Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā 1.2

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

vande śrī-kṛṣṅa-caitanya- nityāndandau sahoditau gauḍodaye puṣpavantau citrau śandau tamo-nudau [Cc Ādi 1.2]

[break] [00:43]

"I offer my respectful obeisances unto Śrī Kṛṣṅa Caitanya and Lord Nityānanda, who are like the sun and moon. They have arisen simultaneously on the horizon of Gauḍa to dissipate the darkness of ignorance and thus wonderfully bestow benediction upon all."

Prabhupāda:

vande śrī-kṛṣṅa-caitanya- nityāndandau sahoditau gauḍodaye puṣpavantau citrau śandau tamo-nudau [Cc Ādi 1.2]

So yesterday we discussed the first verse,

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

Kṛṣṅa Caitanya, Śrī Kṛṣṅa Caitanya, He has got manyfold expansion. The first expansion is prakāśa, svayaṁ-prakāśa, Balarāma. And Nityānanda is Balarāma. Vrajendra-nandana yei, śacī-sūta hoilo sei, balarāma hoilo nitāi. We have to understand from the mahājana, Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura. Sometimes some foolish people interpret Nityānanda as expansion of Rādhārāṅī, but that is not the fact. Nityānanda is Balarāma. We have to know from mahājana. We cannot manufacture our own idea. That is blasphemy, sahajiyā. Yata mat tata path. These things are not accepted by mahājana. Mahājana means who follows the previous mahājana. This is the system. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu strictly followed this principle. Kṛṣṅa also recommended, evaṁ paramparā-prāptam [Bg 4.2].

[This supreme science was thus received through the chain of disciplic succession, and the saintly kings understood it in that way. But in course of time the succession was broken, and therefore the science as it is appears to be lost.]

We have to receive knowledge through the disciplic succession, mahājana-gataḥ. You cannot manufacture. This concoction has killed the spiritual life of India. "You can think any way; I can think in my way"—that is not at all scientific. You cannot think, "Two plus two equal to three" or "five." "Two plus two equal to four." You cannot think otherwise.

[people talking in background]

[aside:] Ask them to stop.

So Nityānanda means prakāśa, svayaṁ-prakāśa, Balarāma. Balarāma is, I mean to say, presenting Kṛṣṅa. Therefore Balarāma is guru-tattva. Guru is representative of Balarāma, of Nityānanda, Guru Nityānanda, because He is exhibiting Kṛṣṅa. He is presenting Kṛṣṅa, prakāśa. Just like when there is sunshine you can see everything very correctly. That is called prakāśa. In the darkness everything is covered. At night we cannot see, but during daytime, when there is prakāśa, illumination, then we can see everything. So Nityānanda Prabhu is Balarāma. Balarāma is prakāśa-tattva. He's manifesting Kṛṣṅa. Balarāma hoila nitāi. So vande śrī... Śrī Kṛṣṅa Caitanya is the Supreme Absolute Personality of Godhead, and next, Nityānanda, or..., yes, Nityānanda, is exhibiting Him. When Nityānanda was preaching in Bengal, He first of all delivered the Jagāi and Mādhāi. That was his first business. He showed how to serve Śrī Kṛṣṅa Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Śrī Kṛṣṅa Caitanya means Kṛṣṅa Himself. Śrī-kṛṣṅa-caitanya rādha-kṛṣṅa nahe anya [Śrī Guru-paramparā 6]. Rādhā-Kṛṣṅa combined together is Śrī Kṛṣṅa Caitanya. And Nityānanda is exhibiting Kṛṣṅa Caitanyadeva.

So how one can exhibit Śrī Kṛṣṅa Caitanya Mahāprabhu, that is... By His personal example Nityānanda Prabhu has given us lesson. When Caitanya Mahāprabhu was sending His devotees to preach and Nityānanda Prabhu was doing that, He used to go with Haridāsa Ṭhākura to preach on the street, home to home. So when they saw there was a big crowd on the street, so Nityānanda Prabhu inquired from the people, "Why there is so many people assembled?" So He was informed that "There are two gundas, rogues. They are creating some trouble." The gundas, their business is to create trouble, that's all. Every one of us we know, especially at the present moment in Bengal. Yes. This is due to lack of preaching of Kṛṣṅa consciousness. Nityānanda Prabhu is not given the chance. Nityānanda Prabhu is very eager to preach, but He's not given chance. Actually, those who are proud of becoming descendants of Nityānanda Prabhu... In Bengal there is a family, they say that they are descendants from Nityānanda Prabhu. So apart from controversy, even accepting that they are descendants from Nityānanda Prabhu, their business is also to act like Nityānanda Prabhu. So that business... What is that business? That is described by Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura, mahājana, pāpī tāpī yata chilo, hari-nāme uddhārilo, ta'ra sākṣī jagāi-mādhāi. This is the business of Nityānanda Prabhu along with Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Vrajendra-nandana yei, śacī-sūta hoilo sei, balarāma hoilo nitāi.

So here Kṛṣṅa Caitanya and Nityānanda, Their identification is Lord Kṛṣṅa and Balarāma. Now, in the Kṛṣṅa incarnation, these two brothers were engaged as cowherds boy and friends of the gopīs, sons of Mother Yaśodā and Nanda Mahārāja. That is actual life in Vṛndāvana. Kṛṣṅa and Balarāma, They are village cowherds boy. That is the early age history of Kṛṣṅa-Balarāma. And Their another business, when They went to Mathurā, They killed Kaṁsa and the wrestlers, and then again, when They went to Dvārakā, They had to fight with so many demons. But Their childhood life, up to sixteenth year, They were in Vṛndāvana, happy life, simply love. That is paritrāṅāya sādhūnām [Bg 4.8].

[In order to deliver the pious and to annihilate the miscreants, as well as to reestablish the principles of religion, I advent Myself millennium after millennium.]

Sādhus, devotees, they are always anxious to see Kṛṣṅa, Balarāma and Their associates. They are always very much aggrieved on account of separation. To give them rejuvenation of life, Kṛṣṅa-Balarāma play Their childhood days in Vṛndāvana. And out of Vṛndāvana, beginning from Mathurā up to Dvārakā and other places, the business was vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām: killing. So They have got two businesses: one for pacifying the devotees, and the other is to kill the demons. Of course, Kṛṣṅa and Balarāma, They are Absolute Truth. There is no difference between killing and loving. They... Absolute. Those who were killed, you know, they were also delivered from this material bondage.

Now these same two brothers have again descended, as Śrī Kṛṣṅa Caitanya-Nityānanda. Sahoditau: simultaneously They have appeared. Not that one is appeared, another is not there. No. Both of Them, sahoditau. And They are compared with the sun and moon. The business of sun and moon is to dissipate darkness. The sun rises during daytime, and the moon rises at night. But this sun and moon, wonderful sun and moon, citrau, They have appeared together. But the business is the same, tamo-nudau. Business is to dissipate darkness, because we are in darkness. We, anyone who is in this material world, he's in darkness. Darkness means ignorant, no knowledge. They are mostly animals. "Why they are animals, so civilized men, so well dressed and university education degrees? Why they are in darkness?" Yes, they are in darkness. "What is the proof?" The proof is that they are not Kṛṣṅa conscious. This is the proof. That is their darkness. Ask anybody, item by item, that... Ask, what do they know about Kṛṣṅa. Everyone is ignorant, dark. So that is the proof. How this is proof? Now, Kṛṣṅa says. We do not say; Kṛṣṅa says. How does He say? Na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ, māyayāpahṛta-jñānā [Bg 7.15].

[Those miscreants who are grossly foolish, lowest among mankind, whose knowledge is stolen by illusion, and who partake of the atheistic nature of demons, do not surrender unto Me.]

Apahṛta-jñānā means that although they have got university degrees, although they are called civilized, advanced in material civilization, but māyayāpahṛta-jñānā. Their degrees, because they do not know Kṛṣṅa thoroughly and therefore do not surrender to Kṛṣṅa, which Kṛṣṅa is canvassing personally, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṅaṁ vraja... [Bg 18.66]. He's personally canvassing. Because these rascals and fools, they are in darkness—they do not know what is the goal of life—Kṛṣṅa is so kind that He is canvassing, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṅaṁ vraja. This is the philosophy. So still they are not doing so. Why? Narādhamāḥ. Because the lowest of the mankind, narādhama. How they have become narādhama? Now, duṣkṛtina, always committing sinful life. What is sinful life? Illicit sex, meat-eating, intoxication and gambling. Because they are addicted to these things they are duṣkṛtina and narādhama, lowest of the mankind. And whatever knowledge they are acquiring by so-called education, that is false knowledge. Māyayāpahṛta-jñānā. This is the position.

So Śrī Kṛṣṅa Caitanya and Nityānanda, They came, descended again, being merciful, same Kṛṣṅa. Vrajendra-nandana yei, śacī-sūta hoilo sei. Same Kṛṣṅa. In a different way They canvassed the same principle.

[aside:] You can sit down there. You are sleeping. Don't sleep. Don't show that sleeping.

Devotee: Stand up.

Prabhupāda: Go there. So this is the darkness. And Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu appeared to drive away this darkness—same Kṛṣṅa, the same principle. There is no difference between Kṛṣṅa's preaching and Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu's preaching. There is no difference. The difference is that Kṛṣṅa, as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He is demanding that "You rascal, you surrender unto Me. You are suffering so much. You are rascal. I am your father. I want to see you happy; therefore I have come. Surrender unto Me. I shall give you all protection." Ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo [Bg 18.66]. "You are suffering on account of your duṣkṛti, all sinful activities. Whatever you are doing, all sinful activities."

Except Kṛṣṅa consciousness activities, whatever you do, that is sinful activity. But they have been summarized into four principles. The whole sinful activities of the world, they have been summarized in four lines: no illicit sex, no meat-eating, no gambling, no intoxication. This is the summary. But otherwise, of these activities there are many, many branches. But if you cut the root of sinful activities—this illicit sex and gambling and meat-eating—then generally, automatically other sinful activities will go. Therefore we who are propagating Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement, we are just requesting that you give up this sinful life. Otherwise you will be implicated again.

What is that implication? The implication is that your sinful life will get you next body which is also sinful. And again you suffer. Suffering there is. As soon as you get material body, there is suffering. It may be a king's body or it may be a cobbler's body, it doesn't matter, the suffering is there. But because these people are māyayāpahṛta-jñānā, they are accepting suffering as pleasure. This is called māyā. He's suffering, but he is thinking it is a good pleasure. Just like the pig. He's eating stool, and he's thinking he's enjoying life. This is called ignorant. He does not know that he's suffering. Māyā has given his body to suffer, but even in the pig's body, he's thinking that is enjoying life. This is called māyā. Mohitaṁ nābhijānāti mām ebhyaḥ param avyayam [Bg 7.13].

[Deluded by the three modes [goodness, passion and ignorance], the whole world does not know Me who am above the modes and inexhaustible.]

This is called illusion. Illusion. Everyone in this material world, they are suffering in different grades. Just like in the prison house there are different grades of prisoner: first class, second class, third class. But if the first-class prisoner thinks they are enjoying life, that is ignorance. He should know that he's in the prison house. In the prison house where is there enjoyment? It is all suffering. Maybe first-class suffering, [laughter] but it is suffering. So they are all in the darkness, and Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Nityānanda Prabhu appeared to dissipate, tamo-nudau, to dissipate this darkness of the whole human society. That is Their kindness. They are...

So Nityānanda Prabhu, being prakāśā, He is manifesting Caitanya Mahāprabhu. He's canvassing the same thing. Caitanya Mahāprabhu is canvassing to accept Kṛṣṅa consciousness, and to accept Kṛṣṅa consciousness through the mercy of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Nityānanda Prabhu and Their other assistants is easier. Easier. Therefore we see practically, we have taught our disciples to chant first of all the Pañca-tattva, śrī-kṛṣṅa-caitanya [devotees chant] prabhu-nityānanda, śrī-advaita gadādhara śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda. Thank you. So through the mercy of this Pañca-tattva, easily you can approach Kṛṣṅa. Easily. Otherwise how it is possible? These Europeans, Americans, they did not know what is Kṛṣṅa. Four or five years ago they were unknown. How they have become so devotee of Kṛṣṅa that ten thousand miles, crossing over the sea, they have come here at Māyāpur, unless they have got developed love for this? Their coming is not so easy from neighboring villages, but it costs. They have spent lakhs of dollars—one dollar equal to eight rupees—and they have come here. Why? Through the mercy of Śrī Kṛṣṅa Caitanya. [break] [end]