“WAVES of SIDDHANTA” FESTIVAL
NEW BRAJ BADGER, CALIFORNIA
MAY 2nd-5th 2025
with Sri Prem Prayojan Prabhu
MAY 2nd-5th 2025
with Sri Prem Prayojan Prabhu
There is a general notion that siddhāntas (philosophical tenets) are fixed. And that is true within their own specific contexts. However, Śrī Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī speaks of an undulating ocean with waves of siddhānta.
“Associate regularly with the devotees of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, for then only will you understand the waves in the ocean of siddhānta. (CC Antya 5.132)
Srila Bhaktivedānta Nārāyana Gosvāmi has commented:
“It is not that all siddhānta is for all persons at all stages of their development in bhakti. There is some siddhānta for kanistha-Vaisnavas (neophytes in bhakti), some for madhyama-Vaisnavas (those devotees in the intermediate stage), and some for uttama-Vaisnavas, those devotees who have crossed over maya. It is not that all siddhānta is in the same category. In Srimad-Bhagavatam, so many categories of siddhānta are given for various classes of persons. We should therefore try to do bhajana and realize all these transcendental or spiritual truths (cinmaya-tattva). Mundane logic and reasoning will not go there at all.”
(March 29, 1993)
Furthermore, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura has commented in Sri Caitanya Siksamrta:
“Sri Krsna has one personal energy called svarupa-sakti or para-sakti. By Krsna's will, this para-sakti has three vibhāvas (distinct existences), three prabhāvas (influences) and three anubhāvas (states of realization). The three vibhavas are the cit-sakti, jiva-sakti and maya-sakti. The three prabhavas are the iccha-sakti (desire), kriya-sakti (action) and jnana-sakti (knowledge). The three anubhāvas are sandhini, samvit and hladini. (Sri Caitanya Siksamrta).”
Depending upon the proportions of the three anubhāvas (states of realization), sandhini, samvit and hladini, the devotee will experience reality in entirely different ways. When Sri Krsna sent messages to the gopis, at that time, Uddhava, Krsna and the gopis all understood those messages in different ways due to the differing proportions of sandhini, samvit and hladini active upon their awareness. What to speak of different devotees having different perceptions of reality, even the same devotee may experience different perceptions due to a shift in the proportions of sandhini, samvit and hladini with his consciousness.
When great acaryas speak or write catering for devotees on different levels of eligibility, or when they express realizations from the vantage points of the varying proportions of the three anubhāvas, their statements are often misconstrued as contradicting the statements of other acaryas. For example, devotees commonly fail to reconcile the statements of Srila Jiva Gosvami and Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura. There are many such examples.
We invite all devotees to join us for a four-day festival of Hari-katha in New Braj and joyfully swim in the waves of siddhānta, wherein all doubts and contradictions are seamlessly reconciled.
caitanyera bhakta-ganera nitya kara ‘sanga’
tabeta jānibā siddhānta-samudra-taranga
“Associate regularly with the devotees of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, for then only will you understand the waves in the ocean of siddhānta. (CC Antya 5.132)
Srila Bhaktivedānta Nārāyana Gosvāmi has commented:
“It is not that all siddhānta is for all persons at all stages of their development in bhakti. There is some siddhānta for kanistha-Vaisnavas (neophytes in bhakti), some for madhyama-Vaisnavas (those devotees in the intermediate stage), and some for uttama-Vaisnavas, those devotees who have crossed over maya. It is not that all siddhānta is in the same category. In Srimad-Bhagavatam, so many categories of siddhānta are given for various classes of persons. We should therefore try to do bhajana and realize all these transcendental or spiritual truths (cinmaya-tattva). Mundane logic and reasoning will not go there at all.”
(March 29, 1993)
Furthermore, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura has commented in Sri Caitanya Siksamrta:
“Sri Krsna has one personal energy called svarupa-sakti or para-sakti. By Krsna's will, this para-sakti has three vibhāvas (distinct existences), three prabhāvas (influences) and three anubhāvas (states of realization). The three vibhavas are the cit-sakti, jiva-sakti and maya-sakti. The three prabhavas are the iccha-sakti (desire), kriya-sakti (action) and jnana-sakti (knowledge). The three anubhāvas are sandhini, samvit and hladini. (Sri Caitanya Siksamrta).”
Depending upon the proportions of the three anubhāvas (states of realization), sandhini, samvit and hladini, the devotee will experience reality in entirely different ways. When Sri Krsna sent messages to the gopis, at that time, Uddhava, Krsna and the gopis all understood those messages in different ways due to the differing proportions of sandhini, samvit and hladini active upon their awareness. What to speak of different devotees having different perceptions of reality, even the same devotee may experience different perceptions due to a shift in the proportions of sandhini, samvit and hladini with his consciousness.
When great acaryas speak or write catering for devotees on different levels of eligibility, or when they express realizations from the vantage points of the varying proportions of the three anubhāvas, their statements are often misconstrued as contradicting the statements of other acaryas. For example, devotees commonly fail to reconcile the statements of Srila Jiva Gosvami and Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura. There are many such examples.
We invite all devotees to join us for a four-day festival of Hari-katha in New Braj and joyfully swim in the waves of siddhānta, wherein all doubts and contradictions are seamlessly reconciled.
