Wasn’t Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s rejecting his spiritual master Bipin Bihari Goswami offensive?

Transcript

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Thank you. Hare Krishna! Question Bhaktivinod Thakur took initiation from Bipin Bihari Goswami but then he took inspiration from Jagannath Das Babaji because there were some differences between him and in the parampara Bipin Bihari Goswami sidelined and Jagannath Das Goswami is described as the spiritual master of Bhaktivinod Thakur.
So isn’t it offensive to reject one spiritual master like this? Answer Bhaktivinod Thakur never rejected Bipin Bihari Goswami. He always respected him. At the same time, Bipin Bihari Goswami was not following the Gaudiya Vishnu principles to their fullest.
Bhaktivinod Thakur was born in a Shakta family. He was not born in a Gaudiya Vishnu family. But during his intellectual and spiritual search, he discovered Gaudiya Vishnuism after reading about Christianity, after reading about the Brahmo Samaj, after reading about many Western European philosophers.
Finally, he came across Chaitanya Charita Amrit and he read that and he was tremendously attracted. He started associating with Gaudiya Vishnu at that time. And then as he was associating, he met Bipin Bihari Goswami who was a caste Goswami.
That means he was born as a Goswami and he was in his own way learned and he was in a way committed to Gaudiya Vishnuism. So Bhaktivinod Thakur being inspired at that time took initiation from him. But later on, as he studied the Gaudiya literature deeper, he realized that the moral standard that Chaitanya Mahaprabhu had taught was very exalted and many of the Gaudiya Vishnu at that time were not following that.
And even Bipin Bihari Goswami was in many ways not following those moral standards. For example, he would take paan and something like that he would do. Now still he was an advanced devotee, but there were certain things which were inadequate in him.
So now Bhaktivinod Thakur in his own way, he tried to very humbly, respectfully, but still he tried to inspire Bipin Bihari Goswami to also rise to a higher moral standard. But that didn’t work out and he also found that when he met other Gaudiya Vishnavas who were actually truly, totally renounced, completely devoted to the Lord, then he was more inspired by them. So he eventually met Jagannatha Goswami and his utter renunciation of the world and complete absorption in the Lord inspired the heart of Bhaktivinod Thakur in an extraordinary way.
So we cannot legislate inspiration. Even in our own Krishna consciousness we may take inspiration from a spiritual master, but later on we may find some other Vaishnava who inspires us more. Now if that is what happens then it is not that we are being unfaithful to our spiritual master if we are inspired by some other Vaishnava more.
Krishna can manifest his all attractiveness through any devotee. So it can be our spiritual master, it can be through some other spiritual master. Now in some exceptional cases, if one feels very inspired by a Vaishnava, then actually, there are several devotees who have done like this, that they tell their spiritual master that I am very inspired by this particular Vaishnava and I would like to serve him, I would like to serve with him.
And generally the spiritual master will bless. And then one can do that. So Bhaktivinod Thakur’s relationship with Jagannatha Goswami was never in defiance of his relationship with Bipin Bihari Goswami.
So he never rejected Bipin Bihari Goswami, but he realized that his moral standards were not the highest. And he was a Gaudiya Vaishnava already, he was a practicing one. Bipin Bihari Goswami was a Gaudiya Vaishnava, Goswami in that times, and he expected him for that.
Later on, the differences came to the forefront quite accurately at one time, when both Bhaktivinod Thakur and his son Bipin Slansurya Thakur were saying that the right to teach Gaudiya Vaishnavism and to get people to Gaudiya Vaishnavism by initiation should not be reserved to those who are born Brahmins, born Goswamis. It should be there for everyone who is actually a dedicated practitioner of Gaudiya Vaishnavism. So at that time, Bipin Bihari Goswami opposed this.
And when there is a confrontation, Bhaktivinod Thakur chose, that is one of the factors by which he felt that I cannot oppose my spiritual master directly. So when there was the famous confrontation in Medanapur, Bhaktivinod Thakur chose not to go. And then Bhaktisiddhan Surya Thakur went there.
Of course, Bhaktivinod Thakur was sick also at that time. That was another reason. But also the Vaishnava etiquette was there.
So Bhaktivinod Thakur did not oppose his spiritual master directly in the public forum. Bhaktisiddhan Surya Thakur did that. And there were many other castes, Goswamis also were there.
Bhaktisiddhan Surya Thakur systematically responded to all their arguments and established, based on the Vedic scriptures, how the right to initiation and the right to the practice of devotion cannot be monopolized by anyone. And in this way, he sort of democratized Gaudiya Vaishnavism for everyone. Now the point here is that scriptures tell us what the standard is.
And in our spiritual quest, we may come across some devotees who introduce us to scriptures. And then naturally they become inspirations for us. But if later on it happens that we find from the scripture point of view, what they are teaching is not the highest standard, or what they are living is not the highest standard, then we have a right to look for those models which teaches the highest standards.
firstly, Bhaktivinod Thakur never rejected Bhaktivinod Thakur. He never publicly opposed him. But he found that his moral standards in some cases were wanting.
And so where he found inspiration more, he took that inspiration. And he assimilated Gaudiya Vaishnav principle and shared them with others vigorously. Now, as far as the disciplic line that we have, that disciplic line is actually given to us by Bhaktivinod Thakur.
And he is in which he describes the line of Acharyas. And there he describes that Bhaktivinod Thakur received primary inspiration especially in the years when he was most productive in his sharing of Krishna Consciousness with the world. He received primary inspiration from Bipin Bihari.
Not from Bipin Bihari Goswami, but from Jagannath Babaji. So our parampara is primarily a shiksha parampara. It’s not a diksha parampara.
So diksha is important because diksha systematizes shiksha. That initiation makes sure the education becomes more systematic and serious. But what is actually the essence is shiksha.
Now, there is no description in the Chaitanya Charita Amrit that Rupa and Sanatana Goswami received any formal initiation from Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. There was a fire sacrifice performed. And through the fire sacrifice, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu initiated Rupa and Sanatana Goswami.
But we know from Chaitanya Charita Amrit that he gave them instructions. And those instructions became the mission of their life. And that’s how they wrote their books.
So, the point was that Bhaktivinoda Thakur received spiritual inspiration as well as shiksha much more from Jagannath Babaji than from Bipin Bihari Goswami. And that’s why in the line of parampara, Bhaktivinoda Thakur intuiting this deeper truth based on his intimate relationship with his father and spiritual mentor, Bhaktivinoda Thakur, tells us that his primary spiritual connection was with Jagannath Babaji, not so much with Bipin Bihari Goswami. Thank you.