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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.
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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) firmly
believe that the Lord will always protect His devotee, (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 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 taught direct worship of Lord Krsna, who
appeared as the foster child of the King of Vraja. Lord Caitanya also
taught that the place known as Vrndavana is as good as Lord Krsna
because, Lord Krsna being the Absolute Truth, the Personality of Godhead,
there is no difference between Him and His name, qualities, form,
pastimes, entourage and paraphernalia.
Lord Caitanya also taught that the mode
of worshiping the Lord 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 taught 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 in a secluded
place, 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, one can stop
the child from engaging in nonsense by engaging him 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 very same
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. Anyone who is fortunate enough to be attracted by Lord
Caitanya 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 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 are characteristics of both ourselves
and God. Although this is true in that both God and ourselves are
immortal living beings, 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 living entity is also
insignificant, and his tendency 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 falling down into illusion (
maya), any more than the sun is subject to falling beneath the clouds.
Impersonalist philosophers (Mayavadis) maintain that because we fall
under the control of maya when we come into
this material world, God must also fall under maya's control. 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 maya (illusion). Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu officially
renounced this maya 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, not caring for the maya of wife and mother.
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
young 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 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 waterpot, 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 munificent 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 with 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 heart. 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 someone 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 something of 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 deals primarily
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 taught in 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, it is in the form of Maha-Visnu
that the Lord manifests the material universes. 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 Advaita Acarya, who is another principal associate of Lord
Caitanya Mahaprabhu's and an incarnation of Maha-Visnu. Thus Advaita
Acarya 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 Advaita Acarya 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 Mahaprabhu, Sri Nityananda Prabhu, Sri
Advaita Acarya, 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 Six
Gosvamis, the 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-vrksas, wish-fulfilling trees,
exist there, when the Six Gosvamis were there, kalpa-vrksas 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.
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