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Cc. 1975-Preface

Preface

There is no difference between the teachings of Lord Caitanya presented

here and the teachings of Lord Krsna in Bhagavad-gita. The teachings

of Lord Caitanya are practical demonstrations of Lord Krsna's teachings.

Lord Krsna's ultimate instruction in Bhagavad-gita is that everyone

should surrender unto Him, Lord Krsna. Krsna promises to take immediate

charge of such a surrendered soul. The Lord, the Supreme Personality of

Godhead, is already in charge of the maintenance of this creation by

virtue of His plenary expansion, Ksirodakasayi Visnu, but this

maintenance is not direct. However, when the Lord says that He takes

charge of His pure devotee, He actually takes direct charge. A pure

devotee is a soul who is forever surrendered to the Lord, just as a child

is surrendered to his parents or an animal to its master. In the

surrendering process, one should: (1) accept things favorable for

discharging devotional service, (2) reject things unfavorable, (3)

believe firmly in the Lord's protection, (4) feel exclusively dependent

on the mercy of the Lord, (5) have no interest separate from the interest

of the Lord, and (6) always feel oneself meek and humble.

The Lord demands that one surrender unto Him by following these six

guidelines, but the unintelligent so-called scholars of the world

misunderstand these demands and urge the general mass of people to reject

them. At the conclusion of the Ninth Chapter of Bhagavad-gita, Lord

Krsna directly says: "Engage your mind always in thinking

of Me, offer obeisances and worship Me.

Being completely absorbed in Me, surely you will come to Me."

(Bg. 9.34) However, the scholarly demons misguide

the masses of people by directing them to the impersonal,

unmanifest, eternal, unborn truth rather than the

Personality of Godhead. The impersonalist

Mayavadi philosophers do not accept that the ultimate aspect of the

Absolute Truth is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. If one desires to

understand the sun as it is, one must first face the sunshine, then

the sun globe and, after entering into that globe,

come face to face with the predominating deity of the sun. Due to

a poor fund of knowledge, the Mayavadi philosophers cannot go beyond the

Brahman effulgence, which may be compared to the sunshine. The Upanisads

confirm that one has to penetrate the dazzling effulgence of Brahman

before one can see the real face of the Personality of Godhead.

Lord Caitanya therefore teaches direct worship of Lord Krsna, who

appeared as the foster child of the King of Vraja. He also suggests that

the place known as Vrndavana is as good as Lord Krsna because

there is no difference between the name,

quality, form, pastimes, entourage and paraphernalia

of Lord Krsna and Lord

Krsna Himself

. That

is the absolute nature of

the Absolute Truth

Lord Caitanya also recommended that the highest mode of worship in the

highest perfectional stage is the method practiced by the damsels of

Vraja. These damsels (gopis, or cowherd girls) simply loved Krsna without

a motive for material or spiritual gain. Caitanya also recommended Srimad-

Bhagavatam as the spotless narration of transcendental knowledge, and He

pointed out that the highest goal in human life is to develop unalloyed

love for Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Lord Caitanya's teachings are identical to those given by Lord Kapila,

the original propounder of sankhya-yoga, the sankhya system of philosophy.

This authorized system of yoga recommends meditation on the

transcendental form of the Lord. There is no question of meditating on

something void or impersonal. One can meditate on the transcendental

form of Lord Visnu even without practicing involved sitting postures.

Such meditation is called perfect samadhi. This

perfect samadhi is verified at the end of the Sixth Chapter of

Bhagavad-gita where Lord Krsna says: "And of all yogis, he who

always abides in Me with great faith, worshiping Me in

transcendental loving service, is most intimately united with Me in

yoga and is the highest of all." (Bg. 6.47)

Lord Caitanya instructed the mass of people in the sankhya philosophy of

acintya-bhedabheda-tattva, which maintains that the Supreme Lord is

simultaneously one with and different from His creation. Lord Caitanya

taught this philosophy through the chanting of

the holy name of

the Lord. He taught that the holy name of the Lord is the sound

incarnation of the Lord and that since the Lord is the absolute whole,

there is no difference between His holy name and His transcendental form.

Thus by chanting the holy name of the Lord one can directly associate

with the Supreme Lord by sound vibration. As one practices this

sound vibration, he passes through three stages of development: the

offensive stage, the clearing stage and the transcendental stage. In the

offensive stage one may desire all kinds of material

happiness, but in the second stage one becomes clear of all material

contamination. When one is situated on the transcendental stage, he

attains the most coveted position -- the stage of loving God. Lord

Caitanya taught that this is the highest stage of perfection for human

beings.

Yoga practice is essentially meant for controlling the senses. The

central controlling factor of all the senses is the mind; therefore one

first has to practice controlling the mind by engaging it in Krsna

consciousness. The gross activities of the mind are expressed through the

external senses either for the acquiring of knowledge or the

functioning of the senses in accordance to the will. The subtle

activities of the mind are thinking, feeling and willing. In

accordance to one's consciousness, the individual

is either polluted or clear. If one's mind is fixed on Krsna (His name,

quality, form, pastimes, entourage and paraphernalia), all one's

activities -- both subtle and gross -- become favorable. The Bhagavad-

gita's process of purifying consciousness is the process of fixing one's

mind on Krsna by talking of His transcendental activities, cleansing His

temple, going to His temple, seeing the beautiful transcendental form of

the Lord nicely decorated, hearing His transcendental glories, tasting

food offered to Him, associating with His devotees, smelling the flowers

and tulasi leaves offered Him, engaging in activities for the Lord's

interest, etc.

No one can bring the activities of the mind and senses to a stop, but one

can purify these activities through a change in consciousness. This

change is indicated in Bhagavad-gita when Krsna tells

Arjuna of the knowledge of yoga whereby one can work without fruitive

results. "O son of Prtha, when you act by such intelligence, you can free

yourself from the bondage of works," (Bg. 2.39) A human being is

sometimes restricted in sense gratification due to certain circumstances

such as disease, etc., but this is not the prescription

. Without knowing the actual process by which the mind and

senses can be controlled, less intelligent men either try to stop the

mind and senses by force, or they give in to them and are

carried away by the waves of sense gratification.

The regulative principles and the rules

of yoga, the various sitting postures

and breathing exercises performed in an attempt to withdraw

one's senses from the sense objects are methods meant for those

who are too much engrossed in the bodily conception of life. The

intelligent man who is situated in Krsna consciousness does not try to

forcibly stop his senses from acting. Rather, he engages his senses in

the service of Krsna. No one can stop a child from playing by leaving him

inactive. A child can be stopped from engaging in nonsense by

being engaged in superior activities. The forceful restraint

of sense activities by the eight principles of yoga is recommended for

inferior men. Being engaged in the superior activities of

Krsna consciousness, superior men naturally retire from the inferior

activities of material existence.

In this way Lord Caitanya teaches the science of Krsna consciousness.

That science is absolute. Dry mental speculators try to restrain

themselves from material attachment, but it is generally found that the

mind is too strong to be controlled and that it drags them down to

sensual activities. A person in Krsna consciousness does not run this

risk. One has to engage his mind and senses in Krsna

conscious activities, and Lord Caitanya teaches one how to do this in

practice. Before accepting sannyasa (the renounced order), Lord Caitanya

was known as Visvambhara. The word visvambhara refers to one who

maintains the entire universe and who leads all living entities. This

maintainer and leader appeared as Lord Sri Krsna Caitanya to give

humanity these sublime teachings. Lord Caitanya is the ideal teacher of

life's prime necessities. He is the most munificent bestower of love of

Krsna. He is the complete reservoir of all mercies and good fortune. As

confirmed in Srimad-Bhagavatam, Bhagavad-gita, Mahabharata and the

Upanisads, He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna Himself, and

He is worshipable by everyone in this age of disagreement. Everyone can

join in His sankirtana movement. No previous qualification is necessary.

Just by following His teachings, anyone can become a perfect human being.

If one is fortunate enough to be attracted by His features, one is sure

to be successful in one's life mission. In other words, those who are

interested in attaining spiritual existence can be easily relieved from

the clutches of maya by the grace of Lord Caitanya. These teachings

presented in this book are nondifferent from the Lord.

Being engrossed in the material body, the conditioned

soul increases the pages of history by all kinds of material activities.

The teachings of Lord Caitanya can help human society stop

such unnecessary and temporary activities. By these teachings, humanity

can be elevated to the topmost platform of spiritual activity. These

spiritual activities actually begin after liberation from material

bondage. Such liberated activities in Krsna consciousness constitute the

goal of human perfection. The false prestige one acquires by attempting

to dominate material nature is illusory. Illuminating knowledge can be

acquired from the teachings of Lord Caitanya, and by such

knowledge one can advance in spiritual existence.

Everyone has to suffer or enjoy the fruits of his activity; no one can

check the laws of material nature which govern such things. As long as

one is engaged in fruitive activity, he is sure to be baffled in an

attempt to attain the ultimate goal of life. I sincerely hope that by

understanding the teachings of Lord Caitanya

, human society will experience a new light of

spiritual life which will open the field of activity for the pure soul.

om tat sat

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

March 14, 1968

Birthday of Lord Caitanya

Sri-Sri-Radha-Krsna Temple

New York, N.Y.

Cc. 1975-Introduction

Introduction

(Originally delivered as five morning lectures on Caitanya-caritamrta

-- the authoritative biography of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu by Krsnadasa

Kaviraja Gosvami -- before the International Society for Krishna

Consciousness, New York City, April 10-14, 1967)

The word caitanya means living force

. As living entities, we can move, but a table

cannot because it does not possess living force. Movement and activity

may be considered to be signs or symptoms of the living force. Indeed, it

may be said that there can be no activity without the living force.

Although the living force is present in the material condition, it

is not amrta, immortal. The words caitanya-caritamrta, then,

may be translated as "the character of the living force in immortality."

But how is this living force displayed immortally? It is not displayed by

man or any other creature in this material universe, for none of us are

immortal in these bodies. We possess the living force, we perform

activities, and we are immortal by our nature and constitution, but the

material condition into which we have been put does not allow our

immortality to be displayed. It is stated in the Katha Upanisad that

eternality and the living force belong both to ourselves and God.

Although this is true in that both God and ourselves are immortal, there

is a difference. As living entities, we perform many activities, but we

have a tendency to fall down into material nature. God has no such

tendency. Being all-powerful, He never comes under the control of

material nature. Indeed, material nature is but one display of His

inconceivable energies.

the ground we may see only clouds in the sky, but if we fly

above the clouds we can see the sun shining. From the sky, skyscrapers

and cities seem very tiny; similarly, from God's position this entire

material creation is insignificant. The tendency of the conditioned

living entity is to come down from the heights where everything can be

seen in perspective. God, however, does not have this tendency. The

Supreme Lord is not subject to fall down into illusion (maya) any more

than the sun is subject to fall beneath the clouds. Because the Supreme

Lord is not subject to illusion, He is unconditioned; because we, as

finite living entities, are prone to fall into illusion, we are called

conditioned. Impersonalist philosophers (Mayavadis) maintain that both

the living entity and God Himself are under the control of maya when they

come into this material world. This may be true of the living entity, but

it is not true of God, for in all instances the material energy is

working under His direction. Those who consider the Supreme Lord to be

subject to material conditioning are called fools by Krsna Himself in

Bhagavad-gita:

avajananti mam mudha

manusim tanum asritam

param bhavam ajananto

mama bhuta-mahesvaram

"Fools deride Me when I descend in the human form. They do not know My

transcendental nature and My supreme dominion over all that be." (Bg. 9.

11)

Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu should not be considered to be one of

us. He is Krsna Himself, the supreme living entity, and as such He never

comes under the cloud of maya. Krsna, His expansions, and even His higher

devotees never fall into the clutches of illusion. Lord Caitanya came to

earth simply to preach krsna-bhakti, love of Krsna. In other words, He is

Lord Krsna Himself teaching the living entities the proper way to

approach Krsna. He is like a teacher who, seeing a student doing poorly,

takes up a pencil and writes, saying, "Do it like this: A, B, C." By

this, one must not foolishly think that the teacher is learning his ABC'

s. Although He appears in the guise of a devotee,

we should

always remember that Lord Caitanya is Krsna (God) Himself teaching us how

to become Krsna conscious, and we must study Him in that light.

In Bhagavad-gita Lord Krsna sets forth the

highest religious principle in this way:

sarva-dharman parityajya

mam ekam saranam vraja

aham tvam sarva-papebhyo

moksayisyami ma sucah

"Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall

deliver you from all sinful reaction. Do not fear." (Bg. 18.66)

This may seem to be a simple instruction to follow, but invariably our

reaction is, "Oh, surrender? Give up? But I have so many responsibilities.

" And maya, illusion, says to us, "Don't do it, or you'll be out of my

clutches. Just stay in my clutches, and I'll kick you." It is a fact that

we are constantly being kicked by maya, just as the male-ass is kicked in

the face by the she-ass when he comes for sex. Similarly, cats and dogs

are always fighting and whining when they have sex. These are the tricks

of nature. Even an elephant in the jungle is caught by the use of a

trained she-elephant who leads him into a pit. Maya has many activities,

and in the material world her strongest shackle is the female. Of course

in actuality we are neither male nor female -- for these designations

refer only to the outer dress, the body. We are all actually Krsna's

servants. In conditioned life, however, we are shackled by the iron

chains which take the form of beautiful women. Thus every male is bound

by sex life, and therefore when one attempts to gain liberation from the

material clutches, he must first learn to control the sex urge.

Unrestricted sex puts one fully in the clutches of illusion. Lord

Caitanya Mahaprabhu officially renounced this illusion at the age of

twenty-four, although His wife was sixteen and His mother seventy, and He

was the only male member of the family. Although He was a brahmana and

was not rich, He took sannyasa, the renounced order of life, and thus

extricated Himself from family entanglement.

If we wish to become fully Krsna conscious, we have to give up the

shackles of maya, or, if we remain with maya, we should live in such a

way that we will not be subject to illusion. It is not necessary for one

to abandon his family, for there were many householders amongst Lord

Caitanya's closest devotees. What must be renounced is the propensity for

material enjoyment. Although Lord Caitanya approved of a householder

having regulated sex in marriage, He was very strict with those in the

renounced order, and He even banished Junior Haridasa for glancing

lustfully at a young woman. The point is that one must take up a

particular path and stick to it, obeying all the rules and regulations

necessary for success in spiritual life. It was Lord Caitanya's mission

that He teach the path of Krsna consciousness to all men and thereby

enable them to partake of the immortality of spiritual life.

From Caitanya-caritamrta we learn how Caitanya taught people to

become immortal, and thus

the title may be properly translated as "the immortal character of

the living force." The supreme living force is the Supreme

Personality of Godhead. He is also the supreme entity. There are

innumerable living entities, and all of them are individual. This is

very easy to understand: We are all individual in thought and

desires, and the Supreme Lord is also an individual person. He is

different, though, in that He is the leader, the one whom no one can

excel. Amongst the created living entities, one being can excel another

in one capacity or another. The Lord is an individual, just as

the living entities are individual, but He is different in that He is the

supreme individual. God is also infallible, and in Bhagavad-gita

He is addressed as Acyuta, which means, "He who never falls down." This

is indicated because in Bhagavad-gita Arjuna had fallen into

delusion but Krsna had not. We often hear it said that

God is infallible, and in Bhagavad-gita Krsna

states:

nanyam gunebhyah kartaram

yada drastanupasyati

gunebhyas ca param vetti

mad-bhavam so 'dhigacchati

"When you see that there is nothing beyond these modes of nature in all

activities and that the Supreme Lord is transcendental to all these modes,

then you can know My spiritual nature." (Bg. 14.19)

Thus we should not think that Krsna is overpowered by the material

potency when He is in the material world. Krsna and His

incarnations are not under the control of material nature. They are

totally free. Indeed, in Srimad-Bhagavatam one who has a godly nature is

actually defined as one who is not affected by the modes of material

nature, although in material nature. If even a devotee can attain this

freedom, then what to speak of the Supreme?

The real question is how can we remain unpolluted by material

contamination while in the material world. It was Rupa Gosvami who

explained that we can remain uncontaminated while in the world if we

simply make it our ambition to serve Krsna. One may then justifiably ask,

"How can I serve?" Obviously this is not simply a matter of meditation,

which is just an activity of the mind, but of practical work.

Love of Krsna's service can only be attained by working for Krsna. In

such work, we should leave no resource unused. Whatever is there,

whatever we have, should be used for Krsna. We can use everything:

typewriters, automobiles, airplanes, missiles -- anything. If we simply

speak to people about Krsna consciousness, we are also rendering service.

If our minds, senses, speech, money and energies are thus engaged in the

service of Krsna, we cannot be considered to be existing in material

nature. By virtue of spiritual consciousness, or Krsna consciousness, we

transcend the platform of material nature. It is a fact that Krsna, His

expansions and His devotees -- that is, those who work for Him -- are not

in material nature, although people with a poor fund of knowledge think

that they are.

Caitanya-caritamrta teaches that the spirit soul is immortal and that

our activities in the spiritual world are also immortal. The Mayavadis,

who hold to the view that the Absolute is impersonal and formless,

contend that a realized soul has no need to talk. However, the Vaisnavas,

who are devotees of Krsna, contend that when one reaches the stage of

realization, he really begins to talk. "Previously we only talked of

nonsense," the Vaisnava says. "Now let us begin our real talks, talks of

Krsna." The

Mayavadis are also fond of using the example of the water pot,

maintaining that when a pot is not filled with water it makes a sound,

but that when it is filled it makes no sound. But are we waterpots? How

can we be compared to them? A good analogy utilizes as many similarities

between two objects as possible. A water pot is not an active living

force, but we are. Ever silent meditation may be adequate for a water

pot, but not for us. Indeed, when one has realized he has so much

to say about Krsna, twenty-four hours in a day is not sufficient. It is

the fool who is celebrated as long as he does not speak, for when he

breaks his silence his lack of knowledge is exposed. Caitanya-

caritamrta shows that there are many wonderful things to discover by

glorifying the Supreme.

In the beginning of Caitanya-caritamrta, Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami

writes: "I offer my respects to my spiritual masters." He uses the plural

here to indicate the disciplic succession. It is not that he offers

obeisances to his spiritual master alone but to the whole parampara,

the chain of disciplic succession beginning with Lord Krsna Himself. Thus

the guru is addressed in the plural to show the author's

highest respect for all the Vaisnavas. After offering

obeisances to the disciplic succession, the author pays obeisances to all

other devotees, Godbrothers, the

expansions of Godhead and the first manifestation of Krsna's

energy. Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu (sometimes called Krsna Caitanya) is the

embodiment of all of these; He is God, guru, devotee and

the expansion of God. As His associate, Nityananda, He is

the first manifestation of energy; as Advaita, He is an incarnation; as

Gadadhara, He is the internal potency; and as Srivasa, He is the marginal

living entity. Thus Krsna should not be thought

of as being alone but should be considered as eternally existing with all

His manifestation, as described by Ramanujacarya. In visistadvaita

philosophy, God's energies, expansions and incarnations are

considered to be oneness in diversity. In other words, God is not

separate from all of these; everything together is God.

Actually Caitanya-caritamrta is not intended for the novice, for it

is the postgraduate study of spiritual knowledge. Ideally, one begins

with Bhagavad-gita and advances through Srimad-Bhagavatam to the

Caitanya-caritamrta. Although all these great scriptures are on the same

absolute level, for the sake of comparative study Caitanya-caritamrta

is considered to be on the highest platform. Every verse in it is

perfectly composed. Indeed, Lord Caitanya and Nityananda are compared to

the sun and moon in that They dissipate the darkness of the material

world. In this instance both the sun and moon have risen together, and it

is proper to offer obeisances directly to Lord Caitanya and Nityananda.

In the Western world where the glories of Lord Caitanya are relatively

unknown, one may inquire, "Who is Krsna Caitanya?" The scriptural

conclusion in answer to that question is

that He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Generally in

the Upanisads the Supreme Absolute Truth is described in an impersonal

way, but the personal aspect of the Absolute Truth is mentioned in the

Isopanisad, where, after a description of the all-pervading, we find the

following verse:

hiranmayena patrena

satyasyapihitam mukham

tat tvam pusann apavrnu

satya-dharmaya drstaye

"O my Lord, sustainer of all that lives, Your real face is covered by

Your dazzling effulgence. Kindly remove that covering and exhibit

Yourself to Your pure devotee." (Sri Isopanisad, Mantra 15)

The impersonalists do

not have the power to go beyond the effulgence of God and arrive at the

personality from whom this effulgence is emanating. At the

end of Isopanisad, however, there is a hymn to the Personality of

Godhead. It is not that the impersonal Brahman is denied; it is also

described, but that Brahman is considered to be the glaring effulgence of

the body of Caitanya. In other words, Krsna Caitanya is the

basis of the impersonal Brahman. It is also stated

by Krsna in Bhagavad-gita that the impersonal Brahman rests

on Him (brahmano hi pratisthaham, Bg. 14.27). The

Paramatma, or Supersoul, which is present within the heart of every

living entity and within every atom of the universe, is but the partial

representation of Caitanya. Krsna Caitanya is

therefore the basis of Brahman and the

Supreme Personality of Godhead as well. As the Supreme He

is full in six opulences: wealth, fame, strength, beauty, knowledge and

renunciation. In short, we should know that He is Krsna, God, and

nothing is equal to or greater than Him. There is no superior to be

conceived. He is the Supreme Person.

It was Rupa Gosvami, a confidential devotee taught for more than ten

days continuously by Lord Caitanya, who wrote:

namo maha-vadanyaya krsna-prema-pradaya te

krsnaya krsna-caitanya-namne gaura-tvise namah

"I offer my respectful obeisances unto the Supreme Lord Sri Krsna

Caitanya who is more magnanimous than any other avatara, even Krsna

Himself, because He is bestowing freely what no one else has ever given --

pure love of Krsna."

It is not that Caitanya teaches a long and elaborate path to God

realization. He is completely spiritual, and He begins from the point of

surrender to Krsna. He does not pursue the paths of karma-yoga or jnana-

yoga or hatha-yoga but begins at the end of material existence, at the

point where one gives up all material attachment. In Bhagavad-gita

Krsna began His teachings by distinguishing the soul from matter and in

the Eighteenth Chapter concluded at the point where the soul

surrenders to Him in devotion. The Mayavadis would have all talk cease

there, but at that point the real discussion only begins. It is the

Vedanta-sutra which begins: athato brahma-jijnasa: "

Now let us begin to inquire about the Supreme Absolute Truth." Rupa

Gosvami thus praises Caitanya as the most munificent incarnation of

all, for He gives the greatest gift by indicating the highest form of

devotional service. In other words, He answers the most important

inquiries that anyone can make.

There are different stages of devotional service and God realization.

Strictly speaking, anyone who accepts the existence of God is situated in

devotional service. To acknowledge that God is great is something, but

not much. Caitanya, preaching as an acarya, a great teacher, taught

that we can enter into a relationship with God and actually become God's

friend. In Bhagavad-gita Krsna showed Arjuna His

universal form because Arjuna was His "very dear friend." Upon seeing

Krsna as the Lord of the universes, however, Arjuna actually asked Krsna

to forgive the familiarity of his friendship. Caitanya goes beyond

this point. Through Lord Caitanya we can become friends with Krsna, and

there is no limit to this friendship. We can become friends of Krsna

not in awe or adoration but in complete freedom. We can even relate to

God as His father. This is not only the philosophy of

Caitanya-caritamrta but of Srimad-Bhagavatam as well. There are no

other literatures in the world in which God is treated as the son of a

devotee. Usually God is seen as the almighty Father who supplies the

demands of His sons. The great devotees, however, sometimes treat God as

a son in their execution of devotional service. The son demands, and the

father supplies, and in supplying Krsna the devotee becomes

like a father. Instead of taking from God, we give to God. It

was in this relationship that Krsna's mother, Yasoda, told the Lord, "

Here, eat this or You'll die. Eat nicely." In this way Krsna, although

the proprietor of everything, depends on the mercy of His devotee. This

is a uniquely high level of friendship in which the devotee actually

believes himself to be the father of Krsna.

However, Lord Caitanya's greatest gift was His teaching that Krsna can be

actually treated as one's lover. In this relationship the Lord is so

much attached that He expresses His inability to

reciprocate. Krsna was so obliged to the gopis, the cowherd girls of

Vrndavana, that He felt unable to return their love. "I cannot repay your

love," He told them. "I have no more assets to return." Thus

devotional service is performed on this excellent platform, and

knowledge of the devotee's relationship to Krsna as lover and beloved

was given by Caitanya Mahaprabhu. It was never given by any

previous incarnation or acarya. Thus Rupa Gosvami wrote of Caitanya: "

Devotional service itself is the highest

platform, the glorious platform which You have

contributed. You are Krsna in a yellow complexion, and You are

Sacinandana, the son of mother Saci. Those who hear Caitanya-caritamrta

will keep You in their hearts. It will

be easy to understand Krsna through You." Thus Caitanya

Mahaprabhu came to deliver Krsna. His method of deliverance was not

meditation, fruitive activities or scriptural study, but love.

We have often heard the phrase "love of Godhead." How far this love of

Godhead can actually be developed can be learned from the Vaisnava

philosophy. Theoretical knowledge of love of God can be found in many

places and in many scriptures, but what that love of Godhead actually is

and how it is developed can be found in Vaisnava literatures. It is

the unique and highest development of love of God that is given by

Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

Even in this material world we can have a little sense of love. How is

this possible? It is due to the love which is found in the

Godhead. Whatever we find within our experience within this conditional

life is situated in the Supreme Lord, who is the ultimate source of

everything. In our original relationship with the Supreme Lord there is

real love, and that love is reflected pervertedly through material

conditions. Our real love is continuous and unending, but because that

love is reflected pervertedly in this material world, it lacks continuity

and is inebriating. If we want real transcendental love, we have to

transfer our love to the supreme lovable object -- the Supreme

Personality of Godhead. This is the basic principle of Krsna

consciousness.

In material consciousness we are trying to love that which is not at all

lovable. We give our love to dogs and cats, running the risk that at the

time of death we may think of them and consequently take birth in a

family of cats or dogs. Thus love that does not have Krsna as its object

leads downward. It is not that Krsna or God is something

obscure or something that only a few chosen people can attain.

Caitanya Mahaprabhu informs us that in every country and in every

scripture there is some hint of love of Godhead. Unfortunately no one

knows what love of Godhead actually is. The Vedic scriptures, however,

are different in that they can direct the individual in the proper way to

love God. Other scriptures do not give information on how one

can love God, nor do they actually define or describe what or who the

Godhead actually is. Although they officially promote love of Godhead,

they have no idea how to execute it. But Caitanya Mahaprabhu gives a

practical demonstration of how to love God in a conjugal relationship.

Taking the part of Radharani, Caitanya tries to love Krsna as

Radharani loved Him. Krsna was always amazed by Radharani's love. "

How does Radharani give Me such pleasure?" He would ask. In order

to study Radharani, Krsna lived in Her role and tried to understand

Himself. This is the secret of Lord Caitanya's incarnation. Caitanya

is Krsna, but He has taken the mode or role of Radharani to show us

how to love Krsna. Thus He is addressed: "I offer my

respectful obeisances unto the Supreme Lord who is absorbed in

Radharani's thoughts."

This brings up the question of who Radharani is and what Radha-

Krsna is. Actually Radha-Krsna is the exchange of love. This is not

ordinary love; Krsna has immense potencies, of which three are principal:

internal, external and marginal. In the internal

potency there are three divisions: samvit, hladini and sandhini. The

hladini potency is the pleasure potency. All living entities have

this pleasure-seeking potency, for all beings are trying to have pleasure.

This is the very nature of the living entity. At present we are trying

to enjoy our pleasure potency by means of the body in this material

condition. By bodily contact we are attempting to derive pleasure from

material sense objects. We should not think, however,

that Krsna, who is always spiritual, tries to seek pleasure on

this material plane like us. Krsna describes the material

universe as a nonpermanent place full of miseries. Why, then, would He

seek pleasure in the material form? He is the Supersoul, the supreme

spirit, and His pleasure is beyond the material conception.

In order to learn how Krsna's pleasure can be obtained, we must

read the Tenth Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam

in which Krsna's pleasure potency is displayed in

His pastimes with Radharani and the damsels of Vraja. Unfortunately,

unintelligent people turn at once to the sports of Krsna in the Dasama-

skandha, the Tenth Canto. Krsna's embracing Radharani or His dancing with

the cowherd girls in the rasa dance are generally not understood by

ordinary men because they consider these pastimes in the light of

mundane lust. They incorrectly think that Krsna is like themselves and

that He embraces the gopis just as an ordinary man embraces a young girl.

Some people thus become interested in Krsna because they think that His

religion allows indulgence in sex. This is not krsna-bhakti, love of

Krsna, but prakrta-sahajiya -- materialistic lust.

In order to avoid such errors, we should understand what Radha-Krsna

actually is. Radha and Krsna display their pastimes through Krsna's

internal energy. The pleasure potency of Krsna's internal energy is a

most difficult subject matter, and unless one understands what Krsna is,

he cannot understand it. Krsna does not take any pleasure in this

material world, but He has a pleasure potency. Because we are part and

parcel of Krsna, the pleasure potency is within us also, but we are

trying to exhibit that pleasure potency in matter. Krsna, however, does

not make such a vain attempt. The object of Krsna's pleasure potency is

Radharani, and He exhibits His potency or His energy as Radharani and

then engages in loving affairs with Her. In other words, Krsna does not

take pleasure in this external energy but exhibits His internal energy,

His pleasure potency, as Radharani. Thus Krsna

manifests Himself as Radharani in order to exhibit His internal pleasure

potency. Of the many extensions, expansions and incarnations of the Lord,

this pleasure potency is the foremost and chief.

It is not that Radharani is separate from Krsna. Radharani is also Krsna,

for there is no difference between the energy and the energetic. Without

energy, there is no meaning to the energetic, and without the energetic,

there is no energy. Similarly, without Radha there is no meaning to Krsna,

and without Krsna, there is no meaning to Radha. Because of this, the

Vaisnava philosophy first of all pays obeisances to and worships the

internal pleasure potency of the Supreme Lord. Thus the Lord and His

potency are always referred to as Radha-Krsna. Similarly, those who

worship the name of Narayana first of all utter the name of Laksmi, as

Laksmi-Narayana. Similarly, those who worship Lord Rama first of all

utter the name of Sita. In any case -- Sita-Rama, Radha-Krsna, Laksmi-

Narayana -- the potency always comes first.

Radha and Krsna are one, and when Krsna desires to enjoy pleasure, He

manifests Himself as Radharani. The spiritual exchange of love between

Radha and Krsna is the actual display of the internal pleasure

potency of Krsna. Although we speak of "when" Krsna desires, just when He

did desire we cannot say. We only speak in this way because in

conditional life we take it that everything has a beginning; however, in

the absolute or spiritual life there is neither

beginning nor end. Yet in order to understand that Radha and Krsna are

one and that They also become divided, the question "When?" automatically

comes to mind. When Krsna desired to enjoy His pleasure potency, He

manifested Himself in the separate form of Radharani, and when He wanted

to understand Himself through the agency of Radha, He united with

Radharani, and that unification is called Lord Caitanya

Why did Krsna assume the form

of Caitanya Mahaprabhu? It is explained that Krsna desired to know the

glory of Radha's love. "Why is She so much in love with Me?" Krsna asked.

"What is My special qualification that attracts Her so? And what is the

actual way in which She loves Me?" It seems strange that Krsna, as the

Supreme, should be attracted by anyone's love. We search after the

love of a woman or a man because we are imperfect and lack something.

The love of a woman, that potency and pleasure, is absent in man, and

therefore a man wants a woman, but this is not the case with Krsna, who

is full in Himself. Thus Krsna expressed surprise: "Why am I attracted by

Radharani? And when Radharani feels My love, what is She actually feeling?

" In order to taste the essence of that loving affair, Krsna appeared

just as the moon appears on the horizon of

the sea. Just as the moon was produced by the churning of the sea, by the

churning of spiritual love affairs the moon of Caitanya Mahaprabhu

appeared. Indeed, Caitanya's complexion was golden, just like

the moon. Although this is figurative language, it conveys the

meaning behind the appearance of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. The full

significance of His appearance will be explained in later chapters.

The manifestations of the Supreme are also explained in Caitanya-

caritamrta. After offering respects to Lord Caitanya, Krsnadasa Kaviraja

next offers them to Nityananda

. He explains that Nityananda is a

manifestation of Sankarsana, who is the origin of the Maha-Visnu. Krsna's

first manifestation is as Balarama and then Sankarsana, and after

Sankarsana He is manifest as Pradyumna. In this way so

many expansions take place. Although there are many expansions, Lord Sri

Krsna is the origin, as confirmed in Brahma-samhita. He is like the

original candle from which many thousands and millions of candles are

lit. Although any number of candles can be lighted, the original candle

still retains its identity as the origin. In this way Krsna expands,

Himself into so many lights, and all these expansions are called visnu-

tattva. Visnu is a large light, and we are small lights, but all are

expansions of Krsna.

When it is necessary to create the material universe, Visnu expands

Himself as the Maha-Visnu. This Maha-Visnu lies down on the Causal Ocean

and breathes all the universes from His nostrils. Thus from the Maha-

Visnu and the Causal Ocean all the universes spring, and all these

universes float in the Causal Ocean. In this regard

there is the story of Vamana, who, when He took three steps, stuck His

foot through the covering of the universe. Water from the Causal Ocean

flowed through the hole which His foot made, and it is said that that

flow of water became the River Ganges. Therefore the Ganges is accepted

as the most sacred water of Visnu and is worshiped by all Hindus from

the Himalayas down to the Bay of Bengal.

That Maha-Visnu who lies on the Causal Ocean is actually an expansion of

Balarama, who is Krsna's first expansion, and, in the Vrndavana pastimes,

is the brother of Krsna. In the maha-mantra Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna,

Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare,

the word Rama refers to Balarama. Since Nityananda is an expansion

of Balarama, Rama also refers to Lord Nityananda. Thus Hare Krsna, Hare

Rama addresses not only Krsna and Balarama but Lord Caitanya and

Nityananda as well.

The subject matter of Caitanya-caritamrta primarily deals with what

is beyond this material creation. The cosmic material expansion is called

maya because it has no eternal existence. Because it is

sometimes manifested and sometimes not manifested, it is regarded as

illusory. But beyond this temporary manifestation there is a higher

nature, as indicated in Bhagavad-gita:

paras tasmat tu bhavo 'nyo

'vyakto 'vyaktat sanatanah

yah sa sarvesu bhutesu

nasyatsu na vinasyati

"Yet there is another nature, which is eternal and is transcendental to

this manifested and unmanifested matter. It is supreme and is never

annihilated. When all in this world is annihilated, that part remains as

it is." (Bg. 8.20)

That supreme nature is beyond the manifested (vyaktah) and unmanifested (

avyaktah). This superior nature which is beyond both creation and

annihilation is the living force which is manifest in the bodies of all

living entities. The body itself is composed of inferior nature, matter,

but it is the superior nature that is moving the body. The symptom of

that superior nature is consciousness. Thus in the spiritual world, where

everything is composed of the superior nature, everything is conscious.

In the material world inanimate objects are not conscious, but in the

spiritual world this is not so. There a table is conscious, the land is

conscious, the trees are conscious -- everything is conscious.

It is not possible to imagine how far this material manifestation extends.

In the material world everything is calculated by imagination or by some

imperfect method, but Vedic literatures give information of what

lies beyond the material universe. Those

who believe in experimental knowledge may doubt the

Vedic conclusions, for they cannot even calculate how far this

universe is extended, nor can they reach far into the universe

itself. It is not possible to obtain information of anything beyond this

material nature by experimental means. That which is beyond our power of

conception is called acintya, inconceivable. It is useless to argue or

speculate about what is inconceivable. If it is truly

inconceivable, it is not subject to speculation or experimentation. Our

energy is limited, and our sense perception is limited; therefore we must

rely on the Vedic conclusions regarding that subject matter which is

inconceivable. Knowledge of the superior nature must simply be accepted

without argument. How is it possible to argue about something to which we

have no access? The method for understanding transcendental subject

matter is given by Lord Krsna Himself in Bhagavad-gita, where Krsna

tells Arjuna at the beginning of the Fourth Chapter:

imam vivasvate yogam

proktavan aham avyayam

vivasvan manave praha

manur iksvakave 'bravit

"I instructed this imperishable science of yoga to the sun-god, Vivasvan,

and Vivasvan instructed it to Manu, the father of mankind, and Manu in

turn instructed it to Iksvaku." (Bg. 4.1)

This is the method of parampara,

or disciplic succession. Similarly, in Srimad-Bhagavatam

Krsna imparted knowledge into the heart of Brahma, the first created

creature within the universe. Brahma imparted those lessons to his

disciple, Narada, and Narada imparted that knowledge to his disciple,

Vyasadeva. Vyasadeva imparted it to Madhvacarya, and from Madhvacarya the

knowledge comes down to Madhavendra Puri, to Isvara Puri and

from him to Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

One may ask that if Caitanya Mahaprabhu is Krsna Himself, then why did He

need a spiritual master? Of course He did not need a spiritual master,

but because He was playing the role of acarya (one who teaches by example)

, He accepted a spiritual master. Even Krsna Himself accepted a spiritual

master, for that is the system. In this way the Lord sets the example for

men. We should not think, however, that the Lord takes a spiritual master

because He is in want of knowledge. He is simply stressing the importance

of accepting the disciplic succession. The knowledge of that disciplic

succession actually comes from the Lord Himself, and if the knowledge

descends unbroken, it is perfect. Although we may not be in touch with

the original personality who first imparted the knowledge, we may receive

the same knowledge through this process of transmission. In Srimad-

Bhagavatam, it is stated that Krsna, the Absolute Truth, the Personality

of Godhead, transmitted transcendental knowledge into the heart of Brahma.

This, then, is one way knowledge is received -- through the heart. Thus

there are two processes by which one may receive knowledge: One depends

upon the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is situated as the

Supersoul within the heart of all living entities, and the other depends

upon the guru or spiritual master, who is an expansion of Krsna. Thus

Krsna transmits information both from within and from without. We simply

have to receive it. If knowledge is received in this way, it doesn't

matter whether it is inconceivable or not.

In Srimad-Bhagavatam there is a great deal of information given about the

Vaikuntha planetary systems which are beyond the material universe.

Similarly, a great deal of inconceivable information is given in

Caitanya-caritamrta. Any attempt to arrive at this information through

experimental knowledge is not possible. The knowledge simply has to be

accepted. According to the Vedic method, sabda, or transcendental sound,

is regarded as evidence. Sound is very important in Vedic understanding,

for, if it is pure, it is accepted as authoritative. Even in the material

world we accept a great deal of information which is sent thousands of

miles by telephone or radio. In this way we also accept sound as evidence

in our daily lives. Although we cannot see the informant, we accept his

information as valid on the basis of sound. Sound vibration then is

very important in the transmission of Vedic knowledge.

The Vedas inform us that beyond this cosmic manifestation there are

extensive planets and the spiritual sky. This material manifestation is

regarded as only a small portion of the total creation. The material

manifestation includes not only this universe but innumerable others as

well, but all the material universes combined comprise only one

fraction of the total creation. The majority of the creation is

situated in the spiritual sky. In that sky innumerable planets float, and

these are called Vaikunthalokas. In every Vaikunthaloka Narayana

presides in the form of His four-armed expansions: Sankarsana,

Pradyumna, Aniruddha and Vasudeva

As stated before, the material universes are manifested by the Lord in

the form of Maha-Visnu. Just as a husband and wife combine to beget

offspring, the Maha-Visnu combines with His wife Maya, or material nature.

This is also confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita where Krsna states:

sarva-yonisu kaunteya

murtayah sambhavanti yah

tasam brahma mahad yonir

aham bija-pradah pita

"It should be understood that all species of life, O son of Kunti, are

made possible by birth in this material nature, and that I am the seed-

giving father." (Bg. 14.4)

Visnu impregnated Maya or material nature simply

by glancing at her. This is the spiritual method. Materially we are

limited to impregnate by only one particular part of our body, but the

Supreme Lord, Krsna or Maha-Visnu, can impregnate any part by any part.

Simply by glancing the Lord can conceive countless living entities in the

womb of material nature. The Brahma-samhita also confirms that the

spiritual body of the Supreme Lord is so powerful that any part of that

body can perform the functions of any other part. We can only touch

with our hands or skin, but Krsna can touch just by glancing. We can only

see with our eyes, we cannot touch or smell with them. Krsna,

however, can smell and also eat with His eyes. When foodstuffs are

offered to Krsna we don't see Him eating, but He eats simply by

glancing at the food. We cannot imagine how things work in the spiritual

world where everything is spiritual. It is not that Krsna does not eat

or that we imagine that He eats; He actually eats, but His eating is

different from ours. Our eating process will be similar to His when we

are completely on the spiritual platform. On that platform every part of

the body can act on behalf of any other part.

Visnu does not require anything in order to create. He does not require

the goddess Laksmi in order to give birth to Brahma, for Brahma is born

from a lotus flower which grows from the navel of Visnu. The goddess

Laksmi sits at the feet of Visnu and serves Him. In this material world

sex is required to produce children, but in the spiritual world one

can produce as many children as he likes without having to take help from

his wife. Because we have no experience with

spiritual energy, we think that Brahma's birth from the navel of Visnu is

simply a fictional story. We are not aware that spiritual energy is so

powerful that it can do anything and everything. Material energy is

dependent on certain laws, but spiritual energy is fully independent.

Brahma is born from the navel of Garbhodakasayi Visnu, who is but a

partial manifestation of the Maha-Visnu. Countless universes reside like

seeds within the skin pores of the Maha-Visnu, and when He exhales, they

all are manifest. In the material world we have no experience

of such a thing, but we do experience a perverted reflection in the

phenomenon of perspiration. We cannot imagine, however, the duration of

one breath of the Maha-Visnu, for within one breath all of the universes

are created and annihilated. Lord Brahma only

lives for the duration of one breath, and according to our

time scale 4,320,000,000 years constitute only twelve hours of Brahma,

and Brahma lives one hundred of his years. Yet the whole life of Brahma

is contained within one breath of the Maha-Visnu. Thus it is not possible

for us to imagine the breathing power of the Supreme Lord. That Maha-

Visnu is but a partial manifestation of

Krsna.

Thus Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami discusses Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu as Sri

Krsna Himself, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and Lord

Nityananda as Balarama, the first expansion of Krsna.

Advaitacarya, another principal disciple of Lord Caitanya

Mahaprabhu's, is accepted as an expansion of the

Maha-Visnu. Thus Advaitacarya is also the Lord, or, more precisely, an

expansion of the Lord. The word advaita means nondual, and his name is

such because he is nondifferent from the Supreme Lord. He is also called

acarya, teacher, because he disseminated Krsna consciousness. In this way

he is just like Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Although Caitanya is Sri Krsna

Himself, He appears as a devotee to teach people in general how

to love Krsna. Similarly, Advaitacarya appeared just to distribute the

knowledge of Krsna consciousness. Thus he is also the Lord

incarnated as a devotee. Krsna is manifested in five different expansions,

and He and all of His associates appear as devotees of

the Supreme Lord in the form of Sri Krsna Caitanya,

Nityananda, Advaitacarya, Gadadhara, Srivasa and others.

In all cases, Caitanya Mahaprabhu is the source of energy

for all His devotees. Since this is the case, if we take shelter

of Caitanya Mahaprabhu for the successful execution of Krsna

consciousness, we are sure to make progress. One devotional song by

Narottama dasa Thakura states: "My dear Lord Caitanya, please have mercy

upon me. There is no one who is as merciful as You. My

plea is most urgent because Your mission is to deliver fallen

souls, and no one is more fallen than I. I

beg priority."

The author of Caitanya-caritamrta, Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami,

was

an inhabitant of Vrndavana and a great devotee. He had been living with

his family in Katwa, a small town in the district of Burdwan in Bengal.

His family also worshiped Radha-Krsna, and once when

there was some misunderstanding amongst his family about

devotional service, Krsnadasa Kaviraja was advised by Nityananda Prabhu

in a dream to leave home and go to Vrndavana. Although he was very old,

he started out that very night and went to live in Vrndavana. While he

was there, he met some of the Gosvamis, principal disciples of Lord

Caitanya Mahaprabhu. He was requested to write Caitanya-caritamrta by

the devotees of Vrndavana. Although he began this work at a very old age,

by the grace of Lord Caitanya he finished it. Today it remains the most

authoritative book on Caitanya's philosophy and life.

When Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami was living in Vrndavana, there were not

very many temples. At that time

Madana-mohana, Govindaji and Gopinatha were the three principal temples.

As a resident of Vrndavana, he offered his respects to

the Deities in these temples and requested God's favor: "My progress in

spiritual life is very slow, so I'm asking Your help." In

Caitanya-caritamrta, Krsnadasa first offers his obeisances

to Madana-mohana vigraha, the Deity who can help us progress in Krsna

consciousness. In the execution of Krsna consciousness, our first

business is to know Krsna and our relationship with Him. To know Krsna is

to know one's self, and to know one's self is to know one's relationship

with Krsna. Since this relationship can be learned by worshiping

Madana-mohana vigraha, Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami first establishes his

relationship with Him.

When this is established, Krsnadasa begins to

worship the functional Deity, Govinda. Govinda

resides eternally in Vrndavana. In the spiritual world of

Vrndavana the buildings are made of touchstone, the cows are known as

surabhi cows, givers of abundant milk, and the trees are known as wish-

fulfilling trees, for they yield whatever one desires. In Vrndavana Krsna

herds the surabhi cows, and He is worshiped by hundreds and thousands of

gopis, cowherd girls, who are all goddesses of fortune. When Krsna

descends to the material world, this same Vrndavana descends

just as an entourage accompanies an important personage. Because when

Krsna comes, His land also comes, Vrndavana is not considered to exist

in the material world. Therefore devotees take shelter of the

Vrndavana in India, for it is considered to be a replica of the original

Vrndavana. Although one may complain that no kalpa-vrksa, wish-fulfilling

trees, exist there, when the Gosvamis were there, the kalpa-vrksa were

present. It is not that one can simply go to such a tree and make demands;

one must first become a devotee. The Gosvamis would live under a tree

for one night only, and the trees would satisfy all their desires. For

the common man this may all seem very wonderful, but as one makes

progress in devotional service, all this can be realized.

Vrndavana is actually experienced as it is by persons who have stopped

trying to derive pleasure from material enjoyment. "When will my mind

become cleansed of all hankering for material enjoyment so I will be able

to see Vrndavana?" one great devotee asks. The more Krsna conscious we

become and the more we advance, the more everything is revealed as

spiritual. Thus Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami considered Vrndavana in

India to be as good as the Vrndavana in the spiritual sky, and in

Caitanya-caritamrta he describes Radharani and

Krsna as seated beneath a wish-fulfilling tree in Vrndavana on a throne

decorated with valuable jewels. There Krsna's dear friends, the cowherd

boys and the gopis, serve Radha and Krsna by singing, dancing,

offering betel nuts and refreshments and decorating Their Lordships with

flowers. Even today in India people decorate thrones and

recreate this scene during the month of July. Generally at

that time people go to Vrndavana to offer their respects to the Deities

there.

Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami maintains that the Radha and Krsna

Deities show us how to serve Radha and Krsna. The Madana-mohana

Deities simply establish that "I am Your eternal servant." With Govinda,

however, there is actual acceptance of service, and therefore He is

called the functional Deity. The Gopinatha Deity is Krsna as master

and proprietor of the gopis. He attracted all

the gopis, or cowherd girls, by the sound of His flute

, and when they came, He danced with them. These

activities are all described in the Tenth Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam.

These gopis were childhood friends of Krsna, and they were all married,

for in India the girls are married by the age of twelve. The

boys, however, are not married before eighteen, so Krsna, who was fifteen

or sixteen at the time, was not married. Nonetheless He called these

girls from their homes and invited them to dance with Him. That dance is

called the rasa-lila dance, and it is the most elevated of all the

Vrndavana pastimes. Krsna is therefore called Gopinatha because He is the

beloved master of the gopis.

Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami petitions the blessings of Lord Gopinatha. "

May that Gopinatha, the master of the gopis, Krsna, bless you. May you

become blessed by Gopinatha." Just

as Krsna attracted the gopis by the sweet sound of His

flute, the author of Caitanya-caritamrta prays that He will also attract

the reader's mind by His transcendental vibration.

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Cc Adi Preface
 
Preface
 
 
 
There is no difference between the teachings of Lord Caitanya presented 
here and the teachings of Lord Krsna in the Bhagavad-gita. The teachings 
of Lord Caitanya are practical demonstrations of Lord Krsna's teachings. 
Lord Krsna's ultimate instruction in the Bhagavad-gita is that everyone 
should surrender unto Him, Lord Krsna. Krsna promises to take immediate 
charge of such a surrendered soul. The Lord, the Supreme Personality of 
Godhead, is already in charge of the maintenance of this creation by 
virtue of His plenary expansion, Ksirodakasayi Visnu, but this 
maintenance is not direct. However, when the Lord says that He takes 
charge of His pure devotee, He actually takes direct charge. A pure 
devotee is a soul who is forever surrendered to the Lord, just as a child 
is surrendered to his parents or an animal to its master. In the 
surrendering process, one should (1) accept things favorable for 
discharging devotional service, (2) reject things unfavorable, (3) always 
believe firmly in the Lord's protection, (4) feel exclusively dependent 
on the mercy of the Lord, (5) have no interest separate from the interest 
of the Lord, and (6) always feel oneself meek and humble.
 
The Lord demands that one surrender unto Him by following these six 
guidelines, but the unintelligent so-called scholars of the world 
misunderstand these demands and urge the general mass of people to reject 
them. At the conclusion of the Ninth Chapter of the Bhagavad-gita, Lord 
Krsna directly orders, "Always think of Me, become My devotee,
 worship Me alone, and offer obeisances unto Me alone." By so 
doing, the Lord says, one is sure to go to Him in His 
transcendental abode. But the scholarly demons misguide the 
masses of people by directing them to surrender not to 
 
the Personality of Godhead but rather to the impersonal, 
unmanifested, eternal, unborn truth. The impersonalist Mayavadi 
philosophers do not accept that the ultimate aspect of the Absolute Truth 
is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. If one desires to understand the 
sun as it is, one must first face the sunshine and then the sun globe, 
and then, if one is able to enter into that globe, one may come 
face to face with the predominating deity of the sun. Due to a poor fund 
of knowledge, the Mayavadi philosophers cannot go beyond the Brahman 
effulgence, which may be compared to the sunshine. The Upanisads confirm 
that one has to penetrate the dazzling effulgence of Brahman before one 
can see the real face of the Personality of Godhead.
 
Lord Caitanya therefore teaches direct worship of Lord Krsna, who 
appeared as the foster child of the King of Vraja. He also teaches that 
the place known as Vrndavana is as good as Lord Krsna because, Lord Krsna 
being the Absolute Truth, there is no difference between Him and His name,
 qualities, form, pastimes, entourage and paraphernalia. That is the 
absolute nature of the Personality of Godhead. Lord Caitanya also 
teaches that the highest mode of worship in the highest perfectional 
stage is the method practiced by the damsels of Vraja. These damsels (
gopis, or cowherd girls) simply loved Krsna without any motive for 
 
 
 
 
 
 
material or spiritual gain. Lord Caitanya also teaches that Srimad-
Bhagavatam is the spotless narration of transcendental knowledge and that 
the highest goal in human life is to develop unalloyed love for Krsna, 
the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
 
Lord Caitanya's teachings are identical to those given by Lord Kapila, 
the original propounder of sankhya-yoga, the sankhya system of philosophy.
 This authorized system of yoga teaches meditation on the 
transcendental form of the Lord. There is no question of meditating on 
something void or impersonal. When one can meditate on the transcendental 
form of Lord Visnu even without practicing involved sitting postures, 
such meditation is called perfect samadhi. That this kind of meditation 
is perfect samadhi is confirmed at the end of the Sixth Chapter of the 
Bhagavad-gita, where Lord Krsna says that of all yogis, the
 greatest is the one who constantly thinks of the 
Lord within the core of his heart with love 
and devotion.
 
On the basis of the sankhya philosophy of 
acintya-bhedabheda-tattva, which maintains that the Supreme Lord is 
simultaneously one with and different from His creation, Lord Caitanya 
taught that the most practical way for the mass of people 
to practice sankhya-yoga meditation is simply to chant the holy name of 
the Lord. He taught that the holy name of the Lord is the sound 
incarnation of the Lord and that since the Lord is the absolute whole, 
there is no difference between His holy name and His transcendental form. 
Thus by chanting the holy name of the Lord one can directly associate 
with the Supreme Lord by sound vibration. As one practices chanting this 
sound vibration, one passes through three stages of development: the 
offensive stage, the clearing stage and the transcendental stage. In the 
offensive stage of chanting one may desire all kinds of material 
happiness, but in the second stage one becomes clear of all material 
contamination. When one is situated on the transcendental stage, one 
attains the most coveted position -- the stage of loving God. Lord 
Caitanya taught that this is the highest stage of perfection for human 
beings.
 
Yoga practice is essentially meant for controlling the senses. The 
central controlling factor of all the senses is the mind; therefore one 
first has to practice controlling the mind by engaging it in Krsna 
consciousness. The gross activities of the mind are expressed through the 
external senses, either for the acquisition of knowledge or for the 
functioning of the senses in accordance with the will. The subtle 
activities of the mind are thinking, feeling and willing, which 
are carried out according to one's consciousness, 
either polluted or clear. If one's mind is fixed on Krsna (His name, 
qualities, form, pastimes, entourage and paraphernalia), all one's 
activities -- both subtle and gross -- become favorable. The Bhagavad-
gita's process of purifying consciousness is the process of fixing one's 
mind on Krsna by talking of His transcendental activities, cleansing His 
temple, going to His temple, seeing the beautiful transcendental form of 
the Lord nicely decorated, hearing His transcendental glories, tasting 
food offered to Him, associating with His devotees, smelling the flowers 
and tulasi leaves offered to Him, engaging in activities for the Lord's 
interest, becoming angry at those who are malicious toward devotees, etc. 
No one can bring the activities of the mind and senses to a stop, but one 
can purify these activities through a change in consciousness. This 
change is indicated in the Bhagavad-gita (2.39), where Krsna tells 
Arjuna of the knowledge of yoga whereby one can work without fruitive 
results: "O son of Prtha, when you act in such knowledge you can free 
yourself from the bondage of works." A human being is 
sometimes restricted in sense gratification due to certain circumstances, 
such as disease, but such proscriptions are for the less 
intelligent. Without knowing the actual process by which the mind and 
senses can be controlled, less intelligent men may try to stop the 
mind and senses by force, but ultimately they give in to them and are 
carried away by the waves of sense gratification.
 
The eight principles of sankhya-yoga -- observing the regulative 
principles, following the rules, practicing the various sitting postures, 
performing the breathing exercises, withdrawing 
one's senses from the sense objects, etc. -- are meant for those 
who are too much engrossed in the bodily conception of life. The 
intelligent man situated in Krsna consciousness does not try to 
forcibly stop his senses from acting. Rather, he engages his senses in 
the service of Krsna. No one can stop a child from playing by leaving him 
inactive; rather, the child can be stopped from engaging in nonsense by 
being engaged in superior activities. Similarly, the forceful restraint 
of sense activities by the eight principles of yoga is recommended for 
inferior men; superior men, being engaged in the superior activities of 
Krsna consciousness, naturally retire from the inferior 
activities of material existence.
 
In this way Lord Caitanya teaches the science of Krsna consciousness. 
That science is absolute. Dry mental speculators try to restrain 
themselves from material attachment, but it is generally found that the 
mind is too strong to be controlled and that it drags them down to 
sensual activities. A person in Krsna consciousness does not run this 
risk. One therefore has to engage one's mind and senses in Krsna 
conscious activities, and Lord Caitanya teaches one how to do this in 
practice
.
 
Before accepting sannyasa (the renounced order), Lord Caitanya was known 
as Visvambhara. The word visvambhara refers to one who maintains the 
entire universe and who leads all living entities. This maintainer and 
leader appeared as Lord Sri Krsna Caitanya to give humanity these sublime 
teachings. Lord Caitanya is the ideal teacher of life's prime necessities.
 He is the most munificent bestower of love of Krsna. He is the complete 
reservoir of all mercies and good fortune. As confirmed in Srimad-
Bhagavatam, the Bhagavad-gita, the Mahabharata and the Upanisads, He is 
the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna Himself, and He is worshipable 
by everyone in this age of disagreement. Everyone can join in His 
sankirtana movement. No previous qualification is necessary. Just by 
following His teachings, anyone can become a perfect human being. If a 
person is fortunate enough to be attracted by Lord Caitanya, he is sure 
to be successful in his life's mission. In other words, those who are 
interested in attaining spiritual existence can easily be released from 
the clutches of maya by the grace of Lord Caitanya. The teachings 
presented in this book are nondifferent from the Lord.
 
The conditioned soul, engrossed in the material body, 
increases the pages of history by all kinds of material activities. 
The teachings of Lord Caitanya can help the members of human society stop 
such unnecessary and temporary activities and
 be elevated to the topmost platform of spiritual 
activities, which begin after liberation from material 
bondage. Such liberated activities in Krsna consciousness constitute the 
goal of human perfection. The false prestige one acquires by attempting 
to dominate material nature is illusory. Illuminating knowledge can be 
acquired by studying the teachings of Lord Caitanya, and by such 
knowledge one can advance in spiritual existence.
 
Everyone has to suffer or enjoy the fruits of his activity; no one can 
check the laws of material nature that govern such things. As long as 
one is engaged in fruitive activity, one is sure to be baffled in the 
attempt to attain the ultimate goal of life. I sincerely hope that by 
understanding the teachings of Lord Caitanya presented in this book, Sri 
Caitanya-caritamrta, human society will experience a new light of 
spiritual life, which will open the field of activity for the pure soul.
 
om tat sat
 
 
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
March 14, 1968
The Birthday of Lord Caitanya
Sri Sri Radha-Krsna Temple
New York, N.Y.
 
Cc Adi Introduction
 
Introduction
 
(Originally delivered as five morning lectures on the Caitanya-caritamrta 
-- the authoritative biography of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu by Krsnadasa 
Kaviraja Gosvami -- before the International Society for Krishna 
Consciousness, New York City, April 10–14, 1967.)
 
The word caitanya means "living force," carita means "character," and 
amrta means "immortal." As living entities we can move, but a table 
cannot because it does not possess living force. Movement and activity 
may be considered signs or symptoms of the living force. Indeed, it 
may be said that there can be no activity without the living force. 
Although the living force is present in the material condition, this 
condition is not amrta, immortal. The words Caitanya-caritamrta, then, 
may be translated as "the character of the living force in immortality."
 
But how is this living force displayed immortally? It is not displayed by 
man or any other creature in this material universe, for none of us are 
immortal in these bodies. We possess the living force, we perform 
activities, and we are immortal by our nature and constitution, but the 
material condition into which we have been put does not allow our 
immortality to be displayed. It is stated in the Katha Upanisad that 
eternality and the living force belong to both ourselves and God. 
Although this is true in that both God and ourselves are immortal, there 
is a difference. As living entities, we perform many activities, but we 
have a tendency to fall down into material nature. God has no such 
tendency. Being all-powerful, He never comes under the control of 
material nature. Indeed, material nature is but one display of His 
inconceivable energies.
 
An analogy will help us understand the distincion between ourselves and 
God. From the ground we may see only clouds in the sky, but if we fly 
above the clouds we can see the sun shining. From the sky, skyscrapers 
and cities seem very tiny; similarly, from God's position this entire 
material creation is insignificant. The tendency of the 
living entity is to come down from the heights, where everything can be 
seen in perspective. God, however, does not have this tendency. The 
Supreme Lord is not subject to fall down into illusion (maya) any more 
than the sun is subject to fall beneath the clouds. 
 
 
Impersonalist philosophers (Mayavadis) maintain that both 
the living entity and God Himself are under the control of maya when they 
come into this material world. This 
is the fallacy 
of their philosophy.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu should therefore not be considered one of 
us. He is Krsna Himself, the supreme living entity, and as such He never 
comes under the cloud of maya. Krsna, His expansions and even His higher 
devotees never fall into the clutches of illusion. Lord Caitanya came to 
earth simply to preach krsna-bhakti, love of Krsna. In other words, He is 
Lord Krsna Himself teaching the living entities the proper way to 
approach Krsna. He is like a teacher who, seeing a student doing poorly, 
takes up a pencil and writes, saying, "Do it like this: A, B, C." From 
this one should not foolishly think that the teacher is learning his ABC'
s. Similarly, although Lord Caitanya appears in the guise of a devotee, 
we should not foolishly think He is an ordinary human being; we should 
always remember that Lord Caitanya is Krsna (God) Himself teaching us how 
to become Krsna conscious, and we must study Him in that light.
 
In the Bhagavad-gita (18.66) Lord Krsna says, "Give up all your 
nonsense and surrender to Me. I will protect you."
 
We say, "Oh, surrender? But I have so many 
responsibilities."
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
And maya, illusion, says to us, "Don't do it, or you'll be out of 
my clutches. Just stay in my clutches, and I'll kick you."
 
It is a fact that we are constantly being kicked by maya, just as the 
male ass is kicked in the face by the she-ass when he comes for sex. 
Similarly, cats and dogs are always fighting and whining when they have 
sex. Even an elephant in the jungle is caught by the use of a trained she-
elephant who leads him into a pit. We should learn by observing these 
tricks of nature.
 
Maya has many ways to entrap us, and her strongest shackle is the female. 
Of course, in actuality we are neither male nor female, for these 
designations refer only to the outer dress, the body. We are all actually 
Krsna's servants. But in conditioned life we are shackled by iron chains 
in the form of beautiful women. Thus every male is bound by sex, and 
therefore one who wishes to gain liberation from the material clutches 
must first learn to control the sex urge. Unrestricted sex puts one fully 
in the clutches of illusion. Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu officially 
renounced this illusion at the age of twenty-four, although His wife was 
sixteen and His mother seventy and He was the only male in the family. 
Although He was a brahmana and was not rich, He took sannyasa, the 
renounced order of life, and thus extricated Himself from family 
entanglement.
 
If we wish to become fully Krsna conscious, we have to give up the 
shackles of maya. Or, if we remain with maya, we should live in such a 
way that we will not be subject to illusion, as did the many householders 
among Lord Caitanya's closest devotees. With His followers in the 
renounced order, however, Lord Caitanya was very strict. He even banished 
Junior Haridasa, an important kirtana leader, for glancing lustfully at a 
woman. The Lord told him, "You are living with Me in the renounced order, 
and yet you are looking at a woman with lust." Other devotees of the Lord 
had appealed to Him to forgive Haridasa, but He replied, "All of you can 
forgive him and live with him. I shall live alone." On the other hand, 
when the Lord learned that the wife of one of His householder devotees 
was pregnant, He asked that the baby be given a certain auspicious name. 
So while the Lord approved of householders having regulated sex, He was 
like a thunderbolt with those in the renounced order who tried to cheat 
by the method known as "drinking water under water while bathing on a 
fast day." In other words, He tolerated no hypocrisy among His followers.
 
From the Caitanya-caritamrta we learn how Lord Caitanya taught people to 
break the shackles of maya and become immortal. Thus, as mentioned above,
 the title may be properly translated as "the character of the 
living force in immortality." The supreme living force is the Supreme 
Personality of Godhead. He is also the supreme entity. There are 
innumerable living entities, and all of them are individuals. This is 
very easy to understand: We are all individual in our thoughts and 
desires, and the Supreme Lord is also an individual person. He is 
different, though, in that He is the leader, the one whom no one can 
excel. Among the minute living entities, one being can excel another 
in one capacity or another. Like each of these living entities, 
the Lord is an individual, but He is different in that He is the 
supreme individual. God is also infallible, and thus in the Bhagavad-gita 
He is addressed as Acyuta, which means "He who never falls down." This 
name is appropriate because in the Bhagavad-gita Arjuna falls into 
illusion but Krsna does not. Krsna Himself reveals His infallibility when 
he says to Arjuna, "When I appear in this world, 
I do so by My own internal potency." (Bg. 4.6)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Thus we should not think that Krsna is overpowered by the material 
potency when He is in the material world. Neither Krsna nor His 
incarnations ever come under the control of material nature. They are 
totally free. Indeed, in Srimad-Bhagavatam one who has a godly nature is 
actually defined as one who is not affected by the modes of material 
nature although in material nature. If even a devotee can attain this 
freedom, then what to speak of the Supreme Lord?
 
The real question is, How can we remain unpolluted by material 
contamination while in the material world? Srila Rupa Gosvami explains 
that we can remain uncontaminated while in the world if we 
simply make it our ambition to serve Krsna. One may then justifiably ask, 
"How can I serve?" It is not simply a matter of meditation, 
which is just an activity of the mind, but of performing practical work
 for Krsna. In 
such work, we should leave no resource unused. Whatever is there, 
whatever we have, should be used for Krsna. We can use everything -- 
typewriters, automobiles, airplanes, missiles. If we simply 
speak to people about Krsna consciousness, we are also rendering service. 
If our mind, senses, speech, money and energies are thus engaged in the 
service of Krsna, then we are no longer in material 
nature. By virtue of spiritual consciousness, or Krsna consciousness, we 
transcend the platform of material nature. It is a fact that Krsna, His 
expansions and His devotees -- that is, those who work for Him -- are not 
in material nature, although people with a poor fund of knowledge think 
that they are.
 
The Caitanya-caritamrta teaches that the spirit soul is immortal and that 
our activities in the spiritual world are also immortal. The Mayavadis, 
who hold the view that the Absolute is impersonal and formless, 
contend that a realized soul has no need to talk. But the Vaisnavas, 
devotees of Krsna, contend that when one reaches the stage of 
realization, he really begins to talk. "Previously we only talked of 
nonsense," the Vaisnava says. "Now let us begin our real talks, talks of 
Krsna." In support of their view that the self-realized remain silent, 
the Mayavadis are fond of using the example of the water pot, 
maintaining that when a pot is not filled with water it makes a sound, 
but that when it is filled it makes no sound. But are we waterpots? How 
can we be compared to them? A good analogy utilizes as many similarities 
between two objects as possible. A waterpot is not an active living 
force, but we are. Ever-silent meditation may be adequate for a waterpot
, but not for us. Indeed, when a devotee realizes how much he has 
to say about Krsna, twenty-four hours in a day are not sufficient. It is 
the fool who is celebrated as long as he does not speak, for when he 
breaks his silence his lack of knowledge is exposed. The Caitanya-
caritamrta shows that there are many wonderful things to discover by 
glorifying the Supreme.
 
In the beginning of the Caitanya-caritamrta, Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami 
writes, "I offer my respects to my spiritual masters." He uses the plural 
here to indicate the disciplic succession. He offers 
obeisances not to his spiritual master alone but to the whole parampara, 
the chain of disciplic succession beginning with Lord Krsna Himself. Thus 
the author addresses the guru in the plural to show the 
highest respect for all his predecessor spiritual masters. After offering 
obeisances to the disciplic succession, the author pays obeisances to all 
other devotees, to the Lord Himself, to His incarnations, to the 
expansions of Godhead and to the manifestation of Krsna's internal 
energy. Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu (sometimes called Krsna Caitanya) is the 
embodiment of all of these: He is God, guru, devotee, incarnation, 
internal energy and expansion of God. As His associate Nityananda, He is 
the first expansion of God; as Advaita, He is an incarnation; as 
Gadadhara, He is the internal potency; and as Srivasa, He is the marginal 
living entity in the role of a devotee. Thus Krsna should not be thought 
of as being alone but should be considered as eternally existing with all 
His manifestations, as described by Ramanujacarya. In the 
Visistadvaita philosophy, God's energies, expansions and incarnations are 
considered to be oneness in diversity. In other words, God is not 
separate from all of these: everything together is God.
 
Actually, the Caitanya-caritamrta is not intended for the novice, for it 
is the postgraduate study of spiritual knowledge. Ideally, one begins 
with the Bhagavad-gita and advances through Srimad-Bhagavatam to the 
Caitanya-caritamrta. Although all these great scriptures are on the same 
absolute level, for the sake of comparative study the Caitanya-caritamrta 
is considered to be on the highest platform. Every verse in it is 
perfectly composed
.
 
In the second verse of the Caitanya-caritamrta, the author offers his 
obeisances to Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityananda. He compares Them to the 
sun and the moon because They dissipate the darkness of the material 
world. In this instance the sun and the moon have risen together.
 
 
In the Western world, where the glories of Lord Caitanya are relatively 
unknown, one may inquire, "Who is Krsna Caitanya?" The author 
of the Caitanya-caritamrta, Srila Krsnadasa Kaviraja, answers 
that question in the third verse of his book. Generally, in 
the Upanisads the Supreme Absolute Truth is described in an impersonal 
way, but the personal aspect of the Absolute Truth is mentioned in the 
Isopanisad, where we find the 
following verse:
 
hiranmayena patrena satyasyapihitam mukham
tat tvam pusann apavrnu satya-dharmaya drstaye
 
 
 
 
 
"O my Lord, sustainer of all that lives, Your real face is covered by 
Your dazzling effulgence. Kindly remove that covering and exhibit 
Yourself to Your pure devotee." (Sri Isopanisad 15) The impersonalists do 
not have the power to go beyond the effulgence of God and arrive at the 
Personality of Godhead, from whom this effulgence is emanating. The
 Isopanisad is a hymn to that Personality of 
Godhead. It is not that the impersonal Brahman is denied; it is also 
described, but that Brahman is revealed to be the glaring effulgence of 
the body of Lord Krsna. And in the Caitanya-
caritamrta we learn that Lord Caitanya is Krsna 
Himself. In other words, Sri Krsna Caitanya is the 
basis of the impersonal Brahman. The Paramatma, or 
Supersoul, who is present within the heart of every living entity and 
within every atom of the universe, is but the partial representation of 
Lord Caitanya. Therefore Sri Krsna Caitanya, being the basis of 
both Brahman and the all-pervading Paramatma as well, is the Supreme 
Personality of Godhead. As such, He is full in six 
opulences: wealth, fame, strength, beauty, knowledge and renunciation. In 
short, we should know that He is Krsna, God, and that nothing is equal to 
or greater than Him. There is nothing superior to be conceived. He is the 
Supreme Person.
 
 
Srila Rupa Gosvami, a confidential devotee taught for more than ten 
days continually by Lord Caitanya, wrote:
 
namo maha-vadanyaya krsna-prema-pradaya te
 
krsnaya krsna-caitanya-namne gaura-tvise namah
 [Cc. Madhya 19.53]
 
"I offer my respectful obeisances unto the Supreme Lord Sri Krsna 
Caitanya, who is more magnanimous than any other avatara, even Krsna 
 
Himself, because He is bestowing freely what no one else has ever given --
 pure love of Krsna."
 
Lord Caitanya's teachings
 begin from the point of 
 
surrender to Krsna. He does not pursue the paths of karma-yoga or jnana-
yoga or hatha-yoga but begins at the end of material existence, at the 
point where one gives up all material attachment. In the Bhagavad-gita 
Krsna begins His teachings by distinguishing the soul from matter, and in 
the Eighteenth Chapter He concludes at the point where the soul 
surrenders to Him in devotion. The Mayavadis would have all talk cease 
there, but at that point the real discussion only begins. As the 
Vedanta-sutra says at the very beginning, athato brahma jijnasa: "
Now let us begin to inquire about the Supreme Absolute Truth." Rupa 
Gosvami thus praises Lord Caitanya as the most munificent incarnation of 
all, for He gives the greatest gift by teaching the highest form of 
devotional service. In other words, He answers the most important 
inquiries that anyone can make.
 
There are different stages of devotional service and God realization. 
 
Strictly speaking, anyone who accepts the existence of God is situated in 
devotional service. To acknowledge that God is great is something, but 
not much. Lord Caitanya, preaching as an acarya, a great teacher, taught 
that we can enter into a relationship with God and actually become God's 
friend, parent or lover. In the Bhagavad-gita Krsna showed Arjuna His 
universal form because Arjuna was His very dear friend. Upon seeing 
Krsna as the Lord of the universes, however, Arjuna asked Krsna 
to forgive the familiarity of his friendship. Lord Caitanya goes beyond 
this point. Through Lord Caitanya we can become friends with Krsna, and 
there will be no limit to this friendship. We can become friends of Krsna 
not in awe or adoration but in complete freedom. We can even relate to 
God as His father or mother. This is the philosophy not only of 
the Caitanya-caritamrta but of Srimad-Bhagavatam as well. There are no 
other scriptures in the world in which God is treated as the son of a 
devotee. Usually God is seen as the almighty father who supplies the 
demands of His sons. The great devotees, however, sometimes treat God as 
a son in their execution of devotional service. The son demands, and the 
father and mother supply, and in supplying Krsna the devotee becomes 
like a father or mother. Instead of taking from God, we give to God. It 
was in this relationship that Krsna's mother, Yasoda, told the Lord, "
Here, eat this or You'll die. Eat nicely." In this way Krsna, although 
the proprietor of everything, depends on the mercy of His devotee. This 
is a uniquely high level of friendship, in which the devotee actually 
believes himself to be the father or mother of Krsna.
 
However, Lord Caitanya's greatest gift was His teaching that Krsna can be 
treated as one's lover. In this relationship the Lord becomes so 
much attached to His devotee that He expresses His inability to 
reciprocate. Krsna was so obliged to the gopis, the cowherd girls of 
Vrndavana, that He felt unable to return their love. "I cannot repay your 
love," He told them. "I have no more assets to give." Devotional
 service on this highest, most
 excellent platform of lover and beloved,
 which had never been given by any 
previous incarnation or acarya, was given by Caitanya 
Mahaprabhu. Therefore Krsnadasa Kaviraja, quoting Srila 
Rupa Gosvami, writes in the fourth verse of his book, "
Lord Caitanya is Krsna in a yellow complexion, and He is 
Sacinandana, the son of mother Saci. He is the most 
charitable personality because He came to deliver krsna-prema, 
unalloyed love for Krsna, to everyone. May you 
always keep Him in your hearts. It 
will be easy to understand Krsna through Him."
 
We have often heard the phrase "love of Godhead." How far this love of 
 
Godhead can actually be developed can be learned from the Vaisnava 
philosophy. Theoretical knowledge of love of God can be found in many 
places and in many scriptures, but what that love of Godhead actually is 
and how it is developed can be found in the Vaisnava literatures. It is 
the unique and highest development of love of God that is given by 
Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
 
Even in this material world we can have a little sense of love. How is 
this possible? It is due to the presence of our original love of 
 
God. Whatever we find within our experience within this conditioned 
life is situated in the Supreme Lord, who is the ultimate source of 
everything. In our original relationship with the Supreme Lord there is 
real love, and that love is reflected pervertedly through material 
conditions. Our real love is continuous and unending, but because that 
love is reflected pervertedly in this material world, it lacks continuity 
and is inebriating. If we want real, transcendental love, we have to 
transfer our love to the supreme lovable object -- Krsna, the Supreme 
Personality of Godhead. This is the basic principle of Krsna 
consciousness.
 
In material consciousness we are trying to love that which is not at all 
 
lovable. We give our love to cats and dogs, running the risk that at the 
time of death we may think of them and consequently take birth in a 
family of cats or dogs. Our
 consciousness
 at the time of death determines our next life. 
That 
is one 
reason why the Vedic scriptures
 stress the chastity
 of women: If a woman is very much attached 
to her husband, at the 
time of death
 she 
will think of him, and in 
the next life she will be promoted
 to a man's body. 
Generally
 a 
man's life is better than a woman's because 
a man usually has better
 facilities for understanding 
the spiritual
 science.
 
But Krsna consciousness is so nice that it makes no distincition between 
man and woman. In the Bhagavad-gita (9.32), Lord Krsna says, "Anyone who 
takes shelter of Me -- whether a woman, sudra, vaisya or anyone else of 
low birth -- is sure to achieve My association." This is Krsna's 
guarantee.
 
Caitanya Mahaprabhu informs us that in every country and in every 
scripture there is some hint of love of Godhead. But no one knows what 
love of Godhead actually is. The Vedic scriptures, however, are different 
in that they can direct the individual in the proper way to love God. 
Other scriptures do not give information on how one can love God, nor do 
they actually define or describe what or who the Godhead actually is. 
Although they officially promote love of Godhead, they have no idea how 
to execute it. But Caitanya Mahaprabhu gives a practical demonstration of 
how to love God in a conjugal relationship. Taking the part of Srimati 
Radharani, Caitanya Mahaprabhu tried to love Krsna as Radharani loved Him.
 Krsna was always amazed by Radharani's love. "How does Radharani give Me 
such pleasure?" He would ask. In order to study Radharani, Krsna lived in 
Her role and tried to understand Himself. This is the secret of Lord 
Caitanya's incarnation. Caitanya Mahaprabhu is Krsna, but He has taken 
the mood and role of Radharani to show us how to love Krsna. Thus the 
author writes in the fifth verse, "I offer my respectful obeisances unto 
the Supreme Lord, who is absorbed in Radharani's thoughts."
 
This brings up the question of who Srimati Radharani is and what Radha-
Krsna is. Actually Radha-Krsna is the exchange of love -- but not 
 
ordinary love. Krsna has immense potencies, of which three are principal: 
the internal, the external and the marginal potencies. In the internal 
potency there are three divisions: samvit, hladini and sandhini. The 
hladini potency is Krsna's pleasure potency. All living entities have 
this pleasure-seeking potency, for all beings are trying to have pleasure.
 This is the very nature of the living entity. At present we are trying 
to enjoy our pleasure potency by means of the body in the material 
condition. By bodily contact we are attempting to derive pleasure from 
material sense objects. But we should not entertain the nonsensical 
idea that Krsna, who is always spiritual, also tries to seek pleasure on 
this material plane. In the Bhagavad-gita Krsna describes the material 
universe as a nonpermanent place full of miseries. Why, then, would He 
seek pleasure in matter? He is the Supersoul, the supreme 
spirit, and His pleasure is beyond the material conception.
 
To learn how Krsna enjoys pleasure, we must 
study the first nine cantos of Srimad-Bhagavatam, and then we should 
 
study the Tenth Canto, in which Krsna's pleasure potency is displayed in 
His pastimes with Radharani and the damsels of Vraja. Unfortunately, 
unintelligent people turn at once to the sports of Krsna in the Dasama-
skandha, the Tenth Canto. Krsna's embracing Radharani or His dancing with 
the cowherd girls in the rasa dance are generally not understood by 
ordinary men, because they consider these pastimes in the light of 
mundane lust. They foolishly think that Krsna is like themselves and 
that He embraces the gopis just as an ordinary man embraces a young girl. 
Some people thus become interested in Krsna because they think that His 
religion allows indulgence in sex. This is not krsna-bhakti, love of 
Krsna, but prakrta-sahajiya -- materialistic lust.
 
To avoid such errors, we should understand what Radha-Krsna 
actually is. Radha and Krsna display Their pastimes through Krsna's 
 
internal energy. The pleasure potency of Krsna's internal energy is a 
most difficult subject matter, and unless one understands what Krsna is, 
one cannot understand it. Krsna does not take any pleasure in this 
material world, but He has a pleasure potency. Because we are part and 
parcel of Krsna, the pleasure potency is within us also, but we are 
trying to exhibit that pleasure potency in matter. Krsna, however, does 
not make such a vain attempt. The object of Krsna's pleasure potency is 
Radharani; Krsna exhibits His potency as Radharani and 
then engages in loving affairs with Her. In other words, Krsna does not 
take pleasure in this external energy but exhibits His internal energy, 
His pleasure potency, as Radharani  and then enjoys with Her. Thus Krsna 
manifests Himself as Radharani in order to enjoy His internal pleasure 
potency. Of the many extensions, expansions and incarnations of the Lord, 
this pleasure potency is the foremost and chief.
 
It is not that Radharani is separate from Krsna. Radharani is also Krsna, 
 
for there is no difference between the energy and the energetic. Without 
energy, there is no meaning to the energetic, and without the energetic, 
there is no energy. Similarly, without Radha there is no meaning to Krsna,
 and without Krsna there is no meaning to Radha. Because of this, the 
Vaisnava philosophy first of all pays obeisances to and worships the 
internal pleasure potency of the Supreme Lord. Thus the Lord and His 
potency are always referred to as Radha-Krsna. Similarly, those who 
worship Narayana first of all utter the name of Laksmi, as 
Laksmi-Narayana. Similarly, those who worship Lord Rama first of all 
utter the name of Sita. In any case -- Sita-Rama, Radha-Krsna, Laksmi-
Narayana -- the potency always comes first.
 
Radha and Krsna are one, and when Krsna desires to enjoy pleasure, He 
 
manifests Himself as Radharani. The spiritual exchange of love between 
Radha and Krsna is the actual display of Krsna's internal pleasure 
potency. Although we speak of "when" Krsna desires, just when He 
did desire we cannot say. We only speak in this way because in 
conditioned life we take it that everything has a beginning; however, in 
spiritual life everything is absolute, and so there is neither 
beginning nor end. Yet in order to understand that Radha and Krsna are 
one and that They also become divided, the question "When?" automatically 
comes to mind. When Krsna desired to enjoy His pleasure potency, He 
manifested Himself in the separate form of Radharani, and when He wanted 
to understand Himself through the agency of Radha, He united with 
Radharani, and that unification is called Lord Caitanya. This is all 
explained by Srila Krsnadasa Kaviraja in the fifth verse of the Caitanya-
caritamrta.
 
In the next verse the author further explains why Krsna assumed the form 
of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Krsna desired to know the 
 
glory of Radha's love. "Why is She so much in love with Me?" Krsna asked. 
"What is My special qualification that attracts Her so? And what is the 
actual way in which She loves Me?" It seems strange that Krsna, as the 
Supreme, should be attracted by anyone's love. A man searches after the 
love of a woman because he is imperfect -- he lacks something.
 The love of a woman, that potency and pleasure, is absent in man, and 
therefore a man wants a woman. But this is not the case with Krsna, who 
is full in Himself. Thus Krsna expressed surprise: "Why am I attracted by 
Radharani? And when Radharani feels My love, what is She actually feeling?
" To taste the essence of that loving exchange, Krsna made 
His appearance in the same way that the moon appears on the horizon of 
the sea. Just as the moon was produced by the churning of the sea, by the 
churning of spiritual loving affairs the moon of Caitanya Mahaprabhu 
appeared. Indeed, Lord Caitanya's complexion was golden, just like the 
luster of the moon. Although this is figurative language, it conveys the 
meaning behind the appearance of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. The full 
significance of His appearance will be explained in later chapters.
 
After offering respects to Lord Caitanya, Krsnadasa 
Kaviraja begins offering them to Lord Nityananda in the seventh verse of 
the Caitanya-caritamrta. The author explains that Lord Nityananda is 
Balarama, who is the origin of Maha-Visnu.
 Krsna's first expansion is Balarama, a portion of whom 
is manifested as Sankarsana, who then expands as Pradyumna. In this 
 
 
way so many expansions take place. Although there are many expansions, 
Lord Sri Krsna is the origin, as confirmed in the Brahma-samhita. He is 
like the original candle, from which many thousands and millions of 
candles are lit. Although any number of candles can be lit, the 
original candle still retains its identity as the origin. In this way 
Krsna expands Himself into so many forms, and all these expansions are 
called visnu-tattva. Visnu is a large light, and we are small lights, but 
all are expansions of Krsna.
 
When it is necessary to create the material universes, Visnu expands 
Himself as Maha-Visnu. Maha-Visnu lies down in the Causal Ocean 
 
and breathes all the universes from His nostrils. Thus from Maha-
Visnu and the Causal Ocean spring all the universes, and all these 
universes, including ours, float in the Causal Ocean. In this regard 
there is the story of Vamana, who, when He took three steps, stuck His 
foot through the covering of this universe. Water from the Causal Ocean 
flowed through the hole that His foot made, and it is said that that 
water became the river Ganges. Therefore the Ganges is accepted 
as the most sacred water of Visnu and is worshiped by all Hindus, from 
the Himalayas down to the Bay of Bengal.
 
Maha-Visnu is actually an expansion of 
Balarama, who is Krsna's first expansion and, in the Vrndavana pastimes, 
 
His brother. In the maha-mantra -- Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, 
Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare -- 
the word "Rama" refers to Balarama. Since Lord Nityananda is 
Balarama, "Rama" also refers to Lord Nityananda. Thus Hare Krsna, Hare 
Rama addresses not only Krsna and Balarama but Lord Caitanya and Lord 
Nityananda as well.
 
The subject matter of the Caitanya-caritamrta primarily deals with what 
 
is beyond this material creation. The cosmic material expansion is called 
maya, illusion, because it has no eternal existence. Because it is 
sometimes manifested and sometimes not, it is regarded as 
illusory. But beyond this temporary manifestation is a higher 
nature, as indicated in the Bhagavad-gita (8.20):
 
paras tasmat tu bhavo 'nyo 'vyakto 'vyaktat sanatanah
yah sa sarvesu bhutesu nasyatsu na vinasyati
 
"Yet there is another unmanifested nature, which is eternal 
and is transcendental to this manifested and unmanifested matter. It is 
supreme and is never annihilated. When all in this world is annihilated, 
that part remains as it is." The material world has a manifested state (
vyakta) and a potential, unmanifested state (avyakta). The supreme nature 
is beyond both the manifested and the unmanifested material nature. This 
superior nature can be understood as the living force, which is present 
in the bodies of all living creatures. The body itself is composed of 
inferior nature, matter, but it is the superior nature that is moving the 
body. The symptom of that superior nature is consciousness. Thus in the 
spiritual world, where everything is composed of the superior nature, 
everything is conscious. In the material world there are inanimate 
objects that are not conscious, but in the spiritual world nothing is 
inanimate. There a table is conscious, the land is conscious, the trees 
 
 
are conscious -- everything is conscious.
 
It is not possible to imagine how far this material manifestation extends.
 
 In the material world everything is calculated by imagination or by some 
imperfect method, but the Vedic literatures give real information of what 
lies beyond the material universe. Since it is not possible to obtain 
information of anything beyond this material nature by experimental means,
 those who believe only in experimental knowledge may doubt the Vedic 
conclusions, for such people cannot even calculate how far this universe 
extends, nor can they reach far into the universe itself. 
That which is beyond our power of 
 
conception is called acintya, inconceivable. It is useless to argue or 
speculate about the inconceivable. If something is truly 
inconceivable, it is not subject to speculation or experimentation. Our 
energy is limited, and our sense perception is limited; therefore we must 
rely on the Vedic conclusions regarding that subject matter which is 
inconceivable. Knowledge of the superior nature must simply be accepted 
without argument. How is it possible to argue about something to which we 
have no access? The method for understanding transcendental subject 
matter is given by Lord Krsna Himself in the Bhagavad-gita, where Krsna 
tells Arjuna at the beginning of the Fourth Chapter:
 
imam vivasvate yogam proktavan aham avyayam
vivasvan manave praha manur iksvakave 'bravit
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
"I instructed this imperishable science of yoga to the sun-god, Vivasvan, 
and Vivasvan instructed it to Manu, the father of mankind, and Manu in 
turn instructed it to Iksvaku." (Bg. 4.1) This is the method of parampara,
 or disciplic succession. Similarly, Srimad-Bhagavatam explains that 
Krsna imparted knowledge into the heart of Brahma, the first created 
being within the universe. Brahma imparted those lessons to his 
disciple Narada, and Narada imparted that knowledge to his disciple 
Vyasadeva. Vyasadeva imparted it to Madhvacarya, and from Madhvacarya the 
knowledge came down to Madhavendra Puri and then to Isvara Puri, and 
from him to Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
 
 
One may ask that if Caitanya Mahaprabhu is Krsna Himself, then why did He 
need a spiritual master? Of course He did not need a spiritual master, 
 
but because He was playing the role of acarya (one who teaches by example)
, He accepted a spiritual master. Even Krsna Himself accepted a spiritual 
master, for that is the system. In this way the Lord sets the example for 
men. We should not think, however, that the Lord takes a spiritual master 
because He is in want of knowledge. He is simply stressing the importance 
of accepting the disciplic succession. The knowledge of that disciplic 
succession actually comes from the Lord Himself, and if the knowledge 
descends unbroken, it is perfect. Although we may not be in touch with 
the original personality who first imparted the knowledge, we may receive 
the same knowledge through this process of transmission. In Srimad-
Bhagavatam it is stated that Krsna, the Absolute Truth, the Personality 
of Godhead, transmitted transcendental knowledge into the heart of Brahma.
 This, then, is one way knowledge is received -- through the heart. Thus 
there are two processes by which one may receive knowledge: One depends 
directly upon the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is situated as the 
Supersoul within the heart of all living entities, and the other depends 
upon the guru, or spiritual master, who is an expansion of Krsna. Thus 
Krsna transmits information both from within and from without. We simply 
have to receive it. If knowledge is received in this way, it doesn't 
matter whether it is inconceivable or not.
 
 
In Srimad-Bhagavatam there is a great deal of information given about the 
 
Vaikuntha planetary systems, which are beyond the material universe. 
Similarly, a great deal of inconceivable information is given in the 
Caitanya-caritamrta. Any attempt to arrive at this information through 
experimental knowledge will fail. The knowledge simply has to be 
accepted. According to the Vedic method, sabda, or transcendental sound, 
is regarded as evidence. Sound is very important in Vedic understanding, 
for, if it is pure, it is accepted as authoritative. Even in the material 
world we accept a great deal of information sent thousands of 
miles by telephone or radio. In this way we also accept sound as evidence 
in our daily lives. Although we cannot see the informant, we accept his 
information as valid on the basis of sound. Sound vibration, then, is 
very important in the transmission of Vedic knowledge.
 
 
The Vedas inform us that beyond this cosmic manifestation there are 
extensive planets in the spiritual sky. This material manifestation is 
 
regarded as only a small portion of the total creation. The material 
manifestation includes not only this universe but innumerable others as 
well, but all the material universes combined constitute only one 
fourth of the total creation. The remaining three fourths is 
situated in the spiritual sky. In that sky innumerable planets float, and 
these are called Vaikunthalokas. In every Vaikunthaloka, Narayana 
presides with His four expansions: Sankarsana, 
Pradyumna, Aniruddha and Vasudeva. This Sankarsana, states Krsnadasa 
Kaviraja in the eighth verse of the Caitanya-caritamrta, is Lord 
Nityananda.
 
As stated before, the material universes are manifested by the Lord in 
 
the form of Maha-Visnu. Just as a husband and wife combine to beget 
offspring, Maha-Visnu combines with His wife maya, or material nature.
 This is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita (14.4), where Krsna states:
 
sarva-yonisu kaunteya murtayah sambhavanti yah
tasam brahma mahad yonir aham bija-pradah pita
 
 
 
 
 
 
"It should be understood that all species of life, O son of Kunti, are 
made possible by birth in this material nature, and that I am the seed-
giving father." Visnu impregnates maya, the material nature, simply by 
glancing at her. This is the spiritual method. Materially we are limited 
to impregnating by only one particular part of our body, but the Supreme 
Lord, Krsna or Maha-Visnu, can impregnate by any part. Simply by 
glancing the Lord can conceive countless living entities in the womb of 
material nature. The Brahma-samhita confirms that the spiritual body 
of the Supreme Lord is so powerful that any part of His body can perform 
the functions of any other part. We can touch only with our hands or 
skin, but Krsna can touch just by glancing. We can see only with our 
eyes; we cannot touch or smell with them. Krsna, however, can smell and 
also eat with His eyes. When food is offered to Krsna, we do 
not see Him eating, but He eats simply by glancing at the food. We cannot 
imagine how things work in the spiritual world, where everything is 
spiritual. It is not that Krsna does not eat or that we imagine that He 
eats; He actually eats, but His eating is different from ours. Our eating 
process will be similar to His when we are completely on the spiritual 
platform. On that platform every part of the body can act on behalf of 
any other part.
 
 
Visnu does not require anything in order to create. He does not require 
the goddess Laksmi in order to give birth to Brahma, for Brahma is born 
from a lotus flower that grows from the navel of Visnu. The goddess 
 
Laksmi sits at the feet of Visnu and serves Him. In this material world 
sex is required to produce children, but in the spiritual world a man 
can produce as many children as he likes without having to take help from 
his wife. So there is no sex there. Because we have no experience with 
spiritual energy, we think that Brahma's birth from the navel of Visnu is 
simply a fictional story. We are not aware that spiritual energy is so 
powerful that it can do anything and everything. Material energy is 
dependent on certain laws, but spiritual energy is fully independent.
 
 
Countless universes reside like 
seeds within the skin pores of Maha-Visnu, and when He exhales, they 
 
are all manifested. In the material world we have no experience 
of such a thing, but we do experience a perverted reflection in the 
phenomenon of perspiration. We cannot imagine, however, the duration of 
one breath of Maha-Visnu, for within one breath all the universes 
are created and annihilated. This is stated in the Brahma-samhita. Lord 
Brahma lives only for the duration of one breath, and according to our 
time scale 4,320,000,000 years constitute only twelve hours for Brahma, 
and Brahma lives one hundred of his years. Yet the whole life of Brahma 
is contained within one breath of Maha-Visnu. Thus it is not possible 
for us to imagine the breathing power of Maha-
Visnu, who is but a partial manifestation of Lord Nityananda. This the 
author of the Caitanya-caritamrta explains in the ninth verse.
 
In
 the tenth and eleventh
 verses Krsnadasa
 Kaviraja describes Garbhodakasayi Visnu and Ksirodakasayi 
Visnu, successive plenary expansions of 
Maha-Visnu. Brahma
 
appears upon a lotus growing 
from the 
navel of Garbhodakasayi
 Visnu,
 and within the stem of that lotus are so many planetary 
systems. Then Brahma creates the whole of human
 society, animal society -- everything. 
Ksirodakasayi Visnu lies on the milk
 ocean within the universe, 
of which
 He
 is the controller and maintainer. Thus 
Brahma is the creator, Visnu is the 
maintainer, and when the time for annihilation arrives, Siva will 
finish everything.
 
In the first eleven verses of the Caitanya-caritamrta, Krsnadasa Kaviraja 
Gosvami thus discusses Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu as Sri Krsna Himself, the 
Supreme Personality of Godhead, and Lord Nityananda as Balarama, the 
first expansion of Krsna. Then in the twelfth and thirteenth verses he 
describes Advaitacarya, who is another principal associate of Lord 
Caitanya Mahaprabhu's and an incarnation of Maha-Visnu. Thus Advaitacarya 
is also the Lord, or, more precisely, an expansion of the Lord. The word 
advaita means "nondual," and His name is such because He is nondifferent 
from the Supreme Lord. He is also called acarya, teacher, because He 
disseminated Krsna consciousness. In this way He is just like Caitanya 
Mahaprabhu. Although Lord Caitanya is Sri Krsna Himself, He appeared as a 
devotee to teach people in general how to love Krsna. Similarly, although 
Advaitacarya is the Lord, He appeared just to distribute the knowledge of 
Krsna consciousness. Thus He is also the Lord incarnated as a devotee.
 
In the pastimes of Lord Caitanya, Krsna is manifested in five different 
features, known as the panca-tattva, to whom Srila Krsnadasa Kaviraja 
offers his obeisances in the fourteenth verse of the Caitanya-caritamrta. 
Krsna and His associates appear as devotees of the Supreme Lord in the 
form of Sri Krsna Caitanya, Sri Nityananda Prabhu, Sri Advaitacarya, Sri 
Gadadhara Prabhu and Srivasa Prabhu. In all cases, Caitanya Mahaprabhu is 
the source of energy for all His devotees. Since this is the case, if we 
take shelter of Caitanya Mahaprabhu for the successful execution of Krsna 
consciousness, we are sure to make progress. In a devotional song, 
Narottama dasa Thakura sings, "My dear Lord Caitanya, please have mercy 
upon me. There is no one who is as merciful as You. My plea is most 
urgent because Your mission is to deliver all fallen souls, and no one is 
more fallen than I. Therefore I beg priority."
 
 
With verse 15, Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami begins 
offering his obeisances directly to Krsna Himself. Krsnadasa Kaviraja was 
an inhabitant of Vrndavana and a great devotee. He had been living with 
his family in Katwa, a small town in the district of Burdwan, in Bengal. 
He worshiped Radha-Krsna with his family, and once when 
there was some misunderstanding among his family members about 
devotional service, he was advised by Nityananda Prabhu 
in a dream to leave home and go to Vrndavana. Although he was very old, 
he started out that very night and went to live in Vrndavana. While he 
was there, he met some of the Gosvamis, principal disciples of Lord 
Caitanya Mahaprabhu. He was requested to write the Caitanya-caritamrta by 
the devotees of Vrndavana. Although he began this work at a very old age, 
by the grace of Lord Caitanya he finished it. Today it remains the most 
authoritative book on Caitanya Mahaprabhu's philosophy and life.
 
 
When Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami was living in Vrndavana, there were not 
very many temples. At that time the three principal temples were those of 
Madana-mohana, Govindaji and Gopinatha. 
As a resident of Vrndavana, Krsnadasa Kaviraja offers his respects to 
the Deities in these temples and requests God's favor: "My progress in 
spiritual life is very slow, so I'm asking Your help." In the fifteenth 
verse of the Caitanya-caritamrta, Krsnadasa offers his obeisances 
to the Madana-mohana vigraha, the Deity who can help us progress in Krsna 
consciousness. In the execution of Krsna consciousness, our first 
business is to know Krsna and our relationship with Him. To know Krsna is 
to know one's self, and to know one's self is to know one's relationship 
with Krsna. Since this relationship can be learned by worshiping the 
Madana-mohana vigraha, Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami first establishes his 
relationship with Him.
 
 
When this is established, in the sixteenth verse Krsnadasa offers his 
obeisances to the functional Deity, Govinda. The Govinda Deity is called 
the functional Deity because He shows us how to serve Radha and Krsna. 
The Madana-mohana Deity simply establishes that "I am Your eternal 
servant." With Govinda, however, there is actual acceptance of service. 
Govinda resides eternally in Vrndavana. In the spiritual world of 
 
Vrndavana the buildings are made of touchstone, the cows are known as 
surabhi cows, givers of abundant milk, and the trees are known as wish-
fulfilling trees, for they yield whatever one desires. In Vrndavana Krsna 
herds the surabhi cows, and He is worshiped by hundreds and thousands of 
gopis, cowherd girls, who are all goddesses of fortune. When Krsna 
descends to the material world, this same Vrndavana descends with Him, 
just as an entourage accompanies an important personage. Because when 
Krsna comes His land also comes, Vrndavana is considered to exist 
beyond the material world. Therefore devotees take shelter of the 
Vrndavana in India, for it is considered to be a replica of the original 
Vrndavana. Although one may complain that no kalpa-vrksa, wish-fulfilling 
trees, exist there, when the Gosvamis were there, kalpa-vrksa were 
present. It is not that one can simply go to such a tree and make demands;
 one must first become a devotee. The Gosvamis would live under a tree 
for one night only, and the trees would satisfy all their desires. For 
the common man this may all seem very wonderful, but as one makes 
progress in devotional service, all this can be realized.
 
 
Vrndavana is actually experienced as it is by persons who have stopped 
trying to derive pleasure from material enjoyment. "When will my mind 
become cleansed of all hankering for material enjoyment so I will be able 
 
to see Vrndavana?" one great devotee asks. The more Krsna conscious we 
become and the more we advance, the more everything is revealed as 
spiritual. Thus Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami considered the Vrndavana in 
India to be as good as the Vrndavana in the spiritual sky, and in the 
sixteenth verse of the Caitanya-caritamrta he describes Radharani and 
Krsna as seated beneath a wish-fulfilling tree in Vrndavana, on a throne 
decorated with valuable jewels. There Krsna's dear gopi
 friends serve Radha and Krsna by singing, dancing, 
offering betel nuts and refreshments, and decorating Their Lordships with 
flowers. Even today in India people decorate swinging thrones and 
re-create this scene during the month of July–August. Generally at 
that time people go to Vrndavana to offer their respects to the Deities 
there.
 
 
 Finally Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami offers
 his blessings to his 
readers in
 the name of 
the Gopinatha Deity, who is Krsna as master 
and proprietor of the gopis. When Krsna played upon his flute, all 
the gopis, or cowherd girls, were attracted by the sound and left their 
household duties, and when they came to Him, He danced with them. These 
activities are all described in the Tenth Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam. 
These gopis were childhood friends of Krsna, and many were married, 
for in India the girls are generally married by the age of twelve. The 
boys, however, are not married before eighteen, so Krsna, who was fifteen 
or sixteen at the time, was not married. Nonetheless, He called these 
girls from their homes and invited them to dance with Him. That dance is 
called the rasa-lila dance, and it is the most elevated of all the 
Vrndavana pastimes. Krsna is therefore called Gopinatha because He is the 
beloved master of the gopis.
 
 
Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami petitions the blessings of Lord Gopinatha: "
May that Gopinatha, the master of the gopis, Krsna, bless you. May you 
 
become blessed by Gopinatha." The author of the Caitanya-caritamrta 
prays that just as Krsna attracted the gopis by the sweet sound of His 
flute, He will also attract 
the reader's mind by that transcendental vibration.
 