All Glories to Śrī Guru and Gaurāṅga
Excerpt from Absolute Harmony by Śrīla Bhakti Rakṣak Śrīdhar Dev-Goswāmī Mahārāj:
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Now in the spiritual arena Bhagavān Śrī Chaitanya Mahāprabhu came and manifest the fifth dimension which was above and beyond all previous conceptions but still accommodating them all. Prior to that the fourth dimension—Vaikuṇṭha—was given by Rāmānuja, the third dimension was given by Śaṅkar Āchārya and the second dimension was given by Buddha.
Buddha recognised the existence of the subtle body and concluded that with the dissolution of that subtle body nothing remains. Then Śaṅkar Āchārya said, “The subtle body is only a reflection of a further thing, Brahma, which is itself true and eternal; and this world is also a reflection of that. With the dissolution of the reflection, the individual soul dissolves forever and nothing but Brahma remains.” There are in fact so very many differences amongst their disciples.
Śaṅkar Āchārya and Buddha both preferred that the ultimate goal be non-differentiated, unknown and unknowable, and they finished there. Do you wish to go there? Elimination of all diversity may be a very peaceful position, a deep slumber, and that is their goal. There are many followers of that creed. But their sacrifice is of a lesser degree than those who dedicate themselves to the higher plane.
Rāmānuja said, “There is another world on the opposite side.” This material world is the world of exploitation and beyond that is liberation—brahma-nirvāṇa—but on the other side of that is the positive plane which is purely subjective and full of dedication. That is the fourth dimension, Vaikuṇṭha, the land of Viṣṇu.
Then Śrī Chaitanya Mahāprabhu gave the additional conception. Explaining: “Calculative dedication in Vaikuṇṭha is one thing but spontaneous dedication to Kṛṣṇa in Goloka is another. And the highest ideal is not spontaneous dedication to power and majesty, but to beauty.” And this has been clearly proved.
Excerpt from Dignity of the Divine Servitor by Śrīla Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswāmī Mahārāj:
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There is a story of another incident which is said to have happened in the time of Buddha. A lady had just one son but he died, so she went to Buddha and prayed, “You are an incarnation of the Lord, so please you bring back my son’s life.”
Buddha replied, “Yes I can, but something is necessary in order to bring back his life.”
She prayed, “Please tell me what you need and I shall supply it.”
Buddha said, “Go from house to house in the village and bring some mustard seeds from any household where there has been no death in their family. With those seeds I shall give life to your boy.”
The woman was very simple-hearted and she went from house to house asking, “Please tell me whether in your family there has been no death. From such a household I need to collect some mustard seeds so that Mahāpuruṣa Buddha can bring back my son’s life.” But in every house she would receive a similar reply, “Oh, my father has died,” “My uncle has died,” “My brother has died,” etc.
She then very sadly went back to Lord Buddha and, in tears, she told him, “Oh Lord, I have not been able to bring such seeds to you.”
“Oh, what happened? In this village could you not find any household in which no one had left their body?”
She replied, “This is so.”
To which Buddha said, “But why are you crying? This is the nature of the mundane plane.”
In Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā Kṛṣṇa says:
jātasya hi dhruvo mṛtyur, dhruvaṁ janma mṛtasya ca
tasmād aparihārye 'rthe, na tvaṁ 'socitum arhasi
(Bg. 2.27)
“The nature of this mundane plane is that for one who has taken birth, death is certain.” And:
vāsāṁsi jīrṇāni yathā vihāya,
navāni gṛhṇāti naro 'parāṇi
tathā śarīrāṇi vihāya jīrṇāny,
anyāni saṁyāti navāni dehī
(Bg. 2.22)
“Just as we leave aside old, worn out cloth and accept new clothing, similarly it is the nature of the jīva in this plane to leave his old body and take a new one.”
A soul who is very fortunate will receive a good, auspicious body in which he can have the chance to practise Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Kṛṣṇa in Bhagavad-gītā also gave some remedy to leave everything in this mundane plane:
janma karmma ca me divyam, evaṁ yo vetti tattvataḥ
tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma, naiti mām eti so ‘arjjuna
(Bg. 4.9)
“Who can understand properly who I am, what is My birth, and what is My disappearance, he will not again take another birth in the material plane.” That proper understanding comes through transcendental knowledge from Śrī Guru and the Vaiṣṇavas and with that he achieves real liberation.
muktir hitvānyathā rūpaṁ, sva-rūpeṇa vyavastitiḥ
(Bhā: 2.10.6)