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2028

 
 
Adi 1: The Spiritual Masters
 
Chapter 1: 
The Spiritual Masters
 
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is none other than the combined form of Sri 
Radha and Krsna. He is the life of those devotees who strictly follow in 
the footsteps of Srila Rupa Gosvami. Srila Rupa Gosvami and Srila 
Sanatana Gosvami are the two principal followers of Srila Svarupa 
Damodara Gosvami, who acted as the most confidential servitor of Lord 
Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu, known as Visvambhara in His early life. A 
direct disciple of Srila Rupa Gosvami was Srila Raghunatha dasa Gosvami. 
The author of Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Srila Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami, 
stands as the direct disciple of Srila Rupa Gosvami and Srila Raghunatha 
dasa Gosvami.
 
The direct disciple of Srila Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami was Srila 
Narottama dasa Thakura, who accepted Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti as his 
servitor. Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura accepted Srila Jagannatha 
dasa Babaji, the spiritual master of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, 
who in turn accepted Srila Gaurakisora dasa Babaji, the spiritual master 
of Om Visnupada Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Maharaja, the 
divine master of our humble self.
 
Since we belong to this chain of disciplic succession from Sri Caitanya 
Mahaprabhu, this edition of Sri Caitanya-caritamrta will contain nothing 
newly manufactured by our tiny brains, but only remnants of food 
originally eaten by the Lord Himself. Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu does 
not belong to the mundane plane of the three qualitative modes. He 
belongs to the transcendental plane beyond the reach of the imperfect 
sense perception of a living being. Even the most erudite mundane 
scholar cannot approach the transcendental plane unless he submits 
himself to transcendental sound with a receptive mood, for in that mood 
only can one realize the message of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. What will 
be described herein, therefore, has nothing to do with the experimental 
thoughts created by the speculative habits of inert minds. The subject 
matter of this book is not a mental concoction but a factual spiritual 
experience that one can realize only by accepting the line of disciplic 
succession described above. Any deviation from that line will bewilder 
the reader's understanding of the mystery of Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, 
which is a transcendental literature meant for the postgraduate study of 
one who has realized all the Vedic literatures such as the Upanisads and 
Vedanta-sutra and their natural commentaries such as Srimad-Bhagavatam 
and the Bhagavad-gita.
 
This edition of Sri Caitanya-caritamrta is presented for the study of 
sincere scholars who are really seeking the Absolute Truth. It is not 
the arrogant scholarship of a mental speculator but a sincere effort to 
serve the order of a superior authority whose service is the life and 
soul of this humble effort. It does not deviate even slightly from the 
revealed scriptures, and therefore anyone who follows in the disciplic 
line will be able to realize the essence of this book simply by the 
method of aural reception.
 
The First Chapter of Sri Caitanya-caritamrta begins with fourteen 
Sanskrit verses that describe the Absolute Truth. Then the next three 
Sanskrit verses describe the principal Deities of Vrndavana, namely, Sri 
Radha-Madana-mohana, Sri Radha-Govindadeva and Sri Radha-Gopinathaji. 
The first of the fourteen verses is a symbolic representation of the 
Supreme Truth, and the entire First Chapter is in actuality devoted to 
this single verse, which describes Lord Caitanya in His six different 
transcendental expansions.
 
The first manifestation described is the spiritual master, who appears 
in two plenary parts called the initiating spiritual master and 
instructing spiritual master. They are identical because both of them 
are phenomenal manifestations of the Supreme Truth. Next described are 
the devotees, who are divided into two classes, namely, the apprentices 
and the graduates. Next are the incarnations (avataras) of the Lord, who 
are explained to be nondifferent from the Lord. These incarnations are 
considered in three divisions-incarnations of the potency of the Lord,
 incarnations of His qualities, and incarnations of His authority. In 
this connection, Lord Sri Krsna's direct manifestations and His 
manifestations for transcendental pastimes are discussed. Next 
considered are the potencies of the Lord, of which three principal 
manifestations are described: the consorts in the kingdom of God (
Vaikuntha), the queens of Dvaraka-dhama and, highest of all, the damsels 
of Vrajadhama. Finally, there is the Supreme Lord Himself, who is the 
fountainhead of all these manifestations.
 
Lord Sri Krsna and His plenary expansions are all in the category of the 
Lord Himself, the energetic Absolute Truth, whereas His devotees, His 
eternal associates, are His energies. The energy and energetic are 
fundamentally one, but since their functions are differently exhibited, 
they are simultaneously different also. Thus the Absolute Truth is 
manifested in diversity in one unit. This philosophical truth, which is 
pursuant to the Vedanta-sutra, is called acintya-bhedabheda-tattva, or 
the conception of simultaneous oneness and difference. In the latter 
portion of this chapter, the transcendental position of Sri Caitanya 
Mahaprabhu and that of Srila Nityananda Prabhu are described with 
reference to the above theistic facts.
 
Adi 1.1
 
TEXT 1
 
TEXT
 
vande gurun isa-bhaktan
isam isavatarakan
tat-prakasams ca tac-chaktih
krsna-caitanya-samjnakam
SYNONYMS
 
vande -- I offer respectful obeisances; gurun -- unto the spiritual 
masters; isa-bhaktan -- unto the devotees of the Supreme Lord; isam -- 
unto the Supreme Lord; isa-avatarakan -- unto the incarnations of the 
Supreme Lord; tat -- of the Supreme Lord; prakasan -- unto the 
manifestations; ca -- and; tat -- of the Supreme Lord; saktih -- unto 
the potencies; krsna-caitanya -- Sri Krsna Caitanya; samjnakam -- named.
 
TRANSLATION
 
I offer my respectful obeisances unto the spiritual masters, the 
devotees of the Lord, the Lord's incarnations, His plenary portions, His 
energies and the primeval Lord Himself, Sri Krsna Caitanya.
 
Adi 1.2
 
TEXT 2
 
TEXT
 
vande sri-krsna-caitanya-
nityanandau sahoditau
gaudodaye puspavantau
citrau san-dau tamo-nudau
SYNONYMS
 
vande -- I offer respectful obeisances; sri-krsna-caitanya -- to Lord 
Sri Krsna Caitanya; nityanandau -- and to Lord Nityananda; saha-uditau --
 simultaneously arisen; gauda-udaye -- on the eastern horizon of Gauda; 
puspavantau -- the sun and moon together; citrau -- wonderful; sam-dau --
 bestowing benediction; tamah-nudau -- dissipating darkness.
 
TRANSLATION
 
I offer my respectful obeisances unto Sri Krsna Caitanya and Lord 
Nityananda, who are like the sun and moon. They have arisen 
simultaneously on the horizon of Gauda to dissipate the darkness of 
ignorance and thus wonderfully bestow benediction upon all.
 
Adi 1.3
 
TEXT 3
 
TEXT
 
yad advaitam brahmopanisadi tad apy asya tanu-bha
ya atmantar-yami purusa iti so 'syamsa-vibhavah
sad-aisvaryaih purno ya iha bhagavan sa svayam ayam
na caitanyat krsnaj jagati para-tattvam param iha
SYNONYMS
 
yat -- that which; advaitam -- nondual; brahma -- the impersonal Brahman;
 upanisadi -- in the Upanisads; tat -- that; api -- certainly; asya -- 
His; tanu-bha -- the effulgence of His transcendental body; yah -- who; 
atma -- the Supersoul; antah-yami -- indwelling Lord; purusah -- supreme 
enjoyer; iti -- thus; sah -- He; asya -- His; amsa-vibhavah -- plenary 
expansion; sat-aisvaryaih -- with all six opulences; purnah -- full; yah 
-- who; iha -- here; bhagavan -- the Supreme Personality of Godhead; sah 
-- He; svayam -- Himself; ayam -- this; na -- not; caitanyat -- than 
Lord Caitanya; krsnat -- than Lord Krsna; jagati -- in the world; para --
 higher; tattvam -- truth; param -- another; iha -- here.
 
TRANSLATION
 
What the Upanisads describe as the impersonal Brahman is but the 
effulgence of His body, and the Lord known as the Supersoul is but His 
localized plenary portion. Lord Caitanya is the Supreme Personality of 
Godhead, Krsna Himself, full with six opulences. He is the Absolute 
Truth, and no other truth is greater than or equal to Him.
 
Adi 1.4
 
TEXT 4
 
TEXT
 
anarpita-carim cirat karunayavatirnah kalau
samarpayitum unnatojjvala-rasam sva-bhakti-sriyam
harih purata-sundara-dyuti-kadamba-sandipitah
sada hrdaya-kandare sphuratu vah saci-nandanah
SYNONYMS
 
anarpita -- not bestowed; carim -- having been formerly; cirat -- for a 
long time; karunaya -- by causeless mercy; avatirnah -- descended; kalau 
-- in the Age of Kali; samarpayitum -- to bestow; unnata -- elevated; 
ujjvala-rasam -- the conjugal mellow; sva-bhakti -- of His own service; 
sriyam -- the treasure; harih -- the Supreme Lord; purata -- than gold; 
sundara -- more beautiful; dyuti -- of splendor; kadamba -- with a 
multitude; sandipitah -- lighted up; sada -- always; hrdaya-kandare -- 
in the cavity of the heart; sphuratu -- let Him be manifest; vah -- your;
 saci-nandanah -- the son of mother Saci.
 
TRANSLATION
 
May the Supreme Lord who is known as the son of Srimati Saci-devi be 
transcendentally situated in the innermost chambers of your heart. 
Resplendent with the radiance of molten gold, He has appeared in the Age 
of Kali by His causeless mercy to bestow what no incarnation has ever 
offered before: the most sublime and radiant mellow of devotional 
service, the mellow of conjugal love.
 
Adi 1.5
 
TEXT 5
 
TEXT
 
radha krsna-pranaya-vikrtir hladini saktir asmad
ekatmanav api bhuvi pura deha-bhedam gatau tau
caitanyakhyam prakatam adhuna tad-dvayam caikyam aptam
radha-bhava-dyuti-suvalitam naumi krsna-svarupam
SYNONYMS
 
radha -- Srimati Radharani; krsna -- of Lord Krsna; pranaya -- of love; 
vikrtih -- the transformation; hladini saktih -- pleasure potency; asmat 
-- from this; eka-atmanau -- both the same in identity; api -- although; 
bhuvi -- on earth; pura -- from beginningless time; deha-bhedam -- 
separate forms; gatau -- obtained; tau -- those two; caitanya-akhyam -- 
known as Sri Caitanya; prakatam -- manifest; adhuna -- now; tat-dvayam --
 the two of Them; ca -- and; aikyam -- unity; aptam -- obtained; radha --
 of Srimati Radharani; bhava -- mood; dyuti -- the luster; su-valitam -- 
who is adorned with; naumi -- I offer my obeisances; krsna-svarupam -- 
to Him who is identical with Sri Krsna.
 
TRANSLATION
 
The loving affairs of Sri Radha and Krsna are transcendental 
manifestations of the Lord's internal pleasure-giving potency. Although 
Radha and Krsna are one in Their identity, They separated 
Themselves eternally. Now these two transcendental identities have again 
united, in the form of Sri Krsna Caitanya. I bow down to Him, who has 
manifested Himself with the sentiment and complexion of Srimati 
Radharani although He is Krsna Himself.
 
Adi 1.6
 
TEXT 6
 
TEXT
 
sri-radhayah pranaya-mahima kidrso vanayaiva-
svadyo yenadbhuta-madhurima kidrso va madiyah
saukhyam casya mad-anubhavatah kidrsam veti lobhat
tad-bhavadhyah samajani saci-garbha-sindhau harinduh
SYNONYMS
 
sri-radhayah -- of Srimati Radharani; pranaya-mahima -- the greatness of 
the love; kidrsah -- of what kind; va -- or; anaya -- by this one (Radha)
; eva -- alone; asvadyah -- to be relished; yena -- by that love; 
adbhuta-madhurima -- the wonderful sweetness; kidrsah -- of what kind; 
va -- or; madiyah -- of Me; saukhyam -- the happiness; ca -- and; asyah -
- Her; mat-anubhavatah -- from realization of My sweetness; kidrsam -- 
of what kind; va -- or; iti -- thus; lobhat -- from the desire; tat -- 
Her; bhava-adhyah -- richly endowed with emotions; samajani -- took 
birth; saci-garbha -- of the womb of Srimati Saci-devi; sindhau -- in 
the ocean; hari -- Lord Krsna; induh -- like the moon.
 
TRANSLATION
 
Desiring to understand the glory of Radharani's love, the wonderful 
qualities in Him that She alone relishes through Her love, and the 
happiness She feels when She realizes the sweetness of His love, the 
Supreme Lord Hari, richly endowed with Her emotions, appeared from the 
womb of Srimati Saci-devi, as the moon appeared from the ocean.
 
Adi 1.7
 
TEXT 7
 
TEXT
 
sankarsanah karana-toya-sayi
garbhoda-sayi ca payobdhi-sayi
sesas ca yasyamsa-kalah sa nitya-
nandakhya-ramah saranam mamastu
SYNONYMS
 
sankarsanah -- Maha-Sankarsana in the spiritual sky; karana-toya-sayi -- 
Karanodakasayi Visnu, who lies in the Causal Ocean; garbha-uda-sayi -- 
Garbhodakasayi Visnu, who lies in the Garbhodaka Ocean of the universe; 
ca -- and; payah-abdhi-sayi -- Ksirodakasayi Visnu, who lies in the 
ocean of milk; sesah -- Sesa Naga, the couch of Visnu; ca -- and; yasya -
- whose; amsa -- plenary portions; kalah -- and parts of the plenary 
portions; sah -- He; nityananda-akhya -- known as Lord Nityananda; ramah 
-- Lord Balarama; saranam -- shelter; mama -- my; astu -- let there be.
 
TRANSLATION
 
May Sri Nityananda Rama be the object of my constant remembrance. 
Sankarsana, Sesa Naga and the Visnus who lie on the Karana Ocean, Garbha 
Ocean and ocean of milk are His plenary portions and the portions of His 
plenary portions.
 
Adi 1.8
 
TEXT 8
 
TEXT
 
mayatite vyapi-vaikuntha-loke
purnaisvarye sri-catur-vyuha-madhye
rupam yasyodbhati sankarsanakhyam
tam sri-nityananda-ramam prapadye
SYNONYMS
 
maya-atite -- beyond the material creation; vyapi -- all-expanding; 
vaikuntha-loke -- in Vaikunthaloka, the spiritual world; purna-aisvarye -
- endowed with full opulence; sri-catuh-vyuha-madhye -- in the 
quadruple expansions (Vasudeva, Sankarsana, Pradyumna and Aniruddha); 
rupam -- form; yasya -- whose; udbhati -- appears; sankarsana-akhyam -- 
known as Sankarsana; tam -- to Him; sri-nityananda-ramam -- to Lord 
Balarama in the form of Lord Nityananda; prapadye -- I surrender.
 
TRANSLATION
 
I surrender unto the lotus feet of Sri Nityananda Rama, who is known as 
Sankarsana in the midst of the catur-vyuha [consisting of Vasudeva, 
Sankarsana, Pradyumna and Aniruddha]. He possesses full opulences and 
resides in Vaikunthaloka, far beyond the material creation.
 
Adi 1.9
 
TEXT 9
 
TEXT
 
maya-bhartajanda-sanghasrayangah
sete saksat karanambhodhi-madhye
yasyaikamsah sri-puman adi-devas
tam sri-nityananda-ramam prapadye
SYNONYMS
 
maya-bharta -- the master of the illusory energy; aja-anda-sangha -- of 
the multitude of universes; asraya -- the shelter; angah -- whose body; 
sete -- He lies; saksat -- directly; karana-ambhodhi-madhye -- in the 
midst of the Causal Ocean; yasya -- whose; eka-amsah -- one portion; sri-
puman -- the Supreme Person; adi-devah -- the original purusa 
incarnation; tam -- to Him; sri-nityananda-ramam -- to Lord Balarama in 
the form of Lord Nityananda; prapadye -- I surrender.
 
TRANSLATION
 
I offer my full obeisances unto the feet of Sri Nityananda Rama, whose 
partial representation called Karanodakasayi Visnu, lying on the Karana 
Ocean, is the original purusa, the master of the illusory energy, and 
the shelter of all the universes.
 
Adi 1.10
 
TEXT 10
 
TEXT
 
yasyamsamsah srila-garbhoda-sayi
yan-nabhy-abjam loka-sanghata-nalam
loka-srastuh sutika-dhama dhatus
tam sri-nityananda-ramam prapadye
SYNONYMS
 
yasya -- whose; amsa-amsah -- portion of a plenary portion; srila-garbha-
uda-sayi -- Garbhodakasayi Visnu; yat -- of whom; nabhi-abjam -- the 
navel lotus; loka-sanghata -- of the multitude of planets; nalam -- 
having a stem that is the resting place; loka-srastuh -- of Lord Brahma, 
the creator of the planets; sutika-dhama -- the birthplace; dhatuh -- of 
the creator; tam -- to Him; sri-nityananda-ramam -- to Lord Balarama in 
the form of Lord Nityananda; prapadye -- I surrender.
 
TRANSLATION
 
I offer my full obeisances unto the feet of Sri Nityananda Rama, a 
partial part of whom is Garbhodakasayi Visnu. From the navel of 
Garbhodakasayi Visnu sprouts the lotus that is the birthplace of Brahma, 
the engineer of the universe. The stem of that lotus is the resting 
place of the multitude of planets.
 
Adi 1.11
 
TEXT 11
 
TEXT
 
yasyamsamsamsah paratmakhilanam
posta visnur bhati dugdhabdhi-sayi
ksauni-bharta yat-kala so 'py anantas
tam sri-nityananda-ramam prapadye
SYNONYMS
 
yasya -- whose; amsa-amsa-amsah -- a portion of a portion of a plenary 
portion; para-atma -- the Supersoul; akhilanam -- of all living entities;
 posta -- the maintainer; visnuh -- Visnu; bhati -- appears; dugdha-
abdhi-sayi -- Ksirodakasayi Visnu; ksauni-bharta -- upholder of the 
earth; yat -- whose; kala -- portion of a portion; sah -- He; api -- 
certainly; anantah -- Sesa Naga; tam -- to Him; sri-nityananda-ramam -- 
to Lord Balarama in the form of Lord Nityananda; prapadye -- I surrender.
 
TRANSLATION
 
I offer my respectful obeisances unto the feet of Sri Nityananda Rama, 
whose secondary part is the Visnu lying in the ocean of milk. That 
Ksirodakasayi Visnu is the Supersoul of all living entities and the 
maintainer of all the universes. Sesa Naga is His further subpart.
 
Adi 1.12
 
TEXT 12
 
TEXT
 
maha-visnur jagat-karta
mayaya yah srjaty adah
tasyavatara evayam
advaitacarya isvarah
SYNONYMS
 
maha-visnuh -- Maha-Visnu, the resting place of the efficient cause; 
jagat-karta -- the creator of the cosmic world; mayaya -- by the 
illusory energy; yah -- who; srjati -- creates; adah -- that universe; 
tasya -- His; avatarah -- incarnation; eva -- certainly; ayam -- this; 
advaita-acaryah -- Advaita Acarya; isvarah -- the Supreme Lord, the 
resting place of the material cause.
 
TRANSLATION
 
Lord Advaita Acarya is the incarnation of Maha-Visnu, whose main 
function is to create the cosmic world through the actions of maya.
 
Adi 1.13
 
TEXT 13
 
TEXT
 
advaitam harinadvaitad
acaryam bhakti-samsanat
bhaktavataram isam tam
advaitacaryam asraye
SYNONYMS
 
advaitam -- known as Advaita; harina -- with Lord Hari; advaitat -- from 
being nondifferent; acaryam -- known as Acarya; bhakti-samsanat -- from 
the propagation of devotional service to Sri Krsna; bhakta-avataram -- 
the incarnation as a devotee; isam -- to the Supreme Lord; tam -- to Him;
 advaita-acaryam -- to Advaita Acarya; asraye -- I surrender.
 
TRANSLATION
 
Because He is nondifferent from Hari, the Supreme Lord, He is called 
Advaita, and because He propagates the cult of devotion, He is called 
Acarya. He is the Lord and the incarnation of the Lord's devotee. 
Therefore I take shelter of Him.
 
Adi 1.14
 
TEXT 14
 
TEXT
 
panca-tattvatmakam krsnam
bhakta-rupa-svarupakam
bhaktavataram bhaktakhyam
namami bhakta-saktikam
SYNONYMS
 
panca-tattva-atmakam -- comprehending the five transcendental subject 
matters; krsnam -- unto Lord Krsna; bhakta-rupa -- in the form of a 
devotee; sva-rupakam -- 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, who supplies energy to the devotee.
 
TRANSLATION
 
I offer my obeisances unto the Supreme Lord, Krsna, who is nondifferent 
from His features as a devotee, devotional incarnation, devotional 
manifestation, pure devotee and devotional energy.
 
Adi 1.15
 
TEXT 15
 
TEXT
 
jayatam suratau pangor
mama manda-mater gati
mat-sarvasva-padambhojau
radha-madana-mohanau
SYNONYMS
 
jayatam -- all glory to; su-ratau -- most merciful, or attached in 
conjugal love; pangoh -- of one who is lame; mama -- of me; manda-mateh -
- foolish; gati -- refuge; mat -- my; sarva-sva -- everything; pada-
ambhojau -- whose lotus feet; radha-madana-mohanau -- Radharani and 
Madana-mohana.
 
TRANSLATION
 
Glory to the all-merciful Radha and Madana-mohana! I am lame and ill 
advised, yet They are my directors, and Their lotus feet are everything 
to me.
 
Adi 1.16
 
TEXT 16
 
TEXT
 
divyad-vrndaranya-kalpa-drumadhah-
srimad-ratnagara-simhasana-sthau
srimad-radha-srila-govinda-devau
presthalibhih sevyamanau smarami
SYNONYMS
 
divyat -- shining; vrnda-aranya -- in the forest of Vrndavana; kalpa-
druma -- desire tree; adhah -- beneath; srimat -- most beautiful; ratna-
agara -- in a temple of jewels; simha-asana-sthau -- sitting on a throne;
 srimat -- very beautiful; radha -- Srimati Radharani; srila-govinda-
devau -- and Sri Govindadeva; prestha-alibhih -- by most confidential 
associates; sevyamanau -- being served; smarami -- I remember.
 
TRANSLATION
 
In a temple of jewels in Vrndavana, underneath a desire tree, Sri Sri 
Radha-Govinda, served by Their most confidential associates, sit upon an 
effulgent throne. I offer my humble obeisances unto Them.
 
Adi 1.17
 
TEXT 17
 
TEXT
 
sriman rasa-rasarambhi
vamsivata-tata-sthitah
karsan venu-svanair gopir
gopi-nathah sriye 'stu nah
SYNONYMS
 
sri-man -- most beautiful; rasa -- of the rasa dance; rasa -- of the 
mellow; arambhi -- the initiator; vamsi-vata -- Vamsivata; tata -- on 
the shore; sthitah -- standing; karsan -- attracting; venu -- of the 
flute; svanaih -- by the sounds; gopih -- the cowherd girls; gopi-nathah 
-- Sri Gopinatha; sriye -- benediction; astu -- let there be; nah -- our.
 
TRANSLATION
 
Sri Srila Gopinatha, who originated the transcendental mellow of the 
rasa dance, stands on the shore in Vamsivata and attracts the attention 
of the cowherd damsels with the sound of His celebrated flute. May they 
all confer upon us their benediction.
 
Adi 1.18
 
TEXT 18
 
TEXT
 
jaya jaya sri-caitanya jaya nityananda
jayadvaita-candra jaya gaura-bhakta-vrnda
SYNONYMS
 
jaya jaya -- all glory; sri-caitanya -- to Sri Caitanya; jaya -- all 
glory; nityananda -- to Lord Nityananda; jaya advaita-candra -- all 
glory to Advaita Acarya; jaya -- all glory; gaura-bhakta-vrnda -- to the 
devotees of Lord Caitanya.
 
TRANSLATION
 
Glory to Sri Caitanya and Nityananda! Glory to Advaitacandra! And glory 
to all the devotees of Sri Gaura [Lord Caitanya]!
 
Adi 1.19
 
TEXT 19
 
TEXT
 
ei tina thakura gaudiyake kariyachena atmasat
e tinera carana vandon, tine mora natha
SYNONYMS
 
ei -- these; tina -- three; thakura -- Deities; gaudiyake -- the Gaudiya 
Vaisnavas; kariyachena -- have done; atmasat -- absorbed; e -- these; 
tinera -- of the three; carana -- lotus feet; vandon -- I worship; tine -
- these three; mora -- my; natha -- Lords.
 
TRANSLATION
 
These three Deities of Vrndavana [Madana-mohana, Govinda and Gopinatha] 
have absorbed the heart and soul of the Gaudiya Vaisnavas [followers of 
Lord Caitanya]. I worship Their lotus feet, for They are the Lords of my 
heart.
 
PURPORT
 
The author of Sri Caitanya-caritamrta offers his respectful obeisances 
unto the three Deities of Vrndavana named Sri Radha-Madana-mohana, Sri 
Radha-Govindadeva and Sri Radha-Gopinathaji. These three Deities are the 
life and soul of the Bengali Vaisnavas, or Gaudiya Vaisnavas, who have a 
natural aptitude for residing in Vrndavana. The Gaudiya Vaisnavas who 
follow strictly in the line of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu worship the 
Divinity by chanting transcendental sounds meant to develop a sense of 
one's transcendental relationship with the Supreme Lord, a reciprocation 
of mellows (rasas) of mutual affection, and, ultimately, the achievement 
of the desired success in loving service. These three Deities are 
worshiped in three different stages of one's development. The followers 
of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu scrupulously follow these principles of 
approach.
 
Gaudiya Vaisnavas perceive the ultimate objective in Vedic hymns 
composed of eighteen transcendental letters that adore Krsna as Madana-
mohana, Govinda and Gopijana-vallabha. Madana-mohana is He who charms 
Cupid, the god of love, Govinda is He who pleases the senses and the 
cows, and Gopijana-vallabha is the transcendental lover of the gopis. 
Krsna Himself is called Madana-mohana, Govinda, Gopijana-vallabha and 
countless other names as He plays in His different pastimes with His 
devotees.
 
The three Deities -- Madana-mohana, Govinda and Gopijana-vallabha -- 
have very specific qualities. Worship of Madana-mohana is on the 
platform of reestablishing our forgotten relationship with the 
Personality of Godhead. In the material world we are presently in utter 
ignorance of our eternal relationship with the Supreme Lord. Pangoh 
refers to one who cannot move independently by his own strength, and 
manda-mateh is one who is less intelligent because he is too absorbed in 
materialistic activities. It is best for such persons not to aspire for 
success in fruitive activities or mental speculation but instead simply 
to surrender to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The perfection of 
life is simply to surrender to the Supreme. In the beginning of our 
spiritual life we must therefore worship Madana-mohana so that He may 
attract us and nullify our attachment for material sense gratification. 
This relationship with Madana-mohana is necessary for neophyte devotees. 
When one wishes to render service to the Lord with strong attachment, 
one worships Govinda on the platform of transcendental service. Govinda 
is the reservoir of all pleasures. When by the grace of Krsna and the 
devotees one reaches perfection in devotional service, he can appreciate 
Krsna as Gopijana-vallabha, the pleasure Deity of the damsels of Vraja.
 
Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu explained this mode of devotional service 
in three stages, and therefore these worshipable Deities were installed 
in Vrndavana by different Gosvamis. They are very dear to the Gaudiya 
Vaisnavas there, who visit the temples at least once a day. Besides the 
temples of these three Deities, many other temples have been established 
in Vrndavana, such as the temple of Radha-Damodara of Jiva Gosvami, the 
temple of Syamasundara of Syamananda Gosvami, the temple of Gokulananda 
of Lokanatha Gosvami, and the temple of Radha-ramana of Gopala Bhatta 
Gosvami. There are seven principal temples over four hundred years old 
that are the most important of the five thousand temples now existing in 
Vrndavana.
 
Gaudiya indicates the part of India between the southern side of the 
Himalayan Mountains and the northern part of the Vindhya Hills, which is 
called Aryavarta, or the Land of the Aryans. This portion of India is 
divided into five parts or provinces (Panca-gaudadesa): Sarasvata (
Kashmir and Punjab), Kanyakubja (Uttar Pradesh, including the modern 
city of Lucknow), Madhya-gauda (Madhya Pradesh), Maithila (Bihar and 
part of Bengal) and Utkala (part of Bengal and the whole of Orissa). 
Bengal is sometimes called Gaudadesa, partly because it forms a portion 
of Maithila and partly because the capital of the Hindu king Raja 
Laksmana Sena was known as Gauda. This old capital later came to be 
known as Gaudapura and gradually Mayapur.
 
The devotees of Orissa are called Udiyas, the devotees of Bengal are 
called Gaudiyas, and the devotees of southern India are known as Dravida 
devotees. As there are five provinces in Aryavarta, so Daksinatya, 
southern India, is also divided into five provinces, which are called 
Panca-dravida. The four Vaisnava acaryas who are the great authorities 
of the four Vaisnava disciplic successions, as well as Sripada 
Sankaracarya of the Mayavada school, appeared in the Panca-dravida 
provinces. Among the four Vaisnava acaryas, who are all accepted by the 
Gaudiya Vaisnavas, Sri Ramanuja Acarya appeared in the southern part of 
Andhra Pradesh at Mahabhutapuri, Sri Madhva Acarya appeared at Pajakam (
near Vimanagiri) in the district of Mangalore, Sri Visnu Svami appeared 
at Pandya, and Sri Nimbarka appeared at Mungera-patana, in the extreme 
south.
 
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu accepted the chain of disciplic succession from 
Madhva Acarya, but the Vaisnavas in His line do not accept the Tattva-
vadis, who also claim to belong to the Madhva-sampradaya. To distinguish 
themselves clearly from the Tattva-vadi branch of Madhva's descendants, 
the Vaisnavas of Bengal prefer to call themselves Gaudiya Vaisnavas. Sri 
Madhva Acarya is also known as Sri Gauda-purnananda, and therefore the 
name Madhva-Gaudiya-sampradaya is quite suitable for the disciplic 
succession of the Gaudiya Vaisnavas. Our spiritual master, Om Visnupada 
Srimad Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Maharaja, accepted initiation 
in the Madhva-Gaudiya-sampradaya.
 
Adi 1.20
 
TEXT 20
 
TEXT
 
granthera arambhe kari ‘mangalacarana'
guru, vaisnava, bhagavan, -- tinera smarana
SYNONYMS
 
granthera -- of this book; arambhe -- in the beginning; kari -- I make; 
mangala-acarana -- auspicious invocation; guru -- the spiritual master; 
vaisnava -- the devotees of the Lord; bhagavan -- the Supreme 
Personality of Godhead; tinera -- of these three; smarana -- remembering.
 
TRANSLATION
 
In the beginning of this narration, simply by remembering the spiritual 
master, the devotees of the Lord, and the Personality of Godhead, I have 
invoked their benedictions.
 
Adi 1.21
 
TEXT 21
 
TEXT
 
tinera smarane haya vighna-vinasana
anayase haya nija vanchita-purana
SYNONYMS
 
tinera -- of these three; smarane -- by remembrance; haya -- there is; 
vighna-vinasana -- the destruction of all difficulties; anayase -- very 
easily; haya -- there is; nija -- our own; vanchita -- of the desired 
object; purana -- fulfillment.
 
TRANSLATION
 
Such remembrance destroys all difficulties and very easily enables one 
to fulfill his own desires.
 
Adi 1.22
 
TEXT 22
 
TEXT
 
se mangalacarana haya tri-vidha prakara
vastu-nirdesa, asirvada, namaskara
SYNONYMS
 
se -- that; mangala-acarana -- auspicious invocation; haya -- is; tri-
vidha -- three kinds; prakara -- processes; vastu-nirdesa -- defining 
the object; asih-vada -- benedictions; namah-kara -- obeisances.
 
TRANSLATION
 
The invocation involves three processes: defining the objective, 
offering benedictions and offering obeisances.
 
Adi 1.23
 
TEXT 23
 
TEXT
 
prathama dui sloke ista-deva-namaskara
samanya-visesa-rupe dui ta' prakara
SYNONYMS
 
prathama -- in the first; dui -- two; sloke -- verses; ista-deva -- 
worshipable Deity; namaskara -- obeisances; samanya -- generally; visesa-
rupe -- and specifically; dui -- two; ta' -- certainly; prakara -- ways.
 
TRANSLATION
 
The first two verses offer respectful obeisances, generally and 
specifically, to the Lord, who is the object of worship.
 
Adi 1.24
 
TEXT 24
 
TEXT
 
trtiya slokete kari vastura nirdesa
yaha ha-ite jani para-tattvera uddesa
SYNONYMS
 
trtiya slokete -- in the third verse; kari -- I make; vastura -- of the 
object; nirdesa -- indication; yaha ha-ite -- from which; jani -- I 
understand; para-tattvera -- of the Absolute Truth; uddesa -- 
identification.
 
TRANSLATION
 
In the third verse I indicate the Absolute Truth, who is the ultimate 
substance. With such a description, one can visualize the Supreme Truth.
 
Adi 1.25
 
TEXT 25
 
TEXT
 
caturtha slokete kari jagate asirvada
sarvatra magiye krsna-caitanya-prasada
SYNONYMS
 
caturtha -- fourth; slokete -- in the verse; kari -- I make; jagate -- 
for the world; asih-vada -- benediction; sarvatra -- everywhere; magiye -
- I am begging; krsna-caitanya -- of Lord Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu; 
prasada -- the mercy.
 
TRANSLATION
 
In the fourth verse I have invoked the benediction of the Lord upon all 
the world, praying to Lord Caitanya for His mercy upon all.
 
Adi 1.26
 
TEXT 26
 
TEXT
 
sei sloke kahi bahyavatara-karana
panca sastha sloke kahi mula-prayojana
SYNONYMS
 
sei sloke -- in that same verse; kahi -- I tell; bahya -- the external; 
avatara -- for the incarnation of Lord Caitanya; karana -- reason; panca 
-- the fifth; sastha -- and the sixth; sloke -- in the verses; kahi -- I 
tell; mula -- the prime; prayojana -- purpose.
 
TRANSLATION
 
In that verse I have also explained the external reason for Lord 
Caitanya's incarnation. But in the fifth and sixth verses I have 
explained the prime reason for His advent.
 
Adi 1.27
 
TEXT 27
 
TEXT
 
ei chaya sloke kahi caitanyera tattva
ara panca sloke nityanandera mahattva
SYNONYMS
 
ei -- these; chaya -- six; sloke -- in verses; kahi -- I describe; 
caitanyera -- of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu; tattva -- truth; ara -- 
further; panca sloke -- in five verses; nityanandera -- of Lord 
Nityananda; mahattva -- the glory.
 
TRANSLATION
 
In these six verses I have described the truth about Lord Caitanya, 
whereas in the next five I have described the glory of Lord Nityananda.
 
Adi 1.28
 
TEXT 28
 
TEXT
 
ara dui sloke advaita-tattvakhyana
ara eka sloke panca-tattvera vyakhyana
SYNONYMS
 
ara -- further; dui sloke -- in two verses; advaita -- of Sri Advaita 
Prabhu; tattva -- of the truth; akhyana -- description; ara -- further; 
eka sloke -- in one verse; panca-tattvera -- of the Panca-tattva; 
vyakhyana -- explanation.
 
TRANSLATION
 
The next two verses describe the truth of Advaita Prabhu, and the 
following verse describes the Panca-tattva [the Lord, His plenary 
portion, His incarnation, His energies and His devotees].
 
Adi 1.29
 
TEXT 29
 
TEXT
 
ei caudda sloke kari mangalacarana
tanhi madhye kahi saba vastu-nirupana
SYNONYMS
 
ei caudda sloke -- in these fourteen verses; kari -- I make; mangala-
acarana -- auspicious invocation; tanhi -- therefore in that; madhye -- 
within; kahi -- I speak; saba -- all; vastu -- object; nirupana -- 
description.
 
TRANSLATION
 
These fourteen verses, therefore, offer auspicious invocations and 
describe the Supreme Truth.
 
Adi 1.30
 
TEXT 30
 
TEXT
 
saba srota-vaisnavere kari' namaskara
ei saba slokera kari artha-vicara
SYNONYMS
 
saba -- all; srota -- hearers or audience; vaisnavere -- unto the 
Vaisnavas; kari' -- offering; namaskara -- obeisances; ei saba slokera --
 of all these (fourteen) verses; kari -- I make; artha -- of the meaning;
 vicara -- analysis.
 
TRANSLATION
 
I offer my obeisances unto all my Vaisnava readers as I begin to explain 
the intricacies of all these verses.
 
Adi 1.31
 
TEXT 31
 
TEXT
 
sakala vaisnava, suna kari' eka-mana
caitanya-krsnera sastra-mata-nirupana
SYNONYMS
 
sakala -- all; vaisnava -- O devotees of the Lord; suna -- please hear; 
kari' -- making; eka-mana -- rapt attention; caitanya -- Lord Caitanya 
Mahaprabhu; krsnera -- of Lord Sri Krsna; sastra -- scriptural reference;
 mata -- according to; nirupana -- decision.
 
TRANSLATION
 
I request all my Vaisnava readers to read and hear with rapt attention 
this narration of Sri Krsna Caitanya as inculcated in the revealed 
scriptures.
 
PURPORT
 
Lord Caitanya is the Absolute Truth, Krsna Himself. This is 
substantiated by evidence from the authentic spiritual scriptures. 
Sometimes people accept a man as God on the basis of their whimsical 
sentiments and without reference to the revealed scriptures, but the 
author of Caitanya-caritamrta proves all his statements by citing the 
sastras. Thus he establishes that Caitanya Mahaprabhu is the Supreme 
Personality of Godhead.
 
Adi 1.32
 
TEXT 32
 
TEXT
 
krsna, guru, bhakta, sakti, avatara, prakasa
krsna ei chaya-rupe karena vilasa
SYNONYMS
 
krsna -- the Supreme Lord, Sri Krsna; guru -- the spiritual masters; 
bhakta -- the devotees; sakti -- the potencies; avatara -- the 
incarnations; prakasa -- plenary portions; krsna -- Lord Krsna; ei chaya-
rupe -- in these six features; karena vilasa -- enjoys.
 
TRANSLATION
 
Lord Krsna enjoys by manifesting Himself as the spiritual masters, the 
devotees, the diverse energies, the incarnations and the plenary 
portions. They are all six in one.
 
Adi 1.33
 
TEXT 33
 
TEXT
 
ei chaya tattvera kari carana vandana
prathame samanye kari mangalacarana
SYNONYMS
 
ei -- these; chaya -- six; tattvera -- of these expansions; kari -- I 
make; carana -- the lotus feet; vandana -- prayers; prathame -- at first;
 samanye -- in general; kari -- I make; mangala-acarana -- auspicious 
invocation.
 
TRANSLATION
 
I therefore worship the lotus feet of these six diversities of the one 
truth by invoking their benedictions.
 
Adi 1.34
 
TEXT 34
 
TEXT
 
vande gurun isa-bhaktan
isam isavatarakan
tat-prakasams ca tac-chaktih
krsna-caitanya-samjnakam
SYNONYMS
 
vande -- I offer respectful obeisances; gurun -- unto the spiritual 
masters; isa-bhaktan -- unto the devotees of the Supreme Lord; isam -- 
unto the Supreme Lord; isa-avatarakan -- unto the incarnations of the 
Supreme Lord; tat -- of the Supreme Lord; prakasan -- unto the 
manifestations; ca -- and; tat -- of the Supreme Lord; saktih -- unto 
the potencies; krsna-caitanya -- Sri Krsna Caitanya; samjnakam -- named.
 
TRANSLATION
 
I offer my respectful obeisances unto the spiritual masters, the 
devotees of the Lord, the Lord's incarnations, His plenary portions, His 
energies and the primeval Lord Himself, Sri Krsna Caitanya.
 
PURPORT
 
Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami has composed this Sanskrit verse for the 
beginning of his book, and now he will explain it in detail. He offers 
his respectful obeisances to the six principles of the Absolute Truth. 
Gurun is plural in number because anyone who gives spiritual 
instructions based on the revealed scriptures is accepted as a spiritual 
master. Although others give help in showing the way to beginners, the 
guru who first initiates one with the maha-mantra is to be known as the 
initiator, and the saints who give instructions for progressive 
advancement in Krsna consciousness are called instructing spiritual 
masters. The initiating and instructing spiritual masters are equal and 
identical manifestations of Krsna, although they have different dealings.
 Their function is to guide the conditioned souls back home, back to 
Godhead. Therefore Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami accepted Nityananda Prabhu 
and the six Gosvamis in the category of guru.
 
Isa-bhaktan refers to the devotees of the Lord like Sri Srivasa and all 
other such followers, who are the energy of the Lord and are 
qualitatively nondifferent from Him. Isavatarakan refers to acaryas like 
Advaita Prabhu, who is an avatara of the Lord. Tat-prakasan indicates 
the direct manifestation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, 
Nityananda Prabhu, and the initiating spiritual master. Tac-chaktih 
refers to the spiritual energies (saktis) of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. 
Gadadhara, Damodara and Jagadananda belong to this category of internal 
energy.
 
The six principles are differently manifested but all equally 
worshipable. Krsnadasa Kaviraja begins by offering his obeisances unto 
them to teach us the method of worshiping Lord Caitanya. The external 
potency of Godhead, called maya, can never associate with the Lord, just 
as darkness cannot remain in the presence of light; yet darkness, being 
but an illusory and temporary covering of light, has no existence 
independent of light.
 
Adi 1.35
 
TEXT 35
 
TEXT
 
mantra-guru ara yata siksa-guru-gana
tanhara carana age kariye vandana
SYNONYMS
 
mantra-guru -- the initiating spiritual master; ara -- and also; yata -- 
as many (as there are); siksa-guru-gana -- all the instructing spiritual 
masters; tanhara -- of all of them; carana -- unto the lotus feet; age --
 at first; kariye -- I offer; vandana -- respectful obeisances.
 
TRANSLATION
 
I first offer my respectful obeisances at the lotus feet of my 
initiating spiritual master and all my instructing spiritual masters.
 
PURPORT
 
Srila Jiva Gosvami, in his thesis Bhakti-sandarbha (202), has stated 
that uncontaminated devotional service is the objective of pure 
Vaisnavas and that one has to execute such service in the association of 
other devotees. By associating with devotees of Lord Krsna, one develops 
a sense of Krsna consciousness and thus becomes inclined toward the 
loving service of the Lord. This is the process of approaching the 
Supreme Lord by gradual appreciation in devotional service. If one 
desires unalloyed devotional service, one must associate with devotees 
of Sri Krsna, for by such association only can a conditioned soul 
achieve a taste for transcendental love and thus revive his eternal 
relationship with Godhead in a specific manifestation and in terms of 
the specific transcendental mellow (rasa) that one has eternally 
inherent in him.
 
If one develops love for Krsna by Krsna conscious activities, one can 
know the Supreme Absolute Truth, but he who tries to understand God 
simply by logical arguments will not succeed, nor will he get a taste 
for unalloyed devotion. The secret is that one must submissively listen 
to those who know perfectly the science of God, and one must begin the 
mode of service regulated by the preceptor. A devotee already attracted 
by the name, form, qualities, etc., of the Supreme Lord may be directed 
to his specific manner of devotional service; he need not waste time in 
approaching the Lord through logic. The expert spiritual master knows 
well how to engage his disciple's energy in the transcendental loving 
service of the Lord, and thus he engages a devotee in a specific 
devotional service according to his special tendency. A devotee must 
have only one initiating spiritual master because in the scriptures 
acceptance of more than one is always forbidden. There is no limit, 
however, to the number of instructing spiritual masters one may accept. 
Generally a spiritual master who constantly instructs a disciple in 
spiritual science becomes his initiating spiritual master later on.
 
One should always remember that a person who is reluctant to accept a 
spiritual master and be initiated is sure to be baffled in his endeavor 
to go back to Godhead. One who is not properly initiated may present 
himself as a great devotee, but in fact he is sure to encounter many 
stumbling blocks on his path of progress toward spiritual realization, 
with the result that he must continue his term of material existence 
without relief. Such a helpless person is compared to a ship without a 
rudder, for such a ship can never reach its destination. It is 
imperative, therefore, that one accept a spiritual master if he at all 
desires to gain the favor of the Lord. The service of the spiritual 
master is essential. If there is no chance to serve the spiritual master 
directly, a devotee should serve him by remembering his instructions. 
There is no difference between the spiritual master's instructions and 
the spiritual master himself. In his absence, therefore, his words of 
direction should be the pride of the disciple. If one thinks that he is 
above consulting anyone else, including a spiritual master, he is at 
once an offender at the lotus feet of the Lord. Such an offender can 
never go back to Godhead. It is imperative that a serious person accept 
a bona fide spiritual master in terms of the sastric injunctions. Sri 
Jiva Gosvami advises that one not accept a spiritual master in terms of 
hereditary or customary social and ecclesiastical conventions. One 
should simply try to find a genuinely qualified spiritual master for 
actual advancement in spiritual understanding.
 
Adi 1.36
 
TEXT 36
 
TEXT
 
sri-rupa, sanatana, bhatta-raghunatha
sri-jiva, gopala-bhatta, dasa-raghunatha
SYNONYMS
 
sri-rupa -- Srila Rupa Gosvami; sanatana -- Sanatana Gosvami; bhatta-
raghunatha -- Raghunatha Bhatta Gosvami; sri-jiva -- Srila Jiva Gosvami; 
gopala-bhatta -- Gopala Bhatta Gosvami; dasa-raghunatha -- Srila 
Raghunatha dasa Gosvami.
 
TRANSLATION
 
My instructing spiritual masters are Sri Rupa Gosvami, Sri Sanatana 
Gosvami, Sri Bhatta Raghunatha, Sri Jiva Gosvami, Sri Gopala Bhatta 
Gosvami and Srila Raghunatha dasa Gosvami.
 
Adi 1.37
 
TEXT 37
 
TEXT
 
ei chaya guru -- siksa-guru ye amara
tan'-sabara pada-padme koti namaskara
SYNONYMS
 
ei -- these; chaya -- six; guru -- spiritual masters; siksa-guru -- 
instructing spiritual masters; ye -- who are; amara -- my; tan'-sabara --
 of all of them; pada-padme -- unto the lotus feet; koti -- ten million; 
namaskara -- respectful obeisances.
 
TRANSLATION
 
These six are my instructing spiritual masters, and therefore I offer 
millions of respectful obeisances unto their lotus feet.
 
PURPORT
 
By accepting the six Gosvamis as his instructing spiritual masters, the 
author specifically makes it clear that one should not be recognized as 
a Gaudiya Vaisnava if he is not obedient to them.
 
Adi 1.38
 
TEXT 38
 
TEXT
 
bhagavanera bhakta yata srivasa pradhana
tan'-sabhara pada-padme sahasra pranama
SYNONYMS
 
bhagavanera -- of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; bhakta -- the 
devotees; yata -- as many (as there are); srivasa pradhana -- headed by 
Sri Srivasa; tan'-sabhara -- of all of them; pada-padme -- unto the 
lotus feet; sahasra -- thousands; pranama -- respectful obeisances.
 
TRANSLATION
 
There are innumerable devotees of the Lord, of whom Srivasa Thakura is 
the foremost. I offer my respectful obeisances thousands of times unto 
their lotus feet.
 
Adi 1.39
 
TEXT 39
 
TEXT
 
advaita acarya -- prabhura amsa-avatara
tanra pada-padme koti pranati amara
SYNONYMS
 
advaita acarya -- Advaita Acarya; prabhura -- of the Supreme Lord; amsa -
- partial; avatara -- incarnation; tanra -- of Him; pada-padme -- unto 
the lotus feet; koti -- ten million; pranati -- respectful obeisances; 
amara -- my.
 
TRANSLATION
 
Advaita Acarya is the Lord's partial incarnation, and therefore I offer 
my obeisances millions of times at His lotus feet.
 
Adi 1.40
 
TEXT 40
 
TEXT
 
nityananda-raya -- prabhura svarupa-prakasa
tanra pada-padma vando yanra muni dasa
SYNONYMS
 
nityananda-raya -- Lord Nityananda; prabhura -- of the Supreme Lord; sva-
rupa-prakasa -- personal manifestation; tanra -- of Him; pada-padma -- 
unto the lotus feet; vando -- I offer respectful obeisances; yanra -- of 
whom; muni -- I am; dasa -- the servant.
 
TRANSLATION
 
Srila Nityananda Rama is the plenary manifestation of the Lord, and I 
have been initiated by Him. I therefore offer my respectful obeisances 
unto His lotus feet.
 
Adi 1.41
 
TEXT 41
 
TEXT
 
gadadhara-panditadi -- prabhura nija-sakti
tan'-sabara carane mora sahasra pranati
SYNONYMS
 
gadadhara-pandita-adi -- headed by Sri Gadadhara Pandita; prabhura -- of 
the Supreme Lord; nija-sakti -- internal potencies; tan'-sabara -- of 
all of them; carane -- unto the lotus feet; mora -- my; sahasra -- 
thousands; pranati -- respectful obeisances.
 
TRANSLATION
 
I offer my respectful obeisances unto the internal potencies of the Lord,
 of whom Sri Gadadhara Prabhu is the foremost.
 
Adi 1.42
 
TEXT 42
 
TEXT
 
sri-krsna-caitanya prabhu svayam-bhagavan
tanhara padaravinde ananta pranama
SYNONYMS
 
sri-krsna-caitanya -- Lord Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu; prabhu -- the 
Supreme Lord; svayam-bhagavan -- is the original Personality of Godhead; 
tanhara -- His; pada-aravinde -- unto the lotus feet; ananta -- 
innumerable; pranama -- respectful obeisances.
 
TRANSLATION
 
Lord Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu is the Personality of Godhead Himself,
 and therefore I offer innumerable prostrations at His lotus feet.
 
Adi 1.43
 
TEXT 43
 
TEXT
 
savarane prabhure kariya namaskara
ei chaya tenho yaiche -- kariye vicara
SYNONYMS
 
sa-avarane -- along with His associates; prabhure -- unto Lord Sri 
Caitanya Mahaprabhu; kariya -- having made; namaskara -- respectful 
obeisances; ei -- these; chaya -- six; tenho -- He; yaiche -- what they 
are like; kariye -- I make; vicara -- discussion.
 
TRANSLATION
 
Having offered obeisances unto the Lord and all His associates, I shall 
now try to explain these six diversities in one.
 
PURPORT
 
There are many unalloyed devotees of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, 
all of whom are considered associates surrounding the Lord. Krsna should 
be worshiped with His devotees. The diverse principles are therefore the 
eternal paraphernalia through which the Absolute Truth can be approached.
 
Adi 1.44
 
TEXT 44
 
TEXT
 
yadyapi amara guru -- caitanyera dasa
tathapi janiye ami tanhara prakasa
SYNONYMS
 
yadyapi -- even though; amara -- my; guru -- spiritual master; 
caitanyera -- of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu; dasa -- the servitor; tathapi 
-- still; janiye -- know; ami -- I; tanhara -- of the Lord; prakasa -- 
direct manifestation.
 
TRANSLATION
 
Although I know that my spiritual master is a servitor of Sri Caitanya, 
I know Him also as a plenary manifestation of the Lord.
 
PURPORT
 
Every living entity is essentially a servant of the Supreme Personality 
of Godhead, and the spiritual master is also His servant. Still, the 
spiritual master is a direct manifestation of the Lord. With this 
conviction, a disciple can advance in Krsna consciousness. The spiritual 
master is nondifferent from Krsna because he is a manifestation of Krsna.
 
Lord Nityananda, who is Balarama Himself, the first direct manifestation 
or expansion of Krsna, is the original spiritual master. He helps Lord 
Krsna in His pastimes, and He is a servant of the Lord.
 
Every living entity is eternally a servant of Sri Krsna Caitanya; 
therefore the spiritual master cannot be other than a servant of Lord 
Caitanya. The spiritual master's eternal occupation is to expand the 
service of the Lord by training disciples in a service attitude. A 
spiritual master never poses as the Supreme Lord Himself; he is 
considered a representative of the Lord. The revealed scriptures 
prohibit one's pretending to be God, but a bona fide spiritual master is 
a most faithful and confidential servant of the Lord and therefore 
deserves as much respect as Krsna.
 
Adi 1.45
 
TEXT 45
 
TEXT
 
guru krsna-rupa hana sastrera pramane
guru-rupe krsna krpa karena bhakta-gane
SYNONYMS
 
guru -- the spiritual master; krsna-rupa -- as good as Krsna; hana -- is;
 sastrera -- of revealed scriptures; pramane -- by the evidence; guru-
rupe -- in the form of the spiritual master; krsna -- Lord Sri Krsna; 
krpa -- mercy; karena -- distributes; bhakta-gane -- unto His devotees.
 
TRANSLATION
 
According to the deliberate opinion of all revealed scriptures, the 
spiritual master is nondifferent from Krsna. Lord Krsna in the form of 
the spiritual master delivers His devotees.
 
PURPORT
 
The relationship of a disciple with his spiritual master is as good as 
his relationship with the Supreme Lord. A spiritual master always 
represents himself as the humblest servitor of the Personality of 
Godhead, but the disciple must look upon him as the manifested 
representation of Godhead.
 
Adi 1.46
 
TEXT 46
 
TEXT
 
acaryam mam vijaniyan
navamanyeta karhicit
na martya-buddhyasuyeta
sarva-deva-mayo guruh
SYNONYMS
 
acaryam -- the spiritual master; mam -- Myself; vijaniyat -- one should 
know; na avamanyeta -- one should never disrespect; karhicit -- at any 
time; na -- never; martya-buddhya -- with the idea of his being an 
ordinary man; asuyeta -- one should be envious; sarva-deva -- of all 
demigods; mayah -- representative; guruh -- the spiritual master.
 
TRANSLATION
 
"One should know the acarya as Myself and never disrespect him in any 
way. One should not envy him, thinking him an ordinary man, for he is 
the representative of all the demigods."
 
PURPORT
 
This is a verse from Srimad-Bhagavatam (11.17.27) spoken by Lord Krsna 
when He was questioned by Uddhava regarding the four social and 
spiritual orders of society. The Lord was specifically instructing how a 
brahmacari should behave under the care of a spiritual master. A 
spiritual master is not an enjoyer of facilities offered by his 
disciples. He is like a parent. Without the attentive service of his 
parents, a child cannot grow to manhood; similarly, without the care of 
the spiritual master one cannot rise to the plane of transcendental 
service.
 
The spiritual master is also called acarya, or a transcendental 
professor of spiritual science. The Manu-samhita (2.140) explains the 
duties of an acarya, describing that a bona fide spiritual master 
accepts charge of disciples, teaches them the Vedic knowledge with all 
its intricacies, and gives them their second birth. The ceremony 
performed to initiate a disciple into the study of spiritual science is 
called upaniti, or the function that brings one nearer to the spiritual 
master. One who cannot be brought nearer to a spiritual master cannot 
have a sacred thread, and thus he is indicated to be a sudra. The sacred 
thread on the body of a brahmana, ksatriya or vaisya is a symbol of 
initiation by the spiritual master; it is worth nothing if worn merely 
to boast of high parentage. The duty of the spiritual master is to 
initiate a disciple with the sacred thread ceremony, and after this 
samskara, or purificatory process, the spiritual master actually begins 
to teach the disciple about the Vedas. A person born a sudra is not 
barred from such spiritual initiation, provided he is approved by the 
spiritual master, who is duly authorized to award a disciple the right 
to be a brahmana if he finds him perfectly qualified. In the Vayu Purana 
an acarya is defined as one who knows the import of all Vedic 
literatures, abides by their rules and regulations, and teaches his 
disciples to act in the same way.
 
Only out of His immense compassion does the Personality of Godhead 
reveal Himself as the spiritual master. Therefore in the dealings of an 
acarya there are no activities but those of transcendental loving 
service to the Lord. He is the Supreme Personality of Servitor Godhead. 
It is worthwhile to take shelter of such a steady devotee, who is called 
asraya-vigraha, or the manifestation or form of the Lord of whom one 
must take shelter.
 
If one poses himself as an acarya but does not have an attitude of 
servitorship to the Lord, he must be considered an offender, and this 
offensive attitude disqualifies him from being an acarya. The bona fide 
spiritual master always engages in unalloyed devotional service to the 
Supreme Personality of Godhead. By this test he is known to be a direct 
manifestation of the Lord and a genuine representative of Sri Nityananda 
Prabhu. Such a spiritual master is known as acaryadeva. Influenced by an 
envious temperament and dissatisfied because of an attitude of sense 
gratification, mundaners criticize a real acarya. In fact, however, a 
bona fide acarya is nondifferent from the Personality of Godhead, and 
therefore to envy such an acarya is to envy the Personality of Godhead 
Himself. This will produce an effect subversive of transcendental 
realization.
 
As mentioned previously, a disciple should always respect the spiritual 
master as a manifestation of Sri Krsna, but at the same time one should 
always remember that a spiritual master is never authorized to imitate 
the transcendental pastimes of the Lord. False spiritual masters pose 
themselves as identical with Sri Krsna in every respect to exploit the 
sentiments of their disciples, but such impersonalists can only mislead 
their disciples, for their ultimate aim is to become one with the Lord. 
This is against the principles of the devotional cult.
 
The real Vedic philosophy is acintya-bhedabheda-tattva, which 
establishes everything to be simultaneously one with and different from 
the Personality of Godhead. Srila Raghunatha dasa Gosvami confirms that 
this is the real position of a bona fide spiritual master and says that 
one should always think of the spiritual master in terms of his intimate 
relationship with Mukunda (Sri Krsna). Srila Jiva Gosvami, in his Bhakti-
sandarbha (213), has clearly explained that a pure devotee's observation 
of the spiritual master and Lord Siva as being one with the Personality 
of Godhead exists in terms of their being very dear to the Lord, not 
identical with Him in all respects. Following in the footsteps of Srila 
Raghunatha dasa Gosvami and Srila Jiva Gosvami, later acaryas like Srila 
Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura have confirmed the same truths. In his 
prayers to the spiritual master, Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura 
confirms that all the revealed scriptures accept the spiritual master to 
be identical with the Personality of Godhead because he is a very dear 
and confidential servant of the Lord. Gaudiya Vaisnavas therefore 
worship Srila Gurudeva (the spiritual master) in the light of his being 
the servitor of the Personality of Godhead. In all the ancient 
literatures of devotional service and in the more recent songs of Srila 
Narottama dasa Thakura, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura and other unalloyed 
Vaisnavas, the spiritual master is always considered either one of the 
confidential associates of Srimati Radharani or a manifested 
representation of Srila Nityananda Prabhu.
 
Adi 1.47
 
TEXT 47
 
TEXT
 
siksa-guruke ta' jani krsnera svarupa
antaryami, bhakta-srestha, -- ei dui rupa
SYNONYMS
 
siksa-guruke -- the spiritual master who instructs; ta' -- indeed; jani -
- I know; krsnera -- of Krsna; sva-rupa -- the direct representative; 
antaryami -- the indwelling Supersoul; bhakta-srestha -- the best 
devotee; ei -- these; dui -- two; rupa -- forms.
 
TRANSLATION
 
One should know the instructing spiritual master to be the Personality 
of Krsna. Lord Krsna manifests Himself as the Supersoul and as the 
greatest devotee of the Lord.
 
PURPORT
 
Srila Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami states that the instructing spiritual 
master is a bona fide representative of Sri Krsna. Sri Krsna Himself 
teaches us as the instructing spiritual master from within and without. 
From within He teaches as Paramatma, our constant companion, and from 
without He teaches from the Bhagavad-gita as the instructing spiritual 
master. There are two kinds of instructing spiritual masters. One is the 
liberated person fully absorbed in meditation in devotional service, and 
the other is he who invokes the disciple's spiritual consciousness by 
means of relevant instructions. Thus the instructions in the science of 
devotion are differentiated in terms of the objective and subjective 
ways of understanding. The acarya in the true sense of the term, who is 
authorized to deliver Krsna, enriches the disciple with full spiritual 
knowledge and thus awakens him to the activities of devotional service.
 
When by learning from the self-realized spiritual master one actually 
engages himself in the service of Lord Visnu, functional devotional 
service begins. The procedures of this devotional service are known as 
abhidheya, or actions one is dutybound to perform. Our only shelter is 
the Supreme Lord, and one who teaches how to approach Krsna is the 
functioning form of the Personality of Godhead. There is no difference 
between the shelter-giving Supreme Lord and the initiating and 
instructing spiritual masters. If one foolishly discriminates between 
them, he commits an offense in the discharge of devotional service.
 
Srila Sanatana Gosvami is the ideal spiritual master, for he delivers 
one the shelter of the lotus feet of Madana-mohana. Even though one may 
be unable to travel on the field of Vrndavana due to forgetfulness of 
his relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he can get an 
adequate opportunity to stay in Vrndavana and derive all spiritual 
benefits by the mercy of Sanatana Gosvami. Sri Govindaji acts exactly 
like the siksa-guru (instructing spiritual master) by teaching Arjuna 
the Bhagavad-gita. He is the original preceptor, for He gives us 
instructions and an opportunity to serve Him. The initiating spiritual 
master is a personal manifestation of Srila Madana-mohana vigraha, 
whereas the instructing spiritual master is a personal representative of 
Srila Govindadeva vigraha. Both of these Deities are worshiped at 
Vrndavana. Srila Gopinatha is the ultimate attraction in spiritual 
realization.
 
Adi 1.48
 
TEXT 48
 
TEXT
 
naivopayanty apacitim kavayas tavesa
brahmayusapi krtam rddha-mudah smarantah
yo 'ntar bahis tanu-bhrtam asubham vidhunvann
acarya-caittya-vapusa sva-gatim vyanakti
SYNONYMS
 
na eva -- not at all; upayanti -- are able to express; apacitim -- their 
gratitude; kavayah -- learned devotees; tava -- Your; isa -- O Lord; 
brahma-ayusa -- with a lifetime equal to Lord Brahma's; api -- in spite 
of; krtam -- magnanimous work; rddha -- increased; mudah -- joy; 
smarantah -- remembering; yah -- who; antah -- within; bahih -- outside; 
tanu-bhrtam -- of those who are embodied; asubham -- misfortune; 
vidhunvan -- dissipating; acarya -- of the spiritual master; caittya -- 
of the Supersoul; vapusa -- by the forms; sva -- own; gatim -- path; 
vyanakti -- shows.
 
TRANSLATION
 
"O my Lord! Transcendental poets and experts in spiritual science could 
not fully express their indebtedness to You, even if they were endowed 
with the prolonged lifetime of Brahma, for You appear in two features -- 
externally as the acarya and internally as the Supersoul -- to deliver 
the embodied living being by directing him how to come to You."
 
PURPORT
 
This verse from Srimad-Bhagavatam (11.29.6) was spoken by Sri Uddhava 
after he heard from Sri Krsna all necessary instructions about yoga.
 
Adi 1.49
 
TEXT 49
 
TEXT
 
tesam satata-yuktanam
bhajatam priti-purvakam
dadami buddhi-yogam tam
yena mam upayanti te
SYNONYMS
 
tesam -- unto them; satata-yuktanam -- always engaged; bhajatam -- in 
rendering devotional service; priti-purvakam -- in loving ecstasy; 
dadami -- I give; buddhi-yogam -- real intelligence; tam -- that; yena --
 by which; mam -- unto Me; upayanti -- come; te -- they.
 
TRANSLATION
 
"To those who are constantly devoted to serving Me with love, I give the 
understanding by which they can come to Me."
 
PURPORT
 
This verse of the Bhagavad-gita (10.10) clearly states how Govindadeva 
instructs His bona fide devotee. The Lord declares that by enlightenment 
in theistic knowledge He awards attachment for Him to those who 
constantly engage in His transcendental loving service. This awakening 
of divine consciousness enthralls a devotee, who thus relishes his 
eternal transcendental mellow. Such an awakening is awarded only to 
those convinced by devotional service about the transcendental nature of 
the Personality of Godhead. They know that the Supreme Truth, the all-
spiritual and all-powerful person, is one without a second and has fully 
transcendental senses. He is the fountainhead of all emanations. Such 
pure devotees, always merged in knowledge of Krsna and absorbed in Krsna 
consciousness, exchange thoughts and realizations as great scientists 
exchange their views and discuss the results of their research in 
scientific academies. Such exchanges of thoughts in regard to Krsna give 
pleasure to the Lord, who therefore favors such devotees with all 
enlightenment.
 
Adi 1.50
 
TEXT 50
 
TEXT
 
yatha brahmane bhagavan
svayam upadisyanubhavitavan
SYNONYMS
 
yatha -- just as; brahmane -- unto Lord Brahma; bhagavan -- the Supreme 
Lord; svayam -- Himself; upadisya -- having instructed; anubhavitavan -- 
caused to perceive.
 
TRANSLATION
 
The Supreme Personality of Godhead [svayam bhagavan] taught Brahma and 
made him self-realized.
 
PURPORT
 
The English maxim that God helps those who help themselves is also 
applicable in the transcendental realm. There are many instances in the 
revealed scriptures of the Personality of Godhead's acting as the 
spiritual master from within. The Personality of Godhead was the 
spiritual master who instructed Brahma, the original living being in the 
cosmic creation. When Brahma was first created, he could not apply his 
creative energy to arrange the cosmic situation. At first there was only 
sound, vibrating the word tapa, which indicates the acceptance of 
hardships for spiritual realization. Refraining from sensual enjoyment, 
one should voluntarily accept all sorts of difficulties for spiritual 
realization. This is called tapasya. An enjoyer of the senses can never 
realize God, godliness or the science of theistic knowledge. Thus when 
Brahma, initiated by Sri Krsna by the sound vibration tapa, engaged 
himself in acts of austerity, by the pleasure of Visnu he was able to 
visualize the transcendental world, Sri Vaikuntha, through 
transcendental realization. Modern science can communicate using 
material discoveries such as radio, television and computers, but the 
science invoked by the austerities of Sri Brahma, the original father of 
mankind, was still more subtle. In time, material scientists may also 
know how we can communicate with the Vaikuntha world. Lord Brahma 
inquired about the potency of the Supreme Lord, and the Personality of 
Godhead answered his inquiry in the following six consecutive statements.
 These instructions, which are reproduced from Srimad-Bhagavatam (2.9.31–
36), were imparted by the Personality of Godhead, acting as the supreme 
spiritual master.
 
Adi 1.51
 
TEXT 51
 
TEXT
 
jnanam parama-guhyam me
yad vijnana-samanvitam
sa-rahasyam tad-angam ca
grhana gaditam maya
SYNONYMS
 
jnanam -- knowledge; parama -- extremely; guhyam -- confidential; me -- 
of Me; yat -- which; vijnana -- realization; samanvitam -- fully endowed 
with; sa-rahasyam -- along with mystery; tat -- of that; angam -- 
supplementary parts; ca -- and; grhana -- just try to take up; gaditam --
 explained; maya -- by Me.
 
TRANSLATION
 
"Please hear attentively what I shall speak to you, for transcendental 
knowledge about Me is not only scientific but also full of mysteries.
 
PURPORT
 
Transcendental knowledge of Sri Krsna is deeper than the impersonal 
knowledge of Brahman, for it includes knowledge of not only His form and 
personality but also everything else related to Him. There is nothing in 
existence not related to Sri Krsna. In a sense, there is nothing but Sri 
Krsna, and yet nothing is Sri Krsna save and except His primeval 
personality. This knowledge constitutes a complete transcendental 
science, and Visnu wanted to give Brahmaji full knowledge about that 
science. The mystery of this knowledge culminates in personal attachment 
to the Lord, with a resulting effect of detachment from anything "non-
Krsna." There are nine alternative transcendental means of attaining 
this stage: hearing, chanting, remembering, serving the lotus feet of 
the Lord, worshiping, praying, assisting, fraternizing with the Lord, 
and sacrificing everything for Him. These are different parts of the 
same devotional service, which is full of transcendental mystery. The 
Lord said to Brahma that since He was pleased with him, by His grace the 
mystery was being revealed.
 
Adi 1.52
 
TEXT 52
 
TEXT
 
yavan aham yatha-bhavo
yad-rupa-guna-karmakah
tathaiva tattva-vijnanam
astu te mad-anugrahat
SYNONYMS
 
yavan -- as I am in My eternal form; aham -- I; yatha -- in whichever 
manner; bhavah -- transcendental existence; yat -- whatever; rupa -- 
various forms and colors; guna -- qualities; karmakah -- activities; 
tatha eva -- exactly so; tattva-vijnanam -- factual realization; astu -- 
let there be; te -- your; mat -- My; anugrahat -- by causeless mercy.
 
TRANSLATION
 
"By My causeless mercy, be enlightened in truth about My personality, 
manifestations, qualities and pastimes.
 
PURPORT
 
The transcendental personal forms of the Lord are a mystery, and the 
symptoms of these forms, which are absolutely different from anything 
made of mundane elements, are also mysterious. The innumerable forms of 
the Lord, such as Syamasundara, Narayana, Rama and Gaurasundara; the 
colors of these forms (white, red, yellow, cloudlike syama and others); 
His qualities, as the responsive Personality of Godhead to pure devotees 
and as impersonal Brahman to dry speculators; His uncommon activities 
like lifting Govardhana Hill, marrying more than sixteen thousand queens 
at Dvaraka, and entering the rasa dance with the damsels of Vraja, 
expanding Himself in as many forms as there were damsels in the dance -- 
these and innumerable other uncommon acts and attributes are all 
mysteries, one aspect of which is presented in the scientific knowledge 
of the Bhagavad-gita, which is read and adored all over the world by all 
classes of scholars, with as many interpretations as there are empiric 
philosophers. The truth of these mysteries was revealed to Brahma by the 
descending process, without the help of the ascending one. The Lord's 
mercy descends to a devotee like Brahma and, through Brahma, to Narada, 
from Narada to Vyasa, from Vyasadeva to Sukadeva and so on in the bona 
fide chain of disciplic succession. We cannot discover the mysteries of 
the Lord by our mundane endeavors; they are only revealed, by His grace, 
to the proper devotees. These mysteries are gradually disclosed to the 
various grades of devotees in proportion to the gradual development of 
their service attitude. In other words, impersonalists who depend upon 
the strength of their poor fund of knowledge and morbid speculative 
habits, without submission and service in the forms of hearing, chanting 
and the others mentioned above, cannot penetrate to the mysterious 
region of transcendence where the Supreme Truth is a transcendental 
person, free from all tinges of the material elements. Discovering the 
mystery of the Lord eliminates the impersonal feature realized by common 
spiritualists who are merely trying to enter the spiritual region from 
the mundane platform.
 
Adi 1.53
 
TEXT 53
 
TEXT
 
aham evasam evagre
nanyad yat sad-asat param
pascad aham yad etac ca
yo 'vasisyeta so 'smy aham
SYNONYMS
 
aham -- I, the Personality of Godhead; eva -- certainly; asam -- existed;
 eva -- only; agre -- before the creation; na -- never; anyat -- 
anything else; yat -- which; sat -- the effect; asat -- the cause; param 
-- the supreme; pascat -- at the end; aham -- I, the Personality of 
Godhead; yat -- which; etat -- this creation; ca -- also; yah -- who; 
avasisyeta -- remains; sah -- that; asmi -- am; aham -- I, the 
Personality of Godhead.
 
TRANSLATION
 
"Prior to the cosmic creation, only I exist, and no phenomena exist, 
either gross, subtle or primordial. After creation, only I exist in 
everything, and after annihilation, only I remain eternally.
 
PURPORT
 
Aham means "I"; therefore the speaker who is saying aham, "I," must have 
His own personality. The Mayavadi philosophers interpret this word aham 
as referring to the impersonal Brahman. The Mayavadis are very proud of 
their grammatical knowledge, but any person who has actual knowledge of 
grammar can understand that aham means "I" and that "I" refers to a 
personality. Therefore the Personality of Godhead, speaking to Brahma, 
uses aham while describing His own transcendental form. Aham has a 
specific meaning; it is not a vague term that can be whimsically 
interpreted. Aham, when spoken by Krsna, refers to the Supreme 
Personality of Godhead and nothing else.
 
Before the creation and after its dissolution, only the Supreme 
Personality of Godhead and His associates exist; there is no existence 
of the material elements. This is confirmed in the Vedic literature. 
Vasudevo va idam agra asin na brahma na ca sankarah. The meaning of this 
mantra is that before creation there was no existence of Brahma or Siva, 
for only Visnu existed. Visnu exists in His abode, the Vaikunthas. There 
are innumerable Vaikuntha planets in the spiritual sky, and on each of 
them Visnu resides with His associates and His paraphernalia. It is also 
confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita that although the creation is 
periodically dissolved, there is another abode, which is never dissolved.
 The word "creation" refers to the material creation because in the 
spiritual world everything exists eternally and there is no creation or 
dissolution.
 
The Lord indicates herein that before the material creation He existed 
in fullness with all transcendental opulences, including all strength, 
all wealth, all beauty, all knowledge, all fame and all renunciation. If 
one thinks of a king, he automatically thinks of his secretaries, 
ministers, military commanders, palaces and so on. Since a king has such 
opulences, one can simply try to imagine the opulences of the Supreme 
Personality of Godhead. When the Lord says aham, therefore, it is to be 
understood that He exists with full potency, including all opulences.
 
The word yat refers to Brahman, the impersonal effulgence of the Lord. 
In the Brahma-samhita (5.40) it is said, tad brahma niskalam anantam 
asesa-bhutam: the Brahman effulgence expands unlimitedly. Just as the 
sun is a localized planet with the sunshine expanding unlimitedly from 
that source, so the Absolute Truth is the Supreme Personality of Godhead 
with His effulgence of energy, Brahman, expanding unlimitedly. From that 
Brahman energy the creation appears, just as a cloud appears in sunshine.
 From the cloud comes rain, from the rain comes vegetation, and from the 
vegetation come fruits and flowers, which are the basis of subsistence 
for many other forms of life. Similarly, the effulgent bodily luster of 
the Supreme Lord is the cause of the creation of infinite universes. The 
Brahman effulgence is impersonal, but the cause of that energy is the 
Supreme Personality of Godhead. From Him, in His abode, the Vaikunthas, 
this brahmajyoti emanates. He is never impersonal. Since 
impersonalists cannot understand the source of the Brahman energy, they 
mistakenly choose to think this impersonal Brahman the ultimate or 
absolute goal. But as stated in the Upanisads, one has to penetrate the 
impersonal effulgence to see the face of the Supreme Lord. If one 
desires to reach the source of the sunshine, he has to travel through 
the sunshine to reach the sun and then meet the predominating deity 
there. The Absolute Truth is the Supreme Person, Bhagavan, as Srimad-
Bhagavatam explains.
 
Sat means "effect," asat means "cause," and param refers to the ultimate 
truth, which is transcendental to cause and effect. The cause of the 
creation is called the mahat-tattva, or total material energy, and its 
effect is the creation itself. But neither cause nor effect existed in 
the beginning; they emanated from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, as 
did the energy of time. This is stated in the Vedanta-sutra (janmady 
asya yatah). The source of birth of the cosmic manifestation, or mahat-
tattva, is the Personality of Godhead. This is confirmed throughout 
Srimad-Bhagavatam and the Bhagavad-gita. In the Bhagavad-gita (10.8) the 
Lord says, aham sarvasya prabhavah: "I am the fountainhead of all 
emanations." The material cosmos, being temporary, is sometimes manifest 
and sometimes unmanifest, but its energy emanates from the Supreme 
Absolute Lord. Before the creation there was neither cause nor effect, 
but the Supreme Personality of Godhead existed with His full opulence 
and energy.
 
The words pascad aham indicate that the Lord exists after the 
dissolution of the cosmic manifestation. When the material world is 
dissolved, the Lord still exists personally in the Vaikunthas. During 
the creation the Lord also exists as He is in the Vaikunthas, and He 
also exists as the Supersoul within the material universes. This is 
confirmed in the Brahma-samhita (5.37). Goloka eva nivasati: although He 
is perfectly and eternally present in Goloka Vrndavana in Vaikuntha, He 
is nevertheless all-pervading (akhilatma-bhutah). The all-pervading 
feature of the Lord is called the Supersoul. In the Bhagavad-gita it is 
said, aham krtsnasya jagatah prabhavah: the cosmic manifestation is a 
display of the energy of the Supreme Lord. The material elements (earth, 
water, fire, air, ether, mind, intelligence and false ego) display the 
inferior energy of the Lord, and the living entities are His superior 
energy. Since the energy of the Lord is not different from Him, in fact 
everything that exists is Krsna in His impersonal feature. Sunshine, 
sunlight and heat are not different from the sun, and yet simultaneously 
they are distinct energies of the sun. Similarly, the cosmic 
manifestation and the living entities are energies of the Lord, and they 
are considered to be simultaneously one with and different from Him. The 
Lord therefore says, "I am everything," because everything is His energy 
and is therefore nondifferent from Him.
 
Yo 'vasisyeta so 'smy aham indicates that the Lord is the balance that 
exists after the dissolution of the creation. The spiritual 
manifestation never vanishes. It belongs to the internal energy of the 
Supreme Lord and exists eternally. When the external manifestation is 
withdrawn, the spiritual activities in Goloka and the rest of the 
Vaikunthas continue, unrestricted by material time, which has no 
existence in the spiritual world. Therefore in the Bhagavad-gita (15.6) 
it is said, yad gatva na nivartante tad dhama paramam mama: "The abode 
from which no one returns to this material world is the supreme abode of 
the Lord."
 
Adi 1.54
 
TEXT 54
 
TEXT
 
rte 'rtham yat pratiyeta
na pratiyeta catmani
tad vidyad atmano mayam
yathabhaso yatha tamah
SYNONYMS
 
rte -- without; artham -- value; yat -- that which; pratiyeta -- appears 
to be; na -- not; pratiyeta -- appears to be; ca -- certainly; atmani -- 
in relation to Me; tat -- that; vidyat -- you must know; atmanah -- My; 
mayam -- illusory energy; yatha -- just as; abhasah -- the reflection; 
yatha -- just as; tamah -- the darkness.
 
TRANSLATION
 
"What appears to be truth without Me is certainly My illusory energy, 
for nothing can exist without Me. It is like a reflection of a real 
light in the shadows, for in the light there are neither shadows nor 
reflections.
 
PURPORT
 
In the previous verse the Absolute Truth and its nature have been 
explained. One must also understand the relative truth to actually know 
the Absolute. The relative truth, which is called maya, or material 
nature, is explained here. Maya has no independent existence. One who is 
less intelligent is captivated by the wonderful activities of maya, but 
he does not understand that behind these activities is the direction of 
the Supreme Lord. In the Bhagavad-gita (9.10) it is said, mayadhyaksena 
prakrtih suyate sa-caracaram: the material nature is working and 
producing moving and nonmoving beings only by the supervision of Krsna.
 
The real nature of maya, the illusory existence of the material 
manifestation, is clearly explained in Srimad-Bhagavatam. The Absolute 
Truth is substance, and the relative truth depends upon its relationship 
with the Absolute for its existence. Maya means energy; therefore the 
relative truth is explained to be the energy of the Absolute Truth. 
Since it is difficult to understand the distinction between the absolute 
and relative truths, an analogy can be given for clarification. The 
Absolute Truth can be compared to the sun, which is appreciated in terms 
of two relative truths: reflection and darkness. Darkness is the absence 
of sunshine, and a reflection is a projection of sunlight into darkness. 
Neither darkness nor reflection has an independent existence. Darkness 
comes when the sunshine is blocked. For example, if one stands facing 
the sun, his back will be in darkness. Since darkness stands in the 
absence of the sun, it is therefore relative to the sun. The spiritual 
world is compared to the real sunshine, and the material world is 
compared to the dark regions where the sun is not visible.
 
When the material manifestation appears very wonderful, this is due to a 
perverted reflection of the supreme sunshine, the Absolute Truth, as 
confirmed in the Vedanta-sutra. Whatever one can see here has its 
substance in the Absolute. As darkness is situated far away from the sun,
 so the material world is also far away from the spiritual world. The 
Vedic literature directs us not to be captivated by the dark regions (
tamah) but to try to reach the shining regions of the Absolute (yogi-
dhama).
 
The spiritual world is brightly illuminated, but the material world is 
wrapped in darkness. In the material world, sunshine, moonshine or 
different kinds of artificial light are required to dispel darkness, 
especially at night, for by nature the material world is dark. Therefore 
the Supreme Lord has arranged for sunshine and moonshine. But in His 
abode, as described in the Bhagavad-gita (15.6), there is no necessity 
for lighting by sunshine, moonshine or electricity because everything is 
self-effulgent.
 
That which is relative, temporary and far away from the Absolute Truth 
is called maya, or ignorance. This illusion is exhibited in two ways, as 
explained in the Bhagavad-gita. The inferior illusion is inert matter, 
and the superior illusion is the living entity. The living entities are 
called illusory in this context only because they are implicated in the 
illusory structures and activities of the material world. Actually the 
living entities are not illusory, for they are parts of the superior 
energy of the Supreme Lord and do not have to be covered by maya if they 
do not want to be so. The actions of the living entities in the 
spiritual kingdom are not illusory; they are the actual, eternal 
activities of liberated souls.
 
Adi 1.55
 
TEXT 55
 
TEXT
 
yatha mahanti bhutani
bhutesuccavacesv anu
pravistany apravistani
tatha tesu na tesv aham
SYNONYMS
 
yatha -- as; mahanti -- the universal; bhutani -- elements; bhutesu -- 
in the living entities; ucca-avacesu -- both gigantic and minute; anu -- 
after; pravistani -- situated internally; apravistani -- situated 
externally; tatha -- so; tesu -- in them; na -- not; tesu -- in them; 
aham -- I.
 
TRANSLATION
 
"As the material elements enter the bodies of all living beings and yet 
remain outside them all, I exist within all material creations and yet 
am not within them.
 
PURPORT
 
The gross material elements (earth, water, fire, air and ether) combine 
with the subtle material elements (mind, intelligence and false ego) to 
construct the bodies of this material world, and yet they are beyond 
these bodies as well. Any material construction is nothing but an 
amalgamation or combination of material elements in varied proportions. 
These elements exist both within and beyond the body. For example, 
although the sky exists in space, it also enters within the body. 
Similarly, the Supreme Lord, who is the cause of the material energy, 
lives within the material world as well as beyond it. Without His 
presence within the material world, the cosmic body could not develop, 
just as without the presence of the spirit within the physical body, the 
body could not develop. The entire material manifestation develops and 
exists because the Supreme Personality of Godhead enters it as Paramatma,
 or the Supersoul. The Personality of Godhead in His all-pervading 
feature of Paramatma enters every entity, from the biggest to the most 
minute. His existence can be realized by one who has the single 
qualification of submissiveness and who thereby becomes a surrendered 
soul. The development of submissiveness is the cause of proportionate 
spiritual realization, by which one can ultimately meet the Supreme Lord 
in person, as a man meets another man face to face.
 
Because of his development of transcendental attachment for the Supreme 
Lord, a surrendered soul feels the presence of his beloved everywhere, 
and all his senses are engaged in the loving service of the Lord. His 
eyes are engaged in seeing the beautiful couple Sri Radha and Krsna 
sitting on a decorated throne beneath a desire tree in the 
transcendental land of Vrndavana. His nose is engaged in smelling the 
spiritual aroma of the lotus feet of the Lord. Similarly, his ears are 
engaged in hearing messages from Vaikuntha, and his hands embrace the 
lotus feet of the Lord and His associates. Thus the Lord is manifested 
to a pure devotee from within and without. This is one of the mysteries 
of the devotional relationship in which a devotee and the Lord are bound 
by a tie of spontaneous love. To achieve this love should be the goal of 
life for every living being.
 
Adi 1.56
 
TEXT 56
 
TEXT
 
etavad eva jijnasyam
tattva-jijnasunatmanah
anvaya-vyatirekabhyam
yat syat sarvatra sarvada
SYNONYMS
 
etavat -- up to this; eva -- certainty; jijnasyam -- to be inquired 
about; tattva -- of the Absolute Truth; jijnasuna -- by the student; 
atmanah -- of the Self; anvaya -- directly; vyatirekabhyam -- and 
indirectly; yat -- whatever; syat -- it may be; sarvatra -- everywhere; 
sarvada -- always.
 
TRANSLATION
 
"A person interested in transcendental knowledge must therefore always 
directly and indirectly inquire about it to know the all-pervading truth.
"
 
PURPORT
 
Those who are serious about the knowledge of the transcendental world, 
which is far beyond the material cosmic creation, must approach a bona 
fide spiritual master to learn the science both directly and indirectly. 
One must learn both the means to approach the desired destination and 
the hindrances to such progress. The spiritual master knows how to 
regulate the habits of a neophyte disciple, and therefore a serious 
student must learn the science in all its aspects from him.
 
There are different grades and standards of prosperity. The standard of 
comfort and happiness conceived by a common man engaged in material 
labor is the lowest grade of happiness, for it is in relationship with 
the body. The highest standard of such bodily comfort is achieved by a 
fruitive worker who by pious activities reaches the plane of heaven, or 
the kingdom of the creative gods with their delegated powers. But the 
conception of comfortable life in heaven is insignificant in comparison 
to the happiness enjoyed in the impersonal Brahman, and this brahmananda,
 the spiritual bliss derived from impersonal Brahman, is like the water 
in the hoofprint of a calf compared to the ocean of love of Godhead. 
When one develops pure love for the Lord, he derives an ocean of 
transcendental happiness from the association of the Personality of 
Godhead. To qualify oneself to reach this stage of life is the highest 
perfection.
 
One should try to purchase a ticket to go back home, back to Godhead. 
The price of such a ticket is one's intense desire for it, which is not 
easily awakened, even if one continuously performs pious activities for 
thousands of lives. All mundane relationships are sure to be broken in 
the course of time, but once one establishes a relationship with the 
Personality of Godhead in a particular rasa, it is never to be broken, 
even after the annihilation of the material world.
 
One should understand, through the transparent medium of the spiritual 
master, that the Supreme Lord exists everywhere in His transcendental 
spiritual nature and that the living entities' relationships with the 
Lord are directly and indirectly existing everywhere, even in this 
material world. In the spiritual world there are five kinds of 
relationships with the Supreme Lord -- santa, dasya, sakhya, vatsalya 
and madhurya. The perverted reflections of these rasas are found in the 
material world. Land, home, furniture and other inert material objects 
are related in santa, or the neutral and silent sense, whereas servants 
work in the dasya relationship. The reciprocation between friends is 
called sakhya, the affection of a parent for a child is known as 
vatsalya, and the affairs of conjugal love constitute madhurya. These 
five relationships in the material world are distorted reflections of 
the original, pure sentiments, which should be understood and perfected 
in relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead under the 
guidance of a bona fide spiritual master. In the material world the 
perverted rasas bring frustration. If these rasas are reestablished with 
Lord Krsna, the result is eternal, blissful life.
 
From this and the preceding three verses of the Caitanya-caritamrta, 
which have been selected from Srimad-Bhagavatam, the missionary 
activities of Lord Caitanya can be understood. Srimad-Bhagavatam has 
eighteen thousand verses, which are summarized in the four verses 
beginning with aham evasam evagre (53) and concluding with yat syat 
sarvatra sarvada (56). In the first of these verses (53) the 
transcendental nature of Lord Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, 
is explained. The second verse (54) further explains that the Lord is 
detached from the workings of the material energy, maya. The living 
entities, although parts and parcels of Lord Krsna, are prone to be 
controlled by the external energy; therefore, although they are 
spiritual, in the material world they are encased in bodies of material 
energy. The eternal relationship of the living entities with the Supreme 
Lord is explained in that verse. The next verse (55) instructs that the 
Supreme Personality of Godhead, by His inconceivable energies, is 
simultaneously one with and different from the living entities and the 
material energy. This knowledge is called acintya-bhedabheda-tattva. 
When an individual living entity surrenders to the Supreme Lord, Krsna, 
he can then develop natural transcendental love for Him. This 
surrendering process should be the primary concern of a human being. In 
the next verse (56) it is said that a conditioned soul must ultimately 
approach a bona fide spiritual master and try to understand perfectly 
the material and spiritual worlds and his own existential position. Here 
the words anvaya-vyatirekabhyam, "directly and indirectly," suggest that 
one must learn the process of devotional service in its two aspects: one 
must directly execute the process of devotional service and indirectly 
avoid the impediments to progress.
 
Adi 1.57
 
TEXT 57
 
TEXT
 
cintamanir jayati somagirir gurur me
siksa-gurus ca bhagavan sikhi-pincha-maulih
yat-pada-kalpataru-pallava-sekharesu
lila-svayamvara-rasam labhate jayasrih
SYNONYMS
 
cintamanih jayati -- all glory to Cintamani; soma-girih -- Somagiri (the 
initiating guru); guruh -- spiritual master; me -- my; siksa-guruh -- 
instructing spiritual master; ca -- and; bhagavan -- the Supreme 
Personality of Godhead; sikhi-pincha -- with peacock feathers; maulih -- 
whose head; yat -- whose; pada -- of the lotus feet; kalpa-taru -- like 
desire trees; pallava -- like new leaves; sekharesu -- at the toe nails; 
lila-svayam-vara -- of conjugal pastimes; rasam -- the mellow; labhate --
 obtains; jaya-srih -- Srimati Radharani.
 
TRANSLATION
 
"All glories to Cintamani and my initiating spiritual master, Somagiri. 
All glories to my instructing spiritual master, the Supreme Personality 
of Godhead, who wears peacock feathers in His crown. Under the shade of 
His lotus feet, which are like desire trees, Jayasri [Radharani] enjoys 
the transcendental mellow of an eternal consort."
 
PURPORT
 
This verse is from the Krsna-karnamrta, which was written by a great 
Vaisnava sannyasi named Bilvamangala Thakura, who is also known as 
Lilasuka. He intensely desired to enter into the eternal pastimes of the 
Lord, and he lived at Vrndavana for seven hundred years in the vicinity 
of Brahma-kunda, a still-existing bathing tank in Vrndavana. The history 
of Bilvamangala Thakura is given in a book called Sri-vallabha-digvijaya.
 He appeared in the eighth century of the Saka Era in the province of 
Dravida and was the chief disciple of Visnu Svami. In a list of temples 
and monasteries kept in Sankaracarya's monastery in Dvaraka, 
Bilvamangala is mentioned as the founder of the Dvarakadhisa temple 
there. He entrusted the service of his Deity to Hari Brahmacari, a 
disciple of Vallabha Bhatta.
 
Bilvamangala Thakura actually entered into the transcendental pastimes 
of Lord Krsna. He has recorded his transcendental experiences and 
appreciation in the book known as Krsna-karnamrta. In the beginning of 
that book he has offered his obeisances to his different gurus, and it 
is to be noted that he has adored them all equally. The first spiritual 
master mentioned is Cintamani, who was one of his instructing spiritual 
masters because she first showed him the spiritual path. Cintamani was a 
prostitute with whom Bilvamangala was intimate earlier in his life. She 
gave him the inspiration to begin on the path of devotional service, and 
because she convinced him to give up material existence to try for 
perfection by loving Krsna, he has first offered his respects to her. 
Next he offers his respects to his initiating spiritual master, Somagiri,
 and then to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who was also his 
instructing spiritual master. He explicitly mentions Bhagavan, who has 
peacock feathers on His crown, because the Lord of Vrndavana, Krsna the 
cowherd boy, used to come to Bilvamangala to talk with him and supply 
him with milk. In his adoration of Sri Krsna, the Personality of Godhead,
 he states that Jayasri, the goddess of fortune, Srimati Radharani, 
takes shelter in the shade of His lotus feet to enjoy the transcendental 
rasa of nuptial love. The complete treatise Krsna-karnamrta is dedicated 
to the transcendental pastimes of Sri Krsna and Srimati Radharani. It is 
a book to be read and understood by the most elevated devotees of Sri 
Krsna.
 
Adi 1.58
 
TEXT 58
 
TEXT
 
jive saksat nahi tate guru caittya-rupe
siksa-guru haya krsna-mahanta-svarupe
SYNONYMS
 
jive -- by the living entity; saksat -- direct experience; nahi -- there 
is not; tate -- therefore; guru -- the spiritual master; caittya-rupe -- 
in the form of the Supersoul; siksa-guru -- the spiritual master who 
instructs; haya -- appears; krsna -- Krsna, the Supreme Personality of 
Godhead; mahanta -- the topmost devotee; sva-rupe -- in the form of.
 
TRANSLATION
 
Since one cannot visually experience the presence of the Supersoul, He 
appears before us as a liberated devotee. Such a spiritual master is 
none other than Krsna Himself.
 
PURPORT
 
It is not possible for a conditioned soul to directly meet Krsna, the 
Supreme Personality of Godhead, but if one becomes a sincere devotee and 
seriously engages in devotional service, Lord Krsna sends an instructing 
spiritual master to show him favor and invoke his dormant propensity for 
serving the Supreme. The preceptor appears before the external senses of 
the fortunate conditioned soul, and at the same time the devotee is 
guided from within by the caittya-guru, Krsna, who is seated as the 
spiritual master within the heart of the living entity.
 
Adi 1.59
 
TEXT 59
 
TEXT
 
tato duhsangam utsrjya
satsu sajjeta buddhi-man
santa evasya chindanti
mano-vyasangam uktibhih
SYNONYMS
 
tatah -- therefore; duhsangam -- bad association; utsrjya -- giving up; 
satsu -- with the devotees; sajjeta -- one should associate; buddhi-man -
- an intelligent person; santah -- devotees; eva -- certainly; asya -- 
one's; chindanti -- cut off; manah-vyasangam -- opposing attachments; 
uktibhih -- by their instructions.
 
TRANSLATION
 
"One should therefore avoid bad company and associate only with devotees.
 With their realized instructions, such saints can cut the knot 
connecting one with activities unfavorable to devotional service."
 
PURPORT
 
This verse, which appears in Srimad-Bhagavatam (11.26.26), was spoken by 
Lord Krsna to Uddhava in the text known as the Uddhava-gita. The 
discussion relates to the story of Pururava and the heavenly courtesan 
Urvasi. When Urvasi left Pururava, he was deeply affected by the 
separation and had to learn to overcome his grief.
 
It is indicated that to learn the transcendental science, it is 
imperative that one avoid the company of undesirable persons and always 
seek the company of saints and sages who are able to impart lessons of 
transcendental knowledge. The potent words of such realized souls 
penetrate the heart, thereby eradicating all misgivings accumulated 
through years of undesirable association. For a neophyte devotee there 
are two kinds of persons whose association is undesirable: (1) gross 
materialists who constantly engage in sense gratification and (2) 
unbelievers who do not serve the Supreme Personality of Godhead but 
serve their senses and their mental whims in terms of their speculative 
habits. Intelligent persons seeking transcendental realization should 
very scrupulously avoid their company.
 
Adi 1.60
 
TEXT 60
 
TEXT
 
satam prasangan mama virya-samvido
bhavanti hrt-karna-rasayanah kathah
taj-josanad asv apavarga-vartmani
sraddha ratir bhaktir anukramisyati
SYNONYMS
 
satam -- of the devotees; prasangat -- by intimate association; mama -- 
of Me; virya-samvidah -- talks full of spiritual potency; bhavanti -- 
appear; hrt -- to the heart; karna -- and to the ears; rasa-ayanah -- a 
source of sweetness; kathah -- talks; tat -- of them; josanat -- from 
proper cultivation; asu -- quickly; apavarga -- of liberation; vartmani -
- on the path; sraddha -- faith; ratih -- attraction; bhaktih -- love; 
anukramisyati -- will follow one after another.
 
TRANSLATION
 
"The spiritually powerful message of Godhead can be properly discussed 
only in a society of devotees, and it is greatly pleasing to hear in 
that association. If one hears from devotees, the way of transcendental 
experience quickly opens, and gradually one attains firm faith that in 
due course develops into attraction and devotion."
 
PURPORT
 
This verse appears in Srimad-Bhagavatam (3.25.25), where Kapiladeva 
replies to the questions of His mother, Devahuti, about the process of 
devotional service. As one advances in devotional activities, the 
process becomes progressively clearer and more encouraging. Unless one 
gets this spiritual encouragement by following the instructions of the 
spiritual master, it is not possible to make advancement. Therefore, one'
s development of a taste for executing these instructions is the test of 
one's devotional service. Initially, one must develop confidence by 
hearing the science of devotion from a qualified spiritual master. Then, 
as he associates with devotees and tries to adopt the means instructed 
by the spiritual master in his own life, his misgivings and other 
obstacles are vanquished by his execution of devotional service. Strong 
attachment for the transcendental service of the Lord develops as he 
continues listening to the messages of Godhead, and if he steadfastly 
proceeds in this way, he is certainly elevated to spontaneous love for 
the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
 
Adi 1.61
 
TEXT 61
 
TEXT
 
isvara-svarupa bhakta tanra adhisthana
bhaktera hrdaye krsnera satata visrama
SYNONYMS
 
isvara -- the Supreme Personality of Godhead; svarupa -- identical with; 
bhakta -- the pure devotee; tanra -- His; adhisthana -- abode; bhaktera -
- of the devotee; hrdaye -- in the heart; krsnera -- of Lord Krsna; 
satata -- always; visrama -- the resting place.
 
TRANSLATION
 
A pure devotee constantly engaged in the loving service of the Lord is 
identical with the Lord, who is always seated in his heart.
 
PURPORT
 
The Supreme Personality of Godhead is one without a second, and 
therefore He is all-powerful. He has inconceivable energies, of which 
three are principal. The devotee is considered to be one of these 
energies, never the energetic. The energetic is always the Supreme Lord. 
The energies are related to Him for the purpose of eternal service. A 
living entity in the conditioned stage can uncover his aptitude for 
serving the Absolute Truth by the grace of Krsna and the spiritual 
master. Then the Lord reveals Himself within his heart, and he can know 
that Krsna is seated in the heart of every pure devotee. Krsna is 
actually situated in the heart of every living entity, but only a 
devotee can realize this fact.
 
Adi 1.62
 
TEXT 62
 
TEXT
 
sadhavo hrdayam mahyam
sadhunam hrdayam tv aham
mad-anyat te na jananti
naham tebhyo manag api
SYNONYMS
 
sadhavah -- the saints; hrdayam -- heart; mahyam -- My; sadhunam -- of 
the saints; hrdayam -- the heart; tu -- indeed; aham -- I; mat -- than 
Me; anyat -- other; te -- they; na -- not; jananti -- know; na -- nor; 
aham -- I; tebhyah -- than them; manak -- slightly; api -- even.
 
TRANSLATION
 
"Saints are My heart, and only I am their hearts. They do not know 
anyone but Me, and therefore I do not recognize anyone besides them as 
Mine."
 
PURPORT
 
This verse appears in Srimad-Bhagavatam (9.4.68) in connection with a 
misunderstanding between Durvasa Muni and Maharaja Ambarisa. As a result 
of this misunderstanding, Durvasa Muni tried to kill the king, when the 
Sudarsana cakra, the celebrated weapon of Godhead, appeared on the scene 
for the devoted king's protection. When the Sudarsana cakra attacked 
Durvasa Muni, he fled in fear of the weapon and sought shelter from all 
the great demigods in heaven. Not one of them was able to protect him, 
and therefore Durvasa Muni prayed to Lord Visnu for forgiveness. Lord 
Visnu advised him, however, that if he wanted forgiveness he had to get 
it from Maharaja Ambarisa, not from Him. In this context Lord Visnu 
spoke this verse.
 
The Lord, being full and free from problems, can wholeheartedly care for 
His devotees. His concern is how to elevate and protect all those who 
have taken shelter at His feet. The same responsibility is also 
entrusted to the spiritual master. The bona fide spiritual master's 
concern is how the devotees who have surrendered to him as a 
representative of the Lord may make progress in devotional service. The 
Supreme Personality of Godhead is always mindful of the devotees who 
fully engage in cultivating knowledge of Him, having taken shelter at 
His lotus feet.
 
Adi 1.63
 
TEXT 63
 
TEXT
 
bhavad-vidha bhagavatas
tirtha-bhutah svayam vibho
tirthi-kurvanti tirthani
svantah-sthena gada-bhrta
SYNONYMS
 
bhavat -- your good self; vidhah -- like; bhagavatah -- devotees; tirtha 
-- holy places of pilgrimage; bhutah -- existing; svayam -- themselves; 
vibho -- O almighty one; tirthi-kurvanti -- make into holy places of 
pilgrimage; tirthani -- the holy places; sva-antah-sthena -- being 
situated in their hearts; gada-bhrta -- by the Personality of Godhead.
 
TRANSLATION
 
"Saints of your caliber are themselves places of pilgrimage. Because of 
their purity, they are constant companions of the Lord, and therefore 
they can purify even the places of pilgrimage."
 
PURPORT
 
This verse was spoken by Maharaja Yudhisthira to Vidura in Srimad-
Bhagavatam (1.13.10). Maharaja Yudhisthira was receiving his saintly 
uncle Vidura, who had been visiting sacred places of pilgrimage. 
Maharaja Yudhisthira told Vidura that pure devotees like him are 
personified holy places because the Supreme Personality of Godhead is 
always with them in their hearts. By their association, sinful persons 
are freed from sinful reactions, and therefore wherever a pure devotee 
goes is a sacred place of pilgrimage. The importance of holy places is 
due to the presence there of such pure devotees.
 
Adi 1.64
 
TEXT 64
 
TEXT
 
sei bhakta-gana haya dvi-vidha prakara
parisad-gana eka, sadhaka-gana ara
SYNONYMS
 
sei -- these; bhakta-gana -- devotees; haya -- are; dvi-vidha -- twofold;
 prakara -- varieties; parisat-gana -- factual devotees; eka -- one; 
sadhaka-gana -- prospective devotees; ara -- the other.
 
TRANSLATION
 
Such pure devotees are of two types: personal associates [parisats] and 
neophyte devotees [sadhakas].
 
PURPORT
 
Perfect servitors of the Lord are considered His personal associates, 
whereas devotees endeavoring to attain perfection are called neophytes. 
Among the associates, some are attracted by the opulences of the 
Personality of Godhead, and others are attracted by nuptial love of 
Godhead. The former devotees are placed in the realm of Vaikuntha to 
render reverential devotional service, whereas the latter devotees are 
placed in Vrndavana for the direct service of Sri Krsna.
 
Adi 1.65–66
 
TEXTS 65–66
 
TEXT
 
isvarera avatara e-tina prakara
amsa-avatara, ara guna-avatara
saktyavesa-avatara -- trtiya e-mata
amsa-avatara -- purusa-matsyadika yata
SYNONYMS
 
isvarera -- of the Supreme Lord; avatara -- incarnations; e-tina -- 
these three; prakara -- kinds; amsa-avatara -- partial incarnations; ara 
-- and; guna-avatara -- qualitative incarnations; sakti-avesa-avatara -- 
empowered incarnations; trtiya -- the third; e-mata -- thus; amsa-
avatara -- partial incarnations; purusa -- the three purusa incarnations;
 matsya -- the fish incarnation; adika -- and so on; yata -- all.
 
TRANSLATION
 
There are three categories of incarnations of Godhead: partial 
incarnations, qualitative incarnations and empowered incarnations. The 
purusas and Matsya are examples of partial incarnations.
 
Adi 1.67
 
TEXT 67
 
TEXT
 
brahma visnu siva -- tina gunavatare gani
sakty-avesa -- sanakadi, prthu, vyasa-muni
SYNONYMS
 
brahma -- Lord Brahma; visnu -- Lord Visnu; siva -- Lord Siva; tina -- 
three; guna-avatare -- among the incarnations controlling the three 
modes of material nature; gani -- I count; sakti-avesa -- empowered 
incarnations; sanaka-adi -- the four Kumaras; prthu -- King Prthu; vyasa-
muni -- Vyasadeva.
 
TRANSLATION
 
Brahma, Visnu and Siva are qualitative incarnations. Empowered 
incarnations are those like the Kumaras, King Prthu and Maha-muni Vyasa [
the compiler of the Vedas].
 
Adi 1.68
 
TEXT 68
 
TEXT
 
dui-rupe haya bhagavanera prakasa
eke ta' prakasa haya, are ta' vilasa
SYNONYMS
 
dui-rupe -- in two forms; haya -- are; bhagavanera -- of the Supreme 
Personality of Godhead; prakasa -- manifestations; eke -- in one; ta' -- 
certainly; prakasa -- manifestation; haya -- is; are -- in the other; ta'
 -- certainly; vilasa -- engaged in pastimes.
 
TRANSLATION
 
The Personality of Godhead exhibits Himself in two kinds of forms: 
prakasa and vilasa.
 
PURPORT
 
The Supreme Lord expands His personal forms in two primary categories. 
The prakasa forms are manifested by Lord Krsna for His pastimes, and 
their features are exactly like His. When Lord Krsna married sixteen 
thousand queens in Dvaraka, He did so in sixteen thousand prakasa 
expansions. Similarly, during the rasa dance He expanded Himself in 
identical prakasa forms to dance beside each and every gopi 
simultaneously. When the Lord manifests His vilasa expansions, however, 
they are all somewhat different in their bodily features. Lord Balarama 
is the first vilasa expansion of Lord Krsna, and the four-handed 
Narayana forms in Vaikuntha expand from Balarama. There is no difference 
between the bodily forms of Sri Krsna and Balarama except that Their 
bodily colors are different. Similarly, Sri Narayana in Vaikuntha has 
four hands, whereas Krsna has only two. The expansions of the Lord who 
manifest such bodily differences are known as vilasa-vigrahas.
 
Adi 1.69–70
 
TEXTS 69–70
 
TEXT
 
eka-i vigraha yadi haya bahu-rupa
akare ta' bheda nahi, eka-i svarupa
mahisi-vivahe, yaiche yaiche kaila rasa
ihake kahiye krsnera mukhya ‘prakasa'
SYNONYMS
 
eka-i -- the same one; vigraha -- person; yadi -- if; haya -- becomes; 
bahu-rupa -- many forms; akare -- in appearance; ta' -- certainly; bheda 
-- difference; nahi -- there is not; eka-i -- one; sva-rupa -- identity; 
mahisi -- with the queens of Dvaraka; vivahe -- in the marriage; yaiche 
yaiche -- in a similar way; kaila -- He did; rasa -- rasa dance; ihake --
 this; kahiye -- I say; krsnera -- of Krsna; mukhya -- principal; 
prakasa -- manifested forms.
 
TRANSLATION
 
When the Personality of Godhead expands Himself in many forms, all 
nondifferent in Their features, as Lord Krsna did when He married 
sixteen thousand queens and when He performed His rasa dance, such forms 
of the Lord are called manifested forms [prakasa-vigrahas].
 
Adi 1.71
 
TEXT 71
 
TEXT
 
citram bataitad ekena
vapusa yugapat prthak
grhesu dvy-asta-sahasram
striya eka udavahat
SYNONYMS
 
citram -- wonderful; bata -- oh; etat -- this; ekena -- with one; vapusa 
-- form; yugapat -- simultaneously; prthak -- separately; grhesu -- in 
the houses; dvi-asta-sahasram -- sixteen thousand; striyah -- all the 
queens; ekah -- the one Sri Krsna; udavahat -- married.
 
TRANSLATION
 
"It is astounding that Lord Sri Krsna, who is one without a second, 
expanded Himself in sixteen thousand similar forms to marry sixteen 
thousand queens in their respective homes."
 
PURPORT
 
This verse is from Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.69.2).
 
Adi 1.72
 
TEXT 72
 
TEXT
 
rasotsavah sampravrtto
gopi-mandala-manditah
yogesvarena krsnena
tasam madhye dvayor dvayoh
SYNONYMS
 
rasa-utsavah -- the festival of the rasa dance; sampravrttah -- was 
begun; gopi-mandala -- by groups of gopis; manditah -- decorated; yoga-
isvarena -- by the master of all mystic powers; krsnena -- by Lord Krsna;
 tasam -- of them; madhye -- in the middle; dvayoh dvayoh -- of each two.
 
TRANSLATION
 
"When Lord Krsna, surrounded by groups of cowherd girls, began the 
festivities of the rasa dance, the Lord of all mystic powers placed 
Himself between each two girls."
 
PURPORT
 
This verse is also quoted from Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.33.3).
 
Adi 1.73–74
 
TEXTS 73–74
 
TEXT
 
pravistena grhitanam
kanthe sva-nikatam striyah
yam manyeran nabhas tavad
vimana-sata-sankulam
divaukasam sa-daranam
aty-autsukya-bhrtatmanam
tato dundubhayo nedur
nipetuh puspa-vrstayah
SYNONYMS
 
pravistena -- having entered; grhitanam -- of those embracing; kanthe -- 
on the neck; sva-nikatam -- situated at their own side; striyah -- the 
gopis; yam -- whom; manyeran -- would think; nabhah -- the sky; tavat -- 
at once; vimana -- of airplanes; sata -- with hundreds; sankulam -- 
crowded; diva-okasam -- of the demigods; sa-daranam -- with their wives; 
ati-autsukya -- with eagerness; bhrta-atmanam -- whose minds were filled;
 tatah -- then; dundubhayah -- kettledrums; neduh -- sounded; nipetuh -- 
fell; puspa-vrstayah -- showers of flowers.
 
TRANSLATION
 
"When the cowherd girls and Krsna thus joined together, each girl 
thought that Krsna was dearly embracing her alone. To behold this 
wonderful pastime of the Lord's, the denizens of heaven and their wives, 
all very eager to see the dance, flew in the sky in their hundreds of 
airplanes. They showered flowers and beat sweetly on drums."
 
PURPORT
 
This is another quotation from Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.33.3–4).
 
Adi 1.75
 
TEXT 75
 
TEXT
 
anekatra prakatata
rupasyaikasya yaikada
sarvatha tat-svarupaiva
sa prakasa itiryate
SYNONYMS
 
anekatra -- in many places; prakatata -- the manifestation; rupasya -- 
of form; ekasya -- one; ya -- which; ekada -- at one time; sarvatha -- 
in every respect; tat -- His; sva-rupa -- own form; eva -- certainly; 
sah -- that; prakasah -- manifestive form; iti -- thus; iryate -- it is 
called.
 
TRANSLATION
 
"If numerous forms, all equal in their features, are displayed 
simultaneously, such forms are called prakasa-vigrahas of the Lord."
 
PURPORT
 
This is a quotation from the Laghu-bhagavatamrta (1.21), compiled by 
Srila Rupa Gosvami.
 
Adi 1.76
 
TEXT 76
 
TEXT
 
eka-i vigraha kintu akare haya ana
aneka prakasa haya, ‘vilasa' tara nama
SYNONYMS
 
eka-i -- one; vigraha -- form; kintu -- but; akare -- in appearance; 
haya -- is; ana -- different; aneka -- many; prakasa -- manifestations; 
haya -- appear; vilasa -- pastime form; tara -- of that; nama -- the 
name.
 
TRANSLATION
 
But when the numerous forms are slightly different from one another, 
they are called vilasa-vigrahas.
 
Adi 1.77
 
TEXT 77
 
TEXT
 
svarupam anyakaram yat
tasya bhati vilasatah
prayenatma-samam saktya
sa vilaso nigadyate
SYNONYMS
 
sva-rupam -- the Lord's own form; anya -- other; akaram -- features of 
the body; yat -- which; tasya -- His; bhati -- appears; vilasatah -- 
from particular pastimes; prayena -- almost; atma-samam -- self-similar; 
saktya -- by His potency; sah -- that; vilasah -- the vilasa (pastime) 
form; nigadyate -- is called.
 
TRANSLATION
 
"When the Lord displays numerous forms with different features by His 
inconceivable potency, such forms are called vilasa-vigrahas."
 
PURPORT
 
This is another quotation from the Laghu-bhagavatamrta (1.15).
 
Adi 1.78
 
TEXT 78
 
TEXT
 
yaiche baladeva, paravyome narayana
yaiche vasudeva pradyumnadi sankarsana
SYNONYMS
 
yaiche -- just as; baladeva -- Baladeva; para-vyome -- in the spiritual 
sky; narayana -- Lord Narayana; yaiche -- just as; vasudeva -- Vasudeva; 
pradyumna-adi -- Pradyumna, etc.; sankarsana -- Sankarsana.
 
TRANSLATION
 
Examples of such vilasa-vigrahas are Baladeva, Narayana in Vaikuntha-
dhama, and the catur-vyuha-Vasudeva, Sankarsana, Pradyumna and Aniruddha.
 
Adi 1.79–80
 
TEXTS 79–80
 
TEXT
 
isvarera sakti haya e-tina prakara
eka laksmi-gana, pure mahisi-gana ara
vraje gopi-gana ara sabhate pradhana
vrajendra-nandana ya'te svayam bhagavan
SYNONYMS
 
isvarera -- of the Supreme Lord; sakti -- energy; haya -- is; e-tina -- 
these three; prakara -- kinds; eka -- one; laksmi-gana -- the goddesses 
of fortune in Vaikuntha; pure -- in Dvaraka; mahisi-gana -- the queens; 
ara -- and; vraje -- in Vrndavana; gopi-gana -- the gopis; ara -- and; 
sabhate -- among all of them; pradhana -- the chief; vraja-indra-nandana 
-- Krsna, the son of the King of Vraja; ya'te -- because; svayam -- 
Himself; bhagavan -- the primeval Lord.
 
TRANSLATION
 
The energies [consorts] of the Supreme Lord are of three kinds: the 
Laksmis in Vaikuntha, the queens in Dvaraka and the gopis in Vrndavana. 
The gopis are the best of all, for they have the privilege of serving 
Sri Krsna, the primeval Lord, the son of the King of Vraja.
 
Adi 1.81
 
TEXT 81
 
TEXT
 
svayam-rupa krsnera kaya-vyuha -- tanra sama
bhakta sahite haya tanhara avarana
SYNONYMS
 
svayam-rupa -- His own original form (two-handed Krsna); krsnera -- of 
Lord Krsna; kaya-vyuha -- personal expansions; tanra -- with Him; sama --
 equal; bhakta -- the devotees; sahite -- associated with; haya -- are; 
tanhara -- His; avarana -- covering.
 
TRANSLATION
 
The personal associates of the primeval Lord, Sri Krsna, are His 
devotees, who are identical with Him. He is complete with His entourage 
of devotees.
 
PURPORT
 
Sri Krsna and His various personal expansions are nondifferent in 
potential power. These expansions are associated with further, secondary 
expansions, or servitor expansions, who are called devotees.
 
Adi 1.82
 
TEXT 82
 
TEXT
 
bhakta adi krame kaila sabhara vandana
e-sabhara vandana sarva-subhera karana
SYNONYMS
 
bhakta -- the devotees; adi -- and so on; krame -- in order; kaila -- 
did; sabhara -- of the assembly; vandana -- worship; e-sabhara -- of 
this assembly; vandana -- worship; sarva-subhera -- of all good fortune; 
karana -- the source.
 
TRANSLATION
 
Now I have worshiped all the various levels of devotees. Worshiping them 
is the source of all good fortune.
 
PURPORT
 
To offer prayers to the Lord, one should first offer prayers to His 
devotees and associates.
 
Adi 1.83
 
TEXT 83
 
TEXT
 
prathama sloke kahi samanya mangalacarana
dvitiya slokete kari visesa vandana
SYNONYMS
 
prathama -- first; sloke -- in the verse; kahi -- I express; samanya -- 
general; mangala-acarana -- invocation of benediction; dvitiya -- second;
 slokete -- in the verse; kari -- I do; visesa -- particular; vandana -- 
offering of prayers.
 
TRANSLATION
 
In the first verse I have invoked a general benediction, but in the 
second I have prayed to the Lord in a particular form.
 
Adi 1.84
 
TEXT 84
 
TEXT
 
vande sri-krsna-caitanya-
nityanandau sahoditau
gaudodaye puspavantau
citrau san-dau tamo-nudau
SYNONYMS
 
vande -- I offer respectful obeisances; sri-krsna-caitanya -- to Lord 
Sri Krsna Caitanya; nityanandau -- and to Lord Nityananda; saha-uditau --
 simultaneously arisen; gauda-udaye -- on the eastern horizon of Gauda; 
puspavantau -- the sun and moon together; citrau -- wonderful; sam-dau --
 bestowing benediction; tamah-nudau -- dissipating darkness.
 
TRANSLATION
 
"I offer my respectful obeisances unto Sri Krsna Caitanya and Lord 
Nityananda, who are like the sun and moon. They have arisen 
simultaneously on the horizon of Gauda to dissipate the darkness of 
ignorance and thus wonderfully bestow benediction upon all."
 
Adi 1.85–86
 
TEXTS 85–86
 
TEXT
 
vraje ye vihare purve krsna-balarama
koti-surya-candra jini donhara nija-dhama
sei dui jagatere ha-iya sadaya
gaudadese purva-saile karila udaya
SYNONYMS
 
vraje -- in Vraja (Vrndavana); ye -- who; vihare -- played; purve -- 
formerly; krsna -- Lord Krsna; balarama -- Lord Balarama; koti -- 
millions; surya -- suns; candra -- moons; jini -- overcoming; donhara -- 
of the two; nija-dhama -- the effulgence; sei -- these; dui -- two; 
jagatere -- for the universe; ha-iya -- becoming; sa-daya -- 
compassionate; gauda-dese -- in the country of Gauda; purva-saile -- on 
the eastern horizon; karila -- did; udaya -- arise.
 
TRANSLATION
 
Sri Krsna and Balarama, the Personalities of Godhead, who formerly 
appeared in Vrndavana and were millions of times more effulgent than the 
sun and moon, have arisen over the eastern horizon of Gaudadesa [West 
Bengal], being compassionate for the fallen state of the world.
 
Adi 1.87
 
TEXT 87
 
TEXT
 
sri-krsna-caitanya ara prabhu nityananda
yanhara prakase sarva jagat ananda
SYNONYMS
 
sri-krsna-caitanya -- Lord Sri Krsna Caitanya; ara -- and; prabhu 
nityananda -- Lord Nityananda; yanhara -- of whom; prakase -- on the 
appearance; sarva -- all; jagat -- the world; ananda -- full of 
happiness.
 
TRANSLATION
 
The appearance of Sri Krsna Caitanya and Prabhu Nityananda has 
surcharged the world with happiness.
 
Adi 1.88–89
 
TEXTS 88–89
 
TEXT
 
surya-candra hare yaiche saba andhakara
vastu prakasiya kare dharmera pracara
ei mata dui bhai jivera ajnana-
tamo-nasa kari' kaila tattva-vastu-dana
SYNONYMS
 
surya-candra -- the sun and the moon; hare -- drive away; yaiche -- just 
as; saba -- all; andhakara -- darkness; vastu -- truth; prakasiya -- 
manifesting; kare -- do; dharmera -- of inborn nature; pracara -- 
preaching; ei mata -- like this; dui -- two; bhai -- brothers; jivera -- 
of the living being; ajnana -- of ignorance; tamah -- of the darkness; 
nasa -- destruction; kari' -- doing; kaila -- made; tattva-vastu -- of 
the Absolute Truth; dana -- gift.
 
TRANSLATION
 
As the sun and moon drive away darkness by their appearance and reveal 
the nature of everything, these two brothers dissipate the darkness of 
ignorance covering the living beings and enlighten them with knowledge 
of the Absolute Truth.
 
Adi 1.90
 
TEXT 90
 
TEXT
 
ajnana-tamera nama kahiye ‘kaitava'
dharma-artha-kama-moksa-vancha adi saba
SYNONYMS
 
ajnana-tamera -- of the darkness of ignorance; nama -- name; kahiye -- I 
call; kaitava -- cheating process; dharma -- religiosity; artha -- 
economic development; kama -- sense gratification; moksa -- liberation; 
vancha -- desire for; adi -- and so on; saba -- all.
 
TRANSLATION
 
The darkness of ignorance is called kaitava, the way of cheating, which 
begins with religiosity, economic development, sense gratification and 
liberation.
 
Adi 1.91
 
TEXT 91
 
TEXT
 
dharmah projjhita-kaitavo 'tra paramo nirmatsaranam satam
vedyam vastavam atra vastu siva-dam tapa-trayonmulanam
srimad-bhagavate maha-muni-krte kim va parair isvarah
sadyo hrdy avarudhyate 'tra krtibhih susrusubhis tat-ksanat
SYNONYMS
 
dharmah -- religiosity; projjhita -- completely rejected; kaitavah -- in 
which fruitive intention; atra -- herein; paramah -- the highest; 
nirmatsaranam -- of the one-hundred-percent pure in heart; satam -- 
devotees; vedyam -- to be understood; vastavam -- factual; atra -- 
herein; vastu -- substance; siva-dam -- giving well-being; tapa-traya -- 
of the threefold miseries; unmulanam -- causing uprooting; srimat -- 
beautiful; bhagavate -- in the Bhagavata Purana; maha-muni -- by the 
great sage (Vyasadeva); krte -- compiled; kim -- what; va -- indeed; 
paraih -- with others; isvarah -- the Supreme Lord; sadyah -- at once; 
hrdi -- within the heart; avarudhyate -- becomes confined; atra -- 
herein; krtibhih -- by pious men; susrusubhih -- desiring to hear; tat-
ksanat -- without delay.
 
TRANSLATION
 
"The great scripture Srimad-Bhagavatam, compiled by Maha-muni Vyasadeva 
from four original verses, describes the most elevated and kindhearted 
devotees and completely rejects the cheating ways of materially 
motivated religiosity. It propounds the highest principle of eternal 
religion, which can factually mitigate the threefold miseries of a 
living being and award the highest benediction of full prosperity and 
knowledge. Those willing to hear the message of this scripture in a 
submissive attitude of service can at once capture the Supreme Lord in 
their hearts. Therefore there is no need for any scripture other than 
Srimad-Bhagavatam."
 
PURPORT
 
This verse appears in Srimad-Bhagavatam (1.1.2). The words maha-muni-
krte indicate that Srimad-Bhagavatam was compiled by the great sage 
Vyasadeva, who is sometimes known as Narayana Maha-muni because he is an 
incarnation of Narayana. Vyasadeva, therefore, is not an ordinary man 
but is empowered by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He compiled the 
beautiful Bhagavatam to narrate some of the pastimes of the Supreme 
Personality of Godhead and His devotees.
 
In Srimad-Bhagavatam, a distinction between real religion and 
pretentious religion has been clearly made. According to this original 
and genuine commentation on the Vedanta-sutra, there are numerous 
pretentious faiths that pass as religion but neglect the real essence of 
religion. The real religion of a living being is his natural inborn 
quality, whereas pretentious religion is a form of nescience that 
artificially covers a living entity's pure consciousness under certain 
unfavorable conditions. Real religion lies dormant when artificial 
religion dominates from the mental plane. A living being can awaken this 
dormant religion by hearing with a pure heart.
 
The path of religion prescribed by Srimad-Bhagavatam is different from 
all forms of imperfect religiosity. Religion can be considered in the 
following three divisions: (1) the path of fruitive work, (2) the path 
of knowledge and mystic powers, and (3) the path of worship and 
devotional service.
 
The path of fruitive work (karma-kanda), even when decorated by 
religious ceremonies meant to elevate one's material condition, is a 
cheating process because it can never enable one to gain relief from 
material existence and achieve the highest goal. A living entity 
perpetually struggles hard to rid himself of the pangs of material 
existence, but the path of fruitive work leads him to either temporary 
happiness or temporary distress in material existence. By pious fruitive 
work one is placed in a position where he can temporarily feel material 
happiness, whereas vicious activities lead him to a distressful position 
of material want and scarcity. However, even if one is put into the most 
perfect situation of material happiness, he cannot in that way become 
free from the pangs of birth, death, old age and disease. A materially 
happy person is therefore in need of the eternal relief that mundane 
religiosity in terms of fruitive work can never award.
 
The paths of the culture of knowledge (jnana-marga) and of mystic powers 
(yoga-marga) are equally hazardous, for one does not know where one will 
go by following these uncertain methods. An empiric philosopher in 
search of spiritual knowledge may endeavor most laboriously for many, 
many births in mental speculation, but unless and until he reaches the 
stage of the purest quality of goodness -- in other words, until he 
transcends the plane of material speculation -- it is not possible for 
him to know that everything emanates from the Personality of Godhead 
Vasudeva. His attachment to the impersonal feature of the Supreme Lord 
makes him unfit to rise to that transcendental stage of vasudeva 
understanding, and therefore because of his unclean state of mind he 
glides down again into material existence, even after having ascended to 
the highest stage of liberation. This falldown takes place due to his 
want of a locus standi in the service of the Supreme Lord.
 
As far as the mystic powers of the yogis are concerned, they are also 
material entanglements on the path of spiritual realization. One German 
scholar who became a devotee of Godhead in India said that material 
science had already made laudable progress in duplicating the mystic 
powers of the yogis. He therefore came to India not to learn the methods 
of the yogis' mystic powers but to learn the path of transcendental 
loving service to the Supreme Lord, as mentioned in the great scripture 
Srimad-Bhagavatam. Mystic powers can make a yogi materially powerful and 
thus give temporary relief from the miseries of birth, death, old age 
and disease, as other material sciences can also do, but such mystic 
powers can never be a permanent source of relief from these miseries. 
Therefore, according to the Bhagavata school, this path of religiosity 
is also a method of cheating its followers. In the Bhagavad-gita it is 
clearly defined that the most elevated and powerful mystic yogi is one 
who can constantly think of the Supreme Lord within his heart and engage 
in the loving service of the Lord.
 
The path of worship of the innumerable devas, or administrative demigods,
 is still more hazardous and uncertain than the above-mentioned 
processes of karma-kanda and jnana-kanda. This system of worshiping many 
gods, such as Durga, Siva, Ganesa, Surya and the impersonal Visnu form, 
is accepted by persons who have been blinded by an intense desire for 
sense gratification. When properly executed in terms of the rites 
mentioned in the sastras, which are now very difficult to perform in 
this age of want and scarcity, such worship can certainly fulfill one's 
desires for sense gratification, but the success obtained by such 
methods is certainly transient, and it is suitable only for a less 
intelligent person. That is the verdict of the Bhagavad-gita. No sane 
man should be satisfied by such temporary benefits.
 
None of the above-mentioned three religious paths can deliver a person 
from the threefold miseries of material existence, namely, miseries 
caused by the body and mind, miseries caused by other living entities, 
and miseries caused by the demigods. The process of religion described 
in Srimad-Bhagavatam, however, is able to give its followers permanent 
relief from the threefold miseries. The Bhagavatam describes the highest 
religious form -- reinstatement of the living entity in his original 
position of transcendental loving service to the Supreme Lord, which is 
free from the infections of desires for sense gratification, fruitive 
work, and the culture of knowledge with the aim of merging into the 
Absolute to become one with the Supreme Lord.
 
Any process of religiosity based on sense gratification, gross or subtle,
 must be considered a pretentious religion because it is unable to give 
perpetual protection to its followers. The word projjhita is significant.
 Pra- means "complete," and ujjhita indicates rejection. Religiosity in 
the shape of fruitive work is directly a method of gross sense 
gratification, whereas the process of culturing spiritual knowledge with 
a view to becoming one with the Absolute is a method of subtle sense 
gratification. All such pretentious religiosity based on gross or subtle 
sense gratification is completely rejected in the process of bhagavata-
dharma, or the transcendental religion that is the eternal function of 
the living being.
 
Bhagavata-dharma, or the religious principle described in Srimad-
Bhagavatam, of which the Bhagavad-gita is a preliminary study, is meant 
for liberated persons of the highest order, who attribute very little 
value to the sense gratification of pretentious religiosity. The first 
and foremost concern of fruitive workers, elevationists, empiric 
philosophers and salvationists is to raise their material position. But 
devotees of Godhead have no such selfish desires. They serve the Supreme 
Lord only for His satisfaction. Sri Arjuna, wanting to satisfy his 
senses by becoming a so-called nonviolent and pious man, at first 
decided not to fight. But when he was fully situated in the principles 
of bhagavata-dharma, culminating in complete surrender unto the will of 
the Supreme Lord, he changed his decision and agreed to fight for the 
satisfaction of the Lord. He then said:
 
nasto mohah smrtir labdha
tvat-prasadan mayacyuta
sthito 'smi gata-sandehah
karisye vacanam tava
 
"My dear Krsna, O infallible one, my illusion is now gone. I have 
regained my memory by Your mercy. I am now firm and free from doubt and 
am prepared to act according to Your instructions." (Bg. 18.73) It is 
the constitutional position of the living entity to be situated in this 
pure consciousness. Any so-called religious process that interferes with 
this unadulterated spiritual position of the living being must therefore 
be considered a pretentious process of religiosity.
 
The real form of religion is spontaneous loving service to Godhead. This 
relationship of the living being with the Absolute Personality of 
Godhead in service is eternal. The Personality of Godhead is described 
as vastu, or the Substance, and the living entities are described as 
vastavas, or the innumerable samples of the Substance in relative 
existence. The relationship of these substantive portions with the 
Supreme Substance can never be annihilated, for it is an eternal quality 
inherent in the living being.
 
By contact with material nature the living entities exhibit varied 
symptoms of the disease of material consciousness. To cure this material 
disease is the supreme object of human life. The process that treats 
this disease is called bhagavata-dharma, or sanatana-dharma-real 
religion. This is described in the pages of Srimad-Bhagavatam. Therefore 
anyone who, because of his background of pious activities in previous 
lives, is anxious to hear Srimad-Bhagavatam immediately realizes the 
presence of the Supreme Lord within his heart and fulfills the mission 
of his life.
 
Adi 1.92
 
TEXT 92
 
TEXT
 
tara madhye moksa-vancha kaitava-pradhana
yaha haite krsna-bhakti haya antardhana
SYNONYMS
 
tara -- of them; madhye -- in the midst; moksa-vancha -- the desire to 
merge into the Supreme; kaitava -- of cheating processes; pradhana -- 
the chief; yaha haite -- from which; krsna-bhakti -- devotion to Lord 
Krsna; haya -- becomes; antardhana -- disappearance.
 
TRANSLATION
 
The foremost process of cheating is to desire to achieve liberation by 
merging into the Supreme, for this causes the permanent disappearance of 
loving service to Krsna.
 
PURPORT
 
The desire to merge into the impersonal Brahman is the subtlest type of 
atheism. As soon as such atheism, disguised in the dress of liberation, 
is encouraged, one becomes completely unable to traverse the path of 
devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
 
Adi 1.93
 
TEXT 93
 
TEXT
 
"pra-sabdena moksabhisandhir api nirastah" iti
SYNONYMS
 
pra-sabdena -- by the prefix pra; moksa-abhisandhih -- the intention of 
liberation; api -- certainly; nirastah -- nullified; iti -- thus.
 
TRANSLATION
 
"The prefix ‘pra' [in the verse from Srimad-Bhagavatam] indicates that 
the desire for liberation is completely rejected."
 
PURPORT
 
This is an annotation by Sridhara Svami, the great commentator on Srimad-
Bhagavatam.
 
Adi 1.94
 
TEXT 94
 
TEXT
 
krsna-bhaktira badhaka -- yata subhasubha karma
seha eka jivera ajnana-tamo-dharma
SYNONYMS
 
krsna-bhaktira -- of devotional service to Krsna; badhaka -- hindrance; 
yata -- all; subha-asubha -- auspicious or inauspicious; karma -- 
activity; seha -- that; eka -- one; jivera -- of the living entity; 
ajnana-tamah -- of the darkness of ignorance; dharma -- the character.
 
TRANSLATION
 
All kinds of activities, both auspicious and inauspicious, that are 
detrimental to the discharge of transcendental loving service to Lord 
Sri Krsna are actions of the darkness of ignorance.
 
PURPORT
 
The poetical comparison of Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityananda to the sun 
and moon is very significant. The living entities are spiritual sparks, 
and their constitutional position is to render devotional service to the 
Supreme Lord in full Krsna consciousness. So-called pious activities and 
other ritualistic performances, pious or impious, as well as the desire 
to escape from material existence, are all considered to be coverings of 
these spiritual sparks. The living entities must get free from these 
superfluous coverings and fully engage in Krsna consciousness. The 
purpose of the appearance of Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityananda is to 
dispel the darkness of the soul. Before Their appearance, all these 
superfluous activities of the living entities were covering Krsna 
consciousness, but after the appearance of these two brothers, people's 
hearts are becoming cleansed, and they are again becoming situated in 
the real position of Krsna consciousness.
 
Adi 1.95
 
TEXT 95
 
TEXT
 
yanhara prasade ei tamo haya nasa
tamo nasa kari' kare tattvera prakasa
SYNONYMS
 
yanhara -- whose; prasade -- by the grace; ei -- this; tamah -- darkness;
 haya -- is; nasa -- destroyed; tamah -- darkness; nasa -- destruction; 
kari' -- doing; kare -- does; tattvera -- of the truth; prakasa -- 
discovery.
 
TRANSLATION
 
By the grace of Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityananda, this darkness of 
ignorance is removed and the truth is brought to light.
 
Adi 1.96
 
TEXT 96
 
TEXT
 
tattva-vastu -- krsna, krsna-bhakti, prema-rupa
nama-sankirtana -- saba ananda-svarupa
SYNONYMS
 
tattva-vastu -- Absolute Truth; krsna -- Lord Krsna; krsna-bhakti -- 
devotional service to Lord Krsna; prema-rupa -- taking the form of love 
for Lord Krsna; nama-sankirtana -- congregational chanting of the holy 
name; saba -- all; ananda -- of bliss; svarupa -- the identity.
 
TRANSLATION
 
The Absolute Truth is Sri Krsna, and loving devotion to Sri Krsna 
exhibited in pure love is achieved through congregational chanting of 
the holy name, which is the essence of all bliss.
 
Adi 1.97
 
TEXT 97
 
TEXT
 
surya candra bahirera tamah se vinase
bahir-vastu ghata-pata-adi se prakase
SYNONYMS
 
surya -- the sun; candra -- the moon; bahirera -- of the external world; 
tamah -- darkness; se -- they; vinase -- destroy; bahih-vastu -- 
external things; ghata -- waterpots; pata-adi -- plates, etc.; se -- 
they; prakase -- reveal.
 
TRANSLATION
 
The sun and moon dissipate the darkness of the external world and thus 
reveal external material objects like pots and plates.
 
Adi 1.98
 
TEXT 98
 
TEXT
 
dui bhai hrdayera ksali' andhakara
dui bhagavata-sange karana saksatkara
SYNONYMS
 
dui -- two; bhai -- brothers; hrdayera -- of the heart; ksali' -- 
purifying; andhakara -- darkness; dui bhagavata -- of the two bhagavatas;
 sange -- by the association; karana -- cause; saksat-kara -- a meeting.
 
TRANSLATION
 
But these two brothers [Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityananda] dissipate the 
darkness of the inner core of the heart, and thus They help one meet the 
two kinds of bhagavatas [persons or things in relationship with the 
Personality of Godhead].
 
Adi 1.99
 
TEXT 99
 
TEXT
 
eka bhagavata bada -- bhagavata-sastra
ara bhagavata -- bhakta bhakti-rasa-patra
SYNONYMS
 
eka -- one; bhagavata -- in relation to the Supreme Lord; bada -- great; 
bhagavata-sastra -- Srimad-Bhagavatam; ara -- the other; bhagavata -- in 
relation to the Supreme Lord; bhakta -- pure devotee; bhakti-rasa -- of 
the mellow of devotion; patra -- the recipient.
 
TRANSLATION
 
One of the bhagavatas is the great scripture Srimad-Bhagavatam, and the 
other is the pure devotee absorbed in the mellows of loving devotion.
 
Adi 1.100
 
TEXT 100
 
TEXT
 
dui bhagavata dvara diya bhakti-rasa
tanhara hrdaye tanra preme haya vasa
SYNONYMS
 
dui -- two; bhagavata -- the bhagavatas; dvara -- by; diya -- giving; 
bhakti-rasa -- devotional inspiration; tanhara -- of His devotee; hrdaye 
-- in the heart; tanra -- his; preme -- by the love; haya -- becomes; 
vasa -- under control.
 
TRANSLATION
 
Through the actions of these two bhagavatas the Lord instills the 
mellows of transcendental loving service into the heart of a living 
being, and thus the Lord, in the heart of His devotee, comes under the 
control of the devotee's love.
 
Adi 1.101
 
TEXT 101
 
TEXT
 
eka adbhuta -- sama-kale donhara prakasa
ara adbhuta -- citta-guhara tamah kare nasa
SYNONYMS
 
eka -- one; adbhuta -- wonderful thing; sama-kale -- at the same time; 
donhara -- of both; prakasa -- the manifestation; ara -- the other; 
adbhuta -- wonderful thing; citta-guhara -- of the core of the heart; 
tamah -- darkness; kare -- do; nasa -- destruction.
 
TRANSLATION
 
The first wonder is that both brothers appear simultaneously, and the 
other is that They illuminate the innermost depths of the heart.
 
Adi 1.102
 
TEXT 102
 
TEXT
 
ei candra surya dui parama sadaya
jagatera bhagye gaude karila udaya
SYNONYMS
 
ei -- these; candra -- moon; surya -- sun; dui -- two; parama -- very 
much; sa-daya -- kind; jagatera -- of the people of the world; bhagye -- 
for the fortune; gaude -- in the land of Gauda; karila -- did; udaya -- 
appearance.
 
TRANSLATION
 
These two, the sun and moon, are very kind to the people of the world. 
Thus for the good fortune of all, They have appeared on the horizon of 
Bengal.
 
PURPORT
 
The celebrated ancient capital of the Sena dynasty, which was known as 
Gaudadesa or Gauda, was situated in what is now the modern district of 
Maldah. Later this capital was transferred to the ninth or central 
island on the western side of the Ganges at Navadvipa, which is now 
known as Mayapur and was then called Gaudapura. Lord Caitanya appeared 
there, and Lord Nityananda came there and joined Him from the district 
of Birbhum. They appeared on the horizon of Gaudadesa to spread the 
science of Krsna consciousness, and it is predicted that as the sun and 
moon gradually move west, the movement They began five hundred years ago 
will come to the Western civilizations by Their mercy.
 
Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Nityananda Prabhu drive away the five kinds of 
ignorance of the conditioned souls. In the Mahabharata, Udyoga-parva, 
Forty-third Chapter, these five kinds of ignorance are described. They 
are (1) accepting the body to be the self, (2) making material sense 
gratification one's standard of enjoyment, (3) being anxious due to 
material identification, (4) lamenting and (5) thinking that there is 
anything beyond the Absolute Truth. The teachings of Lord Caitanya 
eradicate these five kinds of ignorance. Whatever one sees or otherwise 
experiences one should know to be simply an exhibition of the Supreme 
Personality of Godhead's energy. Everything is a manifestation of Krsna.
 
Adi 1.103
 
TEXT 103
 
TEXT
 
sei dui prabhura kari carana vandana
yanha ha-ite vighna-nasa abhista-purana
SYNONYMS
 
sei -- these; dui -- two; prabhura -- of the Lords; kari -- I do; carana 
-- feet; vandana -- obeisance; yanha ha-ite -- from which; vighna-nasa --
 destruction of obstacles; abhista-purana -- fulfillment of desires.
 
TRANSLATION
 
Let us therefore worship the holy feet of these two Lords. Thus one can 
be rid of all difficulties on the path of self-realization.
 
Adi 1.104
 
TEXT 104
 
TEXT
 
ei dui sloke kaila mangala-vandana
trtiya slokera artha suna sarva-jana
SYNONYMS
 
ei -- these; dui -- two; sloke -- in the verses; kaila -- I did; mangala 
-- auspicious; vandana -- obeisance; trtiya -- third; slokera -- of the 
verse; artha -- meaning; suna -- please hear; sarva-jana -- everyone.
 
TRANSLATION
 
I have invoked the benediction of the Lords with these two verses [texts 
1 and 2 of this chapter]. Now please hear attentively the purport of the 
third verse.
 
Adi 1.105
 
TEXT 105
 
TEXT
 
vaktavya-bahulya, grantha-vistarera dare
vistare na varni, sarartha kahi alpaksare
SYNONYMS
 
vaktavya -- of words to be spoken; bahulya -- elaboration; grantha -- of 
the book; vistarera -- of the big volume; dare -- in fear; vistare -- in 
expanded form; na -- not; varni -- I describe; sara-artha -- essential 
meaning; kahi -- I say; alpa-aksare -- in few words.
 
TRANSLATION
 
I purposely avoid extensive description for fear of increasing the bulk 
of this book. I shall describe the essence as concisely as possible.
 
Adi 1.106
 
TEXT 106
 
TEXT
 
"mitam ca saram ca vaco hi vagmita" iti
SYNONYMS
 
mitam -- concise; ca -- and; saram -- essential; ca -- and; vacah -- 
speech; hi -- certainly; vagmita -- eloquence; iti -- thus.
 
TRANSLATION
 
"Essential truth spoken concisely is true eloquence."
 
Adi 1.107
 
TEXT 107
 
TEXT
 
sunile khandibe cittera ajnanadi dosa
krsne gadha prema habe, paibe santosa
SYNONYMS
 
sunile -- on one's hearing; khandibe -- will remove; cittera -- of the 
heart; ajnana-adi -- of ignorance, etc.; dosa -- the faults; krsne -- in 
Lord Krsna; gadha -- deep; prema -- love; habe -- there will be; paibe --
 will obtain; santosa -- satisfaction.
 
TRANSLATION
 
Simply hearing submissively will free one's heart from all the faults of 
ignorance, and thus one will achieve deep love for Krsna. This is the 
path of peace.
 
Adi 1.108–109
 
TEXTS 108–109
 
TEXT
 
sri-caitanya-nityananda-advaita-mahattva
tanra bhakta-bhakti-nama-prema-rasa-tattva
bhinna bhinna likhiyachi kariya vicara
sunile janibe saba vastu-tattva-sara
SYNONYMS
 
sri-caitanya -- of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu; nityananda -- of Lord 
Nityananda; advaita -- of Sri Advaita; mahattva -- greatness; tanra -- 
Their; bhakta -- devotees; bhakti -- devotion; nama -- names; prema -- 
love; rasa -- mellows; tattva -- real nature; bhinna bhinna -- different;
 likhiyachi -- I wrote; kariya -- doing; vicara -- consideration; sunile 
-- on hearing; janibe -- will know; saba -- all; vastu-tattva-sara -- 
the essence of the Absolute Truth.
 
TRANSLATION
 
If one patiently hears about the glories of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Sri 
Nityananda Prabhu and Sri Advaita Prabhu -- and Their devotees, 
devotional activities, names and fame, along with the mellows of Their 
transcendental loving exchanges -- one will learn the essence of the 
Absolute Truth. Therefore I have described these [in the Caitanya-
caritamrta] with logic and discrimination.
 
Adi 1.110
 
TEXT 110
 
TEXT
 
sri-rupa-raghunatha-pade yara asa
caitanya-caritamrta kahe krsnadasa
SYNONYMS
 
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; krsnadasa -- Srila Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami.
 
TRANSLATION
 
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.
 
Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports to Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi-lila,
 First Chapter, describing the spiritual masters.
 

Adi 1: The Spiritual Masters

Chapter 1:

The Spiritual Masters

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is none other than the combined form of Sri

Radha and Krsna. He is the life of those devotees who strictly follow in

the footsteps of Srila Rupa Gosvami. Srila Rupa Gosvami and Srila

Sanatana Gosvami are the two principal followers of Srila Svarupa

Damodara Gosvami, who acted as the most confidential servitor of Lord

Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu, known as Visvambhara in His early life. A

direct disciple of Srila Rupa Gosvami was Srila Raghunatha dasa Gosvami.

The author of Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Srila Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami,

stands as the direct disciple of Srila Rupa Gosvami and Srila Raghunatha

dasa Gosvami.

The direct disciple of Srila Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami was Srila

Narottama dasa Thakura, who accepted Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti as his

servitor. Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura accepted Srila Jagannatha

dasa Babaji, who initiated Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura,

who accepted Srila Gaurakisora dasa Babaji, the spiritual master

of Om Visnupada Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Maharaja, the

divine master of our humble self.

Since we belong to this chain of disciplic succession from Sri Caitanya

Mahaprabhu, this edition of Sri Caitanya-caritamrta will contain nothing

newly manufactured by our tiny brains, but only remnants of food

originally eaten by the Lord Himself. Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu does

not belong to the mundane plane of the three qualitative modes. He

belongs to the transcendental plane beyond the reach of the imperfect

sense perception of a living being. Even the most erudite mundane

scholar cannot approach the transcendental plane unless he submits

himself to transcendental sound with a receptive mood, for in that mood

only can one realize the message of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. What will

be described herein, therefore, has nothing to do with the experimental

thoughts created by the speculative habits of inert minds. The subject

matter of this book is not a mental concoction but a factual spiritual

experience that one can realize only by accepting the line of disciplic

succession described above. Any deviation from that line will bewilder

the reader's understanding of the mystery of Sri Caitanya-caritamrta,

which is a transcendental literature meant for the postgraduate study of

one who has realized all the Vedic literatures such as the Upanisads and

Vedanta-sutra and their natural commentaries such as Srimad-Bhagavatam

and the Bhagavad-gita.

This edition of Sri Caitanya-caritamrta is presented for the study of

sincere scholars who are really seeking the Absolute Truth. It is not

the arrogant scholarship of a mental speculator but a sincere effort to

serve the order of a superior authority whose service is the life and

soul of this humble effort. It does not deviate even slightly from the

revealed scriptures, and therefore anyone who follows in the disciplic

line will be able to realize the essence of this book simply by the

method of aural reception.

The First Chapter of Sri Caitanya-caritamrta begins with fourteen

Sanskrit verses that describe the Absolute Truth. Then the next three

Sanskrit verses describe the principal Deities of Vrndavana, namely, Sri

Radha-Madana-mohana, Sri Radha-Govindadeva and Sri Radha-Gopinathaji.

The first of the fourteen verses is a symbolic representation of the

Supreme Truth, and the entire First Chapter is in actuality devoted to

this single verse, which describes Lord Caitanya in His six different

transcendental expansions.

The first manifestation described is the spiritual master, who appears

in two plenary parts called the initiating spiritual master and

instructing spiritual master. They are identical because both of them

are phenomenal manifestations of the Supreme Truth. Next described are

the devotees, who are divided into two classes, namely, the apprentices

and the graduates. Next are the incarnations (avataras) of the Lord, who

are explained to be nondifferent from the Lord. These incarnations are

considered in three divisions -- incarnations of the potency of the Lord,

incarnations of His qualities, and incarnations of His authority. In

this connection, Lord Sri Krsna's direct manifestations and His

manifestations for transcendental pastimes are discussed. Next

considered are the potencies of the Lord, of which three principal

manifestations are described: the consorts in the kingdom of God (

Vaikuntha), the queens of Dvaraka-dhama and, highest of all, the damsels

of Vrajadhama. Finally, there is the Supreme Lord Himself, who is the

fountainhead of all these manifestations.

Lord Sri Krsna and His plenary expansions are all in the category of the

Lord Himself, the energetic Absolute Truth, whereas His devotees, His

eternal associates, are His energies. The energy and energetic are

fundamentally one, but since their functions are differently exhibited,

they are simultaneously different also. Thus the Absolute Truth is

manifested in diversity in one unit. This philosophical truth, which is

pursuant to the Vedanta-sutra, is called acintya-bhedabheda-tattva, or

the conception of simultaneous oneness and difference. In the latter

portion of this chapter, the transcendental position of Sri Caitanya

Mahaprabhu and that of Srila Nityananda Prabhu are described with

reference to the above theistic facts.

Adi 1.1

TEXT 1

TEXT

vande gurun isa-bhaktan

isam isavatarakan

tat-prakasams ca tac-chaktih

krsna-caitanya-samjnakam

SYNONYMS

vande -- I offer respectful obeisances; gurun -- unto the spiritual

masters; isa-bhaktan -- unto the devotees of the Supreme Lord; isam --

unto the Supreme Lord; isa-avatarakan -- unto the incarnations of the

Supreme Lord; tat -- of the Supreme Lord; prakasan -- unto the

manifestations; ca -- and; tat -- of the Supreme Lord; saktih -- unto

the potencies; krsna-caitanya -- Sri Krsna Caitanya; samjnakam -- named.

TRANSLATION

I offer my respectful obeisances unto the spiritual masters, the

devotees of the Lord, the Lord's incarnations, His plenary portions, His

energies and the primeval Lord Himself, Sri Krsna Caitanya.

Adi 1.2

TEXT 2

TEXT

vande sri-krsna-caitanya-

nityanandau sahoditau

gaudodaye puspavantau

citrau san-dau tamo-nudau

SYNONYMS

vande -- I offer respectful obeisances; sri-krsna-caitanya -- to Lord

Sri Krsna Caitanya; nityanandau -- and to Lord Nityananda; saha-uditau --

simultaneously arisen; gauda-udaye -- on the eastern horizon of Gauda;

puspavantau -- the sun and moon together; citrau -- wonderful; sam-dau --

bestowing benediction; tamah-nudau -- dissipating darkness.

TRANSLATION

I offer my respectful obeisances unto Sri Krsna Caitanya and Lord

Nityananda, who are like the sun and moon. They have arisen

simultaneously on the horizon of Gauda to dissipate the darkness of

ignorance and thus wonderfully bestow benediction upon all.

Adi 1.3

TEXT 3

TEXT

yad advaitam brahmopanisadi tad apy asya tanu-bha

ya atmantar-yami purusa iti so 'syamsa-vibhavah

sad-aisvaryaih purno ya iha bhagavan sa svayam ayam

na caitanyat krsnaj jagati para-tattvam param iha

SYNONYMS

yat -- that which; advaitam -- nondual; brahma -- the impersonal Brahman;

upanisadi -- in the Upanisads; tat -- that; api -- certainly; asya --

His; tanu-bha -- the effulgence of His transcendental body; yah -- who;

atma -- the Supersoul; antah-yami -- indwelling Lord; purusah -- supreme

enjoyer; iti -- thus; sah -- He; asya -- His; amsa-vibhavah -- plenary

expansion; sat-aisvaryaih -- with all six opulences; purnah -- full; yah

-- who; iha -- here; bhagavan -- the Supreme Personality of Godhead; sah

-- He; svayam -- Himself; ayam -- this; na -- not; caitanyat -- than

Lord Caitanya; krsnat -- than Lord Krsna; jagati -- in the world; para --

higher; tattvam -- truth; param -- another; iha -- here.

TRANSLATION

What the Upanisads describe as the impersonal Brahman is but the

effulgence of His body, and the Lord known as the Supersoul is but His

localized plenary portion. Lord Caitanya is the Supreme Personality of

Godhead, Krsna Himself, full with six opulences. He is the Absolute

Truth, and no other truth is greater than or equal to Him.

Adi 1.4

TEXT 4

TEXT

anarpita-carim cirat karunayavatirnah kalau

samarpayitum unnatojjvala-rasam sva-bhakti-sriyam

harih purata-sundara-dyuti-kadamba-sandipitah

sada hrdaya-kandare sphuratu vah saci-nandanah

SYNONYMS

anarpita -- not bestowed; carim -- having been formerly; cirat -- for a

long time; karunaya -- by causeless mercy; avatirnah -- descended; kalau

-- in the Age of Kali; samarpayitum -- to bestow; unnata -- elevated;

ujjvala-rasam -- the conjugal mellow; sva-bhakti -- of His own service;

sriyam -- the treasure; harih -- the Supreme Lord; purata -- than gold;

sundara -- more beautiful; dyuti -- of splendor; kadamba -- with a

multitude; sandipitah -- lighted up; sada -- always; hrdaya-kandare --

in the cavity of the heart; sphuratu -- let Him be manifest; vah -- your;

saci-nandanah -- the son of mother Saci.

TRANSLATION

May the Supreme Lord who is known as the son of Srimati Saci-devi be

transcendentally situated in the innermost chambers of your heart.

Resplendent with the radiance of molten gold, He has appeared in the Age

of Kali by His causeless mercy to bestow what no incarnation has ever

offered before: the most sublime and radiant mellow of devotional

service, the mellow of conjugal love.

Adi 1.5

TEXT 5

TEXT

radha krsna-pranaya-vikrtir hladini saktir asmad

ekatmanav api bhuvi pura deha-bhedam gatau tau

caitanyakhyam prakatam adhuna tad-dvayam caikyam aptam

radha-bhava-dyuti-suvalitam naumi krsna-svarupam

SYNONYMS

radha -- Srimati Radharani; krsna -- of Lord Krsna; pranaya -- of love;

vikrtih -- the transformation; hladini saktih -- pleasure potency; asmat

-- from this; eka-atmanau -- both the same in identity; api -- although;

bhuvi -- on earth; pura -- formerly; deha-bhedam --

separate forms; gatau -- obtained; tau -- those two; caitanya-akhyam --

known as Sri Caitanya; prakatam -- manifest; adhuna -- now; tat-dvayam --

the two of Them; ca -- and; aikyam -- unity; aptam -- obtained; radha --

of Srimati Radharani; bhava -- mood; dyuti -- the luster; su-valitam --

who is adorned with; naumi -- I offer my obeisances; krsna-svarupam --

to Him who is identical with Sri Krsna.

TRANSLATION

The loving affairs of Sri Radha and Krsna are transcendental

manifestations of the Lord's internal pleasure-giving potency. Although

Radha and Krsna are one in Their identity, previously They separated

Themselves. Now these two transcendental identities have again

united, in the form of Sri Krsna Caitanya. I bow down to Him, who has

manifested Himself with the sentiment and complexion of Srimati

Radharani although He is Krsna Himself.

Adi 1.6

TEXT 6

TEXT

sri-radhayah pranaya-mahima kidrso vanayaiva-

svadyo yenadbhuta-madhurima kidrso va madiyah

saukhyam casya mad-anubhavatah kidrsam veti lobhat

tad-bhavadhyah samajani saci-garbha-sindhau harinduh

SYNONYMS

sri-radhayah -- of Srimati Radharani; pranaya-mahima -- the greatness of

the love; kidrsah -- of what kind; va -- or; anaya -- by this one (Radha)

; eva -- alone; asvadyah -- to be relished; yena -- by that love;

adbhuta-madhurima -- the wonderful sweetness; kidrsah -- of what kind;

va -- or; madiyah -- of Me; saukhyam -- the happiness; ca -- and; asyah -

- Her; mat-anubhavatah -- from realization of My sweetness; kidrsam --

of what kind; va -- or; iti -- thus; lobhat -- from the desire; tat --

Her; bhava-adhyah -- richly endowed with emotions; samajani -- took

birth; saci-garbha -- of the womb of Srimati Saci-devi; sindhau -- in

the ocean; hari -- Lord Krsna; induh -- like the moon.

TRANSLATION

Desiring to understand the glory of Radharani's love, the wonderful

qualities in Him that She alone relishes through Her love, and the

happiness She feels when She realizes the sweetness of His love, the

Supreme Lord Hari, richly endowed with Her emotions, appeared from the

womb of Srimati Saci-devi, as the moon appeared from the ocean.

Adi 1.7

TEXT 7

TEXT

sankarsanah karana-toya-sayi

garbhoda-sayi ca payobdhi-sayi

sesas ca yasyamsa-kalah sa nitya-

nandakhya-ramah saranam mamastu

SYNONYMS

sankarsanah -- Maha-Sankarsana in the spiritual sky; karana-toya-sayi --

Karanodakasayi Visnu, who lies in the Causal Ocean; garbha-uda-sayi --

Garbhodakasayi Visnu, who lies in the Garbhodaka Ocean of the universe;

ca -- and; payah-abdhi-sayi -- Ksirodakasayi Visnu, who lies in the

ocean of milk; sesah -- Sesa Naga, the couch of Visnu; ca -- and; yasya -

- whose; amsa -- plenary portions; kalah -- and parts of the plenary

portions; sah -- He; nityananda-akhya -- known as Lord Nityananda; ramah

-- Lord Balarama; saranam -- shelter; mama -- my; astu -- let there be.

TRANSLATION

May Sri Nityananda Rama be the object of my constant remembrance.

Sankarsana, Sesa Naga and the Visnus who lie on the Karana Ocean, Garbha

Ocean and ocean of milk are His plenary portions and the portions of His

plenary portions.

Adi 1.8

TEXT 8

TEXT

mayatite vyapi-vaikuntha-loke

purnaisvarye sri-catur-vyuha-madhye

rupam yasyodbhati sankarsanakhyam

tam sri-nityananda-ramam prapadye

SYNONYMS

maya-atite -- beyond the material creation; vyapi -- all-expanding;

vaikuntha-loke -- in Vaikunthaloka, the spiritual world; purna-aisvarye -

- endowed with full opulence; sri-catuh-vyuha -- madhye -- in the

quadruple expansions (Vasudeva, Sankarsana, Pradyumna and Aniruddha);

rupam -- form; yasya -- whose; udbhati -- appears; sankarsana-akhyam --

known as Sankarsana; tam -- to Him; sri-nityananda-ramam -- to Lord

Balarama in the form of Lord Nityananda; prapadye -- I surrender.

TRANSLATION

I surrender unto the lotus feet of Sri Nityananda Rama, who is known as

Sankarsana in the midst of the catur-vyuha [consisting of Vasudeva,

Sankarsana, Pradyumna and Aniruddha]. He possesses full opulences and

resides in Vaikunthaloka, far beyond the material creation.

Adi 1.9

TEXT 9

TEXT

maya-bhartajanda-sanghasrayangah

sete saksat karanambhodhi-madhye

yasyaikamsah sri-puman adi-devas

tam sri-nityananda-ramam prapadye

SYNONYMS

maya-bharta -- the master of the illusory energy; aja-anda-sangha -- of

the multitude of universes; asraya -- the shelter; angah -- whose body;

sete -- He lies; saksat -- directly; karana-ambhodhi-madhye -- in the

midst of the Causal Ocean; yasya -- whose; eka-amsah -- one portion; sri-

puman -- the Supreme Person; adi-devah -- the original purusa

incarnation; tam -- to Him; sri-nityananda-ramam -- to Lord Balarama in

the form of Lord Nityananda; prapadye -- I surrender.

TRANSLATION

I offer my full obeisances unto the feet of Sri Nityananda Rama, whose

partial representation called Karanodakasayi Visnu, lying on the Karana

Ocean, is the original purusa, the master of the illusory energy, and

the shelter of all the universes.

Adi 1.10

TEXT 10

TEXT

yasyamsamsah srila-garbhoda-sayi

yan-nabhy-abjam loka-sanghata-nalam

loka-srastuh sutika-dhama dhatus

tam sri-nityananda-ramam prapadye

SYNONYMS

yasya -- whose; amsa-amsah -- portion of a plenary portion; srila-garbha-

uda-sayi -- Garbhodakasayi Visnu; yat -- of whom; nabhi-abjam -- the

navel lotus; loka-sanghata -- of the multitude of planets; nalam --

having a stem that is the resting place; loka-srastuh -- of Lord Brahma,

the creator of the planets; sutika-dhama -- the birthplace; dhatuh -- of

the creator; tam -- to Him; sri-nityananda-ramam -- to Lord Balarama in

the form of Lord Nityananda; prapadye -- I surrender.

TRANSLATION

I offer my full obeisances unto the feet of Sri Nityananda Rama, a

partial part of whom is Garbhodakasayi Visnu. From the navel of

Garbhodakasayi Visnu sprouts the lotus that is the birthplace of Brahma,

the engineer of the universe. The stem of that lotus is the resting

place of the multitude of planets.

Adi 1.11

TEXT 11

TEXT

yasyamsamsamsah paratmakhilanam

posta visnur bhati dugdhabdhi-sayi

ksauni-bharta yat-kala so 'py anantas

tam sri-nityananda-ramam prapadye

SYNONYMS

yasya -- whose; amsa-amsa-amsah -- a portion of a portion of a plenary

portion; para-atma -- the Supersoul; akhilanam -- of all living entities;

posta -- the maintainer; visnuh -- Visnu; bhati -- appears; dugdha-

abdhi-sayi -- Ksirodakasayi Visnu; ksauni-bharta -- upholder of the

earth; yat -- whose; kala -- portion of a portion; sah -- He; api --

certainly; anantah -- Sesa Naga; tam -- to Him; sri-nityananda-ramam --

to Lord Balarama in the form of Lord Nityananda; prapadye -- I surrender.

TRANSLATION

I offer my respectful obeisances unto the feet of Sri Nityananda Rama,

whose secondary part is the Visnu lying in the ocean of milk. That

Ksirodakasayi Visnu is the Supersoul of all living entities and the

maintainer of all the universes. Sesa Naga is His further subpart.

Adi 1.12

TEXT 12

TEXT

maha-visnur jagat-karta

mayaya yah srjaty adah

tasyavatara evayam

advaitacarya isvarah

SYNONYMS

maha-visnuh -- Maha-Visnu, the resting place of the efficient cause;

jagat-karta -- the creator of the cosmic world; mayaya -- by the

illusory energy; yah -- who; srjati -- creates; adah -- that universe;

tasya -- His; avatarah -- incarnation; eva -- certainly; ayam -- this;

advaita-acaryah -- Advaita Acarya; isvarah -- the Supreme Lord, the

resting place of the material cause.

TRANSLATION

Lord Advaita Acarya is the incarnation of Maha-Visnu, whose main

function is to create the cosmic world through the actions of maya.

Adi 1.13

TEXT 13

TEXT

advaitam harinadvaitad

acaryam bhakti-samsanat

bhaktavataram isam tam

advaitacaryam asraye

SYNONYMS

advaitam -- known as Advaita; harina -- with Lord Hari; advaitat -- from

being nondifferent; acaryam -- known as Acarya; bhakti-samsanat -- from

the propagation of devotional service to Sri Krsna; bhakta-avataram --

the incarnation as a devotee; isam -- to the Supreme Lord; tam -- to Him;

advaita-acaryam -- to Advaita Acarya; asraye -- I surrender.

TRANSLATION

Because He is nondifferent from Hari, the Supreme Lord, He is called

Advaita, and because He propagates the cult of devotion, He is called

Acarya. He is the Lord and the incarnation of the Lord's devotee.

Therefore I take shelter of Him.

Adi 1.14

TEXT 14

TEXT

panca-tattvatmakam krsnam

bhakta-rupa-svarupakam

bhaktavataram bhaktakhyam

namami bhakta-saktikam

SYNONYMS

panca-tattva-atmakam -- comprehending the five transcendental subject

matters; krsnam -- unto Lord Krsna; bhakta-rupa -- in the form of a

devotee; sva-rupakam -- 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, who supplies energy to the devotee.

TRANSLATION

I offer my obeisances unto the Supreme Lord, Krsna, who is nondifferent

from His features as a devotee, devotional incarnation, devotional

manifestation, pure devotee and devotional energy.

Adi 1.15

TEXT 15

TEXT

jayatam suratau pangor

mama manda-mater gati

mat-sarvasva-padambhojau

radha-madana-mohanau

SYNONYMS

jayatam -- all glory to; su-ratau -- most merciful, or attached in

conjugal love; pangoh -- of one who is lame; mama -- of me; manda-mateh -

- foolish; gati -- refuge; mat -- my; sarva-sva -- everything; pada-

ambhojau -- whose lotus feet; radha-madana-mohanau -- Radharani and

Madana-mohana.

TRANSLATION

Glory to the all-merciful Radha and Madana-mohana! I am lame and ill

advised, yet They are my directors, and Their lotus feet are everything

to me.

Adi 1.16

TEXT 16

TEXT

divyad-vrndaranya-kalpa-drumadhah-

srimad-ratnagara-simhasana-sthau

srimad-radha-srila-govinda-devau

presthalibhih sevyamanau smarami

SYNONYMS

divyat -- shining; vrnda-aranya -- in the forest of Vrndavana; kalpa-

druma -- desire tree; adhah -- beneath; srimat -- most beautiful; ratna-

agara -- in a temple of jewels; simha-asana-sthau -- sitting on a throne;

srimat -- very beautiful; radha -- Srimati Radharani; srila-govinda-

devau -- and Sri Govindadeva; prestha-alibhih -- by most confidential

associates; sevyamanau -- being served; smarami -- I remember.

TRANSLATION

In a temple of jewels in Vrndavana, underneath a desire tree, Sri Sri

Radha-Govinda, served by Their most confidential associates, sit upon an

effulgent throne. I offer my humble obeisances unto Them.

Adi 1.17

TEXT 17

TEXT

sriman rasa-rasarambhi

vamsivata-tata-sthitah

karsan venu-svanair gopir

gopi-nathah sriye 'stu nah

SYNONYMS

sri-man -- most beautiful; rasa -- of the rasa dance; rasa -- of the

mellow; arambhi -- the initiator; vamsi-vata -- Vamsivata; tata -- on

the shore; sthitah -- standing; karsan -- attracting; venu -- of the

flute; svanaih -- by the sounds; gopih -- the cowherd girls; gopi-nathah

-- Sri Gopinatha; sriye -- benediction; astu -- let there be; nah -- our.

TRANSLATION

Sri Srila Gopinatha, who originated the transcendental mellow of the

rasa dance, stands on the shore in Vamsivata and attracts the attention

of the cowherd damsels with the sound of His celebrated flute. May they

all confer upon us their benediction.

Adi 1.18

TEXT 18

TEXT

jaya jaya sri-caitanya jaya nityananda

jayadvaita-candra jaya gaura-bhakta-vrnda

SYNONYMS

jaya jaya -- all glory; sri-caitanya -- to Sri Caitanya; jaya -- all

glory; nityananda -- to Lord Nityananda; jaya advaita-candra -- all

glory to Advaita Acarya; jaya -- all glory; gaura-bhakta-vrnda -- to the

devotees of Lord Caitanya.

TRANSLATION

Glory to Sri Caitanya and Nityananda! Glory to Advaitacandra! And glory

to all the devotees of Sri Gaura [Lord Caitanya]!

Adi 1.19

TEXT 19

TEXT

ei tina thakura gaudiyake kariyachena atmasat

e tinera carana vandon, tine mora natha

SYNONYMS

ei -- these; tina -- three; thakura -- Deities; gaudiyake -- the Gaudiya

Vaisnavas; kariyachena -- have done; atmasat -- absorbed; e -- these;

tinera -- of the three; carana -- lotus feet; vandon -- I worship; tine -

- these three; mora -- my; natha -- Lords.

TRANSLATION

These three Deities of Vrndavana [Madana-mohana, Govinda and Gopinatha]

have absorbed the heart and soul of the Gaudiya Vaisnavas [followers of

Lord Caitanya]. I worship Their lotus feet, for They are the Lords of my

heart.

PURPORT

The author of Sri Caitanya-caritamrta offers his respectful obeisances

unto the three Deities of Vrndavana named Sri Radha-Madana-mohana, Sri

Radha-Govindadeva and Sri Radha-Gopinathaji. These three Deities are the

life and soul of the Bengali Vaisnavas, or Gaudiya Vaisnavas, who have a

natural aptitude for residing in Vrndavana. The Gaudiya Vaisnavas who

follow strictly in the line of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu worship the

Divinity by chanting transcendental sounds meant to develop a sense of

one's transcendental relationship with the Supreme Lord, a reciprocation

of mellows (rasas) of mutual affection, and, ultimately, the achievement

of the desired success in loving service. These three Deities are

worshiped in three different stages of one's development. The followers

of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu scrupulously follow these principles of

approach.

Gaudiya Vaisnavas perceive the ultimate objective in Vedic hymns

composed of eighteen transcendental letters that adore Krsna as Madana-

mohana, Govinda and Gopijana-vallabha. Madana-mohana is He who charms

Cupid, the god of love, Govinda is He who pleases the senses and the

cows, and Gopijana-vallabha is the transcendental lover of the gopis.

Krsna Himself is called Madana-mohana, Govinda, Gopijana-vallabha and

countless other names as He plays in His different pastimes with His

devotees.

The three Deities -- Madana-mohana, Govinda and Gopijana-vallabha --

have very specific qualities. Worship of Madana-mohana is on the

platform of reestablishing our forgotten relationship with the

Personality of Godhead. In the material world we are presently in utter

ignorance of our eternal relationship with the Supreme Lord. Pangoh

refers to one who cannot move independently by his own strength, and

manda-mateh is one who is less intelligent because he is too absorbed in

materialistic activities. It is best for such persons not to aspire for

success in fruitive activities or mental speculation but instead simply

to surrender to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The perfection of

life is simply to surrender to the Supreme. In the beginning of our

spiritual life we must therefore worship Madana-mohana so that He may

attract us and nullify our attachment for material sense gratification.

This relationship with Madana-mohana is necessary for neophyte devotees.

When one wishes to render service to the Lord with strong attachment,

one worships Govinda on the platform of transcendental service. Govinda

is the reservoir of all pleasures. When by the grace of Krsna and the

devotees one reaches perfection in devotional service, he can appreciate

Krsna as Gopijana-vallabha, the pleasure Deity of the damsels of Vraja.

Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu explained this mode of devotional service

in three stages, and therefore these worshipable Deities were installed

in Vrndavana by different Gosvamis. They are very dear to the Gaudiya

Vaisnavas there, who visit the temples at least once a day. Besides the

temples of these three Deities, many other temples have been established

in Vrndavana, such as the temple of Radha-Damodara of Jiva Gosvami, the

temple of Syamasundara of Syamananda Gosvami, the temple of Gokulananda

of Lokanatha Gosvami, and the temple of Radha-ramana of Gopala Bhatta

Gosvami. There are seven principal temples over four hundred years old

that are the most important of the five thousand temples now existing in

Vrndavana.

Gaudiya indicates the part of India between the southern side of the

Himalayan Mountains and the northern part of the Vindhya Hills, which is

called Aryavarta, or the Land of the Aryans. This portion of India is

divided into five parts or provinces (Panca-gaudadesa): Sarasvata (

Kashmir and Punjab), Kanyakubja (Uttar Pradesh, including the modern

city of Lucknow), Madhya-gauda (Madhya Pradesh), Maithila (Bihar and

part of Bengal) and Utkala (part of Bengal and the whole of Orissa).

Bengal is sometimes called Gaudadesa, partly because it forms a portion

of Maithila and partly because the capital of the Hindu king Raja

Laksmana Sena was known as Gauda. This old capital later came to be

known as Gaudapura and gradually Mayapur.

The devotees of Orissa are called Udiyas, the devotees of Bengal are

called Gaudiyas, and the devotees of southern India are known as Dravida

devotees. As there are five provinces in Aryavarta, so Daksinatya,

southern India, is also divided into five provinces, which are called

Panca-dravida. The four Vaisnava acaryas who are the great authorities

of the four Vaisnava disciplic successions, as well as Sripada

Sankaracarya of the Mayavada school, appeared in the Panca-dravida

provinces. Among the four Vaisnava acaryas, who are all accepted by the

Gaudiya Vaisnavas, Sri Ramanuja Acarya appeared in the southern part of

Andhra Pradesh at Mahabhutapuri, Sri Madhva Acarya appeared at Pajakam (

near Vimanagiri) in the district of Mangalore, Sri Visnu Svami appeared

at Pandya, and Sri Nimbarka appeared at Mungera-patana, in the extreme

south.

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu accepted the chain of disciplic succession from

Madhva Acarya, but the Vaisnavas in His line do not accept the Tattva-

vadis, who also claim to belong to the Madhva-sampradaya. To distinguish

themselves clearly from the Tattva-vadi branch of Madhva's descendants,

the Vaisnavas of Bengal prefer to call themselves Gaudiya Vaisnavas. Sri

Madhva Acarya is also known as Sri Gauda-purnananda, and therefore the

name Madhva-Gaudiya-sampradaya is quite suitable for the disciplic

succession of the Gaudiya Vaisnavas. Our spiritual master, Om Visnupada

Srimad Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Maharaja, accepted initiation

in the Madhva-Gaudiya-sampradaya.

Adi 1.20

TEXT 20

TEXT

granthera arambhe kari ‘mangalacarana'

guru, vaisnava, bhagavan, tinera smarana

SYNONYMS

granthera -- of this book; arambhe -- in the beginning; kari -- I make;

mangala-acarana -- auspicious invocation; guru -- the spiritual master;

vaisnava -- the devotees of the Lord; bhagavan -- the Supreme

Personality of Godhead; tinera -- of these three; smarana -- remembering.

TRANSLATION

In the beginning of this narration, simply by remembering the spiritual

master, the devotees of the Lord, and the Personality of Godhead, I have

invoked their benedictions.

Adi 1.21

TEXT 21

TEXT

tinera smarane haya vighna-vinasana

anayase haya nija vanchita-purana

SYNONYMS

tinera -- of these three; smarane -- by remembrance; haya -- there is;

vighna-vinasana -- the destruction of all difficulties; anayase -- very

easily; haya -- there is; nija -- our own; vanchita -- of the desired

object; purana -- fulfillment.

TRANSLATION

Such remembrance destroys all difficulties and very easily enables one

to fulfill his own desires.

Adi 1.22

TEXT 22

TEXT

se mangalacarana haya tri-vidha prakara

vastu-nirdesa, asirvada, namaskara

SYNONYMS

se -- that; mangala-acarana -- auspicious invocation; haya -- is; tri-

vidha -- three kinds; prakara -- processes; vastu-nirdesa -- defining

the object; asih-vada -- benedictions; namah-kara -- obeisances.

TRANSLATION

The invocation involves three processes: defining the objective,

offering benedictions and offering obeisances.

Adi 1.23

TEXT 23

TEXT

prathama dui sloke ista-deva-namaskara

samanya-visesa-rupe dui ta' prakara

SYNONYMS

prathama -- in the first; dui -- two; sloke -- verses; ista-deva --

worshipable Deity; namaskara -- obeisances; samanya -- generally; visesa-

rupe -- and specifically; dui -- two; ta' -- certainly; prakara -- ways.

TRANSLATION

The first two verses offer respectful obeisances, generally and

specifically, to the Lord, who is the object of worship.

Adi 1.24

TEXT 24

TEXT

trtiya slokete kari vastura nirdesa

yaha ha-ite jani para-tattvera uddesa

SYNONYMS

trtiya slokete -- in the third verse; kari -- I make; vastura -- of the

object; nirdesa -- indication; yaha ha-ite -- from which; jani -- I

understand; para-tattvera -- of the Absolute Truth; uddesa --

identification.

TRANSLATION

In the third verse I indicate the Absolute Truth, who is the ultimate

substance. With such a description, one can visualize the Supreme Truth.

Adi 1.25

TEXT 25

TEXT

caturtha slokete kari jagate asirvada

sarvatra magiye krsna-caitanya-prasada

SYNONYMS

caturtha -- fourth; slokete -- in the verse; kari -- I make; jagate --

for the world; asih-vada -- benediction; sarvatra -- everywhere; magiye -

- I am begging; krsna-caitanya -- of Lord Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu;

prasada -- the mercy.

TRANSLATION

In the fourth verse I have invoked the benediction of the Lord upon all

the world, praying to Lord Caitanya for His mercy upon all.

Adi 1.26

TEXT 26

TEXT

sei sloke kahi bahyavatara-karana

panca sastha sloke kahi mula-prayojana

SYNONYMS

sei sloke -- in that same verse; kahi -- I tell; bahya -- the external;

avatara -- for the incarnation of Lord Caitanya; karana -- reason; panca

-- the fifth; sastha -- and the sixth; sloke -- in the verses; kahi -- I

tell; mula -- the prime; prayojana -- purpose.

TRANSLATION

In that verse I have also explained the external reason for Lord

Caitanya's incarnation. But in the fifth and sixth verses I have

explained the prime reason for His advent.

Adi 1.27

TEXT 27

TEXT

ei chaya sloke kahi caitanyera tattva

ara panca sloke nityanandera mahattva

SYNONYMS

ei -- these; chaya -- six; sloke -- in verses; kahi -- I describe;

caitanyera -- of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu; tattva -- truth; ara --

further; panca sloke -- in five verses; nityanandera -- of Lord

Nityananda; mahattva -- the glory.

TRANSLATION

In these six verses I have described the truth about Lord Caitanya,

whereas in the next five I have described the glory of Lord Nityananda.

Adi 1.28

TEXT 28

TEXT

ara dui sloke advaita-tattvakhyana

ara eka sloke panca-tattvera vyakhyana

SYNONYMS

ara -- further; dui sloke -- in two verses; advaita -- of Sri Advaita

Prabhu; tattva -- of the truth; akhyana -- description; ara -- further;

eka sloke -- in one verse; panca-tattvera -- of the Panca-tattva;

vyakhyana -- explanation.

TRANSLATION

The next two verses describe the truth of Advaita Prabhu, and the

following verse describes the Panca-tattva [the Lord, His plenary

portion, His incarnation, His energies and His devotees].

Adi 1.29

TEXT 29

TEXT

ei caudda sloke kari mangalacarana

tanhi madhye kahi saba vastu-nirupana

SYNONYMS

ei caudda sloke -- in these fourteen verses; kari -- I make; mangala-

acarana -- auspicious invocation; tanhi -- therefore in that; madhye --

within; kahi -- I speak; saba -- all; vastu -- object; nirupana --

description.

TRANSLATION

These fourteen verses, therefore, offer auspicious invocations and

describe the Supreme Truth.

Adi 1.30

TEXT 30

TEXT

saba srota-vaisnavere kari' namaskara

ei saba slokera kari artha-vicara

SYNONYMS

saba -- all; srota -- hearers or audience; vaisnavere -- unto the

Vaisnavas; kari' -- offering; namaskara -- obeisances; ei saba slokera --

of all these (fourteen) verses; kari -- I make; artha -- of the meaning;

vicara -- analysis.

TRANSLATION

I offer my obeisances unto all my Vaisnava readers as I begin to explain

the intricacies of all these verses.

Adi 1.31

TEXT 31

TEXT

sakala vaisnava, suna kari' eka-mana

caitanya-krsnera sastra-mata-nirupana

SYNONYMS

sakala -- all; vaisnava -- O devotees of the Lord; suna -- please hear;

kari' -- making; eka-mana -- rapt attention; caitanya -- Lord Caitanya

Mahaprabhu; krsnera -- of Lord Sri Krsna; sastra -- scriptural reference;

mata -- according to; nirupana -- decision.

TRANSLATION

I request all my Vaisnava readers to read and hear with rapt attention

this narration of Sri Krsna Caitanya as inculcated in the revealed

scriptures.

PURPORT

Lord Caitanya is the Absolute Truth, Krsna Himself. This is

substantiated by evidence from the authentic spiritual scriptures.

Sometimes people accept a man as God on the basis of their whimsical

sentiments and without reference to the revealed scriptures, but the

author of Caitanya-caritamrta proves all his statements by citing the

sastras. Thus he establishes that Caitanya Mahaprabhu is the Supreme

Personality of Godhead.

Adi 1.32

TEXT 32

TEXT

krsna, guru, bhakta, sakti, avatara, prakasa

krsna ei chaya-rupe karena vilasa

SYNONYMS

krsna -- the Supreme Lord, Sri Krsna; guru -- the spiritual masters;

bhakta -- the devotees; sakti -- the potencies; avatara -- the

incarnations; prakasa -- plenary portions; krsna -- Lord Krsna; ei chaya-

rupe -- in these six features; karena vilasa -- enjoys.

TRANSLATION

Lord Krsna enjoys by manifesting Himself as the spiritual masters, the

devotees, the diverse energies, the incarnations and the plenary

portions. They are all six in one.

Adi 1.33

TEXT 33

TEXT

ei chaya tattvera kari carana vandana

prathame samanye kari mangalacarana

SYNONYMS

ei -- these; chaya -- six; tattvera -- of these expansions; kari -- I

make; carana -- the lotus feet; vandana -- prayers; prathame -- at first;

samanye -- in general; kari -- I make; mangala-acarana -- auspicious

invocation.

TRANSLATION

I therefore worship the lotus feet of these six diversities of the one

truth by invoking their benedictions.

Adi 1.34

TEXT 34

TEXT

vande gurun isa-bhaktan

isam isavatarakan

tat-prakasams ca tac-chaktih

krsna-caitanya-samjnakam

SYNONYMS

vande -- I offer respectful obeisances; gurun -- unto the spiritual

masters; isa-bhaktan -- unto the devotees of the Supreme Lord; isam --

unto the Supreme Lord; isa-avatarakan -- unto the incarnations of the

Supreme Lord; tat -- of the Supreme Lord; prakasan -- unto the

manifestations; ca -- and; tat -- of the Supreme Lord; saktih -- unto

the potencies; krsna-caitanya -- Sri Krsna Caitanya; samjnakam -- named.

TRANSLATION

I offer my respectful obeisances unto the spiritual masters, the

devotees of the Lord, the Lord's incarnations, His plenary portions, His

energies and the primeval Lord Himself, Sri Krsna Caitanya.

PURPORT

Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami has composed this Sanskrit verse for the

beginning of his book, and now he will explain it in detail. He offers

his respectful obeisances to the six principles of the Absolute Truth.

Gurun is plural in number because anyone who gives spiritual

instructions based on the revealed scriptures is accepted as a spiritual

master. Although others give help in showing the way to beginners, the

guru who first initiates one with the maha-mantra is to be known as the

initiator, and the saints who give instructions for progressive

advancement in Krsna consciousness are called instructing spiritual

masters. The initiating and instructing spiritual masters are equal and

identical manifestations of Krsna, although they have different dealings.

Their function is to guide the conditioned souls back home, back to

Godhead. Therefore Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami accepted Nityananda Prabhu

and the Six Gosvamis in the category of guru.

Isa-bhaktan refers to the devotees of the Lord like Sri Srivasa and all

other such followers, who are the energy of the Lord and are

qualitatively nondifferent from Him. Isavatarakan refers to acaryas like

Advaita Prabhu, who is an avatara of the Lord. Tat-prakasan indicates

the direct manifestation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead,

Nityananda Prabhu, and the initiating spiritual master. Tac-chaktih

refers to the spiritual energies (saktis) of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

Gadadhara, Damodara and Jagadananda belong to this category of internal

energy.

The six principles are differently manifested but all equally

worshipable. Krsnadasa Kaviraja begins by offering his obeisances unto

them to teach us the method of worshiping Lord Caitanya. The external

potency of Godhead, called maya, can never associate with the Lord, just

as darkness cannot remain in the presence of light; yet darkness, being

but an illusory and temporary covering of light, has no existence

independent of light.

Adi 1.35

TEXT 35

TEXT

mantra-guru ara yata siksa-guru-gana

tanhara carana age kariye vandana

SYNONYMS

mantra-guru -- the initiating spiritual master; ara -- and also; yata --

as many (as there are); siksa-guru-gana -- all the instructing spiritual

masters; tanhara -- of all of them; carana -- unto the lotus feet; age --

at first; kariye -- I offer; vandana -- respectful obeisances.

TRANSLATION

I first offer my respectful obeisances at the lotus feet of my

initiating spiritual master and all my instructing spiritual masters.

PURPORT

Srila Jiva Gosvami, in his thesis Bhakti-sandarbha (202), has stated

that uncontaminated devotional service is the objective of pure

Vaisnavas and that one has to execute such service in the association of

other devotees. By associating with devotees of Lord Krsna, one develops

a sense of Krsna consciousness and thus becomes inclined toward the

loving service of the Lord. This is the process of approaching the

Supreme Lord by gradual appreciation in devotional service. If one

desires unalloyed devotional service, one must associate with devotees

of Sri Krsna, for by such association only can a conditioned soul

achieve a taste for transcendental love and thus revive his eternal

relationship with Godhead in a specific manifestation and in terms of

the specific transcendental mellow (rasa) that one has eternally

inherent in him.

If one develops love for Krsna by Krsna conscious activities, one can

know the Supreme Absolute Truth, but he who tries to understand God

simply by logical arguments will not succeed, nor will he get a taste

for unalloyed devotion. The secret is that one must submissively listen

to those who know perfectly the science of God, and one must begin the

mode of service regulated by the preceptor. A devotee already attracted

by the name, form, qualities, etc., of the Supreme Lord may be directed

to his specific manner of devotional service; he need not waste time in

approaching the Lord through logic. The expert spiritual master knows

well how to engage his disciple's energy in the transcendental loving

service of the Lord, and thus he engages a devotee in a specific

devotional service according to his special tendency. A devotee must

have only one initiating spiritual master because in the scriptures

acceptance of more than one is always forbidden. There is no limit,

however, to the number of instructing spiritual masters one may accept.

Generally a spiritual master who constantly instructs a disciple in

spiritual science becomes his initiating spiritual master later on.

One should always remember that a person who is reluctant to accept a

spiritual master and be initiated is sure to be baffled in his endeavor

to go back to Godhead. One who is not properly initiated may present

himself as a great devotee, but in fact he is sure to encounter many

stumbling blocks on his path of progress toward spiritual realization,

with the result that he must continue his term of material existence

without relief. Such a helpless person is compared to a ship without a

rudder, for such a ship can never reach its destination. It is

imperative, therefore, that one accept a spiritual master if he at all

desires to gain the favor of the Lord. The service of the spiritual

master is essential. If there is no chance to serve the spiritual master

directly, a devotee should serve him by remembering his instructions.

There is no difference between the spiritual master's instructions and

the spiritual master himself. In his absence, therefore, his words of

direction should be the pride of the disciple. If one thinks that he is

above consulting anyone else, including a spiritual master, he is at

once an offender at the lotus feet of the Lord. Such an offender can

never go back to Godhead. It is imperative that a serious person accept

a bona fide spiritual master in terms of the sastric injunctions. Sri

Jiva Gosvami advises that one not accept a spiritual master in terms of

hereditary or customary social and ecclesiastical conventions. One

should simply try to find a genuinely qualified spiritual master for

actual advancement in spiritual understanding.

Adi 1.36

TEXT 36

TEXT

sri-rupa, sanatana, bhatta-raghunatha

sri-jiva, gopala-bhatta, dasa-raghunatha

SYNONYMS

sri-rupa -- Srila Rupa Gosvami; sanatana -- Sanatana Gosvami; bhatta-

raghunatha -- Raghunatha Bhatta Gosvami; sri-jiva -- Srila Jiva Gosvami;

gopala-bhatta -- Gopala Bhatta Gosvami; dasa-raghunatha -- Srila

Raghunatha dasa Gosvami.

TRANSLATION

My instructing spiritual masters are Sri Rupa Gosvami, Sri Sanatana

Gosvami, Sri Bhatta Raghunatha, Sri Jiva Gosvami, Sri Gopala Bhatta

Gosvami and Srila Raghunatha dasa Gosvami.

Adi 1.37

TEXT 37

TEXT

ei chaya guru -- siksa-guru ye amara

tan'-sabara pada-padme koti namaskara

SYNONYMS

ei -- these; chaya -- six; guru -- spiritual masters; siksa-guru --

instructing spiritual masters; ye -- who are; amara -- my; tan'-sabara --

of all of them; pada-padme -- unto the lotus feet; koti -- ten million;

namaskara -- respectful obeisances.

TRANSLATION

These six are my instructing spiritual masters, and therefore I offer

millions of respectful obeisances unto their lotus feet.

PURPORT

By accepting the Six Gosvamis as his instructing spiritual masters, the

author specifically makes it clear that one should not be recognized as

a Gaudiya Vaisnava if he is not obedient to them.

Adi 1.38

TEXT 38

TEXT

bhagavanera bhakta yata srivasa pradhana

tan'-sabhara pada-padme sahasra pranama

SYNONYMS

bhagavanera -- of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; bhakta -- the

devotees; yata -- as many (as there are); srivasa pradhana -- headed by

Sri Srivasa; tan'-sabhara -- of all of them; pada-padme -- unto the

lotus feet; sahasra -- thousands; pranama -- respectful obeisances.

TRANSLATION

There are innumerable devotees of the Lord, of whom Srivasa Thakura is

the foremost. I offer my respectful obeisances thousands of times unto

their lotus feet.

Adi 1.39

TEXT 39

TEXT

advaita acarya -- prabhura amsa-avatara

tanra pada-padme koti pranati amara

SYNONYMS

advaita acarya -- Advaita Acarya; prabhura -- of the Supreme Lord; amsa -

- partial; avatara -- incarnation; tanra -- of Him; pada-padme -- unto

the lotus feet; koti -- ten million; pranati -- respectful obeisances;

amara -- my.

TRANSLATION

Advaita Acarya is the Lord's partial incarnation, and therefore I offer

my obeisances millions of times at His lotus feet.

Adi 1.40

TEXT 40

TEXT

nityananda-raya -- prabhura svarupa-prakasa

tanra pada-padma vando yanra muni dasa

SYNONYMS

nityananda-raya -- Lord Nityananda; prabhura -- of the Supreme Lord; sva-

rupa-prakasa -- personal manifestation; tanra -- of Him; pada-padma --

unto the lotus feet; vando -- I offer respectful obeisances; yanra -- of

whom; muni -- I am; dasa -- the servant.

TRANSLATION

Srila Nityananda Rama is the plenary manifestation of the Lord, and I

have been initiated by Him. I therefore offer my respectful obeisances

unto His lotus feet.

Adi 1.41

TEXT 41

TEXT

gadadhara-panditadi -- prabhura nija-sakti

tan'-sabara carane mora sahasra pranati

SYNONYMS

gadadhara-pandita-adi -- headed by Sri Gadadhara Pandita; prabhura -- of

the Supreme Lord; nija-sakti -- internal potencies; tan'-sabara -- of

all of them; carane -- unto the lotus feet; mora -- my; sahasra --

thousands; pranati -- respectful obeisances.

TRANSLATION

I offer my respectful obeisances unto the internal potencies of the Lord,

of whom Sri Gadadhara Prabhu is the foremost.

Adi 1.42

TEXT 42

TEXT

sri-krsna-caitanya prabhu svayam-bhagavan

tanhara padaravinde ananta pranama

SYNONYMS

sri-krsna-caitanya -- Lord Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu; prabhu -- the

Supreme Lord; svayam-bhagavan -- is the original Personality of Godhead;

tanhara -- His; pada-aravinde -- unto the lotus feet; ananta --

innumerable; pranama -- respectful obeisances.

TRANSLATION

Lord Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu is the Personality of Godhead Himself,

and therefore I offer innumerable prostrations at His lotus feet.

Adi 1.43

TEXT 43

TEXT

savarane prabhure kariya namaskara

ei chaya tenho yaiche -- kariye vicara

SYNONYMS

sa-avarane -- along with His associates; prabhure -- unto Lord Sri

Caitanya Mahaprabhu; kariya -- having made; namaskara -- respectful

obeisances; ei -- these; chaya -- six; tenho -- He; yaiche -- what they

are like; kariye -- I make; vicara -- discussion.

TRANSLATION

Having offered obeisances unto the Lord and all His associates, I shall

now try to explain these six diversities in one.

PURPORT

There are many unalloyed devotees of the Supreme Personality of Godhead,

all of whom are considered associates surrounding the Lord. Krsna should

be worshiped with His devotees. The diverse principles are therefore the

eternal paraphernalia through which the Absolute Truth can be approached.

Adi 1.44

TEXT 44

TEXT

yadyapi amara guru -- caitanyera dasa

tathapi janiye ami tanhara prakasa

SYNONYMS

yadyapi -- even though; amara -- my; guru -- spiritual master;

caitanyera -- of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu; dasa -- the servitor; tathapi

-- still; janiye -- know; ami -- I; tanhara -- of the Lord; prakasa --

direct manifestation.

TRANSLATION

Although I know that my spiritual master is a servitor of Sri Caitanya,

I know Him also as a plenary manifestation of the Lord.

PURPORT

Every living entity is essentially a servant of the Supreme Personality

of Godhead, and the spiritual master is also His servant. Still, the

spiritual master is a direct manifestation of the Lord. With this

conviction, a disciple can advance in Krsna consciousness. The spiritual

master is nondifferent from Krsna because he is a manifestation of Krsna.

Lord Nityananda, who is Balarama Himself, the first direct manifestation

or expansion of Krsna, is the original spiritual master. He helps Lord

Krsna in His pastimes, and He is a servant of the Lord.

Every living entity is eternally a servant of Sri Krsna Caitanya;

therefore the spiritual master cannot be other than a servant of Lord

Caitanya. The spiritual master's eternal occupation is to expand the

service of the Lord by training disciples in a service attitude. A

spiritual master never poses as the Supreme Lord Himself; he is

considered a representative of the Lord. The revealed scriptures

prohibit one's pretending to be God, but a bona fide spiritual master is

a most faithful and confidential servant of the Lord and therefore

deserves as much respect as Krsna.

Adi 1.45

TEXT 45

TEXT

guru krsna-rupa hana sastrera pramane

guru-rupe krsna krpa karena bhakta-gane

SYNONYMS

guru -- the spiritual master; krsna-rupa -- as good as Krsna; hana -- is;

sastrera -- of revealed scriptures; pramane -- by the evidence; guru-

rupe -- in the form of the spiritual master; krsna -- Lord Sri Krsna;

krpa -- mercy; karena -- distributes; bhakta-gane -- unto His devotees.

TRANSLATION

According to the deliberate opinion of all revealed scriptures, the

spiritual master is nondifferent from Krsna. Lord Krsna in the form of

the spiritual master delivers His devotees.

PURPORT

The relationship of a disciple with his spiritual master is as good as

his relationship with the Supreme Lord. A spiritual master always

represents himself as the humblest servitor of the Personality of

Godhead, but the disciple must look upon him as the manifested

representation of Godhead.

Adi 1.46

TEXT 46

TEXT

acaryam mam vijaniyan

navamanyeta karhicit

na martya-buddhyasuyeta

sarva-deva-mayo guruh

SYNONYMS

acaryam -- the spiritual master; mam -- Myself; vijaniyat -- one should

know; na avamanyeta -- one should never disrespect; karhicit -- at any

time; na -- never; martya-buddhya -- with the idea of his being an

ordinary man; asuyeta -- one should be envious; sarva-deva -- of all

demigods; mayah -- representative; guruh -- the spiritual master.

TRANSLATION

"One should know the acarya as Myself and never disrespect him in any

way. One should not envy him, thinking him an ordinary man, for he is

the representative of all the demigods."

PURPORT

This is a verse from Srimad-Bhagavatam (11.17.27) spoken by Lord Krsna

when He was questioned by Uddhava regarding the four social and

spiritual orders of society. The Lord was specifically instructing how a

brahmacari should behave under the care of a spiritual master. A

spiritual master is not an enjoyer of facilities offered by his

disciples. He is like a parent. Without the attentive service of his

parents, a child cannot grow to manhood; similarly, without the care of

the spiritual master one cannot rise to the plane of transcendental

service.

The spiritual master is also called acarya, or a transcendental

professor of spiritual science. The Manu-samhita (2.140) explains the

duties of an acarya, describing that a bona fide spiritual master

accepts charge of disciples, teaches them the Vedic knowledge with all

its intricacies, and gives them their second birth. The ceremony

performed to initiate a disciple into the study of spiritual science is

called upaniti, or the function that brings one nearer to the spiritual

master. One who cannot be brought nearer to a spiritual master cannot

have a sacred thread, and thus he is indicated to be a sudra. The sacred

thread on the body of a brahmana, ksatriya or vaisya is a symbol of

initiation by the spiritual master; it is worth nothing if worn merely

to boast of high parentage. The duty of the spiritual master is to

initiate a disciple with the sacred thread ceremony, and after this

samskara, or purificatory process, the spiritual master actually begins

to teach the disciple about the Vedas. A person born a sudra is not

barred from such spiritual initiation, provided he is approved by the

spiritual master, who is duly authorized to award a disciple the right

to be a brahmana if he finds him perfectly qualified. In the Vayu Purana

an acarya is defined as one who knows the import of all Vedic

literatures, abides by their rules and regulations, and teaches his

disciples to act in the same way.

Only out of His immense compassion does the Personality of Godhead

reveal Himself as the spiritual master. Therefore in the dealings of an

acarya there are no activities but those of transcendental loving

service to the Lord. He is the Supreme Personality of Servitor Godhead.

It is worthwhile to take shelter of such a steady devotee, who is called

asraya-vigraha, or the manifestation or form of the Lord of whom one

must take shelter.

If one poses himself as an acarya but does not have an attitude of

servitorship to the Lord, he must be considered an offender, and this

offensive attitude disqualifies him from being an acarya. The bona fide

spiritual master always engages in unalloyed devotional service to the

Supreme Personality of Godhead. By this test he is known to be a direct

manifestation of the Lord and a genuine representative of Sri Nityananda

Prabhu. Such a spiritual master is known as acaryadeva. Influenced by an

envious temperament and dissatisfied because of an attitude of sense

gratification, mundaners criticize a real acarya. In fact, however, a

bona fide acarya is nondifferent from the Personality of Godhead, and

therefore to envy such an acarya is to envy the Personality of Godhead

Himself. This will produce an effect subversive of transcendental

realization.

As mentioned previously, a disciple should always respect the spiritual

master as a manifestation of Sri Krsna, but at the same time one should

always remember that a spiritual master is never authorized to imitate

the transcendental pastimes of the Lord. False spiritual masters pose

themselves as identical with Sri Krsna in every respect to exploit the

sentiments of their disciples, but such impersonalists can only mislead

their disciples, for their ultimate aim is to become one with the Lord.

This is against the principles of the devotional cult.

The real Vedic philosophy is acintya-bhedabheda-tattva, which

establishes everything to be simultaneously one with and different from

the Personality of Godhead. Srila Raghunatha dasa Gosvami confirms that

this is the real position of a bona fide spiritual master and says that

one should always think of the spiritual master in terms of his intimate

relationship with Mukunda (Sri Krsna). Srila Jiva Gosvami, in his Bhakti-

sandarbha (213), has clearly explained that a pure devotee's observation

of the spiritual master and Lord Siva as being one with the Personality

of Godhead exists in terms of their being very dear to the Lord, not

identical with Him in all respects. Following in the footsteps of Srila

Raghunatha dasa Gosvami and Srila Jiva Gosvami, later acaryas like Srila

Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura have confirmed the same truths. In his

prayers to the spiritual master, Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura

confirms that all the revealed scriptures accept the spiritual master to

be identical with the Personality of Godhead because he is a very dear

and confidential servant of the Lord. Gaudiya Vaisnavas therefore

worship Srila Gurudeva (the spiritual master) in the light of his being

the servitor of the Personality of Godhead. In all the ancient

literatures of devotional service and in the more recent songs of Srila

Narottama dasa Thakura, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura and other unalloyed

Vaisnavas, the spiritual master is always considered either one of the

confidential associates of Srimati Radharani or a manifested

representation of Srila Nityananda Prabhu.

Adi 1.47

TEXT 47

TEXT

siksa-guruke ta' jani krsnera svarupa

antaryami, bhakta-srestha, -- ei dui rupa

SYNONYMS

siksa-guruke -- the spiritual master who instructs; ta' -- indeed; jani -

- I know; krsnera -- of Krsna; sva-rupa -- the direct representative;

antaryami -- the indwelling Supersoul; bhakta-srestha -- the best

devotee; ei -- these; dui -- two; rupa -- forms.

TRANSLATION

One should know the instructing spiritual master to be the Personality

of Krsna. Lord Krsna manifests Himself as the Supersoul and as the

greatest devotee of the Lord.

PURPORT

Srila Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami states that the instructing spiritual

master is a bona fide representative of Sri Krsna. Sri Krsna Himself

teaches us as the instructing spiritual master from within and without.

From within He teaches as Paramatma, our constant companion, and from

without He teaches from the Bhagavad-gita as the instructing spiritual

master. There are two kinds of instructing spiritual masters. One is the

liberated person fully absorbed in meditation in devotional service, and

the other is he who invokes the disciple's spiritual consciousness by

means of relevant instructions. Thus the instructions in the science of

devotion are differentiated in terms of the objective and subjective

ways of understanding. The acarya in the true sense of the term, who is

authorized to deliver Krsna, enriches the disciple with full spiritual

knowledge and thus awakens him to the activities of devotional service.

When by learning from the self-realized spiritual master one actually

engages himself in the service of Lord Visnu, functional devotional

service begins. The procedures of this devotional service are known as

abhidheya, or actions one is dutybound to perform. Our only shelter is

the Supreme Lord, and one who teaches how to approach Krsna is the

functioning form of the Personality of Godhead. There is no difference

between the shelter-giving Supreme Lord and the initiating and

instructing spiritual masters. If one foolishly discriminates between

them, he commits an offense in the discharge of devotional service.

Srila Sanatana Gosvami is the ideal spiritual master, for he delivers

one the shelter of the lotus feet of Madana-mohana. Even though one may

be unable to travel on the field of Vrndavana due to forgetfulness of

his relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he can get an

adequate opportunity to stay in Vrndavana and derive all spiritual

benefits by the mercy of Sanatana Gosvami. Sri Govindaji acts exactly

like the siksa-guru (instructing spiritual master) by teaching Arjuna

the Bhagavad-gita. He is the original preceptor, for He gives us

instructions and an opportunity to serve Him. The initiating spiritual

master is a personal manifestation of Srila Madana-mohana vigraha,

whereas the instructing spiritual master is a personal representative of

Srila Govindadeva vigraha. Both of these Deities are worshiped at

Vrndavana. Srila Gopinatha is the ultimate attraction in spiritual

realization.

Adi 1.48

TEXT 48

TEXT

naivopayanty apacitim kavayas tavesa

brahmayusapi krtam rddha-mudah smarantah

yo 'ntar bahis tanu-bhrtam asubham vidhunvann

acarya-caitya-vapusa sva-gatim vyanakti

SYNONYMS

na eva -- not at all; upayanti -- are able to express; apacitim -- their

gratitude; kavayah -- learned devotees; tava -- Your; isa -- O Lord;

brahma-ayusa -- with a lifetime equal to Lord Brahma's; api -- in spite

of; krtam -- magnanimous work; rddha -- increased; mudah -- joy;

smarantah -- remembering; yah -- who; antah -- within; bahih -- outside;

tanu-bhrtam -- of those who are embodied; asubham -- misfortune;

vidhunvan -- dissipating; acarya -- of the spiritual master; caitya --

of the Supersoul; vapusa -- by the forms; sva -- own; gatim -- path;

vyanakti -- shows.

TRANSLATION

"O my Lord! Transcendental poets and experts in spiritual science could

not fully express their indebtedness to You, even if they were endowed

with the prolonged lifetime of Brahma, for You appear in two features --

externally as the acarya and internally as the Supersoul -- to deliver

the embodied living being by directing him how to come to You."

PURPORT

This verse from Srimad-Bhagavatam (11.29.6) was spoken by Sri Uddhava

after he heard from Sri Krsna all necessary instructions about yoga.

Adi 1.49

TEXT 49

TEXT

tesam satata-yuktanam

bhajatam priti-purvakam

dadami buddhi-yogam tam

yena mam upayanti te

SYNONYMS

tesam -- unto them; satata-yuktanam -- always engaged; bhajatam -- in

rendering devotional service; priti-purvakam -- in loving ecstasy;

dadami -- I give; buddhi-yogam -- real intelligence; tam -- that; yena --

by which; mam -- unto Me; upayanti -- come; te -- they.

TRANSLATION

"To those who are constantly devoted to serving Me with love, I give the

understanding by which they can come to Me."

PURPORT

This verse of the Bhagavad-gita (10.10) clearly states how Govindadeva

instructs His bona fide devotee. The Lord declares that by enlightenment

in theistic knowledge He awards attachment for Him to those who

constantly engage in His transcendental loving service. This awakening

of divine consciousness enthralls a devotee, who thus relishes his

eternal transcendental mellow. Such an awakening is awarded only to

those convinced by devotional service about the transcendental nature of

the Personality of Godhead. They know that the Supreme Truth, the all-

spiritual and all-powerful person, is one without a second and has fully

transcendental senses. He is the fountainhead of all emanations. Such

pure devotees, always merged in knowledge of Krsna and absorbed in Krsna

consciousness, exchange thoughts and realizations as great scientists

exchange their views and discuss the results of their research in

scientific academies. Such exchanges of thoughts in regard to Krsna give

pleasure to the Lord, who therefore favors such devotees with all

enlightenment.

Adi 1.50

TEXT 50

TEXT

yatha brahmane bhagavan

svayam upadisyanubhavitavan

SYNONYMS

yatha -- just as; brahmane -- unto Lord Brahma; bhagavan -- the Supreme

Lord; svayam -- Himself; upadisya -- having instructed; anubhavitavan --

caused to perceive.

TRANSLATION

The Supreme Personality of Godhead [svayam bhagavan] taught Brahma and

made him self-realized.

PURPORT

The English maxim that God helps those who help themselves is also

applicable in the transcendental realm. There are many instances in the

revealed scriptures of the Personality of Godhead's acting as the

spiritual master from within. The Personality of Godhead was the

spiritual master who instructed Brahma, the original living being in the

cosmic creation. When Brahma was first created, he could not apply his

creative energy to arrange the cosmic situation. At first there was only

sound, vibrating the word tapa, which indicates the acceptance of

hardships for spiritual realization. Refraining from sensual enjoyment,

one should voluntarily accept all sorts of difficulties for spiritual

realization. This is called tapasya. An enjoyer of the senses can never

realize God, godliness or the science of theistic knowledge. Thus when

Brahma, initiated by Sri Krsna by the sound vibration tapa, engaged

himself in acts of austerity, by the pleasure of Visnu he was able to

visualize the transcendental world, Sri Vaikuntha, through

transcendental realization. Modern science can communicate using

material discoveries such as radio, television and computers, but the

science invoked by the austerities of Sri Brahma, the original father of

mankind, was still more subtle. In time, material scientists may also

know how we can communicate with the Vaikuntha world. Lord Brahma

inquired about the potency of the Supreme Lord, and the Personality of

Godhead answered his inquiry in the following six consecutive statements.

These instructions, which are reproduced from Srimad-Bhagavatam (2.9.31–

36), were imparted by the Personality of Godhead, acting as the supreme

spiritual master.

Adi 1.51

TEXT 51

TEXT

jnanam parama-guhyam me

yad vijnana-samanvitam

sa-rahasyam tad-angam ca

grhana gaditam maya

SYNONYMS

jnanam -- knowledge; parama -- extremely; guhyam -- confidential; me --

of Me; yat -- which; vijnana -- realization; samanvitam -- fully endowed

with; sa-rahasyam -- along with mystery; tat -- of that; angam --

supplementary parts; ca -- and; grhana -- just try to take up; gaditam --

explained; maya -- by Me.

TRANSLATION

"Please hear attentively what I shall speak to you, for transcendental

knowledge about Me is not only scientific but also full of mysteries.

PURPORT

Transcendental knowledge of Sri Krsna is deeper than the impersonal

knowledge of Brahman, for it includes knowledge of not only His form and

personality but also everything else related to Him. There is nothing in

existence not related to Sri Krsna. In a sense, there is nothing but Sri

Krsna, and yet nothing is Sri Krsna save and except His primeval

personality. This knowledge constitutes a complete transcendental

science, and Visnu wanted to give Brahmaji full knowledge about that

science. The mystery of this knowledge culminates in personal attachment

to the Lord, with a resulting effect of detachment from anything "non-

Krsna." There are nine alternative transcendental means of attaining

this stage: hearing, chanting, remembering, serving the lotus feet of

the Lord, worshiping, praying, assisting, fraternizing with the Lord,

and sacrificing everything for Him. These are different parts of the

same devotional service, which is full of transcendental mystery. The

Lord said to Brahma that since He was pleased with him, by His grace the

mystery was being revealed.

Adi 1.52

TEXT 52

TEXT

yavan aham yatha-bhavo

yad-rupa-guna-karmakah

tathaiva tattva-vijnanam

astu te mad-anugrahat

SYNONYMS

yavan -- as I am in My eternal form; aham -- I; yatha -- in whichever

manner; bhavah -- transcendental existence; yat -- whatever; rupa --

various forms and colors; guna -- qualities; karmakah -- activities;

tatha eva -- exactly so; tattva-vijnanam -- factual realization; astu --

let there be; te -- your; mat -- My; anugrahat -- by causeless mercy.

TRANSLATION

"By My causeless mercy, be enlightened in truth about My personality,

manifestations, qualities and pastimes.

PURPORT

The transcendental personal forms of the Lord are a mystery, and the

symptoms of these forms, which are absolutely different from anything

made of mundane elements, are also mysterious. The innumerable forms of

the Lord, such as Syamasundara, Narayana, Rama and Gaurasundara; the

colors of these forms (white, red, yellow, cloudlike syama and others);

His qualities, as the responsive Personality of Godhead to pure devotees

and as impersonal Brahman to dry speculators; His uncommon activities

like lifting Govardhana Hill, marrying more than sixteen thousand queens

at Dvaraka, and entering the rasa dance with the damsels of Vraja,

expanding Himself in as many forms as there were damsels in the dance --

these and innumerable other uncommon acts and attributes are all

mysteries, one aspect of which is presented in the scientific knowledge

of the Bhagavad-gita, which is read and adored all over the world by all

classes of scholars, with as many interpretations as there are empiric

philosophers. The truth of these mysteries was revealed to Brahma by the

descending process, without the help of the ascending one. The Lord's

mercy descends to a devotee like Brahma and, through Brahma, to Narada,

from Narada to Vyasa, from Vyasadeva to Sukadeva and so on in the bona

fide chain of disciplic succession. We cannot discover the mysteries of

the Lord by our mundane endeavors; they are only revealed, by His grace,

to the proper devotees. These mysteries are gradually disclosed to the

various grades of devotees in proportion to the gradual development of

their service attitude. In other words, impersonalists who depend upon

the strength of their poor fund of knowledge and morbid speculative

habits, without submission and service in the forms of hearing, chanting

and the others mentioned above, cannot penetrate to the mysterious

region of transcendence where the Supreme Truth is a transcendental

person, free from all tinges of the material elements. Discovering the

mystery of the Lord eliminates the impersonal feature realized by common

spiritualists who are merely trying to enter the spiritual region from

the mundane platform.

Adi 1.53

TEXT 53

TEXT

aham evasam evagre

nanyad yat sad-asat param

pascad aham yad etac ca

yo 'vasisyeta so 'smy aham

SYNONYMS

aham -- I, the Personality of Godhead; eva -- certainly; asam -- existed;

eva -- only; agre -- before the creation; na -- never; anyat --

anything else; yat -- which; sat -- the effect; asat -- the cause; param

-- the supreme; pascat -- at the end; aham -- I, the Personality of

Godhead; yat -- which; etat -- this creation; ca -- also; yah -- who;

avasisyeta -- remains; sah -- that; asmi -- am; aham -- I, the

Personality of Godhead.

TRANSLATION

"Prior to the cosmic creation, only I exist, and no phenomena exist,

either gross, subtle or primordial. After creation, only I exist in

everything, and after annihilation, only I remain eternally.

PURPORT

Aham means "I"; therefore the speaker who is saying aham, "I," must have

His own personality. The Mayavadi philosophers interpret this word aham

as referring to the impersonal Brahman. The Mayavadis are very proud of

their grammatical knowledge, but any person who has actual knowledge of

grammar can understand that aham means "I" and that "I" refers to a

personality. Therefore the Personality of Godhead, speaking to Brahma,

uses aham while describing His own transcendental form. Aham has a

specific meaning; it is not a vague term that can be whimsically

interpreted. Aham, when spoken by Krsna, refers to the Supreme

Personality of Godhead and nothing else.

Before the creation and after its dissolution, only the Supreme

Personality of Godhead and His associates exist; there is no existence

of the material elements. This is confirmed in the Vedic literature.

Vasudevo va idam agra asin na brahma na ca sankarah. The meaning of this

mantra is that before creation there was no existence of Brahma or Siva,

for only Visnu existed. Visnu exists in His abode, the Vaikunthas. There

are innumerable Vaikuntha planets in the spiritual sky, and on each of

them Visnu resides with His associates and His paraphernalia. It is also

confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita that although the creation is

periodically dissolved, there is another abode, which is never dissolved.

The word "creation" refers to the material creation because in the

spiritual world everything exists eternally and there is no creation or

dissolution.

The Lord indicates herein that before the material creation He existed

in fullness with all transcendental opulences, including all strength,

all wealth, all beauty, all knowledge, all fame and all renunciation. If

one thinks of a king, he automatically thinks of his secretaries,

ministers, military commanders, palaces and so on. Since a king has such

opulences, one can simply try to imagine the opulences of the Supreme

Personality of Godhead. When the Lord says aham, therefore, it is to be

understood that He exists with full potency, including all opulences.

The word yat refers to Brahman, the impersonal effulgence of the Lord.

In the Brahma-samhita (5.40) it is said, tad brahma niskalam anantam

asesa-bhutam: the Brahman effulgence expands unlimitedly. Just as the

sun is a localized planet with the sunshine expanding unlimitedly from

that source, so the Absolute Truth is the Supreme Personality of Godhead

with His effulgence of energy, Brahman, expanding unlimitedly. From that

Brahman energy the creation appears, just as a cloud appears in sunshine.

From the cloud comes rain, from the rain comes vegetation, and from the

vegetation come fruits and flowers, which are the basis of subsistence

for many other forms of life. Similarly, the effulgent bodily luster of

the Supreme Lord is the cause of the creation of infinite universes. The

Brahman effulgence is impersonal, but the cause of that energy is the

Supreme Personality of Godhead. From Him, in His abode, the Vaikunthas,

this brahma-jyoti emanates. He is never impersonal. Since

impersonalists cannot understand the source of the Brahman energy, they

mistakenly choose to think this impersonal Brahman the ultimate or

absolute goal. But as stated in the Upanisads, one has to penetrate the

impersonal effulgence to see the face of the Supreme Lord. If one

desires to reach the source of the sunshine, he has to travel through

the sunshine to reach the sun and then meet the predominating deity

there. The Absolute Truth is the Supreme Person, Bhagavan, as Srimad-

Bhagavatam explains.

Sat means "effect," asat means "cause," and param refers to the ultimate

truth, which is transcendental to cause and effect. The cause of the

creation is called the mahat-tattva, or total material energy, and its

effect is the creation itself. But neither cause nor effect existed in

the beginning; they emanated from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, as

did the energy of time. This is stated in the Vedanta-sutra (janmady

asya yatah). The source of birth of the cosmic manifestation, or mahat-

tattva, is the Personality of Godhead. This is confirmed throughout

Srimad-Bhagavatam and the Bhagavad-gita. In the Bhagavad-gita (10.8) the

Lord says, aham sarvasya prabhavah: "I am the fountainhead of all

emanations." The material cosmos, being temporary, is sometimes manifest

and sometimes unmanifest, but its energy emanates from the Supreme

Absolute Lord. Before the creation there was neither cause nor effect,

but the Supreme Personality of Godhead existed with His full opulence

and energy.

The words pascad aham indicate that the Lord exists after the

dissolution of the cosmic manifestation. When the material world is

dissolved, the Lord still exists personally in the Vaikunthas. During

the creation the Lord also exists as He is in the Vaikunthas, and He

also exists as the Supersoul within the material universes. This is

confirmed in the Brahma-samhita (5.37). Goloka eva nivasati: although He

is perfectly and eternally present in Goloka Vrndavana in Vaikuntha, He

is nevertheless all-pervading (akhilatma-bhutah). The all-pervading

feature of the Lord is called the Supersoul. In the Bhagavad-gita it is

said, aham krtsnasya jagatah prabhavah: the cosmic manifestation is a

display of the energy of the Supreme Lord. The material elements (earth,

water, fire, air, ether, mind, intelligence and false ego) display the

inferior energy of the Lord, and the living entities are His superior

energy. Since the energy of the Lord is not different from Him, in fact

everything that exists is Krsna in His impersonal feature. Sunshine,

sunlight and heat are not different from the sun, and yet simultaneously

they are distinct energies of the sun. Similarly, the cosmic

manifestation and the living entities are energies of the Lord, and they

are considered to be simultaneously one with and different from Him. The

Lord therefore says, "I am everything," because everything is His energy

and is therefore nondifferent from Him.

Yo 'vasisyeta so 'smy aham indicates that the Lord is the balance that

exists after the dissolution of the creation. The spiritual

manifestation never vanishes. It belongs to the internal energy of the

Supreme Lord and exists eternally. When the external manifestation is

withdrawn, the spiritual activities in Goloka and the rest of the

Vaikunthas continue, unrestricted by material time, which has no

existence in the spiritual world. Therefore in the Bhagavad-gita (15.6)

it is said, yad gatva na nivartante tad dhama paramam mama: "The abode

from which no one returns to this material world is the supreme abode of

the Lord."

Adi 1.54

TEXT 54

TEXT

rte 'rtham yat pratiyeta

na pratiyeta catmani

tad vidyad atmano mayam

yathabhaso yatha tamah

SYNONYMS

rte -- without; artham -- value; yat -- that which; pratiyeta -- appears

to be; na -- not; pratiyeta -- appears to be; ca -- certainly; atmani --

in relation to Me; tat -- that; vidyat -- you must know; atmanah -- My;

mayam -- illusory energy; yatha -- just as; abhasah -- the reflection;

yatha -- just as; tamah -- the darkness.

TRANSLATION

"What appears to be truth without Me is certainly My illusory energy,

for nothing can exist without Me. It is like a reflection of a real

light in the shadows, for in the light there are neither shadows nor

reflections.

PURPORT

In the previous verse the Absolute Truth and its nature have been

explained. One must also understand the relative truth to actually know

the Absolute. The relative truth, which is called maya, or material

nature, is explained here. Maya has no independent existence. One who is

less intelligent is captivated by the wonderful activities of maya, but

he does not understand that behind these activities is the direction of

the Supreme Lord. In the Bhagavad-gita (9.10) it is said, mayadhyaksena

prakrtih suyate sa-caracaram: the material nature is working and

producing moving and nonmoving beings only by the supervision of Krsna.

The real nature of maya, the illusory existence of the material

manifestation, is clearly explained in Srimad-Bhagavatam. The Absolute

Truth is substance, and the relative truth depends upon its relationship

with the Absolute for its existence. Maya means energy; therefore the

relative truth is explained to be the energy of the Absolute Truth.

Since it is difficult to understand the distinction between the absolute

and relative truths, an analogy can be given for clarification. The

Absolute Truth can be compared to the sun, which is appreciated in terms

of two relative truths: reflection and darkness. Darkness is the absence

of sunshine, and a reflection is a projection of sunlight into darkness.

Neither darkness nor reflection has an independent existence. Darkness

comes when the sunshine is blocked. For example, if one stands facing

the sun, his back will be in darkness. Since darkness stands in the

absence of the sun, it is therefore relative to the sun. The spiritual

world is compared to the real sunshine, and the material world is

compared to the dark regions where the sun is not visible.

When the material manifestation appears very wonderful, this is due to a

perverted reflection of the supreme sunshine, the Absolute Truth, as

confirmed in the Vedanta-sutra. Whatever one can see here has its

substance in the Absolute. As darkness is situated far away from the sun,

so the material world is also far away from the spiritual world. The

Vedic literature directs us not to be captivated by the dark regions (

tamah) but to try to reach the shining regions of the Absolute (yogi-

dhama).

The spiritual world is brightly illuminated, but the material world is

wrapped in darkness. In the material world, sunshine, moonshine or

different kinds of artificial light are required to dispel darkness,

especially at night, for by nature the material world is dark. Therefore

the Supreme Lord has arranged for sunshine and moonshine. But in His

abode, as described in the Bhagavad-gita (15.6), there is no necessity

for lighting by sunshine, moonshine or electricity because everything is

self-effulgent.

That which is relative, temporary and far away from the Absolute Truth

is called maya, or ignorance. This illusion is exhibited in two ways, as

explained in the Bhagavad-gita. The inferior illusion is inert matter,

and the superior illusion is the living entity. The living entities are

called illusory in this context only because they are implicated in the

illusory structures and activities of the material world. Actually the

living entities are not illusory, for they are parts of the superior

energy of the Supreme Lord and do not have to be covered by maya if they

do not want to be so. The actions of the living entities in the

spiritual kingdom are not illusory; they are the actual, eternal

activities of liberated souls.

Adi 1.55

TEXT 55

TEXT

yatha mahanti bhutani

bhutesuccavacesv anu

pravistany apravistani

tatha tesu na tesv aham

SYNONYMS

yatha -- as; mahanti -- the universal; bhutani -- elements; bhutesu --

in the living entities; ucca-avacesu -- both gigantic and minute; anu --

after; pravistani -- situated internally; apravistani -- situated

externally; tatha -- so; tesu -- in them; na -- not; tesu -- in them;

aham -- I.

TRANSLATION

"As the material elements enter the bodies of all living beings and yet

remain outside them all, I exist within all material creations and yet

am not within them.

PURPORT

The gross material elements (earth, water, fire, air and ether) combine

with the subtle material elements (mind, intelligence and false ego) to

construct the bodies of this material world, and yet they are beyond

these bodies as well. Any material construction is nothing but an

amalgamation or combination of material elements in varied proportions.

These elements exist both within and beyond the body. For example,

although the sky exists in space, it also enters within the body.

Similarly, the Supreme Lord, who is the cause of the material energy,

lives within the material world as well as beyond it. Without His

presence within the material world, the cosmic body could not develop,

just as without the presence of the spirit within the physical body, the

body could not develop. The entire material manifestation develops and

exists because the Supreme Personality of Godhead enters it as Paramatma,

or the Supersoul. The Personality of Godhead in His all-pervading

feature of Paramatma enters every entity, from the biggest to the most

minute. His existence can be realized by one who has the single

qualification of submissiveness and who thereby becomes a surrendered

soul. The development of submissiveness is the cause of proportionate

spiritual realization, by which one can ultimately meet the Supreme Lord

in person, as a man meets another man face to face.

Because of his development of transcendental attachment for the Supreme

Lord, a surrendered soul feels the presence of his beloved everywhere,

and all his senses are engaged in the loving service of the Lord. His

eyes are engaged in seeing the beautiful couple Sri Radha and Krsna

sitting on a decorated throne beneath a desire tree in the

transcendental land of Vrndavana. His nose is engaged in smelling the

spiritual aroma of the lotus feet of the Lord. Similarly, his ears are

engaged in hearing messages from Vaikuntha, and his hands embrace the

lotus feet of the Lord and His associates. Thus the Lord is manifested

to a pure devotee from within and without. This is one of the mysteries

of the devotional relationship in which a devotee and the Lord are bound

by a tie of spontaneous love. To achieve this love should be the goal of

life for every living being.

Adi 1.56

TEXT 56

TEXT

etavad eva jijnasyam

tattva-jijnasunatmanah

anvaya-vyatirekabhyam

yat syat sarvatra sarvada

SYNONYMS

etavat -- up to this; eva -- certainty; jijnasyam -- to be inquired

about; tattva -- of the Absolute Truth; jijnasuna -- by the student;

atmanah -- of the Self; anvaya -- directly; vyatirekabhyam -- and

indirectly; yat -- whatever; syat -- it may be; sarvatra -- everywhere;

sarvada -- always.

TRANSLATION

"A person interested in transcendental knowledge must therefore always

directly and indirectly inquire about it to know the all-pervading truth.

PURPORT

Those who are serious about the knowledge of the transcendental world,

which is far beyond the material cosmic creation, must approach a bona

fide spiritual master to learn the science both directly and indirectly.

One must learn both the means to approach the desired destination and

the hindrances to such progress. The spiritual master knows how to

regulate the habits of a neophyte disciple, and therefore a serious

student must learn the science in all its aspects from him.

There are different grades and standards of prosperity. The standard of

comfort and happiness conceived by a common man engaged in material

labor is the lowest grade of happiness, for it is in relationship with

the body. The highest standard of such bodily comfort is achieved by a

fruitive worker who by pious activities reaches the plane of heaven, or

the kingdom of the creative gods with their delegated powers. But the

conception of comfortable life in heaven is insignificant in comparison

to the happiness enjoyed in the impersonal Brahman, and this brahmananda,

the spiritual bliss derived from impersonal Brahman, is like the water

in the hoofprint of a calf compared to the ocean of love of Godhead.

When one develops pure love for the Lord, he derives an ocean of

transcendental happiness from the association of the Personality of

Godhead. To qualify oneself to reach this stage of life is the highest

perfection.

One should try to purchase a ticket to go back home, back to Godhead.

The price of such a ticket is one's intense desire for it, which is not

easily awakened, even if one continuously performs pious activities for

thousands of lives. All mundane relationships are sure to be broken in

the course of time, but once one establishes a relationship with the

Personality of Godhead in a particular rasa, it is never to be broken,

even after the annihilation of the material world.

One should understand, through the transparent medium of the spiritual

master, that the Supreme Lord exists everywhere in His transcendental

spiritual nature and that the living entities' relationships with the

Lord are directly and indirectly existing everywhere, even in this

material world. In the spiritual world there are five kinds of

relationships with the Supreme Lord -- santa, dasya, sakhya, vatsalya

and madhurya. The perverted reflections of these rasas are found in the

material world. Land, home, furniture and other inert material objects

are related in santa, or the neutral and silent sense, whereas servants

work in the dasya relationship. The reciprocation between friends is

called sakhya, the affection of a parent for a child is known as

vatsalya, and the affairs of conjugal love constitute madhurya. These

five relationships in the material world are distorted reflections of

the original, pure sentiments, which should be understood and perfected

in relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead under the

guidance of a bona fide spiritual master. In the material world the

perverted rasas bring frustration. If these rasas are reestablished with

Lord Krsna, the result is eternal, blissful life.

From this and the preceding three verses of the Caitanya-caritamrta,

which have been selected from Srimad-Bhagavatam, the missionary

activities of Lord Caitanya can be understood. Srimad-Bhagavatam has

eighteen thousand verses, which are summarized in the four verses

beginning with aham evasam evagre (53) and concluding with yat syat

sarvatra sarvada (56). In the first of these verses (53) the

transcendental nature of Lord Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead,

is explained. The second verse (54) further explains that the Lord is

detached from the workings of the material energy, maya. The living

entities, although parts and parcels of Lord Krsna, are prone to be

controlled by the external energy; therefore, although they are

spiritual, in the material world they are encased in bodies of material

energy. The eternal relationship of the living entities with the Supreme

Lord is explained in that verse. The next verse (55) instructs that the

Supreme Personality of Godhead, by His inconceivable energies, is

simultaneously one with and different from the living entities and the

material energy. This knowledge is called acintya-bhedabheda-tattva.

When an individual living entity surrenders to the Supreme Lord, Krsna,

he can then develop natural transcendental love for Him. This

surrendering process should be the primary concern of a human being. In

the next verse (56) it is said that a conditioned soul must ultimately

approach a bona fide spiritual master and try to understand perfectly

the material and spiritual worlds and his own existential position. Here

the words anvaya-vyatirekabhyam, "directly and indirectly," suggest that

one must learn the process of devotional service in its two aspects: one

must directly execute the process of devotional service and indirectly

avoid the impediments to progress.

Adi 1.57

TEXT 57

TEXT

cintamanir jayati somagirir gurur me

siksa-gurus ca bhagavan sikhi-pincha-maulih

yat-pada-kalpataru-pallava-sekharesu

lila-svayamvara-rasam labhate jayasrih

SYNONYMS

cintamanih jayati -- all glory to Cintamani; soma-girih -- Somagiri (the

initiating guru); guruh -- spiritual master; me -- my; siksa-guruh --

instructing spiritual master; ca -- and; bhagavan -- the Supreme

Personality of Godhead; sikhi-pincha -- with peacock feathers; maulih --

whose head; yat -- whose; pada -- of the lotus feet; kalpa-taru -- like

desire trees; pallava -- like new leaves; sekharesu -- at the toe nails;

lila-svayam-vara -- of conjugal pastimes; rasam -- the mellow; labhate --

obtains; jaya-srih -- Srimati Radharani.

TRANSLATION

"All glories to Cintamani and my initiating spiritual master, Somagiri.

All glories to my instructing spiritual master, the Supreme Personality

of Godhead, who wears peacock feathers in His crown. Under the shade of

His lotus feet, which are like desire trees, Jayasri [Radharani] enjoys

the transcendental mellow of an eternal consort."

PURPORT

This verse is from the Krsna-karnamrta, which was written by a great

Vaisnava sannyasi named Bilvamangala Thakura, who is also known as

Lilasuka. He intensely desired to enter into the eternal pastimes of the

Lord, and he lived at Vrndavana for seven hundred years in the vicinity

of Brahma-kunda, a still-existing bathing tank in Vrndavana. The history

of Bilvamangala Thakura is given in a book called Sri-vallabha-digvijaya.

He appeared in the eighth century of the Saka Era in the province of

Dravida and was the chief disciple of Visnu Svami. In a list of temples

and monasteries kept in Sankaracarya's monastery in Dvaraka,

Bilvamangala is mentioned as the founder of the Dvarakadhisa temple

there. He entrusted the service of his Deity to Hari Brahmacari, a

disciple of Vallabha Bhatta.

Bilvamangala Thakura actually entered into the transcendental pastimes

of Lord Krsna. He has recorded his transcendental experiences and

appreciation in the book known as Krsna-karnamrta. In the beginning of

that book he has offered his obeisances to his different gurus, and it

is to be noted that he has adored them all equally. The first spiritual

master mentioned is Cintamani, who was one of his instructing spiritual

masters because she first showed him the spiritual path. Cintamani was a

prostitute with whom Bilvamangala was intimate earlier in his life. She

gave him the inspiration to begin on the path of devotional service, and

because she convinced him to give up material existence to try for

perfection by loving Krsna, he has first offered his respects to her.

Next he offers his respects to his initiating spiritual master, Somagiri,

and then to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who was also his

instructing spiritual master. He explicitly mentions Bhagavan, who has

peacock feathers on His crown, because the Lord of Vrndavana, Krsna the

cowherd boy, used to come to Bilvamangala to talk with him and supply

him with milk. In his adoration of Sri Krsna, the Personality of Godhead,

he states that Jayasri, the goddess of fortune, Srimati Radharani,

takes shelter in the shade of His lotus feet to enjoy the transcendental

rasa of nuptial love. The complete treatise Krsna-karnamrta is dedicated

to the transcendental pastimes of Sri Krsna and Srimati Radharani. It is

a book to be read and understood by the most elevated devotees of Sri

Krsna.

Adi 1.58

TEXT 58

TEXT

jive saksat nahi tate guru caittya-rupe

siksa-guru haya krsna-mahanta-svarupe

SYNONYMS

jive -- by the living entity; saksat -- direct experience; nahi -- there

is not; tate -- therefore; guru -- the spiritual master; caittya-rupe --

in the form of the Supersoul; siksa-guru -- the spiritual master who

instructs; haya -- appears; krsna -- Krsna, the Supreme Personality of

Godhead; mahanta -- the topmost devotee; sva-rupe -- in the form of.

TRANSLATION

Since one cannot visually experience the presence of the Supersoul, He

appears before us as a liberated devotee. Such a spiritual master is

none other than Krsna Himself.

PURPORT

It is not possible for a conditioned soul to directly meet Krsna, the

Supreme Personality of Godhead, but if one becomes a sincere devotee and

seriously engages in devotional service, Lord Krsna sends an instructing

spiritual master to show him favor and invoke his dormant propensity for

serving the Supreme. The preceptor appears before the external senses of

the fortunate conditioned soul, and at the same time the devotee is

guided from within by the caittya-guru, Krsna, who is seated as the

spiritual master within the heart of the living entity.

Adi 1.59

TEXT 59

TEXT

tato duhsangam utsrjya

satsu sajjeta buddhi-man

santa evasya chindanti

mano-vyasangam uktibhih

SYNONYMS

tatah -- therefore; duhsangam -- bad association; utsrjya -- giving up;

satsu -- with the devotees; sajjeta -- one should associate; buddhi-man -

- an intelligent person; santah -- devotees; eva -- certainly; asya --

one's; chindanti -- cut off; manah-vyasangam -- opposing attachments;

uktibhih -- by their instructions.

TRANSLATION

"One should therefore avoid bad company and associate only with devotees.

With their realized instructions, such saints can cut the knot

connecting one with activities unfavorable to devotional service."

PURPORT

This verse, which appears in Srimad-Bhagavatam (11.26.26), was spoken by

Lord Krsna to Uddhava in the text known as the Uddhava-gita. The

discussion relates to the story of Pururava and the heavenly courtesan

Urvasi. When Urvasi left Pururava, he was deeply affected by the

separation and had to learn to overcome his grief.

It is indicated that to learn the transcendental science, it is

imperative that one avoid the company of undesirable persons and always

seek the company of saints and sages who are able to impart lessons of

transcendental knowledge. The potent words of such realized souls

penetrate the heart, thereby eradicating all misgivings accumulated

through years of undesirable association. For a neophyte devotee there

are two kinds of persons whose association is undesirable: (1) gross

materialists who constantly engage in sense gratification and (2)

unbelievers who do not serve the Supreme Personality of Godhead but

serve their senses and their mental whims in terms of their speculative

habits. Intelligent persons seeking transcendental realization should

very scrupulously avoid their company.

Adi 1.60

TEXT 60

TEXT

satam prasangan mama virya-samvido

bhavanti hrt-karna-rasayanah kathah

taj-josanad asv apavarga-vartmani

sraddha ratir bhaktir anukramisyati

SYNONYMS

satam -- of the devotees; prasangat -- by intimate association; mama --

of Me; virya-samvidah -- talks full of spiritual potency; bhavanti --

appear; hrt -- to the heart; karna -- and to the ears; rasa-ayanah -- a

source of sweetness; kathah -- talks; tat -- of them; josanat -- from

proper cultivation; asu -- quickly; apavarga -- of liberation; vartmani -

- on the path; sraddha -- faith; ratih -- attraction; bhaktih -- love;

anukramisyati -- will follow one after another.

TRANSLATION

"The spiritually powerful message of Godhead can be properly discussed

only in a society of devotees, and it is greatly pleasing to hear in

that association. If one hears from devotees, the way of transcendental

experience quickly opens, and gradually one attains firm faith that in

due course develops into attraction and devotion."

PURPORT

This verse appears in Srimad-Bhagavatam (3.25.25), where Kapiladeva

replies to the questions of His mother, Devahuti, about the process of

devotional service. As one advances in devotional activities, the

process becomes progressively clearer and more encouraging. Unless one

gets this spiritual encouragement by following the instructions of the

spiritual master, it is not possible to make advancement. Therefore, one'

s development of a taste for executing these instructions is the test of

one's devotional service. Initially, one must develop confidence by

hearing the science of devotion from a qualified spiritual master. Then,

as he associates with devotees and tries to adopt the means instructed

by the spiritual master in his own life, his misgivings and other

obstacles are vanquished by his execution of devotional service. Strong

attachment for the transcendental service of the Lord develops as he

continues listening to the messages of Godhead, and if he steadfastly

proceeds in this way, he is certainly elevated to spontaneous love for

the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Adi 1.61

TEXT 61

TEXT

isvara-svarupa bhakta tanra adhisthana

bhaktera hrdaye krsnera satata visrama

SYNONYMS

isvara -- the Supreme Personality of Godhead; svarupa -- identical with;

bhakta -- the pure devotee; tanra -- His; adhisthana -- abode; bhaktera -

- of the devotee; hrdaye -- in the heart; krsnera -- of Lord Krsna;

satata -- always; visrama -- the resting place.

TRANSLATION

A pure devotee constantly engaged in the loving service of the Lord is

identical with the Lord, who is always seated in his heart.

PURPORT

The Supreme Personality of Godhead is one without a second, and

therefore He is all-powerful. He has inconceivable energies, of which

three are principal. The devotee is considered to be one of these

energies, never the energetic. The energetic is always the Supreme Lord.

The energies are related to Him for the purpose of eternal service. A

living entity in the conditioned stage can uncover his aptitude for

serving the Absolute Truth by the grace of Krsna and the spiritual

master. Then the Lord reveals Himself within his heart, and he can know

that Krsna is seated in the heart of every pure devotee. Krsna is

actually situated in the heart of every living entity, but only a

devotee can realize this fact.

Adi 1.62

TEXT 62

TEXT

sadhavo hrdayam mahyam

sadhunam hrdayam tv aham

mad-anyat te na jananti

naham tebhyo manag api

SYNONYMS

sadhavah -- the saints; hrdayam -- heart; mahyam -- My; sadhunam -- of

the saints; hrdayam -- the heart; tu -- indeed; aham -- I; mat -- than

Me; anyat -- other; te -- they; na -- not; jananti -- know; na -- nor;

aham -- I; tebhyah -- than them; manak -- slightly; api -- even.

TRANSLATION

"Saints are My heart, and only I am their hearts. They do not know

anyone but Me, and therefore I do not recognize anyone besides them as

Mine."

PURPORT

This verse appears in Srimad-Bhagavatam (9.4.68) in connection with a

misunderstanding between Durvasa Muni and Maharaja Ambarisa. As a result

of this misunderstanding, Durvasa Muni tried to kill the king, when the

Sudarsana cakra, the celebrated weapon of Godhead, appeared on the scene

for the devoted king's protection. When the Sudarsana cakra attacked

Durvasa Muni, he fled in fear of the weapon and sought shelter from all

the great demigods in heaven. Not one of them was able to protect him,

and therefore Durvasa Muni prayed to Lord Visnu for forgiveness. Lord

Visnu advised him, however, that if he wanted forgiveness he had to get

it from Maharaja Ambarisa, not from Him. In this context Lord Visnu

spoke this verse.

The Lord, being full and free from problems, can wholeheartedly care for

His devotees. His concern is how to elevate and protect all those who

have taken shelter at His feet. The same responsibility is also

entrusted to the spiritual master. The bona fide spiritual master's

concern is how the devotees who have surrendered to him as a

representative of the Lord may make progress in devotional service. The

Supreme Personality of Godhead is always mindful of the devotees who

fully engage in cultivating knowledge of Him, having taken shelter at

His lotus feet.

Adi 1.63

TEXT 63

TEXT

bhavad-vidha bhagavatas

tirtha-bhutah svayam vibho

tirthi-kurvanti tirthani

svantah-sthena gada-bhrta

SYNONYMS

bhavat -- your good self; vidhah -- like; bhagavatah -- devotees; tirtha

-- holy places of pilgrimage; bhutah -- existing; svayam -- themselves;

vibho -- O almighty one; tirthi-kurvanti -- make into holy places of

pilgrimage; tirthani -- the holy places; sva-antah-sthena -- being

situated in their hearts; gada-bhrta -- by the Personality of Godhead.

TRANSLATION

"Saints of your caliber are themselves places of pilgrimage. Because of

their purity, they are constant companions of the Lord, and therefore

they can purify even the places of pilgrimage."

PURPORT

This verse was spoken by Maharaja Yudhisthira to Vidura in Srimad-

Bhagavatam (1.13.10). Maharaja Yudhisthira was receiving his saintly

uncle Vidura, who had been visiting sacred places of pilgrimage.

Maharaja Yudhisthira told Vidura that pure devotees like him are

personified holy places because the Supreme Personality of Godhead is

always with them in their hearts. By their association, sinful persons

are freed from sinful reactions, and therefore wherever a pure devotee

goes is a sacred place of pilgrimage. The importance of holy places is

due to the presence there of such pure devotees.

Adi 1.64

TEXT 64

TEXT

sei bhakta-gana haya dvi-vidha prakara

parisad-gana eka, sadhaka-gana ara

SYNONYMS

sei -- these; bhakta-gana -- devotees; haya -- are; dvi-vidha -- twofold;

prakara -- varieties; parisat-gana -- factual devotees; eka -- one;

sadhaka-gana -- prospective devotees; ara -- the other.

TRANSLATION

Such pure devotees are of two types: personal associates [parisats] and

neophyte devotees [sadhakas].

PURPORT

Perfect servitors of the Lord are considered His personal associates,

whereas devotees endeavoring to attain perfection are called neophytes.

Among the associates, some are attracted by the opulences of the

Personality of Godhead, and others are attracted by nuptial love of

Godhead. The former devotees are placed in the realm of Vaikuntha to

render reverential devotional service, whereas the latter devotees are

placed in Vrndavana for the direct service of Sri Krsna.

Adi 1.65–66

TEXTS 65–66

TEXT

isvarera avatara e-tina prakara

amsa-avatara, ara guna-avatara

saktyavesa-avatara -- trtiya e-mata

amsa-avatara -- purusa-matsyadika yata

SYNONYMS

isvarera -- of the Supreme Lord; avatara -- incarnations; e-tina --

these three; prakara -- kinds; amsa-avatara -- partial incarnations; ara

-- and; guna-avatara -- qualitative incarnations; sakti-avesa-avatara --

empowered incarnations; trtiya -- the third; e-mata -- thus; amsa-

avatara -- partial incarnations; purusa -- the three purusa incarnations;

matsya -- the fish incarnation; adika -- and so on; yata -- all.

TRANSLATION

There are three categories of incarnations of Godhead: partial

incarnations, qualitative incarnations and empowered incarnations. The

purusas and Matsya are examples of partial incarnations.

Adi 1.67

TEXT 67

TEXT

brahma visnu siva -- tina gunavatare gani

sakty-avesa -- sanakadi, prthu, vyasa-muni

SYNONYMS

brahma -- Lord Brahma; visnu -- Lord Visnu; siva -- Lord Siva; tina --

three; guna-avatare -- among the incarnations controlling the three

modes of material nature; gani -- I count; sakti-avesa -- empowered

incarnations; sanaka-adi -- the four Kumaras; prthu -- King Prthu; vyasa-

muni -- Vyasadeva.

TRANSLATION

Brahma, Visnu and Siva are qualitative incarnations. Empowered

incarnations are those like the Kumaras, King Prthu and Maha-muni Vyasa [

the compiler of the Vedas].

Adi 1.68

TEXT 68

TEXT

dui-rupe haya bhagavanera prakasa

eke ta' prakasa haya, are ta' vilasa

SYNONYMS

dui-rupe -- in two forms; haya -- are; bhagavanera -- of the Supreme

Personality of Godhead; prakasa -- manifestations; eke -- in one; ta' --

certainly; prakasa -- manifestation; haya -- is; are -- in the other; ta'

-- certainly; vilasa -- engaged in pastimes.

TRANSLATION

The Personality of Godhead exhibits Himself in two kinds of forms:

prakasa and vilasa.

PURPORT

The Supreme Lord expands His personal forms in two primary categories.

The prakasa forms are manifested by Lord Krsna for His pastimes, and

their features are exactly like His. When Lord Krsna married sixteen

thousand queens in Dvaraka, He did so in sixteen thousand prakasa

expansions. Similarly, during the rasa dance He expanded Himself in

identical prakasa forms to dance beside each and every gopi

simultaneously. When the Lord manifests His vilasa expansions, however,

they are all somewhat different in their bodily features. Lord Balarama

is the first vilasa expansion of Lord Krsna, and the four-handed

Narayana forms in Vaikuntha expand from Balarama. There is no difference

between the bodily forms of Sri Krsna and Balarama except that Their

bodily colors are different. Similarly, Sri Narayana in Vaikuntha has

four hands, whereas Krsna has only two. The expansions of the Lord who

manifest such bodily differences are known as vilasa-vigrahas.

Adi 1.69–70

TEXTS 69–70

TEXT

eka-i vigraha yadi haya bahu-rupa

akare ta' bheda nahi, eka-i svarupa

mahisi-vivahe, yaiche yaiche kaila rasa

ihake kahiye krsnera mukhya ‘prakasa'

SYNONYMS

eka-i -- the same one; vigraha -- person; yadi -- if; haya -- becomes;

bahu-rupa -- many forms; akare -- in appearance; ta' -- certainly; bheda

-- difference; nahi -- there is not; eka-i -- one; sva-rupa -- identity;

mahisi -- with the queens of Dvaraka; vivahe -- in the marriage; yaiche

yaiche -- in a similar way; kaila -- He did; rasa -- rasa dance; ihake --

this; kahiye -- I say; krsnera -- of Krsna; mukhya -- principal;

prakasa -- manifested forms.

TRANSLATION

When the Personality of Godhead expands Himself in many forms, all

nondifferent in Their features, as Lord Krsna did when He married

sixteen thousand queens and when He performed His rasa dance, such forms

of the Lord are called manifested forms [prakasa-vigrahas].

Adi 1.71

TEXT 71

TEXT

citram bataitad ekena

vapusa yugapat prthak

grhesu dvy-asta-sahasram

striya eka udavahat

SYNONYMS

citram -- wonderful; bata -- oh; etat -- this; ekena -- with one; vapusa

-- form; yugapat -- simultaneously; prthak -- separately; grhesu -- in

the houses; dvi-asta-sahasram -- sixteen thousand; striyah -- all the

queens; ekah -- the one Sri Krsna; udavahat -- married.

TRANSLATION

"It is astounding that Lord Sri Krsna, who is one without a second,

expanded Himself in sixteen thousand similar forms to marry sixteen

thousand queens in their respective homes."

PURPORT

This verse is from Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.69.2).

Adi 1.72

TEXT 72

TEXT

rasotsavah sampravrtto

gopi-mandala-manditah

yogesvarena krsnena

tasam madhye dvayor dvayoh

SYNONYMS

rasa-utsavah -- the festival of the rasa dance; sampravrttah -- was

begun; gopi-mandala -- by groups of gopis; manditah -- decorated; yoga-

isvarena -- by the master of all mystic powers; krsnena -- by Lord Krsna;

tasam -- of them; madhye -- in the middle; dvayoh dvayoh -- of each two.

TRANSLATION

"When Lord Krsna, surrounded by groups of cowherd girls, began the

festivities of the rasa dance, the Lord of all mystic powers placed

Himself between each two girls."

PURPORT

This verse is also quoted from Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.33.3).

Adi 1.73–74

TEXTS 73–74

TEXT

pravistena grhitanam

kanthe sva-nikatam striyah

yam manyeran nabhas tavad

vimana-sata-sankulam

divaukasam sa-daranam

aty-autsukya-bhrtatmanam

tato dundubhayo nedur

nipetuh puspa-vrstayah

SYNONYMS

pravistena -- having entered; grhitanam -- of those embracing; kanthe --

on the neck; sva-nikatam -- situated at their own side; striyah -- the

gopis; yam -- whom; manyeran -- would think; nabhah -- the sky; tavat --

at once; vimana -- of airplanes; sata -- with hundreds; sankulam --

crowded; diva-okasam -- of the demigods; sa-daranam -- with their wives;

ati-autsukya -- with eagerness; bhrta-atmanam -- whose minds were filled;

tatah -- then; dundubhayah -- kettledrums; neduh -- sounded; nipetuh --

fell; puspa-vrstayah -- showers of flowers.

TRANSLATION

"When the cowherd girls and Krsna thus joined together, each girl

thought that Krsna was dearly embracing her alone. To behold this

wonderful pastime of the Lord's, the denizens of heaven and their wives,

all very eager to see the dance, flew in the sky in their hundreds of

airplanes. They showered flowers and beat sweetly on drums."

PURPORT

This is another quotation from Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.33.3–4).

Adi 1.75

TEXT 75

TEXT

anekatra prakatata

rupasyaikasya yaikada

sarvatha tat-svarupaiva

sa prakasa itiryate

SYNONYMS

anekatra -- in many places; prakatata -- the manifestation; rupasya --

of form; ekasya -- one; ya -- which; ekada -- at one time; sarvatha --

in every respect; tat -- His; sva-rupa -- own form; eva -- certainly;

sah -- that; prakasah -- manifestive form; iti -- thus; iryate -- it is

called.

TRANSLATION

"If numerous forms, all equal in their features, are displayed

simultaneously, such forms are called prakasa-vigrahas of the Lord."

PURPORT

This is a quotation from the Laghu-bhagavatamrta (1.21), compiled by

Srila Rupa Gosvami.

Adi 1.76

TEXT 76

TEXT

eka-i vigraha kintu akare haya ana

aneka prakasa haya, ‘vilasa' tara nama

SYNONYMS

eka-i -- one; vigraha -- form; kintu -- but; akare -- in appearance;

haya -- is; ana -- different; aneka -- many; prakasa -- manifestations;

haya -- appear; vilasa -- pastime form; tara -- of that; nama -- the

name.

TRANSLATION

But when the numerous forms are slightly different from one another,

they are called vilasa-vigrahas.

Adi 1.77

TEXT 77

TEXT

svarupam anyakaram yat

tasya bhati vilasatah

prayenatma-samam saktya

sa vilaso nigadyate

SYNONYMS

sva-rupam -- the Lord's own form; anya -- other; akaram -- features of

the body; yat -- which; tasya -- His; bhati -- appears; vilasatah --

from particular pastimes; prayena -- almost; atma-samam -- self-similar;

saktya -- by His potency; sah -- that; vilasah -- the vilasa (pastime)

form; nigadyate -- is called.

TRANSLATION

"When the Lord displays numerous forms with different features by His

inconceivable potency, such forms are called vilasa-vigrahas."

PURPORT

This is another quotation from the Laghu-bhagavatamrta (1.15).

Adi 1.78

TEXT 78

TEXT

yaiche baladeva, paravyome narayana

yaiche vasudeva pradyumnadi sankarsana

SYNONYMS

yaiche -- just as; baladeva -- Baladeva; para-vyome -- in the spiritual

sky; narayana -- Lord Narayana; yaiche -- just as; vasudeva -- Vasudeva;

pradyumna-adi -- Pradyumna, etc.; sankarsana -- Sankarsana.

TRANSLATION

Examples of such vilasa-vigrahas are Baladeva, Narayana in Vaikuntha-

dhama, and the catur-vyuha-Vasudeva, Sankarsana, Pradyumna and Aniruddha.

Adi 1.79–80

TEXTS 79–80

TEXT

isvarera sakti haya e-tina prakara

eka laksmi-gana, pure mahisi-gana ara

vraje gopi-gana ara sabhate pradhana

vrajendra-nandana ya'te svayam bhagavan

SYNONYMS

isvarera -- of the Supreme Lord; sakti -- energy; haya -- is; e-tina --

these three; prakara -- kinds; eka -- one; laksmi-gana -- the goddesses

of fortune in Vaikuntha; pure -- in Dvaraka; mahisi-gana -- the queens;

ara -- and; vraje -- in Vrndavana; gopi-gana -- the gopis; ara -- and;

sabhate -- among all of them; pradhana -- the chief; vraja-indra-nandana

-- Krsna, the son of the King of Vraja; ya'te -- because; svayam --

Himself; bhagavan -- the primeval Lord.

TRANSLATION

The energies [consorts] of the Supreme Lord are of three kinds: the

Laksmis in Vaikuntha, the queens in Dvaraka and the gopis in Vrndavana.

The gopis are the best of all, for they have the privilege of serving

Sri Krsna, the primeval Lord, the son of the King of Vraja.

Adi 1.81

TEXT 81

TEXT

svayam-rupa krsnera kaya-vyuha -- tanra sama

bhakta sahite haya tanhara avarana

SYNONYMS

svayam-rupa -- His own original form (two-handed Krsna); krsnera -- of

Lord Krsna; kaya-vyuha -- personal expansions; tanra -- with Him; sama --

equal; bhakta -- the devotees; sahite -- associated with; haya -- are;

tanhara -- His; avarana -- covering.

TRANSLATION

The personal associates of the primeval Lord, Sri Krsna, are His

devotees, who are identical with Him. He is complete with His entourage

of devotees.

PURPORT

Sri Krsna and His various personal expansions are nondifferent in

potential power. These expansions are associated with further, secondary

expansions, or servitor expansions, who are called devotees.

Adi 1.82

TEXT 82

TEXT

bhakta adi krame kaila sabhara vandana

e-sabhara vandana sarva-subhera karana

SYNONYMS

bhakta -- the devotees; adi -- and so on; krame -- in order; kaila --

did; sabhara -- of the assembly; vandana -- worship; e-sabhara -- of

this assembly; vandana -- worship; sarva-subhera -- of all good fortune;

karana -- the source.

TRANSLATION

Now I have worshiped all the various levels of devotees. Worshiping them

is the source of all good fortune.

PURPORT

To offer prayers to the Lord, one should first offer prayers to His

devotees and associates.

Adi 1.83

TEXT 83

TEXT

prathama sloke kahi samanya mangalacarana

dvitiya slokete kari visesa vandana

SYNONYMS

prathama -- first; sloke -- in the verse; kahi -- I express; samanya --

general; mangala-acarana -- invocation of benediction; dvitiya -- second;

slokete -- in the verse; kari -- I do; visesa -- particular; vandana --

offering of prayers.

TRANSLATION

In the first verse I have invoked a general benediction, but in the

second I have prayed to the Lord in a particular form.

Adi 1.84

TEXT 84

TEXT

vande sri-krsna-caitanya-

nityanandau sahoditau

gaudodaye puspavantau

citrau san-dau tamo-nudau

SYNONYMS

vande -- I offer respectful obeisances; sri-krsna-caitanya -- to Lord

Sri Krsna Caitanya; nityanandau -- and to Lord Nityananda; saha-uditau --

simultaneously arisen; gauda-udaye -- on the eastern horizon of Gauda;

puspavantau -- the sun and moon together; citrau -- wonderful; sam-dau --

bestowing benediction; tamah-nudau -- dissipating darkness.

TRANSLATION

"I offer my respectful obeisances unto Sri Krsna Caitanya and Lord

Nityananda, who are like the sun and moon. They have arisen

simultaneously on the horizon of Gauda to dissipate the darkness of

ignorance and thus wonderfully bestow benediction upon all."

Adi 1.85–86

TEXTS 85–86

TEXT

vraje ye vihare purve krsna-balarama

koti-surya-candra jini donhara nija-dhama

sei dui jagatere ha-iya sadaya

gaudadese purva-saile karila udaya

SYNONYMS

vraje -- in Vraja (Vrndavana); ye -- who; vihare -- played; purve --

formerly; krsna -- Lord Krsna; balarama -- Lord Balarama; koti --

millions; surya -- suns; candra -- moons; jini -- overcoming; donhara --

of the two; nija-dhama -- the effulgence; sei -- these; dui -- two;

jagatere -- for the universe; ha-iya -- becoming; sa-daya --

compassionate; gauda-dese -- in the country of Gauda; purva-saile -- on

the eastern horizon; karila -- did; udaya -- arise.

TRANSLATION

Sri Krsna and Balarama, the Personalities of Godhead, who formerly

appeared in Vrndavana and were millions of times more effulgent than the

sun and moon, have arisen over the eastern horizon of Gaudadesa [West

Bengal], being compassionate for the fallen state of the world.

Adi 1.87

TEXT 87

TEXT

sri-krsna-caitanya ara prabhu nityananda

yanhara prakase sarva jagat ananda

SYNONYMS

sri-krsna-caitanya -- Lord Sri Krsna Caitanya; ara -- and; prabhu

nityananda -- Lord Nityananda; yanhara -- of whom; prakase -- on the

appearance; sarva -- all; jagat -- the world; ananda -- full of

happiness.

TRANSLATION

The appearance of Sri Krsna Caitanya and Prabhu Nityananda has

surcharged the world with happiness.

Adi 1.88–89

TEXTS 88–89

TEXT

surya-candra hare yaiche saba andhakara

vastu prakasiya kare dharmera pracara

ei mata dui bhai jivera ajnana-

tamo-nasa kari' kaila tattva-vastu-dana

SYNONYMS

surya-candra -- the sun and the moon; hare -- drive away; yaiche -- just

as; saba -- all; andhakara -- darkness; vastu -- truth; prakasiya --

manifesting; kare -- do; dharmera -- of inborn nature; pracara --

preaching; ei mata -- like this; dui -- two; bhai -- brothers; jivera --

of the living being; ajnana -- of ignorance; tamah -- of the darkness;

nasa -- destruction; kari' -- doing; kaila -- made; tattva-vastu -- of

the Absolute Truth; dana -- gift.

TRANSLATION

As the sun and moon drive away darkness by their appearance and reveal

the nature of everything, these two brothers dissipate the darkness of

ignorance covering the living beings and enlighten them with knowledge

of the Absolute Truth.

Adi 1.90

TEXT 90

TEXT

ajnana-tamera nama kahiye ‘kaitava'

dharma-artha-kama-moksa-vancha adi saba

SYNONYMS

ajnana-tamera -- of the darkness of ignorance; nama -- name; kahiye -- I

call; kaitava -- cheating process; dharma -- religiosity; artha --

economic development; kama -- sense gratification; moksa -- liberation;

vancha -- desire for; adi -- and so on; saba -- all.

TRANSLATION

The darkness of ignorance is called kaitava, the way of cheating, which

begins with religiosity, economic development, sense gratification and

liberation.

Adi 1.91

TEXT 91

TEXT

dharmah projjhita-kaitavo 'tra paramo nirmatsaranam satam

vedyam vastavam atra vastu siva-dam tapa-trayonmulanam

srimad-bhagavate maha-muni-krte kim va parair isvarah

sadyo hrdy avarudhyate 'tra krtibhih susrusubhis tat-ksanat

SYNONYMS

dharmah -- religiosity; projjhita -- completely rejected; kaitavah -- in

which fruitive intention; atra -- herein; paramah -- the highest;

nirmatsaranam -- of the one-hundred-percent pure in heart; satam --

devotees; vedyam -- to be understood; vastavam -- factual; atra --

herein; vastu -- substance; siva-dam -- giving well-being; tapa-traya --

of the threefold miseries; unmulanam -- causing uprooting; srimat --

beautiful; bhagavate -- in the Bhagavata Purana; maha-muni -- by the

great sage (Vyasadeva); krte -- compiled; kim -- what; va -- indeed;

paraih -- with others; isvarah -- the Supreme Lord; sadyah -- at once;

hrdi -- within the heart; avarudhyate -- becomes confined; atra --

herein; krtibhih -- by pious men; susrusubhih -- desiring to hear; tat-

ksanat -- without delay.

TRANSLATION

"The great scripture Srimad-Bhagavatam, compiled by Maha-muni Vyasadeva

from four original verses, describes the most elevated and kindhearted

devotees and completely rejects the cheating ways of materially

motivated religiosity. It propounds the highest principle of eternal

religion, which can factually mitigate the threefold miseries of a

living being and award the highest benediction of full prosperity and

knowledge. Those willing to hear the message of this scripture in a

submissive attitude of service can at once capture the Supreme Lord in

their hearts. Therefore there is no need for any scripture other than

Srimad-Bhagavatam."

PURPORT

This verse appears in Srimad-Bhagavatam (1.1.2). The words maha-muni-

krte indicate that Srimad-Bhagavatam was compiled by the great sage

Vyasadeva, who is sometimes known as Narayana Maha-muni because he is an

incarnation of Narayana. Vyasadeva, therefore, is not an ordinary man

but is empowered by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He compiled the

beautiful Bhagavatam to narrate some of the pastimes of the Supreme

Personality of Godhead and His devotees.

In Srimad-Bhagavatam, a distinction between real religion and

pretentious religion has been clearly made. According to this original

and genuine commentation on the Vedanta-sutra, there are numerous

pretentious faiths that pass as religion but neglect the real essence of

religion. The real religion of a living being is his natural inborn

quality, whereas pretentious religion is a form of nescience that

artificially covers a living entity's pure consciousness under certain

unfavorable conditions. Real religion lies dormant when artificial

religion dominates from the mental plane. A living being can awaken this

dormant religion by hearing with a pure heart.

The path of religion prescribed by Srimad-Bhagavatam is different from

all forms of imperfect religiosity. Religion can be considered in the

following three divisions: (1) the path of fruitive work, (2) the path

of knowledge and mystic powers, and (3) the path of worship and

devotional service.

The path of fruitive work (karma-kanda), even when decorated by

religious ceremonies meant to elevate one's material condition, is a

cheating process because it can never enable one to gain relief from

material existence and achieve the highest goal. A living entity

perpetually struggles hard to rid himself of the pangs of material

existence, but the path of fruitive work leads him to either temporary

happiness or temporary distress in material existence. By pious fruitive

work one is placed in a position where he can temporarily feel material

happiness, whereas vicious activities lead him to a distressful position

of material want and scarcity. However, even if one is put into the most

perfect situation of material happiness, he cannot in that way become

free from the pangs of birth, death, old age and disease. A materially

happy person is therefore in need of the eternal relief that mundane

religiosity in terms of fruitive work can never award.

The paths of the culture of knowledge (jnana-marga) and of mystic powers

(yoga-marga) are equally hazardous, for one does not know where one will

go by following these uncertain methods. An empiric philosopher in

search of spiritual knowledge may endeavor most laboriously for many,

many births in mental speculation, but unless and until he reaches the

stage of the purest quality of goodness -- in other words, until he

transcends the plane of material speculation -- it is not possible for

him to know that everything emanates from the Personality of Godhead

Vasudeva. His attachment to the impersonal feature of the Supreme Lord

makes him unfit to rise to that transcendental stage of vasudeva

understanding, and therefore because of his unclean state of mind he

glides down again into material existence, even after having ascended to

the highest stage of liberation. This falldown takes place due to his

want of a locus standi in the service of the Supreme Lord.

As far as the mystic powers of the yogis are concerned, they are also

material entanglements on the path of spiritual realization. One German

scholar who became a devotee of Godhead in India said that material

science had already made laudable progress in duplicating the mystic

powers of the yogis. He therefore came to India not to learn the methods

of the yogis' mystic powers but to learn the path of transcendental

loving service to the Supreme Lord, as mentioned in the great scripture

Srimad-Bhagavatam. Mystic powers can make a yogi materially powerful and

thus give temporary relief from the miseries of birth, death, old age

and disease, as other material sciences can also do, but such mystic

powers can never be a permanent source of relief from these miseries.

Therefore, according to the Bhagavata school, this path of religiosity

is also a method of cheating its followers. In the Bhagavad-gita it is

clearly defined that the most elevated and powerful mystic yogi is one

who can constantly think of the Supreme Lord within his heart and engage

in the loving service of the Lord.

The path of worship of the innumerable devas, or administrative demigods,

is still more hazardous and uncertain than the above-mentioned

processes of karma-kanda and jnana-kanda. This system of worshiping many

gods, such as Durga, Siva, Ganesa, Surya and the impersonal Visnu form,

is accepted by persons who have been blinded by an intense desire for

sense gratification. When properly executed in terms of the rites

mentioned in the sastras, which are now very difficult to perform in

this age of want and scarcity, such worship can certainly fulfill one's

desires for sense gratification, but the success obtained by such

methods is certainly transient, and it is suitable only for a less

intelligent person. That is the verdict of the Bhagavad-gita. No sane

man should be satisfied by such temporary benefits.

None of the above-mentioned three religious paths can deliver a person

from the threefold miseries of material existence, namely, miseries

caused by the body and mind, miseries caused by other living entities,

and miseries caused by the demigods. The process of religion described

in Srimad-Bhagavatam, however, is able to give its followers permanent

relief from the threefold miseries. The Bhagavatam describes the highest

religious form -- reinstatement of the living entity in his original

position of transcendental loving service to the Supreme Lord, which is

free from the infections of desires for sense gratification, fruitive

work, and the culture of knowledge with the aim of merging into the

Absolute to become one with the Supreme Lord.

Any process of religiosity based on sense gratification, gross or subtle,

must be considered a pretentious religion because it is unable to give

perpetual protection to its followers. The word projjhita is significant.

Pra- means "complete," and ujjhita indicates rejection. Religiosity in

the shape of fruitive work is directly a method of gross sense

gratification, whereas the process of culturing spiritual knowledge with

a view to becoming one with the Absolute is a method of subtle sense

gratification. All such pretentious religiosity based on gross or subtle

sense gratification is completely rejected in the process of bhagavata-

dharma, or the transcendental religion that is the eternal function of

the living being.

Bhagavata-dharma, or the religious principle described in Srimad-

Bhagavatam, of which the Bhagavad-gita is a preliminary study, is meant

for liberated persons of the highest order, who attribute very little

value to the sense gratification of pretentious religiosity. The first

and foremost concern of fruitive workers, elevationists, empiric

philosophers and salvationists is to raise their material position. But

devotees of Godhead have no such selfish desires. They serve the Supreme

Lord only for His satisfaction. Sri Arjuna, wanting to satisfy his

senses by becoming a so-called nonviolent and pious man, at first

decided not to fight. But when he was fully situated in the principles

of bhagavata-dharma, culminating in complete surrender unto the will of

the Supreme Lord, he changed his decision and agreed to fight for the

satisfaction of the Lord. He then said:

nasto mohah smrtir labdha

tvat-prasadan mayacyuta

sthito 'smi gata-sandehah

karisye vacanam tava

"My dear Krsna, O infallible one, my illusion is now gone. I have

regained my memory by Your mercy. I am now firm and free from doubt and

am prepared to act according to Your instructions." (Bg. 18.73) It is

the constitutional position of the living entity to be situated in this

pure consciousness. Any so-called religious process that interferes with

this unadulterated spiritual position of the living being must therefore

be considered a pretentious process of religiosity.

The real form of religion is spontaneous loving service to Godhead. This

relationship of the living being with the Absolute Personality of

Godhead in service is eternal. The Personality of Godhead is described

as vastu, or the Substance, and the living entities are described as

vastavas, or the innumerable samples of the Substance in relative

existence. The relationship of these substantive portions with the

Supreme Substance can never be annihilated, for it is an eternal quality

inherent in the living being.

By contact with material nature the living entities exhibit varied

symptoms of the disease of material consciousness. To cure this material

disease is the supreme object of human life. The process that treats

this disease is called bhagavata-dharma, or sanatana-dharma-real

religion. This is described in the pages of Srimad-Bhagavatam. Therefore

anyone who, because of his background of pious activities in previous

lives, is anxious to hear Srimad-Bhagavatam immediately realizes the

presence of the Supreme Lord within his heart and fulfills the mission

of his life.

Adi 1.92

TEXT 92

TEXT

tara madhye moksa-vancha kaitava-pradhana

yaha haite krsna-bhakti haya antardhana

SYNONYMS

tara -- of them; madhye -- in the midst; moksa-vancha -- the desire to

merge into the Supreme; kaitava -- of cheating processes; pradhana --

the chief; yaha haite -- from which; krsna-bhakti -- devotion to Lord

Krsna; haya -- becomes; antardhana -- disappearance.

TRANSLATION

The foremost process of cheating is to desire to achieve liberation by

merging into the Supreme, for this causes the permanent disappearance of

loving service to Krsna.

PURPORT

The desire to merge into the impersonal Brahman is the subtlest type of

atheism. As soon as such atheism, disguised in the dress of liberation,

is encouraged, one becomes completely unable to traverse the path of

devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Adi 1.93

TEXT 93

TEXT

"pra-sabdena moksabhisandhir api nirastah" iti

SYNONYMS

pra-sabdena -- by the prefix pra; moksa-abhisandhih -- the intention of

liberation; api -- certainly; nirastah -- nullified; iti -- thus.

TRANSLATION

"The prefix ‘pra' [in the verse from Srimad-Bhagavatam] indicates that

the desire for liberation is completely rejected."

PURPORT

This is an annotation by Sridhara Svami, the great commentator on Srimad-

Bhagavatam.

Adi 1.94

TEXT 94

TEXT

krsna-bhaktira badhaka -- yata subhasubha karma

seha eka jivera ajnana-tamo-dharma

SYNONYMS

krsna-bhaktira -- of devotional service to Krsna; badhaka -- hindrance;

yata -- all; subha-asubha -- auspicious or inauspicious; karma --

activity; seha -- that; eka -- one; jivera -- of the living entity;

ajnana-tamah -- of the darkness of ignorance; dharma -- the character.

TRANSLATION

All kinds of activities, both auspicious and inauspicious, that are

detrimental to the discharge of transcendental loving service to Lord

Sri Krsna are actions of the darkness of ignorance.

PURPORT

The poetical comparison of Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityananda to the sun

and moon is very significant. The living entities are spiritual sparks,

and their constitutional position is to render devotional service to the

Supreme Lord in full Krsna consciousness. So-called pious activities and

other ritualistic performances, pious or impious, as well as the desire

to escape from material existence, are all considered to be coverings of

these spiritual sparks. The living entities must get free from these

superfluous coverings and fully engage in Krsna consciousness. The

purpose of the appearance of Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityananda is to

dispel the darkness of the soul. Before Their appearance, all these

superfluous activities of the living entities were covering Krsna

consciousness, but after the appearance of these two brothers, people's

hearts are becoming cleansed, and they are again becoming situated in

the real position of Krsna consciousness.

Adi 1.95

TEXT 95

TEXT

yanhara prasade ei tamo haya nasa

tamo nasa kari' kare tattvera prakasa

SYNONYMS

yanhara -- whose; prasade -- by the grace; ei -- this; tamah -- darkness;

haya -- is; nasa -- destroyed; tamah -- darkness; nasa -- destruction;

kari' -- doing; kare -- does; tattvera -- of the truth; prakasa --

discovery.

TRANSLATION

By the grace of Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityananda, this darkness of

ignorance is removed and the truth is brought to light.

Adi 1.96

TEXT 96

TEXT

tattva-vastu -- krsna, krsna-bhakti, prema-rupa

nama-sankirtana -- saba ananda-svarupa

SYNONYMS

tattva-vastu -- Absolute Truth; krsna -- Lord Krsna; krsna-bhakti --

devotional service to Lord Krsna; prema-rupa -- taking the form of love

for Lord Krsna; nama-sankirtana -- congregational chanting of the holy

name; saba -- all; ananda -- of bliss; svarupa -- the identity.

TRANSLATION

The Absolute Truth is Sri Krsna, and loving devotion to Sri Krsna

exhibited in pure love is achieved through congregational chanting of

the holy name, which is the essence of all bliss.

Adi 1.97

TEXT 97

TEXT

surya candra bahirera tamah se vinase

bahir-vastu ghata-pata-adi se prakase

SYNONYMS

surya -- the sun; candra -- the moon; bahirera -- of the external world;

tamah -- darkness; se -- they; vinase -- destroy; bahih-vastu --

external things; ghata -- waterpots; pata-adi -- plates, etc.; se --

they; prakase -- reveal.

TRANSLATION

The sun and moon dissipate the darkness of the external world and thus

reveal external material objects like pots and plates.

Adi 1.98

TEXT 98

TEXT

dui bhai hrdayera ksali' andhakara

dui bhagavata-sange karana saksatkara

SYNONYMS

dui -- two; bhai -- brothers; hrdayera -- of the heart; ksali' --

purifying; andhakara -- darkness; dui bhagavata -- of the two bhagavatas;

sange -- by the association; karana -- cause; saksat-kara -- a meeting.

TRANSLATION

But these two brothers [Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityananda] dissipate the

darkness of the inner core of the heart, and thus They help one meet the

two kinds of bhagavatas [persons or things in relationship with the

Personality of Godhead].

Adi 1.99

TEXT 99

TEXT

eka bhagavata bada -- bhagavata-sastra

ara bhagavata -- bhakta bhakti-rasa-patra

SYNONYMS

eka -- one; bhagavata -- in relation to the Supreme Lord; bada -- great;

bhagavata-sastra -- Srimad-Bhagavatam; ara -- the other; bhagavata -- in

relation to the Supreme Lord; bhakta -- pure devotee; bhakti-rasa -- of

the mellow of devotion; patra -- the recipient.

TRANSLATION

One of the bhagavatas is the great scripture Srimad-Bhagavatam, and the

other is the pure devotee absorbed in the mellows of loving devotion.

Adi 1.100

TEXT 100

TEXT

dui bhagavata dvara diya bhakti-rasa

tanhara hrdaye tanra preme haya vasa

SYNONYMS

dui -- two; bhagavata -- the bhagavatas; dvara -- by; diya -- giving;

bhakti-rasa -- devotional inspiration; tanhara -- of His devotee; hrdaye

-- in the heart; tanra -- his; preme -- by the love; haya -- becomes;

vasa -- under control.

TRANSLATION

Through the actions of these two bhagavatas the Lord instills the

mellows of transcendental loving service into the heart of a living

being, and thus the Lord, in the heart of His devotee, comes under the

control of the devotee's love.

Adi 1.101

TEXT 101

TEXT

eka adbhuta -- sama-kale donhara prakasa

ara adbhuta -- citta-guhara tamah kare nasa

SYNONYMS

eka -- one; adbhuta -- wonderful thing; sama-kale -- at the same time;

donhara -- of both; prakasa -- the manifestation; ara -- the other;

adbhuta -- wonderful thing; citta-guhara -- of the core of the heart;

tamah -- darkness; kare -- do; nasa -- destruction.

TRANSLATION

The first wonder is that both brothers appear simultaneously, and the

other is that They illuminate the innermost depths of the heart.

Adi 1.102

TEXT 102

TEXT

ei candra surya dui parama sadaya

jagatera bhagye gaude karila udaya

SYNONYMS

ei -- these; candra -- moon; surya -- sun; dui -- two; parama -- very

much; sa-daya -- kind; jagatera -- of the people of the world; bhagye --

for the fortune; gaude -- in the land of Gauda; karila -- did; udaya --

appearance.

TRANSLATION

These two, the sun and moon, are very kind to the people of the world.

Thus for the good fortune of all, They have appeared on the horizon of

Bengal.

PURPORT

The celebrated ancient capital of the Sena dynasty, which was known as

Gaudadesa or Gauda, was situated in what is now the modern district of

Maldah. Later this capital was transferred to the ninth or central

island on the western side of the Ganges at Navadvipa, which is now

known as Mayapur and was then called Gaudapura. Lord Caitanya appeared

there, and Lord Nityananda came there and joined Him from the district

of Birbhum. They appeared on the horizon of Gaudadesa to spread the

science of Krsna consciousness, and it is predicted that as the sun and

moon gradually move west, the movement They began five hundred years ago

will come to the Western civilizations by Their mercy.

Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Nityananda Prabhu drive away the five kinds of

ignorance of the conditioned souls. In the Mahabharata, Udyoga-parva,

Forty-third Chapter, these five kinds of ignorance are described. They

are (1) accepting the body to be the self, (2) making material sense

gratification one's standard of enjoyment, (3) being anxious due to

material identification, (4) lamenting and (5) thinking that there is

anything beyond the Absolute Truth. The teachings of Lord Caitanya

eradicate these five kinds of ignorance. Whatever one sees or otherwise

experiences one should know to be simply an exhibition of the Supreme

Personality of Godhead's energy. Everything is a manifestation of Krsna.

Adi 1.103

TEXT 103

TEXT

sei dui prabhura kari carana vandana

yanha ha-ite vighna-nasa abhista-purana

SYNONYMS

sei -- these; dui -- two; prabhura -- of the Lords; kari -- I do; carana

-- feet; vandana -- obeisance; yanha ha-ite -- from which; vighna-nasa --

destruction of obstacles; abhista-purana -- fulfillment of desires.

TRANSLATION

Let us therefore worship the holy feet of these two Lords. Thus one can

be rid of all difficulties on the path of self-realization.

Adi 1.104

TEXT 104

TEXT

ei dui sloke kaila mangala-vandana

trtiya slokera artha suna sarva-jana

SYNONYMS

ei -- these; dui -- two; sloke -- in the verses; kaila -- I did; mangala

-- auspicious; vandana -- obeisance; trtiya -- third; slokera -- of the

verse; artha -- meaning; suna -- please hear; sarva-jana -- everyone.

TRANSLATION

I have invoked the benediction of the Lords with these two verses [texts

1 and 2 of this chapter]. Now please hear attentively the purport of the

third verse.

Adi 1.105

TEXT 105

TEXT

vaktavya-bahulya, grantha-vistarera dare

vistare na varni, sarartha kahi alpaksare

SYNONYMS

vaktavya -- of words to be spoken; bahulya -- elaboration; grantha -- of

the book; vistarera -- of the big volume; dare -- in fear; vistare -- in

expanded form; na -- not; varni -- I describe; sara-artha -- essential

meaning; kahi -- I say; alpa-aksare -- in few words.

TRANSLATION

I purposely avoid extensive description for fear of increasing the bulk

of this book. I shall describe the essence as concisely as possible.

Adi 1.106

TEXT 106

TEXT

"mitam ca saram ca vaco hi vagmita" iti

SYNONYMS

mitam -- concise; ca -- and; saram -- essential; ca -- and; vacah --

speech; hi -- certainly; vagmita -- eloquence; iti -- thus.

TRANSLATION

"Essential truth spoken concisely is true eloquence."

Adi 1.107

TEXT 107

TEXT

sunile khandibe cittera ajnanadi dosa

krsne gadha prema habe, paibe santosa

SYNONYMS

sunile -- on one's hearing; khandibe -- will remove; cittera -- of the

heart; ajnana-adi -- of ignorance, etc.; dosa -- the faults; krsne -- in

Lord Krsna; gadha -- deep; prema -- love; habe -- there will be; paibe --

will obtain; santosa -- satisfaction.

TRANSLATION

Simply hearing submissively will free one's heart from all the faults of

ignorance, and thus one will achieve deep love for Krsna. This is the

path of peace.

Adi 1.108–109

TEXTS 108–109

TEXT

sri-caitanya-nityananda-advaita-mahattva

tanra bhakta-bhakti-nama-prema-rasa-tattva

bhinna bhinna likhiyachi kariya vicara

sunile janibe saba vastu-tattva-sara

SYNONYMS

sri-caitanya -- of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu; nityananda -- of Lord

Nityananda; advaita -- of Sri Advaita; mahattva -- greatness; tanra --

Their; bhakta -- devotees; bhakti -- devotion; nama -- names; prema --

love; rasa -- mellows; tattva -- real nature; bhinna bhinna -- different;

likhiyachi -- I wrote; kariya -- doing; vicara -- consideration; sunile

-- on hearing; janibe -- will know; saba -- all; vastu-tattva-sara --

the essence of the Absolute Truth.

TRANSLATION

If one patiently hears about the glories of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Sri

Nityananda Prabhu and Sri Advaita Prabhu -- and Their devotees,

devotional activities, names and fame, along with the mellows of Their

transcendental loving exchanges -- one will learn the essence of the

Absolute Truth. Therefore I have described these [in the Caitanya-

caritamrta] with logic and discrimination.

Adi 1.110

TEXT 110

TEXT

sri-rupa-raghunatha-pade yara asa

caitanya-caritamrta kahe krsnadasa

SYNONYMS

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; krsnadasa -- Srila Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami.

TRANSLATION

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.

Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports to Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi-lila,

First Chapter, describing the spiritual masters.