In Chapter 2 of Prabhup\u0101da Vijaya, 'Bhaktived\u0101nta' - we discover that \u015ar\u012bla Prabhup\u0101da\u2019s name was changed several times after the disappearance of his guru \u2013 each one is important and has a deep-rooted meaning that is rarely understood or appreciated.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>
Question: <\/strong>We have heard it said that \u015ar\u012bla Prabhup\u0101da (A.C. Bhaktived\u0101nta Swami Mah\u0101r\u0101ja) received the name \u2018Bhakti\u00adved\u0101nta\u2019 from his guru, Bhaktisiddh\u0101nta Sarasvat\u012b \u1e6ch\u0101kura. Others have said that he received the name \u2018Bhaktived\u0101nta\u2019 from \u015ar\u012bla \u015ar\u012bdhara Mah\u0101r\u0101ja and yet others are saying that he received the name \u2018Bhaktived\u0101nta\u2019 from Bhakti Praj\u00f1\u0101na Ke\u015bava Mah\u0101r\u0101ja. Can you please say something to clarify this issue?<\/p>\nNarasi<\/strong>\u1e45<\/strong>gha Mah<\/strong>\u0101<\/strong>r<\/strong>\u0101<\/strong>ja: <\/strong>When our Guru Mah\u0101r\u0101ja (\u015ar\u012bla A.C. Bhaktived\u0101nta Swami Prabhup\u0101da) was initiated in 1933 he received both hari-n\u0101ma<\/em> and mantra-d\u012bk\u1e63\u0101<\/em> at the same time. At his initiation \u015ar\u012bla Bhaktisiddh\u0101nta Sarasvat\u012b \u1e6ch\u0101kura named our Guru Mah\u0101r\u0101ja, Abhaya Cara\u1e47\u0101ravinda D\u0101sa, meaning \u2018one who is fearless, having taken shelter at the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord.\u2019 \u015ar\u012bla Sarasvat\u012b \u1e6ch\u0101kura did not confer any other names or titles upon our Guru Mah\u0101r\u0101ja during his lifetime.<\/p>\nIn later years, after the disappearance of Sarasvat\u012b \u1e6ch\u0101kura, our Guru Mah\u0101r\u0101ja was engaged in writing articles for a Bengali journal published by his god-brother, Bhakti S\u0101ra\u1e45ga Gosv\u0101m\u012b Mah\u0101r\u0101ja. Gosv\u0101m\u012b Mah\u0101r\u0101ja and other leading Vai\u1e63\u1e47avas of the time were so impressed with the writing and preaching capabil\u00adities of our Guru Mah\u0101r\u0101ja that Gosv\u0101m\u012b Mah\u0101r\u0101ja conferred upon our Guru Mah\u0101r\u0101ja the title \u2018Bhaktisiddh\u0101nta.\u2019* <\/strong>This was indeed the most honorific title a disciple could ever expect to receive \u2013 the very title of his guru.<\/p>\n*When registering the League of Devotees in Lucknow during the early 1950\u2019s, our Guru Mah\u0101r\u0101ja referred to himself in that document as \u201calias Abhaya Charanaravinda Bhaktisiddh\u0101nta Das Adhikary\u201d and his signature can be seen on the original docu\u00adment (Bhaktived\u0101nta Archives).<\/p>\n
According to the practice of name giving and awarding titles to deserving disciples, \u015ar\u012bla Bhaktisiddh\u0101nta Sarasvat\u012b \u1e6ch\u0101kura had never given the name of his gurus, Gaura-ki\u015bora D\u0101sa B\u0101b\u0101j\u012b Mah\u0101r\u0101ja or Bhaktivinoda \u1e6ch\u0101kura to anyone. Accordingly, some of the senior disciples of \u015ar\u012bla Sarasvat\u012b \u1e6ch\u0101kura thought that the title \u2018Bhaktisiddh\u0101nta\u2019 should not be given to any disciple, however deserving. This matter was discussed among the senior Vai\u1e63\u1e47avas with whom our Guru Mah\u0101r\u0101ja was regularly associat\u00ading and, in a mood of deep respect and harmony, it was decided that our Guru Mah\u0101r\u0101ja would be given the title \u2018Bhaktived\u0101nta.\u2019<\/p>\n
During those discussions it was recognised by all present that our Guru Mah\u0101r\u0101ja was a stalwart preacher in the line of \u015ar\u012bla Bhaktisiddh\u0101nta and that the inspiration of Bhakti S\u0101ra\u1e45ga Gosv\u0101m\u012b Mah\u0101r\u0101ja to bestow an honorific title upon our Guru Mah\u0101r\u0101ja was directly inspired by Sarasvat\u012b \u1e6ch\u0101kura.<\/p>\n
In the days of Sarasvat\u012b \u1e6ch\u0101kura, certain senior disciples were often called upon when some particular point or issue was in need of clarification \u2013 \u015ar\u012bla \u015ar\u012bdhara Mah\u0101r\u0101ja was amongst those select few disciples of Sarasvat\u012b \u1e6ch\u0101kura who were able to clarify even the most difficult points of spiritual understanding.<\/p>\n
In the discussion where the honorific title for our Guru Mah\u0101\u00adr\u0101ja was being discussed, \u015ar\u012bla \u015ar\u012bdhara Mah\u0101r\u0101ja suggested that our Guru Mah\u0101r\u0101ja be given the title \u2018Bhaktived\u0101nta.\u2019 The name \u2018Bhakti-siddh\u0101nta\u2019 and \u2018Bhakti-ved\u0101nta\u2019 are synonymous in mean\u00ading. Thus the adjustment was made in keeping with the original inspiration felt by Bhakti S\u0101ra\u1e45ga Gosv\u0101m\u012b.<\/p>\n
From that time on our Guru Mah\u0101r\u0101ja became known amongst his god-brothers as \u2018Bhaktived\u0101nta.\u2019 This occurred in Calcutta in 1947.<\/p>\n
Some persons may look upon this event in our contemporary Vai\u1e63\u1e47ava history as being of little significance \u2013 the simple act of bestowing an honorific title upon a Vai\u1e63\u1e47ava. But apparently it was not so for everyone \u2013 the event was so spiritually moving that Bhakti Praj\u00f1\u0101na Ke\u015bava Mah\u0101r\u0101ja decided for the future to name all his sanny\u0101s\u012b<\/em> disciples \u2018Bhaktived\u0101nta\u2019 \u2013 a title synonymous with \u2018Bhaktisiddh\u0101nta.\u2019 This standard is still carried out amongst the disciples of Ke\u015bava Mah\u0101r\u0101ja more than half a century later.<\/p>\nSo, in contemporary times, our Guru Mah\u0101r\u0101ja was the first person in the line of Bhaktisiddh\u0101nta Sarasvat\u012b \u1e6ch\u0101kura to receive the title \u2018Bhaktived\u0101nta\u2019 (1947).<\/p>\n
In 1959 when our Guru Mah\u0101r\u0101ja accepted sanny<\/em>\u0101<\/em>sa, <\/em>Ke\u015bava Mah\u0101r\u0101ja retained our Guru Mah\u0101r\u0101ja\u2019s title \u2018Bhaktived\u0101nta\u2019 given by \u015ar\u012bla \u015ar\u012bdhara Mah\u0101r\u0101ja and then gave our Guru Mah\u0101\u00adr\u0101ja the sanny\u0101sa<\/em> name \u2018Swami,\u2019 which was chosen from the list of 108 names of sanny\u0101s\u012bs<\/em> authorised by Bhaktisiddh\u0101nta Sara\u00adsvat\u012b \u1e6ch\u0101kura in Gau\u1e0d\u012bya Ka\u1e47\u1e6dhah\u0101ra. <\/em>Thus, our Guru Mah\u0101r\u0101ja became known as \u2018A.C. Bhaktived\u0101nta Swami Mah\u0101r\u0101ja,\u2019 or simply \u2018Swami Mah\u0101r\u0101ja\u2019 amongst his god-brothers.<\/p>\nOur Guru Mah\u0101r\u0101ja retained the initials \u2018A.C.\u2019 for Abhaya Cara\u1e47\u0101ravinda from his first initiation, but officially his sanny\u0101sa<\/em> title and name was Bhaktived\u0101nta Swami.<\/p>\nIn the Gau\u1e0d\u012bya tradition, a sanny\u0101s\u012b<\/em> is called Swami and this is added as a prefix to the sanny\u0101sa<\/em> title like \u2018Bhaktived\u0101nta\u2019 and the name of the particular sanny\u0101s\u012b<\/em> follows such as Swami in the case of our Guru Mah\u0101r\u0101ja. However, if our Guru Mah\u0101r\u0101ja had strictly kept this tradition then his name would have been written thus: \u2018Swami A.C. Bhaktived\u0101nta Swami.\u2019 In a letter to his disciple Rayar\u0101ma D\u0101sa, our Guru Mah\u0101r\u0101ja explained something of the complexities of his name as follows:<\/p>\n\u201cSo far the title \u2018Swami\u2019 is concerned, although this word is used generally for sanny\u0101s\u012bns, this \u2018Swami\u2019 is my particular name as a sanny\u0101s\u012b. Therefore, it must be suffixed at the end of my real name, A.C. Bhaktived\u0101nta. So far the prefix \u2018Swami\u2019 is concerned, every sanny\u0101s\u012b has got to do that, but two ways \u2018Swami\u2019 (Swami A.C. Bhaktived\u0101nta Swami) is not good look\u00ading. The end \u2018Swami\u2019 is necessary because it is my sanny\u0101sa name. The first \u2018Swami\u2019 may be transformed into \u2018Gosv\u0101m\u012b\u2019, which is on the same order of Swami. Therefore, I use the prefix \u2018Trida\u1e47\u1e0d\u012b Gosv\u0101m\u012b\u2019 and suffix \u2018Swami\u2019, as I have printed on my card enclosed herewith. That will be nice. In small lettering, it can be written above my name \u2018Trida\u1e47\u1e0d\u012b Gosv\u0101m\u012b.\u2019 Vai\u1e63\u1e47ava sanny\u0101s\u012bns are known as \u2018Trida\u1e47\u1e0d\u012b Gosv\u0101m\u012bs\u2019, and M\u0101y\u0101v\u0101d\u012b sanny\u0101s\u012bns are known as only \u2018Swami.\u2019\u201d<\/em><\/p>\nAfter the establishment of our Guru Mah\u0101r\u0101ja\u2019s mission, the International Society for K\u00ae\u1e63\u1e47a Consciousness, in the western world, our Guru Mah\u0101r\u0101ja stated in a letter to a senior disciple that he wanted all his qualified disciples to continue the title \u2018Bhaktived\u0101nta.\u2019 Due to the successful preaching campaign of our Guru Mah\u0101r\u0101ja, the title \u2018Bhaktived\u0101nta\u2019 has now become famous all over the world with special reference to the \u2018Bhaktived\u0101nta Purports\u2019 of \u015ar\u012bmad Bh\u0101gavatam. <\/em><\/p>\nThere are now many \u2018Bhaktived\u0101ntas\u2019 in different parts of our samprad\u0101ya, <\/em>but as for fulfilling the purport of \u2018Bhaktived\u0101nta\u2019 our Guru Mah\u0101r\u0101ja has set the standard in all respects and it is incumbent on other Vai\u1e63\u1e47avas with this honorific title to live up to the standards that our Guru Mah\u0101r\u0101ja has set as a world-class preacher. Certainly one should beware of being a \u2018Bhaktived\u0101nta\u2019 in name only.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In Chapter 2 of Prabhup\u0101da Vijaya, ‘Bhaktived\u0101nta’ – we discover that \u015ar\u012bla Prabhup\u0101da\u2019s name was changed several times after the disappearance of his guru \u2013 each one is important and has a deep-rooted meaning that is rarely understood or appreciated.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":5580,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[207],"tags":[206,208],"krishna_talk_article":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rupanugabhajanashram.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5598"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rupanugabhajanashram.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rupanugabhajanashram.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rupanugabhajanashram.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rupanugabhajanashram.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5598"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rupanugabhajanashram.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5598\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rupanugabhajanashram.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5580"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rupanugabhajanashram.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5598"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rupanugabhajanashram.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5598"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rupanugabhajanashram.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5598"},{"taxonomy":"krishna_talk_article","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rupanugabhajanashram.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/krishna_talk_article?post=5598"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}