Did Ñaò Gosvämés give Siddha Praëälé to their disciples ?!?
Question – MAHÄRÄJA JÉ! This question often comes to us that if any Ñaò Gosvämé gave Siddha Praëälé to anyone? If yes, can you please quote some examples from the scriptures?
MAHÄRÄJA JÉ - This question is – Did Saò Gosvämés ever give Siddha Praëälé to anyone in Gauòéya Vaiñëava Sampradäya or is it something invented in the recent past?
Well, Ñaò Gosvämés only started this giving of Siddha Praëälé. And it is clearly mentioned in Grantha called ‘Prema Viläsa’. Either you can read that Grantha on your own or I have also mentioned from this Grantha, ‘Prema Viläsa’, in my Grantha ‘Be a Gauòéya Vaiñëava’.
So, either you can read from here… the page number is 97 in English Grantha or you can read yourself ‘Prema Viläsa’. In that, very clearly it is mentioned that Çréla Gopala Bhatta Gosvämé gave initiation (Dékñä) to Çréla Çréniväsa Äcärya. And along with Dékñä, at that very time, at that very moment of Dékñä, Gopala Bhatta Gosvämé gave Siddha Praëälé. What is Siddha Praëälé? Siddha Praëälé means your svarüpa, your name, your features, your sevä… by which you serve Rädhä and Kåñëa eternally… the details about your svarüpa by which you serve Rädhä-Kåñëa eternally.
At the time of giving Dékñä, Gopala Bhatta Gosvämé gave Siddha Praëälé to Çréla Çréniväsa Äcärya. These verses very clearly mentioned:
rädhä-krñëa-mantra kahe kare yuga dhari
käma béja çunäilo aìguli anusäré
He gave the Käma-béja, Kåñëa mantra to Çréniväsa Äcärya and He gave the Siddha Praëälé also.
guëa-maïjarékäçraye maëi-maïjarékä tumi
“I am your eternal Guru Maïjaré, Guëa Maïjaré and you are Maëi Maïjaré. In My äçraya, in My shelter, you do sevä of Rädhä-Kåñëa eternally.”
Then he gave the further details to Çréniväsa Äcärya.
And since more than 500 years, this Siddha Praëälé is being bestowed by all the spiritual masters in Gauòéya Vaiñëava lineage to the disciples who are sincere… who wish to serve Rädhä-Kåñëa eternally. And all these paramparäs… 500-year-old ancient paramparäs are there in Våndävana, Rädhä kuëòa, Navadvépa, Jagannätha Puré… Anyone can go and see the same system by which Siddha Praëälé was being given since last 500 years. It is being done even now in all the bonafide lineages in Gauòéya Vaiñëava Sampradäya. And not just that it is in Gauòéya Vaiñëava sampradäya, giving of Siddha Praëälé, the details about your svarüpa by which you serve Rädhä and Kåñëa, it is there in Nimbärka Sampradäyas well. The Gurus in Nimbärka lineage Sampradäya also tell their disciples their name, their service and their clothes they wear etc. etc. And they meditate on the svarüpa given by their Guru, and thereby attain Siddhi. So Gauòéya, Nimbärki… they all have the same way of Guru bestowed Siddha Praëälé and they meditate on that. It is not something new. Something new is not bestowing of Siddha Praëälé.
I heard from a sannyäsé in a saffron organization. He said that some groups are giving Siddha Praëälé these days. I wrote a book, just because of that one line… I had to write a book called “Rägänugä Bhakti and Siddha Praëälé.” Just because of this line, I wrote this book. The reality is… just a group is not giving Siddha Praëälé these days! The saffron institutions, basically the followers of Bhakti Siddhänta Sarasvaté… they are not giving Siddha Praëälé.
Other than that, you leave aside these institutions, everyone in entire Gauòéya Vaiñëava lineage from last 500 years till now, are giving Siddha Praëälé to their followers. Same is there in Nimbärka Sampradäya. There is no change. And it is very important that one must know not just the details of your svarüpa, you must know the details of your Guru Maïjaré as well… how your Guru Maïjaré looks like, what is your Guru Maïjaré’s sevä because every day, when you get up, after washing your hands in nitya lélä in the spiritual world, you give water to your Guru Maïjaré, and she rinses her mouth. You give water and she washes her hands and you give water and wash her lotus feet as well.
So, you must know the details of your Guru Maïjaré as well because under her äçraya, you do sevä. The Guru who gives you svarüpa, who gives you Dékñä here, in this world, that Guru is your eternal Guru Maïjaré the spiritual world. This is a line, very beautifully written-
guëa-maïjaré käçraye maëi-maïjaré kä tumi
Under äçraya, shelter of your Guru Maïjaré… this Maïjaré is doing this sevä.
So, one must know the details of your Guru Maïjaré, if you really wish to serve Rädhä and Kåñëa. And the question is that who gives Siddha Praëälé really? Is it something imagination or is it reality? Well, it is, of course, reality because the Lord only gives the details of a devotee’s Svarüpa. But He has made channels because He Himself is busy… smara-madändho… in the loving pastimes with Çrématé Rädhäräné.
So, he has on His left side in the spiritual world, one of His svarüpa… it is called Samañöi Guru. Samañöi Guru is a form of Lord Kåñëa only. He is Lord… Samañöi Guru Himself is the Lord. He is the aggregate of all Gurus and is called Samañöi Guru. He wears Pétämbara. He is bluish like Kåñëa. And He oversees the functions of all the Gurus in this material world. That Guru only, bestows the details of a Devotee, in the heart of the Guru here from whom you are going to take Dékñä.
Samañöi Guru tells all the details in the heart of the Dékñä Guru here, and that Dékñä Guru tells you all the details by which you can serve Rädhä-Kåñëa eternally, you can meditate on your svarüpa and achieve the same upon Siddhi. This is the channel made by the Lord Himself.
Externally, it may seem that Guru is giving but actually, only the Lord is doing everything. The lord is giving svarüpa, telling everything in the form of Samañöi Guru. The Lord Himself is present in the form of Dékñä Guru. The Lord is revealing svarüpa to the Lord and giving to the conditioned soul. This is a channel. Just like you have a father and a mother here… they give you a name. so, who gives name? Actually, they became just a via media to give you name. Similarly, Guru becomes a via medium. Actually, everything is done by the Lord Himself. Mahäprabhu is so Merciful! He is revealing everything… the details of your svarüpa, even before your Siddhi! So Merciful is the Lord!
And by this svarüpa, by meditating on this svarüpa, you can become a Rüpänugä. You will ask… Why? How? Until and unless I meditate on my Guru given Maïjaré deha, can I not become a Gauòéya Vaiñëava? No, you can’t! Because, Gauòéya Vaiñëava is supposed to be Rüpänugä. And Rüpa Gosvämé says-
sevä sädhaka rüpeëa siddha rüpeëa cätra hi,
tad bhäva lipsunä käryä vraja lokänusärataù
Rüpa Gosvämé is telling sevä sädhaka rüpeëa. You do hearing and chanting about the Lord and you meditate on the Guru given Siddha deha, Maïjaré deha. Only then you can be a proper Rüpänugä
And Çréla Prabodhänanda Sarasvaté also tells in Çré Çré Rädhärasa Sudhänidhi Verse 267 –
tejo rüpa nikuïja eva kalayan neträdi piëòe sthitaà
tädåk svocita divya komala vapuù svéyaà samälokaye
‘When will I get the eyes, the form, the skin by which I will be able to see Rädhä and Kåñëa, by which I will be able to serve Rädhä and Kåñëa?’
Rüpa Gosvämé, Prabodhanand Sarasvaté, Raghunath Däsa Gosvämé… all are telling the same thing. By your Guru given Siddha deha, meditate serving the Divine Couple from here and achieve that in Siddhias well. And Mahäprabhu Himself is saying-
bähya, antara, – ihära dui ta’ sädhana
‘bähye’ sädhaka-dehe kare çravaëa-kértana
‘mane’ nija siddha-deha kariyä bhävana
rätri-dine kare vraje kåñëera sevana
(Caitanya Caritämåta Madhya 22.156-157)
All Gauòéya Vaiñëavas must do two – fold Sädhanä ..
bähya, antara, – ihära dui ta’ sadhana. Do hear and chant about the Lord and antara – ‘siddha-deha kariyä bhävana’.
You cannot follow this instruction of Mahäprabhu unless and until you have got Siddha Praëälé from your Guru. You get Siddha Praëälé from your Guru. He gives your svarüpa. And by that svarüpa, you serve Rädhä and Kåñëa. It is not like anonymous serving Rädhä and Kåñëa. This does not happen in spiritual world. This does not happen! Everyone has to serve Rädhä and Kåñëa under the shelter of their Guru Maïjaré. It is not anonymously I am serving Rädhä-Kåñëa. I am just thinking… I am this and this Maïjaré. No!
Now the question is – Who is your Guru Maïjaré? “Oh! That I don’t know.”
Then you can’t serve! Because the very first thing you have to serve in the morning is… get up, wash your hands and make your Guru Maïjaré wash her hands. This is the first step… you cannot do in the dual sädhanä of meditating. Before serving Rädhä-Kåñëa, you have to first serve your Guru Maïjaré. ‘prathamaà tu guruà püjya’ first one has to serve Guru, then one approaches Rädhä and Kåñëa. When you make your Guru Maïjaré wash her hands, then she gives sevä. After that, she gives sevä.
“O! Look Maëi Maïjaré! Go and make garland for Rädhäräné.” “O! You, Çré Maïjaré! You do candana sevä.”
Guru Maïjaré only gives instructions. You don’t whimsically start doing sevä as per your way. “O! No… I wish to do… But can I do this…?” These things don’t happen in spiritual world.
And we can understand from this lélä… Çréniväsa Äcärya is himself the äveça avatära of Lord Caitanya. Despite being an avesh avatära of Lord Caitanya, he was being Siddha Praëälé. No matter how big a personality you are! You are a Çaktyäveça avatära, some form of God… Your Guru will give you Siddha Praëälé. And by that Siddha Praëälé only, you will serve.
From morning to night, we do all seväs under the anugatye of our Guru Maïjaré… morning to night! And at night also, we sleep at the lotus feet of our Guru Maïjaré… at night as well! So how are you going to do two-fold Sädhanä until and unless you have Siddha svarüpa? You don’t know anything about your Guru Maïjaré.
In Iskcon, there’s a very funny thing! Some people think that Prabhupäda is a sakhä… some think that he is a gopé… some think that he is a Maïjaré. You don’t even know in what rasa your Guru is? Then how can you ever serve?? How can you be a Gauòéya Vaiñëava??
Gauòéya Vaiñëava means who are followers of Mahäprabhu… followers of Rüpa Gosvämé. Mahäprabhu is saying – Do dual Sädhanä. For dual Sädhanä, you need to know who your Guru Maïjaré is. You don’t even know in what rasa your primary Guru is… Then how can you serve? How can you even start serving internally??
Do you think that your lust is going to increase when you make your Guru Maïjaré wash her hands?? Can anyone’s lust increase in this also?? You are stringing garland in the morning… You think that your lust is going to increase? This is Räga Märga. Are you not qualified to even string garland internally? You are sitting on a mat, stringing garland, doing candana, plucking flowers, making äraté plate. Can’t you even do this? Your lust is going to increase in this as well? This is called dual Sädhanä. The same way you attend Maìgala Äraté in the temple… the same way Maìgala Äraté is done in Nikuïja. Same way you can meditate for hours. Forget lust! Aäraté is being done of Rädhä-Kåñëa. What do you have to do?
You just have to be in your Maïjaré svarüpa and do the äraté, see the äraté. You come in the temple and attend Maìgala Äraté.
Why don’t you be in Guru given Siddha deha and attend the Maìgala Äraté? It is going to be a different ball game altogether. Doing the same activity… but the result is going to be gigantic… huge! Huge!!
Right now, a male goes and attend Maìgala Äraté… a female goes and attend Maìgala Äraté… No ! But when you, after getting Guru given Siddha deha, you attend Maìgala Äraté. Rädhä-Kåñëa are there and you are there in Siddha svarüpa attending Maìgala Äraté. Is your lust going to increase in this? It is absolute essential to get Siddha praëälé from a bonafide Guru in a bonafide lineage, who tells your details about your Siddha deha. He tells His details about his Siddha deha and His Guru’s details. We get the details of all our Guru varga from past 500 years in our Siddha praëälé.
So, you meditate… yes, I am with my Guru Maïjaré. And then in front, there is my Guru Maïjaré’s Guru Maïjaré, Her Guru Maïjaré and till the Lord! We all in a family are there.
Ñaò Gosvämés gave Siddha praëälé. Other sampradäyas also give Siddha praëälé. Only a group called Bhakti Siddhänta Sarasvaté and their followers don’t give Siddha praëälé.
And you will be surprised to know that Bhaktivinoda Öhäkura gave Siddha praëälé to his son, Lalita Prasda Öhäkura! And he gave Siddha praëälé to his disciples. I know many of the disciples as well, right now. They are my friends. And this thing is going on since 500-years.
So, just except a small group called Iskcon and Gaudiya Maöha, everyone in Gauòéya Vaiñëava Sampradäya gets Siddha praëälé from their followers. They all are qualified to get Siddha praëälé from their followers. All Sampradäya devotees are qualified to get Siddha praëälé from their followers.
This is just an imaginary concept that you are not qualified. It has been drilled into the innocent devotees.