Sri Caitanya-caritamrta: Adi-lila
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Chapter 14

Lord Caitanya’s Childhood Pastimes

Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura has given a summary of this chapter in his Amrta-pravaha-bhasya: “In this Fourteenth Chapter of the Caitanya-caritamrta there is a description of how Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu enjoyed His childhood pastimes-crawling, crying, eating dirt and giving intelligence to His mother, favoring a brahmana guest, riding on the shoulders of two thieves and misleading them to His own house, and, on the plea of being diseased, taking prasada in the house of Hiranya and Jagadisa on the Ekadasi day. The chapter further describes how He displayed Himself as a naughty boy, how when His mother fainted He brought a coconut to her on His head, how He joked with girls of the same age on the banks of the Ganges, how He accepted worshipful paraphernalia from Srimati Laksmidevi, how He sat down in a garbage pit wherefrom He instructed transcendental knowledge, how He left the pit on the order of His mother, and how He dealt with His father with full affection.”

Adi14.1

TEXT 1

kathancana smrte yasmin

duskaram sukaram bhavet

vismrte viparitam syat

sri-caitanyam namami tam

SYNONYMS

kathancana—somehow or other; smrte—by remembering; yasmin—whom; duskaram—difficult things; sukaram—easy; bhavet—become; vismrte—by forgetting Him; viparitam—just the opposite; syat—become; sri-caitanyam—Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; namami—I offer my respectful obeisances; tam—unto Him.

TRANSLATION

 Things that are very difficult to do become easy to execute if one somehow or other simply remembers Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. But if one does not remember Him, even easy things become very difficult. To this Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu I offer my respectful obeisances.

PURPORT

In his book Caitanya-candramrta Srila Prabodhananda Sarasvati says: “One who receives a little favor from the Lord becomes so exalted that he does not care even for liberation, which is sought after by many great scholars and philosophers. Similarly, a devotee of Lord Caitanya considers residence in the heavenly planets a will-o’-the-wisp. He surpasses the perfection of mystic yoga power because for him the senses are like snakes with broken fangs.” A snake is a very fearful and dangerous animal because of his poison fangs, but if these fangs are broken the appearance of a snake is no cause for fear. The yoga principles are meant to control the senses, but there is no scope for the senses of one engaged in the service of the Lord to be dangerous like snakes. These are the gifts of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

The Hari-bhakti-vilasa confirms that difficult things become easy to understand if one remembers Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and easy things become very difficult to understand if one forgets Him. We actually see that even those who are very great scientists in the eyes of the general public cannot understand the very simple idea that life comes from life because they do not have the mercy of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. They defend the false understanding that life comes from matter, although they cannot prove that this is a fact. Modern civilization, therefore, progressing on the basis of this false scientific theory, is simply creating problems to be solved by the so-called scientists.

The author of Caitanya-caritamrta takes shelter of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu to describe the pastimes of His appearance as a child because one cannot write such transcendental literature by mental speculation. One who writes about the Supreme Personality of Godhead must be especially favored by the Lord. Simply by academic qualifications it is not possible to write such literature.

Adi14.2

TEXT 2

jaya jaya sri-caitanya, jaya nityananda

jayadvaitacandra, jaya gaura-bhakta-vrnda

SYNONYMS

jaya jaya—all glories; sri-caitanya—to Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu; jaya—all glories; nityananda—to Nityananda Prabhu; jaya advaita-candra—all glories to Advaita Acarya; jaya—all glories; gaura-bhakta-vrnda—to all the devotees of the Lord.

TRANSLATION

All glories to Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Nityananda Prabhu, Advaita Prabhu and all the devotees of Lord Caitanya!

Adi14.3

TEXT 3

prabhura kahila ei janmalila-sutra

yasoda-nandana yaiche haila saci-putra

SYNONYMS

prabhura—of the Lord; kahila—I have spoken; ei—thus; janma-lila—pastimes of the birth; sutra—in summary; yasoda-nandana—the son of mother Yasoda; yaiche—as much as; haila—became; saci-putra—the son of mother Saci.

TRANSLATION

I have thus described in brief the advent of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who appeared as the son of mother Saci, exactly as Krsna appeared as the son of mother Yasoda.

PURPORT

Srila Narottama dasa Thakura confirms this statement that now Lord Krsna, the son of mother Yasoda, has appeared again as Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, becoming the son of mother Saci:

vrajendra-nandana yei, saci-suta haila sei,
balarama hailo nitai

“The son of Saci is none other than the son of mother Yasoda and Nanda Maharaja, and Nityananda Prabhu is the same Balarama.”

Adi14.4

TEXT 4

sanksepe kahila janmalila-anukrama

ebe kahi balyalila-sutrera ganana

SYNONYMS

sanksepe—in brief; kahila—I have spoken; janma-lila—the pastimes of birth; anukrama—chronological order; ebe—now; kahi—I shall speak; balya-lila—of the pastimes of childhood; sutrera—of the sutras; ganana—enumeration.

TRANSLATION

I have already briefly spoken about the pastimes of His birth in chronological order. Now I shall give a synopsis of His childhood pastimes.

Adi14.5

TEXT 5

vande caitanya-krsnasya

balya-lilam mano-haram

laukikim api tam isa-

cestaya valitantaram

SYNONYMS

vande—I worship; caitanya-krsnasya—of Lord Caitanya, who is Krsna Himself; balya-lila—pastimes of childhood; manah-haram—which are so beautiful; laukikim—appearing ordinary; api—although; tam—those; isa-cestaya—by manifestation of supreme authority; valita-antaram—quite fit although appearing differently.

TRANSLATION

Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto the childhood pastimes of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who is Lord Krsna Himself. Although such pastimes appear exactly like those of an ordinary child, they should be understood as various pastimes of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

PURPORT

In the Bhagavad-gita (9.11) this statement is confirmed as follows:

avajananti mam mudha
manusim tanum asritam
param bhavam ajananto
mama bhuta-mahesvaram

“Fools deride Me when I descend in the human form. They do not know My transcendental nature and My supreme dominion over all that be.” To execute His pastimes, the Supreme Personality of Godhead appears on this planet or within this universe like an ordinary human being or human child, yet He maintains His superiority as the Supreme Lord. Lord Krsna appeared as a human child, but His uncommon activities, even in His childhood-like the killing of the demon Putana or lifting of Govardana Hill-were not the engagements of an ordinary child. Similarly, although the pastimes of Lord Caitanya, as they will be described in this chapter, appear like the activities of a small boy, they are uncommon pastimes impossible for an ordinary human child to execute.

Adi14.6

TEXT 6

balya-lilaya age prabhura uttana sayana

pita-mataya dekhaila cihna carana

SYNONYMS

balya-lilaya—in His pastimes as a child; age—first of all; prabhura—of the Lord; uttana—turning the body; sayana—lying down; pita-mataya—unto the parents; dekhaila—showed; cihna—marks; carana—of the lotus feet.

TRANSLATION

In His first childhood pastimes the Lord turned upside down while lying on His bed, and thus He showed His parents the marks of His lotus feet.

PURPORT

The word uttana is also used to mean “lying down on the bed face upwards” or “lying down flat on the bed.” In some readings the word is utthana, which means “standing up.” In His childhood pastimes the Lord tried to catch the wall and stand up, but as an ordinary child falls down, so the Lord also fell down and again took to lying on His bed.

Adi14.7

TEXT 7

grhe dui jana dekhi laghupada-cihna

tahe sobhe dhvaja, vajra, sankha, cakra, mina

SYNONYMS

grhe—at home; dui jana—the father and mother; dekhi—seeing; laghu-pada-cihna—the marks of the lotus feet, which were very small at that time; tahe—in those; sobhe—which were beautifully visible; dhvaja—flag; vajra—thunderbolts; sankha—conchshell; cakra—disc; mina—fish.

TRANSLATION

When the Lord tried to walk, in His small footprints the specific marks of Lord Visnu were visible, namely, the flag, thunderbolt, conchshell, disc and fish.

Adi14.8

TEXT 8

dekhiya donhara citte janmila vismaya

kara pada-cihna ghare, na paya niscaya

SYNONYMS

dekhiya—seeing all these marks; donhara—of the parents, Sacimata and Jagannatha Misra; citte—in their hearts; janmila—there was; vismaya—wonder; kara—whose; pada-cihna—footprints; ghare—at home; na—does not; paya—get; niscaya—certainty.

TRANSLATION

Seeing all these marks, neither His father nor His mother could understand whose footprints they were. Thus struck with wonder, they could not understand how those marks could be possible in their home.

Adi14.9

TEXT 9

misra kahe,--balagopala ache sila-sange

tenho murti hana ghare khele, jani, range

SYNONYMS

misra kahe—Jagannatha Misra said; bala-gopala—Lord Krsna as a child; ache—there is; sila-sange—along with the salagrama-sila; tenho—He; murti hana—taking His transcendental form; ghare—within the room; khele—plays; jani—I understand; range—in curiosity.

TRANSLATION

Jagannatha Misra said, “Certainly child Krsna is with the salagrama-sila. Taking His childhood form, He is playing within the room.”

PURPORT

When the form of the Lord is carved from wood, stone or any other element, it is to be understood that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is there. Even logically we can understand that all material elements are expansions of the energy of the Lord. Since the energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is nondifferent from His personal body, the Lord is always present in His energy, and He manifests Himself on account of the ardent desire of a devotee. Since the Lord is supremely powerful, it is logical that He can manifest Himself in His energy. Deity worship or worship of the salagrama-sila is not idol worship. The Deity of the Lord in the house of a pure devotee can act exactly as He can in His original transcendental personality.

Adi14.10

TEXT 10

sei ksane jagi’ nimai karaye krandana

anke lana saci tanre piyaila stana

SYNONYMS

sei ksane—immediately; jagi’-awakening; nimai—the Lord of the name Nimai; karaye—does; krandana—crying; anke—on the lap; lana—taking; saci—mother Saci; tanre—Him; piyaila—caused to suck; stana—breast.

TRANSLATION

While mother Saci and Jagannatha Misra were talking, the child Nimai woke up and began to cry, and mother Saci took Him on her lap and allowed Him to suck her breast.

Adi14.11

TEXT 11

stana piyaite putrera carana dekhila

sei cihna paye dekhi’ misre bolaila

SYNONYMS

stana—her breast; piyaite—while letting Him suck; putrera—of her son; carana—lotus feet; dekhila—observed; sei—those very; cihna—marks; paye—on the sole; dekhi’-seeing; misre—Jagannatha Misra; bolaila—called for.

TRANSLATION

While mother Saci was feeding the child from her breast, she saw on His lotus feet all the marks that were visible on the floor of the room, and she called for Jagannatha Misra.

Adi14.12

TEXT 12

dekhiya misrera ha-ila anandita mati

gupte bolaila nilambara cakravarti

SYNONYMS

dekhiya—by seeing; misrera—of Jagannatha Misra; ha-ila—became; anandita—satisfied; mati—intelligence; gupte—privately; bolaila—called for; nilambara cakravarti—of the name Nilambara Cakravarti.

TRANSLATION

When Jagannatha Misra saw the wonderful marks on the sole of his son, he became very joyful and privately called for Nilambara Cakravarti.

Adi14.13

TEXT 13

cihna dekhi’ cakravarti balena hasiya

lagna gani’ purve ami rakhiyachi likhiya

SYNONYMS

cihna dekhi’-by seeing the marks; cakravarti—Nilambara Cakravarti; balena—says; hasiya—smiling; lagna gani’-by astrological calculation of the birth moment; purve—formerly; ami—I; rakhiyachi—have kept; likhiya—after writing all these things.

TRANSLATION

When Nilambara Cakravarti saw those marks, he smilingly said, "Formerly I ascertained all this by astrological calculation and noted it in writing.

Adi14.14

TEXT 14

batrisa laksana--mahapurusa-bhusana

ei sisu ange dekhi se saba laksana

SYNONYMS

batrisa—thirty-two; laksana—symptoms; maha-purusa—great personality; bhusana—ornament; ei sisu—this child; ange—on the body; dekhi—I see; se—those; saba—all; laksana—symptoms.

TRANSLATION

"There are thirty-two bodily marks that symptomize a great personality, and I see all those marks on the body of this child.

Adi14.15

TEXT 15

panca-dirghah panca-suksmah

sapta-raktah sad-unnatah

tri-hrasva-prthu-gambhiro

dvatrimsal-laksano mahan

SYNONYMS

panca-dirghah—five large; panca-suksmah—five fine; sapta-raktah—seven reddish; sat-unnatah—six raised; tri-hrasva—three small; prthu—three broad; gambhirah—three grave; dva-trimsat—in this way thirty-two; laksanah—symptoms; mahan—of a great personality.

TRANSLATION

" ’There are thirty-two bodily symptoms of a great personality: five of his bodily parts are large, five fine, seven reddish, six raised, three small, three broad and three grave.’

PURPORT

The five large parts are the nose, arms, chin, eyes and knees. The five fine parts are the skin, fingertips, teeth, hair on the body and hair on the head. The seven reddish parts are the eyes, soles, palms, palate, nails, and upper and lower lips. The six raised parts are the chest, shoulders, nails, nose, waist and mouth. The three small parts are the neck, thighs and male organ. The three broad parts are the waist, forehead and chest. The three grave parts are the navel, voice and existence. Altogether these are the thirty-two symptoms of a great personality. This is a quotation from the Samudrika.

Adi14.16

TEXT 16

narayanera cihna-yukta sri-hasta carana

ei sisu sarva loke karibe tarana

SYNONYMS

narayanera—of Lord Narayana; cihna-yukta—with positive marks; sri-hasta carana—the palm and the sole; ei—this; sisu—baby; sarva loke—all the three worlds; karibe—will; tarana—deliver.

TRANSLATION

"This baby has all the symptoms of Lord Narayana on His palms and soles. He will be able to deliver all the three worlds.

Adi14.17

TEXT 17

ei ta’ karibe vaisnava-dharmera pracara

iha haite habe dui kulera nistara

SYNONYMS

ei ta’-this child; karibe—will do; vaisnava—of Vaisnavism, or devotional service; dharmera—of the religion; pracara—preaching; iha haite—from this; habe—there will be; dui—two; kulera—dynasties; nistara—deliverance.

TRANSLATION

"This child will preach the Vaisnava cult and deliver both His maternal and paternal families.

PURPORT

Only Narayana Himself or His bona fide representative can preach the cult of Vaisnavism, or devotional service. When a Vaisnava is born, he delivers both his maternal and paternal families simultaneously.

Adi14.18

TEXT 18

mahotsava kara, saba bolaha brahmana

aji dina bhala,--kariba nama-karana

SYNONYMS

mahotsava—a festival; kara—observe; saba—all; bolaha—call; brahmana—the brahmanas; aji—today; dina—day; bhala—auspicious; kariba—I shall perform; nama-karana—the name-giving ceremony.

TRANSLATION

"I propose to perform a name-giving ceremony. We should observe a festival and call for the brahmanas because today is very auspicious.

PURPORT

It is a Vedic principle to observe a festival in connection with Narayana and brahmanas. Giving a child a particular name is among the purificatory processes known as dasa-vidha-samskara, and on the day of such a ceremony one should observe a festival by worshiping Narayana and distributing prasada, chiefly among the brahmanas.

When Nilambara Cakravarti, Sacimata and Jagannatha Misra understood from the marks on the Lord’s lotus feet that the child Nimai was not an ordinary child but an incarnation of Narayana, they decided that on that very same day, which was very auspicious, they should observe a festival for His name-giving ceremony. In this connection we can particularly see how an incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is ascertained by His bodily symptoms, His activities and the prediction of the sastras. By factual evidence a person can be accepted as an incarnation of God, not whimsically or by the votes of rascals and fools. There have been many imitation incarnations in Bengal since the appearance of Lord Caitanya, but any impartial devotee or learned man can understand that Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu was accepted as an incarnation of Krsna not on the basis of popular votes but by evidence from the sastras and bona fide scholars. It was not ordinary men who accepted Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In the beginning His identity was ascertained by learned scholars like Nilambara Cakravarti, and later all His activities were confirmed by the six Gosvamis, especially Srila Jiva Gosvami and Srila Rupa Gosvami, and many other learned scholars, with evidence from the sastra. An incarnation of God is such from the very beginning of His life. It is not that by performing meditation one can become an incarnation of God all of a sudden. Such false incarnations are meant for fools and rascals, not sane men.

Adi14.19

TEXT 19

sarva-lokera karibe ihan dharana, posana

’visvambhara’ nama ihara,--ei ta’ karana

SYNONYMS

sarva-lokera—of all people; karibe—will do; ihan—this child; dharana—protection; posana—maintenance; visvambhara—the name Visvambhara; nama—name; ihara—His; ei—this; ta’-certainly; karana—the reason.

TRANSLATION

“In the future this child will protect and maintain all the world. For this reason He is to be called Visvambhara.”

PURPORT

The Caitanya-bhagavata also confirms that Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, by His birth, has made the whole world peaceful, as in the past Narayana protected this earth in His incarnation as Varaha. Because of His protecting and maintaining this world in the present Kali-yuga, Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu is Visvambhara, which refers to one who feeds the entire world. The movement inaugurated by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu when He was present five hundred years ago is again being propagated all over the world, and factually we are seeing its practical results. People are being saved, protected and maintained by this Hare Krsna movement. Thousands of followers, especially Western youths, are taking part in this Hare Krsna movement, and how safe and happy they feel can be understood from the expressions of gratitude in their hundreds and thousands of letters. The name Visvambhara is also mentioned in the Atharva-veda-samhita (3.3.16.5): visvambhara visvena ma bharasa pahi svaha.

Adi14.20

TEXT 20

suni’ saci-misrera mane ananda badila

brahmana-brahmani ani’ mahotsava kaila

SYNONYMS

suni’-hearing this; saci—of mother Saci; misrera—and of Jagannatha Misra; mane—within the minds; ananda—pleasure; badila—increased; brahmana—the brahmanas; brahmani—and their wives; ani’-inviting them; mahotsava—a festival; kaila—observed.

TRANSLATION

After hearing Nilambara Cakravarti’s prediction, Sacimata and Jagannatha Misra observed the name-giving festival in great joy, inviting all the brahmanas and their wives.

PURPORT

It is the Vedic system to observe all kinds of festivals, including birthday festivals, marriage festivals, name-giving festivals and festivals marking the beginning of education, by especially inviting brahmanas. In every festival the brahmanas are to be fed first, and when the brahmanas are pleased they bless the festival by chanting Vedic mantras or the Hare Krsna maha-mantra.

Adi14.21

TEXT 21

tabe kata dine prabhura janu-cankramana

nana camatkara tatha karaila darsana

SYNONYMS

tabe—thereafter; kata—some; dine—days; prabhura—of the Lord; janu—knees; cankramana—the crawling; nana—various; camatkara—wonderful; tatha—also; karaila—caused; darsana—the sight.

TRANSLATION

After some days the Lord began to crawl on His knees, and He caused various wonderful things to be seen.

PURPORT

The Caitanya-bhagavata describes that one day while the Lord was crawling upon His knees, the bells on His waist ringing very sweetly, a snake came out to crawl in the yard of the Lord, who captured the snake like a curious child. Immediately the snake coiled over Him. The Lord as a child then rested on the snake, and after some time the snake went away, leaving aside the Lord.

Adi14.22

TEXT 22

krandanera chale balaila hari-nama

nari saba ’hari’ bale,--hase gaura-dhama

SYNONYMS

krandanera—of crying; chale—on the pretense of; balaila—caused to speak; hari-nama—the holy name of the Lord; nari—ladies; saba—all; ’hari’ bale—chant the holy name of the Lord; hase—laughs; gaura-dhama—Lord Sri Caitanya as a child.

TRANSLATION

The Lord caused all the ladies to chant the holy names of the Hare Krsna maha-mantra on the plea of His crying, and while they chanted the Lord would smile.

PURPORT

In the Caitanya-bhagavata this pastime is described as follows: “The Lord, with His beautiful eyes, would cry, but He would stop immediately upon hearing the Hare Krsna maha-mantra. When the ladies, understanding the fun of the Lord, discovered that He would cry and then stop upon hearing the chanting of the Hare Krsna mantra, they all took it as a clue to chant Hare Krsna as soon as the Lord cried. Thus it became a regular function. The Lord would cry, and the ladies would begin chanting the Hare Krsna maha-mantra, clapping their hands. In this way all the ladies of the neighboring houses would assemble in the home of Sacimata to join in the sankirtana movement twenty-four hours a day. As long as the ladies continued to chant the Hare Krsna maha-mantra, the Lord would not cry but very pleasingly smile upon them.”

Adi14.23

TEXT 23

tabe kata dine kaila pada-cankramana

sisu-gane mili’ kaila vividha khelana

SYNONYMS

tabe—thereafter; kata dine—in a few days; kaila—did; pada—legs; cankramana—movement; sisu-gane—all the children; mili’-mingling together; kaila—executed; vividha—varieties; khelana—sporting.

TRANSLATION

After some days the Lord began to move His legs and walk. He mixed with other children and exhibited various sports.

Adi14.24

TEXT 24

ekadina saci kha-i-sandesa aniya

bata bhari’ diya baila,--khao ta’ basiya

SYNONYMS

eka-dina—one day; saci—mother Saci; kha-i—fused rice; sandesa—sweetmeat; aniya—bringing; bata—tiffin dish; bhari’-filling; diya—delivering; baila—said; khao—eat; ta’-now; basiya—sitting down.

TRANSLATION

One day while the Lord was enjoying His playful sports with the other little children, mother Saci brought a dish filled with fused rice and sweetmeats and asked the child to sit down and eat them.

Adi14.25

TEXT 25

eta bali’ gela saci grhe karma karite

lukana lagila sisu mrttika khaite

SYNONYMS

eta bali’-saying this; gela—returned; saci—mother Saci; grhe—in the house; karma—duties; karite—to execute; lukana—hiding; lagila—began; sisu—the child; mrttika—dirt; khaite—to eat.

TRANSLATION

But when she returned to her household duties, the child hid from His mother and began to eat dirt.

Adi14.26

TEXT 26

dekhi’ saci dhana aila kari’ ’haya, haya’

mati kadi’ lana kahe ’mati kene khaya’

SYNONYMS

dekhi’-seeing this; saci—mother Saci; dhana—rushing; aila—came back; kari’-making a noise; haya, haya—“What is this! What is this!”; mati—dirt; kadi’-snatching; lana—taking; kahe—she said; ’mati kene khaya’-why is the child eating dirt?

TRANSLATION

Seeing this, mother Saci hastily returned and exclaimed, “What is this! What is this!” She snatched the dirt from the hands of the Lord and inquired why He was eating it.

Adi14.27

TEXT 27

kandiya balena sisu,--kene kara rosa

tumi mati khaite dile, mora kiba dosa

SYNONYMS

kandiya—while crying; balena—says; sisu—the child; kene—why; kara—you become; rosa—angry; tumi—you; mati—dirt; khaite—to eat; dile—gave Me; mora—My; kiba—what is; dosa—fault.

TRANSLATION

Crying, the child inquired from His mother, "Why are you angry? You have already given Me dirt to eat. What is My fault?

Adi14.28

TEXT 28

kha-i-sandesa-anna yateka--matira vikara

eho mati, seha mati, ki bheda-vicara

SYNONYMS

kha-i—fused rice; sandesa—sweetmeat; anna—eatables; yateka—all; matira—of dirt; vikara—transformations; eho—this is also; mati—dirt; seha—that; mati—dirt; ki—what; bheda—of difference; vicara—consideration.

TRANSLATION

"Fused rice, sweetmeats and all other eatables are but transformations of dirt. This is dirt, that is dirt. Please consider. What is the difference between them?

Adi14.29

TEXT 29

mati--deha, mati--bhaksya, dekhaha vicari’

avicare deha dosa, ki balite pari

SYNONYMS

mati-dirt; deha-this body; mati-dirt; bhaksya-eatable; dekhaha-just try to see; vicari’-by consideration; avicare-without considering; deha-you put; dosa-fault upon Me; ki-what; balite-to say; pari-I am able.

TRANSLATION

“This body is a transformation of dirt, and the eatables are also a transformation of dirt. Please reflect upon this. You are blaming Me without consideration. What can I say?”

PURPORT

This is an explanation of the Mayavada philosophy, which takes everything to be one. The necessities of the body, namely, eating, sleeping, mating and defending, are all unnecessary in spiritual life. When one is elevated to the spiritual platform there are no more bodily necessities, and in activities pertaining to the bodily necessities there are no spiritual considerations. In other words, the more we eat, sleep, have sex and try to defend ourselves, the more we engage in material activities. Unfortunately, Mayavadi philosophers consider devotional activities to be bodily activities. They cannot understand the simple explanation in Bhagavad-gita (14.26):

mam ca yo ’vyabhicarena
bhakti-yogena sevate
sa gunan samatityaitan
brahma-bhuyaya kalpate

“Anyone who engages in spiritual devotional service without motivation, rendering such service for the satisfaction of the Lord, is elevated immediately to the spiritual platform, and all his activities are spiritual.” Brahma-bhuyaya refers to Brahman (spiritual) activities. Although Mayavadi philosophers are very eager to merge into the Brahman effulgence, they have no Brahman activities. To a certain extent they recommend Brahman activities, which for them means engagement in studying the Vedanta and Sankhya philosophies, but their interpretations are but dry speculation. Lacking the varieties of spiritual activity, they cannot stay for long on that platform of simply studying Vedanta or Sankhya philosophy.

Life is meant for varieties of enjoyment. The living entity is by nature full of an enjoying spirit, as stated in the Vedanta-sutra (1.1.12): ananda-mayo ’bhyasat. In devotional service the activities are variegated and full of enjoyment. As stated in Bhagavad-gita (9.2), all devotional activities are easy to perform (su-sukham kartum) and they are eternal and spiritual (avyayam). Since Mayavadi philosophers cannot understand this, they take it for granted that a devotee’s activities (sravanam kirtanam visnoh smaranam pada-sevanam, etc.) are all material and are therefore maya. They also consider Krsna’s advent in this universe and His activities to be maya. Therefore, because they consider everything maya, they are known as Mayavadis.

Actually, any activities performed favorably for the satisfaction of the Lord, under the direction of the spiritual master, are spiritual. But for a person to disregard the order of the spiritual master and act by concoction, accepting his nonsensical activities to be spiritual, is maya. One must achieve the favor of the Supreme Personality of Godhead through the mercy of the spiritual master. Therefore one must first please the spiritual master, and if he is pleased, then we should understand that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is also pleased. But if the spiritual master is displeased by our actions, they are not spiritual. Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura confirms this: yasya prasadad bhagavat-prasado yasyaprasadan na gatih kuto ’pi. Activities that please the spiritual master must be considered spiritual, and they should be accepted as satisfying to the Lord.

Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, as the supreme spiritual master, instructed His mother about the Mayavada philosophy. By saying that the body is dirt and eatables are also dirt, He implied that everything is maya. This is Mayavada philosophy. The philosophy of the Mayavadis is defective because it maintains that everything is maya but the nonsense they speak. While saying that everything is maya, the Mayavadi philosopher loses the opportunity of devotional service, and therefore his life is doomed. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu therefore advised, mayavadi-bhasya sunile haya sarva-nasa (Cc. Madhya 6.169). If one accepts the Mayavada philosophy, his advancement is doomed forever.

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