Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā 1.3

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

yad advaitaṁ brahmopaniṣadi tad apy asya tanu-bhā ya ātmāntaryāmī puruṣa iti so asya aṁśa-vibhavaḥ ṣaḍ-aiśvaryaiḥ pūrṅaḥ ya bhagavān iha sa svayam ayaṁ na caitanyāt kṛṣṅāj jagati para-tattvaṁ param iha [Cc Ādi 1.3]

[break] [01:04]

"What the Upaniṣads describe as the impersonal Brahman is but the effulgence of His body, and the Lord known as the Supersoul is but His localized plenary portion. He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṅa Himself, full with six opulences. He is the Absolute Truth, and no other truth is greater than or equal to Him."

Prabhupāda:

Now the author, Kṛṣṅadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī, is establishing with great stress that na caitanyāt kṛṣṅāt jagati para-tattvaṁ param iha: "There is no greater truth than Kṛṣṅa Caitanya." We are after truth, so here the author of Caitanya-caritāmṛta, he is asserting that "Here is the Supreme Truth, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu." Na caitanyāt kṛṣṅāt. Kṛṣṅāt, because Kṛṣṅa has appeared as Kṛṣṅa Caitanya.

We have explained this truth yesterday, according to Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya's declaration, vairāgya-vidyā-nija-bhakti-yogaṁ-śikṣārtham ekaḥ puruṣaḥ purāṅaḥ [Cc Madhya 6.254]. Puruṣaḥ purāṅaḥ. Puruṣaḥ purāṅaḥ is Kṛṣṅa. Puruṣaḥ. He is puruṣaḥ, and purāṅaḥ, ādyam, the original person. Govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi. In many Vedic literature Kṛṣṅa is described as the purāṅaḥ puruṣaḥ, the oldest. Purāṅaḥ puruṣaḥ nava-yauvanaṁ ca [Bs 5.33].

[I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, who is inaccessible to the Vedas, but obtainable by pure unalloyed devotion of the soul, who is without a second, who is not subject to decay, is without a beginning, whose form is endless, who is the beginning, and the eternal puruṣa; yet He is a person possessing the beauty of blooming youth.]

Although He is the oldest of all, still, He is always like fresh youth, nava-yauvanaṁ ca. So how it is possible? They are trying to understand God. Sometimes they paint the picture of God as very old man. Because He is the original person, so by this time He must have become very old. This is imagination. This is not actually the form of the Lord.

The form of the Lord is there in the Brahma-saṁhitā and other Vedic literature. Even Śaṅkarācārya, who is a impersonalist, he has accepted Lord Kṛṣṅa as the supreme Nārāyaṅa. In his comment on Bhagavad-gītā he says, nārāyaṅaḥ paraḥ avyaktāt: "Nārāyaṅa is beyond this material creation." And while describing Nārāyaṅa, he has affirmed, sa bhagavān svayaṁ kṛṣṅaḥ: "That Nārāyaṅa is Kṛṣṅa." And he has clearly mentioned, "Now He has appeared as the son of Devakī and Vāsudeva," to confirm just like identification is confirmed when the father's name is there.

So Kṛṣṅa is para-tattva, accepted by all ācāryas. We are not talking of the fools and rascals who are theorizing without any knowledge. We are concerned with the authorities. So authorities... Especially in India, the whole Vedic system is being followed by the people under the authorities of the ācārya. Ācāryavān puruṣo veda. One who is following the path of the ācāryas, he knows. Ācāryavān puruṣo veda. We cannot accept anyone as authority if he does not follow the paramparā, disciplic succession of ācārya. That is the Vedic system. Evaṁ paramparā-prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ [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.]

So Kṛṣṅa is para-tattva. Na caitanyāt kṛṣṅāt jagati para-tattvaṁ param iha. He is very emphatically asserting that "There is no more greater truth than Kṛṣṅa and Kṛṣṅa Caitanya." So according to the Vedic system, if you say something very emphatically, you must prove by Vedic evidences. Otherwise you can go on talking; nobody will hear. Sometimes people ask us about Kṛṣṅa and Caitanya Mahāprabhu, that "What is the Vedic evidences?" So that Vedic evidences will be given, later chapters of Caitanya-caritāmṛta. He is not falsely asserting. Kavirāja Gosvāmī is very, very advanced devotee and scholar. He is not ordinary human being. He was empowered by Madana-mohana.

So nobody should try to write any Vedic literature... Vedic literature means the śruti, smṛti, Purāṅa. They are Vedic literature. Therefore Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī has also confirmed,

śruti-smṛti-purāṅādi- pañcarātriki-vidhiṁ vinā aikāntikī harer bhaktiḥ utpātāyaiva kalpate [Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.2.101]

[Devotional service of the Lord that ignores the authorized Vedic literatures like the Upaniṣads, Purāṅas and Nārada-pañcarātra is simply an unnecessary disturbance in society.]

Utpātā, simply disturbance. Yata mat tata patha: "I can manufacture my own way." This rascaldom has been condemned by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī. He says that harer bhaktiḥ... You will find many so-called bhaktas crying, falling down on the ground. But immediately after, he is smoking bīḍī. So why this is going on? Because they do not follow the injunction of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī. Chanting, dancing very loudly, and after the performance is finished—I have seen it—"Can you give me a bīḍī?" You see? "My throat is now dried up."

So this is utpātā. Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī has described this kind of so-called devotional attitude is simply disturbance. They imitate. Imitate. Therefore Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura has condemned. There are so many apa-sampradāya going on in the name of Caitanya Mahāprabhu's devotee. Who are they? Āula, bāula, kartābhajā, neḍā, daraveśa, sāṅi, sahajiyā, sakhībhekī, smārta, jata-gosāñi. Then ativāḍī, cūḍādhārī, gaurāṅga-nāgarī, tota kahe ei tāra saṅga nāhi kori: Tota Bābājī, he says, "I do not associate with these classes of men." So after disappearance of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, so many apa-sampradāya sprang up. So we should be very much careful that... Sampradāya means who are carefully following the Vedic principle. Therefore Kavirāja Gosvāmī, although asserting the truth, he is prepared to give Vedic evidences. Now he has begun.

The Vedas, they begin with the Upaniṣad. Vedānta-sūtra, Upaniṣad, they are all Vedic literature. Purāṅas, Rāmāyaṅa, Mahābhārata, they are all Vedic literatures. Four Vedas—Sāma, Yajur, Ṛg, Atharva—then the Upaniṣad, then the Vedānta-sūtra, then Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and Vedānta-sūtra is the same thing. It is explanation. Therefore at the end of each chapter of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam it is stated by Vyāsadeva, brahma-sūtrasya bhāṣya. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam means comment on the Brahma-sūtra. Brahma-sūtra is the gist code of all Vedic literature. And then it is explained, athāto brahma jijñāsā. That is explained in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Jīvasya tattva-jijñāsā [SB 1.2.10]:

[Life's desires should never be directed toward sense gratification. One should desire only a healthy life, or self-preservation, since a human being is meant for inquiry about the Absolute Truth. Nothing else should be the goal of one's works.]

"Jīvasya, for living being, the only business is to enquire about the Absolute Truth." That is the only business.

People are in trouble because they have given up their real business. Human life is meant for this business, brahma-jijñāsā, to enquire about the Absolute Truth. We have been given so many facilities by nature. There are so many living entities, they are standing on the ground for many years. The trees, the plants, and the aquatics, for many, many years they are in the water. The flies and insects, for many, many years they are in that condition. And gradually, by evolution, we come to this form of human life. Especially the Āryans, the advanced, civilized human being, he has got all the facilities. The uncivilized men live in the jungle, and they cannot utilize the resources.

[people making noise] [aside:] Ask them to stop. Somebody must remain there.

Tamāla Kṛṣṅa: Someone has to remain there.

Prabhupāda: So therefore Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura, in very simple Bengali song, he says, hari hari biphale janama goṅāinu. This is our life. We have got this human form of life, but we are simply spoiling it. This is the whole situation. In our this movement we are traveling all over the world, and according to our views, how they are spoiling their very valuable human life in false identification that "I am this body," everyone, in big, big names: "I am American," "I am Indian," "I am German," "I am...," and they are spoiling their life under this bodily concept of life. According to śāstra, anyone who is identifying himself this body... That is the first instruction of the Bhagavad-gītā. Kṛṣṅa brought Arjuna to fight with the Kurus, and he identified himself as this body, and therefore he thought, "Killing of my cousin-brothers, it will not be good because I have got bodily relation."

So to dissipate this conception of life—that is the beginning of Bhagavad-gītā—Kṛṣṅa chastised him, Arjuna, aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase [Bg 2.11]. We are talking very, very big, big talks and plans, but actually we are nothing better than cats and dogs. This is our position, because we are identifying with this body. "My country," "my community," "my society," "my family," "my..." Ahaṁ mameti. Jīvasya moho ayam ahaṁ mameti [SB 5.5.8]. They do not know. This is the ignorance, basic ignorance. "I" and "my." "I am this body, and anything in relationship with the body is mine." This is ignorance. But this ignorance is going on all over the world. That's a fact, this ignorance.

Therefore in the beginning the author said,

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

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Nityānanda Prabhu, both of Them have come to deliver these fallen souls of this material world who are in the darkness of conception. So They are fighting all over the world this darkness. Just now somebody told me that the king of the Arabia...

Devotee: Saudi Arabia.

Prabhupāda: ...is killed. He is killed now by his nephew or somebody else. This is going on. Even in family affairs it is going on. Why? This darkness, ahaṁ mameti [SB 5.5.8]. Janasya moho 'yam ahaṁ mameti. So Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu along with His associates, Nityānanda Prabhu, Advaita Prabhu, Gadādhara Prabhu and śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda, they are trying to dissipate the darkness of this false identification. Kṛṣṅa simply instructed Arjuna about his darkness of identity, and He punished him, aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase [Bg 2.11]: "You are talking very big, big words, but you are lamenting on a subject matter on which no learned person laments." Gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca nānuśocanti paṅḍitāḥ. That means "You are fool number one." Paṅḍitāḥ. "No paṅḍita makes like that. Now try to understand what is the position."

Then He said,

dehino 'smin yathā dehe kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ dhīras tatra na muhyati [Bg 2.13]

[As the embodied soul continually passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. The self-realized soul is not bewildered by such a change.]

"First of all try to understand what you are." That is the beginning of Bhagavad-gītā. It is no politics. It is knowledge, pure knowledge. Bhagavad-gītā is pure knowledge. The politicians take advantage of it. The sociologists, the so-called svāmīs, yogīs, they take advantage of it and try to prove their all nonsensical theories. But it is not at all Bhagavad-gītā. Bhagavad-gītā as it is is pure knowledge, beginning with the first knowledge one has to understand, that he is not this body. Because this is the basic principle of all ignorance: "I am this body." "I am American," "I am Indian," "I am brāhmaṅa," "I am this," "I am that"—this is the basic principle. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu also says the same thing in a different way. He says, "I am not a brāhmaṅa, I am not a kṣatriya, I am not a vaiśya, I am not a śūdra, I am not a brahmacārī, I am not a gṛhastha, I am not a vānaprastha, I am not a sannyāsī." These are negation. Then what is the positive? He says, gopī-bhartuḥ pada-kamalayor dāsa-dāsānudāsaḥ [Cc Madhya 13.80]:

[I am not a brāhmaṅa, I am not a kṣatriya, I am not a vaiśya or a śūdra. Nor am I a brahmacārī, a householder, a vānaprastha or a sannyāsī. I identify Myself only as the servant of the servant of the servant of the lotus feet of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṅa, the maintainer of the gopīs. He is like an ocean of nectar, and He is the cause of universal transcendental bliss. He is always existing with brilliance.’]

"I am the servant of the servant of the servant of the gopī-bhartuḥ, Kṛṣṅa, who maintains the gopīs." So this is our identification. But we have forgotten our identification.

kṛṣṅa bhuliya jīva bhoga vāñchā kare pāśate māyā tāre jāpaṭiyā dhare [Prema-vivarta]

[When an individual soul forgets his eternal relationship with God and tries to lord it over the material nature or resources, that condition, that forgetful condition, is called māyā, or illusion.]

We have forgotten our real relationship with Kṛṣṅa, and we are trying to be happy by material adjustment. This is modern civilization. One is thinking, "If I get such nice house, nice motorcar, nice business, nice bank balance, nice wife, nice children..." This is material civilization. But they do not know. Despite all these nice things, he will never be happy. Now you Europeans and Americans, you have got a good qualification. I described many times that you are no more very much interested with all these "nice" things, so-called nice things. Real nice thing is spiritual understanding. That nice things begins, ahaṁ brahmāsmi: "I am not this body." That is the beginning of Bhagavad-gītā. Kṛṣṅa is instructing Arjuna that "You are not this body. You are spirit soul. Try to understand."

So we should learn from Kṛṣṅa. We should learn from Caitanya Mahāprabhu, who is Kṛṣṅa Himself. Therefore the author says that "You accept this authority." Na caitanyāt kṛṣṅāt para-tattvaṁ param iha. If you want knowledge, then... You have missed already, because when Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu appeared five hundred years ago people already became fools and rascals. They did not care for the teachings of Bhagavad-gītā. Therefore He again came as devotee of Kṛṣṅa to teach us how to serve Kṛṣṅa, how to love Kṛṣṅa. This is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's cult, the same thing. When Kṛṣṅa appeared He said, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṅaṁ vraja [Bg 18.66]: "Give up everything, so-called rascaldom. Just surrender to Me." And Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He said the same thing as a devotee: yāre dekha, tāre kaha 'kṛṣṅa'-upadeśa [Cc Madhya 7.128].

[Instruct everyone to follow the orders of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṅa as they are given in the Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. In this way become a spiritual master and try to liberate everyone in this land.]

He did not say anything new.

That is the authenticity. "I have manufactured some way"—these are all rascaldom. The same thing you should... You can... Just like in your country it is said, "Old wine in a new bottle." Similarly, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is teaching the same thing. 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.]

Caitanya Mahāprabhu says the same thing: yāre dekha, tāre kaha 'kṛṣṅa'-upadeśa [Cc Madhya 7.128]. And we are saying the same thing, na kṛṣṅāt caitanyāt para-tattvam: "There is no more superior truth than Kṛṣṅa Caitanya." Why? Because He is talking the same truth as Kṛṣṅa said. This is called paramparā system. What Kṛṣṅa said, Caitanya Mahāprabhu said the same thing, and we are talking the same thing.

So there is no difficulty to understand the Absolute Truth. It may be presented in a different way... Not different way; it is directly. Kṛṣṅa says directly that "You surrender to Me," and Caitanya Mahāprabhu says that "You preach this cult," yāre dekha, tāre kaha 'kṛṣṅa'-upadeśa [Cc Madhya 7.128].

The same thing. We are not going to teach anything which is not spoken by Kṛṣṅa and which is not supported by Kṛṣṅa Caitanyadeva. This is our principle. This is Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement. Kṛṣṅa preached Kṛṣṅa Himself, Caitanya Mahāprabhu preached the same principle, kṛṣṅas tu bhagavān svayam [SB 1.3.28], and we are preaching the same thing.

[All of the above-mentioned incarnations are either plenary portions or portions of the plenary portions of the Lord, but Lord Śrī Kṛṣṅa is the original Personality of Godhead. All of them appear on planets whenever there is a disturbance created by the atheists. The Lord incarnates to protect the theists.]

We do not preach anything else. We do not manufacture anything. That is not our business.

So by the grace of Kṛṣṅa, by the mercy of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, you all European boys and girls joined this movement under my, I mean to say, soliciting. I went to your country with this word only. I did not show you any magic, neither I have any knowledge how to play magic. That is not possible. I simply repeat the same thing, that "Here is Kṛṣṅa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Here is Kṛṣṅa Caitanyadeva, the devotional form of Kṛṣṅa. You accept Them. Your life will be successful."

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Haribol. Haribol. Jaya Prabhupāda. [end]