1|Adi 7-1975: Lord Caitanya in Five Features
2|Chapter 7
3|Lord Caitanya in Five Features
4|Adi 7.1
5|TEXT 1
6|TEXT
7|agaty-eka-gatim natva
8|hinarthadhika-sadhakam
9|sri-caitanyam likhyate 'sya
10|prema-bhakti-vadanyata
11|SYNONYMS
12|agati-of the most fallen; eka-the only one; gatim-
>|destination; natva-after offering obeisances; hina-inferior;
>| artha-interest; adhika-greater than that; sadhakam-who can
>|render; sri-caitanyam-unto Lord Sri Caitanya; likhyate-is
>|being written; asya-of the Lord, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu;
>|prema-love; bhakti-devotional service; vadanyata-
>|magnanimity.
13|TRANSLATION
14|Let me first offer my respectful obeisances unto Lord
>|Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who is the ultimate goal of life for
>|one bereft of all possessions in this material world and is
>|the only meaning for one advancing in spiritual life. Thus
>|let me write about His magnanimous contribution of
>|devotional service in love of God.
15|PURPORT
16|A person in the conditioned stage of material existence is
>|in an atmosphere of helplessness, but the conditioned soul,
>|under the illusion of maya, or the external energy, thinks
>|that he is completely protected by his country, society,
>|friendship and love, not knowing that at the time of death
>|none of these can save him. The laws of material nature are
>|so strong that none of our material possessions can save us
>|from the cruel hands of death. In the Bhagavad-gita (13.9)
>|it is stated, janma-mrtyu-jara-vyadhi-duhkha-dosanudarsanam:
>| one who is actually advancing must always consider the
>|four principles of miserable life, namely, birth, death,
>|old age and disease. One cannot be saved from all these
>|miseries unless he takes shelter of the lotus feet of the
>|Lord. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is therefore the only shelter
>|for all conditioned souls. An intelligent person, therefore,
>| does not put his faith in any material possessions, but
>|completely takes shelter of the lotus feet of the Lord.
>|Such a person is called akincana, or one who does not
>|possess anything in this material world. The Supreme
>|Personality of Godhead is also known as Akincana-gocara,
>|for He can be achieved by a person who does not put his
>|faith in material possessions. Therefore, for the fully
>|surrendered soul who has no material possessions on which
>|to depend, Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is the only shelter.
17|Everyone depends upon dharma (religiosity), artha (economic
>|development), kama (sense gratification) and ultimately
>|moksa (salvation), but Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, due to His
>|magnanimous character, can give more than salvation.
>|Therefore in this verse the words hinarthadhika-sadhakam
>|indicate that although by material estimation salvation is
>|of a quality superior to the inferior interests of
>|religiosity, economic development and sense gratification,
>|above salvation there is the position of devotional service
>|and transcendental love for the Supreme Personality of
>|Godhead. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is the bestower of this
>|great benediction. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, prema pum-
>|artho mahan: "Love of Godhead is the ultimate benediction
>|for all human beings." Srila Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami,
>|the author of Caitanya-caritamrta, therefore first
>|offers his respectful obeisances unto Lord Caitanya
>|Mahaprabhu before describing His magnanimity in bestowing
>|love of Godhead.
18|Adi 7.2
19|TEXT 2
20|TEXT
21|jaya jaya mahaprabhu sri-krsna-caitanya
22|tanhara caranasrita, sei bada dhanya
23|SYNONYMS
24|jaya-all glories; jaya-all glories; mahaprabhu-unto the
>|Supreme Lord; sri-krsna-caitanya-of the name Sri Krsna
>|Caitanya; tanhara-of His; carana-asrita-one who has taken
>|shelter of the lotus feet; sei-he; bada-is very much;
>|dhanya-glorified.
25|TRANSLATION
26|Let me offer glorification to the Supreme Lord Sri Caitanya
>|Mahaprabhu. One who has taken shelter of His lotus feet is
>|the most glorified person.
27|PURPORT
28|Prabhu means master. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is the supreme
>|master of all masters; therefore He is called Mahaprabhu.
>|Any person who takes shelter of Sri Krsna Caitanya
>|Mahaprabhu is most glorified because by the mercy of Sri
>|Caitanya Mahaprabhu he is able to get promotion to the
>|platform of loving service to the Lord, which is
>|transcendental to salvation.
29|Adi 7.3
30|TEXT 3
31|TEXT
32|purve gurv-adi chaya tattve kaila namaskara
33|guru-tattva kahiyachi, ebe pancera vicara
34|SYNONYMS
35|purve-in the beginning; guru-adi-the spiritual master and
>|others; chaya-six; tattve-in the subjects of; kaila-I have
>|done; namaskara-obeisances; guru-tattva-the truth in
>|understanding the spiritual master; kahiyachi-I have
>|already described; ebe-now; pancera-of the five; vicara-
>|consideration.
36|TRANSLATION
37|In the beginning I have discussed the truth about the
>|spiritual master. Now I shall try to explain the Panca-
>|tattva.
38|PURPORT
39|In the First Chapter of Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi-lila,
>|the author, Srila Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami, has described
>|the initiator spiritual master and the instructor spiritual
>|master in the verse beginning with the words vande gurun
>|isa-bhaktan isam isavatarakan . In that verse
>|there are six transcendental subject matters, of which the
>|truth regarding the spiritual master has already been
>|described. Now the author will describe the other five
>|tattvas (truths), namely, isa-tattva (the Supreme Lord),
>|His expansion tattva, His incarnation tattva, His energy
>|tattva and His devotee tattva.
40|Adi 7.4
41|TEXT 4
42|TEXT
43|panca-tattva avatirna caitanyera sange
44|panca-tattva lana karena sankirtana range
45|SYNONYMS
46|panca-tattva-these five tattvas; avatirna-advented;
>|caitanyera-with Caitanya Mahaprabhu; sange-in company with;
>|panca-tattva-the same five subjects; lana-taking with
>|Himself; karena-He does; sankirtana-the sankirtana movement;
>| range-in great pleasure.
47|TRANSLATION
48|These five tattvas incarnate with Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu,
>|and thus the Lord executes His sankirtana movement with
>|great pleasure.
49|PURPORT
50|In Srimad-Bhagavatam there is the following
>|statement regarding Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu:
51|krsna-varnam tvisakrsnam
52|sangopangastra -parsadam
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53|yajnaih
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>|sankirtana- prayair
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54|yajanti hi su
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>|-medhasah
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55|"In the Age of Kali, people who are endowed with sufficient
>|intelligence will worship the Lord, who is accompanied by
>|His associates, by performance of sankirtana-yajna." (Bhag.
>|11.5.32) Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is always accompanied by
>|His plenary expansion Sri Nityananda Prabhu, His
>|incarnation Sri Advaita Prabhu, His internal potency Sri
>|Gadadhara Prabhu and His marginal potency Srivasa Prabhu.
>|He is in the midst of them as the Supreme Personality of
>|Godhead. One should know that Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is
>|always accompanied by these other tattvas. Therefore our
>|obeisances to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu are complete when we
>|say sri-krsna-caitanya prabhu nityananda sri-advaita
>|gadadhara srivasadi-gaura-bhakta-vrnda. As preachers of the
>|Krsna consciousness movement, we first offer our obeisances
>|to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu by chanting this Panca-tattva
>|mantra; then we say Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna,
>|Hare Hare Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. There
>|are ten offenses in the chanting of the Hare Krsna maha-
>|mantra, but these are not considered in the chanting of the
>|Panca-tattva mantra, namely, sri-krsna-caitanya prabhu-
>|nityananda sri-advaita gadadhara srivasadi-gaura-bhakta-
>|vrnda. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is known as maha-
>|vadanyavatara, the most magnanimous incarnation, for He
>|does not consider the offenses of the fallen souls. Thus to
>|derive the full benefit of the chanting of the maha-mantra (
>|Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare Hare Rama,
>|Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare), we must first take
>|shelter of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, learn the Panca-tattva
>|maha-mantra, and then chant the Hare Krsna maha-mantra.
>|That will be very effective.
56|Taking advantage of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, many
>|unscrupulous devotees manufacture a maha-mantra of their
>|own. Sometimes they sing, bhaja nitai gaura radhe syama
>|hare krsna hare rama or sri-krsna-caitanya prabhu-
>|nityananda hare krsna hare rama sri-radhe govinda. Actually,
>| however, one should chant the names of the full Panca-
>|tattva (sri-krsna-caitanya prabhu-nityananda sri-advaita
>|gadadhara srivasadi-gaura-bhakta-vrnda) and then the
>|sixteen words Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare
>|Hare Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare, but these
>|unscrupulous, less intelligent men confuse the entire
>|process. Of course, since they are also devotees they can
>|express their feelings in that way, but the method
>|prescribed by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's pure devotees is to
>|chant first the full Panca-tattva mantra and then chant the
>|maha-mantra-Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare
>|Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.
57|Adi 7.5
58|TEXT 5
59|TEXT
60|panca-tattva-eka-vastu, nahi kichu bheda
61|rasa asvadite tabu vividha vibheda
62|SYNONYMS
63|panca-tattva-the five subjects; eka-vastu-they are one in
>|five; nahi-there is not; kichu-anything; bheda-difference;
>|rasa-mellows; asvadite-to taste; tabu-yet; vividha-
>|varieties; vibheda-differences.
64|TRANSLATION
65|Spiritually there are no differences between these five
>|tattvas, for on the transcendental platform everything is
>|absolute. Yet there are also varieties in the spiritual
>|world, and in order to taste these spiritual varieties one
>|should distinguish between them.
66|PURPORT
67|In his Anubhasya commentary Sri Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati
>|Thakura describes the Panca-tattva as follows: The supreme
>|energetic, the Personality of Godhead, manifesting in
>|five kinds of pastimes, appears as the
>|Panca-tattva. Actually there is no difference between
>|them because they are situated on the absolute platform,
>|but they manifest different spiritual varieties as a
>|challenge to impersonalists to taste different kinds of
>|spiritual humors (rasas). In the Vedas it is said, parasya
>|saktir vividhaiva sruyate: "The
>|varieties of energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead
>|are differently known." From this statement of the Vedas
>|one can understand that there are eternal varieties of
>|humors, or tastes, in the spiritual world. Sri Gauranga,
>|Sri Nityananda, Sri Advaita, Sri Gadadhara and Srivasa
>|are all on the same platform, but in spiritually
>|distinguishing between them one should understand that Sri
>|Caitanya Mahaprabhu is the form of a devotee, Nityananda
>|Prabhu appears in the form of a devotee's spiritual master,
>|Advaita Prabhu is the form of a bhakta (devotee)
>|incarnation, Gadadhara Prabhu is the energy of a bhakta,
>|and Srivasa is a pure devotee. Thus there are
>|spiritual distinctions between them. The bhakta-rupa (Sri
>|Caitanya Mahaprabhu), the bhakta-svarupa (Sri Nityananda
>|Prabhu) and the bhakta-avatara (Sri Advaita Prabhu) are
>|described as the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself,
>|His immediate manifestation and His plenary expansion, and
>|They all belong to the Visnu category. Although the
>|spiritual and marginal energies of the Supreme Personality
>|of Godhead are nondifferent from the Supreme Personality of
>|Godhead Visnu, they are predominated subjects, whereas Lord
>|Visnu is the predominator. As such, although they are on
>|the same platform, they have appeared differently in order
>|to facilitate tasting of transcendental mellows. Actually,
>|however, there is no possibility of one being different
>|from the other, for the worshiper and the worshipable
>|cannot be separated at any stage. On the absolute platform,
>|one cannot be understood without the other.
68|Adi 7.6
69|TEXT 6
70|TEXT
71|panca-tattvatmakam krsnam
72|bhakta-rupa-svarupakam
73|bhaktavataram bhaktakhyam
74|namami bhakta-saktikam
75|SYNONYMS
76|panca-tattva-atmakam-comprehending the five transcendental
>|subject matters; krsnam-unto Lord Krsna; bhakta-rupa-in the
>|form of a devotee; svarupakam-in the expansion of a devotee;
>| bhakta-avataram-in the incarnation of a devotee; bhakta-
>|akhyam-known as a devotee; namami-I offer my obeisances;
>|bhakta-saktikam-the energy of the Supreme Personality of
>|Godhead.
77|TRANSLATION
78|Let me offer my obeisances unto Lord Sri Krsna, who has
>|manifested Himself in five as a devotee, expansion of a
>|devotee, incarnation of a devotee, pure devotee and
>|devotional energy.
79|PURPORT
80|Sri Nityananda Prabhu is the immediate expansion of Sri
>|Caitanya Mahaprabhu as His brother. He is the personified
>|spiritual bliss of sac-cid-ananda-vigraha. His
>|body is transcendental and full of ecstasy in devotional
>|service. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is therefore called bhakta-
>|rupa (the form of a devotee), and Sri Nityananda Prabhu is
>|called bhakta-svarupa (the expansion of a devotee). Sri
>|Advaita Prabhu, the incarnation of a devotee, is visnu-
>|tattva and belongs to the same category. There are also
>|different types of bhaktas, or devotees, on the platforms
>|of neutrality, servitude, friendship, parenthood and
>|conjugal love. Devotees like Sri Damodara, Sri Gadadhara
>|and Sri Ramananda are different energies. This confirms the
>|Vedic sutra parasya saktir vividhaiva sruyate
>|. All these bhakta subjects taken together
>|constitute Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who is Krsna Himself.
81|Adi 7.7
82|TEXT 7
83|TEXT
84|svayam bhagavan krsna ekale isvara
85|advitiya, nandatmaja, rasika-sekhara
86|SYNONYMS
87|svayam-Himself; bhagavan-the Supreme Personality of Godhead;
>| krsna-Lord Krsna; ekale-the only one; isvara-the supreme
>|controller; advitiya-without a second; nanda-atmaja-
>|appeared as the son of Maharaja Nanda; rasika-the most
>|mellow; sekhara-summit.
88|TRANSLATION
89|Krsna, the reservoir of all pleasure, is the Supreme
>|Personality of Godhead Himself, the supreme controller. No
>|one is greater than or equal to Sri Krsna, yet He appears
>|as the son of Maharaja Nanda.
90|PURPORT
91|In this verse Kaviraja Gosvami gives an accurate
>|description of Lord Krsna, the Supreme Personality of
>|Godhead, by stating that although no one is equal to or
>|greater than Him and He is the reservoir of all spiritual
>|pleasure, He nevertheless appears as the son of Maharaja
>|Nanda and Yasodamayi.
92|Adi 7.8
93|TEXT 8
94|TEXT
95|rasadi-vilasi, vrajalalana-nagara
96|ara yata saba dekha,-tanra parikara
97|SYNONYMS
98|rasa-adi-the rasa dance; vilasi-the enjoyer; vraja-lalana-
>|the damsels of Vrndavana; nagara-the leader; ara-others;
>|yata-all; saba-everyone; dekha-must know; tanra-His;
>|parikara-associates.
99|TRANSLATION
100|Lord Sri Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is the
>|supreme enjoyer in the rasa dance. He is the leader of the
>|damsels of Vraja, and all others are simply His associates.
101|PURPORT
102|The word rasadi-vilasi ("the enjoyer of the rasa dance") is
>|very important. The rasa dance can be enjoyed only by Sri
>|Krsna because He is the supreme leader and chief of the
>|damsels of Vrndavana. All other devotees are His
>| associates. Although no one can compare with
>|Sri Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, there are
>|many unscrupulous rascals who imitate the rasa dance of Sri
>|Krsna. They are Mayavadis, and people should be wary of
>|them. The rasa dance can be performed only by Sri Krsna and
>|no one else.
103|Adi 7.9
104|TEXT 9
105|TEXT
106|sei krsna avatirna sri-krsna-caitanya
107|sei parikara-gana sange saba dhanya
108|SYNONYMS
109|sei krsna-that very Lord Krsna; avatirna-has advented; sri-
>|krsna-caitanya-in the form of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu; sei-
>|those; parikara-gana-associates; sange-with Him; saba-all;
>|dhanya-glorious.
110|TRANSLATION
111|The selfsame Lord Krsna advented Himself as Sri Caitanya
>|Mahaprabhu with all His eternal associates, who are also
>|equally glorious.
112|Adi 7.10
113|TEXT 10
114|TEXT
115|ekale isvara-tattva caitanya-isvara
116|bhakta-bhavamaya tanra suddha kalevara
117|SYNONYMS
118|ekale-only one person; isvara-tattva-the supreme controller;
>| caitanya-the supreme living force; isvara-controller;
>|bhakta-bhava-maya-in the ecstasy of a devotee; tanra-His;
>|suddha-transcendental; kalevara-body.
119|TRANSLATION
120|Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who is the supreme controller, the
>|one Personality of Godhead, has ecstatically become a
>|devotee, yet His body is transcendental and not materially
>|tinged.
121|PURPORT
122|There are different tattvas, or truths, including isa-
>|tattva, jiva-tattva and sakti-tattva. Isa-tattva refers to
>|the Supreme Personality of Godhead Visnu, who is the
>|supreme living force. In the Katha Upanisad it is said,
>|nityo nityanam cetanas cetananam: the Supreme Personality
>|of Godhead is the supreme eternal and the supreme living
>|force. The living entities are also eternal and are also
>|living forces, but they are very minute in quantity,
>|whereas the Supreme Lord is the supreme living force and
>|the supreme eternal. The supreme eternal never accepts a
>|body of a temporary material nature, whereas the living
>|entities, who are part and parcel of the supreme eternal,
>|are prone to do so. Thus according to the Vedic mantras the
>|Supreme Lord is the supreme master of innumerable living
>|entities.
123|The Mayavadi philosophers, however, try to equate the
>|minute living entities with the supreme living entity.
>|Because they recognize no distinctions between them, their
>|philosophy is called Advaita-vada, or monism. Factually,
>|however, there is a distinction. This verse is especially
>|meant to impart to the Mayavadi philosopher the
>|understanding that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is
>|the supreme controller. The supreme controller, the
>|Personality of Godhead, is Krsna Himself, but as a
>|transcendental pastime He has accepted the form of a
>|devotee, Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
124|As stated in the Bhagavad-gita, when the Supreme
>|Personality of Godhead Krsna comes to this planet exactly
>|like a human being, some rascals consider Him to be one of
>|the ordinary humans. One who thinks in that mistaken way is
>|described as mudha, or foolish. Therefore one should not
>|foolishly consider Caitanya Mahaprabhu to be an ordinary
>|human being. He has accepted the ecstasy of a devotee, but
>|He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Since
>|Caitanya Mahaprabhu, there have been many imitation
>|incarnations of Krsna who cannot understand that Caitanya
>|Mahaprabhu is Krsna Himself and not an ordinary human being.
>| Less intelligent men create their own "Gods" by
>|advertising a human being as God. This is their mistake.
>|Therefore here the words tanra suddha kalevara warn that
>|Caitanya Mahaprabhu's body is not material but purely
>|spiritual. One should not, therefore, accept Caitanya
>|Mahaprabhu as an ordinary devotee, although He has assumed
>|the form of a devotee. Yet one must certainly know that
>|although Caitanya Mahaprabhu is the Supreme Personality of
>|Godhead, because He accepted the ecstasy of a devotee one
>|should not misunderstand His pastimes and place Him in
>|exactly the same position as Krsna. It is for this reason
>|only that when Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu was addressed
>|as Krsna or Visnu He blocked His ears, not wanting to hear
>|Himself addressed as the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
>|There is a class of devotees called Gauranga-nagari, who
>|stage plays of Krsna's pastimes using a vigraha, or form,
>|of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. This is a mistake that is
>|technically called rasabhasa. While Caitanya Mahaprabhu is
>|trying to enjoy as a devotee, one should not disturb Him by
>|addressing Him as the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
125|Adi 7.11
126|TEXT 11
127|TEXT
128|krsna-madhuryera eka adbhuta svabhava
129|apana asvadite krsna kare bhakta-bhava
130|SYNONYMS
131|krsna-madhuryera-the supreme pleasure potency of Krsna; eka-
>|is one; adbhuta-wonderful; svabhava-nature; apana-Himself;
>|asvadite-to taste; krsna-the Supreme Personality of Godhead;
>| kare-does; bhakta-bhava-accept the form of a devotee.
132|TRANSLATION
133|The transcendental mellow of conjugal love of Krsna is so
>|wonderful that Krsna Himself accepts the form of a devotee
>|to relish and taste it fully.
134|PURPORT
135|Although Krsna is the reservoir of all pleasure, He has a
>|special intention to taste Himself by accepting the form of
>|a devotee. It is to be concluded that although Lord
>|Caitanya is present in the form of a devotee, He is Krsna
>|Himself. Therefore Vaisnavas sing, sri-krsna-caitanya radha-
>|krsna nahe anya: Radha and Krsna combined together are Sri
>|Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Caitanyakhyam prakatam adhuna
>|tad-dvayam caikyam aptam. Sri Svarupa -damodara Gosvami
>|has said that
>| Radha and Krsna assumed oneness in the form
>|of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
136|Adi 7.12
137|TEXT 12
138|TEXT
139|ithe bhakta-bhava dhare caitanya gosani
140|'bhakta-svarupa' tanra nityananda-bhai
141|SYNONYMS
142|ithe-for this reason; bhakta-bhava-the ecstasy of a devotee;
>| dhare-accepts; caitanya-Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu; gosani-
>|the transcendental teacher; bhakta-svarupa-exactly like a
>|pure devotee; tanra-His; nityananda-Lord Nityananda; bhai-
>|brother.
143|TRANSLATION
144|For this reason Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the supreme
>|teacher, accepts the form of a devotee and accepts Lord
>|Nityananda as His elder brother.
145|Adi 7.13
146|TEXT 13
147|TEXT
148|'bhakta-avatara' tanra acarya-gosani
149|ei tina tattva sabe prabhu kari' gai
150|SYNONYMS
151|bhakta-avatara-incarnation as a devotee; tanra-His; acarya-
>|gosani-the supreme teacher, Advaita Acarya Prabhu; ei-all
>|these; tina-three; tattva-truths; sabe-all; prabhu-the
>|predominator; kari'-by such understanding; gai-we sing.
152|TRANSLATION
153|Sri Advaita Acarya is Lord Caitanya's incarnation as a
>|devotee. Therefore these three tattvas [Caitanya Mahaprabhu,
>| Nityananda Prabhu and Advaita Gosani] are the
>|predominators, or masters.
154|PURPORT
155|Gosani means gosvami. A person who has full control over
>|the senses and mind is called a gosvami or gosani. One who
>|does not have such control is called godasa, or a servant
>|of the senses, and cannot become a spiritual master. A
>|spiritual master who actually has control over the mind and
>|senses is called Gosvami. Although the Gosvami title has
>|become a hereditary designation for unscrupulous men,
>|actually the title Gosani, or Gosvami, began from Sri Rupa
>|Gosvami, who presented himself as an ordinary grhastha and
>|minister in government service but became gosvami when he
>|was actually elevated by the instruction of Lord Caitanya
>|Mahaprabhu. Therefore Gosvami is not a hereditary title but
>|refers to one's qualifications. When one is highly elevated
>|in spiritual advancement, regardless of wherefrom he comes,
>|he may be called Gosvami. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Sri
>|Nityananda Prabhu and Sri Advaita Gosani Prabhu are natural
>|gosvamis because They belong to the visnu-tattva category.
>|As such, all of Them are prabhus ("predominators" or "
>|masters"), and They are sometimes called Caitanya Gosani,
>|Nityananda Gosani and Advaita Gosani. Unfortunately Their
>|so-called descendants who do not have the qualifications of
>|gosvamis have accepted this title as a hereditary
>|designation or a professional degree. That is not in accord
>|with the sastric injunctions.
156|Adi 7.14
157|TEXT 14
158|TEXT
159|eka mahaprabhu, ara prabhu duijana
160|dui prabhu seve mahaprabhura carana
161|SYNONYMS
162|eka mahaprabhu-one Mahaprabhu, or the supreme predominator;
>|ara prabhu duijana-and the other two (Nityananda and
>|Advaita) are two prabhus (masters); dui prabhu-the two
>|prabhus (Nityananda and Advaita Gosani); seve-serve;
>|mahaprabhura-of the supreme predominator, Lord Caitanya
>|Mahaprabhu; carana-the lotus feet.
163|TRANSLATION
164|One of Them is Mahaprabhu, and the other two are prabhus.
>|These two prabhus serve the lotus feet of Mahaprabhu.
165|PURPORT
166|Although Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Sri Nityananda Prabhu and
>|Sri Advaita Prabhu all belong to the same Visnu category,
>|Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is nevertheless accepted as the
>|Supreme, and the other two prabhus engage in His
>|transcendental loving service to teach ordinary living
>|entities that every one of us is subordinate to Sri
>|Caitanya Mahaprabhu. In another place in Caitanya-
>|caritamrta (Adi 5.142) it is said, ekale isvara krsna, ara
>|saba bhrtya: the only supreme master is Krsna, and all
>|others, both visnu-tattva and jiva-tattva, engage in the
>|service of the Lord. Both the visnu-tattva (as Nityananda
>|Prabhu and Advaita) and the jiva-tattva (srivasadi-gaura-
>|bhakta-vrnda) engage in the service of the Lord, but one
>|must distinguish between the visnu-tattva servitors and the
>|jiva-tattva servitors. The jiva-tattva servitor, the
>|spiritual master, is actually the servitor God. As
>|explained in previous verses, in the absolute world there
>|are no such differences, yet one must observe these
>|differences in order to distinguish the Supreme from His
>|subordinates.
167|Adi 7.15
168|TEXT 15
169|TEXT
170|ei tina tattva,-'sarvaradhya' kari mani
171|caturtha ye bhakta-tattva,-'aradhaka' jani
172|SYNONYMS
173|ei tina tattva-all three of these truths; sarva-aradhya-
>|worshipable by all living entities; kari mani-accepting
>|such; caturtha-fourth; ye-who is; bhakta-tattva-in the
>|category of devotees; aradhaka-worshiper; jani-I understand.
174|TRANSLATION
175|The three predominators [Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Nityananda
>|Prabhu and Advaita Prabhu] are worshipable by all living
>|entities, and the fourth principle [Sri Gadadhara Prabhu]
>|is to be understood as Their worshiper.
176|PURPORT
177|In his Anubhasya, Sri Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura,
>|describing the truth about the Panca-tattva, explains that
>|we can understand that Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is
>|the supreme predominator and that Nityananda Prabhu and
>|Advaita Prabhu are His subordinates but are also
>|predominators. Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is the Supreme
>|Lord, and Nityananda Prabhu and Advaita Prabhu are
>|manifestations of the Supreme Lord. All of Them are visnu-
>|tattva, the Supreme, and are therefore worshipable by the
>|living entities. Although the other two tattvas within the
>|category of Panca-tattva-namely, sakti-tattva and jiva-
>|tattva, represented by Gadadhara and Srivasa-are worshipers
>|of the Supreme Lord, they are in the same category because
>|they eternally engage in the transcendental loving service
>|of the Lord.
178|Adi 7.16
179|TEXT 16
180|TEXT
181|srivasadi yata koti koti bhakta-gana
182|'suddha-bhakta'-tattva-madhye tan-sabara ganana
183|SYNONYMS
184|srivasa-adi-devotees headed by Srivasa Thakura; yata-all
>|others; koti koti-innumerable; bhakta-gana-devotees; suddha-
>|bhakta-pure devotees; tattva-madhye-in the truth; tan-
>|sabara-all of them; ganana-counted.
185|TRANSLATION
186|There are innumerable pure devotees of the Lord, headed by
>|Srivasa Thakura, who are known as unalloyed devotees.
187|Adi 7.17
188|TEXT 17
189|TEXT
190|gadadhara-panditadi prabhura 'sakti'-avatara
191|'antaranga-bhakta' kari' ganana yanhara
192|SYNONYMS
193|gadadhara-of the name Gadadhara; pandita-of the learned
>|scholar; adi-headed by; prabhura-of the Lord; sakti-potency;
>| avatara-incarnation; antaranga-very confidential; bhakta-
>|devotee; kari'-accepting; ganana-counting; yanhara-of whom.
194|TRANSLATION
195|The devotees headed by Gadadhara Pandita are to be
>|considered incarnations of the internal potency of the Lord.
>| They are confidential devotees engaged in the service of
>|the Lord.
196|PURPORT
197|In connection with verses sixteen and seventeen, Sri
>|Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura explains in his Anubhasya:
>| "There are specific symptoms by which the internal
>|devotees and the unalloyed or pure devotees are to be known.
>| All unalloyed devotees are sakti-tattvas, or potencies of
>|the Lord. Some of them are situated in conjugal love and
>|others in filial affection, fraternity and servitude.
>|Certainly all of them are devotees, but by making a
>|comparative study it is found that the devotees or
>|potencies who are engaged in conjugal love are better
>|situated than the others. Thus devotees who are in a
>|relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead in
>|conjugal love are considered to be the most confidential
>|devotees of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Those who engage
>|in the service of Lord Nityananda Prabhu and Lord Advaita
>|Prabhu generally have relationships of parental love,
>|fraternity, servitude and neutrality. When such devotees
>|develop great attachment for Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, they
>|too become situated within the intimate circle of devotees
>|in conjugal love." This gradual development of devotional
>|service is described by Sri Narottama dasa Thakura as
>|follows:
198|gauranga balite habe pulaka sarira
199|hari hari balite nayane ba'be nira
200|ara kabe nitaicanda karuna karibe
201|samsara-vasana mora kabe tuccha habe
202|visaya chadiya kabe suddha habe mana
203|kabe hama heraba sri-vrndavana
204|rupa-raghunatha-pade ha-ibe akuti
205|kabe hama bujhaba sri-yugala-piriti
206|"When will there be eruptions on my body as soon as I chant
>|the name of Lord Caitanya, and when will there be incessant
>|torrents of tears as soon as I chant the holy names Hare
>|Krsna? When will Lord Nityananda be merciful toward me and
>|free me from all desires for material enjoyment? When will
>|my mind be completely freed from all contamination of
>|desires for material pleasure? Only at that time will it be
>|possible for me to understand Vrndavana. Only if I become
>|attached to the instructions given by the six Gosvamis,
>|headed by Rupa Gosvami and Raghunatha dasa Gosvami, will it
>|be possible for me to understand the conjugal love of Radha
>|and Krsna." By attachment to the devotional service of Lord
>|Caitanya Mahaprabhu one immediately comes to the ecstatic
>|position. When he develops his love for Nityananda Prabhu
>|he is freed from all attachment to the material world, and
>|at that time he becomes eligible to understand the Lord's
>|pastimes in Vrndavana. In that condition, when one develops
>|his love for the six Gosvamis, he can understand the
>|conjugal love between Radha and Krsna. These are the
>|different stages of a pure devotee's promotion to conjugal
>|love in the service of Radha and Krsna in an intimate
>|relationship with Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
207|Adi 7.18-19
208|TEXTS 18-19
209|TEXT
210|yan-saba lana prabhura nitya vihara
211|yan-saba lana prabhura kirtana-pracara
212|yan-saba lana karena prema asvadana
213|yan-saba lana dana kare prema-dhana
214|SYNONYMS
215|yan-saba-all; lana-taking company; prabhura-of the Lord;
>|nitya-eternal; vihara-pastime; yan-saba-all those who are;
>|lana-taking company; prabhura-of the Lord; kirtana-
>|sankirtana; pracara-movement; yan-saba-persons with whom;
>|lana-in accompaniment; karena-He does; prema-love of God;
>|asvadana-taste; yan-saba-those who are; lana-in
>|accompaniment; dana kare-gives in charity; prema-dhana-love
>|of Godhead.
216|TRANSLATION
217|The internal devotees or potencies are all eternal
>|associates in the pastimes of the Lord. Only with them does
>|the Lord advent to propound the sankirtana movement, only
>|with them does the Lord taste the mellow of conjugal love,
>|and only with them does He distribute this love of God to
>|people in general.
218|PURPORT
219|Distinguishing between pure devotees and internal or
>|confidential devotees, Sri Rupa Gosvami, in his book
>|Upadesamrta, traces the following gradual process of
>|development. Out of many thousands of karmis, one is better
>|when he is situated in perfect Vedic knowledge. Out of many
>|such learned scholars and philosophers, one who is actually
>|liberated from material bondage is better, and out of many
>|such persons who are actually liberated, one who is a
>|devotee of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is considered
>|to be the best. Among the many such transcendental lovers
>|of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the gopis are the
>|best, and among the gopis Srimati Radhika is the best.
>|Srimati Radhika is very dear to Lord Krsna, and similarly
>|Her ponds, namely, Syama-kunda and Radha-kunda, are also
>|very dear to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
220|Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura comments in his
>|Anubhasya that among the five tattvas, two are energies (
>|sakti-tattva) and the three others are energetic (saktiman
>|tattva). Unalloyed and internal devotees are both engaged
>|in the favorable culture of Krsna consciousness untinged by
>|philosophical speculation or fruitive activities. They are
>|all understood to be pure devotees, and those among them
>|who simply engage in conjugal love are called madhurya-
>|bhaktas, or internal devotees. The loving services in
>|parental love, fraternity and servitude are included in
>|conjugal love of God. In conclusion, therefore, every
>|confidential devotee is a pure devotee of the Lord.
221|Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu enjoys His pastimes with His
>|immediate expansion Nityananda Prabhu. His pure devotees
>|and His three purusa incarnations, namely, Karanodakasayi
>|Visnu, Garbhodakasayi Visnu and Ksirodakasayi Visnu, always
>|accompany the Supreme Lord to propound the sankirtana
>|movement.
222|Adi 7.20-21
223|TEXTS 20-21
224|TEXT
225|sei panca-tattva mili' prthivi asiya
226|purva-premabhandarera mudra ughadiya
227|pance mili' lute prema, kare asvadana
228|yata yata piye, trsna badhe anuksana
229|SYNONYMS
230|sei-those; panca-tattva-five truths; mili'-combined
>|together; prthivi-on this earth; asiya-descending; purva-
>|original; prema-bhandarera-the store of transcendental love;
>| mudra-seal; ughadiya-opening; pance mili'-mixing together
>|all these five; lute-plunder; prema-love of Godhead; kare
>|asvadana-taste; yata yata-as much as; piye-drink; trsna-
>|thirst; badhe-increases; anuksana-again and again.
231|TRANSLATION
232|The characteristics of Krsna are understood to be a
>|storehouse of transcendental love. Although that storehouse
>|of love certainly came with Krsna when He was present, it
>|was sealed. But when Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu came with His
>|other associates of the Panca-tattva, they broke the seal
>|and plundered the storehouse to taste transcendental love
>|of Krsna. The more they tasted it, the more their thirst
>|for it grew.
233|PURPORT
234|Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is called maha-vadanyavatara
>|because although He is Sri Krsna Himself, He is even more
>|favorably disposed to the poor fallen souls than Lord Sri
>|Krsna. When Lord Sri Krsna Himself was personally present
>|He demanded that everyone surrender unto Him and promised
>|that He would then give one all protection, but when Sri
>|Caitanya Mahaprabhu came to this earth with His associates,
>|He simply distributed transcendental love of God without
>|discrimination. Sri Rupa Gosvami, therefore, could
>|understand that Lord Caitanya was none other than Sri Krsna
>|Himself, for no one but the Supreme Personality of Godhead
>|can distribute confidential love of the Supreme Person.
235|Adi 7.22
236|TEXT 22
237|TEXT
238|punah punah piyaiya haya mahamatta
239|nace, kande, hase, gaya, yaiche mada-matta
240|SYNONYMS
241|punah punah-again and again; piyaiya-causing to drink; haya-
>|becomes; maha-matta-highly ecstatic; nace-dances; kande-
>|cries; hase-laughs; gaya-chants; yaiche-as if; mada-matta-
>|one is drunk.
242|TRANSLATION
243|Sri Panca-tattva themselves danced again and again and thus
>|made it easier to drink nectarean love of Godhead. They
>|danced, cried, laughed and chanted like madmen, and in this
>|way they distributed love of Godhead.
244|PURPORT
245|People generally cannot understand the actual meaning of
>|chanting and dancing. Describing the Gosvamis, Sri
>|Srinivasa Acarya stated, krsnotkirtana-gana-nartana-parau:
>|not only did Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu and His associates
>|demonstrate this chanting and dancing, but the six Gosvamis
>|also followed in the next generation. The present Krsna
>|consciousness movement follows the same principle, and
>|therefore simply by chanting and dancing we have received
>|good responses all over the world. It is to be understood,
>|however, that this chanting and dancing do not belong to
>|this material world. They are actually transcendental
>|activities, for the more one engages in chanting and
>|dancing, the more he can taste the nectar of transcendental
>|love of Godhead.
246|Adi 7.23
247|TEXT 23
248|TEXT
249|patrapatra-vicara nahi, nahi sthanasthana
250|yei yanha paya, tanha kare prema-dana
251|SYNONYMS
252|patra-recipient; apatra-not a recipient; vicara-
>|consideration; nahi-there is none; nahi-there is none;
>|sthana-favorable place; asthana-unfavorable place; yei-
>|anyone; yanha-wherever; paya-gets the opportunity; tanha-
>|there only; kare-does; prema-dana-distribution of love of
>|Godhead.
253|TRANSLATION
254|In distributing love of Godhead, Caitanya Mahaprabhu and
>|His associates did not consider who was a fit candidate and
>|who was not, nor where such distribution should or should
>|not take place. They made no conditions. Wherever they got
>|the opportunity the members of the Panca-tattva
>|distributed love of Godhead.
255|PURPORT
256|There are some rascals who dare to speak against the
>|mission of Lord Caitanya by criticizing the Krsna
>|consciousness movement for accepting Europeans and
>|Americans as brahmanas and offering them sannyasa. But here
>|is an authoritative statement that in distributing love of
>|Godhead one should not consider whether the recipients are
>|Europeans, Americans, Hindus, Muslims, etc. The Krsna
>|consciousness movement should be spread wherever possible,
>|and one should accept those who thus become Vaisnavas as
>|being greater than brahmanas, Hindus or Indians. Sri
>|Caitanya Mahaprabhu desired that His name be spread in each
>|and every town and village on the surface of the globe.
>|Therefore, when the cult of Caitanya Mahaprabhu is spread
>|all over the world, should those who embrace it not be
>|accepted as Vaisnavas, brahmanas and sannyasis? These
>|foolish arguments are sometimes raised by envious rascals,
>|but Krsna conscious devotees do not care about them. We
>|strictly follow the principles set down by the Panca-tattva.
257|Adi 7.24
258|TEXT 24
259|TEXT
260|lutiya, khaiya, diya, bhandara ujade
261|ascarya bhandara, prema sata-guna bade
262|SYNONYMS
263|lutiya-plundering; khaiya-eating; diya-distributing;
>|bhandara-store; ujade-emptied; ascarya-wonderful; bhandara-
>|store; prema-love of Godhead; sata-guna-one hundred times;
>|bade-increases.
264|TRANSLATION
265|Although the members of the Panca-tattva plundered the
>|storehouse of love of Godhead and ate and distributed its
>|contents, there was no scarcity, for this wonderful
>|storehouse is so complete that as the love is distributed,
>|the supply increases hundreds of times.
266|PURPORT
267|A pseudoincarnation of Krsna once told his
>|disciple that he had emptied himself by giving him all
>|knowledge and was thus spiritually bankrupt. Such bluffers
>|speak in this way to cheat the public, but actual spiritual
>|consciousness is so perfect that the more it is distributed,
>| the more it increases. Bankruptcy is a term that applies
>|in the material world, but the storehouse of love of
>|Godhead in the spiritual world can never be depleted. Krsna
>|is providing for millions and trillions of living entities
>|by supplying all their necessities, and even if all the
>|innumerable living entities wanted to become Krsna
>|conscious, there would be no scarcity of love of Godhead,
>|nor would there be insufficiency in providing for their
>|maintenance. Our Krsna consciousness movement was started
>|single-handedly, and no one provided for our livelihood,
>|but at present we are spending hundreds and thousands of
>|dollars all over the world, and the movement is increasing
>|more and more. Thus there is no question of scarcity.
>|Although jealous persons may be envious, if we stick to our
>|principles and follow in the footsteps of the Panca-tattva,
>|this movement will go on unchecked by imitation svamis,
>|sannyasis, religionists, philosophers or scientists, for it
>|is transcendental to all material considerations. Therefore
>|those who propagate the Krsna consciousness movement should
>|not be afraid of such rascals and fools.
268|Adi 7.25
269|TEXT 25
270|TEXT
271|uchalila prema-vanya caudike vedaya
272|stri, vrddha, balaka, yuva, sabare dubaya
273|SYNONYMS
274|uchalila-became agitated; prema-vanya-the inundation of
>|love of Godhead; caudike-in all directions; vedaya-
>|surrounding; stri-women; vrddha-old men; balaka-children;
>|yuva-young men; sabare-all of them; dubaya-merged into.
275|TRANSLATION
276|The flood of love of Godhead swelled in all directions, and
>|thus young men, old men, women and children were all
>|immersed in that inundation.
277|PURPORT
278|When the contents of the storehouse of love of Godhead is
>|thus distributed, there is a powerful inundation that
>|covers the entire land. In Sridhama Mayapura there is
>|sometimes a great flood after the rainy season. This is an
>|indication that from the birthplace of Lord Caitanya the
>|inundation of love of Godhead should be spread all over the
>|world, for this will help everyone, including old men,
>|young men, women and children. The Krsna consciousness
>|movement of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is so powerful that it
>|can inundate the entire world and interest all classes of
>|men in the subject of love of Godhead.
279|Adi 7.26
280|TEXT 26
281|TEXT
282|saj-jana, durjana, pangu, jada, andha-gana
283|prema-vanyaya dubaila jagatera jana
284|SYNONYMS
285|sat-jana-gentle men; durjana-rogues; pangu-lame; jada-
>|invalid; andha-gana-blind men; prema-vanyaya-in the
>|inundation of love of Godhead; dubaila-drowned; jagatera-
>|all over the world; jana-people.
286|TRANSLATION
287|The Krsna consciousness movement will inundate the entire
>|world and drown everyone, whether one be a gentleman, a
>|rogue or even lame, invalid or blind.
288|PURPORT
289|Here again it may be emphasized that although jealous
>|rascals protest that Europeans and Americans cannot be
>|given the sacred thread or sannyasa, there is no need even
>|to consider whether one is a gentleman or a rogue because
>|this is a spiritual movement which is not concerned with
>|the external body of skin and bones. Because it is being
>|properly conducted under the guidance of the Panca-tattva,
>|strictly following the regulative principles, it has
>|nothing to do with external impediments.
290|Adi 7.27
291|TEXT 27
292|TEXT
293|jagat dubila, jivera haila bija nasa
294|taha dekhi' panca janera parama ullasa
295|SYNONYMS
296|jagat-the whole world; dubila-drowned; jivera-of the living
>|entities; haila-it so became; bija-the seed; nasa-
>|completely finished; taha-then; dekhi'-by seeing; panca-
>|five; janera-of the persons; parama-highest; ullasa-
>|happiness.
297|TRANSLATION
298|When the five members of the Panca-tattva saw the entire
>|world drowned in love of Godhead and the seed of material
>|enjoyment in the living entities completely destroyed, they
>|all became exceedingly happy.
299|PURPORT
300|In this connection, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura
>|writes in his Anubhasya that since the living entities all
>|belong to the marginal potency of the Lord, each and every
>|living entity has a natural tendency to become Krsna
>|conscious, although at the same time the seed of material
>|enjoyment is undoubtedly within him. The seed of material
>|enjoyment, watered by the course of material nature,
>|fructifies to become a tree of material entanglement that
>|endows the living entity with all kinds of material
>|enjoyment. To enjoy such material facilities is to be
>|afflicted with the three material miseries. However, when
>|by nature's law there is a flood, the seeds within the
>|earth become inactive. Similarly, as the inundation of love
>|of Godhead spreads all over the world, the seeds of
>|material enjoyment become impotent. Thus the more the Krsna
>|consciousness movement spreads, the more the desire for
>|material enjoyment decreases. The seed of material
>|enjoyment automatically becomes impotent with the increase
>|of the Krsna consciousness movement.
301|Instead of being envious that Krsna consciousness is
>|spreading all over the world by the grace of Lord Caitanya,
>|those who are jealous should be happy, as indicated here by
>|the words parama ullasa. But because they are kanistha-
>|adhikaris or prakrta-bhaktas (materialistic devotees who
>|are not advanced in spiritual knowledge), they are envious
>|instead of happy, and they try to find faults in the Krsna
>|consciousness movement. Yet Srimat Prabodhananda Sarasvati
>|writes in his Caitanya-candramrta that when influenced by
>|Lord Caitanya's Krsna consciousness movement, materialists
>|become averse to talking about their wives and children,
>|supposedly learned scholars give up their tedious studies
>|of Vedic literature, yogis give up their impractical
>|practices of mystic yoga, ascetics give up their austere
>|activities of penance and austerity, and sannyasis give up
>|their study of Sankhya philosophy. Thus they are all
>|attracted by the bhakti-yoga practices of Lord Caitanya and
>|cannot relish a mellow taste superior to that of Krsna
>|consciousness.
302|Adi 7.28
303|TEXT 28
304|TEXT
305|yata yata prema-vrsti kare panca-jane
306|tata tata badhe jala, vyape tri-bhuvane
307|SYNONYMS
308|yata-as many; yata-so many; prema-vrsti-showers of love of
>|Godhead; kare-causes; panca-jane-the five members of the
>|Panca-tattva; tata tata-as much as; badhe-increases; jala-
>|water; vyape-spreads; tri-bhuvane-all over the three worlds.
309|TRANSLATION
310|The more the five members of the Panca-tattva cause the
>|rains of love of Godhead to fall, the more the inundation
>|increases and spreads all over the world.
311|PURPORT
312|The Krsna consciousness movement is not stereotyped or
>|stagnant. It will spread all over the world in spite of all
>|objections by fools and rascals that European and American
>|mlecchas cannot be accepted as brahmanas or sannyasis. Here
>|it is indicated that this process will spread and inundate
>|the entire world with Krsna consciousness.
313|Adi 7.29-30
314|TEXTS 29-30
315|TEXT
316|mayavadi, karma-nistha kutarkika-gana
317|nindaka, pasandi yata paduya adhama
318|sei saba mahadaksa dhana palaila
319|sei vanya ta-sabare chunite narila
320|SYNONYMS
321|mayavadi-the impersonalist philosophers; karma-nistha-the
>|fruitive workers; kutarkika-gana-the false logicians;
>|nindaka-the blasphemers; pasandi-nondevotees; yata-all;
>|paduya-students; adhama-the lowest class; sei saba-all of
>|them; maha-daksa-they are very expert; dhana-running;
>|palaila-went away; sei vanya-that inundation; ta-sabare-all
>|of them; chunite-touching; narila-could not.
322|TRANSLATION
323|The impersonalists, fruitive workers, false logicians,
>|blasphemers, nondevotees and lowest among the student
>|community are very expert in avoiding the Krsna
>|consciousness movement, and therefore the inundation of
>|Krsna consciousness cannot touch them.
324|PURPORT
325|Like Mayavadi philosophers in the past such as Prakasananda
>|Sarasvati of Benares, modern impersonalists are not
>|interested in Lord Caitanya's Krsna consciousness movement.
>|They do not know the value of this material world; they
>|consider it false and cannot understand how the Krsna
>|consciousness movement can utilize it. They are so absorbed
>|in impersonal thought that they take it for granted that
>|all spiritual variety is material. Because they do not know
>|anything beyond their misconception of the brahmajyoti,
>|they cannot understand that Krsna, the Supreme Personality
>|of Godhead, is spiritual and therefore beyond the
>|conception of material illusion. Whenever Krsna incarnates
>|personally or as a devotee, these Mayavadi philosophers
>|accept Him as an ordinary human being. This is condemned in
>|the Bhagavad-gita (9.11):
326|avajananti mam mudha
327|manusim tanum asritam
328|param bhavam ajananto
329|mama bhuta-mahesvaram
330|"Fools deride Me when I descend in the human form. They do
>|not know My transcendental nature as the Supreme Lord of
>|all that be."
331|There are also other unscrupulous persons who exploit the
>|Lord's appearance by posing as incarnations to cheat the
>|innocent public. An incarnation of God should pass the
>|tests of the statements of the sastras and also perform
>|uncommon activities. One should not accept a rascal as an
>|incarnation of God but should test his ability to act as
>|the Supreme Personality of Godhead. For example, Krsna
>|taught Arjuna in the Bhagavad-gita, and Arjuna also
>|accepted Him as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but for
>|our understanding Arjuna requested the Lord to manifest His
>|universal form, thus testing whether He was actually the
>|Supreme Lord. Similarly, one must test a so-called
>|incarnation of Godhead according to the standard criteria.
>|To avoid being misled by an exhibition of mystic powers, it
>|is best to examine a so-called incarnation of God in the
>|light of the statements of the sastras. Caitanya Mahaprabhu
>|is described in the sastras as an incarnation of Krsna;
>|therefore if one wants to imitate Lord Caitanya and claim
>|to be an incarnation, he must show evidence from the
>|sastras about his appearance to substantiate his claim.
332|Adi 7.31-32
333|TEXTS 31-32
334|TEXT
335|taha dekhi' mahaprabhu karena cintana
336|jagat dubaite ami karilun yatana
337|keha keha edaila, pratijna ha-ila bhanga
338|ta-saba dubaite patiba kichu ranga
339|SYNONYMS
340|taha dekhi'-observing this advancement; mahaprabhu-Lord Sri
>|Caitanya Mahaprabhu; karena-does; cintana-thinking; jagat-
>|the whole world; dubaite-to drown; ami-I; karilun-
>|endeavored; yatana-attempts; keha keha-some of them; edaila-
>|escaped; pratijna-promise; ha-ila-became; bhanga-broken; ta-
>|saba-all of them; dubaite-to make them drown; patiba-shall
>|devise; kichu-some; ranga-trick.
341|TRANSLATION
342|Seeing that the Mayavadis and others were fleeing, Lord
>|Caitanya thought: I wanted everyone to be immersed in this
>|inundation of love of Godhead, but some of them have
>|escaped. Therefore I shall devise a trick to drown them
>|also.
343|PURPORT
344|Here is an important point. Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu wanted
>|to invent a way to capture the Mayavadis and others who did
>|not take interest in the Krsna consciousness movement. This
>|is the symptom of an acarya. An acarya who comes for the
>|service of the Lord cannot be expected to conform to a
>|stereotype, for he must find the ways and means by which
>|Krsna consciousness may be spread. Sometimes jealous
>|persons criticize the Krsna consciousness movement because
>|it engages equally both boys and girls in distributing love
>|of Godhead. Not knowing that boys and girls in countries
>|like Europe and America mix very freely, these fools and
>|rascals criticize the boys and girls in Krsna consciousness
>|for intermingling. But these rascals should consider that
>|one cannot suddenly change a community's social customs.
>|However, since both the boys and girls are being
>|trained to become preachers, those girls are not ordinary
>|girls but are as good as their brothers who are preaching
>|Krsna consciousness. Therefore, to engage both boys and
>|girls in fully transcendental activities is a policy
>|intended to spread the Krsna consciousness movement. These
>|jealous fools who criticize the intermingling of boys and
>|girls will simply have to be satisfied with their own
>|foolishness because they cannot think of how to spread
>|Krsna consciousness by adopting ways and means that are
>|favorable for this purpose. Their stereotyped methods will
>|never help spread Krsna consciousness. Therefore, what we
>|are doing is perfect by the grace of Lord Caitanya
>|Mahaprabhu, for it is He who proposed to invent a way to
>|capture those who strayed from Krsna consciousness.
345|Adi 7.33
346|TEXT 33
347|TEXT
348|eta bali' mane kichu kariya vicara
349|sannyasa-asrama prabhu kaila angikara
350|SYNONYMS
351|eta bali'-saying this; mane-within the mind; kichu-
>|something; kariya-doing; vicara-consideration; sannyasa-
>|asrama-the renounced order of life; prabhu-the Lord; kaila-
>|did; angikara-accept.
352|TRANSLATION
353|Thus the Lord accepted the sannyasa order of life after
>|full consideration.
354|PURPORT
355|There was no need for Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu to
>|accept sannyasa, for He is God Himself and therefore has
>|nothing to do with the material bodily concept of life. Sri
>|Caitanya Mahaprabhu did not identify Himself with any of
>|the eight varnas and asramas, namely, brahmana, ksatriya,
>|vaisya, sudra, brahmacari, grhastha, vanaprastha and
>|sannyasa. He identified Himself as the Supreme Spirit. Sri
>|Caitanya Mahaprabhu, or for that matter any pure devotee,
>|never identifies with these social and spiritual divisions
>|of life, for a devotee is always transcendental to these
>|different gradations of society. Nevertheless, Lord
>|Caitanya decided to accept sannyasa on the grounds that
>|when He became a sannyasi everyone would show Him respect
>|and in that way be favored. Although there was actually no
>|need for Him to accept sannyasa, He did so for the benefit
>|of those who might think Him an ordinary human being. The
>|main purpose of His accepting sannyasa was to deliver the
>|Mayavadi sannyasis. This will be evident later in this
>|chapter.
356|Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura has explained the
>|term "Mayavadi" as follows: "The Supreme Personality of
>|Godhead is transcendental to the material conception of
>|life. A Mayavadi is one who considers the body of the
>|Supreme Personality of Godhead Krsna to be made of maya and
>|who also considers the abode of the Lord and the process of
>|approaching Him, devotional service, to be maya. The
>|Mayavadi considers all the paraphernalia of devotional
>|service to be maya." Maya refers to material existence,
>|which is characterized by the reactions of fruitive
>|activities. Mayavadis consider devotional service to be
>|among such fruitive activities. According to them, when
>|bhagavatas (devotees) are purified by philosophical
>|speculation, they will come to the real point of liberation.
>| Those who speculate in this way regarding devotional
>|service are called kutarkikas (false logicians), and those
>|who consider devotional service to be fruitive activity are
>|also called karma-nisthas. Those who criticize devotional
>|service are called nindakas (blasphemers). Similarly,
>|nondevotees who consider devotional activities to be
>|material are also called pasandis, and scholars with a
>|similar viewpoint are called adhama paduyas.
357|The kutarkikas, nindakas, pasandis and adhama paduyas all
>|avoided the benefit of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's movement
>|of developing love of Godhead. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu felt
>|compassion for them, and it is for this reason that He
>|decided to accept the sannyasa order, for by seeing Him as
>|a sannyasi they would offer Him respects. The sannyasa
>|order is still respected in India. Indeed, the very dress
>|of a sannyasi still commands respect from the Indian public.
>| Therefore Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu accepted sannyasa to
>|facilitate preaching His devotional cult, although
>|otherwise He had no need to accept the fourth order of
>|spiritual life.
358|Adi 7.34
359|TEXT 34
360|TEXT
361|cabbisa vatsara chila grhastha-asrame
362|panca-vimsati varse kaila yati-dharme
363|SYNONYMS
364|cabbisa-twenty-four; vatsara-years; chila-He remained;
>|grhastha-householder life; asrame-the order of; panca-five;
>|vimsati-twenty; varse-in the year; kaila-did; yati-dharme-
>|accepted the sannyasa order.
365|TRANSLATION
366|Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu remained in householder life for
>|twenty-four years, and on the verge of His twenty-fifth
>|year He accepted the sannyasa order.
367|PURPORT
368|There are four orders of spiritual life, namely,
>|brahmacarya, grhastha, vanaprastha and sannyasa, and in
>|each of these asramas there are four divisions. The
>|divisions of the brahmacary-asrama are savitrya,
>|prajapatya, brahma and brhat, and the divisions of the
>|grhasthasrama are varta (professionals), sancaya (
>|accumulators), salina (those who do not ask anything from
>|anyone) and silonchana (those who collect grains from the
>|paddy fields). Similarly, the divisions of the
>|vanaprasthasrama are vaikhanasa, valakhilya,
>|audumbara and phenapa, and the divisions of sannyasa are
>|kuticaka, bahudaka, hamsa and niskriya. There are two kinds
>|of sannyasis, who are called dhiras and narottamas, as
>|stated in Srimad-Bhagavatam (1.13.26 -27). At the end of
>|the month of January in the year 1432 sakabda (A.D. 1511),
>|Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu accepted the sannyasa order from
>|Kesava Bharati, who belonged to the Sankara-sampradaya.
369|Adi 7.35
370|TEXT 35
371|TEXT
372|sannyasa kariya prabhu kaila akarsana
373|yateka palanachila tarkikadigana
374|SYNONYMS
375|sannyasa-the sannyasa order; kariya-accepting; prabhu-the
>|Lord; kaila-did; akarsana-attract; yateka-all; palanachila-
>|fled; tarkika-adi-gana-all persons, beginning with the
>|logicians.
376|TRANSLATION
377|After accepting the sannyasa order, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu
>|attracted the attention of all those who had evaded Him,
>|beginning with the logicians.
378|Adi 7.36
379|TEXT 36
380|TEXT
381|paduya, pasandi, karmi, nindakadi yata
382|tara asi' prabhu-paya haya avanata
383|SYNONYMS
384|paduya-students; pasandi-material adjusters; karmi-fruitive
>|actors; nindaka-adi-critics; yata-all; tara-they; asi'-
>|coming; prabhu-the Lord's; paya-lotus feet; haya-became;
>|avanata-surrendered.
385|TRANSLATION
386|Thus the students, infidels, fruitive workers and critics
>|all came to surrender unto the lotus feet of the Lord.
387|Adi 7.37
388|TEXT 37
389|TEXT
390|aparadha ksamaila, dubila prema-jale
391|keba edaibe prabhura prema-mahajale
392|SYNONYMS
393|aparadha-offense; ksamaila-excused; dubila-merged into;
>|prema-jale-in the ocean of love of Godhead; keba-who else;
>|edaibe-will go away; prabhura-the Lord's; prema-loving;
>|maha-jale-network.
394|TRANSLATION
395|Lord Caitanya excused them all, and they merged into the
>|ocean of devotional service, for no one can escape the
>|unique loving network of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
396|PURPORT
397|Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was an ideal acarya. An acarya is
>|an ideal teacher who knows the purpose of the revealed
>|scriptures, behaves exactly according to their injunctions
>|and teaches his students to adopt these principles also. As
>|an ideal acarya, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu devised ways to
>|capture all kinds of atheists and materialists. Every
>|acarya has a specific means of propagating his spiritual
>|movement with the aim of bringing men to Krsna
>|consciousness. Therefore, the method of one acarya may be
>|different from that of another, but the ultimate goal is
>|never neglected. Srila Rupa Gosvami recommends:
398|tasmat kenapy upayena
399|manah krsne nivesayet
400|sarve vidhi - nisedha syur
401|etayor eva kinkarah
402|An acarya should devise a means by which people may somehow
>|or other come to Krsna consciousness. First they should
>|become Krsna conscious, and all the prescribed rules and
>|regulations may later gradually be introduced. In our Krsna
>|consciousness movement we follow this policy of Lord Sri
>|Caitanya Mahaprabhu. For example, since boys and girls in
>|the Western countries freely intermingle, special
>|concessions regarding their customs and habits are
>|necessary to bring them to Krsna consciousness. The acarya
>|must devise a means to bring them to devotional service.
>|Therefore, although I am a sannyasi I sometimes take part
>|in getting boys and girls married, although in the history
>|of sannyasa no sannyasi has personally taken part in
>|marrying his disciples.
403|Adi 7.38
404|TEXT 38
405|TEXT
406|saba nistarite prabhu krpa-avatara
407|saba nistarite kare caturi apara
408|SYNONYMS
409|saba-all; nistarite-to deliver; prabhu-the Lord; krpa-mercy;
>| avatara-incarnation; saba-all; nistarite-to deliver; kare-
>|did; caturi-devices; apara-unlimited.
410|TRANSLATION
411|Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu appeared in order to deliver all
>|the fallen souls. Therefore He devised many methods to
>|liberate them from the clutches of maya.
412|PURPORT
413|It is the concern of the acarya to show mercy to the fallen
>|souls. In this connection, desa-kala-patra (the place, the
>|time and the object) should be taken into consideration.
>|Since the European and American boys and girls in our Krsna
>|consciousness movement preach together, less intelligent
>|men criticize that they are mingling without restriction.
>|In Europe and America boys and girls mingle unrestrictedly
>|and have equal rights; therefore it is not possible to
>|completely separate the men from the women. However, we are
>|thoroughly instructing both men and women how to preach,
>|and actually they are preaching wonderfully. Of course, we
>|very strictly prohibit illicit sex. Boys and girls who are
>|not married are not allowed to sleep together or live
>|together, and there are separate arrangements for boys and
>|girls in every temple. Grhasthas live outside the temple,
>|for in the temple we do not allow even husband and wife to
>|live together. The results of this are wonderful. Both men
>|and women are preaching the gospel of Lord Caitanya
>|Mahaprabhu and Lord Krsna with redoubled strength. In this
>|verse the words saba nistarite kare caturi apara indicate
>|that Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu wanted to deliver one and all.
>|Therefore it is a principle that a preacher must strictly
>|follow the rules and regulations laid down in the sastras
>|yet at the same time devise a means by which the preaching
>|work to reclaim the fallen may go on with full force.
414|Adi 7.39
415|TEXT 39
416|TEXT
417|tabe nija bhakta kaila yata mleccha adi
418|sabe edaila matra kasira mayavadi
419|SYNONYMS
420|tabe-thereafter; nija-own; bhakta-devotee; kaila-converted;
>|yata-all; mleccha-one who does not follow the Vedic
>|principles; adi-heading the list; sabe-all those; edaila-
>|escaped; matra-only; kasira-of Varanasi; mayavadi-
>|impersonalists.
421|TRANSLATION
422|All were converted into devotees of Lord Caitanya, even the
>|mlecchas and yavanas. Only the impersonalist followers of
>|Sankaracarya evaded Him.
423|PURPORT
424|In this verse it is clearly indicated that although Lord
>|Caitanya Mahaprabhu converted Muslims and other mlecchas
>|into devotees, the impersonalist followers of Sankaracarya
>|could not be converted. After accepting the renounced order
>|of life, Caitanya Mahaprabhu converted many karma-nisthas
>|who were addicted to fruitive activities, many great
>|logicians like Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya, nindakas (
>|blasphemers) like Prakasananda Sarasvati, pasandis (
>|nondevotees) like Jagai and Madhai, and adhama paduyas (
>|degraded students) like Mukunda and his friends. All of
>|them gradually became devotees of the Lord, even the
>|Pathans (Muslims), but the worst offenders, the
>|impersonalists, were extremely difficult to convert, for
>|they very tactfully escaped the devices of Lord Caitanya
>|Mahaprabhu.
425|In describing the Kasira Mayavadis, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta
>|Sarasvati Thakura has explained that persons who are
>|bewildered by empiric knowledge or direct sensual
>|perception, and who thus consider that even this limited
>|material world can be gauged by their material estimations,
>|conclude that anything that one can discern by direct sense
>|perception is but maya, or illusion. They maintain that
>|although the Absolute Truth is beyond the range of sense
>|perception, it includes no spiritual variety or enjoyment.
>|According to the Kasira Mayavadis, the spiritual world is
>|simply void. They do not believe in the Personality of the
>|Absolute Truth or in His varieties of activities in the
>|spiritual world. Although they have their own arguments,
>|which are not very strong, they have no conception of the
>|variegated activities of the Absolute Truth. These
>|impersonalists, who are followers of Sankaracarya, are
>|generally known as Kasira Mayavadis
>|.
426|Near Varanasi there is another group of impersonalists, who
>|are known as Saranatha Mayavadis. Outside the city of
>|Varanasi is a place known as Saranatha, where there is a
>|big Buddhist stupa. Many followers of Buddhist philosophy
>|live there, and they are known as Saranatha Mayavadis. The
>|impersonalists of Saranatha differ from those of Varanasi,
>|for the Varanasi impersonalists propagate the idea that the
>|impersonal Brahman is truth whereas material varieties are
>|false, but the Saranatha impersonalists do not even believe
>|that the Absolute Truth or Brahman can be understood as
>|the opposite of maya, or illusion. According to their
>|vision, materialism is the only manifestation of the
>|Absolute Truth.
427|Factually both the Kasira and Saranatha Mayavadis, as
>|well as any other philosophers who have no knowledge of the
>|spirit soul, are advocates of utter materialism. None of
>|them have clear knowledge regarding the Absolute or the
>|spiritual world. Philosophers like the Saranatha Mayavadis
>|who do not believe in the spiritual existence of the
>|Absolute Truth but consider material varieties to be
>|everything do not believe that there are two kinds of
>|nature, inferior (material) and superior (spiritual), as
>|described in the Bhagavad-gita. Actually, neither the
>|Varanasi nor Saranatha Mayavadis accept the principles of
>|the Bhagavad-gita, due to a poor fund of knowledge.
428|Since these impersonalists who do not have perfect
>|spiritual knowledge cannot understand the principles of
>|bhakti-yoga, they must be classified among the nondevotees
>|who are against the Krsna consciousness movement. We
>|sometimes feel inconvenienced by the hindrances offered by
>|these impersonalists, but we do not care about their so-
>|called philosophy, for we are propagating our own
>|philosophy as presented in Bhagavad-gita As It Is and
>|getting successful results. Theorizing as if devotional
>|service were subject to their mental speculation, both
>|kinds of Mayavadi impersonalists conclude that the subject
>|matter of bhakti-yoga is a creation of maya and that Krsna,
>|devotional service and the devotee are also maya. Therefore,
>| as stated by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, mayavadi krsne
>|aparadhi. "All the Mayavadis are offenders to Lord Krsna." (
>|Cc. Madhya 17.129) It is not possible for them to
>|understand the Krsna consciousness movement; therefore we
>|do not value their philosophical conclusions. However
>|expert such quarrelsome impersonalists are in putting
>|forward their so-called logic, we defeat them in every
>|respect and go forward with our Krsna consciousness
>|movement. Their imaginative mental speculation cannot deter
>|the progress of the Krsna consciousness movement, which is
>|completely spiritual and is never under the control of such
>|Mayavadis.
429|Adi 7.40
430|TEXT 40
431|TEXT
432|vrndavana yaite prabhu rahila kasite
433|mayavadi-gana tanre lagila nindite
434|SYNONYMS
435|vrndavana-the holy place called Vrndavana; yaite-while
>|going there; prabhu-Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; rahila-
>|remained; kasite-at Varanasi; mayavadi-gana-the Mayavadi
>|philosophers; tanre-unto Him; lagila-began; nindite-to
>|speak against Him.
436|TRANSLATION
437|While Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu was passing through Varanasi
>|on His way to Vrndavana, the Mayavadi sannyasi philosophers
>|blasphemed against Him in many ways.
438|PURPORT
439|While preaching Krsna consciousness with full vigor, Sri
>|Caitanya Mahaprabhu faced many Mayavadi philosophers.
>|Similarly, we are also facing opposing svamis, yogis,
>|impersonalists, scientists, philosophers and other mental
>|speculators, and by the grace of Lord Krsna we successfully
>|defeat all of them without difficulty.
440|Adi 7.41
441|TEXT 41
442|TEXT
443|sannyasi ha-iya kare gayana, nacana
444|na kare vedanta-patha, kare sankirtana
445|SYNONYMS
446|sannyasi-a person in the renounced order of life; ha-iya-
>|accepting such a position; kare-does; gayana-singing;
>|nacana-dancing; na kare-does not practice; vedanta-patha-
>|study of the Vedanta philosophy; kare sankirtana-but simply
>|engages in sankirtana.
447|TRANSLATION
448|"Although a sannyasi, He does not
>|take interest in the study of Vedanta but instead always
>|engages in chanting and dancing in sankirtana.
449|PURPORT
450|Fortunately or unfortunately, we also meet such Mayavadis
>|who criticize our method of chanting and accuse us of not
>|being interested in study. They do not know that we have
>|translated volumes and volumes of books into English and
>|that the students in our temples regularly study them in
>|the morning, afternoon and evening. We are writing and
>|printing books, and our students study them and distribute
>|them all over the world. No Mayavadi school can present as
>|many books as we have; nevertheless, they accuse us of not
>|being fond of study. Such accusations are completely false.
>|But although we study, we do not study the nonsense of the
>|Mayavadis.
451|Mayavadi sannyasis neither chant nor dance. Their technical
>|objection is that this method of chanting and dancing is
>|called tauryatrika, which indicates that a sannyasi should
>|completely avoid such activities and engage his time in the
>|study of Vedanta. Actually, such men do not understand what
>|is meant by Vedanta. In the Bhagavad-gita (15.15) Krsna
>|says, vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyo vedanta-krd veda-vid
>|eva caham: "By all the Vedas I am to be known; indeed I am
>|the compiler of Vedanta, and I am the knower of the Vedas."
>|Lord Krsna is the actual compiler of Vedanta, and whatever
>|He speaks is Vedanta philosophy. Although they are lacking
>|the knowledge of Vedanta presented by the Supreme
>|Personality of Godhead in the transcendental form of Srimad-
>|Bhagavatam, the Mayavadis are very proud of their study.
>|Foreseeing the bad effects of their presenting Vedanta
>|philosophy in a perverted way, Srila Vyasadeva compiled
>|Srimad-Bhagavatam as a commentary on the Vedanta-sutra.
>|Srimad-Bhagavatam is bhasyo 'yam brahma-sutranam; in other
>|words, all the Vedanta philosophy in the aphorisms of the
>|Brahma-sutra is thoroughly described in the pages of Srimad-
>|Bhagavatam. Thus the factual propounder of Vedanta
>|philosophy is a Krsna conscious person who always engages
>|in reading and understanding the Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-
>|Bhagavatam and teaching the purport of these books to the
>|entire world. The Mayavadis are very proud of having
>|monopolized the Vedanta philosophy, but devotees have their
>|own commentaries on Vedanta such as Srimad-Bhagavatam and
>|others written by the acaryas. The commentary of the
>|Gaudiya Vaisnavas is the Govinda-bhasya.
452|The Mayavadis' accusation that devotees do not study
>|Vedanta is false. They do not know that chanting,
>| dancing and preaching the principles of Srimad-Bhagavatam,
>|called bhagavata-dharma, are the same as studying Vedanta.
>|Since they think that reading Vedanta philosophy is the
>|only function of a sannyasi and they did not find Caitanya
>|Mahaprabhu engaged in such direct study, they criticized
>|the Lord. Sripada Sankaracarya has given special stress to
>|the study of Vedanta philosophy: vedanta-vakyesu sada
>|ramantah kaupinavantah khalu bhagyavantah. "A sannyasi,
>|accepting the renounced order very strictly and wearing
>|nothing more than a loincloth, should always enjoy the
>|philosophical statements in the Vedanta-sutra. Such a
>|person in the renounced order is to be considered very
>|fortunate." The Mayavadis in Varanasi blasphemed Lord
>|Caitanya because His behavior did not follow these
>|principles. Lord Caitanya, however, bestowed His mercy upon
>|these Mayavadi sannyasis and delivered them by means of His
>|Vedanta discourses with Prakasananda Sarasvati and
>|Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya.
453|Adi 7.42
454|TEXT 42
455|TEXT
456|murkha sannyasi nija-dharma nahi jane
457|bhavuka ha-iya phere bhavukera sane
458|SYNONYMS
459|murkha-illiterate; sannyasi-one in the renounced order of
>|life; nija-dharma-own duty; nahi-does not; jane-know;
>|bhavuka-in ecstasy; ha-iya-becoming; phere-wanders;
>|bhavukera-with another ecstatic person; sane-with.
460|TRANSLATION
461|"This Caitanya Mahaprabhu is an illiterate sannyasi and
>|therefore does not know His real function. Guided only by
>|His sentiments, He wanders about in the company of other
>|sentimentalists."
462|PURPORT
463|Foolish Mayavadis, not knowing that the Krsna consciousness
>|movement is based on a solid philosophy of transcendental
>|science, superficially conclude that those who dance and
>|chant do not have philosophical knowledge. Those who are
>|Krsna conscious actually have full knowledge of the essence
>|of Vedanta philosophy, for they study the real commentary
>|on the Vedanta philosophy, Srimad-Bhagavatam, and follow
>|the actual words of the Supreme Personality of Godhead as
>|found in Bhagavad-gita As It Is. After understanding the
>|Bhagavata philosophy, or bhagavata-dharma, they become
>|fully spiritually conscious or Krsna conscious, and
>|therefore their chanting and dancing is not material but is
>|on the spiritual platform. Although everyone admires the
>|ecstatic chanting and dancing of the devotees, who are
>|therefore popularly known as "the Hare Krsna people,"
>|Mayavadis cannot appreciate these activities because of
>|their poor fund of knowledge.
464|Adi 7.43
465|TEXT 43
466|TEXT
467|e saba suniya prabhu hase mane mane
468|upeksa kariya karo na kaila sambhasane
469|SYNONYMS
470|e saba-all these; suniya-after hearing; prabhu-the Lord;
>|hase-smiled; mane mane-within His mind; upeksa-rejection;
>|kariya-doing so; karo-with anyone; na-did not; kaila-make;
>|sambhasane-conversation.
471|TRANSLATION
472|Hearing all this blasphemy, Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu merely
>|smiled to Himself, rejected all these accusations and did
>|not talk with the Mayavadis.
473|PURPORT
474|As Krsna conscious devotees, we do not like to converse
>|with Mayavadi philosophers simply to waste valuable time,
>|but whenever there is an opportunity we impress our
>|philosophy upon them with great vigor and success.
475|Adi 7.44
476|TEXT 44
477|TEXT
478|upeksa kariya kaila mathura gamana
479|mathura dekhiya punah kaila agamana
480|SYNONYMS
481|upeksa-neglecting them; kariya-doing so; kaila-did; mathura-
>|the town named Mathura; gamana-traveling; mathura-Mathura;
>|dekhiya-after seeing it; punah-again; kaila agamana-came
>|back.
482|TRANSLATION
483|Thus neglecting the blasphemy of the Varanasi Mayavadis,
>|Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu proceeded to Mathura, and after
>|visiting Mathura He returned to meet the situation.
484|PURPORT
485|Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu did not talk with the Mayavadi
>|philosophers when He first visited Varanasi, but He
>|returned there from Mathura to convince them of the real
>|purpose of Vedanta.
486|Adi 7.45
487|TEXT 45
488|TEXT
489|kasite lekhaka sudra-sricandrasekhara
490|tanra ghare rahila prabhu svatantra isvara
491|SYNONYMS
492|kasite-in Varanasi; lekhaka-writer; sudra-born of a sudra
>|family; sri-candrasekhara-of the name Candrasekhara; tanra
>|ghare-in his house; rahila-remained; prabhu-the Lord;
>|svatantra-independent; isvara-the supreme controller.
493|TRANSLATION
494|This time Lord Caitanya stayed at the house of
>|Candrasekhara, although he was regarded as a sudra or
>|kayastha, for the Lord, as the Supreme Personality of
>|Godhead, is completely independent.
495|PURPORT
496|Lord Caitanya stayed at the house of Candrasekhara, a clerk,
>| although a sannyasi is not supposed to reside in a sudra's
>|house. Five hundred years ago, especially in Bengal, it was
>|the system that persons who were born in the families of
>|brahmanas were accepted as brahmanas, and all those who
>|took birth in other families-even the higher castes, namely,
>| the ksatriyas and vaisyas-were considered sudra non-
>|brahmanas. Therefore although Sri Candrasekhara was a clerk
>|from a kayastha family in upper India, he was considered a
>|sudra. Similarly, vaisyas, especially those of the suvarna-
>|vanik community, were accepted as sudras in Bengal, and
>|even the vaidyas, who were generally physicians, were also
>|considered sudras. Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, however, did
>|not accept this artificial principle, which was introduced
>|in society by self-interested men, and later the kayasthas,
>|vaidyas and vaniks all began to accept the sacred thread,
>|despite objections from the so-called brahmanas.
497|Before the time of Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the suvarna-vanik
>|class was condemned by Ballal Sen, who was then the King
>|of Bengal, due to a personal grudge. In Bengal the suvarna-
>|vanik class are always very rich, for they are bankers and
>|dealers in gold and silver. Therefore, Ballal Sen used to
>|borrow money from a suvarna-vanik banker. Ballal Sen's
>|bankruptcy later obliged the suvarna-vanik banker to stop
>|advancing money to him, and thus he became angry
>|and condemned the entire suvarna-vanik society as belonging
>|to the sudra community. Ballal Sen tried to induce the
>|brahmanas not to accept the suvarna-vaniks as followers of
>|the instructions of the Vedas under the brahminical
>|directions, but although some brahmanas approved of Ballal
>|Sen's actions, others did not. Thus the brahmanas also
>|became divided amongst themselves, and those who supported
>|the suvarna-vanik class were rejected from the brahmana
>|community. At the present day the same biases are still
>|being followed.
498|There are many Vaisnava families in Bengal whose members,
>|although not actually born brahmanas, act as acaryas by
>|initiating disciples and offering the sacred thread as
>|enjoined in the Vaisnava tantras. For example, in the
>|families of Thakura Raghunandana Acarya, Thakura Krsnadasa,
>|Navani Hoda and Rasikananda-deva (a disciple of Syamananda
>|Prabhu), the sacred thread ceremony is performed, as it is
>|for the caste Gosvamis, and this system has continued for
>|the past three to four hundred years. Accepting disciples
>|born in brahmana families, they are bona fide spiritual
>|masters who have the facility to worship the salagrama-sila,
>| which is worshiped with the Deity. As of this writing,
>|salagrama-sila worship has not yet been introduced in our
>|Krsna consciousness movement, but soon it will be
>|introduced in all our temples as an essential function of
>|arcana-marga (Deity worship).
499|Adi 7.46
500|TEXT 46
501|TEXT
502|tapana-misrera ghare bhiksa-nirvahana
503|sannyasira sange nahi mane nimantrana
504|SYNONYMS
505|tapana-misrera-of Tapana Misra; ghare-in the house; bhiksa-
>|accepting food; nirvahana-regularly executed; sannyasira-
>|with other Mayavadi sannyasis; sange-in company with them;
>|nahi-never; mane-accepted; nimantrana-invitation.
506|TRANSLATION
507|As a matter of principle, Lord Caitanya regularly accepted
>|His food at the house of Tapana Misra. He never mixed with
>|other sannyasis, nor did He accept invitations from them.
508|PURPORT
509|This exemplary behavior of Lord Caitanya definitely proves
>|that a Vaisnava sannyasi cannot accept invitations from
>|Mayavadi sannyasis or intimately mix with them.
510|Adi 7.47
511|TEXT 47
512|TEXT
513|sanatana gosani asi' tanhai milila
514|tanra siksa lagi' prabhu du-masa rahila
515|SYNONYMS
516|sanatana-of the name Sanatana; gosani-a great devotee; asi'-
>|coming there; tanhai-there at Varanasi; milila-visited Him;
>|tanra-His; siksa- in struction; lagi'-for the
>|matter of; prabhu-Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu; du-masa-two
>|months; rahila-remained there.
517|TRANSLATION
518|When Sanatana Gosvami came from Bengal, he met Lord
>|Caitanya at the house of Tapana Misra, where Lord Caitanya
>|remained continuously for two months to teach him
>|devotional service.
519|PURPORT
520|Lord Caitanya taught Sanatana Gosvami in the line of
>|disciplic succession. Sanatana Gosvami was a very learned
>|scholar in Sanskrit and other languages, but until
>|instructed by Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu he did not write
>|anything about Vaisnava behavior. His very famous book Hari-
>|bhakti-vilasa, which gives directions for Vaisnava
>|candidates, was written completely in compliance with the
>|instructions of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. In this Hari-
>|bhakti-vilasa Sri Sanatana Gosvami gives definite
>|instructions that by proper initiation by a bona fide
>|spiritual master one can immediately become a brahmana. In
>|this connection he says:
521|yatha kancanatam yati kamsyam rasa-vidhanatah
522|tatha diksa-vidhanena dvijatvam jayate nrnam
523|"As bell metal is turned to gold when mixed with mercury in
>|an alchemical process, so one who is properly trained and
>|initiated by a bona fide spiritual master immediately
>|becomes a brahmana." Sometimes those born in brahmana
>|families protest this, but they have no strong arguments
>|against this principle. By the grace of Krsna and His
>|devotee, one's life can change. This is confirmed in Srimad-
>|Bhagavatam by the words jahati bandham and sudhyanti.
>|Jahati bandham indicates that a living entity is
>|conditioned by a particular type of body. The body is
>|certainly an impediment, but one who associates with a pure
>|devotee and follows his instructions can avoid this
>|impediment and become a regular brahmana by initiation
>|under his strict guidance. Srila Jiva Gosvami states how a
>|non-brahmana can be turned into a brahmana by the
>|association of a pure devotee. Prabhavisnave namah: Lord
>|Visnu is so powerful that He can do anything He likes.
>|Therefore it is not difficult for Visnu to change the body
>|of a devotee who is under the guidance of a pure devotee of
>|the Lord.
524|Adi 7.48
525|TEXT 48
526|TEXT
527|tanre sikhaila saba vaisnavera dharma
528|bhagavata-adi sastrera yata gudha marma
529|SYNONYMS
530|tanre-unto him (Sanatana Gosvami); sikhaila-the Lord taught
>|him; saba-all; vaisnavera-of the devotees; dharma-regular
>|activities; bhagavata-Srimad-Bhagavatam; adi-beginning with;
>| sastrera-of the revealed scriptures; yata-all; gudha-
>|confidential; marma-purpose.
531|TRANSLATION
532|On the basis of scriptures like Srimad-Bhagavatam, which
>|reveal these confidential directions, Sri Caitanya
>|Mahaprabhu instructed Sanatana Gosvami regarding all the
>|regular activities of a devotee.
533|PURPORT
534|In the parampara system, the instructions taken from the
>|bona fide spiritual master must also be based on revealed
>|Vedic scriptures. One who is in the line of disciplic
>|succession cannot manufacture his own way of behavior.
>|There are many so-called followers of the Vaisnava cult in
>|the line of Caitanya Mahaprabhu who do not scrupulously
>|follow the conclusions of the sastras, and therefore they
>|are considered to be apa-sampradaya, which means "outside
>|of the sampradaya." Some of these groups are known as aula,
>|baula, kartabhaja, neda, daravesa, sani sahajiya,
>|sakhibheki, smarta, jata-gosani, ativadi, cudadhari and
>|gauranga-nagari. In order to follow strictly the disciplic
>|succession of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, one should not
>|associate with these apasampradaya communities.
535|One who is not taught by a bona fide spiritual master
>|cannot understand the Vedic literature. To emphasize this
>|point, Lord Krsna, while instructing Arjuna, clearly said
>|that it was because Arjuna was His devotee and confidential
>|friend that he could understand the mystery of the Bhagavad-
>|gita. It is to be concluded, therefore, that one who wants
>|to understand the mystery of revealed scriptures must
>|approach a bona fide spiritual master, hear from him very
>|submissively and render service to him. Then the import of
>|the scriptures will be revealed. It is stated in the Vedas (
>|Svetasvatara Upanisad 6.23):
536|yasya deve para bhaktir
537|yatha deve tatha gurau
538|tasyaite kathita hy arthah
539|prakasante mahatmanah
540|"The real import of the scriptures is revealed to one who
>|has unflinching faith in both the Supreme Personality of
>|Godhead and the spiritual master." Srila Narottama dasa
>|Thakura advises, sadhu-sastra-guru-vakya, hrdaye kariya
>|aikya. The meaning of this instruction is that one must
>|consider the instructions of the sadhu, the revealed
>|scriptures and the spiritual master in order to understand
>|the real purpose of spiritual life. Neither a sadhu (
>|saintly person or Vaisnava) nor a bona fide spiritual
>|master says anything that is beyond the scope of the
>|sanction of the revealed scriptures. Thus the statements of
>|the revealed scriptures correspond to those of the bona
>|fide spiritual master and saintly persons. One must
>|therefore act with reference to these three important
>|sources of understanding.
541|Adi 7.49
542|TEXT 49
543|TEXT
544|itimadhye candrasekhara, misra-tapana
545|duhkhi hana prabhu-paya kaila nivedana
546|SYNONYMS
547|iti-madhye-in the meantime; candrasekhara-the clerk of the
>|name Candrasekhara; misra-tapana-as well as Tapana Misra;
>|duhkhi hana-becoming very unhappy; prabhu-paya-at the lotus
>|feet of the Lord; kaila-made; nivedana-an appeal.
548|TRANSLATION
549|While Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu was instructing Sanatana
>|Gosvami, both Candrasekhara and Tapana Misra became very
>|unhappy. Therefore they submitted an appeal unto the lotus
>|feet of the Lord.
550|Adi 7.50
551|TEXT 50
552|TEXT
553|kateka suniba prabhu tomara nindana
554|na pari sahite, ebe chadiba jivana
555|SYNONYMS
556|kateka-how much; suniba-shall we hear; prabhu-O Lord;
>|tomara-Your; nindana-blasphemy; na pari-we are not able;
>|sahite-to tolerate; ebe-now; chadiba-give up; jivana-life.
557|TRANSLATION
558|"How long can we tolerate the blasphemy of Your critics
>|against Your conduct? We should give up our lives rather
>|than hear such blasphemy.
559|PURPORT
560|One of the most important instructions by Sri Caitanya
>|Mahaprabhu regarding regular Vaisnava behavior is that a
>|Vaisnava should be tolerant like a tree and submissive like
>|grass.
561|trnad api sunicena
562|taror iva sahisnuna
563|amanina manadena
564|kirtaniyah sada harih
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
565|"One should chant the holy name of the Lord in a humble
>|state of mind, thinking oneself lower than the straw in the
>|street; one should be more tolerant than a tree, devoid of
>|all sense of false prestige and should be ready to offer
>|all respect to others. In such a state of mind one can
>|chant the holy name of the Lord constantly." Nevertheless,
>|the author of these instructions, Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu,
>|did not tolerate the misbehavior of Jagai and Madhai. When
>|they harmed Lord Nityananda Prabhu, He immediately became
>|angry and wanted to kill them, and it was only by the mercy
>|of Lord Nityananda Prabhu that they were saved. One should
>|be very meek and humble in his personal transactions, and
>|if insulted a Vaisnava should be tolerant and not angry.
>|But if there is blasphemy against one's guru or another
>|Vaisnava, one should be as angry as fire. This was
>|exhibited by Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. One should not
>|tolerate blasphemy against a Vaisnava but should
>|immediately take one of three actions. If someone
>|blasphemes a Vaisnava, one should stop him with arguments
>|and higher reason. If one is not expert enough to do this
>|he should give up his life on the spot, and if he cannot do
>|this, he must go away. While Caitanya Mahaprabhu was in
>|Benares or Kasi, the Mayavadi sannyasis blasphemed Him in
>|many ways because although He was a sannyasi He was
>|indulging in chanting and dancing. Tapana Misra and
>|Candrasekhara heard this criticism, and it was intolerable
>|for them because they were great devotees of Lord Caitanya.
>|They could not stop it, however, and therefore they
>|appealed to Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu because this blasphemy
>|was so intolerable that they had decided to give up their
>|lives.
566|Adi 7.51
567|TEXT 51
568|TEXT
569|tomare nindaye yata sannyasira gana
570|sunite na pari, phate hrdaya-sravana
571|SYNONYMS
572|tomare-unto You; nindaye-blasphemes; yata-all; sannyasira
>|gana-the Mayavadi sannyasis; sunite-to hear; na-cannot;
>|pari-tolerate; phate-it breaks; hrdaya-our hearts; sravana-
>|while hearing such blasphemy.
573|TRANSLATION
574|"The Mayavadi sannyasis are all criticizing Your Holiness.
>|We cannot tolerate hearing such criticism, for this
>|blasphemy breaks our hearts."
575|PURPORT
576|This is a manifestation of real love for Krsna and Lord
>|Caitanya Mahaprabhu. There are three categories of
>|Vaisnavas: kanistha-adhikaris, madhyama-adhikaris and
>|uttama-adhikaris. The kanistha-adhikari, or the devotee in
>|the lowest stage of Vaisnava life, has firm faith but is
>|not familiar with the conclusions of the sastras. The
>|devotee in the second stage, the madhyama-adhikari, is
>|completely aware of the sastric conclusion and has firm
>|faith in his guru and the Lord. He, therefore, avoiding
>|nondevotees, preaches to the innocent. However, the maha-
>|bhagavata or uttama-adhikari, the devotee in the highest
>|stage of devotional life, does not see anyone as being
>|against the Vaisnava principles, for he regards everyone as
>|a Vaisnava but himself. This is the essence of Caitanya
>|Mahaprabhu's instruction that one be more tolerant than a
>|tree and think oneself lower than the straw in the street (
>|trnad api su-nicena taror iva sahisnuna). However, even if
>|a devotee is in the uttama-bhagavata status he must come
>|down to the second status of life, madhyama-adhikari, to be
>|a preacher, for a preacher should not tolerate blasphemy
>|against another Vaisnava. Although a kanistha-adhikari also
>|cannot tolerate such blasphemy, he is not competent to stop
>|it by citing sastric evidences. Therefore Tapana Misra and
>|Candrasekhara are understood to be kanistha-adhikaris
>|because they could not refute the arguments of the
>|sannyasis in Benares. They appealed to Lord Caitanya
>|Mahaprabhu to take action, for they felt that they could
>|not tolerate such criticism although they also could not
>|stop it.
577|Adi 7.52
578|TEXT 52
579|TEXT
580|iha suni rahe prabhu isat hasiya
581|sei kale eka vipra milila asiya
582|SYNONYMS
583|iha-this; suni-hearing; rahe-remained; prabhu-Lord Caitanya
>|Mahaprabhu; isat-slightly; hasiya-smiling; sei kale-at that
>|time; eka-one; vipra-brahmana; milila-met; asiya-coming
>|there.
584|TRANSLATION
585|While Tapana Misra and Candrasekhara were thus talking with
>|Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, He only smiled slightly and
>|remained silent. At that time a brahmana came there to meet
>|the Lord.
586|
587|PURPORT
588|Because the blasphemy was cast against Sri Caitanya
>|Mahaprabhu Himself, He did not feel sorry, and therefore He
>|was smiling. This is ideal Vaisnava behavior. One should
>|not become angry upon hearing criticism of himself, but if
>|other Vaisnavas are criticized one must be prepared to act
>|as previously suggested. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was very
>|compassionate for His pure devotees Tapana Misra and
>|Candrasekhara; therefore by His grace this brahmana
>|immediately came to Him. By His omnipotency the Lord
>|created this situation for the happiness of His devotees.
589|Adi 7.53
590|TEXT 53
591|TEXT
592|asi' nivedana kare carane dhariya
593|eka vastu magon, deha prasanna ha-iya
594|SYNONYMS
595|asi'-coming there; nivedana-submissive statement; kare-made;
>| carane-unto the lotus feet; dhariya-capturing; eka-one;
>|vastu-thing; magon-beg from You; deha-kindly give it to me;
>|prasanna-being pleased; ha-iya-becoming so.
596|TRANSLATION
597|The brahmana immediately fell at the lotus feet of Caitanya
>|Mahaprabhu and requested Him to accept his proposal in a
>|joyful mood.
598|PURPORT
599|The Vedic injunctions state, tad viddhi pranipatena
>|pariprasnena sevaya: one must approach a superior authority
>|in humbleness (Bg. 4.34). One cannot challenge a superior
>|authority, but with great submission one can submit his
>|proposal for acceptance by the spiritual master or
>|spiritual authorities. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is an ideal
>|teacher by His personal behavior, and so also are all His
>|disciples. Thus this brahmana, being purified in
>|association with Caitanya Mahaprabhu, followed these
>|principles in submitting his request to the higher
>|authority. He fell down at the lotus feet of Sri Caitanya
>|Mahaprabhu and then spoke as follows.
600|Adi 7.54
601|TEXT 54
602|TEXT
603|sakala sannyasi muni kainu nimantrana
604|tumi yadi aisa, purna haya mora mana
605|SYNONYMS
606|sakala-all; sannyasi-renouncers; muni-I; kainu-made;
>|nimantrana-invited; tumi-Your good self; yadi-if; aisa-come;
>| purna-fulfillment; haya-becomes; mora-my; mana-mind.
607|TRANSLATION
608|"My dear Lord, I have invited all the sannyasis of Benares
>|to my home. My desires will be fulfilled if You also accept
>|my invitation.
609|PURPORT
610|This brahmana knew that Caitanya Mahaprabhu was the only
>|Vaisnava sannyasi in Benares at that time and all the
>|others were Mayavadis. It is the duty of a grhastha to
>|sometimes invite sannyasis to take food at his home. This
>|grhastha-brahmana wanted to invite all the sannyasis to his
>|house, but he also knew that it would be very difficult to
>|induce Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu to accept such an
>|invitation because the Mayavadi sannyasis would be present.
>|Therefore he fell down at His feet and fervently appealed
>|to the Lord to be compassionate and grant his request. Thus
>|he humbly submitted his desire.
611|Adi 7.55
612|TEXT 55
613|TEXT
614|na yaha sannyasi-gosthi, iha ami jani
615|more anugraha kara nimantrana mani'
616|SYNONYMS
617|na-not; yaha-You go; sannyasi-gosthi-the association of
>|Mayavadi sannyasis; iha-this; ami-I; jani-know; more-unto
>|me; anugraha-merciful; kara-become; nimantrana-invitation;
>|mani'-accepting.
618|TRANSLATION
619|"My dear Lord, I know that You never mix with other
>|sannyasis, but please be merciful unto me and accept my
>|invitation.
620|PURPORT
621|An acarya, or great personality of the Vaisnava school, is
>|very strict in his principles, but although he is as hard
>|as a thunderbolt, sometimes he is as soft as a rose. Thus
>|actually he is independent. He follows all the rules and
>|regulations strictly, but sometimes he slackens this policy.
>| It was known that Lord Caitanya never mixed with the
>|Mayavadi sannyasis, yet He conceded to the request of the
>|brahmana, as stated in the next verse.
622|Adi 7.56
623|TEXT 56
624|TEXT
625|prabhu hasi' nimantrana kaila angikara
626|sannyasire krpa lagi' e bhangi tanhara
627|SYNONYMS
628|prabhu-the Lord; hasi'-smiling; nimantrana-invitation;
>|kaila-made; angikara-acceptance; sannyasire-unto the
>|Mayavadi sannyasis; krpa-to show them mercy; lagi'-for the
>|matter of; e-this; bhangi-gesture; tanhara-His.
629|TRANSLATION
630|Lord Caitanya smiled and accepted the invitation of the
>|brahmana. He made this gesture to show His mercy to the
>|Mayavadi sannyasis.
631|PURPORT
632|Tapana Misra and Candrasekhara appealed to the lotus feet
>|of the Lord regarding their grief at the criticism of Him
>|by the sannyasis in Benares. Caitanya Mahaprabhu merely
>|smiled, yet He wanted to fulfill the desires of His
>|devotees, and the opportunity came when the brahmana came
>|to request Him to accept his invitation to be present in
>|the midst of the other sannyasis. This coincidence was made
>|possible by the omnipotency of the Lord.
633|Adi 7.57
634| TEXT 57
635|TEXT
636|se vipra janena prabhu na ya'na ka'ra ghare
637|tanhara preranaya tanre atyagraha kare
638|SYNONYMS
639|se-that; vipra-brahmana; janena-knew it; prabhu-Lord
>|Caitanya Mahaprabhu; na-never; ya'na-goes; ka'ra-anyone's;
>|ghare-house; tanhara-His; preranaya-by inspiration; tanre-
>|unto Him; atyagraha kare-strongly urging to accept the
>|invitation.
640|TRANSLATION
641| 57>The brahmana knew that Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu never
>|went to anyone else's house, yet due to inspiration from
>|the Lord he earnestly requested Him to accept this
>|invitation.
642|Adi 7.58
643|TEXT 58
644|TEXT
645|ara dine gela prabhu se vipra-bhavane
646|dekhilena, vasiyachena sannyasira gane
647|SYNONYMS
648|ara-next; dine-day; gela-went; prabhu-the Lord; se-that;
>|vipra-brahmana; bhavane-in the house of; dekhilena-He saw;
>|vasiyachena-there were sitting; sannyasira-all the
>|sannyasis; gane-in a group.
649|TRANSLATION
650|The next day, when Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu went to the
>|house of that brahmana, He saw all the sannyasis of Benares
>|sitting there.
651|Adi 7.59
652|TEXT 59
653|TEXT
654|saba namaskari' gela pada-praksalane
655|pada praksalana kari vasila sei sthane
656|SYNONYMS
657|saba-to all; namaskari'-offering obeisances; gela-went;
>|pada-foot; praksalane-for washing; pada-foot; praksalana-
>|washing; kari-finishing; vasila-sat down; sei-in that;
>|sthane-place.
658|TRANSLATION
659|As soon as Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu saw the sannyasis He
>|immediately offered obeisances, and then He went to wash
>|His feet. After washing His feet, He sat down by the place
>|where He had done so.
660|PURPORT
661|By offering His obeisances to the Mayavadi sannyasis, Sri
>|Caitanya Mahaprabhu very clearly exhibited His humbleness
>|to everyone. Vaisnavas must not be disrespectful to anyone,
>|to say nothing of a sannyasi. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu
>|teaches, amanina mana-dena: one should always be respectful
>|to others but should not demand respect for himself. A
>|sannyasi should always walk barefoot, and therefore when he
>|enters a temple or a society of devotees he should first
>|wash his feet and then sit down in a proper place. In India
>|it is still the prevalent custom that one put his shoes in
>|a specified place and then enter the temple barefoot after
>|washing his feet. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is an ideal
>|acarya, and those who follow in His footsteps should
>|practice the methods of devotional life that He teaches us.
662|Adi 7.60
663|TEXT 60
664|TEXT
665|vasiya karila kichu aisvarya prakasa
666|mahatejomaya vapu koti-suryabhasa
667|SYNONYMS
668|vasiya-after sitting; karila-exhibited; kichu-some;
>|aisvarya-mystic power; prakasa-manifested; maha-tejo-maya-
>|very brilliantly; vapu-body; koti-millions; surya-sun;
>|abhasa-reflection.
669|TRANSLATION
670|After sitting on the ground, Caitanya Mahaprabhu exhibited
>|His mystic power by manifesting an effulgence as brilliant
>|as the illumination of millions of suns.
671|PURPORT
672|Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, as the Supreme Personality of
>|Godhead Krsna, is full of all potencies. Therefore it is
>|not remarkable for Him to manifest the illumination of
>|millions of suns. Lord Sri Krsna is known as Yogesvara, the
>|master of all mystic powers. Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu
>|is Lord Krsna Himself; therefore He can exhibit any mystic
>|power.
673|Adi 7.61
674|TEXT 61
675|TEXT
676|prabhave akarsila saba sannyasira mana
677|uthila sannyasi saba chadiya asana
678|SYNONYMS
679|prabhave-by such illumination; akarsila-He attracted; saba-
>|all; sannyasira-the Mayavadi sannyasis; mana-mind; uthila-
>|stood up; sannyasi-all the Mayavadi sannyasis; saba-all;
>|chadiya-giving up; asana-sitting places.
680|TRANSLATION
681|When the sannyasis saw the brilliant illumination of the
>|body of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, their minds were attracted,
>| and they all immediately gave up their sitting places and
>|stood in respect.
682|PURPORT
683|To draw the attention of common men, sometimes saintly
>|persons, acaryas and teachers exhibit extraordinary
>|opulences. This is necessary to attract the attention of
>|fools, but a saintly person should not misuse such power
>|for personal sense gratification like false saints who
>|declare themselves to be God. Even a magician can exhibit
>|extraordinary feats that are not understandable to common
>|men, but this does not mean that the magician is God. It is
>|a most sinful activity to attract attention by exhibiting
>|mystic powers and then to utilize this opportunity to
>|declare oneself to be God. A real saintly person never
>|declares himself to be God but always places himself in the
>|position of a servant of God. For a servant of God there is
>|no need to exhibit mystic powers, and he does not like to
>|do so, but on behalf of the Supreme Personality of Godhead
>|a humble servant of God performs his activities in such a
>|wonderful way that no common man can dare try to act like
>|him. Yet a saintly person never takes credit for such
>|actions because he knows very well that when wonderful
>|things are done on his behalf by the grace of the Supreme
>|Lord, all credit goes to the master and not to the servant.
684|Adi 7.62
685|TEXT 62
686|TEXT
687|prakasananda-name sarva sannyasi-pradhana
688|prabhuke kahila kichu kariya sammana
689|SYNONYMS
690|prakasananda-Prakasananda; name-of the name; sarva-all;
>|sannyasi-pradhana-chief of the Mayavadi sannyasis; prabhuke-
>|unto the Lord; kahila-said; kichu-something; kariya-showing
>|Him; sammana-respect.
691|TRANSLATION
692|The leader of all the Mayavadi sannyasis present was named
>|Prakasananda Sarasvati, and after standing up he addressed
>|Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu as follows with great respect.
693|PURPORT
694|As Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu showed respect to all the
>|Mayavadi sannyasis, similarly the leader of the Mayavadi
>|sannyasis, Prakasananda, also showed his respects to the
>|Lord.
695|Adi 7.63
696|TEXT 63
697|TEXT
698|ihan aisa, ihan aisa, sunaha sripada
699|apavitra sthane vaisa, kiba avasada
700|SYNONYMS
701|ihan aisa-come here; ihan aisa-come here; sunaha-kindly
>|hear; sripada-Your Holiness; apavitra-unholy; sthane-place;
>|vaisa-You are sitting; kiba-what is that; avasada-
>|lamentation.
702|TRANSLATION
703|"Please come here. Please come here, Your Holiness. Why do
>|You sit in that unclean place? What has caused Your
>|lamentation?"
704|PURPORT
705|Here is the distinction between Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu
>|and Prakasananda Sarasvati. In the material world everyone
>|wants to introduce himself as very important and great, but
>|Caitanya Mahaprabhu introduced Himself very humbly and
>|meekly.The Mayavadis were sitting in an exalted position,
>|and Caitanya Mahaprabhu sat in a place that was not even
>|clean. Therefore the Mayavadi sannyasis thought that He
>|must have been aggrieved for some reason, and Prakasananda
>|Sarasvati inquired about the cause for His lamentation.
706|Adi 7.64
707|TEXT 64
708|TEXT
709|prabhu kahe,-ami ha-i hina-sampradaya
710|toma-sabara sabhaya vasite na yuyaya
711|SYNONYMS
712|prabhu kahe-the Lord replied; ami-I; ha-i-am; hina-
>|sampradaya-belonging to a lower spiritual school; toma-
>|sabara-of all of you; sabhaya-in the assembly; vasite-to
>|sit down; na-never; yuyaya-I can dare.
713|TRANSLATION
714|The Lord replied: "I belong to a lower order of sannyasis.
>|Therefore I do not deserve to sit with you."
715|PURPORT
716|Mayavadi sannyasis are always very puffed up because of
>|their knowledge of Sanskrit and because they belong to the
>|Sankara-sampradaya. They are always under the impression
>|that unless one is a brahmana and a very good Sanskrit
>|scholar, especially in grammar, one cannot accept the
>|renounced order of life or become a preacher. Mayavadi
>|sannyasis always misinterpret all the sastras with their
>|word jugglery and grammatical compositions, yet Sripada
>|Sankaracarya himself condemned such jugglery of words in
>|the verse prapte sannihite kale na hi na hi raksati dukrn
>|karane. Dukrn refers to suffixes and prefixes in Sanskrit
>|grammar. Sankaracarya warned his disciples that if they
>|concerned themselves only with the principles of grammar,
>|not worshiping Govinda, they were fools who would never be
>|saved. Yet in spite of Sripada Sankaracarya's instructions,
>|foolish Mayavadi sannyasis are always busy juggling words
>|on the basis of strict Sanskrit grammar.
717|Mayavadi sannyasis are very puffed up if they hold the
>|elevated sannyasa title Tirtha, Asrama or Sarasvati. Even
>|among Mayavadis, those who belong to other sampradayas and
>|hold other titles, such as Vana, Aranya or Bharati, are
>|considered to be lower-grade sannyasis. Sri Caitanya
>|Mahaprabhu accepted sannyasa from the Bharati-sampradaya,
>|and thus He considered Himself a lower sannyasi than
>|Prakasananda Sarasvati. To remain distinct from Vaisnava
>|sannyasis, the sannyasis of the Mayavadi-sampradaya always
>|think themselves to be situated in a very elevated
>|spiritual order, but Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, in order
>|to teach them how to become humble and meek, accepted
>|Himself as belonging to a lower sampradaya of sannyasis.
>|Thus He wanted to point out clearly that a sannyasi is one
>|who is advanced in spiritual knowledge. One who is advanced
>|in spiritual knowledge should be accepted as occupying a
>|better position than those who lack such knowledge.
718|The Mayavadi-sampradaya sannyasis are generally known as
>|Vedantis, as if Vedanta were their monopoly. Actually,
>|however, Vedanti refers to a person who perfectly knows
>|Krsna. As confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita, vedais ca
>|sarvair aham eva vedyah: "By all the Vedas it is Krsna who
>|is to be known. " (Bg. 15.15) The so-called Mayavadi
>|Vedantis do not know who Krsna is; therefore their title of
>|Vedanti, or "knower of Vedanta philosophy," is simply a
>|pretension. Mayavadi sannyasis always think of themselves
>|as real sannyasis and consider sannyasis of the Vaisnava
>|order to be brahmacaris. A brahmacari is supposed to engage
>|in the service of a sannyasi and accept him as his guru.
>|Mayavadi sannyasis therefore declare themselves to be not
>|only gurus but jagad-gurus, or the spiritual masters of the
>|entire world, although, of course, they cannot see the
>|entire world. Sometimes they dress gorgeously and travel on
>|the backs of elephants in processions, and thus they are
>|always puffed up, accepting themselves as jagad-gurus.
>|Srila Rupa Gosvami, however, has explained that jagad-guru
>|properly refers to one who is the controller of his tongue,
>|mind, words, belly, genitals and anger. Prthivim sa sisyat:
>|such a jagad-guru is completely fit to make disciples all
>|over the world. Due to false prestige, Mayavadi sannyasis
>|who do not have these qualifications sometimes harass and
>|blaspheme a Vaisnava sannyasi who humbly engages in the
>|service of the Lord.
719|Adi 7.65
720|TEXT 65
721|TEXT
722|apane prakasananda hatete dhariya
723|vasaila sabha-madhye sammana kariya
724|SYNONYMS
725|apane-personally; prakasananda-Prakasananda; hatete-by His
>|hand; dhariya-capturing; vasaila-made Him sit; sabha-madhye-
>|in the assembly of; sammana-with great respect; kariya-
>|offering Him.
726|TRANSLATION
727|Prakasananda Sarasvati, however, caught Sri Caitanya
>|Mahaprabhu personally by the hand and seated Him with great
>|respect in the midst of the assembly.
728|PURPORT
729|The respectful behavior of Prakasananda Sarasvati toward
>|Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is very much to be appreciated.
>|Such behavior is calculated to be ajnata-sukrti, or pious
>|activities that one executes unknowingly. Thus Sri Caitanya
>|Mahaprabhu very tactfully gave Prakasananda Sarasvati an
>|opportunity to advance in ajnata-sukrti so that in the
>|future he might actually become a Vaisnava sannyasi.
730|Adi 7.66
731|TEXT 66
732|TEXT
733|puchila, tomara nama 'sri-krsna-caitanya'
734|kesava-bharatira sisya, tate tumi dhanya
735|SYNONYMS
736|puchila-inquired; tomara-Your; nama-name; sri-krsna-
>|caitanya-the name Sri Krsna Caitanya; kesava-bharatira
>|sisya-You are a disciple of Kesava Bharati; tate-in that
>|connection; tumi-You are; dhanya-glorious.
737|TRANSLATION
738|Prakasananda Sarasvati then said: "I understand that Your
>|name is Sri Krsna Caitanya. You are a disciple of Sri
>|Kesava Bharati, and therefore You are glorious.
739|Adi 7.67
740|TEXT 67
741|TEXT
742|sampradayika sannyasi tumi, raha ei grame
743|ki karane ama-sabara na kara darsane
744|SYNONYMS
745|sampradayika-of the community; sannyasi-Mayavadi sannyasi;
>|tumi-You are; raha-live; ei-this; grame-in Varanasi; ki
>|karane-for what reason; ama-sabara-with us; na-do not; kara-
>|endeavor; darsane-to mix.
746|TRANSLATION
747|"You belong to our Sankara-sampradaya and live in our
>|village, Varanasi. Why then do You not associate with us?
>|Why is it that You avoid even seeing us?
748|PURPORT
749|A Vaisnava sannyasi or a Vaisnava in the second stage of
>|advancement in spiritual knowledge can understand four
>|principles-namely, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the
>|devotees, the innocent and the jealous-and he behaves
>|differently with each. He tries to increase his love for
>|Godhead, make friendship with devotees and preach Krsna
>|consciousness among the innocent, but he avoids the jealous
>|who are envious of the Krsna consciousness movement. Lord
>|Caitanya Mahaprabhu Himself exemplified such behavior, and
>|this is why Prakasananda Sarasvati inquired why He did not
>|associate or even talk with them. Caitanya Mahaprabhu
>|confirmed by example that a preacher of the Krsna
>|consciousness movement generally should not waste his time
>|talking with Mayavadi sannyasis, but when there are
>|arguments on the basis of sastra, a Vaisnava must come
>|forward to talk and defeat them in philosophy.
750|According to Mayavadi sannyasis, only one who takes
>|sannyasa in the disciplic succession from Sankaracarya is a
>|Vedic sannyasi. Sometimes it is challenged that the
>|sannyasis who are preaching in the Krsna consciousness
>|movement are not genuine because they do not belong to
>|brahmana families, for Mayavadis do not offer sannyasa to
>|one who does not belong to a brahmana family by birth.
>|Unfortunately, however, they do not know that at present
>|everyone is born a sudra (kalau sudra-sambhavah). It is to
>|be understood that there are no brahmanas in this age
>|because those who claim to be brahmanas simply on the basis
>|of birthright do not have the brahminical qualifications.
>|However, even if one is born in a non-brahmana family, if
>|he has the brahminical qualifications he should be accepted
>|as a brahmana, as confirmed by Srila Narada Muni and the
>|great saint Sridhara Svami. This is also stated in Srimad-
>|Bhagavatam. Both Narada and Sridhara Svami completely agree
>|that one cannot be a brahmana by birthright but must
>|possess the qualities of a brahmana. Thus in our Krsna
>|consciousness movement we never offer the sannyasa order to
>|a person whom we do not find to be qualified in terms of
>|the prescribed brahminical principles. Although it is a
>|fact that unless one is a brahmana he cannot become a
>|sannyasi, it is not a valid principle that an unqualified
>|man who is born in a brahmana family is a brahmana whereas
>|a brahminically qualified person born in a non-brahmana
>|family cannot be accepted. The Krsna consciousness movement
>|strictly follows the injunctions of Srimad-Bhagavatam,
>|avoiding misleading heresy and manufactured conclusions.
751|Adi 7.68
752|TEXT 68
753|TEXT
754|sannyasi ha-iya kara nartana-gayana
755|bhavuka saba sange lana kara sankirtana
756|SYNONYMS
757|sannyasi-the renounced order of life; ha-iya-accepting;
>|kara-You do; nartana-gayana-dancing and chanting; bhavuka-
>|fanatics; saba-all; sange-in Your company; lana-accepting
>|them; kara-You do; sankirtana-chanting of the holy name of
>|the Lord.
758|TRANSLATION
759|"You are a sannyasi. Why then do You indulge in chanting
>|and dancing, engaging in Your sankirtana movement in the
>|company of fanatics?
760|PURPORT
761|This is a challenge by Prakasananda Sarasvati to Sri
>|Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati
>|Thakura writes in his Anubhasya that Sri Caitanya
>|Mahaprabhu, who is the object of Vedanta philosophical
>|research, has very kindly determined who is an appropriate
>|candidate for study of Vedanta philosophy. The first
>|qualification of such a candidate is expressed by Sri
>|Caitanya Mahaprabhu in His Siksastaka:
762|trnad api sunicena
763|taror iva sahisnuna
764|amanina manadena
765|kirtaniyah sada harih
766|This statement indicates that one can hear or speak about
>|Vedanta philosophy through the disciplic succession. One
>|must be very humble and meek, more tolerant than a tree and
>|more humble than the grass. One should not claim respect
>|for himself but should be prepared to give all respect to
>|others. One must have these qualifications to be eligible
>|to understand Vedic knowledge.
767|Adi 7.69
768|TEXT 69
769|TEXT
770|vedanta-pathana, dhyana,-sannyasira dharma
771|taha chadi' kara kene bhavukera karma
772|SYNONYMS
773|vedanta-pathana-studying Vedanta philosophy; dhyana-
>|meditation; sannyasira-of a sannyasi; dharma-duties; taha
>|chadi'-giving them up; kara-You do; kene-why; bhavukera-of
>|the fanatics; karma-activities.
774|TRANSLATION
775|"Meditation and the study of Vedanta are the sole duties of
>|a sannyasi. Why do You abandon these to dance with fanatics?
776|PURPORT
777|As explained in regard to verse 41, Mayavadi sannyasis do
>|not approve of chanting and dancing. Prakasananda Sarasvati,
>| like Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya, misunderstood Sri Caitanya
>|Mahaprabhu to be a misled young sannyasi, and therefore he
>|asked Him why He indulged in the association of fanatics
>|instead of executing the duty of a sannyasi.
778|Adi 7.70
779|TEXT 70
780|TEXT
781|prabhave dekhiye toma saksat narayana
782|hinacara kara kene, ithe ki karana
783|SYNONYMS
784|prabhave-in Your opulence; dekhiye-I see; toma-You; saksat-
>|directly; narayana-the Supreme Personality of Godhead; hina-
>|acara-lower-class behavior; kara-You do; kene-why; ithe-in
>|this; ki-what is; karana-reason.
785|TRANSLATION
786|"You look as brilliant as if You were Narayana Himself.
>|Will You kindly explain the reason that You have adopted
>|the behavior of lower-class people?"
787|PURPORT
788|Due to renunciation, Vedanta study, meditation and the
>|strict regulative principles of their daily routine,
>|Mayavadi sannyasis are certainly in a position to execute
>|pious activities. Thus Prakasananda Sarasvati, on account
>|of his piety, could understand that Caitanya Mahaprabhu was
>|not an ordinary person but the Supreme Personality of
>|Godhead. Saksat narayana: he considered Him to be Narayana
>|Himself. Mayavadi sannyasis address one another as Narayana
>|because they think that they are all going to be Narayana
>|or merge with Narayana in the next life. Prakasananda
>|Sarasvati appreciated that Caitanya Mahaprabhu had already
>|directly become Narayana and did not need to wait until His
>|next life. One difference between the Vaisnava and Mayavadi
>|philosophies is that Mayavadi philosophers think that after
>|giving up their bodies they are going to become Narayana by
>|merging with His body, whereas Vaisnava philosophers
>|understand that after the body dies they are going to have
>|a transcendental, spiritual body in which to associate with
>|Narayana.
789|Adi 7.71
790|TEXT 71
791|TEXT
792|prabhu kahe-suna, sripada, ihara karana
793|guru more murkha dekhi' karila sasana
794|SYNONYMS
795|prabhu kahe-the Lord replied; suna-kindly hear; sripada-
>|Your Holiness; ihara-of this; karana-reason; guru-My
>|spiritual master; more-Me; murkha-fool; dekhi'-
>|understanding; karila-he did; sasana-chastisement.
796|TRANSLATION
797|Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu replied to Prakasananda Sarasvati, "
>|My dear sir, kindly hear the reason. My spiritual master
>|considered Me a fool, and therefore he chastised Me.
798|PURPORT
799|When Prakasananda Sarasvati inquired from Lord Caitanya
>|Mahaprabhu why He neither studied Vedanta nor performed
>|meditation, Lord Caitanya presented Himself as a number one
>|fool in order to indicate that the present age, Kali-yuga,
>|is an age of fools and rascals in which it is not possible
>|to obtain perfection simply by reading Vedanta philosophy
>|and meditating. The sastras strongly recommend:.
800|harer nama harer nama
801|harer namaiva kevalam
802|kalau nasty eva nasty eva
803|nasty eva gatir anyatha
804|"In this age of quarrel and hypocrisy the only means of
>|deliverance is the chanting of the holy names of the Lord.
>|There is no other way. There is no other way. There is no
>|other way." People in general in Kali-yuga are so fallen
>|that it is not possible for them to obtain perfection
>|simply by studying the Vedanta-sutra. One should therefore
>|seriously take to the constant chanting of the holy name of
>|the Lord.
805|Adi 7.72
806|TEXT 72
807|TEXT
808|murkha tumi, tomara nahika vedantadhikara
809|'krsna-mantra' japa sada,-ei mantra-sara
810|SYNONYMS
811|murkha tumi-You are a fool; tomara-Your; nahika-there is
>|not; vedanta-Vedanta philosophy; adhikara-qualification to
>|study; krsna-mantra-the hymn of Krsna (Hare Krsna); japa-
>|chant; sada-always; ei-this; mantra-hymn; sara-essence of
>|all Vedic knowledge.
812|TRANSLATION
813|" 'You are a fool,' he said. 'You are not qualified to
>|study Vedanta philosophy, and therefore You must always
>|chant the holy name of Krsna. This is the essence of all
>|mantras, or Vedic hymns.
814|PURPORT
815|Sri Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Maharaja comments in
>|this connection, "One can become perfectly successful in
>|the mission of his life if he acts exactly according to the
>|words he hears from the mouth of his spiritual master."
>|This acceptance of the words of the spiritual master is
>|called srauta-vakya, which indicates that the disciple must
>|carry out the spiritual master's instructions without
>|deviation. Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura remarks in
>|this connection that a disciple must accept the words of
>|his spiritual master as his life and soul. Sri Caitanya
>|Mahaprabhu here confirms this by saying that since His
>|spiritual master ordered Him only to chant the holy name of
>|Krsna, He always chanted the Hare Krsna maha-mantra
>|according to this direction ('krsna-mantra' japa sada,-ei
>|mantra-sara).
816|Krsna is the origin of everything. Therefore when a person
>|is fully Krsna conscious it is to be understood that his
>|relationship with Krsna has been fully confirmed. Lacking
>|Krsna consciousness, one is only partially related with
>|Krsna and is therefore not in his constitutional position.
>|Although Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is the Supreme Personality
>|of Godhead Krsna, the spiritual master of the entire
>|universe, He nevertheless took the position of a disciple
>|in order to teach by example how a devotee should strictly
>|follow the orders of a spiritual master in executing the
>|duty of always chanting the Hare Krsna maha-mantra. One who
>|is very much attracted to the study of Vedanta philosophy
>|must take lessons from Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. In this age,
>| no one is actually competent to study Vedanta, and
>|therefore it is better that one chant the holy name of the
>|Lord, which is the essence of all Vedic knowledge, as Krsna
>|Himself confirms in the Bhagavad-gita (15.15):
817|vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyo
818|vedanta-krd veda-vid eva caham
819|"By all the Vedas, I am to be known. Indeed, I am the
>|compiler of Vedanta, and I am the knower of the Vedas."
820|Only fools give up the service of the spiritual master and
>|think themselves advanced in spiritual knowledge. In order
>|to check such fools, Caitanya Mahaprabhu Himself presented
>|the perfect example of how to be a disciple. A spiritual
>|master knows very well how to engage each disciple in a
>|particular duty, but if a disciple, thinking himself more
>|advanced than his spiritual master, gives up his orders and
>|acts independently, he checks his own spiritual progress.
>|Every disciple must consider himself completely unaware of
>|the science of Krsna and must always be ready to carry out
>|the orders of the spiritual master to become competent in
>|Krsna consciousness. A disciple should always remain a fool
>|before his spiritual master. Therefore sometimes
>|pseudospiritualists accept a spiritual
>|master who is not even fit to become a disciple because
>|they want to keep him under their control. This is useless
>|for spiritual realization.
821|One who imperfectly knows Krsna consciousness cannot know
>|Vedanta philosophy. A showy display of Vedanta study
>|without Krsna consciousness is a feature of the external
>|energy, maya, and as long as one is attracted by the
>|inebrieties of this ever-changing material energy, he
>|deviates from devotion to the Supreme Personality of
>|Godhead. An actual follower of Vedanta philosophy is a
>|devotee of Lord Visnu, who is the greatest of the great and
>|the maintainer of the entire universe. Unless one surpasses
>|the field of activities in service to the limited, one
>|cannot reach the unlimited. Knowledge of the unlimited is
>|actual brahma-jnana, or knowledge of the Supreme. Those who
>|are addicted to fruitive activities and speculative
>|knowledge cannot understand the value of holy name of
>|Lord Krsna, which is always completely pure, eternally
>|liberated and full of spiritual bliss. One who has taken
>|shelter of the holy name of the Lord, which is identical
>|with the Lord, does not have to study Vedanta philosophy,
>|for he has already completed all such study.
822|One who is unfit to chant the holy name of Krsna but thinks
>|that the holy name is different from Krsna and thus takes
>|shelter of Vedanta study in order to understand Him must be
>|considered a number one fool, as confirmed by Caitanya
>|Mahaprabhu by His personal behavior, and philosophical
>|speculators who want to make Vedanta philosophy an academic
>|career are also considered to be within the material energy.
>| A person who always chants the holy name of the Lord,
>|however, is already beyond the ocean of nescience, and thus
>|even a person born in a low family who engages in chanting
>|the holy name of the Lord is considered to be beyond the
>|study of Vedanta philosophy. In this connection Srimad-
>|Bhagavatam (3.33.7) states:
823|aho bata sva-paco 'to gariyan
824|yaj-jihvagre vartate nama tubhyam
825|tepus tapas te juhuvuh sasnur arya
826|brahmanucur nama grnanti ye te
827|"If a person born in a family of dog-eaters takes to the
>|chanting of the holy name of Krsna, it is to be understood
>|that in his previous life he must have executed all kinds
>|of austerities and penances and performed all the Vedic
>|yajnas." Another quotation states:
828|rg-vedo 'tha yajur-vedah sama-vedo 'py atharvanah
829|adhitas tena yenoktam harir ity aksara-dvayam
830|"A person who chants the two syllables ha-ri has already
>|studied the four Vedas-Sama, Rg, Yajur and Atharva."
831|Taking advantage of these verses, there are some sahajiyas
>|who, taking everything very cheaply, consider themselves
>|elevated Vaisnavas but do not care even to touch the
>|Vedanta-sutra or Vedanta philosophy. A real Vaisnava should,
>| however, study Vedanta philosophy, but if after studying
>|Vedanta one does not adopt the chanting of the holy name of
>|the Lord, he is no better than a Mayavadi. Therefore, one
>|should not be a Mayavadi, yet one should not be unaware of
>|the subject matter of Vedanta philosophy. Indeed, Caitanya
>|Mahaprabhu exhibited His knowledge of Vedanta in His
>|discourses with Prakasananda Sarasvati. Thus it is to be
>|understood that a Vaisnava should be completely conversant
>|with Vedanta philosophy, yet he should not think that
>|studying Vedanta is all in all and therefore be unattached
>|to the chanting of the holy name. A devotee must know the
>|importance of simultaneously understanding Vedanta
>|philosophy and chanting the holy names. If by studying
>|Vedanta one becomes an impersonalist, he has not been able
>|to understand Vedanta. This is confirmed in the Bhagavad-
>|gita (15.15). Vedanta means "the end of knowledge." The
>|ultimate end of knowledge is knowledge of Krsna, who is
>|identical with His holy name. Cheap Vaisnavas (sahajiyas)
>|do not care to study the Vedanta philosophy as commented
>|upon by the four acaryas. In the Gaudiya-sampradaya there
>|is a Vedanta commentary called the Govinda-bhasya, but the
>|sahajiyas consider such commentaries to be untouchable
>|philosophical speculation, and they consider the acaryas to
>|be mixed devotees. Thus they clear their way to hell.
832|Adi 7.73
833|TEXT 73
834|TEXT
835|krsna-mantra haite habe samsara-mocana
836|krsna-nama haite pabe krsnera carana
837|SYNONYMS
838|krsna-mantra-the chanting of the Hare Krsna maha-mantra;
>|haite-from; habe-it will be; samsara-material existence;
>|mocana-delilverance; krsna-nama-the holy name of Lord Krsna;
>| haite-from; pabe-one will get; krsnera-of Lord Krsna;
>|carana-lotus feet.
839|TRANSLATION
840|"Simply by chanting the holy name of Krsna one can obtain
>|freedom from material existence. Indeed, simply by chanting
>|the Hare Krsna mantra one will be able to see the lotus
>|feet of the Lord.
841|PURPORT
842|In his Anubhasya, Sri Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami
>|says that the actual effect that will be visible as soon as
>|one achieves transcendental knowledge is that he will
>|immediately become free from the clutches of maya and fully
>|engage in the service of the Lord. Unless one serves the
>|Supreme Personality of Godhead Mukunda, one cannot become
>|free from fruitive activities under the external energy.
>|However, when one chants the holy name of the Lord
>|offenselessly, one can realize a transcendental position
>|that is completely aloof from the material conception of
>|life. Rendering service to the Lord, a devotee relates to
>|the Supreme Personality of Godhead in one of five
>|relationships-namely, santa, dasya, sakhya, vatsalya or
>|madhurya-and thus he relishes transcendental bliss in that
>|relationship. Such a relationship certainly transcends the
>|body and mind. When one realizes that the holy name of the
>|Lord is identical with the Supreme Person, he becomes
>|completely eligible to chant the holy name of the Lord.
>|Such an ecstatic chanter and dancer must be considered to
>|have a direct relationship with the Lord.
843|According to the Vedic principles, there are three stages
>|of spiritual advancement, namely, sambandha-jnana,
>|abhidheya and prayojana. Sambandha-jnana refers to
>|establishing one's original relationship with the Supreme
>|Personality of Godhead, abhidheya refers to acting
>|according to that constitutional relationship, and
>|prayojana is the ultimate goal of life, which is to develop
>|love of Godhead (prema pum-artho mahan). If one adheres to
>|the regulative principles under the order of the spiritual
>|master, he very easily achieves the ultimate goal of his
>|life. A person who is addicted to the chanting of the Hare
>|Krsna mantra very easily gets the opportunity to serve the
>|Supreme Personality of Godhead directly. There is no need
>|for such a person to understand the grammatical jugglery in
>|which Mayavadi sannyasis generally indulge. Sri
>|Sankaracarya also stressed this point: na hi na hi raksati
>|dukrn karane. "Simply by juggling grammatical suffixes and
>|prefixes one cannot save himself from the clutches of death.
>|" The grammatical word jugglers cannot bewilder a devotee
>|who engages in chanting the Hare Krsna maha-mantra. Simply
>|addressing the energy of the Supreme Lord as Hare and the
>|Lord Himself as Krsna very soon situates the Lord within
>|the heart of the devotee. By thus addressing Radha and
>|Krsna, one directly engages in His Lordship's service. The
>|essence of all revealed scriptures and all knowledge is
>|present when one addresses the Lord and His energy by the
>|Hare Krsna mantra, for this transcendental vibration can
>|completely liberate a conditioned soul and directly engage
>|him in the service of the Lord.
844|Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu presented Himself as a grand fool,
>|yet He maintained that all the words that He had heard from
>|His spiritual master strictly followed the principles
>|stated by Vyasadeva in Srimad-Bhagavatam (1.7.6).
845|anarthopasamam saksad
846|bhakti- yogam adhoksaje
847|lokasyajanato vidvams
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
848|cakre satvata-samhitam
849|"The material miseries of a living entity, which are
>|superfluous to him, can be directly mitigated by the
>|linking process of devotional service. But the mass of
>|people do not know this, and therefore the learned
>|Vyasadeva compiled this Vedic scripture [Srimad-Bhagavatam],
>| which is in relation to the Supreme Truth." One can
>|overcome all misconceptions and entanglement in the
>|material world by practicing bhakti-yoga, and therefore
>|Vyasadeva, acting on the instruction of Sri Narada, has
>|very kindly introduced Srimad-Bhagavatam to relieve the
>|conditioned souls from the clutches of maya. Lord Caitanya'
>|s spiritual master instructed Him, therefore, that one must
>|read Srimad-Bhagavatam regularly and with scrutiny to
>|gradually become attached to the chanting of the Hare Krsna
>|maha-mantra.
850|The holy name and the Lord are identical. One who is
>|completely free from the clutches of maya can understand
>|this fact. This knowledge, which is achieved by the mercy
>|of the spiritual master, places one on the supreme
>|transcendental platform. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu presented
>|Himself as a fool because prior to accepting the shelter of
>|a spiritual master He could not understand that simply by
>|chanting one can be relieved from all material conditions.
>|But as soon as He became a faithful servant of His
>|spiritual master and followed his instructions, He very
>|easily saw the path of liberation. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu'
>|s chanting of the Hare Krsna mantra must be understood to
>|be devoid of all offenses. The ten offenses against the
>|holy name are as follows: (1) to blaspheme a devotee of the
>|Lord, (2) to consider the Lord and the demigods to be on
>|the same level or to think that there are many gods, (3) to
>|neglect the orders of the spiritual master, (4) to minimize
>|the authority of scriptures (Vedas), (5) to interpret the
>|holy name of God, (6) to commit sins on the strength of
>|chanting, (7) to instruct the glories of the Lord's name to
>|the unfaithful, (8) to compare the chanting of the holy
>|name with material piety, (9) to be inattentive while
>|chanting the holy name, and (10) to be attached to material
>|things in spite of chanting the holy name.
851|Adi 7.74
852|TEXT 74
853|TEXT
854|nama vinu kali-kale nahi ara dharma
855|sarva-mantra-sara nama, ei sastra-marma
856|SYNONYMS
857|nama-the holy name; vinu-without; kali-kale-in this Age of
>|Kali; nahi-there is none; ara-or any alternative; dharma-
>|religious principle; sarva-all; mantra-hymns; sara-essence;
>|nama-the holy name; ei-this is; sastra-revealed scriptures;
>|marma-purport.
858|TRANSLATION
859|" 'In this Age of Kali there is no religious principle
>|other than the chanting of the holy name, which is the
>|essence of all Vedic hymns. This is the purport of all
>|scriptures.'
860|PURPORT
861|The principles of the parampara system were strictly
>|honored in previous ages-Satya-yuga, Treta-yuga and Dvapara-
>|yuga-but in the present age, Kali-yuga, people neglect the
>|importance of this system of srauta-parampara, or receiving
>|knowledge by disciplic succession. In this age, people are
>|prepared to argue that they can understand that which is
>|beyond their limited knowledge and perception through so-
>|called scientific observations and experiments, not knowing
>|that actual truth comes down to man from authorities. This
>|argumentative attitude is against the Vedic principles, and
>|it is very difficult for one who adopts it to understand
>|that the holy name of Krsna is as good as Krsna Himself.
>|Since Krsna and His holy name are identical, the holy name
>|is eternally pure and beyond material contamination. It is
>|the Supreme Personality of Godhead as a transcendental
>|vibration. The holy name is completely different from
>|material sound, as confirmed by Narottama dasa Thakura:
>|golokera prema-dhana, hari-nama-sankirtana. The
>|transcendental vibration of hari-nama-sankirtana is
>|imported from the spiritual world. Thus although
>|materialists who are addicted to experimental knowledge and
>|the so-called "scientific method" cannot place their faith
>|in the chanting of the Hare Krsna maha-mantra, it is a fact
>|that simply by chanting the Hare Krsna mantra offenselessly
>|one can be freed from all subtle and gross material
>|conditions. The spiritual world is called Vaikuntha, which
>|means "without anxiety." In the material world everything
>|is full of anxiety (kuntha), whereas in the spiritual world
>|(Vaikuntha) everything is free from anxiety. Therefore
>|those who are afflicted by a combination of anxieties
>|cannot understand the Hare Krsna mantra, which is free from
>|all anxiety. In the present age the vibration of the Hare
>|Krsna maha-mantra is the only process that is in a
>|transcendental position, beyond material contamination.
>|Since the holy name can deliver a conditioned soul, it is
>|explained here to be sarva-mantra-sara, the essence of all
>|Vedic hymns.
862|A name that represents an object of this material world may
>|be subjected to arguments and experimental knowledge, but
>|in the absolute world a name and its owner, the fame and
>|the famous, are identical, and similarly the qualities,
>|pastimes and everything else pertaining to the Absolute are
>|also absolute. Although Mayavadis profess monism, they
>|differentiate between the holy name of the Supreme Lord and
>|the Lord Himself. For this offense of namaparadha they
>|gradually glide down from their exalted position of brahma-
>|jnana, as confirmed in Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.2.32):
863|aruhya krcchrena param padam tatah
864|patanty adho 'nadrta-yusmad-anghrayah
865|Although by severe austerities they rise to the exalted
>|position of brahma-jnana, they nevertheless fall down due
>|to imperfect knowledge of the Absolute Truth. Although they
>|profess to understand the Vedic mantra sarvam khalv idam
>|brahma (Chandogya Upanisad 3.14.1), which means "
>|Everything is Brahman," they are unable to understand that
>|the holy name is also Brahman. If they regularly chant the
>|maha-mantra, however, they can be relieved from this
>|misconception. Unless one properly takes shelter of the
>|holy name, he cannot be relieved from the offensive stage
>|in chanting the holy name.
866|Adi 7.75
867|TEXT 75
868|TEXT
869|eta bali' eka sloka sikhaila more
870|kanthe kari' ei sloka kariha vicare
871|SYNONYMS
872|eta bali'-saying this; eka sloka-one verse; sikhaila-taught;
>| more-Me; kanthe-in the throat; kari'-keeping; ei-this;
>|sloka-verse; kariha-You should do; vicare-in consideration.
873|TRANSLATION
874|"After describing the potency of the Hare Krsna maha-mantra,
>| My spiritual master taught Me another verse, advising Me
>|to always keep it within My throat.
875|Adi 7.76
876|TEXT 76
877|TEXT
878|harer nama harer nama
879|harer namaiva kevalam
880|kalau nasty eva nasty eva
881|nasty eva gatir anyatha
882|SYNONYMS
883|hareh nama-the holy name of the Lord; hareh nama-the holy
>|name of the Lord; hareh nama-the holy name of the Lord; eva-
>|certainly; kevalam-only; kalau-in this Age of Kali; na asti-
>|there is none; eva-certainly; na asti-there is none; eva-
>|certainly; na asti-there is none; eva-certainly; gatih-
>|progress; anyatha-otherwise.
884|TRANSLATION
885|" 'For spiritual progress in this Age of Kali, there is no
>|alternative, there is no alternative, there is no
>|alternative to the holy name, the holy name, the holy name
>|of the Lord.'
886|PURPORT
887|For progress in spiritual life, the sastras recommend
>|meditation in Satya-yuga, sacrifice for the satisfaction of
>|Lord Visnu in Treta-yuga and gorgeous worship of the Lord
>|in the temple in Dvapara-yuga, but in the Age of Kali one
>|can achieve spiritual progress only by chanting the holy
>|name of the Lord. This is confirmed in various scriptures.
>|In Srimad-Bhagavatam there are many references to this fact.
>| In the Twelfth Canto (12.3.51) it is said , kirtanad eva
>|krsnasya mukta-sangah param vrajet: In the Age of Kali
>|there are many faults, for people are subjected to many
>|miserable conditions, yet in this age there is one great
>|benediction-simply by chanting the Hare Krsna mantra one
>|can be freed from all material contamination and thus be
>|elevated to the spiritual world. The Narada-pancaratra also
>|praises the Hare Krsna maha-mantra as follows:
888|trayo vedah sad- angani
889|chandamsi vividhah surah
890|sarvam astaksarantahstham
891|yac canyad api van
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|-
>|mayam
892|sarva -vedanta - sararthah
893|samsararnava -taranah
>|
894|"The essence of all Vedic knowledge-comprehending the
>|three kinds of Vedic activity [karma-kanda, jnana-kanda and
>|upasana- kanda], the chandas, or Vedic hymns, and the
>|processes for satisfying the demigods-is included in the
>|eight syllables Hare Kisna, Hare Krsna. This is the reality
>|of all Vedanta . The chanting of the holy name is the only
>|means to cross the ocean of nescience." Similarly, the Kali-
>|santarana Upanisad states, "Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna
>|Krsna, Hare Hare Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare-
>| these sixteen names composed of thirty- two
>|syllables are the only means to counteract the evil effects
>|of Kali-yuga. In all the Vedas it is seen that to cross the
>|ocean of nescience there is no alternative to the chanting
>|of the holy name." Similarly, Sri Madhvacarya, while
>|commenting upon the Mundaka Upanisad, has said:
895|dvapariyair janair visnuh
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
896|pancaratrais tu kevalaih
897|kalau tu nama-matrena
898|pujyate bhagavan harih
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
899|"In the Dvapara-yuga one could satisfy Krsna or Visnu only
>|by worshiping Him gorgeously according to the pancaratriki
>|system, but in the Age of Kali one can satisfy and worship
>|the Supreme Personality of Godhead Hari simply by chanting
>|the holy name." In his Bhakti-sandarbha (verse 284), Srila
>|Jiva Gosvami strongly emphasizes the chanting of the holy
>|name of the Lord as follows:
900|nanu bhagavan-namatmaka eva mantrah, tatra visesena namah-
>|sabdady-alankrtah sri-bhagavata srimad-rsibhis cahita-sakti-
>|visesah, sri-bhagavata samam atma-sambandha-visesa-
>|pratipadakas ca tatra kevalani sri-bhagavan-namany api
>|nirapeksany eva parama-purusartha-phala-paryanta-dana-
>|samarthani tato mantresu namato 'py adhika-samarthye labdhe
>|katham diksady-apeksa. ucyate-yady api svarupato nasti,
>|tathapi prayah svabhavato dehadi-sambandhena kadarya-
>|silanam viksipta-cittanam jananam tat-sankoci-karanaya
>|srimad-rsi-prabhrtibhir atrarcana-marge kvacit kvacit kacit
>|kacin maryada sthapitasti.
901|Srila Jiva Gosvami states that the substance of all the
>|Vedic mantras is the chanting of the holy name of the Lord.
>|Every mantra begins with the prefix nama om and eventually
>|addresses by name the Supreme Personality of Godhead. By
>|the supreme will of the Lord there is a specific potency in
>|each and every mantra chanted by great sages like Narada
>|Muni and other rsis. Chanting the holy name of the Lord
>|immediately renovates the transcendental relationship of
>|the living being with the Supreme Lord.
902|To chant the holy name of the Lord, one need not depend
>|upon other paraphernalia, for one can immediately get all
>|the desired results of connecting or linking with the
>|Supreme Personality of Godhead. It may therefore be
>|questioned why there is a necessity for initiation or
>|further spiritual activities in devotional service for one
>|who engages in the chanting of the holy name of the Lord.
>|The answer is that although it is correct that one who
>|fully engages in chanting the holy name need not depend
>|upon the process of initiation, generally a devotee is
>|addicted to many abominable material habits due to material
>|contamination from his previous life. In order to get quick
>|relief from all these contaminations, it is required that
>|one engage in the worship of the Lord in the temple. The
>|worship of the Deity in the temple is essential to reduce
>|one's restlessness due to the contaminations of conditioned
>|life. Thus Narada, in his pancaratriki-vidhi, and other
>|great sages have sometimes stressed that since every
>|conditioned soul has a bodily concept of life aimed at
>|sense enjoyment, to restrict this sense enjoyment the rules
>|and regulations for worshiping the Deity in the temple are
>|essential. Srila Rupa Gosvami has described that the holy
>|name of the Lord can be chanted by liberated souls, but
>|almost all the souls we have to initiate are conditioned.
>|It is advised that one chant the holy name of the Lord
>|without offenses and according to the regulative principles,
>| yet due to their past bad habits they violate these rules
>|and regulations. Thus the regulative principles for worship
>|of the Deity are also simultaneously essential.
903|Adi 7.77
904|TEXT 77
905|TEXT
906|ei ajna pana nama la-i anuksana
907|nama laite laite mora bhranta haila mana
908|SYNONYMS
909|ei-this; ajna-order; pana-receiving; nama-the holy name; la-
>|i-chant; anuksana-always; nama-the holy name; laite-
>|accepting; laite-accepting; mora-My; bhranta-bewilderment;
>|haila-taking place; mana-in the mind.
910|TRANSLATION
911|"Since I received this order from My spiritual master, I
>|always chant the holy name, but I think that by chanting
>|and chanting the holy name I have been bewildered.
912|Adi 7.78
913|TEXT 78
914|TEXT
915|dhairya dharite nari, hailama unmatta
916|hasi, kandi, naci, gai, yaiche madamatta
917|SYNONYMS
918|dhairya-patience; dharite-capturing; nari-unable to take;
>|hailama-I have become; unmatta-mad after it; hasi-laugh;
>|kandi-cry; naci-dance; gai-sing; yaiche-as much as;
>|madamatta-madman.
919|TRANSLATION
920|"While chanting the holy name of the Lord in pure ecstasy,
>|I lose myself, and thus I laugh, cry, dance and sing just
>|like a madman.
921|Adi 7.79
922|TEXT 79
923|TEXT
924|tabe dhairya dhari' mane karilun vicara
925|krsna-name jnanacchanna ha-ila amara
926|SYNONYMS
927|tabe-thereafter; dhairya-patience; dhari'-accepting; mane-
>|in the mind; karilun-I did; vicara-consideration; krsna-
>|name-in the holy name of Krsna; jnana acchanna-covering of
>|My knowledge; ha-ila-has become; amara-of Me.
928|TRANSLATION
929|"Collecting My patience, therefore, I began to consider
>|that chanting the holy name of Krsna had covered all My
>|spiritual knowledge.
930|PURPORT
931|Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu hints in this verse that to chant
>|the holy name of Krsna one does not need to speculate on
>|the philosophical aspects of the science of God, for one
>|automatically becomes ecstatic and without consideration
>|immediately chants, dances, laughs, cries and sings just
>|like a madman.
932|Adi 7.80
933|TEXT 80
934|TEXT
935|pagala ha-ilan ami, dhairya nahi mane
936|eta cinti' nivedilun gurura carane
937|SYNONYMS
938|pagala-madman; ha-ilan-I have become; ami-I; dhairya-
>|patience; nahi-not; mane-in the mind; eta-thus; cinti'-
>|considering; nivedilun-I submitted; gurura-of the spiritual
>|master; carane-at his lotus feet.
939|TRANSLATION
940|"I saw that I had become mad by chanting the holy name, and
>|I immediately submitted this at the lotus feet of my
>|spiritual master.
941|PURPORT
942|Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, as an ideal teacher, shows us how
>|a disciple should deal with his spiritual master. Whenever
>|there is doubt regarding any point, he should refer the
>|matter to his spiritual master for clarification. Sri
>|Caitanya Mahaprabhu said that while chanting and dancing He
>|had developed the kind of mad ecstasy that is possible only
>|for a liberated soul. Yet even in His liberated position,
>|He referred everything to His spiritual master whenever
>|there were doubts. Thus in any condition, even when
>|liberated, we should never think ourselves independent of
>|the spiritual master, but must refer to him as soon as
>|there is some doubt regarding our progressive spiritual
>|life.
943|Adi 7.81
944|TEXT 81
945|TEXT
946|kiba mantra dila, gosani, kiba tara bala
947|japite japite mantra karila pagala
948|SYNONYMS
949|kiba-what kind of; mantra-hymn; dila-you have given; gosani-
>|My lord; kiba-what is; tara-its; bala-strength; japite-
>|chanting; japite-chanting; mantra-the hymn; karila-has made
>|Me; pagala-madman.
950|TRANSLATION
951|" 'My dear lord, what kind of mantra have you given Me? I
>|have become mad simply by chanting this maha-mantra!
952|PURPORT
953|Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu prays in His Siksastaka:
954|yugayitam nimesena
955|caksusa pravrsayitam
956|sunyayitam jagat sarvam
957|govinda-virahena me
958|"O Govinda! Feeling Your separation, I am considering a
>|moment to be like twelve years or more. Tears are flowing
>|from my eyes like torrents of rain, and I am feeling all
>|vacant in the world in Your absence." It is the aspiration
>|of a devotee that while he chants the Hare Krsna maha-
>|mantra his eyes will fill with tears, his voice falter and
>|his heart throb. These are good signs in chanting the holy
>|name of the Lord. In ecstasy, one should feel the entire
>|world to be vacant without the presence of Govinda. This is
>|a sign of separation from Govinda. In material life we are
>|all separated from Govinda and are absorbed in material
>|sense gratification. Therefore, when one comes to his
>|senses on the spiritual platform he becomes so eager to
>|meet Govinda that without Govinda the entire world becomes
>|a vacant place.
959|Adi 7.82
960|TEXT 82
961|TEXT
962|hasaya, nacaya, more karaya krandana
963|eta suni' guru hasi balila vacana
964|SYNONYMS
965|hasaya-it causes Me to laugh; nacaya-it causes Me to dance;
>|more-unto Me; karaya-it causes; krandana-crying; eta-thus;
>|suni'-hearing; guru-My spiritual master; hasi-smiling;
>|balila-said; vacana-words.
966|TRANSLATION
967|" 'Chanting the holy name in ecstasy causes Me to dance,
>|laugh and cry.' When My spiritual master heard all this, he
>|smiled and then began to speak.
968|PURPORT
969|When a disciple very perfectly makes progress in spiritual
>|life, this gladdens the spiritual master, who then also
>|smiles in ecstasy, thinking, "How successful my disciple
>|has become!" He feels so glad that he smiles as he enjoys
>|the progress of the disciple, just as a smiling parent
>|enjoys the activities of a child who is trying to stand up
>|or crawl perfectly.
970|Adi 7.83
971|TEXT 83
972|TEXT
973|krsna-nama-maha-mantrera ei ta' svabhava
974|yei jape, tara krsne upajaye bhava
975|SYNONYMS
976|krsna-nama-the holy name of Krsna; maha-mantrera-of the
>|supreme hymn; ei ta'-this is its; svabhava-nature; yei-
>|anyone; jape-chants; tara-his; krsne-unto Krsna; upajaye-
>|develops; bhava-ecstasy.
977|TRANSLATION
978|It is the nature of the Hare Krsna maha-mantra that
>|anyone who chants it immediately develops his loving
>|ecstasy for Krsna.
979|PURPORT
980|In this verse it is explained that one who chants the Hare
>|Krsna mantra develops bhava, ecstasy, which is the point at
>|which revelation begins. It is the preliminary stage in
>|developing one's original love for God. Lord Krsna mentions
>|this bhava stage in the Bhagavad-gita (10.8):
981|aham sarvasya prabhavo
982|mattah sarvam pravartate
983|iti matva bhajante mam
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
984|budha bhava
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|-
>|samanvitah
985|"I am the source of
>|all spiritual and
>|
>| material worlds
>|. Everything
>| emanates
>|
>|from Me
>|.
>|the wise who
>|
>|
>| know
>|
>|
>|
>|
>| this perfectly
>| engage
>| in My devotional service
>|
>|
>| and worship Me with
>| all their
>|hearts. "
986|A neophyte disciple begins by hearing and chanting,
>|associating with devotees and practicing the regulative
>|principles, and thus he vanquishes all of his unwanted bad
>|habits. In this way he develops attachment for Krsna and
>|cannot forget Krsna even for a moment. Bhava is almost the
>|successful stage of spiritual life. A sincere student
>|aurally receives the holy name from the spiritual master,
>|and after being initiated he follows the regulative
>|principles given by the spiritual master. When the holy
>|name is properly served in this way, automatically the
>|spiritual nature of the holy name spreads; in other words,
>|the devotee becomes qualified in offenselessly chanting the
>|holy name.
987|When one is completely fit to chant the holy name in this
>|way, he is eligible to make disciples all over the world,
>|and he actually becomes jagad-guru. Then the entire world,
>|under his influence, begins to chant the holy names of the
>|Hare Krsna maha-mantra. Thus all the disciples of such a
>|spiritual master increase in attachment for Krsna, and
>|therefore he sometimes cries, sometimes laughs, sometimes
>|dances and sometimes chants. These symptoms are very
>|prominently manifest in the body of a pure devotee.
>|Sometimes when our students of the Krsna consciousness
>|movement chant and dance, even in India people are
>|astonished to see how these foreigners have learned to
>|chant and dance in this ecstatic fashion. As explained by
>|Caitanya Mahaprabhu, however, actually this is not due to
>|practice, for without extra endeavor these symptoms become
>|manifest in anyone who sincerely chants the Hare Krsna maha-
>|mantra.
988|Many fools, not knowing the transcendental nature of the
>|Hare Krsna maha-mantra, sometimes impede our loudly
>|chanting this mantra, yet one who is actually advanced in
>|the fulfillment of chanting the Hare Krsna maha-mantra
>|induces others to chant also. Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami
>|explains, krsna-sakti vina nahe tara pravartana; unless one
>|receives special power of attorney from the Supreme
>|Personality of Godhead, he cannot preach the glories of the
>|Hare Krsna maha-mantra. As devotees propagate the Hare
>|Krsna maha-mantra, the general population of the entire
>|world gets the opportunity to understand the glories of the
>|holy name. While chanting and dancing or hearing the holy
>|name of the Lord, one automatically remembers the Supreme
>|Personality of Godhead, and because there is no difference
>|between the holy name and Krsna, the chanter is immediately
>|linked with Krsna. Thus connected, a devotee develops his
>|original attitude of service to the Lord. In this attitude
>|of constantly serving Krsna, which is called bhava, he
>|always thinks of Krsna in many different ways. One who has
>|attained this bhava stage is no longer under the clutches
>|of the illusory energy. When other spiritual ingredients,
>|such as trembling, perspiration and tears, are added to
>|this bhava stage, the devotee gradually attains love of
>|Krsna.
989|The holy name of Krsna is called the maha-mantra. Other
>|mantras mentioned in the Narada-pancaratra are known simply
>|as mantras, but the chanting of the holy name of the Lord
>|is called the maha-mantra.
990|Adi 7.84
991|TEXT 84
992|TEXT
993|krsna-visayaka prema-parama purusartha
994|yara age trna-tulya cari purusartha
995|SYNONYMS
996|krsna-visayaka-in the subject of Krsna; prema-love; parama-
>|the highest; purusa-artha-achievement of the goal of life;
>|yara-whose; age-before; trna-tulya-like the grass in the
>|street; cari-four; purusa-artha-achievements.
997|TRANSLATION
998|" 'Religiosity, economic development, sense gratification
>|and liberation are known as the four goals of life, but
>|before love of Godhead, the fifth and highest goal, these
>|appear as insignificant as straw in the street.
999|PURPORT
1000|While chanting the holy name of the Lord, one should not
>|desire the material advancements represented by
>|economic development , religiosity, sense
>|gratification and ultimately liberation from the material
>|world. As stated by Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the highest
>|perfection in life is to develop one's love for Krsna (
>|prema pum-artho mahan sri-caitanya-mahaprabhor matam idam).
>|When we compare love of Godhead with religiosity, economic
>|development, sense gratification and liberation, we can
>|understand that these achievements may be desirable
>|objectives for bubhuksus, or those who desire to enjoy this
>|material world, and mumuksus, or those who desire
>|liberation from it, but they are very insignificant in the
>|eyes of a pure devotee who has developed bhava, the
>|preliminary stage of love of Godhead.
1001|Dharma (religiosity), artha (economic development), kama (
>|sense gratification) and moksa (liberation) are the four
>|principles of religion that pertain to the material world.
>|Therefore in the beginning of Srimad-Bhagavatam it is
>|declared, dharmah projjhita-kaitavo 'tra:
>|cheating religious systems in terms of these four material
>|principles are completely discarded from Srimad-Bhagavatam,
>|for Srimad-Bhagavatam teaches only how to develop one's
>|dormant love of God. The Bhagavad-gita is the preliminary
>|study of Srimad-Bhagavatam, and therefore it ends with the
>|words , sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja: "
>|Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto
>|Me." (Bg. 18.66) To adopt this means, one should reject all
>|ideas of religiosity, economic development, sense
>|gratification and liberation and fully engage in the
>|service of the Lord, which is transcendental to these four
>|principles. Love of Godhead is the original function of the
>|spirit soul, and it is as eternal as the soul and the
>|Supreme Personality of Godhead. This eternity is called
>|sanatana. When a devotee revives his loving service to the
>|Supreme Personality of Godhead, it should be understood
>|that he has been successful in achieving the desired goal
>|of his life. At that time everything is automatically done
>|by the mercy of the holy name, and the devotee
>|automatically advances in his spiritual progress.
1002|Adi 7.85
1003|TEXT 85
1004|TEXT
1005|pancama purusartha-premanandamrta-sindhu
1006|moksadi ananda yara nahe eka bindu
1007|SYNONYMS
1008|pancama-fifth; purusa-artha-goal of life; prema-ananda-the
>|spiritual bliss of love of Godhead; amrta-eternal; sindhu-
>|ocean; moksa-adi-liberation and other principles of
>|religiosity; ananda-pleasures derived from them; yara-whose;
>| nahe-never comparable; eka-one; bindu-drop.
1009|TRANSLATION
1010|" 'For a devotee who has actually developed bhava, the
>|pleasure derived from dharma, artha, kama and moksa appears
>|like a drop in the presence of the sea.
1011|Adi 7.86
1012|TEXT 86
1013|TEXT
1014|krsna-namera phala-'prema', sarva-sastre kaya
1015|bhagye sei prema tomaya karila udaya
1016|SYNONYMS
1017|krsna-namera-of the holy name of the Lord; phala-result;
>|prema-love of Godhead; sarva-in all; sastre-revealed
>|scriptures; kaya-describe; bhagye-fortunately; sei-that;
>|prema-love of Godhead; tomaya-Your; karila-has done; udaya-
>|arisen.
1018|TRANSLATION
1019|" 'The conclusion of all revealed scriptures is that one
>|should awaken his dormant love of Godhead. You are greatly
>|fortunate to have already done so.
1020|Adi 7.87
1021|TEXT 87
1022|TEXT
1023|premara svabhave kare citta-tanu ksobha
1024|krsnera carana-praptye upajaya lobha
1025|SYNONYMS
1026|premara-out of love of Godhead; svabhave-by nature; kare-it
>|induces; citta-the consciousness; tanu-the body; ksobha-
>|agitated; krsnera-of Lord Krsna; carana-lotus feet; praptye-
>|to obtain; upajaya-it so becomes; lobha-aspiration.
1027|TRANSLATION
1028|" 'It is a characteristic of love of Godhead that by nature
>|it induces transcendental symptoms in one's body and makes
>|one more and more greedy to achieve the shelter of the
>|lotus feet of the Lord.
1029|Adi 7.88
1030|TEXT 88
1031|TEXT
1032|premara svabhave bhakta hase, kande, gaya
1033|unmatta ha-iya nace, iti-uti dhaya
1034|SYNONYMS
1035|premara-by such love of Godhead; svabhave-by nature; bhakta-
>|the devotee; hase-laughs; kande-cries; gaya-chants; unmatta-
>|mad; ha-iya-becoming; nace-dances; iti-here; uti-there;
>|dhaya-moves.
1036|TRANSLATION
1037|" 'When one actually develops love of Godhead, he naturally
>|sometimes cries, sometimes laughs, sometimes chants and
>|sometimes runs here and there just like a madman.
1038|PURPORT
1039|In this connection Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami says
>|that sometimes persons who have no love of Godhead at all
>|display ecstatic bodily symptoms. Artificially they
>|sometimes laugh, cry and dance just like madmen, but this
>|cannot help one progress in Krsna consciousness. Rather,
>|such artificial agitation of the body is to be given up
>|when one naturally develops the necessary bodily symptoms.
>|Actual blissful life, manifested in genuine spiritual
>|laughing, crying and dancing, is the symptom of real
>|advancement in Krsna consciousness, which can be achieved
>|by a person who always voluntarily engages in the
>|transcendental loving service of the Lord. If one who is
>|not yet developed imitates such symptoms artificially, he
>|creates chaos in the spiritual life of human society.
1040|Adi 7.89-90
1041|TEXTS 89-90
1042|TEXT
1043|sveda, kampa, romancasru, gadgada, vaivarnya
1044|unmada, visada, dhairya, garva, harsa, dainya
1045|eta bhave prema bhaktaganere nacaya
1046|krsnera anandamrta-sagare bhasaya
1047|SYNONYMS
1048|sveda-perspiration; kampa-trembling; romanca-standing of
>|the hairs on the body; asru-tears; gadgada-faltering;
>|vaivarnya-changing of bodily color; unmada-madness; visada-
>|melancholy; dhairya-patience; garva-pride; harsa-joyfulness;
>| dainya-humbleness; eta-in many ways; bhave-in ecstasy;
>|prema-love of Godhead; bhakta-ganere-unto the devotees;
>|nacaya-causes to dance; krsnera-of Lord Krsna; ananda-
>|transcendental bliss; amrta-nectar; sagare-in the ocean;
>|bhasaya-floats.
1049|TRANSLATION
1050|" 'Perspiration, trembling, standing on end of one's bodily
>|hairs, tears, faltering voice, fading complexion, madness,
>|melancholy, patience, pride, joy and humility-these are
>|various natural symptoms of ecstatic love of Godhead, which
>|causes a devotee to dance and float in an ocean of
>|transcendental bliss while chanting the Hare Krsna mantra.
1051|PURPORT
1052|Srila Jiva Gosvami, in his Priti-sandarbha (66), explains
>|this stage of love of Godhead: bhagavat-priti-rupa vrttir
>|mayadi-mayi na bhavati. kim tarhi, svarupa-sakty-ananda-
>|rupa, yad-ananda-paradhinah sri-bhagavan apiti. Similarly,
>|in the 69th anuccheda he offers further explanation: tad
>|evam priter laksanam citta-dravas tasya ca roma-harsadikam.
>|kathancij jate 'pi citta-drave roma-harsadike va na ced
>|asaya-suddhis tadapi na bhakteh samyag-avirbhava iti
>|jnapitam. asaya-suddhir nama canya-tatparya-parityagah
>|priti-tatparyam ca. ata evanimitta svabhaviki ceti tad
>|visesanam. Transcendental love of Godhead is not under the
>|jurisdiction of the material energy, for it is the
>|transcendental bliss and pleasure potency of the Supreme
>|Personality of Godhead. Since the Supreme Lord is also
>|under the influence of transcendental bliss, when one comes
>|in touch with such bliss in love of Godhead, one's heart
>|melts, and the symptoms of this are standing of the hairs
>|on end, etc. Sometimes a person thus melts and manifests
>|these transcendental symptoms yet at the same time is not
>|well behaved in his personal transactions. This indicates
>|that he has not yet reached complete perfection in
>|devotional life. In other words, a devotee who dances in
>|ecstasy but after dancing and crying appears to be
>|attracted to material affairs has not yet reached the
>|perfection of devotional service, which is called asaya-
>|suddhi, or the perfection of existence. One who attains the
>|perfection of existence is completely averse to material
>|enjoyment and engrossed in transcendental love of Godhead.
>|It is therefore to be concluded that the ecstatic symptoms
>|of asaya-suddhi are visible when a devotee's service has no
>|material cause and is purely spiritual in nature. These are
>|characteristics of transcendental love of Godhead, as
>|stated in Srimad-Bhagavatam (1.2.6):
1053|sa vai pumsam paro dharmo
1054|yato bhaktir adhoksaje
1055|ahaituky apratihata
>|
>|
>|
1056|yayatma suprasidati
1057|"That religion is best which causes its followers to become
>|ecstatic in love of God that is unmotivated and free from
>|material impediments, for this only can completely satisfy
>|the self."
1058|Adi 7.91
1059|TEXT 91
1060|TEXT
1061|bhala haila, paile tumi parama-purusartha
1062|tomara premete ami hailan krtartha
1063|SYNONYMS
1064|bhala haila-let it be good; paile-You have gotten; tumi-You;
>| parama-purusartha-superexcellent goal of life; tomara-Your;
>| premete-by development in love of Godhead; ami-I; hailan-
>|become; krta-artha-very much obliged.
1065|TRANSLATION
1066|" 'It is very good, my dear child, that You have attained
>|the supreme goal of life by developing love of Godhead.
>|Thus You have pleased me very much, and I am very much
>|obliged to You.
1067|PURPORT
1068|According to revealed scriptures, if a spiritual master
>|can convert even one soul into a perfectly pure devotee,
>|his mission in life is fulfilled. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta
>|Sarasvati Thakura always used to say, "Even at the expense
>|of all the properties, temples and mathas that I have, if I
>|could convert even one person into a pure devotee, my
>|mission would be fulfilled." It is very difficult, however,
>|to understand the science of Krsna, what to speak of
>|developing love of Godhead. Therefore if by the grace of
>|Lord Caitanya and the spiritual master a disciple attains
>|the standard of pure devotional service, the spiritual
>|master is very happy. The spiritual master is not actually
>|happy if the disciple brings him money, but when he sees
>|that a disciple is following the regulative principles and
>|advancing in spiritual life, he is very glad and feels
>|obliged to such an advanced disciple.
1069|Adi 7.92
1070|TEXT 92
1071|TEXT
1072|naca, gao, bhakta-sange kara sankirtana
1073|krsna-nama upadesi' tara' sarva-jana
1074|SYNONYMS
1075|naca-go on dancing; gao-chant; bhakta-sange-in the society
>|of devotees; kara-continue; sankirtana-chanting of the holy
>|name in assembly; krsna-nama-the holy name of Krsna;
>|upadesi'-by instructing; tara'-deliver; sarva-jana-all
>|fallen souls.
1076|TRANSLATION
1077|" 'My dear child, continue dancing, chanting and performing
>|sankirtana in association with devotees. Furthermore, go
>|out and preach the value of chanting krsna-nama, for by
>|this process You will be able to deliver all fallen souls.'
1078|PURPORT
1079|It is another ambition of the spiritual master to see his
>|disciples not only chant, dance and follow the regulative
>|principles but also preach the sankirtana movement to
>|others in order to deliver them, for the Krsna
>|consciousness movement is based on the principle that one
>|should become as perfect as possible in devotional service
>|oneself and also preach the cult for others' benefit. There
>|are two classes of unalloyed devotees-namely, gosthy-
>|anandis and bhajananandis. Bhajananandi refers to one who
>|is satisfied to cultivate devotional service for himself,
>|and gosthy-anandi is one who is not satisfied simply to
>|become perfect himself but wants to see others also take
>|advantage of the holy name of the Lord and advance in
>|spiritual life. The outstanding example is Prahlada
>|Maharaja. When he was offered a benediction by Lord
>|Nrsimhadeva, Prahlada Maharaja said:
1080|naivodvije para duratyaya-vaitaranyas
1081|tvad-virya-gayana-mahamrta-magna-cittah
1082|soce tato vimukha-cetasa indriyartha-
1083|maya-sukhaya bharam udvahato vimudhan
1084|"My dear Lord, I have no problems and want no benediction
>|from You because I am quite satisfied to chant Your holy
>|name. This is sufficient for me because whenever I chant I
>|immediately merge in an ocean of transcendental bliss. I
>|only lament to see others bereft of Your love. They are
>|rotting in material activities for transient material
>|pleasure and spoiling their lives toiling all day and night
>|simply for sense gratification, with no attachment for love
>|of Godhead. I am simply lamenting for them and devising
>|various plans to deliver them from the clutches of maya." (
>|Bhag . 7.9.43)
1085|Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura explains in his
>|Anubhasya, "A person who has attracted the attention of the
>|spiritual master by his sincere service likes to dance and
>|chant with similarly developed Krsna conscious devotees.
>|The spiritual master authorizes such a devotee to deliver
>|fallen souls in all parts of the world. Those who are not
>|advanced prefer to chant the Hare Krsna mantra in a
>|solitary place." Such activities constitute, in the
>|language of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, a type
>|of cheating process in the sense that they imitate the
>|activities of exalted personalities like Haridasa Thakura.
>|One should not attempt to imitate such exalted devotees.
>|Rather, everyone should endeavor to preach the cult of Sri
>|Caitanya Mahaprabhu in all parts of the world and thus
>|become successful in spiritual life. One who is not very
>|expert in preaching may chant in a secluded place, avoiding
>|bad association, but for one who is actually advanced,
>|preaching and meeting people who are not engaged in
>|devotional service are not disadvantages. A devotee gives
>|the nondevotees his association but is not affected by
>|their misbehavior. Thus by the activities of a pure devotee
>|even those who are bereft of love of Godhead get a chance
>|to become devotees of the Lord one day. In this connection
>|Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura advises that one
>|discuss the verse in Srimad-Bhagavatam beginning naitat
>|samacarej jatu manasapi hy anisvarah (10.33.30), and the
>|following verse in Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu (1.2.255):
1086|anasaktasya visayan
1087|yatharham upayunjatah
1088|nirbandhah krsna-sambandhe
1089|yuktam vairagyam ucyate
1090|One should not imitate the activities of great
>|personalities. One should be detached from material
>|enjoyment and should accept everything in connection with
>|Krsna's service.
1091|Adi 7.93
1092|TEXT 93
1093|TEXT
1094|eta bali' eka sloka sikhaila more
1095|bhagavatera sara ei-bale vare vare
1096|SYNONYMS
1097|eta bali'-saying this; eka-one; sloka-verse; sikhaila-has
>|taught; more-unto Me; bhagavatera-of Srimad-Bhagavatam;
>|sara-essence; ei-this is; bale-he said; vare vare-again and
>|again.
1098|TRANSLATION
1099|"Saying this, My spiritual master taught Me a verse from
>|Srimad-Bhagavatam. It is the essence of all the Bhagavatam'
>|s instructions; therefore he instructed Me on this verse
>|again and again. "
1100|PURPORT
1101|This verse from Srimad-Bhagavatam (11.2.40) was spoken by
>|Sri Narada Muni to Vasudeva to teach him about Bhagavata-
>|dharma. Vasudeva had already achieved the result of
>|Bhagavata-dharma because Lord Krsna appeared in his house
>|as his son, yet in order to teach others, he desired to
>|hear from Sri Narada Muni to be enlightened in the process
>|of Bhagavata-dharma. This is the humbleness of a great
>|devotee.
1102|Adi 7.94
1103|TEXT 94
1104|TEXT
1105|evam-vratah sva-priya-nama-kirtya
1106|jatanurago druta-citta uccaih
1107|hasaty atho roditi rauti gayaty
1108|unmada-van nrtyati loka-bahyah
1109|SYNONYMS
1110|evam-vratah-when one thus engages in the vow to chant and
>|dance; sva-own; priya-very dear; nama-holy name; kirtya-by
>|chanting; jata-in this way develops; anuragah-attachment;
>|druta-cittah-very eagerly; uccaih-loudly; hasati-laughs;
>|atho-also; roditi-cries; rauti-becomes agitated; gayati-
>|chants; unmada-vat-like a madman; nrtyati-dancing; loka-
>|bahyah-without caring for outsiders.
1111|TRANSLATION
1112|" 'When a person is actually advanced and takes pleasure in
>|chanting the holy name of the Lord, who is very dear to him,
>| he is agitated and loudly chants the holy name. He also
>|laughs, cries, becomes agitated and chants just like a
>|madman, not caring for outsiders.'
1113|Adi 7.95-96
1114|TEXTS 95-96
1115|TEXT
1116|ei tanra vakye ami drdha visvasa dhari'
1117|nirantara krsna-nama sankirtana kari
1118|sei krsna-nama kabhu gaoyaya, nacaya
1119|gahi, naci nahi ami apana-icchaya
1120|SYNONYMS
1121|ei-this; tanra-his (My spiritual master's); vakye-in the
>|words of; ami-I; drdha-firm; visvasa-faith; dhari'-depend;
>|nirantara-always; krsna-nama-the holy name of Lord Krsna;
>|sankirtana-chanting; kari-continue; sei-that; krsna-nama-
>|the holy name of Lord Krsna; kabhu-sometimes; gaoyaya-
>|causes Me to chant; nacaya-causes Me to dance; gahi-by
>|chanting; naci-dancing; nahi-not; ami-Myself; apana-own;
>|icchaya-will.
1122|TRANSLATION
1123|"I firmly believe in these words of My spiritual master,
>|and therefore I always chant the holy name of the Lord,
>|alone and in the association of devotees. That holy name of
>|Lord Krsna sometimes causes Me to chant and dance, and
>|therefore I chant and dance. Please do not think that I
>|intentionally do it. I do it automatically.
1124|PURPORT
1125|A person who cannot keep his faith in the words of his
>|spiritual master but acts independently never receives the
>|authority to chant the holy name of the Lord. It is said in
>|the Vedas (Svetasvatara Upanisad 6.23):
1126|yasya deve para bhaktir
1127|yatha deve tatha gurau
1128|tasyaite kathita hy arthah
1129|prakasante mahatmanah
1130|"Only unto those great souls who have implicit faith in
>|both the Lord and the spiritual master are all the imports
>|of Vedic knowledge automatically revealed." This Vedic
>|injunction is very important, and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu
>|supported it by His personal behavior. Believing in the
>|words of His spiritual master, He introduced the sankirtana
>|movement, just as the present Krsna consciousness movement
>|was started with belief in the words of our spiritual
>|master. He wanted to preach, we believed in his words and
>|tried somehow or other to fulfill them, and now this
>|movement has become successful all over the world.
>|Therefore faith in the words of the spiritual master and in
>|the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the secret of success.
>| Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu never disobeyed the orders of His
>|spiritual master and stopped propagating the sankirtana
>|movement. Sri Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami, at the
>|time of his passing away, ordered all his disciples to work
>|conjointly to preach the mission of Caitanya Mahaprabhu all
>|over the world. Later, however, some self-interested,
>|foolish disciples disobeyed his orders. Each one of them
>|wanted to become head of the mission, and they fought in
>|the courts, neglecting the order of the spiritual master,
>|and the entire mission was defeated. We are not proud of
>|this; however, the truth must be explained. We believed in
>|the words of our spiritual master and started in a humble
>|way-in a helpless way-but due to the spiritual force of the
>|order of the supreme authority, this movement has become
>|successful.
1131|It is to be understood that when Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu
>|chanted and danced, He did so by the influence of the
>|pleasure potency of the spiritual world. Sri Caitanya
>|Mahaprabhu never considered the holy name of the Lord to be
>|a material vibration, nor does any pure devotee mistake the
>|chanting of the Hare Krsna mantra to be a material musical
>|manifestation. Lord Caitanya never tried to be the master
>|of the holy name; rather He taught us how to be servants of
>|the holy name. If one chants the holy name of the Lord just
>|to make a show, not knowing the secret of success, he may
>|increase his bile secretion, but he will never attain
>|perfection in chanting the holy name. Sri Caitanya
>|Mahaprabhu presented himself in this way: "I am a great
>|fool and do not have knowledge of right and wrong. In order
>|to understand the real meaning of the Vedanta-sutra, I
>|never followed the explanation of the Sankara-sampradaya or
>|Mayavadi sannyasis. I'm very much afraid of the illogical
>|arguments of the Mayavadi philosophers. Therefore I think I
>|have no authority regarding their explanations of the
>|Vedanta-sutra. I firmly believe that simply chanting the
>|holy name of the Lord can remove all misconceptions of the
>|material world. I believe that simply by chanting the holy
>|name of the Lord one can attain the shelter of the lotus
>|feet of the Lord. In this age of quarrel and disagreement,
>|the chanting of the holy names is the only way to
>|liberation from the material clutches.
1132|"By chanting the holy name," Lord Caitanya continued, "I
>|became almost mad. However, after inquiring from My
>|spiritual master I have come to the conclusion that instead
>|of striving for achievement in the four principles of
>|religiosity [dharma], economic development [artha], sense
>|gratification [kama] and liberation [moksa], it is better
>|if somehow or other one develops transcendental love of
>|Godhead. That is the greatest success in life. One who has
>|attained love of Godhead chants and dances by his nature,
>|not caring for the public." This stage of life is known as
>|bhagavata-jivana, or the life of a devotee.
1133|Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu continued, "I never chanted and
>|danced to make an artificial show. I dance and chant
>|because I firmly believe in the words of My spiritual
>|master. Although the Mayavadi philosophers do not like this
>|chanting and dancing, I nevertheless perform it on the
>|strength of his words. Therefore it is to be concluded that
>|I deserve very little credit for these activities of
>|chanting and dancing, for they are being done automatically
>|by the grace of the Supreme Personality of Godhead."
1134|Adi 7.97
1135|TEXT 97
1136|TEXT
1137|krsna-name ye ananda-sindhu-asvadana
1138|brahmananda tara age khatodaka-sama
1139|SYNONYMS
1140|krsna-name-in the holy name of the Lord; ye-which; ananda-
>|transcendental bliss; sindhu-ocean; asvadana-tasting;
>|brahma-ananda-the transcendental bliss of impersonal
>|understanding; tara-its; age-in front; khata-udaka-shallow
>|water in the canals; sama-like.
1141|TRANSLATION
1142|"Compared to the ocean of transcendental bliss that is
>|tasted by chanting the Hare Krsna mantra, the pleasure
>|derived from impersonal Brahman realization [brahmananda]
>|is like the shallow water in a canal.
1143|PURPORT
1144|In the Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu (1.1.38) it is stated:
1145|brahmanando bhaved esa
1146|cet parardha- guni-krtah
1147|naiti bhakti-sukhambhodheh
1148|paramanu-tulam api
1149|"If brahmananda, the transcendental bliss derived from
>|understanding impersonal Brahman, were multiplied a million
>|times, such a quantity of brahmananda could not compare
>|with even an atomic portion of the pleasure relished in
>|pure devotional service."
1150|Adi 7.98
1151|TEXT 98
1152|TEXT
1153|tvat-saksat-karanahlada-
1154|visuddhabdhi-sthitasya me
1155|sukhani gospadayante
1156|brahmany api jagad-guro
1157|SYNONYMS
1158|tvat-Your; saksat-meeting; karana-such action; ahlada-
>|pleasure; visuddha-spiritually purified; abdhi-ocean;
>|sthitasya-being situated; me-by me; sukhani-happiness;
>|gospadayante-a small hole created by the hoof of a calf;
>|brahmani-the pleasure derived from impersonal Brahman
>|understanding; api-also; jagat-guro-O master of the
>|universe.
1159|TRANSLATION
1160|" 'My dear Lord, O master of the universe, since I have
>|directly seen You, my transcendental bliss has taken the
>|shape of a great ocean. Being situated in that ocean, I now
>|realize all other so-called happiness to be like the water
>|contained in the hoofprint of a calf.' "
1161|PURPORT
1162|The transcendental bliss enjoyed in pure devotional service
>|is like an ocean, whereas material happiness and even the
>|happiness to be derived from the realization of impersonal
>|Brahman are just like the water in the hoofprint of a calf.
>|This is a verse from the Hari-bhakti-sudhodaya (14.36).
1163|Adi 7.99
1164|TEXT 99
1165|TEXT
1166|prabhura mista-vakya suni' sannyasira gana
1167|citta phiri' gela, kahe madhura vacana
1168|SYNONYMS
1169|prabhura-of the Lord; mista-vakya-sweet words; suni'-after
>|hearing; sannyasira gana-all the groups of sannyasis; citta-
>|consciousness; phiri'-moved; gela-went; kahe-said; madhura-
>|pleasing; vacana-words.
1170|TRANSLATION
1171|After hearing Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, all the
>|Mayavadi sannyasis were moved. Their minds changed, and
>|thus they spoke with pleasing words.
1172|PURPORT
1173|The Mayavadi sannyasis met Caitanya Mahaprabhu at Varanasi
>|to criticize the Lord regarding His participation in the
>|sankirtana movement, which they did not like. This demonic
>|nature of opposition to the sankirtana movement perpetually
>|exists. As it existed in the time of Sri Caitanya
>|Mahaprabhu, similarly it existed long before that, even in
>|the time of Prahlada Maharaja. He used to chant in
>|sankirtana although his father did not like it, and that
>|was the reason for the misunderstanding between the father
>|and son. In the Bhagavad-gita (7.15) the Lord says:
1174|na mam duskrtino mudhah
1175|prapadyante naradhamah
1176|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|mayayapahrta-jnana
>|
>|
1177|asuram bhavam asritah
1178|"Those miscreants who are grossly foolish, who are lowest
>|among mankind, whose knowledge is stolen by illusion, and
>|who partake of the atheistic nature of demons do not
>|surrender unto Me." The Mayavadi sannyasis are asuram
>|bhavam asritah, which means that they have taken the path
>|of the asuras (demons), who do not believe in the existence
>|of the form of the Lord. The Mayavadis say that the
>|ultimate source of everything is impersonal, and in this
>|way they deny the existence of God. Saying that there is no
>|God is direct denial of God, and saying that God exists but
>|has no head, legs or hands and cannot speak, hear or eat is
>|a negative way of denying His existence. A person who
>|cannot see is called blind, one who cannot walk can be
>|called lame, one who has no hands can be called helpless,
>|one who cannot speak can be called dumb, and one who cannot
>|hear can be called deaf. The Mayavadis' proposition that
>|God has no legs, no eyes, no ears and no hands is an
>|indirect way of insulting Him by defining Him as blind,
>|deaf, dumb, lame, helpless, etc. Therefore although they
>|present themselves as great Vedantists, they are factually
>|mayayapahrta-jnana; in other words, they seem to be very
>|learned scholars, but the essence of their knowledge has
>|been taken away.
1179|Impersonalist Mayavadis always try to defy Vaisnavas
>|because Vaisnavas accept the Supreme Personality as the
>|supreme cause and want to serve Him, talk with Him and see
>|Him, just as the Lord is also eager to see His devotees and
>|talk, eat and dance with them. These personal exchanges of
>|love do not appeal to the Mayavadi sannyasis. Therefore the
>|original purpose of the Mayavadi sannyasis of Benares in
>|meeting Caitanya Mahaprabhu was to defeat His personal
>|conception of God. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, however, as a
>|preacher, turned the minds of the Mayavadi sannyasis. They
>|were melted by the sweet words of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu
>|and thus became friendly and spoke to Him also in sweet
>|words. Similarly, all preachers will have to meet opponents,
>| but they should not make them more inimical. They are
>|already enemies, and if we talk with them harshly or
>|impolitely their enmity will merely increase. We should
>|therefore follow in the footsteps of Lord Caitanya
>|Mahaprabhu as far as possible and try to convince the
>|opposition by quoting from the sastras and presenting the
>|conclusion of the acaryas. It is in this way that we should
>|try to defeat all the enemies of the Lord.
1180|Adi 7.100
1181|TEXT 100
1182|TEXT
1183|ye kichu kahile tumi, saba satya haya
1184|krsna-prema sei paya, yara bhagyodaya
1185|SYNONYMS
1186|ye-all; kichu-that; kahile-You spoke; tumi-You; saba-
>|everything; satya-truth; haya-becomes; krsna-prema-love of
>|Godhead; sei-anyone; paya-achieves; yara-whose; bhagya-
>|udaya-fortune is now awakened.
1187|TRANSLATION
1188|"Dear Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, what You have said is all
>|true. Only one who is favored by fortune attains love of
>|Godhead.
1189|PURPORT
1190|One who is actually very fortunate can begin Krsna
>|consciousness, as stated by Caitanya Mahaprabhu to Srila
>|Rupa Gosvami:
1191|brahmanda bhramite kona bhagyavan jiva
1192|guru-krsna-prasade paya bhakti-lata-bija
1193|(Cc. Madhya 19.151)
1194|There are millions of living entities who have become
>|conditioned by the laws of material nature, and they are
>|wandering throughout the planetary systems of this universe
>|in different bodily forms. Among them, one who is fortunate
>|meets a bona fide spiritual master by the grace of Krsna
>|and comes to understand the meaning of devotional service.
>|By discharging devotional service under the direction of
>|the bona fide spiritual master, or acarya, he develops love
>|of Godhead. One whose love of Godhead (krsna-prema) is
>|awakened and who thus becomes a devotee of the
>|inconceivable Supreme Personality of Godhead is to be
>|considered extremely fortunate. The Mayavadi sannyasis
>|admitted this fact to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. It is not
>|easy for one to become a Krsna conscious person, but by the
>|mercy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu it can be possible, as
>|will be proven in the course of this narration.
1195|Adi 7.101
1196|TEXT 101
1197|TEXT
1198|krsne bhakti kara-ihaya sabara santosa
1199|vedanta na suna kene, tara kiba dosa
1200|SYNONYMS
1201|krsne-unto Krsna; bhakti-devotional service; kara-do; ihaya-
>|in this matter; sabara-of everyone; santosa-there is
>|satisfaction; vedanta-the philosophy of the Vedanta-sutra;
>|na-do not; suna-hear; kene-why; tara-of the philosophy;
>|kiba-what is; dosa-fault.
1202|TRANSLATION
1203|"Dear sir, there is no objection to Your being a great
>|devotee of Lord Krsna. Everyone is satisfied with this. But
>|why do You avoid discussion on the Vedanta-sutra? What is
>|the fault in it?"
1204|PURPORT
1205|Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura comments in this
>|connection, "Mayavadi sannyasis accept that the commentary
>|by Sri Sankaracarya known as Sariraka-bhasya gives the real
>|meaning of the Vedanta-sutra. In other words, Mayavadi
>|sannyasis accept the meanings expressed in the explanations
>|of the Vedanta-sutra by Sankaracarya, which are based on
>|monism. Thus they explain the Vedanta-sutra, the Upanisads
>|and all such Vedic literature in their own impersonal way."
>| The great Mayavadi sannyasi Sadananda Yogindra has written
>|a book known as Vedanta-sara, in which he writes, vedanto
>|nama upanisat-pramanam. tad-upakarini sariraka-sutradini ca.
>| According to Sadananda Yogindra, the Vedanta-sutra and
>|Upanisads, as presented by Sri Sankaracarya in his Sariraka-
>|bhasya commentary, are the only sources of Vedic evidence.
>|Actually, however, Vedanta refers to the essence of Vedic
>|knowledge, and it is not a fact that there is nothing more
>|than Sankaracarya's Sariraka-bhasya. There are other
>|Vedanta commentaries, written by Vaisnava acaryas, none of
>|whom follow Sri Sankaracarya or accept the imaginative
>|commentary of his school. Their commentaries are based on
>|the philosophy of duality. Monist philosophers like
>|Sankaracarya and his followers want to establish that God
>|and the living entity are one, and instead of worshiping
>|the Supreme Personality of Godhead they present themselves
>|as God. They want to be worshiped as God by others. Such
>|persons do not accept the philosophies of the Vaisnava
>|acaryas, which are known as suddhadvaita (purified monism),
>|suddha-dvaita (purified dualism), visistadvaita (specific
>|monism), dvaitadvaita (monism and dualism) and acintya-
>|bhedabheda (inconceivable oneness and difference).
>|Mayavadis do not discuss these philosophies, for they are
>|firmly convinced of their own philosophy of kevaladvaita,
>|exclusive monism. Accepting this system of philosophy as
>|the pure understanding of the Vedanta-sutra, they believe
>|that Krsna has a body made of material elements and that
>|the activities of loving service to Krsna are
>|sentimentality. They are known as Mayavadis because
>|according to their opinion Krsna has a body made of maya ,
>|and the loving service of the Lord executed by devotees is
>|also maya. They consider such devotional service to be an
>|aspect of fruitive activities (karma-kanda). According to
>|their view, bhakti consists of mental speculation or
>|sometimes meditation. This is the difference between the
>|Mayavadi and Vaisnava philosophies.
1206|Adi 7.102
1207|TEXT 102
1208|TEXT
1209|eta suni' hasi' prabhu balila vacana
1210|duhkha na manaha yadi, kari nivedana
1211|SYNONYMS
1212|eta-thus; suni'-hearing; hasi'-smiling; prabhu-Lord
>|Caitanya Mahaprabhu; balila-said; vacana-His words; duhkha-
>|unhappy; na-do not; manaha-take it; yadi-if; kari-I say;
>|nivedana-something unto you.
1213|TRANSLATION
1214|After hearing the Mayavadi sannyasis speak in that way,
>|Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu smiled slightly and said, "My dear
>|sirs, if you don't mind I can say something to you
>|regarding Vedanta philosophy."
1215|PURPORT
1216|The Mayavadi sannyasis, appreciating Lord Caitanya
>|Mahaprabhu, inquired from Him why He did not discuss
>|Vedanta philosophy. Actually, however, the entire system of
>|Vaisnava activities is based on Vedanta philosophy.
>|Vaisnavas do not neglect Vedanta, but they do not care to
>|understand Vedanta on the basis of the Sariraka-bhasya
>|commentary. Therefore, to clarify the situation, Lord Sri
>|Caitanya Mahaprabhu, with the permission of the Mayavadi
>|sannyasis, wanted to speak regarding Vedanta philosophy.
1217|The Vaisnavas are by far the greatest philosophers in the
>|world, and the greatest among them was Srila Jiva Gosvami
>|Prabhu, whose philosophy was again presented less than four
>|hundred years later by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati
>|Thakura Maharaja. Therefore one must know very well that
>|Vaisnava philosophers are not sentimentalists or cheap
>|devotees like the sahajiyas. All the Vaisnava acaryas were
>|vastly learned scholars who understood Vedanta philosophy
>|fully, for unless one knows Vedanta philosophy he cannot be
>|an acarya. To be accepted as an acarya among Indian
>|transcendentalists who follow the Vedic principles, one
>|must become a vastly learned scholar in Vedanta philosophy,
>|either by studying it or hearing it.
1218|Bhakti develops in pursuance of Vedanta philosophy. This is
>|stated in Srimad-Bhagavatam (1.2.12):
1219|tac chraddadhana munayo
1220|jnana-vairagya -yuktaya
1221|pasyanty atmani catmanam
1222|bhaktya sruta-grhitaya
1223|The words bhaktya sruta-grhitaya in this verse are very
>|important, for they indicate that bhakti must be based upon
>|the philosophy of the Upanisads and Vedanta-sutra. Srila
>|Rupa Gosvami said:
1224|sruti-smrti-puranadi-
1225|pancaratra -vidhim vina
1226|aikantiki harer bhaktir
1227|utpatayaiva kalpate
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
1228|"Devotional service performed without reference to the
>|Vedas, Puranas, Pancaratras, etc., must be considered
>|sentimentalism, and it causes nothing but disturbance to
>|society." There are different grades of Vaisnavas (kanistha-
>|adhikari, madhyama-adhikari and uttama-adhikari), but to be
>|a madhyama-adhikari preacher one must be a learned scholar
>|in the Vedanta-sutra and other Vedic literature because
>|when bhakti-yoga develops on the basis of Vedanta
>|philosophy it is factual and steady. In this connection we
>|may quote the translation and purport of the verse
>|mentioned above (Bhag. 1.2.12):
1229|TRANSLATION
1230|The seriously inquisitive student or sage, well equipped
>|with knowledge and detachment, realizes that Absolute Truth
>|by rendering devotional service in terms of what he has
>|heard from the Vedanta-sruti.
1231|PURPORT
1232|The Absolute Truth is realized in full by the process of
>|devotional service to the Lord, Vasudeva, or the
>|Personality of Godhead, who is the full-fledged Absolute
>|Truth. Brahman is His transcendental bodily effulgence, and
>|Paramatma is His partial representation. As such, Brahman
>|or Paramatma realization of the Absolute Truth is but a
>|partial realization. There are four different types of
>|human beings-the karmis, the jnanis, the yogis and the
>|devotees. The karmis are materialistic, whereas the other
>|three are transcendental. The first-class
>|transcendentalists are the devotees who have realized the
>|Supreme Person. The second-class transcendentalists are
>|those who have partially realized the plenary portion of
>|the absolute person. And the third-class transcendentalists
>|are those who have barely realized the spiritual focus of
>|the absolute person. As stated in the Bhagavad-gita and
>|other Vedic literatures, the Supreme Person is realized by
>|devotional service which is backed by full knowledge and
>|detachment from material association. We have already
>|discussed the point that devotional service is followed by
>|knowledge and detachment from material association. As
>|Brahman and Paramatma realization are imperfect
>|realizations of the Absolute Truth, so the means of
>|realizing Brahman and Paramatma, i.e., the paths of jnana
>|and yoga, are also imperfect means of realizing the
>|Absolute Truth. Devotional service which is based on the
>|foreground of full knowledge combined with detachment from
>|material association, and which is fixed by dint of the
>|aural reception of the Vedanta-sruti, is the only perfect
>|method by which the seriously inquisitive student can
>|realize the Absolute Truth. Devotional service is not,
>|therefore, meant for the less intelligent class of
>|transcendentalist.
1233|There are three classes of devotees, namely first, second
>|and third class. The third-class devotees, or the neophytes,
>| who have no knowledge and are not detached from material
>|association, but who are simply attracted by the
>|preliminary process of worshiping the Deity in the temple,
>|are called material devotees. Material devotees are more
>|attached to material benefit than transcendental profit.
>|Therefore, one has to make definite progress from the
>|position of material devotional service to the second-class
>|devotional position. In the second-class position, the
>|devotee can see four principles in the devotional line,
>|namely the Personality of Godhead, His devotees, the
>|ignorant and the envious. One has to raise himself at least
>|to the stage of a second-class devotee and thus become
>|eligible to know the Absolute Truth.
1234|A third-class devotee, therefore, has to receive the
>|instructions of devotional service from the authoritative
>|sources of Bhagavata. The number one Bhagavata is the
>|established personality of devotee, and the other Bhagavata
>|is the message of Godhead. The third-class devotee
>|therefore has to go to the personality of devotee in order
>|to learn the instructions of devotional service. Such a
>|personality of devotee is not a professional man who earns
>|his livelihood by the business of the Bhagavatam. Such a
>|devotee must be a representative of Sukadeva Gosvami, like
>|Suta Gosvami, and must preach the cult of devotional
>|service for the all-around benefit of all people. A
>|neophyte devotee has very little taste for hearing from the
>|authorities. Such a neophyte devotee makes a show of
>|hearing from the professional man to satisfy his senses.
>|This sort of hearing and chanting has spoiled the whole
>|thing, so one should be very careful about the faulty
>|process. The holy messages of Godhead, as inculcated in the
>|Bhagavad-gita or in Srimad-Bhagavatam, are undoubtedly
>|transcendental subjects, but even though they are so, such
>|transcendental matters are not to be received from the
>|professional man, who spoils them as the serpent spoils
>|milk simply by the touch of his tongue.
1235|A sincere devotee must, therefore, be prepared to hear the
>|Vedic literature like the Upanisads, Vedanta-sutra and
>|other literatures left by the previous authorities, or
>|Gosvamis, for the benefit of his progress. Without hearing
>|such literatures, one cannot make actual progress. And
>|without hearing and following the instructions, the show of
>|devotional service becomes worthless and therefore a sort
>|of disturbance in the path of devotional service. Unless,
>|therefore, devotional service is established on the
>|principles of sruti, smrti, Purana and Pancaratra
>|authorities, the make-show of devotional service should at
>|once be rejected. An unauthorized devotee should never be
>|recognized as a pure devotee. By assimilation of such
>|messages from the Vedic literatures, one can see the all-
>|pervading localized aspect of the Personality of Godhead
>|within his own self constantly. This is called samadhi.
1236|Adi 7.103
1237|TEXT 103
1238|TEXT
1239|iha suni' bale sarva sannyasira gana
1240|tomake dekhiye yaiche saksat narayana
1241|SYNONYMS
1242|iha-this; suni'-hearing; bale-spoke; sarva-all; sannyasira-
>|of the Mayavadi sannyasis; gana-group; tomake-unto You;
>|dekhiye-we see; yaiche-exactly like; saksat-directly;
>|narayana-the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
1243|TRANSLATION
1244|Hearing this, the Mayavadi sannyasis became somewhat humble
>|and addressed Caitanya Mahaprabhu as Narayana Himself, who
>|they all agreed He was.
1245|PURPORT
1246|Mayavadi sannyasis address each other as Narayana. Whenever
>|they see another sannyasi, they offer him respect by
>|calling om namo narayanaya ("I offer my respect unto you,
>|Narayana"), although they know perfectly well what kind of
>|Narayana he is. Narayana has four hands, but although they
>|are puffed up with the idea of being Narayana, they cannot
>|exhibit more than two. Since their philosophy declares that
>|Narayana and an ordinary human being are both on the same
>|level, they sometimes use the term daridra-narayana ("poor
>|Narayana"), which was invented by a so-called svami who did
>|not know anything about Vedanta philosophy. Therefore
>|although all these Mayavadi sannyasis who called themselves
>|Narayana were actually unaware of the position of Narayana,
>|due to their austerities Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu enabled
>|them to understand Him to be Narayana Himself. Lord
>|Caitanya is certainly the Supreme Personality of Godhead
>|Narayana appearing as a devotee of Narayana, and thus the
>|Mayavadi sannyasis, understanding that He was directly
>|Narayana Himself whereas they were false, puffed-up
>|Narayanas, spoke to Him as follows.
1247|Adi 7.104
1248|TEXT 104
1249|TEXT
1250|tomara vacana suni' judaya sravana
1251|tomara madhuri dekhi' judaya nayana
1252|SYNONYMS
1253|tomara-Your; vacana-speeches; suni'-hearing; judaya-very
>|much satisfied; sravana-aural reception; tomara-Your;
>|madhuri-nectar; dekhi'-seeing; judaya-satisfies; nayana-our
>|eyes.
1254|TRANSLATION
1255|"Dear Caitanya Mahaprabhu," they said, "to tell You the
>|truth, we are greatly pleased to hear Your words, and
>|furthermore Your bodily features are so pleasing that we
>|feel extraordinary satisfaction in seeing You.
1256|PURPORT
1257|In the sastras it is said:
1258|atah sri-krsna-namadi
1259|na bhaved grahyam indriyaih
1260|sevonmukhe hi jihvadau
1261|svayam eva sphuraty adah
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
1262|"With one's materially contaminated senses one cannot
>|understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead or His name,
>|form, qualities or paraphernalia, but if one renders
>|service unto Him the Lord reveals Himself." (Bhakti-
>|rasamrta-sindhu 1.2.234) Here one can see the effect of the
>|Mayavadi sannyasis' service toward Narayana. Because they
>|offered a little respect to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and
>|because they were pious and actually followed the austere
>|rules and regulations of sannyasa, they had some
>|understanding of Vedanta philosophy, and by the grace of
>|Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu they could appreciate that He was
>|none other than the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is
>|endowed with all six opulences. One of these opulences is
>|His beauty. By His extraordinarily beautiful bodily
>|features the Mayavadi sannyasis recognized Sri Caitanya
>|Mahaprabhu as Narayana Himself. He was not a farcical
>|Narayana like the daridra-narayanas invented by so-called
>|sannyasis.
1263|Adi 7.105
1264|TEXT 105
1265|TEXT
1266|tomara prabhave sabara anandita mana
1267|kabhu asangata nahe tomara vacana
1268|SYNONYMS
1269|tomara-Your; prabhave-by influence; sabara-of everyone;
>|anandita-joyful; mana-mind; kabhu-at anytime; asangata-
>|unreasonable; nahe-does not; tomara-Your; vacana-speeches.
1270|TRANSLATION
1271|"Dear sir, by Your influence our minds are greatly
>|satisfied, and we believe that Your words will never be
>|unreasonable. Therefore You can speak on the Vedanta-sutra."
1272|PURPORT
1273|In this verse the words tomara prabhave ("Your influence")
>|are very important. Unless one is spiritually advanced he
>|cannot influence an audience. Bhaktivinoda Thakura has sung,
>| suddha-bhakata-carana-renu, bhajana-anukula. "Unless one
>|associates with a pure devotee he cannot be influenced to
>|understand devotional service." These Mayavadi sannyasis
>|were fortunate enough to meet the Supreme Personality of
>|Godhead in the form of a devotee, and certainly they were
>|greatly influenced by the Lord. They knew that since a
>|perfectly advanced spiritualist never says anything false,
>|all his words are reasonable and agree with the Vedic
>|version. A highly realized person never says anything that
>|has no meaning. Mayavadi philosophers claim to be the
>|Supreme Personality of Godhead, and this has no meaning,
>|but Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu never uttered such nonsense.
>|The Mayavadi sannyasis were convinced about His personality,
>| and therefore they wanted to hear from Him the purport of
>|Vedanta philosophy .
1274|Adi 7.106
1275|TEXT 106
1276|TEXT
1277|prabhu kahe, vedanta-sutra isvara-vacana
1278|vyasa-rupe kaila yaha sri-narayana
1279|SYNONYMS
1280|prabhu kahe-the Lord began to speak; vedanta-sutra-the
>|philosophy of Vedanta-sutra; isvara-vacana-spoken by the
>|Supreme Personality of Godhead; vyasa-rupe-in the form of
>|Vyasadeva; kaila-He has made; yaha-whatever; sri-narayana-
>|the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
1281|TRANSLATION
1282|The Lord said, "Vedanta philosophy consists of words spoken
>|by the Supreme Personality of Godhead Narayana in the form
>|of Vyasadeva.
1283|PURPORT
1284|The Vedanta-sutra, which consists of aphorisms revealing
>|the method of understanding Vedic knowledge, is the concise
>|form of all Vedic knowledge. It begins with the words
>|athato brahma-jijnasa ("Now is the time to inquire about
>|the Absolute Truth "). The human form of life is
>|especially meant for this purpose, and therefore the
>|Vedanta-sutra very concisely explains the human mission.
>|This is confirmed by the words of the Vayu and Skanda
>|Puranas, which define a sutra as follows:
1285|alpaksaram asandigdham
1286|sara- vat visvato -mukham
1287|astobham anavadyam ca
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
1288|sutram
>|
>|sutra
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|-vido
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>| viduh
>|
1289|"A sutra is an aphorism that
>| expresses the
>|essence of all knowledge
>| in a minimum
>| of words It must be
>| universally
>|applicable and faultless
>| in its
>|linguistic presentation ." Anyone familiar
>|with such sutras must be
>|aware of the
>|Vedanta-sutra , which is well
>|known among scholars by
>| the following different names : (1) Brahma -sutra, (
>|2) Sariraka , (3) Vyasa- sutra , (
>| 4 ) Badarayana -sutra, (
>|5) Uttara -mimamsa and ( 6) Vedanta - darsana.
1290|There are four chapters (adhyayas) in the Vedanta-sutra,
>|and there are four divisions (padas) in each chapter.
>|Therefore the Vedanta-sutra may be referred to as sodasa-
>|pada, or sixteen divisions of aphorisms. The theme of each
>|and every division is fully described in terms of five
>|different subject matters (adhikaranas), which are
>|technically called pratijna, hetu, udaharana, upanaya and
>|nigamana. Every theme must necessarily be explained with
>|reference to pratijna, or a solemn declaration of the
>|purpose of the treatise. The solemn declaration given in
>|the beginning of the Vedanta-sutra is athato brahma-jijnasa,
>| which indicates that this book was written with the solemn
>|declaration to inquire about the Absolute Truth. Similarly,
>|reasons must be expressed (hetu), examples must be given in
>|terms of various facts (udaharana), the theme must
>|gradually be brought nearer for understanding (upanaya),
>|and finally it must be supported by authoritative
>|quotations from the Vedic sastras (nigamana).
1291|According to the great dictionary compiler Hemacandra, also
>|known as Kosakara, Vedanta refers to the purport of the
>|Upanisads and the Brahmana portion of the Vedas. Professor
>|Apte, in his dictionary, describes the Brahmana portion of
>|the Vedas as that portion which states the rules for
>|employment of hymns at various sacrifices and gives
>|detailed explanations of their origin, sometimes with
>|lengthy illustrations in the form of legends and stories.
>|It is distinct from the mantra portion of the Vedas.
>|Hemacandra said that the supplement of the Vedas is called
>|the Vedanta-sutra. Veda means knowledge, and anta means the
>|end. In other words, proper understanding of the ultimate
>|purpose of the Vedas is called Vedanta knowledge. Such
>|knowledge, as given in the aphorisms of the Vedanta-sutra,
>|must be supported by the Upanisads.
1292|According to learned scholars, there are three different
>|sources of knowledge, which are called prasthana-traya.
>|According to these scholars, Vedanta is one of such sources,
>| for it presents Vedic knowledge on the basis of logic and
>|sound arguments. In the Bhagavad-gita (13.5) the Lord says,
>|brahma-sutra-padais caiva hetumadbhir viniscitaih: "
>|Understanding of the ultimate goal of life is ascertained
>|in the Brahma-sutra by legitimate logic and argument
>|concerning cause and effect." Therefore the Vedanta-sutra
>|is known as nyaya-prasthana, the Upanisads are known as
>|sruti-prasthana, and the Gita, Mahabharata and Puranas are
>|known as smrti-prasthana. All scientific knowledge of
>|transcendence must be supported by sruti, smrti and a sound
>|logical basis.
1293|It is said that both the Vedic knowledge and the supplement
>|of the Vedas called the Satvata-pancaratra emanated from
>|the breathing of Narayana, the Supreme Personality of
>|Godhead. The Vedanta-sutra aphorisms were compiled by Srila
>|Vyasadeva, a powerful incarnation of Sri Narayana, although
>|it is sometimes said that they were compiled by a great
>|sage named Apantaratama. Both the Pancaratra and Vedanta-
>|sutra, however, express the same opinions. Sri Caitanya
>|Mahaprabhu therefore confirms that there is no difference
>|in opinion between the two, and He declares that because
>|the Vedanta-sutra was compiled by Srila Vyasadeva, it may
>|be understood to have emanated from the breathing of Sri
>|Narayana. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura comments
>|that while Vyasadeva was compiling the Vedanta-sutra, seven
>|of his great saintly contemporaries were also engaged in
>|similar work. These saints were Atreya Rsi, Asmarathya,
>|Audulomi, Karsnajini, Kasakrtsna, Jaimini and Badari. In
>|addition, it is stated that Parasari and Karmandi-bhiksu
>|also discussed the Vedanta-sutra aphorisms before Vyasadeva.
1294|the Vedanta-sutra consists of four
>|chapters. The first two chapters discuss the relationship
>|of the living entity with the Supreme Personality of
>|Godhead. This is known as sambandha-jnana, or knowledge of
>|the relationship. The third chapter describes how one can
>|act in his relationship with the Supreme Personality of
>|Godhead. This is called abhidheya-jnana. The relationship
>|of the living entity with the Supreme Lord is described by
>|Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu: jivera 'svarupa' haya krsnera '
>|nitya-dasa'. "The living entity is an eternal servant of
>|Krsna, the Supreme God." (Cc. Madhya 20.108) Therefore, to
>|act in that relationship one must perform sadhana-bhakti,
>|or the prescribed duties of service to the Supreme
>|Personality of Godhead. This is called abhidheya-jnana. The
>|fourth chapter describes the result of such devotional
>|service (prayojana-jnana). This ultimate goal of life is to
>|go back home, back to Godhead. The words anavrttih sabdat
>|in the Vedanta-sutra indicate this ultimate goal.
1295|Srila Vyasadeva, a powerful incarnation of Narayana,
>|compiled the Vedanta-sutra, and in order to protect it from
>|unauthorized commentaries, he personally composed Srimad-
>|Bhagavatam on the instruction of his spiritual master,
>|Narada Muni, as the original commentary on the Vedanta-
>|sutra. Besides Srimad-Bhagavatam, there are commentaries on
>|the Vedanta-sutra composed by all the major Vaisnava
>|acaryas, and in each of them devotional service to the Lord
>|is described very explicitly. Only those who follow Sankara'
>|s commentary have described the Vedanta-sutra in an
>|impersonal way, without reference to visnu-bhakti, or
>|devotional service to the Lord, Visnu. Generally people
>|very much appreciate this Sariraka-bhasya, or impersonal
>|description of the Vedanta-sutra, but all commentaries that
>|are devoid of devotional service to Lord Visnu must be
>|considered to differ in purpose from the original Vedanta-
>|sutra. In other words, Lord Caitanya definitely confirmed
>|that the commentaries, or bhasyas, written by the Vaisnava
>|acaryas on the basis of devotional service to Lord Visnu,
>|and not the Sariraka-bhasya of Sankaracarya, give the
>|actual explanation of the Vedanta-sutra.
1296|Adi 7.107
1297|TEXT 107
1298|TEXT
1299|bhrama, pramada, vipralipsa, karanapatava
1300|isvarera vakye nahi dosa ei saba
1301|SYNONYMS
1302|bhrama-mistake; pramada-illusion; vipralipsa-cheating
>|purposes; karana-apatava-inefficiency of the material
>|senses; isvarera-of the Lord; vakye-in the speech; nahi-
>|there is not; dosa-fault; ei saba-all this.
1303|TRANSLATION
1304|"The material defects of mistakes, illusions, cheating and
>|sensory inefficiency do not exist in the words of the
>|Supreme Personality of Godhead.
1305|PURPORT
1306|A mistake is the acceptance of an object to be different
>|than what it is or the acceptance of false knowledge. For
>|example, one may see a rope in the dark and think it to be
>|a serpent, or one may see a glittering oyster shell and
>|think it to be gold. These are mistakes. Similarly, an
>|illusion is a misunderstanding that arises from inattention
>|while hearing, and cheating is the transmission of such
>|defective knowledge to others. Materialistic scientists and
>|philosophers generally use such words as "maybe" and "
>|perhaps" because they do not have actual knowledge of
>|complete facts. Therefore their instructing others is an
>|example of cheating. The final defect of the materialistic
>|person is his inefficient senses. Although our eyes, for
>|example, have the power to see, they cannot see that which
>|is situated at a distance, nor can they see the eyelid,
>|which is the object nearest to the eye. To our untrained
>|eyes the sun appears to be just like a plate, and to the
>|eyes of one who is suffering from jaundice everything
>|appears to be yellow. Therefore we cannot rely on the
>|knowledge acquired through such imperfect eyes. The ears
>|are equally imperfect. We cannot hear a sound vibrated a
>|long distance away unless we put a telephone to our ear.
>|Similarly, if we analyze all our senses in this way, we
>|will find them all to be imperfect. Therefore it is useless
>|to acquire knowledge through the senses. The Vedic process
>|is to hear from authority. In the Bhagavad-gita (4.2) the
>|Lord says, evam parampara-praptam imam rajarsayo viduh: "
>|The supreme science was thus received through the chain of
>|disciplic succession, and the saintly kings understood it
>|in that way." We have to hear not from a telephone but from
>|an authorized person, for it is he who has real knowledge.
1307|Adi 7.108
1308|TEXT 108
1309|TEXT
1310|upanisat-sahita sutra kahe yei tattva
1311|mukhya-vrttye sei artha parama mahattva
1312|SYNONYMS
1313|upanisat-the authorized Vedic version; sahita-along with;
>|sutra-the Vedanta-sutra; kahe-it is said; yei-the subject
>|matter; tattva-in truth; mukhya-vrttye-by direct
>|understanding; sei-that truth; artha-meaning; parama-
>|ultimate; mahattva-glory.
1314|TRANSLATION
1315|"The Absolute Truth is described by the Upanisads and
>|Brahma-sutra, but one must understand the verses as they
>|are. That is the supreme glory in understanding.
1316|PURPORT
1317|It has become fashionable since the time of Sankaracarya to
>|explain everything regarding the sastras in an indirect way.
>| Scholars take pride in explaining everything in their own
>|way, and they declare that one can understand the Vedic
>|scriptures in any way he likes. This "any way you like"
>|method is foolishness, and it has created havoc in the
>|Vedic culture. One cannot accept scientific knowledge in
>|his own whimsical way. In the science of mathematics, for
>|example, two plus two equals four, and one cannot make it
>|equal three or five. Yet although it is not possible to
>|alter real knowledge, people have taken to the fashion of
>|understanding Vedic knowledge in any way they like. It is
>|for this reason that we have presented Bhagavad-gita As It
>|Is. We do not create meanings by concoction. Sometimes
>|commentators say that the word kuruksetra in the first
>|verse of the Bhagavad-gita refers to one's body, but we do
>|not accept this. We understand that Kuruksetra is a place
>|that still exists, and according to the Vedic version it is
>|a dharma-ksetra, or a place of pilgrimage. People still go
>|there to perform Vedic sacrifices. Foolish commentators,
>|however, say that kuruksetra means the body and that panca-
>|pandava refers to the five senses. In this way they distort
>|the meaning, and people are misled. Here Sri Caitanya
>|Mahaprabhu confirms that all Vedic literature, including
>|the Upanisads, Brahma-sutra and others, whether sruti,
>|smrti or nyaya, must be understood according to their
>|original statements. To describe the direct meaning of the
>|Vedic scriptures is glorious, but to describe them in one'
>|s own way, using imperfect senses and imperfect knowledge,
>|is a disastrous blunder. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu fully
>|deprecated the attempt to describe the Vedas in this way.
1318|Regarding the Upanisads, the following eleven Upanisads are
>|considered to be the topmost: Isa, Kena, Katha, Prasna,
>|Mundaka, Mandukya, Taittiriya, Aitareya, Chandogya, Brhad-
>|aranyaka and Svetasvatara. However, in the Muktikopanisad,
>|verses 30-39, there is a description of 108 Upanisads. They
>|are as follows: (1) Isopanisad, (2) Kenopanisad, (3)
>|Kathopanisad, (4) Prasnopanisad, (5) Mundakopanisad, (6)
>|Mandukyopanisad, (7) Taittiriyopanisad, (8) Aitareyopanisad,
>| (9) Chandogyopanisad, (10) Brhad-aranyakopanisad, (11)
>|Brahmopanisad, (12) Kaivalyopanisad, (13) Jabalopanisad, (
>|14) Svetasvataropanisad, (15) Hamsopanisad, (16)
>|Aruneyopanisad, (17) Garbhopanisad, (18) Narayanopanisad, (
>|19) Paramahamsopanisad, (20) Amrta-bindupanisad, (21) Nada-
>|bindupanisad, (22) Siropanisad, (23) Atharva-sikhopanisad, (
>|24) Maitrayany-upanisad, (25) Kausitaky-upanisad, (26)
>|Brhaj-jabalopanisad, (27) Nrsimha-tapaniyopanisad, (28)
>|Kalagni-rudropanisad, (29) Maitreyy-upanisad, (30)
>|Subalopanisad, (31) Ksurikopanisad, (32) Mantrikopanisad, (
>|33) Sarva-saropanisad, (34) Niralambopanisad, (35) Suka-
>|rahasyopanisad, (36) Vajra-sucikopanisad, (37) Tejo-
>|bindupanisad, (38) Nada-bindupanisad, (39) Dhyana-
>|bindupanisad, (40) Brahma-vidyopanisad, (41) Yoga-
>|tattvopanisad, (42), Atma-bodhopanisad, (43) Narada-
>|parivrajakopanisad, (44) Trisikhy-upanisad, (45)
>|Sitopanisad, (46) Yoga-cudamany-upanisad, (47)
>|Nirvanopanisad, (48) Mandala-brahmanopanisad, (49) Daksina-
>|murty-upanisad, (50) Sarabhopanisad, (51) Skandopanisad, (
>|52) Mahanarayanopanisad, (53) Advaya-tarakopanisad, (54)
>|Rama-rahasyopanisad, (55) Rama-tapany-upanisad, (56)
>|Vasudevopanisad, (57) Mudgalopanisad, (58) Sandilyopanisad,
>|(59) Paingalopanisad, (60) Bhiksupanisad, (61) Mahad-
>|upanisad, (62) Sarirakopanisad, (63) Yoga-sikhopanisad, (64)
>| Turiyatitopanisad, (65) Sannyasopanisad, (66) Paramahamsa-
>|parivrajakopanisad, (67) Malikopanisad, (68) Avyaktopanisad,
>| (69) Ekaksaropanisad, (70) Purnopanisad, (71) Suryopanisad,
>| (72) Aksy-upanisad, (73) Adhyatmopanisad, (74)
>|Kundikopanisad, (75) Savitry-upanisad, (76) Atmopanisad, (
>|77) Pasupatopanisad, (78) Param-brahmopanisad, (79)
>|Avadhutopanisad, (80) Tripuratapanopanisad, (81) Devy-
>|upanisad, (82) Tripuropanisad, (83) Katha-rudropanisad, (84)
>| Bhavanopanisad, (85) Hrdayopanisad, (86) Yoga-kundaliny-
>|upanisad, (87) Bhasmopanisad, (88) Rudraksopanisad, (89)
>|Ganopanisad, (90) Darsanopanisad, (91) Tara-saropanisad, (
>|92) Maha-vakyopanisad, (93) Panca-brahmopanisad, (94)
>|Pranagni-hotropanisad, (95) Gopala-tapany-upanisad, (96)
>|Krsnopanisad, (97) Yajnavalkyopanisad, (98) Varahopanisad, (
>|99) Satyayany-upanisad, (100) Hayagrivopanisad, (101)
>|Dattatreyopanisad, (102) Garudopanisad, (103) Kaly-upanisad,
>| (104) Jabaly-upanisad, (105) Saubhagyopanisad, (106)
>|Sarasvati-rahasyopanisad, (107) Bahvrcopanisad and (108)
>|Muktikopanisad. Thus there are 108 generally accepted
>|Upanisads, of which eleven are the most important, as
>|previously stated.
1319|Adi 7.109
1320|TEXT 109
1321|TEXT
1322|gauna-vrttye yeba bhasya karila acarya
1323|tahara sravane nasa haya sarva karya
1324|SYNONYMS
1325|gauna-vrttye-by indirect meanings; yeba-which; bhasya-
>|commentary; karila-prepared; acarya-Sankaracarya; tahara-
>|its; sravane-hearing; nasa-destruction; haya-becomes; sarva-
>|all; karya-business.
1326|TRANSLATION
1327|"Sripada Sankaracarya has described all the Vedic
>|literatures in terms of indirect meanings. One who hears
>|such explanations is ruined.
1328|Adi 7.110
1329|TEXT 110
1330|TEXT
1331|tanhara nahika dosa, isvara-ajna pana
1332|gaunartha karila mukhya artha acchadiya
1333|SYNONYMS
1334|tanhara-of Sri Sankaracarya; nahika-there is none; dosa-
>|fault; isvara-the Supreme Lord; ajna-order; pana-receiving;
>|gauna-artha-indirect meaning; karila-make; mukhya-direct;
>|artha-meaning; acchadiya-covering.
1335|TRANSLATION
1336|"Sankaracarya is not at fault, for he has thus covered the
>|real purpose of the Vedas under the order of
>| the Supreme Personality of Godhead .
1337|PURPORT
1338|The Vedic literature is to be considered a source of real
>|knowledge, but if one does not take it as it is, one will
>|be misled. For example, the Bhagavad-gita is an important
>|book of Vedic literature that has been taught for many
>|years, but because it was commented upon by unscrupulous
>|rascals, people derived no benefit from it, and no one came
>|to the conclusion of Krsna consciousness. Since the purpose
>|of the Bhagavad-gita is now being presented as it is,
>|however, within four or five short years thousands of
>|people all over the world have become Krsna conscious. That
>|is the difference between direct and indirect explanations
>|of the Vedic literature. Therefore Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu
>|said, mukhya-vrttye sei artha parama mahattva: "To teach
>|the Vedic literature according to its direct meaning,
>|without false commentary, is glorious." Unfortunately, Sri
>|Sankaracarya, by the order of the Supreme Personality of
>|Godhead, compromised between atheism and theism in order to
>|cheat the atheists and bring them to theism, and to do so
>|he gave up the direct method of Vedic knowledge and tried
>|to present a meaning which is indirect. It is with this
>|purpose that he wrote his Sariraka-bhasya commentary on the
>|Vedanta-sutra.
1339|One should not, therefore, attribute very much importance
>|to the Sariraka-bhasya. In order to understand Vedanta
>|philosophy, one must study Srimad-Bhagavatam, which begins
>|with the words om namo bhagavate vasudevaya, janmady asya
>|yato 'nvayad itaratas carthesv abhijnah sva-rat: "I offer
>|my obeisances unto Lord Sri Krsna, son of Vasudeva, who is
>|the Supreme All-pervading Personality of Godhead. I
>|meditate upon Him, the transcendent reality, who is the
>|primeval cause of all causes, from whom all manifested
>|universes arise, in whom they dwell and by whom they are
>|destroyed. I meditate upon that eternally effulgent Lord
>|who is directly and indirectly conscious of all
>|manifestations and yet is fully independent." ( Bhag . 1.1.
>|1) Srimad-Bhagavatam is the real commentary on the Vedanta-
>|sutra. Unfortunately, if one is attracted to Sri
>|Sankaracarya's commentary, Sariraka-bhasya, his spiritual
>|life is doomed.
1340|One may argue that since Sankaracarya is an incarnation of
>|Lord Siva, how is it that he cheated people in this way?
>|The answer is that he did so on the order of his master,
>|the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is confirmed in
>|the Padma Purana in the words of Lord Siva himself:
1341|mayavadam asac chastram
1342|pracchannam bauddham ucyate
1343|mayaiva kalpitam devi
1344|kalau brahmana -
>|rupina
1345|brahmanas caparam rupam
1346|nirgunam vaksyate maya
1347|sarva
>|
>|-svam
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>| jagato 'py asya
1348|mohanartham kalau yuge
1349|vedante tu maha -sastre
1350|mayavadam avaidikam
>|
>|
1351|mayaiva vaksyate devi
1352|jagatam nasa-karanat
1353|"The Mayavada philosophy," Lord Siva informed his wife
>|Parvati, "is impious [asac chastra]. It is covered Buddhism.
>| My dear Parvati, in the form of a brahmana in the Kali-
>|yuga I teach this imagined Mayavada philosophy. In order to
>|cheat the atheists, I describe the Supreme Personality of
>|Godhead to be without form and without qualities. Similarly,
>| in explaining Vedanta I describe the same Mayavada
>|philosophy in order to mislead the entire population toward
>|atheism by denying the personal form of the Lord." In the
>|Siva Purana the Supreme Personality of Godhead told Lord
>|Siva:
1354|dvaparadau yuge bhutva
1355|kalaya manusadisu
1356|svagamaih kalpitais tvam ca
1357|janan mad-vimukhan kuru
1358|"In the Kali-yuga, mislead the people in general by
>|propounding imaginary meanings for the Vedas to bewilder
>|them." These are the descriptions of the Puranas.
1359|Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura comments that
>|mukhya-vrtti ("the direct meaning") is abhidha-vrtti, or
>|the meaning that one can understand immediately from the
>|statements of dictionaries, whereas gauna-vrtti ("the
>|indirect meaning") is a meaning that one imagines without
>|consulting the dictionary. For example, one politician has
>|said that Kuruksetra refers to the body, but in the
>|dictionary there is no such definition. Therefore this
>|imaginary meaning is gauna-vrtti, whereas the direct
>|meaning found in the dictionary is mukhya-vrtti or abhidha-
>|vrtti. This is the distinction between the two. Sri
>|Caitanya Mahaprabhu recommends that one understand the
>|Vedic literature in terms of abhidha-vrtti, and the gauna-
>|vrtti He rejects. Sometimes, however, as a matter of
>|necessity, the Vedic literature is described in terms of
>|the laksana-vrtti or gauna-vrtti, but one should not accept
>|such explanations as permanent truths.
1360|The purpose of the discussions in the Upanisads and Vedanta-
>|sutra is to philosophically establish the personal feature
>|of the Absolute Truth. The impersonalists, however, in
>|order to establish their philosophy, accept these
>|discussions in terms of laksana-vrtti, or indirect meanings.
>| Thus instead of being tattva-vada, or in search of the
>|Absolute Truth, they become Mayavada, or illusioned by the
>|material energy. When Sri Visnusvami , one of the
>|four acaryas of the Vaisnava cult, presented his thesis on
>|the subject matter of suddhadvaita-vada, immediately the
>|Mayavadis took advantage of this philosophy and tried to
>|establish their advaita-vada or kevaladvaita-vada. To
>|defeat this kevaladvaita-vada, Sri Ramanujacarya presented
>|his philosophy as visistadvaita-vada, and Sri Madhvacarya
>|presented his philosophy of tattva-vada, both of which are
>|stumbling blocks to the Mayavadis because they defeat their
>|philosophy in scrupulous detail. Students of Vedic
>|philosophy know very well how strongly Sri Ramanujacarya's
>|visistadvaita-vada and Sri Madhvacarya's tattva-vada
>|contest the impersonal Mayavada philosophy. Sri Caitanya
>|Mahaprabhu, however, accepted the direct meaning of the
>|Vedanta philosophy and thus defeated the Mayavada
>|philosophy immediately. He opined in this connection that
>|anyone who follows the principles of the Sariraka-bhasya is
>|doomed. This is confirmed in the Padma Purana, where Lord
>|Siva tells Parvati:
1361|srnu devi pravaksyami
1362|tamasani yatha-kramam
1363|yesam sravana- matrena
1364|patityam jnaninam api
1365|apartham sruti- vakyanam
1366|darsayal loka- garhitam
1367|karma-svarupa-tyajyatvam
1368|atra ca pratipadyate
1369|sarva-karma-paribhramsan
1370|naiskarmyam tatra cocyate
1371|paratma-jivayor aikyam
1372|mayatra pratipadyate
1373|"My dear wife, hear my explanations of how I have spread
>|ignorance through Mayavada philosophy. Simply by hearing it,
>| even an advanced scholar will fall down. In this
>|philosophy, which is certainly very inauspicious for people
>|in general, I have misrepresented the real meaning of the
>|Vedas and recommended that one give up all activities in
>|order to achieve freedom from karma. In this Mayavada
>|philosophy I have described the jivatma and Paramatma to be
>|one and the same." How the Mayavada philosophy was
>|condemned by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and His followers is
>|described in Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Antya-lila, Second
>|Chapter, verses 94 through 99, where Svarupa-damodara
>|Gosvami says that anyone who is eager to understand the
>|Mayavada philosophy must be considered insane. This
>|especially applies to a Vaisnava who reads the Sariraka-
>|bhasya and considers himself to be one with God. The
>|Mayavadi philosophers have presented their arguments in
>|such attractive, flowery language that hearing Mayavada
>|philosophy may sometimes change the mind of even a maha-
>|bhagavata, or very advanced devotee. An actual Vaisnava
>|cannot tolerate any philosophy that claims God and the
>|living being to be one and the same.
1374|Adi 7.111
1375|TEXT 111
1376|TEXT
1377|'brahma'-sabde mukhya arthe kahe-'bhagavan'
1378|cid-aisvarya-paripurna, anurdhva-samana
1379|SYNONYMS
1380|brahma-the Absolute Truth; sabde-by this word; mukhya-
>|direct; arthe-meaning; kahe-says; bhagavan-the Supreme
>|Personality of Godhead; cit-aisvarya-spiritual opulence;
>|paripurna-full of; anurdhva-unsurpassed by anyone; samana-
>|not equaled by anyone.
1381|TRANSLATION
1382|"According to direct understanding, the Absolute Truth is
>|the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who has all spiritual
>|opulences. No one can be equal to or greater than Him.
1383|PURPORT
1384|This statement by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is confirmed in
>|Srimad-Bhagavatam (1.2.11):
1385|vadanti tat tattva-vidas
1386|tattvam yaj jnanam advayam
1387|brahmeti paramatmeti
1388|bhagavan iti sabdyate
1389|"Learned transcendentalists who know the Absolute Truth
>|call this nondual substance Brahman, Paramatma or Bhagavan."
>| The Absolute Truth is ultimately understood as Bhagavan,
>|partially understood as Paramatma and vaguely understood as
>|the impersonal Brahman. Bhagavan, or the Supreme
>|Personality of Godhead, is opulent in all excellence; no
>|one can be equal to or greater than Him. This is also
>|confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita (7.7), where the Lord says,
>|mattah parataram nanyat kincid asti dhananjaya: "O
>|conqueror of wealth [Arjuna], there is no truth superior to
>|Me." There are many other verses which prove that the
>|Absolute Truth in the ultimate sense is understood to be
>|the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna.
1390|Adi 7.112
1391|TEXT 112
1392|TEXT
1393|tanhara vibhuti, deha,-saba cid-akara
1394|cid-vibhuti acchadi' tanre kahe 'nirakara'
1395|SYNONYMS
1396|tanhara-His (the Supreme Personality of Godhead's); vibhuti-
>|spiritual power; deha-body; saba-everything; cit-akara-
>|spiritual form; cit-vibhuti-spiritual opulence; acchadi'-
>|covering; tanre-Him; kahe-says; nirakara-without form.
1397|TRANSLATION
1398|"Everything about the Supreme Personality of Godhead is
>|spiritual, including His body, opulence and paraphernalia.
>|Mayavada philosophy, however, covering His spiritual
>|opulence, advocates the theory of impersonalism.
1399|PURPORT
1400|It is stated in the Brahma-samhita, isvarah paramah krsnah
>|sac-cid-ananda-vigrahah: "The Supreme Personality
>|of Godhead, Krsna, has a spiritual body which is full of
>|knowledge, eternity and bliss." In this material world
>|everyone's body is just the opposite-temporary, full of
>|ignorance and full of misery. Therefore when the Supreme
>|Personality of Godhead is sometimes described as nirakara,
>|this is to indicate that He does not have a material body
>|like us.
1401|Mayavadi philosophers do not know how it is that the
>|Supreme Personality of Godhead is formless. The Supreme
>|Lord does not have a form like ours but has a spiritual
>|form. Not knowing this, Mayavadi philosophers simply
>|advocate the onesided view that the Supreme Godhead, or
>|Brahman, is formless (nirakara). In this connection Srila
>|Bhaktivinoda Thakura offers many quotes from the Vedic
>|literature. If one accepts the real or direct meaning of
>|these Vedic statements, one can understand that the Supreme
>|Personality of Godhead has a spiritual body (sac-cid-ananda-
>|vigrahah ).
1402|In the Brhad-aranyaka Upanisad (5.1.1) it is said, purnam
>|adah purnam idam purnat purnam udacyate. This indicates
>|that the body of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is
>|spiritual, for even though He expands in many ways, He
>|remains the same. In the Bhagavad-gita (10.8) the Lord says,
>| aham sarvasya prabhavo mattah sarvam pravartate: "I am the
>|origin of all. Everything emanates from Me." Mayavadi
>|philosophers materialistically think that if the Supreme
>|Truth expands Himself in everything, He must lose His
>|original form. Thus they think that there cannot be any
>|form other than the expansive gigantic body of the Lord.
>|But the Brhad-aranyaka Upanisad confirms, purnam idam
>|purnat purnam udacyate: "Although He expands in many ways,
>|He keeps His original personality. His original spiritual
>|body remains as it is." Similarly, elsewhere it is stated,
>|vicitra-saktih purusah puranah: "The Supreme Personality of
>|Godhead, the original person [purusa], has multifarious
>|energies." And the Svetasvatara Upanisad declares, sa vrksa-
>|kalakrtibhih paro 'nyo yasmat prapancah parivartate 'yam
>|dharmavaham papanudam bhagesam: "He is the origin of
>|material creation, and it is due to Him only that
>|everything changes. He is the protector of religion and
>|annihilator of all sinful activities. He is the master of
>|all opulences." (Svetasvatara Upanisad 6.6) Vedaham
>|etam purusam mahantam aditya-varnam tamasah parastat: "Now
>|I understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead to be the
>|greatest of the great. He is effulgent like the sun and is
>|beyond this material world." ( Svetasvatara Upanisad 3.
>|8) Patim patinam paramam parastat: "He is the master of all
>|masters, the superior of all superiors." ( Svetasvatara
>|Upanisad 6.7) Mahan prabhur vai purusah: "He is the
>|supreme master and supreme person." ( Svetasvatara
>|Upanisad 3.12) Parasya saktir vividhaiva sruyate: "We can
>|understand His opulences in different ways." ( Svetasvatara
>| Upanisad 6.8 ) These are all statements of the
>|Svetasvatara Upanisad. Similarly, in the Rg
>|Veda it is stated, tad visnoh paramam padam sada pasyanti
>|surayah: "Visnu is the Supreme, and those who are actually
>|learned think only of His lotus feet." In the Prasna
>|Upanisad it is said, sa iksam cakre: "He glanced over
>|the material creation." (6.3) In the Aitareya Upanisad
>|it is said, sa aiksata-"He glanced over the
>|material creation"-and sa imal lokan asrjata-"He created
>|this entire material world." (1.1.1-2)
1403|Thus many verses can be quoted from the Upanisads and Vedas
>|which prove that the Supreme Godhead is not impersonal. In
>|the Katha Upanisad (2.2.13) it is also said, nityo nityanam
>|cetanas cetananam eko bahunam yo vidadhati kaman: "He is
>|the supreme eternally conscious person who maintains all
>|other living entities." From all these Vedic references one
>|can understand that the Absolute Truth is a person ,
>|although no one can equal or excel Him. Although
>|there are many foolish Mayavadi philosophers who think that
>|they are even greater than Krsna, Krsna is asamaurdhva: no
>|one is equal to or above Him.
1404|As stated in the Svetasvatara Upanisad (3.19), apani-pado
>|javano grahita. This verse describes the Absolute Truth as
>|having no legs or hands. Although this is an impersonal
>|description, however, it does not mean that the Absolute
>|Personality of Godhead has no form. He has a spiritual form
>|that is distinct from the forms of matter. In this verse
>|Caitanya Mahaprabhu clarifies this distinction.
1405|Adi 7.113
1406|TEXT 113
1407|TEXT
1408|cid-ananda-tenho, tanra sthana, parivara
1409|tanre kahe-prakrta-sattvera vikara
1410|SYNONYMS
1411|cit-ananda-spiritual bliss; tenho-He is personally; tanra-
>|His; sthana-abode; parivara-entourage; tanre-unto Him; kahe-
>|someone says; prakrta-material; sattvera-goodness; vikara-
>|transformation.
1412|TRANSLATION
1413|"The Supreme Personality of Godhead is full of spiritual
>|potencies. Therefore His body, name, fame and entourage are
>|all spiritual. The Mayavadi philosopher, due to ignorance,
>|says that these are all merely transformations of the
>|material mode of goodness.
1414|PURPORT
1415|In the Seventh Chapter of the Bhagavad-gita the Supreme
>|Personality of Godhead has classified His energies in two
>|distinct divisions-namely, prakrta and aprakrta, or para-
>|prakrti and apara-prakrti. In the Visnu Purana the same
>|distinction is made. The Mayavadi philosophers cannot
>|understand these two prakrtis, or natures-material and
>|spiritual-but one who is actually intelligent can
>|understand them. Considering the many varieties and
>|activities in material nature, why should the Mayavadi
>|philosophers deny the spiritual varieties of the spiritual
>|world? The Bhagavatam (10.2.32) says:
1416|ye 'nye 'ravindaksa vimukta-maninas
1417|tvayy asta-bhavad avisuddha-buddhayah
1418|The intelligence of those who think themselves liberated
>|but have no information of the spiritual world is not yet
>|clear. In this verse the term avisuddha-buddhayah refers to
>|unclean intelligence. Due to unclean intelligence or a poor
>|fund of knowledge, the Mayavadi philosophers cannot
>|understand the distinction between material and spiritual
>|varieties; therefore they cannot even think of spiritual
>|varieties because they take it for granted that all variety
>|is material.
1419|Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, therefore, explains in this verse
>|that Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead or the
>|Absolute Truth , has a spiritual body that is distinct
>|from material bodies, and thus His name, abode, entourage
>|and qualities are all spiritual. The material mode of
>|goodness has nothing to do with spiritual varieties.
>|Mayavadi philosophers, however, cannot clearly understand
>|spiritual varieties; therefore they imagine a negation of
>|the material world to be the spiritual world. The material
>|qualities of goodness, passion and ignorance cannot act in
>|the spiritual world, which is therefore called nirguna, as
>|clearly indicated in the Bhagavad-gita (trai-gunya-visaya
>|veda nistrai-gunyo bhavarjuna). The material world is a
>|manifestation of the three modes of material nature, but
>|one has to become free from these modes to come to the
>|spiritual world, where their influence is completely absent.
>| Now Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu will disassociate Lord
>|Siva from Mayavada philosophy in the following verse.
1420|Adi 7.114
1421|TEXT 114
1422|TEXT
1423|tanra dosa nahi, tenho ajna-kari dasa
1424|ara yei sune tara haya sarva-nasa
1425|SYNONYMS
1426|tanra-his (Lord Siva's); dosa-fault; nahi-there is none;
>|tenho-he; ajna-kari-obedient order-carrier; dasa-servant;
>|ara-others; yei-anyone; sune-hears (the Mayavada philosophy)
>|; tara-of him; haya-becomes; sarva-nasa-everything lost
1427|TRANSLATION
1428|"Sankaracarya, who is an incarnation of Lord Siva, is
>|faultless because he is a servant carrying out the orders
>|of the Lord. But those who follow his Mayavadi philosophy
>|are doomed. They will lose all their advancement in
>|spiritual knowledge.
1429|PURPORT
1430|Mayavadi philosophers are very proud of exhibiting their
>|Vedanta knowledge through grammatical jugglery, but in the
>|Bhagavad-gita Lord Sri Krsna certifies that they are
>|mayayapahrta-jnana, bereft of real knowledge due to maya.
>|Maya has two potencies with which to execute her two
>|functions-praksepatmika-sakti, the power to throw the
>|living entity into the ocean of material existence, and
>|avaranatmika-sakti, the power to cover the knowledge of the
>|living entity. The function of the avaranatmika-sakti
>|is explained in the Bhagavad-gita by the word mayayapahrta-
>|jnanah .
1431|Why the daivi-maya, or illusory energy of Krsna, takes away
>|the knowledge of the Mayavadi philosophers is also
>|explained in the Bhagavad-gita by the use of the words
>|asuram bhavam asritah, which refer to a person who does not
>|agree to the existence of the Lord. The Mayavadis, who are
>|not in agreement with the existence of the Lord, can be
>|classified in two groups, exemplified by the impersonalist
>|Sankarites of Varanasi and the Buddhists of Saranatha. Both
>|groups are Mayavadis, and Krsna takes away their knowledge
>|due to their atheistic philosophies. Neither group agrees
>|to accept the existence of a personal God. The Buddhist
>|philosophers clearly deny both the soul and God, and
>|although the Sankarites do not openly deny God, they say
>|that the Absolute is nirakara, or formless. Thus both the
>|Buddhists and the Sankarites are avisuddha-buddhayah
>|, or imperfect and unclean in their knowledge and
>|intelligence.
1432|The most prominent Mayavadi scholar, Sadananda Yogindra,
>|has written a book called Vedanta-sara, in which he
>|expounds the philosophy of Sankaracarya, and all the
>|followers of Sankara's philosophy attribute great
>|importance to his statements. In this Vedanta-sara
>|Sadananda Yogindra defines Brahman as sac-cid-ananda
>|combined with knowledge and without duality, and he defines
>|ignorance (jada) as knowledge distinct from that of sat and
>|asat. This is almost inconceivable, but it is a product of
>|the three material qualities. Thus he considers anything
>|other than pure knowledge to be material. The center of
>|ignorance is considered to be sometimes all-pervading and
>|sometimes individual. Thus according to his opinion both
>|the all-pervading Visnu and the individual living entities
>|are products of ignorance.
1433|In simple language, it is the opinion of Sadananda Yogindra
>|that since everything is nirakara (formless), the
>|conception of Visnu and the conception of the individual
>|soul are both products of ignorance. He also explains that
>|the visuddha-sattva conception of the Vaisnavas is nothing
>|but pradhana, or the chief principle of creation. He
>|maintains that when all-pervading knowledge is contaminated
>|by the visuddha-sattva, which consists of a transformation
>|of the quality of goodness, there arises the conception of
>|the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is the omnipotent,
>|omniscient supreme ruler, the Supersoul, the cause of all
>|causes, the supreme isvara, etc. According to Sadananda
>|Yogindra, because isvara, the Supreme Lord, is the
>|reservoir of all ignorance, He may be called sarva-jna, or
>|omniscient, but one who denies the existence of the
>|omnipotent Supreme Personality of Godhead is more than
>|isvara, or the Lord. His conclusion, therefore, is that the
>|Supreme Personality of Godhead (isvara) is a transformation
>|of material ignorance and that the living entity (jiva) is
>|covered by ignorance. Thus he describes both collective and
>|individual existence in darkness. According to Mayavadi
>|philosophers, the Vaisnava conception of the Lord as the
>|Supreme Personality of Godhead and of the jiva, or
>|individual soul, as His eternal servant is a manifestation
>|of ignorance. If we accept the judgment of Lord Krsna in
>|the Bhagavad-gita, however, the Mayavadis are to be
>|considered mayayapahrta-jnana, or bereft of all knowledge,
>|because they do not recognize the existence of the Supreme
>|Personality of Godhead or they claim that His existence is
>|a product of the material conception (maya). These are
>|characteristics of asuras, or demons.
1434|Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, in His discourses with
>|Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya, said:
1435|jivera nistara lagi' sutra kaila vyasa
1436|mayavadi-bhasya sunile haya sarva-nasa
1437|(Cc. Madhya 6.169)
1438|Vyasadeva composed the Vedanta-sutra to deliver the
>|conditioned souls from this material world, but
>|Sankaracarya, by presenting the Vedanta-sutra in his own
>|way, has clearly done a great disservice to human society,
>|for one who follows his Mayavada philosophy is doomed. In
>|the Vedanta-sutra, devotional service is clearly indicated,
>|but the Mayavadi philosophers refuse to accept the
>|spiritual body of the Supreme Absolute Person and refuse to
>|accept that the living entity has an individual existence
>|separate from that of the Supreme Lord. Thus they have
>|created atheistic havoc all over the world, for such a
>|conclusion is against the very nature of the transcendental
>|process of pure devotional service. The Mayavadi
>|philosophers' unrealizable ambition to become one with the
>|Supreme through denying the existence of the Personality of
>|Godhead results in a most calamitous misrepresentation of
>|spiritual knowledge, and one who follows this philosophy is
>|doomed to remain perpetually in this material world.
>|Therefore the Mayavadis are called avisuddha-buddhayah, or
>|unclean in knowledge. Because they are unclean in knowledge,
>| all their austerities and penances end in frustration.
>|Thus although they may be honored at first as very learned
>|scholars, ultimately they descend to physical activities of
>|politics, social work, etc. Instead of becoming one with
>|the Supreme Lord, they again become one with these material
>|activities. This is explained in Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.2.32)
>|:
1439|aruhya krcchrena param padam tatah
1440|patanty adho 'nadrta-yusmad-anghrayah
1441|In actuality the Mayavadi philosophers very strictly follow
>|the austerities and penances of spiritual life and in this
>|way are elevated to the impersonal Brahman platform, but
>|due to their negligence of the lotus feet of the Lord they
>|again fall down to material existence.
1442|Adi 7.115
1443|TEXT 115
1444|TEXT
1445|prakrta kariya mane visnu-kalevara
1446|visnu-ninda ara nahi ihara upara
1447|SYNONYMS
1448|prakrta-material; kariya-taking it to be so; mane-accepts;
>|visnu-Lord Visnu's; kalevara-body; visnu-ninda-defaming or
>|blaspheming Lord Visnu; ara-beyond this; nahi-none; ihara-
>|of this; upara-above.
1449|TRANSLATION
1450|"One who considers the transcendental body of Lord Visnu to
>|be made of material nature is the greatest offender at the
>|lotus feet of the Lord. There is no greater blasphemy
>|against the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
1451|PURPORT
1452|Sri Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami explains that the
>|variegated personal feature of the Absolute Truth is the
>|visnu-tattva and that the material energy, which creates
>|this cosmic manifestation, is the energy of Lord Visnu. The
>|creative force is merely the energy of the Lord, but the
>|foolish conclude that because the Lord has distributed
>|Himself in an impersonal form He has no separate existence..
>| The impersonal Brahman, however, cannot possess energies,
>|nor does the Vedic literature state that maya (the
>|illusory energy) is covered by another maya. There are
>|hundreds and thousands of references, however, to visnu-
>|maya (parasya saktih), or the energy of Lord Visnu. In the
>|Bhagavad-gita (7.14) Krsna refers to mama maya ("My energy")
>|. Maya is controlled by the Supreme Personality of Godhead;
>|it is not that He is covered by maya. Therefore Lord Visnu
>|cannot be a product of the material energy. In the
>|beginning of the Vedanta-sutra it is said, janmady asya
>|yatah , indicating that the material energy is
>|also an emanation of the Supreme Brahman. How then could He
>|be covered by the material energy? If that were possible,
>|material energy would be greater than the Supreme Brahman.
>|Even these simple arguments, however, cannot be understood
>|by the Mayavadi philosophers, and therefore the term
>|mayayapahrta-jnana, which is applied to them in the
>|Bhagavad-gita, is extremely appropriate. Anyone who thinks
>|that Lord Visnu is a product of the material energy, as
>|explained by Sadananda Yogindra, should immediately be
>|understood to be insane, for his knowledge has been stolen
>|by the illusory energy.
1453|Lord Visnu cannot be placed within the category of the
>|demigods. Those who are actually bewildered by the Mayavada
>|philosophy and are still in the darkness of ignorance
>|consider Lord Visnu to be a demigod, in defiance of the Rg-
>|vedic mantra om tad visnoh paramam padam ("Visnu is always
>|in a superior position"). This mantra is also confirmed in
>|the Bhagavad-gita: mattah parataram nanyat -there
>|is no truth superior to Lord Krsna, or Visnu. Thus only
>|those whose knowledge has been bewildered consider Lord
>|Visnu to be a demigod and therefore suggest that one may
>|worship either Lord Visnu, the goddess Kali ( Durga) or
>|whomever one likes and achieve the same result. This is an
>|ignorant conclusion that is not accepted in the Bhagavad-
>|gita , which distinctly says, yanti deva-vrata devan
>|. . . yanti mad-yajino 'pi mam: "The worshipers of the
>|demigods will be promoted to the respective planets of the
>|demigods, but devotees of the Supreme Lord will go back
>|home, back to Godhead. " (Bg. 9.25) Lord Krsna explains
>|very clearly in the Bhagavad-gita that His material
>|energy is very difficult to overcome: daivi hy esa guna-
>|mayi mama maya duratyaya. Maya's influence is so strong
>|that even learned scholars and spiritualists are also
>|covered by maya and think themselves to be as good as the
>|Supreme Personality of Godhead. Actually, however, to free
>|oneself from the influence of maya one must surrender to
>|the Supreme Personality of Godhead, as Krsna also states in
>|the Bhagavad-gita : mam eva ye prapadyante mayam
>|etam taranti te. It is to be concluded, therefore, that
>|Lord Visnu does not belong to this material creation but to
>|the spiritual world. To misconceive Lord Visnu to have a
>|material body or to equate Him with the demigods is the
>|most offensive blasphemy against Lord Visnu, and offenders
>|against the lotus feet of Lord Visnu cannot advance in
>|spiritual knowledge. They are called mayayapahrta-jnana, or
>|those whose knowledge has been stolen by the influence of
>|illusion.
1454|One who thinks that there is a difference between Lord
>|Visnu's body and His soul dwells in the darkest region of
>|ignorance. There is no difference between Lord Visnu's body
>|and Visnu's soul, for they are advaya-jnana, one knowledge.
>|In this world there is a difference between the material
>|body and the spiritual soul, but in the spiritual world
>|everything is spiritual, and there are no such differences.
>|The greatest offense of the Mayavadi philosophers is to
>|consider Lord Visnu and the living entities to be one and
>|the same. In this connection the Padma Purana states, arcye
>|visnau sila-dhir gurusu nara-matir vaisnave jati-buddhih
>|: "One who considers the arca-murti,
>|the worshipable Deity of Lord Visnu, to be stone, the
>|spiritual master to be an ordinary human being, and a
>|Vaisnava to belong to a particular caste or creed , is
>|possessed of hellish intelligence." One who follows such
>|conclusions is doomed.
1455|Adi 7.116
1456|TEXT 116
1457|TEXT
1458|isvarera tattva-yena jvalita jvalana
1459|jivera svarupa-yaiche sphulingera kana
1460|SYNONYMS
1461|isvarera tattva-the truth of the Supreme Personality of
>|Godhead; yena-is like; jvalita-blazing; jvalana-fire;
>|jivera-of the living entities; svarupa-identity; yaiche-is
>|like; sphulingera-of the spark; kana-particle.
1462|TRANSLATION
1463|"The Lord is like a great blazing fire, and the living
>|entities are like small sparks of that fire.
1464|PURPORT
1465|Although sparks and a big fire are both fire and both have
>|the power to burn, the burning power of the fire and that
>|of the spark are not the same. Why should one artificially
>|try to become like a big fire although by constitution he
>|is like a small spark? It is due to ignorance. One should
>|therefore understand that neither the Supreme Personality
>|of Godhead nor the small sparklike living entities have
>|anything to do with matter, but when the spiritual spark
>|comes in contact with the material world his fiery quality
>|is extinguished. That is the position of the conditioned
>|souls. Because they are in touch with the material world,
>|their spiritual quality is almost dead, but because these
>|spiritual sparks are all Krsna's parts and parcels, as the
>|Lord states in the Bhagavad-gita (mamaivamsah), they can
>|revive their original position by getting free from
>|material contact. This is pure philosophical understanding.
>|In the Bhagavad-gita the spiritual sparks are declared to
>|be sanatana (eternal); therefore the material energy, maya,
>|cannot affect their constitutional position.
1466|Someone may argue, "Why is there a need to create the
>|spiritual sparks?" The answer can be given in this way:
>|Since the Absolute Personality of Godhead is omnipotent, He
>|has both unlimited and limited potencies. This is the
>|meaning of omnipotent. To be omnipotent, He must have not
>|only unlimited potencies but limited potencies also. Thus
>|to exhibit His omnipotency He displays both. The living
>|entities are endowed with limited potency although they are
>|part of the Lord. The Lord displays the spiritual world by
>|His unlimited potencies, whereas by His limited potencies
>|the material world is displayed. In the Bhagavad-gita (7.5)
>|the Lord says:
1467|apareyam itas tv anyam
1468|prakrtim viddhi me param
1469|jiva-bhutam maha-baho
1470|yayedam dharyate jagat
1471|"Besides these inferior energies, O mighty-armed Arjuna,
>|there is another, superior energy of Mine, which comprises
>|all living entities who are exploiting the resources of
>|this material, inferior nature." The jiva-bhuta, the living
>|entities, control this material world with their limited
>|potencies. Generally, people are bewildered by the
>|activities of scientists and technologists. Due to maya
>|they think that there is no need of God and that they can
>|do everything and anything, but actually they cannot. Since
>|this cosmic manifestation is limited, their existence is
>|also limited. Everything in this material world is limited,
>|and for this reason there is creation, sustenance and
>|dissolution. However, in the world of unlimited energy, the
>|spiritual world, there is neither creation nor destruction.
1472|If the Personality of Godhead did not possess both limited
>|and unlimited energies, He could not be called omnipotent.
>|Anor aniyan mahato mahiyan: '. "The Lord is greater than
>|the greatest and smaller than the smallest." He is smaller
>|than the smallest in the form of the living entities and
>|greater than the greatest in His form of Krsna. If there
>|were no one to control, there would be no meaning to the
>|conception of the supreme controller (isvara), just as
>|there is no meaning to a king without his subjects. If all
>|the subjects became king, there would be no distinction
>|between the king and an ordinary citizen. Thus for the Lord
>|to be the supreme controller there must be a creation to
>|control. The basic principle for the existence of the
>|living entities is called cid-vilasa, or spiritual pleasure.
>| The omnipotent Lord displays His pleasure potency as the
>|living entities. The Lord is described in the Vedanta-sutra
>|(1.1.12) as ananda-mayo 'bhyasat. He is by nature the
>|reservoir of all pleasures, and because He wants to enjoy
>|pleasure, there must be energies to give Him pleasure or
>|supply Him the impetus for pleasure. This is the perfect
>|philosophical understanding of the Absolute Truth.
1473|Adi 7.117
1474|TEXT 117
1475|TEXT
1476|jiva-tattva-sakti, krsna-tattva-saktiman
1477|gita-visnupuranadi tahate pramana
1478|SYNONYMS
1479|jiva-tattva-the truth of the living entities; sakti-energy;
>|krsna-tattva-the truth of the Supreme Personality of
>|Godhead; sakti-man-the possessor of the energies; gita-the
>|Bhagavad-gita; visnu-purana-adi-Visnu Purana and other
>|Puranas; tahate-in them; pramana-there are evidences.
1480|TRANSLATION
1481|"The living entities are energies, not the energetic. The
>|energetic is Krsna. This is very vividly described in the
>|Bhagavad-gita, the Visnu Purana and other Vedic scriptures.
>|
1482|PURPORT
1483|As already explained, there are three prasthanas on the
>|path of advancement in spiritual knowledge-namely, nyaya-
>|prasthana (Vedanta philosophy), sruti-prasthana (the
>|Upanisads and Vedic mantras) and smrti-prasthana (the
>|Bhagavad-gita, Mahabharata, Puranas, etc.). Unfortunately,
>|Mayavadi philosophers do not accept the smrti-prasthana.
>|Smrti refers to the conclusions drawn from the Vedic
>|evidence. Sometimes Mayavadi philosophers do not accept the
>|authority of the Bhagavad-gita and the Puranas, and this is
>|called ardha-kukkuti-nyaya, "the logic of half a hen." (
>|A foolish farmer once thought he would save money by
>|cutting off his hen's head, which he had to feed, and
>|leaving its tail, which produced the eggs. ) If one
>|believes in the Vedic literature, one must accept all the
>|Vedic scriptures recognized by the great acaryas, but
>|these Mayavadi philosophers accept only the nyaya-prasthana
>|and sruti-prasthana, rejecting the smrti-prasthana. Here,
>|however, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu cites evidence from the
>|Gita, Visnu Purana, etc., which are smrti-prasthana. No one
>|can avoid the Personality of Godhead in the statements of
>|the Bhagavad-gita and other Vedic scripttures such as the
>|Mahabharata and the Puranas. Lord Caitanya therefore quotes
>|a passage from the Bhagavad-gita (7.5).
1484|Adi 7.118
1485|TEXT 118
1486|TEXT
1487|apareyam itas tv anyam
1488|prakrtim viddhi me param
1489|jiva-bhutam maha-baho
1490|yayedam dharyate jagat
1491|SYNONYMS
1492|apara-inferior energy; iyam-this material world; itah-
>|beyond this; tu-but; anyam-another; prakrtim-energy; viddhi-
>|you must know; me-of Me; param-which is superior energy;
>|jiva-bhutam-they are the living entities; maha-baho-O
>|mighty-armed; yaya-by which; idam-this material world;
>|dharyate-is being conducted; jagat-the cosmic manifestation.
1493|TRANSLATION
1494|" 'Besides these inferior energies, O mighty-armed Arjuna,
>|there is another, superior energy of Mine, which comprises
>|all living entities who are exploiting the resources of
>|this material, inferior nature .'.'
1495|PURPORT
1496|In the Bhagavad-gita it is explained that the five elements
>|earth, water, fire, air and ether constitute the gross
>|energy of the Absolute Truth and that there are also three
>|subtle energies, namely, the mind, intelligence and false
>|ego, or identification with the phenomenal world. Thus the
>|entire cosmic manifestation is divided into eight energies,
>|all of which are inferior. As explained in the Bhagavad-
>|gita (mama maya duratyaya), the inferior energy,
>|known as maya, is so strong that although the living entity
>|does not belong to this energy, due to the superior
>|strength of the inferior energy the living entity (jiva-
>|bhuta) forgets his real position and identifies with it.
>|Krsna says distinctly that beyond the material energy there
>|is a superior energy which is known as the jiva-bhuta, or
>|living entities. When in contact with the material energy,
>|this superior energy conducts all the activities of the
>|entire material, phenomenal world.
1497|The supreme cause is Krsna (janmady asya yatah),
>|who is the origin of all energies, which work variously.
>|The Supreme Personality of Godhead has both inferior and
>|superior energies, and the difference between them is that
>|the superior energy is factual whereas the inferior energy
>|is a reflection of the superior. A reflection of the sun in
>|a mirror or on water appears to be the sun but is not.
>|Similarly, the material world is but a reflection of the
>|spiritual world. Although it appears to be factual, it is
>|not; it is only a temporary reflection, whereas the
>|spiritual world is a factual reality. The material world,
>|with its gross and subtle forms, is merely a reflection of
>|the spiritual world.
1498|The living entity is not a product of the material energy;
>|he is spiritual energy, but in contact with matter he
>|forgets his identity. Thus the living entity identifies
>|himself with matter and enthusiastically engages in
>|material activities in the guises of a technologist,
>|scientist, philosopher, etc. He does not know that he is
>|not at all a material product but is spiritual. His real
>|identity thus being lost, he struggles very hard in the
>|material world, and the Hare Krsna movement, or Krsna
>|consciousness movement, tries to revive his
>|original consciousness. His activities in manufacturing big
>|skyscrapers are evidence of intelligence, but this kind of
>|intelligence is not at all advanced. One should know that
>|his only real concern is how to get free from material
>|contact, for by absorbing his mind in material activities
>|he takes material bodies again and again, and although he
>|falsely claims to be very intelligent, in material
>|consciousness he is not at all intelligent. When we speak
>|about the Krsna consciousness movement, which is meant to
>|make people intelligent, the conditioned living entity
>|therefore misunderstands it. He is so engrossed in the
>|material concept of life that he does not think that there
>|can be any activities that are actually based on
>|intelligence beyond the construction of skyscrapers and big
>|roads and the manufacturing of cars. This is proof of
>|mayayapahrta-jnana, or loss of all intelligence due to the
>|influence of maya. When a living entity is freed from such
>|misconceptions, he is called liberated. When one is
>|actually liberated he no longer identifies with the
>|material world. The symptom of mukti (liberation) is that
>|one engages in spiritual activities instead of falsely
>|engaging in material activities.
1499|Transcendental loving devotional service is the spiritual
>|activity of the spirit soul. Mayavadi philosophers confuse
>|such spiritual activity with material activity, but the
>|Bhagavad-gita (14.26) confirms:
1500|mam ca yo 'vyabhicarena
1501|bhakti -yogena sevate
1502|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|sa gunan
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|samatityaitan
1503|brahma-bhuyaya kalpate
1504|One who engages in the spiritual activities of unalloyed
>|devotional service (avyabhicarini-bhakti) is immediately
>|elevated to the transcendental platform, and he is to be
>|considered brahma-bhuta, which indicates that he is no
>|longer in the material world but in the spiritual world.
>|Devotional service is enlightenment or awakening. When the
>|living entity perfectly performs spiritual activities under
>|the direction of the spiritual master, he becomes perfect
>|in knowledge and understands that he is not God but a
>|servant of God. As explained by Caitanya Mahaprabhu, jivera
>|'svarupa' haya-krsnera 'nitya-dasa': the real identity of
>|the living entity is that he is an eternal servant of the
>|Supreme (Cc. Madhya 20.108). As long as one does not come
>|to this conclusion, he must be in ignorance. This is also
>|confirmed by the Lord in the Bhagavad-gita (7.19): bahunam
>|janmanam ante jnanavan mam prapadyate. "After many births
>|of struggling for existence and cultivating knowledge, when
>|one comes to the point of real knowledge he surrenders unto
>|Me." Such an advanced mahatma, or great soul, is very
>|rarely to be seen. Thus although the Mayavadi philosophers
>|appear to be very advanced in knowledge, they are not yet
>|perfect. To come to the point of perfection they must
>|voluntarily surrender to Krsna.
1505|Adi 7.119
1506|TEXT 119
1507|TEXT
1508|visnu-saktih para prokta
1509|ksetra-jnakhya tatha para
1510|avidya-karma-samjnanya
1511|trtiya saktir isyate
1512|SYNONYMS
1513|visnu-saktih-the potency of Lord Visnu; para-spiritual;
>|prokta-it is said; ksetra-jna-akhya-the potency known as
>|ksetra-jna; tatha-as well as; para-spiritual; avidya-
>|ignorance; karma-fruitive activities; samjna-known as; anya-
>|other; trtiya-third; saktih-potency; isyate-known thus.
1514|TRANSLATION
1515|" 'The potency of Lord Visnu is summarized in three
>|categories-namely, the spiritual potency, the living
>|entities and ignorance. The spiritual potency is full of
>|knowledge; the living entities, although belonging to the
>|spiritual potency, are subject to bewilderment; and the
>|third energy, which is full of ignorance, is always visible
>|in fruitive activities.'
1516|PURPORT
1517|This is a quotation from the Visnu Purana (6.7.61).
1518|In the previous verse, quoted from the Bhagavad-gita, it
>|has been established that the living entities are to be
>|categorized among the Lord's potencies. The Lord is potent,
>|and there are varieties of potencies (parasya saktir
>|vividhaiva sruyate). Now, in
>|this quotation from the Visnu Purana, this is further
>|confirmed. There are varieties of potencies, and they have
>|been divided into three categories-namely, spiritual,
>|marginal and external.
1519|The spiritual potency is manifested in the spiritual world.
>|Krsna's form, qualities, activities and entourage are all
>|spiritual. This is also confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita (4.
>|5):
1520|ajo 'pi sann avyayatma
1521|bhutanam isvaro 'pi san
1522|prakrtim svam adhisthaya
1523|sambhavamy atma-mayaya
1524|"Although I am unborn and My transcendental body never
>|deteriorates, and although I am the Lord of all living
>|entities, by My spiritual potency I still appear in every
>|millennium in My original transcendental form." Atma-maya
>|refers to the spiritual potency. When Krsna comes to this
>|or any other universe, He does so with His spiritual
>|potency. We take birth by the force of the material potency,
>| but as stated here with reference to the Visnu Purana, the
>|ksetra-jna, or living entity, belongs to the spiritual
>|potency; thus when we free ourselves from the clutches of
>|the material potency we can also enter the spiritual world.
1525|The material potency is the energy of darkness, or complete
>|ignorance of spiritual activities. In the material potency,
>|the living entity engages himself in fruitive activities,
>|thinking that he can be happy through expansion in terms of
>|material energy. This fact is prominently manifest in this
>|Age of Kali because human society, not understanding the
>|spiritual nature, is busily expanding in material
>|activities. The men of the present day are almost unaware
>|of their spiritual identity. They think that they are
>|products of the elements of the material world and that
>|everything will end with the annihilation of the body.
>|Therefore they conclude that as long as one has a material
>|body consisting of material senses, one should enjoy the
>|senses as much as possible. Since they are atheists, they
>|do not care whether there is a next life. Such activities
>|are described in this verse as avidya-karma-samjnanya.
1526|The material energy is separated from the spiritual energy
>|of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Thus although it is
>|originally created by the Supreme Lord, He is not actually
>|present within it. The Lord also confirms in the Bhagavad-
>|gita (9.4), mat-sthani sarva-bhutani: "Everything is
>|resting on Me." This indicates that everything is resting
>|on His own energy. For example, the planets are resting
>|within outer space, which is the separated energy of Krsna.
>|The Lord explains in the Bhagavad-gita (7.4):
1527|bhumir apo 'nalo vayuh
1528|kham mano buddhir eva ca
1529|ahankara itiyam me
1530|bhinna prakrtir astadha
1531|"Earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intelligence and
>|false ego-all together these eight constitute My separated
>|material energies." The separated energy acts as if it were
>|independent, but here it is said that although such
>|energies are certainly factual, they are not independent
>|but merely separated.
1532|The separated energy can be understood from a practical
>|example. I compose books by speaking into a dictaphone, and
>|when the dictaphone is replayed, it appears that I am
>|speaking personally, but actually I am not. I spoke
>|personally, but then the dictaphone tape, which is separate
>|from me, acts exactly like me. Similarly, the material
>|energy originally emanates from the Supreme Personality of
>|Godhead, but it acts separately, although the energy is
>|supplied by the Lord. This is also explained in the
>|Bhagavad-gita (9.10): mayadhyaksena prakrtih suyate sa-
>|caracaram. "This material nature is working under My
>|direction, O son of Kunti, and it is producing all moving
>|and unmoving beings." Under the guidance or superintendence
>|of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the material energy
>|works as if independent, although it is not actually
>|independent.
1533|In this verse from the Visnu Purana the total energy of the
>|Supreme Personality of Godhead is classified in three
>|divisions-namely, the spiritual or internal potency of the
>|Lord, the marginal potency, or ksetra-jna (the living
>|entity), and the material potency, which is separated from
>|the Supreme Personality of Godhead and appears to act
>|independently. When Srila Vyasadeva, by meditation and self-
>|realization, saw the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he
>|also saw the separated energy of the Lord standing behind
>|Him (apasyat purusam purnam mayam ca tad-apasrayam).
>|Vyasadeva also realized that it is this separated energy of
>|the Lord, the material energy, that covers the knowledge of
>|the living entities (yaya sammohito jiva atmanam tri-
>|gunatmakam). The separated, material energy
>|bewilders the living entities (jivas), and thus they work
>|very hard under its influence, not knowing that they are
>|not fulfilling their mission in life. Unfortunately, most
>|of them think that they are the body and should therefore
>|enjoy the material senses irresponsibly , since when death
>|comes everything will be finished. This atheistic
>|philosophy also flourished in India, where it was sometimes
>|propagated by Carvaka Muni, who said:
1534|rnam krtva ghrtam pibet
1535|yavaj jivet sukham jivet
1536|bhasmi -bhutasya dehasya kutah
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
1537|punar agamano bhavet
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
1538|His theory was that as long as one lives one should eat as
>|much ghee as possible. In India , ghee (clarified butter)
>|is a basic ingredient in preparing many varieties of food.
>|Since everyone wants to enjoy nice food, Carvaka Muni
>|advised that one eat as much ghee as possible. One may say,
>|"I have no money . How shall I purchase ghee ?
>|" Carvaka Muni, however , says, "If you have
>|no money , then beg borrow or steal, but
>|in some way secure ghee and enjoy life." For one who
>|further objects that he will be held accountable
>|for such unauthorized activities as begging,
>|borrowing and stealing, Carvaka Muni replies , "
>|You will not be held responsible . As
>|soon as your body is burned to ashes after death,
>|everything is finished." This is called ignorance. From
>|the Bhagavad-gita it is understood that one does
>|not die with the annihilation of his body (na hanyate
>|hanyamane sarire). The annihilation of one body involves
>|changing to another (tatha dehantara-praptih). Therefore,
>|to perform irresponsible activities in the material
>|world is very dangerous. Without knowledge of the
>|spirit soul and its transmigration, people are
>|allured by the material energy to engage in many such
>|activities , as if one could become happy simply by
>|dint of material knowledge, without reference to spiritual
>|existence. Therefore the entire material world and
>|its activities are referred to as avidya -karma-samjnanya.
>|
1539|In order to dissipate the ignorance of the human beings who
>|work under the material energy, which is separated from the
>|Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Lord comes down to
>|revive their original nature of spiritual activities (yada
>|yada hi dharmasya glanir bhavati bharata). As soon as they
>|deviate from their original nature, the Lord comes to teach
>|them, sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja: "My
>|dear living entities, give up all material activities and
>|simply surrender unto Me for protection." (Bg. 18.66)
1540|It is the statement of Carvaka Muni that one should beg,
>|borrow or steal money to purchase ghee and enjoy life (rnam
>|krtva ghrtam pibet). Thus even the greatest atheist of
>|India recommends that one eat ghee, not meat. No one could
>|conceive of human beings' eating meat like tigers and dogs,
>|but men have become so degraded that they are just like
>|animals and can no longer claim to have a human
>|civilization.
1541|Adi 7.120
1542|TEXT 120
1543|TEXT
1544|hena jiva-tattva lana likhi' para-tattva
1545|acchanna karila srestha isvara-mahattva
1546|SYNONYMS
1547|hena-such degraded; jiva-tattva-the living entities; lana-
>|taking them; likhi'-having written; para-tattva-as the
>|Supreme; acchanna-covering; karila-did; srestha-the Supreme
>|Personality of Godhead; isvara-the Lord's; mahattva-glories.
1548|TRANSLATION
1549|"The Mayavada philosophy is so degraded that it has taken
>|the insignificant living entities to be the Lord, the
>|Supreme Truth, thus covering the glory and supremacy of the
>|Absolute Truth with monism.
1550|PURPORT
1551|Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura comments in this connection that
>|in all Vedic scriptures the jiva-tattva, the truth of the
>|living entities, is mentioned to be one of the energies of
>|the Lord. If one does not accept the living entity to be a
>|minute, infinitesimal spark of the Supreme but equates the
>|jiva-tattva with the Supreme Brahman or Supreme Personality
>|of Godhead, it must be understood that his entire
>|philosophy is based on a misunderstanding. Unfortunately,
>|Sripada Sankaracarya purposely claimed the jiva-tattva, or
>|living entities, to be equal to the Supreme God. Therefore
>|his entire philosophy is based on a misunderstanding, and
>|it misguides people to become atheists whose mission in
>|life is unfulfilled. The mission of human life, as
>|described in the Bhagavad-gita, is to surrender unto the
>|Supreme Lord and become His devotee, but the Mayavada
>|philosophy misleads one to defy the existence of the
>|Supreme Personality of Godhead and pose oneself as the
>|Supreme Lord. Thus it has misguided hundreds and thousands
>|of innocent men.
1552|In the Vedanta-sutra, Vyasadeva has described that the
>|Supreme Personality of Godhead is potent and that
>|everything, material or spiritual, is but an emanation of
>|His energy. The Lord, the Supreme Brahman, is the origin or
>|source of everything (janmady asya yatah), and
>|all other manifestations are emanations of different
>|energies of the Lord. This is also confirmed in the Visnu
>|Purana:
1553|ekadesa -sthitasyagner
1554|jyotsna vistarini yatha
1555|parasya brahmanah saktis
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
1556|tathedam akhilam jagat
1557|"Whatever we see in this world is simply an expansion of
>|different energies of the Supreme Personality of Godhead,
>|who is exactly like a fire that spreads illumination for a
>|long distance although it is situated in one place." This
>|is a very vivid example. Similarly, it is stated that just
>|as everything in the material world exists in the sunshine,
>|which is the energy of the sun, so everything exists on the
>|basis of the spiritual and material energies of the Supreme
>|Personality of Godhead. Thus although Krsna is situated in
>|His own abode (goloka eva nivasaty akhilatma-bhutah), where
>|He enjoys His transcendental pastimes with the cowherd boys
>|and gopis, He is nevertheless present everywhere, even
>|within the atoms of this universe (andantara-stha-paramanu-
>|cayantara-stham). This is the verdict of the Vedic
>|literature.
1558|Unfortunately, the Mayavada philosophy, misguiding people
>|by claiming the living entity to be the Lord, has created
>|havoc throughout the entire world and led almost everyone
>|to godlessness. By thus covering the glories of the Supreme
>|Lord, the Mayavadi philosophers have done the greatest
>|disservice to human society. It is to counteract these most
>|abominable activities of the Mayavadi philosophers that
>|Lord Caitanya has introduced the Hare Krsna maha-mantra.
1559|harer nama harer nama
1560|harer namaiva kevalam
1561|kalau nasty eva nasty eva
1562|nasty eva gatir anyatha
1563|"In this age of quarrel and hypocrisy, the only means of
>|deliverance is chanting the holy name of the Lord. There is
>|no other way. There is no other way. There is no other way."
>| People should simply engage in the chanting of the Hare
>|Krsna maha-mantra, for thus they will gradually come to
>|understand that they are not the Supreme Personality of
>|Godhead, as they have been taught by the Mayavadi
>|philosophers, but are eternal servants of the Lord. As soon
>|as one engages himself in the transcendental service of the
>|Lord, he becomes free.
1564|mam ca yo 'vyabhicarena
1565|bhakti -yogena sevate
1566|sa gunan samatityaitan
1567|brahma-bhuyaya kalpate
1568|"One who engages in full devotional service, unfailing in
>|all circumstances, at once transcends the modes of material
>|nature and thus comes to the level of Brahman." (Bg. 14.26)
>|Therefore the Hare Krsna movement, or Krsna consciousness
>|movement, is the only light for the foolish living entities
>|who think either that there is no God or that if God exists
>|He is formless and they themselves are also God. These
>|misconceptions are very dangerous, and the only way to
>|counteract them is to spread the Hare Krsna movement.
1569|Adi 7.121
1570|TEXT 121
1571|TEXT
1572|vyasera sutrete kahe 'parinama'-vada
1573|'vyasa bhranta'-bali' tara uthaila vivada
1574|SYNONYMS
1575|vyasera-of Srila Vyasadeva; sutrete-in the aphorisms; kahe-
>|describes; parinama-transformation; vada-philosophy; vyasa-
>|Srila Vyasadeva; bhranta-mistaken; bali'-accusing him; tara-
>|his; uthaila-raised; vivada-opposition.
1576|TRANSLATION
1577|"In his Vedanta-sutra Srila Vyasadeva has described that
>|everything is but a transformation of the energy of the
>|Lord. Sankaracarya, however, has misled the world by
>|commenting that Vyasadeva was mistaken. Thus he has raised
>|great opposition to theism throughout the entire world.
1578|PURPORT
1579|Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura explains, "In the Vedanta-sutra
>|of Srila Vyasadeva it is definitely stated that all cosmic
>|manifestations result from transformations of various
>|energies of the Lord. Sankaracarya, however, not accepting
>|the energy of the Lord, thinks that it is the Lord who is
>|transformed. He has taken many clear statements from the
>|Vedic literature and twisted them to try to prove that if
>|the Lord, or the Absolute Truth, were transformed, His
>|oneness would be disturbed. Thus he has accused Srila
>|Vyasadeva of being mistaken. In developing his philosophy
>|of monism, therefore, he has established vivarta-vada, or
>|the Mayavada theory of illusion."
1580|In the Brahma-sutra, Second Chapter, the first quote is
>|as follows: tad-ananyatvam arambhana-sabdadibhyah.
>|Commenting on this sutra in his Sariraka-bhasya,
>|Sankaracarya has introduced the statement vacarambhanam
>|vikaro namadheyam from the Chandogya Upanisad (6.1.4) to
>|try to prove that acceptance of the transformation of the
>|energy of the Supreme Lord is faulty. He has tried to defy
>|this transformation of energy in a misguided way, which
>|will be explained later. Since his conception of God is
>|impersonal, he does not believe that the entire cosmic
>|manifestation is a transformation of the energies of the
>|Lord, for as soon as one accepts the various energies of
>|the Absolute Truth, one must immediately accept the
>|Absolute Truth to be personal, not impersonal. A person can
>|create many things by the transformation of his energy. For
>|example, a businessman transforms his energy by
>|establishing many big factories or business organizations,
>|yet he remains a person although his energy has been
>|transformed into these many factories or business concerns.
>|The Mayavadi philosophers do not understand this simple
>|fact. Their tiny brains and poor fund of knowledge cannot
>|afford them sufficient enlightenment to realize that when a
>|man's energy is transformed, the man himself is not
>|transformed but remains the same person.
1581|Not believing in the fact that the energy of the Absolute
>|Truth is transformed, Sankaracarya has propounded his
>|theory of illusion. This theory states that although the
>|Absolute Truth is never transformed, we think that it is
>|transformed, which is an illusion. Sankaracarya does not
>|believe in the transformation of the energy of the Absolute
>|Truth, for he claims that everything is one and that the
>|living entity is therefore also one with the Supreme. This
>|is the Mayavada theory.
1582|Srila Vyasadeva has explained that the Absolute Truth is a
>|person who has different potencies. Merely by His desire
>|that there be creation and by His glance (sa aiksata), He
>|created this material world (sa asrjata). After creation,
>|He remains the same person; He is not transformed into
>|everything. One should accept that the Lord has
>|inconceivable energies and that it is by His order and will
>|that varieties of manifestation have come into existence.
>|In the Vedic literature it is said, sa-tattvato 'nyatha-
>|buddhir vikara ity udahrtah. This mantra indicates that
>|from one fact another fact is generated. For example, a
>|father is one fact, and a son generated from the father is
>|a second fact. Thus both of them are truths, although one
>|is generated from the other. This generation of a second,
>|independent truth from a first truth is called vikara, or
>|transformation resulting in a by-product. The Supreme
>|Brahman is the Absolute Truth, and the energies that have
>|emanated from Him and are existing separately, such as the
>|living entities and the cosmic manifestation, are also
>|truths. This is an example of transformation, which is
>|called vikara or parinama. To give another example of
>|vikara, milk is a truth, but the same milk may be
>|transformed into yogurt. Thus yogurt is a transformation of
>|milk, although the ingredients of yogurt and milk are the
>|same.
1583|In the Chandogya Upanisad there is the following mantra:
>|aitad-atmyam idam sarvam. This mantra indicates without a
>|doubt that the entire world is Brahman. The Absolute Truth
>|has inconceivable energies, as confirmed in the
>|Svetasvatara Upanisad (parasya saktir vividhaiva sruyate
>|), and the entire cosmic
>|manifestation is evidence of these different energies of
>|the Supreme Lord. The Supreme Lord is a fact, and therefore
>|whatever is created by the Supreme Lord is also factual.
>|Everything is true and complete (purnam), but the original
>|purnam, the complete Absolute Truth, always remains the
>|same. Purnat purnam udacyate purnasya purnam adaya
>|. The Absolute Truth is so perfect that although
>|innumerable energies emanate from Him and manifest
>|creations which appear to be different from Him, He
>|nevertheless maintains His personality. He never
>|deteriorates under any circumstances.
1584|It is to be concluded that the entire cosmic manifestation
>|is a transformation of the energy of the Supreme Lord, not
>|of the Supreme Lord or Absolute Truth Himself, who always
>|remains the same. The material world and the living
>|entities are transformations of the energy of the Lord, the
>|Absolute Truth or Brahman, who is the original source. In
>|other words, the Absolute Truth, Brahman, is the original
>|ingredient, and the other manifestations are
>|transformations of this ingredient. This is also confirmed
>|in the Taittiriya Upanisad (3.1): yato va imani bhutani
>|jayante. "This entire cosmic manifestation is made possible
>|by the Absolute Truth, the Supreme Personality of Godhead."
>|In this verse it is indicated that Brahman, the Absolute
>|Truth, is the original cause and that the living entities (
>|jivas) and the cosmic manifestation are effects of this
>|cause. The cause being a fact, the effects are also factual.
>| They are not illusion. Sankaracarya has inconsistently
>|tried to prove that acceptance of
>|the material world and the jivas to be by-products of the
>|Supreme Lord is an illusion because in this conception
>|the existence of the material world and the jivas is
>|different and separate from that of the Absolute Truth.
>|With this jugglery of understanding, Mayavadi philosophers
>|have propagated the slogan brahma satyam jagan mithya,
>|which declares that the Absolute Truth is fact but the
>|cosmic manifestation and the living entities are simply
>|illusions, or that all of them are in fact the Absolute
>|Truth and that the material world and living entities do
>|not separately exist.
1585|It is therefore to be concluded that Sankaracarya, in order
>|to present the Supreme Lord, the living entities and the
>|material nature as indivisible and ignorant, tries to cover
>|the glories of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He
>|maintains that the material cosmic manifestation is mithya,
>|or false, but this is a great blunder. If the Supreme
>|Personality of Godhead is a fact, how can His creation be
>|false? Even in ordinary dealings, one cannot think the
>|material cosmic manifestation to be false. Therefore
>|Vaisnava philosophers say that the cosmic creation is not
>|false but temporary. It is separated from the Supreme
>|Personality of Godhead, but since it is wonderfully created
>|by the energy of the Lord, to say that it is false is
>|blasphemous.
1586|Nondevotees factually appreciate the wonderful creation of
>|material nature, but they cannot appreciate the
>|intelligence and energy of the Supreme Personality of
>|Godhead who is behind this material creation. Sripada
>|Ramanujacarya, however, refers to a sutra from the Aitareya
>|Upanisad (1.1.1), atma va idam agra asit, which points out
>|that the supreme atma, the Absolute Truth, existed before
>|the creation. One may argue, "If the Supreme Personality of
>|Godhead is completely spiritual, how is it possible for Him
>|to be the origin of creation and have within Himself both
>|material and spiritual energies?" To answer this challenge,
>|Sripada Ramanujacarya quotes a mantra from the Taittiriya
>|Upanisad (3.1) that states:
1587|yato va imani bhutani jayante yena jatani jivanti yat
>|prayanty abhisamvisanti
1588|This mantra confirms that the entire cosmic manifestation
>|emanates from the Absolute Truth, rests upon the Absolute
>|Truth and after annihilation again reenters the body of the
>|Absolute Truth, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The
>|living entity is originally spiritual, and when he enters
>|the spiritual world or the body of the Supreme Lord, he
>|still retains his identity as an individual soul. In this
>|connection Sripada Ramanujacarya gives the example that
>|when a green bird enters a green tree it does not become
>|one with the tree: it retains its identity as a bird,
>|although it appears to merge in the greenness of the tree.
>| To give another example, an animal that enters a forest
>|keeps its individuality, although apparently the beast
>|merges in the forest. Similarly, in material existence,
>|both the material energy and the living entities of the
>|marginal potency maintain their individuality. Thus
>|although the energies of the Supreme Personality of Godhead
>|interact within the cosmic manifestation, each keeps its
>|separate individual existence. Merging in the material or
>|spiritual energies, therefore, does not involve loss of
>|individuality. According to Sri Ramanujapada's theory of
>|Visistadvaita, although all the energies of the Lord are
>|one, each keeps its individuality (vaisistya).
1589|Sripada Sankaracarya has tried to mislead the readers of
>|the Vedanta-sutra by misinterpreting the words ananda-mayo '
>|bhyasat, and he has even tried to find fault with Vyasadeva.
>| All the aphorisms of the Vedanta-sutra need not be
>|examined here, however, since we intend to present the
>|Vedanta-sutra in a separate volume.
1590|Adi 7.122
1591|TEXT 122
1592|TEXT
1593|parinama-vade isvara hayena vikari
1594|eta kahi' 'vivarta'-vada sthapana ye kari
1595|SYNONYMS
1596|parinama-vade-by accepting the theory of transformation of
>|energy; isvara-the Supreme Lord; hayena-becomes; vikari-
>|transformed; eta kahi'-saying this; vivarta-illusion; vada-
>|theory; sthapana-establishing; ye-what; kari-do.
1597|TRANSLATION
1598|"According to Sankaracarya, by accepting the theory of the
>|transformation of the energy of the Lord, one creates an
>|illusion by indirectly accepting that the Absolute Truth is
>|transformed.
1599|PURPORT
1600|Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura comments that if one does not
>|clearly understand the meaning of parinama-vada, or
>|transformation of energy, one is sure to misunderstand the
>|truth regarding this material cosmic manifestation and the
>|living entities. In the Chandogya Upanisad (6.8.4) it is
>|said, san-mulah saumyemah prajah sad-ayatanah sat-
>|pratisthah.The material world and the living entities are
>|separate beings, and they are eternally true, not false.
>|Sankaracarya, however, unnecessarily fearing that by
>|parinama-vada (transformation of energy) Brahman would be
>|transformed (vikari), has imagined both the material world
>|and the living entities to be false and to have no
>|individuality. By word jugglery he has tried to prove that
>|the individual identities of the living entities and the
>|material world are illusory, and he has cited the examples
>|of mistaking a rope for a snake or an oyster shell for gold.
>| Thus he has most abominably cheated people in general.
1601|The example of misunderstanding a rope to be a snake is
>|mentioned in the Mandukya Upanisad, but it is meant to
>|explain the error of identifying the body with the soul.
>|Since the soul is actually a spiritual particle, as
>|confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita (mamaivamso jiva-loke), it
>|is due to illusion (vivarta-vada) that a human being, like
>|an animal, identifies the body with the self. This is a
>|proper example of vivarta, or illusion. The verse atattvato
>|'nyatha-buddhir vivarta ity udahrtah describes such an
>|illusion. To not know actual facts and thus to mistake one
>|thing for another (as, for example, to accept the body as
>|oneself) is called vivarta-vada. Every conditioned living
>|entity who considers the body to be the soul is deluded by
>|this vivarta-vada. One can be attacked by this vivarta-vada
>|philosophy when he forgets the inconceivable power of the
>|omnipotent Personality of Godhead.
1602|How the Supreme Personality of Godhead remains as He is,
>|never changing, is explained in the Isopanisad: purnasya
>|purnam adaya purnam evavasisyate. God is
>|complete. Even if a complete manifestation is taken away
>|from Him, He continues to be complete. The material
>|creation is manifested by the energy of the Lord, but He is
>|still the same person. His form, entourage, qualities and
>|so on never deteriorate. Srila Jiva Gosvami, in his
>|Paramatma-sandarbha, comments regarding the vivarta-vada as
>|follows: "Under the spell of vivarta-vada one imagines the
>|separate entities, namely , the cosmic manifestation and
>|the living entities, to be one with Brahman. This is due to
>|complete ignorance regarding the actual fact. The Absolute
>|Truth, or Parabrahman, is always one and always the same.
>|He is completely free from all other conceptions of
>|existence. He is completely free from false ego, for He is
>|the full spiritual identity. It is absolutely impossible
>|for Him to be subjected to ignorance and fall under the
>|spell of a misconception (vivarta-vada). The Absolute Truth
>|is beyond our conception. One must admit that He has
>|unblemished qualities that He does not share with every
>|living entity. He is never tainted in the slightest degree
>|by the flaws of ordinary living beings. Everyone must
>|therefore understand the Absolute Truth to possess
>|inconceivable potencies."
1603|Adi 7.123
1604|TEXT 123
1605|TEXT
1606|vastutah parinama-vada-sei se pramana
1607|dehe atma-buddhi-ei vivartera sthana
1608|SYNONYMS
1609|vastutah-factually; parinama-vada-transformation of the
>|energy; sei-that; se-only; pramana-proof; dehe-in the body;
>|atma-buddhi-concept of self; ei-this; vivartera-of illusion;
>| sthana-place.
1610|TRANSLATION
1611|"Transformation of energy is a proven fact. It is the false
>|bodily conception of the self that is an illusion.
1612|PURPORT
1613|The jiva, or living entity, is a spiritual spark who is
>|part of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Unfortunately,
>|he thinks the body to be the self, and that
>|misunderstanding is called vivarta, or acceptance of
>|untruth to be truth. The body is not the self, but animals
>|and foolish people think that it is. Vivarta (illusion)
>|does not, however, denote a change in the identity of the
>|spirit soul; it is the misconception that the body is the
>|self that is an illusion. Similarly, the Supreme
>|Personality of Godhead does not change when His external
>|energy, consisting of the eight gross and subtle material
>|elements listed in the Bhagavad-gita (bhumir apo 'nalo
>|vayuh, etc.), acts and reacts in different phases.
1614|Adi 7.124
1615|TEXT 124
1616|TEXT
1617|avicintya-sakti-yukta sri-bhagavan
1618|icchaya jagad-rupe paya parinama
1619|SYNONYMS
1620|avicintya-inconceivable; sakti-potency; yukta-possessed of;
>|sri-the affluent; bhagavan-Personality of Godhead; icchaya-
>|by His wish; jagat-rupe-in the form of the cosmic
>|manifestation; paya-becomes; parinama-transformed by His
>|energy.
1621|TRANSLATION
1622|"The Supreme Personality of Godhead is opulent in all
>|respects. Therefore by His inconceivable energies He has
>|transformed the material cosmic manifestation.
1623|Adi 7.125
1624|TEXT 125
1625|TEXT
1626|tathapi acintya-saktye haya avikari
1627|prakrta cintamani tahe drstanta ye dhari
1628|SYNONYMS
1629|tathapi-yet; acintya-saktye-by inconceivable potency; haya-
>|remains; avikari-without change; prakrta-material;
>|cintamani-touchstone; tahe-in that respect; drstanta-
>|example; ye-which; dhari-we accept.
1630|TRANSLATION
1631|"Using the example of a touchstone, which by its energy
>|turns iron to gold and yet remains the same, we can
>|understand that although the Supreme Personality of Godhead
>|transforms His innumerable energies, He remains unchanged.
1632|Adi 7.126
1633|TEXT 126
1634|TEXT
1635|nana ratna-rasi haya cintamani haite
1636|tathapiha mani rahe svarupe avikrte
1637|SYNONYMS
1638|nana-varieties; ratna-rasi-valuable jewels; haya-become
>|possible; cintamani-the touchstone; haite-from; tathapiha-
>|still, certainly; mani-the touchstone; rahe-remains;
>|svarupe-in its original form; avikrte-without change.
1639|TRANSLATION
1640|"Although a touchstone produces many varieties of valuable
>|jewels, it nevertheless remains the same. It does not
>|change its original form.
1641|Adi 7.127
1642|TEXT 127
1643|TEXT
1644|prakrta-vastute yadi acintya-sakti haya
1645|isvarera acintya-sakti,-ithe ki vismaya
1646|SYNONYMS
1647|prakrta-vastute-in material things; yadi-if; acintya-
>|inconceivable; sakti-potency; haya-becomes possible;
>|isvarera-of the Supreme Lord; acintya-inconceivable; sakti-
>|potency; ithe-in this; ki-what; vismaya-wonderful.
1648|TRANSLATION
1649|"If there is such inconceivable potency in material objects,
>| why should we not believe in the inconceivable potency of
>|the Supreme Personality of Godhead?
1650|PURPORT
1651|The argument of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu described in this
>|verse can be very easily understood even by a common man if
>|he simply thinks of the activities of the sun, which has
>|been giving off unlimited amounts of heat and light since
>|time immemorial and yet has not even slightly decreased in
>|power. Modern science believes that it is by sunshine that
>|the entire cosmic manifestation is maintained, and actually
>|one can see how the actions and reactions of sunshine
>|maintain order throughout the universe. The growth of
>|vegetables and even the rotation of the planets take place
>|due to the heat and light of the sun. Sometimes, therefore,
>|modern scientists consider the sun to be the original cause
>|of creation, not knowing that the sun is only a medium, for
>|it is also created by the supreme energy of the Supreme
>|Personality of Godhead. Aside from the sun and the
>|touchstone, there are many other material things that
>|transform their energy in different ways and yet remain as
>|they are. It is not necessary, therefore, for the original
>|cause, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, to change due to
>|the changes or transformations of His different energies.
1652|The falsity of Sripada Sankaracarya's explanation of
>|vivarta-vada and parinama-vada has been detected by the
>|Vaisnava acaryas, especially Jiva Gosvami, whose opinion is
>|that actually Sankara did not understand the Vedanta-sutra.
>|In Sankara's explanation of one sutra, ananda-mayo 'bhyasat,
>| he has interpreted the affix mayat with such word jugglery
>|that this very explanation proves that he had little
>|knowledge of the Vedanta-sutra but simply wanted to support
>|his impersonalism through the aphorisms of the Vedanta
>|philosophy. Actually, however, he failed to do so because
>|he could not put forward strong arguments. In this
>|connection, Srila Jiva Gosvami cites the phrase brahma
>|puccham pratistha (Taittiriya Upanisad 2.5), which gives
>|Vedic evidence that Brahman is the origin of everything. In
>|explaining this verse, Sripada Sankaracarya interpreted
>|various Sanskrit words in such a way that he implied,
>|according to Jiva Gosvami, that Vyasadeva had very little
>|knowledge of higher logic. Such unscrupulous deviation from
>|the real meaning of the Vedanta-sutra has created a class
>|of men who by word jugglery try to derive various indirect
>|meanings from the Vedic literatures, especially the
>|Bhagavad-gita. One of them has even explained that the word
>|kuruksetra refers to the body. Such interpretations imply,
>|however, that neither Lord Krsna nor Vyasadeva had a proper
>|sense of word usage or etymological adjustment. They lead
>|one to assume that since Lord Krsna could not personally
>|sense the meaning of what He was speaking and Vyasadeva did
>|not know the meaning of what he was writing, Lord Krsna
>|left His book to be explained later by the Mayavadis. Such
>|interpretations merely prove, however, that their
>|proponents have very little philosophical sense.
1653|Instead of wasting one's time falsely deriving such
>|indirect meanings from the Vedanta-sutra and other Vedic
>|scriptures, one should accept the words of these books as
>|they are. In presenting the Bhagavad-gita As It Is,
>|therefore, we have not changed the meaning of the original
>|words. Similarly, if one studies the Vedanta-sutra as it is,
>| without whimsical and capricious adulteration, one can
>|understand the Vedanta-sutra very easily. Srila Vyasadeva
>|therefore explains the Vedanta-sutra, beginning from the
>|first sutra, janmady asya yatah , in his Srimad-
>|Bhagavatam (1.1.1):
1654|janmady asya yato 'nvayad itaratas carthesv abhijnah sva-
>|rat
1655|"I meditate upon Him [Lord Sri Krsna], the transcendent
>|reality, who is the primeval cause of all causes, from whom
>|all manifested universes arise, in whom they dwell, and by
>|whom they are destroyed. I meditate upon that eternally
>|effulgent Lord, who is directly and indirectly conscious of
>|all manifestations and yet is fully independent." The
>|Supreme Personality of Godhead knows very well how to do
>|everything perfectly. He is abhijna, always fully conscious.
>| The Lord therefore says in the Bhagavad-gita (7.26) that
>|He knows everything, past, present and future, but that no
>|one but a devotee knows Him as He is. Therefore, the
>|Absolute Truth, the Personality of Godhead, is at least
>|partially understood by devotees of the Lord, but the
>|Mayavadi philosophers, who unnecessarily speculate to
>|understand the Absolute Truth, simply waste their time.
1656|Adi 7.128
1657|TEXT 128
1658|TEXT
1659|'pranava' se mahavakya-vedera nidana
1660|isvara-svarupa pranava sarva-visva-dhama
1661|SYNONYMS
1662|pranava-the omkara; se-that; maha-vakya-transcendental
>|sound vibration; vedera-of the Vedas; nidana-basic
>|principle; isvara-svarupa-direct representation of the
>|Supreme Personality of Godhead; pranava-omkara; sarva-visva-
>|of all universes; dhama-is the reservoir.
1663|TRANSLATION
1664|"The Vedic sound vibration omkara, the principal word in
>|the Vedic scriptures, is the basis of all Vedic vibrations.
>| Therefore one should accept omkara as the sound
>|representation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and
>|the reservoir of the cosmic manifestation.
1665|PURPORT
1666|In the Bhagavad-gita (8.13) the glories of omkara are
>|described as follows:
1667|om ity ekaksaram brahma
1668|vyaharan mam anusmaran
1669|yah prayati tyajan deham
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
1670|sa yati paramam gatim
>|
>|
1671|This verse indicates that omkara, or pranava, is a
>|direct representation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
>| Therefore if at the time of death one simply remembers
>|omkara, he remembers the Supreme Personality of Godhead and
>|is therefore immediately transferred to the spiritual world.
>| Omkara is the basic principle of all Vedic mantras, for it
>|is a representation of Lord Krsna, understanding of whom is
>|the ultimate goal of the Vedas, as stated in the Bhagavad-
>|gita (vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyah). Mayavadi
>|philosophers cannot understand these simple facts explained
>|in the Bhagavad-gita, and yet they are very proud of being
>|Vedantis. Sometimes, therefore, we refer to the Vedanti
>|philosophers as Vidantis, those who have no teeth (vi means
>|"without," and danti means "possessing teeth"). The
>|statements of the Sankara philosophy, which are the teeth
>|of the Mayavadi philosopher, are always broken by the
>|strong arguments of Vaisnava philosophers such as the great
>|acaryas, especially Ramanujacarya. Sripada Ramanujacarya
>|and Madhvacarya break the teeth of the Mayavadi
>|philosophers, who can therefore be called Vidantis, "
>|toothless."
1672|The transcendental vibration omkara is explained in
>|the Bhagavad-gita, Chapter Eight, verse thirteen:
1673|
>|om
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>| ity ekaksaram brahma
1674|vyaharan mam anusmaran
1675|yah prayati tyajan deham
1676|sa yati paramam gatim
1677|"After being situated in this yoga practice and vibrating
>|the sacred syllable om, the supreme combination of letters,
>|if one thinks of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and
>|quits his body, he will certainly reach the spiritual
>|planets."
1678|If one actually understands that omkara is the sound
>|representation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead,
>|whether he chants omkara or the Hare Krsna mantra, the
>|result is certainly the same.
1679|The transcendental vibration of omkara is further explained
>|in the Bhagavad-gita, Chapter Nine, verse seventeen:
1680|pitaham asya jagato
1681|mata dhata pitamahah
1682|vedyam pavitram omkara
>|
>|
>|
1683|rk sama yajur eva ca
1684|"I am the father of this universe, the mother, the support,
>|and the grandsire. I am the object of knowledge, the
>|purifier and the syllable om. I am also the Rg, the Sama
>|and the Yajur Vedas. ."
1685|Similarly, the transcendental sound om is further explained
>|in the Bhagavad-gita, Chapter Seventeen, verse twenty-three:
1686|om tat sad iti nirdeso
1687|brahmanas tri -vidhah smrtah
1688|brahmanas tena vedas ca
1689|yajnas ca vihitah pura
1690|"From the beginning of creation, the three syllables om tat
>|sat have been used to indicate the Supreme Absolute Truth [
>|Brahman]. They were uttered by brahmanas while chanting
>|Vedic hymns and during sacrifices for the satisfaction of
>|the Supreme."
1691|Throughout all the Vedic scriptures the glories of omkara
>|are specifically mentioned. Srila Jiva Gosvami, in his
>|thesis Bhagavat-sandarbha, says that in the Vedic
>|literature omkara is considered to be the sound vibration
>|of the holy name of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
>|Only this vibration of transcendental sound can deliver a
>|conditioned soul from the clutches of maya. Sometimes
>|omkara is also called the deliverer (tara). Srimad-
>|Bhagavatam begins with the omkara vibration: om namo
>|bhagavate vasudevaya. Therefore omkara has been described
>|by the great commentator Sridhara Svami as tarankura, the
>|seed of deliverance from the material world. Since the
>|Supreme Godhead is absolute, His holy name and His sound
>|vibration omkara are as good as He Himself. Caitanya
>|Mahaprabhu says that the holy name, or omkara, the
>|transcendental representation of the Supreme Personality of
>|Godhead, has all the potencies of the Personality of
>|Godhead.
1692|namnam akari bahudha nija-sarva-saktis
1693|tatrarpita niyamitah smarane na kalah
1694|All potencies are invested in the holy vibration of the
>|holy name of the Lord. There is no doubt that the holy name
>|of the Lord, or omkara, is the Supreme Personality of
>|Godhead Himself. In other words, anyone who chants omkara
>|and the holy name of the Lord, Hare Krsna, immediately
>|meets the Supreme Lord directly in His sound form. In the
>|Narada-pancaratra it is clearly said that the Supreme
>|Personality of Godhead Narayana personally appears before
>|the chanter who engages in chanting the astaksara, or eight-
>|syllable mantra, om namo narayanaya. A similar statement in
>|the Mandukya Upanisad declares that whatever one sees in
>|the spiritual world is all an expansion of the spiritual
>|potency of omkara.
1695|On the basis of all the Upanisads, Srila Jiva Gosvami says
>|that omkara is the Supreme Absolute Truth and is accepted
>|as such by all the acaryas and authorities. Omkara is
>|beginningless, changeless, supreme and free from
>|deterioration and external contamination. Omkara is the
>|origin, middle and end of everything, and any living entity
>|who thus understands omkara attains the perfection of
>|spiritual identity in omkara. Omkara, being situated in
>|everyone's heart, is isvara, the Supreme Personality of
>|Godhead, as confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita (18.61): isvarah
>|sarva-bhutanam hrd-dese 'rjuna tisthati. Omkara is as good
>|as Visnu because omkara is as all-pervasive as Visnu. One
>|who knows omkara and Lord Visnu to be identical no longer
>|has to lament or hanker. One who chants omkara no longer
>|remains a sudra but immediately comes to the position of a
>|brahmana. Simply by chanting omkara one can understand the
>|whole creation to be one unit, or an expansion of the
>|energy of the Supreme Lord: idam hi visvam bhagavan ivetaro
>|yato jagat-sthana-nirodha-sambhavah. "The Supreme Lord
>|Personality of Godhead is Himself this cosmos, and still He
>|is aloof from it. From Him only this cosmic manifestation
>|has emanated, in Him it rests, and unto Him it enters after
>|annihilation." (Bhag . 1.5.20) Although one who does not
>|understand concludes otherwise, Srimad-Bhagavatam states
>|that the entire cosmic manifestation is but an expansion of
>|the energy of the Supreme Lord. Realization of this is
>|possible simply by chanting the holy name of the Lord,
>|omkara.
1696|One should not, however, foolishly conclude that because
>|the Supreme Personality of Godhead is omnipotent, we have
>|manufactured a combination of letters-a, u and m-to
>|represent Him. Factually the transcendental sound omkara,
>|although a combination of the three letters a, u and m, has
>|transcendental potency, and one who chants omkara will very
>|soon realize omkara and Lord Visnu to be nondifferent.
>|Krsna declares, pranavah sarva-vedesu: "I am the syllable
>|om in the Vedic mantras." (Bg. 7.8) One should therefore
>|conclude that among the many incarnations of the Supreme
>|Personality of Godhead, omkara is the sound incarnation.
>|All the Vedas accept this thesis. One should always
>|remember that the holy name of the Lord and the Lord
>|Himself are always identical (abhinnatvan nama-naminoh
>|). Since omkara is the basic principle of all
>|Vedic knowledge, it is uttered before one begins to chant
>|any Vedic hymn. Without omkara, no Vedic mantra is
>|successful. The Gosvamis therefore declare that pranava (
>|omkara) is the complete representation of the Supreme
>|Personality of Godhead, and they have analyzed omkara in
>|terms of its alphabetical constituents as follows:
1697|a-karenocyate krsnah
1698|sarva- lokaika-nayakah
1699|u -
>|karenocyate radha
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
1700|ma-karo jiva-vacakah
1701|Omkara is a combination of the letters a, u and m. A-
>|karenocyate krsnah: the letter a (a-kara) refers to Krsna,
>|who is sarva-lokaika-nayakah, the master of all living
>|entities and planets, material and spiritual. Nayaka means "
>|leader." He is the supreme leader (nityo nityanam cetanas
>|cetananam). The letter u (u-kara) indicates Srimati
>|Radharani, the pleasure potency of Krsna, and m (ma-kara)
>|indicates the living entities (jivas). Thus om is the
>|complete combination of Krsna, His potency and His eternal
>|servitors. In other words, omkara represents Krsna, His
>|name, fame, pastimes, entourage, expansions, devotees,
>|potencies and everything else pertaining to Him. As
>|Caitanya Mahaprabhu states in the present verse of Sri
>|Caitanya-caritamrta, sarva-visva-dhama: omkara is the
>|resting place of everything, just as Krsna is the resting
>|place of everything (brahmano hi pratisthaham).
1702|The Mayavadi philosophers consider many Vedic mantras to be
>|the maha-vakya, or principal Vedic mantra, such as tat tvam
>|asi (Chandogya Upanisad 6.8.7), idam sarvam yad ayam atma
>|and brahmedam sarvam (Brhad-aranyaka Upanisad 2.5.1),
>|atmaivedam sarvam (Chandogya Upanisad 7.25.2) and neha
>|nanasti kincana (Katha Upanisad 2.1.11). That is a great
>|mistake. Only omkara is the maha-vakya. All these other
>|mantras that the Mayavadis accept as the maha-vakya are
>|only incidental. They cannot be taken as the maha-vakya, or
>|maha-mantra. The mantra tat tvam asi indicates only a
>|partial understanding of the Vedas, unlike omkara, which
>|represents the full understanding of the Vedas. Therefore
>|the transcendental sound that includes all Vedic knowledge
>|is omkara (pranava).
1703|Aside from omkara, none of the words uttered by the
>|followers of Sankaracarya can be considered the maha-vakya.
>|They are merely passing remarks. Sankaracarya, however, has
>|never stressed chanting of the maha-vakya omkara; he has
>|accepted only tat tvam asi as the maha-vakya. Imagining the
>|living entity to be God, he has misrepresented all the
>|mantras of the Vedanta-sutra with the motive of proving
>|that there is no separate existence of the living entities
>|and the Supreme Absolute Truth. This is similar to the
>|politician's attempt to prove nonviolence from the Bhagavad-
>|gita. Krsna is violent to demons, and to attempt to prove
>|that Krsna is not violent is ultimately to deny Krsna. As
>|such explanations of the Bhagavad-gita are absurd, so also
>|is Sankaracarya's explanation of the Vedanta-sutra, and no
>|sane and reasonable man will accept it. At present, however,
>| the Vedanta-sutra is misrepresented not only by the so-
>|called Vedantis but also by other unscrupulous persons who
>|are so degraded that they even recommend that sannyasis eat
>|meat, fish and eggs. In this way Sankara 's so-called
>|followers , the impersonalist Mayavadis, are
>|sinking lower and lower. How can these degraded men explain
>|the Vedanta-sutra, which is the essence of all Vedic
>|literature?
1704|Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu has declared, mayavadi-bhasya
>|sunile haya sarva-nasa: "Anyone who
>|hears commentary on the Vedanta-sutra from the Mayavada
>|school is completely doomed." As explained in the Bhagavad-
>|gita (15.15), vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyah: all Vedic
>|literature aims to understand Krsna. Mayavada philosophy,
>| however, has deviated everyone from Krsna. Therefore there
>|is a great need for the Krsna consciousness movement all
>|over the world to save the world from degradation. Every
>|intelligent and sane man must abandon the philosophical
>|explanation of the Mayavadis and accept the explanation of
>|Vaisnava acaryas. One should read Bhagavad-gita As It Is to
>|try to understand the real purpose of the Vedas.
1705|Adi 7.129
1706|TEXT 129
1707|TEXT
1708|sarvasraya isvarera pranava uddesa
1709|'tat tvam asi'-vakya haya vedera ekadesa
1710|SYNONYMS
1711|sarva-asraya-the reservoir of everything; isvarera-of the
>|Supreme Personality of Godhead; pranava-omkara; uddesa-
>|purpose; tat tvam asi-the Vedic mantra tat tvam asi ("you
>|are the same"); vakya-statement; haya-becomes; vedera-of
>|the Vedic literature; eka-desa-partial understanding.
1712|TRANSLATION
1713|"It is the purpose of the Supreme Personality of Godhead to
>|present pranava [omkara] as the reservoir of all Vedic
>|knowledge. The words tat tvam asi are only a partial
>|explanation of the Vedic knowledge.
1714|PURPORT
1715|Tat tvam asi means "you are the same spiritual identity."
1716|Adi 7.130
1717|TEXT 130
1718|TEXT
1719|'pranava, maha-vakya-taha kari' acchadana
1720|mahavakye kari 'tat tvam asi'ra sthapana
1721|SYNONYMS
1722|pranava-omkara; maha-vakya-principal mantra; taha-that;
>|kari'-making; acchadana-covered; maha-vakye-in place of the
>|principal mantra; kari-I do; 'tat tvam asi'ra sthapana-
>|establishment of the statement tat tvam asi.
1723|TRANSLATION
1724|"Pranava [omkara] is the maha-vakya [maha-mantra] in the
>|Vedas. Sankaracarya's followers cover this to stress
>|without authority the mantra tat tvam asi.
1725|PURPORT
1726|The Mayavadi philosophers stress the statements tat tvam
>|asi, so 'ham, etc., but they do not stress the real maha-
>|mantra, pranava (omkara). Therefore, because they
>|misrepresent Vedic knowledge, they are the greatest
>|offenders to the lotus feet of the Lord. Caitanya
>|Mahaprabhu says clearly, mayavadi krsne aparadhi: "Mayavadi
>|philosophers are the greatest offenders to Lord Krsna."
>|Lord Krsna declares:
1727|tan aham dvisatah kruran
1728|samsaresu naradhaman
1729|ksipamy ajasram asubhan
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
1730|asurisv eva yonisu
1731|"Those who are envious and mischievous, who are the lowest
>|among mankind, I perpetually cast into the ocean of
>|material existence, into various demoniac species of life."
>|(Bg. 16.19) Life in demoniac species awaits the Mayavadi
>|philosophers after death because they are envious of Krsna.
>|When Krsna says in the Bhagavad-gita (9.34), man-mana bhava
>|mad-bhakto mad-yaji mam namaskuru ("Engage your mind always
>|in thinking of Me, become My devotee, offer obeisances to
>|Me and worship Me"), one demoniac scholar says that it is
>|not Krsna to whom one must surrender. This scholar is
>|already suffering in this life, and he will have to suffer
>|again in the next if in this life he does not complete his
>|prescribed suffering. One should be very careful not to be
>|envious of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In the next
>|verse, therefore, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu clearly states
>|the purpose of the Vedas.
1732|Adi 7.131
1733|TEXT 131
1734|TEXT
1735|sarva-veda-sutre kare krsnera abhidhana
1736|mukhya-vrtti chadi' kaila laksana-vyakhyana
1737|SYNONYMS
1738|sarva-veda-sutre-in all the aphorisms of the Vedanta-sutra;
>|kare-establishes; krsnera-of Lord Krsna; abhidhana-
>|explanation; mukhya-vrtti-direct interpretation; chadi'-
>|giving up; kaila-made; laksana-indirect; vyakhyana-
>|explanation.
1739|TRANSLATION
1740|"In all the Vedic sutras and scriptures, it is Lord Krsna
>|who is to be understood, but the followers of Sankaracarya
>|have covered the real meaning of the Vedas with indirect
>|explanations.
1741|PURPORT
1742|It is said:
1743|vede ramayane caiva
1744|purane bharate tatha
1745|adav
>|
>|ante ca madhye ca
>|
>|
1746|harih sarvatra giyate
1747|In the Vedic literature, including the Ramayana, Puranas
>|and Mahabharata, from the very beginning (adau) to the end (
>|ante ca), as well as within the middle (madhye ca), only
>|Hari, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is explained.
1748|Adi 7.132
1749|TEXT 132
1750|TEXT
1751|svatah-pramana veda-pramana-siromani
1752|laksana karile svatah-pramanata-hani
1753|SYNONYMS
1754|svatah-pramana-self-evident; veda-the Vedic literature;
>|pramana-evidence; siromani-topmost; laksana-interpretation;
>|karile-doing; svatah-pramanata-self-evidence; hani-lost.
1755|TRANSLATION
1756|"The self-evident Vedic scriptures are the highest
>|evidence of all, but if these scriptures are interpreted,
>|their self-evident nature is lost.
1757|PURPORT
1758|We quote Vedic evidence to support our statements, but if
>|we interpret it according to our own judgment, the
>|authority of the Vedic literature is rendered imperfect or
>|useless. In other words, by interpreting the Vedic version
>|one minimizes the value of Vedic evidence. When one quotes
>|from Vedic literature, it is understood that the quotations
>|are authoritative. How can one bring the authority under
>|his own control? That is a case of principiis obsta.
1759|Adi 7.133
1760|TEXT 133
1761|TEXT
1762|ei mata pratisutre sahajartha chadiya
1763|gaunartha vyakhya kare kalpana kariya
1764|SYNONYMS
1765|ei mata-like this; prati-sutre-in every sutra, or aphorism,
>|of the Vedanta-sutra; sahaja-artha-the clear, simple
>|meaning; chadiya-giving up; gauna-artha-indirect meaning;
>|vyakhya-explanation; kare-he makes; kalpana kariya-by
>|imagination.
1766|TRANSLATION
1767|"To prove their philosophy, the members of the Mayavada
>|school have given up the real, easily understood meaning of
>|the Vedic literature and introduced indirect meanings based
>|on their imaginative powers."
1768|PURPORT
1769|Unfortunately, the Sankarite interpretation has covered
>|almost the entire world. Therefore there is a great need to
>|present the original, easily understood natural import of
>|the Vedic literature. We have therefore begun by presenting
>|Bhagavad-gita As It Is, and we propose to present all the
>|Vedic literature in terms of the direct meaning of its
>|words.
1770|Adi 7.134
1771|TEXT 134
1772|TEXT
1773|ei mate pratisutre karena dusana
1774|suni' camatkara haila sannyasira gana
1775|SYNONYMS
1776|ei mate-in this way; prati-sutre-in each and every aphorism;
>| karena-shows; dusana-defects; suniya-hearing; camatkara-
>|struck with wonder; haila-they became; sannyasira-of all
>|the Mayavadis; gana-the group.
1777|TRANSLATION
1778|When Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu thus showed for each and every
>|sutra the defects in Sankaracarya's explanations, all the
>|assembled Mayavadi sannyasis were struck with wonder.
1779|Adi 7.135
1780|TEXT 135
1781|TEXT
1782|sakala sannyasi kahe,-'sunaha sripada
1783|tumi ye khandile artha, e nahe vivada
1784|SYNONYMS
1785|sakala-all; sannyasi-the Mayavadi sannyasis; kahe-say;
>|sunaha-please hear; sripada-Your Holiness; tumi-You; ye-
>|that; khandile-refuted; artha-meaning; e-this; nahe-not;
>|vivada-quarrel.
1786|TRANSLATION
1787|All the Mayavadi sannyasis said, "Your Holiness, kindly
>|know from us that we actually have no quarrel with Your
>|refutation of these meanings, for You have given a clear
>|understanding of the sutras.
1788|Adi 7.136
1789|TEXT 136
1790|TEXT
1791|acarya-kalpita artha,-iha sabhe jani
1792|sampradaya-anurodhe tabu taha mani
1793|SYNONYMS
1794|acarya-Sankaracarya; kalpita-imaginative; artha-meaning;
>|iha-this; sabhe-all of us; jani-know; sampradaya-anurodhe-
>|but for the sake of our party; tabu-still; taha-that; mani-
>|we accept.
1795|TRANSLATION
1796|"We know that all this word jugglery springs from the
>|imagination of Sankarararya, and yet because we belong to
>|his sect, we accept it although it does not satisfy us.
1797|Adi 7.137
1798|TEXT 137
1799|TEXT
1800|mukhyartha vyakhya kara, dekhi tomara bala'
1801|mukhyarthe lagala prabhu sutra-sakala
1802|SYNONYMS
1803|mukhya-artha-direct meaning; vyakhya-explanation; kara-You
>|do; dekhi-let us see; tomara-Your; bala-strength; mukhya-
>|arthe-direct meaning; lagala-began; prabhu-the Lord; sutra-
>|sakala-all the aphorisms of the Vedanta-sutra.
1804|TRANSLATION
1805|"Now let us see," the Mayavadi sannyasis continued, "how
>|well You can describe the sutras in terms of their direct
>|meaning." Hearing this, Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu began His
>|direct explanation of the Vedanta-sutra.
1806|Adi 7.138
1807|TEXT 138
1808|TEXT
1809|brhad-vastu 'brahma' kahi-'sri-bhagavan'
1810|sad-vidhaisvarya-purna, para-tattva-dhama
1811|SYNONYMS
1812|brhat-vastu-the substance, which is greater than the
>|greatest; brahma-called by the name Brahman; kahi-we call;
>|sri-bhagavan-the Supreme Personality of Godhead; sat-six;
>|vidha-varieties; aisvarya-opulences; purna-full; para-
>|tattva-Absolute Truth; dhama-reservoir.
1813|TRANSLATION
1814|"Brahman, who is greater than the greatest, is the Supreme
>|Personality of Godhead. He is full of six opulences, and
>|therefore He is the reservoir of ultimate truth and
>|absolute knowledge.
1815|PURPORT
1816|In Srimad-Bhagavatam it is said that the Absolute Truth is
>|understood in three phases of realization: the impersonal
>|Brahman, the localized Paramatma and ultimately the Supreme
>|Personality of Godhead. The impersonal Brahman and
>|localized Paramatma are expansions of the potency of the
>|Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is complete in six
>|opulences, namely, wealth, fame, strength, beauty,
>|knowledge and renunciation. Since He possesses His six
>|opulences, the Personality of Godhead is the ultimate truth
>|in absolute knowledge.
1817|Adi 7.139
1818|TEXT 139
1819|TEXT
1820|svarupa-aisvarye tanra nahi maya-gandha
1821|sakala vedera haya bhagavan se 'sambandha'
1822|SYNONYMS
1823|svarupa-in His original form; aisvarye-opulence; tanra-His;
>|nahi-there is none; maya-gandha-contamination of the
>|material world; sakala-in all; vedera-Vedas; haya-it is so;
>|bhagavan-the Supreme Personality of Godhead; se-that;
>|sambandha-relationship.
1824|TRANSLATION
1825|"In His original form the Supreme Personality of Godhead is
>|full of transcendental opulences, which are free from the
>|contamination of the material world. It is to be understood
>|that in all Vedic literature the Supreme Personality of
>|Godhead is the ultimate goal.
1826|Adi 7.140
1827|TEXT 140
1828|TEXT
1829|tanre 'nirvisesa' kahi, cic-chakti na mani
1830|ardha-svarupa na manile purnata haya hani
1831|SYNONYMS
1832|tanre-unto Him; nirvisesa-impersonal; kahi-we say; cit-
>|sakti-spiritual energy; na-do not; mani-accept; ardha-half;
>|svarupa-form; na-not; manile-accepting; purnata-fullness;
>|haya-becomes; hani-defective.
1833|TRANSLATION
1834|"When we speak of the Supreme as impersonal, we deny His
>|spiritual potencies. Logically, if you accept half of the
>|truth, you cannot understand the whole.
1835|PURPORT
1836|In the Upanisads it is said:
1837|om purnam adah purnam idam
1838|purnat purnam udacyate
1839|purnasya purnam adaya
1840|purnam evavasisyate
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
1841|This verse , which is mentioned in the
>|Isopanisad , Brhad -aranyaka Upanisad and
>|many other Upanisads, indicates that the
>|Supreme Personality of Godhead is
>|full in six opulences .
>|His position is unique, for He possesses all
>| riches , strength , influence , beauty,
>| knowledge and renunciation . Brahman means the
>|greatest , but the Supreme Personality of Godhead is
>|greater than the greatest , just as the sun
>|globe is greater than the sunshine ,
>|which is all-pervading in the universe . Although
>|the sunshine that spreads all over
>|the universes appears very great to the less
>|knowledgeable, greater than the sunshine is
>| the sun itself, and greater than the
>|sun is the sun -god. Similarly, impersonal Brahman
>|is not the greatest, although it appears to
>|be so . Impersonal Brahman is only
>|The bodily effulgence of the Supreme
>|Personality of Godhead , but the transcendental
>| form of the Lord is greater than both
>|the impersonal Brahman and localized Paramatma
>|. Therefore whenever the word Brahman is used
>|in the Vedic literature , it is understood to
>|refer to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
>|
1842|In the Bhagavad - gita
>| the Lord is
>|also addressed as Parabrahman. Mayavadis and
>|others sometimes misunderstand Brahman because every
>|living entity is also Brahman . Therefore
>|Krsna is referred to as Parabrahman (
>|the Supreme Brahman)
>|. in the Vedic
>| literature, whenever the words Brahman
>|or Parabrahman are used , they are
>|to
>| be understood to refer
>| to
>|the Supreme Personality of Godhead , Krsna .
>|This is their real meaning. Since the entire
>|Vedic literature deals with the
>|subject of Brahman , Krsna is
>|therefore the ultimate goal of Vedic understanding
>|. The impersonal brahmajyoti rests on the personal
>|form of the Lord. Therefore although
>|the impersonal effulgence , the brahmajyoti ,
>|is the first realization , one must enter
>|into it, as mentioned in the Isopanisad ,
>|to find the Supreme Person, and then one 's
>|knowledge is perfect . The Bhagavad -gita (7.
>|19) also confirms this : bahunam janmanam ante
>|jnanavan mam prapadyate. One's search
>|for the Absolute Truth by dint of
>|speculative knowledge is complete when one comes
>|to the point of understanding Krsna and surrenders
>|unto Him. That is the real point of
>|perfectional knowledge.
1843|Partial realization of the Absolute Truth as impersonal
>|Brahman denies the complete opulences of the Lord. This is
>|a hazardous understanding of the Absolute Truth. Unless one
>|accepts all the features of the Absolute Truth-namely,
>|impersonal Brahman, localized Paramatma and ultimately the
>|Supreme Personality of Godhead-his knowledge is imperfect.
>|Sripada Ramanujacarya, in his Vedartha-sangraha, says:
>|jnanena dharmena svarupam api nirupitam, na tu jnana-matram
>|brahmeti katham idam avagamyate. He thus indicates that the
>|real absolute identity must be understood in terms of both
>|His knowledge and His characteristics. Simply to understand
>|the Absolute Truth to be full of knowledge is not
>|sufficient. In the Vedic literature (Mundaka Upanisad 1.1.9)
>| we find the statement yah sarva-jnah sarva-vit, which
>|means that the Absolute Truth knows everything perfectly,
>|but we also learn from the Vedic description parasya saktir
>|vividhaiva sruyate that not only does He know everything,
>|but He also acts accordingly by utilizing His different
>|energies. Thus to understand that Brahman, the Supreme, is
>|conscious is not sufficient. One must know how He
>|consciously acts through His different energies. Mayavada
>|philosophy simply informs us of the consciousness of the
>|Absolute Truth but does not give us information of how He
>|acts with His consciousness. That is the defect of that
>|philosophy.
1844|Adi 7.141
1845|TEXT 141
1846|TEXT
1847|bhagavan-prapti-hetu ye kari upaya
1848|sravanadi bhakti-krsna-praptira sahaya
1849|SYNONYMS
1850|bhagavan-the Supreme Personality of Godhead; prapti-hetu-
>|the means by which He can be approached; ye-what; kari-I do;
>| upaya-means; sravana-adi-devotional service, beginning
>|with hearing; bhakti-devotional service; krsna-the Supreme
>|Lord; praptira-to approach Him; sahaya-means.
1851|TRANSLATION
1852|"It is only by devotional service, beginning with hearing,
>|that one can approach the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
>|That is the only means to approach Him.
1853|PURPORT
1854|Mayavadi philosophers are satisfied simply to understand
>|Brahman to be the sum total of knowledge, but Vaisnava
>|philosophers not only know in detail about the Supreme
>|Personality of Godhead but also know how to approach Him
>|directly. The method for this is described by Sri Caitanya
>|Mahaprabhu as nine kinds of devotional service, beginning
>|with hearing:
1855|sravanam kirtanam visnoh
1856|smaranam pada-sevanam
1857|arcanam vandanam dasyam
1858|sakhyam atma
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|-nivedanam
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
1859|(Bhag. 7.5.23)
1860|>One can directly approach the Supreme Personality of
>|Godhead simply by executing the nine kinds of devotional
>|service, of which hearing about the Lord is the most
>|important (sravanadi). Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu has very
>|favorably stressed the importance of this process of
>|hearing. According to His method, if people are simply
>|given a chance to hear about Krsna, certainly they will
>|gradually develop their dormant awareness or love of
>|Godhead. Sravanadi-suddha-citte karaye udaya (Cc. Madhya 22.
>|107). Love of God is dormant in everyone, but if one is
>|given a chance to hear about the Lord, certainly that love
>|develops. Our Krsna consciousness movement acts on this
>|principle. We simply give people the chance to hear about
>|the Supreme Personality of Godhead and give them prasada to
>|eat, and the actual result is that all over the world
>|people are responding to this process and becoming pure
>|devotees of Lord Krsna. We open hundreds of centers all
>|over the world just to give people in general a chance to
>|hear about Krsna and accept Krsna's prasada. These two
>|processes can be accepted by anyone, even a child. It doesn'
>|t matter whether one is poor or rich, learned or foolish,
>|black or white, old or still a child-anyone who simply
>|hears about the Supreme Personality of Godhead and takes
>|prasada is certainly elevated to the transcendental
>|position of devotional service.
1861|Adi 7.142
1862|TEXT 142
1863|TEXT
1864|sei sarva-vedera 'abhidheya' nama
1865|sadhana-bhakti haite haya premera udgama
1866|SYNONYMS
1867|sei sarva-vedera-that is the essence of all Vedic
>|literature; abhidheya nama-the process called abhidheya, or
>|devotional activities; sadhana-bhakti-another name of this
>|process, "devotional service in practice"; haite-from this;
>|haya-there is; premera-of love of Godhead; udgama-awakening.
1868|TRANSLATION
1869|"By practicing this regulated devotional service under the
>|direction of the spiritual master, certainly one awakens
>|his dormant love of Godhead. This process is called
>|abhidheya.
1870|PURPORT
1871|By the practice of devotional service, beginning with
>|hearing and chanting, the impure heart of a conditioned
>|soul is purified, and thus he can understand his eternal
>|relationship with the Supreme personality of Godhead. That
>|eternal relationship is described by Sri Caitanya
>|Mahaprabhu: jivera 'svarupa' haya krsnera 'nitya-dasa'
>|. "The living entity is an eternal
>|servitor of the Supreme Personality of Godhead." When one
>|is convinced about this relationship, which is called
>|sambandha, he then acts accordingly. That is called
>|abhidheya. The next step is prayojana-siddhi, or
>|fulfillment of the ultimate goal of one's life. If one can
>|understand his relationship with the Supreme Personality of
>|Godhead and act accordingly, automatically his mission in
>|life is fulfilled. The Mayavadi philosophers miss even the
>|first stage in self-realization because they have no
>|conception of God's being personal. He is the master of all,
>| and He is the only person who can accept the service of
>|all living entities, but since this knowledge is lacking in
>|Mayavada philosophy, Mayavadis do not have knowledge even
>|of their relationship with God. They wrongly think that
>|everyone is God or that everyone is equal to God. Therefore,
>| since the real position of the living entity is not clear
>|to them, how can they advance further? Although they are
>|very puffed -up at being liberated, Mayavadi
>|philosophers very shortly fall down again to material
>|activities due to their neglecting the lotus feet of the
>|Lord. That is called patanty adhah .
1872|aruhya krcchrena param padam tatah
1873|patanty adho 'nadrta-yusmad-anghrayah
1874|( Bhag . 10.2.32)
1875|>it is the statement of Prahlada Maharaja that
>|persons who think themselves liberated but do not execute
>|devotional service, not knowing their relationship with the
>|Lord, are certainly misled. One must know his relationship
>|with the Lord and act accordingly. Then the fulfillment of
>|his life's mission will be possible.
1876|Adi 7.143
1877|TEXT 143
1878|TEXT
1879|krsnera carane haya yadi anuraga
1880|krsna vinu anyatra tara nahi rahe raga
1881|SYNONYMS
1882|krsnera-of Krsna; carane-at the lotus feet; haya-becomes;
>|yadi-if; anuraga-attachment; krsna-the Supreme Personality
>|of Godhead; vinu-without; anyatra-anywhere else; tara-his;
>|nahi-there does not; rahe-remain; raga-attachment.
1883|TRANSLATION
1884|"If one develops his love of Godhead and becomes attached
>|to the lotus feet of Krsna, gradually he loses his
>|attachment to everything else.
1885|PURPORT
1886|This is a test of advancement in devotional service. As
>|stated in Srimad-Bhagavatam (11.2.42), bhaktir
>|paresanubhavo viraktir anyatra ca: in bhakti, a devotee's
>|only attachment is Krsna; he no longer wants to maintain
>|his attachments to many other things. Although Mayavadi
>|philosophers are supposed to be very advanced on the
>|path of liberation, we see that after some time they
>|descend to politics and philanthropic activities. Many big
>|sannyasis who were supposedly liberated and very advanced
>|have come down again to materialistic activities, although
>|they left this world as mithya (false). When a devotee
>|develops in devotional service, however, he no longer has
>|attachments to such philanthropic activities. He is simply
>|inspired to serve the Lord, and he engages his entire life
>|in such service. This is the difference between Vaisnava
>|and Mayavadi philosophers. Devotional service, therefore,
>|is practical, whereas Mayavada philosophy is merely mental
>|speculation.
1887|Adi 7.144
1888|TEXT 144
1889|TEXT
1890|pancama purusartha sei prema-mahadhana
1891|krsnera madhurya-rasa karaya asvadana
1892|SYNONYMS
1893|pancama-fifth; purusa-artha-goal of life; sei-that; prema-
>|love of God; maha-dhana-foremost wealth; krsnera-of Lord
>|Krsna; madhurya-conjugal love; rasa-mellow; karaya-causes;
>|asvadana-taste.
1894|TRANSLATION
1895|"Love of Godhead is so exalted that it is considered to be
>|the fifth goal of human life. By awakening one's love of
>|Godhead, one can attain the platform of conjugal love,
>|tasting it even during the present span of life.
1896|PURPORT
1897|The Mayavadi philosophers consider the highest goal of
>|perfection to be liberation (mukti), which is the fourth
>|perfectional platform. Generally people are aware of four
>|principal goals of life-religiosity (dharma), economic
>|development (artha), sense gratification (kama) and
>|ultimately liberation (moksa)-but devotional service is
>|situated on the platform above liberation. In other words,
>|when one is actually liberated (mukta) he can understand
>|the meaning of love of Godhead (krsna-prema). While
>|teaching Rupa Gosvami, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu stated, koti-
>|mukta-madhye 'durlabha' eka krsna-bhakta: "Out of millions
>|of liberated persons, one may become a devotee of Lord
>|Krsna."
1898|The most elevated Mayavadi philosopher can rise to the
>|platform of liberation, but krsna-bhakti, devotional
>|service to Krsna, is transcendental to such liberation.
>|Srila Vyasadeva explains this fact in Srimad-Bhagavatam (1.
>|1.2):
1899|dharmah projjhita-kaitavo 'tra paramo nirmatsaranam satam
1900|vedyam vastavam atra vastu siva-dam tapa-trayonmulanam
1901|"Completely rejecting all religions which are materially
>|motivated, the Bhagavata Purana propounds the highest truth,
>| which is understandable by those devotees who are pure in
>|heart. The highest truth is reality distinguished from
>|illusion for the welfare of all. Such truth uproots the
>|threefold miseries." Srimad-Bhagavatam, the explanation of
>|the Vedanta-sutra, is meant for paramo nirmatsaranam, those
>|who are completely aloof from jealousy. Mayavadi
>|philosophers are jealous of the existence of the
>|Personality of Godhead. Therefore the Vedanta-sutra is not
>|actually meant for them. They unnecessarily poke their
>|noses into the Vedanta-sutra, but they have no ability to
>|understand it because the author of the Vedanta-sutra
>|writes in his commentary, Srimad-Bhagavatam, that it is
>|meant for those who are pure in heart (paramo nirmatsaranam
>|). If one is envious of Krsna, how can he
>|understand the Vedanta-sutra or Srimad-Bhagavatam? The
>|Mayavadis' primary occupation is to offend the Supreme
>|Personality of Godhead, Krsna. For example, although Krsna
>|demands our surrender in the Bhagavad-gita, the greatest
>|scholar and so-called philosopher in India has
>|protested that it is "not to Krsna" that we have to
>|surrender. Therefore, he is envious. Since Mayavadis of all
>|different descriptions are envious of Krsna, they have no
>|scope to understand the meaning of the Vedanta-sutra.
>|Even if they were on the liberated platform, as they
>|falsely claim, here Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami repeats the
>|statement of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu that love
>|of Krsna is beyond the state of
>|liberation .
1902|Adi 7.145
1903|TEXT 145
1904|TEXT
1905|prema haite krsna haya nija bhakta-vasa
1906|prema haite paya krsnera seva-sukha-rasa
1907|SYNONYMS
1908|prema-love of Krsna; haite-from; krsna-the Supreme
>|Personality of Godhead; haya-becomes; nija-His own; bhakta-
>|vasa-submissive to devotees; prema-love of God; haite-from;
>|paya-he gets; krsnera-of Lord Krsna; seva-sukha-rasa-the
>|mellow of devotional service.
1909|TRANSLATION
1910|"The Supreme Lord, who is greater than the greatest,
>|becomes submissive to even a very insignificant devotee
>|because of his devotional service. It is the beautiful and
>|exalted nature of devotional service that the infinite Lord
>|becomes submissive to the infinitesimal living entity
>|because of it. In reciprocal devotional activities with the
>|Lord, the devotee actually enjoys the transcendental mellow
>|quality of devotional service.
1911|PURPORT
1912|Becoming one with the Supreme Personality of Godhead is not
>|very important for a devotee. Muktih svayam mukulitanjali
>|sevate 'sman (Krsna-karnamrta 107). Speaking from his
>|actual experience, Srila Bilvamangala Thakura says that if
>|one develops love of Godhead, mukti (liberation) becomes
>|subservient and unimportant to him. Mukti stands before the
>|devotee and is prepared to render all kinds of services.
>|The Mayavadi philosophers' standard of mukti is very
>|insignificant for a devotee, for by devotional service even
>|the Supreme Personality of Godhead becomes subordinate to
>|him. An actual example is that the Supreme Lord Krsna
>|became the chariot driver of Arjuna, and when Arjuna asked
>|Him to draw his chariot between the two armies (senayor
>|ubhayor madhye ratham sthapaya me 'cyuta), Krsna
>|executed his order. Such is the relationship between the
>|Supreme Lord and a devotee that although the Lord is
>|greater than the greatest, He is prepared to render service
>|to the insignificant devotee by dint of his sincere and
>|unalloyed devotional service.
1913|Adi 7.146
1914|TEXT 146
1915|TEXT
1916|sambandha, abhidheya, prayojana nama
1917|ei tina artha sarva-sutre paryavasana
1918|SYNONYMS
1919|sambandha-relationship; abhidheya-functional duties;
>|prayojana-the goal of life; nama-name; ei-there; tina-three;
>| artha-purport; sarva-all; sutre-in the aphorisms of the
>|Vedanta; paryavasana-culmination.
1920|TRANSLATION
1921|"One's relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead,
>| activities in terms of that relationship, and the ultimate
>|goal of life [to develop love of God]-these three subjects
>|are explained in every aphorism of the Vedanta-sutra, for
>|they form the culmination of the entire Vedanta philosophy."
1922|PURPORT
1923|In Srimad-Bhagavatam (5.5.5) it is said:
1924|parabhavas tavad abodha-jato
1925|yavan na jijnasata atma-tattvam
1926|"A human being is defeated in all his activities as long as
>|he does not know the goal of life, which can be understood
>|when one is inquisitive about Brahman." It is such inquiry
>|that begins the Vedanta-sutra: athato brahma-jijnasa. A
>|human being should be inquisitive to know who he is, what
>|the universe is, what God is, and what the relationship is
>|between himself, God and the material world. Such questions
>|cannot be asked by cats and dogs, but they must arise in
>|the heart of a real human being. Knowledge of these four
>|items-namely , oneself, the universe, God, and their
>|internal relationship-is called sambandha-jnana, or the
>|knowledge of one's relationship. When one's relationship
>|with the Supreme Lord is established, the next program is
>|to act in that relationship. This is called abhidheya, or
>|activity in relationship with the Lord. After executing
>|such prescribed duties, when one attains the highest goal
>|of life, love of Godhead, he achieves prayojana-siddhi, or
>|the fulfillment of his human mission. In the Brahma-sutra,
>|or Vedanta-sutra, these subjects are very carefully
>|explained. Therefore one who does not understand the
>|Vedanta-sutra in terms of these principles is simply
>|wasting his time. This is the version of Srimad-Bhagavatam (
>|1.2.8):
1927|dharmah svanusthitah pumsam
>|
1928|visvaksena -kathasu yah
1929|notpadayed yadi ratim
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
>|
1930|srama eva hi kevalam
1931|One may be a very learned scholar and execute his
>|prescribed duty very nicely, but if he does not ultimately
>|become inquisitive about the Supreme Personality of Godhead
>|and is indifferent to sravanam kirtanam (hearing and
>|chanting), all that he has done is but a waste of time.
>|Mayavadi philosophers who do not understand the
>|relationship between themselves, the cosmic manifestation
>|and the Supreme Personality of Godhead are simply wasting
>|their time, and their philosophical speculation has no
>|value.
1932|Adi 7.147
1933|TEXT 147
1934|TEXT
1935|ei-mata sarva-sutrera vyakhyana suniya
1936|sakala sannyasi kahe vinaya kariya
1937|SYNONYMS
1938|ei-mata-in this way; sarva-sutrera-of all the aphorisms of
>|the Vedanta-sutra; vyakhyana-explanation; suniya-by hearing;
>| sakala-all; sannyasi-the groups of Mayavadi sannyasis;
>|kahe-said; vinaya-humbly; kariya-doing so.
1939|TRANSLATION
1940|When all the Mayavadi sannyasis thus heard the explanation
>|of Caitanya Mahaprabhu on the basis of sambandha, abhidheya
>|and prayojana, they spoke very humbly.
1941|PURPORT
1942|Everyone who actually desires to understand the Vedanta
>|philosophy must certainly accept the explanation of Lord
>|Caitanya Mahaprabhu or the Vaisnava acaryas who have also
>|commented on the Vedanta-sutra according to the principles
>|of bhakti-yoga. After hearing the explanation of the
>|Vedanta-sutra from Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, all the
>|sannyasis, headed by Prakasananda Sarasvati, became very
>|humble and obedient to the Lord, and they spoke as follows.
1943|Adi 7.148
1944|TEXT 148
1945|TEXT
1946|vedamaya-murti tumi,-saksat narayana
1947|ksama aparadha,-purve ye kailun nindana
1948|SYNONYMS
1949|veda-maya-transformation of the Vedic knowledge; murti-form;
>| tumi-You; saksat-directly; narayana-the Supreme
>|Personality of Godhead; ksama-excuse; aparadha-offense;
>|purve-before; ye-that; kailun-we have done; nindana-
>|criticism.
1950|TRANSLATION
1951|"Dear sir, You are Vedic knowledge personified and are
>|directly Narayana Himself. Kindly excuse us for the
>|offenses we previously committed by criticizing You."
1952|PURPORT
1953|The complete path of bhakti-yoga is based upon the process
>|of becoming humble and submissive. By the grace of Lord
>|Caitanya Mahaprabhu, all the Mayavadi sannyasis were very
>|humble and submissive after hearing His explanation of the
>|Vedanta-sutra, and they begged to be pardoned for the
>|offenses they had committed by criticizing the Lord for
>|simply chanting and dancing and not taking part in the
>|study of the Vedanta-sutra. We are propagating the Krsna
>|consciousness movement simply by following in the footsteps
>|of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. We may not be very well versed
>|in the Vedanta-sutra aphorisms and may not understand their
>|meaning, but we follow in the footsteps of the acaryas, and
>|because of our strictly and obediently following in the
>|footsteps of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, it is to be
>|understood that we know everything regarding the Vedanta-
>|sutra.
1954|Adi 7.149
1955|TEXT 149
1956|TEXT
1957|sei haite sannyasira phiri gela mana
1958|'krsna' 'krsna' nama sada karaye grahana
1959|SYNONYMS
1960|sei haite-from that time; sannyasira-all the Mayavadi
>|sannyasis; phiri-turn; gela-became; mana-mind; krsna krsna-
>|the holy name of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna;
>|nama-name; sada-always; karaye-do; grahana-accept.
1961|TRANSLATION
1962|From that moment when the Mayavadi sannyasis heard the
>|explanation of the Vedanta-sutra from the Lord, their minds
>|changed, and on the instruction of Caitanya Mahaprabhu,
>|they too chanted "Krsna! Krsna!" always.
1963|PURPORT
1964|In this connection it may be mentioned that sometimes the
>|sahajiya class of devotees opine that Prakasananda
>|Sarasvati and Prabodhananda Sarasvati are the same man.
>|Prabodhananda Sarasvati was a great Vaisnava devotee of
>|Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, but Prakasananda Sarasvati, the
>|head of the Mayavadi sannyasis in Benares, was a different
>|person. Prabodhananda Sarasvati belonged to the Ramanuja-
>|sampradaya, whereas Prakasananda Sarasvati belonged to the
>|Sankaracarya-sampradaya. Prabodhananda Sarasvati wrote a
>|number of books, among which are the Caitanya-candramrta,
>|Radha-rasa-sudha-nidhi, Sangita-madhava, Vrndavana-sataka
>|and Navadvipa-sataka. While traveling in southern India,
>|Caitanya Mahaprabhu met Prabodhananda Sarasvati, who had
>|two brothers, Venkata Bhatta and Tirumalaya Bhatta, who
>|were Vaisnavas of the Ramanuja-sampradaya. Gopala Bhatta
>|Gosvami was the nephew of Prabodhananda Sarasvati. From
>|historical records it is found that Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu
>|traveled in South India in the year 1433 sakabda (A.D. 1511)
>| during the Caturmasya period, and it was at that time that
>|He met Prabodhananda, who belonged to the Ramanuja-
>|sampradaya. How then could the same person meet Him as a
>|member of the Sankara-sampradaya in 1435 sakabda, two years
>|later? It is to be concluded that the guess of the sahijiya-
>|sampradaya that Prabodhananda Sarasvati and Prakasananda
>|Sarasvati were the same man is a mistaken idea.
1965|Adi 7.150
1966|TEXT 150
1967|TEXT
1968|ei-mate tan-sabara ksami' aparadha
1969|sabakare krsna-nama karila prasada
1970|SYNONYMS
1971|ei-mate-in this way; tan-sabara-of all the sannyasis; ksami'
>|-excusing; aparadha-offense; sabakare-all of them; krsna-
>|nama-the holy name of Krsna; karila-gave; prasada-as mercy.
1972|TRANSLATION
1973|Thus Lord Caitanya excused all the offenses of the Mayavadi
>|sannyasis and very mercifully blessed them with krsna-nama.
1974|PURPORT
1975|Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is the mercy incarnation of the
>|Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is addressed by Srila
>|Rupa Gosvami as maha-vadanyavatara, or the most magnanimous
>|incarnation. Srila Rupa Gosvami also says, karunayavatirnah
>|kalau: it is only by His mercy that He has descended in
>|this Age of Kali. Here this is exemplified. Sri Caitanya
>|Mahaprabhu did not like to see Mayavadi sannyasis because
>|He thought of them as offenders to the lotus feet of Krsna,
>|but here He excuses them (tan-sabara ksami' aparadha). This
>|is an example in preaching. Apani acari' bhakti sikhaimu
>|sabare. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu teaches us that those whom
>|preachers meet are almost all offenders who are opposed to
>|Krsna consciousness, but it is a preacher's duty to
>|convince them of the Krsna consciousness movement and then
>|induce them to chant the Hare Krsna maha-mantra. Our
>|propagation of the sankirtana movement is continuing,
>|despite many opponents, and people are taking up this
>|chanting process even in remote parts of the world like
>|Africa. By inducing the offenders to chant the Hare Krsna
>|mantra, Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu exemplified the success of
>|the Krsna consciousness movement. We should follow very
>|respectfully in the footsteps of Lord Caitanya, and there
>|is no doubt that we shall be successful in our attempts.
1976|Adi 7.151
1977|TEXT 151
1978|TEXT
1979|tabe saba sannyasi mahaprabhuke laiya
1980|bhiksa karilena sabhe, madhye vasaiya
1981|SYNONYMS
1982|tabe-after this; saba-all; sannyasi-the Mayavadi sannyasis;
>|mahaprabhuke-Caitanya Mahaprabhu; laiya-taking Him; bhiksa
>|karilena-took prasada, or took lunch; sabhe-all together;
>|madhye-in the middle; vasaiya-seating Him.
1983|TRANSLATION
1984|After this, all the sannyasis took the Lord in their
>|midst, and thus they all took their meal together.
1985|PURPORT
1986|Previously Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu neither mixed nor
>|talked with the Mayavadi sannyasis, but now He is taking
>|lunch with them. It is to be concluded that when Lord
>|Caitanya induced them to chant Hare Krsna and excused them
>|for their offenses, they were purified, and therefore there
>|was no objection to taking lunch, or bhagavat- prasada,
>|with them, although Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu knew that the
>|food was not offered to the Deity. Mayavadi sannyasis
>|do not worship the Deity, or if they do so they generally
>|worship the deity of Lord Siva or the pancopasana (Lord
>|Visnu, Lord Siva, Durgadevi , Ganesa and Surya). Here
>|we do not find any mention of the demigods or Visnu, and
>|yet Caitanya Mahaprabhu accepted food in the midst of the
>|sannyasis on the basis that they had chanted the Hare Krsna
>|maha-mantra and that He had excused their offenses.
1987|Adi 7.152
1988|TEXT 152
1989|TEXT
1990|bhiksa kari' mahaprabhu aila vasaghara
1991|hena citra-lila kare gauranga-sundara
1992|SYNONYMS
1993|bhiksa-accepting food from others; kari'-accepting;
>|mahaprabhu-Lord Caitanya; aila-returned; vasaghara-to His
>|residence; hena-thus; citra-lila-wonderful pastimes; kare-
>|does; gauranga-Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; sundara-very
>|beautiful.
1994|TRANSLATION
1995|After taking lunch among the Mayavadi sannyasis, Sri
>|Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who is known as Gaurasundara, returned
>|to His residence. Thus the Lord performs His wonderful
>|pastimes.
1996|Adi 7.153
1997|TEXT 153
1998|TEXT
1999|candrasekhara, tapana misra, ara sanatana
2000|suni' dekhi' anandita sabakara mana
2001|SYNONYMS
2002|candrasekhara-of the name Candrasekhara; tapana misra- of
>|the name Tapana Misra; ara-and; sanatana- of the name
>|Sanatana; suni'-hearing; dekhi'-seeing; anandita-very
>|pleased; sabakara-all of them; mana-minds.
2003|TRANSLATION
2004|Hearing the arguments of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and seeing
>|His victory, Candrasekhara, Tapana Misra and Sanatana
>|Gosvami were all extremely pleased.
2005|PURPORT
2006|Here is an example of how a sannyasi should preach. When
>|Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu went to Varanasi, He went there
>|alone, not with a big party. Locally, however, He made
>|friendships with Candrasekhara and Tapana Misra, and
>|Sanatana Gosvami also came to see Him. Therefore, although
>|He did not have many friends there, due to His sound
>|preaching and His victory in arguing with the local
>|sannyasis on the Vedanta philosophy, He became greatly
>|famous in that part of the country, as explained in the
>|next verse.
2007|Adi 7.154
2008|TEXT 154
2009|TEXT
2010|prabhuke dekhite aise sakala sannyasi
2011|prabhura prasamsa kare saba varanasi
2012|SYNONYMS
2013|prabhuke-unto Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu; dekhite-to see;
>|aise-they came; sakala-all; sannyasi-the Mayavadi sannyasis;
>| prabhura-of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu; prasamsa-praise;
>|kare-they do; saba-all; varanasi-the city of Varanasi.
2014|TRANSLATION
2015|Many Mayavadi sannyasis of Varanasi came to see the Lord
>|after this incident, and the entire city praised Him.
2016|Adi 7.155
2017|TEXT 155
2018|TEXT
2019|varanasi-puri aila sri-krsna-caitanya
2020|puri-saha sarva-loka haila maha-dhanya
2021|SYNONYMS
2022|varanasi-of the name Varanasi; puri-city; aila-came; sri-
>|krsna-caitanya-Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; puri-city;
>|saha-with; sarva-loka-all the people; haila-became; maha-
>|dhanya-thankful.
2023|TRANSLATION
2024|Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu visited the city of Varanasi, and
>|all of its people were very thankful.
2025|Adi 7.156
2026|TEXT 156
2027|TEXT
2028|laksa laksa loka aise prabhuke dekhite
2029|maha-bhida haila dvare, nare pravesite
2030|SYNONYMS
2031|laksa laksa-hundreds ofthousands ; loka-people;
>|aise-came; prabhuke-unto the Lord; dekhite-to see; maha-
>|bhida-a great crowd; haila-there happened; dvare-at the
>|door; nare-may not; pravesite-to enter.
2032|TRANSLATION
2033|The crowd at the door of His residence was so great that it
>|numbered hundreds of thousands.
2034|Adi 7.157
2035|TEXT 157
2036|TEXT
2037|prabhu yabe ya'na visvesvara-darasane
2038|laksa laksa loka asi' mile sei sthane
2039|SYNONYMS
2040|prabhu-Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu; yabe-when; ya'na-goes;
>|visvesvara-the deity of Varanasi; darasane-to visit; laksa
>|laksa-hundreds of thousands; loka-people; asi'-come; mile-
>|meet; sei-that; sthane-on the place.
2041|TRANSLATION
2042|When the Lord went to visit the temple of Visvesvara,
>|hundreds of thousands of people assembled to see Him.
2043|PURPORT
2044|The important point in this verse is that Sri Caitanya
>|Mahaprabhu regularly visited the temple of Visvesvara (Lord
>|Siva) at Varanasi. Vaisnavas generally do not visit a
>|demigod's temple, but here we see that Sri Caitanya
>|Mahaprabhu regularly visited the temple of Visvesvara, who
>|was the predominating deity of Varanasi. Generally Mayavadi
>|sannyasis and worshipers of Lord Siva live in Varanasi, but
>|how is it that Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who took the part of a
>|Vaisnava sannyasi, also visited the Visvesvara temple? The
>|answer is that a Vaisnava does not behave impudently toward
>|the demigods. A Vaisnava gives proper respect to all,
>|although he never accepts a demigod to be as good as the
>|Supreme Personality of Godhead.
2045|In the Brahma-samhita there are mantras offering obeisances
>|to Lord Siva, Lord Brahma, the sun-god and Lord Ganesa, as
>|well as Lord Visnu, all of whom are worshiped by the
>|impersonalists as pancopasana. In their temples
>|impersonalists also install deities of Lord Visnu, Lord
>|Siva, the sun-god, Goddess Durga and sometimes Lord Brahma
>|also, and this system is continuing at present in India
>|under the guise of the Hindu religion. Vaisnavas can also
>|worship all these demigods, but only on the principles of
>|the Brahma-samhita, which is recommended by Sri Caitanya
>|Mahaprabhu. We may note in this connection the mantras for
>|worshiping Lord Siva, Lord Brahma, Goddess Durga, the sun-
>|god and Ganesa, as described in the Brahma-samhita.
2046|srsti-sthiti-pralaya-sadhana-saktir eka
2047|chayeva yasya bhuvanani bibharti durga
2048|icchanurupam api yasya ca cestate sa
2049|govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami
2050|"The external potency, maya, who is of the nature of the
>|shadow of the cit [spiritual] potency, is worshiped by all
>|people as Durga, the creating, preserving and destroying
>|agency of this mundane world. I adore the primeval Lord,
>|Govinda, in accordance with whose will Durga conducts
>|herself." (Brahma - samhita 5.44)
2051|ksiram yatha dadhi vikara-visesa-yogat
2052|sanjayate na hi tatah prthag asti hetoh
2053|yah sambhutam api tatha samupaiti karyad
2054|govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami
2055|"Milk is transformed into curd by the actions of acids, yet
>|the effect, 'curd, ' is neither the same as nor different
>|from its cause, viz., milk. I adore the primeval Lord,
>|Govinda, of whom the state of Sambu is a similar
>|transformation for the performance of the work of
>|destruction." ( Brahma - samhita 5.45)
2056|bhasvan yathasma-sakalesu nijesu tejah
2057|sviyam kiyat prakatayaty api tadvad atra
2058|brahma ya esa jagad-anda-vidhana-karta
2059|govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami
2060|"I adore the primeval Lord, Govinda, from whom the
>|separated subjective portion Brahma receives his power for
>|the regulation of the mundane world, just as the sun
>|manifests a portion of his own light in all the effulgent
>|gems that bear such names as surya-kanta." (Brahma -
>|samhita 5.49)
2061|yat-pada-pallava-yugam vinidhaya kumbha-
2062|dvandve pranama-samaye sa ganadhirajah
2063|vighnan vihantum alam asya jagat-trayasya
2064|govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami
2065|"I worship the primeval Lord, Govinda. Ganesa always holds
>|His lotus feet upon the pair of tumuli protruding from his
>|elephant head in order to obtain power for his function of
>|destroying all obstacles on the path of progress in the
>|three worlds." (Brahma - samhita 5.50)
2066|yac caksur esa savita sakala-grahanam
2067|raja samasta-sura-murtir asesa-tejah
2068|yasyajnaya bhramati sambhrta-kala-cakro
2069|govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami
2070|"The sun, full of infinite effulgence, who is the king of
>|all the planets and the image of the good soul, is like the
>|eye of this world. I adore the primeval Lord, Govinda, in
>|pursuance of whose order the sun performs his journey,
>|mounting the wheel of time." (Bs. 5.52)
2071|All the demigods are servants of Krsna; they are not equal
>|with Krsna. Therefore even if one goes to a temple of the
>|pancopasana, as mentioned above, one should not accept the
>|deities as they are accepted by the impersonalists. All of
>|them are to be accepted as personal demigods, but they all
>|serve the order of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
>|Sankaracarya, for example, is understood to be an
>|incarnation of Lord Siva, as described in the Padma Purana.
>|He propagated the Mayavada philosophy under the order of
>|the Supreme Lord. We have already discussed this point in
>|text 114 of this chapter: tanra dosa nahi, tenho ajna-kari
>|dasa. "Sankaracarya is not at fault, for he has thus
>|covered the real purpose of the Vedas under the order of
>|the Supreme Personality of Godhead." Although Lord Siva, in
>|the form of a brahmana (Sankaracarya), preached the false
>|philosophy of Mayavada, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu
>|nevertheless said that since he did it on the order of the
>|Supreme Personality of Godhead, there was no fault on his
>|part (tanra dosa nahi).
2072|We must offer proper respects to all the demigods. If one
>|can offer respects even to an ant, why not to the demigods?
>|One must always know, however, that no demigod is equal to
>|or above the Supreme Lord. Ekale isvara krsna, ara saba
>|bhrtya: "Only Krsna is the Supreme
>|Personality of Godhead, and all others, including the
>|demigods such as Lord Siva, Lord Brahma, goddess Durga and
>|Ganesa, are His servants." Everyone serves the purpose of
>|the Supreme Godhead, and what to speak of such small and
>|insignificant living entities as ourselves? We are surely
>|eternal servants of the Lord. The Mayavada philosophy
>|maintains that the demigods, the living entities and the
>|Supreme Personality of Godhead are all equal. It is
>|therefore a most foolish misrepresentation of Vedic
>|knowledge.
2073|Adi 7.158
2074|TEXT 158
2075|TEXT
2076|snana karite yabe ya'na ganga-tire
2077|tahani sakala loka haya maha-bhide
2078|SYNONYMS
2079|snana-bath; karite-taking; yabe-when; ya'na-goes; ganga-
>|Ganges; tire-bank; tahani-then and there; sakala-all; loka-
>|people; haya-assembled; maha-bhide-in great crowds.
2080|TRANSLATION
2081|Whenever Lord Caitanya went to the banks of the Ganges to
>|take His bath, big crowds of many hundreds of thousands of
>|people also assembled there.
2082|Adi 7.159
2083|TEXT 159
2084|TEXT
2085|bahu tuli' prabhu bale,-bala hari hari
2086|hari-dhvani kare loka svarga-martya bhari'
2087|SYNONYMS
2088|bahu tuli'-raising the arms; prabhu-Lord Sri Caitanya
>|Mahaprabhu; bale-speaks; bala-all of you chant; hari hari-
>|the holy name of Lord Krsna (Hari); hari-dhvani-the sound
>|vibration of Hari; kare-does; loka-all people; svarga-
>|martya-in heaven, the sky and the land; bhari'-completely
>|filling.
2089|TRANSLATION
2090|Whenever the crowds were too great, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu
>|stood up, raised His hands and chanted, "Hari! Hari!" to
>|which all the people responded, filling both the land and
>|sky with the vibration.
2091|Adi 7.160
2092|TEXT 160
2093|TEXT
2094|loka nistariya prabhura calite haila mana
2095|vrndavane pathaila sri-sanatana
2096|SYNONYMS
2097|loka-people; nistariya-delivering; prabhura-of the Lord;
>|calite-to leave; haila-became; mana-mind; vrndavane-toward
>|Vrndavana; pathaila-sent; sri-sanatana-Sanatana Gosvami.
2098|TRANSLATION
2099|After thus delivering the people in general, the Lord
>|desired to leave Varanasi. After instructing Sri Sanatana
>|Gosvami, He sent him toward Vrndavana.
2100|PURPORT
2101|The actual purpose of Lord Caitanya's stay at Varanasi
>|after coming back from Vrndavana was to meet Sanatana
>|Gosvami and teach him. Sanatana Gosvami met Sri Caitanya
>|Mahaprabhu after the Lord's return to Varanasi, where the
>|Lord taught him for two months about the intricacies of
>|Vaisnava philosophy and Vaisnava activities. After
>|completely instructing him, He sent him to Vrndavana to
>|execute His orders. When Sanatana Gosvami went to Vrndavana,
>| there were no temples. The city was lying vacant like an
>|open field. Sanatana Gosvami sat down on the bank of the
>|Yamuna, and after some time he gradually constructed the
>|first temple; then other temples were constructed, and now
>|the city is full of temples, numbering about five thousand.
2102|Adi 7.161
2103|TEXT 161
2104|TEXT
2105|ratri-divase lokera suni' kolahala
2106|varanasi chadi' prabhu aila nilacala
2107|SYNONYMS
2108|ratri-night; divase-day; lokera-of the people in general;
>|suni-hearing; kolahala-tumult; varanasi-the city of Benares;
>| chadi'-leaving; prabhu-the Lord; aila-returned; nilacala-
>|to Puri.
2109|TRANSLATION
2110|Because the city of Varanasi was always full of tumultuous
>|crowds, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, after sending Sanatana to
>|Vrndavana, returned to Jagannatha Puri.
2111|Adi 7.162
2112|TEXT 162
2113|TEXT
2114|ei lila kahiba age vistara kariya
2115|sanksepe kahilan ihan prasanga paiya
2116|SYNONYMS
2117|ei-these; lila-pastimes; kahiba-I shall speak; age-later on;
>| vistara-vivid description; kariya-making; sanksepe-in
>|short; kahilan-I have spoken; ihan-in this place; prasanga-
>|topics; paiya-taking advantage of.
2118|TRANSLATION
2119|I have here given a brief account of these pastimes of Lord
>|Caitanya, but later I shall describe them in an extensive
>|way.
2120|Adi 7.163
2121|TEXT 163
2122|TEXT
2123|ei panca-tattva-rupe sri-krsna-caitanya
2124|krsna-nama-prema diya visva kaila dhanya
2125|SYNONYMS
2126|ei-this; panca-tattva-rupe-the Lord in His five forms; sri-
>|krsna-caitanya-Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; krsna-nama-the
>|holy name of Lord Krsna; prema-love of Krsna; diya-
>|delivering; visva-the whole world; kaila-made; dhanya-
>|thankful.
2127|TRANSLATION
2128|Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu and His associates of the
>|Panca-tattva distributed the holy name of the Lord to
>|invoke love of Godhead throughout the universe, and thus
>|the entire universe was thankful.
2129|PURPORT
2130|Here it is said that Lord Caitanya made the entire universe
>|thankful to Him for propagating the sankirtana movement
>|with His associates. Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu has already
>|sanctified the entire universe by His presence five hundred
>|years ago, and therefore anyone who attempts to serve Sri
>|Caitanya Mahaprabhu sincerely by following in His footsteps
>|and following the instructions of the acaryas will
>|successfully be able to preach the holy names of the Hare
>|Krsna maha-mantra all over the universe. There are some
>|foolish critics who say that Europeans and Americans cannot
>|be offered sannyasa, but here we find that Sri Caitanya
>|Mahaprabhu wanted to preach the sankirtana movement all
>|over the universe. For preaching work, sannyasis are
>|essential. These critics think that only Indians or Hindus
>|should be offered sannyasa to preach, but their knowledge
>|is practically nil. Without sannyasis, the preaching work
>|will be impeded. Therefore, under the instruction of Lord
>|Caitanya and with the blessings of His associates, there
>|should be no discrimination in this matter, but people in
>|all parts of the world should be trained to preach and
>|given sannyasa so that the cult of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu'
>|s sankirtana movement will expand boundlessly. We do not
>|care about the criticism of fools. We shall go on with our
>|work and simply depend on the blessings of Lord Caitanya
>|Mahaprabhu and His associates, the Panca-tattva.
2131|Adi 7.164
2132|TEXT 164
2133|TEXT
2134|mathurate pathaila rupa-sanatana
2135|dui sena-pati kaila bhakti pracarana
2136|SYNONYMS
2137|mathurate-toward Mathura; pathaila-sent; rupa-sanatana-the
>|two brothers Rupa Gosvami and Sanatana Gosvami; dui-both of
>|them; sena-pati-as commanders in chief; kaila-He made them;
>|bhakti-devotional service; pracarana-to broadcast.
2138|TRANSLATION
2139|Lord Caitanya dispatched the two generals Rupa Gosvami and
>|Sanatana Gosvami to Vrndavana to preach the bhakti cult.
2140|PURPORT
2141|When Rupa Gosvami and Sanatana Gosvami went to Vrndavana,
>|there was not a single temple, but by their preaching they
>|were gradually able to construct various temples. Sanatana
>|Gosvami constructed the Madana-mohana temple, and Rupa
>|Gosvami constructed the Govindaji temple. Similarly, their
>|nephew Jiva Gosvami constructed the Radha-Damodara temple,
>|Sri Gopala Bhatta Gosvami constructed the Radha-ramana
>|temple, Sri Lokanatha Gosvami constructed the Gokulananda
>|temple, and Syamananda Gosvami constructed the Syamasundara
>|temple. In this way, many temples were gradually
>|constructed. For preaching, construction of temples is also
>|necessary. The Gosvamis not only engaged in writing books
>|but also constructed temples because both are needed for
>|preaching work. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu wanted the cult of
>|His sankirtana movement to spread all over the world. Now
>|that the International Society for Krishna Consciousness
>|has taken up this task of preaching the cult of Lord
>|Caitanya, its members should not only construct temples in
>|every town and village of the globe but also distribute
>|books that have already been written and further increase
>|the number of books. Both distribution of books and
>|construction of temples must continue side by side in
>|parallel lines.
2142|Adi 7.165
2143|TEXT 165
2144|TEXT
2145|nityananda-gosane pathaila gauda-dese
2146|tenho bhakti pracarila asesa-visese
2147|SYNONYMS
2148|nityananda-Lord Nityananda; gosane-the acarya; pathaila-was
>|sent; gauda-dese-in Bengal; tenho-He; bhakti-devotional
>|cult; pracarila-preached; asesa-visese-in a very extensive
>|way.
2149|TRANSLATION
2150|As Rupa Gosvami and Sanatana Gosvami were sent toward
>|Mathura, so Nityananda Prabhu was sent to Bengal to preach
>|extensively the cult of Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
2151|PURPORT
2152|The name of Lord Nityananda is very famous in Bengal. Of
>|course, anyone who knows Lord Nityananda knows Sri Caitanya
>|Mahaprabhu also, but there are some misguided devotees who
>|stress the importance of Lord Nityananda more than that of
>|Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. This is not good. Nor should Sri
>|Caitanya Mahaprabhu be stressed more than Lord Nityananda.
>|The author of the Caitanya-caritamrta, Krsnadasa Kaviraja
>|Gosvami, left his home because of his brother's stressing
>|the importance of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu over that of
>|Nityananda Prabhu. Actually, one should offer respect to
>|the Panca-tattva without such foolish discrimination, not
>|considering Nityananda Prabhu to be greater, Caitanya
>|Mahaprabhu to be greater or Advaita Prabhu to be greater.
>|The respect should be offered equally: sri-krsna-caitanya
>|prabhu-nityananda sri-advaita gadadhara srivasadi-gaura-
>|bhakta-vrnda. All devotees of Lord Caitanya or Nityananda
>|are worshipable persons.
2153|Adi 7.166
2154|TEXT 166
2155|TEXT
2156|apane daksina desa karila gamana
2157|grame grame kaila krsna-nama pracarana
2158|SYNONYMS
2159|apane-personally; daksina desa-South India; karila-went;
>|gamana-traveling; grame grame-in each and every village;
>|kaila-He did; krsna-nama-the holy name of Lord Krsna;
>|pracarana-broadcasting.
2160|TRANSLATION
2161|Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu personally went to South India, and
>|He broadcast the holy name of Lord Krsna in every village
>|and town.
2162|
2163|Adi 7.167
2164|TEXT 167
2165|TEXT
2166|setubandha paryanta kaila bhaktira pracara
2167|krsna-prema diya kaila sabara nistara
2168|SYNONYMS
2169|setubandha-the place where Lord Ramacandra constructed His
>|bridge; paryanta-up to that place; kaila-did; bhaktira-of
>|the cult of devotional service; pracara-broadcast; krsna-
>|prema-love of Krsna; diya-delivering; kaila-did; sabara-
>|everyone; nistara-deliverance.
2170|TRANSLATION
2171|Thus the Lord went to the southernmost tip of the Indian
>|peninsula, known as Setubandha [Cape Comorin]. Everywhere
>|He distributed the bhakti cult and love of Krsna, and in
>|this way He delivered everyone.
2172|Adi 7.168
2173|TEXT 168
2174|TEXT
2175|ei ta' kahila panca-tattvera vyakhyana
2176|ihara sravane haya caitanya-tattva jnana
2177|SYNONYMS
2178|ei ta'-this; kahila-described; panca-tattvera-of the Panca-
>|tattva; vyakhyana-explanation; ihara-of this; sravane-
>|hearing; haya-becomes; caitanya-tattva-the truth of Sri
>|Caitanya Mahaprabhu; jnana-knowledge.
2179|TRANSLATION
2180|I thus explain the truth of the Panca-tattva. One
>|who hears this explanation increases in knowledge of Sri
>|Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
2181|PURPORT
2182|The Panca-tattva is a very important factor in
>|understanding Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. There are sahajiyas
>|who, not knowing the importance of the Panca-tattva,
>|concoct their own slogans, such as bhaja nitai gaura, radhe
>|syama, japa hare krsna hare rama or sri-krsna-caitanya
>|prabhu-nityananda hare krsna hare rama sri-radhe govinda.
>|Such chants may be good poetry, but they cannot help us to
>|go forward in devotional service. In such chants there are
>|also many discrepancies, which need not be discussed here.
>|Strictly speaking, when chanting the names of the Panca-
>|tattva, one should fully offer his obeisances: sri-krsna-
>|caitanya prabhu-nityananda sri-advaita gadadhara srivasadi-
>|gaura-bhakta-vrnda. By such chanting one is blessed with
>|the competency to chant the Hare Krsna maha-mantra without
>|offense. When chanting the Hare Krsna maha-mantra, one
>|should also chant it fully: Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna
>|Krsna, Hare Hare Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare
>|Hare. One should not foolishly adopt any of the slogans
>|concocted by imaginative devotees. If one actually wants to
>|derive the effects of chanting, one must strictly follow
>|the great acaryas. This is confirmed in the Mahabharata:
>|maha-jano yena gatah sa panthah. "The real path of progress
>|is that which is traversed by great acaryas and authorities.
>|"
2183|Adi 7.169
2184|TEXT 169
2185|TEXT
2186|sri-caitanya, nityananda, advaita,-tina jana
2187|srivasa-gadadhara-adi yata bhakta-gana
2188|SYNONYMS
2189|sri-caitanya, nityananda, advaita-Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu,
>|Nityananda Prabhu and Advaita Prabhu; tina-these three;
>|jana-personalities; srivasa-gadadhara-Srivasa and Gadadhara;
>| adi-etc.; yata-all; bhakta-gana-the devotees.
2190|TRANSLATION
2191|While chanting the Panca-tattva maha-mantra, one must chant
>|the names of Sri Caitanya, Nityananda, Advaita, Gadadhara
>|and Srivasa with their many devotees. This is the process.
2192|Adi 7.170
2193|TEXT 170
2194|TEXT
2195|sabakara padapadme koti namaskara
2196|yaiche taiche kahi kichu caitanya-vihara
2197|SYNONYMS
2198|sabakara-all of them; pada-padme-on the lotus feet; koti-
>|countless; namaskara-obeisances; yaiche taiche-somehow or
>|other; kahi-I speak; kichu-something; caitanya-vihara-about
>|the pastimes of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
2199|TRANSLATION
2200|I again and again offer obeisances unto the Panca-tattva.
>|Thus I think that I will be able to describe something
>|about the pastimes of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
2201|Adi 7.171
2202|TEXT 171
2203|TEXT
2204|sri-rupa-raghunatha-pade yara asa
2205|caitanya-caritamrta kahe krsnadasa
2206|
2207|SYNONYMS
2208|sri-rupa-Srila Rupa Gosvami; raghunatha-Srila Raghunatha
>|dasa Gosvami; pade-at the lotus feet; yara-whose; asa-
>|expectation; caitanya-caritamrta-the book named Caitanya-
>|caritamrta; kahe-describes; krsna-dasa-Srila Krsnadasa
>|Kaviraja Gosvami.
2209|TRANSLATION
2210|Praying at the lotus feet of Sri Rupa and Sri Raghunatha,
>|always desiring their mercy, I, Krsnadasa, narrate Sri
>|Caitanya-caritamrta, following in their footsteps.
2211|PURPORT
2212|Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu wanted to preach the sankirtana
>|movement of love of Krsna throughout the entire world, and
>|therefore during His presence He inspired the sankirtana
>|movement. Specifically, He sent Rupa Gosvami and Sanatana
>|Gosvami to Vrndavana and Nityananda to Bengal and
>|personally went to South India. In this way He kindly left
>|the task of preaching His cult in the rest of the world to
>|the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. The
>|members of this Society must always remember that if they
>|stick to the regulative principles and preach sincerely
>|according to the instructions of the acaryas, surely they
>|will have the profound blessings of Lord Caitanya
>|Mahaprabhu, and their preaching work will be successful
>|everywhere throughout the world.
2213|Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports to Sri Caitanya-
>|caritamrta, Adi-lila, Seventh Chapter, describing Lord
>|Caitanya in five features.
2214|