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This course is part of Sastra-Caksus, Year 3 and consists of 25 lectures, available on:

Apasampradāyas

 

Given in Bhaktivedanta Academy, Sridham Mayapur

The following are lecture notes briefly delineating its contents.

• All apasampradayas have a head, a founder, they all think they are well situated.

• Jata-gosai - Vedic line, but they have missed the point of the Vedas
• Caste goswamis - think that their family line represents Gopala Bhatta Goswami
• Prakrta-sahajiyas - bring spiritual rasa down to the mundane platform
• Gauranga-nagaris - rasabhasa, make Lord Caitanya into enjoyer
• Sakhi-bheki and cuda-kari - imitate rasa-lila, men dress up as gopis
• Ati-vada - "too great", consider guru, themselves, everyone and everything great, deification, therefore they don't follow nicely
• Sufi Muslim and Vaishnavism mix
• Karta-bhaja - worshipers of Guru as God
• There is not actually correct Western equivalent for the term Sampradaya.
• Admittance into a Sampradaya requires both correct philosophical understanding and proper behavior. Without proper behavior, there cannot actually be full correct philosophical understanding. Many philosophies and religions have little bits of correct things, but they don't know how to put them together, therefore it falls short of Gaudiya Vaishnavism.
• The question "Do I exist or not?" comes up from the mode of ignorance.
• 20:00 Good intent without proper ingredients, according to Manu, is better than good ingredients without proper intent.
• Example of offering wine to God.
• One wearing karmi clothes and identifying with them, and smarta brahmana wearing Vaishnava clothes are both material, one mode of ignorance, the other in goodness. But the later is better, since at least it has some shastric basis, it's pious, while the first is impious.
• Many apasampradayas emphasize diksha more than siksha.
• Here we will learn all the main elements, we may not find the exact apasampradaya as in the book, just like we almost never get exact followers of the 6 philosophical systems, or never get exact karma, jnana or dhyana, there is always mixes.
• Neophytes overemphasize diksha and the bodily presence, and therefore they misinterpret things that the acarya has given.
• Diksha simply means that one is serious about siksha. Siksha actually liberates us, but unless there is the personal presence, ceremony etc. we don't take it seriously.
• Srila Prabhupada is the Acarya, others give relevant instructions. We may not understand the relevance of Srila Prabhupada's Purports, but then someone explains them, and then we are able to appreciate.
• Apasampradayas have their own special blend of anarthas, but at the same time they have a philosophy to explain that those anarthas are okay.
• If a new devotee presents philosophy improperly, the only reaction is that people will not respond. If the false ego is there, then one might get more reaction.
• The symptom of full knowledge is that when we look around, we only look for opportunities for Kṛṣṇa's service, not for sense gratification.
• Our main identity should not be that we are grihasthas or brahmacharis, but it's just that we use that facility in Kṛṣṇa's service. Taking care of the baby is duty, not service, but raising the baby to be Kṛṣṇa conscious and serve Kṛṣṇa is service.
• Only avadhutas do things that shastra doesn't recommend. Acaryas don't do that. Kartabhajas consider that guru may do whatever one wants.
• Prabhupada's books are more important than the letters, since letters are given according to time, place and circumstance and we often don't know what was the question he is answering.