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Pradyumna: 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."
Prabhupada: agaty-eka-gatim natva hinarthadhika-sadhakam sri-caitanyam likhyate asya prema-bhakti-vadanyata [Cc. Adi 7.1] So Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu... This is the place of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, appearance site of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Sridhama Mayapur. So in this place this is the appropriate literature, Sri-caitanya-caritamrta. We may try to discuss during these holy days. Last year some gentleman suggested, after seeing my all literatures, that "You kindly write a translation of Sri-Caitanya-caritamrta." He thought that this business I can do very nicely. So I took the initiation from this gentleman and began to write. Now it is almost complete. I am now translating Madhya-lila, Twentieth chapter, the discussion, 'sanatana-siksa.' So it is estimated that ten volumes like this... (aside:) You think like that? Ten volumes like this, that will complete Caitanya-caritamrta. Caitanya-caritamrta is the postgraduate study of Krsna consciousness. The Bhagavad-gita is the A-B-C-D to entrance, and Srimad-Bhagavatam is the graduate study, and Sri-Caitanya-caritamrta is the postgraduate study of spiritual life. My Guru Maharaja, His Divine Grace Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Prabhupada, whenever he got some time he used to read Caitanya-caritamrta. And he predicted that the whole world like to read Caitanya-caritamrta, and for this reason they'll learn Bengali. Therefore, following his footsteps, I have kept the Bengali character and tried to give the literary meaning of each word of the Bengali poem. This is, of course, Sanskrit. This book is full of Sanskrit verses. Some of them are composed by the author himself, Kaviraja Gosvami, and some of them are quoted from various literature, Vedic literature. |
So the author is accepting Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, agaty-eka-gatim. Agati. Agati means... Gati means movement, and gati means also destination. So agati. At the present moment, especially in this age of Kali, people are not moving. Moving means... We are moving. This moving is not very good. Moving means material movement. Moving... We are not... Not that we are not moving, but we are moving, but agati -- we do not know what is the destination of the movement in this age. The trees are not moving, but we are moving. But that movement has not very much improved our condition. Real movement means to go forward to reach the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is stated in the Srimad-Bhagavatam: na te viduh svartha-gatim. Svartha-gatim. This gatim again. As it is said gatim, the same word is used in the Srimad-Bhagavatam, svartha-gatim. Why one should move? Unless one knows the destination, the goal of life, why one should move forward? So at the present moment they are moving, but they do not know which side they should move. That is the defect of this age, Kali-yuga. Mandah sumanda-matayah, sumanda-matayo manda-bhagya hy upadrutah. Because they are moving, but not very rapidly... The real purpose of movement is svartha-gatim, Visnu. That they do not know. They do not know. The materialistic world, at the present moment, that they do not know that where the movement should terminate, where is the destination. That they do not know. Na te svartha-gatim hi visnum, na te viduh. Na te. Not only in this age, that is the state of material life. Those who are passing in materialistic way of life, they are thinking that sense gratification is the ultimate goal of life, indriya-pritaye. Nunam pramattah kurute vikarma yad indriya-pritaya aprnoti [SB 5.5.4]. Nunam pramattah. They have become mad, pramattah. Nunam pramattah kurute vikarma. Movement means we are doing something, not inactive, just like stone. [break] But we are doing something. That is called movement. But what kinds of activities we are doing? Because we are madness -- we are mad after sense gratification... Nunam pramattah kurute vikarma [SB 5.5.4]. Vikarma means things which we should not do. Karma means prescribed duties, and vikarma means actions which are not prescribed, whimsical, simply for sense gratification. That is called vikarma. Karma, vikarma, akarma. That is described in the Bhagavad-gita.
So nunam pramattah kurute vikarma [SB 5.5.4]. Why? Yad indriya-pritaya aprnoti. Indriya-pritaye means for satisfaction of the senses. In the Kali-yuga, for satisfaction of the senses one can do anything, any horrible thing, abominable thing. That is called rascaldom. They do not know what to do. So Rsabhadeva says this is not good. If simply for sense gratification you are acting so whimsically, as you like, as you please, this process of activities, or gati, is not good. Na sadhu manye, Rsabhadeva says, "Oh, it is not good." Why it is not good? Now, yata... "Because, you just try to understand, you have got this body on account of your past misdeeds, this body, this material body." These rascals, they do not know. They think that "If I get a body of a king or a rich man, that is my success." But that is not success, because you may get a king's body or very exalted body this life, but you have to change this body. That is..., you will be forced. Suppose you are very in exalted position, you are minister or king or some..., but you'll not be allowed to stay. But these foolish persons, they do not know. They do not try to understand that "What is my next position?" Therefore they are called mad. Nunam pramattah kurute vi... Madman doing, he does not know what is the ultimate goal because they do not know that there is life after death. Tatha dehantara-praptih [Bg. 2.13]. They do not know that. Therefore they are mad after this sense gratification.
Therefore Rsabhadeva says that na sadhu manye. He was instructing His sons, "My dear boys, this kind of life, irresponsible life, to do anything and everything for sense gratification, is not very good." Why? "Now, because you are creating another body." You have already got experience of this body. It is full of miseries, adhyatmika, adhi (?), adhibhautika, three kinds of miserable condition of life. Beyond that, there is ultimate miseries. Janma-mrtyu-jara-vyadhi-
prayenalpayusah (sabhya)
kalav asmin yuge janah
mandah sumanda-matayo
manda-bhagya hy upadrutah
[SB 1.1.10]
Especially in this age the people are manda-bhagya, unfortunate. We have got so much assets to know from the Vedic literature, but they are so unfortunate, they do not take advantage. They do not take advantage. Manda, manda. Manda, slow, and manda-bhagya. Mandah sumanda-matayo. They'll read so many bogus literature to waste their time, but they'll not take to the Vedic literature, even the simple book, Bhagavad-gita, wherein everything is very nicely described, how we should lead our life, how we should utilize the benefit of human life. Everything is described there, but they are manda. They will take interpretation of a rascal of Bhagavad-gita. Sumanda-matayo. Even they read Bhagavad-gita, they will read some rascaldom. Sumanda-matayo. The Mayavadi philosophy, they will take it, not Krsna's philosophy. They are reading Bhagavad-gita, Krsna's book, but interpreting in the Mayavadic way. Therefore sumanda-matayo. Their intelligence is very bad. Mandah sumanda-matayo manda-bhagya. And the unfortunate. In India there are so many Vedic literatures, full of treasure house of transcendental knowledge. But manda-bhagyas they will read Lenin's literature. Just see how much unfortunate they have become. As if Lenin can speak more than Krsna. This is going on. Manda... Not only here, everywhere, all the parts of the world, they are manda-bhagya. Mandah sumanda-matayo manda-bhagya hy upadrutah [SB 1.1.10]. At the same time, they are disturbed by so many conditions. Just like at the present moment there is no rice, no wheat, no food. The agitation is... Manda-bhagya hy upadrutah. Upadrutah. They must be disturbed because they have not taken the right path.
Therefore, it is concluded here by the author, agaty-eka-gatim natva [Cc. Adi 7.1]. If we take the path of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, then -- we are embarrassed in so many ways -- we can get the light. We can get the light. We can reform our life. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's teaching is so nice. Of course, the great author Kaviraja Gosvami has depicted the activities and teachings of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and this Mayapur is the birthsite of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Five hundred years, 488 years ago, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu traveled on this street. Now, still, that memory is going to be revived by this Krsna consciousness movement all over the world because Caitanya Mahaprabhu wanted this.
prthivite ache yata nagaradi grama
sarvatra pracara haibe mora nama
So His prediction is coming to be true. (aside:) Who is talking? His prediction is coming to be true. Now you European and American, African and Australian, so many, all parts of the world, you have come. This is due to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's desire. He wanted it. Prthivite ache yata nagaradi grama. He wanted to be famous, to become famous, and people should thank Him. He wanted that. He told that, that "When they will know My philosophy" -- that is the desire of Sri Caitanya -- "they'll thank Me." And actually you are already thanking Him by getting the sublime instruction of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. What is Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's instruction. It is the same instruction as Krsna gave. Krsna wanted sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja [Bg. 18.66]. That is Krsna's mission. Because it is the duty of the living entity because they are part and parcel of Krsna, it is the duty of everyone to abide by the orders of Krsna. That is the duty. Jivera svarupa haya nityera... [Cc. Madhya 20.108]. This is the instruction of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Krsna wanted that you should all surrender unto Krsna, and Caitanya Mahaprabhu said that your real constitution position is eternal servitude of Krsna. There is no difference between Krsna's instruction and Caitanya Mahaprabhu's instruction, because He is Krsna. Therefore Rupa Gosvami said, namo maha-vadanyaya krsna-prema-pradaya te, krsna-prema-pradaya te [Cc. Madhya 19.53]. Here is also said, vadanyata. Prema-bhakti-vadanyata, vadanyata.
So Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu... Vadanya means most magnanimous. People could not understand Krsna. Although He advised personally in the Bhagavad-gita that sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam [Bg. 18.66], they are so rascal -- avajananti mam mudhah manusim tanum asritah [Bg. 9.11] -- they thought that "Krsna is ordinary person, maybe little learned or little powerful." But they did not take up Krsna as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Even big, big authors, scholars, they cannot understand. Therefore Caitanya Mahaprabhu -- He is Krsna Himself -- came again to teach us Krsna consciousness for our benefit. Therefore He is maha-vadanyavatara. So if we want to understand Krsna, we must try to understand Krsna through Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Then it will be very easy to understand. Other people, they do not try to understand Krsna through Caitanya Mahaprabhu. They try to understand Krsna directly; therefore they fail to understand. Manusyanam sahasresu kascid yatati siddhaye [Bg. 7.3]. Yatatam api siddhanam. So Krsna cannot be understood by ordinary way. Krsna can be understood only through one way, not many ways. What is that one way? Bhaktya mam abhijanati yavan yas casmi tattvatah [Bg. 18.55]. Only bhakti. So that bhakti, here is it said, prema-bhakti-vadanyata. This Caitanya-caritamrta is... [break]
...vrndavanam, and as Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu taught us personally, going to Vrndavana and asking His disciple, Rupa-Sanatana, to exhibit it and manifest the glories of Vrndavana, so in Vrndavana the Gosvamis constructed temples. The present city is due to these Gosvamis, or Sri Caitanya. Present city of Vrndavana or present importance of Vrndavana is due to Sri Caitanya. Otherwise people forgot it. It was lying vacant, a big tract of land only. But these Gaudiya Vaisnavas, enunciated by, initiated by Sri Rupa Gosvami... Therefore Narottama dasa Thakura says that,
rupa raghunatha pade haibe akuti
kabe hama bhujaba sei yugala-piriti
Vrndavana means Radha-Krsna's activities, pastimes. So that is the destiny of life. That is the real goal. As Sri Caitanya..., Narottama dasa Thakura says, that manusya janama paiya, radha-krsna na bhajiya, janiya suniya visa khainu. One who has got this human form of life, if he does not understand what is Radha-Krsna, his life is spoiled. Janiya suniya visa khainu: knowingly they're eating poison, because by coming in contact with Radha and Krsna they can go back to home, back to Godhead, and there will be no more janma-mrtyu-jara-vyadhi [Bg. 13.9]. Such opportunity is human life, simply to understand Radha Krsna. And therefore Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is maha-vadanyavatara, because He is teaching about the love of Radha-Krsna and teaching everyone krsna-prema-pradayate, real destination of life, how to achieve krsna-prema, and He's personally teaching. Namo maha-vadanyaya. Rupa Gosvami understood it: "Here is namo maha-vadanyaya, most magnanimous incarnation."
Similarly, Locana dasa Thakura has sung,
parama karuna, pahu dui-jana,
nitai-gauracandra
saba avatara, sara siromani,
kevala ananda-kanda
Kevala ananda-kanda, parama-karuna: "There are many incarnation, but no better incarnation, no magnanimous incarnation, like Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Nityananda Prabhu." Nityananda Prabhu is always... Vrajenda-nandana yei, saci-suta haila sei, balarama haila nitai. Nitai-Gaura means -- Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who was formerly Krsna... He's Krsna still. Just for our understanding... As we think that "I had my former life" -- actually I had -- but that former life is finished; I am now a new life. But in case of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, it is not like that. It is simultaneously existing. Krsna is also existing, and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu also existing. The example is given in this connection, just like the sun. Now it is not visible in India, the sun. But other part, in America, it is visible. So sun is there, but it is not visible at the present moment in India. Similarly, Krsna is there, Caitanya Mahaprabhu is there. Their pastimes are there, it is going on, but it is now not visible in this part of the universe. There are innumerable universes, so by rotation Krsna or Caitanya Mahaprabhu comes to a particular universe at a certain period. Just like the sun will rise again, tomorrow morning, at six p.m., at six a.m., similarly, Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Krsna and all His incarnation, they are rotating regularly. That is described in the Brahma-samhita:
ramadi-murtisu-kala-niyamena tisthan
nanavataram akarod bhuvanesu kintu
krsnah svayam samabhavat paramah puman yo
govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami
[Bs. 5.39]
So Rama, Nrsimha, Varaha, and innumerable incarnation... These incarnation have been compared just like the flow of waves. If you sit down on the riverside or on the oceanside, if you want to count how many waves are there, it is impossible. They are coming regularly, day and night. That is not possible. Similarly, how many incarnations are there, it is impossible for us. Our knowledge is not so unlimited. Therefore we cannot understand. So in this way incarnations are coming.
So Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is the topmost incarnation.
parama karuna, pahu dui-jana,
nitai-gauracandra
saba avatara, sara siromani,
kevala ananda-kanda
Saba avatara, sara siromani. There are many incarnations, but Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, He is the most magnanimous incarnation, because in other incarnation... Just like Lord Ramacandra. The culprit, the criminal or the sinful demon, Ravana, he was killed. Krsna also, when He appeared, He killed so many demons. But Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, demons like Jagai and Madhai, did not kill them but delivered them to become the best type of Vaisnava. This is Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's incarnation magnanimity. What He will kill? These demons are petty demons. They can be killed only by slap. So it is not very difficult to kill them, to call for sudarsana-cakra or any deadly weapon. They are already killed. There is no food. How they will work? How they will fight? So it is not possible. So it is to kill the dead man. Now, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu incarnation, if they want to kill them, they are already dead. To give them life again is Krsna's or Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's special gift. Therefore it is said, sri caitanya, prema-bhakti-vadanyata, His magnanimity. He delivered by His personal example Jagai Madhai. And Jagai Madhai, they were born in nice brahmana family, rich family, but they were drunkard and meat-eaters and woman-hunters. That is their fault. And for this purpose they can do anything and everything. They were doing that. So the whole world is now all drunkard and woman hunter meat-eater. Especially in India, although it was unknown, now the government is teaching how to drink wine, how to eat beef and how to... This is going on.
So now the whole world is full of Jagai-Madhais. That is a fact. Now, by the mercy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, they can be delivered. How they can be delivered? That is being instructed by the author, Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami, by personally behaving. Agaty-eka-gatim natva hinarthadhika-sadhakam [Cc. Adi 7.1]. Hinartha, those who are dispossessed of all good qualities. Hinartha. Artha. Artha means possession, money. Artha, anartha, and paramartha. So paramartha, there is no question of paramartha. Even they have no artha, ordinary riches, all poor men. You see in the street, not only... Here, of course, we are poor country, but in your country also, they are also hippies. Unnecessarily they have become poor. Here, by circumstantially they have become poor like wretched person, loitering in the street. Now, while I was coming and I was thinking that formerly when we used to go through the street we could see so many nice confectioners shop. But at the time here there is a tea shop. Tea shop and dry leaf, that's all. You cannot get any good food -- no more kacauris, srngara rasagulla, no more. Finished, all finished. Therefore hinartha hinartha. They are very, very poor. They cannot pay. Even there is such shop... Still there are such shop like Dvaraka, what is, Dhari Ghosa and Bhinna, but they can be taken advantage of, a few people, a few richer section. But formerly even a poor man could eat nice food from purchasing from the confectioner. But daily, daily they are becoming poorer, poorer. Hina artha. Hina means devoid of artha, money. So that is another qualification. Another qualification means those who are poorer, they can take to Krsna consciousness very easily. The richer section, they are very proud that "We have got money." But in India even richer section, they were devotees, and still they are devotees. But mostly people, they have become hina artha, without any money. So for them this Krsna consciousness movement is very, very easy. Take advantage of it. Take advantage of it. Hinarthadhika-sadhakam. Adhika means greater. Adhika-sadhakam. Sri-caitanya likhyate asya prema-bhakti-vadanyata.
Therefore Sri Kaviraja Gosvami is attempting to describe about the magnanimity of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's birthsite is there, and the annual 488th birth anniversary is going to be held on the 8th March, so I am very glad. I welcome you from all countries. You have taken so much labor to come here. Take advantage of the teachings of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu described by the fittest author, Kaviraja Gosvami, and we have tried to translate it as far as possible. Let us discuss.
Thank you very much. (end)
>>> Ref. VedaBase => Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi-lila 7.1 -- Mayapur, March 1, 1974
© 2001 The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International.
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