Krishnadas Kaviraja Goswami - Caitanya Caritamrita (Adi lIlA)

Adi-lIlA

Foreword

zrI Caitanya-caritAmRta, by zrIla KRSNadAsa KavirAja GosvAmI, is the principal
work on the life and teachings of zrI KRSNa Caitanya MahAprabhu. Caitanya
MahAprabhu is the pioneer of a great social and religious movement that
began in India about five hundred years ago and that has directly and
indirectly influenced the subsequent course of religious and philosophical
thinking not only in India but throughout the world. That zrI KRSNa Caitanya's
influence has spread so far is due in large part to the efforts of His Divine
Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami PrabhupAda, the present work's translator
and commentator and the founder and AcArya (spiritual guide) of the
International Society for Krishna Consciousness.
Caitanya MahAprabhu is thus a figure of great historical significance.
However, our conventional method of historical analysis-that of seeing a man
as a product of his times-fails here, for zrI KRSNa Caitanya is a personality who
transcends the limited scope of historical settings.
At a time when, in the West, man was directing his explorative spirit toward
studying the structure of the physical universe and circumnavigating the
world in search of new oceans and continents, zrI KRSNa Caitanya, in the East,
was inaugurating and masterminding a revolution directed toward a scientific
understanding of the highest knowledge of man's spiritual nature.
The chief historical sources for the life of zrI KRSNa Caitanya are the kadacas
(diaries) kept by MurAri Gupta and SvarUpa DAmodara GosvAmI. MurAri
Gupta, a physician and close associate of zrI KRSNa Caitanya's, recorded
extensive notes on the first twenty-four years of His life, culminating in His
initiation into the renounced order, sannyAsa. The events of the rest of
Caitanya MahAprabhu's forty-eight years wererecorded in the diary of
SvarUpa DAmodara GosvAmI, another of His inimate associates.
zrI Caitanya-caritAmRta is divided into three sections, called lIlAs, a word that
literally means "pastimes"-Adi-lIlA (the early period), Madhya-lIlA (the middle
period) and Antya-lIlA (the final period). The notes of MurAri Gupta form the
basis of the Adi-lIlA, and SvarUpa DAmodara's diary provides the details for
the Madhya- and Antya-lIlAs.
The first twelve chapters of the Adi-lIlA constitute the preface for the entire
work. By referring to Vedic scriptural evidence, KRSNadAsa KavirAja establishes
that Caitanya MahAprabhu is the avatAra (incarnation) of God for the Age of
Kali-the current epoch, which began five thousand years ago and is
characterized by materialism, hypocrisy and dissension The author also proves
that Caitanya MahAprabhu is identical to Lord KRSNa and explains that He
descends to liberally grant the fallen souls of this degraded age pure love of
God by propagating sa~NkIrtana-literally, "congregational glorification of God"-
especially by organizing massive public chanting of the mahA-mantra (Great
Chant for Deliverance). In addition, in the twelve-chapter preface KRSNadAsa
KavirAja reveals the esoteric purpose of Lord Caitanya's appearance in the
world, describes His co-avatAras and principal devotees, and summarizes His
teachings. In the remaining portion of the Adi-lIlA, chapters thirteen through
seventeen, the author briefly recounts Lord Caitanya's divine birth and His life
until He accepted the renounced order. This account includes His childhood
miracles, schooling, marriage and early philosophical confrontations, as well as
His organization of a widespread sa~NkIrtana movement and His civil
disobedience against the repression of the Muslim government.
The Madhya-lIlA, the longest of the three divisions, narrates in detail Lord
Caitanya's extensive and eventful travels throughout India as a renounced
mendicant, teacher, philosopher, spiritual preceptor and mystic. During this
period of six years, zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu transmits His teachings to His
principles disciples. He debates and converts many of the renowned
philosophers and theologians of His time, including za~Nkarites, Buddhists and
Muslims, and incorporates their many thousands of followers and disciples
into His own burgeoning numbers. The author also includes in this section a
dramatic account of Caitanya MahAprabhu's miraculous activities at the giant
Ratha-yAtrA (Car Festival) in JagannAtha PurI, Orissa.
The Antya-lIlA concerns the last eighteen years of zrI Caitanya's presence,
spent in semiseclusion near the famous JagannAtha temple in PurI, During
these final years, During these final years, zrI KRSNa Caitanya drifted deeper
and deeper into trances of spiritual ecstasy unparalleled in all of religious and
literary history, Eastern or Western. His perpetual and ever-increasing religious
beatitude, graphically described in the eye-witness accounts of SvarUpa
DAmodara GosvAmI, His constant companion during this period, clearly defy
the investigative and descriptive abilities of modern psychologists and
phenomenologists of religious experience.
The author of this great classic, KRSNadAsa KavirAja GosvAmI, born around the
beginning of the sixteenth century, was a disciple of RaghunAtha dAsa
GosvAmI, a confidential follower of Caitanya MahAprabhu's. RaghunAtha dAsa,
a renowned ascetic saint, heard and memorized all the activities of Caitanya
MahAprabhu told to him by SvarUpa DAmodara GosvAmI. After the passing
away of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu and SvarUpa DAmodara, RaghunAtha dAsa,
unable to bear the pain of separation from these objects of his complete
devotion, traveled to VRndAvana, intending to commit suicide by jumping
from Govardhana Hill. In VRndAvana, however, he encountered zrIla RUpa
GosvAmI and zrIla SanAtana GosvAmI, two of the most confidential disciples
of Caitanya MahAprabhu. They convinced him to to give up his planned
suicide and impelled him to reveal to them the spiritually inspiring events of
Lord Caitanya's later life. KRSNadAsa KavirAja GosvAmI was also residing in
VRndAvana at this time, and RaghunAtha dAsa GosvAmI endowed him with a
full comprehension of the transcendental life of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu.
By this time, contemporary and near-contemporary scholars and devotees
had already written several biographical works on the life of zrI KRSNa
Caitanya MahAprabhu. These included zrI Caitanya-carita, by MurAri Gupta,
Caitanya-ma~Ngala, by Locana dAsa ThAkura, and Caitanya-bhAgavata. This
latter work, by VRndAvana dAsa ThAkura, who was then considered the
principal authority on zrI Caitanya's life, was highly revered. While composing
his important work, VRndAvana dAsa, fearing that it would become too
voluminous, avoided elaborately describing many of the events of zrI
Caitanya MahAprabhu's life, particularly the later ones. Anxious to hear of
these later pastimes, the devotees in VRndAvana requested KRSNadAsa KavirAja
GosvAmI, whom they respected as a great saint and scholar, to compose a
book narrating these episodes in detail. Upon this request, and with the
permission and blessings of the Madana-mohana Deity of VRndAvana, he
began compiling zrI Caitanya-caritAmRta, which, due to its literary excellence
and philosophical thoroughness, is today universally regarded as the foremost
work on the life and profound teachings of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu.
KRSNadAsa KavirAja GosvAmI commenced work on the text at a very
advanced age and in failing health, as he vividly describes in the text itself: "I
have now become too old and disturbed by invalidity. While writing, my
hands tremble. I cannot remember anything, nor can I see or hear properly.
Still I write, and this is a great wonder." That he completed the greatest
literary gem of medieval India under such debilitating conditions is surely one
of the wonders of literary history.
As mentioned above, this English translation and commentary is the work of
His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami PrabhupAda, the world's most
distinguished teacher of Indian religions and philosophical thought. zrIla
PrabhupAda's commentary is based upon two Bengali commentaries, one by
his guru, zrIla BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI GosvAmI, the eminent Vedic scholar,
teacher and saint who predicted, "The time will come when the people of the
world will learn Bengali to read zrI Caitanya-caritAmRta," and the other by zrIla
BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI's father, zrIla Bhaktivinoda ThAkura, who pioneered
the propagation of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu's teachings in the modern era.
zrIla Prabhupada is himself a disciplic descendant of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu,
and is the first scholar to execute systematic English translations of the major
works of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu's followers. His consummate Bengali and
Sanskrit scholarship and intimate familiarity with the precepts of zrI KRSNa
Caitanya are a fitting combination that eminently qualifies him to present this
important classic to the English-speaking world. The ease and clarity with
which he expounds upon difficult philosophical concepts enable even a reader
totally unfamiliar with Indian religious tradition to understand and appreciate
this profound and monumental work.
The entire text, with commentary, presented in nine lavishly illustrated
volumes by the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, represents a contribution of major
importance to the intellectual, cultural and spiritual life of contemporary man.
-The Publishers

Editors note: Revisions in this edition are based on the transcripts of His Divine
Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami PrabhupAda's original dictation of the
translations, word meanings and purports of zrI Caitanya-caritAmRta.
Adi Preface
Preface
There is no difference between the teachings of Lord Caitanya presented here
and the teachings of Lord KRSNa in the Bhagavad-gItA. The teachings of Lord
Caitanya are practical demonstrations of Lord KRSNa’s teachings. Lord KRSNa’s
ultimate instruction in the Bhagavad-gItA is that everyone should surrender
unto Him, Lord KRSNa. KRSNa promises to take immediate charge of such a
surrendered soul. The Lord, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is already in
charge of the maintenance of this creation by virtue of His plenary expansion,
KSIrodakazAyI ViSNu, but this maintenance is not direct. However, when the
Lord says that He takes charge of His pure devotee, He actually takes direct
charge. A pure devotee is a soul who is forever surrendered to the Lord, just
as a child is surrendered to his parents or an animal to its master. In the
surrendering process, one should (1) accept things favorable for discharging
devotional service, (2) reject things unfavorable, (3) always believe firmly in
the Lord’s protection, (4) feel exclusively dependent on the mercy of the Lord,
(5) have no interest separate from the interest of the Lord, and (6) always feel
oneself meek and humble.
The Lord demands that one surrender unto Him by following these six
guidelines, but the unintelligent so-called scholars of the world misunderstand
these demands and urge the general mass of people to reject them. At the
conclusion of the Ninth Chapter of the Bhagavad-gItA, Lord KRSNa directly
orders, “Always think of Me, become My devotee, worship Me alone, and
offer obeisances unto Me alone.” By so doing, the Lord says, one is sure to go
to Him in His transcendental abode. But the scholarly demons misguide the
masses of people by directing them to surrender not to the Personality of
Godhead but rather to the impersonal, unmanifested, eternal, unborn truth.
The impersonalist MAyAvAdI philosophers do not accept that the ultimate
aspect of the Absolute Truth is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. If one
desires to understand the sun as it is, one must first face the sunshine and
then the sun globe, and then, if one is able to enter into that globe, one may
come face to face with the predominating deity of the sun. Due to a poor
fund of knowledge, the MAyAvAdI philosophers cannot go beyond the
Brahman effulgence, which may be compared to the sunshine. The UpaniSads
confirm that one has to penetrate the dazzling effulgence of Brahman before
one can see the real face of the Personality of Godhead.
Lord Caitanya therefore teaches direct worship of Lord KRSNa, who appeared
as the foster child of the King of Vraja. He also teaches that the place known
as VRndAvana is as good as Lord KRSNa because, Lord KRSNa being the
Absolute Truth, there is no difference between Him and His name, qualities,
form, pastimes, entourage and paraphernalia. That is the absolute nature of
the Personality of Godhead. Lord Caitanya also teaches that the highest mode
of worship in the highest perfectional stage is the method practiced by the
damsels of Vraja. These damsels (gopIs, or cowherd girls) simply loved KRSNa
without any motive for material or spiritual gain. Lord Caitanya also teaches
that zrImad-BhAgavatam is the spotless narration of transcendental
knowledge and that the highest goal in human life is to develop unalloyed
love for KRSNa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Lord Caitanya’s teachings are identical to those given by Lord Kapila, the
original propounder of sA~Nkhya-yoga, the sA~Nkhya system of philosophy. This
authorized system of yoga teaches meditation on the transcendental form of
the Lord. There is no question of meditating on something void or impersonal.
When one can meditate on the transcendental form of Lord ViSNu even
without practicing involved sitting postures, such meditation is called perfect
samAdhi. That this kind of meditation is perfect samAdhi is confirmed at the
end of the Sixth Chapter of the Bhagavad-gItA, where Lord KRSNa says that of
all yogIs, the greatest is the one who constantly thinks of the Lord within the
core of his heart with love and devotion.
On the basis of the sA~Nkhya philosophy of acintya-bhedAbheda-tattva, which
maintains that the Supreme Lord is simultaneously one with and different
from His creation, Lord Caitanya taught that the most practical way for the
mass of people to practice sAnkhya-yoga meditation is simply to chant the
holy name of the Lord. He taught that the holy name of the Lord is the sound
incarnation of the Lord and that since the Lord is the absolute whole, there is
no difference between His holy name and His transcendental form. Thus by
chanting the holy name of the Lord one can directly associate with the
Supreme Lord by sound vibration. As one practices chanting this sound
vibration, one passes through three stages of development: the offensive
stage, the clearing stage and the transcendental stage. In the offensive stage
of chanting one may desire all kinds of material happiness, but in the second
stage one becomes clear of all material contamination. When one is situated
on the transcendental stage, one attains the most coveted position—the
stage of loving God. Lord Caitanya taught that this is the highest stage of
perfection for human beings.
Yoga practice is essentially meant for controlling the senses. The central
controlling factor of all the senses is the mind; therefore one first has to
practice controlling the mind by engaging it in KRSNa consciousness. The gross
activities of the mind are expressed through the external senses, either for the
acquisition of knowledge or for the functioning of the senses in accordance
with the will. The subtle activities of the mind are thinking, feeling and willing,
which are carried out according to one’s consciousness, either polluted or
clear. If one’s mind is fixed on KRSNa (His name, qualities, form, pastimes,
entourage and paraphernalia), all one’s activities—both subtle and gross—
become favorable. The Bhagavad-gItA’s process of purifying consciousness is
the process of fixing one’s mind on KRSNa by talking of His transcendental
activities, cleansing His temple, going to His temple, seeing the beautiful
transcendental form of the Lord nicely decorated, hearing His transcendental
glories, tasting food offered to Him, associating with His devotees, smelling
the flowers and tulasI leaves offered to Him, engaging in activities for the
Lord’s interest, becoming angry at those who are malicious toward devotees,
etc. No one can bring the activities of the mind and senses to a stop, but one
can purify these activities through a change in consciousness. This change is
indicated in the Bhagavad-gItA (2.39), where KRSNa tells Arjuna of the
knowledge of yoga whereby one can work without fruitive results: “O son of
PRthA, when you act in such knowledge you can free yourself from the
bondage of works.” A human being is sometimes restricted in sense
gratification due to certain circumstances, such as disease, but such
proscriptions are for the less intelligent. Without knowing the actual process
by which the mind and senses can be controlled, less intelligent men may try
to stop the mind and senses by force, but ultimately they give in to them and
are carried away by the waves of sense gratification.
The eight principles of sA~Nkhya-yoga—observing the regulative principles,
following the rules, practicing the various sitting postures, performing the
breathing exercises, withdrawing one’s senses from the sense objects, etc.—
are meant for those who are too much engrossed in the bodily conception of
life. The intelligent man situated in KRSNa consciousness does not try to
forcibly stop his senses from acting. Rather, he engages his senses in the
service of KRSNa. No one can stop a child from playing by leaving him
inactive; rather, the child can be stopped from engaging in nonsense by being
engaged in superior activities. Similarly, the forceful restraint of sense
activities by the eight principles of yoga is recommended for inferior men;
superior men, being engaged in the superior activities of KRSNa consciousness,
naturally retire from the inferior activities of material existence.
In this way Lord Caitanya teaches the science of KRSNa consciousness. That
science is absolute. Dry mental speculators try to restrain themselves from
material attachment, but it is generally found that the mind is too strong to be
controlled and that it drags them down to sensual activities. A person in KRSNa
consciousness does not run this risk. One therefore has to engage one’s mind
and senses in KRSNa conscious activities, and Lord Caitanya teaches one how
to do this in practice.
Before accepting sannyAsa (the renounced order), Lord Caitanya was known
as Vizvambhara. The word vizvambhara refers to one who maintains the
entire universe and who leads all living entities. This maintainer and leader
appeared as Lord Sri KRSNa Caitanya to give humanity these sublime
teachings. Lord Caitanya is the ideal teacher of life’s prime necessities. He is
the most munificent bestower of love of KRSNa. He is the complete reservoir
of all mercies and good fortune. As confirmed in zrImad-BhAgavatam, the
Bhagavad-gItA, the MahAbhArata and the UpaniSads, He is the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, KRSNa Himself, and He is worshipable by everyone in
this age of disagreement. Everyone can join in His sa~NkIrtana movement. No
previous qualification is necessary. Just by following His teachings, anyone
can become a perfect human being. If a person is fortunate enough to be
attracted by Lord Caitanya, he is sure to be successful in his life’s mission. In
other words, those who are interested in attaining spiritual existence can
easily be released from the clutches of mAyA by the grace of Lord Caitanya.
The teachings presented in this book are nondifferent from the Lord.
The conditioned soul, engrossed in the material body, increases the pages of
history by all kinds of material activities. The teachings of Lord Caitanya can
help the members of human society stop such unnecessary and temporary
activities and be elevated to the topmost platform of spiritual activities,
which begin after liberation from material bondage. Such liberated activities in
KRSNa consciousness constitute the goal of human perfection. The false
prestige one acquires by attempting to dominate material nature is illusory.
Illuminating knowledge can be acquired by studying the teachings of Lord
Caitanya, and by such knowledge one can advance in spiritual existence.
Everyone has to suffer or enjoy the fruits of his activity; no one can check the
laws of material nature that govern such things. As long as one is engaged in
fruitive activity, one is sure to be baffled in the attempt to attain the ultimate
goal of life. I sincerely hope that by understanding the teachings of Lord
Caitanya presented in this book, zrI Caitanya-caritAmRta, human society will
experience a new light of spiritual life, which will open the field of activity for
the pure soul.
oà tat sat
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
March 14, 1968
The Birthday of Lord Caitanya
zrI zrI RAdhA-KRSNa Temple
New York, N.Y

Adi Introduction
Introduction
(Originally delivered as five morning lectures on the Caitanya-caritAmRta—
the authoritative biography of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu by KRSNadAsa
KavirAja GosvAmI—before the International Society for Krishna
Consciousness, New York City, April 10–14, 1967.)
The word caitanya means “living force,” carita means “character,” and amRta
means “immortal.” As living entities we can move, but a table cannot because
it does not possess living force. Movement and activity may be considered
signs or symptoms of the living force. Indeed, it may be said that there can be
no activity without the living force. Although the living force is present in the
material condition, this condition is not amRta, immortal. The words caitanya-
caritAmRta, then, may be translated as “the character of the living force in
immortality.”
But how is this living force displayed immortally? It is not displayed by man or
any other creature in this material universe, for none of us are immortal in
these bodies. We possess the living force, we perform activities, and we are
immortal by our nature and constitution, but the material condition into which
we have been put does not allow our immortality to be displayed. It is stated
in the KaTha UpaniSad that eternality and the living force belong to both
ourselves and God. Although this is true in that both God and ourselves are
immortal, there is a difference. As living entities, we perform many activities,
but we have a tendency to fall down into material nature. God has no such
tendency. Being all-powerful, He never comes under the control of material
nature. Indeed, material nature is but one display of His inconceivable
energies.
An analogy will help us understand the distincion between ourselves and God.
From the ground we may see only clouds in the sky, but if we fly above the
clouds we can see the sun shining. From the sky, skyscrapers and cities seem
very tiny; similarly, from God’s position this entire material creation is
insignificant. The tendency of the living entity is to come down from the
heights, where everything can be seen in perspective. God, however, does
not have this tendency. The Supreme Lord is not subject to fall down into
illusion (mAyA) any more than the sun is subject to fall beneath the clouds.
Impersonalist philosophers (MAyAvAdIs) maintain that both the living entity
and God Himself are under the control of mAyA when they come into this
material world. This is the fallacy of their philosophy.
Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu should therefore not be considered one of us. He
is KRSNa Himself, the supreme living entity, and as such He never comes under
the cloud of mAyA. KRSNa, His expansions and even His higher devotees never
fall into the clutches of illusion. Lord Caitanya came to earth simply to preach
kRSNa-bhakti, love of KRSNa. In other words, He is Lord KRSNa Himself teaching
the living entities the proper way to approach KRSNa. He is like a teacher who,
seeing a student doing poorly, takes up a pencil and writes, saying, “Do it like
this: A, B, C.” From this one should not foolishly think that the teacher is
learning his ABC’s. Similarly, although Lord Caitanya appears in the guise of a
devotee, we should not foolishly think He is an ordinary human being; we
should always remember that Lord Caitanya is KRSNa (God) Himself teaching
us how to become KRSNa conscious, and we must study Him in that light.
In the Bhagavad-gItA (18.66) Lord KRSNa says, “Give up all your nonsense and
surrender to Me. I will protect you.”
We say, “Oh, surrender? But I have so many responsibilities.”
And mAyA, illusion, says to us, “Don’t do it, or you’ll be out of my clutches.
Just stay in my clutches, and I’ll kick you.”
It is a fact that we are constantly being kicked by mAyA, just as the male ass is
kicked in the face by the she-ass when he comes for sex. Similarly, cats and
dogs are always fighting and whining when they have sex. Even an elephant
in the jungle is caught by the use of a trained she-elephant who leads him into
a pit. We should learn by observing these tricks of nature.
MAyA has many ways to entrap us, and her strongest shackle is the female. Of
course, in actuality we are neither male nor female, for these designations
refer only to the outer dress, the body. We are all actually KRSNa’s servants.
But in conditioned life we are shackled by iron chains in the form of beautiful
women. Thus every male is bound by sex, and therefore one who wishes to
gain liberation from the material clutches must first learn to control the sex
urge. Unrestricted sex puts one fully in the clutches of illusion. Lord Caitanya
MahAprabhu officially renounced this illusion at the age of twenty-four,
although His wife was sixteen and His mother seventy and He was the only
male in the family. Although He was a brAhmaNa and was not rich, He took
sannyAsa, the renounced order of life, and thus extricated Himself from family
entanglement.
If we wish to become fully KRSNa conscious, we have to give up the shackles
of mAyA. Or, if we remain with mAyA, we should live in such a way that we
will not be subject to illusion, as did the many householders among Lord
Caitanya’s closest devotees. With His followers in the renounced order,
however, Lord Caitanya was very strict. He even banished Junior HaridAsa, an
important kIrtana leader, for glancing lustfully at a woman. The Lord told him,
“You are living with Me in the renounced order, and yet you are looking at a
woman with lust.” Other devotees of the Lord had appealed to Him to forgive
HaridAsa, but He replied, “All of you can forgive him and live with him. I shall
live alone.” On the other hand, when the Lord learned that the wife of one of
His householder devotees was pregnant, He asked that the baby be given a
certain auspicious name. So while the Lord approved of householders having
regulated sex, He was like a thunderbolt with those in the renounced order
who tried to cheat by the method known as “drinking water under water
while bathing on a fast day.” In other words, He tolerated no hypocrisy
among His followers.
From the Caitanya-caritAmRta we learn how Lord Caitanya taught people to
break the shackles of mAyA and become immortal. Thus, as mentioned above,
the title may be properly translated as “the character of the living force in
immortality.” The supreme living force is the Supreme Personality of
Godhead. He is also the supreme entity. There are innumerable living entities,
and all of them are individuals. This is very easy to understand: We are all
individual in our thoughts and desires, and the Supreme Lord is also an
individual person. He is different, though, in that He is the leader, the one
whom no one can excel. Among the minute living entities, one being can
excel another in one capacity or another. Like each of these living entities, the
Lord is an individual, but He is different in that He is the supreme individual.
God is also infallible, and thus in the Bhagavad-gItA He is addressed as
Acyuta, which means “He who never falls down.” This name is appropriate
because in the Bhagavad-gItA Arjuna falls into illusion but KRSNa does not.
KRSNa Himself reveals His infallibility when he says to Arjuna, “When I appear
in this world, I do so by My own internal potency.” (Bg. 4.6)
Thus we should not think that KRSNa is overpowered by the material potency
when He is in the material world. Neither KRSNa nor His incarnations ever
come under the control of material nature. They are totally free. Indeed, in
zrImad-BhAgavatam one who has a godly nature is actually defined as one
who is not affected by the modes of material nature although in material
nature. If even a devotee can attain this freedom, then what to speak of the
Supreme Lord?
The real question is, How can we remain unpolluted by material
contamination while in the material world? zrIla RUpa GosvAmI explains that
we can remain uncontaminated while in the world if we simply make it our
ambition to serve KRSNa. One may then justifiably ask, “How can I serve?” It is
not simply a matter of meditation, which is just an activity of the mind, but of
performing practical work for KRSNa. In such work, we should leave no
resource unused. Whatever is there, whatever we have, should be used for
KRSNa. We can use everything—typewriters, automobiles, airplanes, missiles.
If we simply speak to people about KRSNa consciousness, we are also
rendering service. If our mind, senses, speech, money and energies are thus
engaged in the service of KRSNa, then we are no longer in material nature. By
virtue of spiritual consciousness, or KRSNa consciousness, we transcend the
platform of material nature. It is a fact that KRSNa, His expansions and His
devotees—that is, those who work for Him—are not in material nature,
although people with a poor fund of knowledge think that they are.
The Caitanya-caritAmRta teaches that the spirit soul is immortal and that our
activities in the spiritual world are also immortal. The MAyAvAdIs, who hold
the view that the Absolute is impersonal and formless, contend that a realized
soul has no need to talk. But the VaiSNavas, devotees of KRSNa, contend that
when one reaches the stage of realization, he really begins to talk. “Previously
we only talked of nonsense,” the VaiSNava says. “Now let us begin our real
talks, talks of KRSNa.” In support of their view that the self-realized remain
silent, the MAyAvAdIs are fond of using the example of the water pot,
maintaining that when a pot is not filled with water it makes a sound, but that
when it is filled it makes no sound. But are we waterpots? How can we be
compared to them? A good analogy utilizes as many similarities between two
objects as possible. A waterpot is not an active living force, but we are. Ever-
silent meditation may be adequate for a waterpot, but not for us. Indeed,
when a devotee realizes how much he has to say about KRSNa, twenty-four
hours in a day are not sufficient. It is the fool who is celebrated as long as he
does not speak, for when he breaks his silence his lack of knowledge is
exposed. The Caitanya-caritAmRta shows that there are many wonderful
things to discover by glorifying the Supreme.
In the beginning of the Caitanya-caritAmRta, KRSNadAsa KavirAja GosvAmI
writes, “I offer my respects to my spiritual masters.” He uses the plural here to
indicate the disciplic succession. He offers obeisances not to his spiritual
master alone but to the whole paramparA, the chain of disciplic succession
beginning with Lord KRSNa Himself. Thus the author addresses the guru in the
plural to show the highest respect for all his predecessor spiritual masters.
After offering obeisances to the disciplic succession, the author pays
obeisances to all other devotees, to the Lord Himself, to His incarnations, to
the expansions of Godhead and to the manifestation of KRSNa’s internal
energy. Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu (sometimes called KRSNa Caitanya) is the
embodiment of all of these: He is God, guru, devotee, incarnation, internal
energy and expansion of God. As His associate NityAnanda, He is the first
expansion of God; as Advaita, He is an incarnation; as GadAdhara, He is the
internal potency; and as zrIvAsa, He is the marginal living entity in the role of
a devotee. Thus KRSNa should not be thought of as being alone but should be
considered as eternally existing with all His manifestations, as described by
RAmAnujAcArya. In the ViziSTAdvaita philosophy, God’s energies, expansions
and incarnations are considered to be oneness in diversity. In other words,
God is not separate from all of these: everything together is God.
Actually, the Caitanya-caritAmRta is not intended for the novice, for it is the
postgraduate study of spiritual knowledge. Ideally, one begins with the
Bhagavad-gItA and advances through zrImad-BhAgavatam to the Caitanya-
caritAmRta. Although all these great scriptures are on the same absolute level,
for the sake of comparative study the Caitanya-caritAmRta is considered to be
on the highest platform. Every verse in it is perfectly composed.
In the second verse of the Caitanya-caritAmRta, the author offers his
obeisances to Lord Caitanya and Lord NityAnanda. He compares them to the
sun and the moon because They dissipate the darkness of the material world.
In this instance the sun and the moon have risen together.
In the Western world, where the glories of Lord Caitanya are relatively
unknown, one may inquire, “Who is KRSNa Caitanya?” The author of the
Caitanya-caritAmRta, zrIla KRSNadAsa KavirAja, answers that question in the
third verse of his book. Generally, in the UpaniSads the Supreme Absolute
Truth is described in an impersonal way, but the personal aspect of the
Absolute Truth is mentioned in the IzopaniSad, where we find the following
verse:
hiraNmayena pAtreNa satyasyApihitaà mukham
tat tvaà pUSann apAvRNu satya-dharmAya dRSTaye
“O my Lord, sustainer of all that lives, Your real face is covered by Your
dazzling effulgence. Kindly remove that covering and exhibit Yourself to Your
pure devotee.” (zrI IzopaniSad 15) The impersonalists do not have the power to
go beyond the effulgence of God and arrive at the Personality of Godhead,
from whom this effulgence is emanating. The IzopaniSad is a hymn to that
Personality of Godhead. It is not that the impersonal Brahman is denied; it is
also described, but that Brahman is revealed to be the glaring effulgence of
the body of Lord KRSNa. And in the Caitanya-caritAmRta we learn that Lord
Caitanya is KRSNa Himself. In other words, zrI KRSNa Caitanya is the basis of
the impersonal Brahman. The ParamAtmA, or Supersoul, who is present within
the heart of every living entity and within every atom of the universe, is but
the partial representation of Lord Caitanya. Therefore zrI KRSNa Caitanya,
being the basis of both Brahman and the all-pervading ParamAtmA as well, is
the Supreme Personality of Godhead. As such, He is full in six opulences:
wealth, fame, strength, beauty, knowledge and renunciation. In short, we
should know that He is KRSNa, God, and that nothing is equal to or greater
than Him. There is nothing superior to be conceived. He is the Supreme
Person.
zrIla RUpa GosvAmI, a confidential devotee taught for more than ten days
continually by Lord Caitanya, wrote:
namo mahA-vadAnyAya kRSNa-prema-pradAya te
kRSNAya kRSNa-caitanya-nAmne gaura-tviSe namaH
[Madhya 19.53]
“I offer my respectful obeisances unto the Supreme Lord zrI KRSNa Caitanya,
who is more magnanimous than any other avatAra, even KRSNa Himself,
because He is bestowing freely what no one else has ever given—pure love
of KRSNa.”
Lord Caitanya’s teachings begin from the point of surrender to KRSNa. He does
not pursue the paths of karma-yoga or j~nAna-yoga or haTha-yoga but begins
at the end of material existence, at the point where one gives up all material
attachment. In the Bhagavad-gItA KRSNa begins His teachings by
distinguishing the soul from matter, and in the Eighteenth Chapter He
concludes at the point where the soul surrenders to Him in devotion. The
MAyAvAdIs would have all talk cease there, but at that point the real
discussion only begins. As the VedAnta-sUtra says at the very beginning,
athAto brahma jij~nAsA: “Now let us begin to inquire about the Supreme
Absolute Truth.” RUpa GosvAmI thus praises Lord Caitanya as the most
munificent incarnation of all, for He gives the greatest gift by teaching the
highest form of devotional service. In other words, He answers the most
important inquiries that anyone can make.
There are different stages of devotional service and God realization. Strictly
speaking, anyone who accepts the existence of God is situated in devotional
service. To acknowledge that God is great is something, but not much. Lord
Caitanya, preaching as an AcArya, a great teacher, taught that we can enter
into a relationship with God and actually become God’s friend, parent or
lover. In the Bhagavad-gItA KRSNa showed Arjuna His universal form because
Arjuna was His very dear friend. Upon seeing KRSNa as the Lord of the
universes, however, Arjuna asked KRSNa to forgive the familiarity of his
friendship. Lord Caitanya goes beyond this point. Through Lord Caitanya we
can become friends with KRSNa, and there will be no limit to this friendship.
We can become friends of KRSNa not in awe or adoration but in complete
freedom. We can even relate to God as His father or mother. This is the
philosophy not only of the Caitanya-caritAmRta but of zrImad-BhAgavatam as
well. There are no other scriptures in the world in which God is treated as the
son of a devotee. Usually God is seen as the almighty father who supplies the
demands of His sons. The great devotees, however, sometimes treat God as a
son in their execution of devotional service. The son demands, and the father
and mother supply, and in supplying KRSNa the devotee becomes like a father
or mother. Instead of taking from God, we give to God. It was in this
relationship that KRSNa’s mother, YazodA, told the Lord, “Here, eat this or
You’ll die. Eat nicely.” In this way KRSNa, although the proprietor of
everything, depends on the mercy of His devotee. This is a uniquely high level
of friendship, in which the devotee actually believes himself to be the father
or mother of KRSNa.
However, Lord Caitanya’s greatest gift was His teaching that KRSNa can be
treated as one’s lover. In this relationship the Lord becomes so much attached
to His devotee that He expresses His inability to reciprocate. KRSNa was so
obliged to the gopIs, the cowherd girls of VRndAvana, that He felt unable to
return their love. “I cannot repay your love,” He told them. “I have no more
assets to give.” Devotional service on this highest, most excellent platform of
lover and beloved, which had never been given by any previous incarnation
or AcArya, was given by Caitanya MahAprabhu. Therefore KRSNadAsa KavirAja,
quoting zrIla RUpa GosvAmI, writes in the fourth verse of his book, “Lord
Caitanya is KRSNa in a yellow complexion, and He is zacInandana, the son of
mother zacI. He is the most charitable personality because He came to deliver
kRSNa-prema, unalloyed love for KRSNa, to everyone. May you always keep
Him in your hearts. It will be easy to understand KRSNa through Him.”
We have often heard the phrase “love of Godhead.” How far this love of
Godhead can actually be developed can be learned from the VaiSNava
philosophy. Theoretical knowledge of love of God can be found in many
places and in many scriptures, but what that love of Godhead actually is and
how it is developed can be found in the VaiSNava literatures. It is the unique
and highest development of love of God that is given by Caitanya
MahAprabhu.
Even in this material world we can have a little sense of love. How is this
possible? It is due to the presence of our original love of God. Whatever we
find within our experience within this conditioned life is situated in the
Supreme Lord, who is the ultimate source of everything. In our original
relationship with the Supreme Lord there is real love, and that love is reflected
pervertedly through material conditions. Our real love is continuous and
unending, but because that love is reflected pervertedly in this material world,
it lacks continuity and is inebriating. If we want real, transcendental love, we
have to transfer our love to the supreme lovable object—KRSNa, the Supreme
Personality of Godhead. This is the basic principle of KRSNa consciousness.
In material consciousness we are trying to love that which is not at all lovable.
We give our love to cats and dogs, running the risk that at the time of death
we may think of them and consequently take birth in a family of cats or dogs.
Our consciousness at the time of death determines our next life. That is one
reason why the Vedic scriptures stress the chastity of women: If a woman is
very much attached to her husband, at the time of death she will think of him,
and in the next life she will be promoted to a man’s body. Generally a man’s
life is better than a woman’s because a man usually has better facilities for
understanding the spiritual science.
But KRSNa consciousness is so nice that it makes no distincition between man
and woman. In the Bhagavad-gItA (9.32), Lord KRSNa says, “Anyone who takes
shelter of Me—whether a woman, zUdra, vaizya or anyone else of low birth—
is sure to achieve My association.” This is KRSNa’s guarantee.
Caitanya MahAprabhu informs us that in every country and in every scripture
there is some hint of love of Godhead. But no one knows what love of
Godhead actually is. The Vedic scriptures, however, are different in that they
can direct the individual in the proper way to love God. Other scriptures do
not give information on how one can love God, nor do they actually define or
describe what or who the Godhead actually is. Although they officially
promote love of Godhead, they have no idea how to execute it. But Caitanya
MahAprabhu gives a practical demonstration of how to love God in a conjugal
relationship. Taking the part of zrImatI RAdhArANI, Caitanya MahAprabhu tried
to love KRSNa as RAdhArANI loved Him. KRSNa was always amazed by
RAdhArANI’s love. “How does RAdhArANI give Me such pleasure?” He would
ask. In order to study RAdhArANI, KRSNa lived in Her role and tried to
understand Himself. This is the secret of Lord Caitanya’s incarnation. Caitanya
MahAparbhu is KRSNa, but He has taken the mood and role of RAdhArANI to
show us how to love KRSNa. Thus the author writes in the fifth verse, “I offer
my respectful obeisances unto the Supreme Lord, who is absorbed in
RAdhArANI’s thoughts.”
This brings up the question of who zrImatI RAdhArANI is and what RAdhA-KRSNa
is. Actually RAdhA-KRSNa is the exchange of love—but not ordinary love.
KRSNa has immense potencies, of which three are principal: the internal, the
external and the marginal potencies. In the internal potency there are three
divisions: samvit, hlAdinI and sandhinI. The hlAdinI potency is KRSNa’s pleasure
potency. All living entities have this pleasure-seeking potency, for all beings
are trying to have pleasure. This is the very nature of the living entity. At
present we are trying to enjoy our pleasure potency by means of the body in
the material condition. By bodily contact we are attempting to derive pleasure
from material sense objects. But we should not entertain the nonsensical idea
that KRSNa, who is always spiritual, also tries to seek pleasure on this material
plane. In the Bhagavad-gItA KRSNa describes the material universe as a
nonpermanent place full of miseries. Why, then, would He seek pleasure in
matter? He is the Supersoul, the supreme spirit, and His pleasure is beyond the
material conception.
To learn how KRSNa enjoys pleasure, we must study the first nine cantos of
zrImad-BhAgavatam, and then we should study the Tenth Canto, in which
KRSNa’s pleasure potency is displayed in His pastimes with RAdhArANI and the
damsels of Vraja. Unfortunately, unintelligent people turn at once to the sports
of KRSNa in the Dazama-skandha, the Tenth Canto. KRSNa’s embracing
RAdhArANI or His dancing with the cowherd girls in the rAsa dance are
generally not understood by ordinary men, because they consider these
pastimes in the light of mundane lust. They foolishly think that KRSNa is like
themselves and that He embraces the gopIs just as an ordinary man embraces
a young girl. Some people thus become interested in KRSNa because they think
that His religion allows indulgence in sex. This is not kRSNa-bhakti, love of
KRSNa, but prAkRta-sahajiyA—materialistic lust.
To avoid such errors, we should understand what RAdhA-KRSNa actually is.
RAdhA and KRSNa display Their pastimes through KRSNa’s internal energy. The
pleasure potency of KRSNa’s internal energy is a most difficult subject matter,
and unless one understands what KRSNa is, one cannot understand it. KRSNa
does not take any pleasure in this material world, but He has a pleasure
potency. Because we are part and parcel of KRSNa, the pleasure potency is
within us also, but we are trying to exhibit that pleasure potency in matter.
KRSNa, however, does not make such a vain attempt. The object of KRSNa’s
pleasure potency is RAdhArANI; KRSNa exhibits His potency as RAdhArANI and
then engages in loving affairs with Her. In other words, KRSNa does not take
pleasure in this external energy but exhibits His internal energy, His pleasure
potency, as RAdhArANI and then enjoys with Her. Thus KRSNa manifests
Himself as RAdhArANI in order to enjoy His internal pleasure potency. Of the
many extensions, expansions and incarnations of the Lord, this pleasure
potency is the foremost and chief.
It is not that RAdhArANI is separate from KRSNa. RAdhArANI is also KRSNa, for
there is no difference between the energy and the energetic. Without energy,
there is no meaning to the energetic, and without the energetic, there is no
energy. Similarly, without RAdhA there is no meaning to KRSNa, and without
KRSNa there is no meaning to RAdhA. Because of this, the VaiSNava philosophy
first of all pays obeisances to and worships the internal pleasure potency of
the Supreme Lord. Thus the Lord and His potency are always referred to as
RAdhA-KRSNa. Similarly, those who worship NArAyaNa first of all utter the name
of LakSmI, as LakSmI-NArAyaNa. Similarly, those who worship Lord RAma first
of all utter the name of SItA. In any case—SItA-RAma, RAdhA-KRSNa, LakSmI-
NArAyaNa—the potency always comes first.
RAdhA and KRSNa are one, and when KRSNa desires to enjoy pleasure, He
manifests Himself as RAdhArANI. The spiritual exchange of love between
RAdhA and KRSNa is the actual display of KRSNa’s internal pleasure potency.
Although we speak of “when” KRSNa desires, just when He did desire we
cannot say. We only speak in this way because in conditioned life we take it
that everything has a beginning; however, in spiritual life everything is
absolute, and so there is neither beginning nor end. Yet in order to understand
that RAdhA and KRSNa are one and that They also become divided, the
question “When?” automatically comes to mind. When KRSNa desired to enjoy
His pleasure potency, He manifested Himself in the separate form of
RAdhArANI, and when He wanted to understand Himself through the agency
of RAdhA, He united with RAdhArANI, and that unification is called Lord
Caitanya. This is all explained by zrIla KRSNadAsa KavirAja in the fifth verse of
the Caitanya-caritAmRta.
In the next verse the author further explains why KRSNa assumed the form of
Caitanya MahAprabhu. KRSNa desired to know the glory of RAdhA’s love. “Why
is She so much in love with Me?” KRSNa asked. “What is My special
qualification that attracts Her so? And what is the actual way in which She
loves Me?” It seems strange that KRSNa, as the Supreme, should be attracted
by anyone’s love. A man searches after the love of a woman because he is
imperfect—he lacks something. The love of a woman, that potency and
pleasure, is absent in man, and therefore a man wants a woman. But this is
not the case with KRSNa, who is full in Himself. Thus KRSNa expressed surprise:
“Why am I attracted by RAdhArANI? And when RAdhArANI feels My love, what
is She actually feeling?” To taste the essence of that loving exchange, KRSNa
made His appearance in the same way that the moon appears on the horizon
of the sea. Just as the moon was produced by the churning of the sea, by the
churning of spiritual loving affairs the moon of Caitanya MahAprabhu
appeared. Indeed, Lord Caitanya’s complexion was golden, just like the luster
of the moon. Although this is figurative language, it conveys the meaning
behind the appearance of Caitanya MahAprabhu. The full significance of His
appearance will be explained in later chapters.
After offering respects to Lord Caitanya, KRSNadAsa KavirAja begins offering
them to Lord NityAnanda in the seventh verse of the Caitanya-caritAmRta. The
author explains that Lord NityAnanda is BalarAma, who is the origin of MahA-
ViSNu. KRSNa’s first expansion is BalarAma, a portion of whom is manifested as
Sa~NkarSaNa, who then expands as Pradyumna. In this way so many
expansions take place. Although there are many expansions, Lord zrI KRSNa is
the origin, as confirmed in the Brahma-saàhitA. He is like the original candle,
from which many thousands and millions of candles are lit. Although any
number of candles can be lit, the original candle still retains its identity as the
origin. In this way KRSNa expands Himself into so many forms, and all these
expansions are called viSNu-tattva. ViSNu is a large light, and we are small
lights, but all are expansions of KRSNa.
When it is necessary to create the material universes, ViSNu expands Himself
as MahA-ViSNu. MahA-ViSNu lies down in the Causal Ocean and breathes all
the universes from His nostrils. Thus from MahA-ViSNu and the Causal Ocean
spring all the universes, and all these universes, including ours, float in the
Causal Ocean. In this regard there is the story of VAmana, who, when He took
three steps, stuck His foot through the covering of this universe. Water from
the Causal Ocean flowed through the hole that His foot made, and it is said
that that water became the river Ganges. Therefore the Ganges is accepted as
the most sacred water of ViSNu and is worshiped by all Hindus, from the
Himalayas down to the Bay of Bengal.
MahA-ViSNu is actually an expansion of BalarAma, who is KRSNa’s first
expansion and, in the VRndAvana pastimes, His brother. In the mahA-mantra—
Hare KRSNa, Hare KRSNa, KRSNa KRSNa, Hare Hare/ Hare RAma, Hare RAma,
RAma RAma, Hare Hare—the word “RAma” refers to BalarAma. Since Lord
NityAnanda is BalarAma, “RAma” also refers to Lord NityAnanda. Thus Hare
KRSNa, Hare RAma addresses not only KRSNa and BalarAma but Lord Caitanya
and Lord NityAnanda as well.
The subject matter of the Caitanya-caritAmRta primarily deals with what is
beyond this material creation. The cosmic material expansion is called mAyA,
illusion, because it has no eternal existence. Because it is sometimes
manifested and sometimes not, it is regarded as illusory. But beyond this
temporary manifestation is a higher nature, as indicated in the Bhagavad-gItA
(8.20):
paras tasmAt tu bhAvo ’nyo ’vyakto ’vyaktAt sanAtanaH
yaH sa sarveSu bhUteSu nazyatsu na vinazyati
“Yet there is another unmanifested nature, which is eternal and is
transcendental to this manifested and unmanifested matter. It is supreme and
is never annihilated. When all in this world is annihilated, that part remains as
it is.” The material world has a manifested state (vyakta) and a potential,
unmanifested state (avyakta). The supreme nature is beyond both the
manifested and the unmanifested material nature. This superior nature can be
understood as the living force, which is present in the bodies of all living
creatures. The body itself is composed of inferior nature, matter, but it is the
superior nature that is moving the body. The symptom of that superior nature
is consciousness. Thus in the spiritual world, where everything is composed of
the superior nature, everything is conscious. In the material world there are
inanimate objects that are not conscious, but in the spiritual world nothing is
inanimate. There a table is conscious, the land is conscious, the trees are
conscious—everything is conscious.
It is not possible to imagine how far this material manifestation extends. In the
material world everything is calculated by imagination or by some imperfect
method, but the Vedic literatures give real information of what lies beyond
the material universe. Since it is not possible to obtain information of anything
beyond this material nature by experimental means, those who believe only in
experimental knowledge may doubt the Vedic conclusions, for such people
cannot even calculate how far this universe extends, nor can they reach far
into the universe itself. That which is beyond our power of conception is
called acintya, inconceivable. It is useless to argue or speculate about the
inconceivable. If something is truly inconceivable, it is not subject to
speculation or experimentation. Our energy is limited, and our sense
perception is limited; therefore we must rely on the Vedic conclusions
regarding that subject matter which is inconceivable. Knowledge of the
superior nature must simply be accepted without argument. How is it possible
to argue about something to which we have no access? The method for
understanding transcendental subject matter is given by Lord KRSNa Himself in
the Bhagavad-gItA, where KRSNa tells Arjuna at the beginning of the Fourth
Chapter:
imaà vivasvate yogaà proktavAn aham avyayam
vivasvAn manave prAha manur ikSvAkave ’bravIt
“I instructed this imperishable science of yoga to the sun-god, VivasvAn, and
VivasvAn instructed it to Manu, the father of mankind, and Manu in turn
instructed it to IkSvAku.” (Bg. 4.1) This is the method of paramparA, or disciplic
succession. Similarly, zrImad-BhAgavatam explains that KRSNa imparted
knowledge into the heart of BrahmA, the first created being within the
universe. BrahmA imparted those lessons to his disciple NArada, and NArada
imparted that knowledge to his disciple VyAsadeva. VyAsadeva imparted it to
MadhvAcArya, and from MadhvAcArya the knowledge came down to
MAdhavendra PurI and then to Izvara PurI, and from him to Caitanya
MahAprabhu.
One may ask that if Caitanya MahAprabhu is KRSNa Himself, then why did He
need a spiritual master? Of course He did not need a spiritual master, but
because He was playing the role of AcArya (one who teaches by example), He
accepted a spiritual master. Even KRSNa Himself accepted a spiritual master,
for that is the system. In this way the Lord sets the example for men. We
should not think, however, that the Lord takes a spiritual master because He is
in want of knowledge. He is simply stressing the importance of accepting the
disciplic succession. The knowledge of that disciplic succession actually comes
from the Lord Himself, and if the knowledge descends unbroken, it is perfect.
Although we may not be in touch with the original personality who first
imparted the knowledge, we may receive the same knowledge through this
process of transmission. In zrImad-BhAgavatam it is stated that KRSNa, the
Absolute Truth, the Personality of Godhead, transmitted transcendental
knowledge into the heart of BrahmA. This, then, is one way knowledge is
received—through the heart. Thus there are two processes by which one may
receive knowledge: One depends directly upon the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, who is situated as the Supersoul within the heart of all living
entities, and the other depends upon the guru, or spiritual master, who is an
expansion of KRSNa. Thus KRSNa transmits information both from within and
from without. We simply have to receive it. If knowledge is received in this
way, it doesn’t matter whether it is inconceivable or not.
In zrImad-BhAgavatam there is a great deal of information given about the
VaikuNTha planetary systems, which are beyond the material universe.
Similarly, a great deal of inconceivable information is given in the Caitanya-
caritAmRta. Any attempt to arrive at this information through experimental
knowledge will fail. The knowledge simply has to be accepted. According to
the Vedic method, zabda, or transcendental sound, is regarded as evidence.
Sound is very important in Vedic understanding, for, if it is pure, it is accepted
as authoritative. Even in the material world we accept a great deal of
information sent thousands of miles by telephone or radio. In this way we also
accept sound as evidence in our daily lives. Although we cannot see the
informant, we accept his information as valid on the basis of sound. Sound
vibration, then, is very important in the transmission of Vedic knowledge.
The Vedas inform us that beyond this cosmic manifestation there are
extensive planets in the spiritual sky. This material manifestation is regarded
as only a small portion of the total creation. The material manifestation
includes not only this universe but innumerable others as well, but all the
material universes combined constitute only one fourth of the total creation.
The remaining three fourths is situated in the spiritual sky. In that sky
innumerable planets float, and these are called VaikuNThalokas. In every
VaikuNThaloka, NArAyaNa presides with His four expansions: Sa~NkarSaNa,
Pradyumna, Aniruddha and VAsudeva. This Sa~NkarSaNa, states KRSNadAsa
KavirAja in the eighth verse of the Caitanya-caritAmRta, is Lord NityAnanda.
As stated before, the material universes are manifested by the Lord in the
form of MahA-ViSNu. Just as a husband and wife combine to beget offspring,
MahA-ViSNu combines with His wife mAyA, or material nature. This is
confirmed in the Bhagavad-gItA (14.4), where KRSNa states:
sarva-yoniSu kaunteya mUrtayaH sambhavanti yAH
tAsAà brahma mahad yonir ahaà bIja-pradaH pitA
“It should be understood that all species of life, O son of KuntI, are made
possible by birth in this material nature, and that I am the seed-giving father.”
ViSNu impregnates mAyA, the material nature, simply by glancing at her. This
is the spiritual method. Materially we are limited to impregnating by only one
particular part of our body, but the Supreme Lord, KRSNa or MahA-ViSNu, can
impregnate by any part. Simply by glancing the Lord can conceive countless
living entities in the womb of material nature. The Brahma-saàhitA confirms
that the spiritual body of the Supreme Lord is so powerful that any part of His
body can perform the functions of any other part. We can touch only with our
hands or skin, but KRSNa can touch just by glancing. We can see only with our
eyes; we cannot touch or smell with them. KRSNa, however, can smell and also
eat with His eyes. When food is offered to KRSNa, we do not see Him eating,
but He eats simply by glancing at the food. We cannot imagine how things
work in the spiritual world, where everything is spiritual. It is not that KRSNa
does not eat or that we imagine that He eats; He actually eats, but His eating
is different from ours. Our eating process will be similar to His when we are
completely on the spiritual platform. On that platform every part of the body
can act on behalf of any other part.
ViSNu does not require anything in order to create. He does not require the
goddess LakSmI in order to give birth to BrahmA, for BrahmA is born from a
lotus flower that grows from the navel of ViSNu. The goddess LakSmI sits at
the feet of ViSNu and serves Him. In this material world sex is required to
produce children, but in the spiritual world a man can produce as many
children as he likes without having to take help from his wife. So there is no
sex there. Because we have no experience with spiritual energy, we think that
BrahmA’s birth from the navel of ViSNu is simply a fictional story. We are not
aware that spiritual energy is so powerful that it can do anything and
everything. Material energy is dependent on certain laws, but spiritual energy
is fully independent.
Countless universes reside like seeds within the skin pores of MahA-ViSNu, and
when He exhales, they are all manifested. In the material world we have no
experience of such a thing, but we do experience a perverted reflection in the
phenomenon of perspiration. We cannot imagine, however, the duration of
one breath of MahA-ViSNu, for within one breath all the universes are created
and annihilated. This is stated in the Brahma-saàhitA. Lord BrahmA lives only
for the duration of one breath, and according to our time scale 4,320,000,000
years constitute only twelve hours for BrahmA, and BrahmA lives one hundred
of his years. Yet the whole life of BrahmA is contained within one breath of
MahA-ViSNu. Thus it is not possible for us to imagine the breathing power of
MahA-ViSNu, who is but a partial manifestation of Lord NityAnanda. This the
author of the Caitanya-caritAmRta explains in the ninth verse.
In the tenth and eleventh verses KRSNadAsa KavirAja describes GarbhodakazAyI
ViSNu and KSIrodakazAyI ViSNu, successive plenary expansions of MahA-ViSNu.
BrahmA appears upon a lotus growing from the navel of GarbhodakazAyI
ViSNu, and within the stem of that lotus are so many planetary systems. Then
BrahmA creates the whole of human society, animal society—everything.
KSIrodakazAyI ViSNu lies on the milk ocean within the universe, of which He is
the controller and maintainer. Thus BrahmA is the creator, ViSNu is the
maintainer, and when the time for annihilation arrives, ziva will finish
everything.
In the first eleven verses of the Caitanya-caritAmRta, KRSNadAsa KavirAja
GosvAmI thus discusses Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu as zrI KRSNa Himself, the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, and Lord NityAnanda as BalarAma, the first
expansion of KRSNa. Then in the twelfth and thirteenth verses he describes
AdvaitAcArya, who is another principal associate of Lord Caitanya
MahAprabhu’s and an incarnation of MahA-ViSNu. Thus AdvaitAcArya is also
the Lord, or, more precisely, an expansion of the Lord. The word advaita
means “nondual,” and His name is such because He is nondifferent from the
Supreme Lord. He is also called AcArya, teacher, because He disseminated
KRSNa consciousness. In this way He is just like Caitanya MahAprabhu.
Although Lord Caitanya is zrI KRSNa Himself, He appeared as a devotee to
teach people in general how to love KRSNa. Similarly, although AdvaitAcArya is
the Lord, He appeared just to distribute the knowledge of KRSNa
consciousness. Thus He is also the Lord incarnated as a devotee.
In the pastimes of Lord Caitanya, KRSNa is manifested in five different
features, known as the pa~nca-tattva, to whom zrIla KRSNadAsa KavirAja offers
his obeisances in the fourteenth verse of the Caitanya-caritAmRta. KRSNa and
His associates appear as devotees of the Supreme Lord in the form of zrI
KRSNa Caitanya, zrI NityAnanda Prabhu, zrI AdvaitAcArya, zrI GadAdhara
Prabhu and zrIvAsa Prabhu. In all cases, Caitanya MahAprabhu is the source of
energy for all His devotees. Since this is the case, if we take shelter of
Caitanya MahAprabhu for the successful execution of KRSNa consciousness, we
are sure to make progress. In a devotional song, Narottama dAsa ThAkura
sings, “My dear Lord Caitanya, please have mercy upon me. There is no one
who is as merciful as You. My plea is most urgent because Your mission is to
deliver all fallen souls, and no one is more fallen than I. Therefore I beg
priority.”
With verse 15, KRSNadAsa KavirAja GosvAmI begins offering his obeisances
directly to KRSNa Himself. KRSNadAsa KavirAja was an inhabitant of VRndAvana
and a great devotee. He had been living with his family in Katwa, a small
town in the district of Burdwan, in Bengal. He worshiped RAdhA-KRSNa with his
family, and once when there was some misunderstanding among his family
members about devotional service, he was advised by NityAnanda Prabhu in a
dream to leave home and go to VRndAvana. Although he was very old, he
started out that very night and went to live in VRndAvana. While he was there,
he met some of the GosvAmIs, principal disciples of Lord Caitanya
MahAprabhu. He was requested to write the Caitanya-caritAmRta by the
devotees of VRndAvana. Although he began this work at a very old age, by
the grace of Lord Caitanya he finished it. Today it remains the most
authoritative book on Caitanya MahAprabhu’s philosophy and life.
When KRSNadAsa KavirAja GosvAmI was living in VRndAvana, there were not
very many temples. At that time the three principal temples were those of
Madana-mohana, GovindajI and GopInAtha. As a resident of VRndAvana,
KRSNadAsa KavirAja offers his respects to the Deities in these temples and
requests God’s favor: “My progress in spiritual life is very slow, so I’m asking
Your help.” In the fifteenth verse of the Caitanya-caritAmRta, KRSNadAsa offers
his obeisances to the Madana-mohana vigraha, the Deity who can help us
progress in KRSNa consciousness. In the execution of KRSNa consciousness, our
first business is to know KRSNa and our relationship with Him. To know KRSNa is
to know one’s self, and to know one’s self is to know one’s relationship with
KRSNa. Since this relationship can be learned by worshiping the Madana-
mohana vigraha, KRSNadAsa KavirAja GosvAmI first establishes his relationship
with Him.
When this is established, in the sixteenth verse KRSNadAsa offers his
obeisances to the functional Deity, Govinda. The Govinda Deity is called the
functional Deity because He shows us how to serve RAdhA and KRSNa. The
Madana-mohana Deity simply establishes that “I am Your eternal servant.”
With Govinda, however, there is actual acceptance of service. Govinda
resides eternally in VRndAvana. In the spiritual world of VRndAvana the
buildings are made of touchstone, the cows are known as surabhi cows,
givers of abundant milk, and the trees are known as wish-fulfilling trees, for
they yield whatever one desires. In VRndAvana KRSNa herds the surabhi cows,
and He is worshiped by hundreds and thousands of gopIs, cowherd girls, who
are all goddesses of fortune. When KRSNa descends to the material world, this
same VRndAvana descends with Him, just as an entourage accompanies an
important personage. Because when KRSNa comes His land also comes,
VRndAvana is considered to exist beyond the material world. Therefore
devotees take shelter of the VRndAvana in India, for it is considered to be a
replica of the original VRndAvana. Although one may complain that no kalpa-
vRkSa, wish-fulfilling trees, exist there, when the GosvAmIs were there, kalpa-
vRkSa were present. It is not that one can simply go to such a tree and make
demands; one must first become a devotee. The GosvAmIs would live under a
tree for one night only, and the trees would satisfy all their desires. For the
common man this may all seem very wonderful, but as one makes progress in
devotional service, all this can be realized.
VRndAvana is actually experienced as it is by persons who have stopped trying
to derive pleasure from material enjoyment. “When will my mind become
cleansed of all hankering for material enjoyment so I will be able to see
VRndAvana?” one great devotee asks. The more KRSNa conscious we become
and the more we advance, the more everything is revealed as spiritual. Thus
KRSNadAsa KavirAja GosvAmI considered the VRndAvana in India to be as good
as the VRndAvana in the spiritual sky, and in the sixteenth verse of the
Caitanya-caritAmRta he describes RAdhArANI and KRSNa as seated beneath a
wish-fulfilling tree in VRndAvana, on a throne decorated with valuable jewels.
There KRSNa’s dear gopI friends serve RAdhA and KRSNa by singing, dancing,
offering betel nuts and refreshments, and decorating Their Lordships with
flowers. Even today in India people decorate swinging thrones and re-create
this scene during the month of July-August. Generally at that time people go
to VRndAvana to offer their respects to the Deities there.
Finally KRSNadAsa KavirAja GosvAmI offers his blessings to his readers in the
name of the GopInAtha Deity, who is KRSNa as master and proprietor of the
gopIs. When KRSNa played upon his flute, all the gopIs, or cowherd girls, were
attracted by the sound and left their household duties, and when they came
to Him, He danced with them. These activities are all described in the Tenth
Canto of zrImad-BhAgavatam. These gopIs were childhood friends of KRSNa,
and many were married, for in India the girls are generally married by the age
of twelve. The boys, however, are not married before eighteen, so KRSNa, who
was fifteen or sixteen at the time, was not married. Nonetheless, He called
these girls from their homes and invited them to dance with Him. That dance
is called the rAsa-lIlA dance, and it is the most elevated of all the VRndAvana
pastimes. KRSNa is therefore called GopInAtha because He is the beloved
master of the gopIs.
KRSNadAsa KavirAja GosvAmI petitions the blessings of Lord GopInAtha: “May
that GopInAtha, the master of the gopIs, KRSNa, bless you. May you become
blessed by GopInAtha.” The author of the Caitanya-caritAmRta prays that just
as KRSNa attracted the gopIs by the sweet sound of His flute, He will also
attract the reader’s mind by that transcendental vibration.
Adi 1: The Spiritual Masters
Chapter 1
The Spiritual Masters
zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu is none other than the combined form of zrI RAdhA
and KRSNa. He is the life of those devotees who strictly follow in the footsteps
of zrIla RUpa GosvAmI. zrIla RUpa GosvAmI and zrIla SanAtana GosvAmI are
the two principal followers of zrIla SvarUpa DAmodara GosvAmI, who acted as
the most confidential servitor of Lord zrI KRSNa Caitanya MahAprabhu, known
as Vizvambhara in His early life. A direct disciple of zrIla RUpa GosvAmI was
zrIla RaghunAtha dAsa GosvAmI. The author of zrI Caitanya-caritAmRta, zrIla
KRSNadAsa KavirAja GosvAmI, stands as the direct disciple of zrIla RUpa
GosvAmI and zrIla RaghunAtha dAsa GosvAmI.
The direct disciple of zrIla KRSNadAsa KavirAja GosvAmI was zrIla Narottama
dAsa ThAkura, who accepted zrIla VizvanAtha CakravartI as his servitor. zrIla
VizvanAtha CakravartI ThAkura accepted zrIla JagannAtha dAsa BAbAjI, the
spiritual master of zrIla Bhaktivinoda ThAkura, who in turn accepted zrIla
Gaurakizora dAsa BAbAjI, the spiritual master of Oà ViSNupAda zrIla
BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI GosvAmI MahArAja, the divine master of our humble
self.
Since we belong to this chain of disciplic succession from zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu, this edition of zrI Caitanya-caritAmRta will contain nothing
newly manufactured by our tiny brains, but only remnants of food originally
eaten by the Lord Himself. Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu does not belong to
the mundane plane of the three qualitative modes. He belongs to the
transcendental plane beyond the reach of the imperfect sense perception of a
living being. Even the most erudite mundane scholar cannot approach the
transcendental plane unless he submits himself to transcendental sound with a
receptive mood, for in that mood only can one realize the message of zrI
Caitanya MahAprabhu. What will be described herein, therefore, has nothing
to do with the experimental thoughts created by the speculative habits of
inert minds. The subject matter of this book is not a mental concoction but a
factual spiritual experience that one can realize only by accepting the line of
disciplic succession described above. Any deviation from that line will
bewilder the reader’s understanding of the mystery of zrI Caitanya-
caritAmRta, which is a transcendental literature meant for the postgraduate
study of one who has realized all the Vedic literatures such as the UpaniSads
and VedAnta-sUtra and their natural commentaries such as zrImad-
BhAgavatam and the Bhagavad-gItA.
This edition of zrI Caitanya-caritAmRta is presented for the study of sincere
scholars who are really seeking the Absolute Truth. It is not the arrogant
scholarship of a mental speculator but a sincere effort to serve the order of a
superior authority whose service is the life and soul of this humble effort. It
does not deviate even slightly from the revealed scriptures, and therefore
anyone who follows in the disciplic line will be able to realize the essence of
this book simply by the method of aural reception.
The First Chapter of zrI Caitanya-caritAmRta begins with fourteen Sanskrit
verses that describe the Absolute Truth. Then the next three Sanskrit verses
describe the principal Deities of VRndAvana, namely, zrI RAdhA-Madana-
mohana, zrI RAdhA-Govindadeva and zrI RAdhA-GopInAthajI. The first of the
fourteen verses is a symbolic representation of the Supreme Truth, and the
entire First Chapter is in actuality devoted to this single verse, which describes
Lord Caitanya in His six different transcendental expansions.
The first manifestation described is the spiritual master, who appears in two
plenary parts called the initiating spiritual master and instructing spiritual
master. They are identical because both of them are phenomenal
manifestations of the Supreme Truth. Next described are the devotees, who
are divided into two classes, namely, the apprentices and the graduates. Next
are the incarnations (avatAras) of the Lord, who are explained to be
nondifferent from the Lord. These incarnations are considered in three
divisions—incarnations of the potency of the Lord, incarnations of His
qualities, and incarnations of His authority. In this connection, Lord zrI KRSNa’s
direct manifestations and His manifestations for transcendental pastimes are
discussed. Next considered are the potencies of the Lord, of which three
principal manifestations are described: the consorts in the kingdom of God
(VaikuNTha), the queens of DvArakA-dhAma and, highest of all, the damsels of
VrajadhAma. Finally, there is the Supreme Lord Himself, who is the
fountainhead of all these manifestations.
Lord zrI KRSNa and His plenary expansions are all in the category of the Lord
Himself, the energetic Absolute Truth, whereas His devotees, His eternal
associates, are His energies. The energy and energetic are fundamentally one,
but since their functions are differently exhibited, they are simultaneously
different also. Thus the Absolute Truth is manifested in diversity in one unit.
This philosophical truth, which is pursuant to the VedAnta-sUtra, is called
acintya-bhedAbheda-tattva, or the conception of simultaneous oneness and
difference. In the latter portion of this chapter, the transcendental position of
zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu and that of zrIla NityAnanda Prabhu are described
with reference to the above theistic facts

Adi 1.1
TEXT 1
vande gurUn Iza-bhaktAn
Izam IzAvatArakAn
tat-prakAzAàz ca tac-chaktIH
kRSNa-caitanya-saàj~nakam

vande—I offer respectful obeisances; zrI-kRSNa-caitanya—to Lord zrI KRSNa
Caitanya; nityAnandau—and to Lord NityAnanda; saha-uditau—
simultaneously arisen; gauòa-udaye—on the eastern horizon of Gauòa;
puSpavantau—the sun and moon together; citrau—wonderful; zam-dau—
bestowing benediction; tamaH-nudau—dissipating darkness.
TRANSLATION
I offer my respectful obeisances unto zrI KRSNa Caitanya and Lord NityAnanda,
who are like the sun and moon. They have arisen simultaneously on the
horizon of Gauòa to dissipate the darkness of ignorance and thus wonderfully
bestow benediction upon all.
Adi 1.3
TEXT 3
yad advaitaà brahmopaniSadi tad apy asya tanu-bhA
ya AtmAntar-yAmI puruSa iti so ’syAàza-vibhavaH
Saò-aizvaryaiH pUrNo ya iha bhagavAn sa svayam ayaà
na caitanyAt krSNAj jagati para-tattvaà param iha

yat—that which; advaitam—nondual; brahma—the impersonal Brahman;
upaniSadi—in the UpaniSads; tat—that; api—certainly; asya—His; tanu-
bhA—the effulgence of His transcendental body; yaH—who; AtmA—the
Supersoul; antaH-yAmI—indwelling Lord; puruSaH—supreme enjoyer; iti—
thus; saH—He; asya—His; aàza-vibhavaH—plenary expansion; SaT-
aizvaryaiH—with all six opulences; pUrNaH—full; yaH—who; iha—here;
bhagavAn—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; saH—He; svayam—
Himself; ayam—this; na—not; caitanyAt—than Lord Caitanya; kRSNAt—than
Lord KRSNa; jagati—in the world; para—higher; tattvam—truth; param—
another; iha—here.
TRANSLATION
What the UpaniSads describe as the impersonal Brahman is but the effulgence
of His body, and the Lord known as the Supersoul is but His localized plenary
portion. Lord Caitanya is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, KRSNa Himself,
full with six opulences. He is the Absolute Truth, and no other truth is greater
than or equal to Him.
Adi 1.4
TEXT 4
anarpita-carIà cirAt karuNayAvatIrNaH kalau
samarpayitum unnatojjvala-rasAà sva-bhakti-zriyam
hariH puraTa-sundara-dyuti-kadamba-sandIpitaH
sadA hRdaya-kandare sphuratu vaH zacI-nandanaH

anarpita—not bestowed; carIm—having been formerly; cirAt—for a long
time; karuNayA—by causeless mercy; avatIrNaH—descended; kalau—in the
Age of Kali; samarpayitum—to bestow; unnata—elevated; ujjvala-rasAm—
the conjugal mellow; sva-bhakti—of His own service; zriyam—the treasure;
hariH—the Supreme Lord; puraTa—than gold; sundara—more beautiful;
dyuti—of splendor; kadamba—with a multitude; sandIpitaH—lighted up;
sadA—always; hRdaya-kandare—in the cavity of the heart; sphuratu—let
Him be manifest; vaH—your; zacI-nandanaH—the son of mother zacI.
TRANSLATION
May the Supreme Lord who is known as the son of zrImatI zacI-devI 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 has ever offered
before: the most sublime and radiant mellow of devotional service, the
mellow of conjugal love.
Adi 1.5
TEXT 5
rAdhA kRSNa-praNaya-vikRtir hlAdinI zaktir asmAd
ekAtmAnAv api bhuvi purA deha-bhedaà gatau tau
caitanyAkhyaà prakaTam adhunA tad-dvayaà caikyam Aptaà
rAdhA-bhAva-dyuti-suvalitaà naumi kRSNa-svarUpam

rAdhA—zrImatI RAdhArANI; kRSNa—of Lord KRSNa; praNaya—of love; vikRtiH—
the transformation; hlAdinI zaktiH—pleasure potency; asmAt—from this; eka-
AtmAnau—both the same in identity; api—although; bhuvi—on earth; purA—
from beginningless time; deha-bhedam—separate forms; gatau—obtained;
tau—those two; caitanya-Akhyam—known as zrI Caitanya; prakaTam—
manifest; adhunA—now; tat-dvayam—the two of Them; ca—and; aikyam—
unity; Aptam—obtained; rAdhA—of zrImatI RAdhArANI; bhAva—mood;
dyuti—the luster; su-valitam—who is adorned with; naumi—I offer my
obeisances; kRSNa-svarUpam—to Him who is identical with zrI KRSNa.
TRANSLATION
The loving affairs of zrI RAdhA and KRSNa are transcendental manifestations of
the Lord’s internal pleasure-giving potency. Although RAdhA and KRSNa are
one in Their identity, They separated Themselves eternally. Now these two
transcendental identities have again united, in the form of zrI KRSNa Caitanya.
I bow down to Him, who has manifested Himself with the sentiment and
complexion of zrImatI RAdhArANI although He is KRSNa Himself.
Adi 1.6
TEXT 6
zrI-rAdhAyAH praNaya-mahimA kIdRzo vAnayaivA-
svAdyo yenAdbhuta-madhurimA kIdRzo vA madIyaH
saukhyaà cAsyA mad-anubhavataH kIdRzaà veti lobhAt
tad-bhAvAòhyaH samajani zacI-garbha-sindhau harInduH

zrI-rAdhAyAH—of zrImatI RAdhArANI; praNaya-mahimA—the greatness of the
love; kIdRzaH—of what kind; vA—or; anayA—by this one (RAdhA); eva—
alone; AsvAdyaH—to be relished; yena—by that love; adbhuta-madhurimA—
the wonderful sweetness; kIdRzaH—of what kind; vA—or; madIyaH—of Me;
saukhyam—the happiness; ca—and; asyAH—Her; mat-anubhavataH—from
realization of My sweetness; kIdRzam—of what kind; vA—or; iti—thus;
lobhAt—from the desire; tat—Her; bhAva-AòhyaH—richly endowed with
emotions; samajani—took birth; zacI-garbha—of the womb of zrImatI zacI-
devI; sindhau—in the ocean; hari—Lord KRSNa; induH—like the moon.
TRANSLATION
Desiring to understand the glory of RAdhArANI’s love, the wonderful qualities
in Him that She alone relishes through Her love, and the happiness She feels
when She realizes the sweetness of His love, the Supreme Lord Hari, richly
endowed with Her emotions, appeared from the womb of zrImatI zacI-devI,
as the moon appeared from the ocean.
Adi 1.7
TEXT 7
sa~NkarSaNaH kAraNa-toya-zAyI
garbhoda-zAyI ca payobdhi-zAyI
zeSaz ca yasyAàza-kalAH sa nityA-
nandAkhya-rAmaH zaraNaà mamAstu

sa~NkarSaNaH—MahA-Sa~NkarSaNa in the spiritual sky; kAraNa-toya-zAyI—
KAraNodakazAyI ViSNu, who lies in the Causal Ocean; garbha-uda-zAyI—
GarbhodakazAyI ViSNu, who lies in the Garbhodaka Ocean of the universe;
ca—and; payaH-abdhi-zAyI—KSIrodakazAyI ViSNu, who lies in the ocean of
milk; zeSaH—zeSa NAga, the couch of ViSNu; ca—and; yasya—whose;
aàza—plenary portions; kalAH—and parts of the plenary portions; saH—He;
nityAnanda-Akhya—known as Lord NityAnanda; rAmaH—Lord BalarAma;
zaraNam—shelter; mama—my; astu—let there be.
TRANSLATION
May zrI NityAnanda RAma be the object of my constant remembrance.
Sa~NkarSaNa, zeSa NAga and the ViSNus who lie on the KAraNa Ocean, Garbha
Ocean and ocean of milk are His plenary portions and the portions of His
plenary portions.
Adi 1.8
TEXT 8
mAyAtIte vyApi-vaikuNTha-loke
pUrNaizvarye zrI-catur-vyUha-madhye
rUpaà yasyodbhAti sa~NkarSaNAkhyaà
taà zrI-nityAnanda-rAmaà prapadye

mAyA-atIte—beyond the material creation; vyApi—all-expanding; vaikuNTha-
loke—in VaikuNThaloka, the spiritual world; pUrNa-aizvarye—endowed with
full opulence; zrI-catuH-vyUha-madhye—in the quadruple expansions
(VAsudeva, Sa~NkarSaNa, Pradyumna and Aniruddha); rUpam—form; yasya—
whose; udbhAti—appears; sa~NkarSaNa-Akhyam—known as Sa~NkarSaNa;
tam—to Him; zrI-nityAnanda-rAmam—to Lord BalarAma in the form of Lord
NityAnanda; prapadye—I surrender.
TRANSLATION
I surrender unto the lotus feet of zrI NityAnanda RAma, who is known as
Sa~NkarSaNa in the midst of the catur-vyUha [consisting of VAsudeva,
Sa~NkarSaNa, Pradyumna and Aniruddha]. He possesses full opulences and
resides in VaikuNThaloka, far beyond the material creation.
Adi 1.9
TEXT 9
mAyA-bhartAjANòa-sa~NghAzrayA~NgaH
zete sAkSAt kAraNAmbhodhi-madhye
yasyaikAàzaH zrI-pumAn Adi-devas
taà zrI-nityAnanda-rAmaà prapadye

mAyA-bhartA—the master of the illusory energy; aja-aNòa-sa~Ngha—of the
multitude of universes; Azraya—the shelter; a~NgaH—whose body; zete—He
lies; sAkSAt—directly; kAraNa-ambhodhi-madhye—in the midst of the Causal
Ocean; yasya—whose; eka-aàzaH—one portion; zrI-pumAn—the Supreme
Person; Adi-devaH—the original puruSa incarnation; tam—to Him; zrI-
nityAnanda-rAmam—to Lord BalarAma in the form of Lord NityAnanda;
prapadye—I surrender.
TRANSLATION
I offer my full obeisances unto the feet of zrI NityAnanda RAma, whose partial
representation called KAraNodakazAyI ViSNu, lying on the KAraNa Ocean, is the
original puruSa, the master of the illusory energy, and the shelter of all the
universes.
Adi 1.10
TEXT 10
yasyAàzAàzaH zrIla-garbhoda-zAyI
yan-nAbhy-abjaà loka-sa~NghAta-nAlam
loka-sraSTuH sUtikA-dhAma dhAtus
taà zrI-nityAnanda-rAmaà prapadye

yasya—whose; aàza-aàza-aàzaH—a portion of a portion of a plenary
portion; para-AtmA—the Supersoul; akhilAnAm—of all living entities; poSTA—
the maintainer; viSNuH—ViSNu; bhAti—appears; dugdha-abdhi-zAyI—
KSIrodakazAyI ViSNu; kSauNI-bhartA—upholder of the earth; yat—whose;
kalA—portion of a portion; saH—He; api—certainly; anantaH—zeSa NAga;
tam—to Him; zrI-nityAnanda-rAmam—to Lord BalarAma in the form of Lord
NityAnanda; prapadye—I surrender.
TRANSLATION
I offer my respectful obeisances unto the feet of zrI NityAnanda RAma, whose
secondary part is the ViSNu lying in the ocean of milk. That KSIrodakazAyI
ViSNu is the Supersoul of all living entities and the maintainer of all the
universes. zeSa NAga is His further subpart.
Adi 1.12
TEXT 12
mahA-viSNur jagat-kartA
mAyayA yaH sRjaty adaH
tasyAvatAra evAyam
advaitAcArya IzvaraH

mahA-viSNuH—MahA-ViSNu, the resting place of the efficient cause; jagat-
kartA—the creator of the cosmic world; mAyayA—by the illusory energy;
yaH—who; sRjati—creates; adaH—that universe; tasya—His; avatAraH—
incarnation; eva—certainly; ayam—this; advaita-AcAryaH—Advaita AcArya;
IzvaraH—the Supreme Lord, the resting place of the material cause.
TRANSLATION
Lord Advaita AcArya is the incarnation of MahA-ViSNu, whose main function is
to create the cosmic world through the actions of mAyA.
Adi 1.13
TEXT 13
advaitaà hariNAdvaitAd
AcAryaà bhakti-zaàsanAt
bhaktAvatAram Izaà tam
advaitAcAryam Azraye

advaitam—known as Advaita; hariNA—with Lord Hari; advaitAt—from being
nondifferent; AcAryam—known as AcArya; bhakti-zaàsanAt—from the
propagation of devotional service to zrI KRSNa; bhakta-avatAram—the
incarnation as a devotee; Izam—to the Supreme Lord; tam—to Him; advaita-
AcAryam—to Advaita AcArya; Azraye—I surrender.
TRANSLATION
Because He is nondifferent from Hari, the Supreme Lord, He is called Advaita,
and because He propagates the cult of devotion, He is called AcArya. He is
the Lord and the incarnation of the Lord’s devotee. Therefore I take shelter of
Him.
Adi 1.14
TEXT 14
pa~nca-tattvAtmakaà kRSNaà
bhakta-rUpa-svarUpakam
bhaktAvatAraà bhaktAkhyaà
namAmi bhakta-zaktikam

pa~nca-tattva-Atmakam—comprehending the five transcendental subject
matters; kRSNam—unto Lord KRSNa; bhakta-rUpa—in the form of a devotee;
sva-rUpakam—in the expansion of a devotee; bhakta-avatAram—in the
incarnation of a devotee; bhakta-Akhyam—known as a devotee; namAmi—I
offer my obeisances; bhakta-zaktikam—the energy of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, who supplies energy to the devotee.
TRANSLATION
I offer my obeisances unto the Supreme Lord, KRSNa, who is nondifferent from
His features as a devotee, devotional incarnation, devotional manifestation,
pure devotee and devotional energy.
Adi 1.15
TEXT 15
jayatAà suratau pa~Ngor
mama manda-mater gatI
mat-sarvasva-padAmbhojau
rAdhA-madana-mohanau

jayatAm—all glory to; su-ratau—most merciful, or attached in conjugal love;
pa~NgoH—of one who is lame; mama—of me; manda-mateH—foolish; gatI—
refuge; mat—my; sarva-sva—everything; pada-ambhojau—whose lotus
feet; rAdhA-madana-mohanau—RAdhArANI and Madana-mohana.
TRANSLATION
Glory to the all-merciful RAdhA and Madana-mohana! I am lame and ill
advised, yet They are my directors, and Their lotus feet are everything to me.
Adi 1.16
TEXT 16
dIvyad-vRndAraNya-kalpa-drumAdhaH-
zrImad-ratnAgAra-siàhAsana-sthau
zrImad-rAdhA-zrIla-govinda-devau
preSThAlIbhiH sevyamAnau smarAmi

dIvyat—shining; vRndA-araNya—in the forest of VRndAvana; kalpa-druma—
desire tree; adhaH—beneath; zrImat—most beautiful; ratna-AgAra—in a
temple of jewels; siàha-Asana-sthau—sitting on a throne; zrImat—very
beautiful; rAdhA—zrImatI RAdhArANI; zrIla-govinda-devau—and zrI
Govindadeva; preSTha-AlIbhiH—by most confidential associates;
sevyamAnau—being served; smarAmi—I remember.
TRANSLATION
In a temple of jewels in VRndAvana, underneath a desire tree, zrI zrI RAdhA-
Govinda, served by Their most confidential associates, sit upon an effulgent
throne. I offer my humble obeisances unto Them.
Adi 1.17
TEXT 17
zrImAn rAsa-rasArambhI
vaàzIvaTa-taTa-sthitaH
karSan veNu-svanair gopIr
gopI-nAthaH zriye ’stu naH

zrI-mAn—most beautiful; rAsa—of the rAsa dance; rasa—of the mellow;
ArambhI—the initiator; vaàzI-vaTa—VaàzIvaTa; taTa—on the shore;
sthitaH—standing; karSan—attracting; veNu—of the flute; svanaiH—by the
sounds; gopIH—the cowherd girls; gopI-nAthaH—zrI GopInAtha; zriye—
benediction; astu—let there be; naH—our.
TRANSLATION
zrI zrIla GopInAtha, who originated the transcendental mellow of the rAsa
dance, stands on the shore in VaàzIvaTa and attracts the attention of the
cowherd damsels with the sound of His celebrated flute. May they all confer
upon us their benediction.
Adi 1.18
TEXT 18
jaya jaya zrI-caitanya jaya nityAnanda
jayAdvaita-candra jaya gaura-bhakta-vRnda

jaya jaya—all glory; zrI-caitanya—to zrI Caitanya; jaya—all glory;
nityAnanda—to Lord NityAnanda; jaya advaita-candra—all glory to Advaita
AcArya; jaya—all glory; gaura-bhakta-vRnda—to the devotees of Lord
Caitanya.
TRANSLATION
Glory to zrI Caitanya and NityAnanda! Glory to Advaitacandra! And glory to
all the devotees of zrI Gaura [Lord Caitanya]!
Adi 1.19
TEXT 19
ei tina ThAkura gauòIyAke kariyAchena AtmasAt
e tinera caraNa vando~N, tine mora nAtha

ei—these; tina—three; ThAkura—Deities; gauòIyAke—the GauòIya
VaiSNavas; kariyAchena—have done; AtmasAt—absorbed; e—these; tinera—
of the three; caraNa—lotus feet; vando~N—I worship; tine—these three;
mora—my; nAtha—Lords.
TRANSLATION
These three Deities of VRndAvana [Madana-mohana, Govinda and GopInAtha]
have absorbed the heart and soul of the GauòIya VaiSNavas [followers of Lord
Caitanya]. I worship Their lotus feet, for They are the Lords of my heart.
PURPORT
The author of zrI Caitanya-caritAmRta offers his respectful obeisances unto the
three Deities of VRndAvana named zrI RAdhA-Madana-mohana, zrI RAdhA-
Govindadeva and zrI RAdhA-GopInAthajI. These three Deities are the life and
soul of the Bengali VaiSNavas, or GauòIya VaiSNavas, who have a natural
aptitude for residing in VRndAvana. The GauòIya VaiSNavas who follow strictly
in the line of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu worship the Divinity by chanting
transcendental sounds meant to develop a sense of one’s transcendental
relationship with the Supreme Lord, a reciprocation of mellows (rasas) of
mutual affection, and, ultimately, the achievement of the desired success in
loving service. These three Deities are worshiped in three different stages of
one’s development. The followers of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu scrupulously
follow these principles of approach.
GauòIya VaiSNavas perceive the ultimate objective in Vedic hymns composed
of eighteen transcendental letters that adore KRSNa as Madana-mohana,
Govinda and GopIjana-vallabha. Madana-mohana is He who charms Cupid,
the god of love, Govinda is He who pleases the senses and the cows, and
GopIjana-vallabha is the transcendental lover of the gopIs. KRSNa Himself is
called Madana-mohana, Govinda, GopIjana-vallabha and countless other
names as He plays in His different pastimes with His devotees.
The three Deities—Madana-mohana, Govinda and GopIjana-vallabha—have
very specific qualities. Worship of Madana-mohana is on the platform of
reestablishing our forgotten relationship with the Personality of Godhead. In
the material world we are presently in utter ignorance of our eternal
relationship with the Supreme Lord. Pa~NgoH refers to one who cannot move
independently by his own strength, and manda-mateH is one who is less
intelligent because he is too absorbed in materialistic activities. It is best for
such persons not to aspire for success in fruitive activities or mental
speculation but instead simply to surrender to the Supreme Personality of
Godhead. The perfection of life is simply to surrender to the Supreme. In the
beginning of our spiritual life we must therefore worship Madana-mohana so
that He may attract us and nullify our attachment for material sense
gratification. This relationship with Madana-mohana is necessary for neophyte
devotees. When one wishes to render service to the Lord with strong
attachment, one worships Govinda on the platform of transcendental service.
Govinda is the reservoir of all pleasures. When by the grace of KRSNa and the
devotees one reaches perfection in devotional service, he can appreciate
KRSNa as GopIjana-vallabha, the pleasure Deity of the damsels of Vraja.
Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu explained this mode of devotional service in
three stages, and therefore these worshipable Deities were installed in
VRndAvana by different GosvAmIs. They are very dear to the GauòIya
VaiSNavas there, who visit the temples at least once a day. Besides the
temples of these three Deities, many other temples have been established in
VRndAvana, such as the temple of RAdhA-DAmodara of JIva GosvAmI, the
temple of zyAmasundara of zyAmAnanda GosvAmI, the temple of
GokulAnanda of LokanAtha GosvAmI, and the temple of RAdhA-ramaNa of
GopAla BhaTTa GosvAmI. There are seven principal temples over four hundred
years old that are the most important of the five thousand temples now
existing in VRndAvana.
GauòIya indicates the part of India between the southern side of the
Himalayan Mountains and the northern part of the VindhyA Hills, which is
called AryAvarta, or the Land of the Aryans. This portion of India is divided
into five parts or provinces (Pa~nca-gauòadeza): SArasvata (Kashmir and
Punjab), KAnyakubja (Uttar Pradesh, including the modern city of Lucknow),
Madhya-gauòa (Madhya Pradesh), Maithila (Bihar and part of Bengal) and
Utkala (part of Bengal and the whole of Orissa). Bengal is sometimes called
Gauòadeza, partly because it forms a portion of Maithila and partly because
the capital of the Hindu king RAja LakSmaNa Sena was known as Gauòa. This
old capital later came to be known as Gauòapura and gradually MAyApur.
The devotees of Orissa are called UòiyAs, the devotees of Bengal are called
GauòIyas, and the devotees of southern India are known as DrAviòa devotees.
As there are five provinces in AryAvarta, so DAkSiNAtya, southern India, is also
divided into five provinces, which are called Pa~nca-draviòa. The four
VaiSNava AcAryas who are the great authorities of the four VaiSNava disciplic
successions, as well as zrIpAda za~NkarAcArya of the MAyAvAda school,
appeared in the Pa~nca-draviòa provinces. Among the four VaiSNava AcAryas,
who are all accepted by the GauòIya VaiSNavas, zrI RAmAnuja AcArya
appeared in the southern part of Andhra Pradesh at MahAbhUtapurI, zrI
Madhva AcArya appeared at PAjakam (near VimAnagiri) in the district of
Mangalore, zrI ViSNu SvAmI appeared at PANòya, and zrI NimbArka appeared
at Mu~Ngera-patana, in the extreme south.
zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu accepted the chain of disciplic succession from
Madhva AcArya, but the VaiSNavas in His line do not accept the Tattva-vAdIs,
who also claim to belong to the MAdhva-sampradAya. To distinguish
themselves clearly from the Tattva-vAdI branch of Madhva’s descendants, the
VaiSNavas of Bengal prefer to call themselves GauòIya VaiSNavas. zrI Madhva
AcArya is also known as zrI Gauòa-pUrNAnanda, and therefore the name
MAdhva-GauòIya-sampradAya is quite suitable for the disciplic succession of
the GauòIya VaiSNavas. Our spiritual master, Oà ViSNupAda zrImad
BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI GosvAmI MahArAja, accepted initiation in the
MAdhva-GauòIya-sampradAya.
Adi 1.20
TEXT 20
granthera Arambhe kari ‘ma~NgalAcaraNa’
guru, vaiSNava, bhagavAn,——tinera smaraNa

granthera—of this book; Arambhe—in the beginning; kari—I make; ma~Ngala-
AcaraNa—auspicious invocation; guru—the spiritual master; vaiSNava—the
devotees of the Lord; bhagavAn—the Supreme Personality of Godhead;
tinera—of these three; smaraNa—remembering.
TRANSLATION
In the beginning of this narration, simply by remembering the spiritual master,
the devotees of the Lord, and the Personality of Godhead, I have invoked
their benedictions.
Adi 1.21
TEXT 21
tinera smaraNe haya vighna-vinAzana
anAyAse haya nija vA~nchita-pUraNa

tinera—of these three; smaraNe—by remembrance; haya—there is; vighna-
vinAzana—the destruction of all difficulties; anAyAse—very easily; haya—
there is; nija—our own; vA~nchita—of the desired object; pUraNa—fulfillment.
TRANSLATION
Such remembrance destroys all difficulties and very easily enables one to
fulfill his own desires.
Adi 1.22
TEXT 22
se ma~NgalAcaraNa haya tri-vidha prakAra
vastu-nirdeza, AzIrvAda, namaskAra

se—that; ma~Ngala-AcaraNa—auspicious invocation; haya—is; tri-vidha—
three kinds; prakAra—processes; vastu-nirdeza—defining the object; AzIH-
vAda—benedictions; namaH-kAra—obeisances.
TRANSLATION
The invocation involves three processes: defining the objective, offering
benedictions and offering obeisances.
Adi 1.23
TEXT 23
prathama dui zloke iSTa-deva-namaskAra
sAmAnya-vizeSa-rUpe dui ta’ prakAra

prathama—in the first; dui—two; zloke—verses; iSTa-deva—worshipable
Deity; namaskAra—obeisances; sAmAnya—generally; vizeSa-rUpe—and
specifically; dui—two; ta’—certainly; prakAra—ways.
TRANSLATION
The first two verses offer respectful obeisances, generally and specifically, to
the Lord, who is the object of worship.
Adi 1.24
TEXT 24
tRtIya zlokete kari vastura nirdeza
yAhA ha-ite jAni para-tattvera uddeza

tRtIya zlokete—in the third verse; kari—I make; vastura—of the object;
nirdeza—indication; yAhA ha-ite—from which; jAni—I understand; para-
tattvera—of the Absolute Truth; uddeza—identification.
TRANSLATION
In the third verse I indicate the Absolute Truth, who is the ultimate substance.
With such a description, one can visualize the Supreme Truth.
Adi 1.25
TEXT 25
caturtha zlokete kari jagate AzIrvAda
sarvatra mAgiye kRSNa-caitanya-prasAda

caturtha—fourth; zlokete—in the verse; kari—I make; jagate—for the world;
AzIH-vAda—benediction; sarvatra—everywhere; mAgiye—I am begging;
kRSNa-caitanya—of Lord zrI KRSNa Caitanya MahAprabhu; prasAda—the
mercy.
TRANSLATION
In the fourth verse I have invoked the benediction of the Lord upon all the
world, praying to Lord Caitanya for His mercy upon all.
Adi 1.26
TEXT 26
sei zloke kahi bAhyAvatAra-kAraNa
pa~nca SaSTha zloke kahi mUla-prayojana

sei zloke—in that same verse; kahi—I tell; bAhya—the external; avatAra—for
the incarnation of Lord Caitanya; kAraNa—reason; pa~nca—the fifth; SaSTha—
and the sixth; zloke—in the verses; kahi—I tell; mUla—the prime;
prayojana—purpose.
TRANSLATION
In that verse I have also explained the external reason for Lord Caitanya’s
incarnation. But in the fifth and sixth verses I have explained the prime reason
for His advent.
Adi 1.27
TEXT 27
ei chaya zloke kahi caitanyera tattva
Ara pa~nca zloke nityAnandera mahattva

ei—these; chaya—six; zloke—in verses; kahi—I describe; caitanyera—of
Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu; tattva—truth; Ara—further; pa~nca zloke—in five
verses; nityAnandera—of Lord NityAnanda; mahattva—the glory.
TRANSLATION
In these six verses I have described the truth about Lord Caitanya, whereas in
the next five I have described the glory of Lord NityAnanda.
Adi 1.28
TEXT 28
Ara dui zloke advaita-tattvAkhyAna
Ara eka zloke pa~nca-tattvera vyAkhyAna

Ara—further; dui zloke—in two verses; advaita—of zrI Advaita Prabhu;
tattva—of the truth; AkhyAna—description; Ara—further; eka zloke—in one
verse; pa~nca-tattvera—of the Pa~nca-tattva; vyAkhyAna—explanation.
TRANSLATION
The next two verses describe the truth of Advaita Prabhu, and the following
verse describes the Pa~nca-tattva [the Lord, His plenary portion, His
incarnation, His energies and His devotees].
Adi 1.29
TEXT 29
ei caudda zloke kari ma~NgalAcaraNa
ta~Nhi madhye kahi saba vastu-nirUpaNa

ei caudda zloke—in these fourteen verses; kari—I make; ma~Ngala-AcaraNa—
auspicious invocation; ta~Nhi—therefore in that; madhye—within; kahi—I
speak; saba—all; vastu—object; nirUpaNa—description.
TRANSLATION
These fourteen verses, therefore, offer auspicious invocations and describe
the Supreme Truth.
Adi 1.30
TEXT 30
saba zrotA-vaiSNavere kari’ namaskAra
ei saba zlokera kari artha-vicAra

saba—all; zrotA—hearers or audience; vaiSNavere—unto the VaiSNavas;
kari’—offering; namaskAra—obeisances; ei saba zlokera—of all these
(fourteen) verses; kari—I make; artha—of the meaning; vicAra—analysis.
TRANSLATION
I offer my obeisances unto all my VaiSNava readers as I begin to explain the
intricacies of all these verses.
Adi 1.31
TEXT 31
sakala vaiSNava, zuna kari’ eka-mana
caitanya-kRSNera zAstra-mata-nirUpaNa

sakala—all; vaiSNava—O devotees of the Lord; zuna—please hear; kari’—
making; eka-mana—rapt attention; caitanya—Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu;
kRSNera—of Lord zrI KRSNa; zAstra—scriptural reference; mata—according to;
nirUpaNa—decision.
TRANSLATION
I request all my VaiSNava readers to read and hear with rapt attention this
narration of zrI KRSNa Caitanya as inculcated in the revealed scriptures.
PURPORT
Lord Caitanya is the Absolute Truth, KRSNa Himself. This is substantiated by
evidence from the authentic spiritual scriptures. Sometimes people accept a
man as God on the basis of their whimsical sentiments and without reference
to the revealed scriptures, but the author of Caitanya-caritAmRta proves all his
statements by citing the zAstras. Thus he establishes that Caitanya
MahAprabhu is the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Adi 1.32
TEXT 32
kRSNa, guru, bhakta, zakti, avatAra, prakAza
kRSNa ei chaya-rUpe karena vilAsa

kRSNa—the Supreme Lord, zrI KRSNa; guru—the spiritual masters; bhakta—the
devotees; zakti—the potencies; avatAra—the incarnations; prakAza—plenary
portions; kRSNa—Lord KRSNa; ei chaya-rUpe—in these six features; karena
vilAsa—enjoys.
TRANSLATION
Lord KRSNa enjoys by manifesting Himself as the spiritual masters, the
devotees, the diverse energies, the incarnations and the plenary portions.
They are all six in one.
Adi 1.33
TEXT 33
ei chaya tattvera kari caraNa vandana
prathame sAmAnye kari ma~NgalAcaraNa

ei—these; chaya—six; tattvera—of these expansions; kari—I make;
caraNa—the lotus feet; vandana—prayers; prathame—at first; sAmAnye—in
general; kari—I make; ma~Ngala-AcaraNa—auspicious invocation.
TRANSLATION
I therefore worship the lotus feet of these six diversities of the one truth by
invoking their benedictions.
Adi 1.34
TEXT 34
vande gurUn Iza-bhaktAn
Izam IzAvatArakAn
tat-prakAzAàz ca tac-chaktIH
kRSNa-caitanya-saàj~nakam

vande—I offer respectful obeisances; gurUn—unto the spiritual masters; Iza-
bhaktAn—unto the devotees of the Supreme Lord; Izam—unto the Supreme
Lord; Iza-avatArakAn—unto the incarnations of the Supreme Lord; tat—of the
Supreme Lord; prakAzAn—unto the manifestations; ca—and; tat—of the
Supreme Lord; zaktIH—unto the potencies; kRSNa-caitanya—zrI KRSNa
Caitanya; saàj~nakam—named.
TRANSLATION
I offer my respectful obeisances unto the spiritual masters, the devotees of
the Lord, the Lord’s incarnations, His plenary portions, His energies and the
primeval Lord Himself, zrI KRSNa Caitanya.
PURPORT
KRSNadAsa KavirAja GosvAmI has composed this Sanskrit verse for the
beginning of his book, and now he will explain it in detail. He offers his
respectful obeisances to the six principles of the Absolute Truth. GurUn is
plural in number because anyone who gives spiritual instructions based on the
revealed scriptures is accepted as a spiritual master. Although others give
help in showing the way to beginners, the guru who first initiates one with the
mahA-mantra is to be known as the initiator, and the saints who give
instructions for progressive advancement in KRSNa consciousness are called
instructing spiritual masters. The initiating and instructing spiritual masters are
equal and identical manifestations of KRSNa, although they have different
dealings. Their function is to guide the conditioned souls back home, back to
Godhead. Therefore KRSNadAsa KavirAja GosvAmI accepted NityAnanda Prabhu
and the six GosvAmIs in the category of guru.
Iza-bhaktAn refers to the devotees of the Lord like zrI zrIvAsa and all other
such followers, who are the energy of the Lord and are qualitatively
nondifferent from Him. IzAvatArakAn refers to AcAryas like Advaita Prabhu,
who is an avatAra of the Lord. Tat-prakAzAn indicates the direct manifestation
of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, NityAnanda Prabhu, and the initiating
spiritual master. Tac-chaktIH refers to the spiritual energies (zaktis) of zrI
Caitanya MahAprabhu. GadAdhara, DAmodara and JagadAnanda belong to this
category of internal energy.
The six principles are differently manifested but all equally worshipable.
KRSNadAsa KavirAja begins by offering his obeisances unto them to teach us
the method of worshiping Lord Caitanya. The external potency of Godhead,
called mAyA, can never associate with the Lord, just as darkness cannot
remain in the presence of light; yet darkness, being but an illusory and
temporary covering of light, has no existence independent of light.
Adi 1.35
TEXT 35
mantra-guru Ara yata zikSA-guru-gaNa
tA~NhAra caraNa Age kariye vandana

mantra-guru—the initiating spiritual master; Ara—and also; yata—as many
(as there are); zikSA-guru-gaNa—all the instructing spiritual masters;
tA~NhAra—of all of them; caraNa—unto the lotus feet; Age—at first; kariye—I
offer; vandana—respectful obeisances.
TRANSLATION
I first offer my respectful obeisances at the lotus feet of my initiating spiritual
master and all my instructing spiritual masters.
PURPORT
zrIla JIva GosvAmI, in his thesis Bhakti-sandarbha (202), has stated that
uncontaminated devotional service is the objective of pure VaiSNavas and
that one has to execute such service in the association of other devotees. By
associating with devotees of Lord KRSNa, one develops a sense of KRSNa
consciousness and thus becomes inclined toward the loving service of the
Lord. This is the process of approaching the Supreme Lord by gradual
appreciation in devotional service. If one desires unalloyed devotional service,
one must associate with devotees of zrI KRSNa, for by such association only
can a conditioned soul achieve a taste for transcendental love and thus revive
his eternal relationship with Godhead in a specific manifestation and in terms
of the specific transcendental mellow (rasa) that one has eternally inherent in
him.
If one develops love for KRSNa by KRSNa conscious activities, one can know the
Supreme Absolute Truth, but he who tries to understand God simply by logical
arguments will not succeed, nor will he get a taste for unalloyed devotion.
The secret is that one must submissively listen to those who know perfectly
the science of God, and one must begin the mode of service regulated by the
preceptor. A devotee already attracted by the name, form, qualities, etc., of
the Supreme Lord may be directed to his specific manner of devotional
service; he need not waste time in approaching the Lord through logic. The
expert spiritual master knows well how to engage his disciple’s energy in the
transcendental loving service of the Lord, and thus he engages a devotee in a
specific devotional service according to his special tendency. A devotee must
have only one initiating spiritual master because in the scriptures acceptance
of more than one is always forbidden. There is no limit, however, to the
number of instructing spiritual masters one may accept. Generally a spiritual
master who constantly instructs a disciple in spiritual science becomes his
initiating spiritual master later on.
One should always remember that a person who is reluctant to accept a
spiritual master and be initiated is sure to be baffled in his endeavor to go
back to Godhead. One who is not properly initiated may present himself as a
great devotee, but in fact he is sure to encounter many stumbling blocks on
his path of progress toward spiritual realization, with the result that he must
continue his term of material existence without relief. Such a helpless person
is compared to a ship without a rudder, for such a ship can never reach its
destination. It is imperative, therefore, that one accept a spiritual master if he
at all desires to gain the favor of the Lord. The service of the spiritual master
is essential. If there is no chance to serve the spiritual master directly, a
devotee should serve him by remembering his instructions. There is no
difference between the spiritual master’s instructions and the spiritual master
himself. In his absence, therefore, his words of direction should be the pride of
the disciple. If one thinks that he is above consulting anyone else, including a
spiritual master, he is at once an offender at the lotus feet of the Lord. Such
an offender can never go back to Godhead. It is imperative that a serious
person accept a bona fide spiritual master in terms of the zAstric injunctions.
zrI JIva GosvAmI advises that one not accept a spiritual master in terms of
hereditary or customary social and ecclesiastical conventions. One should
simply try to find a genuinely qualified spiritual master for actual
advancement in spiritual understanding.
Adi 1.36
TEXT 36
zrI-rUpa, sanAtana, bhaTTa-raghunAtha
zrI-jIva, gopAla-bhaTTa, dAsa-raghunAtha

zrI-rUpa—zrIla RUpa GosvAmI; sanAtana—SanAtana GosvAmI; bhaTTa-
raghunAtha—RaghunAtha BhaTTa GosvAmI; zrI-jIva—zrIla JIva GosvAmI;
gopAla-bhaTTa—GopAla BhaTTa GosvAmI; dAsa-raghunAtha—zrIla RaghunAtha
dAsa GosvAmI.
TRANSLATION
My instructing spiritual masters are zrI RUpa GosvAmI, zrI SanAtana GosvAmI,
zrI BhaTTa RaghunAtha, zrI JIva GosvAmI, zrI GopAla BhaTTa GosvAmI and zrIla
RaghunAtha dAsa GosvAmI.
Adi 1.37
TEXT 37
ei chaya guru——zikSA-guru ye AmAra
tA~N’-sabAra pAda-padme koTi namaskAra

ei—these; chaya—six; guru—spiritual masters; zikSA-guru—instructing
spiritual masters; ye—who are; AmAra—my; tA~N’-sabAra—of all of them;
pAda-padme—unto the lotus feet; koTi—ten million; namaskAra—respectful
obeisances.
TRANSLATION
These six are my instructing spiritual masters, and therefore I offer millions of
respectful obeisances unto their lotus feet.
PURPORT
By accepting the six GosvAmIs as his instructing spiritual masters, the author
specifically makes it clear that one should not be recognized as a GauòIya
VaiSNava if he is not obedient to them.
Adi 1.38
TEXT 38
bhagavAnera bhakta yata zrIvAsa pradhAna
tA~N’-sabhAra pAda-padme sahasra praNAma

bhagavAnera—of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; bhakta—the
devotees; yata—as many (as there are); zrIvAsa pradhAna—headed by zrI
zrIvAsa; tA~N’-sabhAra—of all of them; pAda-padme—unto the lotus feet;
sahasra—thousands; praNAma—respectful obeisances.
TRANSLATION
There are innumerable devotees of the Lord, of whom zrIvAsa ThAkura is the
foremost. I offer my respectful obeisances thousands of times unto their lotus
feet.
Adi 1.39
TEXT 39
advaita AcArya——prabhura aàza-avatAra
tA~Nra pAda-padme koTi praNati AmAra

advaita AcArya—Advaita AcArya; prabhura—of the Supreme Lord; aàza—
partial; avatAra—incarnation; tA~Nra—of Him; pAda-padme—unto the lotus
feet; koTi—ten million; praNati—respectful obeisances; AmAra—my.
TRANSLATION
Advaita AcArya is the Lord’s partial incarnation, and therefore I offer my
obeisances millions of times at His lotus feet.
Adi 1.40
TEXT 40
nityAnanda-rAya——prabhura svarUpa-prakAza
tA~Nra pAda-padma vando yA~Nra mu~ni dAsa

nityAnanda-rAya—Lord NityAnanda; prabhura—of the Supreme Lord; sva-
rUpa-prakAza—personal manifestation; tA~Nra—of Him; pAda-padma—unto
the lotus feet; vando—I offer respectful obeisances; yA~Nra—of whom;
mu~ni—I am; dAsa—the servant.
TRANSLATION
zrIla NityAnanda RAma is the plenary manifestation of the Lord, and I have
been initiated by Him. I therefore offer my respectful obeisances unto His
lotus feet.
Adi 1.41
TEXT 41
gadAdhara-paNòitAdi——prabhura nija-zakti
tA~N’-sabAra caraNe mora sahasra praNati

gadAdhara-paNòita-Adi—headed by zrI GadAdhara PaNòita; prabhura—of the
Supreme Lord; nija-zakti—internal potencies; tA~N’-sabAra—of all of them;
caraNe—unto the lotus feet; mora—my; sahasra—thousands; praNati—
respectful obeisances.
TRANSLATION
I offer my respectful obeisances unto the internal potencies of the Lord, of
whom zrI GadAdhara Prabhu is the foremost.
Adi 1.42
TEXT 42
zrI-kRSNa-caitanya prabhu svayaà-bhagavAn
tA~NhAra padAravinde ananta praNAma

zrI-kRSNa-caitanya—Lord zrI KRSNa Caitanya MahAprabhu; prabhu—the
Supreme Lord; svayam-bhagavAn—is the original Personality of Godhead;
tA~NhAra—His; pada-aravinde—unto the lotus feet; ananta—innumerable;
praNAma—respectful obeisances.
TRANSLATION
Lord zrI KRSNa Caitanya MahAprabhu is the Personality of Godhead Himself,
and therefore I offer innumerable prostrations at His lotus feet.
Adi 1.43
TEXT 43
sAvaraNe prabhure kariyA namaskAra
ei chaya te~Nho yaiche——kariye vicAra

sa-AvaraNe—along with His associates; prabhure—unto Lord zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu; kariyA—having made; namaskAra—respectful obeisances; ei—
these; chaya—six; te~Nho—He; yaiche—what they are like; kariye—I make;
vicAra—discussion.
TRANSLATION
Having offered obeisances unto the Lord and all His associates, I shall now try
to explain these six diversities in one.
PURPORT
There are many unalloyed devotees of the Supreme Personality of Godhead,
all of whom are considered associates surrounding the Lord. KRSNa should be
worshiped with His devotees. The diverse principles are therefore the eternal
paraphernalia through which the Absolute Truth can be approached.
Adi 1.44
TEXT 44
yadyapi AmAra guru——caitanyera dAsa
tathApi jAniye Ami tA~NhAra prakAza

yadyapi—even though; AmAra—my; guru—spiritual master; caitanyera—of
Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu; dAsa—the servitor; tathApi—still; jAniye—know;
Ami—I; tA~NhAra—of the Lord; prakAza—direct manifestation.
TRANSLATION
Although I know that my spiritual master is a servitor of zrI Caitanya, I know
Him also as a plenary manifestation of the Lord.
PURPORT
Every living entity is essentially a servant of the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, and the spiritual master is also His servant. Still, the spiritual master
is a direct manifestation of the Lord. With this conviction, a disciple can
advance in KRSNa consciousness. The spiritual master is nondifferent from
KRSNa because he is a manifestation of KRSNa.
Lord NityAnanda, who is BalarAma Himself, the first direct manifestation or
expansion of KRSNa, is the original spiritual master. He helps Lord KRSNa in His
pastimes, and He is a servant of the Lord.
Every living entity is eternally a servant of zrI KRSNa Caitanya; therefore the
spiritual master cannot be other than a servant of Lord Caitanya. The spiritual
master’s eternal occupation is to expand the service of the Lord by training
disciples in a service attitude. A spiritual master never poses as the Supreme
Lord Himself; he is considered a representative of the Lord. The revealed
scriptures prohibit one’s pretending to be God, but a bona fide spiritual master
is a most faithful and confidential servant of the Lord and therefore deserves
as much respect as KRSNa.
Adi 1.45
TEXT 45
guru kRSNa-rUpa hana zAstrera pramANe
guru-rUpe kRSNa kRpA karena bhakta-gaNe

guru—the spiritual master; kRSNa-rUpa—as good as KRSNa; hana—is;
zAstrera—of revealed scriptures; pramANe—by the evidence; guru-rUpe—in
the form of the spiritual master; kRSNa—Lord zrI KRSNa; kRpA—mercy;
karena—distributes; bhakta-gaNe—unto His devotees.
TRANSLATION
According to the deliberate opinion of all revealed scriptures, the spiritual
master is nondifferent from KRSNa. Lord KRSNa in the form of the spiritual
master delivers His devotees.
PURPORT
The relationship of a disciple with his spiritual master is as good as his
relationship with the Supreme Lord. A spiritual master always represents
himself as the humblest servitor of the Personality of Godhead, but the
disciple must look upon him as the manifested representation of Godhead.
Adi 1.46
TEXT 46
AcAryaà mAà vijAnIyAn
nAvamanyeta karhicit
na martya-buddhyAsUyeta
sarva-deva-mayo guruH

AcAryam—the spiritual master; mAm—Myself; vijAnIyAt—one should know;
na avamanyeta—one should never disrespect; karhicit—at any time; na—
never; martya-buddhyA—with the idea of his being an ordinary man;
asUyeta—one should be envious; sarva-deva—of all demigods; mayaH—
representative; guruH—the spiritual master.
TRANSLATION
“One should know the AcArya as Myself and never disrespect him in any way.
One should not envy him, thinking him an ordinary man, for he is the
representative of all the demigods.”
PURPORT
This is a verse from zrImad-BhAgavatam (11.17.27) spoken by Lord KRSNa when
He was questioned by Uddhava regarding the four social and spiritual orders
of society. The Lord was specifically instructing how a brahmacArI should
behave under the care of a spiritual master. A spiritual master is not an
enjoyer of facilities offered by his disciples. He is like a parent. Without the
attentive service of his parents, a child cannot grow to manhood; similarly,
without the care of the spiritual master one cannot rise to the plane of
transcendental service.
The spiritual master is also called AcArya, or a transcendental professor of
spiritual science. The Manu-saàhitA (2.140) explains the duties of an AcArya,
describing that a bona fide spiritual master accepts charge of disciples,
teaches them the Vedic knowledge with all its intricacies, and gives them
their second birth. The ceremony performed to initiate a disciple into the
study of spiritual science is called upanIti, or the function that brings one
nearer to the spiritual master. One who cannot be brought nearer to a spiritual
master cannot have a sacred thread, and thus he is indicated to be a zUdra.
The sacred thread on the body of a brAhmaNa, kSatriya or vaizya is a symbol
of initiation by the spiritual master; it is worth nothing if worn merely to boast
of high parentage. The duty of the spiritual master is to initiate a disciple with
the sacred thread ceremony, and after this saàskAra, or purificatory process,
the spiritual master actually begins to teach the disciple about the Vedas. A
person born a zUdra is not barred from such spiritual initiation, provided he is
approved by the spiritual master, who is duly authorized to award a disciple
the right to be a brAhmaNa if he finds him perfectly qualified. In the VAyu
PurANa an AcArya is defined as one who knows the import of all Vedic
literature, explains the purpose of the Vedas, abides by their rules and
regulations, and teaches his disciples to act in the same way.
Only out of His immense compassion does the Personality of Godhead reveal
Himself as the spiritual master. Therefore in the dealings of an AcArya there
are no activities but those of transcendental loving service to the Lord. He is
the Supreme Personality of Servitor Godhead. It is worthwhile to take shelter
of such a steady devotee, who is called Azraya-vigraha, or the manifestation
or form of the Lord of whom one must take shelter.
If one poses himself as an AcArya but does not have an attitude of servitorship
to the Lord, he must be considered an offender, and this offensive attitude
disqualifies him from being an AcArya. The bona fide spiritual master always
engages in unalloyed devotional service to the Supreme Personality of
Godhead. By this test he is known to be a direct manifestation of the Lord and
a genuine representative of zrI NityAnanda Prabhu. Such a spiritual master is
known as AcAryadeva. Influenced by an envious temperament and dissatisfied
because of an attitude of sense gratification, mundaners criticize a real
AcArya. In fact, however, a bona fide AcArya is nondifferent from the
Personality of Godhead, and therefore to envy such an AcArya is to envy the
Personality of Godhead Himself. This will produce an effect subversive of
transcendental realization.
As mentioned previously, a disciple should always respect the spiritual master
as a manifestation of zrI KRSNa, but at the same time one should always
remember that a spiritual master is never authorized to imitate the
transcendental pastimes of the Lord. False spiritual masters pose themselves
as identical with zrI KRSNa in every respect to exploit the sentiments of their
disciples, but such impersonalists can only mislead their disciples, for their
ultimate aim is to become one with the Lord. This is against the principles of
the devotional cult.
The real Vedic philosophy is acintya-bhedAbheda-tattva, which establishes
everything to be simultaneously one with and different from the Personality
of Godhead. zrIla RaghunAtha dAsa GosvAmI confirms that this is the real
position of a bona fide spiritual master and says that one should always think
of the spiritual master in terms of his intimate relationship with Mukunda (zrI
KRSNa). zrIla JIva GosvAmI, in his Bhakti-sandarbha (213), has clearly explained
that a pure devotee’s observation of the spiritual master and Lord ziva as
being one with the Personality of Godhead exists in terms of their being very
dear to the Lord, not identical with Him in all respects. Following in the
footsteps of zrIla RaghunAtha dAsa GosvAmI and zrIla JIva GosvAmI, later
AcAryas like zrIla VizvanAtha CakravartI ThAkura have confirmed the same
truths. In his prayers to the spiritual master, zrIla VizvanAtha CakravartI
ThAkura confirms that all the revealed scriptures accept the spiritual master to
be identical with the Personality of Godhead because he is a very dear and
confidential servant of the Lord. GauòIya VaiSNavas therefore worship zrIla
Gurudeva (the spiritual master) in the light of his being the servitor of the
Personality of Godhead. In all the ancient literatures of devotional service and
in the more recent songs of zrIla Narottama dAsa ThAkura, zrIla Bhaktivinoda
ThAkura and other unalloyed VaiSNavas, the spiritual master is always
considered either one of the confidential associates of zrImatI RAdhArANI or a
manifested representation of zrIla NityAnanda Prabhu.
Adi 1.47
TEXT 47
zikSA-guruke ta’ jAni kRSNera svarUpa
antaryAmI, bhakta-zreSTha,——ei dui rUpa

zikSA-guruke—the spiritual master who instructs; ta’—indeed; jAni—I know;
kRSNera—of KRSNa; sva-rUpa—the direct representative; antaryAmI—the
indwelling Supersoul; bhakta-zreSTha—the best devotee; ei—these; dui—
two; rUpa—forms.
TRANSLATION
One should know the instructing spiritual master to be the Personality of
KRSNa. Lord KRSNa manifests Himself as the Supersoul and as the greatest
devotee of the Lord.
PURPORT
zrIla KRSNadAsa KavirAja GosvAmI states that the instructing spiritual master is
a bona fide representative of zrI KRSNa. zrI KRSNa Himself teaches us as the
instructing spiritual master from within and without. From within He teaches
as ParamAtmA, our constant companion, and from without He teaches from
the Bhagavad-gItA as the instructing spiritual master. There are two kinds of
instructing spiritual masters. One is the liberated person fully absorbed in
meditation in devotional service, and the other is he who invokes the
disciple’s spiritual consciousness by means of relevant instructions. Thus the
instructions in the science of devotion are differentiated in terms of the
objective and subjective ways of understanding. The AcArya in the true sense
of the term, who is authorized to deliver KRSNa, enriches the disciple with full
spiritual knowledge and thus awakens him to the activities of devotional
service.
When by learning from the self-realized spiritual master one actually engages
himself in the service of Lord ViSNu, functional devotional service begins. The
procedures of this devotional service are known as abhidheya, or actions one
is dutybound to perform. Our only shelter is the Supreme Lord, and one who
teaches how to approach KRSNa is the functioning form of the Personality of
Godhead. There is no difference between the shelter-giving Supreme Lord
and the initiating and instructing spiritual masters. If one foolishly
discriminates between them, he commits an offense in the discharge of
devotional service.
zrIla SanAtana GosvAmI is the ideal spiritual master, for he delivers one the
shelter of the lotus feet of Madana-mohana. Even though one may be unable
to travel on the field of VRndAvana due to forgetfulness of his relationship
with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he can get an adequate
opportunity to stay in VRndAvana and derive all spiritual benefits by the mercy
of SanAtana GosvAmI. zrI GovindajI acts exactly like the zikSA-guru
(instructing spiritual master) by teaching Arjuna the Bhagavad-gItA. He is the
original preceptor, for He gives us instructions and an opportunity to serve
Him. The initiating spiritual master is a personal manifestation of zrIla
Madana-mohana vigraha, whereas the instructing spiritual master is a
personal representative of zrIla Govindadeva vigraha. Both of these Deities
are worshiped at VRndAvana. zrIla GopInAtha is the ultimate attraction in
spiritual realization.
Adi 1.48
TEXT 48
naivopayanty apacitià kavayas taveza
brahmAyuSApi kRtam Rddha-mudaH smarantaH
yo ’ntar bahis tanu-bhRtAm azubhaà vidhunvann
AcArya-caittya-vapuSA sva-gatià vyanakti

na eva—not at all; upayanti—are able to express; apacitim—their gratitude;
kavayaH—learned devotees; tava—Your; Iza—O Lord; brahma-AyuSA—with
a lifetime equal to Lord BrahmA’s; api—in spite of; kRtam—magnanimous
work; Rddha—increased; mudaH—joy; smarantaH—remembering; yaH—
who; antaH—within; bahiH—outside; tanu-bhRtAm—of those who are
embodied; azubham—misfortune; vidhunvan—dissipating; AcArya—of the
spiritual master; caittya—of the Supersoul; vapuSA—by the forms; sva—
own; gatim—path; vyanakti—shows.
TRANSLATION
“O my Lord! Transcendental poets and experts in spiritual science could not
fully express their indebtedness to You, even if they were endowed with the
prolonged lifetime of BrahmA, for You appear in two features—externally as
the AcArya and internally as the Supersoul—to deliver the embodied living
being by directing him how to come to You.”
PURPORT
This verse from zrImad-BhAgavatam (11.29.6) was spoken by zrI Uddhava
after he heard from zrI KRSNa all necessary instructions about yoga.
Adi 1.49
TEXT 49
teSAà satata-yuktAnAà
bhajatAà prIti-pUrvakam
dadAmi buddhi-yogaà taà
yena mAm upayAnti te

teSAm—unto them; satata-yuktAnAm—always engaged; bhajatAm—in
rendering devotional service; prIti-pUrvakam—in loving ecstasy; dadAmi—I
give; buddhi-yogam—real intelligence; tam—that; yena—by which; mAm—
unto Me; upayAnti—come; te—they.
TRANSLATION
“To those who are constantly devoted to serving Me with love, I give the
understanding by which they can come to Me.”
PURPORT
This verse of the Bhagavad-gItA (10.10) clearly states how Govindadeva
instructs His bona fide devotee. The Lord declares that by enlightenment in
theistic knowledge He awards attachment for Him to those who constantly
engage in His transcendental loving service. This awakening of divine
consciousness enthralls a devotee, who thus relishes his eternal transcendental
mellow. Such an awakening is awarded only to those convinced by devotional
service about the transcendental nature of the Personality of Godhead. They
know that the Supreme Truth, the all-spiritual and all-powerful person, is one
without a second and has fully transcendental senses. He is the fountainhead
of all emanations. Such pure devotees, always merged in knowledge of KRSNa
and absorbed in KRSNa consciousness, exchange thoughts and realizations as
great scientists exchange their views and discuss the results of their research
in scientific academies. Such exchanges of thoughts in regard to KRSNa give
pleasure to the Lord, who therefore favors such devotees with all
enlightenment.
Adi 1.50
TEXT 50
yathA brahmaNe bhagavAn
svayam upadizyAnubhAvitavAn
SYNONYMS
yathA—just as; brahmaNe—unto Lord BrahmA; bhagavAn—the Supreme
Lord; svayam—Himself; upadizya—having instructed; anubhAvitavAn—
caused to perceive.
TRANSLATION
The Supreme Personality of Godhead [svayaà bhagavAn] taught BrahmA and
made him self-realized.
PURPORT
The English maxim that God helps those who help themselves is also
applicable in the transcendental realm. There are many instances in the
revealed scriptures of the Personality of Godhead’s acting as the spiritual
master from within. The Personality of Godhead was the spiritual master who
instructed BrahmA, the original living being in the cosmic creation. When
BrahmA was first created, he could not apply his creative energy to arrange
the cosmic situation. At first there was only sound, vibrating the word tapa,
which indicates the acceptance of hardships for spiritual realization.
Refraining from sensual enjoyment, one should voluntarily accept all sorts of
difficulties for spiritual realization. This is called tapasya. An enjoyer of the
senses can never realize God, godliness or the science of theistic knowledge.
Thus when BrahmA, initiated by zrI KRSNa by the sound vibration tapa,
engaged himself in acts of austerity, by the pleasure of ViSNu he was able to
visualize the transcendental world, zrI VaikuNTha, through transcendental
realization. Modern science can communicate using material discoveries such
as radio, television and computers, but the science invoked by the austerities
of zrI BrahmA, the original father of mankind, was still more subtle. In time,
material scientists may also know how we can communicate with the
VaikuNTha world. Lord BrahmA inquired about the potency of the Supreme
Lord, and the Personality of Godhead answered his inquiry in the following six
consecutive statements. These instructions, which are reproduced from
zrImad-BhAgavatam (2.9.31–36), were imparted by the Personality of
Godhead, acting as the supreme spiritual master.
Adi 1.51
TEXT 51
j~nAnaà parama-guhyaà me
yad vij~nAna-samanvitam
sa-rahasyaà tad-a~Ngaà ca
gRhANa gaditaà mayA

j~nAnam—knowledge; parama—extremely; guhyam—confidential; me—of
Me; yat—which; vij~nAna—realization; samanvitam—fully endowed with; sa-
rahasyam—along with mystery; tat—of that; a~Ngam—supplementary parts;
ca—and; gRhANa—just try to take up; gaditam—explained; mayA—by Me.
TRANSLATION
“Please hear attentively what I shall speak to you, for transcendental
knowledge about Me is not only scientific but also full of mysteries.
PURPORT
Transcendental knowledge of zrI KRSNa is deeper than the impersonal
knowledge of Brahman, for it includes knowledge of not only His form and
personality but also everything else related to Him. There is nothing in
existence not related to zrI KRSNa. In a sense, there is nothing but zrI KRSNa,
and yet nothing is zrI KRSNa save and except His primeval personality. This
knowledge constitutes a complete transcendental science, and ViSNu wanted
to give BrahmAjI full knowledge about that science. The mystery of this
knowledge culminates in personal attachment to the Lord, with a resulting
effect of detachment from anything “non-KRSNa.” There are nine alternative
transcendental means of attaining this stage: hearing, chanting, remembering,
serving the lotus feet of the Lord, worshiping, praying, assisting, fraternizing
with the Lord, and sacrificing everything for Him. These are different parts of
the same devotional service, which is full of transcendental mystery. The Lord
said to BrahmA that since He was pleased with him, by His grace the mystery
was being revealed.
Adi 1.52
TEXT 52
yAvAn ahaà yathA-bhAvo
yad-rUpa-guNa-karmakaH
tathaiva tattva-vij~nAnam
astu te mad-anugrahAt

yAvAn—as I am in My eternal form; aham—I; yathA—in whichever manner;
bhAvaH—transcendental existence; yat—whatever; rUpa—various forms and
colors; guNa—qualities; karmakaH—activities; tathA eva—exactly so; tattva-
vij~nAnam—factual realization; astu—let there be; te—your; mat—My;
anugrahAt—by causeless mercy.
TRANSLATION
“By My causeless mercy, be enlightened in truth about My personality,
manifestations, qualities and pastimes.
PURPORT
The transcendental personal forms of the Lord are a mystery, and the
symptoms of these forms, which are absolutely different from anything made
of mundane elements, are also mysterious. The innumerable forms of the Lord,
such as zyAmasundara, NArAyaNa, RAma and Gaurasundara; the colors of
these forms (white, red, yellow, cloudlike zyAma and others); His qualities, as
the responsive Personality of Godhead to pure devotees and as impersonal
Brahman to dry speculators; His uncommon activities like lifting Govardhana
Hill, marrying more than sixteen thousand queens at DvArakA, and entering
the rAsa dance with the damsels of Vraja, expanding Himself in as many
forms as there were damsels in the dance—these and innumerable other
uncommon acts and attributes are all mysteries, one aspect of which is
presented in the scientific knowledge of the Bhagavad-gItA, which is read and
adored all over the world by all classes of scholars, with as many
interpretations as there are empiric philosophers. The truth of these mysteries
was revealed to BrahmA by the descending process, without the help of the
ascending one. The Lord’s mercy descends to a devotee like BrahmA and,
through BrahmA, to NArada, from NArada to VyAsa, from VyAsadeva to
zukadeva and so on in the bona fide chain of disciplic succession. We cannot
discover the mysteries of the Lord by our mundane endeavors; they are only
revealed, by His grace, to the proper devotees. These mysteries are gradually
disclosed to the various grades of devotees in proportion to the gradual
development of their service attitude. In other words, impersonalists who
depend upon the strength of their poor fund of knowledge and morbid
speculative habits, without submission and service in the forms of hearing,
chanting and the others mentioned above, cannot penetrate to the mysterious
region of transcendence where the Supreme Truth is a transcendental person,
free from all tinges of the material elements. Discovering the mystery of the
Lord eliminates the impersonal feature realized by common spiritualists who
are merely trying to enter the spiritual region from the mundane platform.
Adi 1.53
TEXT 53
aham evAsam evAgre
nAnyad yat sad-asat param
pazcAd ahaà yad etac ca
yo ’vaziSyeta so ’smy aham

aham—I, the Personality of Godhead; eva—certainly; Asam—existed; eva—
only; agre—before the creation; na—never; anyat—anything else; yat—
which; sat—the effect; asat—the cause; param—the supreme; pazcAt—at
the end; aham—I, the Personality of Godhead; yat—which; etat—this
creation; ca—also; yaH—who; avaziSyeta—remains; saH—that; asmi—am;
aham—I, the Personality of Godhead.
TRANSLATION
“Prior to the cosmic creation, only I exist, and no phenomena exist, either
gross, subtle or primordial. After creation, only I exist in everything, and after
annihilation, only I remain eternally.
PURPORT
Aham means “I”; therefore the speaker who is saying aham, “I,” must have
His own personality. The MAyAvAdI philosophers interpret this word aham as
referring to the impersonal Brahman. The MAyAvAdIs are very proud of their
grammatical knowledge, but any person who has actual knowledge of
grammar can understand that aham means “I” and that “I” refers to a
personality. Therefore the Personality of Godhead, speaking to BrahmA, uses
aham while describing His own transcendental form. Aham has a specific
meaning; it is not a vague term that can be whimsically interpreted. Aham,
when spoken by KRSNa, refers to the Supreme Personality of Godhead and
nothing else.
Before the creation and after its dissolution, only the Supreme Personality of
Godhead and His associates exist; there is no existence of the material
elements. This is confirmed in the Vedic literature. VAsudevo vA idam agra
AsIn na brahmA na ca za~NkaraH. The meaning of this mantra is that before
creation there was no existence of BrahmA or ziva, for only ViSNu existed.
ViSNu exists in His abode, the VaikuNThas. There are innumerable VaikuNTha
planets in the spiritual sky, and on each of them ViSNu resides with His
associates and His paraphernalia. It is also confirmed in the Bhagavad-gItA
that although the creation is periodically dissolved, there is another abode,
which is never dissolved. The word “creation” refers to the material creation
because in the spiritual world everything exists eternally and there is no
creation or dissolution.
The Lord indicates herein that before the material creation He existed in
fullness with all transcendental opulences, including all strength, all wealth, all
beauty, all knowledge, all fame and all renunciation. If one thinks of a king, he
automatically thinks of his secretaries, ministers, military commanders,
palaces and so on. Since a king has such opulences, one can simply try to
imagine the opulences of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. When the Lord
says aham, therefore, it is to be understood that He exists with full potency,
including all opulences.
The word yat refers to Brahman, the impersonal effulgence of the Lord. In the
Brahma-saàhitA (5.40) it is said, tad brahma niSkalam anantam azeSa-bhUtam:
the Brahman effulgence expands unlimitedly. Just as the sun is a localized
planet with the sunshine expanding unlimitedly from that source, so the
Absolute Truth is the Supreme Personality of Godhead with His effulgence of
energy, Brahman, expanding unlimitedly. From that Brahman energy the
creation appears, just as a cloud appears in sunshine. From the cloud comes
rain, from the rain comes vegetation, and from the vegetation come fruits
and flowers, which are the basis of subsistence for many other forms of life.
Similarly, the effulgent bodily luster of the Supreme Lord is the cause of the
creation of infinite universes. The Brahman effulgence is impersonal, but the
cause of that energy is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. From Him, in His
abode, the VaikuNThas, this brahmajyoti emanates. He is never impersonal.
Since impersonalists cannot understand the source of the Brahman energy,
they mistakenly choose to think this impersonal Brahman the ultimate or
absolute goal. But as stated in the UpaniSads, one has to penetrate the
impersonal effulgence to see the face of the Supreme Lord. If one desires to
reach the source of the sunshine, he has to travel through the sunshine to
reach the sun and then meet the predominating deity there. The Absolute
Truth is the Supreme Person, BhagavAn, as zrImad-BhAgavatam explains.
Sat means “effect,” asat means “cause,” and param refers to the ultimate
truth, which is transcendental to cause and effect. The cause of the creation is
called the mahat-tattva, or total material energy, and its effect is the creation
itself. But neither cause nor effect existed in the beginning; they emanated
from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, as did the energy of time. This is
stated in the VedAnta-sUtra (janmAdy asya yataH [SB 1.1.1]). The source of birth
of the cosmic manifestation, or mahat-tattva, is the Personality of Godhead.
This is confirmed throughout zrImad-BhAgavatam and the Bhagavad-gItA. In
the Bhagavad-gItA (10.8) the Lord says, ahaà sarvasya prabhavaH: “I am the
fountainhead of all emanations.” The material cosmos, being temporary, is
sometimes manifest and sometimes unmanifest, but its energy emanates from
the Supreme Absolute Lord. Before the creation there was neither cause nor
effect, but the Supreme Personality of Godhead existed with His full opulence
and energy.
The words pazcAd aham indicate that the Lord exists after the dissolution of
the cosmic manifestation. When the material world is dissolved, the Lord still
exists personally in the VaikuNThas. During the creation the Lord also exists as
He is in the VaikuNThas, and He also exists as the Supersoul within the material
universes. This is confirmed in the Brahma-saàhitA (5.37). Goloka eva nivasati:
although He is perfectly and eternally present in Goloka VRndAvana in
VaikuNTha, He is nevertheless all-pervading (akhilAtma-bhUtaH). The all-
pervading feature of the Lord is called the Supersoul. In the Bhagavad-gItA it
is said, ahaà kRtsnasya jagataH prabhavaH: the cosmic manifestation is a
display of the energy of the Supreme Lord. The material elements (earth,
water, fire, air, ether, mind, intelligence and false ego) display the inferior
energy of the Lord, and the living entities are His superior energy. Since the
energy of the Lord is not different from Him, in fact everything that exists is
KRSNa in His impersonal feature. Sunshine, sunlight and heat are not different
from the sun, and yet simultaneously they are distinct energies of the sun.
Similarly, the cosmic manifestation and the living entities are energies of the
Lord, and they are considered to be simultaneously one with and different
from Him. The Lord therefore says, “I am everything,” because everything is
His energy and is therefore nondifferent from Him.
Yo ’vaziSyeta so ’smy aham indicates that the Lord is the balance that exists
after the dissolution of the creation. The spiritual manifestation never
vanishes. It belongs to the internal energy of the Supreme Lord and exists
eternally. When the external manifestation is withdrawn, the spiritual
activities in Goloka and the rest of the VaikuNThas continue, unrestricted by
material time, which has no existence in the spiritual world. Therefore in the
Bhagavad-gItA (15.6) it is said, yad gatvA na nivartante tad dhAma paramaà
mama: “The abode from which no one returns to this material world is the
supreme abode of the Lord.”
Adi 1.54
TEXT 54
Rte ’rthaà yat pratIyeta
na pratIyeta cAtmani
tad vidyAd Atmano mAyAà
yathAbhAso yathA tamaH

Rte—without; artham—value; yat—that which; pratIyeta—appears to be;
na—not; pratIyeta—appears to be; ca—certainly; Atmani—in relation to Me;
tat—that; vidyAt—you must know; AtmanaH—My; mAyAm—illusory energy;
yathA—just as; AbhAsaH—the reflection; yathA—just as; tamaH—the
darkness.
TRANSLATION
“What appears to be truth without Me is certainly My illusory energy, for
nothing can exist without Me. It is like a reflection of a real light in the
shadows, for in the light there are neither shadows nor reflections.
PURPORT
In the previous verse the Absolute Truth and its nature have been explained.
One must also understand the relative truth to actually know the Absolute.
The relative truth, which is called mAyA, or material nature, is explained here.
MAyA has no independent existence. One who is less intelligent is captivated
by the wonderful activities of mAyA, but he does not understand that behind
these activities is the direction of the Supreme Lord. In the Bhagavad-gItA
(9.10) it is said, mayAdhyakSeNa prakrtiH sUyate sa-carAcaram: the material
nature is working and producing moving and nonmoving beings only by the
supervision of KRSNa.
The real nature of mAyA, the illusory existence of the material manifestation, is
clearly explained in zrImad-BhAgavatam. The Absolute Truth is substance, and
the relative truth depends upon its relationship with the Absolute for its
existence. MAyA means energy; therefore the relative truth is explained to be
the energy of the Absolute Truth. Since it is difficult to understand the
distinction between the absolute and relative truths, an analogy can be given
for clarification. The Absolute Truth can be compared to the sun, which is
appreciated in terms of two relative truths: reflection and darkness. Darkness
is the absence of sunshine, and a reflection is a projection of sunlight into
darkness. Neither darkness nor reflection has an independent existence.
Darkness comes when the sunshine is blocked. For example, if one stands
facing the sun, his back will be in darkness. Since darkness stands in the
absence of the sun, it is therefore relative to the sun. The spiritual world is
compared to the real sunshine, and the material world is compared to the dark
regions where the sun is not visible.
When the material manifestation appears very wonderful, this is due to a
perverted reflection of the supreme sunshine, the Absolute Truth, as
confirmed in the VedAnta-sUtra. Whatever one can see here has its substance
in the Absolute. As darkness is situated far away from the sun, so the material
world is also far away from the spiritual world. The Vedic literature directs us
not to be captivated by the dark regions (tamaH) but to try to reach the
shining regions of the Absolute (yogi-dhAma).
The spiritual world is brightly illuminated, but the material world is wrapped in
darkness. In the material world, sunshine, moonshine or different kinds of
artificial light are required to dispel darkness, especially at night, for by nature
the material world is dark. Therefore the Supreme Lord has arranged for
sunshine and moonshine. But in His abode, as described in the Bhagavad-gItA
(15.6), there is no necessity for lighting by sunshine, moonshine or electricity
because everything is self-effulgent.
That which is relative, temporary and far away from the Absolute Truth is
called mAyA, or ignorance. This illusion is exhibited in two ways, as explained
in the Bhagavad-gItA. The inferior illusion is inert matter, and the superior
illusion is the living entity. The living entities are called illusory in this context
only because they are implicated in the illusory structures and activities of the
material world. Actually the living entities are not illusory, for they are parts
of the superior energy of the Supreme Lord and do not have to be covered by
mAyA if they do not want to be so. The actions of the living entities in the
spiritual kingdom are not illusory; they are the actual, eternal activities of
liberated souls.
Adi 1.55
TEXT 55
yathA mahAnti bhUtAni
bhUteSUccAvaceSv anu
praviSTAny apraviSTAni
tathA teSu na teSv aham

yathA—as; mahAnti—the universal; bhUtAni—elements; bhUteSu—in the
living entities; ucca-avaceSu—both gigantic and minute; anu—after;
praviSTAni—situated internally; apraviSTAni—situated externally; tathA—so;
teSu—in them; na—not; teSu—in them; aham—I.
TRANSLATION
“As the material elements enter the bodies of all living beings and yet remain
outside them all, I exist within all material creations and yet am not within
them.
PURPORT
The gross material elements (earth, water, fire, air and ether) combine with
the subtle material elements (mind, intelligence and false ego) to construct the
bodies of this material world, and yet they are beyond these bodies as well.
Any material construction is nothing but an amalgamation or combination of
material elements in varied proportions. These elements exist both within and
beyond the body. For example, although the sky exists in space, it also enters
within the body. Similarly, the Supreme Lord, who is the cause of the material
energy, lives within the material world as well as beyond it. Without His
presence within the material world, the cosmic body could not develop, just
as without the presence of the spirit within the physical body, the body could
not develop. The entire material manifestation develops and exists because
the Supreme Personality of Godhead enters it as ParamAtmA, or the Supersoul.
The Personality of Godhead in His all-pervading feature of ParamAtmA enters
every entity, from the biggest to the most minute. His existence can be
realized by one who has the single qualification of submissiveness and who
thereby becomes a surrendered soul. The development of submissiveness is
the cause of proportionate spiritual realization, by which one can ultimately
meet the Supreme Lord in person, as a man meets another man face to face.
Because of his development of transcendental attachment for the Supreme
Lord, a surrendered soul feels the presence of his beloved everywhere, and all
his senses are engaged in the loving service of the Lord. His eyes are engaged
in seeing the beautiful couple zrI RAdhA and KRSNa sitting on a decorated
throne beneath a desire tree in the transcendental land of VRndAvana. His nose
is engaged in smelling the spiritual aroma of the lotus feet of the Lord.
Similarly, his ears are engaged in hearing messages from VaikuNTha, and his
hands embrace the lotus feet of the Lord and His associates. Thus the Lord is
manifested to a pure devotee from within and without. This is one of the
mysteries of the devotional relationship in which a devotee and the Lord are
bound by a tie of spontaneous love. To achieve this love should be the goal of
life for every living being.
Adi 1.56
TEXT 56
etAvad eva jij~nAsyaà
tattva-jij~nAsunAtmanaH
anvaya-vyatirekAbhyAà
yat syAt sarvatra sarvadA

etAvat—up to this; eva—certainty; jij~nAsyam—to be inquired about;
tattva—of the Absolute Truth; jij~nAsunA—by the student; AtmanaH—of the
Self; anvaya—directly; vyatirekAbhyAm—and indirectly; yat—whatever;
syAt—it may be; sarvatra—everywhere; sarvadA—always.
TRANSLATION
“A person interested in transcendental knowledge must therefore always
directly and indirectly inquire about it to know the all-pervading truth.”
PURPORT
Those who are serious about the knowledge of the transcendental world,
which is far beyond the material cosmic creation, must approach a bona fide
spiritual master to learn the science both directly and indirectly. One must
learn both the means to approach the desired destination and the hindrances
to such progress. The spiritual master knows how to regulate the habits of a
neophyte disciple, and therefore a serious student must learn the science in all
its aspects from him.
There are different grades and standards of prosperity. The standard of
comfort and happiness conceived by a common man engaged in material
labor is the lowest grade of happiness, for it is in relationship with the body.
The highest standard of such bodily comfort is achieved by a fruitive worker
who by pious activities reaches the plane of heaven, or the kingdom of the
creative gods with their delegated powers. But the conception of comfortable
life in heaven is insignificant in comparison to the happiness enjoyed in the
impersonal Brahman, and this brahmAnanda, the spiritual bliss derived from
impersonal Brahman, is like the water in the hoofprint of a calf compared to
the ocean of love of Godhead. When one develops pure love for the Lord, he
derives an ocean of transcendental happiness from the association of the
Personality of Godhead. To qualify oneself to reach this stage of life is the
highest perfection.
One should try to purchase a ticket to go back home, back to Godhead. The
price of such a ticket is one’s intense desire for it, which is not easily
awakened, even if one continuously performs pious activities for thousands of
lives. All mundane relationships are sure to be broken in the course of time,
but once one establishes a relationship with the Personality of Godhead in a
particular rasa, it is never to be broken, even after the annihilation of the
material world.
One should understand, through the transparent medium of the spiritual
master, that the Supreme Lord exists everywhere in His transcendental
spiritual nature and that the living entities’ relationships with the Lord are
directly and indirectly existing everywhere, even in this material world. In the
spiritual world there are five kinds of relationships with the Supreme Lord—
zAnta, dAsya, sakhya, vAtsalya and mAdhurya. The perverted reflections of
these rasas are found in the material world. Land, home, furniture and other
inert material objects are related in zAnta, or the neutral and silent sense,
whereas servants work in the dAsya relationship. The reciprocation between
friends is called sakhya, the affection of a parent for a child is known as
vAtsalya, and the affairs of conjugal love constitute mAdhurya. These five
relationships in the material world are distorted reflections of the original, pure
sentiments, which should be understood and perfected in relationship with the
Supreme Personality of Godhead under the guidance of a bona fide spiritual
master. In the material world the perverted rasas bring frustration. If these
rasas are reestablished with Lord KRSNa, the result is eternal, blissful life.
From this and the preceding three verses of the Caitanya-caritAmRta, which
have been selected from zrImad-BhAgavatam, the missionary activities of
Lord Caitanya can be understood. zrImad-BhAgavatam has eighteen thousand
verses, which are summarized in the four verses beginning with aham evAsam
evAgre (53) and concluding with yat syAt sarvatra sarvadA (56). In the first of
these verses (53) the transcendental nature of Lord KRSNa, the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, is explained. The second verse (54) further explains
that the Lord is detached from the workings of the material energy, mAyA.
The living entities, although parts and parcels of Lord KRSNa, are prone to be
controlled by the external energy; therefore, although they are spiritual, in the
material world they are encased in bodies of material energy. The eternal
relationship of the living entities with the Supreme Lord is explained in that
verse. The next verse (55) instructs that the Supreme Personality of Godhead,
by His inconceivable energies, is simultaneously one with and different from
the living entities and the material energy. This knowledge is called acintya-
bhedAbheda-tattva. When an individual living entity surrenders to the
Supreme Lord, KRSNa, he can then develop natural transcendental love for
Him. This surrendering process should be the primary concern of a human
being. In the next verse (56) it is said that a conditioned soul must ultimately
approach a bona fide spiritual master and try to understand perfectly the
material and spiritual worlds and his own existential position. Here the words
anvaya-vyatirekAbhyAm, “directly and indirectly,” suggest that one must
learn the process of devotional service in its two aspects: one must directly
execute the process of devotional service and indirectly avoid the
impediments to progress.
Adi 1.57
TEXT 57
cintAmaNir jayati somagirir gurur me
zikSA-guruz ca bhagavAn zikhi-pi~ncha-mauliH
yat-pAda-kalpataru-pallava-zekhareSu
lIlA-svayaàvara-rasaà labhate jayazrIH

cintAmaNiH jayati—all glory to CintAmaNi; soma-giriH—Somagiri (the
initiating guru); guruH—spiritual master; me—my; zikSA-guruH—instructing
spiritual master; ca—and; bhagavAn—the Supreme Personality of Godhead;
zikhi-pi~ncha—with peacock feathers; mauliH—whose head; yat—whose;
pAda—of the lotus feet; kalpa-taru—like desire trees; pallava—like new
leaves; zekhareSu—at the toe nails; lIlA-svayam-vara—of conjugal pastimes;
rasam—the mellow; labhate—obtains; jaya-zrIH—zrImatI RAdhArANI.
TRANSLATION
“All glories to CintAmaNi and my initiating spiritual master, Somagiri. All
glories to my instructing spiritual master, the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, who wears peacock feathers in His crown. Under the shade of His
lotus feet, which are like desire trees, JayazrI [RAdhArANI] enjoys the
transcendental mellow of an eternal consort.”
PURPORT
This verse is from the KRSNa-karNAmRta, which was written by a great
VaiSNava sannyAsI named Bilvama~Ngala ThAkura, who is also known as
LIlAzuka. He intensely desired to enter into the eternal pastimes of the Lord,
and he lived at VRndAvana for seven hundred years in the vicinity of Brahma-
kuNòa, a still-existing bathing tank in VRndAvana. The history of Bilvama~Ngala
ThAkura is given in a book called zrI-vallabha-digvijaya. He appeared in the
eighth century of the zaka Era in the province of Draviòa and was the chief
disciple of ViSNu SvAmI. In a list of temples and monasteries kept in
za~NkarAcArya’s monastery in DvArakA, Bilvama~Ngala is mentioned as the
founder of the DvArakAdhIza temple there. He entrusted the service of his
Deity to Hari BrahmacArI, a disciple of Vallabha BhaTTa.
Bilvama~Ngala ThAkura actually entered into the transcendental pastimes of
Lord KRSNa. He has recorded his transcendental experiences and appreciation
in the book known as KRSNa-karNAmRta. In the beginning of that book he has
offered his obeisances to his different gurus, and it is to be noted that he has
adored them all equally. The first spiritual master mentioned is CintAmaNi, who
was one of his instructing spiritual masters because she first showed him the
spiritual path. CintAmaNi was a prostitute with whom Bilvama~Ngala was
intimate earlier in his life. She gave him the inspiration to begin on the path of
devotional service, and because she convinced him to give up material
existence to try for perfection by loving KRSNa, he has first offered his
respects to her. Next he offers his respects to his initiating spiritual master,
Somagiri, and then to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who was also his
instructing spiritual master. He explicitly mentions BhagavAn, who has
peacock feathers on His crown, because the Lord of VRndAvana, KRSNa the
cowherd boy, used to come to Bilvama~Ngala to talk with him and supply him
with milk. In his adoration of zrI KRSNa, the Personality of Godhead, he states
that JayazrI, the goddess of fortune, zrImatI RAdhArANI, takes shelter in the
shade of His lotus feet to enjoy the transcendental rasa of nuptial love. The
complete treatise KRSNa-karNAmRta is dedicated to the transcendental
pastimes of zrI KRSNa and zrImatI RAdhArANI. It is a book to be read and
understood by the most elevated devotees of zrI KRSNa.
Adi 1.58
TEXT 58
jIve sAkSAt nAhi tAte guru caittya-rUpe
zikSA-guru haya kRSNa-mahAnta-svarUpe

jIve—by the living entity; sAkSAt—direct experience; nAhi—there is not;
tAte—therefore; guru—the spiritual master; caittya-rUpe—in the form of the
Supersoul; zikSA-guru—the spiritual master who instructs; haya—appears;
kRSNa—KRSNa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead; mahAnta—the topmost
devotee; sva-rUpe—in the form of.
TRANSLATION
Since one cannot visually experience the presence of the Supersoul, He
appears before us as a liberated devotee. Such a spiritual master is none other
than KRSNa Himself.
PURPORT
It is not possible for a conditioned soul to directly meet KRSNa, the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, but if one becomes a sincere devotee and seriously
engages in devotional service, Lord KRSNa sends an instructing spiritual master
to show him favor and invoke his dormant propensity for serving the
Supreme. The preceptor appears before the external senses of the fortunate
conditioned soul, and at the same time the devotee is guided from within by
the caittya-guru, KRSNa, who is seated as the spiritual master within the heart
of the living entity.
Adi 1.59
TEXT 59
tato duHsa~Ngam utsRjya
satsu sajjeta buddhi-mAn
santa evAsya chindanti
mano-vyAsa~Ngam uktibhiH

tataH—therefore; duHsa~Ngam—bad association; utsRjya—giving up; satsu—
with the devotees; sajjeta—one should associate; buddhi-mAn—an intelligent
person; santaH—devotees; eva—certainly; asya—one’s; chindanti—cut off;
manaH-vyAsa~Ngam—opposing attachments; uktibhiH—by their instructions.
TRANSLATION
“One should therefore avoid bad company and associate only with devotees.
With their realized instructions, such saints can cut the knot connecting one
with activities unfavorable to devotional service.”
PURPORT
This verse, which appears in zrImad-BhAgavatam (11.26.26), was spoken by
Lord KRSNa to Uddhava in the text known as the Uddhava-gIta. The discussion
relates to the story of PurUravA and the heavenly courtesan UrvazI. When
UrvazI left PurUravA, he was deeply affected by the separation and had to
learn to overcome his grief.
It is indicated that to learn the transcendental science, it is imperative that
one avoid the company of undesirable persons and always seek the company
of saints and sages who are able to impart lessons of transcendental
knowledge. The potent words of such realized souls penetrate the heart,
thereby eradicating all misgivings accumulated through years of undesirable
association. For a neophyte devotee there are two kinds of persons whose
association is undesirable: (1) gross materialists who constantly engage in
sense gratification and (2) unbelievers who do not serve the Supreme
Personality of Godhead but serve their senses and their mental whims in terms
of their speculative habits. Intelligent persons seeking transcendental
realization should very scrupulously avoid their company.
Adi 1.60
TEXT 60
satAà prasa~NgAn mama vIrya-saàvido
bhavanti hRt-karNa-rasAyanAH kathAH
taj-joSaNAd Azv apavarga-vartmani
zraddhA ratir bhaktir anukramiSyati

satAm—of the devotees; prasa~NgAt—by intimate association; mama—of Me;
vIrya-saàvidaH—talks full of spiritual potency; bhavanti—appear; hRt—to
the heart; karNa—and to the ears; rasa-AyanAH—a source of sweetness;
kathAH—talks; tat—of them; joSaNAt—from proper cultivation; Azu—quickly;
apavarga—of liberation; vartmani—on the path; zraddhA—faith; ratiH—
attraction; bhaktiH—love; anukramiSyati—will follow one after another.
TRANSLATION
“The spiritually powerful message of Godhead can be properly discussed only
in a society of devotees, and it is greatly pleasing to hear in that association.
If one hears from devotees, the way of transcendental experience quickly
opens, and gradually one attains firm faith that in due course develops into
attraction and devotion.”
PURPORT
This verse appears in zrImad-BhAgavatam (3.25.25), where Kapiladeva replies
to the questions of His mother, DevahUti, about the process of devotional
service. As one advances in devotional activities, the process becomes
progressively clearer and more encouraging. Unless one gets this spiritual
encouragement by following the instructions of the spiritual master, it is not
possible to make advancement. Therefore, one’s development of a taste for
executing these instructions is the test of one’s devotional service. Initially,
one must develop confidence by hearing the science of devotion from a
qualified spiritual master. Then, as he associates with devotees and tries to
adopt the means instructed by the spiritual master in his own life, his
misgivings and other obstacles are vanquished by his execution of devotional
service. Strong attachment for the transcendental service of the Lord
develops as he continues listening to the messages of Godhead, and if he
steadfastly proceeds in this way, he is certainly elevated to spontaneous love
for the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Adi 1.61
TEXT 61
Izvara-svarUpa bhakta tA~Nra adhiSThAna
bhaktera hRdaye kRSNera satata vizrAma

Izvara—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; svarUpa—identical with;
bhakta—the pure devotee; tA~Nra—His; adhiSThAna—abode; bhaktera—of the
devotee; hRdaye—in the heart; kRSNera—of Lord KRSNa; satata—always;
vizrAma—the resting place.
TRANSLATION
A pure devotee constantly engaged in the loving service of the Lord is
identical with the Lord, who is always seated in his heart.
PURPORT
The Supreme Personality of Godhead is one without a second, and therefore
He is all-powerful. He has inconceivable energies, of which three are principal.
The devotee is considered to be one of these energies, never the energetic.
The energetic is always the Supreme Lord. The energies are related to Him for
the purpose of eternal service. A living entity in the conditioned stage can
uncover his aptitude for serving the Absolute Truth by the grace of KRSNa and
the spiritual master. Then the Lord reveals Himself within his heart, and he can
know that KRSNa is seated in the heart of every pure devotee. KRSNa is actually
situated in the heart of every living entity, but only a devotee can realize this
fact.
Adi 1.62
TEXT 62
sAdhavo hRdayaà mahyaà
sAdhUnAà hRdayaà tv aham
mad-anyat te na jAnanti
nAhaà tebhyo manAg api

sAdhavaH—the saints; hRdayam—heart; mahyam—My; sAdhUnAm—of the
saints; hRdayam—the heart; tu—indeed; aham—I; mat—than Me; anyat—
other; te—they; na—not; jAnanti—know; na—nor; aham—I; tebhyaH—than
them; manAk—slightly; api—even.
TRANSLATION
“Saints are My heart, and only I am their hearts. They do not know anyone
but Me, and therefore I do not recognize anyone besides them as Mine.”
PURPORT
This verse appears in zrImad-BhAgavatam (9.4.68) in connection with a
misunderstanding between DurvAsA Muni and MahArAja AmbarISa. As a result
of this misunderstanding, DurvAsA Muni tried to kill the king, when the
Sudarzana cakra, the celebrated weapon of Godhead, appeared on the scene
for the devoted king’s protection. When the Sudarzana cakra attacked
DurvAsA Muni, he fled in fear of the weapon and sought shelter from all the
great demigods in heaven. Not one of them was able to protect him, and
therefore DurvAsA Muni prayed to Lord ViSNu for forgiveness. Lord ViSNu
advised him, however, that if he wanted forgiveness he had to get it from
MahArAja AmbarISa, not from Him. In this context Lord ViSNu spoke this verse.
The Lord, being full and free from problems, can wholeheartedly care for His
devotees. His concern is how to elevate and protect all those who have taken
shelter at His feet. The same responsibility is also entrusted to the spiritual
master. The bona fide spiritual master’s concern is how the devotees who
have surrendered to him as a representative of the Lord may make progress in
devotional service. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is always mindful of
the devotees who fully engage in cultivating knowledge of Him, having taken
shelter at His lotus feet.
Adi 1.63
TEXT 63
bhavad-vidhA bhAgavatAs
tIrtha-bhUtAH svayaà vibho
tIrthI-kurvanti tIrthAni
svAntaH-sthena gadA-bhRtA

bhavat—your good self; vidhAH—like; bhAgavatAH—devotees; tIrtha—holy
places of pilgrimage; bhUtAH—existing; svayam—themselves; vibho—O
almighty one; tIrthI-kurvanti—make into holy places of pilgrimage; tIrthAni—
the holy places; sva-antaH-sthena—being situated in their hearts; gadA-
bhRtA—by the Personality of Godhead.
TRANSLATION
“Saints of your caliber are themselves places of pilgrimage. Because of their
purity, they are constant companions of the Lord, and therefore they can
purify even the places of pilgrimage.”
PURPORT
This verse was spoken by MahArAja YudhiSThira to Vidura in zrImad-
BhAgavatam (1.13.10). MahArAja YudhiSThira was receiving his saintly uncle
Vidura, who had been visiting sacred places of pilgrimage. MahArAja
YudhiSThira told Vidura that pure devotees like him are personified holy places
because the Supreme Personality of Godhead is always with them in their
hearts. By their association, sinful persons are freed from sinful reactions, and
therefore wherever a pure devotee goes is a sacred place of pilgrimage. The
importance of holy places is due to the presence there of such pure devotees.
Adi 1.64
TEXT 64
sei bhakta-gaNa haya dvi-vidha prakAra
pAriSad-gaNa eka, sAdhaka-gaNa Ara

sei—these; bhakta-gaNa—devotees; haya—are; dvi-vidha—twofold;
prakAra—varieties; pAriSat-gaNa—factual devotees; eka—one; sAdhaka-
gaNa—prospective devotees; Ara—the other.
TRANSLATION
Such pure devotees are of two types: personal associates [pAriSats] and
neophyte devotees [sAdhakas].
PURPORT
Perfect servitors of the Lord are considered His personal associates, whereas
devotees endeavoring to attain perfection are called neophytes. Among the
associates, some are attracted by the opulences of the Personality of
Godhead, and others are attracted by nuptial love of Godhead. The former
devotees are placed in the realm of VaikuNTha to render reverential devotional
service, whereas the latter devotees are placed in VRndAvana for the direct
service of zrI KRSNa.
Adi 1.65-66
TEXTS 65–66
Izvarera avatAra e-tina prakAra
aàza-avatAra, Ara guNa-avatAra
zaktyAveza-avatAra——tRtIya e-mata
aàza-avatAra——puruSa-matsyAdika yata

Izvarera—of the Supreme Lord; avatAra—incarnations; e-tina—these three;
prakAra—kinds; aàza-avatAra—partial incarnations; Ara—and; guNa-
avatAra—qualitative incarnations; zakti-Aveza-avatAra—empowered
incarnations; tRtIya—the third; e-mata—thus; aàza-avatAra—partial
incarnations; puruSa—the three puruSa incarnations; matsya—the fish
incarnation; Adika—and so on; yata—all.
TRANSLATION
There are three categories of incarnations of Godhead: partial incarnations,
qualitative incarnations and empowered incarnations. The puruSas and Matsya
are examples of partial incarnations.
Adi 1.67
TEXT 67
brahmA viSNu ziva——tina guNAvatAre gaNi
zakty-Aveza——sanakAdi, pRthu, vyAsa-muni

brahmA—Lord BrahmA; viSNu—Lord ViSNu; ziva—Lord ziva; tina—three;
guNa-avatAre—among the incarnations controlling the three modes of
material nature; gaNi—I count; zakti-Aveza—empowered incarnations;
sanaka-Adi—the four KumAras; pRthu—King PRthu; vyAsa-muni—VyAsadeva.
TRANSLATION
BrahmA, ViSNu and ziva are qualitative incarnations. Empowered incarnations
are those like the KumAras, King PRthu and MahA-muni VyAsa [the compiler of
the Vedas].
Adi 1.68
TEXT 68
dui-rUpe haya bhagavAnera prakAza
eke ta’ prakAza haya, Are ta’ vilAsa

dui-rUpe—in two forms; haya—are; bhagavAnera—of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead; prakAza—manifestations; eke—in one; ta’—
certainly; prakAza—manifestation; haya—is; Are—in the other; ta’—
certainly; vilAsa—engaged in pastimes.
TRANSLATION
The Personality of Godhead exhibits Himself in two kinds of forms: prakAza
and vilAsa.
PURPORT
The Supreme Lord expands His personal forms in two primary categories. The
prakAza forms are manifested by Lord KRSNa for His pastimes, and their
features are exactly like His. When Lord KRSNa married sixteen thousand
queens in DvArakA, He did so in sixteen thousand prakAza expansions.
Similarly, during the rAsa dance He expanded Himself in identical prakAza
forms to dance beside each and every gopI simultaneously. When the Lord
manifests His vilAsa expansions, however, they are all somewhat different in
their bodily features. Lord BalarAma is the first vilAsa expansion of Lord KRSNa,
and the four-handed NArAyaNa forms in VaikuNTha expand from BalarAma.
There is no difference between the bodily forms of zrI KRSNa and BalarAma
except that Their bodily colors are different. Similarly, zrI NArAyaNa in
VaikuNTha has four hands, whereas KRSNa has only two. The expansions of the
Lord who manifest such bodily differences are known as vilAsa-vigrahas.
Adi 1.69-70
TEXTS 69–70
eka-i vigraha yadi haya bahu-rUpa
AkAre ta’ bheda nAhi, eka-i svarUpa
mahiSI-vivAhe, yaiche yaiche kaila rAsa
ihAke kahiye kRSNera mukhya ‘prakAza’

eka-i—the same one; vigraha—person; yadi—if; haya—becomes; bahu-
rUpa—many forms; AkAre—in appearance; ta’—certainly; bheda—
difference; nAhi—there is not; eka-i—one; sva-rUpa—identity; mahiSI—with
the queens of DvArakA; vivAhe—in the marriage; yaiche yaiche—in a similar
way; kaila—He did; rAsa—rAsa dance; ihAke—this; kahiye—I say; kRSNera—
of KRSNa; mukhya—principal; prakAza—manifested forms.
TRANSLATION
When the Personality of Godhead expands Himself in many forms, all
nondifferent in Their features, as Lord KRSNa did when He married sixteen
thousand queens and when He performed His rAsa dance, such forms of the
Lord are called manifested forms [prakAza-vigrahas].
Adi 1.71
TEXT 71
citraà bataitad ekena
vapuSA yugapat pRthak
gRheSu dvy-aSTa-sAhasraà
striya eka udAvahat

citram—wonderful; bata—oh; etat—this; ekena—with one; vapuSA—form;
yugapat—simultaneously; pRthak—separately; gRheSu—in the houses; dvi-
aSTa-sAhasram—sixteen thousand; striyaH—all the queens; ekaH—the one zrI
KRSNa; udAvahat—married.
TRANSLATION
“It is astounding that Lord zrI KRSNa, who is one without a second, expanded
Himself in sixteen thousand similar forms to marry sixteen thousand queens in
their respective homes.”
PURPORT
This verse is from zrImad-BhAgavatam (10.69.2).
Adi 1.72
TEXT 72
rAsotsavaH sampravRtto
gopI-maNòala-maNòitaH
yogezvareNa kRSNena
tAsAà madhye dvayor dvayoH

rAsa-utsavaH—the festival of the rAsa dance; sampravRttaH—was begun;
gopI-maNòala—by groups of gopIs; maNòitaH—decorated; yoga-IzvareNa—
by the master of all mystic powers; kRSNena—by Lord KRSNa; tAsAm—of
them; madhye—in the middle; dvayoH dvayoH—of each two.
TRANSLATION
“When Lord KRSNa, surrounded by groups of cowherd girls, began the
festivities of the rAsa dance, the Lord of all mystic powers placed Himself
between each two girls.”
PURPORT
This verse is also quoted from zrImad-BhAgavatam (10.33.3).
Adi 1.73-74
TEXTS 73–74
praviSTena gRhItAnAà
kaNThe sva-nikaTaà striyaH
yaà manyeran nabhas tAvad
vimAna-zata-sa~Nkulam
divaukasAà sa-dArANAm
aty-autsukya-bhRtAtmanAm
tato dundubhayo nedur
nipetuH puSpa-vRSTayaH

praviSTena—having entered; gRhItAnAm—of those embracing; kaNThe—on
the neck; sva-nikaTam—situated at their own side; striyaH—the gopIs;
yam—whom; manyeran—would think; nabhaH—the sky; tAvat—at once;
vimAna—of airplanes; zata—with hundreds; sa~Nkulam—crowded; diva-
okasAm—of the demigods; sa-dArANAm—with their wives; ati-autsukya—
with eagerness; bhRta-AtmanAm—whose minds were filled; tataH—then;
dundubhayaH—kettledrums; neduH—sounded; nipetuH—fell; puSpa-
vRSTayaH—showers of flowers.
TRANSLATION
“When the cowherd girls and KRSNa thus joined together, each girl thought
that KRSNa was dearly embracing her alone. To behold this wonderful pastime
of the Lord’s, the denizens of heaven and their wives, all very eager to see
the dance, flew in the sky in their hundreds of airplanes. They showered
flowers and beat sweetly on drums.”
PURPORT
This is another quotation from zrImad-BhAgavatam (10.33.3–4).
Adi 1.75
TEXT 75
anekatra prakaTatA
rUpasyaikasya yaikadA
sarvathA tat-svarUpaiva
sa prakAza itIryate

anekatra—in many places; prakaTatA—the manifestation; rUpasya—of form;
ekasya—one; yA—which; ekadA—at one time; sarvathA—in every respect;
tat—His; sva-rUpa—own form; eva—certainly; saH—that; prakAzaH—
manifestive form; iti—thus; Iryate—it is called.
TRANSLATION
“If numerous forms, all equal in their features, are displayed simultaneously,
such forms are called prakAza-vigrahas of the Lord.”
PURPORT
This is a quotation from the Laghu-bhAgavatAmRta (1.21), compiled by zrIla
RUpa GosvAmI.
Adi 1.76
TEXT 76
eka-i vigraha kintu AkAre haya Ana
aneka prakAza haya, ‘vilAsa’ tAra nAma

eka-i—one; vigraha—form; kintu—but; AkAre—in appearance; haya—is;
Ana—different; aneka—many; prakAza—manifestations; haya—appear;
vilAsa—pastime form; tAra—of that; nAma—the name.
TRANSLATION
But when the numerous forms are slightly different from one another, they
are called vilAsa-vigrahas.
Adi 1.77
TEXT 77
svarUpam anyAkAraà yat
tasya bhAti vilAsataH
prAyeNAtma-samaà zaktyA
sa vilAso nigadyate

sva-rUpam—the Lord’s own form; anya—other; AkAram—features of the
body; yat—which; tasya—His; bhAti—appears; vilAsataH—from particular
pastimes; prAyena—almost; Atma-samam—self-similar; zaktyA—by His
potency; saH—that; vilAsaH—the vilAsa (pastime) form; nigadyate—is called.
TRANSLATION
“When the Lord displays numerous forms with different features by His
inconceivable potency, such forms are called vilAsa-vigrahas.”
PURPORT
This is another quotation from the Laghu-bhAgavatAmRta (1.15).
Adi 1.78
TEXT 78
yaiche baladeva, paravyome nArAyaNa
yaiche vAsudeva pradyumnAdi sa~NkarSaNa

yaiche—just as; baladeva—Baladeva; para-vyome—in the spiritual sky;
nArAyaNa—Lord NArAyaNa; yaiche—just as; vAsudeva—VAsudeva;
pradyumna-Adi—Pradyumna, etc.; sa~NkarSaNa—Sa~NkarSaNa.
TRANSLATION
Examples of such vilAsa-vigrahas are Baladeva, NArAyaNa in VaikuNTha-
dhAma, and the catur-vyUha—VAsudeva, Sa~NkarSaNa, Pradyumna and
Aniruddha.
Adi 1.79-80
TEXTS 79–80
Izvarera zakti haya e-tina prakAra
eka lakSmI-gaNa, pure mahiSI-gaNa Ara
vraje gopI-gaNa Ara sabhAte pradhAna
vrajendra-nandana yA’te svayaà bhagavAn

Izvarera—of the Supreme Lord; zakti—energy; haya—is; e-tina—these
three; prakAra—kinds; eka—one; lakSmI-gaNa—the goddesses of fortune in
VaikuNTha; pure—in DvArakA; mahiSI-gaNa—the queens; Ara—and; vraje—in
VRndAvana; gopI-gaNa—the gopIs; Ara—and; sabhAte—among all of them;
pradhAna—the chief; vraja-indra-nandana—KRSNa, the son of the King of
Vraja; yA’te—because; svayam—Himself; bhagavAn—the primeval Lord.
TRANSLATION
The energies [consorts] of the Supreme Lord are of three kinds: the LakSmIs in
VaikuNTha, the queens in DvArakA and the gopIs in VRndAvana. The gopIs are
the best of all, for they have the privilege of serving zrI KRSNa, the primeval
Lord, the son of the King of Vraja.
Adi 1.81
TEXT 81
svayaà-rUpa kRSNera kAya-vyUha——tA~Nra sama
bhakta sahite haya tA~NhAra AvaraNa

svayam-rUpa—His own original form (two-handed KRSNa); kRSNera—of Lord
KRSNa; kAya-vyUha—personal expansions; tA~Nra—with Him; sama—equal;
bhakta—the devotees; sahite—associated with; haya—are; tA~NhAra—His;
AvaraNa—covering.
TRANSLATION
The personal associates of the primeval Lord, zrI KRSNa, are His devotees, who
are identical with Him. He is complete with His entourage of devotees.
PURPORT
zrI KRSNa and His various personal expansions are nondifferent in potential
power. These expansions are associated with further, secondary expansions,
or servitor expansions, who are called devotees.
Adi 1.82
TEXT 82
bhakta Adi krame kaila sabhAra vandana
e-sabhAra vandana sarva-zubhera kAraNa

bhakta—the devotees; Adi—and so on; krame—in order; kaila—did;
sabhAra—of the assembly; vandana—worship; e-sabhAra—of this assembly;
vandana—worship; sarva-zubhera—of all good fortune; kAraNa—the source.
TRANSLATION
Now I have worshiped all the various levels of devotees. Worshiping them is
the source of all good fortune.
PURPORT
To offer prayers to the Lord, one should first offer prayers to His devotees and
associates.
Adi 1.83
TEXT 83
prathama zloke kahi sAmAnya ma~NgalAcaraNa
dvitIya zlokete kari vizeSa vandana

prathama—first; zloke—in the verse; kahi—I express; sAmAnya—general;
ma~Ngala-AcaraNa—invocation of benediction; dvitIya—second; zlokete—in
the verse; kari—I do; vizeSa—particular; vandana—offering of prayers.
TRANSLATION
In the first verse I have invoked a general benediction, but in the second I
have prayed to the Lord in a particular form.
Adi 1.84
TEXT 84
vande zrI-kRSNa-caitanya-
nityAnandau sahoditau
gauòodaye puSpavantau
citrau zan-dau tamo-nudau

vande—I offer respectful obeisances; zrI-kRSNa-caitanya—to Lord zrI KRSNa
Caitanya; nityAnandau—and to Lord NityAnanda; saha-uditau—
simultaneously arisen; gauòa-udaye—on the eastern horizon of Gauòa;
puSpavantau—the sun and moon together; citrau—wonderful; zam-dau—
bestowing benediction; tamaH-nudau—dissipating darkness.
TRANSLATION
“I offer my respectful obeisances unto zrI KRSNa Caitanya and Lord
NityAnanda, who are like the sun and moon. They have arisen simultaneously
on the horizon of Gauòa to dissipate the darkness of ignorance and thus
wonderfully bestow benediction upon all.”
Adi 1.85-86
TEXTS 85–86
vraje ye vihare pUrve kRSNa-balarAma
koTI-sUrya-candra jini do~NhAra nija-dhAma
sei dui jagatere ha-iyA sadaya
gauòadeze pUrva-zaile karilA udaya

vraje—in Vraja (VRndAvana); ye—who; vihare—played; pUrve—formerly;
kRSNa—Lord KRSNa; balarAma—Lord BalarAma; koTI—millions; sUrya—suns;
candra—moons; jini—overcoming; do~NhAra—of the two; nija-dhAma—the
effulgence; sei—these; dui—two; jagatere—for the universe; ha-iyA—
becoming; sa-daya—compassionate; gauòa-deze—in the country of Gauòa;
pUrva-zaile—on the eastern horizon; karilA—did; udaya—arise.
TRANSLATION
zrI KRSNa and BalarAma, the Personalities of Godhead, who formerly appeared
in VRndAvana and were millions of times more effulgent than the sun and
moon, have arisen over the eastern horizon of Gauòadeza [West Bengal],
being compassionate for the fallen state of the world.
Adi 1.87
TEXT 87
zrI-kRSNa-caitanya Ara prabhu nityAnanda
yA~NhAra prakAze sarva jagat Ananda

zrI-kRSNa-caitanya—Lord zrI KRSNa Caitanya; Ara—and; prabhu nityAnanda—
Lord NityAnanda; yA~NhAra—of whom; prakAze—on the appearance; sarva—
all; jagat—the world; Ananda—full of happiness.
TRANSLATION
The appearance of zrI KRSNa Caitanya and Prabhu NityAnanda has surcharged
the world with happiness.
Adi 1.88-89
TEXTS 88–89
sUrya-candra hare yaiche saba andhakAra
vastu prakAziyA kare dharmera pracAra
ei mata dui bhAi jIvera aj~nAna-
tamo-nAza kari’ kaila tattva-vastu-dAna

sUrya-candra—the sun and the moon; hare—drive away; yaiche—just as;
saba—all; andhakAra—darkness; vastu—truth; prakAziyA—manifesting;
kare—do; dharmera—of inborn nature; pracAra—preaching; ei mata—like
this; dui—two; bhAi—brothers; jIvera—of the living being; aj~nAna—of
ignorance; tamaH—of the darkness; nAza—destruction; kari’—doing; kaila—
made; tattva-vastu—of the Absolute Truth; dAna—gift.
TRANSLATION
As the sun and moon drive away darkness by their appearance and reveal the
nature of everything, these two brothers dissipate the darkness of ignorance
covering the living beings and enlighten them with knowledge of the
Absolute Truth.
Adi 1.90
TEXT 90
aj~nAna-tamera nAma kahiye ‘kaitava’
dharma-artha-kAma-mokSa-vA~nchA Adi saba

aj~nAna-tamera—of the darkness of ignorance; nAma—name; kahiye—I call;
kaitava—cheating process; dharma—religiosity; artha—economic
development; kAma—sense gratification; mokSa—liberation; vA~nchA—desire
for; Adi—and so on; saba—all.
TRANSLATION
The darkness of ignorance is called kaitava, the way of cheating, which
begins with religiosity, economic development, sense gratification and
liberation.
Adi 1.91
TEXT 91
dharmaH projjhita-kaitavo ’tra paramo nirmatsarANAà satAà
vedyaà vAstavam atra vastu ziva-daà tApa-trayonmUlanam
zrImad-bhAgavate mahA-muni-kRte kià vA parair IzvaraH
sadyo hRdy avarudhyate ’tra kRtibhiH zuzrUSubhis tat-kSaNAt

dharmaH—religiosity; projjhita—completely rejected; kaitavaH—in which
fruitive intention; atra—herein; paramaH—the highest; nirmatsarANAm—of
the one-hundred-percent pure in heart; satAm—devotees; vedyam—to be
understood; vAstavam—factual; atra—herein; vastu—substance; ziva-
dam—giving well-being; tApa-traya—of the threefold miseries;
unmUlanam—causing uprooting; zrImat—beautiful; bhAgavate—in the
BhAgavata PurANa; mahA-muni—by the great sage (VyAsadeva); kRte—
compiled; kim—what; vA—indeed; paraiH—with others; IzvaraH—the
Supreme Lord; sadyaH—at once; hRdi—within the heart; avarudhyate—
becomes confined; atra—herein; kRtibhiH—by pious men; zuzrUSubhiH—
desiring to hear; tat-kSaNAt—without delay.
TRANSLATION
“The great scripture zrImad-BhAgavatam, compiled by MahA-muni VyAsadeva
from four original verses, describes the most elevated and kindhearted
devotees and completely rejects the cheating ways of materially motivated
religiosity. It propounds the highest principle of eternal religion, which can
factually mitigate the threefold miseries of a living being and award the
highest benediction of full prosperity and knowledge. Those willing to hear
the message of this scripture in a submissive attitude of service can at once
capture the Supreme Lord in their hearts. Therefore there is no need for any
scripture other than zrImad-BhAgavatam.”
PURPORT
This verse appears in zrImad-BhAgavatam (1.1.2). The words mahA-muni-kRte
indicate that zrImad-BhAgavatam was compiled by the great sage
VyAsadeva, who is sometimes known as NArAyaNa MahA-muni because he is
an incarnation of NArAyaNa. VyAsadeva, therefore, is not an ordinary man but
is empowered by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He compiled the
beautiful BhAgavatam to narrate some of the pastimes of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead and His devotees.
In zrImad-BhAgavatam, a distinction between real religion and pretentious
religion has been clearly made. According to this original and genuine
commentation on the VedAnta-sUtra, there are numerous pretentious faiths
that pass as religion but neglect the real essence of religion. The real religion
of a living being is his natural inborn quality, whereas pretentious religion is a
form of nescience that artificially covers a living entity’s pure consciousness
under certain unfavorable conditions. Real religion lies dormant when artificial
religion dominates from the mental plane. A living being can awaken this
dormant religion by hearing with a pure heart.
The path of religion prescribed by zrImad-BhAgavatam is different from all
forms of imperfect religiosity. Religion can be considered in the following
three divisions: (1) the path of fruitive work, (2) the path of knowledge and
mystic powers, and (3) the path of worship and devotional service.
The path of fruitive work (karma-kANòa), even when decorated by religious
ceremonies meant to elevate one’s material condition, is a cheating process
because it can never enable one to gain relief from material existence and
achieve the highest goal. A living entity perpetually struggles hard to rid
himself of the pangs of material existence, but the path of fruitive work leads
him to either temporary happiness or temporary distress in material existence.
By pious fruitive work one is placed in a position where he can temporarily
feel material happiness, whereas vicious activities lead him to a distressful
position of material want and scarcity. However, even if one is put into the
most perfect situation of material happiness, he cannot in that way become
free from the pangs of birth, death, old age and disease. A materially happy
person is therefore in need of the eternal relief that mundane religiosity in
terms of fruitive work can never award.
The paths of the culture of knowledge (j~nAna-mArga) and of mystic powers
(yoga-mArga) are equally hazardous, for one does not know where one will go
by following these uncertain methods. An empiric philosopher in search of
spiritual knowledge may endeavor most laboriously for many, many births in
mental speculation, but unless and until he reaches the stage of the purest
quality of goodness—in other words, until he transcends the plane of material
speculation—it is not possible for him to know that everything emanates
from the Personality of Godhead VAsudeva. His attachment to the impersonal
feature of the Supreme Lord makes him unfit to rise to that transcendental
stage of vasudeva understanding, and therefore because of his unclean state
of mind he glides down again into material existence, even after having
ascended to the highest stage of liberation. This falldown takes place due to
his want of a locus standi in the service of the Supreme Lord.
As far as the mystic powers of the yogIs are concerned, they are also material
entanglements on the path of spiritual realization. One German scholar who
became a devotee of Godhead in India said that material science had already
made laudable progress in duplicating the mystic powers of the yogIs. He
therefore came to India not to learn the methods of the yogIs’ mystic powers
but to learn the path of transcendental loving service to the Supreme Lord, as
mentioned in the great scripture zrImad-BhAgavatam. Mystic powers can
make a yogI materially powerful and thus give temporary relief from the
miseries of birth, death, old age and disease, as other material sciences can
also do, but such mystic powers can never be a permanent source of relief
from these miseries. Therefore, according to the BhAgavata school, this path
of religiosity is also a method of cheating its followers. In the Bhagavad-gItA it
is clearly defined that the most elevated and powerful mystic yogI is one who
can constantly think of the Supreme Lord within his heart and engage in the
loving service of the Lord.
The path of worship of the innumerable devas, or administrative demigods, is
still more hazardous and uncertain than the above-mentioned processes of
karma-kANòa and j~nAna-kANòa. This system of worshiping many gods, such as
DurgA, ziva, GaNeza, SUrya and the impersonal ViSNu form, is accepted by
persons who have been blinded by an intense desire for sense gratification.
When properly executed in terms of the rites mentioned in the zAstras, which
are now very difficult to perform in this age of want and scarcity, such
worship can certainly fulfill one’s desires for sense gratification, but the
success obtained by such methods is certainly transient, and it is suitable only
for a less intelligent person. That is the verdict of the Bhagavad-gItA. No sane
man should be satisfied by such temporary benefits.
None of the above-mentioned three religious paths can deliver a person from
the threefold miseries of material existence, namely, miseries caused by the
body and mind, miseries caused by other living entities, and miseries caused
by the demigods. The process of religion described in zrImad-BhAgavatam,
however, is able to give its followers permanent relief from the threefold
miseries. The BhAgavatam describes the highest religious form—
reinstatement of the living entity in his original position of transcendental
loving service to the Supreme Lord, which is free from the infections of
desires for sense gratification, fruitive work, and the culture of knowledge
with the aim of merging into the Absolute to become one with the Supreme
Lord.
Any process of religiosity based on sense gratification, gross or subtle, must
be considered a pretentious religion because it is unable to give perpetual
protection to its followers. The word projjhita is significant. Pra- means
“complete,” and ujjhita indicates rejection. Religiosity in the shape of fruitive
work is directly a method of gross sense gratification, whereas the process of
culturing spiritual knowledge with a view to becoming one with the Absolute
is a method of subtle sense gratification. All such pretentious religiosity based
on gross or subtle sense gratification is completely rejected in the process of
bhAgavata-dharma, or the transcendental religion that is the eternal function
of the living being.
BhAgavata-dharma, or the religious principle described in zrImad-
BhAgavatam, of which the Bhagavad-gItA is a preliminary study, is meant for
liberated persons of the highest order, who attribute very little value to the
sense gratification of pretentious religiosity. The first and foremost concern of
fruitive workers, elevationists, empiric philosophers and salvationists is to
raise their material position. But devotees of Godhead have no such selfish
desires. They serve the Supreme Lord only for His satisfaction. zrI Arjuna,
wanting to satisfy his senses by becoming a so-called nonviolent and pious
man, at first decided not to fight. But when he was fully situated in the
principles of bhAgavata-dharma, culminating in complete surrender unto the
will of the Supreme Lord, he changed his decision and agreed to fight for the
satisfaction of the Lord. He then said:
naSTo mohaH smRtir labdhA
tvat-prasAdAn mayAcyuta
sthito ’smi gata-sandehaH
kariSye vacanaà tava
“My dear KRSNa, O infallible one, my illusion is now gone. I have regained my
memory by Your mercy. I am now firm and free from doubt and am prepared
to act according to Your instructions.” (Bg. 18.73) It is the constitutional
position of the living entity to be situated in this pure consciousness. Any so-
called religious process that interferes with this unadulterated spiritual position
of the living being must therefore be considered a pretentious process of
religiosity.
The real form of religion is spontaneous loving service to Godhead. This
relationship of the living being with the Absolute Personality of Godhead in
service is eternal. The Personality of Godhead is described as vastu, or the
Substance, and the living entities are described as vAstavas, or the
innumerable samples of the Substance in relative existence. The relationship of
these substantive portions with the Supreme Substance can never be
annihilated, for it is an eternal quality inherent in the living being.
By contact with material nature the living entities exhibit varied symptoms of
the disease of material consciousness. To cure this material disease is the
supreme object of human life. The process that treats this disease is called
bhAgavata-dharma, or sanAtana-dharma—real religion. This is described in
the pages of zrImad-BhAgavatam. Therefore anyone who, because of his
background of pious activities in previous lives, is anxious to hear zrImad-
BhAgavatam immediately realizes the presence of the Supreme Lord within
his heart and fulfills the mission of his life.
Adi 1.92
TEXT 92
tAra madhye mokSa-vA~nchA kaitava-pradhAna
yAhA haite kRSNa-bhakti haya antardhAna

tAra—of them; madhye—in the midst; mokSa-vA~nchA—the desire to merge
into the Supreme; kaitava—of cheating processes; pradhAna—the chief; yAhA
haite—from which; kRSNa-bhakti—devotion to Lord KRSNa; haya—becomes;
antardhAna—disappearance.
TRANSLATION
The foremost process of cheating is to desire to achieve liberation by merging
into the Supreme, for this causes the permanent disappearance of loving
service to KRSNa.
PURPORT
The desire to merge into the impersonal Brahman is the subtlest type of
atheism. As soon as such atheism, disguised in the dress of liberation, is
encouraged, one becomes completely unable to traverse the path of
devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Adi 1.93
TEXT 93
“pra-zabdena mokSAbhisandhir api nirastaH” iti

pra-zabdena—by the prefix pra; mokSa-abhisandhiH—the intention of
liberation; api—certainly; nirastaH—nullified; iti—thus.
TRANSLATION
“The prefix ‘pra’ [in the verse from zrImad-BhAgavatam] indicates that the
desire for liberation is completely rejected.”
PURPORT
This is an annotation by zrIdhara SvAmI, the great commentator on zrImad-
BhAgavatam.
Adi 1.94
TEXT 94
kRSNa-bhaktira bAdhaka——yata zubhAzubha karma
seha eka jIvera aj~nAna-tamo-dharma

kRSNa-bhaktira—of devotional service to KRSNa; bAdhaka—hindrance; yata—
all; zubha-azubha—auspicious or inauspicious; karma—activity; seha—that;
eka—one; jIvera—of the living entity; aj~nAna-tamaH—of the darkness of
ignorance; dharma—the character.
TRANSLATION
All kinds of activities, both auspicious and inauspicious, that are detrimental to
the discharge of transcendental loving service to Lord zrI KRSNa are actions of
the darkness of ignorance.
PURPORT
The poetical comparison of Lord Caitanya and Lord NityAnanda to the sun and
moon is very significant. The living entities are spiritual sparks, and their
constitutional position is to render devotional service to the Supreme Lord in
full KRSNa consciousness. So-called pious activities and other ritualistic
performances, pious or impious, as well as the desire to escape from material
existence, are all considered to be coverings of these spiritual sparks. The
living entities must get free from these superfluous coverings and fully
engage in KRSNa consciousness. The purpose of the appearance of Lord
Caitanya and Lord NityAnanda is to dispel the darkness of the soul. Before
Their appearance, all these superfluous activities of the living entities were
covering KRSNa consciousness, but after the appearance of these two brothers,
people’s hearts are becoming cleansed, and they are again becoming situated
in the real position of KRSNa consciousness.
Adi 1.95
TEXT 95
yA~NhAra prasAde ei tamo haya nAza
tamo nAza kari’ kare tattvera prakAza

yA~NhAra—whose; prasAde—by the grace; ei—this; tamaH—darkness;
haya—is; nAza—destroyed; tamaH—darkness; nAza—destruction; kari’—
doing; kare—does; tattvera—of the truth; prakAza—discovery.
TRANSLATION
By the grace of Lord Caitanya and Lord NityAnanda, this darkness of
ignorance is removed and the truth is brought to light.
Adi 1.96
TEXT 96
tattva-vastu——kRSNa, kRSNa-bhakti, prema-rUpa
nAma-sa~NkIrtana——saba Ananda-svarUpa

tattva-vastu—Absolute Truth; kRSNa—Lord KRSNa; kRSNa-bhakti—devotional
service to Lord KRSNa; prema-rUpa—taking the form of love for Lord KRSNa;
nAma-sa~NkIrtana—congregational chanting of the holy name; saba—all;
Ananda—of bliss; svarUpa—the identity.
TRANSLATION
The Absolute Truth is zrI KRSNa, and loving devotion to zrI KRSNa exhibited in
pure love is achieved through congregational chanting of the holy name,
which is the essence of all bliss.
Adi 1.97
TEXT 97
sUrya candra bAhirera tamaH se vinAze
bahir-vastu ghaTa-paTa-Adi se prakAze

sUrya—the sun; candra—the moon; bAhirera—of the external world;
tamaH—darkness; se—they; vinAze—destroy; bahiH-vastu—external things;
ghaTa—waterpots; paTa-Adi—plates, etc.; se—they; prakAze—reveal.
TRANSLATION
The sun and moon dissipate the darkness of the external world and thus
reveal external material objects like pots and plates.
Adi 1.98
TEXT 98
dui bhAi hRdayera kSAli’ andhakAra
dui bhAgavata-sa~Nge karAna sAkSAtkAra

dui—two; bhAi—brothers; hRdayera—of the heart; kSAli’—purifying;
andhakAra—darkness; dui bhAgavata—of the two bhAgavatas; sa~Nge—by
the association; karAna—cause; sAkSAt-kAra—a meeting.
TRANSLATION
But these two brothers [Lord Caitanya and Lord NityAnanda] dissipate the
darkness of the inner core of the heart, and thus They help one meet the two
kinds of bhAgavatas [persons or things in relationship with the Personality of
Godhead].
Adi 1.99
TEXT 99
eka bhAgavata baòa——bhAgavata-zAstra
Ara bhAgavata——bhakta bhakti-rasa-pAtra

eka—one; bhAgavata—in relation to the Supreme Lord; baòa—great;
bhAgavata-zAstra—zrImad-BhAgavatam; Ara—the other; bhAgavata—in
relation to the Supreme Lord; bhakta—pure devotee; bhakti-rasa—of the
mellow of devotion; pAtra—the recipient.
TRANSLATION
One of the bhAgavatas is the great scripture zrImad-BhAgavatam, and the
other is the pure devotee absorbed in the mellows of loving devotion.
Adi 1.100
TEXT 100
dui bhAgavata dvArA diyA bhakti-rasa
tA~NhAra hRdaye tA~Nra preme haya vaza

dui—two; bhAgavata—the bhAgavatas; dvArA—by; diyA—giving; bhakti-
rasa—devotional inspiration; tA~NhAra—of His devotee; hRdaye—in the heart;
tA~Nra—his; preme—by the love; haya—becomes; vaza—under control.
TRANSLATION
Through the actions of these two bhAgavatas the Lord instills the mellows of
transcendental loving service into the heart of a living being, and thus the
Lord, in the heart of His devotee, comes under the control of the devotee’s
love.
Adi 1.101
TEXT 101
eka adbhuta——sama-kAle do~NhAra prakAza
Ara adbhuta——citta-guhAra tamaH kare nAza

eka—one; adbhuta—wonderful thing; sama-kAle—at the same time;
do~NhAra—of both; prakAza—the manifestation; Ara—the other; adbhuta—
wonderful thing; citta-guhAra—of the core of the heart; tamaH—darkness;
kare—do; nAza—destruction.
TRANSLATION
The first wonder is that both brothers appear simultaneously, and the other is
that They illuminate the innermost depths of the heart.
Adi 1.102
TEXT 102
ei candra sUrya dui parama sadaya
jagatera bhAgye gauòe karilA udaya

ei—these; candra—moon; sUrya—sun; dui—two; parama—very much; sa-
daya—kind; jagatera—of the people of the world; bhAgye—for the fortune;
gauòe—in the land of Gauòa; karilA—did; udaya—appearance.
TRANSLATION
These two, the sun and moon, are very kind to the people of the world. Thus
for the good fortune of all, They have appeared on the horizon of Bengal.
PURPORT
The celebrated ancient capital of the Sena dynasty, which was known as
Gauòadeza or Gauòa, was situated in what is now the modern district of
Maldah. Later this capital was transferred to the ninth or central island on the
western side of the Ganges at NavadvIpa, which is now known as MAyApur
and was then called Gauòapura. Lord Caitanya appeared there, and Lord
NityAnanda came there and joined Him from the district of Birbhum. They
appeared on the horizon of Gauòadeza to spread the science of KRSNa
consciousness, and it is predicted that as the sun and moon gradually move
west, the movement They began five hundred years ago will come to the
Western civilizations by Their mercy.
Caitanya MahAprabhu and NityAnanda Prabhu drive away the five kinds of
ignorance of the conditioned souls. In the MahAbhArata, Udyoga-parva, Forty-
third Chapter, these five kinds of ignorance are described. They are (1)
accepting the body to be the self, (2) making material sense gratification
one’s standard of enjoyment, (3) being anxious due to material identification,
(4) lamenting and (5) thinking that there is anything beyond the Absolute
Truth. The teachings of Lord Caitanya eradicate these five kinds of ignorance.
Whatever one sees or otherwise experiences one should know to be simply an
exhibition of the Supreme Personality of Godhead’s energy. Everything is a
manifestation of KRSNa.
Adi 1.103
TEXT 103
sei dui prabhura kari caraNa vandana
yA~NhA ha-ite vighna-nAza abhISTa-pUraNa

sei—these; dui—two; prabhura—of the Lords; kari—I do; caraNa—feet;
vandana—obeisance; yA~NhA ha-ite—from which; vighna-nAza—destruction
of obstacles; abhISTa-pUraNa—fulfillment of desires.
TRANSLATION
Let us therefore worship the holy feet of these two Lords. Thus one can be rid
of all difficulties on the path of self-realization.
Adi 1.104
TEXT 104
ei dui zloke kaila ma~Ngala-vandana
tRtIya zlokera artha zuna sarva-jana

ei—these; dui—two; zloke—in the verses; kaila—I did; ma~Ngala—
auspicious; vandana—obeisance; tRtIya—third; zlokera—of the verse;
artha—meaning; zuna—please hear; sarva-jana—everyone.
TRANSLATION
I have invoked the benediction of the Lords with these two verses [texts 1 and
2 of this chapter]. Now please hear attentively the purport of the third verse.
Adi 1.105
TEXT 105
vaktavya-bAhulya, grantha-vistArera òare
vistAre nA varNi, sArArtha kahi alpAkSare

vaktavya—of words to be spoken; bAhulya—elaboration; grantha—of the
book; vistArera—of the big volume; òare—in fear; vistAre—in expanded
form; nA—not; varNi—I describe; sAra-artha—essential meaning; kahi—I say;
alpa-akSare—in few words.
TRANSLATION
I purposely avoid extensive description for fear of increasing the bulk of this
book. I shall describe the essence as concisely as possible.
Adi 1.106
TEXT 106
“mitaà ca sAraà ca vaco hi vAgmitA” iti

mitam—concise; ca—and; sAram—essential; ca—and; vacaH—speech; hi—
certainly; vAgmitA—eloquence; iti—thus.
TRANSLATION
“Essential truth spoken concisely is true eloquence.”
Adi 1.107
TEXT 107
zunile khaNòibe cittera aj~nAnAdi doSa
kRSNe gAòha prema habe, pAibe santoSa

zunile—on one’s hearing; khaNòibe—will remove; cittera—of the heart;
aj~nAna-Adi—of ignorance, etc.; doSa—the faults; kRSNe—in Lord KRSNa;
gAòha—deep; prema—love; habe—there will be; pAibe—will obtain;
santoSa—satisfaction.
TRANSLATION
Simply hearing submissively will free one’s heart from all the faults of
ignorance, and thus one will achieve deep love for KRSNa. This is the path of
peace.
Adi 1.108-109
TEXTS 108–109
zrI-caitanya-nityAnanda-advaita-mahattva
tA~Nra bhakta-bhakti-nAma-prema-rasa-tattva
bhinna bhinna likhiyAchi kariyA vicAra
zunile jAnibe saba vastu-tattva-sAra

zrI-caitanya—of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu; nityAnanda—of Lord
NityAnanda; advaita—of zrI Advaita; mahattva—greatness; tA~Nra—Their;
bhakta—devotees; bhakti—devotion; nAma—names; prema—love; rasa—
mellows; tattva—real nature; bhinna bhinna—different; likhiyAchi—I wrote;
kariyA—doing; vicAra—consideration; zunile—on hearing; jAnibe—will know;
saba—all; vastu-tattva-sAra—the essence of the Absolute Truth.
TRANSLATION
If one patiently hears about the glories of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu, zrI
NityAnanda Prabhu and zrI Advaita Prabhu—and Their devotees, devotional
activities, names and fame, along with the mellows of Their transcendental
loving exchanges—one will learn the essence of the Absolute Truth. Therefore
I have described these [in the Caitanya-caritAmRta] with logic and
discrimination.
Adi 1.110
TEXT 110
zrI-rUpa-raghunAtha-pade yAra Aza
caitanya-caritAmRta kahe kRSNadAsa

zrI-caitanya-prabhum—to Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu; vande—I offer
obeisances; bAlaH—an ignorant child; api—even; yat—of whom;
anugrahAt—by the mercy; taret—may cross over; nAnA—various; mata—of
theories; grAha—the crocodiles; vyAptam—filled with; siddhAnta—of
conclusions; sAgaram—the ocean.
TRANSLATION
I offer my obeisances to Sri Caitanya MahAprabhu, by whose mercy even an
ignorant child can swim across the ocean of conclusive truth, which is full of
the crocodiles of various theories.
PURPORT
By the mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu, even an inexperienced boy with no educational culture can be
saved from the ocean of nescience, which is full of various types of
philosophical doctrines that are like dangerous aquatic animals. The
philosophy of the Buddha, the argumentative presentations of the j~nAnIs, the
yoga systems of Pata~njali and Gautama, and the systems of philosophers like
KaNAda, Kapila and DattAtreya are dangerous creatures in the ocean of
nescience. By the grace of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu one can have real
understanding of the essence of knowledge by avoiding these sectarian views
and accepting the lotus feet of KRSNa as the ultimate goal of life. Let us all
worship Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu for His gracious mercy to the
conditioned souls.
Adi 2.2
TEXT 2
kRSNotkIrtana-gAna-nartana-kalA-pAthojani-bhrAjitA
sad-bhaktAvali-haàsa-cakra-madhupa-zreNI-vihArAspadam
karNAnandi-kala-dhvanir vahatu me jihvA-maru-prA~NgaNe
zrI-caitanya dayA-nidhe tava lasal-lIlA-sudhA-svardhunI

kRSNa—of the holy name of Lord KRSNa; utkIrtana—loud chanting; gAna—
singing; nartana—dancing; kalA—of the other fine arts; pAthaH-jani—with
lotuses; bhrAjitA—beautified; sat-bhakta—of pure devotees; Avali—rows;
haàsa—of swans; cakra—cakravAka birds; madhu-pa—and bumble bees;
zreNI—like swarms; vihAra—of pleasure; Aspadam—the abode; karNa-
Anandi—gladdening the ears; kala—melodious; dhvaniH—sound; vahatu—
let it flow; me—my; jihvA—of the tongue; maru—desertlike; prA~NgaNe—in
the courtyard; zrI-caitanya dayA-nidhe—O Lord Caitanya, ocean of mercy;
tava—of You; lasat—shining; lIlA-sudhA—of the nectar of the pastimes;
svardhunI—the Ganges.
TRANSLATION
O my merciful Lord Caitanya, may the nectarean Ganges waters of Your
transcendental activities flow on the surface of my desertlike tongue.
Beautifying these waters are the lotus flowers of singing, dancing and loud
chanting of KRSNa’s holy name, which are the pleasure abodes of unalloyed
devotees. These devotees are compared to swans, ducks and bees. The river’s
flowing produces a melodious sound that gladdens their ears.
PURPORT
Our tongues always engage in vibrating useless sounds that do not help us
realize transcendental peace. The tongue is compared to a desert because a
desert needs a constant supply of refreshing water to make it fertile and
fruitful. Water is the substance most needed in the desert. The transient
pleasure derived from mundane topics of art, culture, politics, sociology, dry
philosophy, poetry and so on is compared to a mere drop of water because
although such topics have a qualitative feature of transcendental pleasure,
they are saturated with the modes of material nature. Therefore neither
collectively nor individually can they satisfy the vast requirements of the
desertlike tongue. Despite crying in various conferences, therefore, the
desertlike tongue continues to be parched. For this reason, people from all
parts of the world must call for the devotees of Lord zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu, who are compared to swans swimming around the beautiful
lotus feet of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu or bees humming around His lotus feet
in transcendental pleasure, searching for honey. The dryness of material
happiness cannot be moistened by so-called philosophers who cry for
Brahman, liberation and similar dry speculative objects. The urge of the soul
proper is different. The soul can be solaced only by the mercy of Lord zrI
Caitanya MahAprabhu and His many bona fide devotees, who never leave the
lotus feet of the Lord to become imitation MahAprabhus but all cling to His
lotus feet like bees that never leave a honey-soaked lotus flower.
Lord Caitanya’s movement of KRSNa consciousness is full of dancing and
singing about the pastimes of Lord KRSNa. It is compared herein to the pure
waters of the Ganges, which are full of lotus flowers. The enjoyers of these
lotus flowers are the pure devotees, who are like bees and swans. They chant
like the flowing of the Ganges, the river of the celestial kingdom. The author
desires such sweetly flowing waves to cover his tongue. He humbly compares
himself to materialistic persons who always engage in dry talk from which
they derive no satisfaction. If they were to use their dry tongues to chant the
holy name of the Lord—Hare KRSNa, Hare KRSNa, KRSNa KRSNa, Hare Hare/
Hare RAma, Hare RAma, RAma RAma, Hare Hare—as exemplified by Lord
Caitanya, they would taste sweet nectar and enjoy life.
Adi 2.3
TEXT 3
jaya jaya zrI-caitanya jaya nityAnanda
jayAdvaita-candra jaya gaura-bhakta-vRnda

jaya jaya—all glory; zrI-caitanya—to Lord Caitanya; jaya—all glory;
nityAnanda—to Lord NityAnanda; jaya—all glory; advaita-candra—to
Advaita AcArya; jaya—all glory; gaura-bhakta-vRnda—to the devotees of
Lord GaurA~Nga.
TRANSLATION
All glories to Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu and Lord zrI NityAnanda! All
glories to Advaitacandra, and all glories to the devotees of Lord GaurA~Nga!
Adi 2.4
TEXT 4
tRtIya zlokera artha kari vivaraNa
vastu-nirdeza-rUpa ma~NgalAcaraNa

tRtIya—third; zlokera—of the verse; artha—the meaning; kari—I do;
vivaraNa—description; vastu—of the Absolute Truth; nirdeza-rUpa—in the
form of delineation; ma~Ngala—auspicious; AcaraNa—conduct.
TRANSLATION
Let me describe the meaning of the third verse [of the first fourteen]. It is an
auspicious vibration that describes the Absolute Truth.
Adi 2.5
TEXT 5
yad advaitaà brahmopaniSadi tad apy asya tanu-bhA
ya AtmAntar-yAmI puruSa iti so ’syAàza-vibhavaH
Saò-aizvaryaiH pUrNo ya iha bhagavAn sa svayam ayaà
na caitanyAt krSNAj jagati para-tattvaà param iha

yat—that which; advaitam—without a second; brahma—the impersonal
Brahman; upaniSadi—in the UpaniSads; tat—that; api—certainly; asya—His;
tanu-bhA—the effulgence of His transcendental body; yaH—who; AtmA—the
Supersoul; antaH-yAmI—indwelling Lord ; puruSaH—the supreme enjoyer;
iti—thus; saH—He; asya—His; aàza-vibhavaH—expansion of a plenary
portion; SaT-aizvaryaiH—with the six opulences; pUrNaH—full; yaH—who;
iha—here; bhagavAn—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; saH—He;
svayam—Himself; ayam—this one; na—not; caitanyAt—than Lord Caitanya;
kRSNAt—than Lord KRSNa; jagati—in the world; para—higher; tattvam—truth;
param—another; iha—here.
TRANSLATION
What the UpaniSads describe as the impersonal Brahman is but the effulgence
of His body, and the Lord known as the Supersoul is but His localized plenary
portion. Lord Caitanya is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, KRSNa Himself,
full with six opulences. He is the Absolute Truth, and no other truth is greater
than or equal to Him.
PURPORT
The compilers of the UpaniSads speak very highly of the impersonal Brahman.
The UpaniSads, which are considered the most elevated portion of the Vedic
literatures, are meant for persons who desire to get free from material
association and who therefore approach a bona fide spiritual master for
enlightenment. The prefix upa- indicates that one must receive knowledge
about the Absolute Truth from a spiritual master. One who has faith in his
spiritual master actually receives transcendental instruction, and as his
attachment for material life slackens, he is able to advance on the spiritual
path. Knowledge of the transcendental science of the UpaniSads can free one
from the entanglement of existence in the material world, and when thus
liberated, one can be elevated to the spiritual kingdom of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead by advancement in spiritual life.
The beginning of spiritual enlightenment is realization of impersonal Brahman.
Such realization is effected by gradual negation of material variegatedness.
Impersonal Brahman realization is the partial, distant experience of the
Absolute Truth that one achieves through the rational approach. It is
compared to one’s seeing a hill from a distance and taking it to be a smoky
cloud. A hill is not a smoky cloud, but it appears to be one from a distance
because of our imperfect vision. In imperfect or smoky realization of the
Absolute Truth, spiritual variegatedness is conspicuous by its absence. This
experience is therefore called advaita-vAda, or realization of the oneness of
the Absolute.
The impersonal glowing effulgence of Brahman consists only of the personal
bodily rays of the Supreme Godhead, zrI KRSNa. Since zrI Gaurasundara, or
Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu, is identical with zrI KRSNa Himself, the
Brahman effulgence consists of the rays of His transcendental body.
Similarly, the Supersoul, which is called the ParamAtmA, is a plenary
representation of Caitanya MahAprabhu. The antar-yAmI, the Supersoul in
everyone’s heart, is the controller of all living entities. This is confirmed in the
Bhagavad-gItA (15.15), wherein Lord KRSNa says, sarvasya cAhaà hRdi
sanniviSTaH: “I am situated in everyone’s heart.” The Bhagavad-gItA (5.29) also
states, bhoktAraà yaj~na-tapasAà sarva-loka-mahezvaram, indicating that the
Supreme Lord, acting in His expansion as the Supersoul, is the proprietor of
everything. Similarly, the Brahma-saàhitA (5.35) states, aNòAntara-stha-
paramANu-cayAntara-stham. The Lord is present everywhere, within the heart
of every living entity and within each and every atom as well. Thus by this
Supersoul feature the Lord is all-pervading.
Furthermore, Lord Caitanya is also the master of all wealth, strength, fame,
beauty, knowledge and renunciation because He is zrI KRSNa Himself. He is
described as pUrNa, or complete. In the feature of Lord Caitanya, the Lord is
an ideal renouncer, just as zrI RAma was an ideal king. Lord Caitanya accepted
the order of sannyAsa and exemplified exceedingly wonderful principles in His
own life. No one can compare to Him in the order of sannyAsa. Although in
Kali-yuga acceptance of the sannyAsa order is generally forbidden, Lord
Caitanya accepted it because He is complete in renunciation. Others cannot
imitate Him but can only follow in His footsteps as far as possible. Those who
are unfit for this order of life are strictly forbidden by the injunctions of the
zAstras to accept it. Lord Caitanya, however, is complete in renunciation as
well as all other opulences. He is therefore the highest principle of the
Absolute Truth.
By an analytical study of the truth of Lord Caitanya, one will find that He is
not different from the Supreme Personality of Godhead KRSNa; no one is
greater than or even equal to Him. In the Bhagavad-gItA (7.7) Lord KRSNa says
to Arjuna, mattaH parataraà nAnyat ki~ncid asti dhana~njaya: “O conqueror of
wealth [Arjuna], there is no truth superior to Me.” Thus it is here confirmed
that there is no truth higher than Lord zrI KRSNa Caitanya.
The impersonal Brahman is the goal of those who cultivate the study of books
of transcendental knowledge, and the Supersoul is the goal of those who
perform the yoga practices. One who knows the Supreme Personality of
Godhead surpasses realization of both Brahman and ParamAtmA because
BhagavAn is the ultimate platform of absolute knowledge.
The Personality of Godhead is the complete form of sac-cid-Ananda (full life,
knowledge and bliss). By realization of the sat portion of the Complete Whole
(unlimited existence), one realizes the impersonal Brahman aspect of the Lord.
By realization of the cit portion of the Complete Whole (unlimited knowledge),
one can realize the localized aspect of the Lord, the ParamAtmA. But neither of
these partial realizations of the Complete Whole can help one realize Ananda,
or complete bliss. Without such realization of Ananda, knowledge of the
Absolute Truth is incomplete.
This verse of the Caitanya-caritAmRta by KRSNadAsa KavirAja GosvAmI is
confirmed by a parallel statement in the Tattva-sandarbha, by zrIla JIva
GosvAmI. In the Ninth Part of the Tattva-sandarbha it is said that the Absolute
Truth is sometimes approached as impersonal Brahman, which, although
spiritual, is only a partial representation of the Absolute Truth. NArAyaNa, the
predominating Deity in VaikuNTha, is to be known as an expansion of zrI
KRSNa, but zrI KRSNa is the Supreme Absolute Truth, the object of the
transcendental love of all living entities.
Adi 2.6
TEXT 6
brahma, AtmA, bhagavAn——anuvAda tina
a~Nga-prabhA, aàza, svarUpa——tina vidheya-cihna

brahma—the impersonal Brahman; AtmA—the localized ParamAtmA;
bhagavAn—the Personality of Godhead; anuvAda—subjects; tina—three;
a~Nga-prabhA—bodily effulgence; aàza—partial manifestation; svarUpa—
original form; tina—three; vidheya-cihna—predicates.
TRANSLATION
Impersonal Brahman, the localized ParamAtmA and the Personality of Godhead
are three subjects, and the glowing effulgence, the partial manifestation and
the original form are their three respective predicates.
Adi 2.7
TEXT 7
anuvAda Age, pAche vidheya sthApana
sei artha kahi, zuna zAstra-vivaraNa

anuvAda—the subject; Age—first; pAche—afterwards; vidheya—the
predicate; sthApana—placing; sei—this; artha—the meaning; kahi—I speak;
zuna—please listen; zAstra-vivaraNa—to the description of the scriptures.
TRANSLATION
A predicate always follows its subject. Now I shall explain the meaning of this
verse according to the revealed scriptures.
Adi 2.8
TEXT 8
svayaà bhagavAn kRSNa, viSNu-paratattva
pUrNa-j~nAna pUrNAnanda parama mahattva

svayam—Himself; bhagavAn—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; kRSNa—
Lord KRSNa; viSNu—of all-pervading ViSNu; para-tattva—the ultimate truth;
pUrNa-j~nAna—full knowledge; pUrNa-Ananda—full bliss; parama—supreme;
mahattva—greatness.
TRANSLATION
KRSNa, the original form of the Personality of Godhead, is the summum bonum
of the all-pervading ViSNu. He is all-perfect knowledge and all-perfect bliss.
He is the Supreme Transcendence.
Adi 2.9
TEXT 9
‘nanda-suta’ bali’ yA~Nre bhAgavate gAi
sei kRSNa avatIrNa caitanya-gosA~ni

nanda-suta—the son of Nanda MahArAja; bali’—as; yA~Nre—who;
bhAgavate—in zrImad-BhAgavatam; gAi—is sung; sei—that; kRSNa—Lord
KRSNa; avatIrNa—descended; caitanya-gosA~ni—Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu.
TRANSLATION
He whom zrImad-BhAgavatam describes as the son of Nanda MahArAja has
descended to earth as Lord Caitanya.
PURPORT
According to the rules of rhetorical arrangement for efficient composition in
literature, a subject should be mentioned before its predicate. The Vedic
literature frequently mentions Brahman, ParamAtmA and BhagavAn, and
therefore these three terms are widely known as the subjects of
transcendental understanding. But it is not widely known that what is
approached as the impersonal Brahman is the effulgence of zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu’s transcendental body. Nor is it widely known that the Supersoul,
or ParamAtmA, is only a partial representation of Lord Caitanya, who is
identical with BhagavAn Himself. Therefore the descriptions of Brahman as the
effulgence of Lord Caitanya, the ParamAtmA as His partial representation, and
the Supreme Personality of Godhead KRSNa as identical with Lord Caitanya
MahAprabhu must be verified by evidence from authoritative Vedic
literatures.
The author wants to establish first that the essence of the Vedas is the viSNu-
tattva, the Absolute Truth, ViSNu, the all-pervading Godhead. The viSNu-tattva
has different categories, of which the highest is Lord KRSNa, the ultimate
viSNu-tattva, as confirmed in the Bhagavad-gItA and throughout the Vedic
literature. In zrImad-BhAgavatam the same Supreme Personality of Godhead
KRSNa is described as Nanda-suta, the son of King Nanda. KRSNadAsa KavirAja
GosvAmI says that Nandasuta has again appeared as Lord zrI KRSNa Caitanya
MahAprabhu, and he bases this statement on his understanding that the Vedic
literature concludes there is no difference between Lord KRSNa and Lord
Caitanya MahAprabhu. This the author will prove. If it is thus proved that zrI
KRSNa is the origin of all tattvas (truths), namely Brahman, ParamAtmA and
BhagavAn, and that there is no difference between zrI KRSNa and Lord zrI
Caitanya MahAprabhu, it will not be difficult to understand that zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu is also the same origin of all tattvas. The same Absolute Truth, as
He is revealed to students of different realizations, is called Brahman,
ParamAtmA and BhagavAn.
Adi 2.10
TEXT 10
prakAza-vizeSe te~Nha dhare tina nAma
brahma, paramAtmA Ara svayaà-bhagavAn

prakAza—of manifestation; vizeSe—in variety; te~Nha—He; dhare—holds;
tina—three; nAma—names; brahma—Brahman; paramAtmA—ParamAtmA
(Supersoul); Ara—and; svayam—Himself; bhagavAn—the Supreme
Personality of Godhead.
TRANSLATION
In terms of His various manifestations, He is known in three features, called
the impersonal Brahman, the localized ParamAtmA and the original Personality
of Godhead.
PURPORT
zrIla JIva GosvAmI has explained the word bhagavAn in his Bhagavat-
sandarbha. The Personality of Godhead, being full of all conceivable and
inconceivable potencies, is the absolute Supreme Whole. Impersonal Brahman
is a partial manifestation of the Absolute Truth realized in the absence of such
complete potencies. The first syllable of the word bhagavAn is bha, which
means “sustainer” and “protector.” The next letter, ga, means “leader,”
“pusher” and “creator.” Va means “dwelling” (all living beings dwell in the
Supreme Lord, and the Supreme Lord dwells within the heart of every living
being). Combining all these concepts, the word bhagavAn carries the import of
inconceivable potency in knowledge, energy, strength, opulence, power and
influence, devoid of all varieties of inferiority. Without such inconceivable
potencies, one cannot fully sustain or protect. Our modern civilization is
sustained by scientific arrangements devised by many great scientific brains.
We can just imagine, therefore, the gigantic brain whose arrangements
sustain the gravity of the unlimited number of planets and satellites and who
creates the unlimited space in which they float. If one considers the
intelligence needed to orbit man-made satellites, one cannot be fooled into
thinking that there is not a gigantic intelligence responsible for the
arrangements of the various planetary systems. There is no reason to believe
that all the gigantic planets float in space without the superior arrangement of
a superior intelligence. This subject is clearly dealt with in the Bhagavad-gItA
(15.13), where the Personality of Godhead says, “I enter into each planet, and
by My energy they stay in orbit.” Were the planets not held in the grip of the
Personality of Godhead, they would all scatter like dust in the air. Modern
scientists can only impractically explain this inconceivable strength of the
Personality of Godhead.
The potencies of the syllables bha, ga and va apply in terms of many different
meanings. Through His different potent agents, the Lord protects and sustains
everything, but He Himself personally protects and sustains only His
devotees, just as a king personally sustains and protects his own children,
while entrusting the protection and sustenance of the state to various
administrative agents. The Lord is the leader of His devotees, as we learn
from the Bhagavad-gItA, which mentions that the Personality of Godhead
personally instructs His loving devotees how to make certain progress on the
path of devotion and thus surely approach the kingdom of God. The Lord is
also the recipient of all the adoration offered by His devotees, for whom He is
the objective and the goal. For His devotees the Lord creates a favorable
condition for developing a sense of transcendental love of Godhead.
Sometimes He does this by taking away a devotee’s material attachments by
force and baffling all his material protective agents, for thus the devotee must
completely depend on the Lord’s protection. In this way the Lord proves
Himself the leader of His devotees.
The Lord is not directly attached to the creation, maintenance and destruction
of the material world, for He is eternally busy in the enjoyment of
transcendental bliss with paraphernalia composed of His internal potencies.
Yet as the initiator of the material energy as well as the marginal potency (the
living beings), He expands Himself as the puruSa-avatAras, who are invested
with potencies similar to His. The puruSa-avatAras are also in the category of
bhagavat-tattva because each and every one of them is identical with the
original form of the Personality of Godhead. The living entities are His
infinitesimal particles and are qualitatively one with Him. They are sent into
this material world for material enjoyment, to fulfill their desires to be
independent individuals, but still they are subject to the supreme will of the
Lord. The Lord deputes Himself in the state of Supersoul to supervise the
arrangements for such material enjoyment. The example of a temporary fair is
quite appropriate in this connection. If the citizens of a state assemble in a fair
to enjoy for a short period, the government deputes a special officer to
supervise it. Such an officer is invested with all governmental power, and
therefore he is identical with the government. When the fair is over, there is
no need for such an officer, and he returns home. The ParamAtmA is compared
to such an officer.
The living beings are not all in all. They are undoubtedly parts of the Supreme
Lord and are qualitatively one with Him, yet they are subject to His control.
Thus they are never equal to the Lord or one with Him. The Lord who
associates with the living being is the ParamAtmA, or supreme living being. No
one, therefore, should view the tiny living beings and supreme living being to
be on an equal level.
The all-pervading truth that exists eternally during the creation, maintenance
and annihilation of the material world and in which the living beings rest in
trance is called the impersonal Brahman.
Adi 2.11
TEXT 11
vadanti tat tattva-vidas
tattvaà yaj j~nAnam advayam
brahmeti paramAtmeti
bhagavAn iti zabdyate

vadanti—they say; tat—that; tattva-vidaH—learned souls; tattvam—the
Absolute Truth; yat—which; j~nAnam—knowledge; advayam—nondual;
brahma—Brahman; iti—thus; paramAtmA—ParamAtmA; iti—thus;
bhagavAn—BhagavAn; iti—thus; zabdyate—is known.
TRANSLATION
“Learned transcendentalists who know the Absolute Truth say that it is
nondual knowledge and is called impersonal Brahman, the localized
ParamAtmA and the Personality of Godhead.”
PURPORT
This Sanskrit verse appears as the eleventh verse of the First Canto, Second
Chapter, of zrImad-BhAgavatam, where SUta GosvAmI answers the questions
of the sages headed by zaunaka RSi concerning the essence of all scriptural
instructions. Tattva-vidaH refers to persons who have knowledge of the
Absolute Truth. They can certainly understand knowledge without duality
because they are on the spiritual platform. The Absolute Truth is known
sometimes as Brahman, sometimes as ParamAtmA and sometimes as
BhagavAn. Persons who are in knowledge of the truth know that one who
tries to approach the Absolute simply by mental speculation will ultimately
realize the impersonal Brahman, and one who tries to approach the Absolute
through yoga practice will be able to realize ParamAtmA, but one who has
complete knowledge and spiritual understanding realizes the spiritual form of
BhagavAn, the Personality of Godhead.
Devotees of the Personality of Godhead know that zrI KRSNa, the son of the
King of Vraja, is the Absolute Truth. They do not discriminate between zrI
KRSNa’s name, form, quality and pastimes. One who wants to separate the
Lord’s absolute name, form and qualities from the Lord Himself must be
understood to be lacking in absolute knowledge. A pure devotee knows that
when he chants the transcendental name “KRSNa,” zrI KRSNa is present as
transcendental sound. He therefore chants with full respect and veneration.
When he sees the forms of zrI KRSNa, he does not see anything different from
the Lord. If one sees otherwise, he must be considered untrained in absolute
knowledge. This lack of absolute knowledge is called mAyA. One who is not
KRSNa conscious is ruled by the spell of mAyA under the control of a duality in
knowledge. In the Absolute, all manifestations of the Supreme Lord are
nondual, just as the multifarious forms of ViSNu, the controller of mAyA, are
nondual. Empiric philosophers who pursue the impersonal Brahman accept
only the knowledge that the personality of the living entity is not different
from the personality of the Supreme Lord, and mystic yogIs who try to locate
the ParamAtmA accept only the knowledge that the pure soul is not different
from the Supersoul. The absolute conception of a pure devotee, however,
includes all others. A devotee does not see anything except in its relationship
with KRSNa, and therefore his realization is the most perfect of all.
Adi 1.12
TEXT 12
tA~NhAra a~Ngera zuddha kiraNa-maNòala
upaniSat kahe tA~Nre brahma sunirmala

tA~NhAra—His; a~Ngera—of the body; zuddha—pure; kiraNa—of rays;
maNòala—realm; upaniSat—the UpaniSads; kahe—say; tA~Nre—unto that;
brahma—Brahman; su-nirmala—transcendental.
TRANSLATION
What the UpaniSads call the transcendental, impersonal Brahman is the realm
of the glowing effulgence of the same Supreme Person.
PURPORT
Three mantras of the MuNòaka UpaniSad (2.2.9–11) give information regarding
the bodily effulgence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. They state:
hiraNmaye pare koze virajaà brahma niSkalam
tac chubhraà jyotiSAà jyotis tad yad Atma-vido viduH
na tatra sUryo bhAti na candra-tArakaà
nemA vidyuto bhAnti kuto ’yam agniH
tam eva bhAntam anubhAti sarvaà
tasya bhAsA sarvam idaà vibhAti
brahmaivedam amRtaà purastAd brahma
pazcAd brahma dakSiNataz cottareNa
adhaz cordhvaà ca prasRtaà brahmai-
vedaà vizvam idaà variSTham
“In the spiritual realm, beyond the material covering, is the unlimited Brahman
effulgence, which is free from material contamination. That effulgent white
light is understood by transcendentalists to be the light of all lights. In that
realm there is no need of sunshine, moonshine, fire or electricity for
illumination. Indeed, whatever illumination appears in the material world is
only a reflection of that supreme illumination. That Brahman is in front and in
back, in the north, south, east and west, and also overhead and below. In
other words, that supreme Brahman effulgence spreads throughout both the
material and spiritual skies.”
Adi 2.13
TEXT 13
carma-cakSe dekhe yaiche sUrya nirvizeSa
j~nAna-mArge laite nAre kRSNera vizeSa

carma-cakSe—by the naked eye; dekhe—one sees; yaiche—just as; sUrya—
the sun; nirvizeSa—without variegatedness; j~nAna-mArge—by the path of
philosophical speculation; laite—to accept; nAre—not able; kRSNera—of Lord
KRSNa; vizeSa—the variety.
TRANSLATION
As with the naked eye one cannot know the sun except as a glowing
substance, merely by philosophical speculation one cannot understand Lord
KRSNa’s transcendental varieties.
Adi 2.14
TEXT 14
yasya prabhA prabhavato jagad-aNòa-koTi-
koTISv azeSa-vasudhAdi-vibhUti-bhinnam
tad brahma niSkalam anantam azeSa-bhUtaà
govindam Adi-puruSaà tam ahaà bhajAmi

yasya—of whom; prabhA—the effulgence; prabhavataH—of one who excels
in power; jagat-aNòa—of universes; koTi-koTISu—in millions and millions;
azeSa—unlimited; vasudhA-Adi—with planets, etc.; vibhUti—with opulences;
bhinnam—becoming variegated; tat—that; brahma—Brahman; niSkalam—
without parts; anantam—unlimited; azeSa-bhUtam—being complete;
govindam—Lord Govinda; Adi-puruSam—the original person; tam—Him;
aham—I; bhajAmi—worship.
TRANSLATION
“I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, who is endowed with great power.
The glowing effulgence of His transcendental form is the impersonal Brahman,
which is absolute, complete and unlimited and which displays the varieties of
countless planets, with their different opulences, in millions and millions of
universes.”
PURPORT
This verse appears in the Brahma-saàhitA (5.40). Each and every one of the
countless universes is full of innumerable planets with different constitutions
and atmospheres. All these come from the unlimited nondual Brahman, or
Complete Whole, which exists in absolute knowledge. The origin of that
unlimited Brahman effulgence is the transcendental body of Govinda, who is
offered respectful obeisances as the original and supreme Personality of
Godhead.
Adi 2.15
TEXT 15
koTI koTI brahmANòe ye brahmera vibhUti
sei brahma govindera haya a~Nga-kAnti

koTI—tens of millions; koTI—tens of millions; brahma-aNòe—in universes;
ye—which; brahmera—of Brahman; vibhUti—opulences; sei—that;
brahma—Brahman; govindera—of Lord Govinda; haya—is; a~Nga-kAnti—
bodily effulgence.
TRANSLATION
[Lord BrahmA said:] “The opulences of the impersonal Brahman spread
throughout the millions and millions of universes. That Brahman is but the
bodily effulgence of Govinda.
Adi 2.16
TEXT 16
sei govinda bhaji Ami, teho~N mora pati
tA~NhAra prasAde mora haya sRSTi-zakti

sei—that; govinda—Lord Govinda; bhaji—worship; Ami—I; teho~N—He;
mora—my; pati—Lord; tA~NhAra—His; prasAde—by the mercy; mora—my;
haya—becomes; sRSTi—of creation; zakti—power.
TRANSLATION
“I worship Govinda. He is my Lord. Only by His grace am I empowered to
create the universe.”
PURPORT
Although the sun is situated far away from the other planets, its rays sustain
and maintain them all. Indeed, the sun diffuses its heat and light all over the
universe. Similarly, the supreme sun, Govinda, diffuses His heat and light
everywhere in the form of His different potencies. The sun’s heat and light are
nondifferent from the sun. In the same way, the unlimited potencies of
Govinda are nondifferent from Govinda Himself. Therefore the all-pervasive
Brahman is the all-pervasive Govinda. The Bhagavad-gItA (14.27) clearly
mentions that the impersonal Brahman is dependent upon Govinda. That is the
real conception of absolute knowledge.
Adi 2.17
TEXT 17
munayo vAta-vAsanAH
zramaNA Urdhva-manthinaH
brahmAkhyaà dhAma te yAnti
zAntAH sannyAsino ’malAH

munayaH—saints; vAta-vAsanAH—naked; zramanAH—who perform severe
physical penances; Urdhva—raised up; manthinaH—whose semen; brahma-
Akhyam—known as Brahmaloka; dhAma—to the abode; te—they; yAnti—
go; zAntAH—equipoised in Brahman; sannyAsinaH—who are in the renounced
order of life; amalAH—pure.
TRANSLATION
“Naked saints and sannyAsIs who undergo severe physical penances, who can
raise the semen to the brain, and who are completely equipoised in Brahman
can live in the realm known as Brahmaloka.”
PURPORT
In this verse from zrImad-BhAgavatam (11.6.47), vAta-vAsanAH refers to
mendicants who do not care about anything material, including clothing, but
who depend wholly on nature. Such sages do not cover their bodies even in
severe winter or scorching sunshine. They take great pains not to avoid any
kind of bodily suffering, and they live by begging from door to door. They
never discharge their semen, either knowingly or unknowingly. By such
celibacy they are able to raise the semen to the brain. Thus they become most
intelligent and develop very sharp memories. Their minds are never disturbed
or diverted from contemplation on the Absolute Truth, nor are they ever
contaminated by desire for material enjoyment. By practicing austerities
under strict discipline, such mendicants attain a neutral state transcendental
to the modes of nature and merge into the impersonal Brahman.
Adi 2.18
TEXT 18
AtmAntaryAmI yA~Nre yoga-zAstre kaya
seha govindera aàza vibhUti ye haya

AtmA antaH-yAmI—in-dwelling Supersoul; yA~Nre—who; yoga-zAstre—in the
scriptures of yoga; kaya—is spoken; seha—that; govindera—of Govinda;
aàza—plenary portion; vibhUti—expansion; ye—which; haya—is.
TRANSLATION
He who is described in the yoga-zAstras as the indwelling Supersoul [AtmA
antar-yAmI] is also a plenary portion of Govinda’s personal expansion.
PURPORT
The Supreme Personality of Godhead is by nature joyful. His enjoyments, or
pastimes, are completely transcendental. He is in the fourth dimension of
existence, for although the material world is measured by the limitations of
length, breadth and height, the Supreme Lord is completely unlimited in His
body, form and existence. He is not personally attached to any of the affairs
within the material cosmos. The material world is created by the expansion of
His puruSa-avatAras, who direct the aggregate material energy and all the
conditioned souls. By understanding the three expansions of the puruSa, a
living entity can transcend the position of knowing only the twenty-four
elements of the material world.
One of the expansions of MahA-ViSNu is KSIrodakazAyI ViSNu, the Supersoul
within every living entity. As the Supersoul of the total aggregate of living
entities, or the second puruSa, He is known as GarbhodakazAyI ViSNu. As the
creator or original cause of innumerable universes, or the first puruSa, who is
lying on the Causal Ocean, He is called MahA-ViSNu. The three puruSas direct
the affairs of the material world.
The authorized scriptures direct the individual souls to revive their relationship
with the Supersoul. Indeed, the system of yoga is the process of transcending
the influence of the material elements by establishing a connection with the
puruSa known as ParamAtmA. One who has thoroughly studied the intricacies
of creation can know very easily that this ParamAtmA is the plenary portion of
the Supreme Being, zrI KRSNa.
Adi 2.19
TEXT 19
ananta sphaTike yaiche eka sUrya bhAse
taiche jIve govindera aàza prakAze

ananta—unlimited; sphaTike—in crystals; yaiche—just as; eka—one; sUrya—
sun; bhAse—appears; taiche—just so; jIve—in the living entity; govindera—
of Govinda; aàza—portion; prakAze—manifests.
TRANSLATION
As the one sun appears reflected in countless jewels, so Govinda manifests
Himself [as ParamAtmA] in the hearts of all living beings.
PURPORT
The sun is situated in a specific location but is reflected in countless jewels
and appears in innumerable localized aspects. Similarly, the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, although eternally present in His transcendental
abode, Goloka VRndAvana, is reflected in everyone’s heart as the Supersoul. In
the UpaniSads it is said that the jIva (living entity) and the ParamAtmA
(Supersoul) are like two birds sitting in the same tree. The Supersoul engages
the living being in executing fruitive work as a result of his deeds in the past,
but the ParamAtmA has nothing to do with such engagements. As soon as the
living being ceases to act in terms of fruitive work and takes to the service of
the Lord (the ParamAtmA), coming to know of His supremacy, he is
immediately freed from all designations, and in that pure state he enters the
kingdom of God, known as VaikuNTha.
The ParamAtmA, or Supersoul, the guide of the individual living beings, does
not take part in fulfilling the desires of the living beings, but He arranges for
their fulfillment by material nature. As soon as an individual soul becomes
conscious of his eternal relationship with the Supersoul and looks only toward
Him, he at once becomes free from the entanglements of material enjoyment.
Christian philosophers who do not believe in the law of karma put forward the
argument that it is absurd to say one must accept the results of past deeds of
which he has no consciousness. A criminal is first reminded of his misdeeds by
witnesses in a law court, and then he is punished. If death is complete
forgetfulness, why should a person be punished for his past misdeeds? The
conception of the ParamAtmA is an invincible answer to these fallacious
arguments. The ParamAtmA is the witness of the past activities of the
individual living being. A man may not remember what he has done in his
childhood, but his father, who has seen him grow through different stages of
development, certainly remembers. Similarly, the living being undergoes
many changes of body through many lives, but the Supersoul is always with
him and remembers all his activities, despite his evolution through different
bodies.
Adi 2.20
TEXT 20
atha vA bahunaitena
kià j~nAtena tavArjuna
viSTabhyAham idaà kRtsnam
ekAàzena sthito jagat

atha vA—or; bahunA—much; etena—with this; kim—what use; j~nAtena—
being known; tava—by you; arjuna—O Arjuna; viSTabhya—pervading;
aham—I; idam—this; kRtsnam—entire; eka-aàzena—with one portion;
sthitaH—situated; jagat—universe.
TRANSLATION
[The Personality of Godhead, zrI KRSNa, said:] “What more shall I say to you? I
live throughout this cosmic manifestation merely by My single plenary
portion.”
PURPORT
Describing His own potencies to Arjuna, the Personality of Godhead zrI KRSNa
spoke this verse of the Bhagavad-gItA (10.42).
Adi 2.21
TEXT 21
tam imam aham ajaà zarIra-bhAjAà
hRdi hRdi dhiSThitam Atma-kalpitAnAm
prati-dRzam iva naikadhArkam ekaà
samadhigato ’smi vidhUta-bheda-mohaH

tam—Him; imam—this; aham—I; ajam—the unborn; zarIra-bhAjAm—of the
conditioned souls endowed with bodies; hRdi hRdi—in each of the hearts;
dhiSThitam—situated; Atma—by themselves; kalpitAnAm—which are
imagined; prati-dRzam—for every eye; iva—like; na eka-dhA—not in one
way; arkam—the sun; ekam—one; samadhigataH—one who has obtained;
asmi—I am; vidhUta—removed; bheda-mohaH—whose misconception of
duality.
TRANSLATION
[Grandfather BhISma said:] “As the one sun appears differently situated to
different seers, so also do You, the unborn, appear differently represented as
the ParamAtmA in every living being. But when a seer knows himself to be one
of Your own servitors, no longer does he maintain such duality. Thus I am now
able to comprehend Your eternal forms, knowing well the ParamAtmA to be
only Your plenary portion.”
PURPORT
This verse from zrImad-BhAgavatam (1.9.42) was spoken by BhISmadeva, the
grandfather of the Kurus, when he was lying on a bed of arrows at the last
stage of his life. Arjuna, KRSNa and numberless friends, admirers, relatives and
sages had gathered on the scene as MahArAja YudhiSThira took moral and
religious instructions from the dying BhISma. Just as the final moment arrived
for him, BhISma spoke this verse while looking at Lord KRSNa.
Just as the one sun is the object of vision of many different persons, so the
one partial representation of Lord KRSNa who lives in the heart of every living
entity as the ParamAtmA is a variously perceived object. One who comes
intimately in touch with Lord KRSNa by engaging in His eternal service sees the
Supersoul as the localized partial representation of the Supreme Personality of
Godhead. BhISma knew the Supersoul to be a partial expansion of Lord KRSNa,
whom he understood to be the supreme, unborn transcendental form.
Adi 2.22
TEXT 22
seita govinda sAkSAc caitanya gosA~ni
jIva nistArite aiche dayAlu Ara nAi

seita—that; govinda—Govinda; sAkSAt—personally; caitanya—Lord
Caitanya; gosA~ni—GosA~ni; jIva—the fallen living entities; nistArite—to
deliver; aiche—such; dayAlu—a merciful Lord; Ara—another; nAi—there is
not.
TRANSLATION
That Govinda personally appears as Caitanya GosA~ni. No other Lord is as
merciful in delivering the fallen souls.
PURPORT
Having described Govinda in terms of His Brahman and ParamAtmA features,
now the author of zrI Caitanya-caritAmRta advances his argument to prove
that Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu is the identical personality. The same Lord
zrI KRSNa, in the garb of a devotee of zrI KRSNa, descended to this mortal
world to reclaim the fallen human beings who had misunderstood the
Personality of Godhead even after the explanation of the Bhagavad-gItA. In
the Bhagavad-gItA the Personality of Godhead zrI KRSNa directly instructed
that the Supreme is a person, that the impersonal Brahman is His glowing
effulgence, and that the ParamAtmA is His partial representation. All men were
therefore advised to follow the path of zrI KRSNa, leaving aside all mundane
“isms.” Offenders misunderstood this instruction, however, because of their
poor fund of knowledge. Thus by His causeless, unlimited mercy zrI KRSNa
came again as zrI Caitanya GosA~ni.
The author of zrI Caitanya-caritAmRta most emphatically stresses that Lord
Caitanya MahAprabhu is zrI KRSNa Himself. He is not an expansion of the
prakAza or vilAsa forms of zrI KRSNa; He is the svayaà-rUpa, Govinda. Apart
from the relevant scriptural evidence forwarded by zrIla KRSNadAsa KavirAja
GosvAmI, there are innumerable other scriptural statements regarding Lord
Caitanya’s being the Supreme Lord Himself. The following examples may be
cited:
(1) From the Caitanya UpaniSad (5): gauraH sarvAtmA mahA-puruSo mahAtmA
mahA-yogI tri-guNAtItaH sattva-rUpo bhaktià loke kAzyati. “Lord Gaura, who
is the all-pervading Supersoul, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, appears
as a great saint and powerful mystic who is above the three modes of nature
and is the emblem of transcendental activity. He disseminates the cult of
devotion throughout the world.”
(2) From the zvetAzvatara UpaniSad (6.7 and 3.12):
tam IzvarANAà paramaà mahezvaraà
taà devatAnAà paramaà ca daivatam
patià patInAà paramaà parastAd
vidAma devaà bhuvanezam Iòyam
“O Supreme Lord, You are the Supreme Mahezvara, the worshipable Deity of
all the demigods and the Supreme Lord of all lords. You are the controller of
all controllers, the Personality of Godhead, the Lord of everything
worshipable.”
mahAn prabhur vai puruSaH
sattvasyaiSa pravartakaH
su-nirmalAm imAà prAptim
IzAno jyotir avyayaH
“The Supreme Personality of Godhead is MahAprabhu, who disseminates
transcendental enlightenment. Just to be in touch with Him is to be in contact
with the indestructible brahmajyoti.”
(3) From the MuNòaka UpaniSad (3.1.3):
yadA pazyaH pazyate rukma-varNaà
kartAram Izaà puruSaà brahma-yonim
“One who sees that golden-colored Personality of Godhead, the Supreme
Lord, the supreme actor, who is the source of the Supreme Brahman, is
liberated.”
(4) From zrImad-BhAgavatam (11.5.33–34 and 7.9.38):
dhyeyaà sadA paribhava-ghnam abhISTa-dohaà
tIrthAspadaà ziva-viri~nci-nutaà zaraNyam
bhRtyArti-haà praNata-pAla-bhavAbdhi-potaà
vande mahA-puruSa te caraNAravindam
“We offer our respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of Him, the Lord, upon
whom one should always meditate. He destroys insults to His devotees. He
removes the distresses of His devotees and satisfies their desires. He, the
abode of all holy places and the shelter of all sages, is worshipable by Lord
ziva and Lord BrahmA. He is the boat of the demigods for crossing the ocean
of birth and death.”
tyaktvA sudustyaja-surepsita-rAjya-lakSmIà
dharmiSTha Arya-vacasA yad agAd araNyam
mAyA-mRgaà dayitayepsitam anvadhAvad
vande mahA-puruSa te caraNAravindam
[SB 11.5.34]
“We offer our respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of the Lord, upon
whom one should always meditate. He left His householder life, leaving aside
His eternal consort, whom even the denizens of heaven adore. He went into
the forest to deliver the fallen souls, who are put into illusion by material
energy.”
PrahlAda said:
itthaà nR-tiryag-RSi-deva jhaSAvatArair
lokAn vibhAvayasi haàsi jagat-pratIpAn
dharmaà mahA-puruSa pAsi yugAnuvRttaà
channaH kalau yad abhavas tri-yugo ’tha sa tvam
“My Lord, You kill all the enemies of the world in Your multifarious
incarnations in the families of men, animals, demigods, RSis, aquatics and so
on. Thus You illuminate the worlds with transcendental knowledge. In the Age
of Kali, O MahApuruSa, You sometimes appear in a covered incarnation.
Therefore You are known as Tri-yuga [one who appears in only three yugas].”
(5) From the KRSNa-yAmala-tantra: puNya-kSetre nava-dvIpe bhaviSyAmi zacI-
sutaH. “I shall appear in the holy land of NavadvIpa as the son of zacI-devI.”
(6) From the VAyu PurANa: kalau sa~NkIrtanArambhe bhaviSyAmi zacI-sutaH. “In
the Age of Kali when the sa~NkIrtana movement is inaugurated, I shall descend
as the son of zacI-devI.”
(7) From the Brahma-yAmala-tantra:
atha vAhaà dharAdhAme
bhUtvA mad-bhakta-rUpa-dhRk
mAyAyAà ca bhaviSyAmi
kalau sa~NkIrtanAgame
“Sometimes I personally appear on the surface of the world in the garb of a
devotee. Specifically, I appear as the son of zacI in Kali-yuga to start the
sa~NkIrtana movement.”
(8) From the Ananta-saàhitA:
ya eva bhagavAn kRSNo
rAdhikA-prANa-vallabhaH
sRSTy Adau sa jagan-nAtho
gaura AsIn mahezvari
“The Supreme Person, zrI KRSNa Himself, who is the life of zrI RAdhArANI and is
the Lord of the universe in creation, maintenance and annihilation, appears as
Gaura, O MahezvarI.”
Adi 2.23
TEXT 23
para-vyomete vaise nArAyaNa nAma
Saò-aizvarya-pUrNa lakSmI-kAnta bhagavAn

para-vyomete—in the transcendental world; vaise—sits; nArAyaNa—Lord
NArAyaNa; nAma—of the name; SaT-aizvarya—of six kinds of opulences;
pUrNa—full; lakSmI-kAnta—the husband of the goddess of opulence;
bhagavAn—the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
TRANSLATION
Lord NArAyaNa, who dominates the transcendental world, is full in six
opulences. He is the Personality of Godhead, the Lord of the goddess of
fortune.
Adi 2.24
TEXT 24
veda, bhAgavata, upaniSat, Agama
‘pUrNa-tattva’ yA~Nre kahe, nAhi yA~Nra sama

veda—the Vedas; bhAgavata—zrImad-BhAgavatam; upaniSat—the
UpaniSads; Agama—other transcendental literatures; pUrNa-tattva—full truth;
yA~Nre—unto whom; kahe—they say; nAhi—there is not; yA~Nra—whose;
sama—equal.
TRANSLATION
The Personality of Godhead is He who is described as the Absolute Whole in
the Vedas, BhAgavatam, UpaniSads and other transcendental literatures. No
one is equal to Him.
PURPORT
There are innumerable authoritative statements in the Vedas regarding the
personal feature of the Absolute Truth. Some of them are as follows:
(1) From the Rk-saàhitA (1.22.20):
tad viSNoH paramaà padaà sadA pazyanti sUrayaH
divIva cakSur Atatam
“The Personality of Godhead ViSNu is the Absolute Truth, whose lotus feet all
the demigods are always eager to see. Like the sun-god, He pervades
everything by the rays of His energy. He appears impersonal to imperfect
eyes.”
(2) From the NArAyaNAtharva-zira UpaniSad (1–2): nArAyaNAd eva
samutpadyante nArAyaNAt pravartante nArAyaNe pralIyante. . . . atha nityo
nArAyaNah. . . . nArAyaNa evedaà sarvaà yad bhUtaà yac ca bhavyam. . . .
zuddho deva eko nArAyaNo na dvitIyo ’sti kazcit. “It is from NArAyaNa only
that everything is generated, by Him only that everything is maintained, and
in Him only that everything is annihilated. Therefore NArAyaNa is eternally
existing. Everything that exists now or will be created in the future is nothing
but NArAyaNa, who is the unadulterated Deity. There is only NArAyaNa and
nothing else.”
(3) From the NArAyaNa UpaniSad (1.4): yataH prasUtA jagataH prasUtI.
“NArAyaNa is the source from whom all the universes emanate.”
(4) From the HayazIrSa Pa~ncarAtra: paramAtmA harir devaH. “Hari is the
Supreme Lord.”
(5) From zrImad-BhAgavatam (11.3.34–35):
nArAyaNAbhidhAnasya
brahmaNaH paramAtmanaH
niSThAm arhatha no vaktuà
yUyaà hi brahma-vittamAH
“O best of the brAhmaNas, please tell us of the position of NArAyaNa, who is
also known as Brahman and ParamAtmA.”
sthity-udbhava-pralaya-hetur ahetur asya
yat svapna-jAgara-suSuptiSu sad bahiz ca
dehendriyAsu-hRdayAni caranti yena
sa~njIvitAni tad avehi paraà narendra
“O King, know Him who is causeless and yet is the cause of creation,
maintenance and annihilation. He exists in the three states of consciousness—
namely waking, dreaming and deep sleep—as well as beyond them. He
enlivens the body, the senses, the breath of life, and the heart, and thus they
move. Know Him to be supreme.”
Adi 2.25
TEXT 25
bhakti-yoge bhakta pAya yA~NhAra darzana
sUrya yena savigraha dekhe deva-gaNa

bhakti-yoge—by devotional service; bhakta—the devotee; pAya—obtains;
yA~NhAra—whose; darzana—sight; sUrya—the sun-god; yena—like; sa-
vigraha—with form; dekhe—they see; deva-gaNa—the denizens of heaven.
TRANSLATION
Through their service, devotees see that Personality of Godhead, just as the
denizens of heaven see the personality of the sun.
PURPORT
The Supreme Personality of Godhead has His eternal form, which cannot be
seen by material eyes or mental speculation. Only by transcendental
devotional service can one understand the transcendental form of the Lord.
The comparison is made here to the qualifications for viewing the personal
features of the sun-god. The sun-god is a person who, although not visible to
our eyes, is seen from the higher planets by the demigods, whose eyes are
suitable for seeing through the glaring sunshine that surrounds him. Every
planet has its own atmosphere according to the influence of the arrangement
of material nature. It is therefore necessary to have a particular type of bodily
construction to reach a particular planet. The inhabitants of earth may be able
to reach the moon, but the inhabitants of heaven can reach even the fiery
sphere called the sun. What is impossible for man on earth is easy for the
demigods in heaven because of their different bodies. Similarly, to see the
Supreme Lord one must have the spiritual eyes of devotional service. The
Personality of Godhead is unapproachable by those who are habituated to
speculation about the Absolute Truth in terms of experimental scientific
thought, without reference to the transcendental vibration. The ascending
approach to the Absolute Truth ends in the realization of impersonal Brahman
and the localized ParamAtmA but not the Supreme Transcendental Personality.
Adi 2.26
TEXT 26
j~nAna-yoga-mArge tA~Nre bhaje yei saba
brahma-Atma-rUpe tA~Nre kare anubhava

j~nAna—of philosophical speculation; yoga—and of mystic yoga; mArge—on
the paths; tA~Nre—Him; bhaje—worship; yei—who; saba—all; brahma—of
impersonal Brahman; Atma—and of the Supersoul (ParamAtmA); rUpe—in the
forms; tA~Nre—Him; kare—do; anubhava—perceive.
TRANSLATION
Those who walk the paths of knowledge and yoga worship only Him, for it is
Him they perceive as the impersonal Brahman and localized ParamAtmA.
PURPORT
Those who are fond of mental speculation (j~nAna-mArga) or want to meditate
in mystic yoga to find the Absolute Truth must approach the impersonal
effulgence of the Lord and His partial representation respectively. Such
persons cannot realize the eternal form of the Lord.
Adi 2.27
TEXT 27
upAsanA-bhede jAni Izvara-mahimA
ataeva sUrya tA~Nra diyeta upamA

upAsanA-bhede—by the different paths of worship; jAni—I know; Izvara—of
the Supreme Lord; mahimA—greatness; ataeva—therefore; sUrya—the sun;
tA~Nra—of Him; diyeta—was given; upamA—simile.
TRANSLATION
Thus one may understand the glories of the Lord through different modes of
worship, as the analogy of the sun illustrates.
Adi 2.28
TEXT 28
sei nArAyaNa kRSNera svarUpa-abheda
eka-i vigraha, kintu AkAra-vibheda

sei—that; nArAyaNa—Lord NArAyaNa; kRSNera—of Lord KRSNa; svarUpa—
original form; abheda—not different; eka-i—one; vigraha—identity; kintu—
but; AkAra—of bodily features; vibheda—difference.
TRANSLATION
NArAyaNa and zrI KRSNa are the same Personality of Godhead, but although
They are identical, Their bodily features are different.
Adi 2.29
TEXT 29
i~Nhota dvi-bhuja, ti~Nho dhare cAri hAtha
i~Nho veNu dhare, ti~Nho cakrAdika sAtha

i~Nhota—this one; dvi-bhuja—two arms; ti~Nho—He; dhare—manifests; cAri—
four; hAtha—hands; i~Nho—this one; veNu—flute; dhare—holds; ti~Nho—He;
cakra-Adika—the wheel, etc.; sAtha—with.
TRANSLATION
This Personality of Godhead [zrI KRSNa] has two hands and holds a flute,
whereas the other [NArAyaNa] has four hands, with conch, wheel, mace and
lotus.
PURPORT
NArAyaNa is identical to zrI KRSNa. They are in fact the same person
manifested differently, like a high court judge who is differently situated in his
office and at home. As NArAyaNa the Lord is manifested with four hands, but
as KRSNa He is manifested with two hands.
Adi 2.30
TEXT 30
nArAyaNas tvaà na hi sarva-dehinAm
AtmAsy adhIzAkhila-loka-sAkSI
nArAyaNo ’~Ngaà nara-bhU-jalAyanAt
tac cApi satyaà na tavaiva mAyA

nArAyaNaH—Lord NArAyaNa; tvam—You; na—not; hi—certainly; sarva—all;
dehinAm—of the embodied beings; AtmA—the Supersoul; asi—You are;
adhIza—O Lord; akhila-loka—of all the worlds; sAkSI—the witness;
nArAyaNaH—known as NArAyaNa; a~Ngam—plenary portion; nara—of Nara;
bhU—born; jala—in the water; ayanAt—due to the place of refuge; tat—
that; ca—and; api—certainly; satyam—highest truth; na—not; tava—Your;
eva—at all; mAyA—the illusory energy.
TRANSLATION
“O Lord of lords, You are the seer of all creation. You are indeed everyone’s
dearest life. Are You not, therefore, my father, NArAyaNa? NArAyaNa refers to
one whose abode is in the water born from Nara [GarbhodakazAyI ViSNu], and
that NArAyaNa is Your plenary portion. All Your plenary portions are
transcendental. They are absolute and are not creations of mAyA.”
PURPORT
This statement, which is from zrImad-BhAgavatam (10.14.14), was spoken by
Lord BrahmA in his prayers to Lord KRSNa after the Lord had defeated him by
displaying His mystic powers. BrahmA had tried to test Lord KRSNa to see if He
were really the Supreme Personality of Godhead playing as a cowherd boy.
BrahmA stole all the other boys and their calves from the pasturing grounds,
but when he returned to the pastures he saw that all the boys and calves were
still there, for Lord KRSNa had created them all again. When BrahmA saw this
mystic power of Lord KRSNa’s, he admitted defeat and offered prayers to the
Lord, addressing Him as the proprietor and seer of everything in the creation
and as the Supersoul who is within each and every living entity and is dear to
all. That Lord KRSNa is NArAyaNa, the father of BrahmA, because Lord KRSNa’s
plenary expansion GarbhodakazAyI ViSNu, after placing Himself on the Garbha
Ocean, created BrahmA from His own body. MahA-ViSNu in the Causal Ocean
and KSIrodakazAyI ViSNu, the Supersoul in everyone’s heart, are also
transcendental expansions of the Supreme Truth.
Adi 2.31
TEXT 31
zizu vatsa hari’ brahmA kari aparAdha
aparAdha kSamAite mAgena prasAda

zizu—playmates; vatsa—calves; hari’—stealing; brahmA—Lord BrahmA;
kari—making; aparAdha—offense; aparAdha—offense; kSamAite—to pardon;
mAgena—begged; prasAda—mercy.
TRANSLATION
After BrahmA had offended KRSNa by stealing His playmates and calves, he
begged the Lord’s pardon for his offensive act and prayed for the Lord’s
mercy.
Adi 2.32
TEXT 32
tomAra nAbhi-padma haite AmAra janmodaya
tumi pitA-mAtA, Ami tomAra tanaya

tomAra—Your; nAbhi-padma—lotus of the navel; haite—from; AmAra—my;
janma-udaya—birth; tumi—You; pitA—father; mAtA—mother; Ami—I;
tomAra—Your; tanaya—son.
TRANSLATION
“I took birth from the lotus that grew from Your navel. Thus You are both my
father and my mother, and I am Your son.
Adi 2.33
TEXT 33
pitA mAtA bAlakera nA laya aparAdha
aparAdha kSama, more karaha prasAda

pitA—father; mAtA—mother; bAlakera—of the child; nA—not; laya—take
seriously; aparAdha—the offense; aparAdha—the offense; kSama—please
pardon; more—unto me; karaha—please show; prasAda—mercy.
TRANSLATION
“Parents never take seriously the offenses of their children. I therefore beg
Your pardon and ask for Your benediction.”
Adi 2.34
TEXT 34
kRSNa kahena——brahmA, tomAra pitA nArAyaNa
Ami gopa, tumi kaiche AmAra nandana

kRSNa—Lord KRSNa; kahena—says; brahmA—O Lord BrahmA; tomAra—your;
pitA—father; nArAyaNa—Lord NArAyaNa; Ami—I (am); gopa—cowherd boy;
tumi—you; kaiche—how; AmAra—My; nandana—son.
TRANSLATION
zrI KRSNa said, “O BrahmA, your father is NArAyaNa. I am but a cowherd boy.
How can you be My son?”
Adi 2.35
TEXT 35
brahmA balena, tumi ki nA hao nArAyaNa
tumi nArAyaNa——zuna tAhAra kAraNa

brahmA—Lord BrahmA; balena—says; tumi—You; ki nA hao—are not;
nArAyaNa—Lord NArAyaNa; tumi—You; nArAyaNa—Lord NArAyaNa; zuna—
please hear; tAhAra—of that; kAraNa—reason.
TRANSLATION
BrahmA replied, “Are You not NArAyaNa? You are certainly NArAyaNa. Please
listen as I state the proofs.
Adi 2.36
TEXT 36
prAkRtAprAkRta-sRSTye yata jIva-rUpa
tAhAra ye AtmA tumi mUla-svarUpa

prAkRta—material; aprAkRta—and spiritual; sRSTye—in the creations; yata—as
many as there are; jIva-rUpa—the living beings; tAhAra—of them; ye—who;
AtmA—the Supersoul; tumi—You; mUla-svarUpa—ultimate source.
TRANSLATION
“All the living beings within the material and spiritual worlds are ultimately
born of You, for You are the Supersoul of them all.
PURPORT
The cosmic manifestation is generated by the interaction of the three modes
of material nature. The transcendental world has no such material modes,
although it is nevertheless full of spiritual variegatedness. In that spiritual
world there are also innumerable living entities, who are eternally liberated
souls engaged in transcendental loving service to Lord KRSNa. The conditioned
souls, who remain within the material cosmic creation, are subjected to the
threefold miseries and pangs of material nature. They exist in different species
of life because they are eternally averse to transcendental loving devotion to
the Supreme Lord.
Sa~NkarSaNa is the original source of all living entities because they are all
expansions of His marginal potency. Some of them are conditioned by
material nature, whereas others are under the protection of the spiritual
nature. The material nature is a conditional manifestation of spiritual nature,
just as smoke is a conditional stage of fire. Smoke is dependent on fire, but in
a blazing fire there is no place for smoke. Smoke disturbs, but fire serves. The
serving spirit of the residents of the transcendental world is displayed in five
varieties of relationships with the Supreme Lord, who is the central enjoyer. In
the material world everyone is a self-centered enjoyer of mundane happiness
and distress. One considers himself the lord of everything and tries to enjoy
the illusory energy, but he is not successful because he is not independent: he
is but a minute particle of the energy of Lord Sa~NkarSaNa. All living beings
exist under the control of the Supreme Lord, who is therefore called
NArAyaNa.
Adi 2.37
TEXT 37
pRthvI yaiche ghaTa-kulera kAraNa Azraya
jIvera nidAna tumi, tumi sarvAzraya

pRthvI—the earth; yaiche—just as; ghaTa—of earthen pots; kulera—of the
multitude; kAraNa—the cause; Azraya—the shelter; jIvera—of the living
beings; nidAna—root cause; tumi—You; tumi—You; sarva-Azraya—shelter
of all.
TRANSLATION
“As the earth is the original cause and shelter of all pots made of earth, so
You are the ultimate cause and shelter of all living beings.
PURPORT
As the vast earth is the source for the ingredients of all earthen pots, so the
Supreme Soul is the source for the complete substance of all individual living
entities. The cause of all causes, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is the
cause of the living entities. This is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gItA (7.10),
where the Lord says, bIjaà mAà sarva-bhUtAnAm (“I am the seed of all living
entities”), and in the UpaniSads, which say, nityo nityAnAà cetanaz
cetanAnAm (“the Lord is the supreme leader among all the eternal living
beings”).
The Lord is the reservoir of all cosmic manifestation, animate and inanimate.
The advocates of ViziSTAdvaita-vAda philosophy explain the VedAnta-sUtra by
saying that although the living entity has two kinds of bodies—subtle
(consisting of mind, intelligence and false ego) and gross (consisting of the
five basic elements)—and although he thus lives in three bodily dimensions
(gross, subtle and spiritual), he is nevertheless a spiritual soul. Similarly, the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, who emanates the material and spiritual
worlds, is the Supreme Spirit. As an individual spirit soul is almost identical to
his gross and subtle bodies, so the Supreme Lord is almost identical to the
material and spiritual worlds. The material world, full of conditioned souls
trying to lord it over matter, is a manifestation of the external energy of the
Supreme Lord, and the spiritual world, full of perfect servitors of the Lord, is a
manifestation of His internal energy. Since all living entities are minute sparks
of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He is the Supreme Soul in both the
material and spiritual worlds. The VaiSNavas following Lord Caitanya stress the
doctrine of acintya-bhedAbheda-tattva, which states that the Supreme Lord,
being the cause and effect of everything, is inconceivably, simultaneously one
with His manifestations of energy and different from them.
Adi 2.38
TEXT 38
‘nAra’-zabde kahe sarva jIvera nicaya
‘ayana’-zabdete kahe tAhAra Azraya

nAra-zabde—by the word nAra; kahe—one means; sarva jIvera—of all living
entities; nicaya—the assemblage; ayana-zabdete—by the word ayana;
kahe—one means; tAhAra—of them; Azraya—the refuge.
TRANSLATION
“The word ‘nAra’ refers to the aggregate of all the living beings, and the word
‘ayana’ refers to the refuge of them all.
Adi 2.39
TEXT 39
ataeva tumi hao mUla nArAyaNa
ei eka hetu, zuna dvitIya kAraNa

ataeva—therefore; tumi—You; hao—are; mUla—original; nArAyaNa—
NArAyaNa; ei—this; eka—one; hetu—reason; zuna—please listen; dvitIya—
second; kAraNa—to the reason.
TRANSLATION
“You are therefore the original NArAyaNa. This is one reason; please listen as I
state the second.
Adi 2.40
TEXT 40
jIvera Izvara——puruSAdi avatAra
tA~NhA sabA haite tomAra aizvarya apAra

jIvera—of the living beings; Izvara—the Supreme Lord; puruSa-Adi—puruSa
incarnations, etc.; avatAra—incarnations; tA~NhA—Them; sabA—all; haite—
than; tomAra—Your; aizvarya—opulences; apAra—boundless.
TRANSLATION
“The direct Lords of the living beings are the puruSa incarnations. But Your
opulence and power are more exalted than Theirs.
Adi 2.41
TEXT 41
ataeva adhIzvara tumi sarva pitA
tomAra zaktite tA~NrA jagat-rakSitA

ataeva—therefore; adhIzvara—primeval Lord; tumi—You; sarva—of all;
pitA—father; tomAra—Your; zaktite—by the energy; tA~NrA—They; jagat—of
the cosmic creations; rakSitA—protectors.
TRANSLATION
“Therefore You are the primeval Lord, the original father of everyone. They
[the puruSas] are protectors of the universes by Your power.
Adi 2.42
TEXT 42
nArera ayana yAte karaha pAlana
ataeva hao tumi mUla nArAyaNa

nArera—of the living beings; ayana—the shelters; yAte—those to whom;
karaha—You give; pAlana—protection; ataeva—therefore; hao—are; tumi—
You; mUla—original; nArAyaNa—NArAyaNa.
TRANSLATION
“Since You protect those who are the shelters of all living beings, You are the
original NArAyaNa.
PURPORT
The controlling Deities of the living beings in the mundane worlds are the
three puruSa-avatAras. But the potent energy displayed by zrI KRSNa is far
more extensive than that of the puruSas. zrI KRSNa is therefore the original
father and Lord who protects all creative manifestations through His various
plenary portions. Since He sustains even the shelters of the collective living
beings, there is no doubt that zrI KRSNa is the original NArAyaNa.
Adi 2.43
TEXT 43
tRtIya kAraNa zuna zrI-bhagavAn
ananta brahmANòa bahu vaikuNThAdi dhAma

tRtIya—third; kAraNa—reason; zuna—please hear; zrI-bhagavAn—O Supreme
Personality of Godhead; ananta—unlimited; brahma-aNòa—universes;
bahu—many; vaikuNTha-Adi—VaikuNTha, etc.; dhAma—planets.
TRANSLATION
“O my Lord, O Supreme Personality of Godhead! Kindly hear my third reason.
There are countless universes and fathomless transcendental VaikuNThas.
Adi 2.44
TEXT 44
ithe yata jIva, tAra trai-kAlika karma
tAhA dekha, sAkSI tumi, jAna saba marma

ithe—in these; yata—as many; jIva—living beings; tAra—of them; trai-
kAlika—past, present and future; karma—the activities; tAhA—that; dekha—
You see; sAkSi—witness; tumi—You; jAna—You know; saba—of everything;
marma—the essence.
TRANSLATION
“Both in this material world and in the transcendental world, You see all the
deeds of all living beings, in the past, present and future. Since You are the
witness of all such deeds, You know the essence of everything.
Adi 2.45
TEXT 45
tomAra darzane sarva jagatera sthiti
tumi nA dekhile kAro nAhi sthiti gati

tomAra—Your; darzane—by the seeing; sarva—all; jagatera—of the
universe; sthiti—maintenance; tumi—You; nA dekhile—in not seeing; kAro—
of anyone; nAhi—there is not; sthiti—staying; gati—moving.
TRANSLATION
“All the worlds exist because You oversee them. None can live, move or have
their being without Your supervision.
Adi 2.46
TEXT 46
nArera ayana yAte kara darazana
tAhAteo hao tumi mUla nArAyaNa

nArera—of the living beings; ayana—the motion; yAte—since; kara—You
do; darazana—seeing; tAhAteo—therefore; hao—are; tumi—You; mUla—
original; nArAyaNa—NArAyaNa.
TRANSLATION
“You oversee the wanderings of all living beings. For this reason also, You are
the primeval Lord NArAyaNa.”
PURPORT
zrI KRSNa, in His ParamAtmA feature, lives in the hearts of all living beings in
both the transcendental and mundane creations. As the ParamAtmA, He
witnesses all actions the living beings perform in all phases of time, namely
past, present and future. zrI KRSNa knows what the living beings have done for
hundreds and thousands of past births, and He sees what they are doing now;
therefore He knows the results of their present actions that will fructify in the
future. As stated in the Bhagavad-gItA, the entire cosmic situation is created
as soon as He glances over the material energy. Nothing can exist without His
superintendence. Since He sees even the abode where the collective living
beings rest, He is the original NArAyaNa.
Adi 2.47
TEXT 47
kRSNa kahena——brahmA, tomAra nA bujhi vacana
jIva-hRdi, jale vaise sei nArAyaNa

kRSNa—Lord KRSNa; kahena—says; brahmA—O BrahmA; tomAra—your; nA—
not; bujhi—I understand; vacana—speech; jIva—of the living entity; hRdi—in
the heart; jale—in the water; vaise—sits; sei—that; nArAyaNa—Lord
NArAyaNa.
TRANSLATION
KRSNa said, “BrahmA, I cannot understand what you are saying. Lord NArAyaNa
is He who sits in the hearts of all living beings and lies down in the waters of
the KAraNa Ocean.”
Adi 2.48
TEXT 48
brahmA kahe——jale jIve yei nArAyaNa
se saba tomAra aàza——e satya vacana

brahmA—Lord BrahmA; kahe—says; jale—in the water; jIve—in the living
being; yei—who; nArAyaNa—NArAyaNa; se—They; saba—all; tomAra—Your;
aàza—plenary part; e—this; satya—truthful; vacana—word.
TRANSLATION
BrahmA replied, “What I have said is true. The same Lord NArAyaNa who lives
on the waters and in the hearts of all living beings is but a plenary portion of
You.
Adi 2.49
TEXT 49
kAraNAbdhi-garbhodaka-kSIrodaka-zAyI
mAyA-dvAre sRSTi kare, tAte saba mAyI

kAraNa-abdhi—KAraNodakazAyI ViSNu; garbha-udaka—GarbhodakazAyI ViSNu;
kSIra-udaka-zAyI—KSIrodakazAyI ViSNu; mAyA-dvAre—with the material
energy; sRSTi—creation; kare—They do; tAte—therefore; saba—all; mAyI—
connected with mAyA.
TRANSLATION
“The KAraNodakazAyI, GarbhodakazAyI and KSIrodakazAyI forms of NArAyaNa
all create in cooperation with the material energy. In this way They are
attached to mAyA.
Adi 2.50
TEXT 50
sei tina jala-zAyI sarva-antaryAmI
brahmANòa-vRndera AtmA ye puruSa-nAmI

sei—these; tina—three; jala-zAyI—lying in the water; sarva—of all; antaH
yAmI—the Supersoul; brahma-aNòa—of universes; vRndera—of the
multitude; AtmA—Supersoul; ye—who; puruSa—puruSa; nAmI—named.
TRANSLATION
“These three ViSNus lying in the water are the Supersoul of everything. The
Supersoul of all the universes is known as the first puruSa.
Adi 2.51
TEXT 51
hiraNya-garbhera AtmA garbhodaka-zAyI
vyaSTi-jIva-antaryAmI kSIrodaka-zAyI

hiraNya-garbhera—of the total of the living entities; AtmA—the Supersoul;
garbha-udaka-zAyI—GarbhodakazAyI ViSNu; vyaSTi—the individual; jIva—of
the living entity; antaH-yAmI—Supersoul; kSIra-udaka-zAyI—KSIrodakazAyI
ViSNu.
TRANSLATION
“GarbhodakazAyI ViSNu is the Supersoul of the aggregate of living entities,
and KSIrodakazAyI ViSNu is the Supersoul of each individual living being.
Adi 2.52
TEXT 52
e sabhAra darzanete Ache mAyA-gandha
turIya kRSNera nAhi mAyAra sambandha

e—this; sabhAra—of the assembly; darzanete—in seeing; Ache—there is;
mAyA-gandha—connection with mAyA; turIya—the fourth; kRSNera—of Lord
KRSNa; nAhi—there is not; mAyAra—of the material energy; sambandha—
connection.
TRANSLATION
“Superficially we see that these puruSas have a relationship with mAyA, but
above them, in the fourth dimension, is Lord KRSNa, who has no contact with
the material energy.
PURPORT
The three puruSas—KAraNodakazAyI ViSNu, GarbhodakazAyI ViSNu and
KSIrodakazAyI ViSNu—all have a relationship with the material energy, called
mAyA, because through mAyA They create the material cosmos. These three
puruSas, who lie on the KAraNa, Garbha and KSIra oceans respectively, are the
Supersoul of everything that be: KAraNodakazAyI ViSNu is the Supersoul of the
collective universes, GarbhodakazAyI ViSNu is the Supersoul of the collective
living beings, and KSIrodakazAyI ViSNu is the Supersoul of all individual living
entities. Because all of Them are somehow attracted to the affairs of the
material energy, They can be said to have some affection for mAyA. But the
transcendental position of zrI KRSNa Himself is not even slightly tinged by
mAyA. His transcendental state is called turIya, or the fourth-dimensional
stage.
Adi 2.53
TEXT 53
virAò hiraNya-garbhaz ca
kAraNaà cety upAdhayaH
Izasya yat tribhir hInaà
turIyaà tat pracakSate

virAT—the virAT manifestation; hiraNya-garbhaH—the hiraNyagarbha
manifestation; ca—and; kAraNam—the kAraNa manifestation; ca—and; iti—
thus; upAdhayaH—particular designations; Izasya—of the Lord; yat—that
which; tribhiH—these three; hInam—without; turIyam—the fourth; tat—that;
pracakSate—is considered.
TRANSLATION
“‘In the material world the Lord is designated as virAT, hiraNyagarbha and
kAraNa. But beyond these three designations, the Lord is ultimately in the
fourth dimension.’
PURPORT
VirAT (the phenomenal manifestation of the Supreme Whole), hiraNyagarbha
(the numinous soul of everything), and kAraNa (the cause, or causal nature) are
all but designations of the puruSas, who are responsible for material creation.
The transcendental position surpasses these designations and is therefore
called the position of the fourth dimension. This is a quotation from zrIdhara
SvAmI’s commentary on the Eleventh Canto, Fifteenth Chapter, verse 16, of
zrImad-BhAgavatam.
Adi 2.54
TEXT 54
yadyapi tinera mAyA la-iyA vyavahAra
tathApi tat-sparza nAhi, sabhe mAyA-pAra

yadyapi—although; tinera—of these three; mAyA—the material energy; la-
iyA—taking; vyavahAra—the dealings; tathApi—still; tat—of that; sparza—
the touch; nAhi—there is not; sabhe—all of Them; mAyA-pAra—beyond the
material energy.
TRANSLATION
“Although these three features of the Lord deal directly with the material
energy, none of Them are touched by it. They are all beyond illusion.
Adi 2.55
TEXT 55
etad Izanam Izasya
prakRti-stho ’pi tad-guNaiH
na yujyate sadAtma-sthair
yathA buddhis tad-AzrayA

etat—this; Izanam—opulence; Izasya—of the Supreme Lord; prakRti-sthaH—
situated in the material nature; api—although; tat—of mAyA; guNaiH—by the
qualities; na—not; yujyate—is affected; sadA—always; Atma-sthaiH—which
are situated in His own energy; yathA—as also; buddhiH—the intelligence;
tat—of Him; AzrayA—which has taken shelter.
TRANSLATION
“‘This is the opulence of the Lord: Although situated in the material nature, He
is never affected by the modes of nature. Similarly, those who have
surrendered to Him and fixed their intelligence upon Him are not influenced
by the modes of nature.’
PURPORT
This text is from zrImad-BhAgavatam (1.11.38). Those who have taken shelter
of the lotus feet of the Personality of Godhead do not identify with the
material world, even while living in it. Pure devotees may deal with the three
modes of material nature, but because of their transcendental intelligence in
KRSNa consciousness, they are not influenced by the material qualities. The
spell of material activities does not attract such devotees. Therefore, the
Supreme Lord and His devotees acting under Him are always free from
material contamination.
Adi 2.56
TEXT 56
sei tina janera tumi parama Azraya
tumi mUla nArAyaNa——ithe ki saàzaya

sei—these; tina—three; janera—of the plenary portions; tumi—You;
parama—ultimate; Azraya—shelter; tumi—You; mUla—primeval;
nArAyaNa—NArAyaNa; ithe—in this; ki—what; saàzaya—doubt.
TRANSLATION
“You are the ultimate shelter of these three plenary portions. Thus there is not
the slightest doubt that You are the primeval NArAyaNa.
PURPORT
BrahmA has confirmed that Lord KRSNa is the Supreme, the source of the three
manifestations known as KSIrodakazAyI ViSNu, GarbhodakazAyI ViSNu and
KAraNodakazAyI ViSNu (MahA-ViSNu). For His pastimes, Lord KRSNa has four
original manifestations—namely VAsudeva, Sa~NkarSaNa, Pradyumna and
Aniruddha. The first puruSa-avatAra, MahA-ViSNu in the Causal Ocean, who is
the creator of the aggregate material energy, is an expansion of Sa~NkarSaNa;
the second puruSa, GarbhodakazAyI ViSNu, is an expansion of Pradyumna; and
the third puruSa, KSIrodakazAyI ViSNu, is an expansion of Aniruddha. All these
are within the category of manifestations of NArAyaNa, who is a manifestation
of zrI KRSNa.
Adi 2.57
TEXT 57
sei tinera aàzI paravyoma-nArAyaNa
te~Nha tomAra vilAsa, tumi mUla-nArAyaNa

sei—these; tinera—of the three; aàzI—source; para-vyoma—in the spiritual
sky; nArAyaNa—Lord NArAyaNa; te~Nha—He; tomAra—Your; vilAsa—pastime
expansion; tumi—You; mUla—original; nArAyaNa—NArAyaNa.
TRANSLATION
“The source of these three features is the NArAyaNa in the spiritual sky. He is
Your vilAsa expansion. Therefore You are the ultimate NArAyaNa.”
Adi 2.58
TEXT 58
ataeva brahma-vAkye——paravyoma-nArAyaNa
te~Nho kRSNera vilAsa——ei tattva-vivaraNa

ataeva—therefore; brahma—of Lord BrahmA; vAkye—in the speech; para-
vyoma—in the spiritual sky; nArAyaNa—Lord NArAyaNa; te~Nho—He;
kRSNera—of Lord KRSNa; vilAsa—pastime incarnation; ei—this; tattva—of the
truth; vivaraNa—description.
TRANSLATION
Therefore according to the authority of BrahmA, the NArAyaNa who is the
predominating Deity in the transcendental world is but the vilAsa feature of
KRSNa. This has now been conclusively proved.
Adi 2.59
TEXT 59
ei zloka tattva-lakSaNa bhAgavata-sAra
paribhASA-rUpe ihAra sarvatrAdhikAra

ei—this; zloka—verse; tattva—the truth; lakSaNa—indicating; bhAgavata—
of zrImad-BhAgavatam; sAra—the essence; paribhASA—of synonyms; rUpe—
in the form; ihAra—of this (zrImad-BhAgavatam); sarvatra—everywhere;
adhikAra—jurisdiction.
TRANSLATION
The truth indicated in this verse [text 30] is the essence of zrImad-
BhAgavatam. This conclusion, through synonyms, applies everywhere.
Adi 2.60
TEXT 60
brahma, AtmA, bhagavAn——kRSNera vihAra
e artha nA jAni’ mUrkha artha kare Ara

brahma—impersonal Brahman; AtmA—Supersoul; bhagavAn—the Supreme
Personality of Godhead; kRSNera—of Lord KRSNa; vihAra—manifestations; e—
this; artha—meaning; nA—not; jAni’—knowing; mUrkha—fools; artha—
meaning; kare—make; Ara—other.
TRANSLATION
Not knowing that Brahman, ParamAtmA and BhagavAn are all features of
KRSNa, foolish scholars speculate in various ways.
Adi 2.61
TEXT 61
avatArI nArAyaNa, kRSNa avatAra
te~Nha catur-bhuja, i~Nha manuSya-AkAra

avatArI—source of incarnations; nArAyaNa—Lord NArAyaNa; kRSNa—Lord
KRSNa; avatAra—incarnation; te~Nha—that; catuH-bhuja—four arms; i~Nha—
this; manuSya—like a man; AkAra—form.
TRANSLATION
Because NArAyaNa has four hands whereas KRSNa looks just like a man, they
say that NArAyaNa is the original God whereas KRSNa is but an incarnation.
PURPORT
Some scholars argue that because NArAyaNa has four hands whereas zrI KRSNa
has only two, NArAyaNa is the original Personality of Godhead and KRSNa is His
incarnation. Such unintelligent scholars do not understand the features of the
Absolute.
Adi 2.62
TEXT 62
ei-mate nAnA-rUpa kare pUrva-pakSa
tAhAre nirjite bhAgavata-padya dakSa

ei-mate—thus; nAnA—many; rUpa—forms; kare—takes; pUrva-pakSa—the
objections; tAhAre—them; nirjite—overcoming; bhAgavata—of zrImad-
BhAgavatam; padya—poetry; dakSa—expert.
TRANSLATION
In this way their arguments appear in various forms, but the poetry of the
BhAgavatam expertly refutes them all.
Adi 2.63
TEXT 63
vadanti tat tattva-vidas
tattvaà yaj j~nAnam advayam
brahmeti paramAtmeti
bhagavAn iti zabdyate

zuna—please listen; bhAi—brothers; ei—this; zloka—verse; karaha—please
give; vicAra—consideration; eka—one; mukhya—principal; tattva—truth;
tina—three; tAhAra—of that; pracAra—manifestations.
TRANSLATION
My dear brothers, kindly listen to the explanation of this verse and consider
its meaning: the one original entity is known in His three different features.
Adi 2.65
TEXT 65
advaya-j~nAna tattva-vastu kRSNera svarUpa
brahma, AtmA, bhagavAn——tina tA~Nra rUpa

advaya-j~nAna—knowledge without duality; tattva-vastu—the Absolute
Truth; kRSNera—of Lord KRSNa; sva-rUpa—own nature; brahma—Brahman;
AtmA—ParamAtmA; bhagavAn—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; tina—
three; tA~Nra—of Him; rUpa—forms.
TRANSLATION
Lord KRSNa Himself is the one undivided Absolute Truth, the ultimate reality.
He manifests Himself in three features—as Brahman, ParamAtmA and
BhagavAn.
PURPORT
In the verse from zrImad-BhAgavatam cited above (BhAg. 1.2.11), the principal
word, bhagavAn, indicates the Personality of Godhead, and Brahman and
ParamAtmA are concomitants deduced from the Absolute Personality, as a
government and its ministers are deductions from the supreme executive
head. In other words, the principal truth is exhibited in three different phases.
The Absolute Truth, the Personality of Godhead zrI KRSNa (BhagavAn), is also
known as Brahman and ParamAtmA, although all these features are identical.
Adi 2.66
TEXT 66
ei zlokera arthe tumi hailA nirvacana
Ara eka zuna bhAgavatera vacana

ei—this; zlokera—of the verse; arthe—by the meaning; tumi—you; hailA—
have become; nirvacana—speechless; Ara—other; eka—one; zuna—please
hear; bhAgavatera—of zrImad-BhAgavatam; vacana—speech.
TRANSLATION
The import of this verse has stopped you from arguing. Now listen to another
verse of zrImad-BhAgavatam.
Adi 2.67
TEXT 67
ete cAàza-kalAH puàsaH
kRSNas tu bhagavAn svayam
indrAri-vyAkulaà lokaà
mRòayanti yuge yuge

ete—these; ca—and; aàza—plenary portions; kalAH—parts of plenary
portions; puàsaH—of the puruSa-avatAras; kRSNaH—Lord KRSNa; tu—but;
bhagavAn—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; svayam—Himself; indra-
ari—the enemies of Lord Indra; vyAkulam—full of; lokam—the world;
mRòayanti—make happy; yuge yuge—at the right time in each age.
TRANSLATION
“All these incarnations of Godhead are either plenary portions or parts of the
plenary portions of the puruSa-avatAras. But KRSNa is the Supreme Personality
of Godhead Himself. In every age He protects the world through His different
features when the world is disturbed by the enemies of Indra.”
PURPORT
This statement of zrImad-BhAgavatam (1.3.28) definitely negates the concept
that zrI KRSNa is an avatAra of ViSNu or NArAyaNa. Lord zrI KRSNa is the original
Personality of Godhead, the supreme cause of all causes. This verse clearly
indicates that incarnations of the Personality of Godhead such as zrI RAma,
NRsiàha and VarAha all undoubtedly belong to the ViSNu group, but all of
Them are either plenary portions or portions of plenary portions of the original
Personality of Godhead, Lord zrI KRSNa.
Adi 2.68
TEXT 68
saba avatArera kari sAmAnya-lakSaNa
tAra madhye kRSNa-candrera karila gaNana

saba—all; avatArera—of the incarnations; kari—making; sAmAnya—general;
lakSaNa—symptoms; tAra—of them; madhye—in the middle; kRSNa-
candrera—of Lord zrI KRSNa; karila—did; gaNana—counting.
TRANSLATION
The BhAgavatam describes the symptoms and deeds of the incarnations in
general and counts zrI KRSNa among them.
Adi 2.69
TEXT 69
tabe sUta gosA~ni mane pA~nA baòa bhaya
yAra ye lakSaNa tAhA karila nizcaya

tabe—then; sUta gosA~ni—SUta GosvAmI; mane—in the mind; pA~nA—
obtaining; baòa—great; bhaya—fear; yAra—of whom; ye—which;
lakSaNa—symptoms; tAhA—that; karila—he made; nizcaya—certainly.
TRANSLATION
This made SUta GosvAmI greatly apprehensive. Therefore he distinguished
each incarnation by its specific symptoms.
Adi 2.70
TEXT 70
avatAra saba——puruSera kalA, aàza
svayaà-bhagavAn kRSNa sarva-avataàsa

avatAra—the incarnations; saba—all; puruSera—of the puruSa-avatAras;
kalA—parts of plenary portions; aàza—plenary portions; svayam—Himself;
bhagavAn—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; kRSNa—Lord KRSNa; sarva—
of all; avataàsa—crest.
TRANSLATION
All the incarnations of Godhead are plenary portions or parts of the plenary
portions of the puruSa-avatAras, but the primeval Lord is zrI KRSNa. He is the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, the fountainhead of all incarnations.
Adi 2.71
TEXT 71
pUrva-pakSa kahe——tomAra bhAla ta’ vyAkhyAna
paravyoma-nArAyaNa svayaà-bhagavAn

pUrva-pakSa—opposing side; kahe—says; tomAra—your; bhAla—nice; ta’—
certainly; vyAkhyAna—exposition; para-vyoma—situated in the spiritual sky;
nArAyaNa—Lord NArAyaNa; svayam—Himself; bhagavAn—the Supreme
Personality of Godhead.
TRANSLATION
An opponent may say, “This is your interpretation, but actually the Supreme
Lord is NArAyaNa, who is in the transcendental realm.
Adi 2.72
TEXT 72
te~Nha Asi’ kRSNa-rUpe karena avatAra
ei artha zloke dekhi ki Ara vicAra

te~Nha—He (NArAyaNa); Asi’—coming; kRSNa-rUpe—in the form of Lord KRSNa;
karena—makes; avatAra—incarnation; ei—this; artha—meaning; zloke—in
the verse; dekhi—I see; ki—what; Ara—other; vicAra—consideration.
TRANSLATION
“He [NArAyaNa] incarnates as Lord KRSNa. This is the meaning of the verse as I
see it. There is no need for further consideration.”
Adi 2.73
TEXT 73
tAre kahe——kene kara kutarkAnumAna
zAstra-viruddhArtha kabhu nA haya pramANa

tAre—to him; kahe—one says; kene—why; kara—you make; ku-tarka—of a
fallacious argument; anumAna—conjecture; zAstra-viruddha—contrary to
scripture; artha—a meaning; kabhu—at any time; nA—not; haya—is;
pramANa—evidence.
TRANSLATION
To such a misguided interpreter we may reply, “Why should you suggest such
fallacious logic? An interpretation is never accepted as evidence if it opposes
the principles of scripture.
Adi 2.74
TEXT 74
anuvAdam anuktvA tu
na vidheyam udIrayet
na hy alabdhAspadaà ki~ncit
kutracit pratitiSThati

anuvAdam—the subject; anuktvA—not stating; tu—but; na—not;
vidheyam—the predicate; udIrayet—one should speak; na—not; hi—
certainly; alabdha-Aspadam—without a secure position; ki~ncit—something;
kutracit—anywhere; pratitiSThati—stands.
TRANSLATION
“‘One should not state a predicate before its subject, for it cannot thus stand
without proper support.’
PURPORT
This rhetorical rule appears in the EkAdazI-tattva, Thirteenth Canto, in
connection with the metaphorical use of words. An unknown object should
not be put before the known subject because the object has no meaning if the
subject is not first given.
Adi 2.75
TEXT 75
anuvAda nA kahiyA nA kahi vidheya
Age anuvAda kahi, pazcAd vidheya

anuvAda—the subject; nA kahiyA—not saying; nA—not; kahi—I say;
vidheya—the predicate; Age—first; anuvAda—the subject; kahi—I say;
pazcAt—afterwards; vidheya—the predicate.
TRANSLATION
“If I do not state a subject, I do not state a predicate. First I speak the former
and then I speak the latter.
Adi 2.76
TEXT 76
‘vidheya’ kahiye tAre, ye vastu aj~nAta
‘anuvAda’ kahi tAre, yei haya j~nAta

vidheya—the predicate; kahiye—I say; tAre—to him; ye—that; vastu—
thing; aj~nAta—unknown; anuvAda—the subject; kahi—I say; tAre—to him;
yei—that which; haya—is; j~nAta—known.
TRANSLATION
“The predicate of a sentence is what is unknown to the reader, whereas the
subject is what is known to him.
Adi 2.77
TEXT 77
yaiche kahi,——ei vipra parama paNòita
vipra——anuvAda, ihAra vidheya——pANòitya

yaiche—just as; kahi—I say; ei—this; vipra—brAhmaNa; parama—great;
paNòita—learned man; vipra—the brAhmaNa; anuvAda—subject; ihAra—of
this; vidheya—predicate; pANòitya—erudition.
TRANSLATION
“For example, we may say, ‘This vipra is a greatly learned man.’ In this
sentence, the vipra is the subject, and the predicate is his erudition.
Adi 2.78
TEXT 78
vipratva vikhyAta tAra pANòitya aj~nAta
ataeva vipra Age, pANòitya pazcAta

vipratva—the quality of being a vipra; vikhyAta—well known; tAra—his;
pANòitya—erudition; aj~nAta—unknown; ataeva—therefore; vipra—the word
vipra; Age—first; pANòitya—erudition; pazcAta—afterwards.
TRANSLATION
“The man’s being a vipra is known, but his erudition is unknown. Therefore the
person is identified first and his erudition later.
Adi 2.79
TEXT 79
taiche i~Nha avatAra saba haila j~nAta
kAra avatAra?——ei vastu avij~nAta

taiche—in the same way; i~Nha—these; avatAra—incarnations; saba—all;
haila—were; j~nAta—known; kAra—whose; avatAra—incarnations; ei—this;
vastu—thing; avij~nAta—unknown.
TRANSLATION
“In the same way, all these incarnations were known, but whose incarnations
they are was unknown.
Adi 2.80
TEXT 80
‘ete’-zabde avatArera Age anuvAda
‘puruSera aàza’ pAche vidheya-saàvAda

ete-zabde—in the word ete (these); avatArera—of the incarnations; Age—
first; anuvAda—the subject; puruSera—of the puruSa-avatAras; aàza—
plenary portions; pAche—afterwards; vidheya—of the predicate; saàvAda—
message.
TRANSLATION
“First the word ‘ete’ [‘these’] establishes the subject [the incarnations]. Then
‘plenary portions of the puruSa-avatAras’ follows as the predicate.
Adi 2.81
TEXT 81
taiche kRSNa avatAra-bhitare haila j~nAta
tA~NhAra vizeSa-j~nAna sei avij~nAta

taiche—in the same way; kRSNa—Lord KRSNa; avatAra-bhitare—among the
incarnations; haila—was; j~nAta—known; tA~NhAra—of Him; vizeSa-j~nAna—
specific knowledge; sei—that; avij~nAta—unknown.
TRANSLATION
“In the same way, when KRSNa was first counted among the incarnations,
specific knowledge about Him was still unknown.
Adi 2.82
TEXT 82
ataeva ‘kRSNa’-zabda Age anuvAda
‘svayaà-bhagavattA’ piche vidheya-saàvAda

ataeva—therefore; kRSNa-zabda—the word kRSNa; Age—first; anuvAda—the
subject; svayam-bhagavattA—being Himself the Supreme Personality of
Godhead; piche—afterwards; vidheya—of the predicate; saàvAda—the
message
TRANSLATION
“Therefore first the word ‘kRSNa’ appears as the subject, followed by the
predicate, describing Him as the original Personality of Godhead.
Adi 2.83
TEXT 83
kRSNera svayaà-bhagavattA——ihA haila sAdhya
svayaà-bhagavAnera kRSNatva haila bAdhya

kRSNera—of Lord KRSNa; svayam-bhagavattA—the quality of being Himself
the Supreme Personality of Godhead; ihA—this; haila—was; sAdhya—to be
established; svayam-bhagavAnera—of the Supreme Personality of Godhead;
kRSNatva—the quality of being Lord KRSNa; haila—was; bAdhya—obligatory
TRANSLATION
“This establishes that zrI KRSNa is the original Personality of Godhead. The
original Personality of Godhead is therefore necessarily KRSNa.
Adi 2.84
TEXT 84
kRSNa yadi aàza haita, aàzI nArAyaNa
tabe viparIta haita sUtera vacana

kRSNa—Lord KRSNa; yadi—if; aàza—plenary portion; haita—were; aàzI—the
source of all expansions; nArAyaNa—Lord NArAyaNa; tabe—then; viparIta—
the reverse; haita—would have been; sUtera—of SUta GosvAmI; vacana—the
statement.
TRANSLATION
“Had KRSNa been the plenary portion and NArAyaNa the primeval Lord, the
statement of SUta GosvAmI would have been reversed.
Adi 2.85
TEXT 85
nArAyaNa aàzI yei svayaà-bhagavAn
te~Nha zrI-kRSNa——aiche karita vyAkhyAna

nArAyaNa—Lord NArAyaNa; aàzI—the source of all incarnations; yei—who;
svayam-bhagavAn—Himself the Supreme Personality of Godhead; te~Nha—
He; zrI-kRSNa—Lord KRSNa; aiche—in such away; karita—would have made;
vyAkhyAna—explanation.
TRANSLATION
“Thus he would have said, ‘NArAyaNa, the source of all incarnations, is the
original Personality of Godhead. He has appeared as zrI KRSNa.’
Adi 2.86
TEXT 86
bhrama, pramAda, vipralipsA, karaNApATava
ArSa-vij~na-vAkye nAhi doSa ei saba

bhrama—mistakes; pramAda—illusion; vipralipsA—cheating; karaNa-
apATava—imperfectness of the senses; ArSa—of the authoritative sages;
vij~na-vAkye—in the wise speech; nAhi—not; doSa—faults; ei—these; saba—
all.
TRANSLATION
“Mistakes, illusions, cheating and defective perception do not occur in the
sayings of the authoritative sages.
PURPORT
zrImad-BhAgavatam has listed the avatAras, the plenary expansions of the
puruSa, and Lord KRSNa appears among them. But the BhAgavatam further
explains Lord KRSNa’s specific position as the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Since Lord KRSNa is the original Personality of Godhead, reason and argument
establish that His position is always supreme.
Had KRSNa been a plenary expansion of NArAyaNa, the original verse would
have been differently composed; indeed, its order would have been reversed.
But there cannot be mistakes, illusion, cheating or imperfect perception in the
words of liberated sages. Therefore there is no mistake in this statement that
Lord KRSNa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Sanskrit statements of
zrImad-BhAgavatam are all transcendental sounds. zrIla VyAsadeva revealed
these statements after perfect realization, and therefore they are perfect, for
liberated sages like VyAsadeva never commit errors in their rhetorical
arrangements. Unless one accepts this fact, there is no use in trying to obtain
help from the revealed scriptures.
Bhrama refers to false knowledge or mistakes, such as accepting a rope as a
snake or an oyster shell as gold. PramAda refers to inattention or
misunderstanding of reality, and vipralipsA is the cheating propensity.
KaraNApATava refers to imperfectness of the material senses. There are many
examples of such imperfection. The eyes cannot see that which is very distant
or very small. One cannot even see his own eyelid, which is the closest thing
to his eye, and if one is disturbed by a disease like jaundice, he sees
everything to be yellow. Similarly, the ears cannot hear distant sounds. Since
the Personality of Godhead and His plenary portions and self-realized
devotees are all transcendentally situated, they cannot be misled by such
deficiencies.
Adi 2.87
TEXT 87
viruddhArtha kaha tumi, kahite kara roSa
tomAra arthe avimRSTa-vidheyAàza-doSa

viruddha-artha—contrary meaning; kaha—say; tumi—you; kahite—pointing
out; kara—you do; roSa—anger; tomAra—your; arthe—in the meaning;
avimRSTa-vidheya-aàza—of the unconsidered predicate portion; doSa—the
fault.
TRANSLATION
“You say something contradictory and become angry when this is pointed
out. Your explanation has the defect of a misplaced object. This is an
unconsidered adjustment.
Adi 2.88
TEXT 88
yA~Nra bhagavattA haite anyera bhagavattA
‘svayaà-bhagavAn’-zabdera tAhAtei sattA

yA~Nra—of whom; bhagavattA—the quality of being the Supreme Personality
of Godhead; haite—from; anyera—of others; bhagavattA—the quality of
being the Supreme Personality of Godhead; svayam-bhagavAn-zabdera—of
the word svayaà-bhagavAn; tAhAtei—in that; sattA—the presence.
TRANSLATION
“Only the Personality of Godhead, the source of all other Divinities, is eligible
to be designated svayaà bhagavAn, or the primeval Lord.
Adi 2.89
TEXT 89
dIpa haite yaiche bahu dIpera jvalana
mUla eka dIpa tAhA kariye gaNana

dIpa—a lamp; haite—from; yaiche—just as; bahu—many; dIpera—of lamps;
jvalana—lighting; mUla—the original; eka—one; dIpa—lamp; tAhA—that;
kariye—I make; gaNana—consideration
TRANSLATION
“When from one candle many others are lit, I consider that one the original.
PURPORT
The Brahma-saàhitA, Chapter Five, verse 46, states that the viSNu-tattva, or
the principle of the Absolute Personality of Godhead, is like a lamp because
the expansions equal their origin in all respects. A burning lamp can light
innumerable other lamps, and although they will not be inferior, still the lamp
from which the others are lit must be considered the original. Similarly, the
Supreme Personality of Godhead expands Himself in the plenary forms of the
viSNu-tattva, and although they are equally powerful, the original powerful
Personality of Godhead is considered the source. This analogy also explains
the appearance of qualitative incarnations like Lord ziva and Lord BrahmA.
According to zrIla JIva GosvAmI, zambhos tu tamo-’dhiSThAnatvAt
kajjalamaya-sUkSma-dIpa-zikhA-sthAnIyasya na tathA sAmyam: “The zambhu-
tattva, or the principle of Lord ziva, is like a lamp covered with carbon
because of his being in charge of the mode of ignorance. The illumination
from such a lamp is very minute. Therefore the power of Lord ziva cannot
compare to that of the ViSNu principle.”
Adi 2.90
TEXT 90
taiche saba avatArera kRSNa se kAraNa
Ara eka zloka zuna, kuvyAkhyA-khaNòana

taiche—in a similar way; saba—all; avatArera—of the incarnations; kRSNa—
Lord KRSNa; se—He; kAraNa—the cause; Ara—another; eka—one; zloka—
verse; zuna—please hear; ku-vyAkhyA—fallacious explanations; khaNòana—
refuting.
TRANSLATION
“KRSNa, in the same way, is the cause of all causes and all incarnations. Please
hear another verse to defeat all misinterpretations.
Adi 2.91-92
TEXTS 91–92
atra sargo visargaz ca
sthAnaà poSaNam UtayaH
manvantarezAnukathA
nirodho muktir AzrayaH
dazamasya vizuddhy-arthaà
navAnAm iha lakSaNam
varNayanti mahAtmAnaH
zrutenArthena cA~njasA

atra—in zrImad-BhAgavatam; sargaH—the creation of the ingredients of the
universe; visargaH—the creations of BrahmA; ca—and; sthAnam—the
maintenance of the creation; poSaNam—the favoring of the Lord’s devotees;
UtayaH—impetuses for activity; manu-antara—prescribed duties given by the
Manus; Iza-anukathAH—a description of the incarnations of the Lord;
nirodhaH—the winding up of creation; muktiH—liberation; AzrayaH—the
ultimate shelter, the Supreme Personality of Godhead; dazamasya—of the
tenth (the Azraya); vizuddhi-artham—for the purpose of perfect knowledge;
navAnAm—of the nine; iha—here; lakSaNam—the nature; varNayanti—
describe; mahA-AtmAnaH—the great souls; zrutena—by prayer; arthena—by
explanation; ca—and; a~njasA—direct.
TRANSLATION
“‘Here [in zrImad-BhAgavatam] ten subjects are described: (1) the creation of
the ingredients of the cosmos, (2) the creations of BrahmA, (3) the
maintenance of the creation, (4) special favor given to the faithful, (5)
impetuses for activity, (6) prescribed duties for law-abiding men, (7) a
description of the incarnations of the Lord, (8) the winding up of the creation,
(9) liberation from gross and subtle material existence, and (10) the ultimate
shelter, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The tenth item is the shelter of
all the others. To distinguish this ultimate shelter from the other nine subjects,
the mahAjanas have described these nine, directly or indirectly, through
prayers or direct explanations.’
PURPORT
These verses from zrImad-BhAgavatam (2.10.1–2) list the ten subject matters
dealt with in the text of the BhAgavatam. Of these, the tenth is the substance,
and the other nine are categories derived from the substance. These ten
subjects are listed as follows:
(1) Sarga: the first creation by ViSNu, the bringing forth of the five gross
material elements, the five objects of sense perception, the ten senses, the
mind, the intelligence, the false ego and the total material energy, or universal
form.
(2) Visarga: the secondary creation, or the work of BrahmA in producing the
moving and unmoving bodies in the universe (brahmANòa).
(3) SthAna: the maintenance of the universe by the Personality of Godhead,
ViSNu. ViSNu’s function is more important and His glory greater than BrahmA’s
and Lord ziva’s, for although BrahmA is the creator and Lord ziva the
destroyer, ViSNu is the maintainer.
(4) PoSaNa: special care and protection for devotees by the Lord. As a king
maintains his kingdom and subjects but nevertheless gives special attention to
the members of his family, so the Personality of Godhead gives special care to
His devotees who are souls completely surrendered to Him.
(5) Uti: the urge for creation, or initiative power, that is the cause of all
inventions, according to the necessities of time, space and objects.
(6) Manv-antara: the periods controlled by the Manus, who teach regulative
principles for living beings who desire to achieve perfection in human life. The
rules of Manu, as described in the Manu-saàhitA, guide the way to such
perfection.
(7) IzAnukathA: scriptural information regarding the Personality of Godhead,
His incarnations on earth and the activities of His devotees. Scriptures dealing
with these subjects are essential for progressive human life.
(8) Nirodha: the winding up of all energies employed in creation. Such
potencies are emanations from the Personality of Godhead who eternally lies
in the KAraNa Ocean. The cosmic creations, manifested with His breath, are
again dissolved in due course.
(9) Mukti: liberation of the conditioned souls encaged by the gross and subtle
coverings of body and mind. When freed from all material affection, the soul,
giving up the gross and subtle material bodies, can attain the spiritual sky in
his original spiritual body and engage in transcendental loving service to the
Lord in VaikuNThaloka or KRSNaloka. When the soul is situated in his original
constitutional position of existence, he is said to be liberated. It is possible to
engage in transcendental loving service to the Lord and become jIvan-mukta,
a liberated soul, even while in the material body.
(10) Azraya: the Transcendence, the summum bonum, from whom everything
emanates, upon whom everything rests, and in whom everything merges
after annihilation. He is the source and support of all. The Azraya is also called
the Supreme Brahman, as in the VedAnta-sUtra (athAto brahma jij~nAsA,
janmAdy asya yataH [SB 1.1.1]). zrImad-BhAgavatam especially describes this
Supreme Brahman as the Azraya. zrI KRSNa is this Azraya, and therefore the
greatest necessity of life is to study the science of KRSNa.
zrImad-BhAgavatam accepts zrI KRSNa as the shelter of all manifestations
because Lord KRSNa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is the ultimate
source of everything, the supreme goal of all.
Two different principles are to be considered herein—namely Azraya, the
object providing shelter, and Azrita, the dependents requiring shelter. The
Azrita exist under the original principle, the Azraya. The first nine categories,
described in the first nine cantos of zrImad-BhAgavatam, from creation to
liberation—including the puruSa-avatAras, the incarnations, the marginal
energy, or living entities, and the external energy, or material world—are all
Azrita. The prayers of zrImad-BhAgavatam, however, aim for the Azraya-
tattva, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, zrI KRSNa. The great souls expert
in describing zrImad-BhAgavatam have very diligently delineated the other
nine categories, sometimes by direct narrations and sometimes by indirect
narrations such as stories. The real purpose of doing this is to know perfectly
the Absolute Transcendence, zrI KRSNa, for the entire creation, both material
and spiritual, rests on the body of zrI KRSNa.
Adi 2.93
TEXT 93
Azraya jAnite kahi e nava padArtha
e navera utpatti-hetu sei AzrayArtha

Azraya—the ultimate shelter; jAnite—to know; kahi—I discuss; e—these;
nava—nine; pada-artha—categories; e—these; navera—of the nine;
utpatti—of the origin; hetu—cause; sei—that; Azraya—of the shelter;
artha—the meaning.
TRANSLATION
“To know distinctly the ultimate shelter of everything that be, I have
described the other nine categories. The cause for the appearance of these
nine is rightly called their shelter.
Adi 2.94
TEXT 94
kRSNa eka sarvAzraya, kRSNa sarva-dhAma
kRSNera zarIre sarva-vizvera vizrAma

kRSNa—Lord KRSNa; eka—one; sarva-Azraya—shelter of all; kRSNa—Lord
KRSNa; sarva-dhAma—the abode of all; kRSNera—of Lord KRSNa; zarIre—in the
body; sarva-vizvera—of all the universes; vizrAma—resting place.
TRANSLATION
“The Personality of Godhead zrI KRSNa is the shelter and abode of everything.
All the universes rest in His body.
Adi 2.95
TEXT 95
dazame dazamaà lakSyam
AzritAzraya-vigraham
zrI-kRSNAkhyaà paraà dhAma
jagad-dhAma namAmi tat

dazame—in the Tenth Canto; dazamam—the tenth subject matter;
lakSyam—to be seen; Azrita—of the sheltered; Azraya—of the shelter;
vigraham—who is the form; zrI-kRSNa-Akhyam—known as Lord zrI KRSNa;
param—supreme; dhAma—abode; jagat-dhAma—the abode of the
universes; namAmi—I offer my obeisances; tat—to Him.
TRANSLATION
“‘The Tenth Canto of zrImad-BhAgavatam reveals the tenth object, the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is the shelter of all surrendered souls.
He is known as zrI KRSNa, and He is the ultimate source of all the universes. Let
me offer my obeisances unto Him.’
PURPORT
This quotation comes from zrIdhara SvAmI’s commentary on the first verse of
the Tenth Canto, Chapter One, of zrImad-BhAgavatam.
Adi 2.96
TEXT 96
kRSNera svarUpa, Ara zakti-traya-j~nAna
yA~Nra haya, tA~Nra nAhi kRSNete aj~nAna

kRSNera—of Lord KRSNa; sva-rUpa—the real nature; Ara—and; zakti-traya—of
the three energies; j~nAna—knowledge; yA~Nra—whose; haya—there is;
tA~Nra—of him; nAhi—there is not; kRSNete—in Lord KRSNa; aj~nAna—
ignorance.
TRANSLATION
“One who knows the real feature of zrI KRSNa and His three different energies
cannot remain ignorant about Him.
PURPORT
zrIla JIva GosvAmI states in his Bhagavat-sandarbha (16) that by His potencies,
which act in natural sequences beyond the scope of the speculative human
mind, the Supreme Transcendence, the summum bonum, eternally and
simultaneously exists in four transcendental features: His personality, His
impersonal effulgence, particles of His potency (the living beings), and the
principal cause of all causes. The Supreme Whole is compared to the sun,
which also exists in four features, namely the personality of the sun-god, the
glare of his glowing sphere, the sun rays inside the sun planet, and the sun’s
reflections in many other objects. The ambition to corroborate the existence
of the transcendental Absolute Truth by limited conjectural endeavors cannot
be fulfilled, because He is beyond the scope of our limited speculative minds.
In an honest search for truth, we must admit that His powers are
inconceivable to our tiny brains. The exploration of space has demanded the
work of the greatest scientists of the world, yet there are countless problems
regarding even fundamental knowledge of the material creation that bewilder
scientists who confront them. Such material knowledge is far removed from
the spiritual nature, and therefore the acts and arrangements of the Absolute
Truth are, beyond all doubts, inconceivable.
The primary potencies of the Absolute Truth are mentioned to be three:
internal, external and marginal. By the acts of His internal potency, the
Personality of Godhead in His original form exhibits the spiritual cosmic
manifestations known as the VaikuNThalokas, which exist eternally, even after
the destruction of the material cosmic manifestation. By His marginal potency
the Lord expands Himself as living beings who are part of Him, just as the sun
distributes its rays in all directions. By His external potency the Lord manifests
the material creation, just as the sun with its rays creates fog. The material
creation is but a perverse reflection of the eternal VaikuNTha nature.
These three energies of the Absolute Truth are also described in the ViSNu
PurANa, where it is said that the living being is equal in quality to the internal
potency, whereas the external potency is indirectly controlled by the chief
cause of all causes. MAyA, the illusory energy, misleads a living being as fog
misleads a pedestrian by blocking off the light of the sun. Although the
potency of mAyA is inferior in quality to the marginal potency, which consists
of the living beings, who are part and parcel of the Lord, it nevertheless has
the power to control the living beings, just as fog can block the actions of a
certain portion of the sun’s rays although it cannot cover the sun. The living
beings covered by the illusory energy evolve in different species of life, with
bodies ranging from that of an insignificant ant to that of BrahmA, the
constructor of the cosmos. The pradhAna, the chief cause of all causes in the
impersonal vision, is none other than the Supreme Lord, whom one can see
face to face in the internal potency. He takes the material all-pervasive form
by His inconceivable power. Although all three potencies—namely internal,
external and marginal—are essentially one in the ultimate issue, they are
different in action, like electric energy, which can produce both cold and heat
under different conditions. The external and marginal potencies are so called
under various conditions, but in the original, internal potencies there are no
such conditions, nor is it possible for the conditions of the external potency to
exist in the marginal, or vice versa. One who is able to understand the
intricacies of all these energies of the Supreme Lord can no longer remain an
empiric impersonalist under the influence of a poor fund of knowledge.
Adi 2.97
TEXT 97
kRSNera svarUpera haya Saò-vidha vilAsa
prAbhava-vaibhava-rUpe dvi-vidha prakAza

kRSNera—of Lord KRSNa; svarUpera—of the form; haya—there are; SaT-
vidha—six kinds; vilAsa—pastime forms; prAbhava-vaibhava-rUpe—in the
divisions of prAbhava and vaibhava; dvi-vidha—two kinds; prakAza—
manifestations.
TRANSLATION
“The Personality of Godhead zrI KRSNa enjoys Himself in six primary
expansions. His two manifestations are prAbhava and vaibhava.
PURPORT
Now the author of zrI Caitanya-caritAmRta turns to a description of the
Personality of Godhead KRSNa in His innumerable expansions. The Lord
primarily expands Himself in two categories, namely prAbhava and vaibhava.
The prAbhava forms are fully potent like zrI KRSNa, and the vaibhava forms are
partially potent. The prAbhava forms are manifested in relation with potencies,
but the vaibhava forms are manifested in relation with excellences. The
potent prAbhava manifestations are also of two varieties: temporary and
eternal. The MohinI, Haàsa and zukla forms are manifested only temporarily,
in terms of a particular age. Among the other prAbhavas, who are not very
famous according to the material estimation, are Dhanvantari, RSabha, VyAsa,
DattAtreya and Kapila. Among the vaibhava-prakAza forms are KUrma,
Matsya, Nara-NArAyaNa, VarAha, HayagrIva, PRznigarbha, Baladeva, Yaj~na,
Vibhu, Satyasena, Hari, VaikuNTha, Ajita, VAmana, SArvabhauma, RSabha,
ViSvaksena, Dharmasetu, SudhAmA, Yogezvara and BRhadbhAnu.
Adi 2.98
TEXT 98
aàza-zaktyAveza-rUpe dvi-vidhAvatAra
bAlya paugaNòa dharma dui ta’ prakAra

aàza—of the plenary expansion; zakti-Aveza—of the empowered; rUpe—in
the forms; dvi-vidha—two kinds; avatAra—incarnations; bAlya—childhood;
paugaNòa—boyhood; dharma—characteristics of age; dui—two; ta’—
certainly; prakAra—kinds
TRANSLATION
“His incarnations are of two kinds, namely partial and empowered. He
appears in two ages—childhood and boyhood.
PURPORT
The vilAsa forms are six in number. Incarnations are of two varieties, namely
zakty-Aveza (empowered) and aàzAveza (partial). These incarnations also
come within the category of prAbhava and vaibhava manifestations.
Childhood and boyhood are two special features of the Personality of
Godhead zrI KRSNa, but His permanent feature is His eternal form as an
adolescent youth. The original Personality of Godhead zrI KRSNa is always
worshiped in this eternal adolescent form.
Adi 2.99
TEXT 99
kizora-svarUpa kRSNa svayaà avatArI
krIòA kare ei chaya-rUpe vizva bhari’

kizora-svarUpa—whose real nature is that of an adolescent; kRSNa—Lord
KRSNa; svayam—Himself; avatArI—the source of all incarnations; krIòA kare—
He plays; ei—these; chaya-rUpe—in six forms; vizva—the universes; bhari’—
maintaining
TRANSLATION
“The Personality of Godhead zrI KRSNa, who is eternally an adolescent, is the
primeval Lord, the source of all incarnations. He expands Himself in these six
categories of forms to establish His supremacy throughout the universe.
Adi 2.100
TEXT 100
ei chaya-rUpe haya ananta vibheda
ananta-rUpe eka-rUpa, nAhi kichu bheda

ei—these; chaya-rUpe—in six forms; haya—there are; ananta—unlimited;
vibheda—varieties; ananta-rUpe—in unlimited forms; eka-rUpa—one form;
nAhi—there is not; kichu—any; bheda—difference.
TRANSLATION
“In these six kinds of forms there are innumerable varieties. Although they are
many, they are all one: there is no difference between them.
PURPORT
The Personality of Godhead manifests Himself in six different features: (1)
prAbhava, (2) vaibhava, (3) empowered incarnations, (4) partial incarnations,
(5) childhood and (6) boyhood. The Personality of Godhead zrI KRSNa, whose
permanent feature is adolescence, enjoys His transcendental proclivities by
performing pastimes in these six forms. In these six features there are
unlimited divisions of the Personality of Godhead’s forms. The jIvas, or living
beings, are differentiated parts and parcels of the Lord. They are all diversities
of the one without a second, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Adi 2.101
TEXT 101
cic-chakti, svarUpa-zakti, antara~NgA nAma
tAhAra vaibhava ananta vaikuNThAdi dhAma

cit-zakti—spiritual energy; svarUpa-zakti—personal energy; antaH-a~NgA—
internal; nAma—named; tAhAra—of that; vaibhava—manifestations;
ananta—unlimited; vaikuNTha-Adi—VaikuNTha, etc.; dhAma—abodes.
TRANSLATION
“The cit-zakti, which is also called svarUpa-zakti or antara~Nga-zakti, displays
many varied manifestations. It sustains the kingdom of God and its
paraphernalia.
Adi 2.102
TEXT 102
mAyA-zakti, bahira~NgA, jagat-kAraNa
tAhAra vaibhava ananta brahmANòera gaNa

mAyA-zakti—the illusory energy; bahiH-a~NgA—external; jagat-kAraNa—the
cause of the universe; tAhAra—of that; vaibhava—manifestations; ananta—
unlimited; brahma-aNòera—of universes; gaNa—multitudes.
TRANSLATION
“The external energy, called mAyA-zakti, is the cause of innumerable universes
with varied material potencies.
Adi 2.103
TEXT 103
jIva-zakti taTasthAkhya, nAhi yAra anta
mukhya tina zakti, tAra vibheda ananta

jIva-zakti—the energy of the living entity; taTa-stha-Akhya—known as
marginal; nAhi—there is not; yAra—of which; anta—end; mukhya—principal;
tina—three; zakti—energies; tAra—of them; vibheda—varieties; ananta—
unlimited.
TRANSLATION
“The marginal potency, which is between these two, consists of the
numberless living beings. These are the three principal energies, which have
unlimited categories and subdivisions.
PURPORT
The internal potency of the Lord, which is called cit-zakti or antara~Nga-zakti,
exhibits variegatedness in the transcendental VaikuNTha cosmos. Besides
ourselves, there are unlimited numbers of liberated living beings who
associate with the Personality of Godhead in His innumerable features. The
material cosmos displays the external energy, in which the conditioned living
beings are provided all liberty to go back to the Personality of Godhead after
leaving the material tabernacle. The zvetAzvatara UpaniSad (6.8) informs us:
na tasya kAryaà karaNaà ca vidyate
na tat-samaz cAbhyadhikaz ca dRzyate
parAsya zaktir vividhaiva zrUyate
svAbhAvikI j~nAna-bala-kriyA ca
“The Supreme Lord is one without a second. He has nothing to do personally,
nor does He have material senses. No one is equal to Him or greater than Him.
He has unlimited, variegated potencies of different names, which exist within
Him as autonomous attributes and provide Him full knowledge, power and
pastimes.”
Adi 2.104
TEXT 104
e-mata svarUpa-gaNa, Ara tina zakti
sabhAra Azraya kRSNa, kRSNe sabhAra sthiti

e-mata—in this way; svarUpa-gaNa—personal forms; Ara—and; tina—three;
zakti—energies; sabhAra—of the whole assembly; Azraya—the shelter;
kRSNa—Lord KRSNa; kRSNe—in Lord KRSNa; sabhAra—of the whole assembly;
sthiti—the existence.
TRANSLATION
“These are the principal manifestations and expansions of the Personality of
Godhead and His three energies. They are all emanations from zrI KRSNa, the
Transcendence. They have their existence in Him.
Adi 2.105
TEXT 105
yadyapi brahmANòa-gaNera puruSa Azraya
sei puruSAdi sabhAra kRSNa mUlAzraya

yadyapi—although; brahma-aNòa-gaNera—of the multitude of universes;
puruSa—the puruSa-avatAra; Azraya—the shelter; sei—that; puruSa-Adi—of
the puruSa-avatAras, etc.; sabhAra—of the assembly; kRSNa—Lord KRSNa;
mUla-Azraya—original source.
TRANSLATION
“Although the three puruSas are the shelter of all the universes, Lord KRSNa is
the original source of the puruSas.
Adi 2.106
TEXT 106
svayaà bhagavAn kRSNa, kRSNa sarvAzraya
parama Izvara kRSNa sarva-zAstre kaya

svayam—Himself; bhagavAn—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; kRSNa—
Lord KRSNa; kRSNa—Lord KRSNa; sarva-Azraya—the shelter of all; parama—
Supreme; Izvara—Lord; kRSNa—Lord KRSNa; sarva-zAstre—all scriptures;
kaya—say.
TRANSLATION
“Thus the Personality of Godhead zrI KRSNa is the original, primeval Lord, the
source of all other expansions. All the revealed scriptures accept zrI KRSNa as
the Supreme Lord.
Adi 2.107
TEXT 107
IzvaraH paramaH kRSNaH
sac-cid-Ananda-vigrahaH
anAdir Adir govindaH
sarva-kAraNa-kAraNam

Izvarah—the controller; paramaH—supreme; kRSNaH—Lord KRSNa; sat—
eternal existence; cit—absolute knowledge; Ananda—absolute bliss;
vigrahaH—whose form; anAdiH—without beginning; AdiH—the origin;
govindaH—Lord Govinda; sarva-kAraNa-kAraNam—the cause of all causes.
TRANSLATION
“‘KRSNa, who is known as Govinda, is the supreme controller. He has an
eternal, blissful, spiritual body. He is the origin of all. He has no other origin,
for He is the prime cause of all causes.’
PURPORT
This is the first verse of the Fifth Chapter of the Brahma-saàhitA [Bs. 5.1].
Adi 2.108
TEXT 108
TEXT
e saba siddhAnta tumi jAna bhAla-mate
tabu pUrva-pakSa kara AmA cAlAite

e—these; saba—all; siddhAnta—conclusions; tumi—you; jAna—know; bhAla-
mate—in a good way; tabu—still; pUrva-pakSa—objection; kara—you make;
AmA—to me; cAlAite—to give useless anxiety.
TRANSLATION
“You know all the conclusions of the scriptures very well. You create these
logical arguments just to agitate me.”
PURPORT
A learned man who has thoroughly studied the scriptures cannot hesitate to
accept zrI KRSNa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. If such a man argues
about this matter, certainly he must be doing so to agitate the minds of his
opponents.
Adi 2.109
TEXT 109
sei kRSNa avatArI vrajendra-kumAra
Apane caitanya-rUpe kaila avatAra

sei—that; kRSNa—Lord KRSNa; avatArI—the source of all incarnations;
vrajendra-kumAra—the son of the King of Vraja; Apane—personally;
caitanya-rUpe—in the form of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu; kaila—made;
avatAra—incarnation.
TRANSLATION
That same Lord KRSNa, the fountainhead of all incarnations, is known as the
son of the King of Vraja. He has descended personally as Lord zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu.
Adi 2.110
TEXT 110
ataeva caitanya gosA~ni paratattva-sImA
tA~Nre kSIroda-zAyI kahi, ki tA~Nra mahimA

ataeva—therefore; caitanya gosA~ni—Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu; para-
tattva-sImA—the highest limit of the Absolute Truth; tA~Nre—Him; kSIroda-
zAyI—KSIrodakazAyI ViSNu; kahi—if I say; ki—what; tA~Nra—of Him;
mahimA—glory.
TRANSLATION
Therefore Lord Caitanya is the Supreme Absolute Truth. To call Him
KSIrodakazAyI ViSNu does not add to His glory.
Adi 2.111
TEXT 111
sei ta’ bhaktera vAkya nahe vyabhicArI
sakala sambhave tA~Nte, yAte avatArI

sei—that; ta’—certainly; bhaktera—of a devotee; vAkya—speech; nahe—is
not; vyabhicArI—deviation; sakala—all; sambhave—possibilities; tA~Nte—in
Him; yAte—since; avatArI—the source of all incarnations.
TRANSLATION
But such words from the lips of a sincere devotee cannot be false. All
possibilities abide in Him, for He is the primeval Lord.
Adi 2.112
TEXT 112
avatArIra dehe saba avatArera sthiti
keho kona-mate kahe, yemana yAra mati

avatArIra—of the source; dehe—in the body; saba—all; avatArera—of the
incarnations; sthiti—existence; keho—someone; kona-mate—in some way;
kahe—says; yemana—as in the manner; yAra—of whom; mati—the opinion.
TRANSLATION
All other incarnations are situated in potential form in the original body of the
primeval Lord. Thus according to one’s opinion, one may address Him as any
one of the incarnations.
PURPORT
It is not contradictory for a devotee to call the Supreme Lord by any one of
the various names of His plenary expansions, because the original Personality
of Godhead includes all such categories. Since the plenary expansions exist
within the original person, one may call Him by any of these names. In zrI
Caitanya-bhAgavata (Madhya 6.95) Lord Caitanya says, “I was lying asleep in
the ocean of milk, but I was awakened by the call of NAòA, zrI Advaita
Prabhu.” Here the Lord refers to His form as KSIrodakazAyI ViSNu.
Adi 2.113
TEXT 113
kRSNake kahaye keha——nara-nArAyaNa
keho kahe, kRSNa haya sAkSAT vAmana

kRSNake—Lord KRSNa; kahaye—says; keha—someone; nara-nArAyaNa—Nara-
NArAyaNa; keho—someone; kahe—says; kRSNa—Lord KRSNa; haya—is;
sAkSAt—directly; vAmana—Lord VAmana.
TRANSLATION
Some say that zrI KRSNa is directly Nara-NArAyaNa. Others say that He is
directly VAmana.
Adi 2.114
TEXT 114
keho kahe, kRSNa kSIroda-zAyI avatAra
asambhava nahe, satya vacana sabAra

keho—someone; kahe—says; kRSNa—Lord KRSNa; kSIroda-zAyI—
KSIrodakazAyI ViSNu; avatAra—incarnation; asambhava—impossible; nahe—is
not; satya—true; vacana—speeches; sabAra—of all.
TRANSLATION
Some say that KRSNa is the incarnation of KSIrodakazAyI ViSNu. None of these
statements is impossible; each is as correct as the others.
PURPORT
The Laghu-bhAgavatAmRta (5.383) states:
ata evA purANAdau kecin nara-sakhAtmatAm
mahendrAnujatAà kecit kecit kSIrAbdhi-zAyitAm
sahasra-zIrSatAà kecit kecid vaikuNTha-nAthatAm
brUyuH kRSNasya munayas tat-tad-vRtty-anugAminaH
“According to the intimate relationships between zrI KRSNa, the primeval Lord,
and His devotees, the PurANas describe Him by various names. Sometimes He
is called NArAyaNa; sometimes Upendra (VAmana), the younger brother of
Indra, King of heaven; and sometimes KSIrodakazAyI ViSNu. Sometimes He is
called the thousand-hooded zeSa NAga, and sometimes the Lord of
VaikuNTha.”
Adi 2.115
TEXT 115
keho kahe, para-vyome nArAyaNa hari
sakala sambhave kRSNe, yAte avatArI

keho—someone; kahe—says; para-vyome—in the transcendental world;
nArAyaNa—Lord NArAyaNa; hari—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; sakala
sambhave—all possibilities; kRSNe—in Lord KRSNa; yAte—since; avatArI—the
source of all incarnations.
TRANSLATION
Some call Him Hari, or the NArAyaNa of the transcendental world. Everything
is possible in KRSNa, for He is the primeval Lord.
Adi 2.116
TEXT 116
saba zrotA-gaNera kari caraNa vandana
e saba siddhAnta zuna, kari’ eka mana

saba—all; zrotA-gaNera—of the hearers; kari—I do; caraNa—to the lotus
feet; vandana—praying; e—these; saba—all; siddhAnta—conclusions;
zuna—please hear; kari’—making; eka—one; mana—mind.
TRANSLATION
I offer my obeisances unto the feet of all who hear or read this discourse.
Kindly hear with attention the conclusion of all these statements.
PURPORT
Prostrating himself at the feet of his readers, the author of zrI Caitanya-
caritAmRta entreats them in all humility to hear with rapt attention these
conclusive arguments regarding the Absolute Truth. One should not fail to
hear such arguments, for only by such knowledge can one perfectly know
KRSNa.
Adi 2.117
TEXT 117
siddhAnta baliyA citte nA kara alasa
ihA ha-ite kRSNe lAge sudRòha mAnasa

siddhAnta—conclusion; baliyA—considering; citte—in the mind; nA kara—do
not be; alasa—lazy; ihA—this; ha-ite—from; kRSNe—in Lord KRSNa; lAge—
becomes fixed; su-dRòha—very firm; mAnasa—the mind.
TRANSLATION
A sincere student should not neglect the discussion of such conclusions,
considering them controversial, for such discussions strengthen the mind.
Thus one’s mind becomes attached to zrI KRSNa.
PURPORT
There are many students who, in spite of reading the Bhagavad-gItA,
misunderstand KRSNa because of imperfect knowledge and conclude Him to
be an ordinary historical personality. This one must not do. One should be
particularly careful to understand the truth about KRSNa. If because of laziness
one does not come to know KRSNa conclusively, one will be misguided about
the cult of devotion, like those who declare themselves advanced devotees
and imitate the transcendental symptoms sometimes observed in liberated
souls. Although the use of thoughts and arguments is a most suitable process
for inducing an uninitiated person to become a devotee, neophytes in
devotional service must always alertly understand KRSNa through the vision of
the revealed scriptures, the bona fide devotees and the spiritual master.
Unless one hears about zrI KRSNa from such authorities, one cannot make
advancement in devotion to zrI KRSNa. The revealed scriptures mention nine
means of attaining devotional service, of which the first and foremost is
hearing from authority. The seed of devotion cannot sprout unless watered by
the process of hearing and chanting. One should submissively receive the
transcendental messages from spiritually advanced sources and chant the
very same messages for one’s own benefit as well as the benefit of one’s
audience.
When BrahmA described the situation of pure devotees freed from the culture
of empiric philosophy and fruitive actions, he recommended the process of
hearing from persons who are on the path of devotion. Following in the
footsteps of such liberated souls, who are able to vibrate real transcendental
sound, can lead one to the highest stage of devotion, and thus one can
become a mahA-bhAgavata. From the teachings of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu
to SanAtana GosvAmI (Madhya 22.65) we learn:
zAstra-yuktye sunipuNa, dRòha-zraddhA yA~Nra
‘uttama-adhikArI’ sei tAraye saàsAra
“A person who is expert in understanding the conclusion of the revealed
scriptures and who fully surrenders to the cause of the Lord is actually able to
deliver others from the clutches of material existence.” zrIla RUpa GosvAmI, in
his UpadezAmRta (3), advises that to make rapid advancement in the cult of
devotional service one should be very active and should persevere in
executing the duties specified in the revealed scriptures and confirmed by the
spiritual master. Accepting the path of liberated souls and the association of
pure devotees enriches such activities.
Imitation devotees, who wish to advertise themselves as elevated VaiSNavas
and who therefore imitate the previous AcAryas but do not follow them in
principle, are condemned in the words of zrImad-BhAgavatam (2.3.24) as
stone-hearted. zrIla VizvanAtha CakravartI ThAkura has commented on their
stone-hearted condition as follows: bahir azru-pulakayoH sator api yad
dhRdayaà na vikriyeta tad azma-sAram iti kaniSThAdhikAriNAm eva azru-
pulakAdi-mattve ’pi azma-sAra-hRdayatayA nindaiSA. “Those who shed tears
by practice but whose hearts have not changed are to be known as stone-
hearted devotees of the lowest grade. Their imitation crying, induced by
artificial practice, is always condemned.” The desired change of heart referred
to above is visible in the reluctance to do anything not congenial to the
devotional way. To create such a change of heart, conclusive discussion about
zrI KRSNa and His potencies is absolutely necessary. False devotees may think
that simply shedding tears will lead one to the transcendental plane, even if
one has not had a factual change in heart, but such a practice is useless if
there is no transcendental realization. False devotees, lacking the conclusion
of transcendental knowledge, think that artificially shedding tears will deliver
them. Similarly, other false devotees think that studying books of the previous
AcAryas is unadvisable, like studying dry empiric philosophies. But zrIla JIva
GosvAmI, following the previous AcAryas, has inculcated the conclusions of
the scriptures in the six theses called the SaT-sandarbhas. False devotees who
have very little knowledge of such conclusions fail to achieve pure devotion
for want of zeal in accepting the favorable directions for devotional service
given by self-realized devotees. Such false devotees are like impersonalists,
who also consider devotional service no better than ordinary fruitive actions.
Adi 2.118
TEXT 118
caitanya-mahimA jAni e saba siddhAnte
citta dRòha ha~nA lAge mahimA-j~nAna haite

caitanya-mahimA—the glory of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu; jAni—I know;
e—these; saba—all; siddhAnte—by the conclusions; citta—the mind;
dRòha—firm; ha~nA—becoming; lAge—becomes fixed; mahimA-j~nAna—
knowledge of the greatness; haite—from.
TRANSLATION
By such conclusive studies I know the glories of Lord Caitanya. Only by
knowing these glories can one become strong and fixed in attachment to
Him.
PURPORT
One can know the glories of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu only by reaching, in
knowledge, a conclusive decision about zrI KRSNa, strengthened by bona fide
study of the conclusions of the AcAryas.
Adi 2.119
TEXT 119
caitanya-prabhura mahimA kahibAra tare
kRSNera mahimA kahi kariyA vistAre

caitanya-prabhura—of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu; mahimA—the glories;
kahibAra tare—for the purpose of speaking; kRSNera—of Lord KRSNa;
mahimA—the glories; kahi—I speak; kariyA—doing; vistAre—in expansion.
TRANSLATION
Just to enunciate the glories of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu, I have tried to
describe the glories of zrI KRSNa in detail.
Adi 2.120
TEXT 120
caitanya-gosA~nira ei tattva-nirUpaNa
svayaà-bhagavAn kRSNa vrajendra-nandana

caitanya-gosA~nira—of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu; ei—this; tattva—of the
truth; nirUpaNa—settling; svayam-bhagavAn—Himself the Supreme
Personality of Godhead; kRSNa—Lord KRSNa; vrajendra-nandana—the son of
the King of Vraja.
TRANSLATION
The conclusion is that Lord Caitanya is the Supreme Personality of Godhead,
KRSNa, the son of the King of Vraja.
Adi 2.121
TEXT 121
zrI-rUpa-raghunAtha-pade yAra Aza
caitanya-caritAmRta kahe kRSNadAsa

zrI-caitanya-prabhum—to Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu; vande—I offer my
respectful obeisances; yat—of whom; pAda-Azraya—of the shelter of the
lotus feet; vIryataH—from the power; sa~NgRhNAti—collects; Akara-vrAtAt—
from the multitude of mines in the form of scriptures; aj~naH—a fool;
siddhAnta—of conclusion; sat-maNIn—the best jewels.
TRANSLATION
I offer my respectful obeisances to zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu. By the potency
of the shelter of His lotus feet, even a fool can collect the valuable jewels of
conclusive truth from the mines of the revealed scriptures.
Adi 3.2
TEXT 2
jaya jaya zrI-caitanya jaya nityAnanda
jayAdvaita-candra jaya gaura-bhakta-vRnda

jaya jaya—all glories; zrI-caitanya—to Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu; jaya—all
glories; nityAnanda—to Lord NityAnanda; jaya—all glories; advaita-candra—
to Advaita AcArya; jaya—all glories; gaura-bhakta-vRnda—to all the
devotees of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu.
TRANSLATION
All glories to Lord Caitanya! All glories to Lord NityAnanda! All glories to
Advaitacandra! And all glories to all the devotees of Lord Caitanya!
Adi 3.3
TEXT 3
tRtIya zlokera artha kaila vivaraNa
caturtha zlokera artha zuna bhakta-gaNa

tRtIya—third; zlokera—of the verse; artha—meaning; kaila—there was;
vivaraNa—description; caturtha—fourth; zlokera—of the verse; artha—
meaning; zuna—please hear; bhakta-gaNa—O devotees.
TRANSLATION
I have given the purport of the third verse. Now, O devotees, please listen to
the meaning of the fourth with full attention.
Adi 3.4
TEXT 4
anarpita-carIà cirAt karuNayAvatIrNaH kalau
samarpayitum unnatojjvala-rasAà sva-bhakti-zriyam
hariH puraTa-sundara-dyuti-kadamba-sandIpitaH
sadA hRdaya-kandare sphuratu vaH zacI-nandanaH

anarpita—not bestowed; carIm—having been formerly; cirAt—for a long
time; karuNayA—by causeless mercy; avatIrNaH—descended; kalau—in the
Age of Kali; samarpayitum—to bestow; unnata—elevated; ujjvala-rasAm—
the conjugal mellow; sva-bhakti—of His own service; zriyam—the treasure;
hariH—the Supreme Lord; puraTa—than gold; sundara—more beautiful;
dyuti—of splendor; kadamba—with a multitude; sandIpitaH—illuminated;
sadA—always; hRdaya-kandare—in the cavity of the heart; sphuratu—let
Him be manifest; vaH—your; zacI-nandanaH—the son of mother zacI.
TRANSLATION
“May the Supreme Lord who is known as the son of zrImatI zacI-devI be
transcendentally situated in the innermost core of your heart. Resplendent
with the radiance of molten gold, He has descended in the Age of Kali by His
causeless mercy to bestow what no incarnation has ever offered before: the
most elevated mellow of devotional service, the mellow of conjugal love.”
PURPORT
This is a quotation from the Vidagdha-mAdhava (1.2), a drama compiled and
edited by zrIla RUpa GosvAmI.
Adi 3.5
TEXT 5
pUrNa bhagavAn kRSNa vrajendra-kumAra
goloke vrajera saha nitya vihAra

pUrNa—full; bhagavAn—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; kRSNa—Lord
KRSNa; vrajendra-kumAra—the son of the King of Vraja; goloke—in Goloka;
vrajera saha—along with VrajadhAma; nitya—eternal; vihAra—pastimes.
TRANSLATION
Lord KRSNa, the son of the King of Vraja, is the Supreme Lord. He eternally
enjoys transcendental pastimes in His eternal abode, Goloka, which includes
VrajadhAma.
PURPORT
In the previous chapter it has been established that KRSNa, the son of
Vrajendra (the King of Vraja), is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, with six
opulences. He eternally enjoys transcendentally variegated opulences on His
planet, which is known as Goloka. The eternal pastimes of the Lord in the
spiritual planet KRSNaloka are called aprakaTa, or unmanifested, pastimes
because they are beyond the purview of the conditioned souls. Lord KRSNa is
always present everywhere, but when He is not present before our eyes, He is
said to be aprakaTa, or unmanifested.
Adi 3.6
TEXT 6
brahmAra eka dine ti~Nho eka-bAra
avatIrNa ha~nA karena prakaTa vihAra

brahmAra—of Lord BrahmA; eka—one; dine—in the day; ti~Nho—He; eka-
bAra—one time; avatIrNa—descended; ha~nA—being; karena—performs;
prakaTa—manifest; vihAra—pastimes.
TRANSLATION
Once in a day of BrahmA, He descends to this world to manifest His
transcendental pastimes.
Adi 3.7
TEXT 7
satya, tretA, dvApara, kali, cAri-yuga jAni
sei cAri-yuge divya eka-yuga mAni

satya—Satya; tretA—TretA; dvApara—DvApara; kali—Kali; cAri-yuga—four
ages; jAni—we know; sei—these; cAri-yuge—in the four ages; divya—
divine; eka-yuga—one age; mAni—we consider.
TRANSLATION
We know that there are four ages [yugas], namely Satya, TretA, DvApara and
Kali. These four together constitute one divya-yuga.
Adi 3.8
TEXT 8
ekAttara catur-yuge eka manv-antara
caudda manv-antara brahmAra divasa bhitara

ekAttara—seventy-one; catuH-yuge—in cycles of four ages; eka—one;
manu-antara—period of a Manu; caudda—fourteen; manu-antara—periods
of Manu; brahmAra—of Lord BrahmA; divasa—a day; bhitara—within.
TRANSLATION
Seventy-one divya-yugas constitute one manv-antara. There are fourteen
manv-antaras in one day of BrahmA.
PURPORT
A manv-antara is the period controlled by one Manu. The reign of fourteen
Manus equals the length of one day (twelve hours) in the life of BrahmA, and
the night of BrahmA is of the same duration. These calculations are given in
the authentic astronomy book known as the SUrya-siddhAnta. A Bengali
translation of this book was compiled by the great professor of astronomy
and mathematics Bimal PrasAd Datta, later known as BhaktisiddhAnta
SarasvatI GosvAmI, who was our merciful spiritual master. He was honored
with the title SiddhAnta SarasvatI for translating the SUrya-siddhAnta, and the
title GosvAmI MahArAja was added when he accepted sannyAsa, the
renounced order of life.
Adi 3.9
TEXT 9
‘vaivasvata’-nAma ei saptama manv-antara
sAtAiza catur-yuga tAhAra antara

vaivasvata-nAma—named Vaivasvata; ei—this; saptama—seventh; manu-
antara—period of Manu; sAtAiza—twenty-seven; catuH-yuga—cycles of four
ages; tAhAra—of that; antara—period.
TRANSLATION
The present Manu, who is the seventh, is called Vaivasvata [the son of
VivasvAn]. Twenty-seven divya-yugas [27 x 4,320,000 solar years] of his age
have now passed.
PURPORT
The names of the fourteen Manus are as follows: (1) SvAyambhuva, (2)
SvArociSa, (3) Uttama, (4) TAmasa, (5) Raivata, (6) CAkSuSa, (7) Vaivasvata, (8)
SAvarNi, (9) DakSa-sAvarNi, (10) Brahma-sAvarNi, (11) Dharma-sAvarNi, (12)
Rudraputra (Rudra-sAvarNi), (13) Raucya, or Deva-sAvarNi, (14) and Bhautyaka,
or Indra-sAvarNi.
Adi 3.10
TEXT 10
aSTAviàza catur-yuge dvAparera zeSe
vrajera sahite haya kRSNera prakAze

aSTAviàza—twenty-eighth; catuH-yuge—in the cycle of four ages;
dvAparera—of the DvApara-yuga; zeSe—at the end; vrajera sahite—along
with Vraja; haya—is; kRSNera—of Lord KRSNa; prakAze—manifestation.
TRANSLATION
At the end of the DvApara-yuga of the twenty-eighth divya-yuga, Lord KRSNa
appears on earth with the full paraphernalia of His eternal Vraja-dhAma.
PURPORT
Now is the term of Vaivasvata Manu, during which Lord Caitanya appears.
First Lord KRSNa appears at the close of the DvApara-yuga of the twenty-
eighth divya-yuga, and then Lord Caitanya appears in the Kali-yuga of the
same divya-yuga. Lord KRSNa and Lord Caitanya appear once in each day of
BrahmA, or once in fourteen manv-antaras, each of seventy-one divya-yugas
in duration.
From the beginning of BrahmA’s day of 4,320,000,000 years, six Manus
appear and disappear before Lord KRSNa appears. Thus 1,975,320,000 years of
the day of BrahmA elapse before the appearance of Lord KRSNa. This is an
astronomical calculation according to solar years.
Adi 3.11
TEXT 11
dAsya, sakhya, vAtsalya, zR~NgAra——cAri rasa
cAri bhAvera bhakta yata kRSNa tAra vaza

dAsya—servitude; sakhya—friendship; vAtsalya—parental affection;
zR~NgAra—conjugal love; cAri—four; rasa—mellows; cAri—four; bhAvera—of
the sentiments; bhakta—devotees; yata—as many as there are; kRSNa—Lord
KRSNa; tAra—by them; vaza—subdued.
TRANSLATION
Servitude [dAsya], friendship [sakhya], parental affection [vAtsalya] and
conjugal love [zR~NgAra] are the four transcendental mellows [rasas]. By the
devotees who cherish these four mellows, Lord KRSNa is subdued.
PURPORT
DAsya, sakhya, vAtsalya and zR~NgAra are the transcendental modes of loving
service to the Lord. zAnta-rasa, or the neutral stage, is not mentioned in this
verse because although in zAnta-rasa one considers the Absolute Truth the
sublime great, one does not go beyond that conception. zAnta-rasa is a very
grand idea for materialistic philosophers, but such idealistic appreciation is
only the beginning; it is the lowest among the relationships in the spiritual
world. zAnta-rasa is not given much importance because as soon as there is a
slight understanding between the knower and the known, active loving
transcendental reciprocations and exchanges begin. DAsya-rasa is the basic
relationship between KRSNa and His devotees; therefore this verse considers
dAsya the first stage of transcendental devotional service.
Adi 3.12
TEXT 12
dAsa-sakhA-pitA-mAtA-kAntA-gaNa la~nA
vraje krIòA kare kRSNa premAviSTa ha~nA

dAsa—servants; sakhA—friends; pitA-mAtA—father and mother; kAntA-
gaNa—lovers; la~nA—taking; vraje—in Vraja; krIòA kare—plays; kRSNa—Lord
KRSNa; prema-AviSTa—absorbed in love; ha~nA—being.
TRANSLATION
Absorbed in such transcendental love, Lord zrI KRSNa enjoys in Vraja with His
devoted servants, friends, parents and conjugal lovers.
PURPORT
The descent of zrI KRSNa, the Absolute Personality of Godhead, is very
purposeful. In the Bhagavad-gItA it is said that one who knows the truth about
zrI KRSNa’s descent and His various activities is at once liberated and does not
have to fall again to this existence of birth and death after he leaves his
present material body. In other words, one who factually understands KRSNa
makes his life perfect. Imperfect life is realized in material existence, in five
different relationships we share with everyone within the material world:
neutrality, servitorship, friendship, filial love and amorous love between
husband and wife or lover and beloved. These five enjoyable relationships
within the material world are perverted reflections of relationships with the
Absolute Personality of Godhead in the transcendental nature. That Absolute
Personality, zrI KRSNa, descends to revive the five eternally existing
relationships. Thus He manifests His transcendental pastimes in Vraja so that
people may be attracted into that sphere of activities and leave aside their
imitation relationships with the mundane. Then, after fully exhibiting all such
activities, the Lord disappears.
Adi 3.13
TEXT 13
yatheSTa vihari’ kRSNa kare antardhAna
antardhAna kari’ mane kare anumAna

yathA-iSTa—as much as He wishes; vihari’—enjoying; kRSNa—Lord KRSNa;
kare—makes; antardhAna—disappearance; antardhAna kari’—disappearing;
mane—in the mind; kare—He makes; anumAna—consideration.
TRANSLATION
Lord KRSNa enjoys His transcendental pastimes as long as He wishes, and then
He disappears. After disappearing, however, He thinks thus:
Adi 3.14
TEXT 14
cira-kAla nAhi kari prema-bhakti dAna
bhakti vinA jagatera nAhi avasthAna

cira-kAla—for a long time; nAhi kari—I have not done; prema-bhakti—loving
devotional service; dAna—giving; bhakti—devotional service; vinA—
without; jagatera—of the universe; nAhi—not; avasthAna—existence.
TRANSLATION
“For a long time I have not bestowed unalloyed loving service to Me upon the
inhabitants of the world. Without such loving attachment, the existence of the
material world is useless.
PURPORT
The Lord seldom awards pure transcendental love, but without such pure love
of God, freed from fruitive activities and empiric speculation, one cannot
attain perfection in life.
Adi 3.15
TEXT 15
sakala jagate more kare vidhi-bhakti
vidhi-bhaktye vraja-bhAva pAite nAhi zakti

sakala—all; jagate—in the universe; more—to Me; kare—they do; vidhi-
bhakti—regulative devotional service; vidhi-bhaktye—by regulative
devotional service; vraja-bhAva—the feelings of those in Vraja; pAite—to
obtain; nAhi—not; zakti—the power.
TRANSLATION
“Everywhere in the world people worship Me according to scriptural
injunctions. But simply by following such regulative principles one cannot
attain the loving sentiments of the devotees in VrajabhUmi.
Adi 3.16
TEXT 16
aizvarya-j~nAnete saba jagat mizrita
aizvarya-zithila-preme nAhi mora prIta

aizvarya-j~nAnete—with knowledge of the opulences; saba—all; jagat—the
world; mizrita—mixed; aizvarya-zithila-preme—to love enfeebled by
opulence; nAhi—there is not; mora—My; prIta—attraction.
TRANSLATION
“Knowing My opulences, the whole world looks upon Me with awe and
veneration. But devotion made feeble by such reverence does not attract Me.
PURPORT
After His appearance, Lord KRSNa thought that He had not distributed the
transcendental personal dealings with His devotees in dAsya, sakhya, vAtsalya
and mAdhurya. One may understand the science of the Supreme Personality
of Godhead from the Vedic literatures and thus become a devotee of the Lord
and worship Him within the regulative principles described in the scriptures,
but one will not know in this way how KRSNa is served by the residents of
VrajabhUmi. One cannot understand the dealings of the Lord in VRndAvana
simply by executing the ritualistic regulative principles mentioned in the
scriptures. By following scriptural injunctions one may enhance his
appreciation for the glories of the Lord, but there is no chance for one to enter
into personal dealings with Him. Giving too much attention to understanding
the exalted glories of the Lord reduces the chance of one’s entering into
personal loving affairs with the Lord. To teach the principles of such loving
dealings, the Lord decided to appear as Lord Caitanya.
Adi 3.17
TEXT 17
aizvarya-j~nAne vidhi-bhajana kariyA
vaikuNThake yAya catur-vidha mukti pA~nA

aizvarya-j~nAne—in knowledge of the opulences; vidhi—according to rules
and regulations; bhajana—worship; kariyA—doing; vaikuNThake—to
VaikuNTha; yAya—they go; catuH-vidha—four kinds; mukti—liberation;
pA~nA—achieving.
TRANSLATION
“By performing such regulated devotional service in awe and veneration, one
may go to VaikuNTha and attain the four kinds of liberation.
Adi 3.18
TEXT 18
sArSTi, sArUpya, Ara sAmIpya, sAlokya
sAyujya nA laya bhakta yAte brahma-aikya

sArSTi—opulences equal with the Lord’s; sArUpya—the same form as the
Lord’s; Ara—and; sAmIpya—personal association with the Lord; sAlokya—
residence on a VaikuNTha planet; sAyujya—oneness with the Lord; nA laya—
they do not accept; bhakta—devotees; yAte—since; brahma-aikya—oneness
with Brahman.
TRANSLATION
“These liberations are sArSTi [achieving opulences equal to those of the Lord],
sArUpya [having a form the same as the Lord’s], sAmIpya [living as a personal
associate of the Lord] and sAlokya [living on a VaikuNTha planet]. Devotees
never accept sAyujya, however, since that is oneness with Brahman.
PURPORT
Those engaged in devotional service according to the ritualistic principles
mentioned in the scriptures attain these different kinds of liberation. But
although such devotees can attain sArSTi, sArUpya, sAmIpya and sAlokya, they
are not concerned with these liberations, for such devotees are satisfied only
in rendering transcendental loving service to the Lord. The fifth kind of
liberation, sAyujya, is never accepted even by devotees who perform only
ritualistic worship. To attain sAyujya, or merging into the Brahman effulgence
of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is the aspiration of the impersonalists.
A devotee never cares for sAyujya liberation.
Adi 3.19
TEXT 19
yuga-dharma pravartAimu nAma-sa~NkIrtana
cAri bhAva-bhakti diyA nAcAmu bhuvana

yuga-dharma—the religion of the age; pravartAimu—I shall inaugurate;
nAma-sa~NkIrtana—chanting of the holy name; cAri—four; bhAva—of the
moods; bhakti—devotion; diyA—giving; nAcAmu—I shall cause to dance;
bhuvana—the world.
TRANSLATION
“I shall personally inaugurate the religion of the age—nAma-sa~NkIrtana, the
congregational chanting of the holy name. I shall make the world dance in
ecstasy, realizing the four mellows of loving devotional service.
Adi 3.20
TEXT 20
Apani karimu bhakta-bhAva a~NgIkAre
Apani Acari’ bhakti zikhAimu sabAre

Apani—personally; karimu—I shall make; bhakta-bhAva—the position of a
devotee; a~NgIkAre—acceptance; Apani—personally; Acari’—practicing;
bhakti—devotional service; zikhAimu—I shall teach; sabAre—to all.
TRANSLATION
“I shall accept the role of a devotee, and I shall teach devotional service by
practicing it Myself.
PURPORT
When one associates with a pure devotee, he becomes so elevated that he
does not aspire even for sArSTi, sArUpya, sAmIpya or sAlokya, because he feels
that such liberation is a kind of sense gratification. Pure devotees do not ask
anything from the Lord for their personal benefit. Even if offered personal
benefits, pure devotees do not accept them, because their only desire is to
satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead by transcendental loving service.
No one but the Lord Himself can teach this highest form of devotional service.
Therefore, when the Lord took the place of the incarnation of Kali-yuga to
spread the glories of chanting Hare KRSNa—the system of worship
recommended in this age—He also distributed the process of devotional
service performed on the platform of transcendental spontaneous love. To
teach the highest principles of spiritual life, the Lord Himself appeared as a
devotee in the form of Lord Caitanya.
Adi 3.21
TEXT 21
Apane nA kaile dharma zikhAna nA yAya
ei ta’ siddhAnta gItA-bhAgavate gAya

Apane—personally; nA kaile—if not practiced; dharma—religion; zikhAna—
the teaching; nA yAya—does not advance; ei—this; ta’—certainly;
siddhAnta—conclusion; gItA—in the Bhagavad-gItA; bhAgavate—in zrImad-
BhAgavatam; gAya—they sing.
TRANSLATION
“Unless one practices devotional service himself, he cannot teach it to others.
This conclusion is indeed confirmed throughout the GItA and BhAgavatam.
Adi 3.22
TEXT 22
yadA yadA hi dharmasya
glAnir bhavati bhArata
abhyutthAnam adharmasya
tadAtmAnaà sRjAmy aham

yadA yadA—whenever; hi—certainly; dharmasya—of religious principles;
glAniH—decrease; bhavati—there is; bhArata—O descendant of Bharata;
abhyutthAnam—increase; adharmasya—of irreligion; tadA—then;
AtmAnam—Myself; sRjAmi—manifest; aham—I.
TRANSLATION
“‘Whenever and wherever there is a decline in religious practice, O
descendant of Bharata, and a predominant rise of irreligion—at that time I
descend Myself.
Adi 3.23
TEXT 23
paritrANAya sAdhUnAà
vinAzAya ca duSkRtAm
dharma-saàsthApanArthAya
sambhavAmi yuge yuge

paritrANAya—for the deliverance; sAdhUnAm—of the devotees; vinAzAya—
for the destruction; ca—and; duSkRtAm—of the miscreants; dharma—
religious principles; saàsthApana-arthAya—for the purpose of establishing;
sambhavAmi—I appear; yuge yuge—in every age.
TRANSLATION
“‘To deliver the pious and to annihilate the miscreants, as well as to
reestablish the principles of religion, I Myself appear, millennium after
millennium.’
PURPORT
Texts 22 and 23 were spoken by Lord KRSNa in the Bhagavad-gItA (4.7–8).
Texts 24 and 25, which follow, are also from the Bhagavad-gItA (3.24, 3.21).
Adi 3.24
TEXT 24
utsIdeyur ime lokA
na kuryAà karma ced aham
sa~Nkarasya ca kartA syAm
upahanyAm imAH prajAH

udsIdeyuH—would fall into ruin; ime—these; lokAH—worlds; na kuryAm—did
not perform; karma—action; cet—if; aham—I; sa~Nkarasya—of unwanted
population; ca—and; kartA—the creator; syAm—would become;
upahanyAm—would spoil; imAH—these; prajAH—living entities.
TRANSLATION
“‘If I did not show the proper principles of religion, all these worlds would fall
into ruin. I would be the cause of unwanted population and would spoil all
these living beings.’
Adi 3.25
TEXT 25
yad yad Acarati zreSThas
tat tad evetaro janaH
sa yat pramANaà kurute
lokas tad anuvartate

yat yat—however; Acarati—behaves; zreSThaH—the best man; tat tat—that;
eva—certainly; itaraH—the lesser; janaH—man; saH—he; yat—which;
pramANam—standard; kurute—shows; lokaH—the people; tat—that;
anuvartate—follow.
TRANSLATION
“‘Whatever actions a great man performs, common people follow. And
whatever standards he sets by exemplary acts, all the world pursues.’
Adi 3.26
TEXT 26
yuga-dharma-pravartana haya aàza haite
AmA vinA anye nAre vraja-prema dite

yuga-dharma—of the religion of the age; pravartana—the inauguration;
haya—is; aàza—the plenary portion; haite—from; AmA—for Me; vinA—
except; anye—another; nAre—is not able; vraja-prema—love like that of the
residents of Vraja; dite—to bestow.
TRANSLATION
“My plenary portions can establish the principles of religion for each age. No
one but Me, however, can bestow the kind of loving service performed by the
residents of Vraja.
Adi 3.27
TEXT 27
santv avatArA bahavaH
pa~Nkaja-nAbhasya sarvato-bhadrAH
kRSNAd anyaH ko vA latAsv
api prema-do bhavati

santu—let there be; avatArAH—incarnations; bahavaH—many; pa~Nkaja-
nAbhasya—of the Lord, from whose navel grows a lotus flower; sarvataH-
bhadrAH—completely auspicious; kRSNAt—than Lord KRSNa; anyaH—other;
kaH vA—who possibly; latAsu—on the surrendered souls; api—also; prema-
daH—the bestower of love; bhavati—is.
TRANSLATION
“‘There may be many all-auspicious incarnations of the Personality of
Godhead, but who other than Lord zrI KRSNa can bestow love of God upon the
surrendered souls?’
PURPORT
This quotation from the writings of Bilvama~Ngala ThAkura is found in the
Laghu-bhAgavatAmRta (1.5.37).
Adi 3.28
TEXT 28
tAhAte Apana bhakta-gaNa kari’ sa~Nge
pRthivIte avatari’ karimu nAnA ra~Nge

tAhAte—in that; Apana—My own; bhakta-gaNa—with devotees; kari’—
doing; sa~Nge—in association; pRthivIte—on the earth; avatari’—descending;
karimu—I shall perform; nAnA—various; ra~Nge—colorful pastimes.
TRANSLATION
“Therefore in the company of My devotees I shall appear on earth and
perform various colorful pastimes.”
Adi 3.29
TEXT 29
eta bhAvi’ kali-kAle prathama sandhyAya
avatIrNa hailA kRSNa Apani nadIyAya

eta—thus; bhAvi’—thinking; kali-kAle—in the Age of Kali; prathama—first;
sandhyAya—in the junction; avatIrNa hailA—descended; kRSNa—Lord KRSNa;
Apani—Himself; nadIyAya—in Nadia.
TRANSLATION
Thinking thus, the Personality of Godhead, zrI KRSNa Himself, descended at
Nadia early in the Age of Kali.
PURPORT
The prathama-sandhyA is the beginning of the age. According to astronomical
calculation, the age is divided into twelve parts. The first of these twelve
divisions is known as the prathama-sandhyA. The prathama-sandhyA and
zeSa-sandhyA, the last division of the preceding age, form the junction of the
two ages. According to the SUrya-siddhAnta, the prathama-sandhyA of Kali-
yuga lasts 36,000 solar years. Lord Caitanya appeared in the prathama-
sandhyA after 4,586 solar years of Kali-yuga had passed.
Adi 3.30
TEXT 30
TEXT
caitanya-siàhera navadvIpe avatAra
siàha-grIva, siàha-vIrya, siàhera hu~NkAra

caitanya-siàhera—of the lionlike Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu; navadvIpe—at
NavadvIpa; avatAra—the incarnation; siàha-grIva—having the neck of a
lion; siàha-vIrya—the strength of a lion; siàhera hu~NkAra—the roar of a lion.
TRANSLATION
Thus the lionlike Lord Caitanya has appeared in NavadvIpa. He has the
shoulders of a lion, the powers of a lion, and the loud voice of a lion.
Adi 3.31
TEXT 31
sei siàha vasuk jIvera hRdaya-kandare
kalmaSa-dvirada nAze yA~NhAra hu~NkAre

sei—that; siàha—lion; vasuk—let Him sit; jIvera—of the living entities;
hRdaya—of the heart; kandare—in the cavern; kalmaSa—of sins; dvi-rada—
the elephant; nAze—destroys; yA~NhAra—of whom; hu~NkAre—the roar.
TRANSLATION
May that lion be seated in the core of the heart of every living being. Thus
with His resounding roar may He drive away one’s elephantine vices.
Adi 3.32
TEXT 32
prathama lIlAya tA~Nra ‘vizvambhara’ nAma
bhakti-rase bharila, dharila bhUta-grAma

prathama—first; lIlAya—in the pastimes; tA~Nra—of Him; vizvambhara
nAma—the name Vizvambhara; bhakti-rase—with the mellow of devotional
service; bharila—He filled; dharila—saved; bhUta-grAma—all the living
entities.
TRANSLATION
In His early pastimes He is known as Vizvambhara because He floods the
world with the nectar of devotion and thus saves the living beings.
Adi 3.33
TEXT 33
òubhR~n dhAtura artha——poSaNa, dhAraNa
puSila, dharila prema diyA tri-bhuvana

òubhR~n—known as òubhR~n (bhR); dhAtura—of the verbal root; artha—the
meaning; poSaNa—nourishing; dhAraNa—maintaining; puSila—nourished;
dharila—maintained; prema diyA—distributing love of God; tri-bhuvana—in
the three worlds.
TRANSLATION
The verbal root “òubhR~n” [which is the root of the word “vizvambhara”]
indicates nourishing and maintaining. He [Lord Caitanya] nourishes and
maintains the three worlds by distributing love of God.
Adi 3.34
TEXT 34
zeSa-lIlAya dhare nAma ‘zrI-kRSNa-caitanya’
zrI-kRSNa jAnAye saba vizva kaila dhanya

zeSa-lIlAya—in His final pastimes; dhare—He held; nAma—the name; zrI-
kRSNa-caitanya—zrI KRSNa Caitanya; zrI-kRSNa—about Lord KRSNa; jAnAye—He
taught; saba—all; vizva—the world; kaila—made; dhanya—fortunate.
TRANSLATION
In His later pastimes He is known as Lord zrI KRSNa Caitanya. He blesses the
whole world by teaching about the name and fame of Lord zrI KRSNa.
PURPORT
Lord Caitanya remained a householder only until His twenty-fourth year had
passed. Then He entered the renounced order and remained manifest in this
material world until His forty-eighth year. Therefore His zeSa-lIlA, or the final
portion of His activities, lasted twenty-four years.
Some so-called VaiSNavas say that the renounced order of life was not
accepted in the VaiSNava sampradAya, or disciplic succession, until Lord
Caitanya. This is not a very intelligent proposition. zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu
took the sannyAsa order from zrIpAda Kezava BhAratI, who belonged to the
za~Nkara sect, which approves of only ten names for sannyAsIs. Long before
the advent of zrIpAda za~NkarAcArya, however, the sannyAsa order existed in
the VaiSNava line of ViSNu SvAmI. In the ViSNu SvAmI VaiSNava sampradAya,
there are ten different kinds of sannyAsa names and 108 different names for
sannyAsIs who accept the tri-daNòa, the triple staff of sannyAsa. This is
approved by the Vedic rules. Therefore VaiSNava sannyAsa was existent even
before the appearance of za~NkarAcArya, although those who know nothing
about VaiSNava sannyAsa unnecessarily declare that there is no sannyAsa in
the VaiSNava sampradAya.
During the time of Lord Caitanya, the influence of za~NkarAcArya in society
was very strong. People thought that one could accept sannyAsa only in the
disciplic succession of za~NkarAcArya. Lord Caitanya could have performed His
missionary activities as a householder, but He found householder life an
obstruction to His mission. Therefore He decided to accept the renounced
order, sannyAsa. Since His acceptance of sannyAsa was also designed to
attract public attention, Lord Caitanya, not wishing to disturb the social
convention, took the renounced order of life from a sannyAsI in the disciplic
succession of za~NkarAcArya, although sannyAsa was also sanctioned in the
VaiSNava sampradAya.
In the za~Nkara-sampradAya there are ten different names awarded to
sannyAsIs: (1) TIrtha, (2) Azrama, (3) Vana, (4) AraNya, (5) Giri, (6) Parvata, (7)
SAgara, (8) SarasvatI, (9) BhAratI and (10) PurI. Before one enters sannyAsa, he
has one of the various names for a brahmacArI, the assistant to a sannyAsI.
SannyAsIs with the titles TIrtha and Azrama generally stay at DvArakA, and
their brahmacArI name is SvarUpa. Those known by the names Vana and
AraNya stay at PuruSottama, or JagannAtha PurI, and their brahmacArI name is
PrakAza. Those with the names Giri, Parvata and SAgara generally stay at
BadarikAzrama, and their brahmacArI name is Ananda. Those with the titles
SarasvatI, BhAratI and PurI usually live at zr~NgerI in South India, and their
brahmacArI name is Caitanya.
zrIpAda za~NkarAcArya established four monasteries in India, in the four
directions (north, south, east and west), and he entrusted them to four
sannyAsIs who were his disciples. Now there are hundreds of branch
monasteries under these four principal monasteries, and although there is an
official symmetry among them, there are many differences in their dealings.
The four different sects of these monasteries are known as AnandavAra,
BhogavAra, KITavAra and BhUmivAra, and in course of time they have
developed different ideas and different slogans.
According to the regulation of the disciplic succession, one who wishes to
enter the renounced order in za~Nkara’s sect must first be trained as a
brahmacArI under a bona fide sannyAsI, The brahmacArI’s name is ascertained
according to the group to which the sannyAsI belongs. Lord Caitanya
accepted sannyAsa from Kezava BhAratI. When He first approached Kezava
BhAratI, He was accepted as a brahmacArI with the name zrI KRSNa Caitanya
BrahmacArI. After He took sannyAsa, He preferred to keep the name KRSNa
Caitanya.
The great authorities in the disciplic succession had not offered to explain
why Lord Caitanya refused to take the name BhAratI after He took sannyAsa
from a BhAratI, until zrIla BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI GosvAmI MahArAja
volunteered the explanation that because a sannyAsI in the za~Nkara-
sampradAya thinks that he has become the Supreme, Lord Caitanya, wanting
to avoid such a misconception, kept the name zrI KRSNa Caitanya, placing
Himself as an eternal servitor. A brahmacArI is supposed to serve the spiritual
master; therefore He did not negate that relationship of servitude to His
spiritual master. Accepting such a position is favorable for the relationship
between the disciple and the spiritual master.
The authentic biographies also mention that Lord Caitanya accepted the
daNòa (rod) and begging pot, symbolic of the sannyAsa order, at the time He
took sannyAsa.
Adi 3.35
TEXT 35
tA~Nra yugAvatAra jAni’ garga mahAzaya
kRSNera nAma-karaNe kariyAche nirNaya

tA~Nra—of Him; yuga-avatAra—incarnation for the age; jAni’—knowing;
garga—Garga Muni; mahAzaya—the great personality; kRSNera—of Lord
KRSNa; nAma-karaNe—in the name-giving ceremony; kariyAche—made;
nirNaya—ascertainment.
TRANSLATION
Knowing Him [Lord Caitanya] to be the incarnation for Kali-yuga, Garga Muni,
during the naming ceremony of KRSNa, predicted His appearance.
Adi 3.36
TEXT 36
Asan varNAs trayo hy asya
gRhNato ’nu-yugaà tanUH
zuklo raktas tathA pIta
idAnIà kRSNatAà gataH

Asan—were; varNAH—colors; trayaH—three; hi—certainly; asya—of this
one; gRhNataH—who is manifesting; anu-yugam—according to the age;
tanUH—bodies; zuklaH—white; raktaH—red; tathA—thus; pItaH—yellow;
idAnIm—now; kRSNatAm—blackness; gataH—obtained.
TRANSLATION
“This boy [KRSNa] has three other colors—white, red and yellow—as He
appears in different ages. Now He has appeared in a transcendental blackish
color.”
PURPORT
This is a verse from zrImad-BhAgavatam (10.8.13).
Adi 3.37
TEXT 37
zukla, rakta, pIta-varNa——ei tina dyuti
satya-tretA-kali-kAle dharena zrI-pati

zukla—white; rakta—red; pIta-varNa—the color yellow; ei—these; tina—
three; dyuti—lusters; satya—in Satya-yuga; tretA—in TretA-yuga; kali-kAle—
in the Age of Kali; dharena—manifests; zrI-pati—the husband of the goddess
of fortune.
TRANSLATION
White, red and yellow—these are the three bodily lusters that the Lord, the
husband of the goddess of fortune, assumes in the ages of Satya, TretA and
Kali respectively.
Adi 3.38
TEXT 38
idAnIà dvApare ti~Nho hailA kRSNa-varNa
ei saba zAstrAgama-purANera marma

idAnIm—now; dvApare—in the DvApara-yuga; ti~Nho—He; hailA—was; kRSNa-
varNa—blackish color; ei—these; saba—all; zAstra-Agama—and Vedic
literatures; purANera—of the PurANas; marma—the core.
TRANSLATION
Now, in the DvApara-yuga, the Lord had descended in a blackish hue. This is
the essence of the statements in the PurANas and other Vedic literatures with
reference to the context.
Adi 3.39
TEXT 39
dvApare bhagavAn zyAmaH
pIta-vAsA nijAyudhaH
zrI-vatsAdibhir a~Nkaiz ca
lakSaNair upalakSitaH

dvApare—in the DvApara-yuga; bhagavAn—the Supreme Personality of
Godhead; zyAmaH—blackish; pIta-vAsAH—having yellow clothes; nija—own;
AyudhaH—having weapons; zrIvatsa-AdibhiH—such as zrIvatsa; a~NkaiH—by
bodily markings; ca—and; lakSaNaiH—by external characteristics such as the
Kaustubha jewel; upalakSitaH—characterized.
TRANSLATION
“In the DvApara-yuga the Personality of Godhead appears in a blackish hue.
He is dressed in yellow, He holds His own weapons, and He is decorated with
the Kaustubha jewel and marks of zrIvatsa. This is how His symptoms are
described.”
PURPORT
This is a verse from zrImad-BhAgavatam (11.5.27), spoken by Saint
KarabhAjana, one of the nine royal mystics who explained to King Nimi the
different features of the Lord in different ages.
Adi 3.40
TEXT 40
kali-yuge yuga-dharma——nAmera pracAra
tathi lAgi’ pIta-varNa caitanyAvatAra

kali-yuge—in the Age of Kali; yuga-dharma—the religious practice for the
age; nAmera—of the holy name; pracAra—propagation; tathi—this; lAgi’—
for; pIta-varNa—having a yellow color; caitanya-avatAra—the incarnation of
Lord Caitanya.
TRANSLATION
The religious practice for the Age of Kali is to broadcast the glories of the holy
name. Only for this purpose has the Lord, in a yellow color, descended as Lord
Caitanya.
PURPORT
In this Age of Kali the practical system of religion for everyone is the chanting
of the name of Godhead. This was introduced in this age by Lord Caitanya.
Bhakti-yoga actually begins with the chanting of the holy name, as confirmed
by MadhvAcArya in his commentary on the MuNòaka UpaniSad. He quotes
this verse from the NArAyaNa-saàhitA:
dvAparIyair janair viSNuH
pa~ncarAtrais tu kevalaiH
kalau tu nAma-mAtreNa
pUjyate bhagavAn hariH
“In the DvApara-yuga people should worship Lord ViSNu only by the regulative
principles of the NArada-pa~ncarAtra and other such authorized books. In the
Age of Kali, however, people should simply chant the holy names of the
Supreme Personality of Godhead.” The Hare KRSNa mantra is specifically
mentioned in many UpaniSads, such as the Kali-santaraNa UpaniSad, where it
is said:
hare kRSNa hare kRSNa
kRSNa kRSNa hare hare
hare rAma hare rAma
rAma rAma hare hare
iti Soòazakaà nAmnAà
kali-kalmaSa-nAzanaà
nAtaH parataropAyaH
sarva-vedeSu dRzyate
“After searching through all the Vedic literature, one cannot find a method of
religion more sublime for this age than the chanting of Hare KRSNa.”
Adi 3.41
TEXT 41
tapta-hema-sama-kAnti, prakANòa zarIra
nava-megha jini kaNTha-dhvani ye gambhIra

tapta-hema—as molten gold; sama-kAnti—same luster; prakANòa—
enormous; zarIra—body; nava-megha—new clouds; jini—conquering;
kaNTha-dhvani—the sound of the voice; ye—that; gambhIra—deep.
TRANSLATION
The luster of His expansive body resembles molten gold. The deep sound of
His voice conquers the thundering of newly assembled clouds.
Adi 3.42
TEXT 42
dairghya-vistAre yei ApanAra hAta
cAri hasta haya ‘mahA-puruSa’ vikhyAta

dairghya—in length; vistAre—and in breadth; yei—who; ApanAra—of his
own; hAta—hand; cAri—four; hasta—cubits; haya—is; mahA-puruSa—as a
great personality; vikhyAta—celebrated.
TRANSLATION
One who measures four cubits in height and in breadth by his own hand is
celebrated as a great personality.
Adi 3.43
TEXT 43
‘nyagrodha-parimaNòala’ haya tA~Nra nAma
nyagrodha-parimaNòala-tanu caitanya guNa-dhAma

nyagrodha-parimaNòala—nyagrodha-parimaNòala; haya—is; tA~Nra—of him;
nAma—the name; nyagrodha-parimaNòala—nyagrodha-parimaNòala; tanu—
having such a body; caitanya—Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu; guNa-dhAma—
the abode of good qualities.
TRANSLATION
Such a person is called nyagrodha-parimaNòala. zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu,
who personifies all good qualities, has the body of a nyagrodha-parimaNòala.
PURPORT
No one other than the Supreme Lord Himself, who has engaged the
conditioned souls by His own illusory energy, can possess these bodily
features. These features certainly indicate an incarnation of ViSNu and no one
else.
Adi 3.44
TEXT 44
AjAnulambita-bhuja kamala-locana
tilaphula-jini-nAsA, sudhAàzu-vadana

A-jAnu-lambita-bhuja—arms that reach the knees; kamala-locana—with lotus
eyes; tila-phula—the blossom of the sesame plant; jini—conquering; nAsA—
whose nose; sudhA-aàzu-vadana—whose face is like the moon.
TRANSLATION
His arms are long enough to reach His knees, His eyes are just like lotus
flowers, His nose is like a sesame flower, and His face is as beautiful as the
moon.
Adi 3.45
TEXT 45
zAnta, dAnta, kRSNa-bhakti-niSThA-parAyaNa
bhakta-vatsala, suzIla, sarva-bhUte sama

zAnta—peaceful; dAnta—controlled; kRSNa-bhakti—to the service of Lord
KRSNa; niSThA-parAyaNa—fully devoted; bhakta-vatsala—affectionate toward
the devotees; su-zIla—good character; sarva-bhUte—to all living beings;
sama—equal.
TRANSLATION
He is peaceful, self-controlled and fully devoted to the transcendental service
of Lord zrI KRSNa. He is affectionate toward His devotees, He is gentle, and He
is equally disposed toward all living beings.
Adi 3.46
TEXT 46
candanera a~Ngada-bAlA, candana-bhUSaNa
nRtya-kAle pari’ karena kRSNa-sa~NkIrtana

candanera—of sandalwood; a~Ngada—and armlets; bAlA—bangles;
candana—of sandalwood pulp; bhUSaNa—decorations; nRtya-kAle—at the
time of dancing; pari’—putting on; karena—does; kRSNa-sa~NkIrtana—
congregational chanting of the name of KRSNa.
TRANSLATION
He is decorated with sandalwood bangles and armlets and anointed with the
pulp of sandalwood. He especially wears these decorations to dance in zrI-
kRSNa-sa~NkIrtana.
Adi 3.47
TEXT 47
ei saba guNa la~nA muni vaizampAyana
sahasra-nAme kaila tA~Nra nAma-gaNana

ei—these; saba—all; guNa—qualities; la~nA—taking; muni—the sage;
vaizampAyana—named VaizampAyana; sahasra-nAme—in the ViSNu-sahasra-
nAma; kaila—did; tA~Nra—of Him; nAma-gaNana—counting of the name.
TRANSLATION
Recording all these qualities of Lord Caitanya, the sage VaizampAyana
included His name in the ViSNu-sahasra-nAma.
Adi 3.48
TEXT 48
dui lIlA caitanyera——Adi Ara zeSa
dui lIlAya cAri cAri nAma vizeSa

dui—two; lIlA—pastimes; caitanyera—of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu; Adi—
first; Ara—and; zeSa—final; dui—two; lIlAya—in pastimes; cAri—four; cAri—
and four; nAma—names; vizeSa—specific.
TRANSLATION
The pastimes of Lord Caitanya have two divisions—the early pastimes [Adi-
lIlA] and the later pastimes [zeSa-lIlA]. He has four names in each of these two
lIlAs.
Adi 3.49
TEXT 49
suvarNa-varNo hemA~Ngo
varA~Ngaz candanA~NgadI
sannyAsa-kRc chamaH zAnto
niSThA-zAnti-parAyaNaH

suvarNa—of gold; varNaH—having the color; hema-a~NgaH—whose body was
like molten gold; vara-a~NgaH—having a most beautiful body; candana-
a~NgadI—whose body was smeared with sandalwood; sannyAsa-kRt—
practicing the renounced order of life; zamaH—equipoised; zAntaH—peaceful;
niSThA—devotion; zAnti—and of peace; parAyaNaH—the highest resort.
TRANSLATION
“In His early pastimes He appears as a householder with a golden complexion.
His limbs are beautiful, and His body, smeared with the pulp of sandalwood,
seems like molten gold. In His later pastimes He accepts the sannyAsa order,
and He is equipoised and peaceful. He is the highest abode of peace and
devotion, for He silences the impersonalist nondevotees.”
PURPORT
This is a verse from the MahAbhArata (DAna-dharma, ViSNu-sahasra-nAma-
stotra). In his commentary on the ViSNu-sahasra-nAma, called the NAmArtha-
sudhA, zrIla Baladeva VidyAbhUSaNa, commenting upon this verse, asserts that
Lord Caitanya is the Supreme Personality of Godhead according to the
evidence of the UpaniSads. He explains that suvarNa-varNaH means a golden
complexion. He also quotes the Vedic injunction yadA pazyaH pazyate rukma-
varNaà kartAram Izaà puruSaà brahma-yonim (MuNòaka Up. 3.1.3). Rukma-
varNaà kartAram Izam refers to the Supreme Personality of Godhead as
having a complexion the color of molten gold. PuruSam means the Supreme
Lord, and brahma-yonim indicates that He is also the Supreme Brahman. This
evidence, too, proves that Lord Caitanya is the Supreme Personality of
Godhead KRSNa. Another meaning of the description of the Lord as having a
golden hue is that Lord Caitanya’s personality is as fascinating as gold is
attractive. zrIla Baladeva VidyAbhUSaNa has explained that the word varA~Nga
means “exquisitely beautiful.”
Lord Caitanya accepted sannyAsa, leaving aside His householder life, to
preach His mission. He has equanimity in different senses. First, He describes
the confidential truth of the Personality of Godhead, and second, He satisfies
everyone by knowledge and attachment to KRSNa. He is peaceful because He
renounces all topics not related to the service of KRSNa. zrIla Baladeva
VidyAbhUSaNa has explained that the word niSThA indicates His being rigidly
fixed in chanting the holy name of zrI KRSNa. Lord Caitanya subdued all
disturbing opponents of devotional service, especially the monists, who are
actually averse to the personal feature of the Supreme Lord.
Adi 3.50
TEXT 50
vyakta kari’ bhAgavate kahe bAra bAra
kali-yuge dharma——nAma-sa~NkIrtana sAra

vyakta—evident; kari’—making; bhAgavate—in zrImad-BhAgavatam;
kahe—they say; bAra bAra—time and time again; kali-yuge—in the Age of
Kali; dharma—the religion; nAma-sa~NkIrtana—congregational chanting of the
holy name; sAra—the essence.
TRANSLATION
In zrImad-BhAgavatam it is repeatedly and clearly said that the essence of
religion in the Age of Kali is the chanting of the holy name of KRSNa.
Adi 3.51
TEXT 51
iti dvApara urv-Iza
stuvanti jagad-Izvaram
nAnA-tantra-vidhAnena
kalAv api yathA zRNu

iti—thus; dvApare—in the DvApara Age; uru-Iza—O King; stuvanti—they
praise; jagat-Izvaram—the Lord of the universe; nAnA—various; tantra—of
scriptures; vidhAnena—by the regulations; kalau—in the Age of Kali; api—
also; yathA—in which manner; zRNu—please hear.
TRANSLATION
“O King, in this way people in DvApara-yuga worshiped the Lord of the
universe. In Kali-yuga they also worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead
by the regulations of the revealed scriptures. Kindly now hear of that from
me.
PURPORT
This verse is spoken by Saint KarabhAjana in zrImad-BhAgavatam (11.5.31).
Adi 3.52
TEXT 52
kRSNa-varNaà tviSAkRSNaà
sA~NgopA~NgAstra-pArSadam
yaj~naiH sa~NkIrtana-prAyair
yajanti hi su-medhasaH

kRSNa-varNam—repeating the syllables kRS-Na; tviSA—with a luster;
akRSNam—not black (golden); sa-a~Nga—along with associates; upA~Nga—
servitors; astra—weapons; pArSadam—confidential companions; yaj~naiH—by
sacrifice; sa~NkIrtana-prAyaiH—consisting chiefly of congregational chanting;
yajanti—they worship; hi—certainly; su-medhasaH—intelligent persons.
TRANSLATION
“In the Age of Kali, intelligent persons perform congregational chanting to
worship the incarnation of Godhead who constantly sings the name of KRSNa.
Although His complexion is not blackish, He is KRSNa Himself. He is
accompanied by His associates, servants, weapons and confidential
companions.”
PURPORT
This text is from zrImad-BhAgavatam (11.5.32). zrIla JIva GosvAmI has
explained this verse in his commentary on the BhAgavatam, known as the
Krama-sandarbha, wherein he says that Lord KRSNa also appears with a golden
complexion. That golden Lord KRSNa is Lord Caitanya, who is worshiped by
intelligent men in this age. That is confirmed in zrImad-BhAgavatam by Garga
Muni, who said that although the child KRSNa was blackish, He also appears in
three other colors—red, white and yellow. He exhibited His white and red
complexions in the Satya and TretA ages respectively. He did not exhibit the
remaining color, yellow-gold, until He appeared as Lord Caitanya, who is
known as Gaura Hari.
zrIla JIva GosvAmI explains that kRSNa-varNam means zrI KRSNa Caitanya.
KRSNa-varNa and KRSNa Caitanya are equivalent. The name KRSNa appears with
both Lord KRSNa and Lord Caitanya KRSNa. Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu is
the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but He always engages in describing
KRSNa and thus enjoys transcendental bliss by chanting and remembering His
name and form. Lord KRSNa Himself appears as Lord Caitanya to preach the
highest gospel.
Lord Caitanya always chants the holy name of KRSNa and describes it also, and
because He is KRSNa Himself, whoever meets Him will automatically chant the
holy name of KRSNa and later describe it to others. He injects one with
transcendental KRSNa consciousness, which merges the chanter in
transcendental bliss. In all respects, therefore, He appears before everyone as
KRSNa, either by personality or by sound. Simply by seeing Lord Caitanya one
at once remembers Lord KRSNa. One may therefore accept Him as viSNu-
tattva. In other words, Lord Caitanya is Lord KRSNa Himself.
SA~NgopA~NgAstra-pArSadam further indicates that Lord Caitanya is Lord KRSNa.
His body is always decorated with ornaments of sandalwood and with
sandalwood paste. By His superexcellent beauty He subdues all the people of
the age. In other descents the Lord sometimes used weapons to defeat the
demoniac, but in this age the Lord subdues them with His all-attractive figure
as Caitanya MahAprabhu. zrIla JIva GosvAmI explains that His beauty is His
astra, or weapon, to subdue the demons. Because He is all-attractive, it is to
be understood that all the demigods lived with Him as His companions. His
acts were uncommon and His associates wonderful. When He propagated the
sa~NkIrtana movement, He attracted many great scholars and AcAryas,
especially in Bengal and Orissa. Lord Caitanya is always accompanied by His
best associates like Lord NityAnanda, Advaita, GadAdhara and zrIvAsa.
zrIla JIva GosvAmI cites a verse from the Vedic literature which says that there
is no necessity of performing sacrificial demonstrations or ceremonial
functions. He comments that instead of engaging in such external, pompous
exhibitions, all people, regardless of caste, color or creed, can assemble
together and chant Hare KRSNa to worship Lord Caitanya. KRSNa-varNaà
tviSAkRSNam [SB 11.5.32] indicates that prominence should be given to the
name of KRSNa. Lord Caitanya taught KRSNa consciousness and chanted the
name of KRSNa. Therefore, to worship Lord Caitanya, everyone should
together chant the mahA-mantra—Hare KRSNa, Hare KRSNa, KRSNa KRSNa, Hare
Hare/ Hare RAma, Hare RAma, RAma RAma, Hare Hare. To propagate worship
in churches, temples or mosques is not possible, because people have lost
interest in that. But anywhere and everywhere, people can chant Hare KRSNa.
Thus worshiping Lord Caitanya, they can perform the highest activity and
fulfill the highest religious purpose of satisfying the Supreme Lord.
zrIla SArvabhauma BhaTTAcArya, a famous disciple of Lord Caitanya, said, “The
principle of transcendental devotional service having been lost, zrI KRSNa
Caitanya has appeared in order to deliver again the process of devotion. He is
so kind that He is distributing love of KRSNa. Everyone should be attracted
more and more to His lotus feet, as humming bees are attracted to a lotus
flower.”
Adi 3.53
TEXT 53
zuna, bhAi, ei saba caitanya-mahimA
ei zloke kahe tA~Nra mahimAra sImA

zuna—please hear; bhAi—O brothers; ei—this; saba—all; caitanya—of Lord
Caitanya MahAprabhu; mahimA—the glories; ei—this; zloke—verse; kahe—
says; tA~Nra—of Him; mahimAra—of the glories; sImA—the limit.
TRANSLATION
My dear brothers, please hear all these glories of Lord Caitanya. This verse
clearly summarizes His activities and characteristics.
Adi 3.54
TEXT 54
‘kRSNa’ ei dui varNa sadA yA~Nra mukhe
athavA, kRSNake ti~Nho varNe nija sukhe

kRSNa—kRS-Na; ei—these; dui—two; varNa—syllables; sadA—always;
yA~Nra—of whom; mukhe—in the mouth; athavA—or else; kRSNake—Lord
KRSNa; ti~Nho—He; varNe—describes; nija—His own; sukhe—in happiness.
TRANSLATION
The two syllables “kRS-Na” are always in His mouth; or, He constantly
describes KRSNa with great pleasure.
Adi 3.55
TEXT 55
kRSNa-varNa-zabdera artha dui ta pramANa
kRSNa vinu tA~Nra mukhe nAhi Aise Ana

kRSNa-varNa-zabdera—of the word kRSNa-varNa; artha—the meaning; dui—
two; ta—certainly; pramANa—examples; kRSNa—KRSNa; vinu—except for;
tA~Nra—of Him; mukhe—in the mouth; nAhi Aise—does not come; Ana—
anything else.
TRANSLATION
These are two meanings of the word “kRSNa-varNa.” Indeed, nothing else but
KRSNa issues from His mouth.
Adi 3.56
TEXT 56
keha tA~Nre bale yadi kRSNa-varaNa
Ara vizeSaNe tAra kare nivAraNa

keha—someone; tA~Nre—to Him; bale—ascribes; yadi—if; kRSNa—black;
varaNa—the color; Ara—another; vizeSaNe—in the adjective; tAra—of that;
kare—does; nivAraNa—prevention.
TRANSLATION
If someone tries to describe Him as being of blackish complexion, the next
adjective [tviSA akRSNam] immediately restricts him.
Adi 3.57
TEXT 57
deha-kAntye haya te~Nho akRSNa-varaNa
akRSNa-varaNe kahe pIta-varaNa

deha-kAntye—in the luster of the body; haya—is; te~Nho—He; akRSNa—not
black; varaNa—the color; akRSNa-varaNe—by a color that is not blackish;
kahe—one means; pIta—yellow; varaNa—the color.
TRANSLATION
His complexion is certainly not blackish. Indeed, His not being blackish
indicates that His complexion is yellow.
Adi 3.58
TEXT 58
kalau yaà vidvAàsaH sphuTam abhiyajante dyuti-bharAd
akRSNA~Ngaà kRSNaà makha-vidhibhir utkIrtana-mayaiH
upAsyaà ca prAhur yam akhila-caturthAzrama-juSAà
sa devaz caitanyAkRtir atitarAà naH kRpayatu

kalau—in the Age of Kali; yam—Him whom; vidvAàsaH—the learned men;
sphuTam—clearly manifested; abhiyajante—worship; dyuti-bharAt—due to
an abundance of bodily luster; akRSNa-a~Ngam—whose body is not blackish;
kRSNam—Lord KRSNa; makha-vidhibhiH—by the performances of sacrifice;
utkIrtana-mayaiH—consisting of loud chanting of the holy name; upAsyam—
worshipable object; ca—and; prAhuH—they said; yam—whom; akhila—all;
caturtha-Azrama-juSAm—of those who are in the fourth order of life
(sannyAsa); saH—He; devaH—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; caitanya-
AkRtiH—having the form of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu; atitarAm—
excessively; naH—unto us; kRpayatu—let Him show His mercy.
TRANSLATION
“By performing the sacrifice of congregational chanting of the holy name,
learned scholars in the Age of Kali worship Lord KRSNa, who is now
nonblackish because of the great upsurge of the feelings of zrImatI RAdhArANI.
He is the only worshipable Deity for the paramahaàsas, who have attained
the highest stage of the fourth order [sannyAsa]. May that Supreme
Personality of Godhead, Lord Caitanya, show us His great causeless mercy.”
PURPORT
This verse is DvitIya zrI CaitanyASTaka 1, from the Stava-mAlA of zrIla RUpa
GosvAmI.
Adi 3.59
TEXT 59
pratyakSa tA~NhAra tapta-kA~ncanera dyuti
yA~NhAra chaTAya nAze aj~nAna-tamastati

pratyakSa—vivid; tA~NhAra—of Him; tapta—molten; kA~ncanera—of gold;
dyuti—effulgence; yA~NhAra—of whom; chaTAya—by the luster; nAze—
destroys; aj~nAna—of ignorance; tamastati—the extent of the darkness.
TRANSLATION
One can vividly see His glowing complexion of molten gold, which dispels the
darkness of ignorance.
Adi 3.60
TEXT 60
jIvera kalmaSa-tamo nAza karibAre
a~Nga-upA~Nga-nAma nAnA astra dhare

jIvera—of the living entity; kalmaSa—of sinful activities; tamaH—the
darkness; nAza karibAre—for destroying; a~Nga—associates; upA~Nga—
devotees; nAma—holy names; nAnA—various; astra—weapons; dhare—He
holds.
TRANSLATION
The sinful life of the living beings results from ignorance. To destroy that
ignorance, He has brought various weapons, such as His plenary associates,
His devotees and the holy name.
Adi 3.61
TEXT 61
bhaktira virodhI karma-dharma vA adharma
tAhAra ’kalmaSa’ nAma, sei mahA-tamaH

bhaktira—to devotional service; virodhI—averse; karma—activity;
dharma—religious; vA—or; adharma—irreligious; tAhAra—of that;
kalmaSa—sin; nAma—the name; sei—this; mahA-tamaH—great darkness.
TRANSLATION
The greatest ignorance consists of activities, whether religious or irreligious,
that are opposed to devotional service. They are to be known as sins
[kalmaSa].
Adi 3.62
TEXT 62
bAhu tuli’ hari bali’ prema-dRSTye cAya
kariyA kalmaSa nAza premete bhAsAya

bAhu tuli’—raising the arms; hari bali’—chanting the holy name; prema-
dRSTye—with His glance of deep love; cAya—He looks; kariyA—causing;
kalmaSa—to sins; nAza—destruction; premete—in love of God; bhAsAya—He
floods.
TRANSLATION
Raising His arms, chanting the holy name and looking upon all with deep love,
He drives away all sins and floods everyone with love of Godhead.
Adi 3.63
TEXT 63
smitAlokaH zokaà harati jagatAà yasya parito
girAà tu prArambhaH kuzala-paTalIà pallavayati
padAlambhaH kaà vA praNayati na hi prema-nivahaà
sa devaz caitanyAkRtir atitarAà naH kRpayatu

smita—smiling; AlokaH—glance; zokam—the bereavement; harati—takes
away; jagatAm—of the world; yasya—whose; paritaH—all around; girAm—
of the speech; tu—also; prArambhaH—the beginning; kuzala—of
auspiciousness; paTalIm—the mass; pallavayati—causes to blossom; pada-
AlambhaH—the taking hold of the lotus feet; kam vA—what possibly;
praNayati—leads to; na—not; hi—certainly; prema-nivaham—quantity of
love of Godhead; saH—He; devaH—the Supreme Personality of Godhead;
caitanya-AkRtiH—having the form of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu; atitarAm—
excessively; naH—unto us; kRpayatu—may He show His mercy.
TRANSLATION
“May the Supreme Personality of Godhead in the form of Lord zrI Caitanya
bestow His causeless mercy upon us. His smiling glance at once drives away
all the bereavements of the world, and His very words enliven the auspicious
creepers of devotion by expanding their leaves. Taking shelter of His lotus
feet invokes transcendental love of God at once.”
PURPORT
This verse is DvitIya zrI CaitanyASTaka 8, from the Stava-mAlA of zrIla RUpa
GosvAmI.
Adi 3.64
TEXT 64
zrI-a~Nga, zrI-mukha yei kare darazana
tAra pApa-kSaya haya, pAya prema-dhana

zrI-a~Nga—His body; zrI-mukha—His face; yei—anyone who; kare—does;
darazana—seeing; tAra—of him; pApa-kSaya—destruction of sins; haya—
there is; pAya—obtains; prema-dhana—the wealth of love of Godhead.
TRANSLATION
Anyone who looks upon His beautiful body or beautiful face becomes freed
from all sins and obtains the wealth of love of Godhead.
Adi 3.65
TEXT 65
anya avatAre saba sainya-zastra sa~Nge
caitanya-kRSNera sainya a~Nga-upA~Nge

anya—other; avatAre—in incarnations; saba—all; sainya—soldiers; zastra—
and weapons; sa~Nge—along with; caitanya-kRSNera—of Lord KRSNa as Lord
Caitanya; sainya—soldiers; a~Nga—plenary parts; upA~Nge—and associates.
TRANSLATION
In other incarnations the Lord descended with armies and weapons, but in this
incarnation His soldiers are His plenary parts and associates.
Adi 3.66
TEXT 66
sadopAsyaH zrImAn dhRta-manuja-kAyaiH praNayitAà
vahadbhir gIr-vANair giriza-parameSThi-prabhRtibhiH
sva-bhaktebhyaH zuddhAà nija-bhajana-mudrAm upadizan
sa caitanyaH kià me punar api dRzor yAsyati padam

sadA—always; upAsyaH—worshipable; zrImAn—beautiful; dhRta—who
accepted; manuja-kAyaiH—the bodies of men; pranayitAm—love;
vahadbhiH—who were bearing; giH-vANaiH—by the demigods; giriza—Lord
ziva; parameSThi—Lord BrahmA; prabhRtibhiH—headed by; sva-
bhaktebhyaH—unto His own devotees; zuddhAm—pure; nija-bhajana—of His
own worship; mudrAm—the mark; upadizan—instructing; saH—He;
caitanyaH—Lord Caitanya; kim—what; me—my; punaH—again; api—
certainly; dRzoH—of the two eyes; yAsyati—He will go; padam—to the
abode.
TRANSLATION
“Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu is always the most worshipable Deity of the
demigods, including Lord ziva and Lord BrahmA, who came in the garb of
ordinary men, bearing love for Him. He instructs His own pure devotional
service to His own devotees. Will He again be the object of my vision?”
PURPORT
This verse is Prathama zrI CaitanyASTaka 1, from the Stava-mAlA of zrIla RUpa
GosvAmI.
Adi 3.67
TEXT 67
A~NgopA~Nga astra kare sva-kArya-sAdhana
‘a~Nga’-zabdera artha Ara zuna diyA mana

A~Nga-upA~Nga—plenary parts and associates; astra—weapons; kare—do; sva-
kArya—of their own business; sAdhana—as the accomplishment; a~Nga-
zabdera—of the word a~Nga; artha—the meaning; Ara—another; zuna—
please hear; diyA—giving; mana—the mind.
TRANSLATION
His plenary parts and associates perform the work of weapons as their own
specific duties. Please hear from me another meaning of the word “a~Nga.”
Adi 3.68
TEXT 68
‘a~Nga’-zabde aàza kahe zAstra-paramANa
a~Ngera avayava ‘upA~Nga’-vyAkhyAna

a~Nga-zabde—by the word a~Nga, or limb; aàza—part; kahe—says; zAstra—of
the scriptures; paramANa—the evidence; a~Ngera—of the limb; avayava—the
constituent part; upA~Nga-vyAkhyAna—the exposition of the word upA~Nga.
TRANSLATION
According to the evidence of the revealed scriptures, a bodily limb [a~Nga] is
also called a part [aàza], and a part of a limb is called a partial part [upA~Nga].
Adi 3.69
TEXT 69
nArAyaNas tvaà na hi sarva-dehinAm
AtmAsy adhIzAkhila-loka-sAkSI
nArAyaNo ’~Ngaà nara-bhU-jalAyanAt
tac cApi satyaà na tavaiva mAyA

jala-zAyI—lying in the water; antaH-yAmI—indwelling Supersoul; yei—He
who; nArAyaNa—Lord NArAyaNa; seho—He; tomAra—Your; aàza—plenary
portion; tumi—You; mUla—original; nArAyaNa—NArAyaNa.
TRANSLATION
The manifestation of the NArAyaNa who predominates in everyone’s heart, as
well as the NArAyaNa who lives in the waters [KAraNa, Garbha and KSIra], is
Your plenary portion. You are therefore the original NArAyaNa.
Adi 3.71
TEXT 71
‘a~Nga’-zabde aàza kahe, seho satya haya
mAyA-kArya nahe——saba cid-Ananda-maya

a~Nga-zabde—by the word a~Nga; aàza—plenary portion; kahe—one means;
seho—that; satya—the truth; haya—is; mAyA—of the material energy;
kArya—the work; nahe—is not; saba—all; cit-Ananda-maya—full of
knowledge and bliss.
TRANSLATION
The word “a~Nga” indeed refers to plenary portions. Such manifestations
should never be considered products of material nature, for they are all
transcendental, full of knowledge and full of bliss.
PURPORT
In the material world, if a fragment is taken from an original object, the
original object is reduced by the removal of that fragment. But the Supreme
Personality of Godhead is not at all affected by the actions of mAyA. The
IzopaniSad says:
oà pUrNam adaH pUrNam idaà
pUrNAt pUrNam udacyate
pUrNasya pUrNam AdAya
pUrNam evAvaziSyate
“The Personality of Godhead is perfect and complete, and because He is
completely perfect, all emanations from Him, such as this phenomenal world,
are perfectly equipped as complete wholes. Whatever is produced of the
complete whole is also complete in itself. Because He is the complete whole,
even though so many complete units emanate from Him, He remains the
complete balance.” (zrI IzopaniSad, Invocation)
In the realm of the Absolute, one plus one equals one, and one minus one
equals one. Therefore one should not conceive of a fragment of the Supreme
Lord in the material sense. In the spiritual world there is no influence of the
material energy or material calculations of fragments. In the Fifteenth Chapter
of the Bhagavad-gItA, the Lord says that the living entities are His parts and
parcels. There are innumerable living entities throughout the material and
spiritual universes, but still Lord KRSNa is full in Himself. To think that God has
lost His personality because His many parts and parcels are distributed all over
the universe is an illusion. That is a material calculation. Such calculations are
possible only under the influence of the material energy, mAyA. In the spiritual
world the material energy is conspicuous only by its absence.
In the category of viSNu-tattva there is no loss of power from one expansion
to the next, any more than there is a loss of illumination as one candle kindles
another. Thousands of candles may be kindled by an original candle, and all
will have the same candle power. In this way it is to be understood that
although all the viSNu-tattvas, from KRSNa and Lord Caitanya to RAma,
NRsiàha, VarAha and so on, appear with different features in different ages, all
are equally invested with supreme potency.
Demigods such as Lord BrahmA and Lord ziva come in contact with the
material energy, and their power and potency are therefore of different
gradations. All the incarnations of ViSNu, however, are equal in potency, for
the influence of mAyA cannot even approach Them.
Adi 3.72
TEXT 72
advaita, nityAnanda——caitanyera dui a~Nga
a~Ngera avayava-gaNa kahiye upA~Nga

advaita—Advaita AcArya; nityAnanda—Lord NityAnanda; caitanyera—of
Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu; dui—two; a~Nga—limbs; a~Ngera—of the limbs;
avayava-gaNa—the constituent parts; kahiye—I say; upA~Nga—parts.
TRANSLATION
zrI Advaita Prabhu and zrI NityAnanda Prabhu are both plenary portions of
Lord Caitanya. Thus They are the limbs [a~Ngas] of His body. The parts of these
two limbs are called the upA~Ngas.
Adi 3.73
TEXT 73
a~NgopA~Nga tIkSNa astra prabhura sahite
sei saba astra haya pASaNòa dalite

a~Nga-upA~Nga—plenary portions and parts; tIkSNa—sharp; astra—weapons;
prabhura sahite—along with Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu; sei—these; saba—
all; astra—weapons; haya—are; pASaNòa—the atheists; dalite—to trample.
TRANSLATION
Thus the Lord is equipped with sharp weapons in the form of His parts and
plenary portions. All these weapons are competent enough to crush the
faithless atheists.
PURPORT
The word pASaNòa is very significant here. One who compares the Supreme
Personality of Godhead to the demigods is known as a pASaNòa. PASaNòas try
to bring the Supreme Lord down to a mundane level. Sometimes they create
their own imaginary God or accept an ordinary person as God and advertise
him as equal to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. They are so foolish that
they present someone as the next incarnation of Lord Caitanya or KRSNa
although His activities are all contradictory to those of a genuine incarnation,
and thus they fool the innocent public. One who is intelligent and who studies
the characteristics of the Supreme Personality of Godhead with reference to
the Vedic context cannot be bewildered by the pASaNòas.
PASaNòas, or atheists, cannot understand the pastimes of the Supreme Lord or
transcendental loving service to the Lord. They think that devotional service is
no better than ordinary fruitive activities (karma). As the Bhagavad-gItA (4.8)
confirms, however, the Supreme Personality of Godhead and His devotees,
saving the righteous and chastising the miscreants (paritrANAya sAdhUnAà
vinAzAya ca duSkRtAm), always curb these nonsensical atheists. Miscreants
always want to deny the Supreme Personality of Godhead and put stumbling
blocks in the path of devotional service. The Lord sends His bona fide
representatives and appears Himself to curb this nonsense.
Adi 3.74
TEXT 74
nityAnanda gosA~ni sAkSAt haladhara
advaita AcArya gosA~ni sAkSAt Izvara

nityAnanda gosA~ni—Lord NityAnanda GosA~ni; sAkSAt—directly; hala-dhara—
Lord BalarAma, the holder of the plow; advaita AcArya gosA~ni—zrI Advaita
AcArya GosA~ni; sAkSAt—directly; Izvara—the Personality of Godhead.
TRANSLATION
zrI NityAnanda GosA~ni is directly Haladhara [Lord BalarAma], and Advaita
AcArya is the Personality of Godhead Himself.
Adi 3.75
TEXT 75
zrIvAsAdi pAriSada sainya sa~Nge la~nA
dui senA-pati bule kIrtana kariyA

zrIvAsa-Adi—zrIvAsa and others; pAriSada—associates; sainya—soldiers;
sa~Nge—along with; la~nA—taking; dui—two; senA-pati—captains; bule—
travel; kIrtana kariyA—chanting the holy name.
TRANSLATION
These two captains, with Their soldiers such as zrIvAsa ThAkura, travel
everywhere, chanting the holy name of the Lord.
Adi 3.76
TEXT 76
pASaNòa-dalana-vAnA nityAnanda rAya
AcArya-hu~NkAre pApa-pASaNòI palAya

pASaNòa-dalana—of trampling the atheists; vAnA—having the feature;
nityAnanda—Lord NityAnanda; rAya—the honorable; AcArya—of Advaita
AcArya; hu~NkAre—by the war cry; pApa—sins; pASaNòI—and atheists;
palAya—run away.
TRANSLATION
Lord NityAnanda’s very features indicate that He is the subduer of the
unbelievers. All sins and unbelievers flee from the loud shouts of Advaita
AcArya.
Adi 3.77
TEXT 77
sa~NkIrtana-pravartaka zrI-kRSNa-caitanya
sa~NkIrtana-yaj~ne tA~Nre bhaje, sei dhanya

sa~NkIrtana-pravartaka—the initiator of congregational chanting; zrI-kRSNa-
caitanya—Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu; sa~NkIrtana—of congregational
chanting; yaj~ne—by the sacrifice; tA~Nre—Him; bhaje—worships; sei—he;
dhanya—fortunate.
TRANSLATION
Lord zrI KRSNa Caitanya is the initiator of sa~NkIrtana [congregational chanting
of the holy name of the Lord]. One who worships Him through sa~NkIrtana is
fortunate indeed.
Adi 3.78
TEXT 78
sei ta’ sumedhA, Ara kubuddhi saàsAra
sarva-yaj~na haite kRSNa-nAma-yaj~na sAra

sei—he; ta’—certainly; su-medhA—intelligent; Ara—others; ku-buddhi—
poor understanding; saàsAra—in the material world; sarva-yaj~na haite—than
all other sacrifices; kRSNa-nAma—of chanting the name of Lord KRSNa; yaj~na—
the sacrifice; sAra—the best.
TRANSLATION
Such a person is truly intelligent, whereas others, who have but a poor fund of
knowledge, must endure the cycle of repeated birth and death. Of all
sacrificial performances, the chanting of the Lord’s holy name is the most
sublime.
PURPORT
Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu is the father and inaugurator of the sa~NkIrtana
movement. One who worships Him by sacrificing his life, money, intelligence
and words for the sa~NkIrtana movement is recognized by the Lord and
endowed with His blessings. All others may be said to be foolish, for of all
sacrifices in which a man may apply his energy, a sacrifice made for the
sa~NkIrtana movement is the most glorious.
Adi 3.79
TEXT 79
koTi azvamedha eka kRSNa nAma sama
yei kahe, se pASaNòI, daNòe tAre yama

koTi—ten million; azvamedha—horse sacrifices; eka—one; kRSNa—of Lord
KRSNa; nAma—name; sama—equal to; yei—one who; kahe—says; se—he;
pASaNòI—atheist; daNòe—punishes; tAre—him; yama—YamarAja.
TRANSLATION
One who says that ten million azvamedha sacrifices are equal to the chanting
of the holy name of Lord KRSNa is undoubtedly an atheist. He is sure to be
punished by YamarAja.
PURPORT
In the list of the ten kinds of offenses in chanting the holy name of the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, Hare KRSNa, the eighth offense is dharma-
vrata-tyAga-hutAdi-sarva-zubha-kriyA-sAmyam api pramAdaH. One should
never consider the chanting of the holy name of Godhead equal to pious
activities like giving charity to brAhmaNas or saintly persons, opening
charitable educational institutions, distributing free food and so on. The results
of pious activities do not equal the results of chanting the holy name of KRSNa.
The Vedic scriptures say:
go-koTi-dAnaà grahaNe khagasya
prayAga-ga~Ngodaka-kalpa-vAsaH
yaj~nAyutaà meru-suvarNa-dAnaà
govinda-kIrter na samaà zatAàzaiH
“Even if one distributes ten million cows in charity during an eclipse of the
sun, lives at the confluence of the Ganges and YamunA for millions of years,
or gives a mountain of gold in sacrifice to the brAhmaNas, he does not earn
one hundredth part of the merit derived from chanting Hare KRSNa.” In other
words, one who accepts the chanting of Hare KRSNa to be some kind of pious
activity is completely misled. Of course, it is pious; but the real fact is that
KRSNa and His name, being transcendental, are far above all mundane pious
activity. Pious activity is on the material platform, but chanting of the holy
name of KRSNa is completely on the spiritual plane. Therefore, although
pAsaNòIs do not understand this, pious activity can never compare to the
chanting of the holy name.
Adi 3.80
TEXT 80
‘bhAgavata-sandarbha’-granthera ma~NgalAcaraNe
e-zloka jIva-gosA~ni kariyAchena vyAkhyAne

bhAgavata-sandarbha-granthera—of the book called BhAgavata-sandarbha;
ma~Ngala-AcaraNe—in the auspicious introduction; e-zloka—this verse; jIva-
gosA~ni—JIva GosvAmI; kariyAchena—has made; vyAkhyAne—in explaining.
TRANSLATION
In the auspicious introduction to the BhAgavata-sandarbha, zrIla JIva GosvAmI
has given the following verse as an explanation.
Adi 3.81
TEXT 81
antaH kRSNaà bahir gauraà
darzitA~NgAdi-vaibhavam
kalau sa~NkIrtanAdyaiH sma
kRSNa-caitanyam AzritAH

antaH—internally; kRSNam—Lord KRSNa; bahiH—externally; gauram—fair-
colored; darzita—displayed; a~Nga—limbs; Adi—beginning with;
vaibhavam—expansions; kalau—in the Age of Kali; sa~NkIrtana-AdyaiH—by
congregational chanting, etc.; sma—certainly; kRSNa-caitanyam—unto Lord
Caitanya MahAprabhu; AzritAH—sheltered.
TRANSLATION
“I take shelter of Lord zrI KRSNa Caitanya MahAprabhu, who is outwardly of a
fair complexion but is inwardly KRSNa Himself. In this Age of Kali He displays
His expansions [His a~Ngas and upA~Ngas] by performing congregational
chanting of the holy name of the Lord.”
PURPORT
zrIla JIva GosvAmI has placed the verse from zrImad-BhAgavatam quoted in
text 52 (kRSNa-varNaà tviSAkRSNam [SB 11.5.32]) as the auspicious introduction
to his BhAgavata-sandarbha, or SaT-sandarbha. He has composed this text
(81), which is, in effect, an explanation of the BhAgavatam verse, as the
second verse of the same work. The verse from zrImad-BhAgavatam was
enunciated by KarabhAjana, one of the nine great sages, and it is elaborately
explained by the Sarva-saàvAdinI, JIva GosvAmI’s commentary on his own
SaT-sandarbha.
AntaH kRSNa refers to one who is always thinking of KRSNa. This attitude is a
predominant feature of zrImatI RAdhArANI. Even though many devotees
always think of KRSNa, none can surpass the gopIs, among whom RAdhArANI is
the leader in thinking of KRSNa. RAdhArANI’s KRSNa consciousness surpasses that
of all other devotees. Lord Caitanya accepted the position of zrImatI
RAdhArANI to understand KRSNa; therefore He was always thinking of KRSNa in
the same way as RAdhArANI. By thinking of Lord KRSNa, He always overlapped
KRSNa.
zrI KRSNa Caitanya, who was outwardly very fair, with a complexion like
molten gold, simultaneously manifested His eternal associates, opulences,
expansions and incarnations. He preached the process of chanting Hare KRSNa,
and those who are under His lotus feet are glorious.
Adi 3.82
TEXT 82
upa-purANeha zuni zrI-kRSNa-vacana
kRpA kari vyAsa prati kariyAchena kathana

upa-purANeha—in the UpapurANas; zuni—we hear; zrI-kRSNa-vacana—the
words of Lord KRSNa; kRpA kari—having mercy; vyAsa prati—toward
VyAsadeva; kariyAchena—He did; kathana—speaking.
TRANSLATION
In the UpapurANas we hear zrI KRSNa showing His mercy to VyAsadeva by
speaking to him as follows.
Adi 3.83
TEXT 83
aham eva kvacid brahman
sannyAsAzramam AzritaH
hari-bhaktià grAhayAmi
kalau pApa-hatAn narAn

aham—I; eva—certainly; kvacit—somewhere; brahman—O brAhmaNa;
sannyAsa-Azramam—the renounced order of life; AzritaH—taking recourse to;
hari-bhaktim—devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead;
grAhayAmi—I shall give; kalau—in the Age of Kali; pApa-hatAn—sinful;
narAn—to men.
TRANSLATION
“O learned brAhmaNa, sometimes I accept the renounced order of life to
induce the fallen people of the Age of Kali to accept devotional service to the
Lord.”
Adi 3.84
TEXT 84
bhAgavata, bhArata-zAstra, Agama, purANa
caitanya-kRSNa-avatAre prakaTa pramANa

bhAgavata—zrImad-BhAgavatam; bhArata-zAstra—MahAbhArata; Agama—
Vedic literatures; purANa—the PurANas; caitanya—as Lord Caitanya
MahAprabhu; kRSNa—of Lord KRSNa; avatAre—in the incarnation; prakaTa—
displayed; pramANa—evidence.
TRANSLATION
zrImad-BhAgavatam, the MahAbhArata, the PurANas and other Vedic
literatures all give evidence to prove that Lord zrI KRSNa Caitanya
MahAprabhu is the incarnation of KRSNa.
Adi 3.85
TEXT 85
pratyakSe dekhaha nAnA prakaTa prabhAva
alaukika karma, alaukika anubhAva

pratyakSe—directly; dekhaha—just see; nAnA—various; prakaTa—
manifested; prabhAva—influence; alaukika—uncommon; karma—activities;
alaukika—uncommon; anubhAva—realizations in KRSNa consciousness.
TRANSLATION
One can also directly see Lord Caitanya’s manifest influence in His uncommon
deeds and uncommon KRSNa conscious realization.
Adi 3.86
TEXT 86
dekhiyA nA dekhe yata abhaktera gaNa
ulUke nA dekhe yena sUryera kiraNa

dekhiyA—seeing; nA dekhe—they do not see; yata—all; abhaktera—of
nondevotees; gaNa—crowds; ulUke—the owl; nA dekhe—does not see;
yena—just as; sUryera—of the sun; kiraNa—rays.
TRANSLATION
But faithless unbelievers do not see what is clearly evident, just as owls do not
see the rays of the sun.
Adi 3.87
TEXT 87
tvAà zIla-rUpa-caritaiH parama-prakRSTaiH
sattvena sAttvikatayA prabalaiz ca zAstraiH
prakhyAta-daiva-paramArtha-vidAà mataiz ca
naivAsura-prakRtayaH prabhavanti boddhum

tvAm—You; zIla—character; rUpa—forms; caritaiH—by acts; parama—most;
prakRSTaiH—eminent; sattvena—by uncommon power; sAttvikatayA—with
the quality of predominant goodness; prabalaiH—great; ca—and; zAstraiH—
by the scriptures; prakhyAta—renowned; daiva—divine; parama-artha-
vidAm—of those who know the highest goal; mataiH—by the opinions; ca—
and; na—not; eva—certainly; Asura-prakRtayaH—those whose disposition is
demoniac; prabhavanti—are able; boddhum—to know.
TRANSLATION
“O my Lord, those influenced by demoniac principles cannot realize You,
although You are clearly the Supreme by dint of Your exalted activities,
forms, character and uncommon power, which are confirmed by all the
revealed scriptures in the quality of goodness and the celebrated
transcendentalists in the divine nature.”
PURPORT
This is a verse from the Stotra-ratna (12) of YAmunAcArya, the spiritual master
of RAmAnujAcArya. The authentic scriptures describe the transcendental
activities, features, form and qualities of KRSNa, and KRSNa explains Himself in
the Bhagavad-gItA, the most authentic scripture in the world. He is further
explained in zrImad-BhAgavatam, which is considered the explanation of the
VedAnta-sUtra. Lord KRSNa is accepted as the Supreme Personality of Godhead
by these authentic scriptures, not simply by vox populi. In the modern age a
certain class of fools think that they can vote anyone into the position of God,
as they can vote a man into the position of a political executive head. But the
transcendental Supreme Personality of Godhead is perfectly described in the
authentic scriptures. In the Bhagavad-gItA the Lord says that only fools deride
Him, thinking that anyone can speak like KRSNa.
Even according to historical references, KRSNa’s activities are most
uncommon. KRSNa has affirmed, “I am God,” and He has acted accordingly.
MAyAvAdIs think that everyone can claim to be God, but that is their illusion,
for no one else can perform such extraordinary activities as KRSNa. When He
was a child on the lap of His mother, He killed the demon PUtanA. Then He
killed the demons TRNAvarta, VatsAsura and Baka. When He was a little more
grown up, He killed the demons AghAsura and RSabhAsura. Therefore God is
God from the very beginning. The idea that someone can become God by
meditation is ridiculous. By hard endeavor one may realize his godly nature,
but he will never become God. The asuras, or demons, who think that anyone
can become God, are condemned.
The authentic scriptures are compiled by personalities like VyAsadeva, NArada,
Asita and ParAzara, who are not ordinary men. All the followers of the Vedic
way of life have accepted these famous personalities, whose authentic
scriptures conform to the Vedic literature. Nevertheless, the demoniac do not
believe their statements, and they purposely oppose the Supreme Personality
of Godhead and His devotees. Today it is fashionable for common men to
write whimsical words as so-called incarnations of God and be accepted as
authentic by other common men. This demoniac mentality is condemned in
the Seventh Chapter of the Bhagavad-gItA, wherein it is said that those who
are miscreants and the lowest of mankind, who are fools and asses, cannot
accept the Supreme Personality of Godhead because of their demoniac
nature. They are compared to ulUkas, or owls, who cannot open their eyes in
the sunlight. Because they cannot bear the sunlight, they hide themselves
from it and never see it. They cannot believe that there is such illumination.
Adi 3.88
TEXT 88
ApanA lukAite kRSNa nAnA yatna kare
tathApi tA~NhAra bhakta jAnaye tA~NhAre

ApanA—Himself; lukAite—to hide; kRSNa—Lord KRSNa; nAnA—various;
yatna—efforts; kare—makes; tathApi—still; tA~NhAra—His; bhakta—
devotees; jAnaye—know; tA~NhAre—Him.
TRANSLATION
Lord zrI KRSNa tries to hide Himself in various ways, but nevertheless His pure
devotees know Him as He is.
Adi 3.89
TEXT 89
ulla~Nghita-trividha-sIma-samAtizAyi-
sambhAvanaà tava parivraòhima-svabhAvam
mAyA-balena bhavatApi niguhyamAnaà
pazyanti kecid anizaà tvad-ananya-bhAvAH

ulla~Nghita—passed over; tri-vidha—three kinds; sIma—the limitations;
sama—of equal; atizAyi—and of excelling; sambhAvanam—by which the
adequacy; tava—Your; parivraòhima—of supremacy; svabhAvam—the real
nature; mAyA-balena—by the strength of the illusory energy; bhavatA—Your;
api—although; niguhyamAnam—being hidden; pazyanti—they see; kecit—
some; anizam—always; tvat—to You; ananya-bhAvAH—those who are
exclusively devoted.
TRANSLATION
“O my Lord, everything within material nature is limited by time, space and
thought. Your characteristics, however, being unequaled and unsurpassed, are
always transcendental to such limitations. You sometimes cover such
characteristics by Your own energy, but nevertheless Your unalloyed
devotees are always able to see You under all circumstances.”
PURPORT
This verse is also quoted from the Stotra-ratna (13) of YAmunAcArya.
Everything covered by the influence of mAyA is within the limited boundaries
of space, time and thought. Even the greatest manifestation we can conceive,
the sky, also has limitations. From the authentic scriptures, however, it is
evident that beyond the sky is a covering of seven layers, each ten times
thicker than the one preceding it. The covering layers are vast, but with or
without coverings, space is limited. Our power to think about space and time
is also limited. Time is eternal; we may imagine billions and trillions of years,
but that will still be an inadequate estimate of the extent of time. Our
imperfect senses, therefore, cannot think of the greatness of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, nor can we bring Him within the limitations of time or
our thinking power. His position is accordingly described by the word
ulla~Nghita. He is transcendental to space, time and thought; although He
appears within them, He exists transcendentally. Even when the Lord’s
transcendental existence is disguised by space, time and thought, however,
pure devotees of the Supreme Lord can see Him in His personal features
beyond space, time and thought. In other words, even though the Lord is not
visible to the eyes of ordinary men, those who are beyond the covering layers
because of their transcendental devotional service can still see Him.
The sun may appear covered by a cloud, but actually it is the eyes of the tiny
people below the cloud that are covered, not the sun. If those tiny people rose
above the cloud in an airplane, they could then see the sunshine and the sun
without impediment. Similarly, although the covering of mAyA is very strong,
Lord KRSNa says in the Bhagavad-gItA (7.14):
daivI hy eSA guNa-mayI
mama mAyA duratyayA
mAm eva ye prapadyante
mAyAm etAà taranti te
“This divine energy of Mine, consisting of the three modes of material nature,
is difficult to overcome. But those who have surrendered unto Me can easily
cross beyond it.” To surpass the influence of the illusory energy is very
difficult, but those who are determined to catch hold of the lotus feet of the
Lord are freed from the clutches of mAyA. Therefore, pure devotees can
understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but demons, because of
their miscreant behavior, cannot understand the Lord, in spite of seeing the
many revealed scriptures and the uncommon activities of the Lord.
Adi 3.90
TEXT 90
asura-svabhAve kRSNe kabhu nAhi jAne
lukAite nAre kRSNa bhakta-jana-sthAne

asura-svabhAve—those whose nature is demoniac; kRSNe—Lord KRSNa;
kabhu—at any time; nAhi—not; jAne—know; lukAite—to hide; nAre—is not
able; kRSNa—Lord KRSNa; bhakta-jana—of pure devotees; sthAne—in a place.
TRANSLATION
Those whose nature is demoniac cannot know KRSNa at any time, but He
cannot hide Himself from His pure devotees.
PURPORT
People who develop the nature of asuras like RAvaNa and HiraNyakazipu can
never know KRSNa, the Personality of Godhead, by challenging the authority
of Godhead. But zrI KRSNa cannot hide Himself from His pure devotees.
Adi 3.91
TEXT 91
dvau bhUta-sargau loke ’smin
daiva Asura eva ca
viSNu-bhaktaH smRto daiva
Asuras tad-viparyayaH

dvau—two; bhUta—of the living beings; sargau—dispositions; loke—in the
world; asmin—in this; daivaH—godly; AsuraH—demoniac; eva—certainly;
ca—and; viSNu-bhaktaH—a devotee of Lord ViSNu; smRtaH—remembered;
daivaH—godly; AsuraH—demoniac; tat-viparyayaH—the opposite of that.
TRANSLATION
“There are two classes of men in the created world. One consists of the
demoniac and the other of the godly. The devotees of Lord ViSNu are the
godly, whereas those who are just the opposite are called demons.”
PURPORT
This is a verse from the Padma PurANa. ViSNu-bhaktas, or devotees in KRSNa
consciousness, are known as devas (demigods). Atheists, who do not believe
in God or who declare themselves God, are asuras (demons). Asuras always
engage in atheistic material activities, exploring ways to utilize the resources
of matter to enjoy sense gratification. The viSNu-bhaktas, KRSNa conscious
devotees, are also active, but their objective is to satisfy the Supreme
Personality of Godhead by devotional service. Superficially both classes may
appear to work in the same way, but their purposes are completely opposite
because of a difference in consciousness. Asuras work for personal sense
gratification, whereas devotees work for the satisfaction of the Supreme Lord.
Both work conscientiously, but their motives are different.
The KRSNa consciousness movement is meant for devas, or devotees. Demons
cannot take part in KRSNa conscious activities, nor can devotees in KRSNa
consciousness take part in demoniac activities or work like cats and dogs
simply for sense gratification. Such activity does not appeal to those in KRSNa
consciousness. Devotees accept only the bare necessities of life to keep
themselves fit to act in KRSNa consciousness. The balance of their energy is
used for developing KRSNa consciousness, through which one can be
transferred to the abode of KRSNa by always thinking of Him, even at the
point of death.
Adi 3.92
TEXT 92
AcArya gosA~ni prabhura bhakta-avatAra
kRSNa-avatAra-hetu yA~NhAra hu~NkAra

AcArya gosA~ni—Advaita AcArya GosA~ni; prabhura—of the Lord; bhakta-
avatAra—incarnation of a devotee; kRSNa—of Lord KRSNa; avatAra—of the
incarnation; hetu—the cause; yA~NhAra—whose; hu~NkAra—loud calls.
TRANSLATION
Advaita AcArya GosvAmI is an incarnation of the Lord as a devotee. His loud
calling was the cause for KRSNa’s incarnation.
Adi 3.93
TEXT 93
kRSNa yadi pRthivIte karena avatAra
prathame karena guru-vargera sa~ncAra

kRSNa—Lord KRSNa; yadi—if; pRthivIte—on the earth; karena—makes;
avatAra—incarnation; prathame—first; karena—makes; guru-vargera—of
the group of respectable predecessors; sa~ncAra—the advent.
TRANSLATION
Whenever zrI KRSNa desires to manifest His incarnation on earth, first He
creates the incarnations of His respectable predecessors.
Adi 3.94
TEXT 94
pitA mAtA guru Adi yata mAnya-gaNa
prathame karena sabAra pRthivIte janama

pitA—father; mAtA—mother; guru—spiritual master; Adi—headed by; yata—
all; mAnya-gaNa—respectable members; prathame—first; karena—He
makes; sabAra—of all of them; pRthivIte—on earth; janama—the births.
TRANSLATION
Thus respectable personalities such as His father, mother and spiritual master
all take birth on earth first.
Adi 3.95
TEXT 95
mAdhava-Izvara-purI, zacI, jagannAtha
advaita AcArya prakaTa hailA sei sAtha

mAdhava—MAdhavendra PurI; Izvara-purI—Izvara PurI; zacI—zacImAtA;
jagannAtha—JagannAtha Mizra; advaita AcArya—Advaita AcArya; prakaTa—
manifested; hailA—were; sei—this; sAtha—with.
TRANSLATION
MAdhavendra PurI, Izvara PurI, zrImatI zacImAtA and zrIla JagannAtha Mizra all
appeared with zrI Advaita AcArya.
PURPORT
Whenever the Supreme Personality of Godhead descends in His human form,
He sends ahead all His devotees, who act as His father, teacher and
associates in many roles. Such personalities appear before the descent of the
Supreme Personality of Godhead. Before the appearance of Lord zrI KRSNa
Caitanya MahAprabhu, there appeared His devotees like zrI MAdhavendra
PurI; His spiritual master, zrI Izvara PurI; His mother, zrImatI zacI-devI; His
father, zrI JagannAtha Mizra; and zrI Advaita AcArya.
Adi 3.96
TEXT 96
prakaTiyA dekhe AcArya sakala saàsAra
kRSNa-bhakti gandha-hIna viSaya-vyavahAra

prakaTiyA—manifesting; dekhe—He saw; AcArya—Advaita AcArya; sakala—
all; saàsAra—material existence; kRSNa-bhakti—of devotion to Lord KRSNa;
gandha-hIna—without a trace; viSaya—of the sense objects; vyavahAra—
affairs.
TRANSLATION
Advaita AcArya having appeared, He found the world devoid of devotional
service to zrI KRSNa because people were engrossed in material affairs.
Adi 3.97
TEXT 97
keha pApe, keha puNye kare viSaya-bhoga
bhakti-gandha nAhi, yAte yAya bhava-roga

keha—someone; pApe—in sinful activities; keha—someone; puNye—in pious
activities; kare—do; viSaya—of the sense objects; bhoga—enjoyment;
bhakti-gandha—a trace of devotional service; nAhi—there is not; yAte—by
which; yAya—goes away; bhava-roga—the disease of material existence.
TRANSLATION
Everyone was engaged in material enjoyment, whether sinfully or virtuously.
No one was interested in the transcendental service of the Lord, which can
give total relief from the repetition of birth and death.
PURPORT
Advaita AcArya saw the entire world to be engaged in activities of material
piety and impiety, without a trace of devotional service, or KRSNa
consciousness, anywhere. The fact is that in this material world there is no
scarcity of anything except KRSNa consciousness. Material necessities are
supplied by the mercy of the Supreme Lord. We sometimes feel scarcity
because of our mismanagement, but the real problem is that people are out of
touch with KRSNa consciousness. Everyone is engaged in material sense
gratification, but people have no plan for making an ultimate solution to their
real problems, namely birth, disease, old age and death. These four material
miseries are called bhava-roga, or material diseases. They can be cured only
by KRSNa consciousness. Therefore KRSNa consciousness is the greatest
benediction for human society.
Adi 3.98
TEXT 98
loka-gati dekhi’ AcArya karuNa-hRdaya
vicAra karena, lokera kaiche hita haya

loka-gati—the course of the world; dekhi’—seeing; AcArya—Advaita AcArya;
karuNa-hRdaya—compassionate heart; vicAra karena—considers; lokera—of
the world; kaiche—how; hita—welfare; haya—there is.
TRANSLATION
Seeing the activities of the world, the AcArya felt compassion and began to
ponder how He could act for the people’s benefit.
PURPORT
This sort of serious interest in the welfare of the public makes one a bona fide
AcArya. An AcArya does not exploit his followers. Since the AcArya is a
confidential servitor of the Lord, his heart is always full of compassion for
humanity in its suffering. He knows that all suffering is due to the absence of
devotional service to the Lord, and therefore he always tries to find ways to
change people’s activities, making them favorable for the attainment of
devotion. That is the qualification of an AcArya. Although zrI Advaita Prabhu
Himself was powerful enough to do the work, as a submissive servitor He
thought that without the personal appearance of the Lord, no one could
improve the fallen condition of society.
In the grim clutches of mAyA, the first-class prisoners of this material world
wrongly think themselves happy because they are rich, powerful, resourceful
and so on. These foolish creatures do not know that they are nothing but play
dolls in the hands of material nature and that at any moment material nature’s
pitiless intrigues can crush to dust all their plans for godless activities. Such
foolish prisoners cannot see that however they improve their position by
artificial means, the calamities of repeated birth, death, disease and old age
are always beyond the jurisdiction of their control. Foolish as they are, they
neglect these major problems of life and busy themselves with false things
that cannot help them solve their real problems. They know that they do not
want to suffer death or the pangs of disease and old age, but under the
influence of the illusory energy, they are grossly negligent and therefore do
nothing to solve the problems. This is called mAyA. People held in the grip of
mAyA are thrown into oblivion after death, and as a result of their karma, in
the next life they become dogs or gods, although most of them become dogs.
To become gods in the next life, they must engage in the devotional service
of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; otherwise, they are sure to become
dogs or hogs in terms of the laws of nature.
The third-class prisoners, being less materially opulent than the first-class
prisoners, endeavor to imitate them, for they also have no information of the
real nature of their imprisonment. Thus they also are misled by the illusory
material nature. The function of the AcArya, however, is to change the
activities of both the first-class and third-class prisoners for their real benefit.
This endeavor makes him a very dear devotee of the Lord, who says clearly in
the Bhagavad-gItA that no one in human society is dearer to Him than a
devotee who constantly engages in His service by finding ways to preach the
message of Godhead for the real benefit of the world. The so-called AcAryas
of the Age of Kali are more concerned with exploiting the resources of their
followers than mitigating their miseries; but zrI Advaita Prabhu, as an ideal
AcArya, was concerned with improving the condition of the world situation.
Adi 3.99
TEXT 99
Apani zrI-kRSNa yadi karena avatAra
Apane Acari’ bhakti karena pracAra

Apani—Himself; zrI-kRSNa—Lord KRSNa; yadi—if; karena—He makes;
avatAra—incarnation; Apane—Himself; Acari’—practicing; bhakti—
devotional service; karena—does; pracAra—propagation.
TRANSLATION
[Advaita AcArya thought:] “If zrI KRSNa were to appear as an incarnation, He
Himself could preach devotion by His personal example.
Adi 3.100
TEXT 100
nAma vinu kali-kAle dharma nAhi Ara
kali-kAle kaiche habe kRSNa avatAra

nAma vinu—except for the holy name; kali-kAle—in the Age of Kali;
dharma—religion; nAhi—there is not; Ara—another; kali-kAle—in the Age of
Kali; kaiche—how; habe—there will be; kRSNa—Lord KRSNa; avatAra—
incarnation.
TRANSLATION
“In this Age of Kali there is no religion other than the chanting of the holy
name of the Lord, but how in this age will the Lord appear as an incarnation?
Adi 3.101
TEXT 101
zuddha-bhAve kariba kRSNera ArAdhana
nirantara sadainye kariba nivedana

zuddha-bhAve—in a purified state of mind; kariba—I shall do; kRSNera—of
Lord KRSNa; ArAdhana—worship; nirantara—constantly; sa-dainye—in
humility; kariba—I shall make; nivedana—request.
TRANSLATION
“I shall worship KRSNa in a purified state of mind. I shall constantly petition
Him in humbleness.
Adi 3.102
TEXT 102
AniyA kRSNere karo~N kIrtana sa~ncAra
tabe se ‘advaita’ nAma saphala AmAra

AniyA—bringing; kRSNere—Lord KRSNa; karo~N—I make; kIrtana—chanting of
the holy name; sa~ncAra—advent; tabe—then; se—this; advaita—nondual;
nAma—name; sa-phala—fulfilled; AmAra—My.
TRANSLATION
“My name, ‘Advaita,’ will be fitting if I am able to induce KRSNa to inaugurate
the movement of the chanting of the holy name.”
PURPORT
The nondualist MAyAvAdI philosopher who falsely believes that he is
nondifferent from the Lord is unable to call Him like Advaita Prabhu. Advaita
Prabhu is nondifferent from the Lord, yet in His relationship with the Lord He
does not merge with Him but eternally renders service unto Him as a plenary
portion. This is inconceivable for MAyAvAdIs because they think in terms of
mundane sense perception and therefore think that nondualism necessitates
losing one’s separate identity. It is clear from this verse, however, that
Advaita Prabhu, although retaining His separate identity, is nondifferent from
the Lord.
zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu preached the philosophy of inconceivable,
simultaneous oneness with the Lord and difference from Him. Conceivable
dualism and monism are conceptions of the imperfect senses, which are
unable to reach the Transcendence because the Transcendence is beyond the
conception of limited potency. The actions of zrI Advaita Prabhu, however,
give tangible proof of inconceivable nondualism. One who therefore
surrenders unto zrI Advaita Prabhu can easily follow the philosophy of
inconceivable simultaneous dualism and monism.
Adi 3.103
TEXT 103
kRSNa vaza karibena kon ArAdhane
vicArite eka zloka Aila tA~Nra mane

kRSNa—Lord KRSNa; vaza karibena—shall propitiate; kon ArAdhane—by what
worship; vicArite—while considering; eka—one; zloka—verse; Aila—came;
tA~Nra—of Him; mane—in the mind.
TRANSLATION
While He was thinking about how to propitiate KRSNa by worship, the
following verse came to His mind.
Adi 3.104
TEXT 104
tulasI-dala-mAtreNa
jalasya culukena vA
vikrINIte svam AtmAnaà
bhaktebhyo bhakta-vatsalaH

tulasI—of tulasI; dala—a leaf; mAtreNa—by only; jalasya—of water;
culukena—by a palmful; vA—and; vikrINIte—sells; svam—His own;
AtmAnam—self; bhaktebhyaH—unto the devotees; bhakta-vatsalaH—Lord
KRSNa, who is affectionate to His devotees.
TRANSLATION
“zrI KRSNa, who is very affectionate toward His devotees, sells Himself to a
devotee who offers Him merely a tulasI leaf and a palmful of water.”
PURPORT
This is a verse from the GautamIya-tantra.
Adi 3.105-106
TEXTS 105–106
ei zlokArtha AcArya karena vicAraNa
kRSNake tulasI-jala deya yei jana
tAra RNa zodhite kRSNa karena cintana——
‘jala-tulasIra sama kichu ghare nAhi dhana’

ei—this; zloka—of the verse; artha—the meaning; AcArya—Advaita AcArya;
karena—does; vicAraNa—considering; kRSNake—to Lord KRSNa; tulasI-jala—
tulasI and water; deya—gives; yei jana—that person who; tAra—to Him;
RNa—the debt; zodhite—to pay; kRSNa—Lord KRSNa; karena—does; cintana—
thinking; jala-tulasIra sama—equal to water and tulasI; kichu—any; ghare—in
the house; nAhi—there is not; dhana—wealth.
TRANSLATION
Advaita AcArya considered the meaning of the verse in this way: “Not finding
any way to repay the debt He owes to one who offers Him a tulasI leaf and
water, Lord KRSNa thinks, ‘There is no wealth in My possession that is equal to
a tulasI leaf and water.’
Adi 3.107
TEXT 107
tabe AtmA veci’ kare RNera zodhana
eta bhAvi’ AcArya karena ArAdhana

tabe—then; AtmA—Himself; veci’—selling; kare—does; RNera—of the debt;
zodhana—payment; eta—thus; bhAvi’—thinking; AcArya—Advaita AcArya;
karena—does; ArAdhana—worshiping.
TRANSLATION
“Thus the Lord liquidates the debt by offering Himself to the devotee.”
Considering in this way, the AcArya began worshiping the Lord.
PURPORT
Through devotional service one can easily please Lord KRSNa with a leaf of the
tulasI plant and a little water. As the Lord says in the Bhagavad-gItA (9.26), a
leaf, a flower, a fruit or some water (patraà puSpaà phalaà toyam), when
offered with devotion, very much pleases Him. He universally accepts the
services of His devotees. Even the poorest of devotees in any part of the
world can secure a small flower, fruit or leaf and a little water, and if these
offerings, and especially tulasI leaves and Ganges water, are offered to KRSNa
with devotion, He is very satisfied. It is said that KRSNa is so much pleased by
such devotional service that He offers Himself to His devotee in exchange for
it. zrIla Advaita AcArya knew this fact, and therefore He decided to call for
the Personality of Godhead KRSNa to descend by worshiping the Lord with
tulasI leaves and the water of the Ganges.
Adi 3.108
TEXT 108
ga~NgA-jala, tulasI-ma~njarI anukSaNa
kRSNa-pAda-padma bhAvi’ kare samarpaNa

ga~NgA-jala—the water of the Ganges; tulasI-ma~njarI—buds of the tulasI
plant; anukSaNa—constantly; kRSNa—of Lord KRSNa; pAda-padma—lotus feet;
bhAvi’—thinking of; kare—does; samarpaNa—offering.
TRANSLATION
Thinking of the lotus feet of zrI KRSNa, He constantly offered tulasI buds in
water from the Ganges.
Adi 3.109
TEXT 109
kRSNera AhvAna kare kariyA hu~NkAra
e-mate kRSNere karAila avatAra

kRSNera—of Lord KRSNa; AhvAna—invitation; kare—makes; kariyA—making;
hu~NkAra—loud shouts; e-mate—in this way; kRSNere—Lord KRSNa; karAila—
caused to make; avatAra—incarnation.
TRANSLATION
He appealed to zrI KRSNa with loud calls and thus made it possible for KRSNa to
appear.
Adi 3.110
TEXT 110
caitanyera avatAre ei mukhya hetu
bhaktera icchAya avatare dharma-setu

caitanyera—of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu; avatAre—in the incarnation; ei—
this; mukhya—principal; hetu—cause; bhaktera—of the devotee; icchAya—
by the desire; avatare—He descends; dharma-setu—protector of religion.
TRANSLATION
Therefore the principal reason for zrI Caitanya’s descent is this appeal by
Advaita AcArya. The Lord, the protector of religion, appears by the desire of
His devotee.
Adi 3.111
TEXT 111
tvaà bhakti-yoga-paribhAvita-hRt-saroja
Asse zrutekSita-patho nanu nAtha puàsAm
yad yad dhiyA ta urugAya vibhAvayanti
tat tad vapuH praNayase sad-anugrahAya

tvam—You; bhakti-yoga—by devotional service; paribhAvita—saturated;
hRt—of the heart; saroje—on the lotus; Asse—dwell; zruta—heard; IkSita—
seen; pathaH—whose path; nanu—certainly; nAtha—O Lord; puàsAm—by
the devotees; yat yat—whatever; dhiyA—by the mind; te—they; uru-
gAya—O Lord, who are glorified in excellent ways; vibhAvayanti—
contemplate upon; tat tat—that; vapuH—form; praNayase—You manifest;
sat—to Your devotees; anugrahAya—to show favor.
TRANSLATION
“O my Lord, You always dwell in the vision and hearing of Your pure
devotees. You also live in their lotuslike hearts, which are purified by
devotional service. O my Lord, who are glorified by exalted prayers, You
show special favor to Your devotees by manifesting Yourself in the eternal
forms in which they welcome You.”
PURPORT
This text from zrImad-BhAgavatam (3.9.11) is a prayer by Lord BrahmA to the
Supreme Personality of Godhead KRSNa for His blessings in the work of
creation. Knowledge of the Supreme Personality of Godhead can be
understood from the descriptions of the Vedic scriptures. For example, the
Brahma-saàhitA (5.29) describes that in the abode of Lord KRSNa, which is
made of cintAmaNi (touchstone), the Lord, acting as a cowherd boy, is served
by hundreds and thousands of goddesses of fortune. MAyAvAdIs think that the
devotees have imagined the form of KRSNa, but the authentic Vedic scriptures
have actually described KRSNa and His various transcendental forms.
The word zruta in zrutekSita-pathaH refers to the Vedas, and IkSita indicates
that the way to understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead is by proper
study of the Vedic scriptures. One cannot imagine something about God or
His form. Such imagination is not accepted by those who are serious about
enlightenment. Here BrahmA says that one can know KRSNa through the path
of properly understanding the Vedic texts. If by studying the form, name,
qualities, pastimes and paraphernalia of the Supreme Godhead one is
attracted to the Lord, he can execute devotional service, and the form of the
Lord will be impressed in his heart and remain transcendentally situated there.
Unless a devotee actually develops transcendental love for the Lord, it is not
possible for him to think always of the Lord within his heart. Such constant
thought of the Lord is the sublime perfection of the yogic process, as the
Bhagavad-gItA confirms in the Sixth Chapter (47), stating that anyone
absorbed in such thought is the best of all yogIs. Such transcendental
absorption is known as samAdhi. A pure devotee who is always thinking of
the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the person qualified to see the Lord.
One cannot speak of UrugAya (the Lord, who is glorified by sublime prayers)
unless one is transcendentally elevated. The Lord has innumerable forms, as
the Brahma-saàhitA confirms (advaitam acyutam anAdim ananta-rUpam [Bs
5.33]). The Lord expands Himself in innumerable svAàza forms. When a
devotee, hearing about these innumerable forms, becomes attached to one
and always thinks of Him, the Lord appears to him in that form. Lord KRSNa is
especially pleasing to such devotees, in whose hearts He is always present
because of their highly elevated transcendental love.
Adi 3.112
TEXT 112
ei zlokera artha kahi sa~NkSepera sAra
bhaktera icchAya kRSNera sarva avatAra

ei—this; zlokera—of the verse; artha—the meaning; kahi—I relate;
sa~NkSepera—of conciseness; sAra—the pith; bhaktera—of the devotee;
icchAya—by the desire; kRSNera—of Lord KRSNa; sarva—all; avatAra—
incarnations.
TRANSLATION
The essence of the meaning of this verse is that Lord KRSNa appears in all His
innumerable eternal forms because of the desires of His pure devotees.
Adi 3.113
TEXT 113
caturtha zlokera artha haila sunizcite
avatIrNa hailA gaura prema prakAzite

caturtha—fourth; zlokera—of the verse; artha—the meaning; haila—was;
su-nizcite—very surely; avatIrNa hailA—incarnated; gaura—Lord Caitanya
MahAprabhu; prema—love of God; prakAzite—to manifest.
TRANSLATION
Thus I have surely determined the meaning of the fourth verse. Lord
GaurA~Nga [Lord Caitanya] appeared as an incarnation to preach unalloyed
love of God.
Adi 3.114
TEXT 114
zrI-rUpa-raghunAtha-pade yAra Aza
caitanya-caritAmRta kahe kRSNadAsa

zrI-rUpa—zrIla RUpa GosvAmI; raghunAtha—zrIla RaghunAtha dAsa GosvAmI;
pade—at the lotus feet of; yAra—whose; Aza—expectation; caitanya-
caritAmRta—the book named Caitanya-caritAmRta; kahe—describes; kRSNa-
dAsa—zrIla KRSNadAsa KavirAja GosvAmI.
TRANSLATION
Praying at the lotus feet of zrI RUpa and zrI RaghunAtha, always desiring their
mercy, I, KRSNadAsa, narrate zrI Caitanya-caritAmRta, following in their
footsteps.
Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports to zrI Caitanya-caritAmRta, Adi-lIlA, Third
Chapter, describing the external reasons for the appearance of zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu.
Adi 4: The Confidential Reasons for the Appearance of zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu
Chapter 4
The Confidential Reasons for the Appearance of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu
In this chapter of the epic Caitanya-caritAmRta, KRSNadAsa KavirAja GosvAmI
has stressed that Lord Caitanya appeared for three principal purposes of His
own. The first purpose was to relish the position of zrImatI RAdhArANI, who is
the prime reciprocator of transcendental love of zrI KRSNa. Lord KRSNa is the
reservoir of transcendental loving transactions with zrImatI RAdhArANI. The
subject of those loving transactions is the Lord Himself, and RAdhArANI is the
object. Thus the subject, the Lord, wanted to relish the loving mellow in the
position of the object, RAdhArANI.
The second reason for His appearance was to understand the transcendental
mellow of Himself. Lord KRSNa is all sweetness. RAdhArANI’s attraction for
KRSNa is sublime, and to experience that attraction and understand the
transcendental sweetness of Himself, He accepted the mentality of RAdhArANI.
The third reason that Lord Caitanya appeared was to enjoy the bliss tasted by
RAdhArANI. The Lord thought that undoubtedly RAdhArANI enjoyed His
company and He enjoyed the company of RAdhArANI, but the exchange of
transcendental mellow between the spiritual couple was more pleasing to
zrImatI RAdhArANI than to zrI KRSNa. RAdhArANI felt more transcendental
pleasure in the company of KRSNa than He could understand without taking
Her position, but for zrI KRSNa to enjoy in the position of zrImatI RAdhArANI
was impossible because that position was completely foreign to Him. KRSNa is
the transcendental male, and RAdhArANI is the transcendental female.
Therefore, to know the transcendental pleasure of loving KRSNa, Lord KRSNa
Himself appeared as Lord Caitanya, accepting the emotions and bodily luster
of zrImatI RAdhArANI.
Lord Caitanya appeared in order to fulfill these confidential desires, and also
to preach the special significance of chanting Hare KRSNa, Hare KRSNa, KRSNa
KRSNa, Hare Hare/ Hare RAma, Hare RAma, RAma RAma, Hare Hare and to
answer the call of Advaita Prabhu. These were secondary reasons.
zrI SvarUpa DAmodara GosvAmI was the principal figure among Lord
Caitanya’s confidential devotees. The records of his diary have revealed these
confidential purposes of the Lord. These revelations have been confirmed by
the statements of zrIla RUpa GosvAmI in his various prayers and poems.
This chapter also specifically describes the difference between lust and love.
The transactions of KRSNa and RAdhA are completely different from material
lust. Therefore the author has very clearly distinguished between them.
Adi 4.1
TEXT 1
zrI-caitanya-prasAdena
tad-rUpasya vinirNayam
bAlo ’pi kurute zAstraà
dRSTvA vraja-vilAsinaH

zrI-caitanya-prasAdena—by the mercy of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu; tat—of
Him; rUpasya—of the form; vinirNayam—complete determination; bAlaH—a
child; api—even; kurute—makes; zAstram—the revealed scriptures; dRSTvA—
having seen; vraja-vilAsinaH—who enjoys the pastimes of Vraja.
TRANSLATION
By the mercy of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu, even a foolish child can fully
describe the real nature of Lord KRSNa, the enjoyer of the pastimes of Vraja,
according to the vision of the revealed scriptures.
PURPORT
One can ascertain the meaning of this Sanskrit zloka only when one is
endowed with the causeless mercy of Lord Caitanya. Lord zrI KRSNa, being the
absolute Personality of Godhead, cannot be exposed to the mundane
instruments of vision. He reserves the right not to be exposed by the
intellectual feats of nondevotees. Notwithstanding this truth, even a small
child can easily understand Lord zrI KRSNa and His transcendental pastimes in
the land of VRndAvana by the grace of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu.
Adi 4.2
TEXT 2
jaya jaya zrI-caitanya jaya nityAnanda
jayAdvaita-candra jaya gaura-bhakta-vRnda

jaya jaya—all glory; zrI-caitanya—to Lord Caitanya; jaya—all glory;
nityAnanda—to Lord NityAnanda; jaya—all glory; advaita-candra—to
Advaita AcArya; jaya—all glory; gaura-bhakta-vRnda—to the devotees of
Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu.
TRANSLATION
All glory to Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu! All glory to Lord NityAnanda! All
glory to zrI Advaita AcArya! And all glory to all the devotees of Lord
Caitanya!
Adi 4.3
TEXT 3
caturtha zlokera artha kaila vivaraNa
pa~ncama zlokera artha zuna bhakta-gaNa

caturtha—fourth; zlokera—of the verse; artha—the meaning; kaila—made;
vivaraNa—description; pa~ncama—fifth; zlokera—of the verse; artha—the
meaning; zuna—please hear; bhakta-gaNa—O devotees.
TRANSLATION
I have described the meaning of the fourth verse. Now, O devotees, kindly
hear the explanation of the fifth verse.
Adi 4.4
TEXT 4
mUla-zlokera artha karite prakAza
artha lAgAite Age kahiye AbhAsa

mUla—original; zlokera—of the verse; artha—the meaning; karite—to make;
prakAza—revelation; artha—the meaning; lAgAite—to touch; Age—first;
kahiye—I shall speak; AbhAsa—hint.
TRANSLATION
Just to explain the original verse, I shall first suggest its meaning.
Adi 4.5
TEXT 5
caturtha zlokera artha ei kaila sAra
prema-nAma pracArite ei avatAra

caturtha—fourth; zlokera—of the verse; artha—the meaning; ei—this;
kaila—gave; sAra—essence; prema—love of Godhead; nAma—the holy
name; pracArite—to propagate; ei—this; avatAra—incarnation.
TRANSLATION
I have given the essential meaning of the fourth verse: this incarnation [zrI
Caitanya MahAprabhu] descends to propagate the chanting of the holy name
and spread love of God.
Adi 4.6
TEXT 6
satya ei hetu, kintu eho bahira~Nga
Ara eka hetu, zuna, Ache antara~Nga

satya—true; ei—this; hetu—reason; kintu—but; eho—this; bahira~Nga—
external; Ara—another; eka—one; hetu—reason; zuna—please hear; Ache—
is; antara~Nga—internal.
TRANSLATION
Although this is true, this is but the external reason for the Lord’s incarnation.
Please hear one other reason—the confidential reason—for the Lord’s
appearance.
PURPORT
In the Third Chapter, fourth verse, it has been clearly said that Lord Caitanya
appeared in order to distribute love of KRSNa and the chanting of His
transcendental holy name, Hare KRSNa. That was the secondary purpose of
Lord Caitanya’s appearance. The real reason is different, as we shall see in this
chapter.
Adi 4.7
TEXT 7
pUrve yena pRthivIra bhAra haribAre
kRSNa avatIrNa hailA zAstrete pracAre

pUrve—previously; yena—as; pRthivIra—of the earth; bhAra—burden;
haribAre—to take away; kRSNa—Lord KRSNa; avatIrNa—incarnated; hailA—
was; zAstrete—the scriptures; pracAre—proclaim.
TRANSLATION
The scriptures proclaim that Lord KRSNa previously descended to take away
the burden of the earth.
Adi 4.8
TEXT 8
svayaà-bhagavAnera karma nahe bhAra-haraNa
sthiti-kartA viSNu karena jagat-pAlana

svayam-bhagavAnera—of the original Supreme Personality of Godhead;
karma—the business; nahe—is not; bhAra-haraNa—taking away the burden;
sthiti-kartA—the maintainer; viSNu—Lord ViSNu; karena—does; jagat-
pAlana—protection of the universe.
TRANSLATION
To take away this burden, however, is not the work of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead. The maintainer, Lord ViSNu, is the one who protects
the universe.
Adi 4.9
TEXT 9
kintu kRSNera yei haya avatAra-kAla
bhAra-haraNa-kAla tAte ha-ila mizAla

kintu—but; kRSNera—of Lord KRSNa; yei—that which; haya—is; avatAra—of
incarnation; kAla—the time; bhAra-haraNa—of taking away the burden;
kAla—the time; tAte—in that; ha-ila—there was; mizAla—mixture.
TRANSLATION
But the time to lift the burden of the world mixed with the time for Lord
KRSNa’s incarnation.
PURPORT
We have information from the Bhagavad-gItA that the Lord appears at
particular intervals to adjust a time-worn spiritual culture. Lord zrI KRSNa
appeared at the end of DvApara-yuga to regenerate the spiritual culture of
human society and also to manifest His transcendental pastimes. ViSNu is the
authorized Lord who maintains the created cosmos, and He is also the
principal Deity who makes adjustments when there is improper administration
in the cosmic creation. But zrI KRSNa, being the primeval Lord, appears not in
order to make such administrative adjustments but only to exhibit His
transcendental pastimes and thus attract the fallen souls back home, back to
Godhead.
However, the time for administrative rectification and the time for Lord zrI
KRSNa’s appearance coincided at the end of the last DvApara-yuga. Therefore
when zrI KRSNa appeared, ViSNu, the Lord of maintenance, merged with Him
because all the plenary portions and parts of the absolute Personality of
Godhead merge with Him during His appearance.
Adi 4.10
TEXT 10
pUrNa bhagavAn avatare yei kAle
Ara saba avatAra tA~Nte Asi’ mile

pUrNa—full; bhagavAn—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; avatare—
incarnates; yei—that; kAle—at the time; Ara—other; saba—all; avatAra—
incarnations; tA~Nte—in Him; Asi’—coming; mile—meet.
TRANSLATION
When the complete Supreme Personality of Godhead descends, all other
incarnations of the Lord meet together within Him.
Adi 4.11-12
TEXTS 11–12
nArAyaNa, catur-vyUha, matsyAdy-avatAra
yuga-manvantarAvatAra, yata Ache Ara
sabe Asi’ kRSNa-a~Nge haya avatIrNa
aiche avatare kRSNa bhagavAn pUrNa

nArAyaNa—Lord NArAyaNa; catuH-vyUha—the four expansions; matsya-Adi—
beginning with Matsya; avatAra—the incarnations; yuga-manv-antara-
avatAra—the yuga and manv-antara incarnations; yata—as many as; Ache—
there are; Ara—other; sabe—all; Asi’—coming; kRSNa-a~Nge—in the body of
Lord KRSNa; haya—are; avatIrNa—incarnated; aiche—in this way; avatare—
incarnates; kRSNa—Lord KRSNa; bhagavAn—the Supreme Personality of
Godhead; pUrNa—full.
TRANSLATION
Lord NArAyaNa, the four primary expansions [VAsudeva, Sa~NkarSaNa,
Pradyumna and Aniruddha], Matsya and the other lIlA incarnations, the yuga-
avatAras, the manv-antara incarnations and as many other incarnations as
there are—all descend in the body of Lord KRSNa. In this way the complete
Supreme Godhead, Lord KRSNa Himself, appears.
Adi 4.13
TEXT 13
ataeva viSNu takhana kRSNera zarIre
viSNu-dvAre kare kRSNa asura-saàhAre

ataeva—therefore; viSNu—Lord ViSNu; takhana—at that time; kRSNera—of
Lord KRSNa; zarIre—in the body; viSNu-dvAre—by Lord ViSNu; kare—does;
kRSNa—Lord KRSNa; asura-saàhAre—killing the demons.
TRANSLATION
At that time, therefore, Lord ViSNu is present in the body of Lord KRSNa, and
Lord KRSNa kills the demons through Him.
Adi 4.14
TEXT 14
AnuSa~Nga-karma ei asura-mAraNa
ye lAgi’ avatAra, kahi se mUla kAraNa

AnuSa~Nga-karma—secondary work; ei—this; asura—of the demons;
mAraNa—killing; ye—that; lAgi’—for; avatAra—the incarnation; kahi—I shall
speak; se—the; mUla—root; kAraNa—cause.
TRANSLATION
Thus the killing of the demons is but secondary work. I shall now speak of the
main reason for the Lord’s incarnation.
Adi 4.15-16
TEXTS 15–16
prema-rasa-niryAsa karite AsvAdana
rAga-mArga bhakti loke karite pracAraNa
rasika-zekhara kRSNa parama-karuNa
ei dui hetu haite icchAra udgama

prema-rasa—of the mellow of love of God; niryAsa—the essence; karite—to
do; AsvAdana—tasting; rAga-mArga—the path of spontaneous attraction;
bhakti—devotional service; loke—in the world; karite—to do; pracAraNa—
propagation; rasika-zekhara—the supremely jubilant; kRSNa—Lord KRSNa;
parama-karuNa—the most merciful; ei—these; dui—two; hetu—reasons;
haite—from; icchAra—of desire; udgama—the birth.
TRANSLATION
The Lord’s desire to appear was born from two reasons: the Lord wanted to
taste the sweet essence of the mellows of love of God, and He wanted to
propagate devotional service in the world on the platform of spontaneous
attraction. Thus He is known as supremely jubilant and as the most merciful of
all.
PURPORT
During the period of Lord KRSNa’s appearance, the killing of asuras or
nonbelievers such as Kaàsa and JarAsandha was done by ViSNu, who was
within the person of zrI KRSNa. Such apparent killing by Lord zrI KRSNa took
place as a matter of course and was an incidental activity for Him. But the
real purpose of Lord KRSNa’s appearance was to stage a dramatic performance
of His transcendental pastimes at VrajabhUmi, thus exhibiting the highest limit
of transcendental mellow in the exchanges of reciprocal love between the
living entity and the Supreme Lord. These reciprocal exchanges of mellows
are called rAga-bhakti, or devotional service to the Lord in transcendental
rapture. Lord zrI KRSNa wants to make known to all the conditioned souls that
He is more attracted by rAga-bhakti than vidhi-bhakti, or devotional service
under scheduled regulations. It is said in the Vedas (TaittirIya Up. 2.7), raso vai
saH: the Absolute Truth is the reservoir for all kinds of reciprocal exchanges of
loving sentiments. He is also causelessly merciful, and He wants to bestow
upon us this privilege of rAga-bhakti. Thus He appeared by His own internal
energy. He was not forced to appear by any extraneous force.
Adi 4.17
TEXT 17
aizvarya-j~nAnete saba jagat mizrita
aizvarya-zithila-preme nahi mora prIta

aizvarya j~nAnete—with knowledge of majesty; saba—all; jagat—the
universe; mizrita—mixed; aizvarya-zithila—weakened by majesty; preme—in
love; nAhi—there is not; mora—My; prIta—pleasure.
TRANSLATION
[Lord KRSNa thought:] “All the universe is filled with the conception of My
majesty, but love weakened by that sense of majesty does not satisfy Me.
Adi 4.18
TEXT 18
AmAre Izvara mAne, ApanAke hIna
tAra preme vaza Ami nA ha-i adhIna

AmAre—Me; Izvara—the Lord; mAne—regards; ApanAke—himself; hIna—
low; tAra—of him; preme—by the love; vaza—controlled; Ami—I; nA ha-i—
am not; adhIna—subservient.
TRANSLATION
“If one regards Me as the Supreme Lord and himself as a subordinate, I do not
become subservient to his love, nor can it control Me.
Adi 4.19
TEXT 19
AmAke ta’ ye ye bhakta bhaje yei bhAve
tAre se se bhAve bhaji,——e mora svabhAve

AmAke—Me; ta’—certainly; ye ye—whatever; bhakta—devotee; bhaje—
worships; yei—which; bhAve—in the mood; tAre—him; se se—that; bhAve—
in the mood; bhaji—I reciprocate; e—this; mora—My; svabhAve—in the
nature.
TRANSLATION
“In whatever transcendental mellow My devotee worships Me, I reciprocate
with him. That is My natural behavior.
PURPORT
The Lord, by His inherent nature, reveals Himself before His devotees
according to their inherent devotional service. The VRndAvana pastimes
demonstrated that although generally people worship God with reverence,
the Lord is more pleased when a devotee thinks of Him as his pet son,
personal friend or most dear fiance and renders service unto Him with such
natural affection. The Lord becomes a subordinate object of love in such
transcendental relationships. Such pure love of Godhead is unadulterated by
any tinge of superfluous nondevotional desires and is not mixed with any sort
of fruitive action or empiric philosophical speculation. It is pure and natural
love of Godhead, spontaneously aroused in the absolute stage. This
devotional service is executed in a favorable atmosphere freed from material
affection.
Adi 4.20
TEXT 20
ye yathA mAà prapadyante
tAàs tathaiva bhajAmy aham
mama vartmAnuvartante
manuSyAH pArtha sarvazaH

ye—all who; yathA—as; mAm—unto Me; prapadyante—surrender; tAn—
them; tathA—so; eva—certainly; bhajAmi—reward; aham—I; mama—My;
vartma—path; anuvartante—follow; manuSyAH—all men; pArtha—O son of
PRthA; sarvazaH—in all respects.
TRANSLATION
“‘In whatever way My devotees surrender unto Me, I reward them
accordingly. Everyone follows My path in all respects, O son of PRthA.’
PURPORT
In the Fourth Chapter of the Bhagavad-gItA Lord KRSNa affirms that formerly
(some 120 million years before the Battle of KurukSetra) He explained the
mystic philosophy of the GItA to the sun-god. The message was received
through the chain of disciplic succession, but in course of time, the chain
being broken somehow or other, Lord zrI KRSNa appeared again and taught
Arjuna the truths of the Bhagavad-gItA. At that time the Lord spoke this verse
(Bg. 4.11) to His friend Arjuna.
Adi 4.21-22
TEXTS 21–22
mora putra, mora sakhA, mora prANa-pati
ei-bhAve yei more kare zuddha-bhakti
ApanAke baòa mAne, AmAre sama-hIna
sei bhAve ha-i Ami tAhAra adhIna

mora—my; putra—son; mora—my; sakhA—friend; mora—my; prANa-pati—
lord of life; ei bhAve—in this way; yei—those who; more—unto Me; kare—
do; zuddha-bhakti—pure devotion; ApanAke—himself; baòa—great; mAne—
he regards; AmAre—Me; sama—equal; hIna—or lower; sei bhAve—in that
way; ha-i—am; Ami—I; tAhAra—to him; adhIna—subordinate.
TRANSLATION
“If one cherishes pure loving devotion to Me, thinking of Me as his son, his
friend or his beloved, regarding himself as great and considering Me his equal
or inferior, I become subordinate to him.
PURPORT
In the Caitanya-caritAmRta three kinds of devotional service are described—
namely, bhakti (ordinary devotional service), zuddha-bhakti (pure devotional
service) and viddha-bhakti (mixed devotional service).
When devotional service is executed with some material purpose, involving
fruitive activities, mental speculations or mystic yoga, it is called mixed or
adulterated devotional service. Besides bhakti-yoga, the Bhagavad-gItA also
describes karma-yoga, j~nAna-yoga and dhyAna-yoga. Yoga means linking
with the Supreme Lord, which is possible only through devotion. Fruitive
activities ending in devotional service, philosophical speculation ending in
devotional service, and the practice of mysticism ending in devotional service
are known respectively as karma-yoga, j~nAna-yoga and dhyAna-yoga. But
such devotional service is adulterated by the three kinds of material activities.
For those grossly engaged in identifying the body as the self, pious activity, or
karma-yoga, is recommended. For those who identify the mind with the self,
philosophical speculation, or j~nAna-yoga, is recommended. But devotees
standing on the spiritual platform have no need of such material conceptions
of adulterated devotion. Adulterated devotional service does not directly aim
for love of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore service performed
strictly in conformity with the revealed scriptures is better than such viddha-
bhakti because it is free from all kinds of material contamination. It is
executed in KRSNa consciousness, solely to please the Supreme Personality of
Godhead.
Those who are spontaneously devoted to the Lord and have no aims for
material gain are called attracted devotees. They are spontaneously attracted
to the service of the Lord, and they follow in the footsteps of self-realized
souls. Their pure devotion (zuddha-bhakti), manifested from pure love of
Godhead, surpasses the regulative principles of the authoritative scriptures.
Sometimes loving ecstasy transcends regulative principles; such ecstasy,
however, is completely on the spiritual platform and cannot be imitated. The
regulative principles help ordinary devotees rise to the stage of perfect love
of Godhead. Pure love for KRSNa is the perfection of pure devotion, and pure
devotional service is identical with spontaneous devotional service.
Flawless execution of regulative principles is exhibited in the VaikuNTha
planets. By strictly executing these principles one can be elevated to the
VaikuNTha planets. But spontaneous pure loving service is found in KRSNaloka
alone.
Adi 4.23
TEXT 23
mayi bhaktir hi bhUtAnAm
amRtatvAya kalpate
diSTyA yad AsIn mat-sneho
bhavatInAà mad-ApanaH

mayi—to Me; bhaktiH—devotional service; hi—certainly; bhUtAnAm—of the
living beings; amRtatvAya—the eternal life; kalpate—brings about; diSTyA—
by good fortune; yat—which; AsIt—was; mat—for Me; snehaH—the
affection; bhavatInAm—of all of you; mat—of Me; ApanaH—the obtaining.
TRANSLATION
“‘Devotional service rendered to Me by the living beings revives their eternal
life. O My dear damsels of Vraja, your affection for Me is your good fortune,
for it is the only means by which you have obtained My favor.’
PURPORT
Pure devotional service is represented in the activities of the residents of
VrajabhUmi (VRndAvana). During a solar eclipse, the Lord came from DvArakA
and met the inhabitants of VRndAvana at Samanta-pa~ncaka. The meeting was
intensely painful for the damsels of VrajabhUmi because Lord KRSNa had
apparently left them to reside at DvArakA. But the Lord obligingly
acknowledged the pure devotional service of the damsels of Vraja by
speaking this verse (BhAg. 10.82.44).
Adi 4.24
TEXT 24
mAtA more putra-bhAve karena bandhana
atihIna-j~nAne kare lAlana pAlana

mAtA—mother; more—Me; putra-bhAve—in the position of a son; karena—
does; bandhana—binding; ati-hIna-j~nAne—in thinking very poor; kare—does;
lAlana—nourishing; pAlana—protecting.
TRANSLATION
“Mother sometimes binds Me as her son. She nourishes and protects Me,
thinking Me utterly helpless.
Adi 4.25
TEXT 25
sakhA zuddha-sakhye kare, skandhe ArohaNa
tumi kon baòa loka,——tumi Ami sama

sakhA—the friend; zuddha-sakhye—in pure friendship; kare—does;
skandhe—on the shoulders; ArohaNa—mounting; tumi—You; kon—what;
baòa—big; loka—person; tumi—You; Ami—I; sama—the same.
TRANSLATION
“My friends climb on My shoulders in pure friendship, saying, ‘What kind of
big man are You? You and I are equal.’
Adi 4.26
TEXT 26
priyA yadi mAna kari’ karaye bhartsana
veda-stuti haite hare sei mora mana

priyA—the lover; yadi—if; mAna kari’—sulking; karaye—does; bhartsana—
rebuking; veda-stuti—the Vedic prayers; haite—from; hare—takes away;
sei—that; mora—My; mana—mind.
TRANSLATION
“If My beloved consort reproaches Me in a sulky mood, that steals My mind
from the reverent hymns of the Vedas.
PURPORT
According to the UpaniSads, all living entities are dependent on the supreme
living entity, the Personality of Godhead. As it is said (KaTha Up. 5.3), nityo
nityAnAà cetanaz cetanAnAm eko bahUnAà yo vidadhAti kAmAn: one eternal
living entity supports all the other eternal living entities. Because the Supreme
Personality of Godhead maintains all the other living entities, they remain
subordinate to the Lord, even when joined with Him in the reciprocation of
loving affairs.
But in the course of exchanging transcendental love of the highest purity,
sometimes the subordinate devotee tries to predominate over the
predominator. One who lovingly engages with the Supreme Lord as if he
were His mother or father sometimes supersedes the position of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead. Similarly, His fiancI or lover sometimes supersedes
the position of the Lord. But such attempts are exhibitions of the highest love.
Only out of pure love does the subordinate lover of the Supreme Personality
of Godhead chide Him. The Lord, enjoying this chiding, takes it very nicely.
The exhibition of natural love makes such activities very enjoyable. In worship
of the Supreme Lord with veneration there is no manifestation of such natural
love because the devotee considers the Lord his superior.
Regulative principles in devotional service are meant for those who have not
invoked their natural love of Godhead. When natural love arises, all regulative
methods are surpassed, and pure love is exhibited between the Lord and the
devotee. Although on such a platform of love the devotee sometimes appears
to predominate over the Lord or transgress regulative principles, such dealings
are far more advanced than ordinary dealings through regulative principles
with awe and veneration. A devotee who is actually free from all designations
due to complete attachment in love for the Supreme exhibits spontaneous
love for Godhead, which is always superior to the devotion of regulative
principles.
The informal language used between lover and beloved is indicative of pure
affection. When devotees worship their beloved as the most venerable object,
spontaneous loving sentiments are observed to be lacking. A neophyte
devotee who follows the Vedic instructions that regulate those who lack pure
love of Godhead may superficially seem more exalted than a devotee in
spontaneous love of Godhead. But in fact such spontaneous pure love is far
superior to regulated devotional service. Such pure love of Godhead is always
glorious in all respects, more so than reverential devotional service rendered
by a less affectionate devotee.
Adi 4.28
TEXTS 27–28
ei zuddha-bhakta la~nA karimu avatAra
kariba vividha-vidha adbhuta vihAra
vaikuNThAdye nAhi ye ye lIlAra pracAra
se se lIlA kariba, yAte mora camatkAra

ei—these; zuddha-bhakta—pure devotees; la~nA—taking; karimu—I shall
make; avatAra—incarnation; kariba—I shall do; vividha-vidha—various kinds;
adbhuta—wonderful; vihAra—pastimes; vaikuNTha-Adye—in the VaikuNTha
planets, etc.; nAhi—not; ye ye—whatever; lIlAra—of the pastimes; pracAra—
broadcasting; se se—those; lIlA—pastimes; kariba—I shall perform; yAte—in
which; mora—My; camatkAra—wonder.
TRANSLATION
“Taking these pure devotees with Me, I shall descend and sport in various
wonderful ways, unknown even in VaikuNTha. I shall broadcast such pastimes
by which even I am amazed.
PURPORT
Lord KRSNa in the form of Lord Caitanya educates His devotees to develop
progressively to the stage of pure devotional service. Thus He appears
periodically as a devotee to take part in various wonderful activities depicted
in His sublime philosophy and teachings.
There are innumerable VaikuNTha planets in the spiritual sky, and in all of them
the Lord accepts the service rendered by His eternal devotees in a reverential
mood. Therefore Lord zrI KRSNa presents His most confidential pastimes as He
enjoys them in His transcendental realm. Such pastimes are so attractive that
they attract even the Lord, and thus He relishes them in the form of Lord
Caitanya.
Adi 4.29
TEXT 29
mo-viSaye gopI-gaNera upapati-bhAve
yoga-mAyA karibeka Apana-prabhAve

mo-viSaye—on the subject of Me; gopI-gaNera—of the gopIs; upapati—of a
paramour; bhAve—in the position; yoga-mAyA—yogamAyA, Lord KRSNa’s
internal potency; karibeka—will make; Apana—her own; prabhAve—by the
influence.
TRANSLATION
“The influence of yogamAyA will inspire the gopIs with the sentiment that I am
their paramour.
PURPORT
YogamAyA is the name of the internal potency that makes the Lord forget
Himself and become an object of love for His pure devotee in different
transcendental mellows. This yogamAyA potency creates a spiritual sentiment
in the minds of the damsels of Vraja by which they think of Lord KRSNa as their
paramour. This sentiment is never to be compared to mundane illicit sexual
love. It has nothing to do with sexual psychology, although the pure love of
such devotees seems to be sexual. One should know for certain that nothing
can exist in this cosmic manifestation that has no real counterpart in the
spiritual field. All material manifestations are emanations of the
Transcendence. The erotic principles of amorous love reflected in mixed
material values are perverted reflections of the reality of spirit, but one cannot
understand the reality unless one is sufficiently educated in the spiritual
science.
Adi 4.30
TEXT 30
Amiha nA jAni tAhA, nA jAne gopI-gaNa
du~NhAra rUpa-guNe du~NhAra nitya hare mana

Amiha—I; nA jAni—shall not know; tAhA—that; nA jAne—will not know; gopI-
gaNa—the gopIs; du~NhAra—of the two; rUpa-guNe—the beauty and qualities;
du~NhAra—of the two; nitya—always; hare—carry away; mana—the minds.
TRANSLATION
“Neither the gopIs nor I shall notice this, for our minds will always be
entranced by one another’s beauty and qualities.
PURPORT
In the spiritual sky the VaikuNTha planets are predominated by NArAyaNa. His
devotees have the same features He does, and the exchange of devotion
there is on the platform of reverence. But above all these VaikuNTha planets is
Goloka, or KRSNaloka, where the original Personality of Godhead, KRSNa, fully
manifests His pleasure potency in free loving affairs. Since the devotees in the
material world know almost nothing about these affairs, the Lord desires to
show these affairs to them.
In Goloka VRndAvana there is an exchange of love known as parakIya-rasa. It
is something like the attraction of a married woman for a man other than her
husband. In the material world this sort of relationship is most abominable
because it is a perverted reflection of the parakIya-rasa in the spiritual world,
where it is the highest kind of loving affair. Such feelings between the
devotee and the Lord are presented by the influence of yogamAyA. The
Bhagavad-gItA states that devotees of the highest grade are under the care of
daiva-mAyA, or yogamAyA: mahAtmAnas tu mAà pArtha daivIà prakRtim
AzritAH (Bg. 9.13). Those who are actually great souls (mahAtmAs) are fully
absorbed in KRSNa consciousness, always engaged in the service of the Lord.
They are under the care of daivI-prakRti, or yogamAyA. YogamAyA creates a
situation in which the devotee is prepared to transgress all regulative
principles simply to love KRSNa. A devotee naturally does not like to transgress
the laws of reverence for the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but by the
influence of yogamAyA he is prepared to do anything to love the Supreme
Lord better.
Those under the spell of the material energy cannot at all appreciate the
activities of yogamAyA, for a conditioned soul can hardly understand the pure
reciprocation between the Lord and His devotee. But by executing devotional
service under the regulative principles, one can become very highly elevated
and then begin to appreciate the dealings of pure love under the management
of yogamAyA.
In the spiritual loving sentiment induced by the yogamAyA potency, both Lord
zrI KRSNa and the damsels of Vraja forget themselves in spiritual rapture. By
the influence of such forgetfulness, the attractive beauty of the gopIs plays a
prominent part in the transcendental satisfaction of the Lord, who has nothing
to do with mundane sex. Because spiritual love of Godhead is above
everything mundane, the gopIs superficially seem to transgress the codes of
mundane morality. This perpetually puzzles mundane moralists. Therefore
yogamAyA acts to cover the Lord and His pastimes from the eyes of
mundaners, as confirmed in the Bhagavad-gItA (7.25), where the Lord says
that He reserves the right of not being exposed to everyone.
The acts of yogamAyA make it possible for the Lord and the gopIs, in loving
ecstasy, to sometimes meet and sometimes separate. These transcendental
loving affairs of the Lord are unimaginable to empiricists involved in the
impersonal feature of the Absolute Truth. Therefore the Lord Himself appears
before the mundaners to bestow upon them the highest form of spiritual
realization and also personally relish its essence. The Lord is so merciful that
He Himself descends to take the fallen souls back home to the kingdom of
Godhead, where the erotic principles of Godhead are eternally relished in their
real form, distinct from the perverted sexual love so much adored and
indulged in by the fallen souls in their diseased condition. The reason the Lord
displays the rAsa-lIlA is essentially to induce all the fallen souls to give up their
diseased morality and religiosity, and to attract them to the kingdom of God
to enjoy the reality. A person who actually understands what the rAsa-lIlA is
will certainly hate to indulge in mundane sex life. For the realized soul, hearing
the Lord’s rAsa-lIlA through the proper channel will result in complete
abstinence from material sexual pleasure.
Adi 4.31
TEXT 31
dharma chAòi’ rAge du~Nhe karaye milana
kabhu mile, kabhu nA mile,——daivera ghaTana

dharma chAòi’—giving up religious customs; rAge—in love; du~Nhe—both;
karaye—do; milana—meeting; kabhu—sometimes; mile—they meet;
kabhu—sometimes; nA mile—they do not meet; daivera—of destiny;
ghaTana—the happening.
TRANSLATION
“Pure attachment will unite us even at the expense of moral and religious
duties [dharma]. Destiny will sometimes bring us together and sometimes
separate us.
PURPORT
The gopIs came out to meet KRSNa in the dead of night when they heard the
sound of His flute. zrIla RUpa GosvAmI has accordingly composed a nice verse
(see Adi 5.224) that describes the beautiful boy called Govinda standing by
the bank of the YamunA with His flute to His lips in the shining moonlight.
Those who want to enjoy life in the materialistic way of society, friendship
and love should not go to the YamunA to see the form of Govinda. The sound
of Lord KRSNa’s flute is so sweet that it has made the gopIs forget all about
their relationships with their kinsmen and flee to KRSNa in the dead of night.
By leaving home in that way, the gopIs transgressed the Vedic regulations of
household life. This indicates that when natural feelings of love for KRSNa
become fully manifest, a devotee can neglect conventional social rules and
regulations. In the material world we are situated in designative positions
only, but pure devotional service begins when one is freed from all
designations. When love for KRSNa is awakened, the designative positions are
overcome.
The spontaneous attraction of zrI KRSNa for His dearest parts and parcels
generates an enthusiasm that obliges zrI KRSNa and the gopIs to meet
together. To celebrate this transcendental enthusiasm, there is need of a
sentiment of separation between the lover and beloved. In the condition of
material tribulation, no one wants the pangs of separation. But in the
transcendental form, the very same separation, being absolute in its nature,
strengthens the ties of love and enhances the desire of the lover and beloved
to meet. The period of separation, evaluated transcendentally, is more
relishable than the actual meeting, which lacks the feelings of increasing
anticipation because the lover and beloved are both present.
Adi 4.32
TEXT 32
ei saba rasa-niryAsa kariba AsvAda
ei dvAre kariba saba bhaktere prasAda

ei—these; saba—all; rasa-niryAsa—essence of mellows; kariba—I shall do;
AsvAda—tasting; ei dvAre—by this; kariba—I shall do; saba—all; bhaktere—
to the devotees; prasAda—favor.
TRANSLATION
“I shall taste the essence of all these rasas, and in this way I shall favor all the
devotees.
Adi 4.33
TEXT 33
vrajera nirmala rAga zuni’ bhakta-gaNa
rAga-mArge bhaje yena chAòi’ dharma-karma

vrajera—of Vraja; nirmala—spotless; rAga—love; zuni’—hearing; bhakta-
gaNa—the devotees; rAga-mArge—on the path of spontaneous love; bhaje—
they worship; yena—so that; chAòi’—giving up; dharma—religiosity;
karma—fruitive activity.
TRANSLATION
“Then, by hearing about the pure love of the residents of Vraja, devotees will
worship Me on the path of spontaneous love, abandoning all rituals of
religiosity and fruitive activity.”
PURPORT
Many realized souls, such as RaghunAtha dAsa GosvAmI and King Kulazekhara,
have recommended with great emphasis that one develop this spontaneous
love of Godhead, even at the risk of transgressing all the traditional codes of
morality and religiosity. zrI RaghunAtha dAsa GosvAmI, one of the six
GosvAmIs of VRndAvana, has written in his prayers called the ManaH-zikSA that
one should simply worship RAdhA and KRSNa with all attention. Na dharmaà
nAdharmaà zruti-gaNa-niruktaà kila kuru: one should not be much interested
in performing Vedic rituals or simply following rules and regulations.
King Kulazekhara has written similarly, in his book Mukunda-mAlA-stotra (5):
nAsthA dharme na vasu-nicaye naiva kAmopabhoge
yad bhAvyaà tad bhavatu bhagavan pUrva-karmAnurUpam
etat prArthyaà mama bahu-mataà janma-janmAntare ’pi
tvat-pAdAmbho-ruha-yuga-gatA nizcalA bhaktir astu
“I have no attraction for performing religious rituals or holding any earthly
kingdom. I do not care for sense enjoyments; let them appear and disappear
in accordance with my previous deeds. My only desire is to be fixed in
devotional service to the lotus feet of the Lord, even though I may continue
to take birth here life after life.”
Adi 4.34
TEXT 34
anugrahAya bhaktAnAà
mAnuSaà deham AzritaH
bhajate tAdRzIH krIòA
yAH zrutvA tat-paro bhavet

anugrahAya—for showing favor; bhaktAnAm—to the devotees; mAnuSam—
humanlike; deham—body; AzritaH—accepting; bhajate—He enjoys; tAdRzIH—
such; krIòAH—pastimes; yAH—which; zrutvA—having heard; tat-paraH—fully
intent upon Him; bhavet—one must become.
TRANSLATION
“KRSNa manifests His eternal humanlike form and performs His pastimes to
show mercy to the devotees. Having heard such pastimes, one should engage
in service to Him.”
PURPORT
This text is from zrImad-BhAgavatam (10.33.36). The Supreme Personality of
Godhead has innumerable expansions of His transcendental form who
eternally exist in the spiritual world. This material world is only a perverted
reflection of the spiritual world, where everything is manifested without
inebriety. There everything is in its original existence, free from the
domination of time. Time cannot deteriorate or interfere with the conditions in
the spiritual world, where different manifestations of the Supreme Personality
of Godhead are the recipients of the worship of different living entities in their
constitutional spiritual positions. In the spiritual world all existence is
unadulterated goodness. The goodness found in the material world is
contaminated by the modes of passion and ignorance.
The saying that the human form of life is the best position for devotional
service has its special significance because only in this form can a living entity
revive his eternal relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The
human form is considered the highest state in the cycle of the species of life
in the material world. If one takes advantage of this highest kind of material
form, one can regain his position of devotional service to the Lord.
Incarnations of the Supreme Personality of Godhead appear in all the species
of life, although this is inconceivable to the human brain. The Lord’s pastimes
are differentiated according to the appreciating capacity of the different
types of bodies of the living entities. The Supreme Lord bestows the most
merciful benediction upon human society when He appears in His human
form. It is then that humanity gets the opportunity to engage in different
kinds of eternal service to the Lord.
Special natural appreciation of the descriptions of a particular pastime of
Godhead indicates the constitutional position of a living entity. Adoration,
servitorship, friendship, parental affection and conjugal love are the five
primary relationships with KRSNa. The highest perfectional stage of the
conjugal relationship, enriched by many sentiments, gives the maximum
relishable mellow to the devotee.
The Lord appears in different incarnations—as a fish, tortoise and boar, as
ParazurAma, Lord RAma, Buddha and so on—to reciprocate the different
appreciations of living entities in different stages of evolution. The conjugal
relationship of amorous love called parakIya-rasa is the unparalleled perfection
of love exhibited by Lord KRSNa and His devotees.
A class of so-called devotees known as sahajiyAs try to imitate the Lord’s
pastimes, although they have no understanding of the amorous love in His
expansions of pleasure potency. Their superficial imitation can create havoc
on the path for the advancement of one’s spiritual relationship with the Lord.
Material sexual indulgence can never be equated with spiritual love, which is
in unadulterated goodness. The activities of the sahajiyAs simply lower one
deeper into the material contamination of the senses and mind. KRSNa’s
transcendental pastimes display eternal servitorship to AdhokSaja, the
Supreme Lord, who is beyond all conception through material senses.
Materialistic conditioned souls do not understand the transcendental
exchanges of love, but they like to indulge in sense gratification in the name
of devotional service. The activities of the Supreme Lord can never be
understood by irresponsible persons who think the pastimes of RAdhA and
KRSNa to be ordinary affairs. The rAsa dance is arranged by KRSNa’s internal
potency yogamAyA, and it is beyond the grasp of the materially affected
person. Trying to throw mud into transcendence with their perversity, the
sahajiyAs misinterpret the sayings tat-paratvena nirmalam and tat-paro
bhavet. By misinterpreting tAdRzIH krIòAH, they want to indulge in sex while
pretending to imitate Lord KRSNa. But one must actually understand the
imports of the words through the intelligence of the authorized gosvAmIs.
zrIla Narottama dAsa ThAkura, in his prayers to the GosvAmIs, has explained
his inability to understand such spiritual affairs:
rUpa-raghunAtha-pade ha-ibe Akuti
kabe hAma bujhaba se yugala-pIriti
“When I shall be eager to understand the literature given by the GosvAmIs,
then I shall be able to understand the transcendental love affairs of RAdhA and
KRSNa.” In other words, unless one is trained under the disciplic succession of
the GosvAmIs, one cannot understand RAdhA and KRSNa. The conditioned souls
are naturally averse to understanding the spiritual existence of the Lord, and if
they try to know the transcendental nature of the Lord’s pastimes while they
remain absorbed in materialism, they are sure to blunder like the sahajiyAs.
Adi 4.35
TEXT 35
‘bhavet’ kriyA vidhili~N, sei ihA kaya
kartavya avazya ei, anyathA pratyavAya

bhavet—bhavet; kriyA—the verb; vidhi-li~N—an injunction of the imperative
mood; sei—that; ihA—here; kaya—says; kartavya—to be done; avazya—
certainly; ei—this; anyathA—otherwise; pratyavAya—detriment.
TRANSLATION
Here the use of the verb “bhavet,” which is in the imperative mood, tells us
that this certainly must be done. Noncompliance would be abandonment of
duty.
PURPORT
This imperative is applicable to pure devotees. Neophytes will be able to
understand these affairs only after being elevated by regulated devotional
service under the expert guidance of the spiritual master. Then they too will
be competent to hear of the love affairs of RAdhA and KRSNa.
As long as one is in material, conditioned life, strict discipline is required in the
matter of moral and immoral activities. The absolute world is transcendental
and free from such distinctions because there inebriety is not possible. But in
this material world a sexual appetite necessitates distinction between moral
and immoral conduct. There are no sexual activities in the spiritual world. The
transactions between lover and beloved in the spiritual world are pure
transcendental love and unadulterated bliss.
One who has not been attracted by the transcendental beauty of rasa will
certainly be dragged down into material attraction, thus to act in material
contamination and progress to the darkest region of hellish life. But by
understanding the conjugal love of RAdhA and KRSNa one is freed from the
grip of attraction to material so-called love between man and woman.
Similarly, one who understands the pure parental love of Nanda and YazodA
for KRSNa will be saved from being dragged into material parental affection. If
one accepts KRSNa as the supreme friend, the attraction of material friendship
will be finished for him, and he will not be dismayed by so-called friendship
with mundane wranglers. If he is attracted by servitorship to KRSNa, he will no
longer have to serve the material body in the degraded status of material
existence, with the false hope of becoming master in the future. Similarly, one
who sees the greatness of KRSNa in neutrality will certainly never again seek
the so-called relief of impersonalist or voidist philosophy. If one is not
attracted by the transcendental nature of KRSNa, one is sure to be attracted to
material enjoyment, thus to become implicated in the clinging network of
virtuous and sinful activities and to continue material existence by
transmigrating from one material body to another. Only in KRSNa
consciousness can one achieve the highest perfection of life.
Adi 4.36-37
TEXTS 36–37
ei vA~nchA yaiche kRSNa-prAkaTya-kAraNa
asura-saàhAra——AnuSa~Nga prayojana
ei mata caitanya-kRSNa pUrNa bhagavAn
yuga-dharma-pravartana nahe tA~Nra kAma

ei—this; vA~nchA—desire; yaiche—just as; kRSNa—of Lord KRSNa; prAkaTya—
for the manifestation; kAraNa—reason; asura-saàhAra—the killing of demons;
AnuSa~Nga—secondary; prayojana—reason; ei mata—like this; caitanya—as
Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu; kRSNa—Lord KRSNa; pUrNa—full; bhagavAn—the
Supreme Personality of Godhead; yuga-dharma—the religion of the age;
pravartana—initiating; nahe—is not; tA~Nra—of Him; kAma—the desire.
TRANSLATION
Just as these desires are the fundamental reason for KRSNa’s appearance
whereas destroying the demons is only an incidental necessity, so for zrI
KRSNa Caitanya, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, promulgating the
dharma of the age is incidental.
Adi 4.38
TEXT 38
kona kAraNe yabe haila avatAre mana
yuga-dharma-kAla haila se kAle milana

kona kAraNe—by some reason; yabe—when; haila—there was; avatAre—in
incarnation; mana—inclination; yuga-dharma—for the religion of the age;
kAla—the time; haila—there was; se kAle—at that time; milana—
conjunction.
TRANSLATION
When the Lord desired to appear for another reason, the time for
promulgating the religion of the age also arose.
Adi 4.39
TEXT 39
dui hetu avatari’ la~nA bhakta-gaNa
Apane AsvAde prema-nAma-sa~NkIrtana
SYNONYMS
dui—two; hetu—reasons; avatari’—incarnating; la~nA—taking; bhakta-
gaNa—the devotees; Apane—Himself; AsvAde—tastes; prema—love of God;
nAma-sa~NkIrtana—and congregational chanting of the holy name.
TRANSLATION
Thus with two intentions the Lord appeared with His devotees and tasted the
nectar of prema with the congregational chanting of the holy name.
Adi 4.40
TEXT 40
sei dvAre AcaNòAle kIrtana sa~ncAre
nAma-prema-mAlA gA~Nthi’ parAila saàsAre

sei dvAre—by that; A-caNòAle—even among the caNòAlas; kIrtana—the
chanting of the holy names; sa~ncAre—He infuses; nAma—of the holy names;
prema—and of love of God; mAlA—a garland; gA~Nthi’—stringing together;
parAila—He put it on; saàsAre—the whole material world.
TRANSLATION
Thus He spread kIrtana even among the untouchables. He wove a wreath of
the holy name and prema, with which He garlanded the entire material world.
Adi 4.41
TEXT 41
ei-mata bhakta-bhAva kari’ a~NgIkAra
Apani Acari’ bhakti karila pracAra

ei-mata—like this; bhakta-bhAva—the position of a devotee; kari’—making;
a~NgIkAra—acceptance; Apani—Himself; Acari’—practicing; bhakti—
devotional service; karila—did; pracAra—propagation.
TRANSLATION
In this way, assuming the sentiment of a devotee, He preached devotional
service while practicing it Himself.
PURPORT
When RUpa GosvAmI met Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu at PrayAga
(Allahabad), he offered his respectful obeisances by submitting that Lord
Caitanya was more magnanimous than any other avatAra of KRSNa because
He was distributing love of KRSNa. His mission was to enhance love of
Godhead. In the human form of life the highest achievement is to attain the
platform of love of Godhead. Lord Caitanya did not invent a system of
religion, as people sometimes assume. Religious systems are meant to show
the existence of God, who is then generally approached as the cosmic order-
supplier. But Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu’s transcendental mission is to
distribute love of Godhead to everyone. Anyone who accepts God as the
Supreme can take to the process of chanting Hare KRSNa and become a lover
of God. Therefore Lord Caitanya is the most magnanimous. This munificent
broadcasting of devotional service is possible only for KRSNa Himself.
Therefore Lord Caitanya is KRSNa.
In the Bhagavad-gItA KRSNa has taught the philosophy of surrender to the
Supreme Personality of Godhead. One who has surrendered to the Supreme
can make further progress by learning to love Him. Therefore the KRSNa
consciousness movement propagated by Lord Caitanya is especially meant for
those who are cognizant of the presence of the Supreme Godhead, the
ultimate controller of everything. His mission is to teach people how to
dovetail themselves into engagements of transcendental loving service. He is
KRSNa teaching His own service from the position of a devotee. The Lord’s
acceptance of the role of a devotee in the eternal form of Lord zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu is another of the Lord’s wonderful features. A conditioned soul
cannot reach the absolute Personality of Godhead by his imperfect endeavor,
and therefore it is wonderful that Lord zrI KRSNa, in the form of Lord
GaurA~Nga, has made it easy for everyone to approach Him.
SvarUpa DAmodara GosvAmI has described Lord Caitanya as KRSNa Himself
with the attitude of RAdhArANI, or a combination of RAdhA and KRSNa. The
intention of Lord Caitanya is to taste KRSNa’s sweetness in transcendental love.
He does not care to think of Himself as KRSNa, because He wants the position
of RAdhArANI. We should remember this. A class of so-called devotees called
the nadIyA-nAgarIs or gaura-nAgarIs pretend that they have the sentiment of
gopIs toward Lord Caitanya, but they do not realize that He placed Himself
not as the enjoyer, KRSNa, but as the enjoyed, the devotee of KRSNa. The
concoctions of unauthorized persons pretending to be bona fide have not
been accepted by Lord Caitanya. Presentations such as those of the gaura-
nAgarIs are only disturbances to the sincere execution of the mission of Lord
Caitanya. Lord Caitanya is undoubtedly KRSNa Himself, and He is always
nondifferent from zrImatI RAdhArANI. But the emotion technically called
vipralambha-bhAva, which the Lord adopted for confidential reasons, should
not be disturbed in the name of service. A mundaner should not unnecessarily
intrude into affairs of transcendence and thereby displease the Lord. One
must always be on guard against this sort of devotional anomaly. A devotee
is not meant to create disturbances to KRSNa. As zrIla RUpa GosvAmI has
explained, devotional service is AnukUlyena, or favorable to KRSNa. Acting
unfavorably toward KRSNa is not devotion. Kaàsa was the enemy of KRSNa. He
always thought of KRSNa, but he thought of Him as an enemy. One should
always avoid such unfavorable so-called service.
Lord Caitanya has accepted the role of RAdhArANI, and we should support that
position, as SvarUpa DAmodara did in the GambhIrA (the room where Lord
Caitanya MahAprabhu stayed in PurI). He always reminded Lord Caitanya of
RAdhA’s feelings of separation as they are described in zrImad-BhAgavatam,
and Lord Caitanya appreciated his assistance. But the gaura-nAgarIs, who
place Lord Caitanya in the position of enjoyer and themselves as His enjoyed,
are not approved by Lord Caitanya or by Lord Caitanya’s followers. Instead of
being blessed, the foolish imitators are left completely apart. Their
concoctions are against the principles of Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu. The
doctrine of transcendental enjoyment by KRSNa cannot be mixed up with the
doctrine of transcendental feeling of separation from KRSNa in the role of
RAdhArANI.
Adi 4.42
TEXT 42
dAsya, sakhya, vAtsalya, Ara ye zR~NgAra
cAri prema, catur-vidha bhakta-i AdhAra

dAsya—servitude; sakhya—friendship; vAtsalya—parental affection; Ara—
and; ye—that; zR~NgAra—conjugal love; cArI—four types; prema—love of
God; catuH-vidha—four kinds; bhakta-i—devotees; AdhAra—the containers.
TRANSLATION
Four kinds of devotees are the receptacles of the four kinds of mellows in love
of God, namely servitude, friendship, parental affection and conjugal love.
Adi 4.43
TEXT 43
nija nija bhAva sabe zreSTha kari’ mAne
nija-bhAve kare kRSNa-sukha AsvAdane

nija nija—each his own; bhAva—mood; sabe—all; zreSTha kari’—making the
best; mAne—accepts; nija-bhAve—in his own mood; kare—does; kRSNa-
sukha—happiness with Lord KRSNa; AsvAdane—tasting.
TRANSLATION
Each kind of devotee feels that his sentiment is the most excellent, and thus in
that mood he tastes great happiness with Lord KRSNa.
Adi 4.44
TEXT 44
taTastha ha-iyA mane vicAra yadi kari
saba rasa haite zR~NgAre adhika mAdhurI

taTa-stha ha-iyA—becoming impartial; mane—in the mind; vicAra—
consideration; yadi—if; kari—doing; saba rasa—all the mellows; haite—than;
zR~NgAre—in conjugal love; adhika—greater; mAdhurI—sweetness.
TRANSLATION
But if we compare the sentiments in an impartial mood, we find that the
conjugal sentiment is superior to all others in sweetness.
PURPORT
No one is higher or lower than anyone else in transcendental relationships
with the Lord, for in the absolute realm everything is equal. But although
these relationships are absolute, there are also transcendental differences
between them. Thus the transcendental relationship of conjugal love is
considered the highest perfection.
Adi 4.45
TEXT 45
yathottaram asau svAda-
vizeSollAsamayy api
ratir vAsanayA svAdvI
bhAsate kApi kasyacit

yathA-uttaram—one after another; asau—that; svAda-vizeSa—of particular
tastes; ullAsa-mayI—consisting of the increase; api—although; ratiH—love;
vAsanayA—by the different desire; svAdvI—sweet; bhAsate—exists; kA api—
any; kasyacit—of someone (the devotee).
TRANSLATION
“Increasing love is experienced in various tastes, one above another. But that
love which has the highest taste in the gradual succession of desire manifests
itself in the form of conjugal love.”
PURPORT
This is a verse from zrIla RUpa GosvAmI’s Bhakti-rasAmRta-sindhu (2.5.38).
Adi 4.46
TEXT 46
ataeva madhura rasa kahi tAra nAma
svakIyA-parakIyA-bhAve dvi-vidha saàsthAna

ataeva—therefore; madhura—sweet; rasa—mellow; kahi—I say; tAra—of
that; nAma—the name; svakIyA—svakIyA (own); parakIyA—and named
parakIyA (another’s); bhAve—in the moods; dvi-vidha—two types;
saàsthAna—positions.
TRANSLATION
Therefore I call it madhura-rasa. It has two further divisions, namely wedded
and unwedded love.
Adi 4.47
TEXT 47
parakIyA-bhAve ati rasera ullAsa
vraja vinA ihAra anyatra nAhi vAsa

parakIyA-bhAve—in the mood of parakIyA, or conjugal relations outside of
marriage; ati—very great; rasera—of mellow; ullAsa—increase; vraja vinA—
except for Vraja; ihAra—of this; anyatra—anywhere else; nAhi—there is not;
vAsa—residence.
TRANSLATION
There is a great increase of mellow in the unwedded conjugal mood. Such
love is found nowhere but in Vraja.
Adi 4.48
TEXT 48
vraja-vadhU-gaNera ei bhAva niravadhi
tAra madhye zrI-rAdhAya bhAvera avadhi

vraja-vadhU-gaNera—of the young wives of Vraja; ei—this; bhAva—mood;
niravadhi—unbounded; tAra madhye—among them; zrI-rAdhAya—in zrImatI
RAdhArANI; bhAvera—of the mood; avadhi—the highest limit.
TRANSLATION
This mood is unbounded in the damsels of Vraja, but among them it finds its
perfection in zrI RAdhA.
Adi 4.49
TEXT 49
prauòha nirmala-bhAva prema sarvottama
kRSNera mAdhurya-rasa-AsvAda-kAraNa

prauòha—matured; nirmala-bhAva—pure condition; prema—love; sarva-
uttama—best of all; kRSNera—of Lord KRSNa; mAdhurya-rasa—of the mellow
of the conjugal relationship; AsvAda—of the tasting; kAraNa—the cause.
TRANSLATION
Her pure, mature love surpasses that of all others. Her love is the cause of
Lord KRSNa’s tasting the sweetness of the conjugal relationship.
Adi 4.50
TEXT 50
ataeva sei bhAva a~NgIkAra kari’
sAdhilena nija vA~nchA gaurA~Nga-zrI-hari

ataeva—therefore; sei bhAva—that mood; a~NgIkAra kari’—accepting;
sAdhilena—fulfilled; nija—His own; vA~nchA—desire; gaurA~Nga—Lord
Caitanya MahAprabhu; zrI-hari—the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
TRANSLATION
Therefore Lord GaurA~Nga, who is zrI Hari Himself, accepted the sentiments of
RAdhA and thus fulfilled His own desires.
PURPORT
Of the four kinds of reciprocation of loving service—dAsya, sakhya, vAtsalya
and mAdhurya—mAdhurya is considered the fullest. But the conjugal
relationship is further divided into two varieties, namely svakIya and parakIya.
SvakIya is the relationship with KRSNa as a formally married husband, and
parakIya is the relationship with KRSNa as a paramour. Expert analysts have
decided that the transcendental ecstasy of the parakIya mellow is better
because it is more enthusiastic. This phase of conjugal love is found in those
who have surrendered to the Lord in intense love, knowing well that such
illicit love with a paramour is not morally approved in society. The risks
involved in such love of Godhead make this emotion superior to the
relationship in which such risk is not involved. The validity of such risk,
however, is possible only in the transcendental realm. SvakIya and parakIya
conjugal love of Godhead have no existence in the material world, and
parakIya is not exhibited anywhere in VaikuNTha, but only in the portion of
Goloka VRndAvana known as Vraja.
Some devotees think that KRSNa is eternally the enjoyer in Goloka VRndAvana
but only sometimes comes to the platform of Vraja to enjoy parakIya-rasa.
The six GosvAmIs of VRndAvana, however, have explained that KRSNa’s
pastimes in Vraja are eternal, like His other activities in Goloka VRndAvana.
Vraja is a confidential part of Goloka VRndAvana. KRSNa exhibited His Vraja
pastimes on the surface of this world, and similar pastimes are eternally
exhibited in Vraja in Goloka VRndAvana, where parakIya-rasa is ever existent.
In the Third Chapter of this epic, zrIla KRSNadAsa KavirAja GosvAmI has
explicitly accepted the fact that KRSNa appears in this material world at the
end of the DvApara age of the twenty-eighth catur-yuga of Vaivasvata Manu
and brings with Him His VrajadhAma, which is the eternal abode of His
highest pastimes. As the Lord appears by His own internal potency, so He also
brings all His paraphernalia by the same internal potency, without extraneous
help. It is further stated here in the Caitanya-caritAmRta that the parakIya
sentiment exists only in that transcendental realm and nowhere else. This
highest form of ecstasy can exist only in the most confidential part of the
transcendental world, but by the causeless mercy of the Lord we can have a
peep into that invisible Vraja.
The transcendental mellow relished by the gopIs in Vraja is superexcellently
featured in zrImatI RAdhArANI. Mature assimilation of the transcendental
humor of conjugal love is represented by zrImatI RAdhArANI, whose feelings
are incomprehensible even to the Lord Himself. The intensity of Her loving
service is the highest form of ecstasy. No one can surpass zrImatI RAdhArANI in
relishing the qualities of the Lord through this supreme transcendental mellow.
Therefore the Lord Himself agreed to assume the position of RAdhArANI in the
form of Lord zrI GaurA~Nga. He then relished the highest position of parakIya-
rasa, as exhibited in the transcendental abode of Vraja.
Adi 4.51
TEXT 51
surezAnAà durgaà gatir atizayenopaniSadAà
munInAà sarva-svaà praNata-paTalInAà madhurimA
viniryAsaH premNo nikhila-pazu-pAlAmbuja-dRzAà
sa caitanyaH kià me punar api dRzor yAsyati padam

sura-IzAnAm—of the kings of the demigods; durgam—fortress; gatiH—the
goal; atizayena—eminently; upaniSadAm—of the UpaniSads; munInAm—of
the sages; sarva-svam—the be-all and end-all; praNata-paTalInAm—of the
groups of the devotees; madhurimA—the sweetness; viniryAsaH—the
essence; premNaH—of love; nikhila—all; pazu-pAlA—of the cowherd women;
ambuja-dRzAm—lotus-eyed; saH—He; caitanyaH—Lord Caitanya; kim—
what; me—my; punaH—again; api—certainly; dRzoH—of the two eyes;
yAsyati—will come; padam—to the abode.
TRANSLATION
“Lord Caitanya is the shelter of the demigods, the goal of the UpaniSads, the
be-all and end-all of the great sages, the beautiful shelter of His devotees, and
the essence of the love of the lotus-eyed gopIs. Will He again be the object of
my vision?”
Adi 4.52
TEXT 52
apAraà kasyApi praNayi-jana-vRndasya kutukI
rasa-stomaà hRtvA madhuram upabhoktuà kam api yaH
rucaà svAm Avavre dyutim iha tadIyAà prakaTayan
sa devaz caitanyAkRtir atitarAà naH kRpayatu

apAram—boundless; kasya api—of someone; praNayi-jana-vRndasya—of the
multitude of lovers; kutukI—one who is curious; rasa-stomam—the group of
mellows; hRtvA—stealing; madhuram—sweet; upabhoktum—to enjoy; kam
api—some; yaH—who; rucam—luster; svAm—own; Avavre—covered;
dyutim—luster; iha—here; tadIyAm—related to Him; prakaTayan—
manifesting; saH—He; devaH—the Supreme Personality of Godhead;
caitanya-AkRtiH—having the form of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu; atitarAm—
greatly; naH—unto us; kRpayatu—may He show His mercy.
TRANSLATION
“Lord KRSNa desired to taste the limitless nectarean mellows of the love of one
of His multitude of loving damsels [zrI RAdhA], and so He has assumed the
form of Lord Caitanya. He has tasted that love while hiding His own dark
complexion with Her effulgent yellow color. May that Lord Caitanya confer
upon us His grace.”
PURPORT
Texts 51 and 52 are, respectively, Prathama zrI CaitanyASTaka 2 and DvitIya
zrI CaitanyASTaka 3, from the Stava-mAlA of zrIla RUpa GosvAmI.
Adi 4.53
TEXT 53
bhAva-grahaNera hetu kaila dharma-sthApana
tAra mukhya hetu kahi, zuna sarva-jana

bhAva-grahaNera—of accepting the mood; hetu—the reason; kaila—did;
dharma—religion; sthApana—establishing; tAra—of that; mukhya—principal;
hetu—reason; kahi—I say; zuna—please hear; sarva-jana—everyone.
TRANSLATION
To accept ecstatic love is the main reason He appeared and reestablished the
religious system for this age. I shall now explain that reason. Everyone please
listen.
Adi 4.54
TEXT 54
mUla hetu Age zlokera kaila AbhAsa
ebe kahi sei zlokera artha prakAza

mUla hetu—the root cause; Age—in the beginning; zlokera—of the verse;
kaila—gave; AbhAsa—hint; ebe—now; kahi—I shall speak; sei—that;
zlokera—of the verse; artha—meaning; prakAza—manifestation.
TRANSLATION
Having first given hints about the verse describing the principal reason why
the Lord appeared, now I shall manifest its full meaning.
Adi 4.55
TEXT 55
rAdhA kRSNa-praNaya-vikRtir hlAdinI zaktir asmAd
ekAtmAnAv api bhuvi purA deha-bhedaà gatau tau
caitanyAkhyaà prakaTam adhunA tad-dvayaà caikyam Aptaà
rAdhA-bhAva-dyuti-suvalitaà naumi kRSNa-svarUpam

rAdhA—zrImatI RAdhArANI; kRSNa—of Lord KRSNa; praNaya—of love; vikRtiH—
the transformation; hlAdinI zaktiH—pleasure potency; asmAt—from this; eka-
AtmAnau—both the same in identity; api—although; bhuvi—on earth; purA—
from beginningless time; deha-bhedam—separate forms; gatau—obtained;
tau—these two; caitanya-Akhyam—known as zrI Caitanya; prakaTam—
manifest; adhunA—now; tat-dvayam—the two of Them; ca—and; aikyam—
unity; Aptam—obtained; rAdhA—of zrImatI RAdhArANI; bhAva—mood;
dyuti—the luster; suvalitam—who is adorned with; naumi—I offer my
obeisances; kRSNa-svarUpam—to Him who is identical with zrI KRSNa.
TRANSLATION
“The loving affairs of zrI RAdhA and KRSNa are transcendental manifestations
of the Lord’s internal pleasure-giving potency. Although RAdhA and KRSNa are
one in Their identity, They separated Themselves eternally. Now these two
transcendental identities have again united, in the form of zrI KRSNa Caitanya.
I bow down to Him, who has manifested Himself with the sentiment and
complexion of zrImatI RAdhArANI although He is KRSNa Himself.”
PURPORT
This text is from the diary of zrIla SvarUpa DAmodara GosvAmI. It appears as
the fifth of the first fourteen verses of zrI Caitanya-caritAmRta.
Adi 4.56
TEXT 56
rAdhA-kRSNa eka AtmA, dui deha dhari’
anyonye vilase rasa AsvAdana kari’

rAdhA-kRSNa—RAdhA and KRSNa; eka—one; AtmA—self; dui—two; deha—
bodies; dhari’—assuming; anyonye—one another; vilase—They enjoy;
rasa—the mellows of love; AsvAdana kari’—tasting.
TRANSLATION
RAdhA and KRSNa are one and the same, but They have assumed two bodies.
Thus They enjoy each other, tasting the mellows of love.
PURPORT
The two transcendentalists RAdhA and KRSNa are a puzzle to materialists. The
above description of RAdhA and KRSNa from the diary of zrIla SvarUpa
DAmodara GosvAmI is a condensed explanation, but one needs great spiritual
insight to understand the mystery of these two personalities. One is enjoying
in two. zrI KRSNa is the potent factor, and zrImatI RAdhArANI is the internal
potency. According to VedAnta philosophy, there is no difference between
the potent and the potency; they are identical. We cannot differentiate
between one and the other, any more than we can separate fire from heat.
Everything in the Absolute is inconceivable in relative existence. Therefore in
relative cognizance it is very difficult to assimilate this truth of the oneness
between the potent and the potency. The philosophy of inconceivable
oneness and difference propounded by Lord Caitanya is the only source of
understanding for such intricacies of transcendence.
In fact, RAdhArANI is the internal potency of zrI KRSNa, and She eternally
intensifies the pleasure of zrI KRSNa. Impersonalists cannot understand this
without the help of a mahA-bhAgavata devotee. The very name “RAdhA”
suggests that zrImatI RAdhArANI is eternally the topmost mistress of the
comforts of zrI KRSNa. As such, She is the medium transmitting the living
entities’ service to zrI KRSNa. Devotees in VRndAvana therefore seek the mercy
of zrImatI RAdhArANI in order to be recognized as loving servitors of zrI KRSNa.
Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu personally approaches the fallen conditioned souls
of the iron age to deliver the highest principle of transcendental relationships
with the Lord. The activities of Lord Caitanya are primarily in the role of the
pleasure-giving portion of His internal potency.
The absolute Personality of Godhead, zrI KRSNa, is the omnipotent form of
transcendental existence, knowledge and bliss in full. His internal potency is
exhibited first as sat, or existence—or, in other words, as the portion that
expands the existence function of the Lord. When the same potency displays
full knowledge it is called cit, or samvit, which expands the transcendental
forms of the Lord. Finally, when the same potency plays as a pleasure-giving
medium it is known as hlAdinI, or the transcendental blissful potency. Thus the
Lord manifests His internal potency in three transcendental divisions.
Adi 4.57
TEXT 57
sei dui eka ebe caitanya gosA~ni
rasa AsvAdite do~Nhe hailA eka-ThA~Ni

sei—these; dui—two; eka—one; ebe—now; caitanya gosA~ni—Lord Caitanya
MahAprabhu; rasa—mellow; AsvAdite—to taste; do~Nhe—the two; hailA—
have become; eka-ThA~Ni—one body.
TRANSLATION
Now, to enjoy rasa, They have appeared in one body as Lord Caitanya
MahAprabhu.
Adi 4.58
TEXT 58
ithi lAgi’ Age kari tAra vivaraNa
yAhA haite haya gaurera mahimA-kathana

ithi lAgi’—for this; Age—first; kari—I shall do; tAra—of that; vivaraNa—
description; yAhA haite—from which; haya—there is; gaurera—of Lord
Caitanya MahAprabhu; mahimA—the glory; kathana—relating.
TRANSLATION
Therefore I shall first delineate the position of RAdhA and KRSNa. From that
description the glory of Lord Caitanya will be known.
Adi 4.59
TEXT 59
rAdhikA hayena kRSNera praNaya-vikAra
svarUpa-zakti——‘hlAdinI’ nAma yA~NhAra

rAdhikA—zrImatI RAdhArANI; hayena—is; kRSNera—of Lord KRSNa; praNaya-
vikAra—transformation of love; svarUpa-zakti—personal energy; hlAdinI—
hlAdinI; nAma—name; yA~NhAra—whose.
TRANSLATION
zrImatI RAdhikA is the transformation of KRSNa’s love. She is His internal
energy called hlAdinI.
Adi 4.60
TEXT 60
hlAdinI karAya kRSNe AnandAsvAdana
hlAdinIra dvArA kare bhaktera poSaNa

hlAdinI—the hlAdinI energy; karAya—causes to do; kRSNe—in Lord KRSNa;
Ananda-AsvAdana—the tasting of bliss; hlAdinIra dvArA—by the pleasure
potency; kare—does; bhaktera—of the devotee; poSaNa—nourishing.
TRANSLATION
That hlAdinI energy gives KRSNa pleasure and nourishes His devotees.
PURPORT
zrIla JIva GosvAmI has elaborately discussed the hlAdinI potency in his PrIti-
sandarbha. He says that the Vedas clearly state, “Only devotional service can
lead one to the Personality of Godhead. Only devotional service can help a
devotee meet the Supreme Lord face to face. The Supreme Personality of
Godhead is attracted by devotional service, and as such the ultimate
supremacy of Vedic knowledge rests in knowing the science of devotional
service.”
What is the particular attraction that makes the Supreme Lord enthusiastic to
accept devotional service, and what is the nature of such service? The Vedic
scriptures inform us that the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Absolute
Truth, is self-sufficient, and that mAyA, nescience, can never influence Him at
all. Therefore the potency that overcomes the Supreme must be purely
spiritual. Such a potency cannot be anything of the material manifestation.
The bliss enjoyed by the Supreme Personality of Godhead cannot be of
material composition, like the impersonalist conception of the bliss of
Brahman. Devotional service is reciprocation between two, and therefore it
cannot be located simply within one’s self. Therefore the bliss of self-
realization, brahmAnanda, cannot be equated with devotional service.
The Supreme Personality of Godhead has three kinds of internal potency,
namely the hlAdinI-zakti, or pleasure potency, the sandhinI-zakti, or existential
potency, and the samvit-zakti, or cognitive potency. In the ViSNu PurANa
(1.12.69) the Lord is addressed as follows: “O Lord, You are the support of
everything. The three attributes hlAdinI, sandhinI and samvit exist in You as
one spiritual energy. But the material modes, which cause happiness, misery
and mixtures of the two, do not exist in You, for You have no material
qualities.”
HlAdinI is the personal manifestation of the blissfulness of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, by which He enjoys pleasure. Because the pleasure
potency is perpetually present in the Supreme Lord, the theory of the
impersonalist that the Lord appears in the material mode of goodness cannot
be accepted. The impersonalist conclusion is against the Vedic version that
the Lord possesses a transcendental pleasure potency. When the pleasure
potency of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is exhibited by His grace in
the person of a devotee, that manifestation is called love of God. “Love of
God” is an epithet for the pleasure potency of the Lord. Therefore devotional
service reciprocated between the Lord and His devotee is an exhibition of the
transcendental pleasure potency of the Lord.
The potency of the Supreme Personality of Godhead that always enriches Him
with transcendental bliss is not material, but the za~Nkarites have accepted it
as such because they are ignorant of the identity of the Supreme Lord and His
pleasure potency. Those ignorant persons cannot understand the distinction
between impersonal spiritual bliss and the variegatedness of the spiritual
pleasure potency. The hlAdinI potency gives the Lord all transcendental
pleasure, and the Lord bestows such a potency upon His pure devotee.
Adi 4.61
TEXT 61
sac-cid-Ananda, pUrNa, kRSNera svarUpa
eka-i cic-chakti tA~Nra dhare tina rUpa

sat-cit-Ananda—eternity, knowledge and bliss; pUrNa—full; kRSNera—of Lord
KRSNa; sva-rUpa—own form; eka-i—one; cit-zakti—spiritual energy; tA~Nra—
of Him; dhare—manifests; tina—three; rUpa—forms.
TRANSLATION
Lord KRSNa’s body is eternal [sat], full of knowledge [cit] and full of bliss
[Ananda]. His one spiritual energy manifests three forms.
Adi 4.62
TEXT 62
AnandAàze hlAdinI, sad-aàze sandhinI
cid-aàze samvit——yAre j~nAna kari’ mAni

Ananda-aàze—in the bliss portion; hlAdinI—the pleasure energy; sat-aàze—
in the eternal portion; sandhinI—the existence-expanding energy; cit-aàze—
in the cognizant portion; samvit—the full energy of knowledge; yAre—
which; j~nAna kari’—as knowledge; mAni—I accept.
TRANSLATION
HlAdinI is His aspect of bliss; sandhinI, of eternal existence; and samvit, of
cognizance, which is also accepted as knowledge.
PURPORT
In his thesis Bhagavat-sandarbha (103), zrIla JIva GosvAmI explains the
potencies of the Lord as follows: The transcendental potency of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead by which He maintains His existence is called
sandhinI. The transcendental potency by which He knows Himself and causes
others to know Him is called samvit. The transcendental potency by which He
possesses transcendental bliss and causes His devotees to have bliss is called
hlAdinI.
The total exhibition of these potencies is called vizuddha-sattva, and this
platform of spiritual variegatedness is displayed even in the material world
when the Lord appears here. The pastimes and manifestations of the Lord in
the material world are therefore not at all material; they belong to the pure
transcendental state. The Bhagavad-gItA confirms that anyone who
understands the transcendental nature of the Lord’s appearance, activities and
disappearance becomes eligible for freedom from material bondage upon
quitting the present material tabernacle. He can enter the spiritual kingdom to
associate with the Supreme Personality of Godhead and reciprocate the
hlAdinI potency in transactions between him and the Lord. In the mundane
mode of goodness there are tinges of passion and ignorance. Therefore
mundane goodness, being mixed, is called mizra-sattva. But the
transcendental variegatedness of vizuddha-sattva is completely free from all
mundane qualities. Vizuddha-sattva is therefore the proper atmosphere in
which to experience the Personality of Godhead and His transcendental
pastimes. Spiritual variegatedness is eternally independent of all material
conditions and is nondifferent from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, both
being absolute. The Lord and His devotees simultaneously perceive the hlAdinI
potency directly by the power of the samvit potency.
The material modes of nature control the conditioned souls, but the Supreme
Personality of Godhead is never influenced by these modes, as all Vedic
literatures directly and indirectly corroborate. Lord KRSNa Himself says in the
Eleventh Canto of zrImad-BhAgavatam (11.25.12), sattvaà rajas tama iti guNA
jIvasya naiva me: “The material modes of goodness, passion and ignorance
are connected with the conditioned souls, but never with Me, the Supreme
Personality of Godhead.” The ViSNu PurANa confirms this as follows:
sattvAdayo na santIze yatra na prAkRtA gunAH
sa zuddhaH sarva-zuddhebhyaH pumAn AdyaH prasIdatu
“The Supreme Personality of Godhead, ViSNu, is beyond the three qualities
goodness, passion and ignorance. No material qualities exist in Him. May that
original person, NArAyaNa, who is situated in a completely transcendental
position, be pleased with us.” In the Tenth Canto of zrImad-BhAgavatam
(10.27.4), Indra praises KRSNa as follows:
vizuddha-sattvaà tava dhAma zAntaà
tapo-mayaà dhvasta-rajas-tamaskam
mAyA-mayo ’yaà guNa-sampravAho
na vidyate te ’grahaNAnubandhaH
“My dear Lord, Your abode is vizuddha-sattva, always undisturbed by the
material qualities, and the activities there are in transcendental loving service
unto Your feet. The goodness, austerity and penance of the devotees enhance
such activities, which are always free from the contamination of passion and
ignorance. Material qualities cannot touch You under any circumstances.”
When not manifested, the modes of material nature are said to be in
goodness. When they are externally manifested and active in producing the
varieties of material existence, they are said to be in passion. And when there
is a lack of activity and variegatedness, they are said to be in ignorance. In
other words, the pensive mood is goodness, activity is passion, and inactivity
is ignorance. Above all these mundane qualitative manifestations is vizuddha-
sattva. When it is predominated by the sandhinI potency, it is perceivable as
the existence of all that be. When predominated by the samvit potency, it is
perceived as knowledge in transcendence. And when predominated by the
hlAdinI potency, it is perceived as the most confidential love of Godhead.
Vizuddha-sattva, the simultaneous manifestation of these three in one, is the
main feature of the kingdom of God.
The Absolute Truth is therefore the substance of reality, eternally manifest in
three energies. The manifestation of the internal energy of the Lord is the
inconceivably variegated spiritual world, the manifestation of the marginal
energy comprises the living entities, and the manifestation of the external
energy is the material cosmos. Therefore the Absolute Truth includes these
four principles—the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself, His internal
energy, His marginal energy and His external energy. The form of the Lord
and the expansions of His form as svayaà-rUpa and vaibhava-prakAza are
directly the enjoyers of the internal energy, which is the eternal exhibitor of
the spiritual world, the most confidential of the manifestations of energy. The
external manifestation, the material energy, provides the covering bodies of
the conditioned living entities, from BrahmA down to the insignificant ant.
This covering energy is manifested under the three modes of material nature
and appreciated in various ways by living entities in both the higher and lower
forms of life.
Each of the three divisions of the internal potency—the sandhinI, samvit and
hlAdinI energies—influences one of the external potencies by which the
conditioned souls are conducted. Such influence manifests the three
qualitative modes of material nature, proving definitely that the living
entities, the marginal potency, are eternally servitors of the Lord and are
therefore controlled by either the internal or the external potency.
Adi 4.63
TEXT 63
hlAdinI sandhinI samvit
tvayy ekA sarva-saàsthitau
hlAda-tApa-karI mizrA
tvayi no guNa-varjite

hlAdinI—pleasure potency; sandhinI—existence potency; samvit—knowledge
potency; tvayi—in You; ekA—one; sarva-saàsthitau—who are the basis of
all things; hlAda—pleasure; tApa—and misery; karI—causing; mizrA—a
mixture of the two; tvayi—in You; na u—not; guNa-varjite—who are
without the three modes of material nature.
TRANSLATION
“O Lord, You are the support of everything. The three attributes hlAdinI,
sandhinI and samvit exist in You as one spiritual energy. But the material
modes, which cause happiness, misery and mixtures of the two, do not exist
in You, for You have no material qualities.”
PURPORT
This text is from the ViSNu PurANa (1.12.69).
Adi 4.64
TEXT 64
sandhinIra sAra aàza——‘zuddha-sattva’ nAma
bhagavAnera sattA haya yAhAte vizrAma

sandhinIra—of the existence potency; sAra—essence; aàza—portion;
zuddha-sattva—zuddha-sattva (pure existence); nAma—named;
bhagavAnera—of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; sattA—the existence;
haya—is; yAhAte—in which; vizrAma—the resting place.
TRANSLATION
The essential portion of the sandhinI potency is zuddha-sattva. Lord KRSNa’s
existence rests upon it.
Adi 4.65
TEXT 65
mAtA, pitA, sthAna, gRha, zayyAsana Ara
e-saba kRSNera zuddha-sattvera vikAra

mAtA—mother; pitA—father; sthAna—place; gRha—house; zayya-Asana—
beds and seats; Ara—and; e-saba—all these; kRSNera—of Lord KRSNa; zuddha-
sattvera—of the zuddha-sattva; vikAra—transformations.
TRANSLATION
KRSNa’s mother, father, abode, house, bedding, seats and so on are all
transformations of zuddha-sattva.
PURPORT
Lord KRSNa’s father, mother and household affairs are all displayed in the same
vizuddha-sattva existence. A living entity situated in the status of pure
goodness can understand the form, qualities and other features of the
Supreme Personality of Godhead. KRSNa consciousness begins on the platform
of pure goodness. Although there is a faint realization of KRSNa at first, KRSNa
is actually realized as VAsudeva, the absolute proprietor of omnipotence or
the prime predominating Deity of all potencies. When the living entity is
situated in vizuddha-sattva, transcendental to the three material modes of
nature, he can perceive the form, quality and other features of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead through his service attitude. The status of pure
goodness is the platform of understanding, for the Supreme Lord is always in
spiritual existence.
KRSNa is always all-spiritual. Aside from the parents of the Personality of
Godhead, all the other paraphernalia of His existence are also essentially a
manifestation of sandhinI-zakti, or a transformation of vizuddha-sattva. To
make this more clear, it may be said that this sandhinI-zakti of the internal
potency maintains and manifests all the variegatedness of the spiritual world.
In the kingdom of God, the Lord’s servants and maidservants, His consorts,
His father and mother and everything else are all transformations of the
spiritual existence of sandhinI-zakti. The existential sandhinI-zakti in the
external potency similarly expands all the variegatedness of the material
cosmos, from which we can have a glimpse of the spiritual field.
Adi 4.66
TEXT 66
sattvaà vizuddhaà vasudeva-zabditaà
yad Iyate tatra pumAn apAvRtaH
sattve ca tasmin bhagavAn vAsudevo
hy adhokSajo me manasA vidhIyate

sattvam—existence; vizuddham—pure; vasudeva-zabditam—named
vasudeva; yat—from which; Iyate—appears; tatra—in that; pumAn—the
Supreme Personality of Godhead; apAvRtaH—without any covering; sattve—
in goodness; ca—and; tasmin—that; bhagavAn—the Supreme Personality of
Godhead; vAsudevaH—VAsudeva; hi—certainly; adhokSajaH—who is beyond
the senses; me—my; manasA—by the mind; vidhIyate—is procured.
TRANSLATION
“The condition of pure goodness [zuddha-sattva], in which the Supreme
Personality of Godhead is revealed without any covering, is called vasudeva.
In that pure state the Supreme Godhead, who is beyond the material senses
and who is known as VAsudeva, is perceived by my mind.”
PURPORT
This text from zrImad-BhAgavatam (4.3.23), spoken by Lord ziva when he
condemned DakSa, the father of SatI, as an opponent of ViSNu, confirms
beyond a doubt that Lord KRSNa, His name, His fame, His qualities and
everything in connection with His paraphernalia exist in the sandhinI-zakti of
the Lord’s internal potency.
Adi 4.67
TEXT 67
kRSNe bhagavattA-j~nAna——saàvitera sAra
brahma-j~nAnAdika saba tAra parivAra

kRSNe—in KRSNa; bhagavattA—of the quality of being the original Supreme
Personality of Godhead; j~nAna—knowledge; saàvitera—of the knowledge
potency; sAra—the essence; brahma-j~nAna—knowledge of Brahman; Adika—
and so on; saba—all; tAra—of that; parivAra—dependents.
TRANSLATION
The essence of the samvit potency is knowledge that the Supreme Personality
of Godhead is Lord KRSNa. All other kinds of knowledge, such as the
knowledge of Brahman, are its components.
PURPORT
The activities of the samvit-zakti produce the effect of cognition. Both the
Lord and the living entities are cognizant. zrI KRSNa, as the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, has full knowledge of everything everywhere, and
therefore there are no hindrances to His cognition. He can have knowledge
merely by glancing over an object, whereas innumerable impediments block
the cognition of ordinary living beings. The cognition of the living beings has
three divisions: direct knowledge, indirect knowledge and perverted
knowledge. Sense perception of material objects by the mundane senses, such
as the eye, ear, nose and hand, always produces definitely perverted
knowledge. This illusion is a presentation of the material energy, which is
influenced by the samvit-zakti in a perverted manner. Negative cognition of
an object beyond the reach of sense perception is the way of indirect
knowledge, which is not altogether imperfect but which produces only
fragmentary knowledge in the form of impersonal spiritual realization and
monism. But when the samvit factor of cognition is enlightened by the hlAdinI
potency of the same internal energy, they work together, and only thus can
one attain knowledge of the Personality of Godhead. The samvit-zakti should
be maintained in that state. Material knowledge and indirect spiritual
knowledge are by-products of the samvit-zakti.
Adi 4.68
TEXT 68
hlAdinIra sAra ‘prema’, prema-sAra ‘bhAva’
bhAvera parama-kASThA, nAma——‘mahA-bhAva’

hlAdinIra—of the pleasure potency; sAra—the essence; prema—love for God;
prema-sAra—the essence of such love; bhAva—emotion; bhAvera—of
emotion; parama-kASThA—the highest limit; nAma—named; mahA-bhAva—
mahAbhAva.
TRANSLATION
The essence of the hlAdinI potency is love of God, the essence of love of God
is emotion [bhAva], and the ultimate development of emotion is mahAbhAva.
PURPORT
The product of the hlAdinI-zakti is love of Godhead, which has two
divisions—namely, pure love of Godhead and adulterated love of Godhead.
Only when the hlAdinI-zakti emanates from zrI KRSNa and is bestowed upon
the living being to attract Him does the living being become a pure lover of
God. But when the same hlAdinI-zakti is adulterated by the external, material
energy and emanates from the living being, it does not attract KRSNa; on the
contrary, the living being becomes attracted by the glamor of the material
energy. At that time instead of becoming mad with love of Godhead, the
living being becomes mad after material sense enjoyment, and because of his
association with the qualitative modes of material nature, he is captivated by
its interactions of distressful, unhappy feelings.
Adi 4.69
TEXT 69
mahAbhAva-svarUpA zrI-rAdhA-ThAkurANI
sarva-guNa-khani kRSNa-kAntA-ziromaNi

mahA-bhAva—of mahAbhAva; svarUpA—the form; zrI-rAdhA-ThAkurANI—
zrImatI RAdhArANI; sarva-guNa—of all good qualities; khani—mine; kRSNa-
kAntA—of the lovers of Lord KRSNa; ziromaNi—crown jewel.
TRANSLATION
zrI RAdhA ThAkurANI is the embodiment of mahAbhAva. She is the repository of
all good qualities and the crest jewel among all the lovely consorts of Lord
KRSNa.
PURPORT
The unadulterated action of the hlAdinI-zakti is displayed in the dealings of the
damsels of Vraja and zrImatI RAdhArANI, who is the topmost participant in that
transcendental group. The essence of the hlAdinI-zakti is love of Godhead, the
essence of love of Godhead is bhAva, or transcendental sentiment, and the
highest pitch of that bhAva is called mahAbhAva. zrImatI RAdhArANI is the
personified embodiment of these three aspects of transcendental
consciousness. She is therefore the highest principle in love of Godhead and is
the supreme lovable object of zrI KRSNa.
Adi 4.70
TEXT 70
tayor apy ubhayor madhye
rAdhikA sarvathAdhikA
mahAbhAva-svarUpeyaà
guNair ativarIyasI

tayoH—of them; api—even; ubhayoH—of both (CandrAvalI and RAdhArANI);
madhye—in the middle; rAdhikA—zrImatI RAdhArANI; sarvathA—in every
way; adhikA—greater; mahA-bhAva-svarUpA—the form of mahAbhAva;
iyam—this one; guNaiH—with good qualities; ativarIyasI—the best of all.
TRANSLATION
“Of these two gopIs [RAdhArANI and CandrAvalI], zrImatI RAdhArANI is superior
in all respects. She is the embodiment of mahAbhAva, and She surpasses all in
good qualities.”
PURPORT
This is a quotation from zrIla RUpa GosvAmI’s Ujjvala-nIlamaNi (RAdhA-
prakaraNa 3).
Adi 4.71
TEXT 71
kRSNa-prema-bhAvita yA~Nra cittendriya-kAya
kRSNa-nija-zakti rAdhA krIòAra sahAya

kRSNa-prema—love for Lord KRSNa; bhAvita—steeped in; yA~Nra—whose;
citta—mind; indriya—senses; kAya—body; kRSNa—of Lord KRSNa; nija-
zakti—His own energy; rAdhA—zrImatI RAdhArANI; krIòAra—of pastimes;
sahAya—companion.
TRANSLATION
Her mind, senses and body are steeped in love for KRSNa. She is KRSNa’s own
energy, and She helps Him in His pastimes.
PURPORT
zrImatI RAdhArANI is as fully spiritual as KRSNa. No one should consider Her to
be material. She is definitely not like the conditioned souls, who have material
bodies, gross and subtle, covered by material senses. She is all-spiritual, and
both Her body and Her mind are of the same spiritual embodiment. Because
Her body is spiritual, Her senses are also spiritual. Thus Her body, mind and
senses fully shine in love of KRSNa. She is the personified hlAdinI-zakti (the
pleasure-giving energy of the Lord’s internal potency), and therefore She is
the only source of enjoyment for zrI KRSNa.
zrI KRSNa cannot enjoy anything that is internally different from Him.
Therefore RAdhA and zrI KRSNa are identical. The sandhinI portion of zrI KRSNa’s
internal potency has manifested the all-attractive form of zrI KRSNa, and the
same internal potency, in the hlAdinI feature, has presented zrImatI RAdhArANI,
who is the attraction for the all-attractive. No one can match zrImatI
RAdhArANI in the transcendental pastimes of zrI KRSNa.
Adi 4.72
TEXT 72
Ananda-cinmaya-rasa-pratibhAvitAbhis
tAbhir ya eva nija-rUpatayA kalAbhiH
goloka eva nivasaty akhilAtma-bhUto
govindam Adi-puruSaà tam ahaà bhajAmi

Ananda—bliss; cit—and knowledge; maya—consisting of; rasa—mellows;
prati—at every second; bhAvitAbhiH—who are engrossed with; tAbhiH—with
those; yaH—who; eva—certainly; nija-rUpatayA—with His own form;
kalAbhiH—who are parts of portions of His pleasure potency; goloke—in
Goloka VRndAvana; eva—certainly; nivasati—resides; akhila-Atma—as the
soul of all; bhUtaH—who exists; govindam—Lord Govinda; Adi-puruSam—the
original personality; tam—Him; aham—I; bhajAmi—worship.
TRANSLATION
“I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, who resides in His own realm, Goloka,
with RAdhA, who resembles His own spiritual figure and who embodies the
ecstatic potency [hlAdinI]. Their companions are Her confidantes, who
embody extensions of Her bodily form and who are imbued and permeated
with ever-blissful spiritual rasa.”
PURPORT
This text is from the Brahma-saàhitA (5.37).
Adi 4.73
TEXT 73
kRSNere karAya yaiche rasa AsvAdana
krIòAra sahAya yaiche, zuna vivaraNa

kRSNere—unto Lord KRSNa; karAya—causes to do; yaiche—how; rasa—the
mellows; AsvAdana—tasting; krIòAra—of pastimes; sahAya—helper;
yaiche—how; zuna—please hear; vivaraNa—the description.
TRANSLATION
Now please listen to how Lord KRSNa’s consorts help Him taste rasa and how
they help in His pastimes.
Adi 4.74-75
TEXTS 74–75
kRSNa-kAntA-gaNa dekhi tri-vidha prakAra
eka lakSmI-gaNa, pure mahiSI-gaNa Ara
vrajA~NganA-rUpa, Ara kAntA-gaNa-sAra
zrI-rAdhikA haite kAntA-gaNera vistAra

kRSNa-kAntA-gaNa—the lovers of Lord KRSNa; dekhi—I see; tri-vidha—three;
prakAra—kinds; eka—one; lakSmI-gaNa—the goddesses of fortune; pure—in
the city; mahiSI-gaNa—the queens; Ara—and; vraja-a~NganA—of the beautiful
women of Vraja; rUpa—having the form; Ara—another type; kAntA-gaNa—of
the lovers; sAra—the essence; zrI-rAdhikA haite—from zrImatI RAdhArANI;
kAntA-gaNera—of the lovers of KRSNa; vistAra—the expansion.
TRANSLATION
The beloved consorts of Lord KRSNa are of three kinds: the goddesses of
fortune, the queens, and the milkmaids of Vraja, who are the foremost of all.
These consorts all proceed from RAdhikA.
Adi 4.76
TEXT 76
avatArI kRSNa yaiche kare avatAra
aàzinI rAdhA haite tina gaNera vistAra

avatArI—the source of all incarnations; kRSNa—Lord KRSNa; yaiche—just as;
kare—makes; avatAra—incarnation; aàzinI—the source of all portions;
rAdhA—zrImatI RAdhArANI; haite—from; tina—three; gaNera—of the groups;
vistAra—expansion.
TRANSLATION
Just as the fountainhead, Lord KRSNa, is the cause of all incarnations, so zrI
RAdhA is the cause of all these consorts.
Adi 4.77
TEXT 77
vaibhava-gaNa yena tA~Nra a~Nga-vibhUti
bimba-pratibimba-rUpa mahiSIra tati

vaibhava-gaNa—the expansions; yena—as it were; tA~Nra—of Her; a~Nga—of
the body; vibhUti—powerful expansions; bimba—reflections; pratibimba—
counterreflections; rUpa—having the form; mahiSIra—of the queens; tati—
the expansion.
TRANSLATION
The goddesses of fortune are partial manifestations of zrImatI RAdhikA, and
the queens are reflections of Her image.
Adi 4.78
TEXT 78
lakSmI-gaNa tA~Nra vaibhava-vilAsAàza-rUpa
mahiSI-gaNa vaibhava-prakAza-svarUpa

lakSmI-gaNa—the goddesses of fortune; tA~Nra—Her; vaibhava-vilAsa—as
vaibhava-vilAsa; aàza—of plenary portions; rUpa—having the form; mahiSI-
gaNa—the queens; vaibhava-prakAza—of vaibhava-prakAza; svarUpa—
having the nature.
TRANSLATION
The goddesses of fortune are Her plenary portions, and they display the forms
of vaibhava-vilAsa. The queens are of the nature of Her vaibhava-prakAza.
Adi 4.79
TEXT 79
AkAra svabhAva-bhede vraja-devI-gaNa
kAya-vyUha-rUpa tA~Nra rasera kAraNa

AkAra—of features; svabhAva—of natures; bhede—with differences; vraja-
devI-gaNa—the gopIs; kAya—of Her body; vyUha—of expansions; rUpa—
having the form; tA~Nra—of Her; rasera—of mellows; kAraNa—instruments.
TRANSLATION
The Vraja-devIs have diverse bodily features. They are Her expansions and are
the instruments for expanding rasa.
Adi 4.80
TEXT 80
bahu kAntA vinA nahe rasera ullAsa
lIlAra sahAya lAgi’ bahuta prakAza

bahu—many; kAntA—lovers; vinA—without; nahe—there is not; rasera—of
mellow; ullAsa—exultation; lIlAra—of pastimes; sahAya—helper; lAgi’—for
the purpose of being; bahuta—many; prakAza—manifestations.
TRANSLATION
Without many consorts, there is not such exultation in rasa. Therefore there
are many manifestations of zrImatI RAdhArANI to assist in the Lord’s pastimes.
Adi 4.81
TEXT 81
tAra madhye vraje nAnA bhAva-rasa-bhede
kRSNake karAya rAsAdika-lIlAsvAde

tAra madhye—among them; vraje—in Vraja; nAnA—various; bhAva—of
moods; rasa—and of mellows; bhede—by differences; kRSNake—Lord KRSNa;
karAya—cause to do; rAsa-Adika—beginning with the rAsa dance; lIlA—of the
pastimes; AsvAde—tasting.
TRANSLATION
Among them are various groups of consorts in Vraja who have varieties of
sentiments and mellows. They help Lord KRSNa taste all the sweetness of the
rAsa dance and other pastimes.
PURPORT
As already explained, KRSNa and RAdhA are one in two. They are identical.
KRSNa expands Himself in multi-incarnations and plenary portions like the
puruSas. Similarly, zrImatI RAdhArANI expands Herself in multiforms as the
goddesses of fortune, the queens and the damsels of Vraja. Such expansions
from zrImatI RAdhArANI are all Her plenary portions. All these womanly forms
of KRSNa are expansions corresponding to His plenary expansions of ViSNu
forms. These expansions have been compared to reflected forms of the
original form. There is no difference between the original form and the
reflected forms. The female reflections of KRSNa’s pleasure potency are as
good as KRSNa Himself.
The plenary expansions of KRSNa’s personality are called vaibhava-vilAsa and
vaibhava-prakAza, and RAdhA’s expansions are similarly described. The
goddesses of fortune are Her vaibhava-vilAsa forms, and the queens are Her
vaibhava-prakAza forms. The personal associates of RAdhArANI, the damsels of
Vraja, are direct expansions of Her body. As expansions of Her personal form
and transcendental disposition, they are agents of different reciprocations of
love in the pastimes of Lord KRSNa, under the supreme direction of zrImatI
RAdhArANI. In the transcendental realm, enjoyment is fully relished in variety.
The exuberance of transcendental mellows is increased by the association of a
large number of personalities similar to RAdhArANI, who are also known as
gopIs or sakhIs. The variety of innumerable mistresses is a source of relish for
zrI KRSNa, and therefore these expansions from zrImatI RAdhArANI are
necessary for enhancing the pleasure potency of zrI KRSNa. Their
transcendental exchanges of love are the superexcellent affairs of the
pastimes in VRndAvana. By these expansions of zrImatI RAdhArANI’s personal
body, She helps Lord KRSNa taste the rAsa dance and other, similar activities.
zrImatI RAdhArANI, being the central petal of the rAsa-lIlA flower, is also known
by the names found in the following verses.
Adi 4.82
TEXT 82
govindAnandinI rAdhA, govinda-mohinI
govinda-sarvasva, sarva-kAntA-ziromaNi

govinda-AnandinI—She who gives pleasure to Govinda; rAdhA—zrImatI
RAdhArANI; govinda-mohinI—She who mystifies Govinda; govinda-
sarvasva—the be-all and end-all of Lord Govinda; sarva-kAntA—of all the
Lord’s lovers; ziromaNi—the crown jewel.
TRANSLATION
RAdhA is the one who gives pleasure to Govinda, and She is also the
enchantress of Govinda. She is the be-all and end-all of Govinda, and the
crest jewel of all His consorts.
Adi 4.83
TEXT 83
devI kRSNa-mayI proktA
rAdhikA para-devatA
sarva-lakSmI-mayI sarva-
kAntiH sammohinI parA

devI—who shines brilliantly; kRSNa-mayI—nondifferent from Lord KRSNa;
proktA—called; rAdhikA—zrImatI RAdhArANI; para-devatA—most worshipable;
sarva-lakSmI-mayI—presiding over all the goddesses of fortune; sarva-
kAntiH—in whom all splendor exists; sammohinI—whose character
completely bewilders Lord KRSNa; parA—the superior energy.
TRANSLATION
“The transcendental goddess zrImatI RAdhArANI is the direct counterpart of
Lord zrI KRSNa. She is the central figure for all the goddesses of fortune. She
possesses all the attractiveness to attract the all-attractive Personality of
Godhead. She is the primeval internal potency of the Lord.”
PURPORT
This text is from the BRhad-gautamIya-tantra.
Adi 4.84
TEXT 84
‘devI’ kahi dyotamAnA, paramA sundarI
kimvA, kRSNa-pUjA-krIòAra vasati nagarI

devI—the word devI; kahi—I say; dyotamAnA—shining; paramA—most;
sundarI—beautiful; kimvA—or; kRSNa-pUjA—of the worship of Lord KRSNa;
krIòAra—and of sports; vasati—the abode; nagarI—the town.
TRANSLATION
“DevI” means “resplendent and most beautiful.” Or else it means “the lovely
abode of the worship and love sports of Lord KRSNa.”
Adi 4.85
TEXT 85
kRSNa-mayI——kRSNa yAra bhitare bAhire
yA~NhA yA~NhA netra paòe tA~NhA kRSNa sphure

kRSNa-mayI—the word kRSNa-mayI; kRSNa—Lord KRSNa; yAra—of whom;
bhitare—the within; bAhire—the without; yA~NhA yA~NhA—wherever; netra—
the eyes; paòe—fall; tA~NhA—there; kRSNa—Lord KRSNa; sphure—manifests.
TRANSLATION
“KRSNa-mayI” means “one whose within and without are Lord KRSNa.” She sees
Lord KRSNa wherever She casts Her glance.
Adi 4.86
TEXT 86
kimvA, prema-rasa-maya kRSNera svarUpa
tA~Nra zakti tA~Nra saha haya eka-rUpa

kimvA—or; prema-rasa—the mellows of love; maya—made of; kRSNera—of
Lord KRSNa; svarUpa—the real nature; tA~Nra—of Him; zakti—the energy;
tA~Nra saha—with Him; haya—there is; eka-rUpa—oneness.
TRANSLATION
Or “kRSNa-mayI” means that She is identical with Lord KRSNa, for She
embodies the mellows of love. The energy of Lord KRSNa is identical with Him.
PURPORT
KRSNa-mayI has two different imports. First, a person who always thinks of
KRSNa both within and without and who always remembers only KRSNa,
wherever he goes or whatever he sees, is called kRSNa-mayI. Also, since
KRSNa’s personality is full of love, His loving potency, RAdhArANI, being
nondifferent from Him, is called kRSNa-mayI.
Adi 4.87
TEXT 87
kRSNa-vA~nchA-pUrti-rUpa kare ArAdhane
ataeva ‘rAdhikA’ nAma purANe vAkhAne

kRSNa-vA~nchA—of the desire of Lord KRSNa; pUrti-rUpa—of the nature of
fulfillment; kare—does; ArAdhane—worship; ataeva—therefore; rAdhikA—
zrImatI RAdhikA; nAma—named; purANe—in the PurANas; vAkhAne—in the
description.
TRANSLATION
Her worship [ArAdhana] consists of fulfilling the desires of Lord KRSNa.
Therefore the PurANas call Her RAdhikA.
PURPORT
The name “RAdhA” is derived from the root word ArAdhana, which means
“worship.” The personality who excels all in worshiping KRSNa may therefore
be called RAdhikA, the greatest servitor.
Adi 4.88
TEXT 88
anayArAdhito nUnaà
bhagavAn harir IzvaraH
yan no vihAya govindaH
prIto yAm anayad rahaH

anayA—by this one; ArAdhitaH—worshiped; nUnam—certainly; bhagavAn—
the Supreme Personality of Godhead; hariH—Lord KRSNa; IzvaraH—the
Supreme Lord; yat—from which; naH—us; vihAya—leaving aside;
govindaH—Govinda; prItaH—pleased; yAm—whom; anayat—lead; rahaH—
to a lonely place.
TRANSLATION
“Truly the Personality of Godhead has been worshiped by Her. Therefore Lord
Govinda, being pleased, has brought Her to a lonely spot, leaving us all
behind.”
PURPORT
This text is from zrImad-BhAgavatam (10.30.28).
Adi 4.89
TEXT 89
ataeva sarva-pUjyA, parama-devatA
sarva-pAlikA, sarva jagatera mAtA

ataeva—therefore; sarva-pUjyA—worshipable by all; parama—supreme;
devatA—goddess; sarva-pAlikA—the protectress of all; sarva jagatera—of all
the universes; mAtA—the mother.
TRANSLATION
Therefore RAdhA is parama-devatA, the supreme goddess, and She is
worshipable for everyone. She is the protectress of all, and She is the mother
of the entire universe.
Adi 4.90
TEXT 90
‘sarva-lakSmI’-zabda pUrve kariyAchi vyAkhyAna
sarva-lakSmI-gaNera ti~Nho hana adhiSThAna

sarva-lakSmI-zabda—the word sarva-lakSmI; pUrve—previously; kariyAchi—I
have done; vyAkhyAna—explanation; sarva-lakSmI-gaNera—of all the
goddesses of fortune; ti~Nho—She; hana—is; adhiSThAna—abode.
TRANSLATION
I have already explained the meaning of “sarva-lakSmI.” RAdhA is the original
source of all the goddesses of fortune.
Adi 4.91
TEXT 91
kimvA, ‘sarva-lakSmI’——kRSNera Saò-vidha aizvarya
tA~Nra adhiSThAtrI zakti——sarva-zakti-varya

kimvA—or; sarva-lakSmI—the word sarva-lakSmI; kRSNera—of Lord KRSNa;
SaT-vidha—six kinds; aizvarya—opulences; tA~Nra—of Him; adhiSThAtrI—
chief; zakti—energy; sarva-zakti—of all energies; varya—the best.
TRANSLATION
Or “sarva-lakSmI” indicates that She fully represents the six opulences of
KRSNa. Therefore She is the supreme energy of Lord KRSNa.
Adi 4.92
TEXT 92
sarva-saundarya-kAnti vaisaye yA~NhAte
sarva-lakSmI-gaNera zobhA haya yA~NhA haite

sarva-saundarya—of all beauty; kAnti—the splendor; vaisaye—sits;
yA~NhAte—in whom; sarva-lakSmI-gaNera—of all the goddesses of fortune;
zobhA—the splendor; haya—is; yA~NhA haite—from whom.
TRANSLATION
The word “sarva-kAnti” indicates that all beauty and luster rest in Her body.
All the lakSmIs derive their beauty from Her.
Adi 4.93
TEXT 93
kimvA ‘kAnti’-zabde kRSNera saba icchA kahe
kRSNera sakala vA~nchA rAdhAtei rahe

kimvA—or; kAnti-zabde—by the word kAnti; kRSNera—of Lord KRSNa; saba—
all; icchA—desires; kahe—says; kRSNera—of Lord KRSNa; sakala—all;
vA~nchA—desires; rAdhAtei—in zrImatI RAdhArANI; rahe—remain.
TRANSLATION
“KAnti” may also mean “all the desires of Lord KRSNa.” All the desires of Lord
KRSNa rest in zrImatI RAdhArANI.
Adi 4.94
TEXT 94
rAdhikA karena kRSNera vA~nchita pUraNa
‘sarva-kAnti’-zabdera ei artha vivaraNa

rAdhikA—zrImatI RAdhArANI; karena—does; kRSNera—of Lord KRSNa;
vA~nchita—desired object; pUraNa—fulfilling; sarva-kAnti-zabdera—of the
word sarva-kAnti; ei—this; artha—meaning; vivaraNa—the description.
TRANSLATION
zrImatI RAdhikA fulfills all the desires of Lord KRSNa. This is the meaning of
“sarva-kAnti.”
Adi 4.95
TEXT 95
jagat-mohana kRSNa, tA~NhAra mohinI
ataeva samastera parA ThAkurANI

jagat-mohana—enchanting the universe; kRSNa—Lord KRSNa; tA~NhAra—of
Him; mohinI—the enchantress; ataeva—therefore; samastera—of all; parA—
foremost; ThAkurANI—goddess.
TRANSLATION
Lord KRSNa enchants the world, but zrI RAdhA enchants even Him. Therefore
She is the supreme goddess of all.
Adi 4.96
TEXT 96
rAdhA——pUrNa-zakti, kRSNa——pUrNa-zaktimAn
dui vastu bheda nAi, zAstra-paramANa

rAdhA—zrImatI RAdhArANI; pUrNa-zakti—the complete energy; kRSNa—Lord
KRSNa; pUrNa-zaktimAn—the complete possessor of energy; dui—two;
vastu—things; bheda—difference; nAi—there is not; zAstra-paramANa—the
evidence of revealed scripture.
TRANSLATION
zrI RAdhA is the full power, and Lord KRSNa is the possessor of full power. The
two are not different, as evidenced by the revealed scriptures.
Adi 4.97
TEXT 97
mRgamada, tAra gandha——yaiche aviccheda
agni, jvAlAte——yaiche kabhu nAhi bheda

mRga-mada—musk; tAra—of that; gandha—fragrance; yaiche—just as;
aviccheda—inseparable; agni—the fire; jvAlAte—temperature; yaiche—just
as; kabhu—any; nAhi—there is not; bheda—difference.
TRANSLATION
They are indeed the same, just as musk and its scent are inseparable, or as fire
and its heat are nondifferent.
Adi 4.98
TEXT 98
rAdhA-kRSNa aiche sadA eka-i svarUpa
lIlA-rasa AsvAdite dhare dui-rUpa

rAdhA-kRSNa—RAdhA and KRSNa; aiche—in this way; sadA—always; eka-i—
one; svarUpa—nature; lIlA-rasa—the mellows of a pastime; AsvAdite—to
taste; dhare—manifest; dui-rUpa—two forms.
TRANSLATION
Thus RAdhA and Lord KRSNa are one, yet They have taken two forms to enjoy
the mellows of pastimes.
Adi 4.99-100
TEXTS 99–100
prema-bhakti zikhAite Apane avatari
rAdhA-bhAva-kAnti dui a~NgIkAra kari’
zrI-kRSNa-caitanya-rUpe kaila avatAra
ei ta’ pa~ncama zlokera artha paracAra

prema-bhakti—devotional service in love of Godhead; zikhAite—to teach;
Apane—Himself; avatari—descending; rAdhA-bhAva—the mood of zrImatI
RAdhArANI; kAnti—and luster; dui—two; a~NgIkAra kari’—accepting; zrI-kRSNa-
caitanya—of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu; rUpe—in the form; kaila—made;
avatAra—incarnation; ei—this; ta’—certainly; pa~ncama—fifth; zlokera—of
the verse; artha—meaning; paracAra—proclamation.
TRANSLATION
To promulgate prema-bhakti [devotional service in love of Godhead], KRSNa
appeared as zrI KRSNa Caitanya with the mood and complexion of zrI RAdhA.
Thus I have explained the meaning of the fifth verse.
Adi 4.101
TEXT 101
SaSTha zlokera artha karite prakAza
prathame kahiye sei zlokera AbhAsa

SaSTha—sixth; zlokera—of the verse; artha—meaning; karite—to do;
prakAza—manifestation; prathame—first; kahiye—I shall speak; sei—that;
zlokera—of the verse; AbhAsa—hint.
TRANSLATION
To explain the sixth verse, I shall first give a hint of its meaning.
Adi 4.102
TEXT 102
avatari’ prabhu pracArila sa~NkIrtana
eho bAhya hetu, pUrve kariyAchi sUcana

avatari’—incarnating; prabhu—the Lord; pracArila—propagated;
sa~NkIrtana—the congregational chanting of the holy name; eho—this;
bAhya—external; hetu—reason; pUrve—previously; kariyAchi—I have given;
sUcana—indication.
TRANSLATION
The Lord came to propagate sa~NkIrtana. That is an external purpose, as I have
already indicated.
Adi 4.103
TEXT 103
avatArera Ara eka Ache mukhya-bIja
rasika-zekhara kRSNera sei kArya nija

avatArera—of the incarnation; Ara—another; eka—one; Ache—there is;
mukhya-bIja—principal seed; rasika-zekhara—the foremost enjoyer of the
mellows of love; kRSNera—of Lord KRSNa; sei—that; kArya—business; nija—
own.
TRANSLATION
There is a principal cause for Lord KRSNa’s appearance. It grows from His own
engagements as the foremost enjoyer of loving exchanges.
Adi 4.104
TEXT 104
ati gUòha hetu sei tri-vidha prakAra
dAmodara-svarUpa haite yAhAra pracAra

ati—very; gUòha—esoteric; hetu—reason; sei—that; tri-vidha—three;
prakAra—kinds; dAmodara-svarUpa haite—from SvarUpa DAmodara;
yAhAra—of which; pracAra—the proclamation.
TRANSLATION
That most confidential cause is threefold. SvarUpa DAmodara has revealed it.
Adi 4.105
TEXT 105
svarUpa-gosA~ni——prabhura ati antara~Nga
tAhAte jAnena prabhura e-saba prasa~Nga

svarUpa-gosA~ni—SvarUpa DAmodara GosA~ni; prabhura—of Lord Caitanya
MahAprabhu; ati—very; antara~Nga—confidential associate; tAhAte—by that;
jAnena—he knows; prabhura—of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu; e-saba—all
these; prasa~Nga—topics.
TRANSLATION
SvarUpa GosA~ni is the most intimate associate of the Lord. He therefore
knows all these topics well.
PURPORT
Prior to the Lord’s acceptance of the renounced order, PuruSottama
BhaTTAcArya, a resident of NavadvIpa, desired to enter the renounced order of
life. Therefore he left home and went to Benares, where he accepted the
position of brahmacarya from a MAyAvAdI sannyAsI. When he became a
brahmacArI, he was given the name zrI DAmodara SvarUpa. He left Benares
shortly thereafter, without taking sannyAsa, and he came to NilAcala,
JagannAtha PurI, where Lord Caitanya was staying. He met Caitanya
MahAprabhu there and dedicated his life for the service of the Lord. He
became Lord Caitanya’s secretary and constant companion. He used to
enhance the pleasure potency of the Lord by singing appropriate songs, which
were very much appreciated. SvarUpa DAmodara could understand the secret
mission of Lord Caitanya, and it was by his grace only that all the devotees of
Lord Caitanya could know the real purpose of the Lord.
SvarUpa DAmodara has been identified as LalitA-devI, the second expansion of
RAdhArANI. However, text 160 of Kavi-karNapUra’s authoritative Gaura-
gaNoddeza-dIpikA describes SvarUpa DAmodara as the same VizAkhA-devI
who serves the Lord in Goloka VRndAvana. Therefore it is to be understood
that zrI SvarUpa DAmodara is a direct expansion of RAdhArANI who helps the
Lord experience the attitude of RAdhArANI.
Adi 4.106
TEXT 106
rAdhikAra bhAva-mUrti prabhura antara
sei bhAve sukha-duHkha uThe nirantara

rAdhikAra—of zrImatI RAdhArANI; bhAva-mUrti—the form of the emotions;
prabhura—of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu; antara—the heart; sei—that;
bhAve—in the condition; sukha-duHkha—happiness and distress; uThe—arise;
nirantara—constantly.
TRANSLATION
The heart of Lord Caitanya is the image of zrI RAdhikA’s emotions. Thus
feelings of pleasure and pain arise constantly therein.
PURPORT
Lord Caitanya’s heart was full of the feelings of zrImatI RAdhArANI, and His
appearance resembled Hers. SvarUpa DAmodara has explained His attitude as
rAdhA-bhAva-mUrti, the attitude of RAdhArANI. One who engages in sense
gratification on the material platform can hardly understand rAdhA-bhAva, but
one who is freed from the demands of sense gratification can understand it.
RAdhA-bhAva must be understood from the GosvAmIs, those who are actually
controllers of the senses. From such authorized sources it is to be known that
the attitude of zrImatI RAdhArANI is the highest perfection of conjugal love,
which is the highest of the five transcendental mellows, and it is the complete
perfection of love of KRSNa.
These transcendental affairs can be understood on two platforms. One is
called elevated, and the other is called superelevated. The loving affairs
exhibited in DvArakA are the elevated form. The superelevated position is
reached in the manifestations of the pastimes of VRndAvana. The attitude of
Lord Caitanya is certainly superelevated.
From the life of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu, an intelligent person engaged in
pure devotional service can understand that He always felt separation from
KRSNa within Himself. In that separation He sometimes felt that He had found
KRSNa and was enjoying the meeting. The significance of this separation and
meeting is very specific. If someone tries to understand the exalted position
of Lord Caitanya without knowing this, he is sure to misunderstand it. One
must first become fully self-realized. Otherwise one may misidentify the Lord
as nAgara, or the enjoyer of the damsels of Vraja, thus committing the
mistake of rasAbhAsa, or overlapping understanding.
Adi 4.107
TEXT 107
zeSa-lIlAya prabhura kRSNa-viraha-unmAda
bhrama-maya ceSTA, Ara pralApa-maya vAda

zeSa-lIlAya—in the final pastimes; prabhura—of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu;
kRSNa-viraha—from separation from Lord KRSNa; unmAda—the madness;
bhrama-maya—erroneous; ceSTA—efforts; Ara—and; pralApa-maya—
delirious; vAda—talk.
TRANSLATION
In the final portion of His pastimes, Lord Caitanya was obsessed with the
madness of separation from Lord KRSNa. He acted in erroneous ways and
talked deliriously.
PURPORT
Lord zrI Caitanya exhibited the highest stage of the feelings of a devotee in
separation from the Lord. This exhibition was sublime because He was
completely perfect in the feelings of separation. Materialists, however, cannot
understand this. Sometimes materialistic scholars think He was diseased or
crazy. Their problem is that they always engage in material sense gratification
and can never understand the feelings of the devotees and the Lord.
Materialists are most abominable in their ideas. They think that they can enjoy
directly perceivable gross objects by their senses and that they can similarly
deal with the transcendental features of Lord Caitanya. But the Lord is
understood only in pursuance of the principles laid down by the GosvAmIs,
headed by SvarUpa DAmodara. Doctrines like those of the nadIyA-nAgarIs, a
class of so-called devotees, are never presented by authorized persons like
SvarUpa DAmodara or the six GosvAmIs. The ideas of the gaurA~Nga-nAgarIs
are simply a mental concoction, and they are completely on the mental
platform.
Adi 4.108
TEXT 108
rAdhikAra bhAva yaiche uddhava-darzane
sei bhAve matta prabhu rahe rAtri-dine

rAdhikAra—of zrImatI RAdhArANI; bhAva—emotion; yaiche—just as; uddhava-
darzane—in seeing zrI Uddhava; sei—that; bhAve—in the state; matta—
maddened; prabhu—Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu; rahe—remains; rAtri-dine—
day and night.
TRANSLATION
Just as RAdhikA went mad at the sight of Uddhava, so Lord Caitanya was
obsessed day and night with the madness of separation.
PURPORT
Those under the shelter of the lotus feet of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu can
understand that His mode of worship of the Supreme Lord KRSNa in separation
is the real worship of the Lord. When the feelings of separation become very
intense, one attains the stage of meeting zrI KRSNa.
So-called devotees like the sahajiyAs cheaply imagine they are meeting KRSNa
in VRndAvana. Such thinking may be useful, but actually meeting KRSNa is
possible through the attitude of separation taught by zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu.
Adi 4.109
TEXT 109
rAtre pralApa kare svarUpera kaNTha dhari’
Aveze Apana bhAva kahaye ughAòi’

rAtre—at night; pralApa—delirium; kare—does; svarUpera—of SvarUpa
DAmodara; kaNTha dhari’—embracing the neck; Aveze—in ecstasy; Apana—
His own; bhAva—mood; kahaye—speaks; ughAòi’—exuberantly.
TRANSLATION
At night He talked incoherently in grief with His arms around SvarUpa
DAmodara’s neck. He spoke out His heart in ecstatic inspiration.
Adi 4.110
TEXT 110
yabe yei bhAva uThe prabhura antara
sei gIti-zloke sukha dena dAmodara

yabe—when; yei—that; bhAva—mood; uThe—arises; prabhura—of Lord
Caitanya MahAprabhu; antara—in the heart; sei—that; gIti—by the song;
zloke—or verse; sukha—happiness; dena—gives; dAmodara—SvarUpa
DAmodara.
TRANSLATION
Whenever a particular sentiment arose in His heart, SvarUpa DAmodara
satisfied Him by singing songs or reciting verses of the same nature.
Adi 4.111
TEXT 111
ebe kArya nAhi kichu e-saba vicAre
Age ihA vivariba kariyA vistAre

ebe—now; kArya—business; nAhi—there is not; kichu—any; e-saba—all
these; vicAre—in the considerations; Age—ahead; ihA—this; vivariba—I shall
describe; kariyA—doing; vistAre—in expanded detail.
TRANSLATION
To analyze these pastimes is not necessary now. Later I shall describe them in
detail.
Adi 4.112
TEXT 112
pUrve vraje kRSNera tri-vidha vayo-dharma
kaumAra, paugaNòa, Ara kaizora atimarma

pUrve—previously; vraje—in Vraja; kRSNera—of Lord KRSNa; tri-vidha—three
sorts; vayaH-dharma—characteristics of age; kaumAra—childhood;
paugaNòa—boyhood; Ara—and; kaizora—adolescence; ati-marma—the very
core.
TRANSLATION
Formerly in Vraja Lord KRSNa displayed three ages, namely childhood,
boyhood and adolescence. His adolescence is especially significant.
Adi 4.113
TEXT 113
vAtsalya-Aveze kaila kaumAra saphala
paugaNòa saphala kaila la~nA sakhAvala

vAtsalya—of parental love; Aveze—in the attachment; kaila—made;
kaumAra—childhood; sa-phala—fruitful; paugaNòa—boyhood; sa-phala—
fruitful; kaila—made; la~nA—taking along; sakhA-Avala—friends.
TRANSLATION
Parental affection made His childhood fruitful. His boyhood was successful
with His friends.
Adi 4.114
TEXT 114
rAdhikAdi la~nA kaila rAsAdi-vilAsa
vA~nchA bhari’ AsvAdila rasera niryAsa

rAdhikA-Adi—zrImatI RAdhArANI and the other gopIs; la~nA—taking along;
kaila—did; rAsa-Adi—beginning with the rAsa dance; vilAsa—pastimes;
vA~nchA bhari’—fulfilling desires; AsvAdila—He tasted; rasera—of mellow;
niryAsa—the essence.
TRANSLATION
In youth He tasted the essence of rasa, fulfilling His desires in pastimes like
the rAsa dance with zrImatI RAdhikA and the other gopIs.
Adi 4.115
TEXT 115
TEXT
kaizora-vayase kAma, jagat-sakala
rAsAdi-lIlAya tina karila saphala

kaizora-vayase—in the adolescent age; kAma—amorous love; jagat-sakala—
the entire universe; rAsa-Adi—such as the rAsa dance; lIlAya—by pastimes;
tina—three; karila—made; sa-phala—successful.
TRANSLATION
In His youth Lord KRSNa made all three of His ages, and the entire universe,
successful by His pastimes of amorous love like the rAsa dance.
Adi 4.116
TEXT 116
so ’pi kaizoraka-vayo
mAnayan madhusUdanaH
reme strI-ratna-kUTa-sthaH
kSapAsu kSapitAhitaH

saH—He; api—especially; kaizoraka-vayaH—the age of adolescence;
mAnayan—honoring; madhu-sUdanaH—the killer of the Madhu demon;
reme—enjoyed; strI-ratna—of the gopIs; kUTa—in multitudes; sthaH—
situated; kSapAsu—in the autumn nights; kSapita-ahitaH—who destroys
misfortune.
TRANSLATION
“Lord MadhusUdana enjoyed His youth with pastimes on autumn nights in the
midst of the jewellike milkmaids. Thus He dispelled all the misfortunes of the
world.”
PURPORT
This is a verse from the ViSNu PurANa (5.13.60).
Adi 4.117
TEXT 117
vAcA sUcita-zarvarI-rati-kalA-prAgalbhyayA rAdhikAà
vrIòA-ku~ncita-locanAà viracayann agre sakhInAm asau
tad-vakSo-ruha-citra-keli-makarI-pANòitya-pAraà gataH
kaizoraà saphalI-karoti kalayan ku~nje vihAraà hariH

vAcA—by speech; sUcita—revealing; zarvarI—of the night; rati—in amorous
pastimes; kalA—of the portion; prAgalbhyayA—the importance; rAdhikAm—
zrImatI RAdhArANI; vrIòA—from shame; ku~ncita-locanAm—having Her eyes
closed; viracayan—making; agre—before; sakhInAm—Her friends; asau—
that one; tat—of Her; vakSaH-ruha—on the breasts; citra-keli—with
variegated pastimes; makarI—in drawing dolphins; pANòitya—of cleverness;
pAram—the limit; gataH—who reached; kaizoram—adolescence; sa-phalI-
karoti—makes successful; kalayan—performing; ku~nje—in the bushes;
vihAram—pastimes; hariH—the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
TRANSLATION
“Lord KRSNa made zrImatI RAdhArANI close Her eyes in shame before Her
friends by His words relating Their amorous activities on the previous night.
Then He showed the highest limit of cleverness in drawing pictures of
dolphins in various playful sports on Her breasts. In this way Lord Hari made
His youth successful by performing pastimes in the bushes with zrI RAdhA and
Her friends.”
PURPORT
This is a verse from the Bhakti-rasAmRta-sindhu (2.1.231) of zrIla RUpa
GosvAmI.
Adi 4.118
TEXT 118
harir eSa na ced avAtariSyan
mathurAyAà madhurAkSi rAdhikA ca
abhaviSyad iyaà vRthA visRSTir
makarA~Nkas tu vizeSatas tadAtra

hariH—Lord KRSNa; eSaH—this; na—not; cet—if; avAtariSyat—would have
descended; mathurAyAm—in MathurA; madhura-akSi—O lovely-eyed one
(PaurNamAsI); rAdhikA—zrImatI RAdhikA; ca—and; abhaviSyat—would have
been; iyam—this; vRthA—useless; visRSTiH—the whole creation; makara-
a~NkaH—the demigod of love, Cupid; tu—then; vizeSataH—above all; tadA—
then; atra—in this.
TRANSLATION
“O PaurNamAsI, if Lord Hari had not descended in MathurA with zrImatI
RAdhArANI, this entire creation—and especially Cupid, the demigod of love—
would have been useless.”
PURPORT
This verse is spoken by zrI VRndA-devI in the Vidagdha-mAdhava (7.3) of zrIla
RUpa GosvAmI.
Adi 4.119-120
TEXTS 119–120
ei mata pUrve kRSNa rasera sadana
yadyapi karila rasa-niryAsa-carvaNa
tathApi nahila tina vA~nchita pUraNa
tAhA AsvAdite yadi karila yatana

ei mata—like this; pUrve—previously; kRSNa—Lord KRSNa; rasera—of
mellows; sadana—the reservoir; yadyapi—even though; karila—did; rasa—
of the mellows; niryAsa—the essence; carvaNa—chewing; tathApi—still;
nahila—was not; tina—three; vA~nchita—desired objects; pUraNa—fulfilling;
tAhA—that; AsvAdite—to taste; yadi—though; karila—were made; yatana—
efforts.
TRANSLATION
Even though Lord KRSNa, the abode of all mellows, had previously in this way
chewed the essence of the mellows of love, still He was unable to fulfill three
desires, although He made efforts to taste them.
Adi 4.121
TEXT 121
tA~NhAra prathama vA~nchA kariye vyAkhyAna
kRSNa kahe,——‘Ami ha-i rasera nidAna

tA~NhAra—His; prathama—first; vA~nchA—desire; kariye—I do; vyAkhyAna—
explanation; kRSNa—Lord KRSNa; kahe—says; Ami—I; ha-i—am; rasera—of
mellow; nidAna—primary cause.
TRANSLATION
I shall explain His first desire. KRSNa says, “I am the primary cause of all rasas.
Adi 4.122
TEXT 122
pUrNAnanda-maya Ami cin-maya pUrNa-tattva
rAdhikAra preme AmA karAya unmatta

pUrNa-Ananda-maya—made of full joy; Ami—I; cit-maya—spiritual; pUrNa-
tattva—full of truth; rAdhikAra—of zrImatI RAdhArANI; preme—the love;
AmA—Me; karAya—makes; unmatta—maddened.
TRANSLATION
“I am the full spiritual truth and am made of full joy, but the love of zrImatI
RAdhArANI drives Me mad.
Adi 4.123
TEXT 123
nA jAni rAdhAra preme Ache kata bala
ye bale AmAre kare sarvadA vihvala

nA jAni—I do not know; rAdhAra—of zrImatI RAdhArANI; preme—in the love;
Ache—there is; kata—how much; bala—strength; ye—which; bale—
strength; AmAre—Me; kare—makes; sarvadA—always; vihvala—
overwhelmed.
TRANSLATION
“I do not know the strength of RAdhA’s love, with which She always
overwhelms Me.
Adi 4.124
TEXT 124
rAdhikAra prema——guru, Ami——ziSya naTa
sadA AmA nAnA nRtye nAcAya udbhaTa

rAdhikAra—of zrImatI RAdhArANI; prema—the love; guru—teacher; Ami—I;
ziSya—disciple; naTa—dancer; sadA—always; AmA—Me; nAnA—various;
nRtye—in dances; nAcAya—causes to dance; udbhaTa—novel.
TRANSLATION
“The love of RAdhikA is My teacher, and I am Her dancing pupil. Her prema
makes Me dance various novel dances.”
Adi 4.125
TEXT 125
kasmAd vRnde priya-sakhi hareH pAda-mUlAt kuto ’sau
kuNòAraNye kim iha kurute nRtya-zikSAà guruH kaH
taà tvan-mUrtiH prati-taru-lataà dig-vidikSu sphurantI
zailUSIva bhramati parito nartayantI sva-pazcAt

kasmAt—from where; vRnde—O VRndA; priyA-sakhi—O dear friend; hareH—
of Lord Hari; pAda-mUlAt—from the lotus feet; kutaH—where; asau—that
one (Lord KRSNa); kuNòa-araNye—in the forest on the bank of RAdhA-kuNòa;
kim—what; iha—here; kurute—He does; nRtya-zikSAm—dancing practice;
guruH—teacher; kaH—who; tam—Him; tvat-mUrtiH—Your form; prati-taru-
latam—on every tree and vine; dik-vidikSu—in all directions; sphurantI—
appearing; zailUSI—expert dancer; iva—like; bhramati—wanders; paritaH—
all around; nartayantI—causing to dance; sva-pazcAt—behind.
TRANSLATION
“O my beloved friend VRndA, where are you coming from?”
“I am coming from the feet of zrI Hari.”
“Where is He?”
“In the forest on the bank of RAdhA-kuNòa.”
“What is He doing there?”
“He is learning dancing.”
“Who is His master?”
“Your image, RAdhA, revealing itself in every tree and creeper in every
direction, is roaming like a skillful dancer, making Him dance behind.”
PURPORT
This text is from the Govinda-lIlAmRta (8.77) of KRSNadAsa KavirAja GosvAmI.
Adi 4.126
TEXT 126
nija-premAsvAde mora haya ye AhlAda
tAhA ha’te koTi-guNa rAdhA-premAsvAda

nija—own; prema—love; AsvAde—in tasting; mora—My; haya—there is;
ye—whatever; AhlAda—pleasure; tAhA ha’te—than that; koTi-guNa—ten
million times greater; rAdhA—of zrImatI RAdhArANI; prema-AsvAda—the
tasting of love.
TRANSLATION
“Whatever pleasure I get from tasting My love for zrImatI RAdhArANI, She
tastes ten million times more than Me by Her love.
Adi 4.127
TEXT 127
Ami yaiche paraspara viruddha-dharmAzraya
rAdhA-prema taiche sadA viruddha-dharma-maya

Ami—I; yaiche—just as; paraspara—mutually; viruddha-dharma—of
conflicting characteristics; Azraya—the abode; rAdhA-prema—the love of
zrImatI RAdhArANI; taiche—just so; sadA—always; viruddha-dharma-maya—
consists of conflicting characteristics.
TRANSLATION
“Just as I am the abode of all mutually contradictory characteristics, so
RAdhA’s love is always full of similar contradictions.
Adi 4.128
TEXT 128
rAdhA-premA vibhu——yAra bAòite nAhi ThA~ni
tathApi se kSaNe kSaNe bAòaye sadAi

rAdhA-premA—the love of zrImatI RAdhArANI; vibhu—all-pervading; yAra—of
which; bAòite—to increase; nAhi—there is not; ThA~ni—space; tathApi—still;
se—that; kSaNe kSaNe—every second; bAòaye—increases; sadAi—always.
TRANSLATION
“RAdhA’s love is all-pervading, leaving no room for expansion. But still it is
expanding constantly.
Adi 4.129
TEXT 129
yAhA va-i guru vastu nAhi sunizcita
tathApi gurura dharma gaurava-varjita

yAhA—which; va-i—besides; guru—great; vastu—thing; nAhi—there is not;
sunizcita—quite certainly; tathApi—still; gurura—of greatness; dharma—
characteristics; gaurava-varjita—devoid of pride.
TRANSLATION
“There is certainly nothing greater than Her love. But Her love is devoid of
pride. That is the sign of its greatness.
Adi 4.130
TEXT 130
yAhA haite sunirmala dvitIya nAhi Ara
tathApi sarvadA vAmya-vakra-vyavahAra

yAhA haite—than which; su-nirmala—very pure; dvitIya—second; nAhi—
there is not; Ara—another; tathApi—still; sarvadA—always; vAmya—
perverse; vakra—crooked; vyavahAra—behavior.
TRANSLATION
“Nothing is purer than Her love. But its behavior is always perverse and
crooked.”
Adi 4.131
TEXT 131
vibhur api kalayan sadAbhivRddhià
gurur api gaurava-caryayA vihInaH
muhur upacita-vakrimApi zuddho
jayati mura-dviSi rAdhikAnurAgaH

vibhuH—all-pervading; api—although; kalayan—making; sadA—always;
abhivRddhim—increase; guruH—important; api—although; gaurava-caryayA
vihInaH—without proud behavior; muhuH—again and again; upacita—
increased; vakrimA—duplicity; api—although; zuddhaH—pure; jayati—all
glories to; mura-dviSi—for KRSNa, the enemy of the demon Mura; rAdhikA—of
zrImatI RAdhArANI; anurAgaH—the love.
TRANSLATION
“All glories to RAdhA’s love for KRSNa, the enemy of the demon Mura!
Although it is all-pervading, it tends to increase at every moment. Although it
is important, it is devoid of pride. And although it is pure, it is always beset
with duplicity.”
PURPORT
This is a verse from the DAna-keli-kaumudI (2) of zrIla RUpa GosvAmI.
Adi 4.132
TEXT 132
sei premAra zrI-rAdhikA parama ‘Azraya’
sei premAra Ami ha-i kevala ‘viSaya’

sei—that; premAra—of the love; zrI-rAdhikA—zrImatI RAdhArANI; parama—
highest; Azraya—abode; sei—that; premAra—of the love; Ami—I; ha-i—am;
kevala—only; viSaya—object.
TRANSLATION
“zrI RAdhikA is the highest abode of that love, and I am its only object.
Adi 4.133
TEXT 133
viSaya-jAtIya sukha AmAra AsvAda
AmA haite koTi-guNa Azrayera AhlAda

viSaya jAtIya—relating to the object; sukha—happiness; AmAra—My;
AsvAda—tasting; AmA haite—than Me; koTi-guNa—ten million times more;
Azrayera—of the abode; AhlAda—pleasure.
TRANSLATION
“I taste the bliss to which the object of love is entitled. But the pleasure of
RAdhA, the abode of that love, is ten million times greater.
Adi 4.134
TEXT 134
Azraya-jAtiya sukha pAite mana dhAya
yatne AsvAdite nAri, ki kari upAya

Azraya-jAtIya—relating to the abode; sukha—happiness; pAite—to obtain;
mana—the mind; dhAya—chases; yatne—by effort; AsvAdite—to taste;
nAri—I am unable; ki—what; kari—I do; upAya—way.
TRANSLATION
“My mind races to taste the pleasure experienced by the abode, but I cannot
taste it, even by My best efforts. How may I taste it?
Adi 4.135
TEXT 135
kabhu yadi ei premAra ha-iye Azraya
tabe ei premAnandera anubhava haya

kabhu—sometime; yadi—if; ei—this; premAra—of the love; ha-iye—I
become; Azraya—the abode; tabe—then; ei—this; prema-Anandera—of the
joy of love; anubhava—experience; haya—there is.
TRANSLATION
“If sometime I can be the abode of that love, only then may I taste its joy.”
PURPORT
ViSaya and Azraya are two very significant words relating to the reciprocation
between KRSNa and His devotee. The devotee is called the Azraya, and his
beloved, KRSNa, is the viSaya. Different ingredients are involved in the
exchange of love between the Azraya and viSaya, which are known as
vibhAva, anubhAva, sAttvika and vyabhicArI. VibhAva is divided into the two
categories Alambana and uddIpana. Alambana may be further divided into
Azraya and viSaya. In the loving affairs of RAdhA and KRSNa, RAdhArANI is the
Azraya feature and KRSNa the viSaya. The transcendental consciousness of the
Lord tells Him, “I am KRSNa, and I experience pleasure as the viSaya. The
pleasure enjoyed by RAdhArANI, the Azraya, is many times greater than the
pleasure I feel.” Therefore, to feel the pleasure of the Azraya category, Lord
KRSNa appeared as zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu.
Adi 4.136
TEXT 136
eta cinti’ rahe kRSNa parama-kautukI
hRdaye bAòaye prema-lobha dhakdhaki

eta cinti’—thinking this; rahe—remains; kRSNa—Lord KRSNa; parama-
kautukI—the supremely curious; hRdaye—in the heart; bAòaye—increases;
prema-lobha—eager desire for love; dhakdhaki—blazing.
TRANSLATION
Thinking in this way, Lord KRSNa was curious to taste that love. His eager
desire for that love increasingly blazed in His heart.
Adi 4.137
TEXT 137
ei eka, zuna Ara lobhera prakAra
sva-mAdhurya dekhi’ kRSNa karena vicAra

ei—this; eka—one; zuna—please hear; Ara—another; lobhera—of eager
desire; prakAra—type; sva-mAdhurya—own sweetness; dekhi’—seeing;
kRSNa—Lord KRSNa; karena—does; vicAra—consideration.
TRANSLATION
That is one desire. Now please hear of another. Seeing His own beauty, Lord
KRSNa began to consider.
Adi 4.138
TEXT 138
adbhuta, ananta, pUrNa mora madhurimA
tri-jagate ihAra keha nAhi pAya sImA

adbhuta—wonderful; ananta—unlimited; pUrNa—full; mora—My;
madhurimA—sweetness; tri-jagate—in the three worlds; ihAra—of this;
keha—someone; nAhi—not; pAya—obtains; sImA—limit.
TRANSLATION
“My sweetness is wonderful, infinite and full. No one in the three worlds can
find its limit.
Adi 4.139
TEXT 139
ei prema-dvAre nitya rAdhikA ekali
AmAra mAdhuryAmRta AsvAde sakali

ei—this; prema-dvAre—by means of the love; nitya—always; rAdhikA—
zrImatI RAdhArANI; ekali—only; AmAra—of Me; mAdhurya-amRta—the nectar
of the sweetness; AsvAde—tastes; sakali—all.
TRANSLATION
“Only RAdhikA, by the strength of Her love, tastes all the nectar of My
sweetness.
Adi 4.140
TEXT 140
yadyapi nirmala rAdhAra sat-prema-darpaNa
tathApi svacchatA tAra bAòhe kSaNe kSaNa

yadyapi—although; nirmala—pure; rAdhAra—of zrImatI RAdhArANI; sat-
prema—of real love; darpaNa—the mirror; tathApi—still; svacchatA—
transparency; tAra—of that; bAòhe—increases; kSaNe kSaNa—every moment.
TRANSLATION
“Although RAdhA’s love is pure like a mirror, its purity increases at every
moment.
Adi 4.141
TEXT 141
AmAra mAdhurya nAhi bAòhite avakAze
e-darpaNera Age nava nava rUpe bhAse

AmAra—of Me; mAdhurya—sweetness; nAhi—not; bAòhite—to increase;
avakAze—opportunity; e-darpaNera Age—in front of this mirror; nava nava—
newer and newer; rUpe—in beauty; bhAse—shines.
TRANSLATION
“My sweetness also has no room for expansion, yet it shines before that
mirror in newer and newer beauty.
Adi 4.142
TEXT 142
man-mAdhurya rAdhAra prema——do~Nhe hoòa kari’
kSaNe kSaNe bAòe do~Nhe, keha nAhi hAri

mat-mAdhurya—My sweetness; rAdhAra—of zrImatI RAdhArANI; prema—the
love; do~Nhe—both together; hoòa kari’—challenging; kSaNe kSaNe—every
second; bAòe—increase; do~Nhe—both; keha nAhi—no one; hAri—defeated.
TRANSLATION
“There is constant competition between My sweetness and the mirror of
RAdhA’s love. They both go on increasing, but neither knows defeat.
Adi 4.143
TEXT 143
AmAra mAdhurya nitya nava nava haya
sva-sva-prema-anurUpa bhakte AsvAdaya

AmAra—of Me; mAdhurya—the sweetness; nitya—always; nava nava—
newer and newer; haya—is; sva-sva-prema-anurUpa—according to one’s
own love; bhakte—the devotee; AsvAdaya—tastes.
TRANSLATION
“My sweetness is always newer and newer. Devotees taste it according to
their own respective love.
Adi 4.144
TEXT 144
darpaNAdye dekhi’ yadi Apana mAdhurI
AsvAdite haya lobha, AsvAdite nAri

darpaNa-Adye—beginning in a mirror; dekhi’—seeing; yadi—if; Apana—own;
mAdhurI—sweetness; AsvAdite—to taste; haya—there is; lobha—desire;
AsvAdite—to taste; nAri—I am not able.
TRANSLATION
“If I see My sweetness in a mirror, I am tempted to taste it, but nevertheless I
cannot.
Adi 4.145
TEXT 145
vicAra kariye yadi AsvAda-upAya
rAdhikA-svarUpa ha-ite tabe mana dhAya

vicAra—consideration; kariye—I do; yadi—if; AsvAda—to taste; upAya—
way; rAdhikA-svarUpa—the nature of zrImatI RAdhArANI; ha-ite—to become;
tabe—then; mana—mind; dhAya—chases.
TRANSLATION
“If I deliberate on a way to taste it, I find that I hanker for the position of
RAdhikA.”
PURPORT
KRSNa’s attractiveness is wonderful and unlimited. No one can know the end
of it. zrImatI RAdhArANI alone can relish such extensiveness from Her position
in the Azraya category. The mirror of zrImatI RAdhArANI’s transcendental love
is perfectly clear, yet it appears clearer and clearest in the transcendental
method of understanding KRSNa. In the mirror of RAdhArANI’s heart, the
transcendental features of KRSNa appear increasingly new and fresh. In other
words, the attraction of KRSNa increases in proportion to the understanding of
zrImatI RAdhArANI. Each tries to supersede the other. Neither wants to be
defeated in increasing the intensity of love. Desiring to understand
RAdhArANI’s attitude of increasing love, Lord KRSNa appeared as zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu.
Adi 4.146
TEXT 146
aparikalita-pUrvaH kaz camatkAra-kArI
sphurati mama garIyAn eSa mAdhurya-pUraH
ayam aham api hanta prekSya yaà lubdha-cetAH
sarabhasam upabhoktuà kAmaye rAdhikeva

aparikalita—not experienced; pUrvaH—previously; kaH—who; camatkAra-
kArI—causing wonder; sphurati—manifests; mama—My; garIyAn—more
great; eSaH—this; mAdhurya-pUraH—abundance of sweetness; ayam—this;
aham—I; api—even; hanta—alas; prekSya—seeing; yam—which; lubdha-
cetAH—My mind being bewildered; sa-rabhasam—impetuously;
upabhoktum—to enjoy; kAmaye—desire; rAdhikA iva—like zrImatI RAdhArANI.
TRANSLATION
“Who manifests an abundance of sweetness greater than Mine, which has
never been experienced before and which causes wonder to all? Alas, I
Myself, My mind bewildered upon seeing this beauty, impetuously desire to
enjoy it like zrImatI RAdhArANI.”
PURPORT
This text is from the Lalita-mAdhava (8.34) of zrIla RUpa GosvAmI. It was
spoken by Lord KRSNa when He saw the beauty of His own reflection in a
jeweled fountain in DvArakA.
Adi 4.147
TEXT 147
kRSNa-mAdhuryera eka svAbhAvika bala
kRSNa-Adi nara-nArI karaye ca~ncala

kRSNa—of Lord KRSNa; mAdhuryera—of the sweetness; eka—one;
svAbhAvika—natural; bala—strength; kRSNa—Lord KRSNa; Adi—beginning
with; nara-nArI—men and women; karaye—makes; ca~ncala—perturbed.
TRANSLATION
The beauty of KRSNa has one natural strength: it thrills the hearts of all men
and women, beginning with Lord KRSNa Himself.
Adi 4.148
TEXT 148
zravaNe, darzane AkarSaye sarva-mana
ApanA AsvAdite kRSNa karena yatana

zravaNe—in hearing; darzane—in seeing; AkarSaye—attracts; sarva-mana—
all minds; ApanA—Himself; AsvAdite—to taste; kRSNa—Lord KRSNa; karena—
makes; yatana—efforts.
TRANSLATION
All minds are attracted by hearing His sweet voice and flute, or by seeing His
beauty. Even Lord KRSNa Himself makes efforts to taste that sweetness.
Adi 4.149
TEXT 149
e mAdhuryAmRta pAna sadA yei kare
tRSNA-zAnti nahe, tRSNA bAòhe nirantare

e—this; mAdhurya-amRta—nectar of sweetness; pAna—drinks; sadA—
always; yei—that person who; kare—does; tRSNA-zAnti—satisfaction of thirst;
nahe—there is not; tRSNA—thirst; bAòhe—increases; nirantare—constantly.
TRANSLATION
The thirst of one who always drinks the nectar of that sweetness is never
satisfied. Rather, that thirst increases constantly.
Adi 4.150
TEXT 150
atRpta ha-iyA kare vidhira nindana
avidagdha vidhi bhAla nA jAne sRjana

atRpta—unsatisfied; ha-iyA—being; kare—do; vidhira—of Lord BrahmA;
nindana—blaspheming; avidagdha—inexperienced; vidhi—Lord BrahmA;
bhAla—well; nA jAne—does not know; sRjana—creating.
TRANSLATION
Such a person, being unsatisfied, begins to blaspheme Lord BrahmA, saying
that he does not know the art of creating well and is simply inexperienced.
Adi 4.151
TEXT 151
koTi netra nAhi dila, sabe dila dui
tAhAte nimeSa,——kRSNa ki dekhiba mu~ni

koTi—ten million; netra—eyes; nAhi dila—did not give; sabe—to all; dila—
gave; dui—two; tAhAte—in that; nimeSa—a blink; kRSNa—Lord KRSNa; ki—
how; dekhiba—shall see; mu~ni—I.
TRANSLATION
He has not given millions of eyes to see the beauty of KRSNa. He has given
only two eyes, and even those eyes blink. How then shall I see the lovely face
of KRSNa?
Adi 4.152
TEXT 152
aTati yad bhavAn ahni kAnanaà
truTir yugAyate tvAm apazyatAm
kuTila-kuntalaà zrI-mukhaà ca te
jaòa udIkSatAà pakSma-kRd dRzAm

aTati—goes; yat—when; bhavAn—Your Lordship; ahni—in the day;
kAnanam—to the forest; truTiH—half a second; yugAyate—appears like a
yuga; tvAm—You; apazyatAm—of those not seeing; kuTila-kuntalam—
adorned with curled hair; zrI-mukham—beautiful face; ca—and; te—Your;
jaòaH—stupid; udIkSatAm—looking at; pakSma-kRt—the maker of eyelashes;
dRzAm—of the eyes.
TRANSLATION
[The gopIs said:] “O KRSNa, when You go to the forest during the day and we
do not see Your sweet face, which is surrounded by beautiful curling hair, half
a second becomes as long as an entire age for us. And we consider the
creator, who has put eyelids on the eyes we use for seeing You, to be simply
a fool.”
PURPORT
This verse is spoken by the gopIs in zrImad-BhAgavatam (10.31.15).
Adi 4.153
TEXT 153
gopyaz ca kRSNam upalabhya cirAd abhISTaà
yat-prekSaNe dRziSu pakSma-kRtaà zapanti
dRgbhir hRdI-kRtam alaà parirabhya sarvAs
tad-bhAvam Apur api nitya-yujAà durApam

gopyaH—the gopIs; ca—and; kRSNam—Lord KRSNa; upalabhya—seeing;
cirAt—after a long time; abhISTam—desired object; yat-prekSaNe—in the
seeing of whom; dRziSu—in the eyes; pakSma-kRtam—the maker of
eyelashes; zapanti—curse; dRgbhiH—with the eyes; hRdI kRtam—who entered
the hearts; alam—enough; parirabhya—embracing; sarvAH—all; tat-
bhAvam—that highest stage of joy; ApuH—obtained; api—although; nitya-
yujAm—by perfected yogIs; durApam—difficult to obtain.
TRANSLATION
“The gopIs saw their beloved KRSNa at KurukSetra after a long separation. They
secured and embraced Him in their hearts through their eyes, and they
attained a joy so intense that not even perfect yogIs can attain it. The gopIs
cursed the creator for creating eyelids that interfered with their vision.”
PURPORT
This text is from zrImad-BhAgavatam (10.82.39).
Adi 4.154
TEXT 154
kRSNAvalokana vinA netra phala nAhi Ana
yei jana kRSNa dekhe, sei bhAgyavAn

kRSNa—Lord KRSNa; avalokana—looking at; vinA—without; netra—the eyes;
phala—fruit; nAhi—not; Ana—other; yei—who; jana—the person; kRSNa—
Lord KRSNa; dekhe—sees; sei—he; bhAgyavAn—very fortunate.
TRANSLATION
There is no consummation for the eyes other than the sight of KRSNa. Whoever
sees Him is most fortunate indeed.
Adi 4.155
TEXT 155
akSaNvatAà phalam idaà na paraà vidAmaH
sakhyaH pazUn anuvivezayator vayasyaiH
vaktraà vrajeza-sutayor anuveNu-juSTaà
yair vA nipItam anurakta-kaTAkSa-mokSam

akSaNvatAm—of those who have eyes; phalam—the fruit; idam—this; na—
not; param—other; vidAmaH—we know; sakhyaH—O friends; pazUn—the
cows; anuvivezayatoH—causing to enter one forest from another;
vayasyaiH—with Their friends of the same age; vaktram—the faces; vraja-
Iza—of MahArAja Nanda; sutayoH—of the two sons; anuveNu-juSTam—
possessed of flutes; yaiH—by which; vA—or; nipItam—imbibed; anurakta—
loving; kaTa-akSa—glances; mokSam—giving off.
TRANSLATION
[The gopIs said:] “O friends, those eyes that see the beautiful faces of the sons
of MahArAja Nanda are certainly fortunate. As these two sons enter the forest,
surrounded by Their friends, driving the cows before Them, They hold Their
flutes to Their mouths and glance lovingly upon the residents of VRndAvana.
For those who have eyes, we think there is no greater object of vision.”
PURPORT
Like the gopIs, one can see KRSNa continuously if one is fortunate enough. In
the Brahma-saàhitA it is said that sages whose eyes have been smeared with
the ointment of pure love can see the form of zyAmasundara (KRSNa)
continuously in the centers of their hearts. This text from zrImad-BhAgavatam
(10.21.7) was sung by the gopIs on the advent of the zarat season.
Adi 4.156
TEXT 156
gopyas tapaH kim acaran yad amuSya rUpaà
lAvaNya-sAram asamordhvam ananya-siddham
dRgbhiH pibanty anusavAbhinavaà durApam
ekAnta-dhAma yazasaH zriya aizvarasya

gopyaH—the gopIs; tapaH—austerities; kim—what; acaran—performed;
yat—from which; amuSya—of such a one (Lord KRSNa); rUpam—the form;
lAvaNya-sAram—the essence of loveliness; asama-Urdhvam—not paralleled
or surpassed; ananya-siddham—not perfected by any other ornament (self-
perfect); dRgbhiH—by the eyes; pibanti—they drink; anusava-abhinavam—
constantly new; durApam—difficult to obtain; ekAnta-dhAma—the only
abode; yazasaH—of fame; zriyaH—of beauty; aizvarasya—of opulence.
TRANSLATION
[The women of MathurA said:] “What austerities must the gopIs have
performed? With their eyes they always drink the nectar of the form of Lord
KRSNa, which is the essence of loveliness and is not to be equaled or surpassed.
That loveliness is the only abode of beauty, fame and opulence. It is self-
perfect, ever fresh and extremely rare.”
PURPORT
This text from zrImad-BhAgavatam (10.44.14) was spoken by the women of
MathurA when they saw KRSNa and BalarAma in the arena with King Kaàsa’s
great wrestlers MuSTika and CANUra.
Adi 4.157
TEXT 157
apUrva mAdhurI kRSNera, apUrva tAra bala
yAhAra zravaNe mana haya Talamala

apUrva—unprecedented; mAdhurI—sweetness; kRSNera—of Lord KRSNa;
apUrva—unprecedented; tAra—of that; bala—the strength; yAhAra—of
which; zravaNe—in hearing; mana—the mind; haya—becomes; Talamala—
unsteady.
TRANSLATION
The sweetness of Lord KRSNa is unprecedented, and its strength is also
unprecedented. Simply by one’s hearing of such beauty, the mind becomes
unsteady.
Adi 4.158
TEXT 158
kRSNera mAdhurye kRSNe upajaya lobha
samyak AsvAdite nAre, mane rahe kSobha

kRSNera—of Lord KRSNa; mAdhurye—in the sweetness; kRSNe—in Lord KRSNa;
upajaya—arises; lobha—eager desire; samyak—fully; AsvAdite—to taste;
nAre—is not able; mane—in the mind; rahe—remains; kSobha—sorrow.
TRANSLATION
Lord KRSNa’s own beauty attracts Lord KRSNa Himself. But because He cannot
fully enjoy it, His mind remains full of sorrow.
Adi 4.159
TEXT 159
ei ta’ dvitIya hetura kahila vivaraNa
tRtIya hetura ebe zunaha lakSaNa

ei—this; ta’—certainly; dvitIya—second; hetura—of the reason; kahila—has
been said; vivaraNa—description; tRtIya—the third; hetura—of the reason;
ebe—now; zunaha—please hear; lakSaNa—the characteristic.
TRANSLATION
This is a description of His second desire. Now please listen as I describe the
third.
Adi 4.160
TEXT 160
atyanta-nigUòha ei rasera siddhAnta
svarUpa-gosA~ni mAtra jAnena ekAnta

atyanta—extremely; nigUòha—deep; ei—this; rasera—of mellow;
siddhAnta—conclusion; svarUpa-gosA~ni—SvarUpa DAmodara GosvAmI;
mAtra—only; jAnena—knows; ekAnta—much.
TRANSLATION
This conclusion of rasa is extremely deep. Only SvarUpa DAmodara knows
much about it.
Adi 4.161
TEXT 161
yebA keha anya jAne, seho tA~NhA haite
caitanya-gosA~nira te~Nha atyanta marma yAte

yebA—whoever; keha—someone; anya—other; jAne—knows; seho—he;
tA~NhA haite—from him (SvarUpa DAmodara); caitanya-gosA~nira—of Lord
Caitanya MahAprabhu; te~Nha—he; atyanta—extremely; marma—secret core;
yAte—since.
TRANSLATION
Anyone else who claims to know it must have heard it from him, for he was
the most intimate companion of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu.
Adi 4.162
TEXT 162
gopI-gaNera premera ‘rUòha-bhAva’ nAma
vizuddha nirmala prema, kabhu nahe kAma

gopI-gaNera—of the gopIs; premera—of the love; rUòha-bhAva—rUòha-
bhAva; nAma—named; vizuddha—pure; nirmala—spotless; prema—love;
kabhu—at anytime; nahe—is not; kAma—lust.
TRANSLATION
The love of the gopIs is called rUòha-bhAva. It is pure and spotless. It is not at
any time lust.
PURPORT
As already explained, the position of the gopIs in their loving dealings with
KRSNa is transcendental. Their emotion is called rUòha-bhAva. Although it is
apparently like mundane sex, one should not confuse it with mundane sexual
love, for it is pure and unadulterated love of Godhead.
Adi 4.163
TEXT 163
premaiva gopa-rAmAnAà
kAma ity agamat prathAm
ity uddhavAdayo ’py etaà
vA~nchanti bhagavat-priyAH

prema—love; eva—only; gopa-rAmAnAm—of the women of Vraja; kAmaH—
lust; iti—as; agamat—went to; prathAm—fame; iti—thus; uddhava-
AdayaH—headed by zrI Uddhava; api—even; etam—this; vA~nchanti—desire;
bhagavat-priyAH—dear devotees of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
TRANSLATION
“The pure love of the gopIs has become celebrated by the name ‘lust.’ The
dear devotees of the Lord, headed by zrI Uddhava, desire to taste that love.”
PURPORT
This is a verse from the Bhakti-rasAmRta-sindhu (1.2.285).
Adi 4.164
TEXT 164
kAma, prema,——do~NhAkAra vibhinna lakSaNa
lauha Ara hema yaiche svarUpe vilakSaNa

kAma—lust; prema—love; do~NhAkAra—of the two; vibhinna—separate;
lakSaNa—symptoms; lauha—iron; Ara—and; hema—gold; yaiche—just as;
svarUpe—in nature; vilakSaNa—different.
TRANSLATION
Lust and love have different characteristics, just as iron and gold have
different natures.
PURPORT
One should try to discriminate between sexual love and pure love, for they
belong to different categories, with a gulf of difference between them. They
are as different from one another as iron is from gold.
Adi 4.165
TEXT 165
Atmendriya-prIti-vA~nchA——tAre bali ‘kAma’
kRSNendriya-prIti-icchA dhare ‘prema’ nAma

Atma-indriya-prIti—for the pleasure of one’s own senses; vA~nchA—desires;
tAre—to that; bali—I say; kAma—lust; kRSNa-indriya-prIti—for the pleasure of
Lord KRSNa’s senses; icchA—desire; dhare—holds; prema—love; nAma—the
name.
TRANSLATION
The desire to gratify one’s own senses is kAma [lust], but the desire to please
the senses of Lord KRSNa is prema [love].
PURPORT
The revealed scriptures describe pure love as follows:
sarvathA dhvaàsa-rahitaà saty api dhvaàsa-kAraNe
yad bhAva-bandhanaà yUnoH sa premA parikIrtitaH
“If there is ample reason for the dissolution of a conjugal relationship and yet
such a dissolution does not take place, such a relationship of intimate love is
called pure.”
The predominated gopIs were bound to KRSNa in such pure love. For them
there was no question of sexual love based on sense gratification. Their only
engagement in life was to see KRSNa happy in all respects, regardless of their
own personal interests. They dedicated their souls only for the satisfaction of
the Personality of Godhead, zrI KRSNa. There was not the slightest tinge of
sexual love between the gopIs and KRSNa.
The author of zrI Caitanya-caritAmRta asserts with authority that sexual love is
a matter of personal sense enjoyment. All the regulative principles in the
Vedas pertaining to desires for popularity, fatherhood, wealth and so on are
different phases of sense gratification. Acts of sense gratification may be
performed under the cover of public welfare, nationalism, religion, altruism,
ethical codes, Biblical codes, health directives, fruitive action, bashfulness,
tolerance, personal comfort, liberation from material bondage, progress,
family affection or fear of social ostracism or legal punishment, but all these
categories are different subdivisions of one substance—sense gratification.
All such good acts are performed basically for one’s own sense gratification,
for no one can sacrifice his personal interest while discharging these much-
advertised moral and religious principles. But above all this is a transcendental
stage in which one feels himself to be only an eternal servitor of KRSNa, the
absolute Personality of Godhead. All acts performed in this sense of servitude
are called pure love of God because they are performed for the absolute sense
gratification of zrI KRSNa. However, any act performed for the purpose of
enjoying its fruits or results is an act of sense gratification. Such actions are
visible sometimes in gross and sometimes in subtle forms.
Adi 4.166
TEXT 166
kAmera tAtparya——nija-sambhoga kevala
kRSNa-sukha-tAtparya-mAtra prema ta’ prabala

kAmera—of lust; tAtparya—the intent; nija—own; sambhoga—enjoyment;
kevala—only; kRSNa-sukha—for Lord KRSNa’s happiness; tAtparya—the intent;
mAtra—only; prema—love; ta’—certainly; prabala—powerful.
TRANSLATION
The object of lust is only the enjoyment of one’s own senses. But love caters
to the enjoyment of Lord KRSNa, and thus it is very powerful.
Adi 4.167-169
TEXTS 167–169
loka-dharma, veda-dharma, deha-dharma, karma
lajjA, dhairya, deha-sukha, Atma-sukha-marma
dustyaja Arya-patha, nija parijana
sva-jane karaye yata tAòana-bhartsana
sarva-tyAga kari’ kare kRSNera bhajana
kRSNa-sukha-hetu kare prema-sevana

loka-dharma—customs of the people; veda-dharma—Vedic injunctions;
deha-dharma—necessities of the body; karma—fruitive work; lajjA—
bashfulness; dhairya—patience; deha-sukha—the happiness of the body;
Atma-sukha—the happiness of the self; marma—the essence; dustyaja—
difficult to give up; Arya-patha—the path of varNAzrama; nija—own;
parijana—family members; sva-jane—one’s own family; karaye—do; yata—
all; tAòana—punishment; bhartsana—scolding; sarva-tyAga kari’—giving up
everything; kare—do; kRSNera—of Lord KRSNa; bhajana—worship; kRSNa-
sukha-hetu—for the purpose of Lord KRSNa’s happiness; kare—do; prema—
out of love; sevana—service.
TRANSLATION
Social customs, scriptural injunctions, bodily demands, fruitive action, shyness,
patience, bodily pleasures, self-gratification and the path of varNAzrama-
dharma, which is difficult to give up—the gopIs have forsaken all these, along
with their families, and suffered their relatives' punishment and scolding, all
for the sake of serving Lord KRSNa. They render loving service to Him for the
sake of His enjoyment.
Adi 4.170
TEXT 170
ihAke kahiye kRSNe dRòha anurAga
svaccha dhauta-vastre yaiche nAhi kona dAga

ihAke—this; kahiye—I say; kRSNe—in Lord KRSNa; dRòha—strong; anurAga—
love; svaccha—pure; dhauta—clean; vastre—in cloth; yaiche—just as;
nAhi—not; kona—some; dAga—mark.
TRANSLATION
That is called firm attachment to Lord KRSNa. It is spotlessly pure, like a clean
cloth that has no stain.
PURPORT
The author of zrI Caitanya-caritAmRta advises everyone to give up all
engagements of sense gratification and, like the gopIs, dovetail oneself
entirely with the will of the Supreme Lord. That is the ultimate instruction of
KRSNa in the Bhagavad-gItA. We should be prepared to do anything and
everything to please the Lord, even at the risk of violating the Vedic principles
or ethical laws. That is the standard of love of Godhead. Such activities in
pure love of Godhead are as spotless as white linen that has been completely
washed. zrIla Bhaktivinoda ThAkura warns us in this connection that we should
not mistakenly think that the idea of giving up everything implies the
renunciation of duties necessary in relation to the body and mind. Even such
duties are not sense gratification if they are undertaken in a spirit of service to
KRSNa.
Adi 4.171
TEXT 171
ataeva kAma-preme bahuta antara
kAma——andha-tamaH, prema——nirmala bhAskara

ataeva—therefore; kAma-preme—in lust and love; bahuta—much; antara—
space between; kAma—lust; andha-tamaH—blind darkness; prema—love;
nirmala—pure; bhAskara—sun.
TRANSLATION
Therefore lust and love are quite different. Lust is like dense darkness, but love
is like the bright sun.
Adi 4.172
TEXT 172
ataeva gopI-gaNera nAhi kAma-gandha
kRSNa-sukha lAgi mAtra, kRSNa se sambandha

ataeva—therefore; gopI-gaNera—of the gopIs; nAhi—not; kAma-gandha—
the slightest bit of lust; kRSNa-sukha—the happiness of Lord KRSNa; lAgi—for;
mAtra—only; kRSNa—Lord KRSNa; se—that; sambandha—the relationship.
TRANSLATION
Thus there is not the slightest taint of lust in the gopIs’ love. Their relationship
with KRSNa is only for the sake of His enjoyment.
Adi 4.173
TEXT 173
yat te sujAta-caraNAmburuhaà staneSu
bhItAH zanaiH priya dadhImahi karkazeSu
tenATavIm aTasi tad vyathate na kià svit
kUrpAdibhir bhramati dhIr bhavad-AyuSAà naH

yat—which; te—Your; sujAta—very fine; caraNa-ambu-ruham—lotus feet;
staneSu—on the breasts; bhItAH—being afraid; zanaiH—gently; priya—O
dear one; dadhImahi—we place; karkazeSu—rough; tena—with them;
aTavIm—the path; aTasi—You roam; tat—they; vyathate—are distressed;
na—not; kim svit—we wonder; kUrpa-AdibhiH—by small stones and so on;
bhramati—flutters; dhIH—the mind; bhavat-AyuSAm—of those of whom
Your Lordship is the very life; naH—of us.
TRANSLATION
“O dearly beloved! Your lotus feet are so soft that we place them gently on
our breasts, fearing that Your feet will be hurt. Our life rests only in You. Our
minds, therefore, are filled with anxiety that Your tender feet might be
wounded by pebbles as You roam about on the forest path.”
PURPORT
This text from zrImad-BhAgavatam (10.31.19) was spoken by the gopIs when
KRSNa left them in the midst of the rAsa-lIlA.
Adi 4.174
TEXT 174
Atma-sukha-duHkhe gopIra nAhika vicAra
kRSNa-sukha-hetu ceSTA mano-vyavahAra

Atma-sukha-duHkhe—in personal happiness or distress; gopIra—of the gopIs;
nAhika—not; vicAra—consideration; kRSNa-sukha-hetu—for the purpose of
Lord KRSNa’s happiness; ceSTA—activity; manaH—of the mind; vyavahAra—
the business.
TRANSLATION
The gopIs do not care for their own pleasures or pains. All their physical and
mental activities are directed toward offering enjoyment to Lord KRSNa.
Adi 4.175
TEXT 175
kRSNa lAgi’ Ara saba kare parityAga
kRSNa-sukha-hetu kare zuddha anurAga

kRSNa lAgi’—for Lord KRSNa; Ara—other; saba—all; kare—do; parityAga—
give up; kRSNa-sukha-hetu—for the purpose of Lord KRSNa’s happiness; kare—
do; zuddha—pure; anurAga—attachments.
TRANSLATION
They renounced everything for KRSNa. They have pure attachment to giving
KRSNa pleasure.
Adi 4.176
TEXT 176
evaà mad-arthojjhita-loka-veda-
svAnAà hi vo mayy anuvRttaye ’balAH
mayA parokSaà bhajatA tirohitaà
mAsUyituà mArhatha tat priyaà priyAH

evam—thus; mat-artha—for Me; ujjhita—rejected; loka—popular customs;
veda—Vedic injunctions; svAnAm—own families; hi—certainly; vaH—of you;
mayi—Me; anuvRttaye—to increase regard for; abalAH—O women; mayA—
by Me; parokSam—invisible; bhajatA—favoring; tirohitam—withdrawn from
sight; mA—Me; asUyitum—to be displeased with; mA arhatha—you do not
deserve; tat—therefore; priyam—who is dear; priyAH—O dear ones.
TRANSLATION
“O My beloved gopIs, you have renounced social customs, scriptural
injunctions and your relatives for My sake. I disappeared behind you only to
increase your concentration upon Me. Since I disappeared for your benefit,
you should not be displeased with Me.”
PURPORT
This text from zrImad-BhAgavatam (10.32.21) was spoken by Lord KRSNa when
He returned to the arena of the rAsa-lIlA.
Adi 4.177
TEXT 177
kRSNera pratij~nA eka Ache pUrva haite
ye yaiche bhaje, kRSNa tAre bhaje taiche

kRSNera—of Lord KRSNa; pratij~nA—promise; eka—one; Ache—there is; pUrva
haite—from before; ye—whoever; yaiche—just as; bhaje—he worships;
kRSNa—Lord KRSNa; tAre—to him; bhaje—reciprocates; taiche—just so.
TRANSLATION
Lord KRSNa has a promise from before to reciprocate with His devotees
according to the way they worship Him.
Adi 4.178
TEXT 178
ye yathA mAà prapadyante
tAàs tathaiva bhajAmy aham
mama vartmAnuvartante
manuSyAH pArtha sarvazaH

ye—those who; yathA—as; mAm—to Me; prapadyante—surrender; tAn—
them; tathA—so; eva—certainly; bhajAmi—reward; aham—I; mama—My;
vartma—path; anuvartante—follow; manuSyAH—men; pArtha—O son of
PRthA; sarvazaH—in all respects.
TRANSLATION
“In whatever way My devotees surrender unto Me, I reward them
accordingly. Everyone follows My path in all respects, O son of PRthA.”
PURPORT
KRSNa was never ungrateful to the gopIs, for as He declares to Arjuna in this
verse from the Bhagavad-gItA (4.11), He reciprocates with His devotees in
proportion to the transcendental loving service they render unto Him.
Everyone follows the path that leads toward Him, but there are different
degrees of progress on that path, and the Lord is realized in proportion to
one’s advancement. The path is one, but the progress in approaching the
ultimate goal is different, and therefore the proportion of realization of this
goal—namely the absolute Personality of Godhead—is also different. The
gopIs attained the highest goal, and Lord Caitanya affirmed that there is no
method of worshiping God higher than that followed by the gopIs.
Adi 4.179
TEXT 179
se pratij~nA bha~Nga haila gopIra bhajane
tAhAte pramANa kRSNa-zrI-mukha-vacane

se—that; pratij~nA—promise; bha~Nga haila—was broken; gopIra—of the
gopIs; bhajane—by the worship; tAhAte—in that; pramANa—the proof;
kRSNa—of Lord KRSNa; zrI-mukha-vacane—by the words from the mouth.
TRANSLATION
That promise has been broken by the worship of the gopIs, as Lord KRSNa
Himself admits.
Adi 4.180
TEXT 180
na pAraye ’haà niravadya-saàyujAà
sva-sAdhu-kRtyaà vibudhAyuSApi vaH
yA mAbhajan durjaya-geha-zR~NkhalAH
saàvRzcya tad vaH pratiyAtu sAdhunA

na—not; pAraye—am able to make; aham—I; niravadya-saàyujAm—to
those who are completely free from deceit; sva-sAdhu-kRtyam—proper
compensation; vibudha-AyuSA—with a lifetime as long as that of the
demigods; api—although; vaH—to you; yAH—who; mA—Me; abhajan—
have worshiped; durjaya-geha-zR~NkhalAH—the chains of household life, which
are difficult to overcome; saàvRzcya—cutting; tat—that; vaH—of you;
pratiyAtu—let it be returned; sAdhunA—by the good activity itself.
TRANSLATION
“O gopIs, I am not able to repay My debt for your spotless service, even
within a lifetime of BrahmA. Your connection with Me is beyond reproach.
You have worshiped Me, cutting off all domestic ties, which are difficult to
break. Therefore please let your own glorious deeds be your compensation.”
PURPORT
This verse from zrImad-BhAgavatam (10.32.22) was spoken by zrI KRSNa
Himself when He returned to the gopIs upon hearing their songs of separation.
Adi 4.181
TEXT 181
tabe ye dekhiye gopIra nija-dehe prIta
seho ta’ kRSNera lAgi, jAniha nizcita

tabe—now; ye—whatever; dekhiye—we see; gopIra—of the gopIs; nija-
dehe—for their own bodies; prIta—affection; seho—that; ta’—certainly;
kRSNera lAgi—for Lord KRSNa; jAniha—know; nizcita—for certain.
TRANSLATION
Now, whatever affection we see the gopIs show for their own bodies, know it
for certain to be only for the sake of Lord KRSNa.
PURPORT
The selfless love of Godhead exhibited by the gopIs cannot have any parallel.
We should not, therefore, misunderstand the carefulness of the gopIs in their
personal decoration. The gopIs dressed themselves as beautifully as possible
just to make KRSNa happy by seeing them. They had no ulterior desires. They
dedicated their bodies, and everything they possessed, to the service of zrI
KRSNa, taking it for granted that their bodies were meant for His enjoyment.
They dressed themselves with the understanding that KRSNa would be happy
by seeing and touching them.
Adi 4.182
TEXT 182
‘ei deha kailu~N Ami kRSNe samarpaNa
tA~Nra dhana tA~Nra ihA sambhoga-sAdhana

ei—this; deha—body; kailu~N—have done; Ami—I; kRSNe—to Lord KRSNa;
samarpaNa—offering; tA~Nra—of Him; dhana—the wealth; tA~Nra—of Him;
ihA—this; sambhoga-sAdhana—brings about the enjoyment.
TRANSLATION
[The gopIs think:] “I have offered this body to Lord KRSNa. He is its owner, and
it brings Him enjoyment.
Adi 4.183
TEXT 183
e-deha-darzana-sparze kRSNa-santoSaNa’
ei lAgi’ kare dehera mArjana-bhUsaNa

e-deha—of this body; darzana—by sight; sparze—and touch; kRSNa—of Lord
KRSNa; santoSaNa—the satisfaction; ei lAgi’—for this; kare—they do;
dehera—of the body; mArjana—cleaning; bhUSaNa—decorating.
TRANSLATION
“KRSNa finds joy in seeing and touching this body.” It is for this reason that
they cleanse and decorate their bodies.
Adi 4.184
TEXT 184
nijA~Ngam api yA gopyo
mameti samupAsate
tAbhyaH paraà na me pArtha
nigUòha-prema-bhAjanam

nija-a~Ngam—own body; api—although; yAH—who; gopyaH—the gopIs;
mama—Mine; iti—thus thinking; samupAsate—engage in decorating;
tAbhyaH—than them; param—greater; na—not; me—for Me; pArtha—O
Arjuna; nigUòha-prema—of deep love; bhAjanam—receptacles.
TRANSLATION
“O Arjuna, there are no greater receptacles of deep love for Me than the
gopIs, who cleanse and decorate their bodies because they consider them
Mine.”
PURPORT
This verse is spoken by Lord KRSNa in the Adi PurANa.
Adi 4.185
TEXT 185
Ara eka adbhuta gopI-bhAvera svabhAva
buddhira gocara nahe yAhAra prabhAva

Ara—another; eka—one; adbhuta—wonderful; gopI-bhAvera—of the
emotion of the gopIs; svabhAva—nature; buddhira—of the intelligence;
gocara—an object of perception; nahe—is not; yAhAra—of which;
prabhAva—the power.
TRANSLATION
There is another wonderful feature of the emotion of the gopIs. Its power is
beyond the comprehension of the intelligence.
Adi 4.186
TEXT 186
gopI-gaNa kare yabe kRSNa-darazana
sukha-vA~nchA nAhi, sukha haya koTi-guNa

gopI-gaNa—the gopIs; kare—do; yabe—when; kRSNa-darazana—seeing Lord
KRSNa; sukha-vA~nchA—desire for happiness; nAhi—there is not; sukha—the
happiness; haya—there is; koTi-guNa—ten million times.
TRANSLATION
When the gopIs see Lord KRSNa, they derive unbounded bliss, although they
have no desire for such pleasure.
Adi 4.187
TEXT 187
gopIkA-darzane kRSNera ye Ananda haya
tAhA haite koTi-guNa gopI AsvAdaya

gopikA-darzane—in seeing the gopIs; kRSNera—of Lord KRSNa; ye—whatever;
Ananda—joy; haya—there is; tAhA haite—than that; koTi-guNa—ten million
times more; gopI—the gopIs; AsvAdaya—taste.
TRANSLATION
The gopIs taste a pleasure ten million times greater than the pleasure Lord
KRSNa derives from seeing them.
PURPORT
The wonderful characteristics of the gopIs are beyond imagination. They have
no desire for personal satisfaction, yet when KRSNa is happy by seeing them,
that happiness of KRSNa makes the gopIs a million times more happy than
KRSNa Himself.
Adi 4.188
TEXT 188
tA~N sabAra nAhi nija-sukha-anurodha
tathApi bAòhaye sukha, paòila virodha

tA~N sabAra—of all of them; nAhi—not; nija-sukha—for their own happiness;
anurodha—entreaty; tathApi—still; bAòhaye—increases; sukha—happiness;
paòila—happened; virodha—contradiction.
TRANSLATION
The gopIs have no inclination for their own enjoyment, and yet their joy
increases. That is indeed a contradiction.
Adi 4.189
TEXT 189
e virodhera eka mAtra dekhi samAdhAna
gopikAra sukha kRSNa-sukhe paryavasAna

e—this; virodhera—of the contradiction; eka—one; mAtra—only; dekhi—I
see; samAdhAna—solution; gopikAra—of the gopIs; sukha—the happiness;
kRSNa-sukhe—in the happiness of Lord KRSNa; paryavasAna—the conclusion.
TRANSLATION
For this contradiction I see only one solution: the joy of the gopIs lies in the
joy of their beloved KRSNa.
PURPORT
The situation of the gopIs is perplexing, for although they did not want
personal happiness, it was imposed upon them. The solution to this perplexity
is that zrI KRSNa’s sense of happiness is limited by the happiness of the gopIs.
Devotees at VRndAvana therefore try to serve the gopIs, namely RAdhArANI
and Her associates. If one gains the favor of the gopIs, he easily gains the
favor of KRSNa because on the recommendation of the gopIs KRSNa at once
accepts the service of a devotee. Lord Caitanya, therefore, wanted to please
the gopIs instead of KRSNa. But His contemporaries misunderstood Him, and
for this reason Lord Caitanya renounced the order of householder life and
became a sannyAsI.
Adi 4.190
TEXT 190
gopikA-darzane kRSNera bAòhe praphullatA
se mAdhurya bAòhe yAra nAhika samatA

gopikA-darzane—in seeing the gopIs; kRSNera—of Lord KRSNa; bAòhe—
increases; praphullatA—the cheerfulness; se—that; mAdhurya—sweetness;
bAòhe—increases; yAra—of which; nAhika—there is not; samatA—equality.
TRANSLATION
When Lord KRSNa sees the gopIs, His joy increases, and His unparalleled
sweetness increases also.
Adi 4.191
TEXT 191
AmAra darzane kRSNa pAila eta sukha
ei sukhe gopIra praphulla a~Nga-mukha

AmAra darzane—in seeing me; kRSNa—Lord KRSNa; pAila—obtained; eta—so
much; sukha—happiness; ei—this; sukhe—in happiness; gopIra—of the
gopIs; praphulla—full-blown; a~Nga-mukha—bodies and faces.
TRANSLATION
[The gopIs think:] “KRSNa has obtained so much pleasure by seeing me.” That
thought increases the fullness and beauty of their faces and bodies.
Adi 4.192
TEXT 192
gopI-zobhA dekhi’ kRSNera zobhA bAòhe yata
kRSNa-zobhA dekhi’ gopIra zobhA bAòhe tata

gopI-zobhA—the beauty of the gopIs; dekhi’—seeing; kRSNera—of Lord
KRSNa; zobhA—the beauty; bAòhe—increases; yata—as much as; kRSNa-
zobhA—the beauty of Lord KRSNa; dekhi’—seeing; gopIra—of the gopIs;
zobhA—the beauty; bAòhe—increases; tata—that much.
TRANSLATION
The beauty of Lord KRSNa increases at the sight of the beauty of the gopIs.
And the more the gopIs see Lord KRSNa’s beauty, the more their beauty
increases.
Adi 4.193
TEXT 193
ei-mata paraspara paòe huòAhuòi
paraspara bAòhe, keha mukha nAhi muòi

ei mata—like this; paraspara—reciprocal; paòe—happens; huòAhuòi—
jostling; paraspara—mutually; bAòhe—increases; keha—someone; mukha—
face; nAhi—not; muòi—covering.
TRANSLATION
In this way a competition takes place between them in which no one
acknowledges defeat.
Adi 4.194
TEXT 194
kintu kRSNera sukha haya gopI-rUpa-guNe
tA~Nra sukhe sukha-vRddhi haye gopI-gaNe

kintu—but; kRSNera—of Lord KRSNa; sukha—the happiness; haya—is; gopI-
rUpa-guNe—in the qualities and beauty of the gopIs; tA~Nra—of Him; sukhe—
in the happiness; sukha-vRddhi—increase of happiness; haye—there is; gopI-
gaNe—in the gopIs.
TRANSLATION
KRSNa, however, derives pleasure from the beauty and good qualities of the
gopIs. And when the gopIs see His pleasure, the joy of the gopIs increases.
Adi 4.195
TEXT 195
ataeva sei sukha kRSNa-sukha poSe
ei hetu gopI-preme nAhi kAma-doSe

ataeva—therefore; sei—that; sukha—happiness; kRSNa-sukha—the happiness
of Lord KRSNa; poSe—nourishes; ei—this; hetu—reason; gopI-preme—in the
love of the gopIs; nAhi—there is not; kAma-doSe—the fault of lust.
TRANSLATION
Therefore we find that the joy of the gopIs nourishes the joy of Lord KRSNa.
For that reason the fault of lust is not present in their love.
PURPORT
By looking at the beautiful gopIs KRSNa becomes enlivened, and this enlivens
the gopIs, whose youthful faces and bodies blossom. This competition of
increasing beauty between the gopIs and KRSNa, which is without limitations,
is so delicate that sometimes mundane moralists mistake these dealings to be
purely amorous. But these affairs are not at all mundane, because the gopIs’
intense desire to satisfy KRSNa surcharges the entire scene with pure love of
Godhead, with not a spot of sexual indulgence.
Adi 4.196
TEXT 196
upetya pathi sundarI-tatibhir Abhir abhyarcitaà
smitA~Nkura-karambitair naTad-apA~Nga-bha~NgI-zataiH
stana-stavaka-sa~ncaran-nayana-ca~ncarIkA~ncalaà
vraje vijayinaà bhaje vipina-dezataH kezavam

upetya—having mounted their palaces; pathi—on the path; sundarI-tatibhiH
AbhiH—by the women of Vraja; abhyarcitam—who is worshiped; smita-
a~Nkura-karambitaiH—intermingled with the sprouts of gentle smiles; naTat—
dancing; apA~Nga—of glances; bha~NgI-zataiH—with a hundred manners;
stana-stavaka—the multitude of breasts; sa~ncarat—wandering about;
nayana—of the two eyes; ca~ncarIka—like bees; a~ncalam—Him whose
corners; vraje—in Vraja; vijayinam—coming; bhaje—I worship; vipina-
dezataH—from the forest; kezavam—Lord Kezava.
TRANSLATION
“I worship Lord Kezava. Coming back from the forest of Vraja, He is
worshiped by the gopIs, who mount the roofs of their palaces and meet Him
on the path with a hundred manners of dancing glances and gentle smiles.
The corners of His eyes wander, like large black bees, around the gopIs’
breasts.”
PURPORT
This statement appears in the KezavASTaka (8) of the Stava-mAlA, compiled by
zrIla RUpa GosvAmI.
Adi 4.197
TEXT 197
Ara eka gopI-premera svAbhAvika cihna
ye prakAre haya prema kAma-gandha-hIna

Ara—another; eka—one; gopI-premera—of the love of the gopIs;
svAbhAvika—natural; cihna—symptom; ye—which; prakAre—in the way;
haya—is; prema—the love; kAma-gandha-hIna—without a trace of lust.
TRANSLATION
There is another natural symptom of the gopIs’ love that shows it to be
without a trace of lust.
Adi 4.198
TEXT 198
gopI-preme kare kRSNa-mAdhuryera puSTi
mAdhurye bAòhAya prema ha~nA mahA-tuSTi

gopI-preme—the love of the gopIs; kare—does; kRSNa-mAdhuryera—of the
sweetness of Lord KRSNa; puSTi—nourishment; mAdhurye—the sweetness;
bAòhAya—causes to increase; prema—the love; ha~nA—being; mahA-tuSTi—
greatly pleased.
TRANSLATION
The love of the gopIs nourishes the sweetness of Lord KRSNa. That sweetness
in turn increases their love, for they are greatly satisfied.
Adi 4.199
TEXT 199
prIti-viSayAnande tad-AzrayAnanda
tA~NhA nAhi nija-sukha-vA~nchAra sambandha

prIti-viSaya-Anande—in the joy of the object of love; tat—of that love;
Azraya-Ananda—the joy of the abode; tA~NhA—that; nAhi—not; nija-sukha-
vA~nchAra—of desire for one’s own happiness; sambandha—relationship.
TRANSLATION
The happiness of the abode of love is in the happiness of the object of that
love. This is not a relationship of desire for personal gratification.
Adi 4.200-201
TEXTS 200–201
nirupAdhi prema yA~NhA, tA~NhA ei rIti
prIti-viSaya-sukhe Azrayera prIti
nija-premAnande kRSNa-sevAnanda bAdhe
se Anandera prati bhaktera haya mahA-krodhe

nirupAdhi—without identification; prema—love; yA~NhA—which; tA~NhA—that;
ei—this; rIti—style; prIti-viSaya—of the object of love; sukhe—in the
happiness; Azrayera—of the abode of that love; prIti—the pleasure; nija—
one’s own; prema—of love; Anande—by the joy; kRSNa—to Lord KRSNa; seva-
Ananda—the joy of service; bAdhe—is obstructed; se—that; Anandera
prati—toward the joy; bhaktera—of the devotee; haya—is; mahA-krodhe—
great anger.
TRANSLATION
Whenever there is unselfish love, that is its style. The reservoir of love derives
pleasure when the lovable object is pleased. When the pleasure of love
interferes with the service of Lord KRSNa, the devotee becomes angry toward
such ecstasy.
PURPORT
As mentioned above, the gopIs are the predominated lovers, and zrI KRSNa is
the predominator, the beloved. The love of the predominated nourishes the
love of the predominator. The gopIs had no desire for selfish enjoyment. Their
feeling of happiness was indirect, for it was dependent on the pleasure of
KRSNa. Causeless love of Godhead is always so. Such pure love is possible only
when the predominated is made happy by the happiness of the predominator.
Such unadulterated love is exemplified when the lover deprecates her
happiness in service that hinders her from discharging it.
Adi 4.202
TEXT 202
a~Nga-stambhArambham uttu~Ngayantaà
premAnandaà dAruko nAbhyanandat
kaàsArAter vIjane yena sAkSAd
akSodIyAn antarAyo vyadhAyi

a~Nga—of the limbs; stambha-Arambham—the beginning of stupefaction;
uttu~Ngayantam—which was causing him to reach; prema-Anandam—the joy
of love; dArukaH—DAruka, the Lord’s chariot driver; na—not; abhyanandat—
welcomed; kaàsa-arAteH—of Lord KRSNa, the enemy of Kaàsa; vIjane—in
fanning with a cAmara fan; yena—by which; sAkSAt—clearly; akSodIyAn—
greater; antarAyaH—obstacle; vyadhAyi—has been created.
TRANSLATION
“zrI DAruka did not relish his ecstatic feelings of love, for they caused his
limbs to become stunned and thus obstructed his service of fanning Lord
KRSNa.”
PURPORT
This verse is from the Bhakti-rasAmRta-sindhu (3.2.62).
Adi 4.203
TEXT 203
govinda-prekSaNAkSepi-
bASpa-pUrAbhivarSiNam
uccair anindad Anandam
aravinda-vilocanA

govinda—of Lord Govinda; prekSaNa—the seeing; AkSepi—hindering; bASpa-
pUra—groups of tears; abhivarSiNam—which cause to rain; uccaiH—
powerfully; anindat—condemned; Anandam—the bliss; aravinda-vilocanA—
the lotus-eyed RAdhArANI.
TRANSLATION
“The lotus-eyed RAdhArANI powerfully condemned the ecstatic love that
caused a flow of tears that hindered Her sight of Govinda.”
PURPORT
This verse is also from the Bhakti-rasAmRta-sindhu (2.3.54).
Adi 4.204
TEXT 204
Ara zuddha-bhakta kRSNa-prema-sevA vine
sva-sukhArtha sAlokyAdi nA kare grahaNe

Ara—and; zuddha-bhakta—the pure devotee; kRSNa-prema—out of love for
Lord KRSNa; sevA—service; vine—without; sva-sukha-artha—for the purpose
of one’s own pleasure; sAlokya-Adi—the five types of liberation, beginning
from sAlokya (residing on the same spiritual planet as the Lord); nA kare—do
not do; grahaNe—acceptance.
TRANSLATION
Furthermore, pure devotees never forsake the loving service of Lord KRSNa to
aspire for their own personal pleasure through the five kinds of liberation.
PURPORT
A pure devotee of KRSNa who loves Him exclusively will flatly refuse to accept
any sort of liberation, beginning from merging with the body of the Lord and
extending to the other varieties of liberation, such as equality of form,
opulence or abode and the opulence of living near the Lord.
Adi 4.205
TEXT 205
mad-guNa-zruti-mAtreNa
mayi sarva-guhAzaye
mano-gatir avicchinnA
yathA ga~NgAmbhaso ’mbudhau

mat—of Me; guNa—of the qualities; zruti-mAtreNa—only by hearing; mayi—
to Me; sarva-guhA—in all hearts; Azaye—who am situated; manaH-gatiH—
the movement of the mind; avicchinnA—unobstructed; yathA—just as;
ga~NgA-ambhasaH—of the celestial waters of the Ganges; ambudhau—to the
ocean.
TRANSLATION
“Just as the celestial waters of the Ganges flow unobstructed into the ocean,
so when My devotees simply hear of Me, their minds come to Me, who reside
in the hearts of all.
Adi 4.206
TEXT 206
lakSaNaà bhakti-yogasya
nirguNasya hy udAhRtam
ahaituky avyavahitA
yA bhaktiH puruSottame

lakSaNam—the symptom; bhakti-yogasya—of devotional service;
nirguNasya—beyond the three modes of nature; hi—certainly; udAhRtam—is
cited; ahaitukI—causeless; avyavahitA—uninterrupted; yA—which; bhaktiH—
devotional service; puruSottame—to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
TRANSLATION
“These are the characteristics of transcendental loving service to
PuruSottama, the Supreme Personality of Godhead: it is causeless, and it
cannot be obstructed in any way.
Adi 4.207
TEXT 207
sAlokya-sArSTi-sArUpya-
sAmIpyaikatvam apy uta
dIyamAnaà na gRhNanti
vinA mat-sevanaà janAH

sAlokya—being on the same planet as Me; sArSTi—having opulence equal to
Mine; sArUpya—having the same form as Me; sAmIpya—having direct
association with Me; ekatvam—oneness with Me; api—even; uta—or;
dIyamAnam—being given; na—not; gRhNanti—accept; vinA—without; mat-
sevanam—My service; janAH—the devotees.
TRANSLATION
“My devotees do not accept sAlokya, sArSTi, sArUpya, sAmIpya or oneness with
Me—even if I offer these liberations—in preference to serving Me.”
PURPORT
These three verses from zrImad-BhAgavatam (3.29.11–13) were spoken by
Lord KRSNa in the form of Kapiladeva.
Adi 4.208
TEXT 208
mat-sevayA pratItaà te
sAlokyAdi-catuSTayam
necchanti sevayA pUrNAH
kuto ’nyat kAla-viplutam

mat—of Me; sevayA—by service; pratItam—obtained; te—they; sAlokya-
Adi—liberation, beginning sAlokya; catuSTayam—four kinds of; na icchanti—
do not desire; sevayA—by service; pUrNAH—complete; kutaH—where;
anyat—other things; kAla-viplutam—which are lost in time.
TRANSLATION
“My devotees, having fulfilled their desires by serving Me, do not accept the
four kinds of salvation that are easily earned by such service. Why then
should they accept any pleasures that are lost in the course of time?”
PURPORT
This verse from zrImad-BhAgavatam (9.4.67) was spoken by the Lord in
connection with the characteristics of MahArAja AmbarISa. Merging into the
existence of the Absolute is as temporary as living in the celestial kingdom.
Both of them are controlled by time; neither position is permanent.
Adi 4.209
TEXT 209
kAma-gandha-hIna svAbhAvika gopI-prema
nirmala, ujjvala, zuddha yena dagdha hema

kAma-gandha-hIna—without any scent of lust; svAbhAvika—natural; gopI-
prema—the love of the gopIs; nirmala—spotless; ujjvala—blazing; zuddha—
pure; yena—like; dagdha hema—molten gold.
TRANSLATION
The natural love of the gopIs is devoid of any trace of lust. It is faultless,
bright and pure, like molten gold.
Adi 4.210
TEXT 210
kRSNera sahAya, guru, bAndhava, preyasI
gopikA hayena priyA ziSyA, sakhI dAsI

kRSNera—of Lord KRSNa; sahAya—helpers; guru—teachers; bAndhava—
friends; preyasI—wives; gopikA—the gopIs; hayena—are; priyA—dear;
ziSyA—students; sakhI—confidantes; dAsI—servants.
TRANSLATION
The gopIs are the helpers, teachers, friends, wives, dear disciples, confidantes
and serving maids of Lord KRSNa.
Adi 4.211
TEXT 211
sahAyA guravaH ziSyA
bhujiSyA bAndhavAH striyaH
satyaà vadAmi te pArtha
gopyaH kià me bhavanti na

sahAyAH—helpers; guravaH—teachers; ziSyAH—students; bhujiSyAH—
servants; bAndhavAH—friends; striyaH—wives; satyam—truthfully;
vadAmi—I say; te—unto you; pArtha—O Arjuna; gopyaH—the gopIs; kim—
what; me—for Me; bhavanti—are; na—not.
TRANSLATION
“O PArtha, I speak to you the truth. The gopIs are My helpers, teachers,
disciples, servants, friends and consorts. I do not know what they are not to
Me.”
PURPORT
This verse was spoken by Lord KRSNa in the GopI-premAmRta.
Adi 4.212
TEXT 212
gopikA jAnena kRSNera manera vA~nchita
prema-sevA-paripATI, iSTa-samIhita

gopikA—the gopIs; jAnena—know; kRSNera—of Lord KRSNa; manera—of the
mind; vA~nchita—the desired object; prema-sevA—of service in love;
paripATI—perfection; iSTa-samIhita—achievement of the desired goal of life.
TRANSLATION
The gopIs know KRSNa’s desires, and they know how to render perfect loving
service for His enjoyment. They perform their service expertly for the
satisfaction of their beloved.
Adi 4.213
TEXT 213
man-mAhAtmyaà mat-saparyAà
mac-chraddhAà man-mano-gatam
jAnanti gopikAH pArtha
nAnye jAnanti tattvataH

mat-mAhAtmyam—My greatness; mat-saparyAm—My service; mat-
zraddhAm—respect for Me; mat-manaH-gatam—the intention of My mind;
jAnanti—they know; gopikAH—the gopIs; pArtha—O Arjuna; na—not;
anye—others; jAnanti—know; tattvataH—factually.
TRANSLATION
“O PArtha, the gopIs know My greatness, My loving service, respect for Me,
and My mentality. Others cannot really know these.”
PURPORT
This verse was spoken by Lord KRSNa to Arjuna in the Adi PurANa.
Adi 4.214
TEXT 214
sei gopI-gaNa-madhye uttamA rAdhikA
rUpe, guNe, saubhAgye, preme sarvAdhikA

sei—those; gopI-gaNa—the gopIs; madhye—among; uttamA—the highest;
rAdhikA—zrImatI RAdhArANI; rUpe—in beauty; guNe—in qualities;
saubhAgye—in good fortune; preme—in love; sarva-adhikA—above all.
TRANSLATION
Among the gopIs, zrImatI RAdhikA is the foremost. She surpasses all in beauty,
in good qualities, in good fortune and, above all, in love.
PURPORT
Among all the gopIs, zrImatI RAdhArANI is the most exalted. She is the most
beautiful, the most qualified and, above all, the greatest lover of KRSNa.
Adi 4.215
TEXT 215
yathA rAdhA priyA viSNos
tasyAH kuNòaà priyaà tathA
sarva-gopISu saivaikA
viSNor atyanta-vallabhA

yathA—just as; rAdhA—zrImatI RAdhArANI; priyA—very dear; viSNoH—to Lord
KRSNa; tasyAH—Her; kuNòam—bathing place; priyam—very dear; tathA—so
also; sarva-gopISu—among all the gopIs; sA—She; eva—certainly; ekA—
alone; viSNoH—of Lord KRSNa; atyanta-vallabhA—most dear.
TRANSLATION
“Just as RAdhA is dear to Lord KRsNa, so Her bathing place [RAdhA-kuNòa] is
dear to Him. She alone is His most beloved of all the gopIs.”
PURPORT
This verse is from the Padma PurANa.
Adi 4.216
TEXT 216
trai-lokye pRthivI dhanyA
yatra vRndAvanaà purI
tatrApi gopikAH pArtha
yatra rAdhAbhidhA mama

trai-lokye—in the three worlds; pRthivI—the earth; dhanyA—fortunate;
yatra—where; vRndAvanam—VRndAvana; purI—the town; tatra—there;
api—certainly; gopikAH—the gopIs; pArtha—O Arjuna; yatra—where;
rAdhA—zrImatI RAdhArANI; abhidhA—named; mama—My.
TRANSLATION
“O PArtha, in all the three planetary systems, this earth is especially fortunate,
for on earth is the town of VRndAvana. And there the gopIs are especially
glorious because among them is My zrImatI RAdhArANI.”
PURPORT
This verse, spoken by Lord KRSNa to Arjuna, is cited from the Adi PurANa.
Adi 4.217
TEXT 217
rAdhA-saha krIòA rasa-vRddhira kAraNa
Ara saba gopI-gaNa rasopakaraNa

rAdhA-saha—with zrImatI RAdhArANI; krIòA—pastimes; rasa—of mellow;
vRddhira—of the increase; kAraNa—the cause; Ara—the other; saba—all;
gopI-gaNa—gopIs; rasa-upakaraNa—accessories of mellow.
TRANSLATION
All the other gopIs help increase the joy of KRSNa’s pastimes with RAdhArANI.
The gopIs act as the instruments of Their mutual enjoyment.
PURPORT
It is said that the gopIs are divided into five groups, namely the sakhIs, nitya-
sakhIs, prANa-sakhIs, priya-sakhIs and parama-preSTha-sakhIs. All these fair-
complexioned associates of zrImatI RAdhArANI, the Queen of VRndAvana-
dhAma, are expert artists in evoking erotic sentiments in KRSNa. The parama-
preSTha-sakhIs are eight in number, and in the ecstatic dealings of KRSNa and
RAdhA they side sometimes with KRSNa and at other times with RAdhArANI, just
to create a situation in which it appears that they favor one against the other.
That makes the exchange of mellows more palatable.
Adi 4.218
TEXT 218
kRSNera vallabhA rAdhA kRSNa-prANa-dhana
tA~NhA vinu sukha-hetu nahe gopI-gaNa

kRSNera—of Lord KRSNa; vallabhA—beloved; rAdhA—zrImatI RAdhArANI; kRSNa-
prANa-dhana—the wealth of the life of Lord KRSNa; tA~NhA—Her; vinu—
without; sukha-hetu—cause of happiness; nahe—are not; gopI-gaNa—the
gopIs.
TRANSLATION
RAdhA is the beloved consort of KRSNa, and She is the wealth of His life.
Without Her, the gopIs cannot give Him pleasure.
Adi 4.219
TEXT 219
kaàsArir api saàsAra-
vAsanA-baddha-zR~NkhalAm
rAdhAm AdhAya hRdaye
tatyAja vraja-sundarIH

kaàsa-ariH—Lord KRSNa, the enemy of Kaàsa; api—moreover; saàsAra—for
the essence of enjoyment (rAsa-lIlA); vAsanA—by the desire; baddha—tied on;
zR~NkhalAm—who was like the chains; rAdhAm—zrImatI RAdhArANI; AdhAya—
taking; hRdaye—in the heart; tatyAja—left aside; vraja-sundarIH—the other
gopIs.
TRANSLATION
“Lord KRSNa, the enemy of Kaàsa, left aside the other gopIs during the rAsa
dance and took zrImatI RAdhArANI to His heart, for She is the helper of the
Lord in realizing the essence of His desires.”
PURPORT
In this verse from the GIta-govinda (3.1), Jayadeva GosvAmI describes zrI
KRSNa’s leaving the rAsa-lIlA to search for zrImatI RAdhArANI.
Adi 4.220
TEXT 220
sei rAdhAra bhAva la~nA caitanyAvatAra
yuga-dharma nAma-prema kaila paracAra

sei—that; rAdhAra—of zrImatI RAdhArANI; bhAva—the emotion; la~nA—taking;
caitanya—of Lord Caitanya; avatAra—the incarnation; yuga-dharma—the
religion of the age; nAma-prema—the holy name and love of Godhead;
kaila—did; paracAra—preaching.
TRANSLATION
Lord Caitanya appeared with the sentiment of RAdhA. He preached the
dharma of this age—the chanting of the holy name and pure love of God.
Adi 4.221
TEXT 221
sei bhAve nija-vA~nchA karila pUraNa
avatArera ei vA~nchA mUla-kAraNa

sei—that; bhAve—in the mood; nija-vA~nchA—His own desires, karila—did;
pUraNa—fulfilling; avatArera—of the incarnation; ei—this; vA~nchA—desire;
mUla—root; kAraNa—cause.
TRANSLATION
In the mood of zrImatI RAdhArANI, He also fulfilled His own desires. This is the
principal reason for His appearance.
Adi 4.222
TEXT 222
zrI-kRSNa-caitanya gosA~ni vrajendra-kumAra
rasa-maya-mUrti kRSNa sAkSAt zR~NgAra

zrI-kRSNa-caitanya gosA~ni—zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu; vrajendra-kumAra—the
child of King Nanda; rasa-maya—consisting of mellows; mUrti—the form;
kRSNa—Lord KRSNa; sAkSAt—directly; zR~NgAra—amorous love.
TRANSLATION
Lord zrI KRSNa Caitanya is KRSNa [Vrajendra-kumAra], the embodiment of rasas.
He is amorous love personified.
Adi 4.223
TEXT 223
sei rasa AsvAdite kaila avatAra
Anusa~Nge kaila saba rasera pracAra

sei—that; rasa—mellow; AsvAdite—to taste; kaila—made; avatAra—
incarnation; Anusa~Nge—as a secondary motive; kaila—did; saba—all;
rasera—of mellows; pracAra—broadcasting.
TRANSLATION
He made His appearance to taste that conjugal mellow and incidentally to
broadcast all the rasas.
Adi 4.224
TEXT 224
vizveSAm anura~njanena janayann Anandam indIvara-
zreNI-zyAmala-komalair upanayann a~Ngair ana~Ngotsavam
svacchandaà vraja-sundarIbhir abhitaH praty-a~Ngam Ali~NgitaH
zR~NgAraH sakhi mUrtimAn iva madhau mugdho hariH krIòati

vizveSAm—of all the gopIs; anura~njanena—by the act of pleasing; janayan—
producing; Anandam—the bliss; indIvara-zreNI—like a row of blue lotuses;
zyAmala—bluish black; komalaiH—and soft; upanayan—bringing; a~NgaiH—
with His limbs; ana~Nga-utsavam—a festival for Cupid; svacchandam—
without restriction; vraja-sundarIbhiH—by the young women of Vraja;
abhitaH—on both sides; prati-a~Ngam—each limb; Ali~NgitaH—embraced;
zR~NgAraH—amorous love; sakhi—O friend; mUrtimAn—embodied; iva—like;
madhau—in the springtime; mugdhaH—perplexed; hariH—Lord Hari;
krIòati—plays.
TRANSLATION
“My dear friends, just see how zrI KRSNa is enjoying the season of spring! With
the gopIs embracing each of His limbs, He is like amorous love personified.
With His transcendental pastimes, He enlivens all the gopIs and the entire
creation. With His soft bluish-black arms and legs, which resemble blue lotus
flowers, He has created a festival for Cupid.”
PURPORT
This is also a verse from the GIta-govinda (1.11).
Adi 4.225
TEXT 225
zrI-kRSNa-caitanya gosA~ni rasera sadana
azeSa-vizeSe kaila rasa AsvAdana

zrI-kRSNa-caitanya gosA~ni—Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu; rasera—of
mellow; sadana—the residence; azeSa-vizeSe—unlimited varieties of
enjoyment; kaila—did; rasa—mellow; AsvAdana—tasting.
TRANSLATION
Lord zrI KRSNa Caitanya is the abode of rasa. He Himself tasted the sweetness
of rasa in endless ways.
Adi 4.226
TEXT 226
sei dvAre pravartAila kali-yuga-dharma
caitanyera dAse jAne ei saba marma

sei dvAre—in that way; pravartAila—He initiated; kali-yuga—of the Age of
Kali; dharma—the religion; caitanyera—of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu;
dAse—the servant; jAne—knows; ei—these; saba—all; marma—secrets.
TRANSLATION
Thus He initiated the dharma for the Age of Kali. The devotees of Lord
Caitanya know all these truths.
PURPORT
Lord Caitanya is zrI KRSNa Himself, the absolute enjoyer of the love of the
gopIs. He Himself assumes the role of the gopIs to taste the predominated
happiness of transcendental mellows. He appeared in that mode, but
simultaneously He propagated the religious process for this age in a most
fascinating way. Only the confidential devotees of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu
can understand this transcendental secret.
Adi 4.227-228
TEXTS 227–228
advaita AcArya, nityAnanda, zrInivAsa
gadAdhara, dAmodara, murAri, haridAsa
Ara yata caitanya-kRSNera bhakta-gaNa
bhakti-bhAve zire dhari sabAra caraNa

advaita AcArya—Advaita AcArya; nityAnanda—Lord NityAnanda; zrInivAsa—
zrIvAsa PaNòita; gadAdhara—GadAdhara PaNòita; dAmodara—SvarUpa
DAmodara; murAri—MurAri Gupta; haridAsa—HaridAsa ThAkura; Ara—other;
yata—all; caitanya-kRSNera—of zrI KRSNa Caitanya; bhakta-gaNa—devotees;
bhakti-bhAve—with a devotional attitude; zire—on my head; dhari—I take;
sabAra—of all of them; caraNa—the lotus feet.
TRANSLATION
Advaita AcArya, Lord NityAnanda, zrIvAsa PaNòita, GadAdhara PaNòita,
SvarUpa DAmodara, MurAri Gupta, HaridAsa ThAkura and all the other
devotees of zrI KRSNa Caitanya—bowing down with devotion, I hold their
lotus feet on my head.
PURPORT
The author of zrI Caitanya-caritAmRta teaches us that we must offer our
respectful obeisances to all such pure confidential devotees of Lord Caitanya
if we indeed want to know Him in truth.
Adi 4.229
TEXT 229
SaSTha-zlokera ei kahila AbhAsa
mUla zlokera artha zuna kariye prakAza

SaSTha-zlokera—of the sixth verse; ei—this; kahila—has been spoken;
AbhAsa—a hint; mUla zlokera—of the original verse; artha—meaning; zuna—
please hear; kariye prakAza—I am revealing.
TRANSLATION
I have given a hint of the sixth verse. Now please hear as I reveal the meaning
of that original verse.
Adi 4.230
TEXT 230
zrI-rAdhAyAH praNaya-mahimA kIdRzo vAnayaivA-
svAdyo yenAdbhuta-madhurimA kIdRzo vA madIyaH
saukhyaà cAsyA mad-anubhavataH kIdRzaà veti lobhAt
tad-bhAvAòhyaH samajani zacI-garbha-sindhau harInduH

zrI-rAdhAyAH—of zrImatI RAdhArANI; praNaya-mahimA—the greatness of the
love; kIdRzaH—of what kind; vA—or; anayA—by this one (RAdhA); eva—
alone; AsvAdyaH—to be relished; yena—by that love; adbhuta-madhurimA—
the wonderful sweetness; kIdRzaH—of what kind; vA—or; madIyaH—of Me;
saukhyam—the happiness; ca—and; asyAH—Her; mat-anubhavataH—from
realization of My sweetness; kIdRzam—of what kind; vA—or; iti—thus;
lobhAt—from the desire; tat—Her; bhAva-AòhyaH—richly endowed with the
emotions; samajani—took birth; zacI-garbha—of the womb of zacI-devI;
sindhau—in the ocean; hari—Lord KRSNa; induH—like the moon.
TRANSLATION
“Desiring to understand the glory of RAdhArANI’s love, the wonderful qualities
in Him that She alone relishes through Her love, and the happiness She feels
when She realizes the sweetness of His love, the Supreme Lord Hari, richly
endowed with Her emotions, appeared from the womb of zrImatI zacI-devI,
as the moon appeared from the ocean.”
Adi 4.231
TEXT 231
e saba siddhAnta gUòha,——kahite nA yuyAya
nA kahile, keha ihAra anta nAhi pAya

e—this; saba—all; siddhAnta—conclusions; gUòha—very confidential;
kahite—to speak; nA—not; yuyAya—quite fit; nA—not; kahile—speaking;
keha—anyone; ihAra—of it; anta—end; nAhi—not; pAya—gets.
TRANSLATION
All these conclusions are unfit to disclose in public. But if they are not
disclosed, no one will understand them.
Adi 4.232
TEXT 232
ataeva kahi kichu kari~nA nigUòha
bujhibe rasika bhakta, nA bujhibe mUòha

ataeva—therefore; kahi—I speak; kichu—something; kari~nA—squeezing;
nigUòha—essence; bujhibe—can understand; rasika—humorous; bhakta—
devotees; nA—not; bujhibe—will understand; mUòha—rascals.
TRANSLATION
Therefore I shall mention them, revealing only their essence, so that loving
devotees will understand them but fools will not.
Adi 4.233
TEXT 233
hRdaye dharaye ye caitanya-nityAnanda
e-saba siddhAnte sei pAibe Ananda

hRdaye—in the heart; dharaye—captures; ye—anyone who; caitanya—zrI
Caitanya MahAprabhu; nityAnanda—and Lord NityAnanda; e-saba—all these;
siddhAnte—by transcendental conclusions; sei—that man; pAibe—will get;
Ananda—bliss.
TRANSLATION
Anyone who has captured Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu and Lord NityAnanda
Prabhu in his heart will become blissful by hearing all these transcendental
conclusions.
Adi 4.234
TEXT 234
e saba siddhAnta haya Amrera pallava
bhakta-gaNa-kokilera sarvadA vallabha

e—these; saba—all; siddhAnta—transcendental conclusions; haya—are;
Amrera—of mango; pallava—twigs; bhakta-gaNa—the devotees; kokilera—
to those who are just like cuckoo birds; sarvadA—always; vallabha—pleasing.
TRANSLATION
All these conclusions are like the newly grown twigs of a mango tree; they
are always pleasing to the devotees, who in this way resemble cuckoo birds.
Adi 4.235
TEXT 235
abhakta-uSTrera ithe nA haya praveza
tabe citte haya mora Ananda-vizeSa

abhakta—nondevotee; uSTrera—of a camel; ithe—in this; nA—not; haya—is
there; praveza—entrance; tabe—then; citte—in my heart; haya—there is;
mora—my; Ananda-vizeSa—special jubilation.
TRANSLATION
The camellike nondevotees cannot enter into these topics. Therefore there is
special jubilation in my heart.
Adi 4.236
TEXT 236
ye lAgi kahite bhaya, se yadi nA jAne
ihA va-i kibA sukha Ache tribhuvane

ye lAgi—for the matter of which; kahite bhaya—afraid to speak; se yadi
nAjAne—if they do not know; ihA va-i—except this; kibA—what; sukha—
happiness; Ache—there is; tri-bhuvane—in the three worlds.
TRANSLATION
For fear of them I do not wish to speak, but if they do not understand, then
what can be happier in all the three worlds?
Adi 4.237
TEXT 237
ataeva bhakta-gaNe kari namaskAra
niHza~Nke kahiye, tAra hauk camatkAra

ataeva—therefore; bhakta-gaNe—unto the devotees; kari—I offer;
namaskAra—obeisances; niHza~Nke—without any doubt; kahiye—I say; tAra—
of the devotees; hauk—let there be; camatkAra—astonishment.
TRANSLATION
Therefore after offering obeisances to the devotees, for their satisfaction I
shall speak without hesitating.
Adi 4.238
TEXT 238
kRSNera vicara eka Achaye antare
pUrNAnanda-pUrNa-rasa-rUpa kahe more

kRSNera—of Lord KRSNa; vicAra—consideration; eka—one; Achaye—is;
antare—within the heart; pUrNa-Ananda—complete transcendental bliss;
pUrNa-rasa-rUpa—full with transcendental mellows; kahe more—they say
unto Me.
TRANSLATION
Once Lord KRSNa considered within His heart, “Everyone says that I am
complete bliss, full of all rasas.
Adi 4.239
TEXT 239
AmA ha-ite Anandita haya tribhuvana
AmAke Ananda dibe——aiche kon jana

AmA ha-ite—from Me; Anandita—pleased; haya—becomes; tri-bhuvana—all
the three worlds; AmAke—unto Me; Ananda dibe—will give pleasure; aiche—
such; kon jana—what person.
TRANSLATION
“All the world derives pleasure from Me. Is there anyone who can give Me
pleasure?
Adi 4.240
TEXT 240
AmA haite yAra haya zata zata guNa
sei-jana AhlAdite pAre mora mana

AmA haite—than Me; yAra—whose; haya—there is; zata zata guNa—
hundreds of qualities more; sei-jana—that person; AhlAdite—to give pleasure;
pAre—is able; mora—My; mana—to the mind.
TRANSLATION
“One who has a hundred times more qualities than Me could give pleasure to
My mind.
Adi 4.241
TEXT 241
AmA haite guNI baòa jagate asambhava
ekali rAdhAte tAhA kari anubhava

AmA haite—than Me; guNI—qualified; baòa—greater; jagate—in the world;
asambhava—there is no possibility; ekali—only; rAdhAte—in zrImatI
RAdhArANI; tAhA—that; kari anubhava—I can understand.
TRANSLATION
“One more qualified than Me is impossible to find in the world. But in RAdhA
alone I feel the presence of one who can give Me pleasure.
Adi 4.242-243
TEXTS 242–243
koTi-kAma jini’ rUpa yadyapi AmAra
asamordhva-mAdhurya——sAmya nAhi yAra
mora rUpe ApyAyita haya tribhuvana
rAdhAra darzane mora juòAya nayana

koTi-kAma—ten million Cupids; jini’—conquering; rUpa—beauty; yadyapi—
although; AmAra—Mine; asama-Urdhva—unequaled and unsurpassed;
mAdhurya—sweetness; sAmya—equality; nAhi—there is not; yAra—of
whom; mora—My; rUpe—in beauty; ApyAyita—pleased; haya—becomes;
tri-bhuvana—all three worlds; rAdhAra—of zrImatI RAdhArANI; darzane—
seeing; mora—My; juòAya—satisfies; nayana—eyes.
TRANSLATION
“Although My beauty defeats the beauty of ten million Cupids, although it is
unequaled and unsurpassed, and although it gives pleasure to the three
worlds, seeing RAdhArANI gives pleasure to My eyes.
Adi 4.244
TEXT 244
mora vaàzI-gIte AkarSaye tri-bhuvana
rAdhAra vacane hare AmAra zravaNa

mora—My; vaàzI-gIte—by the vibration of the flute; AkarSaye—I attract;
tri-bhuvana—the three worlds; rAdhAra vacane—the words of zrImatI
RAdhArANI; hare—conquers; AmAra—My; zravaNa—hearing power.
TRANSLATION
“The vibration of My transcendental flute attracts the three worlds, but My
ears are enchanted by the sweet words of zrImatI RAdhArANI.
Adi 4.245
TEXT 245
yadyapi AmAra gandhe jagat sugandha
mora citta-prANa hare rAdhA-a~Nga-gandha

yadyapi—although; AmAra—My; gandhe—by the fragrance; jagat—the
whole universe; su-gandha—sweet-smelling; mora—My; citta-prANa—mind
and heart; hare—attracts; rAdhA—of zrImatI RAdhArANI; a~Nga—bodily;
gandha—flavor.
TRANSLATION
“Although My body lends fragrance to the entire creation, the scent of
RAdhArANI’s limbs captivates My mind and heart.
Adi 4.246
TEXT 246
yadyapi AmAra rase jagat sarasa
rAdhAra adhara-rasa AmA kare vaza

yadyapi—although; AmAra—of Me; rase—by the taste; jagat—the whole
world; sa-rasa—is palatable; rAdhAra—of zrImatI RAdhArANI; adhara-rasa—
the taste of the lips; AmA—Me; kare—makes; vaza—submissive.
TRANSLATION
“Although the entire creation is full of different tastes because of Me, I am
charmed by the nectarean taste of the lips of zrImatI RAdhArANI.
Adi 4.247
TEXT 247
yadyapi AmAra sparza koTIndu-zItala
rAdhikAra sparze AmA kare suzItala

yadyapi—although; AmAra—My; sparza—touch; koTi-indu—like millions
upon millions of moons; zItala—cool; rAdhikAra—of zrImatI RAdhArANI;
sparze—the touch; AmA—Me; kare—makes; su-zItala—very, very cool.
TRANSLATION
“And although My touch is cooler than ten million moons, I am refreshed by
the touch of zrImatI RAdhikA.
Adi 4.248
TEXT 248
ei mata jagatera sukhe Ami hetu
rAdhikAra rUpa-guNa AmAra jIvAtu

ei mata—in this way; jagatera—of the whole world; sukhe—in the matter of
happiness; Ami—I am; hetu—the cause; rAdhikAra—of zrImatI RAdhArANI;
rUpa-guNa—beauty and attributes; AmAra—My; jIvAtu—life and soul.
TRANSLATION
“Thus although I am the source of happiness for the entire world, the beauty
and attributes of zrI RAdhikA are My life and soul.
Adi 4.249
TEXT 249
ei mata anubhava AmAra pratIta
vicAri’ dekhiye yadi, saba viparIta

ei mata—in this way; anubhava—affectionate feelings; AmAra—My;
pratIta—understood; vicAri’—by consideration; dekhiye—I see; yadi—if;
saba—everything; viparIta—contrary.
TRANSLATION
“In this way My affectionate feelings for zrImatI RAdhArANI may be
understood, but on analysis I find them contradictory.
Adi 4.250
TEXT 250
rAdhAra darzane mora juòAya nayana
AmAra darzane rAdhA sukhe ageyAna

rAdhAra—of zrImatI RAdhArANI; darzane—in meeting; mora—My; juòAya—
are satisfied; nayana—eyes; AmAra—of Me; darzane—in meeting; rAdhA—
zrImatI RAdhArANI; sukhe—in happiness; ageyAna—more advanced.
TRANSLATION
“My eyes are fully satisfied when I look upon zrImatI RAdhArANI, but by
looking upon Me, She becomes even more advanced in satisfaction.
Adi 4.251
TEXT 251
paraspara veNu-gIte haraye cetana
mora bhrame tamAlere kare Ali~Ngana

paraspara—against each other; veNu-gIte—the singing of the bamboo;
haraye—attracts; cetana—consciousness; mora—of Me; bhrame—in
mistake; tamAlere—a black tree known as tamAla; kare—She does;
Ali~Ngana—embracing.
TRANSLATION
“The flutelike murmur of the bamboos rubbing against one another steals
RAdhArANI’s consciousness, for She thinks it to be the sound of My flute. And
She embraces a tamAla tree, mistaking it for Me.
Adi 4.252
TEXT 252
kRSNa-Ali~Ngana pAinu, janama saphale
kRSNa-sukhe magna rahe vRkSa kari’ kole

kRSNa—of Lord KRSNa; Ali~Ngana—the embrace; pAinu—I have gotten; janama
sa-phale—My birth is now fulfilled; kRSNa-sukhe—in the matter of pleasing
KRSNa; magna—immersed; rahe—She remains; vRkSa—the tree; kari’—
taking; kole—on the lap.
TRANSLATION
“‘I have gotten the embrace of zrI KRSNa,’ She thinks, ‘so now My life is
fulfilled.’ Thus She remains immersed in pleasing KRSNa, taking the tree in Her
arms.
Adi 4.253
TEXT 253
anukUla-vAte yadi pAya mora gandha
uòiyA paòite cAhe, preme haya andha

anukUla-vAte—in a favorable breeze; yadi—if; pAya—there is; mora—My;
gandha—fragrance; uòiyA—flying; paòite—to drop; cAhe—She wants;
preme—in ecstatic love; haya—becomes; andha—blind.
TRANSLATION
“When a favorable breeze carries to Her the fragrance of My body, She is
blinded by love and tries to fly into that breeze.
Adi 4.254
TEXT 254
tAmbUla-carvita yabe kare AsvAdane
Ananda-samudre òube, kichui nA jAne

tAmbUla—betel nut; carvita—chewed; yabe—when; kare—does;
AsvAdane—tasting; Ananda-samudre—in an ocean of transcendental bliss;
òube—drowns; kichui—anything; nA—not; jAne—knows.
TRANSLATION
“When She tastes the betel chewed by Me, She merges in an ocean of joy and
forgets everything else.
Adi 4.255
TEXT 255
AmAra sa~Ngame rAdhA pAya ye Ananda
zata-mukhe bali, tabu nA pAi tAra anta

AmAra—My; sa~Ngame—in association; rAdhA—zrImatI RAdhArANI; pAya—
gets; ye—whatever; Ananda—transcendental bliss; zata-mukhe—in hundreds
of mouths; bali—if I say; tabu—still; nA—not; pAi—I reach; tAra—its; anta—
limitation.
TRANSLATION
“Even with hundreds of mouths I could not express the transcendental
pleasure She derives from My association.
Adi 4.256
TEXT 256
lIlA-ante sukhe i~NhAra a~Ngera mAdhurI
tAhA dekhi’ sukhe Ami ApanA pAzari

lIlA-ante—at the end of Our pastimes; sukhe—in happiness; i~NhAra—of
zrImatI RAdhArANI; a~Ngera—of the body; mAdhurI—sweetness; tAhA—that;
dekhi’—seeing; sukhe—in happiness; Ami—I; ApanA—Myself; pAzari—
forget.
TRANSLATION
“Seeing the luster of Her complexion after Our pastimes together, I forget My
own identity in happiness.
Adi 4.257
TEXT 257
do~NhAra ye sama-rasa, bharata-muni mAne
AmAra vrajera rasa seha nAhi jAne

do~NhAra—of both; ye—whatever; sama-rasa—equal mellows; bharata-
muni—the saintly person named Bharata Muni; mAne—accepts; AmAra—My;
vrajera—of VRndAvana; rasa—mellows; seha—he; nAhi—not; jAne—knows.
TRANSLATION
“The sage Bharata has said that the mellows of lover and beloved are equal.
But he does not know the mellows of My VRndAvana.
PURPORT
According to expert sexologists like Bharata Muni, the male and the female
enjoy equally in material sexual pleasure. But in the spiritual world the
relationships are different, although this is unknown to mundane experts.
Adi 4.258
TEXT 258
anyera sa~Ngame Ami yata sukha pAi
tAhA haite rAdhA-sukha zata adhikAi

anyera—others; sa~Ngame—by meeting; Ami—I; yata—all; sukha—
happiness; pAi—get; tAhA haite—than that; rAdhA-sukha—happiness by
association with RAdhArANI; zata—one hundred times; adhikAi—increased.
TRANSLATION
“The happiness I feel when meeting RAdhArANI is a hundred times greater than
the happiness I get from meeting others.
Adi 4.259
TEXT 259
nirdhUtAmRta-mAdhurI-parimalaH kalyANi bimbAdharo
vaktraà pa~Nkaja-saurabhaà kuharita-zlAghA-bhidas te giraH
a~Ngaà candana-zItalaà tanur iyaà saundarya-sarvasva-bhAk
tvAm AsAdya mamedam indriya-kulaà rAdhe muhur modate

nirdhUta—defeats; amRta—of nectar; mAdhurI—the sweetness; parimalaH—
whose flavor; kalyANi—O most auspicious one; bImba-adharaH—red lips;
vaktram—face; pa~Nkaja-saurabham—which smells like a lotus flower;
kuharita—of the sweet sounds made by the cuckoos; zlAghA—the pride;
bhidaH—which defeat; te—Your; giraH—words; a~Ngam—limbs; candana-
zItalam—as cool as sandalwood pulp; tanuH—body; iyam—this; saundarya—
of beauty; sarva-sva-bhAk—which displays the all-in-all; tvAm—You;
AsAdya—tasting; mama—My; idam—this; indriya-kulam—all the senses;
rAdhe—O zrImatI RAdhArANI; muhuH—again and again; modate—become
pleased.
TRANSLATION
“‘My dear auspicious RAdhArANI, Your body is the source of all beauty. Your
red lips are softer than the sense of immortal sweetness, Your face bears the
aroma of a lotus flower, Your sweet words defeat the vibrations of the
cuckoo, and Your limbs are cooler than the pulp of sandalwood. All My
transcendental senses are overwhelmed in ecstatic pleasure by tasting You,
who are completely decorated by beautiful qualities.’
PURPORT
This verse, spoken by Lord KRSNa to RAdhA, is recorded in the Lalita-mAdhava
(9.9) of zrIla RUpa GosvAmI.
Adi 4.260
TEXT 260
rUpe kaàsa-harasya lubdha-nayanAà sparze ’tihRSyat-tvacaà
vANyAm utkalita-zrutià parimale saàhRSTa-nAsA-puTAm
Arajyad-rasanAà kilAdhara-puTe nya~ncan-mukhAmbho-ruhAà
dambhodgIrNa-mahA-dhRtià bahir api prodyad-vikArAkulAm

rUpe—in the beauty; kaàsa-harasya—of KRSNa, the enemy of Kaàsa;
lubdha—captivated; nayanAm—whose eyes; sparze—in the touch; ati-
hRSyat—very jubilant; tvacam—whose skin; vANyAm—in the vibration of the
words; utkalita—very eager; zrutim—whose ear; parimale—in the fragrance;
saàhRSTa—stolen by happiness; nAsA-puTAm—whose nostrils; Arajyat—being
completely attracted; rasanAm—whose tongue; kila—what to speak of;
adhara-puTe—to the lips; nya~ncat—bending down; mukha—whose face;
ambhaH-ruhAm—like a lotus flower; dambha—by pride; udgIrNa—
manifesting; mahA-dhRtim—great patience; bahiH—externally; api—
although; prodyat—manifesting; vikAra—transformations; AkulAm—
overwhelmed.
TRANSLATION
“‘Her eyes are enchanted by the beauty of Lord KRSNa, the enemy of Kaàsa.
Her body thrills in pleasure at His touch. Her ears are always attracted to His
sweet voice, Her nostrils are enchanted by His fragrance, and Her tongue
hankers for the nectar of His soft lips. She hangs down her lotuslike face,
exercising self-control only by pretense, but She cannot help showing the
external signs of Her spontaneous love for Lord KRSNa.’
PURPORT
Thus zrIla RUpa GosvAmI describes the countenance of RAdhArANI.
Adi 4.261
TEXT 261
tAte jAni, mote Ache kona eka rasa
AmAra mohinI rAdhA, tAre kare vaza

tAte—thereupon; jAni—I can understand; mote—in Me; Ache—there is;
kona—some; eka—one; rasa—transcendental mellow; AmAra—My;
mohinI—captivator; rAdhA—zrImatI RAdhArANI; tAre—Her; kare vaza—
subdues.
TRANSLATION
“Considering this, I can understand that some unknown mellow in Me controls
the entire existence of My captivator, zrImatI RAdhArANI.
Adi 4.262
TEXT 262
AmA haite rAdhA pAya ye jAtIya sukha
tAhA AsvAdite Ami sadAi unmukha

AmA haite—from Me; rAdhA—zrImatI RAdhArANI; pAya—gets; ye—whatever;
jAtIya—types of; sukha—happiness; tAhA—that; AsvAdite—to taste; Ami—I;
sadAi—always; unmukha—very eager.
TRANSLATION
“I am always eager to taste the joy that RAdhArANI derives from Me.
Adi 4.263
TEXT 263
nAnA yatna kari Ami, nAri AsvAdite
sei sukha-mAdhurya-ghrANe lobha bAòhe citte

nAnA—various; yatna—attempts; kari—do; Ami—I; nAri—I am not able;
AsvAdite—to taste; sei—that; sukha—of the happiness; mAdhurya—the
sweetness; ghrANe—by smelling; lobha—desire; bAòhe—increases; citte—in
the mind.
TRANSLATION
“In spite of various efforts, I have not been able to taste it. But My desire to
relish that pleasure increases as I smell its sweetness.
Adi 4.264
TEXT 264
rasa AsvAdite Ami kaila avatAra
prema-rasa AsvAdila vividha prakAra

rasa—mellows; AsvAdite—to taste; Ami—I; kaila—made; avatAra—
incarnation; prema-rasa—transcendental mellows of love; AsvAdila—I tasted;
vividha prakAra—different varieties of.
TRANSLATION
“Formerly I appeared in the world to taste mellows, and I tasted the mellows
of pure love in various ways.
Adi 4.265
TEXT 265
rAga-mArge bhakta bhakti kare ye prakAre
tAhA zikhAila lIlA-AcaraNa-dvAre

rAga-mArge—on the path of spontaneous love; bhakta—the devotee;
bhakti—devotional service; kare—does; ye prakAre—in what way; tAhA—
that; zikhAila—I taught; lIlA—pastimes; AcaraNa-dvAre—by means of
practical demonstration.
TRANSLATION
“I taught devotional service that springs from the devotees’ spontaneous love
by demonstrating it with My pastimes.
Adi 4.266
TEXT 266
ei tina tRSNA mora nahila pUraNa
vijAtIya-bhAve nahe tAhA AsvAdana

ei—these; tina—three; tRSNA—desires; mora—My; nahila—were not;
pUraNa—satisfied; vijAtIya—of the opposite partner of a relationship;
bhAve—in ecstasy; nahe—is not possible; tAhA—that; AsvAdana—tasting.
TRANSLATION
“But these three desires of Mine were not satisfied, for one cannot enjoy them
in a contrary position.
Adi 4.267
TEXT 267
rAdhikAra bhAva-kAnti a~NgIkAra vine
sei tina sukha kabhu nahe AsvAdane

rAdhikAra—of zrImatI RAdhArANI; bhAva-kAnti—luster of ecstatic love;
a~NgIkAra—accepting; vine—without; sei—those; tina—three; sukha—
happiness; kabhu—at any time; nahe—is not possible; AsvAdane—tasting.
TRANSLATION
“Unless I accept the luster of the ecstatic love of zrI RAdhikA, these three
desires cannot be fulfilled.
Adi 4.268
TEXT 268
rAdhA-bhAva a~NgIkari’ dhari’ tAra varNa
tina-sukha AsvAdite haba avatIrNa

rAdhA-bhAva—the moods of RAdhArANI; a~NgIkari’—accepting; dhari’—taking;
tAra varNa—Her bodily complexion; tina—three; sukha—happiness;
AsvAdite—to taste; haba—I shall; avatIrNa—descend as an incarnation.
TRANSLATION
“Therefore, assuming RAdhArANI’s sentiments and bodily complexion, I shall
descend to fulfill these three desires.”
Adi 4.269
TEXT 269
sarva-bhAve kaila kRSNa ei ta’ nizcaya
hena-kAle Aila yugAvatAra-samaya

sarva-bhAve—in all respects; kaila—made; kRSNa—Lord KRSNa; ei—this; ta’—
certainly; nizcaya—decision; hena-kAle—at this time; Aila—came; yuga-
avatAra—of the incarnation according to the age; samaya—the time.
TRANSLATION
In this way Lord KRSNa came to a decision. Simultaneously, the time came for
the incarnation of the age.
Adi 4.270
TEXT 270
sei-kAle zrI-advaita karena ArAdhana
tA~NhAra hu~NkAre kaila kRSNe AkarSaNa

sei-kAle—at that time; zrI-advaita—Advaita AcArya; karena—performs;
ArAdhana—worship; tA~NhAra—of Him; hu~NkAre—by the tumultuous call;
kaila—did; kRSNe—to Lord KRSNa; AkarSaNa—attraction.
TRANSLATION
At that time zrI Advaita was earnestly worshiping Him. Advaita attracted
Him with His loud calls.
Adi 4.271-272
TEXTS 271–272
pitA-mAtA, guru-gaNa, Age avatAri’
rAdhikAra bhAva-varNa a~NgIkAra kari’
nava-dvIpe zacI-garbha-zuddha-dugdha-sindhu
tAhAte prakaTa hailA kRSNa pUrNa indu

pitA-mAtA—parents; guru-gaNa—teachers; Age—first; avatAri’—descending;
rAdhikAra—of zrImatI RAdhArANI; bhAva-varNa—the luster of transcendental
ecstasy; a~NgIkAra kari’—accepting; navadvIpe—in NavadvIpa; zacI-garbha—
the womb of zacI; zuddha—pure; dugdha-sindhu—the ocean of milk;
tAhAte—in that; prakaTa—manifested; hailA—became; kRSNa—Lord KRSNa;
pUrNa indu—full moon.
TRANSLATION
First Lord KRSNa made His parents and elders appear. Then KRSNa Himself, with
the sentiments and complexion of RAdhikA, appeared in NavadvIpa, like the
full moon, from the womb of mother zacI, which is like an ocean of pure milk.
Adi 4.273
TEXT 273
ei ta’ karilu~N SaSTha zlokera vyAkhyAna
zrI-rUpa-gosA~nira pAda-padma kari’ dhyAna

ei ta’—thus; karilu~N—I have made; SaSTha zlokera—of the sixth verse;
vyAkhyAna—explanation; zrI-rUpa—zrIla RUpa GosvAmI; gosA~nira—of the
master; pAda-padma—lotus feet; kari’—doing; dhyAna—meditation.
TRANSLATION
Meditating on the lotus feet of zrI RUpa GosvAmI, I have thus explained the
sixth verse.
Adi 4.274
TEXT 274
ei dui zlokera Ami ye karila artha
zrI-rUpa-gosA~nira zloka pramANa samartha

ei—these; dui—two; zlokera—of the verses; Ami—I; ye—whatever; karila—
gave; artha—the meanings; zrI-rUpa-gosA~nira—of zrI RUpa GosvAmI; zloka—
verse; pramANa—evidence; samartha—competent.
TRANSLATION
I can support the explanation of these two verses [verses 5 and 6 of the First
Chapter] with a verse by zrI RUpa GosvAmI.
Adi 4.275
TEXT 275
apAraà kasyApi praNayi-jana-vRndasya kutukI
rasa-stomaà hRtvA madhuram upabhoktuà kam api yaH
rucaà svAm Avavre dyutim iha tadIyAà prakaTayan
sa devaz caitanyAkRtir atitarAà naH kRpayatu

apAram—boundless; kasya api—of someone; praNayi-jana-vRndasya—of the
multitude of lovers; kutukI—one who is curious; rasa-stomam—the group
of mellows; hRtvA—stealing; madhuram—sweet; upabhoktum—to enjoy;
kam api—some; yaH—who; rucam—luster; svAm—own; Avavre—covered;
dyutim—luster; iha—here; tadIyAm—related to Him; prakaTayan—
manifesting; saH—He; devaH—the Supreme Personality of Godhead;
caitanya-AkRtiH—having the form of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu; atitarAm—
greatly; naH—unto us; kRpayatu—may He show His mercy.
TRANSLATION
“Lord KRSNa desired to taste the limitless nectarean mellows of the love
possessed by one of His multitude of loving damsels [zrI RAdhA], and so He
has assumed the form of Lord Caitanya. He has tasted that love while hiding
His own dark complexion with Her effulgent yellow color. May that Lord
Caitanya confer upon us His grace.”
PURPORT
This is the third verse of the second CaitanyASTaka of zrIla RUpa GosvAmI’s
Stava-mAlA.
Adi 4.276
TEXT 276
ma~NgalAcaraNaà kRSNa-
caitanya-tattva-lakSaNam
prayojanaà cAvatAre
zloka-SaTkair nirUpitam

ma~Ngala-AcaraNam—invoking auspiciousness; kRSNa-caitanya—of Lord KRSNa
Caitanya MahAprabhu; tattva-lakSaNam—symptoms of the truth;
prayojanam—necessity; ca—also; avatAre—in the matter of His incarnation;
zloka—verses; SaTkaiH—by six; nirUpitam—ascertained.
TRANSLATION
Thus the auspicious invocation, the essential nature of the truth of Lord
Caitanya, and the need for His appearance have been set forth in six verses.
Adi 4.277
TEXT 277
zrI-rUpa-raghunAtha-pade yAra Aza
caitanya-caritAmRta kahe kRSNadAsa

zrI-rUpa—zrIla RUpa GosvAmI; raghunAtha—zrIla RaghunAtha dAsa GosvAmI;
pade—at the lotus feet; yAra—whose; Aza—expectation; caitanya-
caritAmRta—the book named Caitanya-caritAmRta; kahe—describes; kRSNa-
dAsa—zrIla KRSNadAsa KavirAja GosvAmI.
TRANSLATION
Praying at the lotus feet of zrI RUpa and zrI RaghunAtha, always desiring their
mercy, I, KRSNadAsa, narrate zrI Caitanya-caritAmRta, following in their
footsteps.
Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports to zrI Caitanya-caritAmRta, Adi-lIlA,
Fourth Chapter, describing the confidential reasons for the appearance of Lord
Caitanya.
Adi 5: The Glories Of Lord NityAnanda BalarAma
Chapter 5
The Glories Of Lord NityAnanda BalarAma
This chapter is chiefly devoted to describing the essential nature and glories
of zrI NityAnanda Prabhu. Lord zrI KRSNa is the absolute Personality of
Godhead, and His first expansion in a form for pastimes is zrI BalarAma.
Beyond the limitation of this material world is the spiritual sky, paravyoma,
which has many spiritual planets, the supreme of which is called KRSNaloka.
KRSNaloka, the abode of KRSNa, has three divisions, which are known as
DvArakA, MathurA and Gokula. In that abode the Personality of Godhead
expands Himself into four plenary portions—KRSNa, BalarAma, Pradyumna (the
transcendental Cupid) and Aniruddha. They are known as the original
quadruple forms.
In KRSNaloka is a transcendental place known as zvetadvIpa or VRndAvana.
Below KRSNaloka in the spiritual sky are the VaikuNTha planets. On each
VaikuNTha planet a four-handed NArAyaNa, expanded from the first quadruple
manifestation, is present. The Personality of Godhead known as zrI BalarAma
in KRSNaloka is the original Sa~NkarSaNa (attracting Deity), and from this
Sa~NkarSaNa expands another Sa~NkarSaNa, called MahA-sa~NkarSaNa, who
resides in one of the VaikuNTha planets. By His internal potency, MahA-
sa~NkarSaNa maintains the transcendental existence of all the planets in the
spiritual sky, where all the living beings are eternally liberated souls. The
influence of the material energy is conspicuous there by its absence. On those
planets the second quadruple manifestation is present.
Outside of the VaikuNTha planets is the impersonal manifestation of zrI KRSNa,
which is known as Brahmaloka. On the other side of Brahmaloka is the
spiritual kAraNa-samudra, or Causal Ocean. The material energy exists on the
other side of the Causal Ocean, without touching it. In the Causal Ocean is
MahA-ViSNu, the original puruSa expansion from Sa~NkarSaNa. MahA-ViSNu
places His glance over the material energy, and by a reflection of His
transcendental body He amalgamates Himself within the material elements.
As the source of the material elements, the material energy is known as
pradhAna, and as the source of the manifestations of the material energy it is
known as mAyA. But material nature is inert in that she has no independent
power to do anything. She is empowered to make the cosmic manifestation
by the glance of MahA-ViSNu. Therefore the material energy is not the original
cause of the material manifestation. Rather, the transcendental glance of
MahA-ViSNu over material nature produces that cosmic manifestation.
MahA-ViSNu again enters every universe as the reservoir of all living entities,
GarbhodakazAyI ViSNu. From GarbhodakazAyI ViSNu expands KSIrodakazAyI
ViSNu, the Supersoul of every living entity. GarbhodakazAyI ViSNu also has His
own VaikuNTha planet in every universe, where He lives as the Supersoul or
supreme controller of the universe. GarbhodakazAyI ViSNu reclines in the midst
of the watery portion of the universe and generates the first living creature of
the universe, BrahmA. The imaginary universal form is a partial manifestation
of GarbhodakazAyI ViSNu.
On the VaikuNTha planet in every universe is an ocean of milk, and within that
ocean is an island called zvetadvIpa, where Lord ViSNu lives. Therefore this
chapter describes two zvetadvIpas—one in the abode of KRSNa and the other
in the ocean of milk in every universe. The zvetadvIpa in the abode of KRSNa is
identical with VRndAvana-dhAma, which is the place where KRSNa appears
Himself to display His loving pastimes. In the zvetadvIpa within every
universe is a zeSa form of Godhead who serves ViSNu by assuming the form
of His umbrella, slippers, couch, pillows, garments, residence, sacred thread,
throne and so on.
Lord Baladeva in KRSNaloka is NityAnanda Prabhu. Therefore NityAnanda
Prabhu is the original Sa~NkarSaNa, and MahA-sa~NkarSaNa and His expansions
as the puruSas in the universes are plenary expansions of NityAnanda Prabhu.
In this chapter the author has described the history of his leaving home for a
personal pilgrimage to VRndAvana and his achieving all success there. In this
description it is revealed that the author’s original paternal home and
birthplace were in the district of Katwa, in the village of JhAmaTapura, which is
near NaihATI. KRSNadAsa KavirAja’s brother invited zrI MInaketana RAmadAsa, a
great devotee of Lord NityAnanda, to his home, but a priest named
GuNArNava Mizra did not receive him well, and KRSNadAsa KavirAja GosvAmI’s
brother, not recognizing the glories of Lord NityAnanda, also took sides with
the priest. Therefore RAmadAsa became sorry, broke his flute and went away.
This was a great disaster for the brother of KRSNadAsa KavirAja GosvAmI. But
on that very night Lord NityAnanda Prabhu Himself graced KRSNadAsa KavirAja
GosvAmI in a dream and ordered him to leave on the next day for VRndAvana.
Adi 5.1
TEXT 1
vande ’nantAdbhutaizvaryaà
zrI-nityAnandam Izvaram
yasyecchayA tat-svarUpam
aj~nenApi nirUpyate

vande—let me offer my obeisances; ananta—unlimited; adbhuta—and
wonderful; aizvaryam—whose opulence; zrI-nityAnandam—unto Lord
NityAnanda; Izvaram—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; yasya—whose;
icchayA—by the will; tat-svarUpam—His identity; aj~nena—by the ignorant;
api—even; nirUpyate—can be ascertained.
TRANSLATION
Let me offer my obeisances to Lord zrI NityAnanda, the Supreme Personality
of Godhead, whose opulence is wonderful and unlimited. By His will, even a
fool can understand His identity.
Adi 5.2
TEXT 2
jaya jaya zrI-caitanya jaya nityAnanda
jayAdvaita-candra jaya gaura-bhakta-vRnda

jaya jaya—all glories; zrI-caitanya—to zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu; jaya
nityAnanda—all glories to Lord NityAnanda; jaya advaita-candra—all glories
to Advaita AcArya; jaya gaura-bhakta-vRnda—all glories to the devotees of
Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu.
TRANSLATION
All glories to zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu! All glories to Lord NityAnanda! All
glories to Advaita AcArya! And all glories to all the devotees of Lord Caitanya
MahAprabhu!
Adi 5.3
TEXT 3
ei SaT-zloke kahila kRSNa-caitanya-mahimA
pa~nca-zloke kahi nityAnanda-tattva-sImA

ei—this; SaT-zloke—in six verses; kahila—described; kRSNa-caitanya-
mahimA—the glories of Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu; pa~nca-zloke—in five
verses; kahi—let me explain; nityAnanda—of Lord NityAnanda; tattva—of
the truth; sImA—the limitation.
TRANSLATION
I have described the glory of zrI KRSNa Caitanya in six verses. Now, in five
verses I shall describe the glory of Lord NityAnanda.
Adi 5.4
TEXT 4
sarva-avatArI kRSNa svayaà bhagavAn
tA~NhAra dvitIya deha zrI-balarAma

sarva-avatArI—the source of all incarnations; kRSNa—Lord KRSNa; svayam—
personally; bhagavAn—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; tA~NhAra—His;
dvitIya—second; deha—expansion of the body; zrI-balarAma—Lord
BalarAma.
TRANSLATION
The Supreme Personality of Godhead, KRSNa, is the fountainhead of all
incarnations. Lord BalarAma is His second body.
PURPORT
Lord zrI KRSNa, the absolute Personality of Godhead, is the primeval Lord, the
original form of Godhead, and His first expansion is zrI BalarAma. The
Personality of Godhead can expand Himself in innumerable forms. The forms
that have unlimited potency are called svAàza, and forms that have limited
potencies (the living entities) are called vibhinnAàza.
Adi 5.5
TEXT 5
eka-i svarUpa do~Nhe, bhinna-mAtra kAya
Adya kAya-vyUha, kRSNa-lIlAra sahAya

eka-i—one; svarUpa—identity; do~Nhe—both of Them; bhinna-mAtra kAya—
only two different bodies; Adya—original; kAya-vyUha—quadruple
expansions; kRSNa-lIlAra—in the pastimes of Lord KRSNa; sahAya—assistance.
TRANSLATION
These two are one and the same identity. They differ only in form. Lord
BalarAma is the first bodily expansion of KRSNa, and He assists in Lord KRSNa’s
transcendental pastimes.
PURPORT
BalarAma is a svAàza expansion of the Lord, and therefore there is no
difference in potency between KRSNa and BalarAma. The only difference is in
Their bodily structure. As the first expansion of Godhead, BalarAma is the
chief Deity among the first quadruple forms, and He is the foremost assistant
of zrI KRSNa in His transcendental activities.
Adi 5.6
TEXT 6
sei kRSNa——navadvIpe zrI-caitanya-candra
sei balarAma——sa~Nge zrI-nityAnanda

sei kRSNa—that original KRSNa; navadvIpe—at NavadvIpa; zrI-caitanya-
candra—Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu; sei balarAma—that Lord BalarAma;
sa~Nge—with Him; zrI-nityAnanda—Lord NityAnanda.
TRANSLATION
That original Lord KRSNa appeared in NavadvIpa as Lord Caitanya, and
BalarAma appeared with Him as Lord NityAnanda.
Adi 5.7
TEXT 7
sa~NkarSaNaH kAraNa-toya-zAyI
garbhoda-zAyI ca payobdhi-zAyI
zeSaz ca yasyAàza-kalAH sa nityA-
nandAkhya-rAmaH zaraNaà mamAstu

sa~NkarSaNaH—MahA-sa~NkarSaNa in the spiritual sky; kAraNa-toya-zAyI—
KAraNodakazAyI ViSNu, who lies in the Causal Ocean; garbha-uda-zAyI—
GarbhodakazAyI ViSNu, who lies in the Garbhodaka Ocean of the universe;
ca—and; payaH-abdhi-zAyI—KSIrodakazAyI ViSNu, who lies in the ocean of
milk; zeSaH—zeSa NAga, the couch of ViSNu; ca—and; yasya—whose;
aàza—plenary portions; kalAH—and parts of the plenary portions; saH—He;
nityAnanda-Akhya—known as Lord NityAnanda; rAmaH—Lord BalarAma;
zaraNam—shelter; mama—my; astu—let there be.
TRANSLATION
May zrI NityAnanda RAma be the object of my constant remembrance.
Sa~NkarSaNa, zeSa NAga and the ViSNus who lie on the KAraNa Ocean, Garbha
Ocean and ocean of milk are His plenary portions and the portions of His
plenary portions.
PURPORT
zrI SvarUpa DAmodara GosvAmI has recorded this verse in his diary to offer
his respectful obeisances to Lord NityAnanda Prabhu. This verse also appears
as the seventh of the first fourteen verses of zrI Caitanya-caritAmRta.
Adi 5.8
TEXT 8
zrI-balarAma gosA~ni mUla-sa~NkarSaNa
pa~nca-rUpa dhari’ karena kRSNera sevana

zrI-balarAma—BalarAma; gosA~ni—the Lord; mUla-sa~NkarSaNa—the original
Sa~NkarSaNa; pa~nca-rUpa dhari’—accepting five bodies; karena—does;
kRSNera—of Lord KRSNa; sevana—service.
TRANSLATION
Lord BalarAma is the original Sa~NkarSaNa. He assumes five other forms to
serve Lord KRSNa.
Adi 5.9
TEXT 9
Apane karena kRSNa-lIlAra sahAya
sRSTi-lIlA-kArya kare dhari’ cAri kAya

Apane—personally; karena—performs; kRSNa-lIlAra sahAya—assistance in the
pastimes of Lord KRSNa; sRSTi-lIlA—of the pastimes of creation; kArya—the
work; kare—does; dhari’—accepting; cAri kAya—four bodies.
TRANSLATION
He Himself helps in the pastimes of Lord KRSNa, and He does the work of
creation in four other forms.
Adi 5.10
TEXT 10
sRSTy-Adika sevA,——tA~Nra Aj~nAra pAlana
‘zeSa’-rUpe kare kRSNera vividha sevana

sRSTi-Adika sevA—service in the matter of creation; tA~Nra—His; Aj~nAra—of
the order; pAlana—execution; zeSa-rUpe—the form of Lord zeSa; kare—does;
kRSNera—of Lord KRSNa; vividha sevana—varieties of service.
TRANSLATION
He executes the orders of Lord KRSNa in the work of creation, and in the form
of Lord zeSa He serves KRSNa in various ways.
PURPORT
According to expert opinion, BalarAma, as the chief of the original quadruple
forms, is also the original Sa~NkarSaNa. BalarAma, the first expansion of KRSNa,
expands Himself in five forms: (1) MahA-sa~NkarSaNa, (2) KAraNAbdhizAyI, (3)
GarbhodakazAyI, (4) KSIrodakazAyI, and (5) zeSa. These five plenary portions
are responsible for both the spiritual and material cosmic manifestations. In
these five forms Lord BalarAma assists Lord KRSNa in His activities. The first
four of these forms are responsible for the cosmic manifestations, whereas
zeSa is responsible for personal service to the Lord. zeSa is called Ananta, or
unlimited, because He assists the Personality of Godhead in His unlimited
expansions by performing an unlimited variety of services. zrI BalarAma is the
servitor Godhead who serves Lord KRSNa in all affairs of existence and
knowledge. Lord NityAnanda Prabhu, who is the same servitor Godhead,
BalarAma, performs the same service to Lord GaurA~Nga by constant
association.
Adi 5.11
TEXT 11
sarva-rUpe AsvAdaye kRSNa-sevAnanda
sei balarAma——gaura-sa~Nge nityAnanda

sarva-rUpe—in all these forms; AsvAdaye—tastes; kRSNa-sevA-Ananda—the
transcendental bliss of serving KRSNa; sei balarAma—that Lord BalarAma;
gaura-sa~Nge—with Gaurasundara; nityAnanda—Lord NityAnanda.
TRANSLATION
In all the forms He tastes the transcendental bliss of serving KRSNa. That same
BalarAma is Lord NityAnanda, the companion of Lord Gaurasundara.
Adi 5.12
TEXT 12
saptama zlokera artha kari cAri-zloke
yAte nityAnanda-tattva jAne sarva-loke

saptama zlokera—of the seventh verse; artha—the meaning; kari—I do; cAri-
zloke—in four verses; yAte—in which; nityAnanda-tattva—the truth of Lord
NityAnanda; jAne—one knows; sarva-loke—all over the world.
TRANSLATION
I have explained the seventh verse in four subsequent verses. By these verses
all the world can know the truth about Lord NityAnanda.
Adi 5.13
TEXT 13
mAyAtIte vyApi-vaikuNTha-loke
pUrNaizvarye zrI-catur-vyUha-madhye
rUpaà yasyodbhAti sa~NkarSaNAkhyaà
taà zrI-nityAnanda-rAmaà prapadye

TRANSLATION
I surrender unto the lotus feet of zrI NityAnanda RAma, who is known as
Sa~NkarSaNa in the midst of the catur-vyUha [consisting of VAsudeva,
Sa~NkarSaNa, Pradyumna and Aniruddha]. He possesses full opulences and
resides in VaikuNThaloka, far beyond the material creation.
PURPORT
This is a verse from zrI SvarUpa DAmodara GosvAmI’s diary. It appears as the
eighth of the first fourteen verses of zrI Caitanya-caritAmRta.
Adi 5.14
TEXT 14
prakRtira pAra ‘paravyoma’-nAme dhAma
kRSNa-vigraha yaiche vibhUty-Adi-guNavAn

prakRtira—the material nature; pAra—beyond; para-vyoma—the spiritual sky;
nAme—in name; dhAma—the place; kRSNa-vigraha—the form of Lord KRSNa;
yaiche—just as; vibhUti-Adi—like the six opulences; guNa-vAn—full with
transcendental attributes.
TRANSLATION
Beyond the material nature lies the realm known as paravyoma, the spiritual
sky. Like Lord KRSNa Himself, it possesses all transcendental attributes, such as
the six opulences.
PURPORT
According to SA~Nkhya philosophy, the material cosmos is composed of
twenty-four elements: the five gross material elements, the three subtle
material elements, the five knowledge-acquiring senses, the five active
senses, the five objects of sense pleasure, and the mahat-tattva (the total
material energy). Empiric philosophers, unable to go beyond these elements,
speculate that anything beyond them must be avyakta, or inexplicable. But
the world beyond the twenty-four elements is not inexplicable, for it is
explained in the Bhagavad-gItA as the eternal (sanAtana) nature. Beyond the
manifested and unmanifested existence of material nature (vyaktAvyakta) is
the sanAtana nature, which is called the paravyoma, or the spiritual sky. Since
that nature is spiritual in quality, there are no qualitative differences there:
everything there is spiritual, everything is good, and everything possesses the
spiritual form of zrI KRSNa Himself. That spiritual sky is the manifested internal
potency of zrI KRSNa; it is distinct from the material sky, manifested by His
external potency.
The all-pervading Brahman, composed of the impersonal glowing rays of zrI
KRSNa, exists in the spiritual world with the VaikuNTha planets. We can get
some idea of that spiritual sky by a comparison to the material sky, for the
rays of the sun in the material sky can be compared to the brahmajyoti, the
glowing rays of the Personality of Godhead. In the brahmajyoti there are
unlimited VaikuNTha planets, which are spiritual and therefore self-luminous,
with a glow many times greater than that of the sun. The Personality of
Godhead zrI KRSNa, His innumerable plenary portions and the portions of His
plenary portions dominate each VaikuNTha planet. In the highest region of the
spiritual sky is the planet called KRSNaloka, which has three divisions, namely
DvArakA, MathurA and Goloka, or Gokula.
To a gross materialist this kingdom of God, VaikuNTha, is certainly a mystery.
But to an ignorant man everything is a mystery for want of sufficient
knowledge. The kingdom of God is not a myth. Even the material planets,
which float over our heads in the millions and billions, are still a mystery to the
ignorant. Material scientists are now attempting to penetrate this mystery,
and a day may come when the people of this earth will be able to travel in
outer space and see the variegatedness of these millions of planets with their
own eyes. In every planet there is as much material variegatedness as we find
in our own planet.
This planet earth is but an insignificant spot in the cosmic structure. Yet
foolish men, puffed up by a false sense of scientific advancement, have
concentrated their energy in the pursuit of so-called economic development
on this planet, not knowing of the variegated economic facilities available on
other planets. According to modern astronomy, the gravity of the moon is
different from that of earth. Therefore one who goes to the moon will be able
to pick up large weights and jump vast distances. In the RAmAyaNa, HanumAn
is described as being able to lift huge weights as heavy as hills and jump over
the ocean. Modern astronomy has confirmed that this is indeed possible.
The disease of the modern civilized man is his disbelief of everything in the
revealed scriptures. Faithless nonbelievers cannot make progress in spiritual
realization, for they cannot understand the spiritual potency. The small fruit of
a banyan contains hundreds of seeds, and in each seed is the potency to
produce another banyan tree with the potency to produce millions more of
such fruits. This law of nature is visible before us, although how it works is
beyond our understanding. This is but an insignificant example of the potency
of Godhead; there are many similar phenomena that no scientist can explain.
Everything, in fact, is inconceivable, for the truth is revealed only to the
proper persons. Although there are varieties of personalities, from BrahmA
down to the insignificant ant, all of whom are living beings, their
development of knowledge is different. Therefore we have to gather
knowledge from the right source. Indeed, in reality we can get knowledge
only from the Vedic sources. The four Vedas, with their supplementary
PurANas, the MahAbhArata, the RAmAyaNa and their corollaries, which are
known as smRtis, are all authorized sources of knowledge. If we are at all to
gather knowledge, we must gather it from these sources without hesitation.
Revealed knowledge may in the beginning be unbelievable because of our
paradoxical desire to verify everything with our tiny brains, but the
speculative means of attaining knowledge is always imperfect. The perfect
knowledge propounded in the revealed scriptures is confirmed by the great
AcAryas, who have left ample commentations upon them; none of these
AcAryas has disbelieved in the zAstras. One who disbelieves in the zAstras is an
atheist, and we should not consult an atheist, however great he may be. A
staunch believer in the zAstras, with all their diversities, is the right person
from whom to gather real knowledge. Such knowledge may seem
inconceivable in the beginning, but when put forward by the proper authority
its meaning is revealed, and then one no longer has any doubts about it.
Adi 5.15
TEXT 15
sarvaga, ananta, vibhu——vaikuNThAdi dhAma
kRSNa, kRSNa-avatArera tAhA~ni vizrAma

sarva-ga—all-pervading; ananta—unlimited; vibhu—greatest; vaikuNTha-Adi
dhAma—all the places known as VaikuNThaloka; kRSNa—of Lord KRSNa; kRSNa-
avatArera—of the incarnations of Lord KRSNa; tAhA~ni—there; vizrAma—the
residence.
TRANSLATION
That VaikuNTha region is all-pervading, infinite and supreme. It is the residence
of Lord KRSNa and His incarnations.
Adi 5.16
TEXT 16
tAhAra upari-bhAge ‘kRSNa-loka’-khyAti
dvArakA-mathurA-gokula——tri-vidhatve sthiti

tAhAra—of all of them; upari-bhAge—on the top; kRSNa-loka-khyAti—the
planet known as KRSNaloka; dvArakA-mathurA-gokula—the three places
known as DvArakA, MathurA and VRndAvana; tri-vidhatve—in three
departments; sthiti—situated.
TRANSLATION
In the highest region of that spiritual sky is the spiritual planet called
KRSNaloka. It has three divisions—DvArakA, MathurA and Gokula.
Adi 5.17
TEXT 17
sarvopari zrI-gokula——vrajaloka-dhAma
zrI-goloka, zvetadvIpa, vRndAvana nAma

sarva-upari—above all of them; zrI-gokula—the place known as Gokula;
vraja-loka-dhAma—the place of Vraja; zrI-goloka—the place named Goloka;
zveta-dvIpa—the white island; vRndAvana nAma—also named VRndAvana.
TRANSLATION
zrI Gokula, the highest of all, is also called Vraja, Goloka, zvetadvIpa and
VRndAvana.
Adi 5.18
TEXT 18
sarvaga, ananta, vibhu, kRSNa-tanu-sama
upary-adho vyApiyAche, nAhika niyama

sarva-ga—all-pervading; ananta—unlimited; vibhu—the greatest; kRSNa-
tanu-sama—exactly like the transcendental body of KRSNa; upari-adhaH—up
and down; vyApiyAche—expanded; nAhika—there is no; niyama—regulation.
TRANSLATION
Like the transcendental body of Lord KRSNa, Gokula is all-pervading, infinite
and supreme. It expands both above and below, without any restriction.
PURPORT
zrIla JIva GosvAmI, the great authority and philosopher in the line of zrI
Caitanya MahAprabhu, has discussed the abode of KRSNa in his KRSNa-
sandarbha. In the Bhagavad-gItA the Lord refers to “My abode.” zrIla JIva
GosvAmI, examining the nature of KRSNa’s abode, refers to the Skanda PurANa,
which states:
yA yathA bhuvi vartante puryo bhagavataH priyAH
tAs tathA santi vaikuNThe tat-tal-lIlArtham AdRtAH
“The abodes of Godhead in the material world, such as DvArakA, MathurA and
Gokula, are facsimiles representing the abodes of Godhead in the kingdom of
God, VaikuNTha-dhAma.” The unlimited spiritual atmosphere of that
VaikuNTha-dhAma is far above and beyond the material cosmos. This is
confirmed in the SvAyambhuva-tantra, in a discussion between Lord ziva and
PArvatI regarding the effect of chanting the mantra of fourteen syllables.
There it is stated:
nAnA-kalpa-latAkIrNaà vaikuNThaà vyApakaà smaret
adhaH sAmyaà guNAnAà ca prakRtiH sarva-kAraNam
“While chanting the mantra, one should always remember the spiritual world,
which is very extensive and full of desire trees that can yield anything one
desires. Below that VaikuNTha region is the potential material energy, which
causes the material manifestation.” The places of the pastimes of Lord KRSNa,
such as DvArakA, MathurA and VRndAvana, eternally and independently exist
in KRSNaloka. They are the actual abodes of Lord KRSNa, and there is no doubt
that they are situated above the material cosmic manifestation.
The abode known as VRndAvana or Gokula is also known as Goloka. The
Brahma-saàhitA states that Gokula, the highest region of the kingdom of
God, resembles a lotus flower with thousands of petals. The outer portion of
that lotuslike planet is a square place known as zvetadvIpa. In the inner
portion of Gokula there is an elaborate arrangement for zrI KRSNa’s residence
with His eternal associates such as Nanda and YazodA. That transcendental
abode exists by the energy of zrI Baladeva, who is the original whole of zeSa,
or Ananta. The tantras also confirm this description by stating that the abode
of zrI Anantadeva, a plenary portion of Baladeva, is called the kingdom of
God. VRndAvana-dhAma is the innermost abode within the quadrangular realm
of zvetadvIpa, which lies outside of the boundary of Gokula VRndAvana.
According to JIva GosvAmI, VaikuNTha is also called Brahmaloka. The NArada-
pa~ncarAtra, in a statement concerning the mystery of Vijaya, describes:
tat sarvopari goloke tatra lokopari svayam
viharet paramAnandI govindo ’tula-nAyakaH
“The predominator of the gopIs, Govinda, the principal Deity of Gokula,
always enjoys Himself in a place called Goloka, in the topmost part of the
spiritual sky.”
From the authoritative evidence cited by JIva GosvAmI we may conclude that
KRSNaloka is the supreme planet in the spiritual sky, which is far beyond the
material cosmos. For the enjoyment of transcendental variety, the pastimes of
KRSNa there have three divisions, and these pastimes are performed in the
three abodes DvArakA, MathurA and Gokula. When KRSNa descends to this
universe, He enjoys the pastimes in places of the same name. These places on
earth are nondifferent from those original abodes, for they are facsimiles of
those original holy places in the transcendental world. They are as good as zrI
KRSNa Himself and are equally worshipable. Lord Caitanya declared that Lord
KRSNa, who presents Himself as the son of the King of Vraja, is worshipable,
and that VRndAvana-dhAma is equally worshipable.
Adi 5.19
TEXT 19
brahmANòe prakAza tAra kRSNera icchAya
eka-i svarUpa tAra, nAhi dui kAya

brahmANòe—within the material world; prakAza—manifestation; tAra—of it;
kRSNera icchAya—by the supreme will of Lord KRSNa; eka-i—it is the same;
svarUpa—identity; tAra—of it; nAhi—not; dui—two; kAya—bodies.
TRANSLATION
That abode is manifested within the material world by the will of Lord KRSNa.
It is identical to that original Gokula; they are not two different bodies.
PURPORT
The above-mentioned dhAmas are movable, by the omnipotent will of Lord
KRSNa. When zrI KRSNa appears on the face of the earth, He can also make His
dhAmas appear, without changing their original structure. One should not
discriminate between the dhAmas on the earth and those in the spiritual sky,
thinking those on earth to be material and the original abodes to be spiritual.
All of them are spiritual. Only for us, who cannot experience anything beyond
matter in our present conditioned state, do the dhAmas and the Lord Himself,
in His arcA form, appear before us resembling matter to give us the facility to
see spirit with material eyes. In the beginning this may be difficult for a
neophyte to understand, but in due course, when one is advanced in
devotional service, it will be easier, and he will appreciate the Lord’s presence
in these tangible forms.
Adi 5.20
TEXT 20
cintAmaNi-bhUmi, kalpa-vRkSa-maya vana
carma-cakSe dekhe tAre prapa~ncera sama

cintAmaNi-bhUmi—the land of touchstone; kalpa-vRkSa-maya—full of desire
trees; vana—forests; carma-cakSe—the material eyes; dekhe—see; tAre—it;
prapa~ncera sama—equal to the material creation.
TRANSLATION
The land there is touchstone [cintAmaNi], and the forests abound with desire
trees. Material eyes see it as an ordinary place.
PURPORT
By the grace of the Lord His dhAmas and He Himself can all be present
simultaneously, without losing their original importance. Only when one fully
develops in affection and love of Godhead can one see those dhAmas in their
original appearance.
zrIla Narottama dAsa ThAkura, a great AcArya in the preceptorial line of Lord
zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu, has said for our benefit that one can perfectly see
the dhAmas only when one completely gives up the mentality of lording it
over material nature. One’s spiritual vision develops proportionately to one’s
giving up the debased mentality of unnecessarily enjoying matter. A diseased
person who has become diseased because of a certain bad habit must be
ready to follow the advice of the physician, and as a natural sequence he
must attempt to give up the cause of the disease. The patient cannot indulge
in the bad habit and at the same time expect to be cured by the physician.
Modern materialistic civilization, however, is maintaining a diseased
atmosphere. The living being is a spiritual spark, as spiritual as the Lord
Himself. The only difference is that the Lord is great and the living being is
small. Qualitatively they are one, but quantitatively they are different.
Therefore, since the living being is spiritual in constitution, he can be happy
only in the spiritual sky, where there are unlimited spiritual spheres called
VaikuNThas. A spiritual being conditioned by a material body must therefore
try to get rid of his disease instead of developing the cause of the disease.
Foolish persons engrossed in their material assets are unnecessarily proud of
being leaders of the people, but they ignore the spiritual value of man. Such
illusioned leaders make plans covering any number of years, but they can
hardly make humanity happy in a state conditioned by the threefold miseries
inflicted by material nature. One cannot control the laws of nature by any
amount of struggling. One must at last be subject to death, nature’s ultimate
law. Death, birth, old age and illness are symptoms of the diseased condition
of the living being. The highest aim of human life should therefore be to get
free from these miseries and go back home, back to Godhead.
Adi 5.21
TEXT 21
prema-netre dekhe tAra svarUpa-prakAza
gopa-gopI-sa~Nge yA~NhA kRSNera vilAsa

prema-netre—with the eyes of love of Godhead; dekhe—one sees; tAra—its;
svarUpa-prakAza—manifestation of identity; gopa—cowherd boys; gopI-
sa~Nge—with the cowherd damsels; yA~NhA—where; kRSNera vilAsa—the
pastimes of Lord KRSNa.
TRANSLATION
But with the eyes of love of Godhead one can see its real identity as the place
where Lord KRSNa performs His pastimes with the cowherd boys and cowherd
girls.
Adi 5.22
TEXT 22
cintAmaNi-prakara-sadmasu kalpa-vRkSa-
lakSAvRteSu surabhIr abhipAlayantam
lakSmI-sahasra-zata-sambhrama-sevyamAnaà
govindam Adi-puruSaà tam ahaà bhajAmi

cintAmaNi—touchstone; prakara—groups made of; sadmasu—in abodes;
kalpa-vRkSa—of desire trees; lakSa—by millions; AvRteSu—surrounded;
surabhIH—surabhi cows; abhipAlayantam—tending; lakSmI—of goddesses of
fortune; sahasra—of thousands; zata—by hundreds; sambhrama—with great
respect; sevyamAnam—being served; govindam—Govinda; Adi-puruSam—
the original person; tam—Him; aham—I; bhajAmi—worship.
TRANSLATION
“I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, the first progenitor, who is tending
cows yielding all desires in abodes built with spiritual gems and surrounded by
millions of purpose trees. He is always served with great reverence and
affection by hundreds and thousands of goddesses of fortune.”
PURPORT
This is a verse from the Brahma-saàhitA (5.29). This description of the abode
of KRSNa gives us definite information of the transcendental place where not
only is life eternal, blissful and full of knowledge, but there are ample
vegetables, milk, jewels, and beautiful homes and gardens tended by lovely
damsels who are all goddesses of fortune. KRSNaloka is the topmost planet in
the spiritual sky, and below it are innumerable spheres, a description of which
can be found in zrImad-BhAgavatam. In the beginning of Lord BrahmA’s self-
realization he was shown a transcendental vision of the VaikuNTha spheres by
the grace of NArAyaNa. Later, by the grace of KRSNa, he was shown a
transcendental vision of KRSNaloka. This transcendental vision is like the
reception of television from the moon via a mechanical system for receiving
modulated waves, but it is achieved by penance and meditation within
oneself.
zrImad-BhAgavatam (Second Canto) states that in VaikuNThaloka the material
modes of nature, represented by the qualities of goodness, passion and
ignorance, have no influence. In the material world the highest qualitative
manifestation is goodness, which is characterized by truthfulness, mental
equilibrium, cleanliness, control of the senses, simplicity, essential knowledge,
faith in God, scientific knowledge and so on. Nevertheless, all these qualities
are mixed with passion and imperfection. But the qualities in VaikuNTha are a
manifestation of God’s internal potency, and therefore they are purely
spiritual and transcendental, with no trace of material infection. No material
planet, even Satyaloka, is comparable in quality to the spiritual planets, where
the five inherent qualities of the material world—namely ignorance, misery,
egoism, anger and envy—are completely absent.
In the material world, everything is a creation. Anything we can think of
within our experience, including even our own bodies and minds, was created.
This process of creation began with the life of BrahmA, and the creative
principle is prevalent all over the material universe because of the quality of
passion. But since the quality of passion is conspicuous by its absence in the
VaikuNTha planets, nothing there is created; everything there is eternally
existent. And because there is no mode of ignorance, there is also no question
of annihilation or destruction. In the material world one may try to make
everything permanent by developing the above-mentioned qualities of
goodness, but because the goodness in the material world is mixed with
passion and ignorance, nothing here can exist permanently, despite all the
good plans of the best scientific brains. Therefore in the material world we
have no experience of eternity, bliss and fullness of knowledge. But in the
spiritual world, because of the complete absence of the qualitative modes,
everything is eternal, blissful and cognizant. Everything can speak, everything
can move, everything can hear, and everything can see in fully blessed
existence for eternity. The situation being so, naturally space and time, in the
forms of past, present and future, have no influence there. In the spiritual sky
there is no change because time has no influence. Consequently, the influence
of mAyA, the total external energy, which induces us to become more and
more materialistic and forget our relationship with God, is also absent there.
As spiritual sparks of the beams emanating from the transcendental body of
the Lord, we are all permanently related with Him and equal to Him in quality.
The material energy is a covering of the spiritual spark, but in the absence of
that material covering, the living beings in VaikuNThaloka are never forgetful
of their identities: they are eternally cognizant of their relationship with God
in their constitutional position of rendering transcendental loving service to
the Lord. Because they constantly engage in the transcendental service of the
Lord, it is natural to conclude that their senses are also transcendental, for one
cannot serve the Lord with material senses. The inhabitants of VaikuNThaloka
do not possess material senses with which to lord it over material nature.
Persons with a poor fund of knowledge conclude that a place void of material
qualities must be some sort of formless nothingness. In reality, however, there
are qualities in the spiritual world, but they are different from the material
qualities because everything there is eternal, unlimited and pure. The
atmosphere there is self-illuminating, and thus there is no need of a sun, a
moon, fire, electricity and so on. One who can reach that abode does not
come back to the material world with a material body. There is no difference
between atheists and the faithful in the VaikuNTha planets because all who
settle there are freed from the material qualities, and thus suras and asuras
become equally obedient loving servitors of the Lord.
The residents of VaikuNTha have brilliantly black complexions much more
fascinating and attractive than the dull white and black complexions found in
the material world. Their bodies, being spiritual, have no equals in the material
world. The beauty of a bright cloud when lightning flashes on it merely hints
at their beauty. Generally the inhabitants of VaikuNTha dress in yellow
clothing. Their bodies are delicate and attractively built, and their eyes are like
the petals of lotus flowers. Like Lord ViSNu, the residents of VaikuNTha have
four hands decorated with a conchshell, wheel, club and lotus flower. Their
chests are beautifully broad and fully decorated with necklaces of a brilliant
diamondlike metal surrounded by costly jewels never to be found in the
material world. The residents of VaikuNTha are always powerful and effulgent.
Some of them have complexions like red coral cat’s eyes and lotus flowers,
and each of them has earrings of costly jewels. On their heads they wear
flowery crowns resembling garlands.
In the VaikuNThas there are airplanes, but they make no tumultuous sounds.
Material airplanes are not at all safe: they can fall down and crash at any time,
for matter is imperfect in every respect. In the spiritual sky, however, the
airplanes are also spiritual, and they are spiritually brilliant and bright. These
airplanes do not fly business executives, politicians or planning commissions
as passengers, nor do they carry cargo or postal bags, for these are all
unknown there. These planes are for pleasure trips only, and the residents of
VaikuNTha fly in them with their heavenly, beautiful, fairylike consorts.
Therefore these airplanes, full of residents of VaikuNTha, both male and
female, increase the beauty of the spiritual sky. We cannot imagine how
beautiful they are, but their beauty may be compared to the clouds in the sky
accompanied by silver branches of electric lightning. The spiritual sky of
VaikuNThaloka is always decorated in this way.
The full opulence of the internal potency of Godhead is always resplendent in
VaikuNThaloka, where goddesses of fortune are ever-increasingly attached to
serving the lotus feet of the Personality of Godhead. These goddesses of
fortune, accompanied by their friends, always create a festive atmosphere of
transcendental mirth. Always singing the glories of the Lord, they are not
silent even for a moment.
There are unlimited VaikuNTha planets in the spiritual sky, and the ratio of
these planets to the material planets in the material sky is three to one. Thus
the poor materialist is busy making political adjustments on a planet that is
most insignificant in God’s creation. To say nothing of this planet earth, the
whole universe, with innumerable planets throughout the galaxies, is
comparable to a single mustard seed in a bag full of mustard seeds. But the
poor materialist makes plans to live comfortably here and thus wastes his
valuable human energy in something that is doomed to frustration. Instead of
wasting his time with business speculations, he should seek the life of plain
living and high spiritual thinking and thus save himself from perpetual
materialistic unrest.
Even if a materialist wants to enjoy developed material facilities, he can
transfer himself to planets where he can experience material pleasures much
more advanced than those available on earth. The best plan is to prepare
oneself to return to the spiritual sky after leaving the body. However, if one is
intent on enjoying material facilities, one can transfer himself to other planets
in the material sky by utilizing yogic powers. The playful spaceships of the
astronauts are but childish entertainments and are of no use for this purpose.
The aSTA~Nga-yoga system is a materialistic art of controlling air by transferring
it from the stomach to the navel, from the navel to the heart, from the heart
to the collarbone, from there to the eyeballs, from there to the cerebellum and
from there to any desired planet. The velocities of air and light are taken into
consideration by the material scientist, but he has no information of the
velocity of the mind and intelligence. We have some limited experience of the
velocity of the mind because in a moment we can transfer our minds to
places hundreds of thousands of miles away. Intelligence is even finer. Finer
than intelligence is the soul, which is not matter like mind and intelligence but
is spirit, or antimatter. The soul is hundreds of thousands of times finer and
more powerful than intelligence. We can thus only imagine the velocity of the
soul in its traveling from one planet to another. Needless to say, the soul
travels by its own strength and not with the help of any kind of material
vehicle.
The bestial civilization of eating, sleeping, fearing and sense-gratifying has
misled modern man into forgetting how powerful a soul he has. As we have
already described, the soul is a spiritual spark many, many times more
illuminating, dazzling and powerful than the sun, moon or electricity. Human
life is spoiled when man does not realize his real identity with his soul. Lord
Caitanya appeared with Lord NityAnanda to save man from this type of
misleading civilization.
zrImad-BhAgavatam also describes how yogIs can travel to all the planets in
the universe. When the vital force is lifted to the cerebellum, there is every
chance that this force will burst out from the eyes, nose, ears, etc., as these
are places that are known as the seventh orbit of the vital force. But the yogIs
can block these holes by complete suspension of air. The yogI then
concentrates the vital force in the middle position, that is, between the
eyebrows. At this position, the yogI can think of the planet to which he wants
to go after leaving the body. He can then decide whether he wants to go to
the abode of KRSNa in the transcendental VaikuNThas, from which he will not
be required to descend into the material world, or to travel to higher planets
in the material universe. The perfect yogI is at liberty to do either.
For the perfect yogI who has attained success in the method of leaving his
body in perfect consciousness, transferring from one planet to another is as
easy as an ordinary man’s walking to the grocery store. As already discussed,
the material body is just a covering of the spiritual soul. Mind and intelligence
are the undercoverings, and the gross body of earth, water, air and so on is
the overcoating of the soul. As such, any advanced soul who has realized
himself by the yogic process, who knows the relationship between matter and
spirit, can leave the gross dress of the soul in perfect order and as he desires.
By the grace of God, we have complete freedom. Because the Lord is kind to
us, we can live anywhere—either in the spiritual sky or in the material sky,
upon whichever planet we desire. However, misuse of this freedom causes
one to fall down into the material world and suffer the threefold miseries of
conditioned life. The living of a miserable life in the material world by dint of
the soul’s choice is nicely illustrated by Milton in Paradise Lost. Similarly, by
choice the soul can regain paradise and return home, back to Godhead.
At the critical time of death, one can place the vital force between the two
eyebrows and decide where he wants to go. If he is reluctant to maintain any
connection with the material world, he can, in less than a second, reach the
transcendental abode of VaikuNTha and appear there completely in his spiritual
body, which will be suitable for him in the spiritual atmosphere. He has simply
to desire to leave the material world both in finer and in grosser forms and
then move the vital force to the topmost part of the skull and leave the body
from the hole in the skull called the brahma-randhra. This is easy for one
perfect in the practice of yoga.
Of course, man is endowed with free will, and as such if he does not want to
free himself from the material world he may enjoy the life of brahma-pada
(occupation of the post of BrahmA) and visit Siddhaloka, the planets of
materially perfect beings, who have full capacities to control gravity, space
and time. To visit these higher planets in the material universe, one need not
give up his mind and intelligence (finer matter), but need only give up grosser
matter (the material body).
Each and every planet has its particular atmosphere, and if one wants to
travel to any particular planet within the material universe, one has to adapt
his material body to the climatic condition of that planet. For instance, if one
wants to go from India to Europe, where the climatic condition is different,
one has to change his dress accordingly. Similarly, a complete change of body
is necessary if one wants to go to the transcendental planets of VaikuNTha.
However, if one wants to go to the higher material planets, he can keep his
finer dress of mind, intelligence and ego, but has to leave his gross dress
(body) made of earth, water, fire, etc.
When one goes to a transcendental planet, it is necessary to change both the
finer and gross bodies, for one has to reach the spiritual sky completely in a
spiritual form. This change of dress will take place automatically at the time of
death if one so desires.
The Bhagavad-gItA confirms that one will attain his next material body
according to his desires at the time he leaves his body. The desire of the mind
carries the soul to a suitable atmosphere as the wind carries aromas from one
place to another. Unfortunately, those who are not yogIs but gross
materialists, who throughout their lives indulge in sense gratification, are
puzzled by the disarrangement of the bodily and mental condition at the time
of death. Such gross sensualists, encumbered by the main ideas, desires and
associations of the lives they have led, desire something against their interest
and thus foolishly take on new bodies that perpetuate their material miseries.
Systematic training of the mind and intelligence is therefore needed so that at
the time of death one may consciously desire a suitable body, either on this
planet or another material planet or even a transcendental planet. A
civilization that does not consider the progressive advancement of the
immortal soul merely fosters a bestial life of ignorance.
It is foolish to think that every soul that passes away goes to the same place.
Either the soul goes to a place he desires at the time of death, or upon leaving
his body he is forced to accept a position according to his acts in his previous
life. The difference between the materialist and the yogI is that a materialist
cannot determine his next body, whereas a yogI can consciously attain a
suitable body for enjoyment in the higher planets. Throughout his life, the
gross materialist who is constantly after sense gratification spends all day
earning his livelihood to maintain his family, and at night he wastes his energy
in sex enjoyment or else goes to sleep thinking about all he has done in the
daytime. That is the monotonous life of the materialist. Although differently
graded as businessmen, lawyers, politicians, professors, judges, coolies,
pickpockets, laborers and so on, materialists all simply engage in eating,
sleeping, fearing and sense gratification and thus spoil their valuable lives
pursuing luxury and neglecting to perfect their lives through spiritual
realization.
YogIs, however, try to perfect their lives, and therefore the Bhagavad-gItA
enjoins that everyone should become a yogI. Yoga is the system for linking
the soul in the service of the Lord. Only under superior guidance can one
practice such yoga in his life without changing his social position. As already
described, a yogI can go anywhere he desires without mechanical help, for a
yogI can place his mind and intelligence within the air circulating inside his
body, and by practicing the art of breath control he can mix that air with the
air that blows all over the universe outside his body. With the help of this
universal air, a yogI can travel to any planet and get a body suitable for its
atmosphere. We can understand this process by comparing it to the electronic
transmission of radio messages. With radio transmitters, sound waves
produced at a certain station can travel all over the earth in seconds. But
sound is produced from the ethereal sky, and as already explained, subtler
than the ethereal sky is the mind, and finer than the mind is the intelligence.
Spirit is still finer than the intelligence, and by nature it is completely different
from matter. Thus we can just imagine how quickly the spirit soul can travel
through the universal atmosphere.
To come to the stage of manipulating finer elements like mind, intelligence
and spirit, one needs appropriate training, an appropriate mode of life and
appropriate association. Such training depends upon sincere prayers,
devotional service, achievement of success in mystic perfection, and the
successful merging of oneself in the activities of the soul and Supersoul. A
gross materialist, whether he be an empiric philosopher, a scientist, a
psychologist or whatever, cannot attain such success through blunt efforts
and word jugglery.
Materialists who perform yaj~nas, or great sacrifices, are comparatively better
than grosser materialists who do not know anything beyond laboratories and
test tubes. The advanced materialists who perform such sacrifices can reach
the planet called VaizvAnara, a fiery planet similar to the sun. On this planet,
which is situated on the way to Brahmaloka, the topmost planet in the
universe, such an advanced materialist can free himself from all traces of vice
and its effects. When such a materialist is purified, he can rise to the orbit of
the pole star (Dhruvaloka). Within this orbit, which is called the zizumAra-
cakra, are situated the Aditya-lokas and the VaikuNTha planet within this
universe.
A purified materialist who has performed many sacrifices, undergone severe
penances and given the major portion of his wealth in charity can reach such
planets as Dhruvaloka, and if he becomes still more qualified there, he can
penetrate still higher orbits and pass through the navel of the universe to
reach the planet Maharloka, where sages like BhRgu Muni live. In Maharloka
one can live even to the time of the partial annihilation of the universe. This
annihilation begins when Anantadeva, from the lowest position in the
universe, produces a great blazing fire. The heat of this fire reaches even
Maharloka, and then the residents of Maharloka travel to Brahmaloka, which
exists for twice the duration of parArdha time.
In Brahmaloka there is an unlimited number of airplanes that are controlled not
by yantra (machine) but by mantra (psychic action). Because of the existence
of the mind and intelligence on Brahmaloka, its residents have feelings of
happiness and distress, but there is no cause of lamentation from old age,
death, fear or distress. They feel sympathy, however, for the suffering living
beings who are consumed in the fire of annihilation. The residents of
Brahmaloka do not have gross material bodies to change at death, but they
transform their subtle bodies into spiritual bodies and thus enter the spiritual
sky. The residents of Brahmaloka can attain perfection in three different ways.
Virtuous persons who reach Brahmaloka by dint of their pious work become
masters of various planets after the resurrection of BrahmA, those who have
worshiped GarbhodakazAyI ViSNu are liberated with BrahmA, and those who
are pure devotees of the Personality of Godhead at once push through the
covering of the universe and enter the spiritual sky.
The numberless universes exist together in foamlike clusters, and so only
some of them are surrounded by the water of the Causal Ocean. When
agitated by the glance of KAraNodakazAyI ViSNu, material nature produces the
total elements, which are eight in number and which gradually evolve from
finer to gross. A part of ego is the sky, a part of which is air, a part of which is
fire, a part of which is water, a part of which is earth. Thus one universe
inflates to an area of four billion miles in diameter. A yogI who desires gradual
liberation must penetrate all the different coverings of the universe, including
the subtle coverings of the three qualitative modes of material nature. One
who does this never has to return to this mortal world.
According to zukadeva GosvAmI, the above description of the material and
spiritual skies is neither imaginary nor utopian. The actual facts are recorded in
the Vedic hymns, and Lord VAsudeva disclosed them to Lord BrahmA when
BrahmA satisfied Him. One can achieve the perfection of life only when he has
a definite idea of VaikuNTha and the Supreme Godhead. One should always
think about and describe the Supreme Personality of Godhead, for this is
recommended in both the Bhagavad-gItA and the BhAgavata PurANa, which
are two authorized commentaries upon the Vedas. Lord Caitanya has made all
these subject matters easier for the fallen people of this age to accept, and zrI
Caitanya-caritAmRta has therefore presented them for the easy understanding
of all concerned.
Adi 5.23
TEXT 23
mathurA-dvArakAya nija-rUpa prakAziyA
nAnA-rUpe vilasaye catur-vyUha hai~nA

mathurA—in MathurA; dvArakAya—in DvArakA; nija-rUpa—personal body;
prakAziyA—manifesting; nAnA-rUpe—in various ways; vilasaye—enjoys
pastimes; catuH-vyUha hai~nA—expanding into four wonderful forms.
TRANSLATION
Lord KRSNa manifests His own form in MathurA and DvArakA. He enjoys
pastimes in various ways by expanding into the quadruple forms.
Adi 5.24
TEXT 24
vAsudeva-sa~NkarSaNa-pradyumnAniruddha
sarva-catur-vyUha-aàzI, turIya, vizuddha

vAsudeva—Lord VAsudeva; sa~NkarSaNa—Lord Sa~NkarSaNa; pradyumna—Lord
Pradyumna; aniruddha—and Lord Aniruddha; sarva-catuH-vyUha—of all
other quadruple expansions; aàzI—source; turIya—transcendental;
vizuddha—pure.
TRANSLATION
VAsudeva, Sa~NkarSaNa, Pradyumna and Aniruddha are the primary quadruple
forms, from whom all other quadruple forms are manifested. They are all
purely transcendental.
Adi 5.25
TEXT 25
ei tina loke kRSNa kevala-lIlA-maya
nija-gaNa la~nA khele ananta samaya

ei—these; tina—three; loke—in the locations; kRSNa—Lord KRSNa; kevala—
only; lIlA-maya—consisting of pastimes; nija-gaNa la~nA—with His personal
associates; khele—He plays; ananta samaya—unlimited time.
TRANSLATION
Only in these three places [DvArakA, MathurA and Gokula] does the all-
sporting Lord KRSNa perform His endless pastimes with His personal
associates.
Adi 5.26
TEXT 26
para-vyoma-madhye kari’ svarUpa prakAza
nArAyaNa-rUpe karena vividha vilAsa

para-vyoma-madhye—within the spiritual sky; kari’—making; svarUpa
prakAza—manifesting His identity; nArAyaNa-rUpe—the form of Lord
NArAyaNa; karena—performs; vividha vilAsa—varieties of pastimes.
TRANSLATION
In the VaikuNTha planets of the spiritual sky the Lord manifests His identity as
NArAyaNa and performs pastimes in various ways.
Adi 5.27-28
TEXTS 27–28
svarUpa-vigraha kRSNera kevala dvi-bhuja
nArAyaNa-rUpe sei tanu catur-bhuja
za~Nkha-cakra-gadA-padma, mahaizvarya-maya
zrI-bhU-nIlA-zakti yA~Nra caraNa sevaya

svarUpa-vigraha—personal form; kRSNera—of Lord KRSNa; kevala—only; dvi-
bhuja—two hands; nArAyaNa-rUpe—in the form of Lord NArAyaNa; sei—that;
tanu—body; catuH-bhuja—four-handed; za~Nkha-cakra—conchshell and disc;
gadA—club; padma—lotus flower; mahA—very great; aizvarya-maya—full
of opulence; zrI—named zrI; bhU—named bhU; nIlA—named nIlA; zakti—
energies; yA~Nra—whose; caraNa sevaya—serve the lotus feet.
TRANSLATION
KRSNa’s own form has only two hands, but in the form of Lord NArAyaNa He
has four hands. Lord NArAyaNa holds a conchshell, disc, club and lotus flower,
and He is full of great opulence. The zrI, bhU and nIlA energies serve at His
lotus feet.
PURPORT
In the RAmAnuja and Madhva sects of VaiSNavism there are extensive
descriptions of the zrI, bhU and nIlA energies. In Bengal the nIlA energy is
sometimes called the lIlA energy. These three energies are employed in the
service of four-handed NArAyaNa in VaikuNTha. Relating how three of the
AlvArs, namely BhUta-yogI, Sara-yogI and BhrAnta-yogI, saw NArAyaNa in
person when they took shelter at the house of a brAhmaNa in the village of
GehalI, the PrapannAmRta of the zrI-sampradAya describes NArAyaNa as
follows:
tArkSyAdhirUòhaà taòid-ambudAbhaà
lakSmI-dharaà vakSasi pa~NkajAkSam
hasta-dvaye zobhita-za~Nkha-cakraà
viSNuà dadRzur bhagavantam Adyam
A-jAnu-bAhuà kamanIya-gAtraà
pArzva-dvaye zobhita-bhUmi-nIlam
pItAmbaraà bhUSaNa-bhUSitA~Ngaà
catur-bhujaà candana-ruSitA~Ngam
“They saw the lotus-eyed Lord ViSNu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead,
mounted on Garuòa and holding LakSmI, the goddess of fortune, to His chest.
He resembled a bluish rain cloud with flashing lightning, and in two of His four
hands He held a conchshell and disc. His arms stretched down to His knees,
and all His beautiful limbs were smeared with sandalwood and decorated with
glittering ornaments. He wore yellow clothes, and by either side stood His
energies BhUmi and NIlA.”
There is the following reference to the zrI, bhU and nIlA energies in the
SItopaniSad: mahA-lakSmIr devezasya bhinnAbhinna-rUpA cetanAcetanAtmikA.
sA devI tri-vidhA bhavati, zakty-AtmanA icchA-zaktiH kriyA-zaktiH sAkSAc-
chaktir iti. icchA-zaktis tri-vidhA bhavati, zrI-bhUmi-nIlAtmikA. “MahA-LakSmI,
the supreme energy of the Lord, is experienced in different ways. She is
divided into material and spiritual potencies, and in both features she acts as
the willing energy, creative energy and the internal energy. The willing energy
is again divided into three, namely zrI, bhU and nIlA.”
Quoting from the revealed scriptures in his commentary on the Bhagavad-
gItA (4.6), MadhvAcArya has stated that mother material nature, which is
conceived of as the illusory energy, DurgA, has three divisions, namely zrI, bhU
and nIlA. She is the illusory energy for those who are weak in spiritual strength
because such energies are created energies of Lord ViSNu. Although each
energy has no direct relationship with the unlimited, they are subordinate to
the Lord because the Lord is the master of all energies.
In his Bhagavat-sandarbha (Text 23), zrIla JIva GosvAmI Prabhu states, “The
Padma PurANa refers to the eternally auspicious abode of Godhead, which is
full in all opulences, including the energies zrI, bhU and nIlA. The MahA-
saàhitA, which discusses the transcendental name and form of Godhead, also
mentions DurgA as the potency of the Supersoul in relationship with the living
entities. The internal potency acts in relation with His personal affairs, and the
material potency manifests the three modes.” Quoting elsewhere from the
revealed scriptures, he states that zrI is the energy of Godhead that maintains
the cosmic manifestation, bhU is the energy that creates the cosmic
manifestation, and nIlA, DurgA, is the energy that destroys the creation. All
these energies act in relation with the living beings, and thus they are
together called jIva-mAyA.
Adi 5.29
TEXT 29
yadyapi kevala tA~Nra krIòA-mAtra dharma
tathApi jIvere kRpAya kare eka karma

yadyapi—although; kevala—only; tA~Nra—His; krIòA-mAtra—pastime only;
dharma—characteristic function; tathApi—still; jIvere—to the fallen souls;
kRpAya—by the causeless mercy; kare—does; eka—one; karma—activity.
TRANSLATION
Although His pastimes are His only characteristic functions, by His causeless
mercy He performs one activity for the fallen souls.
Adi 5.30
TEXT 30
sAlokya-sAmIpya-sArSTi-sArUpya-prakAra
cAri mukti diyA kare jIvera nistAra

sAlokya—the liberation called sAlokya; sAmIpya—the liberation called
sAmIpya; sArSTi—the liberation called sArSTi; sArUpya—the liberation called
sArUpya; prakAra—varieties; cAri—four; mukti—liberation; diyA—giving;
kare—does; jIvera—of the fallen souls; nistAra—deliverance.
TRANSLATION
He delivers the fallen living entities by offering them the four kinds of
liberation—sAlokya, sAmIpya, sArSTi and sArUpya.
PURPORT
There are two kinds of liberated souls—those who are liberated by the favor
of the Lord and those who are liberated by their own effort. One who gets
liberation by his own effort is called an impersonalist, and he merges into the
glaring effulgence of the Lord, the brahmajyoti. But devotees of the Lord who
qualify themselves for liberation by devotional service are offered four kinds
of liberation, namely sAlokya (status equal to that of the Lord), sAmIpya
(constant association with the Lord), sArSTi (opulence equal to that of the Lord)
and sArUpya (features like those of the Lord).
Adi 5.31
TEXT 31
brahma-sAyujya-muktera tAhA nAhi gati
vaikuNTha-bAhire haya tA’-sabAra sthiti

brahma-sAyujya—of merging into the Supreme Brahman; muktera—of the
liberation; tAhA—there (in VaikuNTha); nAhi—not; gati—entrance; vaikuNTha-
bAhire—outside the VaikuNTha planets; haya—there is; tA’-sabAra sthiti—the
residence of all of them.
TRANSLATION
Those who attain brahma-sAyujya liberation cannot gain entrance into
VaikuNTha; their residence is outside the VaikuNTha planets.
Adi 5.32
TEXT 32
vaikuNTha-bAhire eka jyotir-maya maNòala
kRSNera a~Ngera prabhA, parama ujjvala

vaikuNTha-bAhire—outside the VaikuNThalokas; eka—one; jyotiH-maya
maNòala—the atmosphere of the glowing effulgence; kRSNera—of Lord
KRSNa; a~Ngera—of the body; prabhA—rays; parama—supremely; ujjvala—
bright.
TRANSLATION
Outside the VaikuNTha planets is the atmosphere of the glowing effulgence,
which consists of the supremely bright rays of the body of Lord KRSNa.
Adi 5.33
TEXT 33
‘siddha-loka’ nAma tAra prakRtira pAra
cit-svarUpa, tA~NhA nAhi cic-chakti vikAra

‘siddha-loka’—the region of the Siddhas; nAma—named; tAra—of the
effulgent atmosphere; prakRtira pAra—beyond this material nature; cit-
svarUpa—full of knowledge; tA~NhA—there; nAhi—there is not; cit-zakti-
vikAra—change of the spiritual energy.
TRANSLATION
That region is called Siddhaloka, and it is beyond the material nature. Its
essence is spiritual, but it does not have spiritual varieties.
Adi 5.34
TEXT 34
sUrya-maNòala yena bAhire nirvizeSa
bhitare sUryera ratha-Adi savizeSa

sUrya-maNòala—the sun globe; yena—like; bAhire—externally; nirvizeSa—
with out varieties; bhitare—within; sUryera—of the sun-god; ratha-Adi—
opulences like chariots and other things; sa-vizeSa—full of varieties.
TRANSLATION
It is like the homogeneous effulgence around the sun. But inside the sun are
the chariots, horses and other opulences of the sun-god.
PURPORT
Outside of VaikuNTha, the abode of KRSNa, which is called paravyoma, is the
glaring effulgence of KRSNa’s bodily rays. This is called the brahmajyoti. The
transcendental region of that effulgence is called Siddhaloka or Brahmaloka.
When impersonalists achieve liberation, they merge into that Brahmaloka
effulgence. This transcendental region is undoubtedly spiritual, but it contains
no manifestations of spiritual activities or variegatedness. It is compared to
the glow of the sun. Within the sun’s glow is the sphere of the sun, where one
can experience all sorts of varieties.
Adi 5.35
TEXT 35
kAmAd dveSAd bhayAt snehAd
yathA bhaktyezvare manaH
Avezya tad aghaà hitvA
bahavas tad gatià gatAH

kAmAt—influenced by lusty desire; dveSAt—by envy; bhayAt—by fear;
snehAt—or by affection; yathA—as; bhaktyA—by devotion; Izvare—in the
Supreme Personality of Godhead; manaH—the mind; Avezya—fully
absorbing; tat—that; agham—sinful activity; hitvA—giving up; bahavaH—
many; tat—that; gatim—destination; gatAH—achieved.
TRANSLATION
“As through devotion to the Lord one can attain His abode, many have
attained that goal by abandoning their sinful activities and absorbing their
minds in the Lord through lust, envy, fear or affection.”
PURPORT
As the powerful sun, by its glowing rays, can purify all kinds of impurities, so
the all-spiritual Personality of Godhead can purify all material qualities in a
person He attracts. Even if one is attracted by Godhead in the mode of
material lust, such attraction is converted into spiritual love of Godhead by
His grace. Similarly, if one is related to the Lord in fear and animosity, he also
becomes purified by the spiritual attraction of the Lord. Although God is great
and the living entity small, they are spiritual individuals, and therefore as soon
as there is a reciprocal exchange by the living entity’s free will, at once the
great spiritual being attracts the small living entity, thus freeing him from all
material bondage. This is a verse from zrImad-BhAgavatam (7.1.30).
Adi 5.36
TEXT 36
yad arINAà priyANAà ca
prApyam ekam ivoditam
tad brahma-kRSNayor aikyAt
kiraNArkopamA-juSoH

yat—that; arINAm—of the enemies of the Supreme Personality of Godhead;
priyANAm—of the devotees, who are very dear to the Supreme Personality of
Godhead; ca—and; prApyam—destination; ekam—one only; iva—thus;
uditam—said; tat—that; brahma—of impersonal Brahman; kRSNayoH—and of
KRSNa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead; aikyAt—due to the oneness;
kiraNa—the sunshine; arka—and the sun; upamA—the comparison; juSoH—
which is understood by.
TRANSLATION
“Where it has been stated that the Lord’s enemies and devotees attain the
same destination, this refers to the ultimate oneness of Brahman and Lord
KRSNa. This may be understood by the analogy of the sun and the sunshine, in
which Brahman is like the sunshine and KRSNa Himself is like the sun.”
PURPORT
This verse is from the Bhakti-rasAmRta-sindhu (1.2.278) of zrIla RUpa GosvAmI,
who further discusses this same topic in his Laghu-bhAgavatAmRta (PUrva
5.41). There he refers to the ViSNu PurANa (4.15.1), where Maitreya Muni asked
ParAzara, in regard to Jaya and Vijaya, how it was that HiraNyakazipu next
became RAvaNa and enjoyed more material happiness than the demigods but
did not attain salvation, although when he became zizupAla, quarreled with
KRSNa and was killed, he attained salvation and merged into the body of Lord
KRSNa. ParAzara replied that HiraNyakazipu failed to recognize Lord
NRsiàhadeva as Lord ViSNu. He thought that NRsiàhadeva was some living
entity who had acquired such opulence by various pious activities. Being
overcome by the mode of passion, he considered Lord NRsiàhadeva an
ordinary living entity, not understanding His form. Nevertheless, because
HiraNyakazipu was killed by the hands of Lord NRsiàhadeva, in his next life he
became RAvaNa and had proprietorship of unlimited opulence. As RAvaNa,
with unlimited material enjoyment, he could not accept Lord RAma as the
Personality of Godhead. Therefore even though he was killed by RAma, he did
not attain sAyujya, or oneness with the body of the Lord. In his RAvaNa body
he was too much attracted to RAma’s wife, JAnakI, and because of that
attraction he was able to see Lord RAma. But instead of accepting Lord RAma
as an incarnation of ViSNu, RAvaNa thought Him an ordinary living being.
When killed by the hands of RAma, therefore, he got the privilege of taking
birth as zizupAla, who had such immense opulence that he could think himself
a competitor to KRSNa. Although zizupAla was always envious of KRSNa, he
frequently uttered the name of KRSNa and always thought of the beautiful
features of KRSNa. Thus by constantly thinking and chanting of KRSNa, even
unfavorably, he was cleansed of the contamination of his sinful activities.
When zizupAla was killed by the Sudarzana cakra of KRSNa as an enemy, his
constant remembrance of KRSNa dissolved the reactions of his vices, and he
attained salvation by becoming one with the body of the Lord.
From this incident one can understand that even a person who thinks of KRSNa
as an enemy and is killed by Him may be liberated by becoming one with the
body of KRSNa. What then must be the destination of devotees who always
think favorably of KRSNa as their master or friend? These devotees must attain
a situation better than Brahmaloka, the impersonal bodily effulgence of KRSNa.
Devotees cannot be situated in the impersonal Brahman effulgence, into
which impersonalists desire to merge. The devotees are placed in
VaikuNThaloka or KRSNaloka.
This discussion between Maitreya Muni and ParAzara Muni centered on
whether devotees come down into the material world in every millennium like
Jaya and Vijaya, who were cursed by the KumAras to that effect. In the course
of these instructions to Maitreya about HiraNyakazipu, RAvaNa and zizupAla,
ParAzara did not say that these demons were formerly Jaya and Vijaya. He
simply described the transmigration through three lives. It is not necessary for
the VaikuNTha associates of the Supreme Personality of Godhead to come to
take the roles of His enemies in all the millenniums in which He appears. The
“falldown” of Jaya and Vijaya occurred in a particular millennium; Jaya and
Vijaya do not come down in every millennium to act as demons. To think that
some associates of the Lord fall down from VaikuNTha in every millennium to
become demons is totally incorrect.
The Supreme Personality of Godhead has all the tendencies that may be found
in the living entity, for He is the chief living entity. Therefore it is natural that
sometimes Lord ViSNu wants to fight. Just as He has the tendencies to create,
to enjoy, to be a friend, to accept a mother and father, and so on, He also has
the tendency to fight. Sometimes important landlords and kings keep
wrestlers with whom they practice mock fighting, and ViSNu makes similar
arrangements. The demons who fight with the Supreme Personality of
Godhead in the material world are sometimes His associates. When there is a
scarcity of demons and the Lord wants to fight, He instigates some of His
associates of VaikuNTha to come and play as demons. When it is said that
zizupAla merged into the body of KRSNa, it should be noted that in this case he
was not Jaya or Vijaya: he was actually a demon.
In his BRhad-bhAgavatAmRta, zrIla SanAtana GosvAmI has explained that the
attainment of salvation by merging into the Brahman effulgence of the Lord
cannot be accepted as the highest success in life, because demons like Kaàsa,
who were famous for killing brAhmaNas and cows, attained that salvation. For
devotees such salvation is abominable. Devotees are actually in a
transcendental position, whereas nondevotees are candidates for hellish
conditions of life. There is always a difference between the life of a devotee
and the life of a demon, and their realizations are as different as heaven and
hell.
Demons are always accustomed to being malicious toward devotees and to
killing brAhmaNas and cows. For demons, merging into the Brahman
effulgence may be very glorious, but for devotees it is hellish. A devotee’s
aim in life is to attain perfection in loving the Supreme Personality of
Godhead. Those who aspire to merge into the Brahman effulgence are as
abominable as demons. Devotees who aspire to associate with the Supreme
Lord to render Him transcendental loving service are far superior.
Adi 5.37
TEXT 37
taiche para-vyome nAnA cic-chakti-vilAsa
nirvizeSa jyotir-bimba bAhire prakAza

taiche—in that way; para-vyome—in the spiritual sky; nAnA—varieties; cit-
zakti-vilAsa—pastimes of spiritual energy; nirvizeSa—impersonal; jyotiH—of
the effulgence; bimba—reflection; bAhire—externally; prakAza—manifested.
TRANSLATION
Thus in the spiritual sky there are varieties of pastimes within the spiritual
energy. Outside the VaikuNTha planets appears the impersonal reflection of
light.
Adi 5.38
TEXT 38
nirvizeSa-brahma sei kevala jyotir-maya
sAyujyera adhikArI tA~NhA pAya laya

nirvizeSa-brahma—the impersonal Brahman effulgence; sei—that; kevala—
only; jyotiH-maya—effulgent rays; sAyujyera—the liberation called sAyujya
(oneness with the Supreme); adhikArI—one who is fit for; tA~NhA—there (in the
impersonal Brahman effulgence); pAya—gets; laya—merging.
TRANSLATION
That impersonal Brahman effulgence consists only of the effulgent rays of the
Lord. Those fit for sAyujya liberation merge into that effulgence.
Adi 5.39
TEXT 39
siddha-lokas tu tamasaH
pAre yatra vasanti hi
siddhA brahma-sukhe magnA
daityAz ca hariNA hatAH

siddha-lokaH—Siddhaloka, or impersonal Brahman; tu—but; tamasaH—of
darkness; pAre—beyond the jurisdiction; yatra—where; vasanti—reside; hi—
certainly; siddhAH—the spiritually perfect; brahma-sukhe—in the
transcendental bliss of becoming one with the Supreme; magnAH—absorbed;
daityAH ca—as well as the demons; hariNA—by the Supreme Personality of
Godhead; hatAH—killed.
TRANSLATION
“Beyond the region of ignorance [the material cosmic manifestation] lies the
realm of Siddhaloka. The Siddhas reside there, absorbed in the bliss of
Brahman. Demons killed by the Lord also attain that realm.”
PURPORT
Tamas means darkness. The material world is dark, and beyond the material
world is light. In other words, after passing through the entire material
atmosphere, one can come to the luminous spiritual sky, whose impersonal
effulgence is known as Siddhaloka. MAyAvAdI philosophers who aspire to
merge with the body of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, as well as
demoniac persons who are killed by KRSNa, such as Kaàsa and zizupAla, enter
that Brahman effulgence. YogIs who attain oneness through meditation
according to the Pata~njali yoga system also reach Siddhaloka. This is a verse
from the BrahmANòa PurANa.
Adi 5.40
TEXT 40
sei para-vyome nArAyaNera cAri pAze
dvArakA-catur-vyUhera dvitIya prakAze

sei—that; para-vyome—in the spiritual sky; nArAyaNera—of Lord NArAyaNa;
cAri pAze—on four sides; dvArakA—DvArakA; catur-vyUhera—of the
quadruple expansions; dvitIya—the second; prakAze—manifestation.
TRANSLATION
In that spiritual sky, on the four sides of NArAyaNa, are the second expansions
of the quadruple expansions of DvArakA.
PURPORT
Within the spiritual sky is a second manifestation of the quadruple forms of
DvArakA from the abode of KRSNa. Among these forms, which are all spiritual
and immune to the material modes, zrI Baladeva is represented as MahA-
sa~NkarSaNa.
The activities in the spiritual sky are manifested by the internal potency in
pure spiritual existence. They expand in six transcendental opulences, which
are all manifestations of MahA-sa~NkarSaNa, who is the ultimate reservoir and
objective of all living entities. Although belonging to the marginal potency,
known as jIva-zakti, the spiritual sparks known as the living entities are
subjected to the conditions of material energy. It is because these sparks are
related with both the internal and external potencies of the Lord that they are
known as belonging to the marginal potency.
In considering the quadruple forms of the absolute Personality of Godhead,
known as VAsudeva, Sa~NkarSaNa, Pradyumna and Aniruddha, the
impersonalists, headed by zrIpAda za~NkarAcArya, have interpreted the
aphorisms of the VedAnta-sUtra in a way suitable for the impersonalist school.
To provide the intrinsic import of such aphorisms, however, zrIla RUpa
GosvAmI, the leader of the six GosvAmIs of VRndAvana, has properly replied to
the impersonalists in his Laghu-bhAgavatAmRta, which is a natural
commentary on the aphorisms of the VedAnta-sUtra.
The Padma PurANa, as quoted by zrIla RUpa GosvAmI in his Laghu-
bhAgavatAmRta, describes that in the spiritual sky there are four directions,
corresponding to east, west, north and south, in which VAsudeva, Sa~NkarSaNa,
Aniruddha and Pradyumna are situated. The same forms are also situated in
the material sky. The Padma PurANa also describes a place in the spiritual sky
known as VedavatI-pura, where VAsudeva resides. In ViSNuloka, which is
above Satyaloka, Sa~NkarSaNa resides. MahA-sa~NkarSaNa is another name of
Sa~NkarSaNa. Pradyumna lives in DvArakA-pura, and Aniruddha lies on the
eternal bed of zeSa, generally known as ananta-zayyA, on the island called
zvetadvIpa, in the ocean of milk.
Adi 5.41
TEXT 41
vAsudeva-sa~NkarSaNa-pradyumnAniruddha
‘dvitIya catur-vyUha’ ei——turIya, vizuddha

vAsudeva—the expansion named VAsudeva; sa~NkarSaNa—the expansion
named Sa~NkarSaNa; pradyumna—the expansion named Pradyumna;
aniruddha—the expansion named Aniruddha; dvitIya catuH-vyUha—the
second quadruple expansion; ei—this; turIya—transcendental; vizuddha—
free from all material contamination.
TRANSLATION
VAsudeva, Sa~NkarSaNa, Pradyumna and Aniruddha constitute this second
quadruple. They are purely transcendental.
PURPORT
zrIpAda za~NkarAcArya has misleadingly explained the quadruple form (catur-
vyUha) in his interpretation of the forty-second aphorism of Chapter Two of
the second khaNòa of the VedAnta-sUtra (utpatty-asambhavAt). In verses 41
through 47 of this chapter of zrI Caitanya-caritAmRta, zrIla KRSNadAsa KavirAja
GosvAmI answers zrIpAda za~NkarAcArya’s misleading objections to the
personal feature of the Absolute Truth.
The Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Absolute Truth, is not like a material
object that can be known by experimental knowledge or sense perception. In
the NArada-pa~ncarAtra this fact has been explained by NArAyaNa Himself to
Lord ziva. But za~NkarAcArya, the incarnation of ziva, under the order of
NArAyaNa, his master, had to mislead the monists, who favor ultimate
extinction. In the conditioned stage of existence, all living entities have four
basic defects, of which one is the cheating propensity. za~NkarAcArya has
carried this cheating propensity to the extreme to mislead the monists.
Actually, the explanation of the quadruple forms in the Vedic literature cannot
be understood by the speculation of a conditioned soul. The quadruple forms
should therefore be accepted just as They are described. The authority of the
Vedas is such that even if one does not understand something by his limited
perception, he should accept the Vedic injunction and not create
interpretations to suit his imperfect understanding. In his zArIraka-bhASya,
however, za~NkarAcArya has increased the misunderstanding of the monists.
The quadruple forms have a spiritual existence that can be realized in
vasudeva-sattva (zuddha-sattva), or unqualified goodness, which
accompanies complete absorption in the understanding of VAsudeva. The
quadruple forms, who are full in the six opulences of the Supreme Personality
of Godhead, are the enjoyers of the internal potency. Thinking the absolute
Personality of Godhead to be poverty-stricken or to have no potency—or, in
other words, to be impotent—is simply rascaldom. This rascaldom is the
profession of the conditioned soul, and it increases his bewilderment. One
who cannot understand the distinctions between the spiritual world and the
material world has no qualification to examine or know the situation of the
transcendental quadruple forms. In his commentary on VedAnta-sUtra 2.2.42–
45, His Holiness zrIpAda za~NkarAcArya has made a futile attempt to nullify the
existence of these quadruple forms in the spiritual world.
za~NkarAcArya says (sUtra 42) that devotees think the Supreme Personality of
Godhead VAsudeva, zrI KRSNa, to be one, to be free from material qualities and
to have a transcendental body full of bliss and eternal existence. He is the
ultimate goal of the devotees, who believe that the Supreme Personality of
Godhead expands Himself into four other eternal transcendental forms—
VAsudeva, Sa~NkarSaNa, Pradyumna and Aniruddha. From VAsudeva, who is
the primary expansion, come Sa~NkarSaNa, Pradyumna and Aniruddha in that
order. Another name of VAsudeva is ParamAtmA, another name of Sa~NkarSaNa
is jIva (the living entity), another name of Pradyumna is mind, and another
name of Aniruddha is aha~NkAra (false ego). Among these expansions,
VAsudeva is considered the origin of the material nature. Therefore
za~NkarAcArya says that Sa~NkarSaNa, Pradyumna and Aniruddha must be
creations of that original cause.
Great souls assert that NArAyaNa, who is known as the ParamAtmA, or
Supersoul, is beyond material nature, and this is in accordance with the
statements of the Vedic literature. MAyAvAdIs also agree that NArAyaNa can
expand Himself in various forms. za~Nkara says that he does not attempt to
argue that portion of the devotees’ understanding, but he must protest the
idea that Sa~NkarSaNa is produced from VAsudeva, Pradyumna is produced
from Sa~NkarSaNa, and Aniruddha is produced from Pradyumna, for if
Sa~NkarSaNa is understood to represent the living entities created from the
body of VAsudeva, the living entities would have to be noneternal. The living
entities are supposed to be freed from material contamination by engaging in
prolonged temple worship of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, reading
Vedic literature and performing yoga and pious activities to attain the
Supreme Lord. But if the living entities had been created from material nature
at a certain point, they would be noneternal and would have no chance to be
liberated and associate with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. When a
cause is nullified, its results are nullified. In the second chapter of the VedAnta-
sUtra’s second khaNòa, AcArya VedavyAsa has also refuted the conception
that the living beings were ever born (nAtmA zruter nityatvAc ca tAbhyaH).
Because there is no creation for the living entities, they must be eternal.
za~NkarAcArya says (sUtra 43) that devotees think that Pradyumna, who is
considered to represent the senses, has sprung from Sa~NkarSaNa, who is
considered to represent the living entities. But we cannot actually experience
that a person can produce senses. Devotees also say that from Pradyumna has
sprung Aniruddha, who is considered to represent the ego. But za~NkarAcArya
says that unless the devotees can show how ego and the means of
knowledge can generate from a person, such an explanation of the VedAnta-
sUtra cannot be accepted, for no other philosophers accept the sUtras in that
way.
za~NkarAcArya also says (sUtra 44) that he cannot accept the devotees’ idea
that Sa~NkarSaNa, Pradyumna and Aniruddha are equally as powerful as the
absolute Personality of Godhead, full in the six opulences of knowledge,
wealth, strength, fame, beauty and renunciation, and free from the flaw of
generation at a certain point. Even if They are full expansions, the flaw of
generation remains. VAsudeva, Sa~NkarSaNa, Pradyumna and Aniruddha, being
distinct individual persons, cannot be one. Therefore if They are accepted as
absolute, full and equal, there would have to be many Personalities of
Godhead. But there is no need to accept that there are many Personalities of
Godhead, because acceptance of one omnipotent God is sufficient for all
purposes. The acceptance of more than one God is contradictory to the
conclusion that Lord VAsudeva, the absolute Personality of Godhead, is one
without a second. Even if we agree to accept that the quadruple forms of
Godhead are all identical, we cannot avoid the incongruous flaw of
noneternity. Unless we accept that there are some differences among the
personalities, there is no meaning to the idea that Sa~NkarSaNa is an expansion
of VAsudeva, Pradyumna is an expansion of Sa~NkarSaNa, and Aniruddha is an
expansion of Pradyumna. There must be a distinction between cause and
effect. For example, a pot is distinct from the earth from which it is made, and
therefore we can ascertain that the earth is the cause and the pot is the
effect. Without such distinctions, there is no meaning to cause and effect.
Furthermore, the followers of the Pa~ncarAtric principles do not accept any
differences in knowledge and qualities between VAsudeva, Sa~NkarSaNa,
Pradyumna and Aniruddha. The devotees accept all these expansions to be
one, but why should they restrict oneness to these quadruple expansions?
Certainly we should not do so, for all living entities, from BrahmA to the
insignificant ant, are expansions of VAsudeva, as accepted in all the zrutis and
smRtis.
za~NkarAcArya also says (sUtra 45) that the devotees who follow the Pa~ncarAtra
state that God’s qualities and God Himself, as the owner of the qualities, are
the same. But how can the BhAgavata school state that the six opulences—
wisdom, wealth, strength, fame, beauty and renunciation—are identical with
Lord VAsudeva? This is impossible.
In his Laghu-bhAgavatAmRta (PUrva 5.165–193), zrIla RUpa GosvAmI has
refuted the charges directed against the devotees by zrIpAda za~NkarAcArya
regarding their explanation of the quadruple forms VAsudeva, Sa~NkarSaNa,
Pradyumna and Aniruddha. RUpa GosvAmI says that these four expansions of
NArAyaNa are present in the spiritual sky, where They are famous as
MahAvastha. Among Them, VAsudeva is worshiped within the heart by
meditation because He is the predominating Deity of the heart, as explained
in zrImad-BhAgavatam (4.3.23).
Sa~NkarSaNa, the second expansion, is VAsudeva’s personal expansion for
pastimes, and since He is the reservoir of all living entities, He is sometimes
called jIva. The beauty of Sa~NkarSaNa is greater than that of innumerable full
moons radiating light beams. He is worshipable as the principle of ego. He has
invested Anantadeva with all the potencies of sustenance. For the dissolution
of the creation, He also exhibits Himself as the Supersoul in Rudra, in
Adharma (the personality of irreligion), in sarpa (snakes), in Antaka (YamarAja,
the lord of death) and in the demons.
Pradyumna, the third manifestation, appears from Sa~NkarSaNa. Those who are
especially intelligent worship this Pradyumna expansion of Sa~NkarSaNa as the
principle of the intelligence. The goddess of fortune always chants the glories
of Pradyumna in the place known as IlAvRta-varSa, and she always serves Him
with great devotion. His complexion appears sometimes golden and
sometimes bluish like new monsoon clouds in the sky. He is the origin of the
creation of the material world, and He has invested His creative principle in
Cupid. It is by His direction only that all men and demigods and other living
entities function with energy for regeneration.
Aniruddha, the fourth of the quadruple expansions, is worshiped by great
sages and psychologists as the principle of the mind. His complexion is similar
to the bluish hue of a blue cloud. He engages in the maintenance of the
cosmic manifestation and is the Supersoul of Dharma (the deity of religiosity),
the Manus (the progenitors of mankind) and the devatAs (demigods). The
MokSa-dharma Vedic scripture indicates that Pradyumna is the Deity of the
total mind, whereas Aniruddha is the Deity of the total ego, but previous
statements regarding the quadruple forms are confirmed in the Pa~ncarAtra
tantras in all respects.
In the Laghu-bhAgavatAmRta (PUrva 5.86–100), there is a lucid explanation of
the inconceivable potencies of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Negating
za~NkarAcArya’s statements, the MahA-varAha PurANa declares:
sarve nityAH zAzvatAz ca dehAs tasya parAtmanaH
hAnopAdAna-rahitA naiva prakRti-jAH kvacit
“All the varied expansions of the Personality of Godhead are transcendental
and eternal, and all of them repeatedly descend to all the different universes
of the material creation. Their bodies, composed of eternity, bliss and
knowledge, are everlasting; there is no chance of their decaying, for they are
not creations of the material world. Their forms are concentrated spiritual
existence, always complete with all spiritual qualities and devoid of material
contamination.”
Confirming these statements, the NArada-pa~ncarAtra asserts:
maNir yathA vibhAgena nIla-pItAdibhir yutaH
rUpa-bhedam avApnoti dhyAna-bhedAt tathAcyutaH
“The infallible Personality of Godhead can manifest His body in different ways
according to different modes of worship, just as the vaidUrya gem can
manifest itself in various colors, such as blue and yellow.” Each incarnation is
distinct from all the others. This is possible by the Lord’s inconceivable
potency, by which He can simultaneously represent Himself as one, as various
partial forms and as the origin of these partial forms. Nothing is impossible for
His inconceivable potencies.
KRSNa is one without a second, but He manifests Himself in different bodies, as
stated by NArada in the Tenth Canto of zrImad-BhAgavatam:
citraà bataitad ekena vapuSA yugapat pRthak
gRheSu dvy-aSTa-sAhasraà striya eka udAvahat
“It is wonderful indeed that one KRSNa has simultaneously become different
KRSNas in 16,000 palaces to accept 16,000 queens as His wives.” (BhAg.
10.69.2) The Padma PurANa also explains:
sa devo bahudhA bhUtvA nirguNaH puruSottamaH
ekI-bhUya punaH zete nirdoSo harir Adi-kRt
“The same Personality of Godhead, PuruSottama, the original person, who is
always devoid of material qualities and contamination, can exhibit Himself in
various forms and at the same time lie down in one form.”
In the Tenth Canto of zrImad-BhAgavatam it is said, yajanti tvan-mayAs tvAà
vai bahu-mUrty-eka-mUrtikam: “O my Lord, although You manifest Yourself in
varieties of forms, You are one without a second. Therefore pure devotees
concentrate upon You and worship only You.” (BhAg. 10.40.7) In the KUrma
PurANa it is said:
asthUlaz cAnaNuz caiva sthUlo ’Nuz caiva sarvataH
avarNaH sarvataH proktaH zyAmo raktAnta-locanaH
“The Lord is personal although impersonal, He is atomic although great, and
He is blackish and has red eyes although He is colorless.” By material
calculation all this may appear contradictory, but if we understand that the
Supreme Personality of Godhead has inconceivable potencies, we can accept
these facts as eternally possible in Him. In our present condition we cannot
understand the spiritual activities and how they occur, but although they are
inconceivable in the material context, we should not disregard such
contradictory conceptions.
Although it is apparently inconceivable, it is quite possible for the Absolute to
reconcile all opposing elements. zrImad-BhAgavatam establishes this in the
Sixth Canto (6.9.34–37):
“O my Lord, Your transcendental pastimes and enjoyments all appear
inconceivable because they are not limited by the causal and effective actions
of material thought. You can do everything without performing bodily work.
The Vedas say that the Absolute Truth has multifarious potencies and does
not need to do anything personally. My dear Lord, You are entirely devoid of
material qualities. Without anyone’s help, You can create, maintain and
dissolve the entire qualitative material manifestation, yet in all such activities
You do not change. You do not accept the results of Your activities, unlike
ordinary demons and demigods, who suffer or enjoy the reactions of their
activities in the material world. Unaffected by the reactions of work, You
eternally exist with Your full spiritual potency. This we cannot fully
understand.
“Because You are unlimited in Your six opulences, no one can count Your
transcendental qualities. Philosophers and other thoughtful persons are
overwhelmed by the contradictory manifestations of the physical world and
the propositions of logical arguments and judgments. Because they are
bewildered by word jugglery and disturbed by the different calculations of the
scriptures, their theories cannot touch You, who are the ruler and controller of
everyone and whose glories are beyond conception.
“Your inconceivable potency keeps You unattached to the mundane qualities.
Surpassing all conceptions of material contemplation, Your pure
transcendental knowledge keeps You beyond all speculative processes. By
Your inconceivable potency, there is nothing contradictory in You.
“People may sometimes think of You as impersonal or personal, but You are
one. For persons who are confused or bewildered, a rope may appear to
manifest itself as different kinds of snakes. For similar confused persons who
are uncertain about You, You create various philosophical methods in
pursuance of their uncertain positions.”
We should always remember the differences between spiritual and material
actions. The Supreme Lord, being all-spiritual, can perform any act without
extraneous help. In the material world, if we want to manufacture an earthen
pot, we need the ingredients, a machine and also a laborer. But we should not
extend this idea to the actions of the Supreme Lord, for He can create
anything in a moment without that which appears necessary in our own
conception. When the Lord appears as an incarnation to fulfill a particular
purpose, this does not indicate that He is unable to fulfill it without appearing.
He can do anything simply by His will, but by His causeless mercy He appears
to be dependent upon His devotees. He appears as the son of YazodAmAtA
not because He is dependent on her care but because He accepts such a role
by His causeless mercy. When He appears for the protection of His devotees,
He naturally accepts trials and tribulations on their behalf.
In the Bhagavad-gItA it is said that the Lord, being equally disposed toward
every living being, has no enemies and no friends but that He has special
affection for a devotee who always thinks of Him in love. Therefore neutrality
and partiality are both among the transcendental qualities of the Lord, and
they are properly adjusted by His inconceivable energy. The Lord is
Parabrahman, or the source of the impersonal Brahma, which is His all-
pervading feature of neutrality. In His personal feature, however, as the
owner of all transcendental opulences, the Lord displays His partiality by
taking the side of His devotees. Partiality, neutrality and all such qualities are
present in God; otherwise they could not be experienced in the creation. Since
He is the total existence, all things are properly adjusted in the Absolute. In
the relative world such qualities are displayed in a perverted manner, and
therefore we experience nonduality as a perverted reflection. Because there is
no logic to explain how things happen in the realm of spirit, the Lord is
sometimes described as being beyond the range of experience. But if we
simply accept the Lord’s inconceivability, we can then adjust all things in Him.
Nondevotees cannot understand the Lord’s inconceivable energy, and
consequently for them it is said that He is beyond the range of conceivable
expression. The author of the Brahma-sUtras accepts this fact and says, zrutes
tu zabda-mUlatvAt: the Supreme Personality of Godhead, being inconceivable
to an ordinary man, can be understood only through the evidence of the
Vedic injunctions. The Skanda PurANa confirms, acintyAH khalu ye bhAvA na
tAàs tarkeNa yojayet: “Matters inconceivable to a common man should not
be a subject for argument.” We find very wonderful qualities even in such
material things as jewels and drugs. Indeed, their qualities often appear
inconceivable. Therefore if we do not attribute inconceivable potencies to the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, we cannot establish His supremacy. It is
because of these inconceivable potencies that the glories of the Lord have
always been accepted as difficult to understand.
Ignorance and the jugglery of words are very common in human society, but
they do not help one understand the inconceivable energies of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead. If we accept such ignorance and word jugglery, we
cannot accept the Supreme Lord’s perfection in six opulences. For example,
one of the opulences of the Supreme Lord is complete knowledge. Therefore,
how could ignorance be conceivable in Him? Vedic instructions and sensible
arguments establish that the Lord’s maintaining the cosmic manifestation and
simultaneously being indifferent to the activities of its maintenance cannot be
contradictory, because of His inconceivable energies. To a person who is
always absorbed in the thought of snakes, a rope always appears to be a
snake, and similarly to a person bewildered by material qualities and devoid of
knowledge of the Absolute, the Supreme Personality of Godhead appears
according to diverse bewildered conclusions.
Someone might argue that the Absolute would be affected by duality if He
were both all-cognizance (Brahman) and the Personality of Godhead with six
opulences in full (BhagavAn). To refute such an argument, the aphorism
svarUpa-dvayam IkSyate declares that in spite of appearances, there is no
chance of duality in the Absolute, for He is but one in diverse manifestations.
Understanding that the Absolute displays varied pastimes by the influence of
His energies at once removes the apparent incongruity of His inconceivably
opposite energies. zrImad-BhAgavatam (3.4.16) gives the following
description of the inconceivable potency of the Lord:
karmANy anIhasya bhavo ’bhavasya te
durgAzrayo ’thAri-bhayAt palAyanam
kAlAtmano yat pramadA-yutAzrayaH
svAtman-rateH khidyati dhIr vidAm iha
“Although the Supreme Personality of Godhead has nothing to do, He
nevertheless acts; although He is always unborn, He nevertheless takes birth;
although He is time, fearful to everyone, He flees MathurA in fear of His
enemy to take shelter in a fort; and although He is self-sufficient, He marries
16,000 women. These pastimes seem like bewildering contradictions, even to
the most intelligent.” Had these activities of the Lord not been a reality, sages
would not have been puzzled by them. Therefore such activities should never
be considered imaginary. Whenever the Lord desires, His inconceivable
energy (yogamAyA) serves Him in creating and performing such pastimes.
The scriptures known as the Pa~ncarAtra-zAstras are recognized Vedic
scriptures that have been accepted by the great AcAryas. These scriptures are
not products of the modes of passion and ignorance. Learned scholars and
brAhmaNas therefore always refer to them as sAtvata-saàhitAs. The original
speaker of these scriptures is NArAyaNa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
This is especially mentioned in the MokSa-dharma (349.68), which is part of
the zAnti-parva of the MahAbhArata. Liberated sages like NArada and VyAsa,
who are free from the four defects of conditioned souls, are the propagators
of these scriptures. zrI NArada Muni is the original speaker of the Pa~ncarAtra-
zAstra. zrImad-BhAgavatam is also considered a sAtvata-saàhitA. Indeed, zrI
Caitanya MahAprabhu declared, zrImad-bhAgavataà purANam amalam:
“zrImad-BhAgavatam is a spotless PurANa.” Malicious editors and scholars
who attempt to misrepresent the Pa~ncarAtra-zAstras to refute their regulations
are most abominable. In the modern age, such malicious scholars have even
commented misleadingly upon the Bhagavad-gItA, which was spoken by
KRSNa, to prove that there is no KRSNa. How the MAyAvAdIs have
misrepresented the pA~ncarAtrika-vidhi will be shown below.
(1) In commenting on VedAnta-sUtra 2.2.42, zrIpAda za~NkarAcArya has claimed
that Sa~NkarSaNa is a jIva, an ordinary living entity, but there is no evidence in
any Vedic scripture that devotees of the Lord have ever said that Sa~NkarSaNa
is an ordinary living entity. He is an infallible plenary expansion of the
Supreme Personality of Godhead in the ViSNu category, and He is beyond the
creation of material nature. He is the original source of the living entities. The
UpaniSads declare, nityo nityAnAà cetanaz cetanAnAm: “He is the supreme
living entity among all the living entities.” Therefore He is vibhu-caitanya, the
greatest. He is directly the cause of the cosmic manifestation and the
infinitesimal living beings. He is the infinite living entity, and ordinary living
entities are infinitesimal. Therefore He is never to be considered an ordinary
living being, for that would be against the conclusion of the authorized
scriptures. The living entities are also beyond the limitations of birth and
death. This is the version of the Vedas, and it is accepted by those who follow
scriptural injunctions and who have actually descended in the disciplic
succession.
(2) In answer to za~NkarAcArya’s commentary on VedAnta-sUtra 2.2.43, it must
be said that the original ViSNu of all the ViSNu categories, which are distributed
in several ways, is MUla-sa~NkarSaNa. MUla means “the original.” Sa~NkarSaNa is
also ViSNu, but from Him all other ViSNus expand. This is confirmed in the
Brahma-saàhitA (5.46), wherein it is said that just as a flame transferred from
another flame acts like the original, so the ViSNus who emanate from
MUlasa~NkarSaNa are as good as the original ViSNu. One should worship that
Supreme Personality of Godhead, Govinda, who thus expands Himself.
(3) In reply to the commentary of za~NkarAcArya on the forty-fourth aphorism,
it may be said that no pure devotees strictly following the principles of the
Pa~ncarAtra will ever accept the statement that all the expansions of ViSNu are
different identities, for this idea is completely false. Even zrIpAda
za~NkarAcArya, in his commentary on the forty-second aphorism, has accepted
that the Personality of Godhead can automatically expand Himself variously.
Therefore his commentary on the forty-second aphorism and his commentary
on the forty-fourth aphorism are contradictory. It is a defect of MAyAvAda
commentaries that they make one statement in one place and a contradictory
statement in another place as a tactic to refute the BhAgavata school. Thus
MAyAvAdI commentators do not even follow regulative principles. It should be
noted that the BhAgavata school accepts the quadruple forms of NArAyaNa,
but that does not mean that it accepts many Gods. Devotees know perfectly
well that the Absolute Truth, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is one
without a second. They are never pantheists, worshipers of many Gods, for
this is against the injunction of the Vedas. Devotees completely believe, with
strong faith, that NArAyaNa is transcendental and has inconceivable
proprietorship of various transcendental potencies. We therefore recommend
that scholars consult the Laghu-bhAgavatAmRta of zrIla RUpa GosvAmI, where
these ideas are explicitly stated. zrIpAda za~NkarAcArya has tried to prove that
VAsudeva, Sa~NkarSaNa, Pradyumna and Aniruddha expand through cause and
effect. He has compared Them with earth and earthen pots. That is
completely ignorant, however, for there is no such thing as cause and effect
in Their expansions (nAnyad yat sad-asat-param). The KUrma PurANa also
confirms, deha-dehi-vibhedo ’yaà nezvare vidyate kvacit: “There is no
difference between body and soul in the Supreme Personality of Godhead.”
Cause and effect are material. For example, it is seen that a father’s body is
the cause of a son’s body, but the soul is neither cause nor effect. On the
spiritual platform there are none of the differences we find in cause and
effect. Since all the forms of the Supreme Personality of Godhead are
spiritually supreme, They are equally controllers of material nature. Standing
on the fourth dimension, They are predominating figures on the
transcendental platform. There is no trace of material contamination in Their
expansions because material laws cannot influence Them. There is no such
rule as cause and effect outside of the material world. Therefore the
understanding of cause and effect cannot approach the full, transcendental,
complete expansions of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Vedic
literature proves this:
oà pUrNam adaH pUrNam idaà pUrNAt pUrNam udacyate
pUrNasya pUrNam AdAya pUrNam evAvaziSyate
“The Personality of Godhead is perfect and complete, and because He is
completely perfect, all emanations from Him, such as this phenomenal world,
are perfectly equipped as complete wholes. Whatever is produced of the
complete whole is also complete by itself. Because He is the complete whole,
even though so many complete units emanate from Him, He remains the
complete balance.” (BRhad-AraNyaka UpaniSad 5.1) It is most apparent that
nondevotees violate the rules and regulations of devotional service to equate
the whole cosmic manifestation, which is the external feature of ViSNu, with
the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is the controller of mAyA, or with
His quadruple expansions. Equating mAyA with spirit, or mAyA with the Lord, is
a sign of atheism. The cosmic creation, which manifests life in forms from
BrahmA to the ant, is the external feature of the Supreme Lord. It comprises
one fourth of the Lord’s energy, as confirmed in the Bhagavad-gItA
(ekAàzena sthito jagat). The cosmic manifestation of the illusory energy is
material nature, and everything within material nature is made of matter.
Therefore, one should not try to compare the expansions of material nature to
the catur-vyUha, the quadruple expansions of the Personality of Godhead, but
unfortunately the MAyAvAdI school unreasonably attempts to do this.
(4) To answer za~NkarAcArya’s commentary on VedAnta-sUtra 2.2.45, the
substance of the transcendental qualities and their spiritual nature is described
in the Laghu-bhAgavatAmRta (PUrva 5.208–214) as follows: “Some say that
transcendence must be void of all qualities because qualities are manifested
only in matter. According to them, all qualities are like temporary, flickering
mirages. But this is not acceptable. Since the Supreme Personality of Godhead
is absolute, His qualities are nondifferent from Him. His form, name, qualities
and everything else pertaining to Him are as spiritual as He is. Every
qualitative expansion of the absolute Personality of Godhead is identical with
Him. Since the Absolute Truth, the Personality of Godhead, is the reservoir of
all pleasure, all the transcendental qualities that expand from Him are also
reservoirs of pleasure. This is confirmed in the scripture known as Brahma-
tarka, which states that the Supreme Lord Hari is qualified by Himself, and
therefore ViSNu and His pure devotees and their transcendental qualities
cannot be different from their persons. In the ViSNu PurANa Lord ViSNu is
worshiped in the following words: ‘Let the Supreme Personality of Godhead
be merciful toward us. His existence is never infected by material qualities.’ In
the same ViSNu PurANa it is also said that all the qualities attributed to the
Supreme Lord, such as knowledge, opulence, beauty, strength and influence,
are known to be nondifferent from Him. This is also confirmed in the Padma
PurANa, which explains that whenever the Supreme Lord is described as
having no qualities, this should be understood to indicate that He is devoid of
material qualities. In the First Chapter of zrImad-BhAgavatam (1.16.29) it is
said, ‘O Dharma, protector of religious principles, all noble and sublime
qualities are eternally manifested in the person of KRSNa, and devotees and
transcendentalists who aspire to become faithful also desire to possess such
transcendental qualities.’” It is therefore to be understood that Lord zrI KRSNa,
the transcendental form of absolute bliss, is the fountainhead of all pleasurable
transcendental qualities and inconceivable potencies. In this connection we
may recommend references to zrImad-BhAgavatam, Third Canto, Chapter
Twenty-six, verses 21, 25, 27 and 28.
zrIpAda RAmAnujAcArya has also refuted the arguments of za~Nkara in his own
commentary on the VedAnta-sUtra, which is known as the zrI-bhASya:
“zrIpAda za~NkarAcArya has tried to equate the Pa~ncarAtras with the philosophy
of the atheist Kapila, and thus he has tried to prove that the Pa~ncarAtras
contradict the Vedic injunctions. The Pa~ncarAtras state that the personality of
jIva called Sa~NkarSaNa has emerged from VAsudeva, the supreme cause of all
causes, that Pradyumna, the mind, has come from Sa~NkarSaNa, and that
Aniruddha, the ego, has come from Pradyumna. But one cannot say that the
living entity (jIva) takes birth or is created, for such a statement is against the
injunction of the Vedas. As stated in the KaTha UpaniSad (2.18), living entities,
as individual spiritual souls, can have neither birth nor death. All Vedic
literature declares that the living entities are eternal. Therefore when it is said
that Sa~NkarSaNa is jIva, this indicates that He is the predominating Deity of
the living entities. Similarly, Pradyumna is the predominating Deity of the
mind, and Aniruddha is the predominating Deity of the ego.
“It has been said that Pradyumna, the mind, was produced from Sa~NkarSaNa.
But if Sa~NkarSaNa were a living entity, this could not be accepted, because a
living entity cannot be the cause of the mind. The Vedic injunctions state that
everything—including life, mind and the senses—comes from the Supreme
Personality of Godhead. It is impossible for the mind to be produced by a
living entity, for the Vedas state that everything comes from the Absolute
Truth, the Supreme Lord.
“Sa~NkarSaNa, Pradyumna and Aniruddha have all the potent features of the
absolute Personality of Godhead, according to the revealed scriptures, which
contain undeniable facts that no one can refute. Therefore these members of
the quadruple manifestation are never to be considered ordinary living beings.
Each of Them is a plenary expansion of the Absolute Godhead, and thus each
is identical with the Supreme Lord in knowledge, opulence, energy, influence,
prowess and potencies. The evidence of the Pa~ncarAtras cannot be neglected.
Only untrained persons who have not genuinely studied the Pa~ncarAtras think
that the Pa~ncarAtras contradict the zrutis regarding the birth or beginning of
the living entity. In this connection, we must accept the verdict of zrImad-
BhAgavatam, which says, ‘The absolute Personality of Godhead, who is known
as VAsudeva and who is very affectionate toward His surrendered devotees,
expands Himself in quadruple forms who are subordinate to Him and at the
same time identical with Him in all respects.’ The PauSkara-saàhitA states,
‘The scriptures that recommend that brAhmaNas worship the quadruple forms
of the Supreme Personality of Godhead are called Agamas [authorized Vedic
literatures].’ In all VaiSNava literature it is said that worshiping these quadruple
forms is as good as worshiping the Supreme Personality of Godhead
VAsudeva, who in His different expansions, complete in six opulences, can
accept offerings from His devotees of the results of their prescribed duties.
Worshiping the expansions for pastimes, such as NRsiàha, RAma, zeSa and
KUrma, promotes one to the worship of the Sa~NkarSaNa quadruple. From that
position one is raised to the platform of worshiping VAsudeva, the Supreme
Brahman. In the PauSkara-saàhitA it is said, ‘If one fully worships according to
the regulative principles, one can attain the Supreme Personality of Godhead,
VAsudeva.’ It is to be accepted that Sa~NkarSaNa, Pradyumna and Aniruddha
are as good as Lord VAsudeva, for They all have inconceivable power and can
accept transcendental forms like VAsudeva. Sa~NkarSaNa, Pradyumna and
Aniruddha are never born, but They can manifest Themselves in various
incarnations before the eyes of pure devotees. This is the conclusion of all
Vedic literature. That the Lord can manifest Himself before His devotees by
His inconceivable power is not against the teaching of the Pa~ncarAtras. Since
Sa~NkarSaNa, Pradyumna and Aniruddha are, respectively, the predominating
Deities of all living entities, the total mind and the total ego, the designation
of Sa~NkarSaNa, Pradyumna and Aniruddha as ‘jIva,’ ‘mind’ and ‘ego’ are never
contradictory to the statements of the scriptures. These terms identify these
Deities, just as the terms ‘sky’ and ‘light’ sometimes identify the Absolute
Brahman.
“The scriptures completely deny the birth or production of the living entity. In
the Parama-saàhitA it is described that material nature, which is used for
others’ purposes, is factually inert and always subject to transformation. The
field of material nature is the arena of the activities of fruitive actors, and
since the material field is externally related with the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, it is also eternal. In every saàhitA, the jIva (living entity) has been
accepted as eternal, and in the Pa~ncarAtras the birth of the jIva is completely
denied. Anything that is produced must also be annihilated. Therefore if we
accept the birth of the living entity, we also have to accept his annihilation.
But since the Vedic literatures say that the living entity is eternal, one should
not think the living being to be produced at a certain time. In the beginning of
the Parama-saàhitA it is definitely stated that the face of material nature is
constantly changeable. Therefore ‘beginning,’ ‘annihilation’ and all such terms
are applicable only in the material nature.
“Considering all these points, one should understand that za~NkarAcArya’s
statement that Sa~NkarSaNa is born as a jIva is completely against the Vedic
statements. His assertions are completely refuted by the above arguments. In
this connection the commentary of zrIdhara SvAmI on zrImad-BhAgavatam
(3.1.34) is very helpful.”
For a detailed refutation of za~NkarAcArya’s arguments attempting to prove
Sa~NkarSaNa an ordinary living being, one may refer to zrImat
SudarzanAcArya’s commentary on the zrI-bhASya, which is known as the
zruta-prakAzikA.
The original quadruple forms—KRSNa, Baladeva, Pradyumna and Aniruddha—
expand into another quadruple, which is present in the VaikuNTha planets of
the spiritual sky. Therefore the quadruple forms in the spiritual sky are the
second manifestation of the original quadruple in DvArakA. As explained
above, VAsudeva, Sa~NkarSaNa, Pradyumna and Aniruddha are all changeless,
transcendental plenary expansions of the Supreme Lord who have no relation
to the material modes. The Sa~NkarSaNa form in the second quadruple is not
only a representation of BalarAma but also the original cause of the Causal
Ocean, where KAraNodakazAyI ViSNu lies asleep, breathing out the seeds of
innumerable universes.
In the spiritual sky there is a spiritual creative energy technically called
zuddha-sattva, which is a pure spiritual energy that sustains all the VaikuNTha
planets with the full opulences of knowledge, wealth, prowess, etc. All these
actions of zuddha-sattva display the potencies of MahA-sa~NkarSaNa, who is
the ultimate reservoir of all individual living entities who are suffering in the
material world. When the cosmic creation is annihilated, the living entities,
who are indestructible by nature, rest in the body of MahA-sa~NkarSaNa.
Sa~NkarSaNa is therefore sometimes called the total jIva. As spiritual sparks, the
living entities have the tendency to be inactive in the association of the
material energy, just as sparks of a fire have the tendency to be extinguished
as soon as they leave the fire. The spiritual nature of the living being can be
rekindled, however, in association with the Supreme Being. Because the living
being can appear either in matter or in spirit, the jIva is called the marginal
potency.
Sa~NkarSaNa is the origin of KAraNa ViSNu, who is the original form who creates
the universes, and that Sa~NkarSaNa is but a plenary expansion of zrI
NityAnanda RAma.
Adi 5.42
TEXT 42
tA~NhA ye rAmera rUpa——mahA-sa~NkarSaNa
cic-chakti-Azraya ti~Nho, kAraNera kAraNa

tA~NhA—there; ye—which; rAmera rUpa—the personal feature of BalarAma;
mahA-sa~NkarSaNa—MahA-sa~NkarSaNa; cit-zakti-Azraya—the shelter of the
spiritual potency; ti~Nho—He; kAraNera kAraNa—the cause of all causes.
TRANSLATION
There [in the spiritual sky] the personal feature of BalarAma called MahA-
sa~NkarSaNa is the shelter of the spiritual energy. He is the primary cause, the
cause of all causes.
Adi 5.43
TEXT 43
cic-chakti-vilAsa eka——‘zuddha-sattva’ nAma
zuddha-sattva-maya yata vaikuNThAdi-dhAma

cit-zakti-vilAsa—pastimes in the spiritual energy; eka—one; zuddha-sattva
nAma—named zuddha-sattva, pure existence, free from material
contamination; zuddha-sattva-maya—of purely spiritual existence; yata—all;
vaikuNTha-Adi-dhAma—the spiritual planets, known as VaikuNThas.
TRANSLATION
One variety of the pastimes of the spiritual energy is described as pure
goodness [vizuddha-sattva]. It comprises all the abodes of VaikuNTha.
Adi 5.44
TEXT 44
Saò-vidhaizvarya tA~NhA sakala cinmaya
sa~NkarSaNera vibhUti saba, jAniha nizcaya

SaT-vidha-aizvarya—six kinds of opulences; tA~NhA—there; sakala cit-maya—
everything spiritual; sa~NkarSaNera—of Lord Sa~NkarSaNa; vibhUti saba—all
different opulences; jAniha nizcaya—know certainly.
TRANSLATION
The six attributes are all spiritual. Know for certain that they are all
manifestations of the opulence of Sa~NkarSaNa.
Adi 5.45
TEXT 45
‘jIva’-nAma taTasthAkhya eka zakti haya
mahA-sa~NkarSaNa——saba jIvera Azraya

jIva—the living entity; nAma—named; taTa-sthA-Akhya—known as the
marginal potency; eka—one; zakti—energy; haya—is; mahA-sa~NkarSaNa—
MahA-sa~NkarSaNa; saba—all; jIvera—of living entities; Azraya—the shelter.
TRANSLATION
There is one marginal potency, known as the jIva. MahA-sa~NkarSaNa is the
shelter of all jIvas.
Adi 5.46
TEXT 46
yA~NhA haite vizvotpatti, yA~NhAte pralaya
sei puruSera sa~NkarSaNa samAzraya

yA~NhA haite—from whom; vizva-utpatti—the creation of the material cosmic
manifestation; yA~NhAte—in whom; pralaya—merging; sei puruSera—of that
Supreme Personality of Godhead; sa~NkarSaNa—Sa~NkarSaNa; samAzraya—the
original shelter.
TRANSLATION
Sa~NkarSaNa is the original shelter of the puruSa, from whom this world is
created and in whom it is dissolved.
Adi 5.47
TEXT 47
sarvAzraya, sarvAdbhuta, aizvarya apAra
‘ananta’ kahite nAre mahimA yA~NhAra

sarva-Azraya—the shelter of everything; sarva-adbhuta—wonderful in every
respect; aizvarya—opulences; apAra—unfathomed; ananta—Ananta zeSa;
kahite nAre—cannot speak; mahimA yA~NhAra—the glories of whom.
TRANSLATION
He [Sa~NkarSaNa] is the shelter of everything. He is wonderful in every respect,
and His opulences are infinite. Even Ananta cannot describe His glory.
Adi 5.48
TEXT 48
turIya, vizuddha-sattva, ‘sa~NkarSaNa’ nAma
ti~Nho yA~Nra aàza, sei nityAnanda-rAma
SYNONYMS
turIya—transcendental; vizuddha-sattva—pure existence; sa~NkarSaNa
nAma—named Sa~NkarSaNa; ti~Nho yA~Nra aàza—of whom that Sa~NkarSaNa is
also a partial expansion; sei nityAnanda-rAma—that person is known as
BalarAma or NityAnanda.
TRANSLATION
That Sa~NkarSaNa, who is transcendental pure goodness, is a partial expansion
of NityAnanda BalarAma.
Adi 5.49
TEXT 49
aSTama zlokera kaila sa~NkSepe vivaraNa
navama zlokera artha zuna diyA mana

aSTama—eighth; zlokera—of the verse; kaila—I have done; sa~NkSepe—in
brief; vivaraNa—description; navama—the ninth; zlokera—of the verse;
artha—the meaning; zuna—please hear; diyA mana—with mental attention.
TRANSLATION
I have briefly explained the eighth verse. Now please listen with attention as I
explain the ninth verse.
Adi 5.50
TEXT 50
mAyA-bhartAjANòa-sa~NghAzrayA~NgaH
zete sAkSAt kAraNAmbhodhi-madhye
yasyaikAàzaH zrI-pumAn Adi-devas
taà zrI-nityAnanda-rAmaà prapadye

mAyA-bhartA—the master of the illusory energy; aja-aNòa-sa~Ngha—of the
multitude of universes; Azraya—the shelter; a~NgaH—whose body; zete—He
lies; sAkSAt—directly; kAraNa-ambhodhi-madhye—in the midst of the Causal
Ocean; yasya—whose; eka-aàzaH—one portion; zrI-pumAn—the Supreme
Person; Adi-devaH—the original puruSa incarnation; tam—to Him; zrI-
nityAnanda-rAmam—to Lord BalarAma in the form of Lord NityAnanda;
prapadye—I surrender.
TRANSLATION
I offer my full obeisances unto the feet of zrI NityAnanda RAma, whose partial
representation called KAraNodakazAyI ViSNu, lying on the KAraNa Ocean, is the
original puruSa, the master of the illusory energy, and the shelter of all the
universes.
Adi 5.51
TEXT 51
vaikuNTha-bAhire yei jyotir-maya dhAma
tAhAra bAhire ‘kAraNArNava’ nAma

vaikuNTha-bAhire—outside the VaikuNTha planets; yei—that; jyotiH-maya
dhAma—impersonal Brahman effulgence; tAhAra bAhire—outside that
effulgence; kAraNa-arNava nAma—an ocean called KAraNa.
TRANSLATION
Outside the VaikuNTha planets is the impersonal Brahman effulgence, and
beyond that effulgence is the KAraNa Ocean, or Causal Ocean.
PURPORT
The impersonal glowing effulgence known as impersonal Brahman is the outer
space of the VaikuNTha planets in the spiritual sky. Beyond that impersonal
Brahman is the great Causal Ocean, which lies between the material and
spiritual skies. The material nature is a by-product of this Causal Ocean.
KAraNodakazAyI ViSNu, who lies on the Causal Ocean, creates the universes
merely by glancing upon material nature. Therefore KRSNa personally has
nothing to do with the material creation. The Bhagavad-gItA confirms that the
Lord glances over material nature and thus she produces the many material
universes. Neither KRSNa in Goloka nor NArAyaNa in VaikuNTha comes directly
in contact with the material creation. They are completely aloof from the
material energy.
It is the function of MahA-sa~NkarSaNa in the form of KAraNodakazAyI ViSNu to
glance over the material creation, which is situated beyond the limits of the
Causal Ocean. Material nature is connected with the Personality of Godhead
by His glance over her and nothing more. It is said that she is impregnated by
the energy of His glance. The material energy, mAyA, never even touches the
Causal Ocean, for the Lord’s glance focuses upon her from a great distance
away.
The glancing power of the Lord agitates the entire cosmic energy, and thus its
actions begin at once. This indicates that matter, however powerful she may
be, has no power by herself. Her activity begins by the grace of the Lord, and
then the entire cosmic creation is manifested in a systematic way. The
analogy of a woman’s conception can help us understand this subject to a
certain extent. The mother is passive, but the father puts his energy within the
mother, and thus she conceives. She supplies the ingredients for the birth of
the child in her womb. Similarly, the Lord activates material nature, which
then supplies the ingredients for cosmic development.
Material nature has two different phases. The aspect called pradhAna supplies
the material ingredients for cosmic development, and the aspect called mAyA
causes the manifestation of her ingredients, which are temporary, like foam in
the ocean. In reality, the temporary manifestations of material nature are
originally caused by the spiritual glance of the Lord. The Personality of
Godhead is the direct, or remote, cause of creation, and material nature is the
indirect, or immediate, cause. Materialistic scientists, puffed-up by the
magical changes their so-called inventions have brought about, cannot see
the real potency of Godhead behind matter. Therefore the jugglery of science
is gradually leading people to a godless civilization at the cost of the goal of
human life. Having missed the goal of life, materialists run after self-
sufficiency, not knowing that material nature is already self-sufficient by the
grace of God. Thus creating a colossal hoax in the name of civilization, they
create an imbalance in the natural self-sufficiency of material nature.
To think of material nature as all in all, not knowing the original cause, is
ignorance. Lord Caitanya appeared in order to dissipate this darkness of
ignorance by igniting the spark of spiritual life that can, by His causeless
mercy, enlighten the entire world.
To explain how mAyA acts by KRSNa’s power, the author of zrI Caitanya-
caritAmRta gives the analogy of an iron rod in a fire: although the rod is not
fire, it becomes red-hot and acts like fire itself. Similarly, all the actions and
reactions of material nature are not actually the work of material nature but
are actions and reactions of the energy of the Supreme Lord manifested
through matter. The power of electricity is transmitted through the medium
of copper, but this does not mean that the copper is electricity. The power is
generated at a powerhouse under the control of an expert living being.
Similarly, behind all the jugglery of the natural laws is a great living being,
who is a person like the mechanical engineer in the powerhouse. It is by His
intelligence that the entire cosmic creation moves in a systematic way.
The modes of nature, which directly cause material actions, are also originally
activated by NArAyaNa. A simple analogy will explain how this is so: When a
potter manufactures a pot from clay, the potter’s wheel, his tools and the clay
are the immediate causes of the pot, but the potter is the chief cause.
Similarly, NArAyaNa is the chief cause of all material creations, and the
material energy supplies the ingredients of matter. Therefore without
NArAyaNa, all other causes are useless, just as the potter’s wheel and tools are
useless without the potter himself. Since materialistic scientists ignore the
Personality of Godhead, it is as if they were concerned with the potter’s
wheel and its rotation, the potter’s tools and the ingredients for the pots, but
had no knowledge of the potter himself. Therefore modern science has
created an imperfect, godless civilization that is in gross ignorance of the
ultimate cause. Scientific advancement should have a great goal to attain,
and that great goal should be the Personality of Godhead. In the Bhagavad-
gItA it is said that after conducting research for many, many births, great men
of knowledge who stress the importance of experimental thought can know
the Personality of Godhead, who is the cause of all causes. When one knows
Him perfectly, one surrenders unto Him and then becomes a mahAtmA.
Adi 5.52
TEXT 52
vaikuNTha beòiyA eka Ache jala-nidhi
ananta, apAra——tAra nAhika avadhi

vaikuNTha—the spiritual planets of VaikuNTha; beòiyA—surrounding; eka—
one; Ache—there is; jala-nidhi—ocean of water; ananta—unlimited; apAra—
unfathomed; tAra—of that; nAhika—no; avadhi—limitation.
TRANSLATION
Surrounding VaikuNTha is a mass of water that is endless, unfathomed and
unlimited.
Adi 5.53
TEXT 53
vaikuNThera pRthivy-Adi sakala cinmaya
mAyika bhUtera tathi janma nAhi haya

vaikuNThera—of the spiritual world; pRthivI-Adi—earth, water, etc.; sakala—
all; cit-maya—spiritual; mAyika—material; bhUtera—of elements; tathi—
there; janma—generation; nAhi haya—there is not.
TRANSLATION
The earth, water, fire, air and ether of VaikuNTha are all spiritual. Material
elements are not found there.
Adi 5.54
TEXT 54
cinmaya-jala sei parama kAraNa
yAra eka kaNA ga~NgA patita-pAvana

cit-maya—spiritual; jala—water; sei—that; parama kAraNa—original cause;
yAra—of which; eka—one; kaNA—drop; ga~NgA—the sacred Ganges; patita-
pAvana—the deliverer of fallen souls.
TRANSLATION
The water of the KAraNa Ocean, which is the original cause, is therefore
spiritual. The sacred Ganges, which is but a drop of it, purifies the fallen souls.
Adi 5.55
TEXT 55
sei ta’ kAraNArNave sei sa~NkarSaNa
ApanAra eka aàze karena zayana

sei—that; ta’—certainly; kAraNa-arNave—in the ocean of cause, or Causal
Ocean; sei—that; sa~NkarSaNa—Lord Sa~NkarSaNa; ApanAra—of His own;
eka—one; aàze—by the part; karena zayana—lies down.
TRANSLATION
In that ocean lies a plenary portion of Lord Sa~NkarSaNa.
Adi 5.56
TEXT 56
mahat-sraSTA puruSa, ti~Nho jagat-kAraNa
Adya-avatAra kare mAyAya IkSaNa

mahat-sraSTA—the creator of the total material energy; puruSa—the person;
ti~Nho—He; jagat-kAraNa—the cause of the material cosmic manifestation;
Adya—original; avatAra—incarnation; kare—does; mAyAya—over the
material energy; IkSaNa—glance.
TRANSLATION
He is known as the first puruSa, the creator of the total material energy. He,
the cause of the universes, the first incarnation, casts His glance over mAyA.
Adi 5.57
TEXT 57
mAyA-zakti rahe kAraNAbdhira bAhire
kAraNa-samudra mAyA parazite nAre

mAyA-zakti—material energy; rahe—remains; kAraNa-abdhira—to the Causal
Ocean; bAhire—external; kAraNa-samudra—the Causal Ocean; mAyA—
material energy; parazite nAre—cannot touch.
TRANSLATION
MAyA-zakti resides outside the KAraNa Ocean. MAyA cannot touch its waters.
Adi 5.58
TEXT 58
sei ta’ mAyAra dui-vidha avasthiti
jagatera upAdAna ‘pradhAna’, prakRti

sei—that; ta’—certainly; mAyAra—of the material energy; dui-vidha—two
varieties; avasthiti—existence; jagatera—of the material world; upAdAna—
the ingredients; pradhAna—named pradhAna; prakRti—material nature.
TRANSLATION
MAyA has two varieties of existence. One is called pradhAna or prakRti. It
supplies the ingredients of the material world.
PURPORT
MAyA, the external energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is divided
into two parts. MAyA is both the cause of the cosmic manifestation and the
agent who supplies its ingredients. As the cause of the cosmic manifestation
she is known as mAyA, and as the agent supplying the ingredients of the
cosmic manifestation she is known as pradhAna. An explicit description of
these divisions of the external energy is given in zrImad-BhAgavatam
(11.24.1–4). Elsewhere in zrImad-BhAgavatam (10.63.26) the ingredients and
cause of the material cosmic manifestation are described as follows:
kAlo daivaà karma jIvaH svabhAvo
dravyaà kSetraà prANa AtmA vikAraH
tat-sa~NghAto bIja-roha-pravAhas
tvan-mAyaiSA tan-niSedhaà prapadye
“O my Lord! Time, activity, providence and nature are four parts of the causal
aspect [mAyA] of the external energy. The conditioned vital force, the subtle
material ingredients called the dravya, and material nature (which is the field
of activity where the false ego acts as the soul), as well as the eleven senses
and five elements (earth, water, fire, air and ether), which are the sixteen
ingredients of the body—these are the ingredient aspect of mAyA. The body
is generated from activity, and activity is generated from the body, just as a
tree is generated from a seed that is generated from a tree. This reciprocal
cause and effect is called mAyA. My dear Lord, You can save me from this
cycle of cause and effect. I worship Your lotus feet.”
Although the living entity is primarily related to the causal portion of mAyA,
he is nevertheless conducted by the ingredients of mAyA. Three forces work in
the causal portion of mAyA: knowledge, desire and activity. The material
ingredients are a manifestation of mAyA as pradhAna. In other words, when
the three qualities of mAyA are in a dormant stage, they exist as prakRti,
avyakta or pradhAna. The word avyakta, referring to the nonmanifested, is
another name of pradhAna. In the avyakta stage, material nature is without
varieties. Varieties are manifested by the pradhAna portion of mAyA. The word
pradhAna is therefore more important than avyakta or prakRti.
Adi 5.59
TEXT 59
jagat-kAraNa nahe prakRti jaòa-rUpA
zakti sa~ncAriyA tAre kRSNa kare kRpA

jagat—of the material world; kAraNa—the cause; nahe—cannot be; prakRti—
the material nature; jaòa-rUpA—dull, without action; zakti—energy;
sa~ncAriyA—infusing; tAre—unto the dull material nature; kRSNa—Lord KRSNa;
kare—shows; kRpA—mercy.
TRANSLATION
Because prakRti is dull and inert, it cannot actually be the cause of the material
world. But Lord KRSNa shows His mercy by infusing His energy into the dull,
inert material nature.
Adi 5.60
TEXT 60
kRSNa-zaktye prakRti haya gauNa kAraNa
agni-zaktye lauha yaiche karaye jAraNa

kRSNa-zaktye—by the energy of KRSNa; prakRti—the material nature; haya—
becomes; gauNa—indirect; kAraNa—cause; agni-zaktye—by the energy of
fire; lauha—iron; yaiche—just as; karaye—becomes; jAraNa—powerful or
red-hot.
TRANSLATION
Thus prakRti, by the energy of Lord KRSNa, becomes the secondary cause, just
as iron becomes red-hot by the energy of fire.
Adi 5.61
TEXT 61
ataeva kRSNa mUla-jagat-kAraNa
prakRti——kAraNa yaiche ajA-gala-stana

ataeva—therefore; kRSNa—Lord KRSNa; mUla—original; jagat-kAraNa—the
cause of the cosmic manifestation; prakRti—material nature; kAraNa—cause;
yaiche—exactly like; ajA-gala-stana—nipples on the neck of a goat.
TRANSLATION
Therefore Lord KRSNa is the original cause of the cosmic manifestation. PrakRti
is like the nipples on the neck of a goat, for they cannot give any milk.
PURPORT
The external energy, composed of pradhAna or prakRti as the ingredient-
supplying portion and mAyA as the causal portion, is known as mAyA-zakti.
Inert material nature is not the actual cause of the material manifestation, for
KAraNArNavazAyI, MahA-ViSNu, the plenary expansion of KRSNa, activates all
the ingredients. It is in this way that material nature has the power to supply
the ingredients. The analogy given is that iron has no power to heat or burn,
but after coming in contact with fire the iron becomes red-hot and can then
diffuse heat and burn other things. Material nature is like iron, for it has no
independence to act without the touch of ViSNu, who is compared to fire.
Lord ViSNu activates material nature by the power of His glance, and then the
ironlike material nature becomes a material-supplying agent just as iron made
red-hot becomes a burning agent. Material nature cannot independently
become an agent for supplying the material ingredients. This is more clearly
explained by zrI Kapiladeva, an incarnation of Godhead, in zrImad-
BhAgavatam (3.28.40):
yatholmukAd visphuli~NgAd dhUmAd vApi sva-sambhavAt
apy AtmatvenAbhimatAd yathAgniH pRthag ulmukAt
“Although smoke, flaming wood, and sparks are all considered together as
ingredients of a fire, the flaming wood is nevertheless different from the fire,
and the smoke is different from the flaming wood.” The material elements
(earth, water, fire, etc.) are like smoke, the living entities are like sparks, and
material nature as pradhAna is like the flaming wood. But all of them together
are recipients of power from the Supreme Personality of Godhead and are
thus able to manifest their individual capacities. In other words, the Supreme
Personality of Godhead is the origin of all manifestations. Material nature can
supply only when it is activated by the glance of the Supreme Personality of
Godhead.
Just as a woman can deliver a child after being impregnated by the semen of
a man, so material nature can supply the material elements after being
glanced upon by MahA-ViSNu. Therefore pradhAna cannot be independent of
the superintendence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is confirmed
in the Bhagavad-gItA (9.10): mayAdhyakSeNa prakRtiH sUyate sa-carAcaram.
PrakRti, the total material energy, works under the superintendence of the
Lord. The original source of the material elements is KRSNa. Therefore the
attempt of the atheistic SA~Nkhya philosophers to consider material nature the
source of these elements, forgetting KRSNa, is useless, like trying to get milk
from the nipplelike bumps of skin hanging on the neck of a goat.
Adi 5.62
TEXT 62
mAyA-aàze kahi tAre nimitta-kAraNa
seha nahe, yAte kartA-hetu——nArAyaNa

mAyA-aàze—to the other portion of the material nature; kahi—I say; tAre—
unto her; nimitta-kAraNa—immediate cause; seha nahe—that cannot be;
yAte—because; kartA-hetu—the original cause; nArAyaNa—Lord NArAyaNa.
TRANSLATION
The mAyA aspect of material nature is the immediate cause of the cosmic
manifestation. But it cannot be the real cause, for the original cause is Lord
NArAyaNa.
Adi 5.63
TEXT 63
ghaTera nimitta-hetu yaiche kumbhakAra
taiche jagatera kartA——puruSAvatAra

ghaTera—of the earthen pot; nimitta-hetu—original cause; yaiche—just as;
kumbhakAra—the potter; taiche—similarly; jagatera kartA—the creator of
the material world; puruSa-avatAra—the puruSa incarnation, or
KAraNArNavazAyI ViSNu.
TRANSLATION
Just as the original cause of an earthen pot is the potter, so the creator of the
material world is the first puruSa incarnation [KAraNArNavazAyI ViSNu].
Adi 5.64
TEXT 64
kRSNa——kartA, mAyA tA~Nra karena sahAya
ghaTera kAraNa——cakra-daNòAdi upAya

kRSNa—Lord KRSNa; kartA—the creator; mAyA—material energy; tA~Nra—His;
karena—does; sahAya—assistance; ghaTera kAraNa—the cause of the earthen
pot; cakra-daNòa-Adi—the wheel, the rod, and so on; upAya—instruments.
TRANSLATION
Lord KRSNa is the creator, and mAyA only helps Him as an instrument, just like
the potter’s wheel and other instruments, which are the instrumental causes
of a pot.
Adi 5.65
TEXT 65
dUra haite puruSa kare mAyAte avadhAna
jIva-rUpa vIrya tAte karena AdhAna

dUra haite—from a distance; puruSa—the Supreme Personality of Godhead;
kare—does; mAyAte—unto the material energy; avadhAna—glancing over;
jIva-rUpa—the living entities; vIrya—seed; tAte—in her; karena—does;
AdhAna—impregnation.
TRANSLATION
The first puruSa casts His glance at mAyA from a distance, and thus He
impregnates her with the seed of life in the form of the living entities.
Adi 5.66
TEXT 66
eka a~NgAbhAse kare mAyAte milana
mAyA haite janme tabe brahmANòera gaNa

eka—one; a~Nga-AbhAse—bodily reflection; kare—does; mAyAte—in the
material energy; milana—mixture; mAyA—the material energy; haite—from;
janme—grows; tabe—then; brahma-aNòera gaNa—the groups of universes.
TRANSLATION
The reflected rays of His body mix with mAyA, and thus mAyA gives birth to
myriad universes.
PURPORT
The Vedic conclusion is that the cosmic manifestation visible to the eyes of
the conditioned soul is caused by the Absolute Truth, the Personality of
Godhead, through the exertion of His specific energies, although in the
conclusion of atheistic deliberations this manifested cosmic exhibition is
attributed to material nature. The energy of the Absolute Truth is exhibited in
three ways: spiritual, material and marginal. The Absolute Truth is identical
with His spiritual energy. Only when contacted by the spiritual energy can the
material energy work and the temporary material manifestations thus appear
active. In the conditioned state the living entities of the marginal energy are a
mixture of spiritual and material energies. The marginal energy is originally
under the control of the spiritual energy, but, under the control of the material
energy, the living entities have been wandering in forgetfulness within the
material world since time immemorial.
The conditioned state is caused by misuse of the individual independence of
the spiritual platform, for this separates the living entity from the association
of the spiritual energy. But when the living entity is enlightened by the grace
of the Supreme Lord or His pure devotee and becomes inclined to revive his
original state of loving service, he is on the most auspicious platform of
eternal bliss and knowledge. The marginal jIva, or living entity, misuses his
independence and becomes averse to the eternal service attitude when he
independently thinks he is not energy but the energetic. This misconception of
his own existence leads him to the attitude of lording it over material nature.
Material nature appears to be just the opposite of the spiritual energy. The
fact is that the material energy can work only when in contact with the
spiritual energy. Originally the energy of KRSNa is spiritual, but it works in
diverse ways, like electrical energy, which can exhibit the functions of
refrigerating or heating through its manifestations in different ways. The
material energy is spiritual energy covered by a cloud of illusion, or mAyA.
Therefore, the material energy is not self-sufficient in working. KRSNa invests
His spiritual energy into material energy, and then it can act, just as iron can
act like fire after being heated by fire. The material energy can act only when
empowered by the spiritual energy.
When covered by the cloud of material energy, the living entity, who is also a
spiritual energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, forgets about the
activities of the spiritual energy and considers all that happens in the material
manifestation to be wonderful. But a person who is engaged in devotional
service in full KRSNa consciousness and who is therefore already situated in the
spiritual energy can understand that the material energy has no independent
powers: whatever actions are going on are due to the help of the spiritual
energy. The material energy, which is a perverted form of the spiritual energy,
presents everything pervertedly, thus causing misconceptions and duality.
Material scientists and philosophers conditioned by the spell of material nature
suppose that material energy acts automatically, and therefore they are
frustrated, like an illusioned person who tries to get milk from the nipplelike
bunches of skin on the neck of a goat. As there is no possibility of getting milk
from these bunches of skin, there is similarly no possibility that anyone will be
successful in understanding the original cause of creation by putting forward
theories produced by the material energy. Such an attempt is a manifestation
of ignorance.
The material energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is called mAyA, or
illusion, because in two capacities (by supplying the material elements and by
causing the material manifestation) it makes the conditioned soul unable to
understand the real truth of creation. However, when a living entity is
liberated from the conditioned life of matter, he can understand the two
different activities of material nature, namely covering and bewildering.
The origin of creation is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. As confirmed in
the Bhagavad-gItA (9.10), the cosmic manifestation is working under the
direction of the Supreme Lord, who invests the material energy with three
material qualities. Agitated by these qualities, the elements supplied by the
material energy produce varieties of things, just as an artist produces varieties
of pictures by mixing the three colors red, yellow and blue. Yellow represents
the quality of goodness, red represents passion, and blue represents
ignorance. Therefore the colorful material creation is but an interaction of
these three qualities, represented in eighty-one varieties of mixtures (3 x 3
equaling 9, 9 x 9 thus equaling 81). Deluded by material energy, the
conditioned soul, enamored by these eighty-one varieties of manifestations,
wants to lord it over material energy, just as a moth wants to enjoy a fire. This
illusion is the net result of the conditioned soul’s forgetfulness of his eternal
relationship with the Supreme personality of Godhead. When conditioned, the
soul is impelled by the material energy to engage in sense gratification,
whereas one enlightened by the spiritual energy engages himself in the
service of the Supreme Lord in his eternal relationship.
KRSNa is the original cause of the spiritual world, and He is the covered cause
of the material manifestation. He is also the original cause of the marginal
potency, the living entities. He is both the leader and maintainer of the living
entities, who are called the marginal potency because they can act under the
protection of the spiritual energy or under the cover of the material energy.
With the help of the spiritual energy we can understand that independence is
visible only in KRSNa, who by His inconceivable energy is able to act in any
way He likes.
The Supreme Personality of Godhead is the Absolute Whole, and the living
entities are parts of the Absolute Whole. This relationship of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead and the living entities is eternal. One should never
mistakenly think that the spiritual whole can be divided into small parts by the
small material energy. The Bhagavad-gItA does not support this MAyAvAda
theory. Rather, it clearly states that the living entities are eternally small
fragments of the supreme spiritual whole. As a part can never be equal with
the whole, so a living entity, as a minute fragment of the spiritual whole,
cannot be equal at any time to the Supreme Whole, the absolute Personality
of Godhead. Although the Supreme Lord and the living entities are
quantitatively related as the whole and the parts, the parts are nevertheless
qualitatively one with the whole. Thus the living entities, although always
qualitatively one with the Supreme Lord, are in a relative position. The
Supreme Personality of Godhead is the controller of everything, and the living
entities are always controlled, either by the spiritual energy or by the material
energy. Therefore a living entity can never become the controller of material
or spiritual energies. The natural position of the living being is always as a
subordinate of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. When one agrees to act
in such a position, he attains perfection in life, but if one rebels against this
principle, he is in the conditioned state.
Adi 5.67
TEXT 67
agaNya, ananta yata aNòa-sanniveza
tata-rUpe puruSa kare sabAte prakAza

agaNya—innumerable; ananta—unlimited; yata—all; aNòa—universes;
sanniveza—groups; tata-rUpe—in as many forms; puruSa—the Lord; kare—
does; sabAte—in every one of them; prakAza—manifestation.
TRANSLATION
The puruSa enters each and every one of the countless universes. He
manifests Himself in as many separate forms as there are universes.
Adi 5.68
TEXT 68
puruSa-nAsAte yabe bAhirAya zvAsa
nizvAsa sahite haya brahmANòa-prakAza

puruSa-nAsAte—in the nostrils of the Lord; yabe—when; bAhirAya—expels;
zvAsa—breath; nizvAsa sahite—with that exhalation; haya—there is;
brahmANòa-prakAza—manifestation of universes.
TRANSLATION
When the puruSa exhales, the universes are manifested with each outward
breath.
Adi 5.69
TEXT 69
punarapi zvAsa yabe praveze antare
zvAsa-saha brahmANòa paize puruSa-zarIre

punarapi—thereafter; zvAsa—breath; yabe—when; praveze—enters;
antare—within; zvAsa-saha—with that inhaled breath; brahmANòa—
universes; paize—enter; puruSa-zarIre—within the body of the Lord.
TRANSLATION
Thereafter, when He inhales, all the universes again enter His body.
PURPORT
In His form as KAraNodakazAyI ViSNu the Lord impregnates material nature by
His glance. The transcendental molecules of that glance are particles of spirit,
or spiritual atoms, which appear in different species of life according to the
seeds of their individual karma from the previous cosmic manifestation. And
the Lord Himself, by His partial representation, creates a body of innumerable
universes and again enters each of those universes as GarbhodakazAyI ViSNu.
His coming in contact with mAyA is explained in the Bhagavad-gItA by a
comparison between air and the sky. The sky enters everything material, yet
it is far away from us.
Adi 5.70
TEXT 70
gavAkSera randhre yena trasareNu cale
puruSera loma-kUpe brahmANòera jAle

gavAkSera—of windows of a room; randhre—within the holes; yena—like;
trasareNu—six atoms together; cale—moves; puruSera—of the Lord; loma-
kUpe—in the holes of the hair; brahmANòera—of universes; jAle—a network.
TRANSLATION
Just as atomic particles of dust pass through the openings of a window, so the
networks of universes pass through the pores of the skin of the puruSa.
Adi 5.71
TEXT 71
yasyaika-nizvasita-kAlam athAvalambya
jIvanti loma-vila-jA jagad-aNòa-nAthAH
viSNur mahAn sa iha yasya kalA-vizeSo
govindam Adi-puruSaà tam ahaà bhajAmi

yasya—whose; eka—one; nizvasita—of breath; kAlam—time; atha—thus;
avalambya—taking shelter of; jIvanti—live; loma-vila-jAH—grown from the
hair holes; jagat-aNòa-nAthAH—the masters of the universes (the BrahmAs);
viSNuH mahAn—the Supreme Lord, MahA-ViSNu; saH—that; iha—here;
yasya—whose; kalA-vizeSaH—particular plenary portion or expansion;
govindam—Lord Govinda; Adi-puruSam—the original person; tam—Him;
aham—I; bhajAmi—worship.
TRANSLATION
“The BrahmAs and other lords of the mundane worlds appear from the pores
of MahA-ViSNu and remain alive for the duration of His one exhalation. I adore
the primeval Lord, Govinda, of whom MahA-ViSNu is a portion of a plenary
portion.”
PURPORT
This description of the Lord’s creative energy is from the Brahma-saàhitA
(5.48), which Lord BrahmA compiled after his personal realization. When
MahA-ViSNu exhales, the spiritual seeds of the universes emanate from Him in
the form of molecular particles like those that are visible, three times the size
of an atom, when sunlight is diffused through a small hole. In these days of
atomic research it will be a worthwhile engagement for atomic scientists to
learn from this statement how the entire creation develops from the spiritual
atoms emanating from the body of the Lord.
Adi 5.72
TEXT 72
kvAhaà tamo-mahad-ahaà-kha-carAgni-vAr-bhU-
saàveSTitANòa-ghaTa-sapta-vitasti-kAyaH
kvedRg-vidhAvigaNitANòa-parANu-caryA-
vAtAdhva-roma-vivarasya ca te mahitvam

kva—where; aham—I; tamaH—material nature; mahat—the total material
energy; aham—false ego; kha—ether; cara—air; agni—fire; vAH—water;
bhU—earth; saàveSTita—surrounded by; aNòa-ghaTa—a potlike universe;
sapta-vitasti—seven vitastis; kAyaH—body; kva—where; IdRk—such;
vidha—like; avigaNita—unlimited; aNòa—universes; para-aNu-caryA—
moving like the atomic dust; vAta-adhva—air holes; roma—of hair on the
body; vivarasya—of the holes; ca—also; te—Your; mahitvam—greatness.
TRANSLATION
“Where am I, a small creature of seven spans the measure of my own hand? I
am enclosed in the universe composed of material nature, the total material
energy, false ego, ether, air, water and earth. And what is Your glory?
Unlimited universes pass through the pores of Your body just like particles of
dust passing through the opening of a window.”
PURPORT
When Lord BrahmA, after having stolen all KRSNa’s calves and cowherd boys,
returned and saw that the calves and boys were still roaming with KRSNa, he
offered this prayer (BhAg. 10.14.11) in his defeat. A conditioned soul, even one
so great as BrahmA, who manages the affairs of the entire universe, cannot
compare to the Personality of Godhead, for He can produce numberless
universes simply by the spiritual rays emanating from the pores of His body.
Material scientists should take lessons from the utterances of zrI BrahmA
regarding our insignificance in comparison to God. In these prayers of BrahmA
there is much to learn for those who are falsely puffed up by the accumulation
of power.
Adi 5.73
TEXT 73
aàzera aàza yei, ‘kalA’ tAra nAma
govindera pratimUrti zrI-balarAma

aàzera—of the part; aàza—part; yei—that which; kalA—a kalA, or part of
the plenary portion; tAra—its; nAma—name; govindera—of Lord Govinda;
prati-mUrti—counterform; zrI-balarAma—Lord BalarAma.
TRANSLATION
A part of a part of a whole is called a kalA. zrI BalarAma is the counterform of
Lord Govinda.
Adi 5.74
TEXT 74
tA~Nra eka svarUpa——zrI-mahA-sa~NkarSaNa
tA~Nra aàza ‘puruSa’ haya kalAte gaNana

tA~Nra—His; eka—one; svarUpa—manifestation; zrI-mahA-sa~NkarSaNa—the
great Lord MahA-sa~NkarSaNa; tA~Nra—His; aàza—part; puruSa—the MahA-
ViSNu incarnation; haya—is; kalAte gaNana—counted as a kalA.
TRANSLATION
BalarAma’s own expansion is called MahA-sa~NkarSaNa, and His fragment, the
puruSa, is counted as a kalA, or a part of a plenary portion.
Adi 5.75
TEXT 75
yA~NhAke ta’ kalA kahi, ti~Nho mahA-viSNu
mahA-puruSAvatArI te~Nho sarva-jiSNu

yA~NhAke—unto whom; ta’—certainly; kalA kahi—I say kalA; ti~Nho—He;
mahA-viSNu—Lord MahA-ViSNu; mahA-puruSAvatArI—MahA-ViSNu, the source
of other puruSa incarnations; te~Nho—He; sarva-jiSNu—all-pervading.
TRANSLATION
I say that this kalA is MahA-ViSNu. He is the MahA-puruSa, who is the source of
the other puruSas and who is all-pervading.
Adi 5.76
TEXT 76
garbhoda-kSIroda-zAyI do~Nhe ‘puruSa’ nAma
sei dui, yA~Nra aàza,——viSNu, vizva-dhAma

garbha-uda—in the ocean known as Garbhodaka within the universe; kSIra-
uda-zAyI—one who lies in the ocean of milk; do~Nhe—both of Them; puruSa
nAma—known as puruSa, Lord ViSNu; sei—those; dui—two; yA~Nra aàza—
whose plenary portions; viSNu vizva-dhAma—Lord ViSNu, the abode of the
total universes.
TRANSLATION
GarbhodazAyI and KSIrodazAyI are both called puruSas. They are plenary
portions of KAraNodazAyI ViSNu, the first puruSa, who is the abode of all the
universes.
PURPORT
The symptoms of the puruSa are described in the Laghu-bhAgavatAmRta.
While describing the incarnations of the Supreme personality of Godhead, the
author has quoted from the ViSNu PurANa (6.8.59), where it is said, “Let me
offer my respectful obeisances unto PuruSottama, Lord KRSNa, who is always
free from the contamination of the six material dualities; whose plenary
expansion, MahA-ViSNu, glances over matter to create the cosmic
manifestation; who expands Himself in various transcendental forms, all of
which are one and the same; who is the master of all living entities; who is
always free and liberated from the contamination of material energy; and
who, when He appears in this material world, seems one of us, although He
has an eternally spiritual, blissful, transcendental form.” In summarizing this
statement, RUpa GosvAmI has concluded that the plenary expansion of the
Supreme Personality of Godhead who acts in cooperation with the material
energy is called the puruSa.
Adi 5.77
TEXT 77
viSNos tu trINi rUpANi
puruSAkhyAny atho viduH
ekaà tu mahataH sraSTR
dvitIyaà tv aNòa-saàsthitam
tRtIyaà sarva-bhUta-sthaà
tAni j~nAtvA vimucyate

viSNoH—of Lord ViSNu; tu—certainly; trINi—three; rUpANi—forms; puruSa-
AkhyAni—celebrated as the puruSa; atho—how; viduH—they know; ekam—
one of them; tu—but; mahataH sraSTR—the creator of the total material
energy; dvitIyam—the second; tu—but; aNòa-saàsthitam—situated within
the universe; tRtIyam—the third; sarva-bhUta-stham—within the hearts of all
living entities; tAni—these three; j~nAtvA—knowing; vimucyate—one
becomes liberated.
TRANSLATION
“ViSNu has three forms called puruSas. The first, MahA-ViSNu, is the creator of
the total material energy [mahat], the second is GarbhodazAyI, who is situated
within each universe, and the third is KSIrodazAyI, who lives in the heart of
every living being. He who knows these three becomes liberated from the
clutches of mAyA.”
PURPORT
This verse appears in the Laghu-bhAgavatAmRta (PUrva 2.9), where it has been
quoted from the SAtvata-tantra.
Adi 5.78
TEXT 78
yadyapi kahiye tA~Nre kRSNera ‘kalA’ kari
matsya-kUrmAdy-avatArera ti~Nho avatArI

yadyapi—although; kahiye—I say; tA~Nre—to Him; kRSNera—of Lord KRSNa;
kalA—part of the part; kari—making; matsya—the fish incarnation; kUrma-
Adi—the tortoise incarnation and others; avatArera—of all these incarnations;
ti~Nho—He; avatArI—the original source.
TRANSLATION
Although KAraNodazAyI ViSNu is called a kalA of Lord KRSNa, He is the source of
Matsya, KUrma and the other incarnations.
Adi 5.79
TEXT 79
ete cAàza-kalAH puàsaH
kRSNas tu bhagavAn svayam
indrAri-vyAkulaà lokaà
mRòayanti yuge yuge

ete—all these; ca—also; aàza-kalAH—part or part of the part; puàsaH—of
the Supreme Person; kRSNaH tu—but Lord KRSNa; bhagavAn—the original
Personality of Godhead; svayam—Himself; indra-ari—the demons;
vyAkulam—disturbed; lokam—all the planets; mRòayanti—makes them
happy; yuge yuge—in different millenniums.
TRANSLATION
“All these incarnations of Godhead are either plenary portions or parts of the
plenary portions of the puruSa-avatAras. But KRSNa is the Supreme Personality
of Godhead Himself. In every age He protects the world through His different
features when the world is disturbed by the enemies of Indra.”
PURPORT
This quotation is from zrImad-BhAgavatam (1.3.28).
Adi 5.80
TEXT 80
sei puruSa sRSTi-sthiti-pralayera kartA
nAnA avatAra kare, jagatera bhartA

sei—that; puruSa—the Personality of Godhead; sRSTi-sthiti-pralayera—of
creation, maintenance and annihilation; kartA—creator; nAnA—various;
avatAra—incarnations; kare—makes; jagatera—of the material world;
bhartA—maintainer.
TRANSLATION
That puruSa [KAraNodakazAyI ViSNu] is the performer of creation, maintenance
and destruction. He manifests Himself in many incarnations, for He is the
maintainer of the world.
Adi 5.81
TEXT 81
sRSTy-Adi-nimitte yei aàzera avadhAna
sei ta’ aàzere kahi ‘avatAra’ nAma

sRSTi-Adi-nimitte—for the cause of creation, maintenance and annihilation;
yei—which; aàzera avadhAna—manifestation of the part; sei ta’—that
certainly; aàzere kahi—I speak about that plenary expansion; avatAra
nAma—by the name “incarnation.”
TRANSLATION
That fragment of the Supreme Lord, known as the MahA-puruSa, appears for
the purpose of creation, maintenance and annihilation and is called an
incarnation.
Adi 5.82
TEXT 82
AdyAvatAra, mahA-puruSa, bhagavAn
sarva-avatAra-bIja, sarvAzraya-dhAma

Adya-avatAra—the original incarnation; mahA-puruSa—Lord MahA-ViSNu;
bhagavAn—the Personality of Godhead; sarva-avatAra-bIja—the seed of all
different kinds of incarnations; sarva-Azraya-dhAma—the shelter of
everything.
TRANSLATION
That MahA-puruSa is identical with the Personality of Godhead. He is the
original incarnation, the seed of all others, and the shelter of everything.
Adi 5.83
TEXT 83
Adyo ’vatAraH puruSaH parasya
kAlaH svabhAvaH sad-asan manaz ca
dravyaà vikAro guNa indriyANi
virAT svarAT sthAsnu cariSNu bhUmnaH

AdyaH avatAraH—the original incarnation; puruSaH—MahA-ViSNu; parasya—
of the Supreme Lord; kAlaH—time; svabhAvaH—nature; sat-asat—cause and
effect; manaH ca—as well as the mind; dravyam—the five elements;
vikAraH—transformation or the false ego; guNaH—modes of nature;
indriyANi—senses; virAT—the universal form; svarAT—complete
independence; sthAsnu—immovable; cariSNu—movable; bhUmnaH—of the
Supreme Personality of Godhead.
TRANSLATION
“The puruSa [MahA-ViSNu] is the primary incarnation of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead. Time, nature, prakRti (as cause and effect), the mind,
the material elements, false ego, the modes of nature, the senses, the
universal form, complete independence and the moving and nonmoving
beings appear subsequently as His opulences.”
PURPORT
Describing the incarnations and their symptoms, the Laghu-bhAgavatAmRta
has stated that when Lord KRSNa descends to conduct the creative affairs of
the material manifestation, He is an avatAra, or incarnation. The two
categories of avatAras are empowered devotees and tad-ekAtma-rUpa (the
Lord Himself). An example of tad-ekAtma-rUpa is zeSa, and an example of a
devotee is Vasudeva, the father of Lord KRSNa. zrIla Baladeva VidyAbhUSaNa
has commented that the material cosmic manifestation is a partial kingdom of
God where God must sometimes come to execute a specific function. The
plenary portion of the Lord through whom Lord KRSNa executes such actions is
called MahA-ViSNu, who is the primal beginning of all incarnations.
Inexperienced observers presume that the material energy provides both the
cause and the elements of the cosmic manifestation and that the living
entities are the enjoyers of material nature. But the devotees of the
BhAgavata school, which has scrutinizingly examined the entire situation, can
understand that material nature can independently be neither the supplier of
the material elements nor the cause of the material manifestation. Material
nature gets the power to supply the material elements from the glance of the
supreme puruSa, MahA-ViSNu, and when empowered by Him she is called the
cause of the material manifestation. Both features of material nature, as the
cause of the material creation and as the source of its elements, exist due to
the glance of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The various expansions of
the Supreme Lord who act to empower the material energy are known as
plenary expansions or incarnations. As illustrated by the analogy of many
flames lit from one flame, all these plenary expansions and incarnations are as
good as ViSNu Himself; nevertheless, because of their activities in controlling
mAyA, sometimes they are known as mAyika, or having a relationship with
mAyA. This is a verse from zrImad-BhAgavatam (2.6.42).
Adi 5.84
TEXT 84
jagRhe pauruSaà rUpaà
bhagavAn mahad-AdibhiH
sambhUtaà Soòaza-kalam
Adau loka-sisRkSayA

jagRhe—accepted; pauruSam—the puruSa incarnation; rUpam—the form;
bhagavAn—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; mahat-AdibhiH—by the
total material energy etc.; sambhUtam—created; Soòaza—sixteen; kalam—
energies; Adau—originally; loka—the material worlds; sisRkSayA—with the
desire to create.
TRANSLATION
“In the beginning of the creation, the Lord expanded Himself in the form of
the puruSa incarnation, accompanied by all the ingredients of material
creation. First He created the sixteen principal energies suitable for creation.
This was for the purpose of manifesting the material universes.”
PURPORT
This is a verse from zrImad-BhAgavatam (1.3.1). The commentary of Madhva
on zrImad-BhAgavatam mentions that the following sixteen spiritual energies
are present in the spiritual world: (1) zrI, (2) bhU, (3) lIlA, (4) kAnti, (5) kIrti, (6)
tuSTi, (7) gIr, (8) puSTi, (9) satyA (10) j~nAnAj~nAnA, (11) jayA utkarSiNI, (12) vimalA,
(13) yogamAyA, (14) prahvI, (15) IzAnA and (16) anugrahA. In his commentary on
the Laghu-bhAgavatAmRta, zrI Baladeva VidyAbhUSaNa has said that the above
energies are also known by nine names: (1) vimalA, (2) utkarSiNI (3) j~nAnA, (4)
kriyA, (5) yogA, (6) prahvI, (7) satyA, (8) IzAnA and (9) anugrahA. In the
Bhagavat-sandarbha of zrIla JIva GosvAmI (text 103) they are described as zrI,
puSTi, gIr, kAnti, kIrti, tuSTi, ilA, jaya; vidyAvidyA, mAyA, samvit, sandhinI,
hlAdinI, bhakti, mUrti, vimalA, yogA, prahvI, IzAnA, anugrahA, etc. All these
energies act in different spheres of the Lord’s supremacy.
Adi 5.85
TEXT 85
yadyapi sarvAzraya ti~Nho, tA~NhAte saàsAra
antarAtmA-rUpe ti~Nho jagat-AdhAra

yadyapi—although; sarva-Azraya—the shelter of everything; ti~Nho—He (the
Lord); tA~NhAte—in Him; saàsAra—the material creation; antaH-AtmA-rUpe—
in the form of the Supersoul; ti~Nho—He; jagat-AdhAra—the support of the
whole creation.
TRANSLATION
Although the Lord is the shelter of everything and although all the universes
rest in Him, He, as the Supersoul, is also the support of everything.
Adi 5.86
TEXT 86
prakRti-sahite tA~Nra ubhaya sambandha
tathApi prakRti-saha nAhi sparza-gandha

prakRti-sahite—with the material energy; tA~Nra—His; ubhaya sambandha—
both relationships; tathApi—still; prakRti-saha—with the material nature;
nAhi—there is not; sparza-gandha—even the slightest contact.
TRANSLATION
Although He is thus connected with the material energy in two ways, He does
not have the slightest contact with it.
PURPORT
In the Laghu-bhAgavatAmRta, zrIla RUpa GosvAmI, commenting upon the
Lord’s transcendental position beyond the material qualities, says that ViSNu,
as the controller and superintendent of material nature, has a connection with
the material qualities. That connection is called yoga. However, the person
who directs a prison is not also a prisoner. Similarly, although the Supreme
Personality of Godhead ViSNu directs or supervises the qualitative nature, He
has no connection with the material modes of nature. The expansions of Lord
ViSNu always retain their supremacy; they are never connected with the
material qualities. One may argue that MahA-ViSNu cannot have any
connection with the material qualities, because if He were so connected,
zrImad-BhAgavatam would not state that material nature, ashamed of her
thankless task of acting to induce the living entities to become averse to the
Supreme Lord, remains behind the Lord in shyness. In answer to this
argument, it may be said that the word guNa means “regulation.” Lord ViSNu,
Lord BrahmA and Lord ziva are situated within this universe as the directors of
the three modes, and their connection with the modes is known as yoga. This
does not indicate, however, that these personalities are bound by the qualities
of nature. Lord ViSNu specifically is always the controller of the three qualities.
There is no question of His coming under their control.
Although the causal and element-supplying features exist in material nature
by dint of the glance of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Lord is
never affected by glancing over the material qualities. By the will of the
Supreme Lord the different qualitative changes in the material world take
place, but there is no possibility of material affection, change or
contamination for Lord ViSNu.
Adi 5.87
TEXT 87
etad Izanam Izasya
prakRti-stho ’pi tad-guNaiH
na yujyate sadAtma-sthair
yathA buddhis tad-AzrayA

etat—this is; Izanam—opulence; Izasya—of the Lord; prakRti-sthaH—within
this material world; api—although; tat-guNaiH—by the material qualities; na
yujyate—never affected; sadA—always; Atma-sthaiH—situated in His own
energy; yathA—as also; buddhiH—intelligence; tat—His; AzrayA—devotees.
TRANSLATION
“This is the opulence of the Lord. Although situated within the material nature,
He is never affected by the modes of nature. Similarly, those who have
surrendered to Him and have fixed their intelligence upon Him are not
influenced by the modes of nature.”
PURPORT
This is a verse from zrImad-BhAgavatam (1.11.38).
Adi 5.88
TEXT 88
ei mata gItAteha punaH punaH kaya
sarvadA Izvara-tattva acintya-zakti haya

ei mata—in this way; gItAteha—in the Bhagavad-gItA; punaH punaH—again
and again; kaya—it is said; sarvadA—always; Izvara-tattva—the truth of the
Absolute Truth; acintya-zakti haya—is inconceivable.
TRANSLATION
Thus the Bhagavad-gItA also states again and again that the Absolute Truth
always possesses inconceivable power.
Adi 5.89
TEXT 89
Ami ta’ jagate vasi, jagat AmAte
nA Ami jagate vasi, nA AmA jagate

Ami—I; ta’—certainly; jagate—in the material world; vasi—situated; jagat—
the whole material creation; AmAte—in Me; nA—not; Ami—I; jagate—within
the material world; vasi—situated; nA—nor; AmA—in Me; jagate—the
material world.
TRANSLATION
[Lord KRSNa said:] “I am situated in the material world, and the world rests in
Me. But at the same time I am not situated in the material world, nor does it
rest in Me in truth.
PURPORT
Nothing in existence is possible unless energized by the will of the Lord. The
entire manifested creation is therefore resting on the energy of the Lord, but
one should not therefore presume that the material manifestation is identical
with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. A cloud may rest in the sky, but
that does not mean that the sky and the cloud are one and the same.
Similarly, the qualitative material nature and its products are never identical
with the Supreme Lord. The tendency to lord it over material nature, or mAyA,
cannot be a feature of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. When He
descends to the material world, He maintains His transcendental nature,
unaffected by the material qualities. In both the spiritual and material worlds,
He is always the controller of all energies. The uncontaminated spiritual nature
always exists within Him. The Lord appears and disappears in the material
world in different features for His pastimes, yet He is the origin of all cosmic
manifestations.
The material manifestation cannot exist separate from the Supreme Lord, yet
Lord ViSNu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, in spite of His connection
with the material nature, cannot be subordinate to nature’s influence. His
original form of eternal bliss and knowledge is never subordinate to the three
qualities of material nature. This is a specific feature of the Supreme Lord’s
inconceivable potencies.
Adi 5.90
TEXT 90
acintya aizvarya ei jAniha AmAra
ei ta’ gItAra artha kaila paracAra

acintya—inconceivable; aizvarya—opulence; ei—this; jAniha—you must
know; AmAra—of Me; ei ta’—this; gItAra artha—the meaning of the
Bhagavad-gItA; kaila paracAra—Lord KRSNa propagated.
TRANSLATION
“O Arjuna, you should know this as My inconceivable opulence.” This is the
meaning propagated by Lord KRSNa in the Bhagavad-gItA.
Adi 5.91
TEXT 91
sei ta’ puruSa yA~Nra ‘aàza’ dhare nAma
caitanyera sa~Nge sei nityAnanda-rAma

sei ta’—that; puruSa—Supreme Person; yA~Nra—of whom; aàza—as part;
dhare nAma—is known; caitanyera sa~Nge—with zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu;
sei—that; nityAnanda-rAma—Lord NityAnanda or BalarAma.
TRANSLATION
That MahA-puruSa [KAraNodakazAyI ViSNu] is known as a plenary part of Him
who is Lord NityAnanda BalarAma, the favorite associate of Lord Caitanya.
Adi 5.92
TEXT 92
ei ta’ navama zlokera artha-vivaraNa
dazama zlokera artha zuna diyA mana

ei ta’—thus; navama zlokera—of the ninth verse; artha-vivaraNa—
description of the meaning; dazama zlokera—of the tenth verse; artha—
meaning; zuna—hear; diyA mana—with attention.
TRANSLATION
I have thus explained the ninth verse, and now I shall explain the tenth. Please
listen with rapt attention.
Adi 5.93
TEXT 93
yasyAàzAàzaH zrIla-garbhoda-zAyI
yan-nAbhy-abjaà loka-sa~NghAta-nAlam
loka-sraSTuH sUtikA-dhAma dhAtus
taà zrI-nityAnanda-rAmaà prapadye

yasya—whose; aàza-aàzaH—portion of a plenary portion; zrIla-garbha-uda-
zAyI—GarbhodakazAyI ViSNu; yat—of whom; nAbhi-abjam—the navel lotus;
loka-sa~NghAta—of the multitude of planets; nAlam—having a stem that is the
resting place; loka-sraSTuH—of Lord BrahmA, creator of the planets; sUtikA-
dhAma—the birthplace; dhAtuH—of the creator; tam—to Him; zrI-
nityAnanda-rAmam—to Lord BalarAma in the form of Lord NityAnanda;
prapadye—I surrender.
TRANSLATION
I offer my full obeisances unto the feet of zrI NityAnanda RAma, a partial part
of whom is GarbhodakazAyI ViSNu. From the navel of GarbhodakazAyI ViSNu
sprouts the lotus that is the birthplace of BrahmA, the engineer of the universe.
The stem of that lotus is the resting place of the multitude of planets.
PURPORT
In the MahAbhArata, zAnti-parva, it is said that He who is Pradyumna is also
Aniruddha. He is also the father of BrahmA. Thus GarbhodakazAyI ViSNu and
KSIrodakazAyI ViSNu are identical plenary expansions of Pradyumna, the
original Deity of BrahmA, who is born from the lotus flower. It is Pradyumna
who gives BrahmA direction for cosmic management. A full description of
BrahmA’s birth is given in zrImad-BhAgavatam (3.8.15–16).
Describing the features of the three puruSas, the Laghu-bhAgavatAmRta says
that GarbhodakazAyI ViSNu has a four-handed form, and when He Himself
enters the hollow of the universe and lies down in the ocean of milk He is
known as KSIrodakazAyI ViSNu, who is the Supersoul of all living entities,
including the demigods. In the SAtvata-tantra it is said that the third puruSa
incarnation, KSIrodakazAyI ViSNu, is situated as the Supersoul in everyone’s
heart. This KSIrodakazAyI ViSNu is an expansion of GarbhodakazAyI ViSNu for
pastimes.
Adi 5.94
TEXT 94
sei ta’ puruSa ananta-brahmANòa sRjiyA
saba aNòe pravezilA bahu-mUrti ha~nA

sei—that; ta’—certainly; puruSa—incarnation; ananta-brahmANòa—
innumerable universes; sRjiyA—creating; saba—all; aNòe—in the egglike
universes; pravezilA—entered; bahu-mUrti ha~nA—taking multifarious forms.
TRANSLATION
After creating millions of universes, the first puruSa entered into each of them
in a separate form, as zrI GarbhodakazAyI.
Adi 5.95
TEXT 95
bhitare pravezi’ dekhe saba andhakAra
rahite nAhika sthAna karila vicAra

bhitare—within the universe; pravezi’—entering; dekhe—He sees; saba—all;
andhakAra—darkness; rahite—to stay; nAhika—there is not; sthAna—place;
karila vicAra—considered.
TRANSLATION
Entering the universe, He found only darkness, with no place in which to
reside. Thus He began to consider.
Adi 5.96
TEXT 96
nijA~Nga-sveda-jala karila sRjana
sei jale kaila ardha-brahmANòa bharaNa

nija-a~Nga—of His own body; sveda-jala—water from perspiration; karila—
did; sRjana—creation; sei jale—with that water; kaila—did; ardha-
brahmANòa—half of the universe; bharaNa—filling.
TRANSLATION
Then He created water from the perspiration of His own body and with that
water filled half the universe.
Adi 5.97
TEXT 97
brahmANòa-pramANa pa~ncAzat-koTi-yojana
AyAma, vistAra, dui haya eka sama

brahmANòa-pramANa—measurement of the universe; pa~ncAzat—fifty; koTi—
ten millions; yojana—lengths of eight miles; AyAma—length; vistAra—
breadth; dui—both of them; haya—are; eka sama—one and the same.
TRANSLATION
The universe measures five hundred million yojanas. Its length and breadth are
one and the same.
Adi 5.98
TEXT 98
jale bhari’ ardha tA~NhA kaila nija-vAsa
Ara ardhe kaila caudda-bhuvana prakAza

jale—with water; bhari’—filling; ardha—half; tA~NhA—there; kaila—made;
nija-vAsa—own residence; Ara—other; ardhe—in the half; kaila—did;
caudda-bhuvana—fourteen worlds; prakAza—manifestation.
TRANSLATION
After filling half the universe with water, He made His own residence therein
and manifested the fourteen worlds in the other half.
PURPORT
The fourteen worlds are enumerated in zrImad-BhAgavatam, Second Canto,
Fifth Chapter. The upper planetary systems are (1) BhU, (2) Bhuvar, (3) Svar, (4)
Mahar, (5) Janas, (6) Tapas and (7) Satya. The seven lower planetary systems
are (1) Tala, (2) Atala, (3) Vitala, (4) Nitala, (5) TalAtala, (6) MahAtala and (7)
Sutala. The lower planets as a whole are called PAtAla. Among the upper
planetary systems, BhU, Bhuvar and Svar constitute Svargaloka, and the rest
are called Martya. The entire universe is thus known as Triloka.
Adi 5.99
TEXT 99
tA~NhAi prakaTa kaila vaikuNTha nija-dhAma
zeSa-zayana-jale karila vizrAma

tA~NhAi—there; prakaTa—manifestation; kaila—did; vaikuNTha—the spiritual
world; nija-dhAma—His own abode; zeSa—of Lord zeSa; zayana—on the
bed; jale—on the water; karila—did; vizrAma—rest.
TRANSLATION
There He manifested VaikuNTha as His own abode and rested in the waters on
the bed of Lord zeSa.
Adi 5.100-101
TEXTS 100–101
ananta-zayyAte tA~NhA karila zayana
sahasra mastaka tA~Nra sahasra vadana
sahasra-caraNa-hasta, sahasra-nayana
sarva-avatAra-bIja, jagat-kAraNa

ananta-zayyAte—on Lord Ananta as a bed; tA~NhA—there; karila zayana—lay
down; sahasra—thousands; mastaka—heads; tA~Nra—His; sahasra vadana—
thousands of faces; sahasra—thousands; caraNa—legs; hasta—hands;
sahasra-nayana—thousands of eyes; sarva-avatAra-bIja—the seed of all
incarnations; jagat-kAraNa—the cause of the material world.
TRANSLATION
He lay there with Ananta as His bed. Lord Ananta is a divine serpent having
thousands of heads, thousands of faces, thousands of eyes and thousands of
hands and feet. He is the seed of all incarnations and is the cause of the
material world.
PURPORT
In the reservoir of water first created by the perspiration of GarbhodakazAyI
ViSNu, the Lord lies on the zeSa plenary expansion of ViSNu, who is described
in zrImad-BhAgavatam and in the four Vedas as follows:
sahasra-zIrSA puruSaH sahasrAkSaH sahasra-pAt
sa bhUmià vizvato vRtvAtyatiSThad dazA~Ngulam
The ViSNu form called Ananta-zayana has thousands of hands and legs and
thousands of eyes, and He is the active generator of all the incarnations
within the material world.
Adi 5.102
TEXT 102
tA~Nra nAbhi-padma haite uThila eka padma
sei padme haila brahmAra janma-sadma

tA~Nra—His; nAbhi-padma—lotus navel; haite—from; uThila—grew; eka—
one; padma—lotus flower; sei padme—on that lotus; haila—there was;
brahmAra—of Lord BrahmA; janma-sadma—the place of birth.
TRANSLATION
From His navel grew a lotus flower, which became the birthplace of Lord
BrahmA.
Adi 5.103
TEXT 103
sei padma-nAle haila caudda-bhuvana
te~Nho brahmA ha~nA sRSTi karila sRjana

sei padma-nAle—within the stem of that lotus flower; haila—were; caudda-
bhuvana—the fourteen worlds; te~Nho—He Himself; brahmA ha~nA—appearing
as BrahmA; sRSTi—the creation; karila sRjana—created.
TRANSLATION
Within the stem of that lotus were the fourteen worlds. Thus the Supreme
Lord, as BrahmA, created the entire creation.
Adi 5.104
TEXT 104
viSNu-rUpa ha~nA kare jagat pAlane
guNAtIta-viSNu sparza nAhi mAyA-guNe

viSNu-rUpa—the form of Lord ViSNu; ha~nA—becoming; kare—does; jagat
pAlane—maintenance of the material world; guNa-atIta—beyond the material
qualities; viSNu—Lord ViSNu; sparza—touch; nAhi—not; mAyA-guNe—in the
material qualities.
TRANSLATION
And as Lord ViSNu He maintains the entire world. Lord ViSNu, being beyond all
material attributes, has no touch with the material qualities.
PURPORT
zrI Baladeva VidyAbhUSaNa says that although ViSNu is the predominating
Deity of the quality of goodness in the material world, He is never affected by
the quality of goodness, for He directs that quality simply by His supreme will.
It is said that all living entities can derive all good fortune from the Lord
simply by His will. In the VAmana PurANa it is said that the same ViSNu
expands Himself as BrahmA and ziva to direct the different qualities.
Because Lord ViSNu expands the quality of goodness, He has the name
Sattvatanu. The multifarious incarnations of KSIrodakazAyI ViSNu are known as
Sattvatanu. Therefore in all Vedic scriptures ViSNu has been described as being
free from all material qualities. In the Tenth Canto of zrImad-BhAgavatam it is
said:
harir hi nirguNaH sAkSAt puruSaH prakRteH paraH
sa sarva-dRg upadraSTA taà bhajan nirguNo bhavet
“The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Hari, is always uncontaminated by the
modes of material nature, for He is beyond the material manifestation. He is
the source of the knowledge of all the demigods, headed by Lord BrahmA,
and He is the witness of everything. Therefore one who worships the Supreme
Lord ViSNu also attains freedom from the contamination of material nature.”
(BhAg. 10.88.5) One can attain freedom from the contamination of material
nature by worshiping ViSNu, and therefore He is called Sattvatanu, as
described above.
Adi 5.105
TEXT 105
rudra-rUpa dhari’ kare jagat saàhAra
sRSTi-sthiti-pralaya——icchAya yA~NhAra

rudra-rUpa—the form of Lord ziva; dhari’—accepting; kare—does; jagat
saàhAra—annihilation of the material world; sRSTi-sthiti-pralaya—creation,
maintenance and annihilation; icchAya—by the will; yA~NhAra—of whom.
TRANSLATION
Assuming the form of Rudra, He destroys the creation. Thus creation,
maintenance and dissolution are created by His will.
PURPORT
Mahezvara, or Lord ziva, is not an ordinary living being, nor is he equal to
Lord ViSNu. Effectively comparing Lord ViSNu and Lord ziva, the Brahma-
saàhitA says that ViSNu is like milk, whereas ziva is like yogurt. Yogurt is
nothing like milk, but nevertheless it is milk also.
Adi 5.106
TEXT 106
hiraNya-garbha, antaryAmI, jagat-kAraNa
yA~Nra aàza kari’ kare virATa-kalpana

hiraNya-garbha—HiraNyagarbha; antaH-yAmI—the Supersoul; jagat-kAraNa—
the cause of the material world; yA~Nra aàza kari’—taking as His expansion;
kare—does; virATa-kalpana—conception of the universal form.
TRANSLATION
He is the Supersoul, HiraNyagarbha, the cause of the material world. The
universal form is conceived as His expansion.
Adi 5.107
TEXT 107
hena nArAyaNa,——yA~Nra aàzera aàza
sei prabhu nityAnanda——sarva-avataàsa

hena—such; nArAyaNa—Lord NArAyaNa; yA~Nra—of whom; aàzera—of the
plenary part; aàza—apart; sei—that; prabhu—the Lord; nityAnanda—
NityAnanda; sarva-avataàsa—the source of all incarnations.
TRANSLATION
That Lord NArAyaNa is a part of a plenary part of Lord NityAnanda BalarAma,
who is the source of all incarnations.
Adi 5.108
TEXT 108
dazama zlokera artha kaila vivaraNa
ekAdaza zlokera artha zuna diyA mana

dazama—tenth; zlokera—of the verse; artha—meaning; kaila—have done;
vivaraNa—description; ekAdaza—eleventh; zlokera—of the verse; artha—
meaning; zuna—please hear; diyA mana—with the mind.
TRANSLATION
I have thus explained the tenth verse. Now please listen to the meaning of the
eleventh verse with all your mind.
Adi 5.109
TEXT 109
yasyAàzAàzAàzaH parAtmAkhilAnAà
poSTA viSNur bhAti dugdhAbdhi-zAyI
kSauNI-bhartA yat-kalA so ’py anantas
taà zrI-nityAnanda-rAmaà prapadye

yasya—whose; aàza-aàza-aàzaH—a portion of a portion of a plenary
portion; para-AtmA—the Supersoul; akhilAnAm—of all living entities; poSTA—
the maintainer; viSNuH—ViSNu; bhAti—appears; dugdha-abdhi-zAyI—
KSIrodakazAyI ViSNu; kSauNI-bhartA—upholder of the earth; yat—whose;
kalA—portion of a portion; saH—He; api—certainly; anantaH—zeSa NAga;
tam—to Him; zrI-nityAnanda-rAmam—to Lord BalarAma in the form of Lord
NityAnanda; prapadye—I surrender.
TRANSLATION
I offer my respectful obeisances unto the feet of zrI NityAnanda RAma, whose
secondary part is the ViSNu lying in the ocean of milk. That KSIrodakazAyI
ViSNu is the Supersoul of all living entities and the maintainer of all the
universes. zeSa NAga is His further subpart.
Adi 5.110
TEXT 110
nArAyaNera nAbhi-nAla-madhyete dharaNI
dharaNIra madhye sapta samudra ye gaNi

nArAyaNera—of Lord NArAyaNa; nAbhi-nAla—the stem from the navel;
madhyete—within; dharaNI—the material planets; dharaNIra madhye—
among the material planets; sapta—seven; samudra—oceans; ye gaNi—they
count.
TRANSLATION
The material planets rest within the stem that grows from the lotus navel of
Lord NArAyaNa. Among these planets are seven oceans.
Adi 5.111
TEXT 111
tA~NhA kSIrodadhi-madhye ‘zvetadvIpa’ nAma
pAlayitA viSNu,——tA~Nra sei nija dhAma

tA~NhA—within that; kSIra-udadhi-madhye—in part of the ocean known as the
ocean of milk; zvetadvIpa nAma—the island named zvetadvIpa; pAlayitA
viSNu—the maintainer, Lord ViSNu; tA~Nra—of Him; sei—that; nija dhAma—
own residential quarters.
TRANSLATION
There, in part of the ocean of milk, lies zvetadvIpa, the abode of the sustainer,
Lord ViSNu.
PURPORT
In the SiddhAnta-ziromaNi, an astrological text, the different oceans are
described as follows: (1) the ocean of salt water, (2) the ocean of milk, (3) the
ocean of yogurt, (4) the ocean of clarified butter, (5) the ocean of sugarcane
juice, (6) the ocean of liquor and (7) the ocean of sweet water. On the
southern side of the ocean of salt water is the ocean of milk, where Lord
KSIrodakazAyI ViSNu resides. He is worshiped there by demigods like BrahmA.
Adi 5.112
TEXT 112
sakala jIvera ti~Nho haye antaryAmI
jagat-pAlaka ti~Nho jagatera svAmI

sakala—all; jIvera—of the living entities; ti~Nho—He; haye—is; antaH-yAmI—
the Supersoul; jagat-pAlaka—the maintainer of the material world; ti~Nho—He;
jagatera svAmI—the Lord of the material world.
TRANSLATION
He is the Supersoul of all living entities. He maintains this material world, and
He is its Lord.
PURPORT
The Laghu-bhAgavatAmRta (PUrva 2.36–42) gives the following description of
the ViSNuloka within this universe, quoted from the ViSNu-dharmottara:
“Above Rudraloka, the planet of Lord ziva, is the planet called ViSNuloka,
400,000 miles in circumference, which is inaccessible to any mortal living
being. Above that ViSNuloka and east of the Sumeru Hill is a golden island
called MahA-ViSNuloka, in the ocean of salt water. Lord BrahmA and other
demigods sometimes go there to meet Lord ViSNu. Lord ViSNu lies there with
the goddess of fortune, and it is said that during the four months of the rainy
season He enjoys sleeping on that zeSa NAga bed. East of Sumeru is the ocean
of milk, in which there is a white city on a white island where the Lord can be
seen sitting with His consort, LakSmIjI, on a throne of zeSa. That feature of
ViSNu also enjoys sleeping during the four months of the rainy season. The
zvetadvIpa in the milk ocean is situated just south of the ocean of salt water.
It is calculated that the area of zvetadvIpa is 200,000 square miles. This
transcendentally beautiful island is decorated with desire trees to please Lord
ViSNu and His consort.” There are references to zvetadvIpa in the BrahmANòa
PurANa, ViSNu PurANa, MahAbhArata and Padma PurANa, and there is the
following reference in zrImad-BhAgavatam (11.15.18).
zvetadvIpa-patau cittaà zuddhe dharma-maye mayi
dhAraya~n chvetatAà yAti Saò-Urmi-rahito naraH
“My dear Uddhava, you may know that My transcendental form of ViSNu in
zvetadvIpa is identical with Me in divinity. Anyone who places this Lord of
zvetadvIpa within his heart can surpass the pangs of the six material
tribulations: hunger, thirst, birth, death, lamentation and illusion. Thus one can
attain his original, transcendental form.”
Adi 5.113
TEXT 113
yuga-manvantare dhari’ nAnA avatAra
dharma saàsthApana kare, adharma saàhAra

yuga-manu-antare—in the ages and millenniums of Manu; dhari’—accepting;
nAnA—various; avatAra—incarnations; dharma saàsthApana kare—
establishes the principles of religion; adharma saàhAra—vanquishing
irreligious principles.
TRANSLATION
In the ages and millenniums of Manu, He appears as different incarnations to
establish the principles of real religion and vanquish the principles of irreligion.
PURPORT
The Lord ViSNu who lies in the ocean of milk incarnates Himself in various
forms to maintain the laws of the cosmos and annihilate the causes of
disturbance. Such incarnations are visible in every manv-antara (i.e., in the
course of the reign of each Manu, who lives for 71 x 4,320,000 years).
Fourteen such Manus take their birth and die, to yield a place for the next,
during one day of BrahmA.
Adi 5.114
TEXT 114
deva-gaNe nA pAya yA~NhAra darazana
kSIrodaka-tIre yAi’ karena stavana

deva-gaNe—the demigods; nA—not; pAya—get; yA~NhAra—whose;
darazana—sight; kSIra-udaka-tIre—on the shore of the ocean of milk; yAi’—
go; karena stavana—offer prayers.
TRANSLATION
Unable to see Him, the demigods go to the shore of the ocean of milk and
offer prayers to Him.
PURPORT
The denizens of heaven, who live in the planetary systems beginning from
Svarloka, cannot even see Lord ViSNu in zvetadvIpa. Unable to reach the
island, they can simply approach the beach of the milk ocean to offer
transcendental prayers to the Lord, appealing to Him on special occasions to
appear as an incarnation.
Adi 5.115
TEXT 115
tabe avatari’ kare jagat pAlana
ananta vaibhava tA~Nra nAhika gaNana

tabe—at that time; avatari’—descending; kare—does; jagat pAlana—
maintenance of the material world; ananta—unlimited; vaibhava—the
opulences; tA~Nra—of Him; nAhika—there is not; gaNana—counting.
TRANSLATION
He then descends to maintain the material world. His unlimited opulences
cannot be counted.
Adi 5.116
TEXT 116
sei viSNu haya yA~Nra aàzAàzera aàza
sei prabhu nityAnanda——sarva-avataàsa

sei—that; viSNu—Lord ViSNu; haya—is; yA~Nra—whose; aàza-aàzera—of
the part of the plenary part; aàza—part; sei—that; prabhu—Lord;
nityAnanda—NityAnanda; sarva-avataàsa—the source of all incarnations.
TRANSLATION
That Lord ViSNu is but a part of a part of a plenary portion of Lord NityAnanda,
who is the source of all incarnations.
PURPORT
The Lord of zvetadvIpa has immense potency for creation and destruction. zrI
NityAnanda Prabhu, being Baladeva Himself, the original form of Sa~NkarSaNa,
is the original form of the Lord of zvetadvIpa.
Adi 5.117
TEXT 117
sei viSNu ‘zeSa’-rUpe dharena dharaNI
kA~NhA Ache mahI, zire, hena nAhi jAni

sei—that; viSNu—Lord ViSNu; zeSa-rUpe—in form of Lord zeSa; dharena—
carries; dharaNI—the planets; kA~NhA—where; Ache—are; mahI—the planets;
zire—on the head; hena nAhi jAni—I cannot understand.
TRANSLATION
That same Lord ViSNu, in the form of Lord zeSa, holds the planets upon His
heads, although He does not know where they are, for He cannot feel their
existence upon His heads.
Adi 5.118
TEXT 118
sahasra vistIrNa yA~Nra phaNAra maNòala
sUrya jini’ maNi-gaNa kare jhala-mala

sahasra—thousands; vistIrNa—spread; yA~Nra—whose; phaNAra—of the
hoods; maNòala—group; sUrya—the sun; jini’—conquering; maNi-gaNa—
jewels; kare—do; jhala-mala—glittering.
TRANSLATION
His thousands of extended hoods are adorned with dazzling jewels surpassing
the sun.
Adi 5.119
TEXT 119
pa~ncAzat-koTi-yojana pRthivI-vistAra
yA~Nra eka-phaNe rahe sarSapa-AkAra

pa~ncAzat—fifty; koTi—ten millions; yojana—eight miles; pRthivI—of the
universe; vistAra—breadth; yA~Nra—whose; eka-phaNe—on one of the hoods;
rahe—stays; sarSapa-AkAra—like a mustard seed.
TRANSLATION
The universe, which measures five hundred million yojanas in diameter, rests
on one of His hoods like a mustard seed.
PURPORT
The Lord of zvetadvIpa expands Himself as zeSa NAga, who sustains all the
planets upon His innumerable hoods. These huge global spheres are compared
to grains of mustard resting on the spiritual hoods of zeSa NAga. The
scientists’ law of gravity is a partial explanation of Lord Sa~NkarSaNa’s energy.
The name “Sa~NkarSaNa” has an etymological relationship to the idea of
gravity. There is a reference to zeSa NAga in zrImad-BhAgavatam (5.17.21),
where it is said:
yam Ahur asya sthiti janma-saàyamaà
tribhir vihInaà yam anantam RSayaH
na veda siddArtham iva kvacit sthitaà
bhU-maNòalaà mUrdha-sahasra-dhAmasu
“O my Lord, the hymns of the Vedas proclaim that You are the effective
cause for the creation, maintenance and destruction. But in fact You are
transcendental to all limitations and are therefore known as unlimited. On
Your thousands of hoods rest the innumerable global spheres, like grains of
mustard so insignificant that You have no perception of their weight.” The
BhAgavatam further says (5.25.2):
yasyedaà kSiti-maNòalaà bhagavato ’nanta-mUrteH sahasra-zirasa ekasminn
eva zIrSaNi dhriyamANaà siddhArtha iva lakSyate.
“Lord Anantadeva has thousands of hoods. Each sustains a global sphere that
appears like a grain of mustard.”
Adi 5.120
TEXT 120
sei ta’ ‘ananta’ ‘zeSa’——bhakta-avatAra
Izvarera sevA vinA nAhi jAne Ara

sei ta’—that; ananta—Lord Ananta; zeSa—the incarnation zeSa; bhakta-
avatAra—incarnation of a devotee; Izvarera sevA—the service of the Lord;
vinA—without; nAhi—not; jAne—knows; Ara—anything else.
TRANSLATION
That Ananta zeSa is the devotee incarnation of Godhead. He knows nothing
but service to Lord KRSNa.
PURPORT
zrIla JIva GosvAmI, in his KRSNa-sandarbha, has described zeSa NAga as
follows: “zrI Anantadeva has thousands of faces and is fully independent.
Always ready to serve the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He waits upon
Him constantly. Sa~NkarSaNa is the first expansion of VAsudeva, and because
He appears by His own will, He is called svarAT, fully independent. He is
therefore infinite and transcendental to all limits of time and space. He
Himself appears as the thousand-headed zeSa.” In the Skanda PurANa, in the
AyodhyA-mAhAtmya chapter, the demigod Indra requested Lord zeSa, who
was standing before him as LakSmaNa, “Please go to Your eternal abode,
ViSNuloka, where Your expansion zeSa, with His serpentine hoods, is also
present.” After thus dispatching LakSmaNa to the regions of PAtAla, Lord Indra
returned to his abode. This quotation indicates that the Sa~NkarSaNa of the
quadruple form descends with Lord RAma as LakSmaNa. When Lord RAma
disappears, zeSa again separates Himself from the personality of LakSmaNa.
zeSa then returns to His own abode in the PAtAla regions, and LakSmaNa
returns to His abode in VaikuNTha.
The Laghu-bhAgavatAmRta gives the following description: “The Sa~NkarSaNa
of the second group of quadruple forms appears as RAma, taking with Him
zeSa, who bears the global spheres. There are two features of zeSa. One is the
bearer of the globes, and the other is the bedstead servitor. The zeSa who
bears the globes is a potent incarnation of Sa~NkarSaNa, and therefore He is
sometimes also called Sa~NkarSaNa. The bedstead feature of zeSa always
presents himself as an eternal servitor of the Lord.”
Adi 5.121
TEXT 121
sahasra-vadane kare kRSNa-guNa gAna
niravadhi guNa gA’na, anta nAhi pA’na

sahasra-vadane—in thousands of mouths; kare—does; kRSNa-guNa gAna—
chanting of the holy attributes of KRSNa; niravadhi—continuously; guNa
gA’na—chanting of the transcendental qualities; anta nAhi pA’na—does not
reach the end.
TRANSLATION
With His thousands of mouths He sings the glories of Lord KRSNa, but although
He always sings in that way, He does not find an end to the qualities of the
Lord.
Adi 5.122
TEXT 122
sanakAdi bhAgavata zune yA~Nra mukhe
bhagavAnera guNa kahe, bhAse prema-sukhe

sanaka-Adi—the great sages headed by Sanaka, Sananda, etc.; bhAgavata—
zrImad-BhAgavatam; zune—hear; yA~Nra mukhe—from whose mouth;
bhagavAnera—of the Personality of Godhead; guNa—attributes; kahe—say;
bhAse—float; prema-sukhe—in the transcendental bliss of love of Godhead.
TRANSLATION
The four KumAras hear zrImad-BhAgavatam from His lips, and they in turn
repeat it in the transcendental bliss of love of Godhead.
Adi 5.123
TEXT 123
chatra, pAdukA, zayyA, upAdhAna, vasana
ArAma, AvAsa, yaj~na-sUtra, siàhAsana

chatra—umbrella; pAdukA—slippers; zayyA—bed; upAdhAna—pillow;
vasana—garments; ArAma—resting chair; AvAsa—residence; yaj~na-sUtra—
sacred thread; siàha-Asana—throne.
TRANSLATION
He serves Lord KRSNa, assuming all the following forms: umbrella, slippers,
bedding, pillow, garments, resting chair, residence, sacred thread and throne.
Adi 5.124
TEXT 124
eta mUrti-bheda kari’ kRSNa-sevA kare
kRSNera zeSatA pA~nA ‘zeSa’ nAma dhare

eta—so many; mUrti-bheda—different forms; kari’—taking; kRSNa-sevA
kare—serves Lord KRSNa; kRSNera—of Lord KRSNa; zeSatA—ultimate end;
pA~nA—having reached; zeSa nAma dhare—assumes the name zeSa NAga.
TRANSLATION
He is thus called Lord zeSa, for He has attained the ultimate end of servitude
to KRSNa. He takes many forms for the service of KRSNa, and thus He serves
the Lord.
Adi 5.125
TEXT 125
sei ta’ ananta, yA~Nra kahi eka kalA
hena prabhu nityAnanda, ke jAne tA~Nra khelA

sei ta’—that; ananta—Lord Ananta; yA~Nra—of whom; kahi—I say; eka
kalA—one part of the part; hena—such; prabhu nityAnanda—Lord
NityAnanda Prabhu; ke—who; jAne—knows; tA~Nra—His; khelA—pastimes.
TRANSLATION
That person of whom Lord Ananta is a kalA, or part of a plenary part, is Lord
NityAnanda Prabhu. Who, therefore, can know the pastimes of Lord
NityAnanda?
Adi 5.126
TEXT 126
e-saba pramANe jAni nityAnanda-tattva-sImA
tA~NhAke ‘ananta’ kahi, ki tA~Nra mahimA

e-saba—all these; pramANe—by the evidences; jAni—I know; nityAnanda-
tattva-sImA—the limit of the truth of Lord NityAnanda; tA~NhAke—to Him
(Lord NityAnanda, BalarAma); ananta—Lord Ananta; kahi—if I say; ki tA~Nre
mahimA—what glory do I speak about Him.
TRANSLATION
From these conclusions we can know the limit of the truth of Lord
NityAnanda. But what glory is there in calling Him Ananta?
Adi 5.127
TEXT 127
athavA bhaktera vAkya mAni satya kari’
sakala sambhave tA~Nte, yAte avatArI

athavA—otherwise; bhaktera vAkya—anything spoken by a pure devotee;
mAni—I accept; satya kari’—as truth; sakala—everything; sambhave—
possible; tA~Nte—in Him; yAte—since; avatArI—the original source of all
incarnations.
TRANSLATION
But I accept it as the truth because it has been said by devotees. Since He is
the source of all incarnations, everything is possible in Him.
Adi 5.128
TEXT 128
avatAra-avatArI——abheda, ye jAne
pUrve yaiche kRSNake keho kAho kari’ mAne

avatAra-avatArI—an incarnation and the source of all incarnations; abheda—
identical; ye jAne—anyone who knows; pUrve—formerly; yaiche—just as;
kRSNake—unto Lord KRSNa; keho—somebody; kAho—somewhere; kari’—
making; mAne—accepts.
TRANSLATION
They know that there is no difference between the incarnation and the source
of all incarnations. Previously Lord KRSNa was regarded in the light of different
principles by different people.
Adi 5.129
TEXT 129
keho kahe, kRSNa sAkSAt nara-nArAyaNa
keho kahe, kRSNa haya sAkSAt vAmana

keho kahe—someone says; kRSNa—Lord KRSNa; sAkSAt—directly; nara-
nArAyaNa—Lord Nara-NArAyaNa; keho kahe—someone says; kRSNa haya—
KRSNa is; sAkSAt vAmana—Lord VAmanadeva.
TRANSLATION
Some said that KRSNa was directly Lord Nara-NArAyaNa, and some called Him
Lord VAmanadeva incarnate.
Adi 5.130
TEXT 130
keho kahe, kRSNa kSIroda-zAyI avatAra
asambhava nahe, satya vacana sabAra

keho kahe—someone says; kRSNa—Lord KRSNa; kSIroda-zAyI avatAra—an
incarnation of Lord ViSNu lying in the ocean of milk; asambhava nahe—there
is not impossibility; satya—true; vacana sabAra—everyone’s statement.
TRANSLATION
Some called Lord KRSNa an incarnation of Lord KSIrodakazAyI. All these names
are true; nothing is impossible.
Adi 5.131
TEXT 131
kRSNa yabe avatare sarvAàza-Azraya
sarvAàza Asi’ tabe kRSNete milaya

kRSNa—Lord KRSNa; yabe—when; avatare—descends; sarva-aàza-Azraya—
the shelter of all other viSNu-tattvas; sarva-aàza—all plenary portions; Asi’—
coming; tabe—at that time; kRSNete—in KRSNa; milaya—join.
TRANSLATION
When the Supreme Personality of Godhead KRSNa appears, He is the shelter of
all plenary parts. Thus at that time all His plenary portions join in Him.
Adi 5.132
TEXT 132
yei yei rUpe jAne, sei tAhA kahe
sakala sambhave kRSNe, kichu mithyA nahe

yei yei—whatever; rUpe—in the form; jAne—one knows; sei—he; tAhA—
that; kahe—says; sakala sambhave kRSNe—everything is possible in KRSNa;
kichu mithyA nahe—there is no falsity.
TRANSLATION
In whatever form one knows the Lord, one speaks of Him in that way. In this
there is no falsity, since everything is possible in KRSNa.
PURPORT
In this connection we may mention an incident that took place between two
of our sannyAsIs while we were preaching the Hare KRSNa mahA-mantra in
Hyderabad. One of them stated that “Hare RAma” refers to zrI BalarAma, and
the other protested that “Hare RAma” means Lord RAma. Ultimately the
controversy came to me, and I gave the decision that if someone says that
the “RAma” in “Hare RAma” is Lord RAmacandra and someone else says that
the “RAma” in “Hare RAma” is zrI BalarAma, both are correct because there is
no difference between zrI BalarAma and Lord RAma. Here in zrI Caitanya-
caritAmRta we find that KRSNadAsa KavirAja GosvAmI has stated the same
conclusion:
yei yei rUpe jAne, sei tAhA kahe
sakala sambhave kRSNe, kichu mithyA nahe
If someone calls Lord RAmacandra by the vibration Hare RAma, understanding
it to mean “O Lord RAmacandra!” he is quite right. Similarly, if one says that
Hare RAma means “O zrI BalarAma!” he is also right. Those who are aware of
the viSNu-tattva do not fight over all these details.
In the Laghu-bhAgavatAmRta zrIla RUpa GosvAmI has explained KRSNa’s being
both KSIrodakazAyI ViSNu and NArAyaNa in the spiritual sky and expanding in
the quadruple forms known as VAsudeva, Sa~NkarSaNa, Pradyumna and
Aniruddha. He has refuted the idea that KRSNa is an incarnation of NArAyaNa.
Some devotees think that NArAyaNa is the original Personality of Godhead and
that KRSNa is an incarnation. Even za~NkarAcArya, in his commentary on the
Bhagavad-gItA, has accepted NArAyaNa as the transcendental Personality of
Godhead who appeared as KRSNa, the son of DevakI and Vasudeva. Therefore
this matter may be difficult to understand. But the GauòIya VaiSNava-
sampradAya, headed by RUpa GosvAmI, has established the principle of the
Bhagavad-gItA that everything emanates from KRSNa, who says in the
Bhagavad-gItA, ahaà sarvasya prabhavaH: “I am the original source of
everything.” “Everything” includes NArAyaNa. Therefore RUpa GosvAmI, in his
Laghu-bhAgavatAmRta, has established that KRSNa, not NArAyaNa, is the
original Personality of Godhead.
In this connection he has quoted a verse from zrImad-BhAgavatam (3.2.15)
that states:
sva-zAnta-rUpeSv itaraiH svarUpair
abhyardyamAneSv anukampitAtmA
parAvarezo mahad-aàza-yukto
hy ajo ’pi jAto bhagavAn yathAgniH
“When pure devotees of the Lord like Vasudeva are greatly disturbed by
dangerous demons like Kaàsa, Lord KRSNa joins with all His pastime
expansions, such as the Lord of VaikuNTha, and, although unborn, becomes
manifest, just as fire becomes manifest by the friction of araNi wood.” AraNi
wood is used to ignite a sacrificial fire without matches or any other flame.
Just as fire appears from araNi wood, the Supreme Lord appears when there is
friction between devotees and nondevotees. When KRSNa appears, He appears
in full, including within Himself all His expansions, such as NArAyaNa,
VAsudeva, Sa~NkarSaNa, Aniruddha and Pradyumna. KRSNa is always integrated
with His other incarnations, like NRsiàhadeva, VarAha, VAmana, Nara-
NArAyaNa, HayagrIva and Ajita. In VRndAvana Lord KRSNa sometimes exhibits
the functions of such incarnations.
In the BrahmANòa PurANa it is said, “The same Personality of Godhead who is
known in VaikuNTha as the four-handed NArAyaNa, the friend of all living
entities, and in the milk ocean as the Lord of zvetadvIpa, and who is the best
of all puruSas, appeared as the son of Nanda. In a fire there are many sparks of
different dimensions; some of them are very big, and some are small. The
small sparks are compared to the living entities, and the large sparks are
compared to the ViSNu expansions of Lord KRSNa. All the incarnations emanate
from KRSNa, and after the end of their pastimes they again merge with KRSNa.”
Therefore in the various PurANas KRSNa is described sometimes as NArAyaNa,
sometimes as KSIrodakazAyI ViSNu, sometimes as GarbhodakazAyI ViSNu and
sometimes as VaikuNThanAtha, the Lord of VaikuNTha. Because KRSNa is always
full, MUla-sa~NkarSaNa is in KRSNa, and since all incarnations are manifested
from MUla-sa~NkarSaNa, it should be understood that He can manifest different
incarnations by His supreme will, even in the presence of KRSNa. Great sages
have therefore glorified the Lord by different names. Thus when the original
person, the source of all incarnations, is sometimes described as an
incarnation, there is no discrepancy.
Adi 5.133
TEXT 133
ataeva zrI-kRSNa-caitanya gosA~ni
sarva avatAra-lIlA kari’ sabAre dekhAi

ataeva—therefore; zrI-kRSNa-caitanya—Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu;
gosA~ni—the Lord; sarva—all; avatAra-lIlA—the pastimes of different
incarnations; kari’—exhibiting; sabAre—to everyone; dekhAi—He showed.
TRANSLATION
Therefore Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu has exhibited to everyone all the
pastimes of all the various incarnations.
Adi 5.134
TEXT 134
ei-rUpe nityAnanda ‘ananta’-prakAza
sei-bhAve——kahe mu~ni caitanyera dAsa

ei-rUpe—in this way; nityAnanda—Lord NityAnanda; ananta-prakAza—
unlimited manifestations; sei-bhAve—in that transcendental emotion; kahe—
He says; mu~ni—I; caitanyera dAsa—the servant of Lord Caitanya.
TRANSLATION
Thus Lord NityAnanda has unlimited incarnations. In transcendental emotion
He calls Himself a servant of Lord Caitanya.
Adi 5.135
TEXT 135
kabhu guru, kabhu sakhA, kabhu bhRtya-lIlA
pUrve yena tina-bhAve vraje kaila khelA

kabhu—sometimes; guru—spiritual master; kabhu—sometimes; sakhA—
friend; kabhu—sometimes; bhRtya-lIlA—pastimes as a servant; pUrve—
formerly; yena—as; tina-bhAve—in three different moods; vraje—in
VRndAvana; kaila khelA—plays with KRSNa.
TRANSLATION
Sometimes He serves Lord Caitanya as His guru, sometimes as His friend and
sometimes as His servant, just as Lord BalarAma played with Lord KRSNa in
these three different moods in Vraja.
Adi 5.136
TEXT 136
vRSa ha~nA kRSNa-sane mAthA-mAthi raNa
kabhu kRSNa kare tA~Nra pAda-saàvAhana

vRSa ha~nA—becoming a bull; kRSNa-sane—with KRSNa; mAthA-mAthi raNa—
fighting head to head; kabhu—sometimes; kRSNa—KRSNa; kare—does;
tA~Nra—His; pAda-saàvAhana—massaging the feet.
TRANSLATION
Playing like a bull, Lord BalarAma fights with KRSNa head to head. And
sometimes Lord KRSNa massages the feet of Lord BalarAma.
Adi 5.137
TEXT 137
ApanAke bhRtya kari’ kRSNe prabhu jAne
kRSNera kalAra kalA ApanAke mAne

ApanAke—Himself; bhRtya kari’—considering a servant; kRSNa—KRSNa;
prabhu—master; jAne—He knows; kRSNera—of Lord KRSNa; kalAra kalA—as a
plenary portion of a plenary portion; ApanAke—Himself; mAne—He accepts.
TRANSLATION
He considers Himself a servant and knows KRSNa to be His master. Thus He
regards Himself as a fragment of His plenary portion.
Adi 5.138
TEXT 138
vRSAyamANau nardantau
yuyudhAte parasparam
anukRtya rutair jantUàz
ceratuH prAkRtau yathA

vRSAyamANau—becoming like bulls; nardantau—making roaring sounds;
yuyudhAte—both used to fight; parasparam—each other; anukRtya—
imitating; rutaiH—with cries; jantUn—the animals; ceratuH—used to play;
prAkRtau—ordinary boys; yathA—just like.
TRANSLATION
“Acting just like ordinary boys, They played like roaring bulls as They fought
each other, and They imitated the calls of various animals.”
PURPORT
This and the following quotation are from the BhAgavatam (10.11.40 and
10.15.14).
Adi 5.139
TEXT 139
kvacit krIòA-parizrAntaà
gopotsa~NgopabarhaNam
svayaà vizrAmayaty Aryaà
pAda-saàvAhanAdibhiH

kvacit—sometimes; krIòA—playing; parizrAntam—very much fatigued;
gopa-utsa~Nga—the lap of a cowherd boy; upabarhaNam—whose pillow;
svayam—personally Lord KRSNa; vizrAmayati—causing to rest; Aryam—His
elder brother; pAda-saàvAhana-AdibhiH—by massaging His feet, etc.
TRANSLATION
“Sometimes when Lord KRSNa’s elder brother, Lord BalarAma, felt tired after
playing and lay His head on the lap of a cowherd boy, Lord KRSNa Himself
served Him by massaging His feet.”
Adi 5.140
TEXT 140
keyaà vA kuta AyAtA
daivI vA nAry utAsurI
prAyo mAyAstu me bhartur
nAnyA me ’pi vimohinI

kA—who; iyam—this; vA—or; kutaH—from where; AyAtA—has come;
daivI—whether demigod; vA—or; nArI—woman; uta—or; AsurI—demoness;
prAyaH—in most cases; mAyA—illusory energy; astu—she must be; me—My;
bhartuH—of the master, Lord KRSNa; na—not; anyA—any other; me—My;
api—certainly; vimohinI—bewilderer.
TRANSLATION
“Who is this mystic power, and where has she come from? Is she a demigod
or a demoness? She must be the illusory energy of My master, Lord KRSNa, for
who else can bewilder Me?”
PURPORT
The playful pastimes of the Lord caused suspicion in the mind of Lord BrahmA,
and therefore Lord BrahmA, to test KRSNa’s Lordship, stole all the Lord’s calves
and cowherd boys with his own mystic power. zrI KRSNa responded, however,
by replacing all the calves and boys in the field. Lord BalarAma’s thoughts of
astonishment at such wonderful retaliation are recorded in this verse (BhAg.
10.13.37).
Adi 5.141
TEXT 141
yasyA~Nghri-pa~Nkaja-rajo ’khila-loka-pAlair
mauly-uttamair dhRtam upAsita-tIrtha-tIrtham
brahmA bhavo ’ham api yasya kalAH kalAyAH
zrIz codvahema ciram asya nRpAsanaà kva

yasya—whose; a~Nghri-pa~Nkaja—lotuslike feet; rajaH—the dust; akhila-loka—
of the universal planetary systems; pAlaiH—by the masters; mauli-uttamaiH—
with valuable turbans on their heads; dhRtam—accepted; upAsita—
worshiped; tIrtha-tIrtham—the sanctifier of the holy places; brahmA—Lord
BrahmA; bhavaH—Lord ziva; aham api—even I; yasya—of whom; kalAH—
portions; kalAyAH—of a plenary portion; zrIH—the goddess of fortune; ca—
and; udvahema—we carry; ciram—eternally; asya—of Him; nRpa-Asanam—
the throne of a king; kva—where.
TRANSLATION
“What is the value of a throne to Lord KRSNa? The masters of the various
planetary systems accept the dust of His lotus feet on their crowned heads.
That dust makes the holy places sacred, and even Lord BrahmA, Lord ziva,
LakSmI and I Myself, who are all portions of His plenary portion, eternally
carry that dust on our heads.”
PURPORT
When the Kauravas, to flatter Baladeva so that He would become their ally,
spoke ill of zrI KRSNa, Lord Baladeva became angry and spoke this verse (BhAg.
10.68.37).
Adi 5.142
TEXT 142
ekale Izvara kRSNa, Ara saba bhRtya
yAre yaiche nAcAya, se taiche kare nRtya

ekale—alone; Izvara—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; kRSNa—KRSNa;
Ara—others; saba—all; bhRtya—servants; yAre—unto whom; yaiche—as;
nAcAya—He causes to dance; se—He; taiche—in that way; kare nRtya—
dances.
TRANSLATION
Lord KRSNa alone is the supreme controller, and all others are His servants.
They dance as He makes them do so.
Adi 5.143
TEXT 143
ei mata caitanya-gosA~ni ekale Izvara
Ara saba pAriSada, keha vA ki~Nkara

ei mata—in this way; caitanya-gosA~ni—Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu;
ekale—alone; Izvara—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; Ara saba—all
others; pAriSada—associates; keha—someone; vA—or; ki~Nkara—servants.
TRANSLATION
Thus Lord Caitanya is also the only controller. All others are His associates or
servants.
Adi 5.144-145
TEXTS 144–145
guru-varga,——nityAnanda, advaita AcArya
zrIvAsAdi, Ara yata——laghu, sama, Arya
sabe pAriSada, sabe lIlAra sahAya
sabA la~nA nija-kArya sAdhe gaura-rAya

guru-varga—elders; nityAnanda—Lord NityAnanda; advaita AcArya—and
Advaita AcArya; zrIvAsa-Adi—zrIvAsa ThAkura and others; Ara—others;
yata—all; laghu, sama, Arya—junior, equal or superior; sabe—everyone;
pAriSada—associates; sabe—everyone; lIlAra sahAya—helpers in the
pastimes; sabA la~nA—taking all of them; nija-kArya—His own aims; sAdhe—
executes; gaura-rAya—Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu.
TRANSLATION
His elders such as Lord NityAnanda, Advaita AcArya and zrIvAsa ThAkura, as
well as His other devotees—whether His juniors, equals or superiors—are all
His associates who help Him in His pastimes. Lord GaurA~Nga fulfills His aims
with their help.
Adi 5.146
TEXT 146
advaita AcArya, nityAnanda,——dui a~Nga
dui-jana la~nA prabhura yata kichu ra~Nga

advaita AcArya—zrI Advaita AcArya; nityAnanda—Lord NityAnanda; dui
a~Nga—two limbs of the Lord; dui-jana la~nA—taking the two of Them;
prabhura—of Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu; yata—all; kichu—some;
ra~Nga—playful activities.
TRANSLATION
zrI Advaita AcArya and zrIla NityAnanda Prabhu, who are plenary parts of the
Lord, are His principal associates. With these two the Lord performs His
pastimes in various ways.
Adi 5.147
TEXT 147
advaita-AcArya-gosA~ni sAkSAt Izvara
prabhu guru kari’ mAne, ti~Nho ta’ ki~Nkara

advaita-AcArya—Advaita AcArya; gosA~ni—the Lord; sAkSAt Izvara—directly
the Supreme Personality of Godhead; prabhu—Lord zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu; guru kari’ mAne—accepts Him as His teacher; ti~Nho ta’
ki~Nkara—but He is the servant.
TRANSLATION
Lord Advaita AcArya is directly the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Although Lord Caitanya accepts Him as His preceptor, Advaita AcArya is a
servant of the Lord.
PURPORT
Lord Caitanya always offered respects to Advaita Prabhu as He would to His
father because Advaita was even older than His father; yet Advaita Prabhu
always considered Himself a servant of Lord Caitanya. zrI Advaita Prabhu and
Izvara PurI, Lord Caitanya’s spiritual master, were both disciples of
MAdhavendra PurI, who was also the spiritual master of NityAnanda Prabhu.
Thus Advaita Prabhu, as Lord Caitanya’s spiritual uncle, was always to be
respected because one should respect one’s spiritual master’s Godbrothers as
one respects one’s spiritual master. Because of all these considerations, zrI
Advaita Prabhu was superior to Lord Caitanya, yet Advaita Prabhu considered
Himself Lord Caitanya’s subordinate.
Adi 5.148
TEXT 148
AcArya-gosA~nira tattva nA yAya kathana
kRSNa avatAri ye~Nho tArila bhuvana

AcArya-gosA~nira—of Advaita AcArya; tattva—the truth; nA yAya kathana—
cannot be described; kRSNa—Lord KRSNa; avatAri—making descend; ye~Nho—
who; tArila—delivered; bhuvana—all the world.
TRANSLATION
I cannot describe the truth of Advaita AcArya. He has delivered the entire
world by making Lord KRSNa descend.
Adi 5.149
TEXT 149
nityAnanda-svarUpa pUrve ha-iyA lakSmaNa
laghu-bhrAtA haiyA kare rAmera sevana

nityAnanda-svarUpa—Lord NityAnanda SvarUpa; pUrve—formerly; ha-iyA—
becoming; lakSmaNa—LakSmaNa, Lord RAmacandra’s younger brother; laghu-
bhrAtrA haiyA—becoming the younger brother; kare—does; rAmera sevana—
service to Lord RAmacandra.
TRANSLATION
Lord NityAnanda SvarUpa formerly appeared as LakSmaNa and served Lord
RAmacandra as His younger brother.
PURPORT
Among the sannyAsIs of the za~Nkara-sampradAya there are different names
for brahmacArIs. Each sannyAsI has some assistants, known as brahmacArIs,
who are called by different names according to the names of the sannyAsI.
Among such brahmacArIs there are four names: SvarUpa, Ananda, PrakAza and
Caitanya. NityAnanda Prabhu maintained Himself as a brahmacArI; He never
took sannyAsa. As a brahmacArI His name was NityAnanda SvarUpa, and
therefore the sannyAsI under whom He was living must have been from the
tIrthas or Azramas of the za~Nkara-sampradAya, because one of the names for
the assistant brahmacArI of such a sannyAsI is SvarUpa.
Adi 5.150
TEXT 150
rAmera caritra saba,——duHkhera kAraNa
svatantra lIlAya duHkha sahena lakSmaNa

rAmera caritra saba—all the activities of Lord RAmacandra; duHkhera
kAraNa—causes of suffering; sva-tantra—although independent; lIlAya—in
the pastimes; duHkha—unhappiness; sahena lakSmaNa—LakSmaNa tolerates.
TRANSLATION
The activities of Lord RAma were full of suffering, but LakSmaNa, of His own
accord, tolerated that suffering.
Adi 5.151
TEXT 151
niSedha karite nAre, yAte choTa bhAi
mauna dhari’ rahe lakSmaNa mane duHkha pAi’

niSedha karite nAre—unable to prohibit Lord RAmacandra; yAte—because;
choTa bhAi—younger brother; mauna dhari’—becoming silent; rahe—
remains; lakSmaNa—LakSmaNa; mane—in the mind; duHkha—unhappiness;
pAi’—getting.
TRANSLATION
As a younger brother He could not stop Lord RAma from His resolution, and
so He remained silent, although unhappy in His mind.
Adi 5.152
TEXT 152
kRSNa-avatAre jyeSTha hailA sevAra kAraNa
kRSNake karAila nAnA sukha AsvAdana

kRSNa-avatAre—in the incarnation of Lord KRSNa; jyeSTha hailA—He became
the elder brother; sevAra kAraNa—for the purpose of service; kRSNake—to
KRSNa; karAila—made; nAnA—various; sukha—happinesses; AsvAdana—
tasting.
TRANSLATION
When Lord KRSNa appeared, He [BalarAma] became His elder brother to serve
Him to His heart’s content and make Him enjoy all sorts of happiness.
Adi 5.153
TEXT 153
rAma-lakSmaNa——kRSNa-rAmera aàza-vizeSa
avatAra-kAle do~Nhe do~NhAte praveza

rAma-lakSmaNa—RAmacandra and LakSmaNa; kRSNa-rAmera aàza-vizeSa—
particular expansions of Lord KRSNa and Lord BalarAma; avatAra-kAle—at the
time of incarnation; do~Nhe—both of Them (RAma and LakSmaNa); do~NhAte
praveza—entered into Them both (KRSNa and BalarAma).
TRANSLATION
zrI RAma and zrI LakSmaNa, who are plenary portions of Lord KRSNa and Lord
BalarAma respectively, entered into Them at the time of KRSNa’s and
BalarAma’s appearance.
PURPORT
With reference to the ViSNu-dharmottara, the Laghu-bhAgavatAmRta explains
that RAma is an incarnation of VAsudeva, LakSmaNa is an incarnation of
Sa~NkarSaNa, Bharata is an incarnation of Pradyumna, and zatrughna is an
incarnation of Aniruddha. The Padma PurANa describes that RAmacandra is
NArAyaNa and that LakSmaNa, Bharata and zatrughna are respectively zeSa,
Cakra and za~Nkha (the conchshell in the hand of NArAyaNa). In the RAma-gIta
of the Skanda PurANa, LakSmaNa, Bharata and zatrughna have been described
as the triple attendants of Lord RAma.
Adi 5.154
TEXT 154
sei aàza la~nA jyeSTha-kaniSThAbhimAna
aàzAàzi-rUpe zAstre karaye vyAkhyAna

sei aàza la~nA—taking that plenary portion; jyeSTha-kaniSTha-abhimAna—
considering Themselves the elder or younger; aàza-aàzi-rUpe—as the
expansion and the original Supreme Personality of Godhead; zAstre—in the
revealed scriptures; karaye—does; vyAkhyAna—explanation.
TRANSLATION
KRSNa and BalarAma present Themselves as younger brother and elder brother,
but in the scriptures They are described as the original Supreme Personality of
Godhead and His expansion.
Adi 5.155
TEXT 155
rAmAdi-mUrtiSu kalA-niyamena tiSThan
nAnAvatAram akarod bhuvaneSu kintu
kRSNaH svayaà samabhavat paramaH pumAn yo
govindam Adi-puruSaà tam ahaà bhajAmi

rAma-Adi—the incarnation of Lord RAma, etc.; mUrtiSu—in different forms;
kalA-niyamena—by the order of plenary portions; tiSThan—existing; nAnA—
various; avatAram—incarnations; akarot—executed; bhuvaneSu—within the
worlds; kintu—but; kRSNaH—Lord KRSNa; svayam—personally; samabhavat—
appeared; paramaH—the supreme; pumAn—person; yaH—who; govindam—
unto Lord Govinda; Adi-puruSam—the original person; tam—unto Him;
aham—I; bhajAmi—offer obeisances.
TRANSLATION
“I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, who by His various plenary portions
appears in the world in different forms and incarnations such as Lord RAma,
but who personally appears in His supreme original form as Lord KRSNa.”
PURPORT
This is a quotation from Brahma-saàhitA (5.39).
Adi 5.156
TEXT 156
zrI-caitanya——sei kRSNa, nityAnanda——rAma
nityAnanda pUrNa kare caitanyera kAma

zrI-caitanya—Lord zrI Caitanya; sei kRSNa—that original KRSNa; nityAnanda—
Lord NityAnanda; rAma—BalarAma; nityAnanda—Lord NityAnanda; pUrNa
kare—fulfills; caitanyera kAma—all the desires of Lord zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu.
TRANSLATION
Lord Caitanya is the same Lord KRSNa, and Lord NityAnanda is Lord BalarAma.
Lord NityAnanda fulfills all of Lord Caitanya’s desires.
Adi 5.157
TEXT 157
nityAnanda-mahimA-sindhu ananta, apAra
eka kaNA sparzi mAtra,——se kRpA tA~NhAra

nityAnanda-mahimA—of the glories of Lord NityAnanda; sindhu—the ocean;
ananta—unlimited; apAra—unfathomed; eka kaNA—one fragment; sparzi—I
touch; mAtra—only; se—that; kRpA—mercy; tA~NhAra—His.
TRANSLATION
The ocean of Lord NityAnanda’s glories is infinite and unfathomable. Only by
His mercy can I touch even a drop of it.
Adi 5.158
TEXT 158
Ara eka zuna tA~Nra kRpAra mahimA
adhama jIvere caòhAila Urdhva-sImA

Ara—another; eka—one; zuna—please hear; tA~Nra kRpAra mahimA—glory of
His mercy; adhama jIvere—the downtrodden living being; caòhAila—He
elevated; Urdhva-sImA—to the topmost limit.
TRANSLATION
Please listen to another glory of His mercy. He made a fallen living entity
climb to the highest limit.
Adi 5.159
TEXT 159
veda-guhya kathA ei ayogya kahite
tathApi kahiye tA~Nra kRpA prakAzite

veda—like the Vedas; guhya—very confidential; kathA—incident; ei—this;
ayogya kahite—not fit to disclose; tathApi—still; kahiye—I speak; tA~Nra—
His; kRpA—mercy; prakAzite—to manifest.
TRANSLATION
To disclose it is not proper, for it should be kept as confidential as the Vedas,
yet I shall speak of it to make His mercy known to all.
Adi 5.160
TEXT 160
ullAsa-upari lekho~N tomAra prasAda
nityAnanda prabhu, mora kSama aparAdha

ullAsa-upari—on account of great ecstasy; lekho~N—I write; tomAra prasAda—
Your mercy; nityAnanda prabhu—Lord NityAnanda; mora—my; kSama—
please excuse; aparAdha—offenses.
TRANSLATION
O Lord NityAnanda, I write of Your mercy out of great exultation. Please
forgive me for my offenses.
Adi 5.161
TEXT 161
avadhUta gosA~nira eka bhRtya prema-dhAma
mInaketana rAmadAsa haya tA~Nra nAma

avadhUta—the mendicant; gosA~nira—of Lord NityAnanda; eka—one;
bhRtya—servant; prema-dhAma—reservoir of love; mInaketana—
MInaketana; rAma-dAsa—RAmadAsa; haya—is; tA~Nra—his; nAma—name.
TRANSLATION
Lord NityAnanda Prabhu had a servant named zrI MInaketana RAmadAsa, who
was a reservoir of love.
Adi 5.162
TEXT 162
AmAra Alaye aho-rAtra-sa~NkIrtana
tAhAte AilA te~Nho pA~nA nimantraNa

AmAra Alaye—at my house; ahaH-rAtra—day and night; sa~NkIrtana—chanting
the Hare KRSNa mantra; tAhAte—on account of this; AilA—came; te~Nho—he;
pA~nA nimantraNa—getting an invitation.
TRANSLATION
At my house there was sa~NkIrtana day and night, and therefore he visited
there, having been invited.
Adi 5.163
TEXT 163
mahA-prema-maya ti~Nho vasilA a~Ngane
sakala vaiSNava tA~Nra vandilA caraNe

mahA-prema-maya—absorbed in emotional love; ti~Nho—he; vasilA—sat;
a~Ngane—in the courtyard; sakala vaiSNava—all other VaiSNavas; tA~Nra—his;
vandilA—worshiped; caraNe—lotus feet.
TRANSLATION
Absorbed in emotional love, he sat in my courtyard, and all the VaiSNavas
bowed down at his feet.
Adi 5.164
TEXT 164
namaskAra karite, kA’ra uparete caòe
preme kA’re vaàzI mAre, kAhAke cApaòe

namaskAra karite—while offering obeisances, bowing down; kA’ra—of
someone; uparete—on the body; caòe—gets up; preme—in ecstatic love;
kA’re—someone; vaàzI—the flute; mAre—strikes; kAhAke—someone;
cApaòe—slaps.
TRANSLATION
In a joyful mood of love of God he sometimes climbed upon the shoulder of
someone offering obeisances, and sometimes he struck others with his flute or
mildly slapped them.
Adi 5.165
TEXT 165
ye nayana dekhite azru haya mane yAra
sei netre avicchinna vahe azru-dhAra

ye—his; nayana—eyes; dekhite—seeing; azru—tears; haya—appear;
mane—from the mind; yAra—of someone; sei netre—in his eyes;
avicchinna—continuously; vahe—flows; azru-dhAra—a shower of tears.
TRANSLATION
When someone saw the eyes of MInaketana RAmadAsa, tears would
automatically flow from his own eyes, for a constant shower of tears flowed
from the eyes of MInaketana RAmadAsa.
Adi 5.166
TEXT 166
kabhu kona a~Nge dekhi pulaka-kadamba
eka a~Nge jAòya tA~Nra, Ara a~Nge kampa

kabhu—sometimes; kona—some; a~Nge—in parts of the body; dekhi—I see;
pulaka-kadamba—eruptions of ecstasy like kadamba flowers; eka a~Nge—in
one part of the body; jAòya—stunned; tA~Nra—his; Ara a~Nge—in another limb;
kampa—trembling.
TRANSLATION
Sometimes there were eruptions of ecstasy like kadamba flowers on some
parts of his body, and sometimes one limb would be stunned while another
would be trembling.
Adi 5.167
TEXT 167
nityAnanda bali’ yabe karena hu~NkAra
tAhA dekhi’ lokera haya mahA-camatkAra

nityAnanda—the name NityAnanda; bali’—saying; yabe—whenever; karena
hu~NkAra—makes a great sound; tAhA dekhi’—seeing that; lokera—of the
people; haya—there is; mahA-camatkAra—great wonder and astonishment.
TRANSLATION
Whenever he shouted aloud the name NityAnanda, the people around him
were filled with great wonder and astonishment.
Adi 5.168
TEXT 168
guNArNava mizra nAme eka vipra Arya
zrI-mUrti-nikaTe te~Nho kare sevA-kArya

guNArNava mizra—of GuNArNava Mizra; nAme—by the name; eka—one;
vipra—brAhmaNa; Arya—very respectable; zrI-mUrti-nikaTe—by the side of
the Deity; te~Nho—he; kare—does; sevA-kArya—activities in devotion.
TRANSLATION
One respectable brAhmaNa named zrI GuNArNava Mizra was serving the Deity.
Adi 5.169
TEXT 169
a~Ngane AsiyA te~Nho nA kaila sambhASa
tAhA dekhi’ kruddha ha~nA bale rAmadAsa

a~Ngane—to the courtyard; AsiyA—coming; te~Nho—he; nA—not; kaila—did;
sambhASa—address; tAhA dekhi’—seeing this; kruddha ha~nA—becoming
angry; bale—says; rAma-dAsa—zrI RAmadAsa.
TRANSLATION
When MInaketana was seated in the yard, this brAhmaNa did not offer him
respect. Seeing this, zrI RAmadAsa became angry and spoke.
Adi 5.170
TEXT 170
‘ei ta’ dvitIya sUta romaharaSaNa
baladeva dekhi’ ye nA kaila pratyudgama’

ei ta’—this; dvitIya—second; sUta romaharaSaNa—RomaharSaNa-sUta;
baladeva dekhi’—seeing Lord BalarAma; ye—who; nA—not; kaila—did;
pratyudgama—stand up.
TRANSLATION
“Here I find the second RomaharSaNa-sUta, who did not stand to show honor
when he saw Lord BalarAma.”
Adi 5.171
TEXT 171
eta bali’ nAce gAya, karaye santoSa
kRSNa-kArya kare vipra——nA karila roSa

eta bali’—saying this; nAce—he dances; gAya—chants; karaye santoSa—
becomes satisfied; kRSNa-kArya—the duties of Deity worship; kare—performs;
vipra—the brAhmaNa; nA karila—did not become; roSa—angry.
TRANSLATION
After saying this, he danced and sang to his heart’s content, but the
brAhmaNa did not become angry, for he was then serving Lord KRSNa.
PURPORT
MInaketana RAmadAsa was a great devotee of Lord NityAnanda. When he
entered the house of KRSNadAsa KavirAja, GuNArNava Mizra, the priest who
was worshiping the Deity installed in the house, did not receive him very well.
A similar event occurred when RomaharSaNa-sUta was speaking to the great
assembly of sages at NaimiSAraNya. Lord Baladeva entered that great
assembly, but since RomaharSaNa-sUta was on the vyAsAsana, he did not get
down to offer respect to Lord Baladeva. The behavior of GuNArNava Mizra
indicated that he had no great respect for Lord NityAnanda, and this idea was
not at all palatable to MInaketana RAmadAsa. For this reason the mentality of
MInaketana RAmadAsa is never deprecated by devotees.
Adi 5.172
TEXT 172
utsavAnte gelA ti~Nho kariyA prasAda
mora bhrAtA-sane tA~Nra kichu haila vAda

utsava-ante—after the festival; gelA—went away; ti~Nho—he; kariyA
prasAda—showing mercy; mora—of me; bhrAtA-sane—with the brother;
tA~Nra—of him; kichu—some; haila—there was; vAda—controversy.
TRANSLATION
At the end of the festival MInaketana RAmadAsa went away, offering his
blessings to everyone. At that time he had some controversy with my brother.
Adi 5.173
TEXT 173
caitanya-prabhute tA~Nra sudRòha vizvAsa
nityAnanda-prati tA~Nra vizvAsa-AbhAsa

caitanya-prabhute—unto Lord Caitanya; tA~Nra—his; su-dRòha—fixed;
vizvAsa—faith; nityAnanda-prati—unto Lord NityAnanda; tA~Nra—his;
vizvAsa-AbhAsa—dim reflection of faith.
TRANSLATION
My brother had firm faith in Lord Caitanya but only a dim glimmer of faith in
Lord NityAnanda.
Adi 5.174
TEXT 174
ihA jAni’ rAmadAsera duHkha ha-ila mane
tabe ta’ bhrAtAre Ami karinu bhartsane

ihA—this; jAni’—knowing; rAma-dAsera—of the saint RAmadAsa; duHkha—
unhappiness; ha-ila—there was; mane—in the mind; tabe—at that time;
ta’—certainly; bhrAtAre—to my brother; Ami—I; karinu—did; bhartsane—
chastisement.
TRANSLATION
Knowing this, zrI RAmadAsa felt unhappy in his mind. I then rebuked my
brother.
Adi 5.175
TEXT 175
dui bhAi eka-tanu——samAna-prakAza
nityAnanda nA mAna, tomAra habe sarva-nAza

dui bhAi—two brothers; eka-tanu—one body; samAna-prakAza—equal
manifestation; nityAnanda—Lord NityAnanda; nA mAne—you do not believe;
tomAra—your; habe—that will be; sarva-nAza—downfall.
TRANSLATION
“These two brothers,” I told him, “are like one body; They are identical
manifestations. If you do not believe in Lord NityAnanda, you will fall down.
Adi 5.176
TEXT 176
ekete vizvAsa, anye nA kara sammAna
“ardha-kukkuTI-nyAya” tomAra pramANa

ekete vizvAsa—faith in one; anye—in the other; nA—not; kara—do;
sammAna—respect; ardha-kukkuTI-nyAya—the logic of accepting half of a
hen; tomAra—your; pramANa—evidence.
TRANSLATION
“If you have faith in one but disrespect the other, your logic is like the logic of
accepting half a A foolish farmer once thought he would save money by
cutting off his hen’s head, which he had to feed, and leaving its tail, which
produced the eggs. Hence the term ardha-kukkuTI-nyAya, literally “half-hen
logic.”hen.
Adi 5.177
TEXT 177
kiàvA, do~NhA nA mAni~nA hao ta’ pASaNòa
eke mAni’ Are nA mAni,——ei-mata bhaNòa

kiàvA—otherwise; do~NhA—both of Them; nA—not; mAni~nA—accepting;
hao—you become; ta’—certainly; pASaNòa—atheist; eke—one of Them;
mAni’—accepting; Are—the other; nA mAni—not accepting; ei-mata—this
kind of faith; bhaNòa—hypocrisy.
TRANSLATION
“It would be better to be an atheist by slighting both brothers than a hypocrite
by believing in one and slighting the other.”
Adi 5.178
TEXT 178
kruddha haiyA vaàzI bhA~Ngi’ cale rAmadAsa
tat-kAle AmAra bhrAtAra haila sarva-nAza

kruddha haiyA—being very angry; vaàzI—the flute; bhA~Ngi’—breaking;
cale—departs; rAma-dAsa—RAmadAsa; tat-kAle—at that time; AmAra—my;
bhrAtAra—of the brother; haila—there was; sarva-nAza—downfall.
TRANSLATION
Thus zrI RAmadAsa broke his flute in anger and went away, and at that time
my brother fell down.
Adi 5.179
TEXT 179
ei ta’ kahila tA~Nra sevaka-prabhAva
Ara eka kahi tA~Nra dayAra svabhAva

ei ta’—thus; kahila—explained; tA~Nra—of Him; sevaka-prabhAva—the
power of the servant; Ara—other; eka—one; kahi—I say; tA~Nra—His;
dayAra—of mercy; svabhAva—characteristic.
TRANSLATION
I have thus described the power of the servants of Lord NityAnanda. Now I
shall describe another characteristic of His mercy.
Adi 5.180
TEXT 180
bhAike bhartsinu mu~ni, la~nA ei guNa
sei rAtre prabhu more dilA darazana

bhAike—my brother; bhartsinu—chastised; mu~ni—I; la~nA—taking; ei—this;
guNa—as a good quality; sei rAtre—on that night; prabhu—my Lord; more—
unto me; dilA—gave; darazana—appearance.
TRANSLATION
That night Lord NityAnanda appeared to me in a dream because of my good
quality in chastising my brother.
Adi 5.181
TEXT 181
naihATi-nikaTe ‘jhAmaTapura’ nAme grAma
tA~NhA svapne dekhA dilA nityAnanda-rAma

naihATi-nikaTe—near the village NaihATi; jhAmaTapura—JhAmaTapura; nAme—
by the name; grAma—village; tA~NhA—there; svapne—in a dream; dekhA—
appearance; dilA—gave; nityAnanda-rAma—Lord NityAnanda BalarAma.
TRANSLATION
In the village of JhAmaTapura, which is near NaihATi, Lord NityAnanda
appeared to me in a dream.
PURPORT
There is now a railway line to JhAmaTapura. If one wants to go there, he can
take a train on the Katwa railway line and go directly to the station known as
SAlAra. From that station one can go directly to JhAmaTapura.
Adi 5.182
TEXT 182
daNòavat haiyA Ami paòinu pAyete
nija-pAda-padma prabhu dilA mora mAthe

daNòavat haiyA—offering obeisances; Ami—I; paòinu—fell down; pAyete—
at His lotus feet; nija-pAda-padma—His own lotus feet; prabhu—the Lord;
dilA—placed; mora—my; mAthe—on the head.
TRANSLATION
I fell at His feet, offering my obeisances, and He then placed His own lotus
feet upon my head.
Adi 5.183
TEXT 183
‘uTha’, ‘uTha’ bali’ more bale bAra bAra
uThi’ tA~Nra rUpa dekhi’ hainu camatkAra

uTha uTha—get up, get up; bali’—saying; more—unto me; bale—says; bAra
bAra—again and again; uThi’—getting up; tA~Nra—His; rUpa dekhi’—seeing
the beauty; hainu—became; camatkAra—astonished.
TRANSLATION
“Arise! Get up!” He told me again and again. Upon rising, I was greatly
astonished to see His beauty.
Adi 5.184
TEXT 184
zyAma-cikkaNa kAnti, prakANòa zarIra
sAkSAt kandarpa, yaiche mahA-malla-vIra

zyAma—blackish; cikkaNa—glossy; kAnti—luster; prakANòa—heavy; zarIra—
body; sAkSAt—directly; kandarpa—Cupid; yaiche—like; mahA-malla—very
stout and strong; vIra—hero.
TRANSLATION
He had a glossy blackish complexion, and His tall, strong, heroic stature made
Him seem like Cupid himself.
Adi 5.185
TEXT 185
suvalita hasta, pada, kamala-nayAna
paTTa-vastra zire, paTTa-vastra paridhAna

suvalita—well-formed; hasta—hands; pada—legs; kamala-nayAna—eyes
like lotus flowers; paTTa-vastra—silk cloth; zire—on the head; paTTa-vastra—
silk garments; paridhAna—wearing.
TRANSLATION
He had beautifully formed hands, arms and legs, and eyes like lotus flowers.
He wore a silk cloth, with a silk turban on His head.
Adi 5.186
TEXT 186
suvarNa-kuNòala karNe, svarNA~Ngada-vAlA
pAyete nUpura bAje, kaNThe puSpa-mAlA

suvarNa-kuNòala—gold earrings; karNe—on the ears; svarNa-a~Ngada—
golden armlets; vAlA—and bangles; pAyete—on the feet; nUpura—ankle bells;
bAje—tinkle; kaNThe—on the neck; puSpa-mAlA—flower garland.
TRANSLATION
He wore golden earrings on His ears, and golden armlets and bangles. He
wore tinkling anklets on His feet and a garland of flowers around His neck.
Adi 5.187
TEXT 187
candana-lepita-a~Nga, tilaka suThAma
matta-gaja jini’ mada-manthara payAna

candana—with sandalwood pulp; lepita—smeared; a~Nga—body; tilaka
suThAma—nicely decorated with tilaka; matta-gaja—a mad elephant; jini’—
surpassing; mada-manthara—maddened by drinking; payAna—movement.
TRANSLATION
His body was anointed with sandalwood pulp, and He was nicely decorated
with tilaka. His movements surpassed those of a maddened elephant.
Adi 5.188
TEXT 188
koTi-candra jini’ mukha ujjvala-varaNa
dAòimba-bIja-sama danta tAmbUla-carvaNa

koTi-candra—millions upon millions of moons; jini’—surpassing; mukha—
face; ujjvala-varaNa—bright and brilliant; dAòimba-bIja—pomegranate seeds;
sama—like; danta—teeth; tAmbUla-carvaNa—chewing betel nut.
TRANSLATION
His face was more beautiful than millions upon millions of moons, and His
teeth were like pomegranate seeds because of His chewing betel.
Adi 5.189
TEXT 189
preme matta a~Nga òAhine-vAme dole
‘kRSNa’ ‘kRSNa’ baliyA gambhIra bola bale

preme—in ecstasy; matta—absorbed; a~Nga—the whole body; òAhine—to
the right side; vAme—to the left side; dole—moves; kRSNa kRSNa—KRSNa,
KRSNa; baliyA—saying; gambhIra—deep; bola—words; bale—was uttering.
TRANSLATION
His body moved to and fro, right and left, for He was absorbed in ecstasy. He
chanted “KRSNa, KRSNa” in a deep voice.
Adi 5.190
TEXT 190
rA~NgA-yaSTi haste dole yena matta siàha
cAri-pAze veòi Ache caraNete bhR~Nga

rA~NgA-yaSTi—a red stick; haste—in the hand; dole—moves; yena—like;
matta—mad; siàha—lion; cAri-pAze—all around; veòi—surrounding; Ache—
there is; caraNete—at the lotus feet; bhR~Nga—bumblebees.
TRANSLATION
His red stick moving in His hand, He seemed like a maddened lion. All around
the four sides of His feet were bumblebees.
Adi 5.191
TEXT 191
pAriSada-gaNe dekhi’ saba gopa-veze
‘kRSNa’ ‘kRSNa’ kahe sabe saprema Aveze
SYNONYMS
pAriSada-gaNe—associates; dekhi’—seeing; saba—all; gopa-veze—in the
dress of cowherd boys; kRSNa kRSNa—KRSNa, KRSNa; kahe—says; sabe—all; sa-
prema—of ecstatic love; Aveze—in absorption.
TRANSLATION
His devotees, dressed like cowherd boys, surrounded His feet like so many
bees and also chanted “KRSNa, KRSNa,” absorbed in ecstatic love.
Adi 5.192
TEXT 192
zi~NgA vAàzI bAjAya keha, keha nAce gAya
sevaka yogAya tAmbUla, cAmara òhulAya

zi~NgA vAàzI—horns and flutes; bAjAya—play; keha—some; keha—some of
them; nAce—dance; gAya—sing; sevaka—a servant; yogAya—supplies;
tAmbUla—betel nut; cAmara—fan; òhulAya—moves.
TRANSLATION
Some of them played horns and flutes, and others danced and sang. Some of
them offered betel nuts, and others waved cAmara fans about Him.
Adi 5.193
TEXT 193
nityAnanda-svarUpera dekhiyA vaibhava
kibA rUpa, guNa, lIlA——alaukika saba

nityAnanda-svarUpera—of Lord NityAnanda SvarUpa; dekhiyA—seeing;
vaibhava—the opulence; kibA rUpa—what a wonderful form; guNa—
qualities; lIlA—pastimes; alaukika—uncommon; saba—all.
TRANSLATION
Thus I saw such opulence in Lord NityAnanda SvarUpa. His wonderful form,
qualities and pastimes are all transcendental.
Adi 5.194
TEXT 194
Anande vihvala Ami, kichu nAhi jAni
tabe hAsi’ prabhu more kahilena vANI

Anande—in transcendental ecstasy; vihvala—overwhelmed; Ami—I; kichu—
anything; nAhi—not; jAni—know; tabe—at that time; hAsi’—smiling;
prabhu—the Lord; more—unto me; kahilena—says; vANI—some words.
TRANSLATION
I was overwhelmed with transcendental ecstasy, not knowing anything else.
Then Lord NityAnanda smiled and spoke to me as follows.
Adi 5.195
TEXT 195
Are Are kRSNadAsa, nA karaha bhaya
vRndAvane yAha,——tA~NhA sarva labhya haya

Are Are—O! O!; kRSNa-dAsa—KRSNadAsa; nA—not; karaha—make; bhaya—
fear; vRndAvane yAha—go to VRndAvana; tA~NhA—there; sarva—everything;
labhya—available; haya—is.
TRANSLATION
“O my dear KRSNadAsa, do not be afraid. Go to VRndAvana, for there you will
attain all things.”
Adi 5.196
TEXT 196
eta bali’ prerilA more hAtasAni diyA
antardhAna kaila prabhu nija-gaNa la~nA

eta bali’—saying this; prerilA—dispatched; more—me; hAtasAni—indication
of the hand; diyA—giving; antardhAna kaila—disappeared; prabhu—my
Lord; nija-gaNa la~nA—taking His personal associates.
TRANSLATION
After saying this, He directed me toward VRndAvana by waving His hand.
Then He disappeared with His associates.
Adi 5.197
TEXT 197
mUrcchita ha-iyA mu~ni paòinu bhUmite
svapna-bha~Nga haila, dekhi, ha~nAche prabhAte

mUrcchita ha-iyA—fainting; mu~ni—I; paòinu—fell; bhUmite—on the ground;
svapna-bha~Nga—breaking of the dream; haila—there was; dekhi—I saw;
ha~nAche—there was; prabhAte—morning light.
TRANSLATION
I fainted and fell to the ground, my dream broke, and when I regained
consciousness I saw that morning had come.
Adi 5.198
TEXT 198
ki dekhinu ki zuninu, kariye vicAra
prabhu-Aj~nA haila vRndAvana yAibAra

ki dekhinu—what did I see; ki zuninu—what did I hear; kariye vicAra—I
began to consider; prabhu-Aj~nA—the order of my Lord; haila—there was;
vRndAvana—to VRndAvana; yAibAra—to go.
TRANSLATION
I thought about what I had seen and heard and concluded that the Lord had
ordered me to proceed to VRndAvana at once.
Adi 5.199
TEXT 199
sei kSaNe vRndAvane karinu gamana
prabhura kRpAte sukhe Ainu vRndAvana

sei kSaNe—that very second; vRndAvane—toward VRndAvana; karinu—I did;
gamana—starting; prabhura kRpAte—by the mercy of Lord NityAnanda;
sukhe—in great happiness; Ainu—arrived; vRndAvana—at VRndAvana.
TRANSLATION
That very second I started for VRndAvana, and by His mercy I reached there in
great happiness.
Adi 5.200
TEXT 200
jaya jaya nityAnanda, nityAnanda-rAma
yA~NhAra kRpAte pAinu vRndAvana-dhAma

jaya jaya—all glories; nityAnanda—to Lord NityAnanda; nityAnanda-rAma—
to Lord BalarAma, who appeared as NityAnanda; yA~NhAra kRpAte—by whose
mercy; pAinu—I got; vRndAvana-dhAma—shelter at VRndAvana.
TRANSLATION
All glory, all glory to Lord NityAnanda BalarAma, by whose mercy I have
attained shelter in the transcendental abode of VRndAvana!
Adi 5.201
TEXT 201
jaya jaya nityAnanda, jaya kRpA-maya
yA~NhA haite pAinu rUpa-sanAtanAzraya

jaya jaya—all glories; nityAnanda—to Lord NityAnanda; jaya kRpA-maya—all
glories to the most merciful Lord; yA~NhA haite—from whom; pAinu—I got;
rUpa-sanAtana-Azraya—shelter at the lotus feet of RUpa GosvAmI and
SanAtana GosvAmI.
TRANSLATION
All glory, all glory to the merciful Lord NityAnanda, by whose mercy I have
attained shelter at the lotus feet of zrI RUpa and zrI SanAtana!
Adi 5.202
TEXT 202
yA~NhA haite pAinu raghunAtha-mahAzaya
yA~NhA haite pAinu zrI-svarUpa-Azraya

yA~NhA haite—from whom; pAinu—I got; raghunAtha-mahA-Azaya—the
shelter of RaghunAtha dAsa GosvAmI; yA~NhA haite—from whom; pAinu—I
got; zrI-svarUpa-Azraya—shelter at the feet of SvarUpa DAmodara GosvAmI.
TRANSLATION
By His mercy I have attained the shelter of the great personality zrI
RaghunAtha dAsa GosvAmI, and by His mercy I have found the refuge of zrI
SvarUpa DAmodara.
PURPORT
Anyone desiring to become expert in the service of zrI zrI RAdhA and KRSNa
should always aspire to be under the guidance of SvarUpa DAmodara
GosvAmI, RUpa GosvAmI, SanAtana GosvAmI and RaghunAtha dAsa GosvAmI.
To come under the protection of the GosvAmIs, one must get the mercy and
grace of NityAnanda Prabhu. The author has tried to explain this fact in these
two verses.
Adi 5.203
TEXT 203
sanAtana-kRpAya pAinu bhaktira siddhAnta
zrI-rUpa-kRpAya pAinu bhakti-rasa-prAnta

sanAtana-kRpAya—by the mercy of SanAtana GosvAmI; pAinu—I got; bhaktira
siddhAnta—the conclusions of devotional service; zrI-rUpa-kRpAya—by the
mercy of zrIla RUpa GosvAmI; pAinu—I got; bhakti-rasa-prAnta—the limit of
the mellows of devotional service.
TRANSLATION
By the mercy of SanAtana GosvAmI I have learned the final conclusions of
devotional service, and by the grace of zrI RUpa GosvAmI I have tasted the
highest nectar of devotional service.
PURPORT
zrI SanAtana GosvAmI Prabhu, the teacher of the science of devotional
service, wrote several books, of which the BRhad-bhAgavatAmRta is very
famous; anyone who wants to know about the subject matter of devotees,
devotional service and KRSNa must read this book. SanAtana GosvAmI also
wrote a special commentary on the Tenth Canto of zrImad-BhAgavatam
known as the Dazama-TippanI, which is so excellent that by reading it one can
understand very deeply the pastimes of KRSNa in His exchanges of loving
activities. Another famous book by SanAtana GosvAmI is the Hari-bhakti-
vilAsa, which states the rules and regulations for all divisions of VaiSNavas,
namely, VaiSNava householders, VaiSNava brahmacArIs, VaiSNava vAnaprasthas
and VaiSNava sannyAsIs. This book was especially written, however, for
VaiSNava householders. zrIla RaghunAtha dAsa GosvAmI has described
SanAtana GosvAmI in his prayer VilApa-kusumA~njali, verse six, where he has
expressed his obligation to SanAtana GosvAmI in the following words:
vairAgya-yug-bhakti-rasaà prayatnair
apAyayan mAm anabhIpsum andhamkRp
Ambudhir yaH para-duHkha-duHkhI
sanAtanas taà prabhum AzrayAmi
“I was unwilling to drink the nectar of devotional service possessed of
renunciation, but SanAtana GosvAmI, out of his causeless mercy, made me
drink it, even though I was otherwise unable to do so. Therefore he is an
ocean of mercy. He is very compassionate to fallen souls like me, and thus it is
my duty to offer my respectful obeisances unto his lotus feet.” KRSNadAsa
KavirAja GosvAmI also, in the last section of the Caitanya-caritAmRta,
specifically mentions the names of RUpa GosvAmI, SanAtana GosvAmI and
zrIla JIva GosvAmI and offers his respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of
these three spiritual masters, as well as RaghunAtha dAsa. zrIla RaghunAtha
dAsa GosvAmI also accepted SanAtana GosvAmI as the teacher of the science
of devotional service. zrIla RUpa GosvAmI is described as the bhakti-rasAcArya,
or one who knows the essence of devotional service. His famous book Bhakti-
rasAmRta-sindhu is the science of devotional service, and by reading this book
one can understand the meaning of devotional service. Another of his famous
books is the Ujjvala-nIlamaNi. In this book he elaborately explains the loving
affairs and transcendental activities of Lord KRSNa and RAdhArANI.
Adi 5.204
TEXT 204
jaya jaya nityAnanda-caraNAravinda
yA~NhA haite pAinu zrI-rAdhA-govinda

jaya jaya—all glories to; nityAnanda—of Lord NityAnanda; caraNa-
aravinda—the lotus feet; yA~NhA haite—from whom; pAinu—I got; zrI-rAdhA-
govinda—the shelter of zrI RAdhA and Govinda.
TRANSLATION
All glory, all glory to the lotus feet of Lord NityAnanda, by whose mercy I
have attained zrI RAdhA-Govinda!
PURPORT
zrIla Narottama dAsa ThAkura, who is famous for his poetic composition
known as PrArthanA, has lamented in one of his prayers, “When will Lord
NityAnanda be merciful upon me so that I will forget all material desires?” zrIla
Narottama dAsa ThAkura confirms that unless one is freed from material
desires to satisfy the needs of the body and senses, one cannot understand
the transcendental abode of Lord KRSNa, VRndAvana. He also confirms that one
cannot understand the loving affairs of RAdhA and KRSNa without going
through the direction of the six GosvAmIs. In another verse Narottama dAsa
ThAkura has stated that without the causeless mercy of NityAnanda Prabhu,
one cannot enter into the affairs of RAdhA and KRSNa.
Adi 5.205
TEXT 205
jagAi mAdhAi haite mu~ni se pApiSTha
purISera kITa haite mu~ni se laghiSTha

jagAi mAdhAi—the two brothers JagAi and MAdhAi; haite—than; mu~ni—I;
se—that; pApiSTha—more sinful; purISera—in stool; kITa—the worms;
haite—than; mu~ni—I am; se—that; laghiSTha—lower.
TRANSLATION
I am more sinful than JagAi and MAdhAi and even lower than the worms in the
stool.
Adi 5.206
TEXT 206
mora nAma zune yei tAra puNya kSaya
mora nAma laya yei tAra pApa haya

mora nAma—my name; zune—hears; yei—anyone who; tAra—his; puNya
kSaya—destruction of piety; mora nAma—my name; laya—takes; yei—
anyone; tAra—his; pApa—sin; haya—is.
TRANSLATION
Anyone who hears my name loses the results of his pious activities. Anyone
who utters my name becomes sinful.
Adi 5.207
TEXT 207
emana nirghRNa more kebA kRpA kare
eka nityAnanda vinu jagat bhitare

emana—such; nirghRNa—abominable; more—unto me; kebA—who; kRpA—
mercy; kare—shows; eka—one; nityAnanda—Lord NityAnanda; vinu—but;
jagat—world; bhitare—within.
TRANSLATION
Who in this world but NityAnanda could show His mercy to such an
abominable person as me?
Adi 5.208
TEXT 208
preme matta nityAnanda kRpA-avatAra
uttama, adhama, kichu nA kare vicAra

preme—in ecstatic love; matta—mad; nityAnanda—Lord NityAnanda;
kRpA—merciful; avatAra—incarnation; uttama—good; adhama—bad;
kichu—any; nA—not; kare—makes; vicAra—consideration.
TRANSLATION
Because He is intoxicated by ecstatic love and is an incarnation of mercy, He
does not distinguish between the good and the bad.
Adi 5.209
TEXT 209
ye Age paòaye, tAre karaye nistAra
ataeva nistArilA mo-hena durAcAra

ye—whoever; Age—in front; paòaye—falls down; tAre—unto him; karaye—
does; nistAra—deliverance; ataeva—therefore; nistArilA—delivered; mo—as
me; hena—such; durAcAra—sinful and fallen person.
TRANSLATION
He delivers all those who fall down before Him. Therefore He has delivered
such a sinful and fallen person as me.
Adi 5.210
TEXT 210
mo-pApiSThe Anilena zrI-vRndAvana
mo-hena adhame dilA zrI-rUpa-caraNa

mo-pApiSThe—unto me, who am so sinful; Anilena—He brought; zrI-
vRndAvana—to VRndAvana; mo-hena—such as me; adhame—to the lowest
of mankind; dilA—delivered; zrI-rUpa-caraNa—the lotus feet of RUpa
GosvAmI.
TRANSLATION
Although I am sinful and I am the most fallen, He has conferred upon me the
lotus feet of zrI RUpa GosvAmI.
Adi 5.211
TEXT 211
zrI-madana-gopAla-zrI-govinda-darazana
kahibAra yogya nahe e-saba kathana

zrI-madana-gopAla—Lord Madana GopAla; zrI-govinda—Lord RAdhA-
Govinda; darazana—visiting; kahibAra—to speak; yogya—fit; nahe—not; e-
saba kathana—all these confidential words.
TRANSLATION
I am not fit to speak all these confidential words about my visiting Lord
Madana GopAla and Lord Govinda.
Adi 5.212
TEXT 212
vRndAvana-purandara zrI-madana-gopAla
rAsa-vilAsI sAkSAt vrajendra-kumAra

vRndAvana-purandara—the chief Deity of VRndAvana; zrI-madana-gopAla—
Lord Madana GopAla; rAsa-vilAsI—the enjoyer of the rAsa dance; sAkSAt—
directly; vrajendra-kumAra—the son of Nanda MahArAja.
TRANSLATION
Lord Madana GopAla, the chief Deity of VRndAvana, is the enjoyer of the rAsa
dance and is directly the son of the King of Vraja.
Adi 5.213
TEXT 213
zrI-rAdhA-lalitA-sa~Nge rAsa-vilAsa
manmatha-manmatha-rUpe yA~NhAra prakAza

zrI-rAdhA—zrImatI RAdhArANI; lalitA—Her personal associate named LalitA;
sa~Nge—with; rAsa-vilAsa—enjoyment of the rAsa dance; manmatha—of
Cupid; manmatha-rUpe—in the form of Cupid; yA~NhAra—of whom;
prakAza—manifestation.
TRANSLATION
He enjoys the rAsa dance with zrImatI RAdhArANI, zrI LalitA and others. He
manifests Himself as the Cupid of Cupids.
Adi 5.214
TEXT 214
tAsAm AvirabhUc chauriH
smayamAna-mukhAmbujaH
pItAmbara-dharaH sragvI
sAkSAn manmatha-manmathaH

tAsAm—among them; AvirabhUt—appeared; zauriH—Lord KRSNa;
smayamAna—smiling; mukha-ambujaH—lotus face; pIta-ambara-dharaH—
dressed with yellow garments; sragvI—decorated with a flower garland;
sAkSAt—directly; manmatha—of Cupid; manmathaH—Cupid.
TRANSLATION
“Wearing yellow garments and decorated with a flower garland, Lord KRSNa,
appearing among the gopIs with His smiling lotus face, looked directly like the
charmer of the heart of Cupid.”
PURPORT
This is a quotation from zrImad-BhAgavatam (10.32.2).
Adi 5.215
TEXT 215
sva-mAdhurye lokera mana kare AkarSaNa
dui pAze rAdhA lalitA karena sevana

sva-mAdhurye—in His own sweetness; lokera—of all people; mana—the
minds; kare—does; AkarSaNa—attracting; dui pAze—on two sides; rAdhA—
zrImatI RAdhArANI; lalitA—and Her associate LalitA; karena—do; sevana—
service.
TRANSLATION
With RAdhA and LalitA serving Him on His two sides, He attracts the hearts of
all by His own sweetness.
Adi 5.216
TEXT 216
nityAnanda-dayA more tA~Nre dekhAila
zrI-rAdhA-madana-mohane prabhu kari’ dila

nityAnanda-dayA—the mercy of Lord NityAnanda; more—unto me; tA~Nre—
Madana-mohana; dekhAila—showed; zrI-rAdhA-madana-mohane—RAdhA-
Madana-mohana; prabhu kari’ dila—gave as my Lord and master.
TRANSLATION
The mercy of Lord NityAnanda showed me zrI Madana-mohana and gave me
zrI Madana-mohana as my Lord and master.
Adi 5.217
TEXT 217
mo-adhame dila zrI-govinda darazana
kahibAra kathA nahe akathya-kathana

mo-adhame—to one as abominable as me; dila—delivered; zrI-govinda
darazana—the audience of Lord zrI Govinda; kahibAra—to speak this;
kathA—words; nahe—there are not; akathya—unspeakable; kathana—
narration.
TRANSLATION
He granted to one as low as me the sight of Lord Govinda. Words cannot
describe this, nor is it fit to be disclosed.
Adi 5.218-219
TEXTS 218–219
vRndAvane yoga-pIThe kalpa-taru-vane
ratna-maNòapa, tAhe ratna-siàhAsane
zrI-govinda vasiyAchena vrajendra-nandana
mAdhurya prakAzi’ karena jagat mohana

vRndAvane—at VRndAvana; yoga-pIThe—at the principal temple; kalpa-taru-
vane—in the forest of desire trees; ratna-maNòapa—an altar made of gems;
tAhe—upon it; ratna-siàha-Asane—on the throne of gems; zrI-govinda—
Lord Govinda; vasiyAchena—was sitting; vrajendra-nandana—the son of
Nanda MahArAja; mAdhurya prakAzi’—manifesting His sweetness; karena—
does; jagat mohana—enchantment of the whole world.
TRANSLATION
On an altar made of gems in the principal temple of VRndAvana, amidst a
forest of desire trees, Lord Govinda, the son of the King of Vraja, sits upon a
throne of gems and manifests His full glory and sweetness, thus enchanting
the entire world.
Adi 5.220
TEXT 220
vAma-pArzve zrI-rAdhikA sakhI-gaNa-sa~Nge
rAsAdika-lIlA prabhu kare kata ra~Nge

vAma-pArzve—on the left side; zrI-rAdhikA—zrImatI RAdhArANI; sakhI-gaNa-
sa~Nge—with Her personal friends; rAsa-Adika-lIlA—pastimes like the rAsa
dance; prabhu—Lord KRSNa; kare—performs; kata ra~Nge—in many ways.
TRANSLATION
By His left side is zrImatI RAdhArANI and Her personal friends. With them Lord
Govinda enjoys the rAsa-lIlA and many other pastimes.
Adi 5.221
TEXT 221
yA~Nra dhyAna nija-loke kare padmAsana
aSTAdazAkSara-mantre kare upAsana

yA~Nra—of whom; dhyAna—the meditation; nija-loke—in his own abode;
kare—does; padma-Asana—Lord BrahmA; aSTAdaza-akSara-mantre—by the
hymn composed of eighteen letters; kare—does; upAsana—worshiping.
TRANSLATION
Lord BrahmA, sitting on his lotus seat in his own abode, always meditates on
Him and worships Him with the mantra consisting of eighteen syllables.
PURPORT
In his own planet, Lord BrahmA, with the inhabitants of that planet, worships
the form of Lord Govinda, KRSNa, by the mantra of eighteen syllables, klIà
kRSNAya govindAya gopI-jana-vallabhAya svAhA. Those who are initiated by a
bona fide spiritual master and who chant the GAyatrI mantra three times a
day know this aSTAdazAkSara (eighteen-syllable) mantra. The inhabitants of
Brahmaloka and the planets below Brahmaloka worship Lord Govinda by
meditating with this mantra. There is no difference between meditating and
chanting, but in the present age meditation is not possible on this planet.
Therefore loud chanting of a mantra like the mahA-mantra, Hare KRSNa, with
soft chanting of the aSTAdazAkSara, the mantra of eighteen syllables, is
recommended.
Lord BrahmA lives in the highest planetary system, known as Brahmaloka or
Satyaloka. In every planet there is a predominating deity. As the
predominating deity in Satyaloka is Lord BrahmA, so in the heavenly planets
Indra is the predominating deity, and on the sun, the sun-god, VivasvAn, is the
predominating deity. The inhabitants and predominating deities of every
planet are all recommended to worship Govinda either by meditation or by
chanting.
Adi 5.222
TEXT 222
caudda-bhuvane yA~Nra sabe kare dhyAna
vaikuNThAdi-pure yA~Nra lIlA-guNa gAna

caudda-bhuvane—within the fourteen worlds; yA~Nra—of whom; sabe—all;
kare dhyAna—perform meditation; vaikuNTha-Adi-pure—in the abodes of the
VaikuNTha planets; yA~Nra—of whom; lIlA-guNa—attributes and pastimes;
gAna—chanting.
TRANSLATION
Everyone in the fourteen worlds meditates upon Him, and all the denizens of
VaikuNTha sing of His qualities and pastimes.
Adi 5.223
TEXT 223
yA~Nra mAdhurIte kare lakSmI AkarSaNa
rUpa-gosA~ni kariyAchena se-rUpa varNana

yA~Nra—of whom; mAdhurIte—by the sweetness; kare—does; lakSmI—the
goddess of fortune; AkarSaNa—attraction; rUpa-gosA~ni—zrIla RUpa GosvAmI;
kariyAchena—has done; se—that; rUpa—of the beauty; varNana—
enunciation.
TRANSLATION
The goddess of fortune is attracted by His sweetness, which zrIla RUpa
GosvAmI has described in this way:
PURPORT
zrIla RUpa GosvAmI, in his Laghu-bhAgavatAmRta, has quoted from the Padma
PurANa, where it is stated that LakSmI-devI, the goddess of fortune, after
seeing the attractive features of Lord KRSNa, was attracted to Him, and to get
the favor of Lord KRSNa she engaged herself in meditation. When asked by
KRSNa why she engaged in meditation with austerity, LakSmI-devI answered,
“I want to be one of Your associates like the gopIs in VRndAvana.” Hearing
this, Lord zrI KRSNa replied that it was quite impossible. LakSmI-devI then said
that she wanted to remain just like a golden line on the chest of the Lord. The
Lord granted the request, and since then LakSmI has always been situated on
the chest of Lord KRSNa as a golden line. The austerity and meditation of
LakSmI-devI are also mentioned in zrImad-BhAgavatam (10.16.36), where the
NAga-patnIs, the wives of the serpent KAliya, in the course of their prayers to
KRSNa, said that the goddess of fortune, LakSmI, also wanted His association
as a gopI and desired the dust of His lotus feet.
Adi 5.224
TEXT 224
smerAà bha~NgI-traya-paricitAà sAci-vistIrNa-dRSTià
vaàzI-nyastAdhara-kizalayAm ujjvalAà candrakeNa
govindAkhyAà hari-tanum itaH kezi-tIrthopakaNThe
mA prekSiSThAs tava yadi sakhe bandhu-sa~Nge ’sti ra~NgaH

smerAm—smiling; bha~NgI-traya-paricitAm—bent in three places, namely the
neck, waist and knees; sAci-vistIrNa-dRSTim—with a broad sideways glance;
vaàzI—on the flute; nyasta—placed; adhara—lips; kizalayAm—newly
blossomed; ujjvalAm—very bright; candrakeNa—by the moonshine; govinda-
AkhyAm—named Lord Govinda; hari-tanum—the transcendental body of the
Lord; itaH—here; kezi-tIrtha-upakaNThe—on the bank of the YamunA in the
neighborhood of KezIghATa; mA—do not; prekSiSThAH—glance over; tava—
your; yadi—if; sakhe—O dear friend; bandhu-sa~Nge—to worldly friends;
asti—there is; ra~NgaH—attachment.
TRANSLATION
“My dear friend, if you are indeed attached to your worldly friends, do not
look at the smiling face of Lord Govinda as He stands on the bank of the
YamunA at KezIghATa. Casting sidelong glances, He places His flute to His lips,
which seem like newly blossomed twigs. His transcendental body, bending in
three places, appears very bright in the moonlight.”
PURPORT
This is a verse quoted from the Bhakti-rasAmRta-sindhu (1.2.239) in connection
with practical devotional service. Generally people in their conditioned life
engage in the pleasure of society, friendship and love. This so-called love is
lust, not love. But people are satisfied with such a false understanding of love.
VidyApati, a great and learned poet of MithilA, has said that the pleasure
derived from friendship, society and family life in the material world is like a
drop of water, but our hearts desire pleasure like an ocean. Thus the heart is
compared to a desert of material existence that requires the water of an
ocean of pleasure to satisfy its dryness. If there is a drop of water in the
desert, one may indeed say that it is water, but such a minute quantity of
water has no value. Similarly, in this material world no one is satisfied in the
dealings of society, friendship and love. Therefore if one wants to derive real
pleasure within his heart, he must seek the lotus feet of Govinda. In this verse
RUpa GosvAmI indicates that if one wants to be satisfied in the pleasure of
society, friendship and love, he need not seek shelter at the lotus feet of
Govinda, for if one takes shelter under His lotus feet he will forget that minute
quantity of so-called pleasure. One who is not satisfied with that so-called
pleasure may seek the lotus feet of Govinda, who stands on the shore of the
YamunA at KezItIrtha, or KezIghATa, in VRndAvana and attracts all the gopIs to
His transcendental loving service.
Adi 5.225
TEXT 225
sAkSAt vrajendra-suta ithe nAhi Ana
yebA aj~ne kare tA~Nre pratimA-hena j~nAna

sAkSAt—directly; vrajendra-suta—the son of Nanda MahArAja; ithe—in this
matter; nAhi—there is not; Ana—any exception; yebA—whatever; aj~ne—a
foolish person; kare—does; tA~Nre—unto Him; pratimA-hena—as a statue;
j~nAna—such a consideration.
TRANSLATION
Without a doubt He is directly the son of the King of Vraja. Only a fool
considers Him a statue.
Adi 5.226
TEXT 226
sei aparAdhe tAra nAhika nistAra
ghora narakete paòe, ki baliba Ara

sei aparAdhe—by that offense; tAra—his; nAhika—there is not; nistAra—
deliverance; ghora—terrible; narakete—in a hellish condition; paòe—falls
down; ki baliba—what will I say; Ara—more.
TRANSLATION
For that offense, he cannot be liberated. Rather, he will fall into a terrible
hellish condition. What more should I say?
PURPORT
In his Bhakti-sandarbha JIva GosvAmI has stated that those who are actually
very serious about devotional service do not differentiate between the form
of the Lord made of clay, metal, stone or wood and the original form of the
Lord. In the material world a person and his photograph, picture or statue are
different. But the statue of Lord KRSNa and KRSNa Himself, the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, are not different, because the Lord is absolute. What
we call stone, wood and metal are energies of the Supreme Lord, and
energies are never separate from the energetic. As we have several times
explained, no one can separate the sunshine energy from the energetic sun.
Therefore material energy may appear separate from the Lord, but
transcendentally it is nondifferent from the Lord.
The Lord can appear anywhere and everywhere because His diverse energies
are distributed everywhere like sunshine. We should therefore understand
whatever we see to be the energy of the Supreme Lord and should not
differentiate between the Lord and His arcA form made from clay, metal,
wood or paint. Even if one has not developed this consciousness, one should
accept it theoretically from the instructions of the spiritual master and should
worship the arcA-mUrti, or form of the Lord in the temple, as nondifferent
from the Lord.
The Padma PurANa specifically mentions that anyone who thinks the form of
the Lord in the temple to be made of wood, stone or metal is certainly in a
hellish condition. Impersonalists are against the worship of the Lord’s form in
the temple, and there is even a group of people who pass as Hindus but
condemn such worship. Their so-called acceptance of the Vedas has no
meaning, for all the AcAryas, even the impersonalist za~NkarAcArya, have
recommended the worship of the transcendental form of the Lord.
Impersonalists like za~NkarAcArya recommend the worship of five forms,
known as pa~ncopAsanA, which include Lord ViSNu. VaiSNavas, however,
worship the forms of Lord ViSNu in His varied manifestations, such as RAdhA-
KRSNa, LakSmI-NArAyaNa, SItA-RAma and RukmiNI-KRSNa. MAyAvAdIs admit
that worship of the Lord’s form is required in the beginning, but they think
that in the end everything is impersonal. Therefore, since they are ultimately
against worship of the Lord’s form, Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu has
described them as offenders.
zrImad-BhAgavatam has condemned those who think the body to be the self
as bhauma ijya-dhIH. Bhauma means earth, and ijya-dhIH means worshiper.
There are two kinds of bhauma ijya-dhIH: those who worship the land of their
birth, such as nationalists, who make many sacrifices for the motherland, and
those who condemn the worship of the form of the Lord. One should not
worship the planet earth or land of his birth, nor should one condemn the form
of the Lord, which is manifested in metal or wood for our facility. Material
things are also the energy of the Supreme Lord.
Adi 5.227
TEXT 227
hena ye govinda prabhu, pAinu yA~NhA haite
tA~NhAra caraNa-kRpA ke pAre varNite

hena—thus; ye govinda—this Lord Govinda; prabhu—master; pAinu—I got;
yA~NhA haite—from whom; tA~NhAra—His; caraNa-kRpA—mercy of the lotus
feet; ke—who; pAre—is able; varNite—to describe.
TRANSLATION
Therefore who can describe the mercy of the lotus feet of Him [Lord
NityAnanda] by whom I have attained the shelter of this Lord Govinda?
Adi 5.228
TEXT 228
vRndAvane vaise yata vaiSNava-maNòala
kRSNa-nAma-parAyaNa, parama-ma~Ngala

vRndAvane—in VRndAvana; vaise—there are; yata—all; vaiSNava-maNòala—
groups of devotees; kRSNa-nAma-parAyaNa—addicted to the name of Lord
KRSNa; parama-ma~Ngala—all-auspicious.
TRANSLATION
All the groups of VaiSNavas who live in VRndAvana are absorbed in chanting
the all-auspicious name of KRSNa.
Adi 5.229
TEXT 229
yA~Nra prANa-dhana——nityAnanda-zrI-caitanya
rAdhA-kRSNa-bhakti vine nAhi jAne anya

yA~Nra—whose; prANa-dhana—life and soul; nityAnanda-zrI-caitanya—Lord
NityAnanda and zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu; rAdhA-kRSNa—to KRSNa and
RAdhArANI; bhakti—devotional service; vine—except; nAhi jAne anya—do not
know anything else.
TRANSLATION
Lord Caitanya and Lord NityAnanda are the life and soul of those VaiSNavas,
who do not know anything but devotional service to zrI zrI RAdhA-KRSNa.
Adi 5.230
TEXT 230
se vaiSNavera pada-reNu, tAra pada-chAyA
adhamere dila prabhu-nityAnanda-dayA

se vaiSNavera—of all those VaiSNavas; pada-reNu—the dust of the feet;
tAra—their; pada-chAyA—the shade of the feet; adhamere—unto this fallen
soul; dila—gave; prabhu-nityAnanda-dayA—the mercy of Lord NityAnanda
Prabhu.
TRANSLATION
The dust and shade of the lotus feet of the VaiSNavas have been granted to
this fallen soul by the mercy of Lord NityAnanda.
Adi 5.231
TEXT 231
‘tA~NhA sarva labhya haya’——prabhura vacana
sei sUtra——ei tAra kaila vivaraNa

tA~NhA—at that place; sarva—everything; labhya—obtainable; haya—is;
prabhura—of the Lord; vacana—the word; sei sUtra—that synopsis; ei—this;
tAra—His; kaila vivaraNa—has been described.
TRANSLATION
Lord NityAnanda said, “In VRndAvana all things are possible.” Here I have
explained His brief statement in detail.
Adi 5.232
TEXT 232
se saba pAinu Ami vRndAvane Aya
sei saba labhya ei prabhura kRpAya

se saba—all this; pAinu—got; Ami—I; vRndAvane—to VRndAvana; Aya—
coming; sei saba—all this; labhya—obtainable; ei—this; prabhura kRpAya—by
the mercy of Lord NityAnanda.
TRANSLATION
I have attained all this by coming to VRndAvana, and this was made possible
by the mercy of Lord NityAnanda.
PURPORT
All the inhabitants of VRndAvana are VaiSNavas. They are all-auspicious
because somehow or other they always chant the holy name of KRSNa. Even
though some of them do not strictly follow the rules and regulations of
devotional service, on the whole they are devotees of KRSNa and chant His
name directly or indirectly. Purposely or without purpose, even when they
pass on the street they are fortunate enough to exchange greetings by saying
the name of RAdhA or KRSNa. Thus directly or indirectly they are auspicious.
The present city of VRndAvana has been established by the GauòIya VaiSNavas
since the six GosvAmIs went there and directed the construction of their
different temples. Of all the temples in VRndAvana, ninety percent belong to
the GauòIya VaiSNava sect, the followers of the teachings of Lord Caitanya
MahAprabhu and NityAnanda, and seven temples are very famous. The
inhabitants of VRndAvana do not know anything but the worship of RAdhA and
KRSNa. In recent years some unscrupulous so-called priests known as caste
gosvAmIs have introduced the worship of demigods privately, but no genuine
and rigid VaiSNavas participate in this. Those who are serious about the
VaiSNava method of devotional activities do not take part in such worship of
demigods.
The GauòIya VaiSNavas never differentiate between RAdhA-KRSNa and Lord
Caitanya. They say that since Lord Caitanya is the combined form of RAdhA-
KRSNa, He is not different from RAdhA and KRSNa. But some misled people try
to prove that they are greatly elevated by saying that they like to chant the
holy name of Lord Gaura instead of the names of RAdhA and KRSNa. Thus they
purposely differentiate between Lord Caitanya and RAdhA-KRSNa. According
to them, the system of nadIyA-nAgarI, which they have recently invented in
their fertile brains, is the worship of Gaura, Lord Caitanya, but they do not like
to worship RAdhA and KRSNa. They put forward the argument that since Lord
Caitanya Himself appeared as RAdhA and KRSNa combined, there is no
necessity of worshiping RAdhA and KRSNa. Such differentiation by so-called
devotees of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu is considered disruptive by pure
devotees. Anyone who differentiates between RAdhA-KRSNa and GaurA~Nga is
to be considered a plaything in the hands of mAyA.
There are others who are against the worship of Caitanya MahAprabhu,
thinking Him mundane. But any sect that differentiates between Lord
Caitanya MahAprabhu and RAdhA-KRSNa, either by worshiping RAdhA-KRSNa as
distinct from Lord Caitanya or by worshiping Lord Caitanya but not RAdhA-
KRSNa, is in the group of prAkRta-sahajiyAs.
zrIla KRSNadAsa KavirAja GosvAmI, the author of zrI Caitanya-caritAmRta,
predicts in verses 225 and 226 that in the future those who manufacture
imaginary methods of worship will gradually give up the worship of RAdhA-
KRSNa, and although they will call themselves devotees of Lord Caitanya, they
will also give up the worship of Caitanya MahAprabhu and fall down into
material activities. For the real worshipers of Lord Caitanya, the ultimate goal
of life is to worship zrI zrI RAdhA and KRSNa.
Adi 5.233
TEXT 233
ApanAra kathA likhi nirlajja ha-iyA
nityAnanda-guNe lekhAya unmatta kariyA

ApanAra—personal; kathA—description; likhi—I write; nirlajja ha-iyA—being
shameless; nityAnanda-guNe—the attributes of NityAnanda; lekhAya—cause
to write; unmatta kariyA—making like a madman.
TRANSLATION
I have described my own story without reservations. The attributes of Lord
NityAnanda, making me like a madman, force me to write these things.
Adi 5.234
TEXT 234
nityAnanda-prabhura guNa-mahimA apAra
‘sahasra-vadane’ zeSa nAhi pAya yA~Nra

nityAnanda-prabhura—of Lord NityAnanda; guNa-mahimA—glories of
transcendental attributes; apAra—unfathomable; sahasra-vadane—in
thousands of mouths; zeSa—ultimate end; nAhi—does not; pAya—get;
yA~Nra—whose.
TRANSLATION
The glories of Lord NityAnanda’s transcendental attributes are unfathomable.
Even Lord zeSa, with His thousands of mouths, cannot find their limit.
Adi 5.235
TEXT 235
zrI-rUpa-raghunAtha-pade yAra Aza
caitanya-caritAmRta kahe kRSNadAsa

vande—I offer my respectful obeisances; tam—unto Him; zrImat—with all
opulences; advaita-AcAryam—zrI Advaita AcArya; adbhuta-ceSTitam—whose
activities are wonderful; yasya—of whom; prasAdAt—by the mercy; aj~naH
api—even a foolish person; tat-svarUpam—His characteristics; nirUpayet—
may describe.
TRANSLATION
I offer my respectful obeisances to zrI Advaita AcArya, whose activities are all
wonderful. By His mercy, even a foolish person can describe His
characteristics.
Adi 6.2
TEXT 2
jaya jaya zrI-caitanya jaya nityAnanda
jayAdvaita-candra jaya gaura-bhakta-vRnda

jaya jaya—all glories; zrI-caitanya—to Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu; jaya—
all glories; nityAnanda—to Lord NityAnanda; jaya advaita-candra—all glories
to Advaita AcArya; jaya gaura-bhakta-vRnda—all glories to the devotees of
zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu.
TRANSLATION
All glories to Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu! All glories to Lord NityAnanda!
All glories to Advaita AcArya! And all glories to all the devotees of Lord zrI
Caitanya MahAprabhu!
Adi 6.3
TEXT 3
pa~nca zloke kahila zrI-nityAnanda-tattva
zloka-dvaye kahi advaitAcAryera mahattva

pa~nca zloke—in five verses; kahila—described; zrI-nityAnanda-tattva—the
truth of zrI NityAnanda; zloka-dvaye—in two verses; kahi—I describe;
advaita-AcAryera—of Advaita AcArya; mahattva—the glories.
TRANSLATION
In five verses I have described the principle of Lord NityAnanda. Then in the
following two verses I describe the glories of zrI Advaita AcArya.
Adi 6.4
TEXT 4
mahA-viSNur jagat-kartA
mAyayA yaH sRjaty adaH
tasyAvatAra evAyam
advaitAcArya IzvaraH

mahA-viSNuH—MahA-ViSNu, the resting place of the efficient cause; jagat-
kartA—the creator of the cosmic world; mAyayA—by the illusory energy;
yaH—who; sRjati—creates; adaH—that universe; tasya—His; avatAraH—
incarnation; eva—certainly; ayam—this; advaita-AcAryaH—Advaita AcArya;
IzvaraH—the Supreme Lord, the resting place of the material cause.
TRANSLATION
Lord Advaita AcArya is the incarnation of MahA-ViSNu, whose main function is
to create the cosmic world through the actions of mAyA.
Adi 6.5
TEXT 5
advaitaà hariNAdvaitAd
AcAryaà bhakti-zaàsanAt
bhaktAvatAram Izaà tam
advaitAcAryam Azraye

advaitam—known as Advaita; hariNA—with Lord Hari; advaitAt—from being
nondifferent; AcAryam—known as AcArya; bhakti-zaàsanAt—from the
propagation of devotional service to zrI KRSNa; bhakta-avatAram—the
incarnation as a devotee; Izam—to the Supreme Lord; tam—to Him; advaita-
AcAryam—to Advaita AcArya; Azraye—I surrender.
TRANSLATION
Because He is nondifferent from Hari, the Supreme Lord, He is called Advaita,
and because He propagates the cult of devotion, He is called AcArya. He is
the Lord and the incarnation of the Lord’s devotee. Therefore I take shelter of
Him.
Adi 6.6
TEXT 6
advaita-AcArya gosA~ni sAkSAt Izvara
yA~NhAra mahimA nahe jIvera gocara

advaita-AcArya—Advaita AcArya; gosA~ni—the Lord; sAkSAt Izvara—directly
the Supreme Personality of Godhead; yA~NhAra mahimA—whose glories;
nahe—not; jIvera gocara—within the reach of the understanding of ordinary
living beings.
TRANSLATION
zrI Advaita AcArya is indeed directly the Supreme Personality of Godhead
Himself. His glory is beyond the conception of ordinary living beings.
Adi 6.7
TEXT 7
mahA-viSNu sRSTi karena jagad-Adi kArya
tA~Nra avatAra sAkSAt advaita AcArya

mahA-viSNu—the original ViSNu; sRSTi—creation; karena—does; jagat-Adi—
the material world; kArya—the occupation; tA~Nra—His; avatAra—incarnation;
sAkSAt—directly; advaita AcArya—Prabhu Advaita AcArya.
TRANSLATION
MahA-ViSNu performs all the functions for the creation of the universes. zrI
Advaita AcArya is His direct incarnation.
Adi 6.8
TEXT 8
ye puruSa sRSTi-sthiti karena mAyAya
ananta brahmANòa sRSTi karena lIlAya

ye puruSa—that personality who; sRSTi-sthiti—creation and maintenance;
karena—performs; mAyAya—through the external energy; ananta
brahmANòa—unlimited universes; sRSTi—creation; karena—does; lIlAya—by
pastimes.
TRANSLATION
That puruSa creates and maintains with His external energy. He creates
innumerable universes in His pastimes.
Adi 6.9
TEXT 9
icchAya ananta mUrti karena prakAza
eka eka mUrte karena brahmANòe praveza

icchAya—by His will; ananta mUrti—unlimited forms; karena—does;
prakAza—manifestation; eka eka—each and every; mUrte—form; karena—
does; brahmANòe—within the universe; praveza—entrance.
TRANSLATION
By His will He manifests Himself in unlimited forms, in which He enters each
and every universe.
Adi 6.10
TEXT 10
se puruSera aàza——advaita, nAhi kichu bheda
zarIra-vizeSa tA~Nra——nAhika viccheda

se—that; puruSera—of the Lord; aàza—part; advaita—Advaita AcArya;
nAhi—not; kichu—any; bheda—difference; zarIra-vizeSa—another specific
transcendental body; tA~Nra—of Him; nAhika viccheda—there is no separation.
TRANSLATION
zrI Advaita AcArya is a plenary part of that puruSa and so is not different from
Him. Indeed, zrI Advaita AcArya is not separate but is another form of that
puruSa.
Adi 6.11
TEXT 11
sahAya karena tA~Nra la-iyA ‘pradhAna’
koTi brahmANòa karena icchAya nirmANa

sahAya karena—He helps; tA~Nra—His; lA-iyA—with; pradhAna—the material
energy; koTi-brahmANòa—millions of universes; karena—does; icchAya—only
by the will; nirmANa—creation.
TRANSLATION
He [Advaita AcArya] helps in the pastimes of the puruSa, with whose material
energy and by whose will He creates innumerable universes.
Adi 6.12
TEXT 12
jagat-ma~Ngala advaita, ma~Ngala-guNa-dhAma
ma~Ngala-caritra sadA, ‘ma~Ngala’ yA~Nra nAma

jagat-ma~Ngala—all-auspicious for the world; advaita—Advaita AcArya;
ma~Ngala-guNa-dhAma—the reservoir of all auspicious attributes; ma~Ngala-
caritra—all characteristics are auspicious; sadA—always; ma~Ngala—
auspicious; yA~Nra nAma—whose name.
TRANSLATION
Being a reservoir of all auspicious attributes, zrI Advaita AcArya is all-
auspicious for the world. His characteristics, activities and name are always
auspicious.
PURPORT
zrI Advaita Prabhu, who is an incarnation of MahA-ViSNu, is an AcArya, or
teacher. All His activities and all the other activities of ViSNu are auspicious.
Anyone who can view the all-auspiciousness in the pastimes of Lord ViSNu
also becomes auspicious simultaneously. Therefore, since Lord ViSNu is the
fountainhead of auspiciousness, anyone who is attracted by the devotional
service of Lord ViSNu can render the greatest service to human society.
Rejected persons of the material world who refuse to understand pure
devotional service as the eternal function of the living entities, and as actual
liberation of the living being from conditioned life, become bereft of all
devotional service because of their poor fund of knowledge.
In the teachings of Advaita Prabhu there is no question of fruitive activities or
impersonal liberation. Bewildered by the spell of the material energy,
however, persons who could not understand that Advaita Prabhu is
nondifferent from ViSNu wanted to follow Him with their impersonal
conceptions. The attempt of Advaita Prabhu to punish them is also auspicious.
Lord ViSNu and His activities can bestow all good fortune, directly and
indirectly. In other words, being favored by Lord ViSNu and being punished by
Lord ViSNu are one and the same because all the activities of ViSNu are
absolute. According to some, Ma~Ngala was another name of Advaita Prabhu.
As the causal incarnation, or Lord ViSNu’s incarnation for a particular occasion,
He is the supply agent or ingredient in material nature. However, He is never
to be considered material. All His activities are spiritual. Anyone who hears
about and glorifies Him becomes glorified himself, for such activities free one
from all kinds of misfortune. One should not invest any material
contamination or impersonalism in the ViSNu form. Everyone should try to
understand the real identity of Lord ViSNu, for by such knowledge one can
attain the highest stage of perfection.
Adi 6.13
TEXT 13
koTi aàza, koTi zakti, koTi avatAra
eta la~nA sRje puruSa sakala saàsAra

koTi aàza—millions of parts and parcels; koTi zakti—millions and millions of
energies; koTi avatAra—millions upon millions of incarnations; eta—all this;
la~nA—taking; sRje—creates; puruSa—the original person, MahA-ViSNu; sakala
saàsAra—all the material world.
TRANSLATION
MahA-ViSNu creates the entire material world with millions of His parts,
energies and incarnations.
Adi 6.14-15
TEXTS 14–15
mAyA yaiche dui aàza——‘nimitta’, ‘upAdAna’
mAyA——‘nimitta’-hetu, upAdAna——‘pradhAna’
puruSa Izvara aiche dvi-mUrti ha-iyA
vizva-sRSTi kare ‘nimitta’ ‘upAdAna’ la~nA

mAyA—the external energy; yaiche—as; dui aàza—two parts; nimitta—the
cause; upAdAna—the ingredients; mAyA—the material energy; nimitta-
hetu—original cause; upAdAna—ingredients; pradhAna—immediate cause;
puruSa—the person Lord ViSNu; Izvara—the Supreme Personality of Godhead;
aiche—in that way; dvi-mUrti ha-iyA—taking two forms; vizva-sRSTi kare—
creates this material world; nimitta—the original cause; upAdAna—the
material cause; la~nA—with.
TRANSLATION
Just as the external energy consists of two parts—the efficient cause [nimitta]
and the material cause [upAdAna], mAyA being the efficient cause and
pradhAna the material cause—so Lord ViSNu, the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, assumes two forms to create the material world with the efficient
and material causes.
PURPORT
There are two kinds of research to find the original cause of creation. One
conclusion is that the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the all-blissful, eternal,
all knowing form, is indirectly the cause of this cosmic manifestation and
directly the cause of the spiritual world, where there are innumerable spiritual
planets known as VaikuNThas, as well as His personal abode, known as Goloka
VRndAvana. In other words, there are two manifestations—the material
cosmos and the spiritual world. As in the material world there are innumerable
planets and universes, so in the spiritual world there are also innumerable
spiritual planets and universes, including the VaikuNThas and Goloka. The
Supreme Lord is the cause of both the material and spiritual worlds. The other
conclusion, of course, is that this cosmic manifestation is caused by an
inexplicable unmanifested void. This argument is meaningless.
The first conclusion is accepted by the VedAnta philosophers, and the second
is supported by the atheistic philosophical system of the SA~Nkhya smRti, which
directly opposes the VedAntic philosophical conclusion. Material scientists
cannot see any cognizant spiritual substance that might be the cause of the
creation. Such atheistic SA~Nkhya philosophers think that the symptoms of
knowledge and living force visible in the innumerable living creatures are
caused by the three qualities of the cosmic manifestation. Therefore the
SA~Nkhyites are against the conclusion of VedAnta regarding the original cause
of creation.
Factually, the supreme absolute spirit soul is the cause of every kind of
manifestation, and He is always complete, both as the energy and as the
energetic. The cosmic manifestation is caused by the energy of the Supreme
Absolute Person, in whom all energies are conserved. Philosophers who are
subjectively engaged in the cosmic manifestation can appreciate only the
wonderful energies of matter. Such philosophers accept the conception of
God only as a product of the material energy. According to their conclusions,
the source of the energy is also a product of the energy. Such philosophers
wrongly observe that the living creatures within the cosmic manifestation are
caused by the material energy, and they think that the supreme absolute
conscious being must similarly be a product of the material energy.
Since materialistic philosophers and scientists are too much engaged with
their imperfect senses, naturally they conclude that the living force is a
product of a material combination. But the actual fact is just the opposite.
Matter is a product of spirit. According to the Bhagavad-gItA, the supreme
spirit, the Personality of Godhead, is the source of all energies. When one
advances in research work by studying a limited substance within the limits of
space and time, one is amazed by the various wonderful cosmic
manifestations, and naturally one goes on hypnotically accepting the path of
research work or the inductive method. Through the deductive way of
understanding, however, one accepts the Supreme Absolute Person, the
Personality of Godhead, as the cause of all causes, who is full with diverse
energies and who is neither impersonal nor void. The impersonal
manifestation of the Supreme Person is another display of His energy.
Therefore the conclusion that matter is the original cause of creation is
completely different from the real truth. The material manifestation is caused
by the glance of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is inconceivably
potent. Material nature is electrified by the supreme authority, and the
conditioned soul, within the limits of time and space, is trapped by awe of the
material manifestation. In other words, the Supreme Personality of Godhead is
actually realized in the vision of a material philosopher and scientist through
the manifestations of His material energy. For one who does not understand
the power of the Supreme Personality of Godhead or His diverse energies
because of not knowing the relationship between the source of the energies
and the energies themselves, there is always a chance of error, which is
known as vivarta. As long as materialistic scientists and philosophers do not
come to the right conclusion, certainly they will hover above the material
field, bereft of proper understanding of the Absolute Truth.
The great VaiSNava philosopher zrIla Baladeva VidyAbhUSaNa has very nicely
explained the materialistic conclusion in his Govinda-bhASya, a commentary
on the VedAnta-sUtra. He writes as follows:
“The SA~Nkhya philosopher Kapila has connected the different elementary
truths according to his own opinion. Material nature, according to him,
consists of the equilibrium of the three material qualities—goodness, passion
and ignorance. Material nature produces the material energy, known as
mahat, and mahat produces the false ego. The ego produces the five objects
of sense perception, which produce the ten senses (five for acquiring
knowledge and five for working), the mind and the five gross elements.
Counting the puruSa, or the enjoyer, with these twenty-four elements, there
are twenty-five different truths. The nonmanifested stage of these twenty-
five elementary truths is called prakRti, or material nature. The qualities of
material nature can associate in three different stages, namely as the cause of
happiness, the cause of distress and the cause of illusion. The quality of
goodness is the cause of material happiness, the quality of passion is the
cause of material distress, and the quality of ignorance is the cause of illusion.
Our material experience lies within the boundaries of these three
manifestations of happiness, distress and illusion. For example, a beautiful
woman is certainly a cause of material happiness for one who possesses her
as a wife, but the same beautiful woman is a cause of distress to a man whom
she rejects or who is the cause of her anger, and if she leaves a man she
becomes the cause of illusion.
“The two kinds of senses are the ten external senses and the one internal
sense, the mind. Thus there are eleven senses. According to Kapila, material
nature is eternal and all-powerful. Originally there is no spirit, and matter has
no cause. Matter itself is the chief cause of everything. It is the all-pervading
cause of all causes. The SA~Nkhya philosophy regards the total energy (mahat-
tattva), the false ego and the five objects of sense perception as the seven
diverse manifestations of material nature, which has two features, known as
the material cause and efficient cause. The puruSa, the enjoyer, is without
transformation, whereas material nature is always subject to transformation.
But although material nature is inert, it is the cause of enjoyment and
salvation for many living creatures. Its activities are beyond the conception of
sense perception, but still one may guess at them by superior intelligence.
Material nature is one, but because of the interaction of the three qualities, it
can produce the total energy and the wonderful cosmic manifestation. Such
transformations divide material nature into two features, namely the efficient
and material causes. The puruSa, the enjoyer, is inactive and without material
qualities, although at the same time He is the master, existing separately in
each and every body as the emblem of knowledge. By understanding the
material cause, one can guess that the puruSa, the enjoyer, being without
activity, is aloof from all kinds of enjoyment or superintendence. SA~Nkhya
philosophy, after describing the nature of prakRti (material nature) and puruSa
(the enjoyer), asserts that the creation is only a product of their unification or
proximity to one another. With such unification the living symptoms are
visible in material nature, but one can guess that in the person of the enjoyer,
the puruSa, there are powers of control and enjoyment. When the puruSa is
illusioned for want of sufficient knowledge, He feels Himself to be the
enjoyer, and when He is in full knowledge He is liberated. In the SA~Nkhya
philosophy the puruSa is described to be always indifferent to the activities of
prakRti.
“The SA~Nkhya philosopher accepts three kinds of evidences, namely direct
perception, hypothesis and traditional authority. When such evidence is
complete, everything is perfect. The process of comparison is within such
perfection. Beyond such evidence there is no proof. There is not much
controversy regarding direct perceptional evidence or authorized traditional
evidence. The SA~Nkhya system of philosophy identifies three kinds of
procedures—namely, pariNAmAt (transformation), samanvayAt (adjustment)
and zaktitaH (performance of energies)—as the causes of the cosmic
manifestation.”
zrIla Baladeva VidyAbhUSaNa, in his commentary on the VedAnta-sUtra, has
tried to nullify this conclusion because he thinks that discrediting these so-
called causes of the cosmic manifestation will nullify the entire SA~Nkhya
philosophy. Materialistic philosophers accept matter to be the material and
efficient cause of creation; for them, matter is the cause of every type of
manifestation. Generally they give the example of a water pot and clay. Clay
is the cause of the waterpot, but the clay can be found as both cause and
effect. The waterpot is the effect and clay itself is the cause, but clay is visible
everywhere. A tree is matter, but a tree produces fruit. Water is matter, but
water flows. In this way, say the SA~Nkhyites, matter is the cause of
movements and production. As such, matter can be considered the material
and efficient cause of everything in the cosmic manifestation. zrIla Baladeva
VidyAbhUSaNa has therefore enunciated the nature of pradhAna as follows:
“Material nature is inert, and as such it cannot be the cause of matter, neither
as the material nor as the efficient cause. Seeing the wonderful arrangement
and management of the cosmic manifestation generally suggests that a living
brain is behind this arrangement, for without a living brain such an
arrangement could not exist. One should not imagine that such an
arrangement can exist without conscious direction. In our practical experience
we never see that inert bricks can themselves construct a big building.
“The example of the water pot cannot be accepted because a waterpot has
no perception of pleasure and distress. Such perception is within. Therefore
the covering body, or the waterpot, cannot be synchronized with it.
“Sometimes the material scientist suggests that trees grow from the earth
automatically, without assistance from a gardener, because that is a tendency
of matter. They also consider the intuition of living creatures from birth to be
material. But such material tendencies as bodily intuition cannot be accepted
as independent, for they suggest the existence of a spirit soul within the
body. Actually, neither the tree nor any other body of a living creature has
any tendency or intuition; the tendency and intuition exist because the soul is
present within the body. In this connection, the example of a car and driver
may be given very profitably. The car has a tendency to turn right and left,
but one cannot say that the car itself, as matter, turns right and left without
the direction of a driver. A material car has neither tendencies nor intuitions
independent of the intentions of the driver within the car. The same principle
applies for the automatic growth of trees in the forest. The growth takes place
because of the soul’s presence within the tree.
“Sometimes foolish people take it for granted that because scorpions are born
from heaps of rice, the rice has produced the scorpions. The real fact,
however, is that the mother scorpion lays eggs within the rice and by the
proper fermentation of the rice the eggs give birth to several baby scorpions,
which in due course come out. This does not mean that the rice gives birth to
the scorpions. Similarly, sometimes bugs are seen to come from dirty beds.
This does not mean, however, that the beds give birth to the bugs. It is the
living soul that comes forth, taking advantage of the dirty condition of the
bed. There are different kinds of living creatures. Some of them come from
embryos, some from eggs and some from the fermentation of perspiration.
Different living creatures have different sources of appearance, but one
should not conclude that matter produces such living creatures.
“The example cited by materialists that trees automatically come from the
earth follows the same principle. Taking advantage of a certain condition, a
living entity comes from the earth. According to the BRhad-AraNyaka
UpaniSad, every living being is forced by divine superintendence to take a
certain type of body according to his past deeds. There are many varieties of
bodies, and because of a divine arrangement a living entity takes bodies of
different shapes.
“When a person thinks ‘I am doing this,’ the ‘I am’ does not refer to the body.
It refers to something more than the body, or within the body. As such, the
body as it is has neither tendencies nor intuition; the tendencies and intuition
belong to the soul within the body. Material scientists sometimes suggest that
the tendencies of male and female bodies cause their union and that this is the
cause of the birth of the child. But since the puruSa, according to SA~Nkhya
philosophy, is always unaffected, where does the tendency to give birth come
from?
“Sometimes material scientists give the example that milk turns into curd
automatically and that distilled water pouring from the clouds falls down to
earth, produces different kinds of trees, and enters different kinds of flowers
and fruits with different fragrances and tastes. Therefore, they say, matter
produces varieties of material things on its own. In reply to this argument, the
same proposition of the BRhad-AraNyaka UpaniSad—that different kinds of
living creatures are put into different kinds of bodies by the management of a
superior power—is repeated. Under superior superintendence, various souls,
according to their past activities, are given the chance to take a particular
type of body, such as that of a tree, animal, bird or beast, and thus their
different tendencies develop under these circumstances. The Bhagavad-gItA
(13.22) also further affirms:
puruSaH prakRti-stho hi
bhu~Nkte prakRti-jAn guNAn
kAraNaà guNa-sa~Ngo ’sya
sad-asad-yoni-janmasu
‘The living entity in material nature thus follows the ways of life, enjoying the
three modes of nature. This is due to his association with that material nature.
Thus he meets with good and evil among various species.’ The soul is given
different types of bodies. For example, were souls not given varieties of tree
bodies, the different varieties of fruits and flowers could not be produced.
Each class of tree produces a particular kind of fruit and flower; it is not that
there is no distinction between the different classes. An individual tree does
not produce flowers of different colors or fruits of different tastes. There are
demarcated classes, as we find them among humans, animals, birds and other
species. There are innumerable living entities, and their activities, performed
in the material world according to the different qualities of the material
modes of nature, give them the chance to have different kinds of lives.
“Thus one should understand that pradhAna, matter, cannot act unless
impelled by a living creature. The materialistic theory that matter
independently acts cannot, therefore, be accepted. Matter is called prakRti,
which refers to female energy. A woman is prakRti, a female. A female cannot
produce a child without the association of a puruSa, a man. The puruSa causes
the birth of a child because the man injects the soul, which is sheltered in the
semen, into the womb of the woman. The woman, as the material cause,
supplies the body of the soul, and as the efficient cause she gives birth to the
child. But although the woman appears to be the material and efficient cause
of the birth of a child, originally the puruSa, the male, is the cause of the child.
Similarly, this material world gives rise to varieties of manifestations due to
the entrance of GarbhodakazAyI ViSNu within the universe. He is present not
only within the universe but within the bodies of all living creatures, as well as
within the atom. We understand from the Brahma-saàhitA that the Supersoul
is present within the universe, within the atom and within the heart of every
living creature. Therefore the theory that matter is the cause of the entire
cosmic manifestation cannot be accepted by any man with sufficient
knowledge of matter and spirit.
“Materialists sometimes give the argument that as straw eaten by a cow
produces milk automatically, so material nature, under different
circumstances, produces varieties of manifestations. Thus originally matter is
the cause. In refuting this argument, we may say that an animal of the same
species as the cow—namely, the bull—also eats straw like the cow but does
not produce milk. Under the circumstances, it cannot be said that straw in
connection with a particular species produces milk. The conclusion should be
that there is superior management, as confirmed in the Bhagavad-gItA (9.10),
where the Lord says, mayAdhyakSeNa prakRtiH sUyate sa-carAcaram: ‘This
material nature is working under My direction, O son of KuntI, and it is
producing all moving and unmoving beings.’ The Supreme Lord says,
mayAdhyakSeNa (‘under My superintendence’). When He desires that the cow
produce milk by eating straw, there is milk, and when He does not so desire it,
the mixture of such straw cannot produce milk. If the way of material nature
had been that straw produced milk, a stack of straw could also produce milk.
But that is not possible. And the same straw given to a human female also
cannot produce milk. That is the meaning of the Bhagavad-gItA’s statement
that only under superior orders does anything take place. Matter itself has no
power to produce independently. The conclusion, therefore, is that matter,
which has no self-knowledge, cannot be the cause of the material creation.
The ultimate creator is the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
“If matter were accepted as the original cause of creation, all the authorized
scriptures in the world would be useless, for in every scripture, especially the
Vedic scriptures like the Manu-smRti, the Supreme Personality of Godhead is
said to be the ultimate creator. The Manu-smRti is considered the highest
Vedic direction to humanity. Manu is the giver of law to mankind, and in the
Manu-smRti it is clearly stated that before the creation the entire universal
space was darkness, without information and without variety, and was in a
state of complete suspension, like a dream. Everything was darkness. The
Supreme Personality of Godhead then entered the universal space, and
although He is invisible, He created the visible cosmic manifestation. In the
material world the Supreme Personality of Godhead is not manifested by His
personal presence, but the presence of the cosmic manifestation in different
varieties is the proof that everything has been created under His direction. He
entered the universe with all creative potencies, and thus He removed the
darkness of the unlimited space.
“The form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is described to be
transcendental, very subtle, eternal, all-pervading, inconceivable and
therefore nonmanifested to the material senses of a conditioned living
creature. He desired to expand Himself into many living entities, and with
such a desire He first created a vast expanse of water within the universal
space and then impregnated that water with living entities. By that process of
impregnation a massive body appeared, blazing like a thousand suns, and in
that body was the first creative principle, BrahmA. The great ParAzara RSi has
confirmed this in the ViSNu PurANa. He says that the cosmic manifestation
visible to us is produced from Lord ViSNu and sustained under His protection.
He is the principal maintainer and destroyer of the universal form.
“This cosmic manifestation is one of the diverse energies of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead. As a spider secretes saliva and weaves a web by its
own movements but at the end winds up the web within its body, so Lord
ViSNu produces this cosmic manifestation from His transcendental body and
at the end winds it up within Himself. All the great sages of the Vedic
understanding have accepted that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the
original creator.
“It is sometimes claimed that the impersonal speculations of great
philosophers are meant for the advancement of knowledge without religious
ritualistic principles. But the religious ritualistic principles are actually meant
for the advancement of spiritual knowledge. By performance of religious
rituals one ultimately reaches the supreme goal of knowledge by
understanding that VAsudeva, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is the
cause of everything. It is clearly stated in the Bhagavad-gItA that even those
who are advocates of knowledge alone, without any religious ritualistic
processes, advance in knowledge after many, many lifetimes of speculation
and thus come to the conclusion that VAsudeva is the supreme cause of
everything that be. As a result of this achievement of the goal of life, such an
advanced learned scholar or philosopher surrenders unto the Supreme
Personality of Godhead. Religious ritualistic performances are actually meant
to cleanse the contaminated mind in the material world, and the special
feature of this Age of Kali is that one can easily execute the process of
cleansing the mind of contamination by chanting the holy names of God—
Hare KRSNa, Hare KRSNa, KRSNa KRSNa, Hare Hare/ Hare RAma, Hare RAma,
RAma RAma, Hare Hare.
“A Vedic injunction states, sarve vedA yat padam Amananti (KaTha Up. 1.2.15):
all Vedic knowledge is searching after the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Similarly, another Vedic injunction states, nArAyaNa-parA vedAH: the Vedas are
meant for understanding NArAyaNa, the Supreme Lord. Similarly, the
Bhagavad-gItA also confirms, vedaiz ca sarvair aham eva vedyaH: [Bg. 15.15]
by all the Vedas, KRSNa is to be known. Therefore, the main purpose of
understanding the Vedas, performing Vedic sacrifices and speculating on the
VedAnta-sUtra is to understand KRSNa. Accepting the impersonalist view of
voidness or the nonexistence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead negates
all study of the Vedas. Impersonal speculation aims at disproving the
conclusion of the Vedas. Therefore any impersonal speculative presentation
should be understood to be against the principles of the Vedas, or standard
scriptures. Since the speculation of the impersonalists does not follow the
principles of the Vedas, their conclusion must be considered to be against the
Vedic principles. Anything not supported by the Vedic principles must be
considered imaginary and lacking in standard proof. Therefore no
impersonalist explanation of any Vedic literature can be accepted.
“If one tries to nullify the conclusions of the Vedas by accepting an
unauthorized scripture or so-called scripture, it will be very hard for him to
come to the right conclusion about the Absolute Truth. The system for
adjusting two contradictory scriptures is to refer to the Vedas, for references
from the Vedas are accepted as final judgments. When we refer to a particular
scripture, it must be authorized, and for this authority it must strictly follow
the Vedic injunctions. If someone presents an alternative doctrine he himself
has manufactured, that doctrine will prove itself useless, for any doctrine that
tries to prove that Vedic evidence is meaningless immediately proves itself
meaningless. The followers of the Vedas unanimously accept the authority of
Manu and ParAzara in the disciplic succession. Their statements, however, do
not support the atheistic Kapila, because the Kapila mentioned in the Vedas is
a different Kapila, the son of Kardama and DevahUti. The atheist Kapila is a
descendant of the dynasty of Agni and is one of the conditioned souls. But
the Kapila who is the son of Kardama Muni is accepted as an incarnation of
VAsudeva. The Padma PurANa gives evidence that the Supreme Personality of
Godhead VAsudeva takes birth in the incarnation of Kapila and, by His
expansion of theistic SA~Nkhya philosophy, teaches all the demigods and a
brAhmaNa of the name Asuri. In the doctrine of the atheist Kapila there are
many statements directly against the Vedic principles. The atheist Kapila does
not accept the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He says that the living entity
is himself the Supreme Lord and that no one is greater than him. His
conceptions of so-called conditioned and liberated life are materialistic, and
he refuses to accept the importance of immortal time. All such statements are
against the principles of the VedAnta-sUtra.”
Adi 6.16
TEXT 16
Apane puruSa——vizvera ‘nimitta’-kAraNa
advaita-rUpe ‘upAdAna’ hana nArAyaNa

Apane—personally; puruSa—Lord ViSNu; vizvera—of the entire material
world; nimitta kAraNa—the original cause; advaita-rUpe—in the form of
Advaita; upAdAna—the material cause; hana—becomes; nArAyaNa—Lord
NArAyaNa.
TRANSLATION
Lord ViSNu Himself is the efficient [nimitta] cause of the material world, and
NArAyaNa in the form of zrI Advaita is the material cause [upAdAna].
Adi 6.17
TEXT 17
‘nimittAàze’ kare te~Nho mAyAte IkSaNa
‘upAdAna’ advaita karena brahmANòa-sRjana

nimitta-aàze—in the portion as the original cause; kare—does; te~Nho—He;
mAyAte—in the external energy; IkSaNa—glancing; upAdAna—the material
cause; advaita—Advaita AcArya; karena—does; brahmANòa-sRjana—creation
of the material world.
TRANSLATION
Lord ViSNu, in His efficient aspect, glances over the material energy, and zrI
Advaita, as the material cause, creates the material world.
Adi 6.18
TEXT 18
yadyapi sA~Nkhya mAne, ‘pradhAna’——kAraNa
jaòa ha-ite kabhu nahe jagat-sRjana

yadyapi—although; sA~Nkhya—SA~Nkhya philosophy; mAne—accepts;
pradhAna—ingredients; kAraNa—cause; jaòa ha-ite—from matter; kabhu—at
any time; nahe—there is not; jagat-sRjana—the creation of the material
world.
TRANSLATION
Although the SA~Nkhya philosophy accepts that the material ingredients are
the cause, the creation of the world never arises from dead matter.
Adi 6.19
TEXT 19
nija sRSTi-zakti prabhu sa~ncAre pradhAne
Izvarera zaktye tabe haye ta’ nirmANe

nija—own; sRSTi-zakti—power for creation; prabhu—the Lord; sa~ncAre—
infuses; pradhAne—in the ingredients; Izvarera zaktye—by the power of the
Lord; tabe—then; haye—there is; ta’—certainly; nirmANe—the beginning of
creation.
TRANSLATION
The Lord infuses the material ingredients with His own creative potency.
Then, by the power of the Lord, creation takes place.
Adi 6.20
TEXT 20
advaita-rUpe kare zakti-sa~ncAraNa
ataeva advaita hayena mukhya kAraNa

advaita-rUpe—in the form of Advaita AcArya; kare—does; zakti-sa~ncAraNa—
infusion of the energy; ataeva—therefore; advaita—Advaita AcArya;
hayena—is; mukhya kAraNa—the original cause.
TRANSLATION
In the form of Advaita He infuses the material ingredients with creative
energy. Therefore, Advaita is the original cause of creation.
Adi 6.21
TEXT 21
advaita-AcArya koTi-brahmANòera kartA
Ara eka eka mUrtye brahmANòera bhartA

advaita-AcArya—Advaita AcArya; koTi-brahmANòera kartA—the creator of
millions and millions of universes; Ara—and; eka eka—each and every;
mUrtye—by expansions; brahmANòera bhartA—maintainer of the universe.
TRANSLATION
zrI Advaita AcArya is the creator of millions and millions of universes, and by
His expansions [as GarbhodakazAyI ViSNu] He maintains each and every
universe.
Adi 6.22
TEXT 22
sei nArAyaNera mukhya a~Nga,——advaita
‘a~Nga’-zabde aàza kari’ kahe bhAgavata

sei—that; nArAyaNera—of Lord NArAyaNa; mukhya a~Nga—the primary part;
advaita—Advaita AcArya; a~Nga-zabde—by the word a~Nga; aàza kari’—
taking as a plenary portion; kahe—says; bhAgavata—zrImad-BhAgavatam.
TRANSLATION
zrI Advaita is the principal limb [a~Nga] of NArAyaNa. zrImad-BhAgavatam
speaks of “limb” [a~Nga] as “a plenary portion” [aàza] of the Lord.
Adi 6.23
TEXT 23
nArAyaNas tvaà na hi sarva-dehinAm
AtmAsy adhIzAkhila-loka-sAkSI
nArAyaNo ’~Ngaà nara-bhU-jalAyanAt
tac cApi satyaà na tavaiva mAyA

Izvarera—of the Lord; a~Nga—limb; aàza—part; cit-Ananda-maya—all-
spiritual; mAyAra—of the material energy; sambandha—relationship; nAhi’—
there is not; ei zloke—this verse; kaya—says.
TRANSLATION
This verse describes that the limbs and plenary portions of the Lord are all
spiritual; They have no relationship with the material energy.
Adi 6.25
TEXT 25
‘aàza’ nA kahiyA, kene kaha tA~Nre ‘a~Nga’
‘aàza’ haite ‘a~Nga,’ yAte haya antara~Nga

aàza—part; nA kahiyA—not saying; kene—why; kaha—you say; tA~Nre—
Him; a~Nga—limb; aàza haite—than a part; a~Nga—limb; yAte—because;
haya—is; antara~Nga—more.
TRANSLATION
Why has zrI Advaita been called a limb and not a part? The reason is that
“limb” implies greater intimacy.
Adi 6.26
TEXT 26
mahA-viSNura aàza——advaita guNa-dhAma
Izvare abheda, te~ni ‘advaita’ pUrNa nAma

mahA-viSNura—of Lord MahA-ViSNu; aàza—part; advaita—Advaita AcArya;
guNa-dhAma—reservoir of all attributes; Izvare—from the Lord; abheda—
nondifferent; te~ni—therefore; advaita—nondifferent; pUrNa nAma—full
name.
TRANSLATION
zrI Advaita, who is a reservoir of virtues, is the main limb of MahA-ViSNu. His
full name is Advaita, for He is identical in all respects with that Lord.
Adi 6.27
TEXT 27
pUrve yaiche kaila sarva-vizvera sRjana
avatari’ kaila ebe bhakti-pravartana

pUrve—formerly; yaiche—as; kaila—performed; sarva—all; vizvera—of the
universes; sRjana—creation; avatari’—taking incarnation; kaila—did; ebe—
now; bhakti-pravartana—inauguration of the bhakti cult.
TRANSLATION
As He had formerly created all the universes, now He descended to introduce
the path of bhakti.
Adi 6.28
TEXT 28
jIva nistArila kRSNa-bhakti kari’ dAna
gItA-bhAgavate kaila bhaktira vyAkhyAna

jIva—the living entities; nistArila—delivered; kRSNa-bhakti—devotional
service to Lord KRSNa; kari’—making; dAna—gift; gItA-bhAgavate—in the
Bhagavad-gItA and zrImad-BhAgavatam; kaila—performed; bhaktira
vyAkhyAna—explanation of devotional service.
TRANSLATION
He delivered all living beings by offering the gift of kRSNa-bhakti. He
explained the Bhagavad-gItA and zrImad-BhAgavatam in the light of
devotional service.
PURPORT
Although zrI Advaita Prabhu is an incarnation of ViSNu, for the welfare of the
conditioned souls He manifested Himself as a servitor of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, and throughout all His activities He showed Himself
to be an eternal servitor. Lord Caitanya and Lord NityAnanda also manifested
the same principle, although They also belong to the category of ViSNu. If Lord
Caitanya, Lord NityAnanda and Advaita Prabhu had exhibited Their all-
powerful ViSNu potencies within this material world, people would have
become greater impersonalists, monists and self-worshipers than they had
already become under the spell of this age. Therefore the Personality of
Godhead and His different incarnations and forms played the parts of
devotees to instruct the conditioned souls how to approach the
transcendental stage of devotional service. Advaita AcArya especially
intended to teach the conditioned souls about devotional service. The word
AcArya means “teacher.” The special function of such a teacher is to make
people KRSNa conscious. A bona fide teacher following in the footsteps of
Advaita AcArya has no other business than to spread the principles of KRSNa
consciousness all over the world. The real qualification of an AcArya is that he
presents himself as a servant of the Supreme. Such a bona fide AcArya can
never support the demoniac activities of atheistic men who present
themselves as God. It is the main business of an AcArya to defy such imposters
posing as God before the innocent public.
Adi 6.29
TEXT 29
bhakti-upadeza vinu tA~Nra nAhi kArya
ataeva nAma haila ‘advaita AcArya’

bhakti-upadeza—instruction of devotional service; vinu—without; tA~Nra—
His; nAhi—there is not; kArya—occupation; ataeva—therefore; nAma—the
name; haila—became; advaita AcArya—the supreme teacher (AcArya)
Advaita Prabhu.
TRANSLATION
Since He has no other occupation than to teach devotional service, His name
is Advaita AcArya.
Adi 6.30
TEXT 30
vaiSNavera guru te~Nho jagatera Arya
dui-nAma-milane haila ‘advaita-AcArya’

vaiSNavera—of the devotees; guru—spiritual master; te~Nho—He; jagatera
Arya—the most respectable personality in the world; dui-nAma-milane—by
combining the two names; haila—there was; advaita-AcArya—the name
Advaita AcArya.
TRANSLATION
He is the spiritual master of all devotees and is the most revered personality in
the world. By a combination of these two names, His name is Advaita AcArya.
PURPORT
zrI Advaita AcArya is the prime spiritual master of the VaiSNavas, and He is
worshipable by all VaiSNavas. VaiSNavas must follow in the footsteps of
Advaita AcArya, for by so doing one can actually engage in the devotional
service of the Lord.
Adi 6.31
TEXT 31
kamala-nayanera te~Nho, yAte ‘a~Nga’ ‘aàza’
‘kamalAkSa’ kari dhare nAma avataàsa

kamala-nayanera—of the lotus-eyed; te~Nho—He; yAte—since; a~Nga—limb;
aàza—part; kamala-akSa—the lotus-eyed; kari’—accepting that; dhare—
takes; nAma—the name; avataàsa—partial expansion.
TRANSLATION
Since He is a limb or part of the lotus-eyed Supreme Lord, He also bears the
name KamalAkSa.
Adi 6.32
TEXT 32
Izvara-sArUpya pAya pAriSada-gaNa
catur-bhuja, pIta-vAsa, yaiche nArAyaNa

Izvara-sArUpya—the same bodily features as the Lord; pAya—gets; pAriSada-
gaNa—the associates; catur-bhuja—four hands; pIta-vAsa—yellow dress;
yaiche—just as; nArAyaNa—Lord NArAyaNa.
TRANSLATION
His associates have the same bodily features as the Lord. They all have four
arms and are dressed in yellow garments like NArAyaNa.
Adi 6.33
TEXT 33
advaita-AcArya——Izvarera aàza-varya
tA~Nra tattva-nAma-guNa, sakali Azcarya

advaita-AcArya—Advaita AcArya Prabhu; Izvarera—of the Supreme Lord;
aàza-varya—principal part; tA~Nra—His; tattva—truths; nAma—names;
guNa—attributes; sakali—all; Azcarya—wonderful.
TRANSLATION
zrI Advaita AcArya is the principal limb of the Supreme Lord. His truths,
names and attributes are all wonderful.
Adi 6.34
TEXT 34
yA~NhAra tulasI-jale, yA~NhAra hu~NkAre
sva-gaNa sahite caitanyera avatAre

yA~NhAra—whose; tulasI-jale—by tulasI leaves and Ganges water; yA~NhAra—
of whom; hu~NkAre—by the loud voice; sva-gaNa—His personal associates;
sahite—accompanied by; caitanyera—of Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu;
avatAre—in the incarnation.
TRANSLATION
He worshiped KRSNa with tulasI leaves and water of the Ganges and called for
Him in a loud voice. Thus Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu appeared on earth,
accompanied by His personal associates.
Adi 6.35
TEXT 35
yA~Nra dvArA kaila prabhu kIrtana pracAra
yA~Nra dvArA kaila prabhu jagat nistAra

yA~Nra dvArA—by whom; kaila—did; prabhu—Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu;
kIrtana pracAra—spreading of the sa~NkIrtana movement; yA~Nra dvArA—by
whom; kaila—did; prabhu—zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu; jagat nistAra—
deliverance of the entire world.
TRANSLATION
It is through Him [Advaita AcArya] that Lord Caitanya spread the sa~NkIrtana
movement and through Him that He delivered the world.
Adi 6.36
TEXT 36
AcArya gosA~nira guNa-mahimA apAra
jIva-kITa kothAya pAibeka tAra pAra

AcArya gosA~nira—of Advaita AcArya; guNa-mahimA—the glory of the
attributes; apAra—unfathomable; jIva-kITa—a living being who is just like a
worm; kothAya—where; pAibeka—will get; tAra—of that; pAra—the other
side.
TRANSLATION
The glory and attributes of Advaita AcArya are unlimited. How can the
insignificant living entities fathom them?
Adi 6.37
TEXT 37
AcArya gosA~ni caitanyera mukhya a~Nga
Ara eka a~Nga tA~Nra prabhu nityAnanda

AcArya gosA~ni—Advaita AcArya; caitanyera—of Lord zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu; mukhya—primary; a~Nga—part; Ara—another; eka—one;
a~Nga—part; tA~Nra—of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu; prabhu nityAnanda—Lord
NityAnanda.
TRANSLATION
zrI Advaita AcArya is a principal limb of Lord Caitanya. Another limb of the
Lord is NityAnanda Prabhu.
Adi 6.38
TEXT 38
prabhura upA~Nga——zrIvAsAdi bhakta-gaNa
hasta-mukha-netra-a~Nga cakrAdy-astra-sama

prabhura upA~Nga—Lord Caitanya’s smaller parts; zrIvAsa-Adi—headed by
zrIvAsa; bhakta-gaNa—the devotees; hasta—hands; mukha—face; netra—
eyes; a~Nga—parts of the body; cakra-Adi—the disc; astra—weapons;
sama—like.
TRANSLATION
The devotees headed by zrIvAsa are His smaller limbs. They are like His hands,
face and eyes and His disc and other weapons.
Adi 6.39
TEXT 39
e-saba la-iyA caitanya-prabhura vihAra
e-saba la-iyA karena vA~nchita pracAra

e-saba—all these; la-iyA—taking; caitanya-prabhura—of zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu; vihAra—pastimes; e-saba—all of them; la-iyA—taking;
karena—does; vA~nchita pracAra—spreading His mission.
TRANSLATION
With all of them Lord Caitanya performed His pastimes, and with them He
spread His mission.
Adi 6.40
TEXT 40
mAdhavendra-purIra i~Nho ziSya, ei j~nAne
AcArya-gosA~nire prabhu guru kari’ mAne

mAdhavendra-purIra—of MAdhavendra PurI; i~Nho—Advaita AcArya; ziSya—
disciple; ei j~nAne—by this consideration; AcArya-gosA~nire—unto Advaita
AcArya; prabhu—zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu; guru—spiritual master; kari’—
taking as; mAne—obeys Him.
TRANSLATION
Thinking “He [zrI Advaita AcArya] is a disciple of zrI MAdhavendra PurI,” Lord
Caitanya obeys Him, respecting Him as His spiritual master.
PURPORT
zrI MAdhavendra PurI is one of the AcAryas in the disciplic succession from
MadhvAcArya. MAdhavendra PurI had two principal disciples, Izvara PurI and
zrI Advaita Prabhu. Therefore the GauòIya VaiSNava-sampradAya is a disciplic
succession from MadhvAcArya. This fact has been accepted in the authorized
books known as Gaura-gaNoddeza-dIpikA and Prameya-ratnAvalI, as well as
by GopAla Guru GosvAmI. The Gaura-gaNoddeza-dIpikA (22) clearly states the
disciplic succession of the GauòIya VaiSNavas as follows: “Lord BrahmA is the
direct disciple of ViSNu, the Lord of the spiritual sky. His disciple is NArada,
NArada’s disciple is VyAsa, and VyAsa’s disciples are zukadeva GosvAmI and
MadhvAcArya. PadmanAbha AcArya is the disciple of MadhvAcArya, and
Narahari is the disciple of PadmanAbha AcArya. MAdhava is the disciple of
Narahari, AkSobhya is the direct disciple of MAdhava, and JayatIrtha is the
disciple of AkSobhya. JayatIrtha’s disciple is J~nAnasindhu, and his disciple is
MahAnidhi. VidyAnidhi is the disciple of MahAnidhi, and RAjendra is the
disciple of VidyAnidhi. Jayadharma is the disciple of RAjendra. PuruSottama is
the disciple of Jayadharma. zrImAn LakSmIpati is the disciple of VyAsatIrtha,
who is the disciple of PuruSottama. And MAdhavendra PurI is the disciple of
LakSmIpati.”
Adi 6.41
TEXT 41
laukika-lIlAte dharma-maryAdA-rakSaNa
stuti-bhaktye karena tA~Nra caraNa vandana

laukika—popular; lIlAte—in pastimes; dharma-maryAdA—etiquette of
religious principles; rakSaNa—observing; stuti—prayers; bhaktye—by
devotion; karena—He does; tA~Nra—of Advaita AcArya; caraNa—lotus feet;
vandana—worshiping.
TRANSLATION
To maintain the proper etiquette for the principles of religion, Lord Caitanya
bows down at the lotus feet of zrI Advaita AcArya with reverential prayers
and devotion.
Adi 6.42
TEXT 42
caitanya-gosA~nike AcArya kare ‘prabhu’-j~nAna
ApanAke karena tA~Nra ‘dAsa’-abhimAna

caitanya-gosA~nike—unto zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu; AcArya—Advaita
AcArya; kare—does; prabhu-j~nAna—considering His master; ApanAke—unto
Himself; karena—does; tA~Nra—of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu; dAsa—as a
servant; abhimAna—conception.
TRANSLATION
zrI Advaita AcArya, however, considers Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu His
master, and He thinks of Himself as a servant of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu.
PURPORT
The Bhakti-rasAmRta-sindhu of RUpa GosvAmI explains the superexcellent
quality of devotional service as follows:
brahmAnando bhaved eSa cet parArdha-guNI-kRtaH
naiti bhakti-sukhAmbhodheH paramANu-tulAm api
“If multiplied billions of times, the transcendental pleasure derived from
impersonal Brahman realization still could not compare to even an atomic
portion of the ocean of bhakti, or transcendental service.” (B.r.s. 1.1.38)
Similarly, the BhAvArtha-dIpikA states:
tvat-kathAmRta-pAthodhau viharanto mahA-mudaH
kurvanti kRtinaH kecic catur-vargaà tRNopamam
“For those who take pleasure in the transcendental topics of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, the four progressive realizations of religiosity,
economic development, sense gratification and liberation, all combined
together, cannot compare, any more than a straw could, to the happiness
derived from hearing about the transcendental activities of the Lord.” Those
who engage in the transcendental service of the lotus feet of KRSNa, being
relieved of all material enjoyment, have no attraction to topics of impersonal
monism. In the Padma PurANa, in connection with the glorification of the
month of KArttika, it is stated that devotees pray:
varaà deva mokSaà na mokSAvadhià vA
na cAnyaà vRNe ’haà varezAd apIha
idaà te vapur nAtha gopAla-bAlaà
sadA me manasy AvirAstAà kim anyaiH
kuverAtmajau baddha-mUrtyaiva yadvat
tvayA mocitau bhakti-bhAjau kRtau ca
tathA prema-bhaktià svakAà me prayaccha
na mokSe graho me ’sti dAmodareha
“Dear Lord, always remembering Your childhood pastimes at VRndAvana is
better for us than aspiring to merge into the impersonal Brahman. During Your
childhood pastimes You liberated the two sons of Kuvera and made them
great devotees of Your Lordship. Similarly, I wish that instead of giving me
liberation You may award me such devotion unto You.” In the HayazIrSIya-zrI-
nArAyaNa-vyUha-stava, in the chapter called NArAyaNa-stotra, it is stated:
na dharmaà kAmam arthaà vA
mokSaà vA vara-dezvara
prArthaye tava pAdAbje
dAsyam evAbhikAmaye
“My dear Lord, I do not wish to become a man of religion or a master of
economic development or sense gratification, nor do I wish for liberation.
Although I can have all these from You, the supreme bestower of
benedictions, I do not pray for any of these. I simply pray that I may always
be engaged as a servant of Your lotus feet.” NRsiàhadeva offered PrahlAda
MahArAja all kinds of benedictions, but PrahlAda MahArAja did not accept any
of them, for he simply wanted to engage in the service of the lotus feet of the
Lord. Similarly, a pure devotee wishes to be blessed like MahArAja PrahlAda by
being thus endowed with devotional service. Devotees also offer their
respects to HanumAn, who always remained a servant of Lord RAma. The
great devotee HanumAn prayed:
bhava-bandha-cchide tasyai spRhayAmi na muktaye
bhavAn prabhur ahaà dAsa iti yatra vilupyate
“I do not wish to take liberation or to merge in the Brahman effulgence, where
the conception of being a servant of the Lord is completely lost.” Similarly, in
the NArada-pa~ncarAtra it is stated:
dharmArtha-kAma-mokSeSu necchA mama kadAcana
tvat-pAda-pa~NkajasyAdho jIvitaà dIyatAà mama
“I do not want any one of the four desirable stations. I simply want to engage
as a servant of the lotus feet of the Lord.” King Kulazekhara, in his very
famous book Mukunda-mAlA-stotra, prays:
nAhaà vande tava caraNayor dvandvam advandva-hetoH
kumbhI-pAkaà gurum api hare nArakaà nApanetum
ramyA-rAmA-mRdu-tanu-latA-nandane nAbhirantuà
bhAve bhAve hRdaya-bhavane bhAvayeyaà bhavantam
“My Lord, I do not worship You to be liberated from this material
entanglement, nor do I wish to save myself from the hellish condition of
material existence, nor do I ever pray for a beautiful wife to enjoy in a nice
garden. I wish only that I may always be in full ecstasy with the pleasure of
serving Your Lordship.” (MM 4) In zrImad-BhAgavatam also there are many
instances in the Third and Fourth cantos in which devotees pray to the Lord
simply to be engaged in His service, and nothing else (BhAg. 3.4.15, 3.25.34,
3.25.36, 4.8.22, 4.9.10 and 4.20.24).
Adi 6.43
TEXT 43
sei abhimAna-sukhe ApanA pAsare
‘kRSNa-dAsa’ hao——jIve upadeza kare

sei—that; abhimAna-sukhe—in the happiness of that conception; ApanA—
Himself; pAsare—He forgets; kRSNa-dAsa hao—You are servants of Lord
KRSNa; jIve—the living beings; upadeza kare—He instructs.
TRANSLATION
He forgets Himself in the joy of that conception and teaches all living entities,
“You are servants of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu.”
PURPORT
The transcendental devotional service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead
is so ecstatic that even the Lord Himself plays the part of a devotee.
Forgetting Himself to be the Supreme, He personally teaches the whole world
how to render service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Adi 6.44
TEXT 44
kRSNa-dAsa-abhimAne ye Ananda-sindhu
koTI-brahma-sukha nahe tAra eka bindu

kRSNa-dAsa-abhimAne—under this impression of being a servant of KRSNa;
ye—that; Ananda-sindhu—ocean of transcendental bliss; koTI-brahma-
sukha—ten million times the transcendental bliss of becoming one with the
Absolute; nahe—not; tAra—of the ocean of transcendental bliss; eka—one;
bindu—drop.
TRANSLATION
The conception of servitude to zrI KRSNa generates such an ocean of joy in the
soul that even the joy of oneness with the Absolute, if multiplied ten million
times, could not compare to a drop of it.
Adi 6.45
TEXT 45
mu~ni ye caitanya-dAsa Ara nityAnanda
dAsa-bhAva-sama nahe anyatra Ananda

mu~ni—I; ye—that; caitanya-dAsa—servant of Lord Caitanya; Ara—and;
nityAnanda—of Lord NityAnanda; dAsa-bhAva—the emotion of being a
servant; sama—equal to; nahe—not; anyatra—anywhere else; Ananda—
transcendental bliss.
TRANSLATION
He says, “NityAnanda and I are servants of Lord Caitanya.” Nowhere else is
there such joy as that which is tasted in this emotion of servitude.
Adi 6.46
TEXT 46
parama-preyasI lakSmI hRdaye vasati
te~Nho dAsya-sukha mAge kariyA minati

parama-preyasI—the most beloved; lakSmI—the goddess of fortune;
hRdaye—on the chest; vasati—residence; te~Nho—she; dAsya-sukha—the
happiness of being a maidservant; mAge—begs; kariyA—offering; minati—
prayers.
TRANSLATION
The most beloved goddess of fortune resides on the chest of zrI KRSNa, yet
she too, earnestly praying, begs for the joy of service at His feet.
Adi 6.47
TEXT 47
dAsya-bhAve Anandita pAriSada-gaNa
vidhi, bhava, nArada Ara zuka, sanAtana

dAsya-bhAve—in the conception of being a servant; Anandita—very pleased;
pAriSada-gaNa—all the associates; vidhi—Lord BrahmA; bhava—Lord ziva;
nArada—the great sage NArada; Ara—and; zuka—zukadeva GosvAmI;
sanAtana—and SanAtana KumAra.
TRANSLATION
All the associates of Lord KRSNa, such as BrahmA, ziva, NArada, zuka and
SanAtana KumAra, are very pleased in the sentiment of servitude.
Adi 6.48
TEXT 48
nityAnanda avadhUta sabAte Agala
caitanyera dAsya-preme ha-ilA pAgala

nityAnanda avadhUta—the mendicant Lord NityAnanda; sabAte—among all;
Agala—foremost; caitanyera dAsya-preme—in the emotional ecstatic love of
being a servant of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu; ha-ilA pAgala—became mad.
TRANSLATION
zrI NityAnanda, the wandering mendicant, is the foremost of all the associates
of Lord Caitanya. He became mad in the ecstasy of service to Lord Caitanya.
Adi 6.49-50
TEXTS 49–50
zrIvAsa, haridAsa, rAmadAsa, gadAdhara
murAri, mukunda, candrazekhara, vakrezvara
e-saba paNòita-loka parama-mahattva
caitanyera dAsye sabAya karaye unmatta

zrIvAsa—zrIvAsa ThAkura; haridAsa—HaridAsa ThAkura; rAmadAsa—
RAmadAsa; gadAdhara—GadAdhara; murAri—MurAri; mukunda—Mukunda;
candrazekhara—Candrazekhara; vakrezvara—Vakrezvara; e-saba—all of
them; paNòita-loka—very learned scholars; parama-mahattva—very much
glorified; caitanyera—of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu; dAsye—the servitude;
sabAya—all of them; karaye unmatta—makes mad.
TRANSLATION
zrIvAsa, HaridAsa, RAmadAsa, GadAdhara, MurAri, Mukunda, Candrazekhara
and Vakrezvara are all glorious and are all learned scholars, but the sentiment
of servitude to Lord Caitanya makes them mad in ecstasy.
Adi 6.51
TEXT 51
ei mata gAya, nAce, kare aTTahAsa
loke upadeze,——‘hao caitanyera dAsa’

ei mata—in this way; gAya—chant; nAce—dance; kare—do; aTTa-hAsa—
laughing like madmen; loke—unto the people in general; upadeze—instruct;
hao—just become; caitanyera dAsa—servants of zrI Caitanya.
TRANSLATION
Thus they dance, sing and laugh like madmen, and they instruct everyone,
“Just be loving servants of Lord Caitanya.”
Adi 6.52
TEXT 52
caitanya-gosA~ni more kare guru j~nAna
tathApiha mora haya dAsa-abhimAna

caitanya-gosA~ni—Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu; more—unto Me; kare—
does; guru-j~nAna—consideration as a spiritual master; tathApiha—still;
mora—My; haya—there is; dAsa-abhimAna—the conception of being His
servant.
TRANSLATION
zrI Advaita AcArya thinks, “Lord Caitanya considers Me His spiritual master,
yet I feel Myself to be only His servant.”
Adi 6.53
TEXT 53
kRSNa-premera ei eka apUrva prabhAva
guru-sama-laghuke karAya dAsya-bhAva

kRSNa-premera—of love of KRSNa; ei—this; eka—one; apUrva prabhAva—
unprecedented influence; guru—to those on the level of the spiritual master;
sama—equal level; laghuke—unto the less important; karAya—makes;
dAsya-bhAva—the conception of being a servant.
TRANSLATION
Love for KRSNa has this one unique effect: it imbues superiors, equals and
inferiors with the spirit of service to Lord KRSNa.
PURPORT
There are two kinds of devotional service: the way of pA~ncarAtrika regulative
principles and the way of bhAgavata transcendental loving service. The love
of Godhead of those engaged in pA~ncarAtrika regulative principles depends
more or less on the opulent and reverential platform, but the worship of
RAdhA and KRSNa is purely on the platform of transcendental love. Even
persons who play as the superiors of KRSNa also take the chance to offer
transcendental loving service to the Lord. The service attitude of the devotees
who play the parts of superiors of the Lord is very difficult to understand, but
it can be very plainly understood in connection with the superexcellence of
their particular service to Lord KRSNa. A vivid example is the service of mother
YazodA to KRSNa, which is distinct. In the feature of NArAyaNa, the Lord can
accept services only from His associates who play parts in which they are
equal to or less than Him, but in the feature of Lord KRSNa He accepts service
very plainly from His fathers, teachers and other elders who are His superiors,
as well as from His equals and His subordinates. This is very wonderful.
Adi 6.54
TEXT 54
ihAra pramANa zuna——zAstrera vyAkhyAna
mahad-anubhava yAte sudRòha pramANa

ihAra—of this; pramANa—evidence; zuna—please hear; zAstrera
vyAkhyAna—the description in the revealed scriptures; mahat-anubhava—the
conception of great souls; yAte—by which; su-dRòha—strong; pramANa—
evidence.
TRANSLATION
For evidence, please listen to the examples described in the revealed
scriptures, which are corroborated by the realization of great souls.
Adi 6.55-56
TEXTS 55–56
anyera kA kathA, vraje nanda mahAzaya
tAra sama ‘guru’ kRSNera Ara keha naya
zuddha-vAtsalye Izvara-j~nAna nAhi tAra
tAhAkei preme karAya dAsya-anukAra

anyera—of others; kA—what; kathA—to speak; vraje—in VRndAvana; nanda
mahAzaya—Nanda MahArAja; tAra sama—like him; guru—a superior;
kRSNera—of Lord KRSNa; Ara—another; keha—anyone; naya—not; zuddha-
vAtsalye—in transcendental paternal love; Izvara-j~nAna—conception of the
Supreme Lord; nAhi—not; tAra—his; tAhAkei—unto him; preme—ecstatic
love; karAya—makes; dAsya-anukAra—the conception of being a servant.
TRANSLATION
Although no one is a more respected elder for KRSNa than Nanda MahArAja in
Vraja, who in transcendental paternal love has no knowledge that his son is
the Supreme Personality of Godhead, still ecstatic love makes him, what to
speak of others, feel himself to be a servant of Lord KRSNa.
Adi 6.57
TEXT 57
te~Nho rati-mati mAge kRSNera caraNe
tAhAra zrI-mukha-vANI tAhAte pramANe

te~Nho—he also; rati-mati—affection and attraction; mAge—begs; kRSNera
caraNe—unto the lotus feet of KRSNa; tAhAra—his; zrI-mukha-vANI—words
from his mouth; tAhAte—in that; pramANe—evidence.
TRANSLATION
He too prays for attachment and devotion to the lotus feet of Lord KRSNa, as
the words from his own mouth give evidence.
Adi 6.58-59
TEXTS 58–59
zuna uddhava, satya, kRSNa——AmAra tanaya
te~Nho Izvara——hena yadi tomAra mane laya
tathApi tA~NhAte rahu mora mano-vRtti
tomAra Izvara-kRSNe hauka mora mati

zuna uddhava—my dear Uddhava, please hear me; satya—the truth; kRSNa—
Lord KRSNa; AmAra tanaya—my son; te~Nho—He; Izvara—the Supreme
Personality of Godhead; hena—thus; yadi—if; tomAra—your; mane—the
mind; laya—takes; tathApi—still; tA~NhAte—unto Him; rahu—let there be;
mora—my; manaH-vRtti—mental functions; tomAra—your; Izvara-kRSNe—to
KRSNa, the Supreme Lord; hauka—let there be; mora—my; mati—attention.
TRANSLATION
“My dear Uddhava, please hear me. In truth KRSNa is my son, but even if you
think that He is God, I would still bear toward Him my own feelings for my
son. May my mind be attached to your Lord KRSNa.
Adi 6.60
TEXT 60
manaso vRttayo naH syuH
kRSNa-pAdAmbujAzrayAH
vAco ’bhidhAyinIr nAmnAà
kAyas tat-prahvaNAdiSu

manasaH—of the mind; vRttayaH—activities (thinking, feeling and willing);
naH—of us; syuH—let there be; kRSNa—of Lord KRSNa; pAda-ambuja—the
lotus feet; AzrayAH—those sheltered by; vAcaH—the words; abhidhAyinIH—
speaking; nAmnAm—of His holy names; kAyaH—the body; tat—to Him;
prahvaNa-AdiSu—bowing down to Him, etc.
TRANSLATION
“May our minds be attached to the lotus feet of your Lord KRSNa, may our
tongues chant His holy names, and may our bodies lie prostrate before Him.
Adi 6.61
TEXT 61
karmabhir bhrAmyamANAnAà
yatra kvApIzvarecchayA
ma~NgalAcaritair dAnai
ratir naH kRSNa Izvare

karmabhiH—by the activities; bhrAmyamANAnAm—of those wandering within
the material universe; yatra—wherever; kva api—anywhere; Izvara-
icchayA—by the supreme will of the Personality of Godhead; ma~Ngala-
AcaritaiH—by auspicious activities; dAnaiH—like charity and philanthropy;
ratiH—the attraction; naH—our; kRSNe—in KRSNa; Izvare—the Supreme
Personality of Godhead.
TRANSLATION
“Wherever we wander in the material universe under the influence of karma
by the will of the Lord, may our auspicious activities cause our attraction to
Lord KRSNa to increase.”
PURPORT
These verses from zrImad-BhAgavatam (10.47.66–67) were spoken by the
denizens of VRndAvana, headed by MahArAja Nanda and his associates, to
Uddhava, who had come from MathurA.
Adi 6.62
TEXT 62
zrIdAmAdi vraje yata sakhAra nicaya
aizvarya-j~nAna-hIna, kevala-sakhya-maya

zrIdAmA-Adi—KRSNa’s friends, headed by zrIdAmA; vraje—in VRndAvana;
yata—all; sakhAra—of the friends; nicaya—the group; aizvarya—of
opulence; j~nAna—knowledge; hIna—without; kevala—purely; sakhya-
maya—fraternal affection.
TRANSLATION
Lord KRSNa’s friends in VRndAvana, headed by zrIdAmA, have pure fraternal
affection for Lord KRSNa and have no idea of His opulences.
Adi 6.63
TEXT 63
kRSNa-sa~Nge yuddha kare, skandhe ArohaNa
tArA dAsya-bhAve kare caraNa-sevana

kRSNa-sa~Nge—with KRSNa; yuddha kare—fight; skandhe—on His shoulders;
ArohaNa—getting up; tArA—they; dAsya-bhAve—in the conception of being
Lord KRSNa’s servants; kare—do; caraNa-sevana—worship the lotus feet.
TRANSLATION
Although they fight with Him and climb upon His shoulders, they worship His
lotus feet in a spirit of servitude.
Adi 6.64
TEXT 64
pAda-saàvAhanaà cakruH
kecit tasya mahAtmanaH
apare hata-pApmAno
vyajanaiH samavIjayan

pAda-saàvAhanam—massaging the feet; cakruH—performed; kecit—some
of them; tasya—of Lord KRSNa; mahA-AtmanaH—of the Supreme Personality
of Godhead; apare—others; hata—destroyed; pApmAnaH—whose resultant
actions of sinful life; vyajanaiH—with hand-held fans; samavIjayan—fanned
very pleasingly.
TRANSLATION
“Some of the friends of zrI KRSNa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead,
massaged His feet, and others whose sinful reactions had been destroyed
fanned Him with hand-held fans.”
PURPORT
This verse, quoted from zrImad-BhAgavatam (10.15.17), describes how Lord
KRSNa and Lord BalarAma were playing with the cowherd boys after killing
DhenukAsura in TAlavana.
Adi 6.65-66
TEXTS 65–66
kRSNera preyasI vraje yata gopI-gaNa
yA~Nra pada-dhUli kare uddhava prArthana
yA~N-sabAra upare kRSNera priya nAhi Ana
tA~NhArA ApanAke kare dAsI-abhimAna

kRSNera—of Lord KRSNa; preyasI—the beloved girls; vraje—in VRndAvana;
yata—all; gopI-gaNa—the gopIs; yA~Nra—of whom; pada-dhUli—the dust of
the feet; kare—does; uddhava—Uddhava; prArthana—desiring; yA~N-
sabAra—all of them; upare—beyond; kRSNera—of Lord KRSNa; priya—dear;
nAhi—there is not; Ana—anyone else; tA~NhArA—all of them; ApanAke—to
themselves; kare—do; dAsI-abhimAna—the conception of being
maidservants.
TRANSLATION
Even the beloved girlfriends of Lord KRSNa in VRndAvana, the gopIs, the dust of
whose feet was desired by zrI Uddhava and who are more dear to KRSNa than
anyone else, regard themselves as KRSNa’s maidservants.
Adi 6.67
TEXT 67
vraja-janArti-han vIra yoSitAà
nija-jana-smaya-dhvaàsana-smita
bhaja sakhe bhavat-ki~NkarIH sma no
jala-ruhAnanaà cAru darzaya

vraja-jana-Arti-han—O one who diminishes all the painful conditions of the
inhabitants of VRndAvana; vIra—O hero; yoSitAm—of women; nija—personal;
jana—of the associates; smaya—the pride; dhvaàsana—destroying;
smita—whose smile; bhaja—worship; sakhe—O dear friend; bhavat-
ki~NkarIH—Your servants; sma—certainly; naH—unto us; jala-ruha-Ananam—a
face exactly like a lotus flower; cAru—attractive; darzaya—please show.
TRANSLATION
“O Lord, remover of the afflictions of the inhabitants of VRndAvana! O hero of
all women! O Lord who destroy the pride of Your devotees by Your sweet,
gentle smile! O friend! We are Your maidservants. Please fulfill our desires and
show us Your attractive lotus face.”
PURPORT
This verse in connection with the rAsa dance of KRSNa with the gopIs is quoted
from zrImad-BhAgavatam (10.31.6). When KRSNa disappeared from His
companions in the course of dancing, the gopIs sang like this in separation
from KRSNa.
Adi 6.68
TEXT 68
api bata madhu-puryAm Arya-putro ’dhunAste
smarati sa pitR-gehAn saumya bandhUàz ca gopAn
kvacid api sa kathAà naH ki~NkariNAà gRNIte
bhujam aguru-sugandhaà mUrdhny adhAsyat kadA nu

api—certainly; bata—regrettable; madhu-puryAm—in the city of MathurA;
Arya-putraH—the son of Nanda MahArAja; adhunA—now; Aste—resides;
smarati—remembers; saH—He; pitR-gehAn—the household affairs of His
father; saumya—O great soul (Uddhava); bandhUn—His many friends; ca—
and; gopAn—the cowherd boys; kvacit—sometimes; api—or; saH—He;
kathAm—talks; naH—of us; ki~NkarINAm—of the maidservants; gRNIte—
relates; bhujam—hand; aguru-su-gandham—having the fragrance of aguru;
mUrdhni—on the head; adhAsyat—will keep; kadA—when; nu—may be.
TRANSLATION
“O Uddhava! It is indeed regrettable that KRSNa resides in MathurA. Does He
remember His father’s household affairs and His friends, the cowherd boys? O
great soul! Does He ever talk about us, His maidservants? When will He lay on
our heads His aguru-scented hand?”
PURPORT
This verse appears in zrImad-BhAgavatam (10.47.21), in the section known as
the Bhramara-gItA. When Uddhava came to VRndAvana, zrImatI RAdhArANI, in
complete separation from KRSNa, sang like this.
Adi 6.69-70
TEXTS 69–70
tA~N-sabAra kathA rahu,——zrImatI rAdhikA
sabA haite sakalAàze parama-adhikA
te~Nho yA~Nra dAsI hai~nA sevena caraNa
yA~Nra prema-guNe kRSNa baddha anukSaNa

tA~N-sabAra—of the gopIs; kathA—talk; rahu—let alone; zrImatI rAdhikA—
zrImatI RAdhArANI; sabA haite—than all of them; sakala-aàze—in every
respect; parama-adhikA—highly elevated; te~Nho—She also; yA~Nra—whose;
dAsI—maidservant; hai~nA—becoming; sevena—worships; caraNa—the lotus
feet; yA~Nra—whose; prema-guNe—because of loving attributes; kRSNa—Lord
KRSNa; baddha—obliged; anukSaNa—always.
TRANSLATION
What to speak of the other gopIs, even zrI RAdhikA, who in every respect is
the most elevated of them all and who has bound zrI KRSNa forever by Her
loving attributes, serves His feet as His maidservant.
Adi 6.71
TEXT 71
hA nAtha ramaNa preSTha
kvAsi kvAsi mahA-bhuja
dAsyAs te kRpaNAyA me
sakhe darzaya sannidhim

hA—O; nAtha—My Lord; ramaNa—O My husband; preSTha—O My most
dear one; kva asi kva asi—where are You, where are You; mahA-bhuja—O
mighty-armed one; dAsyAH—of the maidservant; te—You; kRpaNAyAH—very
much aggrieved by Your absence; me—to Me; sakhe—O My friend;
darzaya—show; sannidhim—nearness to You.
TRANSLATION
“O My Lord, O My husband, O most dearly beloved! O mighty-armed Lord!
Where are You? Where are You? O My friend, reveal Yourself to Your
maidservant, who is very much aggrieved by Your absence.”
PURPORT
This verse is quoted from zrImad-BhAgavatam (10.30.39). When the rAsa
dance was going on in full swing, KRSNa left all the gopIs and took only zrImatI
RAdhArANI with Him. At that time all the gopIs lamented, and zrImatI
RAdhArANI, being proud of Her position, requested KRSNa to carry Her
wherever He liked. Then KRSNa immediately disappeared from the scene, and
zrImatI RAdhArANI began to lament.
Adi 6.72
TEXT 72
dvArakAte rukmiNy-Adi yateka mahiSI
tA~NhArAo ApanAke mAne kRSNa-dAsI

dvArakAte—in DvArakA-dhAma; rukmiNI-Adi—headed by RukmiNI; yateka—
all of them; mahiSI—the queens; tA~NhArAo—all of them also; ApanAke—
themselves; mAne—consider; kRSNa-dAsI—maidservants of KRSNa.
TRANSLATION
In DvArakA-dhAma, all the queens, headed by RukmiNI, also consider
themselves maidservants of Lord KRSNa.
Adi 6.73
TEXT 73
caidyAya mArpayitum udyata-kArmukeSu
rAjasv ajeya-bhaTa-zekharitA~Nghri-reNuH
ninye mRgendra iva bhAgam ajAvi-yUthAt
tac chrI-niketa-caraNo ’stu mamArcanAya

caidyAya—unto zizupAla; mA—me; arpayitum—to deliver or to give in
charity; udyata—upraised; kArmukeSu—whose bows and arrows; rAjasu—
among the kings headed by JarAsandha; ajeya—unconquerable; bhaTa—of
the soldiers; zekharita-a~Nghri-reNuH—the dust of whose lotus feet is the
crown; ninye—forcibly took; mRga-indraH—the lion; iva—like; bhAgam—the
share; aja—of the goats; avi—and sheep; yUthAt—from the midst; tat—that;
zrI-niketa—of the shelter of the goddess of fortune; caraNaH—the lotus feet;
astu—let there be; mama—my; arcanAya—for worshiping .
TRANSLATION
“When JarAsandha and other kings, bows and arrows upraised, stood ready to
deliver me in charity to zizupAla, He forcibly took me from their midst, as a
lion takes its share of goats and sheep. The dust of His lotus feet is therefore
the crown of unconquerable soldiers. May those lotus feet, which are the
shelter of the goddess of fortune, be the object of my worship.”
PURPORT
This verse from zrImad-BhAgavatam (10.83.8) was spoken by Queen RukmiNI.
Adi 6.74
TEXT 74
tapaz carantIm Aj~nAya
sva-pAda-sparzanAzayA
sakhyopetyAgrahIt pANià
sAhaà tad-gRha-mArjanI

tapaH—austerity; carantIm—performing; Aj~nAya—knowing; sva-pAda-
sparzana—of touching His feet; AzayA—with the desire; sakhyA—with His
friend Arjuna; upetya—coming; agrahIt—accepted; pANim—my hand; sA—
that woman; aham—I; tat—His; gRha-mArjanI—keeper of the home.
TRANSLATION
“Knowing me to be performing austerities with the desire to touch His feet,
He came with His friend Arjuna and accepted my hand. Yet I am but a
maidservant engaged in sweeping the floor of the house of zrI KRSNa.”
PURPORT
Like the previous verse, this verse appears in zrImad-BhAgavatam (10.83.11) in
connection with the meeting of the family ladies of the Kuru and Yadu
dynasties at Samanta-pa~ncaka. At the time of that meeting, the queen of
KRSNa named KAlindI spoke to DraupadI in this way.
Adi 6.75
TEXT 75
AtmArAmasya tasyemA
vayaà vai gRha-dAsikAH
sarva-sa~Nga-nivRttyAddhA
tapasA ca babhUvima

AtmArAmasya—of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is satisfied in
Himself; tasya—His; imAH—all; vayam—we; vai—certainly; gRha-dAsikAH—
the maidservants of the home; sarva—all; sa~Nga—association; nivRttyA—
fully bereft of; addhA—directly; tapasA—on account of austerity; ca—also;
babhUvima—we have become.
TRANSLATION
“Through austerity and through renunciation of all attachments, we have
become maidservants in the home of the Supreme Personality of Godhead,
who is satisfied in Himself.”
PURPORT
During the same incident, this verse, quoted from zrImad-BhAgavatam
(10.83.39), was spoken to DraupadI by a queen of KRSNa’s named LakSmaNA.
Adi 6.76
TEXT 76
Anera ki kathA, baladeva mahAzaya
yA~Nra bhAva——zuddha-sakhya-vAtsalyAdi-maya

Anera—of others; ki kathA—what to speak; baladeva—Lord Baladeva;
mahAzaya—the Supreme Personality; yA~Nra—His; bhAva—emotion; zuddha-
sakhya—pure friendship; vAtsalya-Adi-maya—with a touch of paternal love.
TRANSLATION
What to speak of others, even Lord Baladeva, the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, is full of emotions like pure friendship and paternal love.
PURPORT
Although Lord Baladeva appeared before the birth of Lord KRSNa and is
therefore KRSNa’s worshipable elder brother, He used to act as KRSNa’s eternal
servitor. In the spiritual sky all the VaikuNTha planets are predominated by the
quadruple expansions of KRSNa known as the catur-vyUha. They are direct
expansions from Baladeva. It is the singularity of the Supreme Lord that
everyone in the spiritual sky thinks himself a servitor of the Lord. According
to social convention one may be superior to KRSNa, but factually everyone
engages in His service. Therefore in the spiritual sky or the material sky, in all
the different planets, no one is able to supersede Lord KRSNa or demand
service from Him. On the contrary, everyone engages in the service of Lord
KRSNa. As such, the more a person engages in the service of the Lord, the
more he is important; and, conversely, the more one is bereft of the
transcendental service of KRSNa, the more he invites the bad fortune of
material contamination. In the material world, although materialists want to
become one with God or compete with God, everyone directly or indirectly
engages in the service of the Lord. The more one is forgetful of the service of
KRSNa, the more he is considered to be dying. Therefore, when one develops
pure KRSNa consciousness, he immediately develops his eternal servitorship to
KRSNa.
Adi 6.77
TEXT 77
te~Nho ApanAke karena dAsa-bhAvanA
kRSNa-dAsa-bhAva vinu Ache kona janA

te~Nho—He also; ApanAke—Himself; karena—does; dAsa-bhAvanA—
considering a servant; kRSNa-dAsa-bhAva—the conception of being a servant
of KRSNa; vinu—without; Ache—is; kona—what; janA—person.
TRANSLATION
He also considers Himself a servant of Lord KRSNa. Indeed, who is there who
does not have this conception of being a servant of Lord KRSNa?
Adi 6.78
TEXT 78
sahasra-vadane ye~Nho zeSa-sa~NkarSaNa
daza deha dhari’ kare kRSNera sevana

sahasra-vadane—with thousands of mouths; ye~Nho—one who; zeSa-
sa~NkarSaNa—Lord zeSa, the incarnation of Sa~NkarSaNa; daza—ten; deha—
bodies; dhari’—accepting; kare—does; kRSNera—of Lord KRSNa; sevana—
service.
TRANSLATION
He who is zeSa, Sa~NkarSaNa, with His thousands of mouths, serves zrI KRSNa
by assuming ten forms.
Adi 6.79
TEXT 79
ananta brahmANòe rudra——sadAzivera aàza
guNAvatAra te~Nho, sarva-deva-avataàsa

ananta—unlimited; brahmANòe—in the universes; rudra—Lord ziva;
sadAzivera aàza—part and parcel of SadAziva; guNa-avatAra—an incarnation
of a quality; te~Nho—he also; sarva-deva-avataàsa—the ornament of all the
demigods.
TRANSLATION
Rudra, who is an expansion of SadAziva and who appears in unlimited
universes, is also a guNAvatAra [qualitative incarnation] and is the ornament of
all the demigods in the endless universes.
PURPORT
There are eleven expansions of Rudra, or Lord ziva. They are as follows:
AjaikapAt, Ahibradhna, VirUpAkSa, Raivata, Hara, BahurUpa, DevazreSTha
Tryambaka, SAvitra, Jayanta, PinAki and AparAjita. Besides these expansions
there are eight forms of Rudra called earth, water, fire, air, sky, the sun, the
moon and soma-yAjI. Generally all these Rudras have five faces, three eyes
and ten arms. Sometimes it is found that Rudra is compared to BrahmA and
considered a living entity. But when Rudra is explained to be a partial
expansion of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he is compared to zeSa.
Lord ziva is therefore simultaneously an expansion of Lord ViSNu and, in his
capacity for annihilating the creation, one of the living entities. As an
expansion of Lord ViSNu he is called Hara, and he is transcendental to the
material qualities, but when he is in touch with tamo-guNa he appears
contaminated by the material modes of nature. This is explained in zrImad-
BhAgavatam and the Brahma-saàhitA. In zrImad-BhAgavatam, Tenth Canto, it
is stated that Lord Rudra is always associated with the material nature when
she is in the neutral, unmanifested stage, but when the modes of material
nature are agitated he associates with material nature from a distance. In the
Brahma-saàhitA the relationship between ViSNu and Lord ziva is compared to
that between milk and yogurt. Milk is converted into yogurt by certain
additives, but although milk and yogurt have the same ingredients, they have
different functions. Similarly, Lord ziva is an expansion of Lord ViSNu, yet
because of his taking part in the annihilation of the cosmic manifestation, he is
considered to be changed, like milk converted into yogurt. In the PurANas it is
found that ziva appears sometimes from the heads of BrahmA and sometimes
from the head of ViSNu. The annihilator, Rudra, is born from Sa~NkarSaNa and
the ultimate fire to burn the whole creation. In the VAyu PurANa there is a
description of SadAziva in one of the VaikuNTha planets. That SadAziva is a
direct expansion of Lord KRSNa’s form for pastimes. It is said that SadAziva
(Lord zambhu) is an expansion from the SadAziva in the VaikuNTha planets
(Lord ViSNu) and that his consort, MahAmAyA, is an expansion of RamA-devI,
or LakSmI. MahAmAyA is the origin or birthplace of material nature.
Adi 6.80
TEXT 80
te~Nho karena kRSNera dAsya-pratyAza
nirantara kahe ziva, ‘mu~ni kRSNa-dAsa’

te~Nho—he; karena—does; kRSNera—of Lord KRSNa; dAsya-pratyAza—
expectation of being a servant; nirantara—constantly; kahe—says; ziva—
Lord ziva; mu~ni—I; kRSNa-dAsa—a servant of KRSNa.
TRANSLATION
He also desires only to be a servant of Lord KRSNa. zrI SadAziva always says, “I
am a servant of Lord KRSNa.”
Adi 6.81
TEXT 81
kRSNa-preme unmatta, vihvala digambara
kRSNa-guNa-lIlA gAya, nAce nirantara

kRSNa-preme—in ecstatic love of KRSNa; unmatta—almost mad; vihvala—
overwhelmed; digambara—without any dress; kRSNa—of Lord KRSNa; guNa—
attributes; lIlA—pastimes; gAya—chants; nAce—dances; nirantara—
constantly.
TRANSLATION
Intoxicated by ecstatic love for Lord KRSNa, he becomes overwhelmed and
incessantly dances without clothing and sings about Lord KRSNa’s qualities and
pastimes.
Adi 6.82
TEXT 82
pitA-mAtA-guru-sakhA-bhAva kene naya
kRSNa-premera svabhAve dAsya-bhAva se karaya

pitA—father; mAtA—mother; guru—superior teacher; sakhA—friend;
bhAva—the emotion; kene naya—let it be; kRSNa-premera—of love of KRSNa;
svabhAve—in a natural inclination; dAsya bhAva—the emotion of becoming a
servant; se—that; karaya—does.
TRANSLATION
All the emotions, whether those of father, mother, teacher or friend, are full of
sentiments of servitude. That is the nature of love of KRSNa.
Adi 6.83
TEXT 83
eka kRSNa——sarva-sevya, jagat-Izvara
Ara yata saba,——tA~Nra sevakAnucara

eka kRSNa—one Lord KRSNa; sarva-sevya—worthy of being served by all;
jagat-Izvara—the Lord of the universe; Ara yata saba—all others; tA~Nra—His;
sevaka-anucara—servants of the servants.
TRANSLATION
Lord KRSNa, the one master and the Lord of the universe, is worthy of being
served by everyone. Indeed, everyone is but a servant of His servants.
Adi 6.84
TEXT 84
sei kRSNa avatIrNa——caitanya-Izvara
ataeva Ara saba,——tA~NhAra ki~Nkara

sei—that; kRSNa—Lord KRSNa; avatIrNa—descended; caitanya-Izvara—Lord
Caitanya, the Supreme Personality of Godhead; ataeva—therefore; Ara—
others; saba—all; tA~NhAra ki~Nkara—His servants.
TRANSLATION
That same Lord KRSNa has descended as Lord Caitanya, the Supreme
Personality of Godhead. Everyone, therefore, is His servant.
Adi 6.85
TEXT 85
keha mAne, keha nA mAne, saba tA~Nra dAsa
ye nA mAne, tAra haya sei pApe nAza

keha mAne—someone accepts; keha nA mAne—someone does not accept;
saba tA~Nra dAsa—all His servants; ye nA mAne—one who does not accept;
tAra—of him; haya—there is; sei—that; pApe—in sinful activity; nAza—
annihilation.
TRANSLATION
Some accept Him whereas others do not, yet everyone is His servant. One
who does not accept Him, however, will be ruined by his sinful activities.
PURPORT
When a living entity forgets his constitutional position, he prepares himself to
be an enjoyer of the material resources. Sometimes he is also misguided by
the thought that service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead is not
absolute engagement. In other words, he thinks that there are many other
engagements for a living entity besides the service of the Lord. Such a foolish
person does not know that in any position he either directly or indirectly
engages in activities of service to the Supreme Lord. Actually, if a person
does not engage in the service of the Lord, all inauspicious activities
encumber him because service to the Supreme Lord, Lord Caitanya, is the
constitutional position of the infinitesimal living entities. Because the living
entity is infinitesimal, the allurement of material enjoyment attracts him, and
he tries to enjoy matter, forgetting his constitutional position. But when his
dormant KRSNa consciousness is awakened, he no longer engages in the
service of matter but engages in the service of the Lord. In other words, when
one is forgetful of his constitutional position, he appears in the position of the
lord of material nature. Even at that time he remains a servant of the Supreme
Lord, but in an unqualified or contaminated state.
Adi 6.86
TEXT 86
caitanyera dAsa mu~ni, caitanyera dAsa
caitanyera dAsa mu~ni, tA~Nra dAsera dAsa

caitanyera—of Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu; dAsa—servant; mu~ni—I;
caitanyera dAsa—a servant of Lord Caitanya; caitanyera dAsa mu~ni—I am a
servant of Caitanya MahAprabhu; tA~Nra dAsera dAsa—a servant of His
servant.
TRANSLATION
“I am a servant of Lord Caitanya, a servant of Lord Caitanya. I am a servant
of Lord Caitanya, and a servant of His servants.”
Adi 6.87
TEXT 87
eta bali’ nAce, gAya, hu~NkAra gambhIra
kSaNeke vasilA AcArya hai~nA susthira

eta bali’—saying this; nAce—dances; gAya—sings; hu~NkAra—loud vibrations;
gambhIra—deep; kSaNeke—in a moment; vasilA—sits down; AcArya—
Advaita AcArya; hai~nA su-sthira—being very patient.
TRANSLATION
Saying this, Advaita Prabhu dances and loudly sings. Then at the next
moment He quietly sits down.
Adi 6.88
TEXT 88
bhakta-abhimAna mUla zrI-balarAme
sei bhAve anugata tA~Nra aàza-gaNe

bhakta-abhimAna—to think oneself a devotee; mUla—original; zrI-
balarAme—in Lord BalarAma; sei bhAve—in that ecstasy; anugata—followers;
tA~Nra aàza-gaNe—all His parts and parcels.
TRANSLATION
The source of the sentiment of servitude is indeed Lord BalarAma. The plenary
expansions who follow Him are all influenced by that ecstasy.
Adi 6.89
TEXT 89
tA~Nra avatAra eka zrI-sa~NkarSaNa
bhakta bali’ abhimAna kare sarva-kSaNa

tA~Nra avatAra—His incarnation; eka—one; zrI-sa~NkarSaNa—Lord Sa~NkarSaNa;
bhakta bali’—as a devotee; abhimAna—conception; kare—does; sarva-
kSaNa—always.
TRANSLATION
Lord Sa~NkarSaNa, who is one of His incarnations, always considers Himself a
devotee.
Adi 6.90
TEXT 90
tA~Nra avatAra Ana zrI-yuta lakSmaNa
zrI-rAmera dAsya ti~Nho kaila anukSaNa

tA~Nra avatAra—His incarnation; Ana—another; zrI-yuta—with all beauty and
opulence; lakSmaNa—Lord LakSmaNa; zrI-rAmera—of RAmacandra; dAsya—
servitude; ti~Nho—He; kaila—did; anukSaNa—always.
TRANSLATION
Another of His incarnations, LakSmaNa, who is very beautiful and opulent,
always serves Lord RAma.
Adi 6.91
TEXT 91
sa~NkarSaNa-avatAra kAraNAbdhi-zAyI
tA~NhAra hRdaye bhakta-bhAva anuyAyI

sa~NkarSaNa-avatAra—an incarnation of Lord Sa~NkarSaNa; kAraNa-abdhi-zAyI—
Lord ViSNu lying on the Causal Ocean; tA~NhAra—His; hRdaye—in the heart;
bhakta-bhAva—the emotion of being a devotee; anuyAyI—accordingly.
TRANSLATION
The ViSNu who lies on the Causal Ocean is an incarnation of Lord Sa~NkarSaNa,
and, accordingly, the emotion of being a devotee is always present in His
heart.
Adi 6.92
TEXT 92
tA~NhAra prakAza-bheda, advaita-AcArya
kAya-mano-vAkye tA~Nra bhakti sadA kArya

tA~NhAra—His; prakAza-bheda—separate expansion; advaita-AcArya—Advaita
AcArya; kAya-manaH-vAkye—by His body, mind and words; tA~Nra—His;
bhakti—devotion; sadA—always; kArya—occupational duty.
TRANSLATION
Advaita AcArya is a separate expansion of Him. He always engages in
devotional service with His thoughts, words and actions.
Adi 6.93
TEXT 93
vAkye kahe, ‘mu~ni caitanyera anucara’
mu~ni tA~Nra bhakta——mane bhAve nirantara

vAkye—by words; kahe—He says; mu~ni—I am; caitanyera anucara—a
follower of Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu; mu~ni—I; tA~nra—His; bhakta—
devotee; mane—in His mind; bhAve—in this condition; nirantara—always.
TRANSLATION
By His words He declares, “I am a servant of Lord Caitanya.” Thus with His
mind He always thinks, “I am His devotee.”
Adi 6.94
TEXT 94
jala-tulasI diyA kare kAyAte sevana
bhakti pracAriyA saba tArilA bhuvana

jala-tulasI—Ganges water and tulasI leaves; diyA—offering together; kare—
does; kAyAte—with the body; sevana—worship; bhakti—the cult of
devotional service; pracAriyA—preaching; saba—all; tArilA—delivered;
bhuvana—the universe.
TRANSLATION
With His body He worshiped the Lord by offering Ganges water and tulasI
leaves, and by preaching devotional service He delivered the entire universe.
Adi 6.95
TEXT 95
pRthivI dharena yei zeSa-sa~NkarSaNa
kAya-vyUha kari’ karena kRSNera sevana

pRthivI—planets; dharena—holds; yei—that one who; zeSa-sa~NkarSaNa—Lord
zeSa Sa~NkarSaNa; kAya-vyUha kari’—expanding Himself in different bodies;
karena—does; kRSNera sevana—service to Lord KRSNa.
TRANSLATION
zeSa Sa~NkarSaNa, who holds all the planets on His heads, expands Himself in
different bodies to render service to Lord KRSNa.
Adi 6.96
TEXT 96
ei saba haya zrI-kRSNera avatAra
nirantara dekhi sabAra bhaktira AcAra

ei saba—all of them; haya—are; zrI-kRSNera avatAra—incarnations of Lord
KRSNa; nirantara—constantly; dekhi—I see; sabAra—of all; bhaktira AcAra—
behavior as devotees.
TRANSLATION
These are all incarnations of Lord KRSNa, yet we always find that they act as
devotees.
Adi 6.97
TEXT 97
e-sabAke zAstre kahe ‘bhakta-avatAra’
‘bhakta-avatAra’-pada upari sabAra

e-sabAke—all of them; zAstre—the scriptures; kahe—say; bhakta-avatAra—
incarnations as devotees; bhakta-avatAra—of such an incarnation as a
devotee; pada—the position; upari sabAra—above all other positions.
TRANSLATION
The scriptures call them incarnations as devotees [bhakta-avatAra]. The
position of being such an incarnation is above all others.
PURPORT
The Supreme Personality of Godhead appears in different incarnations, but His
appearance in the role of a devotee is more beneficial to the conditioned souls
than the other incarnations, with all their opulences. Sometimes a conditioned
soul is bewildered when he tries to understand the incarnation of Godhead
with full opulence. Lord KRSNa appeared and performed many uncommon
activities, and some materialists misunderstood Him, but in His appearance as
Lord Caitanya He did not show much of His opulences, and therefore fewer
conditioned souls were bewildered. Misunderstanding the Lord, many fools
consider themselves incarnations of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but
the result is that after leaving the material body they enter the species of
jackals. Persons who cannot understand the real significance of an incarnation
must attain such lower species of life as punishment. Conditioned souls who
are puffed up by false egoism and who try to become one with the Supreme
Lord become MAyAvAdIs.
Adi 6.98
TEXT 98
eka-mAtra ‘aàzI’——kRSNa, ‘aàza’——avatAra
aàzI aàze dekhi jyeSTha-kaniSTha-AcAra

eka-mAtra—only one; aàzI—source of all incarnations; kRSNa—Lord KRSNa;
aàza—of the part; avatAra—incarnations; aàzI—is the source of all
incarnations; aàze—in the incarnation; dekhi—we can see; jyeSTha—as
superior; kaniSTha—and inferior; AcAra—behavior.
TRANSLATION
Lord KRSNa is the source of all incarnations, and all others are His parts or
partial incarnations. We find that the whole and the part behave as superior
and inferior.
Adi 6.99
TEXT 99
jyeSTha-bhAve aàzIte haya prabhu-j~nAna
kaniSTha-bhAve ApanAte bhakta-abhimAna

jyeSTha-bhAve—in the emotion of being superior; aàzIte—in the original
source of all incarnations; haya—there is; prabhu-j~nAna—knowledge as
master; kaniSTha-bhAve—in an inferior conception; ApanAte—in Himself;
bhakta-abhimAna—the conception of being a devotee.
TRANSLATION
The source of all incarnations has the emotions of a superior when He
considers Himself the master, and He has the emotions of an inferior when He
considers Himself a devotee.
PURPORT
A fraction of a particular thing is called a part, and that from which the
fraction is distinguished is called the whole. Therefore the fraction, or part, is
included within the whole. The Lord is the whole, and the devotee is the part
or fractional part. That is the relationship between the Lord and the devotee.
There are also gradations of devotees, who are calculated as greater or lesser.
When a devotee is great he is called prabhu, and when he is lesser he is called
bhakta, or a devotee. The supreme whole is KRSNa, and Baladeva and all ViSNu
incarnations are His fractions. Lord KRSNa is therefore conscious of His superior
position, and all ViSNu incarnations are conscious of Their positions as
devotees.
Adi 6.100
TEXT 100
kRSNera samatA haite baòa bhakta-pada
AtmA haite kRSNera bhakta haya premAspada

kRSNera—with Lord KRSNa; samatA—equality; haite—than this; baòa—
greater; bhakta-pada—the position of a devotee; AtmA haite—than His own
self; kRSNera—of Lord KRSNa; bhakta—a devotee; haya—is; prema-Aspada—
the object of love.
TRANSLATION
The position of being a devotee is higher than that of equality with Lord
KRSNa, for the devotees are dearer to Lord KRSNa than His own self.
PURPORT
The conception of oneness with the Supreme Personality of Godhead is
inferior to that of eternal service to the Lord because Lord KRSNa is more
affectionate to devotees than to His personal self. In zrImad-BhAgavatam
(9.4.68) the Lord clearly says:
sAdhavo hRdayaà mahyaà
sAdhUnAà hRdayaà tv aham
mad anyat te na jAnanti
nAhaà tebhyo manAg api
“The devotees are My heart, and I am the heart of My devotees. My
devotees do not know anyone but Me; similarly, I do not know anyone but
My devotees.” This is the intimate relationship between the Lord and His
devotees.
Adi 6.101
TEXT 101
AtmA haite kRSNa bhakte baòa kari’ mAne
ihAte bahuta zAstra-vacana pramANe

AtmA haite—than His own self; kRSNa—Lord KRSNa; bhakte—His devotee;
baòa kari’ mAne—accepts as greater; ihAte—in this connection; bahuta—
many; zAstra-vacana—quotations from revealed scripture; pramANe—
evidences.
TRANSLATION
Lord KRSNa considers His devotees greater than Himself. In this connection the
scriptures provide an abundance of evidence.
Adi 6.102
TEXT 102
na tathA me priya-tama
Atma-yonir na za~NkaraH
na ca sa~NkarSaNo na zrIr
naivAtmA ca yathA bhavAn

na tathA—not so much; me—My; priya-tamaH—dearmost; Atma-yoniH—
Lord BrahmA; na za~NkaraH—nor za~Nkara (Lord ziva); na ca—nor;
sa~NkarSaNaH—Lord Sa~NkarSaNa; na—nor; zrIH—the goddess of fortune; na—
nor; eva—certainly; AtmA—My self; ca—and; yathA—as; bhavAn—you.
TRANSLATION
“O Uddhava! Neither BrahmA, nor za~Nkara, nor Sa~NkarSaNa, nor LakSmI, nor
even My own self is as dear to Me as you.”
PURPORT
This text is from zrImad-BhAgavatam (11.14.15).
Adi 6.103
TEXT 103
kRSNa-sAmye nahe tA~Nra mAdhuryAsvAdana
bhakta-bhAve kare tA~Nra mAdhurya carvaNa

kRSNa-sAmye—on an equal level with KRSNa; nahe—not; tA~Nra—His;
mAdhurya-AsvAdana—relishing the sweetness; bhakta-bhAve—as a devotee;
kare—does; tA~Nra—His; mAdhurya carvaNa—chewing of the sweetness.
TRANSLATION
The sweetness of Lord KRSNa is not to be tasted by those who consider
themselves equal to KRSNa. It is to be tasted only through the sentiment of
servitude.
Adi 6.104
TEXT 104
zAstrera siddhAnta ei,——vij~nera anubhava
mUòha-loka nAhi jAne bhAvera vaibhava

zAstrera—of the revealed scriptures; siddhAnta—conclusion; ei—this; vij~nera
anubhava—realization by experienced devotees; mUòha-loka—fools and
rascals; nAhi jAne—do not know; bhAvera vaibhava—devotional opulences.
TRANSLATION
This conclusion of the revealed scriptures is also the realization of experienced
devotees. Fools and rascals, however, cannot understand the opulences of
devotional emotions.
PURPORT
When a person is liberated in the sArUpya form of liberation, having a spiritual
form exactly like ViSNu, it is not possible for him to relish the relationship of
KRSNa’s personal associates in their exchanges of mellows. The devotees of
KRSNa, however, in their loving relationships with KRSNa, sometimes forget
their own identities; sometimes they think themselves one with KRSNa and yet
relish still greater transcendental mellow in that way. People in general,
because of their foolishness only, try to become masters of everything,
forgetting the transcendental mellow of servitorship to the Lord. When a
person is actually advanced in spiritual understanding, however, he can
accept the transcendental servitorship of the Lord without hesitation.
Adi 6.105-106
TEXTS 105–106
bhakta-bhAva a~NgIkari’ balarAma, lakSmaNa
advaita, nityAnanda, zeSa, sa~NkarSaNa
kRSNera mAdhurya-rasAmRta kare pAna
sei sukhe matta, kichu nAhi jAne Ana

bhakta-bhAva—the conception of being a devotee; a~NgIkari’—accepting;
balarAma—Lord BalarAma; lakSmaNa—Lord LakSmaNa; advaita—Advaita
AcArya; nityAnanda—Lord NityAnanda; zeSa—Lord zeSa; sa~NkarSaNa—Lord
Sa~NkarSaNa; kRSNera—of Lord KRSNa; mAdhurya—transcendental bliss; rasa-
amRta—the nectar of such a taste; kare pAna—they drink; sei sukhe—in such
happiness; matta—mad; kichu—anything; nAhi—do not; jAne—know; Ana—
else.
TRANSLATION
Baladeva, LakSmaNa, Advaita AcArya, Lord NityAnanda, Lord zeSa and Lord
Sa~NkarSaNa taste the nectarean mellows of the transcendental bliss of Lord
KRSNa by recognizing Themselves as being His devotees and servants. They
are all mad with that happiness, and they know nothing else.
Adi 6.107
TEXT 107
anyera Achuk kArya, Apane zrI-kRSNa
Apana-mAdhurya-pAne ha-ilA satRSNa

anyera—of others; Achuk—let be; kArya—the business; Apane—personally;
zrI-kRSNa—Lord zrI KRSNa; Apana-mAdhurya—personal sweetness; pAne—in
drinking; ha-ilA—became; sa-tRSNa—very eager.
TRANSLATION
What to speak of others, even Lord KRSNa Himself becomes thirsty to taste His
own sweetness.
Adi 6.108
TEXT 108
svA-mAdhurya AsvAdite karena yatana
bhakta-bhAva vinu nahe tAhA AsvAdana

svA-mAdhurya—the sweetness of Himself; AsvAdite—to taste; karena
yatana—makes endeavors; bhakta-bhAva—the emotion of being a devotee;
vinu—without; nahe—there is not; tAhA—that; AsvAdana—tasting.
TRANSLATION
He tries to taste His own sweetness, but He cannot do so without accepting
the emotions of a devotee.
PURPORT
Lord zrI KRSNa wanted to relish the transcendental mellow of a devotee, and
therefore He accepted the role of a devotee by appearing as zrI KRSNa
Caitanya MahAprabhu.
Adi 6.109
TEXT 109
bhakta-bhAva a~NgIkari’ hailA avatIrNa
zrI-kRSNa-caitanya-rUpe sarva-bhAve pUrNa

bhakta-bhAva—the ecstasy of being a devotee; a~NgIkari’—accepting; hailA—
became; avatIrNa—incarnated; zrI-kRSNa-caitanya-rUpe—in the form of Lord
zrI KRSNa Caitanya; sarva-bhAve pUrNa—complete in every respect.
TRANSLATION
Therefore Lord KRSNa accepted the position of a devotee and descended in
the form of Lord Caitanya, who is complete in every respect.
Adi 6.110
TEXT 110
nAnA-bhakta-bhAve karena sva-mAdhurya pAna
pUrve kariyAchi ei siddhAnta vyAkhyAna

nAnA-bhakta-bhAve—various emotions of a devotee; karena—does; sva-
mAdhurya pAna—drinking the sweetness of Himself; pUrve—formerly;
kariyAchi—I discussed; ei—this; siddhAnta—conclusion; vyAkhyAna—the
explanation.
TRANSLATION
He tastes His own sweetness through the various emotions of a devotee. I
have formerly explained this conclusion.
PURPORT
Lord Caitanya, who is known as zrI Gaurahari, is complete in relishing all the
different mellows, namely neutrality, servitorship, fraternity, parental
affection and conjugal love. By accepting the ecstasy of different grades of
devotees, He is complete in relishing all the mellows of these relationships.
Adi 6.111
TEXT 111
avatAra-gaNera bhakta-bhAve adhikAra
bhakta-bhAva haite adhika sukha nAhi Ara

avatAra-gaNera—of all the incarnations; bhakta-bhAve—in the emotion of a
devotee; adhikAra—there is the right; bhakta-bhAva—the emotion of being a
devotee; haite—than; adhika—greater; sukha—happiness; nAhi—not; Ara—
any other.
TRANSLATION
All the incarnations are entitled to the emotions of devotees. There is no
higher bliss than this.
PURPORT
All the different incarnations of Lord ViSNu have the right to play the roles of
servitors of Lord KRSNa by descending as devotees. When an incarnation gives
up the understanding of His Godhood and plays the part of a servitor, He
enjoys a greater taste of transcendental mellows than when He plays the part
of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Adi 6.112
TEXT 112
mUla bhakta-avatAra zrI-sa~NkarSaNa
bhakta-avatAra ta~Nhi advaite gaNana

mUla—original; bhakta—of a devotee; avatAra—incarnation; zrI-
sa~NkarSaNa—Lord zrI Sa~NkarSaNa; bhakta-avatAra—the incarnation of a
devotee; ta~Nhi—as that; advaite—Advaita AcArya; gaNana—counting.
TRANSLATION
The original bhakta-avatAra is Sa~NkarSaNa. zrI Advaita is counted among such
incarnations.
PURPORT
Although zrI Advaita Prabhu belongs to the ViSNu category, He displays
servitorship to Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu as one of His associates. When
Lord ViSNu appears as a servitor, He is called an incarnation of a devotee of
Lord KRSNa. zrI Sa~NkarSaNa, who is an incarnation of ViSNu in the spiritual sky
known as the greater VaikuNTha, is the chief of the quadruple incarnations and
is the original incarnation of a devotee. Lord MahA-ViSNu, who is lying on the
Causal Ocean, is a manifestation of Sa~NkarSaNa. He is the original Personality
of Godhead who glances over the material and efficient causes of the cosmic
manifestation. Advaita Prabhu is accepted as an incarnation of MahA-ViSNu.
All the plenary manifestations of Sa~NkarSaNa are indirect expansions of Lord
KRSNa. That consideration also makes Advaita Prabhu an eternal servitor of
Gaura KRSNa. Therefore He is accepted as a devotee incarnation.
Adi 6.113
TEXT 113
advaita-AcArya gosA~nira mahimA apAra
yA~NhAra hu~NkAre kaila caitanyAvatAra

advaita-AcArya—Advaita AcArya; gosA~nira—of the Lord; mahimA apAra—
unlimited glories; yA~NhAra—of whom; hu~NkAre—by the vibration; kaila—
brought; caitanya-avatAra—the incarnation of Lord Caitanya.
TRANSLATION
The glories of zrI Advaita AcArya are boundless, for His sincere vibrations
brought about Lord Caitanya’s descent upon this earth.
Adi 6.114
TEXT 114
sa~NkIrtana pracAriyA saba jagat tArila
advaita-prasAde loka prema-dhana pAila

sa~NkIrtana pracAriyA—by preaching the cult of sa~NkIrtana; saba—all; jagat—
the universe; tArila—delivered; advaita-prasAde—by the mercy of Advaita
AcArya; loka—all people; prema-dhana pAila—received the treasure of loving
God.
TRANSLATION
He liberated the universe by preaching sa~NkIrtana. Thus the people of the
world received the treasure of love of Godhead through the mercy of zrI
Advaita.
Adi 6.115
TEXT 115
advaita-mahimA ananta ke pAre kahite
sei likhi, yei zuni mahAjana haite

advaita-mahimA—the glories of Advaita AcArya; ananta—unlimited; ke—
who; pAre—is able; kahite—to say; sei—that; likhi—I write; yei—whatever;
zuni—I hear; mahAjana haite—from authority.
TRANSLATION
Who can describe the unlimited glories of Advaita AcArya? I write here as
much as I have known from great authorities.
Adi 6.116
TEXT 116
AcArya-caraNe mora koTi namaskAra
ithe kichu aparAdha nA labe AmAra

AcArya-caraNe—at the lotus feet of Advaita AcArya; mora—my; koTi
namaskAra—offering obeisances ten million times; ithe—in this connection;
kichu—some; aparAdha—offense; nA labe—please do not take; AmAra—my.
TRANSLATION
I offer my obeisances ten million times to the lotus feet of zrI Advaita AcArya.
Please do not take offense at this.
Adi 6.117
TEXT 117
tomAra mahimA——koTi-samudra agAdha
tAhAra iyattA kahi,——e baòa aparAdha

tomAra mahimA—Your glories; koTi-samudra agAdha—as unfathomable as
the millions of seas and oceans; tAhAra—of that; iyattA—the measure; kahi—
I say; e—this; baòa—great; aparAdha—offense.
TRANSLATION
Your glories are as fathomless as millions of oceans and seas. Speaking of its
measure is a great offense indeed.
Adi 6.118
TEXT 118
jaya jaya jaya zrI-advaita AcArya
jaya jaya zrI-caitanya, nityAnanda Arya

jaya jaya—all glories; jaya—all glories; zrI-advaita AcArya—to zrI Advaita
AcArya; jaya jaya—all glories; zrI-caitanya—to Lord zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu; nityAnanda—Lord NityAnanda; Arya—the superior.
TRANSLATION
All glories, all glories to zrI Advaita AcArya! All glories to Lord Caitanya
MahAprabhu and the superior Lord NityAnanda!
Adi 6.119
TEXT 119
dui zloke kahila advaita-tattva-nirUpaNa
pa~nca-tattvera vicAra kichu zuna, bhakta-gaNa

dui zloke—in two verses; kahila—described; advaita—Advaita; tattva-
nirUpaNa—ascertaining the truth; pa~nca-tattvera—of the five truths;
vicAra—consideration; kichu—something; zuna—please hear; bhakta-gaNa—
O devotees.
TRANSLATION
Thus in two verses I have described the truth concerning Advaita AcArya.
Now, O devotees, please hear about the five truths [pa~nca-tattva].
Adi 6.120
TEXT 120
zrI-rUpa-raghunAtha-pade yAra Aza
caitanya-caritAmRta kahe kRSNadAsa

agati—of the most fallen; eka—the only one; gatim—destination; natvA—
after offering obeisances; hIna—inferior; artha—interest; adhika—greater
than that; sAdhakam—who can render; zrI-caitanyam—unto Lord zrI
Caitanya; likhyate—is being written; asya—of the Lord, zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu; prema—love; bhakti—devotional service; vadAnyatA—
magnanimity.
TRANSLATION
Let me first offer my respectful obeisances unto Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu,
who is the ultimate goal of life for one bereft of all possessions in this material
world and is the only meaning for one advancing in spiritual life. Thus let me
write about His magnanimous contribution of devotional service in love of
God.
PURPORT
A person in the conditioned stage of material existence is in an atmosphere of
helplessness, but the conditioned soul, under the illusion of mAyA, or the
external energy, thinks that he is completely protected by his country,
society, friendship and love, not knowing that at the time of death none of
these can save him. The laws of material nature are so strong that none of our
material possessions can save us from the cruel hands of death. In the
Bhagavad-gItA (13.9) it is stated, janma-mRtyu-jarA-vyAdhi-duHkha-
doSAnudarzanam: one who is actually advancing must always consider the
four principles of miserable life, namely, birth, death, old age and disease. One
cannot be saved from all these miseries unless he takes shelter of the lotus
feet of the Lord. zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu is therefore the only shelter for all
conditioned souls. An intelligent person, therefore, does not put his faith in
any material possessions, but completely takes shelter of the lotus feet of the
Lord. Such a person is called aki~ncana, or one who does not possess anything
in this material world. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is also known as
Aki~ncana-gocara, for He can be achieved by a person who does not put his
faith in material possessions. Therefore, for the fully surrendered soul who has
no material possessions on which to depend, Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu is
the only shelter.
Everyone depends upon dharma (religiosity), artha (economic development),
kAma (sense gratification) and ultimately mokSa (salvation), but zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu, due to His magnanimous character, can give more than
salvation. Therefore in this verse the words hInArthAdhika-sAdhakam indicate
that although by material estimation salvation is of a quality superior to the
inferior interests of religiosity, economic development and sense gratification,
above salvation there is the position of devotional service and transcendental
love for the Supreme Personality of Godhead. zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu is the
bestower of this great benediction. zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu said, premA
pum-artho mahAn: “Love of Godhead is the ultimate benediction for all
human beings.” zrIla KRSNadAsa KavirAja GosvAmI, the author of zrI Caitanya-
caritAmRta, therefore first offers his respectful obeisances unto Lord Caitanya
MahAprabhu before describing His magnanimity in bestowing love of
Godhead.
Adi 7.2
TEXT 2
jaya jaya mahAprabhu zrI-kRSNa-caitanya
tA~NhAra caraNAzrita, sei baòa dhanya

jaya—all glories; jaya—all glories; mahAprabhu—unto the Supreme Lord; zrI-
kRSNa-caitanya—zrI KRSNa Caitanya; tA~NhAra—of His; caraNa-Azrita—one
who has taken shelter of the lotus feet; sei—he; baòa—is very much;
dhanya—glorified.
TRANSLATION
Let me offer glorification to the Supreme Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu. One
who has taken shelter of His lotus feet is the most glorified person.
PURPORT
Prabhu means master. zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu is the supreme master of all
masters; therefore He is called MahAprabhu. Any person who takes shelter of
zrI KRSNa Caitanya MahAprabhu is most glorified because by the mercy of zrI
Caitanya MahAprabhu he is able to get promotion to the platform of loving
service to the Lord, which is transcendental to salvation.
Adi 7.3
TEXT 3
pUrve gurv-Adi chaya tattve kaila namaskAra
guru-tattva kahiyAchi, ebe pA~Ncera vicAra

pUrve—in the beginning; guru-Adi—the spiritual master and others; chaya—
six; tattve—in the subjects of; kaila—I have done; namaskAra—obeisances;
guru-tattva—the truth in understanding the spiritual master; kahiyAchi—I
have already described; ebe—now; pA~Ncera—of the five; vicAra—
consideration.
TRANSLATION
In the beginning I have discussed the truth about the spiritual master. Now I
shall try to explain the Pa~nca-tattva.
PURPORT
In the First Chapter of the Caitanya-caritAmRta, Adi-lIlA, the author, zrIla
KRSNadAsa KavirAja GosvAmI, has described the initiator spiritual master and
the instructor spiritual master in the verse beginning with the words vande
gurUn Iza-bhaktAn Izam IzAvatArakAn [Cc. Adi 1.1]. In that verse there are six
transcendental subject matters, of which the truth regarding the spiritual
master has already been described. Now the author will describe the other
five tattvas (truths), namely, Iza-tattva (the Supreme Lord), His expansion
tattva, His incarnation tattva, His energy tattva and His devotee tattva.
Adi 7.4
TEXT 4
pa~nca-tattva avatIrNa caitanyera sa~Nge
pa~nca-tattva la~nA karena sa~NkIrtana ra~Nge

pa~nca-tattva—these five tattvas; avatIrNa—advented; caitanyera—with
Caitanya MahAprabhu; sa~Nge—in company with; pa~nca-tattva—the same
five subjects; la~nA—taking with Himself; karena—He does; sa~NkIrtana—the
sa~NkIrtana movement; ra~Nge—in great pleasure.
TRANSLATION
These five tattvas incarnate with Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu, and thus the
Lord executes His sa~NkIrtana movement with great pleasure.
PURPORT
In zrImad-BhAgavatam (11.5.32) there is the following statement regarding zrI
Caitanya MahAprabhu:
kRSNa-varNaà tviSAkRSNaà sA~NgopA~NgAstra-pArSadam
yaj~naiH sa~NkIrtana-prAyair yajanti hi su-medhasaH
“In the Age of Kali, people who are endowed with sufficient intelligence will
worship the Lord, who is accompanied by His associates, by performance of
the sa~NkIrtana-yaj~na.” zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu is always accompanied by His
plenary expansion zrI NityAnanda Prabhu, His incarnation zrI Advaita Prabhu,
His internal potency zrI GadAdhara Prabhu and His marginal potency zrIvAsa
Prabhu. He is in the midst of them as the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
One should know that zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu is always accompanied by
these other tattvas. Therefore our obeisances to zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu are
complete when we say zrI-kRSNa-caitanya prabhu-nityAnanda zrI-advaita
gadAdhara zrIvAsAdi-gaura-bhakta-vRnda. As preachers of the KRSNa
consciousness movement, we first offer our obeisances to zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu by chanting this Pa~nca-tattva mantra; then we say Hare KRSNa,
Hare KRSNa, KRSNa KRSNa, Hare Hare/ Hare RAma, Hare RAma, RAma RAma,
Hare Hare. There are ten offenses in the chanting of the Hare KRSNa mahA-
mantra, but these are not considered in the chanting of the Pa~nca-tattva
mantra, namely, zrI-kRSNa-caitanya prabhu-nityAnanda zrI-advaita gadAdhara
zrIvAsAdi-gaura-bhakta-vRnda. zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu is known as mahA-
vadAnyAvatAra, the most magnanimous incarnation, for He does not consider
the offenses of the fallen souls. Thus to derive the full benefit of the chanting
of the mahA-mantra (Hare KRSNa, Hare KRSNa, KRSNa KRSNa, Hare Hare/ Hare
RAma, Hare RAma, RAma RAma, Hare Hare), we must first take shelter of zrI
Caitanya MahAprabhu, learn the Pa~nca-tattva mahA-mantra, and then chant
the Hare KRSNa mahA-mantra. That will be very effective.
Taking advantage of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu, many unscrupulous devotees
manufacture a mahA-mantra of their own. Sometimes they sing bhaja nitAi
gaura rAdhe zyAma hare kRSNa hare rAma or zrI-kRSNa-caitanya prabhu-
nityAnanda hare kRSNa hare rAma zrI-rAdhe govinda. Actually, however, one
should chant the names of the full Pa~nca-tattva (zrI-kRSNa-caitanya prabhu-
nityAnanda zrI-advaita gadAdhara zrIvAsAdi-gaura-bhakta-vRnda) and then the
sixteen words Hare KRSNa, Hare KRSNa, KRSNa KRSNa, Hare Hare/ Hare RAma,
Hare RAma, RAma RAma, Hare Hare. But these unscrupulous, less intelligent
men confuse the entire process. Of course, since they are also devotees they
can express their feelings in that way, but the method prescribed by zrI
Caitanya MahAprabhu’s pure devotees is to first chant the full Pa~nca-tattva
mantra and then chant the mahA-mantra—Hare KRSNa, Hare KRSNa, KRSNa
KRSNa, Hare Hare/ Hare RAma, Hare RAma, RAma RAma, Hare Hare.
Adi 7.5
TEXT 5
pa~nca-tattva——eka-vastu, nAhi kichu bheda
rasa AsvAdite tabu vividha vibheda

pa~nca-tattva—the five subjects; eka-vastu—they are one in five; nAhi—
there is not; kichu—anything; bheda—difference; rasa—mellows; AsvAdite—
to taste; tabu—yet; vividha—varieties; vibheda—differences.
TRANSLATION
Spiritually there are no differences between these five tattvas, for on the
transcendental platform everything is absolute. Yet there are also varieties in
the spiritual world, and in order to taste these spiritual varieties one should
distinguish between them.
PURPORT
In his AnubhASya commentary zrI BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI ThAkura describes
the Pa~nca-tattva as follows: The supreme energetic, the Personality of
Godhead, manifesting in order to enjoy five kinds of pastimes, appears as the
members of the Pa~nca-tattva. Actually there is no difference between them
because they are situated on the absolute platform, but they manifest
different spiritual varieties as a challenge to the impersonalists to taste
different kinds of spiritual humors (rasas). In the Vedas it is said, parAsya zaktir
vividhaiva zrUyate: “The varieties of energy of the Supreme Personality of
Godhead are differently known.” From this statement of the Vedas one can
understand that there are eternal varieties of humors, or tastes, in the spiritual
world. zrI GaurA~Nga, zrI NityAnanda, zrI Advaita, zrI GadAdhara and zrIvAsa
ThAkura are all on the same platform, but in spiritually distinguishing between
them one should understand that zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu is the form of a
devotee, NityAnanda Prabhu appears in the form of a devotee’s spiritual
master, Advaita Prabhu is the form of a bhakta (devotee) incarnation,
GadAdhara Prabhu is the energy of a bhakta, and zrIvAsa ThAkura is a pure
devotee. Thus there are spiritual distinctions between them. The bhakta-rUpa
(zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu), the bhakta-svarUpa (zrI NityAnanda Prabhu) and
the bhakta-avatAra (zrI Advaita Prabhu) are described as the Supreme
Personality of Godhead Himself, His immediate manifestation and His plenary
expansion, and They all belong to the ViSNu category. Although the spiritual
and marginal energies of the Supreme Personality of Godhead are
nondifferent from the Supreme Personality of Godhead ViSNu, they are
predominated subjects, whereas Lord ViSNu is the predominator. As such,
although they are on the same platform, they have appeared differently in
order to facilitate tasting of transcendental mellows. Actually, however, there
is no possibility of one being different from the other, for the worshiper and
the worshipable cannot be separated at any stage. On the absolute platform,
one cannot be understood without the other.
Adi 7.6
TEXT 6
pa~nca-tattvAtmakaà kRSNaà
bhakta-rUpa-svarUpakam
bhaktAvatAraà bhaktAkhyaà
namAmi bhakta-zaktikam

pa~nca-tattva-Atmakam—comprehending the five transcendental subject
matters; kRSNam—unto Lord KRSNa; bhakta-rUpa—in the form of a devotee;
svarUpakam—in the expansion of a devotee; bhakta-avatAram—in the
incarnation of a devotee; bhakta-Akhyam—known as a devotee; namAmi—I
offer my obeisances; bhakta-zaktikam—the energy of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead.
TRANSLATION
Let me offer my obeisances unto Lord zrI KRSNa, who has manifested Himself
in five as a devotee, expansion of a devotee, incarnation of a devotee, pure
devotee and devotional energy.
PURPORT
zrI NityAnanda Prabhu is the immediate expansion of zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu as His brother. He is the personified spiritual bliss of sac-cid-
Ananda-vigraha [Bs. 5.1]. His body is transcendental and full of ecstasy in
devotional service. zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu is therefore called bhakta-rUpa
(the form of a devotee), and zrI NityAnanda Prabhu is called bhakta-svarUpa
(the expansion of a devotee). zrI Advaita Prabhu, the incarnation of a
devotee, is viSNu-tattva and belongs to the same category. There are also
different types of bhaktas, or devotees, on the platforms of neutrality,
servitude, friendship, parenthood and conjugal love. Devotees like zrI
DAmodara, zrI GadAdhara and zrI RAmAnanda are different energies. This
confirms the Vedic sUtra parAsya zaktir vividhaiva zrUyate. All these bhakta
subjects taken together constitute zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu, who is KRSNa
Himself.
Adi 7.7
TEXT 7
svayaà bhagavAn kRSNa ekale Izvara
advitIya, nandAtmaja, rasika-zekhara

svayam—Himself; bhagavAn—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; kRSNa—
Lord KRSNa; ekale—the only one; Izvara—the supreme controller; advitIya—
without a second; nanda-Atmaja—appeared as the son of MahArAja Nanda;
rasika—enjoyer of mellows; zekhara—summit.
TRANSLATION
KRSNa, the reservoir of all pleasure, is the Supreme Personality of Godhead
Himself, the supreme controller. No one is greater than or equal to zrI KRSNa,
yet He appears as the son of MahArAja Nanda.
PURPORT
In this verse KavirAja GosvAmI gives an accurate description of Lord KRSNa,
the Supreme Personality of Godhead, by stating that although no one is equal
to or greater than Him and He is the reservoir of all spiritual pleasure, He
nevertheless appears as the son of MahArAja Nanda and YazodAmayI.
Adi 7.8
TEXT 8
rAsAdi-vilAsI, vrajalalanA-nAgara
Ara yata saba dekha,——tA~Nra parikara

rAsa-Adi—the rAsa dance; vilAsI—the enjoyer; vraja-lalanA—the damsels of
VRndAvana; nAgara—the leader; Ara—others; yata—all; saba—everyone;
dekha—must know; tA~Nra—His; parikara—associates.
TRANSLATION
Lord zrI KRSNa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is the supreme enjoyer in
the rAsa dance. He is the leader of the damsels of Vraja, and all others are
simply His associates.
PURPORT
The word rAsAdi-vilAsI (“the enjoyer of the rAsa dance”) is very important. The
rAsa dance can be enjoyed only by zrI KRSNa because He is the supreme leader
and chief of the damsels of VRndAvana. All others are His devotees and
associates. Although no one can compare with zrI KRSNa, the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, there are many unscrupulous rascals who imitate the
rAsa dance of zrI KRSNa. They are MAyAvAdIs, and people should be wary of
them. The rAsa dance can be performed only by zrI KRSNa and no one else.
Adi 7.9
TEXT 9
sei kRSNa avatIrNa zrI-kRSNa-caitanya
sei parikara-gaNa sa~Nge saba dhanya

sei kRSNa—that very Lord KRSNa; avatIrNa—has advented; zrI-kRSNa-
caitanya—in the form of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu; sei—those; parikara-
gaNa—associates; sa~Nge—with Him; saba—all; dhanya—glorious.
TRANSLATION
The selfsame Lord KRSNa advented Himself as zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu with
all His eternal associates, who are also equally glorious.
Adi 7.10
TEXT 10
ekale Izvara-tattva caitanya-Izvara
bhakta-bhAvamaya tA~Nra zuddha kalevara

ekale—only one person; Izvara-tattva—the supreme controller; caitanya—
the supreme living force; Izvara—controller; bhakta-bhAva-maya—in the
ecstasy of a devotee; tA~Nra—His; zuddha—transcendental; kalevara—body.
TRANSLATION
zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu, who is the supreme controller, the one Personality
of Godhead, has ecstatically become a devotee, yet His body is
transcendental and not materially tinged.
PURPORT
There are different tattvas, or truths, including Iza-tattva, jIva-tattva and
zakti-tattva. Iza-tattva refers to the Supreme Personality of Godhead ViSNu,
who is the supreme living force. In the KaTha UpaniSad it is said, nityo
nityAnAà cetanaz cetanAnAm: the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the
supreme eternal and the supreme living force. The living entities are also
eternal and are also living forces, but they are very minute in quantity,
whereas the Supreme Lord is the supreme living force and the supreme
eternal. The supreme eternal never accepts a body of a temporary material
nature, whereas the living entities, who are part and parcel of the supreme
eternal, are prone to do so. Thus according to the Vedic mantras the Supreme
Lord is the supreme master of innumerable living entities.
The MAyAvAdI philosophers, however, try to equate the minute living entities
with the supreme living entity. Because they recognize no distinctions
between them, their philosophy is called Advaita-vAda, or monism. Factually,
however, there is a distinction. This verse is especially meant to impart to the
MAyAvAdI philosopher the understanding that the Supreme Personality of
Godhead is the supreme controller. The supreme controller, the Personality of
Godhead, is KRSNa Himself, but as a transcendental pastime He has accepted
the form of a devotee, Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu.
As stated in the Bhagavad-gItA, when the Supreme Personality of Godhead
KRSNa comes to this planet exactly like a human being, some rascals consider
Him to be one of the ordinary humans. One who thinks in that mistaken way
is described as mUòha, or foolish. Therefore one should not foolishly consider
Caitanya MahAprabhu to be an ordinary human being. He has accepted the
ecstasy of a devotee, but He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Since
the time of Caitanya MahAprabhu, there have been many imitation
incarnations of KRSNa who cannot understand that Caitanya MahAprabhu is
KRSNa Himself and not an ordinary human being. Less intelligent men create
their own “Gods” by advertising a human being as God. This is their mistake.
Therefore here the words tA~Nra zuddha kalevara warn that Caitanya
MahAprabhu’s body is not material but purely spiritual. One should not,
therefore, accept Caitanya MahAprabhu as an ordinary devotee, although He
has assumed the form of a devotee. Yet one must certainly know that
although Caitanya MahAprabhu is the Supreme Personality of Godhead,
because He accepted the ecstasy of a devotee one should not misunderstand
His pastimes and place Him in exactly the same position as KRSNa. It is for this
reason only that when zrI KRSNa Caitanya MahAprabhu was addressed as
KRSNa or ViSNu He blocked His ears, not wanting to hear Himself addressed as
the Supreme Personality of Godhead. There is a class of devotees called
GaurA~Nga-nAgarI, who stage plays of KRSNa’s pastimes using a vigraha, or
form, of Caitanya MahAprabhu. This is a mistake that is technically called
rasAbhAsa. While Caitanya MahAprabhu is trying to enjoy as a devotee, one
should not disturb Him by addressing Him as the Supreme Personality of
Godhead.
Adi 7.11
TEXT 11
kRSNa-mAdhuryera eka adbhuta svabhAva
ApanA AsvAdite kRSNa kare bhakta-bhAva

kRSNa-mAdhuryera—the supreme pleasure potency of KRSNa; eka—is one;
adbhuta—wonderful; svabhAva—nature; ApanA—Himself; AsvAdite—to
taste; kRSNa—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; kare—does; bhakta-
bhAva—accept the form of a devotee.
TRANSLATION
The transcendental mellow of conjugal love of KRSNa is so wonderful that
KRSNa Himself accepts the form of a devotee to relish and taste it fully.
PURPORT
Although KRSNa is the reservoir of all pleasure, He has a special intention to
taste Himself by accepting the form of a devotee. It is to be concluded that
although Lord Caitanya is present in the form of a devotee, He is KRSNa
Himself. Therefore VaiSNavas sing, zrI-kRSNa-caitanya rAdhA-kRSNa nahe anya:
“RAdhA and KRSNa combined together are zrI KRSNa Caitanya MahAprabhu.”
And as zrI SvarUpa DAmodara GosvAmI has said, caitanyAkhyaà prakaTam
adhunA tad-dvayaà caikyam Aptam: RAdhA and KRSNa assumed oneness in
the form of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu.
Adi 7.12
TEXT 12
ithe bhakta-bhAva dhare caitanya gosA~ni
‘bhakta-svarUpa’ tA~Nra nityAnanda-bhAi

ithe—for this reason; bhakta-bhAva—the ecstasy of a devotee; dhare—
accepts; caitanya—Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu; gosA~ni—the transcendental
teacher; bhakta-svarUpa—exactly like a pure devotee; tA~Nra—His;
nityAnanda—Lord NityAnanda; bhAi—brother.
TRANSLATION
For this reason zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu, the supreme teacher, accepts the
form of a devotee and accepts Lord NityAnanda as His elder brother.
Adi 7.13
TEXT 13
‘bhakta-avatAra’ tA~Nra AcArya-gosA~ni
ei tina tattva sabe prabhu kari’ gAi

bhakta-avatAra—incarnation as a devotee; tA~Nra—His; AcArya-gosA~ni—the
supreme teacher, Advaita AcArya Prabhu; ei—all these; tina—three; tattva—
truths; sabe—all; prabhu—the predominator; kari’—by such understanding;
gAi—we sing.
TRANSLATION
zrI Advaita AcArya is Lord Caitanya’s incarnation as a devotee. Therefore
these three tattvas [Caitanya MahAprabhu, NityAnanda Prabhu and Advaita
GosA~ni] are the predominators, or masters.
PURPORT
GosA~ni means gosvAmI. A person who has full control over the senses and
mind is called a gosvAmI or gosA~ni. One who does not have such control is
called a godAsa, or a servant of the senses, and cannot become a spiritual
master. A spiritual master who actually has control over the mind and senses
is called GosvAmI. Although the GosvAmI title has become a hereditary
designation for unscrupulous men, actually the title GosA~ni, or GosvAmI,
began from zrI RUpa GosvAmI, who presented himself as an ordinary gRhastha
and minister in government service but became a gosvAmI when he was
actually elevated by the instruction of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu. Therefore
GosvAmI is not a hereditary title but refers to one’s qualifications. When one is
highly elevated in spiritual advancement, regardless of wherefrom he comes,
he may be called GosvAmI. zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu, zrI NityAnanda Prabhu
and zrI Advaita GosA~ni Prabhu are natural gosvAmIs because They belong to
the viSNu-tattva category. As such, all of Them are prabhus (“predominators”
or “masters”), and They are sometimes called Caitanya GosA~ni, NityAnanda
GosA~ni and Advaita GosA~ni. Unfortunately, Their so-called descendants who
do not have the qualifications of gosvAmIs have accepted this title as a
hereditary designation or a professional degree. That is not in accord with the
zAstric injunctions.
Adi 7.14
TEXT 14
eka mahAprabhu, Ara prabhu duijana
dui prabhu seve mahAprabhura caraNa

eka mahAprabhu—one MahAprabhu, or the supreme predominator; Ara
prabhu duijana—and the other two (NityAnanda and Advaita) are two
prabhus (masters); dui prabhu—the two prabhus (NityAnanda and Advaita
GosA~ni); seve—serve; mahAprabhura—of the supreme predominator, Lord
Caitanya MahAprabhu; caraNa—the lotus feet.
TRANSLATION
One of Them is MahAprabhu, and the other two are prabhus. These two
prabhus serve the lotus feet of MahAprabhu.
PURPORT
Although zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu, zrI NityAnanda Prabhu and zrI Advaita
Prabhu all belong to the same ViSNu category, zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu is
nevertheless accepted as the Supreme, and the other two prabhus engage in
His transcendental loving service to teach ordinary living entities that every
one of us is subordinate to zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu. In another place in the
Caitanya-caritAmRta (Adi 5.142) it is said, ekale Izvara kRSNa, Ara saba bhRtya:
the only supreme master is KRSNa, and all others, both viSNu-tattva and jIva-
tattva, engage in the service of the Lord. Both the viSNu-tattva (as
NityAnanda Prabhu and Advaita) and the jIva-tattva (zrIvAsAdi-gaura-bhakta-
vRnda) engage in the service of the Lord, but one must distinguish between
the viSNu-tattva servitors and the jIva-tattva servitors. The jIva-tattva
servitor, the spiritual master, is actually the servitor God. As explained in
previous verses, in the absolute world there are no such differences, yet one
must observe these differences in order to distinguish the Supreme from His
subordinates.
Adi 7.15
TEXT 15
ei tina tattva,——‘sarvArAdhya’ kari mAni
caturtha ye bhakta-tattva,——‘ArAdhaka’ jAni

ei tina tattva—all three of these truths; sarva-ArAdhya—worshipable by all
living entities; kari mAni—accepting such; caturtha—fourth; ye—who is;
bhakta-tattva—in the category of devotees; ArAdhaka—worshiper; jAni—I
understand.
TRANSLATION
The three predominators [Caitanya MahAprabhu, NityAnanda Prabhu and
Advaita Prabhu] are worshipable by all living entities, and the fourth principle
[zrI GadAdhara Prabhu] is to be understood as Their worshiper.
PURPORT
In his AnubhASya, zrI BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI ThAkura, describing the truth
about the Pa~nca-tattva, explains that we should understand that Lord zrI
Caitanya MahAprabhu is the supreme predominator and that NityAnanda
Prabhu and Advaita Prabhu are His subordinates but are also predominators.
Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu is the Supreme Lord, and NityAnanda Prabhu
and Advaita Prabhu are manifestations of the Supreme Lord. All of Them are
viSNu-tattva, the Supreme, and are therefore worshipable by the living
entities. Although the other two tattvas within the category of Pa~nca-
tattva—namely, zakti-tattva and jIva-tattva, represented by GadAdhara and
zrIvAsa—are worshipers of the Supreme Lord, they are in the same category
because they eternally engage in the transcendental loving service of the
Lord.
Adi 7.16
TEXT 16
zrIvAsAdi yata koTi koTi bhakta-gaNa
‘zuddha-bhakta’-tattva-madhye tA~N-sabAra gaNana

zrIvAsa-Adi—devotees headed by zrIvAsa ThAkura; yata—all others; koTi
koTi—innumerable; bhakta-gaNa—devotees; zuddha-bhakta—pure devotees;
tattva-madhye—in the truth; tA~N-sabAra—all of them; gaNana—counted.
TRANSLATION
There are innumerable pure devotees of the Lord, headed by zrIvAsa ThAkura,
who are known as unalloyed devotees.
Adi 7.17
TEXT 17
gadAdhara-paNòitAdi prabhura ‘zakti’-avatAra
‘antara~Nga-bhakta’ kari’ gaNana yA~NhAra

gadAdhara—GadAdhara; paNòita—of the learned scholar; Adi—headed by;
prabhura—of the Lord; zakti—potency; avatAra—incarnation; antara~Nga—
very confidential; bhakta—devotee; kari’—accepting; gaNana—counting;
yA~NhAra—of whom.
TRANSLATION
The devotees headed by GadAdhara PaNòita are to be considered incarnations
of the internal potency of the Lord. They are confidential devotees engaged in
the service of the Lord.
PURPORT
In connection with verses 16 and 17, zrI BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI ThAkura
explains in his AnubhASya: “There are specific symptoms by which the internal
devotees and the unalloyed or pure devotees are to be known. All unalloyed
devotees are zakti-tattvas, or potencies of the Lord. Some of them are
situated in conjugal love and others in filial affection, fraternity and servitude.
Certainly all of them are devotees, but by making a comparative study it is
found that the devotees or potencies who are engaged in conjugal love are
better situated than the others. Thus devotees who are in a relationship with
the Supreme Personality of Godhead in conjugal love are considered to be the
most confidential devotees of Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu. Those who
engage in the service of Lord NityAnanda Prabhu and Lord Advaita Prabhu
generally have relationships of parental love, fraternity, servitude and
neutrality. When such devotees develop great attachment for zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu, they too become situated within the intimate circle of devotees
in conjugal love.” This gradual development of devotional service is described
by zrI Narottama dAsa ThAkura as follows:
gaurA~Nga balite habe pulaka zarIra
hari hari balite nayane ba’be nIra
Ara kabe nitAicA~Nda karuNA karibe
saàsAra-vAsanA mora kabe tuccha habe
viSaya chAòiyA kabe zuddha habe mana
kabe hAma heraba zrI-vRndAvana
rUpa-raghunAtha-pade ha-ibe Akuti
kabe hAma bujhaba zrI-yugala-pirIti
“When will there be eruptions on my body as soon as I chant the name of
Lord Caitanya, and when will there be incessant torrents of tears as soon as I
chant the holy names Hare KRSNa? When will Lord NityAnanda be merciful
toward me and free me from all desires for material enjoyment? When will my
mind be completely freed from all contamination of desires for material
pleasure? Only at that time will it be possible for me to understand
VRndAvana. Only if I become attached to the instructions given by the six
GosvAmIs, headed by RUpa GosvAmI and RaghunAtha dAsa GosvAmI, will it be
possible for me to understand the conjugal love of RAdhA and KRSNa.” By
attachment to the devotional service of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu, one
immediately comes to the ecstatic position. When he develops his love for
NityAnanda Prabhu he is freed from all attachment to the material world, and
at that time he becomes eligible to understand the Lord’s pastimes in
VRndAvana. In that condition, when one develops his love for the six
GosvAmIs, he can understand the conjugal love between RAdhA and KRSNa.
These are the different stages of a pure devotee’s promotion to conjugal love
in the service of RAdhA and KRSNa in an intimate relationship with zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu.
Adi 7.18-19
TEXTS 18–19
yA~N-sabA la~nA prabhura nitya vihAra
yA~N-sabA la~nA prabhura kIrtana-pracAra
yA~N-sabA la~nA karena prema AsvAdana
yA~N-sabA la~nA dAna kare prema-dhana

yA~N-sabA—all; la~nA—taking company; prabhura—of the Lord; nitya—
eternal; vihAra—pastime; yA~N-sabA—all those who are; la~nA—taking
company; prabhura—of the Lord; kIrtana—sa~NkIrtana; pracAra—movement;
yA~N-sabA—persons with whom; la~nA—in accompaniment; karena—He does;
prema—love of God; AsvAdana—taste; yA~N-sabA—those who are; la~nA—in
accompaniment; dAna kare—gives in charity; prema-dhana—love of
Godhead.
TRANSLATION
The internal devotees or potencies are all eternal associates in the pastimes of
the Lord. Only with them does the Lord advent to propound the sa~NkIrtana
movement, only with them does the Lord taste the mellow of conjugal love,
and only with them does He distribute this love of God to people in general.
PURPORT
Distinguishing between pure devotees and internal or confidential devotees,
zrI RUpa GosvAmI, in his book UpadezAmRta, traces the following gradual
process of development. Out of many thousands of karmIs, one is better
when he is situated in perfect Vedic knowledge. Out of many such learned
scholars and philosophers, one who is actually liberated from material
bondage is better, and out of many such persons who are actually liberated,
one who is a devotee of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is considered to
be the best. Among the many such transcendental lovers of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, the gopIs are the best, and among the gopIs zrImatI
RAdhikA is the best. zrImatI RAdhikA is very dear to Lord KRSNa, and similarly
Her ponds, namely, zyAma-kuNòa and RAdhA-kuNòa, are also very dear to the
Supreme Personality of Godhead.
zrIla BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI ThAkura comments in his AnubhASya that
among the five tattvas, two are energies (zakti-tattva) and the three others
are energetic (zaktimAn tattva). Unalloyed and internal devotees are both
engaged in the favorable culture of KRSNa consciousness untinged by
philosophical speculation or fruitive activities. They are all understood to be
pure devotees, and those among them who simply engage in conjugal love
are called mAdhurya-bhaktas, or internal devotees. The loving services in
parental love, fraternity and servitude are included in conjugal love of God. In
conclusion, therefore, every confidential devotee is a pure devotee of the
Lord.
zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu enjoys His pastimes with His immediate expansion
NityAnanda Prabhu. His pure devotees and His three puruSa incarnations,
namely, KAraNodakazAyI ViSNu, GarbhodakazAyI ViSNu and KSIrodakazAyI
ViSNu, always accompany the Supreme Lord to propound the sa~NkIrtana
movement.
Adi 7.20-21
TEXTS 20–21
sei pa~nca-tattva mili’ pRthivI AsiyA
pUrva-premabhANòArera mudrA ughAòiyA
pA~Nce mili’ luTe prema, kare AsvAdana
yata yata piye, tRSNA bAòhe anukSaNa

sei—those; pa~nca-tattva—five truths; mili’—combined together; pRthivI—on
this earth; AsiyA—descending; pUrva—original; prema-bhANòArera—the store
of transcendental love; mudrA—seal; ughAòiyA—opening; pA~Nce mili’—
mixing together all these five; luTe—plunder; prema—love of Godhead; kare
AsvAdana—taste; yata yata—as much as; piye—drink; tRSNA—thirst;
bAòhe—increases; anukSaNa—again and again.
TRANSLATION
The characteristics of KRSNa are understood to be a storehouse of
transcendental love. Although that storehouse of love certainly came with
KRSNa when He was present, it was sealed. But when zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu
came with His associates of the Pa~nca-tattva, they broke the seal and
plundered the storehouse to taste transcendental love of KRSNa. The more they
tasted it, the more their thirst for it grew.
PURPORT
zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu is called mahA-vadAnyAvatAra because although He
is zrI KRSNa Himself, He is even more favorably disposed to the poor fallen
souls than Lord zrI KRSNa. When Lord zrI KRSNa Himself was personally present,
He demanded that everyone surrender unto Him and promised that He would
then give one all protection, but when zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu came to this
earth with His associates, He simply distributed transcendental love of God
without discrimination. zrI RUpa GosvAmI, therefore, could understand that
Lord Caitanya was none other than zrI KRSNa Himself, for no one but the
Supreme Personality of Godhead can distribute confidential love of the
Supreme Person.
Adi 7.22
TEXT 22
punaH punaH piyAiyA haya mahAmatta
nAce, kAnde, hAse, gAya, yaiche mada-matta

punaH punaH—again and again; piyAiyA—causing to drink; haya—becomes;
mahA-matta—highly ecstatic; nAce—dances; kAnde—cries; hAse—laughs;
gAya—chants; yaiche—as if; mada-matta—one is drunk.
TRANSLATION
zrI Pa~nca-tattva themselves danced again and again and thus made it easier
to drink nectarean love of Godhead. They danced, cried, laughed and chanted
like madmen, and in this way they distributed love of Godhead.
PURPORT
People generally cannot understand the actual meaning of chanting and
dancing. Describing the GosvAmIs, zrI zrInivAsa AcArya stated, kRSNotkIrtana-
gAna-nartana-parau: not only did Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu and His
associates demonstrate this chanting and dancing, but the six GosvAmIs also
followed in the next generation. The present KRSNa consciousness movement
follows the same principle, and therefore simply by chanting and dancing we
have received good responses all over the world. It is to be understood,
however, that this chanting and dancing do not belong to this material world.
They are actually transcendental activities, for the more one engages in
chanting and dancing, the more he can taste the nectar of transcendental love
of Godhead.
Adi 7.23
TEXT 23
pAtrApAtra-vicAra nAhi, nAhi sthAnAsthAna
yei yA~NhA pAya, tA~NhA kare prema-dAna

pAtra—recipient; apAtra—not a recipient; vicAra—consideration; nAhi—there
is none; nAhi—there is none; sthAna—favorable place; asthAna—unfavorable
place; yei—anyone; yA~NhA—wherever; pAya—gets the opportunity; tA~NhA—
there only; kare—does; prema-dAna—distribution of love of Godhead.
TRANSLATION
In distributing love of Godhead, Caitanya MahAprabhu and His associates did
not consider who was a fit candidate and who was not, nor where such
distribution should or should not take place. They made no conditions.
Wherever they got the opportunity, the members of the Pa~nca-tattva
distributed love of Godhead.
PURPORT
There are some rascals who dare to speak against the mission of Lord
Caitanya by criticizing the KRSNa consciousness movement for accepting
Europeans and Americans as brAhmaNas and offering them sannyAsa. But here
is an authoritative statement that in distributing love of Godhead one should
not consider whether the recipients are Europeans, Americans, Hindus,
Muslims, etc. The KRSNa consciousness movement should be spread wherever
possible, and one should accept those who thus become VaiSNavas as being
greater than brAhmaNas, Hindus or Indians. zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu desired
that His name be spread in each and every town and village on the surface of
the globe. Therefore, when the cult of Caitanya MahAprabhu is spread all over
the world, should those who embrace it not be accepted as VaiSNavas,
brAhmaNas and sannyAsIs? These foolish arguments are sometimes raised by
envious rascals, but KRSNa conscious devotees do not care about them. We
strictly follow the principles set down by the Pa~nca-tattva.
Adi 7.24
TEXT 24
luTiyA, khAiyA, diyA, bhANòAra ujAòe
Azcarya bhANòAra, prema zata-guNa bAòe

luTiyA—plundering; khAiyA—eating; diyA—distributing; bhANòAra—store;
ujAòe—emptied; Azcarya—wonderful; bhANòAra—store; prema—love of
Godhead; zata-guNa—one hundred times; bAòe—increases.
TRANSLATION
Although the members of the Pa~nca-tattva plundered the storehouse of love
of Godhead and ate and distributed its contents, there was no scarcity, for
this wonderful storehouse is so complete that as the love is distributed, the
supply increases hundreds of times.
PURPORT
A pseudo incarnation of KRSNa once told his disciple that he had emptied
himself by giving him all knowledge and was thus spiritually bankrupt. Such
bluffers speak in this way to cheat the public, but actual spiritual
consciousness is so perfect that the more it is distributed, the more it
increases. Bankruptcy is a term that applies in the material world, but the
storehouse of love of Godhead in the spiritual world can never be depleted.
KRSNa is providing for millions and trillions of living entities by supplying all
their necessities, and even if all the innumerable living entities wanted to
become KRSNa conscious, there would be no scarcity of love of Godhead, nor
would there be insufficiency in providing for their maintenance. Our KRSNa
consciousness movement was started single-handedly, and no one provided
for our livelihood, but at present we are spending hundreds and thousands of
dollars all over the world, and the movement is increasing more and more.
Thus there is no question of scarcity. Although jealous persons may be
envious, if we stick to our principles and follow in the footsteps of the Pa~nca-
tattva, this movement will go on unchecked by imitation svAmIs, sannyAsIs,
religionists, philosophers or scientists, for it is transcendental to all material
considerations. Therefore those who propagate the KRSNa consciousness
movement should not be afraid of such rascals and fools.
Adi 7.25
TEXT 25
uchalila prema-vanyA caudike veòAya
strI, vRddha, bAlaka, yuvA, sabAre òubAya

uchalila—became agitated; prema-vanyA—the inundation of love of
Godhead; caudike—in all directions; veòAya—surrounding; strI—women;
vRddha—old men; bAlaka—children; yuvA—young men; sabAre—all of them;
òubAya—merged into.
TRANSLATION
The flood of love of Godhead swelled in all directions, and thus young men,
old men, women and children were all immersed in that inundation.
PURPORT
When the contents of the storehouse of love of Godhead is thus distributed,
there is a powerful inundation that covers the entire land. In zrIdhAma
MAyApur there is sometimes a great flood after the rainy season. This is an
indication that from the birthplace of Lord Caitanya the inundation of love of
Godhead should be spread all over the world, for this will help everyone,
including old men, young men, women and children. The KRSNa consciousness
movement of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu is so powerful that it can inundate the
entire world and interest all classes of men in the subject of love of Godhead.
Adi 7.26
TEXT 26
saj-jana, durjana, pa~Ngu, jaòa, andha-gaNa
prema-vanyAya òubAila jagatera jana

sat-jana—gentle men; durjana—rogues; pa~Ngu—lame; jaòa—invalid; andha-
gaNa—blind men; prema-vanyAya—in the inundation of love of Godhead;
òubAila—drowned; jagatera—all over the world; jana—people.
TRANSLATION
The KRSNa consciousness movement will inundate the entire world and drown
everyone, whether one be a gentleman, a rogue or even lame, invalid or blind.
PURPORT
Here again it may be emphasized that although jealous rascals protest that
Europeans and Americans cannot be given the sacred thread or sannyAsa,
there is no need even to consider whether one is a gentleman or a rogue
because this is a spiritual movement which is not concerned with the external
body of skin and bones. Because it is being properly conducted under the
guidance of the Pa~nca-tattva, strictly following the regulative principles, it
has nothing to do with external impediments.
Adi 7.27
TEXT 27
jagat òubila, jIvera haila bIja nAza
tAhA dekhi’ pA~Nca janera parama ullAsa

jagat—the whole world; òubila—drowned; jIvera—of the living entities;
haila—it so became; bIja—the seed; nAza—completely finished; tAhA—then;
dekhi’—by seeing; pA~nca—five; janera—of the persons; parama—highest;
ullAsa—happiness.
TRANSLATION
When the five members of the Pa~nca-tattva saw the entire world drowned in
love of Godhead and the seed of material enjoyment in the living entities
completely destroyed, they all became exceedingly happy.
PURPORT
In this connection, zrIla BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI ThAkura writes in his
AnubhASya that since the living entities all belong to the marginal potency of
the Lord, each and every living entity has a natural tendency to become KRSNa
conscious, although at the same time the seed of material enjoyment is
undoubtedly within him. The seed of material enjoyment, watered by the
course of material nature, fructifies to become a tree of material
entanglement that endows the living entity with all kinds of material
enjoyment. To enjoy such material facilities is to be afflicted with the three
material miseries. However, when by nature’s law there is a flood, the seeds
within the earth become inactive. Similarly, as the inundation of love of
Godhead spreads all over the world, the seeds of material enjoyment become
impotent. Thus the more the KRSNa consciousness movement spreads, the
more the desire for material enjoyment decreases. The seed of material
enjoyment automatically becomes impotent with the increase of the KRSNa
consciousness movement.
Instead of being envious that KRSNa consciousness is spreading all over the
world by the grace of Lord Caitanya, those who are jealous should be happy,
as indicated here by the words parama ullAsa. But because they are kaniSTha-
adhikArIs or prAkRta-bhaktas (materialistic devotees who are not advanced in
spiritual knowledge), they are envious instead of happy, and they try to find
faults in the KRSNa consciousness movement. Yet zrImat PrabodhAnanda
SarasvatI writes in his Caitanya-candrAmRta that when influenced by Lord
Caitanya’s KRSNa consciousness movement, materialists become averse to
talking about their wives and children, supposedly learned scholars give up
their tedious studies of Vedic literature, yogIs give up their impractical
practices of mystic yoga, ascetics give up their austere activities of penance
and austerity, and sannyAsIs give up their study of SA~Nkhya philosophy. Thus
they are all attracted by the bhakti-yoga practices of Lord Caitanya and
cannot relish a mellow superior to that of KRSNa consciousness.
Adi 7.28
TEXT 28
yata yata prema-vRSTi kare pa~nca-jane
tata tata bAòhe jala, vyApe tri-bhuvane

yata—as many; yata—so many; prema-vRSTi—showers of love of Godhead;
kare—causes; pa~nca-jane—the five members of the Pa~nca-tattva; tata
tata—as much as; bAòhe—increases; jala—water; vyApe—spreads; tri-
bhuvane—all over the three worlds.
TRANSLATION
The more the five members of the Pa~nca-tattva cause the rains of love of
Godhead to fall, the more the inundation increases and spreads all over the
world.
PURPORT
The KRSNa consciousness movement is not stereotyped or stagnant. It will
spread all over the world in spite of all objections by fools and rascals that
European and American mlecchas cannot be accepted as brAhmaNas or
sannyAsIs. Here it is indicated that this process will spread and inundate the
entire world with KRSNa consciousness.
Adi 7.29-30
TEXTS 29–30
mAyAvAdI, karma-niSTha kutArkika-gaNa
nindaka, pAsaNòI yata paòuyA adhama
sei saba mahAdakSa dhA~nA palAila
sei vanyA tA-sabAre chu~Nite nArila

mAyAvAdI—the impersonalist philosophers; karma-niSTha—the fruitive
workers; kutArkika-gaNa—the false logicians; nindaka—the blasphemers;
pASaNòI—nondevotees; yata—all; paòuyA—students; adhama—the lowest
class; sei saba—all of them; mahA-dakSa—they are very expert; dhA~nA—
running; palAila—went away; sei vanyA—that inundation; tA-sabAre—all of
them; chu~Nite—touching; nArila—could not.
TRANSLATION
The impersonalists, fruitive workers, false logicians, blasphemers, nondevotees
and lowest among the student community are very expert in avoiding the
KRSNa consciousness movement, and therefore the inundation of KRSNa
consciousness cannot touch them.
PURPORT
Like MAyAvAdI philosophers in the past such as PrakAzAnanda SarasvatI of
Benares, modern impersonalists are not interested in Lord Caitanya’s KRSNa
consciousness movement. They do not know the value of this material world;
they consider it false and cannot understand how the KRSNa consciousness
movement can utilize it. They are so absorbed in impersonal thought that they
take it for granted that all spiritual variety is material. Because they do not
know anything beyond their misconception of the brahmajyoti, they cannot
understand that KRSNa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is spiritual and
therefore beyond the conception of material illusion. Whenever KRSNa
incarnates personally or as a devotee, these MAyAvAdI philosophers accept
Him as an ordinary human being. This is condemned in the Bhagavad-gItA
(9.11):
avajAnanti mAà mUòhA mAnuSIà tanum Azritam
paraà bhAvam ajAnanto mama bhUta-mahezvaram
“Fools deride Me when I descend in the human form. They do not know My
transcendental nature as the Supreme Lord of all that be.”
There are also other unscrupulous persons who exploit the Lord’s appearance
by posing as incarnations to cheat the innocent public. An incarnation of God
should pass the tests of the statements of the zAstras and also perform
uncommon activities. One should not accept a rascal as an incarnation of God
but should test his ability to act as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. For
example, KRSNa taught Arjuna in the Bhagavad-gItA, and Arjuna also accepted
Him as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but for our understanding Arjuna
requested the Lord to manifest His universal form, thus testing whether He
was actually the Supreme Lord. Similarly, one must test a so-called
incarnation of Godhead according to the standard criteria. To avoid being
misled by an exhibition of mystic powers, it is best to examine a so-called
incarnation of God in the light of the statements of the zAstras. Caitanya
MahAprabhu is described in the zAstras as an incarnation of KRSNa; therefore if
one wants to imitate Lord Caitanya and claim to be an incarnation, he must
show evidence from the zAstras about his appearance to substantiate his
claim.
Adi 7.31-32
TEXTS 31–32
tAhA dekhi’ mahAprabhu karena cintana
jagat òubAite Ami karilu~N yatana
keha keha eòAila, pratij~nA ha-ila bha~Nga
tA-sabA òubaite pAtiba kichu ra~Nga

tAhA dekhi’—observing this advancement; mahAprabhu—Lord zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu; karena—does; cintana—thinking; jagat—the whole world;
òubAite—to drown; Ami—I; karilu~N—endeavored; yatana—attempts; keha
keha—some of them; eòAila—escaped; pratij~nA—promise; ha-ila—became;
bha~Nga—broken; tA-sabA—all of them; òubAite—to make them drown;
pAtiba—shall devise; kichu—some; ra~Nga—trick.
TRANSLATION
Seeing that the MAyAvAdIs and others were fleeing, Lord Caitanya thought, “I
wanted everyone to be immersed in this inundation of love of Godhead, but
some of them have escaped. Therefore I shall devise a trick to drown them
also.”
PURPORT
Here is an important point. Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu wanted to invent a
way to capture the MAyAvAdIs and others who did not take interest in the
KRSNa consciousness movement. This is the symptom of an AcArya. An AcArya
who comes for the service of the Lord cannot be expected to conform to a
stereotype, for he must find the ways and means by which KRSNa
consciousness may be spread. Sometimes jealous persons criticize the KRSNa
consciousness movement because it engages equally both boys and girls in
distributing love of Godhead. Not knowing that boys and girls in countries like
Europe and America mix very freely, these fools and rascals criticize the boys
and girls in KRSNa consciousness for intermingling. But these rascals should
consider that one cannot suddenly change a community’s social customs.
However, since both the boys and the girls are being trained to become
preachers, those girls are not ordinary girls but are as good as their brothers
who are preaching KRSNa consciousness. Therefore, to engage both boys and
girls in fully transcendental activities is a policy intended to spread the KRSNa
consciousness movement. These jealous fools who criticize the intermingling
of boys and girls will simply have to be satisfied with their own foolishness
because they cannot think of how to spread KRSNa consciousness by adopting
ways and means that are favorable for this purpose. Their stereotyped
methods will never help spread KRSNa consciousness. Therefore, what we are
doing is perfect by the grace of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu, for it is He who
proposed to invent a way to capture those who strayed from KRSNa
consciousness.
Adi 7.33
TEXT 33
eta bali’ mane kichu kariyA vicAra
sannyAsa-Azrama prabhu kailA a~NgIkAra

eta bali’—saying this; mane—within the mind; kichu—something; kariyA—
doing; vicAra—consideration; sannyAsa-Azrama—the renounced order of life;
prabhu—the Lord; kailA—did; a~NgIkAra—accept.
TRANSLATION
Thus the Lord accepted the sannyAsa order of life after full consideration.
PURPORT
There was no need for Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu to accept sannyAsa, for
He is God Himself and therefore has nothing to do with the material bodily
concept of life. zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu did not identify Himself with any of
the eight varNas and Azramas, namely, brAhmaNa, kSatriya, vaizya, zUdra,
brahmacArI, gRhastha, vAnaprastha and sannyAsa. He identified Himself as the
Supreme Spirit. zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu, or for that matter any pure
devotee, never identifies with these social and spiritual divisions of life, for a
devotee is always transcendental to these different gradations of society.
Nevertheless, Lord Caitanya decided to accept sannyAsa on the grounds that
when He became a sannyAsI everyone would show Him respect and in that
way be favored. Although there was actually no need for Him to accept
sannyAsa, He did so for the benefit of those who might think Him an ordinary
human being. The main purpose of His accepting sannyAsa was to deliver the
MAyAvAdI sannyAsIs. This will be evident later in this chapter.
zrIla BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI ThAkura has explained the term “MAyAvAdI” as
follows: “The Supreme Personality of Godhead is transcendental to the
material conception of life. A MAyAvAdI is one who considers the body of the
Supreme Personality of Godhead KRSNa to be made of mAyA and who also
considers the abode of the Lord and the process of approaching Him,
devotional service, to be mAyA. The MAyAvAdI considers all the paraphernalia
of devotional service to be mAyA.” MAyA refers to material existence, which is
characterized by the reactions of fruitive activities. MAyAvAdIs consider
devotional service to be among such fruitive activities. According to them,
when bhAgavatas (devotees) are purified by philosophical speculation, they
will come to the real point of liberation. Those who speculate in this way
regarding devotional service are called kutArkikas (false logicians), and those
who consider devotional service to be fruitive activity are called karma-
niSThas. Those who criticize devotional service are called nindakas
(blasphemers). Similarly, nondevotees who consider devotional activities to be
material are called pASaNòIs, and scholars with a similar viewpoint are called
adhama paòuyAs.
The kutArkikas, nindakas, pASaNòIs and adhama paòuyAs all avoided the
benefit of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu’s movement of developing love of
Godhead. zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu felt compassion for them, and it is for this
reason that He decided to accept the sannyAsa order, for by seeing Him as a
sannyAsI they would offer Him respects. The sannyAsa order is still respected
in India. Indeed, the very dress of a sannyAsI still commands respect from the
Indian public. Therefore zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu accepted sannyAsa to
facilitate preaching His devotional cult, although otherwise He had no need to
accept the fourth order of spiritual life.
Adi 7.34
TEXT 34
cabbiza vatsara chilA gRhastha-Azrame
pa~nca-viàzati varSe kaila yati-dharme

cabbiza—twenty-four; vatsara—years; chilA—He remained; gRhastha—
householder life; Azrame—the order of; pa~nca—five; viàzati—twenty;
varSe—in the year; kaila—did; yati-dharme—accepted the sannyAsa order.
TRANSLATION
zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu remained in householder life for twenty-four years,
and on the verge of His twenty-fifth year He accepted the sannyAsa order.
PURPORT
There are four orders of spiritual life, namely, brahmacarya, gRhastha,
vAnaprastha and sannyAsa, and in each of these Azramas there are four
divisions. The divisions of the brahmacarya-Azrama are sAvitrya, prAjApatya,
brAhma and bRhat, and the divisions of the gRhasthAzrama are vArtA
(professionals), sa~ncaya (accumulators), zAlIna (those who do not ask anything
from anyone) and zilo~nchana (those who collect grains from the paddy fields).
Similarly, the divisions of the vAnaprastha-Azrama are vaikhAnasa, vAlakhilya,
auòumbara and pheNapa, and the divisions of sannyAsa are kuTIcaka,
bahUdaka, haàsa and niSkriya. There are two kinds of sannyAsIs, who are
called dhIras and narottamas, as stated in zrImad-BhAgavatam (1.13.26–27).
At the end of the month of January in the year 1432 zakAbda (A.D. 1510), zrI
Caitanya MahAprabhu accepted the sannyAsa order from Kezava BhAratI, who
belonged to the za~Nkara-sampradAya.
Adi 7.35
TEXT 35
sannyAsa kariyA prabhu kailA AkarSaNa
yateka pAlA~nAchila tArkikAdigaNa

sannyAsa—the sannyAsa order; kariyA—accepting; prabhu—the Lord; kailA—
did; AkarSaNa—attract; yateka—all; pAlA~nAchila—fled; tArkika-Adi-gaNa—all
persons, beginning with the logicians.
TRANSLATION
After accepting the sannyAsa order, zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu attracted the
attention of all those who had evaded Him, beginning with the logicians.
Adi 7.36
TEXT 36
paòuyA, pASaNòI, karmI, nindakAdi yata
tArA Asi’ prabhu-pAya haya avanata

paòuyA—students; pASaNòI—material adjusters; karmI—fruitive actors;
nindaka-Adi—critics; yata—all; tArA—they; Asi’—coming; prabhu—the
Lord’s; pAya—lotus feet; haya—became; avanata—surrendered.
TRANSLATION
Thus the students, infidels, fruitive workers and critics all came to surrender
unto the lotus feet of the Lord.
Adi 7.37
TEXT 37
aparAdha kSamAila, òubila prema-jale
kebA eòAibe prabhura prema-mahAjAle

aparAdha—offense; kSamAila—excused; òubila—merged into; prema-jale—
in the ocean of love of Godhead; kebA—who else; eòAibe—will go away;
prabhura—the Lord’s; prema—loving; mahA-jAle—network.
TRANSLATION
Lord Caitanya excused them all, and they merged into the ocean of
devotional service, for no one can escape the unique loving network of zrI
Caitanya MahAprabhu.
PURPORT
zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu was an ideal AcArya. An AcArya is an ideal teacher
who knows the purpose of the revealed scriptures, behaves exactly according
to their injunctions and teaches his students to adopt these principles also. As
an ideal AcArya, zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu devised ways to capture all kinds of
atheists and materialists. Every AcArya has a specific means of propagating his
spiritual movement with the aim of bringing men to KRSNa consciousness.
Therefore, the method of one AcArya may be different from that of another,
but the ultimate goal is never neglected. zrIla RUpa GosvAmI recommends:
tasmAt kenApy upAyena manaH kRSNe nivezayet
sarve vidhi-niSedhA syur etayor eva ki~NkarAH
An AcArya should devise a means by which people may somehow or other
come to KRSNa consciousness. First they should become KRSNa conscious, and
all the prescribed rules and regulations may later gradually be introduced. In
our KRSNa consciousness movement we follow this policy of Lord zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu. For example, since boys and girls in the Western countries freely
intermingle, special concessions regarding their customs and habits are
necessary to bring them to KRSNa consciousness. The AcArya must devise a
means to bring them to devotional service. Therefore, although I am a
sannyAsI I sometimes take part in getting boys and girls married, although in
the history of sannyAsa no sannyAsI has personally taken part in marrying his
disciples.
Adi 7.38
TEXT 38
sabA nistArite prabhu kRpA-avatAra
sabA nistArite kare cAturI apAra

sabA—all; nistArite—to deliver; prabhu—the Lord; kRpA—mercy; avatAra—
incarnation; sabA—all; nistArite—to deliver; kare—did; cAturI—devices;
apAra—unlimited.
TRANSLATION
zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu appeared in order to deliver all the fallen souls.
Therefore He devised many methods to liberate them from the clutches of
mAyA.
PURPORT
It is the concern of the AcArya to show mercy to the fallen souls. In this
connection, deza-kAla-pAtra (the place, the time and the object) should be
taken into consideration. Since the European and American boys and girls in
our KRSNa consciousness movement preach together, less intelligent men
criticize that they are mingling without restriction. In Europe and America
boys and girls mingle unrestrictedly and have equal rights; therefore it is not
possible to completely separate the men from the women. However, we are
thoroughly instructing both men and women how to preach, and actually they
are preaching wonderfully. Of course, we very strictly prohibit illicit sex. Boys
and girls who are not married are not allowed to sleep together or live
together, and there are separate arrangements for boys and girls in every
temple. GRhasthas live outside the temple, for in the temple we do not allow
even husband and wife to live together. The results of this are wonderful. Both
men and women are preaching the gospel of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu and
Lord KRSNa with redoubled strength. In this verse the words sabA nistArite kare
cAturI apAra indicate that zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu wanted to deliver one and
all. Therefore it is a principle that a preacher must strictly follow the rules and
regulations laid down in the zAstras yet at the same time devise a means by
which the preaching work to reclaim the fallen may go on with full force.
Adi 7.39
TEXT 39
tabe nija bhakta kaila yata mleccha Adi
sabe eòAila mAtra kAzIra mAyAvAdI

tabe—thereafter; nija—own; bhakta—devotee; kaila—converted; yata—all;
mleccha—one who does not follow the Vedic principles; Adi—heading the
list; sabe—all those; eòAila—escaped; mAtra—only; kAzIra—of VArANasI;
mAyAvAdI—impersonalists.
TRANSLATION
All were converted into devotees of Lord Caitanya, even the mlecchas and
yavanas. Only the impersonalist followers of za~NkarAcArya evaded Him.
PURPORT
In this verse it is clearly indicated that although Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu
converted Muslims and other mlecchas into devotees, the impersonalist
followers of za~NkarAcArya could not be converted. After accepting the
renounced order of life, Caitanya MahAprabhu converted many karma-niSThas
who were addicted to fruitive activities, many great logicians like
SArvabhauma BhaTTAcArya, nindakas (blasphemers) like PrakAzAnanda
SarasvatI, pASaNòIs (nondevotees) like JagAi and MAdhAi, and adhama
paòuyAs (degraded students) like Mukunda and his friends. All of them
gradually became devotees of the Lord, even the PAThAns (Muslims), but the
worst offenders, the impersonalists, were extremely difficult to convert, for
they very tactfully escaped the devices of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu.
In describing the KAzIra MAyAvAdIs, zrIla BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI ThAkura
has explained that persons who are bewildered by empiric knowledge or
direct sensual perception, and who thus consider that even this limited
material world can be gauged by their material estimations, conclude that
anything that one can discern by direct sense perception is but mAyA, or
illusion. They maintain that although the Absolute Truth is beyond the range
of sense perception, it includes no spiritual variety or enjoyment. According to
the KAzIra MAyAvAdIs, the spiritual world is simply void. They do not believe
in the Personality of the Absolute Truth or in His varieties of activities in the
spiritual world. Although they have their own arguments, which are not very
strong, they have no conception of the variegated activities of the Absolute
Truth. These impersonalists, who are followers of za~NkarAcArya, are generally
known as KAzIra MAyAvAdIs (impersonalists residing in VArANasI).
Near VArANasI there is another group of impersonalists, who are known as
SaranAtha MAyAvAdIs. Outside the city of VArANasI is a place known as
SaranAtha, where there is a big Buddhist stUpa. Many followers of Buddhist
philosophy live there, and they are known as SaranAtha MAyAvAdIs. The
impersonalists of SaranAtha differ from those of VArANasI, for the VArANasI
impersonalists propagate the idea that the impersonal Brahman is truth
whereas material varieties are false, but the SaranAtha impersonalists do not
even believe that the Absolute Truth, or Brahman, can be understood as the
opposite of mAyA, or illusion. According to their vision, materialism is the only
manifestation of the Absolute Truth.
Factually both the KAzIra and the SaranAtha MAyAvAdIs, as well as any other
philosophers who have no knowledge of the spirit soul, are advocates of utter
materialism. None of them have clear knowledge regarding the Absolute or
the spiritual world. Philosophers like the SaranAtha MAyAvAdIs who do not
believe in the spiritual existence of the Absolute Truth but consider material
varieties to be everything do not believe that there are two kinds of nature,
inferior (material) and superior (spiritual), as described in the Bhagavad-gItA.
Actually, neither the VArANasI nor SaranAtha MAyAvAdIs accept the principles
of the Bhagavad-gItA, due to a poor fund of knowledge.
Since these impersonalists who do not have perfect spiritual knowledge
cannot understand the principles of bhakti-yoga, they must be classified
among the nondevotees who are against the KRSNa consciousness movement.
We sometimes feel inconvenienced by the hindrances offered by these
impersonalists, but we do not care about their so-called philosophy, for we are
propagating our own philosophy as presented in Bhagavad-gItA As It Is and
getting successful results. Theorizing as if devotional service were subject to
their mental speculation, both kinds of MAyAvAdI impersonalists conclude that
the subject matter of bhakti-yoga is a creation of mAyA and that KRSNa,
devotional service and the devotee are also mAyA. Therefore, as stated by zrI
Caitanya MahAprabhu, mAyAvAdI kRSNe aparAdhI: “All the MAyAvAdIs are
offenders to Lord KRSNa.” (Cc. Madhya 17.129) It is not possible for them to
understand the KRSNa consciousness movement; therefore we do not value
their philosophical conclusions. However expert such quarrelsome
impersonalists are in putting forward their so-called logic, we defeat them in
every respect and go forward with our KRSNa consciousness movement. Their
imaginative mental speculation cannot deter the progress of the KRSNa
consciousness movement, which is completely spiritual and is never under the
control of such MAyAvAdIs.
Adi 7.40
TEXT 40
vRndAvana yAite prabhu rahilA kAzIte
mAyAvAdi-gaNa tA~Nre lAgila nindite

vRndAvana—the holy place called VRndAvana; yAite—while going there;
prabhu—Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu; rahilA—remained; kAzIte—at
VArANasI; mAyAvAdi-gaNa—the MAyAvAdI philosophers; tA~Nre—unto Him;
lagila—began; nindite—to speak against Him.
TRANSLATION
While Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu was passing through VArANasI on His way to
VRndAvana, the MAyAvAdI sannyAsI philosophers blasphemed against Him in
many ways.
PURPORT
While preaching KRSNa consciousness with full vigor, zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu
faced many MAyAvAdI philosophers. Similarly, we are also facing opposing
svAmIs, yogIs, impersonalists, scientists, philosophers and other mental
speculators, and by the grace of Lord KRSNa we successfully defeat all of them
without difficulty.
Adi 7.41
TEXT 41
sannyAsI ha-iyA kare gAyana, nAcana
nA kare vedAnta-pATha, kare sa~NkIrtana

sannyAsI—a person in the renounced order of life; ha-iyA—accepting such a
position; kare—does; gAyana—singing; nAcana—dancing; nA kare—does not
practice; vedAnta-pATha—study of the VedAnta philosophy; kare sa~NkIrtana—
but simply engages in sa~NkIrtana.
TRANSLATION
The blasphemers said, “Although a sannyAsI, He does not take interest in the
study of VedAnta but instead always engages in chanting and dancing in
sa~NkIrtana.
PURPORT
Fortunately or unfortunately, we also meet such MAyAvAdIs who criticize our
method of chanting and accuse us of not being interested in study. They do
not know that we have translated volumes and volumes of books into English
and that the students in our temples regularly study them in the morning,
afternoon and evening. We are writing and printing books, and our students
study them and distribute them all over the world. No MAyAvAdI school can
present as many books as we have; nevertheless, they accuse us of not being
fond of study. Such accusations are completely false. But although we study,
we do not study the nonsense of the MAyAvAdIs.
MAyAvAdI sannyAsIs neither chant nor dance. Their technical objection is that
this method of chanting and dancing is called tauryatrika, which indicates that
a sannyAsI should completely avoid such activities and engage his time in the
study of VedAnta. Actually, such men do not understand what is meant by
VedAnta. In the Bhagavad-gItA (15.15) KRSNa says, vedaiz ca sarvair aham eva
vedyo vedAnta-kRd veda-vid eva cAham: “By all the Vedas I am to be known;
indeed I am the compiler of VedAnta, and I am the knower of the Vedas.” Lord
KRSNa is the actual compiler of VedAnta, and whatever He speaks is VedAnta
philosophy. Although they are lacking the knowledge of VedAnta presented
by the Supreme Personality of Godhead in the transcendental form of zrImad-
BhAgavatam, the MAyAvAdIs are very proud of their study. Foreseeing the bad
effects of their presenting VedAnta philosophy in a perverted way, zrIla
VyAsadeva compiled zrImad-BhAgavatam as a commentary on the VedAnta-
sUtra. zrImad-BhAgavatam is
bhASyo ’yaà brahma-sUtrANAm; in other words, all the VedAnta philosophy in
the aphorisms of the Brahma-sUtra is thoroughly described in the pages of
zrImad-BhAgavatam. Thus the factual propounder of VedAnta philosophy is a
KRSNa conscious person who always engages in reading and understanding
the Bhagavad-gItA and zrImad-BhAgavatam and teaching the purport of these
books to the entire world. The MAyAvAdIs are very proud of having
monopolized the VedAnta philosophy, but devotees have their own
commentaries on VedAnta such as zrImad-BhAgavatam and others written by
the AcAryas. The commentary of the GauòIya VaiSNavas is the Govinda-
bhASya.
The MAyAvAdIs’ accusation that devotees do not study VedAnta is false. The
MAyAvAdIs do not know that chanting, dancing and preaching the principles
of zrImad-BhAgavatam, called bhAgavata-dharma, are the same as studying
VedAnta. Since they think that reading VedAnta philosophy is the only
function of a sannyAsI and they did not find Caitanya MahAprabhu engaged in
such direct study, they criticized the Lord. zrIpAda za~NkarAcArya has given
special stress to the study of VedAnta philosophy: vedAnta-vAkyeSu sadA
ramantaH kaupInavantaH khalu bhAgyavantaH. “A sannyAsI, accepting the
renounced order very strictly and wearing nothing more than a loincloth,
should always enjoy the philosophical statements in the VedAnta-sUtra. Such a
person in the renounced order is to be considered very fortunate.” The
MAyAvAdIs in VArANasI blasphemed Lord Caitanya because His behavior did
not follow these principles. Lord Caitanya, however, bestowed His mercy
upon these MAyAvAdI sannyAsIs and delivered them by means of His VedAnta
discourses with PrakAzAnanda SarasvatI and SArvabhauma BhaTTAcArya.
Adi 7.42
TEXT 42
mUrkha sannyAsI nija-dharma nAhi jane
bhAvuka ha-iyA phere bhAvukera sane

mUrkha—illiterate; sannyAsI—one in the renounced order of life; nija-
dharma—own duty; nAhi—does not; jAne—know; bhAvuka—in ecstasy; ha-
iyA—becoming; phere—wanders; bhAvukera—with another ecstatic person;
sane—with.
TRANSLATION
“This Caitanya MahAprabhu is an illiterate sannyAsI and therefore does not
know His real function. Guided only by His sentiments, He wanders about in
the company of other sentimentalists.”
PURPORT
Foolish MAyAvAdIs, not knowing that the KRSNa consciousness movement is
based on a solid philosophy of transcendental science, superficially conclude
that those who dance and chant do not have philosophical knowledge. Those
who are KRSNa conscious actually have full knowledge of the essence of
VedAnta philosophy, for they study the real commentary on the VedAnta
philosophy, zrImad-BhAgavatam, and follow the actual words of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead as found in Bhagavad-gItA As It Is. After
understanding the BhAgavata philosophy, or bhAgavata-dharma, they become
fully spiritually conscious or KRSNa conscious, and therefore their chanting and
dancing is not material but is on the spiritual platform. Although everyone
admires the ecstatic chanting and dancing of the devotees, who are therefore
popularly known as “the Hare KRSNa people,” MAyAvAdIs cannot appreciate
these activities because of their poor fund of knowledge.
Adi 7.43
TEXT 43
e saba zuniyA prabhu hAse mane mane
upekSA kariyA kAro nA kaila sambhASaNe

e saba—all these; zuniyA—after hearing; prabhu—the Lord; hAse—smiled;
mane mane—within His mind; upekSA—rejection; kariyA—doing so; kAro—
with anyone; na—did not; kaila—make; sambhASaNe—conversation.
TRANSLATION
Hearing all this blasphemy, Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu merely smiled to
Himself, rejected all these accusations and did not talk with the MAyAvAdIs.
PURPORT
As KRSNa conscious devotees, we do not like to converse with MAyAvAdI
philosophers simply to waste valuable time, but whenever there is an
opportunity we impress our philosophy upon them with great vigor and
success.
Adi 7.44
TEXT 44
upekSA kariyA kaila mathurA gamana
mathurA dekhiyA punaH kaila Agamana

upekSA—neglecting them; kariyA—doing so; kaila—did; mathurA—the town
named MathurA; gamana—traveling; mathurA—MathurA; dekhiyA—after
seeing it; punaH—again; kaila Agamana—came back.
TRANSLATION
Thus neglecting the blasphemy of the VArANasI MAyAvAdIs, Lord Caitanya
MahAprabhu proceeded to MathurA, and after visiting MathurA He returned to
meet the situation.
PURPORT
Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu did not talk with the MAyAvAdI philosophers when
He first visited VArANasI, but He returned there from MathurA to convince
them of the real purpose of VedAnta.
Adi 7.45
TEXT 45
kAzIte lekhaka zUdra-zrIcandrazekhara
tA~Nra ghare rahilA prabhu svatantra Izvara

kAzIte—in VArANasI; lekhaka—writer; zUdra—born of a zUdra family; zrI-
candrazekhara—Candrazekhara; tA~Nra ghare—in his house; rahilA—remained;
prabhu—the Lord; svatantra—independent; Izvara—the supreme controller.
TRANSLATION
This time Lord Caitanya stayed at the house of Candrazekhara, although he
was regarded as a zUdra or kAyastha, for the Lord, as the Supreme Personality
of Godhead, is completely independent.
PURPORT
Lord Caitanya stayed at the house of Candrazekhara, a clerk, although a
sannyAsI is not supposed to reside in a zUdra’s house. Five hundred years ago,
especially in Bengal, it was the system that persons who were born in the
families of brAhmaNas were accepted as brAhmaNas, and all those who took
birth in other families—even the higher castes, namely, the kSatriyas and
vaizyas—were considered zUdras non-brAhmaNas. Therefore although zrI
Candrazekhara was a clerk from a kAyastha family in upper India, he was
considered a zUdra. Similarly, vaizyas, especially those of the suvarNa-vaNik
community, were accepted as zUdras in Bengal, and even the vaidyas, who
were generally physicians, were also considered zUdras. Lord Caitanya
MahAprabhu, however, did not accept this artificial principle, which was
introduced in society by self-interested men, and later the kAyasthas, vaidyas
and vaNiks all began to accept the sacred thread, despite objections from the
so-called brAhmaNas.
Before the time of Caitanya MahAprabhu, the suvarNa-vaNik class was
condemned by BallAl Sen, who was then the King of Bengal, due to a personal
grudge. In Bengal the suvarNa-vaNik class are always very rich, for they are
bankers and dealers in gold and silver. Therefore, BallAl Sen used to borrow
money from a suvarNa-vaNik banker. BallAl Sen’s bankruptcy later obliged the
suvarNa-vaNik banker to stop advancing money to him, and thus BallAl Sen
became angry and condemned the entire suvarNa-vaNik society as belonging
to the zUdra community. He tried to induce the brAhmaNas not to accept the
suvarNa-vaNiks as followers of the instructions of the Vedas under the
brahminical directions, but although some brAhmaNas approved of BallAl Sen’s
actions, others did not. Thus the brAhmaNas also became divided amongst
themselves, and those who supported the suvarNa-vaNik class were rejected
from the brAhmaNa community. At the present day the same biases are still
being followed.
There are many VaiSNava families in Bengal whose members, although not
actually born brAhmaNas, act as AcAryas by initiating disciples and offering the
sacred thread as enjoined in the VaiSNava tantras. For example, in the families
of ThAkura Raghunandana AcArya, ThAkura KRSNadAsa, NavanI Hoòa and
RasikAnanda-deva (a disciple of zyAmAnanda Prabhu), the sacred thread
ceremony is performed, as it is for the caste GosvAmIs, and this system has
continued for the past three to four hundred years. Accepting disciples born in
brAhmaNa families, they are bona fide spiritual masters who have the facility
to worship the zAlagrAma-zilA, which is worshiped with the Deity. As of this
writing, zAlagrAma-zilA worship has not yet been introduced in our KRSNa
consciousness movement, but soon it will be introduced in all our temples as
an essential function of arcana-mArga (Deity worship).
Adi 7.46
TEXT 46
tapana-mizrera ghare bhikSA-nirvAhaNa
sannyAsIra sa~Nge nAhi mAne nimantraNa

tapana-mizrera—of Tapana Mizra; ghare—in the house; bhikSA—accepting
food; nirvAhaNa—regularly executed; sannyAsIra—with other MAyAvAdI
sannyAsIs; sa~Nge—in company with them; nAhi—never; mAne—accepted;
nimantraNa—invitation.
TRANSLATION
As a matter of principle, Lord Caitanya regularly accepted His food at the
house of Tapana Mizra. He never mixed with other sannyAsIs, nor did He
accept invitations from them.
PURPORT
This exemplary behavior of Lord Caitanya definitely proves that a VaiSNava
sannyAsI cannot accept invitations from MAyAvAdI sannyAsIs or intimately mix
with them.
Adi 7.47
TEXT 47
sanAtana gosA~ni Asi’ tA~NhAi mililA
tA~Nra zikSA lAgi’ prabhu du-mAsa rahilA

sanAtana—SanAtana; gosA~ni—a great devotee; Asi’—coming there; tA~Nhai—
there at VArANasI; milila—visited Him; tA~Nra—His; zikSA—instruction; lAgi’—
for the matter of; prabhu—Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu; du-mAsa—two
months; rahilA—remained there.
TRANSLATION
When SanAtana GosvAmI came from Bengal, he met Lord Caitanya at the
house of Tapana Mizra, where Lord Caitanya remained continuously for two
months to teach him devotional service.
PURPORT
Lord Caitanya taught SanAtana GosvAmI in the line of disciplic succession.
SanAtana GosvAmI was a very learned scholar in Sanskrit and other languages,
but until instructed by Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu he did not write anything
about VaiSNava behavior. His very famous book Hari-bhakti-vilAsa, which
gives directions for VaiSNava candidates, was written completely in
compliance with the instructions of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu. In this Hari-
bhakti-vilAsa zrI SanAtana GosvAmI gives definite instructions that by proper
initiation by a bona fide spiritual master one can immediately become a
brAhmaNa. In this connection he says:
yathA kA~ncanatAà yAti kAàsyaà rasa-vidhAnataH
tathA dIkSA-vidhAnena dvijatvaà jAyate nRNAm
“As bell metal is turned to gold when mixed with mercury in an alchemical
process, so one who is properly trained and initiated by a bona fide spiritual
master immediately becomes a brAhmaNa.” Sometimes those born in
brAhmaNa families protest this, but they have no strong arguments against
this principle. By the grace of KRSNa and His devotee, one’s life can change.
This is confirmed in zrImad-BhAgavatam by the words jahAti bandham and
zudhyanti. JahAti bandham indicates that a living entity is conditioned by a
particular type of body. The body is certainly an impediment, but one who
associates with a pure devotee and follows his instructions can avoid this
impediment and become a regular brAhmaNa by initiation under his strict
guidance. zrIla JIva GosvAmI states how a non-brAhmaNa can be turned into a
brAhmaNa by the association of a pure devotee. PrabhaviSNave namaH: Lord
ViSNu is so powerful that He can do anything He likes. Therefore it is not
difficult for ViSNu to change the body of a devotee who is under the guidance
of a pure devotee of the Lord.
Adi 7.48
TEXT 48
tA~Nre zikhAilA saba vaiSNavera dharma
bhAgavata-Adi zAstrera yata gUòha marma

tA~Nre—unto him (SanAtana GosvAmI); zikhAilA—the Lord taught him; saba—
all; vaiSNavera—of the devotees; dharma—regular activities; bhAgavata—
zrImad-BhAgavatam; Adi—beginning with; zAstrera—of the revealed
scriptures; yata—all; gUòha—confidential; marma—purpose.
TRANSLATION
On the basis of scriptures like zrImad-BhAgavatam, which reveal these
confidential directions, zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu instructed SanAtana
GosvAmI regarding all the regular activities of a devotee.
PURPORT
In the paramparA system, the instructions taken from the bona fide spiritual
master must also be based on revealed Vedic scriptures. One who is in the line
of disciplic succession cannot manufacture his own way of behavior. There
are many so-called followers of the VaiSNava cult in the line of Caitanya
MahAprabhu who do not scrupulously follow the conclusions of the zAstras,
and therefore they are considered to be apa-sampradAya, which means
“outside of the sampradAya.” Some of these groups are known as Aula, bAula,
kartAbhajA, neòA, daraveza, sA~Ni sahajiyA, sakhIbhekI, smArta, jAta-gosA~ni,
ativAòI, cUòAdhArI and gaurA~Nga-nAgarI. In order to follow strictly the disciplic
succession of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu, one should not associate with these
apasampradAya communities.
One who is not taught by a bona fide spiritual master cannot understand the
Vedic literature. To emphasize this point, Lord KRSNa, while instructing Arjuna,
clearly said that it was because Arjuna was His devotee and confidential
friend that he could understand the mystery of the Bhagavad-gItA. It is to be
concluded, therefore, that one who wants to understand the mystery of
revealed scriptures must approach a bona fide spiritual master, hear from him
very submissively and render service to him. Then the import of the scriptures
will be revealed. It is stated in the Vedas (zvetAzvatara Up. 6.23):
yasya deve parA bhaktir yathA deve tathA gurau
tasyaite kathitA hy arthA prakAzante mahAtmanaH
[zU yasya deve parA bhaktir
yathA deve tathA gurau
tasyaite kathitA hy arthAH
prakAzante mahAtmanaH
“Unto those great souls who have implicit faith in both the Lord and the
spiritual master, all the imports of Vedic knowledge are automatically
revealed.” (zvetAzvatara UpaniSad 6.23)
ataH zrI-kRSNa-nAmAdi
na bhaved grAhyam indriyaiH
sevonmukhe hi jihvAdau
svayam eva sphuraty adaH
“No one can understand KRSNa as He is by the blunt material senses. But He
reveals Himself to the devotees, being pleased with them for their
transcendental loving service unto Him.” (Bhakti-rasAmRta-sindhu 1.2.234)
bhaktyA mAm abhijAnAti
yAvAn yaz cAsmi tattvataH
tato mAà tattvato j~nAtvA
vizate tad-anantaram
“One can understand the Supreme Personality as He is only by devotional
service. And when one is in full consciousness of the Supreme Lord by such
devotion, he can enter into the kingdom of God.” (Bg. 18.55)
These are Vedic instructions. One must have full faith in the words of the
spiritual master and similar faith in the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Then
the real knowledge of AtmA and ParamAtmA and the distinction between
matter and spirit will be automatically revealed. This Atma-tattva, or spiritual
knowledge, will be revealed within the core of a devotee’s heart because of
his having taken shelter of the lotus feet of a mahAjana such as PrahlAda
MahArAja.6.23]
“The real import of the scriptures is revealed to one who has unflinching faith
in both the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the spiritual master.” zrIla
Narottama dAsa ThAkura advises, sAdhu-zAstra-guru-vAkya, hRdaye kariyA
aikya. The meaning of this instruction is that one must consider the
instructions of the sAdhu, the revealed scriptures and the spiritual master in
order to understand the real purpose of spiritual life. Neither a sAdhu (saintly
person or VaiSNava) nor a bona fide spiritual master says anything that is
beyond the scope of the sanction of the revealed scriptures. Thus the
statements of the revealed scriptures correspond to those of the bona fide
spiritual master and saintly persons. One must therefore act with reference to
these three important sources of understanding.
Adi 7.49
TEXT 49
itimadhye candrazekhara, mizra-tapana
duHkhI ha~nA prabhu-pAya kaila nivedana

iti-madhye—in the meantime; candrazekhara—the clerk of the name
Candrazekhara; mizra-tapana—as well as Tapana Mizra; duHkhI ha~nA—
becoming very unhappy; prabhu-pAya—at the lotus feet of the Lord; kaila—
made; nivedana—an appeal.
TRANSLATION
While Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu was instructing SanAtana GosvAmI, both
Candrazekhara and Tapana Mizra became very unhappy. Therefore they
submitted an appeal unto the lotus feet of the Lord.
Adi 7.50
TEXT 50
kateka zuniba prabhu tomAra nindana
nA pAri sahite, ebe chAòiba jIvana

kateka—how much; zuniba—shall we hear; prabhu—O Lord; tomAra—Your;
nindana—blasphemy; nA pAri—we are not able; sahite—to tolerate; ebe—
now; chAòiba—give up; jIvana—life.
TRANSLATION
“How long can we tolerate the blasphemy by Your critics against Your
conduct? We should give up our lives rather than hear such blasphemy.
PURPORT
One of the most important instructions by zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu regarding
regular VaiSNava behavior is that a VaiSNava should be tolerant like a tree and
submissive like grass.
tRNAd api su-nIcena taror iva sahiSNunA
amAninA mAna-dena kIrtanIyaH sadA hariH
[Cc. adi 17.31]
“One should chant the holy name of the Lord in a humble state of mind,
thinking oneself lower than the straw in the street; one should be more
tolerant than a tree, devoid of all sense of false prestige and ready to offer all
respect to others. In such a state of mind one can chant the holy name of the
Lord constantly.” Nevertheless, the author of these instructions, Lord Caitanya
MahAprabhu, did not tolerate the misbehavior of JagAi and MAdhAi. When
they harmed Lord NityAnanda Prabhu, He immediately became angry and
wanted to kill them, and it was only by the mercy of Lord NityAnanda Prabhu
that they were saved. One should be very meek and humble in his personal
transactions, and if insulted a VaiSNava should be tolerant and not angry. But
if there is blasphemy against one’s guru or another VaiSNava, one should be as
angry as fire. This was exhibited by Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu. One should
not tolerate blasphemy against a VaiSNava but should immediately take one of
three actions. If someone blasphemes a VaiSNava, one should stop him with
arguments and higher reason. If one is not expert enough to do this he should
give up his life on the spot, and if he cannot do this, he must go away. While
Caitanya MahAprabhu was in Benares or KAzI, the MAyAvAdI sannyAsIs
blasphemed Him in many ways because although He was a sannyAsI He was
indulging in chanting and dancing. Tapana Mizra and Candrazekhara heard
this criticism, and it was intolerable for them because they were great
devotees of Lord Caitanya. They could not stop it, however, and therefore
they appealed to Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu because this blasphemy was so
intolerable that they had decided to give up their lives.
Adi 7.51
TEXT 51
tomAre nindaye yata sannyAsIra gaNa
zunite nA pAri, phATe hRdaya-zravaNa

tomAre—unto You; nindaye—blasphemes; yata—all; sannyAsIra gaNa—the
MAyAvAdI sannyAsIs; zunite—to hear; nA—cannot; pAri—tolerate; phATe—it
breaks; hRdaya—our hearts; zravaNa—while hearing such blasphemy.
TRANSLATION
“The MAyAvAdI sannyAsIs are all criticizing Your Holiness. We cannot tolerate
hearing such criticism, for this blasphemy breaks our hearts.”
PURPORT
This is a manifestation of real love for KRSNa and Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu.
There are three categories of VaiSNavas: kaniSTha-adhikArIs, madhyama-
adhikArIs and uttama-adhikArIs. The kaniSTha-adhikArI, or the devotee in the
lowest stage of VaiSNava life, has firm faith but is not familiar with the
conclusions of the zAstras. The devotee in the second stage, the madhyama-
adhikArI, is completely aware of the zAstric conclusion and has firm faith in his
guru and the Lord. He, therefore, avoiding nondevotees, preaches to the
innocent. However, the mahA-bhAgavata or uttama-adhikArI, the devotee in
the highest stage of devotional life, does not see anyone as being against the
VaiSNava principles, for he regards everyone as a VaiSNava but himself. This is
the essence of Caitanya MahAprabhu’s instruction that one be more tolerant
than a tree and think oneself lower than the straw in the street (tRNAd api su-
nIcena taror iva sahiSNunA). However, even if a devotee is in the uttama-
bhAgavata status he must come down to the second status of life,
madhyama-adhikArI, to be a preacher, for a preacher should not tolerate
blasphemy against another VaiSNava. Although a kaniSTha-adhikArI also
cannot tolerate such blasphemy, he is not competent to stop it by citing
zAstric evidences. Therefore Tapana Mizra and Candrazekhara are understood
to be kaniSTha-adhikArIs because they could not refute the arguments of the
sannyAsIs in Benares. They appealed to Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu to take
action, for they felt that they could not tolerate such criticism although they
also could not stop it.
Adi 7.52
TEXT 52
ihA zuni rahe prabhu ISat hAsiyA
sei kAle eka vipra milila AsiyA

ihA—this; zuni—hearing; rahe—remained; prabhu—Lord Caitanya
MahAprabhu; ISat—slightly; hAsiyA—smiling; sei kAle—at that time; eka—
one; vipra—brAhmaNa; milila—met; AsiyA—coming there.
TRANSLATION
While Tapana Mizra and Candrazekhara were thus talking with zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu, He only smiled slightly and remained silent. At that time a
brAhmaNa came there to meet the Lord.

PURPORT
Because the blasphemy was cast against zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu Himself,
He did not feel sorry, and therefore He was smiling. This is ideal VaiSNava
behavior. One should not become angry upon hearing criticism of himself, but
if other VaiSNavas are criticized one must be prepared to act as previously
suggested. zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu was very compassionate for His pure
devotees Tapana Mizra and Candrazekhara; therefore by His grace this
brAhmaNa immediately came to Him. By His omnipotency the Lord created
this situation for the happiness of His devotees.
Adi 7.53
TEXT 53
Asi’ nivedana kare caraNe dhariyA
eka vastu mAgo~N, deha prasanna ha-iyA

Asi’—coming there; nivedana—submissive statement; kare—made; caraNe—
unto the lotus feet; dhariyA—capturing; eka—one; vastu—thing; mAgo~N—
beg from You; deha—kindly give it to me; prasanna—being pleased; ha-
iyA—becoming so.
TRANSLATION
The brAhmaNa immediately fell at the lotus feet of Caitanya MahAprabhu and
requested Him to accept his proposal in a joyful mood.
PURPORT
The Vedic injunctions state, tad viddhi praNipAtena paripraznena sevayA: one
must approach a superior authority in humbleness (Bg. 4.34). One cannot
challenge a superior authority, but with great submission one can submit his
proposal for acceptance by the spiritual master or spiritual authorities. zrI
Caitanya MahAprabhu is an ideal teacher by His personal behavior, and so also
are all His disciples. Thus this brAhmaNa, being purified in association with
Caitanya MahAprabhu, followed these principles in submitting his request to
the higher authority. He fell down at the lotus feet of zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu and then spoke as follows.
Adi 7.54
TEXT 54
sakala sannyAsI mu~ni kainu nimantraNa
tumi yadi Aisa, pUrNa haya mora mana

sakala—all; sannyAsI—renouncers; mu~ni—I; kainu—made; nimantraNa—
invited; tumi—Your good self; yadi—if; Aisa—come; pUrNa—fulfillment;
haya—becomes; mora—my; mana—mind.
TRANSLATION
“My dear Lord, I have invited all the sannyAsIs of Benares to my home. My
desires will be fulfilled if You also accept my invitation.”
PURPORT
This brAhmaNa knew that Caitanya MahAprabhu was the only VaiSNava
sannyAsI in Benares at that time and all the others were MAyAvAdIs. It is the
duty of a gRhastha to sometimes invite sannyAsIs to take food at his home.
This gRhastha-brAhmaNa wanted to invite all the sannyAsIs to his house, but he
also knew that it would be very difficult to induce Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu
to accept such an invitation because the MAyAvAdI sannyAsIs would be
present. Therefore he fell down at His feet and fervently appealed to the Lord
to be compassionate and grant his request. Thus he humbly submitted his
desire.
Adi 7.55
TEXT 55
nA yAha sannyAsi-goSThI, ihA Ami jAni
more anugraha kara nimantraNa mAni’

nA—not; yAha—You go; sannyAsi-goSThI—the association of MAyAvAdI
sannyAsIs; ihA—this; Ami—I; jAni—know; more—unto me; anugraha—
merciful; kara—become; nimantraNa—invitation; mAni’—accepting.
TRANSLATION
“My dear Lord, I know that You never mix with other sannyAsIs, but please be
merciful unto me and accept my invitation.
PURPORT
An AcArya, or great personality of the VaiSNava school, is very strict in his
principles, but although he is as hard as a thunderbolt, sometimes he is as soft
as a rose. Thus actually he is independent. He follows all the rules and
regulations strictly, but sometimes he slackens this policy. It was known that
Lord Caitanya never mixed with the MAyAvAdI sannyAsIs, yet He conceded to
the request of the brAhmaNa, as stated in the next verse.
Adi 7.56
TEXT 56
prabhu hAsi’ nimantraNa kaila a~NgIkAra
sannyAsIre kRpA lAgi’ e bha~NgI tA~NhAra

prabhu—the Lord; hAsi’—smiling; nimantraNa—invitation; kaila—made;
a~NgIkAra—acceptance; sannyAsIre—unto the MAyAvAdI sannyAsIs; kRpA—to
show them mercy; lAgi’—for the matter of; e—this; bha~NgI—gesture;
tA~NhAra—His.
TRANSLATION
Lord Caitanya smiled and accepted the invitation of the brAhmaNa. He made
this gesture to show His mercy to the MAyAvAdI sannyAsIs.
PURPORT
Tapana Mizra and Candrazekhara appealed to the lotus feet of the Lord
regarding their grief at the criticism of Him by the sannyAsIs in Benares.
Caitanya MahAprabhu merely smiled, yet He wanted to fulfill the desires of
His devotees, and the opportunity came when the brAhmaNa came to request
Him to accept his invitation to be present in the midst of the other sannyAsIs.
This coincidence was made possible by the omnipotency of the Lord.
Adi 7.57
TEXT 57
se vipra jAnena prabhu nA yA’na kA’ra ghare
tA~NhAra preraNAya tA~Nre atyAgraha kare

se—that; vipra—brAhmaNa; jAnena—knew it; prabhu—Lord Caitanya
MahAprabhu; nA—never; yA’na—goes; kA’ra—anyone’s; ghare—house;
ta~NhAra—His; preraNAya—by inspiration; tA~Nre—unto Him; atyAgraha kare—
strongly urging to accept the invitation.
TRANSLATION
The brAhmaNa knew that Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu never went to anyone
else’s house, yet due to inspiration from the Lord he earnestly requested Him
to accept this invitation.
Adi 7.58
TEXT 58
Ara dine gelA prabhu se vipra-bhavane
dekhilena, vasiyAchena sannyAsIra gaNe

Ara—next; dine—day; gelA—went; prabhu—the Lord; se—that; vipra—
brAhmaNa; bhavane—in the house of; dekhilena—He saw; vasiyAchena—
there were sitting; sannyAsIra—all the sannyAsIs; gaNe—in a group.
TRANSLATION
The next day, when Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu went to the house of that
brAhmaNa, He saw all the sannyAsIs of Benares sitting there.
Adi 7.59
TEXT 59
sabA namaskari’ gelA pAda-prakSAlane
pAda prakSAlana kari vasilA sei sthAne

sabA—to all; namaskari’—offering obeisances; gelA—went; pAda—foot;
prakSAlane—for washing; pAda—foot; prakSAlana—washing; kari—finishing;
vasilA—sat down; sei—in that; sthAne—place.
TRANSLATION
As soon as zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu saw the sannyAsIs He immediately
offered obeisances, and then He went to wash His feet. After washing His
feet, He sat down by the place where He had done so.
PURPORT
By offering His obeisances to the MAyAvAdI sannyAsIs, zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu very clearly exhibited His humbleness to everyone. VaiSNavas
must not be disrespectful to anyone, to say nothing of a sannyAsI. zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu teaches, amAninA mAna-dena: one should always be respectful to
others but should not demand respect for himself. A sannyAsI should always
walk barefoot, and therefore when he enters a temple or a society of
devotees he should first wash his feet and then sit down in a proper place. In
India it is still the prevalent custom that one put his shoes in a specified place
and then enter the temple barefoot after washing his feet. zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu is an ideal AcArya, and those who follow in His footsteps should
practice the methods of devotional life that He teaches us.
Adi 7.60
TEXT 60
vasiyA karilA kichu aizvarya prakAza
mahAtejomaya vapu koTi-sUryAbhAsa

vasiyA—after sitting; karilA—exhibited; kichu—some; aizvarya—mystic
power; prakAza—manifested; mahA-tejo-maya—very brilliantly; vapu—
body; koTi—millions; sUrya—sun; AbhAsa—reflection.
TRANSLATION
After sitting on the ground, Caitanya MahAprabhu exhibited His mystic power
by manifesting an effulgence as brilliant as the illumination of millions of suns.
PURPORT
zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu, as the Supreme Personality of Godhead KRSNa, is
full of all potencies. Therefore it is not remarkable for Him to manifest the
illumination of millions of suns. Lord zrI KRSNa is known as Yogezvara, the
master of all mystic powers. zrI KRSNa Caitanya MahAprabhu is Lord KRSNa
Himself; therefore He can exhibit any mystic power.
Adi 7.61
TEXT 61
prabhAve AkarSila saba sannyAsIra mana
uThila sannyAsI saba chAòiyA Asana

prabhAve—by such illumination; AkarSila—He attracted; saba—all;
sannyAsIra—the MAyAvAdI sannyAsIs; mana—mind; uThila—stood up;
sannyAsI—all the MAyAvAdI sannyAsIs; saba—all; chAòiyA—giving up;
Asana—sitting places.
TRANSLATION
When the sannyAsIs saw the brilliant illumination of the body of zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu, their minds were attracted, and they all immediately gave up
their sitting places and stood in respect.
PURPORT
To draw the attention of common men, sometimes saintly persons, AcAryas
and teachers exhibit extraordinary opulences. This is necessary to attract the
attention of fools, but a saintly person should not misuse such power for
personal sense gratification like false saints who declare themselves to be
God. Even a magician can exhibit extraordinary feats that are not
understandable to common men, but this does not mean that the magician is
God. It is a most sinful activity to attract attention by exhibiting mystic
powers and then to utilize this opportunity to declare oneself to be God. A
real saintly person never declares himself to be God but always places himself
in the position of a servant of God. For a servant of God there is no need to
exhibit mystic powers, and he does not like to do so, but on behalf of the
Supreme Personality of Godhead a humble servant of God performs his
activities in such a wonderful way that no common man can dare try to act
like him. Yet a saintly person never takes credit for such actions because he
knows very well that when wonderful things are done on his behalf by the
grace of the Supreme Lord, all credit goes to the master and not to the
servant.
Adi 7.62
TEXT 62
prakAzAnanda-nAme sarva sannyAsi-pradhAna
prabhuke kahila kichu kariyA sammAna

prakAzAnanda—PrakAzAnanda; nAme—of the name; sarva—all; sannyAsi-
pradhAna—chief of the MAyAvAdI sannyAsIs; prabhuke—unto the Lord;
kahila—said; kichu—something; kariyA—showing Him; sammAna—respect.
TRANSLATION
The leader of all the MAyAvAdI sannyAsIs present was named PrakAzAnanda
SarasvatI, and after standing up he addressed Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu as
follows with great respect.
PURPORT
As Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu showed respect to all the MAyAvAdI
sannyAsIs, similarly the leader of the MAyAvAdI sannyAsIs, PrakAzAnanda, also
showed his respects to the Lord.
Adi 7.63
TEXT 63
ihA~N Aisa, ihA~N Aisa, zunaha zrIpAda
apavitra sthAne vaisa, kibA avasAda

ihA~N Aisa—come here; ihA~N Aisa—come here; zunaha—kindly hear; zrIpAda—
Your Holiness; apavitra—unholy; sthAne—place; vaisa—You are sitting;
kibA—what is that; avasAda—lamentation.
TRANSLATION
“Please come here. Please come here, Your Holiness. Why do You sit in that
unclean place? What has caused Your lamentation?”
PURPORT
Here is the distinction between Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu and PrakAzAnanda
SarasvatI. In the material world everyone wants to introduce himself as very
important and great, but Caitanya MahAprabhu introduced Himself very
humbly and meekly. The MAyAvAdIs were sitting in an exalted position, and
Caitanya MahAprabhu sat in a place that was not even clean. Therefore the
MAyAvAdI sannyAsIs thought that He must have been aggrieved for some
reason, and PrakAzAnanda SarasvatI inquired about the cause for His
lamentation.
Adi 7.64
TEXT 64
prabhu kahe,——Ami ha-i hIna-sampradAya
tomA-sabAra sabhAya vasite nA yuyAya

prabhu kahe—the Lord replied; Ami—I; ha-i—am; hIna-sampradAya—
belonging to a lower spiritual school; tomA-sabAra—of all of you; sabhAya—
in the assembly; vasite—to sit down; nA—never; yuyAya—I can dare.
TRANSLATION
The Lord replied, “I belong to a lower order of sannyAsIs. Therefore I do not
deserve to sit with you.”
PURPORT
MAyAvAdI sannyAsIs are always very puffed up because of their knowledge of
Sanskrit and because they belong to the za~Nkara-sampradAya. They are
always under the impression that unless one is a brAhmaNa and a very good
Sanskrit scholar, especially in grammar, one cannot accept the renounced
order of life or become a preacher. MAyAvAdI sannyAsIs always misinterpret
all the zAstras with their word jugglery and grammatical compositions, yet
zrIpAda za~NkarAcArya himself condemned such jugglery of words in the verse
prApte sannihite kAle na hi na hi rakSati òukR~n karaNe. ÒukR~n refers to suffixes
and prefixes in Sanskrit grammar. za~NkarAcArya warned his disciples that if
they concerned themselves only with the principles of grammar, not
worshiping Govinda, they were fools who would never be saved. Yet in spite
of zrIpAda za~NkarAcArya’s instructions, foolish MAyAvAdI sannyAsIs are always
busy juggling words on the basis of strict Sanskrit grammar.
MAyAvAdI sannyAsIs are very puffed up if they hold the elevated sannyAsa
title TIrtha, Azrama or SarasvatI. Even among MAyAvAdIs, those who belong
to other sampradAyas and hold other titles, such as Vana, AraNya or BhAratI,
are considered to be lower-grade sannyAsIs. zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu
accepted sannyAsa from the BhAratI-sampradAya, and thus He considered
Himself a lower sannyAsI than PrakAzAnanda SarasvatI. To remain distinct
from VaiSNava sannyAsIs, the sannyAsIs of the MAyAvAdi-sampradAya always
think themselves to be situated in a very much elevated spiritual order, but
Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu, in order to teach them how to become humble
and meek, accepted Himself as belonging to a lower sampradAya of
sannyAsIs. Thus He wanted to point out clearly that a sannyAsI is one who is
advanced in spiritual knowledge. One who is advanced in spiritual knowledge
should be accepted as occupying a better position than those who lack such
knowledge.
The MAyAvAdi-sampradAya sannyAsIs are generally known as VedAntIs, as if
VedAnta were their monopoly. Actually, however, VedAntI refers to a person
who perfectly knows KRSNa. As confirmed in the Bhagavad-gItA (15.15), vedaiz
ca sarvair aham eva vedyaH: By all the Vedas it is KRSNa who is to be known.
The so-called MAyAvAdI VedAntIs do not know who KRSNa is; therefore their
title of VedAntI, or “knower of VedAnta philosophy,” is simply a pretension.
MAyAvAdI sannyAsIs always think of themselves as real sannyAsIs and
consider sannyAsIs of the VaiSNava order to be brahmacArIs. A brahmacArI is
supposed to engage in the service of a sannyAsI and accept him as his guru.
MAyAvAdI sannyAsIs therefore declare themselves to be not only gurus but
jagad-gurus, or the spiritual masters of the entire world, although, of course,
they cannot see the entire world. Sometimes they dress gorgeously and travel
on the backs of elephants in processions, and thus they are always puffed up,
accepting themselves as jagad-gurus. zrIla RUpa GosvAmI, however, has
explained that jagad-guru properly refers to one who is the controller of his
tongue, mind, words, belly, genitals and anger. PRthivIà sa ziSyAt: such a
jagad-guru is completely fit to make disciples all over the world. Due to false
prestige, MAyAvAdI sannyAsIs who do not have these qualifications sometimes
harass and blaspheme a VaiSNava sannyAsI who humbly engages in the
service of the Lord.
Adi 7.65
TEXT 65
Apane prakAzAnanda hAtete dhariyA
vasAilA sabhA-madhye sammAna kariyA

Apane—personally; prakAzAnanda—PrakAzAnanda; hAtete—by His hand;
dhariyA—capturing; vasAilA—made Him sit; sabhA-madhye—in the assembly
of; sammAna—with great respect; kariyA—offering Him.
TRANSLATION
PrakAzAnanda SarasvatI, however, caught zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu personally
by the hand and seated Him with great respect in the midst of the assembly.
PURPORT
The respectful behavior of PrakAzAnanda SarasvatI toward zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu is very much to be appreciated. Such behavior is calculated to be
aj~nAta-sukRti, or pious activities that one executes unknowingly. Thus zrI
Caitanya MahAprabhu very tactfully gave PrakAzAnanda SarasvatI an
opportunity to advance in aj~nAta-sukRti so that in the future he might actually
become a VaiSNava sannyAsI.
Adi 7.66
TEXT 66
puchila, tomAra nAma ‘zrI-kRSNa-caitanya’
kezava-bhAratIra ziSya, tAte tumi dhanya

puchila—inquired; tomAra—Your; nAma—name; zrI-kRSNa-caitanya—the
name zrI KRSNa Caitanya; kezava-bhAratIra ziSya—You are a disciple of
Kezava BhAratI; tAte—in that connection; tumi—You are; dhanya—glorious.
TRANSLATION
PrakAzAnanda SarasvatI then said, “I understand that Your name is zrI KRSNa
Caitanya. You are a disciple of zrI Kezava BhAratI, and therefore You are
glorious.
Adi 7.67
TEXT 67
sAmpradAyika sannyAsI tumi, raha ei grAme
ki kAraNe AmA-sabAra nA kara darzane

sAmpradAyika—of the community; sannyAsI—MAyAvAdI sannyAsI; tumi—
You are; raha—live; ei—this; grAme—in VArANasI; ki kAraNe—for what
reason; AmA-sabAra—with us; nA—do not; kara—endeavor; darzane—to
mix.
TRANSLATION
“You belong to our za~Nkara-sampradAya and live in our village, VArANasI. Why
then do You not associate with us? Why is it that You avoid even seeing us?
PURPORT
A VaiSNava sannyAsI or a VaiSNava in the second stage of advancement in
spiritual knowledge can understand four principles—namely, the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, the devotees, the innocent and the jealous—and he
behaves differently with each. He tries to increase his love for Godhead, make
friendship with devotees and preach KRSNa consciousness among the
innocent, but he avoids the jealous who are envious of the KRSNa
consciousness movement. Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu Himself exemplified
such behavior, and this is why PrakAzAnanda SarasvatI inquired why He did
not associate or even talk with them. Caitanya MahAprabhu confirmed by
example that a preacher of the KRSNa consciousness movement generally
should not waste his time talking with MAyAvAdI sannyAsIs, but when there
are arguments on the basis of zAstra, a VaiSNava must come forward to talk
and defeat them in philosophy.
According to MAyAvAdI sannyAsIs, only one who takes sannyAsa in the
disciplic succession from za~NkarAcArya is a Vedic sannyAsI. Sometimes it is
challenged that the sannyAsIs who are preaching in the KRSNa consciousness
movement are not genuine because they do not belong to brAhmaNa families,
for MAyAvAdIs do not offer sannyAsa to one who does not belong to a
brAhmaNa family by birth. Unfortunately, however, they do not know that at
present everyone is born a zUdra (kalau zUdra-sambhavaH). It is to be
understood that there are no brAhmaNas in this age because those who claim
to be brAhmaNas simply on the basis of birthright do not have the brahminical
qualifications. However, even if one is born in a non-brAhmaNa family, if he
has the brahminical qualifications he should be accepted as a brAhmaNa, as
confirmed by zrIla NArada Muni and the great saint zrIdhara SvAmI. This is
also stated in zrImad-BhAgavatam. Both NArada and zrIdhara SvAmI
completely agree that one cannot be a brAhmaNa by birthright but must
possess the qualities of a brAhmaNa. Thus in our KRSNa consciousness
movement we never offer the sannyAsa order to a person whom we do not
find to be qualified in terms of the prescribed brahminical principles. Although
it is a fact that unless one is a brAhmaNa he cannot become a sannyAsI, it is
not a valid principle that an unqualified man who is born in a brAhmaNa family
is a brAhmaNa whereas a brahminically qualified person born in a non-
brAhmaNa family cannot be accepted. The KRSNa consciousness movement
strictly follows the injunctions of zrImad-BhAgavatam, avoiding misleading
heresy and manufactured conclusions.
Adi 7.68
TEXT 68
sannyAsI ha-iyA kara nartana-gAyana
bhAvuka saba sa~Nge la~nA kara sa~NkIrtana

sannyAsI—the renounced order of life; ha-iyA—accepting; kara—You do;
nartana-gAyana—dancing and chanting; bhAvuka—fanatics; saba—all;
sa~Nge—in Your company; la~nA—accepting them; kara—You do;
sa~NkIrtana—chanting of the holy name of the Lord.
TRANSLATION
“You are a sannyAsI. Why then do You indulge in chanting and dancing,
engaging in Your sa~NkIrtana movement in the company of fanatics?
PURPORT
This is a challenge by PrakAzAnanda SarasvatI to zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu.
zrIla BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI ThAkura writes in his AnubhASya that zrI
Caitanya MahAprabhu, who is the object of VedAnta philosophical research,
has very kindly determined who is an appropriate candidate for study of
VedAnta philosophy. The first qualification of such a candidate is expressed by
zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu in His zikSASTaka:
tRNAd api su-nIcena taror iva sahiSNunA
amAninA mAna-dena kIrtanIyaH sadA hariH
[Cc. adi 17.31]
This statement indicates that one can hear or speak about VedAnta philosophy
through the disciplic succession. One must be very humble and meek, more
tolerant than a tree and more humble than the grass. One should not claim
respect for himself but should be prepared to give all respect to others. One
must have these qualifications to be eligible to understand Vedic knowledge.
Adi 7.69
TEXT 69
vedAnta-paThana, dhyAna,——sannyAsIra dharma
tAhA chAòi’ kara kene bhAvukera karma

vedAnta-paThana—studying VedAnta philosophy; dhyAna—meditation;
sannyAsIra—of a sannyAsI; dharma—duties; tAhA chAòi’—giving them up;
kara—You do; kene—why; bhAvukera—of the fanatics; karma—activities.
TRANSLATION
“Meditation and the study of VedAnta are the sole duties of a sannyAsI. Why
do You abandon these to dance with fanatics?
PURPORT
As explained in regard to verse 41, MAyAvAdI sannyAsIs do not approve of
chanting and dancing. PrakAzAnanda SarasvatI, like SArvabhauma
BhaTTAcArya, misunderstood zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu to be a misled young
sannyAsI, and therefore he asked Him why He indulged in the association of
fanatics instead of executing the duty of a sannyAsI.
Adi 7.70
TEXT 70
prabhAve dekhiye tomA sAkSAt nArAyaNa
hInAcAra kara kene, ithe ki kAraNa

prabhAve—in Your opulence; dekhiye—I see; tomA—You; sAkSAt—directly;
nArAyaNa—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; hIna-AcAra—lower-class
behavior; kara—You do; kene—why; ithe—in this; ki—what is; kAraNa—
reason.
TRANSLATION
“You look as brilliant as if You were NArAyaNa Himself. Will You kindly explain
the reason that You have adopted the behavior of lower-class people?”
PURPORT
Due to renunciation, VedAnta study, meditation and the strict regulative
principles of their daily routine, MAyAvAdI sannyAsIs are certainly in a position
to execute pious activities. Thus PrakAzAnanda SarasvatI, on account of his
piety, could understand that Caitanya MahAprabhu was not an ordinary
person but the Supreme Personality of Godhead. SAkSAt nArAyaNa: he
considered Him to be NArAyaNa Himself. MAyAvAdI sannyAsIs address one
another as NArAyaNa because they think that they are all going to be
NArAyaNa or merge with NArAyaNa in the next life. PrakAzAnanda SarasvatI
appreciated that Caitanya MahAprabhu had already directly become
NArAyaNa and did not need to wait until His next life. One difference between
the VaiSNava and MAyAvAdI philosophies is that MAyAvAdI philosophers think
that after giving up their bodies they are going to become NArAyaNa by
merging with His body, whereas VaiSNava philosophers understand that after
the body dies they are going to have a transcendental, spiritual body in which
to associate with NArAyaNa.
Adi 7.71
TEXT 71
prabhu kahe——zuna, zrIpAda, ihAra kAraNa
guru more mUrkha dekhi’ karila zAsana

prabhu kahe—the Lord replied; zuna—kindly hear; zrIpAda—Your Holiness;
ihAra—of this; kAraNa—reason; guru—My spiritual master; more—Me;
mUrkha—fool; dekhi’—understanding; karila—he did; zAsana—chastisement.
TRANSLATION
zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu replied to PrakAzAnanda SarasvatI, “My dear sir,
kindly hear the reason. My spiritual master considered Me a fool, and
therefore he chastised Me.
PURPORT
When PrakAzAnanda SarasvatI inquired from Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu why
He neither studied VedAnta nor performed meditation, Lord Caitanya
presented Himself as a number one fool in order to indicate that the present
age, Kali-yuga, is an age of fools and rascals in which it is not possible to
obtain perfection simply by reading VedAnta philosophy and meditating. The
zAstras strongly recommend:
harer nAma harer nAma harer nAmaiva kevalam
kalau nAsty eva nAsty eva nAsty eva gatir anyathA
[Adi 17.21]
“In this age of quarrel and hypocrisy the only means of deliverance is the
chanting of the holy names of the Lord. There is no other way. There is no
other way. There is no other way.” People in general in Kali-yuga are so fallen
that it is not possible for them to obtain perfection simply by studying the
VedAnta-sUtra. One should therefore seriously take to the constant chanting
of the holy name of the Lord.
Adi 7.72
TEXT 72
mUrkha tumi, tomAra nAhika vedAntAdhikAra
‘kRSNa-mantra’ japa sadA,——ei mantra-sAra

mUrkha tumi—You are a fool; tomAra—Your; nAhika—there is not;
vedAnta—VedAnta philosophy; adhikAra—qualification to study; kRSNa-
mantra—the hymn of KRSNa (Hare KRSNa); japa—chant; sadA—always; ei—
this; mantra—hymn; sAra—essence of all Vedic knowledge.
TRANSLATION
“‘You are a fool,’ he said. ‘You are not qualified to study VedAnta philosophy,
and therefore You must always chant the holy name of KRSNa. This is the
essence of all mantras, or Vedic hymns.
PURPORT
zrI BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI GosvAmI MahArAja comments in this connection,
“One can become perfectly successful in the mission of his life if he acts
exactly according to the words he hears from the mouth of his spiritual
master.” This acceptance of the words of the spiritual master is called zrauta-
vAkya, which indicates that the disciple must carry out the spiritual master’s
instructions without deviation. zrIla VizvanAtha CakravartI ThAkura remarks in
this connection that a disciple must accept the words of his spiritual master as
his life and soul. zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu here confirms this by saying that
since His spiritual master ordered Him only to chant the holy name of KRSNa,
He always chanted the Hare KRSNa mahA-mantra according to this direction
(‘kRSNa-mantra’ japa sadA,—ei mantra-sAra).
KRSNa is the origin of everything. Therefore when a person is fully KRSNa
conscious it is to be understood that his relationship with KRSNa has been fully
confirmed. Lacking KRSNa consciousness, one is only partially related with
KRSNa and is therefore not in his constitutional position. Although zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu is the Supreme Personality of Godhead KRSNa, the spiritual
master of the entire universe, He nevertheless took the position of a disciple in
order to teach by example how a devotee should strictly follow the orders of
a spiritual master in executing the duty of always chanting the Hare KRSNa
mahA-mantra. One who is very much attracted to the study of VedAnta
philosophy must take lessons from zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu. In this age, no
one is actually competent to study VedAnta, and therefore it is better that one
chant the holy name of the Lord, which is the essence of all Vedic knowledge,
as KRSNa Himself confirms in the Bhagavad-gItA (15.15):
vedaiz ca sarvair aham eva vedyo
vedAnta-kRd veda-vid eva cAham
“By all the Vedas, I am to be known. Indeed, I am the compiler of VedAnta,
and I am the knower of the Vedas.”
Only fools give up the service of the spiritual master and think themselves
advanced in spiritual knowledge. In order to check such fools, Caitanya
MahAprabhu Himself presented the perfect example of how to be a disciple. A
spiritual master knows very well how to engage each disciple in a particular
duty, but if a disciple, thinking himself more advanced than his spiritual
master, gives up his orders and acts independently, he checks his own
spiritual progress. Every disciple must consider himself completely unaware of
the science of KRSNa and must always be ready to carry out the orders of the
spiritual master to become competent in KRSNa consciousness. A disciple
should always remain a fool before his spiritual master. Therefore sometimes
pseudo spiritualists accept a spiritual master who is not even fit to become a
disciple because they want to keep him under their control. This is useless for
spiritual realization.
One who imperfectly knows KRSNa consciousness cannot know VedAnta
philosophy. A showy display of VedAnta study without KRSNa consciousness is
a feature of the external energy, mAyA, and as long as one is attracted by the
inebrieties of this ever-changing material energy, he deviates from devotion
to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. An actual follower of VedAnta
philosophy is a devotee of Lord ViSNu, who is the greatest of the great and
the maintainer of the entire universe. Unless one surpasses the field of
activities in service to the limited, one cannot reach the unlimited. Knowledge
of the unlimited is actual brahma-j~nAna, or knowledge of the Supreme. Those
who are addicted to fruitive activities and speculative knowledge cannot
understand the value of the holy name of Lord KRSNa, which is always
completely pure, eternally liberated and full of spiritual bliss. One who has
taken shelter of the holy name of the Lord, which is identical with the Lord,
does not have to study VedAnta philosophy, for he has already completed all
such study.
One who is unfit to chant the holy name of KRSNa but thinks that the holy
name is different from KRSNa and thus takes shelter of VedAnta study in order
to understand Him must be considered a number one fool, as confirmed by
Caitanya MahAprabhu by His personal behavior, and philosophical speculators
who want to make VedAnta philosophy an academic career are also
considered to be within the material energy. A person who always chants the
holy name of the Lord, however, is already beyond the ocean of nescience,
and thus even a person born in a low family who engages in chanting the holy
name of the Lord is considered to be beyond the study of VedAnta
philosophy. In this connection zrImad-BhAgavatam (3.33.7) states:
aho bata zva-paco ’to garIyAn
yaj-jihvAgre vartate nAma tubhyam
tepus tapas te juhuvuH sasnur AryA
brahmAnUcur nAma gRNanti ye te
“If a person born in a family of dog-eaters takes to the chanting of the holy
name of KRSNa, it is to be understood that in his previous life he must have
executed all kinds of austerities and penances and performed all the Vedic
yaj~nas.” Another quotation states:
Rg-vedo ’tha yajur-vedaH sAma-vedo ’py atharvaNaH
adhItAs tena yenoktaà harir ity akSara-dvayam
“A person who chants the two syllables ha-ri has already studied the four
Vedas—SAma, Rg, Yajur and Atharva.”
Taking advantage of these verses, there are some sahajiyAs who, taking
everything very cheaply, consider themselves elevated VaiSNavas but do not
care even to touch the VedAnta-sUtra or VedAnta philosophy. A real VaiSNava
should, however, study VedAnta philosophy, but if after studying VedAnta one
does not adopt the chanting of the holy name of the Lord, he is no better than
a MAyAvAdI. Therefore, one should not be a MAyAvAdI, yet one should not be
unaware of the subject matter of VedAnta philosophy. Indeed, Caitanya
MahAprabhu exhibited His knowledge of VedAnta in His discourses with
PrakAzAnanda SarasvatI. Thus it is to be understood that a VaiSNava should be
completely conversant with VedAnta philosophy, yet he should not think that
studying VedAnta is all in all and therefore be unattached to the chanting of
the holy name. A devotee must know the importance of simultaneously
understanding VedAnta philosophy and chanting the holy names. If by
studying VedAnta one becomes an impersonalist, he has not been able to
understand VedAnta. This is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gItA (15.15). VedAnta
means “the end of knowledge.” The ultimate end of knowledge is knowledge
of KRSNa, who is identical with His holy name. Cheap VaiSNavas (sahajiyAs) do
not care to study the VedAnta philosophy as commented upon by the four
AcAryas. In the GauòIya-sampradAya there is a VedAnta commentary called
the Govinda-bhASya, but the sahajiyAs consider such commentaries to be
untouchable philosophical speculation, and they consider the AcAryas to be
mixed devotees. Thus they clear their way to hell.
Adi 7.73
TEXT 73
kRSNa-mantra haite habe saàsAra-mocana
kRSNa-nAma haite pAbe kRSNera caraNa

kRSNa-mantra—the chanting of the Hare KRSNa mahA-mantra; haite—from;
habe—it will be; saàsAra—material existence; mocana—deliverance; kRSNa-
nAma—the holy name of Lord KRSNa; haite—from; pAbe—one will get;
kRSNera—of Lord KRSNa; caraNa—lotus feet.
TRANSLATION
“Simply by chanting the holy name of KRSNa one can obtain freedom from
material existence. Indeed, simply by chanting the Hare KRSNa mantra one will
be able to see the lotus feet of the Lord.
PURPORT
In his AnubhASya, zrI BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI GosvAmI says that the actual
effect that will be visible as soon as one achieves transcendental knowledge is
that he will immediately become free from the clutches of mAyA and fully
engage in the service of the Lord. Unless one serves the Supreme Personality
of Godhead Mukunda, one cannot become free from fruitive activities under
the external energy. However, when one chants the holy name of the Lord
offenselessly, one can realize a transcendental position that is completely
aloof from the material conception of life. Rendering service to the Lord, a
devotee relates to the Supreme Personality of Godhead in one of five
relationships—namely, zAnta, dAsya, sakhya, vAtsalya or mAdhurya—and
thus he relishes transcendental bliss in that relationship. Such a relationship
certainly transcends the body and mind. When one realizes that the holy
name of the Lord is identical with the Supreme Person, he becomes
completely eligible to chant the holy name of the Lord. Such an ecstatic
chanter and dancer must be considered to have a direct relationship with the
Lord.
According to the Vedic principles, there are three stages of spiritual
advancement, namely, sambandha-j~nAna, abhidheya and prayojana.
Sambandha-j~nAna refers to establishing one’s original relationship with the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, abhidheya refers to acting according to that
constitutional relationship, and prayojana is the ultimate goal of life, which is
to develop love of Godhead (premA pum-artho mahAn). If one adheres to the
regulative principles under the order of the spiritual master, he very easily
achieves the ultimate goal of his life. A person who is addicted to the
chanting of the Hare KRSNa mantra very easily gets the opportunity to serve
the Supreme Personality of Godhead directly. There is no need for such a
person to understand the grammatical jugglery in which MAyAvAdI sannyAsIs
generally indulge. zrI za~NkarAcArya also stressed this point: na hi na hi rakSati
òukR~n karaNe. “Simply by juggling grammatical suffixes and prefixes one
cannot save himself from the clutches of death.” The grammatical word
jugglers cannot bewilder a devotee who engages in chanting the Hare KRSNa
mahA-mantra. Simply addressing the energy of the Supreme Lord as Hare and
the Lord Himself as KRSNa very soon situates the Lord within the heart of the
devotee. By thus addressing RAdhA and KRSNa, one directly engages in His
Lordship’s service. The essence of all revealed scriptures and all knowledge is
present when one addresses the Lord and His energy by the Hare KRSNa
mantra, for this transcendental vibration can completely liberate a conditioned
soul and directly engage him in the service of the Lord.
zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu presented Himself as a grand fool, yet He
maintained that all the words that He had heard from His spiritual master
strictly followed the principles stated by VyAsadeva in zrImad-BhAgavatam
(1.7.6).
anarthopazamaà sAkSAd bhakti-yogam adhokSaje
lokasyAjAnato vidvAàz cakre sAtvata-saàhitAm
“The material miseries of a living entity, which are superfluous to him, can be
directly mitigated by the linking process of devotional service. But the mass
of people do not know this, and therefore the learned VyAsadeva compiled
this Vedic literature [zrImad-BhAgavatam], which is in relation to the Supreme
Truth.” One can overcome all misconceptions and entanglement in the
material world by practicing bhakti-yoga, and therefore VyAsadeva, acting on
the instruction of zrI NArada, has very kindly introduced zrImad-BhAgavatam
to relieve the conditioned souls from the clutches of mAyA. Lord Caitanya’s
spiritual master instructed Him, therefore, that one must read zrImad-
BhAgavatam regularly and with scrutiny to gradually become attached to the
chanting of the Hare KRSNa mahA-mantra.
The holy name and the Lord are identical. One who is completely free from
the clutches of mAyA can understand this fact. This knowledge, which is
achieved by the mercy of the spiritual master, places one on the supreme
transcendental platform. zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu presented Himself as a fool
because prior to accepting the shelter of a spiritual master He could not
understand that simply by chanting one can be relieved from all material
conditions. But as soon as He became a faithful servant of His spiritual master
and followed his instructions, He very easily saw the path of liberation. zrI
Caitanya MahAprabhu’s chanting of the Hare KRSNa mantra must be
understood to be devoid of all offenses. The ten offenses against the holy
name are as follows: (1) to blaspheme a devotee of the Lord, (2) to consider
the Lord and the demigods to be on the same level or to think that there are
many gods, (3) to neglect the orders of the spiritual master, (4) to minimize
the authority of scriptures (Vedas), (5) to interpret the holy name of God, (6)
to commit sins on the strength of chanting, (7) to instruct the glories of the
Lord’s name to the unfaithful, (8) to compare the chanting of the holy name
with material piety, (9) to be inattentive while chanting the holy name, and
(10) to be attached to material things in spite of chanting the holy name.
Adi 7.74
TEXT 74
nAma vinu kali-kAle nAhi Ara dharma
sarva-mantra-sAra nAma, ei zAstra-marma

nAma—the holy name; vinu—without; kali-kAle—in this Age of Kali; nAhi—
there is none; Ara—or any alternative; dharma—religious principle; sarva—
all; mantra—hymns; sAra—essence; nAma—the holy name; ei—this is;
zAstra—revealed scriptures; marma—purport.
TRANSLATION
“‘In this Age of Kali there is no religious principle other than the chanting of
the holy name, which is the essence of all Vedic hymns. This is the purport of
all scriptures.’
PURPORT
The principles of the paramparA system were strictly honored in previous
ages—Satya-yuga, TretA-yuga and DvApara-yuga—but in the present age,
Kali-yuga, people neglect the importance of this system of zrauta-paramparA,
or receiving knowledge by disciplic succession. In this age, people are
prepared to argue that they can understand that which is beyond their limited
knowledge and perception through so-called scientific observations and
experiments, not knowing that actual truth comes down to man from
authorities. This argumentative attitude is against the Vedic principles, and it
is very difficult for one who adopts it to understand that the holy name of
KRSNa is as good as KRSNa Himself. Since KRSNa and His holy name are
identical, the holy name is eternally pure and beyond material contamination.
It is the Supreme Personality of Godhead as a transcendental vibration. The
holy name is completely different from material sound, as confirmed by
Narottama dAsa ThAkura: golokera prema-dhana, hari-nAma-sa~NkIrtana. The
transcendental vibration of hari-nAma-sa~NkIrtana is imported from the spiritual
world. Thus although materialists who are addicted to experimental
knowledge and the so-called “scientific method” cannot place their faith in
the chanting of the Hare KRSNa mahA-mantra, it is a fact that simply by
chanting the Hare KRSNa mantra offenselessly one can be freed from all subtle
and gross material conditions. The spiritual world is called VaikuNTha, which
means “without anxiety.” In the material world everything is full of anxiety
(kuNTha), whereas in the spiritual world (VaikuNTha) everything is free from
anxiety. Therefore those who are afflicted by a combination of anxieties
cannot understand the Hare KRSNa mantra, which is free from all anxiety. In
the present age the vibration of the Hare KRSNa mahA-mantra is the only
process that is in a transcendental position, beyond material contamination.
Since the holy name can deliver a conditioned soul, it is explained here to be
sarva-mantra-sAra, the essence of all Vedic hymns.
A name that represents an object of this material world may be subjected to
arguments and experimental knowledge, but in the absolute world a name
and its owner, the fame and the famous, are identical, and similarly the
qualities, pastimes and everything else pertaining to the Absolute are also
absolute. Although MAyAvAdIs profess monism, they differentiate between
the holy name of the Supreme Lord and the Lord Himself. For this offense of
nAmAparAdha they gradually glide down from their exalted position of
brahma-j~nAna, as confirmed in zrImad-BhAgavatam (10.2.32):
Aruhya kRcchreNa paraà padaà tataH
patanty adho ’nAdRta-yuSmad-a~NghrayaH
Although by severe austerities they rise to the exalted position of brahma-
j~nAna, they nevertheless fall down due to imperfect knowledge of the
Absolute Truth. Although they profess to understand the Vedic mantra
sarvaà khalv idaà brahma (ChAndogya Up. 3.14.1), which means “Everything
is Brahman,” they are unable to understand that the holy name is also
Brahman. If they regularly chant the mahA-mantra, however, they can be
relieved from this misconception. Unless one properly takes shelter of the holy
name, he cannot be relieved from the offensive stage in chanting the holy
name.
Adi 7.75
TEXT 75
eta bali’ eka zloka zikhAila more
kaNThe kari’ ei zloka kariha vicAre

eta bali’—saying this; eka zloka—one verse; zikhAila—taught; more—Me;
kaNThe—in the throat; kari’—keeping; ei—this; zloka—verse; kariha—You
should do; vicAre—in consideration.
TRANSLATION
“After describing the potency of the Hare KRSNa mahA-mantra, My spiritual
master taught Me another verse, advising Me to always keep it within My
throat.
Adi 7.76
TEXT 76
harer nAma harer nAma
harer nAmaiva kevalam
kalau nAsty eva nAsty eva
nAsty eva gatir anyathA
[Adi 17.21]

hareH nAma—the holy name of the Lord; hareH nAma—the holy name of the
Lord; hareH nAma—the holy name of the Lord; eva—certainly; kevalam—
only; kalau—in this Age of Kali; na asti—there is none; eva—certainly; na
asti—there is none; eva—certainly; na asti—there is none; eva—certainly;
gatiH—progress; anyathA—otherwise.
TRANSLATION
“‘For spiritual progress in this Age of Kali, there is no alternative, there is no
alternative, there is no alternative to the holy name, the holy name, the holy
name of the Lord.’
PURPORT
For progress in spiritual life, the zAstras recommend meditation in Satya-yuga,
sacrifice for the satisfaction of Lord ViSNu in TretA-yuga and gorgeous
worship of the Lord in the temple in DvApara-yuga, but in the Age of Kali one
can achieve spiritual progress only by chanting the holy name of the Lord.
This is confirmed in various scriptures. In zrImad-BhAgavatam there are many
references to this fact. In the Twelfth Canto (3.51) it is said:
kaler doSa-nidhe rAjann asti hy eko mahAn guNaH
kIrtanAd eva kRSNasya mukta-sa~NgaH paraà vrajet
In the Age of Kali there are many faults, for people are subjected to many
miserable conditions, yet in this age there is one great benediction—simply
by chanting the Hare KRSNa mantra one can be freed from all material
contamination and thus be elevated to the spiritual world. The NArada-
pa~ncarAtra also praises the Hare KRSNa mahA-mantra as follows:
trayo vedAH Saò-a~NgAni chandAàsi vividhAH surAH
sarvam aSTAkSarAntaH-sthaà yac cAnyad api vA~N-mayam
sarva-vedAnta-sArArthaH saàsArArNava-tAraNaH
“The essence of all Vedic knowledge—comprehending the three kinds of
Vedic activity [karma-kANòa, j~nAna-kANòa and upAsanA-kANòa], the chandas,
or Vedic hymns, and the processes for satisfying the demigods—is included in
the eight syllables Hare KRSNa, Hare KRSNa. This is the reality of all VedAnta.
The chanting of the holy name is the only means to cross the ocean of
nescience.” Similarly, the Kali-santaraNa UpaniSad states, “Hare KRSNa, Hare
KRSNa, KRSNa KRSNa, Hare Hare/ Hare RAma, Hare RAma, RAma RAma, Hare
Hare—these sixteen names composed of thirty-two syllables are the only
means to counteract the evil effects of Kali-yuga. In all the Vedas it is seen
that to cross the ocean of nescience there is no alternative to the chanting of
the holy name.” Similarly, zrI MadhvAcArya, while commenting upon the
MuNòaka UpaniSad, has quoted the following verse from the NArAyaNa-
saàhitA:
dvAparIyair janair viSNuH pa~ncarAtrais tu kevalaiH
kalau tu nAma-mAtreNa pUjyate bhagavAn hariH
“In DvApara-yuga one could satisfy KRSNa or ViSNu only by worshiping Him
gorgeously according to the pA~ncarAtrikI system, but in the Age of Kali one
can satisfy and worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead Hari simply by
chanting the holy name.” In his Bhakti-sandarbha (text 284), zrIla JIva
GosvAmI strongly emphasizes the chanting of the holy name of the Lord as
follows:
nanu bhagavan-nAmAtmakA eva mantrAH, tatra vizeSeNa namaH-zabdAdy-
ala~NkRtAH zrI-bhagavatA zrImad-RSibhiz cAhita-zakti-vizeSAH, zrI-bhagavatA
samam Atma-sambandha-vizeSa-pratipAdakAz ca tatra kevalAni zrI-bhagavan-
nAmAny api nirapekSANy eva parama-puruSArtha-phala-paryanta-dAna-
samarthAni tato mantreSu nAmato ’py adhika-sAmarthye labdhe kathaà
dIkSAdy-apekSA. ucyate—yady api svarUpato nAsti, tathApi prAyaH
svabhAvato dehAdi-sambandhena kadarya-zIlAnAà vikSipta-cittAnAà janAnAà
tat-sa~NkocI-karaNAya zrImad-RSi-prabhRtibhir atrArcana-mArge kvacit kvacit
kAcit kAcin maryAdA sthApitAsti.
zrIla JIva GosvAmI states that the substance of all the Vedic mantras is the
chanting of the holy name of the Lord. Every mantra begins with the prefix
nama oà and eventually addresses by name the Supreme Personality of
Godhead. By the supreme will of the Lord there is a specific potency in each
and every mantra chanted by great sages like NArada Muni and other RSis.
Chanting the holy name of the Lord immediately renovates the transcendental
relationship of the living being with the Supreme Lord.
To chant the holy name of the Lord, one need not depend upon other
paraphernalia, for one can immediately get all the desired results of linking
with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. It may therefore be questioned
why there is a necessity for initiation or further spiritual activities in
devotional service for one who engages in the chanting of the holy name of
the Lord. The answer is that although it is correct that one who fully engages
in chanting the holy name need not depend upon the process of initiation,
generally a devotee is addicted to many abominable material habits due to
material contamination from his previous life. In order to get quick relief from
all these contaminations, it is required that one engage in the worship of the
Lord in the temple. The worship of the Deity in the temple is essential to
reduce one’s restlessness due to the contaminations of conditioned life. Thus
NArada, in his pA~ncarAtrikI-vidhi, and other great sages have sometimes
stressed that since every conditioned soul has a bodily concept of life aimed
at sense enjoyment, to restrict this sense enjoyment the rules and regulations
for worshiping the Deity in the temple are essential. zrIla RUpa GosvAmI has
described that the holy name of the Lord can be chanted by liberated souls,
but almost all the souls we have to initiate are conditioned. It is advised that
one chant the holy name of the Lord without offenses and according to the
regulative principles, yet due to their past bad habits they violate these rules
and regulations. Thus the regulative principles for worship of the Deity are
also simultaneously essential.
Adi 7.77
TEXT 77
ei Aj~nA pA~nA nAma la-i anukSaNa
nAma laite laite mora bhrAnta haila mana

ei—this; Aj~nA—order; pA~nA—receiving; nAma—the holy name; la-i—chant;
anukSaNa—always; nAma—the holy name; laite—accepting; laite—
accepting; mora—My; bhrAnta—bewilderment; haila—taking place; mana—
in the mind.
TRANSLATION
“Since I received this order from My spiritual master, I always chant the holy
name, but I thought that by chanting and chanting the holy name I had been
bewildered.
Adi 7.78
TEXT 78
dhairya dharite nAri, hailAma unmatta
hAsi, kAndi, nAci, gAi, yaiche madamatta

dhairya—patience; dharite—capturing; nAri—unable to take; hailAma—I
have become; unmatta—mad after it; hAsi—laugh; kAndi—cry; nAci—dance;
gAi—sing; yaiche—as much as; madamatta—madman.
TRANSLATION
“While chanting the holy name of the Lord in pure ecstasy, I lose myself, and
thus I laugh, cry, dance and sing just like a madman.
Adi 7.79
TEXT 79
tabe dhairya dhari’ mane karilu~N vicAra
kRSNa-nAme j~nAnAcchanna ha-ila AmAra

tabe—thereafter; dhairya—patience; dhari’—accepting; mane—in the mind;
karilu~N—I did; vicAra—consideration; kRSNa-nAme—in the holy name of
KRSNa; j~nAna Acchanna—covering of My knowledge; ha-ila—has become;
AmAra—of Me.
TRANSLATION
“Collecting My patience, therefore, I began to consider that chanting the holy
name of KRSNa had covered all My spiritual knowledge.
PURPORT
zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu hints in this verse that to chant the holy name of
KRSNa one does not need to speculate on the philosophical aspects of the
science of God, for one automatically becomes ecstatic and without
consideration immediately chants, dances, laughs, cries and sings just like a
madman.
Adi 7.80
TEXT 80
pAgala ha-ilA~N Ami, dhairya nAhi mane
eta cinti’ nivedilu~N gurura caraNe

pAgala—madman; ha-ilA~N—I have become; Ami—I; dhairya—patience;
nAhi—not; mane—in the mind; eta—thus; cinti’—considering; nivedilu~N—I
submitted; gurura—of the spiritual master; caraNe—at his lotus feet.
TRANSLATION
“I saw that I had become mad by chanting the holy name, and I immediately
submitted this at the lotus feet of my spiritual master.
PURPORT
zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu, as an ideal teacher, shows us how a disciple should
deal with his spiritual master. Whenever there is doubt regarding any point, he
should refer the matter to his spiritual master for clarification. zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu said that while chanting and dancing He had developed the kind
of mad ecstasy that is possible only for a liberated soul. Yet even in His
liberated position, He referred everything to His spiritual master whenever
there were doubts. Thus in any condition, even when liberated, we should
never think ourselves independent of the spiritual master, but must refer to
him as soon as there is some doubt regarding our progressive spiritual life.
Adi 7.81
TEXT 81
kibA mantra dilA, gosA~ni, kibA tAra bala
japite japite mantra karila pAgala

kibA—what kind of; mantra—hymn; dilA—you have given; gosA~ni—My lord;
kibA—what is; tAra—its; bala—strength; japite—chanting; japite—chanting;
mantra—the hymn; karila—has made Me; pAgala—madman.
TRANSLATION
“‘My dear lord, what kind of mantra have you given Me? I have become mad
simply by chanting this mahA-mantra!
PURPORT
zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu prays in His zikSASTaka:
yugAyitaà nimeSeNa cakSuSA prAvRSAyitam
zUnyAyitaà jagat sarvaà govinda-viraheNa me
“O Govinda! Feeling Your separation, I am considering a moment to be like
twelve years or more. Tears are flowing from my eyes like torrents of rain,
and I am feeling all vacant in the world in Your absence.” It is the aspiration of
a devotee that while he chants the Hare KRSNa mahA-mantra his eyes will fill
with tears, his voice falter and his heart throb. These are good signs in
chanting the holy name of the Lord. In ecstasy, one should feel the entire
world to be vacant without the presence of Govinda. This is a sign of
separation from Govinda. In material life we are all separated from Govinda
and are absorbed in material sense gratification. Therefore, when one comes
to his senses on the spiritual platform he becomes so eager to meet Govinda
that without Govinda the entire world becomes a vacant place.
Adi 7.82
TEXT 82
hAsAya, nAcAya, more karAya krandana
eta zuni’ guru hAsi balilA vacana

hAsAya—it causes Me to laugh; nAcAya—it causes Me to dance; more—unto
Me; karAya—it causes; krandana—crying; eta—thus; zuni’—hearing; guru—
My spiritual master; hAsi—smiling; balilA—said; vacana—words.
TRANSLATION
“‘Chanting the holy name in ecstasy causes Me to dance, laugh and cry.’
When My spiritual master heard all this, he smiled and then began to speak.
PURPORT
When a disciple very perfectly makes progress in spiritual life, this gladdens
the spiritual master, who then also smiles in ecstasy, thinking, “How
successful my disciple has become!” He feels so glad that he smiles as he
enjoys the progress of the disciple, just as a smiling parent enjoys the
activities of a child who is trying to stand up or crawl perfectly.
Adi 7.83
TEXT 83
kRSNa-nAma-mahA-mantrera ei ta’ svabhAva
yei jape, tAra kRSNe upajaye bhAva

kRSNa-nAma—the holy name of KRSNa; mahA-mantrera—of the supreme
hymn; ei ta’—this is its; svabhAva—nature; yei—anyone; jape—chants;
tAra—his; kRSNe—unto KRSNa; upajaye—develops; bhAva—ecstasy.
TRANSLATION
“‘It is the nature of the Hare KRSNa mahA-mantra that anyone who chants it
immediately develops his loving ecstasy for KRSNa.
PURPORT
In this verse it is explained that one who chants the Hare KRSNa mantra
develops bhAva, ecstasy, which is the point at which revelation begins. It is
the preliminary stage in developing one’s original love for God. Lord KRSNa
mentions this bhAva stage in the Bhagavad-gItA (10.8):
ahaà sarvasya prabhavo mattaH sarvaà pravartate
iti matvA bhajante mAà budhA bhAva-samanvitAH
“I am the source of all spiritual and material worlds. Everything emanates
from Me. The wise who know this perfectly engage in My devotional service
and worship Me with all their hearts.” A neophyte disciple begins by hearing
and chanting, associating with devotees and practicing the regulative
principles, and thus he vanquishes all of his unwanted bad habits. In this way
he develops attachment for KRSNa and cannot forget KRSNa even for a
moment. BhAva is the almost successful stage of spiritual life.
A sincere student aurally receives the holy name from the spiritual master,
and after being initiated he follows the regulative principles given by the
spiritual master. When the holy name is properly served in this way,
automatically the spiritual nature of the holy name spreads; in other words,
the devotee becomes qualified in offenselessly chanting the holy name. When
one is completely fit to chant the holy name in this way, he is eligible to make
disciples all over the world, and he actually becomes jagad-guru. Then the
entire world, under his influence, begins to chant the holy names of the Hare
KRSNa mahA-mantra. Thus all the disciples of such a spiritual master increase in
attachment for KRSNa, and therefore he sometimes cries, sometimes laughs,
sometimes dances and sometimes chants. These symptoms are very
prominently manifest in the body of a pure devotee. Sometimes when our
students of the KRSNa consciousness movement chant and dance, even in
India people are astonished to see how these foreigners have learned to chant
and dance in this ecstatic fashion. As explained by Caitanya MahAprabhu,
however, actually this is not due to practice, for without extra endeavor these
symptoms become manifest in anyone who sincerely chants the Hare KRSNa
mahA-mantra.
Many fools, not knowing the transcendental nature of the Hare KRSNa mahA-
mantra, sometimes impede our loudly chanting this mantra, yet one who is
actually advanced in the fulfillment of chanting the Hare KRSNa mahA-mantra
induces others to chant also. KRSNadAsa KavirAja GosvAmI explains, kRSNa-zakti
vinA nahe tAra pravartana: unless one receives special power of attorney from
the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he cannot preach the glories of the Hare
KRSNa mahA-mantra. As devotees propagate the Hare KRSNa mahA-mantra, the
general population of the entire world gets the opportunity to understand the
glories of the holy name. While chanting and dancing or hearing the holy
name of the Lord, one automatically remembers the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, and because there is no difference between the holy name and
KRSNa, the chanter is immediately linked with KRSNa. Thus connected, a
devotee develops his original attitude of service to the Lord. In this attitude of
constantly serving KRSNa, which is called bhAva, he always thinks of KRSNa in
many different ways. One who has attained this bhAva stage is no longer
under the clutches of the illusory energy. When other spiritual ingredients,
such as trembling, perspiration and tears, are added to this bhAva stage, the
devotee gradually attains love of KRSNa.
The holy name of KRSNa is called the mahA-mantra. Other mantras mentioned
in the NArada-pa~ncarAtra are known simply as mantras, but the chanting of
the holy name of the Lord is called the mahA-mantra.
Adi 7.84
TEXT 84
kRSNa-viSayaka premA——parama puruSArtha
yAra Age tRNa-tulya cAri puruSArtha

kRSNa-viSayaka—in the subject of KRSNa; premA—love; parama—the highest;
puruSa-artha—achievement of the goal of life; yAra—whose; Age—before;
tRNa-tulya—like the grass in the street; cAri—four; puruSa-artha—
achievements.
TRANSLATION
“‘Religiosity, economic development, sense gratification and liberation are
known as the four goals of life, but before love of Godhead, the fifth and
highest goal, these appear as insignificant as straw in the street.
PURPORT
While chanting the holy name of the Lord, one should not desire the material
advancements represented by religiosity, economic development, sense
gratification and ultimately liberation from the material world. As stated by
Caitanya MahAprabhu, the highest perfection in life is to develop one’s love
for KRSNa (premA pum-artho mahAn zrI-caitanya-mahAprabhor matam idam).
When we compare love of Godhead with religiosity, economic development,
sense gratification and liberation, we can understand that these achievements
may be desirable objectives for bubhukSus, or those who desire to enjoy this
material world, and mumukSus, or those who desire liberation from it, but
they are very insignificant in the eyes of a pure devotee who has developed
bhAva, the preliminary stage of love of Godhead.
Dharma (religiosity), artha (economic development), kAma (sense
gratification) and mokSa (liberation) are the four principles of religion that
pertain to the material world. Therefore in the beginning of zrImad-
BhAgavatam it is declared, dharmaH projjhita-kaitavo ’tra: [SB 1.1.2] cheating
religious systems in terms of these four material principles are completely
discarded from zrImad-BhAgavatam, for zrImad-BhAgavatam teaches only
how to develop one’s dormant love of God. The Bhagavad-gItA is the
preliminary study of zrImad-BhAgavatam, and therefore it ends with the
words sarva-dharmAn parityajya mAm ekaà zaraNaà vraja: “Abandon all
varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me.” (Bg. 18.66) To adopt this
means, one should reject all ideas of religiosity, economic development, sense
gratification and liberation and fully engage in the service of the Lord, which
is transcendental to these four principles. Love of Godhead is the original
function of the spirit soul, and it is as eternal as the soul and the Supreme
Personality of Godhead. This eternity is called sanAtana. When a devotee
revives his loving service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, it should be
understood that he has been successful in achieving the desired goal of his
life. At that time everything is automatically done by the mercy of the holy
name, and the devotee automatically advances in his spiritual progress.
Adi 7.85
TEXT 85
pa~ncama puruSArtha——premAnandAmRta-sindhu
mokSAdi Ananda yAra nahe eka bindu

pa~ncama—fifth; puruSa-artha—goal of life; prema-Ananda—the spiritual bliss
of love of Godhead; amRta—eternal; sindhu—ocean; mokSa-Adi—liberation
and other principles of religiosity; Ananda—pleasures derived from them;
yAra—whose; nahe—never comparable; eka—one; bindu—drop.
TRANSLATION
“‘For a devotee who has actually developed bhAva, the pleasure derived from
dharma, artha, kAma and mokSa appears like a drop in the presence of the
sea.
Adi 7.86
TEXT 86
kRSNa-nAmera phala——‘premA’, sarva-zAstre kaya
bhAgye sei premA tomAya karila udaya

kRSNa-nAmera—of the holy name of the Lord; phala—result; premA—love of
Godhead; sarva—in all; zAstre—revealed scriptures; kaya—describe;
bhAgye—fortunately; sei—that; premA—love of Godhead; tomAya—Your;
karila—has done; udaya—arisen.
TRANSLATION
“‘The conclusion of all revealed scriptures is that one should awaken his
dormant love of Godhead. You are greatly fortunate to have already done so.
Adi 7.87
TEXT 87
premAra svabhAve kare citta-tanu kSobha
kRSNera caraNa-prAptye upajAya lobha

premAra—out of love of Godhead; svabhAve—by nature; kare—it induces;
citta—the consciousness; tanu—the body; kSobha—agitated; kRSNera—of
Lord KRSNa; caraNa—lotus feet; prAptye—to obtain; upajAya—it so becomes;
lobha—aspiration.
TRANSLATION
“‘It is a characteristic of love of Godhead that by nature it induces
transcendental symptoms in one’s body and makes one more and more
greedy to achieve the shelter of the lotus feet of the Lord.
Adi 7.88
TEXT 88
premAra svabhAve bhakta hAse, kAnde, gAya
unmatta ha-iyA nAce, iti-uti dhAya

premAra—by such love of Godhead; svabhAve—by nature; bhakta—the
devotee; hAse—laughs; kAnde—cries; gAya—chants; unmatta—mad; ha-
iyA—becoming; nAce—dances; iti—here; uti—there; dhAya—moves.
TRANSLATION
“‘When one actually develops love of Godhead, he naturally sometimes cries,
sometimes laughs, sometimes chants and sometimes runs here and there just
like a madman.
PURPORT
In this connection BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI GosvAmI says that sometimes
persons who have no love of Godhead at all display ecstatic bodily
symptoms. Artificially they sometimes laugh, cry and dance just like madmen,
but this cannot help one progress in KRSNa consciousness. Rather, such
artificial agitation of the body is to be given up when one naturally develops
the necessary bodily symptoms. Actual blissful life, manifested in genuine
spiritual laughing, crying and dancing, is the symptom of real advancement in
KRSNa consciousness, which can be achieved by a person who always
voluntarily engages in the transcendental loving service of the Lord. If one
who is not yet developed imitates such symptoms artificially, he creates
chaos in the spiritual life of human society.
Adi 7.89-90
TEXTS 89–90
sveda, kampa, romA~ncAzru, gadgada, vaivarNya
unmAda, viSAda, dhairya, garva, harSa, dainya
eta bhAve premA bhaktagaNere nAcAya
kRSNera AnandAmRta-sAgare bhAsAya

sveda—perspiration; kampa—trembling; romA~nca—standing of the hairs on
the body; azru—tears; gadgada—faltering; vaivarNya—changing of bodily
color; unmAda—madness; viSAda—melancholy; dhairya—patience; garva—
pride; harSa—joyfulness; dainya—humbleness; eta—in many ways; bhAve—
in ecstasy; premA—love of Godhead; bhakta-gaNere—unto the devotees;
nAcAya—causes to dance; kRSNera—of Lord KRSNa; Ananda—transcendental
bliss; amRta—nectar; sAgare—in the ocean; bhAsAya—floats.
TRANSLATION
“‘Perspiration, trembling, standing on end of one’s bodily hairs, tears, faltering
voice, fading complexion, madness, melancholy, patience, pride, joy and
humility—these are various natural symptoms of ecstatic love of Godhead,
which causes a devotee to dance and float in an ocean of transcendental bliss
while chanting the Hare KRSNa mantra.
PURPORT
zrIla JIva GosvAmI, in his PrIti-sandarbha (66), explains this stage of love of
Godhead: bhagavat-prIti-rUpA vRttir mAyAdi-mayI na bhavati. kià tarhi,
svarUpa-zakty-Ananda-rUpA, yad-Ananda-parAdhInaH zrI-bhagavAn apIti.
Similarly, in the 69th text he offers further explanation: tad evaà prIter
lakSaNaà citta-dravas tasya ca roma-harSAdikam. katha~ncij jAte ’pi citta-
drave roma-harSAdike vA na ced Azaya-zuddhis tadApi na bhakteH samyag-
AvirbhAva iti j~nApitam. Azaya-zuddhir nAma cAnya-tAtparya-parityAgaH prIti-
tAtparyaà ca. ata evAnimittA svAbhAvikI ceti tad vizeSaNam. Transcendental
love of Godhead is not under the jurisdiction of the material energy, for it is
the transcendental bliss and pleasure potency of the Supreme Personality of
Godhead. Since the Supreme Lord is also under the influence of
transcendental bliss, when one comes in touch with such bliss in love of
Godhead, one’s heart melts, and the symptoms of this are standing of the
hairs on end, etc. Sometimes a person thus melts and manifests these
transcendental symptoms yet at the same time is not well behaved in his
personal transactions. This indicates that he has not yet reached complete
perfection in devotional life. In other words, a devotee who dances in ecstasy
but after dancing and crying appears to be attracted to material affairs has
not yet reached the perfection of devotional service, which is called Azaya-
zuddhi, or the perfection of existence. One who attains the perfection of
existence is completely averse to material enjoyment and engrossed in
transcendental love of Godhead. It is therefore to be concluded that the
ecstatic symptoms of Azaya-zuddhi are visible when a devotee’s service has
no material cause and is purely spiritual in nature. These are characteristics of
transcendental love of Godhead, as stated in zrImad-BhAgavatam (1.2.6):
sa vai puàsAà paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokSaje
ahaituky apratihatA yayAtmA suprasIdati
“That religion is best which causes its followers to become ecstatic in love of
God that is unmotivated and free from material impediments, for this alone
can completely satisfy the self.”
Adi 7.91
TEXT 91
bhAla haila, pAile tumi parama-puruSArtha
tomAra premete Ami hailA~N kRtArtha

bhAla haila—let it be good; pAile—You have gotten; tumi—You; parama-
puruSArtha—superexcellent goal of life; tomAra—Your; premete—by
development in love of Godhead; Ami—I; hailA~N—become; kRta-artha—very
much obliged.
TRANSLATION
“‘It is very good, my dear child, that You have attained the supreme goal of
life by developing love of Godhead. Thus You have pleased me very much,
and I am very much obliged to You.
PURPORT
According to the revealed scriptures, if a spiritual master can convert even
one soul into a perfectly pure devotee, his mission in life is fulfilled. zrIla
BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI ThAkura always used to say, “Even at the expense
of all the properties, temples and maThas that I have, if I could convert even
one person into a pure devotee, my mission would be fulfilled.” It is very
difficult, however, to understand the science of KRSNa, what to speak of
developing love of Godhead. Therefore if by the grace of Lord Caitanya and
the spiritual master a disciple attains the standard of pure devotional service,
the spiritual master is very happy. The spiritual master is not actually happy if
the disciple brings him money, but when he sees that a disciple is following
the regulative principles and advancing in spiritual life, he is very glad and
feels obliged to such an advanced disciple.
Adi 7.92
TEXT 92
nAca, gAo, bhakta-sa~Nge kara sa~NkIrtana
kRSNa-nAma upadezi’ tAra’ sarva-jana

nAca—go on dancing; gAo—chant; bhakta-sa~Nge—in the society of
devotees; kara—continue; sa~NkIrtana—chanting of the holy name in
assembly; kRSNa-nAma—the holy name of KRSNa; upadezi’—by instructing;
tAra’—deliver; sarva-jana—all fallen souls.
TRANSLATION
“‘My dear child, continue dancing, chanting and performing sa~NkIrtana in
association with devotees. Furthermore, go out and preach the value of
chanting kRSNa-nAma, for by this process You will be able to deliver all fallen
souls.’
PURPORT
It is another ambition of the spiritual master to see his disciples not only chant,
dance and follow the regulative principles but also preach the sa~NkIrtana
movement to others in order to deliver them, for the KRSNa consciousness
movement is based on the principle that one should become as perfect as
possible in devotional service oneself and also preach the cult for others’
benefit. There are two classes of unalloyed devotees—namely, goSThy-
AnandIs and bhajanAnandIs. BhajanAnandI refers to one who is satisfied to
cultivate devotional service for himself, and goSThy-AnandI is one who is not
satisfied simply to become perfect himself but wants to see others also take
advantage of the holy name of the Lord and advance in spiritual life. The
outstanding example is PrahlAda MahArAja. When he was offered a
benediction by Lord NRsiàhadeva, PrahlAda MahArAja said:
naivodvije para duratyaya-vaitaraNyAs
tvad-vIrya-gAyana-mahAmRta-magna-cittaH
zoce tato vimukha-cetasa indriyArtha-
mAyA-sukhAya bharam udvahato vimUòhAn
“My dear Lord, I have no problems and want no benediction from You
because I am quite satisfied to chant Your holy name. This is sufficient for me
because whenever I chant I immediately merge in an ocean of transcendental
bliss. I only lament to see others bereft of Your love. They are rotting in
material activities for transient material pleasure and spoiling their lives toiling
all day and night simply for sense gratification, with no attachment for love of
Godhead. I am simply lamenting for them and devising various plans to
deliver them from the clutches of mAyA.” (BhAg. 7.9.43)
zrIla BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI ThAkura explains in his AnubhASya, “A person
who has attracted the attention of the spiritual master by his sincere service
likes to dance and chant with similarly developed KRSNa conscious devotees.
The spiritual master authorizes such a devotee to deliver fallen souls in all
parts of the world. Those who are not advanced prefer to chant the Hare
KRSNa mantra in a solitary place.” Such activities constitute, in the language of
zrIla BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI ThAkura, a type of cheating process in the
sense that they imitate the activities of exalted personalities like HaridAsa
ThAkura. One should not attempt to imitate such exalted devotees. Rather,
everyone should endeavor to preach the cult of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu in
all parts of the world and thus become successful in spiritual life. One who is
not very expert in preaching may chant in a secluded place, avoiding bad
association, but for one who is actually advanced, preaching and meeting
people who are not engaged in devotional service are not disadvantages. A
devotee gives the nondevotees his association but is not affected by their
misbehavior. Thus by the activities of a pure devotee even those who are
bereft of love of Godhead get a chance to become devotees of the Lord one
day. In this connection zrIla BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI ThAkura advises that
one discuss the verse in zrImad-BhAgavatam beginning naitat samAcarej jAtu
manasApi hy anIzvaraH (10.33.30), and the following verse in Bhakti-rasAmRta-
sindhu (1.2.255):
anAsaktasya viSayAn yathArham upayu~njataH
nirbandhaH kRSNa-sambandhe yuktaà vairAgyam ucyate
One should not imitate the activities of great personalities. One should be
detached from material enjoyment and should accept everything in
connection with KRSNa’s service.
Adi 7.93
TEXT 93
eta bali’ eka zloka zikhAila more
bhAgavatera sAra ei——bale vAre vAre

eta bali’—saying this; eka—one; zloka—verse; zikhAila—has taught; more—
unto Me; bhAgavatera—of zrImad-BhAgavatam; sAra—essence; ei—this is;
bale—he said; vAre vAre—again and again.
TRANSLATION
“Saying this, My spiritual master taught Me a verse from zrImad-
BhAgavatam. It is the essence of all the BhAgavatam’s instructions; therefore
he recited this verse again and again.
PURPORT
This verse from zrImad-BhAgavatam (11.2.40) was spoken by zrI NArada Muni
to Vasudeva to teach him about bhAgavata-dharma. Vasudeva had already
achieved the result of bhAgavata-dharma because Lord KRSNa appeared in his
house as his son, yet in order to teach others, he desired to hear from zrI
NArada Muni to be enlightened in the process of bhAgavata-dharma. This is
the humbleness of a great devotee.
Adi 7.94
TEXT 94
evaà-vrataH sva-priya-nAma-kIrtyA
jAtAnurAgo druta-citta uccaiH
hasaty atho roditi rauti gAyaty
unmAda-van nRtyati loka-bAhyaH

evam-vrataH—when one thus engages in the vow to chant and dance; sva—
own; priya—very dear; nAma—holy name; kIrtyA—by chanting; jAta—in this
way develops; anurAgaH—attachment; druta-cittaH—very eagerly; uccaiH—
loudly; hasati—laughs; atho—also; roditi—cries; rauti—becomes agitated;
gAyati—chants; unmAda-vat—like a madman; nRtyati—dancing; loka-
bAhyaH—without caring for outsiders.
TRANSLATION
“‘When a person is actually advanced and takes pleasure in chanting the holy
name of the Lord, who is very dear to him, he is agitated and loudly chants
the holy name. He also laughs, cries, becomes agitated and chants just like a
madman, not caring for outsiders.’
Adi 7.95-96
TEXTS 95–96
ei tA~Nra vAkye Ami dRòha vizvAsa dhari’
nirantara kRSNa-nAma sa~NkIrtana kari
sei kRSNa-nAma kabhu gAoyAya, nAcAya
gAhi, nAci nAhi Ami Apana-icchAya

ei—this; tA~Nra—his (My spiritual master’s); vAkye—in the words of; Ami—I;
dRòha—firm; vizvAsa—faith; dhari’—depend; nirantara—always; kRSNa-
nAma—the holy name of Lord KRSNa; sa~NkIrtana—chanting; kari—continue;
sei—that; kRSNa-nAma—the holy name of Lord KRSNa; kabhu—sometimes;
gAoyAya—causes Me to chant; nAcAya—causes Me to dance; gAhi—by
chanting; nAci—dancing; nAhi—not; Ami—Myself; Apana—own; icchAya—
will.
TRANSLATION
“I firmly believe in these words of My spiritual master, and therefore I always
chant the holy name of the Lord, alone and in the association of devotees.
That holy name of Lord KRSNa sometimes causes Me to chant and dance, and
therefore I chant and dance. Please do not think that I intentionally do it. I do
it automatically.
PURPORT
A person who cannot keep his faith in the words of his spiritual master but
acts independently never receives the authority to chant the holy name of the
Lord. It is said in the Vedas (zvetAzvatara Up. 6.23):
yasya deve parA bhaktir yathA deve tathA gurau
tasyaite kathitA hy arthAH prakAzante mahAtmanaH
[zU yasya deve parA bhaktir
yathA deve tathA gurau
tasyaite kathitA hy arthAH
prakAzante mahAtmanaH
“Unto those great souls who have implicit faith in both the Lord and the
spiritual master, all the imports of Vedic knowledge are automatically
revealed.” (zvetAzvatara UpaniSad 6.23)
ataH zrI-kRSNa-nAmAdi
na bhaved grAhyam indriyaiH
sevonmukhe hi jihvAdau
svayam eva sphuraty adaH
“No one can understand KRSNa as He is by the blunt material senses. But He
reveals Himself to the devotees, being pleased with them for their
transcendental loving service unto Him.” (Bhakti-rasAmRta-sindhu 1.2.234)
bhaktyA mAm abhijAnAti
yAvAn yaz cAsmi tattvataH
tato mAà tattvato j~nAtvA
vizate tad-anantaram
“One can understand the Supreme Personality as He is only by devotional
service. And when one is in full consciousness of the Supreme Lord by such
devotion, he can enter into the kingdom of God.” (Bg. 18.55)
These are Vedic instructions. One must have full faith in the words of the
spiritual master and similar faith in the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Then
the real knowledge of AtmA and ParamAtmA and the distinction between
matter and spirit will be automatically revealed. This Atma-tattva, or spiritual
knowledge, will be revealed within the core of a devotee’s heart because of
his having taken shelter of the lotus feet of a mahAjana such as PrahlAda
MahArAja.6.23]
“Only unto those great souls who have implicit faith in both the Lord and the
spiritual master are all the imports of Vedic knowledge automatically
revealed.” This Vedic injunction is very important, and zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu supported it by His personal behavior. Believing in the words of
His spiritual master, He introduced the sa~NkIrtana movement, just as the
present KRSNa consciousness movement was started with belief in the words
of our spiritual master. He wanted to preach, we believed in his words and
tried somehow or other to fulfill them, and now this movement has become
successful all over the world. Therefore faith in the words of the spiritual
master and in the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the secret of success. zrI
Caitanya MahAprabhu never disobeyed the orders of His spiritual master and
stopped propagating the sa~NkIrtana movement. zrI BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI
GosvAmI, at the time of his passing away, ordered all his disciples to work
conjointly to preach the mission of Caitanya MahAprabhu all over the world.
Later, however, some self-interested, foolish disciples disobeyed his orders.
Each one of them wanted to become head of the mission, and they fought in
the courts, neglecting the order of the spiritual master, and the entire mission
was defeated. We are not proud of this; however, the truth must be
explained. We believed in the words of our spiritual master and started in a
humble way—in a helpless way—but due to the spiritual force of the order of
the supreme authority, this movement has become successful.
It is to be understood that when zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu chanted and
danced, He did so by the influence of the pleasure potency of the spiritual
world. zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu never considered the holy name of the Lord
to be a material vibration, nor does any pure devotee mistake the chanting of
the Hare KRSNa mantra to be a material musical manifestation. Lord Caitanya
never tried to be the master of the holy name; rather He taught us how to be
servants of the holy name. If one chants the holy name of the Lord just to
make a show, not knowing the secret of success, he may increase his bile
secretion, but he will never attain perfection in chanting the holy name. zrI
Caitanya MahAprabhu presented himself in this way: “I am a great fool and do
not have knowledge of right and wrong. In order to understand the real
meaning of the VedAnta-sUtra, I never followed the explanation of the
za~Nkara-sampradAya or MAyAvAdI sannyAsIs. I’m very much afraid of the
illogical arguments of the MAyAvAdI philosophers. Therefore I think I have no
authority regarding their explanations of the VedAnta-sUtra. I firmly believe
that simply chanting the holy name of the Lord can remove all
misconceptions of the material world. I believe that simply by chanting the
holy name of the Lord one can attain the shelter of the lotus feet of the Lord.
In this age of quarrel and disagreement, the chanting of the holy names is the
only way to liberation from the material clutches.
“By chanting the holy name,” Lord Caitanya continued, “I became almost
mad. However, after inquiring from My spiritual master I have come to the
conclusion that instead of striving for achievement in the four principles of
religiosity [dharma], economic development [artha], sense gratification [kAma]
and liberation [mokSa], it is better if somehow or other one develops
transcendental love of Godhead. That is the greatest success in life. One who
has attained love of Godhead chants and dances by his nature, not caring for
the public.” This stage of life is known as bhAgavata-jIvana, or the life of a
devotee.
zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu continued, “I never chanted and danced to make an
artificial show. I dance and chant because I firmly believe in the words of My
spiritual master. Although the MAyAvAdI philosophers do not like this chanting
and dancing, I nevertheless perform it on the strength of his words. Therefore
it is to be concluded that I deserve very little credit for these activities of
chanting and dancing, for they are being done automatically by the grace of
the Supreme Personality of Godhead.”
Adi 7.97
TEXT 97
kRSNa-nAme ye Ananda-sindhu-AsvAdana
brahmAnanda tAra Age khAtodaka-sama

kRSNa-nAme—in the holy name of the Lord; ye—which; Ananda—
transcendental bliss; sindhu—ocean; AsvAdana—tasting; brahma-Ananda—
the transcendental bliss of impersonal understanding; tAra—its; Age—in front;
khAta-udaka—shallow water in the canals; sama—like.
TRANSLATION
“Compared to the ocean of transcendental bliss that one tastes by chanting
the Hare KRSNa mantra, the pleasure derived from impersonal Brahman
realization [brahmAnanda] is like the shallow water in a canal.
PURPORT
In the Bhakti-rasAmRta-sindhu (1.1.38) it is stated:
brahmAnando bhaved eSa cet parArdha-guNI-kRtaH
naiti bhakti-sukhAmbhodheH paramANu-tulAm api
“If brahmAnanda, the transcendental bliss derived from understanding
impersonal Brahman, were multiplied a million times, such a quantity of
brahmAnanda could not compare with even an atomic portion of the pleasure
relished in pure devotional service.”
Adi 7.98
TEXT 98
tvat-sAkSAt-karaNAhlAda-
vizuddhAbdhi-sthitasya me
sukhAni goSpadAyante
brAhmANy api jagad-guro

tvat—Your; sAkSAt—meeting; karaNa—such action; AhlAda—pleasure;
vizuddha—spiritually purified; abdhi—ocean; sthitasya—being situated;
me—by me; sukhAni—happiness; goSpadAyante—a small hole created by the
hoof of a calf; brAhmaNi—the pleasure derived from impersonal Brahman
understanding; api—also; jagat-guro—O master of the universe.
TRANSLATION
“‘My dear Lord, O master of the universe, since I have directly seen You, my
transcendental bliss has taken the shape of a great ocean. Being situated in
that ocean, I now realize all other so-called happiness to be like the water
contained in the hoofprint of a calf.’”
PURPORT
The transcendental bliss enjoyed in pure devotional service is like an ocean,
whereas material happiness and even the happiness to be derived from the
realization of impersonal Brahman are just like the water in the hoofprint of a
calf. This is a verse from the Hari-bhakti-sudhodaya (14.36).
Adi 7.99
TEXT 99
prabhura miSTa-vAkya zuni’ sannyAsIra gaNa
citta phiri’ gela, kahe madhura vacana

prabhura—of the Lord; miSTa-vAkya—sweet words; zuni’—after hearing;
sannyAsIra gaNa—all the groups of sannyAsIs; citta—consciousness; phiri’—
moved; gela—went; kahe—said; madhura—pleasing; vacana—words.
TRANSLATION
After hearing Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu, all the MAyAvAdI sannyAsIs were
moved. Their minds changed, and thus they spoke with pleasing words.
PURPORT
The MAyAvAdI sannyAsIs met Caitanya MahAprabhu at VArANasI to criticize
the Lord regarding His participation in the sa~NkIrtana movement, which they
did not like. This demonic nature of opposition to the sa~NkIrtana movement
perpetually exists. As it existed in the time of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu,
similarly it existed long before that, even in the time of PrahlAda MahArAja. He
used to chant in sa~NkIrtana although his father did not like it, and that was the
reason for the misunderstanding between the father and son. In the
Bhagavad-gItA (7.15) the Lord says:
na mAà duSkRtino mUòhAH prapadyante narAdhamAH
mAyayApahRta-j~nAnA Asuraà bhAvam AzritAH
“Those miscreants who are grossly foolish, who are lowest among mankind,
whose knowledge is stolen by illusion, and who partake of the atheistic nature
of demons do not surrender unto Me.” The MAyAvAdI sannyAsIs are Asuraà
bhAvam AzritAH, which means that they have taken the path of the asuras
(demons), who do not believe in the existence of the form of the Lord. The
MAyAvAdIs say that the ultimate source of everything is impersonal, and in
this way they deny the existence of God. Saying that there is no God is direct
denial of God, and saying that God exists but has no head, legs or hands and
cannot speak, hear or eat is a negative way of denying His existence. A
person who cannot see is called blind, one who cannot walk is called lame,
one who has no hands is called helpless, one who cannot speak is called
dumb, and one who cannot hear is called deaf. The MAyAvAdIs’ proposition
that God has no legs, no eyes, no ears and no hands is an indirect way of
insulting Him by defining Him as blind, deaf, dumb, lame, helpless, etc.
Therefore although they present themselves as great VedAntists, they are
factually mAyayApahRta-j~nAna; in other words, they seem to be very learned
scholars, but the essence of their knowledge has been taken away.
Impersonalist MAyAvAdIs always try to defy VaiSNavas because VaiSNavas
accept the Supreme Personality as the supreme cause and want to serve Him,
talk with Him and see Him, just as the Lord is also eager to see His devotees
and talk, eat and dance with them. These personal exchanges of love do not
appeal to the MAyAvAdI sannyAsIs. Therefore the original purpose of the
MAyAvAdI sannyAsIs of Benares in meeting Caitanya MahAprabhu was to
defeat His personal conception of God. zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu, however, as
a preacher, turned the minds of the MAyAvAdI sannyAsIs. They were melted
by the sweet words of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu and thus became friendly
and spoke to Him also in sweet words. Similarly, all preachers will have to
meet opponents, but they should not make them more inimical. They are
already enemies, and if we talk with them harshly or impolitely their enmity
will merely increase. We should therefore follow in the footsteps of Lord
Caitanya MahAprabhu as far as possible and try to convince the opposition by
quoting from the zAstras and presenting the conclusion of the AcAryas. It is in
this way that we should try to defeat all the enemies of the Lord.
Adi 7.100
TEXT 100
ye kichu kahile tumi, saba satya haya
kRSNa-premA sei pAya, yAra bhAgyodaya

ye—all; kichu—that; kahile—You spoke; tumi—You; saba—everything;
satya—truth; haya—becomes; kRSNa-premA—love of Godhead; sei—anyone;
pAya—achieves; yAra—whose; bhAgya-udaya—fortune is now awakened.
TRANSLATION
“Dear zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu, what You have said is all true. Only one who
is favored by fortune attains love of Godhead.
PURPORT
One who is actually very fortunate can begin KRSNa consciousness, as stated
by Caitanya MahAprabhu to zrIla RUpa GosvAmI:
brahmANòa bhramite kona bhAgyavAn jIva
guru-kRSNa-prasAde pAya bhakti-latA-bIja
(Cc. Madhya 19.151)
There are millions of living entities who have become conditioned by the laws
of material nature, and they are wandering throughout the planetary systems
of this universe in different bodily forms. Among them, one who is fortunate
meets a bona fide spiritual master by the grace of KRSNa and comes to
understand the meaning of devotional service. By discharging devotional
service under the direction of the bona fide spiritual master, or AcArya, he
develops love of Godhead. One whose love of Godhead (kRSNa-prema) is
awakened and who thus becomes a devotee of the inconceivable Supreme
Personality of Godhead is to be considered extremely fortunate. The
MAyAvAdI sannyAsIs admitted this fact to zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu. It is not
easy for one to become a KRSNa conscious person, but by the mercy of zrI
Caitanya MahAprabhu it can be possible, as will be proven in the course of this
narration.
Adi 7.101
TEXT 101
kRSNe bhakti kara——ihAya sabAra santoSa
vedAnta nA zuna kene, tAra kibA doSa

kRSNe—unto KRSNa; bhakti—devotional service; kara—do; ihAya—in this
matter; sabAra—of everyone; santoSa—there is satisfaction; vedAnta—the
philosophy of the VedAnta-sUtra; nA—do not; zuna—hear; kene—why;
tAra—of the philosophy; kibA—what is; doSa—fault.
TRANSLATION
“Dear Sir, there is no objection to Your being a great devotee of Lord KRSNa.
Everyone is satisfied with this. But why do You avoid discussion on the
VedAnta-sUtra? What is the fault in it?”
PURPORT
zrIla BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI ThAkura comments in this connection,
“MAyAvAdI sannyAsIs accept that the commentary by zrI za~NkarAcArya known
as zArIraka-bhASya gives the real meaning of the Vedanta-sUtra. In other
words, MAyAvAdI sannyAsIs accept the meanings expressed in the
explanations of the VedAnta-sUtra by za~NkarAcArya, which are based on
monism. Thus they explain the VedAnta-sUtra, the UpaniSads and all such
Vedic literatures in their own impersonal way.” The great MAyAvAdI sannyAsI
SadAnanda YogIndra has written a book known as VedAnta-sAra, in which he
writes, vedAnto nAma upaniSat-pramANam. tad-upakArINi zArIraka-sUtrAdIni ca.
According to SadAnanda YogIndra, the VedAnta-sUtra and UpaniSads, as
presented by zrI za~NkarAcArya in his zArIraka-bhASya commentary, are the
only sources of Vedic evidence. Actually, however, VedAnta refers to the
essence of Vedic knowledge, and it is not a fact that there is nothing more
than za~NkarAcArya’s zArIraka-bhASya. There are other VedAnta commentaries,
written by VaiSNava AcAryas, none of whom follow zrI za~NkarAcArya or accept
the imaginative commentary of his school. Their commentaries are based on
the philosophy of duality. Monist philosophers like za~NkarAcArya and his
followers want to establish that God and the living entity are one, and instead
of worshiping the Supreme Personality of Godhead they present themselves
as God. They want to be worshiped as God by others. Such persons do not
accept the philosophies of the VaiSNava AcAryas, which are known as
zuddhAdvaita (purified monism), zuddha-dvaita (purified dualism),
viziSTAdvaita (specific monism), dvaitAdvaita (monism and dualism) and
acintya-bhedAbheda (inconceivable oneness and difference). MAyAvAdIs do
not discuss these philosophies, for they are firmly convinced of their own
philosophy of kevalAdvaita, exclusive monism. Accepting this system of
philosophy as the pure understanding of the VedAnta-sUtra, they believe that
KRSNa has a body made of material elements and that the activities of loving
service to KRSNa are sentimentality. They are known as MAyAvAdIs because
according to their opinion KRSNa has a body made of mAyA and the loving
service of the Lord executed by devotees is also mAyA. They consider such
devotional service to be an aspect of fruitive activities (karma-kANòa).
According to their view, bhakti consists of mental speculation or sometimes
meditation. This is the difference between the MAyAvAdI and VaiSNava
philosophies.
Adi 7.102
TEXT 102
eta zuni’ hAsi’ prabhu balilA vacana
duHkha nA mAnaha yadi, kari nivedana

eta—thus; zuni’—hearing; hAsi’—smiling; prabhu—Lord Caitanya
MahAprabhu; balilA—said; vacana—His words; duHkha—unhappy; nA—do
not; mAnaha—take it; yadi—if; kari—I say; nivedana—something unto you.
TRANSLATION
After hearing the MAyAvAdI sannyAsIs speak in that way, Lord Caitanya
MahAprabhu smiled slightly and said, “My dear sirs, if you don’t mind I can
say something to you regarding VedAnta philosophy.”
PURPORT
The MAyAvAdI sannyAsIs, appreciating Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu, inquired
from Him why He did not discuss VedAnta philosophy. Actually, however, the
entire system of VaiSNava activities is based on VedAnta philosophy.
VaiSNavas do not neglect VedAnta, but they do not care to understand
VedAnta on the basis of the zArIraka-bhASya commentary. Therefore, to clarify
the situation, Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu, with the permission of the
MAyAvAdI sannyAsIs, wanted to speak regarding VedAnta philosophy.
The VaiSNavas are by far the greatest philosophers in the world, and the
greatest among them was zrIla JIva GosvAmI Prabhu, whose philosophy was
again presented less than four hundred years later by zrIla BhaktisiddhAnta
SarasvatI ThAkura MahArAja. Therefore one must know very well that
VaiSNava philosophers are not sentimentalists or cheap devotees like the
sahajiyAs. All the VaiSNava AcAryas were vastly learned scholars who
understood VedAnta philosophy fully, for unless one knows VedAnta
philosophy he cannot be an AcArya. To be accepted as an AcArya among
Indian transcendentalists who follow the Vedic principles, one must become a
vastly learned scholar in VedAnta philosophy, either by studying it or hearing
it.
Bhakti develops in pursuance of VedAnta philosophy. This is stated in zrImad-
BhAgavatam (1.2.12):
tac chraddadhAnA munayo j~nAna-vairAgya-yuktayA
pazyanty Atmani cAtmAnaà bhaktyA zruta-gRhItayA
The words bhaktyA zruta-gRhItayA in this verse are very important, for they
indicate that bhakti must be based upon the philosophy of the UpaniSads and
VedAnta-sUtra. zrIla RUpa GosvAmI said:
zruti-smRti-purANAdi-pa~ncarAtra-vidhià vinA
aikAntikI harer bhaktir utpAtAyaiva kalpate
[BRS zruti-smRti-purANAdi-
pa~ncarAtra-vidhià vinA
aikAntikI harer bhaktir
utpAtAyaiva kalpate
“Devotional service of the Lord that ignores the authorized Vedic literatures
like the UpaniSads, PurANas and NArada-pa~ncarAtra is simply an unnecessary
disturbance in society.” Bhakti-rasAmRta-sindhu 1.2.1011.2.101]
“Devotional service performed without reference to the Vedas, PurANas,
Pa~ncarAtras, etc., must be considered sentimentalism, and it causes nothing
but disturbance to society.” There are different grades of VaiSNavas (kaniSTha-
adhikArI, madhyama-adhikArI and uttama-adhikArI), but to be a madhyama-
adhikArI preacher one must be a learned scholar in the VedAnta-sUtra and
other Vedic literatures because when bhakti-yoga develops on the basis of
VedAnta philosophy it is factual and steady. In this connection we may quote
the translation and purport of the verse mentioned above (BhAg. 1.2.12):
TRANSLATION
The seriously inquisitive student or sage, well equipped with knowledge and
detachment, realizes that Absolute Truth by rendering devotional service in
terms of what he has heard from the VedAnta-zruti.
PURPORT
The Absolute Truth is realized in full by the process of devotional service to
the Lord, VAsudeva, or the Personality of Godhead, who is the full-fledged
Absolute Truth. Brahman is His transcendental bodily effulgence, and
ParamAtmA is His partial representation. As such, Brahman or ParamAtmA
realization of the Absolute Truth is but a partial realization. There are four
different types of human beings—the karmIs, the j~nAnIs, the yogIs and the
devotees. The karmIs are materialistic, whereas the other three are
transcendental. The first-class transcendentalists are the devotees who have
realized the Supreme Person. The second-class transcendentalists are those
who have partially realized the plenary portion of the absolute person. And
the third-class transcendentalists are those who have barely realized the
spiritual focus of the absolute person. As stated in the Bhagavad-gItA and
other Vedic literatures, the Supreme Person is realized by devotional service
which is backed by full knowledge and detachment from material association.
We have already discussed the point that devotional service is followed by
knowledge and detachment from material association. As Brahman and
ParamAtmA realization are imperfect realizations of the Absolute Truth, so the
means of realizing Brahman and ParamAtmA, i.e., the paths of j~nAna and yoga,
are also imperfect means of realizing the Absolute Truth. Devotional service
which is based on the foreground of full knowledge combined with
detachment from material association, and which is fixed by dint of the aural
reception of the VedAnta-zruti, is the only perfect method by which the
seriously inquisitive student can realize the Absolute Truth. Devotional service
is not, therefore, meant for the less intelligent class of transcendentalists.
There are three classes of devotees, namely, first, second and third class. The
third-class devotees, or the neophytes, who have no knowledge and are not
detached from material association, but who are simply attracted by the
preliminary process of worshiping the Deity in the temple, are called material
devotees. Material devotees are more attached to material benefit than
transcendental profit. Therefore, one has to make definite progress from the
position of material devotional service to the second-class devotional
position. In the second-class position, the devotee can see four principles in
the devotional line, namely, the Personality of Godhead, His devotees, the
ignorant and the envious. One has to raise himself at least to the stage of a
second-class devotee and thus become eligible to know the Absolute Truth.
A third-class devotee, therefore, has to receive the instructions of devotional
service from the authoritative sources of BhAgavata. The number one
BhAgavata is the established personality of devotee, and the other BhAgavata
is the message of Godhead. The third-class devotee therefore has to go to the
personality of devotee in order to learn the instructions of devotional service.
Such a personality of devotee is not a professional man who earns his
livelihood by the business of the BhAgavatam. Such a devotee must be a
representative of zukadeva GosvAmI, like SUta GosvAmI, and must preach the
cult of devotional service for the all-around benefit of all people. A neophyte
devotee has very little taste for hearing from the authorities. Such a neophyte
devotee makes a show of hearing from the professional man to satisfy his
senses. This sort of hearing and chanting has spoiled the whole thing, so one
should be very careful about the faulty process. The holy messages of
Godhead, as inculcated in the Bhagavad-gItA or in zrImad-BhAgavatam, are
undoubtedly transcendental subjects, but even though they are so, such
transcendental matters are not to be received from the professional man, who
spoils them as the serpent spoils milk simply by the touch of his tongue.
A sincere devotee must, therefore, be prepared to hear the Vedic literature
like the UpaniSads, VedAnta-sUtra and other literatures left by the previous
authorities, or GosvAmIs, for the benefit of his progress. Without hearing such
literatures, one cannot make actual progress. And without hearing and
following the instructions, the show of devotional service becomes worthless
and therefore a sort of disturbance in the path of devotional service. Unless,
therefore, devotional service is established on the principles of zruti, smRti,
PurANa and Pa~ncarAtra authorities, the make-show of devotional service
should at once be rejected. An unauthorized devotee should never be
recognized as a pure devotee. By assimilation of such messages from the
Vedic literatures, one can see the all-pervading localized aspect of the
Personality of Godhead within his own self constantly. This is called samAdhi.
Adi 7.103
TEXT 103
ihA zuni’ bale sarva sannyAsIra gaNa
tomAke dekhiye yaiche sAkSAt nArAyaNa

ihA—this; zuni’—hearing; bale—spoke; sarva—all; sannyAsIra—of the
MAyAvAdI sannyAsIs; gaNa—group; tomAke—unto You; dekhiye—we see;
yaiche—exactly like; sAkSAt—directly; nArAyaNa—the Supreme Personality of
Godhead.
TRANSLATION
Hearing this, the MAyAvAdI sannyAsIs became somewhat humble and
addressed Caitanya MahAprabhu as NArAyaNa Himself, who they all agreed
He was.
PURPORT
MAyAvAdI sannyAsIs address each other as NArAyaNa. Whenever they see
another sannyAsI, they offer him respect by calling oà namo nArAyaNAya (“I
offer my respect unto you, NArAyaNa”), although they know perfectly well
what kind of NArAyaNa he is. NArAyaNa has four hands, but although they are
puffed up with the idea of being NArAyaNa, they cannot exhibit more than
two. Since their philosophy declares that NArAyaNa and an ordinary human
being are on the same level, they sometimes use the term daridra-nArAyaNa
(“poor NArAyaNa”), which was invented by a so-called svAmI who did not
know anything about VedAnta philosophy. Therefore although all these
MAyAvAdI sannyAsIs who called themselves NArAyaNa were actually unaware
of the position of NArAyaNa, due to their austerities Lord Caitanya
MahAprabhu enabled them to understand Him to be NArAyaNa Himself. Lord
Caitanya is certainly the Supreme Personality of Godhead NArAyaNa appearing
as a devotee of NArAyaNa, and thus the MAyAvAdI sannyAsIs, understanding
that He was directly NArAyaNa Himself whereas they were false, puffed-up
NArAyaNas, spoke to Him as follows.
Adi 7.104
TEXT 104
tomAra vacana zuni’ juòAya zravaNa
tomAra mAdhurI dekhi’ juòAya nayana

tomAra—Your; vacana—speeches; zuni’—hearing; juòAya—very much
satisfied; zravaNa—aural reception; tomAra—Your; mAdhurI—nectar;
dekhi’—seeing; juòAya—satisfies; nayana—our eyes.
TRANSLATION
“Dear Caitanya MahAprabhu,” they said, “to tell You the truth, we are greatly
pleased to hear Your words, and furthermore Your bodily features are so
pleasing that we feel extraordinary satisfaction in seeing You.
PURPORT
In the zAstras it is said:
ataH zrI-kRSNa-nAmAdi na bhaved grAhyam indriyaiH
sevonmukhe hi jihvAdau svayam eva sphuraty adaH
[BRS. ataH zrI-kRSNa-nAmAdi
na bhaved grAhyam indriyaiH
sevonmukhe hi jihvAdau
svayam eva sphuraty adaH
“No one can understand the transcendental nature of the name, form, quality
and pastimes of zrI KRSNa through his materially contaminated senses. Only
when one becomes spiritually saturated by transcendental service to the Lord
are the transcendental name, form, quality and pastimes of the Lord revealed
to him.” (Bhakti-rasAmRta-sindhu 1.2.234)1.2.234]
“With one’s materially contaminated senses one cannot understand the
Supreme Personality of Godhead or His name, form, qualities or paraphernalia,
but if one renders service unto Him, the Lord reveals Himself.” (Bhakti-
rasAmRta-sindhu 1.2.234) Here one can see the effect of the MAyAvAdI
sannyAsIs’ service toward NArAyaNa. Because the MAyAvAdIs offered a little
respect to zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu and because they were pious and actually
followed the austere rules and regulations of sannyAsa, they had some
understanding of VedAnta philosophy, and by the grace of Lord Caitanya
MahAprabhu they could appreciate that He was none other than the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, who is endowed with all six opulences. One of these
opulences is His beauty. By His extraordinarily beautiful bodily features, the
MAyAvAdI sannyAsIs recognized zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu as NArAyaNa
Himself. He was not a farcical NArAyaNa like the daridra-nArAyaNas invented
by so-called sannyAsIs.
Adi 7.105
TEXT 105
tomAra prabhAve sabAra Anandita mana
kabhu asa~Ngata nahe tomAra vacana

tomAra—Your; prabhAve—by influence; sabAra—of everyone; Anandita—
joyful; mana—mind; kabhu—at anytime; asa~Ngata—unreasonable; nahe—
does not; tomAra—Your; vacana—speeches.
TRANSLATION
“Dear Sir, by Your influence our minds are greatly satisfied, and we believe
that Your words will never be unreasonable. Therefore You may speak on the
VedAnta-sUtra.”
PURPORT
In this verse the words tomAra prabhAve (“Your influence”) are very
important. Unless one is spiritually advanced he cannot influence an audience.
Bhaktivinoda ThAkura has sung, zuddha-bhakata-caraNa-reNu, bhajana-
anukUla. “Unless one associates with a pure devotee, he cannot be influenced
to understand devotional service.” These MAyAvAdI sannyAsIs were fortunate
enough to meet the Supreme Personality of Godhead in the form of a
devotee, and certainly they were greatly influenced by the Lord. They knew
that since a perfectly advanced spiritualist never says anything false, all his
words are reasonable and agree with the Vedic version. A highly realized
person never says anything that has no meaning. MAyAvAdI philosophers
claim to be the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and this has no meaning, but
zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu never uttered such nonsense. The MAyAvAdI
sannyAsIs were convinced about His personality, and therefore they wanted
to hear the purport of VedAnta philosophy from Him.
Adi 7.106
TEXT 106
prabhu kahe, vedAnta-sUtra Izvara-vacana
vyAsa-rUpe kaila yAhA zrI-nArAyaNa

prabhu kahe—the Lord began to speak; vedAnta-sUtra—the philosophy of
Vedanta-sUtra; Izvara-vacana—spoken by the Supreme Personality of
Godhead; vyAsa-rUpe—in the form of VyAsadeva; kaila—He has made;
yAhA—whatever; zrI-nArAyaNa—the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
TRANSLATION
The Lord said, “VedAnta philosophy consists of words spoken by the Supreme
Personality of Godhead NArAyaNa in the form of VyAsadeva.
PURPORT
The VedAnta-sUtra, which consists of aphorisms revealing the method of
understanding Vedic knowledge, is the concise form of all Vedic knowledge. It
begins with the words athAto brahma jij~nAsA: “Now is the time to inquire
about the Absolute Truth.” The human form of life is especially meant for this
purpose, and therefore the VedAnta-sUtra very concisely explains the human
mission. This is confirmed by the words of the VAyu and Skanda PurANas,
which define a sUtra as follows:
alpAkSaram asandigdhaà sAra-vat vizvato-mukham
astobham anavadyaà ca sUtraà sUtra-vido viduH
“A sUtra is a compilation of aphorisms that expresses the essence of all
knowledge in a minimum of words. It must be universally applicable and
faultless in its linguistic presentation.” Anyone familiar with such sUtras must
be aware of the VedAnta-sUtra, which is well known among scholars by the
following additional names: (1) Brahma-sUtra, (2) zArIraka, (3) VyAsa-sUtra, (4)
BAdarAyaNa-sUtra, (5) Uttara-mImAàsA and (6) VedAnta-darzana.
There are four chapters (adhyAyas) in the VedAnta-sUtra, and there are four
divisions (pAdas) in each chapter. Therefore the VedAnta-sUtra may be
referred to as Soòaza-pAda, or sixteen divisions of aphorisms. The theme of
each and every division is fully described in terms of five different subject
matters (adhikaraNas), which are technically called pratij~nA, hetu, udAharaNa,
upanaya and nigamana. Every theme must necessarily be explained with
reference to pratij~nA, or a solemn declaration of the purpose of the treatise.
The solemn declaration given in the beginning of the VedAnta-sUtra is athAto
brahma jij~nAsA, which indicates that this book was written with the solemn
declaration to inquire about the Absolute Truth. Similarly, reasons must be
expressed (hetu), examples must be given in terms of various facts
(udAharaNa), the theme must gradually be brought nearer for understanding
(upanaya), and finally it must be supported by authoritative quotations from
the Vedic zAstras (nigamana).
According to the great dictionary compiler Hemacandra, also known as
KoSakAra, VedAnta refers to the purport of the UpaniSads and the BrAhmaNa
portion of the Vedas. Professor Apte, in his dictionary, describes the BrAhmaNa
portion of the Vedas as that portion which states the rules for employment of
hymns at various sacrifices and gives detailed explanations of their origin,
sometimes with lengthy illustrations in the form of legends and stories. It is
distinct from the mantra portion of the Vedas. Hemacandra says that the
supplement of the Vedas is called the VedAnta-sUtra. Veda means knowledge,
and anta means the end. In other words, proper understanding of the ultimate
purpose of the Vedas is called VedAnta knowledge. Such knowledge, as given
in the aphorisms of the VedAnta-sUtra, must be supported by the UpaniSads.
According to learned scholars, there are three different sources of knowledge,
which are called prasthAna-traya. According to these scholars, VedAnta is one
of such sources, for it presents Vedic knowledge on the basis of logic and
sound arguments. In the Bhagavad-gItA (13.5) the Lord says, brahma-sUtra-
padaiz caiva hetumadbhir vinizcitaiH: “Understanding of the ultimate goal of
life is ascertained in the Brahma-sUtra by legitimate logic and argument
concerning cause and effect.” Therefore the VedAnta-sUtra is known as
nyAya-prasthAna, the UpaniSads are known as zruti-prasthAna, and the GItA,
MahAbhArata and PurANas are known as smRti-prasthAna. All scientific
knowledge of transcendence must be supported by zruti, smRti and a sound
logical basis.
It is said that both the Vedic knowledge and the supplement of the Vedas
called the SAtvata-pa~ncarAtra emanated from the breathing of NArAyaNa, the
Supreme Personality of Godhead. The VedAnta-sUtra aphorisms were
compiled by zrIla VyAsadeva, a powerful incarnation of zrI NArAyaNa,
although it is sometimes said that they were compiled by a great sage named
ApAntaratamA. The Pa~ncarAtra and VedAnta-sUtra, however, express the same
opinions. zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu therefore confirms that there is no
difference in opinion between the two, and He declares that because the
VedAnta-sUtra was compiled by zrIla VyAsadeva, it may be understood to
have emanated from the breathing of zrI NArAyaNa. zrIla BhaktisiddhAnta
SarasvatI ThAkura comments that while VyAsadeva was compiling the
VedAnta-sUtra, seven of his great saintly contemporaries were also engaged
in similar work. These saints were Atreya RSi, Azmarathya, Auòulomi,
KArSNAjini, KAzakRtsna, Jaimini and BAdarI. In addition, it is stated that PArAzarI
and KarmandI-bhikSu also discussed the VedAnta-sUtra aphorisms before
VyAsadeva.
As mentioned above, the VedAnta-sUtra consists of four chapters. The first
two chapters discuss the relationship of the living entity with the Supreme
Personality of Godhead. This is known as sambandha-j~nAna, or knowledge of
the relationship. The third chapter describes how one can act in his
relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is called
abhidheya-j~nAna. The relationship of the living entity with the Supreme Lord is
described by zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu: jIvera ‘svarUpa’ haya kRSNera ‘nitya-
dAsa’ [Cc. Madhya 20.108]. “The living entity is an eternal servant of KRSNa,
the Supreme God.” (Cc. Madhya 20.108) Therefore, to act in that relationship
one must perform sAdhana-bhakti, or the prescribed duties of service to the
Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is called abhidheya-j~nAna. The fourth
chapter describes the result of such devotional service (prayojana-j~nAna). This
ultimate goal of life is to go back home, back to Godhead. The words
anAvRttiH zabdAt in the VedAnta-sUtra indicate this ultimate goal.
zrIla VyAsadeva, a powerful incarnation of NArAyaNa, compiled the VedAnta-
sUtra, and in order to protect it from unauthorized commentaries, he
personally composed zrImad-BhAgavatam on the instruction of his spiritual
master, NArada Muni, as the original commentary on the VedAnta-sUtra.
Besides zrImad-BhAgavatam, there are commentaries on the VedAnta-sUtra
composed by all the major VaiSNava AcAryas, and in each of them devotional
service to the Lord is described very explicitly. Only those who follow
za~Nkara’s commentary have described the VedAnta-sUtra in an impersonal
way, without reference to viSNu-bhakti, or devotional service to the Lord,
ViSNu. Generally people very much appreciate this zArIraka-bhASya, or
impersonal description of the VedAnta-sUtra, but all commentaries that are
devoid of devotional service to Lord ViSNu must be considered to differ in
purpose from the original VedAnta-sUtra. In other words, Lord Caitanya
definitely confirmed that the commentaries, or bhASyas, written by the
VaiSNava AcAryas on the basis of devotional service to Lord ViSNu, and not the
zArIraka-bhASya of za~NkarAcArya, give the actual explanation of the VedAnta-
sUtra.
Adi 7.107
TEXT 107
bhrama, pramAda, vipralipsA, karaNApATava
Izvarera vAkye nAhi doSa ei saba

bhrama—mistake; pramAda—illusion; vipralipsA—cheating purposes; karaNa-
apATava—inefficiency of the material senses; Izvarera—of the Lord; vAkye—
in the speech; nAhi—there is not; doSa—fault; ei saba—all this.
TRANSLATION
“The material defects of mistakes, illusions, cheating and sensory inefficiency
do not exist in the words of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
PURPORT
A mistake is the acceptance of an object to be different from what it is or the
acceptance of false knowledge. For example, one may see a rope in the dark
and think it to be a serpent, or one may see a glittering oyster shell and think
it to be gold. These are mistakes. Similarly, an illusion is a misunderstanding
that arises from inattention while hearing, and cheating is the transmission of
such defective knowledge to others. Materialistic scientists and philosophers
generally use such words as “maybe” and “perhaps” because they do not
have actual knowledge of complete facts. Therefore their instructing others is
an example of cheating. The final defect of the materialistic person is his
inefficient senses. Although our eyes, for example, have the power to see,
they cannot see that which is situated at a distance, nor can they see the
eyelid, which is the object nearest to the eye. To our untrained eyes the sun
appears to be just like a plate, and to the eyes of one who is suffering from
jaundice everything appears to be yellow. Therefore we cannot rely on the
knowledge acquired through such imperfect eyes. The ears are equally
imperfect. We cannot hear a sound vibrated a long distance away unless we
put a telephone to our ear. Similarly, if we analyze all our senses in this way,
we will find them all to be imperfect. Therefore it is useless to acquire
knowledge through the senses. The Vedic process is to hear from authority. In
the Bhagavad-gItA (4.2) the Lord says, evaà paramparA-prAptam imaà
rAjarSayo viduH: “The supreme science was thus received through the chain of
disciplic succession, and the saintly kings understood it in that way.” We have
to hear not from a telephone but from an authorized person, for it is he who
has real knowledge.
Adi 7.108
TEXT 108
upaniSat-sahita sUtra kahe yei tattva
mukhya-vRttye sei artha parama mahattva

upaniSat—the authorized Vedic version; sahita—along with; sUtra—the
VedAnta-sUtra; kahe—it is said; yei—the subject matter; tattva—in truth;
mukhya-vRttye—by direct understanding; sei—that truth; artha—meaning;
parama—ultimate; mahattva—glory.
TRANSLATION
“The Absolute Truth is described in the UpaniSads and Brahma-sUtra, but one
must understand the verses as they are. That is the supreme glory in
understanding.
PURPORT
It has become fashionable since the time of za~NkarAcArya to explain
everything regarding the zAstras in an indirect way. Scholars take pride in
explaining everything in their own way, and they declare that one can
understand the Vedic scriptures in any way he likes. This “any way you like”
method is foolishness, and it has created havoc in the Vedic culture. One
cannot accept scientific knowledge in his own whimsical way. In the science
of mathematics, for example, two plus two equals four, and one cannot make
it equal three or five. Yet although it is not possible to alter real knowledge,
people have taken to the fashion of understanding Vedic knowledge in any
way they like. It is for this reason that we have presented Bhagavad-gItA As It
Is. We do not create meanings by concoction. Sometimes commentators say
that the word kurukSetra in the first verse of the Bhagavad-gItA refers to
one’s body, but we do not accept this. We understand that KurukSetra is a
place that still exists, and according to the Vedic version it is a dharma-kSetra,
or a place of pilgrimage. People still go there to perform Vedic sacrifices.
Foolish commentators, however, say that kurukSetra means the body and that
pa~nca-pANòava refers to the five senses. In this way they distort the meaning,
and people are misled. Here zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu confirms that all Vedic
literatures, including the UpaniSads, Brahma-sUtra and others, whether zruti,
smRti or nyAya, must be understood according to their original statements. To
describe the direct meaning of the Vedic literatures is glorious, but to describe
them in one’s own way, using imperfect senses and imperfect knowledge, is a
disastrous blunder. zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu fully deprecated the attempt to
describe the Vedas in this way.
Regarding the UpaniSads, the following eleven UpaniSads are considered to be
the topmost: Iza, Kena, KaTha, Prazna, MuNòaka, MANòUkya, TaittirIya,
Aitareya, ChAndogya, BRhad-AraNyaka and zvetAzvatara. However, in the
MuktikopaniSad, verses 30–39, there is a description of 108 UpaniSads. They
are as follows: (1) IzopaniSad, (2) KenopaniSad, (3) KaThopaniSad, (4)
PraznopaniSad, (5) MuNòakopaniSad, (6) MANòUkyopaniSad, (7)
TaittirIyopaniSad, (8) AitareyopaniSad, (9) ChAndogyopaniSad, (10) BRhad-
AraNyakopaniSad, (11) BrahmopaniSad, (12) KaivalyopaniSad, (13) JAbAlopaniSad,
(14) zvetAzvataropaniSad, (15) HaàsopaniSad, (16) AruNeyopaniSad, (17)
GarbhopaniSad, (18) NArAyaNopaniSad, (19) ParamahaàsopaniSad, (20) AmRta-
bindUpaniSad, (21) NAda-bindUpaniSad, (22) ziropaniSad, (23) Atharva-
zikhopaniSad, (24) MaitrAyaNy-upaniSad, (25) KauSItaky-upaniSad, (26) BRhaj-
jAbAlopaniSad, (27) NRsiàha-tApanIyopaniSad, (28) KAlAgni-rudropaniSad, (29)
Maitreyy-upaniSad, (30) SubAlopaniSad, (31) KSurikopaniSad, (32)
MantrikopaniSad, (33) Sarva-sAropaniSad, (34) NirAlambopaniSad, (35) zuka-
rahasyopaniSad, (36) Vajra-sUcikopaniSad, (37) Tejo-bindUpaniSad, (38) NAda-
bindUpaniSad, (39) DhyAna-bindUpaniSad, (40) Brahma-vidyopaniSad, (41)
Yoga-tattvopaniSad, (42), Atma-bodhopaniSad, (43) NArada-
parivrAjakopaniSad, (44) Trizikhy-upaniSad, (45) SItopaniSad, (46) Yoga-
cUòAmaNy-upaniSad, (47) NirvANopaniSad, (48) MaNòala-brAhmaNopaniSad,
(49) DakSiNA-mUrty-upaniSad, (50) zarabhopaniSad, (51) SkandopaniSad, (52)
MahAnArAyaNopaniSad, (53) Advaya-tArakopaniSad, (54) RAma-
rahasyopaniSad, (55) RAma-tApaNy-upaniSad, (56) VAsudevopaniSad, (57)
MudgalopaniSad, (58) zANòilyopaniSad, (59) Pai~NgalopaniSad, (60)
BhikSUpaniSad, (61) Mahad-upaniSad, (62) zArIrakopaniSad, (63) Yoga-
zikhopaniSad, (64) TurIyAtItopaniSad, (65) SannyAsopaniSad, (66)
Paramahaàsa-parivrAjakopaniSad, (67) MAlikopaniSad, (68) AvyaktopaniSad,
(69) EkAkSaropaniSad, (70) PUrNopaniSad, (71) SUryopaniSad, (72) AkSy-
upaniSad, (73) AdhyAtmopaniSad, (74) KuNòikopaniSad, (75) SAvitry-upaniSad,
(76) AtmopaniSad, (77) PAzupatopaniSad, (78) Param-brahmopaniSad, (79)
AvadhUtopaniSad, (80) TripurAtapanopaniSad, (81) Devy-upaniSad, (82)
TripuropaniSad, (83) KaTha-rudropaniSad, (84) BhAvanopaniSad, (85)
HRdayopaniSad, (86) Yoga-kuNòaliny-upaniSad, (87) BhasmopaniSad, (88)
RudrAkSopaniSad, (89) GaNopaniSad, (90) DarzanopaniSad, (91) TAra-
sAropaniSad, (92) MahA-vAkyopaniSad, (93) Pa~nca-brahmopaniSad, (94)
PrANAgni-hotropaniSad, (95) GopAla-tApany-upaniSad, (96) KRSNopaniSad, (97)
YAj~navalkyopaniSad, (98) VarAhopaniSad, (99) zATyAyany-upaniSad, (100)
HayagrIvopaniSad, (101) DattAtreyopaniSad, (102) GAruòopaniSad, (103) Kaly-
upaniSad, (104) JAbAly-upaniSad, (105) SaubhAgyopaniSad, (106) SarasvatI-
rahasyopaniSad, (107) BahvRcopaniSad and (108) MuktikopaniSad. Thus there
are 108 generally accepted UpaniSads, of which eleven are the most
important, as previously stated.
Adi 7.109
TEXT 109
gauNa-vRttye yebA bhASya karila AcArya
tAhAra zravaNe nAza haya sarva kArya

gauNa-vRttye—by indirect meanings; yebA—which; bhASya—commentary;
karila—prepared; AcArya—za~NkarAcArya; tAhAra—its; zravaNe—hearing;
nAza—destruction; haya—becomes; sarva—all; kArya—business.
TRANSLATION
“zrIpAda za~NkarAcArya has described all the Vedic literatures in terms of
indirect meanings. One who hears such explanations is ruined.
Adi 7.110
TEXT 110
tA~NhAra nAhika doSa, Izvara-Aj~nA pA~nA
gauNArtha karila mukhya artha AcchAdiyA

tA~NhAra—of zrI za~NkarAcArya; nAhika—there is none; doSa—fault; Izvara—
the Supreme Lord; Aj~nA—order; pA~nA—receiving; gauNa-artha—indirect
meaning; karila—make; mukhya—direct; artha—meaning; AcchAdiyA—
covering.
TRANSLATION
“za~NkarAcArya is not at fault, for it is under the order of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead that he has covered the real purpose of the Vedas.
PURPORT
The Vedic literature is to be considered a source of real knowledge, but if one
does not take it as it is, one will be misled. For example, the Bhagavad-gItA is
an important Vedic literature that has been taught for many years, but
because it was commented upon by unscrupulous rascals, people derived no
benefit from it, and no one came to the conclusion of KRSNa consciousness.
Since the purpose of the Bhagavad-gItA is now being presented as it is,
however, within four or five short years thousands of people all over the
world have become KRSNa conscious. That is the difference between direct
and indirect explanations of the Vedic literature. Therefore zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu said, mukhya-vRttye sei artha parama mahattva: “To teach the
Vedic literature according to its direct meaning, without false commentary, is
glorious.” Unfortunately, zrI za~NkarAcArya, by the order of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, compromised between atheism and theism in order
to cheat the atheists and bring them to theism, and to do so he gave up the
direct method of Vedic knowledge and tried to present a meaning which is
indirect. It is with this purpose that he wrote his zArIraka-bhASya commentary
on the VedAnta-sUtra.
One should not, therefore, attribute very much importance to the zArIraka-
bhASya. In order to understand VedAnta philosophy, one must study zrImad-
BhAgavatam, which begins with the words oà namo bhagavate vAsudevAya,
janmAdy asya yato ’nvayAd itarataz cArtheSv abhij~naH sva-rAT: [SB 1.1.1] “I
offer my obeisances unto Lord zrI KRSNa, son of Vasudeva, who is the
Supreme All-pervading Personality of Godhead. I meditate upon Him, the
transcendent reality, who is the primeval cause of all causes, from whom all
manifested universes arise, in whom they dwell and by whom they are
destroyed. I meditate upon that eternally effulgent Lord, who is directly and
indirectly conscious of all manifestations and yet is fully independent.” (BhAg.
1.1.1) zrImad-BhAgavatam is the real commentary on the VedAnta-sUtra.
Unfortunately, if one is attracted to zrI za~NkarAcArya’s commentary, zArIraka-
bhASya, his spiritual life is doomed.
One may argue that since za~NkarAcArya is an incarnation of Lord ziva, how is
it that he cheated people in this way? The answer is that he did so on the
order of his master, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is confirmed in
the Padma PurANa, in the words of Lord ziva himself:
mAyAvAdam asac chAstraà pracchannaà bauddham ucyate
mayaiva kalpitaà devi kalau brAhmaNa-rUpiNA
brahmaNaz cAparaà rUpaà nirguNaà vakSyate mayA
sarva-svaà jagato ’py asya mohanArthaà kalau yuge
vedAnte tu mahA-zAstre mAyAvAdam avaidikam
mayaiva vakSyate devi jagatAà nAza-kAraNAt
“The MAyAvAda philosophy,” Lord ziva informed his wife PArvatI, “is impious
[asac chAstra]. It is covered Buddhism. My dear PArvatI, in Kali-yuga I assume
the form of a brAhmaNa and teach this imagined MAyAvAda philosophy. In
order to cheat the atheists, I describe the Supreme Personality of Godhead to
be without form and without qualities. Similarly, in explaining VedAnta I
describe the same MAyAvAda philosophy in order to mislead the entire
population toward atheism by denying the personal form of the Lord.” In the
ziva PurANa the Supreme Personality of Godhead told Lord ziva:
dvAparAdau yuge bhUtvA kalayA mAnuSAdiSu
svAgamaiH kalpitais tvaà ca janAn mad-vimukhAn kuru
“In Kali-yuga, mislead the people in general by propounding imaginary
meanings for the Vedas to bewilder them.” These are the descriptions of the
PurANas.
zrIla BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI ThAkura comments that mukhya-vRtti (“the
direct meaning”) is abhidhA-vRtti, or the meaning that one can understand
immediately from the statements of dictionaries, whereas gauNa-vRtti (“the
indirect meaning”) is a meaning that one imagines without consulting the
dictionary. For example, one politician has said that KurukSetra refers to the
body, but in the dictionary there is no such definition. Therefore this
imaginary meaning is gauNa-vRtti, whereas the direct meaning found in the
dictionary is mukhya-vRtti or abhidhA-vRtti. This is the distinction between the
two. zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu recommends that one understand the Vedic
literature in terms of abhidhA-vRtti, and the gauNa-vRtti He rejects. Sometimes,
however, as a matter of necessity, the Vedic literature is described in terms of
the lakSaNA-vRtti or gauNa-vRtti, but one should not accept such explanations
as permanent truths.
The purpose of the discussions in the UpaniSads and VedAnta-sUtra is to
philosophically establish the personal feature of the Absolute Truth. The
impersonalists, however, in order to establish their philosophy, accept these
discussions in terms of lakSaNA-vRtti, or indirect meanings. Thus instead of
being tattva-vAda, or in search of the Absolute Truth, they become
MAyAvAda, or illusioned by the material energy. When zrI ViSNu SvAmI, one of
the four AcAryas of the VaiSNava cult, presented his thesis on the subject
matter of zuddhAdvaita-vAda, immediately the MAyAvAdIs took advantage of
this philosophy and tried to establish their advaita-vAda or kevalAdvaita-vAda.
To defeat this kevalAdvaita-vAda, zrI RAmAnujAcArya presented his philosophy
as viziSTAdvaita-vAda, and zrI MadhvAcArya presented his philosophy of
tattva-vAda, both of which are stumbling blocks to the MAyAvAdIs because
they defeat their philosophy in scrupulous detail. Students of Vedic philosophy
know very well how strongly zrI RAmAnujAcArya’s viziSTAdvaita-vAda and zrI
MadhvAcArya’s tattva-vAda contest the impersonal MAyAvAda philosophy. zrI
Caitanya MahAprabhu, however, accepted the direct meaning of the VedAnta
philosophy and thus defeated the MAyAvAda philosophy immediately. He
opined in this connection that anyone who follows the principles of the
zArIraka-bhASya is doomed. This is confirmed in the Padma PurANa, where
Lord ziva tells PArvatI:
zRNu devi pravakSyAmi tAmasAni yathA-kramam
yeSAà zravaNa-mAtreNa pAtityaà j~nAninAm api
apArthaà zruti-vAkyAnAà darzayal loka-garhitam
karma-svarUpa-tyAjyatvam atra ca pratipAdyate
sarva-karma-paribhraàzAn naiSkarmyaà tatra cocyate
parAtma-jIvayor aikyaà mayAtra pratipAdyate
“My dear wife, hear my explanations of how I have spread ignorance through
MAyAvAda philosophy. Simply by hearing it, even an advanced scholar will fall
down. In this philosophy, which is certainly very inauspicious for people in
general, I have misrepresented the real meaning of the Vedas and
recommended that one give up all activities in order to achieve freedom from
karma. In this MAyAvAda philosophy I have described the jIvAtmA and
ParamAtmA to be one and the same.” How the MAyAvAda philosophy was
condemned by zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu and His followers is described in zrI
Caitanya-caritAmRta, Antya-lIlA, Second Chapter, verses 94 through 99, where
SvarUpa-dAmodara GosvAmI says that anyone who is eager to understand the
MAyAvAda philosophy must be considered insane. This especially applies to a
VaiSNava who reads the zArIraka-bhASya and considers himself to be one with
God. The MAyAvAdI philosophers have presented their arguments in such
attractive, flowery language that hearing MAyAvAda philosophy may
sometimes change the mind of even a mahA-bhAgavata, or very advanced
devotee. An actual VaiSNava cannot tolerate any philosophy that claims God
and the living being to be one and the same.
Adi 7.111
TEXT 111
‘brahma’-zabde mukhya arthe kahe——‘bhagavAn’
cid-aizvarya-paripUrNa, anUrdhva-samAna

brahma—the Absolute Truth; zabde—by this word; mukhya—direct; arthe—
meaning; kahe—says; bhagavAn—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; cit-
aizvarya—spiritual opulence; paripUrNa—full of; anUrdhva—unsurpassed by
anyone; samAna—not equaled by anyone.
TRANSLATION
“According to direct understanding, the Absolute Truth is the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, who has all spiritual opulences. No one can be equal
to or greater than Him.
PURPORT
This statement by zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu is confirmed in zrImad-
BhAgavatam (1.2.11):
vadanti tat tattva-vidas tattvaà yaj j~nAnam advayam
brahmeti paramAtmeti bhagavAn iti zabdyate
“Learned transcendentalists who know the Absolute Truth call this nondual
substance Brahman, ParamAtmA or BhagavAn.” The Absolute Truth is
ultimately understood as BhagavAn, partially understood as ParamAtmA and
vaguely understood as the impersonal Brahman. BhagavAn, or the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, is opulent in all excellence; no one can be equal to or
greater than Him. This is also confirmed in the Bhagavad-gItA (7.7), where the
Lord says, mattaH parataraà nAnyat ki~ncid asti dhana~njaya: “O conqueror of
wealth [Arjuna], there is no truth superior to Me.” There are many other verses
which prove that the Absolute Truth in the ultimate sense is understood to be
the Supreme Personality of Godhead, KRSNa.
Adi 7.112
TEXT 112
tA~NhAra vibhUti, deha,——saba cid-AkAra
cid-vibhUti AcchAdi’ tA~Nre kahe ‘nirAkAra’

tA~NhAra—His (the Supreme Personality of Godhead’s); vibhUti—spiritual
power; deha—body; saba—everything; cit-AkAra—spiritual form; cit-
vibhUti—spiritual opulence; AcchAdi’—covering; tA~Nre—Him; kahe—says;
nirAkAra—without form.
TRANSLATION
“Everything about the Supreme Personality of Godhead is spiritual, including
His body, opulence and paraphernalia. MAyAvAda philosophy, however,
covering His spiritual opulence, advocates the theory of impersonalism.
PURPORT
It is stated in the Brahma-saàhitA, IzvaraH paramaH kRSNaH sac-cid-Ananda-
vigrahaH [Bs. 5.1]: “The Supreme Personality of Godhead, KRSNa, has a spiritual
body which is full of knowledge, eternity and bliss.” In this material world
everyone’s body is just the opposite—temporary, full of ignorance and full of
misery. Therefore when the Supreme Personality of Godhead is sometimes
described as nirAkAra, this is to indicate that He does not have a material body
like us.
MAyAvAdI philosophers do not know how it is that the Supreme Personality of
Godhead is formless. The Supreme Lord does not have a form like ours but has
a spiritual form. Not knowing this, MAyAvAdI philosophers simply advocate
the onesided view that the Supreme Godhead, or Brahman, is formless
(nirAkAra). In this connection zrIla Bhaktivinoda ThAkura offers many quotes
from the Vedic literature. If one accepts the real or direct meaning of these
Vedic statements, one can understand that the Supreme Personality of
Godhead has a spiritual body (sac-cid-Ananda-vigraha [Bs. 5.1]).
In the BRhad-AraNyaka UpaniSad (5.1.1) it is said, pUrNam adaH pUrNam idaà
pUrNAt pUrNam udacyate. This indicates that the body of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead is spiritual, for even though He expands in many
ways, He remains the same. In the Bhagavad-gItA (10.8) the Lord says, ahaà
sarvasya prabhavo mattaH sarvaà pravartate: “I am the origin of all.
Everything emanates from Me.” MAyAvAdI philosophers materialistically think
that if the Supreme Truth expands Himself in everything, He must lose His
original form. Thus they think that there cannot be any form other than the
expansive gigantic body of the Lord. But the BRhad-AraNyaka UpaniSad
confirms, pUrNam idaà pUrNAt pUrNam udacyate: “Although He expands in
many ways, He keeps His original personality. His original spiritual body
remains as it is.” Similarly, elsewhere it is stated, vicitra-zaktiH puruSaH
purANaH: “The Supreme Personality of Godhead, the original person [puruSa],
has multifarious energies.” And the zvetAzvatara UpaniSad declares, sa vRkSa-
kAlAkRtibhiH paro ’nyo yasmAt prapa~ncaH parivartate ’yaà dharmAvahaà
pApanudaà bhagezam: “He is the origin of material creation, and it is due to
Him only that everything changes. He is the protector of religion and
annihilator of all sinful activities. He is the master of all opulences.” (zvet. Up.
6.6) VedAham etaà puruSaà mahAntam Aditya-varNaà tamasaH parastAt:
“Now I understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead to be the greatest of
the great. He is effulgent like the sun and is beyond this material world.”
(zvet. Up. 3.8) Patià patInAà paramaà parastAt: “He is the master of all
masters, the superior of all superiors.” (zvet. Up. 6.7) MahAn prabhur vai
puruSaH: “He is the supreme master and supreme person.” (zvet. Up. 3.12)
ParAsya zaktir vividhaiva zrUyate: “We can understand His opulences in
different ways.” (zvet. Up. 6.8) Similarly, in the Rg Veda it is stated, tad
viSNoH paramaà padaà sadA pazyanti sUrayaH: “ViSNu is the Supreme, and
those who are actually learned think only of His lotus feet.” In the Prazna
UpaniSad (6.3) it is said, sa IkSAà cakre: “He glanced over the material
creation.” In the Aitareya UpaniSad (1.1.1–2) it is said, sa aikSata—“He glanced
over the material creation”—and sa imAl lokAn asRjata—“He created this
entire material world.”
Thus many verses can be quoted from the UpaniSads and Vedas which prove
that the Supreme Godhead is not impersonal. In the KaTha UpaniSad (2.2.13) it
is also said, nityo nityAnAà cetanaz cetanAnAm eko bahUnAà yo vidadhAti
kAmAn: “He is the supreme eternally conscious person, who maintains all other
living entities.” From all these Vedic references one can understand that the
Absolute Truth is a person and that no one can equal or excel Him. Although
there are many foolish MAyAvAdI philosophers who think that they are even
greater than KRSNa, KRSNa is asamaurdhva: no one is equal to or above Him.
As stated in the zvetAzvatara UpaniSad (3.19), apANi-pAdo javano grahItA. This
verse describes the Absolute Truth as having no legs or hands. Although this
is an impersonal description, it does not mean that the Absolute Personality of
Godhead has no form. He has a spiritual form that is distinct from the forms
of matter. In this verse Caitanya MahAprabhu clarifies this distinction.
Adi 7.113
TEXT 113
cid-Ananda——te~Nho, tA~Nra sthAna, parivAra
tA~Nre kahe——prAkRta-sattvera vikAra

cit-Ananda—spiritual bliss; te~Nho—He is personally; tA~Nra—His; sthAna—
abode; parivAra—entourage; tA~Nre—unto Him; kahe—someone says;
prAkRta—material; sattvera—goodness; vikAra—transformation.
TRANSLATION
“The Supreme Personality of Godhead is full of spiritual potencies. Therefore
His body, name, fame and entourage are all spiritual. The MAyAvAdI
philosopher, due to ignorance, says that these are all merely transformations
of the material mode of goodness.
PURPORT
In the Seventh Chapter of the Bhagavad-gItA the Supreme Personality of
Godhead has classified His energies in two distinct divisions—namely, prAkRta
and aprAkRta, or parA-prakRti and aparA-prakRti. In the ViSNu PurANa the same
distinction is made. The MAyAvAdI philosophers cannot understand these two
prakRtis, or natures—material and spiritual—but one who is actually
intelligent can understand them. Considering the many varieties and activities
in material nature, why should the MAyAvAdI philosophers deny the spiritual
varieties of the spiritual world? The BhAgavatam (10.2.32) says:
ye ’nye ’ravindAkSa vimukta-mAninas
tvayy asta-bhAvAd avizuddha-buddhayaH
The intelligence of those who think themselves liberated but have no
information of the spiritual world is not yet clear. In this verse the term
avizuddha-buddhayaH refers to unclean intelligence. Due to unclean
intelligence or a poor fund of knowledge, the MAyAvAdI philosophers cannot
understand the distinction between material and spiritual varieties; therefore
they cannot even think of spiritual varieties because they take it for granted
that all variety is material.
zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu, therefore, explains in this verse that KRSNa—the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, or the Absolute Truth—has a spiritual body
that is distinct from material bodies, and thus His name, abode, entourage and
qualities are all spiritual. The material mode of goodness has nothing to do
with spiritual varieties. MAyAvAdI philosophers, however, cannot clearly
understand spiritual varieties; therefore they imagine a negation of the
material world to be the spiritual world. The material qualities of goodness,
passion and ignorance cannot act in the spiritual world, which is therefore
called nirguNa, as clearly indicated in the Bhagavad-gItA (trai-guNya-viSayA
vedA nistrai-guNyo bhavArjuna). The material world is a manifestation of the
three modes of material nature, but one has to become free from these modes
to come to the spiritual world, where their influence is completely absent.
Now Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu will disassociate Lord ziva from
MAyAvAda philosophy in the following verse.
Adi 7.114
TEXT 114
tA~Nra doSa nAhi, te~Nho Aj~nA-kArI dAsa
Ara yei zune tAra haya sarva-nAza

tA~Nra—his (Lord ziva’s); doSa—fault; nAhi—there is none; te~Nho—he; Aj~nA-
kArI—obedient order-carrier; dAsa—servant; Ara—others; yei—anyone;
zune—hears (the MAyAvAda philosophy); tAra—of him; haya—becomes;
sarva-nAza—everything lost
TRANSLATION
“za~NkarAcArya, who is an incarnation of Lord ziva, is faultless because he is a
servant carrying out the orders of the Lord. But those who follow his
MAyAvAdI philosophy are doomed. They will lose all their advancement in
spiritual knowledge.
PURPORT
MAyAvAdI philosophers are very proud of exhibiting their VedAnta knowledge
through grammatical jugglery, but in the Bhagavad-gItA Lord zrI KRSNa
certifies that they are mAyayApahRta-j~nAna, bereft of real knowledge due to
mAyA. MAyA has two potencies with which to execute her two functions—the
prakSepAtmikA-zakti, the power to throw the living entity into the ocean of
material existence, and AvaraNAtmikA-zakti, the power to cover the
knowledge of the living entity. The function of the the AvaraNAtmikA-zakti is
explained in the Bhagavad-gItA by the word mAyayApahRta-j~nAnAH.
Why the daivI-mAyA, or illusory energy of KRSNa, takes away the knowledge
of the MAyAvAdI philosophers is also explained in the Bhagavad-gIta by the
use of the words Asuraà bhAvam AzritAH, which refer to a person who does
not agree to the existence of the Lord. The MAyAvAdIs, who are not in
agreement with the existence of the Lord, can be classified in two groups,
exemplified by the impersonalist za~Nkarites of VArANasI and the Buddhists of
SaranAtha. Both groups are MAyAvAdIs, and KRSNa takes away their
knowledge due to their atheistic philosophies. Neither group agrees to accept
the existence of a personal God. The Buddhist philosophers clearly deny both
the soul and God, and although the za~Nkarites do not openly deny God, they
say that the Absolute is nirAkAra, or formless. Thus both the Buddhists and the
za~Nkarites are avizuddha-buddhayaH, or imperfect and unclean in their
knowledge and intelligence.
The most prominent MAyAvAdI scholar, SadAnanda YogIndra, has written a
book called VedAnta-sAra, in which he expounds the philosophy of
za~NkarAcArya, and all the followers of za~Nkara’s philosophy attribute great
importance to his statements. In this VedAnta-sAra SadAnanda YogIndra
defines Brahman as sac-cid-Ananda combined with knowledge and without
duality, and he defines ignorance (jaòa) as knowledge distinct from that of sat
and asat. This is almost inconceivable, but it is a product of the three material
qualities. Thus he considers anything other than pure knowledge to be
material. The center of ignorance is considered to be sometimes all-pervading
and sometimes individual. Thus according to his opinion both the all-
pervading ViSNu and the individual living entities are products of ignorance.
In simple language, it is the opinion of SadAnanda YogIndra that since
everything is nirAkAra (formless), the conception of ViSNu and the conception
of the individual soul are both products of ignorance. He also explains that the
vizuddha-sattva conception of the VaiSNavas is nothing but pradhAna, or the
chief principle of creation. He maintains that when all-pervading knowledge is
contaminated by the vizuddha-sattva, which consists of a transformation of
the quality of goodness, there arises the conception of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, who is the omnipotent, omniscient supreme ruler, the
Supersoul, the cause of all causes, the supreme Izvara, etc. According to
SadAnanda YogIndra, because Izvara, the Supreme Lord, is the reservoir of all
ignorance, He may be called sarva-j~na, or omniscient, but one who denies the
existence of the omnipotent Supreme Personality of Godhead is more than
Izvara, or the Lord. His conclusion, therefore, is that the Supreme Personality
of Godhead (Izvara) is a transformation of material ignorance and that the
living entity (jIva) is covered by ignorance. Thus he describes both collective
and individual existence in darkness. According to MAyAvAdI philosophers,
the VaiSNava conception of the Lord as the Supreme Personality of Godhead
and of the jIva, or individual soul, as His eternal servant is a manifestation of
ignorance. If we accept the judgment of Lord KRSNa in the Bhagavad-gItA,
however, the MAyAvAdIs are to be considered mAyayApahRta-j~nAna, or bereft
of all knowledge, because they do not recognize the existence of the
Supreme Personality of Godhead or they claim that His existence is a product
of the material conception (mAyA). These are characteristics of asuras, or
demons.
Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu, in His discourses with SArvabhauma
BhaTTAcArya, said:
jIvera nistAra lAgi’ sUtra kaila vyAsa
mAyAvAdi-bhASya zunile haya sarva-nAza
(Cc. Madhya 6.169)
VyAsadeva composed the VedAnta-sUtra to deliver the conditioned souls from
this material world, but za~NkarAcArya, by presenting the VedAnta-sUtra in his
own way, has clearly done a great disservice to human society, for one who
follows his MAyAvAda philosophy is doomed. In the Vedanta-sUtra, devotional
service is clearly indicated, but the MAyAvAdI philosophers refuse to accept
the spiritual body of the Supreme Absolute Person and refuse to accept that
the living entity has an individual existence separate from that of the
Supreme Lord. Thus they have created atheistic havoc all over the world, for
such a conclusion is against the very nature of the transcendental process of
pure devotional service. The MAyAvAdI philosophers’ unrealizable ambition to
become one with the Supreme through denying the existence of the
Personality of Godhead results in a most calamitous misrepresentation of
spiritual knowledge, and one who follows this philosophy is doomed to remain
perpetually in this material world. Therefore the MAyAvAdIs are called
avizuddha-buddhayaH, or unclean in knowledge. Because they are unclean in
knowledge, all their austerities and penances end in frustration. Thus although
they may be honored at first as very learned scholars, ultimately they descend
to physical activities of politics, social work, etc. Instead of becoming one
with the Supreme Lord, they again become one with these material activities.
This is explained in zrImad-BhAgavatam (10.2.32):
Aruhya kRcchreNa paraà padaà tataH
patanty adho ’nAdRta-yuSmad-a~NghrayaH
In actuality the MAyAvAdI philosophers very strictly follow the austerities and
penances of spiritual life and in this way are elevated to the impersonal
Brahman platform, but due to their negligence of the lotus feet of the Lord
they again fall down to material existence.
Adi 7.115
TEXT 115
prAkRta kariyA mAne viSNu-kalevara
viSNu-nindA Ara nAhi ihAra upara

prAkRta—material; kariyA—taking it to be so; mAne—accepts; viSNu—Lord
ViSNu’s; kalevara—body; viSNu-nindA—defaming or blaspheming Lord ViSNu;
Ara—beyond this; nAhi—none; ihAra—of this; upara—above.
TRANSLATION
“One who considers the transcendental body of Lord ViSNu to be made of
material nature is the greatest offender at the lotus feet of the Lord. There is
no greater blasphemy against the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
PURPORT
zrI BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI GosvAmI explains that the variegated personal
feature of the Absolute Truth is the viSNu-tattva and that the material energy,
which creates this cosmic manifestation, is the energy of Lord ViSNu. The
creative force is merely the energy of the Lord, but the foolish conclude that
because the Lord has distributed Himself in an impersonal form He has no
separate existence. The impersonal Brahman, however, cannot possess
energies, nor do the Vedic literatures state that mAyA (the illusory energy) is
covered by another mAyA. There are hundreds and thousands of references,
however, to viSNu-mAyA (parAsya zaktiH), or the energy of Lord ViSNu. In the
Bhagavad-gItA (7.14) KRSNa refers to mama mAyA (“My energy”). MAyA is
controlled by the Supreme Personality of Godhead; it is not that He is covered
by mAyA. Therefore Lord ViSNu cannot be a product of the material energy. In
the beginning of the VedAnta-sUtra it is said, janmAdy asya yataH [SB 1.1.1],
indicating that the material energy is also an emanation of the Supreme
Brahman. How then could He be covered by the material energy? If that were
possible, material energy would be greater than the Supreme Brahman. Even
these simple arguments, however, cannot be understood by the MAyAvAdI
philosophers, and therefore the term mAyayApahRta-j~nAna, which is applied to
them in the Bhagavad-gItA, is extremely appropriate. Anyone who thinks that
Lord ViSNu is a product of the material energy, as explained by SadAnanda
YogIndra, should immediately be understood to be insane, for his knowledge
has been stolen by the illusory energy.
Lord ViSNu cannot be placed within the category of the demigods. Those who
are actually bewildered by the MAyAvAda philosophy and are still in the
darkness of ignorance consider Lord ViSNu to be a demigod, in defiance of the
Rg-vedic mantra oà tad viSNoH paramaà padam (“ViSNu is always in a
superior position”). This mantra is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gItA: mattaH
parataraà nAnyat [Bg. 7.7]—there is no truth superior to Lord KRSNa, or ViSNu.
Thus only those whose knowledge has been bewildered consider Lord ViSNu to
be a demigod and therefore suggest that one may worship either Lord ViSNu,
the goddess KAlI (DurgA) or whomever one likes and achieve the same result.
This is an ignorant conclusion that is not accepted in the Bhagavad-gItA
(9.25), which distinctly says, yAnti deva-vratA devAn . . . yAnti mad-yAjino ’pi
mAm: The worshipers of the demigods will be promoted to the respective
planets of the demigods, but devotees of the Supreme Lord will go back
home, back to Godhead. Lord KRSNa explains very clearly in the Bhagavad-
gItA (7.14) that His material energy is very difficult to overcome: daivI hy eSA
guNa-mayI mama mAyA duratyayA. MAyA’s influence is so strong that even
learned scholars and spiritualists are also covered by mAyA and think
themselves to be as good as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Actually,
however, to free oneself from the influence of mAyA one must surrender to
the Supreme Personality of Godhead, as KRSNa also states in the Bhagavad-
gItA (7.14): mAm eva ye prapadyante mAyAm etAà taranti te. It is to be
concluded, therefore, that Lord ViSNu does not belong to this material creation
but to the spiritual world. To misconceive Lord ViSNu to have a material body
or to equate Him with the demigods is the most offensive blasphemy against
Lord ViSNu, and offenders against the lotus feet of Lord ViSNu cannot advance
in spiritual knowledge. They are called mAyayApahRta-j~nAna, or those whose
knowledge has been stolen by the influence of illusion.
One who thinks that there is a difference between Lord ViSNu’s body and His
soul dwells in the darkest region of ignorance. There is no difference between
Lord ViSNu’s body and ViSNu’s soul, for they are advaya-j~nAna, one
knowledge. In this world there is a difference between the material body and
the spiritual soul, but in the spiritual world everything is spiritual and there are
no such differences. The greatest offense of the MAyAvAdI philosophers is to
consider Lord ViSNu and the living entities to be one and the same. In this
connection the Padma PurANa states, arcye viSNau zilA-dhir guruSu nara-matir
vaiSNave jAti-buddhiH . . yasya vA nArakI saH: “One who considers the arcA-
mUrti, the worshipable Deity of Lord ViSNu, to be stone, the spiritual master to
be an ordinary human being, and a VaiSNava to belong to a particular caste or
creed is possessed of hellish intelligence.” One who follows such conclusions is
doomed.
Adi 7.116
TEXT 116
Izvarera tattva——yena jvalita jvalana
jIvera svarUpa——yaiche sphuli~Ngera kaNa

Izvarera tattva—the truth of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; yena—is
like; jvalita—blazing; jvalana—fire; jIvera—of the living entities; svarUpa—
identity; yaiche—is like; sphuli~Ngera—of the spark; kaNa—particle.
TRANSLATION
“The Lord is like a great blazing fire, and the living entities are like small
sparks of that fire.
PURPORT
Although sparks and a big fire are both fire and both have the power to burn,
the burning power of the fire and that of the spark are not the same. Why
should one artificially try to become like a big fire although by constitution he
is like a small spark? It is due to ignorance. One should therefore understand
that neither the Supreme Personality of Godhead nor the small sparklike living
entities have anything to do with matter, but when the spiritual spark comes
in contact with the material world his fiery quality is extinguished. That is the
position of the conditioned souls. Because they are in touch with the material
world, their spiritual quality is almost dead, but because these spiritual sparks
are all KRSNa’s parts and parcels, as the Lord states in the Bhagavad-gItA
(mamaivAàzaH), they can revive their original position by getting free from
material contact. This is pure philosophical understanding. In the Bhagavad-
gItA the spiritual sparks are declared to be sanAtana (eternal); therefore the
material energy, mAyA, cannot affect their constitutional position.
Someone may argue, “Why is there a need to create the spiritual sparks?” The
answer can be given in this way: Since the Absolute Personality of Godhead is
omnipotent, He has both unlimited and limited potencies. This is the meaning
of omnipotent. To be omnipotent, He must have not only unlimited potencies
but limited potencies also. Thus to exhibit His omnipotency He displays both.
The living entities are endowed with limited potency although they are part of
the Lord. The Lord displays the spiritual world by His unlimited potencies,
whereas by His limited potencies the material world is displayed. In the
Bhagavad-gItA (7.5) the Lord says:
apareyam itas tv anyAà prakRtià viddhi me parAm
jIva-bhUtAà mahA-bAho yayedaà dhAryate jagat
“Besides these inferior energies, O mighty-armed Arjuna, there is another,
superior energy of Mine, which comprises all living entities who are exploiting
the resources of this material, inferior nature.” The jIva-bhUta, the living
entities, control this material world with their limited potencies. Generally,
people are bewildered by the activities of scientists and technologists. Due to
mAyA they think that there is no need of God and that they can do everything
and anything, but actually they cannot. Since this cosmic manifestation is
limited, their existence is also limited. Everything in this material world is
limited, and for this reason there is creation, sustenance and dissolution.
However, in the world of unlimited energy, the spiritual world, there is neither
creation nor destruction.
If the Personality of Godhead did not possess both limited and unlimited
energies, He could not be called omnipotent. ANor aNIyAn mahato mahIyAn:
“The Lord is greater than the greatest and smaller than the smallest.” He is
smaller than the smallest in the form of the living entities and greater than the
greatest in His form of KRSNa. If there were no one to control, there would be
no meaning to the conception of the supreme controller (Izvara), just as there
is no meaning to a king without his subjects. If all the subjects became king,
there would be no distinction between the king and an ordinary citizen. Thus
for the Lord to be the supreme controller there must be a creation to control.
The basic principle for the existence of the living entities is called cid-vilAsa, or
spiritual pleasure. The omnipotent Lord displays His pleasure potency as the
living entities. The Lord is described in the VedAnta-sUtra (1.1.12) as Ananda-
mayo ’bhyAsAt. He is by nature the reservoir of all pleasures, and because He
wants to enjoy pleasure, there must be energies to give Him pleasure or
supply Him the impetus for pleasure. This is the perfect philosophical
understanding of the Absolute Truth.
Adi 7.117
TEXT 117
jIva-tattva——zakti, kRSNa-tattva——zaktimAn
gItA-viSNupurANAdi tAhAte pramANa

jIva-tattva—the truth of the living entities; zakti—energy; kRSNa-tattva—the
truth of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; zakti-mAn—the possessor of
the energies; gItA—the Bhagavad-gItA; viSNu-purANa-Adi—ViSNu PurANa and
other PurANas; tAhAte—in them; pramANa—there are evidences.
TRANSLATION
“The living entities are energies, not the energetic. The energetic is KRSNa. This
is very vividly described in the Bhagavad-gItA, the ViSNu PurANa and other
Vedic literatures.
PURPORT
As already explained, there are three prasthAnas on the path of advancement
in spiritual knowledge—namely, nyAya-prasthAna (VedAnta philosophy), zruti-
prasthAna (the UpaniSads and Vedic mantras) and smRti-prasthAna (the
Bhagavad-gItA, MahAbhArata, PurANas, etc.). Unfortunately, MAyAvAdI
philosophers do not accept the smRti-prasthAna. SmRti refers to the
conclusions drawn from the Vedic evidence. Sometimes MAyAvAdI
philosophers do not accept the authority of the Bhagavad-gItA and the
PurANas, and this is called ardha-kukkuTI-nyAya, “the logic of half a hen” (See
Adi-lIlA 5.176). If one believes in the Vedic literatures, one must accept all the
Vedic literatures recognized by the great AcAryas, but the MAyAvAdI
philosophers accept only the nyAya-prasthAna and zruti-prasthAna, rejecting
the smRti-prasthAna. Here, however, zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu cites evidence
from the GItA, ViSNu PurANa, etc., which are smRti-prasthAna. No one can
avoid the Personality of Godhead in the statements of the Bhagavad-gItA and
other Vedic literatures such as the MahAbhArata and the PurANas. Lord
Caitanya therefore quotes a passage from the Bhagavad-gItA (7.5).
Adi 7.118
TEXT 118
apareyam itas tv anyAà
prakRtià viddhi me parAm
jIva-bhUtAà mahA-bAho
yayedaà dhAryate jagat

aparA—inferior energy; iyam—this material world; itaH—beyond this; tu—
but; anyAm—another; prakRtim—energy; viddhi—you must know; me—of
Me; parAm—which is superior energy; jIva-bhUtAm—they are the living
entities; mahA-bAho—O mighty-armed; yayA—by which; idam—this
material world; dhAryate—is being conducted; jagat—the cosmic
manifestation.
TRANSLATION
“‘Besides these inferior energies, O mighty-armed Arjuna, there is another,
superior energy of Mine, which comprises the living entities who are
exploiting the resources of this material, inferior nature.’
PURPORT
In the Bhagavad-gItA it is explained that the five elements earth, water, fire,
air and ether constitute the gross energy of the Absolute Truth and that there
are also three subtle energies, namely, the mind, intelligence and false ego, or
identification with the phenomenal world. Thus the entire cosmic
manifestation is divided into eight energies, all of which are inferior. As
explained in the Bhagavad-gItA (mama mAyA duratyayA), the inferior energy,
known as mAyA, is so strong that although the living entity does not belong to
this energy, due to the superior strength of the inferior energy the living
entity (jIva-bhUta) forgets his real position and identifies with it. KRSNa says
distinctly that beyond the material energy there is a superior energy which is
known as the jIva-bhUta, or living entities. When in contact with the material
energy, this superior energy conducts all the activities of the entire material,
phenomenal world.
The supreme cause is KRSNa (janmAdy asya yataH [SB 1.1.1]), who is the origin
of all energies, which work variously. The Supreme Personality of Godhead
has both inferior and superior energies, and the difference between them is
that the superior energy is factual whereas the inferior energy is a reflection
of the superior. A reflection of the sun in a mirror or on water appears to be
the sun but is not. Similarly, the material world is but a reflection of the
spiritual world. Although it appears to be factual, it is not; it is only a
temporary reflection, whereas the spiritual world is a factual reality. The
material world, with its gross and subtle forms, is merely a reflection of the
spiritual world.
The living entity is not a product of the material energy; he is spiritual energy,
but in contact with matter he forgets his identity. Thus the living entity
identifies himself with matter and enthusiastically engages in material
activities in the guises of a technologist, scientist, philosopher, etc. He does
not know that he is not at all a material product but is spiritual. His real
identity thus being lost, he struggles very hard in the material world, and the
Hare KRSNa movement, or KRSNa consciousness movement, is trying to revive
his original consciousness. His activities in manufacturing big skyscrapers are
evidence of intelligence, but this kind of intelligence is not at all advanced. He
should know that his only real concern is how to get free from material
contact, for by absorbing his mind in material activities he takes material
bodies again and again, and although he falsely claims to be very intelligent,
in material consciousness he is not at all intelligent. When we speak about the
KRSNa consciousness movement, which is meant to make people intelligent,
the conditioned living entity therefore misunderstands it. He is so engrossed
in the material concept of life that he does not think there can be any
activities that are actually based on intelligence beyond the construction of
skyscrapers and big roads and the manufacturing of cars. This is proof of
mAyayApahRta-j~nAna, or loss of all intelligence due to the influence of mAyA.
When a living entity is freed from such misconceptions, he is called liberated.
When one is actually liberated he no longer identifies with the material world.
The symptom of mukti (liberation) is that one engages in spiritual activities
instead of falsely engaging in material activities.
Transcendental loving devotional service is the spiritual activity of the spirit
soul. MAyAvAdI philosophers confuse such spiritual activity with material
activity, but the Bhagavad-gItA (14.26) confirms:
mAà ca yo ’vyabhicAreNa bhakti-yogena sevate
sa guNAn samatItyaitAn brahma-bhUyAya kalpate
One who engages in the spiritual activities of unalloyed devotional service
(avyabhicAriNI-bhakti) is immediately elevated to the transcendental platform,
and he is to be considered brahma-bhUta, which indicates that he is no longer
in the material world but is in the spiritual world. Devotional service is
enlightenment, or awakening. When the living entity perfectly performs
spiritual activities under the direction of the spiritual master, he becomes
perfect in knowledge and understands that he is not God but a servant of
God. As explained by Caitanya MahAprabhu, jIvera ‘svarUpa’ haya—kRSNera
‘nitya-dAsa’: the real identity of the living entity is that he is an eternal
servant of the Supreme (Cc. Madhya 20.108). As long as one does not come
to this conclusion, he must be in ignorance. This is also confirmed by the Lord
in the Bhagavad-gItA (7.19): bahUnAà janmanAm ante j~nAnavAn mAà
prapadyate . . . sa mahAtmA su-durlabhaH. “After many births of struggling for
existence and cultivating knowledge, when one comes to the point of real
knowledge he surrenders unto Me. Such an advanced mahAtmA, or great soul,
is very rarely to be seen.” Thus although the MAyAvAdI philosophers appear to
be very much advanced in knowledge, they are not yet perfect. To come to
the point of perfection they must voluntarily surrender to KRSNa.
Adi 7.119
TEXT 119
viSNu-zaktiH parA proktA
kSetra-j~nAkhyA tathA parA
avidyA-karma-saàj~nAnyA
tRtIyA zaktir iSyate

viSNu-zaktiH—the potency of Lord ViSNu; parA—spiritual; proktA—it is said;
kSetra-j~na-AkhyA—the potency known as kSetra-j~na; tathA—as well as;
parA—spiritual; avidyA—ignorance; karma—fruitive activities; saàj~nA—
known as; anyA—other; tRtIyA—third; zaktiH—potency; iSyate—known thus.
TRANSLATION
“‘The potency of Lord ViSNu is summarized in three categories—namely, the
spiritual potency, the living entities and ignorance. The spiritual potency is full
of knowledge; the living entities, although belonging to the spiritual potency,
are subject to bewilderment; and the third energy, which is full of ignorance,
is always visible in fruitive activities.’
PURPORT
This is a quotation from the ViSNu PurANa (6.7.61).
In the previous verse, quoted from the Bhagavad-gItA, it has been established
that the living entities are to be categorized among the Lord’s potencies. The
Lord is potent, and there are varieties of potencies (parAsya zaktir vividhaiva
zrUyate). Now, in this quotation from the ViSNu PurANa, this is further
confirmed. There are varieties of potencies, and they have been divided into
three categories—namely, spiritual, marginal and external.
The spiritual potency is manifested in the spiritual world. KRSNa’s form,
qualities, activities and entourage are all spiritual. This is confirmed in the
Bhagavad-gItA (4.5):
ajo ’pi sann avyayAtmA bhUtAnAm Izvaro ’pi san
prakRtià svAm adhiSThAya sambhavAmy Atma-mAyayA
[Bg. 4.6]
“Although I am unborn and My transcendental body never deteriorates, and
although I am the Lord of all living entities, by My spiritual potency I still
appear in every millennium in My original transcendental form.” Atma-mAyA
refers to the spiritual potency. When KRSNa comes to this or any other
universe, He does so with His spiritual potency. We take birth by the force of
the material potency, but as stated here with reference to the ViSNu PurANa,
the kSetra-j~na, or living entity, belongs to the spiritual potency; thus when we
free ourselves from the clutches of the material potency we can also enter the
spiritual world.
The material potency is the energy of darkness, or complete ignorance of
spiritual activities. In the material potency, the living entity engages himself in
fruitive activities, thinking that he can be happy through expansion in terms
of material energy. This fact is prominently manifest in this Age of Kali
because human society, not understanding the spiritual nature, is busily
expanding in material activities. The men of the present day are almost
unaware of their spiritual identity. They think that they are products of the
elements of the material world and that everything will end with the
annihilation of the body. Therefore they conclude that as long as one has a
material body consisting of material senses, one should enjoy the senses as
much as possible. Since they are atheists, they do not care whether there is a
next life. Such activities are described in this verse as avidyA-karma-
saàj~nAnyA.
The material energy is separated from the spiritual energy of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead. Thus although it is originally created by the Supreme
Lord, He is not actually present within it. The Lord also confirms in the
Bhagavad-gItA (9.4), mat-sthAni sarva-bhUtAni: “Everything is resting on Me.”
This indicates that everything is resting on His own energy. For example, the
planets are resting within outer space, which is the separated energy of KRSNa.
The Lord explains in the Bhagavad-gItA (7.4):
bhUmir Apo ’nalo vAyuH khaà mano buddhir eva ca
aha~NkAra itIyaà me bhinnA prakRtir aSTadhA
“Earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intelligence and false ego—all together
these eight constitute My separated material energies.” The separated energy
acts as if it were independent, but here it is said that although such energies
are certainly factual, they are not independent but merely separated.
The separated energy can be understood from a practical example. I compose
books by speaking into a dictaphone, and when the dictaphone is replayed, it
appears that I am speaking personally, but actually I am not. I spoke
personally, but then the dictaphone tape, which is separate from me, acts
exactly like me. Similarly, the material energy originally emanates from the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, but it acts separately, although the energy
is supplied by the Lord. This is also explained in the Bhagavad-gItA (9.10):
mayAdhyakSeNa prakRtiH sUyate sa-carAcaram. “This material nature is
working under My direction, O son of KuntI, and it is producing all moving
and unmoving beings.” Under the guidance or superintendence of the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, the material energy works as if
independent, although it is not actually independent.
In this verse from the ViSNu PurANa the total energy of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead is classified in three divisions—namely, the spiritual or
internal potency of the Lord, the marginal potency, or kSetra-j~na (the living
entity), and the material potency, which is separated from the Supreme
Personality of Godhead and appears to act independently. When zrIla
VyAsadeva, by meditation and self-realization, saw the Supreme Personality
of Godhead, he also saw the separated energy of the Lord standing behind
Him (apazyat puruSaà pUrNaà mAyAà ca tad-apAzrayam). VyAsadeva also
realized that it is this separated energy of the Lord, the material energy, that
covers the knowledge of the living entities (yayA sammohito jIva AtmAnaà
tri-guNAtmakam). The separated, material energy bewilders the living entities
(jIvas), and thus they work very hard under its influence, not knowing that
they are not fulfilling their mission in life. Unfortunately, most of them think
that they are the body and should therefore enjoy the material senses
irresponsibly since when death comes everything will be finished. This
atheistic philosophy also flourished in India, where it was sometimes
propagated by CArvAka Muni, who said:
RNaà kRtvA ghRtaà pibet yAvaj jIvet sukhaà jIvet
bhasmI-bhUtasya dehasya kutaH punar Agamano bhavet
His theory was that as long as one lives one should eat as much ghee as
possible. In India, ghee (clarified butter) is a basic ingredient in preparing many
varieties of food. Since everyone wants to enjoy nice food, CArvAka Muni
advised that one eat as much ghee as possible. One may say, “I have no
money. How shall I purchase ghee?” CArvAka Muni, however, says, “If you
have no money, then beg, borrow or steal, but in some way secure ghee and
enjoy life.” For one who further objects that he will be held accountable for
such unauthorized activities as begging, borrowing and stealing, CArvAka
Muni replies, “You will not be held responsible. As soon as your body is burned
to ashes after death, everything is finished.”
This is called ignorance. From the Bhagavad-gItA it is understood that one
does not die with the annihilation of his body (na hanyate hanyamAne zarIre
[Bg. 2.20]). The annihilation of one body involves changing to another (tathA
dehAntara-prAptiH). Therefore, to perform irresponsible activities in the
material world is very dangerous. Without knowledge of the spirit soul and its
transmigration, people are allured by the material energy to engage in many
such activities, as if one could become happy simply by dint of material
knowledge, without reference to spiritual existence. Therefore the entire
material world and its activities are referred to as avidyA-karma-saàj~nAnyA.
In order to dissipate the ignorance of the human beings who work under the
material energy, which is separated from the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, the Lord comes down to revive their original nature of spiritual
activities (yadA yadA hi dharmasya glAnir bhavati bhArata [Bg. 4.7]). As soon
as they deviate from their original nature, the Lord comes to teach them,
sarva-dharmAn parityajya mAm ekaà zaraNaà vraja: “My dear living entities,
give up all material activities and simply surrender unto Me for protection.”
(Bg. 18.66)
It is the statement of CArvAka Muni that one should beg, borrow or steal
money to purchase ghee and enjoy life (RNaà kRtvA ghRtaà pibet). Thus even
the greatest atheist of India recommends that one eat ghee, not meat. No one
could conceive of human beings’ eating meat like tigers and dogs, but men
have become so degraded that they are just like animals and can no longer
claim to have a human civilization.
Adi 7.120
TEXT 120
hena jIva-tattva la~nA likhi’ para-tattva
Acchanna karila zreSTha Izvara-mahattva

hena—such degraded; jIva-tattva—the living entities; la~nA—taking them;
likhi’—having written; para-tattva—as the Supreme; Acchanna—covering;
karila—did; zreSTha—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; Izvara—the
Lord’s; mahattva—glories.
TRANSLATION
“The MAyAvAda philosophy is so degraded that it has taken the insignificant
living entities to be the Lord, the Supreme Truth, thus covering the glory and
supremacy of the Absolute Truth with monism.
PURPORT
zrIla Bhaktivinoda ThAkura comments in this connection that in all Vedic
scriptures the jIva-tattva, the truth of the living entities, is mentioned to be
one of the energies of the Lord. If one does not accept the living entity to be
a minute, infinitesimal spark of the Supreme but equates the jIva-tattva with
the Supreme Brahman or Supreme Personality of Godhead, it must be
understood that his entire philosophy is based on a misunderstanding.
Unfortunately, zrIpAda za~NkarAcArya purposely claimed the jIva-tattva, or
living entities, to be equal to the Supreme God. Therefore his entire
philosophy is based on a misunderstanding, and it misguides people to
become atheists, whose mission in life is unfulfilled. The mission of human life,
as described in the Bhagavad-gItA, is to surrender unto the Supreme Lord and
become His devotee, but the MAyAvAda philosophy misleads one to defy the
existence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and pose oneself as the
Supreme Lord. Thus it has misguided hundreds of thousands of innocent men.
In the VedAnta-sUtra, VyAsadeva has described that the Supreme Personality
of Godhead is potent and that everything, material or spiritual, is but an
emanation of His energy. The Lord, the Supreme Brahman, is the origin or
source of everything (janmAdy asya yataH [SB 1.1.1]), and all other
manifestations are emanations of different energies of the Lord. This is also
confirmed in the ViSNu PurANa:
ekadeza-sthitasyAgner jyotsnA vistAriNI yathA
parasya brahmaNaH zaktis tathedam akhilaà jagat
“Whatever we see in this world is simply an expansion of different energies of
the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is exactly like a fire that spreads
illumination for a long distance although it is situated in one place.” This is a
very vivid analogy. Similarly, it is stated that just as everything in the material
world exists in the sunshine, which is the energy of the sun, so everything
exists on the basis of the spiritual and material energies of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead. Thus although KRSNa is situated in His own abode
(goloka eva nivasaty akhilAtma-bhUtaH [Bs. 5.37]), where He enjoys His
transcendental pastimes with the cowherd boys and gopIs, He is nevertheless
present everywhere, even within the atoms of this universe (aNòAntara-stha-
paramANu-cayAntara-stham). This is the verdict of the Vedic literature.
Unfortunately, the MAyAvAda philosophy, misguiding people by claiming the
living entity to be the Lord, has created havoc throughout the entire world
and led almost everyone to godlessness. By thus covering the glories of the
Supreme Lord, the MAyAvAdI philosophers have done the greatest disservice
to human society. It is to counteract these most abominable activities of the
MAyAvAdI philosophers that Lord Caitanya has introduced the Hare KRSNa
mahA-mantra.
harer nAma harer nAma harer nAmaiva kevalam
kalau nAsty eva nAsty eva nAsty eva gatir anyathA
[Adi 17.21]
“In this age of quarrel and hypocrisy, the only means of deliverance is
chanting the holy name of the Lord. There is no other way. There is no other
way. There is no other way.” People should simply engage in the chanting of
the Hare KRSNa mahA-mantra, for thus they will gradually come to understand
that they are not the Supreme Personality of Godhead, as they have been
taught by the MAyAvAdI philosophers, but are eternal servants of the Lord. As
soon as one engages himself in the transcendental service of the Lord, he
becomes free.
mAà ca yo ’vyabhicAreNa bhakti-yogena sevate
sa guNAn samatItyaitAn brahma-bhUyAya kalpate
“One who engages in full devotional service, unfailing in all circumstances, at
once transcends the modes of material nature and thus comes to the level of
Brahman.” (Bg. 14.26) Therefore the Hare KRSNa movement, or KRSNa
consciousness movement, is the only light for the foolish living entities who
think either that there is no God or that if God exists He is formless and they
themselves are also God. These misconceptions are very dangerous, and the
only way to counteract them is to spread the Hare KRSNa movement.
Adi 7.121
TEXT 121
vyAsera sUtrete kahe ‘pariNAma’-vAda
‘vyAsa bhrAnta’——bali’ tAra uThAila vivAda

vyAsera—of zrIla VyAsadeva; sUtrete—in the aphorisms; kahe—describes;
pariNAma—transformation; vAda—philosophy; vyAsa—zrIla VyAsadeva;
bhrAnta—mistaken; bali’—accusing him; tAra—his; uThAila—raised; vivAda—
opposition.
TRANSLATION
“In his VedAnta-sUtra zrIla VyAsadeva has described that everything is but a
transformation of the energy of the Lord. za~NkarAcArya, however, has misled
the world by commenting that VyAsadeva was mistaken. Thus he has raised
great opposition to theism throughout the entire world.
PURPORT
zrIla Bhaktivinoda ThAkura explains, “In the Vedanta-sUtra of zrIla VyAsadeva
it is definitely stated that all cosmic manifestations result from
transformations of various energies of the Lord. za~NkarAcArya, however, not
accepting the energy of the Lord, thinks that it is the Lord who is transformed.
He has taken many clear statements from the Vedic literature and twisted
them to try to prove that if the Lord, or the Absolute Truth, were transformed,
His oneness would be disturbed. Thus he has accused zrIla VyAsadeva of
being mistaken. In developing his philosophy of monism, therefore, he has
established vivarta-vAda, or the MAyAvAda theory of illusion.”
In the Brahma-sUtra, Second Chapter, the first aphorism is as follows: tad-
ananyatvam ArambhaNa-zabdAdibhyaH. Commenting on this sUtra in his
zArIraka-bhASya, za~NkarAcArya has introduced the statement vAcArambhaNaà
vikAro nAmadheyam from the ChAndogya UpaniSad (6.1.4) to try to prove that
acceptance of the transformation of the energy of the Supreme Lord is faulty.
He has tried to defy this transformation of energy in a misguided way, which
will be explained later. Since his conception of God is impersonal, he does not
believe that the entire cosmic manifestation is a transformation of the
energies of the Lord, for as soon as one accepts the various energies of the
Absolute Truth, one must immediately accept the Absolute Truth to be
personal, not impersonal. A person can create many things by the
transformation of his energy. For example, a businessman transforms his
energy by establishing many big factories or business organizations, yet he
remains a person although his energy has been transformed into these many
factories or business concerns. The MAyAvAdI philosophers do not understand
this simple fact. Their tiny brains and poor fund of knowledge cannot afford
them sufficient enlightenment to realize that when a man’s energy is
transformed, the man himself is not transformed but remains the same person.
Not believing in the fact that the energy of the Absolute Truth is transformed,
za~NkarAcArya has propounded his theory of illusion. This theory states that
although the Absolute Truth is never transformed, we think that it is
transformed, which is an illusion. za~NkarAcArya does not believe in the
transformation of the energy of the Absolute Truth, for he claims that
everything is one and that the living entity is therefore also one with the
Supreme. This is the MAyAvAda theory.
zrIla VyAsadeva has explained that the Absolute Truth is a person who has
different potencies. Merely by His desire that there be creation and by His
glance (sa aikSata), He created this material world (sa asRjata). After creation,
He remains the same person: He is not transformed into everything. One
should accept that the Lord has inconceivable energies and that it is by His
order and will that varieties of manifestations have come into existence. In
the Vedic literature it is said, sa-tattvato ’nyathA-buddhir vikAra ity udAhRtaH.
This mantra indicates that from one fact another fact is generated. For
example, a father is one fact, and a son generated from the father is a second
fact. Thus both of them are truths, although one is generated from the other.
This generation of a second, independent truth from a first truth is called
vikAra, or transformation resulting in a by-product. The Supreme Brahman is
the Absolute Truth, and the energies that have emanated from Him and are
existing separately, such as the living entities and the cosmic manifestation,
are also truths. This is an example of transformation, which is called vikAra or
pariNAma. To give another example of vikAra, milk is a truth, but the same
milk may be transformed into yogurt. Thus yogurt is a transformation of milk,
although the ingredients of yogurt and milk are the same.
In the ChAndogya UpaniSad there is the following mantra: aitad-Atmyam idaà
sarvam. This mantra indicates without a doubt that the entire world is
Brahman. The Absolute Truth has inconceivable energies, as confirmed in the
zvetAzvatara UpaniSad (parAsya zaktir vividhaiva zrUyate), and the entire
cosmic manifestation is evidence of these different energies of the Supreme
Lord. The Supreme Lord is a fact, and therefore whatever is created by the
Supreme Lord is also factual. Everything is true and complete (pUrNam), but
the original pUrNam, the complete Absolute Truth, always remains the same.
PUrNAt pUrNam udacyate pUrNasya pUrNam AdAya. The Absolute Truth is so
perfect that although innumerable energies emanate from Him and manifest
creations which appear to be different from Him, He nevertheless maintains
His personality. He never deteriorates under any circumstances.
It is to be concluded that the entire cosmic manifestation is a transformation
of the energy of the Supreme Lord, not of the Supreme Lord or Absolute Truth
Himself, who always remains the same. The material world and the living
entities are transformations of the energy of the Lord, the Absolute Truth or
Brahman, who is the original source. In other words, the Absolute Truth,
Brahman, is the original ingredient, and the other manifestations are
transformations of this ingredient. This is also confirmed in the TaittirIya
UpaniSad (3.1): yato vA imAni bhUtAni jAyante. “This entire cosmic
manifestation is made possible by the Absolute Truth, the Supreme Personality
of Godhead.” In this verse it is indicated that Brahman, the Absolute Truth, is
the original cause and that the living entities (jIvas) and the cosmic
manifestation are effects of this cause. The cause being a fact, the effects are
also factual. They are not illusion. za~NkarAcArya has inconsistently tried to
prove that it is an illusion to accept the material world and the jIvas as by-
products of the Supreme Lord because (in his conception) the existence of the
material world and the jIvas is different and separate from that of the
Absolute Truth. With this jugglery of understanding, MAyAvAdI philosophers
have propagated the slogan brahma satyaà jagan mithyA, which declares
that the Absolute Truth is fact but the cosmic manifestation and the living
entities are simply illusions, or that all of them are in fact the Absolute Truth
and that the material world and living entities do not separately exist.
It is therefore to be concluded that za~NkarAcArya, in order to present the
Supreme Lord, the living entities and the material nature as indivisible and
ignorant, tries to cover the glories of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He
maintains that the material cosmic manifestation is mithyA, or false, but this is
a great blunder. If the Supreme Personality of Godhead is a fact, how can His
creation be false? Even in ordinary dealings, one cannot think the material
cosmic manifestation to be false. Therefore VaiSNava philosophers say that the
cosmic creation is not false but temporary. It is separated from the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, but since it is wonderfully created by the energy of
the Lord, to say that it is false is blasphemous.
Nondevotees factually appreciate the wonderful creation of material nature,
but they cannot appreciate the intelligence and energy of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, who is behind this material creation. zrIpAda
RAmAnujAcArya, however, refers to a sUtra from the Aitareya UpaniSad (1.1.1),
AtmA vA idam agra AsIt, which points out that the supreme AtmA, the Absolute
Truth, existed before the creation. One may argue, “If the Supreme
Personality of Godhead is completely spiritual, how is it possible for Him to be
the origin of creation and have within Himself both material and spiritual
energies?” To answer this challenge, zrIpAda RAmAnujAcArya quotes a mantra
from the TaittirIya UpaniSad (3.1) that states:
yato vA imAni bhUtAni jAyante yena jAtAni jIvanti yat prayanty abhisaàvizanti
This mantra confirms that the entire cosmic manifestation emanates from the
Absolute Truth, rests upon the Absolute Truth and after annihilation again
reenters the body of the Absolute Truth, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
The living entity is originally spiritual, and when he enters the spiritual world
or the body of the Supreme Lord, he still retains his identity as an individual
soul. In this connection zrIpAda RAmAnujAcArya gives the analogy that when a
green bird enters a green tree it does not become one with the tree: it retains
its identity as a bird, although it appears to merge with the greenness of the
tree. To give another analogy, an animal that enters a forest keeps its
individuality, although apparently the beast merges with the forest. Similarly,
in material existence, both the material energy and the living entities of the
marginal potency maintain their individuality. Thus although the energies of
the Supreme Personality of Godhead interact within the cosmic manifestation,
each keeps its separate individual existence. Merging with the material or
spiritual energies, therefore, does not involve loss of individuality. According
to zrI RAmAnujapAda’s theory of ViziSTAdvaita, although all the energies of the
Lord are one, each keeps its individuality (vaiziSTya).
zrIpAda za~NkarAcArya has tried to mislead the readers of the VedAnta-sUtra by
misinterpreting the words Ananda-mayo ’bhyAsAt, and he has even tried to
find fault with VyAsadeva. All the aphorisms of the VedAnta-sUtra need not be
examined here, however, since we intend to present the VedAnta-sUtra in a
separate volume.
Adi 7.122
TEXT 122
pariNAma-vAde Izvara hayena vikArI
eta kahi’ ‘vivarta’-vAda sthApanA ye kari

pariNAma-vAde—by accepting the theory of transformation of energy;
Izvara—the Supreme Lord; hayena—becomes; vikArI—transformed; eta
kahi’—saying this; vivarta—illusion; vAda—theory; sthApanA—establishing;
ye—what; kari—do.
TRANSLATION
“According to za~NkarAcArya, by accepting the theory of the transformation of
the energy of the Lord, one creates an illusion by indirectly accepting that the
Absolute Truth is transformed.
PURPORT
zrIla Bhaktivinoda ThAkura comments that if one does not clearly understand
the meaning of pariNAma-vAda, or transformation of energy, one is sure to
misunderstand the truth regarding this material cosmic manifestation and the
living entities. In the ChAndogya UpaniSad (6.8.4) it is said, san-mUlAH
saumyemAH prajAH sad-AyatanAH sat-pratiSThAH. The material world and the
living entities are separate beings, and they are eternally true, not false.
za~NkarAcArya, however, unnecessarily fearing that by pariNAma-vAda
(transformation of energy) Brahman would be transformed (vikArI), has
imagined both the material world and the living entities to be false and to
have no individuality. By word jugglery he has tried to prove that the
individual identities of the living entities and the material world are illusory,
and he has cited the examples of mistaking a rope for a snake or an oyster
shell for gold. Thus he has most abominably cheated people in general.
The analogy of misunderstanding a rope to be a snake is mentioned in the
MANòUkya UpaniSad, but it is meant to explain the error of identifying the
body with the soul. Since the soul is actually a spiritual particle, as confirmed
in the Bhagavad-gItA (mamaivAàzo jIva-loke), it is due to illusion (vivarta-
vAda) that a human being, like an animal, identifies the body with the self.
This is a proper example of vivarta, or illusion. The verse atattvato ’nyathA-
buddhir vivarta ity udAhRtaH describes such an illusion. To not know actual
facts and thus to mistake one thing for another (as, for example, to accept the
body as oneself) is called vivarta-vAda. Every conditioned living entity who
considers the body to be the soul is deluded by this vivarta-vAda. One can be
attacked by this vivarta-vAda philosophy when he forgets the inconceivable
power of the omnipotent Personality of Godhead.
How the Supreme Personality of Godhead remains as He is, never changing, is
explained in the IzopaniSad: pUrNasya pUrNam AdAya pUrNam evAvaziSyate.
God is complete. Even if a complete manifestation is taken away from Him,
He continues to be complete. The material creation is manifested by the
energy of the Lord, but He is still the same person. His form, entourage,
qualities and so on never deteriorate. zrIla JIva GosvAmI, in his ParamAtma-
sandarbha, comments regarding the vivarta-vAda as follows: “Under the spell
of vivarta-vAda one imagines the separate entities, namely the cosmic
manifestation and the living entities, to be one with Brahman. This is due to
complete ignorance regarding the actual fact. The Absolute Truth, or
Parabrahman, is always one and always the same. He is completely free from
all other conceptions of existence. He is completely free from false ego, for
He is the full spiritual identity. It is absolutely impossible for Him to be
subjected to ignorance and fall under the spell of a misconception (vivarta-
vAda). The Absolute Truth is beyond our conception. One must admit that He
has unblemished qualities that He does not share with every living entity. He
is never tainted in the slightest degree by the flaws of ordinary living beings.
Everyone must therefore understand the Absolute Truth to possess
inconceivable potencies.”
Adi 7.123
TEXT 123
vastutaH pariNAma-vAda——sei se pramANa
dehe Atma-buddhi——ei vivartera sthAna

vastutaH—factually; pariNAma-vAda—transformation of the energy; sei—
that; se—only; pramANa—proof; dehe—in the body; Atma-buddhi—concept
of self; ei—this; vivartera—of illusion; sthAna—place.
TRANSLATION
“Transformation of energy is a proven fact. It is the false bodily conception of
the self that is an illusion.
PURPORT
The jIva, or living entity, is a spiritual spark who is part of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead. Unfortunately, he thinks the body to be the self, and
that misunderstanding is called vivarta, or acceptance of untruth to be truth.
The body is not the self, but animals and foolish people think that it is. Vivarta
(illusion) does not, however, denote a change in the identity of the spirit soul;
it is the misconception that the body is the self that is an illusion. Similarly, the
Supreme Personality of Godhead does not change when His external energy,
consisting of the eight gross and subtle material elements listed in the
Bhagavad-gItA (bhUmir Apo ’nalo vAyuH, etc.), acts and reacts in different
phases.
Adi 7.124
TEXT 124
avicintya-zakti-yukta zrI-bhagavAn
icchAya jagad-rUpe pAya pariNAma

avicintya—inconceivable; zakti—potency; yukta—possessed of; zrI—the
affluent; bhagavAn—Personality of Godhead; icchAya—by His wish; jagat-
rUpe—in the form of the cosmic manifestation; pAya—becomes; pariNAma—
transformed by His energy.
TRANSLATION
“The Supreme Personality of Godhead is opulent in all respects. Therefore by
His inconceivable energies He has transformed the material cosmic
manifestation.
Adi 7.125
TEXT 125
tathApi acintya-zaktye haya avikArI
prAkRta cintAmaNi tAhe dRSTAnta ye dhari

tathApi—yet; acintya-zaktye—by inconceivable potency; haya—remains;
avikArI—without change; prAkRta—material; cintAmaNi—touchstone; tAhe—
in that respect; dRSTAnta—example; ye—which; dhari—we accept.
TRANSLATION
“Using the example of a touchstone, which by its energy turns iron to gold
and yet remains the same, we can understand that although the Supreme
Personality of Godhead transforms His innumerable energies, He remains
unchanged.
Adi 7.126
TEXT 126
nAnA ratna-rAzi haya cintAmaNi haite
tathApiha maNi rahe svarUpe avikRte

nAnA—varieties; ratna-rAzi—valuable jewels; haya—become possible;
cintAmaNi—the touchstone; haite—from; tathApiha—still, certainly; maNi—
the touchstone; rahe—remains; svarUpe—in its original form; avikRte—
without change.
TRANSLATION
“Although a touchstone produces many varieties of valuable jewels, it
nevertheless remains the same. It does not change its original form.
Adi 7.127
TEXT 127
prAkRta-vastute yadi acintya-zakti haya
Izvarera acintya-zakti,——ithe ki vismaya

prAkRta-vastute—in material things; yadi—if; acintya—inconceivable;
zakti—potency; haya—becomes possible; Izvarera—of the Supreme Lord;
acintya—inconceivable; zakti—potency; ithe—in this; ki—what; vismaya—
wonderful.
TRANSLATION
“If there is such inconceivable potency in material objects, why should we not
believe in the inconceivable potency of the Supreme Personality of Godhead?
PURPORT
The argument of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu described in this verse can be very
easily understood even by a common man if he simply thinks of the activities
of the sun, which has been giving off unlimited amounts of heat and light
since time immemorial and yet has not even slightly decreased in power.
Modern science believes that it is by sunshine that the entire cosmic
manifestation is maintained, and actually one can see how the actions and
reactions of sunshine maintain order throughout the universe. The growth of
vegetables and even the rotation of the planets take place due to the heat
and light of the sun. Sometimes, therefore, modern scientists consider the sun
to be the original cause of creation, not knowing that the sun is only a
medium, for it is also created by the supreme energy of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead. Aside from the sun and the touchstone, there are
many other material things that transform their energy in different ways and
yet remain as they are. It is not necessary, therefore, for the original cause,
the Supreme Personality of Godhead, to change due to the changes or
transformations of His different energies.
The falsity of zrIpAda za~NkarAcArya’s explanation of vivarta-vAda and
pariNAma-vAda has been detected by the VaiSNava AcAryas, especially JIva
GosvAmI, whose opinion is that actually za~Nkara did not understand the
VedAnta-sUtra. In za~Nkara’s explanation of one sUtra, Ananda-mayo ’bhyAsAt,
he has interpreted the affix mayaT with such word jugglery that this very
explanation proves that he had little knowledge of the VedAnta-sUtra but
simply wanted to support his impersonalism through the aphorisms of the
VedAnta philosophy. Actually, however, he failed to do so because he could
not put forward strong arguments. In this connection, zrIla JIva GosvAmI cites
the phrase brahma pucchaà pratiSThA (TaittirIya Up. 2.5), which gives Vedic
evidence that Brahman is the origin of everything. In explaining this verse,
zrIpAda za~NkarAcArya interpreted various Sanskrit words in such a way that he
implied, according to JIva GosvAmI, that VyAsadeva had very little knowledge
of higher logic. Such unscrupulous deviation from the real meaning of the
VedAnta-sUtra has created a class of men who by word jugglery try to derive
various indirect meanings from the Vedic literatures, especially the Bhagavad-
gItA. One of them has even explained that the word kurukSetra refers to the
body. Such interpretations imply, however, that neither Lord KRSNa nor
VyAsadeva had a proper sense of word usage or etymological adjustment.
They lead one to assume that since Lord KRSNa could not personally sense the
meaning of what He was speaking and VyAsadeva did not know the meaning
of what he was writing, Lord KRSNa left His book to be explained later by the
MAyAvAdIs. Such interpretations merely prove, however, that their
proponents have very little philosophical sense.
Instead of wasting one’s time falsely deriving such indirect meanings from the
VedAnta-sUtra and other Vedic literatures, one should accept the words of
these books as they are. In presenting Bhagavad-gItA As It Is, therefore, we
have not changed the meaning of the original words. Similarly, if one studies
the VedAnta-sUtra as it is, without whimsical and capricious adulteration, one
can understand the Vedanta-sUtra very easily. zrIla VyAsadeva therefore
explains the VedAnta-sUtra, beginning from the first sUtra, janmAdy asya
yataH [SB 1.1.1], in his zrImad-BhAgavatam (1.1.1):
janmAdy asya yato ’nvayAd itarataz cArtheSv abhij~naH sva-rAT [SB 1.1.1].
“I meditate upon Him [Lord zrI KRSNa], the transcendent reality, who is the
primeval cause of all causes, from whom all manifested universes arise, in
whom they dwell, and by whom they are destroyed. I meditate upon that
eternally effulgent Lord, who is directly and indirectly conscious of all
manifestations and yet is fully independent.” The Supreme Personality of
Godhead knows very well how to do everything perfectly. He is abhij~na,
always fully conscious. The Lord therefore says in the Bhagavad-gItA (7.26)
that He knows everything, past, present and future, but that no one but a
devotee knows Him as He is. Therefore, the Absolute Truth, the Personality of
Godhead, is at least partially understood by devotees of the Lord, but the
MAyAvAdI philosophers, who unnecessarily speculate to understand the
Absolute Truth, simply waste their time.
Adi 7.128
TEXT 128
‘praNava’ se mahAvAkya——vedera nidAna
Izvara-svarUpa praNava sarva-vizva-dhAma

praNava—the oàkAra; se—that; mahA-vAkya—transcendental sound
vibration; vedera—of the Vedas; nidAna—basic principle; Izvara-svarUpa—
direct representation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; praNava—
oàkAra; sarva-vizva—of all universes; dhAma—is the reservoir.
TRANSLATION
“The Vedic sound vibration oàkAra, the principal word in the Vedic literatures,
is the basis of all Vedic vibrations. Therefore one should accept oàkAra as the
sound representation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the
reservoir of the cosmic manifestation.
PURPORT
In the Bhagavad-gItA (8.13) the glories of oàkAra are described as follows:
oà ity ekAkSaraà brahma vyAharan mAm anusmaran
yaH prayAti tyajan dehaà sa yAti paramAà gatim
This verse indicates that oàkAra, or praNava, is a direct representation of the
Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore if at the time of death one simply
remembers oàkAra, he remembers the Supreme Personality of Godhead and
is therefore immediately transferred to the spiritual world. OàkAra is the basic
principle of all Vedic mantras, for it is a representation of Lord KRSNa,
understanding of whom is the ultimate goal of the Vedas, as stated in the
Bhagavad-gItA (vedaiz ca sarvair aham eva vedyaH [Bg. 15.15]). MAyAvAdI
philosophers cannot understand these simple facts explained in the Bhagavad-
gItA, and yet they are very proud of being VedAntIs. Sometimes, therefore, we
refer to the VedAntI philosophers as VidantIs, those who have no teeth (vi
means “without,” and dantI means “possessing teeth”). The statements of the
za~Nkara philosophy, which are the teeth of the MAyAvAdI philosopher, are
always broken by the strong arguments of VaiSNava philosophers such as the
great AcAryas, especially RAmAnujAcArya. zrIpAda RAmAnujAcArya and
MadhvAcArya break the teeth of the MAyAvAdI philosophers, who can
therefore be called VidantIs, “toothless.”
As mentioned above, the transcendental vibration oàkAra is explained in the
Bhagavad-gItA, Chapter Eight, verse thirteen:
oà ity ekAkSaraà brahma vyAharan mAm anusmaran
yaH prayAti tyajan dehaà sa yAti paramAà gatim
“After being situated in this yoga practice and vibrating the sacred syllable
oà, the supreme combination of letters, if one thinks of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead and quits his body, he will certainly reach the spiritual
planets.” If one actually understands that oàkAra is the sound representation
of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, whether he chants oàkAra or the
Hare KRSNa mantra, the result is certainly the same.
The transcendental vibration of oàkAra is further explained in the Bhagavad-
gItA, Chapter Nine, verse seventeen:
pitAham asya jagato mAtA dhAtA pitAmahaH
vedyaà pavitram oàkAra Rk sAma yajur eva ca
“I am the father of this universe, the mother, the support and the grandsire. I
am the object of knowledge, the purifier and the syllable oà. I am also the Rg,
the SAma and the Yajur Vedas.”
Similarly, the transcendental sound oà is further explained in the Bhagavad-
gItA, Chapter Seventeen, verse twenty-three:
oà tat sad iti nirdezo brahmaNas tri-vidhaH smRtaH
brAhmaNAs tena vedAz ca yaj~nAz ca vihitAH purA
“From the beginning of creation, the three syllables oà tat sat have been used
to indicate the Supreme Absolute Truth [Brahman]. They were uttered by
brAhmaNas while chanting Vedic hymns and during sacrifices for the
satisfaction of the Supreme.”
Throughout all the Vedic literatures the glories of oàkAra are specifically
mentioned. zrIla JIva GosvAmI, in his thesis Bhagavat-sandarbha, says that in
the Vedic literature oàkAra is considered to be the sound vibration of the holy
name of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Only this vibration of
transcendental sound can deliver a conditioned soul from the clutches of
mAyA. Sometimes oàkAra is also called the deliverer (tAra). zrImad-
BhAgavatam begins with the oàkAra vibration: oà namo bhagavate
vAsudevAya. Therefore oàkAra has been described by the great commentator
zrIdhara SvAmI as tArA~Nkura, the seed of deliverance from the material world.
Since the Supreme Godhead is absolute, His holy name and His sound
vibration oàkAra are as good as He Himself. Caitanya MahAprabhu says that
the holy name, or oàkAra, the transcendental representation of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, has all the potencies of the Personality of Godhead.
nAmnAm akAri bahudhA nija-sarva-zaktis
tatrArpitA niyamitaH smaraNe na kAlaH
All potencies are invested in the holy vibration of the holy name of the Lord.
There is no doubt that the holy name of the Lord, or oàkAra, is the Supreme
Personality of Godhead Himself. In other words, anyone who chants oàkAra
and the holy name of the Lord, Hare KRSNa, immediately meets the Supreme
Lord directly in His sound form. In the NArada-pa~ncarAtra it is clearly said that
the Supreme Personality of Godhead NArAyaNa personally appears before the
chanter who engages in chanting the aSTAkSara, or eight-syllable mantra, oà
namo nArAyaNAya. A similar statement in the MANòUkya UpaniSad declares
that whatever one sees in the spiritual world is all an expansion of the spiritual
potency of oàkAra.
On the basis of all the UpaniSads, zrIla JIva GosvAmI says that oàkAra is the
Supreme Absolute Truth and is accepted as such by all the AcAryas and
authorities. OàkAra is beginningless, changeless, supreme and free from
deterioration and external contamination. OàkAra is the origin, middle and
end of everything, and any living entity who thus understands oàkAra attains
the perfection of spiritual identity in oàkAra. OàkAra, being situated in
everyone’s heart, is Izvara, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, as confirmed
in the Bhagavad-gItA (18.61): IzvaraH sarva-bhUtAnAà hRd-deze ’rjuna tiSThati.
OàkAra is as good as ViSNu because oàkAra is as all-pervasive as ViSNu. One
who knows oàkAra and Lord ViSNu to be identical no longer has to lament or
hanker. One who chants oàkAra no longer remains a zUdra but immediately
comes to the position of a brAhmaNa. Simply by chanting oàkAra one can
understand the whole creation to be one unit, or an expansion of the energy
of the Supreme Lord: idaà hi vizvaà bhagavAn ivetaro yato jagat-sthAna-
nirodha-sambhavAH. “The Supreme Lord Personality of Godhead is Himself
this cosmos, and still He is aloof from it. From Him only this cosmic
manifestation has emanated, in Him it rests, and unto Him it enters after
annihilation.” (BhAg. 1.5.20) Although one who does not understand concludes
otherwise, zrImad-BhAgavatam states that the entire cosmic manifestation is
but an expansion of the energy of the Supreme Lord. Realization of this is
possible simply by chanting the holy name of the Lord, oàkAra.
One should not, however, foolishly conclude that because the Supreme
Personality of Godhead is omnipotent, we have manufactured a combination
of letters—a, u and m—to represent Him. Factually the transcendental sound
oàkAra, although a combination of the three letters a, u and m, has
transcendental potency, and one who chants oàkAra will very soon realize
oàkAra and Lord ViSNu to be nondifferent. KRSNa declares, praNavaH sarva-
vedeSu: “I am the syllable oà in the Vedic mantras.” (Bg. 7.8) One should
therefore conclude that among the many incarnations of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, oàkAra is the sound incarnation. All the Vedas accept
this thesis. One should always remember that the holy name of the Lord and
the Lord Himself are always identical (abhinnatvAn nAma-nAminoH). Since
oàkAra is the basic principle of all Vedic knowledge, it is uttered before one
begins to chant any Vedic hymn. Without oàkAra, no Vedic mantra is
successful. The GosvAmIs therefore declare that praNava (oàkAra) is the
complete representation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and they
have analyzed oàkAra in terms of its alphabetical constituents as follows:
a-kAreNocyate kRSNaH sarva-lokaika-nAyakaH
u-kAreNocyate rAdhA ma-kAro jIva-vAcakaH
OàkAra is a combination of the letters a, u and m. A-kAreNocyate kRSNaH: the
letter a (a-kAra) refers to KRSNa, who is sarva-lokaika-nAyakaH, the master of
all living entities and planets, material and spiritual. NAyaka means “leader.”
He is the supreme leader (nityo nityAnAà cetanaz cetanAnAm). The letter u (u-
kAra) indicates zrImatI RAdhArANI, the pleasure potency of KRSNa, and m (ma-
kAra) indicates the living entities (jIvas). Thus oà is the complete combination
of KRSNa, His potency and His eternal servitors. In other words, oàkAra
represents KRSNa, His name, fame, pastimes, entourage, expansions, devotees,
potencies and everything else pertaining to Him. As Caitanya MahAprabhu
states in the present verse of zrI Caitanya-caritAmRta, sarva-vizva-dhAma:
oàkAra is the resting place of everything, just as KRSNa is the resting place of
everything (brahmaNo hi pratiSThAham).
The MAyAvAdI philosophers consider many Vedic mantras to be the mahA-
vAkya, or principal Vedic mantra, such as tat tvam asi (ChAndogya UpaniSad
6.8.7), idaà sarvaà yad ayam AtmA and brahmedaà sarvam (BRhad-AraNyaka
UpaniSad 2.5.1), Atmaivedaà sarvam (ChAndogya UpaniSad 7.25.2) and neha
nAnAsti ki~ncana (KaTha UpaniSad 2.1.11). That is a great mistake. Only oàkAra is
the mahA-vAkya. All these other mantras that the MAyAvAdIs accept as the
mahA-vAkya are only incidental. They cannot be taken as the mahA-vAkya, or
mahA-mantra. The mantra tat tvam asi indicates only a partial understanding
of the Vedas, unlike oàkAra, which represents the full understanding of the
Vedas. Therefore the transcendental sound that includes all Vedic knowledge
is oàkAra (praNava).
Aside from oàkAra, none of the words uttered by the followers of
za~NkarAcArya can be considered the mahA-vAkya. They are merely passing
remarks. za~NkarAcArya, however, has never stressed chanting of the mahA-
vAkya oàkAra; he has accepted only tat tvam asi as the mahA-vAkya.
Imagining the living entity to be God, he has misrepresented all the mantras
of the VedAnta-sUtra with the motive of proving that there is no separate
existence of the living entities and the Supreme Absolute Truth. This is similar
to the politician’s attempt to prove nonviolence from the Bhagavad-gItA.
KRSNa is violent to demons, and to attempt to prove that KRSNa is not violent is
ultimately to deny KRSNa. As such explanations of the Bhagavad-gItA are
absurd, so also is za~NkarAcArya’s explanation of the VedAnta-sUtra, and no
sane and reasonable man will accept it. At present, however, the VedAnta-
sUtra is misrepresented not only by the so-called VedAntIs but also by other
unscrupulous persons who are so degraded that they even recommend that
sannyAsIs eat meat, fish and eggs. In this way, the so-called followers of
za~Nkara, the impersonalist MAyAvAdIs, are sinking lower and lower. How can
these degraded men explain the VedAnta-sUtra, which is the essence of all
Vedic literature?
Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu has declared, mAyAvAdi-bhASya zunile haya
sarva-nAza: “Anyone who hears commentary on the VedAnta-sUtra from the
MAyAvAda school is completely doomed.” As explained in the Bhagavad-gItA
(15.15), vedaiz ca sarvair aham eva vedyaH: all Vedic literature aims at
understanding KRSNa. MAyAvAda philosophy, however, has deviated everyone
from KRSNa. Therefore there is a great need for the KRSNa consciousness
movement all over the world to save the world from degradation. Every
intelligent and sane man must abandon the philosophical explanation of the
MAyAvAdIs and accept the explanation of VaiSNava AcAryas. One should read
Bhagavad-gItA As It Is to try to understand the real purpose of the Vedas.
Adi 7.129
TEXT 129
sarvAzraya Izvarera praNava uddeza
‘tat tvam asi’——vAkya haya vedera ekadeza

sarva-Azraya—the reservoir of everything; Izvarera—of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead; praNava—oàkAra; uddeza—purpose; tat tvam asi—
the Vedic mantra tat tvam asi (“you are the same”); vAkya—statement;
haya—becomes; vedera—of the Vedic literature; eka-deza—partial
understanding.
TRANSLATION
“It is the purpose of the Supreme Personality of Godhead to present praNava
[oàkAra] as the reservoir of all Vedic knowledge. The words ‘tat tvam asi’ are
only a partial explanation of the Vedic knowledge.
PURPORT
Tat tvam asi means “you are the same spiritual identity.”
Adi 7.130
TEXT 130
‘praNava, mahA-vAkya——tAhA kari’ AcchAdana
mahAvAkye kari ‘tat tvam asi’ra sthApana

praNava—oàkAra; mahA-vAkya—principal mantra; tAhA—that; kari’—
making; AcchAdana—covered; mahA-vAkye—in place of the principal mantra;
kari—I do; ‘tat tvam asi’ra sthApana—establishment of the statement tat
tvam asi.
TRANSLATION
“PraNava [oàkAra] is the mahA-vAkya [mahA-mantra] in the Vedas.
za~NkarAcArya’s followers cover this to stress without authority the mantra tat
tvam asi.
PURPORT
The MAyAvAdI philosophers stress the statements tat tvam asi, so ’ham, etc.,
but they do not stress the real mahA-mantra, praNava (oàkAra). Therefore,
because they misrepresent Vedic knowledge, they are the greatest offenders
to the lotus feet of the Lord. Caitanya MahAprabhu says clearly, mAyAvAdI
kRSNe aparAdhI: “MAyAvAdI philosophers are the greatest offenders to Lord
KRSNa.” Lord KRSNa declares:
tAn ahaà dviSataH krUrAn saàsAreSu narAdhamAn
kSipAmy ajasram azubhAn AsurISv eva yoniSu
“Those who are envious and mischievous, who are the lowest among
mankind, I perpetually cast into the ocean of material existence, into various
demoniac species of life.” (Bg. 16.19) Life in demoniac species awaits the
MAyAvAdI philosophers after death because they are envious of KRSNa. When
KRSNa says in the Bhagavad-gItA (9.34) man-manA bhava mad-bhakto mad-
yAjI mAà namaskuru (“Engage your mind always in thinking of Me, become
My devotee, offer obeisances to Me and worship Me”), one demoniac scholar
says that it is not KRSNa to whom one must surrender. This scholar is already
suffering in this life, and he will have to suffer again in the next if in this life
he does not complete his prescribed suffering. One should be very careful not
to be envious of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In the next verse,
therefore, zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu clearly states the purpose of the Vedas.
Adi 7.131
TEXT 131
sarva-veda-sUtre kare kRSNera abhidhAna
mukhya-vRtti chAòi’ kaila lakSaNA-vyAkhyAna

sarva-veda-sUtre—in all the aphorisms of the VedAnta-sUtra; kare—
establishes; kRSNera—of Lord KRSNa; abhidhAna—explanation; mukhya-vRtti—
direct interpretation; chAòi’—giving up; kaila—made; lakSaNA—indirect;
vyAkhyAna—explanation.
TRANSLATION
“In all the Vedic sUtras and literatures, it is Lord KRSNa who is to be
understood, but the followers of za~NkarAcArya have covered the real meaning
of the Vedas with indirect explanations.
PURPORT
It is said:
vede rAmAyaNe caiva purANe bhArate tathA
AdAv ante ca madhye ca hariH sarvatra gIyate
“In the Vedic literature, including the RAmAyaNa, PurANas and MahAbhArata,
from the very beginning (Adau) to the end (ante ca), as well as within the
middle (madhye ca), only Hari, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is
explained.”
Adi 7.132
TEXT 132
svataH-pramANa veda——pramANa-ziromaNi
lakSaNA karile svataH-pramANatA-hAni

svataH-pramANa—self-evident; veda—the Vedic literatures; pramANa—
evidence; ziromaNi—topmost; lakSaNA—interpretation; karile—doing;
svataH-pramANatA—self-evidence; hAni—lost.
TRANSLATION
“The self-evident Vedic literatures are the highest evidence of all, but if these
literatures are interpreted, their self-evident nature is lost.
PURPORT
We quote Vedic evidence to support our statements, but if we interpret it
according to our own judgment, the authority of the Vedic literature is
rendered imperfect or useless. In other words, by interpreting the Vedic
version one minimizes the value of Vedic evidence. When one quotes from
Vedic literature, it is understood that the quotations are authoritative. How
can one bring the authority under his own control? That is a case of principiis
obsta.
Adi 7.133
TEXT 133
ei mata pratisUtre sahajArtha chAòiyA
gauNArtha vyAkhyA kare kalpanA kariyA

ei mata—like this; prati-sUtre—in every sUtra, or aphorism, of the VedAnta-
sUtra; sahaja-artha—the clear, simple meaning; chAòiyA—giving up; gauNa-
artha—indirect meaning; vyAkhyA—explanation; kare—he makes; kalpanA
kariyA—by imagination.
TRANSLATION
“To prove their philosophy, the members of the MAyAvAda school have given
up the real, easily understood meaning of the Vedic literature and introduced
indirect meanings based on their imaginative powers.”
PURPORT
Unfortunately, the za~Nkarite interpretation has covered almost the entire
world. Therefore there is a great need to present the original, easily
understood natural import of the Vedic literature. We have therefore begun
by presenting Bhagavad-gItA As It Is, and we propose to present all the Vedic
literature in terms of the direct meaning of its words.
Adi 7.134
TEXT 134
ei mate pratisUtre karena dUSaNa
zuni’ camatkAra haila sannyAsIra gaNa

ei mate—in this way; prati-sUtre—in each and every aphorism; karena—
shows; dUSaNa—defects; zuniyA—hearing; camatkAra—struck with wonder;
haila—they became; sannyAsIra—of all the MAyAvAdIs; gaNa—the group.
TRANSLATION
When zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu thus showed for each and every sUtra the
defects in za~NkarAcArya’s explanations, all the assembled MAyAvAdI sannyAsIs
were struck with wonder.
Adi 7.135
TEXT 135
sakala sannyAsI kahe,——‘zunaha zrIpAda
tumi ye khaNòile artha, e nahe vivAda

sakala—all; sannyAsI—the MAyAvAdI sannyAsIs; kahe—say; zunaha—please
hear; zrIpAda—Your Holiness; tumi—You; ye—that; khaNòile—refuted;
artha—meaning; e—this; nahe—not; vivAda—quarrel.
TRANSLATION
All the MAyAvAdI sannyAsIs said, “Your Holiness, kindly know from us that we
actually have no quarrel with Your refutation of these meanings, for You have
given a clear understanding of the sUtras.
Adi 7.136
TEXT 136
AcArya-kalpita artha,——ihA sabhe jAni
sampradAya-anurodhe tabu tAhA mAni

AcArya—za~NkarAcArya; kalpita—imaginative; artha—meaning; ihA—this;
sabhe—all of us; jAni—know; sampradAya-anurodhe—but for the sake of our
party; tabu—still; tAhA—that; mAni—we accept.
TRANSLATION
“We know that all this word jugglery springs from the imagination of
za~NkarAcArya, and yet because we belong to his sect, we accept it although it
does not satisfy us.
Adi 7.137
TEXT 137
mukhyArtha vyAkhyA kara, dekhi tomAra bala’
mukhyArthe lAgAla prabhu sUtra-sakala

mukhya-artha—direct meaning; vyAkhyA—explanation; kara—You do;
dekhi—let us see; tomAra—Your; bala—strength; mukhya-arthe—direct
meaning; lAgAla—began; prabhu—the Lord; sUtra-sakala—all the aphorisms
of the VedAnta-sUtra.
TRANSLATION
“Now let us see,” the MAyAvAdI sannyAsIs continued, “how well You can
describe the sUtras in terms of their direct meaning.” Hearing this, Lord
Caitanya MahAprabhu began His direct explanation of the VedAnta-sUtra.
Adi 7.138
TEXT 138
bRhad-vastu ‘brahma’ kahi——‘zrI-bhagavAn’
Saò-vidhaizvarya-pUrNa, para-tattva-dhAma

bRhat-vastu—the substance, which is greater than the greatest; brahma—
called by the name Brahman; kahi—we call; zrI-bhagavAn—the Supreme
Personality of Godhead; SaT—six; vidha—varieties; aizvarya—opulences;
pUrNa—full; para-tattva—Absolute Truth; dhAma—reservoir.
TRANSLATION
“Brahman, who is greater than the greatest, is the Supreme Personality of
Godhead. He is full in six opulences, and therefore He is the reservoir of
ultimate truth and absolute knowledge.
PURPORT
In zrImad-BhAgavatam it is said that the Absolute Truth is understood in three
phases of realization: the impersonal Brahman, the localized ParamAtmA and
ultimately the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The impersonal Brahman and
localized ParamAtmA are expansions of the potency of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, who is complete in six opulences, namely wealth,
fame, strength, beauty, knowledge and renunciation. Since He possesses His
six opulences, the Personality of Godhead is the ultimate truth in absolute
knowledge.
Adi 7.139
TEXT 139
svarUpa-aizvarye tA~Nra nAhi mAyA-gandha
sakala vedera haya bhagavAn se ‘sambandha’

svarUpa—in His original form; aizvarye—opulence; tA~Nra—His; nAhi—there
is none; mAyA-gandha—contamination of the material world; sakala—in all;
vedera—Vedas; haya—it is so; bhagavAn—the Supreme Personality of
Godhead; se—that; sambandha—relationship.
TRANSLATION
“In His original form the Supreme Personality of Godhead is full with
transcendental opulences, which are free from the contamination of the
material world. It is to be understood that in all Vedic literature the Supreme
Personality of Godhead is the ultimate goal.
Adi 7.140
TEXT 140
tA~Nre ‘nirvizeSa’ kahi, cic-chakti nA mAni
ardha-svarUpa nA mAnile pUrNatA haya hAni

tA~Nre—unto Him; nirvizeSa—impersonal; kahi—we say; cit-zakti—spiritual
energy; nA—do not; mAni—accept; ardha—half; svarUpa—form; nA—not;
mAnile—accepting; pUrNatA—fullness; haya—becomes; hAni—defective.
TRANSLATION
“When we speak of the Supreme as impersonal, we deny His spiritual
potencies. Logically, if you accept half of the truth, you cannot understand
the whole.
PURPORT
In the UpaniSads it is said:
oà pUrNam adaH pUrNam idaà pUrNAt pUrNam udacyate
pUrNasya pUrNam AdAya pUrNam evAvaziSyate
[IzopaniSad, Invocation]
This verse, which is mentioned in the IzopaniSad, BRhad-AraNyaka UpaniSad
and many other UpaniSads, indicates that the Supreme Personality of
Godhead is full in six opulences. His position is unique, for He possesses all
riches, strength, influence, beauty, knowledge and renunciation. Brahman
means the greatest, but the Supreme Personality of Godhead is greater than
the greatest, just as the sun globe is greater than the sunshine, which is all-
pervading in the universe. Although the sunshine that spreads all over the
universes appears very great to the less knowledgeable, greater than the
sunshine is the sun itself, and greater than the sun is the sun-god. Similarly,
impersonal Brahman is not the greatest, although it appears to be so.
Impersonal Brahman is only the bodily effulgence of the Supreme Personality
of Godhead, but the transcendental form of the Lord is greater than both the
impersonal Brahman and localized ParamAtmA. Therefore whenever the word
“Brahman” is used in the Vedic literature, it is understood to refer to the
Supreme Personality of Godhead.
In the Bhagavad-gItA the Lord is also addressed as Parabrahman. MAyAvAdIs
and others sometimes misunderstand Brahman because every living entity is
also Brahman. Therefore KRSNa is referred to as Parabrahman (the Supreme
Brahman). In the Vedic literature, whenever the words “Brahman” or
“Parabrahman” are used, they are to be understood to refer to the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, KRSNa. This is their real meaning. Since the entire
Vedic literature deals with the subject of Brahman, KRSNa is therefore the
ultimate goal of Vedic understanding. The impersonal brahmajyoti rests on the
personal form of the Lord. Therefore although the impersonal effulgence, the
brahmajyoti, is the first realization, one must enter into it, as mentioned in the
IzopaniSad, to find the Supreme Person, and then one’s knowledge is perfect.
The Bhagavad-gItA (7.19) also confirms this: bahUnAà janmanAm ante
j~nAnavAn mAà prapadyate. One’s search for the Absolute Truth by dint of
speculative knowledge is complete when one comes to the point of
understanding KRSNa and surrenders unto Him. That is the real point of
perfectional knowledge.
Partial realization of the Absolute Truth as impersonal Brahman denies the
complete opulences of the Lord. This is a hazardous understanding of the
Absolute Truth. Unless one accepts all the features of the Absolute Truth—
namely impersonal Brahman, localized ParamAtmA and ultimately the
Supreme Personality of Godhead—one’s knowledge is imperfect. zrIpAda
RAmAnujAcArya, in his VedArtha-sa~Ngraha, says, j~nAnena dharmeNa svarUpam
api nirUpitam, na tu j~nAna-mAtraà brahmeti katham idam avagamyate. He
thus indicates that the real identity of the Absolute Truth must be understood
in terms of both His knowledge and His characteristics. Simply to understand
the Absolute Truth to be full of knowledge is not sufficient. In the Vedic
literature (MuNòaka Up. 1.1.9) we find the statement yaH sarva-j~naH sarva-vit,
which means that the Absolute Truth knows everything perfectly, but we also
learn from the Vedic description parAsya zaktir vividhaiva zrUyate that not
only does He know everything, but He also acts accordingly by utilizing His
different energies. Thus to understand that Brahman, the Supreme, is
conscious is not sufficient. One must know how He consciously acts through
His different energies. MAyAvAda philosophy simply informs us of the
consciousness of the Absolute Truth but does not give us information of how
He acts with His consciousness. That is the defect of that philosophy.
Adi 7.141
TEXT 141
bhagavAn-prApti-hetu ye kari upAya
zravaNAdi bhakti——kRSNa-prAptira sahAya

bhagavAn—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; prApti-hetu—the means by
which He can be approached; ye—what; kari—I do; upAya—means; zravaNa-
Adi—devotional service, beginning with hearing; bhakti—devotional service;
kRSNa—the Supreme Lord; prAptira—to approach Him; sahAya—means.
TRANSLATION
“It is only by devotional service, beginning with hearing, that one can
approach the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is the only means to
approach Him.
PURPORT
MAyAvAdI philosophers are satisfied simply to understand Brahman to be the
sum total of knowledge, but VaiSNava philosophers not only know in detail
about the Supreme Personality of Godhead but also know how to approach
Him directly. The method for this is described by zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu as
nine kinds of devotional service, beginning with hearing:
zravaNaà kIrtanaà viSNoH smaraNaà pAda-sevanam
arcanaà vandanaà dAsyaà sakhyam Atma-nivedanam
(BhAg. 7.5.23)
The nine kinds of devotional service are hearing about KRSNa, chanting about
Him, remembering Him, offering service to His lotus feet, offering Him
worship in the temple, offering prayers to Him, working as His servant,
making friendship with Him and unreservedly surrendering to Him. One can
directly approach the Supreme Personality of Godhead simply by executing
these nine kinds of devotional service, of which hearing about the Lord is the
most important (zravaNAdi). zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu has very favorably
stressed the importance of this process of hearing. According to His method,
if people are simply given a chance to hear about KRSNa, certainly they will
gradually develop their dormant awareness, or love of Godhead. zravaNAdi-
zuddha-citte karaye udaya (Cc. Madhya 22.107). Love of God is dormant in
everyone, and if one is given a chance to hear about the Lord, certainly that
love develops. Our KRSNa consciousness movement acts on this principle. We
simply give people the chance to hear about the Supreme Personality of
Godhead and give them prasAdam to eat, and the actual result is that all over
the world people are responding to this process and becoming pure devotees
of Lord KRSNa. We have opened hundreds of centers all over the world just to
give people in general a chance to hear about KRSNa and accept KRSNa’s
prasAdam. These two processes can be accepted by anyone, even a child. It
doesn’t matter whether one is poor or rich, learned or foolish, black or white,
old or still a child—anyone who simply hears about the Supreme Personality
of Godhead and takes prasAdam is certainly elevated to the transcendental
position of devotional service.
Adi 7.142
TEXT 142
sei sarva-vedera ‘abhidheya’ nAma
sAdhana-bhakti haite haya premera udgama

sei sarva-vedera—that is the essence of all Vedic literature; abhidheya
nAma—the process called abhidheya, or devotional activities; sAdhana-
bhakti—another name of this process, “devotional service in practice”;
haite—from this; haya—there is; premera—of love of Godhead; udgama—
awakening.
TRANSLATION
“By practicing this regulated devotional service under the direction of the
spiritual master, certainly one awakens his dormant love of Godhead. This
process is called abhidheya.
PURPORT
By the practice of devotional service, beginning with hearing and chanting,
the impure heart of a conditioned soul is purified, and thus he can understand
his eternal relationship with the Supreme personality of Godhead. That eternal
relationship is described by zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu: jIvera ‘svarUpa’ haya
kRSNera ‘nitya-dAsa.’ [Cc. Madhya 20.108]. “The living entity is an eternal
servitor of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.” When one is convinced
about this relationship, which is called sambandha, he then acts accordingly.
That is called abhidheya. The next step is prayojana-siddhi, or fulfillment of
the ultimate goal of one’s life. If one can understand his relationship with the
Supreme Personality of Godhead and act accordingly, automatically his
mission in life is fulfilled. The MAyAvAdI philosophers miss even the first stage
in self-realization because they have no conception of God’s being personal.
He is the master of all, and He is the only person who can accept the service
of all living entities, but since this knowledge is lacking in MAyAvAda
philosophy, MAyAvAdIs do not have knowledge even of their relationship with
God. They wrongly think that everyone is God or that everyone is equal to
God. Therefore, since the real position of the living entity is not clear to them,
how can they advance further? Although they are very much puffed up at
being liberated, MAyAvAdI philosophers very shortly fall down again to
material activities due to their neglecting the lotus feet of the Lord. That is
called patanty adhaH:
ye ’nye ’ravindAkSa vimukta-mAninas
tvayy asta-bhAvAd avizuddha-buddhayaH
Aruhya kRcchreNa paraà padaà tataH
patanty adho ’nAdRta-yuSmad-a~NghrayaH
(BhAg. 10.2.32)
Here it is said that persons who think themselves liberated but do not execute
devotional service, not knowing their relationship with the Lord, are certainly
misled. One must know his relationship with the Lord and act accordingly.
Then the fulfillment of his life’s mission will be possible.
Adi 7.143
TEXT 143
kRSNera caraNe haya yadi anurAga
kRSNa vinu anyatra tAra nAhi rahe rAga

kRSNera—of KRSNa; caraNe—at the lotus feet; haya—becomes; yadi—if;
anurAga—attachment; kRSNa—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; vinu—
without; anyatra—anywhere else; tAra—his; nAhi—there does not; rahe—
remain; rAga—attachment.
TRANSLATION
“If one develops his love of Godhead and becomes attached to the lotus feet
of KRSNa, gradually he loses his attachment to everything else.
PURPORT
This is a test of advancement in devotional service. As stated in zrImad-
BhAgavatam (11.2.42), bhaktir parezAnubhavo viraktir anyatra ca: in bhakti, a
devotee’s only attachment is KRSNa; he no longer wants to maintain his
attachments to many other things. Although MAyAvAdI philosophers are
supposed to be very much advanced on the path of liberation, we see that
after some time they descend to politics and philanthropic activities. Many
big sannyAsIs who were supposedly liberated and very advanced have come
down again to materialistic activities, although they left this world as mithyA
(false). When a devotee develops in devotional service, however, he no longer
has attachments to such philanthropic activities. He is simply inspired to serve
the Lord, and he engages his entire life in such service. This is the difference
between VaiSNava and MAyAvAdI philosophers. Devotional service, therefore,
is practical, whereas MAyAvAda philosophy is merely mental speculation.
Adi 7.144
TEXT 144
pa~ncama puruSArtha sei prema-mahAdhana
kRSNera mAdhurya-rasa karAya AsvAdana

pa~ncama—fifth; puruSa-artha—goal of life; sei—that; prema—love of God;
mahA-dhana—foremost wealth; kRSNera—of Lord KRSNa; mAdhurya—
conjugal love; rasa—mellow; karAya—causes; AsvAdana—taste.
TRANSLATION
“Love of Godhead is so exalted that it is considered to be the fifth goal of
human life. By awakening one’s love of Godhead, one can attain the platform
of conjugal love, tasting it even during the present span of life.
PURPORT
The MAyAvAdI philosophers consider the highest goal of perfection to be
liberation (mukti), which is the fourth perfectional platform. Generally people
are aware of four principal goals of life—religiosity (dharma), economic
development (artha), sense gratification (kAma) and ultimately liberation
(mokSa)—but devotional service is situated on the platform above liberation.
In other words, when one is actually liberated (mukta) he can understand the
meaning of love of Godhead (kRSNa-prema). While teaching RUpa GosvAmI, zrI
Caitanya MahAprabhu stated, koTi-mukta-madhye ‘durlabha’ eka kRSNa-
bhakta: “Out of millions of liberated persons, one may become a devotee of
Lord KRSNa.”
The most elevated MAyAvAdI philosopher can rise to the platform of
liberation, but kRSNa-bhakti, devotional service to KRSNa, is transcendental to
such liberation. zrIla VyAsadeva explains this fact in zrImad-BhAgavatam
(1.1.2):
dharmaH projjhita-kaitavo ’tra paramo nirmatsarANAà satAà
vedyaà vAstavam atra vastu ziva-daà tApa-trayonmUlanam
“Completely rejecting all religions which are materially motivated, the
BhAgavata PurANa propounds the highest truth, which is understandable by
those devotees who are pure in heart. The highest truth is reality distinguished
from illusion for the welfare of all. Such truth uproots the threefold miseries.”
zrImad-BhAgavatam, the explanation of the VedAnta-sUtra, is meant for
paramo nirmatsarANAm, those who are completely aloof from jealousy.
MAyAvAdI philosophers are jealous of the existence of the Personality of
Godhead. Therefore the VedAnta-sUtra is not actually meant for them. They
unnecessarily poke their noses into the Vedanta-sUtra, but they have no ability
to understand it because, as the author of the VedAnta-sUtra writes in his
commentary, zrImad-BhAgavatam, it is meant for those who are pure in heart
(paramo nirmatsarANAm). If one is envious of KRSNa, how can he understand
the VedAnta-sUtra or zrImad-BhAgavatam? The MAyAvAdIs’ primary
occupation is to offend the Supreme Personality of Godhead, KRSNa. For
example, although KRSNa demands our surrender in the Bhagavad-gItA, the
greatest scholar and so-called philosopher in modern India has protested that
it is “not to KRSNa” that we have to surrender. Therefore, he is envious. Since
MAyAvAdIs of all different descriptions are envious of KRSNa, they have no
scope for understanding the meaning of the VedAnta-sUtra. Even if they were
on the liberated platform, as they falsely claim, love of KRSNa is beyond the
state of liberation—a fact stated by zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu and repeated
here by KRSNadAsa KavirAja GosvAmI.
Adi 7.145
TEXT 145
premA haite kRSNa haya nija bhakta-vaza
premA haite pAya kRSNera sevA-sukha-rasa

premA—love of KRSNa; haite—from; kRSNa—the Supreme Personality of
Godhead; haya—becomes; nija—His own; bhakta-vaza—submissive to
devotees; premA—love of God; haite—from; pAya—he gets; kRSNera—of
Lord KRSNa; sevA-sukha-rasa—the mellow of devotional service.
TRANSLATION
“The Supreme Lord, who is greater than the greatest, becomes submissive to
even a very insignificant devotee because of his devotional service. It is the
beautiful and exalted nature of devotional service that the infinite Lord
becomes submissive to the infinitesimal living entity because of it. In
reciprocal devotional activities with the Lord, the devotee actually enjoys the
transcendental mellow of devotional service.
PURPORT
Becoming one with the Supreme Personality of Godhead is not very important
for a devotee. MuktiH svayaà mukulitA~njali sevate ’smAn (KRSNa-karNAmRta
107). Speaking from his actual experience, zrIla Bilvama~Ngala ThAkura says
that if one develops love of Godhead, mukti (liberation) becomes subservient
and unimportant to him. Mukti stands before the devotee and is prepared to
render all kinds of services. The MAyAvAdI philosophers’ standard of mukti is
very insignificant for a devotee, for by devotional service even the Supreme
Personality of Godhead becomes subordinate to him. An actual example is
that the Supreme Lord KRSNa became the chariot driver of Arjuna, and when
Arjuna asked Him to draw his chariot between the two armies (senayor
ubhayor madhye rathaà sthApaya me ’cyuta), KRSNa executed his order. Such
is the relationship between the Supreme Lord and a devotee that although the
Lord is greater than the greatest, He is prepared to render service to the
insignificant devotee by dint of his sincere and unalloyed devotional service.
Adi 7.146
TEXT 146
sambandha, abhidheya, prayojana nAma
ei tina artha sarva-sUtre paryavasAna

sambandha—relationship; abhidheya—functional duties; prayojana—the goal
of life; nAma—name; ei—there; tina—three; artha—purport; sarva—all;
sUtre—in the aphorisms of the VedAnta; paryavasAna—culmination.
TRANSLATION
“One’s relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, activities in
terms of that relationship, and the ultimate goal of life [to develop love of
God]—these three subjects are explained in every aphorism of the VedAnta-
sUtra, for they form the culmination of the entire VedAnta philosophy.”
PURPORT
In zrImad-BhAgavatam (5.5.5) it is said:
parAbhavas tAvad abodha-jAto
yAvan na jij~nAsata Atma-tattvam
“A human being is defeated in all his activities as long as he does not know
the goal of life, which can be understood when one is inquisitive about
Brahman.” It is such inquiry that begins the VedAnta-sUtra: athAto brahma
jij~nAsA. A human being should be inquisitive to know who he is, what the
universe is, what God is, and what the relationship is between himself, God
and the material world. Such questions cannot be asked by cats and dogs, but
they must arise in the heart of a real human being. Knowledge of these four
items—namely oneself, the universe, God, and their internal relationship—is
called sambandha-j~nAna, or the knowledge of one’s relationship. When one’s
relationship with the Supreme Lord is established, the next program is to act
in that relationship. This is called abhidheya, or activity in relationship with the
Lord. After executing such prescribed duties, when one attains the highest
goal of life, love of Godhead, he achieves prayojana-siddhi, or the fulfillment
of his human mission. In the Brahma-sUtra, or VedAnta-sUtra, these subjects
are very carefully explained. Therefore one who does not understand the
VedAnta-sUtra in terms of these principles is simply wasting his time. This is
the version of zrImad-BhAgavatam (1.2.8):
dharmaH sv-anuSThitaH puàsAà viSvaksena-kathAsu yaH
notpAdayed yadi ratià zrama eva hi kevalam
One may be a very learned scholar and execute his prescribed duty very
nicely, but if he does not ultimately become inquisitive about the Supreme
Personality of Godhead and is indifferent to zravaNaà kIrtanam (hearing and
chanting), all that he has done is but a waste of time. MAyAvAdI philosophers,
who do not understand the relationship between themselves, the cosmic
manifestation and the Supreme Personality of Godhead, are simply wasting
their time, and their philosophical speculation has no value.
Adi 7.147
TEXT 147
ei-mata sarva-sUtrera vyAkhyAna zuniyA
sakala sannyAsI kahe vinaya kariyA

ei-mata—in this way; sarva-sUtrera—of all the aphorisms of the VedAnta-
sUtra; vyAkhyAna—explanation; zuniyA—by hearing; sakala—all; sannyAsI—
the groups of MAyAvAdI sannyAsIs; kahe—said; vinaya—humbly; kariyA—
doing so.
TRANSLATION
When all the MAyAvAdI sannyAsIs thus heard the explanation of Caitanya
MahAprabhu on the basis of sambandha, abhidheya and prayojana, they spoke
very humbly.
PURPORT
Everyone who actually desires to understand the VedAnta philosophy must
certainly accept the explanation of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu and the
VaiSNava AcAryas who have also commented on the VedAnta-sUtra according
to the principles of bhakti-yoga. After hearing the explanation of the
VedAnta-sUtra from zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu, all the sannyAsIs, headed by
PrakAzAnanda SarasvatI, became very humble and obedient to the Lord, and
they spoke as follows.
Adi 7.148
TEXT 148
vedamaya-mUrti tumi,——sAkSAt nArAyaNa
kSama aparAdha,——pUrve ye kailu~N nindana

veda-maya—transformation of the Vedic knowledge; mUrti—form; tumi—
You; sAkSAt—directly; nArAyaNa—the Supreme Personality of Godhead;
kSama—excuse; aparAdha—offense; pUrve—before; ye—that; kailu~N—we
have done; nindana—criticism.
TRANSLATION
“Dear Sir, You are Vedic knowledge personified and are directly NArAyaNa
Himself. Kindly excuse us for the offenses we previously committed by
criticizing You.”
PURPORT
The complete path of bhakti-yoga is based upon the process of becoming
humble and submissive. By the grace of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu, all the
MAyAvAdI sannyAsIs were very humble and submissive after hearing His
explanation of the VedAnta-sUtra, and they begged to be pardoned for the
offenses they had committed by criticizing the Lord for simply chanting and
dancing and not taking part in the study of the VedAnta-sUtra. We are
propagating the KRSNa consciousness movement simply by following in the
footsteps of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu. We may not be very well versed in
the VedAnta-sUtra aphorisms and may not understand their meaning, but we
follow in the footsteps of the AcAryas, and because of our strictly and
obediently following in the footsteps of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu, it is to be
understood that we know everything regarding the VedAnta-sUtra.
Adi 7.149
TEXT 149
sei haite sannyAsIra phiri gela mana
‘kRSNa’ ‘kRSNa’ nAma sadA karaye grahaNa

sei haite—from that time; sannyAsIra—all the MAyAvAdI sannyAsIs; phiri—
turn; gela—became; mana—mind; kRSNa kRSNa—the holy name of the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, KRSNa; nAma—name; sadA—always;
karaye—do; grahaNa—accept.
TRANSLATION
From that moment when the MAyAvAdI sannyAsIs heard the explanation of
the VedAnta-sUtra from the Lord, their minds changed, and on the instruction
of Caitanya MahAprabhu, they too chanted “KRSNa! KRSNa!” always.
PURPORT
In this connection it may be mentioned that sometimes the sahajiyA class of
devotees opine that PrakAzAnanda SarasvatI and PrabodhAnanda SarasvatI are
the same man. PrabodhAnanda SarasvatI was a great VaiSNava devotee of
Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu, but PrakAzAnanda SarasvatI, the head of the
MAyAvAdI sannyAsIs in Benares, was a different person. PrabodhAnanda
SarasvatI belonged to the RAmAnuja-sampradAya, whereas PrakAzAnanda
SarasvatI belonged to the za~NkarAcArya-sampradAya. PrabodhAnanda
SarasvatI wrote a number of books, among which are the Caitanya-
candrAmRta, RAdhA-rasa-sudhA-nidhi, Sa~NgIta-mAdhava, VRndAvana-zataka
and NavadvIpa-zataka. While traveling in southern India, Caitanya
MahAprabhu met PrabodhAnanda SarasvatI, who had two brothers, Ve~NkaTa
BhaTTa and Tirumalaya BhaTTa, who were VaiSNavas of the RAmAnuja-
sampradAya. GopAla BhaTTa GosvAmI was the nephew of PrabodhAnanda
SarasvatI. From historical records it is found that zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu
traveled in South India in the year 1433 zakAbda (A.D. 1511) during the
CAturmAsya period, and it was at that time that He met PrabodhAnanda, who
belonged to the RAmAnuja-sampradAya. How then could the same person
meet Him as a member of the za~Nkara-sampradAya in 1435 zakAbda, two
years later? It is to be concluded that the guess of the sahajiyA-sampradAya
that PrabodhAnanda SarasvatI and PrakAzAnanda SarasvatI were the same
man is a mistaken idea.
Adi 7.150
TEXT 150
ei-mate tA~N-sabAra kSami’ aparAdha
sabAkAre kRSNa-nAma karilA prasAda

ei-mate—in this way; tA~N-sabAra—of all the sannyAsIs; kSami’—excusing;
aparAdha—offense; sabAkAre—all of them; kRSNa-nAma—the holy name of
KRSNa; karilA—gave; prasAda—as mercy.
TRANSLATION
Thus Lord Caitanya excused all the offenses of the MAyAvAdI sannyAsIs and
very mercifully blessed them with kRSNa-nAma.
PURPORT
zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu is the mercy incarnation of the Supreme Personality
of Godhead. He is addressed by zrIla RUpa GosvAmI as mahA-vadAnyAvatAra,
or the most magnanimous incarnation. zrIla RUpa GosvAmI also says,
karuNayAvatIrNaH kalau: it is only by His mercy that He has descended in this
Age of Kali. Here this is exemplified. zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu did not like to
see MAyAvAdI sannyAsIs because He thought of them as offenders to the lotus
feet of KRSNa, but here He excuses them (tA~N-sabAra kSami’ aparAdha). This is
an example in preaching. Apani Acari’ bhakti zikhAimu sabAre. zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu teaches us that those whom preachers meet are almost all
offenders who are opposed to KRSNa consciousness, but it is a preacher’s duty
to convince them of the KRSNa consciousness movement and then induce
them to chant the Hare KRSNa mahA-mantra. Our propagation of the
sa~NkIrtana movement is continuing, despite many opponents, and people are
taking up this chanting process even in remote parts of the world like Africa.
By inducing the offenders to chant the Hare KRSNa mantra, Lord Caitanya
MahAprabhu exemplified the success of the KRSNa consciousness movement.
We should follow very respectfully in the footsteps of Lord Caitanya, and
there is no doubt that we shall be successful in our attempts.
Adi 7.151
TEXT 151
tabe saba sannyAsI mahAprabhuke laiyA
bhikSA karilena sabhe, madhye vasAiyA

tabe—after this; saba—all; sannyAsI—the MAyAvAdI sannyAsIs;
mahAprabhuke—Caitanya MahAprabhu; laiyA—taking Him; bhikSA karilena—
took prasAdam, or took lunch; sabhe—all together; madhye—in the middle;
vasAiyA—seating Him.
TRANSLATION
After this, all the sannyAsIs took the Lord into their midst, and thus they all
took their meal together.
PURPORT
Previously zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu had neither mixed nor talked with the
MAyAvAdI sannyAsIs, but now He took lunch with them. It is to be concluded
that when Lord Caitanya induced them to chant Hare KRSNa and excused
them for their offenses, they were purified, and therefore there was no
objection to taking lunch, or bhagavat-prasAdam, with them, although zrI
Caitanya MahAprabhu knew that the food was not offered to the Deity.
MAyAvAdI sannyAsIs do not worship the Deity, or if they do so they generally
worship the deity of Lord ziva or the pa~ncopAsanA (Lord ViSNu, Lord ziva,
DurgA-devI, GaNeza and SUrya). Here we do not find any mention of the
demigods or ViSNu, and yet Caitanya MahAprabhu accepted food in the midst
of the sannyAsIs on the basis that they had chanted the Hare KRSNa mahA-
mantra and that He had excused their offenses.
Adi 7.152
TEXT 152
bhikSA kari’ mahAprabhu AilA vAsAghara
hena citra-lIlA kare gaurA~Nga-sundara

bhikSA—accepting food from others; kari’—accepting; mahAprabhu—Lord
Caitanya; AilA—returned; vAsAghara—to His residence; hena—thus; citra-
lIlA—wonderful pastimes; kare—does; gaurA~Nga—Lord zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu; sundara—very beautiful.
TRANSLATION
After taking lunch among the MAyAvAdI sannyAsIs, zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu,
who is known as Gaurasundara, returned to His residence. Thus the Lord
performs His wonderful pastimes.
Adi 7.153
TEXT 153
candrazekhara, tapana mizra, Ara sanAtana
zuni’ dekhi’ Anandita sabAkAra mana

candrazekhara—Candrazekhara; tapana mizra—Tapana Mizra; Ara—and;
sanAtana—SanAtana; zuni’—hearing; dekhi’—seeing; Anandita—very
pleased; sabAkAra—all of them; mana—minds.
TRANSLATION
Hearing the arguments of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu and seeing His victory,
Candrazekhara, Tapana Mizra and SanAtana GosvAmI were all extremely
pleased.
PURPORT
Here is an example of how a sannyAsI should preach. When zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu went to VArANasI, He went there alone, not with a big party.
Locally, however, He made friendships with Candrazekhara and Tapana Mizra,
and SanAtana GosvAmI also came to see Him. Therefore, although He did not
have many friends there, due to His sound preaching and His victory in
arguing with the local sannyAsIs on the VedAnta philosophy, He became
greatly famous in that part of the country, as explained in the next verse.
Adi 7.154
TEXT 154
prabhuke dekhite Aise sakala sannyAsI
prabhura prazaàsA kare saba vArANasI

prabhuke—unto Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu; dekhite—to see; Aise—they
came; sakala—all; sannyAsI—the MAyAvAdI sannyAsIs; prabhura—of Lord
Caitanya MahAprabhu; prazaàsA—praise; kare—they do; saba—all;
vArANasI—the city of VArANasI.
TRANSLATION
Many MAyAvAdI sannyAsIs of VArANasI came to see the Lord after this
incident, and the entire city praised Him.
Adi 7.155
TEXT 155
vArANasI-purI AilA zrI-kRSNa-caitanya
purI-saha sarva-loka haila mahA-dhanya

vArANasI—of the name VArANasI; purI—city; AilA—came; zrI-kRSNa-caitanya—
Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu; purI—city; saha—with; sarva-loka—all the
people; haila—became; mahA-dhanya—thankful.
TRANSLATION
zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu visited the city of VArANasI, and all of its people
were very thankful.
Adi 7.156
TEXT 156
lakSa lakSa loka Aise prabhuke dekhite
mahA-bhiòa haila dvAre, nAre pravezite

lakSa lakSa—hundreds of thousands; loka—people; Aise—came; prabhuke—
unto the Lord; dekhite—to see; mahA-bhiòa—a great crowd; haila—there
happened; dvAre—at the door; nAre—may not; pravezite—to enter.
TRANSLATION
The crowd at the door of His residence was so great that it numbered
hundreds of thousands.
Adi 7.157
TEXT 157
prabhu yabe yA’na vizvezvara-darazane
lakSa lakSa loka Asi’ mile sei sthAne

prabhu—Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu; yabe—when; yA’na—goes;
vizvezvara—the deity of VArANasI; darazane—to visit; lakSa lakSa—hundreds
of thousands; loka—people; Asi’—come; mile—meet; sei—that; sthAne—on
the place.
TRANSLATION
When the Lord went to visit the temple of Vizvezvara, hundreds of thousands
of people assembled to see Him.
PURPORT
The important point in this verse is that zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu regularly
visited the temple of Vizvezvara (Lord ziva) at VArANasI. VaiSNavas generally
do not visit a demigod’s temple, but here we see that zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu regularly visited the temple of Vizvezvara, who was the
predominating deity of VArANasI. Generally MAyAvAdI sannyAsIs and
worshipers of Lord ziva live in VArANasI, but how is it that Caitanya
MahAprabhu, who took the part of a VaiSNava sannyAsI, also visited the
Vizvezvara temple? The answer is that a VaiSNava does not behave
impudently toward the demigods. A VaiSNava gives proper respect to all,
although he never accepts a demigod to be as good as the Supreme
Personality of Godhead.
In the Brahma-saàhitA there are mantras offering obeisances to Lord ziva,
Lord BrahmA, the sun-god and Lord GaNeza, as well as Lord ViSNu, all of
whom are worshiped by the impersonalists as pa~ncopAsanA. In their temples
impersonalists install deities of Lord ViSNu, Lord ziva, the sun-god, goddess
DurgA and sometimes Lord BrahmA also, and this system is continuing at
present in India under the guise of the Hindu religion. VaiSNavas can also
worship all these demigods, but only on the principles of the Brahma-saàhitA,
which is recommended by zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu. We may note in this
connection the mantras for worshiping Lord ziva, Lord BrahmA, goddess
DurgA, the sun-god and GaNeza, as described in the Brahma-saàhitA.
sRSTi-sthiti-pralaya-sAdhana-zaktir ekA
chAyeva yasya bhuvanAni bibharti durgA
icchAnurUpam api yasya ca ceSTate sA
govindam Adi-puruSaà tam ahaà bhajAmi
“The external potency, mAyA, who is of the nature of the shadow of the cit
[spiritual] potency, is worshiped by all people as DurgA, the creating,
preserving and destroying agency of this mundane world. I adore the
primeval Lord, Govinda, in accordance with whose will DurgA conducts
herself.” (Bs. 5.44)
kSIraà yathA dadhi vikAra-vizeSa-yogAt
sa~njAyate na hi tataH pRthag asti hetoH
yaH zambhutAm api tathA samupaiti kAryAd
govindam Adi-puruSaà tam ahaà bhajAmi
“Milk is transformed into curd by the actions of acids, yet the effect, curd, is
neither the same as nor different from its cause, viz., milk. I adore the
primeval Lord, Govinda, of whom the state of zambhu is a similar
transformation for the performance of the work of destruction.” (Bs. 5.45)
bhAsvAn yathAzma-zakaleSu nijeSu tejaH
svIyaà kiyat prakaTayaty api tadvad atra
brahmA ya eSa jagad-aNòa-vidhAna-kartA
govindam Adi-puruSaà tam ahaà bhajAmi
“I adore the primeval Lord, Govinda, from whom the separated subjective
portion BrahmA receives his power for the regulation of the mundane world,
just as the sun manifests a portion of his own light in all the effulgent gems
that bear such names as sUrya-kAnta.” (Bs. 5.49)
yat-pAda-pallava-yugaà vinidhAya kumbha-
dvandve praNAma-samaye sa gaNAdhirAjaH
vighnAn vihantum alam asya jagat-trayasya
govindam Adi-puruSaà tam ahaà bhajAmi
“I worship the primeval Lord, Govinda. GaNeza always holds His lotus feet
upon the pair of tumuli protruding from his elephant head in order to obtain
power for his function of destroying all obstacles on the path of progress in
the three worlds.” (Bs. 5.50)
yac cakSur eSa savitA sakala-grahANAà
rAjA samasta-sura-mUrtir azeSa-tejAH
yasyAj~nayA bhramati sambhRta-kAla-cakro
govindam Adi-puruSaà tam ahaà bhajAmi
“The sun, full of infinite effulgence, who is the king of all the planets and the
image of the good soul, is like the eye of this world. I adore the primeval Lord,
Govinda, in pursuance of whose order the sun performs his journey, mounting
the wheel of time.” (Bs. 5.52)
All the demigods are servants of KRSNa; they are not equal with KRSNa.
Therefore even if one goes to a temple of the pa~ncopAsanA, as mentioned
above, one should not accept the deities as they are accepted by the
impersonalists. All of them are to be accepted as personal demigods, but they
all serve the order of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. za~NkarAcArya, for
example, is understood to be an incarnation of Lord ziva, as described in the
Padma PurANa. He propagated the MAyAvAda philosophy under the order of
the Supreme Lord. We have already discussed this point in text 114 of this
chapter: tA~Nra doSa nAhi, te~Nho Aj~nA-kArI dAsa. “za~NkarAcArya is not at fault,
for he has thus covered the real purpose of the Vedas under the order of the
Supreme Personality of Godhead.” Although Lord ziva, in the form of a
brAhmaNa (za~NkarAcArya), preached the false philosophy of MAyAvAda, zrI
Caitanya MahAprabhu nevertheless said that since he did it on the order of
the Supreme Personality of Godhead, there was no fault on his part (tA~Nra
doSa nAhi).
We must offer proper respects to all the demigods. If one can offer respects
even to an ant, why not to the demigods? One must always know, however,
that no demigod is equal to or above the Supreme Lord. Ekale Izvara kRSNa,
Ara saba bhRtya: “Only KRSNa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and all
others, including the demigods such as Lord ziva, Lord BrahmA, goddess
DurgA and Ganeza, are His servants.” Everyone serves the purpose of the
Supreme Godhead, and what to speak of such small and insignificant living
entities as ourselves? We are surely eternal servants of the Lord. The
MAyAvAda philosophy maintains that the demigods, the living entities and the
Supreme Personality of Godhead are all equal. It is therefore a most foolish
misrepresentation of Vedic knowledge.
Adi 7.158
TEXT 158
snAna karite yabe yA’na ga~NgA-tIre
tAhA~ni sakala loka haya mahA-bhiòe

snAna—bath; karite—taking; yabe—when; yA’na—goes; ga~NgA—Ganges;
tIre—bank; tAhA~ni—then and there; sakala—all; loka—people; haya—
assembled; mahA-bhiòe—in great crowds.
TRANSLATION
Whenever Lord Caitanya went to the banks of the Ganges to take His bath,
big crowds of many hundreds of thousands of people assembled there.
Adi 7.159
TEXT 159
bAhu tuli’ prabhu bale,——bala hari hari
hari-dhvani kare loka svarga-martya bhari’

bAhu tuli’—raising the arms; prabhu—Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu; bale—
speaks; bala—all of you chant; hari hari—the holy name of Lord KRSNa (Hari);
hari-dhvani—the sound vibration of Hari; kare—does; loka—all people;
svarga-martya—in heaven, the sky and the land; bhari’—completely filling.
TRANSLATION
Whenever the crowds were too great, zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu stood up,
raised His hands and chanted, “Hari! Hari!” to which all the people responded,
filling both the land and sky with the vibration.
Adi 7.160
TEXT 160
loka nistAriyA prabhura calite haila mana
vRndAvane pAThAilA zrI-sanAtana

loka—people; nistAriyA—delivering; prabhura—of the Lord; calite—to leave;
haila—became; mana—mind; vRndAvane—toward VRndAvana; pAThAilA—
sent; zrI-sanAtana—SanAtana GosvAmI.
TRANSLATION
After thus delivering the people in general, the Lord desired to leave VArANasI.
After instructing zrI SanAtana GosvAmI, He sent him toward VRndAvana.
PURPORT
The actual purpose of Lord Caitanya’s stay at VArANasI after coming back
from VRndAvana was to meet SanAtana GosvAmI and teach him. SanAtana
GosvAmI met zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu after the Lord’s return to VArANasI,
where the Lord taught him for two months about the intricacies of VaiSNava
philosophy and VaiSNava activities. After completely instructing him, He sent
him to VRndAvana to execute His orders. When SanAtana GosvAmI went to
VRndAvana, there were no temples. The city was lying vacant like an open
field. SanAtana GosvAmI sat down on the bank of the YamunA, and after some
time he gradually constructed the first temple; then other temples were
constructed, and now the city is full of temples, numbering about five
thousand.
Adi 7.161
TEXT 161
rAtri-divase lokera zuni’ kolAhala
vArANasI chAòi’ prabhu AilA nIlAcala

rAtri—night; divase—day; lokera—of the people in general; zuni—hearing;
kolAhala—tumult; vArANasI—the city of Benares; chAòi’—leaving; prabhu—
the Lord; AilA—returned; nIlAcala—to PurI.
TRANSLATION
Because the city of VArANasI was always full of tumultuous crowds, zrI
Caitanya MahAprabhu, after sending SanAtana to VRndAvana, returned to
JagannAtha PurI.
Adi 7.162
TEXT 162
ei lIlA kahiba Age vistAra kariyA
sa~NkSepe kahilA~N ihA~N prasa~Nga pAiyA

ei—these; lIlA—pastimes; kahiba—I shall speak; Age—later on; vistAra—
vivid description; kariyA—making; sa~NkSepe—in short; kahilA~N—I have
spoken; ihA~N—in this place; prasa~Nga—topics; pAiyA—taking advantage of.
TRANSLATION
I have here given a brief account of these pastimes of Lord Caitanya, but later
I shall describe them in an extensive way.
Adi 7.163
TEXT 163
ei pa~nca-tattva-rUpe zrI-kRSNa-caitanya
kRSNa-nAma-prema diyA vizva kailA dhanya

ei—this; pa~nca-tattva-rUpe—the Lord in His five forms; zrI-kRSNa-caitanya—
Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu; kRSNa-nAma—the holy name of Lord KRSNa;
prema—love of KRSNa; diyA—delivering; vizva—the whole world; kailA—
made; dhanya—thankful.
TRANSLATION
zrI KRSNa Caitanya MahAprabhu and His associates of the Pa~nca-tattva
distributed the holy name of the Lord to invoke love of Godhead throughout
the universe, and thus the entire universe was thankful.
PURPORT
Here it is said that Lord Caitanya made the entire universe thankful to Him for
propagating the sa~NkIrtana movement with His associates. Lord Caitanya
MahAprabhu has already sanctified the entire universe by His presence five
hundred years ago, and therefore anyone who attempts to serve zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu sincerely by following in His footsteps and following the
instructions of the AcAryas will successfully be able to preach the holy names
of the Hare KRSNa mahA-mantra all over the universe. There are some foolish
critics who say that Europeans and Americans cannot be offered sannyAsa,
but here we find that zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu wanted to preach the
sa~NkIrtana movement all over the universe. For preaching work, sannyAsIs are
essential. These critics think that only Indians or Hindus should be offered
sannyAsa to preach, but their knowledge is practically nil. Without sannyAsIs,
the preaching work will be impeded. Therefore, under the instruction of Lord
Caitanya and with the blessings of His associates, there should be no
discrimination in this matter, but people in all parts of the world should be
trained to preach and given sannyAsa so that the cult of zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu’s sa~NkIrtana movement will expand boundlessly. We do not care
about the criticism of fools. We shall go on with our work and simply depend
on the blessings of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu and His associates, the Pa~nca-
tattva.
Adi 7.164
TEXT 164
mathurAte pAThAila rUpa-sanAtana
dui senA-pati kaila bhakti pracAraNa

mathurAte—toward MathurA; pAThAila—sent; rUpa-sanAtana—the two
brothers RUpa GosvAmI and SanAtana GosvAmI; dui—both of them; senA-
pati—as commanders in chief; kaila—He made them; bhakti—devotional
service; pracAraNa—to broadcast.
TRANSLATION
Lord Caitanya dispatched the two generals RUpa GosvAmI and SanAtana
GosvAmI to VRndAvana to preach the bhakti cult.
PURPORT
When RUpa GosvAmI and SanAtana GosvAmI went to VRndAvana, there was
not a single temple, but by their preaching they were gradually able to
construct various temples. SanAtana GosvAmI constructed the Madana-
mohana temple, and RUpa GosvAmI constructed the GovindajI temple.
Similarly, their nephew JIva GosvAmI constructed the RAdhA-DAmodara
temple, zrI GopAla BhaTTa GosvAmI constructed the RAdhA-ramaNa temple, zrI
LokanAtha GosvAmI constructed the GokulAnanda temple, and zyAmAnanda
GosvAmI constructed the zyAmasundara temple. In this way, many temples
were gradually constructed. For preaching, construction of temples is also
necessary. The GosvAmIs not only engaged in writing books but also
constructed temples because both are needed for preaching work. zrI
Caitanya MahAprabhu wanted the cult of His sa~NkIrtana movement to spread
all over the world. Now that the International Society for Krishna
Consciousness has taken up this task of preaching the cult of Lord Caitanya,
its members should not only construct temples in every town and village of
the globe but also distribute the books that have already been written and
further increase the number of books. Both distribution of books and
construction of temples must continue side by side in parallel lines.
Adi 7.165
TEXT 165
nityAnanda-gosA~ne pAThAilA gauòa-deze
te~Nho bhakti pracArilA azeSa-vizeSe

nityAnanda—Lord NityAnanda; gosA~ne—the AcArya; pAThAilA—was sent;
gauòa-deze—in Bengal; te~Nho—He; bhakti—devotional cult; pracArilA—
preached; azeSa-vizeSe—in a very extensive way.
TRANSLATION
As RUpa GosvAmI and SanAtana GosvAmI were sent toward MathurA, so
NityAnanda Prabhu was sent to Bengal to preach extensively the cult of
Caitanya MahAprabhu.
PURPORT
The name of Lord NityAnanda is very famous in Bengal. Of course, anyone
who knows Lord NityAnanda knows zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu also, but there
are some misguided devotees who stress the importance of Lord NityAnanda
more than that of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu. This is not good. Nor should zrI
Caitanya MahAprabhu be stressed more than Lord NityAnanda. The author of
the Caitanya-caritAmRta, KRSNadAsa KavirAja GosvAmI, left his home because
of his brother’s stressing the importance of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu over
that of NityAnanda Prabhu. Actually, one should offer respect to the Pa~nca-
tattva without such foolish discrimination, not considering NityAnanda Prabhu
to be greater, Caitanya MahAprabhu to be greater or Advaita Prabhu to be
greater. The respect should be offered equally: zrI-kRSNa-caitanya prabhu-
nityAnanda zrI-advaita gadAdhara zrIvAsAdi-gaura-bhakta-vRnda. All devotees
of Lord Caitanya or NityAnanda are worshipable persons.
Adi 7.166
TEXT 166
Apane dakSiNa deza karilA gamana
grAme grAme kailA kRSNa-nAma pracAraNa

Apane—personally; dakSiNa deza—South India; karilA—went; gamana—
traveling; grAme grAme—in each and every village; kailA—He did; kRSNa-
nAma—the holy name of Lord KRSNa; pracAraNa—broadcasting.
TRANSLATION
zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu personally went to South India, and He broadcast
the holy name of Lord KRSNa in every village and town.
Adi 7.167
TEXT 167
setubandha paryanta kailA bhaktira pracAra
kRSNa-prema diyA kailA sabAra nistAra

setubandha—the place where Lord RAmacandra constructed His bridge;
paryanta—up to that place; kailA—did; bhaktira—of the cult of devotional
service; pracAra—broadcast; kRSNa-prema—love of KRSNa; diyA—delivering;
kailA—did; sabAra—everyone; nistAra—deliverance.
TRANSLATION
Thus the Lord went to the southernmost tip of the Indian peninsula, known as
Setubandha [Cape Comorin]. Everywhere He distributed the bhakti cult and
love of KRSNa, and in this way He delivered everyone.
Adi 7.168
TEXT 168
ei ta’ kahila pa~nca-tattvera vyAkhyAna
ihAra zravaNe haya caitanya-tattva j~nAna

ei ta’—this; kahila—described; pa~nca-tattvera—of the Pa~nca-tattva;
vyAkhyAna—explanation; ihAra—of this; zravaNe—hearing; haya—becomes;
caitanya-tattva—the truth of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu; j~nAna—knowledge.
TRANSLATION
I have thus explained the truth of the Pa~nca-tattva. One who hears this
explanation increases in knowledge of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu.
PURPORT
The Pa~nca-tattva is a very important factor in understanding zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu. There are sahajiyAs who, not knowing the importance of the
Pa~nca-tattva, concoct their own slogans, such as bhaja nitAi gaura, rAdhe
zyAma, japa hare kRSNa hare rAma or zrI-kRSNa-caitanya prabhu-nityAnanda
hare kRSNa hare rAma zrI-rAdhe govinda. Such chants may be good poetry, but
they cannot help us to go forward in devotional service. In such chants there
are also many discrepancies, which need not be discussed here. Strictly
speaking, when chanting the names of the Pa~nca-tattva, one should fully
offer his obeisances: zrI-kRSNa-caitanya prabhu-nityAnanda zrI-advaita
gadAdhara zrIvAsAdi-gaura-bhakta-vRnda. By such chanting one is blessed
with the competency to chant the Hare KRSNa mahA-mantra without offense.
When chanting the Hare KRSNa mahA-mantra, one should also chant it fully:
Hare KRSNa, Hare KRSNa, KRSNa KRSNa, Hare Hare/ Hare RAma, Hare RAma,
RAma RAma, Hare Hare. One should not foolishly adopt any of the slogans
concocted by imaginative devotees. If one actually wants to derive the
effects of chanting, one must strictly follow the great AcAryas. This is
confirmed in the MahAbhArata: mahA-jano yena gataH sa panthAH. “The real
path of progress is that which is traversed by great AcAryas and authorities.”
Adi 7.169
TEXT 169
zrI-caitanya, nityAnanda, advaita,——tina jana
zrIvAsa-gadAdhara-Adi yata bhakta-gaNa

zrI-caitanya, nityAnanda, advaita—zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu, NityAnanda
Prabhu and Advaita Prabhu; tina—these three; jana—personalities; zrIvAsa-
gadAdhara—zrIvAsa and GadAdhara; Adi—etc.; yata—all; bhakta-gaNa—the
devotees.
TRANSLATION
While chanting the Pa~nca-tattva mahA-mantra, one must chant the names of
zrI Caitanya, NityAnanda, Advaita, GadAdhara and zrIvAsa with their many
devotees. This is the process.
Adi 7.170
TEXT 170
sabAkAra pAdapadme koTi namaskAra
yaiche taiche kahi kichu caitanya-vihAra

sabAkAra—all of them; pAda-padme—on the lotus feet; koTi—countless;
namaskAra—obeisances; yaiche taiche—somehow or other; kahi—I speak;
kichu—something; caitanya-vihAra—about the pastimes of Lord Caitanya
MahAprabhu.
TRANSLATION
I again and again offer obeisances unto the Pa~nca-tattva. Thus I think that I
will be able to describe something about the pastimes of Lord Caitanya
MahAprabhu.
Adi 7.171
TEXT 171
zrI-rUpa-raghunAtha-pade yAra Aza
caitanya-caritAmRta kahe kRSNadAsa

vande—I offer my respectful obeisances; caitanya-devam—unto Lord zrI
Caitanya MahAprabhu; tam—Him; bhagavantam—the Personality of
Godhead; yat-icchayA—by whose desires; prasabham—all of a sudden;
nartyate—dancing; citram—wonderfully; lekha-ra~Nge—in the matter of
writing; jaòaH—dull fool; api—although; ayam—this.
TRANSLATION
I offer my respects to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu, by whose desire I have become like a dancing dog and suddenly
taken to the writing of zrI Caitanya-caritAmRta, although I am a fool.
Adi 8.2
TEXT 2
jaya jaya zrI-kRSNa-caitanya gauracandra
jaya jaya paramAnanda jaya nityAnanda

jaya jaya—all glories; zrI-kRSNa-caitanya—zrI KRSNa Caitanya MahAprabhu;
gaura-candra—whose name is Lord GaurA~Nga; jaya jaya—all glories;
paramAnanda—most joyful; jaya—all glories; nityAnanda—unto NityAnanda
Prabhu.
TRANSLATION
Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto zrI KRSNa Caitanya MahAprabhu,
who is known as Gaurasundara. I also offer my respectful obeisances unto
NityAnanda Prabhu, who is always very joyful.
Adi 8.3
TEXT 3
jaya jayAdvaita AcArya kRpAmaya
jaya jaya gadAdhara paNòita mahAzaya

jaya jaya—all glories; advaita—unto Advaita Prabhu; AcArya—teacher;
kRpAmaya—very merciful; jaya jaya—all glories to; gadAdhara—GadAdhara;
paNòita—learned scholar; mahAzaya—great personality.
TRANSLATION
Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto Advaita AcArya, who is very
merciful, and also to that great personality GadAdhara PaNòita, the learned
scholar.
Adi 8.4
TEXT 4
jaya jaya zrIvAsAdi yata bhakta-gaNa
praNata ha-iyA vando~N sabAra caraNa

jaya jaya—all glories; zrIvAsa-Adi—unto zrIvAsa ThAkura, etc.; yata—all;
bhakta-gaNa—devotees; praNata—offering obeisances; ha-iyA—doing so;
vando~N—I pray; sabAra—all; caraNa—lotus feet.
TRANSLATION
Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto zrIvAsa ThAkura and all the other
devotees of the Lord. I fall down to offer them respect. I worship their lotus
feet.
PURPORT
KRSNadAsa KavirAja GosvAmI teaches us first to offer respect to the Pa~nca-
tattva—zrI KRSNa Caitanya MahAprabhu, NityAnanda Prabhu, Advaita Prabhu,
GadAdhara Prabhu and zrIvAsa Prabhu and other devotees. We must strictly
follow the principle of offering our respects to the Pa~nca-tattva, as
summarized in the mantra zrI-kRSNa-caitanya prabhu-nityAnanda zrI-advaita
gadAdhara zrIvAsAdi-gaura-bhakta-vRnda. At the beginning of every function
in preaching, especially before chanting the Hare KRSNa mahA-mantra—Hare
KRSNa, Hare KRSNa, KRSNa KRSNa, Hare Hare/ Hare RAma, Hare RAma, RAma
RAma, Hare Hare—we must chant the Pa~nca-tattva’s names and offer our
respects to them.
Adi 8.5
TEXT 5
mUka kavitva kare yA~N-sabAra smaraNe
pa~Ngu giri la~Nghe, andha dekhe tArA-gaNe

mUka—dumb; kavitva—poet; kare—becomes; yA~N—whose; sabAra—all;
smaraNe—by remembering; pa~Ngu—the lame; giri—mountains; la~Nghe—
crosses; andha—blind; dekhe—sees; tArA-gaNe—the stars.
TRANSLATION
By remembering the lotus feet of the Pa~nca-tattva, a dumb man can become
a poet, a lame man can cross mountains, and a blind man can see the stars in
the sky.
PURPORT
In VaiSNava philosophy there are three ways for perfection—namely sAdhana-
siddha, perfection attained by executing devotional service according to the
rules and regulations, nitya-siddha, eternal perfection attained by never
forgetting KRSNa at any time, and kRpA-siddha, perfection attained by the
mercy of the spiritual master or another VaiSNava. KavirAja GosvAmI here
stresses kRpA-siddha, perfection by the mercy of superior authorities. This
mercy does not depend on the qualifications of a devotee. By such mercy,
even if a devotee is dumb he can speak or write to glorify the Lord splendidly,
even if lame he can cross mountains, and even if blind he can see the stars in
the sky.
Adi 8.6
TEXT 6
e-saba nA mAne yei paNòita sakala
tA-sabAra vidyA-pATha bheka-kolAhala

e-saba—all these; nA—does not; mAne—accept; yei—anyone; paNòita—so-
called learned; sakala—all; tA-sabAra—of all of them; vidyA-pATha—the
educational cultivation; bheka—of frogs; kolAhala—tumultuous sound.
TRANSLATION
The education cultivated by so-called learned scholars who do not believe
these statements of zrI Caitanya-caritAmRta is like the tumultuous croaking of
frogs.
PURPORT
The croaking of the frogs in the rainy season resounds very loudly in the
forest, with the result that snakes, hearing the croaking in the darkness,
approach the frogs and swallow them. Similarly, the so-called educational
vibrations of the tongues of university professors who do not have spiritual
knowledge is like the croaking of frogs.
Adi 8.7
TEXT 7
ei saba nA mAne yebA kare kRSNa-bhakti
kRSNa-kRpA nAhi tAre, nAhi tAra gati

ei—these; saba—all; nA mAne—does not accept; yebA—anyone who; kare—
executes; kRSNa-bhakti—devotional service; kRSNa-kRpA—mercy of KRSNa;
nAhi—is not; tAre—unto him; nAhi—there is not; tAra—his; gati—
advancement.
TRANSLATION
One who does not accept the glories of the Pa~nca-tattva but still makes a
show of devotional service to KRSNa can never achieve the mercy of KRSNa or
advance to the ultimate goal.
PURPORT
If one is seriously interested in KRSNa conscious activities, he must be ready to
follow the rules and regulations laid down by the AcAryas, and he must
understand their conclusions. The zAstra says, dharmasya tattvaà nihitaà
guhAyAà mahA-jano yena gataH sa panthAH (MahAbhArata, Vana-parva
313.117). It is very difficult to understand the secret of KRSNa consciousness, but
one who advances by the instruction of the previous AcAryas and follows in
the footsteps of his predecessors in the line of disciplic succession will have
success. Others will not. zrIla Narottama dAsa ThAkura says in this connection,
chAòiyA vaiSNava-sevA nistAra peyeche kebA: “Unless one serves the spiritual
master and AcAryas, one cannot be liberated.” Elsewhere he says:
ei chaya gosA~ni yA~Nra——mui tA~Nra dAsa
tA~N-sabAra pada-reNu mora pa~nca-grAsa
“I simply accept a person who follows in the footsteps of the six GosvAmIs,
and the dust of such a person’s lotus feet is my food.”
Adi 8.8
TEXT 8
pUrve yaiche jarAsandha-Adi rAja-gaNa
veda-dharma kari’ kare viSNura pUjana

pUrve—formerly; yaiche—as it was; jarAsandha—King JarAsandha; Adi—
heading; rAja-gaNa—kings; veda-dharma—performance of Vedic rituals;
kari’—doing; kare—does; viSNura—of Lord ViSNu; pUjana—worship.
TRANSLATION
Formerly kings like JarAsandha [the father-in-law of Kaàsa] strictly followed
the Vedic rituals, thus worshiping Lord ViSNu.
PURPORT
In these verses the author of zrI Caitanya-caritAmRta, KRSNadAsa KavirAja
GosvAmI, is very seriously stressing the importance of worship of the Pa~nca-
tattva. If one becomes a devotee of Gaurasundara or KRSNa but does not give
importance to the Pa~nca-tattva (zrI-kRSNa-caitanya prabhu-nityAnanda zrI-
advaita gadAdhara zrIvAsAdi-gaura-bhakta-vRnda), his activities are
considered to be offenses, or, in the words of zrIla RUpa GosvAmI, utpAta
(disturbances). One must therefore be ready to offer due respects to the
Pa~nca-tattva before becoming a devotee of Lord Gaurasundara or of zrI
KRSNa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Adi 8.9
TEXT 9
kRSNa nAhi mAne, tAte daitya kari’ mAni
caitanya nA mAnile taiche daitya tAre jAni

kRSNa—Lord KRSNa; nAhi—does not; mAne—accept; tAte—therefore;
daitya—demon; kari’ mAni—we accept; caitanya—Lord zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu; nA—without; mAnile—accepting; taiche—similarly; daitya—
demon; tAre—to him; jAni—we know.
TRANSLATION
One who does not accept KRSNa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead is
certainly a demon. Similarly, anyone who does not accept zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu as KRSNa, the same Supreme Lord, is also to be considered a
demon.
PURPORT
Formerly there were kings like JarAsandha who strictly followed the Vedic
rituals, acted as charitable, competent kSatriyas, possessed all kSatriya
qualities and were even obedient to the brahminical culture but who did not
accept KRSNa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. JarAsandha attacked
KRSNa many times, and each time, of course, he was defeated. Like
JarAsandha, any man who performs Vedic rituals but does not accept KRSNa as
the Supreme Personality of Godhead must be considered an asura, or demon.
Similarly, one who does not accept zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu as KRSNa Himself
is also a demon. This is the conclusion of authoritative scriptures. Therefore,
both so-called devotion to Gaurasundara without devotional service to KRSNa
and so-called kRSNa-bhakti without devotional service to Gaurasundara are
nondevotional activities. If one wants to be successful on the path of KRSNa
consciousness, he must be thoroughly conscious of the personality of
Gaurasundara as well as the personality of KRSNa. Knowing the personality of
Gaurasundara means knowing the personalities of zrI-kRSNa-caitanya prabhu-
nityAnanda zrI-advaita gadAdhara zrIvAsAdi-gaura-bhakta-vRnda. The author
of zrI Caitanya-caritAmRta, pursuant to the authorities, stresses this principle
for perfection in KRSNa consciousness.
Adi 8.10
TEXT 10
more nA mAnile saba loka habe nAza
ithi lAgi’ kRpArdra prabhu karila sannyAsa

more—unto Me; nA—without; mAnile—accepting; saba—all; loka—people
in general; habe—will go to; nAza—destruction; ithi—for this; lAgi’—for the
reason of; kRpA-Ardra—all merciful; prabhu—Lord Caitanya; karila—
accepted; sannyAsa—the sannyAsa order.
TRANSLATION
Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu thought, “Unless people accept Me they will all
be destroyed.” Thus the merciful Lord accepted the sannyAsa order.
PURPORT
In zrImad-BhAgavatam (12.3.51) it is said, kIrtanAd eva kRSNasya mukta-sa~NgaH
paraà vrajet: “Simply by chanting the Hare KRSNa mantra, or Lord KRSNa’s
name, one is liberated and goes back home, back to Godhead.” This KRSNa
consciousness must be achieved through the mercy of Lord Caitanya
MahAprabhu. One cannot be complete in KRSNa consciousness unless he
accepts zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu and His associates as the only means for
success. It is because of these considerations that the Lord accepted
sannyAsa, for thus people would offer Him respect and very quickly come to
the platform of KRSNa consciousness. Since Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu, who is
KRSNa Himself, inaugurated the KRSNa consciousness movement, without His
mercy one cannot be elevated to the transcendental platform of KRSNa
consciousness.
Adi 8.11
TEXT 11
sannyAsi-buddhye more karibe namaskAra
tathApi khaNòibe duHkha, pAibe nistAra

sannyAsi-buddhye—by consideration of a sannyAsI; more—unto Me;
karibe—they will; namaskAra—offer obeisances; tathApi—therefore;
khaNòibe—will diminish; duHkha—distress; pAibe—will get; nistAra—
liberation.
TRANSLATION
“If a person offers obeisances to Me, even due to accepting Me only as an
ordinary sannyAsI, his material distresses will diminish, and he will ultimately
get liberation.”
PURPORT
KRSNa is so merciful that He always thinks of how to liberate the conditioned
souls from the material platform. It is for this reason that KRSNa incarnates, as
clearly indicated in the Bhagavad-gItA (4.7):
yadA yadA hi dharmasya glAnir bhavati bhArata
abhyutthAnam adharmasya tadAtmAnaà sRjAmy aham
“Whenever and wherever there is a decline in religious practice, O descendant
of Bharata, and a predominant rise of irreligion—at that time I descend
Myself.” KRSNa always protects the living entities in many ways. He comes
Himself, He sends His own confidential devotees, and He leaves behind Him
zAstras like the Bhagavad-gItA. Why? It is so that people may take advantage
of the benediction to be liberated from the clutches of mAyA. zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu accepted sannyAsa so that even a foolish person who accepted
Him as an ordinary sannyAsI would offer Him respect, for this would help
diminish his material distresses and ultimately liberate him from the material
clutches. zrIla BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI points out in this connection that zrI
KRSNa Caitanya MahAprabhu is the combined form of zrI RAdhA and KRSNa
(mahAprabhu zrI-caitanya, rAdhA-kRSNa—nahe anya). Therefore when fools
considered Caitanya MahAprabhu to be an ordinary human being and thus
treated Him disrespectfully, the merciful Lord, in order to deliver these
offenders, accepted sannyAsa so that they would offer Him obeisances,
accepting Him as a sannyAsI. zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu accepted sannyAsa to
bestow His great mercy on people in general, who cannot appreciate Him as
RAdhA and KRSNa Themselves.
Adi 8.12
TEXT 12
hena kRpAmaya caitanya nA bhaje yei jana
sarvottama ha-ileo tAre asure gaNana

hena—such; kRpAmaya—merciful; caitanya—Lord zrI Caitanya; nA—does
not; bhaje—worship; yei—one; jana—person; sarvottama—supreme; ha-
ileo—in spite of his being; tAre—unto him; asure—among the demons;
gaNana—the calculation.
TRANSLATION
One who does not show respect unto this merciful Lord, Caitanya
MahAprabhu, or does not worship Him should be considered a demon, even if
he is very much exalted in human society.
PURPORT
zrIla BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI MahArAja says in this connection: “O living
entities, simply engage yourselves in KRSNa consciousness. This is the message
of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu.” Lord Caitanya preached this cult, instructing the
philosophy of KRSNa consciousness in His eight verses, or zikSASTaka, and He
said, ihA haite sarva-siddhi haibe tomAra: “By chanting the Hare KRSNa mantra,
one will get all perfection in life.” Therefore one who does not show Him
respect or cannot appreciate His mercy despite all these merciful gestures is
an asura, or opponent of bona fide devotional service to Lord ViSNu, even
though he may be very much exalted in human society. The word asura refers
to one who is against devotional service to the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, ViSNu. It should be noted that unless one worships zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu it is useless to become a devotee of KRSNa, and unless one
worships KRSNa it is also useless to become a devotee of zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu. Such devotional service is to be understood to be a product of
Kali-yuga. zrIla BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI ThAkura remarks in this connection
that atheist smArtas, or worshipers of the five kinds of demigods, worship
Lord ViSNu for a little satisfaction in material success but have no respect for
zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu. Thinking Him to be one of the ordinary living
entities, they discriminate between Gaurasundara and zrI KRSNa. Such
understanding is also demoniac and is against the conclusion of the AcAryas.
Such a conclusion is a product of Kali-yuga.
Adi 8.13
TEXT 13
ataeva punaH kaho~N Urdhva-bAhu ha~nA
caitanya-nityAnanda bhaja kutarka chAòiyA

ataeva—therefore; punaH—again; kaho~N—I speak; Urdhva—lifting; bAhu—
arms; ha~nA—so doing; caitanya—zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu; nityAnanda—
Lord NityAnanda; bhaja—worship; kutarka—useless arguments; chAòiyA—
giving up.
TRANSLATION
Therefore I say again, lifting my arms: O fellow human beings, please worship
zrI Caitanya and NityAnanda without false arguments!
PURPORT
Because a person who performs kRSNa-bhakti but does not understand zrI
KRSNa Caitanya and Prabhu NityAnanda will simply waste his time, the author,
KRSNadAsa KavirAja GosvAmI, requests everyone to take to the worship of zrI
Caitanya and NityAnanda Prabhu and the Pa~nca-tattva. He assures everyone
that any person who does so will be successful in KRSNa consciousness.
Adi 8.14
TEXT 14
yadi vA tArkika kahe,——tarka se pramANa
tarka-zAstre siddha yei, sei sevyamAna

yadi—if; vA—or; tArkika—logician; kahe—says; tarka—logic; se—that;
pramANa—evidence; tarka-zAstre—in the logic; siddha—accepted; yei—
whatever; sei—that; sevyamAna—is worshipable.
TRANSLATION
Logicians say, “Unless one gains understanding through logic and argument,
how can one decide upon a worshipable Deity?”
Adi 8.15
TEXT 15
zrI-kRSNa-caitanya-dayA karaha vicAra
vicAra karite citte pAbe camatkAra

zrI-kRSNa-caitanya—Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu; dayA—His mercy;
karaha—just put into; vicAra—consideration; vicAra—when such
consideration; karile—will be done by you; citte—in your heart; pAbe—you
will get; camatkAra—striking wonder.
TRANSLATION
If you are indeed interested in logic and argument, kindly apply it to the
mercy of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu. If you do so, you will find it to be
strikingly wonderful.
PURPORT
zrIla BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI ThAkura comments in this connection that
people in general, in their narrow-minded conception of life, create many
different types of humanitarian activities, but the humanitarian activities
inaugurated by zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu are different. For logicians who want
to accept only that which is proven through logic and argument, it is a fact
that without logic and reason there can be no question of accepting the
Absolute Truth. Unfortunately, when such logicians take to this path without
the mercy of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu, they remain on the platform of logic
and argument and do not advance in spiritual life. However, if one is
intelligent enough to apply his arguments and logic to the subtle
understanding of the fundamental spiritual substance, he will be able to know
that a poor fund of knowledge established on the basis of material logic
cannot help one understand the Absolute Truth, which is beyond the reach of
imperfect senses. The MahAbhArata therefore says, acintyAH khalu ye bhAvA
na tAàs tarkeNa yojayet. (MahAbhArata, BhISma-parva 5.22) How can that
which is beyond the imagination or sensory speculation of mundane creatures
be approached simply by logic? Logic and argument are very poor in spiritual
strength and always imperfect when applied to spiritual understanding. By
putting forward mundane logic one frequently comes to the wrong conclusion
regarding the Absolute Truth, and as a result of such a conclusion one may fall
down to accept a body like that of a jackal.
Despite all this, those who are actually inquisitive to understand the
philosophy of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu through logic and argument are
welcome. KRSNadAsa KavirAja GosvAmI addresses them, “Please put zrI
Caitanya MahAprabhu’s mercy to your crucial test, and if you are actually a
logician you will come to the right conclusion that there is no personality
more merciful than Lord Caitanya.” Let the logicians compare all the results of
other humanitarian work with the merciful activities of Lord Caitanya. If their
judgment is impartial, they will understand that no other humanitarian
activities can surpass those of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu.
Everyone is engaged in humanitarian activities on the basis of the body, but
from the Bhagavad-gItA (2.18) we understand, anta-vanta ime dehA
nityasyoktAH zarIriNaH: “The material body is ultimately subject to destruction,
whereas the spiritual soul is eternal.” zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu’s philanthropic
activities are performed in connection with the eternal soul. However one
tries to benefit the body, it will be destroyed, and one will have to accept
another body according to his present activities. If one does not, therefore,
understand this science of transmigration but considers the body to be all in
all, his intelligence is not very advanced. zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu, without
neglecting the necessities of the body, imparted spiritual advancement to
purify the existential condition of humanity. Therefore if a logician makes his
judgment impartially, he will surely find that zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu is the
mahA-vadAnyAvatAra, the most magnanimous incarnation. He is even more
magnanimous than Lord KRSNa Himself. Lord KRSNa demanded that one
surrender unto Him, but He did not distribute love of Godhead as
magnanimously as zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu. Therefore zrIla RUpa GosvAmI
offers Lord Caitanya his respectful obeisances with the words namo mahA-
vadAnyAya kRSNa-prema-pradAya te/ kRSNAya kRSNa-caitanya-nAmne gaura-
tviSe namaH [Madhya 19.53]. Lord KRSNa simply gave the Bhagavad-gItA, by
which one can understand Lord KRSNa as He is, but zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu,
who is also KRSNa Himself, gave people love of KRSNa without discrimination.
Adi 8.16
TEXT 16
bahu janma kare yadi zravaNa, kIrtana
tabu ta’ nA pAya kRSNa-pade prema-dhana

bahu—many; janma—births; kare—does; yadi—if; zravaNa—hearing;
kIrtana—chanting; tabu—still; ta’—in spite of; nA—does not; pAya—get;
kRSNa-pade—unto the lotus feet of KRSNa; prema-dhana—love of Godhead.
TRANSLATION
If one is infested with the ten offenses in the chanting of the Hare KRSNa
mahA-mantra, despite his endeavor to chant the holy name for many births,
he will not get the love of Godhead that is the ultimate goal of this chanting.
PURPORT
zrIla BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI ThAkura says in this connection that although
one may go on chanting the Hare KRSNa mantra for many, many years, there
is no possibility of attaining the platform of devotional service unless one
accepts zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu. One must follow strictly the instruction of
zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu given in the zikSASTaka (3):
tRNAd api su-nIcena taror iva sahiSNunA
amAninA mAna-dena kIrtanIyaH sadA hariH
[Cc. adi 17.31]
“One should chant the holy name of the Lord in a humble state of mind,
thinking oneself lower than the straw in the street; one should be more
tolerant than a tree, devoid of all sense of false prestige, and should be ready
to offer all respect to others. In such a state of mind one can chant the holy
name of the Lord constantly.” One who follows this direction, being freed
from the ten kinds of offenses, becomes successful in KRSNa consciousness and
ultimately reaches the platform of loving service to the Personality of
Godhead.
One must come to the understanding that the holy name of the Lord and the
Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself are identical. One cannot reach this
conclusion unless one is offenseless in chanting the holy name. By our material
calculation we see a difference between the name and the substance, but in
the spiritual world the Absolute is always absolute: the name, form, qualities
and pastimes of the Absolute are all as good as the Absolute Himself. Thus
one is understood to be an eternal servant of the Supreme Personality of
Godhead if he considers himself an eternal servant of the holy name and in
this spirit distributes the holy name to the world. One who chants in that
spirit, without offenses, is certainly elevated to the platform of understanding
that the holy name and the Personality of Godhead are identical. To associate
with the holy name and chant the holy name is to associate with the
Personality of Godhead directly. In the Bhakti-rasAmRta-sindhu it is clearly
said, sevonmukhe hi jihvAdau svayam eva sphuraty adaH. The holy name
becomes manifest when one engages in the service of the holy name. This
service in a submissive attitude begins with one’s tongue. Sevonmukhe hi
jihvAdau: One must engage his tongue in the service of the holy name. Our
KRSNa consciousness movement is based on this principle. We try to engage all
the members of the KRSNa consciousness movement in the service of the holy
name. Since the holy name and KRSNa are nondifferent, the members of the
KRSNa consciousness movement not only chant the holy name of the Lord
offenselessly, but also do not allow their tongues to eat anything that is not
first offered to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Supreme Lord
declares:
patraà puSpaà phalaà toyaà yo me bhaktyA prayacchati
tad ahaà bhakty-upahRtaà aznAmi prayatAtmanaH
“If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, a fruit or water, I
will accept it.” (Bg. 9.26) Therefore the International Society for Krishna
Consciousness has many temples all over the world, and in each and every
temple the Lord is offered these foods. On the basis of His demands, the
devotees chant the holy name of the Lord offenselessly and never eat
anything that is not first offered to the Lord. The functions of the tongue in
devotional service are to chant the Hare KRSNa mahA-mantra and eat
prasAdam that is offered to the Lord.
Adi 8.17
TEXT 17
j~nAnataH su-labhA muktir
bhuktir yaj~nAdi-puNyataH
seyaà sAdhana-sAhasrair
hAri-bhaktiH su-durlabhA

j~nAnataH—by cultivation of knowledge; su-labhA—easily obtainable;
muktiH—liberation; bhuktiH—sense enjoyment; yaj~na-Adi—performance of
sacrifices, etc.; puNyataH—and by performing pious activities; sA—that;
iyam—this; sAdhana-sAhasraiH—execution of thousands of sacrifices; hari-
bhaktiH—devotional service; su-durlabhA—is very rare.
TRANSLATION
“By cultivating philosophical knowledge one can understand his spiritual
position and thus be liberated, and by performing sacrifices and pious
activities one can achieve sense gratification in a higher planetary system, but
the devotional service of the Lord is so rare that even by executing hundreds
and thousands of such sacrifices one cannot obtain it.”
PURPORT
PrahlAda MahArAja instructs:
matir na kRSNe parataH svato vA
mitho ’bhipadyeta gRha-vratAnAm
(BhAg. 7.5.30)
naiSAà matis tAvad urukramA~Nghrià
spRzaty anarthApagamo yad-arthaH
mahIyasAà pAda-rajo-’bhiSekaà
niSki~ncanAnAà na vRNIta yAvat
(BhAg. 7.5.32)
These zlokas are to be discussed. Their purport is that one cannot obtain
kRSNa-bhakti, or the devotional service of the Lord, by official execution of the
Vedic rituals. One has to approach a pure devotee. Narottama dAsa ThAkura
sings, chAòiyA vaiSNava-sevA nistAra pAyeche kebA: “Who has been elevated
without rendering service to a pure VaiSNava?” It is the statement of PrahlAda
MahArAja that unless one is able to accept the dust from the lotus feet of a
pure VaiSNava there is no possibility of achieving the platform of devotional
service. That is the secret. The above-mentioned tantra-vacana, quoted from
the Bhakti-rasAmRta-sindhu (1.1.36), is our perfect guidance in this connection.
Adi 8.18
TEXT 18
kRSNa yadi chuTe bhakte bhukti mukti diyA
kabhu prema-bhakti nA dena rAkhena lukAiyA

kRSNa—Lord KRSNa; yadi—of course; chuTe—goes away; bhakte—unto the
devotee; bhukti—material enjoyment; mukti—liberation; diyA—offering;
kabhu—at any time; prema-bhakti—love of Godhead; nA—does not; dena—
give; rAkhena—keeps; lukAiyA—hiding.
TRANSLATION
If a devotee wants liberation or material sense gratification from the Lord,
KRSNa immediately delivers it, but pure devotional service He keeps hidden.
Adi 8.19
TEXT 19
rAjan patir gurur alaà bhavatAà yadUnAà
daivaà priyaH kula-patiH kva ca ki~Nkaro vaH
astv evam a~Nga bhagavAn bhajatAà mukundo
muktià dadAti karhicit sma na bhakti-yogam

rAjan—O King; patiH—master; guruH—spiritual master; alam—certainly;
bhavatAm—of your; yadUnAm—of the Yadus; daivam—God; priyaH—very
dear; kula-patiH—head of the family; kva—even sometimes; ca—also;
ki~NkaraH—order carrier; vaH—you; astu—there is; evam—thus; a~Nga—
however; bhagavAn—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; bhajatAm—those
who are in devotional service; mukundaH—Lord KRSNa; muktim—liberation;
dadAti—gives; karhicit—sometimes; sma—certainly; na—not; bhakti-
yogam—devotional service.
TRANSLATION
[The great sage NArada said:] “My dear MahArAja YudhiSThira, the Supreme
Personality of Godhead KRSNa is always ready to help you. He is your master,
guru, God, very dear friend and head of your family. Yet sometimes He
agrees to act as your servant or order-carrier. You are greatly fortunate
because this relationship is possible only by bhakti-yoga. The Lord can give
liberation [mukti] very easily, but He does not very easily give one bhakti-
yoga, because by that process He is bound to the devotee.”
PURPORT
This passage is a quotation from zrImad-BhAgavatam (5.6.18). While zukadeva
GosvAmI was describing the character of RSabhadeva, he distinguished
between bhakti-yoga and liberation by reciting this verse. In relationship with
the Yadus and PANòavas, the Lord acted sometimes as their master,
sometimes as their advisor, sometimes as their friend, sometimes as the head
of their family and sometimes even as their servant. KRSNa once had to carry
out an order of YudhiSThira’s by carrying a letter YudhiSThira had written to
Duryodhana regarding peace negotiations. Similarly, He also became the
chariot driver of Arjuna. This illustrates that in bhakti-yoga there is a
relationship established between the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the
devotee. Such a relationship is established in the transcendental mellows
known as dAsya, sakhya, vAtsalya and mAdhurya. If a devotee wants simple
liberation, he gets it very easily from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, as
confirmed by Bilvama~Ngala ThAkura. MuktiH svayaà mukulitA~njali sevate
’smAn: for a devotee, mukti is not very important because mukti is always
standing on his doorstep waiting to serve him in some way. A devotee,
therefore, must be attracted by the behavior of the inhabitants of VRndAvana,
who live in a relationship with KRSNa. The land, water, cows, trees and flowers
serve KRSNa in zAnta-rasa, His servants serve Him in dAsya-rasa, and His
cowherd friends serve Him in sakhya-rasa. Similarly, the elder gopIs and
gopas serve KRSNa as father and mother, uncle and other relatives, and the
young gopIs, the cowherd girls, serve KRSNa in conjugal love.
While executing devotional service, one must be naturally inclined to serve
KRSNa in one of these transcendental relationships. That is the actual success
of life. For a devotee, to get liberation is not very difficult. Even one who is
unable to establish a relationship with KRSNa can achieve liberation by merging
into the Brahman effulgence. This is called sAyujya-mukti. VaiSNavas never
accept sAyujya-mukti, although sometimes they accept the other forms of
liberation, namely sArUpya, sAlokya, sAmIpya and sArSTi. A pure devotee,
however, does not accept any kind of mukti. He wants only to serve KRSNa in
a transcendental relationship. This is the perfectional stage of spiritual life.
MAyAvAdI philosophers desire to merge into the existence of the Brahman
effulgence, although this aspect of liberation is always neglected by devotees.
zrIla PrabodhAnanda SarasvatI ThAkura, describing this kind of mukti, which is
called kaivalya, or becoming one with the Supreme, has said, kaivalyaà
narakAyate: “Becoming one with the Supreme is as good as going to hell.”
Therefore the ideal of MAyAvAda philosophy, becoming one with the
Supreme, is hellish for a devotee; he never accepts it. MAyAvAdI philosophers
do not know that even if they merge into the effulgence of the Supreme, this
will not give them ultimate rest. An individual soul cannot live in the Brahman
effulgence in a state of inactivity; after some time, he must desire to be
active. However, since he is not aware of his relationship with the Supreme
Personality of Godhead and therefore has no spiritual activity, he must come
down for further activities in this material world. This is confirmed in zrImad-
BhAgavatam (10.2.32):
Aruhya kRcchreNa paraà padaà tataH
patanty adho ’nAdRta-yuSmad-a~NghrayaH
Because MAyAvAdI philosophers have no information regarding the
transcendental service of the Lord, even after attaining liberation from
material activities and merging into the Brahman effulgence, they must come
down again to this material world to open hospitals or schools or perform
similar philanthropic activities.
Adi 8.20
TEXT 20
hena prema zrI-caitanya dilA yathA tathA
jagAi mAdhAi paryanta——anyera kA kathA

hena—such; prema—love of Godhead; zrI-caitanya—Lord zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu; dilA—has given; yathA—anywhere; tathA—everywhere;
jagAi—JagAi; mAdhAi—MAdhAi; paryanta—up to them; anyera—of others;
kA—what to speak; kathA—words.
TRANSLATION
Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu has freely given this love of KRSNa everywhere
and anywhere, even to the most fallen, such as JagAi and MAdhAi. What then
to speak of those who are already pious and elevated?
PURPORT
The distinction between zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu’s gift to human society and
the gifts of others is that whereas so-called philanthropic and humanitarian
workers have given some relief to human society as far as the body is
concerned, zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu offers the best facilities for going back
home, back to Godhead, with love of Godhead. If one seriously makes a
comparative study of the two gifts, certainly if he is at all sober he will give
the greatest credit to zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu. It was with this purpose that
KavirAja GosvAmI said:
zrI-kRSNa-caitanya-dayA karaha vicAra
vicAra karile citte pAbe camatkAra
“If you are indeed interested in logic and argument, kindly apply it to the
mercy of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu. If you do so, you will find it to be
strikingly wonderful.” (Cc. Adi 8.15)
zrIla Narottama dAsa ThAkura says:
dIna-hIna yata chila, hari-nAme uddhArila,
tAra sAkSI jagAi mAdhAi
The two brothers JagAi and MAdhAi epitomize the sinful population of this Age
of Kali. They were most disturbing elements in society because they were
meat-eaters, drunkards, woman-hunters, rogues and thieves. Yet zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu delivered them, to say nothing of others who were sober, pious,
devoted and conscientious. The Bhagavad-gItA confirms that to say nothing
of the brahminically qualified devotees and rAjarSis (kià punar brAhmaNAH
puNyA bhaktA rAjarSayas tathA), anyone who by the association of a pure
devotee comes to KRSNa consciousness becomes eligible to go back home,
back to Godhead. In the Bhagavad-gItA (9.32) the Lord thus declares:
mAà hi pArtha vyapAzritya ye ’pi syuH pApa-yonayaH
striyo vaizyAs tathA zUdrAs te ’pi yAnti parAà gatim
“O son of PRthA, those who take shelter in Me, though they be of lower
birth—women, vaizyas [merchants] and zUdras [workers]—can attain the
supreme destination.”
Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu delivered the two fallen brothers JagAi and
MAdhAi, but the entire world is presently full of JagAis and MAdhAis, or, in
other words, woman-hunters, meat-eaters, gamblers, thieves and other
rogues, who create all kinds of disturbances in society. The activities of such
persons have now become common practices. It is no longer considered
abominable to be a drunkard, woman-hunter, meat-eater, thief or rogue, for
these elements have been assimilated by human society. That does not mean,
however, that the abominable qualities of such persons will help free human
society from the clutches of mAyA. Rather, they will entangle humanity more
and more in the reactions of the stringent laws of material nature. One’s
activities are all performed under the influence of the modes of material
nature (prakRteH kriyamANAni guNaiH karmANi sarvazaH [Bg. 3.27]). Because
people are now associating with the modes of ignorance (tamo-guNa) and, to
some extent, passion (rajo-guNa), with no trace of goodness (sattva-guNa),
they are becoming increasingly greedy and lusty, for that is the effect of
associating with these modes. TadA rajas-tamo-bhavAH kAma-lobhAdayaz ca
ye: “By associating with the two lower qualities of material nature, one
becomes lusty and greedy.” (BhAg. 1.2.19) Actually, in modern human society,
everyone is greedy and lusty, and therefore the only means for deliverance is
zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu’s sa~NkIrtana movement, which can promote all the
JagAis and MAdhAis to the topmost position of sattva-guNa, or brahminical
culture.
zrImad-BhAgavatam (1.2.18–19) states:
naSTa-prAyeSv abhadreSu nityaà bhAgavata-sevayA
bhagavaty uttama-zloke bhaktir bhavati naiSThikI
tadA rajas-tamo-bhAvAH kAma-lobhAdayaz ca ye
ceta etair anAviddhaà sthitaà sattve prasIdati
Considering the chaotic condition of human society, if one actually wants
peace and tranquillity, one must take to the KRSNa consciousness movement
and engage always in bhAgavata-dharma. Engagement in bhAgavata-dharma
dissipates all ignorance and passion, and when ignorance and passion are
dissipated one is freed from greed and lust. When freed from greed and lust,
one becomes brahminically qualified, and when a brahminically qualified
person makes further advancement, he becomes situated on the VaiSNava
platform. It is only on this VaiSNava platform that it is possible to awaken
one’s dormant love of Godhead, and as soon as one does so, his life is
successful.
At present, human society is specifically cultivating the mode of ignorance
(tamo-guNa), although there may also be some symptoms of passion (rajo-
guNa). Full of kAma and lobha, lust and greed, the entire population of the
world consists mostly of zUdras and a few vaizyas, and gradually it is coming
about that there are zUdras only. Communism is a movement of zUdras, and
capitalism is meant for vaizyas. In the fighting between these two factions,
the zUdras and vaizyas, gradually, due to the abominable condition of society,
the communists will emerge triumphant, and as soon as this takes place,
whatever is left of society will be ruined. The only possible remedy that can
counteract the tendency toward communism is the KRSNa consciousness
movement, which can give even communists the real idea of communist
society. According to the doctrine of communism, the state should be the
proprietor of everything. But the KRSNa consciousness movement, expanding
this same idea, accepts God as the proprietor of everything. People cannot
understand this because they have no sense of God, but the KRSNa
consciousness movement can help them to understand God and to
understand that everything belongs to God. Since everything is the property
of God, and all living entities—not only human beings but even animals, birds,
plants and so on—are children of God, everyone has the right to live at the
cost of God with God consciousness. This is the sum and substance of the
KRSNa consciousness movement.
Adi 8.21
TEXT 21
svatantra Izvara prema-nigUòha-bhANdAra
bilAila yAre tAre, nA kaila vicAra

svatantra—fully independent; Izvara—the Supreme Personality of Godhead;
prema—love of God; nigUòha—very confidential; bhANòAra—stock; bilAila—
distributed; yAre—to anyone; tAre—to everyone; nA—not; kaila—did;
vicAra—consideration.
TRANSLATION
zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu, as the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself, is
fully independent. Therefore, although it is the most confidentially stored
benediction, He can distribute love of Godhead to anyone and everyone
without consideration.
PURPORT
This is the benefit of Lord Caitanya’s movement. If one somehow or other
comes in contact with the Hare KRSNa movement, without consideration of his
being a zUdra, vaizya, JagAi, MAdhAi or even lower, he becomes advanced in
spiritual consciousness and immediately develops love of Godhead. We now
have actual experience that throughout the entire world this movement is
making many such persons lovers of God simply by the chanting of the Hare
KRSNa mahA-mantra. Actually, zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu has appeared as the
spiritual master of the entire world. He does not discriminate between
offenders and the innocent. KRSNa-prema-pradAya te: [Madhya 19.53] He
liberally gives love of Godhead to anyone and everyone. This can be actually
experienced, as stated in the next verse.
Adi 8.22
TEXT 22
adyApiha dekha caitanya-nAma yei laya
kRSNa-preme pulakAzru-vihvala se haya

adyApiha—even up to date; dekha—you see; caitanya-nAma—Lord zrI
Caitanya MahAprabhu’s name; yei—anyone; laya—who takes; kRSNa-
preme—in love of KRSNa; pulaka-azru—tears in ecstasy; vihvala—
overwhelmed; se—he; haya—becomes.
TRANSLATION
Whether he is offensive or inoffensive, anyone who even now chants zrI-
kRSNa-caitanya prabhu-nityAnanda is immediately overwhelmed with ecstasy,
and tears fill his eyes.
PURPORT
The prAkRta-sahajiyAs who chant nitAi-gaura rAdhe zyAma have very little
knowledge of the BhAgavata conclusion, and they hardly follow the VaiSNava
rules and regulations, and yet because they chant bhaja nitAi-gaura, their
chanting immediately evokes tears and other signs of ecstasy. Although they
do not know the principles of VaiSNava philosophy and are not very much
advanced in education, by these symptoms they attract many men to
become their followers. Their ecstatic tears will of course help them in the
long run, for as soon as they come in contact with a pure devotee their lives
will become successful. Even in the beginning, however, because they are
chanting the holy names of nitAi-gaura, their swift advancement on the path
of love of Godhead is very prominently visible.
Adi 8.23
TEXT 23
‘nityAnanda’ balite haya kRSNa-premodaya
AulAya sakala a~Nga, azru-ga~NgA vaya

nityAnanda balite—while talking of NityAnanda Prabhu; haya—it so becomes;
kRSNa-prema-udaya—awakening of love of KRSNa; AulAya—agitated;
sakala—all; a~Nga—limbs of the body; azru-ga~NgA—tears like the Ganges
waters; vaya—flow down.
TRANSLATION
Simply by talking of NityAnanda Prabhu one awakens his love for KRSNa. Thus
all his bodily limbs are agitated by ecstasy, and tears flow from his eyes like
the waters of the Ganges.
Adi 8.24
TEXT 24
‘kRSNa-nAma’ kare aparAdhera vicAra
kRSNa balile aparAdhIra nA haya vikAra

kRSNa-nAma—the holy name of Lord KRSNa; kare—takes; aparAdhera—of
offenses; vicAra—consideration; kRSNa—Lord KRSNa; balile—if one chants;
aparAdhIra—of the offenders; nA—never; haya—becomes; vikAra—changed.
TRANSLATION
There are offenses to be considered while chanting the Hare KRSNa mantra.
Therefore simply by chanting Hare KRSNa one does not become ecstatic.
PURPORT
It is very beneficial to chant the names zrI-kRSNa-caitanya prabhu-nityAnanda
before chanting the Hare KRSNa mahA-mantra because by chanting these two
holy names—zrI-kRSNa-caitanya prabhu-nityAnanda—one immediately
becomes ecstatic, and if he then chants the Hare KRSNa mahA-mantra he
becomes free of offenses.
There are ten offenses to avoid in chanting the Hare KRSNa mahA-mantra. The
first offense is to blaspheme great personalities who are engaged in
distributing the holy name of the Lord. It is said in the zAstra (Cc. Antya 7.11),
kRSNa-zakti vinA nahe tAra pravartana: one cannot distribute the holy names of
the Hare KRSNa mahA-mantra unless he is empowered by the Supreme
Personality of Godhead. Therefore one should not criticize or blaspheme a
devotee who is thus engaged.
zrI Padma PurANa states:
satAà nindA nAmnaH paramam aparAdhaà vitanute
yataH khyAtià yAtaà katham u sahate tad-vigarhAm
To blaspheme the great saintly persons who are engaged in preaching the
glories of the Hare KRSNa mahA-mantra is the worst offense at the lotus feet
of the holy name. One should not criticize a preacher of the glories of the
Hare KRSNa mahA-mantra. If one does so, he is an offender. The NAma-prabhu,
who is identical with KRSNa, will never tolerate such blasphemous activities,
even from one who passes as a great devotee.
The second nAmAparAdha is described as follows:
zivasya zrI-viSNor ya iha guNa-nAmAdi-sakalaà
dhiyA bhinnaà pazyet sa khalu hari-nAmAhita-karaH
In this material world, the holy name of ViSNu is all-auspicious. ViSNu’s name,
form, qualities and pastimes are all transcendental, absolute knowledge.
Therefore, if one tries to separate the Absolute Personality of Godhead from
His holy name or His transcendental form, qualities and pastimes, thinking
them to be material, that is offensive. Similarly, to think that the names of
demigods such as Lord ziva are as good as the name of Lord ViSNu—or, in
other words, to think that Lord ziva and the other demigods are other forms
of God and therefore equal to ViSNu—is also blasphemous. This is the second
offense at the lotus feet of the holy name of theLord.
The third offense at the lotus feet of the holy name, which is called guror
avaj~nA, is to consider the spiritual master to be material and therefore to envy
his exalted position. The fourth offense (zruti-zAstra-nindanam) is to
blaspheme Vedic literatures such as the four Vedas and the PurANas. The fifth
offense (artha-vAdaH) is to consider the glories of the holy name to be
exaggerations. Similarly, the sixth offense (hari-nAmni kalpanam) is to
consider the holy name of the Lord to be imaginary.
The seventh offense is described as follows:
nAmno balAd yasya hi pApa-buddhir
na vidyate tasya yamair hi zuddhiH
To think that since the Hare KRSNa mantra can counteract all sinful reactions
one may therefore go on with his sinful activities and at the same time chant
the Hare KRSNa mantra to neutralize them is the greatest offense at the lotus
feet of hari-nAma.
The eighth offense is stated thus:
dharma-vrata-tyAga-hutAdi-sarva-
zubha-kriyA-sAmyam api pramAdaH
It is offensive to consider the chanting of the Hare KRSNa mantra to be a
religious ritualistic ceremony. Performing religious ceremonies, following
vows and practicing renunciation and sacrifice are all materialistic auspicious
activities. The chanting of the Hare KRSNa mahA-mantra must not be
compared to such materialistic religiosity. This is an offense at the lotus feet
of the holy name of the Lord.
The ninth offense is described as follows:
azraddadhAne vimukhe ’py azRNvati
yaz copadezaH ziva-nAmAparAdhaH
It is an offense to preach the glories of the holy name among persons who
have no intelligence or no faith in the subject matter. Such people should be
given the chance to hear the chanting of the Hare KRSNa mantra, but in the
beginning they should not be instructed about the glories or the spiritual
significance of the holy name. By constant hearing of the holy name, their
hearts will be purified, and then they will be able to understand the
transcendental position of the holy name.
The tenth offense is as follows:
zrute ’pi nAma-mAhAtmye yaH prIti-rahito naraH
ahaà-mamAdi-paramo nAmni so ’py aparAdha-kRt
If one has heard the glories of the transcendental holy name of the Lord but
nevertheless continues in a materialistic concept of life, thinking “I am this
body and everything belonging to this body is mine [ahaà mameti SB 5.5.8],”
and does not show respect and love for the chanting of the Hare KRSNa mahA-
mantra, that is an offense.
Adi 8.25
TEXT 25
tad azma-sAraà hRdayaà batedaà
yad gRhyamANair hari-nAmadheyaiH
na vikriyetAtha yadA vikAro
netre jalaà gAtra-ruheSu harSaH

tat—that; azma-sAram—as hard as iron; hRdayam—heart; bata—O; idam—
this; yat—which; gRhyamANaiH—in spite of taking the chanting; hari-
nAmadheyaiH—meditating on the holy name of the Lord; na—does not;
vikriyeta—change; atha—thus; yadA—when; vikAraH—transformation;
netre—in the eyes; jalam—tears; gAtra-ruheSu—in the pores of the body;
harSaH—ecstasy.
TRANSLATION
“If one’s heart does not change, tears do not flow from his eyes, his body
does not shiver, and his bodily hairs do not stand on end as he chants the
Hare KRSNa mahA-mantra, it should be understood that his heart is as hard as
iron. This is due to his offenses at the lotus feet of the Lord’s holy name.”
PURPORT
zrIla BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI ThAkura, commenting on this verse, which is a
quotation from zrImad-BhAgavatam (2.3.24), remarks that sometimes a
mahA-bhAgavata, or very advanced devotee, does not manifest such
transcendental symptoms as tears in the eyes, whereas sometimes a kaniSTha-
adhikArI, a neophyte devotee, displays them artificially. This does not mean,
however, that the neophyte is more advanced than the mahA-bhAgavata
devotee. The test of the real change of heart that takes place when one
chants the Hare KRSNa mahA-mantra is that one becomes detached from
material enjoyment. This is the real change. Bhaktir parezAnubhavo viraktir
anyatra ca (BhAg. 11.2.42). If one is actually advancing in spiritual life, he must
become very much detached from material enjoyment. If it is sometimes
found that a kaniSTha-adhikArI (neophyte devotee) shows artificial tears in his
eyes while chanting the Hare KRSNa mantra but is still completely attached to
material things, his heart has not really changed. The change must be
manifested in terms of one’s real activities.
Adi 8.26
TEXT 26
‘eka’ kRSNa-nAme kare sarva-pApa nAza
premera kAraNa bhakti karena prakAza

eka—one; kRSNa-nAme—by chanting the holy name of Lord KRSNa; kare—
makes; sarva—all; pApa—sinful life; nAza—exhausted; premera—of love of
Godhead; kAraNa—cause; bhakti—devotional service; karena—becomes;
prakAza—manifest.
TRANSLATION
Simply chanting the Hare KRSNa mahA-mantra without offenses vanquishes all
sinful activities. Thus pure devotional service, which is the cause of love of
Godhead, becomes manifest.
PURPORT
One cannot be situated in the devotional service of the Lord unless one is free
from sinful life. This is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gItA (7.28):
yeSAà tv anta-gataà pApaà janAnAà puNya-karmanAm
te dvandva-moha-nirmuktA bhajante mAà dRòha-vratAH
“Persons who have acted piously in previous lives and in this life and whose
sinful actions are completely eradicated are freed from the duality of delusion,
and they engage themselves in My service with determination.” A person
who is already cleansed of all tinges of sinful life engages without deviation
or duality of purpose in the transcendental loving service of the Lord. In this
age, although people are greatly sinful, simply chanting the Hare KRSNa mahA-
mantra can relieve them from the reactions of their sins. Eka kRSNa-nAme: only
by chanting KRSNa’s name is this possible. This is confirmed in zrImad-
BhAgavatam (12.3.51): kIrtanAd eva kRSNasya mukta-sa~NgaH. Caitanya
MahAprabhu has also taught us this. While passing on the road, He used to
chant:
kRSNa kRSNa kRSNa kRSNa kRSNa kRSNa kRSNa he
kRSNa kRSNa kRSNa kRSNa kRSNa kRSNa kRSNa he
kRSNa kRSNa kRSNa kRSNa kRSNa kRSNa rakSa mAm
kRSNa kRSNa kRSNa kRSNa kRSNa kRSNa pAhi mAm
rAma rAghava rAma rAghava rAma rAghava rakSa mAm
kRSNa kezava kRSNa kezava kRSNa kezava pAhi mAm
If one always chants the holy name of KRSNa, gradually one is freed from all
reactions of sinful life, provided he chants offenselessly and does not commit
more sinful activities on the strength of chanting the Hare KRSNa mantra. In
this way one is purified, and his devotional service causes the arousal of his
dormant love of God. If one simply chants the Hare KRSNa mantra and does
not commit sinful activities and offenses, one’s life is purified, and thus one
comes to the fifth stage of perfection, or engagement in the loving service of
the Lord (premA pum-artho mahAn).
Adi 8.27
TEXT 27
premera udaye haya premera vikAra
sveda-kampa-pulakAdi gadgadAzrudhAra

premera—of love of Godhead; udaye—when there is awakening; haya—it
becomes so; premera—of love of Godhead; vikAra—transformation; sveda—
perspiration; kampa—trembling; pulaka-Adi—throbbing of the heart;
gadgada—faltering; azru-dhAra—tears in the eyes.
TRANSLATION
When one’s transcendental loving service to the Lord is actually awakened, it
generates transformations in the body such as perspiration, trembling,
throbbing of the heart, faltering of the voice and tears in the eyes.
PURPORT
These bodily transformations are automatically manifested when one is
actually situated in love of Godhead. One should not artificially imitate them.
Our disease is desire for that which is material; even while advancing in
spiritual life, we want material acclaim. One must be freed from this disease.
Pure devotion must be anyAbhilASitA-zUnyam [Bhakti-rasAmRta-sindhu
anyAbhilASitA-zUnyaà
j~nAna-karmAdy-anAvRtam
AnukUlyena kRSNAnu-
zIlanaà bhaktir uttamA
“One should render transcendental loving service to the Supreme Lord KRSNa
favorably and without desire for material profit or gain through fruitive
activities or philosophical speculation. That is called pure devotional service.”
Bhakti-rasAmRta-sindhu 1.1.111.1.11], without desire for anything material.
Advanced devotees manifest many bodily transformations, which are
symptoms of ecstasy, but one should not imitate them to achieve cheap
adoration from the public. When one actually attains the advanced stage, the
ecstatic symptoms will appear automatically; one does not need to imitate
them.
Adi 8.28
TEXT 28
anAyAse bhava-kSaya, kRSNera sevana
eka kRSNa-nAmera phale pAi eta dhana

anAyAse—without hard labor; bhava-kSaya—stoppage of repetition of birth
and death; kRSNera—of Lord KRSNa; sevana—service; eka—one; kRSNa-
nAmera—chanting the name of KRSNa; phale—as a result of; pAi—we
achieve; eta—so much; dhana—wealth.
TRANSLATION
As a result of chanting the Hare KRSNa mahA-mantra, one makes such great
advancement in spiritual life that simultaneously his material existence
terminates and he receives love of Godhead. The holy name of KRSNa is so
powerful that by chanting even one name, one very easily achieves these
transcendental riches.
Adi 8.29-30
TEXTS 29–30
hena kRSNa-nAma yadi laya bahu-bAra
tabu yadi prema nahe, nahe azrudhAra
tabe jAni, aparAdha tAhAte pracura
kRSNa-nAma-bIja tAhe nA kare a~Nkura

hena—such; kRSNa-nAma—holy name of the Lord; yadi—if; laya—one takes;
bahu-bAra—again and again; tabu—still; yadi—if; prema—love of Godhead;
nahe—is not visible; nahe azru-dhAra—there are no tears in the eyes; tabe—
then; jAni—I understand; aparAdha—offense; tAhAte—there (in that process);
pracura—enough; kRSNa-nAma—the holy name of KRSNa; bIja—seed; tAhe—
in those activities; nA—does not; kare—do; a~Nkura—sprout.
TRANSLATION
If one chants the exalted holy name of the Lord again and again and yet his
love for the Supreme Lord does not develop and tears do not appear in his
eyes, it is evident that because of his offenses in chanting, the seed of the
holy name of KRSNa does not sprout.
PURPORT
If one chants the Hare KRSNa mantra offensively, one does not achieve the
desired result. Therefore one should carefully avoid the offenses, which have
already been described in connection with verse 24.
Adi 8.31
TEXT 31
caitanya-nityAnande nAhi esaba vicAra
nAma laite prema dena, vahe azrudhAra

caitanya-nityAnande—when chanting the holy names of Lord Caitanya and
NityAnanda; nAhi—there are not; esaba—all these; vicara—considerations;
nAma—the holy name; laite—simply by chanting; prema—love of Godhead;
dena—they give; vahe—there is a flow; azru-dhAra—tears in the eyes.
TRANSLATION
But if one only chants, with some slight faith, the holy names of Lord Caitanya
and NityAnanda, very quickly he is cleansed of all offenses. Thus as soon as he
chants the Hare KRSNa mahA-mantra, he feels the ecstasy of love for God.
PURPORT
zrIla BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI ThAkura remarks in this connection that if one
takes shelter of Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu and NityAnanda, follows Their
instructions to become more tolerant than the tree and humbler than the
grass, and in this way chants the holy name of the Lord, very soon he
achieves the platform of transcendental loving service to the Lord, and tears
appear in his eyes. There are offenses to be considered in chanting the Hare
KRSNa mahA-mantra, but there are no such considerations in chanting the
names of Gaura-NityAnanda. Therefore, if one chants the Hare KRSNa mahA-
mantra but his life is still full of sinful activities, it will be very difficult for him
to achieve the platform of loving service to the Lord. But if in spite of being
an offender one chants the holy names of Gaura-NityAnanda, he is very
quickly freed from the reactions to his offenses. Therefore, one should first
approach Lord Caitanya and NityAnanda, or worship Guru-GaurA~Nga, and then
come to the stage of worshiping RAdhA-KRSNa. In our KRSNa consciousness
movement, our students are first advised to worship Guru-GaurA~Nga, and
then, when they are somewhat advanced, the RAdhA-KRSNa Deity is installed,
and they are engaged in the worship of the Lord.
One should first take shelter of Gaura-NityAnanda in order to reach,
ultimately, RAdhA-KRSNa. zrIla Narottama dAsa ThAkura sings in this
connection:
gaurA~Nga balite ha’be pulaka zarIra
hari hari balite nayane ba’be nIra
Ara kabe nitAi-cA~Ndera karuNA karibe
saàsAra-vAsanA mora kabe tuccha habe
viSaya chAòiyA kabe zuddha habe mana
kabe hAma heraba zrI-vRndAvana
In the beginning one should very regularly chant zrI Gaurasundara’s holy
name and then chant the holy name of Lord NityAnanda. Thus one’s heart will
be cleansed of impure desires for material enjoyment. Then one can approach
VRndAvana-dhAma to worship Lord KRSNa. Unless one is favored by Lord
Caitanya and NityAnanda, there is no need to go to VRndAvana, for unless
one’s mind is purified, he cannot see VRndAvana, even if he goes there.
Actually going to VRndAvana involves taking shelter of the six GosvAmIs by
reading the Bhakti-rasAmRta-sindhu, Vidagdha-mAdhava, Lalita-mAdhava and
the other books that they have given. In this way one can understand the
transcendental loving affairs between RAdhA and KRSNa. Kabe hAma bujhaba
se yugala-pirIti. The conjugal love between RAdhA and KRSNa is not an ordinary
human affair; it is fully transcendental. In order to understand RAdhA and
KRSNa, worship Them and engage in Their loving service, one must be guided
by zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu, NityAnanda Prabhu and the six GosvAmIs, Lord
Caitanya’s direct disciples.
For an ordinary man, worship of zrI Caitanya and NityAnanda Prabhu or the
Pa~nca-tattva is easier than worship of RAdhA and KRSNa. Unless one is very
fortunate, he should not be induced to worship RAdhA-KRSNa directly. A
neophyte student who is not sufficiently educated or enlightened should not
indulge in the worship of zrI RAdhA and KRSNa or the chanting of the Hare
KRSNa mantra. Even if he does so, he cannot get the desired result. One should
therefore chant the names of NitAi-Gaura and worship Them without false
prestige. Since everyone within this material world is more or less influenced
by sinful activities, in the beginning it is essential that one take to the worship
of Guru-GaurA~Nga and ask their favor, for thus despite all his disqualifications
one will very soon become qualified to worship the RAdhA-KRSNa vigraha.
It should be noted in this connection that the holy names of Lord KRSNa and
Gaurasundara are both identical with the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Therefore one should not consider one name to be more potent than the
other. Considering the position of the people of this age, however, the
chanting of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu’s name is more essential than the
chanting of the Hare KRSNa mahA-mantra because zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu is
the most magnanimous incarnation and His mercy is very easily achieved.
Therefore one must first take shelter of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu by chanting
zrI-kRSNa-caitanya prabhu-nityAnanda zrI-advaita gadAdhara zrIvAsAdi-gaura-
bhakta-vRnda. By serving Gaura-NityAnanda one is freed from the
entanglements of material existence and thus becomes qualified to worship
the RAdhA-KRSNa Deity.
Adi 8.32
TEXT 32
svatantra Izvara prabhu atyanta udAra
tA~Nre nA bhajile kabhu nA haya nistAra

svatantra Izvara—the fully independent Supreme Lord; prabhu—the Lord;
atyanta—very; udAra—magnanimous; tA~Nre—unto Him; nA—without;
bhajile—worshiping; kabhu nA—never at any time; haya—becomes so;
nistAra—liberation.
TRANSLATION
zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu, the independent Supreme Personality of Godhead,
is greatly magnanimous. Unless one worships Him, one can never be liberated.
PURPORT
zrI BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI ThAkura here remarks that one should not give
up the worship of RAdhA-KRSNa to worship zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu. By
worshiping either RAdhA-KRSNa or Lord Caitanya alone, one cannot become
advanced. One should not try to supersede the instructions of the six
GosvAmIs, for they are AcAryas and very dear to Lord Caitanya. Therefore
Narottama dAsa ThAkura sings:
rUpa-raghunAtha-pade haibe Akuti
kabe hAma bujhaba se yugala-pirIti
One must be a submissive student of the six GosvAmIs, from zrIla RUpa
GosvAmI to RaghunAtha dAsa GosvAmI. Not following their instructions but
imagining how to worship Gaurasundara and RAdhA-KRSNa is a great offense,
as a result of which one clears a path to hell. If one neglects the instructions of
the six GosvAmIs and yet becomes a so-called devotee of RAdhA-KRSNa, he
merely criticizes the real devotees of RAdhA-KRSNa. As a result of speculation,
he considers Gaurasundara to be an ordinary devotee and therefore cannot
make progress in serving the Supreme Personality of Godhead, RAdhA-KRSNa.
Adi 8.33
TEXT 33
ore mUòha loka, zuna caitanya-ma~Ngala
caitanya-mahimA yAte jAnibe sakala

ore—O all of you; mUòha—foolish; loka—people; zuna—just hear; caitanya-
ma~Ngala—the book of this name; caitanya—Lord Caitanya’s; mahimA—
glories; yAte—in which; jAnibe—you will know; sakala—all.
TRANSLATION
O fools, just read zrI Caitanya-ma~Ngala! By reading this book you can
understand all the glories of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu.
PURPORT
zrI VRndAvana dAsa ThAkura’s zrI Caitanya-bhAgavata was originally entitled
zrI Caitanya-ma~Ngala, but when zrIla Locana dAsa ThAkura later wrote another
book named zrI Caitanya-ma~Ngala, zrIla VRndAvana dAsa ThAkura changed the
name of his own book, which is now therefore known as zrI Caitanya-
bhAgavata. The life of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu is very elaborately described
in the Caitanya-bhAgavata, and KRSNadAsa KavirAja GosvAmI has already
informed us that in his zrI Caitanya-caritAmRta he has described whatever
VRndAvana dAsa ThAkura has not mentioned. This acceptance of zrI Caitanya-
bhAgavata by KRSNadAsa KavirAja GosvAmI indicates his acceptance of the
disciplic succession. A writer of transcendental literature never tries to surpass
the previous AcAryas.
Adi 8.34
TEXT 34
kRSNa-lIlA bhAgavate kahe veda-vyAsa
caitanya-lIlAra vyAsa——vRndAvana-dAsa

kRSNa-lIlA—the pastimes of Lord KRSNa; bhAgavate—in the book zrImad-
BhAgavatam; kahe—tells; veda-vyAsa—VyAsadeva, the editor of the Vedic
literatures; caitanya-lIlAra—of the pastimes of Lord Caitanya; vyAsa—
compiler; vRndAvana-dAsa—is VRndAvana dAsa.
TRANSLATION
As VyAsadeva has compiled all the pastimes of Lord KRSNa in zrImad-
BhAgavatam, ThAkura VRndAvana dAsa has depicted the pastimes of Lord
Caitanya.
Adi 8.35
TEXT 35
vRndAvana-dAsa kaila ‘caitanya-ma~Ngala’
yA~NhAra zravaNe nAze sarva ama~Ngala

vRndAvana-dAsa—VRndAvana dAsa; kaila—compiled; caitanya-ma~Ngala—the
book named Caitanya-ma~Ngala; yA~NhAra—of which; zravaNe—by hearing;
nAze—annihilated; sarva—all; ama~Ngala—inauspiciousness.
TRANSLATION
ThAkura VRndAvana dAsa has composed zrI Caitanya-ma~Ngala. Hearing this
book annihilates all misfortune.
Adi 8.36
TEXT 36
caitanya-nitAira yAte jAniye mahimA
yAte jAni kRSNa-bhakti-siddhAntera sImA

caitanya-nitAira—of Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu and NityAnanda Prabhu;
yAte—in which; jAniye—one can know; mahimA—all glories; yAte—in which;
jAni—I can understand; kRSNa-bhakti—of devotion to Lord KRSNa;
siddhAntera—of the conclusion; sImA—limit.
TRANSLATION
By reading zrI Caitanya-ma~Ngala one can understand all the glories and truths
of Lord Caitanya and NityAnanda and come to the ultimate conclusion of
devotional service to Lord KRSNa.
PURPORT
zrImad-BhAgavatam is the authoritative reference book from which to
understand devotional service, but because it is very elaborate, few men can
understand its purport. zrImad-BhAgavatam is the original commentary on the
VedAnta-sUtra, which is called nyAya-prasthAna. It was written to enable one
to understand the Absolute Truth through infallible logic and argument, and
therefore its natural commentary, zrImad-BhAgavatam, is extremely
elaborate. Professional reciters have created the impression that zrImad-
BhAgavatam deals only with KRSNa’s rAsa-lIlA, although KRSNa’s rAsa-lIlA is
described only in chapters 29 through 33 of the Tenth Canto. They have in
this way presented KRSNa to the Western world as a great woman-hunter, and
therefore we sometimes have to deal with such misconceptions in preaching.
Another difficulty in understanding zrImad-BhAgavatam is that the
professional reciters have introduced bhAgavata-saptAha, or seven-day
readings of the BhAgavatam. They want to finish zrImad-BhAgavatam in a
week, although it is so sublime that even one verse of zrImad-BhAgavatam, if
properly explained, cannot be completed in three months. Under these
circumstances, it is a great aid for the common man to read zrIla VRndAvana
dAsa ThAkura’s Caitanya-bhAgavata, for thus he can actually understand
devotional service, KRSNa, Lord Caitanya and NityAnanda. zrIla RUpa GosvAmI
has said:
zruti-smRti-purANAdi-pa~ncarAtra-vidhià vinA
aikAntikI harer bhaktir utpAtAyaiva kalpate
[BRS zruti-smRti-purANAdi-
pa~ncarAtra-vidhià vinA
aikAntikI harer bhaktir
utpAtAyaiva kalpate
“Devotional service of the Lord that ignores the authorized Vedic literatures
like the UpaniSads, PurANas and NArada-pa~ncarAtra is simply an unnecessary
disturbance in society.” Bhakti-rasAmRta-sindhu 1.2.1011.2.101]
“Devotional service to the Lord that ignores the authorized Vedic
literatures—the UpaniSads, PurANas, NArada-pa~ncarAtra, etc.—is simply an
unnecessary disturbance in society.” Due to misunderstanding zrImad-
BhAgavatam, people are misled regarding the science of KRSNa. However, by
reading zrIla VRndAvana dAsa ThAkura’s book one can very easily understand
this science.
Adi 8.37
TEXT 37
bhAgavate yata bhakti-siddhAntera sAra
likhiyAchena i~NhA jAni’ kariyA uddhAra

bhAgavate—in zrImad-BhAgavatam; yata—all; bhakti-siddhAntera—in
understanding devotional service; sAra—essence; likhiyAchena—has written;
i~NhA—this; jAni’—I know; kariyA—making; uddhAra—quotation.
TRANSLATION
In zrI Caitanya-ma~Ngala [later known as zrI Caitanya-bhAgavata] zrIla
VRndAvana dAsa ThAkura has given the conclusion and essence of devotional
service by quoting the authoritative statements of zrImad-BhAgavatam.
Adi 8.38
TEXT 38
‘caitanya-ma~Ngala’ zune yadi pASaNòI, yavana
seha mahA-vaiSNava haya tatakSaNa

caitanya-ma~Ngala—the book named Caitanya-ma~Ngala; zune—anyone hears;
yadi—if; pASaNòI—great atheist; yavana—a nonbeliever in the Vedic culture;
seha—he also; mahA-vaiSNava—great devotee; haya—becomes;
tatakSaNa—immediately.
TRANSLATION
If even a great atheist hears zrI Caitanya-ma~Ngala, he immediately becomes a
great devotee.
Adi 8.39
TEXT 39
manuSye racite nAre aiche grantha dhanya
vRndAvana-dAsa-mukhe vaktA zrI-caitanya

manuSye—a human being; racite—compiled; nAre—cannot; aiche—such;
grantha—book; dhanya—so glorious; vRndAvana-dAsa—the author, zrIla
VRndAvana dAsa ThAkura; mukhe—from his mouth; vaktA—speaker; zrI-
caitanya—Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu.
TRANSLATION
The subject matter of this book is so sublime that it appears that zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu has personally spoken through the writings of zrI VRndAvana
dAsa ThAkura.
PURPORT
zrIla SanAtana GosvAmI has written in his Hari-bhakti-vilAsa:
avaiSNava-mukhodgIrNaà pUtaà hari-kathAmRtam
zravaNaà naiva kartavyaà sarpocchiSTaà yathA payaH
“One should not hear anything about KRSNa from a non-VaiSNava. Milk
touched by the lips of a serpent has poisonous effects; similarly, talks about
KRSNa given by a non-VaiSNava are also poisonous.”
Transcendental literature that strictly follows the Vedic principles and the
conclusion of the PurANas and pA~ncarAtrika-vidhi can be written only by a
pure devotee. It is not possible for a common man to write books on bhakti,
for his writings will not be effective. He may be a very great scholar and may
be expert in presenting literature in flowery language, but this is not at all
helpful in understanding transcendental literature. Even if transcendental
literature is written in faulty language, it is acceptable if it is written by a
devotee, whereas so-called transcendental literature written by a mundane
scholar, even if it is a very highly polished literary presentation, cannot be
accepted. The secret in a devotee’s writing is that when he writes about the
pastimes of the Lord, the Lord helps him; he does not write alone. As stated in
the Bhagavad-gItA (10.10), dadAmi buddhi-yogaà taà yena mAm upayAnti te.
Since a devotee writes in service to the Lord, the Lord from within gives him
so much intelligence that he sits down near the Lord and goes on writing
books. KRSNadAsa KavirAja GosvAmI confirms that what VRndAvana dAsa
ThAkura wrote was actually spoken by Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu, and he
simply repeated it. The same holds true for zrI Caitanya-caritAmRta. KRSNadAsa
KavirAja GosvAmI wrote zrI Caitanya-caritAmRta in his old age, in an invalid
condition, but it is such a sublime literature that zrIla BhaktisiddhAnta
SarasvatI GosvAmI MahArAja used to say, “The time will come when the
people of the world will learn Bengali to read zrI Caitanya-caritAmRta.” We are
trying to present zrI Caitanya-caritAmRta in English and do not know how
successful it will be, but if one reads the original Caitanya-caritAmRta in
Bengali he will relish increasing ecstasy in devotional service.
Adi 8.40
TEXT 40
vRndAvana-dAsa-pade koTi namaskAra
aiche grantha kari’ te~Nho tArilA saàsAra

vRndAvana-dAsa-pade—unto the lotus feet of zrIla VRndAvana dAsa ThAkura;
koTi—millions; namaskAra—obeisances; aiche—such; grantha—book; kari’—
compiling; te~Nho—he; tArilA—delivered; saàsAra—all the world.
TRANSLATION
I offer millions of obeisances unto the lotus feet of VRndAvana dAsa ThAkura.
No one else could write such a wonderful book for the deliverance of all fallen
souls.
Adi 8.41
TEXT 41
nArAyaNI——caitanyera ucchiSTa-bhAjana
tA~Nra garbhe janmilA zrI-dAsa-vRndAvana

nArAyaNI—NArAyaNI; caitanyera—of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu; ucchiSTa-
bhAjana—eater of the remnants of food; tA~Nra—of her; garbhe—in the
womb; janmilA—took birth; zrI-dAsa-vRndAvana—zrIla VRndAvana dAsa
ThAkura.
TRANSLATION
NArAyaNI eternally eats the remnants of the food of Caitanya MahAprabhu.
zrIla VRndAvana dAsa ThAkura was born of her womb.
PURPORT
In text 43 of the Gaura-gaNoddeza-dIpikA, a book written by Kavi-karNapUra
that describes all the associates of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu and who they
previously were, there is the following statement regarding NArAyaNI:
ambikAyAH svasA yAsIn nAmnA zrIla-kilimbikA
kRSNocchiSTaà prabhu~njAnA seyaà nArAyaNI matA
When Lord KRSNa was a child, He was nursed by a woman named AmbikA,
who had a younger sister named KilimbikA. During the time of Lord Caitanya’s
incarnation, the same KilimbikA used to eat the remnants of food left by Lord
zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu. That KilimbikA was NArAyaNI, who was a niece of
zrIvAsa ThAkura’s. Later on, when she grew up and married, zrIla VRndAvana
dAsa ThAkura was born from her womb. A devotee of Lord zrI KRSNa is
celebrated in terms of devotional service rendered to the Lord; thus we know
zrIla VRndAvana dAsa ThAkura as the son of NArAyaNI. zrIla BhaktisiddhAnta
SarasvatI ThAkura notes in this connection that there is no reference to his
paternal ancestry because there is no need to understand it.
Adi 8.42
TEXT 42
tA~Nra ki adbhuta caitanya-carita-varNana
yAhAra zravaNe zuddha kaila tri-bhuvana

tA~Nra—zrIla VRndAvana dAsa ThAkura’s; ki—what; adbhuta—wonderful;
caitanya-carita—of the pastimes of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu; varNana—
description; yAhAra—of which; zravaNe—by hearing; zuddha—purified;
kaila—made; tri-bhuvana—the three worlds.
TRANSLATION
What a wonderful description he has given of the pastimes of Lord Caitanya!
Anyone in the three worlds who hears it is purified.
Adi 8.43
TEXT 43
ataeva bhaja, loka, caitanya-nityAnanda
khaNòibe saàsAra-duHkha, pAbe premAnanda

ataeva—therefore; bhaja—worship; loka—O people in general; caitanya—
Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu; nityAnanda—NityAnanda Prabhu; khaNòibe—
will vanquish; saàsAra-duHkha—miserable condition of material existence;
pAbe—he will get; premAnanda—the transcendental bliss of devotional
service.
TRANSLATION
I fervently appeal to everyone to adopt the method of devotional service
given by Lord Caitanya and NityAnanda and thus be freed from the miseries
of material existence and ultimately achieve the loving service of the Lord.
Adi 8.44
TEXT 44
vRndAvana-dAsa kaila ‘caitanya-ma~Ngala’
tAhAte caitanya-lIlA varNila sakala

vRndAvana-dAsa—zrIla VRndAvana dAsa ThAkura; kaila—did; caitanya-
ma~Ngala—the book of the name Caitanya-ma~Ngala; tAhAte—in that book;
caitanya-lIlA—the pastimes of Lord Caitanya; varNila—described; sakala—
everything.
TRANSLATION
zrIla VRndAvana dAsa ThAkura has written zrI Caitanya-ma~Ngala and therein
described in all respects the pastimes of Lord Caitanya.
Adi 8.45
TEXT 45
sUtra kari’ saba lIlA karila granthana
pAche vistAriyA tAhAra kaila vivaraNa

sUtra kari’—making a synopsis; saba—all; lIlA—pastimes; karila—did;
granthana—writing in the book; pAche—later; vistAriyA—vividly describing;
tAhAra—all of them; kaila—did; vivaraNa—description.
TRANSLATION
He first summarized all the pastimes of the Lord and later described them
vividly in detail.
Adi 8.46
TEXT 46
caitanya-candrera lIlA ananta apAra
varNite varNite grantha ha-ila vistAra

caitanya-candrera—of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu; lIlA—pastimes; ananta—
unlimited; apAra—unfathomable; varNite—describing; varNite—describing;
grantha—the book; ha-ila—became; vistAra—expansive.
TRANSLATION
The pastimes of Lord Caitanya are unlimited and unfathomable. Therefore, in
describing all those pastimes, the book became voluminous.
Adi 8.47
TEXT 47
vistAra dekhiyA kichu sa~Nkoca haila mana
sUtra-dhRta kona lIlA nA kaila varNana

vistAra—expansive; dekhiyA—seeing; kichu—some; sa~Nkoca—with
hesitation; haila—became; mana—mind; sUtra-dhRta—taking the synopsis;
kona—some; lIlA—pastimes; nA—did not; kaila—make; varNana—
description.
TRANSLATION
He saw them to be so extensive that he later felt that some had not been
properly described.
Adi 8.48
TEXT 48
nityAnanda-lIlA-varNane ha-ila Aveza
caitanyera zeSa-lIlA rahila avazeSa

nityAnanda—Lord NityAnanda; lIlA—pastimes; varNane—in the matter of
description; ha-ila—there was; Aveza—ecstasy; caitanyera—of Lord
Caitanya MahAprabhu; zeSa-lIlA—pastimes in the last portion of His life;
rahila—remained; avazeSa—supplement.
TRANSLATION
He ecstatically described the pastimes of Lord NityAnanda, but the later
pastimes of Caitanya MahAprabhu remained untold.
Adi 8.49
TEXT 49
sei saba lIlAra zunite vivaraNa
vRndAvana-vAsI bhaktera utkaNThita mana

sei—those; saba—all; lIlAra—of the pastimes; zunite—to hear; vivaraNa—
description; vRndAvana-vAsI—the inhabitants of VRndAvana; bhaktera—of
devotees; utkaNThita—in anxiety; mana—minds.
TRANSLATION
The devotees of VRndAvana were all very anxious to hear those pastimes.
Adi 8.50
TEXT 50
vRndAvane kalpa-drume suvarNa-sadana
mahA-yogapITha tAhA~N, ratna-siàhAsana

vRndAvane—in VRndAvana; kalpa-drume—under the desire trees; suvarNa-
sadana—golden throne; mahA—great; yoga-pITha—pious temple; tAhA~N—
there; ratna—bedecked with jewels; siàhAsana—throne.
TRANSLATION
In VRndAvana, in a great place of pilgrimage underneath the desire trees, is a
golden throne bedecked with jewels.
Adi 8.51
TEXT 51
tAte vasi’ Ache sadA vrajendra-nandana
‘zrI-govinda-deva’ nAma sAkSAt madana

tAte—on that throne; vasi’—sitting; Ache—there is; sadA—always;
vrajendra-nandana—the son of MahArAja Nanda; zrI-govinda-deva—whose
name is Govinda; nAma—name; sAkSAt—direct; madana—transcendental
Cupid.
TRANSLATION
On that throne sits the son of Nanda MahArAja, zrI Govindadeva, the
transcendental Cupid.
Adi 8.52
TEXT 52
rAja-sevA haya tA~NhA vicitra prakAra
divya sAmagrI, divya vastra, ala~NkAra

rAja-sevA—majestic service; haya—render; tA~NhA—there; vicitra—varieties;
prakAra—all kinds of; divya—spiritual; sAmagrI—ingredients; divya—
spiritual; vastra—garments; ala~NkAra—ornaments.
TRANSLATION
Varieties of majestic service are rendered to Govinda there. His garments,
ornaments and paraphernalia are all transcendental.
Adi 8.53
TEXT 53
sahasra sevaka sevA kare anukSaNa
sahasra-vadane sevA nA yAya varNana

sahasra—many thousands; sevaka—servitors; sevA—service; kare—render;
anukSaNa—always; sahasra—thousands; vadane—mouths; sevA—process of
service; nA—not possible; yAya—goes on; varNana—description.
TRANSLATION
In that temple of GovindajI, thousands of servitors always render service to
the Lord in devotion. Even with thousands of mouths, one could not describe
this service.
Adi 8.54
TEXT 54
sevAra adhyakSa——zrI-paNòita haridAsa
tA~Nra yazaH-guNa sarva-jagate prakAza

sevAra—of the service; adhyakSa—commander; zrI-paNòita haridAsa—
HaridAsa PaNòita; tA~Nra—of his; yazaH—fame; guNa—quality; sarva-
jagate—all over the world; prakAza—known.
TRANSLATION
In that temple the chief servitor was zrI HaridAsa PaNòita. His qualities and
fame are known all over the world.
PURPORT
zrI HaridAsa PaNòita was a disciple of zrI Ananta AcArya, who was a disciple
of GadAdhara PaNòita.
Adi 8.55
TEXT 55
suzIla, sahiSNu, zAnta, vadAnya, gambhIra
madhura-vacana, madhura-ceSTA, mahA-dhIra

suzIla—well behaved; sahiSNu—tolerant; zAnta—peaceful; vadAnya—
magnanimous; gambhIra—grave; madhura-vacana—sweet words; madhura-
ceSTA—sweet endeavor; mahA-dhIra—completely sober.
TRANSLATION
He was gentle, tolerant, peaceful, magnanimous, grave, sweet in his words
and very sober in his endeavors.
Adi 8.56
TEXT 56
sabAra sammAna-kartA, karena sabAra hita
kauTilya-mAtsarya-hiàsA nA jAne tA~Nra cita

sabAra—of all; sammAna-kartA—respectful; karena—does; sabAra—
everyone’s; hita—benefit; kauTilya—diplomatic; mAtsarya—jealousy;
hiàsA—envy; nA jAne—does not know; tA~Nra—his; cita—heart.
TRANSLATION
He was respectful to everyone and worked for the benefit of all. Diplomacy,
envy and jealousy were unknown to his heart.
Adi 8.57
TEXT 57
kRSNera ye sAdhAraNa sad-guNa pa~ncAza
se saba guNera tA~Nra zarIre nivAsa

kRSNera—of Lord KRSNa; ye—that; sAdhAraNa—general; sat-guNa—good
qualities; pa~ncAza—fifty; se—those; saba—all; guNera—qualities; tA~Nra—his;
zarIre—in the body; nivAsa—were always present.
TRANSLATION
The fifty qualities of Lord KRSNa were all present in his body.
PURPORT
In the Bhakti-rasAmRta-sindhu, the transcendental qualities of zrI KRSNa are
mentioned. Among these, fifty are primary (ayaà netA su-ramyA~NgaH, etc.),
and in minute quantity they were all present in the body of zrI HaridAsa
PaNòita. Since every living entity is a part of the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, all fifty of these good qualities of zrI KRSNa are originally minutely
present in every living being. Due to his contact with material nature, these
qualities are not visible in the conditioned soul, but when one becomes a
purified devotee, they all automatically manifest themselves. This is stated in
zrImad-BhAgavatam (5.18.12), as mentioned in the text below.
Adi 8.58
TEXT 58
yasyAsti bhaktir bhagavaty aki~ncanA
sarvair guNais tatra samAsate surAH
harAv abhaktasya kuto mahad-guNA
mano-rathenAsati dhAvato bahiH

yasya—one who; asti—has; bhaktiH—devotional service; bhagavati—unto
the Supreme Personality of Godhead; aki~ncanA—without motive; sarvaiH—
all; guNaiH—qualities; tatra—there; samAsate—become manifested; surAH—
with all the demigods; harau—unto the Supreme Personality; abhaktasya—
one who is not a devotee; kutaH—where; mahat-guNAH—high qualities;
manaH-rathena—concoction; asati—the material existence; dhAvataH—run
on; bahiH—externally.
TRANSLATION
“In one who has unflinching devotional faith in KRSNa, all the good qualities of
KRSNa and the demigods are consistently manifested. However, one who has
no devotion to the Supreme Personality of Godhead has no good
qualifications because he is engaged by mental concoction in material
existence, which is the external feature of the Lord.”
Adi 8.59
TEXT 59
paNòita-gosA~nira ziSya——ananta AcArya
kRSNa-premamaya-tanu, udAra, sarva-Arya

paNòita-gosA~nira—of GadAdhara PaNòita; ziSya—disciple; ananta AcArya—
Ananta AcArya; kRSNa-premamaya—always overwhelmed by love of God;
tanu—body; udAra—magnanimous; sarva—in all respects; Arya—advanced.
TRANSLATION
Ananta AcArya was a disciple of GadAdhara PaNòita. His body was always
absorbed in love of Godhead. He was magnanimous and advanced in all
respects.
Adi 8.60
TEXT 60
tA~NhAra ananta guNa ke karu prakAza
tA~Nra priya ziSya i~Nha——paNòita haridAsa

tA~NhAra—his; ananta—unlimited; guNa—qualities; ke—who; karu—can;
prakAza—display; tA~Nra—his; priya—dear; ziSya—disciple; i~Nha—this
person; paNòita haridAsa—HaridAsa PaNòita.
TRANSLATION
Ananta AcArya was a reservoir of all good qualities. No one can estimate how
great he was. PaNòita HaridAsa was his beloved disciple.
PURPORT
zrIla BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI ThAkura writes in his AnubhASya, “zrI Ananta
AcArya is one of the eternal associates of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu.
Previously, during the advent of Lord zrI KRSNa, Ananta AcArya was SudevI,
one of the eight gopIs. This is stated in the Gaura-gaNoddeza-dIpikA (165), as
follows: anantAcArya-gosvAmI yA su-devI purA vraje. ‘Ananta AcArya
GosvAmI was formerly SudevI-gopI in Vraja [VRndAvana].’ In JagannAtha PurI,
or PuruSottama-kSetra, there is a monastery known as Ga~NgA-mAtA MaTha
that was established by Ananta AcArya. In the disciplic succession of the
Ga~NgA-mAtA MaTha, he is known as Vinoda-ma~njarI. One of his disciples was
HaridAsa PaNòita GosvAmI, who is also known as zrI Raghu GopAla and as zrI
RAsa-ma~njarI. His disciple LakSmIpriyA was the maternal aunt of Ga~NgA-mAtA,
a princess who was the daughter of the King of PuTiyA. Ga~NgA-mAtA brought
a Deity of the name zrI Rasika-rAya from KRSNa Mizra of Jaipur and installed
Him in the house of SArvabhauma in JagannAtha PurI. The disciple in the fifth
generation after zrI Ananta AcArya was zrI VanamAlI; in the sixth generation,
zrI BhagavAn dAsa, who was a Bengali; in the seventh generation,
MadhusUdana dAsa, who was an OriyA; in the eighth generation, NIlAmbara
dAsa; in the ninth generation, zrI Narottama dAsa; in the tenth generation,
PItAmbara dAsa; and in the eleventh generation, zrI MAdhava dAsa. The
disciple in the twelfth generation is presently in charge of the Ga~NgA-mAtA
monastery.”
Adi 8.61
TEXT 61
caitanya-nityAnande tA~Nra parama vizvAsa
caitanya-carite tA~Nra parama ullAsa

caitanya—zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu; nityAnande—in Lord NityAnanda;
tA~Nra—his; parama—very great; vizvAsa—faith; caitanya-carite—in the
pastimes of Lord Caitanya; tA~Nra—his; parama—great; ullAsa—satisfaction.
TRANSLATION
PaNòita HaridAsa had great faith in Lord Caitanya and NityAnanda. Therefore
he took great satisfaction in knowing about Their pastimes and qualities.
Adi 8.62
TEXT 62
vaiSNavera guNa-grAhI, nA dekhaye doSa
kAya-mano-vAkye kare vaiSNava-santoSa

vaiSNavera—of devotees; guNa-grAhI—accepting good qualities; nA—never;
dekhaye—sees; doSa—any fault; kAya-manaH-vAkye—with heart and soul;
kare—does; vaiSNava—devotee; santoSa—pacification.
TRANSLATION
He always accepted the good qualities of VaiSNavas and never found fault in
them. He engaged his heart and soul only to satisfy the VaiSNavas.
PURPORT
It is a qualification of a VaiSNava that he is adoSa-darzI: he never sees others’
faults. Of course, every human being has both good qualities and faults.
Therefore it is said, saj-janA guNam icchanti doSam icchanti pAmarAH:
everyone has a combination of faults and glories. But a VaiSNava, a sober
man, accepts only a man’s glories and not his faults, for flies seek sores
whereas honeybees seek honey. HaridAsa PaNòita never found fault with a
VaiSNava but considered only his good qualities.
Adi 8.63
TEXT 63
nirantara zune te~Nho ‘caitanya-ma~Ngala’
tA~NhAra prasAde zunena vaiSNava-sakala

nirantara—always; zune—hears; te~Nho—he; caitanya-ma~Ngala—the book
Caitanya-ma~Ngala; tA~NhAra—by his; prasAde—mercy; zunena—hear;
vaiSNava-sakala—all other VaiSNavas.
TRANSLATION
He always heard the reading of zrI Caitanya-ma~Ngala, and all the other
VaiSNavas used to hear it by his grace.
Adi 8.64
TEXT 64
kathAya sabhA ujjvala kare yena pUrNa-candra
nija-guNAmRte bAòAya vaiSNava-Ananda

kathAya—by words; sabhA—assembly; ujjvala—illuminated; kare—does;
yena—as; pUrNa-candra—full moon; nija—own; guNa-amRte—nectar of
qualities; bAòAya—increases; vaiSNava—of the devotees; Ananda—pleasure.
TRANSLATION
Like the full moon, he illuminated the entire assembly of VaiSNavas by
speaking zrI Caitanya-ma~Ngala, and by the nectar of his qualities he increased
their transcendental bliss.
Adi 8.65
TEXT 65
te~Nho ati kRpA kari’ Aj~nA kailA more
gaurA~Ngera zeSa-lIlA varNibAra tare

te~Nho—he; ati—very much; kRpA—mercy; kari’—showing; Aj~nA—order;
kailA—made it; more—unto me; gaurA~Ngera—of Lord Caitanya; zeSa-lIlA—
last portion of the pastimes; varNibAra—describing; tare—for the matter of.
TRANSLATION
By his causeless mercy he ordered me to write about the last pastimes of zrI
Caitanya MahAprabhu.
Adi 8.66
TEXT 66
kAzIzvara gosA~nira ziSya——govinda gosA~ni
govindera priya-sevaka tA~Nra sama nA~ni

kAzIzvara gosA~nira—of KAzIzvara GosvAmI; ziSya—disciple; govinda—
Govinda; gosA~ni—spiritual master; govindera—of Govinda; priya-sevaka—
most confidential servitor; tA~Nra—his; sama—equal; nA~ni—is none.
TRANSLATION
Govinda GosA~ni, the priest engaged in the service of Lord Govinda in
VRndAvana, was a disciple of KAzIzvara GosA~ni. There was no servant more
dear to the Govinda Deity.
PURPORT
zrIla BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI ThAkura writes in his AnubhASya, “KAzIzvara
GosA~ni was one of the contemporaries of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu who was
with the Lord in JagannAtha PurI. Also known as KAzIzvara PaNòita, he was a
disciple of Izvara PurI and son of VAsudeva BhaTTAcArya, who belonged to the
dynasty of KA~njilAla KAnu. His surname was CaudhurI. His nephew, his sister’s
son, who was named Rudra PaNòita, was the original priest of Vallabhapura,
which is situated about one mile from the zrIrAmapura railway station in the
village of CAtarA. Installed there are the Deities of RAdhA-Govinda and Lord zrI
Caitanya MahAprabhu. KAzIzvara GosA~ni was a very strong man, and
therefore when Lord Caitanya visited the temple of JagannAtha, he used to
protect the Lord from the crowds. Another of his duties was to distribute
prasAdam to the devotees after kIrtana.”
zrIla BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI ThAkura visited this temple at Vallabhapura. At
that time the person in charge was a zaivite, zrI zivacandra CaudhurI, who
was a descendant of KAzIzvara GosA~ni’s brother. In Vallabhapura there was a
permanent arrangement to cook nine kilos of rice, vegetables and other
foodstuffs daily, and near the village there is sufficient land, which belonged
to the Deity, on which this rice was grown. Unfortunately, the descendants of
KAzIzvara GosA~ni’s brother have sold a major portion of this land, and
therefore the Deity worship has now been hampered.
It is said in the Gaura-gaNoddeza-dIpikA (137) that the servant of KRSNa in
VRndAvana named BhR~NgAra descended as KAzIzvara GosA~ni during the
pastimes of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu. In our householder life we also
sometimes visited this temple of Vallabhapura and took prasAdam there at
noon. The Deities of this temple, zrI zrI RAdhA-Govinda and the GaurA~Nga
vigraha, are extremely beautiful. Near Vallabhapura is a beautiful temple of
JagannAtha. We sometimes used to take prasAdam in this JagannAtha temple
also. These two temples are situated within a one mile-radius of the
zrIrAmapura railway station, near Calcutta.
Adi 8.67
TEXT 67
yAdavAcArya gosA~ni zrI-rUpera sa~NgI
caitanya-carite te~Nho ati baòa ra~NgI

yAdavAcArya—YAdavAcArya; gosA~ni—spiritual master; zrI-rUpera—of zrIla
RUpa GosvAmI; sa~NgI—associate; caitanya-carite—in the pastimes of Lord
Caitanya; te~Nho—he; ati—very; baòa—great; ra~NgI—enthusiastic.
TRANSLATION
zrI YAdavAcArya GosA~ni, a constant associate of zrIla RUpa GosvAmI, was also
very enthusiastic in hearing and chanting about Lord Caitanya’s pastimes.
Adi 8.68
TEXT 68
paNòita-gosA~nira ziSya——bhugarbha gosA~ni
gaura-kathA vinA Ara mukhe anya nAi

paNòita-gosA~nira—of PaNòita GosA~ni (GadAdhara PaNòita); ziSya—disciple;
bhugarbha gosA~ni—Bhugarbha GosA~ni; gaura-kathA—topics of Lord
Caitanya; vinA—without; Ara—else; mukhe—in his mouth; anya nAi—
nothing else.
TRANSLATION
Bhugarbha GosA~ni, a disciple of PaNòita GosA~ni, was always engaged in topics
regarding Lord Caitanya, knowing nothing else.
Adi 8.69
TEXT 69
tA~Nra ziSya——govinda pUjaka caitanya-dAsa
mukundAnanda cakravartI, premI kRSNadAsa

tA~Nra ziSya—his disciple; govinda—the Govinda Deity; pUjaka—priest;
caitanya-dAsa—Caitanya dAsa; mukundAnanda cakravartI—MukundAnanda
CakravartI; premI—a great lover of God; kRSNadAsa—KRSNadAsa.
TRANSLATION
Among his disciples were Caitanya dAsa, who was a priest of the Govinda
Deity, as well as MukundAnanda CakravartI and the great devotee KRSNadAsa.
Adi 8.70
TEXT 70
AcArya-gosA~nira ziSya——cakravartI zivAnanda
niravadhi tA~Nra citte caitanya-nityAnanda

AcArya-gosA~nira—of AcArya GosA~ni; ziSya—the disciple; cakravartI
zivAnanda—zivAnanda CakravartI; niravadhi—always; tA~Nra—his; citte—in
the heart; caitanya-nityAnanda—Lord Caitanya and NityAnanda are situated.
TRANSLATION
Among the disciples of Ananta AcArya was zivAnanda CakravartI, in whose
heart Lord Caitanya and NityAnanda constantly dwelled.
Adi 8.71
TEXT 71
Ara yata vRndAvane baise bhakta-gaNa
zeSa-lIlA zunite sabAra haila mana

Ara yata—there are many others; vRndAvane—in VRndAvana; baise—
residents; bhakta-gaNa—great devotees; zeSa-lIlA—the last portions of
Caitanya MahAprabhu’s pastimes; zunite—to hear; sabAra—of everyone;
haila—became; mana—the mind.
TRANSLATION
In VRndAvana there were also many other great devotees, all of whom desired
to hear the last pastimes of Lord Caitanya.
Adi 8.72
TEXT 72
more Aj~nA karilA sabe karuNA kariyA
tA~N-sabAra bole likhi nirlajja ha-iyA

more—unto me; Aj~nA—order; karilA—gave; sabe—all; karuNA—merciful;
kariyA—doing so; tA~N-sabAra—of all of them; bole—by the order; likhi—I
write; nirlajja—without shame; ha-iyA—becoming.
TRANSLATION
By their mercy, all these devotees ordered me to write of the last pastimes of
zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu. Because of their order only, although I am
shameless, I have attempted to write this Caitanya-caritAmRta.
PURPORT
To write about the transcendental pastimes of the Supreme Personality of
Godhead is not an ordinary endeavor. Unless one is empowered by the higher
authorities, or advanced devotees, one cannot write transcendental literature,
for all such literature must be above suspicion, or, in other words, it must have
none of the defects of conditioned souls, namely mistakes, illusions, cheating
and imperfect sense perceptions. The words of KRSNa and of the disciplic
succession that carries the orders of KRSNa are actually authoritative. To be
empowered to write transcendental literature is a privilege in which a writer
can take great pride. As a humble VaiSNava, KRSNadAsa KavirAja GosvAmI,
being thus empowered, felt very much ashamed that it was he who was to
narrate the pastimes of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu.
Adi 8.73
TEXT 73
vaiSNavera Aj~nA pA~nA cintita-antare
madana-gopAle gelA~N Aj~nA mAgibAre

vaiSNavera—of all the VaiSNava devotees; Aj~nA—order; pA~nA—receiving;
cintita-antare—anxiety within myself; madana-gopAle—to the temple of zrI
Madana-mohana; gelA~N—I went; Aj~nA—order; mAgibAre—to receive.
TRANSLATION
Having received the order of the VaiSNavas but being anxious within my
heart, I went to the temple of Madana-mohana in VRndAvana to ask His
permission also.
PURPORT
A VaiSNava always follows the order of guru and KRSNa. zrI Caitanya-
caritAmRta was written by KRSNadAsa KavirAja GosvAmI by their mercy.
KRSNadAsa KavirAja GosvAmI considered all the devotees that have been
mentioned to be his preceptor gurus, or spiritual masters, and Madana-gopAla
(zrI Madana-mohana vigraha) is KRSNa Himself. Thus he took permission from
both of them, and when he received the mercy of both guru and KRSNa, he
was able to write this great literature, zrI Caitanya-caritAmRta. This example
should be followed. Anyone who attempts to write about KRSNa must first
take permission from the spiritual master and KRSNa. KRSNa is situated in
everyone’s heart, and the spiritual master is His direct external representative.
Thus KRSNa is situated antar-bahiH, within and without. One must first become
a pure devotee by following the strict regulative principles and chanting
sixteen rounds daily, and when one thinks that he is actually on the VaiSNava
platform, he must then take permission from the spiritual master, and that
permission must also be confirmed by KRSNa from within his heart. Then, if one
is very sincere and pure, he can write transcendental literature, either prose or
poetry.
Adi 8.74
TEXT 74
darazana kari kailu~N caraNa vandana
gosA~ni-dAsa pUjArI kare caraNa-sevana

darazana—by visiting; kari—doing; kailu~N—made; caraNa—lotus feet;
vandana—worship; gosA~ni-dAsa—GosA~ni dAsa; pUjArI—priest; kare—does;
caraNa—lotus feet; sevana—service.
TRANSLATION
When I visited the temple of Madana-mohana, the priest GosA~ni dAsa was
serving the feet of the Lord, and I also prayed at the Lord’s lotus feet.
Adi 8.75
TEXT 75
prabhura caraNe yadi Aj~nA mAgila
prabhu-kaNTha haite mAlA khasiyA paòila

prabhura—of the Lord; caraNe—lotus feet; yadi—when; Aj~nA—order;
mAgila—requested; prabhu-kaNTha—the neck of the Lord; haite—from;
mAlA—garland; khasiyA—slipped; paòila—fell down.
TRANSLATION
When I prayed to the Lord for permission, a garland from His neck
immediately slipped down.
Adi 8.76
TEXT 76
saba vaiSNava-gaNa hari-dhvani dila
gosA~ni-dAsa Ani’ mAlA mora gale dila

saba—all; vaiSNava—devotees; gaNa—group; hari-dhvani—chanting Hare
KRSNa; dila—made; gosA~ni-dAsa—GosA~ni dAsa; Ani’—bringing; mAlA—
garland; mora—my; gale—on the neck; dila—gave it.
TRANSLATION
As soon as this happened, the VaiSNavas standing there all loudly chanted,
“Haribol!” and the priest, GosA~ni dAsa, brought me the garland and put it
around my neck.
Adi 8.77
TEXT 77
Aj~nA-mAlA pA~nA AmAra ha-ila Ananda
tAhA~Ni karinu ei granthera Arambha

Aj~nA-mAlA—the garland of order; pA~nA—receiving; AmAra—my; ha-ila—
became; Ananda—great pleasure; tAhA~Ni—then and there; karinu—
attempted; ei—this; granthera—of zrI Caitanya-caritAmRta; Arambha—
beginning.
TRANSLATION
I was greatly pleased to have the garland signifying the order of the Lord, and
then and there I commenced to write this book.
Adi 8.78
TEXT 78
ei grantha lekhAya more ‘madana-mohana’
AmAra likhana yena zukera paThana

ei—this; grantha—great literature; lekhAya—causes me to write; more—
unto me; madana-mohana—the Deity; AmAra—my; likhana—writing;
yena—like; zukera—of the parrot; paThana—responding.
TRANSLATION
Actually zrI Caitanya-caritAmRta is not my writing but the dictation of zrI
Madana-mohana. My writing is like the repetition of a parrot.
PURPORT
This should be the attitude of all devotees. When the Supreme Personality of
Godhead recognizes a devotee, He gives him intelligence and dictates how
he may go back home, back to Godhead. This is confirmed in zrImad
Bhagavad-gItA (10.10):
teSAà satata-yuktAnAà bhajatAà prIti-pUrvakam
dadAmi buddhi-yogaà taà yena mAm upayAnti te
“To those who are constantly devoted to serving Me with love, I give the
understanding by which they can come to Me.” The opportunity to engage in
the transcendental loving service of the Lord is open to everyone because
every living entity is constitutionally a servant of the Lord. To engage in the
service of the Lord is the natural function of the living entity, but because he
is covered by the influence of mayA, the material energy, he thinks it to be a
very difficult task. But if he places himself under the guidance of a spiritual
master and does everything sincerely, immediately the Lord, who is situated
within everyone’s heart, dictates how to serve Him (dadAmi buddhi-yogaà
tam). The Lord gives this direction, and thus the devotee’s life becomes
perfect. Whatever a pure devotee does is done by the dictation of the
Supreme Lord. Thus it is confirmed by the author of zrI Caitanya-caritAmRta
that whatever he wrote was written under the direction of the zrI Madana-
mohana Deity.
Adi 8.79
TEXT 79
sei likhi, madana-gopAla ye likhAya
kASThera puttalI yena kuhake nAcAya

sei likhi—I write that; madana-gopAla—the Deity Madana-gopAla; ye—
whatever; likhAya—dictates to me; kASThera—wooden; puttalI—a doll;
yena—like; kuhake—the enchanter; nAcAya—causes to dance.
TRANSLATION
As a wooden doll is made to dance by a magician, I write as Madana-gopAla
orders me to do so.
PURPORT
This is the position of a pure devotee. One should not take any responsibility
on his own but should be a soul surrendered to the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, who will then give him dictation as the caittya-guru, or the spiritual
master within. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is pleased to guide a
devotee from within and without. From within He guides him as the
Supersoul, and from without He guides him as the spiritual master.
Adi 8.80
TEXT 80
kulAdhidevatA mora——madana-mohana
yA~Nra sevaka——raghunAtha, rUpa, sanAtana

kula-adhidevatA—the family Deity; mora—mine; madana-mohana—Lord
Madana-mohana; yA~Nra—whose; sevaka—servitor; raghunAtha—
RaghunAtha dAsa GosvAmI; rUpa—RUpa GosvAmI; sanAtana—SanAtana
GosvAmI.
TRANSLATION
I accept as my family Deity Madana-mohana, whose worshipers are
RaghunAtha dAsa GosvAmI, zrI RUpa GosvAmI and SanAtana GosvAmI.
Adi 8.81
TEXT 81
vRndAvana-dAsera pAda-padma kari’ dhyAna
tA~Nra Aj~nA la~nA likhi yAhAte kalyANa

vRndAvana-dAsera—of zrIla VRndAvana dAsa ThAkura; pAda-padma—lotus
feet; kari’—doing; dhyAna—meditation; tA~Nra—his; Aj~nA—order; la~nA—
receiving; likhi—I write; yAhAte—in which permission; kalyANa—all
auspiciousness.
TRANSLATION
I took permission from zrIla VRndAvana dAsa ThAkura by praying at his lotus
feet, and upon receiving his order I have attempted to write this auspicious
literature.
PURPORT
zrIla KRSNadAsa KavirAja GosvAmI took permission not only from the VaiSNavas
and Madana-mohana but also from VRndAvana dAsa ThAkura, who is
understood to be the VyAsa of the pastimes of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu.
Adi 8.82
TEXT 82
caitanya-lIlAte ‘vyAsa’——vRndAvana-dAsa
tA~Nra kRpA vinA anye nA haya prakAza

caitanya-lIlAte—in describing the pastimes of Lord Caitanya; vyAsa—
VyAsadeva; vRndAvana-dAsa—is zrIla VRndAvana dAsa ThAkura; tA~Nra—his;
kRpA—mercy; vinA—without; anye—other; nA—never; haya—becomes;
prakAza—manifest.
TRANSLATION
zrIla VRndAvana dAsa ThAkura is the authorized writer on the pastimes of Lord
Caitanya. Without his mercy, therefore, one cannot describe these pastimes.
Adi 8.83
TEXT 83
mUrkha, nIca, kSudra mu~ni viSaya-lAlasa
vaiSNavAj~nA-bale kari eteka sAhasa

mUrkha—foolish; nIca—lowborn; kSudra—very insignificant; mu~ni—I;
viSaya—material; lAlasa—desires; vaiSNava—of the VaiSNavas; Aj~nA—order;
bale—on the strength of; kari—I do; eteka—so much; sAhasa—energy.
TRANSLATION
I am foolish, lowborn and insignificant, and I always desire material
enjoyment; yet by the order of the VaiSNavas I am greatly enthusiastic to
write this transcendental literature.
Adi 8.84
TEXT 84
zrI-rUpa-raghunAtha-caraNera ei bala
yA~Nra smRte siddha haya vA~nchita-sakala

zrI-rUpa—RUpa GosvAmI; raghunAtha—RaghunAtha dAsa GosvAmI;
caraNera—of the lotus feet; ei—this; bala—strength; yA~Nra—whose;
smRte—by remembrance; siddha—successful; haya—becomes; vA~nchita-
sakala—all desires.
TRANSLATION
The lotus feet of zrI RUpa GosvAmI and RaghunAtha dAsa GosvAmI are my
source of strength. Remembering their lotus feet can fulfill all one’s desires.
Adi 8.85
TEXT 85
zrI-rUpa-raghunAtha-pade yAra Aza
caitanya-caritAmRta kahe kRSNadAsa

tam—unto Him; zrImat—with all opulence; kRSNa-caitanya-devam—unto
Lord KRSNa Caitanyadeva; vande—I offer obeisances; jagat-gurum—spiritual
master of the world; yasya—whose; anukampayA—by the mercy of; zvA
api—even a dog; mahA-abdhim—great ocean; santaret—can swim;
sukham—without difficulty.
TRANSLATION
Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto the spiritual master of the entire
world, Lord zrI KRSNa Caitanya MahAprabhu, by whose mercy even a dog can
swim across a great ocean.
PURPORT
Sometimes it is to be seen that a dog can swim in the water for a few yards
and then come back to the shore. Here, however, it is stated that if a dog is
blessed by zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu, he can swim across an ocean. Similarly,
the author of zrI Caitanya-caritAmRta, KRSNadAsa KavirAja GosvAmI, placing
himself in a helpless condition, states that he has no personal power, but by
the desire of Lord Caitanya, expressed through the VaiSNavas and the
Madana-mohana vigraha, it is possible for him to cross a transcendental
ocean to present zrI Caitanya-caritAmRta.
Adi 9.2
TEXT 2
jaya jaya zrI-kRSNa-caitanya gauracandra
jaya jayAdvaita jaya jaya nityAnanda

jaya jaya—all glories; zrI-kRSNa-caitanya—to Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu;
gauracandra—whose name is Gaurahari; jaya jaya—all glories; advaita—to
Advaita GosA~ni; jaya jaya—all glories; nityAnanda—to NityAnanda.
TRANSLATION
All glories to zrI KRSNa Caitanya, who is known as Gaurahari! All glories to
Advaita AcArya and NityAnanda Prabhu!
Adi 9.3
TEXT 3
jaya jaya zrIvAsAdi gaura-bhakta-gaNa
sarvAbhISTa-pUrti-hetu yA~NhAra smaraNa

jaya jaya—all glories; zrIvAsa-Adi—to zrIvAsa and others; gaura-bhakta-
gaNa—all the devotees of Lord Caitanya; sarva-abhISTa—all ambition; pUrti—
satisfaction; hetu—for the matter of; yA~NhAra—whose; smaraNa—
remembrance.
TRANSLATION
All glories to the devotees of Lord Caitanya, headed by zrIvAsa ThAkura! In
order to fulfill all my desires, I remember their lotus feet.
PURPORT
The author here continues to follow the same principles of worship of the
Pa~nca-tattva that were described in the Seventh Chapter of the Adi-lIlA.
Adi 9.4
TEXT 4
zrI-rUpa, sanAtana, bhaTTa raghunAtha
zrI-jIva, gopAla-bhaTTa, dAsa-raghunAtha

zrI-rUpa—zrIla RUpa GosvAmI; sanAtana—zrIla SanAtana GosvAmI; bhaTTa
raghunAtha—RaghunAtha BhaTTa GosvAmI; zrI-jIva—zrI JIva GosvAmI;
gopAla-bhaTTa—zrI GopAla BhaTTa GosvAmI; dAsa-raghunAtha—RaghunAtha
dAsa GosvAmI.
TRANSLATION
I also remember the six GosvAmIs—RUpa, SanAtana, BhaTTa RaghunAtha, zrI
JIva, GopAla BhaTTa and DAsa RaghunAtha.
PURPORT
This is the process for writing transcendental literature. A sentimentalist who
has no VaiSNava qualifications cannot produce transcendental writings. There
are many fools who consider kRSNa-lIlA to be a subject of art and who write or
paint pictures about the pastimes of Lord KRSNa with the gopIs, sometimes
depicting them in a manner practically obscene. These fools take pleasure in
material sense gratification, but one who wants to make advancement in
spiritual life must scrupulously avoid their literature. Unless one is a servant of
KRSNa and the VaiSNavas, as KRSNadAsa KavirAja GosvAmI presents himself to
be in offering respects to Lord Caitanya, His associates and His disciples, one
should not attempt to write transcendental literature.
Adi 9.5
TEXT 5
esaba-prasAde likhi caitanya-lIlA-guNa
jAni vA nA jAni, kari Apana-zodhana

esaba—all these; prasAde—by the mercy of; likhi—I write; caitanya—of Lord
Caitanya; lIlA-guNa—pastimes and qualities; jAni—know; vA—or; nA—not;
jAni—know; kari—do; Apana—self; zodhana—purification.
TRANSLATION
It is by the mercy of all these VaiSNavas and gurus that I attempt to write
about the pastimes and qualities of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu. Whether I
know it or know not, it is for self-purification that I write this book.
PURPORT
This is the sum and substance of transcendental writing. One must be an
authorized VaiSNava, humble and pure. One should write transcendental
literature to purify oneself, not for credit. By writing about the pastimes of the
Lord, one associates with the Lord directly. One should not ambitiously think,
“I shall become a great author. I shall be celebrated as a writer.” These are
material desires. One should attempt to write for self-purification. It may be
published or it may not be published, but that does not matter. If one is
actually sincere in writing, all his ambitions will be fulfilled. Whether one is
known as a great author is incidental. One should not attempt to write
transcendental literature for material name and fame.
Adi 9.6
TEXT 6
mAlA-kAraH svayaà kRSNa-
premAmara-taruH svayam
dAtA bhoktA tat-phalAnAà
yas taà caitanyam Azraye

mAlA-kAraH—gardener; svayam—Himself; kRSNa—Lord KRSNa; prema—love;
amara—transcendental; taruH—tree; svayam—Himself; dAtA—giver;
bhoktA—enjoyer; tat-phalAnAm—of all the fruits of that tree; yaH—one who;
tam—unto Him; caitanyam—Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu; Azraye—I take
shelter.
TRANSLATION
I take shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu, who Himself is the tree of transcendental love of KRSNa, its
gardener and also the bestower and enjoyer of its fruits.
Adi 9.7
TEXT 7
prabhu kahe, Ami ‘vizvambhara’ nAma dhari
nAma sArthaka haya, yadi preme vizva bhari

prabhu kahe—the Lord said; Ami—I; vizvambhara—Vizvambhara; nAma—
named; dhari—accept; nAma—the name; sArthaka—complete; haya—
becomes; yadi—if; preme—in love of God; vizva—the whole universe;
bhari—fulfilled.
TRANSLATION
Lord Caitanya thought, “My name is Vizvambhara, ‘one who maintains the
entire universe.’ Its meaning will be actualized if I can fill the whole universe
with love of Godhead.”
Adi 9.8
TEXT 8
eta cinti’ lailA prabhu mAlAkAra-dharma
navadvIpe ArambhilA phalodyAna-karma

eta cinti’—thinking like this; lailA—took; prabhu—the Lord; mAlA-kAra-
dharma—the business of a gardener; navadvIpe—in NavadvIpa; ArambhilA—
began; phala-udyAna—garden; karma—activities.
TRANSLATION
Thinking in this way, He accepted the duty of a planter and began to grow a
garden in NavadvIpa.
Adi 9.9
TEXT 9
zrI-caitanya mAlAkAra pRthivIte Ani’
bhakti-kalpataru ropilA si~nci’ icchA-pAni

zrI-caitanya—Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu; mAlA-kAra—gardener;
pRthivIte—on this planet; Ani’—bringing; bhakti-kalpa-taru—the desire tree
of devotional service; ropilA—sowed; si~nci’—watering; icchA—will; pAni—
water.
TRANSLATION
Thus the Lord brought the desire tree of devotional service to this earth and
became its gardener. He sowed the seed and sprinkled upon it the water of
His will.
PURPORT
In many places devotional service has been compared to a creeper. One has
to sow the seed of the devotional creeper, bhakti-latA, within his heart. As he
regularly hears and chants, the seed will fructify and gradually grow into a
mature plant and then produce the fruit of devotional service, namely love of
Godhead, which the gardener (mAlA-kAra) can then enjoy without
impediments.
Adi 9.10
TEXT 10
jaya zrI mAdhavapurI kRSNa-prema-pUra
bhakti-kalpatarura te~Nho prathama a~Nkura

jaya—all glories; zrI mAdhava-purI—unto MAdhavendra PurI; kRSNa-prema-
pUra—a storehouse of all love of Godhead; bhakti-kalpa-tarura—of the desire
tree of devotional service; te~Nho—he is; prathama—first; a~Nkura—
fructification.
TRANSLATION
All glories to zrI MAdhavendra PurI, the storehouse of all devotional service
unto KRSNa! He is a desire tree of devotional service, and it is in him that the
seed of devotional service first fructified.
PURPORT
zrI MAdhavendra PurI, also known as zrI MAdhava PurI, belonged to the
disciplic succession from MadhvAcArya and was a greatly celebrated sannyAsI.
zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu was the third disciplic descendant from zrI
MAdhavendra PurI. The process of worship in the disciplic succession of
MadhvAcArya was full of ritualistic ceremonies, with hardly a sign of love of
Godhead. zrI MAdhavendra PurI was the first person in that disciplic
succession to exhibit the symptoms of love of Godhead and the first to write
a poem beginning with the words ayi dIna-dayArdra nAtha, “O supremely
merciful Personality of Godhead.” In that poem is the seed of Caitanya
MahAprabhu’s cultivation of love of Godhead.
Adi 9.11
TEXT 11
zrI-IzvarapurI-rUpe a~Nkura puSTa haila
Apane caitanya-mAlI skandha upajila

zrI-Izvara-purI—by the name zrI Izvara PurI; rUpe—in the form of; a~Nkura—
the seed; puSTa—cultivated; haila—became; Apane—Himself; caitanya-
mAlI—the gardener of the name zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu; skandha—trunk;
upajila—expanded.
TRANSLATION
The seed of devotional service next fructified in the form of zrI Izvara PurI,
and then the gardener Himself, Caitanya MahAprabhu, became the main trunk
of the tree of devotional service.
PURPORT
zrIla BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI ThAkura writes in his AnubhASya, “zrI Izvara
PurI was a resident of KumAra-haTTa, where there is now a railroad station
known as KAmarhaTTa. Nearby there is another station, named HAlisahara,
which belongs to the Eastern Railway. This railway runs from the eastern
section of Calcutta.”
Izvara PurI appeared in a brAhmaNa family and was the most beloved disciple
of zrIla MAdhavendra PurI. In the last portion of zrI Caitanya-caritAmRta
(Antya 8.28–31), it is stated:
Izvara-purI gosA~ni kare zrI-pada sevana
sva-haste karena mala-mUtrAdi mArjana
nirantara kRSNa-nAma karAya smaraNa
kRSNa-nAma kRSNa-lIlA zunAya anukSaNa
tuSTa ha~nA purI tA~Nre kaila Ali~Ngana
vara dilA kRSNe tomAra ha-uka prema-dhana
sei haite Izvara-purI premera sAgara
“At the last stage of his life zrI MAdhavendra PurI became an invalid and was
completely unable to move, and Izvara PurI so completely engaged himself in
his service that he personally cleaned up his stool and urine. Always chanting
the Hare KRSNa mahA-mantra and reminding zrI MAdhavendra PurI about the
pastimes of Lord KRSNa in the last stage of his life, Izvara PurI gave the best
service among his disciples. Thus MAdhavendra PurI, being very pleased with
him, blessed him, saying, ‘My dear boy, I can only pray to KRSNa that He will
be pleased with you.’ Thus Izvara PurI, by the grace of his spiritual master, zrI
MAdhavendra PurI, became a great devotee in the ocean of love of
Godhead.” zrIla VizvanAtha CakravartI states in his Gurv-aSTaka prayer, yasya
prasAdAd bhagavat-prasAdo yasyAprasAdAn na gatiH kuto ’pi: ** “By the
mercy of the spiritual master one is blessed by the mercy of KRSNa. Without
the grace of the spiritual master one cannot make any advancement.” It is by
the mercy of the spiritual master that one becomes perfect, as vividly
exemplified here. A VaiSNava is always protected by the Supreme Personality
of Godhead, but if he appears to be an invalid, this gives a chance to his
disciples to serve him. Izvara PurI pleased his spiritual master by service, and
by the blessings of his spiritual master he became such a great personality
that Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu accepted him as His spiritual master.
zrIla Izvara PurI was the spiritual master of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu, but
before initiating Lord Caitanya he went to NavadvIpa and lived for a few
months in the house of GopInAtha AcArya. At that time Lord Caitanya became
acquainted with him, and it is understood that he served zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu by reciting his book, KRSNa-lIlAmRta. This is explained in zrI
Caitanya-bhAgavata, Adi-khaNòa, Chapter Eleven.
To teach others by example how to be a faithful disciple of one’s spiritual
master, zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead,
visited the birthplace of Izvara PurI at KumAra-haTTa and collected some earth
from his birth site. This He kept very carefully, and He used to eat a small
portion of it daily. This is stated in the Caitanya-bhAgavata, Adi-khaNòa,
Chapter Seventeen. It has now become customary for devotees, following the
example of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu, to go there and collect some earth from
that place.
Adi 9.12
TEXT 12
nijAcintya-zaktye mAlI ha~nA skandha haya
sakala zAkhAra sei skandha mUlAzraya

nija—His own; acintya—inconceivable; zaktye—by potency; mAlI—
gardener; ha~nA—becoming; skandha—trunk; haya—became; sakala—all;
zAkhAra—of other branches; sei—that; skandha—trunk; mUla-Azraya—
original support.
TRANSLATION
By His inconceivable powers, the Lord became the gardener, the trunk and
the branches simultaneously.
Adi 9.13-15
TEXTS 13–15
paramAnanda purI, Ara kezava bhAratI
brahmAnanda purI, Ara brahmAnanda bhAratI
viSNu-purI, kezava-purI, purI kRSNAnanda
zrI-nRsiàhatIrtha, Ara purI sukhAnanda
ei nava mUla nikasila vRkSa-mUle
ei nava mUle vRkSa karila nizcale

paramAnanda purI—ParamAnanda PurI; Ara—and; kezava bhAratI—Kezava
BhAratI; brahmAnanda purI—BrahmAnanda PurI; Ara—and; brahmAnanda
bhAratI—BrahmAnanda BhAratI; viSNu-purI—ViSNu PurI; kezava-purI—Kezava
PurI; purI kRSNAnanda—KRSNAnanda PurI; zrI-nRsiàha-tIrtha—zrI NRsiàha
TIrtha; Ara—and; purI sukhAnanda—SukhAnanda PurI; ei nava—of these nine;
mUla—roots; nikasila—fructified; vRkSa-mUle—in the trunk of the tree; ei
nava mUle—in these nine roots; vRkSa—the tree; karila nizcale—became very
steadfast.
TRANSLATION
ParamAnanda PurI, Kezava BhAratI, BrahmAnanda PurI and BrahmAnanda
BhAratI, zrI ViSNu PurI, Kezava PurI, KRSNAnanda PurI, zrI NRsiàha TIrtha and
SukhAnanda PurI—these nine sannyAsI roots all sprouted from the trunk of the
tree. Thus the tree stood steadfastly on the strength of these nine roots.
PURPORT
ParamAnanda PurI: ParamAnanda PurI belonged to a brAhmaNa family of the
Trihut district in Uttara Pradesh. MAdhavendra PurI was his spiritual master. In
relationship with MAdhavendra PurI, ParamAnanda PurI was very dear to zrI
Caitanya MahAprabhu. In the Caitanya-bhAgavata, Antya-khaNòa, there is the
following statement:
sannyAsIra madhye Izvarera priya-pAtra
Ara nAhi eka purI gosA~ni se mAtra
dAmodara-svarUpa paramAnanda-purI
sannyAsi-pArSade ei dui adhikArI
niravadhi nikaTe thAkena dui jana
prabhura sannyAse kare daNòera grahaNa
purI dhyAna-para dAmodarera kIrtana
yata-prIti Izvarera purI-gosA~nire
dAmodara-svarUpereo tata prIti kare
“Among his sannyAsI disciples, Izvara PurI and ParamAnanda PurI were very
dear to MAdhavendra PurI. Thus ParamAnanda PurI, like SvarUpa DAmodara,
who was also a sannyAsI, was very dear to zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu and was
His constant associate. When Lord Caitanya accepted the renounced order,
ParamAnanda PurI offered Him the daNòa. ParamAnanda PurI was always
engaged in meditation, and zrI SvarUpa was always engaged in chanting the
Hare KRSNa mahA-mantra. As zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu offered full respect to
His spiritual master, Izvara PurI, He similarly respected ParamAnanda PurI and
SvarUpa DAmodara.” It is described in the Caitanya-bhAgavata, Antya-
khaNòa, Chapter Three, that when zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu first saw
ParamAnanda PurI He made the following statement:
Aji dhanya locana, saphala Aji janma
saphala AmAra Aji haila sarva-dharma
prabhu bale Aji mora saphala sannyAsa
Aji mAdhavendra more ha-ilA prakAza
“My eyes, My mind, My religious activities and My acceptance of the
sannyAsa order have now all become perfect because today MAdhavendra
PurI is manifest before Me in the form of ParamAnanda PurI.” The Caitanya-
bhAgavata further states:
kathokSaNe anyo ’nye karena praNAma
paramAnanda-purI caitanyera priya-dhAma
“Thus zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu exchanged respectful obeisances with
ParamAnanda PurI, who was very dear to Him.” ParamAnanda PurI established
a small monastery behind the western side of the JagannAtha temple, where
he had a well dug to supply water. The water, however, was bitter, and
therefore zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu prayed to Lord JagannAtha to allow
Ganges water to come into the well to make it sweet. When Lord JagannAtha
granted the request, Lord Caitanya told all the devotees that from that day
hence, the water of ParamAnanda PurI’s well should be celebrated as Ganges
water, for any devotee who would drink it or bathe in it would certainly get
the same benefit as that derived from drinking or bathing in the waters of the
Ganges. Such a person would certainly develop pure love of Godhead. It is
stated in the Caitanya-bhAgavata (Antya 3.255):
prabhu bale Ami ye Achiye pRthivIte
nizcaya-i jAniha purI-gosA~nira prIte
“zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu used to say, ‘I am living in this world only on
account of the excellent behavior of zrI ParamAnanda PurI.’” The Gaura-
gaNoddeza-dIpikA (118) states, purI zrI-paramAnando ya AsId uddhavaH purA.
“ParamAnanda PurI is none other than Uddhava.” Uddhava was Lord KRSNa’s
friend and cousin, and in caitanya-lIlA the same Uddhava became the friend of
zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu and His uncle in terms of their relationship in the
disciplic succession.
Kezava BhAratI: The SarasvatI, BhAratI and PurI sampradAyas belong to the
zR~NgerI-maTha in South India, and zrI Kezava BhAratI, who at that time was
situated in a monastery in Katwa, belonged to the BhAratI-sampradAya.
According to some authoritative opinions, although Kezava BhAratI belonged
to the za~Nkara-sampradAya, he had formerly been initiated by a VaiSNava. He
is said to have been a VaiSNava on account of having been initiated by
MAdhavendra PurI, for some say that he took sannyAsa from MAdhavendra
PurI. The temple and Deity worship started by Kezava BhAratI are still existing
in the village known as KhATundi, which is under the postal jurisdiction of
KAndarA in the district of Burdwan. According to the managers of that maTha,
the priests are descendants of Kezava BhAratI, and some say that the
worshipers of the Deity are descendants of the sons of Kezava BhAratI. In his
householder life he had two sons, NizApati and USApati, and a brAhmaNa of
the name zrI Nakaòicandra VidyAratna, who was a member of the family of
NizApati, was the priest in charge at the time that zrI BhaktisiddhAnta
SarasvatI visited this temple. According to some, the priests of the temple
belong to the family of Kezava BhAratI’s brother. Still another opinion is that
they descend from MAdhava BhAratI, who was another disciple of Kezava
BhAratI’s. MAdhava BhAratI’s disciple Balabhadra, who also later became a
sannyAsI of the BhAratI-sampradAya, had two sons in his family life, named
Madana and GopAla. Madana, whose family’s surname was BhAratI, lived in
the village of AuriyA, and GopAla, whose family’s surname was BrahmacArI,
lived in the village of Denduòa. There are still many living descendants of
both families.
In the Gaura-gaNoddeza-dIpikA (52), it is said:
mathurAyAà yaj~na-sUtraà purA kRSNAya yo muniH
dadau sAndIpaniH so ’bhUd adya kezava-bhAratI
“SAndIpani Muni, who formerly offered the sacred thread to KRSNa and
BalarAma, later became Kezava BhAratI.” It is he who offered sannyAsa to zrI
Caitanya MahAprabhu. There is another statement about Kezava BhAratI from
the Gaura-gaNoddeza-dIpikA (117): iti kecit prabhASante ’krUraH kezava-bhAratI.
“According to some authoritative opinions, Kezava BhAratI is an incarnation of
AkrUra.” Kezava BhAratI offered the sannyAsa order to zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu in the year 1432 zakAbda (A.D. 1510) in Katwa. This is stated in
the VaiSNava-ma~njuSA, Part Two.
BrahmAnanda PurI: zrI BrahmAnanda PurI was one of the associates of zrI
Caitanya MahAprabhu while He was performing kIrtana in NavadvIpa, and he
also joined Lord Caitanya in JagannAtha PurI. We may note in this connection
that the name BrahmAnanda is accepted not only by MAyAvAdI sannyAsIs but
by VaiSNava sannyAsIs also. One of our foolish Godbrothers criticized our
sannyAsI BrahmAnanda SvAmI, saying that this was a MAyAvAdI name. The
foolish man did not know that BrahmAnanda does not always refer to the
impersonal Brahman. Parabrahman, the Supreme Brahman, is KRSNa. A
devotee of KRSNa can therefore also be called BrahmAnanda; this is evident
from the fact that BrahmAnanda PurI was one of the chief sannyAsI associates
of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu.
BrahmAnanda BhAratI: BrahmAnanda BhAratI went to see zrI KRSNa Caitanya
MahAprabhu at JagannAtha-dhAma. At that time he used to wear only a
deerskin to cover himself, and zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu indirectly indicated
that He did not like this deerskin covering. BrahmAnanda BhAratI therefore
gave it up and accepted a loincloth of saffron color, as used by VaiSNava
sannyAsIs. For some time he lived with zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu at
JagannAtha PurI.
Adi 9.16
TEXT 16
madhya-mUla paramAnanda purI mahA-dhIra
aSTa dike aSTa mUla vRkSa kaila sthira

madhya-mUla—the middle root; paramAnanda purI—ParamAnanda PurI;
mahA-dhIra—most sober; aSTa dike—in the eight directions; aSTa mUla—
eight roots; vRkSa—the tree; kaila sthira—fixed.
TRANSLATION
With the sober and grave ParamAnanda PurI as the central root and the other
eight roots in the eight directions, the tree of Caitanya MahAprabhu stood
firmly.
Adi 9.17
TEXT 17
skandhera upare bahu zAkhA upajila
upari upari zAkhA asa~Nkhya ha-ila

skandhera upare—upon the trunk; bahu zAkhA—many branches; upajila—
grew; upari upari—over and above them; zAkhA—other branches;
asa~Nkhya—innumerable; ha-ila—fructified.
TRANSLATION
From the trunk grew many branches, and above them innumerable others.
Adi 9.18
TEXT 18
viza viza zAkhA kari’ eka eka maNòala
mahA-mahA-zAkhA chAila brahmANòa sakala

viza viza—twenty, twenty; zAkhA—branches; kari’—making a group; eka eka
maNòala—form a society; mahA-mahA-zAkhA—big branches; chAila—
covered; brahmANòa—the whole universe; sakala—all.
TRANSLATION
Thus the branches of the Caitanya tree formed a cluster or society, with great
branches covering all the universe.
PURPORT
Our International Society for Krishna Consciousness is one of the branches of
the Caitanya tree.
Adi 9.19
TEXT 19
ekaika zAkhAte upazAkhA zata zata
yata upajila zAkhA ke gaNibe kata

ekaika—each branch; zAkhAte—in the branch; upazAkhA—subbranches; zata
zata—hundreds and hundreds; yata—all; upajila—grew; zAkhA—branches;
ke—who; gaNibe—can count; kata—how much.
TRANSLATION
From each branch grew many hundreds of subbranches. No one can count
how many branches thus grew.
Adi 9.20
TEXT 20
mukhya mukhya zAkhA-gaNera nAma agaNana
Age ta’ kariba, zuna vRkSera varNana

mukhya mukhya—the foremost of them all; zAkhA-gaNera—of the branches;
nAma—name; agaNana—uncountable; Age—subsequently; ta’ kariba—I shall
do; zuna—please hear; vRkSera varNana—the description of the Caitanya tree.
TRANSLATION
I shall try to name the foremost of the innumerable branches. Please hear the
description of the Caitanya tree.
Adi 9.21
TEXT 21
vRkSera upare zAkhA haila dui skandha
eka ‘advaita’ nAma, Ara ‘nityAnanda’

vRkSera—of the tree; upare—on the top; zAkhA—branch; haila—became;
dui—two; skandha—trunks; eka—one; advaita—zrI Advaita Prabhu;
nAma—of the name; Ara—and; nityAnanda—NityAnanda Prabhu.
TRANSLATION
At the top of the tree the trunk branched into two. One trunk was named zrI
Advaita Prabhu and the other zrI NityAnanda Prabhu.
Adi 9.22
TEXT 22
sei dui-skandhe bahu zAkhA upajila
tAra upazAkhA-gaNe jagat chAila

sei—that; dui-skandhe—in two trunks; bahu—many; zAkhA—branches;
upajila—grew; tAra—of them; upazAkhA-gaNe—subbranches; jagat—the
whole world; chAila—covered.
TRANSLATION
From these two trunks grew many branches and subbranches that covered
the entire world.
Adi 9.23
TEXT 23
baòa zAkhA, upazAkhA, tAra upazAkhA
yata upajila tAra ke karibe lekhA

baòa zAkhA—the big branches; upazAkhA—subbranches; tAra—their;
upazAkhA—subbranches; yata—all that; upajila—grew; tAra—of them; ke—
who; karibe—can count; lekhA—or write.
TRANSLATION
These branches and subbranches and their subbranches became so numerous
that no one can actually write about them.
Adi 9.24
TEXT 24
ziSya, praziSya, Ara upaziSya-gaNa
jagat vyApila tAra nAhika gaNana

ziSya—disciples; praziSya—granddisciples; Ara—and; upaziSya-gaNa—
admirers; jagat—the whole world; vyApila—spread; tAra—of that; nAhika—
there is none; gaNana—enumeration.
TRANSLATION
Thus the disciples and the granddisciples and their admirers spread
throughout the entire world, and it is not possible to enumerate them all.
Adi 9.25
TEXT 25
uòumbara-vRkSa yena phale sarva a~Nge
ei mata bhakti-vRkSe sarvatra phala lAge

uòumbara-vRkSa—a big fig tree; yena—as if; phale—grew fruits; sarva—all;
a~Nge—parts of the body; ei—this; mata—like; bhakti-vRkSe—in the tree of
devotional service; sarvatra—all over; phala—fruit; lAge—appears.
TRANSLATION
As a big fig tree bears fruits all over its body, each part of the tree of
devotional service bore fruit.
PURPORT
This tree of devotional service is not of this material world. It grows in the
spiritual world, where there is no distinction between one part of the body
and another. It is something like a tree of sugar, for whichever part of such a
tree one tastes, it is always sweet. The tree of bhakti has varieties of
branches, leaves and fruits, but they are all meant for the service of the
Supreme Personality of Godhead. There are nine different processes of
devotional service (zravaNaà kIrtanaà viSNoH smaraNaà pAda-sevanam
arcanaà vandanaà dAsyaà sakhyam Atma-nivedanam [SB 7.5.23]), but all of
them are meant only for the service of the Supreme Lord. Therefore whether
one hears, chants, remembers or worships, his activities will yield the same
result. Which one of these processes will be the most suitable for a particular
devotee depends upon his taste.
Adi 9.26
TEXT 26
mUla-skandhera zAkhA Ara upazAkhA-gaNe
lAgilA ye prema-phala,——amRtake jine

mUla-skandhera—of the chief trunk; zAkhA—branches; Ara—and; upazAkhA-
gaNe—subbranches; lAgilA—as it grew; ye—that; prema-phala—the fruit of
love; amRtake jine—such a fruit conquers nectar.
TRANSLATION
Since zrI KRSNa Caitanya MahAprabhu was the original trunk, the taste of the
fruits that grew on the branches and subbranches surpassed the taste of
nectar.
Adi 9.27
TEXT 27
pAkila ye prema-phala amRta-madhura
vilAya caitanya-mAlI, nAhi laya mUla

pAkila—ripened; ye—that; prema-phala—the fruit of love of Godhead;
amRta—nectarean; madhura—sweet; vilAya—distributes; caitanya-mAlI—the
gardener, Lord Caitanya; nAhi—does not; laya—take; mUla—price.
TRANSLATION
The fruits ripened and became sweet and nectarean. The gardener, zrI
Caitanya MahAprabhu, distributed them without asking any price.
Adi 9.28
TEXT 28
tri-jagate yata Ache dhana-ratnamaNi
eka-phalera mUlya kari’ tAhA nAhi gaNi

tri-jagate—in the three worlds; yata—as much as; Ache—there is; dhana-
ratna-maNi—wealth and riches; eka-phalera—one fruit’s; mUlya—price;
kari’—calculated; tAhA—that; nAhi—do not; gaNi—count.
TRANSLATION
All the wealth in the three worlds cannot equal the value of one such
nectarean fruit of devotional service.
Adi 9.29
TEXT 29
mAge vA nA mAge keha, pAtra vA apAtra
ihAra vicAra nAhi jAne, deya mAtra

mAge—begs; vA—or; nA—not; mAge—begs; keha—anyone; pAtra—
candidate; vA—or; apAtra—not a candidate; ihAra—of this; vicAra—
consideration; nAhi—does not; jAne—know; deya—gives; mAtra—only.
TRANSLATION
Not considering who asked for it and who did not, nor who was fit and who
unfit to receive it, Caitanya MahAprabhu distributed the fruit of devotional
service.
PURPORT
This is the sum and substance of Lord Caitanya’s sa~NkIrtana movement. There
is no distinction made between those who are fit and those who are not fit to
hear or take part in the sa~NkIrtana movement. It should therefore be preached
without discrimination. The only purpose of the preachers of the sa~NkIrtana
movement must be to go on preaching without restriction. That is the way in
which zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu introduced this sa~NkIrtana movement to the
world.
Adi 9.30
TEXT 30
a~njali a~njali bhari’ phele caturdize
daridra kuòA~nA khAya, mAlAkAra hAse

a~njali—handful; a~njali—handful; bhari’—filling; phele—distributes; catur-
dize—in all directions; daridra—poor; kuòA~nA—picking up; khAya—eats;
mAlA-kAra—the gardener; hAse—smiles.
TRANSLATION
The transcendental gardener, zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu, distributed handful
after handful of fruit in all directions, and when the poor, hungry people ate
the fruit, the gardener smiled with great pleasure.
Adi 9.31
TEXT 31
mAlAkAra kahe,——zuna, vRkSa-parivAra
mUlazAkhA-upazAkhA yateka prakAra

mAlA-kAra—the gardener; kahe—said; zuna—hear; vRkSa-parivAra—the
family of this transcendental tree of devotional service; mUla-zAkhA—chief
branches; upazAkhA—subbranches; yateka—as many; prakAra—varieties.
TRANSLATION
Lord Caitanya thus addressed the multifarious varieties of branches and
subbranches of the tree of devotional service:
Adi 9.32
TEXT 32
alaukika vRkSa kare sarvendriya-karma
sthAvara ha-iyA dhare ja~Ngamera dharma

alaukika—transcendental; vRkSa—tree; kare—does; sarva-indriya—all
senses; karma—activities; sthAvara—immovable; ha-iyA—becoming;
dhare—accepts; ja~Ngamera—of the movable; dharma—activities.
TRANSLATION
“Since the tree of devotional service is transcendental, every one of its parts
can perform the action of all the others. Although a tree is supposed to be
immovable, this tree nevertheless moves.
PURPORT
It is our experience in the material world that trees stand in one place, but in
the spiritual world a tree can go from one place to another. Therefore
everything in the spiritual world is called alaukika, uncommon or
transcendental. Another feature of such a tree is that it can act universally. In
the material world the roots of a tree go deep within the earth to gather food,
but in the spiritual world the twigs, branches and leaves of the upper portion
of the tree can act like the roots.
Adi 9.33
TEXT 33
e vRkSera a~Nga haya saba sa-cetana
bAòiyA vyApila sabe sakala bhuvana

e—this; vRkSera—of the Caitanya tree; a~Nga—parts; haya—are; saba—all;
sa-cetana—spiritually cognizant; bAòiyA—increasing; vyApila—overflooded;
sabe—all the parts; sakala—all; bhuvana—the world.
TRANSLATION
“All the parts of this tree are spiritually cognizant, and thus as they grow they
spread all over the world.
Adi 9.34
TEXT 34
ekalA mAlAkAra Ami kAhA~N kAhA~N yAba
ekalA vA kata phala pAòiyA vilAba

ekalA—alone; mAlA-kAra—gardener; Ami—I am; kAhA~N—where; kAhA~N—
where; yAba—shall I go; ekalA—alone; vA—or; kata—how many; phala—
fruits; pAòiyA—picking; vilAba—shall distribute.
TRANSLATION
“I am the only gardener. How many places can I go? How many fruits can I
pick and distribute?
PURPORT
Here zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu indicates that the distribution of the Hare
KRSNa mahA-mantra should be performed by combined forces. Although He is
the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He laments, “How can I act alone? How
can I alone pick the fruit and distribute it all over the world?” This indicates
that all classes of devotees should combine to distribute the Hare KRSNa mahA-
mantra without consideration of the time, place or situation.
Adi 9.35
TEXT 35
ekalA uThA~nA dite haya parizrama
keha pAya, keha nA pAya, rahe mane bhrama

ekalA—alone; uThA~nA—picking up; dite—to give; haya—it becomes;
parizrama—too laborious; keha—someone; pAya—does get; keha—
someone; nA—not; pAya—does get; rahe—remains; mane—in the mind;
bhrama—suspicion.
TRANSLATION
“It would certainly be a very laborious task to pick the fruits and distribute
them alone, and still I suspect that some would receive them and others
would not.
Adi 9.36
TEXT 36
ataeva Ami Aj~nA dilu~N sabAkAre
yAhA~N tAhA~N prema-phala deha’ yAre tAre

ataeva—therefore; Ami—I; Aj~nA—order; dilu~N—give; sabAkAre—to
everyone; yAhA~N—wherever; tAhA~N—everywhere; prema-phala—the fruit of
love of Godhead; deha’—distribute; yAre—anyone; tAre—everyone.
TRANSLATION
“Therefore I order every man within this universe to accept this KRSNa
consciousness movement and distribute it everywhere.
PURPORT
In this connection there is a song sung by zrIla Bhaktivinoda ThAkura:
enechi auSadhi mAyA nAzibAra lAgi’
harinAma-mahAmantra lao tumi mAgi’
bhakativinoda prabhu-caraNe paòiyA
sei harinAma-mantra la-ila mAgiyA
The sa~NkIrtana movement has been introduced by Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu
just to dispel the illusion of mAyA, by which everyone in this material world
thinks himself to be a product of matter and therefore to have many duties
pertaining to the body. Actually, the living entity is not his material body: he
is a spirit soul. He has a spiritual need to be eternally blissful and full of
knowledge, but unfortunately he identifies himself with the body, sometimes
as a human being, sometimes as an animal, sometimes a tree, sometimes an
aquatic, sometimes a demigod, and so on. Thus with each change of body he
develops a different type of consciousness with different types of activities
and thus becomes increasingly entangled in material existence, transmigrating
perpetually from one body to another. Under the spell of mAyA, or illusion, he
does not consider the past or future but is simply satisfied with the short life
span that he has gotten for the present. To eradicate this illusion, zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu has brought the sa~NkIrtana movement, and He requests
everyone to accept and distribute it. A person who is actually a follower of zrI
Bhaktivinoda ThAkura must immediately accept the request of Lord Caitanya
MahAprabhu by offering respectful obeisances unto His lotus feet and thus
beg from Him the Hare KRSNa mahA-mantra. If one is fortunate enough to beg
from the Lord this Hare KRSNa mahA-mantra, his life is successful.
Adi 9.37
TEXT 37
ekalA mAlAkAra Ami kata phala khAba
nA diyA vA ei phala Ara ki kariba

ekalA—alone; mAlA-kAra—gardener; Ami—I; kata—how many; phala—fruits;
khAba—eat; nA—without; diyA—giving; vA—or; ei—this; phala—fruits;
Ara—else; ki—what; kariba—shall I do.
TRANSLATION
“I am the only gardener. If I do not distribute these fruits, what shall I do with
them? How many fruits can I alone eat?
PURPORT
Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu produced so many fruits of devotional service
that they must be distributed all over the world; otherwise, how could He
alone relish and taste each and every fruit? The original reason that Lord zrI
KRSNa descended as zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu was to understand zrImatI
RAdhArANI’s love for KRSNa and to taste that love. The fruits of the tree of
devotional service were innumerable, and therefore He wanted to distribute
them unrestrictedly to everyone. zrIla RUpa GosvAmI therefore writes:
anarpita-carIà cirAt karuNayAvatIrNaH kalau
samarpayitum unnatojjvala-rasAà sva-bhakti-zriyam
hariH puraTa-sundara-dyuti-kadamba-sandIpitaH
sadA hRdaya-kandare sphuratu vaH zacI-nandanaH
There were many previous incarnations of the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, but none were so generous, kind and magnanimous as zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu, for He distributed the most confidential aspect of devotional
service, namely, the conjugal love of RAdhA and KRSNa. Therefore zrI RUpa
GosvAmI PrabhupAda desires that zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu live perpetually in
the hearts of all devotees, for thus they can understand and relish the loving
affairs of zrImatI RAdhArANI and KRSNa.
Adi 9.38
TEXT 38
Atma-icchAmRte vRkSa si~nci nirantara
tAhAte asa~Nkhya phala vRkSera upara

Atma—self; icchA-amRte—by the nectar of the will; vRkSa—the tree; si~nci—
sprinkle; nirantara—constantly; tAhAte—there; asa~Nkhya—unlimited; phala—
fruits; vRkSera—on the tree; upara—upper.
TRANSLATION
“By the transcendental desire of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, water
has been sprinkled all over the tree, and thus there are innumerable fruits of
love of Godhead.
PURPORT
God is unlimited, and His desires are also unlimited. This example of unlimited
fruits is factually appropriate even within the material context, for with the
good will of the Supreme Personality of Godhead there can be enough fruits,
grain and other foodstuffs produced so that all the people in the world could
not finish them, even if they ate ten times their capacity. In this material
world there is actually no scarcity of anything but KRSNa consciousness. If
people become KRSNa conscious, by the transcendental will of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead there will be enough foodstuffs produced so that
people will have no economic problems at all. One can very easily understand
this fact. The production of fruits and flowers depends not upon our will but
upon the supreme will of the Personality of Godhead. If He is pleased, He can
supply enough fruits, flowers, etc., but if people are atheistic and godless,
then nature, by His will, restricts the supply of food. For example, in several
provinces in India, especially Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and other adjoining
states, there is sometimes a great scarcity of foodstuffs due to lack of rainfall.
So-called scientists and economists cannot do anything about this. Therefore,
to solve all problems, one must seek the good will of the Supreme Personality
of Godhead by becoming KRSNa conscious and worshiping Him regularly in
devotional service.
Adi 9.39
TEXT 39
ataeva saba phala deha’ yAre tAre
khAiyA ha-uk loka ajara amare

ataeva—therefore; saba—all; phala—fruits; deha’—distribute; yAre tAre—to
everyone and anyone; khAiyA—eating; ha-uk—let them become; loka—all
people; ajara—without old age; amare—without death.
TRANSLATION
“Distribute this KRSNa consciousness movement all over the world. Let people
eat these fruits and ultimately become free from old age and death.
PURPORT
The KRSNa consciousness movement introduced by Lord Caitanya is extremely
important because one who takes to it becomes eternal, being freed from
birth, death and old age. People do not recognize that the real distresses in life
are the four principles of birth, death, old age and disease. They are so foolish
that they resign themselves to these four miseries, not knowing the
transcendental remedy of the Hare KRSNa mahA-mantra. Simply by chanting
the Hare KRSNa mahA-mantra, one can become free from all misery, but
because they are enchanted by the illusory energy, people do not take this
movement seriously. Therefore those who are actually servants of zrI
Caitanya MahAprabhu must seriously distribute this movement all over the
world to render the greatest benefit to human society. Of course, animals and
other lower species are not capable of understanding this movement, but if
even a small number of human beings take it seriously, then by their chanting
loudly, all living entities, including even trees, animals and other lower
species, will be benefited. When zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu inquired from
HaridAsa ThAkura how he was to benefit living entities other than humans,
zrIla HaridAsa ThAkura replied that the Hare KRSNa mahA-mantra is so potent
that if it is chanted loudly, everyone will benefit, including the lower species
of life.
Adi 9.40
TEXT 40
jagat vyApiyA mora habe puNya khyAti
sukhI ha-iyA loka mora gAhibeka kIrti

jagat vyApiyA—spreading all over the world; mora—My; habe—there will
be; puNya—pious; khyAti—reputation; sukhI—happy; ha-iyA—becoming;
loka—all the people; mora—My; gAhibeka—glorify; kIrti—reputation.
TRANSLATION
“If the fruits are distributed all over the world, My reputation as a pious man
will be known everywhere, and thus all people will glorify My name with
great pleasure.
PURPORT
This prediction of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu’s is now actually coming to
pass. The KRSNa consciousness movement is being distributed all over the
world through the chanting of the holy name of the Lord, the Hare KRSNa
mahA-mantra, and people who were leading confused, chaotic lives are now
feeling transcendental happiness. They are finding peace in sa~NkIrtana, and
therefore they are acknowledging the supreme benefit of this movement. This
is the blessing of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu. His prediction is now factually
being fulfilled, and those who are sober and conscientious are appreciating
the value of this great movement.
Adi 9.41
TEXT 41
bhArata-bhUmite haila manuSya janma yAra
janma sArthaka kari’ kara para-upakAra

bhArata—of India; bhUmite—in the land; haila—has become; manuSya—
human being; janma—birth; yAra—anyone; janma—such a birth; sArthaka—
fulfillment; kari’—doing so; kara—do; para—others; upakAra—benefit.
TRANSLATION
“One who has taken his birth as a human being in the land of India [BhArata-
varSa] should make his life successful and work for the benefit of all other
people.
PURPORT
The magnanimity of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu is expressed in this very
important verse. Although He was born in Bengal and Bengalis therefore have
a special duty toward Him, zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu is addressing not only
Bengalis but all the inhabitants of India. It is in the land of India that actual
human civilization can be developed.
Human life is especially meant for God realization, as stated in the VedAnta-
sUtra: athAto brahma jij~nAsA. Anyone who takes birth in the land of India
(BhArata-varSa) has the special privilege of being able to take advantage of
the instruction and guidance of the Vedic civilization. He automatically
receives the basic principles of spiritual life, for 99.9% of the Indian people,
even simple village farmers and others who are neither educated nor
sophisticated, believe in the transmigration of the soul, believe in past and
future lives, believe in God, and naturally want to worship the Supreme
Personality of Godhead or His representative. These ideas are the natural
inheritance of a person born in India. India has many holy places of
pilgrimage, such as GayA, Benares, MathurA, PrayAga, VRndAvana, HaridvAra,
RAmezvaram and JagannAtha PurI, and still people go there by the hundreds
and thousands. Although the present leaders of India are influencing the
people not to believe in God, not to believe in a next life and not to believe in
a distinction between pious and impious life, and although they are teaching
them how to drink wine, eat meat and become supposedly civilized, people
are nevertheless afraid of the four activities of sinful life—namely illicit sex,
meat-eating, intoxication and gambling—and whenever there is a religious
festival, they gather together by the thousands. We have actual experience of
this. Whenever the KRSNa consciousness movement holds a sa~NkIrtana festival
in a big city like Calcutta, Bombay, Madras, Ahmedabad or Hyderabad,
thousands of people come to hear. Sometimes we speak in English, but even
though most people do not understand English, they nevertheless come to
hear us. Even when imitation incarnations of Godhead speak, people gather in
the thousands, for everyone who is born in the land of India has a natural
spiritual inclination and is taught the basic principles of spiritual life; they
merely need to be a little more educated in the Vedic principles. Therefore zrI
Caitanya MahAprabhu says here, janma sArthaka kari’ kara para-upakAra: if an
Indian is educated in the Vedic principles, he is able to perform the most
beneficial welfare activity for the entire world.
At present, for want of KRSNa consciousness, or God consciousness, the entire
world is in darkness, having been covered by the four principles of sinful
life—meat-eating, illicit sex, gambling and intoxication. Therefore there is a
need for vigorous propaganda to educate people to refrain from sinful
activities. This will bring peace and prosperity; the rogues, thieves and
debauchees will naturally decrease in number, and all of human society will be
God conscious.
The practical effect of our spreading the KRSNa consciousness movement all
over the world is that now the most degraded debauchees are becoming the
most elevated saints. This is only one Indian’s humble service to the world. If
all Indians had taken to this path, as advised by Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu,
India would have given a unique gift to the world, and thus India would have
been glorified. Now, however, India is known as a poverty-stricken country,
and whenever anyone from America or another opulent country goes to India,
he sees many people lying by the footpaths for whom there are not even
provisions for two meals a day. There are also institutions collecting money
from all parts of the world in the name of welfare activities for poverty-
stricken people, but they are spending it for their own sense gratification.
Now, on the order of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu, the KRSNa consciousness
movement has been started, and people are benefiting from this movement.
Therefore it is now the duty of the leading men of India to consider the
importance of this movement and train many Indians to go outside of India to
preach this cult. People will accept it, there will be cooperation among the
Indian people and among the other people of the world, and the mission of zrI
Caitanya MahAprabhu will then be fulfilled. zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu will then
be glorified all over the world, and people will naturally be happy, peaceful
and prosperous, not only in this life but also in the next, for as stated in the
Bhagavad-gItA, anyone who understands KRSNa, the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, will very easily get salvation, or freedom from the repetition of
birth and death, and go back home, back to Godhead. zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu therefore requests every Indian to become a preacher of His cult
to save the world from disastrous confusion.
This is not only the duty of Indians but the duty of everyone, and we are very
happy that American and European boys and girls are seriously cooperating
with this movement. One should know definitely that the best welfare activity
for all of human society is to awaken man’s God consciousness, or KRSNa
consciousness. Therefore everyone should help this great movement. This is
confirmed in zrImad-BhAgavatam, Tenth Canto, Twenty-second Chapter,
verse 35, which is next quoted in the Caitanya-caritAmRta.
Adi 9.42
TEXT 42
etAvaj janma-sAphalyaà
dehinAm iha dehiSu
prANair arthair dhiyA vAcA
zreya-AcaraNaà sadA

etAvat—up to this; janma—of birth; sAphalyam—perfection; dehinAm—of
every living being; iha—in this world; dehiSu—toward those who are
embodied; prANaiH—by life; arthaiH—by wealth; dhiyA—by intelligence;
vAcA—by words; zreyaH—eternal good fortune; AcaraNam—acting
practically; sadA—always.
TRANSLATION
“‘It is the duty of every living being to perform welfare activities for the
benefit of others with his life, wealth, intelligence and words.’
PURPORT
There are two kinds of general activities—zreyas, or activities which are
ultimately beneficial and auspicious, and preyas, or those which are
immediately beneficial and auspicious. For example, children are fond of
playing. They do not want to go to school to receive an education, and they
think that to play all day and night and enjoy with their friends is the aim of
life. Even in the transcendental life of Lord KRSNa, we find that when He was a
child He was very fond of playing with His friends of the same age, the
cowherd boys. He would not even go home to take His dinner. Mother
YazodA would have to come out to induce Him to come home. Thus it is a
child’s nature to engage all day and night in playing, not caring even for his
health and other important concerns. This is an example of preyas, or
immediately beneficial activities. But there are also zreyas, or activities which
are ultimately auspicious. According to Vedic civilization, a human being must
be God conscious. He should understand what God is, what this material
world is, who he is, and what their interrelationships are. This is called zreyas,
or ultimately auspicious activity.
In this verse of zrImad-BhAgavatam it is said that one should be interested in
zreyas. To achieve the ultimate goal of zreyas, or good fortune, one should
engage everything, including his life, wealth and words, not only for himself
but for others also. However, unless one is interested in zreyas in his own life,
he cannot preach of zreyas for the benefit of others.
This verse cited by zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu applies to human beings, not to
animals. As indicated in the previous verse by the words manuSya-janma,
these injunctions are for human beings. Unfortunately, human beings,
although they have the bodies of men, are becoming less than animals in their
behavior. This is the fault of modern education. Modern educators do not
know the aim of human life; they are simply concerned with how to develop
the economic condition of their countries or of human society. This is also
necessary; the Vedic civilization considers all aspects of human life, including
dharma (religion), artha (economic development), kAma (sense gratification)
and mokSa (liberation). But humanity’s first concern should be religion. To be
religious, one must abide by the orders of God, but unfortunately people in
this age have rejected religion, and they are busy in economic development.
Therefore they will adopt any means to get money. For economic
development one does not need to get money by hook or by crook; one
needs only sufficient money to maintain his body and soul. However, because
modern economic development is going on with no religious background,
people have become lusty, greedy and mad after money. They are simply
developing the qualities of rajas (passion) and tamas (ignorance), neglecting
the other quality of nature, sattva (goodness), and the brahminical
qualifications. Therefore the entire society is in chaos.
The BhAgavatam says that it is the duty of an advanced human being to act
in such a way as to facilitate human society’s attainment of the ultimate goal
of life. There is a similar verse in the ViSNu PurANa, Part Three, Chapter Twelve,
verse 45, which is next quoted in the Caitanya-caritAmRta.
Adi 9.43
TEXT 43
prANinAm upakArAya
yad eveha paratra ca
karmaNA manasA vAcA
tad eva mati-mAn bhajet

prANinAm—of all living entities; upakArAya—for the benefit; yat—whichever;
eva—certainly; iha—in this world or in this life; paratra—in the next life;
ca—and; karmaNA—by work; manasA—by the mind; vAcA—by words; tat—
that; eva—certainly; mati-mAn—an intelligent man; bhajet—must act.
TRANSLATION
“‘By his work, thoughts and words, an intelligent man must perform actions
which will be beneficial for all living entities in this life and the next.’
PURPORT
Unfortunately, people in general do not know what is to take place in the next
life. To prepare oneself for his next life is common sense, and it is a principle
of the Vedic civilization, but presently people throughout the world do not
believe in a next life. Even influential professors and other educators say that
as soon as the body is finished, everything is finished. This atheistic
philosophy is killing human civilization. People are irresponsibly performing all
sorts of sinful activities, and thus the privilege of the human life is being taken
away by the educational propaganda of the so-called leaders. Actually it is a
fact that this life is meant for preparation for the next life; by evolution one
has come through many species, or forms, and this human form of life is an
opportunity to promote oneself to a better life. This is explained in the
Bhagavad-gItA (9.25):
yAnti deva-vratA devAn pitèn yAnti pitR-vratAH
bhUtAni yAnti bhUtejyA yAnti mad-yAjino ’pi mAm
“Those who worship the demigods will take birth among the demigods; those
who worship ghosts and spirits will take birth among such beings; those who
worship ancestors go to the ancestors; and those who worship Me will live
with Me.” Therefore, one may promote himself to the higher planetary
systems, which are the residence of the demigods, one can promote himself
to PitRloka, one can remain on earth, or one can also go back home, back to
Godhead. This is further confirmed elsewhere in the Bhagavad-gItA (4.9):
tyaktvA dehaà punar janma naiti mAm eti so ’rjuna. After giving up the body,
one who knows KRSNa in truth does not come back again to this world to
accept a material body, but he goes back home, back to Godhead. This
knowledge is in the zAstras, and people should be given the opportunity to
understand it. Even if one is not able to go back to Godhead in one life, the
Vedic civilization at least gives one the opportunity to be promoted to the
higher planetary systems, where the demigods live, and not glide down again
to animal life. At present, people do not understand this knowledge, although
it constitutes a great science, for they are uneducated and trained not to
accept it. This is the horrible condition of modern human society. As such, the
KRSNa consciousness movement is the only hope to direct the attention of
intelligent men to a greater benefit in life.
Adi 9.44
TEXT 44
mAlI manuSya AmAra nAhi rAjya-dhana
phala-phula diyA kari’ puNya upArjana

mAlI—gardener; manuSya—man; AmAra—My; nAhi—there is none; rAjya—
kingdom; dhana—wealth; phala—fruit; phula—flowers; diyA—giving;
kari’—do; puNya—piety; upArjana—achievement.
TRANSLATION
“I am merely a gardener. I have neither a kingdom nor very great riches. I
simply have some fruits and flowers that I wish to utilize to achieve piety in
My life.
PURPORT
In performing welfare activities for human society, zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu
presents Himself as being not very rich, thus indicating that a man need not
be rich or opulent to act for the welfare of humanity. Sometimes rich men are
very proud that they can perform beneficial activities for human society
whereas others cannot. A practical example is that when there is a scarcity of
food in India on account of meager rainfall, some members of the richer class
very proudly distribute foodstuffs, making huge arrangements with the help
of the government, as if merely by such activities people will be benefited.
Suppose there were no food grain. How would the rich men distribute food?
Production of grain is completely in the hands of God. If there were no rain,
there would be no grain, and these so-called rich men would be unable to
distribute grain to the people.
The real purpose of life, therefore, is to satisfy the Supreme Personality of
Godhead. zrIla RUpa GosvAmI describes in his Bhakti-rasAmRta-sindhu that
devotional service is so exalted that it is beneficial and auspicious for every
man. zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu also declared that to propagate the bhakti cult
of devotional service in human society, one does not need to be very rich.
Anyone who knows the art can do it and thus render the highest benefit to
humanity. Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu takes the part of a gardener because
although a gardener is naturally not a very rich man, he has some fruits and
flowers. Any man can collect some fruits and flowers and satisfy the Supreme
Personality of Godhead in devotional service, as the Lord recommends in the
Bhagavad-gItA (9.26):
patraà puSpaà phalaà toyaà yo me bhaktyA prayacchati
tad ahaà bhakty-upahRtam aznAmi prayatAtmanaH
One cannot satisfy the Supreme Lord by his riches, wealth or opulent position,
but anyone can collect a little fruit or a flower and offer it to the Lord. The
Lord says that if one brings such an offering in devotion, He will accept it and
eat it. When KRSNa eats, the entire world becomes satisfied. There is a story in
the MahAbhArata illustrating how by KRSNa’s eating, the sixty thousand
disciples of DurvAsA Muni were all satisfied. Therefore it is a fact that if by our
life (prANaiH), by our wealth (arthaiH), by our intelligence (dhiyA) or by our
words (vAcA) we can satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead, naturally
the entire world will become happy. Therefore our main duty is to satisfy the
Supreme Godhead by our actions, our money and our words. This is very
simple. Even if one does not have money, he can preach the Hare KRSNa
mantra to everyone. One can go everywhere, to every home, and request
everyone to chant the Hare KRSNa mantra. Thus the entire world situation will
become very happy and peaceful.
Adi 9.45
TEXT 45
mAlI ha~nA vRkSa ha-ilA~N ei ta’ icchAte
sarva-prANIra upakAra haya vRkSa haite

mAlI ha~nA—although I am the gardener; vRkSa ha-ilA~N—I am also the tree; ei
ta’—this is; icchAte—by My will; sarva-prANIra—of all living entities;
upakAra—welfare; haya—there is; vRkSa—the tree; haite—from.
TRANSLATION
“Although I am acting as a gardener, I also want to be the tree, for thus I can
bestow benefit upon all.
PURPORT
zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu is the most benevolent personality in human society
because His only desire is to make people happy. His sa~NkIrtana movement is
especially meant for the purpose of making people happy. He wanted to
become the tree Himself because a tree is said to be the most benevolent
living entity. In the following verse, which is from zrImad-BhAgavatam
(10.22.33), KRSNa Himself highly praises the existence of a tree.
Adi 9.46
TEXT 46
aho eSAà varaà janma
sarva-prANy-upajIvinAm
su-janasyeva yeSAà vai
vimukhA yAnti nArthinaH

aho—oh, just see; eSAm—of these trees; varam—superior; janma—birth;
sarva—all; prANi—living entities; upajIvinAm—one who provides
maintenance; su-janasya iva—like the great personalities; yeSAm—from
whose; vai—certainly; vimukhAH—disappointed; yAnti—goes away; na—
never; arthinaH—one who is asking for something.
TRANSLATION
“‘Just see how these trees are maintaining every living entity! Their birth is
successful. Their behavior is just like that of great personalities, for anyone
who asks anything from a tree never goes away disappointed.’”
PURPORT
According to Vedic civilization, kSatriyas are considered to be great
personalities because if anyone goes to a kSatriya king to ask for charity, the
king will never refuse. The trees are compared to those noble kSatriyas
because everyone derives all kinds of benefits from them—some people take
fruit, others take flowers, others take leaves, others take twigs, and others
even cut the tree, and yet the tree gives to everyone without hesitation.
Unnecessarily cutting trees without consideration is another example of
human debauchery. The paper industry cuts many hundreds and thousands of
trees for its mills, and with the paper so much rubbish literature is published
for the whimsical satisfaction of human society. Unfortunately, although these
industrialists are now happy in this life by dint of their industrial development,
they do not know that they will incur the responsibility for killing these living
entities who are in the form of trees.
This verse, quoted from zrImad-BhAgavatam, was spoken by Lord KRSNa to
His friends when He was taking rest underneath a tree after His pastime of
stealing the clothes of the gopIs (vastra-haraNa-lIlA). By quoting this verse,
Caitanya MahAprabhu teaches us that we should be tolerant like trees and
also beneficial like trees, which give everything to the needy persons who
come underneath them. A needy person may derive many advantages from
trees and also from many animals, but in modern civilization people have
become so ungrateful that they exploit the trees and animals and kill them.
These are some of the sinful activities of modern civilization.
Adi 9.47
TEXT 47
ei Aj~nA kaila yadi caitanya-mAlAkAra
parama Ananda pAila vRkSa-parivAra

ei—this; Aj~nA—order; kaila—gave; yadi—when; caitanya—zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu; mAlA-kAra—as a gardener; parama—the greatest; Ananda—
pleasure; pAila—got; vRkSa—of the tree; parivAra—descendants.
TRANSLATION
The descendants of the tree [the devotees of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu] were
very glad to receive this order directly from the Lord.
PURPORT
It is the desire of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu that the benevolent activities of
the sa~NkIrtana movement, which was inaugurated five hundred years ago in
NavadvIpa, be spread all over the world for the benefit of all human beings.
Unfortunately, there are many so-called followers of Caitanya MahAprabhu
who are satisfied simply to construct a temple, make a show of the Deities,
collect some funds and utilize them for eating and sleeping. There is no
question of their preaching the cult of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu all over the
world. But even though they are unable to do so, if anyone else does it they
become envious. This is the condition of the modern followers of Caitanya
MahAprabhu. The Age of Kali is so strong that it affects even the so-called
followers of Lord Caitanya. At least the followers of Caitanya MahAprabhu
must come out of India to preach His cult all over the world, for this is the
mission of Lord Caitanya. The followers of Lord Caitanya must execute His
will with heart and soul, being more tolerant than the trees and humbler than
the straw in the street.
Adi 9.48
TEXT 48
yei yAhA~N tAhA~N dAna kare prema-phala
phalAsvAde matta loka ha-ila sakala

yei—anyone; yAhA~N—wherever; tAhA~N—anywhere; dAna—charity; kare—
gives in; prema-phala—the fruit of love of Godhead; phala—fruit; AsvAde—
by tasting; matta—intoxicated; loka—people; ha-ila—become; sakala—all.
TRANSLATION
The fruit of love of God is so delicious that wherever a devotee distributes it,
those who relish the fruit, anywhere in the world, immediately become
intoxicated.
PURPORT
Here the wonderful fruit of love of Godhead distributed by Lord Caitanya
MahAprabhu is described. We have practical experience that anyone who
accepts this fruit and sincerely tastes it immediately becomes mad after it and
gives up all his bad habits, being intoxicated by Caitanya MahAprabhu’s gift,
the Hare KRSNa mahA-mantra. The statements of zrI Caitanya-caritAmRta are
so practical that anyone can test them. As far as we are concerned, we are
most confident of the success of the distribution of the great fruit of love of
Godhead through the medium of chanting the mahA-mantra—Hare KRSNa,
Hare KRSNa, KRSNa KRSNa, Hare Hare/ Hare RAma, Hare RAma, RAma RAma,
Hare Hare.
Adi 9.49
TEXT 49
mahA-mAdaka prema-phala peTa bhari’ khAya
mAtila sakala loka——hAse, nAce, gAya

mahA-mAdaka—great intoxicant; prema-phala—this fruit of love of God;
peTa—belly; bhari’—filling; khAya—let them eat; mAtila—became mad;
sakala loka—all the people in general; hAse—laugh; nAce—dance; gAya—
chant.
TRANSLATION
The fruit of love of Godhead distributed by Caitanya MahAprabhu is such a
great intoxicant that anyone who eats it, filling his belly, immediately
becomes maddened by it, and automatically he chants, dances, laughs and
enjoys.
Adi 9.50
TEXT 50
keha gaòAgaòi yAya, keha ta’ hu~NkAra
dekhi’ Anandita ha~nA hAse mAlAkAra

keha—some of them; gaòAgaòi yAya—roll on the floor; keha—some of
them; ta’—certainly; hu~NkAra—hum very loudly; dekhi’—seeing this;
Anandita—gladdened; ha~nA—becoming so; hAse—smiles; mAlA-kAra—the
great gardener.
TRANSLATION
When zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu, the great gardener, sees that people are
chanting, dancing and laughing and that some of them are rolling on the floor
and some are making loud humming sounds, He smiles with great pleasure.
PURPORT
This attitude of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu is very important for persons
engaged in the Hare KRSNa movement of KRSNa consciousness. In every center
of our institution, ISKCON, we have arranged for a love feast every Sunday,
and when we actually see people come to our center, chant, dance, take
prasAdam, become jubilant and purchase books, we know that certainly zrI
Caitanya MahAprabhu is always present in such transcendental activities, and
He is very pleased and satisfied. Therefore the members of ISKCON must
increase this movement more and more, according to the principles that we
are presently trying to execute. zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu, thus being pleased,
will smilingly glance upon them, bestowing His favor, and the movement will
be successful.
Adi 9.51
TEXT 51
ei mAlAkAra khAya ei prema-phala
niravadhi matta rahe, vivaza-vihvala

ei—this; mAlA-kAra—great gardener; khAya—eats; ei—this; prema-phala—
fruit of love of Godhead; niravadhi—always; matta—maddened; rahe—
remains; vivaza—as if helpless; vihvala—as if bewildered.
TRANSLATION
The great gardener, Lord Caitanya, personally eats this fruit, and as a result
He constantly remains mad, as if helpless and bewildered.
PURPORT
It is the mission of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu to act Himself and teach the
people. He says, Apani Acari’ bhakti karila pracAra (Cc. Adi 4.41). One must
first act himself and then teach. This is the function of a real teacher. Unless
one is able to understand the philosophy that he speaks, it will not be
effective. Therefore one should not only understand the philosophy of the
Caitanya cult but also implement it practically in one’s life.
While chanting the Hare KRSNa mahA-mantra, zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu
sometimes fainted and remained unconscious for many hours. He prays in His
zikSASTaka (7):
yugAyitaà nimeSeNa cakSuSA prAvRSAyitam
zUnyAyitaà jagat sarvaà govinda-viraheNa me
“O Govinda! Feeling Your separation, I am considering a moment to be like
twelve years or more. Tears are flowing from My eyes like torrents of rain,
and I am feeling all vacant in the world in Your absence.” This is the
perfectional stage of chanting the Hare KRSNa mantra and eating the fruit of
love of Godhead, as exhibited by zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu. One should not
artificially imitate this stage, but if one is serious and sincerely follows the
regulative principles and chants the Hare KRSNa mantra, the time will come
when these symptoms will appear. Tears will fill his eyes, he will be unable to
chant the mahA-mantra distinctly, and his heart will throb in ecstasy. zrI
Caitanya MahAprabhu says that one should not imitate this, but a devotee
should long for the day to come when such symptoms of trance will
automatically appear in his body.
Adi 9.52
TEXT 52
sarva-loke matta kailA Apana-samAna
preme matta loka vinA nAhi dekhi Ana

sarva-loke—all people; matta—maddened; kailA—He made; Apana—
Himself; samAna—like; preme—in love of God; matta—maddened; loka—
people in general; vinA—without; nAhi—do not; dekhi—we see; Ana—
anything else.
TRANSLATION
With His sa~NkIrtana movement the Lord made everyone mad like Himself. We
do not find anyone who was not intoxicated by His sa~NkIrtana movement.
Adi 9.53
TEXT 53
ye ye pUrve nindA kaila, bali’ mAtoyAla
seho phala khAya, nAce, bale——bhAla bhAla

ye ye—persons who; pUrve—before; nindA—blasphemy; kaila—made;
bali’—saying; mAtoyAla—drunkard; seho—such persons; phala—fruit;
khAya—takes; nAce—dance; bale—say; bhAla bhAla—very good, very good.
TRANSLATION
Persons who had formerly criticized Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu, calling Him a
drunkard, also ate the fruit and began to dance, saying, “Very good! Very
good!”
PURPORT
When Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu started the sa~NkIrtana movement, even He
was unnecessarily criticized by MAyAvAdIs, atheists and fools. Naturally we
are also criticized by such men. They will always remain and will always
criticize anything that is actually good for human society. But the preachers of
the sa~NkIrtana movement should not be deterred by such criticism. Our
method should be to convert such fools gradually by asking them to come
and take prasAdam and chant and dance with us. This should be our policy.
Anyone who comes to join us, of course, must be sincere and serious
regarding spiritual advancement in life; then such a person, simply by joining
us, chanting with us, dancing with us and taking prasAdam with us, will
gradually also come to say that this movement is very good. But one who
joins with an ulterior purpose, to get material benefit or personal gratification,
will never be able to grasp the philosophy of this movement.
Adi 9.54
TEXT 54
ei ta’ kahilu~N prema-phala-vitaraNa
ebe zuna, phala-dAtA ye ye zAkhA-gaNa

ei—this; ta’—however; kahilu~N—I have explained; prema-phala—the fruit of
love of Godhead; vitaraNa—distribution; ebe—now; zuna—hear; phala-
dAtA—the giver of the fruit; ye ye—who and who; zAkhA-gaNa—branches.
TRANSLATION
After describing the Lord’s distribution of the fruit of love of Godhead, I now
wish to describe the different branches of the tree of Lord Caitanya
MahAprabhu.
Adi 9.55
TEXT 55
zrI-rUpa-raghunAtha-pade yAra Aza
caitanya-caritAmRta kahe kRSNadAsa

zrI-caitanya—Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu; pada-ambhoja—the lotus feet;
madhu—honey; pebhyaH—unto those who drink; namaH—respectful
obeisances; namaH—respectful obeisances; katha~ncit—a little of it; AzrayAt—
taking shelter of; yeSAm—of whom; zvA—dog; api—also; tat-gandha—the
aroma of the lotus flower; bhAk—shareholder; bhavet—may become.
TRANSLATION
Let me repeatedly offer my respectful obeisances unto the beelike devotees
who always taste the honey of the lotus feet of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu. If
even a doggish nondevotee somehow takes shelter of such devotees, he
enjoys the aroma of the lotus flower.
PURPORT
The example of a dog is very significant in this connection. A dog naturally
does not become a devotee at any time, but still it is sometimes found that a
dog of a devotee gradually becomes a devotee also. We have actually seen
that a dog has no respect even for the tulasI plant. Indeed, a dog is especially
inclined to pass urine on the tulasI plant. Therefore the dog is the number one
nondevotee. But zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu’s sa~NkIrtana movement is so strong
that even a doglike nondevotee can gradually become a devotee by the
association of a devotee of Lord Caitanya. zrIla zivAnanda Sena, a great
householder devotee of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu, attracted a dog on the
street while going to JagannAtha PurI. The dog began to follow him and
ultimately went to see Caitanya MahAprabhu and was liberated. Similarly, cats
and dogs in the household of zrIvAsa ThAkura were also liberated. Cats and
dogs and other animals are not expected to become devotees, but in the
association of a pure devotee they are also delivered.
Adi 10.2
TEXT 2
jaya jaya zrI-kRSNa-caitanya-nityAnanda
jayAdvaitacandra jaya gaura-bhakta-vRnda

jaya jaya—all glories; zrI-kRSNa-caitanya—to Lord zrI KRSNa Caitanya
MahAprabhu; nityAnanda—Lord NityAnanda; jaya advaita-candra—all glories
to Advaita Prabhu; jaya—all glories; gaura-bhakta-vRnda—to the devotees of
Lord Caitanya, headed by zrIvAsa.
TRANSLATION
All glories to Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu and Lord NityAnanda! All glories to
Advaita Prabhu, and all glories to the devotees of Lord Caitanya, headed by
zrIvAsa!
Adi 10.3
TEXT 3
ei mAlIra——ei vRkSera akathya kathana
ebe zuna mukhya-zAkhAra nAma-vivaraNa

ei mAlIra—of this gardener; ei vRkSera—of this tree; akathya kathana—
inconceivable description; ebe—now; zuna—hear; mukhya—chief; zAkhAra—
branches; nAma—of the names; vivaraNa—description.
TRANSLATION
The description of Lord Caitanya as the gardener and the tree is
inconceivable. Now hear with attention about the branches of this tree.
Adi 10.4
TEXT 4
caitanya-gosA~nira yata pAriSada-caya
guru-laghu-bhAva tA~Nra nA haya nizcaya

caitanya—Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu; gosA~nira—of the supreme spiritual
master; yata—all; pAriSada-caya—groups of associates; guru-laghu-bhAva—
conceptions of high and low; tA~Nra—of them; nA—never; haya—become;
nizcaya—ascertained.
TRANSLATION
The associates of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu were many, but none of them
should be considered lower or higher. This cannot be ascertained.
Adi 10.5
TEXT 5
yata yata mahAnta kailA tA~N-sabAra gaNana
keha karibAre nAre jyeSTha-laghu-krama

yata yata—as many as there are; mahAnta—great devotees; kailA—made;
tA~N-sabAra—of all of them; gaNana—counting; keha—all of them; karibAre
nAre—can not do; jyeSTha—elder; laghu—younger; krama—chronology.
TRANSLATION
All the great personalities in the line of Lord Caitanya enumerated these
devotees, but they could not distinguish between the greater and the lesser.
Adi 10.6
TEXT 6
ataeva tA~N-sabAre kari’ namaskAra
nAma-mAtra kari, doSa nA labe AmAra

ataeva—therefore; tA~N-sabAre—to all of them; kari’—doing; namaskAra—
offer my obeisances; nAma-mAtra—that is also a token; kari—I do; doSa—
fault; nA—do not; labe—take; AmAra—of me.
TRANSLATION
I offer my obeisances unto them as a token of respect. I request them not to
consider my offenses.
Adi 10.7
TEXT 7
vande zrI-kRSNa-caitanya-
premAmara-taroH priyAn
zAkhA-rUpAn bhakta-gaNAn
kRSNa-prema-phala-pradAn

vande—I offer my obeisances; zrI-kRSNa-caitanya—to Lord zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu; prema-amara-taroH—of the eternal tree full of love of
Godhead; priyAn—those who are devotees; zAkhA-rUpAn—represented as
branches; bhakta-gaNAn—all the devotees; kRSNa-prema—of love of KRSNa;
phala—of the fruit; pradAn—the givers.
TRANSLATION
I offer my obeisances to all the dear devotees of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu,
the eternal tree of love of Godhead. I offer my respects to all the branches of
the tree, the devotees of the Lord who distribute the fruit of love of KRSNa.
PURPORT
zrI KRSNadAsa KavirAja GosvAmI sets the example of offering obeisances to all
the preacher devotees of Lord Caitanya, without distinction as to higher and
lower. Unfortunately, at present there are many foolish so-called devotees of
Lord Caitanya who make such distinctions. For example, the title
“PrabhupAda” is offered to a spiritual master, especially to a distinguished
spiritual master such as zrIla RUpa GosvAmI PrabhupAda, zrIla JIva GosvAmI
PrabhupAda or zrIla BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI GosvAmI PrabhupAda. When
our disciples similarly wanted to address their spiritual master as PrabhupAda,
some foolish people became envious. Not considering the propaganda work
of the Hare KRSNa movement, simply because these disciples addressed their
spiritual master as PrabhupAda they became so envious that they formed a
faction along with other such envious persons just to minimize the value of
the KRSNa consciousness movement. To chastise such fools, KRSNadAsa
KavirAja GosvAmI very frankly says, keha karibAre nAre jyeSTha-laghu-krama.
Anyone who is a bona fide preacher of the cult of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu
must be respectful to the real devotees of Lord Caitanya; one should not be
envious, considering one preacher to be very great and another to be very
lowly. This is a material distinction and has no place on the platform of
spiritual activities. KRSNadAsa KavirAja GosvAmI therefore offers equal respect
to all the preachers of the cult of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu, who are
compared to the branches of the tree. ISKCON is one of these branches, and it
should therefore be respected by all sincere devotees of Lord Caitanya
MahAprabhu.
Adi 10.8
TEXT 8
zrIvAsa paNòita, Ara zrI-rAma paNòita
dui bhAi——dui zAkhA, jagate vidita

zrIvAsa paNòita—zrIvAsa PaNòita; Ara—and; zrI-rAma paNòita—zrI RAma
PaNòita; dui bhAi—two brothers; dui zAkhA—two branches; jagate—in the
world; vidita—well known.
TRANSLATION
The two brothers zrIvAsa PaNòita and zrI RAma PaNòita started two branches
that are well known in the world.
PURPORT
In the Gaura-gaNoddeza-dIpikA (90), zrIvAsa PaNòita (zrIvAsa ThAkura) is
described as an incarnation of NArada Muni, and zrI RAma PaNòita, his
younger brother, is said to be an incarnation of Parvata Muni, a great friend of
NArada’s. zrIvAsa PaNòita’s wife, MAlinI, is celebrated as an incarnation of the
nurse AmbikA, who fed Lord KRSNa with her breast milk, and as already noted,
his niece NArAyaNI, the mother of ThAkura VRndAvana dAsa, the author of zrI
Caitanya-bhAgavata, was the sister of AmbikA in kRSNa-lIlA. We also
understand from the description of zrI Caitanya-bhAgavata that after Lord
Caitanya MahAprabhu’s acceptance of the sannyAsa order, zrIvAsa PaNòita
left NavadvIpa, possibly because of feelings of separation, and domiciled at
KumArahaTTa.
Adi 10.9
TEXT 9
zrIpati, zrInidhi——tA~Nra dui sahodara
cAri bhAira dAsa-dAsI, gRha-parikara

zrIpati—zrIpati; zrInidhi—zrInidhi; tA~Nra—their; dui—two; sahodara—own
brothers; cAri—four; bhAira—brothers; dAsa-dAsI—family members,
menservants and maidservants; gRha-parikara—all counted in one family.
TRANSLATION
Their two brothers were named zrIpati and zrInidhi. These four brothers and
their servants and maidservants are considered one big branch.
Adi 10.10
TEXT 10
dui zAkhAra upazAkhAya tA~N-sabAra gaNana
yA~Nra gRhe mahAprabhura sadA sa~NkIrtana

dui zAkhAra—of the two branches; upazAkhAya—on the subbranches; tA~N-
sabAra—of all of them; gaNana—counting; yA~Nra gRhe—in whose house;
mahAprabhura—of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu; sadA—always; sa~NkIrtana—
congregational chanting.
TRANSLATION
There is no counting the subbranches of these two branches. zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu held congregational chanting daily at the house of zrIvAsa
PaNòita.
Adi 10.11
TEXT 11
cAri bhAi sa-vaàze kare caitanyera sevA
gauracandra vinA nAhi jAne devI-devA

cAri bhAi—four brothers; sa-vaàze—with all family members; kare—do;
caitanyera—of Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu; sevA—service; gauracandra—
Gaurasundara (Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu); vinA—except; nAhi jAne—they
do not know; devI—goddess; devA—or god.
TRANSLATION
These four brothers and their family members fully engaged in the service of
Lord Caitanya. They knew no other god or goddess.
PURPORT
zrIla Narottama dAsa ThAkura has said, anya-devAzraya nAi, tomAre kahinu
bhAi, ei bhakti parama-kAraNa: if one wants to become a pure, staunch
devotee, one should not take shelter of any of the demigods or -goddesses.
Foolish MAyAvAdIs say that worshiping demigods is as good as worshiping the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, but that is not a fact. This philosophy
misleads people to atheism. One who has no idea what God actually is thinks
that any form he imagines or any rascal he accepts can be God. This
acceptance of cheap gods or incarnations of God is actually atheism. It is to
be concluded, therefore, that those who worship demigods or self-proclaimed
incarnations of God are all atheists. They have lost their knowledge, as
confirmed in the Bhagavad-gItA (7.20): kAmais tais tair hRta-j~nAnAH
prapadyante ’nya-devatAH. “Those whose minds are distorted by material
desires surrender unto demigods.” Unfortunately, those who do not cultivate
KRSNa consciousness and do not properly understand the Vedic knowledge
accept any rascal to be an incarnation of God, and they are of the opinion
that one can become an incarnation simply by worshiping a demigod. This
philosophical hodge-podge exists under the name of the Hindu religion, but
the KRSNa consciousness movement does not approve of it. Indeed, we
strongly condemn it. Such worship of demigods and so-called incarnations of
God should never be confused with the pure KRSNa consciousness movement.
Adi 10.12
TEXT 12
‘AcAryaratna’ nAma dhare baòa eka zAkhA
tA~Nra parikara, tA~Nra zAkhA-upazAkhA

AcAryaratna—AcAryaratna; nAma—name; dhare—he accepts; baòa—big;
eka—one; zAkhA—branch; tA~Nra—his; parikara—associates; tA~Nra—his;
zAkhA—branch; upazAkhA—subbranches.
TRANSLATION
Another big branch was AcAryaratna, and his associates were subbranches.
Adi 10.13
TEXT 13
AcAryaratnera nAma ‘zrI-candrazekhara’——
yA~Nra ghare devI-bhAve nAcilA Izvara

AcAryaratnera—of AcAryaratna; nAma—name; zrI-candrazekhara—zrI
Candrazekhara; yA~Nra—of whom; ghare—in the home; devI-bhAve—as the
goddess; nAcilA—danced; Izvara—zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu.
TRANSLATION
AcAryaratna was also named zrI Candrazekhara AcArya. In a drama in his
house, Lord Caitanya played the goddess of fortune.
PURPORT
Dramatic performances were enacted during the presence of zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu, but the players who took part in such dramas were all pure
devotees; no outsiders were allowed. The members of ISKCON should follow
this example. Whenever they stage dramatic performances about the lives of
zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu or Lord KRSNa, the players must be pure devotees.
Professional players and dramatic actors have no sense of devotional service,
and therefore although they can perform very artistically, there is no life in
such performances. zrIla BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI ThAkura used to refer to
such an actor as yAtrA-dale nArada, which means “farcical NArada.”
Sometimes an actor in a drama plays the part of NArada Muni, although in his
private life he is not at all like NArada Muni because he is not a devotee. Such
actors are not needed in dramatic performances about the lives of zrI
Caitanya MahAprabhu and Lord KRSNa.
zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu used to perform dramas with Advaita Prabhu,
zrIvAsa ThAkura and other devotees in the house of Candrazekhara. The place
where Candrazekhara’s house was situated is now known as Vrajapattana.
zrIla BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI ThAkura established a branch of his zrI
Caitanya MaTha at this place. When zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu decided to
accept the renounced order of life, Candrazekhara AcArya was informed of
this by zrI NityAnanda Prabhu, and therefore he was present when Lord
Caitanya accepted sannyAsa from Kezava BhAratI in Katwa. It is he who first
spread the word in NavadvIpa of Lord Caitanya’s accepting sannyAsa. zrI
Candrazekhara AcArya was present during many important incidents in the
pastimes of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu. He therefore forms the second
branch of the tree of Lord Caitanya.
Adi 10.14
TEXT 14
puNòarIka vidyAnidhi——baòa-zAkhA jAni
yA~Nra nAma la~nA prabhu kAndilA Apani

puNòarIka vidyAnidhi—PuNòarIka VidyAnidhi; baòa-zAkhA—another big
branch; jAni—I know; yA~Nra nAma—whose name; la~nA—taking; prabhu—the
Lord; kAndilA—cried; Apani—Himself.
TRANSLATION
PuNòarIka VidyAnidhi, the third big branch, was so dear to Lord Caitanya
MahAprabhu that in his absence Lord Caitanya Himself would sometimes cry.
PURPORT
In the Gaura-gaNoddeza-dIpikA (54), zrIla PuNòarIka VidyAnidhi is described as
the father of zrImatI RAdhArANI in kRSNa-lIlA. Caitanya MahAprabhu therefore
treated him as His father. PuNòarIka VidyAnidhi’s father was known as
BANezvara or, according to another opinion, zuklAmbara BrahmacArI, and his
mother’s name was Ga~NgAdevI. According to one opinion, BANezvara was a
descendent of zrI zivarAma Ga~NgopAdhyAya. The original home of PuNòarIka
VidyAnidhi was in East Bengal (now Bangladesh), in a village near Dacca
named BAghiyA, which belonged to the VArendra group of brAhmaNa families.
Sometimes these VArendra brAhmaNas were at odds with another group
known as RAòhIya brAhmaNas, and therefore PuNòarIka VidyAnidhi’s family
was ostracized and at that time was not living as a respectable family.
zrIla BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI ThAkura writes in his AnubhASya, “One of the
members of this family is living in VRndAvana and is named SarojAnanda
GosvAmI. One special characteristic of this family is that each of its members
had only one son or no son at all, and therefore the family was not very
expansive. There is a place in the district of CaTTagrAma in East Bengal that is
known as HAta-hAjAri, and a short distance from this place is a village known
as MekhalA-grAma, in which PuNòarIka VidyAnidhi’s forefathers lived. One can
approach MekhalA-grAma from CaTTagrAma either on horseback, by bullock
cart or by steamer. The steamer station is known as AnnapUrNAra-ghATa. The
birthplace of PuNòarIka VidyAnidhi is about two miles southwest of
AnnapUrNAra-ghATa. The temple constructed there by PuNòarIka VidyAnidhi is
now very old and much in need of repair. Without repair, the temple may
soon crumble. There are two inscriptions on the bricks of that temple, but they
are so old that one cannot read them. There is another temple, however,
about two hundred yards south of this one, and some people say that this is
the old temple constructed by PuNòarIka VidyAnidhi.”
zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu called PuNòarIka VidyAnidhi “father,” and He gave
him the title Premanidhi. PuNòarIka VidyAnidhi later became the spiritual
master of GadAdhara PaNòita and an intimate friend of SvarUpa DAmodara’s.
GadAdhara PaNòita at first misunderstood PuNòarIka VidyAnidhi to be an
ordinary pounds-and-shillings man, but later, upon being corrected by zrI
Caitanya MahAprabhu, he became his disciple. Another incident in the life of
PuNòarIka VidyAnidhi involves his criticizing the priest of the JagannAtha
temple, for which JagannAtha Prabhu chastised him personally by slapping his
cheeks. This is described in zrI Caitanya-bhAgavata, Antya-khaNòa, Chapter
Seven. zrI BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI ThAkura informs us that during his time
there were still two living descendants of the family of PuNòarIka VidyAnidhi,
who were named zrI HarakumAra SmRtitIrtha and zrI KRSNaki~Nkara
VidyAla~NkAra. For further information one should refer to the dictionary known
as VaiSNava-ma~njuSA.
Adi 10.15
TEXT 15
baòa zAkhA,——gadAdhara paNòita-gosA~ni
te~Nho lakSmI-rUpA, tA~Nra sama keha nAi

baòa zAkhA—big branch; gadAdhara paNòita-gosA~ni—the descendants or
disciplic succession of GadAdhara PaNòita; te~Nho—GadAdhara PaNòita;
lakSmI-rUpA—incarnation of the pleasure potency of Lord KRSNa; tA~Nra—his;
sama—equal; keha—anyone; nAi—there is none.
TRANSLATION
GadAdhara PaNòita, the fourth branch, is described as an incarnation of the
pleasure potency of zrI KRSNa. No one, therefore, can equal him.
PURPORT
In the Gaura-gaNoddeza-dIpikA (147–53) it is stated, “The pleasure potency of
zrI KRSNa formerly known as VRndAvanezvarI is now personified in the form of
zrI GadAdhara PaNòita in the pastimes of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu.” zrI
SvarUpa DAmodara GosvAmI has pointed out that in the shape of LakSmI, the
pleasure potency of KRSNa, she was formerly very dear to the Lord as
zyAmasundara-vallabhA. The same zyAmasundara-vallabhA was present in
Lord Caitanya’s pastimes as GadAdhara PaNòita. Formerly, as LalitA-sakhI, she
was always devoted to zrImatI RAdhArANI. Thus GadAdhara PaNòita is
simultaneously an incarnation of zrImatI RAdhArANI and LalitA-sakhI. In the
Twelfth Chapter of this part of the Caitanya-caritAmRta there is a description
of the descendants or disciplic succession of GadAdhara PaNòita.
Adi 10.16
TEXT 16
tA~Nra ziSya-upaziSya,——tA~Nra upazAkhA
eimata saba zAkhA-upazAkhAra lekhA

tA~Nra—his; ziSya—disciples; upaziSya—granddisciples and admirers; tA~Nra—
his; upazAkhA—subbranches; eimata—in this way; saba—all; zAkhA—
branches; upazAkhAra—subbranches; lekhA—to describe by writing.
TRANSLATION
His disciples and granddisciples are his subbranches. To describe them all
would be difficult.
Adi 10.17
TEXT 17
vakrezvara paNòita——prabhura baòa priya bhRtya
eka-bhAve cabbiza prahara yA~Nra nRtya

vakrezvara paNòita—Vakrezvara PaNòita; prabhura—of the Lord; baòa—
very; priya—dear; bhRtya—servant; eka-bhAve—continuously in the same
ecstasy; cabbiza—twenty-four; prahara—a duration of time comprising three
hours; yA~Nra—whose; nRtya—dancing.
TRANSLATION
Vakrezvara PaNòita, the fifth branch of the tree, was a very dear servant of
Lord Caitanya’s. He could dance with constant ecstasy for seventy-two hours.
PURPORT
In the Gaura-gaNoddeza-dIpikA (71) it is stated that Vakrezvara PaNòita was an
incarnation of Aniruddha, one of the quadruple expansions of ViSNu
(VAsudeva, Sa~NkarSaNa, Aniruddha and Pradyumna). He could dance
wonderfully for seventy-two continuous hours. When Lord Caitanya
MahAprabhu played in dramatic performances in the house of zrIvAsa PaNòita,
Vakrezvara PaNòita was one of the chief dancers, and he danced continuously
for that length of time. zrI Govinda dAsa, an OriyA devotee of Lord Caitanya
MahAprabhu, has described the life of Vakrezvara PaNòita in his book Gaura-
kRSNodaya. There are many disciples of Vakrezvara PaNòita in Orissa, and they
are known as GauòIya VaiSNavas although they are OriyAs. Among these
disciples are zrI GopAlaguru and his disciple zrI DhyAnacandra GosvAmI.
Adi 10.18
TEXT 18
Apane mahAprabhu gAya yA~Nra nRtya-kAle
prabhura caraNa dhari’ vakrezvara bale

Apane—personally; mahAprabhu—zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu; gAya—sang;
yA~Nra—whose; nRtya-kAle—at the time of dancing; prabhura—of the Lord;
caraNa—lotus feet; dhari’—embracing; vakrezvara—Vakrezvara PaNòita;
bale—said.
TRANSLATION
zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu personally sang while Vakrezvara PaNòita danced,
and thus Vakrezvara PaNòita fell at the lotus feet of the Lord and spoke as
follows.
Adi 10.19
TEXT 19
“daza-sahasra gandharva more deha’ candramukha
tArA gAya, mu~ni nAco~N——tabe mora sukha”

daza-sahasra—ten thousand; gandharva—residents of Gandharvaloka;
more—unto me; deha’—please deliver; candra-mukha—O moon-faced one;
tArA gAya—let them sing; mu~ni nAco~N—let me dance; tabe—then; mora—
my; sukha—happiness.
TRANSLATION
“O Candramukha! Please give me ten thousand Gandharvas. Let them sing as
I dance, and then I will be greatly happy.”
PURPORT
The Gandharvas, who are residents of Gandharvaloka, are celebrated as
celestial singers. Whenever singing is needed in the celestial planets, the
Gandharvas are invited to sing. The Gandharvas can sing continuously for
days, and therefore Vakrezvara PaNòita wanted to dance as they sang.
Adi 10.20
TEXT 20
prabhu bale——tumi mora pakSa eka zAkhA
AkAze uòitAma yadi pA~N Ara pAkhA

prabhu bale—Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu replied; tumi—you; mora—My;
pakSa—wing; eka—one; zAkhA—one-sided; AkAze—in the sky; uòitAma—I
could fly; yadi—if; pA~N—I could get; Ara—another; pAkhA—wing.
TRANSLATION
Lord Caitanya replied, “I have only one wing like you, but if I had another,
certainly I would fly in the sky!”
Adi 10.21
TEXT 21
paNòita jagadAnanda prabhura prANa-rUpa
loke khyAta ye~Nho satyabhAmAra svarUpa

paNòita jagadAnanda—PaNòita JagadAnanda; prabhura—of the Lord; prANa-
rUpa—life and soul; loke—in the world; khyAta—celebrated; ye~Nho—who;
satyabhAmAra—of SatyabhAmA; svarUpa—personification.
TRANSLATION
PaNòita JagadAnanda, the sixth branch of the Caitanya tree, was celebrated as
the life and soul of the Lord. He is known to have been an incarnation of
SatyabhAmA [one of the chief queens of Lord KRSNa].
PURPORT
There are many dealings of JagadAnanda PaNòita with Lord zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu. Most importantly, he was the Lord’s constant companion and
especially took part in all the pastimes of the Lord in the houses of zrIvAsa
PaNòita and Candrazekhara AcArya.
Adi 10.22
TEXT 22
prItye karite cAhe prabhura lAlana-pAlana
vairAgya-loka-bhaye prabhu nA mAne kakhana

prItye—in intimacy or affection; karite—to do; cAhe—wanted; prabhura—
the Lord’s; lAlana-pAlana—maintenance; vairAgya—renouncement; loka-
bhaye—fearing the public; prabhu—the Lord; nA—did not; mAne—accept;
kakhana—any time.
TRANSLATION
JagadAnanda PaNòita [as an incarnation of SatyabhAmA] always wanted to see
to the comfort of Lord Caitanya, but since the Lord was a sannyAsI He did not
accept the luxuries that JagadAnanda PaNòita offered.
Adi 10.23
TEXT 23
dui-jane khaTmaTi lAgAya kondala
tA~Nra prItyera kathA Age kahiba sakala

dui-jane—two persons; khaTmaTi—fighting over trifles; lAgAya—continued;
kondala—quarrel; tA~Nra—his; prItyera—affection; kathA—narration; Age—
ahead; kahiba—I shall speak; sakala—all.
TRANSLATION
They sometimes appeared to fight over trifles, but these quarrels were based
on their affection, of which I shall speak later.
Adi 10.24
TEXT 24
rAghava-paNòita——prabhura Adya-anucara
tA~Nra eka zAkhA mukhya——makaradhvaja kara

rAghava paNòita—RAghava PaNòita; prabhura—of the Lord; Adya—original;
anucara—follower; tA~Nra—his; eka—one; zAkhA—branch; mukhya—chief;
makaradhvaja—Makaradhvaja; kara—surname.
TRANSLATION
RAghava PaNòita, Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu’s original follower, is
understood to have been the seventh branch. From him proceeded another
subbranch, headed by Makaradhvaja Kara.
PURPORT
Kara was the surname of Makaradhvaja. At present this surname is generally
found in the KAyastha community. The Gaura-gaNoddeza-dIpikA (166) states:
dhaniSThA bhakSya-sAmagrIà kRSNAyAdAd vraje ’mitAm
saiva sAmprataà gaurA~Nga-priyo rAghava-paNòitaH
RAghava PaNòita was formerly a confidential gopI in Vraja during the time of
Lord KRSNa’s pastimes, and his former name was DhaniSThA. This gopI,
DhaniSThA, always engaged in preparing foods for KRSNa.
Adi 10.25
TEXT 25
tA~NhAra bhaginI damayantI prabhura priya dAsI
prabhura bhoga-sAmagrI ye kare vAra-mAsi

tA~NhAra—his; bhaginI—sister; damayantI—DamayantI; prabhura—of the
Lord; priya—dear; dAsI—maidservant; prabhura—of the Lord; bhoga-
sAmagrI—cooking materials; ye—who; kare—does; vAra-mAsi—throughout
the whole year.
TRANSLATION
RAghava PaNòita’s sister DamayantI was the dear maidservant of the Lord.
She always collected various ingredients with which to cook for Lord
Caitanya.
PURPORT
zrIla BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI ThAkura writes in his AnubhASya, “In the
Gaura-gaNoddeza-dIpikA (167) it is mentioned, guNamAlA vraje yAsId
damayantI tu tat-svasA: The gopI named GuNamAlA appeared as RAghava
PaNòita’s sister DamayantI. On the East Bengal railway line beginning from the
Sealdah station in Calcutta, there is a station named Sodapura, which is not
very far from Calcutta. Within one mile of this station, toward the western
side of the Ganges, is a village known as PAnihATi, in which the residential
quarters of RAghava PaNòita still exist. On RAghava PaNòita’s tomb is a
creeper on a concrete platform. There is also a Madana-mohana Deity in a
broken-down temple nearby. This temple is managed by a local zamindar of
the name zrI zivacandra RAya CaudhurI. Makaradhvaja Kara was also an
inhabitant of PAnihATi.”
Adi 10.26
TEXT 26
se saba sAmagrI yata jhAlite bhariyA
rAghava la-iyA yA’na gupata kariyA

se saba—all those; sAmagrI—ingredients; yata—all of them; jhAlite bhariyA—
packing in bags; rAghava—RAghava PaNòita; la-iyA—carried; yA’na—goes;
gupata kariyA—very confidentially.
TRANSLATION
The foods DamayantI cooked for Lord Caitanya when He was at PurI were
carried in bags by her brother RAghava without the knowledge of others.
Adi 10.27
TEXT 27
vAra-mAsa tAhA prabhu karena a~NgIkAra
‘rAghavera jhAli’ bali’ prasiddhi yAhAra

vAra-mAsa—the whole year; tAhA—all those foods; prabhu—Lord zrI
Caitanya MahAprabhu; karena—did; a~NgIkAra—accept; rAghavera jhAli—the
bags of RAghava PaNòita; bali’—so called; prasiddhi—celebrated; yAhAra—of
which.
TRANSLATION
The Lord accepted these foods throughout the entire year. Those bags are still
celebrated as rAghavera jhAli [“the bags of RAghava PaNòita”].
Adi 10.28
TEXT 28
se-saba sAmagrI Age kariba vistAra
yAhAra zravaNe bhaktera vahe azrudhAra

se-saba—all these things; sAmagrI—ingredients of the foods; Age—further
on; kariba—I shall describe; vistAra—vividly; yAhAra—of which; zravaNe—by
the hearing; bhaktera—of a devotee; vahe—flowing; azru-dhAra—tears.
TRANSLATION
I shall describe the contents of the bags of RAghava PaNòita later in this book.
Hearing this narration, devotees generally cry, and tears glide down from
their eyes.
PURPORT
A vivid description of these rAghavera jhAli is to be found in Chapter Ten of
the Antya-lIlA portion of zrI Caitanya-caritAmRta.
Adi 10.29
TEXT 29
prabhura atyanta priya——paNòita ga~NgAdAsa
yA~NhAra smaraNe haya sarva-bandha-nAza

prabhura—of the Lord; atyanta—very; priya—dear; paNòita ga~NgAdAsa—
PaNòita Ga~NgAdAsa; yA~NhAra—who; smaraNe—by remembering; haya—it
becomes; sarva-bandha-nAza—freedom from all kinds of bondage.
TRANSLATION
PaNòita Ga~NgAdAsa was the eighth dear branch of the tree of zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu. One who remembers his activities attains freedom from all
bondage.
Adi 10.30
TEXT 30
caitanya-pArSada——zrI-AcArya purandara
pitA kari’ yA~Nre bale gaurA~Nga-sundara

caitanya-pArSada—associate of Lord Caitanya; zrI-AcArya purandara—zrI
AcArya Purandara; pitA—father; kari’—taking him; yA~Nre—whom; bale—
says; gaurA~Nga-sundara—Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu.
TRANSLATION
zrI AcArya Purandara, the ninth branch, was a constant associate of Lord
Caitanya’s. The Lord accepted him as His father.
PURPORT
It is described in the Caitanya-bhAgavata that whenever Lord Caitanya
MahAprabhu visited the house of RAghava PaNòita, He also visited Purandara
AcArya immediately upon receiving an invitation. Purandara AcArya is to be
considered most fortunate because the Lord used to greet him by addressing
him as His father and embracing him in great love.
Adi 10.31
TEXT 31
dAmodara-paNòita zAkhA premete pracaNòa
prabhura upare ye~Nho kaila vAkya-daNòa

dAmodara-paNòita—DAmodara PaNòita; zAkhA—another branch (the tenth
branch); premete—in affection; pracaNòa—very advanced; prabhura—the
Lord; upare—upon; ye~Nho—he who; kaila—did; vAkya-daNòa—
chastisement by speaking.
TRANSLATION
DAmodara PaNòita, the tenth branch of the Caitanya tree, was so elevated in
love of Lord Caitanya that he once unhesitatingly chastised the Lord with
strong words.
Adi 10.32
TEXT 32
daNòa-kathA kahiba Age vistAra kariyA
daNòe tuSTa prabhu tA~Nre pAThAilA nadIyA

daNòa-kathA—the narration of such chastisement; kahiba—I shall speak;
Age—ahead; vistAra—detailed description; kariyA—making; daNòe—in the
matter of chastisement; tuSTa prabhu—the Lord is very much satisfied;
tA~Nre—him; pAThAilA—sent back; nadIyA—Nadia (a district in Bengal).
TRANSLATION
Later in the Caitanya-caritAmRta I shall describe this incident of chastisement
in detail. The Lord, being very much satisfied by this chastisement, sent
DAmodara PaNòita to NavadvIpa.
PURPORT
DAmodara PaNòita, who was formerly known as zaibyA in Vraja-dhAma, used
to carry messages from Lord Caitanya to zacImAtA, and during the Ratha-
yAtrA festival he carried messages from zacImAtA to Lord Caitanya
MahAprabhu.
Adi 10.33
TEXT 33
tA~NhAra anuja zAkhA——za~Nkara-paNòita
‘prabhu-pAdopAdhAna’ yA~Nra nAma vidita

tA~NhAra—his (DAmodara PaNòita’s); anuja—younger brother; zAkhA—the
eleventh branch; za~Nkara-paNòita—za~Nkara PaNòita; prabhu—the Lord’s;
pAda-upadhAna—shoes; yA~Nra—whose; nAma—name; vidita—celebrated.
TRANSLATION
The eleventh branch, the younger brother of DAmodara PaNòita, was known
as za~Nkara PaNòita. He was celebrated as the shoes of the Lord.
Adi 10.34
TEXT 34
sadAziva-paNòita yA~Nra prabhu-pade Aza
prathamei nityAnandera yA~Nra ghare vAsa

sadAziva-paNòita—SadAziva PaNòita; yA~Nra—whose; prabhu-pade—unto the
lotus feet of the Lord; Aza—constant desire; prathamei—in the beginning;
nityAnandera—of Lord NityAnanda; yA~Nra—of whom; ghare—in the home;
vAsa—residence.
TRANSLATION
SadAziva PaNòita, the twelfth branch, was always eager to serve the lotus feet
of the Lord. It was his good fortune that when Lord NityAnanda came to
NavadvIpa He resided at his house.
PURPORT
It is mentioned in the Caitanya-bhAgavata, Antya-khaNòa, Chapter Nine, that
SadAziva PaNòita was a pure devotee and that NityAnanda Prabhu resided at
his house.
Adi 10.35
TEXT 35
zrI-nRsiàha-upAsaka——pradyumna brahmacArI
prabhu tA~Nra nAma kailA ‘nRsiàhAnanda’ kari’

zrI-nRsiàha-upAsaka—the worshiper of Lord NRsiàhadeva; pradyumna
brahmacArI—Pradyumna BrahmacArI; prabhu—the Lord; tA~Nra—his; nAma—
name; kailA—turned into; nRsiàhAnanda—NRsiàhAnanda; kari’—by such a
name.
TRANSLATION
The thirteenth branch was Pradyumna BrahmacArI. Since he was a worshiper
of Lord NRsiàhadeva, zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu changed his name to
NRsiàhAnanda BrahmacArI.
PURPORT
Pradyumna BrahmacArI is described in the Antya-lIlA, Second Chapter, of zrI
Caitanya-caritAmRta. He was a great devotee of Lord Caitanya, who changed
his name to NRsiàhAnanda. While coming from the house of RAghava PaNòita
at PAnihATi to the house of zivAnanda, Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu appeared in
the heart of NRsiàhAnanda BrahmacArI. To acknowledge this, NRsiàhAnanda
BrahmacArI used to accept as eatables the food of three Deities, namely
JagannAtha, NRsiàhadeva and Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu. This is stated in the
Caitanya-caritAmRta, Antya-lIlA, Second Chapter, verses 48 through 78. Upon
receiving information that Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu was proceeding toward
VRndAvana from KuliyA, NRsiàhAnanda absorbed himself in meditation and by
his mental activities began constructing a very nice road from KuliyA to
VRndAvana. All of a sudden, however, he broke his meditation and told the
other devotees that this time Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu would not go to
VRndAvana but would travel only as far as the place known as KAnAi NATazAlA.
This is described in Madhya-lIlA, Chapter One, verses 155 through 162. The
Gaura-gaNoddeza-dIpikA (74) says, Avezaz ca tathAj~neyo mizre pradyumna-
saàj~nake: zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu changed the name of Pradyumna Mizra,
or Pradyumna BrahmacArI, to NRsiàhAnanda BrahmacArI, for in his heart Lord
NRsiàhadeva was manifest. It is said that Lord NRsiàhadeva used to talk with
him directly.
Adi 10.36
TEXT 36
nArAyaNa-paNòita eka baòa-i udAra
caitanya-caraNa vinu nAhi jAne Ara

nArAyaNa-paNòita—NArAyaNa PaNòita; eka—one; baòai—very; udAra—
liberal; caitanya-caraNa—the lotus feet of Lord Caitanya; vinu—except;
nAhi—not; jAne—know; Ara—anything else.
TRANSLATION
NArAyaNa PaNòita, the fourteenth branch, a great and liberal devotee, did not
know any shelter but Lord Caitanya’s lotus feet.
PURPORT
NArAyaNa PaNòita was one of the associates of zrIvAsa ThAkura. It is
mentioned in the Caitanya-bhAgavata, Antya-khaNòa, Eighth Chapter, verse
36, that he went to see zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu at JagannAtha PurI with the
ThAkura’s brother zrI RAma PaNòita.
Adi 10.37
TEXT 37
zrImAn-paNòita zAkhA——prabhura nija bhRtya
deuTi dharena, yabe prabhu karena nRtya

zrImAn-paNòita—zrImAn PaNòita; zAkhA—branch; prabhura—of the Lord;
nija—own; bhRtya—servant; deuTi—torch light; dharena—carries; yabe—
while; prabhu—Lord Caitanya; karena—does; nRtya—dance.
TRANSLATION
The fifteenth branch was zrImAn PaNòita, who was a constant servitor of Lord
Caitanya MahAprabhu. He used to carry a torch while the Lord danced.
PURPORT
zrImAn PaNòita was among the companions of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu
when the Lord performed sa~NkIrtana. When Lord Caitanya dressed Himself in
the form of the goddess LakSmI and danced in the streets of NavadvIpa,
zrImAn PaNòita carried a torch to light the way.
Adi 10.38
TEXT 38
zuklAmbara-brahmacArI baòa bhAgyavAn
yA~Nra anna mAgi’ kAòi’ khAilA bhagavAn

zuklAmbara-brahmacArI—zuklAmbara BrahmacArI; baòa—very; bhAgyavAn—
fortunate; yA~Nra—whose; anna—food; mAgi’—begging; kAòi’—snatching;
khAilA—ate; bhagavAn—the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
TRANSLATION
The sixteenth branch, zuklAmbara BrahmacArI, was very fortunate because
Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu jokingly or seriously begged food from him or
sometimes snatched it from him forcibly and ate it.
PURPORT
It is stated that zuklAmbara BrahmacArI, an inhabitant of NavadvIpa, was Lord
Caitanya MahAprabhu’s first companion in the sa~NkIrtana movement. When
Lord Caitanya returned from GayA after initiation, He stayed with zuklAmbara
BrahmacArI because He wanted to hear from this devotee about the pastimes
of Lord KRSNa. zuklAmbara BrahmacArI collected alms of rice from the
inhabitants of NavadvIpa, and zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu took pleasure in
eating the rice that he cooked. It is said that zuklAmbara BrahmacArI was one
of the wives of the yaj~nic brAhmaNas during the time of Lord KRSNa’s pastimes
in VRndAvana. Lord KRSNa begged food from the wives of the yaj~nic
brAhmaNas, and Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu performed a similar pastime by
begging rice from zuklAmbara BrahmacArI.
Adi 10.39
TEXT 39
nandana-AcArya-zAkhA jagate vidita
lukAiyA dui prabhura yA~Nra ghare sthita

nandana-AcArya—Nandana AcArya; zAkhA—the seventeenth branch;
jagate—in the world; vidita—celebrated; lukAiyA—hiding; dui—two;
prabhura—of the Lords; yA~Nra—of whom; ghare—in the house; sthita—
situated.
TRANSLATION
Nandana AcArya, the seventeenth branch of the Caitanya tree, is celebrated
within the world because the two Prabhus [Lord Caitanya and NityAnanda]
sometimes hid in his house.
PURPORT
Nandana AcArya was another companion of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu
during His kIrtana pastimes in NavadvIpa. zrIla NityAnanda Prabhu, as
AvadhUta, traveled on many pilgrimages, and when He first came to zrI
NavadvIpa-dhAma He remained hidden in the house of Nandana AcArya. It is
there that He first met all the devotees of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu. When
Caitanya MahAprabhu exhibited His mahA-prakAza, He asked RAmAi PaNòita
to call Advaita Prabhu, who was hiding in the home of Nandana AcArya, for
zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu could understand that He was hiding. Similarly, Lord
Caitanya also sometimes hid in the home of Nandana AcArya. In this
connection one may refer to zrI Caitanya-bhAgavata, Madhya-khaNòa,
Chapters Six and Seventeen.
Adi 10.40
TEXT 40
zrI-mukunda-datta zAkhA——prabhura samAdhyAyI
yA~NhAra kIrtane nAce caitanya-gosA~ni

zrI-mukunda-datta—zrI Mukunda Datta; zAkhA—another branch; prabhura—
of Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu; samAdhyAyI—class friend; yA~NhAra—
whose; kIrtane—in sa~NkIrtana; nAce—dances; caitanya-gosA~ni—zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu.
TRANSLATION
Mukunda Datta, a class friend of Lord Caitanya’s, was another branch of the
Caitanya tree. Lord Caitanya danced while he sang.
PURPORT
zrI Mukunda Datta was born in the CaTTagrAma district, in the village of
ChanharA, which is under the jurisdiction of the police station named PaTiyA.
This village is situated ten krozas, or about twenty miles, from the home of
PuNòarIka VidyAnidhi. In the Gaura-gaNoddeza-dIpikA (140) it is said:
vraje sthitau gAyakau yau madhukaNTha-madhuvratau
mukunda-vAsudevau tau dattau gaurA~Nga-gAyakau
“In Vraja there were two very nice singers named MadhukaNTha and
Madhuvrata. They appeared in caitanya-lIlA as Mukunda and VAsudeva Datta,
who were singers in the society of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu.” When Lord
Caitanya was a student, Mukunda Datta was His class friend, and they
frequently engaged in logical arguments. Sometimes Lord Caitanya
MahAprabhu would fight with Mukunda Datta, using tricks of logic. This is
described in the Caitanya-bhAgavata, Adi-khaNòa, Chapters Eleven and
Twelve. When Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu returned from GayA, Mukunda
Datta gave Him pleasure by reciting verses from zrImad-BhAgavatam about
kRSNa-lIlA. It was by his endeavor that GadAdhara PaNòita GosvAmI became a
disciple of PuNòarIka VidyAnidhi, as stated in zrI Caitanya-bhAgavata,
Madhya-khaNòa, Chapter Seven. When Mukunda Datta sang in the courtyard
of zrIvAsa Prabhu, MahAprabhu danced with His singing, and when Lord
Caitanya for twenty-one hours exhibited an ecstatic manifestation known as
sAta-prahariyA, Mukunda Datta inaugurated the function by singing.
Sometimes Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu chastised Mukunda Datta by calling
him khaòajAThiyA beTA because he attended many functions held by different
classes of nondevotees. This is stated in the Caitanya-bhAgavata, Madhya-
khaNòa, Chapter Ten. When Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu dressed Himself as
the goddess of fortune to dance in the house of Candrazekhara, Mukunda
Datta began the first song.
Before disclosing His desire to take the renounced order of life, Lord Caitanya
first went to the house of Mukunda Datta, but at that time Mukunda Datta
requested Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu to continue His sa~NkIrtana movement
for a few days more before taking sannyAsa. This is stated in the Caitanya-
bhAgavata, Madhya-khaNòa, Chapter Twenty-six. The information of Lord
Caitanya’s accepting the renounced order was made known to GadAdhara
PaNòita, Candrazekhara AcArya and Mukunda Datta by NityAnanda Prabhu,
and therefore all of them went to Katwa and arranged for kIrtana and all the
paraphernalia for Lord Caitanya’s acceptance of sannyAsa. After the Lord took
sannyAsa, they all followed Him, especially zrI NityAnanda Prabhu, GadAdhara
Prabhu and Govinda, who followed Him all the way to PuruSottama-kSetra. In
this connection one may refer to zrI Caitanya-bhAgavata, Antya-khaNòa,
Chapter Two. In the place known as Jalezvara, NityAnanda Prabhu broke the
sannyAsa rod of Caitanya MahAprabhu. Mukunda Datta was also present at
that time. He went every year from Bengal to see Lord Caitanya at
JagannAtha PurI.
Adi 10.41
TEXT 41
vAsudeva datta——prabhura bhRtya mahAzaya
sahasra-mukhe yA~Nra guNa kahile nA haya

vAsudeva datta—VAsudeva Datta; prabhura—of Lord zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu; bhRtya—servant; mahAzaya—great personality; sahasra-
mukhe—with thousands of mouths; yA~Nra—whose; guNa—qualities; kahile—
describing; nA—never; haya—becomes fulfilled.
TRANSLATION
VAsudeva Datta, the nineteenth branch of the zrI Caitanya tree, was a great
personality and a most confidential devotee of the Lord. One could not
describe his qualities even with thousands of mouths.
PURPORT
VAsudeva Datta, the brother of Mukunda Datta, was also a resident of
CaTTagrAma. In the Caitanya-bhAgavata it is said, yA~Nra sthAne kRSNa haya
Apane vikraya: VAsudeva Datta was such a powerful devotee that KRSNa was
purchased by him. VAsudeva Datta stayed at zrIvAsa PaNòita’s house, and in
the Caitanya-bhAgavata it is described that Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu was
so pleased with VAsudeva Datta and so affectionate toward him that He used
to say, “I am only VAsudeva Datta’s man. My body is only meant to please
VAsudeva Datta, and he can sell Me anywhere.” Thrice He vowed that this
was a fact and that no one should disbelieve these statements. “All My dear
devotees,” He said, “I tell you the truth. My body is especially meant for
VAsudeva Datta.” VAsudeva Datta initiated zrI Yadunandana AcArya, the
spiritual master of RaghunAtha dAsa, who later became RaghunAtha dAsa
GosvAmI. This will be found in the Caitanya-caritAmRta, Antya-lIlA, Sixth
Chapter, verse 161. VAsudeva Datta spent money very liberally; therefore Lord
Caitanya MahAprabhu asked zivAnanda Sena to become his sarakhela, or
secretary, in order to control his extravagant expenses. VAsudeva Datta was
so kind to the living entities that he wanted to take all their sinful reactions so
that they might be delivered by zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu. This is described in
the Fifteenth Chapter of the Caitanya-caritAmRta’s Madhya-lIlA, verses 159
through 180.
zrIla BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI ThAkura writes in his AnubhASya, “There is a
railway station named PUrvasthalI near the NavadvIpa railway station, and
about one mile away, in a village known as MAmagAchi, which is the
birthplace of VRndAvana dAsa ThAkura, there is presently a temple of Madana-
gopAla that was established by VAsudeva Datta.” The GauòIya MaTha
devotees have now taken charge of this temple, and the sevA-pUjA is going
on very nicely. Every year all the pilgrims on the navadvIpa-parikrama visit
MAmagAchi. Since zrI BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI ThAkura inaugurated the
navadvIpa-parikrama function, the temple has been very well managed.
Adi 10.42
TEXT 42
jagate yateka jIva, tAra pApa la~nA
naraka bhu~njite cAhe jIva chAòAiyA

jagate—in the world; yateka—all; jIva—living entities; tAra—their; pApa—
sinful activities; la~nA—taking; naraka—hell; bhu~njite—to suffer; cAhe—
wanted; jIva—the living entities; chAòAiyA—liberating them.
TRANSLATION
zrIla VAsudeva Datta ThAkura wanted to suffer for the sinful activities of all
the people of the world so that Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu might deliver
them.
Adi 10.43
TEXT 43
haridAsa-ThAkura zAkhAra adbhuta carita
tina lakSa nAma te~Nho layena apatita

haridAsa-ThAkura—HaridAsa ThAkura; zAkhAra—of the branch; adbhuta—
wonderful; carita—characteristics; tina—three; lakSa—hundred thousand;
nAma—names; te~Nho—he; layena—chanted; apatita—without fail.
TRANSLATION
The twentieth branch of the Caitanya tree was HaridAsa ThAkura. His
character was wonderful. He used to chant the holy name of KRSNa 300,000
times a day without fail.
PURPORT
Certainly the chanting of 300,000 holy names of the Lord is wonderful. No
ordinary person can chant so many names, nor should one artificially imitate
HaridAsa ThAkura’s behavior. It is essential, however, that everyone fulfill a
specific vow to chant the Hare KRSNa mantra. Therefore we have prescribed in
our Society that all our students must chant at least sixteen rounds daily. Such
chanting must be offenseless in order to be of high quality. Mechanical
chanting is not as powerful as chanting of the holy name without offenses. It
is stated in the Caitanya-bhAgavata, Adi-khaNòa, Chapter Two, that HaridAsa
ThAkura was born in a village known as Buòhana but after some time came to
live on the bank of the Ganges at PhuliyA, near zAntipura. From the description
of his chastisement by a Muslim magistrate, which is found in the Sixteenth
Chapter of the Adi-khaNòa of Caitanya-bhAgavata, we can understand how
humble and meek HaridAsa ThAkura was and how he achieved the causeless
mercy of the Lord. In the dramas performed by Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu,
HaridAsa ThAkura played the part of a police chief. While chanting the Hare
KRSNa mahA-mantra in BenApola, he was personally tested by MAyAdevI
herself. HaridAsa ThAkura’s passing away is described in the Antya-lIlA of
Caitanya-caritAmRta, Eleventh Chapter. It is not definitely certain whether zrI
HaridAsa ThAkura appeared in the village named Buòhana that is in the district
of KhulnA. Formerly this village was within a district of twenty-four pargaNas
within the SAtakSIrA division.
Adi 10.44
TEXT 44
tA~NhAra ananta guNa——kahi di~NmAtra
AcArya gosA~ni yA~Nre bhu~njAya zrAddha-pAtra

tA~NhAra—HaridAsa ThAkura’s; ananta—unlimited; guNa—qualities; kahi—I
speak; di~N-mAtra—only a small part; AcArya gosA~ni—zrI Advaita AcArya
Prabhu; yA~Nre—to whom; bhu~njAya—offered to eat; zrAddha-pAtra—
prasAdam offered to Lord ViSNu.
TRANSLATION
There was no end to the transcendental qualities of HaridAsa ThAkura. Here I
mention but a fraction of his qualities. He was so exalted that Advaita
GosvAmI, when performing the zrAddha ceremony of his father, offered him
the first plate.
Adi 10.45
TEXT 45
prahlAda-samAna tA~Nra guNera tara~Nga
yavana-tAòaneo yA~Nra nAhika bhrU-bha~Nga

prahlAda-samAna—exactly like PrahlAda MahArAja; tA~Nra—his; guNera—
qualities; tara~Nga—waves; yavana—of the Muslims; tAòaneo—even by the
persecution; yA~Nra—whose; nAhika—there was none; bhrU-bha~Nga—even
the slightest agitation of an eyebrow.
TRANSLATION
The waves of his good qualities were like those of PrahlAda MahArAja. He did
not even slightly raise an eyebrow when persecuted by the Muslim ruler.
Adi 10.46
TEXT 46
te~Nho siddhi pAile tA~Nra deha la~nA kole
nAcila caitanya-prabhu mahA-kutUhale

te~Nho—he; siddhi—perfection; pAile—after achieving; tA~Nra—his; deha—
body; la~nA—taking; kole—on the lap; nAcila—danced; caitanya-prabhu—
Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu; mahA-kutUhale—in great ecstasy.
TRANSLATION
After the passing away of HaridAsa ThAkura, the Lord Himself took his body
on His lap and danced with it in great ecstasy.
Adi 10.47
TEXT 47
tA~Nra lIlA varNiyAchena vRndAvana-dAsa
yebA avaziSTa, Age kariba prakAza

tA~Nra—his; lIlA—pastimes; varNiyAchena—described; vRndAvana-dAsa—zrIla
VRndAvana dAsa ThAkura; yebA—whatever; avaziSTa—remained undescribed;
Age—later in the book; kariba—I shall make; prakAza—manifest.
TRANSLATION
zrIla VRndAvana dAsa ThAkura has vividly described the pastimes of HaridAsa
ThAkura in his Caitanya-bhAgavata. Whatever has remained undescribed I
shall try to explain later in this book.
Adi 10.48
TEXT 48
tA~Nra upazAkhA——yata kulIna-grAmI jana
satyarAja-Adi——tA~Nra kRpAra bhAjana

tA~Nra upazAkhA—his subbranch; yata—all; kulIna-grAmI jana—the inhabitants
of KulIna-grAma; satyarAja—SatyarAja; Adi—heading the list; tA~Nra—his;
kRpAra—of mercy; bhAjana—recipient.
TRANSLATION
One subbranch of HaridAsa ThAkura consisted of the residents of KulIna-
grAma. The most important among them was SatyarAja KhAn, or SatyarAja
Vasu, who was a recipient of all the mercy of HaridAsa ThAkura.
PURPORT
SatyarAja KhAn was the son of GuNarAja KhAn and father of RAmAnanda Vasu.
HaridAsa ThAkura lived for some time during the CAturmAsya period in the
village named KulIna-grAma, where he chanted the holy name, the Hare KRSNa
mahA-mantra, and distributed his mercy to the descendants of the Vasu
family. SatyarAja KhAn was allotted the service of supplying silk ropes for the
JagannAtha Deity during the Ratha-yAtrA festival. zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu’s
answers to his inquiries about the duty of householder devotees are vividly
described in the Madhya-lIlA, Chapters Fifteen and Sixteen.
The village of KulIna-grAma is situated two miles from the railway station
named JaugrAma on the Newcord line from Howrah to Burdwan. Lord
Caitanya MahAprabhu very highly praised the people of KulIna-grAma, and He
stated that even a dog of KulIna-grAma was very dear to Him.
Adi 10.49
TEXT 49
zrI-murAri gupta zAkhA——premera bhANòAra
prabhura hRdaya drave zuni’ dainya yA~Nra

zrI-murAri gupta—zrI MurAri Gupta; zAkhA—branch; premera—of love of
Godhead; bhANòAra—store; prabhura—of the Lord; hRdaya—the heart;
drave—melts; zuni’—hearing; dainya—humility; yA~Nra—of whom.
TRANSLATION
MurAri Gupta, the twenty-first branch of the tree of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu,
was a storehouse of love of Godhead. His great humility and meekness
melted the heart of Lord Caitanya.
PURPORT
zrI MurAri Gupta wrote a book called zrI Caitanya-carita. He belonged to a
vaidya physician family of zrIhaTTa, the paternal home of Lord Caitanya, and
later became a resident of NavadvIpa. He was among the elders of zrI
Caitanya MahAprabhu. Lord Caitanya exhibited His VarAha form in the house
of MurAri Gupta, as described in the Caitanya-bhAgavata, Madhya-khaNòa,
Third Chapter. When zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu exhibited His mahA-prakAza
form, He appeared before MurAri Gupta as Lord RAmacandra. When zrI
Caitanya MahAprabhu and NityAnanda Prabhu were sitting together in the
house of zrIvAsa ThAkura, MurAri Gupta first offered his respects to Lord
Caitanya and then to zrI NityAnanda Prabhu. NityAnanda Prabhu, however,
was older than Caitanya MahAprabhu, and therefore Lord Caitanya remarked
that MurAri Gupta had violated social etiquette, for he should have first
shown respect to NityAnanda Prabhu and then to Him. In this way, by the
grace of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu, MurAri Gupta was informed about the
position of zrI NityAnanda Prabhu, and the next day he offered obeisances
first to Lord NityAnanda and then to Lord Caitanya. zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu
gave chewed pan, or betel nut, to MurAri Gupta. Once zivAnanda Sena
offered food to Lord Caitanya that had been cooked with excessive ghee, and
the next day the Lord became sick and went to MurAri Gupta for treatment.
Lord Caitanya accepted some water from the waterpot of MurAri Gupta, and
thus He was cured. The natural remedy for indigestion is to drink a little
water, and since MurAri Gupta was a physician, he gave the Lord some
drinking water and cured Him.
When Caitanya MahAprabhu appeared in the house of zrIvAsa ThAkura in His
Caturbhuja mUrti, MurAri Gupta became His carrier in the form of Garuòa, and
in these pastimes of ecstasy the Lord then got up on his back. It was the
desire of MurAri Gupta to leave his body before the disappearance of
Caitanya MahAprabhu, but the Lord forbade him to do so. This is described in
the Caitanya-bhAgavata, Madhya-khaNòa, Chapter Twenty. When zrI
Caitanya MahAprabhu one day appeared in ecstasy as the VarAha mUrti,
MurAri Gupta offered Him prayers. He was a great devotee of Lord
RAmacandra, and his staunch devotion is vividly described in the Caitanya-
caritAmRta, Madhya-lIlA, Fifteenth Chapter, verses 137 through 157.
Adi 10.50
TEXT 50
pratigraha nAhi kare, nA laya kAra dhana
Atma-vRtti kari’ kare kuTumba bharaNa

pratigraha nAhi kare—he did not accept charity from anyone; nA—not;
laya—take; kAra—anyone’s; dhana—wealth; Atma-vRtti—own profession;
kari’—executing; kare—maintained; kuTumba—family; bharaNa—provision.
TRANSLATION
zrIla MurAri Gupta never accepted charity from friends, nor did he accept
money from anyone. He practiced as a physician and maintained his family
with his earnings.
PURPORT
It should be noted that a gRhastha (householder) must not make his livelihood
by begging from anyone. Every householder of the higher castes should
engage himself in his own occupational duty as a brAhmaNa, kSatriya or
vaizya, but he should not engage in the service of others, for this is the duty
of a zUdra. One should simply accept whatever he earns by his own
profession. The engagements of a brAhmaNa are yajana, yAjana, paThana,
pAThana, dAna and pratigraha. A brAhmaNa should be a worshiper of ViSNu,
and he should also instruct others how to worship Him. A kSatriya can become
a landholder and earn his livelihood by levying taxes or collecting rent from
tenants. A vaizya can accept agriculture or general trade as an occupational
duty. Since MurAri Gupta was born in a physician’s family (vaidya-vaàza), he
practiced as a physician, and with whatever income he earned he maintained
his family. As stated in zrImad-BhAgavatam, everyone should try to satisfy
the Supreme Personality of Godhead through the execution of his
occupational duty. That is the perfection of life. This system is called daivI-
varNAzrama. MurAri Gupta was an ideal gRhastha, for he was a great devotee
of Lord RAmacandra and Caitanya MahAprabhu. By practicing as a physician
he maintained his family and at the same time satisfied Lord Caitanya to the
best of his ability. This is the ideal of householder life.
Adi 10.51
TEXT 51
cikitsA karena yAre ha-iyA sadaya
deha-roga bhAva-roga,——dui tAra kSaya

cikitsA—medical treatment; karena—did; yAre—upon whom; ha-iyA—
becoming; sadaya—merciful; deha-roga—the disease of the body; bhAva-
roga—the disease of material existence; dui—both; tAra—his; kSaya—
diminished.
TRANSLATION
As MurAri Gupta treated his patients, by his mercy both their bodily and
spiritual diseases subsided.
PURPORT
MurAri Gupta could treat both bodily and spiritual disease because he was a
physician by profession and a great devotee of the Lord in terms of spiritual
advancement. This is an example of service to humanity. Everyone should
know that there are two kinds of diseases in human society. One disease,
which is called adhyAtmika, or material disease, pertains to the body, but the
main disease is spiritual. The living entity is eternal, but somehow or other,
when in contact with the material energy, he is subjected to the repetition of
birth, death, old age and disease. The physicians of the modern day should
learn from MurAri Gupta. Although modern philanthropic physicians open
gigantic hospitals, there are no hospitals to cure the material disease of the
spirit soul. The KRSNa consciousness movement has taken up the mission of
curing this disease, but people are not very appreciative because they do not
know what this disease is. A diseased person needs both proper medicine and
a proper diet, and therefore the KRSNa consciousness movement supplies
materially stricken people with the medicine of the chanting of the holy name,
or the Hare KRSNa mahA-mantra, and the diet of prasAdam. There are many
hospitals and medical clinics to cure bodily diseases, but there are no such
hospitals to cure the material disease of the spirit soul. The centers of the
KRSNa consciousness movement are the only established hospitals that can
cure man of birth, death, old age and disease.
Adi 10.52
TEXT 52
zrImAn sena prabhura sevaka pradhAna
caitanya-caraNa vinu nAhi jAne Ana

zrImAn sena—zrImAn Sena; prabhura—of the Lord; sevaka—servant;
pradhAna—chief; caitanya-caraNa—the lotus feet of Lord Caitanya
MahAprabhu; vinu—except; nAhi—does not; jAne—know; Ana—anything
else.
TRANSLATION
zrImAn Sena, the twenty-second branch of the Caitanya tree, was a very
faithful servant of Lord Caitanya. He knew nothing else but the lotus feet of
zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu.
PURPORT
zrImAn Sena was one of the inhabitants of NavadvIpa and was a constant
companion of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu.
Adi 10.53
TEXT 53
zrI-gadAdhara dAsa zAkhA sarvopari
kAjI-gaNera mukhe ye~Nha bolAila hari

zrI-gadAdhara dAsa—zrI GadAdhara dAsa; zAkhA—another branch; sarva-
upari—above all; kAjI-gaNera—of the Kazis (Muslim magistrates); mukhe—in
the mouth; ye~Nha—one who; bolAila—caused to speak; hari—the holy name
of Hari.
TRANSLATION
zrI GadAdhara dAsa, the twenty-third branch, was understood to be the
topmost, for he induced all the Muslim Kazis to chant the holy name of Lord
Hari.
PURPORT
About eight or ten miles from Calcutta, on the banks of the Ganges, is a
village known as E~NòiyAdaha-grAma. zrIla GadAdhara dAsa was known as an
inhabitant of this village (e~NòiyAdaha-vAsI gadAdhara dAsa). The Bhakti-
ratnAkara (Seventh Wave), informs us that after the disappearance of Lord
Caitanya MahAprabhu, GadAdhara dAsa went from NavadvIpa to Katwa.
Thereafter he came to E~NòiyAdaha and resided there. He is stated to be the
luster of the body of zrImatI RAdhArANI, just as zrIla GadAdhara PaNòita
GosvAmI is an incarnation of zrImatI RAdhArANI Herself. Caitanya MahAprabhu
is sometimes explained to be rAdhA-bhAva-dyuti-suvalita, or characterized by
the emotions and bodily luster of zrImatI RAdhArANI. GadAdhara dAsa is this
dyuti, or luster. In the Gaura-gaNoddeza-dIpikA (154) he is described to be an
expansion of the potency of zrImatI RAdhArANI. He counts among the
associates of both zrIla Gaurahari and NityAnanda Prabhu; as a devotee of zrI
Caitanya MahAprabhu he was one of the associates of Lord KRSNa in conjugal
love, and as a devotee of Lord NityAnanda he is considered to have been one
of the friends of KRSNa in pure devotional service. Even though he was an
associate of Lord NityAnanda Prabhu, he was not among the cowherd boys
but was situated in the transcendental mellow of conjugal love. He established
a temple of zrI Gaurasundara in Katwa.
In 1434 zakAbda (A.D. 1512), when Lord NityAnanda Prabhu was empowered
by Lord Caitanya to preach the sa~NkIrtana movement in Bengal, zrI
GadAdhara dAsa was one of Lord NityAnanda’s chief assistants. He preached
the sa~NkIrtana movement by requesting everyone to chant the Hare KRSNa
mahA-mantra. This simple preaching method of zrIla GadAdhara dAsa can be
followed by anyone and everyone in any position of society. One must simply
be a sincere and serious servant of NityAnanda Prabhu and preach this cult
door to door.
When zrIla GadAdhara dAsa Prabhu was preaching the cult of hari-kIrtana,
there was a magistrate who was very much against his sa~NkIrtana movement.
Following in the footsteps of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu, zrIla GadAdhara
dAsa one night went to the house of the Kazi and requested him to chant the
Hare KRSNa mahA-mantra. The Kazi replied, “All right, I shall chant Hare KRSNa
tomorrow.” On hearing this, zrIla GadAdhara dAsa Prabhu began to dance, and
he said, “Why tomorrow? You have already chanted the Hare KRSNa mantra,
so simply continue.”
In the Gaura-gaNoddeza-dIpikA (verses 154–55) it is said:
rAdhA-vibhUti-rUpA yA candrakAntiH purA vraje
sa zrI-gaurA~Nga-nikaTe dAsa-vaàzyo gadAdharaH
pUrNAnandA vraje yAsId baladeva-priyAgraNI
sApi kArya-vazAd eva prAvizat taà gadAdharam
zrIla GadAdhara dAsa is considered to be a united form of CandrakAnti, who is
the effulgence of zrImatI RAdhArANI, and PUrNAnandA, who is the foremost of
Lord BalarAma’s very dear girlfriends. Thus zrIla GadAdhara dAsa Prabhu was
one of the associates of both Caitanya MahAprabhu and NityAnanda Prabhu.
Once while zrIla GadAdhara dAsa Prabhu was returning to Bengal from
JagannAtha PurI with NityAnanda Prabhu, he forgot himself and began talking
very loudly as if he were a girl of VrajabhUmi selling yogurt, and zrIla
NityAnanda Prabhu noted this. Another time, while absorbed in the ecstasy of
the gopIs, he carried a jug filled with Ganges water on his head as if he were
selling milk. When Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu appeared in the house of
RAghava PaNòita while going to VRndAvana, GadAdhara dAsa went to see
Him, and zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu was so glad that He put His foot on his
head. When GadAdhara dAsa Prabhu was present in E~NòiyAdaha, he
established a BAla GopAla mUrti for worship there. zrI MAdhava GhoSa
performed a drama known as DAna-khaNòa with the help of zrI NityAnanda
Prabhu and zrI GadAdhara dAsa. This is explained in the Caitanya-bhAgavata
(Antya 5.318–94).
The tomb of GadAdhara dAsa Prabhu, which is in the village of E~NòiyAdaha,
was under the control of the SaàyogI VaiSNavas and later under the direction
of Siddha BhagavAn dAsa BAbAjI of KAlnA. By his order, zrI MadhusUdana
Mullik, one of the members of the aristocratic Mullik family of the
NArikelaòA~NgA in Calcutta, established a pATavATI (monastery) there in the
Bengali year 1256 (A.D. 1849). He also arranged for the worship of a Deity
named zrI RAdhAkAnta. His son BalAicA~Nda Mullik established Gaura-NitAi
Deities there in the Bengali year 1312 (A.D. 1905). Thus on the throne of the
temple are both Gaura-NityAnanda Deities and RAdhA-KRSNa Deities. Below
the throne is a tablet with an inscription written in Sanskrit. In that temple
there is also a small Deity of Lord ziva as Gopezvara. This is all described on a
stone by the side of the entrance door.
Adi 10.54
TEXT 54
zivAnanda sena——prabhura bhRtya antara~Nga
prabhu-sthAne yAite sabe layena yA~Nra sa~Nga

zivAnanda sena—zivAnanda Sena; prabhura—of the Lord; bhRtya—servant;
antara~Nga—very confidential; prabhu-sthAne—in JagannAtha PurI, where the
Lord was staying; yAite—while going; sabe—all; layena—took; yA~Nra—
whose; sa~Nga—shelter.
TRANSLATION
zivAnanda Sena, the twenty-fourth branch of the tree, was an extremely
confidential servant of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu. Everyone who went to
JagannAtha PurI to visit Lord Caitanya took shelter and guidance from zrI
zivAnanda Sena.
Adi 10.55
TEXT 55
prativarSe prabhu-gaNa sa~Ngete lA-iyA
nIlAcale calena pathe pAlana kariyA

prati-varSe—every year; prabhu-gaNa—the devotees of Lord Caitanya;
sa~Ngete—along with; lA-iyA—taking; nIlAcale—to JagannAtha PurI; calena—
goes; pathe—on the road; pAlana—maintenance; kariyA—providing.
TRANSLATION
Every year he took a party of devotees from Bengal to JagannAtha PurI to visit
Lord Caitanya. He maintained the entire party as they journeyed on the road.
Adi 10.56
TEXT 56
bhakte kRpA karena prabhu e-tina svarUpe
‘sAkSAt,’ ‘Aveza’ Ara ‘AvirbhAva’-rUpe

bhakte—unto devotees; kRpA—mercy; karena—bestows; prabhu—Lord
Caitanya; e—these; tina—three; svarUpe—features; sAkSAt—directly;
Aveza—empowered by the Lord; Ara—and; AvirbhAva—appearance; rUpe—
in the features.
TRANSLATION
Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu bestows His causeless mercy upon His
devotees in three features: His own direct appearance [sAkSAt], His prowess
within someone He empowers [Aveza], and His manifestation [AvirbhAva].
PURPORT
The sAkSAt feature of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu is His personal presence.
Aveza refers to invested power, like that invested in Nakula BrahmacArI.
AvirbhAva is a manifestation of the Lord that appears even though He is
personally not present. For example, zrI zacImAtA offered food at home to zrI
Caitanya MahAprabhu although He was far away in JagannAtha PurI, and
when she opened her eyes after offering the food, she saw that it had actually
been eaten by zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu. Similarly, when zrIvAsa ThAkura
performed sa~NkIrtana, everyone felt the presence of zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu, even in His absence. This is another example of AvirbhAva.
Adi 10.57
TEXT 57
‘sAkSAte’ sakala bhakta dekhe nirvizeSa
nakula brahmacAri-dehe prabhura ‘Aveza’

sAkSAte—directly; sakala—all; bhakta—devotees; dekhe—see; nirvizeSa—
nothing peculiar but as He is; nakula brahmacArI—Nakula BrahmacArI; dehe—
in the body; prabhura—the Lord’s; Aveza—symptoms of power.
TRANSLATION
The appearance of Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu in every devotee’s presence
is called sAkSAt. His appearance in Nakula BrahmacArI as a symptom of special
prowess is an example of Aveza.
Adi 10.58
TEXT 58
‘pradyumna brahmacArI’ tA~Nra Age nAma chila
‘nRsiàhAnanda’ nAma prabhu pAche ta’ rAkhila

pradyumna brahmacArI—Pradyumna BrahmacArI; tA~Nra—his; Age—
previously; nAma—name; chila—was; nRsiàhAnanda—NRsiàhAnanda;
nAma—the name; prabhu—the Lord; pAche—afterward; ta’—certainly;
rAkhila—kept it.
TRANSLATION
The former Pradyumna BrahmacArI was given the name NRsiàhAnanda
BrahmacArI by zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu.
Adi 10.59
TEXT 59
tA~NhAte ha-ila caitanyera ‘AvirbhAva’
alaukika aiche prabhura aneka svabhAva

tA~NhAte—in him; ha-ila—there was; caitanyera—of Lord zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu; AvirbhAva—appearance; alaukika—uncommon; aiche—like
that; prabhura—of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu; aneka—various; svabhAva—
features.
TRANSLATION
In his body there were symptoms of AvirbhAva. Such appearances are
uncommon, but Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu displayed many such pastimes
through His different features.
PURPORT
In the Gaura-gaNoddeza-dIpikA (73–74) it is said that Nakula BrahmacArI
displayed the prowess (Aveza) and Pradyumna BrahmacArI the appearance
(AvirbhAva) of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu. There are many hundreds and
thousands of devotees of Lord Caitanya among whom there are no special
symptoms, but when a devotee of Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu functions
with specific prowess, he displays the feature called Aveza. zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu personally spread the sa~NkIrtana movement, and He advised all
the inhabitants of BhAratavarSa to take up His cult and preach it all over the
world. The visible bodily symptoms of devotees who follow such instructions
are called Aveza. zrIla zivAnanda Sena observed such Aveza symptoms in
Nakula BrahmacArI, who displayed symptoms exactly like those of zrI
Caitanya MahAprabhu. The Caitanya-caritAmRta states that in the Age of Kali
the only spiritual function is to broadcast the holy name of the Lord, but this
function can be performed only by one who is actually empowered by Lord
KRSNa. The process by which a devotee is thus empowered is called Aveza, or
sometimes it is called zakty-Aveza.
Pradyumna BrahmacArI was formerly a resident of a village known as
PiyArIga~nja in KAlnA. There is a description of him in the Antya-lIlA of zrI
Caitanya-caritAmRta, Second Chapter, and in the Antya-khaNòa of zrI
Caitanya-bhAgavata, chapters Three and Nine.
Adi 10.60
TEXT 60
AsvAdila e saba rasa sena zivAnanda
vistAri’ kahiba Age esaba Ananda

AsvAdila—tasted; e—these; saba—all; rasa—mellows; sena zivAnanda—
zivAnanda Sena; vistAri’—describing vividly; kahiba—I shall speak; Age—
later on; esaba—all this; Ananda—transcendental bliss.
TRANSLATION
zrIla zivAnanda Sena experienced the three features of sAkSAt, Aveza and
AvirbhAva. Later I shall vividly describe this transcendentally blissful subject.
PURPORT
zrIla zivAnanda Sena has been described by zrIla BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI
MahArAja as follows: “zivAnanda Sena was a resident of KumArahaTTa, which
is also known as HAlisahara, and was a great devotee of the Lord. About one
and a half miles from KumArahaTTa is another village, known as KA~NcaòApAòA,
in which there are Gaura-GopAla Deities installed by zivAnanda Sena, who also
established a temple of KRSNarAya that is still existing. zivAnanda Sena was the
father of ParamAnanda Sena, who was also known as PurI dAsa or Kavi-
karNapUra. ParamAnanda Sena wrote in his Gaura-gaNoddeza-dIpikA (176) that
two of the gopIs of VRndAvana, whose former names were VIrA and DUtI,
combined to become his father. zrIla zivAnanda Sena guided all the devotees
of Lord Caitanya who went from Bengal to JagannAtha PurI, and he personally
bore all the expenses for their journey. This is described in the Caitanya-
caritAmRta, Madhya-lIlA, Chapter Sixteen, verses 19 through 27. zrIla
zivAnanda Sena had three sons, named Caitanya dAsa, RAmadAsa and
ParamAnanda. As mentioned above, this last son later became Kavi-karNapUra
and wrote the Gaura-gaNoddeza-dIpikA. His spiritual master was zrInAtha
PaNòita, who was zivAnanda Sena’s priest. Due to VAsudeva Datta’s lavish
spending, zivAnanda Sena was engaged to supervise his expenditures.”
zrI zivAnanda Sena actually experienced zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu’s features
of sAkSAt, Aveza and AvirbhAva. He once took along a dog while on his way to
JagannAtha PurI, and it is described in the Antya-lIlA, First Chapter, that this
dog later attained salvation by his association. When zrIla RaghunAtha dAsa,
who later became RaghunAtha dAsa GosvAmI, fled his paternal home to join
zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu, his father wrote a letter to zivAnanda Sena to get
information about him. zivAnanda Sena supplied him the details for which he
asked, and later RaghunAtha dAsa GosvAmI’s father sent some servants and
money to zivAnanda Sena to take care of RaghunAtha dAsa GosvAmI. Once zrI
zivAnanda Sena invited Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu to his home and fed Him
so sumptuously that the Lord felt indigestion and was somewhat sick. This
became known to zivAnanda Sena’s eldest son, Caitanya dAsa, who gave the
Lord the kinds of food that would help His digestion, and thus Lord Caitanya
MahAprabhu was very pleased. This is described in Antya-lIlA, Tenth Chapter,
verses 142 through 151.
Once while going to JagannAtha PurI, all the devotees had to stay underneath
a tree, without the shelter of a house or even a shed, and NityAnanda Prabhu
became very angry, as if He were greatly disturbed by hunger. Thus He
cursed zivAnanda’s sons to die. zivAnanda’s wife was very much aggrieved at
this, and she began to cry. She very seriously thought that since her sons had
been cursed by NityAnanda Prabhu, certainly they would die. When zivAnanda
later returned and saw his wife crying, he said, “Why are you crying? Let us
all die if zrI NityAnanda Prabhu desires.” When zivAnanda Sena returned and
zrIla NityAnanda Prabhu saw him, the Lord kicked him severely, complaining
that He was very hungry, and asked why he had not arranged for His food.
Such is the behavior of the Lord with His devotees. zrIla NityAnanda Prabhu
behaved like an ordinary hungry man, as if completely dependent on the
arrangements of zivAnanda Sena.
A nephew of zivAnanda Sena’s named zrIkAnta left the company in protest of
NityAnanda Prabhu’s curse and went directly to zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu at
JagannAtha PurI, where the Lord pacified him. On that occasion, Lord Caitanya
MahAprabhu allowed His toe to be sucked by PurI dAsa, who was then a child.
It is by the order of Caitanya MahAprabhu that he could immediately compose
Sanskrit verses. During the misunderstanding with zivAnanda’s family, zrI
Caitanya MahAprabhu ordered His personal attendant, Govinda, to give them
all the remnants of His food. This is described in Antya-lIlA, Chapter Twelve,
verse 53.
Adi 10.61
TEXT 61
zivAnandera upazAkhA, tA~Nra parikara
putra-bhRty-Adi kari’ caitanya-ki~Nkara

zivAnandera—of zivAnanda Sena; upazAkhA—subbranch; tA~Nra—his;
parikara—associates; putra—sons; bhRtya—servants; Adi—all these; kari’—
taking together; caitanya-ki~Nkara—servants of Caitanya MahAprabhu.
TRANSLATION
The sons, servants and family members of zivAnanda Sena constituted a
subbranch. They were all sincere servants of Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu.
Adi 10.62
TEXT 62
caitanya-dAsa, rAmadAsa, Ara karNapUra
tina putra zivAnandera prabhura bhakta-zUra

caitanya-dAsa—Caitanya dAsa; rAmadAsa—RAmadAsa; Ara—and;
karNapUra—KarNapUra; tina putra—three sons; zivAnandera—of zivAnanda
Sena; prabhura—of the Lord; bhakta-zUra—of the heroic devotees.
TRANSLATION
The three sons of zivAnanda Sena, named Caitanya dAsa, RAmadAsa and
KarNapUra, were all heroic devotees of Lord Caitanya.
PURPORT
Caitanya dAsa, the eldest son of zivAnanda Sena, wrote a commentary on
KRSNa-karNAmRta that was later translated by zrIla Bhaktivinoda ThAkura in his
paper Sajjana-toSaNI. According to expert opinion, Caitanya dAsa was the
author of the book Caitanya-carita (also known as Caitanya-caritAmRta),
which was written in Sanskrit. The author was not Kavi-karNapUra, as is
generally supposed. This is the opinion of zrIla BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI
ThAkura. zrI RAmadAsa was the second son of zivAnanda Sena. It is stated in
the Gaura-gaNoddeza-dIpikA (145) that the two famous parrots named DakSa
and VicakSaNa in kRSNa-lIlA became the elder brothers of Kavi-karNapUra,
namely Caitanya dAsa and RAmadAsa. KarNapUra, the third son, who was also
known as ParamAnanda dAsa or PurI dAsa, was initiated by zrInAtha PaNòita,
who was a disciple of zrI Advaita Prabhu. KarNapUra wrote many books that
are important in VaiSNava literature, such as the Ananda-vRndAvana-campU,
Ala~NkAra-kaustubha, Gaura-gaNoddeza-dIpikA and the great epic Caitanya-
candrodaya-nATaka. He was born in the year 1448 zakAbda (A.D. 1526). He
continually wrote books for ten years, from 1488 until 1498.
Adi 10.63
TEXT 63
zrI-vallabhasena, Ara sena zrIkAnta
zivAnanda-sambandhe prabhura bhakta ekAnta

zrI-vallabha-sena—zrIvallabha Sena; Ara—and; sena zrIkAnta—zrIkAnta Sena;
zivAnanda—zivAnanda Sena; sambandhe—in relationship; prabhura—the
Lord’s; bhakta—devotees; ekAnta—unflinching.
TRANSLATION
zrIvallabha Sena and zrIkAnta Sena were also subbranches of zivAnanda Sena,
for they were not only his nephews but also unalloyed devotees of zrI
Caitanya MahAprabhu.
PURPORT
When Lord NityAnanda Prabhu rebuked zivAnanda Sena on the way to PurI,
these two nephews of zivAnanda left the company as a protest and went to
see zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu at JagannAtha PurI. The Lord could understand
the feelings of the boys, and He asked His personal assistant, Govinda, to
supply them prasAdam until the party of zivAnanda arrived. During the Ratha-
yAtrA sa~NkIrtana festival these two brothers were members of the party led by
Mukunda. In the Gaura-gaNoddeza-dIpikA (174) it is said that the gopI whose
name was KAtyAyanI appeared as zrIkAnta Sena.
Adi 10.64
TEXT 64
prabhu-priya govindAnanda mahAbhAgavata
prabhura kIrtanIyA Adi zrI-govinda datta

prabhu-priya—the most dear to the Lord; govindAnanda—GovindAnanda;
mahA-bhAgavata—great devotee; prabhura—of the Lord; kIrtanIyA—
performer of kIrtana; Adi—originally; zrI-govinda datta—zrI Govinda Datta.
TRANSLATION
GovindAnanda and Govinda Datta, the twenty-fifth and twenty-sixth
branches of the tree, were performers of kIrtana in the company of zrI
Caitanya MahAprabhu. Govinda Datta was the principal singer in Lord
Caitanya’s kIrtana party.
PURPORT
Govinda Datta appeared in the village of Sukhacara, near Khaòadaha.
Adi 10.65
TEXT 65
zrI-vijaya-dAsa-nAma prabhura AkhariyA
prabhure aneka pu~Nthi diyAche likhiyA

zrI-vijaya-dAsa—zrI Vijaya dAsa; nAma—name; prabhura—of the Lord;
AkhariyA—chief singer; prabhure—unto the Lord; aneka—many; pu~Nthi—
literatures; diyAche—has given; likhiyA—by writing.
TRANSLATION
zrI Vijaya dAsa, the twenty-seventh branch, another of the Lord’s chief
singers, gave the Lord many books written by hand.
PURPORT
Formerly there were no printing presses or printed books. All books were
handwritten. Precious books were kept in manuscript form in temples or other
important places, and anyone who was interested in a book had to copy it by
hand. Vijaya dAsa was a professional writer who copied many manuscripts
and gave them to zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu.
Adi 10.66
TEXT 66
‘ratnabAhu’ bali’ prabhu thuila tA~Nra nAma
aki~ncana prabhura priya kRSNadAsa-nAma

ratnabAhu—the title RatnabAhu; bali’—calling him; prabhu—the Lord;
thuila—kept; tA~Nra—his; nAma—name; aki~ncana—unalloyed; prabhura—of
the Lord; priya—dear; kRSNadAsa—KRSNadAsa; nAma—name.
TRANSLATION
zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu gave Vijaya dAsa the name RatnabAhu [“jewel-
handed”] because he copied many manuscripts for Him. The twenty-eighth
branch was KRSNadAsa, who was very dear to the Lord. He was known as
Aki~ncana KRSNadAsa.
PURPORT
Aki~ncana means “one who possesses nothing in this world.”
Adi 10.67
TEXT 67
kholA-vecA zrIdhara prabhura priya-dAsa
yA~NhA-sane prabhu kare nitya parihAsa

kholA-vecA—a person who sells the bark of banana trees; zrIdhara—zrIdhara
Prabhu; prabhura—of the Lord; priya-dAsa—very dear servant; yA~Nha-sane—
with whom; prabhu—the Lord; kare—does; nitya—daily; parihAsa—joking.
TRANSLATION
The twenty-ninth branch was zrIdhara, a trader in banana-tree bark. He was a
very dear servant of the Lord. On many occasions, the Lord played jokes on
him.
PURPORT
zrIdhara was a poor brAhmaNa who made a living by selling banana-tree bark
to be made into cups. Most probably he had a banana-tree garden and
collected the leaves, skin and pulp of the banana trees to sell daily in the
market. He spent fifty percent of his income to worship the Ganges, and the
balance he used for his subsistence. When zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu started
His civil disobedience movement in defiance of the Kazi, zrIdhara danced in
jubilation. The Lord used to drink water from his water jug. zrIdhara presented
a squash to zacIdevI to cook before Lord Caitanya took sannyAsa. Every year
he went to see Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu at JagannAtha PurI. According to
Kavi-karNapUra, zrIdhara was a cowherd boy of VRndAvana whose name was
KusumAsava. In his Gaura-gaNoddeza-dIpikA (133) it is stated:
kholA-vecAtayA khyAtaH paNòitaH zrIdharo dvijaH
AsId vraje hAsya-karo yo nAmnA kusumAsavaH
“The cowherd boy known as KusumAsava in kRSNa-lIlA later became KholAvecA
zrIdhara during Caitanya MahAprabhu’s lIlA at NavadvIpa.”
Adi 10.68
TEXT 68
prabhu yA~Nra nitya laya thoòa-mocA-phala
yA~Nra phuTA-lauhapAtre prabhu pilA jala

prabhu—the Lord; yA~Nra—whose; nitya—daily; laya—takes; thoòa—the
pulp of the banana tree; mocA—the flowers of the banana tree; phala—the
fruits of the banana tree; yA~Nra—whose; phuTA—broken; lauha-pAtre—in the
iron pot; prabhu—the Lord; pilA—drank; jala—water.
TRANSLATION
Every day Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu jokingly snatched fruits, flowers and
pulp from zrIdhara and drank from his broken iron pot.
Adi 10.69
TEXT 69
prabhura atipriya dAsa bhagavAn paNòita
yA~Nra dehe kRSNa pUrve hailA adhiSThita

prabhura—of the Lord; atipriya—very dear; dAsa—servant; bhagavAn
paNòita—BhagavAn PaNòita; yA~Nra—whose; dehe—in the body; kRSNa—Lord
KRSNa; pUrve—previously; hailA—became; adhiSThita—established.
TRANSLATION
The thirtieth branch was BhagavAn PaNòita. He was an extremely dear servant
of the Lord, but even previously he was a great devotee of Lord KRSNa who
always kept the Lord within his heart.
Adi 10.70
TEXT 70
jagadIza paNòita, Ara hiraNya mahAzaya
yAre kRpA kaila bAlye prabhu dayAmaya

jagadIza paNòita—JagadIza PaNòita; Ara—and; hiraNya—HiraNya;
mahAzaya—great personality; yAre—unto whom; kRpA—mercy; kaila—
showed; bAlye—in childhood; prabhu—the Lord; dayAmaya—merciful.
TRANSLATION
The thirty-first branch was JagadIza PaNòita, and the thirty-second was
HiraNya MahAzaya, unto whom Lord Caitanya in His childhood showed His
causeless mercy.
PURPORT
JagadIza PaNòita was formerly a great dancer in kRSNa-lIlA and was known as
CandrahAsa. Regarding HiraNya PaNòita, it is said that once when Lord
NityAnanda, decorated with valuable jewels, was staying at his home, all night
long a great thief attempted to plunder these jewels but was unsuccessful.
Later he came to NityAnanda Prabhu and surrendered unto Him.
Adi 10.71
TEXT 71
ei dui-ghare prabhu ekAdazI dine
viSNura naivedya mAgi’ khAila Apane

ei dui-ghare—in these two houses; prabhu—the Lord; ekAdazI dine—on the
EkAdazI day; viSNura—of Lord ViSNu; naivedya—food offered to Lord ViSNu;
mAgi’—begging; khAila—ate; Apane—personally.
TRANSLATION
In their two houses Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu begged food on the EkAdazI
day and personally ate it.
PURPORT
The injunction to fast on EkAdazI is especially meant for devotees; on EkAdazI
there are no restrictions regarding food that may be offered to the Lord. Lord
zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu took the food of Lord ViSNu in His ecstasy as viSNu-
tattva.
Adi 10.72
TEXT 72
prabhura paòuyA dui,——puruSottama, sa~njaya
vyAkaraNe dui ziSya——dui mahAzaya

prabhura paòuyA dui—the Lord’s two students; puruSottama—PuruSottama;
sa~njaya—Sa~njaya; vyAkaraNe—studying grammar; dui ziSya—two disciples;
dui mahAzaya—very great personalities.
TRANSLATION
The thirty-third and thirty-fourth branches were the two students of Caitanya
MahAprabhu named PuruSottama and Sa~njaya, who were stalwart students in
grammar. They were very great personalities.
PURPORT
These two students were inhabitants of NavadvIpa and were the Lord’s first
companions in the sa~NkIrtana movement. According to the Caitanya-
bhAgavata, PuruSottama Sa~njaya was the son of Mukunda Sa~njaya, but the
author of zrI Caitanya-caritAmRta has clarified that PuruSottama and Sa~njaya
were two people, not one.
Adi 10.73
TEXT 73
vanamAlI paNòita zAkhA vikhyAta jagate
soNAra muSala hala dekhila prabhura hAte

vanamAlI paNòita—VanamAlI PaNòita; zAkhA—the next branch; vikhyAta—
celebrated; jagate—in the world; soNAra—made of gold; muSala—club;
hala—plow; dekhila—saw; prabhura—of the Lord; hAte—in the hand.
TRANSLATION
VanamAlI PaNòita, the thirty-fifth branch of the tree, was very much
celebrated in this world. He saw a golden club and plow in the hands of the
Lord.
PURPORT
VanamAlI PaNòita saw Lord Caitanya in the ecstasy of BalarAma. This is
described vividly in the Caitanya-bhAgavata, Antya-khaNòa, Chapter Nine.
Adi 10.74
TEXT 74
zrI-caitanyera ati priya buddhimanta khAn
Ajanma Aj~nAkArI te~Nho sevaka-pradhAna

zrI-caitanyera—of Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu; ati priya—very dear;
buddhimanta khAn—Buddhimanta KhAn; Ajanma—from the very beginning of
his life; Aj~nA-kArI—follower of the orders; te~Nho—he; sevaka—servant;
pradhAna—chief.
TRANSLATION
The thirty-sixth branch, Buddhimanta KhAn, was extremely dear to Lord
Caitanya MahAprabhu. He was always prepared to carry out the Lord’s orders,
and therefore he was considered to be a chief servant of the Lord.
PURPORT
zrI Buddhimanta KhAn was one of the inhabitants of NavadvIpa. He was very
rich, and it is he who arranged for the marriage of Lord Caitanya with
ViSNupriyA, the daughter of SanAtana Mizra, who was the priest of the local
zamindar. He personally defrayed all the expenditures for the marriage
ceremony. When Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu was attacked by vAyu-vyAdhi
(derangement of the air within the body) Buddhimanta KhAn paid for all
requisite medicines and treatments to cure the Lord. He was the Lord’s
constant companion in the kIrtana movement. He collected ornaments for the
Lord when He played the part of the goddess of fortune in the house of
Candrazekhara AcArya. He also went to see Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu when
He was staying at JagannAtha PurI.
Adi 10.75
TEXT 75
garuòa paNòita laya zrInAma-ma~Ngala
nAma-bale viSa yA~Nre nA karila bala

garuòa paNòita—Garuòa PaNòita; laya—takes; zrI-nAma-ma~Ngala—the
auspicious Hare KRSNa mahA-mantra; nAma-bale—by the strength of this
chanting; viSa—poison; yA~Nre—whom; nA—did not; karila—affect; bala—
strength.
TRANSLATION
Garuòa PaNòita, the thirty-seventh branch of the tree, always engaged in
chanting the auspicious name of the Lord. Because of the strength of this
chanting, even the effects of poison could not touch him.
PURPORT
Garuòa PaNòita was once bitten by a poisonous snake, but the snake’s poison
could not affect him because of his chanting the Hare KRSNa mahA-mantra.
Adi 10.76
TEXT 76
gopInAtha siàha——eka caitanyera dAsa
akrUra bali’ prabhu yA~Nre kailA parihAsa

gopInAtha siàha—GopInAtha Siàha; eka—one; caitanyera dAsa—servant of
Lord Caitanya; akrUra bali’—famous as AkrUra; prabhu—the Lord; yA~Nre—
whom; kaila—did; parihAsa—joking.
TRANSLATION
GopInAtha Siàha, the thirty-eighth branch of the tree, was a faithful servant
of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu. The Lord jokingly addressed him as AkrUra.
PURPORT
Actually he was AkrUra, as stated in text 117 of the Gaura-gaNoddeza-dIpikA.
Adi 10.77
TEXT 77
bhAgavatI devAnanda vakrezvara-kRpAte
bhAgavatera bhakti-artha pAila prabhu haite

bhAgavatI devAnanda—DevAnanda, who used to recite zrImad-BhAgavatam;
vakrezvara-kRpAte—by the mercy of Vakrezvara; bhAgavatera—of zrImad-
BhAgavatam; bhakti-artha—the bhakti interpretation; pAila—got; prabhu
haite—from the Lord.
TRANSLATION
DevAnanda PaNòita was a professional reciter of zrImad-BhAgavatam, but by
the mercy of Vakrezvara PaNòita and the grace of the Lord he understood the
devotional interpretation of the BhAgavatam.
PURPORT
In the Caitanya-bhAgavata, Madhya-khaNòa, Chapter Twenty-one, it is stated
that DevAnanda PaNòita and SArvabhauma BhaTTAcArya’s father, VizArada,
lived in the same village. DevAnanda PaNòita was a professional reciter of
zrImad-BhAgavatam, but Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu did not like his
interpretation of it. In the present town of NavadvIpa, which was formerly
known as KuliyA, Lord Caitanya showed such mercy to him that he gave up
the MAyAvAdI interpretation of zrImad-BhAgavatam and learned how to
explain zrImad-BhAgavatam in terms of bhakti. Formerly, when DevAnanda
was expounding the MAyAvAdI interpretation, zrIvAsa ThAkura was once
present in his meeting, and when he began to cry, DevAnanda’s students
drove him away. Some days later, Caitanya MahAprabhu passed that way,
and when He met DevAnanda He chastised him severely because of his
MAyAvAda interpretation of zrImad-BhAgavatam. At that time DevAnanda
had little faith in zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu as an incarnation of Lord KRSNa, but
one night some time later Vakrezvara PaNòita was a guest in his house, and
when he explained the science of KRSNa, DevAnanda was convinced about the
identity of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu. Thus he was induced to explain
zrImad-BhAgavatam according to the VaiSNava understanding. In the Gaura-
gaNoddeza-dIpikA (106) it is described that he was formerly BhAguri Muni, the
sabhA-paNòita who recited Vedic literatures in the house of Nanda MahArAja.
Adi 10.78-79
TEXTS 78–79
khaNòavAsI mukunda-dAsa, zrI-raghunandana
narahari-dAsa, cira~njIva, sulocana
ei saba mahAzAkhA——caitanya-kRpAdhAma
prema-phala-phula kare yAhA~N tAhA~N dAna

khaNòa-vAsI mukunda-dAsa—Mukunda dAsa, a resident of zrIkhaNòa; zrI-
raghunandana—Raghunandana; narahari-dAsa—Narahari dAsa; cira~njIva—
Cira~njIva; sulocana—Sulocana; ei saba—all of them; mahA-zAkhA—great
branches; caitanya-kRpA-dhAma—of Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu, the
reservoir of mercy; prema—love of God; phala—fruit; phula—flower; kare—
does; yAhA~N—anywhere; tAhA~N—everywhere; dAna—distribution.
TRANSLATION
zrI KhaNòavAsI Mukunda and his son Raghunandana were the thirty-ninth
branch of the tree, Narahari was the fortieth, Cira~njIva the forty-first and
Sulocana the forty-second. They were all big branches of the all-merciful tree
of Caitanya MahAprabhu. They distributed the fruits and flowers of love of
Godhead anywhere and everywhere.
PURPORT
zrI Mukunda dAsa was the son of NArAyaNa dAsa and eldest brother of
Narahari SarakAra. His second brother’s name was MAdhava dAsa, and his son
was named Raghunandana dAsa. Descendants of Raghunandana dAsa still live
four miles west of Katwa in the village named zrIkhaNòa, where
Raghunandana dAsa used to live. Raghunandana had one son named KAnAi,
who had two sons—Madana RAya, who was a disciple of Narahari ThAkura,
and VaàzIvadana. It is estimated that at least four hundred men descended in
this dynasty. All their names are recorded in the village of zrIkhaNòa. In the
Gaura-gaNoddeza-dIpikA (175) it is stated that the gopI whose name was
VRndAdevI became Mukunda dAsa, lived in zrIkhaNòa village and was very
dear to zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu. His wonderful devotion and love for KRSNa
are described in the Caitanya-caritAmRta, Madhya-lIlA, Chapter Fifteen. It is
stated in the Bhakti-ratnAkara (Eighth Wave) that Raghunandana used to
serve a Deity of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu.
Narahari dAsa SarakAra was a very famous devotee. Locana dAsa ThAkura, the
celebrated author of zrI Caitanya-ma~Ngala, was his disciple. In the Caitanya-
ma~Ngala it is stated that zrI GadAdhara dAsa and Narahari SarakAra were
extremely dear to zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu, but there is no specific statement
regarding the inhabitants of the village of zrIkhaNòa.
Cira~njIva and Sulocana were both residents of zrIkhaNòa, where their
descendants are still living. Of Cira~njIva’s two sons, the elder, RAmacandra
KavirAja, was a disciple of zrInivAsa AcArya and an intimate associate of
Narottama dAsa ThAkura. The younger son was Govinda dAsa KavirAja, the
famous VaiSNava poet. Cira~njIva’s wife was SunandA, and his father-in-law
was DAmodara Sena KavirAja. Cira~njIva previously lived on the bank of the
Ganges River, in the village of KumAranagara. The Gaura-gaNoddeza-dIpikA
(207) states that he was formerly CandrikA in VRndAvana.
Adi 10.80
TEXT 80
kulInagrAma-vAsI satyarAja, rAmAnanda
yadunAtha, puruSottama, za~Nkara, vidyAnanda

kulIna-grAma-vAsI—the inhabitants of KulIna-grAma; satyarAja—SatyarAja;
rAmAnanda—RAmAnanda; yadunAtha—YadunAtha; puruSottama—
PuruSottama; za~Nkara—za~Nkara; vidyAnanda—VidyAnanda.
TRANSLATION
SatyarAja, RAmAnanda, YadunAtha, PuruSottama, za~Nkara and VidyAnanda all
belonged to the twentieth branch. They were inhabitants of the village known
as KulIna-grAma.
Adi 10.81
TEXT 81
vANInAtha vasu Adi yata grAmI jana
sabei caitanya-bhRtya,——caitanya-prANadhana

vANInAtha vasu—VANInAtha Vasu; Adi—heading the list; yata—all; grAmI—of
the village; jana—inhabitants; sabei—all of them; caitanya-bhRtya—servants
of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu; caitanya-prANa-dhana—their life and soul was
Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu.
TRANSLATION
All the inhabitants of KulIna-grAma village, headed by VANInAtha Vasu, were
servants of Lord Caitanya, who was their only life and wealth.
Adi 10.82
TEXT 82
prabhu kahe, kulInagrAmera ye haya kukkura
sei mora priya, anya jana rahu dUra

prabhu—the Lord; kahe—says; kulIna-grAmera—of the village of KulIna-
grAma; ye—anyone who; haya—becomes; kukkura—even a dog; sei—he;
mora—My; priya—dear; anya—others; jana—persons; rahu—let them
remain; dUra—away.
TRANSLATION
The Lord said, “What to speak of others, even a dog in the village of KulIna-
grAma is My dear friend.
Adi 10.83
TEXT 83
kulInagrAmIra bhAgya kahane nA yAya
zUkara carAya òoma, seha kRSNa gAya

kulIna-grAmIra—the residents of KulIna-grAma; bhAgya—fortune; kahane—
to speak; nA—not; yAya—is possible; zUkara—hogs; carAya—tending;
òoma—sweeper; seha—he also; kRSNa—Lord KRSNa; gAya—chants.
TRANSLATION
“No one can describe the fortunate position of KulIna-grAma. It is so sublime
that even sweepers who tend their hogs there also chant the Hare KRSNa
mahA-mantra.”
Adi 10.84
TEXT 84
anupama-vallabha, zrI-rUpa, sanAtana
ei tina zAkhA vRkSera pazcime sarvottama

anupama-vallabha—Anupama, or Vallabha; zrI-rUpa—zrI RUpa; sanAtana—
SanAtana; ei—these; tina—three; zAkhA—branches; vRkSera—of the tree;
pazcime—on the western side; sarvottama—very great.
TRANSLATION
On the western side were the forty-third, forty-fourth and forty-fifth
branches—zrI SanAtana, zrI RUpa and Anupama. They were the best of all.
PURPORT
zrI Anupama was the father of zrIla JIva GosvAmI and younger brother of zrI
SanAtana GosvAmI and zrI RUpa GosvAmI. His former name was Vallabha, but
after Lord Caitanya met him He gave him the name Anupama. Because of
working in the Muslim government, these three brothers were given the title
Mullik. Our personal family is connected with the Mulliks of Mahatma Gandhi
Road in Calcutta, and we often used to visit their RAdhA-Govinda temple.
They belong to the same family as we do. Our family gotra, or original
genealogical line, is the Gautama-gotra, or line of disciples of Gautama Muni,
and our surname is De. But due to their accepting the posts of zamindars in
the Muslim government, they received the title Mullik. Similarly, RUpa,
SanAtana and Vallabha were also given the title Mullik. Mullik means “lord.”
Just as the English government gives rich and respectable persons the title
“lord,” so the Muslims give the title Mullik to rich, respectable families that
have intimate connections with the government. Thus the title Mullik is found
not only among the Muslims but also among the Hindu aristocracy. This title is
not restricted to a particular family but is given to different families and
castes. The qualifications for receiving it are wealth and respectability
SanAtana GosvAmI and RUpa GosvAmI belonged to the BharadvAja-gotra,
which indicates that they belonged either to the family or disciplic succession
of BharadvAja Muni. As members of the KRSNa consciousness movement we
belong to the family, or disciplic succession, of SarasvatI GosvAmI, and thus
we are known as SArasvatas. Obeisances are therefore offered to the spiritual
master as sArasvata-deva, or a member of the SArasvata family (namas te
sArasvate deve), whose mission is to broadcast the cult of zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu (gaura-vANI-pracAriNe) and to fight with impersonalists and
voidists (nirvizeSa-zUnyavAdi-pAzcAtya-deza-tAriNe). This was also the
occupational duty of SanAtana GosvAmI, RUpa GosvAmI and Anupama
GosvAmI.
The genealogical table of SanAtana GosvAmI, RUpa GosvAmI and Vallabha
GosvAmI can be traced back to the twelfth century zakAbda, when a
gentleman of the name Sarvaj~na appeared in a very rich and opulent
brAhmaNa family in the province of KarNATa. He had two sons, named
Aniruddhera RUpezvara and Harihara, who were both bereft of their kingdoms
and thus obliged to reside in the highlands. The son of RUpezvara, who was
named PadmanAbha, moved to a place in Bengal known as NaihATI, on the
bank of the Ganges. There he had five sons, of whom the youngest, Mukunda,
had a well-behaved son named KumAradeva, who was the father of RUpa,
SanAtana and Vallabha. KumAradeva lived in PhateyAbAd, an area bordering
BAklAcandradvIpa in East Bengal (now Bangladesh). The present-day village of
Prembagh, which lies near Ramshara in the Jessore district of Bangladesh, is
said by many to be the site of KumAradeva’s house. Of his many sons, three
took to the path of VaiSNavism. Later, zrI Vallabha and his elder brothers zrI
RUpa and SanAtana came from CandradvIpa to the village in the Maldah
district of Bengal known as RAmakeli. It is in this village that zrIla JIva
GosvAmI took birth, accepting Vallabha as his father. Because of engaging in
the service of the Muslim government, the three brothers received the title
Mullik. When Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu visited the village of RAmakeli, He
met Vallabha there. Later, zrI RUpa GosvAmI, after meeting zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu, resigned from government service, and when he went to
VRndAvana to meet Lord Caitanya, Vallabha accompanied him. The meeting of
RUpa GosvAmI and Vallabha with Caitanya MahAprabhu at Allahabad is
described in the Madhya-lIlA, Chapter Nineteen.
Actually, it is to be understood from the statement of SanAtana GosvAmI that
zrI RUpa GosvAmI and Vallabha went to VRndAvana under the instructions of
zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu. First they went to MathurA, where they met a
gentleman named Subuddhi RAya, who maintained himself by selling dry fuel
wood. He was very pleased to meet zrI RUpa GosvAmI and Anupama, and he
showed them the twelve forests of VRndAvana. Thus they lived in VRndAvana
for one month and then again went to search for SanAtana GosvAmI.
Following the course of the Ganges, they reached Allahabad, or PrayAga-
tIrtha, but because SanAtana GosvAmI had come there by a different road,
they did not meet him there, and when SanAtana GosvAmI came to MathurA
he was informed of the visit of RUpa GosvAmI and Anupama by Subuddhi
RAya. When RUpa GosvAmI and Anupama met Caitanya MahAprabhu at
Benares, they heard about SanAtana GosvAmI’s travels from Him, and thus
they returned to Bengal, adjusted their affairs with the state and, on the order
of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu, went to see the Lord at JagannAtha PurI.
In the year 1436 zakAbda (A.D. 1514), the youngest brother, Anupama, died
and went back home, back to Godhead. He went to the abode in the spiritual
sky where zrI RAmacandra is situated. At JagannAtha PurI, zrI RUpa GosvAmI
informed zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu of this incident. Vallabha was a great
devotee of zrI RAmacandra; therefore he could not seriously consider the
worship of RAdhA-Govinda according to the instructions of zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu. Yet he directly accepted zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu as an
incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead RAmacandra. In the
Bhakti-ratnAkara there is the following statement: “Vallabha was given the
name Anupama by zrI Gaurasundara, but he was always absorbed in the
devotional service of Lord RAmacandra. He did not know anyone but zrI
RAmacandra, but he knew that Caitanya GosA~ni was the same Lord
RAmacandra.”
In the Gaura-gaNoddeza-dIpikA (180) zrI RUpa GosvAmI is described to be the
gopI named zrI RUpa-ma~njarI. In the Bhakti-ratnAkara there is a list of the
books zrI RUpa GosvAmI compiled. Of all his books, the following sixteen are
very popular among VaiSNavas: (1) HaàsadUta, (2) Uddhava-sandeza, (3)
KRSNa-janma-tithi-vidhi, (4 and 5) RAdhA-kRSNa-gaNoddeza-dIpikA, BRhat
(major) and Laghu (minor), (6) StavamAlA, (7) Vidagdha-mAdhava, (8) Lalita-
mAdhava, (9) DAna-keli-kaumudi, (10) Bhakti-rasAmRta-sindhu (this is the most
celebrated book by zrI RUpa GosvAmI), (11) Ujjvala-nIlamaNi, (12) AkhyAta-
candrikA, (13) MathurA-mahimA, (14) PadyAvalI, (15) NATaka-candrikA and (16)
Laghu-bhAgavatAmRta. zrI RUpa GosvAmI gave up all family connections,
joined the renounced order of life and divided his money, giving fifty percent
to the brAhmaNas and VaiSNavas and twenty-five percent to his kuTumba
(family members), and keeping twenty-five percent for personal emergencies.
He met HaridAsa ThAkura in JagannAtha PurI, where he also met Lord Caitanya
and His other associates. zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu used to praise the
handwriting of RUpa GosvAmI. zrIla RUpa GosvAmI could compose verses
according to the desires of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu, and by His direction he
wrote two books named Lalita-mAdhava and Vidagdha-mAdhava. Lord
Caitanya desired the two brothers, SanAtana GosvAmI and RUpa GosvAmI, to
publish many books in support of the VaiSNava religion. When SanAtana
GosvAmI met zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu, the Lord advised him also to go to
VRndAvana.
zrI SanAtana GosvAmI is described in the Gaura-gaNoddeza-dIpikA (181). He
was formerly known as Rati-ma~njarI or sometimes Lava~Nga-ma~njarI. In the
Bhakti-ratnAkara it is stated that his spiritual master, VidyA-vAcaspati,
sometimes stayed in the village of RAmakeli, and SanAtana GosvAmI studied
all the Vedic literatures from him. He was so devoted to his spiritual master
that this cannot be described. According to the Vedic system, if someone sees
a Muslim he must perform rituals to atone for the meeting. SanAtana GosvAmI
always associated with Muslim kings. Not giving much attention to the Vedic
injunctions, he used to visit the houses of Muslim kings, and thus he
considered himself to have been converted into a Muslim. He was therefore
always very humble and meek. When SanAtana GosvAmI presented himself
before Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu, he said, “I am always in association with
lower-class people, and my behavior is therefore very abominable.” He
actually belonged to a respectable brAhmaNa family, but because he
considered his behavior to be abominable, he did not try to place himself
among the brAhmaNas but always remained among people of the lower
castes. He wrote the Hari-bhakti-vilAsa and VaiSNava-toSaNI, which is a
commentary on the Tenth Canto of zrImad-BhAgavatam. In the year 1476
zakAbda (A.D. 1554) he completed the BRhad-vaiSNava-toSaNI commentary on
zrImad-BhAgavatam. In the year 1504 zakAbda (A.D. 1582) he finished the
Laghu-toSaNI.
zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu taught His principles through four chief followers.
Among them, RAmAnanda RAya is exceptional, for through him the Lord
taught how a devotee can completely vanquish the power of Cupid. By
Cupid’s power, as soon as one sees a beautiful woman he is conquered by her
beauty. zrI RAmAnanda RAya, however, vanquished Cupid’s pride. Indeed,
while rehearsing the JagannAtha-vallabha-nATaka he personally directed
extremely beautiful young girls in dancing, but he was never affected by their
youthful beauty. zrI RAmAnanda RAya personally bathed these girls, touching
them and washing them with his own hands, yet he remained calm and
passionless, as a great devotee should be. Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu certified
that this was possible only for RAmAnanda RAya. Similarly, DAmodara PaNòita
was notable for his objectivity as a critic. He did not even spare Caitanya
MahAprabhu from his criticism. This also cannot be imitated by anyone else.
HaridAsa ThAkura is exceptional for his forbearance because although he was
beaten with canes in twenty-two marketplaces, he was nevertheless tolerant.
Similarly, zrI SanAtana GosvAmI, although he belonged to a most respectable
brAhmaNa family, was exceptional for his humility and meekness.
In the Madhya-lIlA, Chapter Nineteen, the device adopted by SanAtana
GosvAmI to get free from government service is described. He served a
notice of sickness to the Nawab, the Muslim governor, but actually he was
studying zrImad-BhAgavatam with brAhmaNas at home. The Nawab received
information of this through a royal physician, and he immediately went to see
SanAtana GosvAmI to discover his intentions. The Nawab requested SanAtana
to accompany him on an expedition to Orissa, but when SanAtana GosvAmI
refused, the Nawab ordered that he be imprisoned. When RUpa GosvAmI left
home, he wrote a note for SanAtana GosvAmI informing him of some money
that he had entrusted to a local grocer. SanAtana GosvAmI took advantage of
this money to bribe the jail keeper and get free from detention. Then he left
for Benares to meet Caitanya MahAprabhu, bringing with him only one
servant, whose name was IzAna. On the way they stopped at a sarAi, or hotel,
and when the hotel keeper found out that IzAna had some gold coins with
him, he planned to kill both SanAtana GosvAmI and IzAna to take away the
coins. Later SanAtana GosvAmI saw that although the hotel keeper did not
know them, he was being especially attentive to their comfort. Therefore he
concluded that IzAna was secretly carrying some money and that the hotel
keeper was aware of this and therefore planned to kill them for it. Upon being
questioned by SanAtana GosvAmI, IzAna admitted that he indeed had money
with him, and immediately SanAtana GosvAmI took the money and gave it to
the hotel keeper, requesting him to help them get through the jungle. Thus
with the help of the hotel keeper, who was also the chief of the thieves of
that territory, SanAtana GosvAmI crossed over the Hazipur mountains, which
are presently known as the Hazaribags. He then met his brother-in-law
zrIkAnta, who requested that he stay with him. SanAtana GosvAmI refused,
but before they parted zrIkAnta gave him a valuable blanket.
Somehow or other SanAtana GosvAmI reached VArANasI and met Lord
Caitanya MahAprabhu at the house of Candrazekhara. By the order of the
Lord, SanAtana GosvAmI was cleanly shaved and his dress changed to that of
a mendicant, or bAbAjI. He put on old garments of Tapana Mizra’s and took
prasAdam at the house of a Maharashtrian brAhmaNa. Then, in discourses with
Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu, the Lord Himself explained everything about
devotional service to SanAtana GosvAmI. He advised SanAtana GosvAmI to
write books on devotional service, including a book of directions for VaiSNava
activities, and to excavate the lost places of pilgrimage in VRndAvana. Lord
Caitanya MahAprabhu gave him His blessings to do all this work and also
explained to SanAtana GosvAmI the import of the AtmArAma verse from sixty-
one different angles of vision.
SanAtana GosvAmI went to VRndAvana by the main road, and when he
reached MathurA he met Subuddhi RAya. Then he returned to JagannAtha PurI
through JhArikhaNòa, the Madhya Pradesh jungle. At JagannAtha PurI he
decided to give up his body by falling down beneath a wheel of the
JagannAtha ratha, but Caitanya MahAprabhu saved him. Then SanAtana
GosvAmI met HaridAsa ThAkura and heard about the disappearance of
Anupama. SanAtana GosvAmI later described the glories of HaridAsa ThAkura.
SanAtana observed the etiquette of JagannAtha’s temple by going along the
beach to visit Lord Caitanya, although it was extremely hot due to the sun. He
requested JagadAnanda PaNòita to give him permission to return to
VRndAvana. Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu praised the character of SanAtana
GosvAmI, and He embraced SanAtana, accepting his body as spiritual.
SanAtana GosvAmI was ordered by zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu to live at
JagannAtha PurI for one year. When he returned to VRndAvana after that time,
he again met RUpa GosvAmI, and both brothers remained in VRndAvana to
execute the orders of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu.
The place where zrI RUpa GosvAmI and SanAtana GosvAmI formerly lived has
now become a place of pilgrimage. It is generally known as Gupta VRndAvana,
or hidden VRndAvana, and is situated about eight miles south of English
Bazaar. There the following places are still visited: (1) the temple of the zrI
Madana-mohana Deity, (2) the Keli-kadamba tree, under which zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu met SanAtana GosvAmI at night and (3) RUpasAgara, a large
pond excavated by zrI RUpa GosvAmI. A society named RAmakeli-saàskAra-
samiti was established in 1924 to repair the temple and renovate the pond.
Adi 10.85
TEXT 85
tA~Nra madhye rUpa-sanAtana——baòa zAkhA
anupama, jIva, rAjendrAdi upazAkhA

tA~Nra—within that; madhye—in the midst of; rUpa-sanAtana—the branch
known as RUpa-SanAtana; baòa zAkhA—the big branch; anupama—Anupama;
jIva—JIva; rAjendra-Adi—and RAjendra and others; upazAkhA—their
subbranches.
TRANSLATION
Among these branches, RUpa and SanAtana were principal. Anupama, JIva
GosvAmI and others, headed by RAjendra, were their subbranches.
PURPORT
In the Gaura-gaNoddeza-dIpikA (195) it is said that zrIla JIva GosvAmI was
formerly VilAsa-ma~njarI gopI. From his very childhood JIva GosvAmI was
greatly fond of zrImad-BhAgavatam. He later came to NavadvIpa to study
Sanskrit, and, following in the footsteps of zrI NityAnanda Prabhu, he
circumambulated the entire NavadvIpa-dhAma. After visiting NavadvIpa-
dhAma he went to Benares to study Sanskrit under MadhusUdana VAcaspati,
and after finishing his studies in Benares he went to VRndAvana and took
shelter of his uncles, zrI RUpa and SanAtana. This is described in the Bhakti-
ratnAkara. As far as our information goes, zrIla JIva GosvAmI composed and
edited at least twenty-five books. They are all very much celebrated, and they
are listed as follows: (1) Hari-nAmAmRta-vyAkaraNa, (2) SUtra-mAlikA, (3)
DhAtu-sa~Ngraha, (4) KRSNArcA-dIpikA, (5) GopAla-virudAvalI, (6) RasAmRta-zeSa,
(7) zrI MAdhava-mahotsava, (8) zrI Sa~Nkalpa-kalpavRkSa, (9) BhAvArtha-
sUcaka-campU, (10) GopAla-tApanI-TIkA, (11) a commentary on the Brahma-
saàhitA, (12) a commentary on the Bhakti-rasAmRta-sindhu, (13) a commentary
on the Ujjvala-nIlamaNi, (14) a commentary on the YogasAra-stava, (15) a
commentary on the GAyatrI-mantra, as described in the Agni PurANa, (16) a
description of the Lord’s lotus feet derived from the Padma PurANa, (17) a
description of the lotus feet of zrImatI RAdhArANI, (18) GopAla-campU (in two
parts) and (19–25) seven sandarbhas: the Krama-, Tattva-, Bhagavat-,
ParamAtma-, KRSNa-, Bhakti- and PrIti-sandarbha. After the disappearance of
zrIla RUpa GosvAmI and SanAtana GosvAmI in VRndAvana, zrIla JIva GosvAmI
became the AcArya of all the VaiSNavas in Bengal, Orissa and the rest of the
world, and it is he who used to guide them in their devotional service. In
VRndAvana he established the RAdhA-DAmodara temple, where, after
retirement, we had the opportunity to live from 1962 until 1965, when we
decided to come to the United States of America. When JIva GosvAmI was
still present, zrIla KRSNadAsa KavirAja GosvAmI compiled his famous Caitanya-
caritAmRta. Later, zrIla JIva GosvAmI inspired zrInivAsa AcArya, Narottama
dAsa ThAkura and DuHkhI KRSNadAsa to preach KRSNa consciousness in Bengal.
JIva GosvAmI was informed that all the manuscripts that had been collected
from VRndAvana and sent to Bengal for preaching purposes were plundered
near ViSNupura, in Bengal, but later he received the information that the books
had been recovered. zrI JIva GosvAmI awarded the designation KavirAja to
RAmacandra Sena, a disciple of zrInivAsa AcArya’s, and to RAmacandra’s
younger brother Govinda. While JIva GosvAmI was alive, zrImatI JAhnavI-devI,
the pleasure potency of zrI NityAnanda Prabhu, went to VRndAvana with a few
devotees. JIva GosvAmI was very kind to the GauòIya VaiSNavas, the
VaiSNavas from Bengal. Whoever went to VRndAvana he provided with a
residence and prasAdam. His disciple KRSNadAsa AdhikArI listed all the books of
the GosvAmIs in his diary.
The sahajiyAs level three accusations against zrIla JIva GosvAmI. This is
certainly not congenial for the execution of devotional service. The first
accusation concerns a materialist who was very proud of his reputation as a
great Sanskrit scholar and approached zrI RUpa and SanAtana to argue with
them about the revealed scriptures. zrIla RUpa GosvAmI and SanAtana
GosvAmI, not wanting to waste their time, gave him a written statement that
he had defeated them in a debate on the revealed scriptures. Taking this
paper, the scholar approached JIva GosvAmI for a similar certificate of defeat,
but JIva GosvAmI did not agree to give him one. On the contrary, he argued
with him regarding the scriptures and defeated him. Certainly it was right for
JIva GosvAmI to stop such a dishonest scholar from advertising that he had
defeated zrIla RUpa GosvAmI and SanAtana GosvAmI, but due to their illiteracy
the sahajiyA class refer to this incident to accuse zrIla JIva GosvAmI of
deviating from the principle of humility. They do not know, however, that
humility and meekness are appropriate when one’s own honor is insulted but
not when Lord ViSNu or the AcAryas are blasphemed. In such cases one should
not be humble and meek but must act. One should follow the example given
by zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu. Lord Caitanya says in His zikSASTaka (3):
tRNAd api su-nIcena taror iva sahiSNunA
amAninA mAna-dena kIrtanIyaH sadA hariH
[Cc. adi 17.31]
“One can chant the holy name of the Lord in a humble state of mind, thinking
himself lower than the straw in the street. One should be more tolerant than a
tree, devoid of all sense of false prestige, and should be ready to offer all
respect to others. In such a state of mind one can chant the holy name of the
Lord constantly.” Nevertheless, when the Lord was informed that NityAnanda
Prabhu was injured by JagAi and MAdhAi, He immediately went to the spot,
angry like fire, wanting to kill them. Thus Lord Caitanya has explained His
verse by the example of His own behavior. One should tolerate insults against
oneself, but when there is blasphemy committed against superiors such as
other VaiSNavas, one should be neither humble nor meek: one must take
proper steps to counteract such blasphemy. This is the duty of a servant of a
guru and VaiSNavas. Anyone who understands the principle of eternal
servitude to the guru and VaiSNavas will appreciate the action of zrI JIva
GosvAmI in connection with the so-called scholar’s victory over his gurus,
zrIla RUpa and zrIla SanAtana GosvAmI.
Another story fabricated to defame zrIla JIva GosvAmI states that when zrIla
KRSNadAsa KavirAja GosvAmI showed him the newly-completed manuscript of
zrI Caitanya-caritAmRta, JIva GosvAmI thought it would hamper his reputation
as a big scholar and therefore threw it into a well. zrIla KRSNadAsa KavirAja
GosvAmI was greatly shocked, according to this story, and he died
immediately. Fortunately a copy of the manuscript of zrI Caitanya-caritAmRta
had been kept by a person named Mukunda, and therefore later it was
possible to publish the book. This story is another ignominious example of
blasphemy against a guru and VaiSNava. Such a story should never be
accepted as authoritative.
According to another accusation, zrIla JIva GosvAmI did not approve of the
principles of the parakIya-rasa of Vraja-dhAma and therefore supported
svakIya-rasa, showing that RAdhA and KRSNa are eternally married. Actually,
when JIva GosvAmI was alive, some of his followers disliked the parakIya-rasa
of the gopIs. Therefore zrIla JIva GosvAmI, for their spiritual benefit, supported
svakIya-rasa, for he could understand that sahajiyAs would otherwise exploit
the parakIya-rasa, as they are actually doing at the present time.
Unfortunately, in VRndAvana and NavadvIpa it has become fashionable among
sahajiyAs, in their debauchery, to find an unmarried sexual partner to live with
to execute so-called devotional service in parakIya-rasa. Foreseeing this, zrIla
JIva GosvAmI supported svakIya-rasa, and later all the VaiSNava AcAryas also
approved of it. zrIla JIva GosvAmI was never opposed to the transcendental
parakIya-rasa, nor has any other VaiSNava disapproved of it. zrIla JIva
GosvAmI strictly followed his predecessor gurus and VaiSNavas, zrIla RUpa
GosvAmI and SanAtana GosvAmI, and zrIla KRSNadAsa KavirAja GosvAmI
accepted him as one of his instructor gurus.
Adi 10.86
TEXT 86
mAlIra icchAya zAkhA bahuta bAòila
bAòiyA pazcima deza saba AcchAdila

mAlIra icchAya—on the desire of the gardener; zAkhA—branches; bahuta—
many; bAòila—expanded; bAòiyA—so expanding; pazcima—western; deza—
countries; saba—all; AcchAdila—covered.
TRANSLATION
By the will of the supreme gardener, the branches of zrIla RUpa GosvAmI and
SanAtana GosvAmI grew many times over, expanding throughout the western
countries and covering the entire region.
Adi 10.87
TEXT 87
A-sindhunadI-tIra Ara himAlaya
vRndAvana-mathurAdi yata tIrtha haya

A-sindhu-nadI—to the border of the river Sindhu; tIra—border; Ara—and;
himAlaya—the Himalayan Mountains; vRndAvana—VRndAvana; mathurA—
MathurA; Adi—heading the list; yata—all; tIrtha—places of pilgrimage;
haya—there are.
TRANSLATION
Extending to the borders of the river Sindhu and the Himalayan Mountain
valleys, these two branches expanded throughout India, including all the
places of pilgrimage, such as VRndAvana, MathurA and HaridvAra.
Adi 10.88
TEXT 88
dui zAkhAra prema-phale sakala bhAsila
prema-phalAsvAde loka unmatta ha-ila

dui zAkhAra—of the two branches; prema-phale—by the fruit of love of
Godhead; sakala—all; bhAsila—became overflooded; prema-phala—the fruit
of love of Godhead; AsvAde—by tasting; loka—all people; unmatta—
maddened; ha-ila—became.
TRANSLATION
The fruits of love of Godhead which fructified on these two branches were
distributed in abundance. Tasting these fruits, everyone became mad after
them.
Adi 10.89
TEXT 89
pazcimera loka saba mUòha anAcAra
tAhA~N pracArila do~Nhe bhakti-sadAcAra

pazcimera—on the western side; loka—people in general; saba—all;
mUòha—less intelligent; anAcAra—not well behaved; tAhA~N—there;
pracArila—preached; do~Nhe—zrIla RUpa GosvAmI and SanAtana GosvAmI;
bhakti—devotional service; sad-AcAra—good behavior.
TRANSLATION
The people in general on the western side of India were neither intelligent nor
well behaved, but by the influence of zrIla RUpa GosvAmI and SanAtana
GosvAmI they were trained in devotional service and good behavior.
PURPORT
Although it is not only in western India that people were contaminated by
association with Muslims, it is a fact that the farther west one goes in India
the more he will find the people to be fallen from the Vedic culture. Until five
thousand years ago, when the entire planet was under the control of
MahArAja ParIkSit, the Vedic culture was current everywhere. Gradually,
however, people were influenced by non-Vedic culture, and they lost sight of
how to behave in connection with devotional service. zrIla RUpa GosvAmI and
SanAtana GosvAmI very kindly preached the bhakti cult in western India, and
following in their footsteps the propagators of the Caitanya cult in the
Western countries are spreading the sa~NkIrtana movement and inculcating the
principles of VaiSNava behavior, thus purifying and reforming many persons
who were previously accustomed to the culture of mlecchas and yavanas. All
of our devotees in the Western countries give up their old habits of illicit sex,
intoxication, meat-eating and gambling. Of course, five hundred years ago
these practices were unknown in India—at least in eastern India—but
unfortunately at present all of India has been victimized by these non-Vedic
principles, which are sometimes even supported by the government.
Adi 10.90
TEXT 90
zAstra-dRSTye kaila lupta-tIrthera uddhAra
vRndAvane kaila zrImUrti-sevAra pracAra

zAstra-dRSTye—according to the directions of revealed scriptures; kaila—did;
lupta—forgotten; tIrthera—places of pilgrimage; uddhAra—excavation;
vRndAvane—in VRndAvana; kaila—did; zrI-mUrti—Deity; sevAra—of worship;
pracAra—propagation.
TRANSLATION
In accordance with the directions of the revealed scriptures, both GosvAmIs
excavated the lost places of pilgrimage and inaugurated the worship of
Deities in VRndAvana.
PURPORT
The spot where we now find zrI RAdhA-kuNòa was an agricultural field during
the time of Caitanya MahAprabhu. A small reservoir of water was there, and
zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu bathed in that water and pointed out that originally
RAdhA-kuNòa existed in that location. Following His directions, zrIla RUpa
GosvAmI and SanAtana GosvAmI renovated RAdhA-kuNòa. This is one of the
brilliant examples of how the GosvAmIs excavated lost places of pilgrimage.
Similarly, it is through the endeavor of the GosvAmIs that all the important
temples in VRndAvana were established. Originally there were seven important
GauòIya VaiSNava temples established in VRndAvana, namely the Madana-
mohana temple, Govinda temple, GopInAtha temple, zrI RAdhAramaNa temple,
RAdhA-zyAmasundara temple, RAdhA-DAmodara temple and GokulAnanda
temple.
Adi 10.91
TEXT 91
mahAprabhura priya bhRtya——raghunAtha-dAsa
sarva tyaji’ kaila prabhura pada-tale vAsa

mahAprabhura—of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu; priya—very dear; bhRtya—
servant; raghunAtha-dAsa—RaghunAtha dAsa GosvAmI; sarva tyaji’—
renouncing everything; kaila—did; prabhura—of the Lord; pada-tale—under
the shelter of the lotus feet; vAsa—habitation.
TRANSLATION
zrIla RaghunAtha dAsa GosvAmI, the forty-sixth branch of the tree, was one of
the most dear servants of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu. He left all his material
possessions to surrender completely unto the Lord and live at His lotus feet.
PURPORT
zrIla BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI ThAkura writes in his AnubhASya, “zrIla
RaghunAtha dAsa GosvAmI was most probably born in the year 1416 zakAbda
(A.D. 1494) in a kAyastha family as the son of Govardhana MajumadAra, who
was the younger brother of the then zamindar, HiraNya MajumadAra. The
village where he took birth is known as zrI-kRSNapura. On the railway line
between Calcutta and Burdwan is a station named TrizAbaghA [now known as
Adi-saptagrAma], and about one and a half miles away is the village of zrI-
kRSNapura, where the parental home of zrI RaghunAtha dAsa GosvAmI was
situated. A temple of zrI zrI RAdhA-Govinda is still there. In front of the temple
is a large open area but no large hall for devotees to assemble. A rich Calcutta
gentleman named HaricaraNa GhoSa, who resided in the SimlA quarter,
recently repaired the temple. The entire temple compound is surrounded by
walls, and in a small room just to the side of the temple is a small platform on
which RaghunAtha dAsa GosvAmI used to worship the Deity. By the side of
the temple is the dying river SarasvatI.”
The forefathers of zrIla RaghunAtha dAsa GosvAmI were all VaiSNavas and
were very rich men. His spiritual master at home was Yadunandana AcArya.
Although RaghunAtha dAsa was a family man, he had no attachment for his
estate and wife. Seeing his tendency to leave home, his father and uncle
engaged special bodyguards to watch over him, but nevertheless he managed
to escape their vigilance and went away to JagannAtha PurI to meet zrI
Caitanya MahAprabhu. This incident took place in the year 1439 zakAbda (A.D.
1517). RaghunAtha dAsa GosvAmI compiled three books, named Stava-mAlA (or
StavAvalI), DAna-carita and MuktA-carita. He lived a long time, residing for
most of his life at RAdhA-kuNòa. The place where RaghunAtha dAsa GosvAmI
performed his devotional service still exists by RAdhA-kuNòa. He almost
completely gave up eating, and therefore he was very skinny and of weak
health. His only concern was to chant the holy name of the Lord. He gradually
reduced his sleeping until he was almost not sleeping at all. It is said that his
eyes were always full of tears. When zrInivAsa AcArya went to see
RaghunAtha dAsa GosvAmI, the GosvAmI blessed him by embracing him.
zrInivAsa AcArya requested his blessings for preaching in Bengal, and zrIla
RaghunAtha dAsa GosvAmI granted them. In the Gaura-gaNoddeza-dIpikA
(186) it is stated that zrIla RaghunAtha dAsa GosvAmI was formerly the gopI
named Rasa-ma~njarI. Sometimes it is said that he was Rati-ma~njarI.
Adi 10.92
TEXT 92
prabhu samarpila tA~Nre svarUpera hAte
prabhura gupta-sevA kaila svarUpera sAthe

prabhu—Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu; samarpila—handed over; tA~Nre—him;
svarUpera—SvarUpa DAmodara; hAte—to the hand; prabhura—of the Lord;
gupta-sevA—confidential service; kaila—did; svarUpera—SvarUpa
DAmodara; sAthe—with.
TRANSLATION
When RaghunAtha dAsa GosvAmI approached zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu at
JagannAtha PurI, the Lord entrusted him to the care of SvarUpa DAmodara, His
secretary. Thus they both engaged in the confidential service of the Lord.
PURPORT
This confidential service was the personal care of the Lord. SvarUpa
DAmodara, acting as His secretary, attended to the Lord’s baths, meals, rest
and massages, and RaghunAtha dAsa GosvAmI assisted him. In effect,
RaghunAtha dAsa GosvAmI acted as the assistant secretary of the Lord.
Adi 10.93
TEXT 93
Soòaza vatsara kaila antara~Nga-sevana
svarUpera antardhAne AilA vRndAvana

Soòaza—sixteen; vatsara—years; kaila—did; antara~Nga—confidential;
sevana—service; svarUpera—of SvarUpa DAmodara; antardhAne—
disappearance; AilA—came; vRndAvana—to VRndAvana.
TRANSLATION
He rendered confidential service to the Lord for sixteen years at JagannAtha
PurI, and after the disappearance of both the Lord and SvarUpa DAmodara, he
left JagannAtha PurI and went to VRndAvana.
Adi 10.94
TEXT 94
vRndAvane dui bhAira caraNa dekhiyA
govardhane tyajiba deha bhRgupAta kariyA

vRndAvane—at VRndAvana; dui bhAira—the two brothers (RUpa and
SanAtana); caraNa—feet; dekhiyA—after seeing; govardhane—on the hill of
Govardhana; tyajiba—will give up; deha—this body; bhRgupAta—falling
down; kariyA—doing so.
TRANSLATION
zrIla RaghunAtha dAsa GosvAmI intended to go to VRndAvana to see the lotus
feet of RUpa and SanAtana and then give up his life by jumping from
Govardhana Hill.
PURPORT
Jumping from the top of Govardhana Hill is a system of suicide especially
performed by saintly persons. After the disappearance of Lord Caitanya and
SvarUpa DAmodara, RaghunAtha dAsa GosvAmI keenly felt separation from
these two exalted personalities and therefore decided to give up his life by
jumping from Govardhana Hill in VRndAvana. Before doing so, however, he
wanted to see the lotus feet of zrIla RUpa GosvAmI and SanAtana GosvAmI.
Adi 10.95
TEXT 95
ei ta’ nizcaya kari’ Aila vRndAvane
Asi’ rUpa-sanAtanera vandila caraNe

ei ta’—thus; nizcaya kari’—having decided; Aila—came; vRndAvane—to
VRndAvana; Asi’—coming there; rUpa-sanAtanera—of zrIla RUpa GosvAmI and
SanAtana GosvAmI; vandila—offered respects; caraNe—at the lotus feet.
TRANSLATION
Thus zrIla RaghunAtha dAsa GosvAmI came to VRndAvana, visited zrIla RUpa
GosvAmI and SanAtana GosvAmI and offered them his obeisances.
Adi 10.96
TEXT 96
tabe dui bhAi tA~Nre marite nA dila
nija tRtIya bhAi kari’ nikaTe rAkhila

tabe—at that time; dui bhAi—the two brothers (zrIla RUpa and SanAtana);
tA~Nre—him; marite—to die; nA dila—did not allow; nija—own; tRtIya—third;
bhAi—brother; kari’—accepting; nikaTe—near; rAkhila—kept him.
TRANSLATION
These two brothers, however, did not allow him to die. They accepted him as
their third brother and kept him in their company.
Adi 10.97
TEXT 97
mahAprabhura lIlA yata bAhira-antara
dui bhAi tA~Nra mukhe zune nirantara

mahAprabhura—of Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu; lIlA—pastimes; yata—all;
bAhira—external; antara—internal; dui bhAi—the two brothers; tA~Nra—his;
mukhe—in the mouth; zune—hear; nirantara—always.
TRANSLATION
Because RaghunAtha dAsa GosvAmI was an assistant to SvarUpa DAmodara,
he knew much about the external and internal features of the pastimes of
Lord Caitanya. Thus the two brothers RUpa and SanAtana always used to hear
of this from him.
Adi 10.98
TEXT 98
anna-jala tyAga kaila anya-kathana
pala dui-tina mAThA karena bhakSaNa

anna-jala—food and drink; tyAga—renunciation; kaila—did; anya-kathana—
talking of other things; pala dui-tina—a few drops of; mAThA—sour milk;
karena—does; bhakSaNa—eat.
TRANSLATION
RaghunAtha dAsa GosvAmI gradually gave up all food and drink but a few
drops of buttermilk.
Adi 10.99
TEXT 99
sahasra daNòavat kare, laya lakSa nAma
dui sahasra vaiSNavere nitya paraNAma

sahasra—thousand; daNòavat—obeisances; kare—does; laya—takes;
lakSa—one hundred thousand; nAma—holy names; dui—two; sahasra—
thousand; vaiSNavere—unto the devotees; nitya—daily; paraNAma—
obeisances.
TRANSLATION
As a daily duty, he regularly offered one thousand obeisances to the Lord,
chanted at least one hundred thousand holy names and offered obeisances to
two thousand VaiSNavas.
Adi 10.100
TEXT 100
rAtri-dine rAdhA-kRSNera mAnasa sevana
prahareka mahAprabhura caritra-kathana

rAtri-dine—day and night; rAdhA-kRSNera—of RAdhA and KRSNa; mAnasa—
within the mind; sevana—service; prahareka—about three hours;
mahAprabhura—of Lord Caitanya; caritra—character; kathana—discussing.
TRANSLATION
Day and night he rendered service within his mind to RAdhA-KRSNa, and for
three hours a day he discoursed about the character of Lord Caitanya
MahAprabhu.
PURPORT
We have many things to learn about bhajana, or worship of the Lord, by
following in the footsteps of RaghunAtha dAsa GosvAmI. All the GosvAmIs
engaged in such transcendental activities, as described by zrInivAsa AcArya in
his poem about them (kRSNotkIrtana-gAna-nartana-parau premAmRtAmbho-
nidhI). Following in the footsteps of RaghunAtha dAsa GosvAmI, zrIla RUpa
GosvAmI and SanAtana GosvAmI, one has to execute devotional service very
strictly, specifically by chanting the holy name of the Lord.
Adi 10.101
TEXT 101
tina sandhyA rAdhA-kuNòe apatita snAna
vraja-vAsI vaiSNave kare Ali~Ngana mAna

tina sandhyA—three times, namely morning, evening and noon; rAdhA-
kuNòe—in the lake of RAdhA-kuNòa; apatita—without failure; snAna—taking
bath; vraja-vAsI—inhabitants of VrajabhUmi; vaiSNave—all devotees; kare—
does; Ali~Ngana—embracing; mAna—and offering respect.
TRANSLATION
zrI RaghunAtha dAsa GosvAmI took three baths daily in the RAdhA-kuNòa lake.
As soon as he found a VaiSNava residing in VRndAvana, he would embrace him
and give him all respect.
Adi 10.102
TEXT 102
sArdha sapta-prahara kare bhaktira sAdhane
cAri daNòa nidrA, seha nahe kona-dine

sArdha—one and a half hours; sapta-prahara—seven praharas (twenty-one
hours); kare—does; bhaktira—of devotional service; sAdhane—in execution;
cAri daNòa—about two hours; nidrA—sleeping; seha—that also; nahe—not;
kona-dine—some days.
TRANSLATION
He engaged himself in devotional service for more than twenty-two and a
half hours a day, and for less than two hours he slept, although on some days
that also was not possible.
Adi 10.103
TEXT 103
tA~NhAra sAdhana-rIti zunite camatkAra
sei rUpa-raghunAtha prabhu ye AmAra

tA~NhAra—his; sAdhana-rIti—process of devotional service; zunite—to hear;
camatkAra—wonderful; sei—that; rUpa—zrI RUpa GosvAmI; raghunAtha—
RaghunAtha dAsa GosvAmI; prabhu—lord; ye—that; AmAra—my.
TRANSLATION
I am struck with wonder when I hear about the devotional service he
executed. I accept zrIla RUpa GosvAmI and RaghunAtha dAsa GosvAmI as my
guides.
PURPORT
zrIla KRSNadAsa KavirAja GosvAmI accepted RaghunAtha dAsa GosvAmI as his
special guide. Therefore at the end of every chapter he says, zrI-rUpa-
raghunAtha-pade yAra Aza caitanya-caritAmRta kahe kRSNadAsa. Sometimes it
is misunderstood that by using the word raghunAtha he wanted to offer his
respectful obeisances to RaghunAtha BhaTTa GosvAmI, for it is sometimes
stated that RaghunAtha BhaTTa GosvAmI was his initiating spiritual master.
zrIla BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI GosvAmI does not approve of this statement;
he does not accept RaghunAtha BhaTTa GosvAmI as the spiritual master of zrIla
KRSNadAsa KavirAja GosvAmI.
Adi 10.104
TEXT 104
i~NhA-sabAra yaiche haila prabhura milana
Age vistAriyA tAhA kariba varNana

i~NhA—of them; sabAra—all; yaiche—as; haila—became; prabhura—of zrI
Caitanya MahAprabhu; milana—meeting; Age—later on; vistAriyA—
expanding; tAhA—that; kariba—I shall do; varNana—description.
TRANSLATION
I shall later explain very elaborately how all these devotees met zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu.
Adi 10.105
TEXT 105
zrI-gopAla bhaTTa eka zAkhA sarvottama
rUpa-sanAtana-sa~Nge yA~Nra prema-AlApana

zrI-gopAla bhaTTa—zrI GopAla BhaTTa; eka—one; zAkhA—branch; sarva-
uttama—very exalted; rUpa—RUpa; sanAtana—SanAtana; sa~Nge—company;
yA~Nra—whose; prema—love of Godhead; AlApana—discussion.
TRANSLATION
zrI GopAla BhaTTa GosvAmI, the forty-seventh branch, was one of the great
and exalted branches of the tree. He always engaged in discourses about love
of Godhead in the company of RUpa GosvAmI and SanAtana GosvAmI.
PURPORT
zrI GopAla BhaTTa GosvAmI was the son of Ve~NkaTa BhaTTa, a resident of zrI
Ra~Ngam. GopAla BhaTTa formerly belonged to the disciplic succession of the
RAmAnuja-sampradAya but later became part of the GauòIya-sampradAya. In
the year 1433 zakAbda (A.D. 1511), when Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu was
touring South India, He stayed for four months during the period of
CAturmAsya at the house of Ve~NkaTa BhaTTa, who then got the opportunity to
serve the Lord to his heart’s content. GopAla BhaTTa also got the opportunity
to serve the Lord at this time. zrI GopAla BhaTTa GosvAmI was later initiated
by his uncle, the great sannyAsI PrabodhAnanda SarasvatI. Both the father and
the mother of GopAla BhaTTa GosvAmI were extremely fortunate, for they
dedicated their entire lives to the service of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu. They
allowed GopAla BhaTTa GosvAmI to go to VRndAvana, and they gave up their
lives thinking of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu. When Lord Caitanya was later
informed that GopAla BhaTTa GosvAmI had gone to VRndAvana and met zrI
RUpa and SanAtana GosvAmI, He was very pleased, and He advised zrI RUpa
and SanAtana to accept GopAla BhaTTa GosvAmI as their younger brother and
take care of him. zrI SanAtana GosvAmI, out of his great affection for GopAla
BhaTTa GosvAmI, compiled the VaiSNava smRti named Hari-bhakti-vilAsa and
published it under his name. Under the instruction of zrIla RUpa and SanAtana,
GopAla BhaTTa GosvAmI installed one of the seven principal Deities of
VRndAvana, the RAdhAramaNa Deity. The sevaits (priests) of the RAdhAramaNa
temple belong to the GauòIya-sampradAya.
When KRSNadAsa KavirAja GosvAmI took permission from all the VaiSNavas
before writing zrI Caitanya-caritAmRta, GopAla BhaTTa GosvAmI also gave him
his blessings, but he requested him not to mention his name in the book.
Therefore KRSNadAsa KavirAja GosvAmI has mentioned GopAla BhaTTa GosvAmI
only very cautiously in one or two passages of the Caitanya-caritAmRta. zrIla
JIva GosvAmI has written in the beginning of his Tattva-sandarbha, “A
devotee from southern India who was born of a brAhmaNa family and was a
very intimate friend of RUpa GosvAmI and SanAtana GosvAmI has written a
book that he has not compiled chronologically. Therefore I, a tiny living entity
known as jIva, am trying to assort the events of the book chronologically,
consulting the direction of great personalities like MadhvAcArya, zrIdhara
SvAmI, RAmAnujAcArya and other senior VaiSNavas in the disciplic succession.”
In the beginning of the Bhagavat-sandarbha there are similar statements by
zrIla JIva GosvAmI. zrIla GopAla BhaTTa GosvAmI compiled a book called Sat-
kriyA-sAra-dIpikA, edited the Hari-bhakti-vilAsa, wrote a foreword to the SaT-
sandarbha and a commentary on the KRSNa-karNAmRta, and installed the
RAdhAramaNa Deity in VRndAvana. In the Gaura-gaNoddeza-dIpikA (184) it is
mentioned that his previous name in the pastimes of Lord KRSNa was Ana~Nga-
ma~njarI. Sometimes he is also said to have been an incarnation of GuNa-
ma~njarI. zrInivAsa AcArya and GopInAtha PUjArI were two of his disciples.
Adi 10.106
TEXT 106
za~NkarAraNya——AcArya-vRkSera eka zAkhA
mukunda, kAzInAtha, rudra——upazAkhA lekhA

za~NkarAraNya—za~NkarAraNya; AcArya-vRkSera—of the tree of AcAryas; eka—
one; zAkhA—branch; mukunda—Mukunda; kAzInAtha—KAzInAtha; rudra—
Rudra; upazAkhA lekhA—they are known as subbranches.
TRANSLATION
The AcArya za~NkarAraNya was considered the forty-eighth branch of the
original tree. From him proceeded the subbranches known as Mukunda,
KAzInAtha and Rudra.
PURPORT
It is said that za~NkarAraNya was the sannyAsa name of zrIla VizvarUpa, who
was the elder brother of Vizvambhara (the original name of zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu). za~NkarAraNya expired in 1432 zakAbda (A.D. 1510) at Sholapur,
where there is a place of pilgrimage known as PANòarapura. This is referred to
in the Madhya-lIlA, Chapter Nine, verses 299 and 300.
zrIla BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI ThAkura writes in his AnubhASya, “Lord
Caitanya MahAprabhu opened a primary school in the house of Mukunda, or
Mukunda Sa~njaya, and Mukunda’s son, whose name was PuruSottama,
became the Lord’s student. KAzInAtha arranged the marriage of Lord Caitanya
in His previous Azrama, when His name was Vizvambhara. KAzInAtha induced
the court paNòita, SanAtana, to offer Vizvambhara his daughter. In text 50 of
the Gaura-gaNoddeza-dIpikA it is mentioned that KAzInAtha was an
incarnation of the brAhmaNa Kulaka, whom SatrAjit sent to arrange the
marriage of KRSNa and SatyabhAmA, and in text 135 it is mentioned that Rudra,
or zrI RudrarAma PaNòita, was formerly a friend of Lord KRSNa’s named
VarUthapa. zrI RudrarAma PaNòita constructed a big temple at Vallabhapura,
which is one mile north of MAheza, for the Deities named RAdhAvallabha. The
descendants of his brother, Yadunandana VandyopAdhyAya, are known as
CakravartI ThAkuras, and they are in charge of the maintenance of this temple
as sevaits. Formerly the JagannAtha Deity used to come to the temple of
RAdhAvallabha from MAheza during the Ratha-yAtrA festival, but in the
Bengali year 1262 [A.D. 1855], due to a misunderstanding between the priests
of the two temples, the JagannAtha Deity stopped coming.”
Adi 10.107
TEXT 107
zrInAtha paNòita——prabhura kRpAra bhAjana
yA~Nra kRSNa-sevA dekhi’ vaza tri-bhuvana

zrInAtha paNòita—zrInAtha PaNòita; prabhura—of the Lord; kRpAra—of
mercy; bhAjana—receiver; yA~Nra—whose; kRSNa-sevA—worship of Lord
KRSNa; dekhi’—seeing; vaza—subjugated; tri-bhuvana—all the three worlds.
TRANSLATION
zrInAtha PaNòita, the forty-ninth branch, was the beloved recipient of all the
mercy of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu. Everyone in the three worlds was
astonished to see how he worshiped Lord KRSNa.
PURPORT
zrIla BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI ThAkura writes in his AnubhASya, “About one
and a half miles away from KumArahaTTa, or KAmarhaTTa, which is a few miles
from Calcutta, is a village known as KA~NcaòApAòA, which was the home of zrI
zivAnanda Sena. There he constructed a temple of zrI GauragopAla. zrInAtha
PaNòita established another temple there with zrI RAdhA-KRSNa mUrtis. The
Deity of that temple is named zrI KRSNa RAya. The temple of KRSNa RAya,
which was constructed in the year 1708 zakAbda [A.D. 1786] by a prominent
zamindar named NimAi Mullik of PAthuriyA-ghATa in Calcutta, is very large.
There is a big courtyard in front of the temple, and there are residential
quarters for visitors and good arrangements for cooking prasAdam. The entire
courtyard is surrounded by very high boundary walls, and the temple is
almost as big as the MAheza temple. Inscribed on a tablet are the names of
zrInAtha PaNòita and his father and grandfather and the date of construction
of the temple. zrInAtha PaNòita, one of the disciples of Advaita Prabhu, was
the spiritual master of the third son of zivAnanda Sena, who was known as
ParamAnanda Kavi-karNapUra. It is said that the KRSNa RAya Deity was
installed during the time of Kavi-karNapUra. According to hearsay, VIrabhadra
Prabhu, the son of NityAnanda Prabhu, brought a big stone from MurzidAbAd
from which three Deities were carved—namely, the RAdhAvallabha vigraha of
Vallabhapura, the zyAmasundara vigraha of Khaòadaha and the zrI KRSNa
RAya vigraha of KA~NcaòApAòA. The home of zivAnanda Sena was situated on
the bank of the Ganges near an almost ruined temple. It is said that the same
NimAi Mullik of Calcutta saw this broken-down temple of KRSNa RAya while he
was going to Benares and thereafter constructed the present temple.”
Adi 10.108
TEXT 108
jagannAtha AcArya prabhura priya dAsa
prabhura Aj~nAte te~Nho kaila ga~NgA-vAsa

jagannAtha AcArya—JagannAtha AcArya; prabhura—of the Lord; priya dAsa—
very dear servant; prabhura Aj~nAte—by the order of the Lord; te~Nho—he;
kaila—agreed; ga~NgA-vAsa—living on the bank of the Ganges.
TRANSLATION
JagannAtha AcArya, the fiftieth branch of the Caitanya tree, was an extremely
dear servant of the Lord, by whose order he decided to live on the bank of
the Ganges.
PURPORT
JagannAtha AcArya is stated in the Gaura-gaNoddeza-dIpikA (111) to have
formerly been DurvAsA of Nidhuvana.
Adi 10.109
TEXT 109
kRSNadAsa vaidya, Ara paNòita-zekhara
kavicandra, Ara kIrtanIyA SaSThIvara

kRSNadAsa vaidya—KRSNadAsa Vaidya; Ara—and; paNòita-zekhara—PaNòita
zekhara; kavicandra—Kavicandra; Ara—and; kIrtanIyA—kIrtana performer;
SaSThIvara—SaSThIvara.
TRANSLATION
The fifty-first branch of the Caitanya tree was KRSNadAsa Vaidya, the fifty-
second was PaNòita zekhara, the fifty-third was Kavicandra, and the fifty-
fourth was SaSThIvara, who was a great sa~NkIrtana performer.
PURPORT
In the Gaura-gaNoddeza-dIpikA (171) it is mentioned that zrInAtha Mizra was
CitrA~NgI and that Kavicandra was ManoharA-gopI.
Adi 10.110
TEXT 110
zrInAtha mizra, zubhAnanda, zrIrAma, IzAna
zrInidhi, zrIgopIkAnta, mizra bhagavAn

zrInAtha mizra—zrInAtha Mizra; zubhAnanda—zubhAnanda; zrIrAma—
zrIrAma; IzAna—IzAna; zrInidhi—zrInidhi; zrI-gopIkAnta—zrI GopIkAnta; mizra
bhagavAn—Mizra BhagavAn.
TRANSLATION
The fifty-fifth branch was zrInAtha Mizra, the fifty-sixth was zubhAnanda, the
fifty-seventh was zrIrAma, the fifty-eighth was IzAna, the fifty-ninth was
zrInidhi, the sixtieth was zrI GopIkAnta, and the sixty-first was Mizra
BhagavAn.
PURPORT
zubhAnanda, who formerly lived in VRndAvana as MAlatI, was one of the
kIrtana performers who danced in front of the Ratha-yAtrA car during the
JagannAtha festival. It is said that he ate the foam that came out of the mouth
of the Lord while He danced before the Ratha-yAtrA car. IzAna was the
personal servant of zrImatI zacIdevI, who showered her great mercy upon
him. He was also very dear to Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu.
Adi 10.111
TEXT 111
subuddhi mizra, hRdayAnanda, kamala-nayana
maheza paNòita, zrIkara, zrI-madhusUdana

subuddhi mizra—Subuddhi Mizra; hRdayAnanda—HRdayAnanda; kamala-
nayana—Kamala-nayana; maheza paNòita—Maheza PaNòita; zrIkara—
zrIkara; zrI-madhusUdana—zrI MadhusUdana.
TRANSLATION
The sixty-second branch of the tree was Subuddhi Mizra, the sixty-third was
HRdayAnanda, the sixty-fourth was Kamala-nayana, the sixty-fifth was
Maheza PaNòita, the sixty-sixth was zrIkara, and the sixty-seventh was zrI
MadhusUdana.
PURPORT
zrIla BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI ThAkura writes in his AnubhASya, “Subuddhi
Mizra, who was formerly GuNacUòA in VRndAvana, installed Gaura-NityAnanda
Deities in a temple in the village known as BelagAn, which is about three miles
away from zrIkhaNòa. His present descendant is known as Govindacandra
GosvAmI.”
Adi 10.112
TEXT 112
puruSottama, zrI-gAlIma, jagannAtha-dAsa
zrI-candrazekhara vaidya, dvija haridAsa

puruSottama—PuruSottama; zrI-gAlIma—zrI GAlIma; jagannAtha-dAsa—
JagannAtha dAsa; zrI-candrezekhara vaidya—zrI Candrazekhara Vaidya; dvija
haridAsa—Dvija HaridAsa.
TRANSLATION
The sixty-eighth branch of the original tree was PuruSottama, the sixty-ninth
was zrI GAlIma, the seventieth was JagannAtha dAsa, the seventy-first was zrI
Candrazekhara Vaidya, and the seventy-second was Dvija HaridAsa.
PURPORT
zrIla BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI ThAkura writes in his AnubhASya, “There is
some question about whether Dvija HaridAsa was the author of ASTottara-
zata-nAma. He had two sons, named zrIdAma and GokulAnanda, who were
disciples of zrI Advaita AcArya. Their village, KA~ncana-gaòiyA, is situated
within five miles of the BAjArasAu station, the fifth station from AjImaga~nja in
the district of MurzidAbAd [in West Bengal].”
Adi 10.113
TEXT 113
rAmadAsa, kavicandra, zrI-gopAladAsa
bhAgavatAcArya, ThAkura sAra~NgadAsa

rAmadAsa—RAmadAsa; kavicandra—Kavicandra; zrI gopAla-dAsa—zrI GopAla
dAsa; bhAgavatAcArya—BhAgavata AcArya; ThAkura sAra~Nga-dAsa—ThAkura
SAra~Nga dAsa.
TRANSLATION
The seventy-third branch of the original tree was RAmadAsa, the seventy-
fourth was Kavicandra, the seventy-fifth was zrI GopAla dAsa, the seventy-
sixth was BhAgavata AcArya, and the seventy-seventh was ThAkura SAra~Nga
dAsa.
PURPORT
zrIla BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI ThAkura writes in his AnubhASya, “In the
Gaura-gaNoddeza-dIpikA (203) it is said, ‘BhAgavata AcArya compiled a book
entitled KRSNa-prema-tara~NgiNI, and he was the most beloved devotee of Lord
Caitanya MahAprabhu.’ When Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu visited
VarAhanagara, now a suburb of Calcutta, He stayed in the house of a most
fortunate brAhmaNa who was a very learned scholar in BhAgavata literature.
As soon as this brAhmaNa saw Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu, he began to read
zrImad-BhAgavatam. When MahAprabhu heard his explanation, which
expounded bhakti-yoga, He immediately became unconscious in ecstasy.
Lord Caitanya later said, ‘I have never heard such a nice explanation of
zrImad-BhAgavatam. I therefore designate you BhAgavata AcArya. Your only
duty is to recite zrImad-BhAgavatam. That is My injunction.’ His real name
was RaghunAtha. His monastery, which is situated in VarAhanagara, about
three and a half miles north of Calcutta on the bank of the Ganges, still exists,
and it is managed by the initiated disciples of the late zrI RAmadAsa BAbAjI.
Presently, however, it is not as well managed as in the presence of BAbAjI
MahArAja.
“Another name of ThAkura SAra~Nga dAsa was zAr~Nga ThAkura. Sometimes he
was also called zAr~NgapANi or zAr~Ngadhara. He was a resident of NavadvIpa in
the neighborhood known as Modadruma-dvIpa, and he used to worship the
Supreme Lord in a secluded place on the bank of the Ganges. He was not
accepting disciples, but he was repeatedly being inspired from within by the
Supreme Personality of Godhead to do so. Thus one morning he decided,
‘Whomever I see I shall make my disciple.’ When he went to the bank of the
Ganges to take his bath, by chance he saw a dead body floating in the water,
and he touched it with his feet. This immediately brought the body to life, and
ThAkura SAra~Nga dAsa accepted him as his disciple. This disciple later became
famous as ThAkura MurAri, and his name is always associated with that of zrI
SAra~Nga. His disciplic succession still inhabits the village of zar. There is a
temple at MAmagAchi that is said to have been started by SAra~Nga ThAkura.
Not long ago, a new temple building was erected in front of a bakula tree
there, and it is now being managed by the members of the GauòIya MaTha. It
is said that the management of the temple is now far better than before. In
the Gaura-gaNoddeza-dIpikA (172) it is stated that SAra~Nga ThAkura was
formerly a gopI named NAndImukhI. Some devotees say that he was formerly
PrahlAda MahArAja, but zrI Kavi-karNapUra says that his father, zivAnanda
Sena, does not accept this proposition.”
Adi 10.114
TEXT 114
jagannAtha tIrtha, vipra zrI-jAnakInAtha
gopAla AcArya, Ara vipra vANInAtha

jagannAtha tIrtha—JagannAtha TIrtha; vipra-zrI-jAnakInAtha—the brAhmaNa of
the name zrI JAnakInAtha; gopAla AcArya—GopAla AcArya; Ara—and; vipra
vANInAtha—the brAhmaNa of the name VANInAtha.
TRANSLATION
The seventy-eighth branch of the original tree was JagannAtha TIrtha, the
seventy-ninth was the brAhmaNa zrI JAnakInAtha, the eightieth was GopAla
AcArya, and the eighty-first was the brAhmaNa VANInAtha.
PURPORT
zrIla BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI ThAkura writes in his AnubhASya, “JagannAtha
TIrtha was one of the nine principal sannyAsIs who were Lord Caitanya’s
associates. VANInAtha Vipra was a resident of CA~NpAhATi, a village in the
district of Burdwan near the town of NavadvIpa, the police station of
PUrvasthalI and the post office of Samudragaòa. The temple there was very
much neglected, but it was renovated in the Bengali year 1328 [A.D. 1921] by
zrI ParamAnanda BrahmacArI [one of zrI BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI ThAkura’s
disciples], who reorganized the sevA-pUjA (worship in the temple) and placed
the temple under the management of the zrI Caitanya MaTha of zrI MAyApur.
In the temple as it now exists, the Deity of zrI Gaura-GadAdhara is worshiped
strictly according to the principles of the revealed scriptures. CA~NpAhATi is two
miles away from both Samudragarh and the NavadvIpa station of the eastern
railway.”
Adi 10.115
TEXT 115
govinda, mAdhava, vAsudeva——tina bhAi
yA~N-sabAra kIrtane nAce caitanya-nitAi

govinda—Govinda; mAdhava—MAdhava; vAsudeva—VAsudeva; tina bhAi—
three brothers; yA~N-sabAra—all of whom; kIrtane—in the performance of
sa~NkIrtana; nAce—dance; caitanya-nitAi—Lord Caitanya and NityAnanda
Prabhu.
TRANSLATION
The three brothers Govinda, MAdhava and VAsudeva were the eighty-second,
eighty-third and eighty-fourth branches of the tree. Lord Caitanya and
NityAnanda used to dance in their kIrtana performances.
PURPORT
The three brothers Govinda, MAdhava and VAsudeva GhoSa all belonged to a
kAyastha family. Govinda established the GopInAtha temple in AgradvIpa,
where he resided. MAdhava GhoSa was expert in performing kIrtana. No one
within this world could compete with him. He was known as the singer of
VRndAvana and was very dear to zrI NityAnanda Prabhu. It is said that when
the three brothers performed sa~NkIrtana, immediately Lord Caitanya and
NityAnanda would dance in ecstasy. According to the Gaura-gaNoddeza-
dIpikA (188), the three brothers were formerly KalAvatI, RasollAsA and
GuNatu~NgA, who recited the songs composed by zrI VizAkhA-gopI. The three
brothers were among one of the seven parties that performed kIrtana when
Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu attended the Ratha-yAtrA festival at
JagannAtha PurI. Vakrezvara PaNòita was the chief dancer in their party. This is
vividly described in the Madhya-lIlA, Chapter Thirteen, verses 42 and 43.
Adi 10.116
TEXT 116
rAmadAsa abhirAma——sakhya-premarAzi
SolasA~Ngera kASTha tuli’ ye karila vA~NzI

rAmadAsa abhirAma—RAmadAsa AbhirAma; sakhya-prema—friendship; rAzi—
great volume; Solasa-a~Ngera—of sixteen knots; kaSTha—wood; tuli’—lifting;
ye—one who; karila—made; vA~NzI—flute.
TRANSLATION
RAmadAsa AbhirAma was fully absorbed in the mellow of friendship. He made
a flute of a bamboo stick with sixteen knots.
PURPORT
AbhirAma was an inhabitant of KhAnAkula-kRSNa-nagara.
Adi 10.117
TEXT 117
prabhura Aj~nAya nityAnanda gauòe calilA
tA~Nra sa~Nge tina-jana prabhu-Aj~nAya AilA

prabhura Aj~nAya—under the order of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu;
nityAnanda—Lord NityAnanda; gauòe—to Bengal; calilA—went back; tA~Nra
sa~Nge—in His company; tina jana—three men; prabhu-Aj~nAya—under the
order of the Lord; AilA—went.
TRANSLATION
By the order of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu, three devotees accompanied Lord
NityAnanda Prabhu when He returned to Bengal to preach.
Adi 10.118
TEXT 118
rAmadAsa, mAdhava, Ara vAsudeva ghoSa
prabhu-sa~Nge rahe govinda pAiyA santoSa

rAmadAsa—RAmadAsa; mAdhava—MAdhava; Ara—and; vAsudeva ghoSa—
VAsudeva GhoSa; prabhu-sa~Nge—in the company of Lord Caitanya
MahAprabhu; rahe—remained; govinda—Govinda; pAiyA—feeling;
santoSa—great satisfaction.
TRANSLATION
These three were RAmadAsa, MAdhava GhoSa and VAsudeva GhoSa. Govinda
GhoSa, however, remained with zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu at JagannAtha PurI
and thus felt great satisfaction.
Adi 10.119
TEXT 119
bhAgavatAcArya, cira~njIva zrI-raghunandana
mAdhavAcArya, kamalAkAnta, zrI-yadunandana

bhAgavatAcArya—BhAgavata AcArya; cira~njIva—Cira~njIva; zrI-
raghunandana—zrI Raghunandana; mAdhavAcArya—MAdhavAcArya;
kamalAkAnta—KamalAkAnta; zrI-yadunandana—zrI Yadunandana.
TRANSLATION
BhAgavata AcArya, Cira~njIva, zrI Raghunandana, MAdhavAcArya, KamalAkAnta
and zrI Yadunandana were all among the branches of the Caitanya tree.
PURPORT
zrIla BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI ThAkura writes in his AnubhASya, “zrI
MAdhavAcArya was the husband of Lord NityAnanda’s daughter, Ga~NgAdevI.
He took initiation from PuruSottama, a branch of NityAnanda Prabhu. It is said
that when NityAnanda Prabhu’s daughter married MAdhavAcArya, the Lord
gave him the village named PA~Njinagara as a dowry. MAdhavAcArya’s temple
is situated near the JIrAT railway station on the eastern railway. According to
the Gaura-gaNoddeza-dIpikA (169), zrI MAdhavAcArya was formerly the gopI
named MAdhavI. KamalAkAnta belonged to the branch of zrI Advaita Prabhu.
His full name was KamalAkAnta VizvAsa.”
Adi 10.120
TEXT 120
mahA-kRpA-pAtra prabhura jagAi, mAdhAi
‘patita-pAvana’ nAmera sAkSI dui bhAi

mahA-kRpA-pAtra—object of very great mercy; prabhura—of the Lord; jagAi
mAdhAi—the two brothers JagAi and MAdhAi; patita-pAvana—deliverer of the
fallen; nAmera—of this name; sAkSI—witness; dui bhAi—these two brothers.
TRANSLATION
JagAi and MAdhAi, the eighty-ninth and ninetieth branches of the tree, were
the greatest recipients of Lord Caitanya’s mercy. These two brothers were the
witnesses who proved that Lord Caitanya was rightly named Patita-pAvana,
“the deliverer of the fallen souls.”
PURPORT
In the Gaura-gaNoddeza-dIpikA (115) it is said that the two brothers JagAi and
MAdhAi were formerly the doorkeepers named Jaya and Vijaya, who later
became HiraNyAkSa and HiraNyakazipu. JagAi and MAdhAi were born in
respectable brAhmaNa families, but they adopted the professions of thieves
and rogues and thus became implicated in all kinds of undesirable activities,
especially woman-hunting, intoxication and gambling. Later, by the grace of
Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu and zrI NityAnanda Prabhu, they were initiated,
and they got the chance to chant the Hare KRSNa mahA-mantra. As a result of
chanting, both brothers became exalted devotees of Lord Caitanya
MahAprabhu. The descendants of MAdhAi still exist, and they are respectable
brAhmaNas. The tombs of these two brothers, JagAi and MAdhAi, are in a place
known as GhoSahATa, or MAdhAitalA-grAma, which is situated about one mile
south of Katwa. It is said that zrI GopIcaraNa dAsa BAbAjI established a temple
of NitAi-Gaura at this place about two hundred fifty years ago.
Adi 10.121
TEXT 121
gauòa-deza-bhaktera kaila sa~NkSepa kathana
ananta caitanya-bhakta nA yAya gaNana

gauòa-deza—in Bengal; bhaktera—of the devotees; kaila—I have described;
sa~NkSepa—in brief; kathana—narration; ananta—unlimited; caitanya-
bhakta—devotees of Lord Caitanya; nA—not; yAya—can be; gaNana—
counted.
TRANSLATION
I have given a brief description of the devotees of Lord Caitanya in Bengal.
Actually His devotees are innumerable.
Adi 10.122
TEXT 122
nIlAcale ei saba bhakta prabhu-sa~Nge
dui sthAne prabhu-sevA kaila nAnA-ra~Nge

nIlAcale—at JagannAtha PurI; ei—these; saba—all; bhakta—devotees;
prabhu-sa~Nge—in the company of Lord Caitanya; dui sthAne—in two places;
prabhu-sevA—service of the Lord; kaila—executed; nAnA-ra~Nge—in different
ways.
TRANSLATION
I have especially mentioned all these devotees because they accompanied
Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu in Bengal and Orissa and served Him in many
ways.
PURPORT
Most of the devotees of Lord Caitanya lived in Bengal and Orissa. Thus they
are celebrated as GauòIyas and OriyAs. At present, however, by the grace of
Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu, His cult is being propagated all over the world,
and it is most probable that in the future history of Lord Caitanya’s
movement, Europeans, Americans, Canadians, Australians, South Americans,
Asians and people from all over the world will be celebrated as devotees of
Lord Caitanya. The International Society for Krishna Consciousness has already
constructed a big temple at MAyApur, NavadvIpa, which is being visited by
devotees from all parts of the world, as foretold by Lord Caitanya
MahAprabhu and anticipated by zrI Bhaktivinoda ThAkura.
Adi 10.123
TEXT 123
kevala nIlAcale prabhura ye ye bhakta-gaNa
sa~NkSepe kariye kichu se saba kathana

kevala—only; nIlAcale—in JagannAtha PurI; prabhura—of the Lord; ye ye—all
those; bhakta-gaNa—devotees; sa~NkSepe—in brief; kariye—I do; kichu—
some; se saba—all those; kathana—narration.
TRANSLATION
Let me briefly describe some of the devotees of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu in
JagannAtha PurI.
Adi 10.124-126
TEXTS 124–126
nIlAcale prabhu-sa~Nge yata bhakta-gaNa
sabAra adhyakSa prabhura marma dui-jana
paramAnanda-purI, Ara svarUpa-dAmodara
gadAdhara, jagadAnanda, za~Nkara, vakrezvara
dAmodara paNòita, ThAkura haridAsa
raghunAtha vaidya, Ara raghunAtha-dAsa

nIlAcale—in JagannAtha PurI; prabhu-sa~Nge—in the company of Lord
Caitanya; yata—all; bhakta-gaNa—devotees; sabAra—of all of them;
adhyakSa—the chief; prabhura—of the Lord; marma—heart and soul; dui
jana—two persons; paramAnanda-purI—ParamAnanda PurI; Ara—and;
svarUpa-dAmodara—SvarUpa DAmodara; gadAdhara—GadAdhara;
jagadAnanda—JagadAnanda; za~Nkara—za~Nkara; vakrezvara—Vakrezvara;
dAmodara paNòita—DAmodara PaNòita; ThAkura haridAsa—ThAkura HaridAsa;
raghunAtha vaidya—RaghunAtha Vaidya; Ara—and; raghunAtha-dAsa—
RaghunAtha dAsa.
TRANSLATION
Among the devotees who accompanied the Lord in JagannAtha PurI, two of
them—ParamAnanda PurI and SvarUpa DAmodara—were the heart and soul
of the Lord. Among the other devotees were GadAdhara, JagadAnanda,
za~Nkara, Vakrezvara, DAmodara PaNòita, ThAkura HaridAsa, RaghunAtha
Vaidya and RaghunAtha dAsa.
PURPORT
The Caitanya-bhAgavata, Antya-khaNòa, Chapter Five, states that RaghunAtha
Vaidya came to see zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu when the Lord was staying at
PAnihATi. He was a great devotee and had all good qualities. According to the
Caitanya-bhAgavata, he was formerly RevatI, the wife of BalarAma. Anyone
he glanced upon would immediately attain KRSNa consciousness. He lived on
the seashore at JagannAtha PurI and compiled a book of the name SthAna-
nirUpaNa.
Adi 10.127
TEXT 127
ityAdika pUrva-sa~NgI baòa bhakta-gaNa
nIlAcale rahi’ kare prabhura sevana

iti-Adika—all these and others; pUrva-sa~NgI—former associates; baòa—very;
bhakta-gaNa—great devotees; nIlAcale—at JagannAtha PurI; rahi’—
remaining; kare—do; prabhura—of the Lord; sevana—service.
TRANSLATION
All these devotees were associates of the Lord from the very beginning, and
when the Lord took up residence in JagannAtha PurI, they remained there to
serve Him faithfully.
Adi 10.128
TEXT 128
Ara yata bhakta-gaNa gauòa-deza-vAsI
pratyabde prabhure dekhe nIlAcale Asi’

Ara—others; yata—all; bhakta-gaNa—devotees; gauòa-deza-vAsI—residents
of Bengal; prati-abde—each year; prabhure—the Lord; dekhe—see;
nIlAcale—in JagannAtha PurI; Asi’—coming there.
TRANSLATION
All the devotees who resided in Bengal used to visit JagannAtha PurI every
year to see the Lord.
Adi 10.129
TEXT 129
nIlAcale prabhu-saha prathama milana
sei bhakta-gaNera ebe kariye gaNana

nIlAcale—at JagannAtha PurI; prabhu-saha—with the Lord; prathama—first;
milana—meeting; sei—that; bhakta-gaNera—of the devotees; ebe—now;
kariye—I do; gaNana—count.
TRANSLATION
Now let me enumerate the devotees of Bengal who first came to see the Lord
at JagannAtha PurI.
Adi 10.130
TEXT 130
baòa-zAkhA eka,——sArvabhauma bhaTTAcArya
tA~Nra bhagnI-pati zrI-gopInAthAcArya

baòa-zAkhA eka—one of the biggest branches; sArvabhauma bhaTTAcArya—
SArvabhauma BhaTTAcArya; tA~Nra bhagnI-pati—his brother-in-law (the
husband of SArvabhauma’s sister); zrI-gopInAthAcArya—zrI GopInAtha AcArya.
TRANSLATION
There was SArvabhauma BhaTTAcArya, one of the biggest branches of the tree
of the Lord, and his sister’s husband, zrI GopInAtha AcArya.
PURPORT
The original name of SArvabhauma BhaTTAcArya was VAsudeva BhaTTAcArya.
His place of birth, which is known as VidyAnagara, is about two and a half
miles away from the NavadvIpa railway station, or CA~NpAhATi railway station.
His father was a very much celebrated man of the name Mahezvara VizArada.
It is said that SArvabhauma BhaTTAcArya was the greatest logician of his time
in India. At MithilA, in Bihar, he became a student of a great professor named
PakSadhara Mizra, who did not allow any student to note down his
explanations of logic. SArvabhauma BhaTTAcArya was so talented, however,
that he learned the explanations by heart, and when he later returned to
NavadvIpa he established a school for the study of logic, thus diminishing the
importance of MithilA. Students from various parts of India still come to
NavadvIpa to study logic. According to some authoritative opinions, the
celebrated logician RaghunAtha ziromaNi was also a student of SArvabhauma
BhaTTAcArya’s. In effect, SArvabhauma BhaTTAcArya became the leader of all
students of logic. Although he was a gRhastha (householder), he even taught
many sannyAsIs in the knowledge of logic.
He started a school at JagannAtha PurI for the study of VedAnta philosophy, of
which he was a great scholar. When SArvabhauma BhaTTAcArya met zrI
Caitanya MahAprabhu, he advised the Lord to learn VedAnta philosophy from
him, but later he became a student of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu to
understand the real meaning of VedAnta. SArvabhauma BhaTTAcArya was so
fortunate as to see the six-armed form of Lord Caitanya known as Saòbhuja.
A Saòbhuja Deity is still situated at one end of the JagannAtha temple. Daily
sa~NkIrtana performances take place in this part of the temple. The meeting of
SArvabhauma BhaTTAcArya with Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu is vividly
described in Madhya-lIlA, Chapter Six. SArvabhauma BhaTTAcArya wrote a
book of one hundred verses named Caitanya-zataka or Suzloka-zataka. Two
other verses he wrote, beginning with the words vairAgya-vidyA-nija-bhakti-
yoga [Cc. Madya 6.254] and kAlAn naSTaà bhakti-yogaà nijaà yaH, are very
famous among GauòIya VaiSNavas. The Gaura-gaNoddeza-dIpikA (119) states
that SArvabhauma BhaTTAcArya was an incarnation of BRhaspati, the learned
scholar from the celestial planets.
GopInAtha AcArya, who belonged to a respectable brAhmaNa family, was also
an inhabitant of NavadvIpa and a constant companion of the Lord. He was
the husband of SArvabhauma BhaTTAcArya’s sister. In the Gaura-gaNoddeza-
dIpikA (178) it is described that he was formerly the gopI named RatnAvalI.
According to the opinion of others, he was an incarnation of BrahmA.
Adi 10.131
TEXT 131
kAzI-mizra, pradyumna-mizra, rAya bhavAnanda
yA~NhAra milane prabhu pAilA Ananda

kAzI-mizra—KAzI Mizra; pradyumna-mizra—Pradyumna Mizra; rAya
bhavAnanda—BhavAnanda RAya; yA~NhAra—of whom; milane—meeting;
prabhu—the Lord; pAilA—got; Ananda—great pleasure.
TRANSLATION
In the list of devotees at JagannAtha PurI [which begins with ParamAnanda
PurI, SvarUpa DAmodara, SArvabhauma BhaTTAcArya and GopInAtha AcArya],
KAzI Mizra was the fifth, Pradyumna Mizra the sixth and BhavAnanda RAya the
seventh. Lord Caitanya took great pleasure in meeting with them.
PURPORT
In JagannAtha PurI Lord Caitanya lived at the house of KAzI Mizra, who was
the priest of the King. Later this house was inherited by Vakrezvara PaNòita
and then by his disciple GopAlaguru GosvAmI, who established a Deity of
RAdhAkAnta there. The Gaura-gaNoddeza-dIpikA (193) states that KAzI Mizra
was formerly KubjA in MathurA. Pradyumna Mizra, an inhabitant of Orissa,
was a great devotee of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu. Pradyumna Mizra was
born of a brAhmaNa family and RAmAnanda RAya of a non-brAhmaNa family,
yet Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu advised Pradyumna Mizra to take instruction
from RAmAnanda RAya. This incident is described in the Antya-lIlA, Chapter
Five.
BhavAnanda RAya was the father of zrI RAmAnanda RAya. His residence was in
AlAlanAtha (Brahmagiri), which is about twelve miles west of JagannAtha PurI.
By caste he belonged to the karaNa community of Orissa, whose members
were sometimes known as kAyasthas and sometimes as zUdras, but he was
the governor of Madras under the control of King PratAparudra of JagannAtha
PurI.
Adi 10.132
TEXT 132
Ali~Ngana kari’ tA~Nre balila vacana
tumi pANòu, pa~nca-pANòava——tomAra nandana

Ali~Ngana kari’—embracing; tA~Nre—unto him; balila—said; vacana—those
words; tumi—you; pANòu—were PANòu; pa~nca—five; pANòava—the
PANòavas; tomAra—your; nandana—sons.
TRANSLATION
Embracing RAya BhavAnanda, the Lord declared to him, “You formerly
appeared as PANòu, and your five sons appeared as the five PANòavas.”
Adi 10.133
TEXT 133
rAmAnanda rAya, paTTanAyaka gopInAtha
kalAnidhi, sudhAnidhi, nAyaka vANInAtha

rAmAnanda rAya—RAmAnanda RAya; paTTanAyaka gopInAtha—PaTTanAyaka
GopInAtha; kalAnidhi—KalAnidhi; sudhAnidhi—SudhAnidhi; nAyaka
vANInAtha—NAyaka VANInAtha.
TRANSLATION
The five sons of BhavAnanda RAya were RAmAnanda RAya, PaTTanAyaka
GopInAtha, KalAnidhi, SudhAnidhi and NAyaka VANInAtha.
Adi 10.134
TEXT 134
ei pa~nca putra tomAra mora priyapAtra
rAmAnanda saha mora deha-bheda mAtra

ei—these; pa~nca—five; putra—sons; tomAra—your; mora—Mine; priya-
pAtra—very dear; rAmAnanda saha—with zrI RAmAnanda RAya; mora—Mine;
deha-bheda—bodily difference; mAtra—only.
TRANSLATION
zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu told BhavAnanda RAya, “Your five sons are all My
dear devotees. RAmAnanda RAya and I are one, although our bodies are
different.”
PURPORT
The Gaura-gaNoddeza-dIpikA (120–24) states that RAmAnanda RAya was
formerly Arjuna. He is also considered to have been an incarnation of the gopI
LalitA, although in the opinion of others he was an incarnation of VizAkhAdevI.
He was a most confidential devotee of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu. zrI
Caitanya MahAprabhu said, “Although I am a sannyAsI, My mind is sometimes
perturbed when I see a woman. But RAmAnanda RAya is greater than Me, for
he is always undisturbed, even when he touches a woman.” Only RAmAnanda
RAya was endowed with the prerogative to touch a woman in this way; no
one should imitate him. Unfortunately, there are rascals who imitate the
activities of RAmAnanda RAya. We need not discuss them further.
In Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu’s final pastimes, RAmAnanda RAya and SvarUpa
DAmodara always engaged in reciting suitable verses from zrImad-
BhAgavatam and other books to pacify the Lord’s ecstatic feelings of
separation from KRSNa. When Lord Caitanya went to southern India,
SArvabhauma BhaTTAcArya advised Him to meet RAmAnanda RAya, declaring
that there was no devotee as advanced in understanding the conjugal love of
KRSNa and the gopIs. While touring South India, Lord Caitanya met
RAmAnanda RAya by the bank of the GodAvarI, and in their long discourses
the Lord took the position of a student, and RAmAnanda RAya instructed Him.
Caitanya MahAprabhu concluded these discourses by saying, “My dear
RAmAnanda RAya, both you and I are madmen, and therefore we met
intimately on an equal level.” Lord Caitanya advised RAmAnanda RAya to
resign from his government post and come back to JagannAtha PurI to live
with Him. Although zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu refused to see MahArAja
PratAparudra because he was a king, RAmAnanda RAya, by a VaiSNava
scheme, arranged a meeting between the Lord and the King. This is described
in the Madhya-lIlA, Chapter Twelve, verses 41–57. zrI RAmAnanda RAya was
present during the water sports of the Lord after the Ratha-yAtrA festival.
Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu considered zrI RAmAnanda RAya and zrI
SanAtana GosvAmI to be equal in their renunciation, for although zrI
RAmAnanda RAya was a gRhastha engaged in government service and zrI
SanAtana GosvAmI was in the renounced order of complete detachment from
material activities, they were both servants of the Supreme Personality of
Godhead who kept KRSNa in the center of all their activities. zrI RAmAnanda
RAya was one of the three and a half personalities with whom zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu discussed the most confidential topics of KRSNa consciousness.
Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu advised Pradyumna Mizra to learn the science of
KRSNa from zrI RAmAnanda RAya. As Subala always assisted KRSNa in His
dealings with RAdhArANI in kRSNa-lIlA, so RAmAnanda RAya assisted Lord
Caitanya MahAprabhu in His feelings of separation from KRSNa. zrI RAmAnanda
RAya was the author of the JagannAtha-vallabha-nATaka.
Adi 10.135-136
TEXTS 135–136
pratAparudra rAjA, Ara oòhra kRSNAnanda
paramAnanda mahApAtra, oòhra zivAnanda
bhagavAn AcArya, brahmAnandAkhya bhAratI
zrI-zikhi mAhiti, Ara murAri mAhiti

pratAparudra rAjA—King PratAparudra of Orissa; Ara—and; oòhra
kRSNAnanda—KRSNAnanda, an OriyA devotee; paramAnanda mahApAtra—
ParamAnanda MahApAtra; oòhra zivAnanda—the OriyA zivAnanda; bhagavAn
AcArya—BhagavAn AcArya; brahmAnanda-Akhya bhAratI—the devotee of the
name BrahmAnanda BhAratI; zrI-zikhi mAhiti—zrI zikhi MAhiti; Ara—and;
murAri mAhiti—MurAri MAhiti.
TRANSLATION
King PratAparudra of Orissa, the OriyA devotees KRSNAnanda and zivAnanda,
and ParamAnanda MahApAtra, BhagavAn AcArya, BrahmAnanda BhAratI, zrI
zikhi MAhiti and MurAri MAhiti constantly associated with Caitanya
MahAprabhu while He resided in JagannAtha PurI.
PURPORT
PratAparudra MahArAja, who belonged to the dynasty of the Ga~NgA kings and
whose capital was in Cuttak, was the Emperor of Orissa and a great devotee
of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu. It was by the arrangement of RAmAnanda RAya
and SArvabhauma BhaTTAcArya that he was able to personally serve Lord
Caitanya. In the Gaura-gaNoddeza-dIpikA (118) it is said that King
Indradyumna, who established the temple of JagannAtha thousands of years
ago, later took birth again in his own family as MahArAja PratAparudra during
the time of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu. MahArAja PratAparudra was as powerful
as King Indra. The drama named Caitanya-candrodaya was written under his
direction.
In the Caitanya-bhAgavata, Antya-khaNòa, Chapter Five, ParamAnanda
MahApAtra is described as follows: “ParamAnanda MahApAtra was among the
devotees who took birth in Orissa and accepted Caitanya MahAprabhu as
their only asset. In the ecstasy of conjugal love, he always thought of
Caitanya MahAprabhu.” BhagavAn AcArya, a very learned scholar, was
formerly an inhabitant of HAlisahara, but he left everything to live with
Caitanya MahAprabhu in JagannAtha PurI. His relationship with Caitanya
MahAprabhu was friendly, like that of a cowherd boy. He was always friendly
to SvarUpa GosA~ni, but he was staunchly devoted to the lotus feet of Lord
Caitanya MahAprabhu. He sometimes invited Caitanya MahAprabhu to his
house.
BhagavAn AcArya was very liberal and simple. His father, zatAnanda KhAn,
was completely materialistic, and his younger brother, GopAla BhaTTAcArya,
was a staunch MAyAvAdI philosopher who had studied very elaborately. When
his brother came to JagannAtha PurI, BhagavAn AcArya wanted to hear from
him about MAyAvAda philosophy, but SvarUpa DAmodara forbade him to do
so, and there the matter stopped. Once a friend of BhagavAn AcArya’s from
Bengal wanted to recite a drama that he had written that was against the
principles of devotional service, and although BhagavAn AcArya wanted to
recite this drama before Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu, SvarUpa DAmodara, the
Lord’s secretary, did not allow him to do so. Later SvarUpa DAmodara pointed
out the drama’s many mistakes and its disagreements with the conclusion of
devotional service, and the author became aware of the faults in his writing
and then surrendered to SvarUpa DAmodara, begging his mercy. This is
described in the Antya-lIlA, Chapter Five, verses 91–158.
In the Gaura-gaNoddeza-dIpikA (189) it is said that zikhi MAhiti was formerly
an assistant of zrImatI RAdhArANI named RAgalekhA. His sister MAdhavI was
also an assistant of zrImatI RAdhArANI and was named KalAkelI. zikhi MAhiti,
MAdhavI and their brother MurAri MAhiti were all unalloyed devotees of zrI
Caitanya MahAprabhu who could not forget Him for a moment of their lives.
There is a book in the OriyA language called Caitanya-carita-mahAkAvya, in
which there are many narrations about zikhi MAhiti. One narration concerns
his seeing an ecstatic dream. zikhi MAhiti always engaged in serving the Lord
in his mind. One night, while he was rendering such service, he fell asleep, and
while he was asleep his brother and sister came to awaken him. At that time
he was in full ecstasy because he was having a wonderful dream that Lord
Caitanya, while visiting the temple of JagannAtha, was entering and again
coming out of the body of JagannAtha and looking at the JagannAtha Deity.
Thus as soon as he awakened he embraced his brother and sister and
informed them, “My dear brother and sister, I have had a wonderful dream
that I shall now explain to you. The activities of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu,
the son of Mother zacI, are certainly most wonderful. I saw that Lord Caitanya
MahAprabhu, while visiting the temple of JagannAtha, was entering the body
of JagannAtha and again coming out of His body. I am still seeing the same
dream. Do you think I have become deranged? I am still seeing the same
dream! And the most wonderful thing is that as soon as I came near Caitanya
MahAprabhu, He embraced me with His long arms.” As zikhi MAhiti spoke to
his brother and sister in this way, his voice faltered and there were tears in his
eyes. Thus the brothers and sister went to the temple of JagannAtha, and there
they saw Lord Caitanya in the Jagamohana kIrtana hall, looking at the beauty
of the zrI JagannAtha Deity just as in zikhi MAhiti’s dream. The Lord was so
magnanimous that He immediately embraced zikhi MAhiti, exclaiming, “You
are the elder brother of MurAri!” Being thus embraced, zikhi MAhiti felt
ecstatic transcendental bliss. Thus he and his brother and sister always
engaged in rendering service to the Lord. MurAri MAhiti, the younger brother
of zikhi MAhiti, is described in the Madhya-lIlA, Chapter Ten, verse 44.
Adi 10.137
TEXT 137
mAdhavI-devI——zikhi-mAhitira bhaginI
zrI-rAdhAra dAsI-madhye yA~Nra nAma gaNi

mAdhavI-devI—MAdhavIdevI; zikhi-mAhitira—of zikhi MAhiti; bhaginI—
sister; zrI-rAdhAra—of zrImatI RAdhArANI; dAsI-madhye—amongst the
maidservants; yA~Nra—whose; nAma—name; gaNi—count.
TRANSLATION
MAdhavIdevI, the seventeenth of the prominent devotees, was the younger
sister of zikhi MAhiti. She is considered to have formerly been a maidservant
of zrImatI RAdhArANI.
PURPORT
In the Antya-lIlA of Caitanya-caritAmRta, Chapter Two, verses 104–106, there
is a description of MAdhavIdevI. zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu considered her one
of the maidservants of zrImatI RAdhArANI. Within this world, Caitanya
MahAprabhu had three and a half very confidential devotees. The three were
SvarUpa GosA~ni, zrI RAmAnanda RAya and zikhi MAhiti, and zikhi MAhiti’s
sister, MAdhavIdevI, being a woman, was considered the half. Thus it is
known that zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu had three and a half confidential
devotees.
Adi 10.138
TEXT 138
Izvara-purIra ziSya——brahmacArI kAzIzvara
zrI-govinda nAma tA~Nra priya anucara

Izvara-purIra ziSya—disciple of Izvara PurI; brahmacArI kAzIzvara—BrahmacArI
KAzIzvara; zrI-govinda—zrI Govinda; nAma—name; tA~Nra—his; priya—very
dear; anucara—follower.
TRANSLATION
BrahmacArI KAzIzvara was a disciple of Izvara PurI, and zrI Govinda was
another of his dear disciples.
PURPORT
Govinda was the personal servant of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu. In the Gaura-
gaNoddeza-dIpikA (137) it is stated that the servants formerly named BhR~NgAra
and Bha~Ngura in VRndAvana became KAzIzvara and Govinda in Caitanya
MahAprabhu’s pastimes. Govinda always engaged in the service of the Lord,
even at great risk.
Adi 10.139
TEXT 139
tA~Nra siddhi-kAle do~Nhe tA~Nra Aj~nA pA~nA
nIlAcale prabhu-sthAne milila AsiyA

tA~Nra siddhi-kAle—at the time of Izvara PurI’s passing away; do~Nhe—the two
of them; tA~Nra—his; Aj~nA—order; pA~nA—getting; nIlAcale—at JagannAtha
PurI; prabhu-sthAne—at the place of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu; milila—met;
AsiyA—coming there.
TRANSLATION
In the list of prominent devotees at NIlAcala [JagannAtha PurI], KAzIzvara was
the eighteenth and Govinda the nineteenth. They both came to see Caitanya
MahAprabhu at JagannAtha PurI, being thus ordered by Izvara PurI at the time
of his passing away.
Adi 10.140
TEXT 140
gurura sambandhe mAnya kaila du~NhAkAre
tA~Nra Aj~nA mAni’ sevA dilena do~NhAre

gurura sambandhe—in relationship with His spiritual master; mAnya—honor;
kaila—offered; du~NhAkAre—to both of them; tA~Nra Aj~nA—his order; mAni’—
accepting; sevA—service; dilena—gave them; do~NhAre—the two of them.
TRANSLATION
Both KAzIzvara and Govinda were Godbrothers of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu,
and thus the Lord duly honored them as soon as they arrived. But because
Izvara PurI had ordered them to give Caitanya MahAprabhu personal service,
the Lord accepted their service.
Adi 10.141
TEXT 141
a~Nga-sevA govindere dilena Izvara
jagannAtha dekhite calena Age kAzIzvara

a~Nga-sevA—taking care of the body; govindere—unto Govinda; dilena—He
gave; Izvara—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; jagannAtha—the
JagannAtha Deity; dekhite—while going to visit; calena—goes; Age—in front;
kAzIzvara—KAzIzvara.
TRANSLATION
Govinda cared for the body of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu, whereas KAzIzvara
went in front of the Lord when He went to see JagannAtha in the temple.
Adi 10.142
TEXT 142
aparaza yAya gosA~ni manuSya-gahane
manuSya Theli’ patha kare kAzI balavAne

aparaza—untouched; yAya—goes; gosA~ni—zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu;
manuSya-gahane—in the crowd; manuSya theli’—pushing the crowd of men;
patha kare—clears the way; kAzI—KAzIzvara; balavAne—very strong.
TRANSLATION
When Caitanya MahAprabhu went to the temple of JagannAtha, KAzIzvara,
being very strong, cleared the crowds aside with his hands so that Caitanya
MahAprabhu could pass untouched.
Adi 10.143
TEXT 143
rAmAi-nandAi——do~Nhe prabhura ki~Nkara
govindera sa~Nge sevA kare nirantara

rAmAi-nandAi—of the names RAmAi and NandAi; do~Nhe—both of them;
prabhura—Lord Caitanya’s; ki~Nkara—servants; govindera—with Govinda;
sa~Nge—with him; sevA—service; kare—rendered; nirantara—twenty-four
hours a day.
TRANSLATION
RAmAi and NandAi, the twentieth and twenty-first among the important
devotees in JagannAtha PurI, always assisted Govinda twenty-four hours a
day in rendering service to the Lord.
Adi 10.144
TEXT 144
bAiza ghaòA jala dine bharena rAmAi
govinda-Aj~nAya sevA karena nandAi

bAiza—twenty-two; ghaòA—big waterpots; jala—water; dine—daily;
bharena—fills; rAmAi—RAmAi; govinda-Aj~nAya—by the order of Govinda;
sevA—service; karena—renders; nandAi—NandAi.
TRANSLATION
Every day RAmAi filled twenty-two big waterpots, whereas NandAi personally
assisted Govinda.
PURPORT
In the Gaura-gaNoddeza-dIpikA (139) it is stated that two servants who
formerly supplied milk and water to Lord KRSNa became RAmAi and NandAi in
the pastimes of Caitanya MahAprabhu.
Adi 10.145
TEXT 145
kRSNadAsa nAma zuddha kulIna brAhmaNa
yAre sa~Nge laiyA kailA dakSiNa gamana

kRSNadAsa—KRSNadAsa; nAma—named; zuddha—pure; kulIna—respectable;
brAhmaNa—the brAhmaNa; yAre—whom; sa~Nge—with; laiyA—taking;
kailA—did; dakSiNa—southern India; gamana—touring.
TRANSLATION
The twenty-second devotee, KRSNadAsa, was born of a pure and respectable
brAhmaNa family. While touring southern India, Lord Caitanya took KRSNadAsa
with Him.
PURPORT
KRSNadAsa is described in the Madhya-lIlA, chapters Seven and Nine. He went
with zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu to carry His waterpot. In the Malabar state,
members of the BhaTTathAri cult tried to captivate KRSNadAsa by supplying a
woman to seduce him, but although zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu saved him from
being harmed, when they returned to JagannAtha PurI He ordered that
KRSNadAsa remain separate from Him, for the Lord was never favorably
disposed toward an associate who was attracted by a woman. Thus
KRSNadAsa lost the personal association of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu.
Adi 10.146
TEXT 146
balabhadra bhaTTAcArya——bhakti adhikArI
mathurA-gamane prabhura ye~Nho brahmacArI

balabhadra bhaTTAcArya—Balabhadra BhaTTAcArya; bhakti adhikArI—bona fide
devotee; mathurA-gamane—while touring MathurA; prabhura—of the Lord;
ye~Nho—who; brahmacArI—acted as a brahmacArI.
TRANSLATION
As a bona fide devotee, Balabhadra BhaTTAcArya, the twenty-third principal
associate, acted as the brahmacArI of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu when He
toured MathurA.
PURPORT
Balabhadra BhaTTAcArya acted as a brahmacArI, or personal assistant of a
sannyAsI. A sannyAsI is not supposed to cook. Generally a sannyAsI takes
prasAdam at the house of a gRhastha, and a brahmacArI helps in this
connection. A sannyAsI is supposed to be a spiritual master and a brahmacArI
his disciple. Balabhadra BhaTTAcArya acted as a brahmacArI for zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu when the Lord toured MathurA and VRndAvana.
Adi 10.147
TEXT 147
baòa haridAsa, Ara choTa haridAsa
dui kIrtanIyA rahe mahAprabhura pAza

baòa haridAsa—Baòa HaridAsa; Ara—and; choTa haridAsa—ChoTa HaridAsa;
dui kIrtanIyA—both of them were good singers; rahe—stay; mahA-
prabhura—Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu; pAza—with.
TRANSLATION
Baòa HaridAsa and ChoTa HaridAsa, the twenty-fourth and twenty-fifth
devotees in NIlAcala, were good singers who always accompanied Lord
Caitanya.
PURPORT
ChoTa HaridAsa was later banished from the company of Lord Caitanya
MahAprabhu, as stated in the Antya-lIlA, Chapter Two.
Adi 10.148
TEXT 148
rAmabhadrAcArya, Ara oòhra siàhezvara
tapana AcArya, Ara raghu, nIlAmbara

rAmabhadrAcArya—RAmabhadra AcArya; Ara—and; oòhra—resident of
Orissa; siàhezvara—Siàhezvara; tapana AcArya—Tapana AcArya; Ara
raghu—and another RaghunAtha; nIlAmbara—NIlAmbara.
TRANSLATION
Among the devotees who lived with Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu at
JagannAtha PurI, RAmabhadra AcArya was the twenty-sixth, Siàhezvara the
twenty-seventh, Tapana AcArya the twenty-eighth, RaghunAtha BhaTTAcArya
the twenty-ninth and NIlAmbara the thirtieth.
Adi 10.149
TEXT 149
si~NgAbhaTTa, kAmAbhaTTa, dantura zivAnanda
gauòe pUrva bhRtya prabhura priya kamalAnanda

si~NgAbhaTTa—Si~NgAbhaTTa; kAmAbhaTTa—KAmAbhaTTa; dantura zivAnanda—
Dantura zivAnanda; gauòe—in Bengal; pUrva—formerly; bhRtya—servant;
prabhura—of the Lord; priya—very dear; kamalAnanda—KamalAnanda.
TRANSLATION
Si~NgAbhaTTa was the thirty-first, KAmAbhaTTa the thirty-second, zivAnanda the
thirty-third and KamalAnanda the thirty-fourth. They all formerly served zrI
Caitanya MahAprabhu in Bengal, but later these servants left Bengal to live
with the Lord in JagannAtha PurI.
Adi 10.150
TEXT 150
acyutAnanda——advaita-AcArya-tanaya
nIlAcale rahe prabhura caraNa Azraya

acyutAnanda—AcyutAnanda; advaita-AcArya-tanaya—the son of Advaita
AcArya; nIlAcale—at JagannAtha PurI; rahe—stays; prabhura—of Lord
Caitanya MahAprabhu; caraNa—lotus feet; Azraya—taking shelter.
TRANSLATION
AcyutAnanda, the thirty-fifth devotee, was the son of Advaita AcArya. He
also lived with Lord Caitanya, taking shelter of His lotus feet at JagannAtha
PurI.
PURPORT
There is a statement about AcyutAnanda in Chapter Twelve, verse 13, of the
Adi-lIlA.
Adi 10.151
TEXT 151
nirloma ga~NgAdAsa, Ara viSNudAsa
ei sabera prabhu-sa~Nge nIlAcale vAsa

nirloma ga~NgAdAsa—Nirloma Ga~NgAdAsa; Ara—and; viSNudAsa—ViSNudAsa;
ei sabera—of all of them; prabhu-sa~Nge—with Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu;
nIlAcale—at JagannAtha PurI; vAsa—residence.
TRANSLATION
Nirloma Ga~NgAdAsa and ViSNudAsa were the thirty-sixth and thirty-seventh
among the devotees who lived at JagannAtha PurI as servants of zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu.
Adi 10.152-154
TEXTS 152–154
vArANasI-madhye prabhura bhakta tina jana
candrazekhara vaidya, Ara mizra tapana
raghunAtha bhaTTAcArya——mizrera nandana
prabhu yabe kAzI AilA dekhi’ vRndAvana
candrazekhara-gRhe kaila dui mAsa vAsa
tapana-mizrera ghare bhikSA dui mAsa

vArANasI-madhye—at VArANasI; prabhura—of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu;
bhakta—devotees; tina jana—three persons; candrazekhara vaidya—the
clerk of the name Candrazekhara; Ara—and; mizra tapana—Tapana Mizra;
raghunAtha bhaTTAcArya—RaghunAtha BhaTTAcArya; mizrera nandana—the
son of Tapana Mizra; prabhu—Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu; yabe—when;
kAzI—VArANasI; AilA—came; dekhi’—after visiting; vRndAvana—the holy
place known as VRndAvana; candrazekhara gRhe—in the house of
Candrazekhara Vaidya; kaila—did; dui mAsa—for two months; vAsa—reside;
tapana-mizrera—of Tapana Mizra; ghare—in the house; bhikSA—accepted
prasAdam; dui mAsa—for two months.
TRANSLATION
The prominent devotees at VArANasI were the physician Candrazekhara,
Tapana Mizra and RaghunAtha BhaTTAcArya, Tapana Mizra’s son. When Lord
Caitanya came to VArANasI after seeing VRndAvana, for two months He lived
at the residence of Candrazekhara Vaidya and accepted prasAdam at the
house of Tapana Mizra.
PURPORT
When zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu was in Bengal, Tapana Mizra approached Him
to discuss spiritual advancement. Thus he was favored by Lord Caitanya
MahAprabhu and received hari-nAma initiation. After that, by the order of the
Lord, Tapana Mizra resided in VArANasI, and when Lord Caitanya visited
VArANasI He stayed at the home of Tapana Mizra.
Adi 10.155
TEXT 155
raghunAtha bAlye kaila prabhura sevana
ucchiSTa-mArjana Ara pAda-saàvAhana

raghunAtha—RaghunAtha, the son of Tapana Mizra; bAlye—in his boyhood;
kaila—did; prabhura—of Lord Caitanya; sevana—rendering service;
ucchiSTa-mArjana—washing the dishes; Ara—and; pAda-saàvAhana—
massaging the feet.
TRANSLATION
When zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu stayed at the house of Tapana Mizra,
RaghunAtha BhaTTa, who was then a boy, washed His dishes and massaged
His legs.
Adi 10.156
TEXT 156
baòa haile nIlAcale gelA prabhura sthAne
aSTa-mAsa rahila bhikSA dena kona dine

baòa haile—when he grew to be a young man; nIlAcale—at JagannAtha PurI;
gelA—went; prabhura—of Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu; sthAne—at the
place; aSTa-mAsa—eight months; rahila—stayed; bhikSA—prasAdam; dena—
gave; kona dine—some days.
TRANSLATION
When RaghunAtha grew to be a young man, he visited Lord Caitanya
MahAprabhu at JagannAtha PurI and stayed there for eight months.
Sometimes he offered prasAdam to the Lord.
Adi 10.157
TEXT 157
prabhura Aj~nA pA~nA vRndAvanere AilA
AsiyA zrI-rUpa-gosA~nira nikaTe rahilA

prabhura—of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu; Aj~nA—order; pA~nA—receiving;
vRndAvanere—to VRndAvana; AilA—he came; AsiyA—coming there; zrI-rUpa-
gosA~nira—of zrIla RUpa GosvAmI; nikaTe—at his shelter; rahilA—remained.
TRANSLATION
Later, by the order of Lord Caitanya, RaghunAtha went to VRndAvana and
remained there under the shelter of zrIla RUpa GosvAmI.
Adi 10.158
TEXT 158
tA~Nra sthAne rUpa-gosA~ni zunena bhAgavata
prabhura kRpAya te~Nho kRSNa-preme matta

tA~Nra sthAne—in his place; rUpa-gosA~ni—zrIla RUpa GosvAmI; zunena—
heard; bhAgavata—the recitation of zrImad-BhAgavatam; prabhura kRpAya—
by the mercy of Lord Caitanya; te~Nho—he; kRSNa-preme—in love of KRSNa;
matta—always maddened.
TRANSLATION
While he stayed with zrIla RUpa GosvAmI, his engagement was to recite
zrImad-BhAgavatam for him to hear. As a result of this BhAgavatam
recitation, he attained perfectional love of KRSNa, by which he remained
always maddened.
PURPORT
RaghunAtha BhaTTAcArya, or RaghunAtha BhaTTa GosvAmI, one of the six
GosvAmIs, was the son of Tapana Mizra. Born in approximately 1425 zakAbda
(A.D. 1503), he was expert in reciting zrImad-BhAgavatam, and in Antya-lIlA,
Chapter Thirteen, it is stated that he was also expert in cooking; whatever he
cooked would be nectarean. zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu was greatly pleased to
accept the food that he cooked, and RaghunAtha BhaTTa used to take the
remnants of food left by zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu. RaghunAtha BhaTTAcArya
lived for eight months in JagannAtha PurI, after which Lord Caitanya ordered
him to go to VRndAvana to join zrI RUpa GosvAmI. zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu
asked RaghunAtha BhaTTAcArya not to marry but to remain a brahmacArI, and
He also ordered him to read zrImad-BhAgavatam constantly. Thus he went to
VRndAvana, where he engaged in reciting zrImad-BhAgavatam to zrIla RUpa
GosvAmI. He was so expert in reciting zrImad-BhAgavatam that he would
recite each and every verse in three melodious tunes. While RaghunAtha
BhaTTa GosvAmI was living with zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu, the Lord blessed
him by offering him betel nuts offered to the JagannAtha Deity and a garland
of tulasI said to be as long as fourteen cubits. Under RaghunAtha BhaTTa
GosvAmI’s order, one of his disciples constructed the Govinda temple.
RaghunAtha BhaTTa GosvAmI supplied all the ornaments of the Govinda Deity.
He never talked of nonsense or worldly matters but always engaged in
hearing about KRSNa twenty-four hours a day. He never cared to hear
blasphemy of a VaiSNava. Even when there were points to be criticized, he
used to say that since all the VaiSNavas were engaged in the service of the
Lord, he did not mind their faults. Later RaghunAtha BhaTTa GosvAmI lived by
RAdhA-kuNòa in a small cottage. In the Gaura-gaNoddeza-dIpikA (185) it is said
that RaghunAtha BhaTTa GosvAmI was formerly the gopI named RAga-ma~njarI.
Adi 10.159
TEXT 159
ei-mata sa~NkhyAtIta caitanya-bhakta-gaNa
di~NmAtra likhi, samyak nA yAya kathana

ei-mata—in this way; sa~NkhyA-atIta—innumerable; caitanya-bhakta-gaNa—
devotees of Lord Caitanya; di~N-mAtra—only a fractional part; likhi—I write;
samyak—full; nA—cannot; yAya—be possible; kathana—to explain.
TRANSLATION
I list in this way only a portion of the innumerable devotees of Lord Caitanya.
To describe them all fully is not possible.
Adi 10.160
TEXT 160
ekaika-zAkhAte lAge koTi koTi òAla
tAra ziSya-upaziSya, tAra upaòAla

eka-eka—in each; zAkhAte—branch; lAge—grow; koTi koTi—hundreds and
thousands; òAla—twigs; tAra—His; ziSya—disciples; upaziSya—subdisciples;
tAra—His; upaòAla—subbranches.
TRANSLATION
From each branch of the tree have grown hundreds and thousands of
subbranches of disciples and granddisciples.
PURPORT
It was the desire of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu that His cult be spread all over
the world. Therefore there is a great necessity for many, many disciples of the
branches of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu’s disciplic succession. His cult should be
spread not only in a few villages, or in Bengal, or in India, but all over the
world. It is very regrettable that complacent so-called devotees criticize the
members of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness for accepting
sannyAsa and spreading the cult of Lord Caitanya all over the world. It is not
our business to criticize anyone, but because they try to find fault with this
movement, the real truth must be stated. zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu wanted
devotees all over the world, and zrIla BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI ThAkura and
zrIla Bhaktivinoda ThAkura confirmed this. It is in pursuit of their will that the
ISKCON movement is spreading all over the world. Genuine devotees of Lord
Caitanya MahAprabhu must take pride in the spread of the KRSNa
consciousness movement instead of viciously criticizing its propaganda work.
Adi 10.161
TEXT 161
sakala bhariyA Ache prema-phula-phale
bhAsAila tri-jagat kRSNa-prema-jale

sakala—all; bhariyA—filled; Ache—there is; prema—love of Godhead;
phula—flowers; phale—fruits; bhAsAila—inundated; tri-jagat—the whole
world; kRSNa-prema—of love of KRSNa; jale—with water.
TRANSLATION
Every branch and subbranch of the tree is full of innumerable fruits and
flowers. They inundate the world with the waters of love of KRSNa.
Adi 10.162
TEXT 162
eka eka zAkhAra zakti ananta mahimA
‘sahasra vadane’ yAra dite nAre sImA

eka eka—of each and every; zAkhAra—branch; zakti—power; ananta—
unlimited; mahimA—glories; sahasra vadane—in thousands of mouths;
yAra—of which; dite—to give; nAre—becomes unable; sImA—limit.
TRANSLATION
Each and every branch of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu’s devotees has unlimited
spiritual power and glory. Even if one had thousands of mouths, it would be
impossible to describe the limits of their activities.
Adi 10.163
TEXT 163
sa~NkSepe kahila mahAprabhura bhakta-gaNa
samagra balite nAre ‘sahasra-vadana’

sa~NkSepe—in brief; kahila—described; mahAprabhura—of Lord Caitanya
MahAprabhu; bhakta-gaNa—the devotees; samagra—all; balite—to speak;
nAre—cannot; sahasra-vadana—Lord zeSa, who has thousands of mouths.
TRANSLATION
I have briefly described the devotees of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu in
different places. Even Lord zeSa, who has thousands of mouths, could not list
them all.
Adi 10.164
TEXT 164
zrI-rUpa-raghunAtha-pade yAra Aza
caitanya-caritAmRta kahe kRSNadAsa

zrI-rUpa—zrIla RUpa GosvAmI; raghunAtha—zrI RaghunAtha dAsa GosvAmI;
pade—at the lotus feet; yAra—whose; Aza—expectation; caitanya-
caritAmRta—the book named Caitanya-caritAmRta; kahe—describes;
kRSNadAsa—zrIla KRSNadAsa GosvAmI.
TRANSLATION
Praying at the lotus feet of zrI RUpa and zrI RaghunAtha, always desiring their
mercy, I, KRSNadAsa, narrate zrI Caitanya-caritAmRta, following in their
footsteps.
Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports to zrI Caitanya-caritAmRta, Adi-lIlA,
Tenth Chapter, in the matter of the main trunk of the Caitanya tree, its
branches and its subbranches.
Adi 11: The Expansions of Lord NityAnanda
CHAPTER 11
The Expansions of Lord NityAnanda
As the branches and subbranches of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu were
described in the Tenth Chapter, in this Eleventh Chapter the branches and
subbranches of zrI NityAnanda Prabhu are similarly listed.
Adi 11.1
TEXT 1
nityAnanda-padAmbhoja-
bhR~NgAn prema-madhUnmadAn
natvAkhilAn teSu mukhyA
likhyante katicin mayA

nityAnanda—of Lord zrI NityAnanda; pada-ambhoja—lotus feet; bhR~NgAn—
the bumblebees; prema—of love of Godhead; madhu—by the honey;
unmadAn—maddened; natvA—offering obeisances; akhilAn—to all of them;
teSu—out of them; mukhyAH—the chief; likhyante—being described;
katicit—a few of them; mayA—by me.
TRANSLATION
After offering my obeisances unto all the devotees of zrI NityAnanda Prabhu,
who are like bumblebees collecting honey from His lotus feet, I shall try to
describe those who are the most prominent.
Adi 11.2
TEXT 2
jaya jaya mahAprabhu zrI-kRSNa-caitanya
tA~NhAra caraNAzrita yei, sei dhanya

jaya jaya—all glories; mahAprabhu—unto Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu; zrI-
kRSNa-caitanya—known as KRSNa Caitanya; tA~NhAra caraNa-Azrita—all who
have taken shelter at His lotus feet; yei—anyone; sei—he is; dhanya—
glorious.
TRANSLATION
All glories to zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu! Anyone who has taken shelter at His
lotus feet is glorious.
Adi 11.3
TEXT 3
jaya jaya zrI-advaita, jaya nityAnanda
jaya jaya mahAprabhura sarva-bhakta-vRnda

jaya jaya—all glories; zrI-advaita—unto zrI Advaita AcArya; jaya—all glories;
nityAnanda—unto Lord zrI NityAnanda Prabhu; jaya jaya—all glories;
mahAprabhura—of Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu; sarva—all; bhakta-
vRnda—devotees.
TRANSLATION
All glories to zrI Advaita Prabhu, NityAnanda Prabhu and all the devotees of
Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu!
Adi 11.4
TEXT 4
tasya zrI-kRSNa-caitanya-
sat-premAmara-zAkhinaH
Urdhva-skandhAvadhUtendoH
zAkhA-rUpAn gaNAn numaH

tasya—His; zrI-kRSNa-caitanya—Lord zrI KRSNa Caitanya MahAprabhu; sat-
prema—of eternal love of Godhead; amara—indestructible; zAkhinaH—of the
tree; Urdhva—very high; skandha—branch; avadhUta-indoH—of zrI
NityAnanda; zAkhA-rUpAn—in the form of different branches; gaNAn—to the
devotees; numaH—I offer my respects.
TRANSLATION
zrI NityAnanda Prabhu is the topmost branch of the indestructible tree of
eternal love of Godhead, zrI KRSNa Caitanya MahAprabhu. I offer my respectful
obeisances to all the subbranches of that topmost branch.
Adi 11.5
TEXT 5
zrI-nityAnanda-vRkSera skandha gurutara
tAhAte janmila zAkhA-prazAkhA vistara

zrI-nityAnanda-vRkSera—of the tree known as zrI NityAnanda; skandha—main
branch; gurutara—extremely heavy; tAhAte—from that branch; janmila—
grew; zAkhA—branches; prazAkhA—subbranches; vistara—expansively.
TRANSLATION
zrI NityAnanda Prabhu is an extremely heavy branch of the zrI Caitanya tree.
From that branch grow many branches and subbranches.
Adi 11.6
TEXT 6
mAlAkarera icchA jale bAòe zAkhA-gaNa
prema-phula-phale bhari’ chAila bhuvana

mAlA-kArera—of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu; icchA-jale—by the water of His
wish; bAòe—increase; zAkhA-gaNa—the branches; prema—love of Godhead;
phula-phale—with flowers and fruits; bhari’—filling; chAila—covered;
bhuvana—the whole world.
TRANSLATION
Watered by the desire of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu, these branches and
subbranches have grown unlimitedly and covered the entire world with fruits
and flowers.
Adi 11.7
TEXT 7
asa~Nkhya ananta gaNa ke karu gaNana
ApanA zodhite kahi mukhya mukhya jana

asa~Nkhya—innumerable; ananta—unlimited; gaNa—devotees; ke—who;
karu—can; gaNana—count; ApanA—the self; zodhite—to purify; kahi—I
speak; mukhya mukhya—only the chief; jana—persons.
TRANSLATION
These branches and subbranches of devotees are innumerable and unlimited.
Who could count them? For my personal purification I shall try to enumerate
only the most prominent among them.
PURPORT
One should not write books or essays on transcendental subject matter for
material name, fame or profit. Transcendental literature must be written under
the direction of a superior authority because it is not meant for material
purposes. If one tries to write under superior authority, he becomes purified.
All KRSNa conscious activities should be undertaken for personal purification
(ApanA zodhite), not for material gain.
Adi 11.8
TEXT 8
zrI-vIrabhadra gosA~ni——skandha-mahAzAkhA
tA~Nra upazAkhA yata, asa~Nkhya tAra lekhA

zrI-vIrabhadra gosA~ni—zrI VIrabhadra GosA~ni; skandha—of the trunk; mahA-
zAkhA—the biggest branch; tA~Nra—his; upazAkhA—subbranches; yata—all;
asa~Nkhya—innumerable; tAra—of that; lekhA—the description.
TRANSLATION
After NityAnanda Prabhu, the greatest branch is VIrabhadra GosA~ni, who also
has innumerable branches and subbranches. It is not possible to describe them
all.
PURPORT
zrIla BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI ThAkura writes in his AnubhASya, “VIrabhadra
GosA~ni was the direct son of zrIla NityAnanda Prabhu and a disciple of
JAhnavA-devI. His real mother was VasudhA. In the Gaura-gaNoddeza-dIpikA
(67) he is mentioned as an incarnation of KSIrodakazAyI ViSNu. Therefore
VIrabhadra GosA~ni is nondifferent from zrI KRSNa Caitanya MahAprabhu. In a
village of the name JhAmaTapura, in the district of Hugli, VIrabhadra GosA~ni
had a disciple named YadunAthAcArya, who had two daughters—a real
daughter named zrImatI and a foster daughter named NArAyaNI. Both these
daughters married, and they are mentioned in the Bhakti-ratnAkara (Thirteenth
Wave). VIrabhadra GosA~ni had three disciples who are celebrated as his
sons—GopIjana-vallabha, RAmakRSNa and RAmacandra. The youngest,
RAmacandra, belonged to the zANòilya dynasty and had the surname
VaTavyAla. He established his family at Khaòadaha, and its members are
known as the gosvAmIs of Khaòadaha. The eldest disciple, GopIjana-vallabha,
was a resident of a village known as LatA, near the MAnakara railway station
in the district of Burdwan. The second, RAmakRSNa, lived near MAladaha, in a
village named Gayezapura.” zrIla BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI ThAkura notes
that since these three disciples belonged to different gotras, or dynasties, and
also had different surnames and lived in different places, it is not possible to
accept them as real sons of VIrabhadra GosA~ni. RAmacandra had four sons, of
whom the eldest was RAdhAmAdhava, whose third son was named
YAdavendra. YAdavendra’s son was Nandakizora, his son was NidhikRSNa, his
son was CaitanyacANòa, his son was KRSNamohana, his son was Jaganmohana,
his son was VrajanAtha, and his son was zyAmalAla GosvAmI. This is the
genealogical table given by BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI ThAkura for the
descendants of VIrabhadra GosA~ni.
Adi 11.9
TEXT 9
Izvara ha-iyA kahAya mahA-bhAgavata
veda-dharmAtIta ha~nA veda-dharme rata

Izvara—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; ha-iyA—being; kahAya—calls
Himself; mahA-bhAgavata—great devotee; veda-dharma—the principles of
Vedic religion; atIta—transcendental; ha~nA—being; veda-dharme—in the
Vedic system; rata—engaged.
TRANSLATION
Although VIrabhadra GosA~ni was the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He
presented Himself as a great devotee. And although the Supreme Godhead is
transcendental to all Vedic injunctions, He strictly followed the Vedic rituals.
Adi 11.10
TEXT 10
antare Izvara-ceSTA, bAhire nirdambha
caitanya-bhakti-maNòape te~Nho mUla-stambha

antare—within Himself; Izvara-ceSTA—the activities of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead; bAhire—externally; nirdambha—without pride;
caitanya-bhakti-maNòape—in the devotional hall of zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu; te~Nho—He is; mUla-stambha—the main pillar.
TRANSLATION
He is the main pillar in the hall of devotional service erected by zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu. He knew within Himself that He acted as the Supreme Lord
ViSNu, but externally He was prideless.
Adi 11.11
TEXT 11
adyApi yA~NhAra kRpA-mahimA ha-ite
caitanya-nityAnanda gAya sakala jagate

adyApi—until today; yA~NhAra—whose; kRpA—mercy; mahimA—glorious; ha-
ite—from; caitanya-nityAnanda—zrI Caitanya-NityAnanda; gAya—sing;
sakala—all; jagate—in the world.
TRANSLATION
It is by the glorious mercy of zrI VIrabhadra GosA~ni that people all over the
world now have the chance to chant the names of Caitanya and NityAnanda.
Adi 11.12
TEXT 12
sei vIrabhadra-gosA~nira la-inu zaraNa
yA~NhAra prasAde haya abhISTa-pUraNa

sei—that; vIrabhadra-gosA~nira—of zrI VIrabhadra GosA~ni; la-inu—I take;
zaraNa—shelter; yA~NhAra—whose; prasAde—by mercy; haya—it becomes
so; abhISTa-pUraNa—fulfillment of desire.
TRANSLATION
I therefore take shelter of the lotus feet of VIrabhadra GosA~ni, so that by His
mercy my great desire to write zrI Caitanya-caritAmRta will be properly
guided.
Adi 11.13
TEXT 13
zrI-rAmadAsa Ara, gadAdhara dAsa
caitanya-gosA~nira bhakta rahe tA~Nra pAza

zrI-rAmadAsa—zrI RAmadAsa; Ara—and; gadAdhara dAsa—GadAdhara dAsa;
caitanya-gosA~nira—of Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu; bhakta—devotees;
rahe—stay; tA~Nra pAza—with Him.
TRANSLATION
Two devotees of Lord Caitanya named zrI RAmadAsa and GadAdhara dAsa
always lived with zrI VIrabhadra GosA~ni.
PURPORT
zrI RAmadAsa, later known as AbhirAma ThAkura, was one of the twelve
gopAlas, or cowherd boyfriends, of zrI NityAnanda Prabhu. The Gaura-
gaNoddeza-dIpikA (126) states that zrI RAmadAsa was formerly zrIdAmA. In the
Bhakti-ratnAkara (Fourth Wave), there is a description of zrIla AbhirAma
ThAkura. By the order of zrI NityAnanda Prabhu, AbhirAma ThAkura became a
great AcArya and preacher of the Caitanya cult of devotional service. He was
a very influential personality, and nondevotees were very much afraid of him.
Empowered by zrI NityAnanda Prabhu, he was always in ecstasy and was
extremely kind to all fallen souls. It is said that if he offered obeisances to any
stone other than a zAlagrAma-zilA, it would immediately fracture.
zrIla BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI ThAkura writes in his AnubhASya, “Ten miles
southwest of the CA~NpAòA~NgA railway station on the narrow-gauge railway
line from Howrah, in Calcutta, to AmtA, a village in the Hugli district, is a
small town named KhAnAkUla-kRSNanagara, where the temple in which
AbhirAma ThAkura worshiped is situated. During the rainy season, when this
area is inundated with water, people must go there by another line, which is
now called the southeastern railway. On this line there is a station named
KolAghATa, from which one has to go by steamer to RANIcaka. Seven and a
half miles north of RANIcaka is KhAnAkUla. The temple where AbhirAma
ThAkura worshiped is situated in KRSNanagara, which is near the kUla (bank) of
the KhAnA (DvArakezvara River); therefore this place is celebrated as
KhAnAkUla-kRSNanagara. Outside of the temple is a bakula tree. This place is
known as Siddha-bakula-ku~nja. It is said that when AbhirAma ThAkura came
there, he sat down under this tree. In KhAnAkUla-kRSNanagara there is a big fair
held every year in the month of Caitra [March–April] on the KRSNa-saptamI,
the seventh day of the dark moon. Many hundreds and thousands of people
gather for this festival. The temple where AbhirAma ThAkura worshiped has a
very old history. The Deity in the temple is known as GopInAtha. There are
many sevaita families living near the temple. It is said that AbhirAma ThAkura
had a whip and that whoever he touched with it would immediately become
an elevated devotee of KRSNa. Among his many disciples, zrImAn zrInivAsa
AcArya was the most famous and the most dear, but it is doubtful that he was
his initiated disciple.”
Adi 11.14-15
TEXTS 14–15
nityAnande Aj~nA dila yabe gauòe yAite
mahAprabhu ei dui dilA tA~Nra sAthe
ataeva dui-gaNe du~NhAra gaNana
mAdhava-vAsudeva ghoSerao ei vivaraNa

nityAnande—unto Lord NityAnanda; Aj~nA—order; dila—gave; yabe—when;
gauòe—to Bengal; yAite—to go; mahAprabhu—zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu; ei
dui—these two; dilA—gave; tA~Nra sAthe—with Him; ataeva—therefore; dui-
gaNe—in both the parties; du~NhAra—two of them; gaNana—are counted;
mAdhava—MAdhava; vAsudeva—VAsudeva; ghoSerao—of the surname
GhoSa; ei—this; vivaraNa—description.
TRANSLATION
When NityAnanda Prabhu was ordered to go to Bengal to preach, these two
devotees [zrI RAmadAsa and GadAdhara dAsa] were ordered to go with Him.
Thus they are sometimes counted among the devotees of Lord Caitanya and
sometimes among the devotees of Lord NityAnanda. Similarly, MAdhava
GhoSa and VAsudeva GhoSa belonged to both groups of devotees
simultaneously.
PURPORT
zrIla BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI ThAkura writes in his AnubhASya, “There is a
place named DA~NihATa, near the AgradvIpa railway station and PATuli in the
district of Burdwan, where the Deity of zrI GopInAthajI is still situated. This
Deity accepted Govinda GhoSa as His father. Even until today, the Deity
performs the zrAddha ceremony on the anniversary of the death of Govinda
GhoSa. The temple of this Deity is managed by the rAja-vaàza family of
KRSNanagara, whose members are descendants of RAjA KRSNacandra. Every
year in the month of VaizAkha, when there is a bAradola ceremony, this
GopInAtha Deity is taken to KRSNanagara. The ceremony is performed with
eleven other Deities, and then zrI GopInAthajI is brought back to the temple in
AgradvIpa.”
Adi 11.16
TEXT 16
rAmadAsa——mukhya-zAkhA, sakhya-prema-rAzi
SolasA~Ngera kASTha yei tuli’ kaila vaàzI

rAma-dAsa—RAmadAsa; mukhya-zAkhA—chief branch; sakhya-prema-rAzi—
full of fraternal love; Solasa-a~Ngera—of sixteen knots; kASTha—wood; yei—
that; tuli’—raising; kaila—made; vAàzI—flute.
TRANSLATION
RAmadAsa, one of the chief branches, was full of fraternal love of Godhead.
He made a flute from a stick with sixteen knots.
Adi 11.17
TEXT 17
gadAdhara dAsa gopIbhAve pUrNAnanda
yA~Nra ghare dAnakeli kaila nityAnanda

gadAdhara dAsa—GadAdhara dAsa; gopI-bhAve—in the ecstasy of the gopIs;
pUrNa-Ananda—fully in transcendental bliss; yA~Nra ghare—in whose house;
dAna-keli—performance of dAnakeli-lIlA; kaila—did; nityAnanda—Lord
NityAnanda Prabhu.
TRANSLATION
zrIla GadAdhara dAsa was always fully absorbed in ecstasy as a gopI. In his
house Lord NityAnanda enacted the drama DAna-keli.
Adi 11.18
TEXT 18
zrI-mAdhava ghoSa——mukhya kIrtanIyA-gaNe
nityAnanda-prabhu nRtya kare yA~Nra gAne

zrI-mAdhava ghoSa—zrI MAdhava GhoSa; mukhya—chief; kIrtanIyA-gaNe—
amongst the performers of sa~NkIrtana; nityAnanda-prabhu—NityAnanda
Prabhu; nRtya—dance; kare—does; yA~Nra—whose; gAne—in song.
TRANSLATION
zrI MAdhava GhoSa was a principal performer of kIrtana. While he sang,
NityAnanda Prabhu danced.
Adi 11.19
TEXT 19
vAsudeva gIte kare prabhura varNane
kASTha-pASANa drave yAhAra zravaNe

vAsudeva—VAsudeva; gIte—while singing; kare—does; prabhura—of
NityAnanda Prabhu and zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu; varNane—in description;
kASTha—wood; pASANa—stone; drave—melt; yAhAra—whose; zravaNe—by
hearing.
TRANSLATION
When VAsudeva GhoSa described Lord Caitanya and NityAnanda while
performing kIrtana, even wood and stone would melt upon hearing it.
Adi 11.20
TEXT 20
murAri-caitanya-dAsera alaukika lIlA
vyAghra-gAle caòa mAre, sarpa-sane khelA

murAri—MurAri; caitanya-dAsera—of the servant of zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu; alaukika—uncommon; lIlA—pastimes; vyAghra—tiger; gAle—
on the cheek; caòa mAre—slaps; sarpa—a snake; sane—with; khelA—
playing.
TRANSLATION
There were many extraordinary activities performed by MurAri, a great
devotee of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu. Sometimes in his ecstasy he would
slap the cheek of a tiger, and sometimes he would play with a venomous
snake.
PURPORT
zrIla BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI ThAkura writes in his AnubhASya, “MurAri
Caitanya dAsa was born in the village of Sar-vRndAvana-pura, which is
situated about two miles from the GalazI station on the Burdwan line. When
MurAri Caitanya dAsa came to NavadvIpa, he settled in the village of
Modadruma, or MAmagAchi-grAma. At that time he became known as zAr~Nga
or SAra~Nga MurAri Caitanya dAsa. The descendants of his family still reside in
Sarer PATa. In the Caitanya-bhAgavata, Antya-khaNòa, Chapter Five, there is
the following statement: ‘MurAri Caitanya dAsa had no material bodily
features, for he was completely spiritual. Thus he would sometimes chase
after tigers in the jungle and treat them just like cats and dogs. He would slap
the cheek of a tiger and take a venomous snake on his lap. He had no fear for
his external body, of which he was completely forgetful. He could spend all
twenty-four hours of the day chanting the Hare KRSNa mahA-mantra or
speaking about Lord Caitanya and NityAnanda. Sometimes he would remain
submerged in water for two or three days, but he would feel no bodily
inconvenience. Thus he behaved almost like stone or wood, but he always
used his energy in chanting the Hare KRSNa mahA-mantra. No one can
describe his specific characteristics, but it is understood that wherever MurAri
Caitanya dAsa passed, whoever was present would be enlightened in KRSNa
consciousness simply by the atmosphere he created.’”
Adi 11.21
TEXT 21
nityAnandera gaNa yata——saba vraja-sakhA
zR~Nga-vetra-gopaveza, zire zikhi-pAkhA

nityAnandera—of Lord NityAnanda Prabhu; gaNa—followers; yata—all;
saba—all; vraja-sakhA—residents of VRndAvana; zR~Nga—horn; vetra—cane
stick; gopa-veza—dressed like a cowherd boy; zire—on the head; zikhi-
pAkhA—the plume of a peacock.
TRANSLATION
All the associates of Lord NityAnanda were formerly cowherd boys in
VrajabhUmi. Their symbolic representations were the horns and sticks they
carried, their cowherd dress and the peacock plumes on their heads.
PURPORT
JAhnavA-mAtA is also within the list of Lord NityAnanda’s followers. She is
described in the Gaura-gaNoddeza-dIpikA (66) as Ana~Nga-ma~njarI of
VRndAvana. All the devotees who are followers of JAhnavA-mAtA are counted
within the list of zrI NityAnanda Prabhu’s devotees.
Adi 11.22
TEXT 22
raghunAtha vaidya upAdhyAya mahAzaya
yA~NhAra darzane kRSNa-prema-bhakti haya

raghunAtha vaidya—the physician RaghunAtha; upAdhyAya mahAzaya—a
great personality with the title UpAdhyAya; yA~NhAra—whose; darzane—by
visiting; kRSNa-prema—love of KRSNa; bhakti—devotional service; haya—
awakened.
TRANSLATION
The physician RaghunAtha, also known as UpAdhyAya, was so great a devotee
that simply by seeing him one would awaken his dormant love of Godhead.
Adi 11.23
TEXT 23
sundarAnanda——nityAnandera zAkhA, bhRtya marma
yA~Nra sa~Nge nityAnanda kare vraja-narma

sundarAnanda—SundarAnanda; nityAnandera zAkhA—a branch of NityAnanda
Prabhu; bhRtya marma—very intimate servant; yA~Nra sa~Nge—with whom;
nityAnanda—Lord NityAnanda; kare—performs; vraja-narma—activities of
VRndAvana.
TRANSLATION
SundarAnanda, another branch of zrI NityAnanda Prabhu, was Lord
NityAnanda’s most intimate servant. Lord NityAnanda Prabhu perceived the
life of VrajabhUmi in his company.
PURPORT
zrIla BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI ThAkura writes in his AnubhASya, “In the
Caitanya-bhAgavata, Antya-khaNòa, Chapter Five, it is stated that
SundarAnanda was an ocean of love of Godhead and the chief associate of zrI
NityAnanda Prabhu. In the Gaura-gaNoddeza-dIpikA (127) he is stated to have
been SudAmA in kRSNa-lIlA. Thus he was one of the twelve cowherd boys who
came down with BalarAma when He descended as zrI NityAnanda Prabhu. The
holy place where SundarAnanda lived is situated in the village known as
Mahezapura, which is about fourteen miles east of the MAjadiyA railway
station of the eastern railway from Calcutta to Burdwan. This place is within
the district of Jessore, [which is now in Bangladesh]. Among the relics of this
village, only the old residential house of SundarAnanda still exists. At the end
of the village resides a bAula [pseudo VaiSNava], and all the buildings, both the
temples and the house, appear to be newly constructed. In Mahezapura there
are Deities of zrI RAdhAvallabha and zrI zrI RAdhAramaNa. Near the temple is a
small river of the name VetravatI.
“SundarAnanda Prabhu was a naiSThika-brahmacArI: he never married in his
life. Therefore he had no direct descendants except his disciples, but the
descendants of his family still reside in the village known as Ma~Ngalaòihi in
the district of Birbhum. In that same village is a temple of BalarAma, and the
Deity there is regularly worshiped. The original Deity of Mahezapura,
RAdhAvallabha, was taken by the SaidAbAd GosvAmIs of Berhampur, and since
the present Deities were installed, a zamindar family of Mahezapura has
looked after Their worship. On the full-moon day of the month of MAgha
(January–February), the anniversary of SundarAnanda’s disappearance is
regularly celebrated, and people from the neighboring areas gather together
to observe this festival.”
Adi 11.24
TEXT 24
kamalAkara pippalAi——alaukika rIta
alaukika prema tA~Nra bhuvane vidita

kamalAkara pippalAi—KamalAkara PippalAi; alaukika—uncommon; rIta—
behavior or pastime; alaukika—uncommon; prema—love of Godhead;
tA~Nra—his; bhuvane—in the world; vidita—celebrated.
TRANSLATION
KamalAkara PippalAi is said to have been the third gopAla. His behavior and
love of Godhead were uncommon, and thus he is celebrated all over the
world.
PURPORT
zrIla BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI ThAkura writes in his AnubhASya, “In the
Gaura-gaNoddeza-dIpikA (128) KamalAkara PippalAi is described as the third
gopAla. His former name was MahAbala. The JagannAtha Deity at MAheza in
zrI RAmapura was installed by KamalAkara PippalAi. This village of MAheza is
situated about two and a half miles from the zrI RAmapura railway station.
The genealogy of the family of KamalAkara PippalAi is given as follows.
KamalAkara PippalAi had a son named Caturbhuja, who had two sons named
NArAyaNa and JagannAtha. NArAyaNa had one son named JagadAnanda, and
his son’s name was RAjIvalocana. During the time of RAjIvalocana, there was a
scarcity of finances for the worship of the JagannAtha Deity, and it is said that
the Nawab of Dacca, whose name was Shah SujA, donated 1,185 bighAs of
land [about 395 acres] in the Bengali year 1060 [A.D. 1653]. The land being the
possession of JagannAtha, the village was named JagannAtha-pura. It is said
that when KamalAkara PippalAi left home his younger brother Nidhipati
PippalAi searched for him and in due course of time found him in the village of
MAheza. Nidhipati PippalAi tried his best to bring his elder brother home, but
he would not return. Under these circumstances, Nidhipati PippalAi, with all his
family members, came to MAheza to reside. The members of this family still
reside in the vicinity of the MAheza village. Their family name is AdhikArI, and
they are a brAhmaNa family.
“The history of the JagannAtha temple in MAheza is as follows. One devotee
of the name DhruvAnanda went to see Lord JagannAtha, BalarAma and
SubhadrA at JagannAtha PurI, wanting to offer food to JagannAthajI that he
had cooked with his own hands. This being his desire, one night JagannAthajI
appeared to him in a dream and asked him to go to MAheza on the bank of
the Ganges and there start worship of Him in a temple. Thus DhruvAnanda
went to MAheza, where he saw the three deities—JagannAtha, BalarAma and
SubhadrA—floating in the Ganges. He picked up all those deities and installed
them in a small cottage, and with great satisfaction he executed the worship
of Lord JagannAtha. When he became old, he was very anxious to hand over
the worship to the charge of someone reliable, and in a dream he got
permission from JagannAtha Prabhu to hand it over to a person whom he
would meet the next morning. The next morning he met KamalAkara PippalAi,
who was formerly an inhabitant of the village KhAlijuli in the Sundaravana
forest area of Bengal and was a pure VaiSNava, a great devotee of Lord
JagannAtha; thus he immediately gave him charge of the worship. In this way,
KamalAkara PippalAi became the worshiper of Lord JagannAtha, and since then
his family members have been designated as AdhikArI, which means ‘one who
is empowered to worship the Lord.’ These AdhikArIs belong to a respectable
brAhmaNa family. Five types of upper-class brAhmaNas are recognized by the
surname PippalAi.”
Adi 11.25
TEXT 25
sUryadAsa sarakhela, tA~Nra bhAi kRSNadAsa
nityAnande dRòha vizvAsa, premera nivAsa

sUryadAsa sarakhela—SUryadAsa Sarakhela; tA~Nra bhAi—his brother;
kRSNadAsa—KRSNadAsa; nityAnande—unto Lord NityAnanda; dRòha vizvAsa—
firm faith; premera nivAsa—the reservoir of all love of Godhead.
TRANSLATION
SUryadAsa Sarakhela and his younger brother KRSNadAsa Sarakhela both
possessed firm faith in NityAnanda Prabhu. They were a reservoir of love of
Godhead.
PURPORT
In the Bhakti-ratnAkara (Twelfth Wave), it is stated that a few miles from
NavadvIpa is a place called zAligrAma that was the residence of SUryadAsa
Sarakhela. He was employed as a secretary in the Muslim government of that
time, and thus he amassed a good fortune. SUryadAsa had four brothers, all of
whom were pure VaiSNavas. VasudhA and JAhnavA were two daughters of
SUryadAsa Sarakhela.
Adi 11.26
TEXT 26
gaurIdAsa paNòita yA~Nra premoddaNòa-bhakti
kRSNa-premA dite, nite, dhare mahAzakti

gaurIdAsa paNòita—GaurIdAsa PaNòita; yA~Nra—whose; prema-uddaNòa-
bhakti—the most elevated in love of Godhead and devotional service; kRSNa-
premA—love of KRSNa; dite—to deliver; nite—and to receive; dhare—
empowered; mahAzakti—great potency.
TRANSLATION
GaurIdAsa PaNòita, the emblem of the most elevated devotional service in
love of Godhead, had the greatest potency to receive and deliver such love.
PURPORT
zrIla BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI ThAkura writes in his AnubhASya, “It is said
that GaurIdAsa PaNòita was always patronized by King KRSNadAsa, the son of
Harihoòa. GaurIdAsa PaNòita lived in the village of zAligrAma, which is
situated a few miles from the railway station MuòAgAchA, and later he came
to reside in AmbikA-kAlanA. It is stated in the Gaura-gaNoddeza-dIpikA (128)
that formerly he was Subala, one of the cowherd boyfriends of KRSNa and
BalarAma in VRndAvana. GaurIdAsa PaNòita was the younger brother of
SUryadAsa Sarakhela, and with the permission of his elder brother he shifted
his residence to the bank of the Ganges, living there in the town known as
AmbikA-kAlanA. Some of the names of the descendants of GaurIdAsa PaNòita
are as follows: (1) zrI NRsiàha-caitanya, (2) KRSNadAsa, (3) ViSNudAsa, (4) Baòa
BalarAma dAsa, (5) Govinda, (6) RaghunAtha, (7) Baòu Ga~NgAdAsa, (8) AuliyA
Ga~NgArAma, (9) YAdavAcArya, (10) HRdaya-caitanya, (11) CAnda HAladAra, (12)
Maheza PaNòita, (13) MukuTa RAya, (14) BhAtuyA Ga~NgArAma, (15) AuliyA
Caitanya, (16) KAliyA KRSNadAsa, (17) PAtuyA GopAla, (18) Baòa JagannAtha, (19)
NityAnanda, (20) BhAvi, (21) JagadIza, (22) RAiyA KRSNadAsa and (22½)
AnnapUrNA. The eldest son of GaurIdAsa PaNòita was known as big BalarAma,
and the youngest was known as RaghunAtha. The sons of RaghunAtha were
Maheza PaNòita and Govinda. GaurIdAsa PaNòita’s daughter was known as
AnnapUrNA.
“The village AmbikA-kAlanA, which is situated just across the river Ganges
from zAntipura, is two miles east of the KAlanA-korTa railway station, on the
eastern railway. In AmbikA-kAlanA there is a temple constructed by the
zamindar of Burdwan. In front of the temple there is a big tamarind tree, and
it is said that GaurIdAsa PaNòita and Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu met
underneath this tree. The place where the temple is situated is known as
AmbikA, and because it is in the area of KAlanA, the village is known as
AmbikA-kAlanA. It is said that a copy of the Bhagavad-gItA written by zrI
Caitanya MahAprabhu still exists in this temple.”
Adi 11.27
TEXT 27
nityAnande samarpila jAti-kula-pA~Nti
zrI-caitanya-nityAnande kari prANapati

nityAnande—to Lord NityAnanda; samarpila—he offered; jAti—caste
distinction; kula—family; pA~Nti—fellowship; zrI-caitanya—Lord Caitanya;
nityAnande—in Lord NityAnanda; kari—making; prANa-pati—the Lords of his
life.
TRANSLATION
Making Lord Caitanya and Lord NityAnanda the Lords of his life, GaurIdAsa
PaNòita sacrificed everything for the service of Lord NityAnanda, even the
fellowship of his own family.
Adi 11.28
TEXT 28
nityAnanda prabhura priya——paNòita purandara
premArNava-madhye phire yaichana mandara

nityAnanda—Lord NityAnanda Prabhu; prabhura—of the Lord; priya—very
dear; paNòita purandara—PaNòita Purandara; prema-arNava-madhye—in the
ocean of love of Godhead; phire—moved; yaichana—exactly like;
mandara—the Mandara Hill.
TRANSLATION
The thirteenth important devotee of zrI NityAnanda Prabhu was PaNòita
Purandara, who moved in the ocean of love of Godhead just like the Mandara
Hill.
PURPORT
PaNòita Purandara met zrI NityAnanda Prabhu at Khaòadaha. When
NityAnanda Prabhu visited this village, He danced very uncommonly, and His
dancing captivated Purandara PaNòita. The paNòita was in the top of a tree,
and upon seeing the dancing of NityAnanda he jumped down on the ground
and proclaimed himself to be A~Ngada, one of the devotees in the camp of
HanumAn during the pastimes of Lord RAmacandra.
Adi 11.29
TEXT 29
paramezvara-dAsa——nityAnandaika-zaraNa
kRSNa-bhakti pAya, tA~Nre ye kare smaraNa

paramezvara-dAsa—Paramezvara dAsa; nityAnanda-eka-zaraNa—completely
surrendered to the lotus feet of NityAnanda; kRSNa-bhakti pAya—gets love of
KRSNa; tA~Nre—him; ye—anyone; kare—does; smaraNa—remembering.
TRANSLATION
Paramezvara dAsa, said to be the fifth gopAla of kRSNa-lIlA, completely
surrendered to the lotus feet of NityAnanda. Anyone who remembers his
name, Paramezvara dAsa, will get love of KRSNa very easily.
PURPORT
zrIla BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI ThAkura writes in his AnubhASya, “The
Caitanya-bhAgavata states that Paramezvara dAsa, known sometimes as
ParamezvarI dAsa, was the life and soul of zrI NityAnanda Prabhu. The body of
Paramezvara dAsa was the place of Lord NityAnanda’s pastimes. Paramezvara
dAsa, who lived for some time at Khaòadaha village, was always filled with
the ecstasy of a cowherd boy. Formerly he was Arjuna, a friend of KRSNa and
BalarAma. He was the fifth among the twelve gopAlas. He accompanied
zrImatI JAhnavA-devI when she performed the festival at Khetari. It is stated in
the Bhakti-ratnAkara that by the order of zrImatI JAhnavA-mAtA, he installed
RAdhA-GopInAtha in the temple at ATapura, in the district of Hugli. The
ATapura station is on the narrow-gauge railway line between Howrah and
AmatA. Another temple in ATapura, established by the Mitra family, is known
as the RAdhA-Govinda temple. In front of the temple, in a very attractive
place among two bakula trees and a kadamba tree, is the tomb of
ParamezvarI ThAkura, and above it is an altar with a tulasI bush. It is said that
only one flower a year comes out of the kadamba tree. It is offered to the
Deity.
“ParamezvarI ThAkura belonged, it is said, to a vaidya family. A descendant of
his brother’s is at present a worshiper in the temple. Some of their family
members still reside in the district of Hugli, near the post office of CaNòItalA.
The descendants of ParamezvarI ThAkura took many disciples from brAhmaNa
families, but as these descendants gradually took to the profession of
physicians, persons from brAhmaNa families ceased becoming their disciples.
The family titles of ParamezvarI’s descendants are AdhikArI and Gupta.
Unfortunately, his family members do not worship the Deity directly; they
have engaged paid brAhmaNas to worship the Deity. In the temple, Baladeva
and zrI zrI RAdhA-GopInAtha are together on the throne. It is supposed that
the Deity of Baladeva was installed later because according to transcendental
mellow, Baladeva, KRSNa and RAdhA cannot stay on the same throne. On the
full-moon day of VaizAkha (April-May), the disappearance festival of
ParamezvarI ThAkura is observed in this temple.”
Adi 11.30
TEXT 30
jagadIza paNòita haya jagat-pAvana
kRSNa-premAmRta varSe, yena varSA ghana

jagadIza paNòita—JagadIza PaNòita; haya—becomes; jagat-pAvana—the
deliverer of the world; kRSNa-prema-amRta varSe—he always pours torrents of
devotional service; yena—like; varSA—rainfall; ghana—heavy.
TRANSLATION
JagadIza PaNòita, the fifteenth branch of Lord NityAnanda’s followers, was the
deliverer of the entire world. Devotional love of KRSNa showered from him like
torrents of rain.
PURPORT
zrIla BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI ThAkura writes in his AnubhASya, “Descriptions
of JagadIza PaNòita are available from the Caitanya-bhAgavata, Adi-khaNòa,
Chapter Six, and the Caitanya-caritAmRta, Adi-lIlA, Chapter Fourteen. He
belonged to the village of YazaòA-grAma, in the district of Nadia near the
CAkadaha railway station. His father, the son of BhaTTa NArAyaNa, was named
KamalAkSa. Both his father and mother were great devotees of Lord ViSNu,
and after their death, JagadIza, with his wife DuHkhinI and brother Maheza,
left his birthplace and came to zrI MAyApur to live in the company of
JagannAtha Mizra and other VaiSNavas. Lord Caitanya asked JagadIza to go to
JagannAtha PurI to preach the hari-nAma-sa~NkIrtana movement. After
returning from JagannAtha PurI, on the order of Lord JagannAtha he
established Deities of JagannAtha in the village of YazaòA-grAma. It is said that
when JagadIza PaNòita brought the Deity of JagannAtha to YazaòA-grAma, he
tied the heavy Deity to a stick and thus brought Him to the village. The priests
of the temple still show the stick used by JagadIza PaNòita to carry the
JagannAtha Deity.”
Adi 11.31
xxTEXT 31
nityAnanda-priyabhRtya paNòita dhana~njaya
atyanta virakta, sadA kRSNa-premamaya

nityAnanda-priya-bhRtya—another dear servant of NityAnanda Prabhu;
paNòita dhana~njaya—PaNòita Dhana~njaya; atyanta—very much; virakta—
renounced; sadA—always; kRSNa-prema-maya—merged in love of KRSNa.
TRANSLATION
The sixteenth dear servant of NityAnanda Prabhu was Dhana~njaya PaNòita. He
was very much renounced and always merged in love of KRSNa.
PURPORT
zrIla BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI ThAkura writes in his AnubhASya, “PaNòita
Dhana~njaya was a resident of the village in Katwa named zItala. He was one
of the twelve gopAlas. His former name, according to the Gaura-gaNoddeza-
dIpikA (127), was VasudAma. zItala-grAma is situated near the Ma~NgalakoTa
police station and Kaicara post office in the district of Burdwan. On the
narrow railway from Burdwan to Katwa is a railway station about nine miles
from Katwa known as Kaicara. One has to go about a mile northeast of this
station to reach zItala. The temple was a thatched house with walls made of
dirt. Some time ago, the zamindars of BAjAravana KAbAzI, the Mulliks,
constructed a big house for the purpose of a temple, but for the last sixty-five
years the temple has been broken down and abandoned. The foundation of
the old temple is still visible. There is a tulasI pillar near the temple, and every
year during the month of KArtika (October–November) the disappearance day
of Dhana~njaya is observed. It is said that for some time PaNòita Dhana~njaya
was in a sa~NkIrtana party under the direction of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu, and
then he went to VRndAvana. Before going to VRndAvana, he lived for some
time in a village named SA~NcaòApA~NcaòA, which is six miles south of the
MemArI railway station. Sometimes this village is also known as ‘the place of
Dhana~njaya’ (Dhana~njayera PATa). After some time, he left the responsibility
for worship with a disciple and went back to VRndAvana. After returning from
VRndAvana to zItala-grAma, he established a Deity of Gaurasundara in the
temple. The descendants of PaNòita Dhana~njaya still live in zItala-grAma and
look after the temple worship.”
Adi 11.32
TEXT 32
maheza paNòita——vrajera udAra gopAla
òhakkA-vAdye nRtya kare preme mAtoyAla

maheza paNòita—Maheza PaNòita; vrajera—of VRndAvana; udAra—very
liberal; gopAla—cowherd boy; òhakkA-vAdye—with the beating of a
kettledrum; nRtya kare—used to dance; preme—in love; mAtoyAla—as if a
madman.
TRANSLATION
Maheza PaNòita, the seventh of the twelve gopAlas, was very liberal. In great
love of KRSNa he danced to the beating of a kettledrum like a madman.
PURPORT
zrIla BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI ThAkura writes in his AnubhASya, “The village
of Maheza PaNòita, which is known as PAlapAòA, is situated in the district of
Nadia within a forest about one mile south of the CAkadaha railway station.
The Ganges flows nearby. It is said that formerly Maheza PaNòita lived on the
eastern side of JirAT in the village known as Masipura or YazIpura, and when
Masipura merged into the riverbed of the Ganges, the Deities there were
brought to PAlapAòA, which is situated in the midst of various villages such as
BeleòA~NgA, BerigrAma, SukhasAgara, CAnduòe and ManasApotA. (There are
about fourteen villages, and the entire neighborhood is known as PA~ncanagara
ParagaNA.) It is mentioned that Maheza PaNòita joined the festival performed
by zrI NityAnanda Prabhu at PAnihATi. Narottama dAsa ThAkura also joined in
the festival, and Maheza PaNòita saw him on that occasion. In the temple of
Maheza PaNòita there are Deities of Gaura-NityAnanda, zrI GopInAtha, zrI
Madana-mohana and RAdhA-Govinda, as well as a zAlagrAma-zilA.”
Adi 11.33
TEXT 33
navadvIpe puruSottama paNòita mahAzaya
nityAnanda-nAme yA~Nra mahonmAda haya

navadvIpe puruSottama—PuruSottama of NavadvIpa; paNòita mahAzaya—a
very learned scholar; nityAnanda-nAme—in the name of Lord NityAnanda
Prabhu; yA~Nra—whose; mahA-unmAda—great ecstasy; haya—becomes.
TRANSLATION
PuruSottama PaNòita, a resident of NavadvIpa, was the eighth gopAla. He
would become almost mad as soon as he heard the holy name of NityAnanda
Prabhu.
PURPORT
It is stated in the Caitanya-bhAgavata that PuruSottama PaNòita was born in
NavadvIpa and was a great devotee of Lord NityAnanda Prabhu. As one of
the twelve gopAlas, his former name was StokakRSNa.
Adi 11.34
TEXT 34
balarAma dAsa——kRSNa-prema-rasAsvAdI
nityAnanda-nAme haya parama unmAdI

balarAma-dAsa—BalarAma dAsa; kRSNa-prema-rasa—the nectar of always
merging in love of KRSNa; AsvAdI—fully tasting; nityAnanda-nAme—in the
name of zrI NityAnanda Prabhu; haya—becomes; parama—greatly;
unmAdI—maddened.
TRANSLATION
BalarAma dAsa always fully tasted the nectar of love of KRSNa. Upon hearing
the name of NityAnanda Prabhu, he would become greatly maddened.
Adi 11.35
TEXT 35
mahA-bhAgavata yadunAtha kavicandra
yA~NhAra hRdaye nRtya kare nityAnanda

mahA-bhAgavata—a great devotee; yadunAtha kavicandra—YadunAtha
Kavicandra; yA~NhAra—whose; hRdaye—in the heart; nRtya—dancing; kare—
does; nityAnanda—Lord NityAnanda Prabhu.
TRANSLATION
YadunAtha Kavicandra was a great devotee. Lord NityAnanda Prabhu always
danced in his heart.
PURPORT
In the Caitanya-bhAgavata, Madhya-khaNòa, Chapter One, it is said that a
gentleman known as Ratnagarbha AcArya was a friend of zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu’s father. They had been residents of the same village.
Ratnagarbha AcArya had three sons—KRSNAnanda, JIva and YadunAtha
Kavicandra.
Adi 11.36
TEXT 36
rAòhe yA~Nra janma kRSNadAsa dvijavara
zrI-nityAnandera te~Nho parama ki~Nkara

rAòhe—in West Bengal; yA~Nra—whose; janma—birth; kRSNadAsa—
KRSNadAsa; dvija-vara—the best brAhmaNa; zrI-nityAnandera—of NityAnanda
Prabhu; te~Nho—he; parama—first-class; ki~Nkara—servant.
TRANSLATION
The twenty-first devotee of zrI NityAnanda in Bengal was KRSNadAsa
BrAhmaNa, who was a first-class servant of the Lord.
PURPORT
In this verse the word rAòhe refers to RAòhadeza, the part of Bengal where the
Ganges does not flow.
Adi 11.37
TEXT 37
kAlA-kRSNadAsa baòa vaiSNava-pradhAna
nityAnanda-candra vinu nahi jAne Ana

kAlA-kRSNadAsa—KAlA KRSNadAsa; baòa—great; vaiSNava-pradhAna—first-
class VaiSNava; nityAnanda-candra—Lord NityAnanda; vinu—except; nAhi
jAne—he did not know; Ana—of anything else.
TRANSLATION
The twenty-second devotee of Lord NityAnanda Prabhu was KAlA KRSNadAsa,
who was the ninth cowherd boy. He was a first-class VaiSNava and did not
know anything beyond NityAnanda Prabhu.
PURPORT
In the Gaura-gaNoddeza-dIpikA (132) it is said that KAlA KRSNadAsa, who was
also known as KAliyA KRSNadAsa, was formerly a gopa (cowherd boy) of the
name Lava~Nga. He was one of the twelve cowherd boys.
zrIla BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI ThAkura writes in his AnubhASya, “KAliyA
KRSNadAsa had his headquarters in a village named AkAihATa, which is situated
in the district of Burdwan within the jurisdiction of the post office and police
station of Katwa. It is situated on the road to NavadvIpa. To reach AkAihATa,
one has to go from the ByANòel junction station to the Katwa railway station
and then go about two miles, or one has to get off at the DA~NihATa station and
from there go one mile. The village of AkAihATa is very small. In the month of
Caitra, on the day of VAruNI, there is a festival commemorating the
disappearance day of KAlA KRSNadAsa.”
Adi 11.38
TEXT 38
zrI-sadAziva kavirAja——baòa mahAzaya
zrI-puruSottama-dAsa——tA~NhAra tanaya

zrI-sadAziva kavirAja—zrI SadAziva KavirAja; baòa—great; mahAzaya—
respectable gentleman; zrI-puruSottama-dAsa—zrI PuruSottama dAsa; tA~NhAra
tanaya—his son.
TRANSLATION
The twenty-third and twenty-fourth prominent devotees of NityAnanda
Prabhu were SadAziva KavirAja and his son PuruSottama dAsa, who was the
tenth gopAla.
Adi 11.39
TEXT 39
Ajanma nimagna nityAnandera caraNe
nirantara bAlya-lIlA kare kRSNa-sane

Ajanma—from birth; nimagna—merged; nityAnandera—of Lord NityAnanda
Prabhu; caraNe—in the lotus feet; nirantara—always; bAlya-lIlA—childish
play; kare—does; kRSNa-sane—with KRSNa.
TRANSLATION
From birth, PuruSottama dAsa was merged in the service of the lotus feet of
Lord NityAnanda Prabhu, and he always engaged in childish play with Lord
KRSNa.
PURPORT
zrIla BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI ThAkura writes in his AnubhASya, “SadAziva
KavirAja and NAgara PuruSottama, who were father and son, are described in
the Caitanya-bhAgavata as mahA-bhAgyavAn, greatly fortunate. They
belonged to the vaidya caste of physicians. Text 156 of the Gaura-gaNoddeza-
dIpikA says that CandrAvalI, a most beloved gopI of KRSNa’s, later took birth as
SadAziva KavirAja. In texts 194 and 200 it is said that KaàsAri Sena, the father
of SadAziva KavirAja, was formerly the gopI named RatnAvalI in KRSNa’s
pastimes. All the family members of SadAziva KavirAja were great devotees of
Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu. PuruSottama dAsa ThAkura sometimes lived at
SukhasAgara, near the CAkadaha and zimurAli railway stations. All the Deities
installed by PuruSottama ThAkura were formerly situated in BeleòA~NgA-grAma,
but when the temple was destroyed the Deities were brought to SukhasAgara.
When that temple merged into the bed of the Ganges, the Deities were
brought with JAhnavA-mAtA’s Deity to SAhebaòA~NgA BeòigrAma. Since that
place also has been destroyed, all the Deities are now situated in the village
named CAnduòe-grAma, which is situated one mile up from PAlapAòA, as
referred to above.”
Adi 11.40
TEXT 40
tA~Nra putra——mahAzaya zrI-kAnu ThAkura
yA~Nra dehe rahe kRSNa-premAmRta-pUra

tA~Nra putra—his son; mahAzaya—a respectable gentleman; zrI-kAnu
ThAkura—zrI KAnu ThAkura; yA~Nra—whose; dehe—in the body; rahe—
remained; kRSNa-prema-amRta-pUra—the nectar of devotional service to
KRSNa.
TRANSLATION
zrI KAnu ThAkura, a very respectable gentleman, was the son of PuruSottama
dAsa ThAkura. He was such a great devotee that Lord KRSNa always lived in his
body.
PURPORT
zrIla BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI ThAkura writes in his AnubhASya, “To go to the
headquarters of KAnu ThAkura, one has to proceed by boat from the
JhikaragAchA-ghATa station to the river known as KapotAkSa. Otherwise, if one
goes about two or two and a half miles from the JhikaragAchA-ghATa station,
he can see BodhakhAnA, the headquarters of KAnu ThAkura. The son of
SadAziva was PuruSottama ThAkura, and his son was KAnu ThAkura. The
descendants of KAnu ThAkura know him as NAgara PuruSottama. He was the
cowherd boy named DAma during kRSNa-lIlA. It is said that just after the birth
of KAnu ThAkura, his mother, JAhnavA, died. When he was about twelve days
old, zrI NityAnanda Prabhu took him to His home at Khaòadaha. It is
ascertained that KAnu ThAkura was born some time in the Bengali year 942
[A.D. 1535]. It is said that he took birth on the Ratha-yAtrA day. Because he
was a great devotee of Lord KRSNa from the very beginning of his life, zrI
NityAnanda Prabhu gave him the name zizu KRSNadAsa. When he was five
years old he went to VRndAvana with JAhnavA-mAtA, and the GosvAmIs, upon
seeing the ecstatic symptoms of KAnu ThAkura, gave him the name KAnAi
ThAkura.
“In the family of KAnu ThAkura there is a RAdhA-KRSNa Deity known as
PrANavallabha. It is said that his family worshiped this Deity long before the
appearance of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu. When there was a Maharashtrian
invasion of Bengal, the family of KAnu ThAkura was scattered, and after the
invasion one HarikRSNa GosvAmI of that family came back to their original
home, BodhakhAnA, and re-established the PrANavallabha Deity. The
descendants of the family still engage in the service of PrANavallabha. KAnu
ThAkura was present during the KheTari utsava, when JAhnavA-devI and
VIrabhadra GosvAmI were also present. One of KAnu ThAkura’s family
members, MAdhavAcArya, married the daughter of zrI NityAnanda Prabhu,
who was named Ga~NgAdevI. Both PuruSottama ThAkura and KAnu ThAkura
had many disciples from brAhmaNa families. Most of the disciplic descendants
of KAnu ThAkura now reside in the village named GaòabetA, by the river
zilAvatI, in the Midnapore district.”
Adi 11.41
TEXT 41
mahA-bhAgavata-zreSTha datta uddhAraNa
sarva-bhAve seve nityAnandera caraNa

mahA-bhAgavata—great devotee; zreSTha—chief; datta—the surname Datta;
uddhAraNa—UddhAraNa; sarva-bhAve—in all respects; seve—worships;
nityAnandera—of Lord NityAnanda; caraNa—lotus feet.
TRANSLATION
UddhAraNa Datta ThAkura, the eleventh among the twelve cowherd boys, was
an exalted devotee of Lord NityAnanda Prabhu. He worshiped the lotus feet
of Lord NityAnanda in all respects.
PURPORT
zrIla BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI ThAkura writes in his AnubhASya, “The Gaura-
gaNoddeza-dIpikA (129) states that UddhAraNa Datta ThAkura was formerly the
cowherd boy of VRndAvana named SubAhu. UddhAraNa Datta ThAkura,
previously known as zrI UddhAraNa Datta, was a resident of SaptagrAma,
which is situated on the bank of the SarasvatI River near the TrizabighA
railway station in the district of Hugli. At the time of UddhAraNa ThAkura,
SaptagrAma was a very big town, encompassing many other places such as
VAsudeva-pura, BA~NzabeòiyA, KRSNapura, NityAnanda-pura, zivapura,
za~Nkhanagara and SaptagrAma.”
Calcutta was developed under British rule by the influential mercantile
community, and especially by the suvarNa-vaNik community who came down
from SaptagrAma to establish their businesses and homes all over Calcutta.
They were known as the SaptagrAmI mercantile community of Calcutta, and
most of them belonged to the Mullik and Sil families. More than half of
Calcutta belonged to this community, as did zrIla UddhAraNa ThAkura. Our
paternal family also came from this district and belonged to the same
community. The Mulliks of Calcutta are divided into two families, namely the
Sil family and De family. All the Mulliks of the De family originally belong to
the same family and gotra. We also formerly belonged to the branch of the De
family whose members, intimately connected with the Muslim rulers, received
the title Mullik.
In the Caitanya-bhAgavata, Antya-khaNòa, Chapter Five, it is said that
UddhAraNa Datta was an extremely elevated and liberal VaiSNava. He was
born with the right to worship NityAnanda Prabhu. It is also stated that
NityAnanda Prabhu, after staying for some time in Khaòadaha, came to
SaptagrAma and stayed in the house of UddhAraNa Datta. The suvarNa-vaNik
community to which UddhAraNa Datta belonged was actually a VaiSNava
community. Its members were bankers and gold merchants (suvarNa means
“gold,” and vaNik means “merchant”). Long ago there was a
misunderstanding between BallAl Sena and the suvarNa-vaNik community
because of the great banker GaurI Sena. BallAl Sena was taking loans from
GaurI Sena and spending money extravagantly, and therefore GaurI Sena
stopped supplying money. BallAl Sena took revenge by instigating a social
conspiracy to make the suvarNa-vaNiks outcastes, and since then they have
been ostracized from the higher castes, namely the brAhmaNas, kSatriyas and
vaizyas. But by the grace of zrIla NityAnanda Prabhu, the suvarNa-vaNik
community was again elevated. It is said in the Caitanya-bhAgavata, yateka
vaNik-kula uddhAraNa haite pavitra ha-ila dvidhA nAhika ihAte: there is no
doubt that all the community members of the suvarNa-vaNik society were
again purified by zrI NityAnanda Prabhu.
In SaptagrAma there is still a temple with a six-armed Deity of zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu that was personally worshiped by zrIla UddhAraNa Datta
ThAkura. On the right side of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu is a Deity of zrI
NityAnanda Prabhu, and on the left side is GadAdhara Prabhu. There are also a
RAdhA-Govinda mUrti and a zAlagrAma-zilA, and below the throne is a picture
of zrI UddhAraNa Datta ThAkura. In front of the temple there is now a big hall,
and in front of the hall is a MAdhavI-latA plant. The temple is in a very shady,
cool and nicely situated location. When we returned from America in 1967,
the executive committee members of this temple invited us to visit it, and
thus we had the opportunity to visit this temple with some American
students. Formerly, in our childhood, we visited this temple with our parents
because all the members of the suvarNa-vaNik community enthusiastically
take interest in this temple of UddhAraNa Datta ThAkura.
zrIla BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI ThAkura adds in his AnubhASya: “In the Bengali
year 1283 [A.D. 1876] a bAbAjI of the name NitAi dAsa arranged for a donation
of twelve bighAs of land (about four acres) for the temple where UddhAraNa
Datta ThAkura worshiped. The management of the temple later deteriorated,
but then in 1306 (A.D. 1899), through the cooperation of the famous BalarAma
Mullik of Hugli, who was a subjudge, and many rich suvarNa-vaNik
community members, the management of the temple improved greatly. Not
more than fifty years ago, one of the family members of UddhAraNa Datta
ThAkura named Jagamohana Datta established a wooden mUrti [statue] of
UddhAraNa Datta ThAkura in the temple, but that mUrti is no longer there; at
present, a picture of UddhAraNa Datta ThAkura is worshiped. It is understood,
however, that the wooden mUrti of UddhAraNa ThAkura was taken away by
zrI Madana-mohana Datta and is now being worshiped with a zAlagrAma-zilA
by zrInAtha Datta.
“UddhAraNa Datta ThAkura was the manager of the estate of a big zamindar
in NaihATI, about one and a half miles north of Katwa. The relics of this royal
family are still visible near the DAi~NhATa station. Since UddhAraNa Datta
ThAkura was the manager of the estate, it was also known as UddhAraNa-
pura. UddhAraNa Datta ThAkura installed NitAi-Gaura Deities that were later
brought to the house of the zamindar, which was known as VanaoyArIbAda.
zrIla UddhAraNa Datta ThAkura remained a householder throughout his life. His
father’s name was zrIkara Datta, his mother’s name was BhadrAvatI, and his
son’s name was zrInivAsa Datta.”
Adi 11.42
TEXT 42
AcArya vaiSNavAnanda bhakti-adhikArI
pUrve nAma chila yA~Nra ‘raghunAtha purI’

AcArya—teacher; vaiSNavAnanda—VaiSNavAnanda; bhakti—devotional
service; adhikArI—fit candidate; pUrve—previously; nAma—name; chila—
was; yA~Nra—whose; raghunAtha purI—RaghunAtha PurI.
TRANSLATION
The twenty-seventh prominent devotee of NityAnanda Prabhu was AcArya
VaiSNavAnanda, a great personality in devotional service. He was formerly
known as RaghunAtha PurI.
PURPORT
In the Gaura-gaNoddeza-dIpikA (97) it is said that RaghunAtha PurI was
previously very powerful in the eight mystic successes. He was an incarnation
of one of the successes.
Adi 11.43
TEXT 43
viSNudAsa, nandana, ga~NgAdAsa——tina bhAi
pUrve yA~Nra ghare chilA ThAkura nitAi

viSNudAsa—ViSNudAsa; nandana—Nandana; ga~NgAdAsa—Ga~NgAdAsa; tina
bhAi—three brothers; pUrve—previously; yA~Nra—whose; ghare—in the
house; chilA—stayed; ThAkura nitAi—NityAnanda Prabhu.
TRANSLATION
Another important devotee of Lord NityAnanda Prabhu was ViSNudAsa, who
had two brothers, Nandana and Ga~NgAdAsa. Lord NityAnanda Prabhu
sometimes stayed at their house.
PURPORT
The three brothers ViSNudAsa, Nandana and Ga~NgAdAsa were residents of
NavadvIpa and belonged to the BhaTTAcArya brAhmaNa family. Both ViSNudAsa
and Ga~NgAdAsa stayed for some time with zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu at
JagannAtha PurI, and the Caitanya-bhAgavata states that formerly NityAnanda
Prabhu stayed at their house.
Adi 11.44
TEXT 44
nityAnanda-bhRtya——paramAnanda upAdhyAya
zrI-jIva paNòita nityAnanda-guNa gAya

nityAnanda-bhRtya—servant of NityAnanda Prabhu; paramAnanda
upAdhyAya—ParamAnanda UpAdhyAya; zrI-jIva paNòita—zrI JIva PaNòita;
nityAnanda—Lord NityAnanda Prabhu; guNa—qualities; gAya—glorified.
TRANSLATION
ParamAnanda UpAdhyAya was NityAnanda Prabhu’s great servitor. zrI JIva
PaNòita glorified the qualities of zrI NityAnanda Prabhu.
PURPORT
zrI ParamAnanda UpAdhyAya was an advanced devotee. His name is
mentioned in the Caitanya-bhAgavata, where zrI JIva PaNòita is also
mentioned as the second son of Ratnagarbha AcArya and a childhood friend
of HAòAi OjhA, the father of NityAnanda Prabhu. In the Gaura-gaNoddeza-
dIpikA (169) it is said that zrI JIva PaNòita was formerly the gopI named IndirA.
Adi 11.45
TEXT 45
paramAnanda gupta——kRSNa-bhakta mahAmatI
pUrve yA~Nra ghare nityAnandera vasati

paramAnanda gupta—ParamAnanda Gupta; kRSNa-bhakta—a great devotee
of Lord KRSNa; mahA-mati—advanced in spiritual consciousness; pUrve—
formerly; yA~Nra—whose; ghare—in the house; nityAnandera—of Lord
NityAnanda Prabhu; vasati—residence.
TRANSLATION
The thirty-first devotee of Lord NityAnanda Prabhu was ParamAnanda Gupta,
who was greatly devoted to Lord KRSNa and highly advanced in spiritual
consciousness. Formerly NityAnanda Prabhu also resided at his house for some
time.
PURPORT
ParamAnanda Gupta composed a prayer to Lord KRSNa known as KRSNa-
stavAvalI. In the Gaura-gaNoddeza-dIpikA (194 and 199) it is stated that he was
formerly the gopI named Ma~njumedhA.
Adi 11.46
TEXT 46
nArAyaNa, kRSNadAsa Ara manohara
devAnanda——cAri bhAi nitAi-ki~Nkara

nArAyaNa—NArAyaNa; kRSNadAsa—KRSNadAsa; Ara—and; manohara—
Manohara; devAnanda—DevAnanda; cAri bhAi—four brothers; nitAi-ki~Nkara—
servants of Lord NityAnanda Prabhu.
TRANSLATION
The thirty-second, thirty-third, thirty-fourth and thirty-fifth prominent
devotees were NArAyaNa, KRSNadAsa, Manohara and DevAnanda, who always
engaged in the service of Lord NityAnanda.
Adi 11.47
TEXT 47
hoòa kRSNadAsa——nityAnanda-prabhu-prANa
nityAnanda-pada vinu nAhi jAne Ana

hoòa kRSNadAsa—Hoòa KRSNadAsa; nityAnanda-prabhu—of Lord NityAnanda;
prANa—life and soul; nityAnanda-pada—the lotus feet of Lord NityAnanda;
vinu—except; nAhi—does not; jAne—know; Ana—anything else.
TRANSLATION
The thirty-sixth devotee of Lord NityAnanda was Hoòa KRSNadAsa, whose life
and soul was NityAnanda Prabhu. He was always dedicated to the lotus feet
of NityAnanda, and he knew no one else but Him.
PURPORT
The residence of KRSNadAsa Hoòa was BaòagAchi, which is now in Bangladesh.
Adi 11.48
TEXT 48
nakaòi, mukunda, sUrya, mAdhava, zrIdhara
rAmAnanda vasu, jagannAtha, mahIdhara

nakaòi—Nakaòi; mukunda—Mukunda; sUrya—SUrya; mAdhava—MAdhava;
zrIdhara—zrIdhara; rAmAnanda vasu—RAmAnanda Vasu; jagannAtha—
JagannAtha; mahIdhara—MahIdhara.
TRANSLATION
Among Lord NityAnanda’s devotees, Nakaòi was the thirty-seventh, Mukunda
the thirty-eighth, SUrya the thirty-ninth, MAdhava the fortieth, zrIdhara the
forty-first, RAmAnanda the forty-second, JagannAtha the forty-third and
MahIdhara the forty-fourth.
PURPORT
zrIdhara was the twelfth gopAla.
Adi 11.49
TEXT 49
zrImanta, gokula-dAsa hariharAnanda
zivAi, nandAi, avadhUta paramAnanda

zrI-manta—zrImanta; gokula-dAsa—Gokula dAsa; hariharAnanda—
HariharAnanda; zivAi—zivAi; nandAi—NandAi; avadhUta paramAnanda—
AvadhUta ParamAnanda.
TRANSLATION
zrImanta was the forty-fifth, Gokula dAsa the forty-sixth, HariharAnanda the
forty-seventh, zivAi the forty-eighth, NandAi the forty-ninth and
ParamAnanda the fiftieth.
Adi 11.50
TEXT 50
vasanta, navanI hoòa, gopAla, sanAtana
viSNAi hAjarA, kRSNAnanda, sulocana

vasanta—Vasanta; navanI hoòa—NavanI Hoòa; gopAla—GopAla; sanAtana—
SanAtana; viSNAi hAjarA—ViSNAi HAjarA; kRSNAnanda—KRSNAnanda; sulocana—
Sulocana.
TRANSLATION
Vasanta was the fifty-first, NavanI Hoòa the fifty-second, GopAla the fifty-
third, SanAtana the fifty-fourth, ViSNAi the fifty-fifth, KRSNAnanda the fifty-
sixth and Sulocana the fifty-seventh.
PURPORT
zrIla BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI ThAkura writes in his AnubhASya, “NavanI
Hoòa appears to have been the same person as Hoòa KRSNadAsa, the son of
the King of BaòagAchi. His father’s name was Hari Hoòa. One can visit
BaòagAchi by taking the LAlagolA-ghATa railway line. Formerly the Ganges
flowed by BaòagAchi, but now it has become a canal known as the KAlzira
KhAla. Near the MuòAgAchA station is a village known as zAligrAma in which
King KRSNadAsa arranged for the marriage of zrI NityAnanda Prabhu, as
described in the Bhakti-ratnAkara (Twelfth Wave). It is sometimes said that
NavanI Hoòa was the son of RAja KRSNadAsa. His descendants still live in
RukuNapura, a village near BahiragAchi. They belong to the dakSiNa-rAòhIya-
kAyastha community, but, having been reformed as brAhmaNas, they still
initiate all classes of men.”
Adi 11.51
TEXT 51
kaàsAri sena, rAmasena, rAmacandra kavirAja
govinda, zrIra~Nga, mukunda, tina kavirAja

kaàsAri sena—KaàsAri Sena; rAmasena—RAmasena; rAmacandra kavirAja—
RAmacandra KavirAja; govinda—Govinda; zrIra~Nga—zrIra~Nga; mukunda—
Mukunda; tina kavirAja—all three are KavirAjas, or physicians.
TRANSLATION
The fifty-eighth great devotee of Lord NityAnanda Prabhu was KaàsAri Sena,
the fifty-ninth was RAmasena, the sixtieth was RAmacandra KavirAja, and the
sixty-first, sixty-second and sixty-third were Govinda, zrIra~Nga and Mukunda,
who were all physicians.
PURPORT
zrI RAmacandra KavirAja, the son of KhaNòavAsI Cira~njIva and Sunanda, was a
disciple of zrInivAsa AcArya and the most intimate friend of Narottama dAsa
ThAkura, who prayed several times for his association. His youngest brother
was Govinda KavirAja. zrIla JIva GosvAmI very much appreciated zrI
RAmacandra KavirAja’s great devotion to Lord KRSNa and therefore gave him
the title KavirAja. zrI RAmacandra KavirAja, who was perpetually disinterested
in family life, greatly assisted in the preaching work of zrInivAsa AcArya and
Narottama dAsa ThAkura. He resided at first in zrIkhaNòa but later in the
village of KumAra-nagara, on the bank of the Ganges.
Govinda KavirAja was the brother of RAmacandra KavirAja and youngest son
of Cira~njIva of zrIkhaNòa. Although at first a zAkta, or worshiper of goddess
DurgA, he was later initiated by zrInivAsa AcArya Prabhu. Govinda KavirAja
also resided first in zrIkhaNòa and then in KumAra-nagara, but later he moved
to the village known as TeliyA Budhari, on the southern bank of the river
PadmA. Since Govinda KavirAja, the author of two books, Sa~NgIta-mAdhava
and GItAmRta, was a great VaiSNava kavi, or poet, zrIla JIva GosvAmI gave him
the title KavirAja. He is described in the Bhakti-ratnAkara (Ninth Wave).
KaàsAri Sena was formerly RatnAvalI in Vraja, as described in the Gaura-
gaNoddeza-dIpikA (194 and 200).
Adi 11.52
TEXT 52
pItAmbara, mAdhavAcArya, dAsa dAmodara
za~Nkara, mukunda, j~nAna-dAsa, manohara

pItAmbara—PItAmbara; mAdhavAcArya—MAdhavAcArya; dAsa dAmodara—
DAmodara dAsa; za~Nkara—za~Nkara; mukunda—Mukunda; j~nAna-dAsa—J~nAna
dAsa; manohara—Manohara.
TRANSLATION
Among the devotees of Lord NityAnanda Prabhu, PItAmbara was the sixty-
fourth, MAdhavAcArya the sixty-fifth, DAmodara dAsa the sixty-sixth, za~Nkara
the sixty-seventh, Mukunda the sixty-eighth, J~nAna dAsa the sixty-ninth and
Manohara the seventieth.
Adi 11.53
TEXT 53
nartaka gopAla, rAmabhadra, gaurA~Nga-dAsa
nRsiàha-caitanya, mInaketana rAmadAsa

nartaka gopAla—the dancer GopAla; rAmabhadra—RAmabhadra; gaurA~Nga-
dAsa—GaurA~Nga dAsa; nRsiàha-caitanya—NRsiàha-caitanya; mInaketana
rAma-dAsa—MInaketana RAmadAsa.
TRANSLATION
The dancer GopAla was the seventy-first, RAmabhadra the seventy-second,
GaurA~Nga dAsa the seventy-third, NRsiàha-caitanya the seventy-fourth and
MInaketana RAmadAsa the seventy-fifth.
PURPORT
The Gaura-gaNoddeza-dIpikA (68) describes MInaketana RAmadAsa as an
incarnation of Sa~NkarSaNa.
Adi 11.54
TEXT 54
vRndAvana-dAsa——nArAyaNIra nandana
‘caitanya-ma~Ngala’ ye~Nho karila racana

vRndAvana-dAsa—zrIla VRndAvana dAsa ThAkura; nArAyaNIra nandana—son of
NArAyaNI; caitanya-ma~Ngala—the book of the name Caitanya-ma~Ngala;
ye~Nho—who; karila—did; racana—composition.
TRANSLATION
VRndAvana dAsa ThAkura, the son of zrImatI NArAyaNI, composed zrI Caitanya-
ma~Ngala [later known as zrI Caitanya-bhAgavata].
Adi 11.55
TEXT 55
bhAgavate kRSNa-lIlA varNilA vedavyAsa
caitanya-lIlAte vyAsa——vRndAvana dAsa

bhAgavate—in zrImad-BhAgavatam; kRSNa-lIlA—the pastimes of Lord KRSNa;
varNilA—described; veda-vyAsa—DvaipAyana VyAsadeva; caitanya-lIlAte—in
the pastimes of Lord Caitanya; vyAsa—VedavyAsa; vRndAvana dAsa—zrIla
VRndAvana dAsa ThAkura.
TRANSLATION
zrIla VyAsadeva described the pastimes of KRSNa in zrImad-BhAgavatam. The
VyAsa of the pastimes of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu was VRndAvana dAsa.
PURPORT
zrIla VRndAvana dAsa ThAkura was an incarnation of VedavyAsa and also a
friendly cowherd boy named KusumApIòa in kRSNa-lIlA. In other words, the
author of zrI Caitanya-bhAgavata, zrIla VRndAvana dAsa ThAkura, the son of
zrIvAsa ThAkura’s niece NArAyaNI, was a combined incarnation of VedavyAsa
and the cowherd boy KusumApIòa. There is a descriptive statement by zrIla
BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI ThAkura in his commentary on zrI Caitanya-
bhAgavata giving the biographical details of the life of VRndAvana dAsa
ThAkura.
Adi 11.56
TEXT 56
sarvazAkhA-zreSTha vIrabhadra gosA~ni
tA~Nra upazAkhA yata, tAra anta nAi

sarva-zAkhA-zreSTha—the best of all the branches; vIrabhadra gosA~ni—
VIrabhadra GosA~ni; tA~Nra upazAkhA—His subbranches; yata—all; tAra—of
them; anta—limit; nAi—there is not.
TRANSLATION
Among all the branches of zrI NityAnanda Prabhu, VIrabhadra GosA~ni was the
topmost. His subbranches were unlimited.
Adi 11.57
TEXT 57
ananta nityAnanda-gaNa——ke karu gaNana
Atma-pavitratA-hetu likhilA~N kata jana

ananta—unlimited; nityAnanda-gaNa—followers of zrI NityAnanda Prabhu; ke
karu—who can; gaNana—count; Atma-pavitratA—of self-purification; hetu—
for the reason; likhilA~N—I have written; kata jana—some of them.
TRANSLATION
No one can count the unlimited followers of NityAnanda Prabhu. I have
mentioned some of them just for my self-purification.
Adi 11.58
TEXT 58
ei sarva-zAkhA pUrNa——pakva prema-phale
yAre dekhe, tAre diyA bhAsAila sakale

ei—these; sarva-zAkhA—all branches; pUrNa—complete; pakva prema-
phale—with ripened fruits of love of Godhead; yAre dekhe—whomever they
see; tAre diyA—distributing to him; bhAsAila—overflooded; sakale—all of
them.
TRANSLATION
All these branches, the devotees of Lord NityAnanda Prabhu, being full of
ripened fruits of love of KRSNa, distributed these fruits to all they met, flooding
them with love of KRSNa.
Adi 11.59
TEXT 59
anargala prema sabAra, ceSTA anargala
prema dite, kRSNa dite dhare mahAbala

anargala—unchecked; prema—love of KRSNa; sabAra—of everyone of them;
ceSTA—activity; anargala—unchecked; prema dite—to give love of KRSNa;
kRSNa dite—to deliver KRSNa; dhare—they possess; mahAbala—great
strength.
TRANSLATION
All these devotees had unlimited strength to deliver unobstructed, unceasing
love of KRSNa. By their own strength they could offer anyone KRSNa and love
of KRSNa.
PURPORT
zrIla Bhaktivinoda ThAkura has sung, kRSNa se tomAra, kRSNa dite pAra, tomAra
zakati Ache. In this song, Bhaktivinoda ThAkura describes that a pure VaiSNava,
as the proprietor of KRSNa and love of KRSNa, can deliver both to anyone and
everyone he likes. Therefore to get KRSNa and love of KRSNa one must seek the
mercy of pure devotees. zrIla VizvanAtha CakravartI ThAkura also says, yasya
prasAdAd bhagavat-prasAdo yasyAprasAdAn na gatiH kuto ’pi: ** “By the
mercy of the spiritual master one is blessed by the mercy of KRSNa. Without
the grace of the spiritual master one cannot make any advancement.” By the
grace of a VaiSNava or bona fide spiritual master one can get both love of
Godhead, KRSNa, and KRSNa Himself.
Adi 11.60
TEXT 60
sa~NkSepe kahilA~N ei nityAnanda-gaNa
yA~NhAra avadhi nA pAya ‘sahasra-vadana’

sa~NkSepe—in brief; kahilA~N—described; ei—these; nityAnanda-gaNa—
devotees of Lord NityAnanda; yA~NhAra—of whom; avadhi—limitation; nA—
does not; pAya—get; sahasra-vadana—the thousand-mouthed zeSa NAga, on
whom Lord ViSNu lies.
TRANSLATION
I have briefly described only some of the followers and devotees of Lord
NityAnanda Prabhu. Even the thousand-mouthed zeSa NAga cannot describe
all of these unlimited devotees.
Adi 11.61
TEXT 61
zrI-rUpa-raghunAtha-pade yAra Aza
caitanya-caritAmRta kahe kRSNadAsa

advaita-a~Nghri—the lotus feet of Advaita AcArya; abja—lotus flower;
bhR~NgAn—bumblebees; tAn—all of them; sAra-asAra—real and not real;
bhRtaH—accepting; akhilAn—all of them; hitvA—giving up; asArAn—not real;
sAra-bhRtaH—those who are real; naumi—offer my obeisances; caitanya-
jIvanAn—whose life and soul was Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu.
TRANSLATION
The followers of zrI Advaita Prabhu were of two kinds. Some were real
followers, and the others were false. Rejecting the false followers, I offer my
respectful obeisances to zrI Advaita AcArya’s real followers, whose life and
soul was zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu.
Adi 12.2
TEXT 2
jaya jaya mahAprabhu zrI-kRSNa-caitanya
jaya jaya nityAnanda jayAdvaita dhanya

jaya jaya—all glories; mahAprabhu—MahAprabhu; zrI-kRSNa-caitanya—zrI
KRSNa Caitanya; jaya jaya—all glories; nityAnanda—to Lord NityAnanda
Prabhu; jaya advaita—all glories to Advaita Prabhu; dhanya—who are all
very glorious.
TRANSLATION
All glories to zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu! All glories to Lord NityAnanda! All
glories to zrI Advaita Prabhu! All of Them are glorious.
Adi 12.3
TEXT 3
zrI-caitanyAmara-taror
dvitIya-skandha-rUpiNaH
zrImad-advaita-candrasya
zAkhA-rUpAn gaNAn numaH

zrI-caitanya—Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu; amara—eternal; taroH—of the
tree; dvitIya—second; skandha—big branch; rUpiNaH—in the form of;
zrImat—the all-glorious; advaita-candrasya—of Lord Advaitacandra; zAkhA-
rUpAn—in the form of branches; gaNAn—to all the followers; numaH—I offer
my respectful obeisances.
TRANSLATION
I offer my respectful obeisances to the all-glorious Advaita Prabhu, who forms
the second branch of the eternal Caitanya tree, and to His followers, who
form His subbranches.
Adi 12.4
TEXT 4
vRkSera dvitIya skandha——AcArya-gosA~ni
tA~Nra yata zAkhA ha-ila, tAra lekhA nA~ni

vRkSera—of the tree; dvitIya skandha—the second big branch; AcArya-
gosA~ni—zrI Advaita AcArya GosvAmI; tA~Nra—His; yata—all; zAkhA—
branches; ha-ila—became; tAra—of that; lekhA—description; nA~ni—there is
not.
TRANSLATION
zrI Advaita Prabhu was the second big branch of the tree. There are many
subbranches, but it is impossible to mention them all.
Adi 12.5
TEXT 5
caitanya-mAlIra kRpA-jalera secane
sei jale puSTa skandha bAòe dine dine

caitanya-mAlIra—of the gardener named Caitanya; kRpA-jalera—of the water
of His mercy; secane—by sprinkling; sei jale—by that water; puSTa—
nourished; skandha—branches; bAòe—increased; dine dine—day after day.
TRANSLATION
zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu was also the gardener, and as He poured the water
of His mercy on the tree, all the branches and subbranches grew, day after
day.
Adi 12.6
TEXT 6
sei skandhe yata prema-phala upajila
sei kRSNa-prema-phale jagat bharila

sei skandhe—on that branch; yata—all; prema-phala—fruits of love of
Godhead; upajila—grew; sei—those; kRSNa-prema-phale—fruits of love of
KRSNa; jagat—the whole world; bharila—spread over.
TRANSLATION
The fruits of love of Godhead that grew on those branches of the Caitanya
tree were so large that they flooded the entire world with love of KRSNa.
Adi 12.7
TEXT 7
sei jala skandhe kare zAkhAte sa~ncAra
phale-phule bAòe,——zAkhA ha-ila vistAra
SYNONYMS
sei jala—that water; skandhe—on the branches; kare—does; zAkhAte—on
the subbranches; sa~ncAra—growing; phale-phule—in fruits and flowers;
bAòe—increases; zAkhA—the branches; ha-ila—became; vistAra—
widespread.
TRANSLATION
As the trunk and branches were watered, the branches and subbranches
spread lavishly, and the tree grew full with fruits and flowers.
Adi 12.8
TEXT 8
prathame ta’ eka-mata AcAryera gaNa
pAche dui-mata haila daivera kAraNa

prathame—in the beginning; ta’—however; eka-mata—one opinion;
AcAryera—of Advaita AcArya; gaNa—followers; pAche—later; dui-mata—
two opinions; haila—became; daivera—of providence; kAraNa—the cause.
TRANSLATION
At first all the followers of Advaita AcArya shared a single opinion. But later
they followed two different opinions, as ordained by providence.
PURPORT
The words daivera kAraNa indicate that by dint of providence, or by God’s
will, the followers of Advaita AcArya divided into two parties. Such
disagreement among the disciples of one AcArya is also found among the
members of the GauòIya MaTha. In the beginning, during the presence of Oà
ViSNupAda Paramahaàsa ParivrAjakAcArya ASTottara-zata zrI zrImad
BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI ThAkura PrabhupAda, all the disciples worked in
agreement; but just after his disappearance, they disagreed. One party strictly
followed the instructions of BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI ThAkura, but another
group created their own concoction about executing his desires.
BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI ThAkura, at the time of his departure, requested all
his disciples to form a governing body and conduct missionary activities
cooperatively. He did not instruct a particular man to become the next
AcArya. But just after his passing away, his leading secretaries made plans,
without authority, to occupy the post of AcArya, and they split into two
factions over who the next AcArya would be. Consequently, both factions
were asAra, or useless, because they had no authority, having disobeyed the
order of the spiritual master. Despite the spiritual master’s order to form a
governing body and execute the missionary activities of the GauòIya MaTha,
the two unauthorized factions began litigation that is still going on after forty
years with no decision.
Therefore, we do not belong to any faction. But because the two parties, busy
dividing the material assets of the GauòIya MaTha institution, stopped the
preaching work, we took up the mission of BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI ThAkura
and Bhaktivinoda ThAkura to preach the cult of Caitanya MahAprabhu all over
the world, under the protection of all the predecessor AcAryas, and we find
that our humble attempt has been successful. We followed the principles
especially explained by zrIla VizvanAtha CakravartI ThAkura in his commentary
on the Bhagavad-gItA verse beginning vyavasAyAtmikA buddhir ekeha kuru-
nandana. According to this instruction of VizvanAtha CakravartI ThAkura, it is
the duty of a disciple to follow strictly the orders of his spiritual master. The
secret of success in advancement in spiritual life is the firm faith of the
disciple in the orders of his spiritual master. The Vedas confirm this:
yasya deve parA bhaktir yathA deve tathA gurau
tasyaite kathitA hy arthAH prakAzante mahAtmanaH
[zU yasya deve parA bhaktir
yathA deve tathA gurau
tasyaite kathitA hy arthAH
prakAzante mahAtmanaH
“Unto those great souls who have implicit faith in both the Lord and the
spiritual master, all the imports of Vedic knowledge are automatically
revealed.” (zvetAzvatara UpaniSad 6.23)
ataH zrI-kRSNa-nAmAdi
na bhaved grAhyam indriyaiH
sevonmukhe hi jihvAdau
svayam eva sphuraty adaH
“No one can understand KRSNa as He is by the blunt material senses. But He
reveals Himself to the devotees, being pleased with them for their
transcendental loving service unto Him.” (Bhakti-rasAmRta-sindhu 1.2.234)
bhaktyA mAm abhijAnAti
yAvAn yaz cAsmi tattvataH
tato mAà tattvato j~nAtvA
vizate tad-anantaram
“One can understand the Supreme Personality as He is only by devotional
service. And when one is in full consciousness of the Supreme Lord by such
devotion, he can enter into the kingdom of God.” (Bg. 18.55)
These are Vedic instructions. One must have full faith in the words of the
spiritual master and similar faith in the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Then
the real knowledge of AtmA and ParamAtmA and the distinction between
matter and spirit will be automatically revealed. This Atma-tattva, or spiritual
knowledge, will be revealed within the core of a devotee’s heart because of
his having taken shelter of the lotus feet of a mahAjana such as PrahlAda
MahArAja.6.23]
“To one who has staunch faith in the words of the spiritual master and the
words of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the secret of success in Vedic
knowledge is revealed.” The KRSNa consciousness movement is being
propagated according to this principle, and therefore our preaching work is
going on successfully, in spite of the many impediments offered by
antagonistic demons, because we are getting positive help from our previous
AcAryas. One must judge every action by its result. The members of the self-
appointed AcArya’s party who occupied the property of the GauòIya MaTha
are satisfied, but they could make no progress in preaching. Therefore by the
result of their actions one should know that they are asAra, or useless,
whereas the success of the ISKCON party, the International Society for
Krishna Consciousness, which strictly follows guru and GaurA~Nga, is increasing
daily all over the world. zrIla BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI ThAkura wanted to
print as many books as possible and distribute them all over the world. We
have tried our best in this connection, and we are getting results beyond our
expectations.
Adi 12.9
TEXT 9
keha ta’ AcArya Aj~nAya, keha ta’ svatantra
sva-mata kalpanA kare daiva-paratantra

keha ta’—some; AcArya—the spiritual master; Aj~nAya—upon His order; keha
ta’—some; sva-tantra—independently; sva-mata—their own opinions;
kalpanA kare—they concoct; daiva-paratantra—under the spell of mAyA.
TRANSLATION
Some of the disciples strictly accepted the orders of the AcArya, and others
deviated, independently concocting their own opinions under the spell of
daivI-mAyA.
PURPORT
This verse describes the beginning of a schism. When disciples do not stick to
the principle of accepting the order of their spiritual master, immediately
there are two opinions. Any opinion different from the opinion of the spiritual
master is useless. One cannot infiltrate materially concocted ideas into
spiritual advancement. That is deviation. There is no scope for adjusting
spiritual advancement to material ideas.
Adi 12.10
TEXT 10
AcAryera mata yei, sei mata sAra
tA~Nra Aj~nA la~Nghi’ cale, sei ta’ asAra

AcAryera—of the spiritual master (Advaita Prabhu); mata—opinion; yei—
what is; sei—that; mata—opinion; sAra—active principle; tA~Nra—his; Aj~nA—
order; la~Nghi’—transgressing; cale—becomes; sei—that; ta’—however;
asAra—useless.
TRANSLATION
The order of the spiritual master is the active principle in spiritual life. Anyone
who disobeys the order of the spiritual master immediately becomes useless.
PURPORT
Here is the opinion of zrIla KRSNadAsa KavirAja GosvAmI. Persons who strictly
follow the orders of the spiritual master are useful in executing the will of the
Supreme, whereas persons who deviate from the strict order of the spiritual
master are useless.
Adi 12.11
TEXT 11
asArera nAme ihA~N nAhi prayojana
bheda jAnibAre kari ekatra gaNana

asArera—of the useless persons; nAme—in their name; ihA~N—in this
connection; nAhi—there is no; prayojana—use; bheda—differences;
jAnibAre—to know; kari—I do; ekatra—in one list; gaNana—counting.
TRANSLATION
There is no need to name those who are useless. I have mentioned them only
to distinguish them from the useful devotees.
Adi 12.12
TEXT 12
dhAnya-rAzi mApe yaiche pAtnA sahite
pazcAte pAtnA uòA~nA saàskAra karite

dhAnya-rAzi—heaps of paddy; mApe—measures; yaiche—as it is; pAtnA—
useless straw; sahite—with; pazcAte—later; pAtnA—useless straw; uòA~nA—
fanning; saàskAra—purification; karite—to do.
TRANSLATION
Paddy is mixed with straw at first, and one must fan it to separate the paddy
from the straw.
PURPORT
This analogy given by KRSNadAsa KavirAja GosvAmI is very appropriate. In the
case of the GauòIya MaTha members, one can apply a similar process. There
are many disciples of BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI ThAkura, but to judge who is
actually his disciple, to divide the useful from the useless, one must measure
the activities of such disciples in executing the will of the spiritual master.
BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI ThAkura tried his best to spread the cult of zrI
Caitanya MahAprabhu to countries outside India. When he was present he
patronized the disciples to go outside India to preach the cult of zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu, but they were unsuccessful because within their minds they
were not actually serious about preaching His cult in foreign countries; they
simply wanted to take credit for having gone to foreign lands and utilize this
recognition in India by advertising themselves as repatriated preachers. Many
svAmIs have adopted this hypocritical means of preaching for the last eighty
years or more, but no one could preach the real cult of KRSNa consciousness all
over the world. They merely came back to India falsely advertising that they
had converted all the foreigners to the ideas of VedAnta or KRSNa
consciousness, and then they collected funds in India and lived satisfied lives
of material comfort. As one fans paddy to separate the real paddy from
useless straw, by accepting the criterion recommended by KRSNadAsa KavirAja
GosvAmI one can very easily understand who is a genuine world-preacher and
who is useless.
Adi 12.13
TEXT 13
acyutAnanda——baòa zAkhA, AcArya-nandana
Ajanma sevilA te~Nho caitanya-caraNa

acyutAnanda—AcyutAnanda; baòa zAkhA—a big branch; AcArya-nandana—
the son of Advaita AcArya; Ajanma—from the very beginning of life; sevilA—
served; te~Nho—he; caitanya-caraNa—the lotus feet of Lord Caitanya.
TRANSLATION
A big branch of Advaita AcArya was His son AcyutAnanda. From the
beginning of his life he engaged in the service of the lotus feet of Lord
Caitanya.
Adi 12.14
TEXT 14
caitanya-gosA~nira guru——kezava bhAratI
ei pitAra vAkya zuni’ duHkha pAila ati

caitanya—Lord Caitanya; gosA~nira—the spiritual master; guru—His spiritual
master; kezava bhAratI—Kezava BhAratI; ei—these; pitAra—his father’s;
vAkya—words; zuni’—hearing; duHkha—unhappiness; pAila—got; ati—very
much.
TRANSLATION
When AcyutAnanda heard from his father that Kezava BhAratI was the
spiritual master of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu, he was very unhappy.
Adi 12.15
TEXT 15
jagad-gurute tumi kara aiche upadeza
tomAra ei upadeze naSTa ha-ila deza

jagat-gurute—on the spiritual master of the universe; tumi—You; kara—do;
aiche—such; upadeza—instruction; tomAra—Your; ei upadeze—by this
instruction; naSTa—spoiled; ha-ila—will become; deza—the country.
TRANSLATION
He told his father, “Your instruction that Kezava BhAratI is the spiritual master
of Caitanya MahAprabhu will spoil the entire country.
Adi 12.16
TEXT 16
caudda bhuvanera guru——caitanya-gosA~ni
tA~Nra guru——anya, ei kona zAstre nAi

caudda—fourteen; bhuvanera—planetary systems; guru—master; caitanya-
gosA~ni—Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu; tA~Nra guru—His spiritual master;
anya—someone else; ei—this; kona—any; zAstre—in scripture; nAi—there is
no mention.
TRANSLATION
“Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu is the spiritual master of the fourteen worlds, but
You say that someone else is His spiritual master. This is not supported by any
revealed scripture.”
Adi 12.17
TEXT 17
pa~ncama varSera bAlaka kahe siddhAntera sAra
zuniyA pAilA AcArya santoSa apAra

pa~ncama—five; varSera—years; bAlaka—small boy; kahe—says;
siddhAntera—conclusive; sAra—essence; zuniyA—hearing; pAilA—got;
AcArya—Advaita AcArya; santoSa—satisfaction; apAra—very much.
TRANSLATION
When Advaita AcArya heard this statement from His five-year-old son
AcyutAnanda, He felt great satisfaction because of his conclusive judgment.
PURPORT
Commenting on verses 13 through 17, BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI ThAkura gives
an extensive description of the descendants of Advaita AcArya. The Caitanya-
bhAgavata, Antya-khaNòa, Chapter One, states that AcyutAnanda was the
eldest son of Advaita AcArya. The Sanskrit book Advaita-carita states,
“Advaita AcArya Prabhu had three sons who were devotees of Lord Caitanya.
Their names were Acyuta, KRSNa Mizra and GopAla dAsa, and they were all
born of the womb of His wife, SItAdevI. Advaita AcArya also had three more
sons, whose names were BalarAma, SvarUpa and JagadIza. Thus there were six
sons of Advaita AcArya.” Among the six sons, three were strict followers of
Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu, and of these three, AcyutAnanda was the eldest.
Advaita Prabhu married in the beginning of the fifteenth century zakAbda
(late fifteenth century A.D.). When Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu wanted to visit
the village of RAmakeli while going from JagannAtha PurI to VRndAvana during
the zakAbda years 1433 and 1434 (A.D. 1511 and 1512), AcyutAnanda was only
five years old. The Caitanya-bhAgavata, Antya-khaNòa, Fourth Chapter,
describes AcyutAnanda at that time as pa~nca-varSa vayasa madhura
digambara, “only five years old and standing naked.” Therefore it is to be
concluded that AcyutAnanda was born sometime in the year 1428 (A.D. 1506).
Before the birth of AcyutAnanda, Advaita Prabhu’s wife, SItAdevI, came to see
Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu at His birth. Thus it is not impossible that she had
the other three sons by Advaita within the twenty-one years between 1407
and 1428 zakAbda (A.D. 1486 and 1507). In an unauthorized book of the name
SItAdvaita-carita, published in Bengali in the unauthorized newspaper
NityAnanda-dAyinI in 1792 zakAbda (A.D. 1870), it is mentioned that
AcyutAnanda was a class friend of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu. According to
Caitanya-bhAgavata, this statement is not at all valid. When Caitanya
MahAprabhu accepted the renounced order of sannyAsa in the year 1431
zakAbda (A.D. 1509), He came to the house of Advaita Prabhu at zAntipura. At
that time, as stated in the Caitanya-bhAgavata, Antya-khaNòa, Chapter One,
AcyutAnanda was only three years old. The Caitanya-bhAgavata further states
that the naked child, the son of Advaita Prabhu, immediately came and fell
down at the lotus feet of Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu. The Lord
immediately took him on His lap, although he was not very clean, having dust
all over his body. Lord Caitanya said, “My dear Acyuta, Advaita AcArya is My
father, and thus we are brothers.”
Before zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu exhibited His spiritual forms during His
residence at NavadvIpa, He asked zrI RAma PaNòita, zrIvAsa ThAkura’s
brother, to go to zAntipura and bring back Advaita AcArya. AcyutAnanda
joined his father at that time. It is said, advaitera tanaya ‘acyutAnanda’ nAma/
parama-bAlaka, seho kAnde avirAma. AcyutAnanda also joined in crying in
transcendental bliss. Again, when Lord Caitanya beat Advaita AcArya for
explaining zrImad-BhAgavatam from an impersonalist viewpoint opposed to
the principles of bhakti-yoga, AcyutAnanda was also present. Therefore all
these incidents must have occurred only two or three years before Lord
Caitanya accepted the sannyAsa order. As mentioned above, in the Caitanya-
bhAgavata, Antya-khaNòa, Chapter One, it is stated that AcyutAnanda, the
son of Advaita AcArya, offered his obeisances to the Lord. Therefore it should
be concluded that from the very beginning of his life AcyutAnanda was a
great devotee of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu.
There is no information that AcyutAnanda ever married, but he is described as
the biggest branch of the Advaita AcArya family. From a book named zAkhA-
nirNayAmRta it is understood that AcyutAnanda was a disciple of GadAdhara
PaNòita and that he took shelter of Lord Caitanya in JagannAtha PurI and
engaged in devotional service. The Caitanya-caritAmRta, Adi-lIlA, Chapter Ten,
states that AcyutAnanda, the son of Advaita AcArya, lived in JagannAtha PurI,
taking shelter of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu. GadAdhara PaNòita, in the last
years of his life, also lived with Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu at JagannAtha PurI.
There is no doubt, therefore, that AcyutAnanda was a disciple of PaNòita
GadAdhara. In the accounts of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu’s dancing in front
of the car during the Ratha-yAtrA festival, AcyutAnanda’s name is to be found
many times. It is stated that in the party of Advaita AcArya from zAntipura,
AcyutAnanda was dancing and others were singing. At that time the boy was
only six years old. Text 87 of the Gaura-gaNoddeza-dIpikA, compiled by zrI
Kavi-karNapUra, describes AcyutAnanda as a disciple of GadAdhara PaNòita
and a great and dear devotee of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu. According to
the opinion of some, he was an incarnation of KArttikeya, the son of Lord ziva,
and according to others he was formerly the gopI named AcyutA. The Gaura-
gaNoddeza-dIpikA (88) supports both these opinions. Another book,
Narottama-vilAsa, compiled by zrI Narahari dAsa, mentions AcyutAnanda’s
presence during the festival at Khetari. According to zrI Narahari dAsa, during
the last days of his life AcyutAnanda stayed in his house at zAntipura, but
during the presence of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu he lived at JagannAtha PurI
with GadAdhara PaNòita.
Of the six sons of Advaita AcArya, three, AcyutAnanda, KRSNa Mizra and
GopAla dAsa, lived faithfully in the service of Caitanya MahAprabhu. Since
AcyutAnanda did not accept a wife, he had no issue. The second son of
Advaita AcArya, KRSNa Mizra, had two sons, RaghunAtha CakravartI and Dola-
govinda. The descendants of RaghunAtha still live in zAntipura, in the
neighborhoods of Madana-gopAla-pAda, GaNakara, MRjApura and
KumArakhAli. Dola-govinda had three sons, namely CA~Nda, Kandarpa and
GopInAtha. The descendants of Kandarpa live in Maldah, in the village
JikAbAòI. GopInAtha had three sons, zrIvallabha, PrANavallabha and Kezava.
The descendants of zrIvallabha live in the villages known as MaziyAòArA
(MahiSaòerA), DAmukadiyA and CaNòIpura. There is a genealogical table for
the family of zrI Vallabha beginning from his eldest son, Ga~NgA-nArAyaNa. The
descendants of zrI Vallabha’s youngest son, RAmagopAla, still live in
DAmukadiyA, CaNòIpura, zolamAri, and so on. The descendants of
PrANavallabha and Kezava live in UthalI. The son of PrANavallabha was
Ratnezvara, and his son was KRSNarAma, whose youngest son was LakSmI-
nArAyaNa. His son was Navakizora, and Navakizora’s second son was
RAmamohana, whose eldest son was Jagabandhu and whose third son,
VIracandra, accepted the sannyAsa order and established a Deity of Lord
Caitanya MahAprabhu in Katwa. These two sons of RAmamohana were known
as Baòa Prabhu and ChoTa Prabhu, and they inaugurated the
circumambulation of NavadvIpa-dhAma. One may refer to the VaiSNava-
ma~njuSA for the complete genealogical table of Advaita Prabhu in the line of
KRSNa Mizra.
Adi 12.18
TEXT 18
kRSNa-mizra-nAma Ara AcArya-tanaya
caitanya-gosA~ni baise yA~NhAra hRdaya

kRSNa-mizra—KRSNa Mizra; nAma—of the name; Ara—and; AcArya-tanaya—
the son of Advaita AcArya; caitanya-gosA~ni—Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu;
baise—sits; yA~NhAra—in whose; hRdaya—heart.
TRANSLATION
KRSNa Mizra was a son of Advaita AcArya. Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu always
sat in his heart.
Adi 12.19
TEXT 19
zrI-gopAla-nAme Ara AcAryera suta
tA~NhAra caritra, zuna, atyanta adbhuta

zrI-gopAla—zrI GopAla; nAme—by the name; Ara—another; AcAryera—of
Advaita AcArya; suta—son; tA~NhAra—his; caritra—character; zuna—hear;
atyanta—very; adbhuta—wonderful.
TRANSLATION
zrI GopAla was another son of zrI Advaita AcArya Prabhu. Now just hear
about his characteristics, for they are all very wonderful.
PURPORT
As mentioned above, zrI GopAla was one of the three devoted sons of
Advaita AcArya. He is further described in the Madhya-lIlA of Caitanya-
caritAmRta, Chapter Twelve, texts 143 through 149.
Adi 12.20
TEXT 20
guNòicA-mandire mahAprabhura sammukhe
kIrtane nartana kare baòa prema-sukhe

guNòicA-mandire—in the GuNòicA-mandira in JagannAtha PurI;
mahAprabhura—of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu; sammukhe—in front;
kIrtane—in sa~NkIrtana; nartana—dancing; kare—does; baòa—very much;
prema-sukhe—in transcendental bliss.
TRANSLATION
When Lord Caitanya personally cleansed the GuNòicA-mandira in JagannAtha
PurI, GopAla danced in front of the Lord with great love and happiness.
PURPORT
The GuNòicA-mandira is situated in JagannAtha PurI, and every year
JagannAtha, Balabhadra and SubhadrA come there from the JagannAtha temple
to stay for eight days. When Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu lived at JagannAtha
PurI, every year He personally cleansed this temple with His principal
devotees. The GuNòicA-mArjana chapter of Caitanya-caritAmRta (Madhya 12)
describes this vividly.
Adi 12.21
TEXT 21
nAnA-bhAvodgama dehe adbhuta nartana
dui gosA~ni ‘hari’ bale, Anandita mana

nAnA—various; bhAva-udgama—ecstatic symptoms; dehe—in the body;
adbhuta—wonderful; nartana—dancing; dui gosA~ni—the two gosA~nis
(Caitanya MahAprabhu and Advaita Prabhu); hari bale—chanted Hare KRSNa;
Anandita—pleased; mana—mind.
TRANSLATION
While Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu and Advaita Prabhu chanted the Hare KRSNa
mantra and danced, there were various ecstatic symptoms in Their bodies,
and Their minds were very pleased.
Adi 12.22
TEXT 22
nAcite nAcite gopAla ha-ila mUrcchita
bhUmete paòila, dehe nAhika saàvita

nAcite—while dancing; nAcite—while dancing; gopAla—the son of Advaita
Prabhu; ha-ila—became; mUrcchita—unconscious; bhUmete—on the ground;
paòila—fell down; dehe—in the body; nAhika—there was no; saàvita—
knowledge (consciousness).
TRANSLATION
While all of them danced, GopAla, dancing and dancing, fainted and fell to the
ground unconscious.
Adi 12.23
TEXT 23
duHkhita ha-ilA AcArya putra kole la~nA
rakSA kare nRsiàhera mantra paòiyA

duHkhita—unhappy; ha-ilA—became; AcArya—Advaita Prabhu; putra—His
son; kole—on the lap; la~nA—taking; rakSA—protection; kare—does;
nRsiàhera—of Lord NRsiàha; mantra—the hymn; paòiyA—by chanting.
TRANSLATION
Advaita AcArya Prabhu became very unhappy. Taking His son on His lap, He
began to chant the NRsiàha mantra for his protection.
Adi 12.24
TEXT 24
nAnA mantra paòena AcArya, nA haya cetana
AcAryera duHkhe vaiSNava karena krandana

nAnA—various; mantra—hymns; paòena—chants; AcArya—Advaita AcArya;
nA—not; haya—became; cetana—conscious; AcAryera—of Advaita AcArya;
duHkhe—in unhappiness; vaiSNava—all the VaiSNavas; karena—do;
krandana—cry.
TRANSLATION
Advaita AcArya chanted various mantras, but GopAla did not come to
consciousness. Thus all the VaiSNavas present cried in sorrow at His plight.
Adi 12.25
TEXT 25
tabe mahAprabhu, tA~Nra hRde hasta dhari’
‘uThaha, gopAla,’ kaila bala ‘hari’ ‘hari’

tabe—at that time; mahAprabhu—Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu; tA~Nra—His;
hRde—on the heart; hasta—hand; dhari’—keeping; uThaha—get up;
gopAla—My dear GopAla; kaila—did say; bala—chant; hari hari—the holy
name of the Lord.
TRANSLATION
Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu then put His hand on the chest of GopAla and told
him, “My dear GopAla, get up and chant the holy name of the Lord!”
Adi 12.26
TEXT 26
uThila gopAla prabhura sparza-dhvani zuni’
Anandita ha~nA sabe kare hari-dhvani

uThila—got up; gopAla—GopAla; prabhura—of the Lord; sparza—touch;
dhvani—sound; zuni’—hearing; Anandita—jubilant; ha~nA—becoming; sabe—
all; kare—did; hari-dhvani—chanting of the Hare KRSNa mahA-mantra.
TRANSLATION
When he heard this sound and felt the touch of the Lord, GopAla immediately
got up, and all the VaiSNavas chanted the Hare KRSNa mahA-mantra in
jubilation.
Adi 12.27
TEXT 27
AcAryera Ara putra——zrI-balarAma
Ara putra——‘svarUpa’-zAkhA, ‘jagadIza’ nAma

AcAryera—of zrIla Advaita AcArya; Ara—another; putra—son; zrI-balarAma—
zrI BalarAma; Ara putra—another son; svarUpa—SvarUpa; zAkhA—branch;
jagadIza nAma—of the name JagadIza.
TRANSLATION
The other sons of Advaita AcArya were zrI BalarAma, SvarUpa and JagadIza.
PURPORT
The Sanskrit book Advaita-carita states that BalarAma, SvarUpa and JagadIza
were the fourth, fifth and sixth sons of Advaita AcArya. Therefore zrI Advaita
AcArya had six sons. BalarAma, SvarUpa and JagadIza, being smArtas, or
MAyAvAdIs, were rejected by VaiSNava society. Sometimes MAyAvAdIs pose
themselves as VaiSNavas, or worshipers of Lord ViSNu, but actually they do not
believe in Lord ViSNu as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, for they
consider demigods like Lord ziva, DurgA, the sun-god and GaNeza equal to
Him. They are generally known as pa~ncopAsaka-smArtas, and one should not
count them among the VaiSNavas.
BalarAma had three wives and nine sons. The youngest son of his first wife
was known as MadhusUdana GosvAmI. He took the title BhaTTAcArya and
accepted the path of the smArta or MAyAvAda philosophy. zrIla
BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI ThAkura notes that the son of GosvAmI BhaTTAcArya,
zrI RAdhAramaNa GosvAmI BhaTTAcArya, refused the title gosvAmI because it is
generally meant for sannyAsIs, those who have taken the renounced order of
life. One who is still in family life should not misuse the title gosvAmI. zrIla
BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI ThAkura did not recognize the caste gosvAmIs
because they were not in the line of the six gosvAmIs in the renounced order
who were direct disciples of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu—namely zrIla RUpa
GosvAmI, zrIla SanAtana GosvAmI, zrIla BhaTTa RaghunAtha GosvAmI, zrI
GopAla BhaTTa GosvAmI, zrI JIva GosvAmI and zrIla RaghunAtha dAsa GosvAmI.
zrIla BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI ThAkura said that the gRhastha Azrama, or the
status of family life, is a sort of concession for sense gratification. Therefore a
gRhastha should not falsely adopt the title gosvAmI. The ISKCON movement
has never conferred the title gosvAmI upon a householder. Although all the
sannyAsIs we have initiated in ISKCON are young, we have awarded them the
titles of the renounced order of life, svAmI and gosvAmI, because they have
completely dedicated their lives to preach the cult of zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu. zrIla BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI ThAkura mentions that not only
do the householder caste gosvAmIs disrespect the title gosvAmI, but also,
following the principles of the smArta Raghunandana, they exhibit great
foolishness by burning a straw image of Advaita AcArya in a zrAddha
ceremony, thus acting like RAkSasas and disrespecting the Hari-bhakti-vilAsa,
which is the guide for VaiSNavas. zrIla BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI ThAkura says
that sometimes these smArta caste gosvAmIs write books on VaiSNava
philosophy or commentaries on the original scriptures, but a pure devotee
should cautiously avoid reading them.
Adi 12.28
TEXT 28
‘kamalAkAnta vizvAsa’-nAma AcArya-ki~Nkara
AcArya-vyavahAra saba——tA~NhAra gocara

kamalAkAnta vizvAsa—KamalAkAnta VizvAsa; nAma—of the name; AcArya-
ki~Nkara—servant of Advaita AcArya; AcArya-vyavahAra—the dealings of
Advaita AcArya; saba—all; tA~NhAra—his; gocara—with in the knowledge.
TRANSLATION
Advaita AcArya’s very confidential servant named KamalAkAnta VizvAsa knew
all the dealings of Advaita AcArya.
PURPORT
The name KamalAnanda mentioned in the Adi-lIlA (10.149) and the name
KamalAkAnta mentioned in the Madhya-lIlA (10.94) both refer to the same
man. KamalAkAnta, a very confidential servant of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu
born in a brAhmaNa family, engaged in the service of zrI Advaita AcArya as
His secretary. When ParamAnanda PurI went from NavadvIpa to JagannAtha
PurI, he took KamalAkAnta VizvAsa with him, and they both went to see Lord
Caitanya at JagannAtha PurI. It is mentioned in the Madhya-lIlA (10.94) that
one of the devotees of Lord Caitanya, the brAhmaNa KamalAkAnta, went with
ParamAnanda PurI to JagannAtha PurI.
Adi 12.29
TEXT 29
nIlAcale te~Nho eka patrikA likhiyA
pratAparudrera pAza dila pAThAiyA

nIlAcale—at JagannAtha PurI; te~Nho—KamalAkAnta; eka—one; patrikA—note;
likhiyA—writing; pratAparudrera—PratAparudra MahArAja; pAza—addressed
to him; dila pAThAiyA—sent.
TRANSLATION
When KamalAkAnta VizvAsa was in JagannAtha PurI, he sent a note through
someone to MahArAja PratAparudra.
Adi 12.30
TEXT 30
sei patrIra kathA AcArya nAhi jAne
kona pAke sei patrI Aila prabhu-sthAne

sei patrIra—of that note; kathA—information; AcArya—zrI Advaita AcArya;
nAhi—does not; jAne—know; kona—somehow or other; pAke—by means;
sei—that; patrI—note; Aila—came; prabhu-sthAne—in the hand of Lord
Caitanya MahAprabhu.
TRANSLATION
No one knew of that note, but somehow or other it reached the hands of zrI
Caitanya MahAprabhu.
Adi 12.31
TEXT 31
se patrIte lekhA Ache——ei ta’ likhana
Izvaratve AcAryere kariyAche sthApana

se—that; patrIte—in the note; lekhA Ache—it is written; ei ta’—this;
likhana—writing; Izvaratve—in the place of the Supreme Lord; AcAryere—
unto Advaita AcArya; kariyAche—established; sthApana—situation.
TRANSLATION
That note established Advaita AcArya as an incarnation of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead.
Adi 12.32
TEXT 32
kintu tA~Nra daive kichu ha-iyAche RNa
RNa zodhibAre cAhi ta~NkA zata-tina

kintu—but; tA~Nra—His; daive—in due course of time; kichu—some; ha-
iyAche—there was; RNa—debt; RNa—debt; zodhibAre—to liquidate; cAhi—I
want; ta~NkA—rupees; zata-tina—about three hundred.
TRANSLATION
But it also mentioned that Advaita AcArya had recently incurred a debt of
about three hundred rupees that KamalAkAnta VizvAsa wanted to liquidate.
Adi 12.33
TEXT 33
patra paòiyA prabhura mane haila duHkha
bAhire hAsiyA kichu bale candra-mukha

patra—note; paòiyA—reading; prabhura—of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu;
mane—in the mind; haila—became; duHkha—unhappiness; bAhire—
externally; hAsiyA—smiling; kichu—something; bale—says; candra-mukha—
the moon-faced.
TRANSLATION
Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu became unhappy upon reading the note, although
His face still shone as brightly as the moon. Thus, smiling, He spoke as follows.
Adi 12.34
TEXT 34
AcAryere sthApiyAche kariyA Izvara
ithe doSa nAhi, AcArya——daivata Izvara

AcAryere—unto zrI Advaita AcArya; sthApiyAche—he established; kariyA—
mentioning; Izvara—as the Supreme Personality of Godhead; ithe—in this;
doSa—fault; nAhi—there is not; AcArya—Advaita AcArya; daivata Izvara—
He is actually the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
TRANSLATION
“He has established Advaita AcArya as an incarnation of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead. There is nothing wrong in this, for He is indeed the
Lord Himself.
Adi 12.35
TEXT 35
Izvarera dainya kari’ kariyAche bhikSA
ataeva daNòa kari’ karAiba zikSA

Izvarera—of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; dainya—poverty; kari’—
establishing; kariyAche—has done; bhikSA—begging; ataeva—therefore;
daNòa—punishment; kari’—giving him; karAiba—shall cause; zikSA—
instruction.
TRANSLATION
“But he has made the incarnation of Godhead a poverty-stricken beggar.
Therefore I shall punish him in order to correct him.”
PURPORT
To describe a man as an incarnation of God, or NArAyaNa, and at the same
time present him as poverty-stricken is contradictory, and it is the greatest
offense. The MAyAvAdI philosophers, engaged in the missionary work of
spoiling the Vedic culture by preaching that everyone is God, describe a
poverty-stricken man as daridra-nArAyaNa, or “poor NArAyaNa.” Lord Caitanya
MahAprabhu never accepted such foolish and unauthorized ideas. He strictly
warned, mAyAvAdi-bhASya zunile haya sarva-nAza: “Anyone who follows the
principles of MAyAvAda philosophy is certainly doomed.” Such a fool needs to
be reformed by punishment.
Although it is contradictory to say that the Supreme Personality of Godhead
or His incarnation is poverty-stricken, we find in the revealed scriptures that
when the Lord incarnated as VAmana, He begged some land from MahArAja
Bali. Everyone knows, however, that VAmanadeva was not at all poverty-
stricken. His begging from MahArAja Bali was a device to favor him. When
MahArAja Bali actually gave the land, VAmanadeva exhibited His all-powerful
position by covering the three worlds with three steps. One should not accept
the so-called daridra-nArAyaNas as incarnations, because they are completely
unable to show the opulence of the genuine incarnations of God.
Adi 12.36
TEXT 36
govindere Aj~nA dila,——“i~NhA Aji haite
bAuliyA vizvAse ethA nA dibe Asite”

govindere—unto Govinda; Aj~nA dila—ordered; i~NhA—to this place; Aji—
today; haite—from; bAuliyA—the MAyAvAdI; vizvAse—unto KamalAkAnta
VizvAsa; ethA—here; nA—do not; dibe—allow; Asite—to come.
TRANSLATION
The Lord ordered Govinda, “From today on, do not allow that bAuliyA
KamalAkAnta VizvAsa to come here.”
PURPORT
The bAuliyAs, or bAulas, are one of thirteen unauthorized sects that pass as
followers of Caitanya MahAprabhu. The Lord ordered Govinda, His personal
assistant, not to allow KamalAkAnta VizvAsa to come into His presence
because he had become a bAuliyA. Thus although the bAula-sampradAya, Aula-
sampradAya and sahajiyA-sampradAya, as well as the smArtas, jAta-gosA~nis,
ativAòIs, cUòAdhArIs and gaurA~Nga-nAgarIs, claim to belong to the disciplic
succession of Caitanya MahAprabhu, the Lord actually rejected them.
Adi 12.37
TEXT 37
daNòa zuni’ ‘vizvAsa’ ha-ila parama duHkhita
zuniyA prabhura daNòa AcArya harSita

daNòa—punishment; zuni’—hearing; vizvAsa—KamalAkAnta VizvAsa; ha-
ila—became; parama—very; duHkhita—unhappy; zuniyA—hearing;
prabhura—of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu; daNòa—punishment; AcArya—zrI
Advaita AcArya Prabhu; harSita—very pleased.
TRANSLATION
When KamalAkAnta VizvAsa heard about this punishment by zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu, he was very unhappy, but when Advaita Prabhu heard about it,
He was greatly pleased.
PURPORT
In the Bhagavad-gItA (9.29) the Lord says, samo ’haà sarva-bhUteSu na me
dveSyo ’sti na priyaH: “I envy no one, nor am I partial to anyone. I am equal to
all.” The Supreme Personality of Godhead being equal to everyone, no one
can be His enemy, nor can anyone be His friend. Since everyone is a part or
son of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Lord cannot be partial and
regard someone as a friend and someone as an enemy. Thus when Lord
Caitanya MahAprabhu punished KamalAkAnta VizvAsa by no longer allowing
him to come into His presence, although the punishment was actually very
hard on him, zrI Advaita Prabhu, understanding the inner meaning of such
punishment, was happy because He appreciated that the Lord had actually
favored KamalAkAnta VizvAsa. Therefore He was not at all unhappy. Devotees
should always be happy with all the dealings of their master, the Supreme
Personality of Godhead. A devotee may be put into difficulty or opulence, but
he should accept both as gifts of the Supreme personality of Godhead and
jubilantly engage in the service of the Lord in all circumstances.
Adi 12.38
TEXT 38
vizvAsere kahe,——tumi baòa bhAgyavAn
tomAre karila daNòa prabhu bhagavAn

vizvAsere—unto KamalAkAnta VizvAsa; kahe—said; tumi—you; baòa—very;
bhAgyavAn—fortunate; tomAre—unto you; karila—did; daNòa—punishment;
prabhu—the Lord; bhagavAn—the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
TRANSLATION
Seeing KamalAkAnta VizvAsa unhappy, Advaita AcArya Prabhu told him, “You
are greatly fortunate to have been punished by the Supreme Lord, the
Personality of Godhead, Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu.
PURPORT
This is an authoritative judgment by zrI Advaita Prabhu. He clearly advises
that one should not be unhappy when reverses come upon him by the order
of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. A devotee should always be happy to
receive the fortune awarded him by the Supreme Lord, which seems pleasant
or unpleasant according to one’s judgment.
Adi 12.39
TEXT 39
pUrve mahAprabhu more karena sammAna
duHkha pAi’ mane Ami kailu~N anumAna

pUrve—previously; mahAprabhu—Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu; more—unto
Me; karena—does; sammAna—respect; duHkha—unhappy; pAi’—becoming;
mane—in the mind; Ami—I; kailu~N—made; anumAna—a plan.
TRANSLATION
“Formerly Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu always respected Me as His senior, but I
did not like such respect. Therefore, My mind being afflicted by unhappiness, I
made a plan.
Adi 12.40
TEXT 40
mukti——zreSTha kari’ kainu vAziSTha vyAkhyAna
kruddha ha~nA prabhu more kaila apamAna

mukti—liberation; zreSTha—the topmost; kari’—accepting; kainu—I did;
vAziSTha—the book known as Yoga-vAziSTha; vyAkhyAna—explanation;
kruddha—angry; ha~nA—becoming; prabhu—the Lord; more—unto Me;
kaila—did; apamAna—disrespect.
TRANSLATION
“Thus I expounded the Yoga-vAziSTha, which considers liberation the ultimate
goal of life. For this the Lord became angry at Me and treated Me with
apparent disrespect.
PURPORT
There is a book of the name Yoga-vAziSTha that MAyAvAdIs greatly favor
because it is full of impersonal misunderstandings regarding the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, with no touch of VaiSNavism. Factually, all VaiSNavas
should avoid such a book, but Advaita AcArya Prabhu, wanting punishment
from the Lord, began to support the impersonal statements of the Yoga-
vAziSTha. Thus Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu became extremely angry at Him
and seemingly treated Him disrespectfully.
Adi 12.41
TEXT 41
daNòa pA~nA haila mora parama Ananda
ye daNòa pAila bhAgyavAn zrI-mukunda

daNòa pA~nA—receiving the punishment; haila—became; mora—My;
parama—very great; Ananda—happiness; ye daNòa—the punishment;
pAila—got; bhAgyavAn—the most fortunate; zrI-mukunda—zrI Mukunda.
TRANSLATION
“When chastised by Lord Caitanya, I was very happy to receive a punishment
similar to that awarded zrI Mukunda.
PURPORT
zrI Mukunda, a great friend and associate of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu, used
to visit many places where people were against the VaiSNava cult. When Lord
Caitanya MahAprabhu came to know of this, He punished Mukunda,
forbidding him to see Him again. Although Caitanya MahAprabhu was soft
like a flower, He was also strict like a thunderbolt, and everyone was afraid to
allow Mukunda to come again into the presence of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu.
Mukunda, therefore, being very sorry, asked his friends whether he would one
day be allowed to see Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu. When the devotees
brought this inquiry to Lord Caitanya, the Lord replied, “Mukunda will get
permission to see Me after many millions of years.” When they gave this
information to Mukunda, he danced with jubilation, and when Lord Caitanya
MahAprabhu heard that Mukunda was so patiently waiting to meet Him after
millions of years, He immediately asked him to return. There is a statement
about this punishment of Mukunda in the Caitanya-bhAgavata, Madhya-
khaNòa, Tenth Chapter.
Adi 12.42
TEXT 42
ye daNòa pAila zrI-zacI bhAgyavatI
se daNòa prasAda anya loka pAbe kati

ye daNòa—the punishment; pAila—got; zrI-zacI bhAgyavatI—the most
fortunate mother zacIdevI; se daNòa—the same punishment; prasAda—favor;
anya—other; loka—person; pAbe—can get; kati—how.
TRANSLATION
“A similar punishment was awarded to mother zacIdevI. Who could be more
fortunate than she to receive such punishment?”
PURPORT
Mother zacIdevI was similarly punished, as mentioned in the Caitanya-
bhAgavata, Madhya-khaNòa, Chapter Twenty-two. Mother zacIdevI,
apparently showing her feminine nature, accused Advaita Prabhu of
encouraging her son to become a sannyAsI. Caitanya MahAprabhu, taking this
accusation as an offense, asked zacIdevI to touch the lotus feet of Advaita
AcArya to mitigate the offense she had supposedly committed.
Adi 12.43
TEXT 43
eta kahi’ AcArya tA~Nre kariyA AzvAsa
Anandita ha-iyA Aila mahAprabhu-pAza

eta kahi’—speaking thus; AcArya—zrI Advaita AcArya Prabhu; tA~Nre—unto
KamalAkAnta VizvAsa; kariyA—doing; AzvAsa—pacification; Anandita—
happy; ha-iyA—becoming; Aila—went; mahAprabhu-pAza—to the place of
Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu.
TRANSLATION
After pacifying KamalAkAnta VizvAsa in this way, zrI Advaita AcArya Prabhu
went to see Caitanya MahAprabhu.
Adi 12.44
TEXT 44
prabhuke kahena——tomAra nA bujhi e lIlA
AmA haite prasAda-pAtra karilA kamalA

prabhuke—unto the Lord; kahena—says; tomAra—Your; nA—do not; bujhi—
I understand; e—these; lIlA—pastimes; AmA—Myself; haite—more than;
prasAda-pAtra—object of favor; karilA—You did; kamalA—unto KamalAkAnta
VizvAsa.
TRANSLATION
zrI Advaita AcArya told Lord Caitanya, “I cannot understand Your
transcendental pastimes. You have shown more favor to KamalAkAnta than
You generally show to Me.
Adi 12.45
TEXT 45
AmAreha kabhu yei nA haya prasAda
tomAra caraNe Ami ki kainu aparAdha

AmAreha—even upon Me; kabhu—at any time; yei—that; nA—never;
haya—becomes; prasAda—favor; tomAra caraNe—at Your lotus feet; Ami—I;
ki—what; kainu—have done; aparAdha—offense.
TRANSLATION
“The favor You have shown KamalAkAnta is so great that even to Me You
have never shown such favor. What offense have I committed at Your lotus
feet so as not to be shown such favor?”
PURPORT
This is a reference to Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu’s former punishment of
Advaita AcArya. When Advaita AcArya Prabhu was reading Yoga-vAziSTha,
Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu beat Him, but He never told Him not to come into
His presence. But KamalAkAnta was punished with the order never to come
into the Lord’s presence. Therefore zrI Advaita AcArya Prabhu wanted to
impress upon Caitanya MahAprabhu that He had shown more favor to
KamalAkAnta VizvAsa because He had prohibited KamalAkAnta from seeing
Him, whereas He had not done so to Advaita AcArya. Therefore the favor
shown KamalAkAnta VizvAsa was greater than that shown Advaita AcArya.
Adi 12.46
TEXT 46
eta zuni’ mahAprabhu hAsite lAgilA
bolAiyA kamalAkAnte prasanna ha-ilA

eta zuni’—thus hearing; mahAprabhu—Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu; hAsite—
to laugh; lAgilA—began; bolAiyA—calling; kamalAkAnte—unto KamalAkAnta;
prasanna—satisfied; ha-ilA—became.
TRANSLATION
Hearing this, Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu laughed with satisfaction and
immediately called KamalAkAnta VizvAsa.
Adi 12.47
TEXT 47
AcArya kahe, ihAke kene dile darazana
dui prakArete kare more viòambana

AcArya kahe—zrI Advaita AcArya said; ihAke—unto him; kene—why; dile—
You gave; darazana—audience; dui—two; prakArete—in ways; kare—does;
more—unto Me; viòambana—cheating.
TRANSLATION
Advaita AcArya then said to Caitanya MahAprabhu, “Why have You called
back this man and allowed him to see You? He has cheated Me in two ways.”
Adi 12.48
TEXT 48
zuniyA prabhura mana prasanna ha-ila
du~NhAra antara-kathA du~Nhe se jAnila

zuniyA—hearing this; prabhura—of Caitanya MahAprabhu; mana—mind;
prasanna—satisfaction; ha-ila—felt; du~NhAra—of both of Them; antara-
kathA—confidential talks; du~Nhe—both of Them; se—that; jAnila—could
understand.
TRANSLATION
When Caitanya MahAprabhu heard this, His mind was satisfied. Only They
could understand each other’s minds.
Adi 12.49
TEXT 49
prabhu kahe——bAuliyA, aiche kAhe kara
AcAryera lajjA-dharma-hAni se Acara

prabhu kahe—the Lord said; bAuliyA—one who does not know what is right;
aiche—in that way; kAhe—why; kara—do; AcAryera—of zrI Advaita AcArya;
lajjA—privacy; dharma—religion; hAni—loss; se—that; Acara—you act.
TRANSLATION
Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu instructed KamalAkAnta, “You are a bAuliyA, one
who does not know things as they are. Why do you act in this way? Why do
you invade the privacy of Advaita AcArya and damage His religious
principles?
PURPORT
KamalAkAnta VizvAsa, out of his ignorance, asked the King of JagannAtha PurI,
MahArAja PratAparudra, to liquidate the three-hundred-rupee debt of Advaita
AcArya, but at the same time he established Advaita AcArya as an incarnation
of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is contradictory. An incarnation
of the Supreme Godhead cannot be indebted to anyone in this material world.
Caitanya MahAprabhu is never satisfied by such a contradiction, which is
technically called rasAbhAsa, or overlapping of one humor (rasa) with another.
This is the same type of idea as the contradiction that NArAyaNa is poverty-
stricken (daridra-nArAyaNa).
Adi 12.50
TEXT 50
pratigraha kabhu nA karibe rAja-dhana
viSayIra anna khAile duSTa haya mana

pratigraha—acceptance of alms; kabhu—at any time; nA—not; karibe—
should do; rAja-dhana—charity by kings; viSayIra—of men who are
materialistic; anna—food; khAile—by eating; duSTa—polluted; haya—
becomes; mana—mind.
TRANSLATION
“Advaita AcArya, My spiritual master, should never accept charity from rich
men or kings, because if a spiritual master accepts money or grains from such
materialists his mind becomes polluted.
PURPORT
It is very risky to accept money or food from materialistic persons, for such
acceptance pollutes the mind of the charity’s recipient. According to the
Vedic system, one should give charity to sannyAsIs and brAhmaNas because
one who thus gives charity becomes free from sinful activities. Formerly,
therefore, brAhmaNas would not accept charity from a person unless he were
very pious. Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu gave this instruction for all spiritual
masters. Materialistic persons who are not inclined to give up their sinful
activities like illicit sex, intoxication, gambling and meat-eating sometimes
want to become our disciples, but, unlike professional spiritual masters who
accept disciples regardless of their condition, VaiSNavas do not accept such
cheap disciples. One must at least agree to abide by the rules and regulations
for a disciple before a VaiSNava AcArya can accept him. In fact, a VaiSNava
should not even accept charity or food from persons who do not follow the
rules and regulations of the VaiSNava principles.
Adi 12.51
TEXT 51
mana duSTa ha-ile nahe kRSNera smaraNa
kRSNa-smRti vinu haya niSphala jIvana

mana—mind; duSTa—polluted; ha-ile—becoming; nahe—is not possible;
kRSNera—of Lord KRSNa; smaraNa—remembrance; kRSNa-smRti—remembrance
of Lord KRSNa; vinu—without; haya—becomes; niSphala—without any result;
jIvana—life.
TRANSLATION
“When one’s mind is polluted, it is very difficult to remember KRSNa, and when
remembrance of Lord KRSNa is hampered, one’s life is unproductive.
PURPORT
A devotee should always be alert, keeping his mind in a sanguine state so that
he can always remember Lord zrI KRSNa. The zAstras state, smartavyaH
satataà viSNuH: in devotional life one should always remember Lord ViSNu.
zrIla zukadeva GosvAmI also advised MahArAja ParIkSit, smartavyo nityazaH.
In the Second Canto, First Chapter, of zrImad-BhAgavatam, zukadeva
GosvAmI advised ParIkSit MahArAja:
tasmAd bhArata sarvAtmA bhagavAn Izvaro hariH
zrotavyaH kIrtitavyaz ca smartavyaz cecchatAbhayam
“O descendant of King Bharata, one who desires to be free from all miseries
must hear about, glorify and also remember the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, who is the Supersoul, the controller and the savior from all
miseries.” (BhAg. 2.1.5) This is the summary of all the activities of a VaiSNava,
and the same instruction is repeated here (kRSNa-smRti vinu haya niSphala
jIvana). zrIla RUpa GosvAmI states in his Bhakti-rasAmRta-sindhu, avyartha-
kAlatvam: [Cc.Madhya 23.18-19] A VaiSNava must be very alert not to waste
even a second of his valuable lifetime. This is a symptom of a VaiSNava. But
association with pounds-and-shillings men, or viSayIs, materialists who are
simply interested in sense gratification, pollutes one’s mind and hampers such
continuous remembrance of Lord KRSNa. zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu therefore
advised, asat-sa~Nga-tyAga——ei vaiSNava-AcAra: a VaiSNava should behave
in such a way as to never associate with nondevotees or materialists (Cc.
Madhya 22.87). One can avoid such association simply by always
remembering KRSNa within his heart.
Adi 12.52
TEXT 52
loka-lajjA haya, dharma-kIrti haya hAni
aiche karma nA kariha kabhu ihA jAni’

loka-lajjA—unpopularity; haya—becomes; dharma—religion; kIrti—
reputation; haya—becomes; hAni—damaged; aiche—such; karma—work;
nA—do not; kariha—execute; kabhu—ever; ihA—this; jAni’—knowing.
TRANSLATION
“Thus one becomes unpopular in the eyes of the people in general, for this
damages his religiosity and fame. A VaiSNava, especially one who acts as a
spiritual master, must not act in such a way. One should always be conscious
of this fact.”
Adi 12.53
TEXT 53
ei zikSA sabAkAre, sabe mane kaila
AcArya-gosA~ni mane Ananda pAila

ei—this; zikSA—instruction; sabAkAre—for all; sabe—all present; mane—in
the mind; kaila—took it; AcArya-gosA~ni—Advaita AcArya; mane—within the
mind; Ananda—pleasure; pAila—felt.
TRANSLATION
When Caitanya MahAprabhu gave this instruction to KamalAkAnta, all present
considered it to be meant for everyone. Thus Advaita AcArya was greatly
pleased.
Adi 12.54
TEXT 54
AcAryera abhiprAya prabhu-mAtra bujhe
prabhura gambhIra vAkya AcArya samujhe

AcAryera—of Advaita AcArya; abhiprAya—intention; prabhu-mAtra—only
Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu; bujhe—can understand; prabhura—of Lord
Caitanya MahAprabhu; gambhIra—grave; vAkya—instruction; AcArya—
Advaita AcArya; samujhe—can understand.
TRANSLATION
Only Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu could understand the intentions of Advaita
AcArya, and Advaita AcArya appreciated the grave instruction of Lord
Caitanya MahAprabhu.
Adi 12.55
TEXT 55
ei ta’ prastAve Ache bahuta vicAra
grantha-bAhulya-bhaye nAri likhibAra

ei ta’—in this; prastAve—statement; Ache—there are; bahuta—many;
vicAra—considerations; grantha—of the book; bAhulya—of the expansion;
bhaye—out of fear; nAri—I do not; likhibAra—write.
TRANSLATION
In this statement there are many confidential considerations. I do not write of
them all, fearing an unnecessary increase in the volume of the book.
Adi 12.56
TEXT 56
zrI-yadunandanAcArya——advaitera zAkhA
tA~Nra zAkhA-upazAkhAra nAhi haya lekhA

zrI-yadunandana-AcArya—zrI Yadunandana AcArya; advaitera—of Advaita
AcArya; zAkhA—branch; tA~Nra—his; zAkhA—branches; upazAkhAra—
subbranches; nAhi—not; haya—there is; lekhA—writing.
TRANSLATION
The fifth branch of Advaita AcArya was zrI Yadunandana AcArya, who had so
many branches and subbranches that it is impossible to write of them.
PURPORT
Yadunandana AcArya was the official initiator spiritual master of RaghunAtha
dAsa GosvAmI. In other words, when RaghunAtha dAsa GosvAmI was a
householder, Yadunandana AcArya initiated him at home. Later RaghunAtha
dAsa GosvAmI took shelter of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu at JagannAtha PurI.
Adi 12.57
TEXT 57
vAsudeva dattera te~Nho kRpAra bhAjana
sarva-bhAve AzriyAche caitanya-caraNa

vAsudeva dattera—of VAsudeva Datta; te~Nho—he was; kRpAra—of the
mercy; bhAjana—competent to receive; sarva-bhAve—in all respects;
AzriyAche—took shelter; caitanya-caraNa—of the lotus feet of Lord Caitanya.
TRANSLATION
zrI Yadunandana AcArya was a student of VAsudeva Datta, and he received
all his mercy. Therefore he could accept Lord Caitanya’s lotus feet, from all
angles of vision, as the supreme shelter.
PURPORT
The Gaura-gaNoddeza-dIpikA (140) describes that VAsudeva Datta was
formerly Madhuvrata, a singer in VRndAvana.
Adi 12.58
TEXT 58
bhAgavatAcArya, Ara viSNudAsAcArya
cakrapANi AcArya, Ara ananta AcArya

bhAgavata-AcArya—BhAgavata AcArya; Ara—and; viSNudAsa-AcArya—
ViSNudAsa AcArya; cakrapANi AcArya—CakrapANi AcArya; Ara—and; ananta
AcArya—Ananta AcArya.
TRANSLATION
BhAgavata AcArya, ViSNudAsa AcArya, CakrapANi AcArya and Ananta AcArya
were the sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth branches of Advaita AcArya.
PURPORT
In his AnubhASya zrI BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI GosvAmI PrabhupAda says that
BhAgavata AcArya was formerly among the followers of Advaita AcArya but
was later counted among the followers of GadAdhara PaNòita. The sixth verse
of zAkhA-nirNayAmRta, a book written by Yadunandana dAsa, states that
BhAgavata AcArya compiled a famous book of the name Prema-tara~NgiNI.
According to the Gaura-gaNoddeza-dIpikA (195), BhAgavata AcArya formerly
lived in VRndAvana as zveta-ma~njarI. ViSNudAsa AcArya was present during
the Khetari-mahotsava. He went there with AcyutAnanda, as stated in the
Bhakti-ratnAkara, Tenth Tara~Nga. Ananta AcArya was one of the eight
principal gopIs. His former name was SudevI. Although he was among
Advaita AcArya’s followers, he later became an important devotee of
GadAdhara GosvAmI.
Adi 12.59
TEXT 59
nandinI, Ara kAmadeva, caitanya-dAsa
durlabha vizvAsa, Ara vanamAli-dAsa

nandinI—NandinI; Ara—and; kAmadeva—KAmadeva; caitanya-dAsa—
Caitanya dAsa; durlabha vizvAsa—Durlabha VizvAsa; Ara—and; vanamAli-
dAsa—VanamAlI dAsa.
TRANSLATION
NandinI, KAmadeva, Caitanya dAsa, Durlabha VizvAsa and VanamAlI dAsa were
the tenth, eleventh, twelfth, thirteenth and fourteenth branches of zrI Advaita
AcArya.
Adi 12.60
TEXT 60
jagannAtha kara, Ara kara bhavanAtha
hRdayAnanda sena, Ara dAsa bholAnAtha

jagannAtha kara—JagannAtha Kara; Ara—and; kara bhavanAtha—BhavanAtha
Kara; hRdayAnanda sena—HRdayAnanda Sena; Ara—and; dAsa bholAnAtha—
BholAnAtha dAsa.
TRANSLATION
JagannAtha Kara, BhavanAtha Kara, HRdayAnanda Sena and BholAnAtha dAsa
were the fifteenth, sixteenth, seventeenth and eighteenth branches of
Advaita AcArya.
Adi 12.61
TEXT 61
yAdava-dAsa, vijaya-dAsa, dAsa janArdana
ananta-dAsa, kAnu-paNòita, dAsa nArAyaNa

yAdava-dAsa—YAdava dAsa; vijaya-dAsa—Vijaya dAsa; dAsa janArdana—
JanArdana dAsa; ananta-dAsa—Ananta dAsa; kAnu-paNòita—KAnu PaNòita;
dAsa nArAyaNa—NArAyaNa dAsa.
TRANSLATION
YAdava dAsa, Vijaya dAsa, JanArdana dAsa, Ananta dAsa, KAnu PaNòita and
NArAyaNa dAsa were the nineteenth, twentieth, twenty-first, twenty-second,
twenty-third and twenty-fourth branches of Advaita AcArya.
Adi 12.62
TEXT 62
zrIvatsa paNòita, brahmacArI haridAsa
puruSottama brahmacArI, Ara kRSNadAsa

zrIvatsa paNòita—zrIvatsa PaNòita; brahmacArI haridAsa—HaridAsa
BrahmacArI; puruSottama brahmacArI—PuruSottama BrahmacArI; Ara—and;
kRSNadAsa—KRSNadAsa.
TRANSLATION
zrIvatsa PaNòita, HaridAsa BrahmacArI, PuruSottama BrahmacArI and
KRSNadAsa were the twenty-fifth, twenty-sixth, twenty-seventh and twenty-
eighth branches of Advaita AcArya.
Adi 12.63
TEXT 63
puruSottama paNòita, Ara raghunAtha
vanamAlI kavicandra, Ara vaidyanAtha

puruSottama paNòita—PuruSottama PaNòita; Ara raghunAtha—and
RaghunAtha; vanamAlI kavicandra—VanamAlI Kavicandra; Ara—and;
vaidyanAtha—VaidyanAtha.
TRANSLATION
PuruSottama PaNòita, RaghunAtha, VanamAlI Kavicandra and VaidyanAtha
were the twenty-ninth, thirtieth, thirty-first and thirty-second branches of
Advaita AcArya.
Adi 12.64
TEXT 64
lokanAtha paNòita, Ara murAri paNòita
zrI-haricaraNa, Ara mAdhava paNòita

lokanAtha paNòita—LokanAtha PaNòita; Ara—and; murAri paNòita—MurAri
PaNòita; zrI-haricaraNa—zrI HaricaraNa; Ara—and; mAdhava paNòita—
MAdhava PaNòita.
TRANSLATION
LokanAtha PaNòita, MurAri PaNòita, zrI HaricaraNa and MAdhava PaNòita were
the thirty-third, thirty-fourth, thirty-fifth and thirty-sixth branches of Advaita
AcArya.
Adi 12.65
TEXT 65
vijaya paNòita, Ara paNòita zrIrAma
asa~Nkhya advaita-zAkhA kata la-iba nAma

vijaya-paNòita—Vijaya PaNòita; Ara—and; paNòita zrIrAma—zrIrAma PaNòita;
asa~Nkhya—innumerable; advaita-zAkhA—branches of Advaita AcArya;
kata—how many; la-iba—shall I enumerate; nAma—their names.
TRANSLATION
Vijaya PaNòita and zrIrAma PaNòita were two important branches of Advaita
AcArya. There are innumerable branches, but I am unable to mention them all.
PURPORT
zrIvAsa PaNòita was an incarnation of NArada Muni, and thus zrIvAsa’s
younger brother, zrIrAma PaNòita, is accepted as an incarnation of Parvata
Muni, NArada Muni’s most intimate friend.
Adi 12.66
TEXT 66
mAli-datta jala advaita-skandha yogAya
sei jale jIye zAkhA,——phula-phala pAya

mAli-datta—given by the gardener; jala—water; advaita-skandha—the
branch known as Advaita AcArya; yogAya—supplies; sei—by that; jale—
water; jIye—lives; zAkhA—branches; phula-phala—fruits and flowers; pAya—
grow.
TRANSLATION
The Advaita AcArya branch received the water supplied by the original
gardener, zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu. In this way, the subbranches were
nourished, and their fruits and flowers grew luxuriantly.
PURPORT
The branches of Advaita AcArya nourished by the water (jala) supplied by Sri
Caitanya MahAprabhu are to be considered bona fide AcAryas. As we have
discussed hereinbefore, the representatives of Advaita AcArya later divided
into two groups—the bona fide branches of the AcArya’s disciplic succession
and the pretentious branches of Advaita AcArya. Those who followed the
principles of Caitanya MahAprabhu flourished, whereas the others, who are
mentioned below in the sixty-seventh verse, dried up.
Adi 12.67
TEXT 67
ihAra madhye mAlI pAche kona zAkhA-gaNa
nA mAne caitanya-mAlI durdaiva kAraNa

ihAra—of them; madhye—within; mAlI—the gardener; pAche—later on;
kona—some; zAkhA-gaNa—branches; nA—does not; mAne—accept;
caitanya-mAlI—the gardener Lord Caitanya; durdaiva—unfortunate;
kAraNa—reason,
TRANSLATION
After the disappearance of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu, some of the branches,
for unfortunate reasons, deviated from His path.
Adi 12.68
TEXT 68
sRjAila, jIyAila, tA~Nre nA mAnila
kRtaghna ha-ilA, tA~Nre skandha kruddha ha-ila

sRjAila—fructified; jIyAila—maintained; tA~Nre—Him; nA—not; mAnila—
accepted; kRtaghna—ungrateful; ha-ilA—thus became; tA~Nre—to them;
skandha—trunk; kruddha—angry; ha-ila—became.
TRANSLATION
Some branches did not accept the original trunk that vitalized and maintained
the entire tree. When they thus became ungrateful, the original trunk was
angry at them.
Adi 12.69
TEXT 69
kruddha ha~nA skandha tAre jala nA sa~ncAre
jalAbhAve kRza zAkhA zukAiyA mare

kruddha ha~nA—being angry; skandha—the trunk; tAre—onto them; jala—
water; nA—did not; sa~ncAre—sprinkle; jala-abhAve—for want of water;
kRza—thinner; zAkhA—branch; zukAiyA—dried up; mare—died.
TRANSLATION
Thus Lord Caitanya did not sprinkle upon them the water of His mercy, and
they gradually withered and died.
Adi 12.70
TEXT 70
caitanya-rahita deha——zuSkakASTha-sama
jIvitei mRta sei, maile daNòe yama

caitanya-rahita—without consciousness; deha—body; zuSka-kASTha-sama—
exactly like dry wood; jIvitei—while living; mRta—dead; sei—that; maile—
after death; daNòe—punishes; yama—YamarAja.
TRANSLATION
A person without KRSNa consciousness is no better than dry wood or a dead
body. He is understood to be dead while living, and after death he is
punishable by YamarAja.
PURPORT
In the zrImad-BhAgavatam, Sixth Canto, Third Chapter, twenty-ninth verse,
YamarAja, the superintendent of death, tells his assistants what class of men
they should bring before him. There he states, “A person whose tongue never
describes the qualities and holy name of the Supreme Personality of Godhead,
whose heart never throbs as he remembers KRSNa and His lotus feet, and
whose head never bows in obeisances to the Supreme Lord must be brought
before me for punishment.” In other words, nondevotees are brought before
YamarAja for punishment, and thus material nature awards them various types
of bodies. After death, which is dehAntara, a change of body, nondevotees
are brought before YamarAja for justice. By the judgment of YamarAja,
material nature gives them bodies suitable for the reactions of their past
activities. This is the process of dehAntara, or transmigration of the self from
one body to another. KRSNa conscious devotees, however, are not subject to
be judged by YamarAja. For devotees there is an open road, as confirmed in
the Bhagavad-gItA. After giving up the body (tyaktvA deham), a devotee
never again has to accept another material body, for in a spiritual body he
goes back home, back to Godhead. The punishments of YamarAja are meant
for persons who are not KRSNa conscious.
Adi 12.71
TEXT 71
kevala e gaNa-prati nahe ei daNòa
caitanya-vimukha yei sei ta’ pASaNòa

kevala—only; e—this; gaNa—group; prati—unto them; nahe—it is not; ei—
this; daNòa—punishment; caitanya-vimukha—against zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu; yei—anyone; sei—he; ta’—but; pASaNòa—atheist.
TRANSLATION
Not only the misguided descendants of Advaita AcArya but anyone who is
against the cult of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu should be considered an atheist
subject to be punished by YamarAja.
Adi 12.72
TEXT 72
ki paNòita, ki tapasvI, kibA gRhI, yati
caitanya-vimukha yei, tAra ei gati

ki paNòita—whether a learned scholar; ki tapasvI—whether a great ascetic;
kibA—or; gRhI—householder; yati—or sannyAsI; caitanya-vimukha—one who
is against the cult of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu; yei—anyone; tAra—his; ei—
this; gati—destination.
TRANSLATION
Be he a learned scholar, a great ascetic, a successful householder or a famous
sannyAsI, one who is against the cult of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu is destined
to suffer the punishment meted out by YamarAja.
Adi 12.73
TEXT 73
ye ye laila zrI-acyutAnandera mata
sei AcAryera gaNa——mahA-bhAgavata

ye ye—anyone who; laila—accepted; zrI-acyutAnandera—of zrI
AcyutAnanda; mata—the path; sei—those; AcAryera gaNa—descendants of
Advaita AcArya; mahA-bhAgavata—are all great devotees.
TRANSLATION
The descendants of Advaita AcArya who accepted the path of zrI
AcyutAnanda were all great devotees.
PURPORT
In this connection, zrIla Bhaktivinoda ThAkura, in his AmRta-pravAha-bhASya,
gives this short note: “zrI Advaita AcArya is one of the important trunks of the
bhakti-kalpataru, or desire tree of devotional service. Lord zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu, as a gardener, poured water on the root of the bhakti tree and
thus nourished all its trunks and branches. But nevertheless, under the spell of
mAyA, the most unfortunate condition of a living entity, some of the branches,
not accepting the gardener who poured water on them, considered the trunk
the only cause of the great bhakti-kalpataru. In other words, the branches or
descendants of Advaita AcArya who considered Advaita AcArya the original
cause of the devotional creeper, and who thus neglected or disobeyed the
instructions of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu, deprived themselves of the effect of
being watered and thus dried up and died. It is further to be understood that
not only the misguided descendants of Advaita AcArya but anyone who has
no connection with Caitanya MahAprabhu—even if he is independently a
great sannyAsI, learned scholar or ascetic—is like a dead branch of a tree.”
This analysis by zrI Bhaktivinoda ThAkura, supporting the statements of zrI
KRSNadAsa KavirAja GosvAmI, depicts the position of the present so-called
Hindu religion, which, being predominantly conducted by the MAyAvAda
philosophy, has become a hodgepodge institution of various concocted ideas.
MAyAvAdIs greatly fear the KRSNa consciousness movement and accuse it of
spoiling the Hindu religion because it accepts people from all parts of the
world and all religious sects and scientifically engages them in the daiva-
varNAzrama-dharma. As we have explained several times, however, we find
no such word as “Hindu” in the Vedic literature. The word most probably
came from Afghanistan, a predominantly Muslim country, and originally
referred to a pass in Afghanistan known as Hindukush, which is still a part of a
trade route between India and various Muslim countries.
The actual Vedic system of religion is called varNAzrama-dharma, as
confirmed in the ViSNu PurANa:
varNAzramAcAra-vatA puruSeNa paraH pumAn
viSNur ArAdhyate panthA nAnyat tat-toSa-kAraNam
(ViSNu PurANa 3.8.9)
The Vedic literature recommends that a human being follow the principles of
varNAzrama-dharma. Accepting the process of varNAzrama-dharma will make
a person’s life successful because this will connect him with the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, who is the goal of human life. Therefore the KRSNa
consciousness movement is meant for all of humanity. Although human
society has different sections or subdivisions, all human beings belong to one
species, and therefore we accept that they all have the ability to understand
their constitutional position in connection with the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, ViSNu. zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu confirms, jIvera ‘svarUpa’ haya—
—kRSNera nitya-dAsa: [Cc. Madhya 20.108]. “Every living entity is an eternal
part, an eternal servant, of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.” Every living
entity who attains the human form of life can understand the importance of
his position and thus become eligible to become a devotee of Lord KRSNa. We
take it for granted, therefore, that all humanity should be educated in KRSNa
consciousness. Indeed, in all parts of the world, in every country where we
preach the sa~NkIrtana movement, we find that people very easily accept the
Hare KRSNa mahA-mantra without hesitation. The visible effect of this chanting
is that the members of the Hare KRSNa movement, regardless of their
backgrounds, all give up the four principles of sinful life and come to an
elevated standard of devotion.
Although posing as great scholars, ascetics, householders and svAmIs, the so-
called followers of the Hindu religion are all useless, dried-up branches of the
Vedic religion. They are impotent; they cannot do anything to spread the
Vedic culture for the benefit of human society. The essence of the Vedic
culture is the message of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu. Lord Caitanya instructed:
yAre dekha, tAre kaha ‘kRSNa’ upadeza
AmAra Aj~nAya guru ha~nA tAra’ ei deza
(Cc. Madhya 7.128)
One should simply instruct everyone he meets regarding the principles of
kRSNa-kathA, as expressed in Bhagavad-gItA As It Is and zrImad-BhAgavatam.
One who has no interest in kRSNa-kathA or the cult of zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu is like dry, useless wood with no living force. The ISKCON
branch, being directly watered by zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu, is becoming
undoubtedly successful, whereas the disconnected branches of the so-called
Hindu religion that are envious of ISKCON are drying up and dying.
Adi 12.74
TEXT 74
sei sei,——AcAryera kRpAra bhAjana
anAyAse pAila sei caitanya-caraNa

sei sei—whoever; AcAryera—of Advaita AcArya; kRpAra—of the mercy;
bhAjana—eligible candidate; anAyAse—without difficulty; pAila—got; sei—
he; caitanya-caraNa—the lotus feet of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu.
TRANSLATION
By the mercy of Advaita AcArya, the devotees who strictly followed the path
of Caitanya MahAprabhu attained the shelter of Lord Caitanya’s lotus feet
without difficulty.
Adi 12.75
TEXT 75
acyutera yei mata, sei mata sAra
Ara yata mata saba haila chArakhAra

acyutera—of AcyutAnanda; yei—which; mata—direction; sei—that; mata—
direction; sAra—essential; Ara—other; yata—all; mata—directions; saba—all;
haila—became; chArakhAra—dismantled.
TRANSLATION
It should be concluded, therefore, that the path of AcyutAnanda is the essence
of spiritual life. Those who did not follow this path simply scattered.
Adi 12.76
TEXT 76
sei AcArya-gaNe mora koTi namaskAra
acyutAnanda-prAya, caitanya——jIvana yA~NhAra

sei—those; AcArya-gaNe—unto the spiritual masters; mora—my; koTi—
millions; namaskAra—obeisances; acyutAnanda-prAya—almost as good as
AcyutAnanda; caitanya—Caitanya MahAprabhu; jIvana—life; yA~NhAra—
whose.
TRANSLATION
I therefore offer my respectful obeisances millions of times to AcyutAnanda’s
actual followers, whose life and soul was zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu.
Adi 12.77
TEXT 77
ei ta’ kahilA~N AcArya-gosA~nira gaNa
tina skandha-zAkhAra kaila sa~NkSepa gaNana

ei ta’—thus; kahilA~N—I have spoken; AcArya—Advaita AcArya; gosA~nira—of
the spiritual master; gaNa—descendants; tina—three; skandha—of the trunk;
zAkhAra—of branches; kaila—was done; sa~NkSepa—in brief; gaNana—
counting.
TRANSLATION
Thus I have briefly described the three branches [AcyutAnanda, KRSNa Mizra
and GopAla] of zrI Advaita AcArya’s descendants.
Adi 12.78
TEXT 78
zAkhA-upazAkhA, tAra nAhika gaNana
kichu-mAtra kahi’ kari dig-darazana

zAkhA-upazAkhA—branches and subbranches; tAra—of them; nAhika—there is
no; gaNana—counting; kichu-mAtra—something about them; kahi’—
describing; kari—I am simply giving; dig-darazana—a glimpse of the
direction.
TRANSLATION
There are multifarious branches and subbranches of Advaita AcArya. It is very
difficult to enumerate them fully. I have simply given a glimpse of the whole
trunk and its branches and subbranches.
Adi 12.79
TEXT 79
zrI-gadAdhara paNòita zAkhAte mahottama
tA~Nra upazAkhA kichu kari ye gaNana

zrI-gadAdhara paNòita—zrI GadAdhara PaNòita; zAkhAte—of the branch;
mahottama—very great; tA~Nra—his; upazAkhA—branches and subbranches;
kichu—something; kari—let me do; ye—that; gaNana—counting.
TRANSLATION
After describing the branches and subbranches of Advaita AcArya, I shall now
attempt to describe some of the descendants of zrI GadAdhara PaNòita, the
most important among the branches.
Adi 12.80
TEXT 80
zAkhA-zreSTha dhruvAnanda, zrIdhara brahmacArI
bhAgavatAcArya, haridAsa brahmacArI

zAkhA-zreSTha—the chief branch; dhruvAnanda—DhruvAnanda; zrIdhara
brahmacArI—zrIdhara BrahmacArI; bhAgavatAcArya—BhAgavata AcArya;
haridAsa brahmacArI—HaridAsa BrahmacArI.
TRANSLATION
The chief branches of zrI GadAdhara PaNòita were (1) zrI DhruvAnanda, (2)
zrIdhara BrahmacArI, (3) HaridAsa BrahmacArI and (4) RaghunAtha BhAgavata
AcArya.
PURPORT
Text 152 of the Gaura-gaNoddeza-dIpikA describes zrI DhruvAnanda
BrahmacArI as an incarnation of LalitA, and texts 194 and 199 describe zrIdhara
BrahmacArI as the gopI known as CandralatikA.
Adi 12.81
TEXT 81
ananta AcArya, kavidatta, mizra-nayana
ga~NgAmantrI mAmu ThAkura, kaNThAbharaNa

ananta AcArya—Ananta AcArya; kavi-datta—Kavi Datta; mizra-nayana—
Nayana Mizra; ga~NgAmantrI—Ga~NgAmantrI; mAmu ThAkura—MAmu ThAkura;
kaNThAbharaNa—KaNThAbharaNa.
TRANSLATION
The fifth branch was Ananta AcArya; the sixth, Kavi Datta; the seventh,
Nayana Mizra; the eighth, Ga~NgAmantrI; the ninth, MAmu ThAkura; and the
tenth, KaNThAbharaNa.
PURPORT
Texts 197 and 207 of the Gaura-gaNoddeza-dIpikA describe Kavi Datta as the
gopI named KalakaNThI, texts 196 and 207 describe Nayana Mizra as the gopI
named Nitya-ma~njarI, and texts 196 and 205 describe Ga~NgAmantrI as the
gopI named CandrikA. MAmu ThAkura, whose real name was JagannAtha
CakravartI, was the nephew of zrI NIlAmbara CakravartI, zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu’s grandfather. In Bengal a maternal uncle is called mAmA, and in
East Bengal and Orissa, mAmu. Thus JagannAtha CakravartI was known as
MAmA or MAmu ThAkura. MAmu ThAkura’s residence was in the district of
Faridpur, in the village known as MagòobA. After the demise of zrI GadAdhara
PaNòita, MAmu ThAkura became the priest in charge of the temple known as
ToTA-gopInAtha, in JagannAtha PurI. According to the opinion of some
VaiSNavas, MAmu ThAkura was formerly known as zrI RUpa-ma~njarI. The
followers of MAmu ThAkura were RaghunAtha GosvAmI, RAmacandra,
RAdhAvallabha, KRSNajIvana, zyAmasundara, zAntAmaNi, HarinAtha,
NavInacandra, MatilAla, DayAmayI and Ku~njavihArI.
KaNThAbharaNa, whose original name was zrI Ananta CaTTarAja, was the gopI
named GopAlI in kRSNa-lIlA.
Adi 12.82
TEXT 82
bhUgarbha gosA~ni, Ara bhAgavata-dAsa
yei dui Asi’ kaila vRndAvane vAsa

bhUgarbha gosA~ni—BhUgarbha GosA~ni; Ara—and; bhAgavata-dAsa—
BhAgavata dAsa; yei dui—both of them; Asi’—coming; kaila—did; vRndAvane
vAsa—residing in VRndAvana.
TRANSLATION
The eleventh branch of GadAdhara GosvAmI was BhUgarbha GosA~ni, and the
twelfth was BhAgavata dAsa. Both of them went to VRndAvana and resided
there for life.
PURPORT
BhUgarbha GosA~ni, formerly known as Prema-ma~njarI, was a great friend of
LokanAtha GosvAmI, who constructed the temple of GokulAnanda, one of the
seven important temples of VRndAvana—namely those of Govinda,
GopInAtha, Madana-mohana, RAdhAramaNa, zyAmasundara, RAdhA-DAmodara
and GokulAnanda—which are authorized institutions of GauòIya VaiSNavas.
Adi 12.83
TEXT 83
vANInAtha brahmacArI——baòa mahAzaya
vallabha-caitanya-dAsa——kRSNa-premamaya

vANInAtha brahmacArI—VANInAtha BrahmacArI; baòa mahAzaya—very great
personality; vallabha-caitanya-dAsa—Vallabha-caitanya dAsa; kRSNa-prema-
maya—always filled with love of KRSNa.
TRANSLATION
The thirteenth branch was VANInAtha BrahmacArI, and the fourteenth was
Vallabha-caitanya dAsa. Both of these great personalities were always filled
with love of KRSNa.
PURPORT
zrI VANInAtha BrahmacArI is described in the Tenth Chapter, verse 114, of the
Adi-lIlA. A disciple of Vallabha-caitanya named NalinI-mohana GosvAmI
established a temple of Madana-gopAla in NavadvIpa.
Adi 12.84
TEXT 84
zrInAtha cakravartI, Ara uddhava dAsa
jitAmitra, kASThakATA-jagannAtha-dAsa

zrInAtha cakravartI—zrInAtha CakravartI; Ara—and; uddhava dAsa—Uddhava
dAsa; jitAmitra—JitAmitra; kASThakATA jagannAtha-dAsa—KASThakATA
JagannAtha dAsa.
TRANSLATION
The fifteenth branch was zrInAtha CakravartI; the sixteenth, Uddhava; the
seventeenth, JitAmitra; and the eighteenth, JagannAtha dAsa.
PURPORT
zrIla BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI ThAkura writes in his AnubhASya, “The zAkhA-
nirNaya, verse 13, mentions zrInAtha CakravartI as a reservoir of all good
qualities and an expert in the service of Lord KRSNa. Similarly, verse 35
mentions Uddhava dAsa as being greatly qualified in distributing love of
Godhead to everyone. The Gaura-gaNoddeza-dIpikA (202) mentions JitAmitra
as the gopI named zyAma-ma~njarI. JitAmitra wrote a book entitled KRSNa-
mAyurya. JagannAtha dAsa was a resident of Vikramapura, near Dacca. His
birthplace was the village known as KASThakATA or KAThAdiyA. His descendants
now reside in villages known as Aòiyala, KAmArapAòA and PAikapAòA. He
established a temple of YazomAdhava. The worshipers in this temple are the
GosvAmIs of Aòiyala. As one of the sixty-four sakhIs, he was formerly an
assistant of CitrAdevI-gopI named TilakinI. The following is a list of his
descendants: RAmanRsiàha, RAmagopAla, RAmacandra, SanAtana, MuktArAma,
GopInAtha, Goloka, Harimohana ziromaNi, RAkhAlarAja, MAdhava and
LakSmIkAnta. The zAkhA-nirNaya mentions that JagannAtha dAsa preached the
Hare KRSNa movement in the district or state of Tripura.”
Adi 12.85
TEXT 85
zrI-hari AcArya, sAdi-puriyA gopAla
kRSNadAsa brahmacArI, puSpa-gopAla

zrI-hari AcArya—zrI Hari AcArya; sAdi-puriyA gopAla—SAdipuriyA GopAla;
kRSNadAsa brahmacArI—KRSNadAsa BrahmacArI; puSpa-gopAla—PuSpagopAla.
TRANSLATION
The nineteenth branch was zrI Hari AcArya; the twentieth, SAdipuriyA GopAla;
the twenty-first, KRSNadAsa BrahmacArI; and the twenty-second, PuSpagopAla.
PURPORT
The Gaura-gaNoddeza-dIpikA (196 and 207) mentions that Hari AcArya was
formerly the gopI named KAlAkSI. SAdipuriyA GopAla is celebrated as a
preacher of the Hare KRSNa movement in Vikramapura, in East Bengal (now
Bangladesh). KRSNadAsa BrahmacArI was formerly among the group of sakhIs
known as the aSTa-sakhIs. His name was IndulekhA. KRSNadAsa BrahmacArI
lived in VRndAvana. There is a tomb in the RAdhA-DAmodara temple known as
KRSNadAsa’s tomb. Some say that this is the tomb of KRSNadAsa BrahmacArI,
and others say it is that of KRSNadAsa KavirAja GosvAmI. In either case we
offer our respects because both of them were expert in distributing love of
Godhead to the fallen souls of this age. The zAkhA-nirNaya mentions that
PuSpagopAla was formerly known as SvarNagrAmaka.
Adi 12.86
TEXT 86
zrIharSa, raghu-mizra, paNòita lakSmInAtha
ba~NgavATI-caitanya-dAsa, zrI-raghunAtha

zrIharSa—zrIharSa; raghu-mizra—Raghu Mizra; paNòita lakSmInAtha—
LakSmInAtha PaNòita; ba~NgavATI-caitanya-dAsa—Ba~NgavATI Caitanya dAsa;
zrI-raghunAtha—zrI RaghunAtha.
TRANSLATION
The twenty-third branch was zrIharSa; the twenty-fourth, Raghu Mizra; the
twenty-fifth, LakSmInAtha PaNòita; the twenty-sixth, Ba~NgavATI Caitanya
dAsa; and the twenty-seventh, RaghunAtha.
PURPORT
Raghu Mizra is described in the Gaura-gaNoddeza-dIpikA (195 and 201) as
KarpUra-ma~njarI. Similarly, LakSmInAtha PaNòita is mentioned as RasonmAdA,
and Ba~NgavATI Caitanya dAsa is mentioned as KAlI. The zAkhA-nirNaya states
that Ba~NgavATI Caitanya dAsa was always seen with eyes full of tears. He also
had a branch of descendants. Their names were MathurAprasAda,
RukmiNIkAnta, JIvanakRSNa, Yugalakizora, RatanakRSNa, RAdhAmAdhava,
USAmaNi, VaikuNThanAtha and LAlamohana, or LAlamohana zAhA zA~NkhAnidhi.
LAlamohana was a great merchant in the city of Dacca. The Gaura-
gaNoddeza-dIpikA (194 and 200) mentions that RaghunAtha was formerly
VarA~NgadA.
Adi 12.87
TEXT 87
amogha paNòita, hasti-gopAla, caitanya-vallabha
yadu gA~Nguli Ara ma~Ngala vaiSNava

amogha paNòita—Amogha PaNòita; hasti-gopAla—HastigopAla; caitanya-
vallabha—Caitanya-vallabha; yadu gA~Nguli—Yadu GA~Nguli; Ara—and;
ma~Ngala vaiSNava—Ma~Ngala VaiSNava.
TRANSLATION
The twenty-eighth branch was Amogha PaNòita; the twenty-ninth,
HastigopAla; the thirtieth, Caitanya-vallabha; the thirty-first, Yadu GA~Nguli;
and the thirty-second, Ma~Ngala VaiSNava.
PURPORT
zrIla BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI ThAkura writes in his AnubhASya, “zrI Ma~Ngala
VaiSNava was a resident of the village TiTakaNA in the district of MurzidAbAd.
His forefathers were zAktas who worshiped the goddess KirITezvarI. It is said
that Ma~Ngala VaiSNava, formerly a staunch brahmacArI, left home and later
married the daughter of his disciple PrANanAtha AdhikArI in the village of
MayanAòAla. The descendants of this family are known as the ThAkuras of
KA~NdaòA, which is a village in the district of Burdwan near Katwa. Scattered
descendants of Ma~Ngala VaiSNava, thirty-six families altogether, still live
there. Among the celebrated disciples of Ma~Ngala ThAkura are PrANanAtha
AdhikArI, PuruSottama CakravartI of the village of KA~NdaòA, and NRsiàha-
prasAda Mitra, whose family members are well-known mRda~Nga players.
SudhAkRSNa Mitra and Niku~njavihArI Mitra are both especially famous
mRda~Nga players. In the family of PuruSottama CakravartI there are famous
persons like Ku~njavihArI CakravartI and RAdhAvallabha CakravartI, who now
live in the district of Birbhum. They professionally recite songs from Caitanya-
ma~Ngala. It is said that when Ma~Ngala ThAkura was constructing a road from
Bengal to JagannAtha PurI, he found a Deity of RAdhAvallabha while digging a
lake. At that time he was living in the locality of KA~NdaòA, in the village
named RANIpura. The zAlagrAma-zilA personally worshiped by Ma~Ngala
ThAkura still exists in the village of KA~NdaòA. A temple has been constructed
there for the worship of VRndAvana-candra. Ma~Ngala ThAkura had three
sons—RAdhikAprasAda, GopIramaNa and zyAmakizora. The descendants of
these three sons are still living.”
Adi 12.88
TEXT 88
cakravartI zivAnanda sadA vrajavAsI
mahAzAkhA-madhye te~Nho sudRòha vizvAsI

cakravartI zivAnanda—zivAnanda CakravartI; sadA—always; vraja-vAsI—
resident of VRndAvana; mahA-zAkhA-madhye—amongst the great branches;
te~Nho—he is; sudRòha vizvAsI—possessing firm faith.
TRANSLATION
zivAnanda CakravartI, the thirty-third branch, who always lived in VRndAvana
with firm conviction, is considered an important branch of GadAdhara PaNòita.
PURPORT
The Gaura-gaNoddeza-dIpikA (183) mentions that zivAnanda CakravartI was
formerly Lava~Nga-ma~njarI. The zAkhA-nirNaya, written by Yadunandana dAsa,
also names other branches of GadAdhara PaNòita, as follows: (1)
MAdhavAcArya, (2) GopAla dAsa, (3) HRdayAnanda, (4) Vallabha BhaTTa (the
Vallabha-sampradAya, or PuSTimArga-sampradAya, is very famous), (5) Madhu
PaNòita (this famous devotee lived near Khaòadaha, in the village known as
SA~NibonA-grAma, about two miles east of the Khaòadaha station, and
constructed the temple of GopInAthajI in VRndAvana), (6) AcyutAnanda, (7)
Candrazekhara, (8) Vakrezvara PaNòita, (9) DAmodara, (10) BhagavAn AcArya,
(11) Ananta AcAryavarya, (12) KRSNadAsa, (13) ParamAnanda BhaTTAcArya, (14)
BhavAnanda GosvAmI, (15) Caitanya dAsa, (16) LokanAtha BhaTTa (this devotee,
who lived in the village of TAlakhaòi in the district of Yazohara [Jessore] and
constructed the temple of RAdhAvinoda, was the spiritual master of
Narottama dAsa ThAkura and a great friend of BhUgarbha GosvAmI), (17)
Govinda AcArya, (18) AkrUra ThAkura, (19) Sa~Nketa AcArya, (20) PratApAditya,
(21) KamalAkAnta AcArya, (22) YAdava AcArya and (23) NArAyaNa PaòihArI (a
resident of JagannAtha PurI).
Adi 12.89
TEXT 89
ei ta’ sa~NkSepe kahilA~N paNòitera gaNa
aiche Ara zAkhA-upazAkhAra gaNana

ei ta’—thus; sa~NkSepe—in brief; kahilA~N—I have described; paNòitera gaNa—
the branches of zrI GadAdhara PaNòita; aiche—similarly; Ara—another; zAkhA-
upazAkhAra gaNana—description of branches and subbranches.
TRANSLATION
Thus I have briefly described the branches and subbranches of GadAdhara
PaNòita. There are still many more that I have not mentioned here.
Adi 12.90
TEXT 90
paNòitera gaNa saba,——bhAgavata dhanya
prANa-vallabha——sabAra zrI-kRSNa-caitanya

paNòitera—of GadAdhara PaNòita; gaNa—followers; saba—all; bhAgavata
dhanya—glorious devotees; prANa-vallabha—the heart and soul; sabAra—of
all of them; zrI-kRSNa-caitanya—Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu.
TRANSLATION
All the followers of GadAdhara PaNòita are considered great devotees
because they have Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu as their life and soul.
Adi 12.91
TEXT 91
ei tina skandhera kailu~N zAkhAra gaNana
yA~N-sabA-smaraNe bhava-bandha-vimocana

ei tina—of all these three; skandhera—trunks; kailu~N—described; zAkhAra
gaNana—enumeration of the branches; yA~N-sabA—all of them; smaraNe—by
remembering; bhava-bandha—from entanglement in the material world;
vimocana—freedom.
TRANSLATION
Simply by remembering the names of all these branches and subbranches of
the three trunks I have described [NityAnanda, Advaita and GadAdhara], one
attains freedom from the entanglement of material existence.
Adi 12.92
TEXT 92
yA~N-sabA-smaraNe pAi caitanya-caraNa
yA~N-sabA-smaraNe haya vA~nchita pUraNa

yA~N-sabA—all of them; smaraNe—by remembering; pAi—I get; caitanya-
caraNa—the lotus feet of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu; yA~N-sabA—all of them;
smaraNe—by remembering; haya—becomes; vA~nchita pUraNa—fulfillment of
all desires.
TRANSLATION
Simply by remembering the names of all these VaiSNavas, one can attain the
lotus feet of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu. Indeed, simply by remembering their
holy names, one achieves the fulfillment of all desires.
Adi 12.93
TEXT 93
ataeva tA~N-sabAra vandiye caraNa
caitanya-mAlIra kahi lIlA-anukrama

ataeva—therefore; tA~N-sabAra—of all of them; vandiye—I offer prayers;
caraNa—to the lotus feet; caitanya-mAlIra—of the gardener known as zrI
Caitanya MahAprabhu; kahi—I speak; lIlA-anukrama—the pastimes in
chronological order.
TRANSLATION
Therefore, offering my obeisances at the lotus feet of them all, I shall describe
the pastimes of the gardener, zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu, in chronological
order.
Adi 12.94
TEXT 94
gaura-lIlAmRta-sindhu——apAra agAdha
ke karite pAre tAhA~N avagAha-sAdha

gaura-lIlAmRta-sindhu—the ocean of the pastimes of Lord Caitanya; apAra—
immeasurable; agAdha—unfathomable; ke—who; karite—to do; pAre—is
able; tAhA~N—in that ocean; avagAha—taking a dip; sAdha—execution.
TRANSLATION
The ocean of the pastimes of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu is immeasurable and
unfathomable. Who can have the courage to measure that great ocean?
Adi 12.95
TEXT 95
tAhAra mAdhurya-gandhe lubdha haya mana
ataeva taTe rahi’ cAki eka kaNa

tAhAra—His; mAdhurya—sweet and mellow; gandhe—by the fragrance;
lubdha—attracted; haya—becomes; mana—mind; ataeva—therefore;
taTe—on the beach; rahi’—standing; cAki—I taste; eka—one; kaNa—particle.
TRANSLATION
It is not possible to dip into that great ocean, but its sweet mellow fragrance
attracts my mind. I therefore stand on the shore of that ocean to try to taste
but a drop of it.
Adi 12.96
TEXT 96
zrI-rUpa-raghunAtha-pade yAra Aza
caitanya-caritAmRta kahe kRSNadAsa

zrI-rUpa—zrIla RUpa GosvAmI; raghunAtha—zrIla RaghunAtha dAsa GosvAmI;
pade—at their lotus feet; yAra—whose; Aza—expectation; caitanya-
caritAmRta—the book named Caitanya-caritAmRta; kahe—describes; kRSNa-
dAsa—zrIla KRSNadAsa KavirAja GosvAmI.
TRANSLATION
Praying at the lotus feet of zrI RUpa and zrI RaghunAtha, always desiring their
mercy, I, KRSNadAsa, narrate zrI Caitanya-caritAmRta, following in their
footsteps.
Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports to zrI Caitanya-caritAmRta, Adi-lIlA,
Twelfth Chapter, describing the expansions of Advaita AcArya and GadAdhara
PaNòita.
Adi 13: The Advent of Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu
Chapter 13
The Advent of Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu
The Thirteenth Chapter describes Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu’s appearance.
The entire Adi-lIlA describes Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu’s household life, and
similarly the Antya-lIlA describes His life in the sannyAsa order. Within the
Lord’s antya-lIlA, the first six years of His sannyAsa life are called the madhya-
lIlA. During this time, Caitanya MahAprabhu toured southern India, went to
VRndAvana, returned from VRndAvana and preached the sa~NkIrtana movement.
A learned brAhmaNa named Upendra Mizra, who resided in the district of
zrIhaTTa, was the father of JagannAtha Mizra, who came to NavadvIpa to
study under the direction of NIlAmbara CakravartI and then settled there after
marrying NIlAmbara CakravartI’s daughter, zacIdevI. zrI zacIdevI gave birth to
eight children, all daughters, who died one after another immediately after
birth. After her ninth pregnancy she gave birth to a son, who was named
VizvarUpa. Then, in 1407 zaka Era (A.D. 1486), in the full-moon evening of the
month of PhAlguna, with the constellation of Siàha (Leo) on the horizon, Lord
Caitanya MahAprabhu appeared as the son of zrI zacIdevI and JagannAtha
Mizra. After hearing of the birth of Caitanya MahAprabhu, learned scholars
and brAhmaNas, bringing many gifts, came to see the newborn baby.
NIlAmbara CakravartI, who was a great astrologer, immediately prepared a
horoscope, and by astrological calculation he saw that the child was a great
personality. This chapter describes the symptoms of this great personality.
Adi 13.1
TEXT 1
sa prasIdatu caitanya-
devo yasya prasAdataH
tal-lIlA-varNane yogyaH
sadyaH syAd adhamo ’py ayam

saH—He; prasIdatu—may bestow His blessings; caitanya-devaH—Lord zrI
Caitanya MahAprabhu; yasya—of whom; prasAdataH—by the grace; tat-
lIlA—His pastimes; varNane—in the description; yogyaH—able; sadyaH—
immediately; syAt—becomes possible; adhamaH—the most fallen; api—
although; ayam—I am.
TRANSLATION
I wish the grace of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu, by whose mercy even one
who is fallen can describe the pastimes of the Lord.
PURPORT
To describe zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu or Lord zrI KRSNa, one needs
supernatural power, which is the grace and mercy of the Lord. Without this
grace and mercy, one cannot compose transcendental literature. By dint of
the grace of the Lord, however, even one who is unfit for a literary career can
describe wonderful transcendental topics. Description of KRSNa is possible for
one who is empowered. KRSNa-zakti vinA nahe tAra pravartana (Cc. Antya 7.11).
Unless endowed with the mercy of the Lord, one cannot preach of the Lord’s
name, fame, qualities, form, entourage and so on. It should be concluded,
therefore, that the writing of zrI Caitanya-caritAmRta by KRSNadAsa KavirAja
GosvAmI manifests specific mercy bestowed upon the author, although he
thought of himself as the most fallen. We should not consider him fallen
because he describes himself as such. Rather, anyone who is able to compose
such transcendental literature is our esteemed master.
Adi 13.2
TEXT 2
jaya jaya zrI-kRSNa-caitanya gauracandra
jayAdvaitacandra jaya jaya nityAnanda

jaya jaya—all glories; zrI-kRSNa-caitanya—Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu;
gaura-candra—Lord Gauracandra; jaya advaita-candra—all glories to
Advaita AcArya; jaya jaya—all glories to; nityAnanda—Lord NityAnanda
Prabhu.
TRANSLATION
All glories to zrI KRSNa Caitanya MahAprabhu! All glories to Advaitacandra! All
glories to Lord NityAnanda Prabhu!
Adi 13.3
TEXT 3
jaya jaya gadAdhara jaya zrInivAsa
jaya mukunda vAsudeva jaya haridAsa

jaya jaya gadAdhara—all glories to GadAdhara Prabhu; jaya zrInivAsa—all
glories to zrIvAsa ThAkura; jaya mukunda—all glories to Mukunda;
vAsudeva—all glories to VAsudeva; jaya haridAsa—all glories to HaridAsa
ThAkura.
TRANSLATION
All glories to GadAdhara Prabhu! All glories to zrIvAsa ThAkura! All glories to
Mukunda Prabhu and VAsudeva Prabhu! All glories to HaridAsa ThAkura!
Adi 13.4
TEXT 4
jaya dAmodara-svarUpa jaya murAri gupta
ei saba candrodaye tamaH kaila lupta

jaya—all glories; dAmodara-svarUpa—SvarUpa DAmodara; jaya—all glories;
murAri gupta—MurAri Gupta; ei saba—of all these; candra-udaye—such
moons having arisen; tamaH—darkness; kaila—made; lupta—dissipated.
TRANSLATION
All glories to SvarUpa DAmodara and MurAri Gupta! All these brilliant moons
have together dissipated the darkness of this material world.
Adi 13.5
TEXT 5
jaya zrI-caitanyacandrera bhakta candra-gaNa
sabAra prema jyotsnAya ujjvala tri-bhuvana

jaya—all glories; zrI-caitanya—of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu; candrera—
who is as bright as the moon; bhakta—devotees; candra-gaNa—other
moons; sabAra—of all of them; prema-jyotsnAya—by the full light of love of
Godhead; ujjvala—bright; tri-bhuvana—all the three worlds.
TRANSLATION
All glories to the moons who are devotees of the principal moon, Lord
Caitanyacandra! Their bright moonshine illuminates the entire universe.
PURPORT
In this verse we find the moon described as candra-gaNa, which is plural in
number. This indicates that there are many moons. In the Bhagavad-gItA
(10.21) the Lord says, nakSatrANAm ahaà zazI: “Among the stars, I am the
moon.” All the stars are like the moon. Western astronomers consider the stars
to be suns, but Vedic astronomers, following the Vedic scriptures, consider
them moons. The sun has the ability to shine powerfully, and the moons
reflect the sunshine and therefore look brilliant. In the Caitanya-caritAmRta
KRSNa is described to be like the sun. The supreme powerful is the Supreme
Personality of Godhead zrI KRSNa, or Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu, and His
devotees are also bright and illuminating because they reflect the supreme
sun. The Caitanya-caritAmRta (Madhya 22.31) states:
kRSNa——sUrya-sama; mAyA haya andhakAra
yAhA~N kRSNa, tAhA~N nAhi mAyAra adhikAra
“KRSNa is bright like the sun. As soon as the sun appears, there is no question
of darkness or nescience.” Similarly, the present verse also describes that by
the illumination of all the moons, brightened by the reflection of the KRSNa
sun, or by the grace of all the devotees of Caitanya MahAprabhu, the entire
world will be illuminated, despite the darkness of Kali-yuga. Only the
devotees of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu can dissipate the darkness of Kali-
yuga, the ignorance of the population of this age. No one else can do so. We
therefore wish that all the devotees of the KRSNa consciousness movement
may reflect the supreme sun and thus dissipate the darkness of the entire
world.
Adi 13.6
TEXT 6
ei ta’ kahila granthArambhe mukha-bandha
ebe kahi caitanya-lIlA-krama-anubandha

ei ta’—thus; kahila—I have spoken; grantha-Arambhe—in the beginning of
the book; mukha-bandha—preface; ebe—now; kahi—I speak; caitanya—of
Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu; lIlA-krama—the chronological order of His
pastimes; anubandha—as they are combined together.
TRANSLATION
Thus I have spoken the preface of the Caitanya-caritAmRta. Now I shall
describe Caitanya MahAprabhu’s pastimes in chronological order.
Adi 13.7
TEXT 7
prathame ta’ sUtra-rUpe kariye gaNana
pAc~Ne tAhA vistAri kariba vivaraNa

prathame—in the beginning; ta’—however; sUtra-rUpe—in the form of a
synopsis; kariye—do; gaNana—counting; pAche—thereafter; tAhA—that;
vistAri—describing; kariba—I shall do; vivaraNa—expansion.
TRANSLATION
First let me give a synopsis of the Lord’s pastimes. Then I shall describe them
in detail.
Adi 12.8
TEXT 8
zrI-kRSNa-caitanya navadvIpe avatari
ATa-calliza vatsara prakaTa vihari

zrI-kRSNa-caitanya—Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu; navadvIpe—at
NavadvIpa; avatari—adventing Himself; ATa-calliza—forty-eight; vatsara—
years; prakaTa—visible; vihari—enjoying.
TRANSLATION
Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu, adventing Himself in NavadvIpa, was visible
for forty-eight years, enjoying His pastimes.
Adi 13.9
TEXT 9
caudda-zata sAta zake janmera pramANa
caudda-zata pa~ncAnne ha-ila antardhAna

caudda-zata-sata—1407; zake—in the zaka Era; janmera—of birth;
pramANa—evidence; caudda-zata pa~ncAnne—in the year 1455; ha-ila—
became; antardhAna—disappearance.
TRANSLATION
In the year 1407 of the zaka Era (A.D. 1486), Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu
appeared, and in the year 1455 (A.D. 1534) He disappeared from this world.
Adi 13.10
TEXT 10
cabbiza vatsara prabhu kaila gRha-vAsa
nirantara kaila kRSNa-kIrtana-vilAsa

cabbiza—twenty-four; vatsara—years; prabhu—the Lord; kaila—did; gRha-
vAsa—residing at home; nirantara—always; kaila—did; kRSNa-kIrtana—
chanting of the Hare KRSNa mantra; vilAsa—pastimes.
TRANSLATION
For twenty-four years Lord Caitanya lived in the gRhastha-Azrama [household
life], always engaging in the pastimes of the Hare KRSNa movement.
Adi 13.11
TEXT 11
cabbiza vatsara-zeSe kariyA sannyAsa
Ara cabbiza vatsara kaila nIlAcale vAsa

cabbiza—twenty-four; vatsara—years; zeSe—at the end of; kariyA—
accepting; sannyAsa—renounced order; Ara—another; cabbiza—twenty-four;
vatsara—years; kaila—did; nIlAcale—at JagannAtha PurI; vAsa—reside.
TRANSLATION
After twenty-four years He accepted the renounced order of life, sannyAsa,
and He resided for twenty-four years more at JagannAtha PurI.
Adi 13.12
TEXT 12
tAra madhye chaya vatsara——gamanAgamana
kabhu dakSiNa, kabhu gauòa, kabhu vRndAvana

tAra madhye—out of that; chaya vatsara—six years; gamana-Agamana—
touring; kabhu—sometimes; dakSiNa—in South India; kabhu—sometimes;
gauòa—in Bengal; kabhu—sometimes; vRndAvana—in VRndAvana.
TRANSLATION
Of these last twenty-four years, He spent the first six continuoually touring
India, sometimes in South India, sometimes in Bengal and sometimes in
VRndAvana.
Adi 13.13
TEXT 13
aSTAdaza vatsara rahilA nIlAcale
kRSNa-prema-nAmAmRte bhAsA’la sakale

aSTAdaza—eighteen; vatsara—years; rahilA—remained; nIlAcale—at
JagannAtha PurI; kRSNa-prema—love of Godhead; nAma-amRte—in the nectar
of the Hare KRSNa mantra; bhAsA’la—inundated; sakale—everyone.
TRANSLATION
For the remaining eighteen years He continuously stayed in JagannAtha PurI.
Chanting the nectarean Hare KRSNa mahA-mantra, He inundated everyone
there in a flood of love of KRSNa.
Adi 13.14
TEXT 14
gArhasthye prabhura lIlA——‘Adi’-lIlAkhyAna
‘madhya’- ‘antya’-lIlA——zeSa-lIlAra dui nAma

gArhasthye—in household life; prabhura—of the Lord; lIlA—pastimes; Adi—
the original; lIlA—pastimes; AkhyAna—has the name of; madhya—middle;
antya—last; lIlA—pastimes; zeSa-lIlAra—the last part of the pastimes; dui—
two; nAma—names.
TRANSLATION
The pastimes of His household life are known as the Adi-lIlA, or the original
pastimes. His later pastimes are known as the madhya-lIlA and antya-lIlA, or
the middle and final pastimes.
Adi 13.15
TEXT 15
Adi-lIlA-madhye prabhura yateka carita
sUtra-rUpe murAri gupta karilA grathita

Adi-lIlA—the original pastimes; madhye—within; prabhura—of the Lord;
yateka—whatever; carita—activities; sUtra-rUpe—in the form of notes;
murAri gupta—MurAri Gupta; karilA—has; grathita—recorded.
TRANSLATION
All the pastimes enacted by Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu in His Adi-lIlA were
recorded in summary form by MurAri Gupta.
Adi 13.16
TEXT 16
prabhura ye zeSa-lIlA svarUpa-dAmodara
sUtra kari’ granthilena granthera bhitara

prabhura—of the Lord; ye—whatever; zeSa-lIlA—pastimes at the end;
svarUpa- dAmodara—SvarUpa DAmodara; sUtra kari’—in the form of notes;
granthilena—recorded; granthera—a book; bhitara—within.
TRANSLATION
His later pastimes [the madhya-lIlA and antya-lIlA] were recorded in the form
of notes by His secretary, SvarUpa DAmodara GosvAmI, and thus kept within a
book.
Adi 13.17
TEXT 17
ei dui janera sUtra dekhiyA zuniyA
varNanA karena vaiSNava krama ye kariyA

ei—of these; dui—two; janera—persons; sUtra—notes; dekhiyA—after
looking at; zuniyA—and hearing; varNanA—description; karena—does;
vaiSNava—the devotee; krama—chronological; ye—which; kariyA—making.
TRANSLATION
By seeing and hearing the notes recorded by these two great personalities, a
VaiSNava, a devotee of the Lord, can know these pastimes one after another.
Adi 13.18
TEXT 18
bAlya, paugaNòa, kaizora, yauvana,——cAri bheda
ataeva Adi-khaNòe lIlA cAri bheda

bAlya—childhood; paugaNòa—early boyhood; kaizora—later boyhood;
yauvana—youth; cAri—four; bheda—divisions; ataeva—therefore; Adi-
khaNòe—in the original part; lIlA—of the pastimes; cAri—four; bheda—
divisions.
TRANSLATION
In His original pastimes there are four divisions: bAlya, paugaNòa, kaizora and
yauvana [childhood, early boyhood, later boyhood and youth ].
Adi 13.19
TEXT 19
sarva-sad-guNa-pUrNAà tAà
vande phAlguna-pUrNimAm
yasyAà zrI-kRSNa-caitanyo
’vatIrNaH kRSNa-nAmabhiH

sarva—all; sat—auspicious; guNa—qualities; pUrNAm—filled with; tAm—
that; vande—I offer obeisances; phAlguna—of the month of PhAlguna;
pUrNimAm—the full-moon evening; yasyAm—in which; zrI-kRSNa-caitanyaH—
Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu; avatIrNaH—advented; kRSNa—Lord KRSNa’s;
nAmabhiH—with the chanting of the holy names.
TRANSLATION
I offer my respectful obeisances unto the full-moon evening in the month of
PhAlguna, an auspicious time full of auspicious symptoms, when Lord zrI
Caitanya MahAprabhu advented Himself with the chanting of the holy name,
Hare KRSNa.
Adi 13.20
TEXT 20
phAlguna-pUrNimA-sandhyAya prabhura janmodaya
sei-kAle daiva-yoge candra-grahaNa haya

phAlguna-pUrNimA—of the full moon of the month of PhAlguna; sandhyAya—
in the evening; prabhura—of Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu; janma-udaya—
at the time of His birth; sei-kAle—at that moment; daiva-yoge—accidentally;
candra-grahaNa—lunar eclipse; haya—takes place.
TRANSLATION
On the full-moon evening of the month of PhAlguna when the Lord took birth,
coincidentally there was also a lunar eclipse.
Adi 13.21
TEXT 21
‘hari’ ‘hari’ bale loka haraSita ha~nA
janmilA caitanya-prabhu ‘nAma’ janmAiyA

hari hari—the holy names of the Lord; bale—speak; loka—the people;
haraSita—jubilant; ha~nA—becoming; janmilA—took birth; caitanya-prabhu—
Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu; nAma—the holy name; janmAiyA—after
causing to appear.
TRANSLATION
In jubilation everyone was chanting the holy name of the Lord—“Hari!
Hari!”—and Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu then appeared, after first causing
the appearance of the holy name.
Adi 13.22
TEXT 22
janma-bAlya-paugaNòa-kaizora-yuvA-kAle
hari-nAma laoyAilA prabhu nAnA chale

janma—time of birth; bAlya—childhood; paugaNòa—early boyhood;
kaizora—end of boyhood; yuvA-kAle—youth; hari-nAma—the holy name of
the Lord; laoyAilA—caused to take; prabhu—the Lord; nAnA—various;
chale—under different pleas.
TRANSLATION
At His birth, in His childhood and in His early and later boyhood, as well as in
His youth, Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu, under different pleas, induced people
to chant the holy name of Hari [the Hare KRSNa mahA-mantra].
Adi 13.23
TEXT 23
bAlya-bhAva chale prabhu karena krandana
‘kRSNa’ ‘hari’ nAma zuni’ rahaye rodana

bAlya-bhAva chale—as if in His childhood state; prabhu—the Lord; karena—
does; krandana—crying; kRSNa—Lord KRSNa; hari—Lord Hari; nAma—names;
zuni’—hearing; rahaye—stops; rodana—crying.
TRANSLATION
In His childhood, when the Lord was crying He would stop immediately upon
hearing the holy names KRSNa and Hari.
Adi 13.24
TEXT 24
ataeva ‘hari’ ‘hari’ bale nArIgaNa
dekhite Aise yebA sarva bandhu jana

ataeva—therefore; hari hari—the holy name of the Lord; bale—chant; nArI-
gaNa—all the ladies; dekhite—to see; Aise—they come; yebA—whoever;
sarva—all; bandhu-jana—friends.
TRANSLATION
All the friendly ladies who came to see the child would chant the holy names,
“Hari, Hari!” as soon as the child would cry.
Adi 13.25
TEXT 25
‘gaurahari’ bali’ tAre hAse sarva nArI
ataeva haila tA~Nra nAma ‘gaurahari’

gaurahari—Gaurahari; bali’—addressing Him thus; tAre—unto the Lord;
hAse—laugh; sarva nArI—all the ladies; ataeva—therefore; haila—became;
tA~Nra—His; nAma—name; gaurahari—Gaurahari.
When all the ladies saw this fun, they enjoyed laughing and called the Lord
“Gaurahari.” From then on, Gaurahari became another of His names.
Adi 13.26
TEXT 26
bAlya vayasa——yAvat hAte khaòi dila
paugaNòa vayasa——yAvat vivAha nA kaila

bAlya vayasa—childhood age; yAvat—until the time; hAte—in His hand;
khaòi—chalk; dila—was given; paugaNòa vayasa—the part of boyhood
known as paugaNòa; yAvat—until; vivAha—marriage; nA—not; kaila—did
take place.
TRANSLATION
His childhood lasted until the date of hAte khaòi, the beginning of His
education, and His age from the end of His childhood until He married is
called paugaNòa.
Adi 13.27
TEXT 27
vivAha karile haila navIna yauvana
sarvatra laoyAila prabhu nAma-sa~NkIrtana

vivAha karile—after getting married; haila—began; navIna—new;
yauvana—youth; sarvatra—everywhere; laoyAila—caused to take; prabhu—
the Lord; nAma-sa~NkIrtana—the sa~NkIrtana movement.
TRANSLATION
After His marriage His youth began, and in His youth He induced everyone to
chant the Hare KRSNa mahA-mantra anywhere and everywhere.
Adi 13.28
TEXT 28
paugaNòa-vayase paòena, paòAna ziSyagaNe
sarvatra karena kRSNa-nAmera vyAkhyAne

paugaNòa-vayase—in the age of paugaNòa; paòena—studies; paòAna—
teaches; ziSya-gaNe—disciples; sarvatra—everywhere; karena—does; kRSNa-
nAmera—the holy name of Lord KRSNa; vyAkhyAne—description.
TRANSLATION
During His paugaNòa age He became a serious student and also taught
disciples. In this way He used to explain the holy name of KRSNa everywhere.
Adi 13.29
TEXT 29
sUtra-vRtti-pA~Nji-TIkA kRSNete tAtparya
ziSyera pratIta haya,——prabhAva Azcarya

sUtra—aphorisms; vRtti—explanation; pA~Nji—application; TIkA—notes;
kRSNete—unto KRSNa; tAtparya—culmination; ziSyera—of the disciple;
pratIta—realization; haya—becomes; prabhAva—influence; Azcarya—
wonderful.
TRANSLATION
When teaching a course in grammar [vyAkaraNa] and explaining it with notes,
zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu taught His disciples about the glories of Lord KRSNa.
All explanations culminated in KRSNa, and His disciples would understand them
very easily. Thus His influence was wonderful.
PURPORT
zrIla JIva GosvAmI compiled a grammar in two parts, named Laghu-hari-
nAmAmRta-vyAkaraNa and BRhad-dhari-nAmAmRta-vyAkaraNa. If someone
studies these two texts in vyAkaraNa, or grammar, he learns the grammatical
rules of the Sanskrit language and simultaneously learns how to become a
great devotee of Lord KRSNa.
In the Caitanya-bhAgavata, Madhya-khaNòa, First Chapter, there is a
statement about the method by which Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu taught
grammar. Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu explained the aphorisms of grammar to
be eternal, like the holy name of KRSNa. As stated in the Bhagavad-gItA (15.15),
vedaiz ca sarvair aham eva vedyaH. The purport of all revealed scriptures is
understanding of KRSNa. Therefore if a person explains anything that is not
KRSNa, he simply wastes his time laboring hard without fulfilling the aim of his
life. If one simply becomes a teacher or professor of education but does not
understand KRSNa, it is to be understood that he is among the lowest of
mankind, as stated in the Bhagavad-gItA (7.15): narAdhamA mAyayApahRta-
j~nAnAH. If one does not know the essence of all revealed scriptures but still
becomes a teacher, his teaching is like the disturbing braying of an ass.
Adi 13.30
TEXT 30
yAre dekhe, tAre kahe,——kaha kRSNa-nAma
kRSNa-nAme bhAsAila navadvIpa-grAma

yAre—whomever; dekhe—He sees; tAre—to him; kahe—He says; kaha—
speak; kRSNa-nAma—the holy name of Lord KRSNa; kRSNa-nAme—by the holy
name of Lord KRSNa; bhAsAila—was inundated; navadvIpa—NavadvIpa;
grAma—village.
TRANSLATION
When Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu was a student, He asked whomever He met
to chant the Hare KRSNa mahA-mantra. In this way He inundated the whole
town of NavadvIpa with the chanting of Hare KRSNa.
PURPORT
The present NavadvIpa-dhAma is but a part of the whole of NavadvIpa.
NavadvIpa means “nine islands.” These nine islands, which occupy an area of
land estimated at thirty-two square miles, are surrounded by different
branches of the Ganges. In all nine of those islands of the NavadvIpa area
there are different places for cultivating devotional service. It is stated in
zrImad-BhAgavatam (7.5.23) that there are nava-vidha bhakti, nine different
activities of devotional service:
zravaNaà kIrtanaà viSNoH smaraNaà pAda-sevanam
arcanaà vandanaà dAsyaà sakhyam Atma-nivedanam
[SB 7.5.23]
There are different islands in the NavadvIpa area for cultivation of these nine
varieties of devotional service. They are as follows: (1) AntardvIpa, (2)
SImantadvIpa, (3) GodrumadvIpa, (4) MadhyadvIpa, (5) KoladvIpa, (6)
RtudvIpa, (7) JahnudvIpa, (8) Modadruma-dvIpa and (9) RudradvIpa.
According to the settlement map, our ISKCON NavadvIpa center is situated
on the RudradvIpa island. Below RudradvIpa, in AntardvIpa, is MAyApur. There
zrI JagannAtha Mizra, the father of Caitanya MahAprabhu, used to reside. In all
these different islands, Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu, as a young man, used to
lead His sa~NkIrtana party. He thus inundated the entire area with the waves of
love of KRSNa.
Adi 13.31
TEXT 31
kizora vayase ArambhilA sa~NkIrtana
rAtra-dine preme nRtya, sa~Nge bhakta-gaNa

kizora vayase—just before the beginning of His youthful life; ArambhilA—
began; sa~NkIrtana—the sa~NkIrtana movement; rAtra-dine—night and day;
preme—in ecstasy; nRtya—dancing; sa~Nge—along with; bhakta-gaNa—the
devotees.
TRANSLATION
Just prior to His youthful life, He began the sa~NkIrtana movement. Day and
night He used to dance in ecstasy with His devotees.
Adi 13.32
TEXT 32
nagare nagare bhrame kIrtana kariyA
bhAsAila tri-bhuvana prema-bhakti diyA

nagare nagare—in different parts of the town; bhrame—wanders; kIrtana—
chanting; kariyA—performing; bhAsAila—inundated; tri-bhuvana—all the
three worlds; prema-bhakti—love of Godhead; diyA—distributing.
TRANSLATION
The sa~NkIrtana movement went on from one part of the town to another, as
the Lord wandered everywhere performing kIrtana. In this way He inundated
the whole world by distributing love of Godhead.
PURPORT
One may raise the question how all three worlds became inundated with love
of KRSNa, since Caitanya MahAprabhu performed kIrtana only in the
NavadvIpa area. The answer is that Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu is KRSNa
Himself. The entire cosmic manifestation results from the Lord’s first setting it
in motion. Similarly, since the sa~NkIrtana movement was first set in motion
five hundred years ago by zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu’s desire that it spread all
over the universe, the KRSNa consciousness movement, in continuity of that
same motion, is now spreading all over the world, and in this way it will
gradually spread all over the universe. With the spread of the KRSNa
consciousness movement, everyone will merge in an ocean of love of KRSNa.
Adi 13.33
TEXT 33
cabbiza vatsara aiche navadvIpa-grAme
laoyAilA sarva-loke kRSNa-prema-nAme

cabbiza—twenty-four; vatsara—years; aiche—in that way; navadvIpa—
NavadvIpa; grAme—in the village; laoyAilA—induced; sarva-loke—every
man; kRSNa-prema—love of KRSNa; nAme—in the holy name.
TRANSLATION
Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu lived in the NavadvIpa area for twenty-four years,
and He induced every person to chant the Hare KRSNa mahA-mantra and thus
merge in love of KRSNa.
Adi 13.34
TEXT 34
cabbiza vatsara chilA kariyA sannyAsa
bhakta-gaNa la~nA kailA nIlAcale vAsa

cabbiza—twenty-four; vatsara—years; chilA—remained; kariyA—accepting;
sannyAsa—the renounced order; bhakta-gaNa—devotees; la~nA—taking with
Him; kailA—did; nIlAcale—in JagannAtha PurI; vAsa—reside.
TRANSLATION
For His remaining twenty-four years, zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu, after
accepting the renounced order of life, stayed at JagannAtha PurI with His
devotees.
Adi 13.35
TEXT 35
tAra madhye nIlAcale chaya vatsara
nRtya, gIta, premabhakti-dAna nirantara

tAra madhye—out of those twenty-four years; nIlAcale—while He was
staying at JagannAtha PurI; chaya vatsara—continuously for six years;
nRtya—dancing; gIta—chanting; prema-bhakti—love of KRSNa; dAna—
distribution; nirantara—always.
TRANSLATION
For six of these twenty-four years in NIlAcala [JagannAtha PurI], He distributed
love of Godhead by always chanting and dancing.
Adi 13.36
TEXT 36
setubandha, Ara gauòa-vyApi vRndAvana
prema-nAma pracAriyA karilA bhramaNa

setubandha—Cape Comorin; Ara—and; gauòa—Bengal; vyApi—extending;
vRndAvana—to VRndAvana; prema-nAma—love of KRSNa and the holy name
of KRSNa; pracAriyA—distributing; karilA—performed; bhramaNa—touring.
TRANSLATION
Beginning from Cape Comorin and extending through Bengal to VRndAvana,
during these six years He toured all of India, chanting, dancing and
distributing love of KRSNa.
Adi 13.37
TEXT 37
ei ‘madhya-lIlA’ nAma——lIlA-mukhyadhAma
zeSa aSTAdaza varSa——‘antya-lIlA’ nAma

ei—these; madhya-lIlA nAma—named the middle pastimes; lIlA—pastimes;
mukhya-dhAma—principal place; zeSa—last; aSTAdaza—eighteen; varSa—
years; antya-lIlA—the final pastimes; nAma—named.
TRANSLATION
The activities of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu in His travels after He accepted
sannyAsa are His principal pastimes. His activities during His remaining
eighteen years are called the antya-lIlA, or the final portion of His pastimes.
Adi 13.38
TEXT 38
tAra madhye chaya vatsara bhaktagaNa-sa~Nge
prema-bhakti laoyAila nRtya-gIta-ra~Nge

tAra madhye—out of that; chaya vatsara—six years; bhakta-gaNa-sa~Nge—
along with devotees; prema-bhakti—love of KRSNa; laoyAila—induced;
nRtya—dancing; gIta—chanting; ra~Nge—in transcendental bliss.
TRANSLATION
For six of the eighteen years He continuously stayed in JagannAtha PurI, He
regularly performed kIrtana, inducing all the devotees to love KRSNa simply by
chanting and dancing.
Adi 13.39
TEXT 39
dvAdaza vatsara zeSa rahilA nIlAcale
premAvasthA zikhAilA AsvAdana-cchale

dvAdaza—twelve; vatsara—years; zeSa—balance; rahilA—remained;
nIlAcale—at JagannAtha PurI; prema-avasthA—a state of ecstasy; zikhAilA—
instructed everyone; AsvAdana-chale—under the plea of tasting it Himself.
TRANSLATION
For the remaining twelve years He stayed in JagannAtha PurI, He taught
everyone how to taste the transcendental mellow ecstasy of love of KRSNa by
tasting it Himself.
PURPORT
A person who is advanced in KRSNa consciousness always feels separation
from KRSNa because such a feeling of separation excels the feeling of meeting
KRSNa. zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu, in His last twelve years of existence within
this world at JagannAtha PurI, taught the people of the world how, with a
feeling of separation, one can develop His dormant love of KRSNa. Such
feelings of separation or meeting with KRSNa are different stages of love of
Godhead. These feelings develop in time when a person seriously engages in
devotional service. The highest stage is called prema-bhakti, but this stage is
attained by executing sAdhana-bhakti. One should not try to elevate himself
artificially to the stage of prema-bhakti without seriously following the
regulative principles of sAdhana-bhakti. Prema-bhakti is the stage of relishing,
whereas sAdhana-bhakti is the stage of improving in devotional service. zrI
Caitanya MahAprabhu taught this cult of devotional service in full detail by
practical application in His own life. It is said, therefore, Apani Acari’ bhakti
zikhAimu sabAre. zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu is KRSNa Himself, and in the role of
a kRSNa-bhakta, a devotee of KRSNa, He instructed the entire world how one
can execute devotional service and thus go back home, back to Godhead, in
due course of time.
Adi 13.40
TEXT 40
rAtri-divase kRSNa-viraha-sphuraNa
unmAdera ceSTA kare pralApa-vacana

rAtri-divase—day and night; kRSNa-viraha—feelings of separation from KRSNa;
sphuraNa—awakening; unmAdera—of a madman; ceSTA—activities; kare—
performs; pralApa—talking inconsistently; vacana—words.
TRANSLATION
Day and night Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu felt separation from KRSNa.
Manifesting symptoms of this separation, He cried and talked very
inconsistently, like a madman.
Adi 13.41
TEXT 41
zrI-rAdhAra pralApa yaiche uddhava-darzane
seimata unmAda-pralApa kare rAtri-dine

zrI-rAdhAra—of zrImatI RAdhArANI; pralApa—talking; yaiche—as She did;
uddhava-darzane—by meeting Uddhava; sei-mata—exactly like that;
unmAda—madness; pralApa—talking inconsistently; kare—does; rAtri-dine—
day and night.
TRANSLATION
As zrImatI RAdhArANI talked inconsistently when She met Uddhava, so also zrI
Caitanya MahAprabhu relished, both day and night, such ecstatic talk in the
mood of zrImatI RAdhArANI.
PURPORT
In this connection one should refer to zrImatI RAdhArANI’s soliloquy after
meeting Uddhava in VRndAvana. zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu presented a similar
picture of such ecstatic imaginary talking. Full of jealousy and madness
symptomizing neglect by KRSNa, zrImatI RAdhArANI, criticizing a bumblebee,
talked just like a madwoman. zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu, in the last days of His
pastimes, exhibited all the symptoms of such ecstasy. In this connection one
should refer to the Fourth Chapter of the Adi-lIlA, verses 107 and 108.
Adi 13.42
TEXT 42
vidyApati, jayadeva, caNòIdAsera gIta
AsvAdena rAmAnanda-svarUpa-sahita

vidyApati—the author of the name VidyApati; jayadeva—Jayadeva;
caNòIdAsera—CaNòIdAsa; gIta—their songs; AsvAdena—tastes; rAmAnanda—
RAmAnanda; svarUpa—SvarUpa; sahita—along with.
TRANSLATION
The Lord used to read the books of VidyApati, Jayadeva and CaNòIdAsa,
relishing their songs with His confidential associates like zrI RAmAnanda RAya
and SvarUpa DAmodara GosvAmI.
PURPORT
VidyApati was a famous composer of songs about the pastimes of RAdhA-
KRSNa. He was an inhabitant of MithilA, born in a brAhmaNa family. It is
calculated that he composed his songs during the reign of King zivasiàha and
Queen LachimAdevI, in the beginning of the fourteenth century of the zaka
Era, almost one hundred years before the appearance of Lord Caitanya
MahAprabhu. The twelfth generation of VidyApati’s descendants is still living.
VidyApati’s songs about the pastimes of Lord KRSNa express intense feelings of
separation from KRSNa, and zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu relished all those songs
in His ecstasy of separation from KRSNa.
Jayadeva was born during the reign of MahArAja LakSmaNa Sena of Bengal, in
the eleventh or twelfth century of the zaka Era. His father was Bhojadeva,
and his mother was VAmAdevI. For many years he lived in NavadvIpa, then
the capital of Bengal. His birthplace was in the Birbhum district, in the village
Kendubilva. In the opinion of some authorities, however, he was born in
Orissa, and still others say that he was born in southern India. He passed the
last days of his life in JagannAtha PurI. One of his famous books is GIta-
govinda, which is full of transcendental mellow feelings of separation from
KRSNa. The gopIs felt separation from KRSNa before the rAsa dance, as
mentioned in zrImad-BhAgavatam, and the GIta-govinda expresses such
feelings. There are many commentaries on the GIta-govinda by many
VaiSNavas.
CaNòIdAsa was born in the village of NAnnura, which is also in the Birbhum
district of Bengal. He was born of a brAhmaNa family, and it is said that he
also took birth in the beginning of the fourteenth century, zakAbda Era. It has
been suggested that CaNòIdAsa and VidyApati were great friends because the
writings of both express the transcendental feelings of separation profusely.
The feelings of ecstasy described by CaNòIdAsa and VidyApati were actually
exhibited by zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu. He relished all those feelings in the
role of zrImatI RAdhArANI, and His appropriate associates for this purpose were
zrI RAmAnanda RAya and zrI SvarUpa DAmodara GosvAmI. These intimate
associates of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu helped the Lord very much in the
pastimes in which He felt like RAdhArANI.
zrI BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI ThAkura comments in this connection that such
feelings of separation as Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu enjoyed from the books
of VidyApati, CaNòIdAsa and Jayadeva are especially reserved for persons like
zrI RAmAnanda RAya and SvarUpa DAmodara, who were paramahaàsas, men
of the topmost perfection, because of their advanced spiritual consciousness.
Such topics are not to be discussed by ordinary persons imitating the
activities of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu. For critical students of mundane
poetry and literary men without God consciousness who are after bodily
sense gratification, there is no need to read such a high standard of
transcendental literature. Persons who are after sense gratification should not
try to imitate rAgAnuga devotional service. The songs of CaNòIdAsa, VidyApati
and Jayadeva describe the transcendental activities of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead. Mundane reviewers of these songs simply help
people in general become debauchees, and this leads only to social scandals
and atheism in the world. One should not misunderstand the pastimes of
RAdhA and KRSNa to be the activities of a mundane young boy and girl. The
mundane sexual activities of young boys and girls are most abominable.
Therefore, those who are in bodily consciousness and who desire sense
gratification are forbidden to indulge in discussions of the transcendental
pastimes of zrI RAdhA and KRSNa.
Adi 13.43
TEXT 43
kRSNera viyoge yata prema-ceSTita
AsvAdiyA pUrNa kaila Apana vA~nchita

kRSNera—of Lord KRSNa; viyoge—in separation; yata—as many; prema—
loving affairs; ceSTita—activities; AsvAdiyA—tasting them; pUrNa—fulfilled;
kaila—made; Apana—own; vA~nchita—desires.
TRANSLATION
In separation from KRSNa, zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu relished all these ecstatic
activities, and thus He fulfilled His own desires.
PURPORT
In the beginning of the Caitanya-caritAmRta it is said that Lord Caitanya
appeared in order to taste the feelings RAdhArANI felt upon seeing KRSNa. KRSNa
Himself could not understand the ecstatic feelings of RAdhArANI toward Him,
and therefore He desired to accept the role of RAdhArANI and thereby taste
these feelings. Lord Caitanya is KRSNa with the feelings of RAdhArANI; in other
words, He is a combination of RAdhA and KRSNa. It is therefore said, zrI-kRSNa-
caitanya rAdhA-kRSNa nahe anya. By worshiping zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu
alone, one can relish the loving affairs of RAdhA and KRSNa together. One
should therefore try to understand RAdhA-KRSNa not directly but through zrI
Caitanya MahAprabhu and through His devotees. zrIla Narottama dAsa
ThAkura therefore says, rUpa-raghunAtha-pade haibe Akuti, kabe hAma
bujhaba se yugala-pIriti: “When shall I develop a mentality of service toward
zrI RUpa GosvAmI, SanAtana GosvAmI, RaghunAtha dAsa GosvAmI and the
other devotees of Lord Caitanya and thus become eligible to understand the
pastimes of zrI RAdhA and KRSNa?”
Adi 13.44
TEXT 44
ananta caitanya-lIlA kSudra jIva ha~nA
ke varNite pAre, tAhA vistAra kariyA

ananta—unlimited; caitanya-lIlA—the pastimes of Lord Caitanya; kSudra—a
small; jIva—living entity; ha~nA—being; ke—who; varNite—describe; pAre—
can; tAhA—that; vistAra—expanding; kariyA—doing so.
TRANSLATION
The pastimes of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu are unlimited. How much can a
small living entity elaborate about those transcendental pastimes?
Adi 13.45
TEXT 45
sUtra kari’ gaNe yadi Apane ananta
sahasra-vadane te~Nho nAhi pAya anta

sUtra—aphorisms; kari’—making; gaNe—counts; yadi—if; Apane—
personally; ananta—zeSa NAga, the Personality of Godhead; sahasra-
vadane—by thousands of mouths; te~Nho—He also; nAhi—does not; pAya—
get; anta—the limit.
TRANSLATION
If zeSa NAga Ananta personally were to make the pastimes of Lord Caitanya
into sUtras, even with His thousands of mouths there is no possibility that He
could find their limit.
Adi 13.46
TEXT 46
dAmodara-svarUpa, Ara gupta murAri
mukhya-mukhya-lIlA sUtre likhiyAche vicAri’

dAmodara-svarUpa—SvarUpa DAmodara; Ara—and; gupta murAri—MurAri
Gupta; mukhya-mukhya—most important; lIlA—pastimes; sUtre—in notes;
likhiyAche—have written; vicAri’—by mature deliberation.
TRANSLATION
Devotees like zrI SvarUpa DAmodara and MurAri Gupta have recorded all the
principal pastimes of Lord Caitanya in the form of notes, after deliberate
consideration.
Adi 13.47
TEXT 47
sei, anusAre likhi lIlA-sUtragaNa
vistAri’ varNiAchena tAhA dAsa-vRndAvana

sei—that; anusAre—following; likhi—I write; lIlA—pastimes; sUtra-gaNa—
notes; vistAri’—very explicitly; varNiyAchena—has described; tAhA—that;
dAsa-vRndAvana—VRndAvana dAsa ThAkura.
TRANSLATION
The notes kept by zrI SvarUpa DAmodara and MurAri Gupta are the basis of
this book. Following those notes, I write of all the pastimes of the Lord. The
notes have been described elaborately by VRndAvana dAsa ThAkura.
Adi 13.48
TEXT 48
caitanya-lIlAra vyAsa,——dAsa vRndAvana
madhura kariyA lIlA karilA racana

caitanya-lIlAra—of the pastimes of Lord Caitanya; vyAsa—the authorized
writer VyAsadeva; dAsa vRndAvana—VRndAvana dAsa ThAkura; madhura—
sweet; kariyA—making it; lIlA—pastimes; karilA—did; racana—compilation.
TRANSLATION
zrIla VRndAvana dAsa ThAkura, the authorized writer of the pastimes of zrI
Caitanya MahAprabhu, is as good as zrIla VyAsadeva. He has described the
pastimes in such a way as to make them sweeter and sweeter.
Adi 13.49
TEXT 49
grantha-vistAra-bhaye chAòilA ye ye sthAna
sei sei sthAne kichu kariba vyAkhyAna

grantha—of the book; vistAra—of expansion; bhaye—being afraid; chAòilA—
gave up; ye ye sthAna—which different places; sei sei sthAne—in those
places; kichu—something; kariba—I shall make; vyAkhyAna—description.
TRANSLATION
Being afraid of his book’s becoming too voluminous, he left some places
without vivid descriptions. I shall try to fill those places as far as possible.
Adi 13.50
TEXT 50
prabhura lIlAmRta te~Nho kaila AsvAdana
tA~Nra bhukta-zeSa kichu kariye carvaNa

prabhura—of the Lord; lIlAmRta—the nectar of the pastimes; te~Nho—he
(VRndAvana dAsa ThAkura); kaila—did; AsvAdana—taste; tA~Nra—his;
bhukta—of food; zeSa—remnants; kichu—something; kariye—I do;
carvaNa—chew.
TRANSLATION
The transcendental pastimes of Lord Caitanya have actually been relished by
zrIla VRndAvana dAsa ThAkura. I am simply trying to chew the remnants of
food left by him.
Adi 13.51
TEXT 51
Adi-lIlA-sUtra likhi, zuna, bhakta-gaNa
sa~NkSepe likhiye samyak nA yAya likhana

Adi-lIlA—the first part of His pastimes; sUtra likhi—I write a synopsis; zuna—
hear; bhakta-gaNa—all you devotees; sa~NkSepe—in brief; likhiye—I write;
samyak—full; nA—not; yAya—possible; likhana—to write.
TRANSLATION
My dear devotees of Lord Caitanya, let me now write a synopsis of the Adi-
lIlA; I write of these pastimes in brief because it is not possible to describe
them in full.
Adi 13.52
TEXT 52
kona vA~nchA pUraNa lAgi’ vrajendra-kumAra
avatIrNa haite mane karilA vicAra

kona—some; vA~nchA—desire; pUraNa—fulfillment; lAgi’—for the matter of;
vrajendra-kumAra—Lord KRSNa; avatIrNa haite—to descend as an incarnation;
mane—in the mind; karilA—did; vicAra—consideration.
TRANSLATION
To fulfill a particular desire within His mind, Lord KRSNa, Vrajendra-kumAra,
decided to descend to this planet after mature contemplation.
Adi 13.53
TEXT 53
Age avatArilA ye ye guru-parivAra
sa~NkSepe kahiye, kahA nA yAya vistAra

Age—first of all; avatArilA—allowed to descend; ye ye—all those; guru-
parivAra—family of spiritual masters; sa~NkSepe—in brief; kahiye—I describe;
kahA—to describe; nA—not; yAya—possible; vistAra—expansively.
TRANSLATION
Lord KRSNa therefore first allowed His family of superiors to descend to the
earth. I shall try to describe them in brief because it is not possible to describe
them fully.
Adi 13.54-55
TEXTS 54–55
zrI-zacI-jagannAtha, zrI-mAdhava-purI
kezava bhAratI, Ara zrI-Izvara purI
advaita AcArya, Ara paNòita zrIvAsa
AcAryaratna, vidyAnidhi, ThAkura haridAsa

zrI-zacI-jagannAtha—zrImatI zacIdevI and JagannAtha Mizra; zrI-mAdhava
purI—zrI MAdhavendra PurI; kezava bhAratI—Kezava BhAratI; Ara—and; zrI-
Izvara purI—zrI Izvara PurI; advaita AcArya—Advaita AcArya; Ara—and;
paNòita zrIvAsa—zrIvAsa PaNòita; AcArya-ratna—AcAryaratna; vidyAnidhi—
VidyAnidhi; ThAkura haridAsa—ThAkura HaridAsa.
TRANSLATION
Lord zrI KRSNa, before appearing as Lord Caitanya, requested these devotees
to precede Him: zrI zacIdevI, JagannAtha Mizra, MAdhavendra PurI, Kezava
BhAratI, Izvara PurI, Advaita AcArya, zrIvAsa PaNòita, AcAryaratna, VidyAnidhi
and ThAkura HaridAsa.
Adi 13.56
TEXT 56
zrIhaTTa-nivAsI zrI-upendra-mizra-nAma
vaiSNava, paNòita, dhanI, sad-guNa-pradhAna

zrI-haTTa-nivAsI—a resident of zrIhaTTa; zrI-upendra-mizra-nAma—by the
name of Upendra Mizra; vaiSNava—a devotee of Lord ViSNu; paNòita—
learned; dhanI—rich; sat-guNa-pradhAna—qualified with all good qualities.
TRANSLATION
There was also zrI Upendra Mizra, a resident of the district of zrIhaTTa. He was
a great devotee of Lord ViSNu, a learned scholar, a rich man and a reservoir of
all good qualities.
PURPORT
Upendra Mizra is described in the Gaura-gaNoddeza-dIpikA (35) as the gopAla
named Parjanya. The same personality who was formerly the grandfather of
Lord KRSNa appeared as Upendra Mizra at zrIhaTTa and begot seven sons. He
was a resident of DhAkA-dakSiNa-grAma, in the district of zrIhaTTa. There are
still many residents of that part of the country who introduce themselves as
belonging to the Mizra family of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu.
Adi 13.57-58
TEXTS 57–58
sapta mizra tA~Nra putra——sapta RSIzvara
kaàsAri, paramAnanda, padmanAbha, sarvezvara
jagannAtha, janArdana, trailokyanAtha
nadIyAte ga~NgA-vAsa kaila jagannAtha

sapta mizra—seven Mizras; tA~Nra—his; putra—sons; sapta—seven; RSi—
great saintly persons; Izvara—most influential; kaàsAri—KaàsAri;
paramAnanda—ParamAnanda; padmanAbha—PadmanAbha; sarvezvara—
Sarvezvara; jagannAtha—JagannAtha; janArdana—JanArdana;
trailokyanAtha—TrailokyanAtha; nadIyAte—at NavadvIpa; ga~NgA-vAsa—
living on the bank of the Ganges; kaila—did; jagannAtha—the fifth son of
Upendra Mizra.
TRANSLATION
Upendra Mizra had seven sons, who were all saintly and most influential: (1)
KaàsAri, (2) ParamAnanda, (3) PadmanAbha, (4) Sarvezvara, (5) JagannAtha,
(6) JanArdana and (7) TrailokyanAtha. JagannAtha Mizra, the fifth son, decided
to reside on the bank of the Ganges at Nadia.
Adi 13.59
TEXT 59
jagannAtha mizravara——padavI ‘purandara’
nanda-vasudeva-rUpa sadguNa-sAgara

jagannAtha mizra-vara—JagannAtha Mizra, who was the chief among the
seven; padavI—designation; purandara—another name of Vasudeva;
nanda—Nanda, the father of KRSNa; vasudeva—the father of KRSNa; rUpa—
like; sat-guNa—good qualities; sAgara—ocean.
TRANSLATION
JagannAtha Mizra was designated as Purandara. Exactly like Nanda MahArAja
and Vasudeva, he was an ocean of all good qualities.
Adi 13.60
TEXT 60
tA~Nra patnI ‘zacI’-nAma, pativratA satI
yA~Nra pitA ‘nIlAmbara’ nAma cakravartI

tA~Nra patnI—his wife; zacI—zacI; nAma—named; pati-vratA—devoted to her
husband; satI—chaste; yA~Nra—whose; pitA—father; nIlAmbara—NIlAmbara;
nAma—named; cakravartI—with the title CakravartI.
TRANSLATION
His wife, zrImatI zacIdevI, was a chaste woman highly devoted to her
husband. zacIdevI’s father’s name was NIlAmbara, and his surname was
CakravartI.
PURPORT
zrIla BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI ThAkura writes in his AnubhASya, “In the
Gaura-gaNoddeza-dIpikA (104) it is mentioned that NIlAmbara CakravartI was
formerly Garga Muni. Some of the family descendants of NIlAmbara
CakravartI still live in the village of the name MagòobA, in the district of
Faridpur, in Bangladesh. His nephew was JagannAtha CakravartI, also known
as MAmu ThAkura, who became a disciple of PaNòita GosvAmI and stayed at
JagannAtha PurI as the priest of ToTA-gopInAtha. NIlAmbara CakravartI lived at
NavadvIpa, in the neighborhood of BelapukuriyA. This fact is mentioned in the
book Prema-vilAsa. Because he lived near the house of the Kazi, the Kazi was
also considered one of the maternal uncles of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu. The
Kazi used to address NIlAmbara CakravartI as kAkA, or ‘uncle.’ One cannot
separate the residence of the Kazi from VAmanapukura because the tomb of
the Kazi is still existing there. Formerly the place was known as BelapukuriyA,
and now it is called VAmanapukura. This has been ascertained by
archeological evidence.”
Adi 13.61
TEXT 61
rAòhadeze janmilA ThAkura nityAnanda
ga~NgAdAsa paNòita, gupta murAri, mukunda

rAòha-deze—the place where there is no Ganges; janmilA—took birth;
ThAkura nityAnanda—NityAnanda Prabhu; ga~NgAdAsa paNòita—Ga~NgAdAsa
PaNòita; gupta murAri—MurAri Gupta; mukunda—Mukunda.
TRANSLATION
In RAòhadeza, the part of Bengal where the Ganges is not visible, NityAnanda
Prabhu, Ga~NgAdAsa PaNòita, MurAri Gupta and Mukunda took birth.
PURPORT
Here rAòha-deze refers to the village of the name EkacakrA, in the district of
Birbhum, next to Burdwan. After the Burdwan railway station there is another
branch line, which is called the Loop Line of the eastern railway, and there is a
railway station of the name MallArapura. Eight miles east of this railway
station, EkacakrA village is still situated. EkacakrA village extends north and
south for an area of about eight miles. Other villages, namely VIracandra-pura
and VIrabhadra-pura, are situated within the area of the village of EkacakrA. In
honor of the holy name of VIrabhadra GosvAmI, these places are renowned as
VIracandra-pura and VIrabhadra-pura.
In the Bengali year 1331 (A.D. 1924) a thunderbolt struck the temple of
EkacakrA-grAma. Therefore the temple is now in a broken state. Before this,
there were no such accidents in that quarter. Within the temple there is a
Deity of zrI KRSNa established by zrI NityAnanda Prabhu. The name of the
Deity is Ba~Nkima RAya or BA~NkA RAya.
On Ba~Nkima RAya’s right side is a deity of JAhnavA, and on His left side is
zrImatI RAdhArANI. The priests of the temple describe that Lord NityAnanda
Prabhu entered within the body of Ba~Nkima RAya and that the deity of
JAhnavA-mAtA was therefore later placed on the right side of Ba~Nkima RAya.
Afterwards, many other Deities were installed within the temple. On another
throne within the temple are Deities of MuralIdhara and RAdhA-MAdhava. On
another throne are Deities of Manomohana, VRndAvana-candra and Gaura-
NitAi. But Ba~Nkima RAya is the Deity originally installed by NityAnanda Prabhu.
On the eastern side of the temple is a ghATa known as Kadamba-khaNòI on
the bank of a river called the YamunA, and it is said that the Deity of Ba~Nkima
RAya was floating in the water and Lord NityAnanda Prabhu picked Him up
and then installed Him in the temple. Thereafter, in a place known as
BhaòòApura, in the village of VIracandra-pura, about half a mile west, in a
place underneath a nima tree, zrImatI RAdhArANI was found. For this reason,
the RAdhArANI of Ba~Nkima RAya was known as BhaòòApurera ThAkurANI, the
mistress of BhaòòApura. On another throne, on the right side of Ba~Nkima
RAya, is a Deity of YogamAyA.
Now the temple and temple corridor rest on a high plinth, and on a concrete
structure in front of the temple is a kIrtana hall. It is also said that on the
northern side of the temple there was a Deity of Lord ziva named BhANòIzvara
and that the father of NityAnanda Prabhu, HAòAi PaNòita, used to worship that
Deity. At present, however, the BhANòIzvara Deity is missing, and in his place
a JagannAtha SvAmI Deity has been installed. Lord NityAnanda Prabhu did not
factually construct any temples. The temple was constructed at the time of
VIrabhadra Prabhu. In the Bengali year 1298 (A.D. 1891), a brahmacArI of the
name zivAnanda SvAmI repaired the temple, for it had become dilapidated.
In this temple there is an arrangement to offer food to the Deity on the basis
of seventeen seers (about thirty-four pounds) of rice and necessary
vegetables. The present priestly order of the temple belongs to the family of
GopIjana-vallabhAnanda, one of the branches of NityAnanda Prabhu. There is a
land settlement in the name of the temple, and income from this land finances
the expenditures for the temple. There are three parties of priestly gosvAmIs
who take charge of the temple management, one after another. A few steps
from the temple is a place known as VizrAmatalA, where it is said that
NityAnanda Prabhu in His childhood used to enjoy sporting with His
boyfriends by enacting the rAsa-lIlA and various other pastimes of VRndAvana.
Near the temple is a place named AmalItalA (Imlitala), which is so named
because of a big tamarind tree there. According to a party named the
NeòAdi-sampradAya, VIrabhadra Prabhu, with the assistance of twelve
hundred NeòAs (Buddhist monks), dug a great lake of the name zvetaga~NgA.
Outside of the temple are tombs of the GosvAmIs, and there is a small river
known as the Mauòezvara, which is called the water of YamunA. Within half a
mile from this small river is the birthplace of zrI NityAnanda Prabhu. It appears
that there was a big kI rtana hall in front of the temple, but later it became
dilapidated. It is now covered by banyan trees. Later on, a temple was
constructed within which Gaura-NityAnanda Deities are existing. The temple
was constructed by the late PrasannakumAra KArapharmA. A tablet was
installed in his memory in the Bengali year 1323 (A.D. 1916), in the month of
VaizAkha (April–May).
The place where NityAnanda Prabhu appeared is called GarbhavAsa. There is
an allotment of about forty-three bighAs (fourteen acres) of land to continue
the worship in a temple there. The MahArAja of DinAjapura donated twenty
bighAs of land (about six and a half acres) in this connection. It is said that
near the place known as GarbhavAsa, HAòAi PaNòita conducted a primary
school. The priests of this place, listed in a genealogical table, were as follows:
(1) zrI RAghavacandra, (2) JagadAnanda dAsa, (3) KRSNadAsa, (4) NityAnanda
dAsa, (5) RAmadAsa, (6) Vrajamohana dAsa, (7) KAnAi dAsa, (8) GauradAsa, (9)
zivAnanda dAsa and (10) HaridAsa. KRSNadAsa belonged to the CiòiyA-ku~nja at
VRndAvana. The date of his disappearance is KRSNa-janmASTamI. CiòiyA-ku~nja is
a place now managed by the gosvAmIs of zR~NgAra-ghATa in VRndAvana. They
are also known as belonging to the NityAnanda family, most probably on the
basis of their relationship with KRSNadAsa.
Near GarbhavAsa is a place called BakulatalA, where zrI NityAnanda Prabhu
and His boyfriends used to take part in sporting activities known as jhAla-
jhapeTA. There is a bakula tree there that is wonderful because all its branches
and subbranches look like the hoods of serpents. It has been suggested that by
the desire of zrI NityAnanda Prabhu, Anantadeva manifested Himself in that
way. The tree is very old. It is said that formerly it had two trunks, but later
on, when the playmates of NityAnanda Prabhu felt inconvenience in jumping
from the branches of one trunk to those of the other, NityAnanda Prabhu, by
His mercy, merged the two trunks into one.
Another place nearby is named HA~NTugAòA. It is said that Lord NityAnanda
Prabhu brought all the holy places there. Therefore the people in the
surrounding villages go there instead of to the Ganges to take bath. It is
named HA~NTugAòA because zrIla NityAnanda Prabhu used to perform the
dadhi-ciòA festival of distributing chipped rice with yogurt prasAdam there
and He took the prasAdam kneeling down. A sanctified lake in this place is
always full of water throughout the year. A great fair is held there during
GoSThASTamI, and there is another big fair on the birthday of zrI NityAnanda
Prabhu. In the Gaura-gaNoddeza-dIpikA (58–63) it is described that
HalAyudha, Baladeva, VizvarUpa and Sa~NkarSaNa appeared as NityAnanda
AvadhUta.
Adi 13.62
TEXT 62
asa~Nkhya bhaktera karAilA avatAra
zeSe avatIrNa hailA vrajendra-kumAra

asa~Nkhya—unlimited; bhaktera—of devotees; karAilA—made into being;
avatAra—incarnation; zeSe—at last; avatIrNa—descended; hailA—became;
vrajendra-kumAra—Lord KRSNa, the son of Nanda MahArAja.
TRANSLATION
Lord KRSNa, Vrajendra-kumAra, first caused countless devotees to appear, and
at last He appeared Himself.
Adi 13.63
TEXT 63
prabhura AvirbhAva-pUrve yata vaiSNava-gaNa
advaita-AcAryera sthAne karena gamana

prabhura—of the Lord; AvirbhAva—appearance; pUrve—before; yata—all;
vaiSNava-gaNa—devotees; advaita-AcAryera—of Advaita AcArya; sthAne—
place; karena—do; gamana—go.
TRANSLATION
Before the appearance of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu, all the devotees of
NavadvIpa used to gather in the house of Advaita AcArya.
Adi 13.64
TEXT 64
gItA-bhhAgavata kahe AcArya-gosA~ni
j~nAna-karma nindi’ kare bhaktira baòAi

gItA—the Bhagavad-gItA; bhAgavata—zrImad-BhAgavatam; kahe—recites;
AcArya-gosA~ni—Advaita AcArya; j~nAna—the path of philosophical
speculation; karma—fruitive activity; nindi’—decrying; kare—establishes;
bhaktira—of devotional service; baòAi—excellence.
TRANSLATION
In these meetings of the VaiSNavas, Advaita AcArya used to recite the
Bhagavad-gItA and zrImad-BhAgavatam, decrying the paths of philosophical
speculation and fruitive activity and establishing the superexcellence of
devotional service.
Adi 13.65
TEXT 65
sarva-zAstre kahe kRSNa-bhaktira vyAkhyAna
j~nAna, yoga, tapo-dharma nAhi mAne Ana

sarva-zAstre—in all revealed scriptures; kahe—says; kRSNa-bhaktira—of
devotional service to Lord KRSNa; vyAkhyAna—explanation; j~nAna—
philosophical speculation; yoga—mystic haTha-yoga; tapas—austerities;
dharma—religious procedures; nAhi—does not; mAne—accept; Ana—other.
TRANSLATION
In all the revealed scriptures of Vedic culture, devotional service to Lord KRSNa
is explained throughout. Therefore devotees of Lord KRSNa do not recognize
the processes of philosophical speculation, mystic yoga, unnecessary austerity
and so-called religious rituals. They do not accept any process but devotional
service.
PURPORT
Our KRSNa consciousness movement follows this principle. We do not
recognize any method for spiritual realization other than KRSNa consciousness,
devotional service. Sometimes we are criticized by groups following j~nAna,
yoga, tapas or dharma, but fortunately we are unable to make any
compromises with them. We simply stand on the platform of devotional
service and preach the same principles all over the world.
Adi 13.66
TEXT 66
tA~Nra sa~Nge Ananda kare vaiSNavera gaNa
kRSNa-kathA, kRSNa-pUjA, nAma-sa~NkIrtana

tA~Nra sa~Nge—with Him (Advaita AcArya); Ananda—pleasure; kare—takes;
vaiSNavera—of the devotees; gaNa—assembly; kRSNa-kathA—topics of Lord
KRSNa; kRSNa-pUjA—worship of KRSNa; nAma-sa~NkIrtana—chanting of the Hare
KRSNa mahA-mantra.
TRANSLATION
In the house of Advaita AcArya, all the VaiSNavas took pleasure in always
talking of KRSNa, always worshiping KRSNa and always chanting the Hare KRSNa
mahA-mantra.
PURPORT
On these principles only does the KRSNa consciousness movement go on. We
have no business other than to talk of KRSNa, worship KRSNa and chant the
Hare KRSNa mahA-mantra.
Adi 13.67
TEXT 67
kintu sarva-loka dekhi’ kRSNa-bahirmukha
viSaye nimagna loka dekhi’ pAya duHkha

kintu—but; sarva-loka—all people; dekhi’—seeing; kRSNa-bahirmukha—
without KRSNa consciousness; viSaye—material enjoyment; nimagna—
merged; loka—all people; dekhi’—seeing; pAya duHkha—felt pained.
TRANSLATION
But zrI Advaita AcArya Prabhu felt pained to see all the people without KRSNa
consciousness simply merging in material sense enjoyment.
PURPORT
A bona fide devotee of Lord KRSNa is always pained to see the fallen condition
of the whole world. zrIla BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI ThAkura used to say,
“There is no scarcity of anything within this world. The only scarcity is of
KRSNa consciousness.” That is the vision of all pure devotees. Because of this
lack of KRSNa consciousness in human society, people are suffering terribly,
being merged in an ocean of nescience and sense gratification. A devotee
onlooker is very much aggrieved to see such a situation in the world.
Adi 13.68
TEXT 68
lokera nistAra-hetu karena cintana
kemate e saba lokera ha-ibe tAraNa

lokera—of all people; nistAra-hetu—for the matter of deliverance; karena—
does; cintana—contemplation; kemate—how; e—these; saba—all; lokera—
of people in general; ha-ibe—will become; tAraNa—liberation.
TRANSLATION
Seeing the condition of the world, He began to think seriously of how all these
people could be delivered from the clutches of mAyA.
Adi 13.69
TEXT 69
kRSNa avatari’ karena bhaktira vistAra
tabe ta’ sakala lokera ha-ibe nistAra

kRSNa—Lord KRSNa; avatari’—descending; karena—does; bhaktira—of
devotional service; vistAra—expansion; tabe—then; ta’—certainly; sakala—
all; lokera—of the people; ha-ibe—there will be; nistAra—liberation.
TRANSLATION
zrIla Advaita AcArya Prabhu thought, “If KRSNa Himself appears in order to
distribute the cult of devotional service, then only will liberation be possible
for all people.”
PURPORT
Just as a condemned person can be relieved by a special favor of the chief
executive head, the president or king, so the condemned people of this Kali-
yuga can be delivered only by the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself or
a person especially empowered for this purpose. zrIla Advaita AcArya Prabhu
desired that the Supreme Personality of Godhead advent Himself to deliver
the fallen souls of this age.
Adi 13.70
TEXT 70
kRSNa avatArite AcArya pratij~nA kariyA
kRSNa-pUjA kare tulasI-ga~NgAjala diyA

kRSNa—Lord KRSNa; avatArite—to cause His advent; AcArya—Advaita
AcArya; pratij~nA—promise; kariyA—making; kRSNa-pUjA—worship of Lord
KRSNa; kare—does; tulasI—tulasI leaves; ga~NgA-jala diyA—with the water of
the Ganges .
TRANSLATION
With this consideration, Advaita AcArya Prabhu, promising to cause Lord
KRSNa to descend, began to worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead,
KRSNa, with tulasI leaves and water of the Ganges.
PURPORT
TulasI leaves and Ganges water, with, if possible, a little pulp of sandalwood,
is sufficient paraphernalia to worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
The Lord says in the Bhagavad-gItA (9.26):
patraà puSpaà phalaà toyaà yo me bhaktyA prayacchati
tad ahaà bhakty-upahRtam aznAmi prayatAtmanaH
“If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, a fruit or water, I
will accept it.” Following this principle, Advaita Prabhu pleased the Supreme
personality of Godhead with tulasI leaves and water of the Ganges.
Adi 13.71
TEXT 71
kRSNera AhvAna kare saghana hu~NkAra
hu~NkAre AkRSTa hailA vrajendra-kumAra

kRSNera—of Lord KRSNa; AhvAna—invitation; kare—does; saghana—with
great gravity; hu~NkAra—vibration; hu~NkAre—and by such loud cries; AkRSTa—
attracted; hailA—became; vrajendra-kumAra—the son of Vrajendra, Lord
KRSNa.
TRANSLATION
By loud cries He invited KRSNa to appear, and this repeated invitation
attracted Lord KRSNa to descend.
Adi 13.72
TEXT 72
jagannAthamizra-patnI zacIra udare
aSTa kanyA krame haila, janmi’ janmi’ mare

jagannAtha-mizra—JagannAtha Mizra; patnI—his wife; zacIra—of zacImAtA;
udare—within the womb; aSTa—eight; kanyA—daughters; krame—one after
another; haila—appeared; janmi’—after taking birth; janmi’—after taking
birth; mare—all died.
TRANSLATION
Before the birth of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu, eight daughters took birth one
after another from the womb of zacImAtA, the wife of JagannAtha Mizra. But
just after their birth, they all died.
Adi 13.73
TEXT 73
apatya-virahe mizrera duHkhI haila mana
putra lAgi’ ArAdhila viSNura caraNa

apatya—of children; virahe—in separation; mizrera—of JagannAtha Mizra;
duHkhI—unhappy; haila—became; mana—mind; putra—son; lAgi’—for the
matter of; ArAdhila—worshiped; viSNura—of Lord ViSNu; caraNa—lotus feet.
TRANSLATION
JagannAtha Mizra was very unhappy at the death of his children one after
another. Therefore, desiring a son, he worshiped the lotus feet of Lord ViSNu.
Adi 13.74
TEXT 74
tabe putra janamilA ‘vizvarUpa’ nAma
mahA-guNavAn te~Nha——‘baladeva’-dhAma

tabe—thereafter; putra—son; janamilA—took birth; vizvarUpa—VizvarUpa;
nAma—named; mahA-guNavAn—highly qualified; te~Nha—He; baladeva—of
Lord Baladeva; dhAma—incarnation.
TRANSLATION
After this, JagannAtha Mizra got a son of the name VizvarUpa, who was most
powerful and highly qualified because He was an incarnation of Baladeva.
PURPORT
VizvarUpa was the elder brother of Gaurahari, Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu.
When arrangements were being made for the marriage of VizvarUpa, He took
sannyAsa and left home. He took the sannyAsa name of za~NkarAraNya. In 1431
zakAbda Era (A.D. 1509), He disappeared in PANòarapura, in the district of
Sholapur. As an incarnation of Sa~NkarSaNa, He is both the ingredient and
immediate cause of the creation of this material world. He is nondifferent
from zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu, for the aàza and the aàzI, or the part and the
whole, are not different. As an incarnation of Sa~NkarSaNa, VizvarUpa belongs
to the quadruple manifestation of catur-vyUha. In the Gaura-candrodaya it is
said that VizvarUpa, after His so-called demise, remained mixed within zrI
NityAnanda Prabhu.
Adi 13.75
TEXT 75
baladeva-prakAza——parama-vyome ‘sa~NkarSaNa’
te~Nha——vizvera upAdAna-nimitta-kAraNa

baladeva-prakAza—manifestation of Baladeva; parama-vyome—in the
spiritual sky; sa~NkarSaNa—Sa~NkarSaNa; te~Nha—He; vizvera—the cosmic
manifestation; upAdAna—ingredient; nimitta-kAraNa—immediate cause.
TRANSLATION
The expansion of Baladeva known as Sa~NkarSaNa in the spiritual world is the
ingredient and immediate cause of this material cosmic manifestation.
Adi 13.76
TEXT 76
tA~NhA ba-i vizve kichu nAhi dekhi Ara
ataeva ‘vizvarUpa’ nAma ye tA~NhAra

tA~NhA ba-i—except Him; vizve—within this cosmic manifestation; kichu—
something; nAhi—there is none; dekhi—I see; Ara—further; ataeva—
therefore; vizvarUpa—universal form; nAma—name; ye—that; tA~NhAra—His.
TRANSLATION
The gigantic universal form is called the VizvarUpa incarnation of MahA-
sa~NkarSaNa. Thus we do not find anything within this cosmic manifestation
except the Lord Himself.
Adi 13.77
TEXT 77
naitac citraà bhagavati
hy anante jagad-Izvare
otaà protam idaà yasmin
tantuSv a~Nga yathA paTaH

na—not; etat—this; citram—wonderful; bhagavati—in the Supreme
Personality of Godhead; hi—certainly; anante—in the unlimited; jagat-
Izvare—the master of the universe; otam—lengthwise; protam—
breadthwise; idam—this universe; yasmin—in whom; tantuSu—in the
threads; a~Nga—O King; yathA—as much as; paTaH—a cloth.
TRANSLATION
“As the threads in a cloth spread both lengthwise and breadthwise, so the
Supreme Personality of Godhead exists directly and indirectly within
everything we see in this cosmic manifestation. This is not very wonderful for
Him.”
PURPORT
This is a verse from zrImad-BhAgavatam (10.15.35).
Adi 13.78
TEXT 78
ataeva prabhu tA~Nre bale, ‘baòa bhAi’
kRSNa, balarAma dui——caitanya, nitAi

ataeva—therefore; prabhu—Lord Caitanya; tA~Nre—unto VizvarUpa; bale—
says; baòa bhAi—elder brother; kRSNa—Lord KRSNa; balarAma—and Baladeva;
dui—two; caitanya—Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu; nitAi—and Lord
NityAnanda Prabhu.
TRANSLATION
Because MahA-sa~NkarSaNa is the ingredient and efficient cause of the cosmic
manifestation, He is present in every detail of it. Lord Caitanya therefore
called Him His elder brother. The two brothers are known as KRSNa and
BalarAma in the spiritual world, but at the present moment they are Caitanya
and NitAi. Therefore the conclusion is that NityAnanda Prabhu is the original
Sa~NkarSaNa, Baladeva.
Adi 13.79
TEXT 79
putra pA~nA dampati hailA Anandita mana
vizeSe sevana kare govinda-caraNa

putra—son; pA~nA—having gotten; dampati—husband and wife; hailA—
became; Anandita—pleased; mana—mind; vizeSe—specifically; sevana—
service; kare—render; govinda-caraNa—the lotus feet of Lord Govinda.
TRANSLATION
The husband and wife [JagannAtha Mizra and zacImAtA], having gotten
VizvarUpa as their son, were very pleased within their minds. Because of their
pleasure, they specifically began to serve the lotus feet of Govinda.
PURPORT
There is a common saying in India that everyone goes to worship the
Supreme Personality of Godhead when he is in distress, but when a person is
in an opulent position, he forgets God. In the Bhagavad-gItA (7.16) this is
confirmed:
catur-vidhA bhajante mAà janAH sukRtino ’rjuna
Arto jij~nAsur arthArthI j~nAnI ca bharatarSabha
“If backed by pious activities in the past, four kinds of men—namely those
who are distressed, those in need of money, those searching after knowledge
and those who are inquisitive—become interested in devotional service.” The
husband and wife, JagannAtha Mizra and zacImAtA, were very unhappy
because their eight daughters had passed away. Now, when they got
VizvarUpa as their son, certainly they became extremely happy. They knew
that it was by the grace of the Lord that they were endowed with such
happiness and opulence. Therefore instead of forgetting the Lord, they
became more and more adherent in rendering service to the lotus feet of
Govinda. When a common man becomes opulent, he forgets God; but the
more opulent a devotee becomes by the grace of the Lord, the more he
becomes attached to the service of the Lord.
Adi 13.80
TEXT 80
caudda-zata chaya zake zeSa mAgha mAse
jagannAtha-zacIra dehe kRSNera praveze

caudda-zata—1400; chaya—6; zake—in the year of the zaka Era; zeSa—last;
mAgha—MAgha; mAse—in the month; jagannAtha—of JagannAtha Mizra;
zacIra—and of zacIdevI; dehe—in the bodies; kRSNera—of Lord KRSNa;
praveze—by the entrance.
TRANSLATION
In the month of January in the year 1406 of the zaka Era (A.D. 1485), Lord
KRSNa entered the bodies of both JagannAtha Mizra and zacI.
PURPORT
Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu took His birth in the year 1407 zaka Era (A.D.
1486), in the month of PhAlguna. But here we see that He entered the bodies
of His parents in the year 1406, in the month of MAgha. Therefore, the Lord
entered the bodies of His parents thirteen full months before His birth.
Generally a common child remains within the womb of his mother for ten
lunar months, but here we see that the Lord remained within the body of His
mother for thirteen months.
Adi 13.81
TEXT 81
mizra kahe zacI-sthAne,——dekhi Ana rIta
jyotirmaya deha, geha lakSmI-adhiSThita

mizra kahe—JagannAtha Mizra began to speak; zacI-sthAne—in the presence
of zacIdevI-mAtA; dekhi—I see; Ana—extraordinary; rIta—behavior; jyotir-
maya—effulgent; deha—body; geha—home; lakSmI—the goddess of
fortune; adhiSThita—situated.
TRANSLATION
JagannAtha Mizra said to zacImAtA, “I see wonderful things! Your body is
effulgent, and it appears as if the goddess of fortune were now staying
personally in my home.
Adi 13.82
TEXT 82
yAhA~N tAhA~N sarva-loka karaye sammAna
ghare pAThAiyA deya dhana, vastra, dhAna

yAhA~N—wherever; tAhA~N—anywhere; sarva-loka—all people; karaye—show;
sammAna—respect; ghare—at home; pAThAiyA—sending; deya—give;
dhana—riches; vastra—cloth; dhAna—paddy.
TRANSLATION
“Anywhere and everywhere I go, all people offer me respect. Even without
my asking, they voluntarily give me riches, clothing and paddy.”
PURPORT
A brAhmaNa does not become anyone’s servant. To render service to
someone else is the business of the zUdras. A brAhmaNa is always independent
because he is a teacher, spiritual master and advisor to society. The members
of society provide him with all the necessities of life. In the Bhagavad-gItA the
Lord says He has divided society into four divisions—brAhmaNa, kSatriya,
vaizya and zUdra. A society cannot run smoothly without this scientific
division. A brAhmaNa should give good advice to all the members of society,
a kSatriya should look after the administration, maintaining law and order in
society, vaizyas should produce and trade to meet all the needs of society,
whereas zUdras should render service to the higher sections of society (the
brAhmaNas, kSatriyas and vaizyas).
JagannAtha Mizra was a brAhmaNa; therefore people would send him all bodily
necessities—money, cloth, grain and so on. While Lord Caitanya was in the
womb of zacImAtA, JagannAtha Mizra received all these necessities of life
without asking for them. Because of the presence of the Lord in his family,
everyone offered him due respect as a brAhmaNa. In other words, if a
brAhmaNa or VaiSNava sticks to his position as an eternal servant of the Lord
and executes the will of the Lord, there is no question of scarcity for his
personal maintenance or the needs of his family.
Adi 13.83
TEXT 83
zacI kahe,——mu~ni dekho~N AkAza-upare
divya-mUrti loka saba yena stuti kare

zacI kahe—mother zacIdevI replied; mu~ni—I; dekho~N—see; AkAza-upare—in
outer space; divya-mUrti—brilliant forms; loka—people; saba—all; yena—as
if; stuti—prayers; kare—offering.
TRANSLATION
zacImAtA told her husband, “I see wonderfully brilliant human beings
appearing in outer space, as if offering prayers.”
PURPORT
JagannAtha Mizra was honored by everyone on the earth and was supplied
with all necessities. Similarly, mother zacI saw many demigods in outer space
offering prayers to her because of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu’s presence in
her womb.
Adi 13.84
TEXT 84
jagannAtha mizra kahe,——svapna ye dekhila
jyotirmaya-dhAma mora hRdaye pazila

jagannAtha mizra kahe—JagannAtha Mizra replied; svapna—dream; ye—that;
dekhila—I have seen; jyotir-maya—with a brilliant effulgence; dhAma—
abode; mora—my; hRdaye—in the heart; pazila—entered.
TRANSLATION
JagannAtha Mizra then replied, “In a dream I saw the effulgent abode of the
Lord enter my heart.
Adi 13.85
TEXT 85
AmAra hRdaya haite gelA tomAra hRdaye
hena bujhi, janmibena kona mahAzaye

AmAra hRdaya haite—from my heart; gelA—transferred; tomAra hRdaye—into
your heart; hena—like this; bujhi—I understand; janmibena—will take birth;
kona—some; mahAzaye—very great personality.
TRANSLATION
“From my heart it entered your heart. I therefore understand that a great
personality will soon take birth.”
Adi 13.86
TEXT 86
eta bali’ du~Nhe rahe haraSita ha~nA
zAlagrAma sevA kare vizeSa kariyA

eta bali’—after this conversation; du~Nhe—both of them; rahe—remained;
haraSita—jubilant; ha~nA—becoming; zAlagrAma—zAlagrAma-nArAyaNa-zilA;
sevA—service; kare—rendered; vizeSa—with special attention; kariyA—
giving it.
TRANSLATION
After this conversation, both husband and wife were very jubilant, and
together they rendered service to the household zAlagrAma-zilA.
PURPORT
Especially in every brAhmaNa’s house there must be a zAlagrAma-zilA to be
worshiped by the brAhmaNa family. This system is still current. People who are
brAhmaNas by caste, who are born in a brAhmaNa family, must worship the
zAlagrAma-zilA. Unfortunately, with the progress of Kali-yuga, the so-called
brAhmaNas, although very proud of taking birth in brAhmaNa families, no
longer worship the zAlagrAma-zilA. But actually it has been a custom since
time immemorial that a person born in a brAhmaNa family must worship the
zAlagrAma-zilA in all circumstances. In our KRSNa consciousness society, some
of the members are very anxious to introduce worship of the zAlagrAma-zilA,
but we have purposely refrained from introducing it because most of the
members of the KRSNa consciousness movement do not originally come from
families of the brAhmaNa caste. After some time, when we find that they are
actually situated strictly in the line of brahminical behavior, zAlagrAma-zilA
worship will be introduced.
In this age, the worship of the zAlagrAma-zilA is not as important as the
chanting of the holy name of the Lord. That is the injunction of the zAstra:
harer nAma harer nAma harer nAmaiva kevalaà/ kalau nAsty eva nAsty eva
nAsty eva gatir anyathA [Adi 17.21]. zrIla JIva GosvAmI’s opinion is that by
chanting the holy name offenselessly one becomes completely perfect.
Nevertheless, just to purify the situation of the mind, worship of the Deity in
the temple is also necessary. Therefore when one is advanced in spiritual
consciousness or is perfectly situated on a spiritual platform, he may take to
the worship of the zAlagrAma-zilA.
The transference of the Lord from the heart of JagannAtha Mizra to the heart
of zacImAtA is explained by zrIla BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI ThAkura as follows:
“It is to be concluded that JagannAtha Mizra and zacImAtA are nitya-siddhas,
ever-pure associates of the Lord. Their hearts are always uncontaminated, and
therefore they never forget the Supreme Personality of Godhead. A common
man in this material world has a contaminated heart. He must therefore first
purify his heart to come to the transcendental position. But JagannAtha Mizra
and zacImAtA were not a common man and woman with contaminated
hearts. When the heart is uncontaminated, it is said to be in the existential
position of Vasudeva. Vasudeva can beget VAsudeva, or KRSNa, who is
transcendentally situated.”
It is to be understood that zacIdevI did not become pregnant as an ordinary
woman becomes pregnant because of sense indulgence. One should not think
the pregnancy of zacImAtA to be that of an ordinary woman, because that is
an offense. One can understand the pregnancy of zacImAtA when one is
actually advanced in spiritual consciousness and fully engaged in the
devotional service of the Lord.
In zrImad-BhAgavatam (10.2.16) it is stated:
bhagavAn api vizvAtmA bhaktAnAm abhaya~N-karaH
AvivezAàza-bhAgena mana AnakadundubheH
This is a statement regarding the birth of Lord KRSNa. The incarnation of the
Lord entered the mind of Vasudeva and was then transferred to the mind of
DevakI. zrIla zrIdhara SvAmI gives the following annotation in this connection:
‘mana Aviveza’ manasy AvirbabhUva; jIvAnAm iva na dhAtu-sambandha ity
arthaH. There was no question of the seminal discharge necessary for the birth
of an ordinary human being. zrIla RUpa GosvAmI also comments in this
connection that Lord KRSNa first appeared in the mind of Anakadundubhi,
Vasudeva, and was then transferred to the mind of DevakI-devI. Thus the
spiritual bliss in the mind of DevakI-devI gradually increased, just as the moon
increases every night until it becomes a full moon. At the time of His
appearance, Lord KRSNa came out of the mind of DevakI and appeared within
the prison house of Kaàsa, by the side of DevakI’s bed. At that time, by the
spell of yogamAyA, DevakI thought that her child had now been born. In this
connection, even the demigods from the celestial kingdom were also
bewildered. As it is stated, muhyanti yat sUrayaH (BhAg. 1.1.1). They came to
offer their prayers to DevakI, thinking that the Supreme Lord was within her
womb. The demigods came to MathurA from their celestial kingdom. This
indicates that MathurA is still more important than the celestial kingdom of
the upper planetary system.
Lord KRSNa, as the eternal son of YazodAmayI, is always present in VRndAvana.
The pastimes of Lord KRSNa are continuously going on within both this
material world and the spiritual world. In such pastimes, the Lord always
thinks Himself the eternal son of mother YazodA and father Nanda MahArAja.
In the Tenth Canto of zrImad-BhAgavatam, Chapter Six, verse 43, it is stated,
“When magnanimous, broad-hearted Nanda MahArAja came back from a tour,
he immediately took his son KRSNa on his lap and experienced transcendental
bliss by smelling His head.” Similarly, in the Tenth Canto, Ninth Chapter, verse
21, it is said, “This Personality of Godhead, appearing as the son of a cowherd
damsel, is easily available and understandable to devotees, whereas those
who are under the concept of bodily life, even though they are very much
advanced in austerity and penance, or even though they are great
philosophers, are unable to understand Him.”
zrIla BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI ThAkura next quotes zrIpAda Baladeva
VidyAbhUSaNa, who refers to the prayers offered by the demigods to Lord
KRSNa in the womb of DevakI and summarizes the birth of KRSNa as follows:
“As the rising moon manifests light in the east, so DevakI, who was always
situated on the transcendental platform, having been initiated in the KRSNa
mantra by Vasudeva, the son of zUrasena, kept KRSNa within her heart.” From
this statement of zrImad-BhAgavatam (10.2.18) it is understood that the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, having been transferred from the heart of
Anakadundubhi, or Vasudeva, manifested Himself in the heart of DevakI.
According to zrIla Baladeva VidyAbhUSaNa, “the heart of DevakI” means the
womb of DevakI because in zrImad-BhAgavatam 10.2.41 the demigods say,
diSTyAmba te kukSi-gataH paraH pumAn: “Mother DevakI, the Lord is already
within your womb.” Therefore, that the Lord was transferred from the heart of
Vasudeva to the heart of DevakI means that He was transferred to the womb
of DevakI.
Similarly, in regard to the appearance of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu as
described in the Caitanya-caritAmRta, the words vizeSe sevana kare govinda-
caraNa, “they specifically began to worship the lotus feet of Govinda,”
indicate that exactly as KRSNa appeared in the heart of DevakI through the
heart of Vasudeva, so Lord Caitanya appeared in the heart of zacIdevI
through the heart of JagannAtha Mizra. This is the mystery of the appearance
of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu. Consequently, one should not think of Lord
Caitanya’s appearance as that of a common man or living entity. This subject
matter is a little difficult to understand, but for devotees of the Lord it will not
at all be difficult to realize the statements given by KRSNadAsa KavirAja
GosvAmI.
Adi 13.87
TEXT 87
haite haite haila garbha trayodaza mAsa
tathApi bhUmiSTha nahe,——mizrera haila trAsa

haite haite—thus becoming; haila—it so became; garbha—pregnancy;
trayodaza—thirteenth; mAsa—month; tathApi—still; bhUmiSTha—delivery;
nahe—there was no sign; mizrera—of JagannAtha Mizra; haila—became;
trAsa—apprehension.
TRANSLATION
In this way the pregnancy approached its thirteenth month, but still there was
no sign of the delivery of the child. Thus JagannAtha Mizra became greatly
apprehensive.
Adi 13.88
TEXT 88
nIlAmbara cakravartI kahila gaNiyA
ei mAse putra habe zubha-kSaNa pA~nA

nIlAmbara cakravartI—NIlAmbara CakravartI; kahila—said; gaNiyA—by
astrological calculation; ei mAse—in this month; putra—son; habe—will take
birth; zubha-kSaNa—auspicious moment; pA~nA—taking advantage of.
TRANSLATION
NIlAmbara CakravartI [the grandfather of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu] then did
an astrological calculation and said that in that very month, taking advantage
of an auspicious moment, the child would take birth.
Adi 13.89
TEXT 89
caudda-zata sAta-zake mAsa ye phAlguna
paurNamAsIra sandhyA-kAle haile zubha-kSaNa

caudda-zata sAta-zake—in 1407 of the zaka Era (A.D. 1486); mAsa—month;
ye—which; phAlguna—PhAlguna; paurNamAsIra—of the full-moon day;
sandhyA-kAle—in the evening; haile—there was; zubha-kSaNa—an auspicious
moment.
TRANSLATION
Thus in the year 1407 of the zaka Era [A.D. 1486], in the month of PhAlguna
[February–March], in the evening of the full-moon day, the desired auspicious
moment arrived.
PURPORT
zrIla Bhaktivinoda ThAkura, in his AmRta-pravAha-bhASya, has presented the
horoscope of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu as follows:
The line of numbers labeled zaka defines the time of zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu’s appearance. One thousand four hundred seven years of the
zaka era had passed: it was the 1408th year. Ten months of that year had
passed: it was the eleventh month (PhAlguna). Twenty-two days of PhAlguna
had passed: it was the 23rd day. Twenty-eight ghaTIs (11 hours, 12 minutes)
and 45 palas (18 minutes) had passed since sunrise: it was just after sunset.
The square of numbers gives further astrological information concerning the
time of the Lord’s birth.zaka 1407/10/22/28/45
dinam
7 11 8
15 54 38
40 37 40
13 6 23
The explanation of the horoscope given by Bhaktivinoda ThAkura is that at the
time of the birth of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu the planets were situated as
follows: zukra (Venus) was in MeSa-rAzi (Aries) and the nakSatra (lunar
mansion) of AzvinI; Ketu (the ninth planet) was in Siàha-rAzi (Leo) and
UttaraphalgunI; Candra (the moon) was in PUrvaphalgunI (the eleventh lunar
mansion); zani (Saturn) was in VRzcika-rAzi (Scorpio) and JyeSthA; BRhaspati
(Jupiter) was in Dhanu-rAzi (Sagittarius) and PUrvASAòhA; Ma~Ngala (Mars) was
in Makara-rAzi (Capricorn) and zravaNA; Ravi (the sun) was in Kumbha-rAzi
(Aquarius) and PUrvabhAdrapAda; RAhu was in PUrvabhAdrapAda; and Budha
(Mercury) was in MIna-rAzi (Pisces) and UttarabhAdrapAda. The lagna was
Siàha.
Adi 13.90
TEXT 90
siàha-rAzi, siàha-lagna, ucca graha-gaNa
Saò-varga, aSTa-varga, sarva sulakSaNa

siàha—the lion; rAzi—sign of the zodiac; siàha—the lion; lagna—birth
moment; ucca—high; graha-gaNa—all planets; SaT-varga—six divisions;
aSTa-varga—eight divisions; sarva—all; su-lakSaNa—symptoms of
auspiciousness.
TRANSLATION
[According to the Jyotir-veda, or Vedic astrology, the auspicious birth
moment is described as follows:] The moon was in Leo [the figure of the lion
in the zodiac], Leo was the ascendant, several planets were strongly
positioned, and the Saò-varga and aSTa-varga showed all-auspicious
influences.
PURPORT
zrIla BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI ThAkura, who was previously a great
astrologer, explains this verse as follows: The Saò-varga (six divisions) are
technically called kSetra, horA, drekkANa, navAàza, dvAdazAàza and
triàzAàza. According to Jyotir-vedic astrology, when the relationship
between the planets and the rulers of these six divisions is determined, the
auspiciousness of the moment of birth can be calculated. In the book named
BRhaj-jAtaka and other books there are directions for interpreting the
movements of the stars and planets. One who knows the process of
calculating the aSTa-varga (eight divisions) can predict auspicious and
inauspicious events. This science is known especially by persons who are
called horA-zAstra-vit, or those who know the astrological scriptures. On the
strength of astrological calculations from the horA scriptures, NIlAmbara
CakravartI, the grandfather of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu, had ascertained the
auspicious moment when the Lord would appear.
Adi 13.91
TEXT 91
a-kala~Nka gauracandra dilA darazana
sa-kala~Nka candre Ara kon prayojana

a-kala~Nka—without contamination; gauracandra—the moon of Lord Caitanya
MahAprabhu; dilA—gave; darazana—audience; sa-kala~Nka—with
contamination; candre—for a moon; Ara—also; kon—what; prayojana—
necessity.
TRANSLATION
When the spotless moon of Caitanya MahAprabhu became visible, what
would be the need for a moon full of black marks on its body?
Adi 13.92
TEXT 92
eta jAni’ rAhu kaila candrera grahaNa
‘kRSNa’ ‘kRSNa’ ‘hari’ nAme bhAse tri-bhuvana

eta jAni’—knowing all this; rAhu—the zodiac figure RAhu; kaila—attempted;
candrera—of the moon; grahaNa—eclipse; kRSNa kRSNa—the holy name of
KRSNa; hari—the holy name of Hari; nAme—the names; bhAse—inundated;
tri-bhuvana—the three worlds.
TRANSLATION
Considering this, RAhu, the black planet, covered the full moon, and
immediately vibrations of “KRSNa! KRSNa! Hari!” inundated the three worlds.
PURPORT
According to the Jyotir-veda, a lunar eclipse takes place when the RAhu planet
comes in front of the full moon. It is customary in India that all the followers
of the Vedic scriptures bathe in the Ganges or the sea as soon as there is a
lunar or solar eclipse. All strict followers of the Vedic religion stand up in the
water throughout the whole period of the eclipse and chant the Hare KRSNa
mahA-mantra. At the time of the birth of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu, such a
lunar eclipse took place, and naturally all the people standing in the water
were chanting Hare KRSNa, Hare KRSNa, KRSNa KRSNa, Hare Hare/ Hare RAma,
Hare RAma, RAma RAma, Hare Hare.
Adi 13.93
TEXT 93
jaya jaya dhvani haila sakala bhuvana
camatkAra haiyA loka bhAve mane mana

jaya jaya—all glories; dhvani—vibration; haila—there was; sakala—all;
bhuvana—worlds; camatkAra—wonderful; haiyA—becoming; loka—all the
people; bhAve—state; mane mana—within their minds.
TRANSLATION
All people thus chanted the Hare KRSNa mahA-mantra during the lunar eclipse,
and their minds were struck with wonder.
Adi 13.94
TEXT 94
jagat bhariyA loka bale——‘hari’ ‘hari’
sei-kSaNe gaurakRSNa bhUme avatari

jagat—the whole world; bhariyA—fulfilling; loka—people; bale—said; hari
hari—the holy name of the Lord; sei-kSaNe—at that time; gaurakRSNa—Lord
KRSNa in the form of Gaurahari; bhUme—on the earth; avatari—advented.
TRANSLATION
When the whole world was thus chanting the holy name of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, KRSNa in the form of Gaurahari advented Himself on
the earth.
Adi 13.95
TEXT 95
prasanna ha-ila saba jagatera mana
‘hari’ bali’ hinduke hAsya karaye yavana

prasanna—joyful; ha-ila—became; saba—all; jagatera—of the whole world;
mana—the mind; hari—the holy name of the Lord; bali’—saying; hinduke—
unto the Hindus; hAsya—laughing; karaye—do so; yavana—the Muslims.
TRANSLATION
The whole world was pleased. While the Hindus chanted the holy name of the
Lord, the non-Hindus, especially the Muslims, jokingly imitated the words.
PURPORT
Although Muslims, or non-Hindus, have no interest in chanting the holy name
of the Lord, the Hare KRSNa mahA-mantra, the Muslims in NavadvIpa imitated
the Hindus as they chanted during the lunar eclipse. Thus the Hindus and
Muslims joined together in chanting the holy name of the Lord when zrI
Caitanya MahAprabhu advented Himself.
Adi 13.96
TEXT 96
‘hari’ bali’ nArIgaNa dei hulAhuli
svarge vAdya-nRtya kare deva kutUhalI

hari bali’—by saying the word Hari; nArI-gaNa—all the ladies; dei—chanting;
hulAhuli—the sound of hulAhuli; svarge—in the heavenly planets; vAdya-
nRtya—music and dance; kare—do; deva—demigods; kutUhalI—curious.
TRANSLATION
While all the ladies vibrated the holy name of Hari on earth, in the heavenly
planets dancing and music were going on, for the demigods were very
curious.
Adi 13.97
TEXT 97
prasanna haila daza dik, prasanna nadIjala
sthAvara-ja~Ngama haila Anande vihvala

prasanna—jubilant; haila—became; daza—ten; dik—directions; prasanna—
satisfied; nadI-jala—the water of the rivers; sthAvara—immovable;
ja~Ngama—movable; haila—became; Anande—in joy; vihvala—
overwhelmed.
TRANSLATION
In this atmosphere, all the ten directions became jubilant, as did the waves of
the rivers. Moreover, all beings, moving and nonmoving, were overwhelmed
with transcendental bliss.
Adi 13.98
TEXT 98
nadIyA-udayagiri, pUrNacandra gaurahari,
kRpA kari’ ha-ila udaya
pApa-tamaH haila nAza, tri-jagatera ullAsa,
jagabhari’ hari-dhvani haya

nadIyA—the place known as Nadia; udayagiri—is the appearing place; pUrNa-
candra—the full moon; gaurahari—Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu; kRpA—by
mercy; kari’—doing so; ha-ila—became; udaya—risen; pApa—sinful;
tamaH—darkness; haila—became; nAza—dissipated; tri-jagatera—of the
three worlds; ullAsa—happiness; jaga-bhari’—filling the whole world; hari-
dhvani—the transcendental vibration of Hari; haya—resounded.
TRANSLATION
Thus by His causeless mercy the full moon, Gaurahari, rose in the district of
Nadia, which is compared to Udayagiri, where the sun first becomes visible.
His rising in the sky dissipated the darkness of sinful life, and thus the three
worlds became joyful and chanted the holy name of the Lord.
Adi 13.99
TEXT 99
sei-kAle nijAlaya, uThiyA advaita rAya,
nRtya kare Anandita-mane
haridAse la~nA sa~Nge, hu~NkAra-kIrtana-ra~Nge
kene nAce, keha nAhi jAne

sei-kAle—at that time; nija-Alaya—in His own house; uThiyA—standing;
advaita—Advaita AcArya; rAya—the rich man; nRtya—dancing; kare—
performs; Anandita—with joyful; mane—mind; haridAse—ThAkura HaridAsa;
la~nA—taking; sa~Nge—with Him; hu~NkAra—loudly; kIrtana—sa~NkIrtana;
ra~Nge—performing; kene—why; nAce—dances; keha nAhi—no one; jAne—
knows.
TRANSLATION
At that time zrI Advaita AcArya Prabhu, in His own house at zAntipura, was
dancing in a pleasing mood. Taking HaridAsa ThAkura with Him, He danced
and loudly chanted Hare KRSNa. But why they were dancing, no one could
understand.
PURPORT
It is understood that Advaita Prabhu, at that time, was in His own paternal
house at zAntipura. HaridAsa ThAkura frequently used to meet Him.
Coincidentally, therefore, he was also there, and upon the birth of zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu both of them immediately began to dance. But no one in
zAntipura could understand why those two saintly persons were dancing.
Adi 13.100
TEXT 100
dekhi’ uparAga hAsi’, zIghra ga~NgA-ghATe Asi’
Anande karila ga~NgA-snAna
pA~nA uparAga-chale, ApanAra mano-bale,
brAhmaNere dila nAnA dAna

dekhi’—seeing; uparAga—the eclipse; hAsi’—laughing; zIghra—very soon;
ga~Nga-ghATe—on the bank of the Ganges; Asi’—coming; Anande—in
jubilation; karila—took; ga~NgA-snAna—bath in the Ganges; pA~nA—taking
advantage of; uparAga-chale—on the event of the lunar eclipse; ApanAra—
His own; manaH-bale—by the strength of mind; brAhmaNere—unto the
brAhmaNas; dila—gave; nAnA—various; dAna—charities.
TRANSLATION
Seeing the lunar eclipse and laughing, Advaita AcArya and HaridAsa ThAkura
immediately went to the bank of the Ganges and bathed in the river in great
jubilation. Taking advantage of the occasion of the lunar eclipse, Advaita
AcArya, by His mental strength, distributed various types of charity to the
brAhmaNas.
PURPORT
It is the custom of Hindus to give in charity to the poor as much as possible
during the time of a lunar or solar eclipse. Advaita AcArya, therefore, taking
advantage of this eclipse, distributed many varieties of charity to the
brAhmaNas. In zrImad-BhAgavatam (10.3.11) there is a statement that when
KRSNa took His birth, Vasudeva immediately took advantage of this moment
and distributed ten thousand cows to the brAhmaNas. It is customary among
Hindus that at the time a child is born, especially a male child, the parents
distribute great charity in jubilation. Advaita AcArya was actually interested in
distributing charity because of Lord Caitanya’s birth at the time of the lunar
eclipse. People could not understand, however, why Advaita AcArya was
giving such a great variety of things in charity. He did so not because of the
lunar eclipse but because of the Lord’s taking birth at that moment. He
distributed charity exactly as Vasudeva did at the time of Lord KRSNa’s
appearance.
Adi 13.101
TEXT 101
jagat Anandamaya, dekhi’ mane sa-vismaya,
ThAreThore kahe haridAsa
tomAra aichana ra~Nga, mora mana parasanna,
dekhi——kichu kArye Ache bhAsa

jagat—the whole world; Ananda-maya—full of pleasure; dekhi’—seeing;
mane—within the mind; sa-vismaya—with amazement; ThAreThore—by
direct and indirect indications; kahe—says; haridAsa—HaridAsa ThAkura;
tomAra—Your; aichana—that kind of; ra~Nga—performance; mora—my;
mana—mind; parasanna—very pleased; dekhi—I can understand; kichu—
something; kArye—in work; Ache—there is; bhAsa—indication.
TRANSLATION
When he saw that the whole world was jubilant, HaridAsa ThAkura, his mind
astonished, directly and indirectly expressed himself to Advaita AcArya: “Your
dancing and distributing charity are very pleasing to me. I can understand
that there is some special purpose in these actions.”
Adi 13.102
TEXT 102
AcAryaratna, zrIvAsa, haila mane sukhollAsa
yAi’ snAna kaila ga~NgA-jale
Anande vihvala mana, kare hari-sa~NkIrtana
nAnA dAna kaila mano-bale

AcAryaratna—AcAryaratna; zrIvAsa—zrIvAsa; haila—became; mane—in the
mind; sukha-ullAsa—happy; yAi’—going; snAna—bathing; kaila—executed;
ga~NgA-jale—in the water of the Ganges; Anande—in jubilation; vihvala—
overwhelmed; mana—mind; kare—does; hari-sa~NkIrtana—performance of
sa~NkIrtana; nAnA—various; dAna—charities; kaila—did; manaH-bale—by the
strength of the mind.
TRANSLATION
AcAryaratna [Candrazekhara] and zrIvAsa ThAkura were overwhelmed with
joy, and immediately they went to the bank of the Ganges to bathe in her
waters. Their minds full of happiness, they chanted the Hare KRSNa mantra and
gave charity by mental strength.
Adi 13.103
TEXT 103
ei mata bhakta-tati, yA~Nra yei deze sthiti,
tAhA~N tAhA~N pA~nA mano-bale
nAce, kare sa~NkIrtana, Anande vihvala mana,
dAna kare grahaNera chale

ei mata—in this way; bhakta-tati—all the devotees there; yA~Nra—whose;
yei—whichever; deze—in the country; sthiti—resident; tAhA~N tAhA~N—there
and there; pA~nA—taking advantage; manaH-bale—by the strength of the
mind; nAce—dance; kare sa~NkIrtana—perform sa~NkIrtana; Anande—in
joyfulness; vihvala—overwhelmed; mana—mind; dAna—in charity; kare—
give; grahaNera—of the lunar eclipse; chale—on the pretense.
TRANSLATION
In this way all the devotees, wherever they were situated, in every city and
every country, danced, performed sa~NkIrtana and gave charity by mental
strength on the plea of the lunar eclipse, their minds overwhelmed with joy.
Adi 13.104
TEXT 104
brAhmaNa-sajjana-nArI, nAnA-dravye thAlI bhari’
AilA sabe yautuka la-iyA
yena kA~NcA-soNA-dyuti, dekhi’ bAlakera mUrti,
AzIrvAda kare sukha pA~nA

brAhmaNa—the respectable brAhmaNas; sat-jana—gentlemen; nArI—ladies;
nAnA—varieties; dravye—with gifts; thAlI—plates; bhari’—filled up; AilA—
came; sabe—all; yautuka—presentations; la-iyA—taking; yena—like;
kA~NcA—raw; soNA—gold; dyuti—glaring; dekhi’—seeing; bAlakera—of the
child; mUrti—form; AzIrvAda—blessings; kare—offered; sukha—happiness;
pA~nA—achieving.
TRANSLATION
All sorts of respectable brAhmaNa gentlemen and ladies, carrying plates filled
with various gifts, came with their presentations. Seeing the newborn child,
whose form resembled natural glaring gold, all of them happily offered their
blessings.
Adi 13.105
TEXT 105
sAvitrI, gaurI, sarasvatI, zacI, rambhA, arundhatI
Ara yata deva-nArIgaNa
nAnA-dravye pAtra bhari’, brAhmaNIra veza dhari’,
Asi’ sabe kare darazana

sAvitrI—the wife of Lord BrahmA; gaurI—the wife of Lord ziva; sarasvatI—
the wife of Lord NRsiàhadeva; zacI—the wife of King Indra; rambhA—a
dancing girl of heaven; arundhatI—the wife of VasiSTha; Ara—and; yata—all;
deva—celestial; nArI-gaNa—women; nAnA—varieties; dravye—with gifts;
pAtra bhari’—filling up the baskets; brAhmaNIra—in the forms of brAhmaNa
ladies; veza dhari’—dressing like that; Asi’—coming there; sabe—all; kare—
do; darazana—visit.
TRANSLATION
Dressing themselves as the wives of brAhmaNas, all the celestial ladies,
including the wives of Lord BrahmA, Lord ziva, Lord NRsiàhadeva, King Indra
and VasiSTha RSi, along with RambhA, a dancing girl of heaven, came there
with varieties of gifts.
PURPORT
When Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu was a newborn baby, He was visited by the
neighboring ladies, most of whom were the wives of respectable brAhmaNas.
In the dress of brAhmaNas’ wives, celestial ladies like the wives of Lord
BrahmA and Lord ziva also came to see the newborn child. Ordinary people
saw them as respectable brAhmaNa ladies of the neighborhood , but actually
they were all celestial ladies dressed in that way.
Adi 13.106
TEXT 106
antarIkSe deva-gaNa, gandharva, siddha, cAraNa,
stuti-nRtya kare vAdya-gIta
nartaka, vAdaka, bhATa, navadvIpe yAra nATa,
sabe Asi’ nAce pA~nA prIta

antarIkSe—in outer space; deva-gaNa—the demigods; gandharva—the
inhabitants of Gandharvaloka; siddha—the inhabitants of Siddhaloka;
cAraNa—the professional singers of the heavenly planets; stuti—prayers;
nRtya—dancing; kare—do; vAdya—music; gIta—song; nartaka—dancers;
vAdaka—professional drummers; bhATa—professional blessers; navadvIpe—
in the city of NavadvIpa; yAra—of whom; nATa—stage; sabe—all of them;
Asi’—coming; nAce—began to dance; pA~nA—achieving; prIta—happiness.
TRANSLATION
In outer space all the demigods, including the inhabitants of Gandharvaloka,
Siddhaloka and CAraNaloka, offered their prayers and danced to the
accompaniment of music, songs and the beating of drums. Similarly, in
NavadvIpa city all the professional dancers, musicians and blessers gathered
together, dancing in great jubilation.
PURPORT
As there are professional singers, dancers and reciters of prayers in the
heavenly planets, so in India still there are professional dancers, blessers and
singers, all of whom assemble together during householder ceremonies,
especially marriages and birth ceremonies. These professional men earn their
livelihood by taking charity on such occasions from the homes of the Hindus.
Eunuchs also take advantage of such ceremonies to receive charity. That is
their means of livelihood. Such men never become servants or engage
themselves in agriculture or business occupations; they simply take charity
from neighborhood friends to maintain themselves peacefully. The bhATas are
a class of brAhmaNas who go to such ceremonies to offer blessings by
composing poems with references to the Vedic scriptures.
Adi 13.107
TEXT 107
kebA Ase kebA yAya, kebA nAce kebA gAya,
sambhAlite nAre kAra bola
khaNòileka duHkha-zoka, pramoda-pUrita loka,
mizra hailA Anande vihvala

kebA—who; Ase—is coming; kebA—who; yAya—is going; kebA—who;
nAce—is dancing; kebA—who; gAya—is singing; sambhAlite—to understand;
nAre—cannot; kAra—others; bola—language; khaNòileka—dissipated;
duHkha—unhappiness; zoka—lamentation; pramoda—jubilation; pUrita—full
of; loka—all people; mizra—JagannAtha Mizra; hailA—became; Anande—in
happiness; vihvala—overwhelmed.
TRANSLATION
No one could understand who was coming and who was going, who was
dancing and who was singing. Nor could they understand one another’s
language. Yet all unhappiness and lamentation were immediately dissipated,
and people became all-jubilant. Thus JagannAtha Mizra was also overwhelmed
with joy.
Adi 13.108
TEXT 108
AcAryaratna, zrIvAsa, jagannAtha-mizra-pAza,
Asi’ tA~Nre kare sAvadhAna
karAila jAtakarma, ye Achila vidhi-dharma,
tabe mizra kare nAnA dAna

AcAryaratna—Candrazekhara AcArya; zrIvAsa—zrIvAsa ThAkura; jagannAtha-
mizra pAza—at the house of JagannAtha Mizra; Asi’—coming; tA~Nre—unto
him; kare—do; sAvadhAna—attention; karAila—executed; jAta-karma—the
auspicious ceremony at the time of birth; ye—whatever; Achila—there was;
vidhi-dharma—regulative principles of religion; tabe—at that time; mizra—
JagannAtha Mizra; kare—does; nAnA—varieties; dAna—charities.
TRANSLATION
Candrazekhara AcArya and zrIvAsa ThAkura both came to JagannAtha Mizra
and drew his attention in various ways. They performed the ritualistic
ceremonies prescribed at the time of birth according to religious principles.
JagannAtha Mizra also gave varieties of charity.
Adi 13.109
TEXT 109
yautuka pAila yata, ghare vA Achila kata,
saba dhana vipre dila dAna
yata nartaka, gAyana, bhATa, aki~ncana jana,
dhana diyA kaila sabAra mAna

yautuka—presentation; pAila—received; yata—as much as; ghare—in the
house; vA—or; Achila—there was; kata—whatever; saba dhana—all riches;
vipre—unto the brAhmaNas; dila—gave; dAna—in charity; yata—all;
nartaka—dancers; gAyana—singers; bhATa—blessers; aki~ncana jana—poor
men; dhana diyA—giving them riches; kaila—did; sabAra—everyone’s;
mAna—honor.
TRANSLATION
Whatever riches JagannAtha Mizra collected in the form of gifts and
presentations, and whatever he had in his house, he distributed among the
brAhmaNas, professional singers, dancers, bhATas and the poor. He honored
them all by giving them riches in charity.
Adi 13.110
TEXT 110
zrIvAsera brAhmaNI, nAma tA~Nra ‘mAlinI’,
AcAryaratnera patnI-sa~Nge
sindUra, haridrA, taila, kha-i, kalA, nArikela,
diyA pUje nArIgaNa ra~Nge

zrIvAsera brAhmaNI—the wife of zrIvAsa ThAkura; nAma—name; tA~Nra—her;
mAlinI—MAlinI; AcAryaratnera—of Candrazekhara (AcAryaratna); patnI—wife;
sa~Nge—along with; sindUra—vermilion; haridrA—turmeric; taila—oil; kha-i—
fused rice; kalA—banana; nArikela—coconut; diyA—giving; pUje—worship;
nArI-gaNa—ladies; ra~Nge—in a happy mood.
TRANSLATION
The wife of zrIvAsa ThAkura, whose name was MAlinI, accompanied by the
wife of Candrazekhara [AcAryaratna] and other ladies, came there in great
happiness to worship the baby with paraphernalia such as vermilion, turmeric,
oil, fused rice, bananas and coconuts.
PURPORT
Vermilion, kha-i (fused rice), bananas, coconuts and turmeric mixed with oil
are all auspicious gifts for such a ceremony. As there is puffed rice, so there is
another preparation of rice called kha-i, or fused rice, which, along with
bananas, is taken as a very auspicious presentation. Also, turmeric mixed with
oil and vermilion makes an auspicious ointment that is smeared over the body
of a newborn baby or a person who is going to marry. These are all auspicious
activities in family affairs. We see that five hundred years ago at the birth of
Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu all these ceremonies were performed rigidly, but
at present such ritualistic performances hardly ever take place. Generally a
pregnant mother is sent to the hospital, and as soon as her child is born he is
washed with an antiseptic, and this concludes everything.
Adi 13.111
TEXT 111
advaita-AcArya-bhAryA, jagat-pUjitA AryA,
nAma tA~Nra ‘sItA ThAkurANI’
AcAryera Aj~nA pA~nA, gela upahAra la~nA,
dekhite bAlaka-ziromaNi

advaita-AcArya-bhAryA—the wife of Advaita AcArya; jagat-pUjitA—
worshiped by the whole world; AryA—the most advanced cultured lady;
nAma—name; tA~Nra—her; sItA ThAkurANI—mother SItA; AcAryera Aj~nA pA~nA—
taking the order of Advaita AcArya; gela—went; upahAra—presentation;
la~nA—taking; dekhite—to see; bAlaka—the child; ziromaNi—topmost.
TRANSLATION
One day shortly after Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu was born, Advaita AcArya’s
wife, SItAdevI, who is worshipable by the whole world, took her husband’s
permission and went to see that topmost child with all kinds of gifts and
presentations
PURPORT
It appears that Advaita AcArya had two different houses, one at zAntipura
and one at NavadvIpa. When Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu was born, Advaita
AcArya was residing not at His NavadvIpa house but at His zAntipura house.
Therefore, as formerly explained (text 99), from Advaita’s old paternal house
(nijAlaya) in zAntipura, SItA came to NavadvIpa to present gifts to the
newborn child, Caitanya MahAprabhu.
Adi 13.112
TEXT 112
suvarNera kaòi-ba-uli, rajatamudrA-pAzuli,
suvarNera a~Ngada, ka~NkaNa
du-bAhute divya za~Nkha, rajatera malaba~Nka,
svarNa-mudrAra nAnA hAragaNa

suvarNera—made of gold; kaòi-ba-uli—bangles worn on the hand; rajata-
mudrA—gold coins; pAzuli—a kind of ornament covering the foot;
suvarNera—made of gold; a~Ngada—a kind of ornament; ka~NkaNa—another
kind of ornament for the hand; du-bAhute—in two arms; divya—celestial;
za~Nkha—conchshell; rajatera—made of gold; malaba~Nka—bangles for the
foot; svarNa-mudrAra—made of gold; nAnA—varieties; hAra-gaNa—
necklaces.
TRANSLATION
She brought different kinds of golden ornaments, including armlets, necklaces,
anklets and bangles for the hands.
Adi 13.113
TEXT 113
vyAghra-nakha hema-jaòi, kaTi-paTTasUtra-òorI
hasta-padera yata AbharaNa
citra-varNa paTTa-sAòI, buni photo paTTapAòI,
svarNa-raupya-mudrA bahu-dhana

vyAghra-nakha—tiger nails; hema-jaòi—set in gold; kaTi-paTTasUtra-òorI—
silken thread for the waist; hasta-padera—of the hands and legs; yata—all
kinds of; AbharaNa—ornaments; citra-varNa—printed with varieties of colors;
paTTa-sAòI—silken saris; buni—woven; photo—small jackets for children;
paTTa-pAòI—with embroidery of silk; svarNa—gold; raupya—silver; mudrA—
coins; bahu-dhana—all kinds of riches.
TRANSLATION
There were also tiger nails set in gold, waist decorations of silk and lace,
ornaments for the hands and legs, nicely printed silken saris, and a child’s
garment, also made of silk. Many other riches, including gold and silver coins,
were also presented to the child.
PURPORT
From the gifts presented by SItA ThAkurANI, Advaita AcArya’s wife, it appears
that Advaita AcArya was at that time a very rich man. Although brAhmaNas
are not the rich men of society, Advaita AcArya, being the leader of the
brAhmaNas in zAntipura, was considerably well-to-do. Therefore He presented
many ornaments to the baby, Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu. But KamalAkAnta
VizvAsa’s asking for three hundred rupees from the King of JagannAtha PurI,
MahArAja PratAparudra, on the plea that Advaita AcArya was in debt for that
amount, indicates that such a rich man, who could present many valuable
ornaments, saris, etc., thought it difficult to repay three hundred rupees.
Therefore the value of a rupee at that time was many thousands of times
what it is now. At present, no one feels difficulty over a debt of three hundred
rupees, nor can an ordinary man accumulate such valuable ornaments to
present to a friend’s son. Probably the value of three hundred rupees at that
time was equal to the present value of thirty thousand rupees.
Adi 13.114
TEXT 114
durvA, dhAnya, gorocana, haridrA, ku~Nkuma, candana,
ma~Ngala-dravya pAtra bhariyA
vastra-gupta dolA caòi’ sa~Nge la~nA dAsI ceòI,
vastrAla~NkAra peTAri bhariyA

durvA—fresh grass; dhAnya—rice paddy; gorocana—a yellow patch for the
head of a cow; haridrA—turmeric; ku~Nkuma—a kind of scent produced in
Kashmir; candana—sandalwood; ma~Ngala-dravya—auspicious things; pAtra
bhariyA—filling up a dish; vastra-gupta—covered by cloth; dolA—palanquin;
caòi’—riding; sa~Nge—along with; la~nA—taking; dAsI—maidservant; ceòI—
female attendants; vastra-ala~NkAra—ornaments and clothes; peTAri—basket;
bhariyA—filled up.
TRANSLATION
Riding in a palanquin covered with cloth and accompanied by maidservants,
SItA ThAkurANI came to the house of JagannAtha Mizra, bringing with her
many auspicious articles such as fresh grass, paddy, gorocana, turmeric,
ku~Nkuma and sandalwood. All these presentations filled a large basket.
PURPORT
The words vastra-gupta dolA are very significant in this verse. Even fifty or
sixty years ago in Calcutta, all respectable ladies would go to a neighboring
place riding on a palanquin carried by four men. The palanquin was covered
with soft cotton, and in that way there was no chance of seeing a respectable
lady traveling in public. Ladies, especially those coming from respectable
families, could not be seen by ordinary men. This system is still current in
remote places. The Sanskrit word asUrya-pazyA indicates that a respectable
lady could not be seen even by the sun. In the oriental culture this system was
very prevalent and was strictly observed by respectable ladies, both Hindu
and Muslim. We have actual experience in our childhood that our mother
would not walk even next door to observe an invitation; rather, she would go
in either a carriage or a palanquin carried by four men. This custom was also
strictly followed five hundred years ago, and the wife of Advaita AcArya,
being a very respectable lady, observed the customary rules current in that
social environment.
Adi 13.115
TEXT 115
bhakSya, bhojya, upahAra, sa~Nge la-ila bahu bhAra,
zacI-gRhe haila upanIta
dekhiyA bAlaka-ThAma, sAkSAt gokula-kAna,
varNa-mAtra dekhi viparIta

bhakSya—foods; bhojya—fried foods; upahAra—presentation; sa~Nge—along
with her; la-ila—took; bahu bhAra—many packages; zacI-gRhe—in the house
of mother zacI; haila—was; upanIta—carried; dekhiyA—seeing; bAlaka-
ThAma—the feature of the child; sAkSAt—directly; gokula-kAna—Lord KRSNa
of Gokula; varNa-mAtra—only the color; dekhi—seeing; viparIta—opposite.
TRANSLATION
When SItA ThAkurANI came to the house of zacIdevI, bringing with her many
kinds of eatables, dresses and other gifts, she was astonished to see the
newborn child, for she appreciated that except for a difference in color, the
child was directly KRSNa of Gokula Himself.
PURPORT
A peTAri is a kind of big basket that is carried in pairs on the ends of a rod
balanced over the shoulders. The man who carries such a load is called a bhArI.
This system of carrying luggage and packages is still current in India and other
oriental countries, and we have seen that the same system is still current even
in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Adi 13.116
TEXT 116
sarva a~Nga——sunirmANa, suvarNa-pratimA-bhAna,
sarva a~Nga——sulakSaNamaya
bAlakera divya jyoti, dekhi’ pAila bahu prIti,
vAtsalyete dravila hRdaya

sarva a~Nga—all different parts of the body; sunirmANa—well constructed;
suvarNa—gold; pratimA—form; bhAna—like; sarva—all; a~Nga—parts of the
body; sulakSaNa-maya—full of auspicious signs; bAlakera—of the child;
divya—transcendental; jyoti—effulgence; dekhi’—seeing; pAila—got;
bahu—much; prIti—satisfaction; vAtsalyete—by parental affection; dravila—
melted; hRdaya—her heart.
TRANSLATION
Seeing the transcendental bodily effulgence of the child, each of His nicely
constructed limbs full of auspicious signs and resembling a form of gold, SItA
ThAkurANI was very pleased, and because of her maternal affection, she felt as
if her heart were melting.
Adi 13.117
TEXT 117
durvA, dhAnya, dila zIrSe, kaila bahu AzISe,
cirajIvI hao dui bhAi
òAkinI-zA~NkhinI haite, za~NkA upajila cite,
òare nAma thuila ‘nimAi’

durvA—fresh grass; dhAnya—paddy; dila—gave; zIrSe—on the head; kaila—
did; bahu—with much; AzISe—blessing; cira-jIvI—live long; hao—become;
dui bhAi—two brothers; òAkinI-zA~NkhinI—ghosts and witches; haite—from;
za~NkA—doubt; upajila—grew; cite—in the heart; òare—out of fear; nAma—
name; thuila—kept; nimAi—Lord Caitanya’s childhood name, derived from
the nima (nimba) tree.
TRANSLATION
She blessed the newborn child by placing fresh grass and paddy on His head
and saying, “May You be blessed with a long duration of life.” But being
afraid of ghosts and witches, she gave the child the name NimAi.
PURPORT
ÒAkinI and zA~NkhinI are two companions of Lord ziva and his wife who are
supposed to be extremely inauspicious, having been born of ghostly life. It is
believed that such inauspicious living creatures cannot go near a nima tree. At
least medically it is accepted that nima wood is extremely antiseptic, and
formerly it was customary to have a nima tree in front of one’s house. On
very large roads in India, especially in Uttar Pradesh, there are hundreds and
thousands of nima trees. Nima wood is so antiseptic that the Ayurvedic
science uses it to cure leprosy. Medical scientists have extracted the active
principle of the nima tree, which is called margosic acid. Nima is used for
many purposes, especially to brush the teeth. In Indian villages ninety percent
of the people use nima twigs for this purpose. Because of all the antiseptic
effects of the nima tree and because Lord Caitanya was born beneath a nima
tree, SItA ThAkurANI gave the Lord the name NimAi. Later in His youth He was
celebrated as NimAi PaNòita, and in the neighborhood villages He was called
by that name, although His real name was Vizvambhara.
Adi 13.118
TEXT 118
putramAtA-snAnadine, dila vastra vibhUSaNe,
putra-saha mizrere sammAni’
zacI-mizrera pUjA la~nA, manete hariSa ha~nA,
ghare AilA sItA ThAkurANI

putra-mAtA—of the mother and child; snAna-dine—on the day of bathing;
dila—gave; vastra—cloth; vibhUSaNe—ornaments; putra-saha—with the
child; mizrere—unto JagannAtha Mizra; sammAni’—congratulating; zacI—
zacIdevI; mizrera—JagannAtha Mizra; pUjA—honor; la~nA—receiving;
manete—within the mind; hariSa—pleased; ha~nA—becoming; ghare—home;
AilA—returned; sItA ThAkurANI—mother SItA, wife of Advaita AcArya.
TRANSLATION
On the day the mother and son bathed and left the maternity home, SItA
ThAkurANI gave them all kinds of ornaments and garments and then also
honored JagannAtha Mizra. Then SItA ThAkurANI, being honored by mother
zacIdevI and JagannAtha Mizra, was greatly happy within her mind, and thus
she returned home.
PURPORT
On the fifth day from the birth of a child, as also on the ninth day, the mother
bathes either in the Ganges or in another sacred place. This is called
niSkrAmaNa, or the ceremony of coming out of the maternity home.
Nowadays the maternity home is a hospital, but formerly in every respectable
house one room was set aside as a maternity home where children would take
birth, and on the ninth day after the birth of a child the mother would come
into the regular rooms in the ceremony called niSkrAmaNa. Of the ten
purificatory processes, niSkrAmaNa is one. Formerly, especially in Bengal, the
higher castes observed four months after the birth of a child as a quarantine.
At the end of the fourth month, the mother could see the sun rise. Later the
higher castes, namely the brAhmaNas, kSatriyas and vaizyas, observed only
twenty-one days as a quarantine, whereas the zUdras had to observe thirty
days. For the sections of society known as kartAbhajA and satImA, the mother
of the child was immediately purified after the quarantine by the throwing of
hari-nuTa, small pieces of sweetmeat, in sa~NkIrtana. zacIdevI and JagannAtha
Mizra, with the newborn child, were honored by SItA ThAkurANI. Similarly,
while SItA ThAkurANI was returning home, she was also honored by zacIdevI
and JagannAtha Mizra. That was the system in respectable families of Bengal.
Adi 13.119
TEXT 119
aiche zacI-jagannAtha, putra pA~nA lakSmInAtha,
pUrNa ha-ila sakala vA~nchita
dhana-dhAnye bhare ghara, lokamAnya kalevara,
dine dine haya Anandita

aiche—in that way; zacI-jagannAtha—mother zacIdevI and JagannAtha Mizra;
putra—son; pA~nA—having obtained; lakSmI-nAtha—personally the husband
of the goddess of fortune; pUrNa—fulfilled; ha-ila—became; sakala—all;
vA~nchita—desires; dhana-dhAnye—with riches and grains; bhare ghara—the
house filled up; loka-mAnya kalevara—the body beloved by the people in
general; dine dine—day after day; haya—becomes; Anandita—pleased.
TRANSLATION
In this way mother zacIdevI and JagannAtha Mizra, having obtained a son
who was the husband of the goddess of fortune, had all their desires fulfilled.
Their house was always filled with riches and grains. As they saw the beloved
body of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu, day after day their pleasure increased.
PURPORT
Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu is the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Therefore everyone offered respects to Him. Even the denizens of heaven
used to come in the dress of ordinary men to offer their respect to the Lord.
His father and mother, JagannAtha Mizra and zacIdevI, seeing the honor of
their transcendental son, also became very pleased within their hearts.
Adi 13.120
TEXT 120
mizra——vaiSNava, zAnta, alampaTa, zuddha, dAnta,
dhana-bhoge nAhi abhimAna
putrera prabhAve yata, dhana Asi’ mile, tata,
viSNu-prIte dvije dena dAna

mizra—JagannAtha Mizra; vaiSNava—a great devotee; zAnta—peaceful;
alampaTa—very regular; zuddha—purified; dAnta—controlled; dhana-
bhoge—in the matter of enjoying material happiness; nAhi—there is no;
abhimAna—desire; putrera—of their son; prabhAve—by the influence;
yata—all; dhana—riches; Asi’—coming; mile—gets; tata—so much so;
viSNu-prIte—for the satisfaction of Lord ViSNu; dvije—to the brAhmaNas;
dena—gives; dAna—charity.
TRANSLATION
JagannAtha Mizra was an ideal VaiSNava. He was peaceful, restrained in sense
gratification, pure and controlled. Therefore he had no desire to enjoy material
opulence. Whatever money came because of the influence of his
transcendental son, he gave it in charity to the brAhmaNas for the satisfaction
of ViSNu.
Adi 13.121
TEXT 121
lagna gaNi’ harSamati, nIlAmbara cakravartI,
gupte kichu kahila mizrere
mahApuruSera cihna, lagne a~Nge bhinna bhinna,
dekhi,——ei tAribe saàsAre

lagna gaNi’—by astrological calculation of the birth moment; harSa-mati—
very pleased; nIlAmbara cakravartI—NIlAmbara CakravartI; gupte—in private;
kichu—something; kahila—said; mizrere—unto JagannAtha Mizra; mahA-
puruSera cihna—all the symptoms of a great personality; lagne—in the birth
moment; a~Nge—on the body; bhinna bhinna—different; dekhi—I see; ei—
this child; tAribe—shall deliver; saàsAre—all the three worlds.
TRANSLATION
After calculating the birth moment of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu, NIlAmbara
CakravartI privately said to JagannAtha Mizra that he saw all the different
symptoms of a great personality in both the body and birth moment of the
child. Thus he understood that in the future this child would deliver all the
three worlds.
Adi 13.122
TEXT 122
aiche prabhu zacI-ghare, kRpAya kaila avatAre,
yei ihA karaye zravaNa
gaura-prabhu dayAmaya, tA~Nre hayena sadaya,
sei pAya tA~NhAra caraNa

aiche—in this way; prabhu—Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu; zacI-ghare—in
the home of zacIdevI; kRpAya—by His causeless mercy; kaila—made;
avatAre—advent; yei—anyone who; ihA—this; karaye—does; zravaNa—
hear; gaura-prabhu—Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu; dayA-maya—being very
merciful; tA~Nre—upon him; hayena—becomes; sa-daya—merciful; sei—that
person; pAya—gets; tA~NhAra—His; caraNa—lotus feet.
TRANSLATION
In this way Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu, out of His causeless mercy, made His
advent in the house of zacIdevI. Lord Caitanya is very merciful to anyone who
hears this narration of His birth, and thus such a person attains the lotus feet
of the Lord.
Adi 13.123
TEXT 123
pAiyA mAnuSa janma, ye nA zune gaura-guNa,
hena janma tAra vyartha haila
pAiyA amRtadhunI, piye viSa-garta-pAni,
janmiyA se kene nAhi maila

pAiyA mAnuSa janma—anyone who has gotten the form of a human body;
ye—who; nA—does not; zune—hear; gaura-guNa—the qualities of Lord
Caitanya MahAprabhu; hena janma—such a birth; tAra—his; vyartha haila—
becomes useless; pAiyA—getting the opportunity; amRtadhunI—of the river
of nectar; piye—drinks; viSa-garta-pAni—water in a poison pit of material
happiness; janmiyA—taking birth as a human being; se—he; kene—why;
nAhi—did not; maila—die.
TRANSLATION
Anyone who attains a human body but does not take to the cult of zrI
Caitanya MahAprabhu is baffled in his opportunity. AmRtadhunI is a flowing
river of the nectar of devotional service. If after getting a human body one
drinks the water in a poison pit of material happiness instead of the water of
such a river, it would be better for him not to have lived, but to have died
long ago.
PURPORT
In this connection zrImat PrabodhAnanda SarasvatI has composed the
following verses in his Caitanya-candrAmRta (37, 36, 34):
acaitanyam idaà vizvaà yadi caitanyam Izvaram
na viduH sarva-zAstra-j~nA hy api bhrAmyanti te janAH
“This material world is without KRSNa consciousness. Lord Caitanya
MahAprabhu is KRSNa consciousness personified. Therefore if a very learned
scholar or scientist does not understand zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu, certainly he
is wandering uselessly in this world.”
prasArita-mahA-prema-pIyUSa-rasa-sAgare
caitanya-candre prakaTe yo dIno dIna eva saH
“A person who does not take advantage of the nectar of devotional service
overflowing during the presence of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu’s cult is certainly
the poorest of the poor.”
avatIrNe gaura-candre vistIrNe prema-sAgare
suprakAzita-ratnaughe yo dIno dIna eva saH
“The advent of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu is just like an expanding ocean of
nectar. One who does not collect the valuable jewels within this ocean is
certainly the poorest of the poor.”
Similarly, zrImad-BhAgavatam (2.3.19, 20, 23) states:
zva-viò-varAhoSTra-kharaiH saàstutaH puruSaH pazuH
na yat-karNa-pathopeto jAtu nAma gadAgrajaH
bile batorukrama-vikramAn ye
na zRNvataH karNa-puTe narasya
jihvAsatI dArdurikeva sUta
na copagAyaty urugAya-gAthAH
jIva~n chavo bhAgavatA~Nghri-reNuà
na jAtu martyo ’bhilabheta yas tu
zrI-viSNu-padyA manujas tulasyAH
zvasa~n chavo yas tu na veda gandham
“A person who has no connection with KRSNa consciousness may be a very
great personality in so-called human society, but actually he is no better than
a great animal. Such big animals are generally praised by other animals like
dogs, hogs camels and asses. A person who does not lend his aural reception
to hearing about the Supreme Personality of Godhead must be considered to
have earholes like holes in a field. Although that person has a tongue, it is like
the tongue of a frog, which unnecessarily creates a disturbance by croaking,
inviting the snake of death. Similarly, a person who neither takes advantage
of the dust of the lotus feet of great devotees nor smells the tulasI leaves
offered to the lotus feet of the Lord must be considered dead even though he
is supposedly working.”
Similarly, zrImad-BhAgavatam 10.1.4 states:
nivRtta-tarSair upagIyamAnAd
bhavauSadhAc chrotra-mano-’bhirAmAt
ka uttamazloka-guNAnuvAdAt
pumAn virajyeta vinA pazu-ghnAt
“Who but the animal-killer or the killer of the soul will not care to hear
glorification of the Supreme Personality of Godhead? Such glorification is
enjoyed by persons liberated from the contamination of this material world.”
Similarly, zrImad-BhAgavatam 3.23.56 says, na tIrtha-pada-sevAyai jIvann api
mRto hi saH: “Although a person is apparently living, if he does not serve the
lotus feet of great devotees he is to be considered a dead body.”
Adi 13.124
TEXT 124
zrI-caitanya-nityAnanda, AcArya advaitacandra,
svarUpa-rUpa-raghunAthadAsa
i~NhA-sabAra zrI-caraNa, zire vandi nija-dhana,
janma-lIlA gAila kRSNadAsa

zrI-caitanya-nityAnanda—Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu and NityAnanda
Prabhu; AcArya advaitacandra—AcArya zrI Advaitacandra; svarUpa-rUpa-
raghunAthadAsa—SvarUpa DAmodara, RUpa GosvAmI and RaghunAtha dAsa
GosvAmI; i~NhA-sabAra—of all of them; zrI-caraNa—the lotus feet; zire—on
the head; vandi—offering respect; nija-dhana—personal property; janma-
lIlA—narration of the birth; gAila—sang; kRSNadAsa—KRSNadAsa KavirAja
GosvAmI.
TRANSLATION
Taking on my head as my own property the lotus feet of zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu, NityAnanda Prabhu, AcArya Advaitacandra, SvarUpa DAmodara,
RUpa GosvAmI and RaghunAtha dAsa GosvAmI, I, KRSNadAsa KavirAja GosvAmI,
have thus described the advent of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu.
PURPORT
zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu, NityAnanda, Advaita Prabhu, SvarUpa DAmodara,
RUpa GosvAmI, RaghunAtha dAsa and their followers are all accepted by
KRSNadAsa KavirAja GosvAmI. Anyone who follows in the footsteps of KavirAja
GosvAmI also accepts the lotus feet of the above-mentioned lords as his
personal property. For a materialistic person, material wealth and opulence are
only illusory. Actually they are not possessions but entanglements because by
enjoying the material world a conditioned soul becomes more and more
entangled by incurring debts for his present enjoyment. Unfortunately, a
conditioned soul considers property for which he is in debt to be his own, and
he is very busy acquiring such property. But a devotee considers such
property not real property but simply an entanglement in the material world.
If Lord KRSNa is very pleased with a devotee, He takes away his material
property, as He states in zrImad-BhAgavatam (10.88.8): yasyAham
anugRhNAmi hariSye tad-dhanaà zanaiH. “To show special favor to a devotee,
I take away all his material property.” Similarly, Narottama dAsa ThAkura says:
dhana mora nityAnanda, rAdhA-kRSNa-zrIcaraNa
sei mora prANadhana
“My real riches are NityAnanda Prabhu and the lotus feet of zrI RAdhA and
KRSNa.” He further prays, “O Lord, kindly give me this opulence. I do not want
anything but Your lotus feet as my property.” zrIla Narottama dAsa ThAkura
has sung in many places that his real property is the lotus feet of RAdhA and
KRSNa. Unfortunately, we are interested in unreal property and are neglecting
our real property (adhane yatana kari’ dhana teyAginu).
Sometimes smArtas consider RaghunAtha dAsa GosvAmI a zUdra. But
KRSNadAsa KavirAja GosvAmI here especially mentions svarUpa-rUpa-
raghunAthadAsa. Therefore one who considers the lotus feet of RaghunAtha
dAsa to be transcendental to all divisions of the caste system enjoys the riches
of actual spiritual bliss.
Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports to zrI Caitanya-caritAmRta, Adi-lIlA,
Thirteenth Chapter, describing the advent of Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu.
Adi 14: Lord Caitanya’s Childhood Pastimes
Chapter 14
Lord Caitanya’s Childhood Pastimes
zrIla Bhaktivinoda ThAkura has given a summary of this chapter in his AmRta-
pravAha-bhASya: “In the Fourteenth Chapter there is a description of how Lord
Caitanya MahAprabhu enjoyed His childhood pastimes—crawling, crying,
eating dirt and giving intelligence to His mother, favoring a brAhmaNa guest,
riding on the shoulders of two thieves and misleading them to His own house,
and, on the plea of being diseased, taking prasAdam in the house of HiraNya
and JagadIza on the EkAdazI day. The chapter further describes how He
displayed Himself as a naughty boy, how when His mother fainted He
brought a coconut to her on His head, how He joked with girls of the same
age on the banks of the Ganges, how He accepted worshipful paraphernalia
from zrImatI LakSmIdevI, how He sat down in a garbage pit and instructed His
mother in transcendental knowledge, how He left the pit on the order of His
mother, and how He dealt with His father with full affection.”
Adi 14.1
TEXT 1
katha~ncana smRte yasmin
duSkaraà sukaraà bhavet
vismRte viparItaà syAt
zrI-caitanyaà namAmi tam

katha~ncana—somehow or other; smRte—by remembering; yasmin—whom;
duSkaram—difficult things; sukaram—easy; bhavet—become; vismRte—by
forgetting Him; viparItam—just the opposite; syAt—become; zrI-
caitanyam—Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu; namAmi—I offer my respectful
obeisances; tam—unto Him.
TRANSLATION
Things that are very difficult to do become easy to execute if one somehow
or other simply remembers Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu. But if one does not
remember Him, even easy things become very difficult. To this Lord Caitanya
MahAprabhu I offer my respectful obeisances.
PURPORT
In his book Caitanya-candrAmRta, zrIla PrabodhAnanda SarasvatI says, “One
who receives a little favor from the Lord becomes so exalted that he does not
care even for liberation, which is sought after by many great scholars and
philosophers. Similarly, a devotee of Lord Caitanya considers residence in the
heavenly planets a will-o’-the-wisp. He surpasses the perfection of mystic
yoga power because for him the senses are like snakes with broken fangs.” A
snake is a very fearful and dangerous animal because of his poison fangs, but
if these fangs are broken, the appearance of a snake is no cause for fear. The
yoga principles are meant to control the senses, but there is no scope for the
senses of one engaged in the service of the Lord to be dangerous like snakes.
These are the gifts of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu.
The Hari-bhakti-vilAsa confirms that difficult things become easy to
understand if one remembers zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu and easy things
become very difficult to understand if one forgets Him. We actually see that
even those who are very great scientists in the eyes of the general public
cannot understand the very simple idea that life comes from life, because
they do not have the mercy of Caitanya MahAprabhu. They defend the false
understanding that life comes from matter, although they cannot prove that
this is a fact. Modern civilization, therefore, progressing on the basis of this
false scientific theory, is simply creating problems to be solved by the so-
called scientists.
The author of zrI Caitanya-caritAmRta takes shelter of Lord Caitanya
MahAprabhu to describe the pastimes of His appearance as a child because
one cannot write such transcendental literature by mental speculation. One
who writes about the Supreme Personality of Godhead must be especially
favored by the Lord. Simply by academic qualifications it is not possible to
write such literature.
Adi 14.2
TEXT 2
jaya jaya zrI-caitanya, jaya nityAnanda
jayAdvaitacandra, jaya gaura-bhakta-vRnda

jaya jaya—all glories; zrI-caitanya—to Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu; jaya—all
glories; nityAnanda—to NityAnanda Prabhu; jaya advaita-candra—all glories
to Advaita AcArya; jaya—all glories; gaura-bhakta-vRnda—to all the
devotees of the Lord.
TRANSLATION
All glories to Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu, NityAnanda Prabhu, Advaita Prabhu
and all the devotees of Lord Caitanya!
Adi 14.3
TEXT 3
prabhura kahila ei janmalIlA-sUtra
yazodA-nandana yaiche haila zacI-putra

prabhura—of the Lord; kahila—I have spoken; ei—thus; janma-lIlA—pastimes
of the birth; sUtra—in summary; yazodA-nandana—the son of mother
YazodA; yaiche—as much as; haila—became; zacI-putra—the son of mother
zacI.
TRANSLATION
I have thus described in brief the advent of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu, who
appeared as the son of mother zacI exactly as KRSNa appeared as the son of
mother YazodA.
PURPORT
zrIla Narottama dAsa ThAkura confirms this statement that now Lord KRSNa,
the son of mother YazodA, has appeared again as Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu,
becoming the son of mother zacI:
vrajendra-nandana yei, zacI-suta haila sei
balarAma ha-ila nitAi
“The son of zacI is none other than the son of mother YazodA and Nanda
MahArAja, and NityAnanda Prabhu is the same BalarAma.”
Adi 14.4
TEXT 4
sa~NkSepe kahila janmalIlA-anukrama
ebe kahi bAlyalIlA-sUtrera gaNana

sa~NkSepe—in brief; kahila—I have spoken; janma-lIlA—the pastimes of birth;
anukrama—chronological order; ebe—now; kahi—I shall speak; bAlya-lIlA—
of the pastimes of childhood; sUtrera—of the sUtras; gaNana—enumeration.
TRANSLATION
I have already briefly spoken about the pastimes of His birth in chronological
order. Now I shall give a synopsis of His childhood pastimes.
Adi 14.5
TEXT 5
vande caitanya-kRSNasya
bAlya-lIlAà mano-harAm
laukikIm api tAm Iza-
ceSTayA valitAntarAm

vande—I worship; caitanya-kRSNasya—of Lord Caitanya, who is KRSNa
Himself; bAlya-lIlA—pastimes of childhood; manaH-harAm—which are so
beautiful; laukikIm—appearing ordinary; api—although; tAm—those; Iza-
ceSTayA—by manifestation of supreme authority; valita-antarAm—quite fit
although appearing differently.
TRANSLATION
Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto the childhood pastimes of Lord zrI
Caitanya MahAprabhu, who is Lord KRSNa Himself. Although such pastimes
appear exactly like those of an ordinary child, they should be understood as
various pastimes of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
PURPORT
In the Bhagavad-gItA (9.11) this statement is confirmed as follows:
avajAnanti mAà mUòhA mAnuSIà tanum Azritam
paraà bhAvam ajAnanto mama bhUta-mahezvaram
“Fools deride Me when I descend in the human form. They do not know My
transcendental nature and My supreme dominion over all that be.” To execute
His pastimes, the Supreme Personality of Godhead appears on this planet or
within this universe like an ordinary human being or human child, yet He
maintains His superiority as the Supreme Lord. Lord KRSNa appeared as a
human child, but His uncommon activities, even in His childhood—like the
killing of the demon PUtanA or the lifting of Govardhana Hill—were not the
engagements of an ordinary child. Similarly, although the pastimes of Lord
Caitanya, as they will be described in this chapter, appear like the activities of
a small boy, they are uncommon pastimes impossible for an ordinary human
child to execute.
Adi 14.6
TEXT 6
bAlya-lIlAya Age prabhura uttAna zayana
pitA-mAtAya dekhAila cihna caraNa

bAlya-lIlAya—in His pastimes as a child; Age—first of all; prabhura—of the
Lord; uttAna—turning the body; zayana—lying down; pitA-mAtAya—unto the
parents; dekhAila—showed; cihna—marks; caraNa—of the lotus feet.
TRANSLATION
In His first childhood pastimes the Lord turned upside down while lying on His
bed, and thus He showed His parents the marks of His lotus feet.
PURPORT
The word uttAna is also used to mean “lying down on the bed face upwards”
or “lying down flat on the bed.” In some readings the word is utthAna, which
means “standing up.” In His childhood pastimes the Lord tried to catch the
wall and stand up, but as an ordinary child falls down, so the Lord also fell
down and again took to lying on His bed.
Adi 14.7
TEXT 7
gRhe dui jana dekhi laghupada-cihna
tAhe zobhe dhvaja, vajra, za~Nkha, cakra, mIna

gRhe—at home; dui jana—the father and mother; dekhi—seeing; laghu-
pada-cihna—the marks of the lotus feet, which were very small at that time;
tAhe—in those; zobhe—which were beautifully visible; dhvaja—flag; vajra—
thunderbolts; za~Nkha—conchshell; cakra—disc; mIna—fish.
TRANSLATION
When the Lord tried to walk, in His small footprints the specific marks of Lord
ViSNu were visible, namely the flag, thunderbolt, conchshell, disc and fish.
Adi 14.8
TEXT 8
dekhiyA do~NhAra citte janmila vismaya
kAra pada-cihna ghare, nA pAya nizcaya

dekhiyA—seeing all these marks; do~NhAra—of the parents, zacImAtA and
JagannAtha Mizra; citte—in their hearts; janmila—there was; vismaya—
wonder; kAra—whose; pada-cihna—footprints; ghare—at home; nA—does
not; pAya—get; nizcaya—certainty.
TRANSLATION
Seeing all these marks, neither His father nor His mother could understand
whose footprints they were. Thus struck with wonder, they could not
understand how those marks could be possible in their home.
Adi 14.9
TEXT 9
mizra kahe,——bAlagopAla Ache zilA-sa~Nge
te~Nho mUrti ha~nA ghare khele, jAni, ra~Nge

mizra kahe—JagannAtha Mizra said; bAla-gopAla—Lord KRSNa as a child;
Ache—there is; zilA-sa~Nge—along with the zAlagrAma-zilA; te~Nho—He; mUrti
ha~nA—taking His transcendental form; ghare—within the room; khele—
plays; jAni—I understand; ra~Nge—in curiosity.
TRANSLATION
JagannAtha Mizra said, “Certainly child KRSNa is with the zAlagrAma-zilA.
Taking His childhood form, He is playing within the room.”
PURPORT
When the form of the Lord is carved from wood, stone or any other element,
it is to be understood that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is there. Even
logically we can understand that all material elements are expansions of the
energy of the Lord. Since the energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead
is nondifferent from His personal body, the Lord is always present in His
energy, and He manifests Himself on account of the ardent desire of a
devotee. Since the Lord is supremely powerful, it is logical that He can
manifest Himself in His energy. Deity worship or worship of the zAlagrAma-zilA
is not idol worship. The Deity of the Lord in the house of a pure devotee can
act exactly as He can in His original transcendental personality.
Adi 14.10
TEXT 10
sei kSaNe jAgi’ nimAi karaye krandana
a~Nke la~nA zacI tA~Nre piyAila stana

sei kSaNe—immediately; jAgi’—awakening; nimAi—the Lord of the name
NimAi; karaye—does; krandana—crying; a~Nke—on the lap; la~nA—taking;
zacI—mother zacI; tA~Nre—Him; piyAila—caused to suck; stana—breast.
TRANSLATION
While mother zacI and JagannAtha Mizra were talking, child NimAi woke up
and began to cry, and mother zacI took Him on her lap and allowed Him to
suck her breast.
Adi 14.11
TEXT 11
stana piyAite putrera caraNa dekhila
sei cihna pAye dekhi’ mizre bolAila

stana—her breast; piyAite—while letting Him suck; putrera—of her son;
caraNa—lotus feet; dekhila—observed; sei—those very; cihna—marks;
pAye—on the sole; dekhi’—seeing; mizre—JagannAtha Mizra; bolAila—called
for.
TRANSLATION
While mother zacI was feeding the child from her breast, she saw on His lotus
feet all the marks that were visible on the floor of the room, and she called for
JagannAtha Mizra.
Adi 14.12
TEXT 12
dekhiyA mizrera ha-ila Anandita mati
gupte bolAila nIlAmbara cakravartI

dekhiyA—by seeing; mizrera—of JagannAtha Mizra; ha-ila—became;
Anandita—satisfied; mati—intelligence; gupte—privately; bolAila—called for;
nIlAmbara cakravartI—NIlAmbara CakravartI.
TRANSLATION
When JagannAtha Mizra saw the wonderful marks on the sole of his son, he
became very joyful and privately called for NIlAmbara CakravartI.
Adi 14.13
TEXT 13
cihna dekhi’ cakravartI balena hAsiyA
lagna gaNi’ pUrve Ami rAkhiyAchi likhiyA

cihna dekhi’—by seeing the marks; cakravartI—NIlAmbara CakravartI;
balena—says; hAsiyA—smiling; lagna gaNi’—by astrological calculation of the
birth moment; pUrve—formerly; Ami—I; rAkhiyAchi—have kept; likhiyA—
after writing all these things.
TRANSLATION
When NIlAmbara CakravartI saw those marks, he smilingly said, “Formerly I
ascertained all this by astrological calculation and noted it in writing.
Adi 14.14
TEXT 14
batriza lakSaNa——mahApuruSa-bhUSaNa
ei zizu a~Nge dekhi se saba lakSaNa

batriza—thirty-two; lakSaNa—symptoms; mahA-puruSa—great personality;
bhUSaNa—ornament; ei zizu—this child; a~Nge—on the body; dekhi—I see;
se—those; saba—all; lakSaNa—symptoms.
TRANSLATION
“There are thirty-two bodily marks that symptomize a great personality, and I
see all those marks on the body of this child.
Adi 14.15
TEXT 15
pa~nca-dIrghaH pa~nca-sUkSmaH
sapta-raktaH Saò-unnataH
tri-hrasva-pRthu-gambhIro
dvAtriàzal-lakSaNo mahAn

pa~nca-dIrghaH—five large; pa~nca-sUkSmaH—five fine; sapta-raktaH—seven
reddish; SaT-unnataH—six raised; tri-hrasva—three small; pRthu—three broad;
gambhIraH—three grave; dvA-triàzat—in this way thirty-two; lakSaNaH—
symptoms; mahAn—of a great personality.
TRANSLATION
“‘There are thirty-two bodily symptoms of a great personality: five of his
bodily parts are large, five fine, seven reddish, six raised, three small, three
broad and three grave.’
PURPORT
The five large parts are the nose, arms, chin, eyes and knees. The five fine
parts are the skin, fingertips, teeth, hair on the body and hair on the head. The
seven reddish parts are the eyes, soles, palms, palate, nails and upper and
lower lips. The six raised parts are the chest, shoulders, nails, nose, waist and
mouth. The three small parts are the neck, thighs and male organ. The three
broad parts are the waist, forehead and chest. The three grave parts are the
navel, voice and existence. Altogether these are the thirty-two symptoms of
a great personality. This is a quotation from the SAmudrika.
Adi 14.16
TEXT 16
nArAyaNera cihna-yukta zrI-hasta caraNa
ei zizu sarva loke karibe tAraNa

nArAyaNera—of Lord NArAyaNa; cihna-yukta—with positive marks; zrI-hasta
caraNa—the palm and the sole; ei—this; zizu—baby; sarva loke—all the three
worlds; karibe—will; tAraNa—deliver.
TRANSLATION
“This baby has all the symptoms of Lord NArAyaNa on His palms and soles. He
will be able to deliver all the three worlds.
Adi 14.17
TEXT 17
ei ta’ karibe vaiSNava-dharmera pracAra
ihA haite habe dui kulera nistAra

ei ta’—this child; karibe—will do; vaiSNava—of VaiSNavism, or devotional
service; dharmera—of the religion; pracAra—preaching; ihA haite—from this;
habe—there will be; dui—two; kulera—dynasties; nistAra—deliverance.
TRANSLATION
“This child will preach the VaiSNava cult and deliver both His maternal and
paternal families.
PURPORT
Only NArAyaNa Himself or His bona fide representative can preach the cult of
VaiSNavism, or devotional service. When a VaiSNava is born, he delivers both
his maternal and paternal families simultaneously.
Adi 14.18
TEXT 18
mahotsava kara, saba bolAha brAhmaNa
Aji dina bhAla,——kariba nAma-karaNa

mahotsava—a festival; kara—observe; saba—all; bolAha—call; brAhmaNa—
the brAhmaNas; Aji—today; dina—day; bhAla—auspicious; kariba—I shall
perform; nAma-karaNa—the name-giving ceremony.
TRANSLATION
“I propose to perform a name-giving ceremony. We should observe a festival
and call for the brAhmaNas because today is very auspicious.
PURPORT
It is a Vedic principle to observe a festival in connection with NArAyaNa and
brAhmaNas. Giving a child a particular name is among the purificatory
processes known as daza-vidha-saàskAra, and on the day of such a ceremony
one should observe a festival by worshiping NArAyaNa and distributing
prasAdam, chiefly among the brAhmaNas.
When NIlAmbara CakravartI, zacImAtA and JagannAtha Mizra understood from
the marks on the Lord’s lotus feet that child NimAi was not an ordinary child
but an incarnation of NArAyaNa, they decided that on that very same day,
which was very auspicious, they should observe a festival for His name-
giving ceremony. In this connection we can particularly see how an
incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is ascertained by His
bodily symptoms, His activities and the prediction of the zAstras. By factual
evidence a person can be accepted as an incarnation of God, not whimsically
or by the votes of rascals and fools. There have been many imitation
incarnations in Bengal since the appearance of Lord Caitanya, but any
impartial devotee or learned man can understand that Lord Caitanya
MahAprabhu was accepted as an incarnation of KRSNa not on the basis of
popular votes but by evidence from the zAstras and bona fide scholars. It was
not ordinary men who accepted zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu as the Supreme
Personality of Godhead. In the beginning His identity was ascertained by
learned scholars like NIlAmbara CakravartI, and later all His activities were
confirmed by the six GosvAmIs, especially zrIla JIva GosvAmI and zrIla RUpa
GosvAmI, and many other learned scholars, with evidence from the zAstra. An
incarnation of God is such from the very beginning of His life. It is not that by
performing meditation one can become an incarnation of God all of a sudden.
Such false incarnations are meant for fools and rascals, not sane men.
Adi 14.19
TEXT 19
sarva-lokera karibe iha~N dhAraNa, poSaNa
‘vizvambhara’ nAma ihAra,——ei ta’ kAraNa

sarva-lokera—of all people; karibe—will do; iha~N—this child; dhAraNa—
protection; poSaNa—maintenance; vizvambhara—the name Vizvambhara;
nAma—name; ihAra—His; ei—this; ta’—certainly; kAraNa—the reason.
TRANSLATION
“In the future this child will protect and maintain all the world. For this reason
He is to be called Vizvambhara.”
PURPORT
The Caitanya-bhAgavata confirms that zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu, by His birth,
has made the whole world peaceful, as in the past NArAyaNa protected this
earth in His incarnation as VarAha. Because of His protecting and maintaining
this world in the present Kali-yuga, Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu is known as
Vizvambhara, which refers to one who feeds the entire world. The movement
inaugurated by zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu when He was present five hundred
years ago is again being propagated all over the world, and factually we are
seeing its practical results. People are being saved, protected and maintained
by this Hare KRSNa movement. Thousands of followers, especially Western
youths, are taking part in this Hare KRSNa movement, and how safe and happy
they feel can be understood from the expressions of gratitude in their
hundreds and thousands of letters. The name Vizvambhara is also mentioned
in the Atharva-veda-saàhitA (3.3.16.5): vizvambhara vizvena mA bharasA pAhi
svAhA.
Adi 14.20
TEXT 20
zuni’ zacI-mizrera mane Ananda bAòila
brAhmaNa-brAhmaNI Ani’ mahotsava kaila

zuni’—hearing this; zacI—of mother zacI; mizrera—and of JagannAtha Mizra;
mane—within the minds; Ananda—pleasure; bAòila—increased; brAhmaNa—
the brAhmaNas; brAhmaNI—and their wives; Ani’—inviting them;
mahotsava—a festival; kaila—observed.
TRANSLATION
After hearing NIlAmbara CakravartI’s prediction, zacImAtA and JagannAtha
Mizra observed the name-giving festival in great joy, inviting all the
brAhmaNas and their wives.
PURPORT
It is the Vedic system to observe all kinds of festivals, including birthday
festivals, marriage festivals, name-giving festivals and festivals marking the
beginning of education, by especially inviting brAhmaNas. In every festival the
brAhmaNas are to be fed first, and when the brAhmaNas are pleased they bless
the festival by chanting Vedic mantras or the Hare KRSNa mahA-mantra.
Adi 14.21
TEXT 21
tabe kata dine prabhura jAnu-ca~NkramaNa
nAnA camatkAra tathA karAila darzana

tabe—thereafter; kata—some; dine—days; prabhura—of the Lord; jAnu—
knees; ca~NkramaNa—the crawling; nAnA—various; camatkAra—wonderful;
tathA—also; karAila—caused; darzana—the sight.
TRANSLATION
After some days the Lord began to crawl on His knees, and He caused various
wonderful things to be seen.
PURPORT
The Caitanya-bhAgavata describes that one day while the Lord was crawling
upon His knees, the bells on His waist ringing very sweetly, a snake came out
to crawl in the yard of the Lord, who captured the snake like a curious child.
Immediately the snake coiled over Him. The Lord as a child then rested on the
snake, and after some time the snake went away, leaving the Lord aside.
Adi 14.22
TEXT 22
krandanera chale balAila hari-nAma
nArI saba ‘hari’ bale,——hAse gaura-dhAma

krandanera—of crying; chale—on the pretense of; balAila—caused to speak;
hari-nAma—the holy name of the Lord; nArI—ladies; saba—all; ‘hari’ bale—
chant the holy name of the Lord; hAse—laughs; gaura-dhAma—Lord zrI
Caitanya as a child.
TRANSLATION
The Lord caused all the ladies to chant the holy names of the Hare KRSNa
mahA-mantra on the plea of His crying, and while they chanted the Lord
would smile.
PURPORT
In the Caitanya-bhAgavata this pastime is described as follows: “The Lord,
with His beautiful eyes, would cry, but He would stop immediately upon
hearing the Hare KRSNa mahA-mantra. When the ladies, understanding the fun
of the Lord, discovered that He would cry and then stop upon hearing the
chanting of the Hare KRSNa mantra, they all took it as a clue to chant Hare
KRSNa as soon as the Lord cried. Thus it became a regular function. The Lord
would cry, and the ladies would begin chanting the Hare KRSNa mahA-mantra,
clapping their hands. In this way all the ladies of the neighboring houses
would assemble in the home of zacImAtA to join in the sa~NkIrtana movement
twenty-four hours a day. As long as the ladies continued to chant the Hare
KRSNa mahA-mantra, the Lord would not cry but would very pleasingly smile
upon them.”
Adi 14.23
TEXT 23
tabe kata dine kaila pada-ca~NkramaNa
zizu-gaNe mili’ kaila vividha khelana

tabe—thereafter; kata dine—in a few days; kaila—did; pada—legs;
ca~NkramaNa—movement; zizu-gaNe—all the children; mili’—mingling
together; kaila—executed; vividha—varieties; khelana—sporting.
TRANSLATION
After some days the Lord began to move His legs and walk. He mixed with
other children and exhibited various sports.
Adi 14.24
TEXT 24
ekadina zacI kha-i-sandeza AniyA
bATA bhari’ diyA baila,——khAo ta’ basiyA

eka-dina—one day; zacI—mother zacI; kha-i—fused rice; sandeza—
sweetmeat; AniyA—bringing; bATA—tiffin dish; bhari’—filling; diyA—
delivering; baila—said; khAo—eat; ta’—now; basiyA—sitting down.
TRANSLATION
One day while the Lord was enjoying His playful sports with the other little
children, mother zacI brought a dish filled with fused rice and sweetmeats and
asked the child to sit down and eat them.
Adi 14.25
TEXT 25
eta bali’ gelA zacI gRhe karma karite
lukA~nA lAgilA zizu mRttikA khAite

eta bali’—saying this; gelA—returned; zacI—mother zacI; gRhe—in the
house; karma—duties; karite—to execute; lukA~nA—hiding; lAgilA—began;
zizu—the child; mRttikA—dirt; khAite—to eat.
TRANSLATION
But when she returned to her household duties, the child hid from His mother
and began to eat dirt.
Adi 14.26
TEXT 26
dekhi’ zacI dhA~nA AilA kari’ ‘hAya, hAya’
mATi kAòi’ la~nA kahe ‘mATi kene khAya’

dekhi’—seeing this; zacI—mother zacI; dhA~nA—rushing; AilA—came back;
kari’—making a noise; hAya, hAya—“What is this! What is this!”; mATi—dirt;
kAòi’—snatching; la~nA—taking; kahe—she said; ‘mATi kene khAya’—why is
the child eating dirt?
TRANSLATION
Seeing this, mother zacI hastily returned and exclaimed, “What is this! What is
this!” She snatched the dirt from the hands of the Lord and inquired why He
was eating it.
Adi 14.27
TEXT 27
kAndiyA balena zizu,——kene kara roSa
tumi mATi khAite dile, mora kibA doSa

kAndiyA—while crying; balena—says; zizu—the child; kene—why; kara—
you become; roSa—angry; tumi—you; mATi—dirt; khAite—to eat; dile—
gave Me; mora—My; kibA—what is; doSa—fault.
TRANSLATION
Crying, the child inquired from His mother, “Why are you angry? You have
already given Me dirt to eat. What is My fault?
Adi 14.28
TEXT 28
kha-i-sandeza-anna yateka——mATira vikAra
eho mATi, seha mATi, ki bheda-vicAra

kha-i—fused rice; sandeza—sweetmeat; anna—eatables; yateka—all;
mATira—of dirt; vikAra—transformations; eho—this is also; mATi—dirt;
seha—that; mATi—dirt; ki—what; bheda—of difference; vicAra—
consideration.
TRANSLATION
“Fused rice, sweetmeats and all other eatables are but transformations of dirt.
This is dirt, that is dirt. Please consider. What is the difference between them?
Adi 14.29
TEXT 29
mATi——deha, mATi——bhakSya, dekhaha vicAri’
avicAre deha doSa, ki balite pAri

mATi—dirt; deha—this body; mATi—dirt; bhakSya—eatable; dekhaha—just
try to see; vicAri’—by consideration; avicAre—without considering; deha—
you put; doSa—fault upon Me; ki—what; balite—to say; pAri—I am able.
TRANSLATION
“This body is a transformation of dirt, and the eatables are also a
transformation of dirt. Please reflect upon this. You are blaming Me without
consideration. What can I say?”
PURPORT
This is an explanation of the MAyAvAda philosophy, which takes everything to
be one. The necessities of the body, namely eating, sleeping, mating and
defending, are all unnecessary in spiritual life. When one is elevated to the
spiritual platform, there are no more bodily necessities, and in activities
pertaining to the bodily necessities there are no spiritual considerations. In
other words, the more we eat, sleep, have sex and try to defend ourselves,
the more we engage in material activities. Unfortunately, MAyAvAdI
philosophers consider devotional activities to be bodily activities. They cannot
understand the simple explanation in the Bhagavad-gItA (14.26):
mAà ca yo ’vyabhicAreNa bhakti-yogena sevate
sa guNAn samatItyaitAn brahma-bhUyAya kalpate
“Anyone who engages in spiritual devotional service without motivation,
rendering such service for the satisfaction of the Lord, is elevated
immediately to the spiritual platform, and all his activities are spiritual.”
Brahma-bhUyAya refers to Brahman (spiritual) activities. Although MAyAvAdI
philosophers are very eager to merge into the Brahman effulgence, they have
no Brahman activities. To a certain extent they recommend Brahman
activities, which for them means engagement in studying the VedAnta and
SA~Nkhya philosophies, but their interpretations are but dry speculation.
Lacking the varieties of spiritual activity, they cannot stay for long on that
platform of simply studying VedAnta or SA~Nkhya philosophy.
Life is meant for varieties of enjoyment. The living entity is by nature full of
an enjoying spirit, as stated in the VedAnta-sUtra (1.1.12): Ananda-mayo
’bhyAsAt. In devotional service the activities are variegated and full of
enjoyment. As stated in the Bhagavad-gItA (9.2), all devotional activities are
easy to perform (su-sukhaà kartum) and are eternal and spiritual (avyayam).
Since MAyAvAdI philosophers cannot understand this, they take it for granted
that a devotee’s activities (zravaNaà kIrtanaà viSNoH smaraNaà pAda-
sevanam, etc. [SB 7.5.23]) are all material and are therefore mAyA. They also
consider KRSNa’s advent in this universe and His activities to be mAyA.
Therefore, because they consider everything mAyA, they are known as
MAyAvAdIs.
Actually, any activities performed favorably for the satisfaction of the Lord,
under the direction of the spiritual master, are spiritual. But for a person to
disregard the order of the spiritual master and act by concoction, accepting
his nonsensical activities to be spiritual, is mAyA. One must achieve the favor
of the Supreme Personality of Godhead through the mercy of the spiritual
master. Therefore one must first please the spiritual master, and if he is
pleased, then we should understand that the Supreme Personality of Godhead
is also pleased. But if the spiritual master is displeased by our actions, they are
not spiritual. zrIla VizvanAtha CakravartI ThAkura confirms this: yasya
prasAdAd bhagavat-prasAdo yasyAprasAdAn na gatiH kuto ’pi **. Activities
that please the spiritual master must be considered spiritual, and they should
be accepted as satisfying to the Lord.
Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu, as the supreme spiritual master, instructed His
mother about the MAyAvAda philosophy. By saying that the body is dirt and
eatables are also dirt, He implied that everything is mAyA. This is MAyAvAda
philosophy. The philosophy of the MAyAvAdIs is defective because it
maintains that everything is mAyA but the nonsense they speak. While saying
that everything is mAyA, the MAyAvAdI philosopher loses the opportunity of
devotional service, and therefore his life is doomed. zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu
therefore advised, mAyAvAdi-bhASya zunile haya sarva-nAza (Cc. Madhya
6.169). If one accepts the MAyAvAda philosophy, his advancement is doomed
forever.
Adi 14.30
TEXT 30
antare vismita zacI balila tAhAre
“mATi khAite j~nAna-yoga ke zikhAla tore

antare—within herself; vismita—surprised; zacI—mother zacI; balila—
replied; tAhAre—unto Him; mATi—dirt; khAite—to eat; j~nAna-yoga—
philosophical speculation; ke—who; zikhAla—taught; tore—You.
TRANSLATION
Astonished that the child was speaking MAyAvAda philosophy, mother zacI
replied, “Who has taught You this philosophical speculation that justifies
eating dirt?”
PURPORT
In the philosophical discourse between the mother and the son, when the son
said that everything is one, as impersonalists say, the mother replied, “If
everything is one, why do people in general not eat dirt but eat the food
grains produced from the dirt?”
Adi 14.31
TEXT 31
mATira vikAra anna khAile deha-puSTi haya
mATi khAile roga haya, deha yAya kSaya

mATira—of the dirt; vikAra—transformation; anna—food grains; khAile—by
eating; deha—of the body; puSTi—nourishment; haya—becomes; mATi—the
dirt; khAile—by eating; roga—disease; haya—becomes; deha—the body;
yAya—goes; kSaya—to destruction.
TRANSLATION
Replying to the MAyAvAda idea of the child philosopher, mother zacI said,
“My dear boy, if we eat earth transformed into grain, our body is nourished,
and it becomes strong. But if we eat dirt in its crude state, the body becomes
diseased instead of nourished, and thus it is destroyed.
Adi 14.32
TEXT 32
mATira vikAra ghaTe pAni bhari’ Ani
mATi-piNòe dhari yabe, zoSi’ yAya pAni”

mATira—of the dirt; vikAra—transformation; ghaTe—in the waterpot; pAni—
water; bhari’—filling; Ani—I can bring; mATi—of dirt; piNòe—on the lump;
dhari—I hold; yabe—when; zoSi’—soaking; yAya—goes; pAni—the water.
TRANSLATION
“In a waterpot, which is a transformation of dirt, I can bring water very easily.
But if I poured water on a lump of dirt, the lump would soak up the water, and
my labor would be useless.”
PURPORT
This simple philosophy propounded by zacImAtA, even though she is a
woman, can defeat the MAyAvAdI philosophers who speculate on oneness.
The defect of MAyAvAda philosophy is that it does not accept the variety that
is useful for practical purposes. zacImAtA gave the example that although an
earthen pot and a lump of dirt are basically one, for practical purposes the
waterpot is useful whereas the lump of dirt is useless. Sometimes scientists
argue that matter and spirit are one, with no difference between them.
Factually, in a higher sense, there is no difference between matter and spirit,
but one should have the practical knowledge that matter, being an inferior
state of existence, is useless for our spiritual, blissful life, whereas spirit, being
a finer state, is full of bliss. In this connection the BhAgavatam gives the
example that dirt and fire are practically one and the same. From the earth
grow trees, and from their wood come fire and smoke. Nevertheless, for heat
we can utilize the fire but not the earth, smoke or wood. Therefore, for the
ultimate realization of the goal of life, we are concerned with the fire of the
spirit, not the dull wood or earth of matter.
Adi 14.33
TEXT 33
Atma lukAite prabhu balilA tA~NhAre
“Age kena ihA, mAtA, nA zikhAle more

Atma—Himself; lukAite—to hide; prabhu—the Lord; balilA—replied;
tA~NhAre—unto zacImAtA; Age—in the beginning; kena—why; ihA—this;
mAtA—My dear mother; nA zikhAle—you didn’t teach; more—unto Me.
TRANSLATION
The Lord replied to His mother, “Why did you conceal self-realization by not
teaching Me this practical philosophy in the beginning?
PURPORT
If from the beginning of life one is taught the VaiSNava philosophy of duality
or variety, the monistic philosophy will not bother him very much. In reality,
everything is an emanation from the supreme source (janmAdy asya yataH [SB
1.1.1]). The original energy is exhibited in varieties, exactly as the sunshine, the
original energy emanating from the sun, exhibits itself in variety as light and
heat. One cannot say that light is heat or that heat is light, yet one cannot
separate one from the other. Therefore Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu’s
philosophy is acintya-bhedAbheda, inconceivable nonseparation and
distinction. Although there is an affinity between the two physical
manifestations light and heat, there is also a difference between them.
Similarly, although the whole cosmic manifestation is the Lord’s energy, the
energy is nevertheless exhibited in varieties of manifestations.
Adi 14.34
TEXT 34
ebe se jAnilA~N, Ara mATi nA khAiba
kSudhA lAge yabe, tabe tomAra stana piba”

ebe—now; se—that; jAnilA~N—I understand; Ara—more; mATi—dirt; nA—not;
khAiba—I shall eat; kSudhA—hunger; lAge—arises; yabe—when; tabe—at
that time; tomAra—your; stana—breast; piba—I shall suck.
TRANSLATION
“Now that I can understand this philosophy, no more shall I eat dirt. Whenever
I am hungry I shall suck your breast and drink your breast milk.”
Adi 14.35
TEXT 35
eta bali’ jananIra kolete caòiyA
stana pAna kare prabhu ISat hAsiyA

eta bali’—saying this; jananIra—of the mother; kolete—on the lap; caòiyA—
rising; stana pAna—sucking the nipple; kare—does; prabhu—the Lord; ISat—
slightly; hAsiyA—smiling.
TRANSLATION
After saying this, the Lord, smiling slightly, climbed on the lap of His mother
and sucked her breast.
Adi 14.36
TEXT 36
eimate nAnA-chale aizvarya dekhAya
bAlya-bhAva prakaTiyA pazcAt lukAya

eimate—in this way; nAnA-chale—under different excuses; aizvarya—
opulence; dekhAya—exhibits; bAlya-bhAva—the status of a child; prakaTiyA—
manifesting; pazcAt—thereafter; lukAya—hides Himself.
TRANSLATION
Thus under various excuses the Lord exhibited His opulences as much as
possible in His childhood, and later, after exhibiting such opulences, He hid
Himself.
Adi 14.37
TEXT 37
atithi-viprera anna khAila tina-bAra
pAche gupte sei vipre karila nistAra

atithi—guest; viprera—of a brAhmaNa; anna—food; khAila—ate; tina-bAra—
thrice; pAche—afterwards; gupte—in privacy; sei—that; vipre—unto the
brAhmaNa; karila—made; nistAra—deliverance.
TRANSLATION
On one occasion the Lord ate the food of a brAhmaNa guest three times, and
later, in confidence, the Lord delivered that brAhmaNa from material
engagement.
PURPORT
The story of the deliverance of this brAhmaNa is as follows. A brAhmaNa who
was touring all over the country, traveling from one place of pilgrimage to
another, reached NavadvIpa and became a guest in the house of JagannAtha
Mizra. JagannAtha Mizra gave him all ingredients for cooking, and the
brAhmaNa prepared his food. When the brAhmaNa was offering the food to
Lord ViSNu in meditation, child NimAi came before him and began to eat it,
and because of this the brAhmaNa thought the whole offering had been
spoiled. Therefore by the request of JagannAtha Mizra he cooked for a second
time, but when he was meditating the child again came before him and began
to eat the food, again spoiling the offering. By the request of JagannAtha
Mizra the brAhmaNa cooked for a third time, but for a third time the Lord
came before him and began to eat the food, although the child had been
locked within a room and everyone was sleeping because it was late at night.
Thus, thinking that on that day Lord ViSNu was not willing to accept his food
and that he was therefore ordained to fast, the brAhmaNa became greatly
agitated and cried aloud, hAya hAya: “What has been done! What has been
done!” When Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu saw the brAhmaNa in that agitated
state, He told him, “Formerly I was the son of mother YazodA. At that time
also you became a guest in the house of Nanda MahArAja, and I disturbed you
in this way. I am very much pleased by your devotion. Therefore I am eating
the food you have prepared.” Understanding the favor offered to him by the
Lord, the brAhmaNa was greatly pleased, and he was overwhelmed with love
of KRSNa. He was thankful to the Lord, for he felt himself greatly fortunate.
Then the Lord asked the brAhmaNa not to disclose the incident to anyone else.
This pastime is very elaborately explained in the Caitanya-bhAgavata, Adi-
khaNòa, Chapter Three.
Adi 14.38
TEXT 38
core la~nA gela prabhuke bAhire pAiyA
tAra skandhe caòi’ AilA tAre bhulAiyA

core—two thieves; la~nA—taking; gela—went; prabhuke—the Lord; bAhire—
outside; pAiyA—finding Him; tAra—their; skandhe—on the shoulders; caòi’—
rising; AilA—came back; tAre—them; bhulAiyA—misleading.
TRANSLATION
In His childhood the Lord was taken away by two thieves outside His home.
The Lord, however, got up on the shoulders of the thieves, and while they
were thinking they were safely carrying the child to rob His ornaments, the
Lord misled them, and thus instead of going to their own home the thieves
came back to the home of JagannAtha Mizra.
PURPORT
In His childhood the Lord was profusely decorated with gold ornaments. Once
upon a time, when the Lord was playing outside His house, two thieves
passing on the street saw the opportunity to rob Him. Therefore they took
Him on their shoulders, pleasing Him by offering Him some sweetmeats. The
thieves thought they would carry the child to the forest and then kill Him and
take away the ornaments. The Lord, however, expanded His illusory energy
upon the thieves, so much so that instead of carrying Him to the forest they
came right back in front of His house. When they came before His house they
became afraid because everyone from the house of JagannAtha Mizra and all
the inhabitants of that quarter were busy searching for the child. Therefore
the thieves, thinking it dangerous to remain, went away and left Him. The
child was brought within the house and given to mother zacI, who was in
great anxiety, and she became satisfied. This incident is also very elaborately
explained in the Adi-khaNòaof Caitanya-bhAgavata, Third Chapter.
Adi 14.39
TEXT 39
vyAdhi-chale jagadIza-hiraNya-sadane
viSNu-naivedya khAila ekAdazI-dine

vyAdhi-chale—on the plea of being diseased; jagadIza-hiraNya—of the names
JagadIza and HiraNya; sadane—in the house of; viSNu-naivedya—food
offered to Lord ViSNu; khAila—ate; ekAdazI—of EkAdazI; dine—on the day.
TRANSLATION
Pretending to be sick, the Lord asked some food from the house of HiraNya
and JagadIza on the EkAdazI day.
PURPORT
The Caitanya-bhAgavata, Adi-khaNòa, Chapter Six, fully describes the Lord’s
accepting viSNu-prasAdam on the EkAdazI day at the house of JagadIza and
HiraNya. Regular prasAdam is offered to Lord ViSNu on EkAdazI because
although fasting is recommended for devotees on EkAdazI, it is not
recommended for Lord ViSNu. Once on EkAdazI in the house of JagadIza and
HiraNya PaNòita there were arrangements for preparing special prasAdam for
Lord ViSNu, and Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu asked His father to go there to
ask for the viSNu-prasAdam because He was feeling sick. The house of
JagadIza and HiraNya PaNòita was situated about two miles from the house of
JagannAtha Mizra. Therefore when JagannAtha Mizra, on the request of zrI
Caitanya MahAprabhu, came to ask JagadIza and HiraNya for the prasAdam,
they were a little astonished. How could the boy understand that special
prasAdam was being prepared for Lord ViSNu? They immediately concluded
that NimAi must have supernatural mystic power. Otherwise how could He
understand that they were preparing special prasAdam? Therefore they
immediately sent the food to Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu through His father,
JagannAtha Mizra. NimAi was feeling sick, but immediately after eating the
viSNu-prasAdam He was cured, and He also distributed the prasAdam among
His playmates.
Adi 14.40
TEXT 40
zizu saba laye pAòA-paòasIra ghare
curi kari’ dravya khAya mAre bAlakere

zizu—children; saba—all; laye—taking with Him; pAòA-paòasIra—
neighboring; ghare—in the houses; curi kari’—stealing; dravya—eatables;
khAya—eats; mAre—fights; bAlakere—with other children.
TRANSLATION
As usual for small children, He learned to play, and with His playmates He
went to the houses of neighboring friends, stealing their eatables and eating
them. Sometimes the children fought among themselves.
Adi 14.41
TEXT 41
zizu saba zacI-sthAne kaila nivedana
zuni’ zacI putre kichu dilA olAhana

zizu saba—all the children; zacI-sthAne—in the presence of mother zacI;
kaila—made; nivedana—petition; zuni’—hearing that; zacI—mother zacI;
putre—unto her son; kichu—some; dilA—gave; olAhana—chastisement or
rebuke.
TRANSLATION
All the children lodged complaints with zacImAtA about the Lord’s fighting
with them and stealing from the neighbors’ houses. Therefore sometimes she
used to chastise or rebuke her son.
Adi 14.42
TEXT 42
“kene curi kara, kene mAraha zizure
kene para-ghare yAha, kibA nAhi ghare”

kene curi kara—why do You steal; kene mAraha zizure—why do You beat
other children; kene—why; para-ghare—in others’ houses; yAha—You go;
kibA—what; nAhi—is not there; ghare—in Your own house.
TRANSLATION
zacImAtA said, “Why do You steal others’ things? Why do You beat the other
children? And why do You go inside others’ houses? What do You not have in
Your own house?”
PURPORT
According to the VedAnta-sUtra (janmAdy asya yataH [SB 1.1.1]), since creation,
maintenance and annihilation exist in the Supreme Absolute, whatever we
find within this material world is already in the spiritual world. zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, KRSNa Himself. How is
He stealing, and how is He fighting? It is not as a thief or an enemy but as a
friend in a loving condition. He steals as a child not because He is in want but
out of a natural instinct. In this material world also, small children, without
enmity or bad will, sometimes go to a neighboring house and steal, and
sometimes they fight. KRSNa also, like other children, did all these things in His
childhood. Without the existence of the stealing propensity and fighting
propensity in the spiritual world, they cannot exist here in this material world.
The difference between the material and spiritual worlds is that stealing in the
spiritual world is done in friendship and love, whereas fighting and stealing
within this material world are executed on the basis of enmity and envy.
Therefore we should understand that in the spiritual world all these activities
exist, but there is no inebriety, whereas in the material world all activities are
full of miserable conditions.
Adi 14.43
TEXT 43
zuni’ kruddha ha~nA prabhu ghara-bhitara yA~nA
ghare yata bhANòa chila, phelila bhA~NgiyA

zuni’—hearing; kruddha—angry; ha~nA—becoming; prabhu—the Lord; ghara-
bhitara—within the room; yA~nA—going; ghare—in the room; yata—all;
bhANòa—pots; chila—there were; phelila—He threw them; bhA~NgiyA—
breaking.
TRANSLATION
Thus rebuked by His mother, he Lord would go in anger to a room and break
all the pots within it.
Adi 14.44
TEXT 44
tabe zacI kole kari’ karAila santoSa
lajjita ha-ilA prabhu jAni’ nija-doSa

tabe—at that time; zacI—mother zacIdevI; kole—on the lap; kari’—taking;
karAila—made; santoSa—pacified; lajjita—ashamed; ha-ilA—became;
prabhu—the Lord; jAni’—knowing; nija—His own; doSa—fault.
TRANSLATION
Then zacImAtA would take her son on her lap and pacify Him, and the Lord
would be very much ashamed, admitting His faults.
PURPORT
There is a nice description of the faults of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu in His
childhood in the Caitanya-bhAgavata, Adi-khaNòa, Chapter Three, where it is
said that as a child the Lord used to steal all kinds of eatables from the houses
of neighboring friends. In some houses He would steal milk and drink it, and in
others He would steal and eat prepared rice. Sometimes He would break
cooking pots. If there were nothing to eat but there were small babies, the
Lord would tease the babies and make them cry. Sometimes a neighbor would
complain to zacImAtA, “My child is very small, but your child puts water in his
ears and makes him cry.”
Adi 14.45
TEXT 45
kabhu mRdu-haste kaila mAtAke tAòana
mAtAke mUrcchitA dekhi’ karaye krandana

kabhu—sometimes; mRdu-haste—by His soft hand; kaila—did; mAtAke—His
mother; tAòana—chastise; mAtAke—His mother; mUrcchitA—fainted;
dekhi’—seeing; karaye—was; krandana—crying.
TRANSLATION
Once the child, Caitanya MahAprabhu, chastised His mother with His soft
hand, and His mother pretended to faint. Seeing this, the Lord began to cry.
Adi 14.46
TEXT 46
nArIgaNa kahe,——“nArikela deha Ani’
tabe sustha ha-ibena tomAra jananI”

nArI-gaNa—all the ladies; kahe—say; nArikela—coconut; deha—give; Ani’—
bringing from somewhere; tabe—then; sustha ha-ibena—will be cured;
tomAra—Your; jananI—mother.
TRANSLATION
The neighboring ladies told Him, “Dear child, please bring a coconut from
somewhere, and then Your mother will be cured.”
Adi 14.47
TEXT 47
bAhire yA~nA Anilena dui nArikela
dekhiyA apUrva haila vismita sakala

bAhire—outside; yA~nA—going; Anilena—He immediately brought; dui—two;
nArikela—coconuts; dekhiyA—seeing; apUrva—this wonder; haila—became;
vismita—astonished; sakala—all.
TRANSLATION
He then went outside the house and immediately brought two coconuts. All
the ladies were astonished to see such wonderful activities.
Adi 14.48
TEXT 48
kabhu zizu-sa~Nge snAna karila ga~NgAte
kanyAgaNa AilA tAhA~N devatA pUjite

kabhu—sometimes; zizu-sa~Nge—along with other children; snAna—bathing;
karila—did; ga~NgAte—in the Ganges; kanyA-gaNa—the girls; AilA—came
there; tAhA~N—on the bank of the Ganges; devatA—demigods; pUjite—to
worship.
TRANSLATION
Sometimes the Lord would go with other children to bathe in the Ganges,
and the neighboring girls would also come there to worship various demigods.
PURPORT
According to the Vedic system, when small girls ten or twelve years old
would go to the bank of the Ganges to take their bath, they would especially
worship Lord ziva with prayers to get good husbands in the future. They
especially wanted to get a husband like Lord ziva because Lord ziva is very
peaceful and at the same time most powerful. Formerly, therefore, small girls
in Hindu families would worship Lord ziva, especially in the month of
VaizAkha (April–May). To take a bath in the Ganges is a great pleasure for
everyone, not only for adults but for children also.
Adi 14.49
TEXT 49
ga~NgA-snAna kari’ pUjA karite lAgilA
kanyAgaNa-madhye prabhu AsiyA basilA

ga~NgA-snAna—bath in the Ganges; kari’—having taken; pUjA—worship;
karite—to do; lAgilA—began; kanyA-gaNa—the girls; madhye—in the midst
of; prabhu—the Lord; AsiyA—coming there; basilA—sat down.
TRANSLATION
When the girls engaged in worshiping the different demigods after bathing in
the Ganges, the young Lord would come there and sit down among them.
Adi 14.50
TEXT 50
kanyAre kahe,——AmA pUja, Ami diba vara
ga~NgA-durgA——dAsI mora, maheza——ki~Nkara

kanyAre kahe—addressing the girls, the Lord would say; AmA pUja—“Worship
Me”; Ami—I; diba—shall give; vara—nice husband; ga~NgA—the Ganges;
durgA—goddess DurgA; dAsI—maidservants; mora—My; maheza—Lord
ziva; ki~Nkara—servant.
TRANSLATION
Addressing the girls, the Lord would say, “Worship Me, and I shall give you
good husbands or good benedictions. The Ganges and goddess DurgA are My
maidservants. What to speak of other demigods, even Lord ziva is My
servant.”
PURPORT
There is a misconception about the Hindu religion among people who profess
other religions, such as Christians and Muslims, who say that in the Hindu
religion there are many Gods. Actually that is not a fact. God is one, but there
are many other powerful living entities who are in charge of different
departments of administration. They are called demigods. All the demigods
are servants who carry out the orders of the Supreme Lord, the Personality of
Godhead. Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu disclosed this fact in His childhood. Out
of ignorance, sometimes people worship the demigods to receive some
particular boon, but actually, one who becomes a devotee and worshiper of
the Supreme Personality of Godhead does not need to go to the demigods for
any benediction because he obtains everything by the grace of the Supreme
Lord. The Bhagavad-gItA (7.20, 28) therefore condemns such demigod
worship:
kAmais tais tair hRta-j~nAnAH prapadyante ’nya-devatAH
taà taà niyamam AsthAya prakRtyA niyatAH svayA
“Only persons whose intelligence is lost and who are mad with lusty desires
worship the demigods and follow the particular rules and regulations of
worship according to their own natures.”
yeSAà tv anta-gataà pApaà janAnAà puNya-karmaNAm
te dvandva-moha-nirmuktA bhajante mAà dRòha-vratAH
“But persons who are freed from all sinful activities and the duality of delusion
engage themselves in the worship of the Supreme Personality of Godhead
with determination.” Only the less intelligent worship the demigods for their
various purposes. The most intelligent worship only the Supreme Personality
of Godhead, KRSNa.
Sometimes we, the members of the KRSNa consciousness movement, are
accused of not approving of the worship of demigods. But how can we
approve of this when it is condemned by Lord Caitanya and Lord KRSNa? How
can we allow people to become foolish and hRta-j~nAna, bereft of intelligence?
Our propaganda is simply meant to enable intelligent people to understand
the distinction between matter and spirit and understand the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, who is the whole spiritual identity. That is our
mission. How could we mislead people into worshiping so-called gods in
material bodies within this material world?
Our position of not allowing worship of the many hundreds of demigods was
confirmed by Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu even in His childhood. zrIla
Narottama dAsa ThAkura has sung in this connection:
anya devAzraya nAi tomAre kahinu bhAi
ei bhakti parama-kAraNa
“To become a staunch, pure devotee of the Supreme Personality of Godhead
without deviation [ananya-bhAk], one should not divert his attention to the
worship of the demigods. Such control is a symptom of pure devotional
service.”
Adi 14.51
TEXT 51
Apani candana pari’ parena phula-mAlA
naivedya kAòiyA khA’na——sandeza, cAla, kalA

Apani—Himself; candana—pulp of sandalwood; pari’—smearing over the
body; parena—takes; phula-mAlA—the flower garlands; naivedya—offering
of food; kAòiyA—snatching; khA’na—begins to eat; sandeza—the
sweetmeats; cAla—rice; kalA—bananas.
TRANSLATION
Without the permission of the girls, the Lord would take the sandalwood pulp
and smear it on His own body, put the flower garlands on His neck, and
snatch and eat all the offerings of sweetmeats, rice and bananas.
PURPORT
According to the system of worship, when something is offered to deities
outside one’s home, it is generally not cooked food but raw rice, bananas and
sweetmeats. Out of His causeless mercy, the Lord would snatch the offerings
from the girls and eat them, admonishing the girls not to worship the
demigods but to worship Him. This worship of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu is
recommended in zrImad-BhAgavatam:
kRSNa-varNaà tviSAkRSNaà sA~NgopA~NgAstra-pArSadam
yaj~naiH sa~NkIrtana-prAyair yajanti hi su-medhasaH
[SB 11.5.32]
“One should worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead who appears in this
Age of Kali with His associates as the Pa~nca-tattva: the Lord Himself and His
associates NityAnanda Prabhu, zrI Advaita Prabhu, zrI GadAdhara Prabhu and
zrIvAsa ThAkura. In this age an intelligent person worships the Pa~nca-tattva by
the method of chanting the Hare KRSNa mahA-mantra and, if possible,
distributing prasAdam.” Our KRSNa consciousness movement is introducing this
bona fide method of worship in the Western world. Its members are going
from village to village and town to town with Deities of Lord Caitanya
MahAprabhu, teaching people how to worship the Lord by chanting the Hare
KRSNa mantra, offering prasAdam and distributing prasAdam to people in
general.
Adi 14.52
TEXT 52
krodhe kanyAgaNa kahe——zuna, he nimA~ni
grAma-sambandhe hao tumi AmA sabAra bhAi

krodhe—in anger; kanyA-gaNa—all the girls; kahe—said; zuna—hear; he—
O; nimA~ni—NimAi; grAma—village; sambandhe—in relationship; hao—are;
tumi—You; AmA—of us; sabAra—everyone; bhAi—the brother.
TRANSLATION
All the girls became very angry at the Lord for this behavior. “Dear NimAi,”
they told Him, “You are just like our brother in our village relationship.
Adi 14.53
TEXT 53
AmA sabAkAra pakSe ihA karite nA yuyAya
nA laha devatA sajja, nA kara anyAya

AmA sabAkAra—of all of us; pakSe—on the behalf; ihA—this; karite—to do;
nA—not; yuyAya—is suitable; nA—don’t; laha—take; devatA—demigods;
sajja—worshipable paraphernalia; nA—don’t; kara—do; anyAya—mischief.
TRANSLATION
“Therefore it does not behoove You to act like this. Don’t take our
paraphernalia for worship of the demigods. Don’t create a disturbance in this
way.”
Adi 14.54
TEXT 54
prabhu kahe,——“tomA sabAke dila ei vara
tomA sabAra bhartA habe parama sundara

prabhu kahe—the Lord replied; tomA—you; sabAke—to all; dila—I give; ei—
this; vara—benediction; tomA sabAra—of all of you; bhartA—the husbands;
habe—will be; parama—very; sundara—beautiful.
TRANSLATION
The Lord replied, “My dear sisters, I give you the benediction that your
husbands will be very handsome.
Adi 14.55
TEXT 55
paNòita, vidagdha, yuvA, dhana-dhAnyavAn
sAta sAta putra habe——cirAyu, matimAn”

paNòita—learned; vidagdha—expert and humorous; yuvA—young man;
dhana-dhAnyavAn—very rich, possessing wealth and rice; sAta sAta—seven
each; putra—sons; habe—you will have; cirAyu—born with a long life;
matimAn—and intelligent.
TRANSLATION
“They will be learned, clever and young and possess abundant wealth and
rice. Not only that, but you will each have seven sons, who will all live long
lives and be very intelligent.”
PURPORT
Generally it is the ambition of a young girl to have a very handsome husband
who is learned, clever, young and rich. According to the Vedic culture, one is
rich if he possesses a large stock of food grain and a very large number of
animals. DhAnyena dhanavAn gavayA dhanavAn: one is rich if he possesses
food grain, cows and bulls. A girl also desires to have many children,
especially sons (putra) who are very intelligent and long-lived. Now because
society has deteriorated there is propaganda to have one or two children and
kill the rest by contraceptive methods. But the natural ambition of a girl is to
possess not only more than one child but at least half a dozen.
In exchange for the paraphernalia of worship He usurped for Himself,
Caitanya MahAprabhu wanted to bless the girls to fulfill all their ambitions and
desires. One can easily become happy and obtain the material benefits of a
good husband, wealth, food grain and a number of nice children by
worshiping Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu. Although zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu
accepted sannyAsa at an early age, it is not necessary for His devotees to
follow Him by also taking sannyAsa. One can stay a householder, but one
must be a devotee of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu. Then one will be happy,
with all the material opulences of a good home, good children, good mate,
good wealth and everything he desires. Therefore the zAstras advise, yaj~naiH
sa~NkIrtana-prAyair yajanti hi su-medhasaH [SB 11.5.32]. Every householder,
therefore, who is actually intelligent should introduce the sa~NkIrtana
movement home to home and live peacefully in this life and go back to
Godhead in the next.
Adi 14.56
TEXT 56
vara zuni’ kanyA-gaNera antare santoSa
bAhire bhartsana kare kari’ mithyA roSa

vara zuni’—hearing the benediction; kanyA-gaNera—of the girls; antare—
within; santoSa—very much satisfaction; bAhire—externally; bhartsana—
rebuking; kare—they do; kari’—making; mithyA—false; roSa—anger.
TRANSLATION
Hearing this benediction from zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu, all the girls were
inwardly very happy, but externally, as is natural for girls, they rebuked the
Lord under the pretense of anger.
PURPORT
This double-dealing is natural for girls. When they are satisfied within, they
externally show dissatisfaction. Such feminine dealings are very palatable to
boys who try to make friendships with them.
Adi 14.57
TEXT 57
kona kanyA palAila naivedya la-iyA
tAre òAki’ kahe prabhu sakrodha ha-iyA

kona kanyA—some of the girls; palAila—fled; naivedya—the plate of
worshipable things; la-iyA—taking away; tAre—unto them; òAki’—calling;
kahe—says; prabhu—the Lord; sakrodha—angry; ha-iyA—becoming.
TRANSLATION
When some of the girls fled, the Lord called them in anger and advised them
as follows:
Adi 14.58
TEXT 58
yadi naivedya nA deha ha-iyA kRpaNI
buòA bhartA habe, Ara cAri cAri satinI

yadi—if; naivedya—offering; nA—do not; deha—give Me; ha-iyA—
becoming; kRpaNI—miser; buòA—old; bhartA—husband; habe—will have;
Ara—and; cAri—four; cAri—four; satinI—co-wives.
TRANSLATION
“If you are miserly and do not give Me the offerings, every one of you will
have an old husband with at least four co-wives.”
PURPORT
In India in those days and even until fifty years ago, polygamy was freely
allowed. Any man, especially of the higher castes—the brAhmaNas, the
vaizyas and particularly the kSatriyas—could marry more than one wife. In
the MahAbhArata, or the old history of India, we see that kSatriya kings
especially used to marry many wives. According to Vedic civilization there
was no restriction against this, and even a man more than fifty years old
could marry. But to be married to a man who had many wives was not a very
pleasing situation because the husband’s love would be divided among his
many wives. To punish the girls unwilling to offer Him the naivedya, Lord zrI
Caitanya MahAprabhu apparently wanted to curse them to be married to men
who had at least four wives.
The social structure allowing a man to marry more than one wife can be
supported in this way. Generally in every society the female population is
greater in number than the male population. Therefore if it is a principle in the
society that all girls should be married, unless polygamy is allowed it will not
be possible. If all the girls are not married there is a good chance of adultery,
and a society in which adultery is allowed cannot be very peaceful or pure. In
our KRSNa consciousness society we have restricted illicit sex. The practical
difficulty is to find a husband for each and every girl. We are therefore in
favor of polygamy, provided, of course, that the husband is able to maintain
more than one wife.
Adi 14.59
TEXT 59
ihA zuni’ tA-sabAra mane ha-ila bhaya
kona kichu jAne, kibA devAviSTa haya

ihA zuni’—hearing this; tA-sabAra—of all the girls; mane—in the minds; ha-
ila—became; bhaya—fear; kona kichu—something uncommon; jAne—He
knows; kibA—what if; deva-AviSTa—empowered by demigods; haya—He is.
TRANSLATION
Hearing this supposed curse by Lord Caitanya, the girls, considering that He
might know something uncommon or be empowered by demigods, were
afraid that His curse might be effective.
Adi 14.60
TEXT 60
AniyA naivedya tArA sammukhe dharila
khAiyA naivedya tAre iSTa-vara dila

AniyA—bringing; naivedya—offering; tArA—all of them; sammukhe—in
front; dharila—held; khAiyA—eating; naivedya—offering; tAre—them; iSTa-
vara—desired benediction; dila—gave.
TRANSLATION
The girls then brought the offerings before the Lord, who ate them all and
blessed the girls to their satisfaction.
Adi 14.61
TEXT 61
ei mata cApalya saba lokere dekhAya
duHkha kAro mane nahe, sabe sukha pAya

ei mata—in this way; cApalya—cunning behavior; saba lokere—unto the
people in general; dekhAya—exhibits; duHkha—unhappiness; kAro—distress;
mane—in the mind; nahe—there is no such thing; sabe—everyone; sukha—
happiness; pAya—enjoys.
TRANSLATION
When this cunning behavior of the Lord with the girls became known to the
people in general, it did not create misunderstandings among them. Rather,
they enjoyed happiness in these dealings.
Adi 14.62
TEXT 62
eka-dina vallabhAcArya-kanyA ‘lakSmI’ nAma
devatA pUjite Aila kari ga~NgA-snAna

eka-dina—one day; vallabhAcArya-kanyA—the daughter of VallabhAcArya;
lakSmI—LakSmI; nAma—named; devatA—demigods; pUjite—to worship;
Aila—came; kari—taking; ga~NgA-snAna—bath in the Ganges.
TRANSLATION
One day a girl of the name LakSmI, the daughter of VallabhAcArya, came to
the bank of the Ganges to take a bath in the river and worship the demigods.
PURPORT
According to the Gaura-gaNoddeza-dIpikA (45), LakSmI was formerly JAnakI,
the wife of Lord RAmacandra, and RukmiNI, the wife of Lord KRSNa in DvArakA.
The same goddess of fortune descended as LakSmI to become the wife of
Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu.
Adi 14.63
TEXT 63
tA~Nre dekhi’ prabhura ha-ila sAbhilASa mana
lakSmI citte prIta pAila prabhura darzana

tA~Nre dekhi’—seeing her; prabhura—of the Lord; ha-ila—there was; sa—her;
abhilASa—attachment; mana—mind; lakSmI—LakSmI also; citte—in the
heart; prIta—satisfaction; pAila—attained; prabhura—of the Lord; darzana—
meeting.
TRANSLATION
Seeing LakSmIdevI, the Lord became attached to her, and LakSmI, upon seeing
the Lord, felt great satisfaction within her mind.
Adi 14.64
TEXT 64
sAhajika prIti du~NhAra karila udaya
bAlya-bhAvAcchanna tabhu ha-ila nizcaya

sAhajika—natural; prIti—affection; du~NhAra—both of them; karila—made;
udaya—appearance; bAlya—childhood; bhAva-Acchanna—covered by
emotion; tabhu—still; ha-ila—it so became; nizcaya—fixed up.
TRANSLATION
Their natural love for each other awakened, and although it was covered by
childhood emotions, it became apparent that they were mutually attracted.
PURPORT
Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu and LakSmIdevI are eternal husband and wife.
Therefore it was quite natural for their dormant love to awaken when they
saw each other. Their natural feelings were immediately awakened by their
meeting.
Adi 14.65
TEXT 65
du~NhA dekhi’ du~NhAra citte ha-ila ullAsa
deva-pUjA chale kaila du~Nhe parakAza

du~NhA—both of them; dekhi’—seeing; du~NhAra—of both of them; citte—in
the minds; ha-ila—there was; ullAsa—pleasure; deva-pUjA—worshiping the
demigods; chale—on the plea of; kaila—there was; du~Nhe—both of them;
parakAza—manifestation.
TRANSLATION
They both enjoyed natural pleasure in seeing each other, and under the
pretext of demigod worship they manifested their feelings.
Adi 14.66
TEXT 66
prabhu kahe, ‘AmA’ pUja, Ami mahezvara
AmAre pUjile pAbe abhIpsita vara’

prabhu kahe—the Lord said; AmA’ pUja—just worship Me; Ami—I am;
mahezvara—the Supreme Lord; AmAre—unto Me; pUjile—if you worship;
pAbe—you will get; abhIpsita—desired; vara—benediction.
TRANSLATION
The Lord told LakSmI, “Just worship Me, for I am the Supreme Lord. If you
worship Me, certainly you will get the benediction you desire.”
PURPORT
This is the same philosophy declared by Lord KRSNa Himself:
sarva-dharmAn parityajya mAm ekaà zaraNaà vraja
ahaà tvAà sarva-pApebhyo mokSayiSyAmi mA zucaH
“Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver
you from all sinful reaction. Do not fear.” (Bg. 18.66) People do not understand
this. They are accustomed to flattering or worshiping many demigods, human
beings, or even cats and dogs, but when requested to worship the Supreme
Lord, they refuse. This is called illusion. Factually, if one worships the Supreme
Lord there is no need to worship anyone else. For example, in a village of a
limited area one may use different wells for different purposes, but when one
goes to a river where there is water constantly flowing in waves, that water
can serve all his purposes. When there is a river, one can take drinking water,
wash his clothes, bathe and so on, for that water will serve all purposes.
Similarly, if one worships the Supreme Personality of Godhead, KRSNa, all his
goals will be achieved. KAmais tais tair hRta-j~nAnAH prapadyante ’nya-
devatAH: only men who have lost their intelligence worship the various
demigods to fulfill their desires (Bg. 7.20).
Adi 14.67
TEXT 67
lakSmI tA~Nra a~Nge dila puSpa-candana
mallikAra mAlA diyA karila vandana

lakSmI—LakSmIdevI; tA~Nra—His; a~Nge—on the body; dila—gave; puSpa—
flowers; candana—sandalwood pulp; mallikAra—of the flower of the name
mallikA; mAlA—garland; diyA—giving; karila—offered; vandana—prayers.
TRANSLATION
On hearing the order of the Supreme Lord, zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu, LakSmI
immediately worshiped Him, offering sandalwood pulp and flowers for His
body, garlanding Him with mallikA flowers, and offering prayers.
Adi 14.68
TEXT 68
prabhu tA~Nra pUjA pA~nA hAsite lAgilA
zloka paòi’ tA~Nra bhAva a~NgIkAra kailA

prabhu—the Lord; tA~Nra—her; pUjA—worship; pA~nA—receiving; hAsite—to
smile; lAgilA—began; zloka paòi’—reciting one verse; tA~Nra—her; bhAva—
emotion; a~NgIkAra kailA—accepted.
TRANSLATION
Being worshiped by LakSmI, the Lord began to smile. He recited a verse from
zrImad-BhAgavatam and thus accepted the emotion she expressed.
PURPORT
The verse quoted in this connection is the twenty-fifth verse of the Twenty-
second Chapter, Tenth Canto, of zrImad-BhAgavatam. The gopIs worshiped
goddess DurgA, or KAtyAyanI, but their inner desire was to get Lord KRSNa as
their husband. KRSNa, as ParamAtmA, could realize the ardent desire of the
gopIs, and therefore He enjoyed the pastime of vastra-haraNa. When the
gopIs went to bathe in the river YamunA, they left their garments on the land
and dipped into the water completely naked. Taking this opportunity, KRSNa
stole all their garments and sat down in the top of a tree with them, desiring
to see the girls naked just to become their husband. The gopIs desired to have
KRSNa as their husband, and since it is only before her husband that a woman
can be naked, to fulfill their desire Lord KRSNa accepted their prayers by this
pastime of stealing their garments. When the gopIs received their garments
back from KRSNa, KRSNa recited this verse.
Adi 14.69
TEXT 69
sa~Nkalpo viditaH sAdhvyo
bhavatInAà mad-arcanam
mayAnumoditaH so ’sau
satyo bhavitum arhati

sa~NkalpaH—desire; viditaH—has been understood; sAdhvyaH—O all of you
chaste ladies; bhavatInAm—of all of you; mat-arcanam—for worshiping Me;
mayA—by Me; anumoditaH—accepted; saH—that; asau—that determination
or desire; satyaH—successful; bhavitum—to become; arhati—deserves.
TRANSLATION
“My dear gopIs, I accept your desire to have Me as your husband and thus
worship Me. I wish your desire to be fulfilled because it deserves to be so.”
PURPORT
The gopIs, the girlfriends of KRSNa, were almost of the same age as He. Within
their minds they desired that KRSNa be their husband, but because of feminine
bashfulness they could not express their desire. Therefore later on, after
stealing their garments, KRSNa informed them, “I immediately understood your
desire and approved of it. Because I have now stolen your garments, you
have presented yourselves before Me completely naked, which means that I
have accepted all of you as My wives.” Sometimes foolish rascals, not
knowing the purpose of the Lord or the purpose of the gopIs, unnecessarily
criticize from their own angle of vision, but the real purpose of vastra-haraNa
is expressed by the Lord in this verse.
Adi 14.70
TEXT 70
ei-mata lIlA kari’ du~Nhe gelA ghare
gambhIra caitanya-lIlA ke bujhite pAre

ei-mata—in this way; lIlA—pastimes; kari’—executing; du~Nhe—both of
them; gelA—returned; ghare—home; gambhIra—very grave; caitanya-lIlA—
the pastimes of Lord Caitanya; ke—who; bujhite—to understand; pAre—is
able.
TRANSLATION
After thus expressing their feelings to each other, Lord Caitanya and LakSmI
returned home. Who can understand the grave pastimes of Lord Caitanya
MahAprabhu?
Adi 14.71
TEXT 71
caitanya-cApalya dekhi’ preme sarva jana
zacI-jagannAthe dekhi’ dena olAhana

caitanya—Lord Caitanya; cApalya—naughtiness; dekhi’—seeing; preme—
out of love; sarva jana—all people; zacI—before zacImAtA; jagannAthe—and
JagannAtha Mizra; dekhi’—seeing them; dena—gave; olAhana—a little
rebuke.
TRANSLATION
When the neighboring people saw the naughty behavior of Lord Caitanya, out
of love for Him they lodged complaints with zacImAtA and JagannAtha Mizra.
Adi 14.72
TEXT 72
ekadina zacI-devI putrere bhartsiyA
dharibAre gelA, putra gelA palAiyA

eka-dina—one day; zacI-devI—mother zacI; putrere—unto the son;
bhartsiyA—rebuking; dharibAre—to catch Him; gelA—went; putra—the son;
gelA—went; palAiyA—running away.
TRANSLATION
One day mother zacI went to catch her son, wanting to rebuke Him, but He
fled from the spot.
Adi 14.73
TEXT 73
ucchiSTa-garte tyakta-hANòIra upara
basiyAchena sukhe prabhu deva-vizvambhara

ucchiSTa-garte—in the pit where the remnants of food were thrown; tyakta—
rejected; hANòIra—pots; upara—upon; basiyAchena—sat down; sukhe—very
pleasingly; prabhu—the Lord; deva—the Supreme God; vizvambhara—the
maintainer of the universe.
TRANSLATION
Although He is the maintainer of the entire universe, once the Lord sat upon
some rejected pots in the pit where the remnants of food were thrown, after
the pots had been used for cooking.
PURPORT
Formerly it was the custom of brAhmaNas to worship Lord ViSNu daily at home
and cook food in new pots. This system is still going on in JagannAtha PurI.
The food would be cooked in earthen pots, all fresh and new, and after
cooking, the pots would be thrown away. By the side of the house there was
generally a big pit where such pots were thrown. Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu
sat down on the pots very pleasingly, just to give His mother a lesson.
Adi 14.74
TEXT 74
zacI Asi’ kahe,——kene azuci chu~NilA
ga~NgA-snAna kara yAi’——apavitra ha-ilA

zacI Asi’—mother zacI, coming there; kahe—said; kene—why; azuci—
untouchable; chu~NilA—You have touched; ga~NgA-snAna—bathing in the
Ganges; kara—do; yAi’—going there; apavitra ha-ilA—You have become
impure.
TRANSLATION
When mother zacI saw her boy sitting on the rejected pots, she protested,
“Why have You touched these untouchable pots? You have now become
impure. Go and bathe in the Ganges.”
Adi 14.75
TEXT 75
ihA zuni’ mAtAke kahila brahma-j~nAna
vismitA ha-iyA mAtA karAila snAna

ihA zuni’—hearing this; mAtAke—unto His mother; kahila—explained;
brahma-j~nAna—absolute knowledge; vismitA—amazed; ha-iyA—becoming;
mAtA—the mother; karAila—forced; snAna—bathing.
TRANSLATION
Hearing this, Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu taught His mother about absolute
knowledge. Although amazed by this, His mother forced Him to take a bath.
PURPORT
The absolute knowledge explained by the Lord to His mother is described by
zrIla Bhaktivinoda ThAkura in his AmRta-pravAha-bhASya as follows: “The Lord
said, ‘Mother, that this is pure and that is impure is surely a worldly sentiment
with no basis in fact. You have cooked food for Lord ViSNu within these pots
and offered the food to Him. How then can these pots be untouchable?
Everything in relationship with ViSNu is to be considered an expansion of
ViSNu’s energy. ViSNu, the Supersoul, is eternal and uncontaminated. How then
may these pots be considered pure or impure?’ Hearing this discourse on
absolute knowledge, His mother was very much astonished and forced Him to
take a bath.”
Adi 14.76
TEXT 76
kabhu putra-sa~Nge zacI karilA zayana
dekhe, divyaloka Asi’ bharila bhavana

kabhu—sometimes; putra-sa~Nge—taking the boy; zacI—mother zacI; karilA
zayana—took rest; dekhe—sees; divya-loka—celestial denizens; Asi’—
coming there; bharila—filled up; bhavana—the whole house.
TRANSLATION
Sometimes, taking her son with her, mother zacI would lie down on her bed,
and she would see that denizens of the celestial world had come there, filling
the entire house.
Adi 14.77
TEXT 77
zacI bale,——yAha, putra, bolAha bApere
mAtR-Aj~nA pAiyA prabhu calilA bAhire

zacI bale—mother zacI said; yAha—go; putra—my dear son; bolAha—call;
bApere—Your father; mAtR-Aj~nA—the order of His mother; paiyA—getting;
prabhu—the Lord; calilA—went; bAhire—out.
TRANSLATION
Once mother zacI told the Lord, “Please go call Your father.” Receiving this
order from His mother, the Lord went out to call him.
Adi 14.78
TEXT 78
calite caraNe nUpura bAje jhanjhan
zuni’ camakita haila pitA-mAtAra mana

calite—while going; caraNe—on the lotus feet; nUpura—ankle bells; bAje—
sounded; jhanjhan—tinkling; zuni’—hearing; camakita—struck with wonder;
haila—became; pitA—of His father; mAtAra—and mother; mana—the minds.
TRANSLATION
When the child was going out, there was a tinkling of ankle bells from His
lotus feet. Hearing this, His father and mother were struck with wonder.
Adi 14.79
TEXT 79
mizra kahe,——ei baòa adbhuta kAhinI
zizura zUnya-pade kene nUpurera dhvani

mizra kahe—JagannAtha Mizra said; ei baòa—this is very; adbhuta—
wonderful; kAhinI—incident; zizura—of the child; zUnya-pade—on the naked
legs; kene—why; nUpurera—of the ankle bells; dhvani—sound.
TRANSLATION
JagannAtha Mizra said, “This is a very wonderful incident. Why is there a
sound of ankle bells from the bare feet of my child?”
Adi 14.80
TEXT 80
zacI kahe,——Ara eka adbhuta dekhila
divya divya loka Asi’ a~Ngana bharila

zacI kahe—mother zacI said; Ara—another; eka—one; adbhuta—wonderful;
dekhila—I saw; divya—celestial; divya—celestial; loka—people; Asi’—
coming there; a~Ngana—courtyard; bharila—filled up.
TRANSLATION
Mother zacI said, “I also saw another wonder. People were coming down
from the celestial kingdom and crowding the entire courtyard.
Adi 14.81
TEXT 81
kibA kolAhala kare, bujhite nA pAri
kAhAke vA stuti kare——anumAna kari

kibA—what; kolAhala—rowdy sounds; kare—they make; bujhite—to
understand; nA—not; pAri—I am able; kAhAke—to whom; vA—or; stuti—
prayer; kare—they offer; anumAna—guess; kari—I do.
TRANSLATION
“They made noisy sounds I could not understand. I guess they were offering
prayers to someone.”
Adi 14.82
TEXT 82
mizra bale,——kichu ha-uk, cintA kichu nAi
vizvambharera kuzala ha-uk,——ei mAtra cAi

mizra bale—JagannAtha Mizra replied; kichu ha-uk—whatever it may be;
cintA kichu nAi—don’t be worried; vizvambharera—of Vizvambhara; kuzala—
auspiciousness; ha-uk—let there be; ei—this; mAtra—only; cAi—I want.
TRANSLATION
JagannAtha Mizra replied, “Never mind what it is. There is no need to worry.
Let there always be good fortune for Vizvambhara. This is all I want.”
Adi 14.83
TEXT 83
eka-dina mizra putrera cApalya dekhiyA
dharma-zikSA dila bahu bhartsanA kariyA

eka-dina—one day; mizra—JagannAtha Mizra; putrera—of his son; cApalya—
the mischievous behavior; dekhiyA—seeing; dharma-zikSA—religious
teaching; dila—gave; bahu—much; bhartsanA—rebuking; kariyA—doing.
TRANSLATION
On another occasion, JagannAtha Mizra, seeing the mischievous acts of his
son, gave Him lessons in morality after rebuking Him greatly.
Adi 14.84
TEXT 84
rAtre svapna dekhe,——eka Asi’ brAhmaNa
mizrere kahaye kichu sa-roSa vacana

rAtre—at night; svapna dekhe—he dreamt; eka—one; Asi’—coming;
brAhmaNa—brAhmaNa; mizrere—unto JagannAtha Mizra; kahaye—spoke;
kichu—something; sa-roSa—with anger; vacana—words.
TRANSLATION
On that very night, JagannAtha Mizra dreamt that a brAhmaNa had come
before him speaking these words in great anger:
Adi 14.85
TEXT 85
“mizra, tumi putrera tattva kichui nA jAna
bhartsana-tAòana kara,——putra kari’ mAna”

mizra—my dear JagannAtha Mizra; tumi—you; putrera—of your son;
tattva—truth; kichui—something; nA—do not; jAna—know; bhartsana—
rebuking; tAòana—chastisement; kara—you do; putra—son; kari’—making
Him; mAna—you regard.
TRANSLATION
“My dear Mizra, you do not know anything about your son. You think Him
your son, and therefore you rebuke and chastise Him.”
Adi 14.86
TEXT 86
mizra kahe,——deva, siddha, muni kene naya
ye se baòa ha-uk mAtra AmAra tanaya

mizra kahe—JagannAtha Mizra replied; deva—demigod; siddha—mystic
yogI; muni—great saintly person; kene naya—may be so or not; ye se—
whatever; baòa—great; ha-uk—He may be; mAtra—only; AmAra—my;
tanaya—son.
TRANSLATION
JagannAtha Mizra replied, “This boy may be a demigod, a mystic yogI or a
great saintly person. It doesn’t matter what He is, for I think He is only my
son.
Adi 14.87
TEXT 87
putrera lAlana-zikSA——pitAra sva-dharma
Ami nA zikhAle kaiche janibe dharma-marma

putrera—of the son; lAlana—maintenance; zikSA—education; pitara—of the
father; sva-dharma—duty; Ami—if I; nA—do not; zikhAle—give education;
kaiche—how; janibe—He will know; dharma-marma—religion and morality.
TRANSLATION
“It is the duty of a father to educate his son in both religion and morality. If I
do not give Him this education, how will He know of it?”
Adi 14.88
TEXT 88
vipra kahe,——putra yadi daiva-siddha haya
svataH-siddha-j~nAna, tabe zikSA vyartha haya

vipra kahe—the brAhmaNa replied; putra—son; yadi—if; daiva—
transcendental; siddha—mystic; haya—were; svataH-siddha-j~nAna—self-
illuminated perfect knowledge; tabe—at that time; zikSA—education;
vyartha—futile; haya—becomes.
TRANSLATION
The brAhmaNa replied, “If your son is a transcendental mystic boy with self-
effulgent perfect knowledge, what is the use of your education?”
PURPORT
The brAhmaNa JagannAtha Mizra saw in his dream told him that his son was
not an ordinary human being. If He were a transcendental person, He would
have self-effulgent knowledge, and thus there would be no need to educate
Him.
Adi 14.89
TEXT 89
mizra kahe,——“putra kene nahe nArAyaNa
tathApi pitAra dharma——putrera zikSaNa”

mizra kahe—JagannAtha Mizra replied; putra—my son; kene—may be;
nahe—why not; nArAyaNa—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; tathApi—
still; pitAra—of a father; dharma—the duty; putrera—of the son; zikSaNa—
instruction.
TRANSLATION
JagannAtha Mizra replied, “Even if my son is not a common man but
NArAyaNa, still it is the duty of a father to instruct his son.”
Adi 14.90
TEXT 90
ei-mate du~Nhe karena dharmera vicAra
vizuddha-vAtsalya mizrera, nAhi jAne Ara

ei-mate—in this way; du~Nhe—both of them; karena—do; dharmera—of
religion; vicAra—consideration; vizuddha—unalloyed; vAtsalya—parental
affection; mizrera—of JagannAtha Mizra; nAhi—there is not; jAne—he knew;
Ara—anything else.
TRANSLATION
In this way JagannAtha Mizra and the brAhmaNa discussed the principles of
religion in the dream, yet JagannAtha Mizra was absorbed in unalloyed
parental mellow and did not want to know anything else.
PURPORT
In zrImad-BhAgavatam (10.8.45) it is said, “Lord KRSNa, the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, who is worshiped with exalted hymns by all the
Vedas and UpaniSads and by great personalities through sA~Nkhya-yoga in the
mode of goodness, was considered by mother YazodA and Nanda to be their
own little son.” Similarly, JagannAtha Mizra also considered Lord Caitanya
MahAprabhu his beloved little boy, although He is worshiped with all
veneration by learned brAhmaNas and saintly persons.
Adi 14.91
TEXT 91
eta zuni’ dvija gelA ha~nA Anandita
mizra jAgiyA ha-ilA parama vismita

eta zuni’—after hearing so much; dvija—the brAhmaNa; gelA—returned;
ha~nA—becoming; Anandita—very pleased; mizra—JagannAtha Mizra;
jAgiyA—being awakened; ha-ilA—became; parama—highly; vismita—
astonished.
TRANSLATION
Being very pleased, the brAhmaNa left after talking with JagannAtha Mizra,
and when JagannAtha Mizra awakened from his dream, he was very much
astonished.
Adi 14.92
TEXT 92
bandhu-bAndhava-sthAne svapna kahila
zuniyA sakala loka vismita ha-ila

bandhu-bAndhava—of friends and relatives; sthAne—in the presence;
svapna—dream; kahila—explained; zuniyA—after hearing; sakala—all;
loka—the people; vismita—astonished; ha-ila—became.
TRANSLATION
He related the dream to his friends and relatives, and every one of them was
very much astonished to hear of it.
Adi 14.93
TEXT 93
ei mata zizu-lIlA kare gauracandra
dine dine pitA-mAtAra bAòAya Ananda

ei—this; mata—like; zizu-lIlA—childhood pastimes; kare—does;
gauracandra—zrI Gaurahari; dine dine—day after day; pitA-mAtAra—of His
parents; bAòAya—He increases; Ananda—the pleasure.
TRANSLATION
In this way Gaurahari performed His childhood pastimes and day after day
increased the pleasure of His parents.
Adi 14.94
TEXT 94
kata dine mizra putrera hAte khaòi dila
alpa dine dvAdaza-phalA akSara zikhila

kata dine—after some days; mizra—JagannAtha Mizra; putrera—of his son;
hAte—in the hand; khaòi—chalk; dila—gave; alpa—within a very few;
dine—days; dvAdaza-phalA—twelve combinations of letters; akSara—letters;
zikhila—learned.
TRANSLATION
After some days JagannAtha Mizra inaugurated the primary education of his
son by performing the hAte khaòi ceremony. Within a very few days the Lord
learned all the letters and combinations of letters.
PURPORT
The twelve phalA, or combinations of letters, are called repha, mUrdhanya
(cerebral), Na, dAntavya (dental), na, ma, ya, ra, la, va, R, è, ÿ and ÿ. HAte khaòi
is the primary educational beginning. At the age of four or five years, on an
auspicious day called vidyArambha marking the beginning of primary
education, there is a ceremony worshiping Lord ViSNu, and after that the
teacher gives the child a long chalk pencil. Then, guiding the hand of the
student, he instructs him how to write the letters of the alphabet (a, A, i, etc.)
by writing big letters on the floor. When the child is a little advanced in
writing, he is given a slate for his primary education, which ends when he
learns the two-letter combinations, which are called phalA, as mentioned
above.
Adi 14.95
TEXT 95
bAlyalIlA-sUtra ei kaila anukrama
ihA vistAriyAchena dAsa-vRndAvana

bAlya-lIlA-sUtra—synopsis of the pastimes of childhood; ei—this; kaila—did;
anukrama—in chronological order; ihA—this; vistAriyAchena—has elaborately
explained; dAsa-vRndAvana—VRndAvana dAsa ThAkura.
TRANSLATION
This is a synopsis of the childhood pastimes of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu,
placed herewith in chronological order. VRndAvana dAsa ThAkura has already
elaborately explained these pastimes in his book Caitanya-bhAgavata.
Adi 14.96
TEXT 96
ataeva ei-lIlA sa~NkSepe sUtra kaila
punarukti-bhaye vistAriyA nA kahila

ataeva—therefore; ei-lIlA—these pastimes; sa~NkSepe—in brief; sUtra—
synopsis; kaila—made; punar-ukti—repetition; bhaye—being afraid of;
vistArirA—elaborate explanation; nA—did not; kahila—say.
TRANSLATION
I have therefore made only a brief summary. Being afraid of repetition, I have
not elaborated upon this subject matter.
Adi 14.97
TEXT 97
zrI-rUpa-raghunAtha-pade yAra Aza
caitanya-caritAmRta kahe kRSNadAsa

ku-manAH—a person interested in activities of material sense enjoyment; su-
manastvam—the position of a devotee without material desires; hi—
certainly; yAti—gets; yasya—whose; pada-abjayoH—at the lotus feet; su-
manaH—a flower; arpaNa—offering; mAtreNa—simply by doing so; tam—
Him; caitanya-prabhum—Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu; bhaje—I worship.
TRANSLATION
I offer my respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of Lord Caitanya because
simply by offering a flower at His lotus feet even the most ardent materialist
becomes a devotee.
Adi 15.2
TEXT 2
jaya jaya zrI-caitanya jaya nityAnanda
jayAdvaitacandra, jaya gaura-bhakta-vRnda

jaya jaya—all glories; zrI-caitanya—Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu; jaya—all
glories; nityAnanda—Lord NityAnanda Prabhu; jaya-advaitacandra—all
glories to Advaita AcArya; jaya gaura-bhakta-vRnda—all glories to the
devotees of Lord Caitanya.
TRANSLATION
All glories to Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu! All glories to Lord NityAnanda
Prabhu! All glories to Advaita AcArya! And all glories to all the devotees of
Lord Caitanya!
Adi 15.3
TEXT 3
paugaNòa-lIlAra sUtra kariye gaNana
paugaNòa-vayase prabhura mukhya adhyayana

paugaNòa—of the age from five years to ten years; lIlAra—of the pastimes;
sUtra—synopsis; kariye—I do; gaNana—enumerate; paugaNòa-vayase—in
that age between five and ten years; prabhura—of the Lord; mukhya—chief;
adhyayana—studying.
TRANSLATION
Let me now enumerate the activities of the Lord between the ages of five and
ten. His chief occupation during this period was to engage Himself in study.
Adi 15.4
TEXT 4
paugaNòa-lIlA caitanya-
kRSNasyAti-suvistRtA
vidyArambha-mukhA pANi-
grahaNAntA mano-harA

paugaNòa-lIlA—the pastimes of the paugaNòa age; caitanya-kRSNasya—of
Lord Caitanya, who is KRSNa Himself; ati-suvistRtA—very much expanded;
vidyA-Arambha—the beginning of education; mukhA—chief business; pANi-
grahaNa—marriage; antA—at the end; manaH-harA—very beautiful.
TRANSLATION
The pastimes of the Lord during His paugaNòa age were very extensive. His
education was His chief occupation, and after that His very beautiful marriage
took place.
Adi 15.5
TEXT 5
ga~NgAdAsa paNòita-sthAne paòena vyAkaraNa
zravaNa-mAtre kaNThe kaila sUtra-vRtti-gaNa

ga~NgAdAsa—Ga~NgAdAsa; paNòita-sthAne—at the place of the teacher;
paòena—studies; vyAkaraNa—grammar; zravaNa-mAtre—simply by hearing;
kaNThe—between the neck and the heart; kaila—did; sUtra-vRtti-gaNa—the
aphorisms and their definitions.
TRANSLATION
When the Lord was studying grammar at the place of Ga~NgAdAsa PaNòita, He
would immediately learn grammatical rules and definitions by heart simply by
hearing them once.
PURPORT
zrIla Bhaktivinoda ThAkura says that the Lord was given lessons by a teacher
named ViSNu and another teacher named Sudarzana. Later on, when He was a
little grown up, He was under the care of Ga~NgAdAsa PaNòita, who taught
Him grammar of a higher standard. Anyone serious about studying the
Sanskrit language should first learn grammar. It is said that simply to finish
studying Sanskrit grammar takes at least twelve years, but once one learns
the grammatical rules and regulations very nicely, all other scriptures or
subject matters in Sanskrit are extremely easy to understand, for Sanskrit
grammar is the gateway to education.
Adi 15.6
TEXT 6
alpa-kAle hailA pa~njI-TIkAte pravINa
cira-kAlera paòuyA jine ha-iyA navIna

alpa-kAle—within a very short time; hailA—became; pa~njI-TIkAte—in the
commentary on grammar named Pa~njI-TIkA; pravINa—very expert; cira-
kAlera—all older; paòuyA—students; jine—conquers; ha-iyA—being;
navIna—their junior.
TRANSLATION
He soon became so expert in commenting on the Pa~njI-TIkA that He could win
victory over all the other students, although He was a neophyte.
PURPORT
zrIla Bhaktivinoda ThAkura says there was a commentary on grammar named
Pa~njI-TIkA that was later explained very lucidly by zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu.
Adi 15.7
TEXT 7
adhyayana-lIlA prabhura dAsa-vRndAvana
‘caitanya-ma~Ngale’ kaila vistAri varNana

adhyayana-lIlA—pastimes of studying; prabhura—of the Lord; dAsa-
vRndAvana—VRndAvana dAsa ThAkura; caitanya-ma~Ngale—in his book
Caitanya-ma~Ngala; kaila—has done; vistAri—elaborately; varNana—
explanation.
TRANSLATION
In his book Caitanya-ma~Ngala [which later became Caitanya-bhAgavata], zrIla
VRndAvana dAsa ThAkura has very elaborately described the Lord’s pastimes
of study.
PURPORT
The Caitanya-bhAgavata, Adi-khaNòa, chapters Four, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine
and Ten, are a good reference for the studious pastimes of Lord zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu.
Adi 15.8
TEXT 8
eka dina mAtAra pade kariyA praNAma
prabhu kahe,——mAtA, more deha eka dAna

eka dina—one day; mAtAra—of the mother; pade—on the feet; kariyA—
doing; praNAma—obeisances; prabhu—the Lord; kahe—said; mAtA—My
dear mother; more—unto Me; deha—give; eka—one; dAna—gift.
TRANSLATION
One day zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu fell down at the feet of His mother and
requested her to give Him one thing in charity.
Adi 15.9
TEXT 9
mAtA bale,——tAi diba, yA tumi mAgibe
prabhu kahe,——ekAdazIte anna nA khAibe

mAtA bale—His mother said; tAi diba—I shall give that; yA—whatever;
tumi—You; mAgibe—should ask me; prabhu kahe—the Lord said;
ekAdazIte—on the EkAdazI day; anna—grains; nA—don’t; khAibe—eat.
TRANSLATION
His mother replied, “My dear son, I will give You whatever You ask.” Then the
Lord said, “My dear mother, please do not eat grains on the EkAdazI day.”
PURPORT
From the very beginning of His childhood life zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu
introduced the system of observing a fast on the EkAdazI day. In the Bhakti-
sandarbha, by zrIla JIva GosvAmI, there is a quotation from the Skanda PurANa
admonishing that a person who eats grains on EkAdazI becomes a murderer of
his mother, father, brother and spiritual master, and even if he is elevated to a
VaikuNTha planet, he falls down. On EkAdazI, everything is cooked for ViSNu,
including regular grains and dhal, but it is enjoined that a VaiSNava should not
even take viSNu-prasAdam on EkAdazI. It is said that a VaiSNava does not
accept anything eatable that is not offered to Lord ViSNu, but on EkAdazI a
VaiSNava should not touch even mahA-prasAdam offered to ViSNu, although
such prasAdam may be kept for being eaten the next day. It is strictly
forbidden for one to accept any kind of grain on EkAdazI, even if it is offered
to Lord ViSNu.
Adi 15.10
TEXT 10
zacI kahe,——nA khAiba, bhAla-i kahilA
sei haite ekAdazI karite lAgilA

zacI kahe—mother zacI said; nA khAiba—I shall not take; bhAla-i kahilA—You
have said very nicely; sei haite—from that day; ekAdazI—EkAdazI day; karite
lAgilA—began to observe.
TRANSLATION
Mother zacI said, “You have spoken very nicely. I shall not eat grains on
EkAdazI.” From that day, she began to observe fasting on EkAdazI.
PURPORT
It is a prejudice among smArta-brAhmaNas that a widow must observe fasting
on EkAdazI but a woman who is sa-dhava—who has her husband—should
not. It appears that before Lord Caitanya’s request, zacImAtA, being sa-dhava,
was not observing EkAdazI. zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu, however, introduced
the system that a woman, even if not a widow, must observe the EkAdazI day
and must not touch any kind of grains, even those offered to the Deity of
ViSNu.
Adi 15.11
TEXT 11
tabe mizra vizvarUpera dekhiyA yauvana
kanyA cAhi’ vivAha dite karilena mana

tabe—thereafter; mizra—JagannAtha Mizra; vizvarUpera—of VizvarUpa, his
elder son; dekhiyA—seeing; yauvana—youthfulness; kanyA cAhi’—wanting
to find a girl; vivAha—marriage; dite—to give; karilena—made up; mana—
his mind.
TRANSLATION
Thereafter, seeing that VizvarUpa was a grown-up youth, JagannAtha Mizra
wanted to find a girl and arrange a marriage ceremony for Him.
Adi 15.12
TEXT 12
vizvarUpa zuni’ ghara chAòi palAilA
sannyAsa kariyA tIrtha karibAre gelA

vizvarUpa—VizvarUpa; zuni’—hearing this; ghara—home; chAòi—giving up;
palAilA—went away; sannyAsa—the renounced order; kariyA—accepting;
tIrtha—the holy places; karibAre—for touring; gelA—went away.
TRANSLATION
Hearing of this, VizvarUpa immediately left home and went away to accept
sannyAsa and travel from one place of pilgrimage to another.
Adi 15.13
TEXT 13
zuni, zacI-mizrera duHkhI haila mana
tabe prabhu mAtA-pitAra kaila AzvAsana

zuni’—hearing this; zacI—of mother zacI; mizrera—and of JagannAtha Mizra;
duHkhI—very unhappy; haila—became; mana—minds; tabe—at that time;
prabhu—Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu; mAtA-pitAra—of the parents; kaila—
did; AzvAsana—pacification.
TRANSLATION
When zacImAtA and JagannAtha Mizra heard of the departure of their elder
son, VizvarUpa, they were very unhappy, but Lord Caitanya tried to console
them.
Adi 15.14
TEXT 14
bhAla haila,——vizvarUpa sannyAsa karila
pitR-kula, mAtR-kula,——dui uddhArila

bhAla haila—it is very good; vizvarUpa—VizvarUpa; sannyAsa—the
renounced order of life; karila—has accepted; pitR-kula—father’s family;
mAtR-kula—mother’s family; dui—both of them; uddhArila—delivered.
TRANSLATION
“My dear mother and father,” the Lord said, “it is very good that VizvarUpa
has accepted the sannyAsa order, for thus He has delivered both His father’s
family and His mother’s family.”
PURPORT
It is sometimes said that Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu disapproved of the
acceptance of the sannyAsa order in this Kali-yuga because in the zAstra it is
said:
azvamedhaà gavAlambhaà sannyAsaà pala-paitRkam
devareNa sutotpattià kalau pa~nca vivarjayet
[Cc. Adi 17.164]
“In this Age of Kali, five acts are forbidden: the offering of a horse in sacrifice,
the offering of a cow in sacrifice, the acceptance of the order of sannyAsa,
the offering of oblations of flesh to the forefathers, and a man’s begetting
children in his brother’s wife.” (Brahma-vaivarta PurANa, KRSNa-janma-khaNòa
185.180)
Nevertheless, we see that zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu Himself accepted
sannyAsa and approved of the sannyAsa of His elder brother, VizvarUpa. It is
clearly said here, bhAla haila,——vizvarUpa sannyAsa karila pitR-kula, mAtR-
kula,——dui uddhArila. Therefore, should it be thought that zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu made statements that are contradictory? No, actually He did
not. It is recommended that one accept sannyAsa to dedicate his life for the
service of the Lord, and everyone must take that kind of sannyAsa, for by
accepting such sannyAsa one renders the best service to both his paternal and
maternal families. But one should not accept the sannyAsa order of the
MAyAvAda school, which has practically no meaning. We find many MAyAvAdI
sannyAsIs simply loitering in the street thinking themselves Brahman or
NArAyaNa and spending all day and night begging so they can fill their hungry
bellies. MAyAvAdI sannyAsIs have become so degraded that there is a section
of them who eat everything, just like hogs and dogs. It is such degraded
sannyAsa that is prohibited in this age. Actually, zrIla za~NkarAcArya’s principles
for the acceptance of sannyAsa were very strict, but later the so-called
MAyAvAdI sannyAsIs became degraded because of their false philosophy,
which propounds that by accepting sannyAsa one becomes NArAyaNa. zrI
Caitanya MahAprabhu rejected that kind of sannyAsa. But the acceptance of
sannyAsa is one of the items of the varNAzrama-dharma. How then can it be
rejected?
Adi 15.15
TEXT 15
Ami ta’ kariba tomA’ du~NhAra sevana
zuniyA santuSTa haila pitA-mAtAra mana

Ami ta’—I; kariba—shall do; tomA—for you; du~NhAra—both; sevana—
service; zuniyA—after hearing; santuSTa—pleased; haila—became; pitA-
mAtAra mana—the parents’ minds.
TRANSLATION
zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu assured His parents that He would serve them, and
thus the minds of His father and mother were satisfied.
Adi 15.16
TEXT 16
eka-dina naivedya-tAmbUla khAiyA
bhUmite paòilA prabhu acetana ha~nA

eka-dina—one day; naivedya—food offered to the Deity; tAmbUla—betel
nut; khAiyA—after eating; bhUmite—on the ground; paòilA—fell; prabhu—
the Lord; acetana—unconscious; ha~nA—becoming.
TRANSLATION
One day zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu ate betel nuts offered to the Deity, but
they acted as an intoxicant, and He fell down on the ground unconscious.
PURPORT
Betel nuts are an intoxicant, and therefore the regulative principles prohibit
eating them. zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu’s pastime of fainting after eating betel
nuts is a solid instruction to all of us that one should not touch betel nuts, even
those offered to ViSNu, just as one should not touch grains on the EkAdazI day.
Of course, Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu’s fainting had a particular purpose. As
the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He can do whatever He likes and eat
whatever He wants, but we should not imitate His pastimes.
Adi 15.17
TEXT 17
Aste-vyaste pitA-mAtA mukhe dila pAni
sustha ha~nA kahe prabhu apUrva kAhinI

Aste-vyaste—with great haste; pitA-mAtA—both the parents; mukhe—on the
mouth; dila—gave; pAni—water; sustha ha~nA—being revived; kahe—says;
prabhu—the Lord; apUrva—something astonishing; kAhinI—narration.
TRANSLATION
After His father and mother sprinkled water on His mouth with great haste,
the Lord revived and said something wonderful they had never heard before.
Adi 15.18
TEXT 18
ethA haite vizvarUpa more la~nA gelA
sannyAsa karaha tumi, AmAre kahilA

ethA—here; haite—from; vizvarUpa—VizvarUpa; more—Me; la~nA—taking
with Him; gelA—went; sannyAsa—the renounced order of life; karaha—
accept; tumi—You also; amAre—unto Me; kahilA—He said.
TRANSLATION
The Lord said, “VizvarUpa took Me away from here, and He requested Me to
accept the sannyAsa order.
Adi 15.19
TEXT 19
Ami kahi,——AmAra anAtha pitA-mAtA
Ami bAlaka,——sannyAsera kibA jAni kathA

Ami kahi—I said; AmAra—My; anAtha—helpless; pitA-mAtA—father and
mother; Ami—I am; bAlaka—only a child; sannyAsera—of the renounced
order of life; kibA—what; jAni—I know; kathA—words.
TRANSLATION
“I replied to VizvarUpa, ‘I have My helpless father and mother, and also I am
but a child. What do I know about the sannyAsa order of life?
Adi 15.20
TEXT 20
gRhastha ha-iyA kariba pitA-mAtAra sevana
ihAte-i tuSTa habena lakSmI-nArAyaNa

gRhastha—a householder; ha-iyA—becoming; kariba—I shall do; pitA-
mAtAra—of the parents; sevana—service; ihAte-i—in this; tuSTa—satisfied;
habena—will become; lakSmI-nArAyaNa—the goddess of fortune and
NArAyaNa.
TRANSLATION
“‘Later I shall become a householder and thus serve My parents, for this action
will very much satisfy Lord NArAyaNa and His wife, the goddess of fortune.’
Adi 15.21
TEXT 21
tabe vizvarUpa ihA~N pAThAila more
mAtAke kahio koTi koTi namaskAre

tabe—then; vizvarUpa—VizvarUpa; ihA~N—here; pAThAila—sent; more—Me;
mAtAke kahio—speak to My mother; koTi koTi—hundreds and thousands;
namaskAre—obeisances.
TRANSLATION
“Then VizvarUpa returned Me home and requested, ‘Offer thousands and
thousands of obeisances unto My mother, zacIdevI.’”
Adi 15.22
TEXT 22
ei mata nAnA lIlA kare gaurahari
ki kAraNe lIlA,——ihA bujhite nA pAri
SYNONYMS
ei mata—in this way; nAnA—various; lIlA—pastimes; kare—does;
gaurahari—zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu; ki kAraNe—what is the reason; lIlA—
pastimes; ihA—this; bujhite—to understand; nA—not; pAri—I am able.
TRANSLATION
In this way Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu performed various pastimes, but why
He did so I cannot understand.
PURPORT
The Supreme Personality of Godhead and His devotees who come to this
world are executing a mission, and therefore sometimes they act in a way
that is very difficult to understand. It is said, therefore, vaiSNavera kriyA-
mudrA vij~neha nA bujhaya: even if one is a very learned and intelligent
scholar, he cannot understand the activities of a VaiSNava. A VaiSNava
accepts anything favorable for executing his mission. But foolish persons, not
knowing the purpose of such exalted VaiSNavas, indulge in criticizing them.
That is forbidden. Since no one can understand what a VaiSNava does for the
purpose of executing his mission, to criticize such a VaiSNava is the offense
called sAdhu-nindA.
Adi 15.23
TEXT 23
kata dina rahi’ mizra gelA para-loka
mAtA-putra du~NhAra bAòila hRdi zoka

kata dina—some days; rahi’—remaining; mizra—JagannAtha Mizra; gelA—
passed away; para-loka—for the transcendental world; mAtA—mother;
putra—son; du~NhAra—of both of them; bAòila—increased; hRdi—in the
hearts; zoka—lamentation.
TRANSLATION
After some days, JagannAtha Mizra passed away from this world to the
transcendental world, and both mother and son were very much aggrieved in
their hearts.
Adi 15.24
TEXT 24
bandhu-bAndhava asi’ du~NhA prabodhila
pitR-kriyA vidhi-mate Izvara karila

bandhu—friends; bAndhava—relatives; Asi’—coming there; du~NhA—both of
them; prabodhila—pacified; pitR-kriyA—rituals performed after the death of
the father; vidhi-mate—according to the Vedic system; Izvara—the Supreme
Personality of Godhead; karila—executed.
TRANSLATION
Friends and relatives came there to pacify Lord Caitanya and His mother.
Then Lord Caitanya, even though He was the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, executed the rituals for His dead father according to the Vedic
system.
Adi 15.25
TEXT 25
kata dine prabhu citte karilA cintana
gRhastha ha-ilAma, ebe cAhi gRha-dharma

kata dine—after some days; prabhu—the Lord; citte—within His mind;
karilA—made; cintana—consideration; gRhastha ha-ilAma—I remained in
householder life; ebe—now; cAhi—I want; gRha-dharma—activities of family
life.
TRANSLATION
After some days the Lord thought, “I did not take sannyAsa, and since I am
remaining at home it is My duty to act as a gRhastha.
Adi 15.26
TEXT 26
gRhiNI vinA gRha-dharma nA haya zobhana
eta cinti’ vivAha karite haila mana

gRhiNI—wife; vinA—without; gRha-dharma—duties of family life; nA—not;
haya—become; zobhana—beautiful; eta cinti’—thinking thus; vivAha—
marriage; karite—to execute; haila—became; mana—mind.
TRANSLATION
“Without a wife,” Lord Caitanya considered, “there is no meaning to
householder life.” Thus the Lord decided to marry.
Adi 15.27
TEXT 27
na gRhaà gRham ity Ahur
gRhiNI gRham ucyate
tayA hi sahitaH sarvAn
puruSArthAn samaznute

na—not; gRham—the home; gRham—the house; iti—thus; AhuH—said;
gRhiNI—the wife; gRham—home; ucyate—it is said; tayA—with her; hi—
certainly; sahitaH—together; sarvAn—all; puruSa-arthAn—goals of human
life; samaznute—perfects.
TRANSLATION
“Merely a house is not a home, for it is a wife who gives a home its meaning.
If one lives at home with his wife, together they can fulfill all the interests of
human life.”
Adi 15.28
TEXT 28
daive eka dina prabhu paòiyA Asite
vallabhAcAryera kanyA dekhe ga~NgA-pathe

daive—accidentally; eka dina—one day; prabhu—the Lord; paòiyA—after
studying; Asite—while He was coming back; vallabhAcAryera—of
VallabhAcArya; kanyA—daughter; dekhe—sees; ga~NgA-pathe—on the way to
the Ganges.
TRANSLATION
One day when the Lord was coming back from school He accidentally saw
the daughter of VallabhAcArya on the way to the Ganges.
Adi 15.29
TEXT 29
pUrva-siddha bhAva du~NhAra udaya karila
daive vanamAlI ghaTaka zacI-sthAne Aila

pUrva-siddha—as it is already settled; bhAva—ecstasy; du~NhAra—of both of
them; udaya—awakened; karila—was made; daive—also accidentally;
vanamAlI—VanamAlI; ghaTaka—the marriage-maker; zacI-sthAne—at the
place of zacImAtA; Aila—came.
TRANSLATION
When the Lord and LakSmIdevI met, their relationship awakened, having
already been settled, and coincidentally the marriage-maker VanamAlI came
to see zacImAtA.
PURPORT
VanamAlI GhaTaka, a resident of NavadvIpa and a brAhmaNa by caste,
arranged the marriage of the Lord to LakSmIdevI. He was formerly VizvAmitra,
who negotiated the marriage of Lord RAmacandra, and later he was the
brAhmaNa who negotiated the marriage of Lord KRSNa with RukmiNI. That
same brAhmaNa acted as the marriage-maker of the Lord in caitanya-lIlA.
Adi 15.30
TEXT 30
zacIra i~Ngite sambandha karila ghaTana
lakSmIke vivAha kaila zacIra nandana

zacIra i~Ngite—by the indication of mother zacI; sambandha—the relationship;
karila—made; ghaTana—possible; lakSmIke—unto LakSmIdevI; vivAha—
marriage; kaila—executed; zacIra nandana—the son of mother zacI.
TRANSLATION
Following the indications of zacIdevI, VanamAlI GhaTaka arranged the
marriage, and thus in due course the Lord married LakSmIdevI.
Adi 15.31
TEXT 31
vistAriyA varNilA tAhA vRndAvana-dAsa
ei ta’ paugaNòa-lIlAra sUtra-prakAza

vistAriyA—having elaborated; varNilA—has described; tAhA—that;
vRndAvana-dAsa—ThAkura VRndAvana dAsa; ei ta’—this is; paugaNòa-lIlAra—
of the pastimes of His early age; sUtra-prakAza—manifestation of the
synopsis.
TRANSLATION
VRndAvana dAsa ThAkura has elaborately described all these pastimes of the
Lord’s early age. What I have given is but a condensed presentation of the
same pastimes.
Adi 15.32
TEXT 32
paugaNòa vayase lIlA bahuta prakAra
vRndAvana-dAsa ihA kariyAchena vistAra

paugaNòa vayase—in His early age; lIlA—pastimes; bahuta prakAra—of
various kinds; vRndAvana-dAsa—VRndAvana dAsa ThAkura; ihA—this;
kariyAchena—has done; vistAra—the elaborate explanation.
TRANSLATION
The Lord performed many varieties of pastimes in His early age, and zrIla
VRndAvana dAsa ThAkura has described them elaborately.
Adi 15.33
TEXT 33
ataeva di~NmAtra ihA~N dekhAila
‘caitanya-ma~Ngale’ sarva-loke khyAta haila

ataeva—therefore; di~N-mAtra—only in the matter of indication; ihA~N—here;
dekhAila—I have exhibited; caitanya-ma~Ngale—in the book of the name
Caitanya-ma~Ngala; sarva-loke—all over the world; khyAta—famous; haila—
became.
TRANSLATION
I have given but a single hint of these pastimes, for VRndAvana dAsa ThAkura,
in his book Caitanya-ma~Ngala [now Caitanya-bhAgavata], has described them
all vividly.
Adi 15.34
TEXT 34
zrI-rUpa-raghunAtha-pade yAra Aza
caitanya-caritAmRta kahe kRSNadAsa

kRpA-sudhA—of the nectar of the mercy; sarit—river; yasya—whose;
vizvam—the whole universe; AplAvayantI—inundating; api—although; nIca-
gA eva—more inclined to the poor and fallen; sadA—always; bhAti—is
manifest; tam—Him; caitanya-prabhum—Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu;
bhaje—I worship.
TRANSLATION
I worship Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu, whose nectarean mercy flows like a
great river, inundating the entire universe. Just as a river flows downstream,
Lord Caitanya especially extends Himself to the fallen.
PURPORT
Narottama dAsa ThAkura has sung, zrI-kRSNa-caitanya prabhu dayA kara more.
He prays for Lord Caitanya’s mercy because He is the mercy incarnation,
having appeared especially to reclaim the fallen souls. The more fallen one is,
the greater one’s claim to the favor of Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu. One
must only be very sincere and serious. Despite being contaminated by all the
bad qualities of this Kali-yuga, if one surrenders unto the lotus feet of zrI
Caitanya MahAprabhu, the Lord will surely and certainly deliver him. The best
example is JagAi and MAdhAi. In this Age of Kali practically everyone is like
JagAi and MAdhAi, but the sa~NkIrtana movement inaugurated by Lord
Caitanya MahAprabhu is still flowing like a great river, inundating the entire
world, and thus the International Society for Krishna Consciousness is
successfully claiming all fallen souls to free them from contamination.
Adi 16.2
TEXT 2
jaya jaya zrI-caitanya jaya nityAnanda
jayAdvaitacandra jaya gaura-bhakta-vRnda

jaya jaya zrI-caitanya—all glories to Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu; jaya—all
glories; nityAnanda—to Lord NityAnanda Prabhu; jaya advaitacandra—all
glories to Advaitacandra; jaya—all glories; gaura-bhakta-vRnda—to all the
devotees of the Lord.
TRANSLATION
All glories to Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu! All glories to Lord NityAnanda!
All glories to Advaitacandra! And all glories to all the devotees of the Lord!
Adi 16.3
TEXT 3
jIyAt kaizora-caitanyo
mUrti-matyA gRhAzramAt
lakSmyArcito ’tha vAg-devyA
dizAà jayi-jaya-cchalAt

jIyAt—long live; kaizora—situated in the kaizora age; caitanyaH—Lord
Caitanya MahAprabhu; mUrti-matyA—having accepted such a body; gRha-
AzramAt—from a householder’s life; lakSmyA—by LakSmI; arcitaH—being
worshiped; atha—then; vAk-devyA—by the goddess of learning; dizAm—of
all directions; jayi—the conqueror; jaya-chalAt—on the plea of conquering.
TRANSLATION
Long live Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu in His kaizora age! Both the goddess of
fortune and the goddess of learning worshiped Him. The goddess of learning,
SarasvatI, worshiped Him in His victory over the scholar who had conquered
all the world, and the goddess of fortune, LakSmIdevI, worshiped Him at
home. Since He is therefore the husband or Lord of both goddesses, I offer my
obeisances unto Him.
Adi 16.4
TEXT 4
ei ta’ kaizora-lIlAra sUtra-anubandha
ziSya-gaNa paòAite karilA Arambha

ei ta’—thus; kaizora—the age of kaizora (the age between the eleventh and
fifteenth years); lIlAra—of the pastimes; sUtra-anubandha—chronological
synopsis; ziSya-gaNa—students; paòAite—to teach; karilA—did; Arambha—
begin.
TRANSLATION
At the age of eleven zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu began to teach students. This
marks the beginning of His kaizora age.
Adi 16.5
TEXT 5
zata zata ziSya sa~Nge sadA adhyApana
vyAkhyA zuni sarva-lokera camakita mana

zata zata—very many; ziSya—disciples; sa~Nge—along with Him; sadA—
always; adhyApana—studying; vyAkhyA—explanation; zuni—hearing; sarva-
lokera—of all people; camakita—astonished; mana—minds.
TRANSLATION
As soon as the Lord became a teacher, many, many students came to Him,
every one of them astonished to hear His mode of explanation.
Adi 16.6
TEXT 6
sarva-zAstre sarva paNòita pAya parAjaya
vinaya-bha~NgIte kAro duHkha nAhi haya

sarva-zAstre—in all scriptures; sarva—all; paNòita—learned scholars; pAya—
obtain; parAjaya—defeat; vinaya—gentle; bha~NgIte—by behavior; kAro—
anyone’s; duHkha—unhappiness; nAhi—does not; haya—become.
TRANSLATION
The Lord defeated all kinds of scholars in discourses about all the scriptures,
yet because of His gentle behavior, none of them were unhappy.
Adi 16.7
TEXT 7
vividha auddhatya kare ziSya-gaNa-sa~Nge
jahnavite jala-keli kare nAnA range

vividha—various; auddhatya—impudences; kare—does; ziSya-gaNa—His
disciples; sa~Nge—with; jAhnavIte—in the water of the Ganges; jala-keli—
sporting in the water; kare—does; nAnA—in various; ra~Nge—jokes.
TRANSLATION
The Lord, as a teacher, performed various kinds of pranks in His sporting
pastimes in the water of the Ganges.
Adi 16.8
TEXT 8
kata dine kaila prabhu ba~Ngete gamana
yAhA~N yAya, tAhA~N laoyAya nAma-sa~NkIrtana

kata dine—after a few days; kaila—did; prabhu—the Lord; ba~Ngete—in East
Bengal; gamana—touring; yAhA~N yAya—wherever He goes; tAhA~N—there;
laoyAya—induces; nAma-sa~NkIrtana—the sa~NkIrtana movement.
TRANSLATION
After some days the Lord went to East Bengal, and wherever He went He
introduced the sa~NkIrtana movement.
PURPORT
Although Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu and His devotees in disciplic
succession can defeat all kinds of learned scholars, scientists and philosophers
in arguments, thus establishing the supremacy of the Personality of Godhead,
their main business as preachers is to introduce sa~NkIrtana everywhere. Simply
to defeat scholars and philosophers is not the occupation of a preacher.
Preachers must simultaneously introduce the sa~NkIrtana movement, for that is
the mission of the Caitanya cult.
Adi 16.9
TEXT 9
vidyAra prabhAva dekhi camatkAra cite
zata zata paòuyA Asi lAgilA paòite

vidyAra—of His learning; prabhAva—the influence; dekhi—seeing;
camatkAra—wonder; cite—within the heart; zata zata—many hundreds;
paòuyA—disciples or students; Asi—coming there; lAgila—began; paòite—to
study.
TRANSLATION
Struck with wonder by the influence of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu’s
intellectual prowess, many hundreds of students came to the Lord and began
studying under His direction.
Adi 16.10
TEXT 10
sei deze vipra, nAma——mizra tapana
nizcaya karite nAre sAdhya-sAdhana

sei deze—in that region of East Bengal; vipra—a brAhmaNa; nAma—named;
mizra tapana—Tapana Mizra; nizcaya karite—to ascertain; nAre—not able;
sAdhya—objective; sAdhana—process.
TRANSLATION
In East Bengal there was a brAhmaNa named Tapana Mizra, who could not
ascertain the objective of life or how to attain it.
PURPORT
One must first ascertain the object of life and then understand how to attain
it. The KRSNa consciousness movement is pointing out to everyone that the
object of life is to understand KRSNa, and to attain that goal of life one must
practice KRSNa consciousness, following the methods prescribed by the
GosvAmIs with reference to the authoritative zAstras and Vedas.
Adi 16.11
TEXT 11
bahu-zAstre bahu-vAkye citte bhrama haya
sAdhya-sAdhana zreSTha nA haya nizcaya

bahu-zAstre—by many books or scriptures; bahu-vAkye—by many versions
of many persons; citte—within the heart; bhrama—doubt; haya—there is;
sAdhya-sAdhana—objective and means; zreSTha—about the best; nA—not;
haya—there is; nizcaya—certainty.
TRANSLATION
If one becomes a bookworm, reading many books and scriptures and hearing
many commentaries and the instructions of many men, this will produce
doubt within his heart. One cannot in this way ascertain the real goal of life.
PURPORT
In zrImad-BhAgavatam (7.13.8) it is said, granthAn naivAbhyased bahUn na
vyAkhyAm upayu~njIta: “One should not read many books, nor should one try
to make a profession of reciting many books, especially if one is a devotee.”
One must give up the ambition to be a learned scholar and in this way earn a
worldly reputation and financial facilities. If one diverts his attention to
studying many books, he cannot fix his mind in devotional service, nor can he
understand many scriptures, for they are full of grave statements and
meanings. In this connection zrIla BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI ThAkura gives his
opinion that those who are attracted to studying many kinds of literature
concerning various subject matters, especially fruitive activities and
philosophical speculation, are deprived of unalloyed devotional service
because of their splayed attention.
Man has a general tendency toward fruitive activities, religious ritualistic
ceremonies and philosophical speculation. A living entity thus bewildered
since time immemorial does not understand the real goal of life, and thus his
activities in life are wasted. Innocent persons misled in this way are deprived
of unalloyed kRSNa-bhakti, devotional service to the Lord. Tapana Mizra is a
vivid example of such a person. He was a learned scholar, but he could not
ascertain what the goal of life is. Therefore he was given a chance to hear
Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu instructing SanAtana GosvAmI. Lord Caitanya’s
instruction to Tapana Mizra is especially significant for persons who loiter here
and there collecting books and reading none of them, thus becoming
bewildered regarding the aim of life.
Adi 16.12
TEXT 12
svapne eka vipra kahe,——zunaha tapana
nimA~ni-paNòita pAze karaha gamana

svapne—in a dream; eka—one; vipra—brAhmaNa; kahe—says; zunaha—just
hear; tapana—Tapana Mizra; nimA~ni-paNòita—NimAi PaNòita; pAze—unto
Him; karaha gamana—go.
TRANSLATION
Tapana Mizra, being thus bewildered, was directed by a brAhmaNa in a dream
to go to NimAi PaNòita [Caitanya MahAprabhu].
Adi 16.13
TEXT 13
te~Nho tomAra sAdhya-sAdhana karibe nizcaya
sAkSAt Izvara te~Nho,——nAhika saàzaya

te~Nho—He; tomAra—your; sAdhya—objective of life; sAdhana—process;
karibe—will do; nizcaya—ascertain; sAkSAt—direct; Izvara—the Lord;
te~Nho—He is; nAhika—there is no; saàzaya—doubt.
TRANSLATION
“Because He is the Lord [Izvara],” the brAhmaNa told him, “undoubtedly He
can give you proper direction.”
Adi 16.14
TEXT 14
svapna dekhi’ mizra Asi’ prabhura caraNe
svapnera vRttAnta saba kaila nivedane

svapna dekhi’—by seeing the dream; mizra—Tapana Mizra; Asi’—coming;
prabhura—of Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu; caraNe—at the shelter of the
lotus feet; svapnera—of the dream; vRttAnta—details; saba—all; kaila—did;
nivedane—inform Him.
TRANSLATION
After seeing the dream, Tapana Mizra came to the shelter of Lord Caitanya’s
lotus feet, and he described all the details of the dream to the Lord.
Adi 16.15
TEXT 15
prabhu tuSTa ha~nA sAdhya-sAdhana kahila
nAma-sa~NkIrtana kara,——upadeza kaila

prabhu—the Lord; tuSTa—satisfied; ha~nA—becoming; sAdhya-sAdhana—the
objective and the process; kahila—described; nAma-sa~NkIrtana—chanting of
the Hare KRSNa mantra; kara—practice; upadeza kaila—gave him the
instruction.
TRANSLATION
The Lord, being satisfied, instructed him about the object of life and the
process for attaining it. He instructed him that the basic principle of success is
to chant the holy name of the Lord [the Hare KRSNa mahA-mantra].
PURPORT
The KRSNa consciousness movement is based upon this instruction of Lord
Caitanya MahAprabhu that one must chant the Hare KRSNa mahA-mantra
regularly and according to the prescribed principles. We simply ask our
Western students to chant at least sixteen rounds a day, but sometimes we
find that they fail to chant even these sixteen rounds, and instead they bring
many austere books and a worshiping method that diverts their attention in
so many ways. zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu’s cult is based upon the chanting of
the Hare KRSNa mantra. Lord Caitanya first advised Tapana Mizra to fix his
mind on this chanting. We, the members of the KRSNa consciousness
movement, must strictly follow this advice of Caitanya MahAprabhu.
Adi 16.16
TEXT 16
tA~Nra icchA,——prabhu-sa~Nge navadvIpe vasi
prabhu Aj~nA dila,——tumi yAo vArANasI

tA~Nra icchA—his desire; prabhu-sa~Nge—with the Lord; navadvIpe—in
NavadvIpa; vasi—I live there; prabhu Aj~nA dila—but the Lord advised him;
tumi—you; yAo—go; vArANasI—to Benares.
TRANSLATION
Tapana Mizra desired to live with the Lord in NavadvIpa, but the Lord asked
him to go to VArANasI [Benares].
Adi 16.17
TEXT 17
tAhA~N AmA-sa~Nge tomAra habe darazana
Aj~nA pA~nA mizra kaila kAzIte gamana

tAhA~N—there; AmA-sa~Nge—with Me; tomAra—your; habe—there will be;
darazana—meeting; Aj~nA pA~nA—receiving this order; mizra—Tapana Mizra;
kaila—did; kAzIte—to Benares; gamana—going.
TRANSLATION
The Lord assured Tapana Mizra that they would meet again in VArANasI.
Receiving this order, Tapana Mizra went there.
Adi 16.18
TEXT 18
prabhura atarkya-lIlA bujhite nA pAri
sva-sa~Nga chAòA~nA kene pAThAya kAzIpurI

prabhura—Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu’s; atarkya-lIlA—inconceivable
pastimes; bujhite—to understand; nA—not; pAri—able; sva-sa~Nga—personal
association; chAòA~nA—avoiding; kene—why; pAThAya—sends; kAzI-purI—to
Benares.
TRANSLATION
I cannot understand the inconceivable pastimes of Lord Caitanya
MahAprabhu, for although Tapana Mizra wanted to live with Him in
NavadvIpa, the Lord advised him to go to VArANasI.
PURPORT
When Tapana Mizra met Him, Caitanya MahAprabhu was living in household
life, and there was no indication that in the future He would accept the
sannyAsa order. But by asking Tapana Mizra to go to VArANasI, He indicated
that in the future He would accept sannyAsa and that when He would teach
SanAtana GosvAmI, Tapana Mizra would take advantage of the opportunity to
learn the object of life and the real process for attaining it.
Adi 16.19
TEXT 19
ei mata ba~Ngera lokera kailA mahA hita
‘nAma’ diyA bhakta kaila, paòA~nA paNòita

ei mata—in this way; ba~Ngera—of East Bengal; lokera—of the people;
kailA—contributed; mahA—great; hita—benefit; nAma—the holy name of
the Lord; diyA—giving them; bhakta—devotees; kaila—made them;
paòA~nA—by educating them; paNòita—learned scholars.
TRANSLATION
In this way zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu contributed the greatest benefit to the
people of East Bengal by initiating them into hari-nAma, the chanting of the
Hare KRSNa mahA-mantra, and making them learned scholars by educating
them.
PURPORT
Following in the footsteps of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu, the KRSNa
consciousness movement is distributing the Hare KRSNa mahA-mantra and
inducing people all over the world to chant. We are giving people an immense
treasury of transcendental literature, translated into all the important
languages of the world, and by the grace of Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu
this literature is selling profusely and people are chanting the Hare KRSNa
mahA-mantra with great delight. This is the preaching process of the Caitanya
cult. Since the Lord wanted this cult preached all over the world, the
International Society for Krishna Consciousness is acting in a humble way so
that the vision of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu may be fulfilled all over the world,
especially in the Western countries.
Adi 16.20
TEXT 20
ei mata ba~Nge prabhu kare nAnA lIlA
ethA navadvIpe lakSmI virahe duHkhI hailA

ei mata—in this way; ba~Nge—in East Bengal; prabhu—Lord zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu; kare—does; nAnA—various; lIlA—pastimes; ethA—here;
navadvIpe—in NavadvIpa; lakSmI—the wife of NimAi PaNòita; virahe—in
separation; duHkhI—unhappy; hailA—became.
TRANSLATION
Because the Lord was engaged in various ways in preaching work in East
Bengal, His wife, LakSmIdevI, was very unhappy at home in separation from
her husband.
Adi 16.21
TEXT 21
prabhura viraha-sarpa lakSmIre daàzila
viraha-sarpa-viSe tA~Nra paraloka haila

prabhura—of the Lord; viraha-sarpa—the separation snake; lakSmIre—
LakSmIdevI; daàzila—bit; viraha-sarpa—of the separation snake; viSe—by
the poison; tA~Nra—her; para-loka—next world; haila—it so happened.
TRANSLATION
The snake of separation bit LakSmIdevI, and its poison caused her death. Thus
she passed to the next world. She went back home, back to Godhead.
PURPORT
As stated in the Bhagavad-gItA (8.6), yaà yaà vApi smaran bhAvaà tyajaty
ante kalevaram: one’s practice in thinking throughout his entire life
determines the quality of his thoughts at death, and thus at death one obtains
a suitable body. According to this principle, LakSmIdevI, the goddess of
fortune from VaikuNTha, who was absorbed in thought of the Lord in
separation from Him, certainly went back home to VaikuNThaloka after death.
Adi 16.22
TEXT 22
antare jAnilA prabhu, yAte antaryAmI
dezere AilA prabhu zacI-duHkha jAni’

antare—within Himself; jAnilA—knew; prabhu—the Lord; yAte—because;
antaryAmI—He is the Supersoul; dezere—to the country; AilA—returned;
prabhu—the Lord; zacI—of mother zacIdevI; duHkha—the unhappiness;
jAni’—knowing.
TRANSLATION
Lord Caitanya knew about the disappearance of LakSmIdevI because He is the
Supersoul Himself. Thus He returned home to solace His mother, zacIdevI,
who was greatly unhappy about the death of her daughter-in-law.
Adi 16.23
TEXT 23
ghare AilA prabhu bahu la~nA dhana-jana
tattva-j~nAne kailA zacIra duHkha vimocana

ghare—home; AilA—returned; prabhu—the Lord; bahu—much; la~nA—
bringing; dhana—riches; jana—followers; tattva-j~nAne—by transcendental
knowledge; kailA—did; zacIra—of zacImAtA; duHkha—the unhappiness;
vimocana—relieving.
TRANSLATION
When the Lord returned home, bringing with Him great wealth and many
followers, He spoke to zacIdevI about transcendental knowledge to relieve
her of the grief she was suffering.
PURPORT
It is stated in the Bhagavad-gItA (2.13):
dehino ’smin yathA dehe kaumAraà yauvanaà jarA
tathA dehAntara-prAptir dhIras tatra na muhyati
“As the embodied soul continuously passes, in this body, from boyhood to
youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. The
self-realized soul is not bewildered by such a change.” Such verses from the
Bhagavad-gItA or any other Vedic literature give valuable instructions on the
occasion of someone’s passing away. By discussing such instructions from the
Bhagavad-gItA or zrImad-BhAgavatam, a sober man can certainly understand
that the soul never dies but rather passes from one body to another. This is
called transmigration of the soul. A soul comes into this material world and
creates bodily relationships with a father, a mother, sisters, brothers, a wife
and children, but all these relationships pertain to the body, not the soul.
Therefore, as described in the Bhagavad-gItA, dhIras tatra na muhyati: one
who is sober is not disturbed by such phenomenal changes within this material
world. Such instructions are called tattva-kathA, or real truth.
Adi 16.24
TEXT 24
ziSya-gaNa la~nA punaH vidyAra vilAsa
vidyA-bale sabA jini’ auddhatya prakAza

ziSya-gaNa—disciples; la~nA—taking; punaH—again; vidyAra—of education;
vilAsa—pastime; vidyA-bale—by the strength of education; saba—everyone;
jini’—conquering; auddhatya—of pride; prakAza—manifestation.
TRANSLATION
After coming back from East Bengal, zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu again began
educating others. By the strength of His education He conquered everyone,
and thus He was greatly proud.
Adi 16.25
TEXT 25
tabe viSNupriyA-ThAkurANIra pariNaya
tabe ta’ karila prabhu digvijayI jaya

tabe—after this; viSNupriyA—ViSNupriyA; ThAkurANIra—of the goddess of
fortune; pariNaya—marriage; tabe ta’—thereafter; karila—did; prabhu—the
Lord; dig-vijayI—the champion; jaya—conquer.
TRANSLATION
Then Lord Caitanya married ViSNupriyA, the goddess of fortune, and thereafter
He conquered a champion of learning named Kezava KAzmIrI.
PURPORT
As in the modern day there are many champions in sports, so in bygone days
there were many learned scholars in India who were champions in learning.
One such person was Kezava KAzmIrI, who came from the state of Kashmir.
He traveled all over India and at last came to NavadvIpa to challenge the
learned scholars there. Unfortunately he could not conquer the learned
scholars in NavadvIpa, for he was defeated by the boy scholar Caitanya
MahAprabhu. Later he understood that Caitanya MahAprabhu is none other
than the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Thus he surrendered unto Him and
later became a pure VaiSNava in the sampradAya of NimbArka. He wrote
Kaustubha-prabhA, a commentary on the VedAnta commentary of the
NimbArka-sampradAya, which is known as the PArijAta-bhASya.
The Bhakti-ratnAkara mentions Kezava KAzmIrI and lists his predecessors in the
disciplic succession of the NimbArka-sampradAya: (1) zrInivAsa AcArya, (2)
Vizva AcArya, (3) PuruSottama, (4) VilAsa, (5) SvarUpa, (6) MAdhava, (7)
Balabhadra, (8) Padma, (9) zyAma, (10) GopAla, (11) KRpA, (12) Deva AcArya, (13)
Sundara BhaTTa, (14) PadmanAbha, (15) Upendra, (16) RAmacandra, (17)
VAmana, (18) KRSNa, (19) PadmAkara, (20) zravaNa, (21) BhUri, (22) MAdhava,
(23) zyAma, (24) GopAla, (25) Balabhadra, (26) GopInAtha, (27) Kezava, (28)
Gokula and (29) Kezava KAzmIrI. It is stated in the Bhakti-ratnAkara that
Kezava KAzmIrI was a favorite devotee of mother SarasvatI, the goddess of
learning. By her grace he was an extremely influential scholar, and he was the
greatest champion among all the scholars in the four corners of the country.
Therefore he got the title dig-vijayI, which means “one who has conquered
everyone in all directions.” He belonged to a very respectable brAhmaNa
family of Kashmir. Later, by the order of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu, he gave up
the profession of winning championships and became a great devotee. He
joined the NimbArka-sampradAya, one of the VaiSNava communities of the
Vedic culture.
Adi 16.26
TEXT 26
vRndAvana-dAsa ihA kariyAchena vistAra
sphuTa nAhi kare doSa-guNera vicAra

vRndAvana-dAsa—zrIla VRndAvana dAsa ThAkura; ihA—this; kariyAchena—has
made; vistAra—elaborate description ; sphuTa—what was clear; nahi—not;
kare—does; doSa-guNera—of both the faults and the virtues; vicAra—
analysis.
TRANSLATION
VRndAvana dAsa ThAkura has previously elaborately described this. That which
is clear need not be scrutinized for good qualities and faults.
Adi 16.27
TEXT 27
sei aàza kahi, tA~Nre kari’ namaskAra
yA’ zuni’ digvijayI kaila ApanA dhik-kAra

sei—that; aàza—portion; kahi—I mention; tA~Nre—unto zrI VRndAvana dAsa
ThAkura; kari’—making; namaskAra—obeisances; yA’—of which; zuni—
hearing; dig-vijayI—the conquering paNòita; kaila—did; ApanA—his own;
dhik-kAra—condemnation.
TRANSLATION
Offering my obeisances to zrIla VRndAvana dAsa ThAkura, I shall try to
describe that portion of the Lord’s analysis which, when he heard it, made the
DigvijayI feel himself condemned.
Adi 16.28
TEXT 28
jyotsnAvatI rAtri, prabhu ziSya-gaNa sa~Nge
vasiyAchena ga~NgAtIre vidyAra prasa~Nge

jyotsnAvatI—full moon; rAtri—night; prabhu—Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu;
ziSya-gaNa—disciples; sa~Nge—along with; vasiyAchena—was sitting; ga~NgA-
tIre—on the bank of the Ganges; vidyAra—educational; prasa~Nge—in
discussion.
TRANSLATION
Once on a full moon night the Lord was sitting on the bank of the Ganges
with His many disciples and discussing literary topics.
Adi 16.29
TEXT 29
hena-kAle digvijayI tAhA~Ni AilA
ga~NgAre vandana kari’ prabhure mililA

hena-kAle—at this time; dig-vijayI—Kezava KAzmIrI; tAhA~Ni—there; AilA—
reached; ga~NgAre—to mother Ganges; vandana—prayers; kari’—offering;
prabhure—the Lord; mililA—met.
TRANSLATION
Coincidentally, Kezava KAzmIrI PaNòita came there. While offering his prayers
to mother Ganges, he met Caitanya MahAprabhu.
Adi 16.30
TEXT 30
vasAilA tAre prabhu Adara kariyA
digvijayI kahe mane avaj~nA kariyA

vasAilA—made seated; tAre—him; prabhu—the Lord; Adara—adoration;
kariyA—offering him; dig-vijayI—Kezava KAzmIrI; kahe—says; mane—within
his mind; avaj~nA—disregard; kariyA—doing.
TRANSLATION
The Lord received him with adoration, but because Kezava KAzmIrI was very
proud, he talked to the Lord very inconsiderately.
Adi 16.31
TEXT 31
vyAkaraNa paòAha, nimA~ni paNòita tomAra nAma
bAlya-zAstre loke tomAra kahe guNa-grAma

vyAkaraNa—grammar; paòAha—You teach; nimA~ni paNòita—NimAi PaNòita;
tomAra—Your; nAma—name; bAlya-zAstre—in grammar, which is considered
a study for boys; loke—the people in general; tomAra—of You; kahe—
declare; guNa-grAma—very much qualified.
TRANSLATION
“I understand that You are a teacher of grammar,” he said, “and that Your
name is NimAi PaNòita. People speak very highly of Your teaching of
beginners’ grammar.
PURPORT
Formerly Sanskrit schools first taught grammar very thoroughly, and this
system continues even now. A student was supposed to study grammar
carefully for twelve years in the beginning of his life, because if one is expert
in the grammar of the Sanskrit language, all the zAstras are open to him. zrI
Caitanya MahAprabhu was famous for teaching grammar to students, and
therefore Kezava KAzmIrI first referred to His position as a teacher of
grammar. Kezava KAzmIrI was very proud of his literary career; he was far
above the first lessons of grammar, and so he thought the position of NimAi
PaNòita not at all comparable to his own.
Adi 16.32
TEXT 32
vyAkaraNa-madhye, jAni, paòAha kalApa
zunilu~N phA~Nkite tomAra ziSyera saàlApa

vyAkaraNa-madhye—among grammars; jAni—I understand; paòAha—You
teach; kalApa—the KalApa-vyAkaraNa; zunilu~N—I have heard; phA~Nkite—in
deceitful word jugglery; tomAra—Your; ziSyera—of the disciples; saàlApa—
the specific knowledge.
TRANSLATION
“I understand that You teach KalApa-vyAkaraNa. I have heard that Your
students are very expert in the word jugglery of this grammar.”
PURPORT
There are many schools of grammar in the Sanskrit language, the most
famous of which are the systems of PANini and the KalApa and KaumudI
grammars. There were different branches of grammatical knowledge, and a
student of grammar was supposed to study them all in twelve years. Caitanya
MahAprabhu, who was famous as NimAi PaNòita, taught grammar to His
students, who became expert in dealing with the word jugglery of
complicated grammar. Almost anyone expert in studying grammar interprets
the zAstras in many ways by changing the root meanings of their words. A
student of grammar can sometimes completely change the meaning of a
sentence by juggling grammatical rules. Kezava KAzmIrI indirectly taunted
Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu by implying that although He was a great teacher
of grammar, such grammatical jugglery of root meanings did not require
great expertise. This was a challenge to zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu. Because it
was prearranged that Kezava KAzmIrI would have to discuss the zAstras with
NimAi PaNòita, from the very beginning he wanted to bluff the Lord. Thus the
Lord replied as follows.
Adi 16.33
TEXT 33
prabhu kahe, vyAkaraNa paòAi——abhimAna kari
ziSyete nA bujhe, Ami bujhAite nAri

prabhu kahe—the Lord replied; vyAkaraNa paòAi—yes, I teach grammar;
abhimAna kari—I am supposed to do so; ziSyete—amongst My disciples;
nA—do not; bujhe—understand; Ami—I also; bujhAite—to make them
understand; nAri—am not able.
TRANSLATION
The Lord said, “Yes, I am known as a teacher of grammar, but factually I
cannot impress My students with grammatical knowledge, nor can they
understand Me very well.
PURPORT
Since Kezava KAzmIrI was a little puffed up, the Lord increased his artificial
pride by presenting Himself as subordinate to him. Thus He flattered him as
follows.
Adi 16.34
TEXT 34
kAhA~N tumi sarva-zAstre kavitve pravINa
kAhA~N Ami sabe zizu——paòuyA navIna

kAhA~N—whereas; tumi—your good self; sarva-zAstre—in all scriptures;
kavitve—in a literary career; pravINa—very much experienced; kAhA~N—
whereas; Ami—I; sabe—just; zizu—a boy; paòuyA—student; navIna—new.
TRANSLATION
“My dear sir, whereas you are a very learned scholar in all sorts of scriptures
and are very much experienced in composing poetry, I am only a boy—a
new student and nothing more.
Adi 16.35
TEXT 35
tomAra kavitva kichu zunite haya mana
kRpA kari’ kara yadi ga~NgAra varNana

tomAra—your; kavitva—poetic integrity; kichu—something; zunite—to
hear; haya—becomes; mana—mind; kRpA—mercy; kari’—showing Me;
kara—you do; yadi—if; ga~NgAra—of mother Ganges; varNana—description.
TRANSLATION
“Therefore I desire to hear your skill in composing poetry. We could hear this
if you would mercifully describe the glory of mother Ganges.”
Adi 16.36
TEXT 36
zuniyA brAhmaNa garve varNite lAgilA
ghaTI eke zata zloka ga~NgAra varNilA

zuniyA—hearing this; brAhmaNa—the paNòita, Kezava KAzmIrI; garve—in
pride; varNite—to describe; lAgilA—began; ghaTI—hour; eke—one; zata—
hundred; zloka—verses; ga~NgAra—of the Ganges; varNilA—described.
TRANSLATION
When the brAhmaNa, Kezava KAzmIrI, heard this, he became still more puffed
up, and within one hour he composed one hundred verses describing mother
Ganges.
Adi 16.37
TEXT 37
zuniyA karila prabhu bahuta satkAra
tomA sama pRthivIte kavi nAhi Ara

zuniyA—hearing this; karila—did; prabhu—the Lord; bahuta—very much;
satkAra—high praise; tomA—you; sama—like; pRthivIte—in the world;
kavi—poet; nAhi—there is not; Ara—anyone else.
TRANSLATION
The Lord praised him, saying, “Sir, there is no greater poet than you in the
entire world.
Adi 16.38
TEXT 38
tomAra kavitA zloka bujhite kAra zakti
tumi bhAla jAna artha kiàvA sarasvatI

tomAra—your; kavitA—poetry; zloka—verses; bujhite—to understand;
kAra—whose; zakti—power; tumi—you; bhAla—well; jAna—know; artha—
meaning; kiàvA—or; sarasvatI—the goddess of learning.
TRANSLATION
“Your poetry is so difficult that no one can understand it but you and mother
SarasvatI, the goddess of learning.
PURPORT
Replying to Kezava KAzmIrI sarcastically, Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu indirectly
minimized the value of his poetry by saying, “Yes, your compositions are so
nice that no one but you and your worshipable mother, the goddess of
learning, can understand them.” Kezava KAzmIrI was a favorite devotee of
mother SarasvatI, the goddess of learning, but Caitanya MahAprabhu, as the
master of the goddess of learning, has the right to speak sarcastically of her
devotees. In other words, although Kezava KAzmIrI was proud of being
favored by the goddess of learning, he did not know that she is controlled by
Caitanya MahAprabhu Himself because He is the Supreme Personality of
Godhead.
Adi 16.39
TEXT 39
eka zlokera artha yadi kara nija-mukhe
zuni’ saba loka tabe pAiba baòa-sukhe

eka—one; zlokera—of a verse; artha—the meaning; yadi—if; kara—you do;
nija-mukhe—by your own mouth; zuni’—hearing; saba—all; loka—persons;
tabe—thereafter; pAiba—we shall get; baòa-sukhe—with great happiness.
TRANSLATION
“But if you explain the meaning of one verse, we can all hear it from your
own mouth and thus be very happy.”
Adi 16.40
TEXT 40
tabe digvijayI vyAkhyAra zloka puchila
zata zlokera eka zloka prabhu ta’ paòila

tabe—thereafter; dig-vijayI—Kezava KAzmIrI; vyAkhyAra—for explanation;
zloka—a verse; puchila—inquired about; zata—one hundred; zlokera—of the
verses; eka—one; zloka—verse; prabhu—the Lord; ta’—then; paòila—
recited.
TRANSLATION
The DigvijayI, Kezava KAzmIrI, inquired which verse He wanted explained. The
Lord then recited one of the one hundred verses Kezava KAzmIrI had
composed.
Adi 16.41
TEXT 41
mahattvaà ga~NgAyAH satatam idam AbhAti nitarAà
yad eSA zrI-viSNoz caraNa-kamalotpatti-subhagA
dvitIya-zrI-lakSmIr iva sura-narair arcya-caraNA
bhavAnI-bhartur yA zirasi vibhavaty adbhuta-guNA

mahattvam—greatness; ga~NgAyAH—of mother Ganges; satatam—always;
idam—this; AbhAti—shines; nitarAm—without comparison; yat—because;
eSA—she; zrI-viSNoH—of Lord ViSNu; caraNa—feet; kamala—lotus flower;
utpatti—generation; subhagA—fortunate; dvitIya—second; zrI—beautiful;
lakSmIH—goddess of fortune; iva—like; sura-naraiH—by demigods and
human beings; arcya—worshipable; caraNA—feet; bhavAnI—of goddess
DurgA; bhartuH—of the husband; yA—she; zirasi—on the head; vibhavati—
flourishes; adbhuta—wonderful; guNA—qualities.
TRANSLATION
“‘The greatness of mother Ganges always brilliantly exists. She is the most
fortunate because she emanated from the lotus feet of zrI ViSNu, the
Personality of Godhead. She is a second goddess of fortune, and therefore she
is always worshiped both by demigods and by humanity. Endowed with all
wonderful qualities, she flourishes on the head of Lord ziva.’”
Adi 16.42
TEXT 42
‘ei zlokera artha kara’——prabhu yadi baila
vismita ha~nA digvijayI prabhure puchila

ei—this; zlokera—of the verse; artha—explanation; kara—kindly do;
prabhu—Lord Caitanya; yadi—when; baila—said; vismita—struck with
wonder; ha~nA—being; dig-vijayI—the champion; prabhure—unto the Lord;
puchila—inquired.
TRANSLATION
When Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu asked him to explain the meaning of this
verse, the champion, very much astonished, inquired from Him as follows.
Adi 16.43
TEXT 43
jha~njhAvAta-prAya Ami zloka paòila
tAra madhye zloka tumi kaiche kaNThe kaila

jha~njhA-vAta—the strong wind of a storm; prAya—like; Ami—I; zloka—
verses; paòila—recited; tAra—of them; madhye—in the midst; zloka—one
verse; tumi—You; kaiche—how; kaNThe—within the heart; kaila—have
taken.
TRANSLATION
“I recited all the verses like the blowing wind. How could You completely
learn by heart even one among those verses?”
Adi 16.44
TEXT 44
prabhu kahe, devera vare tumi——‘kavi-vara’
aiche devera vare keho haya ‘zrutidhara’

prabhu—the Lord; kahe—replied; devera—of a superior power; vare—by
benediction; tumi—you; kavi-vara—the most elevated poet; aiche—
similarly; devera—of the Lord; vare—by the benediction; keho—someone;
haya—becomes; zruti-dhara—one who can immediately remember.
TRANSLATION
The Lord replied, “By the grace of the Lord someone may become a great
poet, and similarly by His grace someone else may become a great zruti-dhara
who can memorize anything immediately.”
PURPORT
In this connection, zruti-dhara is a very important word. zruti means
“hearing,” and dhara means “one who can capture.” Formerly, before the
beginning of Kali-yuga, almost everyone, especially among the intelligent
men, the brAhmaNas, was a zruti-dhara. As soon as a student heard any of the
Vedic wisdom from his master, he would remember it forever. There was no
need to refer to books, and therefore there were no written books in those
days. The spiritual master delivered the Vedic hymns and their explanations to
the student, who would then remember them forever, without consulting
books.
To become a zruti-dhara, one who can remember simply by hearing, is a great
achievement for a student. In the Bhagavad-gItA (10.41) the Lord says:
yad yad vibhUtimat sattvaà zrImad Urjitam eva vA
tat tad evAvagaccha tvaà mama tejo-’àza-sambhavam
“Know that all opulent, beautiful and glorious creations spring from but a
spark of My splendor.”
As soon as we find anything extraordinary, we should understand that such
an extraordinary manifestation is the special grace of the Supreme Personality
of Godhead. Therefore Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu replied to the champion,
Kezava KAzmIrI, that just as he was greatly proud of being a favorite devotee
of mother SarasvatI, so someone else, like Caitanya MahAprabhu Himself,
being favored by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, could become a zruti-
dhara and thus memorize anything immediately simply by hearing it.
Adi 16.45
TEXT 45
zlokera artha kaila vipra pAiyA santoSa
prabhu kahe——kaha zlokera kibA guNa-doSa

zlokera—of the verse; artha—explanation; kaila—made; vipra—the
brAhmaNa; pAiyA—obtaining; santoSa—satisfaction; prabhu—the Lord;
kahe—said; kaha—kindly speak; zlokera—of the verse; kibA—what are;
guNa—qualities; doSa—faults.
TRANSLATION
Satisfied by the statement of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu, the brAhmaNa
[Kezava KAzmIrI] explained the quoted verse. Then the Lord said, “Now kindly
explain the special qualities and faults in the verse.”
PURPORT
Not only did zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu pick out this one among the one
hundred verses and remember it although the brAhmaNa had recited them like
the blowing wind, but He also analyzed its qualities and faults. Not only did
He hear the verse, but He immediately made a critical study of it.
Adi 16.46
TEXT 46
vipra kahe zloke nAhi doSera AbhAsa
upamAla~NkAra guNa, kichu anuprAsa

vipra kahe—the brAhmaNa replied; zloke—in that verse; nAhi—there is not;
doSera—of fault; AbhAsa—even a tinge; upamA-ala~NkAra—simile or
metaphor; guNa—quality; kichu—something; anuprAsa—alliteration.
TRANSLATION
The brAhmaNa replied, “There is not a tinge of fault in that verse. Rather, it has
the good qualities of similes and alliteration.”
PURPORT
In the last line of the verse quoted by zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu, the letter bha
is repeated many times, as in the words bhavAnI, bhartur, vibhavati and
adbhuta. Such repetition is called anuprAsa, or alliteration. The words lakSmIr
iva and viSNoz caraNa-kamalotpatti are instances of upamA-ala~NkAra, for they
exhibit metaphorical beauty. The Ganges is water, and LakSmI is the goddess
of fortune. Since water and a person are not actually similar, the comparison is
metaphorical.
Adi 16.47
TEXT 47
prabhu kahena,——kahi, yadi na karaha roSa
kaha tomAra ei zloke kibA Ache doSa

prabhu kahena—the Lord replied; kahi—let Me say; yadi—if; nA—do not;
karaha—you become; roSa—angry; kaha—please tell Me; tomAra—your; ei
zloke—in this verse; kiba—what; Ache—there is; doSa—fault.
TRANSLATION
The Lord said, “My dear sir, I may say something to you if you will not
become angry. Can you explain the faults in this verse?
Adi 16.48
TEXT 48
pratibhAra kAvya tomAra devatA santoSe
bhAla-mate vicArile jAni guNa-doSe

pratibhAra—of ingenuity; kAvya—poetry; tomAra—your; devatA—the Lord;
santoSe—satisfies; bhAla-mate—scrutinizingly; vicArile—on analyzing; jAni—
I know; guNa-doSe—there are faults and good qualities also.
TRANSLATION
“There is no doubt that your poetry is full of ingenuity, and certainly it has
satisfied the Supreme Lord. Yet if we scrutinizingly consider it we can find
both good qualities and faults.”
Adi 16.49
TEXT 49
tAte bhAla kari’ zloka karaha vicAra
kavi kahe,——ye kahile sei veda-sAra

tAte—therefore; bhAla—very carefully; kari’—doing it; zloka—the verse;
karaha—do; vicAra—judgment; kavi kahe—the poet said; ye kahile—what
You have said; sei—that is; veda-sAra—exactly right.
TRANSLATION
The Lord concluded, “Now, therefore, let us carefully scrutinize this verse.”
The poet replied, “Yes, the verse You have recited is perfectly correct.
Adi 16.50
TEXT 50
vyAkaraNiyA tumi nAhi paòa ala~NkAra
tumi ki jAnibe ei kavitvera sAra

vyAkaraNiyA—a student of grammar; tumi—You are; nAhi—do not; paòa—
study; ala~NkAra—poetic ornaments; tumi—You; ki—what; jAnibe—will know;
ei—this; kavitvera—of poetic quality; sAra—review.
TRANSLATION
“You are an ordinary student of grammar. What do You know about literary
embellishments? You cannot review this poetry because You do not know
anything about it.”
PURPORT
Kezava KAzmIrI first wanted to bluff zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu by saying that
since He was not an advanced student in literary style, He could not review a
verse full of metaphors and literary ornaments. This argument has some basis
in fact. Unless one is a medical man he cannot criticize a medical man, and
unless one is a lawyer he cannot criticize a lawyer. Therefore Kezava KAzmIrI
first depreciated the Lord’s position. Because zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu was to
the champion a student of grammar, how could He dare criticize a great poet
like him? Lord Caitanya, therefore, criticized the poet in a different way. He
said that although He was certainly not advanced in a literary career, He had
heard from others how to criticize such poetry, and as a zruti-dhara,
possessing a complete memory, He could understand the process for such a
review.
Adi 16.51
TEXT 51
prabhu kahena——ataeva puchiye tomAre
vicAriyA guNa-doSa bujhAha AmAre

prabhu kahena—the Lord said; ataeva—therefore; puchiye—I am asking;
tomAre—you; vicAriyA—completely reviewing; guNa—qualities; doSa—
faults; bujhAha—teach; AmAre—Me.
TRANSLATION
Taking a humble position, zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu said, “Because I am not on
your level, I have asked you to teach Me by explaining the faults and good
qualities in your poetry.
Adi 16.52
TEXT 52
nAhi paòi ala~NkAra, kariyAchi zravaNa
tAte ei zloke dekhi bahu doSa-guNa

nAhi paòi—I do not study; ala~NkAra—the art of literary embellishment;
kariyAchi—I have done; zravaNa—hearing; tAte—by that; ei zloke—in this
verse; dekhi—I see; bahu—many; doSa—faults; guNa—good qualities.
TRANSLATION
“Certainly I have not studied the art of literary embellishments. But I have
heard about it from higher circles, and thus I can review this verse and find in
it many faults and many good qualities.”
PURPORT
The statement kariyAchi zravaNa (“I have heard it”) is very important in the
sense that hearing is more important than directly studying or perceiving. If
one is expert in hearing and hears from the right source, his knowledge is
immediately perfect. This process is called zrauta-panthA, or the acquisition of
knowledge by hearing from authorities. All Vedic knowledge is based on the
principle that one must approach a bona fide spiritual master and hear from
him the authoritative statements of the Vedas. It is not necessary for one to
be a highly polished literary man to receive knowledge; to receive perfect
knowledge from a perfect person, one must be expert in hearing. This is called
the descending process of deductive knowledge, or avaroha-panthA.
Adi 16.53
TEXT 53
kavi kahe,——kaha dekhi, kon guNa-doSa
prabhu kahena,——kahi, zuna, nA kariha roSa

kavi kahe—the poet said; kaha dekhi—you say “I see”; kon—what; guNa—
good qualities; doSa—faults; prabhu kahena—the Lord replied; kahi—let Me
say; zuna—please hear; nA—do not; kariha—become; roSa—angry.
TRANSLATION
The poet said, “All right, let me see what good qualities and faults You have
found.”
The Lord replied, “Let Me speak, and please hear Me without becoming angry.
Adi 16.54
TEXT 54
pa~nca doSa ei zloke pa~nca ala~NkAra
krame Ami kahi, zuna, karaha vicAra

pa~nca—five; doSa—faults; ei zloke—in this verse; pa~nca—five; ala~NkAra—
literary embellishments; krame—one after another; Ami—I; kahi—say;
zuna—kindly hear; karaha—give; vicAra—judgment.
TRANSLATION
“My dear sir, in this verse there are five faults and five literary ornaments. I
shall state them one after another. Kindly hear Me and then give your
judgment.
PURPORT
In the verse beginning with mahattvaà ga~NgAyAH there are five literary
ornaments and five examples of faulty composition. There are two examples
of the fault called avimRSTa-vidheyAàza and one example each of the faults
viruddha-mati, punar-ukti and bhagna-krama.
VimRSTa means “clean,” and vidheyAàza means “predicate.” It is a general rule
of composition to establish a subject first and then give its predicate. For
example, according to Sanskrit grammar if one says, “This man is learned,” his
composition is in order. But if one says, “Learned is this man,” the composition
is not in order. Such a flaw is called avimRSTa-vidheyAàza-doSa, or the fault of
unclean composition. The subject matter to be known of the verse is the
glorification of the Ganges, and therefore the word idam (“this”), or what is
known, should have been placed before instead of after the glorification. The
subject matter already known should be placed before the unknown so that its
meaning will not be misconstrued.
The second instance of avimRSTa-vidheyAàza-doSa occurs in the words
dvitIya-zrI-lakSmIr iva. In this composition the word dvitIya (“second”) is
vidheya, or unknown. Placing the unknown first to make the compound word
dvitIya-zrI-lakSmIr is another fault. The words dvitIya-zrI-lakSmIr iva were
intended to compare the Ganges to the goddess of fortune, but because of
this fault the meaning of the compound word was bewildering.
The third fault is that of viruddha-mati, or contradictory conception, in the
words bhavAnI-bhartuH. The word bhavAnI refers to the wife of Bhava, Lord
ziva. But since BhavAnI is already known as the wife of Lord ziva, to add the
word bhartA, “husband,” thus forming a compound meaning “the husband of
the wife of Lord ziva,” is contradictory, for thus it appears as if the wife of
Lord ziva had another husband.
The fourth fault is punar-ukti, or redundancy, which occurs when the verb
vibhavati (“flourishes”), which should have ended the composition, is further
qualified by the unnecessary adjective adbhuta-guNA (“endowed with
wonderful qualities”). The fifth fault is bhagna-krama, which means “broken
order.” In the first, third and fourth lines there is anuprAsa, or alliteration,
created by the sounds ta, ra and bha, but in the second line there is no such
anuprAsa, and therefore the order is broken.
Adi 16.55
TEXT 55
‘avimRSTa-vidheyAàza’——dui ThA~ni cihna
‘viruddha-mati’, ‘bhagna-krama’, ‘punar-Atta’,——doSa tina

avimRSTa-vidheyAàza—unclean composition; dui ThA~ni—in two places;
cihna—symptoms; viruddha-mati—a contradictory conception; bhagna-
krama—broken order; punar-Atta—redundancy (also called punar-ukti);
doSa—faults; tina—three.
TRANSLATION
“In this verse the fault of avimRSTa-vidheyAàza occurs twice, and the faults of
viruddha-mati, bhagna-krama and punar-Atta occur once each.
Adi 16.56
TEXT 56
‘ga~NgAra mahattva’——zloke mUla ‘vidheya’
idaà zabde ‘anuvAda’——pAche avidheya

ga~NgAra mahattva—glorification of mother Ganges; zloke—in the verse;
mUla—chief; vidheya—unknown; idam zabde—by the word idam (“this”);
anuvAda—the known; pAche—at the end; avidheya—improper.
TRANSLATION
“The glorification of the Ganges [mahattvaà ga~NgAyAH] is the principal
unknown subject matter in this verse, and the known subject matter is
indicated by the word ‘idam,’ which has been placed after the unknown.
Adi 16.57
TEXT 57
‘vidheya’ Age kahi’ pAche kahile ‘anuvAda’
ei lAgi’ zlokera artha kariyAche bAdha

vidheya—what is unknown; Age—first; kahi’—after speaking; pAche—at the
end; kahile—if one speaks; anuvAda—known things; ei lAgi’—for this reason;
zlokera—of the verse; artha—meaning; kariyAche—has been made; bAdha—
objectionable.
TRANSLATION
“Because you have placed the known subject at the end and that which is
unknown at the beginning, the composition is faulty, and the meaning of the
words has become doubtful.
Adi 16.58
TEXT 58
anuvAdam anuktvaiva
na vidheyam udIrayet
na hy alabdhAspadaà ki~ncit
kutracit pratitiSThati

anuvAdam—things already known; anuktvA—without mentioning; eva—
certainly; na—not; vidheyam—unknown subject matters; udIrayet—one
should mention; na—not; hi—certainly; alabdha-Aspadam—without having
achieved a proper place; ki~ncit—something; kutracit—anywhere;
pratitiSThati—has a position.
TRANSLATION
“‘Without first mentioning what is known, one should not introduce the
unknown, for that which has no solid basis can never be established
anywhere.’
PURPORT
This is a verse from the EkAdazI-tattva.
Adi 16.59
TEXT 59
‘dvitIya zrI-lakSmI’——ihA~N ‘dvitIyatva’ vidheya
samAse gauNa haila, zabdArtha gela kSaya

dvitIya zrI-lakSmI—the word dvitIya-zrI-lakSmI (“a second all-opulent goddess
of fortune”); ihA~N—this; dvitIyatva—the quality of being a second;
vidheya—the unknown, which is to be explained; samAse—in the compound
word; gauNa—secondary; haila—became; zabda-artha—the word’s intended
meaning; gela—became; kSaya—lost.
TRANSLATION
“In the word ‘dvitIya-zrI-lakSmI’ [‘a second all-opulent goddess of fortune’],
the quality of being a second LakSmI is the unknown. In making this
compound word, the meaning became secondary and the originally intended
meaning was lost.
Adi 16.60
TEXT 60
‘dvitIya’ zabda——vidheya tAhA paòila samAse
‘lakSmIra samatA’ artha karila vinAze

dvitIya zabda—the word dvitIya (“second”); vidheya—the unknown; tAhA—
that; paòila—joined; samAse—in the compound word; lakSmIra—with
LakSmI; samatA—equality; artha—meaning; karila—became; vinAze—lost.
TRANSLATION
“Because the word ‘dvitIya’ [‘second’] is the unknown, in its combination in
this compound word the intended meaning of equality with LakSmI is lost.
Adi 16.61
TEXT 61
‘avimRSTa-vidheyAàza’——ei doSera nAma
Ara eka doSa Ache, zuna sAvadhAna

avimRSTa-vidheyAàza—avimRSTa-vidheyAàza; ei—this; doSera—of the fault;
nAma—the name; Ara—another; eka—one; doSa—fault; Ache—there is;
zuna—hear; sAvadhAna—carefully.
TRANSLATION
“Not only is there the fault avimRSTa-vidheyAàza, but there is also another
fault, which I shall point out to you. Kindly hear Me with great attention.
Adi 16.62
TEXT 62
‘bhavAnI-bhartR’-zabda dile pAiyA santoSa
‘viruddha-mati-kRt’ nAma ei mahA doSa

bhavAnI-bhartR zabda—the word bhavAnI-bhartR (“the husband of BhavAnI”);
dile—you have placed; pAiyA—getting; santoSa—very much satisfaction;
viruddha-mati-kRt—a statement of opposing elements; nAma—named; ei—
this; mahA—great; doSa—fault.
TRANSLATION
“Here is another great fault. You have arranged the word ‘bhavAnI-bhartR’ to
your great satisfaction, but this betrays the fault of contradiction.
Adi 16.63
TEXT 63
bhavAnI-zabde kahe mahAdevera gRhiNI
tA~Nra bhartA kahile dvitIya bhartA jAni

bhavAnI zabde—by the word bhavAnI; kahe—is mentioned; mahAdevera—of
Lord ziva; gRhiNI—the wife; tA~Nra—her; bhartA—husband; kahile—if we say;
dvitIya—second; bhartA—husband; jAni—we understand.
TRANSLATION
“The word ‘bhavAnI’ means ‘the wife of Lord ziva.’ But when we mention her
husband, one might conclude that she has another husband.
Adi 16.64
TEXT 64
‘ziva-patnIra bhartA’ ihA zunite viruddha
‘viruddha-mati-kRt’ zabda zAstre nahe zuddha

ziva-patnIra—of the wife of Lord ziva; bhartA—husband; iha—this; zunite—
to hear; viruddha—contradiction; viruddha-mati-kRt—that which creates a
contradiction; zabda—such a word; zAstre—in the scriptures; nahe—is not;
zuddha—pure.
TRANSLATION
“It is contradictory to hear that Lord ziva’s wife has another husband. The use
of such words in literature creates the fault called viruddha-mati-kRt.
Adi 16.65
TEXT 65
‘brAhmaNa-patnIra bhartAra haste deha dAna’
zabda zunitei haya dvitIya-bhartA j~nAna

brAhmaNa-patnIra—of the wife of a brAhmaNa; bhartAra—of the husband;
haste—in the hand; deha—give; dAna—charity; zabda—these words;
zunitei—hearing; haya—there is; dvitIya-bhartA—another husband; j~nAna—
knowledge.
TRANSLATION
“If someone says, ‘Place this charity in the hand of the husband of the wife of
the brAhmaNa,’ when we hear these contradictory words we immediately
understand that the brAhmaNa’s wife has another husband.
Adi 16.66
TEXT 66
‘vibhavati’ kriyAya vAkya——sA~Nga, punaH vizeSaNa
‘adbhuta-guNA’——ei punar-Atta dUSaNa

vibhavati kriyAya—by the verb vibhavati (“flourishes”); vAkya—statement;
sA~Nga—complete; punaH—again; vizeSaNa adbhuta-guNa—the adjective
adbhuta-guNa (“wonderful qualities”); ei—this; punar-Atta—repetition of the
same word; dUSaNa—fault.
TRANSLATION
“The statement by the word ‘vibhavati’ [‘flourishes’] is complete. Qualifying it
with the adjective ‘adbhuta-guNA’ [‘wonderful qualities’] creates the fault of
redundancy.
Adi 16.67
TEXT 67
tina pAde anuprAsa dekhi anupama
eka pAde nAhi, ei doSa ‘bhagna-krama’

tina pAde—in three lines; anuprAsa—alliteration; dekhi—I see; anupama—
extraordinary; eka pAde—in one line; nAhi—there is not (alliteration); ei
doSa—this fault; bhagna-krama—deviation.
TRANSLATION
“There is extraordinary alliteration in three lines of the verse, but in one line
there is no such alliteration. This is the fault of deviation.
Adi 16.68
TEXT 68
yadyapi ei zloke Ache pa~nca ala~NkAra
ei pa~nca-doSe zloka kaila chArakhAra

yadyapi—although; ei zloke—in this verse; Ache—there are; pa~nca—five;
ala~NkAra—literary embellishments; ei pa~nca-doSe—by the above-mentioned
five faults; zloka—the verse; kaila—has been made; chArakhAra—spoiled.
TRANSLATION
“Although there are five literary ornaments decorating this verse, the entire
verse has been spoiled by these five most faulty presentations.
Adi 16.69
TEXT 69
daza ala~NkAre yadi eka zloka haya
eka doSe saba ala~NkAra haya kSaya

daza ala~NkAre—with ten instances of literary ornamentation; yadi—if; eka—
one; zloka—verse; haya—there is; eka doSe—by one fault; saba—all;
ala~NkAra—ornaments; haya kSaya—become null and void.
TRANSLATION
“If there are ten literary ornaments in a verse but even one faulty expression,
the entire verse is nullified.
Adi 16.70
TEXT 70
sundara zarIra yaiche bhUSaNe bhUSita
eka zveta-kuSThe yaiche karaye vigIta

sundara—beautiful; zarIra—body; yaiche—as; bhUSaNe—with ornaments;
bhUSita—decorated; eka—one; zveta-kuSThe—with a white spot of leprosy;
yaiche—as; karaye—is made; vigIta—abominable.
TRANSLATION
“One’s beautiful body may be decorated with jewels, but one spot of white
leprosy makes the entire body abominable.
PURPORT
The great sage Bharata Muni, an authority on poetic metaphor, has given his
opinion in this connection as follows.
Adi 16.71
TEXT 71
rasAla~NkAra-vat kAvyaà
doSa-yuk ced vibhUSitam
syAd vapuH sundaram api
zvitreNaikena durbhagam

rasa—with humors; ala~NkAra-vat—with ornaments (metaphors, similes, etc.);
kAvyam—poetry; doSa-yuk—faulty; cet—if; vibhUSitam—very nicely
decorated; syAt—it becomes so; vapuH—the body; sundaram—beautiful;
api—even though; zvitreNa—by a white spot of leprosy; ekena—one;
durbhagam—unfortunate.
TRANSLATION
“‘As one’s body, although well-decorated with ornaments, is made
unfortunate by even one spot of white leprosy, so an entire poem is made
useless by a fault, despite alliteration, similes and metaphors.’
Adi 16.72
TEXT 72
pa~nca ala~NkArera ebe zunaha vicAra
dui zabdAla~NkAra, tina artha-ala~NkAra

pa~nca—five; ala~NkArera—of the literary embellishments; ebe—now;
zunaha—just hear; vicAra—description; dui—two; zabda-ala~NkAra—
ornaments of sound or ornaments of words; tina—three; artha-ala~NkAra—
ornaments of meaning.
TRANSLATION
“Now hear the description of the five literary embellishments. There are two
ornaments of sound and three ornaments of meaning.
Adi 16.73
TEXT 73
zabdAla~NkAra——tina-pAde Ache anuprAsa
‘zrI-lakSmI’ zabde ‘punar-uktavad-AbhAsa’

zabda-ala~NkAra—ornamentation of sound; tina-pAde—in three lines; Ache—
there is; anuprAsa—alliteration; zrI-lakSmI-zabde—in the words zrI-lakSmI;
punar-ukta-vat—of repetition of the same word; AbhAsa—there is a tinge.
TRANSLATION
“There is a sound ornament of alliteration in three lines. And in the
combination of the words ‘zrI’ and ‘lakSmI’ there is the ornament of a tinge of
redundancy.
Adi 16.74
TEXT 74
prathama-caraNe pa~nca ‘ta’-kArera pA~Nti
tRtIya-caraNe haya pa~nca ‘repha’-sthiti

prathama-caraNe—in the first line; pa~nca—five; ta-karera—of the letter ta;
pA~Nti—very nice composition; tRtIya-caraNe—in the third line; haya—there
is; pa~nca—five; repha—of the letter ra; sthiti—composition.
TRANSLATION
“In the arrangement of the first line the letter ‘ta’ occurs five times, and the
arrangement of the third line repeats the letter ‘ra’ five times.
Adi 16.75
TEXT 75
caturtha-caraNe cAri ‘bha’-kAra-prakAza
ataeva zabdAla~NkAra anuprAsa

caturtha-caraNe—in the fourth line; cAri—four; bha-kAra—of the letter bha;
prakAza—manifestations; ataeva—therefore; zabda-ala~NkAra—ornamental
use of different sounds; anuprAsa—alliteration.
TRANSLATION
“In the fourth line the letter ‘bha’ occurs four times. This arrangement of
alliteration is a pleasing ornamental use of sounds.
Adi 16.76
TEXT 76
‘zrI’-zabde, ‘lakSmI’-zabde——eka vastu ukta
punar-ukta-prAya bhAse, nahe punar-ukta

zrI-zabde—by the word zrI; lakSmI-zabde—by the word lakSmI; eka vastu—
one thing; ukta—is indicated; punar-ukta-prAya—almost repetition; bhAse—
appears; nahe—but actually it is not; punar-ukta—repetition.
TRANSLATION
“Although the words ‘zrI’ and ‘lakSmI’ convey the same meaning and are
therefore almost redundant, they are nevertheless not redundant.
Adi 16.77
TEXT 77
‘zrI-yukta lakSmI’ arthe arthera vibheda
punar-uktavad-AbhAsa, zabdAla~NkAra-bheda

zrI-yukta lakSmI—LakSmI, possessed of opulence; arthe—in the sense;
arthera—of the meaning; vibheda—difference; punar-ukta-vad-AbhAsa—
tinge of punar-ukta-vat; zabda-ala~NkAra—ornamental use of words; bheda—
different.
TRANSLATION
“Describing LakSmI as possessed of zrI [opulence] offers a difference in
meaning with a tinge of repetition. This is the second ornamental use of
words.
Adi 16.78
TEXT 78
‘lakSmIr iva’ arthAla~NkAra——upamA-prakAza
Ara arthAla~NkAra Ache, nAma——‘virodhAbhAsa’

lakSmIr iva—the words lakSmIr iva (“like LakSmI”); artha-ala~NkAra—
ornamental use of the meaning; upamA—analogy; prakAza—manifestation;
Ara—also; artha-ala~NkAra—ornamental use of meaning; Ache—there is;
nAma—which is named; virodha-AbhAsa—possibility of contradiction.
TRANSLATION
“The use of the words ‘lakSmIr iva’ [‘like LakSmI’] manifests the ornament of
meaning called upamA [analogy]. There is also the further ornament of
meaning called virodhAbhAsa, or a contradictory indication.
Adi 16.79
TEXT 79
‘ga~NgAte kamala janme’——sabAra subodha
‘kamale ga~NgAra janma’——atyanta virodha

ga~NgAte—in the river Ganges; kamala—lotus flower; janme—grows;
sabAra—of everyone; subodha—understanding; kamale—in the lotus flower;
ga~NgAra—of the Ganges; janma—birth; atyanta—very much; virodha—
contradiction.
TRANSLATION
“Everyone knows that lotus flowers grow in the water of the Ganges. But to
say that the Ganges takes birth from a lotus flower seems extremely
contradictory.
Adi 16.80
TEXT 80
‘ihA~N viSNu-pAda-padme ga~NgAra utpatti’
virodhAla~NkAra ihA mahA-camatkRti

ihA~N—in this connection; viSNu-pAda-padme-in the lotus feet of Lord ViSNu;
ga~NgAra—of mother Ganges; utpatti—beginning; virodha—contradiction;
ala~NkAra—literary decoration; iha—it; mahA—very great; camatkRti—
wonder.
TRANSLATION
“The existence of mother Ganges begins from the lotus feet of the Lord.
Although this statement that water comes from a lotus flower is a
contradiction, in connection with Lord ViSNu it is a great wonder.
Adi 16.81
TEXT 81
Izvara-acintya-zaktye ga~NgAra prakAza
ihAte virodha nAhi, virodha-AbhAsa

Izvara-acintya-zaktye—by the inconceivable potency of the Supreme Lord;
ga~NgAra—of the Ganges; prakAza—emanation; ihAte—in this; virodha nAhi—
there is no contradiction; virodha-AbhAsa—appears to be a contradiction.
TRANSLATION
“In this birth of the Ganges by the inconceivable potency of the Lord, there is
no contradiction although it appears contradictory.
PURPORT
The central point of all VaiSNava philosophy is to accept the inconceivable
potency of Lord ViSNu. What sometimes appears contradictory from a
material viewpoint is understandable in connection with the Supreme
Personality of Godhead because He can perform contradictory activities by
dint of His inconceivable potencies. Modern scientists are puzzled. They
cannot even explain how such a large quantity of chemicals has formed the
atmosphere. Scientists explain that water is a combination of hydrogen and
oxygen, but when asked where such a large quantity of hydrogen and
oxygen came from and how they combined to manufacture the great oceans
and seas, they cannot answer because they are atheists who will not accept
that everything comes from life. Their thesis is that life comes from matter.
Where do all these chemicals come from? The answer is that they are
produced by the inconceivable energy of the Supreme Personality of
Godhead. Living entities are part of the Supreme Godhead, and from their
bodies come many chemicals. For example, the lemon tree is a living entity
that produces many lemons, and within each lemon is a great deal of citric
acid. Therefore, if even an insignificant living entity who is but a part of the
Supreme Lord can produce so much of a chemical, how much potency there
must be in the body of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Scientists cannot perfectly explain where the chemicals of the world are
manufactured, but one can explain this perfectly by accepting the
inconceivable energy of the Supreme Lord. There is no reason for denying this
argument. Since there are potencies in the living entities who are samples of
the Personality of Godhead, how much potency there must be in the Supreme
Godhead Himself. As described in the Vedas, nityo nityAnAà cetanaz
cetanAnAm: “He is the chief eternal of all eternals and the chief living entity
among all living entities.” (KaTha UpaniSad, 2.2.13)
Unfortunately, atheistic science will not accept that matter comes from life.
Scientists insist upon their most illogical and foolish theory that life comes
from matter, although this is quite impossible. They cannot prove in their
laboratories that matter can produce life, yet there are thousands and
thousands of examples illustrating that matter comes from life. Therefore in
zrI Caitanya-caritAmRta KRSNadAsa KavirAja GosvAmI says that as soon as one
accepts the inconceivable potency of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, no
great philosopher or scientist can put forward any thesis to contradict the
Lord’s power. This is expressed in the following Sanskrit verse.
Adi 16.82
TEXT 82
ambujam ambuni jAtaà
kvacid api na jAtam ambujAd ambu
mura-bhidi tad-viparItaà
pAdAmbhojAn mahA-nadI jAtA

ambujam—lotus flower; ambuni—in the water; jAtam—is grown; kvacit—at
any time; api—certainly; na—not; jAtam—grown; ambujAt—from a lotus
flower; ambu—water; mura-bhidi—in KRSNa, the killer of MurAsura; tat-
viparItam—just the opposite of that; pAda-ambhojAt—from the lotus flower
of His feet; mahA-nadI—the great river; jAtA—has grown.
TRANSLATION
“‘Everyone knows that lotus flowers grow in the water but water never grows
from a lotus. All such contradictions, however, are wonderfully possible in
KRSNa: the great river Ganges has grown from His lotus feet.’
Adi 16.83
TEXT 83
ga~NgAra mahattva——sAdhya, sAdhana tAhAra
viSNu-pAdotpatti——‘anumAna’ ala~NkAra

ga~NgAra—of the Ganges; mahattva—opulences; sAdhya—subject matter;
sAdhana—means; tAhAra—of that; viSNu-pAda-utpatti—her origin from the
lotus feet of the Lord; anumAna—called anumAna (hypothesis); ala~NkAra—an
ornament.
TRANSLATION
“The real glory of mother Ganges is that she has grown from the lotus feet of
Lord ViSNu. Such a hypothesis is another ornament, called anumAna.
Adi 16.84
TEXT 84
sthUla ei pa~nca doSa, pa~nca ala~NkAra
sUkSma vicAriye yadi Achaye apAra

sthUla—gross; ei—these; pa~nca—five; doSa—faults; pa~nca—five;
ala~NkAra—literary ornaments; sUkSma—in detail; vicAriye—we consider;
yadi—if; Achaye—there are; apAra—unlimited.
TRANSLATION
“I have simply discussed the five gross faults and five literary embellishments
of this verse, but if we consider it in fine detail we will find unlimited faults.
Adi 16.85
TEXT 85
pratibhA, kavitva tomAra devatA-prasAde
avicAra kAvye avazya paòe doSa-bAdhe

pratibhA—ingenuity; kavitva—poetic imagination; tomAra—your; devatA—
of a demigod; prasAde—by the grace; avicAra—without good judgment;
kAvye—in the poetry; avazya—certainly; paòe—there is; doSa—fault;
bAdhe—obstruction.
TRANSLATION
“You have achieved poetic imagination and ingenuity by the grace of your
worshipable demigod. But poetry not well reviewed is certainly subject to
criticism.
Adi 16.86
TEXT 86
vicAri’ kavitva kaile haya sunirmala
sAla~NkAra haile artha kare jhalamala

vicAri’—with proper consideration; kavitva—poetic explanation; kaile—if
done; haya—it becomes; sunirmala—very pure; sa-ala~NkAra—with
metaphorical use of words; haile—if it is; artha—meaning; kare—does;
jhalamala—dazzle.
TRANSLATION
“Poetic skill used with due consideration is very pure, and with metaphors and
analogies it is dazzling.”
Adi 16.87
TEXT 87
zuniyA prabhura vyAkhyA digvijayI vismita
mukhe nA niHsare vAkya, pratibhA stambhita

zuniyA—hearing; prabhura—of the Lord; vyAkhyA—explanation; dig-vijayI—
the champion; vismita—struck with wonder; mukhe—in the mouth; nA—did
not; niHsare—come out; vAkya—words; pratibhA—ingenuity; stambhita—
choked up.
TRANSLATION
After hearing the explanation of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu, the champion
poet was struck with wonder. His cleverness stunned, he could not say
anything.
Adi 16.88
TEXT 88
kahite cAhaye kichu, nA Aise uttara
tabe vicAraye mane ha-iyA phA~Nphara

kahite—to speak; cAhaye—wants; kichu—something; nA—not; Aise—
comes; uttara—any reply; tabe—thereafter; vicAraye—considers; mane—
within the mind; ha-iyA—becoming; phA~Nphara—puzzled.
TRANSLATION
He wanted to say something, but no reply would come from his mouth. He
then began to consider this puzzle within his mind.
Adi 16.89
TEXT 89
paòuyA bAlaka kaila mora buddhi lopa
jAni——sarasvatI more kariyAchena kopa

paòuyA—student; bAlaka—a boy; kaila—made; mora—my; buddhi—
intelligence; lopa—lost; jAni—I can understand; sarasvatI—mother SarasvatI;
more—with me; kariyAchena—must have been; kopa—angry.
TRANSLATION
“This mere boy has blocked my intelligence. I can therefore understand that
mother SarasvatI has become angry with me.
PURPORT
In the Bhagavad-gItA it is clearly said that all intelligence comes from the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is situated in everyone’s heart as the
ParamAtmA. The ParamAtmA gave the paNòita the intelligence to understand
that because he was proud of his learning and wanted to defeat even the
Supreme Lord, by the will of the Lord and through the agency of mother
SarasvatI he had been defeated. One should not, therefore, be too proud of
one’s position. Even if one is a greatly learned scholar, if he commits an
offense to the lotus feet of the Lord he will not be able to speak properly, in
spite of his learning. In every respect, we are controlled. Our only duty,
therefore, is to surrender always to the lotus feet of the Lord and not be
falsely proud. Mother SarasvatI created this situation to favor the champion
paNòita so that he might surrender unto Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu.
Adi 16.90
TEXT 90
ye vyAkhyA karila, se manuSyera nahe zakti
nimA~ni-mukhe rahi’ bale Apane sarasvatI

ye vyAkhyA—which explanation; karila—He has made; se—that;
manuSyera—of any human being; nahe—there is not; zakti—power; nimA~ni-
mukhe—in the mouth of this boy NimAi; rahi’—remaining; bale—speaks;
Apane—personally; sarasvatI—mother SarasvatI.
TRANSLATION
“The wonderful explanation the boy has given could not have been possible
for a human being. Therefore mother SarasvatI must have spoken personally
through His mouth.”
Adi 16.91
TEXT 91
eta bhAvi’ kahe——zuna, nimA~ni paNòita
tava vyAkhyA zuni’ Ami ha-ilA~N vismita

eta bhAvi—thinking like this; kahe—the paNòita says; zuna—hear; nimA~ni
paNòita—O NimAi PaNòita; tava—Your; vyAkhyA—explanations; zuni’—
hearing; Ami—I; ha-ilA~N—have become; vismita—struck with wonder.
TRANSLATION
Thinking thus, the paNòita said, “My dear NimAi PaNòita, please hear me.
Hearing Your explanation, I am simply struck with wonder.
Adi 16.92
TEXT 92
ala~NkAra nAhi paòa, nAhi zAstrAbhyAsa
kemane e saba artha karile prakAza

ala~NkAra—the literary use of words; nAhi pada—You never read; nAhi—nor is
there; zAstra-abhyAsa—long practice in the discussion of the zAstras;
kemane—by which method; e saba—all these; artha—explanations; karile—
You have made; prakAza—manifestation.
TRANSLATION
“I am surprised. You are not a literary student and do not have long
experience in studying the zAstras. How have You been able to explain all
these critical points?”
Adi 16.93
TEXT 93
ihA zuni’ mahAprabhu ati baòa ra~NgI
tA~NhAra hRdaya jAni’ kahe kari’ bha~NgI

ihA zuni’—hearing this; mahAprabhu—Caitanya MahAprabhu; ati—very;
baòa—much; ra~NgI—funny; tA~NhAra—his; hRdaya—heart; jAni’—
understanding; kahe—says; kari’—doing; bha~NgI—indication.
TRANSLATION
Hearing this and understanding the paNòita’s heart, zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu
replied in a humorous way.
Adi 16.94
TEXT 94
zAstrera vicAra bhAla-manda nAhi jAni
sarasvatI ye balAya, sei bali vANI

zAstrera vicAra—discussion of zAstra; bhAla-manda—good or bad; nAhi jAni—
do not know; sarasvatI—mother SarasvatI; ye balAya—whatever she speaks;
sei—those; bali—I say; vANI—words.
TRANSLATION
“My dear sir, I do not know what is good composition and what is bad. But
whatever I have spoken must be understood to have been spoken by mother
SarasvatI.”
Adi 16.95
TEXT 95
ihA zuni’ digvijayI karila nizcaya
zizu-dvAre devI more kaila parAjaya

ihA zuni’—hearing this; dig-vijayI—the champion; karila—admitted;
nizcaya—decision; zizu-dvAre—through this boy; devI—mother SarasvatI;
more—unto me; kaila—has done; parAjaya—defeat.
TRANSLATION
When he heard this judgment from Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu, the paNòita
sorrowfully wondered why mother SarasvatI wanted to defeat him through a
small boy.
Adi 16.96
TEXT 96
Aji tA~Nre nivediba, kari’ japa-dhyAna
zizu-dvAre kaila more eta apamAna

Aji—today; tA~Nre—unto her; nivediba—I shall offer my prayers; kari’—
performing; japa—chanting; dhyAna—meditation; zizu-dvAre—through a
boy; kaila—has done; more—unto me; eta—so much; apamAna—insult.
TRANSLATION
“I shall offer prayers and meditation to the goddess of learning,” the
champion concluded, “and ask her why she has insulted me so greatly
through this boy.”
Adi 16.97
TEXT 97
vastutaH sarasvatI azuddha zloka karAila
vicAra-samaya tA~Nra buddhi AcchAdila

vastutaH—in fact; sarasvatI—mother SarasvatI; azuddha—impure; zloka—
verse; karAila—caused him to compose; vicAra-samaya—at the time of
reviewing; tA~Nra—his; buddhi—intelligence; AcchAdila—covered.
TRANSLATION
SarasvatI had in fact induced the champion to compose his verse in an impure
way. Furthermore, when it was discussed she covered his intelligence, and
thus the Lord’s intelligence was triumphant.
Adi 16.98
TEXT 98
tabe ziSya-gaNa saba hAsite lAgila
tA’-sabA niSedhi’ prabhu kavire kahila

tabe—at that time; ziSya-gaNa—the disciples; saba—all; hAsite—to laugh;
lAgila—began; tA’-sabA—all of them; niSedhi’—forbidding; prabhu—the
Lord; kavire—unto the poet; kahila—addressed.
TRANSLATION
When the poetic champion was thus defeated, all the Lord’s disciples sitting
there began to laugh loudly. But Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu asked them not
to do so, and He addressed the poet as follows.
Adi 16.99
TEXT 99
tumi baòa paNòita, mahAkavi-ziromaNi
yA~Nra mukhe bAhirAya aiche kavya-vANI

tumi—you; baòa paNòita—greatly learned scholar; mahA-kavi—of all great
poets; ziromaNi—the topmost; yA~Nra—of whom; mukhe—in the mouth;
bAhirAya—emanates; aiche—such; kAvya-vANI—poetic language.
TRANSLATION
“You are the most learned scholar and the topmost of all great poets, for
otherwise how could such fine poetry come from your mouth?
Adi 16.100
TEXT 100
tomAra kavitva yena ga~NgA-jala-dhAra
tomA-sama kavi kothA nAhi dekhi Ara
SYNONYMS
tomAra—your; kavitva—poetic ingenuity; yena—like; ga~NgA-jala-dhAra—
the flowing of the waters of the Ganges; tomA-sama—like you; kavi—poet;
kothA—anywhere; nAhi—not; dekhi—I see; Ara—anyone else.
TRANSLATION
“Your poetic skill is like the constant flow of the waters of the Ganges. I find
no one in the world who can compete with you.
Adi 16.101
TEXT 101
bhavabhUti, jayadeva, Ara kAlidAsa
tA~N-sabAra kavitve Ache doSera prakAza

bhavabhUti—BhavabhUti; jayadeva—Jayadeva; Ara—and; kAlidAsa—
KAlidAsa; tA~N-sabAra—of all of them; kavitve—in the poetic power; Ache—
there is; doSera—of faults; prakAza—manifestation.
TRANSLATION
“Even in the poetic compositions of such great poets as BhavabhUti, Jayadeva
and KAlidAsa there are many examples of faults.
Adi 16.102
TEXT 102
doSa-guNa-vicAra——ei alpa kari’ mAni
kavitva-karaNe zakti, tA~NhA se vAkhAni

doSa-guNa-vicAra—therefore to criticize one’s poetry as good or bad; ei—
this; alpa—negligible; kari’—making; mAni—I consider; kavitva—poetic
ingenuity; karaNe—in performing; zakti—power; tA~NhA—that; se—we;
vAkhAni—describe.
TRANSLATION
“Such mistakes should be considered negligible. One should see only how
such poets have displayed their poetic power.
PURPORT
In zrImad-BhAgavatam (1.5.11) it is said:
tad-vAg-visargo janatAgha-viplavo
yasmin prati-zlokam abaddhavaty api
nAmAny anantasya yazo ’~NkitAni yat
zRNvanti gAyanti gRNanti sAdhavaH
“In explaining the glories of the Lord, inexperienced men may compose
poetry with many faults, but because it contains glorification of the Lord,
great personalities read it, hear it and chant it.” Despite its minute literary
discrepancies, one must study poetry on the merit of its subject matter.
According to VaiSNava philosophy, any literature that glorifies the Lord,
whether properly written or not, is first class. There need be no other
considerations. The poetic compositions of BhavabhUti, or zrIkaNTha, include
MAlatI-mAdhava, Uttara-carita, VIra-carita and many similar Sanskrit dramas.
This great poet was born during the time of BhojarAja as the son of
NIlakaNTha, a brAhmaNa. KAlidAsa flourished during the time of MahArAja
VikramAditya, and he became the state poet. He composed some thirty or
forty Sanskrit dramas, including KumAra-sambhava, Abhij~nAna-zakuntalA and
Megha-dUta. His drama Raghu-vaàza is especially famous. We have already
described Jayadeva in Chapter Thirteen of the Adi-lIlA.
Adi 16.103
TEXT 103
zaizava-cApalya kichu nA labe AmAra
ziSyera samAna mu~ni nA ha~N tomAra

zaizava—childish; cApalya—impudence; kichu—anything; nA—do not;
labe—please take; AmAra—My; ziSyera—of disciples; samAna—the equal;
mu~ni—I; na—not; ha~N—am; tomAra—your.
TRANSLATION
“I am not even fit to be your disciple. Therefore kindly do not take seriously
whatever childish impudence I have shown.
Adi 16.104
TEXT 104
Aji vAsA’ yAha, kAli miliba AbAra
zuniba tomAra mukhe zAstrera vicAra

Aji—today; vAsA’—resting place; yAha—go back; kAli—tomorrow; miliba—
we will meet; AbAra—again; zuniba—I shall hear; tomAra mukhe—from your
mouth; zAstrera—on the zAstras; vicAra—discussion.
TRANSLATION
“Please go back home, and tomorrow we may meet again so that I may hear
discourses on the zAstras from your mouth.”
Adi 16.105
TEXT 105
ei-mate nija ghare gelA dui jana
kavi rAtre kaila sarasvatI-ArAdhana

ei-mate—in this way; nija ghare—to their respective homes; gelA—went
back; dui jana—both of them; kavi—poet; rAtre—at night; kaila—performed;
sarasvatI—of mother SarasvatI; ArAdhana—worship.
TRANSLATION
In this way both the poet and Caitanya MahAprabhu went back to their
homes, and at night the poet worshiped mother SarasvatI.
Adi 16.106
TEXT 106
sarasvatI svapne tA~Nre upadeza kaila
sAkSAt Izvara kari’ prabhuke jAnila

sarasvatI—mother SarasvatI; svapne—in a dream; tA~Nre—unto him;
upadeza—advice; kaila—gave; sAkSAt—directly; Izvara—the Supreme
Person; kari’—accepting; prabhuke—the Lord; jAnila—he understood.
TRANSLATION
In a dream the goddess informed him of the Lord’s position, and the poetic
champion could understand that Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu is the Supreme
Personality of Godhead Himself.
Adi 16.107
TEXT 107
prAte Asi’ prabhu-pade la-ila zaraNa
prabhu kRpA kaila, tA~Nra khaNòila bandhana

prAte—in the morning; Asi’—coming back; prabhu-pade—at the lotus feet of
the Lord; la-ila—took; zaraNa—shelter; prabhu—the Lord; kRpA—mercy;
kaila—showed; tA~Nra—his; khaNòila—cut off; bandhana—all bondage.
TRANSLATION
The next morning the poet came to Lord Caitanya and surrendered unto His
lotus feet. The Lord bestowed His mercy upon him and cut off all his bondage
to material attachment.
PURPORT
The same process advocated by Lord zrI KRSNa in His teachings of the
Bhagavad-gItA as it is—“Surrender unto Me in all instances”—was advocated
by Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu. The champion surrendered unto the Lord, and
the Lord favored him. One who is favored by the Lord is freed from material
bondage, as stated in the Bhagavad-gItA (4.9): tyaktvA dehaà punar janma
naiti mAm eti so ’rjuna.
Adi 16.108
TEXT 108
bhAgyavanta digvijayI saphala-jIvana
vidyA-bale pAila mahAprabhura caraNa

bhAgyavanta—very fortunate; dig-vijayI—the poetic champion; sa-phala—
successful; jIvana—life; vidyA-bale—by the strength of learning; pAila—got;
mahA-prabhura—of Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu; caraNa—lotus feet.
TRANSLATION
The poetic champion was certainly most fortunate. His life was successful by
dint of his vast learning and erudite scholarship, and thus he attained the
shelter of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu.
PURPORT
zrI Narottama dAsa ThAkura has sung that the best qualification for taking
shelter of the lotus feet of Lord Caitanya is to be the most fallen because the
Lord came specifically to deliver the fallen souls. In this age there are very
few scholars. Almost everyone is a fallen meat-eater, drunkard, woman-
hunter or gambler. Such persons are never considered learned scholars, even if
they pose as such. Because these so-called scholars superficially see that
Caitanya MahAprabhu associates with the fallen souls, they think that He is
meant for a lower class of men but that they do not need Him. Thus such
scholars do not take to the KRSNa consciousness movement. To be puffed up
with false learning, therefore, is a disqualification for accepting the KRSNa
consciousness movement. But here is a special example, for although the
poetic champion was a greatly learned scholar, the Lord also favored him
because of his humble submission.
Adi 16.109
TEXT 109
e-saba lIlA varNiyAchena vRndAvana-dAsa
ye kichu vizeSa ihA~N karila prakAza

e-saba—all these; lIlA—pastimes; varNiyAchena—has described; vRndAvana-
dAsa—VRndAvana dAsa ThAkura; ye kichu—whatever; vizeSa—specifics;
ihA~N—in this connection; karila—I have made; prakAza—presentation.
TRANSLATION
zrIla VRndAvana dAsa ThAkura has described all these incidents elaborately. I
have only presented the specific incidents he has not described.
Adi 16.110
TEXT 110
caitanya-gosA~nira lIlA——amRtera dhAra
sarvendriya tRpta haya zravaNe yAhAra

caitanya-gosA~nira lIlA—the pastimes of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu; amRtera
dhAra—drops of nectar; sarva-indriya—all senses; tRpta—satisfied; haya—
become; zravaNe—by hearing; yAhAra—of them all.
TRANSLATION
The nectarean drops of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu’s pastimes can satisfy the
senses of everyone who hears them.
Adi 16.111
TEXT 111
zrI-rUpa-raghunAtha-pade yAra Aza
caitanya-caritAmRta kahe kRSNadAsa

vande—let me offer my obeisances; svaira—completely independent;
adbhuta—and uncommon; Iham—whose activities; tam—unto Him;
caitanyam—zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu; yat—of whom; prasAdataH—by the
mercy; yavanAH—even the unclean; sumanAyante—are transformed into
gentlemen; kRSNa-nAma—of the holy name of Lord KRSNa; prajalpakAH—
taking to the chanting.
TRANSLATION
Let me offer my respectful obeisances to zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu, by whose
mercy even unclean yavanas become perfectly well bred gentlemen by
chanting the holy name of the Lord. Such is the power of Lord zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu.
PURPORT
There is a persistent misunderstanding between caste brAhmaNas and
advanced VaiSNavas, or gosvAmIs, because caste brAhmaNas, or smArtas, are
of the opinion that one cannot become a brAhmaNa unless he changes his
body. As we have discussed several times, it is to be understood that by the
supremely powerful potency of the Lord, as described by KRSNadAsa KavirAja
GosvAmI, everything is possible. Caitanya MahAprabhu is as fully independent
as KRSNa. Therefore no one can interfere with His activities. If He wants, by
His mercy He can convert even a yavana, an unclean follower of non-Vedic
principles, into a perfectly well behaved gentleman. This is actually happening
in our propagation of the KRSNa consciousness movement. The members of
the present KRSNa consciousness movement were not born in India, nor do
they belong to the Vedic culture, but within the short time of four or five
years they have become such wonderful devotees simply by chanting the
Hare KRSNa mantra that even in India they are well received as perfectly well
behaved VaiSNavas wherever they go.
Although less intelligent men cannot understand it, this is the special power of
Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu. Actually, the body of a KRSNa conscious person
changes in many ways. Even in the United States, when our devotees chant
on the street, American ladies and gentlemen inquire from them whether they
are actually Americans because no one could expect Americans to become
such nice devotees all of a sudden. Even Christian priests are greatly surprised
that all these boys from Jewish and Christian families have joined this KRSNa
consciousness movement; before joining, they never regarded any principles
of religion seriously, but now they have become sincere devotees of the Lord.
Everywhere people express this astonishment, and we take great pride in the
transcendental behavior of our students. Such wonders are possible, however,
only by the mercy of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu. They are not ordinary or
mundane.
Adi 17.2
TEXT 2
jaya jaya zrI-caitanya jaya nityAnanda
jayAdvaitacandra jaya gaura-bhakta-vRnda

jaya jaya—all glories; zrI-caitanya—to Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu; jaya—all
glories; nityAnanda—to Lord NityAnanda Prabhu; jaya advaita-candra—all
glories to Advaita AcArya; jaya gaura-bhakta-vRnda—all glories to the
devotees of Lord Caitanya.
TRANSLATION
All glories to Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu! All glories to Lord NityAnanda
Prabhu! All glories to Advaita AcArya! And all glories to all the devotees of
Lord Caitanya!
Adi 17.3
TEXT 3
kaizora-lIlAra sUtra karila gaNana
yauvana-lIlAra sUtra kari anukrama

kaizora-lIlAra—of the activities before His youth; sUtra—synopsis; karila—I
have done; gaNana—an enumeration; yauvana-lIlAra—of the pastimes of
youth; sUtra—synopsis; kari—I enumerate; anukrama—in chronological
order.
TRANSLATION
I have already given a synopsis of the kaizora-lIlA of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu.
Now let me enumerate His youthful pastimes in chronological order.
Adi 17.4
TEXT 4
vidyA-saundarya-sad-veza-
sambhoga-nRtya-kIrtanaiH
prema-nAma-pradAnaiz ca
gauro dIvyati yauvane

vidyA—education; saundarya—beauty; sat-veza—nice dress; sambhoga—
enjoyment; nRtya—dancing; kIrtanaiH—by chanting; prema-nAma—the holy
name of the Lord, which induces one to become a devotee; pradAnaiH—by
distributing; ca—and; gauraH—Lord zrI Gaurasundara; dIvyati—illuminated;
yauvane—in His youth.
TRANSLATION
Exhibiting His scholarship, beauty and fine dress, Lord Caitanya danced and
chanted as He distributed the holy name of the Lord to awaken dormant love
of KRSNa. Thus Lord zrI Gaurasundara shone in His youthful pastimes.
Adi 17.5
TEXT 5
yauvana-praveze a~Ngera a~Nga vibhUSaNa
divya vastra, divya veza, mAlya-candana

yauvana-praveze—on the entrance of His youth; a~Ngera—of the body;
a~Nga—limbs; vibhUSaNa—ornaments; divya—transcendental; vastra—
garments; divya—transcendental; veza—dress; mAlya—garland; candana—
(smeared with) sandalwood pulp.
TRANSLATION
As He entered His youth, the Lord decorated Himself with ornaments, dressed
Himself in fine cloth, garlanded Himself with flowers and smeared Himself
with sandalwood.
Adi 17.6
TEXT 6
vidyAra auddhatye kAho~N nA kare gaNana
sakala paNòita jini’ kare adhyApana

vidyAra auddhatye—because of pride in education; kAho~N—anyone; nA—
does not; kare—do; gaNana—care; sakala—all; paNòita—learned scholars;
jini’—conquering; kare—does; adhyApana—studies.
TRANSLATION
By dint of pride in His education, zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu, not caring for
anyone else, defeated all kinds of learned scholars while executing His studies.
Adi 17.7
TEXT 7
vAyu-vyAdhi-cchale kaila prema parakAza
bhakta-gaNa la~nA kaila vividha vilAsa

vAyu-vyAdhi—disease caused by disturbance of the air in the body; chale—
on the plea of; kaila—made; prema—love of Godhead; parakAza—
manifestation; bhakta-gaNa—the devotees; la~nA—taking with Him; kaila—
did; vividha—varieties of; vilAsa—pastimes.
TRANSLATION
In His youth the Lord exhibited His ecstatic love of KRSNa on the plea of
disturbances of the bodily airs. Accompanied by His confidential devotees, He
enjoyed various pastimes in this way.
PURPORT
According to Ayur-vedic treatment, the entire physiological system is
conducted by three elements, namely vAyu, pitta and kapha (air, bile and
mucus). Secretions within the body transform into other secretions like blood,
urine and stool, but if there are disturbances in the metabolism, the secretions
turn into kapha (mucus) by the influence of the air within the body. According
to the Ayur-vedic system, when the secretion of bile and formation of mucus
disturb the air circulating within the body, fifty-nine varieties of diseases may
occur. One such disease is craziness.
On the plea of disturbance of the bodily air and metabolism, zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu acted as if crazy. Thus in His school He began to explain the
grammar of verbs through KRSNa consciousness. Explaining everything in
grammar in relationship to KRSNa, the Lord induced His students to refrain
from worldly education, for it is better to become KRSNa conscious and in this
way attain the highest perfectional platform of education. On these grounds,
zrI JIva GosvAmI later compiled the grammar entitled Hari-nAmAmRta-
vyAkaraNa. People in general consider such explanations crazy. Therefore the
Lord’s purpose in His attitude of craziness was to explain that there is nothing
within our experience but KRSNa consciousness, for everything may be
dovetailed with KRSNa consciousness. These pastimes of Lord Caitanya
MahAprabhu have been very vividly described in the Caitanya-bhAgavata,
Madhya-lIlA, Chapter One.
Adi 17.8
TEXT 8
tabeta karilA prabhu gayAte gamana
Izvara-purIra sa~Nge tathAi milana

tabeta—thereafter; karilA—did; prabhu—Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu;
gayAte—to GayA; gamana—travel; Izvara-purIra sa~Nge—with Izvara PurI;
tathAi—there; milana—meeting.
TRANSLATION
Thereafter the Lord went to GayA. There He met zrIla Izvara PurI.
PURPORT
zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu went to GayA to offer respectful oblations to His
forefathers. This process is called piNòa-dAna. In Vedic society, after the death
of a relative, especially one’s father or mother, one must go to GayA and
there offer oblations to the lotus feet of Lord ViSNu. Therefore hundreds and
thousands of men gather in GayA daily to offer such oblations, or zrAddha.
Following this principle, Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu also went there to offer
piNòa to His dead father. Fortunately He met Izvara PurI there.
Adi 17.9
TEXT 9
dIkSA-anantare haila, premera prakAza
deze Agamana punaH premera vilAsa

dIkSA—initiation; anantare—immediately after; haila—became; premera—of
love of Godhead; prakAza—exhibition; deze—in His home country;
Agamana—coming back; punaH—again; premera—of love of God; vilAsa—
enjoyment.
TRANSLATION
In GayA, zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu was initiated by Izvara PurI, and
immediately afterwards He exhibited signs of love of Godhead. He again
displayed such symptoms after returning home.
PURPORT
When zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu went to GayA, accompanied by many of His
disciples, He became sick on the way. He had such a high fever that He asked
His students to bring water that had washed the feet of brAhmaNas, and when
they brought it the Lord drank it and was cured. Therefore everyone should
respect the position of a brAhmaNa, as indicated by zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu.
Neither the Lord nor His followers displayed any disrespect to brAhmaNas.
The followers of the Lord must be prepared to offer brAhmaNas all due
respect. But preachers of Lord Caitanya’s cult object if someone presents
himself as a brAhmaNa without having the necessary qualifications. The
followers of Lord Caitanya cannot blindly accept that everyone born in a
brAhmaNa family is a brAhmaNa. Therefore one should not indiscriminately
follow the Lord’s example of showing respect to brAhmaNas by drinking water
that has washed their feet. Gradually the brAhmaNa families have become
degraded because of the contamination of Kali-yuga. Thus they misguide
people by exploiting their sentiments.
Adi 17.10
TEXT 10
zacIke prema-dAna, tabe advaita-milana
advaita pAila vizvarUpa-darazana

zacIke—unto mother zacIdevI; prema-dAna—giving love of Godhead; tabe—
thereafter; advaita—with Advaita AcArya; milana—meeting; advaita—
Advaita AcArya; pAila—received; vizva-rUpa—of the universal form of the
Lord; darazana—vision.
TRANSLATION
Thereafter the Lord delivered love of KRSNa to His mother, zacIdevI, nullifying
her offense at the feet of Advaita AcArya. Thus there was a meeting with
Advaita AcArya, who later had a vision of the Lord’s universal form.
PURPORT
One day zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu was sitting on the throne of ViSNu in the
house of zrIvAsa Prabhu, and in a mood of His own He said, “My mother has
offended the lotus feet of Advaita AcArya. Unless she nullifies this offense at
the lotus feet of a VaiSNava, it will not be possible for her to achieve love of
KRSNa.” Hearing this, all the devotees went to bring Advaita AcArya there.
While coming to see the Lord, Advaita AcArya was glorifying the
characteristics of mother zacIdevI, and thus upon arriving He fell down on the
ground in ecstasy. Then, under the instruction of Lord Caitanya, zacIdevI took
advantage of this situation to touch Advaita AcArya’s lotus feet. zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu was very much pleased by His mother’s action, and He said,
“Now My mother’s offense at the lotus feet of Advaita AcArya has been
rectified, and she may have love of KRSNa without difficulty.” By this example
Lord Caitanya taught everyone that although one may be very much
advanced in KRSNa consciousness, if one offends the lotus feet of a VaiSNava
his advancement will not bear fruit. We should therefore be very cautious not
to offend a VaiSNava. zrI Caitanya-caritAmRta has described such an offense
as follows:
yadi vaiSNava-aparAdha uThe hAtI mAtA
upAòe vA chiNòe, tAra zukhi’ yAya pAtA
(Cc. Madhya 19.156)
As a mad elephant may trample all the plants in a garden, so by committing
one offense at the lotus feet of a VaiSNava one may spoil all the devotional
service he has accumulated in his life.
After this incident, one day Advaita AcArya Prabhu requested Caitanya
MahAprabhu to display the universal form He had very kindly shown Arjuna.
Lord Caitanya agreed to this proposal, and Advaita Prabhu was fortunate
enough to see the universal form of the Lord.
Adi 17.11
TEXT 11
prabhura abhiSeka tabe karila zrIvAsa
khATe vasi’ prabhu kailA aizvarya prakAza

prabhura—of the Lord; abhiSeka—worship; tabe—after that; karila—did;
zrIvAsa—zrIvAsa; khATe—on the cot; vasi’—sitting; prabhu—Lord zrI
Caitanya MahAprabhu; kailA—did; aizvarya—opulence; prakAza—
manifestation.
TRANSLATION
zrIvAsa ThAkura then worshiped Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu by the process of
abhiSeka. Sitting on a cot, the Lord exhibited transcendental opulence.
PURPORT
AbhiSeka is a special function for the installation of the Deity. In this ceremony
the Deity is bathed with milk and water and then worshiped and given a
change of dress. This abhiSeka function was especially observed at the house
of zrIvAsa. All the devotees, according to their means, worshiped the Lord
with all kinds of paraphernalia, and the Lord gave benedictions to each
devotee according to his desire.
Adi 17.12
TEXT 12
tabe nityAnanda-svarUpera Agamana
prabhuke miliyA pAila Saò-bhuja-darzana

tabe—thereafter; nityAnanda-svarUpera—of the Personality of Godhead
NityAnanda; Agamana—appearance; prabhuke—Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu;
miliyA—meeting; pAila—obtained; SaT-bhuja-darzana—a vision of the six-
armed zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu.
TRANSLATION
After this function at the house of zrIvAsa ThAkura, NityAnanda Prabhu
appeared, and when He met with Lord Caitanya He got the opportunity to
see Him in His six-armed form.
PURPORT
The form of Saò-bhuja, the six-armed Lord Gaurasundara, is a representation
of three incarnations. The form of zrI RAmacandra is symbolized by a bow in
one hand and an arrow in another, the form of Lord zrI KRSNa is symbolized by
a stick and a flute like those generally held by a cowherd boy, and Lord
Caitanya MahAprabhu is symbolized by a sannyAsa-daNòa and a kamaNòalu,
or waterpot.
zrIla NityAnanda Prabhu was born in the village of EkacakrA, in the district of
Birbhum, as the son of PadmAvatI and HAòAi PaNòita. In His childhood He
played like BalarAma. When He was growing up, a sannyAsI came to the
house of HAòAi PaNòita and begged to have the paNòita’s son as his
brahmacArI assistant. HAòAi PaNòita immediately agreed and delivered his son
to him, although the separation was greatly shocking, so much so that HAòAi
lost his life after the separation. NityAnanda Prabhu traveled on many
pilgrimages with the sannyAsI. It is said that for many days He lived at
MathurA with him, and at that time He heard about Lord Caitanya
MahAprabhu’s pastimes in NavadvIpa. Therefore He came down to Bengal to
see the Lord. When Lord NityAnanda came to NavadvIpa, He was a guest at
the house of Nandana AcArya. Understanding that NityAnanda Prabhu had
arrived, Lord Caitanya sent His devotees to Him, and thus there was a
meeting between zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu and NityAnanda Prabhu.
Adi 17.13
TEXT 13
prathame Saò-bhuja tA~Nre dekhAila Izvara
za~Nkha-cakra-gadA-padma-zAr~Nga-veNu-dhara

prathame—at first; SaT-bhuja—six-armed; tA~Nre—unto Him; dekhAila—
showed; Izvara—the Lord; za~Nkha—conchshell; cakra—disc; gadA—club;
padma—lotus flower; zAr~Nga—bow; veNu—flute; dhara—carrying.
TRANSLATION
One day Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu exhibited to Lord NityAnanda Prabhu a
six-armed form bearing a conchshell, disc, club, lotus flower, bow and flute.
Adi 17.14
TEXT 14
tabe catur-bhuja hailA, tina a~Nga vakra
dui haste veNu bAjAya, duye za~Nkha-cakra

tabe—thereafter; catuH-bhuja—four-armed; hailA—became; tina—three;
a~Nga—body; vakra—curved; dui haste—in two hands; veNu bAjAya—
blowing the flute; duye—in two (hands); za~Nkha-cakra—conchshell and disc.
TRANSLATION
Thereafter the Lord showed Him His four-armed form, standing in a three-
curved posture. With two hands He played upon a flute, and in the other two
He carried a conchshell and disc.
Adi 17.15
TEXT 15
tabe ta’ dvi-bhuja kevala vaàzI-vadana
zyAma-a~Nga pIta-vastra vrajendra-nandana

tabe—thereafter; ta’—certainly; dvi-bhuja—two-handed; kevala—only;
vaàzI—flute; vadana—on the mouth; zyAma—bluish; a~Nga—body; pIta-
vastra—yellow dress; vrajendra-nandana—the son of Nanda MahArAja.
TRANSLATION
Finally the Lord showed NityAnanda Prabhu His two-armed form of KRSNa, the
son of MahArAja Nanda, simply playing on His flute, His bluish body dressed in
yellow garments.
PURPORT
zrI Caitanya-ma~Ngala vividly elaborates upon this description.
Adi 17.16
TEXT 16
tabe nityAnanda-gosA~nira vyAsa-pUjana
nityAnandAveze kaila muSala dhAraNa

tabe—thereafter; nityAnanda—NityAnanda; gosA~nira—of the Lord; vyAsa-
pUjana—worshiping VyAsadeva or the spiritual master; nityAnanda-Aveze—in
the ecstasy of becoming NityAnanda; kaila—did; muSala dhAraNa—carrying a
plowlike weapon called a muSala.
TRANSLATION
NityAnanda Prabhu then arranged to offer VyAsa-pUjA, or worship of the
spiritual master, to Lord zrI Gaurasundara. But Lord Caitanya carried the
plowlike weapon called muSala in the ecstasy of being NityAnanda Prabhu.
PURPORT
By the order of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu, NityAnanda Prabhu arranged for the
VyAsa-pUjA of the Lord on the night of the full moon. He arranged for the
VyAsa-pUjA, or guru-pUjA, through the agency of VyAsadeva. Since VyAsadeva
is the original guru (spiritual master) of all who follow the Vedic principles,
worship of the spiritual master is called VyAsa-pUjA. NityAnanda Prabhu
arranged for the VyAsa-pUjA, and sa~NkIrtana was going on, but when He tried
to put a garland on the shoulder of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu, He saw Himself
in Lord Caitanya. There is no difference between the spiritual positions of Lord
Caitanya MahAprabhu and NityAnanda Prabhu, or KRSNa and BalarAma. All of
Them are but different manifestations of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
During this special ceremony, all the devotees of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu
could understand that there is no difference between Lord Caitanya and
NityAnanda Prabhu.
Adi 17.17
TEXT 17
tabe zacI dekhila, rAma-kRSNa——dui bhAi
tabe nistArila prabhu jagAi-mAdhAi

tabe—thereafter; zacI—mother zacIdevI; dekhila—saw; rAma-kRSNa—Lord
KRSNa and Lord BalarAma; dui bhAi—two brothers; tabe—thereafter;
nistArila—delivered; prabhu—the Lord; jagAi-mAdhAi—the two brothers JagAi
and MAdhAi.
TRANSLATION
Thereafter mother zacIdevI saw the brothers KRSNa and BalarAma in Their
manifestation of Lord Caitanya and NityAnanda. Then the Lord delivered the
two brothers JagAi and MAdhAi.
PURPORT
One night zacIdevI dreamt that the Deities in her house, KRSNa and BalarAma,
had taken the forms of Caitanya and NityAnanda and were fighting one
another, as children do, to eat the naivedya, or offering to the Deities. The
next day, by the will of Lord Caitanya, zacIdevI invited NityAnanda to take
prasAdam at her house. Thus Vizvambhara (Lord Caitanya) and NityAnanda
were eating together, and zacIdevI realized that They were none other than
KRSNa and BalarAma. Seeing this, she fainted.
JagAi and MAdhAi were two brothers born in NavadvIpa in a respectable
brAhmaNa family who later became addicted to all kinds of sinful activities. By
the order of Lord Caitanya, both NityAnanda Prabhu and HaridAsa ThAkura
used to preach the cult of KRSNa consciousness door to door. In the course of
such preaching they found JagAi and MAdhAi, two maddened drunken
brothers, who, upon seeing them, began to chase them. On the next day,
MAdhAi struck NityAnanda Prabhu on the head with a piece of earthen pot,
thus drawing blood. When zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu heard of this, He
immediately came to the spot, ready to punish both brothers, but when the
all-merciful Lord GaurA~Nga saw JagAi’s repentant behavior, He immediately
embraced him. By seeing the Supreme Personality of Godhead face to face
and embracing Him, both the sinful brothers were at once cleansed. Thus they
received initiation into the chanting of the Hare KRSNa mahA-mantra from the
Lord and were delivered.
Adi 17.18
TEXT 18
tabe sapta-prahara chilA prabhu bhAvAveze
yathA tathA bhakta-gaNa dekhila vizeSe

tabe—thereafter; sapta-prahara—twenty-one hours; chilA—remained;
prabhu—the Lord; bhAva-Aveze—in ecstasy; yathA—anywhere; tathA—
everywhere; bhakta-gaNa—the devotees; dekhila—saw; vizeSe—specifically.
TRANSLATION
After this incident, the Lord remained in an ecstatic position for twenty-one
hours, and all the devotees saw His specific pastimes.
PURPORT
In the Deity’s room there must be a bed for the Deity behind the His throne.
(This system should immediately be introduced in all our centers. It does not
matter whether the bed is big or small; it should be of a size the Deity room
can conveniently accommodate, but there must be at least a small bed.) One
day in the house of zrIvAsa ThAkura, Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu sat down on
the bed of ViSNu, and all the devotees worshiped Him with the Vedic mantras
of the PuruSa-sUkta, beginning with sahasra-zIrSA puruSaH sahasrAkSaH
sahasra-pAt. This veda-stuti should also be introduced, if possible, for
installations of Deities. While bathing the Deity, all the priests and devotees
must chant this PuruSa-sUkta and offer the appropriate paraphernalia for
worshiping the Deity, such as flowers, fruits, incense, Arati paraphernalia,
naivedya, vastra and ornaments. All the devotees worshiped Lord Caitanya
MahAprabhu in this way, and the Lord remained in ecstasy for seven praharas,
or twenty-one hours. He took this opportunity to show the devotees that He
is the original Supreme Personality of Godhead, KRSNa, who is the source of all
other incarnations, as confirmed in the Bhagavad-gItA (10.8): ahaà sarvasya
prabhavo mattaH sarvaà pravartate. All the different forms of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, or viSNu-tattva, emanate from the body of Lord
KRSNa. Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu exposed all the private desires of the
devotees, and thus all of them became fully confident that Lord Caitanya is
the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Some devotees call this exhibition of ecstasy by the Lord sAta-prahariyA
bhAva, or “the ecstasy of twenty-one hours,” and others call it mahAbhAva-
prakAza or mahA-prakAza. There is a description of this sAta-prahariyA bhAva
in the Caitanya-bhAgavata, Madhya-khaNòa, Chapter Nine, which mentions
that zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu blessed a maidservant named DuHkhI with the
name SukhI. He called for KholAvecA zrIdhara and showed him His mahA-
prakAza. Then He called for MurAri Gupta and showed him His feature as Lord
RAmacandra. He offered His blessings to HaridAsa ThAkura, and at this time
He also asked Advaita Prabhu to explain the Bhagavad-gItA as it is (gItAra
satya-pATha) and showed special favor to Mukunda.
Adi 17.19
TEXT 19
varAha-Aveza hailA murAri-bhavane
tA~Nra skandhe caòi’ prabhu nAcilA a~Ngane

varAha-Aveza—the ecstasy of becoming VarAhadeva; hailA—became; murAri-
bhavane—in the house of MurAri Gupta; tA~Nra skandhe—on the shoulders of
MurAri Gupta; caòi’—riding; prabhu—the Lord; nAcilA—danced; a~Ngane—in
the yard.
TRANSLATION
One day zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu felt the ecstasy of the boar incarnation and
got up on the shoulders of MurAri Gupta. Thus they both danced in MurAri
Gupta’s courtyard.
PURPORT
One day Caitanya MahAprabhu began to cry out, “zUkara! zUkara!” Thus
crying out for the boar incarnation of the Lord, He assumed His form as the
boar incarnation and got up on the shoulders of MurAri Gupta. He carried a
small gAòu, a small waterpot with a nozzle, and thus He symbolically picked
up the earth from the depths of the ocean, for this is the pastime of Lord
VarAha.
Adi 17.20
TEXT 20
tabe zuklAmbarera kaila taNòula-bhakSaNa
‘harer nAma’ zlokera kaila artha vivaraNa

tabe—thereafter; zuklAmbarera—of zuklAmbara BrahmacArI; kaila—did;
taNòula—raw rice; bhakSaNa—eating; harer nAma zlokera—of the verse
celebrated as such; kaila—did; artha—of the meaning; vivaraNa—
explanation.
TRANSLATION
After this incident the Lord ate raw rice given by zuklAmbara BrahmacArI and
explained very elaborately the import of the “harer nAma” zloka mentioned in
the BRhan-nAradIya PurANa.
PURPORT
zuklAmbara BrahmacArI resided in NavadvIpa on the bank of the Ganges.
When zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu was dancing in ecstasy, he approached the
Lord with a begging bag containing rice. The Lord was so pleased with His
devotee that He immediately snatched the bag and began to eat the raw rice.
No one forbade Him, and thus He finished the entire supply of rice.
Adi 17.21
TEXT 21
harer nAma harer nAma
harer nAmaiva kevalam
kalau nAsty eva nAsty eva
nAsty eva gatir anyathA

hareH nAma—the holy name of the Lord; hareH nAma—the holy name of the
Lord; hareH nAma—the holy name of the Lord; eva—certainly; kevalam—
only; kalau—in the Age of Kali; na asti—there is none; eva—certainly; na
asti—there is none; eva—certainly; na asti—there is none; eva—certainly;
gatiH—destination; anyathA—otherwise.
TRANSLATION
“‘In this Age of Kali there is no other means, no other means, no other means
for self-realization than chanting the holy name, chanting the holy name,
chanting the holy name of Lord Hari.’
Adi 17.22
TEXT 22
kali-kAle nAma-rUpe kRSNa-avatAra
nAma haite haya sarva-jagat-nistAra

kali-kAle—in this Age of Kali; nAma-rUpe—in the form of the holy name;
kRSNa—Lord KRSNa; avatAra—incarnation; nAma—holy name; haite—from;
haya—becomes; sarva—all; jagat—of the world; nistAra—deliverance.
TRANSLATION
“In this Age of Kali, the holy name of the Lord, the Hare KRSNa mahA-mantra,
is the incarnation of Lord KRSNa. Simply by chanting the holy name, one
associates with the Lord directly. Anyone who does this is certainly delivered.
Adi 17.23
TEXT 23
dAròhya lAgi’ ‘harer nAma’-ukti tina-vAra
jaòa loka bujhAite punaH ‘eva’-kAra

dAròhya lAgi’—in the matter of emphasizing; harer nAma—of the holy name
of Lord Hari; ukti—there is utterance; tina-vAra—three times; jaòa loka—
ordinary common people; bujhAite—just to make them understand; punaH—
again; eva-kAra—the word eva, or “certainly.”
TRANSLATION
“This verse repeats the word ‘eva’ [‘certainly’] three times for emphasis, and it
also three times repeats ‘harer nAma’ [‘the holy name of the Lord’], just to
make common people understand.
PURPORT
To emphasize something to an ordinary person, one may repeat it three times,
just as one might say, “You must do this! You must do this! You must do this!”
Thus the BRhan-nAradIya PurANa repeatedly emphasizes the chanting of the
holy name so that people may take it seriously and thus free themselves from
the clutches of mAyA. It is our practical experience in the KRSNa consciousness
movement all over the world that many millions of people are factually
coming to the spiritual stage of life simply by chanting the Hare KRSNa mahA-
mantra regularly, according to the prescribed principles. Therefore our request
to all our students is that they daily chant at least sixteen rounds of this harer
nAma mahA-mantra [Adi 17.21] offenselessly, following the regulative
principles. Thus their success will be assured without a doubt.
Adi 17.24
TEXT 24
‘kevala’-zabde punarapi nizcaya-karaNa
j~nAna-yoga-tapa-karma-Adi nivAraNa

‘kevala’-zabde—by the word kevala, or “only”; punarapi—again; nizcaya-
karaNa—final decision; j~nAna—cultivation of knowledge; yoga—practice of
the mystic yoga system; tapa—austerity; karma—fruitive activities; Adi—
and so on; nivAraNa—prohibition.
TRANSLATION
“The use of the word ‘kevala’ [‘only’] prohibits all other processes, such as the
cultivation of knowledge, practice of mystic yoga, or performance of
austerities and fruitive activities.
PURPORT
Our KRSNa consciousness movement stresses the chanting of the Hare KRSNa
mantra only, whereas those who do not know the secret of success for this
Age of Kali unnecessarily indulge in the cultivation of knowledge, the practice
of mystic yoga or the performance of fruitive activities or useless austerities.
They are simply wasting their time and misleading their followers. When we
point this out very plainly to an audience, members of opposing groups
become angry at us. But according to the injunctions of the zAstras, we
cannot make compromises with these so-called j~nAnIs, yogIs, karmIs and
tapasvIs. When they say they are as good as we are, we must say that only
we are good and that they are not good. This is not our obstinacy; it is the
injunction of the zAstras. We must not deviate from the injunctions of the
zAstras. This is confirmed in the next verse of the Caitanya-caritAmRta.
Adi 17.25
TEXT 25
anyathA ye mAne, tAra nAhika nistAra
nAhi, nAhi, nAhi——e tina ‘eva’-kAra

anyathA—otherwise; ye—anyone who; mAne—accepts; tAra—of him;
nAhika—there is no; nistAra—deliverance; nAhi nAhi nAhi—there is nothing
else, nothing else, nothing else; e—in this; tina—three; eva-kAra—bearing
the meaning of emphasis.
TRANSLATION
“This verse clearly states that anyone who accepts any other path cannot be
delivered. This is the reason for the triple repetition ‘nothing else, nothing else,
nothing else,’ which emphasizes the real process of self-realization.
Adi 17.26
TEXT 26
tRNa haite nIca ha~nA sadA labe nAma
Apani nirabhimAnI, anye dibe mAna

tRNa—grass; haite—than; nIca—lower; ha~nA—becoming; sadA—always;
labe—chant; nAma—the holy name; Apani—personally; nirabhimAnI—
without honor; anye—unto others; dibe—you should give; mAna—all
respect.
TRANSLATION
“To chant the holy name always, one should be humbler than the grass in the
street and devoid of all desire for personal honor, but one should offer others
all respectful obeisances.
Adi 17.27
TEXT 27
taru-sama sahiSNutA vaiSNava karibe
bhartsana-tAòane kAke kichu nA balibe

taru-sama—like a tree; sahiSNutA—forbearance; vaiSNava—devotee;
karibe—should practice; bhartsana—rebuking; tAòane—chastising; kAke—
unto anyone; kichu—something; nA—not; balibe—will utter.
TRANSLATION
“A devotee engaged in chanting the holy name of the Lord should practice
forbearance like that of a tree. Even if rebuked or chastised, he should not say
anything to others to retaliate.
Adi 17.28
TEXT 28
kATileha taru yena kichu nA bolaya
zukAiyA mare, tabu jala nA mAgaya

kATileha—even being cut; taru—the tree; yena—as; kichu—something; nA—
not; bolaya—says; zukAiyA—drying up; mare—dies; tabu—still; jala—water;
nA—does not; mAgaya—ask for.
TRANSLATION
“For even if one cuts a tree, it never protests, and even if it is drying up and
dying, it does not ask anyone for water.
PURPORT
This practice of forbearance (taror iva sahiSNunA) is very difficult, but when
one actually engages in chanting the Hare KRSNa mantra, the quality of
forbearance automatically develops. A person advanced in spiritual
consciousness through the chanting of the Hare KRSNa mantra need not
practice to develop it separately, for a devotee develops all good qualities
simply by chanting the Hare KRSNa mantra regularly.
Adi 17.29
TEXT 29
ei-mata vaiSNava kAre kichu nA mAgiba
ayAcita-vRtti, kiàvA zAka-phala khAiba

ei-mata—in this way; vaiSNava—a devotee; kAre—from anyone; kichu—
anything; nA—not; mAgiba—shall ask for; ayAcita-vRtti—the profession of
not asking for anything; kiàvA—or; zAka—vegetables; phala—fruits;
khAiba—shall eat.
TRANSLATION
“Thus a VaiSNava should not ask anything from anyone else. If someone gives
him something without being asked, he should accept it, but if nothing comes,
a VaiSNava should be satisfied to eat whatever vegetables and fruits are easily
available.
Adi 17.30
TEXT 30
sadA nAma la-iba, yathA-lAbhete santoSa
eita AcAra kare bhakti-dharma-poSa

sadA—always; nAma—the holy name; la-iba—one should chant; yathA—
inasmuch as; lAbhete—gains; santoSa—satisfaction; eita—this; AcAra—
behavior; kare—does; bhakti-dharma—of devotional service; poSa—
maintenance.
TRANSLATION
“One should strictly follow the principle of always chanting the holy name,
and one should be satisfied with whatever he gets easily. Such devotional
behavior solidly maintains one’s devotional service.
Adi 17.31
TEXT 31
tRNAd api su-nIcena
taror iva sahiSNunA
amAninA mAna-dena
kIrtanIyaH sadA hariH

tRNAt api—than downtrodden grass; su-nIcena—being lower; taroH—than a
tree; iva—like; sahiSNunA—with tolerance; amAninA—without being puffed
up by false pride; mAna-dena—giving respect to all; kIrtanIyaH—to be
chanted; sadA—always; hariH—the holy name of the Lord.
TRANSLATION
“One who thinks himself lower than the grass, who is more tolerant than a
tree, and who does not expect personal honor yet is always prepared to give
all respect to others can very easily always chant the holy name of the Lord.”
PURPORT
The grass is specifically mentioned in this verse because everyone tramples
upon it yet the grass never protests. This example indicates that a spiritual
master or leader should not be proud of his position; being always humbler
than an ordinary common man, he should go on preaching the cult of
Caitanya MahAprabhu by chanting the Hare KRSNa mantra.
Adi 17.32
TEXT 32
Urdhva-bAhu kari’ kaho~N, zuna, sarva-loka
nAma-sUtre gA~Nthi’ para kaNThe ei zloka

Urdhva-bAhu—raising my hands; kari’—doing so; kaho~N—I declare; zuna—
please hear; sarva-loka—all persons; nAma—of the holy name; sUtre—on the
thread; gA~Nthi—stringing; para—get it; kaNThe—on the neck; ei—this;
zloka—verse.
TRANSLATION
Raising my hands, I declare, “Everyone please hear me! String this verse on
the thread of the holy name and wear it on your neck for continuous
remembrance.”
PURPORT
When chanting the Hare KRSNa mahA-mantra, in the beginning one may
commit many offenses, which are called nAmAbhAsa and nAma-aparAdha. In
this stage there is no possibility of achieving perfect love of KRSNa by chanting
the Hare KRSNa mahA-mantra. Therefore one must chant the Hare KRSNa mahA-
mantra according to the principles of the above verse, tRNAd api su-nIcena
taror iva sahiSNunA. One should note in this connection that chanting involves
the activities of the upper and lower lips as well as the tongue. All three must
be engaged in chanting the Hare KRSNa mahA-mantra. The words “Hare KRSNa”
should be very distinctly pronounced and heard. Sometimes one mechanically
produces a hissing sound instead of chanting with the proper pronunciation
with the help of the lips and tongue. Chanting is very simple, but one must
practice it seriously. Therefore the author of zrI Caitanya-caritAmRta,
KRSNadAsa KavirAja GosvAmI, advises everyone to keep this verse always
strung about his neck.
Adi 17.33
TEXT 33
prabhu-Aj~nAya kara ei zloka AcaraNa
avazya pAibe tabe zrI-kRSNa-caraNa

prabhu—of the Lord; Aj~nAya—on the order; kara—do; ei zloka—of this
verse; AcaraNa—practice; avazya—certainly; pAibe—he will get; tabe—
afterwards; zrI-kRSNa-caraNa—the lotus feet of Lord KRSNa.
TRANSLATION
One m7ust strictly follow the principles given by Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu
in this verse. If one simply follows in the footsteps of Lord Caitanya and the
GosvAmIs, certainly he will achieve the ultimate goal of life, the lotus feet of
zrI KRSNa.
Adi 17.34
TEXT 34
tabe prabhu zrIvAsera gRhe nirantara
rAtre sa~NkIrtana kaila eka saàvatsara

tabe—thereafter; prabhu—the Lord, zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu; zrIvAsera—of
zrIvAsa ThAkura; gRhe—in the home; nirantara—always; rAtre—at night;
sa~NkIrtana—congregational chanting of the Hare KRSNa mahA-mantra; kaila—
performed; eka saàvatsara—one full year.
TRANSLATION
zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu regularly led congregational chanting of the Hare
KRSNa mahA-mantra in the house of zrIvAsa ThAkura every night for one full
year.
Adi 17.35
TEXT 35
kapATa diyA kIrtana kare parama Aveze
pASaNòI hAsite Aise, nA pAya praveze

kapATa—door; diyA—closing; kIrtana—chanting; kare—performed;
parama—very high; Aveze—in an ecstatic condition; pASaNòI—nonbelievers;
hAsite—to laugh; Aise—come; nA—does not; pAya—get; praveze—entrance.
TRANSLATION
This ecstatic chanting was performed with the doors closed so that
nonbelievers who came to make fun could not gain entrance.
PURPORT
Chanting of the Hare KRSNa mahA-mantra is open to everyone, but sometimes
nonbelievers come to disturb the ceremony of chanting. It is indicated herein
that under such circumstances the temple doors should be closed. Only bona
fide chanters should be admitted; others should not. But when there is large-
scale congregational chanting of the Hare KRSNa mahA-mantra, we keep our
temples open for everyone to join, and by the grace of Lord Caitanya
MahAprabhu this policy has given good results.
Adi 17.36
TEXT 36
kIrtana zuni’ bAhire tArA jvali’ puòi’ mare
zrIvAsere duHkha dite nAnA yukti kare

kIrtana zuni’—after hearing the chanting; bAhire—outside; tArA—the
nonbelievers; jvali’—burned; puòi’—to ashes; mare—die; zrIvAsere—unto
zrIvAsa ThAkura; duHkha—troubles; dite—to give; nAnA—various; yukti—
plans; kare—do.
TRANSLATION
Thus the nonbelievers almost burned to ashes and died out of envy. To
retaliate, they planned various ways to give trouble to zrIvAsa ThAkura.
Adi 17.38
TEXTS 37–38
eka-dina vipra, nAma——‘gopAla cApAla’
pASaNòi-pradhAna sei durmukha, vAcAla
bhavAnI-pUjAra saba sAmagrI la~nA
rAtre zrIvAsera dvAre sthAna lepA~nA

eka-dina—one day; vipra—one brAhmaNa; nAma—named; gopAla cApAla—
GopAla CApAla; pASaNdi-pradhAna—the chief of the nonbelievers; sei—he;
durmukha—ferocious, using strong words; vAcAla—talkative; bhavAnI-
pUjAra—for worshiping the goddess BhavAnI; saba—all; sAmagrI—
ingredients, paraphernalia; la~nA—taking; rAtre—at night; zrIvAsera—of
zrIvAsa ThAkura; dvAre—on the door; sthAna—the place; lepA~nA—smearing.
TRANSLATION
One night while kIrtana was going on inside zrIvAsa ThAkura’s house, a
brAhmaNa named GopAla CApAla, the chief of the nonbelievers, who was
talkative and very rough in his speech, placed all the paraphernalia for
worshiping the goddess DurgA outside zrIvAsa ThAkura’s door.
PURPORT
This brAhmaNa, GopAla CApAla, wanted to defame zrIvAsa ThAkura by proving
that he was actually a zAkta, or a worshiper of BhavAnI, the goddess DurgA,
but was externally posing as a VaiSNava. In Bengal there is perpetual
competition between the devotees of goddess KAlI and the devotees of Lord
KRSNa. Generally Bengalis, especially those who are meat-eaters and
drunkards, are very much attached to worshiping the goddesses DurgA, KAlI,
zItalA and CaNòI. Such devotees, who are known as zAktas, or worshipers of
the zakti-tattva, are always envious of VaiSNavas. Since zrIvAsa ThAkura was a
well-known and respected VaiSNava in NavadvIpa, GopAla CApAla wanted to
reduce his prestige by bringing him down to the platform of the zAktas.
Therefore outside zrIvAsa ThAkura’s door he placed various paraphernalia for
worshiping BhavAnI, the wife of Lord ziva, such as a red flower, a plantain
leaf, a pot of wine, and reddish sandalwood paste. In the morning, when
zrIvAsa ThAkura saw all this paraphernalia in front of his door, he called for the
respectable gentlemen of the neighborhood and showed them that at night he
was worshiping BhavAnI. Very sorry, these gentlemen called for a sweeper to
cleanse the place and purify it by sprinkling water and cow dung there. This
incident concerning GopAla CApAla is not mentioned in the Caitanya-
bhAgavata.
Adi 17.39
TEXT 39
kalAra pAta upare thuila oòa-phula
haridrA, sindUra Ara rakta-candana, taNòula

kalAra pAta—a banana leaf; upare—upon it; thuila—placed; oòa-phula—a
particular type of flower; haridrA—turmeric; sindUra—vermilion; Ara—and;
rakta-candana—red sandalwood; taNòula—rice.
TRANSLATION
On the upper portion of a plantain leaf he placed such paraphernalia for
worship as oòa-phula, turmeric, vermilion, red sandalwood and rice.
Adi 17.40
TEXT 40
madya-bhANòa-pAze dhari’ nija-ghare gela
prAtaH-kAle zrIvAsa tAhA ta’ dekhila

madya-bhANòa—a pot of wine; pAze—by the side of; dhari’—placing; nija-
ghare—to his own home; gela—went; prAtaH-kAle—in the morning;
zrIvAsa—zrIvAsa ThAkura; tAhA—all those things; ta’—certainly; dekhila—
saw.
TRANSLATION
He placed a pot of wine beside all this, and in the morning when zrIvAsa
ThAkura opened his door he saw this paraphernalia.
Adi 17.41
TEXT 41
baòa baòa loka saba Anila bolAiyA
sabAre kahe zrIvAsa hAsiyA hAsiyA

baòa baòa—respectable; loka—persons; saba—all; Anila—brought them;
bolAiyA—causing to be called; sabAre—to everyone; kahe—addresses;
zrIvAsa—zrIvAsa ThAkura; hAsiyA hAsiyA—while smiling.
TRANSLATION
zrIvAsa ThAkura called for all the respectable gentlemen of the neighborhood
and smilingly addressed them as follows.
Adi 17.42
TEXT 42
nitya rAtre kari Ami bhavAnI-pUjana
AmAra mahimA dekha, brAhmaNa-sajjana

nitya rAtre—every night; kari—I do; Ami—I; bhavAnI-pUjana—worship of
BhavAnI, the wife of Lord ziva; AmAra—my; mahimA—glories; dekha—you
see; brAhmaNa-sat-jana—all respectable brAhmaNas.
TRANSLATION
“Gentlemen, every night I worship the goddess BhavAnI. Since the
paraphernalia for the worship is present here, now all you respectable
brAhmaNas and members of the higher castes can understand my position.”
PURPORT
According to the Vedic system there are four castes—the brAhmaNas,
kSatriyas, vaizyas and zUdras—and below them are the pa~ncamas (literally,
“members of the fifth group”), who are lower than the zUdras. The higher
castes—the brAhmaNas, the kSatriyas and even the vaizyas—were known as
brAhmaNa-saj-jana. The brAhmaNas especially were known as saj-jana, or
respectable gentlemen who guided the entire society. If there were disputes
in the village, people would approach these respectable brAhmaNas to settle
them. Now it is very difficult to find such brAhmaNas and saj-janas, and thus
every village and town is so disrupted that there is no peace and happiness
anywhere. To revive a fully cultured civilization, the scientific division of
society into brAhmaNas, kSatriyas, vaizyas and zUdras must be introduced all
over the world. Unless some people are trained as brAhmaNas, there cannot be
peace in human society.
Adi 17.43
TEXT 43
tabe saba ziSTa-loka kare hAhAkAra
aiche karma hethA kaila kon durAcAra

tabe—thereafter; saba—all; ziSTa-loka—gentlemen; kare—exclaimed; hAhA-
kAra—alas, alas; aiche—such; karma—activities; hethA—here; kaila—did;
kon—who; durAcAra—sinful person.
TRANSLATION
Then all the assembled gentlemen exclaimed, “What is this? What is this?
Who has performed such mischievous activities? Who is that sinful man?”
Adi 17.44
TEXT 44
hAòike AniyA saba dUra karAila
jala-gomaya diyA sei sthAna lepAila

hAòike—a sweeper; AniyA—calling; saba—all; dUra karAila—caused to be
thrown far; jala—water; gomaya—cow dung; diyA—mixing; sei—that;
sthAna—place; lepAila—caused to be smeared over.
TRANSLATION
They called for a sweeper [hAòi], who threw all the items of worship far away
and cleansed the place by mopping it with a mixture of water and cow dung.
PURPORT
The men in Vedic society who engage in public sanitary activities like picking
up stool and sweeping the street are called hAòis. Sometimes they are
untouchable, especially when engaged in their profession, yet such hAòis also
have the right to become devotees. This is established by zrI Bhagavad-gItA
(9.32), where the Lord declares:
mAà hi pArtha vyapAzritya ye ’pi syuH pApa-yonayaH
striyo vaizyAs tathA zUdrAs te ’pi yAnti parAà gatim
“O son of PRthA, those who take shelter in Me, though they be of lower
birth—women, vaizyas [merchants], and zUdras [workers]—can attain the
supreme destination.”
There are many untouchables of the lower caste in India, but according to
VaiSNava principles everyone is welcome to accept this KRSNa consciousness
movement on the spiritual platform of life and thus be freed from trouble.
Neither equality nor fraternity is possible on the material platform.
When Lord Caitanya declares tRNAd api su-nIcena taror iva sahiSNunA, He
indicates that one must be above the material conception of life. When one
thoroughly understands that he is not the material body but a spiritual soul, he
is even humbler than a man of the lower castes, for he is spiritually elevated.
Such humility, in which one thinks himself lower than the grass, is called su-
nIcatva, and being more tolerant than a tree is called sahiSNutva, forbearance.
Being situated in devotional service, not caring for the material conception of
life, is called amAnitva, indifference to material respect; yet a devotee thus
situated is called mAna-da, for he is prepared to give honor to others without
hesitation.
Mahatma Gandhi started the hari-jana movement to purify the untouchables,
but he was a failure because he thought that one could become a hari-jana, a
personal associate of the Lord, through some kind of material adjustment.
That is not possible. Unless one fully realizes that he is not the body but is a
spiritual soul, there is no question of his becoming a hari-jana. Those who do
not follow in the footsteps of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu and His disciplic
succession cannot distinguish between matter and spirit, and therefore all
their ideas are but a mixed-up hodgepodge of problems. They are virtually
lost in the bewildering network of MAyAdevI.
Adi 17.45
TEXT 45
tina dina rahi’ sei gopAla-cApAla
sarvA~Nge ha-ila kuSTha, vahe rakta-dhAra

tina dina—three days; rahi’—remaining in that way; sei—that; gopAla-
cApAla—GopAla CApAla; sarva-a~Nge—all over the body; ha-ila—became
visible; kuSTha—leprosy; vahe—discharging; rakta-dhAra—a flow of blood.
TRANSLATION
After three days, leprosy attacked GopAla CApAla, and blood oozed from sores
all over his body.
Adi 17.46
TEXT 46
sarvA~Nga beòila kITe, kATe nirantara
asahya vedanA, duHkhe jvalaye antara

sarva-a~Nga—all over the body; beòila—became covered; kITe—by insects;
kATe—biting; nirantara—always; asahya—unbearable; vedanA—pain;
duHkhe—in unhappiness; jvalaye—burns; antara—without cessation.
TRANSLATION
Incessantly covered with germs and insects biting him all over his body,
GopAla CApAla felt unbearable pain. His entire body burned in distress.
Adi 17.47
TEXT 47
ga~NgA-ghATe vRkSa-tale rahe ta’ vasiyA
eka dina bale kichu prabhuke dekhiyA

ga~NgA-ghATe—on the bank of the Ganges; vRkSa-tale—underneath a tree;
rahe—remains; ta’—certainly; vasiyA—sitting; eka dina—one day; bale—
says; kichu—something; prabhuke—the Lord; dekhiyA—seeing.
TRANSLATION
Since leprosy is an infectious disease, GopAla CApAla left the village to sit
down on the bank of the Ganges underneath a tree. One day, however, he
saw Caitanya MahAprabhu passing by and spoke to Him as follows.
Adi 17.48
TEXT 48
grAma-sambandhe Ami tomAra mAtula
bhAginA, mui kuSTha-vyAdhite ha~nAchi vyAkula

grAma-sambandhe—in a village relationship; Ami—I (am); tomAra—Your;
mAtula—maternal uncle; bhAgina—nephew; mui—I; kuSTha-vyAdhite—by
the disease of leprosy; ha~nAchi—have become; vyAkula—too much afflicted.
TRANSLATION
“My dear nephew, I am Your maternal uncle in our village relationship. Please
see how greatly this attack of leprosy has afflicted me.
Adi 17.49
TEXT 49
loka saba uddhArite tomAra avatAra
mu~ni baòa dukhI, more karaha uddhAra

loka—people; saba—all; uddhArite—to deliver; tomAra—Your; avatAra—
incarnation; mu~ni—I (am); baòa—very; dukhI—unhappy; more—unto me;
karaha—please do; uddhAra—deliverance.
TRANSLATION
“As an incarnation of God, You are delivering so many fallen souls. I am also a
greatly unhappy fallen soul. Kindly deliver me by Your mercy.”
PURPORT
It appears that although GopAla CApAla was sinful, talkative and insulting, he
nevertheless had the qualification of simplicity. Thus he believed Caitanya
MahAprabhu to be the incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead
who had come to deliver all fallen souls, and he appealed for his own
deliverance, seeking the mercy of the Lord. He did not know, however, that
the deliverance of the fallen does not consist of curing their bodily diseases,
although it is also a fact that when a man is delivered from the material
clutches his material bodily diseases are automatically cured. GopAla CApAla
simply wanted to be delivered from the bodily sufferings of leprosy, but zrI
Caitanya, although accepting his sincere appeal, wanted to inform him of the
real cause of suffering.
Adi 17.50
TEXT 50
eta zuni’ mahAprabhura ha-ila kruddha mana
krodhAveze bale tAre tarjana-vacana

eta—thus; zuni’—hearing; mahAprabhura—of Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu;
ha-ila—there was; kruddha—angry; mana—mind; krodha-Aveze—out of
intense anger; bale—says; tAre—unto him; tarjana—chastising; vacana—
words.
TRANSLATION
Hearing this, Caitanya MahAprabhu appeared greatly angry, and in that angry
mood He spoke some words chastising him.
Adi 17.51
TEXT 51
Are pApi, bhakta-dveSi, tore na uddhArimu
koTi-janma ei mate kIòAya khAoyAimu

Are—O; pApi—you sinful person; bhakta-dveSi—envious of devotees; tore—
you; nA uddhArimu—I shall not deliver; koTi-janma—for ten million births; ei
mate—in this way; kIòAya—by the germs; khAoyAimu—I shall cause you to
be bitten.
TRANSLATION
“O sinful person, envious of pure devotees, I shall not deliver you! Rather, I
shall have you bitten by these germs for many millions of years.
PURPORT
We should note herein that all our sufferings in this material world, especially
from disease, are due to our past sinful activities. And of all sinful activities,
actions directed against a pure devotee out of sheer envy are considered
extremely severe. zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu wanted GopAla CApAla to
understand the cause of his suffering. Any person who disturbs a pure
devotee engaged in broadcasting the holy name of the Lord is certainly
punished like GopAla CApAla. This is the instruction of zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu. As we shall see, one who offends a pure devotee can never
satisfy Caitanya MahAprabhu unless and until he sincerely regrets his offense
and thus rectifies it.
Adi 17.52
TEXT 52
zrIvAse karAili tui bhavAnI-pUjana
koTi janma habe tora raurave patana

zrIvAse—unto zrIvAsa ThAkura; karAili—you have caused to do; tui—you;
bhavAnI-pUjana—worshiping the goddess BhavAnI; koTi janma—for ten
million births; habe—there will be; tora—your; raurave—in hell; patana—fall
down.
TRANSLATION
“You have made zrIvAsa ThAkura appear to have been worshiping the
goddess BhavAnI. Simply for this offense, you will have to fall down into
hellish life for ten million births.
PURPORT
There are many tantric followers who, wishing to eat meat and drink wine,
practice the black art of worshiping the goddess BhavAnI in a crematorium.
Such fools also consider this bhavAnI-pUjA to be as good as worship of Lord
KRSNa in devotional service. But such abominable tantric activities performed
by so-called svAmIs and yogIs are herein condemned by Lord Caitanya
MahAprabhu. He declares that such bhavAnI-pUjA for drinking wine and eating
meat quickly plunges one into hellish life. The method of worship itself is
already hellish, and its results must also be hellish and nothing more.
Many rascals say that whatever way one accepts, one will ultimately reach
Brahman. Yet we can see from this verse how such persons reach Brahman.
Brahman spreads everywhere, but appreciation of Brahman in different
objects leads to different results. In the Bhagavad-gItA (4.11) the Lord says, ye
yathA mAà prapadyante tAàs tathaiva bhajAmy aham: “I reward everyone
according to his surrender unto Me.” MAyAvAdIs certainly realize Brahman in
certain aspects, but realization of Brahman in the aspects of wine, women and
meat is not the same realization of Brahman that devotees achieve by
chanting, dancing and eating prasAdam. MAyAvAdI philosophers, being
educated in paltry knowledge, think all sorts of Brahman realization one and
the same and do not consider varieties. But although KRSNa is everywhere, by
His inconceivable potency He is simultaneously not everywhere. Thus the
Brahman realization of the tantric cult is not the same Brahman realization as
that of pure devotees. Unless one reaches the highest point of Brahman
realization, KRSNa consciousness, he is punishable. All people except KRSNa
conscious devotees are to some proportion pASaNòIs, or demons, and thus
they are punishable by the Supreme Lord, the Personality of Godhead, as
stated below.
Adi 17.53
TEXT 53
pASaNòI saàhArite mora ei avatAra
pASaNòI saàhAri’ bhakti karimu pracAra

pASaNòI—demons, atheists; saàhArite—to kill; mora—My; ei—this;
avatAra—incarnation; pASaNòI—atheist; saàhAri’—killing; bhakti—
devotional service; karimu—I shall do; pracAra—preaching.
TRANSLATION
“I have appeared in this incarnation to kill the demons [pASaNòIs] and, after
killing them, to preach the cult of devotional service.”
PURPORT
Lord Caitanya’s mission is the same as that of Lord KRSNa, which He states in
the Bhagavad-gItA (4.7–8):
yadA yadA hi dharmasya glAnir bhavati bhArata
abhyutthAnam adharmasya tadAtmAnaà sRjAmy aham
paritrANAya sAdhUnAà vinAzAya ca duSkRtAm
dharma-saàsthApanArthAya sambhavAmi yuge yuge
“Whenever and wherever there is a decline in religious practice, O descendant
of Bharata, and a predominant rise of irreligion—at that time I descend
Myself. In order to deliver the pious and to annihilate the miscreants, as well
as to reestablish the principles of religion, I advent Myself millennium after
millennium”
As explained here, the real purpose of an incarnation of Godhead is to kill the
atheists and maintain the devotees. He does not say, like so many rascal
incarnations, that atheists and devotees are on the same platform. zrI
Caitanya MahAprabhu, or Lord zrI KRSNa, the real Personality of Godhead,
does not advocate such an idea.
Atheists are punishable, whereas devotees are to be protected. To maintain
this principle is the mission of all avatAras, or incarnations. One must therefore
identify an incarnation by His activities, not by popular votes or mental
concoctions. zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu gave protection to devotees and killed
many demons in the course of His preaching work. He specifically mentioned
that the MAyAvAdI philosophers are the greatest demons. Therefore He
warned all others not to hear the MAyAvAda philosophy: mAyAvAdi-bhASya
zunile haya sarva-nAza. Simply by hearing the MAyAvAda interpretation of the
zAstras, one is doomed (Cc. Madhya 6.169).
Adi 17.54
TEXT 54
eta bali’ gelA prabhu karite ga~NgA-snAna
sei pApI duHkha bhoge, nA yAya parANa

eta bali’—saying this; gelA—went away; prabhu—the Lord; karite—to take;
ga~NgA-snAna—a bath in the Ganges; sei—that; pApI—sinful man; duHkha—
pains; bhoge—suffers; nA—not; yAya—go away; parANa—the life.
TRANSLATION
After saying this, the Lord left to take His bath in the Ganges, and that sinful
man did not give up his life but continued to suffer.
PURPORT
It appears that an offender to a VaiSNava continues to suffer and does not
give up his life. We have actually seen that a great vaiSNava-aparAdhI
continuously suffered so much that it was difficult for him to move, and yet
he did not die.
Adi 17.56
TEXTS 55–56
sannyAsa kariyA yabe prabhu nIlAcale gelA
tathA haite yabe kuliyA grAme AilA
tabe sei pApI prabhura la-ila zaraNa
hita upadeza kaila ha-iyA karuNa

sannyAsa kariyA—after accepting the renounced order of life; yabe—when;
prabhu—Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu; nIlAcale—to JagannAtha PurI; gelA—
went; tathA haite—from there; yabe—when; kuliyA—of the name KuliyA;
grAme—to the village; AilA—came back; tabe—at that time; sei—that;
pApI—sinful man; prabhura—of the Lord; la-ila—took; zaraNa—shelter;
hita—beneficial; upadeza—advice; kaila—gave; ha-iyA—becoming;
karuNa—merciful.
TRANSLATION
When zrI Caitanya, after accepting the renounced order of life, went to
JagannAtha PurI and then came back to the village of KuliyA, upon His return
that sinful man took shelter at the Lord’s lotus feet. The Lord, being merciful
to him, gave him instructions for his benefit.
PURPORT
zrIla BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI ThAkura, in his AnubhASya, has given the
following note in connection with the village KuliyA. The village originally
known as KuliyA has developed into what is now the city of NavadvIpa. In
various authorized books like the Bhakti-ratnAkara, Caitanya-carita-
mahAkAvya, Caitanya-candrodaya-nATaka and Caitanya-bhAgavata it is
mentioned that the village of KuliyA is on the western side of the Ganges.
Even now, within the area known as KoladvIpa, there is a place known as
kuliAra ga~nja and a place called kuliAra daha, both within the jurisdiction of the
present municipality of NavadvIpa. In the time of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu,
the two villages on the western side of the Ganges named KuliyA and
PAhAòapura both belonged to the jurisdiction of BAhiradvIpa. At that time the
place on the eastern side of the Ganges now known as AntardvIpa was
known as NavadvIpa. At that time the place on the eastern side of the
Ganges now known as AntardvIpa was known as NavadvIpa. At zrI MAyApur
that place is still known as DvIpera MATha. There is another place of the name
KuliyA near KA~NcaòApAòA, but it is not the same KuliyA mentioned here. It
cannot be accepted as aparAdha-bha~njanera pATa, or the place where the
offense was excused, for that occurred in the above-mentioned KuliyA on the
western side of the Ganges. For business reasons many envious persons
oppose excavation of the real place, and sometimes they advertise
unauthorized places as the authorized one.
Adi 17.57-58
TEXTS 57–58
zrIvAsa paNòitera sthAne Ache aparAdha
tathA yAha, te~Nho yadi karena prasAda
tabe tora habe ei pApa-vimocana
yadi punaH aiche nAhi kara AcaraNa

zrIvAsa paNòitera—of zrIvAsa ThAkura; sthAne—at the lotus feet; Ache—there
is; aparAdha—offense; tathA—there; yAha—go; te~Nho—he; yadi—if;
karena—does; prasAda—blessings; tabe—then; tora—your; habe—there will
be; ei—this; pApa-vimocana—immunity from sinful reaction; yadi—if;
punaH—again; aiche—such; nAhi kara—you do not commit; AcaraNa—
behavior.
TRANSLATION
“You have committed an offense at the lotus feet of zrIvAsa ThAkura,” the
Lord said. “First you must go there and beg for his mercy, and then if he gives
you his blessings and you do not commit such sins again, you will be freed
from these reactions.”
Adi 17.59
TEXT 59
tabe vipra la-ila Asi zrIvAsa zaraNa
tA~NhAra kRpAya haila pApa-vimocana

tabe—after that; vipra—the brAhmaNa (GopAla CApAla); la-ila—took shelter;
Asi—coming; zrIvAsa—zrIvAsa ThAkura; zaraNa—shelter of his lotus feet;
tA~NhAra kRpAya—by his mercy; haila—became; pApa-vimocana—free from
all sinful reaction.
TRANSLATION
Then the brAhmaNa, GopAla CApAla, went to zrIvAsa ThAkura and took shelter
of his lotus feet, and by zrIvAsa ThAkura’s mercy he was freed from all sinful
reactions.
Adi 17.60
TEXT 60
Ara eka vipra Aila kIrtana dekhite
dvAre kapATa,——nA pAila bhitare yAite

Ara—another; eka—one; vipra—brAhmaNa; Aila—came; kIrtana—chanting
of the Hare KRSNa mantra; dekhite—to see; dvAre—in the gateway; kapATa—
the door (being closed); nA pAila—did not get; bhitare—inside; yAite—to go.
TRANSLATION
Another brAhmaNa came to see the kIrtana performance, but the door was
closed, and he could not enter the hall.
Adi 17.61
TEXT 61
phiri’ gela vipra ghare mane duHkha pA~nA
Ara dina prabhuke kahe ga~NgAya lAga pA~nA

phiri’ gela—went back; vipra—the brAhmaNa; ghare—to his home; mane—
within his mind; duHkha—unhappiness; pA~nA—getting; Ara dina—the next
day; prabhuke—unto the Lord; kahe—says; ga~NgAya—on the bank of the
Ganges; lAga—touch; pA~nA—getting.
TRANSLATION
He returned home with an unhappy mind, but on the next day he met Lord
Caitanya on the bank of the Ganges and spoke to Him.
Adi 17.62
TEXT 62
zApiba tomAre mu~ni, pA~nAchi mano-duHkha
paitA chiNòiyA zApe pracaNòa durmukha

zapiba—I shall curse; tomAre—You; mu~ni—I; pA~nAchi—I have; manaH-
duHkha—mentally very much aggrieved; paitA—sacred thread; chiNòiyA—
breaking; zApe—cursing; pracaNòa—fiercely; durmukha—one who speaks
harshly.
TRANSLATION
That brAhmaNa was expert in talking harshly and cursing others. Thus he broke
his sacred thread and declared, “I shall now curse You, for Your behavior has
greatly aggrieved me.”
Adi 17.63
TEXT 63
saàsAra-sukha tomAra ha-uka vinAza
zApa zuni’ prabhura citte ha-ila ullAsa

saàsAra-sukha—material happiness; tomAra—Your; ha-uka—may it become;
vinAza—all vanquished; zApa zuni’—hearing this curse; prabhura—of the
Lord; citte—within His mind; ha-ila—there was; ullAsa—jubilation.
TRANSLATION
The brAhmaNa cursed the Lord, “You shall be bereft of all material happiness!”
When the Lord heard this, He felt great jubilation within Himself.
Adi 17.64
TEXT 64
prabhura zApa-vArtA yei zune zraddhAvAn
brahma-zApa haite tAra haya paritrANa

prabhura—of the Lord; zApa-vArtA—the incident of the curse; yei—anyone
who; zune—hears; zraddhAvAn—with affection; brahma-zApa—cursing by a
brAhmaNa; haite—from; tAra—his; haya—becomes; paritrANa—deliverance.
TRANSLATION
Any faithful person who hears of this brAhmaNa’s cursing Lord Caitanya is
delivered from all brahminical curses.
PURPORT
One should know with firm conviction that the Lord, being transcendental, is
never subject to any curse or benediction. Only ordinary living entities are
subjected to curses and the punishments of YamarAja. As the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu is beyond such
punishments and benedictions. When one understands this fact with faith and
love, he personally becomes free from all curses uttered by brAhmaNas or
anyone else. This incident is not mentioned in the Caitanya-bhAgavata.
Adi 17.65
TEXT 65
mukunda-dattere kaila daNòa-parasAda
khaNòila tAhAra cittera saba avasAda

mukunda-dattere—unto Mukunda Datta; kaila—did; daNòa—punishment;
parasAda—benediction; khaNòila—vanquished; tAhAra—his; cittera—of the
mind; saba—all kinds of; avasAda—depressions.
TRANSLATION
Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu blessed Mukunda Datta with punishment and
in that way vanquished all his mental depression.
PURPORT
Mukunda Datta was once forbidden to enter the association of zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu because of his mixing with the MAyAvAdI impersonalists. When
Lord Caitanya manifested His mahA-prakAza, He called all the devotees one
after another and blessed them, while Mukunda Datta stood outside the door.
The devotees informed the Lord that Mukunda Datta was waiting outside, but
the Lord replied, “I shall not soon be pleased with Mukunda Datta, for though
he explains devotional service among devotees, he then goes to MAyAvAdIs
to hear from them the Yoga-vAziSTha-rAmAyaNa, which is full of MAyAvAda
philosophy. For this I am greatly displeased with him.” Hearing the Lord speak
in that way, Mukunda Datta, standing outside, was exceedingly glad that the
Lord would at some time be pleased with him, although He was not pleased
at that moment. But when the Lord understood that Mukunda Datta was
going to give up the association of the MAyAvAdIs for good, He was pleased,
and He at once called to see Mukunda. Thus He delivered him from the
association of the MAyAvAdIs and gave him the association of pure devotees.
Adi 17.66
TEXT 66
AcArya-gosA~nire prabhu kare guru-bhakti
tAhAte AcArya baòa haya duHkha-mati

AcArya-gosA~nire—unto Advaita AcArya; prabhu—the Lord; kare—does;
guru-bhakti—offering respects like a spiritual master; tAhAte—in that way;
AcArya—Advaita AcArya; baòa—very much; haya—becomes; duHkha-
mati—aggrieved.
TRANSLATION
Lord Caitanya respected Advaita AcArya as His spiritual master, but Advaita
AcArya Prabhu was greatly aggrieved by such behavior.
Adi 17.67
TEXT 67
bha~NgI kari’ j~nAna-mArga karila vyAkhyAna
krodhAveze prabhu tAre kaila avaj~nAna

bha~NgI kari’—doing it in fun; j~nAna-mArga—the path of philosophical
speculation; karila—did; vyAkhyAna—explanation; krodha-Aveze—in the
mood of anger; prabhu—the Lord; tAre—to Him; kaila—did; avaj~nAna—
disrespect.
TRANSLATION
Thus He whimsically began to explain the path of philosophical speculation,
and the Lord, in His anger, seemingly disrespected Him.
Adi 17.68
TEXT 68
tabe AcArya-gosA~nira Ananda ha-ila
lajjita ha-iyA prabhu prasAda karila

tabe—at that time; AcArya-gosA~nira—of Advaita AcArya; Ananda—pleasure;
ha-ila—aroused; lajjita—ashamed; ha-iyA—becoming; prabhu—the Lord;
prasAda—benediction; karila—offered.
TRANSLATION
At that time Advaita AcArya was greatly pleased. The Lord understood this,
and He was somewhat ashamed, but He offered Advaita AcArya His
benediction.
PURPORT
Advaita AcArya was a disciple of MAdhavendra PurI, Izvara PurI’s spiritual
master. Therefore Izvara PurI, the spiritual master of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu,
was Advaita AcArya’s Godbrother. In view of this, zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu
treated Advaita AcArya as His spiritual master, but zrI Advaita AcArya did not
like this behavior of Lord Caitanya, for He wanted to be treated as His eternal
servant. Advaita Prabhu’s aspiration was to be a servant of the Lord, not His
spiritual master. He therefore devised a plan to antagonize the Lord. He began
to explain the path of philosophical speculation in the midst of some
unfortunate MAyAvAdIs, and when Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu heard about
this, He immediately went there and in a very angry mood began to beat
Advaita AcArya. At that time, Advaita AcArya, greatly pleased, began to
dance, saying, “Just see how My desire has now been fulfilled! Lord Caitanya
MahAprabhu used to treat Me honorably for so long, but now He is treating
Me neglectfully. This is My reward. His affection for Me is so great that He
wanted to save Me from the hands of the MAyAvAdIs.” Hearing this
statement, Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu was somewhat ashamed, but He was
very pleased with Advaita AcArya.
Adi 17.69
TEXT 69
murAri-gupta-mukhe zuni’ rAma-guNa-grAma
lalATe likhila tA~Nra ‘rAmadAsa’ nAma

murAri-gupta—of MurAri Gupta; mukhe—from the mouth; zuni’—hearing;
rAma—of Lord RAmacandra; guNa-grAma—glories; lalATe—on the forehead;
likhila—wrote; tA~Nra—of MurAri Gupta; rAma-dAsa—the eternal servant of
Lord RAmacandra; nAma—the name .
TRANSLATION
MurAri Gupta was a great devotee of Lord RAmacandra. When Lord Caitanya
heard Lord RAmacandra’s glories from his mouth, He immediately wrote on
his forehead “rAmadAsa” [the eternal servant of Lord RAmacandra].
Adi 17.70
TEXT 70
zrIdharera lauha-pAtre kaila jala-pAna
samasta bhaktere dila iSTa vara-dAna

zrIdharera—of zrIdhara; lauha-pAtre—from the iron pot; kaila—did; jala-
pAna—drinking of water; samasta—all; bhaktere—to the devotees; dila—
gave; iSTa—desired; vara-dAna—benediction.
TRANSLATION
Once Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu went to the house of zrIdhara after kIrtana
and drank water from his damaged iron pot. Then He bestowed His
benediction upon all the devotees according to their desires.
PURPORT
After the mass nagara-sa~NkIrtana in protest against the magistrate Chand
Kazi, the Kazi was converted to a devotee. Then zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu
returned with His sa~NkIrtana party to the house of zrIdhara, and Chand Kazi
followed Him. All the devotees rested there for some time and drank water
from zrIdhara’s damaged iron pot. The Lord accepted the water because the
pot belonged to a devotee. Chand Kazi then returned home. The place where
they rested is still situated on the northeastern side of MAyApur, and it is
known as kIrtana-vizrAma-sthAna, “the resting place of the kIrtana party.”
Adi 17.71
TEXT 71
haridAsa ThAkurere karila prasAda
AcArya-sthAne mAtAra khaNòAila aparAdha

haridAsa ThAkurere—unto HaridAsa ThAkura; karila—did; prasAda—
benediction; AcArya-sthAne—in the home of Advaita AcArya; mAtAra—of
zacImAtA; khaNòAila—vanquished; aparAdha—the offense.
TRANSLATION
After this incident the Lord blessed HaridAsa ThAkura and vanquished the
offense of His mother at the home of Advaita AcArya.
PURPORT
On the mahA-prakAza day, Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu embraced HaridAsa
ThAkura and informed him that he was none other than an incarnation of
PrahlAda MahArAja. When VizvarUpa took sannyAsa, zacImAtA thought that
Advaita AcArya had persuaded Him to do so. Therefore she accused Advaita
AcArya of this, which was an offense at His lotus feet. Later Lord Caitanya
induced His mother to take the dust of Advaita AcArya’s lotus feet, and thus
her vaiSNava-aparAdha was nullified.
Adi 17.72
TEXT 72
bhakta-gaNe prabhu nAma-mahimA kahila
zuniyA paòuyA tAhA~N artha-vAda kaila

bhakta-gaNe—unto the devotees; prabhu—the Lord; nAma-mahimA—glories
of the holy name; kahila—explained; zuniyA—hearing; paòuyA—the
students; tAhA~N—there; artha-vAda—interpretation; kaila—did.
TRANSLATION
Once when the Lord explained the glories of the holy name to the devotees,
some ordinary students who heard Him fashioned their own interpretation.
Adi 17.73
TEXT 73
nAme stuti-vAda zuni’ prabhura haila duHkha
sabAre niSedhila,——ihAra nA dekhiha mukha

nAme—in the holy name of the Lord; stuti-vAda—exaggeration; zuni’—
hearing; prabhura—of the Lord; haila—became; duHkha—aggrieved;
sabAre—unto everyone; niSedhila—warned; ihAra—of him; nA—do not;
dekhiha—see; mukha—face.
TRANSLATION
When a student interpreted the glories of the holy name as a prayer of
exaggeration, zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu, greatly unhappy, immediately
warned everyone not to see the student’s face henceforward.
PURPORT
Once when zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu explained the glories of the
transcendental potency of the Lord’s holy name, the Hare KRSNa mahA-
mantra, one unfortunate student said that such glorification of the holy name
was an exaggeration in the zAstras to induce people to take to it. In this way
the student interpreted the glories of the holy name. This is called artha-vAda,
and it is one of the ten offenses at the lotus feet of the holy name of the Lord.
There are many kinds of offenses, but the offense known as nAma-aparAdha,
an offense at the lotus feet of the holy name, is extremely dangerous. The
Lord therefore warned everyone not to see the face of the offender. The Lord
immediately took a bath in the Ganges with all His clothes on to teach
everyone to avoid such a nAma-aparAdha. The holy name is identical with the
Supreme Personality of Godhead. There is no difference between the person
God and His holy name. This is the absolute position of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead. Therefore one who distinguishes between the Lord
and His name is called a pASaNòI, or nonbeliever, an atheistic demon.
Glorification of the holy name is glorification of the Supreme Personality of
Godhead. One should never attempt to distinguish between the Lord and His
name or interpret the glories of the holy name as mere exaggerations.
Adi 17.74
TEXT 74
sagaNe sacele giyA kaila ga~NgA-snAna
bhaktira mahimA tAhA~N karila vyAkhyAna

sa-gaNe—with His followers; sa-cele—without leaving the clothes; giyA—
going; kaila—did; ga~NgA-snAna—bathing in the Ganges; bhaktira—of
devotional service; mahimA—glories; tAhA~N—there; karila—did;
vyAkhyAna—explanation.
TRANSLATION
Without even removing His garments, Lord Caitanya took a bath in the
Ganges with His companions. There He explained the glories of devotional
service.
Adi 17.75
TEXT 75
j~nAna-karma-yoga-dharme nahe kRSNa vaza
kRSNa-vaza-hetu eka——prema-bhakti-rasa

j~nAna—the path of speculative knowledge; karma—fruitive activities;
yoga—the process of controlling the senses; dharme—in the activities, in
such an occupation; nahe—is not; kRSNa—Lord KRSNa; vaza—pleased;
kRSNa—of Lord KRSNa; vaza—for the pleasure; hetu—reason; eka—one;
prema—love; bhakti—devotional service; rasa—such a mellow.
TRANSLATION
“By following the paths of speculative philosophical knowledge, fruitive
activity or mystic yoga to control the senses, one cannot satisfy KRSNa, the
Supreme Lord. Unalloyed devotional love for KRSNa is the only cause for the
Lord’s satisfaction.
Adi 17.76
TEXT 76
na sAdhayati mAà yogo
na sA~Nkhyaà dharma uddhava
na svAdhyAyas tapas tyAgo
yathA bhaktir mamorjitA

na—never; sAdhayati—causes to remain satisfied; mAm—Me; yogaH—the
process of control; na—nor; sA~Nkhyam—the process of gaining philosophical
knowledge about the Absolute Truth; dharmaH—such an occupation;
uddhava—My dear Uddhava; na—nor; svAdhyAyaH—study of the Vedas;
tapaH—austerities; tyAgaH—renunciation, acceptance of sannyAsa, or charity;
yathA—as much as; bhaktiH—devotional service; mama—unto Me; UrjitA—
developed.
TRANSLATION
“[The Supreme Personality of Godhead, KRSNa, said:] ‘My dear Uddhava,
neither through aSTA~Nga-yoga [the mystic yoga system to control the senses],
nor through impersonal monism or an analytical study of the Absolute Truth,
nor through study of the Vedas, nor through austerities, charity or acceptance
of sannyAsa can one satisfy Me as much as by developing unalloyed
devotional service unto Me.’”
PURPORT
KarmIs, j~nAnIs, yogIs, tapasvIs and students of Vedic literature who do not
have KRSNa consciousness simply beat around the bush and do not get any
final profit because they have no clear knowledge of the Supreme Personality
of Godhead. Nor do they have faith in approaching Him by discharging
devotional service, although everywhere such service is repeatedly
emphasized, as it is in this verse from zrImad-BhAgavatam (11.14.20). The
Bhagavad-gItA (18.55) also declares, bhaktyA mAm abhijAnAti yAvAn yaz cAsmi
tattvataH: “One can understand the Supreme Personality as He is only by
devotional service.” If one wants to understand the Supreme Personality
factually, he must take to the path of devotional service and not waste time
in profitless philosophical speculation, fruitive activity, mystic yogic practice
or severe austerity and penance. Elsewhere in the Bhagavad-gItA (12.5) the
Lord confirms, klezo ’dhikataras teSAm avyaktAsakta-cetasAm: “For those
whose minds are attached to the unmanifested, impersonal feature of the
Supreme, advancement is very troublesome.” People who are attached to the
impersonal feature of the Lord are obliged to take great trouble, yet
nevertheless they cannot understand the Absolute Truth. As explained in
zrImad-BhAgavatam (1.2.11), brahmeti paramAtmeti bhagavAn iti zabdyate.
Unless one understands the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the original
source of both Brahman and ParamAtmA, one is still in darkness about the
Absolute Truth.
Adi 17.77
TEXT 77
murArike kahe tumi kRSNa vaza kailA
zuniyA murAri zloka kahite lAgilA

murArike—unto MurAri; kahe—says; tumi—you; kRSNa—Lord KRSNa; vaza—
satisfied; kaila—made; zuniyA—hearing; murAri—MurAri; zloka—verse;
kahite—to speak; lAgila—began.
TRANSLATION
Lord Caitanya then praised MurAri Gupta, saying, “You have satisfied Lord
KRSNa.” Hearing this, MurAri Gupta quoted a verse from zrImad-BhAgavatam.
Adi 17.78
TEXT 78
kvAhaà daridraH pApIyAn
kva kRSNaH zrI-niketanaH
brahma-bandhur iti smAhaà
bAhubhyAà parirambhitaH

kva—whereas; aham—I (am); daridraH—very poor; pApIyAn—sinful; kva—
whereas; kRSNaH—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; zrI-niketanaH—the
shelter of the goddess of fortune; brahma-bandhuH—a caste brAhmaNa
without brahminical qualifications; iti—thus; sma—certainly; aham—I (am);
bAhubhyAm—by the arms; parirambhitaH—embraced.
TRANSLATION
“‘Since I am but a poor, sinful brahma-bandhu, not brahminically qualified
although born in a brAhmaNa family, and You, Lord KRSNa, are the shelter of
the goddess of fortune, it is simply wonderful, my dear Lord KRSNa, that You
have embraced me with Your arms.’”
PURPORT
This is a verse from zrImad-BhAgavatam (10.81.16) spoken by SudAmA Vipra in
the presence of Lord zrI KRSNa. This and the previous verse quoted from
zrImad-BhAgavatam clearly indicate that although KRSNa is so great that it is
not possible for anyone to satisfy Him, He exhibits His greatness by being
personally satisfied even with one who is unqualified from so many angles of
vision. SudAmA Vipra was born in a family of brAhmaNas, and he was a learned
scholar and a class friend of KRSNa’s, yet he considered himself unfit to be
strictly called a brAhmaNa. He called himself a brahma-bandhu, meaning “one
born in a brAhmaNa family but not brahminically qualified.” Because of His
great respect for brAhmaNas, however, KRSNa embraced SudAmA Vipra,
although he was not a regular brAhmaNa but a brahma-bandhu, or friend of a
brAhmaNa family. MurAri Gupta could not be called even a brahma-bandhu
because he was born of a vaidya family and according to the social structure
was therefore considered a zUdra. But KRSNa bestowed special mercy upon
MurAri Gupta because he was a beloved devotee of the Lord, as stated by zrI
Caitanya MahAprabhu. The purport of zrI BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI ThAkura’s
elaborate discussion of this subject is that no qualification in this material
world can satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead, KRSNa, yet everything
becomes successful simply through development of devotional service to the
Lord.
The members of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness cannot
even call themselves brahma-bandhus. Therefore our only means for
satisfying KRSNa is to pursue the injunctions of Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu,
who says:
yAre dekha, tAre kaha ‘kRSNa’-upadeza
AmAra Aj~nAya guru ha~nA tAra’ ei deza
“Whomever you meet, instruct him on the teachings of KRSNa. In this way, on
My order, become a spiritual master and deliver the people of this country.”
(Cc. Madhya 7.128) Simply trying to follow the orders of zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu, we speak to the people of the world about Bhagavad-gItA As It
Is. This will make us qualified to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead,
KRSNa.
Adi 17.79
TEXT 79
eka-dina prabhu saba bhakta-gaNa la~nA
sa~NkIrtana kari’ vaise zrama-yukta ha~nA

eka-dina—one day; prabhu—the Lord; saba—all; bhakta-gaNa—devotees;
la~nA—taking into company; sa~NkIrtana—chanting the Hare KRSNa mantra;
kari’—doing so; vaise—sat; zrama-yukta—feeling fatigued; ha~nA—thus
being.
TRANSLATION
One day the Lord performed sa~NkIrtana with all His devotees, and when they
were greatly fatigued they sat down.
Adi 17.80
TEXT 80
eka Amra-bIja prabhu a~Ngane ropila
tat-kSaNe janmila vRkSa bAòite lAgila

eka—one; Amra-bIja—seed of a mango; prabhu—the Lord; a~Ngane—in the
yard; ropila—sowed; tat-kSaNe—immediately; janmila—fructified; vRkSa—a
tree; bAòite—to grow; lAgila—began.
TRANSLATION
The Lord then sowed a mango seed in the yard, and immediately the seed
fructified into a tree and began to grow.
Adi 17.81
TEXT 81
dekhite dekhite vRkSa ha-ila phalita
pAkila aneka phala, sabei vismita

dekhite dekhite—as people were seeing; vRkSa—the tree; ha-ila—became;
phalita—fully grown with fruits; pAkila—ripened; aneka—many; phala—
fruits; sabei—every one of them; vismita—struck with wonder.
TRANSLATION
As people looked on, the tree became fully grown, with fruits that fully
ripened. Thus everyone was struck with wonder.
Adi 17.82
TEXT 82
zata dui phala prabhu zIghra pAòAila
prakSAlana kari’ kRSNe bhoga lAgAila

zata—hundred; dui—two; phala—fruits; prabhu—the Lord; zIghra—very
soon; pAòAila—caused to be picked up; prakSAlana—washing; kari’—doing;
kRSNe—to Lord KRSNa; bhoga—offering; lAgAila—made it so.
TRANSLATION
The Lord immediately picked about two hundred fruits, and after washing
them He offered them to KRSNa to eat.
Adi 17.83
TEXT 83
rakta-pIta-varNa,——nAhi aSThi-valkala
eka janera peTa bhare khAile eka phala

rakta-pIta-varNa—the mangoes were red and yellow in color; nAhi—there
was none; aSThi—seed; valkala—or skin; eka—one; janera—man’s; peTa—
belly; bhare—filled up; khAile—if he would eat; eka—one; phala—fruit.
TRANSLATION
The fruits were all red and yellow, with no seed inside and no skin outside,
and eating one fruit would immediately fill a man’s belly.
PURPORT
In India a mango is considered best when it is red and yellow, its seed is very
small, its skin is very thin, and it is so palatable that if a person eats one fruit
he will be satisfied. The mango is considered the king of all fruits.
Adi 17.84
TEXT 84
dekhiyA santuSTa hailA zacIra nandana
sabAke khAoyAla Age kariyA bhakSaNa

dekhiyA—seeing this; santuSTa—satisfied; hailA—became; zacIra—of mother
zacI; nandana—son; sabAke—everyone; khAoyAla—made to eat; Age—in
the beginning; kariyA—doing; bhakSaNa—eating Himself.
TRANSLATION
Seeing the quality of the mangoes, the Lord was greatly satisfied, and thus
after eating first, He fed all the other devotees.
Adi 17.85
TEXT 85
aSThi-valkala nAhi,——amRta-rasamaya
eka phala khAile rase udara pUraya

aSThi—seed; valkala—skin; nAhi—there is none; amRta—nectar; rasa-maya—
full of juice; eka—one; phala—fruit; khAile—if one eats; rase—with the juice;
udara—belly; pUraya—fulfilled.
TRANSLATION
The fruits had no seeds or skins. They were full of nectarean juice and were so
sweet that a man would be fully satisfied by eating only one.
Adi 17.86
TEXT 86
ei-mata pratidina phale bAra mAsa
vaiSNava khAyena phala,——prabhura ullAsa

ei-mata—in this way; prati-dina—every day; phale—fruit grew; bAra—
twelve; mAsa—months; vaiSNava—the VaiSNavas; khAyena—eat; phala—the
fruits; prabhura—the Lord’s; ullAsa—satisfaction.
TRANSLATION
In this way, fruits grew on the tree every day throughout the twelve months
of the year, and the VaiSNavas used to eat them, to the Lord’s great
satisfaction.
Adi 17.87
TEXT 87
ei saba lIlA kare zacIra nandana
anya loka nAhi jAne vinA bhakta-gaNa

ei saba—all these; lIlA—pastimes; kare—performed; zacIra—of mother zacI;
nandana—son; anya loka—other people; nAhi—do not; jAne—know; vinA—
except; bhakta-gaNa—the devotees.
TRANSLATION
These are confidential pastimes of the son of zacI. Other than devotees, no
one knows of this incident.
PURPORT
Nondevotees cannot believe this incident, yet the place where the tree grew
still exists in MAyApur. It is called Amra-ghaTTa or Ama-ghATA.
Adi 17.88
TEXT 88
ei mata bAra-mAsa kIrtana-avasAne
Amra-mahotsava prabhu kare dine dine

ei mata—in this way; bAra-mAsa—for twelve months; kIrtana—chanting of
the Hare KRSNa mantra; avasAne—at the end; Amra-mahA-utsava—festival of
eating mangoes; prabhu—the Lord; kare—performs; dine dine—every day.
TRANSLATION
In this way the Lord performed sa~NkIrtana every day, and at the end of
sa~NkIrtana there was a mango-eating festival every day for twelve months.
PURPORT
On principle, Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu would distribute prasAdam at the
end of kIrtana performances. Similarly, the members of the KRSNa
consciousness movement must distribute some prasAdam to the audience
after performing kIrtana.
Adi 17.89
TEXT 89
kIrtana karite prabhu Aila megha-gaNa
Apana-icchAya kaila megha nivAraNa

kIrtana—sa~NkIrtana; karite—performing; prabhu—the Lord; Aila—there was;
megha-gaNa—bunches of clouds; Apana-icchAya—by self-will; kaila—made;
megha—of the clouds; nivAraNa—stopping.
TRANSLATION
Once while Caitanya MahAprabhu was performing kIrtana, clouds assembled
in the sky, and the Lord, by His own will, immediately stopped them from
pouring rain.
PURPORT
In this connection zrIla Bhaktivinoda ThAkura says that once when Lord
Caitanya was performing sa~NkIrtana a short way from the village, some
clouds appeared overhead. By the supreme will of the Lord, the clouds were
asked to disperse, and they did. Because of this incident, that place is still
known as Meghera-cara. Since the course of the Ganges has now changed,
the village of the name BelapukhuriyA, which was formerly situated in a
different place, called TAraNavAsa, has now become known as Meghera-cara.
The Madhya-khaNòa of zrIla Locana dAsa ThAkura ’s Caitanya-ma~Ngala also
relates that once at the end of the day, when evening clouds assembled
overhead and thundered threateningly, all the VaiSNavas were very much
afraid. But the Lord took His karatAlas in His hands and personally began
chanting the Hare KRSNa mantra, looking up toward the sky as if to direct the
demigods in the higher planets. Thus all the assembled clouds dispersed, and
as the sky became clear, with the moon rising, the Lord began dancing very
happily with His jubilant and satisfied devotees.
Adi 17.90
TEXT 90
eka-dina prabhu zrIvAsere Aj~nA dila
‘bRhat sahasra-nAma’ paòa, zunite mana haila

eka-dina—one day; prabhu—the Lord; zrIvAsere—unto zrIvAsa ThAkura;
Aj~nA—order; dila—gave; bRhat—great; sahasra-nAma—one thousand names;
paòa—read; zunite—to hear; mana—mind; haila—wanted.
TRANSLATION
One day the Lord ordered zrIvAsa ThAkura to read the BRhat-sahasra-nAma
[the thousand names of Lord ViSNu], for He wanted to hear them at that time.
Adi 17.91
TEXT 91
paòite AilA stave nRsiàhera nAma
zuniyA AviSTa hailA prabhu gauradhAma

paòite—while reading; AilA—came; stave—in the prayer; nRsiàhera—of Lord
NRsiàha; nAma—the holy name; zuniyA—hearing; AviSTa—absorbed; hailA—
became; prabhu—Lord; gaura-dhAma—zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu.
TRANSLATION
As he read the thousand names of the Lord, in due course the holy name of
Lord NRsiàha appeared. When Caitanya MahAprabhu heard the holy name of
Lord NRsiàha, He became fully absorbed in thought.
PURPORT
The Caitanya-ma~Ngala, Madhya-khaNòa, describes this incident as follows:
zrIvAsa PaNòita was performing the zrAddha ceremony for his father, and as is
customary, he was hearing the thousand names of Lord ViSNu. At that time
Gaurahari (Lord Caitanya) appeared on the scene, and He also began to hear
the thousand names of ViSNu with full satisfaction. When He thus heard the
holy name of Lord NRsiàha, Lord Caitanya became absorbed in thought, and
He became angry like NRsiàha Prabhu in His angry mood. His eyes became
red, His bodily hairs stood on end, all the parts of His body trembled, and He
made a thundering sound. All of a sudden He took up a club, and people
became greatly afraid, thinking, “We do not know what kind of offense we
have now committed!” But then zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu adjusted His
thoughts and sat down on His seat.
Adi 17.92
TEXT 92
nRsiàha-Aveze prabhu hAte gadA la~nA
pASaNòI mArite yAya nagare dhAiyA

nRsiàha-Aveze—in the ecstatic mood of Lord NRsiàha; prabhu—the Lord;
hAte—in His hand; gadA—club; la~nA—taking; pASaNòI—the atheists;
mArite—to kill; yAya—goes; nagare—in the city; dhAiyA—running.
TRANSLATION
In the mood of Lord NRsiàhadeva, Lord Caitanya ran through the city streets,
club in hand, ready to kill all the atheists.
Adi 17.93
TEXT 93
nRsIàha-Aveza dekhi’ mahA-tejomaya
patha chAòi’ bhAge loka pA~nA baòa bhaya

nRsiàha-Aveza—the ecstasy of Lord NRsiàhadeva; dekhi’—seeing; mahA-
tejo-maya—very fierce; patha chAòi’—giving up the road; bhAge—run
away; loka—all people; pA~nA—getting; baòa—very much; bhaya—afraid.
TRANSLATION
Seeing Him appearing very fierce in the ecstasy of Lord NRsiàha, people ran
from the street and fled here and there, afraid of His anger.
Adi 17.94
TEXT 94
loka-bhaya dekhi’ prabhura bAhya ha-ila
zrIvAsa-gRhete giyA gadA phelAila

loka-bhaya—the fearful people; dekhi’—seeing this; prabhura—of the Lord;
bAhya—external sense; ha-ila—appeared; zrIvAsa-gRhete—in the house of
zrIvAsa PaNòita; giyA—going there; gadA—the club; phelAila—threw away.
TRANSLATION
Seeing the people so afraid, the Lord came to His external senses and thus
returned to the house of zrIvAsa ThAkura and threw away the club.
Adi 17.95
TEXT 95
zrIvAse kahena prabhu kariyA viSAda
loka bhaya pAya,——mora haya aparAdha

zrIvAse—unto zrIvAsa ThAkura; kahena—says; prabhu—the Lord; kariyA—
becoming; viSAda—morose; loka—people; bhaya pAya—become afraid;
mora—My; haya—there is; aparAdha—offense.
TRANSLATION
The Lord became morose and said to zrIvAsa ThAkura, “When I adopted the
mood of Lord NRsiàhadeva, people were greatly afraid. Therefore I stopped,
since causing fear among people is an offense.”
Adi 17.96
TEXT 96
zrIvAsa balena,——ye tomAra nAma laya
tAra koTi aparAdha saba haya kSaya
SYNONYMS
zrIvAsa balena—zrIvAsa PaNòita said; ye—anyone who; tomara—Your;
nAma—holy name; laya—takes; tAra—his; koTi—ten million; aparAdha—
offenses; saba—all; haya—become; kSaya—vanquished.
TRANSLATION
zrIvAsa ThAkura replied, “Anyone who takes Your holy name vanquishes ten
million of his offenses immediately.
Adi 17.97
TEXT 97
aparAdha nAhi, kaile lokera nistAra
ye tomA’ dekhila, tAra chuTila saàsAra

aparAdha—offense; nAhi—did not; kaile—committed; lokera—of the people;
nistAra—liberation; ye—anyone who; tomA’—You; dekhila—saw; tAra—his;
chuTila—became free; saàsAra—material bondage.
TRANSLATION
“There was no offense in Your appearing as NRsiàhadeva. Rather, any man
who saw You in that mood was immediately liberated from the bondage of
material existence.”
Adi 17.98
TEXT 98
eta bali’ zrIvAsa karila sevana
tuSTa ha~nA prabhu AilA Apana-bhavana

eta bali’—saying this; zrIvAsa—zrIvAsa ThAkura; karila—did; sevana—
worship; tuSTa—satisfied; ha~nA—becoming; prabhu—the Lord; AilA—came
back; Apana-bhavana—to His own home.
TRANSLATION
After saying this, zrIvAsa ThAkura worshiped the Lord, who was then greatly
satisfied and returned to His own home.
Adi 17.99
TEXT 99
Ara dina ziva-bhakta ziva-guNa gAya
prabhura a~Ngane nAce, òamaru bAjAya

Ara dina—another day; ziva-bhakta—a devotee of Lord ziva; ziva-guNa—the
qualities of Lord ziva; gAya—chants; prabhura—of Lord Caitanya; a~Ngane—
in the courtyard; nAce—dances; òamaru—a kind of musical instrument;
bAjAyA—plays on it.
TRANSLATION
On another day a great devotee of Lord ziva, chanting of Lord ziva’s
qualities, came to Lord Caitanya’s house, where he began dancing in the
courtyard and playing his òamaru [a musical instrument].
Adi 17.100
TEXT 100
maheza-Aveza hailA zacIra nandana
tAra skandhe caòi nRtya kaila bahu-kSaNa

maheza-Aveza—in the mood of Lord ziva; hailA—became; zacIra—of mother
zacI; nandana—son; tAra skandhe—on his shoulder; caòi—getting on;
nRtya—dance; kaila—did; bahu-kSaNa—for a long time.
TRANSLATION
Then Lord Caitanya, adopting the mood of Lord ziva, got on the man’s
shoulders, and thus they danced together for a long time.
PURPORT
Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu adopted the mood of Lord ziva, for He is ziva
also. According to the philosophy of acintya-bhedAbheda-tattva, Lord ziva is
not different from Lord ViSNu, but still Lord ziva is not Lord ViSNu, just as
yogurt is nothing but milk and yet is not milk nevertheless. One cannot get
the benefit of milk by drinking yogurt. Similarly, one cannot get salvation by
worshiping Lord ziva. If one wants salvation, one must worship Lord ViSNu.
This is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gItA (9.4): mat-sthAni sarva-bhUtAni na
cAhaà teSv avasthitaH. Everything is resting on the Lord, for everything is His
energy, yet He is not everywhere. Lord Caitanya’s adopting the mood of Lord
ziva is not extraordinary, but one should not therefore think that by
worshiping Lord ziva one is worshiping Lord Caitanya. That would be a
mistake.
Adi 17.101
TEXT 101
Ara dina eka bhikSuka AilA mAgite
prabhura nRtya dekhi nRtya lAgila karite

Ara—another; dina—day; eka—one; bhikSuka—beggar; AilA—came;
mAgite—to beg; prabhura—of the Lord; nRtya—dancing; dekhi—seeing;
nRtya—dancing; lAgila—began; karite—to perform.
TRANSLATION
On another day a mendicant came to beg alms from the Lord’s house, but
when he saw the Lord dancing, he also began to dance.
Adi 17.102
TEXT 102
prabhu-sa~Nge nRtya kare parama ullAse
prabhu tAre prema dila, prema-rase bhAse

prabhu-sa~Nge—along with the Lord; nRtya kare—was dancing; parama—
very much; ullAse—in satisfaction; prabhu—the Lord; tAre—him; prema—
love of Godhead; dila—delivered; prema-rase—in the mellows of love of
God; bhAse—began to float.
TRANSLATION
He danced with the Lord because he was favored by love of KRSNa. Thus he
flowed in the mellows of love of Godhead.
Adi 17.103
TEXT 103
Ara dine jyotiSa sarva-j~na eka Aila
tAhAre sammAna kari’ prabhu prazna kaila

Ara dine—some other day; jyotiSa—an astrologer; sarva-j~na—who knows
everything; eka—one; Aila—came there; tAhAre—unto him; sammAna kari’—
giving all honor; prabhu—the Lord; prazna—question; kaila—put.
TRANSLATION
On another day an astrologer came who was said to know everything—past,
present and future. Thus zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu received him with all honor
and put this question before him.
PURPORT
BrAhmaNas generally used to become astrologers, Ayur-vedic physicians,
teachers and priests. Although highly learned and respectable, such
brAhmaNas went from door to door to distribute their knowledge. A brAhmaNa
would first go to a householder’s home to give information about the
functions to be performed on a particular tithi, or date, but if there were
sickness in the family, the family members would consult the brAhmaNa as a
physician, and the brAhmaNa would give instruction and some medicine.
Often, since the brAhmaNas were expert in astrology, people would also be
greatly inquisitive about their past, present and future.
Although the brAhmaNa appeared at Lord Caitanya’s house as a beggar, Lord
Caitanya MahAprabhu received him with great respect because he was a
qualified brAhmaNa who knew the astrological science perfectly. Although
brAhmaNas would go door to door just like beggars, they were honored as
very respectable guests. This was the system in Hindu society five hundred
years ago, during the time of Caitanya MahAprabhu. This system was current
even one hundred years ago; even fifty or sixty years ago, when we were
children, such brAhmaNas would visit householders like humble beggars, and
people would derive great benefit from the mercy of such brAhmaNas. The
greatest benefit was that a householder could save a great deal of money
from being spent on doctor bills because the brAhmaNas, aside from
explaining the past, present and future, could ordinarily cure all kinds of
diseases simply by giving instructions and some medicine. Thus no one was
bereft of the benefit of a first-class physician, astrologer and priest. The
important members of ISKCON should give careful attention to our Dallas
school, where children are being taught Sanskrit and English to become
perfect brAhmaNas. If they are actually trained as perfect brAhmaNas, they can
save society from rogues and ruffians; indeed, people can live happily under
the protection of qualified brAhmaNas. Therefore the Bhagavad-gItA (4.13)
gives special stress to the division of society (cAtur-varNyaà mayA sRSTaà
guNa-karma-vibhAgazaH). Unfortunately some people are now claiming to be
brAhmaNas simply by birthright, with no qualifications. Therefore the entire
society is in chaos.
Adi 17.104
TEXT 104
ke Achilu~N Ami pUrva janme kaha gaNi’
gaNite lAgilA sarva-j~na prabhu-vAkya zuni’

ke Achilu~N Ami—who I was; pUrva janme—in My previous birth; kaha—
please say; gaNi’—by your astrological calculation; gaNite—to calculate;
lAgilA—began; sarva-j~na—a man who knows past, present and future;
prabhu-vAkya—the words of Lord Caitanya; zuni’—hearing.
TRANSLATION
“Please tell Me who I was in My previous birth,” the Lord said. “Please tell Me
by your astrological computations.” Hearing the words of the Lord, the
astrologer immediately began to calculate.
PURPORT
Through astrology one can know past, present and future. Modern Western
astrologers have no knowledge of the past or future, nor can they perfectly
say anything about the present. Herein we find, however, that after hearing
zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu’s order, the astrologer immediately began his
calculations. This was not a facade: he actually knew how to ascertain one’s
past life through astrology. A still-existing treatise called the BhRgu-saàhitA
describes a system by which anyone can immediately get information about
what he was in the past and what he is going to be in the future. The
brAhmaNas who went door to door as if beggars had perfect command of
such vast knowledge. Thus the highest knowledge was easily available even
to the poorest man in society. The poorest man could inquire from an
astrologer about his past, present and future, with no need for business
agreements or exorbitant payments. The brAhmaNa would give him all the
benefit of his knowledge without asking remuneration, and the poor man, in
return, would offer a handful of rice, or anything he had in his possession, to
satisfy the brAhmaNa. In a perfect human society, perfect knowledge in any
science—medical, astrological, ecclesiastical and so on—is available even to
the poorest man, with no anxiety over payment. In the present day, however,
no one can get justice, medical treatment, astrological help or ecclesiastical
enlightenment without money, and since people are generally poor, they are
bereft of the benefits of all these great sciences.
Adi 17.105
TEXT 105
gaNi’ dhyAne dekhe sarva-j~na,——mahA-jyotirmaya
ananta vaikuNTha-brahmANòa——sabAra Azraya

gaNi’—by calculation; dhyAne—by meditation; dekhe—sees; sarva-j~na—
knower of everything; mahA-jyotir-maya—highly effulgent body; ananta—
unlimited; vaikuNTha—spiritual world; brahmANòa—planets; sabAra—of all of
them; Azraya—shelter.
TRANSLATION
Through calculation and meditation, the all-knowing astrologer saw the
greatly effulgent body of the Lord, which is the resting place of all the
unlimited VaikuNTha planets.
PURPORT
Here we get some information of the VaikuNTha world, or spiritual world.
VaikuNTha means “without anxiety.” In the material world, everyone is full of
anxiety, but another world, where there is no anxiety, is described in the
Bhagavad-gItA (8.20):
paras tasmAt tu bhAvo ’nyo ’vyakto ’vyaktAt sanAtanaH
yaH sa sarveSu bhUteSu nazyatsu na vinazyati
“Yet there is another unmanifest nature, which is eternal and is transcendental
to this manifested and unmanifested matter. It is supreme and is never
annihilated. When all in this world is annihilated, that part remains as it is.”
As there are many planets within the material world, there are many millions
of planets, called VaikuNThalokas, in the spiritual world. All these
VaikuNThalokas, or superior planets, rest on the effulgence of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead. As stated in the Brahma-saàhitA (yasya prabhA
prabhavato jagad-aNòa-koTi- [Bs. 5.40]), the Brahman effulgence emanating
from the body of the Supreme Lord creates innumerable planets in both the
spiritual and material worlds; thus these planets are creations of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead. The astrologer saw zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu to be
the very same Personality of Godhead. We can just imagine how learned he
was, yet he was traveling door to door, just like an ordinary beggar, for the
highest benefit of human society.
Adi 17.106
TEXT 106
parama-tattva, para-brahma, parama-Izvara
dekhi’ prabhura mUrti sarva-j~na ha-ila phA~Nphara

parama-tattva—the Supreme Truth; para-brahma—the Supreme Brahman;
parama-Izvara—the Supreme Lord; dekhi’—seeing; prabhura—of the Lord;
mUrti—form; sarva-j~na—the all-knowing astrologer; ha-ila—became;
phA~Nphara—confused.
TRANSLATION
Seeing Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu to be the same Absolute Truth, the
Supreme Brahman, the Personality of Godhead, the astrologer was confused.
PURPORT
Herein it is clearly indicated that the Absolute Truth, the Supreme Brahman, is,
in the ultimate issue, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore a person
is the beginning of all things. As confirmed in the Bhagavad-gItA (10.8),
mattaH sarvaà pravartate: everything begins from the Supreme Personality
of Godhead. The Supreme Lord is the supreme living entity. Therefore
whatever exists, whether matter or spirit, is all but an emanation from the
Supreme Person, or supreme life. The modern scientists’ theory that life begins
from matter is nonsense. Both matter and life begin from life. Unfortunately
the scientists do not know this scientific fact; they are drifting in the darkness
of their so-called knowledge.
Adi 17.107
TEXT 107
balite nA pAre kichu, mauna ha-ila
prabhu punaH prazna kaila, kahite lAgila

balite—to say; nA pAre—is not able; kichu—anything; mauna—silent; ha-
ila—became; prabhu—the Lord; punaH—again; prazna—question; kaila—
put; kahite—to speak; lAgila—began.
TRANSLATION
Struck with wonder, the astrologer remained silent, unable to speak. But when
the Lord again put the question before him, he replied as follows.
Adi 17.108
TEXT 108
pUrva janme chilA tumi jagat-Azraya
paripUrNa bhagavAn——sarvaizvaryamaya

pUrva janme—in the previous birth; chilA—were; tumi—You; jagat—
universe; Azraya—shelter; paripUrNa—with full potencies; bhagavAn—the
Supreme Personality of Godhead; sarva-aizvarya-maya—full of all opulences.
TRANSLATION
“My dear sir, in Your previous birth You were the shelter of all creation, the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, full of all opulences.
Adi 17.109
TEXT 109
pUrve yaiche chilA tumi ebeha se-rUpa
durvij~neya nityAnanda——tomAra svarUpa

pUrve—in the past; yaiche—as much as; chilA—You were; tumi—You;
ebeha—now also; se-rUpa—the same thing; durvij~neya—inconceivable;
nityAnanda—eternal happiness; tomAra—Your; svarUpa—identity.
TRANSLATION
“You are now the same Personality of Godhead that You were in Your
previous birth. Your identity is inconceivable eternal happiness.”
PURPORT
By the power of astrological science one can even ascertain the position of
the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Everything is to be identified by its
symptoms. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is identified by the
symptoms mentioned in the zAstras. It is not that anyone and everyone can
become God without proof from zAstras.
Adi 17.110
TEXT 110
prabhu hAsi’ kailA,——tumi kichu nA jAnilA
pUrve Ami AchilA~N jAtite goyAlA

prabhu—the Lord; hAsi’—smiling; kailA—said; tumi—you; kichu—anything;
nA—not; jAnilA—know; pUrve—in the past; Ami—I; AchilA~N—was; jAtite—by
caste; goyAlA—cowherd.
TRANSLATION
When the astrologer was speaking so highly of Him, zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu
stopped him and began to smile. “My dear sir,” He said, “I think you do not
know very clearly what I was, for I know that in My previous birth I was a
cowherd boy.
Adi 17.111
TEXT 111
gopa-gRhe janma chila, gAbhIra rAkhAla
sei puNye hailA~N ebe brAhmaNa-chAoyAla

gopa-gRhe—in the house of a cowherd; janma—birth; chila—there was;
gAbhIra—of the cows; rAkhAla—protector; sei puNye—by those pious
activities; hailA~N—became; ebe—now; brAhmaNa—of a brAhmaNa;
chAoyAla—son.
TRANSLATION
“In My last birth I was born in the family of cowherd men, and I gave
protection to the calves and cows. Because of such pious activities, I have
now become the son of a brAhmaNa.”
PURPORT
The words of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu, the greatest authority, herein
clearly indicate that one becomes pious simply by keeping cows and
protecting them. Unfortunately, people have become such rascals that they
do not even care about the words of an authority. People generally consider
cowherd men lowly members of society, but herein Caitanya MahAprabhu
confirms that they are so pious that in their next lives they are going to be
brAhmaNas. The caste system has a specific purpose. If this scientific system is
followed, human society will get the greatest benefit. Heeding this instruction
by the Lord, people should serve cows and calves and in return get ample
quantities of milk. There is no loss in serving the cows and calves, but modern
human society has become so degraded that instead of giving protection to
the cows and serving them, people are killing them. How can they expect
peace and prosperity in human society while committing such sinful
activities? It is impossible.
Adi 17.112
TEXT 112
sarva-j~na kahe Ami tAhA dhyAne dekhilA~N
tAhAte aizvarya dekhi’ phA~Nphara ha-ilA~N

sarva-j~na—the all-knowing astrologer; kahe—says; Ami—I; tAhA—that;
dhyAne—in meditation; dekhilA~N—saw; tAhAte—there; aizvarya—opulence;
dekhi’—by seeing; phA~Nphara—confused; ha-ilA~N—became.
TRANSLATION
The astrologer said, “What I saw in meditation was full of opulence, and
therefore I was confused.
PURPORT
It appears that the astrologer not only was a knower of past, present and
future through astrological calculation, but was a great meditator as well.
Therefore he was a great devotee and could see Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu
to be the same personality as KRSNa. He was puzzled, however, about whether
KRSNa and zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu were actually the same person.
Adi 17.113
TEXT 113
sei-rUpe ei-rUpe dekhi ekAkAra
kabhu bheda dekhi, ei mAyAya tomAra

sei-rUpe—in that form; ei-rUpe—in this form; dekhi—I see; eka-AkAra—one
form; kabhu—sometimes; bheda—difference; dekhi—I see; ei—this; mAyAya
tomAra—Your mAyA.
TRANSLATION
“I am certain that Your form and the form I saw in my meditation are one and
the same. If I see any difference, this is an act of Your illusory energy.”
PURPORT
zrI-kRSNa-caitanya rAdhA-kRSNa nahe anya: in the vision of a perfect devotee,
Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu is a combination of RAdhA and KRSNa. One who
sees Lord Caitanya to be different from KRSNa is under the illusory energy of
the Lord. It appears that the astrologer was already an advanced devotee,
and when he came into the presence of the Supreme Lord zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu, he became perfectly self-realized and could see that the
Supreme Personality of Godhead KRSNa and zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu are one
and the same Supreme Person.
Adi 17.114
TEXT 114
ye hao, se hao tumi, tomAke namaskAra
prabhu tAre prema diyA kaila puraskAra

ye hao—whatever You are; se hao tumi—whatever You may be; tomAke—
unto You; namaskAra—my obeisances; prabhu—the Lord; tAre—unto him;
prema—love of Godhead; diyA—delivered; kaila—did; puraskAra—honor.
TRANSLATION
The all-knowing astrologer concluded, “Whatever You may be or whoever
You may be, I offer my respectful obeisances unto You!” By His causeless
mercy, the Lord then gave him love of Godhead, thus rewarding him for his
service.
PURPORT
The incident of Lord Caitanya’s meeting the all-knowing astrologer is not
mentioned in the Caitanya-bhAgavata, but we cannot therefore say that it did
not take place. On the contrary, we must accept the statement of KRSNadAsa
KavirAja GosvAmI that whatever the Caitanya-bhAgavata did not mention he
has especially mentioned in the Caitanya-caritAmRta.
Adi 17.115
TEXT 115
eka dina prabhu viSNu-maNòape vasiyA
‘madhu Ana’, ‘madhu Ana’ balena òAkiyA

eka dina—one day; prabhu—the Lord; viSNu-maNòape—in the corridor of a
ViSNu temple; vasiyA—sitting; madhu Ana—bring honey; madhu Ana—bring
honey; balena—says; òAkiyA—calling loudly.
TRANSLATION
One day the Lord sat down in the corridor of a ViSNu temple and began
calling very loudly, “Bring some honey! Bring some honey!”
Adi 17.116
TEXT 116
nityAnanda-gosA~ni prabhura Aveza jAnila
ga~NgA-jala-pAtra Ani’ sammukhe dharila

nityAnanda-gosA~ni—Lord NityAnanda Prabhu; prabhura—of the Lord;
Aveza—ecstasy; jAnila—could understand; ga~NgA-jala—Ganges water;
pAtra—pot; Ani’—bringing; sammukhe—in front; dharila—placed it.
TRANSLATION
NityAnanda Prabhu GosA~ni, understanding the ecstatic mood of zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu, brought a pot of Ganges water as a token and put it before Him.
Adi 17.117
TEXT 117
jala pAna kariyA nAce ha~nA vihvala
yamunAkarSaNa-lIlA dekhaye sakala

jala—water; pAna kariyA—after drinking; nAce—dances; ha~nA—becoming;
vihvala—ecstatic; yamunA-AkarSaNa—attracting the river YamunA; lIlA—
pastimes; dekhaye—sees; sakala—everyone.
TRANSLATION
After drinking the water, Lord Caitanya became so ecstatic that He began to
dance. Thus everyone saw the pastime of attracting the river YamunA.
PURPORT
YamunAkarSaNa-lIlA is the pastime of attracting the YamunA. One day, zrI
Baladeva wanted the YamunA River to come before Him, and when the river
YamunA refused, He took His plow, wanting to dig a canal so that the
YamunA would be obliged to come there. Since zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu is
the original form of Baladeva, in His ecstasy He asked everyone to bring
honey. In this way, all the devotees standing there saw the yamunAkarSaNa-
lIlA. In this lIlA, Baladeva was accompanied by His girlfriends. After drinking a
honey beverage called VAruNI, He wanted to jump into the YamunA and swim
with the girls. It is stated in zrImad-BhAgavatam (10.65.25–30, 33) that Lord
Baladeva asked the YamunA to come near, and when the river disobeyed the
order of the Lord, He became angry and thus wanted to snatch her near to
Him with His plow. The YamunA, however, very much afraid of Lord
BalarAma’s anger, immediately came and surrendered unto Him, praying to
the Lord, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and admitting her fault. She
was then excused. This is the sum and substance of the yamunAkarSaNa-lIlA.
The incident is also described in the prayer of Jayadeva GosvAmI concerning
the ten incarnations:
vahasi vapuSi vizade vasanaà jaladAbhaà
halahati-bhIti-milita-yamunAbham
kezava dhRta-haladhara-rUpa jaya jagad-Iza hare
Adi 17.118
TEXT 118
mada-matta-gati baladeva-anukAra
AcArya zekhara tA~Nre dekhe rAmAkAra

mada-matta—being intoxicated by drinking VAruNI; gati—movement;
baladeva—Lord Baladeva; anukAra—imitating; AcArya—Advaita AcArya;
zekhara—at the head; tA~Nre—Him; dekhe—sees; rAma-AkAra—in the form of
BalarAma.
TRANSLATION
When the Lord, in His ecstasy of Baladeva, was moving as if intoxicated by
the beverage, Advaita AcArya, the chief of the AcAryas [AcArya zekhara], saw
Him in the form of BalarAma.
Adi 17.119
TEXT 119
vanamAlI AcArya dekhe soNAra lA~Ngala
sabe mili’ nRtya kare Aveze vihvala

vanamAlI AcArya—VanamAlI AcArya; dekhe—sees; soNAra—made of gold;
lA~Ngala—plow; sabe—all; mili’—meeting together; nRtya—dance; kare—
perform; Aveze—in ecstasy; vihvala—overwhelmed.
TRANSLATION
VanamAlI AcArya saw a golden plow in the hand of BalarAma, and the
devotees all assembled together and danced, overwhelmed by ecstasy.
Adi 17.120
TEXT 120
ei-mata nRtya ha-ila cAri prahara
sandhyAya ga~NgA-snAna kari’ sabe gelA ghara

ei-mata—in this way; nRtya—dancing; ha-ila—was performed; cAri—four;
prahara—a period of time lasting three hours; sandhyAya—in the evening;
ga~NgA-snAna—taking bath in the Ganges; kari’—finishing; sabe—all; gelA—
returned; ghara—home.
TRANSLATION
In this way they danced continuously for twelve hours, and in the evening
they all took a bath in the Ganges and then returned to their homes.
Adi 17.121
TEXT 121
nagariyA loke prabhu yabe Aj~nA dilA
ghare ghare sa~NkIrtana karite lAgilA

nagariyA—citizens; loke—all the people; prabhu—the Lord; yabe—when;
Aj~nA—order; dilA—gave; ghare ghare—in each and every home;
sa~NkIrtana—chanting of the Hare KRSNa mantra; karite—to perform; lAgilA—
began.
TRANSLATION
The Lord ordered all the citizens of NavadvIpa to chant the Hare KRSNa
mantra, and in each and every home they began performing sa~NkIrtana
regularly.
Adi 17.122
TEXT 122
‘haraye namaH, kRSNa yAdavAya namaH
gopAla govinda rAma zrI-madhusUdana’

haraye namaH—I offer my respectful obeisances to Lord Hari; kRSNa—O
KRSNa; yAdavAya—unto the descendant of the Yadu dynasty; namaH—all
obeisances; gopAla—GopAla; govinda—Govinda; rAma—RAma; zrI-
madhusUdana—zrI MadhusUdana.
TRANSLATION
[All the devotees sang this popular song along with the Hare KRSNa mahA-
mantra.] “Haraye namaH, kRSNa yAdavAya namaH/ gopAla govinda rAma zrI-
madhusUdana.”
Adi 17.123
TEXT 123
mRda~Nga-karatAla sa~NkIrtana-mahAdhvani
‘hari’ ‘hari’——dhvani vinA anya nAhi zuni

mRda~Nga—drum; karatAla—hand bells; sa~NkIrtana—chanting of the holy
name of the Lord; mahA-dhvani—great vibration; hari—the Lord; hari—the
Lord; dhvani—sound; vinA—except; anya—another; nAhi—not; zuni—one
can hear.
TRANSLATION
When the sa~NkIrtana movement thus started, no one in NavadvIpa could hear
any sound other than the words “Hari! Hari!” and the beating of the mRda~Nga
and clashing of hand bells.
PURPORT
The International Society for Krishna Consciousness now has its world center
in NavadvIpa, MAyApur. The managers of this center should see that twenty-
four hours a day there is chanting of the holy names of the Hare KRSNa mahA-
mantra, with the addition of haraye namaH, kRSNa yAdavAya namaH, for this
song was a favorite of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu’s. But all such sa~NkIrtana
must be preceded by the chanting of the holy names of the five tattvas—zrI-
kRSNa-caitanya prabhu-nityAnanda zrI-advaita gadAdhara zrIvAsAdi-gaura-
bhakta-vRnda. We are already accustomed to chant these two mantras—zrI-
kRSNa-caitanya prabhu-nityAnanda zrI-advaita gadAdhara zrIvAsAdi-gaura-
bhakta-vRnda and Hare KRSNa, Hare KRSNa, KRSNa KRSNa, Hare Hare/ Hare
RAma, Hare RAma, RAma RAma, Hare Hare. Now, after these, the other two
lines—namely haraye namaH, kRSNa yAdavAya namaH/ gopAla govinda rAma
zrI-madhusUdana—should be added, especially in MAyApur. Chanting of these
six lines should go on so perfectly well that no one there hears any vibration
other than the chanting of the holy names of the Lord. That will make the
center spiritually all-perfect.
Adi 17.124
TEXT 124
zuniyA ye kruddha haila sakala yavana
kAjI-pAze Asi’ sabe kaila nivedana

zuniyA—by hearing; ye—that; kruddha—angry; haila—became; sakala—all;
yavana—Muslims; kAjI-pAze—in the court of the Kazi, or magistrate; Asi’—
coming; sabe—all; kaila—made; nivedana—petition.
TRANSLATION
Hearing the resounding vibration of the Hare KRSNa mantra, the local Muslims,
greatly angry, submitted a complaint to the Kazi.
PURPORT
The phaujadarA, or city magistrate, was called the kAjI (Kazi). The jamidAras
(zamindars), or landholders (maNòalerAs), levied taxes on the land, but
keeping law and order and punishing criminals was the duty entrusted to the
Kazi. Both the Kazi and the landholders were under the control of the
governor of Bengal, which at that time was known as SubA-bA~NgAlA. The
districts of Nadia, IslAmpura and BAgoyAna were all under the zamindar
named Hari Hoòa or his descendant known as Hoòa KRSNadAsa. It is said that
Chand Kazi was the spiritual master of Nawab Hussain Shah. According to
one opinion his name was MaulAnA SirAjuddina, and according to another his
name was Habibara RahamAna. Descendants of Chand Kazi are still living in
the vicinity of MAyApur. People still go to see the tomb of Chand Kazi, which
is underneath a campaka tree and is known as Chand Kazi’s samAdhi.
Adi 17.125
TEXT 125
krodhe sandhyA-kAle kAjI eka ghare Aila
mRda~Nga bhA~NgiyA loke kahite lAgila

krodhe—in anger; sandhyA-kAle—in the evening; kAjI—the Chand Kazi; eka
ghare—in one home; Aila—came; mRda~Nga—drum; bhA~NgiyA—breaking;
loke—unto the people; kahite—to speak; lAgila—began.
TRANSLATION
Chand Kazi angrily came to one home in the evening, and when he saw
kIrtana going on, he broke a mRda~Nga and spoke as follows.
Adi 17.126
TEXT 126
eta-kAla keha nAhi kaila hinduyAni
ebe ye udyama cAlAo kAra bala jAni’

eta-kAla—so long; keha—anyone; nAhi—not; kaila—performed; hinduyAni—
regulative principles of the Hindus; ebe—now; ye—that; udyama—
endeavor; cAlAo—you propagate; kAra—whose; bala—strength; jAni’—I
want to know.
TRANSLATION
“For so long you did not follow the regulative principles of the Hindu religion,
but now you are following them with great enthusiasm. May I know by whose
strength you are doing so?
PURPORT
It appears that from the aggression of BaktiyAr Khiliji in Bengal until the time
of Chand Kazi, Hindus, or the followers of the Vedic principles, were greatly
suppressed. Like the Hindus in present-day Pakistan, practically no one could
execute the Hindu religious principles freely. Chand Kazi referred to this
condition of Hindu society. Formerly the Hindus had not been straightforward
in executing their Hindu principles, but now they were freely chanting the
Hare KRSNa mahA-mantra. Therefore it must have been by the strength of
someone else that they were so daring.
Actually, that was the fact. Although the members of the so-called Hindu
society had followed the social customs and formulas, they had practically
forgotten to execute their religious principles strictly. But with the presence of
zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu they actually began following the regulative
principles according to His order. That order is still existing, and anywhere and
everywhere, in all parts of the world, one can execute it. That order is to
become a spiritual master under the direction of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu by
following the regulative principles, chanting daily at least sixteen rounds of
the Hare KRSNa mahA-mantra, and preaching the cult of KRSNa consciousness
all over the world. If we adhere to the order of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu, we
shall get spiritual strength without a doubt, and we shall be free to preach this
cult of the Hare KRSNa movement and not be hampered by anyone.
Adi 17.127
TEXT 127
keha kIrtana nA kariha sakala nagare
Aji Ami kSamA kari’ yAitecho~N ghare

keha—anyone; kIrtana—chanting of the Hare KRSNa mahA-mantra; nA—do
not; kariha—perform; sakala nagare—in the whole town; Aji—today; Ami—I;
kSamA kari’—excusing; yAitecho~N—am returning; ghare—home.
TRANSLATION
“No one should perform sa~NkIrtana on the streets of the city. Today I am
excusing the offense and returning home.
PURPORT
Such orders stopping sa~NkIrtana in the streets of the world’s great cities have
been imposed upon members of the Hare KRSNa movement. We have
hundreds of centers all over the world, and we have been specifically
persecuted in Australia. In most cities of the Western world we have been
arrested many times by the police, but we are nevertheless executing the
order of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu by chanting on the streets of all the
important cities, such as New York, London, Chicago, Sydney, Melbourne,
Paris and Hamburg. We must remember that such incidents took place in the
past, five hundred years ago, and the fact that they are still going on
indicates that our sa~NkIrtana movement is really authorized, for if sa~NkIrtana
were an insignificant material affair, demons would not object to it. The
demons of the time tried to obstruct the sa~NkIrtana movement started by zrI
Caitanya MahAprabhu. Similar demons are trying to obstruct the sa~NkIrtana
movement we are executing all over the world, and this proves that our
sa~NkIrtana movement is still pure and genuine, following in the footsteps of
zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu.
Adi 17.128
TEXT 128
Ara yadi kIrtana karite lAga pAimu
sarvasva daNòiyA tAra jAti ye la-imu

Ara—again; yadi—if; kIrtana—chanting of the Hare KRSNa mahA-mantra;
karite—to do; lAga—contact; pAimu—I shall take; sarva-sva—all
possessions; daNòiyA—chastising; tAra—his; jAti—caste; ye—that; la-imu—I
shall take.
TRANSLATION
“The next time I see someone performing such sa~NkIrtana, I shall certainly
chastise him by not only confiscating all his property but also converting him
into a Muslim.”
PURPORT
To convert a Hindu into a Muslim was an easy affair in those days. If a Muslim
simply sprinkled water on the body of a Hindu, it was supposed that the
Hindu had already become a Muslim. During the transition of the British in
Bangladesh during the last Hindu-Muslim riots, many Hindus were converted
into Muslims by having cows’ flesh forcibly pushed into their mouths. Hindu
society was so rigid at the time of Lord Caitanya that if a Hindu were
converted into a Muslim, there was no chance of his being reformed. In this
way the Muslim population in India increased. None of the Muslims came
from outside; social customs somehow or other forced Hindus to become
Muslims, with no chance of returning to Hindu society. Emperor Aurangzeb
also inaugurated a tax that Hindus had to pay because of their being Hindus.
Thus all the poor Hindus of the lower class voluntarily became Muslims to
avoid the tax. In this way the Muslim population in India increased. Chand
Kazi threatened to convert the people into Muslims by the simple process of
sprinkling water on their bodies.
Adi 17.129
TEXT 129
eta bali’ kAjI gela,——nagariyA loka
prabhu-sthAne nivedila pA~nA baòa zoka

eta bali’—thus saying; kAjI—the magistrate; gela—returned; nagariyA loka—
the citizens in general; prabhu-sthAne—before the Lord; nivedila—submitted;
pA~nA—getting; baòa—very much; zoka—shock.
TRANSLATION
After saying this, the Kazi returned home, and the devotees, greatly shocked
that they were forbidden to chant Hare KRSNa, submitted their grief to Lord
Caitanya MahAprabhu.
Adi 17.130
TEXT 130
prabhu Aj~nA dila——yAha karaha kIrtana
mu~ni saàhArimu Aji sakala yavana

prabhu—the Lord; Aj~nA dila—ordered; yAha—go; karaha—and perform;
kIrtana—sa~NkIrtana, chanting of the Hare KRSNa mahA-mantra; mu~ni—I;
saàhArimu—shall kill; Aji—today; sakala—all; yavana—the Muslims.
TRANSLATION
Lord Caitanya ordered, “Go perform sa~NkIrtana! Today I shall kill all the
Muslims!”
PURPORT
Gandhi is known for having started the movement of nonviolent civil
disobedience in India, but about five hundred years before him, zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu started His movement of nonviolent civil disobedience to the
order of Chand Kazi. It is not necessary to commit violence to stop the
opposition from hindering a movement, for one can kill their demoniac
behavior with reason and argument. Following in the footsteps of Lord
Caitanya MahAprabhu, whenever there are obstacles the Hare KRSNa
movement should kill the opposition with reason and argument and thus stop
their demoniac behavior. If we became violent in every case, it would be
difficult for us to manage our affairs. We should therefore follow in the
footsteps of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu, who disobeyed the order of Chand
Kazi but subdued him with reason and argument.
Adi 17.131
TEXT 131
ghare giyA saba loka karaye kIrtana
kAjIra bhaye svacchanda nahe, camakita mana

ghare giyA—returning home; saba—all; loka—citizens; karaye—performed;
kIrtana—sa~NkIrtana; kAjIra—of the Kazi; bhaye—from fear; svacchanda—
carefree; nahe—not; camakita—always full of anxieties; mana—the mind.
TRANSLATION
Returning home, all the citizens began performing sa~NkIrtana, but because of
the order of the Kazi, they were not carefree but always full of anxiety.
Adi 17.132
TEXT 132
tA-sabhAra antare bhaya prabhu mane jAni
kahite lAgilA loke zIghra òAki’ Ani’

tA-sabhAra—of all of them; antare—in the mind; bhaya—fear; prabhu—the
Lord; mane—in the mind; jAni—understanding; kahite—to speak; lAgilA—
began; loke—to the people; zIghra—very soon; òAki’—calling; Ani’—bringing
them.
TRANSLATION
Understanding the anxiety within the people’s minds, the Lord called them
together and spoke to them as follows.
Adi 17.133
TEXT 133
nagare nagare Aji karimu kIrtana
sandhyA-kAle kara sabhe nagara-maNòana

nagare—from town; nagare—to town; Aji—today; karimu—I shall perform;
kIrtana—chanting of the Hare KRSNa mahA-mantra; sandhyA-kAle—in the
evening; kara—do; sabhe—all; nagara—of the city; maNòana—decoration.
TRANSLATION
“In the evening I shall perform sa~NkIrtana in each and every town. Therefore
you should all decorate the city in the evening.
PURPORT
At that time, NavadvIpa was composed of nine small cities, so the words
nagare nagare are significant. zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu wanted to perform
kIrtana in each of these neighboring towns. He ordered the city decorated for
the function.
Adi 17.134
TEXT 134
sandhyAte deuTi sabe jvAla ghare ghare
dekha, kona kAjI Asi’ more mAnA kare

sandhyAte—in the evening; deuTi—lamps; sabe—everyone; jvAla—light up;
ghare ghare—in each and every home; dekha—just wait and see; kona—
which kind; kAjI—magistrate; Asi’—coming; more—unto Me; mAnA kare—
orders Me to stop.
TRANSLATION
“In the evening, burn torchlights in every home. I shall give protection to
everyone. Let us see what kind of Kazi comes to stop our kIrtana.”
Adi 17.135
TEXT 135
eta kahi’ sandhyA-kale cAle gaurarAya
kIrtanera kaila prabhu tina sampradAya

eta kahi’—saying this; sandhyA-kAle—in the evening; cale—went out; gaura-
rAya—Gaurasundara; kIrtanera—of performing sa~NkIrtana; kaila—made;
prabhu—the Lord; tina—three; sampradAya—parties.
TRANSLATION
In the evening Lord Gaurasundara went out and formed three parties to
perform kIrtana.
PURPORT
This is a scheme for performing kIrtana in a procession. During zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu’s time, one party was composed of twenty-one men: four
people playing mRda~Ngas, one leading the chanting, and sixteen others
striking karatAlas, responding to the leading chanter. If many men join the
sa~NkIrtana movement, they may follow in the footsteps of zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu and form different parties according to the time and the number
of men available.
Adi 17.136
TEXT 136
Age sampradAye nRtya kare haridAsa
madhye nAce AcArya-gosA~ni parama ullAsa

Age—in front; sampradAye—in the party; nRtya—dancing; kare—does;
haridAsa—ThAkura HaridAsa; madhye—in the middle; nAce—dances; AcArya-
gosA~ni—zrI Advaita AcArya; parama—very; ullAsa—happy.
TRANSLATION
In the front party danced ThAkura HaridAsa, and in the middle party danced
Advaita AcArya with great jubilation.
Adi 17.137
TEXT 137
pAche sampradAye nRtya kare gauracandra
tA~Nra sa~Nge nAci’ bule prabhu nityAnanda

pAche—at the rear; sampradAye—in the party; nRtya—dancing; kare—does;
gauracandra—Lord GaurA~Nga; tA~Nra—His; sa~Nge—along with; nAci’—
dancing; bule—moves; prabhu—Lord; nityAnanda—NityAnanda.
TRANSLATION
Lord Gaurasundara Himself danced in the rear party, and zrI NityAnanda
Prabhu moved with Lord Caitanya’s dancing.
Adi 17.138
TEXT 138
vRndAvana-dAsa ihA ‘caitanya-ma~Ngale’
vistAri’ varNiyAchena, prabhu-kRpA-bale

vRndAvana-dAsa—VRndAvana dAsa ThAkura; ihA—this; caitanya-ma~Ngale—in
his book named Caitanya-ma~Ngala; vistAri’—elaborately; varNiyAchena—has
described; prabhu—of the Lord; kRpA-bale—by the strength of mercy.
TRANSLATION
By the grace of the Lord, zrIla VRndAvana dAsa ThAkura has elaborately
described this incident in his Caitanya-ma~Ngala [now Caitanya-bhAgavata].
Adi 17.139
TEXT 139
ei mata kIrtana kari’ nagare bhramilA
bhramite bhramite sabhe kAjI-dvAre gelA

ei mata—in this way; kIrtana—congregational chanting; kari’—executing;
nagare—in the city; bhramilA—circumambulated; bhramite bhramite—while
thus moving; sabhe—all of them; kAjI-dvAre—at the door of the Kazi; gelA—
reached.
TRANSLATION
Performing kIrtana in this way, circumambulating through every nook and
corner of the city, they finally reached the door of the Kazi.
Adi 17.140
TEXT 140
tarja-garja kare loka, kare kolAhala
gauracandra-bale loka prazraya-pAgala

tarja-garja—murmuring in anger; kare—do; loka—the people; kare—do;
kolAhala—roaring; gauracandra—of Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu; bale—by
the power; loka—people; prazraya-pAgala—became mad by such indulgence.
TRANSLATION
Murmuring in anger and making a roaring sound, the people, under the
protection of Lord Caitanya, became mad through such indulgence.
PURPORT
The Kazi had issued an order not to perform kIrtana, congregational chanting
of the holy name of the Lord. But when this was brought up to Lord Caitanya
MahAprabhu, He ordered civil disobedience to the Kazi’s order. Lord Caitanya
and all His devotees, naturally enthusiastic although agitated, must have
made a great noise with their loud cries.
Adi 17.141
TEXT 141
kIrtanera dhvanite kAjI lukAila ghare
tarjana garjana zuni’ nA haya bAhire

kIrtanera—of the sa~NkIrtana movement; dhvanite—by the sound; kAjI—the
Chand Kazi; lukAila—hid himself; ghare—in the room; tarjana—murmuring;
garjana—protesting; zuni’—hearing; nA—does not; haya—come out;
bAhire—outside.
TRANSLATION
The loud sound of the chanting of the Hare KRSNa mantra certainly made the
Kazi very much afraid, and he hid himself within his room. Hearing the people
thus protesting, murmuring in great anger, the Kazi would not come out of his
home.
PURPORT
The Kazi’s order not to perform sa~NkIrtana could stand only as long as there
was no civil disobedience. Under the leadership of the Supreme Lord, zrI
Caitanya MahAprabhu, the chanters, increasing in number, disobeyed the
order of the Kazi. Thousands assembled together and formed parties, chanting
the Hare KRSNa mahA-mantra and making a tumultuous sound of protest. Thus
the Kazi was very much afraid, as naturally one should be under such
circumstances.
In the present day also, people all over the world may join together in the
KRSNa consciousness movement and protest against the present degraded
governments of the world’s godless societies, which are based on all kinds of
sinful activities. zrImad-BhAgavatam states that in the Age of Kali, thieves,
rogues and fourth-class people who have neither education nor culture
capture the seats of governments to exploit the citizens. This is a symptom of
Kali-yuga that has already appeared. People cannot feel secure about their
lives and property, yet the so-called governments continue, and government
ministers get fat salaries, although they are unable to do anything good for
society. The only remedy for such conditions is to enhance the sa~NkIrtana
movement under the banner of KRSNa consciousness and protest against the
sinful activities of all the world’s governments.
The KRSNa consciousness movement is not a sentimental religious movement;
it is a movement for the reformation of all the anomalies of human society. If
people take to it seriously, discharging this duty scientifically, as ordered by
zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu, the world will see peace and prosperity instead of
being confused and hopeless under useless governments. There are always
rogues and thieves in human society, and as soon as a weak government is
unable to execute its duties, these rogues and thieves come out to do their
business. Thus the entire society becomes a hell unfit for gentlemen to live in.
There is an immediate need for a good government—a government by the
people, with KRSNa consciousness. Unless the masses of people become KRSNa
conscious, they cannot be good men. The KRSNa consciousness movement
that zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu started by chanting the Hare KRSNa mahA-
mantra still has its potency. Therefore people should understand it seriously
and scientifically and spread it all over the world.
The sa~NkIrtana movement started by zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu is described in
the Caitanya-bhAgavata, Madhya-khaNòa, Twenty-third Chapter, beginning
with verse 241, which states, “My dear Lord, let my mind be fixed at Your
lotus feet.” Following Lord Caitanya’s chanting, all the devotees reproduced
the same sound He chanted. In this way the Lord proceeded, leading the
entire party on the strand roads by the bank of the Ganges. When the Lord
came to His own ghATa, or bathing place, He danced more and more. Then He
proceeded to MAdhAi’s ghATa. In this way zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu, the
Supreme Lord, who was known as Vizvambhara, danced all over the banks of
the Ganges. Then He proceeded to BArakoNA-ghATa, then NAgariyA-ghATa,
and, traveling through Ga~NgAnagara, reached SimuliyA, a quarter at one end
of the town. All these places surround zrI MAyApur. After reaching SimuliyA,
the Lord proceeded toward the Kazi’s house, and in this way He reached the
door of Chand Kazi.
Adi 17.142
TEXT 142
uddhata loka bhA~Nge kAjIra ghara-puSpavana
vistAri’ varNilA ihA dAsa-vRndAvana

uddhata—agitated; loka—persons; bhA~Nge—break; kAjIra—of the Kazi;
ghara—house; puSpa-vana—flower garden; vistAri’—elaborately; varNilA—
described; ihA—this; dAsa-vRndAvana—zrIla VRndAvana dAsa ThAkura.
TRANSLATION
Naturally some of the people who were very much agitated began to retaliate
the Kazi’s actions by wrecking his house and flower garden. zrIla VRndAvana
dAsa ThAkura has elaborately described this incident.
Adi 17.143
TEXT 143
tabe mahAprabhu tAra dvArete vasilA
bhavya-loka pAThAiyA kAjIre bolAilA

tabe—thereafter; mahAprabhu—zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu; tAra dvArete—at
the Kazi’s door; vasilA—sat down; bhavya-loka—respectable persons;
pAThAiyA—sending; kAjIre—unto the Kazi; bolAilA—had them call.
TRANSLATION
Thereafter, when zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu reached the Kazi’s house, He sat
down by the doorway and sent some respectable persons to call for the Kazi.
Adi 17.144
TEXT 144
dUra ha-ite AilA kAjI mAthA noyAiyA
kAjIre vasAilA prabhu sammAna kariyA

dUra ha-ite—from a distant place; AilA—came; kAjI—the Kazi; mAthA—head;
noyAiyA—bowed down; kAjIre—unto the Kazi; vasAilA—gave a seat;
prabhu—the Lord; sammAna—respect; kariyA—offering.
TRANSLATION
When the Kazi came, his head bowed down, the Lord gave him proper
respect and a seat.
PURPORT
Some of the men in zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu’s civil disobedience movement
were agitated because they could not control their minds. But the Lord was
thoroughly peaceful, sober and unagitated. Therefore when the Kazi came
down to see Him, the Lord offered him proper respect and a seat because he
was a respectable government officer. Thus the Lord taught us by His
personal behavior. In pushing on our sa~NkIrtana movement of KRSNa
consciousness, we might have to face difficult days, but we should always
follow in the footsteps of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu and do the needful
according to the time and circumstances.
Adi 17.145
TEXT 145
prabhu balena,——Ami tomAra AilAma abhyAgata
Ami dekhi’ lukAilA,——e-dharma kemata

prabhu balena—the Lord said; Ami—I; tomAra—your; AilAma—have come;
abhyAgata—guest; Ami—Me; dekhi’—seeing; lukAilA—you disappeared; e-
dharma kemata—what kind of etiquette is this.
TRANSLATION
In a friendly way, the Lord said, “Sir, I have come to your house as your guest,
but upon seeing Me you hid yourself in your room. What kind of etiquette is
this?”
Adi 17.146
TEXT 146
kAjI kahe——tumi Aisa kruddha ha-iyA
tomA zAnta karAite rahinu lukAiyA

kAjI kahe—the Kazi replied; tumi—You; Aisa—have come; kruddha—angry;
ha-iyA—being; tomA—You; zAnta—pacified; karAite—to make; rahinu—I
remained; lukAiyA—hiding out of sight.
TRANSLATION
The Kazi replied, “You have come to my house in a very angry mood. To
pacify You, I did not come before You immediately but kept myself hidden.
Adi 17.147
TEXT 147
ebe tumi zAntA haile, Asi, mililA~N
bhAgya mora,——tomA hena atithi pAilA~N

ebe—now; tumi—You; zAnta—pacified; haile—have become; Asi’—coming;
mililA~N—I have met (You); bhAgya mora—it is my great fortune; toma—You;
hena—like; atithi—guest; pAilA~N—I have received.
TRANSLATION
“Now that You have become pacified, I have come to You. It is my good
fortune to receive a guest like Your Honor.
Adi 17.148
TEXT 148
grAma-sambandhe ‘cakravartI’ haya mora cAcA
deha-sambandhe haite haya grAma-sambandha sA~NcA

grAma-sambandhe—in our neighborhood relationship; cakravartI—Your
grandfather NIlAmbara CakravartI; haya—becomes; mora—my; cAcA—uncle;
deha-sambandhe—in a bodily relationship; haite—than; haya—becomes;
grAma-sambandha—neighborhood relationship; sA~NcA—more powerful.
TRANSLATION
“In our village relationship, NIlAmbara CakravartI ThAkura was my uncle. Such
a relationship is stronger than a bodily relationship.
PURPORT
In India, even in the interior villages, all the Hindu and Muslim communities
used to live very peacefully by establishing a relationship between them. The
young men called the elderly members of the village by the name cAcA or
kAkA, “uncle,” and men of the same age called each other dAdA, “brother.” The
relationship was very friendly. There were even invitations from Muslim
houses to Hindu houses and from Hindu houses to Muslim houses. Both the
Hindus and the Muslims accepted the invitations to go to one another’s
houses to attend ceremonial functions. Even until fifty or sixty years ago, the
relationship between Hindus and Muslims was very friendly, and there were
no disturbances. We do not find any Hindu-Muslim riots in the history of
India, even during the days of the Muslims’ rule over the country. Conflict
between Hindus and Muslims was created by polluted politicians, especially
foreign rulers, and thus the situation gradually became so degraded that India
was divided into Hindustan and Pakistan. Fortunately, the remedy to unite not
only the Hindus and Muslims but all communities and all nations can still be
implemented by the Hare KRSNa movement on the strong basic platform of
love of Godhead.
Adi 17.149
TEXT 149
nIlAmbara cakravartI haya tomAra nAnA
se-sambandhe hao tumi AmAra bhAginA

nIlAmbara cakravartI—NIlAmbara CakravartI; haya—becomes; tomAra—Your;
nAnA—maternal grandfather; se-sambandhe—by such a relationship; hao—
become; tumi—You; AmAra—my; bhAginA—nephew (the son of my sister).
TRANSLATION
“NIlAmbara CakravartI is Your maternal grandfather, and by this relationship
You are thus my nephew.
Adi 17.150
TEXT 150
bhAginAra krodha mAmA avazya sahaya
mAtulera aparAdha bhAginA nA laya

bhAginAra—of the nephew; krodha—anger; mAmA—maternal uncle;
avazya—certainly; sahaya—tolerates; mAtulera—of the maternal uncle;
aparAdha—offense; bhAginA—the nephew; nA—does not; laya—accept.
TRANSLATION
“When a nephew is very angry, his maternal uncle is tolerant, and when the
maternal uncle commits an offense, the nephew does not take it very
seriously.”
Adi 17.151
TEXT 151
ei mata du~NhAra kathA haya ThAre-Thore
bhitarera artha keha bujhite nA pAre

ei mata—in this way; du~NhAra—of both of them; kathA—conversation;
haya—took place; ThAre-Thore—with different indications; bhitarera—inner;
artha—meaning; keha—anyone; bujhite—to understand; nA pAre—is not
able.
TRANSLATION
In this way the Kazi and the Lord talked with each other with various
indications, but no outsider could understand the inner meaning of their
conversation.
Adi 17.152
TEXT 152
prabhu kahe,——prazna lAgi’ AilAma tomAra sthAne
kAjI kahe,——Aj~nA kara, ye tomAra mane

prabhu kahe—the Lord said; prazna lAgi’—just to inquire from you; AilAma—I
have come; tomAra sthAne—at your place; kAjI kahe—the Kazi replied; Aj~nA
kara—just order me; ye—whatever; tomAra mane—(is) in Your mind.
TRANSLATION
The Lord said, “My dear uncle, I have come to your home just to ask you
some questions.”
“Yes,” the Kazi replied, “You are welcome. Just tell me what is in Your mind.”
Adi 17.153
TEXT 153
prabhu kahe,——go-dugdha khAo, gAbhI tomAra mAtA
vRSa anna upajAya, tAte te~Nho pitA

prabhu kahe—the Lord said; go-dugdha khAo—you drink cows’ milk;
gAbhI—the cow (is); tomAra—your; mAtA—mother; vRSa—the bull; anna—
grains; upajaya—produces; tAte—therefore; te~Nho—he; pitA—(is) your
father.
TRANSLATION
The Lord said, “You drink cows’ milk; therefore the cow is your mother. And
the bull produces grains for your maintenance; therefore he is your father.
Adi 17.154
TEXT 154
pitA-mAtA mAri’ khAo——ebA kon dharma
kon bale kara tumi e-mata vikarma

pitA-mAtA—father and mother; mAri’—killing; khAo—you eat; ebA—this;
kon—what kind of; dharma—religion; kon bale—on what strength; kara—
do; tumi—you; e-mata—such; vikarma—sinful activities.
TRANSLATION
“Since the bull and cow are your father and mother, how can you kill and eat
them? What kind of religious principle is this? On what strength are you so
daring that you commit such sinful activities?”
PURPORT
Everyone can understand that we drink the milk of cows and take the help of
bulls in producing agricultural products. Therefore, since our real father gives
us food grains and our mother gives us milk with which to live, the cow and
bull are considered our father and mother. According to Vedic civilization,
there are seven mothers, of which the cow is one. Therefore zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu challenged the Muslim Kazi, “What kind of religious principle do
you follow by killing your father and mother to eat them?” In any civilized
human society, no one would dare kill his father and mother for the purpose
of eating them. Therefore zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu challenged the system of
Muslim religion as patricide and matricide. In the Christian religion also, a
principal commandment is “Thou shalt not kill.” Nevertheless, Christians
violate this rule; they are very expert in killing and in opening
slaughterhouses. In our KRSNa consciousness movement, our first provision is
that no one should be allowed to eat any kind of flesh. It does not matter
whether it is cows’ flesh or goats’ flesh, but we especially stress the
prohibition against cows’ flesh because according to zAstra the cow is our
mother. Thus the Muslims’ cow-killing was challenged by zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu.
Adi 17.155
TEXT 155
kAjI kahe,——tomAra yaiche veda-purANa
taiche AmAra zAstra——ketAva ‘korANa’

kAjI kahe—the Kazi replied; tomAra—Your; yaiche—as much as; veda-
purANa—the Vedas and PurANas; taiche—similarly; AmAra—our; zAstra—
scripture; ketAva—the holy book; korANa—the Koran.
TRANSLATION
The Kazi replied, “As You have Your scriptures called the Vedas and PurANas,
we have our scripture, known as the holy Koran.
PURPORT
Chand Kazi agreed to talk with zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu on the strength of
the scriptures. According to the Vedic scripture, if one can support his position
by quoting from the Vedas, his argument is perfect. Similarly, when the
Muslims support their position with quotations from the Koran, their
arguments are also authorized. When Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu raised
the question of the Muslims’ cow-killing and bull-killing, Chand Kazi came to
the standard of understanding from his scriptures.
Adi 17.156
TEXT 156
sei zAstre kahe,——pravRtti-nivRtti-mArga-bheda
nivRtti-mArge jIva-mAtra-vadhera niSedha

sei zAstre—in the scripture (the Koran); kahe—it is ordered; pravRtti—of
attachment; nivRtti—of detachment; mArga—ways; bheda—difference;
nivRtti—of detachment; mArge—on the path; jIva-mAtra—of any living
entity; vadhera—of killing; niSedha—prohibition.
TRANSLATION
“According to the Koran, there are two ways of advancement—through
increasing the propensity to enjoy, and through decreasing the propensity to
enjoy. On the path of decreasing attachment [nivRtti-mArga], the killing of
animals is prohibited.
Adi 17.157
TEXT 157
pravRtti-mArge go-vadha karite vidhi haya
zAstra-Aj~nAya vadha kaile nAhi pApa-bhaya

pravRtti-mArge—on the path of attachment; go-vadha—the killing of cows;
karite—to execute; vidhi—regulative principles; haya—there are; zAstra-
Aj~nAya—on the order of the scripture; vadha—killing; kaile—if one commits;
nAhi—there is no; pApa-bhaya—fear of sinful activities.
TRANSLATION
“On the path of material activities, there is regulation for killing cows. If such
killing is done under the guidance of scripture, there is no sin.”
PURPORT
The word zAstra is derived from the dhAtu, or verbal root, zas. zas-dhAtu
pertains to controlling or ruling. A government’s ruling through force or
weapons is called zastra. Thus whenever there is ruling, either by weapons or
by injunctions, the zas-dhAtu is the basic principle. Between zastra (ruling
through weapons) and zAstra (ruling through the injunctions of the scriptures),
the better is zAstra. Our Vedic scriptures are not ordinary lawbooks of human
common sense; they are the statements of factually liberated persons
unaffected by the imperfectness of the senses.
zAstra must be correct always, not sometimes correct and sometimes
incorrect. In the Vedic scriptures, the cow is described as a mother. Therefore
she is a mother for all time; it is not, as some rascals say, that in the Vedic age
she was a mother but she is not in this age. If zAstra is an authority, the cow is
a mother always; she was a mother in the Vedic age, and she is a mother in
this age also.
If one acts according to the injunctions of zAstra, he is freed from the
reactions of sinful activity. For example, the propensities for eating flesh,
drinking wine and enjoying sex are all natural to the conditioned soul. The
path of such enjoyment is called pravRtti-marga. The zAstra says, pravRttir
eSAà bhUtAnAà nivRttis tu mahA-phalA: one should not be carried away by the
propensities of defective conditioned life; one should be guided by the
principles of the zAstras. A child’s propensity is to play all day long, but it is
the injunction of the zAstras that the parents should take care to educate him.
The zAstras are there just to guide the activities of human society. But because
people do not refer to the instructions of zAstras, which are free from defects
and imperfections, they are therefore misguided by so-called educated
teachers and leaders who are full of the deficiencies of conditioned life.
Adi 17.158
TEXT 158
tomAra vedete Ache go-vadhera vANI
ataeva go-vadha kare baòa baòa muni

tomAra vedete—in Your Vedic literatures; Ache—there is; go-vadhera—for
cow-killing; vANI—injunction; ataeva—therefore; go-vadha—cow-killing;
kare—does; baòa baòa—very, very great; muni—sages.
TRANSLATION
As a learned scholar, the Kazi challenged Caitanya MahAprabhu, “In Your
Vedic scriptures there is an injunction for killing a cow. On the strength of this
injunction, great sages performed sacrifices involving cow-killing.”
Adi 17.159
TEXT 159
prabhu kahe,——vede kahe go-vadha niSedha
ataeva hindu-mAtra nA kare go-vadha

prabhu kahe—the Lord replied; vede—in the Vedas; kahe—is enjoined; go-
vadha—cow-killing; niSedha—prohibition; ataeva—therefore; hindu—Hindu;
mAtra—any; nA—does not; kare—execute; go-vadha—cow-killing.
TRANSLATION
Refuting the Kazi’s statement, the Lord immediately replied, “The Vedas
clearly enjoin that cows should not be killed. Therefore every Hindu, whoever
he may be, avoids indulging in cow-killing.
PURPORT
In the Vedic scriptures there are concessions for meat-eaters. It is said that if
one wants to eat meat, he should kill a goat before the goddess KAlI and then
eat its meat. Meat-eaters are not allowed to purchase meat or flesh from a
market or slaughterhouse. There are no sanctions for maintaining regular
slaughterhouses to satisfy the tongues of meat-eaters. As far as cow-killing is
concerned, it is completely forbidden. Since the cow is considered a mother,
how could the Vedas allow cow-killing? zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu pointed out
that the Kazi’s statement was faulty. In the Bhagavad-gItA (18.44) there is a
clear injunction that cows should be protected: kRSi-gorakSya-vANijyaà
vaizya-karma svabhAva-jam. “The duty of vaizyas is to produce agricultural
products, trade and give protection to cows.” Therefore it is a false statement
that the Vedic scriptures contain injunctions permitting cow-killing.
Adi 17.160
TEXT 160
jiyAite pAre yadi, tabe mAre prANI
veda-purANe Ache hena Aj~nA-vANI

jiyAite—to rejuvenate; pAre—one is able; yadi—if; tabe—then; mAre—can
kill; prANI—living being; veda-purANe—in the Vedas and PurANas; Ache—
there are; hena—such; Aj~nA-vANI—orders and injunctions.
TRANSLATION
“In the Vedas and PurANas there are injunctions declaring that if one can
revive a living being, one can kill it for experimental purposes.
Adi 17.161
TEXT 161
ataeva jarad-gava mAre muni-gaNa
veda-mantre siddha kare tAhAra jIvana

ataeva—therefore; jarad-gava—old cows; mAre—killed; muni-gaNa—sages;
veda-mantre—by the power of Vedic hymns; siddha—rejuvenated; kare—
makes; tAhAra—his; jIvana—life.
TRANSLATION
“Therefore the great sages sometimes killed old cows, and by chanting Vedic
hymns they brought them back to life for perfection.
Adi 17.162
TEXT 162
jarad-gava ha~nA yuvA haya Ara-vAra
tAte tAra vadha nahe, haya upakAra

jarad-gava—old, invalid cows; ha~nA—becoming; yuvA—young; haya—
become; Ara-vAra—again; tAte—in that action; tAra—his; vadha—killing;
nahe—is not; haya—there is; upakAra—benefit.
TRANSLATION
“The killing and rejuvenation of such old and invalid cows was not truly killing
but an act of great benefit.
Adi 17.163
TEXT 163
kali-kAle taiche zakti nAhika brAhmaNe
ataeva go-vadha keha nA kare ekhane

kali-kAle—in the Age of Kali; taiche—such; zakti—power; nAhika—there is
none; brAhmaNe—in the brAhmaNas; ataeva—therefore; go-vadha—killing of
cows; keha—anyone; nA—does not; kare—execute; ekhane—at the present.
TRANSLATION
“Formerly there were powerful brAhmaNas who could make such experiments
using Vedic hymns, but now, because of the Kali-yuga, brAhmaNas are not so
powerful. Therefore the killing of cows and bulls for rejuvenation is forbidden.
Adi 17.164
TEXT 164
azvamedhaà gavAlambhaà
sannyAsaà pala-paitRkam
devareNa sutotpattià
kalau pa~nca vivarjayet

azva-medham—a sacrifice offering a horse; gava-Alambham—a sacrifice of
cows; sannyAsam—the renounced order of life; pala-paitRkam—an offering
of oblations of flesh to the forefathers; devareNa—by a husband’s brother;
suta-utpattim—begetting children; kalau—in the Age of Kali; pa~nca—five;
vivarjayet—one must give up.
TRANSLATION
“‘In this Age of Kali, five acts are forbidden: the offering of a horse in
sacrifice, the offering of a cow in sacrifice, the acceptance of the order of
sannyAsa, the offering of oblations of flesh to the forefathers, and a man’s
begetting children in his brother’s wife.’
PURPORT
This is a quotation from the Brahma-vaivarta PurANa (KRSNa-janma-khaNòa
185.180).
Adi 17.165
TEXT 165
tomarA jIyAite nAra,——vadha-mAtra sAra
naraka ha-ite tomAra nAhika nistAra

tomarA—you Muslims; jIyAite—bring to life; nAra—cannot; vadha-mAtra—
killing only; sAra—the essence; naraka ha-ite—from hell; tomAra—your;
nAhika—there is not; nistAra—deliverance.
TRANSLATION
“Since you Muslims cannot bring killed cows back to life, you are responsible
for killing them. Therefore you are going to hell; there is no way for your
deliverance.
Adi 17.166
TEXT 166
go-a~Nge yata loma, tata sahasra vatsara
go-vadhI raurava-madhye pace nirantara

go-a~Nge—on the body of the cow; yata—as many; loma—hairs; tata—so
many; sahasra—a thousand; vatsara—years; go-vadhI—the killer of a cow;
raurava-madhye—in a hellish condition of life; pace—decomposes;
nirantara—always.
TRANSLATION
“Cow-killers are condemned to rot in hellish life for as many thousands of
years as there are hairs on the body of the cow.
Adi 17.167
TEXT 167
tomA-sabAra zAstra-kartA——seha bhrAnta haila
nA jAni’ zAstrera marma aiche Aj~nA dila

tomA-sabAra—of all of you; zAstra-kartA—compilers of scripture; seha—they
also; bhrAnta—mistaken; haila—became; nA jAni’—without knowing; zAstrera
marma—the essence of scriptures; aiche—such; Aj~nA—order; dila—gave.
TRANSLATION
“There are many mistakes and illusions in your scriptures. Their compilers, not
knowing the essence of knowledge, gave orders that were against reason and
argument.”
Adi 17.168
TEXT 168
zuni’ stabdha haila kAjI, nAhi sphure vANI
vicAriyA kahe kAjI parAbhava mAni’

zuni’—by hearing; stabdha—stunned; haila—became; kAjI—the Kazi; nAhi—
does not; sphure—utter; vANI—words; vicAriyA—after due consideration;
kahe—said; kAjI—the Kazi; parAbhava—defeat; mAni’—accepting.
TRANSLATION
After hearing these statements by zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu, the Kazi, his
arguments stunned, could not put forward any more words. Thus, after due
consideration, the Kazi accepted defeat and spoke as follows.
PURPORT
In our practical preaching work we meet many Christians who talk about
statements of the Bible. When we question whether God is limited or
unlimited, Christian priests say that God is unlimited. But when we question
why the unlimited God should have only one son and not unlimited sons, they
are unable to answer. Similarly, from a scientific point of view, the answers of
the Old Testament, New Testament and Koran to many questions have
changed. But a zAstra cannot change at a person’s whim. All zAstras must be
free from the four defects of human nature. The statements of zAstras must be
correct for all time.
Adi 17.169
TEXT 169
tumi ye kahile, paNòita, sei satya haya
Adhunika AmAra zAstra, vicAra-saha naya

tumi—You; ye—whatever; kahile—have said; paNòita—O NimAi PaNòita;
sei—that; satya—truth; haya—is certainly; Adhunika—of modern days;
AmAra—our; zAstra—scripture; vicAra—logic; saha—with; naya—they are
not.
TRANSLATION
“My dear NimAi PaNòita, what You have said is all true. Our scriptures have
developed only recently, and they are certainly not logical and philosophical.
PURPORT
The zAstras of the yavanas, or meat-eaters, are not eternal scriptures. They
have been fashioned recently, and sometimes they contradict one another.
The scriptures of the yavanas are three: the Old Testament, the New
Testament and the Koran. Their compilation has a history; they are not eternal
like the Vedic knowledge. Therefore although they have their arguments and
reasonings, they are not very sound and transcendental. As such, modern
people advanced in science and philosophy deem these scriptures
unacceptable.
Sometimes Christian priests come to us inquiring, “Why are our followers
neglecting our scriptures and accepting yours?” But when we ask them, “Your
Bible says, ‘Do not kill.’ Why then are you killing so many animals daily?” they
cannot answer. Some of them imperfectly answer that the animals have no
souls. But then we ask them, “How do you know that animals have no souls?
Animals and children are of the same nature. Does this mean that the children
of human society also have no souls?” According to the Vedic scriptures,
within the body is the owner of the body, the soul. In the Bhagavad-gItA (2.13)
it is said:
dehino ’smin yathA dehe kaumAraà yauvanaà jarA
tathA dehAntara-prAptir dhIras tatra na muhyati
“As the embodied soul continuously passes, in this body, from boyhood to
youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. The
self-realized soul is not bewildered by such a change.”
Because the soul is within the body, the body changes through so many
forms. There is a soul within the body of every living creature, whether
animal, tree, bird or human being, and the soul is transmigrating from one
type of body to another. When the scriptures of the yavanas—namely the
Old Testament, New Testament and Koran—cannot properly answer
inquisitive followers, naturally those advanced in scientific knowledge and
philosophy lose faith in such scriptures. The Kazi admitted this while talking
with zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu. The Kazi was a very intelligent person. He had
full knowledge of his position, as stated in the following verse.
Adi 17.170
TEXT 170
kalpita AmAra zAstra,——Ami saba jAni
jAti-anurodhe tabu sei zAstra mAni

kalpita—imagined; AmAra—our; zAstra—scripture; Ami—I; saba—
everything; jAni—know; jAti—by community; anurodhe—being obliged;
tabu—still; sei—that; zAstra—scripture; mAni—I accept.
TRANSLATION
“I know that our scriptures are full of imagination and mistaken ideas, yet
because I am a Muslim I accept them for the sake of my community, despite
their insufficient support.
Adi 17.171
TEXT 171
TEXT
sahaje yavana-zAstre adRòha vicAra
hAsi’ tAhe mahAprabhu puchena Ara-vAra

sahaje—naturally; yavana-zAstre—in the scriptures of the meat-eaters;
adRòha—unsound; vicAra—judgment; hAsi’—smiling; tAhe—from him;
mahAprabhu—Caitanya MahAprabhu; puchena—inquired; Ara-vAra—again.
TRANSLATION
“The reasoning and arguments in the scriptures of the meat-eaters are not
very sound,” the Kazi concluded. Upon hearing this statement, zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu smiled and inquired from him as follows.
Adi 17.172
TEXT 172
Ara eka prazna kari, zuna, tumi mAmA
yathArtha kahibe, chale nA va~nchibe AmA’

Ara eka—one more; prazna—inquiry; kari—am putting; zuna—hear; tumi—
you; mAmA—maternal uncle; yathA-artha—as it is true; kahibe—you should
speak; chale—by tricks; na va~nchibe—you should not cheat; AmA’—Me.
TRANSLATION
“My dear maternal uncle, I wish to ask you another question. Please tell Me
the truth. Do not try to cheat Me with tricks.
Adi 17.173
TEXT 173
tomAra nagare haya sadA sa~NkIrtana
vAdya-gIta-kolAhala, sa~NgIta, nartana

tomAra nagare—in your city; haya—there is; sadA—always; sa~NkIrtana—
chanting of the holy name of the Lord; vAdya—musical sounds; gIta—song;
kolAhala—tumultuous roaring; sa~NgIta—singing; nartana—dancing.
TRANSLATION
“In your city there is always congregational chanting of the holy name. A
tumultuous uproar of music, singing and dancing is always going on.
Adi 17.174
TEXT 174
tumi kAjI——hindu-dharma-virodhe adhikArI
ebe ye nA kara mAnA bujhite nA pAri

tumi—you; kAjI—the magistrate; hindu-dharma—the religious principles of
the Hindus; virodhe—in opposing; adhikArI—have the right; ebe—now; ye—
that; nA kara mAnA—you do not forbid; bujhite—to understand; nA pAri—I
am not able.
TRANSLATION
“As a Muslim magistrate, you have the right to oppose the performance of
Hindu ceremonies, but now you do not forbid them. I cannot understand the
reason why.”
Adi 17.175
TEXT 175
kAjI bale——sabhe tomAya bale ‘gaurahari’
sei nAme Ami tomAya sambodhana kari

kAjI bale—the Kazi said; sabhe—all; tomAya—You; bale—address;
gaurahari—by the name Gaurahari; sei nAme—by that name; Ami—I;
tomAya—You; sambodhana—address; kari—do.
TRANSLATION
The Kazi said, “Everyone calls You Gaurahari. Please let me address You by
that name.
Adi 17.176
TEXT 176
zuna, gaurahari, ei praznera kAraNa
nibhRta hao yadi, tabe kari nivedana

zuna—kindly hear; gaurahari—O Gaurahari; ei praznera—of this question;
kAraNa—reason; nibhRta—solitary; hao—You become; yadi—if; tabe—then;
kari—I shall make; nivedana—submission.
TRANSLATION
“Kindly listen, O Gaurahari! If You come to a private place, I shall then explain
the reason.”
Adi 17.177
TEXT 177
prabhu bale,——e loka AmAra antara~Nga haya
sphuTa kari’ kaha tumi, nA kariha bhaya

prabhu bale—the Lord said; e loka—all these men; AmAra—My; antara~Nga—
confidential associates; haya—are; sphuTa kari’—making it clear; kaha—
speak; tumi—you; nA—do not; kariha bhaya—be afraid.
TRANSLATION
The Lord replied, “All these men are My confidential associates. You may
speak frankly. There is no reason to be afraid of them.”
Adi 17.178-179
TEXTS 178–179
kAjI kahe,——yabe Ami hindura ghare giyA
kIrtana karilu~N mAnA mRda~Nga bhA~NgiyA
sei rAtre eka siàha mahA-bhaya~Nkara
nara-deha, siàha-mukha, garjaye vistara

kAjI kahe—the Kazi replied; yabe—when; Ami—I; hindura—of a Hindu;
ghare—in the house; giyA—going there; kIrtana—chanting of the holy name;
karilu~N—made; mAnA—prohibition; mRda~Nga—the drum; bhA~NgiyA—
breaking; sei rAtre—on that night; eka—one; siàha—lion; mahA-bhaya~N-
kara—very fearful; nara-deha—having a body like a human being’s; siàha-
mukha—having a face like a lion’s; garjaye—was roaring; vistara—very
loudly.
TRANSLATION
The Kazi said, “When I went to the Hindu’s house, broke the drum and
forbade the performance of congregational chanting, in my dreams that very
night I saw a greatly fearful lion, roaring very loudly, His body like a human
being’s and His face like a lion’s.
Adi 17.180
TEXT 180
zayane AmAra upara lApha diyA caòi’
aTTa aTTa hAse, kare danta-kaòamaòi

zayane—in a sleeping condition; AmAra—me; upara—upon; lApha diyA—
jumping; caòi’—mounting; aTTa aTTa—rough and hard; hAse—laughs; kare—
does; danta—teeth; kaòamaòi—gnashing.
TRANSLATION
“While I was asleep, the lion jumped on my chest, laughing fiercely and
gnashing His teeth.
Adi 17.181
TEXT 181
mora buke nakha diyA ghora-svare bale
phAòimu tomAra buka mRda~Nga badale

mora—my; buke—on the chest; nakha—nails; diyA—placing; ghora—
roaring; svare—in a voice; bale—says; phAòimu—I shall bifurcate; tomAra—
your; buka—chest; mRda~Nga—for the drum; badale—in exchange.
TRANSLATION
“Placing its nails on my chest, the lion said in a grave voice, ‘I shall
immediately bifurcate your chest as you broke the mRda~Nga drum!
Adi 17.182
TEXT 182
mora kIrtana mAnA karis, karimu tora kSaya
A~Nkhi mudi’ kA~Npi Ami pA~nA baòa bhaya

mora—My; kIrtana—congregational chanting; mAnA karis—you are
forbidding; karimu—I shall do; tora—your; kSaya—destruction; A~Nkhi—eyes;
mudi’—closing; kA~Npi—I was trembling; Ami—I; pA~nA—getting; baòa—very
great; bhaya—fear.
TRANSLATION
“‘You have forbidden the performance of My congregational chanting.
Therefore I must destroy you!’ Being very much afraid of Him, I closed my
eyes and trembled.
Adi 17.183
TEXT 183
bhIta dekhi’ siàha bale ha-iyA sadaya
tore zikSA dite kailu tora parAjaya

bhIta dekhi’—seeing me so afraid; siàha—the lion; bale—says; ha-iyA—
becoming; sa-daya—merciful; tore—unto you; zikSA—lesson; dite—to give;
kailu—I have done; tora—your; parAjaya—defeat.
TRANSLATION
“Seeing me so afraid, the lion said, ‘I have defeated you just to teach you a
lesson, but I must be merciful to you.
Adi 17.184
TEXT 184
se dina bahuta nAhi kaili utpAta
te~ni kSamA kari’ nA karinu prANAghAta

se dina—on that day; bahuta—very much; nAhi—not; kaili—you did;
utpAta—disturbance; te~ni—therefore; kSamA kari’—forgiving; nA karinu—I
did not execute; prANa-AghAta—the taking of your life.
TRANSLATION
“‘On that day you did not create a very great disturbance. Therefore I have
excused you and not taken your life.
Adi 17.185
TEXT 185
aiche yadi punaH kara, tabe nA sahimu
savaàze tomAre mAri yavana nAzimu

aiche—similarly; yadi—if; punaH—again; kara—you do; tabe—then; nA
sahimu—I shall not tolerate; sa-vaàze—along with your family; tomAre—
you; mAri—killing; yavana—the meat-eaters; nAzimu—I shall vanquish.
TRANSLATION
“‘But if you perform such activities again, I shall not be tolerant. At that time I
shall kill you, your entire family and all the meat-eaters.’
Adi 17.186
TEXT 186
eta kahi’ siàha gela, AmAra haila bhaya
ei dekha, nakha-cihna amora hRdaya

eta—thus; kahi’—saying; siàha—the lion; gela—returned; AmAra—my;
haila—there was; bhaya—fear; ei dekha—just see this; nakha-cihna—the nail
marks; amora hRdaya—on my heart.
TRANSLATION
“After saying this, the lion left, but I was very much afraid of Him. Just see the
marks of His nails on my heart!”
Adi 17.187
TEXT 187
eta bali’ kAjI nija-buka dekhAila
zuni’ dekhi’ sarva-loka Azcarya mAnila

eta bali’—saying this; kAjI—the Kazi; nija-buka—his chest; dekhAila—
showed; zuni’—hearing; dekhi’—seeing; sarva-loka—everyone; Azcarya—
wonderful incident; mAnila—accepted.
TRANSLATION
After this description, the Kazi showed his chest. Having heard him and seen
the marks, all the people there accepted the wonderful incident.
Adi 17.188
TEXT 188
kAjI kahe,——ihA Ami kAre nA kahila
sei dina AmAra eka piyAdA Aila

kAjI kahe—the Kazi said; ihA—this; Ami—I; kAre—to others; nA kahila—did
not tell; sei dina—on that day; AmAra—my; eka—one; piyAdA—orderly;
Aila—came to see me.
TRANSLATION
The Kazi continued, “I did not speak to anyone about this incident, but on that
very day one of my orderlies came to see me.
Adi 17.189
TEXT 189
Asi’ kahe,——gelu~N mu~ni kIrtana niSedhite
agni ulkA mora mukhe lAge Acambite

Asi’—coming to me; kahe—he said; gelu~N—went; mu~ni—I; kIrtana—
congregational chanting; niSedhite—to stop; agni ulkA—flames of fire;
mora—my; mukhe—in the face; lAge—come in contact; Acambite—all of a
sudden.
TRANSLATION
“After coming to me, the orderly said, ‘When I went to stop the
congregational chanting, suddenly flames struck my face.
Adi 17.190
TEXT 190
puòila sakala dAòi, mukhe haila vraNa
yei peyAdA yAya, tAra ei vivaraNa

puòila—burned; sakala—all; dAòi—beard; mukhe—on the face; haila—there
was; vraNa—blisters; yei—any; peyAdA—orderly; yAya—goes; tAra—his;
ei—this; vivaraNa—description.
TRANSLATION
“‘My beard was burned, and there were blisters on my cheeks.’ Every orderly
who went gave the same description.
Adi 17.191
TEXT 191
tAhA dekhi’ rahinu mu~ni mahA-bhaya pA~nA
kIrtana nA varjiha, ghare raho~N ta’ vasiyA

tAhA dekhi’—seeing that; rahinu—remained; mu~ni—I; mahA-bhaya—great
fear; pA~nA—getting; kIrtana—the congregational chanting; nA—not;
varjiha—stop; ghare—at home; raho~N—remain; ta’—certainly; vasiyA—
sitting.
TRANSLATION
“After seeing this, I was very much afraid. I asked them not to stop the
congregational chanting but to go sit down at home.
Adi 17.192
TEXT 192
tabe ta’ nagare ha-ibe svacchande kIrtana
zuni’ saba mleccha Asi’ kaila nivedana

tabe ta’—thereafter; nagare—in the city; ha-ibe—there would be;
svacchande—without disturbance or anxiety; kIrtana—congregational
chanting; zuni’,—hearing this; saba—all; mleccha—meat-eaters; Asi’—
coming; kaila—submitted; nivedana—petition.
TRANSLATION
“Then all the meat-eaters, hearing that there would be unrestricted
congregational chanting in the city, came to submit a petition.
Adi 17.193
TEXT 193
nagare hindura dharma bAòila apAra
‘hari’ ‘hari’ dhvani ba-i nAhi zuni Ara

nagare—in the city; hindura—of the Hindus; dharma—religion; bAòila—has
increased; apAra—unlimitedly; hari hari—of the Lord’s name, Hari, Hari;
dhvani—the vibration; ba-i—except; nAhi—do not; zuni—we hear; Ara—
anything else.
TRANSLATION
“‘The religion of the Hindus has increased unlimitedly. There are always
vibrations of “Hari! Hari!” We do not hear anything but this.’
Adi 17.194
TEXT 194
Ara mleccha kahe,——hindu ‘kRSNa kRSNa’ bali’
hAse, kAnde, nAce, gAya, gaòi yAya dhUli

Ara—another; mleccha—meat-eater; kahe—said; hindu—Hindus; kRSNa kRSNa
bali’—saying “KRSNa, KRSNa”; hAse—laugh; kAnde—cry; nAce—dance;
gAya—chant; gaòi yAya dhUli—roll in the dust.
TRANSLATION
“One meat-eater said, ‘The Hindus say, “KRSNa, KRSNa,” and they laugh, cry,
dance, chant and fall on the ground, smearing their bodies with dirt.
Adi 17.195
TEXT 195
‘hari’ ‘hari’ kari’ hindu kare kolAhala
pAtasAha zunile tomAra karibeka phala

hari hari kari’—saying “Hari, Hari”; hindu—the Hindus; kare—make;
kolAhala—tumultuous sound; pAtasAha—the king; zunile—if hearing;
tomAra—your; karibeka—will do; phala—punishment.
TRANSLATION
“‘Vibrating “Hari, Hari,” the Hindus make a tumultuous sound. If the king
[pAtasAha] hears it, certainly he will punish you.’
PURPORT
PAtasAha refers to the king. Nawab Hussain Shah, whose full name was AlA
UddIn Saiyad Husen SA, was at that time (A.D. 1498–1521) the independent
King of Bengal. Formerly he was the servant of the cruel Nawab of the HAbsI
dynasty named MujaHphara KhAn, but somehow or other he assassinated his
master and became the King. After gaining the throne of Bengal (technically
called Masnada), he declared himself Saiyad Husen AlA UddIn Seriph MukkA.
There is a book called RiyAja Us-salAtina, whose author, GolAm Husen, says
that Nawab Hussain Shah belonged to the family of MukkA Seriph. To keep his
family’s glory, he took the name Seriph MukkA. Generally, however, he is
known as Nawab Hussain Shah. After his death, his eldest son, NasaratsA,
became King of Bengal (A.D. 1521–1533). This King also was very cruel. He
committed many atrocities against the VaiSNavas. As a result of his sinful
activities, one of his servants from the KhojA group killed him while he was
praying in the mosque.
Adi 17.196
TEXT 196
tabe sei yavanere Ami ta’ puchila
hindu ‘hari’ bale, tAra svabhAva jAnila

tabe—then; sei—that; yavanere—from the meat-eaters; Ami—I; ta’—
certainly; puchila—inquired; hindu—the Hindu; hari bale—says Hari; tara—
his; svabhAva—nature; jAnila—I know.
TRANSLATION
“I then inquired from these yavanas, ‘I know that these Hindus by nature
chant “Hari, Hari.”
Adi 17.197
TEXT 197
tumita yavana ha~nA kene anukSaNa
hindura devatAra nAma laha ki kAraNa

tumita—but you; yavana—meat-eaters; ha~nA—being; kene—why;
anukSaNa—always; hindura—of the Hindus; devatAra—of the God; nAma—
the name; laha—you take; ki—what; kAraNa—the reason.
TRANSLATION
“‘The Hindus chant the name Hari because that is the name of their God. But
you are Muslim meat-eaters. Why do you chant the name of the Hindus’
God?’
Adi 17.198
TEXT 198
mleccha kahe,——hindure Ami kari parihAsa
keha keha——kRSNadAsa, keha——rAmadAsa

mleccha—the meat-eater; kahe—says; hindure—unto a Hindu; Ami—I;
kari—do; parihAsa—joking; keha keha—some of them; kRSNadAsa—
KRSNadAsa; keha—some of them; rAmadAsa—RAmadAsa.
TRANSLATION
“The meat-eater replied, ‘Sometimes I joke with the Hindus. Some of them are
called KRSNadAsa, and some are called RAmadAsa.
Adi 17.199
TEXT 199
keha——haridAsa, sadA bale ‘hari’ ‘hari’
jAni kAra ghare dhana karibeka curi

keha—some of them; haridAsa—HaridAsa; sadA—always; bale—says; hari
hari—the name of the Lord, “Hari, Hari”; jAni—I understand; kAra—
someone’s; ghare—at home; dhana—wealth; karibeka—will do; curi—theft.
TRANSLATION
“‘Some of them are called HaridAsa. They always chant “Hari, Hari,” and thus I
thought they would steal the riches from someone’s house.
PURPORT
Another meaning of “Hari, Hari” is “I am stealing. I am stealing.”
Adi 17.200
TEXT 200
sei haite jihvA mora bale ‘hari’ ‘hari’
icchA nAhi, tabu bale,——ki upAya kari

sei haite—from that time; jihvA—tongue; mora—my; bale—says; hari hari—
the vibration “Hari, Hari”; icchA—desire; nAhi—there is none; tabu—still;
bale—says; ki—what; upAya—means; kari—I may do.
TRANSLATION
“‘Since that time, my tongue also always vibrates the sound “Hari, Hari.” I
have no desire to say it, but still my tongue says it. I do not know what to do.’
PURPORT
Sometimes demoniac nonbelievers, not understanding the potency of the holy
name, make fun of the VaiSNavas when the VaiSNavas chant the Hare KRSNa
mahA-mantra. This joking is also beneficial for such persons. zrImad-
BhAgavatam, Sixth Canto, Second Chapter, verse 14, indicates that the
chanting of the Hare KRSNa mahA-mantra, even in joking, in the course of
ordinary discussion, in indicating something extraneous, or in negligence, is
called nAmAbhAsa, which is chanting that is almost on the transcendental
stage. This nAmAbhAsa stage is better than nAmAparAdha. NAmAbhAsa
awakens the supreme remembrance of Lord ViSNu. When one remembers Lord
ViSNu, he becomes free from material enjoyment. Thus he gradually comes
forward toward the transcendental service of the Lord and becomes eligible
to chant the holy name of the Lord in the transcendental position.
Adi 17.201-202
TEXTS 201–202
Ara mleccha kahe, zuna——Ami ta’ ei-mate
hinduke parihAsa kainu se dina ha-ite
jihvA kRSNa-nAma kare, nA mAne varjana
nA jAni, ki mantrauSadhi jAne hindu-gaNa

Ara—another; mleccha—meat-eater; kahe—said; zuna—please hear; Ami—I;
ta’—certainly; ei-mate—in this way; hinduke—to a Hindu; parihAsa—joking;
kainu—did; se—that; dina—day; ha-ite—from; jihvA—the tongue; kRSNa-
nAma—the holy name of Lord KRSNa; kare—chants; nA—does not; mAne—
accept; varjana—renunciation; nA—not; jAni—I know; ki—what; mantra-
auSadhi—hymns and herbs; jAne—know; hindu-gaNa—the Hindus.
TRANSLATION
“Another meat-eater said, ‘Sir, please hear me. Since the day I joked with
some Hindus in this way, my tongue chants the Hare KRSNa hymn and cannot
give it up. I do not know what mystic hymns and herbal potions these Hindus
know.’
Adi 17.203
TEXT 203
eta zuni’ tA’-sabhAre ghare pAThAila
hena-kAle pASaNòI hindu pA~Nca-sAta Aila

eta zuni’—after hearing all this; tA’-sabhAre—all of them; ghare—back home;
pAThAila—sent; hena-kAle—at that time; pAsaNòI—nonbeliever; hindu—
Hindus; pA~Nca-sAta—five or seven; Aila—came.
TRANSLATION
“After hearing all this, I sent all the mlecchas back to their homes. Five or
seven nonbelieving Hindus then approached me.
PURPORT
The word pASaNòI refers to nonbelievers engaged in fruitive activities and to
idolatrous worshipers of many demigods. PASaNòIs do not believe in one God,
the Supreme Personality, Lord ViSNu; they think that all the demigods have
the same potency as He. The definition of a pASaNòI is given in the tantra-
zAstra:
yas tu nArAyaNaà devaà brahma-rudrAdi-daivataiH
samatvenaiva vIkSeta sa pASaNòI bhaved dhruvam
“A pASaNòI is one who considers the great demigods such as Lord BrahmA and
Lord ziva equal to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, NArAyaNa.” (Hari-
bhakti-vilAsa, 1.17)
The Supreme Personality of Godhead is asamaurdhva; in other words, no one
can be equal to or greater than Him. But pASaNòIs do not believe this. They
worship any kind of demigod, thinking it all right to accept whomever they
please as the Supreme Lord. The pASaNòIs were against the Hare KRSNa
movement of Lord zrI KRSNa Caitanya MahAprabhu, and now we see
practically that they also do not like our humble attempts to spread KRSNa
consciousness all over the world. On the contrary, these pASaNòIs say that we
are spoiling the Hindu religion because people all over the world are accepting
Lord KRSNa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead according to the version
of Bhagavad-gItA As It Is. The pASaNòIs condemn this movement, and
sometimes they accuse VaiSNavas from foreign countries of being not bona
fide. Even so-called VaiSNavas—pseudo followers of the VaiSNava cult—do
not agree with our activities in making VaiSNavas in the Western countries.
Such pASaNòIs existed even during the time of Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu,
and they continue to exist. Despite all the activities of these pASaNòIs,
however, the prediction of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu will triumph: pRthivIte
Ache yata nagarAdi grAma/ sarvatra pracAra haibe mora nAma. “In every town
and village, the chanting of My name will be heard.” No one can check the
spread of the KRSNa consciousness movement because upon this movement is
the benediction of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Caitanya
MahAprabhu.
Adi 17.204
TEXT 204
Asi’ kahe,——hindura dharma bhA~Ngila nimAi
ye kIrtana pravartAila, kabhu zuni nAi

Asi’—coming there; kahe—they said; hindura—of the Hindus; dharma—
religious principles; bhA~Ngila—has broken; nimAi—NimAi PaNòita; ye—that;
kIrtana—congregational chanting; pravartAila—has introduced; kabhu—at
any time; zuni—we heard; nAi—never.
TRANSLATION
“Coming to me, the Hindus complained, ‘NimAi PaNòita has broken the Hindu
religious principles. He has introduced the sa~NkIrtana system, which we never
heard from any scripture.
Adi 17.205
TEXT 205
ma~NgalacaNòI viSahari kari’ jAgaraNa
tA’te vAdya, nRtya, gIta,——yogya AcaraNa

ma~Ngala-caNòI—of the religious performance for worship of Ma~NgalacaNòI;
viSahari—of the religious performance for worship of ViSahari; kari’—
observing; jAgaraNa—night vigil; tA’te—in that ceremony; vAdya—musical
performance; nRtya—dancing; gIta—chanting; yogya—suitable; AcaraNa—
custom.
TRANSLATION
“‘When we keep a night-long vigil to observe religious performances for the
worship of Ma~NgalacaNòI and ViSahari, playing on musical instruments,
dancing and chanting are certainly fitting customs.
Adi 17.206
TEXT 206
pUrve bhAla chila ei nimAi paNòita
gayA haite AsiyA cAlAya viparIta

pUrve—before this; bhAla—very good; chila—was; ei—this; nimAi paNòita—
NimAi PaNòita; gayA—GayA (a place of pilgrimage); haite—from; AsiyA—
coming; cAlAya—conducts; viparIta—just the opposite.
TRANSLATION
“‘NimAi PaNòita was previously a very good boy, but since He has returned
from GayA He conducts Himself differently.
Adi 17.207
TEXT 207
ucca kari’ gAya gIta, deya karatAli
mRda~Nga-karatAla-zabde karNe lAge tAli

ucca—loud; kari’—making; gAya—sings; gIta—songs; deya—practices;
karatAli—clapping; mRda~Nga—mRda~Nga drum; karatAla—hand cymbals;
zabde—by sounds; karNe—in the ear; lAge—there is; tAli—blocking.
TRANSLATION
“‘Now He loudly sings all kinds of songs, claps, and plays drums and hand
cymbals, making a tumultuous sound that deafens our ears.
Adi 17.208
TEXT 208
nA jAni,——ki khA~nA matta ha~nA nAce, gAya
hAse, kAnde, paòe, uThe, gaòAgaòi yAya

nA jAni—we do not know; ki—what; khA~nA—eating; matta—mad; ha~nA—
becoming; nAce—He dances; gAya—chants; hAse—laughs; kAnde—cries;
paòe—falls down; uThe—gets up; gaòAgaòi yAya—goes rolling on the
ground.
TRANSLATION
“‘We do not know what He eats that makes Him become mad, dancing,
singing, sometimes laughing, crying, falling down, jumping up and rolling on
the ground.
Adi 17.209
TEXT 209
nagariyAke pAgala kaila sadA sa~NkIrtana
rAtre nidrA nAhi yAi, kari jAgaraNa

nagariyAke—all the citizens; pAgala—mad; kaila—He has made; sadA—
always; sa~NkIrtana—congregational chanting; rAtre—at night; nidrA—sleep;
nAhi yAi—we do not get; kari—observe; jAgaraNa—wakefulness.
TRANSLATION
“‘He has made all the people practically mad by always performing
congregational chanting. At night we cannot get any sleep; we are always
kept awake.
Adi 17.210
TEXT 210
‘nimA~ni’ nAma chAòi’ ebe bolAya ‘gaurahari’
hindura dharma naSTa kaila pASaNòa sa~ncAri’

nimA~ni—NimAi; nAma—the name; chAòi’—giving up; ebe—now; bolAya—
calls; gaurahari—Gaurahari; hindura—of the Hindus; dharma—the religious
principles; naSTa kaila—spoiled; pASaNòa—irreligion; sa~ncAri’—introducing.
TRANSLATION
“‘Now He has given up His own name NimAi and introduced Himself by the
name Gaurahari. He has spoiled the Hindu religious principles and introduced
the irreligion of nonbelievers.
Adi 17.211
TEXT 211
kRSNera kIrtana kare nIca bAòa bAòa
ei pApe navadvIpa ha-ibe ujAòa

kRSNera—of Lord KRSNa; kIrtana—chanting; kare—does; nIca—lower class;
bAòa bAòa—again and again; ei pApe—by this sin; navadvIpa—the whole
city of NavadvIpa; ha-ibe—will become; ujAòa—deserted.
TRANSLATION
“‘Now the lower classes are chanting the Hare KRSNa mahA-mantra again and
again. For this sinful activity, the entire city of NavadvIpa will become
deserted.
Adi 17.212
TEXT 212
hindu-zAstre ‘Izvara’ nAma——mahA-mantra jAni
sarva-loka zunile mantrera vIrya haya hAni

hindu-zAstre—in the scriptures of the Hindus; Izvara—God; nAma—the holy
name; mahA-mantra—topmost hymn; jAni—we know; sarva-loka—
everyone; zunile—if they hear; mantrera—of the mantra; vIrya—potency;
haya—becomes; hAni—finished.
TRANSLATION
“‘According to Hindu scripture, God’s name is the most powerful hymn. If
everyone hears the chanting of the name, the potency of the hymn will be
lost.
PURPORT
In the list of offenses in the chanting of the holy name of the Lord, it is said,
dharma-vrata-tyAga-hutAdi-sarva-zubha-kriyA-sAmyam api pramAdaH: to
consider the chanting of the holy name of the Lord equal to the execution of
some auspicious religious ceremony is an offense. According to the
materialistic point of view, observing a religious ceremony invokes an
auspicious atmosphere for the material benefit of the entire world. Materialists
therefore manufacture religious principles to live comfortably and without
disturbance in executing their material activities. Since they do not believe in
the existence of God, they have manufactured the idea that God is
impersonal and that to have some conception of God one may imagine any
form. Thus they respect the many forms of the demigods as different
representations or manifestations of the Lord. They are called bahv-Izvara-
vAdIs, or followers of thousands and thousands of gods. They consider the
chanting of the names of the demigods an auspicious activity. Great so-called
svAmIs have written books saying that one may chant any name—DurgA,
KAlI, ziva, KRSNa, RAma, and so on—because any name is all right for invoking
an auspicious atmosphere in society. Thus they are called pASaNòIs—
unbelievers or faithless demons.
Such pASaNòIs do not know the actual value of the chanting of the holy name
of Lord KRSNa. Foolishly proud of their material birth as brAhmaNas and their
consequently higher position in the social order, they think of the other
classes—namely the kSatriyas, vaizyas and zUdras—as lower classes.
According to them, no one but the brAhmaNas can chant the holy name of
KRSNa, for if others chanted the holy name, its potency would be reduced.
They are unaware of the potency of Lord KRSNa’s name. The BRhan-nAradIya
PurANa recommends:
harer nAma harer nAma harer nAmaiva kevalam
kalau nAsty eva nAsty eva nAsty eva gatir anyathA
[Adi 17.21]
“For spiritual progress in this Age of Kali, there is no alternative, no
alternative, no alternative to the holy name, the holy name, the holy name of
the Lord.” The pASaNòIs do not accept that the potency of the holy name of
KRSNa is so great that one can be delivered simply by chanting the holy name,
although this is confirmed in zrImad-BhAgavatam (12.3.51): kIrtanAd eva
kRSNasya mukta-sa~NgaH paraà vrajet. Any man from any part of the world
who practices chanting of the holy name of KRSNa can be liberated and after
death go back home, back to Godhead. The rascal pASaNòIs think that if
anyone but a brAhmaNa chants the holy name, the potency of the holy name
is vanquished. According to their judgment, instead of delivering the fallen
souls, the potency of the holy name is reduced. Believing in the existence of
many gods and considering the chanting of the holy name of KRSNa no better
than other hymns, these pASaNòIs do not believe in the words of the zAstra
(harer nAma harer nAma harer nAmaiva kevalam). But zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu confirms in His zikSASTaka, kIrtanIyaH sadA hariH: [Cc. adi 17.31]
one must chant the holy name of the Lord always, twenty-four hours a day.
The pASaNòIs, however, are so fallen and falsely proud of having taken birth in
brAhmaNa families that they think that instead of delivering all the fallen souls,
the holy name becomes impotent when constantly chanted by lower-class
men.
Significant in verse 211 are the words kRSNera kIrtana kare nIca bAòa bAòa,
indicating that anyone can join in the sa~NkIrtana movement. This is confirmed
in zrImad-BhAgavatam (2.4.18): kirAta-hUNAndhra-pulinda-pulkazA AbhIra-
zumbhA yavanAH khasAdayaH. This is a list of the names of caNòAlas. The
pASaNòIs say that when these lower-class men are allowed to chant, their
influence is enhanced. They do not like the idea that others should also
develop spiritual qualities, because this would curb their false pride in having
taken birth in families of the elevated brAhmaNa caste, with a monopoly on
spiritual activities. But despite all protests from so-called Hindus and members
of the brAhmaNa caste, we are propagating the KRSNa consciousness
movement all over the world, according to the injunctions of the zAstras and
the order of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu. Thus we are sure that we are delivering
many fallen souls, making them bona fide candidates for going back home,
back to Godhead.
Adi 17.213
TEXT 213
grAmera ThAkura tumi, saba tomAra jana
nimAi bolAiyA tAre karaha varjana

grAmera—of this town; ThAkura—the ruler; tumi—you; saba—all; tomAra—
your; jana—people; nimAi—NimAi PaNòita; bolAiyA—calling; tAre—unto Him;
karaha—do; varjana—the punishment of making Him leave the town.
TRANSLATION
“‘Sir, you are the ruler of this town. Whether Hindu or Muslim, everyone is
under your protection. Therefore please call NimAi PaNòita and make Him
leave the town.’
PURPORT
The word ThAkura has two meanings. One meaning is “God” or “a godly
person,” and another meaning is kSatriya. Here the pASaNòI brAhmaNas
address the Kazi as ThAkura, considering him the ruler of the town. There are
different names by which to address the members of different castes. The
brAhmaNas are addressed as mahArAja, the kSatriyas as ThAkura, the vaizyas as
zetha or mahAjana, and the zUdras as caudhurI. This etiquette is still followed
in northern India, where the kSatriyas are addressed as ThAkura SAhab. The
pAsaNòIs went so far as to request the magistrate, or Kazi, to have zrI
Caitanya MahAprabhu expelled from the town because of His introducing
hari-nAma-sa~NkIrtana. Fortunately our Hare KRSNa movement all over the
world, especially in the civilized world of Europe and America, has become
very popular. Generally no one complains against us to have us removed from
a city. Although such an attempt was indeed made in Melbourne, Australia,
the attempt failed. Thus we are now introducing this Hare KRSNa movement in
great cities of the world like New York, London, Paris, Tokyo, Sydney,
Melbourne and Auckland, and by the grace of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu
everything is going on nicely. People are happy to accept the principle of
chanting the Hare KRSNa mantra, and the result is most satisfactory.
Adi 17.214
TEXT 214
tabe Ami prIti-vAkya kahila sabAre
sabe ghare yAha, Ami niSedhiba tAre

tabe—thereafter; Ami—I; prIti-vAkya—sweet words; kahila—said; sabAre—
unto all of them; sabe—all of you; ghare—back home; yAha—go; Ami—I;
niSedhiba—shall prohibit; tAre—Him (NimAi PaNòita).
TRANSLATION
“After hearing their complaints, in sweet words I told them, ‘Please go back
home. I shall certainly prohibit NimAi PaNòita from continuing His Hare KRSNa
movement.’
Adi 17.215
TEXT 215
hindura Izvara baòa yei nArAyaNa
sei tumi hao,——hena laya mora mana

hindura—of the Hindus; Izvara—God; baòa—the topmost; yei—who;
nArAyaNa—Lord NArAyaNa; sei—He; tumi—You; hao—are; hena—such;
laya—takes; mora—my; mana—mind.
TRANSLATION
“I know that NArAyaNa is the Supreme God of the Hindus, and I think that You
are the same NArAyaNa. This I feel within my mind.”
Adi 17.216
TEXT 216
eta zuni’ mahAprabhu hAsiyA hAsiyA
kahite lAgilA kichu kAjire chu~NiyA

eta—this; zuni’—hearing; mahAprabhu—zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu; hAsiyA
hAsiya—smiling; kahite—to speak; lAgilA—began; kichu—something;
kAjire—unto the Kazi; chu~NiyA—touching.
TRANSLATION
After hearing the Kazi speak so nicely, zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu touched him
and smilingly spoke as follows.
Adi 17.217
TEXT 217
tomAra mukhe kRSNa-nAma,——e baòa vicitra
pApa-kSaya gela, hailA parama pavitra

tomAra mukhe—in your mouth; kRSNa-nAma—chanting of the holy name of
KRSNa; e—this; baòa—very; vicitra—wonderful; pApa-kSaya—nullifying of
sinful activities; gela—has become a fact; hailA—have become; parama—
topmost; pavitra—purified.
TRANSLATION
“The chanting of the holy name of KRSNa from your mouth has performed a
wonder—it has nullified the reactions of all your sinful activities. Now you
have become supremely pure.
PURPORT
Confirming the potency of the sa~NkIrtana movement, these words from the
very mouth of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu express how people can be purified
simply by chanting the holy name of Lord KRSNa. The Kazi was a Muslim
mleccha, or meat-eater, but because he several times uttered the holy name
of Lord KRSNa, automatically the reactions of his sinful life were vanquished
and he was fully purified of all material contamination. We do not know why
the pASaNòIs of the present day protest that we are deteriorating the Hindu
religion by spreading KRSNa consciousness all over the world and claiming all
classes of men to the highest standard of VaiSNavism. But these rascals
disagree with us so vehemently that some of them do not allow European and
American VaiSNavas to enter the temples of ViSNu. Thinking religion to be
meant for material benefit, these so-called Hindus have actually become
vicious by worshiping the numerous forms of the demigods. In the next verse
zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu confirms the Kazi’s purification.
Adi 17.218
TEXT 218
‘hari’ ‘kRSNa’ ‘nArAyaNa’——laile tina nAma
baòa bhAgyavAn tumi, baòa puNyavAn

hari kRSNa nArAyaNa—the holy names of Lord Hari, Lord KRSNa and Lord
NArAyaNa; laile—you have taken; tina—three; nAma—holy names; baòa—
very; bhAgyavAn—fortunate; tumi—you are; baòa—very; puNyavAn—pious.
TRANSLATION
“Because you have chanted three holy names of the Lord—Hari, KRSNa and
NArAyaNa—you are undoubtedly the most fortunate and pious.”
PURPORT
Here the Supreme Lord, zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu, confirms that anyone who
chants the holy names Hari, KRSNa and NArAyaNa without offense is certainly
extremely fortunate, and whether Indian or non-Indian, Hindu or non-Hindu,
he immediately comes to the level of the most pious personality. We
therefore do not care about the statements of pASaNòIs who protest against
our movement’s making the members of other cities or countries into
VaiSNavas. We have to follow in the footsteps of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu,
executing our mission peacefully, or, if necessary, kicking the heads of such
protesters.
Adi 17.219
TEXT 219
eta zuni’ kAjIra dui cakSe paòe pAni
prabhura caraNa chu~Ni’ bale priya-vANI

eta—this; zuni’—hearing; kAjIra—of the Kazi; dui—two; cakSe—in the eyes;
paòe—flow down; pAni—tears; prabhura—of the Lord; caraNa—lotus feet;
chu~Ni’—touching; bale—says; priya-vANI—pleasing words.
TRANSLATION
After the Kazi heard this, tears flowed down from his eyes. He immediately
touched the lotus feet of the Lord and spoke the following sweet words.
Adi 17.220
TEXT 220
tomAra prasAde mora ghucila kumati
ei kRpA kara,——yena tomAte rahu bhakti

tomAra prasAde—by Your mercy; mora—my; ghucila—have gone away;
kumati—bad intentions; ei—this; kRpA—mercy; kara—please do unto me;
yena—so that; tomAte—in You; rahu—may stay; bhakti—devotion.
TRANSLATION
“Only by Your mercy have my bad intentions vanished. Kindly favor me so
that my devotion may always be fixed upon You.”
Adi 17.221
TEXT 221
prabhu kahe,——eka dAna mAgiye tomAya
sa~NkIrtana vAda yaiche nahe nadIyAya

prabhu kahe—the Lord said; eka—one; dAna—charity; mAgiye—I beg;
tomAya—from you; sa~NkIrtana—chanting of the Hare KRSNa mantra; vAda—
opposition; yaiche—as it may be; nahe—not be; nadIyAya—in the district of
Nadia.
TRANSLATION
The Lord said, “I wish to beg you for one favor in charity. You must pledge
that this sa~NkIrtana movement will not be checked, at least in the district of
Nadia.”
Adi 17.222
TEXT 222
kAjI kahe,——mora vaàze yata upajibe
tAhAke ‘tAlAka’ diba,——kIrtana nA bAdhibe

kAjI kahe—the Kazi said; mora—my; vaàze—in the dynasty; yata—all
(descendants); upajibe—who will take birth; tAhAke—unto them; tAlAka—
grave admonition; diba—I shall give; kIrtana—the sa~NkIrtana movement;
nA—never; bAdhibe—they will oppose.
TRANSLATION
The Kazi said, “To as many descendants as take birth in my dynasty in the
future, I give this grave admonition: No one should check the sa~NkIrtana
movement.”
PURPORT
As a result of this grave injunction by the Kazi, even at present the
descendants of the Kazi’s family do not oppose the sa~NkIrtana movement
under any circumstances. Even during the great Hindu-Muslim riots in
neighboring places, the descendants of the Kazi honestly preserved the
assurance given by their forefather.
Adi 17.223
TEXT 223
zuni’ prabhu ‘hari’ bali’ uThilA Apani
uThila vaiSNava saba kari’ hari-dhvani

zuni’—hearing; prabhu—the Lord; hari—the holy name of the Lord; bali’—
chanting; uThilA—got up; Apani—personally; uThila—got up; vaiSNava—other
devotees; saba—all; kari’—making; hari-dhvani—vibration of the holy name,
“Hari Hari.”
TRANSLATION
Hearing this, the Lord got up, chanting “Hari! Hari!” Following Him, all the
other VaiSNavas also got up, chanting the vibration of the holy name.
Adi 17.224
TEXT 224
kIrtana karite prabhu karilA gamana
sa~Nge cali’ Aise kAjI ullasita mana

kIrtana—chanting; karite—to perform; prabhu—the Lord; karilA—made;
gamana—departure; sa~Nge—accompanying Him; cali’—walking; Aise—
comes; kAjI—the Kazi; ullasita—jubilant; mana—mind.
TRANSLATION
zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu went back to perform kIrtana, and the Kazi, his mind
jubilant, went with Him.
Adi 17.225
TEXT 225
kAjIre vidAya dila zacIra nandana
nAcite nAcite AilA Apana bhavana

kAjIre—unto the Kazi; vidAya—farewell; dila—gave; zacIra—of mother zacI;
nandana—the son; nAcite nAcite—dancing and dancing; AilA—came back;
Apana—own; bhavana—house.
TRANSLATION
The Lord asked the Kazi to go back home. Then the son of mother zacI came
back to His own home, dancing and dancing.
Adi 17.226
TEXT 226
ei mate kAjIre prabhu karilA prasAda
ihA yei zune tAra khaNòe aparAdha

ei mate—in this way; kAjIre—unto the Kazi; prabhu—the Lord; karilA—did;
prasAda—mercy; ihA—this; yei—anyone who; zune—hears; tAra—his;
khaNòe—vanquishes; aparAdha—offenses.
TRANSLATION
This is the incident concerning the Kazi and the Lord’s mercy upon him.
Anyone who hears this is also freed from all offenses.
Adi 17.227
TEXT 227
eka dina zrIvAsera mandire gosA~ni
nityAnanda-sa~Nge nRtya kare dui bhAi

eka dina—one day; zrIvAsera—of zrIvAsa ThAkura; mandire—in the house;
gosA~ni—Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu; nityAnanda—Lord NityAnanda; sa~Nge—
accompanied by; nRtya—dancing; kare—performed; dui—two; bhAi—
brothers.
TRANSLATION
One day the two brothers Lord NityAnanda Prabhu and zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu were dancing in the holy house of zrIvAsa ThAkura.
Adi 17.228
TEXT 228
zrIvAsa-putrera tAhA~N haila paraloka
tabu zrIvAsera citte nA janmila zoka

zrIvAsa—of zrIvAsa ThAkura; putrera—of the son; tAhA~N—there; haila—took
place; paraloka—death; tabu—still; zrIvAsera—of zrIvAsa ThAkura; citte—in
the mind; nA—not; janmila—there was; zoka—lamentation.
TRANSLATION
At that time a calamity took place—zrIvAsa ThAkura’s son died. Yet zrIvAsa
ThAkura was not at all sorry.
Adi 17.229
TEXT 229
mRta-putra-mukhe kaila j~nAnera kathana
Apane dui bhAi hailA zrIvAsa-nandana

mRta-putra—of the dead son; mukhe—in the mouth; kaila—did; j~nAnera—of
knowledge; kathana—conversation; Apane—personally; dui—the two;
bhAi—brothers; hailA—became; zrIvAsa-nandana—sons of zrIvAsa ThAkura.
TRANSLATION
zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu caused the dead son to speak about knowledge, and
then the two brothers personally became the sons of zrIvAsa ThAkura.
PURPORT
This incident is described as follows by zrIla Bhaktivinoda ThAkura in his
AmRta-pravAha-bhASya. One night while zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu was
dancing with His devotees at the house of zrIvAsa ThAkura, one of zrIvAsa
ThAkura’s sons, who was suffering from some disease, died. zrIvAsa ThAkura
was so patient, however, that he did not allow anyone to express sorrow by
crying, for he did not want the kIrtana going on at his house to be disturbed.
Thus kIrtana continued without a sound of lamentation. But when the kIrtana
was over, Caitanya MahAprabhu, who could understand the incident,
declared, “There must have been some calamity in this house.” When He was
then informed about the death of zrIvAsa ThAkura’s son, He expressed His
regret, saying, “Why was this news not given to Me before?” He went to the
place where the son was lying dead and asked him, “My dear boy, why are
you leaving the house of zrIvAsa ThAkura?” The dead son immediately replied,
“I was living in this house as long as I was destined to live here. Now that the
time is over, I am going elsewhere, according to Your direction. I am Your
eternal servant, a dependent living being. I must act only according to Your
desire. Beyond Your desire, I cannot do anything. I have no such power.”
Hearing these words of the dead son, all the members of zrIvAsa ThAkura’s
family received transcendental knowledge. Thus there was no cause for
lamentation. This transcendental knowledge is described in the Bhagavad-gItA
(2.13): tathA dehAntara-prAptir dhIras tatra na muhyati. When someone dies,
he accepts another body; therefore sober persons do not lament. After the
discourse between the dead boy and zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu, funeral
ceremonies were performed, and Lord Caitanya assured zrIvAsa ThAkura, “You
have lost one son, but NityAnanda Prabhu and I are your eternal sons. We shall
never be able to give up your company.” This is an instance of a
transcendental relationship with KRSNa. We have eternal transcendental
relationships with KRSNa as His servants, friends, fathers, sons or conjugal
lovers. When the same relationships are pervertedly reflected in this material
world, we have relationships as the sons, fathers, friends, lovers, masters or
servants of others, but all these relationships are subject to termination within
a definite period. If we revive our relationship with KRSNa, however, by the
grace of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu our eternal relationship will never break to
cause our lamentation.
Adi 17.230
TEXT 230
TEXT
tabe ta’ karilA saba bhakte vara dAna
ucchiSTa diyA nArAyaNIra karila sammAna

tabe—thereafter; ta’—certainly; karilA—did; saba bhakte—unto all devotees;
vara—benediction; dAna—charity; ucchiSTa—food remnants; diyA—giving;
nArAyaNIra—of NArAyaNI; karila—did; sammAna—respect.
TRANSLATION
Thereafter the Lord charitably bestowed His benediction upon all His
devotees. He gave the remnants of His food to NArAyaNI, showing her special
respect.
PURPORT
NArAyaNI was a niece of zrIvAsa ThAkura, and later she became the mother of
zrIla VRndAvana dAsa ThAkura. In this connection the sahajiyAs cite a malicious
story that after eating the remnants of Lord Caitanya’s food NArAyaNI became
pregnant and gave birth to VRndAvana dAsa ThAkura. The rascal sahajiyAs may
manufacture such false statements, but no one should believe them because
they are motivated by enmity against the VaiSNavas.
Adi 17.231
TEXT 231
zrIvAsera vastra si~Nye darajI yavana
prabhu tAre nija-rUpa karAila darzana

zrIvAsera—of zrIvAsa ThAkura; vastra—cloth; si~Nye—sewing; darajI—tailor;
yavana—meat-eater; prabhu—the Lord; tAre—unto him; nija-rUpa—His own
form; karAila—caused; darzana—vision.
TRANSLATION
There was a tailor who was a meat-eater but was sewing garments for
zrIvAsa ThAkura. The Lord, being merciful to him, showed him His own form.
Adi 17.232
TEXT 232
‘dekhinu’ ‘dekhinu’ bali’ ha-ila pAgala
preme nRtya kare, haila vaiSNava Agala

dekhinu—I have seen; dekhinu—I have seen; bali’—saying; ha-ila—became;
pAgala—mad; preme—in the ecstasy of love; nRtya—dancing; kare—does;
haila—became; vaiSNava—devotee; Agala—first class.
TRANSLATION
Saying “I have seen! I have seen!” and dancing in ecstatic love as though
mad, he became a first-class VaiSNava.
PURPORT
There was a Muslim tailor near the house of zrIvAsa ThAkura who used to sew
the garments of the family. One day he was very pleased with the dancing of
zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu; indeed, he was enchanted. The Lord, understanding
his attitude, showed him His original form as KRSNa. The tailor then began to
dance, saying, “I have seen! I have seen!” He became absorbed in ecstatic
love and began to dance with Lord Caitanya. Thus he became one of the
foremost VaiSNava adherents of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu.
Adi 17.233
TEXT 233
Avezete zrIvAse prabhu vaàzI ta’ mAgila
zrIvAsa kahe,——vaàzI tomAra gopI hari’ nila

Avezete—in ecstasy; zrIvAse—unto zrIvAsa; prabhu—the Lord; vaàzI—a
flute; ta’—certainly; mAgila—asked; zrIvAsa—zrIvAsa ThAkura; kahe—
replied; vaàzI—flute; tomAra—Your; gopI—the gopIs; hari—stealing; nila—
took away.
TRANSLATION
In ecstasy the Lord asked zrIvAsa ThAkura to deliver His flute, but zrIvAsa
ThAkura replied, “Your flute has been stolen away by the gopIs.”
Adi 17.234
TEXT 234
zuni’ prabhu ‘bala’ ‘bala’ balena Aveze
zrIvAsa varNena vRndAvana-lIlA-rase

zuni’—hearing; prabhu—the Lord; bala bala—go on speaking, go on
speaking; balena—He says; Aveze—in ecstasy; zrIvAsa—zrIvAsa ThAkura;
varNena—describes; vRndAvana—of VRndAvana; lIlA-rase—the transcendental
mellows of the pastimes.
TRANSLATION
Hearing this reply, the Lord said in ecstasy, “Go on talking! Go on talking!”
Thus zrIvAsa described the transcendental mellows of the pastimes of zrI
VRndAvana.
Adi 17.235
TEXT 235
prathamete vRndAvana-mAdhurya varNila
zuniyA prabhura citte Ananda bAòila

prathamete—in the beginning; vRndAvana-mAdhurya—sweet pastimes of
VRndAvana; varNila—described; zuniyA—hearing; prabhura—of the Lord;
citte—in the heart; Ananda—jubilation; bAòila—increased.
TRANSLATION
In the beginning zrIvAsa ThAkura described the transcendental sweetness of
VRndAvana’s pastimes. Hearing this, the Lord felt great and increasing
jubilation in His heart.
Adi 17.236
TEXT 236
tabe ‘bala’ ‘bala’ prabhu bale vAra-vAra
punaH punaH kahe zrIvAsa kariyA vistAra

tabe—thereafter; bala bala—go on speaking, go on speaking; prabhu—the
Lord; bale—says; vAra-vAra—again, again; punaH punaH—again, again;
kahe—speaks; zrIvAsa—zrIvAsa ThAkura; kariyA—making; vistAra—
expansion.
TRANSLATION
Thereafter the Lord again and again asked him, “Speak on! Speak on!” Thus
zrIvAsa again and again described the pastimes of VRndAvana, vividly
expanding them.
Adi 17.237
TEXT 237
vaàzI-vAdye gopI-gaNera vane AkarSaNa
tA~N-sabAra sa~Nge yaiche vana-viharaNa

vaàzI-vAdye—on hearing the sound of the flute; gopI-gaNera—of all the
gopIs; vane—in the forest; AkarSaNa—the attraction; tA~N-sabAra—of all of
them; sa~Nge—in the company; yaiche—in what way; vana—in the forest;
viharaNa—wandering.
TRANSLATION
zrIvAsa ThAkura extensively explained how the gopIs were attracted to the
forests of VRndAvana by the vibration of KRSNa’s flute and how they wandered
together in the forest.
Adi 17.238
TEXT 238
tAhi madhye chaya-Rtu lIlAra varNana
madhu-pAna, rAsotsava, jala-keli kathana

tAhi madhye—during that; chaya-Rtu—the six seasons; lIlAra—of the
pastimes; varNana—description; madhu-pAna—drinking of the honey; rAsa-
utsava—dancing the rAsa-lIlA; jala-keli—swimming in the YamunA;
kathana—narrations.
TRANSLATION
zrIvAsa PaNòita narrated all the pastimes enacted during the six changing
seasons. He described the drinking of honey, the celebration of the rAsa
dance, the swimming in the YamunA and other such incidents.
Adi 17.239
TEXT 239
‘bala’ ‘bala’ bale prabhu zunite ullAsa
zrIvAsa kahena tabe rAsa rasera vilAsa

bala bala—go on speaking, go on speaking; bale—says; prabhu—the Lord;
zunite—hearing; ullAsa—very jubilantly; zrIvAsa—zrIvAsa ThAkura; kahena—
says; tabe—then; rAsa—rAsa dance; rasera—filled with transcendental
humors; vilAsa—pastimes.
TRANSLATION
When the Lord, hearing with great pleasure, said, “Go on speaking! Go on
speaking!” zrIvAsa ThAkura described the rAsa-lIlA dance, which is filled with
transcendental mellows.
Adi 17.240
TEXT 240
kahite, zunite aiche prAtaH-kAla haila
prabhu zrIvAsere toSi’ Ali~Ngana kaila

kahite—speaking; zunite—hearing; aiche—in that way; prAtaH-kAla—
morning; haila—appeared; prabhu—Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu;
zrIvAsere—unto zrIvAsa ThAkura; toSi’—satisfying; Ali~Ngana—embracing;
kaila—did.
TRANSLATION
As the Lord thus requested and zrIvAsa ThAkura spoke, the morning appeared,
and the Lord embraced zrIvAsa ThAkura and satisfied him.
Adi 17.241
TEXT 241
tabe AcAryera ghare kaila kRSNa-lIlA
rukmiNI-svarUpa prabhu Apane ha-ilA

tabe—thereafter; AcAryera—of zrI Candrazekhara AcArya; ghare—in the
house; kaila—performed; kRSNa-lIlA—pastimes of Lord KRSNa; rukmiNI—of
RukmiNI; svarUpa—form; prabhu—the Lord; Apane—personally; ha-ilA—
became.
TRANSLATION
Thereafter a dramatization of KRSNa’s pastimes was performed in the house of
zrI Candrazekhara AcArya. The Lord personally took the part of RukmiNI, the
foremost of KRSNa’s queens.
Adi 17.242
TEXT 242
kabhu durgA, lakSmI haya, kabhu vA cic-chakti
khATe vasi’ bhakta-gaNe dilA prema-bhakti

kabhu—sometimes; durgA—the part of Goddess DurgA; lakSmI—the goddess
of fortune; haya—is; kabhu—sometimes; vA—or; cit-zakti—the spiritual
potency; khATe—on a cot; vasi’—sitting; bhakta-gaNe—unto the devotees;
dilA—gave; prema-bhakti—love of Godhead.
TRANSLATION
The Lord sometimes took the part of Goddess DurgA, LakSmI [the goddess of
fortune] or the chief potency, YogamAyA. Sitting on a cot, He delivered love
of Godhead to all the devotees present.
Adi 17.243
TEXT 243
eka-dina mahAprabhura nRtya-avasAne
eka brAhmaNI Asi’ dharila caraNe

eka-dina—one day; mahAprabhura—of Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu; nRtya-
avasAne—at the end of the dancing; eka—one; brAhmaNI—wife of a
brAhmaNa; Asi’—coming; dharila—caught hold; caraNe—of His lotus feet.
TRANSLATION
One day when zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu had finished His dancing, a woman,
the wife of a brAhmaNa, came there and caught hold of His lotus feet.
Adi 17.244
TEXT 244
caraNera dhUli sei laya vAra vAra
dekhiyA prabhura duHkha ha-ila apAra

caraNera—of His lotus feet; dhUli—the dust; sei—that woman; laya—takes;
vAra vAra—again and again; dekhiyA—seeing this; prabhura—of the Lord;
duHkha—unhappiness; ha-ila—there was; apAra—unlimited.
TRANSLATION
As she took the dust of His lotus feet again and again, the Lord became
unlimitedly unhappy.
PURPORT
This holding of a great personality’s lotus feet is certainly very good for the
person who takes the dust, but this example of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu’s
unhappiness indicates that a VaiSNava should not allow anyone to take dust
from his feet.
One who takes the dust of a great personality’s lotus feet transfers his sinful
activities to that great personality. Unless the person whose dust is taken is
very strong, he must suffer the sinful activities of the person who takes the
dust. Therefore ordinarily it should not be allowed. Sometimes in big meetings
people come to take the same advantage by touching our feet. On account of
this, sometimes we have to suffer from some disease. As far as possible, no
outsider should be allowed to touch one’s feet to take dust from them. zrI
Caitanya MahAprabhu personally showed this by His example, as explained in
the next verse.
Adi 17.245
TEXT 245
sei-kSaNe dhA~nA prabhu ga~NgAte paòila
nityAnanda-haridAsa dhari’ uThAila

sei-kSaNe—immediately; dhA~nA—running; prabhu—the Lord; ga~NgAte—in
the water of the Ganges; paòila—plunged; nityAnanda—Lord NityAnanda;
haridAsa—HaridAsa ThAkura; dhari’—catching Him; uThAila—raised Him.
TRANSLATION
Immediately He ran to the river Ganges and jumped in to counteract the sinful
activities of that woman. Lord NityAnanda and HaridAsa ThAkura caught Him
and raised Him from the river.
PURPORT
zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu is God Himself, but He was playing the part of a
preacher. Every preacher should know that being allowed to touch a
VaiSNava’s feet and take dust may be good for the person who takes it, but it
is not good for the person who allows it to be taken. As far as possible, this
practice should ordinarily be avoided. Only initiated disciples should be
allowed to take this advantage, not others. Those who are full of sinful
activities should generally be avoided.
Adi 17.246
TEXT 246
vijaya AcAryera ghare se rAtre rahilA
prAtaH-kAle bhakta sabe ghare la~nA gelA

vijaya—named Vijaya; AcAryera—of the teacher; ghare—at the home; se—
that; rAtre—on the night; rahilA—remained; prAtaH-kAle—in the morning;
bhakta—the devotees; sabe—all; ghare—home; la~nA—taking them; gelA—
went.
TRANSLATION
That night the Lord stayed at the house of Vijaya AcArya. In the morning the
Lord took all His devotees and returned home.
Adi 17.247
TEXT 247
eka-dina gopI-bhAve gRhete vasiyA
‘gopI’ ‘gopI’ nAma laya viSaNNa ha~nA

eka-dina—one day; gopI-bhAve—in the ecstasy of the gopIs; gRhete—at
home; vasiyA—sitting; gopI gopI—gopI gopI; nAma—the name; laya—
chants; viSaNNa—morose; ha~nA—becoming.
TRANSLATION
One day the Lord, in the ecstasy of the gopIs, was sitting in His house. Very
morose in separation, He was calling, “GopI! GopI!”
Adi 17.248
TEXT 248
eka paòuyA Aila prabhuke dekhite
‘gopI’ ‘gopI’ nAma zuni’ lAgila balite

eka paòuyA—one student; Aila—came there; prabhuke—the Lord; dekhite—
to see; gopI gopI—gopI gopI; nAma—the name; zuni’—hearing; lAgila—
began; balite—to say.
TRANSLATION
A student who came to see the Lord was astonished that the Lord was
chanting “GopI! GopI!” Thus he spoke as follows.
Adi 17.249
TEXT 249
kRSNa-nAma nA lao kene, kRSNa-nAma——dhanya
‘gopI’ ‘gopI’ balile vA kibA haya puNya

kRSNa-nAma—the holy name of Lord KRSNa; nA—not; lao—You take; kene—
why; kRSNa-nAma—the holy name of Lord KRSNa; dhanya—glorious; gopI
gopI—the names gopI gopI; balile—on saying; vA—or; kibA—what; haya—
there is; puNya—piety.
TRANSLATION
“Why are You chanting the names ‘gopI gopI’ instead of the holy name of
Lord KRSNa, which is so glorious? What pious result will You achieve by such
chanting?”
PURPORT
It is said, vaiSNavera kriyA-mudrA vij~neha nA bujhaya: no one can understand
the activities of a pure devotee. A student or neophyte devotee could not
possibly understand why zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu was chanting the name of
the gopIs, nor should the student have asked the Lord about the potency of
chanting gopI gopI. The neophyte student was certainly convinced of the
piety in the chanting of KRSNa’s holy name, but this sort of attitude is also
offensive. Dharma-vrata-tyAga-hutAdi-sarva-zubha-kriyA-sAmyam api
pramAdaH: to chant the holy name of KRSNa in exchange for the achievement
of piety is an offense. This, of course, was unknown to the student. Thus he
innocently asked, “What piety is there in the chanting of the name gopI?” He
did not know that there is no question of piety or impiety. The chanting of the
holy name of KRSNa or the holy name gopI is on the transcendental platform of
loving affairs. Since he was not expert in understanding such transcendental
activities, his question was merely impudent. Thus zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu,
apparently greatly angry at him, reacted as follows.
Adi 17.250
TEXT 250
zuni’ prabhu krodhe kaila kRSNe doSodgAra
The~NgA la~nA uThilA prabhu paòuyA mAribAra

zuni’—hearing; prabhu—the Lord; krodhe—in anger; kaila—did; kRSNe—unto
Lord KRSNa; doSa-udgAra—many accusations; The~NgA—stick; la~nA—taking;
uThilA—got up; prabhu—the Lord; paòuyA—the student; mAribAra—to strike.
TRANSLATION
Hearing the foolish student, the Lord became greatly angry and rebuked Lord
KRSNa in various ways. Taking up a stick, He rose to strike the student.
PURPORT
It is mentioned in zrImad-BhAgavatam that when Uddhava came from Lord
KRSNa with a message for the gopIs, all the gopIs, especially zrImatI RAdhArANI,
denounced KRSNa in various ways. Such denunciations, however, reflect an
exuberant loving attitude that an ordinary man cannot understand. When the
foolish student questioned Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu, Lord Caitanya
similarly rebuked Lord KRSNa in loving exuberance. When zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu was in the mood of the gopIs and the student advocated the
cause of zrI KRSNa, Lord Caitanya was greatly angry. Seeing His anger, the
foolish student, who was an ordinary atheistic smArta-brAhmaNa, foolishly
misjudged Him. Thus he and a party of students were ready to strike the Lord
in retaliation. After this incident, zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu decided to take
sannyAsa so that people would not commit offenses against Him, considering
Him an ordinary householder, for in India even now a sannyAsI is naturally
offered respect.
Adi 17.251
TEXT 251
bhaye palAya paòuyA, prabhu pAche pAche dhAya
Aste vyaste bhakta-gaNa prabhure rahAya

bhaye—out of fear; palAya—runs away; paòuyA—the student; prabhu—the
Lord; pAche pAche—after him; dhAya—runs; Aste vyaste—somehow or
other; bhakta-gaNa—all the devotees; prabhure—the Lord; rahAya—checked.
TRANSLATION
The student ran away in fear, and the Lord followed him. But somehow or
other the devotees checked the Lord.
Adi 17.252
TEXT 252
prabhure zAnta kari’ Anila nija ghare
paòuyA palAyA gela paòuyA-sabhAre

prabhure—the Lord; zAnta kari’—pacifying; Anila—brought; nija—His own;
ghare—to the house; paòuyA—the student; palAyA—running away; gela—
went; paòuyA—of students; sabhAre—to the assembly.
TRANSLATION
The devotees pacified the Lord and brought Him home, and the student ran
away to an assembly of other students.
Adi 17.253
TEXT 253
paòuyA sahasra yAhA~N paòe eka-ThA~ni
prabhura vRttAnta dvija kahe tAhA~N yAi

paòuyA—students; sahasra—a thousand; yAhA~N—where; paòe—they study;
eka-thA~ni—in one place; prabhura—of the Lord; vRttAnta—incident; dvija—
the brAhmaNa; kahe—says; tAhA~N—there; yAi—he goes.
TRANSLATION
The brAhmaNa student ran to a place where a thousand students were
studying together. There he described the incident to them.
PURPORT
In this verse we find the word dvija, indicating that the student was a
brAhmaNa. Actually, in those days, only members of the brAhmaNa class
became students of Vedic literature. Schooling is meant especially for
brAhmaNas; previously there was no question of schooling for kSatriyas,
vaizyas or zUdras. KSatriyas used to learn the technology of warfare, and
vaizyas learned business from their fathers or other businessmen; they were
not meant to study the Vedas. At present, however, everyone goes to school,
and everyone is given the same type of education, although no one knows
what the result will be. The result, however, is most unsatisfactory, as we
have seen in the Western countries especially. The United States has vast
educational institutions where everyone is allowed to receive an education,
but the result is that most students become like hippies.
Higher education is not meant for everyone. Only selected individuals trained
in brahminical culture should be allowed to pursue a higher education.
Educational institutions should not aim to teach technology, for a technologist
cannot properly be called educated. A technologist is a zUdra; only one who
studies the Vedas may properly be called a learned man (paNòita). The duty of
a brAhmaNa is to become learned in the Vedic literature and teach the Vedic
knowledge to other brAhmaNas. In our KRSNa consciousness movement we are
simply teaching our students to become fit brAhmaNas and VaiSNavas. In our
school at Dallas, the students are learning English and Sanskrit, and through
these two languages they are studying all our books, such as zrImad-
BhAgavatam, Bhagavad-gItA As It Is and The Nectar of Devotion. It is a
mistake to educate every student as a technologist. There must be a group of
students who become brAhmaNas. Without brAhmaNas who study the Vedic
literature, human society will be entirely chaotic.
Adi 17.254
TEXT 254
zuni’ krodha kaila saba paòuyAra gaNa
sabe meli’ kare tabe prabhura nindana

zuni’—hearing; krodha—angry; kaila—became; saba—all; paòuyAra—of
students; gaNa—the groups; sabe—all; meli’—joining together; kare—do;
tabe—then; prabhura—of the Lord; nindana—accusation.
TRANSLATION
Hearing of the incident, all the students became greatly angry and joined
together in criticizing the Lord.
Adi 17.255
TEXT 255
saba deza bhraSTa kaila ekalA nimA~ni
brAhmaNa mArite cAhe, dharma-bhaya nAi

saba—all; deza—countries; bhraSTa—spoiled; kaila—has; ekalA—alone;
nimA~ni—NimAi PaNòita; brAhmaNa—a caste brAhmaNa; mArite—to strike;
cAhe—He wants; dharma—of religious principles; bhaya—fear; nAi—there is
not.
TRANSLATION
“NimAi PaNòita alone has spoiled the entire country,” they accused. “He wants
to strike a caste brAhmaNa. He has no fear of religious principles.
PURPORT
In those days also, the caste brAhmaNas were very proud. They were not
prepared to accept chastisement even from a teacher or spiritual master.
Adi 17.256
TEXT 256
punaH yadi aiche kare mAriba tAhare
kon vA mAnuSa haya, ki karite pAre

punaH—again; yadi—if; aiche—like that; kare—He does; mAriba—we shall
strike; tAhare—Him; kon—who; vA—or; mAnuSa—the man; haya—is; ki—
what; karite—to do; pAre—He is able.
TRANSLATION
“If He again performs such an atrocious act, certainly we shall retaliate and
strike Him in turn. What kind of important person is He, that He can check us
in this way?”
Adi 17.257
TEXT 257
prabhura nindAya sabAra buddhi haila nAza
supaThita vidyA kArao nA haya prakAza

prabhura—of the Lord; nindAya—in accusation; sabAra—of everyone;
buddhi—the intelligence; haila—became; nAza—spoiled; su-paThita—well-
studied; vidyA—knowledge; kArao—everyone’s; nA—does not; haya—
become; prakAza—manifest.
TRANSLATION
When all the students thus resolved, criticizing zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu, their
intelligence was spoiled. Thus although they were learned scholars, because of
this offense the essence of knowledge was not manifested in them.
PURPORT
In the Bhagavad-gItA it is said, mAyayApahRta-j~nAnA Asuraà bhAvam AzritAH:
when one becomes inimical to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, adopting
an atheistic attitude (Asuraà bhAvam), even if one is a learned scholar the
essence of knowledge does not become manifested in him; in other words,
the essence of his knowledge is stolen by the illusory energy of the Lord. In
this connection zrI BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI ThAkura quotes a mantra from
the zvetAzvatara UpaniSad (6.23):
yasya deve parA bhaktir yathA deve tathA gurau
tasyaite kathitA hy arthAH prakAzante mahAtmanaH
[zU yasya deve parA bhaktir
yathA deve tathA gurau
tasyaite kathitA hy arthAH
prakAzante mahAtmanaH
“Unto those great souls who have implicit faith in both the Lord and the
spiritual master, all the imports of Vedic knowledge are automatically
revealed.” (zvetAzvatara UpaniSad 6.23)
ataH zrI-kRSNa-nAmAdi
na bhaved grAhyam indriyaiH
sevonmukhe hi jihvAdau
svayam eva sphuraty adaH
“No one can understand KRSNa as He is by the blunt material senses. But He
reveals Himself to the devotees, being pleased with them for their
transcendental loving service unto Him.” (Bhakti-rasAmRta-sindhu 1.2.234)
bhaktyA mAm abhijAnAti
yAvAn yaz cAsmi tattvataH
tato mAà tattvato j~nAtvA
vizate tad-anantaram
“One can understand the Supreme Personality as He is only by devotional
service. And when one is in full consciousness of the Supreme Lord by such
devotion, he can enter into the kingdom of God.” (Bg. 18.55)
These are Vedic instructions. One must have full faith in the words of the
spiritual master and similar faith in the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Then
the real knowledge of AtmA and ParamAtmA and the distinction between
matter and spirit will be automatically revealed. This Atma-tattva, or spiritual
knowledge, will be revealed within the core of a devotee’s heart because of
his having taken shelter of the lotus feet of a mahAjana such as PrahlAda
MahArAja.6.23]
The purport of this verse is that one who is unflinchingly devoted to the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, ViSNu, and similarly devoted to the spiritual
master, with no ulterior motive, becomes a master of all knowledge. In the
heart of such a devotee, the real essence of the Vedic knowledge becomes
manifested. This essence is nothing but surrender unto the Supreme
Personality of Godhead (vedaiz ca sarvair aham eva vedyaH [Bg. 15.15]). Only
unto one who fully surrenders to the spiritual master and the Supreme Lord
does the essence of Vedic knowledge become manifested, not to anyone else.
This same principle is emphasized by zrI PrahlAda MahArAja in zrImad-
BhAgavatam (7.5.24):
iti puàsArpitA viSNau bhaktiz cen nava-lakSaNA
kriyate bhagavaty addhA tan manye ’dhItam uttamam
“A person who directly applies these nine principles [hearing, chanting,
remembering, etc.] in the service of the Lord is to be understood as a greatly
learned man who has assimilated the Vedic literatures very well, for the goal
of studying the Vedic literature is to understand the supremacy of Lord zrI
KRSNa.” zrIdhara SvAmI confirms in his commentary that first one must
surrender to the spiritual master; then the process of devotional service will
develop. It is not a fact that only one who diligently pursues an academic
career can become a devotee. Even with no academic career, if one has full
faith in the spiritual master and the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he
develops in spiritual life and real knowledge of the Vedas. The example of
MahArAja KhaTvA~Nga confirms this. One who surrenders is understood to have
learned the subject matter of the Vedas very nicely. One who adopts this
Vedic process of surrender learns devotional service and is certainly
successful. One who is very proud, however, is unable to surrender either to
the spiritual master or to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Thus he cannot
understand the essence of any Vedic literature. zrImad-BhAgavatam (BhAg.
11.11.18) declares:
zabda-brahmaNi niSNAto na niSNAyAt pare yadi
zramas tasya zrama-phalo hy adhenum iva rakSataH
“If one is learned in the Vedic literature but is not a devotee of Lord ViSNu, his
work is a useless waste of labor, just like the keeping of a cow that does not
give milk.”
Anyone who does not follow the surrendering process but is simply interested
in an academic career cannot make any advancement. His profit is only his
labor for nothing. If one is expert in the study of the Vedas but does not
surrender to a spiritual master or ViSNu, all his cultivation of knowledge is but
a waste of time and labor.
Adi 17.258
TEXT 258
tathApi dAmbhika paòuyA namra nAhi haya
yAhA~N tAhA~N prabhura nindA hAsi’ se karaya

tathApi—still; dAmbhika—proud; paòuyA—students; namra—submissive;
nAhi—not; haya—become; yAhA~N—any where; tAhA~N—everywhere;
prabhura—of the Lord; nindA—accusation; hAsi’—laughing; se—they;
karaya—do.
TRANSLATION
But the proud student community did not become submissive. On the
contrary, the students spoke of the incident anywhere and everywhere. In a
laughing manner they criticized the Lord.
Adi 17.259
TEXT 259
sarva-j~na gosA~ni jAni’ sabAra durgati
ghare vasi’ cinte tA’-sabAra avyAhati

sarva-j~na—all-knowing; gosA~ni—Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu; jAni’—
knowing; sabAra—of all of them; durgati—degradation; ghare—at home;
vasi’—sitting; cinte—contemplates; tA’—of them; sabAra—of all; avyAhati—
the rescue.
TRANSLATION
Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu, being omniscient, could understand the
degradation of these students. Thus He sat at home, contemplating how to
rescue them.
Adi 17.260
TEXT 260
yata adhyApaka, Ara tA~Nra ziSya-gaNa
dharmI, karmI, tapo-niSTha, nindaka, durjana

yata—all; adhyApaka—professors; Ara—and; tA~Nra—their; ziSya-gaNa—
students; dharmI—followers of religious ritualistic ceremonies; karmI—
performers of fruitive activities; tapaH-niSTha—performers of austerities;
nindaka—blasphemers; durjana—rogues.
TRANSLATION
“All the so-called professors and scientists and their students generally follow
the regulative principles of religion, fruitive activities and austerities,” the
Lord thought, “yet at the same time they are blasphemers and rogues.
PURPORT
Here is a depiction of materialists who have no knowledge of devotional
service. They may be very religious and may work very systematically or
perform austerities and penances, but if they blaspheme the Supreme
Personality of Godhead they are nothing but rogues. This is confirmed in the
Hari-bhakti-sudhodaya (3.11):
bhagavad-bhakti-hInasya jAtiH zAstraà japas tapaH
aprANasyaiva dehasya maNòanaà loka-ra~njanam
If they are without knowledge of devotional service to the Lord, then great
nationalism, fruitive, political or social work, science or philosophy are all
simply like costly garments decorating a dead body. The only offense of
persons adhering to these principles is that they are not devotees; they are
always blasphemous toward the Supreme Personality of Godhead and His
devotees.
Adi 17.261
TEXT 261
ei saba mora nindA-aparAdha haite
Ami nA laoyAile bhakti, nA pAre la-ite

ei saba—all of them; mora—of Me; nindA—blasphemy; aparAdha—offense;
haite—from; Ami—I; nA—not; laoyAile—if causing them to take; bhakti—
devotional service; nA—not; pAre—able; la-ite—to take.
TRANSLATION
“If I do not induce them to take to devotional service, because of committing
the offense of blasphemy none of these people will be able to take to it.
Adi 17.262
TEXT 262
nistArite AilAma Ami, haila viparIta
e-saba durjanera kaiche ha-ibeka hita

nistArite—to deliver; AilAma—have come; Ami—I; haila—it has become;
viparIta—just the opposite; e-saba—all these; durjanera—of the rogues;
kaiche—how; ha-ibeka—it will be; hita—the benefit.
TRANSLATION
“I have come to deliver all the fallen souls, but now just the opposite has
happened. How can these rogues be delivered? How may they be benefited?
Adi 17.263
TEXT 263
AmAke praNati kare, haya pApa-kSaya
tabe se ihAre bhakti laoyAile laya

AmAke—unto Me; praNati—obeisances; kare—they offer; haya—becomes;
pApa-kSaya—destruction of sinful reactions; tabe—then; se—they; ihAre—
unto them; bhakti—devotional service; laoyAile—if causing to take; laya—
will take.
TRANSLATION
“If these rogues offer Me obeisances, the reactions of their sinful activities will
be nullified. Then, if I induce them, they will take to devotional service.
Adi 17.264
TEXT 264
more nindA kare ye, nA kare namaskAra
e-saba jIvere avazya kariba uddhAra

more—Me; nindA kare—blasphemes; ye—anyone who; nA—does not;
kare—offer; namaskAra—obeisances; e-saba—all these; jIvere—living
entities; avazya—certainly; kariba—I shall do; uddhAra—deliverance.
TRANSLATION
“I must certainly deliver all these fallen souls who blaspheme Me and do not
offer Me obeisances.
Adi 17.265
TEXT 265
ataeva avazya Ami sannyAsa kariba
sannyAsi-buddhye more praNata ha-iba

ataeva—therefore; avazya—certainly; Ami—I; sannyAsa—the renounced
order of life; kariba—shall accept; sannyAsi-buddhye—by thinking of Me as a
sannyAsI; more—unto Me; praNata—bow down; ha-iba—they shall do.
TRANSLATION
“I shall accept the sannyAsa order of life, for thus people will offer Me their
obeisances, thinking of Me as a member of the renounced order.
PURPORT
Among the members of the varNAzrama institution’s social orders (brAhmaNa,
kSatriya, vaizya and zUdra), the brAhmaNa is considered the foremost, for he is
the teacher and spiritual master of all the other varNas. Similarly, among the
spiritual orders (brahmacarya, gRhastha, vAnaprastha and sannyAsa), the
sannyAsa order is the most elevated. Therefore a sannyAsI is the spiritual
master of all the varNas and Azramas, and a brAhmaNa is also expected to
offer obeisances to a sannyAsI. Unfortunately, however, caste brAhmaNas do
not offer obeisances to a VaiSNava sannyAsI. They are so proud that they do
not offer obeisances even to Indian sannyAsIs, what to speak of European and
American sannyAsIs. zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu, however, expected that even
the caste brAhmaNas would offer respectful obeisances to a sannyAsI because
five hundred years ago the social custom was to offer obeisances
immediately to any sannyAsI, known or unknown.
The sannyAsIs of the KRSNa consciousness movement are bona fide. All the
students of the KRSNa consciousness movement have undergone the regular
process of initiation. As enjoined in the Hari-bhakti-vilAsa by SanAtana
GosvAmI, tathA dIkSA-vidhAnena dvijatvaà jAyate nRNAm: by the regular
process of initiation, any man can become a brAhmaNa. Thus in the beginning
the students of our KRSNa consciousness movement agree to live with
devotees, and gradually, having given up four prohibited activities—illicit
sex, gambling, meat-eating and intoxication—they become advanced in the
activities of spiritual life. When one is found to be regularly following these
principles, he is given the first initiation (hari-nAma), and he regularly chants at
least sixteen rounds a day. Then, after six months or a year, he is initiated for
the second time and given the sacred thread with the regular sacrifice and
rituals. After some time, when he advances still further and is willing to give
up this material world, he is given the sannyAsa order. At that time he
receives the title svAmI or gosvAmI, both of which mean “master of the
senses.” Unfortunately, debauched so-called brAhmaNas in India neither offer
them respect nor accept them as bona fide sannyAsIs. zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu expected the so-called brAhmaNas to offer respect to such
VaiSNava sannyAsIs. Nevertheless, it does not matter whether they offer
respect, nor whether they accept these sannyAsIs as bona fide, for the zAstra
describes punishment for such disobedient so-called brAhmaNas. The zAstric
injunction declares:
devatA-pratimAà dRSTvA yatià caiva tridaNòinam
namaskAraà na kuryAd yaH prAyazcittIyate naraH
“One who does not offer respect to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, to
His Deity in the temple or to a tridaNòI sannyAsI must undergo prAyazcitta
[atonement].” If one does not offer obeisances to such a sannyAsI, the
prescribed prAyazcitta is to fast for one day.
Adi 17.266
TEXT 266
praNatite ha’be ihAra aparAdha kSaya
nirmala hRdaye bhakti karAiba udaya

praNatite—by offering obeisances; ha’be—there will be; ihAra—of such
offenders; aparAdha—the offenses; kSaya—destruction; nirmala—pure;
hRdaye—in the heart; bhakti—devotional service; karAiba—I shall cause;
udaya—the rising.
TRANSLATION
“Offering obeisances will relieve them of all the reactions to their offenses.
Then, by My grace, devotional service [bhakti] will awaken in their pure
hearts.
PURPORT
According to the Vedic injunctions, only a brAhmaNa may be offered
sannyAsa. The za~Nkara-sampradAya (ekadaNòa-sannyAsa-sampradAya) awards
the sannyAsa order only to caste brAhmaNas, or born brAhmaNas, but in the
VaiSNava system even one not born in a brAhmaNa family may be made a
brAhmaNa according to the direction of the Hari-bhakti-vilAsa (tathA dIkSA-
vidhAnena dvijatvaà jAyate nRNAm). Any person from any part of the world
may be made a brAhmaNa by the regular process of initiation, and when he
follows brahminical behavior, observing the principle of abstaining from
intoxication, illicit sex, meat-eating and gambling, he may be offered
sannyAsa. All the sannyAsIs in the KRSNa consciousness movement, who are
preaching all over the world, are regular brAhmaNa-sannyAsIs. Thus the so-
called caste brAhmaNas should not object to offering them respectful
obeisances. By offering such obeisances, as recommended by zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu, they will diminish their offenses and automatically awaken to
their natural position of devotional service. As it is said, nitya-siddha kRSNa-
prema sAdhya kabhu naya: [Cc. madhya 22.107] kRSNa-prema can be
awakened in a purified heart. The more we offer obeisances to sannyAsIs,
especially VaiSNava sannyAsIs, the more we diminish our offenses and purify
our hearts. Only in a purified heart can kRSNa-prema awaken. This is the
process of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu’s cult, the KRSNa consciousness
movement.
Adi 17.267
TEXT 267
e-saba pASaNòIra tabe ha-ibe nistAra
Ara kona upAya nAhi, ei yukti sAra

e-saba—all these; pASaNòIra—of the demons; tabe—then; ha-ibe—there will
be; nistAra—deliverance; Ara—alternative; kona—some; upAya—means;
nAhi—there is not; ei—this; yukti—of the argument; sAra—essence.
TRANSLATION
“All the unfaithful rogues of this world can be delivered by this process. There
is no alternative. This is the essence of the argument.”
Adi 17.268
TEXT 268
ei dRòha yukti kari’ prabhu Ache ghare
kezava bhAratI AilA nadIyA-nagare

ei—this; dRòha—firm; yukti—consideration; kari’—making; prabhu—the
Lord; Ache—was; ghare—in His home; kezava bhAratI—Kezava BhAratI;
AilA—came; nadIyA-nagare—to the town of Nadia.
TRANSLATION
After coming to this firm conclusion, the Lord continued to stay at home. In
the meantime Kezava BhAratI came to the town of Nadia.
Adi 17.269
TEXT 269
prabhu tA~Nre namaskari’ kaila nimantraNa
bhikSA karAiyA tA~Nre kaila nivedana

prabhu—the Lord; tA~Nre—to him; namaskari’—offering obeisances; kaila—
did; nimantraNa—invitation; bhikSA—alms; karAiyA—giving; tA~Nre—to him;
kaila—submitted; nivedana—His prayer.
TRANSLATION
The Lord offered him respectful obeisances and invited him to His house.
After feeding him sumptuously, He submitted to him His petition.
PURPORT
According to the system of Vedic society, whenever an unknown sannyAsI
comes to a village or town, someone must invite him to take prasAdam in his
home. SannyAsIs generally take prasAdam in the house of a brAhmaNa because
the brAhmaNa worships the Lord NArAyaNa zilA, or zAlagrAma-zilA, and
therefore there is prasAdam that the sannyAsI may take. Kezava BhAratI
accepted the invitation of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu. Thus the Lord had a
good opportunity to explain His desire to take sannyAsa from him.
Adi 17.270
TEXT 270
tumi ta’ Izvara baTa,——sAkSAt nArAyaNa
kRpA kari’ kara mora saàsAra mocana

tumi—you; ta’—certainly; Izvara—the Lord; baTa—are; sAkSAt—directly;
nArAyaNa—the Supreme Lord, NArAyaNa; kRpA kari’—showing mercy; kara—
please do; mora—My; saàsAra—material life; mocana—deliverance.
TRANSLATION
“Sir, you are directly NArAyaNa. Therefore please be merciful unto Me. Deliver
Me from this material bondage.”
Adi 17.271
TEXT 271
bhAratI kahena,——tumi Izvara, antaryAmI
ye karAha, se kariba,——svatantra nahi Ami

bhAratI kahena—Kezava BhAratI replied; tumi—You; Izvara—the Supreme
Personality of Godhead; antaryAmI—You know everything from within; ye—
whatever; karAha—You cause to do; se—that; kariba—I must do;
svatantra—independent; nahi—not; Ami—I.
TRANSLATION
Kezava BhAratI replied to the Lord, “You are the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, the Supersoul. I must do whatever You cause me to do. I am not
independent of You.”
Adi 17.272
TEXT 272
eta bali’ bhAratI gosA~ni kAToyAte gelA
mahAprabhu tAhA yAi’ sannyAsa karilA

eta bali’—saying this; bhAratI—Kezava BhAratI; gosA~ni—the spiritual master;
kAToyAte—to Katwa; gelA—went; mahAprabhu—Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu;
tahA—there; yai’—going; sannyAsa—the renounced order of life; karilA—
accepted.
TRANSLATION
After saying this, Kezava BhAratI, the spiritual master, went back to his
village, Katwa. Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu went there and accepted the
renounced order of life [sannyAsa].
PURPORT
At the end of His twenty-fourth year, at the end of the fortnight of the
waxing moon, zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu left NavadvIpa and crossed the river
Ganges at a place known as NidayAra-ghATa. Then He reached KaNTaka-
nagara, or KAToyA (Katwa), where He accepted ekadaNòa-sannyAsa according
to the za~Nkarite system. Since Kezava BhAratI belonged to the za~Nkarite sect,
he could not initiate Caitanya MahAprabhu into the VaiSNava sannyAsa order,
whose members carry the tridaNòa.
Candrazekhara AcArya assisted in the routine ceremonial work of the Lord’s
acceptance of sannyAsa. By the order of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu, kIrtana
was performed for the entire day, and at the end of the day the Lord shaved
off His hair. On the next day He became a regular sannyAsI, with one rod
(ekadaNòa). From that day on, His name was zrI KRSNa Caitanya. Before that,
He was known as NimAi PaNòita. zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu, in the sannyAsa
order, traveled all over RAòhadeza, the region where the Ganges River cannot
be seen. Kezava BhAratI accompanied Him for some distance.
Adi 17.273
TEXT 273
sa~Nge nityAnanda, candrazekhara AcArya
mukunda-datta,——ei tina kaila sarva kArya

sa~Nge—in His company; nityAnanda—NityAnanda Prabhu; candrazekhara
AcArya—Candrazekhara AcArya; mukunda-datta—Mukunda Datta; ei tina—
these three; kaila—performed; sarva—all; kArya—necessary activities.
TRANSLATION
When zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu accepted sannyAsa, three personalities were
with Him to perform all the necessary activities. They were NityAnanda
Prabhu, Candrazekhara AcArya and Mukunda Datta.
Adi 17.274
TEXT 274
ei Adi-lIlAra kaila sUtra gaNana
vistAri varNilA ihA dAsa vRndAvana

ei—this; Adi-lIlAra—of the Adi-lIlA (the first portion of Lord Caitanya’s
pastimes); kaila—made; sUtra—synopsis; gaNana—enumeration; vistAri—
elaborately; varNilA—described; ihA—this; dAsa vRndAvana—VRndAvana dAsa
ThAkura.
TRANSLATION
Thus I have summarized the incidents of the Adi-lIlA. zrIla VRndAvana dAsa
ThAkura has described them elaborately [in his Caitanya-bhAgavata].
Adi 17.275
TEXT 275
yazodA-nandana hailA zacIra nandana
catur-vidha bhakta-bhAva kare AsvAdana

yazodA-nandana—the son of mother YazodA; hailA—became; zacIra—of
mother zacI; nandana—the son; catuH-vidha—four kinds of; bhakta-bhAva—
devotional humors; kare—does; AsvAdana—tasting.
TRANSLATION
The same Supreme Personality of Godhead who appeared as the son of
mother YazodA has now appeared as the son of mother zacI, relishing four
kinds of devotional activities.
PURPORT
Servitude, friendship, parental affection and conjugal love for the Supreme
Personality of Godhead are the basis of the four kinds of devotional activities.
In zAnta, the marginal stage of devotional service, there is no activity. But
above the zAnta humor are servitude, friendship, parental affection and
conjugal love, which represent the gradual growth of devotional service to
higher and higher platforms.
Adi 17.276
TEXT 276
sva-mAdhurya rAdhA-prema-rasa AsvAdite
rAdhA-bhAva a~NgI kariyAche bhAla-mate

sva-mAdhurya—His own conjugal love; rAdhA-prema-rasa—the mellow of
the loving affairs between RAdhArANI and KRSNa; AsvAdite—to taste; rAdhA-
bhAva—the mood of zrImatI RAdhArANI; a~NgI kariyAche—He accepted; bhAla-
mate—very well.
TRANSLATION
To taste the mellows of zrImatI RAdhArANI’s loving affairs in Her relationship
with KRSNa, and to understand the reservoir of pleasure in KRSNa, KRSNa
Himself, as zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu, accepted the mood of RAdhArANI.
PURPORT
In this connection zrIla BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI ThAkura writes in his
AnubhASya, “zrI Gaurasundara is KRSNa Himself with the attitude of zrImatI
RAdhArANI. zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu never gave up the attitude of the gopIs.
He remained everlastingly predominated by KRSNa and never accepted the
part of the predominator by imitating conjugal love with an ordinary woman,
as sahajiyAs generally do. He never placed Himself in the position of a
debauchee. Lusty materialists like the members of the sahajiyA-sampradAya
hanker after women, even others’ wives. But when they try to ascribe the
responsibility for their lusty activities to zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu, they
become offenders to SvarUpa DAmodara and zrIla VRndAvana dAsa ThAkura. In
zrI Caitanya-bhAgavata, Adi-khaNòa, Chapter Fifteen, it is said:
sabe para-strIra prati nAhi parihAsa
strI dekhi’ dUre prabhu hayena eka-pAza
‘zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu never even joked with others’ wives. As soon as He
saw a woman coming, He would immediately give her ample room to pass
without talking.’ He was extremely strict regarding the association of women.
The sahajiyAs, however, pose as followers of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu
although they indulge in lusty affairs with women. In His youth Lord Caitanya
was very humorous with everyone, but He never joked with any woman, nor
in this incarnation did He talk about women. The gaurA~Nga-nAgarI party is not
approved by zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu or VRndAvana dAsa ThAkura. Even
though one may offer all kinds of prayers to Caitanya MahAprabhu, one
should strictly avoid worshiping Him as the GaurA~Nga NAgara. The personal
behavior of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu and the verses written by zrI VRndAvana
dAsa ThAkura have completely repudiated the lusty desires of the gaurA~Nga-
nAgarIs.”
Adi 17.277
TEXT 277
gopI-bhAva yAte prabhu dhariyAche ekAnta
vrajendra-nandane mAne ApanAra kAnta

gopI-bhAva—the mood of the gopIs; yAte—in which; prabhu—the Lord;
dhariyAche—accepted; ekAnta—positively; vrajendra-nandane—Lord KRSNa;
mAne—they accept; ApanAra—own; kAnta—lover.
TRANSLATION
Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu accepted the mood of the gopIs, who accept
Vrajendranandana, zrI KRSNa, as their lover.
Adi 17.278
TEXT 278
gopikA-bhAvera ei sudRòha nizcaya
vrajendra-nandana vinA anyatra nA haya

gopikA-bhAvera—of the ecstasy of the gopIs; ei—this; sudRòha—firm;
nizcaya—confirmation; vrajendra-nandana—Lord zrI KRSNa; vinA—without;
anyatra—anyone else; nA—not; haya—is possible.
TRANSLATION
It is firmly concluded that the ecstatic mood of the gopIs is possible only
before KRSNa, and no one else.
Adi 17.279
TEXT 279
zyAmasundara, zikhipiccha-gu~njA-vibhUSaNa
gopa-veza, tri-bha~Ngima, muralI-vadana

zyAma-sundara—Lord KRSNa, who has a bluish color; zikhi-piccha—with a
peacock feather on the head; gu~njA—a garland of gu~njA (small berries or
conchshells); vibhUSaNa—decorations; gopa-veza—with the dress of a
cowherd boy; tri-bha~Ngima—curved in three places; muralI-vadana—holding
a flute to His mouth.
TRANSLATION
He has a bluish complexion, a peacock feather on His head, a gu~njA garland
and the decorations of a cowherd boy. His body is curved in three places, and
He holds a flute to His mouth.
Adi 17.280
TEXT 280
ihA chAòi’ kRSNa yadi haya anyAkAra
gopikAra bhAva nAhi yAya nikaTa tAhAra

ihA—this; chAòi’—giving up; kRSNa—KRSNa; yadi—if; haya—takes; anya-
AkAra—another form; gopikAra—of the gopIs; bhAva—the ecstasy; nAhi—
does not; yAya—arise; nikaTa—near; tAhAra—that (form).
TRANSLATION
If Lord KRSNa gives up this original form and assumes another ViSNu form,
nearness to Him cannot invoke the ecstatic mood of the gopIs.
Adi 17.281
TEXT 281
gopInAà pazupendra-nandana-juSo bhAvasya kas tAà kRtI
vij~nAtuà kSamate durUha-padavI-sa~ncAriNaH prakriyAm
AviSkurvati vaiSNavIm api tanuà tasmin bhujair jiSNubhir
yAsAà hanta caturbhir adbhuta-rucià rAgodayaH ku~ncati

gopInAm—of the gopIs; pazupa-indra-nandana-juSaH—of the service of the
son of Vraja’s King, MahArAja Nanda; bhAvasya—ecstatic; kaH—what; tAm—
that; kRtI—learned man; vij~nAtum—to understand; kSamate—is able;
durUha—very difficult to understand; padavI—the position; sa~ncAriNaH—
which provokes; prakriyAm—activity; AviSkurvati—He manifests;
vaiSNavIm—of ViSNu; api—certainly; tanum—the body; tasmin—in that;
bhujaiH—with arms; jiSNubhiH—very beautiful; yAsAm—of whom (the gopIs);
hanta—alas; caturbhiH—four; adbhuta—wonderfully; rucim—beautiful; rAga-
udayaH—the evoking of ecstatic feelings; ku~ncati—cripples.
TRANSLATION
“Once Lord zrI KRSNa playfully manifested Himself as NArAyaNa, with four
victorious hands and a very beautiful form. When the gopIs saw this exalted
form, however, their ecstatic feelings were crippled. Even a learned scholar,
therefore, cannot understand the gopIs’ ecstatic feelings, which are firmly
fixed upon the original form of Lord KRSNa as the son of Nanda MahArAja. The
wonderful feelings of the gopIs in ecstatic parama-rasa with KRSNa constitute
the greatest mystery in spiritual life.”
PURPORT
This is a quotation from the Lalita-mAdhava (6.54), by zrIla RUpa GosvAmI.
Adi 17.282
TEXT 282
vasanta-kAle rAsa-lIlA kare govardhane
antardhAna kailA sa~Nketa kari’ rAdhA-sane

vasanta-kAle—during the season of spring; rAsa-lIlA—the rAsa dance; kare—
does; govardhane—near the Govardhana Hill; antardhAna—disappearance;
kailA—did; sa~Nketa—indication; kari’—making; rAdhA-sane—with RAdhArANI.
TRANSLATION
During the season of springtime, when the rAsa dance was going on, suddenly
KRSNa disappeared from the scene, indicating that He wanted to be alone with
zrImatI RAdhArANI.
Adi 17.283
TEXT 283
nibhRta-niku~nje vasi’ dekhe rAdhAra bATa
anveSite AilA tAhA~N gopikAra ThATa

nibhRta—solitary; niku~nje—in a bush; vasi’—sitting; dekhe—waiting to see;
rAdhAra—of zrImatI RAdhArANI; bATa—the passing; anveSite—while
searching; AilA—came; tAhA~N—there; gopikAra—of the gopIs; ThATa—the
phalanx.
TRANSLATION
KRSNa was sitting in a solitary bush, waiting for zrImatI RAdhArANI to pass by.
But while He was searching, the gopIs arrived there, like a phalanx of soldiers.
Adi 17.284
TEXT 284
dUra haite kRSNe dekhi’ bale gopI-gaNa
“ei dekha ku~njera bhitara vrajendra-nandana”

dUra haite—from a distance; kRSNe—unto KRSNa; dekhi’—seeing; bale—said;
gopI-gaNa—all the gopIs; ei dekha—just see here; ku~njera—the bush;
bhitara—within; vrajendra-nandana—the son of Nanda MahArAja.
TRANSLATION
“Just see!” the gopIs said, seeing KRSNa from a distant place. “Here within a
bush is KRSNa, the son of Nanda MahArAja.”
Adi 17.285
TEXT 285
gopI-gaNa dekhi’ kRSNera ha-ila sAdhvasa
lukAite nArila, bhaye hailA vibaza

gopI-gaNa—all the gopIs combined together; dekhi’—seeing; kRSNera—of
KRSNa; ha-ila—there were; sAdhvasa—some emotional feelings; lukAite—to
hide; nArila—was unable; bhaye—out of fear; hailA—became; vibaza—
motionless.
TRANSLATION
As soon as KRSNa saw all the gopIs, He was struck with emotion. Thus He
could not hide Himself, and out of fear He became motionless.
Adi 17.286
TEXT 286
catur-bhuja mUrti dhari’ Achena vasiyA
kRSNa dekhi’ gopI kahe nikaTe AsiyA

catur-bhuja—four-armed; mUrti—form; dhari’—accepting; Achena—was;
vasiyA—sitting; kRSNa—Lord KRSNa; dekhi’—seeing; gopI—the gopIs; kahe—
say; nikaTe—nearby; AsiyA—coming there.
TRANSLATION
KRSNa assumed His four-armed NArAyaNa form and sat there. When all the
gopIs came, they looked at Him and spoke as follows.
Adi 17.287
TEXT 287
‘iho~N kRSNa nahe, iho~N nArAyaNa mUrti’
eta bali’ tA~Nre sabhe kare nati-stuti

iho~N—this; kRSNa—Lord KRSNa; nahe—is not; iho~N—this is; nArAyaNa—the
Supreme Personality of Godhead; mUrti—the form; eta bali’—saying this;
tA~Nre—unto Him; sabhe—all the gopIs; kare—make; nati-stuti—obeisances
and prayers.
TRANSLATION
“He is not KRSNa! He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, NArAyaNa.” After
saying this, they offered obeisances and the following respectful prayers.
Adi 17.288
TEXT 288
“namo nArAyaNa, deva karaha prasAda
kRSNa-sa~Nga deha’ mora ghucAha viSAda”

namaH nArAyaNa—all respects to NArAyaNa; deva—the Supreme Personality
of Godhead; karaha—kindly give; prasAda—Your mercy; kRSNa-sa~Nga—
association with KRSNa; deha’—giving; mora—our; ghucAha—please
diminish; viSAda—lamentation.
TRANSLATION
“O Lord NArAyaNa, we offer our respectful obeisances unto You. Kindly be
merciful to us. Give us the association of KRSNa and thus vanquish our
lamentation.”
PURPORT
The gopIs were not made happy even by seeing the four-armed form of
NArAyaNa. Yet they offered their respects to the Supreme Personality of
Godhead and begged from Him the benediction of achieving the association
of KRSNa. Such is the ecstatic feeling of the gopIs.
Adi 17.289
TEXT 289
eta bali namaskari’ gelA gopI-gaNa
hena-kAle rAdhA Asi’ dilA darazana

eta bali—saying this; namaskari’—offering obeisances; gelA—went away;
gopI-gaNa—all the gopIs; hena-kAle—at this time; rAdhA—zrImatI RAdhArANI;
Asi’—coming there; dilA—gave; darazana—audience.
TRANSLATION
After saying this and offering obeisances, all the gopIs dispersed. Then zrImatI
RAdhArANI came and appeared before Lord KRSNa.
Adi 17.290
TEXT 290
rAdhA dekhi’ kRSNa tA~Nre hAsya karite
sei catur-bhuja mUrti cAhena rAkhite

rAdhA—zrImatI RAdhArANI; dekhi’—seeing; kRSNa—Lord KRSNa; tA~Nre—unto
Her; hAsya—joking; karite—to do; sei—that; catur-bhuja—four-armed;
mUrti—form; cAhena—wanted; rAkhite—to keep.
TRANSLATION
When Lord KRSNa saw RAdhArANI, He wanted to maintain the four-armed form
to joke with Her.
Adi 17.291
TEXT 291
lukAilA dui bhuja rAdhAra agrete
bahu yatna kailA kRSNa, nArila rAkhite

lukAilA—He hid; dui—two; bhuja—arms; rAdhAra—of zrImatI RAdhArANI;
agrete—in front; bahu—much; yatna—endeavor; kailA—did; kRSNa—Lord
KRSNa; nArila—was unable; rAkhite—to keep.
TRANSLATION
In front of zrImatI RAdhArANI, zrI KRSNa had to hide the two extra arms. He
tried His best to keep four arms before Her, but He was completely unable to
do so.
Adi 17.292
TEXT 292
rAdhAra vizuddha-bhAvera acintya prabhAva
ye kRSNere karAilA dvi-bhuja-svabhAva

rAdhAra—of zrImatI RAdhArANI; vizuddha—purified; bhAvera—of the ecstasy;
acintya—inconceivable; prabhAva—influence; ye—which; kRSNere—unto
Lord KRSNa; karAilA—forced; dvi-bhuja—two-armed; svabhAva—original
form.
TRANSLATION
The influence of RAdhArANI’s pure ecstasy is so inconceivably great that it
forced KRSNa to come to His original two-armed form.
Adi 17.293
TEXT 293
rAsArambha-vidhau nilIya vasatA ku~nje mRgAkSI-gaNair
dRSTaà gopayituà svam uddhura-dhiyA yA suSThu sandarzitA
rAdhAyAH praNayasya hanta mahimA yasya zriyA rakSituà
sA zakyA prabhaviSNunApi hariNA nAsIc catur-bAhutA

rAsa-Arambha-vidhau—in the matter of beginning the rAsa dance; nilIya—
having hidden; vasatA—sitting; ku~nje—in a grove; mRga-akSI-gaNaiH—by the
gopIs, who had eyes resembling those of deer; dRSTam—being seen;
gopayitum—to hide; svam—Himself; uddhura-dhiyA—by first-class
intelligence; yA—which; suSThu—perfectly; sandarzitA—exhibited;
rAdhAyAH—of zrImatI RAdhArANI; praNayasya—of the love; hanta—just see;
mahimA—the glory; yasya—of which; zriyA—the opulence; rakSitum—to
protect that; sA—that; zakyA—able; prabhaviSNunA—by KRSNa; api—even;
hariNA—by the Supreme Personality of Godhead; na—not; AsIt—was; catuH-
bAhutA—four-armed form.
TRANSLATION
“Prior to the rAsa dance, Lord KRSNa hid Himself in a grove just to have fun.
When the gopIs came, their eyes resembling those of deer, by His sharp
intelligence He exhibited His beautiful four-armed form to hide Himself. But
when zrImatI RAdhArANI came there, KRSNa could not maintain His four arms in
Her presence. This is the wonderful glory of Her love.”
PURPORT
This is a quotation from the Ujjvala-nIlamaNi, by zrIla RUpa GosvAmI.
Adi 17.294
TEXT 294
sei vrajezvara——iha~N jagannAtha pitA
sei vrajezvarI——iha~N zacIdevI mAtA

sei—that; vrajezvara—the King of Vraja; iha~N—now; jagannAtha—
JagannAtha Mizra; pitA—the father of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu; sei—that;
vrajezvarI—Queen of Vraja; iha~N—now; zacIdevI—zacIdevI; mAtA—the
mother of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu.
TRANSLATION
Father Nanda, the King of VrajabhUmi, is now JagannAtha Mizra, the father of
Caitanya MahAprabhu. And mother YazodA, the Queen of VrajabhUmi, is now
zacIdevI, Lord Caitanya’s mother.
Adi 17.295
TEXT 295
sei nanda-suta——iha~N caitanya-gosA~ni
sei baladeva——iha~N nityAnanda bhAi

sei nanda-suta—the same son of Nanda MahArAja; iha~N—now; caitanya-
gosA~ni—Caitanya MahAprabhu; sei baladeva—the selfsame Baladeva; iha~N—
now; nityAnanda bhAi—NityAnanda Prabhu, the brother of zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu.
TRANSLATION
The former son of Nanda MahArAja is now zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu, and the
former Baladeva, KRSNa’s brother, is now NityAnanda Prabhu, the brother of
Lord Caitanya.
Adi 17.296
TEXT 296
vAtsalya, dAsya, sakhya——tina bhAvamaya
sei nityAnanda——kRSNa-caitanya-sahAya

vAtsalya—paternity; dAsya—servitude; sakhya—fraternity; tina—three;
bhAva-maya—emotional ecstasies; sei—that; nityAnanda—NityAnanda
Prabhu; kRSNa-caitanya—of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu; sahAya—the
assistant.
TRANSLATION
zrI NityAnanda Prabhu always feels the ecstatic emotions of paternity,
servitude and friendship. He always assists zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu in that
way.
Adi 17.297
TEXT 297
prema-bhakti diyA te~Nho bhAsA’la jagate
tA~Nra caritra loke nA pAre bujhite

prema-bhakti—devotional service; diyA—giving; te~Nho—Lord NityAnanda
Prabhu; bhAsA’la—overflooded; jagate—in the world; tA~Nra—His; caritra—
character; loke—people; nA—not; pAre—able; bujhite—to understand.
TRANSLATION
zrI NityAnanda Prabhu overflooded the entire world by distributing
transcendental loving service. No one can understand His character and
activities.
Adi 17.298
TEXT 298
advaita-AcArya-gosA~ni bhakta-avatAra
kRSNa avatAriyA kailA bhaktira pracAra

advaita-AcArya—zrI Advaita Prabhu; gosA~ni—spiritual master; bhakta-
avatAra—the incarnation of a devotee; kRSNa—the Supreme Personality of
Godhead; avatAriyA—descending; kailA—did; bhaktira—of devotional
service; pracAra—propagation.
TRANSLATION
zrIla Advaita AcArya Prabhu appeared as an incarnation of a devotee. He is in
the category of KRSNa, but He descended to this earth to propagate
devotional service.
Adi 17.299
TEXT 299
sakhya, dAsya,——dui bhAva sahaja tA~NhAra
kabhu prabhu karena tA~Nre guru-vyavahAra

sakhya—fraternity; dAsya—servitude; dui—two; bhAva—ecstasies; sahaja—
natural; tA~NhAra—His; kabhu—sometimes; prabhu—Lord Caitanya; karena—
does; tA~Nre—to Him; guru—of spiritual master; vyavahAra—treatment.
TRANSLATION
His natural emotions were always on the platform of fraternity and servitude,
but the Lord sometimes treated Him as His spiritual master.
Adi 17.300
TEXT 300
zrIvAsAdi yata mahAprabhura bhakta-gaNa
nija nija bhAve karena caitanya-sevana

zrIvAsa-Adi—headed by zrIvAsa ThAkura; yata—all; mahAprabhura—of
Caitanya MahAprabhu; bhakta-gaNa—devotees; nija nija—in their own
respective; bhAve—emotions; karena—do; caitanya-sevana—service to Lord
Caitanya MahAprabhu.
TRANSLATION
All the devotees of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu, headed by zrIvAsa ThAkura,
have their own emotional humors in which they render service unto Him.
Adi 17.301
TEXT 301
paNòita-gosA~ni Adi yA~Nra yei rasa
sei sei rase prabhu hana tA~Nra vaza

paNòita-gosA~ni—GadAdhara PaNòita; Adi—headed by; yA~Nra—whose; yei—
whatever; rasa—transcendental mellow; sei sei—that respective; rase—by
the mellow; prabhu—the Lord; hana—is; tA~Nra—his; vaza—under control.
TRANSLATION
Personal associates like GadAdhara, SvarUpa DAmodara, RAmAnanda RAya,
and the six GosvAmIs (headed by RUpa GosvAmI) are all situated in their
respective transcendental humors. Thus the Lord submits to various positions
in various transcendental mellows.
PURPORT
In verses 296 through 301 the emotional devoted service of zrI NityAnanda,
zrI Advaita Prabhu and others has been fully described. Describing such
individual service, the Gaura-gaNoddeza-dIpikA (11–16) declares that although
Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu appeared as a devotee, He is none other than the
son of Nanda MahArAja. Similarly, although zrI NityAnanda Prabhu appeared
as Lord Caitanya’s assistant, He is none other than Baladeva, the carrier of the
plow. Advaita AcArya is the incarnation of SadAziva from the spiritual world.
All the devotees headed by zrIvAsa ThAkura are His marginal energy, whereas
the devotees headed by GadAdhara PaNòita are manifestations of His internal
potency.
zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu, Advaita Prabhu and NityAnanda Prabhu all belong
to the viSNu-tattva category. Because Lord Caitanya is an ocean of mercy, He
is addressed as mahAprabhu, whereas NityAnanda and Advaita, being two
great personalities who assist Lord Caitanya, are addressed as prabhu. Thus
there are two prabhus and one mahAprabhu. GadAdhara GosvAmI is a
representative of a perfect brAhmaNa spiritual master. zrIvAsa ThAkura
represents a perfect brAhmaNa devotee. These five are known as the Pa~nca-
tattva.
Adi 17.302
TEXT 302
tiha~N zyAma,——vaàzI-mukha, gopa-vilAsI
iha~N gaura——kabhu dvija, kabhu ta’ sannyAsI

tiha~N—in kRSNa-lIlA; zyAma—blackish color; vaàzI-mukha—a flute in the
mouth; gopa-vilAsI-an enjoyer as a cowherd boy; iha~N—now; gaura—fair
complexion; kabhu—sometimes; dvija—brAhmaNa; kabhu—sometimes; ta’—
certainly; sannyAsI—in the renounced order of life.
TRANSLATION
In kRSNa-lIlA the Lord’s complexion is blackish. Holding a flute to His mouth, He
enjoys as a cowherd boy. Now the selfsame person has appeared with a fair
complexion, sometimes acting as a brAhmaNa and sometimes accepting the
renounced order of life.
Adi 17.303
TEXT 303
ataeva Apane prabhu gopI-bhAva dhari’
vrajendra-nandane kahe ‘prANa-nAtha’ kari’

ataeva—therefore; Apane—personally; prabhu—the Lord; gopI-bhAva—the
ecstasy of the gopIs; dhari’—accepting; vrajendra-nandane—the son of
Nanda MahArAja; kahe—addresses; prANa-nAtha—O Lord of My life
(husband); kari’—accepting.
TRANSLATION
Therefore the Lord Himself, accepting the emotional ecstasy of the gopIs,
now addresses the son of Nanda MahArAja, “O master of My life! O My dear
husband!”
Adi 17.304
TEXT 304
sei kRSNa, sei gopI,——parama virodha
acintya caritra prabhura ati sudurbodha

sei kRSNa—that KRSNa; sei gopI—that gopI; parama virodha—very
contradictory; acintya—inconceivable; caritra—character; prabhura—of the
Lord; ati—very; sudurbodha—difficult to understand.
TRANSLATION
He is KRSNa, yet He has accepted the mood of the gopIs. How is it so? It is the
inconceivable character of the Lord, which is very difficult to understand.
PURPORT
KRSNa’s accepting the part of the gopIs is certainly contradictory according to
any mundane calculations, but the Lord, by His inconceivable character, may
act like the gopIs and feel separation from KRSNa, although He is KRSNa
Himself. Such a contradiction can be reconciled only in the Supreme
Personality of Godhead because He has energy that is inconceivable (acintya),
which can make possible that which is impossible to do (aghaTa-ghaTana-
patIyasI). Such contradictions are very difficult to understand unless a devotee
strictly follows the VaiSNava philosophy under the direction of the GosvAmIs.
Therefore KRSNadAsa KavirAja GosvAmI ends every chapter with this verse:
zrI-rUpa-raghunAtha-pade yAra Aza
caitanya-caritAmRta kahe kRSNadAsa
“Praying at the lotus feet of zrI RUpa and zrI RaghunAtha, always desiring
their mercy, I, KRSNadAsa, narrate zrI Caitanya-caritAmRta, following in their
footsteps.”
In a song by Narottama dAsa ThAkura it is stated:
rUpa-raghunAtha-pade ha-ibe Akuti
kabe hAma bujhaba se yugala-pIriti
The conjugal love between RAdhA and KRSNa, which is called yugala-pIriti, is
not understandable by mundane scholars, artists or poets. It is simply to be
understood by devotees who strictly follow in the footsteps of the six
GosvAmIs. Sometimes so-called artists and poets try to understand the love
affairs of RAdhA and KRSNa, and they publish cheap books of poetry and
pictures on the subject. Unfortunately, however, they do not understand the
transcendental affairs of RAdhA and KRSNa even to the smallest degree. They
are simply meddling in a matter in which they are not fit even to enter.
Adi 17.305
TEXT 305
ithe tarka kari’ keha nA kara saàzaya
kRSNera acintya-zakti ei mata haya

ithe—in this matter; tarka kari’—making arguments; keha—someone; nA—
do not; kara—make; saàzaya—doubts; kRSNera—of Lord KRSNa; acintya-
zakti—inconceivable potency; ei—this; mata—the verdict; haya—is.
TRANSLATION
One cannot understand the contradictions in Lord Caitanya’s character by
putting forward mundane logic and arguments. Consequently one should not
maintain doubts in this connection. One should simply try to understand the
inconceivable energy of KRSNa; otherwise one cannot understand how such
contradictions are possible.
Adi 17.306
TEXT 306
acintya, adbhuta kRSNa-caitanya-vihAra
citra bhAva, citra guNa, citra vyavahAra

acintya—inconceivable; adbhuta—wonderful; kRSNa-caitanya—of Lord zrI
KRSNa Caitanya MahAprabhu; vihAra—pastimes; citra—wonderful; bhAva—
ecstasy; citra—wonderful; guNa—qualities; citra—wonderful; vyavahAra—
behavior.
TRANSLATION
The pastimes of zrI KRSNa Caitanya MahAprabhu are inconceivable and
wonderful. His ecstasy is wonderful, His qualities are wonderful, and His
behavior is wonderful.
Adi 17.307
TEXT 307
tarke ihA nAhi mAne yei durAcAra
kumbhIpAke pace, tAra nAhika nistAra

tarke—by arguments; ihA—this; nAhi—not; mAne—accepts; yei—anyone
who; durAcAra—debauchee; kumbhI-pAke—in the boiling oil of hell; pace—
boils; tAra—his; nAhika—there is not; nistAra—deliverance.
TRANSLATION
If one simply adheres to mundane arguments and therefore does not accept
this, he will boil in the hell of KumbhIpAka. For him there is no deliverance.
PURPORT
KumbhIpAka, a type of hellish condition, is described in zrImad-BhAgavatam
(5.26.13), wherein it is said that a person who cooks living birds and beasts to
satisfy his tongue is brought before YamarAja after death and punished in the
KumbhIpAka hell. There he is put into boiling oil called kumbhI-pAka, from
which there is no deliverance. KumbhIpAka is meant for persons who are
unnecessarily envious. Those who are envious of the activities of zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu are punished in that hellish condition.
Adi 17.308
TEXT 308
acintyAH khalu ye bhAvA
na tAàs tarkeNa yojayet
prakRtibhyaH paraà yac ca
tad acintyasya lakSaNam

acintyAH—inconceivable; khalu—certainly; ye—those; bhAvAH—subject
matters; na—not; tAn—them; tarkeNa—by argument; yojayet—one may
understand; prakRtibhyaH—to material nature; param—transcendental; yat—
that which; ca—and; tat—that; acintyasya—of the inconceivable;
lakSaNam—a symptom.
TRANSLATION
“Anything transcendental to material nature is called inconceivable, whereas
arguments are all mundane. Since mundane arguments cannot touch
transcendental subject matters, one should not try to understand
transcendental subjects through mundane arguments.”
PURPORT
This verse from the MahAbhArata (BhISma-parva 5.22) is also quoted in the
Bhakti-rasAmRta-sindhu (2.5.93), by zrIla RUpa GosvAmI.
Adi 17.309
TEXT 309
adbhuta caitanya-lIlAya yAhAra vizvAsa
sei jana yAya caitanyera pada pAza

adbhuta—wonderful; caitanya-lIlAya—in the pastimes of Lord Caitanya
MahAprabhu; yAhAra—anyone whose; vizvAsa—faith; sei—that; jana—
person; yAya—makes progress; caitanyera—of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu;
pada—the lotus feet; pAza—near.
TRANSLATION
Only a person who has firm faith in the wonderful pastimes of Lord Caitanya
MahAprabhu can approach His lotus feet.
Adi 17.310
TEXT 310
prasa~Nge kahila ei siddhAntera sAra
ihA yei zune, zuddha-bhakti haya tAra

prasa~Nge—in the course of discussion; kahila—it was said; ei—this;
siddhAntera—of the conclusion; sAra—the essence; ihA—this; yei—anyone
who; zune—hears; zuddha-bhakti—unalloyed devotional service; haya—
becomes; tAra—his.
TRANSLATION
In this discourse I have explained the essence of the devotional conclusion.
Anyone who hears this develops unalloyed devotional service to the Lord.
Adi 17.311
TEXT 311
likhita granthera yadi kari anuvAda
tabe se granthera artha pAiye AsvAda

likhita—written; granthera—of the scripture; yadi—if; kari—I do; anuvAda—
repetition; tabe—then; se granthera—of that scripture; artha—the meaning;
pAiye—I can get; AsvAda—taste.
TRANSLATION
If I repeat what is already written, I may thus relish the purpose of this
scripture.
Adi 17.312
TEXT 312
dekhi granthe bhAgavate vyAsera AcAra
kathA kahi’ anuvAda kare vAra vAra

dekhi—I see; granthe—in the scripture; bhAgavate—in zrImad-BhAgavatam;
vyAsera—of zrIla VyAsadeva; AcAra—behavior; kathA—narration; kahi’—
describing; anuvAda—repetition; kare—he does; vAra vAra—again and again.
TRANSLATION
We can see in the scripture zrImad-BhAgavatam the conduct of its author, zrI
VyAsadeva. After speaking the narration, he repeats it again and again.
PURPORT
At the end of zrImad-BhAgavatam, in the Twelfth Canto, the Twelfth Chapter
contains forty-three verses in which zrI KRSNa-dvaipAyana VedavyAsa
recapitulates zrImad-BhAgavatam’s entire subject matter. zrI KRSNadAsa
KavirAja GosvAmI wants to follow in the footsteps of zrI VyAsadeva by
recapitulating the seventeen chapters of zrI Caitanya-caritAmRta’s Adi-lIlA.
Adi 17.313
TEXT 313
tAte Adi-lIlAra kari pariccheda gaNana
prathama paricchede kailu~N ‘ma~NgalAcaraNa’

tAte—therefore; Adi-lIlAra—of the First Canto, known as Adi-lIlA; kari—I do;
pariccheda—chapter; gaNana—enumeration; prathama paricchede—in the
First Chapter; kailu~N—I have done; ma~Ngala-AcaraNa—invocation of
auspiciousness.
TRANSLATION
Therefore I shall enumerate the chapters of the Adi-lIlA. In the First Chapter I
offer obeisances to the spiritual master, for this is the beginning of auspicious
writing.
Adi 17.314
TEXT 314
dvitIya paricchede ‘caitanya-tattva-nirUpaNa’
svayaà bhagavAn yei vrajendra-nandana

dvitIya paricchede—in the Second Chapter; caitanya-tattva-nirUpaNa—
description of the truth of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu; svayam—personally;
bhagavAn—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; yei—who; vrajendra-
nandana—the son of Nanda MahArAja.
TRANSLATION
The Second Chapter explains the truth of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu. He is the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord KRSNa, the son of MahArAja Nanda.
Adi 17.315
TEXT 315
te~Nho ta’ caitanya-kRSNa——zacIra nandana
tRtIya paricchede janmera ‘sAmAnya’ kAraNa

te~Nho—He; ta’—certainly; caitanya-kRSNa—KRSNa with the name of zrI
Caitanya; zacIra nandana—the son of zacImAtA; tRtIya paricchede—in the
Third Chapter; janmera—of His birth; sAmAnya—general; kAraNa—reason.
TRANSLATION
zrI KRSNa Caitanya MahAprabhu, who is KRSNa Himself, has now appeared as
the son of mother zacI. The Third Chapter describes the general cause of His
appearance.
Adi 17.316
TEXT 316
tahi~N madhye prema-dAna——‘vizeSa’ kAraNa
yuga-dharma——kRSNa-nAma-prema-pracAraNa

tahi~N madhye—in that chapter; prema-dAna—distribution of love of
Godhead; vizeSa—specific; kAraNa—reason; yuga-dharma—the religion of
the millennium; kRSNa-nAma—the holy name of Lord KRSNa; prema—love of
Godhead; pracAraNa—propagating.
TRANSLATION
The Third Chapter specifically describes the distribution of love of Godhead. It
also describes the religion of the age, which is simply to distribute the holy
name of Lord KRSNa and propagate the process of loving Him.
Adi 17.317
TEXT 317
caturthe kahilu~N janmera ‘mUla’ prayojana
sva-mAdhurya-premAnanda-rasa-AsvAdana

caturthe—in the Fourth Chapter; kahilu~N—I have described; janmera—of His
birth; mUla—the real; prayojana—necessity; sva-mAdhurya—His own
transcendental sweetness; prema-Ananda—of ecstatic joy from love; rasa—
the mellows; AsvAdana—tasting.
TRANSLATION
The Fourth Chapter describes the main reason for His appearance, which is to
taste the mellows of His own transcendental loving service and His own
sweetness.
Adi 17.318
TEXT 318
pa~ncame ‘zrI-nityAnanda’-tattva nirUpaNa
nityAnanda hailA rAma rohiNI-nandana

pa~ncame—in the Fifth Chapter; zrI-nityAnanda—of Lord NityAnanda Prabhu;
tattva—the truth; nirUpaNa—description; nityAnanda—Lord NityAnanda
Prabhu; hailA—was; rAma—BalarAma; rohiNI-nandana—the son of RohiNI.
TRANSLATION
The Fifth Chapter describes the truth of Lord NityAnanda Prabhu, who is none
other than BalarAma, the son of RohiNI.
Adi 17.319
TEXT 319
SaSTha paricchede ‘advaita-tattve’ra vicAra
advaita-AcArya——mahA-viSNu-avatAra

SaSTha paricchede—in the Sixth Chapter; advaita—of Advaita AcArya;
tattvera—of the truth; vicAra—consideration; advaita-AcArya—Advaita
Prabhu; mahA-viSNu-avatAra—incarnation of MahA-ViSNu.
TRANSLATION
The Sixth Chapter considers the truth of Advaita AcArya. He is an incarnation
of MahA-ViSNu.
Adi 17.320
TEXT 320
saptama paricchede ‘pa~nca-tattve’ra AkhyAna
pa~nca-tattva mili’ yaiche kailA prema-dAna

saptama paricchede—in the Seventh Chapter; pa~nca-tattvera—of the five
tattvas (truths); AkhyAna—the elaboration; pa~nca-tattva—the five tattvas;
mili’—combining together; yaiche—in what way; kailA—did; prema-dAna—
distribution of love of Godhead.
TRANSLATION
The Seventh Chapter describes the Pa~nca-tattva—zrI Caitanya, Prabhu
NityAnanda, zrI Advaita, GadAdhara and zrIvAsa. They all combined together
to distribute love of Godhead everywhere.
Adi 17.321
TEXT 321
aSTame ‘caitanya-lIlA-varNana’-kAraNa
eka kRSNa-nAmera mahA-mahimA-kathana

aSTame—in the Eighth Chapter; caitanya-lIlA-varNana-kAraNa—the reason for
describing Caitanya MahAprabhu’s pastimes; eka—one; kRSNa-nAmera—of
the holy name of Lord KRSNa; mahA-mahimA-kathana—description of great
glories.
TRANSLATION
The Eighth Chapter gives the reason for describing Lord Caitanya’s pastimes.
It also describes the greatness of Lord KRSNa’s holy name.
Adi 17.322
TEXT 322
navamete ‘bhakti-kalpa-vRkSera varNana’
zrI-caitanya-mAlI kailA vRkSa AropaNa

navamete—in the Ninth Chapter; bhakti-kalpa-vRkSera—of the desire tree of
devotional service; varNana—the description; zrI-caitanya-mAlI—zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu as the gardener; kailA—did; vRkSa—the tree; AropaNa—
implantation.
TRANSLATION
The Ninth Chapter describes the desire tree of devotional service. zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu Himself is the gardener who planted it.
Adi 17.323
TEXT 323
dazamete mUla-skandhera ‘zAkhAdi-gaNana’
sarva-zAkhA-gaNera yaiche phala-vitaraNa

dazamete—in the Tenth Chapter; mUla-skandhera—of the main trunk; zAkhA-
Adi—of the branches, etc.; gaNana—enumeration; sarva-zAkhA-gaNera—of
all branches; yaiche—in what way; phala-vitaraNa—distribution of the fruits.
TRANSLATION
The Tenth Chapter describes the branches and subbranches of the main trunk
and the distribution of their fruits.
Adi 17.324
TEXT 324
ekAdaze ‘nityAnanda-zAkhA-vivaraNa’
dvAdaze ‘advaita-skandha zAkhAra varNana’

ekAdaze—in the Eleventh Chapter; nityAnanda-zAkhA—of the branches of zrI
NityAnanda Prabhu; vivaraNa—description; dvAdaze—in the Twelfth Chapter;
advaita-skandha—the trunk known as Advaita Prabhu; zAkhAra—of the
branch; varNana—description.
TRANSLATION
The Eleventh Chapter describes the branch called zrI NityAnanda Prabhu. The
Twelfth Chapter describes the branch called zrI Advaita Prabhu.
Adi 17.325
TEXT 325
trayodaze mahAprabhura ‘janma-vivaraNa’
kRSNa-nAma-saha yaiche prabhura janama

trayodaze—in the Thirteenth Chapter; mahAprabhura—of Lord zrI Caitanya
MahAprabhu; janma—of the birth; vivaraNa—the description; kRSNa-nAma-
saha—along with the holy name of Lord KRSNa; yaiche—in what way;
prabhura—of the Lord; janama—the birth.
TRANSLATION
The Thirteenth Chapter describes the birth of zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu, which
took place with the chanting of the holy name of KRSNa.
Adi 17.326
TEXT 326
caturdaze ‘bAlya-lIlA’ra kichu vivaraNa
pa~ncadaze ‘paugaNòa-lIlA’ra sa~NkSepe kathana

caturdaze—in the Fourteenth Chapter; bAlya-lIlA’ra—of the Lord’s childhood
pastimes; kichu—some; vivaraNa—description; pa~ncadaze—in the Fifteenth
Chapter; paugaNòa-lIlAra—of the pastimes of the paugaNòa (boyhood) age;
sa~NkSepe—in brief; kathana—the telling.
TRANSLATION
The Fourteenth Chapter gives some description of the Lord’s childhood
pastimes. The Fifteenth briefly describes the Lord’s boyhood pastimes.
Adi 17.327
TEXT 327
Soòaza paricchede ‘kaizora-lIlA’ ra uddeza
saptadaze ‘yauvana-lIlA’ kahilu~N vizeSa

Soòaza—sixteenth; paricchede—in the chapter; kaizora-lIlAra—of pastimes
prior to youth; uddeza—indication; saptadaze—in the Seventeenth Chapter;
yauvana-lIlA—the pastimes of youth; kahilu~N—I have stated; vizeSa—
specifically.
TRANSLATION
In the Sixteenth Chapter I have indicated the pastimes of the kaizora age [the
age prior to youth]. In the Seventeenth Chapter I have specifically described
His youthful pastimes.
Adi 17.328
TEXT 328
ei saptadaza prakAra Adi-lIlAra prabandha
dvAdaza prabandha tAte grantha-mukhabandha

ei saptadaza—these seventeen; prakAra—varieties; Adi-lIlAra—of the Adi-lIlA
(first canto); prabandha—subject matter; dvAdaza—twelve; prabandha—
subject matters; tAte—among those; grantha—of the book; mukha-bandha—
prefaces.
TRANSLATION
Thus there are seventeen varieties of subjects in the first canto, which is
known as the Adi-lIlA. Twelve of these constitute the preface of this scripture.
Adi 17.329
TEXT 329
pa~nca-prabandhe pa~nca-rasera carita
sa~NkSepe kahilu~N ati,——nA kailu~N vistRta

pa~nca-prabandhe—in five chapters; pa~nca-rasera—of five transcendental
mellows; carita—the character; sa~NkSepe—in brief; kahilu~N—I stated; ati—
greatly; nA kailu~N—I did not make; vistRta—expanded.
TRANSLATION
After the chapters of the preface, I have described five transcendental
mellows in five chapters. I have described them very briefly rather than
expansively.
Adi 17.330
TEXT 330
vRndAvana-dAsa ihA ‘caitanya-ma~Ngale’
vistAri’ varNilA nityAnanda-Aj~nA-bale

vRndAvana-dAsa—ThAkura VRndAvana dAsa; ihA—this; caitanya-ma~Ngale—in
his book Caitanya-ma~Ngala; vistAri’—expanding; varNilA—described;
nityAnanda—of zrI NityAnanda Prabhu; Aj~nA—of the order; bale—on the
strength.
TRANSLATION
By the order and strength of zrI NityAnanda Prabhu, zrIla VRndAvana dAsa
ThAkura has elaborately described in his Caitanya-ma~Ngala all that I have not.
Adi 17.331
TEXT 331
zrI-kRSNa-caitanya-lIlA——adbhuta, ananta
brahmA-ziva-zeSa yA~Nra nAhi pAya anta

zrI-kRSNa-caitanya-lIlA—the pastimes of Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu;
adbhuta—wonderful; ananta—unlimited; brahmA—Lord BrahmA; ziva—Lord
ziva; zeSa—Lord zeSa NAga; yA~Nra—of which; nAhi—not; pAya—get; anta—
end.
TRANSLATION
The pastimes of Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu are wonderful and unlimited.
Even personalities like Lord BrahmA, Lord ziva and zeSa NAga cannot find
their end.
Adi 17.332
TEXT 332
ye yei aàza kahe, zune sei dhanya
acire milibe tAre zrI-kRSNa-caitanya

ye yei aàza—any part of this; kahe—anyone who describes; zune—anyone
who hears; sei—that person; dhanya—glorious; acire—very soon; milibe—
will meet; tAre—Him; zrI-kRSNa-caitanya—zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu.
TRANSLATION
Anyone who describes or hears any part of this elaborate subject will very
soon receive the causeless mercy of zrI KRSNa Caitanya MahAprabhu.
Adi 17.333
TEXT 333
zrI-kRSNa-caitanya, advaita, nityAnanda
zrIvAsa-gadAdharAdi yata bhakta-vRnda

zrI-kRSNa-caitanya—Lord zrI Caitanya MahAprabhu; advaita—Advaita AcArya
Prabhu; nityAnanda—NityAnanda Prabhu; zrIvAsa—zrIvAsa ThAkura;
gadAdhara-Adi—and others like GadAdhara; yata—all; bhakta-vRnda—all
devotees.
TRANSLATION
[Herein the author again describes the Pa~nca-tattva.] zrI KRSNa Caitanya,
Prabhu NityAnanda, zrI Advaita, GadAdhara, zrIvAsa and all the devotees of
Lord Caitanya.
Adi 17.334
TEXT 334
TEXT
yata yata bhakta-gaNa vaise vRndAvane
namra ha~nA zire dharo~N sabAra caraNe

yata yata—each and every one; bhakta-gaNa—devotees; vaise—reside;
vRndAvane—at VRndAvana; namra ha~nA—becoming humble; zire—on my
head; dharo~N—I place; sabAra—of all; caraNe—the lotus feet.
TRANSLATION
I offer my respectful obeisances to all the residents of VRndAvana. I wish to
place their lotus feet on my head in great humbleness.
Adi 17.336
TEXTS 335–336
zrI-svarUpa-zrI-rUpa-zrI-sanAtana
zrI-raghunAtha-dAsa, Ara zrI-jIva-caraNa
zire dhari vando~N, nitya karo~N tA~Nra Aza
caitanya-caritAmRta kahe kRSNadAsa

zrI-svarUpa—zrI SvarUpa DAmodara; zrI-rUpa—zrI RUpa GosvAmI; zrI-
sanAtana—zrI SanAtana GosvAmI; zrI-raghunAtha-dAsa—zrI RaghunAtha dAsa
GosvAmI; Ara—and; zrI-jIva-caraNa—the lotus feet of zrI JIva GosvAmI; zire—
on the head; dhari—placing; vando~N—I worship; nitya—always; karo~N—I
do; tA~Nra—their; Aza—hope to serve; caitanya-caritAmRta—the book named
zrI Caitanya-caritAmRta; kahe—describes; kRSNadAsa—zrIla KRSNadAsa
KavirAja GosvAmI.
TRANSLATION
I wish to place the lotus feet of the GosvAmIs on my head. Their names are zrI
SvarUpa DAmodara, zrI RUpa GosvAmI, zrI SanAtana GosvAmI, zrI RaghunAtha
dAsa GosvAmI and zrI JIva GosvAmI. Placing their lotus feet on my head,
always hoping to serve them, I, KRSNadAsa, narrate zrI Caitanya-caritAmRta,
following in their footsteps.
Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports to zrI Caitanya-caritAmRta, Adi-lIlA,
Seventeenth Chapter, describing the pastimes of Lord Caitanya MahAprabhu
in His youth.
END OF THE ADI–LILA