Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā 1.1

Nitāi: Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. [devotees repeat] [leads chanting of verse, etc.]

vande gurūn īśa-bhaktān īśam īśāvatārakān tat-prakāśāṁś ca tac-chaktīḥ kṛṣṅa-caitanya-saṁjñakam [Cc Ādi 1.1]

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"I offer my respectful obeisance unto the sprititual masters, the devotees of the Lord, the Lord's incarnations, His plenary portions, His energies, and the primeval Lord Himself, Śrī Kṛṣṅa Caitanya."

Prabhupāda:

vande gurūn īśa-bhaktān īśam īśāvatārakān tat-prakāśāṁś ca tac-chaktīḥ kṛṣṅa-caitanya-saṁjñakam [Cc Ādi 1.1]

Kṛṣṅa Caitanya is Kṛṣṅa. That was observed by Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya. He composed one hundred verses praising the glories of Lord Caitanya, but because Caitanya Mahāprabhu was playing the part of a devotee, He thrown away the ślokas, because "This is not for Me." That was Caitanya Mahāprabhu's humbleness. But the devotees know that Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is Kṛṣṅa Himself. Śrī-kṛṣṅa-caitanya rādhā-kṛṣṅa nahe anya [Śrī Guru-paramparā 6].

[Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu is none other than the combined form of Śrī Śrī Rādhā and Kṛṣṅa.]

Rādhā-Kṛṣṅa combination of Śrī Caitanya... Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu means Rādhā and Kṛṣṅa combined. In the beginning there is Kṛṣṅa, and then Kṛṣṅa divided into two, Rādhā and Kṛṣṅa. And then again combined, that is Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

rādhā-kṛṣṅa-praṅaya-vikṛtir hlādinī śaktir asmād ekātmānāv api deha-bhedaṁ gatau tau caitanyākhyaṁ prakaṭam adhunā tad-dvayaṁ caikyam āptam [Cc Ādi 1.5]

So the Gosvāmīs' siddhānta: that Kṛṣṅa is one. There is no rivalry with Kṛṣṅa. God is one. Eka-brahma dvitīya nāsti. There cannot be many Gods. So when God, Kṛṣṅa, wants to enjoy His pleasure potency, that is Rādhārāṅī. So He manifests Himself, manifests His energy... His energy and He, there is no difference. Śakti-śaktimator abhedaḥ. The śāstra says śakti and the śaktimat, means one who possesses the śakti—śakti means power, potency—they are equal. There is no difference. Just like the sun. Sun is the powerful, and the sunshine is the power. So there is heat in the sun and there is heat also in the sunshine. There is light in the sun and there is light in the sunshine also. Therefore qualitatively they are one so far heat and light is concerned. But the temperature of the sun and the temperature of the sunshine may be different. May be... Actually there is difference. This is the basic principle of all philosophies. Acintya-bhedābheda.

[It is the living entity's constitutional position to be an eternal servant of Kṛṣṅa because he is the marginal energy of Kṛṣṅa and a manifestation simultaneously one and different from the Lord.]

Acintya means inconceivable, bheda means different, and abheda means nondifferent. The whole situation... The one is there—God—but He has expanded Himself in different way. Eko bahu syām.

So that is described here, kṛṣṅa-caitanya-saṁjñakam. Kṛṣṅa Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He has expanded Himself as gurūn. The guru, the spiritual master, he's also Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Sākṣād-dharitvena samasta-śāstrair uktaḥ. In all the śāstras, guru is accepted as Kṛṣṅa. Sākṣād-dharitvena. Sākṣād means directly. Just like you offer your devotion, respects, to guru. So that respect is offered to Kṛṣṅa. Guru also does not think himself that he is Kṛṣṅa, but he collects the devotional services of the disciples to offer to Kṛṣṅa. This is the process. We cannot approach Kṛṣṅa directly. We should approach through guru. Tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam [SB 11.3.21].

[Therefore any person who seriously desires real happiness must seek a bona fide spiritual master and take shelter of him by initiation. The qualification of the bona fide guru is that he has realized the conclusions of the scriptures by deliberation and is able to convince others of these conclusions. Such great personalities, who have taken shelter of the Supreme Godhead, leaving aside all material considerations, should be understood to be bona fide spiritual masters.]

That is the injunction of the śāstra, that one should approach the guru who can transfer the service from the disciple to the Supreme Person. So... Therefore the first offering is guru, vande gurūn.

Then guru creates many devotees. Guru's business is to canvass on behalf of Supreme Lord. That is guru's business. Kṛṣṅa says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṅaṁ vraja [Bg 18.66], so, "You give up all material en..." Sarva-dharmān means in the material world we have created so many so-called duties. This is our material disease. People are interested in material engagements, and they have created different varieties of engagements. Sociology, Communism, and this "ism," that "ism," philanthropism, altruism, internationalism, nationalism—many, many duties they have created. That is all material. Kṛṣṅa, out of His causeless mercy... [children crying] Stop that children. Out of His causeless mercy He comes, He descends. Yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata [Bg 4.7]. Glāniḥ, this is glāniḥ. Human life is meant for one thing, athāto brahma jijñāsā, to inquire about the Supreme Absolute Truth. But instead of doing that, they have created so many "isms." That is their misfortune.

Real business is athāto brahma jijñāsā. This human life, nature, gives us the opportunity to inquire about the Absolute Truth. We have got the intelligence. The cats and dogs, they have no intelligence to inquire about the Absolute Truth. The trees, the plants, the aquatics, the animals, the beasts, the uncivilized man—so many, 8,400,000's forms and species of life. Out of that, the civilized men, the Āryans... Ārya. Ārya means the person who has got godly qualification. This is the meaning of Āryan. Āryan, advanced. Āryan does not mean godless society. They are non-Āryans. Real Āryan means... Because we are part and parcel of God, naturally we have got, in minute quantities, the qualities of God. That is natural. But on account of our material association, those qualifications are covered by upādhi, by various designation. This is our material disease. Material disease means... Just like a gold is covered by dirt, dirty things, similarly, we are actually gold, because part and parcel of Kṛṣṅa. We are small Kṛṣṅa, very small, but we are also the same quality, but it is covered. This is our disease. And these covering are going on in different names—socialism, community-ism, Communism, and this "ism"—so many. "I am Indian," "I am American," "I am Hindu," "I am Muslim," "I am white," "I am black"—these are all designations.

So it is the business of the guru to clear up these designations, dirty things. Therefore, vande gurūn īśam. Guru, first offering, because he is the agent of Kṛṣṅa. Kṛṣṅa said that "You give up all these designative dharma; take to real dharma." Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekam [Bg 18.66]. "That is your real business." But even Kṛṣṅa... Kṛṣṅa does not fail, but Kṛṣṅa does not force. So even upon the request of Kṛṣṅa we do not give up our designation. This is the difficulty. Kṛṣṅa said, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṅaṁ vraja, and nobody, practically, except the Pāṅḍavas and few other devotees, nobody took it seriously. And what to speak of now. They are talking of Bhagavad-gītā, scholars of Bhagavad-gītā, but without Kṛṣṅa. That is their business. These demons, they are preaching Bhagavad-gītā without Kṛṣṅa. Nobody preaches about Kṛṣṅa. Nobody says what Kṛṣṅa wants. Sarva-dharmān parityajya. Kṛṣṅa wants this, but they are misinterpreting in different way and diverting the attention of the people most foolishly, that... In the Bhagavad-gītā Kṛṣṅa is the center. So this is going on. You know; you are coming all from foreign countries. Bhagavad-gītā is popular in your country, at least amongst the scholars and theosophists and theologists, going on, for the last two hundred years at least. But nobody understood Kṛṣṅa. That is the difference. Now for the last, say, five or ten years, because we are presenting Kṛṣṅa as it is, it has become very easy for you to accept it. Unadulterated Kṛṣṅa.

Before this, everything was presented adulterated. Therefore there was no effect. So if you push on this movement, unadulterated Kṛṣṅa, it will go on. It will go on. And as soon as you adulterate Kṛṣṅa, it will not go on. It will not be effective. You may be very good scholar or very good politician or this or that, but you'll never understand what is Kṛṣṅa. Nāhaṁ prakāśaḥ sarvasya yoga-māyā-samāvṛtaḥ [Bg 7.25].

[I am never manifest to the foolish and unintelligent. For them I am covered by My eternal creative potency [yoga-māyā]; and so the deluded world knows Me not, who am unborn and infallible.]

If you want to pollute Kṛṣṅa, Kṛṣṅa will never be revealed to you. Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ [Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.2.234].

[No one can understand the transcendental nature of the name, form, quality and pastimes of Śrī Kṛṣṅa through his materially contaminated senses. Only when one becomes spiritually saturated by transcendental service to the Lord are the transcendental name, form, quality and pastimes of the Lord revealed to him.]

So by the grace of Kṛṣṅa you have taken the shelter of the lotus feet of Kṛṣṅa. It is great fortune for you. So do not adulterate Kṛṣṅa. That is my request. Try to understand Kṛṣṅa. And to understand Kṛṣṅa, the Kṛṣṅa Himself taught. That was also difficult. Then Kṛṣṅa as Kṛṣṅa Caitanya teaching us how to approach Kṛṣṅa. That is Caitanya-caritāmṛta. Caitanya means spiritual, living, and carita means character. So Caitanya-caritāmṛta means that the supreme living force, Kṛṣṅa. The living force is Kṛṣṅa. Therefore we contradict the so-called scientific theory that life has come from chemicals, matter. No. We are trying our best. We have engaged our scientist students. They have already..., one student has already written one small book, The Scientific Basis of Kṛṣṅa Consciousness, and we are going to publish another book. I have given instruction to the scientist students. [aside:] What is the heading of that?

Devotees: Life Comes From Life.

Prabhupāda: Yes, Life Comes From Life. That is the fact. These modern so-called scientific theory that matter..., life comes from matter, that is not fact. Because our original person, Kṛṣṅa, said, ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo [Bg 10.8].

[I am the source of all spiritual and material worlds. Everything emanates from Me. The wise who know this perfectly engage in My devotional service and worship Me with all their hearts.]

Aham. This aham word is applicable to a person. Person. And person means living force. So Caitanya-caritāmṛta means that living force is a person, and His caritra, His characteristic, this is Caitanya. And that is amṛta. Amṛta means not dead matter. Mṛta means dead, and amṛta means not dead; living force. So he is living force; His characteristics are also living force; and they are, because living force, they are amṛta. Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre [Bg 2.20]. We have got experience what is living force and what is dead matter. That we have got experience. And that is further explained by Kṛṣṅa, that living force means na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre, na jāyate na mriyate kadācit. That is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā, that living force is not finished even after the annihilation of this body. Very nice statement by Kṛṣṅa.

We can understand living... In the life, when we are alive, the body is moving, we can understand what is living force. And we can understand further when the body does not move—that difference, why the body was moving and why the body is not now moving. If we simply study this difference of position we can understand what is living force. It is not very difficult. Simply we have to understand, "Now this living force is gone out of this body; therefore the body is no longer moving and it is a dead matter." This is this... So this Caitanya-caritāmṛta means we are talking of the living force, not of the dead matter. We should always remember. So the guru belongs to that living force. And īśa, īśa means controller. So everyone, that living force. Gurūn, īśa, īśa-bhaktān, īśa-bhaktān and īśam. So they are all living force. The Lord, His devotee, His representative, everyone, they belong to the spiritual platform, living force. Caitanya-saṁjñakam. Caitanya means living. That personification of all living forces is Kṛṣṅa Caitanya, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. People mistake Kṛṣṅa Caitanya Mahāprabhu because by misfortune they understand Kṛṣṅa Caitanya as a devotee or just like so-called sādhu or yogī, like that. That is mistake. Kṛṣṅa Caitanya means the original living force, Kṛṣṅa.

So Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya, he understood Him. Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, he understood Him. Similarly, the followers of Rūpa Gosvāmī—Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya, and all the Gosvāmīs—they will understand Kṛṣṅa Caitanya Mahāprabhu. And one who understands or follows the path enunciated by Kṛṣṅa Caitanya Mahāprabhu, for them Kṛṣṅa is very easily obtained. This is called Caitanya-caritāmṛta. If you follow Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu... Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mission is described by Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya, śrī-kṛṣṅa-caitanya-śarīra-dhārī. Purāṅa-puruṣaḥ. I just now forget the verse.

Devotee: Vairāgya-vidyā.

Prabhupāda: Yes:

vairāgya-vidyā-nija-bhakti-yoga- śikṣārtham ekaḥ puruṣaḥ purāṅaḥ śrī-kṛṣṅa-caitanya-śarīra-dhārī kṛpāmbudhir yas tam ahaṁ prapadye [Cc Madhya 6.254]

So Śrī Kṛṣṅa Caitanya is the same Kṛṣṅa, purāṅa-puruṣaḥ. Ādyaṁ purāṅa-puruṣaḥ. Purāṅa-puruṣa means Kṛṣṅa, the original Personality of Godhead, very old. Purāṅa means very old. So, vairāgya-vidyā-śikṣārtham. Because we are suffering here on account of so many designations, so Śrī Kṛṣṅa Caitanya Mahāprabhu came to purify us from all these nonsense designations. That is called vairāgya-vidyā. Rāga means attachment. So... And virāga. This false attachment we have to give up. That is practically being manifested by practical life, how to love Kṛṣṅa, how to approach Him. That is the characteristic of Śrī Kṛṣṅa Caitanya Mahāprabhu. And therefore He is described in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Eleventh Canto, kṛṣṅa-varṅaṁ tviṣākṛṣṅam [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.]

Kṛṣṅa-varṅam: He belongs to the same category, Kṛṣṅa. Or He is describing Kṛṣṅa always. His only business is to describe Kṛṣṅa. But His complexion is not kṛṣṅa; akṛṣṅa. Akṛṣṅa. Akṛṣṅa means white. Because Kṛṣṅa had many colors. One of the colors was pīta, golden, golden avatāra. So, tviṣākṛṣṅaṁ sāṅgopāṅgāstra-pārṣadam. This sāṅgopāṅgāstra-pārṣadam is described here, that gurūn, īśam, īśa-bhaktān, īśāvatārakān tat-prakāśāṁś ca tat-chaktiḥ. This is sāṅgopāṅga.

So study this Caitanya-caritāmṛta. Now we have got this English edition, very elaborately described, following the footsteps of our Guru Mahārāja, Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda. So there is no such edition of Caitanya-caritāmṛta, very elaborately described. But it can be understood by the advanced student. It can be... And so... Advanced, you can, anyone, you can become advanced. Advanced means at least one should understand that Kṛṣṅa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. If you simply understand these two words, that Kṛṣṅa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, then you are advanced. It is not very difficult. Everything, all Vedic literature, they are meant for understanding Kṛṣṅa. Vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyam [Bg 15.15].

[I am seated in everyone's heart, and from Me come remembrance, knowledge and forgetfulness. By all the Vedas am I to be known; indeed I am the compiler of Vedānta, and I am the knower of the Vedas.]

So if you simply understand... What is that understanding? That Kṛṣṅa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. We have written in our Kṛṣṅa book, "Kṛṣṅa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead." If you become convinced, then your study of Vedas—finished.

Tepus tapas te sasnur āryā [SB 3.33.7].

[Oh, how glorious are they whose tongues are chanting Your holy name! Even if born in the families of dog-eaters, such persons are worshipable. Persons who chant the holy name of Your Lordship must have executed all kinds of austerities and fire sacrifices and achieved all the good manners of the Āryans. To be chanting the holy name of Your Lordship, they must have bathed at holy places of pilgrimage, studied the Vedas and fulfilled everything required.]

Anyone who understands Kṛṣṅa... What is that understanding? Kṛṣṅa says, mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat kiñcid asti dhanañjaya [Bg 7.7]:

[O conqueror of wealth [Arjuna], there is no Truth superior to Me. Everything rests upon Me, as pearls are strung on a thread.]

"My dear Arjuna, there is no more superior authority or person or truth than Myself." Mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat kiñcid asti dhanañjaya. These few words, if you simply understand... Blindly or openly, it doesn't matter. Because if you touch fire, either blindly or openly, it will act. It will act. It is not that because I blindly accept Kṛṣṅa as the Supreme Person, that will not act. No, it will act. Even if you have accepted Kṛṣṅa blindly, it will act. Because the thing is the same, either you accept in open eyes or blind eyes. So similarly, if you accept this theory—it is not theory; this is fact, that Kṛṣṅa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead—these few words, then you are advanced student, immediately. Take it from me, that simply this conviction, that "Kṛṣṅa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead," then you are advanced student in spiritual life.

So all these persons associated with Kṛṣṅa, Śrī Kṛṣṅa Caitanya, Śrī Nityānanda, Śrī Advaita, and Gadādhara and Śrīvāsa, all of them, they are one. One in this sense: they are all interested how to push on Kṛṣṅa consciousness. Śrī Kṛṣṅa Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He's trying personally, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. And Nityānanda Prabhu, Advaita Prabhu, Śrīvāsa, Gadādhara, they are trying to help. So..., and to approach all these five supreme persons, you require the help of guru. Therefore the guru is offered first the respectful prayers, vande gurūn. And gurūn, bahu-vacana, plural number, that many gurus. But they are not many; they are one, guru-tattva. Just like Kṛṣṅa has many forms, but that does not mean Kṛṣṅa is different. No. Kṛṣṅa is one. Similarly, guru, there may be many gurus, it doesn't matter, but their philosophy must be one: to teach everyone that Kṛṣṅa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So there may be thousands of guru, but the guru's business is to teach the disciple that Kṛṣṅa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is the test of guru. If guru is teaching something else, nonsense, then he is not guru. Gurur na sa syāt.

Ṣaṭ-karma-nipuṅo vipro mantra-tantra-viśāradaḥ. A brāhmaṅa, he is very expert in his business, in Vedic culture, Vedic mantras, tantras. That is the test of the brāhmaṅa, that he is very learned. So ṣaṭ-karma-nipuṅo vipro mantra-tantra-viśāradaḥ. Viśārada, very expert. Avaiṣṅavo gurur na sa syāt: but if he does not know what is Kṛṣṅa or if he's not a devotee of Kṛṣṅa, he cannot become guru. Ṣaḍ-vaiṣṅavaḥ śvapaco guruḥ: but one person who is coming from the family of dog-eaters... The dog-eaters, they are considered to be the lowest of the human being. So, śva-paca. Śva-paca means..., śva means dog, and paca means eater or cooker. So śvapaca, even a person is coming from the śvapaca family, and if he's a Vaiṣṅava, if he's a devotee of Kṛṣṅa, he can become guru. On the other side, even born in a brāhmaṅa family and very expert in Vedic ritualistic performances, mantra-tantra-viśāradaḥ, he cannot become guru if he does not understand Kṛṣṅa. So therefore guru is very important, because he has accepted Kṛṣṅa... Tattva-darśibhiḥ, he has seen the truth. So therefore guru is first offered. This is the test of guru. Guru does not become Kṛṣṅa Himself, but he canvasses door to door to induce that "You become devotee of Kṛṣṅa." This is sign of guru. Vande gurūn īśa-bhaktān. Then we shall describe later on.

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Jaya Śrīla Prabhupāda! [end]