Founder's Lecture - Caitanya Mahaprabhu's Mood of Worship

Mayapur, West Bengal, June 27, 1973

Knowing that Krsna is difficult to attain, Lord Caitanya and the devotees in His line sustain their lives by service in separation.

nyarundhann udgalad baspam autkanthyad devaki-sute niryaty agaran no ’bhadram iti syad bandhava-striyah

"The female relatives, whose eyes were flooded with tears out of anxiety for Krsna, came out of the palace. They could stop their tears only with great difficulty. They feared that tears would cause misfortune at the time of departure."–Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.10.14

Ladies generally are very apt to shed tears in an ecstatic moment. Krsna was leaving Hastinapura, and the Pandavas and all of the residents of the palace–not only the ladies, the men also–were very, very much affected. We have already discussed this point in the previous verses. Especially the ladies could not check their tears from forcibly coming out. But at the same time they were thinking, "Krsna is going. Everything must be auspicious. There must not be something inauspicious."

They were in a very perplexed position. Tears were coming by force, and they wanted to check them so that there might not be any inauspiciousness in the matter of Krsna’s departure. This is the picture.

These are symptoms of love for Krsna. That is the highest perfection of life–to shed tears for Krsna. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu taught us this method of worship in separation, called vipralambha-seva. Not that we think, "Oh, last night I saw Krsna. He was snatching my clothes." These are the words of the sahajiyas, sentimentalists who think Krsna is easy to attain.

Actually, our worship of Krsna should be in separation. The Six Gosvamis of Vrindavan taught us like that. They are authorized persons, direct followers of Lord Caitanya. They were always searching for Krsna. They never said, "We have got Krsna."

In the Sad-gosvamy-astaka, Srinivasa Acarya has revealed the mood of the Six Gosvamis:

he radhe vraja-devike ca lalite he nanda-suno kutah sri-govardhana-kalpa-padapa-tale kalindi-vane kutah ghosantav iti sarvato vraja-pure khedair maha-vihvalau vande rupa-sanatanau raghu-yugau sri-jiva-gopalakau

"I offer my respectful obeisances unto the Six Gosvamis, namely Sri Rupa Gosvami, Sri Sanatana Gosvami, Sri Raghunatha Bhatta Gosvami, Sri Raghunatha Dasa Gosvami, Sri Jiva Gosvami, and Sri Gopala Bhatta Gosvami, who were chanting very loudly everywhere in Vrindavan, shouting, "Queen of Vrindavan, Radharani! O Lalita! O son of Nanda Maharaja [Krsna]! Where are you all now? Are you just on the hill of Govardhan, or are you under the trees on the bank of the Yamuna? Where are you?' These were their moods in executing Krsna consciousness." Khedair maha-vihvalau: they were lamenting in separation from Krsna. This is the process of worship given by Caitanya Mahaprabhu. He once fell into the ocean, crying, "Oh, I could not see Krsna."

When He was a grhastha, living at home with his wife and mother, He was consulting His mother, "Mother, I could not realize Krsna. What shall I do? Where shall I go?"

His mother said, "My dear son, why are You impatient? Everything will be all right in due course."

Caitanya Mahaprabhu was indicating, "I must leave home." His mother understood. "This boy wants to leave us." Like the ladies in Hastinapur, His mother was also perplexed.

Caitanya Mahaprabhu taught,

yugayitam nimesena caksusa pravrsayitam sunyayitam jagat sarvam govinda-virahena me

"O Govinda [Krsna]! Feeling Your separation, I am considering a moment to be like twelve years or more. Tears are flowing from my eyes like torrents of rain, and I am feeling all vacant in the world in Your absence." (Siksastaka 7) Govinda-virahena: "In separation from Govinda I am thinking one moment to be twelve years." All of us have got this experience. If we want something very, very eagerly, then every moment becomes a long time. "Oh, it is not yet received. It is not yet received. It is not yet done."

Yugayitam nimesena. A moment–the blink of an eye–is called a nimesa. That appears to be twelve years. The gopis, Krsna’s cowherd girlfriends, could not tolerate even the blinking of their eyes. They were condemning the creator. "The creator does not know the art of creating. Why has he created this blinking that disturbs us from seeing Krsna ? He does not know the art of creation." This is love.

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is Krsna Himself, the Absolute Supreme Person, the Supreme Spirit. But He appeared as a devotee in the mood of the gopis to taste the gopis' feelings of love.

Difficult to Attain

For spiritual enjoyment–brahmanubhuti–great saintly persons, sages, give up all material enjoyment. They give up everything.

tapasa brahmacaryena samena ca damena ca tyagena satya-saucabhyam yamena niyamena va

"To concentrate the mind, one must observe a life of celibacy and not fall down. One must undergo the austerity of voluntarily giving up sense enjoyment. One must then control the mind and senses, give charity, be truthful, clean, and nonviolent, follow the regulative principles, and regularly chant the holy name of the Lord." (Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.1.13)

Sukadeva Gosvami said,

ittham satam brahma-sukhanubhutya dasyam gatanam para-daivatena mayasritanam nara-darakena sakam vijahruh krta-punya-punjah

"Here is the Supreme Person, who is considered the impersonal Brahman by great sages, the Supreme Personality of Godhead by devotees, and a product of material nature by ordinary men. Now these boys, who have performed many, many pious activities in their past lives, are playing with that Supreme Personality of Godhead." (Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.12.11)

"Here is Krsna, playing with the cowherds boys. Who is He?" Ittham satam brahma-sukhanubhutya: "The great sages, saintly persons, are trying to taste spiritual realization–that supreme objective is here: He is playing as a cowherd boy." Dasyam gatanam para-daivatena: "For those who are devotees, He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead." Mayasritanam nara-darakena: "Those who are mayasrita, deluded by the material energy, are thinking, 'This Krsna is an ordinary human child.'" Sakam vijahruh krta-punya-punjah: "The boys who are playing with this boy–the transcendental cowherd boy Krsna–are not ordinary. They accumulated pious activities life after life for many, many thousands and millions of lives. Now they have the opportunity to play with Krsna."

This Krsna consciousness movement is very serious and important. In today's verse we see the signs of how the ladies of Hastinapur love Krsna. They cannot check the tears from coming out. "Krsna is going away." But they are thinking, "Oh, if I shed tears then there may be inauspiciousness." How much perplexity! Two sides. Dilemma. Between the horns of Scylla and Charybdis. That is the position. Intense love of God creates such a situation, as Caitanya Mahaprabhu exhibited.

yugayitam nimesena caksusa pravrsayitam sunyayitam jagat sarvam govinda-virahena me

"If I cannot see Govinda, the whole world is vacant." This is love. Not that one thinks, "Let me try to become Krsna conscious. If it is achieved, all right. If it is not, I shall remain in my position. What is the loss?" Not like that. One must be so eager for Krsna consciousness that without attaining it one becomes mad. That is Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's teaching: We should always feel separation from Krsna and not think that we have made direct contact with Him.

Direct contact is not possible for us. Nor is that the method of worshiping Krsna taught by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. That is sahajiya-vada, the way of the sahajiyas. "I am talking with Krsna. Krsna is snatching my clothes."

One lady has written a book in which she says that Krsna comes to her, talks with her, and snatches her clothing. She has written openly. But Krsna is not so cheap. Many sahajiyas think they can attain Krsna by imitating Him, such as by keeping a paramour. But that is not Caitanya Mahaprabhu's way. No. He observed complete sannyasa life. He followed very, very severe, rigid restrictions in regard to associating with women. But now these sahajiyas are carrying on illicit relations with women in the name of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's movement, His sampradaya. They are creating apa-sampradayas, unauthorized sampradayas. In the real Caitanya Mahaprabhu sampradaya one should feel like Caitanya Mahaprabhu: one should feel separation from Krsna.

Always Feel Separation

That is called vipralambha-seva, service in separation: "Oh, I am so wretched that I could not serve Krsna. How can I see Krsna ? It is not possible." That is the mood taught by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. "I do not see Him, nor is it possible for me to see Him. What am I? I am an insignificant person. Why should Krsna come and see me?" This is right. "Why shall I aspire to see Krsna ? What qualification do I have?"

This is bhajana, worship. Why should I be proud and think, "Now I shall see Krsna "? What am I? That is the teaching of Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

aslisya va pada-ratam pinastu mam adarsanan marma-hatam karotu va yatha tatha va vidadhatu lampato mat-prana-nathas tu sa eva naparah

"I know no one but Krsna as my Lord, and He shall remain so even if He handles me roughly by His embrace or makes me brokenhearted by not being present before me. He is completely free to do anything and everything, for He is always my worshipful Lord, unconditionally. (Siksastaka 8). Adarsana: "Without giving me audience, You kill me; You break my heart. Still, You–and nobody else–are my Lord, my worshipable Lord." This is love. "Krsna may not come. I may not see Krsna for thousands and thousands of lives. I may rot in the hellish condition of life for many, many births. That doesn't matter. Still, I cannot give up Krsna consciousness." This is required. I may be sent to hell or heaven; it doesn't matter. What qualification have I got that I want to go back home, back to Godhead? It is not so easy. So why should I be sorry for that? I should be happy even in hell simply by thinking of Krsna. That is wanted. That is Krsna consciousness.

So here is the example. Tears by force are coming out: "Oh, Krsna is going away." At the same time they want to check: "There must not be any inauspiciousness for Krsna." They're thinking about Krsna’s welfare, not their own. Not "Oh, I am now crying. I have become very fortunate. I am crying for Krsna." No. "My crying will create inauspiciousness for Krsna ; I must check it." This is Krsna consciousness.

Thank you very much. Hare Krsna. (end)