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

Chapter 11

The Beda-kirtana Pastimes of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu

Bhaktivinoda Thakura summarizes the Eleventh Chapter in his Amrta-pravaha-bhasya.

When Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya tried his best to arrange a meeting between Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and King Prataparudra, the Lord flatly denied his request. At this time Sri Ramananda Raya returned from his governmental post, and he praised King Prataparudra highly in Lord Caitanya’s presence. Because of this, the Lord became a little soft. The King also made promises to Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya, who hinted how the King might meet the Lord. During Anavasara, while Lord Jagannatha was resting for fifteen days, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, being unable to see Lord Jagannatha, went to Alalanatha. Later, when the devotees from Bengal came to see Him, He returned to Jagannatha Puri. While Advaita Acarya and the other devotees were coming to Jagannatha Puri, Svarupa Damodara and Govinda, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s two personal assistants, went to receive all the devotees with garlands. From the roof of his palace, King Prataparudra could see all the devotees arriving. Gopinatha Acarya stood on the roof with the King, and, following Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya’s instructions, identified each and every devotee. The King discussed the devotees with Gopinatha Acarya, and he mentioned that the devotees were accepting prasada without observing the regulative principles governing pilgrimages. They accepted prasada without having shaved, and they neglected to fast in a holy place. Nonetheless, the King arranged residential quarters for all the devotees and saw to their prasada. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu talked very happily with Vasudeva Datta and other devotees. Haridasa Thakura also came, and due to his humble and submissive attitude, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu gave him a nice solitary place near the temple. After this, the Lord began performing sankirtana, dividing all the devotees into four divisions. After sankirtana, all the devotees left for their residential quarters.

Madhya11.1

TEXT 1

aty-uddandam tandavam gauracandrah

kurvan bhaktaih sri-jagannatha-gehe

nana-bhavalankrtangah sva-dhamna

cakre visvam prema-vanya-nimagnam

SYNONYMS

ati—very much; uddandam—high jumping; tandavam—very graceful dancing; gaura-candrah—Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; kurvan—performing; bhaktaih—with the devotees; sri-jagannatha-gehe—in the temple of Lord Jagannatha; nana-bhava-alankrta-angah—having many ecstatic symptoms manifested in His transcendental body; sva-dhamna—by the influence of His ecstatic love; cakre—made; visvam—the whole world; prema-vanya-nimagnam—merged into the inundation of ecstatic love.

TRANSLATION

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu merged the entire world into the ocean of ecstatic love by performing His beautiful dances within the temple of Jagannatha. He danced exquisitely and jumped high.

Madhya11.2

TEXT 2

jaya jaya sri-caitanya jaya nityananda

jayadvaita-candra jaya gaura-bhakta-vrnda

SYNONYMS

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

TRANSLATION

All glories to Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu! All glories to Lord Nityananda Prabhu! All glories to Sri Advaita Prabhu! And all glories to the devotees of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu!

Madhya11.3

TEXT 3

ara dina sarvabhauma kahe prabhu-sthane

abhaya-dana deha’ yadi, kari nivedane

SYNONYMS

ara dina—the next day; sarvabhauma—Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya; kahe—says; prabhu-sthane—in the presence of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu; abhaya-dana—the charity of fearlessness; deha’—You give; yadi—if; kari—I do; nivedane—submission.

TRANSLATION

The next day Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya requested Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu to give him permission to submit a statement without fear.

Madhya11.4

TEXT 4

prabhu kahe,-kaha tumi, nahi kichu bhaya

yogya haile kariba, ayogya haile naya

SYNONYMS

prabhu kahe—Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu said; kaha tumi—yes, you can speak; nahi—there is not; kichu—any; bhaya—fear; yogya—befitting; haile—if it is; kariba—I shall grant; ayogya—not befitting; haile—if it is; naya—then I shall not.

TRANSLATION

The Lord gave the Bhattacarya assurance that he could speak without fear, but added that if his statement were suitable He would accept it, and if it were not, He would reject it.

Madhya11.5

TEXT 5

sarvabhauma kahe-ei prataparudra raya

utkantha hanache, toma milibare caya

SYNONYMS

sarvabhauma kahe—Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya said; ei—this; prataparudra raya—King Prataparudra of Jagannatha Puri; utkantha hanache—has been very anxious; toma—You; milibare—to meet; caya—he wants.

TRANSLATION

Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya said, “There is a king named Prataparudra Raya. He is very anxious to meet You, and he wants Your permission.”

Madhya11.6

TEXT 6

karne hasta diya prabhu smare ’narayana’

sarvabhauma, kaha kena ayogya vacana

SYNONYMS

karne—on the ears; hasta—hands; diya—placing; prabhu—Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; smare—remembers; narayana—the holy name of Lord Narayana; sarvabhauma—My dear Sarvabhauma; kaha—you say; kena—why; ayogya vacana—a request that is not suitable.

TRANSLATION

As soon as Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu heard this proposal, He immediately covered His ears with His hands and said, "My dear Sarvabhauma, why are you requesting such an undesirable thing from Me?

Madhya11.7

TEXT 7

virakta sannyasi amara raja-darasana

stri-darasana-sama visera bhaksana

SYNONYMS

virakta—unattached; sannyasi—person in the renounced order; amara—My; raja-darasana—meeting a king; stri-darasana—meeting a woman; sama—like; visera—of poison; bhaksana—drinking.

TRANSLATION

“Since I am in the renounced order, it is as dangerous for Me to meet a king as to meet a woman. To meet either would be just like drinking poison.”

Madhya11.8

TEXT 8

niskincanasya bhagavad-bhajanonmukhasya

param param jigamisor bhava-sagarasya

sandarsanam visayinam atha yositam ca

ha hanta hanta visa-bhaksanato ’py asadhu

SYNONYMS

niskincanasya—of a person who has completely detached himself from material enjoyment; bhagavat—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; bhajana—in serving; unmukhasya—who is eager to be engaged; param—to the other side; param—distant; jigamisoh—who is desiring to go; bhava-sagarasya—of the ocean of material existence; sandarsanam—the seeing (for some material purpose); visayinam—of persons engaged in material activities; atha—as well as; yositam—of women; ca—also; ha—alas; hanta hanta—expression of great lamentation; visa-bhaksanatah—than the act of drinking poison; api—even; asadhu—more abominable.

TRANSLATION

Greatly lamenting, the Lord then informed Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya, “ ’Alas, for a person who is seriously desiring to cross the material ocean and engage in the transcendental loving service of the Lord without material motives, seeing a materialist engaged in sense gratification or seeing a woman who is similarly interested is more abominable than drinking poison willingly.’ ”

PURPORT

This is a quotation from Sri Caitanya-candrodaya-nataka (8.23). Thus Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu enunciates the principles for a sannyasi renouncing the material world for spiritual advancement. Spiritual advancement is not meant for magic shows and jugglery but for crossing the material world and being transferred to the spiritual world. Param param jigamisoh means desiring to go to the other side of the material world. There is a river called Vaitarani, and on one side of this river is the material world, and on the other side is the spiritual world. Since the Vaitarani River is compared to a great ocean, it is named bhava-sagara, the ocean of repeated birth and death. Spiritual life aims at stopping this repetition of birth and death and entering into the spiritual world, where one can live eternally cognizant and blissful.

Unfortunately, the general populace does not know anything about spiritual life or the spiritual world. The spiritual world is mentioned in the Bhagavad-gita (8.20):

paras tasmat tu bhavo ’nyo
’vyakto ’vyaktat sanatanah
yah sa sarvesu bhutesu
nasyatsu na vinasyati

“Yet there is another unmanifest nature, which is eternal and is transcendental to this manifested and unmanifested matter. It is supreme and is never annihilated. When all in this world is annihilated, that part remains as it is.”

Thus there is a spiritual nature beyond this material world, and that spiritual nature exists eternally. Spiritual advancement means stopping material activities and entering into spiritual activities. This is the process of bhakti-yoga. In the material world, the via media for sense gratification is mainly a woman. One who is seriously interested in spiritual life should strictly avoid women. A sannyasi should never see a man or a woman for material benefit. In addition, talks with materialistic men and women are also dangerous, and they are compared to drinking poison. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was very strict on this point. He therefore refused to see King Prataparudra, who was naturally always engaged in political and economic affairs. The Lord even refused to see the King despite the request of a personality like Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya, who was the Lord’s intimate friend and devotee.

Madhya11.9

TEXT 9

sarvabhauma kahe,-satya tomara vacana

jagannatha-sevaka raja kintu bhaktottama

SYNONYMS

sarvabhauma kahe—Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya replied; satya—true; tomara—Your; vacana—statement; jagannatha-sevaka—servant of Lord Jagannatha; raja—the King; kintu—but; bhakta-uttama—a great devotee.

TRANSLATION

Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya replied, “My dear Lord, what You have said is correct, but this King is not an ordinary king. He is a great devotee and servant of Lord Jagannatha.”

Madhya11.10

TEXT 10

prabhu kahe,-tathapi raja kala-sarpakara

kastha-nari-sparse yaiche upaje vikara

SYNONYMS

prabhu kahe—Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu replied; tathapi—still; raja—the King; kala-sarpa-akara—just like a venomous snake; kastha-nari—a woman made of wood; sparse—by touching; yaiche—as; upaje—arises; vikara—agitation.

TRANSLATION

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu said,"Although it is correct that the King is a great devotee, he is still to be considered a venomous snake. Similarly, even though a woman be made of wood, one becomes agitated simply by touching her form.

PURPORT

Sri Canakya Pandita in his moral instructions has stated: tyaja durjana-samsargam bhaja sadhu-samagamam. This means that one has to abandon the association of materialistic people and associate with spiritually advanced people. However qualified a materialist may be, he is no better than a venomous serpent. Everyone knows that a snake is dangerous and poisonous, and when its hood is decorated with jewels, it is no less poisonous or dangerous. However qualified a materialist may be, he is no better than a snake decorated with jewels. One should therefore be careful in dealing with such materialists, just as one would be careful in dealing with a bejeweled serpent.

Even though a woman be made of wood or stone, she becomes attractive when decorated. One becomes sexually agitated even by touching the form. Therefore one should not trust his mind, which is so fickle that it can give way to enemies at any moment. The mind is always accompanied by six enemies-namely, kama, krodha, mada, moha, matsarya and bhaya-that is, lust, anger, intoxication, illusion, envy and fear. Although the mind may be merged in spiritual consciousness, one should always be very careful in dealing with it, just as one is careful in dealing with a snake. One should never think that his mind is trained and that he can do whatever he likes. One interested in spiritual life should always engage his mind in the service of the Lord so that the enemies of the mind, who always accompany the mind, will be subdued. If the mind is not engaged in Krsna consciousness at every moment, there is a chance that it will give way to its enemies. In this way we become victims of the mind.

Chanting the Hare Krsna mantra engages the mind at the lotus feet of Krsna constantly; thus the mind’s enemies do not have a chance to strike. Following Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s example in these verses, we should be very careful in dealing with the mind, which should not be indulged in any circumstance. Once we indulge the mind, it can create havoc in this life, even though we may be spiritually advanced. The mind is specifically agitated through the association of materialistic men and women. Therefore Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, through His personal behavior, warns everyone to avoid meeting a materialistic person or a woman.

Madhya11.11

TEXT 11

akarad api bhetavyam

strinam visayinam api

yathaher manasah ksobhas

tatha tasyakrter api

SYNONYMS

akarat—from bodily features; api—even; bhetavyam—to be feared; strinam—of women; visayinam—of materialistic persons; api—even; yatha—as; aheh—from a serpent; manasah—of the mind; ksobhah—agitation; tatha—so; tasya—of it; akrteh—from the appearance; api—even.

TRANSLATION

" ’Just as one is immediately frightened upon seeing a live serpent or even the form of a serpent, one endeavoring for self-realization should similarly fear a materialistic person and a woman. Indeed, he should not even glance at their bodily features.’

PURPORT

This is a quotation from Sri Caitanya-candrodaya-nataka (8.24).

Madhya11.12

TEXT 12

aiche bata punarapi mukhe na anibe

kaha yadi, tabe amaya etha na dekhibe

SYNONYMS

aiche bata—such a request; punarapi—again; mukhe—in the mouth; na—do not; anibe—bring; kaha yadi—if you speak; tabe—then; amaya—Me; etha—here; na—not; dekhibe—you will see.

TRANSLATION

“Bhattacarya, if you continue to speak like this, you will never see Me here again. Therefore you should never let such a request come from your mouth.”

Madhya11.13

TEXT 13

bhaya pana sarvabhauma nija ghare gela

vasaya giya bhattacarya cintita ha-ila

SYNONYMS

bhaya pana—being afraid; sarvabhauma—Sarvabhauma; nija—own; ghare—to home; gela—returned; vasaya giya—reaching his residential place; bhattacarya—the Bhattacarya; cintita ha-ila—became meditative.

TRANSLATION

Being afraid, Sarvabhauma returned home and began to meditate on the matter.

Madhya11.14

TEXT 14

hena kale prataparudra purusottame aila

patra-mitra-sange raja darasane calila

SYNONYMS

hena kale—at this time; prataparudra—King Prataparudra; purusottame—at Jagannatha Puri; aila—arrived; patra-mitra-sange—accompanied by his secretaries, ministers, military officers and so on; raja—the King; darasane—to visit Lord Jagannatha; calila—departed.

TRANSLATION

At this time, Maharaja Prataparudra arrived at Jagannatha Puri, Purusottama, and, accompanied by his secretaries, ministers and military officers, went to visit the temple of Lord Jagannatha.

PURPORT

It appears that Maharaja Prataparudra used to live at Kataka, his capital. Later he shifted his capital to Khurda, a few miles from Jagannatha Puri. Presently there is a railway station there called Khurda Road.

Madhya11.15

TEXT 15

ramananda raya aila gajapati-sange

prathamei prabhure asi’ milila bahu-range

SYNONYMS

ramananda raya—Ramananda Raya; aila—came; gajapati-sange—with the King; prathamei—in the first instance; prabhure—unto Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu; asi’—coming; milila—met; bahu-range—with great pleasure.

TRANSLATION

When King Prataparudra returned to Jagannatha Puri, Ramananda Raya also came with him. Ramananda Raya immediately went to meet Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu with great pleasure.

PURPORT

All Indian kings are given titles. Sometimes they are known as Chatrapati, sometimes as Narapati, sometimes as Asvapati, and so on. The King of Orissa is addressed as Gajapati.

Madhya11.16

TEXT 16

raya pranati kaila, prabhu kaila alingana

dui jane premavese karena krandana

SYNONYMS

raya pranati kaila—Ramananda Raya offered his obeisances; prabhu—the Lord; kaila—did; alingana—embracing; dui jane—both of them; prema-avese—in ecstatic love; karena—did; krandana—crying.

TRANSLATION

Upon meeting Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Ramananda Raya offered his obeisances. The Lord embraced him, and both of them began to cry in the great ecstasy of love.

Madhya11.17

TEXT 17

raya-sange prabhura dekhi’ sneha-vyavahara

sarva bhakta-ganera mane haila camatkara

SYNONYMS

raya-sange—with Ramananda Raya; prabhura—of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; dekhi’—seeing; sneha-vyavahara—very intimate behavior; sarva—all; bhakta-ganera—of all the devotees; mane—in the mind; haila—there was; camatkara—astonishment.

TRANSLATION

Seeing Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s intimate dealings with Sri Ramananda Raya, all the devotees there were astonished.

Madhya11.18

TEXT 18

raya kahe,-tomara ajna rajake kahila

tomara icchaya raja mora visaya chadaila

SYNONYMS

raya kahe—Ramananda Raya said; tomara ajna—Your order; rajake kahila—I informed the King; tomara icchaya—by Your grace; raja—the King; mora—my; visaya—material activities; chadaila—gave me relief from.

TRANSLATION

Ramananda Raya said, "I duly informed King Prataparudra of Your order for me to retire from service. By Your grace, the King was pleased to relieve me of these material activities.

PURPORT

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu requested Ramananda Raya to retire from his governorship, and according to the Lord’s desire, Ramananda Raya petitioned the King. The King was very much pleased to give him relief, and thus Ramananda Raya retired from service and received a pension from the government.

Madhya11.19

TEXT 19

ami kahi,-ama haite na haya ’visaya’

caitanya-carane rahon, yadi ajna haya

SYNONYMS

ami kahi—I said; ama haite—by me; na—not; haya—is possible; visaya—government service; caitanya-carane—at the lotus feet of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; rahon—I may stay; yadi ajna haya—if you kindly give me permission.

TRANSLATION

"I said, ’Your Majesty, I am now not willing to engage in political activities. I desire only to stay at the lotus feet of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Kindly give me permission.’

Madhya11.20

TEXT 20

tomara nama suni’ raja anandita haila

asana haite uthi’ more alingana kaila

SYNONYMS

tomara—Your; nama—name; suni’—hearing; raja—the King; anandita—very much pleased; haila—became; asana haite—from his throne; uthi’—standing; more—me; alingana kaila—embraced.

TRANSLATION

"When I submitted this proposal, the King immediately became very much pleased upon hearing Your name. Indeed, he instantly arose from his throne and embraced me.

Madhya11.21

TEXT 21

tomara nama suni’ haila maha-premavesa

mora hate dhari’ kare piriti visesa

SYNONYMS

tomara—Your; nama—name; suni’—hearing; haila—became; maha—great; prema-avesa—ecstasy of love; mora hate—my hand; dhari’—catching; kare—does; piriti—loving symptoms; visesa—specific.

TRANSLATION

"My dear Lord, as soon as the King heard Your holy name, he was immediately overwhelmed by great ecstatic love. Catching my hand, he displayed all the symptoms of love.

Madhya11.22

TEXT 22

tomara ye vartana, tumi khao sei vartana

niscinta hana bhaja caitanyera carana

SYNONYMS

tomara—Your; ye—whatever; vartana—remuneration; tumi—you; khao—take; sei—that; vartana—pension; niscinta hana—without anxiety; bhaja—just worship; caitanyera—of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; carana—the lotus feet.

TRANSLATION

"As soon as he heard my petition, he immediately granted me a pension without reductions. Thus the King granted me a full salary as a pension and requested me to engage without anxiety in the service of Your lotus feet.

Madhya11.23

TEXT 23

ami-chara, yogya nahi tanra darasane

tanre yei bhaje tanra saphala jivane

SYNONYMS

ami—I; chara—very much fallen; yogya—fit; nahi—not; tanra—His; darasane—for interviewing; tanre—Him; yei—anyone who; bhaje—worships; tanra—his; saphala—successful; jivane—life.

TRANSLATION

"Then Maharaja Prataparudra very humbly said, ’I am most fallen and abominable, and I am unfit to receive an interview with the Lord. One’s life is successful if one engages in His service.’

Madhya11.24

TEXT 24

parama krpalu tenha vrajendra-nandana

kona-janme more avasya dibena darasana

SYNONYMS

parama—very much; krpalu—merciful; tenha—Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu; vrajendra-nandana—the son of Maharaja Nanda; kona-janme—in some future birth; more—unto me; avasya—certainly; dibena—will give; darasana—interview.

TRANSLATION

"The King then said, ’Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is Krsna, the son of Maharaja Nanda. He is very merciful, and I hope that in a future birth He will allow me an interview.’

Madhya11.25

TEXT 25

ye tanhara prema-arti dekhilun tomate

tara eka prema-lesa nahika amate

SYNONYMS

ye—whatever; tanhara—his; prema-arti—painful feelings of love of Godhead; dekhilun—I saw; tomate—unto You; tara—of that; eka—one; prema-lesa—fraction of love; nahika—there is not; amate—in me.

TRANSLATION

“My Lord, I don’t think that there is even a fraction of Maharaja Prataparudra’s loving ecstasy in me.”

Madhya11.26

TEXT 26

prabhu kahe,-tumi krsna-bhakata-pradhana

tomake ye priti kare, sei bhagyavan

SYNONYMS

prabhu kahe—Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu said; tumi—you; krsna-bhakata-pradhana—the chief of the devotees of Lord Krsna; tomake—unto you; ye—anyone who; priti kare—shows love; sei—such a person; bhagyavan—most fortunate.

TRANSLATION

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu then said, "My dear Ramananda Raya, you are the foremost of all the devotees of Krsna; therefore whoever loves you is certainly a very fortunate person.

Madhya11.27

TEXT 27

tomate ye eta priti ha-ila rajara

ei gune krsna tanre karibe angikara

SYNONYMS

tomate—unto you; ye—that; eta—so much; priti—love; ha-ila—was; rajara—of the King; ei gune—for this reason; krsna—Lord Krsna; tanre—him; karibe angikara—will accept.

TRANSLATION

"Because the King has shown so much love for you, Lord Krsna will certainly accept him.

PURPORT

King Prataparudra requested an interview with Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu through the Bhattacarya, who duly submitted the request. The Lord, however, immediately refused this interview. Now when Ramananda Raya informed the Lord how eager the King was to see Him, the Lord was immediately pleased. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu requested Ramananda Raya to retire from his government post and come to Sri Purusottama-ksetra (Jagannatha Puri) to live with Him. When this proposal was submitted to King Prataparudra, he immediately accepted it and also encouraged Ramananda Raya by allowing him a full pension. This was very much appreciated by the Lord, and this confirms the fact that the Lord is more pleased when one serves the servant of the Lord. In ordinary parlance it is said, “If you love me, love my dog.” To approach the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one has to go through His confidential servant. This is the method. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu clearly says, “Because the King loves you, Ramananda Raya, he is very fortunate. Krsna will certainly accept him due to his love for you.”

Madhya11.28

TEXT 28

ye me bhakta-janah partha

na me bhaktas ca te janah

mad-bhaktanam ca ye bhaktas

te me bhakta-tama matah

SYNONYMS

ye—those who; me—My; bhakta-janah—devotees; partha—O Partha; na—not; me—My; bhaktah—devotees; ca—and; te—those; janah—persons; mat-bhaktanam—of My devotees; ca—certainly; ye—those who; bhaktah—devotees; te—such persons; me—My; bhakta-tamah—most advanced devotees; matah—that is My opinion.

TRANSLATION

"Lord Krsna told Arjuna, ’Those who are My direct devotees are actually not My devotees, but those who are the devotees of My servant are factually My devotees.’

PURPORT

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu quotes this verse from the Adi Purana. The verse is also included in the Laghu-bhagavatamrta (2.6).

Madhya11.29-30

TEXTS 29-30

adarah paricaryayam

sarvangair abhivandanam

mad-bhakta-pujabhyadhika

sarva-bhutesu man-matih

mad-arthesv anga-cesta ca

vacasa mad-guneranam

mayy arpanam ca manasah

sarva-kama-vivarjanam

SYNONYMS

adarah—respect, care; paricaryayam—in service; sarva-angaih—by all the parts of the body; abhivandanam—offering obeisances; mat-bhakta—of My devotees; puja—worshiping; abhyadhika—very high; sarva-bhutesu—in all living entities; mat-matih—realization of having a relationship with Me; mat-arthesu—for the sake of My service; anga-cestah—engaging the bodily energy; ca—and; vacasa—by words; mat-guna-iranam—describing My glories; mayi—unto Me; arpanam—dedicating; ca—and; manasah—of the mind; sarva-kama—all material desires; vivarjanam—giving up.

TRANSLATION

" ’My devotees take great care and respect in rendering Me service. They offer obeisances to Me with all their bodily limbs. They worship other devotees and find all living entities related to Me. For Me they engage the entire energy of their bodies. They engage the power of speech in the glorification of My qualities and form. They also dedicate their minds unto Me and try to give up all kinds of material desires. Thus My devotees are characterized.’

PURPORT

These two verses are quoted from Srimad-Bhagavatam (11.19.21-22). They were spoken by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Krsna, who was answering Uddhava’s inquiry about devotional service.

Madhya11.31

TEXT 31

aradhananam sarvesam

visnor aradhanam param

tasmat parataram devi

tadiyanam samarcanam

SYNONYMS

aradhananam—of varieties of worship; sarvesam—all; visnoh—of Lord Visnu; aradhanam—worship; param—the most exalted; tasmat—and above such worship of Lord Visnu; parataram—of greater value; devi—O goddess; tadiyanam—of persons in relationship with Lord Visnu; samarcanam—rigid and firm worship.

TRANSLATION

"Lord Siva told the goddess Durga, ’My dear Devi, although the Vedas recommend worship of demigods, the worship of Lord Visnu is topmost. However, above the worship of Lord Visnu is the rendering of service to Vaisnavas, who are related to Lord Visnu.’

PURPORT

The Vedas are divided into three divisions-karma-kanda, jnana-kanda and upasana-kanda. These are activities dealing with fruitive work, empiric philosophical speculation and worship. There are recommendations in the Vedas for the worship of various demigods as well as Lord Visnu. In this quotation from the Padma Purana, Lord Siva answers a question posed to him by the goddess Durga. This verse is also included in the Laghu-bhagavatamrta (2.4), by Srila Rupa Gosvami. The words visnor aradhanam refer to the worship of Lord Visnu, or Krsna. Thus the supreme form of worship is the satisfaction of the Supreme Personality of Godhead Sri Krsna. It is further concluded that the worshiper of Lord Visnu renders better service by worshiping the devotee of Lord Krsna. There are different types of devotees-those in santa-rasa, dasya-rasa, sakhya-rasa, vatsalya-rasa and madhurya-rasa. Although all the rasas are on the transcendental platform, madhurya-rasa is the supreme transcendental mellow. Consequently it is concluded that the worship of devotees engaged in the Lord’s service in madhurya-rasa is the supreme spiritual activity. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and His followers mainly worship Lord Krsna in madhurya-rasa. Other Vaisnava acaryas recommended worship up to vatsalya-rasa. Therefore Srila Rupa Gosvami in his Vidagdha-madhava (1.2) describes Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s cult as supreme:

anarpita-carim cirat karunayavatirnah kalau
samarpayitum unnatojjvala-rasam sva-bhakti-sriyam

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu appeared in this Age of Kali to exhibit the superexcellence of madhurya-rasa, a gift never previously bestowed by any acarya or incarnation. Consequently Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is accepted as the most magnanimous incarnation. It is He only who distributed love of Krsna while exhibiting the superexcellence of loving Krsna in the conjugal rasa.

Madhya11.32

TEXT 32

durapa hy alpa-tapasah

seva vaikuntha-vartmasu

yatropagiyate nityam

deva-devo janardanah

SYNONYMS

durapa—very difficult to achieve; hi—certainly; alpa-tapasah—by a person not advanced in spiritual life; seva—service; vaikuntha-vartmasu—unto persons on the path back home, back to Godhead; yatra—wherein; upagiyate—is worshiped and glorified; nityam—regularly; deva-devah—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; janardanah—Lord Krsna.

TRANSLATION

“ ’Those whose austerity is meager can hardly obtain the service of the pure devotees progressing on the path back to the kingdom of Godhead, the Vaikunthas. Pure devotees engage one hundred percent in glorifying the Supreme Lord, who is the Lord of the demigods and the controller of all living entities.’ ”

PURPORT

This verse is a quotation from Srimad-Bhagavatam (3.7.20). It was spoken by Vidura in his conversation with Maitreya Rsi, a great devotee of the Lord.

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