(translated by Swami B.V. Giri)<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
Nowadays some people think that in the age of Kali, apart than \u015ar\u012b Gaur\u0101\u1e45ga, there is no other way. There is no other type of worship except for remembering His Name and worshiping his mantra<\/em>. According to them, \u015br\u012b-k\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a-n\u0101ma-k\u012brtana<\/em> and \u015br\u012b-k\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a-bhajana <\/em>are not necessary. This topic is not only being preached in the city of Kolkata, but in many, many places.<\/p>\n It is absolutely true that in the age of Kali, there is no other way apart from Gaura. It is true that for those who perform k\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a-bhajana <\/em>according to the sm\u0101rta<\/em> or t\u0101ntrika<\/em> doctrines, prema<\/em> does not arises from their bhajana<\/em>. The k\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a-bhajana<\/em> of the sm\u0101rtas<\/em> and t\u0101ntrikas<\/em> totally lacks sambandha<\/em>–j\u00f1\u0101na<\/em> and therefore their bhajana<\/em> is actually bhajana<\/em>–virodhi<\/em> (averse to real bhajana<\/em>). It can only be said that if one does not engage in k\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a-bhajana<\/em> by taking refuge at the feet of \u015ar\u012b Gaur\u0101\u1e45gadeva, one will never attain the ultimate goal of human life. Before the time of \u015ar\u012b Gaur\u0101\u1e45ga\u2019s appearance, \u015ar\u012bman M\u0101dhavendra Pur\u012b and others performed bhajana<\/em> of \u015ari K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a. Their bhajana<\/em> was completely full of divine love. Although the external manifestation of \u015ar\u012b Gaur\u0101\u1e45gadeva had not taken place then, bh\u0101va<\/em> for the Lord had appeared within their hearts.<\/p>\n However, after the appearance of \u015ar\u012b Gaur\u0101\u1e45ga, those who appeared in the Lord\u2019s l\u012bl\u0101<\/em> and performed k\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a-bhakti<\/em> were extremely blessed. The unprecedented appearance of \u015br\u012b-k\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a-tattva<\/em> within the character of \u015ar\u012b Gaur\u0101\u1e45ga has never been seen before. In the age of Kali, those who take shelter of the feet of \u015ar\u012b Gaur\u0101\u1e45ga and perform k\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a<\/em>–bhajana<\/em> are the most blessed in the world. It is an extremely unfortunate thing that on the pretext of following \u015ar\u012b Gaur\u0101\u1e45ga, those whose philosophy is to reject the bhajana<\/em> of \u015ar\u012b K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a, do not actually follow \u015ar\u012b Gaur\u0101\u1e45ga\u2019s instructions.<\/p>\n There is no difference between Gaura and K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a. Those who think that if they take shelter of Gaur\u0101\u1e45ga\u2019s feet they will no longer have to remember K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a, are observing a difference between Gaura and K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a. There is no difference between k\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a-l\u012bl\u0101<\/em> and gaura-l\u012bl\u0101<\/em>, both l\u012bl\u0101s<\/em> are identical. In k\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a-l\u012bl\u0101<\/em>, the subject of one\u2019s bhajana<\/em> is revealed, in gaur\u0101\u1e45ga-l\u012bl\u0101<\/em>, the method of that bhajana<\/em> is revealed. Trying to perform bhajana<\/em> without a method, or engaging in the method without knowing the bhajana<\/em> can never be complete. The more one reads about the character of \u015ar\u012b Gaur\u0101\u1e45ga, the more prema<\/em> is there for k\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a-l\u012bl\u0101.<\/em> The more one reads about the l\u012bl\u0101<\/em> of \u015ar\u012b K\u1e5b\u1e63na, the more gaura-l\u012bl\u0101<\/em> comes to mind. By rejecting K\u1e5b\u1e63na, one rejects Gaura, and by rejecting Gaura, one rejects K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a – this is never a good proposal. When one believes that Gaura is supremely worshipable, then the k\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a-l\u012bla<\/em> of \u015ar\u012b Gaur\u0101\u1e45ga fully emerges.<\/p>\n Although all these topics are most confidential, they are being revealed with great sadness. \u201cWe will worship Gaura, and we will not remember K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a!\u201d – such words are to be counted amongst the most depraved. Similarly, \u201cI will worship K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a, but I will not remember Gaura!\u201d – this too must be said to be the greatest misfortune. \u015ari-gaura-l\u012bl\u0101<\/em> and \u015bri-k\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a-l\u012bl\u0101<\/em> are mutually intertwined as the supreme nectar for the j\u012bvas<\/em> of Kali-yuga. By assessing with a little intelligence, Gaura and K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a will seem to be one with each other. This verse of the \u015ar\u012bmad Bh\u0101gavatam<\/em> should always be remembered –<\/p>\n k\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a-var\u1e47a\u1e41 tvi\u1e63\u0101k\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a\u1e41 s\u0101\u1e45gop\u0101\u1e45g\u0101stra-p\u0101r\u1e63adam \u00a0<\/em>(\u201cIn the age of Kali, the Supreme appears with a non-blackish complexion, chanting the Names of K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a, accompanied by His associates, servants, weapons, and intimate companions. Those who are wise worship Him through the process of sa\u1e45k\u012brtana<\/em>.\u201d – \u015arimad Bh\u0101gavatam<\/em> 11.5.32)<\/p>\n Who is \u015ar\u012b Gaur\u0101\u1e45ga? He that is Gaura, He is also K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a – K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a Himself has become Gaura, and He Himself is tasting k\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a-rasa <\/em>and teaching that to the j\u012bvas<\/em>. The worship of Gaura without \u015ari K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a is a new practice here, and it is not approved by Gaur\u0101\u1e45ga. Please see how the devotees of \u015ar\u012b Gaur\u0101\u1e45ga have worshipped; understanding who was the very pr\u0101\u1e47a-svar\u016bpa<\/em> (the embodiment of life) for \u015ar\u012b Gaur\u0101\u1e45ga, they satisfied Him through \u015br\u012b-k\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a-sa\u1e45k\u012brtana<\/em>. Those who understand the up\u0101sana-tattva<\/em> (science of worship) found in \u015ar\u012b Caitanya-carit\u0101m\u1e5bta<\/em> have absolutely no doubt about this. By disregarding all the previous teachings of the Gosv\u0101m\u012bs, we will have to say that those who are exclusively \u2018gaurav\u0101d\u012bs<\/em>\u2019 have created a new path.<\/p>\n Some great personalities can see all bhajana-siddhis<\/em> (the perfection of bhajana<\/em>) only within Gaur\u0101\u1e45ga. \u201cK\u1e5b\u1e63na became Gaura, and we are eternally situated amongst Gaur\u0101\u1e45ga\u2019s associates\u201d – with this in mind, they have expressed their own emphatic devotion, but such bhajana<\/em> cannot be observed by ordinary devotees – only by those devotees with exceptional devotion. But all those devotees who were engaged in their own firm devotion, never gave contradictory teachings to those devotees fixed in the non-difference of Gaura and K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a, and they themselves were also immersed in k\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a-sa\u1e45k\u012brtana<\/em>. We can only say that this new kind of gaura-bhajana<\/em> is not a proper philosophy. There is no fault in constantly chanting the name of \u015ar\u012b Gaur\u0101\u1e45ga, but not by forbidding k\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a-bhajana<\/em>. It seems to be the result that only through gaura-bhajana<\/em> specifically can one later become fixed in k\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a-bhajana<\/em> by the mercy of Gaur\u0101\u1e45ga.<\/p>\n<\/div> \u015ar\u012b Gaura K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a Abheda (The Non-Difference Between \u015ar\u012b Gaura and K\u1e5b\u1e63na) was written by Bhaktivinoda \u1e6ch\u0101kura for Sajjana To\u1e63a\u1e47\u012b, Vol.11, issue 6 in 1899. In this article, \u015ar\u012bla Bhaktivinoda \u1e6ch\u0101kura describes how Gaur\u0101\u1e45ga and K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a are identical, and how one cannot simply worship Gaura and reject K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a as some persons were doing at the time.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":4822,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[2021,2024,560],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bhaktivinodainstitute.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4819"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bhaktivinodainstitute.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bhaktivinodainstitute.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bhaktivinodainstitute.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bhaktivinodainstitute.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4819"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/bhaktivinodainstitute.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4819\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10672,"href":"https:\/\/bhaktivinodainstitute.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4819\/revisions\/10672"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bhaktivinodainstitute.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4822"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bhaktivinodainstitute.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4819"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bhaktivinodainstitute.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4819"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bhaktivinodainstitute.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4819"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n<\/em>yaj\u00f1ai\u1e25 sa\u1e45k\u012brtana-pr\u0101yair yajanti hi su-medhasa\u1e25<\/em><\/p>\n(‘\u015ar\u012b Gaura K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a Abheda -The Non-Difference Between \u015ar\u012b Gaura and K\u1e5b\u1e63na’ by \u015ar\u012bla Bhaktivinoda \u1e6ch\u0101kura was first published in Sajjana To\u1e63a\u1e47\u012b Vol.11, issue 6 in 1899 and translated into English by Swami B.V. Giri)<\/em><\/h5>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>
Related Articles and Books:<\/h3><\/div>
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Further Reading:<\/h3><\/div>
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