Prabhupāda Śrī Siddhānta Sarasvatī confirms the gopī-bhāva-upāsanā of Śrī Madhva's sannyāsīs
śrī śrī guru-gaurāṅgau jayataḥ
Śrī Gauḍīya Maṭha, Kolkata
29 Keśava, Gaurābda 440
To Paṇḍita-vara Śrīyukta Madhusūdana Gosvāmī Mahārāja of Rādhā-ramaṇa-gherā, Śrīdhāma Vṛndāvana:
śrī gauḍīya-vaiṣṇavācāryocita-sambhāṣaṇam etat—
"With due honor as befitting a Śrī Gauḍīya-Vaiṣṇava ācārya"—
Mahārāja, yesterday, I and several devotees returned to Śrī Gauḍīya Maṭha after travelling around Bhārata. It will take some time for the travel exhaustion to dissipate.
After meeting with you, we had darśana of Śrī Govinda in Śrī Jayapura and then, via Ajmer, Chittor, and Mauli, we went to Nāthadvāra, where we had darśana of Śrī Mādhavendra Purīpāda’s deity and had discussions on scripture with the ācāryas of the Vallabha-sampradāya there. From there, via Khandwa and Nashik, we went to Bombay city, where, after much scriptural discussion with ācāryas of the Vallabha-kula, we went to Pāṇḍuraṅga-pura, the samādhi site of Śrī Gaura’s elder brother Śrī Viśvarūpa Śaṅkarāraṇya Yatirāja, who is nondifferent from Śrī Nityānanda, and had darśana of the Bhīmā river, whereafter, via Maṅgolī, Paṇḍā, Tadrā, Gokarṇa, and Navagayā, we had darśaṇa of Śrī Mādhva-kṣetra Uḍupī.
As per your wishes, I am sending a picture of Śrī Madhva Muni and one of Śrī Uḍupī Kṛṣṇa along with this letter. Many of the ekadaṇḍī-yati-gaṇa [single-staff sannyāsīs] who are the heads of the eight maṭhas there worship in gopī-veśa; I have collected a picture of that as well. I have also included a copy of one mention of this topic.1
The heads of the eight maṭhas do not accept the contrived modern-day practice of sakhī-bheki. Each of them carries an ekadaṇḍa in hand and wears kaupīna and bahirvāsa.
The head of the Kṛṣṇapura Maṭha is currently the sevaka of the Śrī Kṛṣṇa deity there that holds the churning rod in His hand. We had some discussion in Sanskrit. Though they are sannyāsīs, they practice under the compulsion of karma-kāṇḍa standards; they feed thousands of brāhmaṇas every day and serve a hundred and fifty cows by their own hands. I have also acquired a picture of Uḍupī-nagara. Again, we went for darśana of Śrī Raṅganātha. There we saw the eighteen deities of the Alwars and ācāryas accompanying Śrī Raṅganātha in a grand parade from the śrī mandira to the śrī maṇḍapa. We met with several tridaṇḍī-yatis.
Viṣaya-dharma [the function of material sense objects] is such that it does not allow one to understand the inclination to serve. It makes one perceive even sevā as a viṣaya [something to be enjoyed]; this is the nature of the non-Vaiṣṇava bhogīs. The bhaktas [devotees] are the antidote to sambhoga-vāda [the ideology of indulgence].
Please kindly alot some of your merciful attention to the devotees of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Maṭha in Śrīdhāma Vṛndāvana so that they can perform their bhajana without impediments.
Śrī Caitanya Maṭha is the one and only centre for all purehearted devotees who have taken shelter of Śrī Caitanya. This is not a place for just some particular branch of Śrī Caitanya’s followers. Where behaviour and misconceptions opposed to bhakti are being preached, it is the one and only duty of every Gauḍīya-Vaiṣṇava who is under the guidance of Svarūpa [Dāmodara Gosvāmī] to thoroughly cleanse that place of such corruptions. Thus the pure devotees who have taken shelter of Śrī Caitanya Maṭha have done so with the aim of engaging in real service to Gaura. At present, there are three million devotees of Śrī Caitanya throughout India; but many of them are not truly śuddha-bhaktas of Śrī Caitanya. Even if they are biddha-bhaktas [adulterated devotees], they are all still gaura-dāsa [servants of Gaura].
Śrīyukta Madhusūdana Adhikārī Mahāśaya sent the sociological history book he has written entitled Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava Itihāsa. I want to look at it when time permits.
I am particularly indebted to you for the merciful attention you showered us with when we visited Śrīdhāma Vṛndāvana and for how you addressed our guru-varga with such honour.
patita-pāvana-dāsasya akiñcanasya,
bhāvatkasya
Śrī Siddhānta-sarasvatyabhidhasya
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