha-yatra festival of the chariots was held for the first time outside of India. A group of American disciples started a branch in London, where George Harrison of the Beatles became a life-long follower of Srila Prabhupada. From England the movement went to Germany, Holland, France, and other European countries. It likewise flourished in Canada, Latin America, Australia and Africa. Simultaneously, Srila Prabhupada personally established several multi-million-dollar ISKCON temple and guesthouse projects in India at Bombay, Vrindavana, Mayapur and Hyderabad. But Srila Prabhupada considered his most significant contribution to be his books, which form a veritable library of Vedic philosophy, religion, culture and literature. Highly respected by the academic community for their authority, depth and clarity, they serve as standard textbooks in numerous college courses. His writings have been translated into more than eighty languages. The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, established in 1972 to publish his works, is the world’s largest publisher in the field of Vedic studies. In the twelve years after his first arrival in America up to his departure from this world in 1977, Srila Prabhupada circled the globe fourteen times on lecture tours that took him to six continents. Even in his physical absence, his great mission continues to move forward. With the collapse of the Soviet Empire that Srila Prabhupada predicted during his 1972 visit to Moscow, Krishna consciousness is vigorously blossoming throughout Eastern Europe, Russia, and the Far East. ISKCON’s Mayapur project is growing into a modern spiritual city on the bank of the holy Ganges. 1996, the year of Srila Prabhupada’s centennial, saw the opening of grand temple projects in Delhi, Bangalore and Baroda.

[2]  Caitanya Mahaprabhu, (1486-1534)—Lord Krishna in the aspect of His own devotee. He appeared in Navadvipa, West Bengal, and inaugurated the congregational chanting of the holy names of the Lord to teach pure love of God by means of sankirtana. Lord Caitanya is understood by Gaudiya Vaisnavas to be Lord Krishna Himself; The Golden Avatara of the Supreme Personality of Godhead who descended into the material world 500 years ago at Sridhama Mayapur. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu inaugurated the yuga-dharma of sankirtana. Together with His associates Nityananda, Advaita, Gadadhara and Srivasa, Lord Caitanya is worshiped by the Gaudiya Vaisnavas as the Panca-tattva (five-fold Absolute Truth). Within the Panca-tattva, Mahaprabhu is the isa-tattva, the Supreme Lord. Nityananda is the prakasa-tattva, the feature of isvara who controls the kriya-sakti, out of which the kala and karma potencies expand. Advaita is the avatara-tattva, the incarnation. Gadadhara is sakti-tattva, a feature of the original, spiritual prakrti. Srivasa is jiva-tattva.

[3]  Nityananda Prabhu—the incarnation of Lord Balarama who appeared as the principal associate of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

[4]  Advaita Prabhu—Advaitacarya-an incarnation of Lord Maha-Visnu, who appeared as one of the four principal associates of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu.  

[5] Gadadhara—a name for the Personality of Godhead meaning “He who wields a club [in one of His four hands];” an intimate associate of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

[6]  Srivasa Thakura—the incarnation of Sri Narada Muni in Lord Caitanya’s pastimes. An intimate associate of Lord Caitanya. His courtyard served as the birthplace of Lord Caitanya’s sankirtana movement, and his altar was the site of the maha-prakasa pastime (twenty-one hours of ecstatic manifestation) of Sri Caitanya.

[7]  Rupa Gosvami—chief of the six great spiritual master Gosvdmis of Vrndavana who were authorized by Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu to establish and distribute the philosophy of Krishna consciousness. He extensively researched the scriptures and established the philosophy taught by Lord Caitanya on an unshakable foundation. Thus Gaudiya Vaisnavas are known as Rupanugas, followers of Rupa Gosvami. He is also known as the rasacarya, or the teacher of devotional mellows, as exemplified by his book, Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu. It is the duty and the aspiration of every Gaudiya Vaisnava to become his servant and follow his path.

[8] Vaisnava—a devotee of the Supreme Lord, Visnu, or Krishna.

[9]  Sanatana Gosvami—one of the Six Gosvamis of Vrndavana who was authorized by Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu to establish and distribute the philosophy of Krishna consciousness. He was the older brother of Rupa Gosvami and was accepted by Rupa Gosvami as his spiritual master. He and Rupa Gosvami were both ministers in the Mohammedan court in Gauda, but renounced everything for the service of Lord Caitanya. The two brothers were ordered by Sri Caitanya to write books establishing the philosophy of Gaudiya Vaisnavism and to excavate the holy places in Vrndavana.

[10]  Raghunatha dasa Gosvami—one of the Six Gosvamis of Vrndavana. He appeared in 1495. He was the son of the fabulously wealthy Govardhana Majumdara, the younger brother of the then Zamindar Hiranya Majumdara in the village of Krishnapura in West Bengal. His forefathers were Vaisnavas, and when he was a boy he got the association and blessings of Srila Haridasa Thakura. He was mad with the desire to join Lord Caitanya in Jagannatha Puri, but every time he ran away from home his parents would have him captured and brought back. Finally, he was successful. He received the mercy of Lord Caitanya and served for many years as the assistant of Svarupa Damodara. He was thus known as the Raghu of Svarupa. Later, he was sent to Vrndavana and lived in Radha-kunda, performing severe austerities. In his later years he subsisted on just a few drops of buttermilk each day. He wrote important texts on devotion, his only concern being the chanting of the Holy Name. He ascended in 1571 at the age of 76.

[11]  Raghunatha Bhatta Gosvami—one of the Six Gosvamis of Vrndavana. He appeared in 1506 as the son of Tapana Misra. He first met Lord Caitanya in Benares when the Lord stayed at his father’s home for two months. He rendered direct service to the Lord and received His mercy. After the demise of his parents, he went to Puri and associated with the Lord, cooking for Him and taking His remnants. He was especially well-known for his sweetly singing the Bhagavatam to different tunes, his super-excellent cooking and his never hearing, or speaking about, either worldly topics or criticism of Vaisnavas. On the order of the Lord, he proceeded to Vrndavana and associated there with the other Gosvamis. He did not write books. His disciples assisted with the construction of the Govindaji Temple for Rupa Gosvami’s Deity. He disappeared in 1580 at the age of seventy-four.

[12]  Gopala Bhatta Gosvami—one of the Six Gosvamis of Vrndavana, who directly followed Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and systematically presented His teachings, born at the beginning of the 16th century near Sri Rangam in South India. He met Lord Caitanya as a child when the Lord stayed with his father, Vyenkata Bhatta, during the four-month rainy season. On the order of Lord Caitanya he journeyed to Vrndavana to join the other Gosvamis. While on pilgrimage he obtained twelve salagrama-silas. Later, a Damodara sila manifested Himself as the beautiful Radha-ramana Deity, Who is worshiped to this day with great eclat. Gopala Bhatta assisted Sanatana Gosvami in his writing.

[13]  Jiva Gosvami—one of the Six Gosvamis of Vrndavana and the nephew of Rupa and Sanatana Gosvamis. His father, Anupama, died when the boy was very young. He grew up absorbed in the worship of Krishna and Balarama. Lord Caitanya instructed him in a dream to proceed to Navadvipa, and there he toured that sacred place in the association of Sri Nityananda Prabhu. He then went to Benares to study Sanskrit, and from there to Vrndavana to be under the shelter of his uncles. He became a disciple of Rupa Gosvami and wrote eighteen major works on Vaisnava philosophy, comprising more than 400,000 verses. He is considered by many philosophers and Sanskritists to be the greatest scholar who ever lived.

[14] Srimad-Bhagavatam—the foremost of the eighteen Puranas, the complete science of God that establishes the supreme position of Lord Krishna. It was glorified by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu as the amalam puranam, “the purest Purana.” It was written by Srila Vyasadeva as his commentary on the Vedanta-sutra, and it deals exclusively with topics concerning the Supreme Personality of Godhead (Lord Krishna) and His devotees. Srila Prabhupada has given Bhaktivedanta purports in English and wonderfully presented it to the modern world, specifically to give a deep understanding of Lord Krishna; Also known as the Bhagavata Purana, this is a work of eighteen thousand verses compiled by sage Vyasa as his natural commentary on the Vedanta-sutra. It takes up where the Bhagavad-gita leaves off. In Bhagavad-gita4.9, Lord Krishna says that by knowing His transcendental appearance and activities in this world, one becomes free of the cycle of repeated birth and death. Srimad-Bhagavatam recounts with great relish the details of the Lord’s appearance and activities, beginning with His purusa incarnations and their lila of cosmic manifestation, and culminating with Krishna’s own appearance in Vrndavana 5000 years ago, and His most sweet rasa-lila with the His cowherd girlfriends, the gopis headed by Radharani.