ARCHANA (Worship of the Deity Form of the Lord)

 

 

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ARCHANA (Worship of the Deity Form of the Lord)

via Padyavali Dasi's Facebook Notes by Padyavali Dasi on 8/31/11

Once a great Muslim scholar by the name of Mullah Badaruddin Sahib came to debate with the vaisnavas of Godruma followers of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. These vaisnava sadhus chose Goracanda dasa Pandita Babaji of Sri Mayapur to speak to Mullah and the following is part of this brilliant debate between both parties:

 

Mullah: We have heard that your first preacher, Chatanyadeva took all the faults out of the Hindu religion. Srill He was in favor of this 'byut' (imaginary form) worship, or worship of a material thing. We want to know form the Vaisnavas is: Why, after consulting the scriptures, have you not rejected this 'byut' worship?

 

Human beings are situated on different levels of knowledge and purity. A person situated in pure spiritual knowledge is able to worship the pure spiritual form of the Lord. Persons situated on lower levels of spiritual awareness understand the Lord to a lesser degree, and they who are on the lowest level cannot understand the Lord's spiritual nature at all. When he meditates on God, a person on the lowest level inevitably imagines that God has a material form with material qualities. To think that the Deity form of the Lord is a statue made of clay is the same as to meditate in the mind on a Supreme that one imagines to have a form made of matter.

 

Actually, for persons on that level of advancement, worship of the Deity form of the Lord is very beneficial. In fact, if there were no Deity worship, the people in general would be in an inauspicious condition. If an ordinary person eager to see God were not able to see the Deity form of the Lord, then he would lose hope that he would ever see the Lord. The followers of religions that forbid Deity worship are on a low level of spiritual advancement. They are materialistic and not interested in worshiping the Lord. Therefore Deity worship is the foundation of religion.

 

Pure and wise saints gaze on the form of the Supreme Lord. Their hearts purified by devotion, they know that the Deity form of the Lord is pure spirit. As the heart becomes more and more purified by devotion, the worshiper gradually comes to understand that the Deity form of the Lord is a spiritual form reflected within the realm of the material world. Thus the Deity form is the spiritual form of the Lord, a form that the great saints have arranged to be reflected within the material world. An advanced devotees can directly perceive that the Deity form is perfectly spiritual. An intermediate devotee thinks the Deity form is a mental image.

 

At first a neophyte devotee thinks the Deity is a statue made of material elements, but as he gradually become pure in heart, he also gradually comes to understand that the Deity is actually made of spirit. Therefore the Deity form of the Lord should be worshiped by all classes of devotees. To worship an imaginary form is forbidden. However, to worship the real eternal form of the Lord is very auspicious. Therefor the worship of the Deity of the Lord is established for all three classes of Vaishnavas. There is nothing wrong in it. On the contrary, it brings the greatest auspiciousness.

 

In Shrimad-Bhagavatam (11.14.26) the Supreme Lord Himself declares:

 

yatha yathatma parimrijyate 'sau

     mat-punya-gatha-shravanabhidhanaih

tatha tatha pashyati vastu sukshmam

     cakshur yathaivanjana-samprayuktam

 

     "When a person purifies his heart by hearing and singing pure songs describing Me, he gradually becomes able to see spirit. He becomes like a person whose eyesight is restored by medicinal ointment."

 

     In the material world the mind tends to be filled with material thoughts. In that condition the soul is not able to understand his true spiritual identity and he is also not able to serve the Supreme Lord, who resides in his heart as the Supersoul. By hearing and chanting the Lord's glories and by performing other kinds of devotional service, the soul gradually becomes powerful. Then the bonds of matter that hold him become slackened. As the bondage of matter becomes slackened, the soul becomes stronger, and in the course of time the soul becomes exalted. He can directly see spirit, and he can act on the spiritual platform.

 

Some say that one should far away all that has no relation to the Lord and one should act only to attain Him. However, one cannot become spiritual strong merely by dry knowledge. How can a conditioned soul get the power to suddenly renounce all that has no direct relation to the Lord? Can a prisoner in jail release himself simply by wishing to be free? the soul imprisoned in the material world has committed an offense to the Supreme Lord. He must find a way to lessen that offense. The spirit soul is by nature an eternal servant of Lord Krishna. The root of the soul's offense is that he has forgotten that. Therefore, somehow or other he should turn his mind to think of the Lord. By gazing at the Deity form of the Lord, hearing the description of the Lord's pastimes, and other devotional activities, the soul gradually revives his original spiritual nature.

 

The more the soul's original nature is revived, the more the soul can see spirit directly. Serving the Deity of the Lord, and hearing and chanting the Lord's glories are the only way for the neophyte devotee to make spiritual advancement. For this reason the great saints have established Deity worship in this world.

 

     Mullah: Is it not better to meditate on an imaginary within the mind than to make an imaginary Deity form out of the material elements?

 

     Goracanda: They are the same. When the mind is material, it thinks only of material things. You may say, Brahman, the Supreme, is all-pervading". Still, the material mind will think Brahman is like the material element ether, which is also all-pervading. However, if I continue to meditate on Brahman in that way, in the course of time the real truth about Brahman will be manifested in my heart. Time and space are material. If the mind's meditation is not beyond time and space, then how can the mind meditate on something that is beyond the material world.

 

Rejecting the Deity form as something made of earth, water, or other material elements, you meditate on an imaginary form of the Lord, a form made of time and space. That is worship of a material form of the Lord, a graven image of the Lord. A material so-called form of the Lord is not needed. The Lord is not material. His is spiritual. That is His nature. Therefore a process is given to the conditioned souls by which they can approach the spiritual Supreme Lord. By chanting the Lord's holy names, by narrating His pastimes, and by worshiping His Deity form, one gradually becomes more and more devoted to the Lord. When the worshiper attains pure devotion, he can see the spiritual form of the Supreme Lord. Philosophical speculation and fruitive work will not help one to see the Lord.

 

     Mullah: the Supreme Lord is different from matter. It is said that Satan introduced the worship of material things in order to trap the souls in the material world. Therefore I think it is not good to worship material things.

 

     Goracanda: The Supreme Personality of Godhead is one without a rival. No one can possible compete with Him. Everything in this material world was created by Him and is dependent on Him. The Supreme Lord may be worshiped in many different ways. He is pleased by all these different kinds of worship. It is not that He will become an enemy if someone worships Him a particular way. He is all-auspicious.

 

If you say that Satan does something, then I say that Satan does not have the power to do anything against the Supreme Lord's will. If Satan exists, then he must be an individual soul dependent on the Supreme Lord. However, I think that this Satan does not exist. Why not? Because in this material world nothing can ever be done to thwart the Supreme Lord's will. There is not a single individual soul who is not dependent on the Supreme Lord. You may ask, `What is the origin of sin?' I reply: The individual soul is by nature a servant of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Awareness of this fact is knowledge. To forget this fact is ignorance.

 

If an individual spirit soul forgets this fact, then he sows the seed of sins in the field of his heart. A person who always remains a liberated associate of the Lord does not plant the seed of sin in his heart. Instead of imagining this mythological Satan, one should honestly see the ignorance in his own heart. Therefore, even if one worships the Supreme Lord as present in the material elements, he commits no offense. Therefore Deity worship is necessary for the neophyte devotee and the source of great auspiciousness for the advanced devotee. Therefore the idea that Deity worship is not good is only a theory of some thinkers. It is not at all supported by the pure scriptures.

 

     Mullah: Deity worship is not good for attaining love of God. It simply fills the mind with many material ideas.

 

     Goracanda: By studying the ancient history books we can see that your conclusion is wrong. many neophyte devotees begin their spiritual life by worshiping the Deity form of the Lord. As they continue the Deity worship in the association of the devotees, they gradually become advanced, and then they can directly see that the Deity is the spiritual form of the Supreme Lord Himself. Then they become plunged in a great ocean of spiritual love for the Lord. This is the undeniable truth: Association with the devotees of the Lord is the root of all that is good. By associating with spiritually advanced devotees of the Lord, one gradually attains spiritual love for the Lord. When one attains spiritual love for the Lord, the idea that the Deity form is material perishes. As one gradually becomes advanced, he attains great good fortune. Non-Aryan religions are generally opposed to deity worship. But look! How many followers of those religions have attained spiritual love for the Lord? They simply spend their time arguing with each other and hating each other. How can they understand loving devotion to the Lord?

 

     Mullah: If one has love for the Lord, then there is no fault in His worshiping the Deity. However, how can the worship of a dog, a cat, a snake, a debauchee, or some other kind of being be worship of the Supreme Lord? The honorable prophet has specifically forbidden worship of "byut".

 

     Goracanda: The people in general are grateful to God. Whether they sin or not, they have faith in the supremacy of God, and they bow down before the wonders that are displayed in this world. Prompted by their gratitude to God, the ignorant aborigines bow down before the sun, the river, the mountain, or anything that is very big and grand. They offer themselves to these things and they reveal their hearts to them. Although there is certainly a great difference between spiritual love for the Lord and the worship of material things, the bewildered people who show their gratitude to God by bowing down before these material things gradually attain a good result.

 

Therefore if you see with the eye of reason, you will not blame them for worshiping material things. If one meditates on a formless all-pervading God, or if without any spiritual love one offers namaz prayers or other prayers, then how is that different from worshiping a cat? It is our idea that one should do whatever is necessary to arouse one's love for God. If those neophytes are mocked or attacked, then the path of gradual spiritual advancement will be blocked. Dogmatic people refuse to honor the followers of other religions. They mock and attack others who do not worship in the same way they do. They make a great mistake.

 

     Mullah: Should it then be said that everything is God, and the worship of anything is the worship of God? Is the worship of sins worship of God? Is the worship of sinful desires worship of God? Is God pleased by any kind of worship?

 

     Goracanda: We do not say that everything is God. Rather, God is different from all else. Everything is created by God and dependent on Him. Everything has a relationship with God. By following the thread of that relationship, any thing may lead one to become curious about God. Therefore the sutra says:

 

     "Curiosity pushes one to taste things."

 

     Therefore this kind of curiosity gradually pushes one to try to experience what is spirit. You are all great panditas. If you are merciful and generous, you will understand what is the truth of this. We are only poor Vaishnavas. We do not like to enter into debates. If you give permission, we will now hear the musical play Shri Chaitanya-mangala.

 

     No one could understand what conclusion the mullah came to by hearing these arguments. After a short silence he said, "I am glad to hear your arguments. I will come on another day and ask about something else. Now it is late. We wish to return to our homes. After speaking these words, the mullah sahib and his followers mounted their horses and left for Satasaika Paragana. The babajis happily called out the holy names of Lord Hari, and entered the temple to hear the play Shri Chaitanya-mangala.

 

 

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MADHVACARYA

 

 

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MADHVACARYA

via Padyavali Dasi's Facebook Notes by Padyavali Dasi on 10/6/11

TODAY IS THE APPEARANCE DAY OF SRILA MADHVACARYA:

 

Srila Madhvacarya is the principal acarya, or spiritual teacher, in in the Brahma-sampradaya, the Vaisnava disciplic line from which the Gaudiya sampradaya descends. He was born in Udupi, South India, in the early thirteenth century. At the age of five he took initiation and at the age of twelve left home to take sannyasa. Madhvacarya studied the Vedas under the compiler of the Vedas, Vyasadeva, in the Himalayas. Madhvacarya's Vedanta-sutra commentary Purnaprajna-bhasya establishes the doctrine known as Suddha-dvaita-vada. Madhva used his erudite scholarship to crush the Mayavada (impersonalistic) philosophy and establish devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. 

Caitanya Mahāprabhu next arrived at Uḍupī, the place of Madhvācārya, where the philosophers known as Tattvavādīs resided. There He saw the Deity of Lord Kṛṣṇa and became mad with ecstasy. CC.Madhya 9.245 (Apperance)

 

 

Śrīpāda Madhvācārya took his birth near Uḍupī, which is situated in the South Kanara district of South India, just west of Sahyādri. This is the chief city of the South Kanara province and is near the city of Mangalore, which is situated to the south of Uḍupī. Near the city of Uḍupī is a place called Pājakā-kṣetra, where Madhvācārya took his birth in a Śivāllī-brāhmaṇa dynasty as the son of Madhyageha Bhaṭṭa, in the year 1040 Śakābda (A.D. 1118). According to some, he was born in the year 1160 Śakābda (A.D. 1238).

 

 

In his childhood Madhvācārya was known as Vāsudeva, and there are some wonderful stories surrounding him. It is said that once when his father had piled up many debts, Madhvācārya converted tamarind seeds into actual coins to pay them off. When he was five years old, he was offered the sacred thread. A demon named Maṇimān lived near his abode in the form of a snake, and at the age of five Madhvācārya killed that snake with the toe of his left foot. When his mother was very much disturbed, he would appear before her in one jump. He was a great scholar even in childhood, and although his father did not agree, he accepted sannyāsa at the age of twelve. Upon receiving sannyāsa from Acyuta Prekṣa, he received the name Pūrṇaprajña Tīrtha. After traveling all over India, he finally discussed scriptures with Vidyāśańkara, the exalted leader of Śṛńgeri-maṭha. Vidyāśańkara was actually diminished in the presence of Madhvācārya. Accompanied by Satya Tīrtha, Madhvācārya went to Badarikāśrama. It was there that he met Vyāsadeva and explained his commentary on the Bhagavad-gītā before him. Thus he became a great scholar by studying before Vyāsadeva.

 

 

By the time he came to the Ānanda-maṭha from Badarikāśrama, Madhvācārya had finished his commentary on the Bhagavad-gītā. His companion Satya Tīrtha wrote down the entire commentary. When Madhvācārya returned from Badarikāśrama, he went to Gañjāma, which is on the bank of the river Godāvarī. There he met with two learned scholars named Śobhana Bhaṭṭa and Svāmī Śastrī. Later these scholars became known in the disciplic succession of Madhvācārya as Padmanābha Tīrtha and Narahari Tīrtha. When he returned to Uḍupī, he would sometimes bathe in the ocean. On such an occasion he composed a prayer in five chapters. Once, while sitting beside the sea engrossed in meditation upon Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, he saw that a large boat containing goods for Dvārakā was in danger. He gave some signs by which the boat could approach the shore, and it was saved. The owners of the boat wanted to give him a present, and at the time Madhvācārya agreed to take some gopī-candana. He received a big lump of gopī-candana, and as it was being brought to him, it broke apart and revealed a large Deity of Lord Kṛṣṇa. The Deity had a stick in one hand and a lump of food in the other. As soon as Madhvācārya received the Deity of Kṛṣṇa in this way, he composed a prayer. The Deity was so heavy that not even thirty people could lift it. Yet Madhvācārya personally brought this Deity to Uḍupī. Eight of Madhvācārya's sannyāsa disciples became directors of his eight monasteries. Worship of the Lord Kṛṣṇa Deity is still going on at Uḍupī according to the plans Madhvācārya established.

 

 

Madhvācārya then for the second time visited Badarikāśrama. While he was passing through Maharashtra, the local king was digging a big lake for the public benefit. As Madhvācārya passed through that area with his disciples, he was also obliged to help in the excavation. After some time, when Madhvācārya visited the king, he engaged the king in that work and departed with his disciples.

 

 

Often in the province of Gāńga-pradeśa there were fights between Hindus and Muslims. The Hindus were on one bank of the river, and the Muslims on the other. Due to the community tension, no boat was available for crossing the river. The Muslim soldiers were always stopping passengers on the other side, but Madhvācārya did not care for these soldiers. He crossed the river anyway, and when he met the soldiers on the other side, he was brought before the king. The Muslim king was so pleased with him that he wanted to give him a kingdom and some money, but Madhvācārya refused. While walking on the road, he was attacked by some dacoits, but by his bodily strength he killed them all. When his companion Satya Tīrtha was attacked by a tiger, Madhvācārya separated them by virtue of his great strength. When he met Vyāsadeva, he received from him the śalagrāma-śilā known as Aṣṭamūrti. After this, he summarized the Mahābhārata.

 

 

Madhvācārya's devotion to the Lord and his erudite scholarship became known throughout India. Consequently the owners of the Śṛńgeri-maṭha, established by Śańkarācārya, became a little perturbed. At that time the followers of Śańkarācārya were afraid of Madhvācārya's rising power, and they began to tease Madhvācārya's disciples in many ways. There was even an attempt to prove that the disciplic succession of Madhvācārya was not in line with Vedic principles. A person named Puṇḍarīka Purī, a follower of the Māyāvāda philosophy of Śańkarācārya, came before Madhvācārya to discuss the śastras. It is said that all of Madhvācārya's books were taken away, but later they were found with the help of King Jayasiḿha, ruler of Kumla. In discussion, Puṇḍarīka Purī was defeated by Madhvācārya. A great personality named Trivikramācārya, who was a resident of Viṣṇumańgala, became Madhvācārya's disciple, and his son later became Nārāyaṇācārya, the composer of Śrī Madhva-vijaya. After the death of Trivikramācārya, the younger brother of Nārāyaṇācārya took sannyāsa and later became known as Viṣṇu Tīrtha.

 

 

It was reputed that there was no limit to the bodily strength of Pūrṇaprajña, Madhvācārya. There was a person named Kaḍañjari who was famed for possessing the strength of thirty men. Madhvācārya placed the big toe of his foot upon the ground and asked the man to separate it from the ground, but the great strong man could not do so even after great effort. Śrīla Madhvācārya passed from this material world at the age of eighty while writing a commentary on the Aitareya Upaniṣad.

For further information about Madhvācārya, one should read Madhva-vijaya, by Nārāyaṇācārya.

 

 

The ācāryas of the Madhva-sampradāya established Uḍupī as the chief center, and the monastery there was known as Uttararāḍhī-maṭha. A list of the different centers of the Madhvācārya-sampradāya can be found at Uḍupī, and their maṭha commanders are:

(1) Viṣṇu Tīrtha (Śoda-maṭha), (2) Janārdana Tīrtha (Kṛṣṇapura-maṭha), (3) Vāmana Tīrtha (Kanura-maṭha), (4) Narasiḿha Tīrtha (Adamara-maṭha), (5) Upendra Tīrtha (Puttugī-maṭha), (6) Rāma Tīrtha (Śirura-maṭha), (7) Hṛṣīkeśa Tīrtha (Palimara-maṭha), and (8) Akṣobhya Tīrtha (Pejāvara-maṭha).

 

The disciplic succession of the Madhvācārya-sampradāya is as follows (the dates are those of birth in the Śakābda Era; for Christian era dates, add seventy-eight years:

(1) Haḿsa Paramātmā; (2) Caturmukha Brahmā; (3) Sanakādi; (4) Durvāsā; (5) Jñānanidhi; (6) Garuḍa-vāhana; (7) Kaivalya Tīrtha; (8) Jñāneśa Tīrtha; (9) Para Tīrtha; (10) Satyaprajña Tīrtha; (11) Prājña Tīrtha; (12) Acyuta Prekṣācārya Tīrtha; (13) Śrī Madhvācārya, 1040 Śaka; (14) Padmanābha, 1120; Narahari, 1127; Mādhava, 1136; and Akṣobhya 1159; (15) Jaya Tīrtha, 1167; (16) Vidyādhirāja, 1190; (17) Kavīndra, 1255; (18) Vāgīśa, 1261; (19) Rāmacandra, 1269; (20) Vidyānidhi, 1298; (21) Śrī Raghunātha, 1366; (22) Rayuvarya (who spoke with Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu), 1424; (23) Raghūttama, 1471; (24) Vedavyāsa, 1517; (25) Vidyādhīśa, 1541; (26) Vedanidhi, 1553; (27) Satyavrata, 1557; (28) Satyanidhi, 1560; (29) Satyanātha, 1582; (30) Satyābhinava, 1595; (31) Satyapūrṇa, 1628; (32) Satyavijaya, 1648; (33) Satyapriya, 1659; (34) Satyabodha, 1666; (35) Satyasandha, 1705; (36) Satyavara, 1716; (37) Satyadharma, 1719; (38) Satyasańkalpa, 1752; (39) Satyasantuṣṭa, 1763; (40) Satyaparāyaṇa, 1763; (41) Satyakāma, 1785; (42) Satyeṣṭa, 1793; (43) Satyaparākrama, 1794; (44) Satyadhīra, 1801; (45) Satyadhīra Tīrtha, 1808.

 

 

After the sixteenth ācārya (Vidyādhirāja Tīrtha), there was another disciplic succession, including Rājendra Tīrtha, 1254; Vijayadhvaja; Puruṣottama; Subrahmaṇya; and Vyāsa Rāya, 1470-1520. The nineteenth ācārya, Rāmacandra Tīrtha, had another disciplic succession, including Vibudhendra, 1218; Jitāmitra, 1348; Raghunandana; Surendra; Vijendra; Sudhīndra; and Rāghavendra Tīrtha, 1545.

 

 

To date, in the Uḍupī monastery there are another fourteen Madhva-tīrtha sannyāsīs. As stated, Uḍupī is situated beside the sea in South Kanara, about thirty-six miles north of Mangalore.

Most of the information in this purport is available from the South Kānāḍā Manual and the Bombay Gazette

 

 

 

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