Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā 7.4

Prabhupāda: Yes. Go on. Hmm?

Pradyumna: Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. [Prabhupāda and devotees repeat] [leads chanting of verse]

pañca-tattva avatīrṅa caitanyera saṅge pañca-tattva lañā karena saṅkīrtana raṅge [Cc Ādi 7.4]

[leads chanting of synonyms] [break]

[02:49]

Translation: "These five tattvas incarnate with Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and thus the Lord executes His saṅkīrtana movement with great pleasure."

Prabhupāda: Hmm. So tattva, Absolute Truth, I tried to explain last night. Tattva... Kṛṣṅa has spoken about tattva in the Bhagavad-gītā, and in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam also there is statement of tattva, vadanti tat tattva-vidas tattvam [SB 1.2.11].

[Learned transcendentalists who know the Absolute Truth call this nondual substance Brahman, Paramātmā or Bhagavān.]

Tattva, the truth, can be learned from the tattva-vida, one who knows. The Absolute Truth cannot be ascertained by imaginative speculation. One has to learn the tattva from the tattva-vit. Therefore, the tattva-vid vadanti. Vadanti means they explain; tattva-vit, one who is tattva-vit, he explains. Vadanti tat tattva-vidas tattvaṁ yaj jñānam advayam. One who knows, he's not silent. He is to preach, he is to speak. Nowadays it has become a fashion to be maunī-bābā, does not speak. So these are..., may be very good device for professional business, but so far we are concerned, in the Vedic culture, the tattva-vit must speak. Śravaṅaṁ kīrtanam. The tattva-vit must hear from the authorized person; then he'll speak. That is nice. Otherwise, there is no need of speaking. So those who have not heard from the authorized person, they may make a business by making himself maunī-bābā. Tāvac ca śobhate mūrkho yāvat kiñcin na bhāsate: "A mūrkha, a dull rascal, is very beautiful so long he does not speak." Because as soon as he speaks, then his knowledge, his learning, his capacity, his position will be immediately exposed. So our paramparā line, Prahlāda Mahārāja has condemned this system, maunī-bābā. No. Our system is kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ, Caitanya Mahāprabhu's teaching.

tṛṅād api sunīcena taror api sahiṣṅunā amāninā mānadena kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ [Cc Ādi 17.31]

[One who thinks himself lower than the grass, who is more tolerant than a tree, and who does not expect personal honor yet is always prepared to give all respect to others can very easily always chant the holy name of the Lord.]

And Kṛṣṅa also confirms this in the Bhagavad-gītā: satatāṁ kīrtayanto māṁ yatantaś ca dṛḍha-vratāḥ [Bg 9.14].

[Always chanting My glories, endeavoring with great determination, bowing down before Me, these great souls perpetually worship Me with devotion.]

That is mahātmā, always glorifying the Lord, Supreme Lord Kṛṣṅa.

So this Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement means this satatāṁ kīrtayanto mām [Bg 9.14]: twenty-four hours we have to glorify. Kṛṣṅa is unlimited, God is unlimited. So we have to chant, glorifying His qualities, unlimitedly. Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī says that "How I shall glorify the Lord by chanting His name and pastimes? I have got only one tongue. If I could possess millions of tongues and trillions of ears, then it was possible to glorify the Lord to some extent." This is our business. You'll be surprised that my Guru Mahārāja, Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, sometimes Paṅḍita Madanmohan Mahalabhya, a great politician, well-known political leader, he came to see him. So he inquired from my Guru Mahārāja, "What are your activities?" So in describing his activities he said that "We have got six magazines, and out of them, one is a daily, Nadiya Prakash." Those who are resident of this place might know. So he was publishing one paper daily, Nadiya Prakash. So Madanmohan Mahalabhya inquired that "You are publishing daily one paper about spiritual subject?" He said, "Yes, why not?"

Now, he explained that this universe is only one of the millions universes. This small universe is one of the many, many. Many, many... We get information from the śāstra, yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṅḍa-koṭiḥ [Bs 5.40].

[I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, whose effulgence is the source of the nondifferentiated Brahman mentioned in the Upaniṣads, being differentiated from the infinity of glories of the mundane universe appears as the indivisible, infinite, limitless, truth.]

Jagad-aṅḍa-koṭiḥ. Jagadānda means this universe, and there are koṭis, unlimited. In Caitanya Mahāprabhu's dealing, when devotee, Vāsudeva Datta, he pleaded to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, "My dear Lord, You have come. You take away all the inhabitants of this earth, or within this universe, and if You think that they are so much sinful that they cannot be delivered, so You can transfer their sinful resultant action, sinful activities, unto me. I shall suffer." This is Vaiṣṅava philosophy, that "Let others be delivered, and if they are unfit, sinful, all their sins may be transferred to me." So Caitanya Mahāprabhu said that "You do not require to take their sinful reaction, but even without your transferring they can be delivered. But this is only one universe." And He compared that this universe is just like a grain of mustard in the mustard bag. Say, hundred kilos, kg., mustard bag, and there is one mustard seed. So this universe is like that. So many universes are there. So my Guru Mahārāja explained that "This universe is only just like a grain of mustard seed among millions and trillions of universes, and in each and every universe there are millions and trillions of planets, and this earthly planet is one of them. And in this planet, the earthly planet, there are so many cities, and in each city there are so many daily papers, and each daily paper has got so many editions. So this is only one-fourth exhibition of God's creation. If in one city there are so many news, people can read, so from the three-fourth creation of the world, Vaikuṅṭha-jagat, we can give so many news that we can overflood them with news. Unfortunately, we have no customer." That is...

So this is the position. Kīrtana. Kīrtana, we can glorify the Lord twenty-four hours. Twenty-four hours we have got at our disposal. We have got only twenty-four hours, but unlimited. Ekāṁśena sthito jagat [Bg 10.42].

[But what need is there, Arjuna, for all this detailed knowledge? With a single fragment of Myself I pervade and support this entire universe.]

This is only one-fourth part manifestation of the whole creation. There is no limit of kīrtana. That is unlimited. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu's instruction is that "Glorify the Lord continuously." Tṛṅād api sunīcena [Cc Ādi 17.31].

And as soon as you begin kīrtanīyaḥ, real kīrtana of Kṛṣṅa, then you'll have many enemies. Caitanya Mahāprabhu personally had many enemies. You know that in this spot there was persecution, religious persecution, by the then magistrate, Chand Kazi. His samādhi is still there. So..., and we are also experiencing. Our only fault is that we are preaching the saṅkīrtana movement, and there are so many enemies. You see? So that is possible. Even the father become enemy. Prahlāda Mahārāja, a five-years-old boy, and because he was chanting Hare Kṛṣṅa mantra, his father became enemy. So you'll have enemies.

Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu gives us, warning us, that tṛṅād api sunīcena taror api sahiṣṅunā: "You just become humbler than the grass." Just you trample over the grasses, it does not protest. Not only you, so many people are going on the grasses, but they tolerate. So tṛṅād api sunīcena taror api sahiṣṅunā. And He has given the example, "tolerant than the trees." The trees are standing in one place. Scorching heat and cold and rains, they are all suffering, and the people taking their leaves, taking their branches, woods, cutting them, taking fruit, and still, the trees give you shelter. This is the example of tolerance. So tṛṅād api sunīcena taror api sahiṣṅunā, amāninā mānadena. Everyone in this material world is very much fond of getting honor. Although he's not honorable, still, he wants to get honor. Although he is unfit, still, he wants. That is the material propensity. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu says that "You give them honor. Don't ask for yourself any honor, respect, but others, you give them." That is the process of Caitanya Mahāprabhu's preaching.

As Prabodānanda Sarasvatī has explained,

dante nidhāya tṛṅakaṁ padayor nipatya kāku-śataṁ kṛtvā ca ahaṁ bravīmi he sādhavaḥ sakalam eva vihāya dūrāt caitanya-candra-caraṅe kurutānurāgam [Caitanya-candrāmṛta 90]

[Taking a straw between my teeth and falling at your feet a hundred times, I humbly submit, "O great personality, please give up all mundane knowledge that you have learned and just submit yourself at the lotus feet of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu."]

He says... This is the process of preaching: "My dear sir, I am falling down on your lotus feet, and with folded hands I am flattering you thousand times, and I have taken one grass in my mouth to show my humbleness. So you kindly hear my one word." "What is that?" He sādhavaḥ, "You are very great sādhu, but you have learned so many things," he sādhavaḥ sakalam eva vihāya dūrāt. "This is my request, that whatever you have learned, so many things, kindly forget. Kick them out." "Then what shall I take?" Caitanya-candra-caraṅe kurutānurāgam: "Just become a servant on the lotus feet of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. This is my request." So we have to preach like that. Just flatter him, but request him that "You forget all these bogus things. Simply take to Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Your life will be successful," as it is... We have already... Tāṅhāra caraṅāśrita, sei baḍa dhanya [Cc Ādi 7.2]: "Anyone who takes shelter at the lotus feet of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, he becomes glorified." Sei baḍa dhanya.

So our preaching should be like that. The Pañca-tattva... Here it is said. We are discussing,

pañca-tattva avatīrṅa caitanyera saṅge pañca-tattva lañā karena saṅkīrtana raṅge [Cc Ādi 7.4]

So Caitanya Mahāprabhu has got His associates. That is confirmed in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam:

kṛṣṅa-varṅaṁ tviṣākṛṣṅaṁ sāṅgopāṅgāstra-pārṣadam yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtana-prāyair yajanti he su-medhasaḥ [SB 11.5.32]

[In the Age of Kali, intelligent persons perform congregational chanting to worship the incarnation of Godhead who constantly sings the names of Kṛṣṅa. Although His complexion is not blackish, He is Kṛṣṅa Himself. He is accompanied by His associates, servants, weapons and confidential companions.]

This is the method of worshiping the Lord Viṣṅu. Yajña means to worship the Supreme Lord. Yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtanaiḥ prāyaiḥ.

varṅāśramācāravatā puruṣeṅa paraḥ pumān viṣṅur ārādhyate puṁsāṁ nānyat tat-toṣa-kāraṅam [Cc Madhya 8.58]

[The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Viṣṅu, is worshiped by the proper execution of prescribed duties in the system of varṅa and āśrama. There is no other way to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead. One must be situated in the institution of the four varṅas and āśramas.’]

This is civilization, varṅāśrama. One must observe, the material world. In the spiritual world, of course, there is no such thing as varṅāśrama. That is pure identity of the soul. So there is no... So long we are in this material world there must be a scientific division of progress of life. That is Vedic system. Brāhmaṅa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra, brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha, sannyāsa. This is called varṅāśrama-dharma. I have repeatedly said that people call us Hindu in India. Actually, "Hindu" word is not visible in any Vedic literature. This is the name given by the Arabians to the..., this part of the world, on the bank of the Sindhu. From the "Sindhu" the word "Hindu" has come. So actually, our culture is varṅāśrama-dharma. Therefore śāstra says, varṅāśramācāravatā puruṣeṅa paraḥ pumān [Cc Madhya 8.58]. In the varṅāśrama-dharma, the ultimate goal is to worship Lord Viṣṅu, whose name is Yajña. Out of many names of Lord Viṣṅu, one name is Yajña, Yajña-puruṣa. So yajña, to..., anything performed to satisfy the Supreme Lord, that is called yajña.

So other yajñas are not possible in this age, Kali-yuga, Kali-yuga. The only yajña: this saṅkīrtana movement. Yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtana-prāyair yajanti hi su-medhasaḥ [SB 11.5.32]. If you want to perform yajña and if you are intelligent, su-medhasaḥ... The two words has been used in Vedic literature: su-medhasaḥ and alpa-medhasaḥ. In the Bhagavad-gītā this word has been used, alpa-medhasaḥ, tad bhavati alpa-medhasām, in the matter of worshiping the demigods. Kāmais tais tair hṛta-jñānāḥ yajante anya-devatāḥ [Bg 7.20]. Antavat tu phalaṁ teṣām [Bg 7.23].

[Men of small intelligence worship the demigods, and their fruits are limited and temporary. Those who worship the demigods go to the planets of the demigods, but My devotees ultimately reach My supreme planet.]

If you get some resultant action by worshiping demigod, that is antavat. Just like Hiraṅyakaśipu: he got some benediction from Lord Brahmā. Lord Brahmā is not ordinary demigod. He's the... Amongst the demigods he's the head, pitāmaha. So Hiraṅyakaśipu wanted benediction from Lord Brahmā to become immortal. So immortality is not possible. So Lord Brahmā said that "My myself... I am myself not immortal. How can I give you? It is not possible." So Hiraṅyakaśipu took indirectly, negative way, that "I shall not die this way, I shall not die this way, I shall not die this way," negative way. So he thought himself to be very intelligent demon. So even that benediction was given, but still, he was killed by Nṛsiṁhadeva.

So therefore, antavat tu phalaṁ teṣām. Even by tricks or by penance or austerities you take some benediction from the demigods, even if you are awarded, that is described in the Bhagavad-gītā, antavat tu phalaṁ teṣāṁ tad bhavaty alpa-medhasām [Bg 7.23]. People want to be satisfied with little benefit. With little benefit. No, that is not our mission. We want the supreme benefit. Supreme benefit is that you are now entangled in the process of birth, death, old age and disease in the material existence. The real benefit is how to save yourself from these four difficulties. As Kṛṣṅa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, janma mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam [Bg 13.9].

[Humility, pridelessness, nonviolence, tolerance, simplicity, approaching a bona fide spiritual master, cleanliness, steadiness and self-control; renunciation of the objects of sense gratification, absence of false ego, the perception of the evil of birth, death, old age and disease; nonattachment to children, wife, home and the rest, and evenmindedness amid pleasant and unpleasant events; constant and unalloyed devotion to Me, resorting to solitary places, detachment from the general mass of people; accepting the importance of self-realization, and philosophical search for the Absolute Truth—all these I thus declare to be knowledge, and what is contrary to these is ignorance.]

We are embarrassed with so many difficulties, but real difficulty is janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi: birth, death, old age and disease. So this Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement is to give you ultimate benefit: no more birth, no more death, no more disease, no more old age. Always mind that.

So the greatest benefit. The greatest benefit is..., Caitanya Mahāprabhu is offering. Therefore Rūpa Gosvāmī says, namo mahā-vadānyāya kṛṣṅa-prema pradāya te [Cc Madhya 19.53].

[O most munificent incarnation! You are Kṛṣṅa Himself appearing as Śrī Kṛṣṅa Caitanya Mahāprabhu. You have assumed the golden color of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṅī, and You are widely distributing pure love of Kṛṣṅa. We offer our respectful obeisances unto You.]

This greatest benefit you can get if you develop your dormant love for Kṛṣṅa. That is also explained in the Bhagavad-gītā:

janma karma me divyaṁ ca yo jānāti tattvataḥ tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti kaunteya [Bg 4.9]

[One who knows the transcendental nature of My appearance and activities does not, upon leaving the body, take his birth again in this material world, but attains My eternal abode, O Arjuna.]

That is ultimate goal.

mām upetya kaunteya duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam nāpnuvanti mahātmānaḥ saṁsiddhiṁ paramāṁ gatāḥ [Bg 8.15]

[After attaining Me, the great souls, who are yogīs in devotion, never return to this temporary world, which is full of miseries, because they have attained the highest perfection.]

So we have to achieve the highest benefit, go back to home, back to Godhead. So for this purpose, Caitanya Mahāprabhu or Lord Kṛṣṅa has not only appeared Himself, but with His associates. They are called Pañca-tattva.

So here it is explained, pañca-tattva avatīrṅa caitanyera saṅge [Cc Ādi 7.4]. If you take guru, then there are six tattvas. But Caitanya personally has expanded, parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate [Cc Madhya 13.65, purport]. When you speak of Bhagavān, brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti śabdyate [SB 1.2.11].

[Learned transcendentalists who know the Absolute Truth call this nondual substance Brahman, Paramātmā or Bhagavān.]

When Bhagavān... Bhagavān means His paraphernalia. Just like when we speak that "Now the king is coming," it is not that king is alone coming. The king is coming with his minister, with his commander, with his secretaries, with his so many officers. So when we speak of Bhagavān, don't think He is alone only. No. Pañca..., that Pañca-tattva. When Bhagavān incarnates, He comes with all the associates—His śakti-tattva, avatāra-tattva, prakāśa-tattva. Many paraphernalia He comes.

So here Caitanya Mahāprabhu, avatīrṅa. Here it is said, pañca-tattva avatīrṅa caitanyera saṅge [Cc Ādi 7.4]. Caitanyera-saṅge... Caitanya Mahāprabhu is Kṛṣṅa Himself. So He must have His associates. Associates. That is Bhagavān. Just like in the Brahma-saṁhitā it is explained, the beginning of understanding, how Bhagavān lives in the spiritual world:

cintāmaṅi-prakara-sadmasu kalpa-vṛkṣa lakṣāvṛteṣu surabhīr abhipālayantam lakṣmī-sahasra-śata-sambrahma-sevyamānaṁ govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi [Bs 5.29]

Govinda is not alone. Govinda is associated with the surabhīr abhipālayantam, many millions and thousands of surabhī cows. He tends so many cows. And lakṣmī-sahasra-śata-sambrahma-sevyamānam. We are flattering one Lakṣmī, goddess of fortune, but in the spiritual world, lakṣmī-sahasra-śata, many, many millions Lakṣmīs, goddess of fortune. Sambrahma-sevyamānam: with great respect. Here we are flattering one Lakṣmī, goddess of fortune, "Mother, give me some money," but there the Lakṣmīs are flattering Kṛṣṅa. That is Kṛṣṅa's position. Lakṣmī-sahasra-śata-sambrahma-sevyamānaṁ govindam ādi-puruṣam.

So Kṛṣṅa is never alone. Similarly, Caitanya Mahāprabhu is never alone. Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura sings, caitanyera saṅgi gaṅe, nitya-siddha boli māne. Gaurāṅgera. Gaurāṅgera saṅgi gaṅe, nitya-siddha boli māne, sei yāya vrajendra-suta-pāśa. That is the explanation of Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura. So either Kṛṣṅa or Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, whenever They appear, They appear with Their associates. So here Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu has appeared with Pañca-tattva. Kṛṣṅa-varṅaṁ tviṣā-kṛṣṅaṁ sāṅgopāṅgāstra-pārṣadam, yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtana [SB 11.5.32].

He has appeared, these five tattvas. In our exhibition ground we have first placed these five tattvas: Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Nityānanda Prabhu, Gadādhara Prabhu, Advaita Prabhu and Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura. Nityānanda Prabhu is the immediate expansion of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Baladeva-tattva. Baladeva means who gives strength for spiritual advancement. Nāyam ātmā pravacanena labhyo [Kaṭha Upaniṣad 1.2.23],

[The Supreme Lord is not attained by expert explanations, by vast intelligence, nor even by much hearing. He is attained only by one who He Himself chooses. To such a person He manifests His own form.]

nāyam ātmā balahinena labhyaḥ. These are the Vedic injunction.

So without Baladeva's or Nityānanda's grace, one cannot make advancement.

āra kabe nitāi-cānda karuṅā koribe saṁsāra vāsanā mora kabe tuccha... [Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura]

This is the grace of Nityānanda Prabhu. Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura explains, āra kabe nitāi-cānda, karuṅā koribe. Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura is aspiring for the day when Nityānanda Prabhu will be pleased upon him. Just like Jagāi-Mādhāi was delivered by the mercy of Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu, so we have to pray Nityānanda Prabhu. He's very merciful. He's so kind, Baladeva, He gives spiritual strength. Then we can approach the Supreme Lord. Therefore we chant "Nitāi-Gaura." This is the process. We cannot change this policy. Pañca-tattva must be worshiped; otherwise wherefrom we shall get...? The spiritual master... Nityānanda Prabhu is the spiritual master. Or spiritual master is the replica, representation, of Nityānanda Prabhu. So when Nityānanda Prabhu is pleased, then we become detached from this material attraction.

People..., conditioned soul means they have forgotten Kṛṣṅa, and they are suffering. That's a fact. Tri-tāpa yantaṅā, adhibhautika. But because they are illusioned, they are thinking, "We are enjoying." This is called illusion. They are suffering, working day and night like an ass, and still, he's thinking that he's very happy. But he does not know that there is a life where there is no such thing as to work hard. Just like Kṛṣṅa and Kṛṣṅa's associates in Vṛndāvana, they are jolly, tending their cows, getting milk in the village, sufficient food, dancing with the gopīs. That is life. No mill, no slaughterhouse, no motorcar. You see? No skyscraper building. Here see. So this is another philosophy, another philosophy: simple life, simple life with Kṛṣṅa. Simple life we can live still, but we do not agree. If we live simple life, people will criticize, "Oh, this is primitive, primitive. What you have made advancement?" But they have no sense.

Anyway... So if we really want relief from this materialistic way of life, then we should take shelter of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and His saṅkīrtana movement. Then our misunderstanding of existence will be cleansed. Ceto-darpaṅa-mārjanaṁ bhava-mahā-dāvāgni [Cc Antya 20.12].

[Let there be all victory for the chanting of the holy name of Lord Kṛṣṅa, which can cleanse the mirror of the heart and stop the miseries of the blazing fire of material existence. That chanting is the waxing moon that spreads the white lotus of good fortune for all living entities. It is the life and soul of all education. The chanting of the holy name of Kṛṣṅa expands the blissful ocean of transcendental life. It gives a cooling effect to everyone and enables one to taste full nectar at every step.]

And we have created a civilization which is blazing fire. Blazing fire. Everyone, all politicians, even ordinary citizens, they are now suffering. The politicians cannot give them enough food. They simply take vote, and the price of foodstuff is increasing. This is a very precarious condition. It is called saṁsāra-dāvānala, "the blazing fire of material existence." We may extinguish for the time being, but again... Dāvānala is used for this purpose. Nobody sets fire, but it takes place. That is called dāvānala. In the forest nobody goes to set fire, but it takes place by dealings. So when we deal in a different way than Kṛṣṅa consciousness, then there will be fire immediately. This dealing will produce fire. That has come already.

So this is the only remedy, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu's process:

harer nāma harer nāma harer nāma eva kevalam kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva nāsty eva gatir anyathā [Cc Ādi 17.21]

[In this Age of Kali there is no other means, no other means, no other means for self-realization than chanting the holy name, chanting the holy name, chanting the holy name of Lord Hari.]

So here is the statement, pañca-tattva lañā karena saṅkīrtana raṅge [Cc Ādi 7.4]. You take to this movement, chant and dance. All problems will be solved.

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Haribol... [break] [end]