The Disciplic Succession
of the
Brahma Madhva Gaudiya Vaisnava Sampradaya


LORD KRISHNA

evam uktva tato rajan maha-yogesvaro harih
darsayamasa parthaya paramam rupam aisvaram

aneka-vaktra-nayanam anekadbhuta-darsanam

aneka-divyabharanam divyanekodyatayudham

divya-malyambara-dharam divya-gandhanulepanam

sarvascaryamayam devam anantam visvato-mukham
The Supreme Lord Krishna exhibited His omnipotent and almighty universal form of innumerable faces and eyes, revealing innumerable miraculous wonders, decorated with innumerable, dazzling ornaments, armed with innumerable gleaming weapons, magnificently attired and resplendently garlanded, annointed with equisite, celestial fragrances; phenomenally astounding, unlimited, effulgent and all pervading.
Bhagavad-Gita, chapter 11, verses 9,10,11
isvarah paramah krishna sac-cid-ananda vigrahah
anadir adir govindah sarva karana karanam

Lord Krishna is the supreme absolute controller, whose form is pure immortality, omniscience and bliss. He is without beginning, the origin of all, the cause of all causes and the source of the eternal Vedas.

Brahma Samhita, Chapter 5, Verse 1


ete camsa-kalah pumsah krishnas tu bhagavan svayam
indras vyakulam lokam mrdayanti yuge yuge
All the incarnations are plenary portions or explansions of plenary expansions appearing in various universes to protect the theists; but Lord Krishna is the original Supreme Lord and the source of all.
Srimad Bhagavatam, Canto 1, chapter 3,verse 28


sarvasya caham hrdi sannivistho mattah smrtir jnanam apohanam ca
vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyo vedanta-krd veda-vid eva caham
Lord Krishna said I am situated as the soul within the heart of all beings, remembrance and forgetfulness comes from me. I can be known by the knowledge of the Vedas. I am the original creator of the Vedic scriptures and a knower of the Vedas.
Bhagavad-Gita, chapter 15, verse 15


Factually all the Vedic scriptures unamimously are the establisher of Lord Krishna as the Supreme Lord of all; but the unique speciality of the Bhagavad-Gita is that the Supreme Lord Krishna is directly speaking this divine revelation Himself.


bhaktya tu ananyaya sakya aham evam-vidho r'juna
jnatum drastum ca tattvena pravestum ca parantapa
Lord Krishna said only by unalloyed devotional service can I be understood as I am and can be seen directly. Only in this way can one enter into the mystery of my understanding.
Bhagavad-Gita, chapter 11, verse, 54


The relationship between the Supreme Lord Krishna and the Bhagavad-Gita is that Lord Krishna is the established and the Bhagavad-Gita is the establisher. The subject matter of the Bhagavad-Gita categorically and scientifically in a complete and comprehensive way establishes the eternal reality of Lord Krishnas as the supreme ultimate truth. The accomplished objective of Bhagavad-Gita confirms that the highest goal in all of existence is to surrender fully unto Lord Krishna and by the cessation of ignorance and all other obstacles in the material worlds become liberated by loving devotion in this very life and join Him in His transcendental and blissful pastimes eternally.
krsnam enam avehi tvam atmanam akhilatmanam
jagad-dhitaya so'py atra dehivabhati mayaya
Understand that the Supreme Lord Krishna is the original soul of all living entities. For the benefit of the whole universe He has out of His causeless mercy manifested Himself appearing as a human being. He has manifested this by the power of His internal potency.
Srimad Bhagavatam, Canto 10, chapter 14, verse 55


Brahma

brahmovaca
tad astu me natha sa bhuri-bhago
bhave'tra vanyatra tu va tirascam
yenaham eko'pi bhavaj-jananam
bhutva niseve tava pada-pallavam
Lord Brahma said: My dear Lord Krishna, I pray to be so fortunate that in this life or in another life, wherever I may take birth even if it is in the animal species that I may be your devotee and engage myself in your devotional service.
Srimad Bhagavatam, Canto 10, chapter 14, verse 30

Narada Muni

tubyam ca narada bhrsam bhagavan vivrddha
bhavena sadhu paritusta uvaca yogam
jnanam ca bhagavatam atma-satattva-dipam
yad vasudeva-sarana vidur anjasaiva
O' Narada being very satisfied by your goodness and service you were taught the ultimate science of transcendental devotion to the Supreme Lord fully illuminating the truth of the soul which is perfectly known by souls surrendered to Lord Krishna.
Srimad Bhagavatam, Canto 2, chapter 7, verse 9

Krishna Dvaipayana Vyasa

kalena milita-dhyam avamrsya nrnam
stokayasam sva-nigamo bata dura-parah
avirhitas tu anuyugam sa hi satyavatyam
veda-drumam vita-paso vibhajisyati sma
In course of time Vyasa bearing in mind the intelligence and short life span of humanity at large considered his compilation of the Vedas to be too difficult, so he divided the Vedic knowledge into different branches.
Srimad Bhagavatam, Canto 2, chapter 7, verse 36

Madhvacarya

visnuswami vamanangsastatha madhvastu brahmanah
ramanujastu sesangsa nimbaditya sanakasya ca
Visnuswami, Madhvacarya, Ramanuja and Nimbaditya will appear respectively as a portion of Vamana, Brahma, Ananta Sesha and Sanaka Kumara.
Garga Samhita, Canto 10, chapter 61, verse 24

It is verified in Garga Samhita:

vamanas vidih sesah sanako visnu vakyatah
dharmartha hetave caite bhavisyanti dvijah kalau
Vamana, Brahma, Ananta Sesha and Sanaka Kumara will appear as brahmanas by the order of Visnu, for the preservation of eternal righteousness in kali yuga.
visnuswami vamanangsastatha madhvastu brahmanah
ramanujastu sesangsa nimbaditya sanakasya ca
Visnuswami, Madhvacarya, Ramanuja and Nimbaditya will appear respectively as a portion of Vamana, Brahma, Ananta Sesha and Sanaka Kumara.
ete kalau yuge bhavyah sampradaya pravartakah
samvatsare vikrama catvarah ksiti pavanah
These four saviours will be the establishers of the four authorised and empowered spiritual channels of disciplic succession in the period calculated from the reign of King Vikrama in 54 B.C. subsequently through the 432,000 year cycle of kali yuga.
sampradaya vihina ye mantraste nisphalah smritah
tasmacca gamanang hyasti sampradaya narairapi
These four authorised and empowered spiritual channels of disciplic succession are to be fully accepted by all beings; as any word, combination of words or formulation of sound frequencies, invoked or addressed, audible or inaudible, secret or revealed, ancient or contemporary outside their auspices prove to have absolutely no efficacy.

Garga Samhita, Canto 10, chapter 61, verses 23, 24, 25, 26

Visnuswami
Rudra Vaisnava Sampradaya

Madhvacarya
Brahma Vaisnava Sampradaya
Ramanuja
Sri Vaisnava Sampradaya
Nimbaditya
Kumara Vaisnava Sampradaya

Parampara of Gaudiya Vaisnava Samiti Brahma Vaishnava Sampradaya

LORD KRISHNA
Brahma
Narada Muni
Krishna Dvaipayana Vyasa
Madhvacarya (Establisher)
Padmanabha
Narahari
Madhava
Aksobhya
Jayatirtha
Jnanasindhu
Dayanidhi
Vidyanidhi
Rajendra
Jayadharma
Purusottama
Brahmanyatirtha
Vyasatirtha
Laksmipati
Madhavendra Puri
Nityananda Prabhu
Advaita Acarya
Isvara Puri
SRI KRISHNA CAITANYA MAHAPRABHU
Svarupa Damodara
Sanatana Gosvami
Rupa Gosvami
Ragunatha das Gosvami
Krsna data Kaviraja
Gopal Bhatta Gosvami
Raghunatha Bhatta Gosvami
Jiva Gosvami
Lokanatha Gosvami
Narottama Thakura
Visvanatha Cakravarti
Baladeva Vidyabhusana
Uddharan Dasa
Madhusudana Dasa
Jagannatha das Babaji
Bhaktivinode Thakura
Gaurakishore das Babaji
Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami
Srila Bhakti Prajnan Keshava Gosvami
Srila Bhakti Vedanta Vamana Gosvami
Swami Bhakti Vedanta Varaha

Srila Jagannatha das Babaji

gauravirbhava-bhumes tvam nirdesta saj-jana-priyah
vaisnava-sarvabhaumah sri jagannathaya te namah
I offer my humble obeisance to Srila Jagannatha das Babaji, chief among the Vaisnavas and dear to saintly souls and who confirmed the appearance place of Sri Krishna Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

Srila Bhaktivinode Thakura

namo bhakti vinodaya sac-cid-ananda-namine
gaura-sakti-svarupaya rupanuga-varaya te
I offer my humble obeisance to Srila Saccidananda Bhaktivinode Thakura, who is the personified energy of Sri Krishna Caitanya Mahaprabhu and who follows the rupanuga path of Rupa Goswami.

Srila Gaura Kishore das Babaji

namo-gaura-kishoraya saksad-vairagya-murtaye
vipralambha-rasanbhode padambujaya te namah
I offer my humble obeisance to Srila Gaura Kishora das Babaji, who is the personification of renunciation immersed in the ocean of seperation from Lord Krishna.

Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Prabhupada

namah om visnupadaya krishna prestaya bhutale
srimate bhakti siddhanta-saraswati iti namine
I offer my humble obeisance unto Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Prabhupada, who is very dear to Lord Krishna in this world having taken shelter of the Lords lotus feet.

Srila Bhakti Prajnana Keshava Goswami Maharaj

namah om visnupadaya acarya-simha rupine
sri srimad bhakti prajnan keshava iti namine
I offer my humble obeisance unto Srila Bhakti Prajnan Keshava, the lion-like acarya who never fears having taken shelter of Lord Krishna.

Srila Bhaktivedanta Vamana Maharaj

namah om visnupadaya caitanya prestaya bhutale
acarya murta vigrahaya vaman goswami iti namine
I offer my humble obeisance unto Srila Bhaktivedanta Vaman Goswami Maharaja, the acarya who is like the deity personified and who is very dear to Sri Krishna Caitanya Mahaprabhu in this world.


Bhagavad-Gita Trust

Established by Tridandi Sannyasi Varaha Maharaja
a disciple of Tridandi Sannyasi Srila Bhakti Vedanta Vaman Goswami
from the Brahma Vaisnava Sampradaya descending from
Madhvacarya through Sri Krishna Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

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