Text 186] The Lord Travels to Vrndavana 105

Srimad-Bhagavatam (6.3.20) states that there are twelve mahdjanas: Brahma,
Narada, Sambhu, Kumara, Kapila, Manu, Prahlada, Janaka, Bhisma, Bali, Sukadeva
and Yamardja.

To select our mahdajanas in the Gaudiya-sampradaya, we have to follow in the
footsteps of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and His representatives. His next represen-
tative is Sri Svaripa Damodara Gosvami, and the next are the six Gosvamis—Sri
Ripa, Sti Sanatana, Bhatta Raghunatha, Sti_Jiva, Gopala Bhatta and Dasa
Raghunatha. The follower of Visnusvami was Sridhara Svami, the most well
known commentator on Srimad-Bhagavatam. He was also a mahdjana. Similarly,
Candidasa, Vidyapati and Jayadeva were all mahdjanas. One who tries to imitate
the mahdjanas just to become an imitative spiritual master is certainly far away
from following in the footsteps of the mahdjanas. Sometimes people cannot ac-
tually understand how a mahajana follows other mahdjanas. In this way people
are inclined to fall from devotional service.

TEXT 186

Beitr fos: Bory fafsai
araiafaes wes 4 foaq!

44a GIs fafese @stare.
ABTA; CUT AGE A NALS I sey i

tarko ‘pratisthah srutayo vibhinna
nasav rsir yasya matarn na bhinnam

dharmasya tattvarn nihitarn guhayam
mahdjano yena gatah sa panthah

SYNONYMS
tarkah—dry argument; apratisthah—not fixed; srutayah— Vedas; vibhinnah—
possessing different departments; na—not; asau —that; rsih—great sage; yasya—
whose; matam—opinion; na—not; bhinnam—separate; dharmasya—of religious
principles; tattvam—truth; nihitam—placed; guhayam—in the heart of a realized
person; mahd-janah—self-realized predecessors; yena—by which way; gatah—
acted; sah—that; panthah—the pure unadulterated path.

TRANSLATION

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu continued, ‘‘ ‘Dry arguments are inconclusive. A
great personality whose opinion does not differ from others is not considered
a great sage. Simply by studying the Vedas, which are variegated, one cannot
come to the right path by which religious principles are understood. The solid
truth of religious principles is hidden in the heart of an unadulterated self-
