Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila 20.144-146
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
New York, December 1, 1966

Prabhupada:

vedadi sakala sastre krsna—mukhya sambandha tanra jnane anusange yaya maya-bandha

Lord Caitanya, summarizing the purport of the Vedic knowledge… He says that vedadi sakala sastre krsna—mukhya sambandha. All the Vedas, all the Vedic literature, all scriptures, all over the world, all over the universe—what is meant? What is the purpose of the scripture? The purpose is to understand Krsna. That’s all. He is summarizing the whole thing, that “All purposes of different types of scriptures, Vedas, they are meant for realizing what is Krsna.” That’s all. Tanra jnane anusange yaya maya-bandha. Simply by understanding Krsna, one becomes automatically liberated from this material entanglement. A Krsna conscious person hasn’t got to make separate endeavor and attempt to become liberated. The more you understand Krsna, the more you become liberated, anusange, as a by-product. (coughing) Just see how material entanglement, this body. At any moment, at any moment you can be finished. You cannot be finished, but your all activities is. Therefore we should be very careful because we have to pull on with this body. Because unless you are perfectly in understanding of Krsna, there is no release from this body. It is not that “I want to get release myself from this body; therefore I cut my throat and I get relief.” No. That is not possible. You have to be completely detached from this body, and that can be possible when you come…, (coughing) when you understand at least something about Krsna. You cannot know Krsna completely. That is not possible. He is unlimited. But even a little knowledge of Krsna, preliminary knowledge of Krsna, will make you liberated from this material entanglement. Svalpam apy asya dharmasya trayate mahato bhayat. So this Krsna consciousness is so valuable that even little progress will make you liberated from this material entanglement.

He is citing another nice verse from Padma Purana. There are eighteen Puranas. Out of that, this Padma Purana is one of the most important Puranas.

vyamohaya caracarasya jagatas te puranagamas tam tam eva hi devatam paramikam jalpantu kalpavadhi siddhante punar eka eva bhagavan visnuh samastagama-vyaparesu vivecana-vyatikaram nitesu nisciyate

In different Puranas… These Puranas are made just to complete Vedic knowledge, or supplementary addition to the Vedic literature. Because Vedic literature is very difficult to understand, therefore they have been expanded by the Puranas for different classes of men. So there are three divisions of the Puranas: sattvika Purana, rajasika Purana and tamasika Purana. Sattvika Purana is meant for the higher class of people who are in transcendental knowledge of Brahman, Paramatma and the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Rajasika Purana are meant for those who are aspiring to have improvement of material condition. And tamasika Purana are meant for those who are in the lowest stage of…, little, just like animal life, and to develop them the Purana is helping them to come to the second and first stage.

So in the Puranas there are worship of different demigods. Just like in the tamasika Purana there is description of the worship of goddess Kali. You have seen perhaps the picture of goddess Kali, a black female standing with sword and cutting the heads of so many people like that, that picture, goddess Kali. And animal sacrifice is offered before goddess Kali. So such kind of worship is mentioned in the tamasika Purana. The purpose of such worship and demigods, several times I have explained to you. So Padma Purana is a sattvika Purana, for men who are in the modes of goodness. So here it said that although in the different Puranas there are recommendations for worshiping different kinds of demigods, but at the conclusion it is found that Visnu, the Supreme Lord, He is all in all, all in all. Just like… You have not seen in India. Even there is worship of any other demigod, just like Durga-puja, so even in that paraphernalia of gorgeous worshiping arrangement, when the worship will begin, the first worship is offered to Visnu, Yajnesvara, because, as it is stated in the Bhagavad-gita, kamais tais tair hrta-jnanah yajante anya-devatah: [Bg. 7.20] “Those who are mad after material sense gratification, they go and worship other demigods to have some immediate reward.” And they get it. But how they get it? That is also stated in the Bhagavad-gita, mayaiva vihitan hi tan: “They cannot have that reward without My sanction.” Because the demigods, they are also subordinate servants of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; therefore the demigods, although they can give you the reward which you want, but with the permission of the Supreme Lord… Because they are not fools. If somebody, some of you, somebody comes, outsider, and asks from this institution, our Society, that “Please give me this,” so you can deliver it, but you will take permission from me. That is a common custom. Similarly, the demigods also, they cannot offer their reward without sanction of Visnu. Mayaiva vihitan hi tan. Antavat tu phalam tesam. Therefore Visnu is present there. He… In the midst of worshiping other demigods, Visnu is presented, and that is the system of Vedic process. So therefore Visnu is Supreme. Why Visnu’s sanction is required? Therefore it is understood, although in different Puranas different types of worship for different types of demigods are recommended, but the ultimate sanction is of Visnu. Therefore Visnu becomes supreme.

So from this verse, Lord Caitanya wants to impress upon us that “Don’t be misguided for worshiping different demigods. The ultimate issue—the Visnu is worshipable.” Aradhananam sarvesam visnor aradhanam param. Even in the Siva Purana it is stated that Parvati, the wife of Lord Siva, she was asking Lord Siva that “Sir, worship… Which worship is the best?” There are different kinds of worship mentioned in the Vedic literatures. So Lord Siva replied, aradhananam sarvesam visnor aradhanam param: “There are different kinds of worship, but the best and the supreme worship is worship of Visnu.” Then again he gives more stress, aradhananam sarvesam visnor aradhanam param, tasmat parataram devi tadiyanam aradhanam: “And more than Visnu worship is to worship devotee of Visnu.” Tasmat parataram. Visnu aradhanam is the best. And better than the best worship is to worship the devotees of Visnu, Vaisnavas. This is recommended in the Siva Purana.

So Lord Caitanya making an analytical study of the Vedic literature, and He is giving His conclusion. This is called mahajano yena gatah sa panthah. We have to follow the footprints of great acaryas. Lord Caitanya is playing the part of an acarya; so His conclusion should be taken. Lord Krsna said also that kamais tais tair hrta-jnanah yajanti anya-devatah: [Bg. 7.20] “Those who are worshipers of other demigods, they are mad after sense gratification.” Oh, that means they are third-class men. Those who are mad after sense gratification, they are not considered first-class men because they are not transcendentalists; they are materialists, just like animals. They do not know anything. Simply sense gratification—ahara-nidra-bhaya-maithuna: eating, sleeping, mating and defending— that is their business. So those who are engrossed in the matter of sense gratification only, they are not in higher position. Therefore hrta-jnanah. Hrta-jnanah means those who have lost their sense. For sense gratification they have lost their sense. Hrta-jnanah. So Lord Caitanya wants to say that “Don’t be hrta-jnanah. Don’t be hrta-jnanah, or senseless. Be,” I mean to say, “senseful.”

mukhya-gauna-vrtti, kimva anvaya-vyatireke vedera pratijna kevala kahaye krsnake

In any way you study Vedas— directly, indirectly, this way or that way—the conclusion is that the objective is Krsna, Lord Caitanya says. And in the Bhagavad-gita also we get the same information. You will find in the teachings of Lord Caitanya, the same thing as in the Bhagavad-gita. That is the beauty of teachings of all acaryas, that you won’t find any deviation from the teachings of Krsna and the teachings of acaryas. Therefore it is said, acaryavan puruso veda: “One who has the guidance of a bona fide acarya, he knows things. He knows things, what it is.” Acaryavan puruso veda: “One who is under the guidance of bona fide acarya, he knows things, what they are.”

So Krsna also, as spiritual master of Arjuna, He played. He is the original acarya. Then acarya’s disciple becomes acarya when he assimilates the knowledge received from bona fide acarya. So he becomes bona fide to act as an acarya. Evam parampara-praptam. Acarya means one who has become a rigid disciple of his acarya. Just like a critical student under a professor, he becomes a first- class professor, similarly, a person who is a very rigid student of bona fide acarya, he becomes next acarya. That is the… Evam parampara-praptam. This is the disciplic succession. So as in the Bhagavad-gita five thousand years before Lord Krsna said, vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyam: [Bg. 15.15] “The purpose of all Vedic literatures, the conclusion, is that, to understand Me, Krsna…” By understanding Krsna, immediate liberation… That is stated in the Bhagavad-gita,

janma karma me divyam yo janati tattvatah tyaktva deham punar janma naiti mam eti kaunteya [Bg. 4.9]

Anyone who can understand critically and in truth about the appearance, disappearance, activities, transcendental activities, pastimes, of the Supreme Lord, Krsna, at once he becomes liberated. Tyaktva deham: “This person who has known like that,” tyaktva deham, “by quitting this body,” punar janma naiti, “he never… No more he takes another material body.” Then what does he do? Mam eti: “He comes to Me.”

So simply by understanding what is Krsna, one becomes liberated. Vedas, knowledge of Vedas, means to become liberated. The knowledge of Vedas is set in such a way that they are directing that “You have come here to enjoy this material world, so you try to enjoy in this systematic way.” Just like government gives you facility. You want to do some business; the government gives you all facility, but under certain rules and regulations, not that whatever you like, you can do. No. You have to get license to do any sort of business. Even if you do any nonsense, still, you have to follow the rules and regulation of the government. So Vedas means that we conditioned souls who have come here in this material world to become an imitation Krsna, enjoyer… Because Krsna is enjoyer, and we are all here imitation enjoyers, imitation… Frogs. Frog’s philosophy. So Krsna is very kind. He has given you all facility: “All right, you enjoy. You build up. You construct skyscrapers and again break it and again do it. Do it and waste your time.” So He gives us facility. He supplies us materials: “All right, you take material.” Because He has no scarcity, purnam, He is complete, so whatever you go on taking, you take, you build and break and keep it again. Dig earth and make high buildings, and again break it and fill it up. This is your business. Go on doing that and waste your valuable time. Your life is meant for realizing your self, self-realization, and get out of this material entanglement. But if you want to waste in that way, well, Krsna will give you all facilities. Waste. This is going on. Therefore Vedas, they give you instruction, “All right, you want to enjoy? Just try to enjoy this way, so that by following the Vedic principles you will come to this stage of liberation.” And what is that? Knowing Krsna. Vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyam [Bg. 15.15] By study of Vedas, when you come to that conclusion, that Krsna is everything, vasudevah sarvam iti: [Bg. 7.19] “Oh, Krsna is everything,” sa mahatma su-durlabhah: “That great soul is very rare.”

So similarly, as Krsna says, this is called disciplic succession. Lord Caitanya, although He is Krsna Himself, but He has accepted the disciplic succession from Krsna… I have given you the process of disciplic succession: from Krsna, Brahma; from Brahma, Narada; from Narada, Vyasa; from Vyasa, Madhva; from Madhva, Madhavendra Puri; from Madhavendra Puri, Isvara Puri; from Isvara Puri, Lord Caitanya. So evam parampara. So in the parampara system in that disciplic succession, you will find no change. The original word is there. That is the thing. They are not foolish to manufacture something new. What new? People are after something new manufactured by this tiny brain. What new you can manufacture? That is all nonsense. If you want really thing, then you have to take the old, the oldest. You cannot change anything. Can you change any law of the sun rising or sun setting? The old laws, they are going on, and you have to follow. So you cannot manufacture anything. The same seasons are coming for millions of years. As there were system of change of season, that is going on. Millions of years before, the sunrise, sunset, was going on. That is… Millions of millions of years, the death was there. That is going on. And the birth was there. That is going on. And disease was there. That is going on. So what you can change? You are simply foolishly wasting your time. There is no possibility of changing the laws of nature. It is simply futile attempt. Therefore those who are sane people, they understand that this life is meant for not fighting with the material laws, which I cannot change. Better stop this nonsense and realize yourself, what you are, what is your duty, and what the human form of life is meant for. That is stated here, that you have to realize Krsna. You have to become Krsna conscious. If you become Krsna conscious, then your life’s mission is fulfilled.

Thank you. (end)