Adi7.142

TEXT 142

sei sarva-vedera ’abhidheya’ nama

sadhana-bhakti haite haya premera udgama

SYNONYMS

sei sarva-vedera—that is the essence of all Vedic literature; abhidheya nama—the process called abhidheya, or devotional activities; sadhana-bhakti—another name of this process, “devotional service in practice”; haite—from this; haya—there is; premera—of love of Godhead; udgama—awakening.

TRANSLATION

"By practicing this regulated devotional service under the direction of the spiritual master, certainly one awakens his dormant love of Godhead. This process is called abhidheya.

PURPORT

By the practice of devotional service, beginning with hearing and chanting, the impure heart of a conditioned soul is purified, and thus he can understand his eternal relationship with the Supreme personality of Godhead. That eternal relationship is described by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu: jivera ’svarupa’ haya krsnera ’nitya-dasa’. “The living entity is an eternal servitor of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.” When one is convinced about this relationship, which is called sambandha, he then acts accordingly. That is called abhidheya. The next step is prayojana-siddhi, or fulfillment of the ultimate goal of one’s life. If one can understand his relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead and act accordingly, automatically his mission in life is fulfilled. The Mayavadi philosophers miss even the first stage in self-realization because they have no conception of God’s being personal. He is the master of all, and He is the only person who can accept the service of all living entities, but since this knowledge is lacking in Mayavada philosophy, Mayavadis do not have knowledge even of their relationship with God. They wrongly think that everyone is God or that everyone is equal to God. Therefore, since the real position of the living entity is not clear to them, how can they advance further? Although they are very puffed-up at being liberated, Mayavadi philosophers very shortly fall down again to material activities due to their neglecting the lotus feet of the Lord. That is called patanty adhah.

aruhya krcchrena param padam tatah
patanty adho ’nadrta-yusmad-anghrayah

(Bhag. 10.2.32)

>It is the statement of Prahlada Maharaja that persons who think themselves liberated but do not execute devotional service, not knowing their relationship with the Lord, are certainly misled. One must know his relationship with the Lord and act accordingly. Then the fulfillment of his life’s mission will be possible.

Adi7.143

TEXT 143

krsnera carane haya yadi anuraga

krsna vinu anyatra tara nahi rahe raga

SYNONYMS

krsnera—of Krsna; carane—at the lotus feet; haya—becomes; yadi—if; anuraga—attachment; krsna—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; vinu—without; anyatra—anywhere else; tara—his; nahi—there does not; rahe—remain; raga—attachment.

TRANSLATION

"If one develops his love of Godhead and becomes attached to the lotus feet of Krsna, gradually he loses his attachment to everything else.

PURPORT

This is a test of advancement in devotional service. As stated in Srimad-Bhagavatam (11.2.42), bhaktir paresanubhavo viraktir anyatra ca: in bhakti, a devotee’s only attachment is Krsna; he no longer wants to maintain his attachments to many other things. Although Mayavadi philosophers are supposed to be very advanced on the path of liberation, we see that after some time they descend to politics and philanthropic activities. Many big sannyasis who were supposedly liberated and very advanced have come down again to materialistic activities, although they left this world as mithya (false). When a devotee develops in devotional service, however, he no longer has attachments to such philanthropic activities. He is simply inspired to serve the Lord, and he engages his entire life in such service. This is the difference between Vaisnava and Mayavadi philosophers. Devotional service, therefore, is practical, whereas Mayavada philosophy is merely mental speculation.

Adi7.144

TEXT 144

pancama purusartha sei prema-mahadhana

krsnera madhurya-rasa karaya asvadana

SYNONYMS

pancama—fifth; purusa-artha—goal of life; sei—that; prema—love of God; maha-dhana—foremost wealth; krsnera—of Lord Krsna; madhurya—conjugal love; rasa—mellow; karaya—causes; asvadana—taste.

TRANSLATION

"Love of Godhead is so exalted that it is considered to be the fifth goal of human life. By awakening one’s love of Godhead, one can attain the platform of conjugal love, tasting it even during the present span of life.

PURPORT

The Mayavadi philosophers consider the highest goal of perfection to be liberation (mukti), which is the fourth perfectional platform. Generally people are aware of four principal goals of life-religiosity (dharma), economic development (artha), sense gratification (kama) and ultimately liberation (moksa)-but devotional service is situated on the platform above liberation. In other words, when one is actually liberated (mukta) he can understand the meaning of love of Godhead (krsna-prema). While teaching Rupa Gosvami, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu stated, koti-mukta-madhye ’durlabha’ eka krsna-bhakta: “Out of millions of liberated persons, one may become a devotee of Lord Krsna.”

Adi7.145

TEXT 145

prema haite krsna haya nija bhakta-vasa

prema haite paya krsnera seva-sukha-rasa

SYNONYMS

prema—love of Krsna; haite—from; krsna—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; haya—becomes; nija—His own; bhakta-vasa—submissive to devotees; prema—love of God; haite—from; paya—he gets; krsnera—of Lord Krsna; seva-sukha-rasa—the mellow of devotional service.

TRANSLATION

"The Supreme Lord, who is greater than the greatest, becomes submissive to even a very insignificant devotee because of his devotional service. It is the beautiful and exalted nature of devotional service that the infinite Lord becomes submissive to the infinitesimal living entity because of it. In reciprocal devotional activities with the Lord, the devotee actually enjoys the transcendental mellow quality of devotional service.

PURPORT

Becoming one with the Supreme Personality of Godhead is not very important for a devotee. Muktih svayam mukulitanjali sevate ’sman (Krsna-karnamrta 107). Speaking from his actual experience, Srila Bilvamangala Thakura says that if one develops love of Godhead, mukti (liberation) becomes subservient and unimportant to him. Mukti stands before the devotee and is prepared to render all kinds of services. The Mayavadi philosophers’ standard of mukti is very insignificant for a devotee, for by devotional service even the Supreme Personality of Godhead becomes subordinate to him. An actual example is that the Supreme Lord Krsna became the chariot driver of Arjuna, and when Arjuna asked Him to draw his chariot between the two armies (senayor ubhayor madhye ratham sthapaya me ’cyuta), Krsna executed his order. Such is the relationship between the Supreme Lord and a devotee that although the Lord is greater than the greatest, He is prepared to render service to the insignificant devotee by dint of his sincere and unalloyed devotional service.

Adi7.146

TEXT 146

sambandha, abhidheya, prayojana nama

ei tina artha sarva-sutre paryavasana

SYNONYMS

sambandha—relationship; abhidheya—functional duties; prayojana—the goal of life; nama—name; ei—there; tina—three; artha—purport; sarva—all; sutre—in the aphorisms of the Vedanta; paryavasana—culmination.

TRANSLATION

“One’s relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, activities in terms of that relationship, and the ultimate goal of life [to develop love of God]-these three subjects are explained in every aphorism of the Vedanta-sutra, for they form the culmination of the entire Vedanta philosophy.”

PURPORT

Adi7.147

TEXT 147

ei-mata sarva-sutrera vyakhyana suniya

sakala sannyasi kahe vinaya kariya

SYNONYMS

ei-mata—in this way; sarva-sutrera—of all the aphorisms of the Vedanta-sutra; vyakhyana—explanation; suniya—by hearing; sakala—all; sannyasi—the groups of Mayavadi sannyasis; kahe—said; vinaya—humbly; kariya—doing so.

TRANSLATION

When all the Mayavadi sannyasis thus heard the explanation of Caitanya Mahaprabhu on the basis of sambandha, abhidheya and prayojana, they spoke very humbly.

PURPORT

Everyone who actually desires to understand the Vedanta philosophy must certainly accept the explanation of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu or the Vaisnava acaryas who have also commented on the Vedanta-sutra according to the principles of bhakti-yoga. After hearing the explanation of the Vedanta-sutra from Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, all the sannyasis, headed by Prakasananda Sarasvati, became very humble and obedient to the Lord, and they spoke as follows.

Adi7.148

TEXT 148

vedamaya-murti tumi,--saksat narayana

ksama aparadha,--purve ye kailun nindana

SYNONYMS

veda-maya—transformation of the Vedic knowledge; murti—form; tumi—You; saksat—directly; narayana—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; ksama—excuse; aparadha—offense; purve—before; ye—that; kailun—we have done; nindana—criticism.

TRANSLATION

“Dear sir, You are Vedic knowledge personified and are directly Narayana Himself. Kindly excuse us for the offenses we previously committed by criticizing You.”

PURPORT

The complete path of bhakti-yoga is based upon the process of becoming humble and submissive. By the grace of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, all the Mayavadi sannyasis were very humble and submissive after hearing His explanation of the Vedanta-sutra, and they begged to be pardoned for the offenses they had committed by criticizing the Lord for simply chanting and dancing and not taking part in the study of the Vedanta-sutra. We are propagating the Krsna consciousness movement simply by following in the footsteps of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. We may not be very well versed in the Vedanta-sutra aphorisms and may not understand their meaning, but we follow in the footsteps of the acaryas, and because of our strictly and obediently following in the footsteps of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, it is to be understood that we know everything regarding the Vedanta-sutra.

Adi7.149

TEXT 149

sei haite sannyasira phiri gela mana

’krsna’ ’krsna’ nama sada karaye grahana

SYNONYMS

sei haite—from that time; sannyasira—all the Mayavadi sannyasis; phiri—turn; gela—became; mana—mind; krsna krsna—the holy name of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna; nama—name; sada—always; karaye—do; grahana—accept.

TRANSLATION

From that moment when the Mayavadi sannyasis heard the explanation of the Vedanta-sutra from the Lord, their minds changed, and on the instruction of Caitanya Mahaprabhu, they too chanted “Krsna! Krsna!” always.

PURPORT

In this connection it may be mentioned that sometimes the sahajiya class of devotees opine that Prakasananda Sarasvati and Prabodhananda Sarasvati are the same man. Prabodhananda Sarasvati was a great Vaisnava devotee of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, but Prakasananda Sarasvati, the head of the Mayavadi sannyasis in Benares, was a different person. Prabodhananda Sarasvati belonged to the Ramanuja-sampradaya, whereas Prakasananda Sarasvati belonged to the Sankaracarya-sampradaya. Prabodhananda Sarasvati wrote a number of books, among which are the Caitanya-candramrta, Radha-rasa-sudha-nidhi, Sangita-madhava, Vrndavana-sataka and Navadvipa-sataka. While traveling in southern India, Caitanya Mahaprabhu met Prabodhananda Sarasvati, who had two brothers, Venkata Bhatta and Tirumalaya Bhatta, who were Vaisnavas of the Ramanuja-sampradaya. Gopala Bhatta Gosvami was the nephew of Prabodhananda Sarasvati. From historical records it is found that Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu traveled in South India in the year 1433 sakabda (A.D. 1511) during the Caturmasya period, and it was at that time that He met Prabodhananda, who belonged to the Ramanuja-sampradaya. How then could the same person meet Him as a member of the Sankara-sampradaya in 1435 sakabda, two years later? It is to be concluded that the guess of the sahijiya-sampradaya that Prabodhananda Sarasvati and Prakasananda Sarasvati were the same man is a mistaken idea.

Adi7.150

TEXT 150

ei-mate tan-sabara ksami’ aparadha

sabakare krsna-nama karila prasada

SYNONYMS

ei-mate—in this way; tan-sabara—of all the sannyasis; ksami’-excusing; aparadha—offense; sabakare—all of them; krsna-nama—the holy name of Krsna; karila—gave; prasada—as mercy.

TRANSLATION

Thus Lord Caitanya excused all the offenses of the Mayavadi sannyasis and very mercifully blessed them with krsna-nama.

PURPORT

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is the mercy incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is addressed by Srila Rupa Gosvami as maha-vadanyavatara, or the most magnanimous incarnation. Srila Rupa Gosvami also says, karunayavatirnah kalau: it is only by His mercy that He has descended in this Age of Kali. Here this is exemplified. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu did not like to see Mayavadi sannyasis because He thought of them as offenders to the lotus feet of Krsna, but here He excuses them (tan-sabara ksami’ aparadha). This is an example in preaching. Apani acari’ bhakti sikhaimu sabare. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu teaches us that those whom preachers meet are almost all offenders who are opposed to Krsna consciousness, but it is a preacher’s duty to convince them of the Krsna consciousness movement and then induce them to chant the Hare Krsna maha-mantra. Our propagation of the sankirtana movement is continuing, despite many opponents, and people are taking up this chanting process even in remote parts of the world like Africa. By inducing the offenders to chant the Hare Krsna mantra, Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu exemplified the success of the Krsna consciousness movement. We should follow very respectfully in the footsteps of Lord Caitanya, and there is no doubt that we shall be successful in our attempts.

Adi7.151

TEXT 151

tabe saba sannyasi mahaprabhuke laiya

bhiksa karilena sabhe, madhye vasaiya

SYNONYMS

tabe—after this; saba—all; sannyasi—the Mayavadi sannyasis; mahaprabhuke—Caitanya Mahaprabhu; laiya—taking Him; bhiksa karilena—took prasada, or took lunch; sabhe—all together; madhye—in the middle; vasaiya—seating Him.

TRANSLATION

After this, all the sannyasis took the Lord in their midst, and thus they all took their meal together.

PURPORT

Previously Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu neither mixed nor talked with the Mayavadi sannyasis, but now He is taking lunch with them. It is to be concluded that when Lord Caitanya induced them to chant Hare Krsna and excused them for their offenses, they were purified, and therefore there was no objection to taking lunch, or bhagavat-prasada, with them, although Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu knew that the food was not offered to the Deity. Mayavadi sannyasis do not worship the Deity, or if they do so they generally worship the deity of Lord Siva or the pancopasana (Lord Visnu, Lord Siva, Durgadevi, Ganesa and Surya). Here we do not find any mention of the demigods or Visnu, and yet Caitanya Mahaprabhu accepted food in the midst of the sannyasis on the basis that they had chanted the Hare Krsna maha-mantra and that He had excused their offenses.

Adi7.152

TEXT 152

bhiksa kari’ mahaprabhu aila vasaghara

hena citra-lila kare gauranga-sundara

SYNONYMS

bhiksa—accepting food from others; kari’-accepting; mahaprabhu—Lord Caitanya; aila—returned; vasaghara—to His residence; hena—thus; citra-lila—wonderful pastimes; kare—does; gauranga—Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; sundara—very beautiful.

TRANSLATION

After taking lunch among the Mayavadi sannyasis, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who is known as Gaurasundara, returned to His residence. Thus the Lord performs His wonderful pastimes.

Adi7.153

TEXT 153

candrasekhara, tapana misra, ara sanatana

suni’ dekhi’ anandita sabakara mana

SYNONYMS

candrasekhara—of the name Candrasekhara; tapana misra—of the name Tapana Misra; ara—and; sanatana—of the name Sanatana; suni’-hearing; dekhi’-seeing; anandita—very pleased; sabakara—all of them; mana—minds.

TRANSLATION

Hearing the arguments of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and seeing His victory, Candrasekhara, Tapana Misra and Sanatana Gosvami were all extremely pleased.

PURPORT

Here is an example of how a sannyasi should preach. When Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu went to Varanasi, He went there alone, not with a big party. Locally, however, He made friendships with Candrasekhara and Tapana Misra, and Sanatana Gosvami also came to see Him. Therefore, although He did not have many friends there, due to His sound preaching and His victory in arguing with the local sannyasis on the Vedanta philosophy, He became greatly famous in that part of the country, as explained in the next verse.

Adi7.154

TEXT 154

prabhuke dekhite aise sakala sannyasi

prabhura prasamsa kare saba varanasi

SYNONYMS

prabhuke—unto Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu; dekhite—to see; aise—they came; sakala—all; sannyasi—the Mayavadi sannyasis; prabhura—of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu; prasamsa—praise; kare—they do; saba—all; varanasi—the city of Varanasi.

TRANSLATION

Many Mayavadi sannyasis of Varanasi came to see the Lord after this incident, and the entire city praised Him.

Adi7.155

TEXT 155

varanasi-puri aila sri-krsna-caitanya

puri-saha sarva-loka haila maha-dhanya

SYNONYMS

varanasi—of the name Varanasi; puri—city; aila—came; sri-krsna-caitanya—Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; puri—city; saha—with; sarva-loka—all the people; haila—became; maha-dhanya—thankful.

TRANSLATION

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu visited the city of Varanasi, and all of its people were very thankful.

Adi7.156

TEXT 156

laksa laksa loka aise prabhuke dekhite

maha-bhida haila dvare, nare pravesite

SYNONYMS

laksa laksa—hundreds ofthousands; loka—people; aise—came; prabhuke—unto the Lord; dekhite—to see; maha-bhida—a great crowd; haila—there happened; dvare—at the door; nare—may not; pravesite—to enter.

TRANSLATION

The crowd at the door of His residence was so great that it numbered hundreds of thousands.

Adi7.157

TEXT 157

prabhu yabe ya’na visvesvara-darasane

laksa laksa loka asi’ mile sei sthane

SYNONYMS

prabhu—Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu; yabe—when; ya’na—goes; visvesvara—the deity of Varanasi; darasane—to visit; laksa laksa—hundreds of thousands; loka—people; asi’-come; mile—meet; sei—that; sthane—on the place.

TRANSLATION

When the Lord went to visit the temple of Visvesvara, hundreds of thousands of people assembled to see Him.

PURPORT

The important point in this verse is that Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu regularly visited the temple of Visvesvara (Lord Siva) at Varanasi. Vaisnavas generally do not visit a demigod’s temple, but here we see that Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu regularly visited the temple of Visvesvara, who was the predominating deity of Varanasi. Generally Mayavadi sannyasis and worshipers of Lord Siva live in Varanasi, but how is it that Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who took the part of a Vaisnava sannyasi, also visited the Visvesvara temple? The answer is that a Vaisnava does not behave impudently toward the demigods. A Vaisnava gives proper respect to all, although he never accepts a demigod to be as good as the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

In the Brahma-samhita there are mantras offering obeisances to Lord Siva, Lord Brahma, the sun-god and Lord Ganesa, as well as Lord Visnu, all of whom are worshiped by the impersonalists as pancopasana. In their temples impersonalists also install deities of Lord Visnu, Lord Siva, the sun-god, Goddess Durga and sometimes Lord Brahma also, and this system is continuing at present in India under the guise of the Hindu religion. Vaisnavas can also worship all these demigods, but only on the principles of the Brahma-samhita, which is recommended by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. We may note in this connection the mantras for worshiping Lord Siva, Lord Brahma, Goddess Durga, the sun-god and Ganesa, as described in the Brahma-samhita.

srsti-sthiti-pralaya-sadhana-saktir eka
chayeva yasya bhuvanani bibharti durga
icchanurupam api yasya ca cestate sa
govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami

Adi7.158

TEXT 158

snana karite yabe ya’na ganga-tire

tahani sakala loka haya maha-bhide

SYNONYMS

snana—bath; karite—taking; yabe—when; ya’na—goes; ganga—Ganges; tire—bank; tahani—then and there; sakala—all; loka—people; haya—assembled; maha-bhide—in great crowds.

TRANSLATION

Whenever Lord Caitanya went to the banks of the Ganges to take His bath, big crowds of many hundreds of thousands of people also assembled there.

Adi7.159

TEXT 159

bahu tuli’ prabhu bale,--bala hari hari

hari-dhvani kare loka svarga-martya bhari’

SYNONYMS

bahu tuli’-raising the arms; prabhu—Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; bale—speaks; bala—all of you chant; hari hari—the holy name of Lord Krsna (Hari); hari-dhvani—the sound vibration of Hari; kare—does; loka—all people; svarga-martya—in heaven, the sky and the land; bhari’-completely filling.

TRANSLATION

Whenever the crowds were too great, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu stood up, raised His hands and chanted, “Hari! Hari!” to which all the people responded, filling both the land and sky with the vibration.

Adi7.160

TEXT 160

loka nistariya prabhura calite haila mana

vrndavane pathaila sri-sanatana

SYNONYMS

loka—people; nistariya—delivering; prabhura—of the Lord; calite—to leave; haila—became; mana—mind; vrndavane—toward Vrndavana; pathaila—sent; sri-sanatana—Sanatana Gosvami.

TRANSLATION

After thus delivering the people in general, the Lord desired to leave Varanasi. After instructing Sri Sanatana Gosvami, He sent him toward Vrndavana.

PURPORT

The actual purpose of Lord Caitanya’s stay at Varanasi after coming back from Vrndavana was to meet Sanatana Gosvami and teach him. Sanatana Gosvami met Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu after the Lord’s return to Varanasi, where the Lord taught him for two months about the intricacies of Vaisnava philosophy and Vaisnava activities. After completely instructing him, He sent him to Vrndavana to execute His orders. When Sanatana Gosvami went to Vrndavana, there were no temples. The city was lying vacant like an open field. Sanatana Gosvami sat down on the bank of the Yamuna, and after some time he gradually constructed the first temple; then other temples were constructed, and now the city is full of temples, numbering about five thousand.

Adi7.161

TEXT 161

ratri-divase lokera suni’ kolahala

varanasi chadi’ prabhu aila nilacala

SYNONYMS

ratri—night; divase—day; lokera—of the people in general; suni—hearing; kolahala—tumult; varanasi—the city of Benares; chadi’-leaving; prabhu—the Lord; aila—returned; nilacala—to Puri.

TRANSLATION

Because the city of Varanasi was always full of tumultuous crowds, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, after sending Sanatana to Vrndavana, returned to Jagannatha Puri.

Adi7.162

TEXT 162

ei lila kahiba age vistara kariya

sanksepe kahilan ihan prasanga paiya

SYNONYMS

ei—these; lila—pastimes; kahiba—I shall speak; age—later on; vistara—vivid description; kariya—making; sanksepe—in short; kahilan—I have spoken; ihan—in this place; prasanga—topics; paiya—taking advantage of.

TRANSLATION

I have here given a brief account of these pastimes of Lord Caitanya, but later I shall describe them in an extensive way.

Adi7.163

TEXT 163

ei panca-tattva-rupe sri-krsna-caitanya

krsna-nama-prema diya visva kaila dhanya

SYNONYMS

ei—this; panca-tattva-rupe—the Lord in His five forms; sri-krsna-caitanya—Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; krsna-nama—the holy name of Lord Krsna; prema—love of Krsna; diya—delivering; visva—the whole world; kaila—made; dhanya—thankful.

TRANSLATION

Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu and His associates of the Panca-tattva distributed the holy name of the Lord to invoke love of Godhead throughout the universe, and thus the entire universe was thankful.

PURPORT

Here it is said that Lord Caitanya made the entire universe thankful to Him for propagating the sankirtana movement with His associates. Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu has already sanctified the entire universe by His presence five hundred years ago, and therefore anyone who attempts to serve Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu sincerely by following in His footsteps and following the instructions of the acaryas will successfully be able to preach the holy names of the Hare Krsna maha-mantra all over the universe. There are some foolish critics who say that Europeans and Americans cannot be offered sannyasa, but here we find that Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu wanted to preach the sankirtana movement all over the universe. For preaching work, sannyasis are essential. These critics think that only Indians or Hindus should be offered sannyasa to preach, but their knowledge is practically nil. Without sannyasis, the preaching work will be impeded. Therefore, under the instruction of Lord Caitanya and with the blessings of His associates, there should be no discrimination in this matter, but people in all parts of the world should be trained to preach and given sannyasa so that the cult of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s sankirtana movement will expand boundlessly. We do not care about the criticism of fools. We shall go on with our work and simply depend on the blessings of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu and His associates, the Panca-tattva.

Adi7.164

TEXT 164

mathurate pathaila rupa-sanatana

dui sena-pati kaila bhakti pracarana

SYNONYMS

mathurate—toward Mathura; pathaila—sent; rupa-sanatana—the two brothers Rupa Gosvami and Sanatana Gosvami; dui—both of them; sena-pati—as commanders in chief; kaila—He made them; bhakti—devotional service; pracarana—to broadcast.

TRANSLATION

Lord Caitanya dispatched the two generals Rupa Gosvami and Sanatana Gosvami to Vrndavana to preach the bhakti cult.

PURPORT

When Rupa Gosvami and Sanatana Gosvami went to Vrndavana, there was not a single temple, but by their preaching they were gradually able to construct various temples. Sanatana Gosvami constructed the Madana-mohana temple, and Rupa Gosvami constructed the Govindaji temple. Similarly, their nephew Jiva Gosvami constructed the Radha-Damodara temple, Sri Gopala Bhatta Gosvami constructed the Radha-ramana temple, Sri Lokanatha Gosvami constructed the Gokulananda temple, and Syamananda Gosvami constructed the Syamasundara temple. In this way, many temples were gradually constructed. For preaching, construction of temples is also necessary. The Gosvamis not only engaged in writing books but also constructed temples because both are needed for preaching work. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu wanted the cult of His sankirtana movement to spread all over the world. Now that the International Society for Krishna Consciousness has taken up this task of preaching the cult of Lord Caitanya, its members should not only construct temples in every town and village of the globe but also distribute books that have already been written and further increase the number of books. Both distribution of books and construction of temples must continue side by side in parallel lines.

Adi7.165

TEXT 165

nityananda-gosane pathaila gauda-dese

tenho bhakti pracarila asesa-visese

SYNONYMS

nityananda—Lord Nityananda; gosane—the acarya; pathaila—was sent; gauda-dese—in Bengal; tenho—He; bhakti—devotional cult; pracarila—preached; asesa-visese—in a very extensive way.

TRANSLATION

As Rupa Gosvami and Sanatana Gosvami were sent toward Mathura, so Nityananda Prabhu was sent to Bengal to preach extensively the cult of Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

PURPORT

The name of Lord Nityananda is very famous in Bengal. Of course, anyone who knows Lord Nityananda knows Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu also, but there are some misguided devotees who stress the importance of Lord Nityananda more than that of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. This is not good. Nor should Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu be stressed more than Lord Nityananda. The author of the Caitanya-caritamrta, Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami, left his home because of his brother’s stressing the importance of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu over that of Nityananda Prabhu. Actually, one should offer respect to the Panca-tattva without such foolish discrimination, not considering Nityananda Prabhu to be greater, Caitanya Mahaprabhu to be greater or Advaita Prabhu to be greater. The respect should be offered equally: sri-krsna-caitanya prabhu-nityananda sri-advaita gadadhara srivasadi-gaura-bhakta-vrnda. All devotees of Lord Caitanya or Nityananda are worshipable persons.

Adi7.166

TEXT 166

apane daksina desa karila gamana

grame grame kaila krsna-nama pracarana

SYNONYMS

apane—personally; daksina desa—South India; karila—went; gamana—traveling; grame grame—in each and every village; kaila—He did; krsna-nama—the holy name of Lord Krsna; pracarana—broadcasting.

TRANSLATION

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu personally went to South India, and He broadcast the holy name of Lord Krsna in every village and town.

Adi7.167

TEXT 167

setubandha paryanta kaila bhaktira pracara

krsna-prema diya kaila sabara nistara

SYNONYMS

setubandha—the place where Lord Ramacandra constructed His bridge; paryanta—up to that place; kaila—did; bhaktira—of the cult of devotional service; pracara—broadcast; krsna-prema—love of Krsna; diya—delivering; kaila—did; sabara—everyone; nistara—deliverance.

TRANSLATION

Thus the Lord went to the southernmost tip of the Indian peninsula, known as Setubandha [Cape Comorin]. Everywhere He distributed the bhakti cult and love of Krsna, and in this way He delivered everyone.

Adi7.168

TEXT 168

ei ta’ kahila panca-tattvera vyakhyana

ihara sravane haya caitanya-tattva jnana

SYNONYMS

ei ta’-this; kahila—described; panca-tattvera—of the Panca-tattva; vyakhyana—explanation; ihara—of this; sravane—hearing; haya—becomes; caitanya-tattva—the truth of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; jnana—knowledge.

TRANSLATION

I thus explain the truth of the Panca-tattva. One who hears this explanation increases in knowledge of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

PURPORT

The Panca-tattva is a very important factor in understanding Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. There are sahajiyas who, not knowing the importance of the Panca-tattva, concoct their own slogans, such as bhaja nitai gaura, radhe syama, japa hare krsna hare rama or sri-krsna-caitanya prabhu-nityananda hare krsna hare rama sri-radhe govinda. Such chants may be good poetry, but they cannot help us to go forward in devotional service. In such chants there are also many discrepancies, which need not be discussed here. Strictly speaking, when chanting the names of the Panca-tattva, one should fully offer his obeisances: sri-krsna-caitanya prabhu-nityananda sri-advaita gadadhara srivasadi-gaura-bhakta-vrnda. By such chanting one is blessed with the competency to chant the Hare Krsna maha-mantra without offense. When chanting the Hare Krsna maha-mantra, one should also chant it fully: Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. One should not foolishly adopt any of the slogans concocted by imaginative devotees. If one actually wants to derive the effects of chanting, one must strictly follow the great acaryas. This is confirmed in the Mahabharata: maha-jano yena gatah sa panthah. “The real path of progress is that which is traversed by great acaryas and authorities.”

Adi7.169

TEXT 169

sri-caitanya, nityananda, advaita,--tina jana

srivasa-gadadhara-adi yata bhakta-gana

SYNONYMS

sri-caitanya, nityananda, advaita—Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Nityananda Prabhu and Advaita Prabhu; tina—these three; jana—personalities; srivasa-gadadhara—Srivasa and Gadadhara; adi—etc.; yata—all; bhakta-gana—the devotees.

TRANSLATION

While chanting the Panca-tattva maha-mantra, one must chant the names of Sri Caitanya, Nityananda, Advaita, Gadadhara and Srivasa with their many devotees. This is the process.

Adi7.170

TEXT 170

sabakara padapadme koti namaskara

yaiche taiche kahi kichu caitanya-vihara

SYNONYMS

sabakara—all of them; pada-padme—on the lotus feet; koti—countless; namaskara—obeisances; yaiche taiche—somehow or other; kahi—I speak; kichu—something; caitanya-vihara—about the pastimes of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

TRANSLATION

I again and again offer obeisances unto the Panca-tattva. Thus I think that I will be able to describe something about the pastimes of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

Adi7.171

TEXT 171

sri-rupa-raghunatha-pade yara asa

caitanya-caritamrta kahe krsnadasa

SYNONYMS

sri-rupa—Srila Rupa Gosvami; raghunatha—Srila Raghunatha dasa Gosvami; pade—at the lotus feet; yara—whose; asa—expectation; caitanya-caritamrta—the book named Caitanya-caritamrta; kahe—describes; krsna-dasa—Srila Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami.

TRANSLATION

Praying at the lotus feet of Sri Rupa and Sri Raghunatha, always desiring their mercy, I, Krsnadasa, narrate Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, following in their footsteps.

PURPORT

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu wanted to preach the sankirtana movement of love of Krsna throughout the entire world, and therefore during His presence He inspired the sankirtana movement. Specifically, He sent Rupa Gosvami and Sanatana Gosvami to Vrndavana and Nityananda to Bengal and personally went to South India. In this way He kindly left the task of preaching His cult in the rest of the world to the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. The members of this Society must always remember that if they stick to the regulative principles and preach sincerely according to the instructions of the acaryas, surely they will have the profound blessings of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and their preaching work will be successful everywhere throughout the world.

Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports to Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi-lila, Seventh Chapter, describing Lord Caitanya in five features.