The Meaning of Vyāsa Pūjā

Vyasa Pūja is the bona fide spiritual master's appearance day.

Srila Vyasadeva very wonderfully compiled all the Vedic literatures. He is the original spiritual master for anyone following the Vedic way of spiritual realization. Therefore, the spiritual master is known as the representative of Vyasadeva because he carries the message of Vyasadeva throughout the world. Out of the millions of Sanskrit verses composed by Srila Vyasadeva the whole of Vedic knowledge is summarized in Srimad-Bhagavatam which is known as the ripened fruit of the desire tree of Vedic knowledge. The ripened fruit is received hand to hand through disciplic succession and anyone who does this work in disciplic succession from Srila Vyasadeva is considered to be his representative. Thus the appearance day of the spiritual master is worshiped as Vyasa Pūja. In this connection, the exalted seat on which the spiritual master sits is called Vyasasana (the seat of Vyasa). The system of offering respect to the spiritual master is current in all sections of Vedic followers. We of the Gauḍiya Sampradaya offer our humble homage annually on the appearance day our spiritual master and this auspicious moment is called Vyasa Pūja.

We dedicate this volume with the thousands of danḍavats at the lotus feet of our eternal spiritual master, Om Visnupada Paramahamsa Parivrajakacarya Astottara Sata Sri Srimad A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada Maharaja, who is so mercifully delivering the transcendental message of Vyasadeva for the welfare of all living beings.

The Disciplic Succession

Vedic knowledge, which contains information of the Supreme Personality of Godhead Krsna, our relationship with Him, and how to develop love of Him, is not a question of research. Our research work is imperfect because we are researching things with imperfect, perishable senses. We have to accept perfect knowledge which comes down, as is stated in Bhagavad-gita, by the parampara disciplic succession. We have to receive knowledge from the proper source in disciplic succession beginning with the supreme spiritual master, Lord Sri Krsna, and handed down to a succession of spiritual masters. Vedic knowledge is received from transcendental sources, and the first words were spoken by the Lord Himself. The words spoken by the Lord are different from words spoken by a person of the mundane world who is infected with four defects. A mundaner...

With these four imperfections, one cannot deliver perfect information of all-pervading knowledge.

This transcendental knowledge of the Vedas was first uttered by the Personality of Godhead to Brahma, the creator if this particular universe. From Brahma, the knowledge descended to Narada, from Narada to Vyasadeva, from Vyasadeva to Madhvacarya, and in this process of disciplic succession the transcendental knowledge was transmitted by one disciple to another till it reached Lord Gaurahga, or Sri Krsna Caitanya who posed as the disciple and successor of Sri Īsvara Puri. The present Acaryadeva is the eleventh disciplic representative from Sri Rūpa Gosvami, the original representative of this transcendental tradition in its fullness from Lord Caitanya. The knowledge that we receive from him is not different from that imparted by the Godhead Himself and the succession of acaryas in the preceptorial line of Brahma. The acarya is the living representative of Vyasadeva, the divine compiler of the Vedas, the Puranas, Bhagavad-gita, Mahabharata and the Srimad-Bhagavatam.

One who interprets the divine sound, or sabda-brahman, by his imperfect sense perception cannot be a real spiritual guru because, in the absence of the empiricist's proper disciplinary training under the bona fide acarya, the interpreter is sure to differ from Vyasadeva, the prime authority of the Vedic revelation, (as the Mayavadis do). Such an irrelevant interpreter, therefore, cannot be accepted as the guru or acarya, howsoever he may be equipped with all the acquirements of material knowledge. On the other hand, one who has received the transcendental knowledge by aural reception from the bona fide preceptor in the disciplic chain and has sincere regard from the real acarya must certainly be enlightened with the revealed knowledge of the Vedas which is permanently sealed to the cognitive approach of the empiricists. As it is stated in the Svetasvatara Upanisad:

The practical process of accepting knowledge in this spirit is called parampara, or disciplic succession.

As stated by Lord Krsna in the Bhagavad-gita:

Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the original reservoir of all knowledge. From Him alone the bona fide disciplic succession of transcendental knowledge descends. He is the origin of knowledge, He is the object of knowledge and He is the goal of knowledge. Furthermore, it is by His mercy only that one contacts a spiritual master in the genuine disciplic chain. By His all-pervading cognizance, He can understand the desire and sincerity of a conditioned soul and lead him, from within the heart, to the spiritual master. Thus Krsna appears before the devotee as the spiritual master.

Lord Brahma is the first created living being within the universe, as well as Lord Krsna's first disciple in disciplic succession. He is empowered by Lord Krsna to create all manifestations in the universe. By virtue of his austerity, the Lord revealed the Vedic knowledge to him from within his heart. He is the author of the Brahma samhita.

Narada Muni is the son of Lord Brahma. He has received the transcendental message from his father, and is thus eternally engaged in distributing this message for the benefit of all conditioned souls. On the vibrations of his transcendental vina he can travel through all material and spiritual worlds. He first brought the Hare Krsna mantra to this planet earth.

Krsna Dvaipayana Vyasadeva is the disciple of Narada Muni and the original author of Vedic literature. As the literary incarnation of Krsna, he could see by divine vision the impending horrors and godlessness of this age. Thus under Narada's instruction, he compiled the Vedic literatures for the fallen souls of this age.

Sri Madhvacarya appeared in disciplic succession in the 12th Century and preached all over India. As the disciple of Srila Vyasadeva, Madhvacarya always stressed that God and man are separate individual personalities, even after liberation. Thus his philosophy is known as dvaita or dual.

Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the special mercy incarnation for this age, appeared in disciplic succession from Sri Madhvacarya approximately 500 years ago for two purposes. First, He appeared to deliver the fallen souls by giving them the only effective process for self-realization in this age-chanting the holy names of God. By chanting, dancing and tasting the remnants of foodstuffs offered to Krsna, one can immediately develop his dormant love of God, thus achieving the perfectional stage of life. Secondly, the transcendental mellow of devotional service to Krsna is so sweet that Krsna Himself appeared in the mood of Radharani, Krsna's foremost devotee, just to taste it. It has been stated by Srila Narottama dasa Thakura that anyone who understands Lord Caitanya and His pastimes to be non-different from Krsna will immediately experience love of God. Lord Caitanya was always absorbed in chanting Krsna's holy name and pushing on the sahkirtana movement throughout the world. In this way, as the supreme teacher, He set the example for everyone.

The Six Gosvamis of Vrndavana, of whom Rūpa and Sanatana Gosvami are pictured here, were Lord Caitanya's direct disciples. Under His order, they rediscovered the transcendental village of Vrndavana where Lord Krsna performed His glorious pastimes 5,000 years ago. After hearing from Lord Caitanya, they wrote volumes of literature explaining and giving directions for devotional service to Krsna. The International Society for Krishna Consciousness is based on the guidelines given in these books. Although Rūpa and Sanatana had become outcastes from brahminical society by engaging in the service of Mohammedans, Lord Caitanya raised them to the topmost position in the Vedic order as gosvamis, or spiritual masters for all classes of men. This is the proof of the potency of the sahkirtana movement.

Jagannatha dasa Babaji, the spiritual master of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, is praised as follows: "I offer my respectful obeisances to Sri Jagannnatha dasa Babaji, who is respectful to the entire Vaisnava community and who discovered the place where Lord Caitanya appeared."

Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura is the pioneer of Krsna consciousness in the Western world. His book on Krsna consciousness, "Lord Caitanya-His Life and Precepts," was introduced at McGill University in Canada in the year 1896. Srila Bhaktivinoda prayed for a "ray of Visnu" to appear as his child, and, as a result, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura took birth as his son.

Gaura Kisora dasa Babaji, an intimate associate of Bhaktivinoda Thakura, was chosen by him to be the spiritual master for his son, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura. He was renunciation personified, being always merged in a feeling of separation and intense love for Krsna. He was extraordinarily humble and dedicated to the service of Krsna.

His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati, the foremost devotee and scholar of the previous age, is the spiritual master of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. He is the ocean of transcendental mercy and the bestower of devotional service upon the fallen souls. He is the deliverer of devotional service, which is enriched with the conjugal love of Sri-Sri Radha and Krsna. He is the personified teachings of Lord Caitanya. Thus, he never tolerates any statement against the teaching of devotional service as enunciated by Srila Rūpa Gosvami.

In 1936, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada delivered this poem as a Vyasa Pūja homage for His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati

"I offer my respectful obeisances unto His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada who is very dear to Lord Krsna, having taken shelter at His lotus feet."

"Our respectful obeisances are unto you, O spiritual master, servant of Sarasvati Gosvami. You are so kindly teaching the message of Lord Caitanya and delivering the Western countries, which are filled with voidism and impersonalism."