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

Chapter 8

Madhya8.37

TEXT 37

tomara krpaya tomaya karaya nindya-karma

saksat isvara tumi, ke jane tomara marma

SYNONYMS

tomara krpaya—Your mercy; tomaya—unto You; karaya—induces; nindya-karma—forbidden actions; saksat isvara—directly the Supreme Personality of Godhead; tumi—You; ke jane—who can know; tomara—Your; marma—purpose.

TRANSLATION

"You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself; therefore no one can understand Your purpose. By Your mercy You are touching me, although this is not sanctioned by the Vedas.

PURPORT

A sannyasi is strictly forbidden to see the visayis, the materialistic people. But Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, out of His boundless and causeless mercy, could show favor to anyone, regardless of birth and position.

Madhya8.38

TEXT 38

ama nistarite tomara ihan agamana

parama-dayalu tumi patita-pavana

SYNONYMS

ama nistarite—to deliver me; tomara—Your; ihan—here; agamana—appearance; parama-dayalu—greatly merciful; tumi—You; patita-pavana—the deliverer of all fallen souls.

TRANSLATION

"You have come here specifically to deliver me. You are so merciful that You alone can deliver all fallen souls.

PURPORT

Srila Narottama dasa Thakura sings in his Prarthana (39):

sri-krsna-caitanya-prabhu daya kara more,
toma vina ke dayalu jagat-samsare

patita-pavana-hetu tava avatara,
mo sama patita prabhu na paibe ara

“My dear Lord, please be merciful to me. Who can be more merciful than Your Lordship within these three worlds? You appear as an incarnation just to reclaim the conditioned, fallen souls, but I assure You that You will not find a soul more fallen than me.”

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s specific mission is to deliver fallen souls. Of course, in this Age of Kali there is hardly anyone who is not fallen according to the calculations of Vedic behavior. In His instructions to Rupa Gosvami, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu described the so-called followers of Vedic religion in this way (Madhya 19.146):

veda-nistha-madhye ardheka veda ’mukhe’ mane
veda-nisiddha papa kare, dharma nahi gane

So-called followers of Vedic principles simply accept the Vedas formally, but they act against Vedic principles. This is symptomatic of this Age of Kali. People claim to follow a certain type of religion, saying formally, “I am Hindu,” “I am Muslim,” “I am Christian,” “I am this or that,” but actually no one follows the principles enunciated in religious scriptures. This is the disease of this age. But the merciful Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu has simply advised us to chant the Hare Krsna maha-mantra: harer nama harer nama harer namaiva kevalam. The Lord can deliver anyone and everyone, even though one may have fallen from the injunctions of revealed scriptures. This is Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s special mercy. Consequently He is known as patita-pavana, the deliverer of all fallen souls.

Madhya8.39

TEXT 39

mahanta-svabhava ei tarite pamara

nija karya nahi tabu yana tara ghara

SYNONYMS

mahanta-svabhava—the nature of saintly persons; ei—this; tarite—to deliver; pamara—fallen souls; nija—own; karya—business; nahi—there is not; tabu—still; yana—goes; tara—his; ghara—house.

TRANSLATION

"It is the general practice of all saintly people to deliver the fallen. Therefore they go to people’s houses, although they have no personal business there.

PURPORT

A sannyasi is supposed to beg from door to door. He does not beg simply because he is hungry. His real purpose is to enlighten the occupant of every house by preaching Krsna consciousness. A sannyasi does not abandon his superior position and become a beggar just for the sake of begging. Similarly, a person in householder life may be very important, but he may also voluntarily take to the mendicant way of life. Rupa Gosvami and Sanatana Gosvami were ministers, but they voluntarily accepted the mendicant’s life in order to humbly preach Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s message. It is said about them: tyaktva turnam asesa-mandala-pati-srenim sada tuccha-vat bhutva dina-ganesakau karunaya kaupina-kanthasritau. Although the Gosvamis were very aristocratic, they became mendicants just to deliver the fallen souls according to the order of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. One should also consider that those who engage in the missionary activities of Krsna consciousness are under the guidance of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. They are not actually beggars; their real business is to deliver fallen souls. Therefore they may go from door to door just to introduce a book about Krsna consciousness so that people can become enlightened by reading. Formerly brahmacaris and sannyasis used to beg from door to door. At the present moment, especially in the Western countries, a person may be handed over to the police if he begs from door to door. In Western countries, begging is considered criminal. Members of the Krsna consciousness movement have no business begging. Instead, they work very hard to introduce some books about Krsna consciousness so that people can read them and be benefited. But if one gives some contribution to a Krsna conscious man, he never refuses it.

Madhya8.40

TEXT 40

mahad-vicalanam nrnam

grhinam dina-cetasam

nihsreyasaya bhagavan

nanyatha kalpate kvacit

SYNONYMS

mahat-vicalanam—the wandering of saintly persons; nrnam—of human beings; grhinam—who are householders; dina-cetasam—low-minded; nihsreyasaya—for the ultimate benefit; bhagavan—O my Lord; na anyatha—not any other purpose; kalpate—one imagines; kvacit—at any time.

TRANSLATION

" ’My dear Lord, sometimes great saintly persons go to the homes of householders, although these householders are generally low-minded. When a saintly person visits their homes, one can understand that it is for no other purpose than to benefit the householders.’

PURPORT

This verse is from Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.8.4).

Madhya8.41

TEXT 41

amara sange brahmanadi sahasreka jana

tomara darsane sabara dravi-bhuta mana

SYNONYMS

amara sange—with me; brahmana-adibrahmanas and others; sahasreka—more than one thousand; jana—persons; tomara—of You; darsane—in seeing; sabara—of all of them; dravi-bhuta—became melted; mana—the hearts.

TRANSLATION

"Along with me there are about a thousand men-including the brahmanas-and all of them appear to have had their hearts melted simply by seeing You.

Madhya8.42

TEXT 42

’krsna’ ’krsna’ nama suni sabara vadane

sabara anga--pulakita, asru--nayane

SYNONYMS

krsna krsna—“Krsna,” “Krsna”; nama—the holy name; suni—I hear; sabara—of everyone; vadane—in the mouths; sabara—of all; anga—the bodies; pulakita—gladdened; asru—tears; nayane—in the eyes.

TRANSLATION

"I hear everyone chanting the holy name of Krsna. Everyone’s body is thrilled with ecstasy, and there are tears in everyone’s eyes.

Madhya8.43

TEXT 43

akrtye-prakrtye tomara isvara-laksana

jive na sambhave ei aprakrta guna

SYNONYMS

akrtye—in bodily features; prakrtye—in behavior; tomara—of You; isvara—of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; laksana—the symptoms; jive—in an ordinary living being; na—not; sambhave—possible; ei—these; aprakrta—transcendental; guna—qualities.

TRANSLATION

“My dear Sir, according to Your behavior and bodily features, You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead. It is impossible for ordinary living beings to possess such transcendental qualities.”

PURPORT

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s bodily features were uncommon. Indeed, His body was extraordinary in its measurements. The measurement of His chest and the measurement of His forearms were the same length. This is called nyagrodha-parimandala. As far as His nature is concerned, He was kind to everyone. No one but the Supreme Personality of Godhead can be kind to everyone. Therefore the Lord’s name is Krsna, “all-attractive.” As stated in the Bhagavad-gita (14.4), Krsna is kind to everyone. In every species of life (sarva-yonisu), He is the original father, the seed-giver (bija-pradah pita). How, then, can He be unkind to any living entity? One may be a man, an animal or even a tree, but the Lord is kind to everyone. That is God’s qualification. He also says in the Bhagavad-gita (9.29), samo ’ham sarva-bhutesu: the Lord is equally kind to everyone. And He advises, sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja. This instruction is meant not only for Arjuna but for all living entities. Whoever takes advantage of this offer is immediately immune to all sinful activity and returns home, back to Godhead. While present on this planet, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu made the same offer.

Madhya8.44

TEXT 44

prabhu kahe,--tumi maha-bhagavatottama

tomara darsane sabara drava haila mana

SYNONYMS

prabhu kahe—the Lord replied; tumi—you; maha-bhagavata-uttama—the best of the topmost devotees; tomara darsane—by seeing you; sabara—of everyone; drava—melted; haila—became; mana—the heart.

TRANSLATION

The Lord replied to Ramananda Raya, "Sir, you are the best of the topmost devotees; therefore simply the sight of you has melted everyone’s heart.

PURPORT

Unless one is a first-class devotee, he cannot be a preacher. A preacher is generally a topmost devotee, but in order to meet the general populace, he has to come to distinguish between devotees and nondevotees. Otherwise, an advanced devotee makes no such distinctions. Indeed, he always sees that everyone is engaged in the service of the Lord. When one engages in preaching work, he must distinguish between people and understand that some people are not engaged in the devotional service of the Lord. The preacher then has to take compassion upon such innocent people who do not know how to worship the Lord. In Srimad-Bhagavatam (11.2.45), the symptoms of a topmost devotee are described as follows:

sarva-bhutesu yah pasyed
bhagavad-bhavam atmanah
bhutani bhagavaty atmany
esa bhagavatottamah

“The advanced devotee sees that all living entities are part and parcel of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Everyone is in Krsna, and Krsna is also within everyone. Such a vision is possible only for a person who is very advanced in devotional service.”

Madhya8.45

TEXT 45

anyera ki katha, ami--’mayavadi sannyasi’

amiha tomara sparse krsna-preme bhasi

SYNONYMS

anyera—of others; ki katha—what to speak; ami—I; mayavadi sannyasi—a sannyasi of the Mayavadi sect; amiha—I; tomara—of you; sparse—by the touch; krsna—of Krsna; preme—in love; bhasi—float.

TRANSLATION

"Although I am a Mayavadi sannyasi, a nondevotee, I am also floating in the ocean of love of Krsna simply by touching you. And what to speak of others?

Madhya8.46

TEXT 46

ei jani’ kathina mora hrdaya sodhite

sarvabhauma kahilena tomare milite

SYNONYMS

ei jani’-knowing this; kathina—very hard; mora—My; hrdaya—heart; sodhite—to rectify; sarvabhauma—Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya; kahilena—asked; tomare—you; milite—to meet.

TRANSLATION

“Knowing this, in order to rectify My heart, which is very hard, Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya asked Me to meet you.”

Madhya8.47

TEXT 47

ei-mata dunhe stuti kare dunhara guna

dunhe dunhara darasane anandita mana

SYNONYMS

ei-mata—in this way; dunhe—both of them; stuti—praise; kare—offer; dunhara—of both of them; guna—qualities; dunhe—both of them; dunhara—of both of them; darasane—by the seeing; anandita—pleased; mana—the minds.

TRANSLATION

In this way each of them praised the qualities of the other, and both of them were pleased to see each other.

Madhya8.48

TEXT 48

hena-kale vaidika eka vaisnava brahmana

dandavat kari’ kaila prabhure nimantrana

SYNONYMS

hena-kale—at this time; vaidika—a follower of the Vedic ritualistic ceremonies; eka—one; vaisnava brahmana—a brahmana following Vaisnava principles; dandavat—obeisances offered by falling flat; kari’-offering; kaila—made; prabhure—unto Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; nimantrana—invitation.

TRANSLATION

At this time a brahmana Vaisnava following the Vedic principles came and offered obeisances. He fell flat before Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and invited Him for lunch.

Madhya8.49

TEXT 49

nimantrana manila tanre vaisnava janiya

ramanande kahe prabhu isat hasiya

SYNONYMS

nimantrana—the invitation; manila—accepted; tanre—him (the brahmana); vaisnava—a devotee; janiya—understanding; ramanande—unto Ramananda; kahe—said; prabhu—Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; isat—a little; hasiya—smiling.

TRANSLATION

Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu accepted the brahmana’s invitation, knowing him to be a devotee, and, slightly smiling, spoke as follows to Ramananda Raya.

PURPORT

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu accepted the invitation of the Vaisnava brahmana. Even though one is a brahmana strictly following all the rules and regulations of brahminical culture, if he is not a devotee, a follower of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, one should not accept his invitation. At the present moment people have become so degraded that they do not even follow the Vedic principles, to say nothing of Vaisnava principles. They eat anything and everything-whatever they like-and therefore the members of this Krsna consciousness movement should be very cautious about accepting invitations.

Madhya8.50

TEXT 50

tomara mukhe krsna-katha sunite haya mana

punarapi pai yena tomara darasana

SYNONYMS

tomara mukhe—in your mouth; krsna-katha—talks on Krsna; sunite—to hear; haya—there is; mana—My mind; punarapi—again; pai—I may get; yena—if possible; tomara—your; darasana—interview.

TRANSLATION

“I wish to hear from you about Lord Krsna. Indeed, My mind is inclined to desire this; therefore I wish to see you again.”

Madhya8.51-52

TEXTS 51-52

raya kahe, aila yadi pamara sodhite

darsana-matre suddha nahe mora dusta citte

dina panca-sata rahi’ karaha marjana

tabe suddha haya mora ei dusta mana

SYNONYMS

raya kahe—Ramananda Raya replied; aila—You have come; yadi—although; pamara—a fallen soul; sodhite—to rectify; darsana-matre—simply seeing You; suddha nahe—not purified; mora—my; dusta—polluted; citte—consciousness; dina—days; panca-sata—five or seven; rahi’-staying; karaha—kindly do; marjana—cleansing; tabe—then; suddha—pure; haya—it is; mora—my; ei—this; dusta—polluted; mana—mind.

TRANSLATION

Ramananda Raya replied, “My Lord, although You have come to correct me, a fallen soul, my mind is not yet purified simply by seeing You. Please stay for five or seven days and kindly cleanse my polluted mind. After that much time, my mind will certainly be pure.”

Madhya8.53

TEXT 53

yadyapi viccheda donhara sahana na yaya

tathapi dandavat kari’ calila rama-raya

SYNONYMS

yadyapi—although; viccheda—separation; donhara—of both of them; sahana—toleration; na—not; yaya—possible; tathapi—still; dandavat—obeisances; kari’-offering; calila—departed; rama-raya—Ramananda Raya.

TRANSLATION

Although neither could tolerate the other’s separation, Ramananda Raya nonetheless offered his obeisances to Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and departed.

Madhya8.54

TEXT 54

prabhu yai’ sei vipra-ghare bhiksa kaila

dui janara utkanthaya asi’ sandhya haila

SYNONYMS

prabhu—Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; yai’-going; sei—that; vipra-ghare—to the house of the brahmana; bhiksa—lunch; kaila—accepted; dui—two; janara—of the persons; utkanthaya—in the impatience; asi’-coming; sandhya—evening; haila—appeared.

TRANSLATION

Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu then went to the house of the brahmana who had invited Him and took His lunch there. When the evening of that day arrived, both Ramananda Raya and the Lord were eager to meet each other again.

Madhya8.55

TEXT 55

prabhu snana-krtya kari’ achena vasiya

eka-bhrtya-sange raya milila asiya

SYNONYMS

prabhu—the Lord; snana-krtya—the daily duty of bathing; kari’-finishing; achena—was; vasiya—sitting; eka—one; bhrtya—servant; sange—with; raya—Raya Ramananda; milila—met; asiya—coming.

TRANSLATION

After finishing His evening bath, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu sat down and waited for Ramananda Raya to come. Then Ramananda Raya, accompanied by one servant, came to meet Him.

PURPORT

A Vaisnava who is supposed to be advanced in spiritual understanding-be he a householder or a sannyasi-must bathe three times a day: morning, noon and evening. When one is engaged in the service of the Deity, he must especially follow the principles of the Padma Purana and take regular baths. He should also, after bathing, decorate his body with the twelve tilakas.

Madhya8.56

TEXT 56

namaskara kaila raya, prabhu kaila alingane

dui jane krsna-katha kaya rahah-sthane

SYNONYMS

namaskara—obeisances; kaila—offered; raya—Ramananda Raya; prabhu—Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; kaila—did; alingane—embracing; dui—two; jane—the persons; krsna-katha—talks about Krsna; kaya—discussed; rahah-sthane—in a secluded place.

TRANSLATION

Ramananda Raya approached Lord Sri Caitanya and offered his respectful obeisances, and the Lord embraced him. Then they began to discuss Krsna in a secluded place.

PURPORT

The word rahah-sthane, “in a secluded place,” is very significant. Talks about Krsna and His pastimes-especially His pastimes in Vrndavana and His dealings with the gopis-are all very confidential. They are not subject matter for public discussion because those who have no understanding of the transcendental nature of Krsna’s pastimes always commit great offenses, thinking Krsna to be an ordinary human being and the gopis ordinary girls. Following the principle of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who never discussed the dealings between Krsna and the gopis publicly, devotees in the Krsna consciousness movement are enjoined not to discuss the pastimes of Lord Krsna in Vrndavana in public. For the general public, sankirtana is the most effective method to awaken Krsna consciousness. If possible, one should discuss the principles enunciated in the Bhagavad-gita. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu followed this principle very strictly and discussed the philosophy of the Bhagavad-gita with learned scholars like Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya and Prakasananda Sarasvati. However, He taught the principles of the bhakti cult to students like Sanatana Gosvami and Rupa Gosvami, and He discussed with Sri Ramananda Raya the topmost devotional dealings between Krsna and the gopis. For the general populace, He performed sankirtana very vigorously. We must also follow these principles in preaching Krsna consciousness all over the world.

Madhya8.57

TEXT 57

prabhu kahe,--“pada sloka sadhyera nirnaya”

raya kahe,--“sva-dharmacarane visnu-bhakti haya”

SYNONYMS

prabhu kahe—Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu said; pada—just recite; sloka—a verse from the revealed scriptures; sadhyera—of the aim of life; nirnaya—an ascertainment; raya kahe—Ramananda Raya replied; sva-dharma-acarane—by executing one’s occupational duty; visnu-bhakti—devotional service to Lord Visnu; haya—there is.

TRANSLATION

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu ordered Ramananda Raya to recite a verse from the revealed scriptures concerning the ultimate goal of life. Ramananda replied that if one executes the prescribed duties of his social position, he awakens his original Krsna consciousness.

PURPORT

In this connection, Sri Ramanujacarya stated in the Vedartha-sangraha that devotional service is naturally very dear to the living entity. Indeed, it is life’s goal. This devotional service is supreme knowledge, or Krsna consciousness, and it brings detachment from all material activity. In the transcendental position, a living being can perfectly acknowledge the superiority of serving the Supreme Lord. The devotees attain the Supreme Lord only by devotional service. Having such knowledge, one engages in his occupational duty, and that is called bhakti-yoga. By performing bhakti-yoga, one can rise to the platform of pure devotional service.

A great saint, the father of Srila Vyasadeva, Parasara Muni, has specifically mentioned that devotional service to the Lord can ultimately be awakened in human society by the discharge of duties in accordance with the varnasrama system. The Supreme Personality of Godhead instituted varnasrama-dharma to give human beings a chance to return home, back to Godhead. The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Sri Krsna, who is known in the Bhagavad-gita as Purusottama-the greatest of all personalities-personally came and declared that the institution of varnasrama-dharma was founded by Him. As stated in the Bhagavad-gita (4.13):

catur-varnyam maya srstam
guna-karma-vibhagasah
tasya kartaram api mam
viddhy akartaram avyayam

Elsewhere in the Bhagavad-gita (18.45-46) the Lord says:

sve sve karmany abhiratah
samsiddhim labhate narah
sva-karma-niratah siddhim
yatha vindati tac chrnu

yatah pravrttir bhutanam
yena sarvam idam tatam
sva-karmana tam abhyarcya
siddhim vindati manavah

Human society should be divided into four divisions-brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya and sudra-and everyone should always engage in his occupational duty. The Lord says that those engaged in their occupational duty can attain perfection simply by rendering loving devotional service to the Lord while executing their particular duty. Actually the modern ideal of a classless society can be introduced only by Krsna consciousness. Let men perform their occupational duty, and let them give their profits to the service of the Lord. In other words, one can attain the perfection of life by discharging one’s occupational duty and employing the results in the service of the Lord. This method is confirmed by great personalities like Bodhayana, Tanka, Dramida, Guhadeva, Kapardi and Bharuci. It is also confirmed by the Vedanta-sutra.

Madhya8.58

TEXT 58

varnasramacara-vata

purusena parah puman

visnur aradhyate pantha

nanyat tat-tosa-karanam

SYNONYMS

varna-asrama-acara-vata—who behaves according to the system of four divisions of social order and four divisions of spiritual life; purusena—by a man; parah—the supreme; puman—person; visnuh—Lord Visnu; aradhyate—is worshiped; panthaway; na—not; anyat—another; tat-tosa-karanam—cause of satisfying the Lord.

TRANSLATION

“The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Visnu, is worshiped by the proper execution of prescribed duties in the system of varna and asrama. There is no other way to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead. One must be situated in the institution of the four varnas and asramas.”

PURPORT

This is a quotation from the Visnu Purana (3.8.9). As stated by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura in his Amrta-pravaha-bhasya: “The purport is that one can realize life’s perfection simply by satisfying the Supreme Personality of Godhead.” This is also confirmed in Srimad-Bhagavatam (1.2.13):

atah pumbhir dvija-srestha
varnasrama-vibhagasah
svanusthitasya dharmasya
samsiddhir hari-tosanam

“O best among the twice-born, it is therefore concluded that the highest perfection one can achieve, by discharging his prescribed duties [dharma] according to caste divisions and order of life, is to please Lord Hari.”

Every man should perform his occupational duty in the light of his particular tendency. According to his abilities, one should accept a position in the varnasrama institution. The divisions of brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya and sudra are natural divisions within society. Indeed, everyone has a prescribed duty according to the varnasrama-dharma. Those who properly execute their prescribed duties live peacefully and are not disturbed by material conditions. The spiritual orders-brahmacarya, grhastha, vanaprastha and sannyasa-are called asramas. If one executes his prescribed duty in both the social and spiritual order, the Supreme Personality of Godhead is satisfied. If one neglects his duties, however, he becomes a transgressor and a candidate for a hellish condition. Actually we see that different people are engaged in different ways; therefore there must be divisions according to work. To attain perfection, one must make devotional service the center of life. In this way one can awaken his natural instincts by work, association and education. One should accept the varnasrama divisions by qualification, not by birth. Unless this system is introduced, human activities cannot be systematically executed.

The brahmanas are the intellectuals who can understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead. They are always engaged in the cultivation of knowledge. It does not matter whether one is born in India or outside India. Those who are naturally very heroic and who tend to rule over others are called ksatriyas. Those who tend to produce food by agricultural methods, protect cows and other animals and engage in trade are called vaisyas, or merchants. Those who are not sufficiently intelligent to be brahmanas, ksatriyas or vaisyas are required to serve a master and are called sudras. Thus everyone can engage in the service of the Lord and thus awaken his natural Krsna consciousness. If a society does not function according to such natural divisions, the social orders become degraded. The conclusion is that the scientific method of varnasrama-dharma should be adopted by society.

Madhya8.59

TEXT 59

prabhu kahe, “eho bahya, age kaha ara”

raya kahe, “krsne karmarpana--sarva-sadhya-sara”

SYNONYMS

prabhu kahe—the Lord said; eho—this; bahya—external; age—ahead; kaha—say; ara—more; raya kahe—Sri Ramananda Raya said; krsne—unto Krsna; karma-arpana—offering the results of activities; sarva-sadhya-sara—the essence of all means of perfection.

TRANSLATION

The Lord replied, “This is external. You had better tell Me of some other means.” Ramananda replied, “To offer the results of one’s activities to Krsna is the essence of all perfection.”

Madhya8.60

TEXT 60

yat karosi yad asnasi

yaj juhosi dadasi yat

yat tapasyasi kaunteya

tat kurusva mad-arpanam

SYNONYMS

yat—whatever; karosi—you do; yat—whatever; asnasi—you eat; yat—whatever; juhosi—you offer in sacrifice; dadasi—you give in charity; yat—whatever; yat—whatever; tapasyasi—you perform as austerity; kaunteya—O son of Kunti; tat—that; kurusva—just do; mat—unto Me; arpanam—offering.

TRANSLATION

Ramananda Raya continued, “ ’My dear son of Kunti, whatever you do, whatever you eat, whatever you offer in sacrifice, whatever you give in charity, and whatever austerities you perform, all the results of such activities should be offered to Me, Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.’ ”

PURPORT

The Lord has said that the varnasrama-dharma is not properly executed in this Age of Kali; therefore He ordered Ramananda Raya to go further into the matter. Ramananda replied with this verse from the Bhagavad-gita (9.27), which instructs that while remaining in the system of varnasrama-dharma one may offer the results of his activities to Lord Sri Krsna in loving service. Naturally Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was asking Ramananda Raya about the execution of devotional service. Ramananda Raya first enunciated the principle of varnasrama-dharma in consideration of materialistic people. However, this conception is not transcendental. As long as one is in the material world, he must follow the principles of varnasrama-dharma, but devotional service is transcendental. The system of varnasrama-dharma refers to the three modes of material nature, but transcendental devotional service is on the absolute platform. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu belonged to the spiritual world, and His methods for propagating the sankirtana movement were also imported from the spiritual world. Srila Narottama dasa Thakura has sung: golokera prema-dhana, hari-nama-sankirtana, rati na janmila kene taya. This states that the sankirtana movement has nothing to do with this material world. It is imported from the spiritual world, Goloka Vrndavana. Narottama dasa Thakura laments that mundane people do not take this sankirtana movement seriously. Considering the position of devotional service and the sankirtana movement, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu deemed the system of varnasrama-dharma to be material, although it aims at elevation to the spiritual platform. However, the sankirtana movement can raise one immediately to the spiritual platform. Consequently it is said that varnasrama-dharma is external, and Caitanya Mahaprabhu requested Ramananda Raya to proceed deeper into the matter and uncover the spiritual platform.

Sometimes materialists consider Lord Visnu a material conception. Impersonalists think that above Lord Visnu is the impersonal Brahman. The impersonalists misunderstand the worship of Lord Visnu. They worship Lord Visnu to merge into His body. In order that visnu-aradhana not be misunderstood, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu requested that Sri Ramananda Raya proceed further and clear up the issue. Ramananda Raya quoted the verse from the Bhagavad-gita stating that the results of one’s occupational duty may be offered to Lord Visnu or Krsna. In Srimad-Bhagavatam (1.2.8) it is also said:

dharmah svanusthitah pumsam
visvaksena-kathasu yah
notpadayed yadi ratim
srama eva hi kevalam

“If one executes the occupational duties of varnasrama-dharma but does not cultivate his dormant Krsna consciousness, his activities are futile. His occupation simply becomes unnecessary labor.”

Madhya8.61

TEXT 61

prabhu kahe,--“eho bahya, age kaha ara”

raya kahe,--“svadharma-tyaga, ei sadhya-sara”

SYNONYMS

prabhu kahe—the Lord replied; eho—this; bahya—external; age—ahead; kaha—speak; ara—more; raya kahe—Ramananda Raya replied; sva-dharma-tyaga—relinquishing one’s occupational duties; ei—this; sadhya-sara—the essence of all perfection.

TRANSLATION

“This is also external,” Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu said. “Please proceed and speak further on this matter.” Ramananda Raya replied, “To give up one’s occupational duties in the varnasrama is the essence of perfection.”

PURPORT

A brahmana may renounce his family and accept sannyasa. Others also-ksatriyas and vaisyas-may also give up their families and take to Krsna consciousness. Such renunciation is called karma-tyaga. By such renunciation, the Supreme Personality of Godhead is satisfied. But this renouncing of one’s activities to Krsna is not uncontaminated and is therefore on the material platform. Such activities are considered within the material universe because, according to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, they refer to the material universe and are therefore external. To correct this, Ramananda Raya recommended that one take to the renounced order of life in order to transcend material activities. This is supported by the following verse from Srimad-Bhagavatam (11.11.32).

Next verse (Madhya8.62)