Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi-lila 1.4 Nitai: “May that Lord, who is known as the son of Srimati Sacidevi, be transcendentally situated in the innermost chambers of your heart. Resplendent with the radiance of molten gold, He has appeared in the age of Kali by His causeless mercy to bestow what no incarnation ever offered before: the most sublime and radiant spiritual knowledge of the mellow taste of His service.” Prabhupada: anarpita-carim cirat karunayavatirnah kalau samarpayitum unnata ujjvala-rasam sva-bhakti-sriyam harih purata-sundara-dyuti-kadamba-sandipitah sada hrdaya-kandare sphuratu vah saci-nandana This is the blessings of Srila Rupa Gosvami upon everyone. sri-caitanya-mano-’bhistam sthapitam yena bhu-tale svayam rupah kada mahyam dadati sva-padantikam We should pray to Rupa Gosvami for his blessings so that we can understand what is the actual position of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is the most merciful incarnation to bestow upon us Krsna-prema. Srila Rupa Gosvami understood it, Srila Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya understood it, and we should take their viewpoint of view, what they have studied about Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. So Srila Rupa Gosvami says… In the beginning Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was appreciated by Srila Rupa Gosvami as maha-vadanyavatara. There are many incarnations of Krsna, kesava dhrta-mina-sarira jaya jagadisa hare, kesava dhrta-nrsimha-rupa jaya jagadisa…, many incarnations. But this incarnation, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, is anarpita-carim cirat. The mercy of this incarnation is unlimited. It was never given before. That is Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s mercy. He distributed the most confidential part of love of Godhead. Although we are living in this fallen age, Kali- yuga, but He is giving the topmost platform of loving Krsna. Anarpita-carim cirat. Therefore He is supposed to be the most munificent incarnation. Namo maha-vadanyaya krsna-prema-pradaya te [Madhya 19.53]. He is giving directly Krsna-prema. It is very difficult to understand Krsna, and what to speak of His loving affairs. It is very difficult. manusyanam sahasresu kascid yatati siddhaye yatatam api siddhanam kascit vetti mam tattvatah [Bg. 7.3] Krsna personally says that it is very difficult to understand Him. Actually it is so. But Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s mercy is so unlimited that He is helping not only to understand Krsna, but also He is giving directly love of Krsna, and the supermost platform of love, as it was experienced by the gopis. The gopis’ dealing with Krsna is considered to be the topmost. Caitanya Mahaprabhu, He recommended, ramya kacid upasana vrajavadhu-vargena ya kalpita. Vrajavadhu, the gopis, the damsels of Vrndavana, they worship Krsna in the topmost loving affairs. They did not know anything but Krsna. For Krsna they could sacrifice anything—their honor, their prestige, everything, their husband, their sons, family. That is the gopis’ standard. Therefore Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s incarnation is accepted by Srila Rupa Gosvami in many verses. One of the verses in here, anarpita-carim cirat karunayavatirnah kalau. So we should take shelter of Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu. That is the blessing of Rupa Gosvami. He says, harih purata-sundara-dyuti-kadamba-sandipitah sada hrdaya-kandare sphuratu vah saci-nandana He is giving His blessing that “This form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Hari, may always remain within your…, in the core of your heart.” If we simply keep Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu within our heart, then it will be very easy to understand what is Krsna, because if you understand Krsna, then your life is successful. Janma karma ca divyam me yo janati tattvatah. That is only. Our Krsna consciousness movement means just try to understand Krsna; then your life is successful. Krsna says, “Anyone who understands Me, why I come here, what is My activities,” tyaktva deham punar janma [Bg. 4.9], “he becomes liberated. After giving up this body, he does not accept any material body. In his own spiritual body he goes back to home, back to Godhead.” This is our Krsna consciousness. So if you don’t go through Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu, it will be very difficult to understand Krsna. That is practical. Just like you young boys and girls from Western countries. You have taken up Krsna so seriously. Why? Because we are trying to understand Krsna through Caitanya Mahaprabhu. So we should follow this principle. There will be no difficulty to understand Krsna. And as soon as you understand Krsna, your life is successful. Of course, we cannot understand Krsna fully. As far as possible, at least if we understand that Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, this much is sufficient. This much is sufficient. Krsnas tu bhagavan svayam. Krsna says in the Bhagavad-gita, mattah parataram nanyat kincid asti dhananjaya [Bg. 7.7]. Aham sarvasya prabhavah. Aham adir hi devanam. These things are there, already stated, but the so-called scholars and politicians, they misinterpret in a different way and mislead the people. That is going on. Therefore, in spite of Bhagavad-gita being read all over the world for the last two hundred years, not a single person became a devotee of Krsna. This is the defect. So let us try to understand Krsna through Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and as we have repeatedly said, that “Through Caitanya Mahaprabhu you understand Krsna and spread this cult all over the world.” People are suffering for want of knowledge of Krsna. So this movement especially meant to establish the cult of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. The cult of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is that you become, every one of you, you become a guru. How to become guru? Now, yare dekha, tare kaha ‘krsna’-upadesa [Cc. Madhya 7.128] Simply that qualification is sufficient. Don’t adulterate the ‘krsna’-upadesa. You simply present what Krsna says as it is. Then every one of you will become a guru. Don’t adulterate—“I think,” “In my opinion.” These nonsense things should be given up. We should always be aware that we are insignificant creature. Our opinion and thinking has no value. This should be the first principle. Why should you give opinion on the words of Krsna? Are you more authoritative person than Krsna? This is foolishness, to try to become more than Krsna. There are so many rascals. They present that “Now we have advanced. We know more than Krsna.” So be saved from these rascals. Then you will understand Krsna, and through Caitanya Mahaprabhu you will understand what is the position of Krsna, what is your relationship with Krsna, what is the ultimate goal of life. These things will be clearly exhibited. And Sri Caitanya-caritamrta is written for this purpose so that a person who is serious about Krsna consciousness may understand Krsna through the mercy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. This is wanted. You cannot jump over Krsna consciousness without going through the mercy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. And to go through Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu means to go through the six Gosvamis. This is parampara system. Therefore Narottama dasa Thakura says, ei chay gosai jar—tar mui das ta-sabara pada-renu mora panca-gras This is parampara system. You cannot jump over. You must go through the parampara system. You have to approach through your spiritual master to the Gosvamis, and through the Gosvamis you will have to approach Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and through Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu you have to approach Krsna. This is the way. Therefore Narottama dasa Thakura said, ei chay gosai jar—tar mui das. We are servant of servant. That is Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s instruction, gopi-bhartuh pada-kamalayor dasa-dasanudasah. The more you become servant of the servant, the more you are perfect. And if you all of a sudden want to become master, then you go to hell. That’s all. Don’t do that. This is the teaching of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. If you go through the servant, servant, servant, then you are advanced. And if you think that you have now become master, then you are going to hell. This is the process. Dasa-dasanudasah. Caitanya Mahaprabhu said. So servant, servant, servant, a hundred times servant now, that means he is advanced. He is advanced. And one who is becoming directly master, then he is in the hell. So anarpita-carim cirat. So we should always remember the instruction of Srila Rupa Gosvami. Therefore we pray, sri-caitanya-mano-’bhistam sthapitam yena bhu-tale. Our mission is to establish the desire of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. That is our business. Sri-caitanya-mano-’bhistam sthapitam yena bhu-tale. Srila Rupa Gosvami did it. He has given us so many books, especially Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu, which we have translated into English as Nectar of Devotion, to understand the science of devotional service. This is the greatest contribution of Srila Rupa Gosvami, how to become a devotee. How to become a devotee. It is not sentiment; it is science. This Krsna consciousness movement is a great science. Yad vijnana-samanvitam. Jnanam me paramam guhyam yad vijnana-samanvitam. It is not sentiment. If you take it as sentiment, then you will create disturbance. That is the instruction of Rupa Gosvami. He said, sruti-smrti-puranadi-pancaratriki-vidhim vina aikantiki harer bhaktir utpatayaiva kalpate [BRS 1.2.101] (end)
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Mayapur, March 28, 1975