Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā 1.14

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

pañca-tattvātmakaṁ kṛṣṅaṁ bhakta-rūpa-svarūpakam bhaktāvatāraṁ bhaktākhyaṁ namāmi bhakta-śaktikam [Cc Ādi 1.14]

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"I offer my obeisances unto the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṅa, who is nondifferent from His features as a devotee, devotional incarnation, devotional manifestation, pure devotee and devotional energy."

Prabhupāda:

pañca-tattvātmakaṁ kṛṣṅaṁ bhakta-rūpa-svarūpakam bhaktāvatāraṁ bhaktākhyaṁ namāmi bhakta-śaktikam [Cc Ādi 1.14]

So Śrī Kṛṣṅa Caitanya Mahāprabhu has five features. Kṛṣṅa has five features. Kṛṣṅa means these five features. What are those? Kṛṣṅa, Kṛṣṅa's manifestation, Kṛṣṅa's incarnation, Kṛṣṅa's different potencies, in this way. And Kṛṣṅa, the source of devotional service, He is Kṛṣṅa Caitanya, bhakta-śaktikam. To advance in devotional service requires spiritual strength. It is not so easy thing. That spiritual strength is also Kṛṣṅa, bhakta-śaktikam. There is nothing except Kṛṣṅa. Ekaṁ brahmā dvitīya-nāsti. So we have to understand Him especially in these five features for advancing in devotional service. Therefore His name is pañca-tattvātmakam, with five features, kṛṣṅam, bhakta-rūpa-svarūpakam. Kṛṣṅa is so kind upon us that He is coming as He is, Kṛṣṅa's original, and trying to convince us about the necessity of our life, or the goal of our life. Prayojana. Prayojana: it is necessary. It is not optional—compulsory. If you don't take to Kṛṣṅa consciousness, then you will continue to suffer; therefore it is necessity. It is not that if you like, you can take it; if you don't like, you reject it. If you reject it, then you will suffer. And if you take it, then actually you will enjoy life.

So māyā is very strong. Although it is necessary, māyā is always dictating that it is not necessary. The real necessary is materialistic way of life, this is māyā's dictation. Māyā... We are now given in chance of māyā's jurisdiction. So māyā wants to punish us more and more, because we have forgotten Kṛṣṅa. Great punishment.

kṛṣṅa bhuliya jīva bhoga vāñchā kare pāsate māyā tāre jāpaṭīyā 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.]

Māyā means to give sufficient punishment to the living entities who have forgotten Kṛṣṅa and wants to enjoy material life independently. They are called conditioned soul. Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate [Bg 8.19]. This conditioned life means we accept one type of body, we suffer sufficiently. It is simply suffering. There is no enjoyment. Where is enjoyment? To remain in the womb of the mother for ten months, is that enjoyment? Packed up in airtight bag? Just imagine, if you were put into airtight bag at the present moment, within three seconds you will die. You cannot live without air, even for three seconds. This is our position. And by māyā's arrangement, we have to remain at least for ten months within the airtight bag, embryo, within the abdomen of our mother. So if we cannot live even for three seconds without air, how it was possible to remain in that airtight bag for ten months? That is also Kṛṣṅa's mercy, to allow us to develop the body, so that coming out of the mother's womb we can live independently—to make us strong in the body. But the māyā is so strong that even within that position, the mother is also killing the child. This is Kali-yuga.

So to get a material body is not at all pleasure. It is always miserable condition—from the very beginning and up to the point of death, simply miserable condition. This is intelligence, that the miserable condition means we accept this material body. Therefore, to be out of miserable condition means not to accept again this materi... That should be the aim and objective of life—not to accept. That we have repeatedly said. That can be achieved very easily, tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti [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.]

After giving up this body, we do not accept anymore material body, provided we become fully Kṛṣṅa conscious. At the time of death, if we simply remember Kṛṣṅa, yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran bhāvaṁ tyajaty ante kalevaram... [Bg 8.6].

[Whatever state of being one remembers when he quits his body, that state he will attain without fail.]

That is the highest perfection of life, simply to remember Kṛṣṅa.

That is also the statement in the... If we can consciously remember Kṛṣṅa: "Whatever was possible for me, I have tried to execute. Now this is the last stage. You do whatever You like. That's all." But Kṛṣṅa is very kind. He will at once take you back to home, back to Godhead. Ante nārāyaṅa smṛti. This is the highest perfection of life. Therefore we have to practice Hare Kṛṣṅa, Hare Kṛṣṅa, Kṛṣṅa Kṛṣṅa, Hare Hare / Hare Hare, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. By practicing sadā tad-bhāva-bhāvitaḥ [Bg 8.6], this is required. Always think, man-manā bhava mad-bhaktaḥ. Kṛṣṅa advises, "Always think of Me." Where is the difficulty? We have to think of something. We cannot keep our mind vacant. That is not possible. So make it a point that think of Kṛṣṅa, that's all. Think of Kṛṣṅa, and if you chant, if you engage your tongue, "Hare Kṛṣṅa," and if you hear, then everything is compact in Kṛṣṅa consciousness.

So to achieve strength, Kṛṣṅa is prepared to help us in so many ways. That He is pañca-tattvātmakam, He is coming as Lord Kṛṣṅa and ordering, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṅaṁ vraja [Bg 18.66]. Still we are making mistake; we don't accept Kṛṣṅa's word. Therefore Kṛṣṅa is coming as Caitanya Mahāprabhu, along with His associates Nityānanda Prabhu, Advaita Prabhu, Gadādhara Prabhu, just to teach us the same process: how to surrender to Kṛṣṅa. So our real business is that, how to surrender to Kṛṣṅa. And if we take shelter of Śrī Kṛṣṅa Caitanya Mahāprabhu, along with His associates, then the task becomes very easy. Yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtana-prāyair yajanti hi 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.]

Very easy; not at all difficult. Caitanya Mahāprabhu's method for approaching Kṛṣṅa is very, very easy.

Now we have got this center, Māyāpur center. We have got hundreds of centers, but this is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's birthplace. You have come from very, very distant places all over the world. So here, you simply take prasādam, chant Hare Kṛṣṅa twenty-four hours, then your life is successful. It is not at all difficult. But we are so stubborn that we do not take to Kṛṣṅa consciousness. That is our misfortune. But still, as we struggle against misfortune to become fortunate in the material world, similarly, we have to struggle against misfortune. Māyā is very strong. But the way is also there, how to get out of the clutches of māyā. Pāsate māyā tāre jāpaṭīyā dhare. Māyā has captured by embracing, just like if you capture somebody very tightly, it is very difficult to go out; hands and legs are all caught up. Similarly, we are under the clutches of māyā in that way. But māyā's business is just to punish, but as soon as we surrender to Kṛṣṅa, immediately māyā lets loose. Yes. Māyām etāṁ taranti te [Bg 7.14].

[This divine energy of Mine, consisting of the three modes of material nature, is difficult to overcome. But those who have surrendered unto Me can easily cross beyond it.]

Very easy thing.

So our only request is that take shelter of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, chant always śrī-kṛṣṅa-caitanya prabhu-nityānanda śrī-advaita gadādhara śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda, and

Hare Kṛṣṅa, Hare Kṛṣṅa, Kṛṣṅa Kṛṣṅa, Hare Hare Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare.

[devotees chant also] Thank you. So it is not very difficult task. Anyone, just like the children, the boys, two years, three years old, they are also doing the same thing. Where is the difficulty? Young man can perform the same thing; old man can also perform; everyone can perform, it is so nice. So do not forget this principle,

pañca-tattvātmakaṁ kṛṣṅaṁ bhakta-rūpa-svarūpakam bhaktāvatāraṁ bhaktākhyaṁ namāmi bhakta-śaktikam

Bhakta-śakti, everything requires strength, so we can derive strength by chanting Caitanya Mahāprabhu's name and chanting Hare Kṛṣṅa. You don't require very high education, neither you require to take your birth in very high family. Ahaitukī. Execution of devotional service is independent, completely. It has nothing to do with material condition. Ahaituky apratihatā. No material condition can check it. Who can check it? If all the world over they chant Hare Kṛṣṅa, who can check? No government can check, no Communist party can check. Go on chanting; that is the principle. So ahaituky apratihatā yenātmā suprasīdati, and you will get individually and collectively. [looking for devotee] Where is he? Haridāsa, he went to Moscow?

Devotee: He has gone Hyderabad.

Prabhupāda: He has gone Hyderabad? He was chanting in Moscow. So people could not understand. They were asking, "What you are doing?" "I am singing some cinema song." [laughter] He was telling like that. Very clever. [laughter] "I am singing because the Muscovites, they are after Indian culture." So he said that "This is Hare Kṛṣṅa cinema song." So somehow or other, you can chant even in Moscow.

Devotees: Jaya!

Prabhupāda: Ahaituky apratihatā. That is the point. They are after... Anyone seeking after God, they are very much severely punished. This is their kingdom. But you can take this policy, that you are chanting cinema song, and they will not object. So ahaituky apratihatā. If some black-market means has to be taken for chanting, we have to accept that. What can be done? Our business is to chant, so if there is restriction, śaṭhe śāṭhyaṁ samācaret, we should be also very clever. So anyway, chant Hare Kṛṣṅa mantra and be happy. That is Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement.

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Jaya Prabhupāda. [end]