Rudra Vaisnava Sampradaya

RUDRA Vaisnava Sampradaya Disciplic Succession to Sridhara Swami 1) LORD KRISHNA 2) Shiva 3) Rudra 4) Visnu Swami (Founder-Acarya of the Rudra Vaisnava Sampradaya) 5) Tirtha Swami 6) Sridhara Swami Sridhara Swami's commentary authorised by the auspices of disciplic succession.

Sridhara Swami's Commentary on Bhagavad-Gita Invocation OM I bow down to the omnipotent Supreme Lord Krishna, the embodiment of supreme bliss, who by His own mouth expressed what had been taught with dexterity by Ananta Sesha's innumerable mouths. Respectfully bowing down to Vishnu the preserver of the universe and Shiva who is in charge of universal destruction and being guided by devotion to them, I am writing this commentary named Subodini on Srimad BhagavadGita. After meticulously scrutinizing the opinions of Sankaracarya's commentary on Srimad Bhagavad- Gita and finding it not fully encompassing, as likewise also the opinions of his followers, I am beginning this Subodini commentary on Srimad Bhagavad-Gita. By reading with intelligence this commentary called Subodini the meaning of Srimad Bhagavad-Gita will be illuminated and thus should always be meditated upon by the wise.

The extremely magnanimous Supreme Lord Krishna, whose feet are always worshipable by everyone; manifested Himself as the son of Devaki and Vasudev in this world for the ultimate benefit and welfare of all humanity. The Supreme Lord Krishna with the light of absolute knowledge and the torch of esoteric wisdom, rescued Arjuna, whose discrimination being overpowered by grief and despondency as a result of harboring false conceptions, had the incorrect inclination to renounce his own authorised duty as a ksatriya and accept the unauthorised duties of a brahmana. This very subject taught by the literary incarnation, lila avatara, Krsna Dvaipayana Vyasa is revealed in the seven hundred verses of Srimad Bhagavad-Gita. In these seven hundred verses Krsna Dvaipayana Vyasa has written down all the verses spoken by Lord Krishna in his monumental historical epic, Mahabharata; and with great attention he has at certain places put a few of the verses in narrative form to properly introduce the dialogue of Lord Krishna to Arjuna. Thus this commentary known as Subodini will now commence. Thus ends the introduction to the commentary of Srimad Bhagavad-Gita by Sridhara Swami.

RUDRA VAISNAVA SAMPRADAYA Visnu Swami : Founding Acarya Visnu Swami's authority verified by Vedic scriptures: In the GARGA SAMHITA it is written: vamanas ca vidih sesah sanako visnu-vakyatah dharmartha-hetave caite bhavisyanti dvijah kalau visnusvami vamnangsa-statha madhvastu brahmanah ramanujastu sesanga nimbaditya sanakasya ca ete kalau yuge bhavyah sampradaya-pravartakah samvatsare vikramasya catvarah ksiti-pavanah

sampradaya-vihina ye mantraste nisphalah smritah tasmacca gamanang hyasti sampradaye narairapi TRANSLATION 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. Visnu Swami, Madhvacarya, Ramanuja and Nimbaditya will appear respectively as a portion of Vamana, Brahma, Ananta Sesha and Sanaka Kumara. These 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 present era of kali yuga. 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 sounds 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 sampradaya: authorised and empowered spiritual channel of disciplic succession vikramasya: the solar year calculated from 54 B.C., the reign of King Vikrama and subsequently through the present and onwards into the future. mantraste: any word, combination of words or formulation of sound frequencies, audible or inaudible, secret or revealed, ancient or contemporary used to invoke or address the Supreme Lord.