Madhya11.1

TEXT 1

aty-uddaṇḍaṁ tāṇḍavaṁ gauracandraḥ

kurvan bhaktaiḥ śrī-jagannātha-gehe

nānā-bhāvālaṅkṛtāṅgaḥ sva-dhāmnā

cakre viśvaṁ prema-vanyā-nimagnam

SYNONYMS

ati—very much; uddaṇḍam—high jumping; tāṇḍavam—very graceful dancing; gaura-candraḥ—Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu; kurvan—performing; bhaktaiḥ—with the devotees; śrī-jagannātha-gehe—in the temple of Lord Jagannātha; nānā-bhāva-alaṅkṛta-aṅgaḥ—having many ecstatic symptoms manifested in His transcendental body; sva-dhāmnā—by the influence of His ecstatic love; cakre—made; viśvam—the whole world; prema-vanyā-nimagnam—merged into the inundation of ecstatic love.

TRANSLATION

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

Madhya11.2

TEXT 2

jaya jaya śrī-caitanya jaya nityānanda

jayādvaita-candra jaya gaura-bhakta-vṛnda

SYNONYMS

jaya jaya—all glories; śrī-caitanya—to Lord Caitanya; jaya—all glories; nityānanda—to Nityānanda Prabhu; jaya—all glories; advaita-candra—to Advaita Prabhu; jaya—all glories; gaura-bhakta-vṛnda—to the devotees of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

TRANSLATION

All glories to Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu! All glories to Lord Nityānanda Prabhu! All glories to Śrī Advaita Prabhu! And all glories to the devotees of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu!

Madhya11.3

TEXT 3

āra dina sārvabhauma kahe prabhu-sthāne

abhaya-dāna deha’ yadi, kari nivedane

SYNONYMS

āra dina—the next day; sārvabhauma—Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya; kahe—says; prabhu-sthāne—in the presence of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu; abhaya-dāna—the charity of fearlessness; deha’—You give; yadi—if; kari—I do; nivedane—submission.

TRANSLATION

The next day Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya requested Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu to give him permission to submit a statement without fear.

Madhya11.4

TEXT 4

prabhu kahe,-kaha tumi, nāhi kichu bhaya

yogya haile kariba, ayogya haile naya

SYNONYMS

prabhu kahe—Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu said; kaha tumi—yes, you can speak; nāhi—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 Bhaṭṭācārya 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

sārvabhauma kahe-ei pratāparudra rāya

utkaṇṭhā hañāche, tomā milibāre cāya

SYNONYMS

sārvabhauma kahe—Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya said; ei—this; pratāparudra rāya—King Pratāparudra of Jagannātha Purī; utkaṇṭhā hañāche—has been very anxious; tomā—You; milibāre—to meet; cāya—he wants.

TRANSLATION

Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya said, “There is a king named Pratāparudra Rāya. He is very anxious to meet You, and he wants Your permission.”

Madhya11.6

TEXT 6

karṇe hasta diyā prabhu smare ’nārāyaṇa’

sārvabhauma, kaha kena ayogya vacana

SYNONYMS

karṇe—on the ears; hasta—hands; diyā—placing; prabhu—Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu; smare—remembers; nārāyaṇa—the holy name of Lord Nārāyaṇa; sārvabhauma—My dear Sārvabhauma; kaha—you say; kena—why; ayogya vacana—a request that is not suitable.

TRANSLATION

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

Madhya11.7

TEXT 7

virakta sannyāsī āmāra rāja-daraśana

strī-daraśana-sama viṣera bhakṣaṇa

SYNONYMS

virakta—unattached; sannyāsī—person in the renounced order; āmāra—My; rāja-daraśana—meeting a king; strī-daraśana—meeting a woman; sama—like; viṣera—of poison; bhakṣaṇa—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

niṣkiñcanaṣya bhagavad-bhajanonmukhasya

pāraṁ paraṁ jigamiṣor bhava-sāgarasya

sandarśanaṁ viṣayiṇām atha yoṣitāṁ ca

hā hanta hanta viṣa-bhakṣaṇato ’py asādhu

SYNONYMS

niṣkiñcanasya—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; pāram—to the other side; param—distant; jigamiṣoḥ—who is desiring to go; bhava-sāgarasya—of the ocean of material existence; sandarśanam—the seeing (for some material purpose); viṣayiṇām—of persons engaged in material activities; atha—as well as; yoṣitām—of women; ca—also; hā—alas; hanta hanta—expression of great lamentation; viṣa-bhakṣaṇataḥ—than the act of drinking poison; api—even; asādhu—more abominable.

TRANSLATION

Greatly lamenting, the Lord then informed Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya, “ ’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 Śrī Caitanya-candrodaya-nāṭaka (8.23). Thus Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu enunciates the principles for a sannyāsī 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. Pāraṁ paraṁ jigamiṣoḥ means desiring to go to the other side of the material world. There is a river called Vaitaraṇī, and on one side of this river is the material world, and on the other side is the spiritual world. Since the Vaitaraṇī River is compared to a great ocean, it is named bhava-sāgara, 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.

Madhya11.9

TEXT 9

sārvabhauma kahe,-satya tomāra vacana

jagannātha-sevaka rājā kintu bhaktottama

SYNONYMS

sārvabhauma kahe—Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya replied; satya—true; tomāra—Your; vacana—statement; jagannātha-sevaka—servant of Lord Jagannātha; rājā—the King; kintu—but; bhakta-uttama—a great devotee.

TRANSLATION

Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya 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 Jagannātha.”

Madhya11.10

TEXT 10

prabhu kahe,-tathāpi rājā kāla-sarpākāra

kāṣṭha-nārī-sparśe yaiche upaje vikāra

SYNONYMS

prabhu kahe—Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu replied; tathāpi—still; rājā—the King; kāla-sarpa-ākāra—just like a venomous snake; kāṣṭha-nārī—a woman made of wood; sparśe—by touching; yaiche—as; upaje—arises; vikāra—agitation.

TRANSLATION

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu 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

Śrī Cāṇakya Paṇḍita in his moral instructions has stated: tyaja durjana-saṁsargaṁ bhaja sādhu-samāgamam. 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, kāma, krodha, mada, moha, mātsarya 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 Kṛṣṇa 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 Kṛṣṇa mantra engages the mind at the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa constantly; thus the mind’s enemies do not have a chance to strike. Following Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’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 Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, through His personal behavior, warns everyone to avoid meeting a materialistic person or a woman.

Madhya11.11

TEXT 11

ākārād api bhetavyaṁ

strīṇāṁ viṣayiṇām api

yathāher manasaḥ kṣobhas

tathā tasyākṛter api

SYNONYMS

ākārāt—from bodily features; api—even; bhetavyam—to be feared; strīṇām—of women; viṣayiṇām—of materialistic persons; api—even; yathā—as; aheḥ—from a serpent; manasaḥ—of the mind; kṣobhaḥ—agitation; tathā—so; tasya—of it; ākṛteḥ—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 Śrī Caitanya-candrodaya-nāṭaka (8.24).

Madhya11.12

TEXT 12

aiche bāta punarapi mukhe nā ānibe

kaha yadi, tabe āmāya ethā nā dekhibe

SYNONYMS

aiche bāta—such a request; punarapi—again; mukhe—in the mouth; nā—do not; ānibe—bring; kaha yadi—if you speak; tabe—then; āmāya—Me; ethā—here; nā—not; dekhibe—you will see.

TRANSLATION

“Bhaṭṭācārya, 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 pāñā sārvabhauma nija ghare gelā

vāsāya giyā bhaṭṭācārya cintita ha-ilā

SYNONYMS

bhaya pāñā—being afraid; sārvabhauma—Sārvabhauma; nija—own; ghare—to home; gelā—returned; vāsāya giyā—reaching his residential place; bhaṭṭācārya—the Bhaṭṭācārya; cintita ha-ilā—became meditative.

TRANSLATION

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

Madhya11.14

TEXT 14

hena kāle pratāparudra puruṣottame āilā

pātra-mitra-saṅge rājā daraśane calilā

SYNONYMS

hena kāle—at this time; pratāparudra—King Pratāparudra; puruṣottame—at Jagannātha Purī; āilā—arrived; pātra-mitra-saṅge—accompanied by his secretaries, ministers, military officers and so on; rājā—the King; daraśane—to visit Lord Jagannātha; calilā—departed.

TRANSLATION

At this time, Mahārāja Pratāparudra arrived at Jagannātha Purī, Puruṣottama, and, accompanied by his secretaries, ministers and military officers, went to visit the temple of Lord Jagannātha.

PURPORT

It appears that Mahārāja Pratāparudra used to live at Kaṭaka, his capital. Later he shifted his capital to Khurdā, a few miles from Jagannātha Purī. Presently there is a railway station there called Khurdā Road.

Madhya11.15

TEXT 15

rāmānanda rāya āilā gajapati-saṅge

prathamei prabhure āsi’ mililā bahu-raṅge

SYNONYMS

rāmānanda rāya—Rāmānanda Rāya; āilā—came; gajapati-saṅge—with the King; prathamei—in the first instance; prabhure—unto Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu; āsi’—coming; mililā—met; bahu-raṅge—with great pleasure.

TRANSLATION

When King Pratāparudra returned to Jagannātha Purī, Rāmānanda Rāya also came with him. Rāmānanda Rāya immediately went to meet Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu with great pleasure.

PURPORT

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

Madhya11.16

TEXT 16

rāya praṇati kaila, prabhu kaila āliṅgana

dui jane premāveśe karena krandana

SYNONYMS

rāya praṇati kaila—Rāmānanda Rāya offered his obeisances; prabhu—the Lord; kaila—did; āliṅgana—embracing; dui jane—both of them; prema-āveśe—in ecstatic love; karena—did; krandana—crying.

TRANSLATION

Upon meeting Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Rāmānanda Rāya offered his obeisances. The Lord embraced him, and both of them began to cry in the great ecstasy of love.

Madhya11.17

TEXT 17

rāya-saṅge prabhura dekhi’ sneha-vyavahāra

sarva bhakta-gaṇera mane haila camatkāra

SYNONYMS

rāya-saṅge—with Rāmānanda Rāya; prabhura—of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu; dekhi’—seeing; sneha-vyavahāra—very intimate behavior; sarva—all; bhakta-gaṇera—of all the devotees; mane—in the mind; haila—there was; camatkāra—astonishment.

TRANSLATION

Seeing Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s intimate dealings with Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya, all the devotees there were astonished.

Madhya11.18

TEXT 18

rāya kahe,-tomāra ājñā rājāke kahila

tomāra icchāya rājā mora viṣaya chāḍāila

SYNONYMS

rāya kahe—Rāmānanda Rāya said; tomāra ājñā—Your order; rājāke kahila—I informed the King; tomāra icchāya—by Your grace; rājā—the King; mora—my; viṣaya—material activities; chāḍāila—gave me relief from.

TRANSLATION

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

PURPORT

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

Madhya11.19

TEXT 19

āmi kahi,-āmā haite nā haya ’viṣaya’

caitanya-caraṇe rahoṅ, yadi ājñā haya

SYNONYMS

āmi kahi—I said; āmā haite—by me; nā—not; haya—is possible; viṣaya—government service; caitanya-caraṇe—at the lotus feet of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu; rahoṅ—I may stay; yadi ājñā 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 Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Kindly give me permission.’

Madhya11.20

TEXT 20

tomāra nāma śuni’ rājā ānandita haila

āsana haite uṭhi’ more āliṅgana kaila

SYNONYMS

tomāra—Your; nāma—name; śuni’—hearing; rājā—the King; ānandita—very much pleased; haila—became; āsana haite—from his throne; uṭhi’—standing; more—me; āliṅgana 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

tomāra nāma śuni’ haila mahā-premāveśa

mora hāte dhari’ kare pirīti viśeṣa

SYNONYMS

tomāra—Your; nāma—name; śuni’—hearing; haila—became; mahā—great; prema-āveśa—ecstasy of love; mora hāte—my hand; dhari’—catching; kare—does; pirīti—loving symptoms; viśeṣa—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

tomāra ye vartana, tumi khāo sei vartana

niścinta hañā bhaja caitanyera caraṇa

SYNONYMS

tomāra—Your; ye—whatever; vartana—remuneration; tumi—you; khāo—take; sei—that; vartana—pension; niścinta hañā—without anxiety; bhaja—just worship; caitanyera—of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu; caraṇa—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

āmi-chāra, yogya nahi tāṅra daraśane

tāṅre yei bhaje tāṅra saphala jīvane

SYNONYMS

āmi—I; chāra—very much fallen; yogya—fit; nahi—not; tāṅra—His; daraśane—for interviewing; tāṅre—Him; yei—anyone who; bhaje—worships; tāṅra—his; saphala—successful; jīvane—life.

TRANSLATION

"Then Mahārāja Pratāparudra 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 kṛpālu teṅha vrajendra-nandana

kona-janme more avaśya dibena daraśana

SYNONYMS

parama—very much; kṛpālu—merciful; teṅha—Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu; vrajendra-nandana—the son of Mahārāja Nanda; kona-janme—in some future birth; more—unto me; avaśya—certainly; dibena—will give; daraśana—interview.

TRANSLATION

"The King then said, ’Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is Kṛṣṇa, the son of Mahārāja Nanda. He is very merciful, and I hope that in a future birth He will allow me an interview.’

Madhya11.25

TEXT 25

ye tāṅhāra prema-ārti dekhiluṅ tomāte

tāra eka prema-leśa nāhika āmāte

SYNONYMS

ye—whatever; tāṅhāra—his; prema-ārti—painful feelings of love of Godhead; dekhiluṅ—I saw; tomāte—unto You; tāra—of that; eka—one; prema-leśa—fraction of love; nāhika—there is not; āmāte—in me.

TRANSLATION

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

Madhya11.26

TEXT 26

prabhu kahe,-tumi kṛṣṇa-bhakata-pradhāna

tomāke ye prīti kare, sei bhāgyavān

SYNONYMS

prabhu kahe—Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu said; tumi—you; kṛṣṇa-bhakata-pradhāna—the chief of the devotees of Lord Kṛṣṇa; tomāke—unto you; ye—anyone who; prīti kare—shows love; sei—such a person; bhāgyavān—most fortunate.

TRANSLATION

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu then said, "My dear Rāmānanda Rāya, you are the foremost of all the devotees of Kṛṣṇa; therefore whoever loves you is certainly a very fortunate person.

Madhya11.27

TEXT 27

tomāte ye eta prīti ha-ila rājāra

ei guṇe kṛṣṇa tāṅre karibe aṅgīkāra

SYNONYMS

tomāte—unto you; ye—that; eta—so much; prīti—love; ha-ila—was; rājāra—of the King; ei guṇe—for this reason; kṛṣṇa—Lord Kṛṣṇa; tāṅre—him; karibe aṅgīkāra—will accept.

TRANSLATION

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

PURPORT

King Pratāparudra requested an interview with Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu through the Bhaṭṭācārya, who duly submitted the request. The Lord, however, immediately refused this interview. Now when Rāmānanda Rāya informed the Lord how eager the King was to see Him, the Lord was immediately pleased. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu requested Rāmānanda Rāya to retire from his government post and come to Śrī Puruṣottama-kṣetra (Jagannātha Purī) to live with Him. When this proposal was submitted to King Pratāparudra, he immediately accepted it and also encouraged Rāmānanda Rāya 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. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu clearly says, “Because the King loves you, Rāmānanda Rāya, he is very fortunate. Kṛṣṇa will certainly accept him due to his love for you.”

Madhya11.28

TEXT 28

ye me bhakta-janāḥ pārtha

na me bhaktāś ca te janāḥ

mad-bhaktānāṁ ca ye bhaktās

te me bhakta-tamā matāḥ

SYNONYMS

ye—those who; me—My; bhakta-janāḥ—devotees; pārtha—O Pārtha; na—not; me—My; bhaktāḥ—devotees; ca—and; te—those; janāḥ—persons; mat-bhaktānām—of My devotees; ca—certainly; ye—those who; bhaktāḥ—devotees; te—such persons; me—My; bhakta-tamāḥ—most advanced devotees; matāḥ—that is My opinion.

TRANSLATION

"Lord Kṛṣṇa 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

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu quotes this verse from the Ādi Purāṇa. The verse is also included in the Laghu-bhāgavatāmṛta (2.6).

Madhya11.29-30

TEXTS 29-30

ādaraḥ paricaryāyāṁ

sarvāṅgair abhivandanam

mad-bhakta-pūjābhyadhikā

sarva-bhūteṣu man-matiḥ

mad-artheṣv aṅga-ceṣṭā ca

vacasā mad-guṇeraṇam

mayy arpaṇaṁ ca manasaḥ

sarva-kāma-vivarjanam

SYNONYMS

ādaraḥ—respect, care; paricaryāyām—in service; sarva-aṅgaiḥ—by all the parts of the body; abhivandanam—offering obeisances; mat-bhakta—of My devotees; pūjā—worshiping; abhyadhikā—very high; sarva-bhūteṣu—in all living entities; mat-matiḥ—realization of having a relationship with Me; mat-artheṣu—for the sake of My service; aṅga-ceṣṭāḥ—engaging the bodily energy; ca—and; vacasā—by words; mat-guṇa-īraṇam—describing My glories; mayi—unto Me; arpaṇam—dedicating; ca—and; manasaḥ—of the mind; sarva-kāma—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 Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.19.21-22). They were spoken by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Kṛṣṇa, who was answering Uddhava’s inquiry about devotional service.

Madhya11.31

TEXT 31

ārādhanānāṁ sarveṣāṁ

viṣṇor ārādhanaṁ param

tasmāt parataraṁ devi

tadīyānāṁ samarcanam

SYNONYMS

ārādhanānām—of varieties of worship; sarveṣām—all; viṣṇoḥ—of Lord Viṣṇu; ārādhanam—worship; param—the most exalted; tasmāt—and above such worship of Lord Viṣṇu; parataram—of greater value; devi—O goddess; tadīyānām—of persons in relationship with Lord Viṣṇu; samarcanam—rigid and firm worship.

TRANSLATION

"Lord Śiva told the goddess Durgā, ’My dear Devī, although the Vedas recommend worship of demigods, the worship of Lord Viṣṇu is topmost. However, above the worship of Lord Viṣṇu is the rendering of service to Vaiṣṇavas, who are related to Lord Viṣṇu.’

PURPORT

The Vedas are divided into three divisions-karma-kāṇḍa, jñāna-kāṇḍa and upāsanā-kāṇḍa. 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 Viṣṇu. In this quotation from the Padma Purāṇa, Lord Śiva answers a question posed to him by the goddess Durgā. This verse is also included in the Laghu-bhāgavatāmṛta (2.4), by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī. The words viṣṇor ārādhanam refer to the worship of Lord Viṣṇu, or Kṛṣṇa. Thus the supreme form of worship is the satisfaction of the Supreme Personality of Godhead Śrī Kṛṣṇa. It is further concluded that the worshiper of Lord Viṣṇu renders better service by worshiping the devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa. There are different types of devotees-those in śānta-rasa, dāsya-rasa, sakhya-rasa, vātsalya-rasa and mādhurya-rasa. Although all the rasas are on the transcendental platform, mādhurya-rasa is the supreme transcendental mellow. Consequently it is concluded that the worship of devotees engaged in the Lord’s service in mādhurya-rasa is the supreme spiritual activity. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and His followers mainly worship Lord Kṛṣṇa in mādhurya-rasa. Other Vaiṣṇava ācāryas recommended worship up to vātsalya-rasa. Therefore Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī in his Vidagdha-mādhava (1.2) describes Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s cult as supreme:

anarpita-carīṁ cirāt karuṇayāvatīrṇaḥ kalau
samarpayitum unnatojjvala-rasāṁ sva-bhakti-śriyam

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

Madhya11.32

TEXT 32

durāpā hy alpa-tapasaḥ

sevā vaikuṇṭha-vartmasu

yatropagīyate nityaṁ

deva-devo janārdanaḥ

SYNONYMS

durāpā—very difficult to achieve; hi—certainly; alpa-tapasaḥ—by a person not advanced in spiritual life; sevā—service; vaikuṇṭha-vartmasu—unto persons on the path back home, back to Godhead; yatra—wherein; upagīyate—is worshiped and glorified; nityam—regularly; deva-devaḥ—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; janārdanaḥ—Lord Kṛṣṇa.

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 Vaikuṇṭhas. 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

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