Chapter 25
How All the Residents of Varanasi Became Vaisnavas
The following is a summary of Chapter Twenty-five. A Maharastrian
brahmana who was living in Benares was a great devotee of Sri Caitanya
Mahaprabhu. He was always very happy to hear of the glories of the Lord, and it
was by his arrangement that all the sannyasis of Varanasi became devotees of
Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. He invited all the sannyasis to his house to meet Sri
Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and this incident has been described in the Seventh
Chapter of Adi-lila. From that day, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu became famous in
the city of Varanasi, and many important men in that city became His followers.
By and by, one of the disciples of the great sannyasi Prakasananda Sarasvati
became devoted to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and this devotee explained Sri
Caitanya Mahaprabhu to Prakasananda Sarasvati and supported His views with
various arguments.
One day Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu went to take a bath at Panca-nada, and
afterwards all His devotees began chanting the Hare Krsna mantra in front of
the temple of Bindu Madhava. At this time Prakasananda Sarasvati and all his
devotees approached the Lord. Prakasananda Sarasvati immediately fell down at
the lotus feet of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and very much regretted his past
behavior toward the Lord. He asked Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu about devotional
service in terms of the Vedanta-sutra, and the Lord told him about devotional
service that is approved by great personalities who know the Vedanta-sutra. Sri
Caitanya Mahaprabhu then pointed out that Srimad-Bhagavatam is the proper
commentary on the Vedanta-sutra. He then explained the catuh-sloki (four
slokas) of Srimad-Bhagavatam, the essence of that great scripture.
From that day on, all the sannyasis of Varanasi became devotees of Sri
Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Before returning to His headquarters at Jagannatha Puri,
the Lord advised Sanatana Gosvami to go to Vrndavana. The Lord then departed
for Jagannatha Puri. Kaviraja Gosvami then describes something about Srila Rupa
Gosvami, Sanatana Gosvami and Subuddhi Raya. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu returned
to Jagannatha Puri through the great forest of Jharikhanda in central India. At
the end of this chapter, Kaviraja Gosvami sums up the incidents of Madhya-lila
and instructs every living being to read this sublime book of Sri Caitanya
Mahaprabhu's pastimes.
TEXT 1
TEXT
vaisnavi-krtya sannyasi-
mukhan
kasi-nivasinah
sanatanam susamskrtya
prabhur niladrim agamat
SYNONYMS
vaisnavi-krtya--making into Vaisnavas; sannyasi-mukhan--headed by the
sannyasis; kasi-nivasinah--the residents of Varanasi; sanatanam--Sanatana
Gosvami; su-samskrtya--completely purifying; prabhuh--Lord Sri Caitanya
Mahaprabhu; niladrim--to Jagannatha Puri; agamat--returned.
TRANSLATION
After converting into Vaisnavas all the residents of Varanasi, who were
headed by the sannyasis, and after completely educating and instructing
Sanatana Gosvami at Varanasi, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu returned to Jagannatha
Puri.
TEXT 2
TEXT
jaya jaya sri-caitanya jaya nityananda
jayadvaita-candra jaya gaura-bhakta-vrnda
SYNONYMS
jaya jaya--all glories; sri-caitanya--to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu;
jaya--all glories; nityananda--to Nityananda Prabhu; jaya--all glories;
advaita-candra--to Advaita Prabhu; jaya--all glories; gaura-bhakta-vrnda--to
the devotees of Lord Sri 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!
TEXT 3
TEXT
ei mata mahaprabhu dui masa paryanta
sikhaila tanre bhakti-siddhantera anta
SYNONYMS
ei mata--in this way; mahaprabhu--Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; dui masa
paryanta--for two months; sikhaila--instructed; tanre--him; bhakti-siddhantera
anta--all the conclusions of devotional service.
TRANSLATION
Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu instructed Sri Sanatana Gosvami in all the
conclusions of devotional service for two consecutive months.
TEXT 4
TEXT
'paramananda kirtaniya'--sekharera sangi
prabhure kirtana sunaya, ati bada rangi
SYNONYMS
paramananda kirtaniya--Paramananda Kirtaniya; sekharera sangi--a friend
of Candrasekhara's; prabhure--unto Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; kirtana
sunaya--sings and chants; ati bada rangi--very humorous.
TRANSLATION
For as long as Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was in Varanasi, Paramananda
Kirtaniya, who was a friend of Candrasekhara's, chanted the Hare Krsna
maha-mantra and other songs to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu in a very humorous way.
TEXT 5
TEXT
sannyasira
gana prabhure yadi upeksila
bhakta-duhkha khandaite tare krpa kaila
SYNONYMS
sannyasira gana--all the sannyasis; prabhure--Lord Sri Caitanya
Mahaprabhu; yadi--when; upeksila--criticized; bhakta-duhkha--the unhappiness of
the devotees; khandaite--to drive away; tare--to them; krpa kaila--showed His
mercy.
TRANSLATION
When the Mayavadi sannyasis at Varanasi criticized Sri Caitanya
Mahaprabhu, the Lord's devotees became very depressed. To satisfy them, Sri
Caitanya Mahaprabhu showed His mercy to the sannyasis.
TEXT 6
TEXT
sannyasire krpa purve likhiyachon vistariya
uddese kahiye ihan sanksepa kariya
SYNONYMS
sannyasire krpa--mercy upon the sannyasis; purve--before this;
likhiyachon--I have described; vistariya--elaborately; uddese--in reference to
that; kahiye--let me speak; ihan--here; sanksepa kariya--in brief.
TRANSLATION
In the Seventh Chapter of Adi-lila I have already elaborately described
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's deliverance of the sannyasis at Varanasi, but I shall
briefly repeat it in this chapter.
TEXT 7
TEXT
yahan tahan prabhura ninda kare sannyasira gana
suni' duhkhe maharastriya vipra karaye cintana
SYNONYMS
yahan tahan--anywhere and everywhere; prabhura ninda--criticism of Sri
Caitanya Mahaprabhu; kare--do; sannyasira gana--the Mayavadi sannyasis;
suni'--hearing; duhkhe--in great unhappiness; maharastriya vipra--the brahmana
of Maharastra province; karaye cintana--was contemplating.
TRANSLATION
When the Mayavadi sannyasis were criticizing Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu
anywhere and everywhere in Varanasi, the Maharastrian brahmana, hearing this
blasphemy, began to think about this unhappily.
TEXT 8
TEXT
"prabhura svabhava,--yeba dekhe sannidhane
'svarupa' anubhavi' tanre 'isvara' kari' mane
SYNONYMS
prabhura sva-bhava--the characteristics of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu;
yeba--anyone who; dekhe--sees; sannidhane--nearby; sva-rupa--His personality;
anubhavi'--realizing; tanre--Him; isvara kari'--as the Supreme Lord;
mane--accepts.
TRANSLATION
The Maharastrian brahmana thought, "Whoever closely sees the
characteristics of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu immediately realizes His personality
and accepts Him as the Supreme Lord.
TEXT 9
TEXT
kona prakare paron yadi ekatra karite
iha dekhi' sannyasi-gana habe inhara bhakte
SYNONYMS
kona prakare--by some means; paron--I am able; yadi--if; ekatra
karite--to assemble; iha dekhi'--by seeing this (Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's
personal characteristics); sannyasi-gana--the Mayavadi sannyasis of Varanasi;
habe--will become; inhara bhakte--His devotees.
TRANSLATION
"If by some means I can assemble all the sannyasis together, they
will certainly become His devotees after seeing His personal characteristics.
PURPORT
If one saw the personal characteristics and activities of Sri Caitanya
Mahaprabhu, one would certainly be convinced that He was the Supreme
Personality of Godhead. One can ascertain this by following in the footsteps of
the sastric injunctions. This sincere study and appreciation of Sri Caitanya
Mahaprabhu is also applicable to His authorized devotees, and it is clearly
stated in the Caitanya-caritamrta (Antya 7.11):
kali-kalera dharma----krsna-nama-sankirtana
krsna-sakti vina nahe tara pravartana
In this Age of Kali, real religious propaganda should induce people to
chant the Hare Krsna maha-mantra. This is possible for someone who is
especially empowered by Krsna. No one can do this without being especially
favored by Krsna. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura comments in this
regard in his Anubhasya, wherein he quotes a verse from Narayana-samhita:
dvapariyair janair visnuh
pancaratrais tu kevalaih
kalau tu nama-matrena
pujyate bhagavan harih
"In Dvapara-yuga, devotees of Lord Visnu and Krsna rendered
devotional service according to the principles of pancaratrika. In this Age of
Kali, the Supreme Personality of Godhead is worshiped simply by the chanting of
His holy names.» Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura then comments:
"Without being empowered by the direct potency of Lord Krsna to fulfill
His desire and without being specifically favored by the Lord, no human being
can become the spiritual master of the whole world. He certainly cannot succeed
by mental concoction, which is not meant for devotees or religious people. Only
an empowered personality can distribute the holy name of the Lord and enjoin
all fallen souls to worship Krsna. By distributing the holy name of the Lord,
he cleanses the hearts of the most fallen people; therefore he extinguishes the
blazing fire of the material world. Not only that, he broadcasts the shining
brightness of Krsna's effulgence throughout the world. Such an acarya, or
spiritual master, should be considered nondifferent from Krsna-that is, he
should be considered the incarnation of Lord Krsna's potency. Such a
personality is krsnalingita-vigraha-that is, he is always embraced by the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna. Such a person is above the
considerations of the varnasrama institution. He is the guru or spiritual
master for the entire world, a devotee on the topmost platform, the
maha-bhagavata stage, and a paramahamsa-thakura, a spiritual form only fit to
be addressed as paramahamsa or thakura."
Nonetheless, there are many people who are just like owls but never open
their eyes to see the sunshine. These owlish personalities are inferior to the
Mayavadi sannyasis who cannot see the brilliance of Krsna's favor. They are
prepared to criticize the person engaged in distributing the holy name all over
the world and following in the footsteps of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who wanted
Krsna consciousness preached in every town and city.
TEXT 10
TEXT
varanasi-vasa amara haya sarva-kale
sarva-kala duhkha paba, iha na karile"
SYNONYMS
varanasi-vasa--residence at Varanasi; amara--my; haya--there is;
sarva-kale--always; sarva-kala--always; duhkha paba--I will suffer unhappiness;
iha--this; na karile--if I do not execute.
TRANSLATION
"I shall have to reside at Varanasi the rest of my life. If I do
not try to carry out this plan, I shall certainly continue to suffer mental
depression."
TEXT 11
TEXT
eta cinti' nimantrila sannyasira gane
tabe sei vipra aila mahaprabhura sthane
SYNONYMS
eta cinti'--thinking this; nimantrila--he invited; sannyasira gane--all
the sannyasis; tabe--then; sei vipra--that brahmana; aila--approached;
mahaprabhura sthane--the lotus feet of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
TRANSLATION
Thinking like this, the Maharastrian brahmana extended an invitation to
all the sannyasis of Varanasi. After doing this, he finally approached Sri
Caitanya Mahaprabhu to extend Him an invitation.
TEXT 12
TEXT
hena-kale ninda suni' sekhara, tapana
duhkha pana prabhu-pade kaila nivedana
SYNONYMS
hena-kale--exactly at this time; ninda suni'--by hearing the criticism
(of Lord Caitanya by the Mayavadi sannyasis); sekhara tapana--Candrasekhara and
Tapana Misra; duhkha pana--feeling very unhappy; prabhu-pade--unto the lotus
feet of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; kaila nivedana--submitted a request.
TRANSLATION
At this time, Candrasekhara and Tapana Misra both heard blasphemous
criticism against Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and felt very unhappy. They came to
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's lotus feet to submit a request.
TEXT 13
TEXT
bhakta-duhkha dekhi' prabhu manete cintila
sannyasira mana phiraite mana ha-ila
SYNONYMS
bhakta-duhkha dekhi'--seeing the unhappiness of the devotees;
prabhu--Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; manete cintila--considered within His mind;
sannyasira mana--the minds of the Mayavadi sannyasis; phiraite--to turn; mana
ha-ila--Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu decided.
TRANSLATION
They submitted their request, and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, seeing His
devotees' unhappiness, decided to turn the minds of the Mayavadi sannyasis.
TEXT 14
TEXT
hena-kale vipra asi' karila nimantrana
aneka
dainyadi kari' dharila carana
SYNONYMS
hena-kale--at this time; vipra--the Maharastrian brahmana; asi'--coming;
karila nimantrana--invited Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; aneka--various;
dainya-adi--submissions; kari'--doing; dharila carana--touched His lotus feet.
TRANSLATION
While Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was seriously considering meeting with the
Mayavadi sannyasis, the Maharastrian brahmana approached Him and extended an
invitation. The brahmana submitted his invitation with great humility, and he
touched the lotus feet of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
TEXT 15
TEXT
tabe mahaprabhu tanra nimantrana manila
ara dina madhyahna
kari' tanra ghare gela
SYNONYMS
tabe--after this; mahaprabhu--Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; tanra--his;
nimantrana--invitation; manila--accepted; ara dina--the next day; madhyahna
kari'--after finishing His madhyahna activities (taking bath and murmuring
mantras); tanra ghare gela--He went to the house of the Maharastrian brahmana.
TRANSLATION
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu accepted his invitation, and the next day, after
finishing His noontime activities, He went to the brahmana's house.
TEXT 16
TEXT
tahan yaiche kaila prabhu sannyasira nistara
panca-tattvakhyane taha kariyachi vistara
SYNONYMS
tahan--there; yaiche--how; kaila--performed; prabhu--Sri Caitanya
Mahaprabhu; sannyasira--of the Mayavadi sannyasis; nistara--deliverance;
panca-tattva-akhyane--in describing the glories of the Panca-tattva (Sri Krsna
Caitanya, Prabhu Nityananda, Sri Advaita, Gadadhara and Srivasa); taha--that
subject matter; kariyachi vistara--have described elaborately.
TRANSLATION
I have already described Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's deliverance of the
Mayavadi sannyasis in the Seventh Chapter when I described the glories of the
Panca-tattva-Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Sri Nityananda Prabhu, Advaita Prabhu,
Gadadhara Prabhu and Srivasa.
TEXT 17
TEXT
grantha bade, punarukti haya ta' kathana
tahan ye na likhilun, taha kariye likhana
SYNONYMS
grantha--the size of the book; bade--increases; punah-ukti--repetition;
haya--would be; ta' kathana--of subject matters once described; tahan--there
(in the Seventh Chapter); ye--whatever; na likhilun--I have not described;
taha--that; kariye likhana--I am writing.
TRANSLATION
Since I have already described this incident very elaborately in the
Seventh Chapter of Adi-lila, I do not wish to increase the size of this book by
giving another description. However, I shall try to include in this chapter
whatever was not described there.
TEXT 18
TEXT
ye divasa prabhu sannyasire krpa kaila
se divasa haite grame kolahala haila
SYNONYMS
ye divasa--the day when; prabhu--Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; sannyasire--to
the Mayavadi sannyasis; krpa kaila--showed His mercy; se divasa
haite--beginning from that day; grame--in the locality; kolahala haila--there
were many talks about this incident.
TRANSLATION
Beginning from the day on which Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu showed His mercy
to the Mayavadi sannyasis, there were vivid discussions about this conversion
among the inhabitants of Varanasi.
TEXT 19
TEXT
lokera sanghatta aise prabhure dekhite
nana sastre pandita aise sastra vicarite
SYNONYMS
lokera sanghatta--crowds of men; aise--come; prabhure dekhite--to see
Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; nana sastre pandita--scholars learned in various
scriptures; aise--used to come; sastra vicarite--to talk on various scriptures.
TRANSLATION
Crowds of people came to see Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu from that day on,
and scholars of various scriptures discussed different subject matters with the
Lord.
TEXT 20
TEXT
sarva-sastra khandi' prabhu 'bhakti' kare sara
sayuktika vakye mana phiraya sabara
SYNONYMS
sarva-sastra khandi'--defeating all the false conclusions of different
scriptures; prabhu--Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; bhakti kare sara--established the
predominance of devotional service; sa-yuktika vakye--by talks full of pleasing
logic and arguments; mana phiraya--turns the minds; sabara--of everyone.
TRANSLATION
When people came to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu to discuss the principles of
various scriptures, the Lord defeated their false conclusions and established
the predominance of devotional service to the Lord. With logic and argument He
very politely changed their minds.
PURPORT
We have been spreading this sankirtana movement in the Western
countries, and in our recent tour of European cities like Rome, Geneva, Paris
and Frankfurt, many learned Christian scholars, priests, philosophers and yogis
came to see us, and by the grace of Krsna they agreed that this Krsna consciousness
movement, the bhakti cult, offers the topmost conclusion. Following in the
footsteps of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, we are trying to convince everyone that
the devotional service of the Lord is enjoined in every scripture. If a person
is religious, he must accept the supreme authority of the Lord, become His
devotee and try to love Him. This is the real principle of religion. It does
not matter whether one is Christian, Mohammedan or whatever. He simply must
accept the sublime position of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and render
service unto Him. It is not a question of being Christian, Mohammedan or Hindu.
One should be purely religious and freed from all these material designations.
In this way one can learn the art of devotional service. This argument appeals
to all intelligent men, and consequently this Krsna consciousness movement is
gaining ground throughout the world. Due to our solid logic and scientific
presentation, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's prediction that Krsna consciousness
will spread in every town and village throughout the world is gradually being
realized.
TEXT 21
TEXT
upadesa lana kare krsna-sankirtana
sarva-loka hase, gaya, karaye nartana
SYNONYMS
upadesa lana--getting instructions from Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu;
kare--join; krsna-sankirtana--the sankirtana movement; sarva-loka
hase--everyone began to laugh in pleasure; gaya--chant; karaye nartana--and
dance.
TRANSLATION
As soon as people received instructions from Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu,
they began to chant the Hare Krsna maha-mantra. Thus everyone laughed, chanted
and danced with the Lord.
TEXT 22
TEXT
prabhure pranata haila sannyasira gana
atma-madhye gosthi kare chadi' adhyayana
SYNONYMS
prabhure--unto Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; pranata haila--offered
obeisances; sannyasira gana--all the Mayavadi sannyasis; atma-madhye--among
themselves; gosthi kare--discussed; chadi' adhyayana--giving up so-called
studies of Vedanta.
TRANSLATION
All the Mayavadi sannyasis offered their obeisances unto Sri Caitanya
Mahaprabhu and then began to discuss His movement, giving up their studies of
Vedanta and Mayavada philosophy.
TEXT 23
TEXT
prakasanandera sisya eka
tanhara samana
sabha-madhye kahe prabhura kariya sammana
SYNONYMS
prakasanandera sisya eka--one of the disciples of Prakasananda
Sarasvati; tanhara samana--equal in learning with Prakasananda Sarasvati;
sabha-madhye--in the assembly of the sannyasis; kahe--explains; prabhura kariya
sammana--respecting Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu seriously.
TRANSLATION
One of the disciples of Prakasananda Sarasvati, who was as learned as
his guru, began to speak in that assembly, offering all respects to Sri
Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
TEXT 24
TEXT
sri-krsna-caitanya haya 'saksat narayana'
'vyasa-sutrera' artha
karena ati-manorama
SYNONYMS
sri-krsna-caitanya--Lord Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu; haya--is; saksat
narayana--directly the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Narayana;
vyasa-sutrera--the codes of Vyasadeva (Vedanta-sutra); artha karena--He
explains; ati-manorama--very nicely.
TRANSLATION
He said, "Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, Narayana Himself. When He explains the Vedanta-sutra, He does so very
nicely.
TEXT 25
TEXT
upanisadera karena mukhyartha vyakhyana
suniya pandita-lokera judaya mana-kana
SYNONYMS
upanisadera--of the Vedic version known as the Upanisads; karena--He
does; mukhya-artha--the original meaning; vyakhyana--explanation;
suniya--hearing; pandita-lokera--of the learned scholars; judaya--satisfies; mana-kana--the
minds and ears.
TRANSLATION
"Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu explains the direct meaning of the
Upanisads. When all learned scholars hear this, their minds and ears are
satisfied.
TEXT 26
TEXT
sutra-upanisadera mukhyartha chadiya
acarya 'kalpana' kare agraha kariya
SYNONYMS
sutra-upanisadera--of the Vedanta-sutra and the Upanisads;
mukhya-artha--the direct meaning; chadiya--giving up; acarya--Sankaracarya;
kalpana--imagination; kare--does; agraha kariya--with great eagerness.
TRANSLATION
"Giving up the direct meaning of the Vedanta-sutra and the
Upanisads, Sankaracarya imagines some other interpretation.
TEXT 27
TEXT
acarya-kalpita artha ye pandita sune
mukhe 'haya' 'haya' kare, hrdaya na mane
SYNONYMS
acarya-kalpita--imagined by Sankaracarya; artha--meaning; ye pandita
sune--any learned person who hears; mukhe--only in the mouth; haya haya--yes it
is, yes it is; kare--does; hrdaya--his heart; na mane--does not accept.
TRANSLATION
"All the interpretations of Sankaracarya are imaginary. Such
imaginary interpretations are verbally accepted by learned scholars, but they
do not appeal to the heart.
TEXT 28
TEXT
sri-krsna-caitanya-vakya drdha satya mani
kali-kale sannyase 'samsara' nahi jini
SYNONYMS
sri-krsna-caitanya-vakya--the words of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu;
drdha--very firm and convincing; satya mani--I admit as truth; kali-kale--in
this Age of Kali; sannyase--simply by accepting the renounced order of life;
samsara nahi jini--one cannot escape the material clutches.
TRANSLATION
"The words of Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu are firm and
convincing, and I accept them as true. In this Age of Kali, one cannot be
delivered from material clutches simply by formally accepting the renounced
order.
TEXT 29
TEXT
harer nama-slokera yei karila vyakhyana
sei satya sukhadartha parama pramana
SYNONYMS
harer nama-slokera--of the verse beginning harer nama harer nama;
yei--whatever; karila--made; vyakhyana--the explanation; sei--that;
satya--true; sukha-da-artha--a meaning that is pleasing to accept; parama
pramana--the supreme evidence.
TRANSLATION
"Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's explanation of the verse beginning 'harer
nama harer nama' is not only pleasing to the ear but is strong, factual
evidence.
TEXT 30
TEXT
bhakti vina mukti nahe, bhagavate kaya
kali-kale namabhase sukhe mukti haya
SYNONYMS
bhakti vina--without devotional service; mukti nahe--there is no
question of liberation; bhagavate kaya--it is said in Srimad-Bhagavatam;
kali-kale--in this Age of Kali; nama-abhase--even by a slight appreciation of
the Hare Krsna mantra; sukhe--without difficulty; mukti haya--one can get
liberation.
TRANSLATION
"In this Age of Kali, one cannot attain liberation without taking
to the devotional service of the Lord. In this age, even if one does not chant
the holy name of Krsna perfectly, he still attains liberation very easily.
TEXT 31
TEXT
sreyah-srtim bhaktim udasya te vibho
klisyanti ye
kevala-bodha-labdhaye
tesam asau klesala eva sisyate
nanyad yatha sthula-tusavaghatinam
SYNONYMS
sreyah-srtim--the auspicious path of liberation; bhaktim--devotional
service; udasya--giving up; te--of You; vibho--O my Lord; klisyanti--accept
increased difficulties; ye--all those persons who; kevala--only;
bodha-labdhaye--for obtaining knowledge; tesam--for them; asau--that;
klesalah--trouble; eva--only; sisyate--remains; na--not; anyat--anything else;
yatha--as much as; sthula--bulky; tusa--husks of rice; avaghatinam--of those
beating.
TRANSLATION
" 'My dear Lord, devotional service unto You is the only auspicious
path. If one gives it up simply for speculative knowledge or the understanding
that these living beings are spirit soul and the material world is false, he
undergoes a great deal of trouble. He only gains troublesome and inauspicious
activities. His actions are like beating a husk that is already devoid of rice.
One's labor becomes fruitless.'
PURPORT
This is a quotation from Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.14.4).
TEXT 32
TEXT
ye 'nye 'ravindaksa vimukta-maninas
tvayy asta-bhavad avisuddha-buddhayah
aruhya krcchrena param padam tatah
patanty adho 'nadrta-yusmad-anghrayah
SYNONYMS
ye--all those who; anye--others (nondevotees); aravinda-aksa--O
lotus-eyed one; vimukta-maninah--who consider themselves liberated; tvayi--unto
You; asta-bhavat--without devotion; avisuddha-buddhayah--whose intelligence is
not purified; aruhya--having ascended; krcchrena--by severe austerities and
penances; param padam--to the supreme position; tatah--from there;
patanti--fall; adhah--down; anadrta--without respecting; yusmat--Your; anghrayah--lotus
feet.
TRANSLATION
" 'O lotus-eyed one, those who think they are liberated in this
life but who are devoid of devotional service to You are of impure
intelligence. Although they accept severe austerities and penances and rise to
the spiritual position, to impersonal Brahman realization, they fall down again
because they neglect to worship Your lotus feet.'
PURPORT
This is a verse from Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.2.32).
TEXT 33
TEXT
'brahma'-sabde kahe 'sad-aisvarya-purna bhagavan'
tanre 'nirvisesa' sthapi, 'purnata' haya hana
SYNONYMS
brahma-sabde--by the word brahma; kahe--is meant; sat-aisvarya-purna
bhagavan--the Supreme Personality of Godhead, full in all six opulences;
tanre--Him; nirvisesa sthapi--if we make impersonal; purnata haya hana--His
completeness becomes damaged.
TRANSLATION
"The word Brahman means 'the greatest.' This means that the Supreme
Personality of Godhead is full in all six opulences. However, if we take the
one-sided impersonalist view, His fullness is diminished.
PURPORT
The Supreme Personality of Godhead is originally the Supreme Person. The
Lord says in Bhagavad-gita (9.4):
maya tatam idam sarvam
jagad avyakta-murtina
mat-sthani sarva-bhutani
na caham tesv avasthitah
"By Me, in My unmanifested form, this entire universe is pervaded.
All beings are in Me, but I am not in them."
The potency of Krsna that is spread everywhere is impersonal. The
sunlight is the impersonal expansion of the sun globe and the sun-god. If we
simply take one side of the Supreme Personality of Godhead-His impersonal
effulgence-that one side does not fully explain the Absolute Truth. Impersonal
appreciation of the Absolute Truth is one-sided and incomplete. One should also
accept the other side, the personal side-Bhagavan. Brahmeti paramatmeti
bhagavan iti sabdyate. One should not be satisfied simply by understanding the
Brahman feature of the Personality of Godhead. One must also know the Lord's
personal feature. That is complete understanding of the Absolute Truth.
TEXT 34
TEXT
sruti-purana kahe--krsnera cic-chakti-vilasa
taha nahi mani, pandita kare upahasa
SYNONYMS
sruti-purana kahe--the Vedic literatures and the Puranas confirm;
krsnera--of Lord Krsna; cit-sakti-vilasa--activities of spiritual potencies;
taha nahi mani--not accepting that; pandita kare upahasa--so-called scholars
play jokes without perfect understanding.
TRANSLATION
"Vedic literatures, the Upanisads, the Brahma-sutra and the Puranas
all describe the activities of the spiritual potency of the Lord. If one cannot
accept the personal activities of the Lord, he jokes foolishly and gives an
impersonal description.
PURPORT
In the Vedic literatures, including the Puranas, there are full
descriptions of the spiritual potency of Krsna. All the pastimes of the Lord
are eternal, blissful and full of knowledge, just as the form of Krsna Himself
is eternal, blissful and full of knowledge (sac-cid-ananda-vigraha).
Unintelligent people with a poor fund of knowledge compare their temporary
bodies to the spiritual body of Krsna, and by such foolishness they try to
understand Krsna as one of them. Avajananti mam mudha manusim tanum asritam.
Bhagavad-gita (9.11) points out that foolish people think of Krsna as one of
them. Not understanding His spiritual potency, they simply decry the personal
form of the Absolute Truth, foolishly thinking of themselves as jnanis
cognizant of the complete truth. They cannot understand that just as the
material energy of the Lord has a variety of activities, the spiritual energy
has variety also. They consider activities in devotional service the same as
activities in material consciousness. Under such a wrong impression, they
sometimes dare joke about the spiritual activities of the Lord and His
devotional service.
TEXT 35
TEXT
cid-ananda krsna-vigraha 'mayika' kari' mani
ei bada 'papa',--satya caitanyera vani
SYNONYMS
cit-ananda krsna-vigraha--the transcendental form of Krsna, which is
completely spiritual; mayika kari' mani--accept as made of the external energy,
maya; ei bada papa--this is a great act of sin; satya--true; caitanyera
vani--the words of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
TRANSLATION
"The Mayavadis do not recognize the personal form of the Lord as
spiritual and full of bliss. This is a great sin. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's
statements are actually factual.
PURPORT
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's movement especially aims at defeating the
Mayavada conclusion about the Absolute Truth. Since the members of the Mayavada
school cannot understand the spiritual form of the Lord, they incorrectly think
the Lord's form is also made of material energy. They think that He is covered
by a material body just like other living beings. Due to this offensive
understanding, they cannot recognize that Sri Krsna's personal form is
transcendental, not material. Their conclusion is a great offense at the lotus
feet of the Lord. As explained by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Sri Krsna has His
eternal, blissful form that is full of knowledge, and all Vaisnava acaryas
accept this. That is the proper understanding of the Absolute Truth.
TEXT 36
TEXT
natah param parama yad bhavatah svarupam
ananda-matram avikalpam aviddha-varcah
pasyami visva-srjam ekam avisvam atman
bhutendriyatmakam adas ta upasrito 'smi
SYNONYMS
na--not; atah--than this; param--more supreme; parama--O supreme one;
yat--which; bhavatah--of Your Lordship; sva-rupam--the personal form;
ananda--of transcendental bliss; matram--only; avikalpam--where there is no
creation; aviddha--without contamination; varcah--having an effulgence;
pasyami--I see; visva-srjam ekam--who alone has created this universe;
avisvam--not belonging to the destructible material world; atman--O Supreme
Soul; bhuta-indriya-atmakam--the original cause of the senses and the living
beings; adah--transcendental; te--unto You; upasritah asmi--I take full
shelter.
TRANSLATION
" 'O supreme one, the transcendental form I am now seeing is full
of transcendental bliss. It is not contaminated by the external energy. It is
full of effulgence. My Lord, there is no better understanding of You than this.
You are the Supreme Soul and the creator of this material world, but You are
not connected with this material world. You are completely different from
created form and variety. I sincerely take shelter of that form of Yours which
I am now seeing. This form is the original source of all living beings and
their senses.'
PURPORT
This is a quotation from Srimad-Bhagavatam (3.9.3). This verse was
spoken by Lord Brahma, who perfectly realized the Supreme Personality of
Godhead after meditating upon the Lord within the water of the Garbhodhaka
Ocean. Brahma realized that the form of the Lord is completely spiritual. This
is certainly a better understanding of the Absolute Truth than impersonal
understanding.
TEXT 37
TEXT
drstam srutam bhuta-bhavad-bhavisyat
sthasnus carisnur mahad alpakam va
vinacyutad vastu-taram na vacyam
sa eva sarvam paramatma-bhutah
SYNONYMS
drstam--experienced by direct perception; srutam--experienced by
hearing; bhuta--past; bhavat--present; bhavisyat--which will be in the future;
sthasnuh--immovable; carisnuh--movable; mahat--the greatest; alpakam--the
smallest; va--or; vina--except; acyutat--the infallible Personality of Godhead;
vastu-taram--anything else; na vacyam--not to be spoken; sah--that Supreme
Personality of Godhead; eva--certainly; sarvam--everything;
paramatma-bhutah--the origin of all causes.
TRANSLATION
" 'Lord Sri Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is the cause
of all causes. He is past, present and future, and He is the movable and
immovable. He is the greatest and the smallest, and He is visible and directly
experienced. He is celebrated in Vedic literature. Everything is Krsna, and
without Him there is no existence. He is the root of all understanding, and He
is that which is understood by all words.'
PURPORT
This verse from Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.46.43) was spoken by Uddhava when
he came to pacify all the inhabitants of Vrndavana during Krsna's absence.
TEXT 38
TEXT
tad va idam bhuvana-mangala mangalaya
dhyane sma no darasitam ta upasakanam
tasmai namo bhagavate 'nuvidhema tubhyam
yo 'nadrto naraka-bhagbhir asat-prasangaih
SYNONYMS
tat--that; va--or; idam--this; bhuvana-mangala--O most auspicious of the
entire world; mangalaya--for the benefit; dhyane--in meditation;
sma--certainly; nah--of us; darasitam--manifested; te--by You; upasakanam--of
devotees engaged in devotional service; tasmai--unto Him; namah--all
obeisances; bhagavate--the Supreme Personality of Godhead; anuvidhema--we offer
obeisances, following in the footsteps of the acaryas; tubhyam--unto You;
yah--who is; anadrtah--not much appreciated; naraka-bhagbhih--by persons who
are destined to go to a hellish condition of life; asat-prasangaih--who discuss
the Supreme Personality of Godhead illogically.
TRANSLATION
" 'O most auspicious one! For our benefit You are worshiped by us.
You manifest Your transcendental form, which You show to us in our meditation.
We offer our respectful obeisances unto You, the Supreme Person, and we worship
You whom impersonalists do not accept due to their poor fund of knowledge. Thus
they are liable to descend into a hellish condition.'
PURPORT
This is a quotation from Srimad-Bhagavatam (3.9.4).
TEXT 39
TEXT
avajananti mam mudha
manusim tanum asritam
param bhavam ajananto
mama bhuta-mahesvaram
SYNONYMS
avajananti--decry; mam--Me; mudhah--rascals; manusim--just like a human
being; tanum--a body; asritam--accepted; param--supreme; bhavam--position;
ajanantah--without knowing; mama--My; bhuta-mahesvaram--exalted position as the
Supreme Person, creator of the material world.
TRANSLATION
" 'Fools disrespect Me because I appear like a human being. They do
not know My supreme position as the cause of all causes, the creator of the
material energy.'
PURPORT
This is a quotation from Bhagavad-gita (9.11).
TEXT 40
TEXT
tan aham dvisatah kruran
samsaresu naradhaman
ksipamy ajasram asubhan
asurisv eva yonisu
SYNONYMS
tan--all of them; aham--I; dvisatah--those who are envious;
kruran--always willing to do harm; samsaresu--in this material world;
nara-adhaman--the lowest of men; ksipami--throw; ajasram--again and again;
asubhan--engaged in inauspicious acts; asurisu--demoniac; eva--certainly;
yonisu--in families.
TRANSLATION
" 'Those who are envious of My form, who are cruel and mischievous
and lowest among men, are perpetually cast by Me into hellish existence in
various demoniac species of life.'
PURPORT
This is also a quotation from Bhagavad-gita (16.19).
TEXT 41
TEXT
sutrera parinama-vada, taha na maniya
'vivarta-vada' sthape, 'vyasa bhranta' baliya
SYNONYMS
sutrera--of the codes of the Vedanta-sutra; parinama-vada--the
transformation of energy; taha na maniya--not accepting this fact;
vivarta-vada--the theory of illusion; sthape--establishes; vyasa bhranta
baliya--accusing Vyasadeva to be mistaken.
TRANSLATION
"Not accepting the transformation of energy, Sripad Sankaracarya
has tried to establish the theory of illusion under the plea that Vyasadeva has
made a mistake.
PURPORT
For a further explanation of this verse, one may refer to Chapter Seven
(verses 121-126).
TEXT 42
TEXT
ei ta' kalpita artha mane nahi bhaya
sastra chadi' kukalpana pasande bujhaya
SYNONYMS
ei ta'--this; kalpita--imaginary; artha--meaning; mane--to the mind;
nahi--does not; bhaya--appeal; sastra--the authoritative scriptures;
chadi'--giving up; ku-kalpana--mischievous imagination; pasande--to the atheistic
class of men; bujhaya--teaches.
TRANSLATION
"Sripad Sankaracarya has given his interpretation and imaginary
meaning. It does not actually appeal to the mind of any sane man. He has done
this to convince the atheists and bring them under his control.
PURPORT
Sripad Sankaracarya's propaganda opposed the atheistic philosophy of
Buddha. Lord Buddha's intention was to stop atheists from committing the sin of
killing animals. Atheists cannot understand God; therefore Lord Buddha appeared
and spread the philosophy of nonviolence to keep the atheists from killing
animals. Unless one is free from the sin of animal killing, he cannot
understand religion or God. Although Lord Buddha was an incarnation of Krsna,
he did not speak about God, for the people were unable to understand. He simply
wanted to stop animal killing. Sripad Sankaracarya wanted to establish the
predominance of one's spiritual identity; therefore he wanted to convert the atheists
through an imaginary interpretation of Vedic literatures. These are the secrets
of the acaryas. Sometimes they conceal the real purpose of the Vedas and
explain the Vedas in a different way. Sometimes they enunciate a different
theory just to bring the atheists under their control. Thus it is said that
Sankara's philosophy is for pasandas, atheists.
TEXT 43
TEXT
paramartha-vicara gela, kari matra 'vada'
kahan mukti paba, kahan krsnera prasada
SYNONYMS
parama-artha-vicara--discussion on spiritual matters; gela--has gone;
kari--we do; matra vada--only argument and word jugglery; kahan--where;
mukti--liberation; paba--we shall get; kahan--where; krsnera prasada--the mercy
of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna.
TRANSLATION
"The atheists, headed by the Mayavadi philosophers, do not care for
liberation or Krsna's mercy. They simply continue to put forward false
arguments and counter-theories to atheistic philosophy, not considering or
engaging in spiritual matters.
TEXT 44
TEXT
vyasa-sutrera artha acarya kariyache acchadana
ei haya satya sri-krsna-caitanya-vacana
SYNONYMS
vyasa-sutrera--of the codes of the Vedanta known as Vyasa-sutra;
artha--the meanings; acarya--Sankaracarya; kariyache acchadana--has purposely covered;
ei--this; haya--is; satya--the truth; sri-krsna-caitanya-vacana--the words and
explanation given by Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
TRANSLATION
"The conclusion is that the import of the Vedanta-sutra is covered
by the imaginary explanation of Sankaracarya. Whatever Sri Krsna Caitanya
Mahaprabhu has said is perfectly true.
TEXT 45
TEXT
caitanya-gosani yei kahe, sei mata sara
ara yata
mata, sei saba charakhara"
SYNONYMS
caitanya-gosani--Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; yei kahe--whatever He has
said; sei mata sara--that explanation is actually the essence of Vedic
knowledge; ara yata mata--any other opinion not in collaboration with Sri
Caitanya Mahaprabhu's statement; sei--these; saba charakhara--all distortions.
TRANSLATION
"Whatever meaning Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu gives is perfect. Any
other interpretation is only a distortion."
TEXT 46
TEXT
eta kahi' sei kare krsna-sankirtana
suni' prakasananda kichu kahena vacana
SYNONYMS
eta kahi'--speaking so much; sei--the disciple of Prakasananda
Sarasvati; kare--performed; krsna-sankirtana--the chanting of the holy name of
Krsna; suni'--hearing; prakasananda--the guru, Prakasananda Sarasvati;
kichu--something; kahena--says; vacana--words.
TRANSLATION
After saying this, the disciple of Prakasananda Sarasvati began to chant
the holy name of Krsna. Hearing this, Prakasananda Sarasvati made the following
statement.
TEXT 47
TEXT
acaryera agraha--'advaita-vada' sthapite
tate sutrartha vyakhya kare anya rite
SYNONYMS
acaryera--of Sankaracarya; agraha--the eagerness; advaita-vada--monism;
sthapite--to establish; tate--for that reason; sutra-artha--the meaning of the
Brahma-sutra, or Vedanta philosophy; vyakhya--explanation; kare--does; anya
rite--in a different way.
TRANSLATION
Prakasananda Sarasvati said, "Sankaracarya was very eager to
establish the philosophy of monism. Therefore he explained Vedanta-sutra, or
Vedanta philosophy, in a different way to support monistic philosophy.
TEXT 48
TEXT
'bhagavatta' manile 'advaita' na yaya sthapana
ataeva saba sastra karaye khandana
SYNONYMS
bhagavatta--the Personality of Godhead; manile--if one accepts;
advaita--monism or nondualism; na--not; yaya--is possible;
sthapana--establishing; ataeva--therefore; saba--all; sastra--revealed
scriptures; karaye--does; khandana--refutation.
TRANSLATION
"If one accepts the Personality of Godhead, the philosophy that
maintains that God and the living entity are one cannot be established.
Therefore Sankaracarya argued against and refuted all kinds of revealed
scriptures.
TEXT 49
TEXT
yei
grantha-karta cahe sva-mata sthapite
sastrera sahaja artha nahe tanha haite
SYNONYMS
yei--anyone who; grantha-karta--author; cahe--wants; sva-mata
sthapite--to establish his own opinion; sastrera--of the revealed scriptures;
sahaja--the direct; artha--meaning; nahe--is not; tanha haite--from such an
author.
TRANSLATION
"Anyone who wants to establish his own opinion or philosophy
certainly cannot explain any scripture according to the principle of direct
interpretation.
TEXT 50
TEXT
'mimamsaka' kahe,--'isvara haya karmera anga'
'sankhya' kahe,--jagatera prakrti karana-prasanga'
SYNONYMS
mimamsaka--the Mimamsaka philosophers; kahe--say; isvara--the Supreme
Lord; haya--is; karmera anga--subject to fruitive activities; sankhya kahe--the
atheistic Sankhya philosophers say; jagatera--of the cosmic manifestation;
prakrti--nature; karana--the cause; prasanga--thesis.
TRANSLATION
"The Mimamsaka philosophers conclude that if there is a God, He is
subjected to our fruitive activities. Similarly, the Sankhya philosophers who analyze
the cosmic manifestation say that the cause of the cosmos is material nature.
TEXT 51
TEXT
'nyaya' kahe,--'paramanu haite visva haya'
'mayavadi' nirvisesa-brahme 'hetu' kaya
SYNONYMS
nyaya kahe--the philosophers following logic say; paramanu--the atom;
haite--from; visva haya--the cosmic manifestation has come; mayavadi--the
Mayavadi philosophers, impersonalists; nirvisesa-brahme--in the impersonal
Brahman effulgence; hetu--the cause; kaya--say.
TRANSLATION
"The followers of nyaya, the philosophy of logic, maintain that the
atom is the cause of the cosmic manifestation, and the Mayavadi philosophers
maintain that the impersonal Brahman effulgence is the cause of the cosmic
manifestation.
TEXT 52
TEXT
'patanjala' kahe,--'isvara haya svarupa-jnana'
veda-mate
kahe tanre 'svayam-bhagavan'
SYNONYMS
patanjala kahe--the Patanjala philosophers say; isvara haya--the Supreme
Lord is; svarupa-jnana--self-realization; veda-mate--in the Vedic version;
kahe--they say; tanre--to Him; svayam-bhagavan--the Supreme Personality of
Godhead.
TRANSLATION
"The Patanjala philosophers say that when one is self-realized, he
understands the Lord. Similarly, according to the Vedas and Vedic principles,
the original cause is the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
TEXT 53
TEXT
chayera chaya mata vyasa kaila avartana
sei saba sutra lana 'vedanta'-varnana
SYNONYMS
chayera--of the six philosophers; chaya mata--six different theses;
vyasa--Vyasadeva; kaila avartana--analyzed fully; sei--that; saba--all;
sutra--the codes; lana--taking; vedanta-varnana--explaining the Vedanta philosophy.
TRANSLATION
"After studying the six philosophical theses, Vyasadeva completely
summarized them all in the codes of Vedanta philosophy.
TEXT 54
TEXT
'vedanta'-mate,--brahma
'sakara' nirupana
'nirguna' vyatireke tinho haya ta' 'saguna'
SYNONYMS
vedanta-mate--according to Vedanta philosophy; brahma--the Absolute
Truth; sa-akara nirupana--established as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, a
person; nirguna--without material qualifications; vyatireke--by indirect
explanations; tinho--the Supreme Personality of Godhead; haya--is; ta'--indeed;
sa-guna--fully qualified with spiritual attributes.
TRANSLATION
"According to Vedanta philosophy, the Absolute Truth is a person.
When the word nirguna [without qualities] is used, it is to be understood that
the Lord has attributes that are totally spiritual.
TEXT 55
TEXT
parama karana isvara keha nahi mane
sva-sva-mata sthape para-matera khandane
SYNONYMS
parama karana--the supreme cause, the cause of all causes; isvara--the
Supreme Lord; keha nahi mane--none of the above-mentioned philosophers accept;
sva-sva-mata--their own personal opinions; sthape--they establish; para-matera
khandane--busy in refuting the opinions of others.
TRANSLATION
"Of the philosophers mentioned, none really cares for the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, the cause of all causes. They are always busy refuting
the philosophical theories of others and establishing their own.
TEXT 56
TEXT
tate chaya darsana haite 'tattva' nahi jani
'mahajana' yei kahe, sei 'satya' mani
SYNONYMS
tate--therefore; chaya darsana haite--from the six philosophical
principles; tat-tva nahi jani--we cannot understand the actual truth;
mahajana--the great authorities; yei kahe--whatever they say; sei--that; satya
mani--we can accept as truth.
TRANSLATION
"By studying the six philosophical theories, one cannot reach the
Absolute Truth. It is therefore our duty to follow the path of the mahajanas,
the authorities. Whatever they say should be accepted as the supreme truth.
PURPORT
In his Amrta-pravaha-bhasya, Srila
Bhaktivinoda Thakura gives the following summary of the six philosophical
processes. Prakasananda admitted that Sripad Sankaracarya, being very eager to
establish his philosophy of monism, took shelter of the Vedanta philosophy and
tried to explain it in his own way. The fact is, however, that if one accepts
the existence of God, he certainly cannot establish the theory of monism. For
this reason Sankaracarya refuted all kinds of Vedic literature that establishes
the supremacy of the Personality of Godhead. In various ways, Sankaracarya has
tried to refute Vedic literature. Throughout the world, ninety-nine percent of
the philosophers following in the footsteps of Sankaracarya refuse to accept
the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Instead they try to establish their own
opinions. It is typical of mundane philosophers to want to establish their own
opinions and refute those of others. Therefore: (1) The Mimamsaka philosophers,
following the principles of Jaimini, stress fruitive activity and say that if
there is a God, He must be under the laws of fruitive activity. In other words,
if one performs his duties very nicely in the material world, God is obliged to
give one the desired result. According to these philosophers, there is no need
to become a devotee of God. If one strictly follows moral principles, one will
be recognized by the Lord, who will give the desired reward. Such philosophers
do not accept the Vedic principle of bhakti-yoga. Instead, they give stress to
following one's prescribed duty. (2) Atheistic Sankhya philosophers like Kapila
analyze the material elements very scrutinizingly and thereby come to the
conclusion that material nature is the cause of everything. They do not accept
the Supreme Personality of Godhead as the cause of all causes. (3) Nyaya
philosophers like Gautama and Kanada have accepted a combination of atoms as
the original cause of the creation. (4) Mayavadi philosophers say that
everything is an illusion. Headed by philosophers like Astavakra, they stress
the impersonal Brahman effulgence as the cause of everything. (5) Philosophers
following the precepts of Patanjali practice raja-yoga. They imagine a form of
the Absolute Truth within many forms. That is their process of
self-realization.
All five of these philosophies completely reject the predominance of the
Supreme Personality of Godhead and strive to establish their own philosophical
theories. However, Srila Vyasadeva wrote the Vedanta-sutra and, taking the
essence of all Vedic literature, established the supremacy of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead. All five of the philosophers mentioned above understand
that impersonal Brahman is without material qualities, and they believe that
when the Personality of Godhead appears, He is contaminated and covered by the
material qualities. The technical term used is saguna. They say, "saguna
Brahman" and "nirguna Brahman." Nirguna Brahman means
impersonal, and saguna Brahman means "accepting material
contamination." More or less, this kind of philosophical speculation is
called Mayavada philosophy. The fact is, however, that the Absolute Truth has
nothing to do with material qualities because He is transcendental. He is
always complete with full spiritual qualities. The five philosophers mentioned
above do not accept Lord Visnu as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but they
are very busy refuting the philosophy of other schools. There are six kinds of
philosophical processes in India. Because Vyasadeva is the Vedic authority, he
is known as Vedavyasa. His philosophical explanation of the Vedanta-sutra is
accepted by the devotees. As Krsna confirms in Bhagavad-gita (15.15):
sarvasya caham hrdi sannivisto
mattah smrtir jnanam apohanam ca
vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyo
vedanta-krd veda-vid eva caham
"I am seated in everyone's heart, and from Me come remembrance,
knowledge and forgetfulness. By all the Vedas, I am to be known; indeed, I am
the compiler of Vedanta, and I am the knower of the Vedas."
The ultimate goal of studying all Vedic literature is the acceptance of
Krsna as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This Krsna consciousness movement
is propagating the philosophical conclusion of Srila Vyasadeva and following
other great acaryas like Ramanujacarya, Madhvacarya, Visnusvami, Nimbarka and
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu Himself.
TEXT 57
TEXT
tarko 'pratisthah srutayo vibhinna
nasav rsir yasya matam
na bhinnam
dharmasya tattvam nihitam guhayam
mahajano yena gatah sa panthah
SYNONYMS
tarkah--dry argument; apratisthah--not fixed; srutayah--Vedas; vibhinnah--possessing
different departments; na--not; asau--that; rsih--great sage; yasya--whose;
matam--opinion; na--not; bhinnam--separate; dharmasya--of religious principles;
tattvam--truth; nihitam--placed; guhayam--in the heart of a realized person; maha-janah--self-realized
predecessors; yena--by which way; gatah--acted; sah--that; panthah--the pure,
unadulterated path.
TRANSLATION
" 'Dry arguments are inconclusive. A great personality whose
opinion does not differ from others is not considered a great sage. Simply by
studying the Vedas, which are variegated, one cannot come to the right path by
which religious principles are understood. The solid truth of religious
principles is hidden in the heart of an unadulterated self-realized person.
Consequently, as the sastras confirm, one should accept whatever progressive
path the mahajanas advocate.'
PURPORT
This is a verse spoken by Yudhisthira Maharaja in the Mahabharata,
Vana-parva (313.117).
TEXT 58
TEXT
sri-krsna-caitanya-vani--amrtera dhara
tinho ye kahaye vastu, sei 'tattva'--sara"
SYNONYMS
sri-krsna-caitanya-vani--the message of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu;
amrtera dhara--a continuous shower of nectar; tinho--the Lord; ye kahaye
vastu--whatever He says to be the ultimate truth, the summum bonum; sei tattva
sara--that is the essence of all spiritual knowledge.
TRANSLATION
"The words of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu are a shower of nectar.
Whatever He concludes to be the ultimate truth is indeed the summum bonum of
all spiritual knowledge."
TEXT 59
TEXT
e saba vrttanta suni' maharastriya brahmana
prabhure kahite sukhe karila gamana
SYNONYMS
e saba vrttanta--all these descriptions; suni'--hearing; maharastriya
brahmana--the Maharastrian brahmana; prabhure--Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu;
kahite--to inform; sukhe--very happily; karila gamana--went.
TRANSLATION
After hearing all these statements, the Maharastrian brahmana very
jubilantly went to inform Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
TEXT 60
TEXT
hena-kale mahaprabhu panca-nade snana kari'
dekhite caliyachena 'bindu-madhava hari'
SYNONYMS
hena-kale--at this time; mahaprabhu--Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; panca-nade
snana kari'--taking His bath in the Ganges, called the Panca-nada; dekhite
caliyachena--was going to see; bindu-madhava hari--the Deity known as Lord
Bindu Madhava.
TRANSLATION
When the Maharastrian brahmana went to see Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the Lord
was going to the temple of Bindu Madhava after bathing in the waters of
Panca-nada.
TEXT 61
TEXT
pathe sei vipra saba vrttanta kahila
suni' mahaprabhu sukhe isat hasila
SYNONYMS
pathe--on the way; sei vipra--that brahmana; saba vrttanta
kahila--explained the whole incident; suni'--hearing; mahaprabhu--Sri Caitanya
Mahaprabhu; sukhe--in happiness; isat--mildly; hasila--smiled.
TRANSLATION
While the Lord was on His way, the Maharastrian brahmana informed Him
about the incident that took place in the camp of Prakasananda Sarasvati.
Hearing this, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu smiled happily.
TEXT 62
TEXT
madhava-saundarya dekhi' avista ha-ila
anganete asi' preme nacite lagila
SYNONYMS
madhava-saundarya dekhi'--after seeing the beauty of Lord Bindu Madhava;
avista ha-ila--became ecstatic in love; anganete asi'--coming to the courtyard;
preme--in great love; nacite lagila--began to dance.
TRANSLATION
Upon reaching the temple of Bindu Madhava, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu,
seeing the beauty of Lord Bindu Madhava, became overwhelmed in ecstatic love. He
then began to dance in the courtyard of the temple.
TEXT 63
TEXT
sekhara, paramananda, tapana, sanatana
cari-jana mili' kare nama-sankirtana
SYNONYMS
sekhara--Candrasekhara; paramananda--Paramananda Puri; tapana--Tapana
Misra; sanatana--Sanatana Gosvami; cari-jana mili'--all four of them;
kare--perform; nama-sankirtana--chanting of the Hare Krsna mantra.
TRANSLATION
There were four people accompanying Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and these
were Candrasekhara, Paramananda Puri, Tapana Misra and Sanatana Gosvami. They
were all chanting the Hare Krsna maha-mantra in the following way.
TEXT 64
TEXT
"haraye namah krsna yadavaya namah
gopala govinda rama sri-madhusudana"
SYNONYMS
haraye--unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead; namah--obeisances;
krsna--Lord Krsna; yadavaya--to the descendant of the Yadu family;
namah--obeisances; gopala--Gopala; govinda--Govinda; rama--Rama;
sri-madhusudana--Sri Madhusudana.
TRANSLATION
They chanted, "Haraye namah krsna yadavaya namah gopala govinda
rama sri-madhusudana."
PURPORT
This is another way of chanting the Hare Krsna maha-mantra. The meaning
is: "I offer my respectful obeisances unto the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, Krsna. He is the descendant of the Yadu family. Let me offer my
respectful obeisances unto Gopala, Govinda, Rama and Sri Madhusudana."
TEXT 65
TEXT
caudikete laksa loka bale 'hari' 'hari'
uthila mangala-dhvani svarga-martya bhari'
SYNONYMS
cau-dikete--all around; laksa--hundreds of thousands; loka--people;
bale--chant; hari hari--O Supreme Personality of Godhead, Hari; uthila--there
arose; mangala-dhvani--an auspicious sound; svarga-martya bhari'--overwhelming
all the universe.
TRANSLATION
In all directions, hundreds and thousands of people began to chant
"Hari! Hari!" Thus there arose a tumultuous and auspicious sound
filling the entire universe.
TEXT 66
TEXT
nikate hari-dhvani suni' parakasananda
dekhite kautuke aila lana sisya-vrnda
SYNONYMS
nikate--nearby; hari-dhvani suni'--after hearing the chanting of the
Hare Krsna maha-mantra; parakasananda--Prakasananda Sarasvati; dekhite--to see;
kautuke--in great eagerness; aila--came; lana--taking; sisya-vrnda--all the
disciples.
TRANSLA
