Siddhanta শ্রীরূপ–সনাতন, শ্রীরঘুনাথ–পদাশ্রয়ে মোর সকল আশ ।ভক্তিসিদ্ধান্ত কহে দাস, শ্রীচৈতন্য–সারস্বত–সম্প্রদায়ে ॥রূপানুগ–পথে থাকি, সদা লই তাঁদের শরণ ।প্রাপ্ত ভক্তিসিদ্ধান্ত কহি, করি শ্রীগুরুদেব–স্মরণ ॥ sri-rupa-sanatana, sri-raghunath-padashraye mora sakala ashabhakti-siddhanta kahe dasa, sri-chaitanya-saraswata-sampradayerupanuga-pathe thaki, sada lai tahadera sharanaprapta bhakti-siddhanta kahi, kari sri-gurudeva-smarana With all my hope resting in the shelter of the feet of Sri Rupa, Sanatana, and Sri Raghunatha, this servant recites the Bhakti-Siddhanta of the Sri Chaitanya-Saraswat sampradaya. Remaining on the Rupanuga path, I take shelter of them, and speak the Bhakti-Siddhanta I have received, remembering Sri Gurudev. How the teachings of the Sri Chaitanya-Saraswat Sampradaya are received and known Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu personally taught the fundamental principles that form the foundation of Gaudiya Vaishnavism. He entrusted His teachings to His close associates, and those teachings were preserved and systematically developed by the great Acharyas who closely followed Him. Among those Acharyas, the contributions of the theologians Sri Rupa Goswami, Sri Sanatana Goswami, and Sri Raghunatha Dasa Goswami to the siddhanta of Gaudiya Vaishnavism are particularly important. Subsequent Gaudiya Acharyas did not disregard Srila Rupa Goswami, Sanatana Goswami, and Sri Dasa Goswami. They continually looked up to them as foundational Acharyas of Gaudiya Vaishnavism. Krishnadasa Kaviraja Goswami and others repeatedly expressed their dependence upon Sri Rupa and Sri Raghunatha. From Kaviraja Goswami, this theological current was carried forward through to Acharyas such as Srila Narottama Thakur, Visvanatha Chakravarti, and Sri Baladeva Vidyabhusana: the Acharyas of the Sri Chaitanya-Saraswata lineage. The later Acharyas are therefore to be understood as servants of their predecessor Acharyas, most importantly Srila Rupa Goswami, Sanatana Goswami, and Sri Dasa Goswami. The authority of a later Acharya is received from Sri Guru Gauranga. Where a genuine conflict arises because of differing understandings of correct doctrines, for example when statements made by a more recent Acharya differ from Acharyas in the past, the siddhanta established by the foundational Rupanuga Acharyas always has seniority. But then some statements preserved in sacred texts cannot simply be taken “as is.” Or might I say, according to the ordinary dictionary meaning of the words. Scripture, or even a previous Acharya, might describe Krishna as a “thief,” “naughty,” or “immoral.” The true spiritual understanding concealed in those words can be easily misunderstood. So it must be known that the while meanings of the word “thief” ordinarily apply only to human beings, a completely new and different meaning of the word “thief” has being introduced into the English language by Gaudiya Acharyas. A more recent Acharya can therefore help modern-day people to understand how to read the words of scripture properly. But the opposite mistake must also be avoided. Some statements in scripture are more literal than they look. Acharyas such as Bhaktivinode Thakur, who repeatedly warned against naive literalism and famously stated that Hanuman is not an ordinary monkey with a tail but a human being, also explained to readers that seekers of the truth need to be discerning. It is equally mistaken to suppose that every extraordinary or apparently fantastic account found in scripture is mere fantasy. Proper interpretation is therefore neither mechanically literalist nor indiscriminately non-literal. It is discerning. To avoid the many misunderstandings that can arise when ancient sacred texts are read without proper guidance, it is worthwhile becoming familiar with the principal truths, or tattvas, taught by the Gaudiya Acharyas: Guru-tattva Bhagavat-tattva Vaishnava-tattva Gaura-tattva Nityananda-tattva Advaita-tattva Krishna-tattva Shakti-tattva Bhagavad-rasa-tattva Jiva-tattva Achintya-bhedabheda-tattva Abhidheya-tattva Sadhana-bhakti-tattva Varnadharma-tattva Ashrama-dharma-tattva Sraddha-tattva Nama-tattva Prayojana-tattva Pramana-tattva Seekers of the highest truth, the Supreme Reality, Bhagavan Sri Krishna, are encouraged to study these tattvas one by one. In doing so, particular care should be taken to distinguish the authentic teachings of the Acharyas from later interpretations that may not accord with them, and to seek the conclusive siddhanta transmitted to the present generation through the Rupanuga Acharyas.