Lord Caitanya's Eight Verses of Instruction

0:00[chants first four verses]

Recitation and glories of sankirtana

0:12CC Antya 20.12চেতোদর্পণমার্জনং ভবমহাদাবাগ্নিনির্বাপণং শ্রেয়ঃকৈরবচন্দ্রিকাবিতরণং বিদ্যাবধূজীবনম্ ।আনন্দাম্বুধিবর্ধনং প্রতিপদং পূর্ণামৃতাস্বাদনং সর্বাত্মস্নপনং পরং বিজয়তে শ্রীকৃষ্ণসঙ্কীর্তনম্ ॥ ১২ ॥ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaṁ bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpaṇaṁśreyaḥ-kairava-candrikā-vitaraṇaṁ vidyā-vadhū-jīvanamānandāmbudhi-vardhanaṁ prati-padaṁ pūrṇāmṛtāsvādanaṁsarvātma-snapanaṁ paraṁ vijayate śrī-kṛṣṇa-saṅkīrtanam“ ‘Let there be all victory for the chanting of the holy name of Lord Kṛṣṇa, which can cleanse the mirror of the heart and stop the miseries of the blazing fire of material existence. That chanting is the waxing moon that spreads the white lotus of good fortune for all living entities. It is the life and soul of all education. The chanting of the holy name of Kṛṣṇa expands the blissful ocean of transcendental life. It gives a cooling effect to everyone and enables one to taste full nectar at every step.’

0:45CC Antya 20.16নাম্নামকারি বহুধা নিজসর্বশক্তি- স্তত্রার্পিতা নিয়মিতঃ স্মরণে ন কালঃ ।এতাদৃশী তব কৃপা ভগবন্মমাপি দুর্দৈবমীদৃশমিহাজনি নানুরাগঃ ॥ ১৬ ॥nāmnām akāri bahudhā nija-sarva-śaktistatrārpitā niyamitaḥ smaraṇe na kālaḥetādṛśī tava kṛpā bhagavan mamāpidurdaivam īdṛśam ihājani nānurāgaḥ“ ‘My Lord, O Supreme Personality of Godhead, in Your holy name there is all good fortune for the living entity, and therefore You have many names, such as “Kṛṣṇa” and “Govinda,” by which You expand Yourself. You have invested all Your potencies in those names, and there are no hard and fast rules for remembering them. My dear Lord, although You bestow such mercy upon the fallen, conditioned souls by liberally teaching Your holy names, I am so unfortunate that I commit offenses while chanting the holy name, and therefore I do not achieve attachment for chanting.’

Potency and qualities for chanting

1:20tṛṇād api sunīcenataror api sahiṣṇunāamāninā mānadenakīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ

1:23One should chant the holy name of the Lord in a humble state of mind, thinking oneself lower than the straw in the street; one should be more tolerant than a tree, devoid of all sense of false prestige, and should be ready to offer all respect to others. In such a state of mind one can chant the holy name of the Lord constantly.

1:42CC Antya 20.29ন ধনং ন জনং ন সুন্দরীং কবিতাং বা জগদীশ কাময়ে ।মম জন্মনি জন্মনীশ্বরে ভবতাদ্ভক্তিরহৈতুকী ত্বয়ি ॥ ২৯ ॥na dhanaṁ na janaṁ na sundarīṁkavitāṁ vā jagad-īśa kāmayemama janmani janmanīśvarebhavatād bhaktir ahaitukī tvayi“ ‘O Lord of the universe, I do not desire material wealth, materialistic followers, a beautiful wife or fruitive activities described in flowery language. All I want, life after life, is unmotivated devotional service to You.’

Devotional service and transcendental literature

1:58Prabhupāda: Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu instructed His disciples to write books on the science of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, a task which those who follow Him have continued to carry out down to the present day.

Consistency of the disciplic succession

2:19The elaboration and exposition on the philosophy taught by Lord Caitanya are in fact the most voluminous, exacting and consistent, due to the unbreakable system of disciplic succession of any religious culture in the world.

Spiritual benefits of the holy name

2:47Yet Lord Caitanya, in His youth widely renowned as a scholar Himself, left us only eight verses, called Śikṣāṣṭaka.

2:59"Glories to the śrī-kṛṣṇa-saṅkīrtana, which cleanses the heart of all the dust accumulated for years together. Thus the fire of conditioned life, of repeated birth and death, is extinguished.

3:16This saṅkīrtana movement is the prime benediction for humanity at large because it spreads the rays of benediction moon.

3:30It is the life of all transcendental knowledge, it increases the ocean of transcendental bliss, and it helps to have a taste of the full nectar for which we are always anxious."

3:45Second verse: "O my Lord, Your holy name alone can render all benediction upon the living beings, and therefore You have hundreds and millions of names, like Kṛṣṇa, Govinda, etc. In these transcendental names You have invested all Your transcendental energies, and there is no hard and fast rule for chanting these holy names.

4:15O my Lord, You have so kindly made approach to You easy by Your holy names, but unfortunate as I am, I have no attraction for them."

4:29Three: "One can chant the holy name of the Lord in a humble state of mind, thinking himself lower than the straw in the street, more tolerant than the tree, devoid of all sense of false prestige and ready to offer all respects to others.

4:52In such a state of mind one can chant the holy name of the Lord constantly." [end]