In Defence of Śrī Gāyatrī Mantrārtha Dīpikā

This article, first published on VNN on July 15th 1999, was written by Śrīla B.G. Narasiṅgha Mahārāja in response to certain devotees criticising the publication of the book, ‘Śrī Gāyatrī Mantrārtha Dīpikā.’ Mahārāja explains that upon seeing the book, Śrīla Bhakti Pramoda Purī Gosvāmī was extremely pleased, referring to it as ‘gupta-ratna-prakāśa.’

Śrī Gāyatrī Mantrārtha Dīpikā has been compiled for the pleasure of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and the followers of His disciplic succession, known as the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava sampradāya. This publication presents the remarkable mādhurya conception of Gāyatrī, as revealed by śāstra, sādhus, and ācāryas. When the contents of this book are examined by serious readers, it will be evident that the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava conception of Gāyatrī is the summit of theistic thought.

The recent publication Śrī Gāyatrī Mantrārtha Dīpikā was released on Gaura Pūrṇimā day in 1999 and was significantly blessed by His Divine Grace Śrīla Bhakti Pramoda Purī Gosvāmī Mahārāja. Śrīla Purī Mahārāja repeatedly referred to the new publication as a ‘gupta-ratna-prakāśa’ – ‘A Manifestation of the Hidden Wealth of the Gauḍīya sampradāya.’ For nearly one and a half hours, a discussion regarding the Gāyatrī publication was held with Śrīla Purī Mahārāja. It was of prime concern to him that the book did not contain any mental speculation. When His Divine Grace learned that Śrī Gāyatrī Mantrārtha Dīpikā contained the writings of Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura, Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, Śrīla Śrīdhara Deva Gosvāmī Mahārāja, and his humble self, Śrīla Bhakti Pramoda Purī Mahārāja was very pleased. The contents of each chapter and its author – including the chapters authored by contemporary ācāryas such as Śrīpāda Bhakti Nandana Swami Mahārāja and Śrīpāda Bhaktivedānta Tripurāri Mahārāja – were pointed out to Śrīla Purī Mahārāja, invoking his transcendental pleasure.

Commenting many times that Śrī Gāyatrī Mantrārtha Dīpikā was the wealth of the sampradāya, His Divine Grace also said that it was better to reveal the hidden truths given by our ācāryas than to criticise the defects in others.

Some doubt has arisen in the minds of a few devotees who were not present in Jagannātha Purī on Gaura Pūrṇimā day. They have speculated that Śrīla Purī Mahārāja would not authorise such a publication as Śrī Gāyatrī Mantrārtha Dīpikā, let alone bless it. It is a fact that Śrīla Purī Mahārāja did not originally commission me to compile this book, but upon receiving the finished publication, he was very pleased and placed it many times on his head with great reverence for its content. Witnesses to this event included at least ten of Śrīla Purī Mahārāja’s intimate disciples and followers. Contrary to the opinions of uninformed persons, Śrī Gāyatrī Mantrārtha Dīpikā was a welcome contribution to the existing library of transcendental literature at Śrī Gopīnātha Gauḍīya Maṭha.

The inspiration to compile Śrī Gāyatrī Mantrārtha Dīpikā came from our divine master, Śrīla A.C. Bhaktivedānta Swami Prabhupāda, by whose grace we heard the sacred meaning of Śrī Gāyatrī from Śrīla Bhakti Rakṣaka Śrīdhara Deva Gosvāmī Mahārāja. Throughout the ages, the ācāryas of the Gauḍīya sampradāya have written on various aspects of Śrī Gāyatrī. In printing the gāyatrī-mantras in various publications, our ācāryas have provided commentary in Sanskrit, Bengali, and English. The only difference between Śrī Gāyatrī Mantrārtha Dīpikā and previous publications by our ācāryas is that all the writings and references of past ācāryas are now compiled in one book. The four additional chapters of Śrī Gāyatrī Mantrārtha Dīpikā, authored by contemporary ācāryas, are also 100% bona fide according to the conception of the Gauḍīya sampradāya.

Due to a poor fund of knowledge, some persons have commented that I have become the mantra–guru of anyone who reads Śrī Gāyatrī Mantrārtha Dīpikā. They attribute this to the fact that I was the main person responsible for this publication. However, such a statement is absolutely misguided. One does not become initiated by reading mantras in a book. Besides, it is to be expected that whoever reads Śrī Gāyatrī Mantrārtha Dīpikā has already received mantra-dīkṣā from a bona fide spiritual master. Otherwise, what interest would they have in such an elevated topic?

If one has already received mantra-dīkṣā from a bona fide guru, one might still question the necessity of reading Śrī Gāyatrī Mantrārtha Dīpikā. My simple reply in the form of a question is – “If you already know that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, why do you continue to read the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam?” It is obvious – those who are attached to Kṛṣṇa always relish hearing about Him from bona fide sources.

If one does not want to displease his spiritual master, it is always advisable to seek permission before reading any particular book. The duty of the spiritual master is to guide the disciple on what books to read and what books to avoid. Not everyone may recommend Śrī Gāyatrī Mantrārtha Dīpikā to their disciples, and I have no problem with that – it is to be expected. However, I would expect that the guru should first read Śrī Gāyatrī Mantrārtha Dīpikā before making any hasty judgments.

When considering the matter from an Absolute standpoint, I am confident that Śrī Gāyatrī Mantrārtha Dīpikā will become highly recommended reading for both gurus and disciples alike.

Sometimes, lusty persons who chase after sense gratification and keep the company of unchaste women criticise the preaching of a sannyāsī. However, such persons should first try to control their senses before finding fault with others. The enemy is within, not with others.

In fact, those who criticise Śrī Gāyatrī Mantrārtha Dīpikā have obviously never read it. If they have read it and still wish to criticise it, they must be blinded by their envious nature. Otherwise, such persons would immediately recognise that this book is filled with divine instructions and revelations on the Gauḍīya conception of Śrī Gāyatrī, as revealed by our self-realised ācāryas. The book is thus beneficial for all devotees of the Supreme Lord. Everything stated in Śrī Gāyatrī Mantrārtha Dīpikā is excellent siddhānta in the line of Śrī Rūpa-Sarasvatī. In most cases, those who criticise it would do well to take lessons from it.

In South India, both the Rāmānuja sampradāya and the Madhva sampradāya have published extensive literature in Sanskrit, Tamil, Kannada, and English, propagating their respective conceptions of Śrī Gāyatrī. Not to mention that the Śaṅkara sampradāya, with whom we differ strongly, has done the same. We, of course, side with Rāmānuja and Madhvācārya, in that the worship of Viṣṇu/Nārāyaṇa is the object of Gāyatrī meditation, but we differ with both these sampradāyas in asserting that Kṛṣṇa is Supreme. Sometimes, the Rāmānujas or Madhvas may give us some credit regarding the divinity of Kṛṣṇa, but when it comes to the divinity of Śrī Rādhārāṇī, neither of these sampradāyas will concede to the Gauḍīya conception. The Gauḍīya conception that Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī is the Supreme Goddess of Fortune is based on Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, and this is certainly the most authoritative. However, a member of another Vaiṣṇava sampradāya might say that if the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam proclaims that Rādhārāṇī is the Supreme Goddess of Fortune, then this statement must be proven through an explanation of Gāyatrī, because the Bhāgavatam is the purport of Gāyatrī. Thus, one must be able to explain how Gāyatrī ultimately worships Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī or Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

gāyatrī-bhāṣya-rūpo’sau vedārtha-paribṛmhitaḥ

The commentary of the brahma-gāyatrī is also found in Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, fully expanded with all Vedic knowledge.

This is precisely what Śrī Gāyatrī Mantrārtha Dīpikā does – it extracts the conception from the heart of Gāyatrī, showing that Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī is the Supreme Goddess of Fortune and that Her Divine Service is the supreme goal of life. Understanding how to explain the Gauḍīya conception through the meaning of Gāyatrī will enable one to establish Gauḍīya siddhānta as the summit of theistic thought – at least in the circles of educated and learned transcendentalists.

gāyatrī-muralīṣṭha-kīrtana-dhanam rādha-padam dhīmahi

Gāyatrī, being the flute song of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, sings only of the glories of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī.

Without a proper conception of Śrī Gāyatrī, chanting the mantra is almost a futile labour. The more exact one’s conception of Śrī Gāyatrī, the more focused one’s meditation on the mantras will be. Therefore, Śrī Gāyatrī Mantrārtha Dīpikā is an essential text for all devotees desiring progress on the path of self-realisation (particularly for those who are limited to the English language).

If, on the other hand, you have heard the Gauḍīya conception of Śrī Gāyatrī from the lotus lips of Śrī Guru, then although Śrī Gāyatrī Mantrārtha Dīpikā will remain a nectar-filled literature for you, it may not be essential. But the fact is that even among those who sometimes give mantra–dīkṣā, especially in the Western countries, hardly one in ten has heard the purport of Śrī Gāyatrī from our ācāryas. Therefore, even a guru who gives mantra-dīkṣā will find Śrī Gāyatrī Mantrārtha Dīpikā a useful and enlightening text. When the guru himself better understands the meaning of Śrī Gāyatrī, he can more effectively imbue the mantras with potency in the hearts of his deserving disciples.

It may also be briefly mentioned here that among the many thousands of devotees in Western and Eastern countries who have received mantra-dīkṣā, a few hundred have received the gopī–bhāva–mantra at the time of accepting sannyāsa. Sadly, not only are many initiated devotees lacking a proper conception of Śrī Gāyatrī, but the meaning of the sannyāsa-mantra is also widely unknown – even among those sannyāsīs who preach the glories of the saṅkīrtana movement all over the world.

Once again, I remind our readers that without a proper conception of a mantra, it is next to impossible for one to receive the fruits of such mantras. If one has not heard the meaning of the sacred mantras from the lotus lips of his Gurudeva, then one must humbly approach the guru for such divine instruction. In the unfortunate case that the guru is himself unaware of the meaning of the mantras, the disciple should seek out a qualified śikṣā-guru and receive divya-jñāna (divine knowledge) from him.

The fact that many devotees chant Śrī Gāyatrī and even the sannyāsa-mantra with little or no proper conception was indeed an unsettling thought, which eventually led us to the determination to publish Śrī Gāyatrī Mantrārtha Dīpikā: Illuminations on the Essential Meaning of Śrī Gāyatrī. We have brought out this publication not to become the guru of everyone, as our critics have insinuated, but to serve those who are indeed worthy of service and to widely broadcast the Gauḍīya conception of Śrī Gāyatrī to the whole world as the summit of theistic thought. Indeed, the Gauḍīya ācāryas are the jagat-gurus, the spiritual masters of the whole world – some realise this, while others do not.

We kindly request our readers to set aside any considerations based on social consciousness, or even the consciousness of āmāra guru jagat-guru (our guru is the world guru), which stem from ignorance of the Absolute Truth, and to order your copy of Śrī Gāyatrī Mantrārtha Dīpikā today! Discover the ‘Hidden Wealth of the Gauḍīya sampradāya – it is blessed from above!

Gaura Haribol!!!

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