Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya 6.254 & 20.38–57, Allahabad, 1971
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Chapters
Principles of renunciation and detachment
Madhavendra Puri Goswami, after giving permission to his servant, asked him to go back.
Because Madhavendra Puri Goswami did not think it proper to accompany with a person who has got still attachment for material benefits.
Vairāgya-vidyā-nija-bhakti-yogam. Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya composed about a hundred verses after his conversion by Lord Caitanya to Vaiṣṇavism, and out of those hundred verses, two or three verses are very prominent.
One of them is: vairāgya-vidyā-nija-bhakti-yoga-śikṣārtham ekaḥ puruṣaḥ purāṇaḥ, śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya-śarīra-dhārī, kṛpāmbudhir yas tam ahaṁ prapadye.
So Śrī Kṛṣṇa Himself, in order to teach to the people in general, vairāgya-vidyā, the science of renunciation—how to renounce. Vairāgya-vidyā-nija-bhakti-yogam, that renunciation.
Renunciation does not mean that one should become zero. That is not possible. We are not followers of that philosophy. I have got, suppose, one rupee in my pocket, I renounce it, then my pocket becomes zero.
So our philosophy is not that, being unable to enjoy this material world. In practice, we renounce. No, there is no question of practice. Renunciation means renouncing the sense of enjoying this world.
That is, people are engaged in this material world simply for sense gratification. Everyone is trying to excel others. How one can enjoy senses.
Every year in Europe, America, especially in America, every year a new model of motor car. All manufacturers are advertising, "Come on, here is a very nice model." The whole competition is sense gratification.
Whole energy of human society is being utilized for sense gratification. And Bhīṣma means that never sense gratification. Now be in the life of gratifying, satisfying Kṛṣṇa. That is very lovely. This is mukti, nirmala.
Mala means contaminated by the three guṇas of material nature, sattva, rajas, tamas. And nirmala means bhakti, bhakti-yogena sevate sa guṇān samatītyaitān. So guṇān, this guṇān, guṇān means this material mode. Samatītya.
Brahmabhūyāya kalpate. That is brahma-bhūta. So we have to purify ourselves from the contamination of this material mode. That is mukti. So brahma-bhūta means that.
Characteristics of advanced devotional service
Now, Gosvāmī. He was a minister and he renounced this post. Does it mean that his activity is being zero? Na hy asati. No.
His activities become accelerated when they approach Vṛndāvana after taking instruction and foundation from Mahāprabhu. They are so busy in Vṛndāvana that they could not sleep even more than one and a half hours.
Vīra-goṣṭhī. And so far as their bed is concerned, they were staying underneath a tree, daily changing. Daily, not that underneath the tree living for good. No. This night underneath the tree and next night another tree. Why?
Because it may not be again contaminated: “Ah, this place is very nice. Let me stay.” But still, we can find from the literature how busy they are.
Kṛṣṇotkīrtana-gāna-nartana-parau premāmṛtāmbho-nidhī dhīrādhīra-jana-priyau priya-karau nirmatsarau pūjitau śrī-caitanya-kṛpā-bharau bhuvi bhuvo bhārāvatārakau vande rūpa-sanātanau raghu-yugau śrī-jīva-gopālakau.
This is the description of the activities of the Gosvāmīs. Not that the modern so-called bābājī, Sanātana Gosvāmī, Rūpa Gosvāmī, simply by loincloth and doing nothing, no. They were very busy. Always busy. 24 hours.
So how they are busy, that is described in these verses composed by Śrīnivāsa Ācārya, that kṛṣṇotkīrtana-gāna-nartana-parau, always chanting and dancing. Not only is it chanting, but also dancing.
Kīrtana-gāna-nartana-parau. Nartana means dance. Kṛṣṇa-kīrtana-gāna-nartana-parau. Dancing, it cannot be done artificially. This ecstatic dancing in this Krishna consciousness movement is not an artificial dancing.
It comes automatically from within. One is advanced. So the dancing, uh, not that to make a show dance. It comes automatically. There are specific eight kinds of transformation of bodily symptoms when one is advanced.
Dancing, throbbing, crying, breathing, so many things, perspiring; there are so many things. They are in the advanced; they are not to be imitated, but they come automatically.
Kṛṣṇotkīrtana-gāna-nartana-parau, premāmṛtāmbho-nidhī. Those who are absorbed in pure love of God, for them these symptoms come. Otherwise... Dhīrādhīra-jana-priyau priya-karau.
At that time, uh, they—there are no distinctions. Everyone becomes pleased upon them. Dhīra. Dhīra means those who are sober, advanced, gentle, heart spiritually advanced; they are called dhīra.
Those who have restrained their senses, control the mind, they are called dhīra. And adhīra, those who could not.
So, uh, the activities of the Gosvāmīs in Vrindavan were so nice that all the inhabitants of that part of the country were pleased; still, in Vrindavan, Sanātana Gosvāmī's name is very popular.
Sanātana Gosvāmī was so popular in those days that all the villagers, even if there was some family quarrel between husband and wife or somebody, father and son, they would come to Sanātana Gosvāmī for decision.
Now you decide. Uh, inform... Sanātana Gosvāmī will decide, "Yes, you do this like this," and they will. So, dhīrādhīra-jana-priyau.
They are so popular that what we speak of the saintly person, even ordinary persons, adhīra, those who are engaged in material activities, they are also very obedient to the Gosvāmīs.
Dhīrādhīra-jana-priyau, because their behavior was so nice. This is vaiṣṇava. All good qualities should come, should manifest in the body.
Anyone who has developed Krishna consciousness, then the result will be that all the good qualities of the devatās are developed in him. But out of it, harāv abhaktasya kuto mahad-guṇā.
And those who are not Krishna conscious, they have no good quality. Nothing. There is no value of their quality this time. That is the verdict of the śāstra. Why?
He's so much agitated, he has passed M.A. examination, nothing. Yes, that is also stated in the Bhagavad-gītā.
Limitations of modern secular education
Māyayāpahṛta-jñānā. The knowledge. Because therefore, at the present moment we see the more a person becomes educated, he becomes mleccha. He becomes godless.
The māyayāpahṛta-jñānā, unless one takes education on the basis of spiritual science, such kind of education will produce only frustrated hippies, as we see in the Western countries.
Big, big university, big, big building, nice arrangement, there's no scarcity, books, libraries, facilities, everything, royal order, but the production: hippies. Why? It is godless education.
In our country, it's a different position, but in Western countries, the government spends enough money for the educational department to make the citizens qualified.
Unfortunately, because the education is godless, from the very beginning the students, boys and girls, they learn all kinds of bad habits naturally, so we do not wish to discuss that thing, situated hovering on the mental plane.
Therefore, they would create... that I practically think, these hippies known as hippies in the Western countries, they're coming from very good families, having good education, but being frustrated, without being guided, their life is spoiled, that I practically.
Manorathenāsati dhāvato bahiḥ. Because they have no spiritual information, simply on the mental platform. So mental platform, what is there? Be the same as janma, as a father and mother satisfied in sex life.
They also said the same thing, sexual life and indriya-tṛpti, ato gṛha-vrata, because in the mental platform they must take to the same. Keeping the cues. So this movement started by Caitanya Mahāprabhu is so nice.
Purification through deity worship and chanting
Middle bhakti-yogam. Bhakti-yogam means to engage oneself in devotional service means automatically detached. Automatically renounce. He hasn't got to learn to renounce; it is automatically. No more interest.
Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate. A better thing, they reject. Not that artificially one has to learn how to become bad. You give him good things, and he will be no more interested in nonsense. That is what it is.
So in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, immediately there is deity worship. Deity worship, dressing deity, sweeping deity. Every item. Ārati, chanting, dancing, it goes to the credit of the devotion. Immediately.
These are these things are described in our book, Nectar of Devotion. Even a child who comes here, a small child, by seeing the dancing, he also begins. He has seen practicing. Immediately begins, hearing the dancing.
This is the effect of bhakti-yoga. Even a child can take part, even a dog can take part, even an animal can take part.
And the vibration of that Kṛṣṇa sound will purify the whole atmosphere so that even there are so many small animals in the wall and the corner, they purify.
He said by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra loudly, the trees and the animals who are surrounding get the benefit. It is not the question of understanding or not understanding, it is special sound. The sound has effect.
Sanatana Gosvami journey to Varanasi
So this Gosvāmī's life, Sanātana Gosvāmī. After advising his personal, we better go back, uh, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. He became alone and gradually he came to Hajipur. Hajipur, I think it is near from here.
I was walking along. So, and in the evening he found some nice garden. So he took some rest.
Sei Hājipure haya śrī-kānta-nāma gosāñi bhaginī-pati pāre rāja- kārya-sāraś, because all the relations are in the government service. He left him in his church.
But his another brother-in-law, uh, he also came to Hajipur, uh, for some business, and he's also government servant. Śrī-kānta mṛda-rāja bhāgya-vān śrī-kānta-nāma ghoṛā-mūlya la-iyā pātaśā- pāśa.
This one, for mula, selling horses and cows, the old system. So yeah, we see 500 years ago when Sanātana Gosvāmī was passing, his brother-in-law, engaged in government service, he came to purchase horses.
Now this year, I, uh, the report is that there is no more purchase of horse. And people are so economically advanced that they have no money to purchase even horses and cows. You see?
But as you know, this report was published. In the Sonepur, all the horses and cows they brought for selling, they had to take back. There was no custom. And so far elephants are, there is no custom.
So this is an old system that in Hajipur or Sonepur, the mela for selling animals, we, we can find in Sanātana's dhāma das. Uccaiḥ-stūpe vasi' sei gosāñi dekhilā rātri-śeṣe ekā gosāñi pāiyā.
So he could see that, uh, Śrī-kānta, his, his brother-in-law, is here in a very dark day. And so he could understand, he must have heard that he, he was imprisoned and somehow or other he had escaped.
So he immediately, they did not talk with him, but he could recognize his brother-in-law Sanātana Gosvāmī. So he came at night, uh, to see, uh, rātri- śeṣe ekā gosāñi bhṛtya-pāśe, uh, with the servant he came to see him.
Gopane mililā tāre gāche pāiyā, bandhana-mokṣaṇa-kathā gosāñi kahilā kariyā. Then he inquired how he has released, and everything was disclosed to him because he was brother-in-law, talk very freely.
So he questioned his brother-in-law that he stay for two, three days. He had given this dirty dress because he has given them everything.
There is no care of his body, and the class was that he dressed like that, he had a yellow beard, and so his brother-in-law did not actually request, "Please become a gentleman while you are going in this state."
"Don't talk like that." "Please help me to cross this river immediately." Ganga, Ganges. But still, he gave him one blanket. Of course, he was a government servant, a responsible officer.
He gave him a very nice blanket, a costly blanket. There is a story about this blanket, which will come later on. So all that he said: "Please take this blanket and I am helping you to cross the river, you go."
Tabe Vārāṇasī gosāñi āilā katadine, śuni’ ānandita hailā prabhu-mana. Then gradually he reached Varanasi when Caitanya Mahāprabhu was there. Caitanya Mahāprabhu was coming from Vrindavan, pāyā vārāṇasī.
And he understood that Lord Caitanya is here. Very recently, I think a fortnight ago, we went to Varanasi to participate in the ceremony; they observed a ceremony, a big procession. And there is a place, Caitanya-maṭha.
People come and see there is Caitanya Mahāprabhu, kṛti, ṣaḍ-bhuja mūrti, there are some managers. So we also went there to participate in a very huge procession, but as you know, it was published in the paper.
So that day, in memory of Caitanya's arrival, it's still observed. Now, by asking people where Caitanya Mahāprabhu was staying, he came to the house of Candraśekhara.
That house is unlawfully occupied by one Punjabi gentleman. He's not giving it. They are trying, that it is the original house of Candraśekhara's house, but he is not agreeable.
We have seen that house, and it's still existing. So he came there and sat down on the door, and Caitanya Mahāprabhu could understand that Sanātana Gosvāmī had come. So he asked somebody, Candraśekhara, to go and call.
"There is a vaiṣṇava, go, please call him." Dvāre eka vaiṣṇava haya, bolāha tāhāre, candraśekhara dvāre vaiṣṇava nā dekhiyā.
So when Candraśekhara came to the door, he saw that vaiṣṇava means they must be clean and just like vaiṣṇava dress. So he could not recognize. He was very shabby dressed with beard and dirty things.
So he could not understand. The very Bhīṣma... Mahāprabhu said that, "Go and..." — very the Vaishnava sitting at the door calling, but she could not go.
Therefore it is said: vaiṣṇavera kriyā-mudrā vijñeha nā bujhaya. Generally, this tilaka, this mālā, and beads, that is the general case. But sometimes a Vaishnava may not be dressed like that. He is still a Vaishnava.
So we may mistake sometimes. So that mistake was done. Caitanya Mahāprabhu says that, "There is a person sitting on the door, he is a Vaishnava calling." But Candraśekhara, although he was learned, he could not recognize.
teṅho kahe, — "dvāre eka daraveśa āchi yāche" / prabhu kahe, — "purye kene purye kene?" So he replied that, "There is no Vaishnava, a Mohammedan darvesh. He is sitting there."
"Yes, that's all right. Bring that person, even if he is a darvesh." Then Candraśekhara went to him: "Please come within the house. Caitanya Mahāprabhu is here, He is asking you to come."
prabhu-ājñā pāñā bolāya, — "āisa, daraveśa" / śuni' ānande sanātana karilā praveśa. Immediately after hearing this invitation, Sanātana, he immediately entered the house.
Meeting between Lord Caitanya and Sanatana
As soon as Caitanya Mahāprabhu saw that he has entered the courtyard, immediately He personally came to receive and embrace him. Caitanya Mahāprabhu was so glad to receive Sanātana Gosvāmī.
prabhu-sparśe premāviṣṭa hailā sanātana / more nā chuṅiha, — kahe gadgada-vacana. In faltering voice, Sanātana Gosvāmī said, "My dear Lord, please do not touch me. Please do not touch me."
But Caitanya Mahāprabhu, without heeding to his request, He embraced him. Both of them were crying and embracing, and Candraśekhara, he could not understand what is this. Caitanya Mahāprabhu is so sober and sannyāsī.
And here he is a Hindu or Mohammedan. He's just so... that is... and how they are embracing and crying. Then He took Sanātana Gosvāmī, Caitanya Mahāprabhu sitting in a very high platform.
So he sat down and śrī-haste karilā tāṅra aṅga-sammarjana. He has taken so much trouble, uh, Prabhu. Kahe pāmaru puruṣī ātmā pāviṣ. Rathaitana sayam... Gosvāmī requested him: "My dear Lord, please do not touch me."
So the devotee is requesting the Lord: "Please do not touch me. I am so unclean. I am so fallen." But the Lord is saying that: "I am touching you to purify myself."
How is teaching the world the exalted position of a Vaiṣṇava? So much, bhakti-bale pāra tumi brahmāṇḍa sādhite.
"I am touching you just to purify myself, because you are so great that by your devotional service you can deliver the whole universe." Bhakti-bale pāra tumi brahmāṇḍa sādhite.
So if there is one Vaiṣṇava, there is much benefit throughout the whole world, whole universe. Now he's giving, citing some uh evidence. Bhavad-vidhā bhāgavatāḥ tīrtha-bhūtāḥ svayaṁ prabhu.
He's giving evidence from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam that it was so. Bhagavad-gītā, Bhāgavata... Bhavad-vidhā bhāgavatāḥ tīrtha-bhūtāḥ svayaṁ punanti prabhu. A pure devotee uh is uh pilgrimage in themselves, in himself.
Tīrtha-kurvanti tīrthāni... By their presence, uh, actually, uh, atītha, any place they are uh situated, that is a tīrtha, one to see svāntaḥ-sthena. Because they're simply carrying. They're moving temple. Kṛṣṇa.
So because they are always carrying Kṛṣṇa, they are moving pilgrimage, moving place; wherever they will go, it will become tīrtha. It doesn't matter whether uh here or there. That is Caitanya Mahāprabhu uh blessing.
Āmāra dūre... So each one sincere devotee is there, following the footsteps of Lord Caitanya and worshipping Lord Kṛṣṇa. He can purify very much himself, very many souls he can purify.
That is a special priority of the empowered devotion. Bhakti-bale pāra tumi brahmāṇḍa sādhite.
Literary contributions and duties of acharyas
Actually, uh, these Gosvāmīs... Therefore, Narottama said: rūpa-raghunātha-pade ha-ibe ākuti, kabe hāma bujhaba se yugala-pīriti. If we really try to understand the science, we have to follow the footsteps of the Gosvāmīs.
Because they have given us so many nice literature, just like here is a nice given by, uh, Jīva Gosvāmī.
Similarly, there are many, uh, books, uh, especially by Jīva Gosvāmī, for all big theses, uh, for understanding Krishna, six theses, uh, uh, Bhāgavatam, Kṛṣṇa-sandarbha, Bhakti-sandarbha, like that.
And Rūpa Gosvāmī has given so many literature. And Vidagdha-mādhava, Lalita-mādhava, Sanātana Gosvāmī, uh, Bṛhad- bhāgavatāmṛta, immensely. Some of them are stolen. Uh, some of them were stolen, as, mm, at Vishnupur.
And Vishnupur is a district in Bengal. When Śrīnivāsa, all these... still very recently from Rādhā-Dāmodara temple, the priest, they have told so many manuscripts.
So these Gosvāmīs, our purpose was, these Gosvāmīs are our first retirement, not that that, uh, took a life of rest, uh, without doing anything. They were so busy. Always writing books. Saṅkhyā-pūrvaka-nāma-gāna-natibhiḥ.
Nānā-śāstra. Not that to become dumb and dull, uh, stupid. No. They're always scrutinizingly. If you study Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, uh, so many references are there from different śāstras. How much learned they were?
Just try to see. Nānā-śāstra-vicāraṇaika-nipuṇau. Very expert in studying, scrutinizingly, all kinds of Vedic details. So the Gauḍīya-Vaiṣṇava-sampradāya is very rich in spiritual knowledge. Very, very rich.
And all other Vaiṣṇava-sampradāyas. There is a specific position of the Gauḍīyas. By the grace of these Gosvāmīs.
Um, Jīva Gosvāmī, Sanātana Gosvāmī, Rūpa Gosvāmī, and Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī, Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī, Raghunātha Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī, all of them, highly selected persons of that time. They have given immensely to it.
Nānā-śāstra-vicāraṇaika-nipuṇau sad-dharma-saṁsthāpakau. Why did they take so much trouble of studying Vedic literature? Sad-dharma-saṁsthāpakau. Just to establish real religious principles in the world.
Because there are so many bluffers, and putting the whole world into ungodly life and that suffering. That is also: nānā-śāstra-vicāraṇaika-nipuṇau sad-dharma-saṁsthāpakau, lokānāṁ hitakāriṇau. What is the purpose? Lokānām.
Lokānām, not that for Indians, for brāhmaṇas, that we... No. Lokānām. Only lokas. For all of them. Lokānāṁ hitakāriṇau. No, tribhuvane mānyau. Therefore, they are honored throughout the three worlds.
Not that, uh, by a particular group. No. Lokānāṁ hitakāriṇau tribhuvane mānyau śaraṇyākarau. Oh, that was, uh, I mean, ācārya's business. Ācārya has got two sides.
One side was as ācārya, teaching people; another, his own bhajana, uh, his own purity. So these Gosvāmīs set the example. Tribhuvane mānyau śaraṇyākarau rādhā-kṛṣṇa-padāravinda-bhajanānandena mattālikau.
In this way they are engaged all day and night, and always was taking the Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa.
Rādhā-kṛṣṇa-padāravinda-bhajanānandena mattālikau, just like, uh, the flies, they are after, uh, honey, matta, mad after the honey; similarly, uh, they were always busy to taste the nectar of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa bhakti.
Hari hari! viphale janama goṅāinu. Manuṣya-janama pāiyā, rādhā-kṛṣṇa nā bhajiyā, jāniyā śuniyā biṣa khāinu. Narottama dāsa. I have simply spoiled my life. Why? "Because I did not care for it."
So the result is: jāniyā śuniyā biṣa khāinu, "Knowingly I have drunk poison." So those who are not in Krishna consciousness, they are voluntarily drinking poison. That's all. Thank you. How old is it? From the... How old?
Five, five. They are never old. There are no bodily concepts of that. What is that? My mind is... there's no such mention.