Re: Chanting of other songs and mantras

Nityananda! Gauranga! Hare Krishna!
Dandavats and obeissances!

Here is part of chapter 4 of A Ray of Vishnu, the biography of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati, which is a perfect example for this question.

At that time the Maharaja of Kasimbazar was camped nearby, and he came regularly to hear from Shrila Bhaktivinoda Thakura and Siddhanta Sarasvati. Siddhanta Sarasvati was giving regular classes from the Chaitanya-caritamrita in the presence of his father, and many listeners were assembling just to hear it. The famous Radharamanacarana Dasa Babaji used to come at that time to hear the discourses.

Later relations with the Babaji were broken because of two deviations by him:

1. He introduced the chanting of Bhaja Nitai Gaura Radhe Syama Japa Hare Krishna Hare Rama. This was introduced with the idea of stopping the audible chanting of the maha-mantra. The first problem with this was that the concocted mantra had the faults of siddhanta-virodha-an opposing conclusion and rasabhasa-conflicting rasas. The second problem was that trying to suppress the audible vibration of the maha-mantra was against the desire of Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, as established by His activities and teaching, as well as by the teachings of the Gosvamis. Rupa Gosvami had written in the Prathama Chaitanyashtaka, text five: hare krishnty ucchaih-"Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu chants the Hare Krishna mantra in a loud voice ..." Therefore, Rupa Gosvami, an eyewitness to the activities of Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and recipient of His full blessings and empowerment for establishing His mission, personally testifies here that Lord Chaitanya did not confine the maha-mantra to inaudible muttering, but loudly proclaimed it to all.

2. Radharamanacarana Dasa Babaji also introduced the Sakhibheki doctrine by dressing his follower Shri Jayagopala Bhattacarya as Lalita Sakhi. This was against Mahaprabhu's teaching as well, as an ordinary jiva was being worshipped as though he were an expansion of Shrimati Radharani.

Both Shrila Bhaktivinoda Thakura and Siddhanta Sarasvati instructed the Babaji to give up these fallacious practices, but he refused. Siddhanta Sarasvati began to preach publicly and strongly against these misconceived teachings, proclaiming that the maha-mantra is for both japa and kirtana, and that kirtana is ultimately superior to japa. This created quite a controversy in Puri with many taking the side of the Babaji out of misplaced sentiment and others siding with Siddhanta Sarasvati.

During this period Siddhanta Sarasvati was engaged in the compilation of a Vaishnava encyclopedia which contained an explanation of Vaishnava terminology, brief biographies of great Vaishnavas, an introduction to the books of the Vaishnava acaryas, a description of the Vaishnava tirthas, the various conclusions of Vaishnava sects. etc. He called it Vaishnava-Manjusha-Samahriiti, and it was later published in four volumes. A Vaishnava scholar commented on it by saying, "This work is only possible for a supra-mortal, a great personality like Prabhupada Shrila Sarasvati Thakura. Even if 25 to 30 scholars and 10 to 15 men taking the treasury of a king began the work, they would be unable to edit it." The work of compilation was begun in Puri and continued as Siddhanta Sarasvati made his preaching rounds of Shri Mayapur-dhama, Shri Jagannatha Puri-dhama and Shri Vraja-dhama. He also studied the books of Shrila Madhvacarya and Shrila Ramanujacarya and published some of them in Bengali. He also published biographies of these and other Vaishnava saints in the Sajjana-Toshani magazine of Shrila Bhaktivinoda Thakura.

He toured South India in 1904 and again in 1905-places like Tirupati, Shrirangam, Singhachal, Raj Mahendry, Madras, Perambadur, Conjeveram, Kumbhakonam and Madurai. While on tour he collected all the information about the rites and rules of Vedic tridanda Vaishnava sannyasa from a Ramanuja tridandi swami at Perambadur. Wherever he would go in his travels he would lecture, write and debate the learned panditas of the day. He soon acquired such a reputation that his name would strike fear in the hearts of his philosophical adversaries. All bogus cults and sects were doomed in his presence.

However, in Puri, Siddhanta Sarasvati experienced such severe oppression and censure due to his preaching against the rhyming kirtana and sakhibheki doctrine of the popular Radharamanacarana Dasa Babaji that finally Shrila Bhaktivinoda Thakura instructed him to go and perform bhajana near the Yogapitha, the birthsite of Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

Jagannatha Gauranga dasa

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