Sri Caitanya-caritamrta: Madhya-lila
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Chapter 19
Madhya19.107
TEXT 107
premavese prabhu tanre kaila alingana
prema matta hana tenho karena nartana
SYNONYMS
prema-avese—in ecstatic love; prabhu—Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; tanre—him; kaila—did; alingana—embracing; prema matta hana—being overwhelmed by ecstatic love; tenho—he; karena nartana—began to dance.
TRANSLATION
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu then embraced Raghupati Upadhyaya in ecstatic love. Raghupati Upadhyaya also was overwhelmed by love, and he began to dance.
Madhya19.108
TEXT 108
dekhi’ vallabha-bhatta mane camatkara haila
dui putra ani’ prabhura carane padila
SYNONYMS
dekhi’—seeing; vallabha-bhatta—of Vallabha Bhattacarya; mane—in the mind; camatkara haila—there was astonishment; dui putra ani’-bringing his two sons; prabhura carane padila—made them lie at the lotus feet of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
TRANSLATION
Vallabha Bhattacarya was struck with wonder to see Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Raghupati Upadhyaya dance. He even brought forward his two sons and made them fall down at the Lord’s lotus feet.
PURPORT
The two sons of Vallabhacarya were Gopinatha and Viththalesvara. When Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu visited Prayaga in the year 1434 or 1435 Sakabda Era, Viththalesvara was not yet born. In this regard, one should see Madhya-lila 18.47.
Madhya19.109
TEXT 109
prabhu dekhibare gramera saba-loka aila
prabhu-darasane sabe ’krsna-bhakta’ ha-ila
SYNONYMS
prabhu dekhibare—to see Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; gramera—of the village; saba-loka—all the people; aila—came; prabhu-darasane—simply by seeing Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; sabe—all of them; krsna-bhakta ha-ila—became devotees of Lord Krsna.
TRANSLATION
Upon hearing that Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu had arrived, all the villagers went to see Him. Simply by seeing Him, they all became devotees of Krsna.
Madhya19.110
TEXT 110
brahmana-sakala karena prabhura nimantrana
vallabha-bhatta tan-sabare karena nivarana
SYNONYMS
brahmana-sakala—all the brahmanas of that village; karena—make; prabhura—of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; nimantrana—invitations; vallabha-bhatta—Vallabha Bhattacarya; tan-sabare—all of them; karena—does; nivarana—forbidding.
TRANSLATION
All the brahmanas of the village were anxious to extend invitations to the Lord, but Vallabha Bhattacarya forbade them to do so.
Madhya19.111
TEXT 111
’premonmade pade gosani madhya-yamunate
prayage calaiba, ihan na diba rahite
SYNONYMS
prema-unmade—in the madness of ecstatic love; pade—fell down; gosani—Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; madhya-yamunate—in the River Yamuna; prayage calaiba—I shall again take Him to Prayaga; ihan—here; na—not; diba—I shall allow Him; rahite—to stay.
TRANSLATION
Vallabha Bhatta then decided not to keep Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu at Adaila because the Lord had jumped into the River Yamuna in ecstatic love. Therefore he decided to bring Him to Prayaga.
Madhya19.112
TEXT 112
yanra iccha, prayage yana karibe nimantrana’
eta bali’ prabhu lana karila gamana
SYNONYMS
yanra—of whom; iccha—there is a desire; prayage yana—going to Prayaga; karibe—may do; nimantrana—invitations; eta bali’-saying this; prabhu lana—with Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; karila gamana—he departed for Prayaga.
TRANSLATION
Vallabha Bhatta said, “If anyone likes, he can go to Prayaga and extend invitations to the Lord.” In this way he took the Lord with him and departed for Prayaga.
Madhya19.113
TEXT 113
ganga-pathe mahaprabhure naukate vasana
prayage aila bhatta gosanire lana
SYNONYMS
ganga-pathe—on the Ganges; mahaprabhure—Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; naukate vasana—making to sit down on the boat; prayage aila—went to Prayaga; bhatta—Vallabha Bhatta; gosanire lana—with Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
TRANSLATION
Vallabha Bhattacarya avoided the River Yamuna. Putting the Lord on a boat in the River Ganges, he went with Him to Prayaga.
Madhya19.114
TEXT 114
loka-bhida-bhaye prabhu ’dasasvamedhe’ yana
rupa-gosanire siksa kara’na sakti sancariya
SYNONYMS
loka-bhida-bhaye—from fear of the great crowd of people; prabhu—Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; dasasvamedhe—to Dasasvamedha-ghata; yana—going; rupa-gosanire—Rupa Gosvami; siksa kara’na—teaches; sakti sancariya—endowing him with potency.
TRANSLATION
Due to the great crowds in Prayaga, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu went to a place called Dasasvamedha-ghata. It was there that the Lord instructed Sri Rupa Gosvami and empowered him in the philosophy of devotional service.
PURPORT
Parasya saktir vividhaiva sruyate. The Supreme Lord has multi-potencies, which the Lord bestows on His fortunate devotees. The Lord has a special potency by which He spreads the Krsna consciousness movement. This is also explained in Caitanya-caritamrta (Antya 7.11). Krsna-sakti vina nahe tara pravartana: “One cannot spread the holy name of Krsna without being specifically empowered by Lord Krsna.” A devotee who receives this power from the Lord must be considered very fortunate. The Krsna consciousness movement is spreading to enlighten people about their real position, their original relationship with Krsna. One requires Krsna’s special power in order to be able to do this. People forget their relationship with Krsna and work under the spell of maya life after life, transmigrating from one body to another. This is the process of material existence. The Supreme Lord Sri Krsna personally descends to teach people that their position in the material world is a mistaken one. The Lord again comes as Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu to induce people to take to Krsna consciousness. The Lord also empowers a special devotee to teach people their constitutional position.
Madhya19.115
TEXT 115
krsnatattva-bhaktitattva-rasatattva-pranta
saba sikhaila prabhu bhagavata-siddhanta
SYNONYMS
krsna-tattva—of the truth about Lord Krsna; bhakti-tattva—of the truth about devotional service; rasa-tattva—of the truth about transcendental mellows; pranta—the ultimate limit; saba—all; sikhaila—taught; prabhu—Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; bhagavata-siddhanta—the conclusions of Srimad-Bhagavatam.
TRANSLATION
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu taught Srila Rupa Gosvami the ultimate limit of the truth about Lord Krsna, the truth about devotional service and the truth about transcendental mellows, consummating in conjugal love between Radha and Krsna. Finally He told Rupa Gosvami about the ultimate conclusions of Srimad-Bhagavatam.
Madhya19.116
TEXT 116
ramananda-pase yata siddhanta sunila
rupe krpa kari’ taha saba sancarila
SYNONYMS
ramananda-pase—from Ramananda Raya; yata—all; siddhanta—the ultimate conclusions; sunila—he heard; rupe—unto Sri Rupa Gosvami; krpa kari’-showing His causeless mercy; taha saba—all those; sancarila—infused.
TRANSLATION
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu taught Rupa Gosvami all the conclusions He had heard from Ramananda Raya and duly empowered him so that he could understand them.
Madhya19.117
TEXT 117
sri-rupa-hrdaye prabhu sakti sancarila
sarva-tattva-nirupane ’pravina’ karila
SYNONYMS
sri-rupa-hrdaye—in the heart of Srila Rupa Gosvami; prabhu—Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; sakti sancarila—infused spiritual strength; sarva-tattva—all conclusive truths; nirupane—in ascertaining; pravina karila—made him fully experienced.
TRANSLATION
By entering the heart of Rupa Gosvami, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu empowered him to ascertain properly the conclusions of all truths. He made him an experienced devotee whose decisions correctly agreed with the verdicts of the disciplic succession. Thus Sri Rupa Gosvami was personally empowered by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
PURPORT
The principles of devotional service are only apparently under the jurisdiction of material activity. To be rightly guided, one must be personally guided by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. This was the case with Srila Rupa Gosvami, Sanatana Gosvami and other acaryas.
Madhya19.118
TEXT 118
sivananda-senera putra ’kavi-karnapura’
’rupera milana’ sva-granthe likhiyachena pracura
SYNONYMS
sivananda-senera—of Sivananda Sena; putra—the son; kavi-karnapura—Kavi-karnapura; rupera milana—meeting Rupa Gosvami; sva-granthe—in his own book; likhiyachena pracura—has written profusely.
TRANSLATION
In his book Caitanya-candrodaya, Kavi-karnapura, the son of Sivananda Sena, has elaborately described the meeting between Sri Rupa Gosvami and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
Madhya19.119
TEXT 119
kalena vrndavana-keli-varta
lupteti tam khyapayitum visisya
krpamrtenabhisiseca devas
tatraiva rupam ca sanatanam ca
SYNONYMS
kalena—in the course of time; vrndavana-keli-varta—topics concerning the transcendental mellows of the pastimes of Lord Krsna in Vrndavana; lupta—almost lost; iti—thus; tam—all those; khyapayitum—to enunciate; visisya—making specific; krpa-amrtena—with the nectar of mercy; abhisiseca—sprinkled; devah—the Lord; tatra—there; eva—indeed; rupam—Srila Rupa Gosvami; ca—and; sanatanam—Sanatana Gosvami; ca—as well as.
TRANSLATION
"In the course of time, the transcendental news of Krsna’s pastimes in Vrndavana was almost lost. To enunciate explicitly those transcendental pastimes, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, at Prayaga, empowered Srila Rupa Gosvami and Sanatana Gosvami with the nectar of His mercy to carry out this work in Vrndavana.
PURPORT
This verse and the following two verses are from Act Nine (38,29,30) of Caitanya-candrodaya by Sri Kavi-karnapura.
Madhya19.120
TEXT 120
yah prag eva priya-guna-ganair gadha-baddho ’pi mukto
gehadhyasad rasa iva paro murta evapy amurtah
premalapair drdhatara-parisvanga-rangaih prayage
tam sri-rupam samam anupamenanujagraha devah
SYNONYMS
yah—who; prak eva—previously; priya-guna-ganaih—by the desirable transcendental qualities of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; gadha—deeply; baddhah—attached; api—although; muktah—liberated; geha-adhyasat—from the bondage of family life; rasah—transcendental mellows; iva—like; parah—transcendental; murtah—personal form; eva—certainly; api—although; amurtah—without having a material form; prema-alapaih—by discussions of transcendental love of the Supreme; drdhatara—firm; parisvanga—of embracing; rangaih—with great pleasure; prayage—at Prayaga; tam—to him; sri-rupam—Rupa Gosvami; samam—with; anupamena—Anupama; anujagraha—showed mercy; devah—the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
TRANSLATION
"From the very beginning, Srila Rupa Gosvami was deeply attracted by the transcendental qualities of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Thus he was permanently relieved from family life. Srila Rupa Gosvami and his younger brother, Vallabha, were blessed by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Although the Lord was transcendentally situated in His transcendental eternal form, at Prayaga He told Rupa Gosvami about transcendental ecstatic love of Krsna. The Lord then embraced him very fondly and bestowed all His mercy upon him.
Madhya19.121
TEXT 121
priya-svarupe dayita-svarupe
prema-svarupe sahajabhirupe
nijanurupe prabhur eka-rupe
tatana rupe svavilasa-rupe
SYNONYMS
priya-svarupe—unto the person whose dear friend was Srila Svarupa Damodara Gosvami; dayita-svarupe—who was very dear to Him (Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu); prema-svarupe—unto the replica of His personal ecstatic love; sahaja-abhirupe—who was naturally very beautiful; nija-anurupe—who exactly followed the principles of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; prabhuh—Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; eka-rupe—to the one; tatana—explained; rupe—unto Rupa Gosvami; sva-vilasa-rupe—who describes the pastimes of Lord Krsna.
TRANSLATION
“Indeed, Srila Rupa Gosvami, whose dear friend was Svarupa Damodara, was the exact replica of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and he was very, very dear to the Lord. Being the embodiment of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s ecstatic love, Rupa Gosvami was naturally very beautiful. He very carefully followed the principles enunciated by the Lord, and he was a competent person to explain properly the pastimes of Lord Krsna. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu expanded His mercy to Srila Rupa Gosvami just so he could render service by writing transcendental literatures.”
Madhya19.122
TEXT 122
ei-mata karnapura likhe sthane-sthane
prabhu krpa kaila yaiche rupa-sanatane
SYNONYMS
ei-mata—in this way; karna-pura—the poet known as Kavi-karnapura; likhe—writes; sthane-sthane—in various places; prabhu—Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; krpa kaila—showed His mercy; yaiche—how; rupa-sanatane—to Srila Rupa Gosvami and Srila Sanatana Gosvami.
TRANSLATION
The characteristics of Srila Rupa Gosvami have thus been described in various places by the poet Kavi-karnapura. An account has also been given of how Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu bestowed His causeless mercy upon Srila Rupa Gosvami and Srila Sanatana Gosvami.
Madhya19.123
TEXT 123
mahaprabhura yata bada bada bhakta matra
rupa-sanatana--sabara krpa-gaurava-patra
SYNONYMS
mahaprabhura—of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; yata—all; bada bada—great, great; bhakta—devotees; matra—up to; rupa-sanatana—Srila Rupa Gosvami and Srila Sanatana Gosvami; sabara—of everyone; krpa—of the mercy; gaurava—and honor; patra—objects.
TRANSLATION
Srila Rupa Gosvami and Sanatana Gosvami were the objects of love and honor for all the great stalwart devotees of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
Madhya19.124
TEXT 124
keha yadi dese yaya dekhi’ vrndavana
tanre prasna karena prabhura parisada-gana
SYNONYMS
keha—someone; yadi—if; dese—to his country; yaya—goes; dekhi’-after seeing; vrndavana—Vrndavana; tanre—unto that person; prasna karena—put questions; prabhura—of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; parisada-gana—personal associates.
TRANSLATION
If someone returned to his country after seeing Vrndavana, the associates of the Lord would ask him questions.
Madhya19.125
TEXT 125
"kaha,--tahan kaiche rahe rupa-sanatana?
kaiche rahe, kaiche vairagya, kaiche bhojana?
SYNONYMS
kaha—please describe; tahan—there; kaiche—how; rahe—remain; rupa—Rupa Gosvami; sanatana—Sanatana Gosvami; kaiche rahe—how do they live; kaiche vairagya—how do they practice renunciation; kaiche bhojana—how do they eat.
TRANSLATION
They would ask those returning from Vrndavana, “How are Rupa and Sanatana doing in Vrndavana? What are their activities in the renounced order? How do they manage to eat?” These were the questions asked.
Madhya19.126
TEXT 126
kaiche asta-prahara karena sri-krsna-bhajana?"
tabe prasamsiya kahe sei bhakta-gana
SYNONYMS
kaiche—how; asta-prahara—twenty-four hours; karena—do; sri-krsna-bhajana—worshiping of Lord Krsna; tabe—at that time; prasamsiya—praising; kahe—described; sei bhakta-gana—those devotees.
TRANSLATION
The Lord’s associates would also ask, “How is it that Rupa and Sanatana are engaging in devotional service twenty-four hours daily?” At that time the person who had returned from Vrndavana would praise Srila Rupa and Sanatana Gosvami.
Madhya19.127
TEXT 127
"aniketa dunhe, vane yata vrksa-gana
eka eka vrksera tale eka eka ratri sayana
SYNONYMS
aniketa—without a residence; dunhe—both of them; vane—in the forest; yata vrksa-gana—as many trees as there are; eka eka vrksera—of one tree after another; tale—at the base; eka eka ratri—one night after another; sayana—lying down to sleep.
TRANSLATION
"The brothers actually have no fixed residence. They reside beneath trees-one night under one tree and the next night under another.
Madhya19.128
TEXT 128
’vipra-grhe’ sthula-bhiksa, kahan madhu-kari
suska ruti-cana civaya bhoga parihari’
SYNONYMS
vipra-grhe—in the house of a brahmana; sthula-bhiksa—full meals; kahan—sometimes; madhu-kari—begging little by little like honeybees; suska—dry; ruti—bread; cana—chick-peas; civaya—chew; bhoga parihari’-giving up all kinds of material enjoyment.
TRANSLATION
"Srila Rupa and Sanatana Gosvami beg a little food from the houses of brahmanas. Giving up all kinds of material enjoyment, they only take some dry bread and fried chick-peas.
Madhya19.129
TEXT 129
karonya-matra hate, kantha chinda, bahirvasa
krsna-katha, krsna-nama, nartana-ullasa
SYNONYMS
karonya—the waterpot of a sannyasi; matra—only; hate—in the hand; kantha chinda—torn quilt; bahirvasa—outer garments; krsna-katha—discussion of Krsna’s pastimes; krsna-nama—chanting the holy name of Lord Krsna; nartana-ullasa—dancing in jubilation.
TRANSLATION
"They carry only waterpots, and they wear torn quilts. They always chant the holy names of Krsna and discuss His pastimes. In great jubilation, they also dance.
Madhya19.130
TEXT 130
asta-prahara krsna-bhajana, cari danda sayane
nama-sankirtane seha nahe kona dine
SYNONYMS
asta-prahara—twenty-four hours; krsna-bhajana—worshiping Lord Krsna; cari danda—four dandas (one danda equals twenty-four minutes); sayane—for sleeping; nama-sankirtane—because of chanting the holy name of the Lord; seha—that much time; nahe—not; kona dine—some days.
TRANSLATION
"They engage almost twenty-four hours daily in rendering service to the Lord. They usually sleep only an hour and a half, and some days, when they continuously chant the Lord’s holy name, they do not sleep at all.
Madhya19.131
TEXT 131
kabhu bhakti-rasa-sastra karaye likhana
caitanya-katha sune, kare caitanya-cintana"
SYNONYMS
kabhu—sometimes; bhakti-rasa-sastra—transcendental literature about the mellows of devotional service; karaye likhana—write; caitanya-katha—talks about the pastimes of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; sune—they hear; kare—do; caitanya-cintana—thinking of Lord Caitanya.
TRANSLATION
“Sometimes they write transcendental literatures about devotional service, and sometimes they hear about Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and spend their time thinking about the Lord.”
Madhya19.132
TEXT 132
ei-katha suni’ mahantera maha-sukha haya
caitanyera krpa yanhe, tanhe ki vismaya?
SYNONYMS
ei-katha suni’—hearing this news; mahantera—of all the devotees; maha-sukha—great pleasure; haya—was; caitanyera—of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu; krpa—mercy; yanhe—on whom; tanhe—in him; ki—what; vismaya—wonderful.
TRANSLATION
When the personal associates of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu would hear of the activities of Rupa and Sanatana Gosvamis, they would say, “What is wonderful for a person who has been granted the Lord’s mercy?”
PURPORT
Srila Rupa Gosvami and Sanatana Gosvami had no fixed residence. They stayed beneath a tree for one day only and wrote huge volumes of transcendental literature. They not only wrote books but chanted, danced, discussed Krsna and remembered Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s pastimes. Thus they executed devotional service.
In Vrndavana there are prakrta-sahajiyas who say that writing books or even touching books is taboo. For them, devotional service means being relieved from these activities. Whenever they are asked to hear a recitation of Vedic literature, they refuse, saying, “What business do we have reading or hearing transcendental literatures? They are meant for neophytes.” They pose themselves to be too elevated to exert energy for reading, writing and hearing. However, pure devotees under the guidance of Srila Rupa Gosvami reject this sahajiya philosophy. It is certainly not good to write literature for money or reputation, but to write books and publish them for the enlightenment of the general populace is real service to the Lord. That was Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati’s opinion, and he specifically told his disciples to write books. He actually preferred to publish books rather than establish temples. Temple construction is meant for the general populace and neophyte devotees, but the business of advanced and empowered devotees is to write books, publish them and distribute them widely. According to Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, distributing literature is like playing on a great mrdanga. Consequently we always request members of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness to publish as many books as possible and distribute them widely throughout the world. By thus following in the footsteps of Srila Rupa Gosvami, one can become a rupanuga devotee.
Madhya19.133
TEXT 133
caitanyera krpa rupa likhiyachena apane
rasamrta-sindhu-granthera mangalacarane
SYNONYMS
caitanyera—of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; krpa—the mercy; rupa—Srila Rupa Gosvami; likhiyachena—has written; apane—personally; rasamrta-sindhu-granthera—of the book known as Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu; mangala-acarane—in the auspicious introduction.
TRANSLATION
Srila Rupa Gosvami has personally spoken about the mercy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu in his auspicious introduction to his book Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu [1.1.2].
Madhya19.134
TEXT 134
hrdi yasya preranaya
pravartito ’ham varaka-rupo ’pi
tasya hareh pada-kamalam
vande caitanya-devasya
SYNONYMS
hrdi—within the heart; yasya—of whom (the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who gives His pure devotees intelligence with which to spread the Krsna consciousness movement); preranaya—by the inspiration; pravartitah—engaged; aham—I; varaka—insignificant and low; rupah—Rupa Gosvami; api—although; tasya—of Him; hareh—who is Lord Hari, the Supreme Personality of Godhead; pada-kamalam—to the lotus feet; vande—let me offer my prayers; caitanya-devasya—of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
TRANSLATION
“Although I am the lowest of men and have no knowledge, the inspiration to write transcendental literatures about devotional service has been mercifully bestowed upon me. Therefore I am offering my obeisances at the lotus feet of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who has given me the chance to write these books.”
Madhya19.135
TEXT 135
ei-mata dasa-dina prayage rahiya
sri-rupe siksa dila sakti sancariya
SYNONYMS
ei-mata—in this way; dasa-dina—for ten days; prayage—at Prayaga; rahiya—staying; sri-rupe—to Srila Rupa Gosvami; siksa—instructions; dila—imparted; sakti sancariya—bestowing upon him the necessary potency.
TRANSLATION
For ten days Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu stayed at Prayaga and instructed Rupa Gosvami, empowering him with the necessary potency.
PURPORT
This is a confirmation of the statement krsna-sakti vina nahe tara pravartana. Unless one is specifically empowered by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he cannot spread the Krsna consciousness movement. An empowered devotee sees and feels himself to be the lowest of men, for he knows that whatever he does is due to the inspiration given by the Lord in the heart. This is also confirmed in Bhagavad-gita:
tesam satata-yuktanam
bhajatam priti-purvakam
dadami buddhi-yogam tam
yena mam upayanti te
“To those who are constantly devoted and worship Me with love, I give the understanding by which they can come to Me.” (Bg. 10.10)
To be empowered by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one has to qualify himself. This means that one must engage twenty-four hours daily in the loving devotional service of the Lord. The material position of a devotee doesn’t matter because devotional service is not dependent on material considerations. In his earlier life, Srila Rupa Gosvami was a government officer and a grhastha. He was not even a brahmacari or sannyasi. He associated with mlecchas and yavanas, but because he was always eager to serve, he was a qualified recipient for the Lord’s mercy. A sincere devotee can therefore be empowered by the Lord regardless of his situation. In the preceding verse from the Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu, Srila Rupa Gosvami has described how he was personally empowered by the Lord. He further states in the Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu (1.2.187):
iha yasya harer dasye
karmana manasa gira
nikhilasv apy avasthasu
jivan-muktah sa ucyate
“A person acting in the service of Krsna with his body, mind and words is a liberated person even in the material world, although he may be engaged in many so-called material activities.”
To keep oneself free from material contamination and attain the Lord’s favor, one must be sincerely anxious to render service to the Lord. This is the only qualification necessary. As soon as one is favored by the mercy of the spiritual master and the Lord, one is immediately given all the power necessary to write books and propagate the Krsna consciousness movement without being hampered by material considerations.
Madhya19.136
TEXT 136
prabhu kahe,--suna, rupa, bhakti-rasera laksana
sutra-rupe kahi, vistara na yaya varnana
SYNONYMS
prabhu kahe—Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu spoke; suna—please listen; rupa—My dear Rupa; bhakti-rasera—of the transcendental mellows in devotional service; laksana—the symptoms; sutra-rupe—in the form of a synopsis; kahi—I shall explain; vistara—the whole breadth; na—not; yaya—is possible; varnana—description.
TRANSLATION
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, "My dear Rupa, please listen to Me. It is not possible to describe devotional service completely; therefore I am just trying to give you a synopsis of the symptoms of devotional service.
Madhya19.137
TEXT 137
parapara-sunya gabhira bhakti-rasa-sindhu
tomaya cakhaite tara kahi eka ’bindu’
SYNONYMS
para-apara—the length and breadth; sunya—without; gabhira—deep; bhakti-rasa—of the mellows in devotional service; sindhu—the ocean; tomaya—to you; cakhaite—to give a taste; tara—of this ocean; kahi—I shall speak; eka—one; bindu—drop.
TRANSLATION
"The ocean of the transcendental mellow of devotional service is so big that no one can estimate its length and breadth. However, just to help you taste it, I am describing but one drop.
Madhya19.138
TEXT 138
eita brahmanda bhari’ ananta jiva-gana
caurasi-laksa yonite karaye bhramana
SYNONYMS
ei-ta—in this way; brahmanda—the whole universe; bhari’-filling; ananta—unlimited; jiva-gana—living entities; caurasi-laksa—8,400,000; yonite—in species of life; karaye—do; bhramana—wandering.
TRANSLATION
"In this universe there are limitless living entities in 8,400,000 species, and all are wandering within this universe.
PURPORT
This is a challenge to so-called scientists and philosophers who presume that there are living entities on this planet only. So-called scientists are going to the moon, and they say that there is no life there. This does not tally with Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s version. He says that everywhere within the universe there are unlimited numbers of living entities in 8,400,000 different forms. In Bhagavad-gita (2.24) we find that the living entities are sarva-gatah, which means that they can go anywhere. This indicates that there are living entities everywhere. They exist on land, in water, in air, in fire and in ether. Thus there are living entities in all types of material elements. Since the entire material universe is composed of five elements-earth, water, fire, air and ether-why should there be living entities on one planet and not others? Such a foolish version can never be accepted by Vedic students. From the Vedic literatures we understand that there are living entities on each and every planet, regardless of whether the planet is composed of earth, water, fire or ether. These living entities may not have the same forms that are found on this planet earth, but they have different forms composed of different elements. Even on this earth we can see that the forms of land animals are different from the forms of aquatics. According to the circumstance, living conditions differ, but undoubtedly there are living entities everywhere. Why should we deny the existence of living entities on this or that planet? Those who have claimed to have gone to the moon have not gone there, or else their imperfect vision cannot actually perceive the particular type of living entities there.
Living entities are described as ananta, or unlimited; nonetheless, they are said to belong to 8,400,000 species. As stated in the Visnu Purana:
jalaja nava-laksani
sthavara laksa-vimsati
krmayo rudra-sankhyakah
paksinam dasa-laksanam
trimsal-laksani pasavah
catur-laksani manusah
“There are 900,000 species living in the water. There are also 2,000,000 non-moving living entities (sthavara) such as trees and plants. There are also 1,100,000 species of insects and reptiles, and there are 1,000,000 species of birds. As far as quadrupeds are concerned there are 3,000,000 varieties, and there are 400,000 human species.” Some of these species may exist on one planet and not on another, but in any case within all the planets of the universe-and even in the sun-there are living entities. This is the verdict of Vedic literatures. As Bhagavad-gita (2.20) confirms:
na jayate mriyate va kadacin
nayam bhutva bhavita va na bhuyah
ajo nityah sasvato ’yam purano
na hanyate hanyamane sarire
“For the soul there is never birth nor death. Nor, having once been, does he ever cease to be. He is unborn, eternal, ever-existing, undying and primeval. He is not slain when the body is slain.”
Since the living entities are never annihilated, they simply transmigrate from one life form to another. Thus there is an evolution of forms according to the degree of developed consciousness. One experiences different degrees of consciousness in different forms. A dog’s consciousness is different from a man’s. Even within a species we find that a father’s consciousness is different from his son’s and that a child’s consciousness is different from a youth’s. Just as we find different forms, we find different states of consciousness. When we see different states of consciousness, we may take it for granted that the bodies are different. In other words, different types of bodies depend on different states of consciousness. This is also confirmed in Bhagavad-gita (8.6): yam yam vapi smaran bhavam. One’s consciousness at the time of death determines a type of body of the living entity. This is the process of transmigration of the soul. A variety of bodies is already there; we change from one body to another in terms of our consciousness.