Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta: Ādi-līlā
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Chapter 7
Adi7.79
TEXT 79
tabe dhairya dhari’ mane kariluṅ vicāra
kṛṣṇa-nāme jñānācchanna ha-ila āmāra
SYNONYMS
tabe—thereafter; dhairya—patience; dhari’—accepting; mane—in the mind; kariluṅ—I did; vicāra—consideration; kṛṣṇa-nāme—in the holy name of Kṛṣṇa; jñāna ācchanna—covering of My knowledge; ha-ila—has become; āmāra—of Me.
TRANSLATION
“Collecting My patience, therefore, I began to consider that chanting the holy name of Kṛṣṇa had covered all My spiritual knowledge.
PURPORT
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu hints in this verse that to chant the holy name of Kṛṣṇa one does not need to speculate on the philosophical aspects of the science of God, for one automatically becomes ecstatic and without consideration immediately chants, dances, laughs, cries and sings just like a madman.
Adi7.80 TEXT 80 pāgala ha-ilāṅ āmi, dhairya nāhi mane eta cinti’ nivediluṅ gurura caraṇe SYNONYMS pāgala—madman; ha-ilāṅ—I have become; āmi—I; dhairya—patience; nāhi—not; mane—in the mind; eta—thus; cinti’—considering; nivediluṅ—I submitted; gurura—of the spiritual master; caraṇe—at his lotus feet.
TRANSLATION “I saw that I had become mad by chanting the holy name, and I immediately submitted this at the lotus feet of my spiritual master. PURPORT Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, as an ideal teacher, shows us how a disciple should deal with his spiritual master. Whenever there is doubt regarding any point, he should refer the matter to his spiritual master for clarification. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu said that while chanting and dancing He had developed the kind of mad ecstasy that is possible only for a liberated soul. Yet even in His liberated position, He referred everything to His spiritual master whenever there were doubts. Thus in any condition, even when liberated, we should never think ourselves independent of the spiritual master, but must refer to him as soon as there is some doubt regarding our progressive spiritual life.
Adi7.81 TEXT 81 kibā mantra dilā, gosāñi, kibā tāra bala japite japite mantra karila pāgala SYNONYMS kibā—what kind of; mantra—hymn; dilā—you have given; gosāñi—My lord; kibā—what is; tāra—its; bala—strength; japite—chanting; japite—chanting; mantra—the hymn; karila—has made Me; pāgala—madman.
TRANSLATION “‘My dear lord, what kind of mantra have you given Me? I have become mad simply by chanting this mahā-mantra! PURPORT Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu prays in His Śikṣāṣṭaka:
yugāyitaṁ nimeṣeṇa cakṣuṣā prāvṛṣāyitam “O Govinda! Feeling Your separation, I am considering a moment to be like twelve years or more. Tears are flowing from my eyes like torrents of rain, and I am feeling all vacant in the world in Your absence.” It is the aspiration of a devotee that while he chants the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra his eyes will fill with tears, his voice falter and his heart throb. These are good signs in chanting the holy name of the Lord. In ecstasy, one should feel the entire world to be vacant without the presence of Govinda. This is a sign of separation from Govinda. In material life we are all separated from Govinda and are absorbed in material sense gratification. Therefore, when one comes to his senses on the spiritual platform he becomes so eager to meet Govinda that without Govinda the entire world becomes a vacant place.
Adi7.82 TEXT 82 hāsāya, nācāya, more karāya krandana eta śuni’ guru hāsi balilā vacana SYNONYMS hāsāya—it causes Me to laugh; nācāya—it causes Me to dance; more—unto Me; karāya—it causes; krandana—crying; eta—thus; śuni’—hearing; guru—My spiritual master; hāsi—smiling; balilā—said; vacana—words.
TRANSLATION “‘Chanting the holy name in ecstasy causes Me to dance, laugh and cry.’ When My spiritual master heard all this, he smiled and then began to speak. PURPORT When a disciple very perfectly makes progress in spiritual life, this gladdens the spiritual master, who then also smiles in ecstasy, thinking, “How successful my disciple has become!” He feels so glad that he smiles as he enjoys the progress of the disciple, just as a smiling parent enjoys the activities of a child who is trying to stand up or crawl perfectly.
Adi7.83 TEXT 83 kṛṣṇa-nāma-mahā-mantrera ei ta’ svabhāva yei jape, tāra kṛṣṇe upajaye bhāva SYNONYMS kṛṣṇa-nāma—the holy name of Kṛṣṇa; mahā-mantrera—of the supreme hymn; ei ta’—this is its; svabhāva—nature; yei—anyone; jape—chants; tāra—his; kṛṣṇe—unto Kṛṣṇa; upajaye—develops; bhāva—ecstasy.
TRANSLATION “‘It is the nature of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra that anyone who chants it immediately develops his loving ecstasy for Kṛṣṇa. PURPORT In this verse it is explained that one who chants the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra develops bhāva, ecstasy, which is the point at which revelation begins. It is the preliminary stage in developing one’s original love for God. Lord Kṛṣṇa mentions this bhāva stage in the Bhagavad-gītā (10.8):
ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate “I am the source of all spiritual and material worlds. Everything emanates from Me. The wise who know this perfectly engage in My devotional service and worship Me with all their hearts.” A neophyte disciple begins by hearing and chanting, associating with devotees and practicing the regulative principles, and thus he vanquishes all of his unwanted bad habits. In this way he develops attachment for Kṛṣṇa and cannot forget Kṛṣṇa even for a moment. Bhāva is the almost successful stage of spiritual life.
A sincere student aurally receives the holy name from the spiritual master, and after being initiated he follows the regulative principles given by the spiritual master. When the holy name is properly served in this way, automatically the spiritual nature of the holy name spreads; in other words, the devotee becomes qualified in offenselessly chanting the holy name. When one is completely fit to chant the holy name in this way, he is eligible to make disciples all over the world, and he actually becomes jagad-guru. Then the entire world, under his influence, begins to chant the holy names of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. Thus all the disciples of such a spiritual master increase in attachment for Kṛṣṇa, and therefore he sometimes cries, sometimes laughs, sometimes dances and sometimes chants. These symptoms are very prominently manifest in the body of a pure devotee. Sometimes when our students of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement chant and dance, even in India people are astonished to see how these foreigners have learned to chant and dance in this ecstatic fashion. As explained by Caitanya Mahāprabhu, however, actually this is not due to practice, for without extra endeavor these symptoms become manifest in anyone who sincerely chants the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra.
Many fools, not knowing the transcendental nature of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, sometimes impede our loudly chanting this mantra, yet one who is actually advanced in the fulfillment of chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra induces others to chant also. Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī explains, kṛṣṇa-śakti vinā nahe tāra pravartana: unless one receives special power of attorney from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he cannot preach the glories of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. As devotees propagate the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, the general population of the entire world gets the opportunity to understand the glories of the holy name. While chanting and dancing or hearing the holy name of the Lord, one automatically remembers the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and because there is no difference between the holy name and Kṛṣṇa, the chanter is immediately linked with Kṛṣṇa. Thus connected, a devotee develops his original attitude of service to the Lord. In this attitude of constantly serving Kṛṣṇa, which is called bhāva, he always thinks of Kṛṣṇa in many different ways. One who has attained this bhāva stage is no longer under the clutches of the illusory energy. When other spiritual ingredients, such as trembling, perspiration and tears, are added to this bhāva stage, the devotee gradually attains love of Kṛṣṇa.
The holy name of Kṛṣṇa is called the mahā-mantra. Other mantras mentioned in the Nārada-pañcarātra are known simply as mantras, but the chanting of the holy name of the Lord is called the mahā-mantra.
Adi7.84 TEXT 84 kṛṣṇa-viṣayaka premā——parama puruṣārtha yāra āge tṛṇa-tulya cāri puruṣārtha SYNONYMS kṛṣṇa-viṣayaka—in the subject of Kṛṣṇa; premā—love; parama—the highest; puruṣa-artha—achievement of the goal of life; yāra—whose; āge—before; tṛṇa-tulya—like the grass in the street; cāri—four; puruṣa-artha—achievements.
TRANSLATION “‘Religiosity, economic development, sense gratification and liberation are known as the four goals of life, but before love of Godhead, the fifth and highest goal, these appear as insignificant as straw in the street. PURPORT While chanting the holy name of the Lord, one should not desire the material advancements represented by religiosity, economic development, sense gratification and ultimately liberation from the material world. As stated by Caitanya Mahāprabhu, the highest perfection in life is to develop one’s love for Kṛṣṇa (premā pum-artho mahān śrī-caitanya-mahāprabhor matam idam). When we compare love of Godhead with religiosity, economic development, sense gratification and liberation, we can understand that these achievements may be desirable objectives for bubhukṣus, or those who desire to enjoy this material world, and mumukṣus, or those who desire liberation from it, but they are very insignificant in the eyes of a pure devotee who has developed bhāva, the preliminary stage of love of Godhead.
Dharma (religiosity), artha (economic development), kāma (sense gratification) and mokṣa (liberation) are the four principles of religion that pertain to the material world. Therefore in the beginning of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam it is declared, dharmaḥ projjhita-kaitavo ’tra: [SB 1.1.2] cheating religious systems in terms of these four material principles are completely discarded from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, for Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam teaches only how to develop one’s dormant love of God. The Bhagavad-gītā is the preliminary study of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and therefore it ends with the words sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja: “Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me.” (Bg. 18.66) To adopt this means, one should reject all ideas of religiosity, economic development, sense gratification and liberation and fully engage in the service of the Lord, which is transcendental to these four principles. Love of Godhead is the original function of the spirit soul, and it is as eternal as the soul and the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This eternity is called sanātana. When a devotee revives his loving service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, it should be understood that he has been successful in achieving the desired goal of his life. At that time everything is automatically done by the mercy of the holy name, and the devotee automatically advances in his spiritual progress.
Adi7.85 TEXT 85 pañcama puruṣārtha——premānandāmṛta-sindhu mokṣādi ānanda yāra nahe eka bindu SYNONYMS pañcama—fifth; puruṣa-artha—goal of life; prema-ānanda—the spiritual bliss of love of Godhead; amṛta—eternal; sindhu—ocean; mokṣa-ādi—liberation and other principles of religiosity; ānanda—pleasures derived from them; yāra—whose; nahe—never comparable; eka—one; bindu—drop.
TRANSLATION “‘For a devotee who has actually developed bhāva, the pleasure derived from dharma, artha, kāma and mokṣa appears like a drop in the presence of the sea. Adi7.86 TEXT 86 kṛṣṇa-nāmera phala——‘premā’, sarva-śāstre kaya bhāgye sei premā tomāya karila udaya SYNONYMS kṛṣṇa-nāmera—of the holy name of the Lord; phala—result; premā—love of Godhead; sarva—in all; śāstre—revealed scriptures; kaya—describe; bhāgye—fortunately; sei—that; premā—love of Godhead; tomāya—Your; karila—has done; udaya—arisen.
TRANSLATION “‘The conclusion of all revealed scriptures is that one should awaken his dormant love of Godhead. You are greatly fortunate to have already done so. Adi7.87 TEXT 87 premāra svabhāve kare citta-tanu kṣobha kṛṣṇera caraṇa-prāptye upajāya lobha SYNONYMS premāra—out of love of Godhead; svabhāve—by nature; kare—it induces; citta—the consciousness; tanu—the body; kṣobha—agitated; kṛṣṇera—of Lord Kṛṣṇa; caraṇa—lotus feet; prāptye—to obtain; upajāya—it so becomes; lobha—aspiration.
TRANSLATION “‘It is a characteristic of love of Godhead that by nature it induces transcendental symptoms in one’s body and makes one more and more greedy to achieve the shelter of the lotus feet of the Lord. Adi7.88 TEXT 88 premāra svabhāve bhakta hāse, kānde, gāya unmatta ha-iyā nāce, iti-uti dhāya SYNONYMS premāra—by such love of Godhead; svabhāve—by nature; bhakta—the devotee; hāse—laughs; kānde—cries; gāya—chants; unmatta—mad; ha-iyā—becoming; nāce—dances; iti—here; uti—there; dhāya—moves.
TRANSLATION “‘When one actually develops love of Godhead, he naturally sometimes cries, sometimes laughs, sometimes chants and sometimes runs here and there just like a madman. PURPORT In this connection Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī says that sometimes persons who have no love of Godhead at all display ecstatic bodily symptoms. Artificially they sometimes laugh, cry and dance just like madmen, but this cannot help one progress in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Rather, such artificial agitation of the body is to be given up when one naturally develops the necessary bodily symptoms. Actual blissful life, manifested in genuine spiritual laughing, crying and dancing, is the symptom of real advancement in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, which can be achieved by a person who always voluntarily engages in the transcendental loving service of the Lord. If one who is not yet developed imitates such symptoms artificially, he creates chaos in the spiritual life of human society.
Adi7.89-90 TEXTS 89–90 sveda, kampa, romāñcāśru, gadgada, vaivarṇya unmāda, viṣāda, dhairya, garva, harṣa, dainya eta bhāve premā bhaktagaṇere nācāya kṛṣṇera ānandāmṛta-sāgare bhāsāya SYNONYMS sveda—perspiration; kampa—trembling; romāñca—standing of the hairs on the body; aśru—tears; gadgada—faltering; vaivarṇya—changing of bodily color; unmāda—madness; viṣāda—melancholy; dhairya—patience; garva—pride; harṣa—joyfulness; dainya—humbleness; eta—in many ways; bhāve—in ecstasy; premā—love of Godhead; bhakta-gaṇere—unto the devotees; nācāya—causes to dance; kṛṣṇera—of Lord Kṛṣṇa; ānanda—transcendental bliss; amṛta—nectar; sāgare—in the ocean; bhāsāya—floats.
TRANSLATION “‘Perspiration, trembling, standing on end of one’s bodily hairs, tears, faltering voice, fading complexion, madness, melancholy, patience, pride, joy and humility—these are various natural symptoms of ecstatic love of Godhead, which causes a devotee to dance and float in an ocean of transcendental bliss while chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. PURPORT Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī, in his Prīti-sandarbha (66), explains this stage of love of Godhead: bhagavat-prīti-rūpā vṛttir māyādi-mayī na bhavati. kiṁ tarhi, svarūpa-śakty-ānanda-rūpā, yad-ānanda-parādhīnaḥ śrī-bhagavān apīti. Similarly, in the 69th text he offers further explanation: tad evaṁ prīter lakṣaṇaṁ citta-dravas tasya ca roma-harṣādikam. kathañcij jāte ’pi citta-drave roma-harṣādike vā na ced āśaya-śuddhis tadāpi na bhakteḥ samyag-āvirbhāva iti jñāpitam. āśaya-śuddhir nāma cānya-tātparya-parityāgaḥ prīti-tātparyaṁ ca. ata evānimittā svābhāvikī ceti tad viśeṣaṇam. Transcendental love of Godhead is not under the jurisdiction of the material energy, for it is the transcendental bliss and pleasure potency of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Since the Supreme Lord is also under the influence of transcendental bliss, when one comes in touch with such bliss in love of Godhead, one’s heart melts, and the symptoms of this are standing of the hairs on end, etc. Sometimes a person thus melts and manifests these transcendental symptoms yet at the same time is not well behaved in his personal transactions. This indicates that he has not yet reached complete perfection in devotional life. In other words, a devotee who dances in ecstasy but after dancing and crying appears to be attracted to material affairs has not yet reached the perfection of devotional service, which is called āśaya-śuddhi, or the perfection of existence. One who attains the perfection of existence is completely averse to material enjoyment and engrossed in transcendental love of Godhead. It is therefore to be concluded that the ecstatic symptoms of āśaya-śuddhi are visible when a devotee’s service has no material cause and is purely spiritual in nature. These are characteristics of transcendental love of Godhead, as stated in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.2.6):
sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokṣaje “That religion is best which causes its followers to become ecstatic in love of God that is unmotivated and free from material impediments, for this alone can completely satisfy the self.”
Adi7.91 TEXT 91 bhāla haila, pāile tumi parama-puruṣārtha tomāra premete āmi hailāṅ kṛtārtha SYNONYMS bhāla haila—let it be good; pāile—You have gotten; tumi—You; parama-puruṣārtha—superexcellent goal of life; tomāra—Your; premete—by development in love of Godhead; āmi—I; hailāṅ—become; kṛta-artha—very much obliged.
TRANSLATION “‘It is very good, my dear child, that You have attained the supreme goal of life by developing love of Godhead. Thus You have pleased me very much, and I am very much obliged to You. PURPORT According to the revealed scriptures, if a spiritual master can convert even one soul into a perfectly pure devotee, his mission in life is fulfilled. Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura always used to say, “Even at the expense of all the properties, temples and maṭhas that I have, if I could convert even one person into a pure devotee, my mission would be fulfilled.” It is very difficult, however, to understand the science of Kṛṣṇa, what to speak of developing love of Godhead. Therefore if by the grace of Lord Caitanya and the spiritual master a disciple attains the standard of pure devotional service, the spiritual master is very happy. The spiritual master is not actually happy if the disciple brings him money, but when he sees that a disciple is following the regulative principles and advancing in spiritual life, he is very glad and feels obliged to such an advanced disciple.
Adi7.92 TEXT 92 nāca, gāo, bhakta-saṅge kara saṅkīrtana kṛṣṇa-nāma upadeśi’ tāra’ sarva-jana SYNONYMS nāca—go on dancing; gāo—chant; bhakta-saṅge—in the society of devotees; kara—continue; saṅkīrtana—chanting of the holy name in assembly; kṛṣṇa-nāma—the holy name of Kṛṣṇa; upadeśi’—by instructing; tāra’—deliver; sarva-jana—all fallen souls.
TRANSLATION “‘My dear child, continue dancing, chanting and performing saṅkīrtana in association with devotees. Furthermore, go out and preach the value of chanting kṛṣṇa-nāma, for by this process You will be able to deliver all fallen souls.’ PURPORT It is another ambition of the spiritual master to see his disciples not only chant, dance and follow the regulative principles but also preach the saṅkīrtana movement to others in order to deliver them, for the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is based on the principle that one should become as perfect as possible in devotional service oneself and also preach the cult for others’ benefit. There are two classes of unalloyed devotees—namely, goṣṭhy-ānandīs and bhajanānandīs. Bhajanānandī refers to one who is satisfied to cultivate devotional service for himself, and goṣṭhy-ānandī is one who is not satisfied simply to become perfect himself but wants to see others also take advantage of the holy name of the Lord and advance in spiritual life. The outstanding example is Prahlāda Mahārāja. When he was offered a benediction by Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva, Prahlāda Mahārāja said:
naivodvije para duratyaya-vaitaraṇyās “My dear Lord, I have no problems and want no benediction from You because I am quite satisfied to chant Your holy name. This is sufficient for me because whenever I chant I immediately merge in an ocean of transcendental bliss. I only lament to see others bereft of Your love. They are rotting in material activities for transient material pleasure and spoiling their lives toiling all day and night simply for sense gratification, with no attachment for love of Godhead. I am simply lamenting for them and devising various plans to deliver them from the clutches of māyā.” (Bhāg. 7.9.43)
Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura explains in his Anubhāṣya, “A person who has attracted the attention of the spiritual master by his sincere service likes to dance and chant with similarly developed Kṛṣṇa conscious devotees. The spiritual master authorizes such a devotee to deliver fallen souls in all parts of the world. Those who are not advanced prefer to chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra in a solitary place.” Such activities constitute, in the language of Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, a type of cheating process in the sense that they imitate the activities of exalted personalities like Haridāsa Ṭhākura. One should not attempt to imitate such exalted devotees. Rather, everyone should endeavor to preach the cult of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu in all parts of the world and thus become successful in spiritual life. One who is not very expert in preaching may chant in a secluded place, avoiding bad association, but for one who is actually advanced, preaching and meeting people who are not engaged in devotional service are not disadvantages. A devotee gives the nondevotees his association but is not affected by their misbehavior. Thus by the activities of a pure devotee even those who are bereft of love of Godhead get a chance to become devotees of the Lord one day. In this connection Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura advises that one discuss the verse in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam beginning naitat samācarej jātu manasāpi hy anīśvaraḥ (10.33.30), and the following verse in Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.2.255):
anāsaktasya viṣayān yathārham upayuñjataḥ One should not imitate the activities of great personalities. One should be detached from material enjoyment and should accept everything in connection with Kṛṣṇa’s service.
Adi7.93 TEXT 93 eta bali’ eka śloka śikhāila more bhāgavatera sāra ei——bale vāre vāre SYNONYMS eta bali’—saying this; eka—one; śloka—verse; śikhāila—has taught; more—unto Me; bhāgavatera—of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam; sāra—essence; ei—this is; bale—he said; vāre vāre—again and again.
TRANSLATION “Saying this, My spiritual master taught Me a verse from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. It is the essence of all the Bhāgavatam’s instructions; therefore he recited this verse again and again. PURPORT This verse from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.2.40) was spoken by Śrī Nārada Muni to Vasudeva to teach him about bhāgavata-dharma. Vasudeva had already achieved the result of bhāgavata-dharma because Lord Kṛṣṇa appeared in his house as his son, yet in order to teach others, he desired to hear from Śrī Nārada Muni to be enlightened in the process of bhāgavata-dharma. This is the humbleness of a great devotee.
Adi7.94 TEXT 94 evaṁ-vrataḥ sva-priya-nāma-kīrtyā jātānurāgo druta-citta uccaiḥ hasaty atho roditi rauti gāyaty unmāda-van nṛtyati loka-bāhyaḥ SYNONYMS evam-vrataḥ—when one thus engages in the vow to chant and dance; sva—own; priya—very dear; nāma—holy name; kīrtyā—by chanting; jāta—in this way develops; anurāgaḥ—attachment; druta-cittaḥ—very eagerly; uccaiḥ—loudly; hasati—laughs; atho—also; roditi—cries; rauti—becomes agitated; gāyati—chants; unmāda-vat—like a madman; nṛtyati—dancing; loka-bāhyaḥ—without caring for outsiders.
TRANSLATION “‘When a person is actually advanced and takes pleasure in chanting the holy name of the Lord, who is very dear to him, he is agitated and loudly chants the holy name. He also laughs, cries, becomes agitated and chants just like a madman, not caring for outsiders.’ Adi7.95-96 TEXTS 95–96 ei tāṅra vākye āmi dṛḍha viśvāsa dhari’ nirantara kṛṣṇa-nāma saṅkīrtana kari sei kṛṣṇa-nāma kabhu gāoyāya, nācāya gāhi, nāci nāhi āmi āpana-icchāya SYNONYMS ei—this; tāṅra—his (My spiritual master’s); vākye—in the words of; āmi—I; dṛḍha—firm; viśvāsa—faith; dhari’—depend; nirantara—always; kṛṣṇa-nāma—the holy name of Lord Kṛṣṇa; saṅkīrtana—chanting; kari—continue; sei—that; kṛṣṇa-nāma—the holy name of Lord Kṛṣṇa; kabhu—sometimes; gāoyāya—causes Me to chant; nācāya—causes Me to dance; gāhi—by chanting; nāci—dancing; nāhi—not; āmi—Myself; āpana—own; icchāya—will.
TRANSLATION “I firmly believe in these words of My spiritual master, and therefore I always chant the holy name of the Lord, alone and in the association of devotees. That holy name of Lord Kṛṣṇa sometimes causes Me to chant and dance, and therefore I chant and dance. Please do not think that I intentionally do it. I do it automatically. PURPORT A person who cannot keep his faith in the words of his spiritual master but acts independently never receives the authority to chant the holy name of the Lord. It is said in the Vedas (Śvetāśvatara Up. 6.23):
yasya deve parā bhaktir yathā deve tathā gurau [ŚU 6.23] “Only unto those great souls who have implicit faith in both the Lord and the spiritual master are all the imports of Vedic knowledge automatically revealed.” This Vedic injunction is very important, and Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu supported it by His personal behavior. Believing in the words of His spiritual master, He introduced the saṅkīrtana movement, just as the present Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement was started with belief in the words of our spiritual master. He wanted to preach, we believed in his words and tried somehow or other to fulfill them, and now this movement has become successful all over the world. Therefore faith in the words of the spiritual master and in the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the secret of success. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu never disobeyed the orders of His spiritual master and stopped propagating the saṅkīrtana movement. Śrī Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī, at the time of his passing away, ordered all his disciples to work conjointly to preach the mission of Caitanya Mahāprabhu all over the world. Later, however, some self-interested, foolish disciples disobeyed his orders. Each one of them wanted to become head of the mission, and they fought in the courts, neglecting the order of the spiritual master, and the entire mission was defeated. We are not proud of this; however, the truth must be explained. We believed in the words of our spiritual master and started in a humble way—in a helpless way—but due to the spiritual force of the order of the supreme authority, this movement has become successful.
It is to be understood that when Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu chanted and danced, He did so by the influence of the pleasure potency of the spiritual world. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu never considered the holy name of the Lord to be a material vibration, nor does any pure devotee mistake the chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra to be a material musical manifestation. Lord Caitanya never tried to be the master of the holy name; rather He taught us how to be servants of the holy name. If one chants the holy name of the Lord just to make a show, not knowing the secret of success, he may increase his bile secretion, but he will never attain perfection in chanting the holy name. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu presented himself in this way: “I am a great fool and do not have knowledge of right and wrong. In order to understand the real meaning of the Vedānta-sūtra, I never followed the explanation of the Śaṅkara-sampradāya or Māyāvādī sannyāsīs. I’m very much afraid of the illogical arguments of the Māyāvādī philosophers. Therefore I think I have no authority regarding their explanations of the Vedānta-sūtra. I firmly believe that simply chanting the holy name of the Lord can remove all misconceptions of the material world. I believe that simply by chanting the holy name of the Lord one can attain the shelter of the lotus feet of the Lord. In this age of quarrel and disagreement, the chanting of the holy names is the only way to liberation from the material clutches.
“By chanting the holy name,” Lord Caitanya continued, “I became almost mad. However, after inquiring from My spiritual master I have come to the conclusion that instead of striving for achievement in the four principles of religiosity [dharma], economic development [artha], sense gratification [kāma] and liberation [mokṣa], it is better if somehow or other one develops transcendental love of Godhead. That is the greatest success in life. One who has attained love of Godhead chants and dances by his nature, not caring for the public.” This stage of life is known as bhāgavata-jīvana, or the life of a devotee.
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu continued, “I never chanted and danced to make an artificial show. I dance and chant because I firmly believe in the words of My spiritual master. Although the Māyāvādī philosophers do not like this chanting and dancing, I nevertheless perform it on the strength of his words. Therefore it is to be concluded that I deserve very little credit for these activities of chanting and dancing, for they are being done automatically by the grace of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.”
Adi7.97 TEXT 97 kṛṣṇa-nāme ye ānanda-sindhu-āsvādana brahmānanda tāra āge khātodaka-sama SYNONYMS kṛṣṇa-nāme—in the holy name of the Lord; ye—which; ānanda—transcendental bliss; sindhu—ocean; āsvādana—tasting; brahma-ānanda—the transcendental bliss of impersonal understanding; tāra—its; āge—in front; khāta-udaka—shallow water in the canals; sama—like.
TRANSLATION “Compared to the ocean of transcendental bliss that one tastes by chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, the pleasure derived from impersonal Brahman realization [brahmānanda] is like the shallow water in a canal. PURPORT In the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.1.38) it is stated:
brahmānando bhaved eṣa cet parārdha-guṇī-kṛtaḥ “If brahmānanda, the transcendental bliss derived from understanding impersonal Brahman, were multiplied a million times, such a quantity of brahmānanda could not compare with even an atomic portion of the pleasure relished in pure devotional service.”
Adi7.98 TEXT 98 tvat-sākṣāt-karaṇāhlāda- viśuddhābdhi-sthitasya me sukhāni goṣpadāyante brāhmāṇy api jagad-guro SYNONYMS tvat—Your; sākṣāt—meeting; karaṇa—such action; āhlāda—pleasure; viśuddha—spiritually purified; abdhi—ocean; sthitasya—being situated; me—by me; sukhāni—happiness; goṣpadāyante—a small hole created by the hoof of a calf; brāhmaṇi—the pleasure derived from impersonal Brahman understanding; api—also; jagat-guro—O master of the universe.
TRANSLATION “‘My dear Lord, O master of the universe, since I have directly seen You, my transcendental bliss has taken the shape of a great ocean. Being situated in that ocean, I now realize all other so-called happiness to be like the water contained in the hoofprint of a calf.’” PURPORT The transcendental bliss enjoyed in pure devotional service is like an ocean, whereas material happiness and even the happiness to be derived from the realization of impersonal Brahman are just like the water in the hoofprint of a calf. This is a verse from the Hari-bhakti-sudhodaya (14.36).
Adi7.99 TEXT 99 prabhura miṣṭa-vākya śuni’ sannyāsīra gaṇa citta phiri’ gela, kahe madhura vacana SYNONYMS prabhura—of the Lord; miṣṭa-vākya—sweet words; śuni’—after hearing; sannyāsīra gaṇa—all the groups of sannyāsīs; citta—consciousness; phiri’—moved; gela—went; kahe—said; madhura—pleasing; vacana—words.
TRANSLATION After hearing Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, all the Māyāvādī sannyāsīs were moved. Their minds changed, and thus they spoke with pleasing words. PURPORT The Māyāvādī sannyāsīs met Caitanya Mahāprabhu at Vārāṇasī to criticize the Lord regarding His participation in the saṅkīrtana movement, which they did not like. This demonic nature of opposition to the saṅkīrtana movement perpetually exists. As it existed in the time of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, similarly it existed long before that, even in the time of Prahlāda Mahārāja. He used to chant in saṅkīrtana although his father did not like it, and that was the reason for the misunderstanding between the father and son. In the Bhagavad-gītā (7.15) the Lord says:
na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ “Those miscreants who are grossly foolish, who are lowest among mankind, whose knowledge is stolen by illusion, and who partake of the atheistic nature of demons do not surrender unto Me.” The Māyāvādī sannyāsīs are āsuraṁ bhāvam āśritāḥ, which means that they have taken the path of the asuras (demons), who do not believe in the existence of the form of the Lord. The Māyāvādīs say that the ultimate source of everything is impersonal, and in this way they deny the existence of God. Saying that there is no God is direct denial of God, and saying that God exists but has no head, legs or hands and cannot speak, hear or eat is a negative way of denying His existence. A person who cannot see is called blind, one who cannot walk is called lame, one who has no hands is called helpless, one who cannot speak is called dumb, and one who cannot hear is called deaf. The Māyāvādīs’ proposition that God has no legs, no eyes, no ears and no hands is an indirect way of insulting Him by defining Him as blind, deaf, dumb, lame, helpless, etc. Therefore although they present themselves as great Vedāntists, they are factually māyayāpahṛta-jñāna; in other words, they seem to be very learned scholars, but the essence of their knowledge has been taken away.
Impersonalist Māyāvādīs always try to defy Vaiṣṇavas because Vaiṣṇavas accept the Supreme Personality as the supreme cause and want to serve Him, talk with Him and see Him, just as the Lord is also eager to see His devotees and talk, eat and dance with them. These personal exchanges of love do not appeal to the Māyāvādī sannyāsīs. Therefore the original purpose of the Māyāvādī sannyāsīs of Benares in meeting Caitanya Mahāprabhu was to defeat His personal conception of God. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, however, as a preacher, turned the minds of the Māyāvādī sannyāsīs. They were melted by the sweet words of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and thus became friendly and spoke to Him also in sweet words. Similarly, all preachers will have to meet opponents, but they should not make them more inimical. They are already enemies, and if we talk with them harshly or impolitely their enmity will merely increase. We should therefore follow in the footsteps of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu as far as possible and try to convince the opposition by quoting from the śāstras and presenting the conclusion of the ācāryas. It is in this way that we should try to defeat all the enemies of the Lord.
THIS WEB PAGE URL: http://causelessmercy.com/Adi7.4.htm
śūnyāyitaṁ jagat sarvaṁ govinda-viraheṇa me
iti matvā bhajante māṁ budhā bhāva-samanvitāḥ
ahaituky apratihatā yayātmā suprasīdati
tvad-vīrya-gāyana-mahāmṛta-magna-cittaḥ
śoce tato vimukha-cetasa indriyārtha-
māyā-sukhāya bharam udvahato vimūḍhān
nirbandhaḥ kṛṣṇa-sambandhe yuktaṁ vairāgyam ucyate
tasyaite kathitā hy arthāḥ prakāśante mahātmanaḥ
naiti bhakti-sukhāmbhodheḥ paramāṇu-tulām api
māyayāpahṛta-jñānā āsuraṁ bhāvam āśritāḥ