Reading from Bhaktivedānta Academy’s Study Guide on the Apasampradāyas: “Doctrines like those of the Nadia-nāgarīs, a class of so-called devotees, are never presented by authorized persons like Svarūpa Dāmodara or the Six Gosvāmīs. The ideas of the Nadia-nāgarīs are simply mental concoction, and they are completely on the mental platform.”
His Holiness Bhaktividyā Pūrṇa Mahārāja: Because it’s just about enjoyment. It’s just about enjoyment because He is a Nāgara, so He can do what He likes, so, therefore, He can do this, He can do that, and so then they take their their own part in it.
Reading from the Study Guide: Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-lilā 4.41 Purport, Footnote further quotes from Śrīla Prabhupāda, ”Therefore my Guru Mahāraja did not did not approve the parties. They are called Gaurāṅga-nāgarī, they accept Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu as Kṛṣṇa. Caitanya Mahāprabhu is Kṛṣṇa, but they pose Him Kṛṣṇa as enjoying with the gopīs, no. That is called Gaurāṅga-nāgarī bhāva. No, Kṛṣṇa has appeared now as devotee, so you must help Him how He can become a best devotee, not that pose Him into Kṛṣṇa position. When Caitanya Mahāprabhu came in Vṛndāvana, so many people called Him, ‘You are Kṛṣṇa, you are Viṣṇu,’ He was doing this: ‘Don’t say like this! Don’t say like this!’ to warn future generation who would like to become Kṛṣṇa’s Avatāra, so-called Avatāra.” (Śrīla Prabhupāda’s lecture on Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.2.6, October 17, 1972)
HH BVPS Mahārāja: So it’s a matter of their imposing the wrong mood. Then next quote…
Reading from the Study Guide: There is a class of devotees called Gaurāṅga-nāgarī who stage plays of Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes using a vigraha or form of Caitanya Mahāprabhu. This is a mistake.’
HH BVPS Mahārāja: Right? In other words, it’s Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes, but Kṛṣṇa is dressed as Lord Caitanya, so they’re showing Lord Caitanya is Kṛṣṇa, and so therefore He’s enjoying in this way. No it’s, it’s…
Reading from the Study Guide: This is a mistake that is technically called rasābhāsa. While Caitanya Mahāprabhu was trying to enjoy as a devotee, one should not disturb Him by addressing Him as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. (CC Ādi 7.10 Purport)
HH BVPS Mahārāja: Yes?
Prabhu (1): I’ve heard the same argument applied as to why we shouldn’t put a peacock feather…
HH BVPS Mahārāja: It’s amazing, I was just thinking… I was thinking, ‘I hope this one doesn’t come up.’ [Laughter]
Prabhu (1): Sorry, Mahārāja… [Laughter]
HH BVPS Mahārāja: It’s, it’s… I don’t want to even get into this big… The point is is that… But because we’re worshiping through that Pañcarātrika element, you know, as the Deity, then the point is is, you’re recognizing the element that this is Kṛṣṇa, right? But it’s not a matter of disturbing the mood. And I will give one example, and, hopefully, that’s good enough. Okay, let us say that there’s something that the boy likes to wear. Does the girl have any problem, his girlfriend, does she have any problem wearing that? Let’s say, he has a favorite jacket, and it’s cold, and so then she wears the jacket. Does she have any problem? Does she think, “Now I’ve become my boyfriend”? So what is the meaning of it?
Prabhu (1): Right.
HH BVPS Mahārāja: Right. So, therefore, the tattva is that He is Kṛṣṇa, but the mood is, He is Rādhāraṇī. So Rādhārāṇī won’t have a problem wearing a peacock feather.
Prabhu (1): Okay.
HH BVPS Mahārāja: That’s one aspect. Two, if you look at the Gosvāmī temples, look carefully at all the pictures of Rādhā-Govinda and everybody else, most of the time Radhārāṇī is wearing a peacock feather.
Prabhu (1): Yeah.
HH BVPS Maharaja: Right. Why? Because Kṛṣṇa wears one, so She likes to wear it because it reminds Her of Kṛṣṇa. So then, again, it doesn’t bother Them. Third thing is that how does Kṛṣṇa wear a peacock feather? Where did that come from? Do you understand? Kṛṣṇa was sporting, I think, with Kālindī, and Rādhārāṇī came along, so then she turned back into the river, He turned into a black snake. Now, who catches snakes? Peacock! So She turned into a peacock and defeated Him. So then because of being defeated by Rādhārāṇī as a peacock then He always wears a peacock feather. So: peacock feathers and Rādhārāṇī – no problem! [Laughter]
Do you understand? It’s not a problem. And if you say, ‘Okay, well, then only Lord Caitanya, not Balārama or anybody else, Nityananda,’ or this or that. The point is, when the cowherd boys go out with the cows, and they go into the forest, there’s peacock feathers laying all over the ground. What do they do with them? They pick them up and put them on. The cows wear them! What’s the big deal? The point is, Kṛṣṇa ALWAYS wears them. The others may or may not wear them. It’s not necessary that they wear, but it’s not that they can’t wear them. But Kṛṣṇa always wears one.
So the thing is, it’s like this. If when Prabhupāda was here there were no peacock feathers on Lord Caitanya, he didn’t appreciate it, he didn’t… And after he left and somebody was really determined, just thought it looked really good, started putting them on, then this discussion has a real meaning. But if They were always wearing peacock feathers and Prabhupāda really didn’t care, then what does that mean? It’s not that important of a thing. So, in other words, interpret it in that way, then support. So it’s not that He has to wear a peacock feather, but there’s no problem. I mean, look at all the old pictures, any of the paintings when Prabhupāda was here. Viṣṇu wears a peacock feather, Nṛsimhadeva wears a peacock feather, that’s why you know it’s Kṛṣṇa. You know what I am saying? The point is, when the gopīs see Kṛṣṇa as Nṛsiṁhadeva, who are they seeing? Kṛṣṇa as Nṛsiṁhadeva.
Just like, let’s say, there’s a drama, and it’s put on by people you know. Then part of the fun is figuring out who is what part, right? So it’s more soft, it’s more gentle. The thing is, if you get all like this and that aspect, then when it comes to the āratīka then, you know, ‘Hey, it doesn’t matter!’ You know what I’m saying? So the rules that do matter are where we don’t care, and the ones that don’t really matter, that becomes the ‘make it or break it’ deal. So these things, peacock feather, the fall of the soul, these things, these are not actually important issues. But they make them into it, they become.
Prabhu (1): Thanks, Mahārāja, I didn’t realize that people approached you before…
HH BVPS Mahārāja: Oh, i’ve been been dealing with this one for, you know… I don’t know… Yeah, 25 years or something like that, the peacock feather things. I always find this really annoying.
Prabhu (2): I see sometimes He has even two peacock feathers, Mādhava.
HH BVPS Mahārāja: Two?
Prabhu (2): Two, not only one, he has two.
HH BVPS Mahārāja: I mean, they are nice. Any of the things, means, all those things, they are curly like this, those are just made out of single feathers. So those are also peacock feathers. The point is is, He wears peacock feathers. Now whether it’s one or whether it’s many, or…
Prabhu (2): So we could put a few?
HH BVPS Mahārāja: Yeah, you can put a whole bunch, just that they should look nice. The point is, He shouldn’t look, you know, stupid. In other words, don’t just stick a peacock fan on his head or something like that. The gopīs would be laughing about that. So main thing, it looks nice. He should have a peacock feather. Now, if Kṛṣṇa didn’t have a peacock feather Prabhupāda would make a comment, but if Lord Caitanya didn’t have a peacock feather, he didn’t make a comment. But if He did have one, it doesn’t matter because Rādhārāṇī sometimes wears peacock feathers.


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