Āvirbhāva (aparición) de Śrī Nimbārka Ācārya

In ancient times, there was a city named Vaidūrya Paṭṭana in the country of Tailaṅga-deśa. At present, this city is known as Muṅgera Paṭṭana or Muṅgi Paṭṭana. In that city lived a pious sage named Āruṇi, who was a devotee of Lord Viṣṇu, and whose wife was named Jayantī-devī. It was said that he was a descendant of Āruṇa Muni, who came to the assembly of King Parīkṣit, as described in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.19.11.

At the end of Dvāpara-yuga, when the sky of bhāgavata-dharma was covered by the fog of duplicity, so that people in general were distracted from the path of devotional service to the Supreme Lord, which is the constitutional duty of all living entities, being overcome by petty material desires, the supremely merciful Lord Viṣṇu, in order to protect pure sanātana-dharma, decided to send an empowered incarnation to the holy land of Bhārata-varṣa.

Thus, a jewel-like child, as brilliant as the sun, appeared in this world in the evening of the full-moon day of the month of Kārtika as the son of Śrīmad Āruṇi and his wife, Śrī Jayantī-devī, who were both devoted to Lord Viṣṇu, thus enhancing the happiness of the devotees. Āruṇi Muni dutifully performed all the prescribed Vedic saṁskāras for his jewel-like son, and then sent him to gurukula so that he could study the scriptures under the guidance of a qualified spiritual master. In a very short time, the wonderful boy surprised everyone by displaying his genius in mastering all the Vedas and branches of the Vedas, and exhibiting his propensity for spiritual realization.

This bright, sun-like personality grew up while observing a vow of strict celibacy. Then, for the purpose of propagating eternal vaiṣṇava-dharma, he accepted the renounced order of life according to prescribed rules and regulations. After accepting sannyāsa, he set out for Nanda-grāma in Vraja, hoping to have the darśana of Lord Kṛṣṇa. There, at Nanda-grāma, he composed a beautiful prayer consisting of twenty-five verses known as Saviśeṣa-nirviśeṣa-śrī-kṛṣṇa-stava, and offered it at the lotus feet of his worshipable Lord. He constructed a cottage near Govardhana Hill and exhibited the ideal example of how one should worship Lord Kṛṣṇa by performing unalloyed devotional service. The place where he performed bhajana after constructing a cottage is at present known as Nimba-grāma.

It is said that one day a sannyāsī from a Jain sampradāya came to Mathurā and invited all the learned scholars there to a debate on the scriptures. This Jain sannyāsī scholar desired to conquer the entire country by proving the uselessness of Vedic religious principles. However, the Vaiṣṇava ācārya from Vaidūrya Paṭṭana effortlessly refuted all the arguments put forward by the Jain sannyāsī by quoting scriptural evidence.

The Jain sannyāsī, after being defeated, took shelter of the Vaiṣṇava ācārya. The Vaiṣṇava ācārya thus accepted him as a disciple and then instructed him in the true meaning of Vedic religious principles.

It is said that after the scriptural debate commenced between the Jain sannyāsī and the Vaiṣṇava ācārya, it continued for a long while. Finally, the Vaiṣṇava ācārya, realizing that the sun was about to set, offered some remnants of Lord Viṣṇu to his guest, who had come to his āśrama, to relieve him of his fatigue. Jain sannyāsīs are prohibited to eat anything in the evening or at night and so at first he refused to honor the prasāda. Because of this, the Vaiṣṇava ācārya climbed a neem tree and held the sun above the horizon until the sannyāsī could finish his meal. According to one rendition of this story, he climbed a neem tree and then invoked the Lord’s Sudarśana cakra in the sky. As the cakra, which was as effulgent as the sun, appeared, the sannyāsī thought it to be the sun.

Because he climbed a neem tree and manifested arka, or āditya (the sun), he became known as Nimbārka, Nimbāditya, and Nimba Vibhāvasu. At some places he was known as Aruṇeya, Niyamānanda, and Haripriyācārya. Some people say that Nimbārka appeared in this world at the time when Kṛṣṇa’s great-grandson, Vajranābha was the king of Mathurā. The disciplic succession of Śrī Nimbārka is mentioned in a commentary on the eighth sūtra of the third section of the first chapter of Vedānta-darśana:

paramācāryaiḥ śrī kumārarir asmad guruve śriman nāradāya
upadiṣto bhumātveva vijijñāsitavya

“The exalted ācārya, Śrī Sanat-kumāra, was a great sage. His disciple was Śrī Nārada, and Nārada’s disciple was Śrī Nimbārka.”

Śrī Nimbāditya’s commentary on Vedānta-sūtra is known as Vedānta-parijāta-saurabha. Śrī Nimbārka’s disciple, Śrīnivāsācārya, elaborated on that commentary by presenting another commentary called Vedānta-kaustubha. Keśava Kāśmīri, who was a contemporary of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, accepted the nimbārka-sampradāya and composed an explanation of Vedānta-kaustubha called Kaustubha-prabhā.

Apart from Vedānta-parijāta-saurabha, the following literatures and commentaries were composed by Śrī Nimbāditya, according to the members of his sampradāya: Gītā-bhāṣya, Sadācāra-prakāśa, Daśaślokī, Saviśeṣa-nirviśeṣa-śrī-kṛṣṇa-stotra, and Prātaḥ-smaraṇa-stotra (Vedānta-garbhita-stotraṁ). Among these six literatures, Vedānta-parijāta-saurabha, Daśa-śloki, Saviśeṣa-nirviśeṣa-śrīkṛṣṇa-stotra, and Prātaḥ-smaraṇa-stotra are said to be compiled by Nimbāditya by the present-day members of the nimbārka-sampradāya.

The four Kumāras, sons of Brahmā, headed by Sanaka, imparted eternal religious principles to Nārada Muni, who then instructed Śrīla Vyāsadeva. From Śrīla Vyāsadeva, through

disciplic succession extending through Śrī Prahlāda, Śrī Nimbārka received instruction. To propagate bhāgavata-dharma, as originally taught by Lord Nārāyaṇa, Śrī Nimbārka Svāmī established an authorized sampradāya in this age of Kali. This sampradāya is therefore known as the nimbārka-sampradāya.

The ācāryas in the disciplic succession of Nimbārka are as follows:

1. 1. Lord Nārāyaṇa
2. 2. Haṁsa
3. 3. The four Kumāras, headed by Sanaka
4. 4. Nārada Muni
5. 5. Nimbādityācārya
6. 6. Śrīnivāsācārya (the compiler of the commentary on Vedānta-sūtra known as Vedānta-kaustubha)
7. 7. Bhāskara Bhaṭṭācārya (commentator on the Vedas and Brahma-sūtras. His name is missing from the list of ācāryas given in the book Bhakti-ratnākara.)
8. 8. Viśvāchārya
9. 9. Puruṣottama Ācārya
10. 10. Vilāsa Ācārya
11. 11. Svarūpācārya
12. 12. Mādhavācārya
13. 13. Balabhadrācārya
14. 14. Padmācārya
15. 15. Śyāmācārya, or Śyāmālācārya
16. 16. Gopālācārya
17. 17. Kṛpācārya
18. 18. Devācārya (the author of the Vedānta-siddhānta-jāhnavī commentary on Vedānta-sūtra)
19. 19. Sundara Bhaṭṭa
20. 20. Padmanābha Bhaṭṭa
21. 21. Upendra Bhaṭṭa
22. 22. Rāmacandra Bhaṭṭa
23. 23. Vāmana Bhaṭṭa
24. 24. Kṛṣṇa Bhaṭṭa
25. 25. Padmākara Bhaṭṭa
26. 26. Śravaṇa, or Śravaṇeśa Bhaṭṭa
27. 27. Bhūri Bhaṭṭa
28. 28. Mādhava Bhaṭṭa
29. 29. Śyāma Bhaṭṭa
30. 30. Gopāla Bhaṭṭa
31. 31. Balabhadra Bhaṭṭa
32. 32. Gopīnātha Bhaṭṭa
33. 33. Gokula Bhaṭṭa, or Gaṅgalyā Bhaṭṭa
34. 34. Keśava Bhaṭṭa (He was a contemporary of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and was known as Keśava Kāśmīrī. He wrote the book Kramadīpikā. According to the members of the nimbārka-sampradāya, he also wrote commentaries on the three prasthānas. His name is mentioned in Śrī Caitanya-bhāgavata, Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, and Śrī Bhakti-ratnākara. He debated with Śrī Gaurasundara but was defeated by Him and ultimately took shelter of Him.)
35. 35. Śrī Bhaṭṭa
36. 36. Harivyāsa Devācārya (it is said that he gave Vaiṣṇava initiation to Ambikā-devī at Arbuda mountain)
37. 37. Svābhudevācārya
38. 38. Catura Cintāmaṇidevācārya
39. THE MĀṬHAS ESTABLISHED BY THE NIMBĀRKA-SAMPRADĀYA

1. 1. Sālīmābād, Kṛṣṇagadha, Udaipur (near Ajmer)
2. 2. Burdwan, Rāyapura, Rāyagañja Māṭha (the devotees here say that this māṭha is the original māṭha of their sampradāya). In this māṭha there are Deities of Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Govinda, Lord Haṁsa, Lord Rāmacandra, and Lord Baladeva.
3. 3. Ukhṛā (the railway station next to Āṇḍālā). The māṭha is two kilometers from the railway station. The person who is presently in charge of this māṭha is Śrī Braja Bhūṣaṇa Śaraṇadeva.
4. 4. Yugala Kiśora Māṭha, Āḍāṅghāṭā. The founder of this māṭha was Śrī Gaṅgā Nārāyaṇadeva, and the person presently in charge is Sanakādi Śaraṇadeva.
5. 5. Caituyā. Nīmatālā is six miles from Ghāṭāla, and Caituyā is six miles from Nīmatālā. The name of this māṭha is Vaikuṇṭhapura. The Deities worshiped here are Rāmalālā, Gopāla, Rāma-Lakṣmaṇa-Jānakī, Kṣetrapāla Śiva, and Bihārījī. In the beginning, each of these Deities had separate temples, but since the temples have become dilapidated, all the Deities are now worshiped in the Bihārījī temple. The person who is presently in charge of this māṭha is Baladeva dāsa.

6. 6. Āsamanāpura Kuśarī, Post Office Nadiyā (this place is four miles from the Ālāmadaṅgā railway station). The devotees here say that this māṭha is a branch of their Vṛndāvana māṭha. The Deity worshiped here is Lord Gopīnātha, and the name of the person presently in charge is Rāma Gopāla dāsa.
7. 7. Kendulī. It is said that this māṭha previously belonged to the mādhva-sampradāya. For the last three generations it has been managed by the nimbārka-sampradāya. The person presently in charge of this māṭha is Rasabihārī Śaraṇa.
8. 8. Lohāgañja (two kilometers from the Āzimgañja railway station in the district of Murśidābād). The Deity worshiped here is Lord Gopīnātha, and the person presently in charge of this māṭha is Madana Mohana Śaraṇa.
9. 9. Vinoda Lālā Māṭha. It is near the Āzimgañja railway station.
10. 10. Bastā nagara (two miles from the Rānigañja railway station. It is a branch of the Vṛndāvana māṭha. The Deity worshiped here is Lord Madana-mohana.
11. 11. Ulāsī (two miles from the Nābhāraṇa railway station. The three māṭhas–Āsamānā-pura, Bastā-nagara, and Ulāsī–are branches of Śrī Paramārtha Māṭha, Vṛndāvana. However, there is no one in charge of the Paramārtha Māṭha at present. Apparently the person previously in charge got married.)
12. 12. Paramārtha Māṭha, Śrīdhāma Vṛndāvana
13. 13. Duḥkhiśyāma Māṭha, at Jagannātha Purī, is near Lokanātha. The person previously in charge of this māṭha, Duḥkhiśyāma, departed from this world about three years ago.
14. 14. Gopālaji Māṭha at Cuttuck.
15. 15. Atal Bihāri Māṭha at Bundelkhaṇḍa, Sāgar Post Office in District Sāgara. The Deity worshiped in this māṭha is Śrī Atala Bihārī. In the sub-division of Nimkā there is also the Nimbārka Māṭha. The Nimkā railway station is on a branch line from Phulerā Junction. The king of Jaipur has employed an army of Nimbārka followers, none of whom are householders.
16. Apart from these māṭhas there are a few more māṭhas of the nimbārka-sampradāya in Vṛndāvana. In the village of Nimba-grāma near Govardhana Hill, Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa Deities and the ācārya’s shoes are worshiped. There is also a māṭha of the nimbārka-sampradāya at Khāḍā, near Punjab.
17. THE CODE OF CONDUCT OBSERVED IN THE NIMBĀRKA SAMPRADĀYA
18. Initiated followers of the nimbārka-sampradāya wear tulasī neck beads and decorate their forehead with Vaiṣṇava tilaka. The sannyāsīs keep their śikhā and sacred thread and wear saffron robes. They are supposed to undergo five purificatory rituals at the time of initiation. The members of all four āśramas are asked to renounce violence toward other living entities with their body, mind, and speech. They should eat only food that has been offered to Lord Viṣṇu. Worship of the demigods and honoring their remnants are prohibited. Vows, such as Janmāṣṭamī, Ekādaśī, and Vyāsa-pūjā are to be observed by following the prescribed rules and regulations. If an Ekādaśī or Janmāṣṭamī is polluted by the presence of another day (tithi), they should not be observed. Householder Vaiṣṇavas should perform the śrāddha ceremony according to Vaiṣṇava system by offering the remnants of Lord Viṣṇu to the departed soul. It is very detrimental to offer oblations to a departed soul in a smārta fashion, thinking that he has become a ghost.
19. THE SIDDHĀNTA PREACHED BY ŚRĪ NIMBĀDITYA
20. Ācārya Śrī Nimbāditya preached the siddhānta known as cintya-dvaitādvaita. Śrī Nimbāditya accepted the Vedas as the crest-jewel of all evidences. He also accepted the supplementary Vedic literatures as evidence. The instructions that the four Kumāras, the sons of Brahmā, imparted to Śrī Nārada Muni in the seventh pāṭhaka of Chāndogya Upaniṣad were preached in this world by Ācārya Śrī Nimbāditya after he received them from Śrī Nārada in disciplic succession. The ekāyana system of philosophy that was instructed by Śrīla Sanat-kumāra to Śrī Nārada Gosvāmi in the seventh pāṭhaka of Chāndogya Upaniṣad is mentioned in Ācārya Śrī Nimbāditya’s instructions (Vedānta-parijāta-saurabha  7.1.2)
     Other conclusions of Ācārya Śrī Nimbāditya are:

1. 1. The Purāṇas are the fifth Veda (7.1.4).
2. 2. Lord Viṣṇu is the doer of everything (7.15.1).
3. 3. Advancement in devotional service depends on faith and steadiness (7.19–20.1).
4. 4. Nothing is equal or superior to love of God (7.23.1).
5. 5. The glories of the Lord’s eternal abode (7.24.1).
6. 6. The Supreme Lord is fully independent (7.24.2).
7. 7. Liberated souls are eternal associates of the Supreme
    Lord and they engage in eternal pastimes with the
    Supreme Lord in His transcendental abode (7.25.2).
8. 8. The Supreme Lord possesses the power to appear and disappear at will (7.26.1).
9. 9. Vaiṣṇavas are eternal and transcendental (7.26.2).
10. 10. The glories of the Lord’s remnants (7.26.2).
11. In his book Daśa-ślokī, Śrī Nimbārka presented the following conclusion:
12. sarvam hi vijñānam atho yathārthakam
    śruti sṃrtibhyo nikhilasya vastunaḥ
    brahmātma katvā diti vedavin mataṁ
    trirūpa tāpi śruti sūtra sādhitā
13. “All objects are related to the Supreme Lord. The conclusion of those who are not actually well-versed in the Vedas is that temporary material objects cannot emanate from the eternal Absolute Truth. To know things in truth is real knowledge. This is confirmed in all the śrutis and smṛtis. Sometimes the philosophy of oneness is stressed in the Vedas, sometimes the philosophy of duality is stressed, and sometimes both are mentioned. Therefore the philosophy of kevalādvaita-vāda has no standing. After carefully considering all the statements of the Vedas, the philosophy of simultaneous oneness and difference will certainly be established within one’s mind. Thus the philosophy of dvaitādvaita should be accepted as the actual conclusion of the śāstra.
14. ŚRĪ NIMBĀDITYA’S SIDDHĀNTA REGARDING THE INDIVIDUAL LIVING ENTITIES
15. In Śrī Nimbārka’s commentary on Brahma-sūtra (2.3.42) the simultaneous oneness and difference between the living entities and the Supersoul has been established. In his commentary he has written:
16. aṁsāṁsī bhāvājjīva-paramātmanor bhedabhedau darśayati paramātmano jīvo aṁsa jñājñau dvāvajābī śānīśābi – tyadi bheda vyapa deśāt tattvamasi tyādya bheda vyapa deśācca api ca ārtha vaṇikāḥ brahmadāsa brahmadāśā brahmakitavā – iti brahmano hi kitavāditvam adhiyate
17. Here the commentator explains that the individual spirit souls and the Supersoul are simultaneously one and different from each other. The Supreme Lord is the complete whole and the living entity is His part and parcel. The Supreme Lord is the knower of everything and the living entity in conditional life is ignorant. Both are unborn and eternal. All the Vedic statements bring one to the conclusion that there is eternally a difference between the Supreme Lord and the minute living entities. Of course, there are some Vedic statements, such as tat tvam asi, that declare that there is no difference between the Supreme Lord and the living entities. These should not be taken out of context, however. By careful consideration of all Vedic statements, it is seen that there is oneness and difference between the Supreme Lord and the living entities. The minute individual living entities are related to the complete whole as fragmental parts.
18. In the book Daśa-ślokī, the following has been concluded. The living entities are eternal and fully cognizant. However, the entities possess minute consciousness, whereas the Lord is supremely conscious. The living entities are always under the control of the supreme controller, and can never act independently. The minute living entities are unlimited in number. An individual soul is present in each and every material body. Because of being infinitesimal, the individual living entities are prone to either accept or reject material embodiment. When the living entities are conditioned by māyā they are covered by gross and subtle bodies, but when they are liberated they become freed from these coverings.
19. The living entities are grouped into three classes–those who are eternally liberated, those who have become liberated, and those who are conditioned by māyā. Those who are under the shelter of Lord Hari’s lotus feet are eternally liberated. Those who were previously conditioned by māyā, but, by the mercy of the devotees and the spiritual master, have attained the favor of the Supreme Lord, have been liberated from their conditional state. And those who are in the clutches of māyā due to being averse to the service of the Supreme Lord are called conditioned souls. The eternally liberated souls are further divided into two categories–those who are direct associates of the Supreme Lord and those who are followers of the associates of the Supreme Lord.
20. All three classes of living entities are further classified according to their status. Those who have become liberated are also of two kinds–the associates of the Lord and the practitioners of devotional service. The conditioned souls are of many varieties, such as gross materialists without discrimination, those who can discriminate between what is to be done and what is not to be done, and those desiring liberation.
21. The illusory energy, māyā, is eternal. The conditioned souls have been entrusted to māyā due to their aversion to the service of the Supreme Lord. Therefore, only by the mercy of the Supreme Lord can the conditioned souls become liberated from the clutches of nescience.
22. SRI NIMBĀDITYA’S SIDDHĀNTA REGARDING THE MATERIAL WORLD
23. Inert matter is divided into two parts–the time factor and māyā. The time factor is also in two divisions–transcendental time and material time. The transcendental time factor is beyond the jurisdiction of material nature and is fully spiritual, functioning by the will of the Supreme Lord. Time is eternal, but when the time factor functions in the material world, it is experienced in terms of past, present, and future.
24. The perverted reflection of the spiritual time factor is the material time factor. Material nature, which is compared to a shadow, is a perverted reflection of the spiritual nature. Material nature is referred to by many names, such as pradhāna, avidyā, nimitta, and upādāna. From the Vedic statement ajāṁ ekāṁ lohita kṛṣṇa śuklāṁ it is understood that material nature consists of three modes. Although matter appears like spirit, in the sense that a shadow appears like the original object, it must be considered inferior. The entire material creation, including the gross and subtle bodies of the conditioned souls, is a product of inert matter.
25. SRI NIMBĀDITYA’S SIDDHĀNTA REGARDING THE SUPREME LORD
26. The Supreme Absolute Truth is spotless. The eighteen faults, including illusion, laziness, and the tendency to commit mistakes, do not exist in the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
27. The Supreme Lord is full of unlimited auspiciousness. The Absolute Truth, or the Supreme Brahman, is Lord Kṛṣṇa. He is the source of all beauty and sweetness. The quadruple forms in Goloka, the quadruple forms in Vaikuṇṭha, and the other quadruple forms are His plenary portions.
28. Lord Kṛṣṇa is constantly served by His internal potency, the daughter of King Vṛṣabhānu, Śrī Rādhā, along with thousands of other gopīs, who are expansions of Śrī Rādhā’s transcendental body. Therefore it is concluded that Lord Kṛṣṇa is the eternal object of worship for all living entities. He possesses an eternal transcendental body. Because He is devoid of material hands and legs, He is accepted as formless by materialistic people. Because He possesses a transcendental form, He appears as the Supreme Personality of Godhead before the eyes of devoted transcendentalists. He is supremely independent, omnipotent, the controller of all controllers, the possessor of inconceivable energies, and always worshiped by great demigods, beginning with Brahmā and Śiva.
29. THE PROCESS OF WORSHIP IN THE NIMBĀRKA SAMPRADĀYA
30. It is the duty of all living entities to worship Lord Kṛṣṇa, the supreme controller of all controllers, who is thus worshiped by the most exalted personalities, headed by Brahmā and Śiva. Those who worship the demigods rather than Lord Viṣṇu are condemned, and are considered travelers on the path to hell. Worship, or devotion, is of two types–aparā-bhakti manifested as sādhana, and uttama-bhakti manifested as prema. Uttama-bhakti performed in love of God is awakened by cultivating the nine types of sādhana-bhakti, beginning with hearing and chanting.
31. From Śrī Nimbāditya, the nimāyet-sampradāya became manifested. Some people mistakenly consider the nimānandi-sampradāya to be the nimāyet-sampradāya. However, this is not a fact. Another name of Śrīman Mahāprabhu was Nimāi, because the name Nimāi was very dear to Lord Nityānanda Prabhu, Śrī Vakreśvara Paṇḍita’s disciple, Śrī Gopāla Guru Gosvāmi, referred to Lord Caitanya as Nimānanda in his writings. Here is a verse written by him,
32. tataḥ śrikṛṣṇa caitanyaḥ prema kalpadruma bhuvi
    nimānandākhyā yo sau vikhyātah kṣitimaṇḍale
33. “Lord Śrī Caitanya is the desire tree of love of God. He is celebrated in this world by the name Nimānanda.”
34. Those who abandon the disciplic succession from Śrī Madhvācārya to Īśvara Puri and create a new sampradāya identify themselves as belonging to the nimānanda-sampradāya. However, the nimānanda-sampradāya is distinct from the nimāyet-sampradāya.
35. Some people say that the sampradāya introduced by Ārūṇi Śrī Nimbāditya after he received instruction from Śrī Sanat-kumāra’s disciple, Śrī Nārada Muni, long ago became extinct. That is why, even though the siddhāntas preached by Śrī Viṣṇusvāmi, Śrī Rāmānuja, and Śrī Madhva are mentioned in the Sarvadarśana-saṃgraha literature written by Sāyana Mādhava, there is no mention of Śrī Nimbārka or his siddhānta. Therefore it is argued that the present nimbārka-sampradāya has resurfaced after the disappearance of Śrīman Mahāprabhu, just like the vallabhācārya-sampradāya. It is also seen that there are many similarities between the siddhāntas preached by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and those of the nimbārka-sampradāya.
36. Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmi Prabhu, who was a foremost ācārya of the gauḍīya-vaiṣṇava-sampradāya, mentioned the names and siddhāntas of Śrī Viṣṇusvāmi, Śrī Rāmānuja, and Śrī Madhva in his saṃdarbha and other works, but did not mention the name of Nimbārka. What could be the reason for this?
37. Many people presume that, after the compilation of Sarvadarśana-saṃgraha, or even during the period when the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava Gosvāmīs lived in Vṛndāvana, the philosophy of the present-day nimbārka-sampradāya had not been spread very widely. Still, there is no doubt that Śrī Nimbāditya was the perpetuator of the ancient authorized dvaitādvaita-sampradāya. Although the philosophy of the present nimbārka-sampradāya was nourished by the siddhānta of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, the ācārya of all ācāryas, the siddhānta preached by Śrī Nimbāditya can be understood from the instructions of Śrī Sanat-kumāra that are found in the seventh pāṭhaka of Chāndogya Upaniṣad.