Srila Prabhupada explains the transcendental position
of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu
(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
[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 Mahaparbhu
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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