No one was more vocal in condemning Vaishnava aparadha, than Vrindavan Das Thakur. He quotes the Naradiya-purāna to say, “One who is openly fallen hurts only himself, whereas a phony saint is worse, because he drags all of his followers down with him.”
In another place he says: “People eagerly come to hear spiritual instructions from someone they think is saintly based on his external appearance. Unfortunately, instead of receiving nectar, they may hear criticism directed against real saints and so plunge deep into the abyss.”
In the madhya khanda of Sri Caitanya Bhagavata, he tells of a situation like this that arose during the time of Lord Chaitanya.
One day, Mahaprabhu was walking through Vidyanagar with His associates. He arrived at a dike by a rice paddy near the house of Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya’s father, Mahesvara Visharad. A Vedic scholar named Devananda Pandit had built his dwelling by the side of this embankment. Devananda had earned a reputation as a teacher of the Bhagavata-purana. The public held him in high esteem not only for his learning but also for the strictness of his renunciation, for he maintained a life of asceticism as rigorous as that of a sannyasi. Unfortunately, due to a strong desire for liberation and a lack of devotion, he could not comprehend the real import of the Bhagavatam, which is an ocean of liquid love, bhakti rasa. He possessed jnana, but due to aparadha, he had not realized that Krsna is the ultimate goal. Mahaprabhu was passing by just as Devananda was delivering a lecture on the Bhagavata Dharm Bhagavatam. Mahaprabhu overheard part of his commentary, but what He heard did not please Him, for bhakti played no part in it. Mahaprabhu became enraged and spoke out:
“How dare this rascal interpret the Bhagavatam? He is completely ignorant of its essence. On what authority does he speak? The Bhagavatam is the literary incarnation of Krsna and devotion to Krsna is described in it as the ultimate goal of human life.
“The four Vedas say that the Bhagavatam is a manifestation of divine love. The Vedas are like the cream that Sukadeva Goswami churned to produce the Bhagavatam, its butter-like essence, which he then served to Pariksit Maharaja. Sukadeva is very dear to me and he is fully conversant with the esoteric truths revealed in the Bhagavatam. The Bhagavatam is full of descriptions of My absolute position and nature, all of which are approved by Me. Whoever makes the slightest distinction between Me, My pure devotees and the Bhagavatam, is doomed.”
Although the Lord spoke these words in anger, the Vaishnavas were greatly pleased with the instructions. He continued:
“Anyone who does not recite the teachings of the Bhagavatam in the light of bhakti is wallowing in ignorance. This rascal is continuously talking without a single mention of bhakti; I will shred his copy of the book!” The Lord stepped forward, but the Vaishnavas pleaded with him not to carry out his threat.
The Srimad Bhagavatam is eulogized throughout the Vedas as the most profound and esoteric work of literature. Poisoned by education and pride, a so-called pandit. cannot grasp this truth. One who boasts of fully comprehending the Bhagavatam completely misses its essence. One who knows that it is non-different from the inconceivable Supreme Lord is enlightened about its purport pure devotion.
Devananda Pandit was resplendent with all good qualities. Rarely does one meet a personality of such high stature. However, those who have a false understanding of the Bhagavatam, as well as those who praise them, are punished by Yamaraj, the universal judge. Srila Prabhupada expands on the last of these statements:
“In spite of being a highly talented and cultivated scholar, one may not understand the essence of the Bhagavatam. Those who attempt to glorify such scholars are subject to the chastisements of Yamaraj, who assesses our deeds and rewards or punishes. us accordingly.” (Gaudiya-bhāsya Chaitanya Bhagavata, Madhya 21.27) to
In other words, if a learned scholar like Devananda Pandit could misunderstand the purport of the Bhagavatam, then how much. more difficult it will be for fools like us who merely pose as scholars of that transcendental literature? We will have to face the consequences of our actions when we meet Yamaraj on the day of judgment.
Mahaprabhu’s anger towards Devananda Pandit was rooted in an event that had taken place before Mahaprabhu’s appearance, when the Earth was devoid of devotional ecstasy. Devananda had committed offenses against Srivasa Thakur, the incarnation of Narada Muni, the personification of devotion. At that time there were only a small number of devotees scattered here and there, and they were suffering on account of the world’s indifference to love of God. The scholars of Nabadwip were engaged in studying the Gita, Bhagavatam and other scriptures, but unfortunately none of them were teaching their true meaning, Krsna bhakti. Since these pandits never cultivated a service attitude, they were unable to appreciate the devotional conclusions of these literatures. One day the great devotee Srivasa Thakur wanted to hear a discussion on the Bhagavatam, so he came to Devananda Pandit’s lecture and sat in the audience. The entire Srimad Bhagavatam is composed of transcendental syllables steeped in devotional relish of love of Godhead. Upon hearing the Bhagavatam slokas, Srivasa Thakur entered a deep state of ecstasy. The eight manifestations of deep spiritual emotion (asta-sättvika-vikara) such as shivering, hairs standing on end and weeping overwhelmed him. He started to let out long sighs and then to cry. The audience, consisted mostly of students who had a purely empirical view of the world, felt disturbed by these transformations, as they interfered with their listening to the Pandit’s discourse. The students dragged Srivasa Thakur, who was completely oblivious to them, and placed him outside. Devananda Pandit raised no objection to this act of malice. Gradually, when Srivasa Thakur regained consciousness, he realized what had happened and went home, feeling sad.
Sri Chaitanya Deva, the Supreme Lord residing in everyone’s heart, was fully aware of all these events, but was reminded of them again another day when he saw Devananda in the street. He thought, “The disciples of such a guru will eventually become devoid of devotion, just like him.” So He called out to him angrily:
“You there, Devananda Pandit! Listen, I have something to say to you. You lecture on the Bhagavatam, don’t you? Srivasa Thakur once came to hear your lecture. Your students dragged him out of your house while he was deeply absorbed in Krsna’s pastimes. What was his offense? Was such manhandling a proper response to someone whose heart is saturated with bhakti rasa? You may lecture on the Bhagavatam, but you will never fathom its true import, not even after many lifetimes of trying. A person gets a certain
amount of relief by going to the toilet after filling his belly. But I don’t even get that kind of satisfaction when I hear the way you teach the Bhagavatam, what to speak of the ecstasies of prema that are the real fruit of hearing it.”
Devananda silently listened to the Lord’s chastisement, which made him feel ashamed and dejected. Although Devananda was criticized in this way, he was truly a very fortunate soul because the Lord’s chastisement is a rare blessing. Even demons who are slain by the Lord attain the spiritual realm of Vaikuntha. Anyone who faithfully and sincerely accepts the Supreme Lord’s warnings or chastisements will soon be blessed with pure devotion to his lotus feet.
By chastising Devananda Pandit, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu teaches us a very important lesson: If one commits Vaishnava aparadha, then even if he endeavors to serve and surrender to Krsna, he will never attain prema because he is deprived of the blessings of the Vaishnavas
From The Heart of Krishna by HDG Srila Bhakti Promode Puri Goswami Thakur