Cc A 1-04 MAY 1975-03-28 Every One of You--Become a Guru
ANNOUNCER: The following is a class on the Caitanya-caritāmṛta,
Ādi-līlā volume 1, chapter 1, text number 4,
given by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda,
recorded on March 28th, 1975, in Māyāpur, India.
NITĀI: “May that Lord, who is known as the son of Śrīmatī Śacīdevī,
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.”
PRABHUPĀDA: anarpita-carīṁ cirāt karuṇayāvatīrṇaḥ kalau
samarpayitum unnata ujjvala-rasāṁ sva-bhakti-śriyam
hariḥ puraṭa-sundara- dyuti-kadamba-sandīpitaḥ
sadā hṛdaya-kandare sphuratu vaḥ śacī-nandana [Cc. Ādi 1.4]
This is the blessings of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī upon everyone.
Śrī-caitanya-mano-’bhīṣṭaṁ sthāpitaṁ yena bhū-tale
svayaṁ rūpaḥ kadā mahyaṁ dadāti sva-padāntikam [Sri Rūpa Pranama]
We should pray to Rūpa Gosvāmī for his blessings, so that we can
understand what is the actual position of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is the most merciful incarnation,
to bestow upon us Kṛṣṇa-prema.
Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī understood it,
Śrīla Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya understood it, and we should take
their viewpoint of view, what they have studied about Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.
So Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī says…
In the beginning Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was,
appreciated by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī as mahā-vadānyāvatāra.
There are many incarnations of Kṛṣṇa,
keśava dhṛta-mīna-śarīra jaya jagadīśa hare [Sri Dasavatara-stotra Text 1]
keśava dhṛta-nṛsiṁha-rūpa jaya jagadīśa… [Sri Dasavatara-stotra Text 4]
Many incarnations… But this incarnation, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu,
is anarpita-carīṁ cirāt. [Cc. Ādi 1.4]
The mercy of this incarnation is unlimited.
It was never given before.
That is Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’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 Kṛṣṇa.
anarpita-carīṁ cirāt [Cc. Ādi 1.4]
Therefore He is supposed to be the most munificent incarnation.
namo mahā-vadānyāya kṛṣṇa-prema-pradāya te [Madhya 19.53]
He is giving directly Kṛṣṇa-prema.
It is very difficult to understand Kṛṣṇa, and what to speak of His loving affairs.
It is very difficult.
manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu kaścid yatati siddhaye
yatatām api siddhānāṁ kaścit vetti māṁ tattvataḥ [Bg. 7.3]
Kṛṣṇa personally says that it is very difficult to understand Him.
Actually it is so.
But Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s mercy is so unlimited, that He is helping,
not only to understand Kṛṣṇa, but also He is giving directly love of Kṛṣṇa,
and the supermost platform of love, as it was experienced by the gopīs.
The gopīs’ dealing with Kṛṣṇa is considered to be the topmost.
Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He recommended,
ramyā kācid upāsanā vrajavadhū- vargeṇa yā kalpitā [Caitanya-manjusa]
Vrajavadhū, the gopīs, the damsels of Vṛndāvana,
they worship Kṛṣṇa in the topmost loving affairs.
They did not know anything but Kṛṣṇa.
For Kṛṣṇa they could sacrifice anything—
their honor, their prestige, everything, their husband, their sons, family.
That is the gopīs’ standard.
Therefore Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s incarnation,
is accepted by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī in many verses.
One of the verses is here,
anarpita-carīṁ cirāt karuṇayāvatīrṇaḥ kalau [Cc. Ādi 1.4]
So we should take shelter of Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu.
That is the blessing of Rūpa Gosvāmī.
He says,
hariḥ puraṭa-sundara- dyuti-kadamba-sandīpitaḥ
sadā hṛdaya-kandare sphuratu vaḥ śacī-nandana [Cc. Ādi 1.4]
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 Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu within our heart,
then it will be very easy to understand what is Kṛṣṇa,
because if you understand Kṛṣṇa, then your life is successful.
janma karma ca divyaṁ me yo jānāti tattvataḥ [Bg. 4.9]
That is only… Our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means,
just try to understand Kṛṣṇa; then your life is successful.
Kṛṣṇa says, “Anyone who understands Me, why I come here, what is My activities,”
tyaktvā dehaṁ 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 Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
So if you don’t go through Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu,
it will be very difficult to understand Kṛṣṇa.
That is practical.
Just like you young boys and girls from Western countries.
You have taken up Kṛṣṇa so seriously.
Why?
Because we are trying to understand Kṛṣṇa through Caitanya Mahāprabhu.
So we should follow this principle.
There will be no difficulty to understand Kṛṣṇa.
And as soon as you understand Kṛṣṇa, your life is successful.
Of course, we cannot understand Kṛṣṇa fully.
As far as possible, at least if we understand,
that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, this much is sufficient.
This much is sufficient.
kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam [SB 1.3.28]
Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā,
mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat kiñcid asti dhanañjaya [Bg. 7.7]
ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavaḥ [Bg. 10.8] aham ādir hi devānām [Bg. 10.2]
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- gītā being read all over the world,
for the last two hundred years, not a single person became a devotee of Kṛṣṇa.
This is the defect.
So let us try to understand Kṛṣṇa through Caitanya Mahāprabhu,
and as we have repeatedly said, that “Through Caitanya Mahāprabhu,
you understand Kṛṣṇa and spread this cult all over the world.”
People are suffering for want of knowledge of Kṛṣṇa.
So this movement especially meant,
to establish the cult of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.
The cult of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is,
that you become, every one of you, you become a guru.
How to become guru?
Now, yāre dekha tāre kaha ‘kṛṣṇa’- upadeśa. [Cc. Madhya 7.128]
Simply that qualification is sufficient; don’t adulterate the ‘kṛṣṇa’-upadeśa.
[indistinct] …simply present what Kṛṣṇa 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 Kṛṣṇa?
Are you more authoritative person than Kṛṣṇa?
This is foolishness, to try to become more than Kṛṣṇa.
There are so many rascals.
They present that “Now we have advanced; we know more than Kṛṣṇa.”
So be saved from these rascals.
Then you will understand Kṛṣṇa, and through Caitanya Mahāprabhu,
you will understand what is the position of Kṛṣṇa,
what is your relationship with Kṛṣṇa, what is the ultimate goal of life.
These things will be clearly exhibited.
And Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta is written for this purpose,
so that a person who is serious about Kṛṣṇa consciousness,
may understand Kṛṣṇa through the mercy of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.
This is wanted.
You cannot jump over Kṛṣṇa consciousness,
without going through the mercy of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.
And to go through Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu means,
to go through the six Gosvāmīs.
This is paramparā system.
Therefore Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says,
ei chay gosāi jār—tār mui dās tā-sabāra pada-reṇu mora pañca-grās [Nama Sankirtana 6]
This is paramparā system; you cannot jump over.
You must go through the paramparā system.
You have to approach through your spiritual master to the Gosvāmīs,
and through the Gosvāmīs you will have to approach Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu,
and through Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu you have to approach Kṛṣṇa.
This is the way.
Therefore Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura said,
ei chay gosāi jār—tār mui dās [Nama Sankirtana 6]
We are servant of servant.
That is Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s instruction,
gopī-bhartuḥ pada-kamalayor dāsa-dāsānudāsaḥ [Cc. Madhya 13.80]
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 Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.
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.
Dāsa-dāsānudāsaḥ.
Caitanya Mahāprabhu 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-carīṁ cirāt [Vidagdha-mādhava 1.2]
So we should always remember the instruction of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī.
Therefore we pray,
ṣrī-caitanya-mano-’bhīṣṭaṁ sthāpitaṁ yena bhū-tale [Sri Rupa Pranama]
Our mission is to establish the desire of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.
That is our business.
śrī-caitanya-mano-’bhīṣṭaṁ sthāpitaṁ yena bhū-tale [Sri Rupa Pranama]
Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī did it.
He has given us so many books, especially Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu,
which we have translated into English as Nectar of Devotion,
to understand the science of devotional service.
This is the greatest contribution of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, how to become a devotee.
How to become a devotee.
It is not sentiment; it is science.
This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is a great science.
Subtitles by Gopī Kāntā Dāsa, Causelessmercy.com Sponsored by Jitarati Dāsa & Pratyatoṣa Dāsa