Gaudiya Vaishnavism queries and discussion thread.

[निताइ dasa]

Nitai! My humble dandavat pranam to the users of this forum. On the request of Ratikala ji, I have started this thread so that we can discuss the theology of Lord Gaur Nitai and the acharyas of Gaudiya Vaishanvism; and its siddhanta of Achintya Bhedabheda. I shall try and post content in a regular manner from the works of our previous Acharayas. If you also have any questions or doubts about our Philosophy, please feel free to ask, and I shall try (with my miniscule knowledge) answer it. There has been alot of ignorance regarding our Sampradaya sadly, and it is my hope that through this thread we can resolve some of the objections put forth. Nitai Gaur Premanande, Hari Hari Bol!

(Below is a photo of the deities of Lord Sri Nityananda Mahaprabhu, Lord Sri Chaitanya (Gauranga) and Lord Adwaita Acharaya. They are presently situated in Sri Ekachakra Dhama, the most merciful of tirthas.)

 

[ratikala]

namaskaram Nitai dasa ji

Ekachakra Dham (the birth place of Sri Nityananda).... Ki Jai

thank you for opening this thread and the opertunity to glorify their lordships Sri Sri Chaitanya and Nityananda , ...
my appologies for not realising you were allready posting on the thread ....

http://www.religiousforums.com/threads/nityananda-sri-chaitanyas-associate-gaudiya-vaishnava

thank you it has made very enjoyable reading , ...

it is hardly surprising that there is so much missunderstanding as to the nature of the supreme , somthing which in our limited form is allmost impossible to fully comprehend , ...thus the lord himself appears time and time again for the diliverance of those under the illusion of maya , ...

something l think which is also some what confusing especialy for those in the west that even amongst Vaisnavas there are different liniages with different alegences to one or other form of the lord , ...furher more there are also differences between Gaudiya liniages allthough we are very closely connected , ..yet in truth we all worship the same supreme , ...

please if you would expand a little on the importance of this sankirtan movement from the perspective of your sampradaya , ...l have limited time this morning but will re join you this evening , ...

Nitai Gauranga Hari Hari bol

 

[निताइ dasa]

namaskaram Nitai dasa ji

Ekachakra Dham (the birth place of Sri Nityananda).... Ki Jai

thank you for opening this thread and the opertunity to glorify their lordships Sri Sri Chaitanya and Nityananda , ...
my appologies for not realising you were allready posting on the thread ....

http://www.religiousforums.com/threads/nityananda-sri-chaitanyas-associate-gaudiya-vaishnava

thank you it has made very enjoyable reading , ...

it is hardly surprising that there is so much missunderstanding as to the nature of the supreme , somthing which in our limited form is allmost impossible to fully comprehend , ...thus the lord himself appears time and time again for the diliverance of those under the illusion of maya , ...

something l think which is also some what confusing especialy for those in the west that even amongst Vaisnavas there are different liniages with different alegences to one or other form of the lord , ...furher more there are also differences between Gaudiya liniages allthough we are very closely connected , ..yet in truth we all worship the same supreme , ...

please if you would expand a little on the importance of this sankirtan movement from the perspective of your sampradaya , ...l have limited time this morning but will re join you this evening , ...

Nitai Gauranga Hari Hari bol

Nitai! My only goal in life is to please Nitai and the Vaishnavs. Dandavat pranam ratikala Ji.
Thank you for your query, by whose excuse we can glorify the sankirtan movement. I will write a few words about this and Lord Nitai's role in our sankirtan movement.

Nama Sankirtan

Nama Sankirtan, or the congregational chanting of the God's Name, is the most spiritually powerful and merciful process in this dark age of Kaliyuga. Nama Sankirtan is accepted as the Yuga Dharma, or the religious practice of this age by all four Vaishnav Sampradayas. In fact there is no other way than Hari Nama in this Kaliyuga. This is confirmed in Brhad Naradiya Purana:

"Harer nama harer nama harer namaiva kevalam
kalau nasty eva nasty eva nasty eva gatir anyatha"

"In this age of Kaliyuga, the only means of deliverance is the chanting of the holy name Lord Hari. There is no other way. There is no other way. There is no other way"

Notice how the verse repeats "Harer Nama" (Hari's name) and "nasty Eva" (no other way) three times to truly emphasize how important the Name is.

Now many people do not have faith in the God's Name, because they believe that His Names, like Hari, Narayan, Krsna, Madhav etc, are just a man-made combination of words, or not spiritual potent. However this is incorrect. Just like the Lord, is Complete and Perfect, similarly His Name is also Complete and Perfect. This is confirmed in Sri Isoupanishad, which says "purnam idam, purnam adah", meaning if something is Perfect then respect parts of that object must also be Perfect. Therefore since God is perfect, His Name, Form, Qualities, and Pastimes are also perfect. In this way, the Name of Sri Krsna, is non-different from Sri Krsna Himself. When one chants the Name, then Lord Sri Krsna descend and dances on our tongue. Such is the glories of the name!! The Name is described by Rupa Goswami as "cintamani" meaning it can easily give any of the four purusharthas (Kama, Artha, Dharma, and Moksha). The ultimate fruit of the Name however is Krsna Prema, or Love for God, which even the demigods like Brahmna and Shiva find difficult to attain. Nama Sankirtan is especially powerful, because when the Nama is sung, then Kirtana, Sravana, and Smarana all occur at once. Further, if a Suddha Vaishnav is in the party, then our Nama also reaches Krsna.

Nama Aparadha

However we find that then we chant the name of Krsna, nothing happens. We don't see His form, or see His pastimes either which is supposed to be one of the fruits of the name ( isat vikasi punah dekhai nija rupa guna). This is due to the Nama Aparadhas (offenses against the Name) which covers us so we cannot experience the true power of the Name. There are ten Aparadhas in total. This is why, even when people chant for 20+ years, they still cannot see the Form, because of Nama Aparadha. Generally, it takes three lives to over come Nama Aparadha and thus have a Darshana of Sri Krsna. This is where Lord Nitai Gaur come in.

Nitai-the distributor of Offenseless Nama

However Krsna and Balarama have descended again as Gauranga and Nityananda respectively just for us fallen souls who cannot experience the power of the Name. They are so merciful they do not concider offenses and ask only for a little faith, and will give everything in return. This is confirmed in scripture:

"Nityananda Chaitanya nahi esaba vicara, nama laite Prema dena vahe asru dhara"

Lord Chaitanya and Nityananda do not concider the Nama Aparadhas, simply by taking their names one is gifted Prema and tears flow out of ones eyes"

That is why, those who take shelter of Lord Nitai Gaur will attain Swarupa Siddhi (realization of ones spiritual form) and darshan of Sri Radha Krsna in this very life. Nityananda Prabhu especially is very very merciful because He does not see any qualifications. You only have to ask with little faith, and He will mercifully give. This is because Lord Nitai is also the paramatma in our hearts, so he personally understands the pain and misery of each soul. That is why His disciple, the great Vrndavan Das Thakura, writes:

"Doyala thakura Nitai, para dukhe jaane, harinama mala ganthi dila jane jane"

"My Lord Nitai is very merciful because he understands the pain of each and every soul. In order to mitigate that suffering, He is personally threading a garland of Harinama which He gives indiscriminately to everyone"

That is why my Gurudeva is preaching the importance of Lord Nitai. It is only due to Lord Nitai that Harinama has descended into this world. This is confirmed by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura:

"Nitai jivera dasha maline dekhe nama eneche braja theke re, madhura ei harinam, madhura ei harinama"

"Lord Nityananda seeing the pitiful and fallen condition of the living entities has brought the Holy Name from Goloka Vrindavan, that is Name is sweet, that Name is sweet"

That is why my Gurudeva has manifest the long lost spiritual practice of Nitai Mantra writing, or Vayu Lekhan. It is the culmination of his 30+ years of spiritual practice and He is spreading it under the direct order of Lord Nityananda. This process involves writing the Name of Nitai, in the air, while also visualizing it in the mind. This process grants offenseless Nama very quickly, and one will be able to have darshan of Sri Radha Krsna in this very life. Even when someone as wretched and fallen and me writes Nitai's name I can feel the ecstasy building up in my arms, simply from writing His holy name. I will be happy to share some of my experience regarding Lord Nitai later. More information about this process can be found here:

http://nitaism.com/the-most-effective-process-of-nitai-airwriting/

That is the basic gist of our mission. Take shelter of Merciful Nitai and chant Harinama. Everything else is secondary. Nitai!!

 

[Aupmanyav]

So is the name of Shiva and the Mother Goddess. Yes, there is great power in the name. Would we get the same benefit by chanting the name of Mohammad or Jesus?

 

[निताइ dasa]

So is the name of Shiva and the Mother Goddess. Yes, there is great power in the name. Would we get the same benefit by chanting the name of Mohammad or Jesus?

No. Shiva and Devi are demigods according to Bhagavatam. Their names may give some material benefits, however it cannot equal to Harinama. Jesus and Mohammed are human, not God also. One of the Namaparadhas is to consider the names of demigods to be equal to the names of Sri Hari. That is why scripture is very carefully to use the term "Harinama" or "Krsna Nama" when describing Nama tattva.

 

[Aupmanyav]

Well, the names of many Gods that Hindus worship are not even mentioned in the RigVeda, including those who have been propped up as Gods today. These days becoming a God has become easier.

 

[निताइ dasa]

Well, the names of many Gods that Hindus worship are not even mentioned in the RigVeda, including those who have been propped up as Gods today. These days becoming a God has become easier.

Again, as I have proved before there is no difference between the authority of Sruti (Vedas) and Smrti. Both are equally authorative according to us. Just because something is found in the Puranas but not the Rg Veda does not make it inferior. Yes anyone can claim to be God nowadays unfortunately, but it is only scripture which reveals the validity of the claims. Nitai!!

 

[ratikala]

namaskaram Nitai dasa ji , ....Aupmanyay ji , ....

let us discuss Shiva ji later , ...

now we will discuss Sri Panchatattva , ....

Advaita Prabhu , Nityananda Prabhu , Caitanya Mahaprabhu , Gadadhara Pandit , Srivasa Thakura , ....
here Krsna manifests in five moods or aspects each complementary to the lords sublime purpose , ...in each incarnatin the same expansions appear alongside him , ...
here as Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is accompanied by Sri Nityananda Prabhu, (his plenary expansion) , ....Sri Advaita Prabhu (his incarnation as the name suggests Sri Advaita and Sri Chaitanya are infact nondifferent) , ..... Sri Gadadhara Prabhu (his internal potency) , ..... , and Srivasa Prabhu (his marginal potency) , .....Sri Chaitanya sarounding himself with his eternal associates is Sri Krsna himself appering as his own devotee in the bhava of Srimati Radharani .

thus Sri Chaitanya appears with Nityananda prabhu , as Sri Laxman ji appears with Rama , Sri Balarama with Krsna , ...just as Anantasesa shelters Visnu on the causal ocean , ...

it is thus described by Srila Krsnadasa Kaviraja , in Caitanya-caritamrta


so Aupmanyav ji l hope you will be happy to be in the presence of Sri Lxman ji and Sri Ram and of course receive their divine Darshan ....

Pancha tattva ki jai , ...

 

[Aupmanyav]

Like Goswami Tulsi Das ji said, Aupmanyav will bow his head only if the Prabhu will take a bow and arrows in his hands.
"Kā Barnau chhabi āpki bhale birājo nāth,
Tulsi mastak tab nave, dhanush bān lo hāth"
(What can I say about your beauty, you sure look nice,
but Tulsi will bow his head only if you will take a bow and an arrow in your hand)

 

[ratikala]

Namaskaram Aupmanyav ji ,

Like Goswami Tulsi Das ji, Aupmanyav will bow his head only if the Prabhu will take a bow and arrows in his hands.

in this incarnation the lord takes the weapon of the holy name and distributes it to all, ....l bow to such a great soul who defeats ignorance by word alone , ....

but like Tulsii Das you remain loyal to lord Rama , ....
such devotion is laudable , ...l need not worry for you as you also will be under the protection of Sri Hanuman ji

do you know the story of Murari Gupta ? .....

in Chaitanya lila Murari Gupta although a close associate of Sri Chaitanya who joined them in bhajan and kirtan , would not give up his devotion to lord Rama even when at Caitanya's Mahaprakash when the lord appeared before his close associates revealing his true form as the Supreme personality , and despite the requests of Mahaprabhu that he should worship Krsna , ..Murari Gupta remained firm in his devotion to lord Rama , ..apearing after a tourturous sleepless night before Sri Chaitanya he fell at his feet saying , ...

“I have sold my head unto the lotus feet of Raghunatha. I cannot withdraw my head, for that would give me too much pain.
It is not possible for me to give up the service of Raghunatha’s lotus feet. At the same time, if I do not do so I shall break Your order. What can I do?’' ..CC ...Madhya-lila 15 , ...149,150

after hearing this Mahaprabhu lifted him to his feet and embraced him , ...saying , ...

“Just to test your firm faith in your Lord, I requested you again and again to change your worship from Lord Ramacandra to Krishna.’
“In this way, I congratulated Murari Gupta, saying, ‘Indeed, you are the incarnation of Hanuman. Consequently you are the eternal servant of Lord Ramacandra. Why should you give up the worship of Lord Ramacandra and His lotus feet?’” Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu continued, “I accept this Murari Gupta as My life and soul. When I hear of his humility, it perturbs My very life.” .......155 -157

so we must remember never to upset Aupmanyav ji or any devotee of lord Ramachandra or someone will come and set fire to our town with his tail , .....

 

[निताइ dasa]

Namaskaram Aupmanyav ji ,



in this incarnation the lord takes the weapon of the holy name and distributes it to all, ....l bow to such a great soul who defeats ignorance by word alone , ....

but like Tulsii Das you remain loyal to lord Rama , ....
such devotion is laudable , ...l need not worry for you as you also will be under the protection of Sri Hanuman ji

do you know the story of Murari Gupta ? .....

in Chaitanya lila Murari Gupta although a close associate of Sri Chaitanya who joined them in bhajan and kirtan , would not give up his devotion to lord Rama even when at Caitanya's Mahaprakash when the lord appeared before his close associates revealing his true form as the Supreme personality , and despite the requests of Mahaprabhu that he should worship Krsna , ..Murari Gupta remained firm in his devotion to lord Rama , ..apearing after a tourturous sleepless night before Sri Chaitanya he fell at his feet saying , ...

“I have sold my head unto the lotus feet of Raghunatha. I cannot withdraw my head, for that would give me too much pain.
It is not possible for me to give up the service of Raghunatha’s lotus feet. At the same time, if I do not do so I shall break Your order. What can I do?’' ..CC ...Madhya-lila 15 , ...149,150

after hearing this Mahaprabhu lifted him to his feet and embraced him , ...saying , ...

“Just to test your firm faith in your Lord, I requested you again and again to change your worship from Lord Ramacandra to Krishna.’
“In this way, I congratulated Murari Gupta, saying, ‘Indeed, you are the incarnation of Hanuman. Consequently you are the eternal servant of Lord Ramacandra. Why should you give up the worship of Lord Ramacandra and His lotus feet?’” Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu continued, “I accept this Murari Gupta as My life and soul. When I hear of his humility, it perturbs My very life.” .......155 -157

so we must remember never to upset Aupmanyav ji or any devotee of lord Ramachandra or someone will come and set fire to our town with his tail , .....

Nitai!! Murari Gupta ki Jaya. The quote which gets me here is when Lord Gauranga says: "Glorious is that servant who does not leave his master, and glorious is that master who does not abandon his servant". He was very dear to Lord Gauranga, as he was the Lord's childhood friend. He also wrote a beautiful bhajan, which I want to share:

(1)

śacīra ańginā mājhe, bhubana-mohana sāje
gorachanda deya hāmāguḍi
māyera ańguli dhari, kṣaṇe cale guḍi guḍi
āchāḍa khāiyā jāya paḍi

(2)

bāgha-nakha gale dole, buka bhāsi jāya lole
cāńdamukhe hāsira bijuli
dhūlā-mākha sarva gāya, sahite na pāre māya,
bukera upare loya tuli


(3)

kāńdiyā ākula tāte, nāme gorā kola hoite
puna bhūme deya gaḍāgaḍi
hāsiyā murāri bole, e nahe kolera chele
sannyāsī hoibe gaurahari


TRANSLATION

1) In Saci's courtyard crawls infant Gauracandra, who charms all the worlds. For a moment He grasps His mother's finger and walks. Then again He crawls and crawls. Sometimes He walks a few steps, and then again He tumbles to the ground.

2) As He crawls a splendid tiger-claw necklace swings to and fro on His chest. A lightning-flash smile glistens on the moon of His face. Now His every limb is anointed with dust. How can His mother bear it? She picks Him up.

3) He is agitated. He cries. Child Gaura scrambles from His mother's lap. She places Him on the ground. Again He crawls. Murari smiles and says: This is not just another little boy on his mother's lap. This is Lord Hari withn a fair complexion, Lord Hari who later will become a sannayasi.

Sri Murari Gupta also wrote Sri Chaitanya Charitramahakavya, which is concidered a beautiful biography of the early life of Lord Gaurhari.

 

[निताइ dasa]

As per the request of kalyan ji, I want to post some of the works of our Samapradaya. I would like to post first the six verse composed by Lord Gauranga Himself:

Sri Sikshatakam

Text 1
ceto-darpana-marjanam bhava-maha--davagni-nirvapanam
shreyah-kairava-chandrika-vitaranam vidya-vadhu-jivanam
anandambudhi-vardhanam prati-padam purnamritaswadanam
sarvatma-snapanam param vijayate sri-krishna-sankirtanam

Glory to the Sri Krishna Sankirtana, which cleanses the heart of all the dust accumulated for years and extinguishes the fire of conditional life, of repeated birth and death. This sankirtana movement is the prime benediction for humanity at large because it spreads the rays of the benediction moon. It is the life of all transcendental knowledge. It increases the ocean of transcendental bliss, and it enables us to fully taste the nectar for which we are always anxious.


Text 2
namnam akari bahudha nija-sarva-shaktis
tatrarpita niyamitah smarane na kalah
etadrishi tava kripa bhagavan mamapi
durdaivam idrisham ihajani nanuragaha

O my Lord, Your holy name alone can render all benediction to living beings, and thus You have hundreds and millions of names like Krishna and Govinda. In these transcendental names You have invested all Your transcendental energies. There are not even hard and fast rules for chanting these names. O my Lord, out of kindness You enable us to easily approach You by Your holy names, but I am so unfortunate that I have no attraction for them.


Text 3
trinad api sunichena
taror api sahishnuna
amanina manadena
kirtaniyah sada harih

One should chant the holy name of the Lord in a humble state of mind, thinking oneself lower than the straw in the street; one should be more tolerant than a tree, devoid of all sense of false prestige and should be ready to offer all respect to others. In such a state of mind one can chant the holy name of the Lord constantly.


Text 4
na dhanam na janam na sundarim
kavitam va jagad-isha kamaye
mama janmani janmanishvare
bhavatad bhaktir ahaituki twayi

O almighty Lord, I have no desire to accumulate wealth, nor do I desire beautiful women, nor do I want any number of followers. I only want Your causeless devotional service birth after birth.


Text 5
ayi nanda-tanuja kinkaram
patitam mam vishame bhavambudhau
kripaya tava pada-pankaja-
sthita-dhuli-sadrisham vichintaya

O son of Maharaja Nanda [Krishna], I am Your eternal servitor, yet somehow or other I have fallen into the ocean of birth and death. Please pick me up from this ocean of death and place me as one of the atoms at Your lotus feet.


Text 6
nayanam galad-ashru-dharaya
vadanam gadgada-ruddhaya gira
pulakair nichitam vapuh kada
tava nama-grahane bhavishyati

O my Lord, when will my eyes be decorated with tears of love flowing constantly when I chant Your holy name? When will my voice choke up, and when will the hairs of my body stand on end at the recitation of Your name?


Text 7
yugayitam nimeshena
chakshusha pravrishayitam
shunyayitam jagat sarvam
govinda-virahena me

O Govinda! Feeling Your separation, I am considering a moment to be like twelve years or more. Tears are flowing from my eyes like torrents of rain, and I am feeling all vacant in the world in Your absence.


Text 8
ashlishya va pada-ratam pinashtu mam
adarshanan marma-hatam karotu va
yatha tatha va vidadhatu lampato
mat-prana-nathas tu sa eva naparah

I know no one but Krishna as my Lord, and He shall remain so even if He handles me roughly by His embrace or makes me brokenhearted by not being present before me. He is completely free to do anything and everything, for He is always my worshipful Lord unconditionally.

 

[ratikala]

Sri Siksastakam ki jai , ....

Sri Siksastakam is the only writen work left by Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu , if read in a devotional mood one realises that there is little more that need be said , ...as it stresses so perfectly the mood of Sri Chaitanya's Sankirtan movement where all importance is placed upon Japa , the chanting of the holy name Kirtan , congregational chanting , and glorification through Bhajan , ....

 

[Terese]

So Gaudiyas worship the devotees of God?

 

[Aupmanyav]

I think they are a bit confused. However, this has happened earlier also. Lord Hanuman was a 'bhakta' but because of his 'bhakti', became a 'Bhagawan'.

 

[निताइ dasa]

So Gaudiyas worship the devotees of God?

Pranama. Thank you for your question. Yes we worship the devotees of the Lord first, because it is only due to their mercy that one gets Lord Hari. Our conception is that Sri Krsna must be worshiped alongside his associates, not alone, and without them His worship is incomplete. You see, some approach God for material fruits (karma-mishra bhakti) and some worship God for liberation (jnana-mishra Bhakti), yet our conception of the highest Bhakti, is that which has no ulterior motive (anyabhilashihta sunyam) and which only arises from the natural desire to please Sri Krsna (Krsna-anushilam). Thus, because Lord Krsna's devotees are more dear to Him, then His own self, by worshiping them we give the most pleasure to Sri Krsna. We do not concider the devotees equal to God (as Aupmanyav ji is saying) but rather because they are dear to God, do we worship them. Hanuman ji is so merciful that he can bestow Rama-daysam to anyone. In fact he is more merciful than Rama. If He brings us to Sri Rama's lotus feet, then perhaps Sri Rama will be willing to overlook our heinous sins. That is why people worship Hanuman, not as God, but dear to God (unfortunately people are forgetting this distinction nowadays). Another example is Lord Shiva. We Gaudiyas worship Shiva Shankara as the foremost Vaishnav, who can easily grant us Krsna Bhakti. If we personally petition God then their is no guarantee that He will listen. However if Lord Shiva petitions the Lord on our behalf, then He must listen and accept.

This can be found in scripture also:

śrī-bhagavān uvāca
ahaṁ bhakta-parādhīno
 hy asvatantra iva dvija
sādhubhir grasta-hṛdayo
 bhaktair bhakta-jana-priya

The Supreme Personality of Godhead said to the brāhmaṇa: I am completely under the control of My devotees. Indeed, I am not at all independent. Because My devotees are completely devoid of material desires, I sit only within the cores of their hearts. What to speak of My devotee, even those who are devotees of My devotee are very dear to Me. (Srimad Bhagavatam)

ye me bhakta-janah partha
ne me bhaktas cha te janah,
mad bhaktanam cha ye bhaktas
te me bhaktatama matah.

“(Bhagavan said)Those who worship Me directly or claim to be My direct devotees are not My devotees at all. But those who are the devotees of My Devotee (Lord Nitai) are actually My topmost devotees in truth.” (Adi Puran)

So Lord Shiva says to Parvati in Padma Purana:

"aradhanānām sarvesām visnor arādhanam param
tasmād parataram devī tadīyanām samarcanam"

“But, O Devi, better than the worship of Visnu is the worship of His devotees”.

That is why we are preaching the Bhakti of Lord Nitai first. Because Lord Nityananda is Bhagavan, but He is also in the mood of a devotee, therefore His mercy is available to everyone without discrimination.

 

[निताइ dasa]

The philosophy of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu

One of our previous Acharayas, Srila Vishwanatha Cakravarti Thakura, has written a verse in which he encapsulates all the primary teachings of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Our Sampradaya. It is as follows:

"aradhyo bhagavan vrajesa-tanayas tad-dhama vrndavanam
ramya kacid upasana vraja-vadhu-vargena va kalpita
srimad bhagavatam pramanam amalam prema pum-artho mahan
sri-chaitanya mahaprabhor matam idam tatradarah na parah"

God, who is Lord Krsna (the son of Nanda Maharaja) should be worshiped, within His abode of Sri Vrindavan (alongside His associates, like Radharani and Sri Balarama). The most pleasing form of worship for the Lord is that which was performed by the gopis of Vrndavana. Srimad Bhagavatam is the perfect authority and proof on everything and pure love for God is the ultimate goal of life for all souls. These statements, are the opinion of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and we consider nothing else higher than this. (Caitanya-matta-manjusa by Srila Viswanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

 

[ratikala]

namaskaram prabhu ji's , ...

So Gaudiyas worship the devotees of God?

in short yes , but more correctly we should first worship the servants of God , ....as it is those servants who act selflessly to satisfy the Lord and who act as our teachers and guides upon the spiritual path , without who's scrifice we would not gain the nececary introduction or instruction , ...

Srila Krishnadasa Kaviraja thus gives the following invocation In the beginning of the second chapter of the Antya-lila of the Sri Caitanya-caritamrta , ....

vande ham sri-guroh
sri yuta-pada-kamalam
sri-gurun vaisnavams ca
sri-rupam sagrajatam
saha-gana-raghunathan vitam tam sa jivam
sadvaitam savadhutam parijana-sahitam
sri-krsna-caitanya-devam
sri-radha-krsna-padan
saha-gana-lalita-sri-visakhanvitams ca


I offer my obeisances unto the lotus feet of my Guru and to all the preceptors on the path of devotion. I offer my obeisances unto all the Vaishnavas and to Sri Rupa Goswami and his associates Raghunatha dasa, and Sri Jiva. I offer my obeisances to Advaita Acarya, Nityananda Avadhuta, Gadadhara Pundit, and to Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu with all his devotees, headed by Srivasa Thakura. I then offer my obeisances to the lotus feet of Sri Radha and Sri Krishna, and all the gopis headed by Lalita and Visakha.
(Caitanya-caritamrta, Antya-lila 2.1)

in the instance of Sri Chaitanya mahaprabu the Lord takes the form of the spiritual master to bestow mercy upon the devotees , ...in this way the lord plays the roll of the devotee inorder to establish congregational chanting , a form of worship free to all classes of men , at this time due to caste some men were considered un fit to enter the temples , others were illiterate thus could not even gain acess to sastra , ...Sri Chaitanya welcomed all even those born in to muslim families , ....thus we considder this the greatest of services , ... still to this day we revere all spiritual masters in the same light , ... but the spiritual master himself will say that he is none other than the servant of the sevants servant , ...''das das anu dasah''


similarly Lord Krishna informs His beloved disciple Uddhava , .....

''acaryam mam vijaniyan navamanyeta karhicit
na martya-buddhyasuyeta sarva-deva-mayo guru'

Oh Uddhava! The spiritual master is known to be My very form. At no time should one neglect or disrespect the Guru as an ordinary mortal by envy, nor should he be viewed as having any faults. For this reason the Guru is the sum total of the demigods.'' SB "11.17.27"

thus we seek to serve and please te spiritual master as is said above if the spiritual master is pleased Sri Krsna himself will automaticaly be pleased , ...

 

[Chakra]

All Vaishnavas revere the devotees of God. Shri Vaishnavas only worship prapanna devotees (surrendered devotees).

 

[Aupmanyav]

I like all this (but differ. My way being a little different).

To explain, one gets to the 'bhakti' of the deity through the guru, and the guru got there through his guru and so on. But the first guru, Adi Guru, must have approached the deity directly. If he could do it, then you can also do it. What is then the need of a interlocutor?