Caitanya Caritamrta Adi 1.15
Dallas, March 4, 1975 download flash player 
Nitai: "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."
Prabhupada: jayatam suratau pangor mama manda-mater gati mat-sarvasva-padambhojau radha-madana-mohanau [Cc. Adi 1.15] This is the surrendering process of the author, Kaviraja Gosvami. Before beginning to write Caitanya-caritamrta, he submitted himself to the lotus feet of Madana-mohana. (aside:) That child may be... So he is submitting that Radha-Madana-mohana... Those who have gone to Vrndavana, they have seen the temple of Radha-Madana-mohana. That was established by Sanatana Gosvami, the first disciple of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Sanatana Gosvami established this Madana-mohana temple, and Rupa Gosvami established that Govindaji's temple, and the Jiva Gosvami established Radha-Damodara temple. Gopal Bhatta Gosvami established Radha-Ramana temple. In this way, in Vrndavana there are seven temples authorizedly established by the Gaudiya-sampradaya, Caitanya Mahaprabhu's sampradaya. Later on, many big, big kings and zamindars, landlords, they also established many temples, big, big temples. And altogether, there are five thousand temples in a small city like Vrndavana, and thousands of men go to see the Deities in every temple almost every day, and especially during the four months Sravana, Bhadra, Asvina, Karttika: July, in July, August, September, October. So Vrndavana is always crowded by many pilgrims, and anyone who goes there, immediately he feels spiritual consciousness, especially nowadays. So the Gaudiya Vaisnava especially... Gaudiya Vaisnava means the followers of... [break] ...Mahaprabhu. There are four Vaisnava sampradaya originally: from Lord Brahma, Brahma-sampradaya; and from Lord Siva, Rudra-sampradaya; and from goddess of fortune, Laksmi, Sri-sampradaya; and from the catuh-sana, four kinds of sanas, Sanat Kumara, Sananda, like that. So the four sampradaya is coming from time immemorial. So we belong to the Brahma sampradaya, the Gaudiya-sampradaya. Sampradaya means just like there are political parties, but their aim is to develop the country, nation's interest, although... Just like in your country there are political parties, Democratic parties. What other parties? Devotees: Republican. Prabhupada: Huh? Republican. Although they are party, their aim is how to develop the country. Similarly, these Vaisnava sampradaya, although they appear to be a separate party, but their aim is how to serve Krsna. So don't think the party means some opposite party. No. Everyone has got for the advanced devotee to serve the Lord in a particular way so that the Lord may be more satisfied. That is their intention. Sometimes we also have some parties in the temple: someone wants to dress the Deity in a way, another wants to... Of course, they are not transgressing the rules and regulation, but still, everyone wants that "I shall serve the Lord in this particular way." We cannot change the original rules and regulation, but there is variety. We are not impersonalist. Every person has got to serve the Lord in a particular way, and that is allowed. The central point is Krsna. So although there are parties, if the central point is Krsna, so there is no dissension. It is a competition, that "My Godbrother, my Godsister, is serving such a way. She is so well versed in this art. Why not try myself to do something?" This is variety. That is not this ordinary party strife if we make Krsna the center. So on the whole, for the Gaudiya Vaisnava, means the followers of Caitanya Mahaprabhu... Especially in Bengal, there are many thousands followers, Bengal and Orissa. They are mainly followers of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and you will find in Vrndavana, Navadvipa, many Bengali Vaisnavas, followers of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. They are living there very, I mean to say, austerity, following austerity, no very much careful about the bodily maintenance. But they are living. They have practically no income, but still, they do not go away from Vrndavana. Similarly, Kaviraja Gosvami also took shelter of Vrndavana under the lotus feet of Madana-mohana. Therefore he says, mat-sarvasva-padambhojau: "The lotus feet of Madana-mohana is my everything. I have taken shelter of Madana-mohanaji. That is my everything." That is Vaisnava feeling. They think the lotus feet of Krsna as their only possession. But that is the greatest possession. What this material possession will do? One who has taken possession, at least one who is allowed to take possession of the lotus feet of Madana-mohana, is not very easy thing. If Krsna gives him the facility... Krsna is prepared. How? Simply by service, one can easily become in possession of the lotus feet of the Lord. Sevonmukhe hi jihvadau svayam eva sphuraty adah [Brs. 1.2.234]. We cannot bring in possession the lotus feet of the Supreme Being. That is not possible. But if we render service, He gives the allowance, "Yes, you can be under My shelter of feet." Caitanya Mahaprabhu therefore teaches us to pray to Krsna just to become one grain of the dust of His lotus feet. ayi nanda-tanuja patitam kinkaram mam visame bhavambudhau krpaya tava pada-pankaja- sthita-dhuli-sadrsam vicintaya [Cc. Antya 20.32, Siksastaka 5] This should be the prayer to the lotus feet of the Lord, not for any material benefit. That is not very good idea. We should not approach the Supreme Being some material benefit. Material benefit is already there. Everything is arranged by the Supreme Lord for everyone's necessities of life. There is no question about that. Just like if a person is in the prison house, that prisoner has no problem for his material necessities. The government has arranged already for his eating, sleeping and, if he is sick, medical help. That is not problem. The problem is that he has become criminal by transgressing the laws of the state. Now he should become a very good citizen and come out of the prison house. Then he is happy. Similarly, in this material world, so far our material necessities are concerned, it is already arranged. There is no question of becoming anxious for getting our material necessities. It is already arranged by God. |
Therefore Narada Muni says in the Srimad-Bhagavatam,
tasyaiva hetoh prayateta kovido
na labhyate yad bhramatam upary adhah
tal labhyate duhkhavad anyatah sukham
kalena sarvatra gabhira-ramhasa
[SB 1.5.18]
Narada Muni advises, through Srimad-Bhagavatam, says, that "You, you have got this human form of life. Now you have no necessity for finding out where is your food, where is your shelter, where is your sex satisfaction, where is your defense. This is not your problem. You should try for that thing, means the thing which will give you relief from these material necessities of life." That is the advice. We are mistaken. We are... In this morning walk we saw that such a big nation, but the problem is food problem. Early in the morning at six o'clock, they are going to work. They are going to work. Why? Now, for finding out the necessities of life. So what is this civilization? Early in the morning, six o'clock... According to Vedic civilization, one should rise early in the morning and chant Hare Krsna, perform mangala aratrika, worship the Deity. This is the morning business. But the richest nation of the world, they are going to work at 6:30 for earning their bread. Is it very good progress of life? And the whole day they will have to work. Not only here, everywhere, for earning their daily bread, they have to go fifty miles, hundred miles away from home, and every city, in India also, the same thing, in Bombay. They are coming hundred miles off and hanging in the daily passenger railway, very serious condition. And it is stated in the Srimad-Bhagavatam that a human being at the end of the Kali-yuga will have to work... They are already working like an ass, and actually they will have to work like an ass simply to get their bread. The progress will be this. And not only that, the foodstuff, especially the sattvika foodstuff like fruits and vegetables, milk, rice, wheat, sugar, these things will be not available -- completely stopped. So gradually we shall make such advancement. I have seen practically. I went to Moscow, and at least for us, it was very difficult to live there. There is no rice supply. There is no wheat supply. Very rarely... No vegetables, no fruit, some rotten fruit like raspberry and... So at least for us it was very difficult. Of course, milk is available and flesh. Oh, that you can have, as much as you like.
So that is not human life. Human life is... Here it is described, just Kaviraja Gosvami's, mat-sarvasva-padambhojau radha-madana-mohanau. Our only asset should be the lotus feet of Krsna along with Radharani. Madana-mohana. Krsna is so beautiful that He is more attractive than the Cupid. Madana-mohana. Madana means Cupid. Cupid is supposed to be the most beautiful person within the universe, but Krsna is still more beautiful. Kandarpa-koti-kamaniya-visesa-
Therefore, Kaviraja Gosvami, being attracted to Madana-mohana, he is offering his prayer, jayatam suratau pangor. Pangor, pangoh means lame man; one cannot walk. At least, one cannot walk very swiftly. So jayatam suratau pangor mama manda-mater gati. He is placing himself as manda-mati. Mama manda-mater gati. Manda, this word, means bad or slow. So every one of us in this material world, we are all bad because... Why bad? Now, because we accepted this material body. Just like in the prison house, all the prisoners, they are bad. Why? Because they have accepted their home in the prison house. Therefore the conclusion is they are all bad. Maybe degrees of difference, but they are all bad. Similarly, anyone who is living in this material world, beginning from Lord Brahma down to the small insect or ant, who are struggling in this material world... Manah sasthanindriyani prakrti-sthani karsati [Bg. 15.7]. Krsna said that "These living entities within this material world, they are My part and parcel" or "They are My sons." In another place He says, aham bija-pradah pita.
sarva-yonisu kaunteya
sambhavanti murtayah yah
tasam mahad yonir brahma
aham bija-pradah pita
[Bg. 14.4]
So Krsna has got relationship with everyone because He is the supreme father, and we are all His part and parcel. Just like son, even in this material world, he is the part and parcel of the father or the mother, similarly, we are actually part and parcel of Krsna, and Krsna is sad-aisvarya-purna. He is the richest, He is the most famous, He is most strong, all-powerful, all-beautiful. Everything He has got. And we are sons of that Krsna. So father's property is enjoyed by the sons. There is no... That is the law. It is not artificial. Then why we are poverty-stricken? Because we are condemned. Condemned. That we should understand. Therefore everyone, intelligent person, should understand that anyone who is in this material world, he is condemned. It doesn't matter what he is. Therefore our first business is how to get out of this conditional life in the material world. That is human consciousness. That is Krsna consciousness. So our business is to take shelter of the lotus feet of Krsna. That is our first business, not this "This is our business, where to find out my food, my bread, and get up early in the morning and running to the office or to the working place." This is not civilization. This is not civilization.
Therefore he says that "I am a lame man." Mama manda-gati: "I am very slow, so I take shelter of the lotus feet of Madana-mohana." That is our business. The Krsna consciousness movement is teaching all over the world this philosophy, that your first and foremost business is to become Krsna conscious. There is no question of so-called economic development, sense gratification. No. These are not important things. There are many missionaries, they open hospitals or similar philanthropic activities, but we never do that. So many friends advised me to open some hospitals, dispensaries. Oh, I flatly said that "We are not interested in the hospitals." There are so many hospitals. So people who are interested in hospitals, they can go there. Here is spiritual hospital. The disease is the other hospitals, they cannot stop death, but our hospital can stop death.
Devotees: Jaya! Hari! Hari!
Prabhupada: This is our hospital. We are therefore not interested with this kind of hospital. Our this hospital is treating the materially affected patient to get out of his four kinds of miseries: janma-mrtyu-jara-vyadhi [Bg. 13.9]. One type of disease is to take birth; another, death; another, old age; another, disease. So we want to stop. This is not our normal condition of life. Because we living entities, soul, we are spiritual. Our identity is that we are eternal. It is not that because my body is annihilated, therefore I am finished. Na hanyate hanyamane sarire [Bg. 2.20]. This is the instruction. The living entity, the soul, is not destroyed after the body being destroyed. The body is destroyed. It is being destroyed every moment. From scientific point of view we are changing our blood corpuscle and another body like the, what is called, film. One after another picture, one after, one after, one after, and when they are displayed, it appears one. But it is not one. There are so many pictures. They put into the machine, and when they work together, it appears that the man within the picture is moving. Actually, that movement is combination of many pictures. Similarly, we are growing. We are not growing, but we are changing body.
Therefore Krsna says, dehino 'smin yatha dehe kaumaram yauvanam jara, tatha dehantara-praptih [Bg. 2.13]. We are becoming... We are seeing that "My child is growing." It is not growing; it is changing body just like the film spool. But because it is displayed in a very scientific way, we are seeing that "My child is growing." It is not growing. The actual fact is the child is a soul, and the soul is changing every minute the body. That is real understanding. Krsna says, authority says, dehino 'smin yatha dehe kaumaram yauvanam jara, tatha dehantara-pra... [Bg. 2.13]. Dehantara-praptih means accepting another body. So the child is speaking in one way now; so when he will get another body, a young man's body, he will speak in a different way. The dog is barking because it has got a different body, and a scientist speaking in a different way because he has got a different body. Similarly, every one of us, because we have got different types of body according to my desire, we are acting differently. So if we come back again to the spiritual platform, then we will not work differently. We shall work concomitantly. Everyone will agree with everyone. That is spiritual platform. But unless we come to the spiritual platform -- we remain on the bodily platform -- we shall speak differently. And as soon as we come to the spiritual platform, then we shall speak in one item only, how to serve Krsna. This is the process.
So those who are too much materially affected, their progress is very slow. Especially in this age. In this age the symptoms of the human beings is described in the Srimad-Bhagavatam that prayena alpayusah.
prayena alpa ayusah
(kalav) asmin yuge janah
mandah sumanda-matayo
manda-bhagya hy upadrutah
[SB 1.1.10]
This is the condition at the present moment. This is called Kali-yuga. The first symptom is: our span of life is very short, decreasing. With the advancement of Kali-yuga, our duration of life is decreasing. Everyone knows that. My father lived so many years, my grandfather lived so many years, but it is certain I am not going to live so many years. And then my son is not... Gradually, it is reduced. Reducing, reducing, reducing. By the end of Kali-yuga, the duration of life from twenty years to thirty years will be considered very, very old age, very, very old. If a man is living for twenty-five years, he will be considered a very grand old man. Yes. That is coming gradually. So therefore it is said, manda, manda. Manda means everything bad or everything slow. Duration of life is bad, then their activities also very bad, always sinful activities. Mandah sumanda-matayo [SB 1.1.10]. And if somebody is little anxious to take shelter of somebody for spiritual advancement, then he will accept some bogus thing, sumanda-matayo, some bogus incarnation of God, some bogus yogi, some bogus... They will take sumanda-matayo, will not come to the real.
Real... Here it is said that mat-sarvasva-padambhojau radha-madana-mohanau. One should take shelter of the lotus feet of Krsna. Instead of taking shelter of the lotus feet of Krsna, he will take shelter of the lotus feet of some bogus. That's it. They are called manda-matayo, manufacturing something new: "This is our process of religion." They do not know that religion cannot be manufactured. Religion is eternal. Religion... Dharmam tu saksad bhagavat-pranitam [SB 6.3.19]. Religion means the law given by God. The God is eternal; therefore His law is eternal. So how we can manufacture? You cannot manufacture religion. God is eternal, and His law is also eternal. Therefore God personally comes, and He says that "You have manufactured so many religions, but that is not religion. You give it up. You give them up." Sarva-dharman parityajya: [Bg. 18.66] "Give up all this nonsense." Then what should be my religion? Mam ekam saranam vraja, that's all. This is eternal religion. Mam ekam: "Only unto Me." The religion is very simplified, but still, people are... Because mandah sumanda-matayo [SB 1.1.10], they have got some nasty ideas, they manufacture different types of religion. Religion is one. That is eternal. God is one. That is eternal. Take anything, like gold. Gold is gold, always gold. Millions of years ago the what was gold, the metal, the same metal is still there. You cannot say, "This is Hindu gold," "This is Muslim gold," "This is Christian gold." Gold is gold. Similarly, God is one. You cannot say, "This is Hindu God," "This is Muslim God," "This is Christian God." God is one, and eternal. Therefore religion is one, eternal. That is Krsna consciousness, or God consciousness. God is one. You are also one because you are part and parcel. But you have created your struggle for existence because you are thinking otherwise without Krsna consciousness. Manah sasthanindriyani prakrti-sthani karsati [Bg. 15.7]. Because you have created different types of mind, different types of desires, and you are trying to fulfill it, that is called struggle for existence. Otherwise you are existing eternally, and your consciousness is one: think of Krsna. But because you are doing not, not doing that, therefore there is struggle. That is maya. That is maya. Otherwise there is no question of struggling. Everything is there, plain and simple.
So that is Krsna consciousness movement. We are preaching that God is one and to think of God is also one and to become obedient servant of God, that is also one. Not that you have to become a different servant, I have to become different ser... Everyone is servant originally. So we accept to serve God. Then our religion is there; our fulfillment of desires are there. Therefore the author said, mat-sarvasva-padambhojau: "That is my everything. To take shelter of Radha-Madana-mohana, that is my everything. I have no other desire." This is Krsna consciousness.
samasrita ye pada-pallava-plavam
mahat-padam punya-yaso murareh
bhavambudhir vatsa-padam param padam
padam padam yad vipadam na tesam
[SB 10.14.58]
This is the solution. To take shelter of the padambhojau of Radha-Madana-mohana, that is the solution of all problem. And for a person who has taken shelter of the lotus feet, samasrita ye pada-pallava-plavam... Pada-pallavam. His lotus feet is compared with the lotus flower. The lotus flower has got petals, and the petal is just like in the shape of a boat. Everyone has got this experience. If you take the shelter of this boat, then we can cross over the ocean of material world very easily. You require some boat to cross over some watery span. So here, if you take one boat and if you want to cross the Pacific Ocean or Atlantic Ocean, it is very difficult. It may not... The boat may not go up to the end. But if you... Samasrita ye pada-pallava-plavam. If you take shelter of the lotus petal boatlike of... What is that lotus flower? Samasrita ye pada-pallava-plavam mahat-padam punya-yaso murareh. Murari, Murari means Krsna. If you take shelter of the boat of the lotus feet of Murari... What is that feet? Mahat-padam. Mahat-padam means the whole universal creation, the cosmic manifestation, is also resting there. It is not only a small thing. Mahat-padam punya-yaso murareh: "And who is famous very piously." Then what the result? Bhavambudhir vatsa-padam. Bhavambudhih means the great ocean of material existence. We are struggling here, trying to swim. That becomes vatsa-padam. Vatsa-padam. Vatsa means calf. So you have no experience. In our country, the, in the... The calf walks, and the hoof makes some hole, and there is some water also. So as it is not difficult to cross that water, similarly, the whole material ocean become like that hole of the calf's hoof. In this way you can cross over this material ocean and go back to home, back to Godhead. Why I shall go there? Because here, padam padam yad vipadam [SB 10.14.58]. Here, in every step there is danger. Why shall you live here? Take this boat and go, cross the material ocean, and go back to home, back to Godhead. This is the philosophy. Therefore our Kaviraja Gosvami is saying, mat-sarvasva: "Everything. This is my everything. I take shelter of You."
Thank you very much.
Devotee (1): Srila Prabhupada, in the Srimad-Bhagavatam Lord Brahma was praying to Krsna to please protect him because he had to associate with so many vicious living entities.
Prabhupada: That everything will be cured if you kindly hear. That's all.
Devotee (1): What if we're going on sankirtana or something like that, how can we be sure that we won't fall down, we won't overendeavor? How can we be sure that we're not pushing ourselves too much?
Prabhupada: You will feel sure as you make progress. Just like when you are eating, hungry, as you feel satisfaction and hunger satisfied, you can know yourself. [break]
Devotee (2): How can we repay you?
Prabhupada: You don't require to repay. (chuckles) I am not giving you anything. It is Krsna's property. You repay to Krsna. Chant Hare Krsna and He will be repaid. [break] Nobody can repay. That is the... Therefore it is better to remain always obliged. That's all. That's all right? Chant Hare Krsna. (end)
>>> Ref. VedaBase => Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi-lila 1.15 -- Dallas, March 4, 1975
© 2001 The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International.
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