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

Chapter 17

Madhya17.105

TEXT 105

eka vipra dekhi’ aila prabhura vyavahara

prakasananda-age kahe caritra tanhara

SYNONYMS

eka vipra—one brahmana; dekhi’-seeing; aila—came; prabhura—of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; vyavahara—activities; prakasananda-age—before the Mayavadi sannyasi Prakasananda; kahe—says; caritra tanhara—His characteristics.

TRANSLATION

One brahmana who saw the wonderful behavior of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu came to Prakasananda Sarasvati and described the Lord’s characteristics.

Madhya17.106

TEXT 106

"eka sannyasi aila jagannatha haite

tanhara mahima-pratapa na pari varnite

SYNONYMS

eka—one; sannyasi—person in the renounced order of life; aila—has come; jagannatha haite—from Jagannatha Puri; tanhara—His; mahima—glories; pratapa—influence; na pari varnite—I cannot describe.

TRANSLATION

The brahmana told Prakasananda Sarasvati, "There is a sannyasi who has come from Jagannatha Puri, and I cannot describe His wonderful influence and glories.

Madhya17.107

TEXT 107

sakala dekhiye tante adbhuta-kathana

prakanda-sarira, suddha-kancana-varana

SYNONYMS

sakala dekhiye—I see everything; tante—in Him; adbhuta-kathana—wonderful description; prakanda-sarira—very large body; suddha—pure; kancana—gold; varana—complexion.

TRANSLATION

"Everything is wonderful about that sannyasi. He has a very well built and luxurious body, and His complexion is like purified gold.

Madhya17.108

TEXT 108

ajanu-lambita bhuja, kamala-nayana

yata kichu isvarera sarva sal-laksana

SYNONYMS

ajanu-lambita—reaching down to the knees; bhuja—arms; kamala-nayana—eyes like the petals of a lotus flower; yata—as many as; kichu—any; isvarera—of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; sarva—all; sat-laksana—transcendental symptoms.

TRANSLATION

"He has arms that extend to His knees, and His eyes are like the petals of a lotus. In His person are all the transcendental symptoms of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Madhya17.109

TEXT 109

taha dekhi’ jnana haya--’ei narayana

yei tanre dekhe, kare krsna-sankirtana

SYNONYMS

taha dekhi’—seeing that; jnana haya—one comes to the conclusion; ei narayana—He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Narayana Himself; yei—anyone who; tanre—Him; dekhe—sees; kare—performs; krsna-sankirtana—chanting of the holy name of Krsna.

TRANSLATION

"When one sees all these features, one takes Him to be Narayana Himself. Whoever sees Him immediately begins to chant the holy name of Krsna.

Madhya17.110

TEXT 110

’maha-bhagavata’-laksana suni bhagavate

se-saba laksana prakata dekhiye tanhate

SYNONYMS

maha-bhagavata—of a first-class devotee; laksana—symptoms; suni—we hear; bhagavate—in Srimad-Bhagavatam; se-saba laksana—all those symptoms; prakata—manifest; dekhiye—I see; tanhate—in Him.

TRANSLATION

"We have heard about the symptoms of a first-class devotee in Srimad Bhagavatam, and all those symptoms are manifest in the body of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

Madhya17.111

TEXT 111

’nirantara krsna-nama’ jihva tanra gaya

dui-netre asru vahe ganga-dhara-praya

SYNONYMS

nirantara—incessantly; krsna-nama—the holy name of the Lord; jihva—tongue; tanra—His; gaya—chants; dui-netre—in the two eyes; asru—tears; vahe—flow; ganga-dhara-praya—like the flow of the Ganges.

TRANSLATION

"His tongue is always chanting the holy name of Krsna, and from His eyes tears incessantly fall like the flowing Ganges.

Madhya17.112

TEXT 112

ksane nace, hase, gaya, karaye krandana

ksane huhunkara kare,--simhera garjana

SYNONYMS

ksane—sometimes; nace—dances; hase—laughs; gaya—sings; karaye krandana—cries; ksane—sometimes; huhun-kara—loud vibrations; kare—makes; simhera garjana—the roaring of a lion.

TRANSLATION

"Sometimes He dances, laughs, sings and cries, and sometimes He roars like a lion.

Madhya17.113

TEXT 113

jagat-mangala tanra ’krsna-caitanya’-nama

nama, rupa, guna tanra, saba--anupama

SYNONYMS

jagat-mangala—all-auspicious to the whole world; tanra—His; krsna-caitanya—Sri Krsna Caitanya; nama—name; nama—name; rupa—form; guna—the quality; tanra—His; saba—all; anupama—unparalleled.

TRANSLATION

"His name, Krsna Caitanya, is all-auspicious to the world. Everything about Him-His name, form, and qualities-is unparalleled.

Madhya17.114

TEXT 114

dekhile se jani tanra ’isvarera riti’

alaukika katha suni’ ke kare pratiti?"

SYNONYMS

dekhile—simply by seeing; se—Him; jani—I understand; tanra—His; isvarera riti—characteristics of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; alaukika—uncommon; katha—story; suni’-hearing; ke—who; kare pratiti—will believe.

TRANSLATION

“Simply by seeing Him, one understands that He possesses all the characteristics of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Such characteristics are certainly uncommon. Who will believe it?”

Madhya17.115

TEXT 115

suniya prakasananda bahuta hasila

vipre upahasa kari’ kahite lagila

SYNONYMS

suniya—hearing; prakasananda—Prakasananda Sarasvati; bahuta hasila—laughed very much; vipre—at the brahmana; upahasa kari’-jokingly laughing; kahite lagila—began to speak.

TRANSLATION

Prakasananda Sarasvati laughed very much to hear this description. Joking and laughing at the brahmana, he began to speak as follows.

Madhya17.116

TEXT 116

"suniyachi gauda-desera sannyasi--’bhavuka’

kesava-bharati-sisya, loka-prataraka

SYNONYMS

suniyachi—I have heard; gauda-desera sannyasi—the sannyasi from Bengal; bhavuka—sentimental; kesava-bharati-sisya—disciple of Kesava Bharati; loka-prataraka—a first-class pretender.

TRANSLATION

Prakasananda Sarasvati said, “Yes, I have heard about Him. He is a sannyasi from Bengal, and He is very sentimental. I have also heard that He belongs to the Bharati-sampradaya, for He is a disciple of Kesava Bharati. However, He is only a pretender.”

PURPORT

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was considered bhavuka (sentimental) because He was always seen in the bhava stage. That is, He always exhibited ecstatic love for Krsna. However, foolish people considered Him sentimental. In the material world, so-called devotees sometimes exhibit emotional symptoms. Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s ecstatic love cannot be compared to the imitative emotional exhibitions of pretenders. Such exhibitions do not continue for very long. They are temporary. We actually see that some emotional imitators exhibit certain symptoms, but immediately after their exhibition, they are attracted to smoking and other things. In the beginning, when Prakasananda Sarasvati heard of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s activities, he considered them to be those of a pretender. Consequently he called Him a loka-prataraka, a pretender. Mayavadis cannot understand the transcendental symptoms exhibited by a devotee; therefore when such symptoms are manifest, the Mayavadis equate them with temporary emotional feelings. However, Prakasananda Sarasvati’s statement is offensive, and consequently he should be considered an atheist (pasandi). According to Srila Rupa Gosvami, since Prakasananda Sarasvati was not engaged in the Lord’s devotional service, his sannyasa is to be considered phalgu-vairagya. This means that since he did not know how to use things for the Lord’s service, his renunciation of the world was artificial.

Madhya17.117

TEXT 117

’caitanya’-nama tanra, bhavuka-gana lana

dese dese grame grame bule nacana

SYNONYMS

caitanya—Caitanya; nama tanra—His name; bhavuka-gana lana—accompanied by some sentimentalists; dese dese—from country to country; grame grame—from village to village; bule—travels; nacana—causing to dance.

TRANSLATION

Prakasananda Sarasvati continued, "I know that His name is Sri Krsna Caitanya and that He is accompanied by many sentimentalists. His followers dance with Him, and He tours from country to country and village to village.

Madhya17.118

TEXT 118

yei tanre dekhe, sei isvara kari’ kahe

aiche mohana-vidya--ye dekhe se mohe

SYNONYMS

yei—anyone who; tanre—Him; dekhe—sees; sei—that person; isvara kari’-as the Supreme Personality of Godhead; kahe—says; aiche—such; mohana-vidya—hypnotism; ye dekhe—anyone who sees; se mohe—he becomes illusioned.

TRANSLATION

"Whoever sees Him accepts Him as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Since He has some mystic power by which He hypnotizes people, everyone who sees Him is illusioned.

Madhya17.119

TEXT 119

sarvabhauma bhattacarya--pandita prabala

suni’ caitanyera sange ha-ila pagala

SYNONYMS

sarvabhauma bhattacarya—Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya; pandita prabala—a learned scholar; suni’-I have heard; caitanyera sange—in the association of Caitanya; ha-ila pagala—has become a madman.

TRANSLATION

"Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya was a very learned scholar, but I have heard that he also has become a madman due to his association with this Caitanya.

Madhya17.120

TEXT 120

’sannyasi’--nama-matra, maha-indrajali!

’kasipure’ na vikabe tanra bhavakali

SYNONYMS

sannyasi—in the renounced order of life; nama-matra—in name only; maha-indrajali—first-class magician; kasipure—in Kasi; na vikabe—will not sell; tanra—His; bhavakali—sentimental activities.

TRANSLATION

"This Caitanya is a sannyasi in name only. Actually He is a first-class magician. In any case, His sentimentalism cannot be very much in demand here in Kasi.

Madhya17.121

TEXT 121

’vedanta’ sravana kara, na yaiha tanra pasa

ucchrnkhala-loka-sange dui-loka-nasa"

SYNONYMS

vedanta—the philosophy of Vedanta; sravana kara—go on hearing; na—do not; yaiha—go; tanra pasa—near Him; ucchrnkhala—upstart; loka—people; sange—in the association of; dui-loka-nasa—destruction in this world and the next.

TRANSLATION

“Do not go to see Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Just continue hearing Vedanta. If you associate with upstarts, you will be lost in this world and in the next.”

PURPORT

The word ucchrnkhala, meaning “whimsical,” is significant in this verse. In Bhagavad-gita (16.23), Lord Krsna Himself says:

yah sastra-vidhim utsrjya
vartate kama-karatah
na sa siddhim avapnoti
na sukham na param gatim

If one acts whimsically and does not follow the sastric principles, he will never attain perfection, happiness or the spiritual world.

Madhya17.122

TEXT 122

eta suni’ sei vipra maha-duhkha paila

’krsna’ ’krsna’ kahi’ tatha haite uthi’ gela

SYNONYMS

eta suni’—hearing this; sei vipra—that brahmana; maha-duhkha paila—became very much aggrieved; krsna krsna kahi’-uttering the holy name of Lord Krsna; tatha haite—from there; uthi’ gela—got up and went away.

TRANSLATION

When the brahmana heard Prakasananda Sarasvati speak like this about Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, he became very grief-stricken. Chanting the holy name of Krsna, he immediately left.

Madhya17.123

TEXT 123

prabhura darasane suddha hanache tanra mana

prabhu-age duhkhi hana kahe vivarana

SYNONYMS

prabhura darasane—by seeing personally the Supreme Personality of Godhead; suddha—purified; hanache—was; tanra mana—his mind; prabhu-age—before the Lord; duhkhi hana—being very much unhappy; kahe vivarana—described the incidents.

TRANSLATION

The brahmana’s mind was already purified by seeing the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. He therefore went to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and described what took place before the Mayavadi sannyasi Prakasananda.

Madhya17.124

TEXT 124

suni’ mahaprabhu tabe isat hasila

punarapi sei vipra prabhure puchila

SYNONYMS

suni’—hearing; mahaprabhu—Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; tabe—then; isat—mildly; hasila—smiled; punarapi—again indeed; sei—that; viprabrahmana; prabhure puchila—inquired from Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

TRANSLATION

Hearing this, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu mildly smiled. The brahmana then spoke again to the Lord.

Madhya17.125

TEXT 125

"tara age yabe ami tomara nama la-ila

seha tomara nama jane,--apane kahila

SYNONYMS

tara age—before him; yabe—when; ami—I; tomara—Your; nama—name; laila—uttered; seha—he; tomara—Your; nama—name; jane—knows; apane kahila—he said himself.

TRANSLATION

The brahmana said,"As soon as I uttered Your name before him, he immediately confirmed the fact that he knew Your name.

Madhya17.126

TEXT 126

tomara ’dosa’ kahite kare namera uccara

’caitanya’ ’caitanya’ kari’ kahe tina-bara

SYNONYMS

tomara dosa—Your fault; kahite—describing; kare—does; namera—of the name; uccara—utterances; caitanya caitanya—Caitanya, Caitanya; kari’-in that way; kahe tina-bara—he uttered three times.

TRANSLATION

"While finding fault with You, he uttered Your name three times, saying, ’Caitanya, Caitanya, Caitanya.’

Madhya17.127

TEXT 127

tina-bare ’krsna-nama’ na aila tara mukhe

’avajna’te nama laya, suni’ pai duhkhe

SYNONYMS

tina-bare—three times; krsna-nama—the holy name of Krsna; na aila—did not come; tara mukhe—in his mouth; avajna’te—in contempt; nama laya—takes Your name; suni’-hearing; pai duhkhe—I was very much aggrieved.

TRANSLATION

"Although he spoke Your name three times, he did not utter the name of Krsna. Because he uttered Your name in contempt, I was very much aggrieved.

PURPORT

Prakasananda Sarasvati vilified and blasphemed Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Words like brahma, caitanya, atma, paramatma, jagadisa, isvara, virat, vibhu, bhuma, visvarupa and vyapaka all indirectly indicate Krsna. However, the chanter of these names is not actually attracted to the Supreme Personality of Godhead Krsna and His transcendental pastimes. One may get a little light from these names, but one cannot understand that the holy name of the Lord is identical with the Lord. One considers the Lord’s names material due to a poor fund of knowledge. Mayavadi philosophers and the pancopasakas cannot in the least understand the existence of the spiritual world and the blissful variegatedness there. They cannot understand the Absolute Truth and its spiritual varieties-name, form, qualities and pastimes. Consequently they conclude that Krsna’s transcendental activities are maya. Due to this, one has to directly cultivate knowledge about the holy name of the Lord. Mayavadi philosophers do not know this fact, and therefore they commit great offenses. One should not hear anything about Krsna or devotional service from the mouths of Mayavadi impersonalists.

Madhya17.128

TEXT 128

ihara karana more kaha krpa kari’

toma dekhi’ mukha mora bale ’krsna’ ’hari"

SYNONYMS

ihara—of this; karana—cause; more—unto me; kaha—please speak; krpa kari’-by Your causeless mercy; toma dekhi’-seeing You; mukha—mouth; mora—my; bale—says; krsna hari—the holy names of Krsna and Hari.

TRANSLATION

“Why could Prakasananda not utter the names of Krsna and Hari? He chanted the name Caitanya thrice. As far as I am concerned, simply by seeing You I am moved to chant the holy names of Krsna and Hari.”

Madhya17.129

TEXT 129

prabhu kahe,--"mayavadi krsne aparadhi

’brahma’, ’atma’ ’caitanya’ kahe niravadhi

SYNONYMS

prabhu kahe—Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu said; mayavadi—the impersonalists; krsne—unto Krsna; aparadhi—great offenders; brahmabrahma; atma-atma; caitanya—caitanya; kahe—say; niravadhi—without stopping.

TRANSLATION

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu replied, "Mayavadi impersonalists are great offenders unto Lord Krsna; therefore they simply utter the words Brahman, atma and caitanya.

Madhya17.130

TEXT 130

ataeva tara mukhe na aise krsna-nama

’krsna-nama’, ’krsna-svarupa’--duita ’samana’

SYNONYMS

ataeva—therefore; tara mukhe—in their mouths; na—not; aise—manifests; krsna-nama—the holy name of Krsna; krsna-nama—the holy name of Krsna; krsna-svarupa—the personality of the Lord; duita samana—both identical.

TRANSLATION

"The holy name of Krsna is not manifest in their mouths because they are offenders unto Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is identical with His holy name.

Madhya17.131

TEXT 131

’nama’, ’vigraha’, ’svarupa’--tina eka-rupa

tine ’bheda’ nahi,--tina ’cid-ananda-rupa’

SYNONYMS

nama—the name; vigraha—form; sva-rupa—personality; tina—all three; eka-rupa—one and the same; tine—between the three; bheda nahi—there is no difference; tina—all three; cit-ananda-rupa—transcendentally blissful.

TRANSLATION

"The Lord’s holy name, His form and His personality are all one and the same. There is no difference between them. Since all of them are absolute, they are transcendentally blissful.

Madhya17.132

TEXT 132

deha-dehira, nama-namira krsne nahi ’bheda’

jivera dharma--nama-deha-svarupe ’vibheda’

SYNONYMS

deha-dehira—of the body and the owner of the body; nama-namira—of the name and the owner of the name; krsne—in Krsna; nahi bheda—there is no difference; jivera dharma—the situation of the conditioned soul; nama—name; deha—body; sva-rupe—original form; vibheda—different.

TRANSLATION

"There is no difference between Krsna’s body and Himself or between His name and Himself. As far as the conditioned soul is concerned, everything is different. One’s name is different from the body, from one’s original form and so on.

PURPORT

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is herein pointing out to the brahmana that Mayavadi philosophers cannot understand that the living entity is equal in quality with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Because they do not accept this, they think that the living entity has been falsely divided from the original Brahman due to being conditioned by maya. Mayavadis believe that the Absolute Truth is ultimately impersonal. When an incarnation of God or God Himself comes, they think He is covered by maya. In other words, Mayavadi impersonalists think that the Lord’s form is also a product of this material world. Due to a poor fund of knowledge, they cannot understand that Krsna has no body separate from Himself. His body and Himself are both the same Absolute Truth. Not having perfect knowledge of Krsna, such impersonalists certainly commit offenses at His lotus feet. Therefore they do not utter the original name of the Absolute Truth, Krsna. In their impersonal way, they utter the name of impersonal Brahman, spirit soul. In other words, they indulge in indirect indications of the Absolute Truth. Even if they happen to utter the name of Govinda, Krsna or Madhava, they still cannot understand that these names are as good as Govinda, Krsna or Madhava the person. Because they are ultimately impersonalists, their uttering of the personal name has no potency. Actually they do not believe in Krsna but consider all these names to be material vibrations. Not being able to appreciate the holy name of the Lord, they simply utter indirect names like Brahman, atma and caitanya.

It is a fact, however, that the name of Krsna and Krsna the person are both spiritual. Everything about Krsna is transcendental, blissful and objective. For a conditioned soul, the body is different from the soul, and the name given by the father is also different from the soul. The conditioned living entity’s identification with material objects keeps him from attaining his actual position. Although he is an eternal servant of Krsna, he acts differently. The svarupa, or actual identification of the living entity, is described by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu as jivera ’svarupa’ haya-krsnera ’nitya-dasa’. The conditioned soul has forgotten the real activities of his original position. However, this is not the case with Krsna. Krsna’s name and His person are identical. There is no such thing as maya Krsna because Krsna is not a product of the material creation. There is no difference between Krsna’s body and His soul. Krsna is simultaneously both soul and body. The distinction between body and soul applies to conditioned souls. The body of the conditioned soul is different from the soul, and the conditioned soul’s name is different from his body. One may be named Mr. John, but if we call for Mr. John, Mr. John may never actually appear. However, if we utter the holy name of Krsna, Krsna is immediately present on our tongue. In the Padma Purana, Krsna says, mad-bhakta yatra gayanti tatra tisthami narada: “O Narada, I am present wherever My devotees are chanting.” When the devotees chant the holy name of Krsna-Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare-Lord Krsna is immediately present.

Madhya17.133

TEXT 133

nama cintamanih krsnas

caitanya-rasa-vigrahah

purnah suddho nitya-mukto

’bhinnatvan nama-naminoh

SYNONYMS

namah—the holy name; cintamanih—transcendentally blissful giver of all spiritual benedictions; krsnah—not different from Krsna; caitanya-rasa-vigrahah—the form of all transcendental mellows; purnah—complete; suddhah—pure, without material contamination; nitya—eternal; muktah—liberated; abhinna-tvat—due to not being different; nama—of the holy name; naminoh—and of the person who has the name.

TRANSLATION

" ’The holy name of Krsna is transcendentally blissful. It bestows all spiritual benedictions, for it is Krsna Himself, the reservoir of all pleasure. Krsna’s name is complete, and it is the form of all transcendental mellows. It is not a material name under any condition, and it is no less powerful than Krsna Himself. Since Krsna’s name is not contaminated by the material qualities, there is no question of its being involved with maya. Krsna’s name is always liberated and spiritual; it is never conditioned by the laws of material nature. This is because the name of Krsna and Krsna Himself are identical.’

PURPORT

This is a quotation from Padma Purana.

Madhya17.134

TEXT 134

ataeva krsnera ’nama’, ’deha’, ’vilasa’

prakrtendriya-grahya nahe, haya sva-prakasa

SYNONYMS

ataeva—therefore; krsnera—of Lord Krsna; nama—the holy name; deha—the spiritual body; vilasa—the pastimes; prakrta-indriya—by the dull senses made of matter; grahya—perceptible; nahe—not; haya—are; sva-prakasa—self-manifested.

TRANSLATION

"The holy name of Krsna, His body and His pastimes cannot be understood by blunt material senses. They are manifest independently.

PURPORT

The transcendental body of Krsna, His name, form, qualities, pastimes and entourage all constitute the Absolute Truth and are as good as Krsna (sac-cid-ananda-vigraha). As long as the living entity is conditioned by the three modes of material nature-(goodness, passion and ignorance)-the objects of his material senses-material form, taste, smell, sound and touch-will not help him understand spiritual knowledge and bliss. Rather, these are revealed to the pure devotee. One’s material name, form and qualities are certainly different from one another. In the material world, there is no conception of absolute; however, when we come to Krsna consciousness we find that there is no material difference between Krsna’s body and His names, activities and entourage.

Madhya17.135

TEXT 135

krsna-nama, krsna-guna, krsna-lila-vrnda

krsnera svarupa-sama--saba cid-ananda

SYNONYMS

krsna-nama—the holy name of Krsna; krsna-guna—the transcendental qualities of Krsna; krsna-lila-vrnda—the transcendental pastimes of Lord Krsna; krsnera sva-rupa—Krsna’s personality; sama—equal; saba—all; cit-ananda—spiritual and full of bliss.

TRANSLATION

"The holy name of Krsna, His transcendental qualities and pastimes as well as Lord Krsna Himself are all equal. They are all spiritual and full of bliss.

Madhya17.136

TEXT 136

atah sri-krsna-namadi

na bhaved grahyam indriyaih

sevonmukhe hi jihvadau

svayam eva sphuraty adah

SYNONYMS

atah—therefore (because Krsna’s name, form, quality are all on the absolute platform); sri-krsna-nama-adi—Lord Krsna’s name, form, quality, pastimes and so on; na—not; bhavet—can be; grahyam—perceived; indriyaih—by the blunt material senses; seva-unmukhe—to one engaged in His service; hi—certainly; jihva-adau—beginning with the tongue; svayam—personally; eva—certainly; sphurati—become manifest; adah—those (Krsna’s name, form, quality, and so on).

TRANSLATION

" ’Therefore material senses cannot appreciate Krsna’s holy name, form, qualities and pastimes. When a conditioned soul is awakened to Krsna consciousness and renders service by using his tongue to chant the Lord’s holy name and taste the remnants of the Lord’s food, the tongue is purified, and one gradually comes to understand who Krsna really is.’

PURPORT

This verse is recorded in the Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu (1.2.234).

Madhya17.137

TEXT 137

brahmananda haite purnananda lila-rasa

brahma-jnani akarsiya kare atma-vasa

SYNONYMS

brahma-ananda—the pleasure of self-realization; haite—from; purna-ananda—complete pleasure; lila-rasa—the mellows of the pastimes of the Lord; brahma-jnani—those who are on the platform of Brahman understanding; akarsiya—attracting; kare—make; atma-vasa—subordinate to Krsna.

TRANSLATION

"The mellows of Lord Krsna’s pastimes, which are full of bliss, attract the jnani from the pleasure of Brahman realization and conquer him.

PURPORT

When one understands that he belongs not to the material world but to the spiritual world, one is called liberated. Being situated in the spiritual world is certainly pleasurable, but those who realize the transcendental name, form, qualities and pastimes of Lord Krsna enjoy transcendental bliss many times more than one who has simply realized the self. When one is situated on the platform of self-realization, he can certainly be easily attracted by Krsna and become a servant of the Lord. This is explained in Bhagavad-gita:

brahma-bhutah prasannatma
na socati na kanksati
samah sarvesu bhutesu
mad-bhaktim labhate param

“One who is thus transcendentally situated at once realizes the Supreme Brahman and becomes joyful. He never laments or desires to have anything; he is equally disposed to every living entity. In that state he attains pure devotional service unto Me.” (Bg. 18.54)

When one becomes spiritually realized (brahma-bhuta), he becomes happy (prasannatma), for he is relieved from material conceptions. One who has attained this platform is not agitated by material action and reaction. He sees everyone on the platform of spirit soul (panditah sama-darsinah). When one is completely realized, he can rise to the platform of pure devotional service (mad-bhaktim-labhate param). When one comes to the platform of bhakti, devotional service, he automatically realizes who Krsna is.

bhaktya mam abhijanati
yavan yas casmi tattvatah
tato mam tattvato jnatva
visate tad-anantaram

“One can understand the Supreme Personality as He is only by devotional service. And when one is in full consciousness of the Supreme Lord by such devotion, he can enter into the kingdom of God.” (Bg. 18.55)

It is only on the bhakti platform that one can understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead Krsna and His transcendental name, form, qualities, pastimes and entourage. Being thus qualified spiritually (visate tad-anantaram), one is allowed to enter the spiritual kingdom of God and return home, back to Godhead.

Next verse (Madhya17.138)