Page 23 - Viveka Satakam - Eng
P. 23

xxi
        About the Author


        māyāvādī who was inimical towards Lord Viṣṇu and the
        Vaiṣṇavas  is  an  abominable Vaiṣṇava  offense which will
        lead one to hell.

        In the Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Madhya, chapter 25 and Ādi,
        7.62  onwards)  we  find  narrations  about  the  māyāvādī
        Prakāśānanda.  How  a  person  who  was  a  māyāvādī
        between  the  Śaka  year  of  1425  and  1430  (1503-1508
        AD)  could  have  gone  to  the  South  and  become  a  Śrī
        Vaiṣṇava  in  1433  (1511  AD),  and  then  again  become  a
        māyāvādī in Kāśī in 1435 (1513 AD) cannot be understood.
        Therefore,  the  attempt  to  establish  that  Prakāśānanda
        and  Prabodhānanda  are  the  same  person  is  a  sign  of
        utter  ignorance.  Consequently,  this  tendency  to  ruin
        historical facts in such a way causes great sadness. Being
        subjected  to  his  own  humbleness  and  meekness,  Śrīla
        Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī had Śrīla Gopāla Bhaṭṭa forbid
        any narrations about him to be recorded in the Caitanya-
        caritāmṛta,  and  Śrīla  Kavirāja  Gosvāmī  did  not  violate
        his order. Thus, we find the present difficulties. If Śrīla
        Prabodhānanda knew that in the future there would be a
        misleading attempt to include him amongst the class of
        offenders towards Lord Viṣṇu and the Vaiṣṇavas, then he
        would not have made such a prohibition. The readers of
        the Bhakti-ratnākara can understand this. In connection
        with Śrīla Prabodhānanda, in the Bhakti-ratnākara (1.83-
        84,128-129,133,135,149-150) it is written:

                  tirumalaya, vyeṅkaṭa, āra prabodhānanda
                  tina bhrātāra prāṇa-dhana gauracandra
   18   19   20   21   22   23   24   25   26   27   28