The Pastimes of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu in His Youth

There is a persistent misunderstanding between caste brāhmaṇas and advanced Vaiṣṇavas, or gosvāmīs, because caste brāhmaṇas, or smārtas, are of the opinion that one cannot become a brāhmaṇa unless he changes his body. As we have discussed several times, it is to be understood that by the supremely powerful potency of the Lord, as described by Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī, everything is possible. Caitanya Mahāprabhu is as fully independent as Kṛṣṇa. Therefore no one can interfere with His activities. If He wants, by His mercy He can convert even a yavana, an unclean follower of non-Vedic principles, into a perfectly well behaved gentleman. This is actually happening in our propagation of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. The members of the present Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement were not born in India, nor do they belong to the Vedic culture, but within the short time of four or five years they have become such wonderful devotees simply by chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra that even in India they are well received as perfectly well behaved Vaiṣṇavas wherever they go.

Although less intelligent men cannot understand it, this is the special power of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Actually, the body of a Kṛṣṇa conscious person changes in many ways. Even in the United States, when our devotees chant on the street, American ladies and gentlemen inquire from them whether they are actually Americans because no one could expect Americans to become such nice devotees all of a sudden. Even Christian priests are greatly surprised that all these boys from Jewish and Christian families have joined this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement; before joining, they never regarded any principles of religion seriously, but now they have become sincere devotees of the Lord. Everywhere people express this astonishment, and we take great pride in the transcendental behavior of our students. Such wonders are possible, however, only by the mercy of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. They are not ordinary or mundane.

According to Āyur-vedic treatment, the entire physiological system is conducted by three elements, namely vāyu, pitta and kapha (air, bile and mucus). Secretions within the body transform into other secretions like blood, urine and stool, but if there are disturbances in the metabolism, the secretions turn into kapha (mucus) by the influence of the air within the body. According to the Āyur-vedic system, when the secretion of bile and formation of mucus disturb the air circulating within the body, fifty-nine varieties of diseases may occur. One such disease is craziness.

On the plea of disturbance of the bodily air and metabolism, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu acted as if crazy. Thus in His school He began to explain the grammar of verbs through Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Explaining everything in grammar in relationship to Kṛṣṇa, the Lord induced His students to refrain from worldly education, for it is better to become Kṛṣṇa conscious and in this way attain the highest perfectional platform of education. On these grounds, Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī later compiled the grammar entitled Hari-nāmāmṛta-vyākaraṇa. People in general consider such explanations crazy. Therefore the Lord’s purpose in His attitude of craziness was to explain that there is nothing within our experience but Kṛṣṇa consciousness, for everything may be dovetailed with Kṛṣṇa consciousness. These pastimes of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu have been very vividly described in the Caitanya-bhāgavata, Madhya-līlā, chapter one.

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu went to Gayā to offer respectful oblations to His forefathers. This process is called piṇḍa-dāna. In Vedic society, after the death of a relative, especially one’s father or mother, one must go to Gayā and there offer oblations to the lotus feet of Lord Viṣṇu. Therefore hundreds and thousands of men gather in Gayā daily to offer such oblations, or śrāddha. Following this principle, Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu also went there to offer piṇḍa to His dead father. Fortunately He met Īśvara Purī there.

When Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu went to Gayā, accompanied by many of His disciples, He became sick on the way. He had such a high fever that He asked His students to bring water that had washed the feet of brāhmaṇas, and when they brought it the Lord drank it and was cured. Therefore everyone should respect the position of a brāhmaṇa, as indicated by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Neither the Lord nor His followers displayed any disrespect to brāhmaṇas.

The followers of the Lord must be prepared to offer brāhmaṇas all due respect. But preachers of Lord Caitanya’s cult object if someone presents himself as a brāhmaṇa without having the necessary qualifications. The followers of Lord Caitanya cannot blindly accept that everyone born in a brāhmaṇa family is a brāhmaṇa. Therefore one should not indiscriminately follow the Lord’s example of showing respect to brāhmaṇas by drinking water that has washed their feet. Gradually the brāhmaṇa families have become degraded because of the contamination of Kali-yuga. Thus they misguide people by exploiting their sentiments.

One day Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was sitting on the throne of Viṣṇu in the house of Śrīvāsa Prabhu, and in a mood of His own He said, “My mother has offended the lotus feet of Advaita Ācārya. Unless she nullifies this offense at the lotus feet of a Vaiṣṇava, it will not be possible for her to achieve love of Kṛṣṇa.” Hearing this, all the devotees went to bring Advaita Ācārya there. While coming to see the Lord, Advaita Ācārya was glorifying the characteristics of mother Śacīdevī, and thus upon arriving He fell down on the ground in ecstasy. Then, under the instruction of Lord Caitanya, Śacīdevī took advantage of this situation to touch Advaita Ācārya’s lotus feet. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was very much pleased by His mother’s action, and He said, “Now My mother’s offense at the lotus feet of Advaita Ācārya has been rectified, and she may have love of Kṛṣṇa without difficulty.” By this example Lord Caitanya taught everyone that although one may be very much advanced in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, if one offends the lotus feet of a Vaiṣṇava his advancement will not bear fruit. We should therefore be very cautious not to offend a Vaiṣṇava. Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta has described such an offense as follows:

As a mad elephant may trample all the plants in a garden, so by committing one offense at the lotus feet of a Vaiṣṇava one may spoil all the devotional service he has accumulated in his life.

After this incident, one day Advaita Ācārya Prabhu requested Caitanya Mahāprabhu to display the universal form He had very kindly shown Arjuna. Lord Caitanya agreed to this proposal, and Advaita Prabhu was fortunate enough to see the universal form of the Lord.

Abhiṣeka is a special function for the installation of the Deity. In this ceremony the Deity is bathed with milk and water and then worshiped and given a change of dress. This abhiṣeka function was especially observed at the house of Śrīvāsa. All the devotees, according to their means, worshiped the Lord with all kinds of paraphernalia, and the Lord gave benedictions to each devotee according to his desire.

The form of Ṣaḍ-bhuja, the six-armed Lord Gaurasundara, is a representation of three incarnations. The form of Śrī Rāmacandra is symbolized by a bow in one hand and an arrow in another, the form of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa is symbolized by a stick and a flute like those generally held by a cowherd boy, and Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu is symbolized by a sannyāsa-daṇḍa and a kamaṇḍalu, or waterpot.

Śrīla Nityānanda Prabhu was born in the village of Ekacakrā, in the district of Birbhum, as the son of Padmāvatī and Hāḍāi Paṇḍita. In His childhood He played like Balarāma. When He was growing up, a sannyāsī came to the house of Hāḍāi Paṇḍita and begged to have the paṇḍita’s son as his brahmacārī assistant. Hāḍāi Paṇḍita immediately agreed and delivered his son to him, although the separation was greatly shocking, so much so that Hāḍāi lost his life after the separation. Nityānanda Prabhu traveled on many pilgrimages with the sannyāsī. It is said that for many days He lived at Mathurā with him, and at that time He heard about Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s pastimes in Navadvīpa. Therefore He came down to Bengal to see the Lord. When Lord Nityānanda came to Navadvīpa, He was a guest at the house of Nandana Ācārya. Understanding that Nityānanda Prabhu had arrived, Lord Caitanya sent His devotees to Him, and thus there was a meeting between Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Nityānanda Prabhu.

Śrī Caitanya-maṅgala vividly elaborates upon this description.

By the order of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Nityānanda Prabhu arranged for the Vyāsa-pūjā of the Lord on the night of the full moon. He arranged for the Vyāsa-pūjā, or guru-pūjā, through the agency of Vyāsadeva. Since Vyāsadeva is the original guru (spiritual master) of all who follow the Vedic principles, worship of the spiritual master is called Vyāsa-pūjā. Nityānanda Prabhu arranged for the Vyāsa-pūjā, and saṅkīrtana was going on, but when He tried to put a garland on the shoulder of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He saw Himself in Lord Caitanya. There is no difference between the spiritual positions of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Nityānanda Prabhu, or Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma. All of Them are but different manifestations of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. During this special ceremony, all the devotees of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu could understand that there is no difference between Lord Caitanya and Nityānanda Prabhu.

One night Śacīdevī dreamt that the Deities in her house, Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma, had taken the forms of Caitanya and Nityānanda and were fighting one another, as children do, to eat the naivedya, or offering to the Deities. The next day, by the will of Lord Caitanya, Śacīdevī invited Nityānanda to take prasādam at her house. Thus Viśvambhara (Lord Caitanya) and Nityānanda were eating together, and Śacīdevī realized that They were none other than Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma. Seeing this, she fainted.

Jagāi and Mādhāi were two brothers born in Navadvīpa in a respectable brāhmaṇa family who later became addicted to all kinds of sinful activities. By the order of Lord Caitanya, both Nityānanda Prabhu and Haridāsa Ṭhākura used to preach the cult of Kṛṣṇa consciousness door to door. In the course of such preaching they found Jagāi and Mādhāi, two maddened drunken brothers, who, upon seeing them, began to chase them. On the next day, Mādhāi struck Nityānanda Prabhu on the head with a piece of earthen pot, thus drawing blood. When Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu heard of this, He immediately came to the spot, ready to punish both brothers, but when the all-merciful Lord Gaurāṅga saw Jagāi’s repentant behavior, He immediately embraced him. By seeing the Supreme Personality of Godhead face to face and embracing Him, both the sinful brothers were at once cleansed. Thus they received initiation into the chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra from the Lord and were delivered.

In the Deity’s room there must be a bed for the Deity behind His throne. (This system should immediately be introduced in all our centers. It does not matter whether the bed is big or small; it should be of a size the Deity room can conveniently accommodate, but there must be at least a small bed.) One day in the house of Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura, Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu sat down on the bed of Viṣṇu, and all the devotees worshiped Him with the Vedic mantras of the Puruṣa-sūkta, beginning with sahasra-śīrṣā puruṣaḥ sahasrākṣaḥ sahasra-pāt. This veda-stuti should also be introduced, if possible, for installations of Deities. While bathing the Deity, all the priests and devotees must chant this Puruṣa-sūkta and offer the appropriate paraphernalia for worshiping the Deity, such as flowers, fruits, incense, ārati paraphernalia, naivedya, vastra and ornaments. All the devotees worshiped Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu in this way, and the Lord remained in ecstasy for seven praharas, or twenty-one hours. He took this opportunity to show the devotees that He is the original Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, who is the source of all other incarnations, as confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā (10.8): ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate. All the different forms of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, or viṣṇu-tattva, emanate from the body of Lord Kṛṣṇa. Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu exposed all the private desires of the devotees, and thus all of them became fully confident that Lord Caitanya is the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Some devotees call this exhibition of ecstasy by the Lord sāta-prahariyā bhāva, or “the ecstasy of twenty-one hours,” and others call it mahābhāva-prakāśa or mahā-prakāśa. There is a description of this sāta-prahariyā bhāva in the Caitanya-bhāgavata, Madhya-khaṇḍa, chapter nine, which mentions that Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu blessed a maidservant named Duḥkhī with the name Sukhī. He called for Kholāvecā Śrīdhara and showed him His mahā-prakāśa. Then He called for Murāri Gupta and showed him His feature as Lord Rāmacandra. He offered His blessings to Haridāsa Ṭhākura, and at this time He also asked Advaita Prabhu to explain the Bhagavad-gītā as it is (gītāra satya-pāṭha) and showed special favor to Mukunda.

One day Caitanya Mahāprabhu began to cry out, “Śūkara! Śūkara!” Thus crying out for the boar incarnation of the Lord, He assumed His form as the boar incarnation and got up on the shoulders of Murāri Gupta. He carried a small gāḍu, a small waterpot with a nozzle, and thus He symbolically picked up the earth from the depths of the ocean, for this is the pastime of Lord Varāha.

Śuklāmbara Brahmacārī resided in Navadvīpa on the bank of the Ganges. When Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was dancing in ecstasy, he approached the Lord with a begging bag containing rice. The Lord was so pleased with His devotee that He immediately snatched the bag and began to eat the raw rice. No one forbade Him, and thus He finished the entire supply of rice.

To emphasize something to an ordinary person, one may repeat it three times, just as one might say, “You must do this! You must do this! You must do this!” Thus the Bṛhan-nāradīya Purāṇa repeatedly emphasizes the chanting of the holy name so that people may take it seriously and thus free themselves from the clutches of māyā. It is our practical experience in the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement all over the world that many millions of people are factually coming to the spiritual stage of life simply by chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra regularly, according to the prescribed principles. Therefore our request to all our students is that they daily chant at least sixteen rounds of this harer nāma mahā-mantra offenselessly, following the regulative principles. Thus their success will be assured without a doubt.

Our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement stresses the chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra only, whereas those who do not know the secret of success for this Age of Kali unnecessarily indulge in the cultivation of knowledge, the practice of mystic yoga or the performance of fruitive activities or useless austerities. They are simply wasting their time and misleading their followers. When we point this out very plainly to an audience, members of opposing groups become angry at us. But according to the injunctions of the śāstras, we cannot make compromises with these so-called jñānīs, yogīs, karmīs and tapasvīs. When they say they are as good as we are, we must say that only we are good and that they are not good. This is not our obstinacy; it is the injunction of the śāstras. We must not deviate from the injunctions of the śāstras. This is confirmed in the next verse of the Caitanya-caritāmṛta.

This practice of forbearance (taror iva sahiṣṇunā) is very difficult, but when one actually engages in chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, the quality of forbearance automatically develops. A person advanced in spiritual consciousness through the chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra need not practice to develop it separately, for a devotee develops all good qualities simply by chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra regularly.

The grass is specifically mentioned in this verse because everyone tramples upon it yet the grass never protests. This example indicates that a spiritual master or leader should not be proud of his position; being always humbler than an ordinary common man, he should go on preaching the cult of Caitanya Mahāprabhu by chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra.

When chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, in the beginning one may commit many offenses, which are called nāmābhāsa and nāma-aparādha. In this stage there is no possibility of achieving perfect love of Kṛṣṇa by chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. Therefore one must chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra according to the principles of the above verse, tṛṇād api su-nīcena taror iva sahiṣṇunā. One should note in this connection that chanting involves the activities of the upper and lower lips as well as the tongue. All three must be engaged in chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. The words “Hare Kṛṣṇa” should be very distinctly pronounced and heard. Sometimes one mechanically produces a hissing sound instead of chanting with the proper pronunciation with the help of the lips and tongue. Chanting is very simple, but one must practice it seriously. Therefore the author of Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī, advises everyone to keep this verse always strung about his neck.

Chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra is open to everyone, but sometimes nonbelievers come to disturb the ceremony of chanting. It is indicated herein that under such circumstances the temple doors should be closed. Only bona fide chanters should be admitted; others should not. But when there is large-scale congregational chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, we keep our temples open for everyone to join, and by the grace of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu this policy has given good results.

This brāhmaṇa, Gopāla Cāpāla, wanted to defame Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura by proving that he was actually a śākta, or a worshiper of Bhavānī, the goddess Durgā, but was externally posing as a Vaiṣṇava. In Bengal there is perpetual competition between the devotees of goddess Kālī and the devotees of Lord Kṛṣṇa. Generally Bengalis, especially those who are meat-eaters and drunkards, are very much attached to worshiping the goddesses Durgā, Kālī, Śītalā and Caṇḍī. Such devotees, who are known as śāktas, or worshipers of the śakti-tattva, are always envious of Vaiṣṇavas. Since Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura was a well-known and respected Vaiṣṇava in Navadvīpa, Gopāla Cāpāla wanted to reduce his prestige by bringing him down to the platform of the śāktas. Therefore outside Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura’s door he placed various paraphernalia for worshiping Bhavānī, the wife of Lord Śiva, such as a red flower, a plantain leaf, a pot of wine, and reddish sandalwood paste. In the morning, when Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura saw all this paraphernalia in front of his door, he called for the respectable gentlemen of the neighborhood and showed them that at night he was worshiping Bhavānī. Very sorry, these gentlemen called for a sweeper to cleanse the place and purify it by sprinkling water and cow dung there. This incident concerning Gopāla Cāpāla is not mentioned in the Caitanya-bhāgavata.

According to the Vedic system there are four castes — the brāhmaṇas, kṣatriyas, vaiśyas and śūdras — and below them are the pañcamas (literally, “members of the fifth group”), who are lower than the śūdras. The higher castes — the brāhmaṇas, the kṣatriyas and even the vaiśyas — were known as brāhmaṇa-saj-jana. The brāhmaṇas especially were known as saj-jana, or respectable gentlemen who guided the entire society. If there were disputes in the village, people would approach these respectable brāhmaṇas to settle them. Now it is very difficult to find such brāhmaṇas and saj-janas, and thus every village and town is so disrupted that there is no peace and happiness anywhere. To revive a fully cultured civilization, the scientific division of society into brāhmaṇas, kṣatriyas, vaiśyas and śūdras must be introduced all over the world. Unless some people are trained as brāhmaṇas, there cannot be peace in human society.

The men in Vedic society who engage in public sanitary activities like picking up stool and sweeping the street are called hāḍis. Sometimes they are untouchable, especially when engaged in their profession, yet such hāḍis also have the right to become devotees. This is established by Śrī Bhagavad-gītā (9.32), where the Lord declares:

“O son of Pṛthā, those who take shelter in Me, though they be of lower birth — women, vaiśyas [merchants], and śūdras [workers] — can attain the supreme destination.”

There are many untouchables of the lower caste in India, but according to Vaiṣṇava principles everyone is welcome to accept this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement on the spiritual platform of life and thus be freed from trouble. Neither equality nor fraternity is possible on the material platform.

When Lord Caitanya declares tṛṇād api su-nīcena taror iva sahiṣṇunā, He indicates that one must be above the material conception of life. When one thoroughly understands that he is not the material body but a spiritual soul, he is even humbler than a man of the lower castes, for he is spiritually elevated. Such humility, in which one thinks himself lower than the grass, is called su-nīcatva, and being more tolerant than a tree is called sahiṣṇutva, forbearance. Being situated in devotional service, not caring for the material conception of life, is called amānitva, indifference to material respect; yet a devotee thus situated is called māna-da, for he is prepared to give honor to others without hesitation.

Mahatma Gandhi started the hari-jana movement to purify the untouchables, but he was a failure because he thought that one could become a hari-jana, a personal associate of the Lord, through some kind of material adjustment. That is not possible. Unless one fully realizes that he is not the body but is a spiritual soul, there is no question of his becoming a hari-jana. Those who do not follow in the footsteps of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu and His disciplic succession cannot distinguish between matter and spirit, and therefore all their ideas are but a mixed-up hodgepodge of problems. They are virtually lost in the bewildering network of Māyādevī.

It appears that although Gopāla Cāpāla was sinful, talkative and insulting, he nevertheless had the qualification of simplicity. Thus he believed Caitanya Mahāprabhu to be the incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead who had come to deliver all fallen souls, and he appealed for his own deliverance, seeking the mercy of the Lord. He did not know, however, that the deliverance of the fallen does not consist of curing their bodily diseases, although it is also a fact that when a man is delivered from the material clutches his material bodily diseases are automatically cured. Gopāla Cāpāla simply wanted to be delivered from the bodily sufferings of leprosy, but Śrī Caitanya, although accepting his sincere appeal, wanted to inform him of the real cause of suffering.

We should note herein that all our sufferings in this material world, especially from disease, are due to our past sinful activities. And of all sinful activities, actions directed against a pure devotee out of sheer envy are considered extremely severe. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu wanted Gopāla Cāpāla to understand the cause of his suffering. Any person who disturbs a pure devotee engaged in broadcasting the holy name of the Lord is certainly punished like Gopāla Cāpāla. This is the instruction of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. As we shall see, one who offends a pure devotee can never satisfy Caitanya Mahāprabhu unless and until he sincerely regrets his offense and thus rectifies it.

There are many tantric followers who, wishing to eat meat and drink wine, practice the black art of worshiping the goddess Bhavānī in a crematorium. Such fools also consider this bhavānī-pūjā to be as good as worship of Lord Kṛṣṇa in devotional service. But such abominable tantric activities performed by so-called svāmīs and yogīs are herein condemned by Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. He declares that such bhavānī-pūjā for drinking wine and eating meat quickly plunges one into hellish life. The method of worship itself is already hellish, and its results must also be hellish and nothing more.

Many rascals say that whatever way one accepts, one will ultimately reach Brahman. Yet we can see from this verse how such persons reach Brahman. Brahman spreads everywhere, but appreciation of Brahman in different objects leads to different results. In the Bhagavad-gītā (4.11) the Lord says, ye yathā māṁ prapadyante tāṁs tathaiva bhajāmy aham: “I reward everyone according to his surrender unto Me.” Māyāvādīs certainly realize Brahman in certain aspects, but realization of Brahman in the aspects of wine, women and meat is not the same realization of Brahman that devotees achieve by chanting, dancing and eating prasādam. Māyāvādī philosophers, being educated in paltry knowledge, think all sorts of Brahman realization one and the same and do not consider varieties. But although Kṛṣṇa is everywhere, by His inconceivable potency He is simultaneously not everywhere. Thus the Brahman realization of the tantric cult is not the same Brahman realization as that of pure devotees. Unless one reaches the highest point of Brahman realization, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he is punishable. All people except Kṛṣṇa conscious devotees are to some proportion pāṣaṇḍīs,or demons, and thus they are punishable by the Supreme Lord, the Personality of Godhead, as stated below.

Lord Caitanya’s mission is the same as that of Lord Kṛṣṇa, which He states in the Bhagavad-gītā (4.7-8):

“Whenever and wherever there is a decline in religious practice, O descendant of Bharata, and a predominant rise of irreligion — at that time I descend Myself. In order to deliver the pious and to annihilate the miscreants, as well as to reestablish the principles of religion, I advent Myself millennium after millennium.”

As explained here, the real purpose of an incarnation of Godhead is to kill the atheists and maintain the devotees. He does not say, like so many rascal incarnations, that atheists and devotees are on the same platform. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, or Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the real Personality of Godhead, does not advocate such an idea.

Atheists are punishable, whereas devotees are to be protected. To maintain this principle is the mission of all avatāras, or incarnations. One must therefore identify an incarnation by His activities, not by popular votes or mental concoctions. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu gave protection to devotees and killed many demons in the course of His preaching work. He specifically mentioned that the Māyāvādī philosophers are the greatest demons. Therefore He warned all others not to hear the Māyāvāda philosophy: māyāvādi-bhāṣya śunile haya sarva-nāśa. Simply by hearing the Māyāvāda interpretation of the śāstras, one is doomed (Cc. Madhya 6.169).

It appears that an offender to a Vaiṣṇava continues to suffer and does not give up his life. We have actually seen that a great vaiṣṇava-aparādhī continuously suffered so much that it was difficult for him to move, and yet he did not die.

Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, in his Anubhāṣya, has given the following note in connection with the village Kuliyā. The village originally known as Kuliyā has developed into what is now the city of Navadvīpa. In various authorized books like the Bhaktiratnākara, Caitanya-carita-mahākāvya, Caitanya-candrodaya-nāṭaka and Caitanya-bhāgavata it is mentioned that the village of Kuliyā is on the western side of the Ganges. Even now, within the area known as Koladvīpa, there is a place known as kuliāra gañja and a place called kuliāra daha, both within the jurisdiction of the present municipality of Navadvīpa. In the time of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, the two villages on the western side of the Ganges named Kuliyā and Pāhāḍapura both belonged to the jurisdiction of Bāhiradvīpa. At that time the place on the eastern side of the Ganges now known as Antardvīpa was known as Navadvīpa. At that time the place on the eastern side of the Ganges now known as Antardvīpa was known as Navadvīpa. At Śrī Māyāpur that place is still known as Dvīpera Māṭha. There is another place of the name Kuliyā near Kāṅcaḍāpāḍā, but it is not the same Kuliyā mentioned here. It cannot be accepted as aparādha-bhañjanera pāṭa, or the place where the offense was excused, for that occurred in the above-mentioned Kuliyā on the western side of the Ganges. For business reasons many envious persons oppose excavation of the real place, and sometimes they advertise unauthorized places as the authorized one.

One should know with firm conviction that the Lord, being transcendental, is never subject to any curse or benediction. Only ordinary living entities are subjected to curses and the punishments of Yamarāja. As the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is beyond such punishments and benedictions. When one understands this fact with faith and love, he personally becomes free from all curses uttered by brāhmaṇas or anyone else. This incident is not mentioned in the Caitanya-bhāgavata.

Mukunda Datta was once forbidden to enter the association of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu because of his mixing with the Māyāvādī impersonalists. When Lord Caitanya manifested His mahā-prakāśa, He called all the devotees one after another and blessed them, while Mukunda Datta stood outside the door. The devotees informed the Lord that Mukunda Datta was waiting outside, but the Lord replied, “I shall not soon be pleased with Mukunda Datta, for though he explains devotional service among devotees, he then goes to Māyāvādīs to hear from them the Yoga-vāśiṣṭha-rāmāyaṇa, which is full of Māyāvāda philosophy. For this I am greatly displeased with him.” Hearing the Lord speak in that way, Mukunda Datta, standing outside, was exceedingly glad that the Lord would at some time be pleased with him, although He was not pleased at that moment. But when the Lord understood that Mukunda Datta was going to give up the association of the Māyāvādīs for good, He was pleased, and He at once called to see Mukunda. Thus He delivered him from the association of the Māyāvādīs and gave him the association of pure devotees.

Advaita Ācārya was a disciple of Mādhavendra Purī, Īśvara Purī’s spiritual master. Therefore Īśvara Purī, the spiritual master of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, was Advaita Ācārya’s Godbrother. In view of this, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu treated Advaita Ācārya as His spiritual master, but Śrī Advaita Ācārya did not like this behavior of Lord Caitanya, for He wanted to be treated as His eternal servant. Advaita Prabhu’s aspiration was to be a servant of the Lord, not His spiritual master. He therefore devised a plan to antagonize the Lord. He began to explain the path of philosophical speculation in the midst of some unfortunate Māyāvādīs, and when Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu heard about this, He immediately went there and in a very angry mood began to beat Advaita Ācārya. At that time, Advaita Ācārya, greatly pleased, began to dance, saying, “Just see how My desire has now been fulfilled! Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu used to treat Me honorably for so long, but now He is treating Me neglectfully. This is My reward. His affection for Me is so great that He wanted to save Me from the hands of the Māyāvādīs.” Hearing this statement, Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu was somewhat ashamed, but He was very pleased with Advaita Ācārya.

After the mass nagara-saṅkīrtana in protest against the magistrate Chand Kazi, the Kazi was converted to a devotee. Then Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu returned with His saṅkīrtana party to the house of Śrīdhara, and Chand Kazi followed Him. All the devotees rested there for some time and drank water from Śrīdhara’s damaged iron pot. The Lord accepted the water because the pot belonged to a devotee. Chand Kazi then returned home. The place where they rested is still situated on the northeastern side of Māyāpur, and it is known as kīrtana-viśrāma-sthāna, “the resting place of the kīrtana party.”

On the mahā-prakāśa day, Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu embraced Haridāsa Ṭhākura and informed him that he was none other than an incarnation of Prahlāda Mahārāja. When Viśvarūpa took sannyāsa, Śacīmātā thought that Advaita Ācārya had persuaded Him to do so. Therefore she accused Advaita Ācārya of this, which was an offense at His lotus feet. Later Lord Caitanya induced His mother to take the dust of Advaita Ācārya’s lotus feet, and thus her vaiṣṇava-aparādha was nullified.

Once when Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu explained the glories of the transcendental potency of the Lord’s holy name, the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, one unfortunate student said that such glorification of the holy name was an exaggeration in the śāstras to induce people to take to it. In this way the student interpreted the glories of the holy name. This is called artha-vāda, and it is one of the ten offenses at the lotus feet of the holy name of the Lord. There are many kinds of offenses, but the offense known as nāma-aparādha, an offense at the lotus feet of the holy name, is extremely dangerous. The Lord therefore warned everyone not to see the face of the offender. The Lord immediately took a bath in the Ganges with all His clothes on to teach everyone to avoid such a nāma-aparādha. The holy name is identical with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. There is no difference between the person God and His holy name. This is the absolute position of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore one who distinguishes between the Lord and His name is called a pāṣaṇḍī, or nonbeliever, an atheistic demon. Glorification of the holy name is glorification of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. One should never attempt to distinguish between the Lord and His name or interpret the glories of the holy name as mere exaggerations.

Karmīs, jñānīs, yogīs, tapasvīs and students of Vedic literature who do not have Kṛṣṇa consciousness simply beat around the bush and do not get any final profit because they have no clear knowledge of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Nor do they have faith in approaching Him by discharging devotional service, although everywhere such service is repeatedly emphasized, as it is in this verse from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.14.20). The Bhagavad-gītā (18.55) also declares, bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ: “One can understand the Supreme Personality as He is only by devotional service.” If one wants to understand the Supreme Personality factually, he must take to the path of devotional service and not waste time in profitless philosophical speculation, fruitive activity, mystic yogic practice or severe austerity and penance. Elsewhere in the Bhagavad-gītā (12.5) the Lord confirms, kleśo ’dhikataras teṣām avyaktāsakta-cetasām: “For those whose minds are attached to the unmanifested, impersonal feature of the Supreme, advancement is very troublesome.” People who are attached to the impersonal feature of the Lord are obliged to take great trouble, yet nevertheless they cannot understand the Absolute Truth. As explained in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.2.11), brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti śabdyate. Unless one understands the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the original source of both Brahman and Paramātmā, one is still in darkness about the Absolute Truth.

This is a verse from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.81.16) spoken by Sudāmā Vipra in the presence of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa. This and the previous verse quoted from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam clearly indicate that although Kṛṣṇa is so great that it is not possible for anyone to satisfy Him, He exhibits His greatness by being personally satisfied even with one who is unqualified from so many angles of vision. Sudāmā Vipra was born in a family of brāhmaṇas, and he was a learned scholar and a class friend of Kṛṣṇa’s, yet he considered himself unfit to be strictly called a brāhmaṇa. He called himself a brahma-bandhu, meaning “one born in a brāhmaṇa family but not brahminically qualified.” Because of His great respect for brāhmaṇas, however, Kṛṣṇa embraced Sudāmā Vipra, although he was not a regular brāhmaṇa but a brahma-bandhu, or friend of a brāhmaṇa family. Murāri Gupta could not be called even a brahma-bandhu because he was born of a vaidya family and according to the social structure was therefore considered a śūdra. But Kṛṣṇa bestowed special mercy upon Murāri Gupta because he was a beloved devotee of the Lord, as stated by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. The purport of Śrī Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura’s elaborate discussion of this subject is that no qualification in this material world can satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, yet everything becomes successful simply through development of devotional service to the Lord.

The members of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness cannot even call themselves brahma-bandhus. Therefore our only means for satisfying Kṛṣṇa is to pursue the injunctions of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, who says:

“Whomever you meet, instruct him on the teachings of Kṛṣṇa. In this way, on My order, become a spiritual master and deliver the people of this country.” (Cc. Madhya 7.128) Simply trying to follow the orders of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, we speak to the people of the world about Bhagavad-gītā As It Is. This will make us qualified to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa.

In India a mango is considered best when it is red and yellow, its seed is very small, its skin is very thin, and it is so palatable that if a person eats one fruit he will be satisfied. The mango is considered the king of all fruits.

Nondevotees cannot believe this incident, yet the place where the tree grew still exists in Māyāpur. It is called Āmra-ghaṭṭa or Āma-ghāṭā.

On principle, Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu would distribute prasādam at the end of kīrtana performances. Similarly, the members of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement must distribute some prasādam to the audience after performing kīrtana.

In this connection Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura says that once when Lord Caitanya was performing saṅkīrtana a short way from the village, some clouds appeared overhead. By the supreme will of the Lord, the clouds were asked to disperse, and they did. Because of this incident, that place is still known as Meghera-cara. Since the course of the Ganges has now changed, the village of the name Belapukhuriyā, which was formerly situated in a different place, called Tāraṇavāsa, has now become known as Meghera-cara. The Madhya-khaṇḍa of Śrīla Locana dāsa Ṭhākura’s Caitanya-maṅgala also relates that once at the end of the day, when evening clouds assembled overhead and thundered threateningly, all the Vaiṣṇavas were very much afraid. But the Lord took His karatālas in His hands and personally began chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, looking up toward the sky as if to direct the demigods in the higher planets. Thus all the assembled clouds dispersed, and as the sky became clear, with the moon rising, the Lord began dancing very happily with His jubilant and satisfied devotees.

The Caitanya-maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa, describes this incident as follows: Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita was performing the śrāddha ceremony for his father, and as is customary, he was hearing the thousand names of Lord Viṣṇu. At that time Gaurahari (Lord Caitanya) appeared on the scene, and He also began to hear the thousand names of Viṣṇu with full satisfaction. When He thus heard the holy name of Lord Nṛsiṁha, Lord Caitanya became absorbed in thought, and He became angry like Nṛsiṁha Prabhu in His angry mood. His eyes became red, His bodily hairs stood on end, all the parts of His body trembled, and He made a thundering sound. All of a sudden He took up a club, and people became greatly afraid, thinking, “We do not know what kind of offense we have now committed!” But then Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu adjusted His thoughts and sat down on His seat.

Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu adopted the mood of Lord Śiva, for He is Śiva also. According to the philosophy of acintya-bhedābheda-tattva, Lord Śiva is not different from Lord Viṣṇu, but still Lord Śiva is not Lord Viṣṇu, just as yogurt is nothing but milk and yet is not milk nevertheless. One cannot get the benefit of milk by drinking yogurt. Similarly, one cannot get salvation by worshiping Lord Śiva. If one wants salvation, one must worship Lord Viṣṇu. This is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā (9.4): mat-sthāni sarva-bhūtāni na cāhaṁ teṣv avasthitaḥ. Everything is resting on the Lord, for everything is His energy, yet He is not everywhere. Lord Caitanya’s adopting the mood of Lord Śiva is not extraordinary, but one should not therefore think that by worshiping Lord Śiva one is worshiping Lord Caitanya. That would be a mistake.

Brāhmaṇas generally used to become astrologers, Āyur-vedic physicians, teachers and priests. Although highly learned and respectable, such brāhmaṇas went from door to door to distribute their knowledge. A brāhmaṇa would first go to a householder’s home to give information about the functions to be performed on a particular tithi, or date, but if there were sickness in the family, the family members would consult the brāhmaṇa as a physician, and the brāhmaṇa would give instruction and some medicine. Often, since the brāhmaṇas were expert in astrology, people would also be greatly inquisitive about their past, present and future.

Although the brāhmaṇa appeared at Lord Caitanya’s house as a beggar, Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu received him with great respect because he was a qualified brāhmaṇa who knew the astrological science perfectly. Although brāhmaṇas would go door to door just like beggars, they were honored as very respectable guests. This was the system in Hindu society five hundred years ago, during the time of Caitanya Mahāprabhu. This system was current even one hundred years ago; even fifty or sixty years ago, when we were children, such brāhmaṇas would visit householders like humble beggars, and people would derive great benefit from the mercy of such brāhmaṇas. The greatest benefit was that a householder could save a great deal of money from being spent on doctor bills because the brāhmaṇas, aside from explaining the past, present and future, could ordinarily cure all kinds of diseases simply by giving instructions and some medicine. Thus no one was bereft of the benefit of a first-class physician, astrologer and priest. The important members of ISKCON should give careful attention to our Dallas school, where children are being taught Sanskrit and English to become perfect brāhmaṇas. If they are actually trained as perfect brāhmaṇas, they can save society from rogues and ruffians; indeed, people can live happily under the protection of qualified brāhmaṇas. Therefore the Bhagavad-gītā (4.13) gives special stress to the division of society (cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karmavibhāgaśaḥ). Unfortunately some people are now claiming to be brāhmaṇas simply by birthright, with no qualifications. Therefore the entire society is in chaos.

Through astrology one can know past, present and future. Modern Western astrologers have no knowledge of the past or future, nor can they perfectly say anything about the present. Herein we find, however, that after hearing Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s order, the astrologer immediately began his calculations. This was not a facade: he actually knew how to ascertain one’s past life through astrology. A still-existing treatise called the Bhṛgu-saṁhitā describes a system by which anyone can immediately get information about what he was in the past and what he is going to be in the future. The brāhmaṇas who went door to door as if beggars had perfect command of such vast knowledge. Thus the highest knowledge was easily available even to the poorest man in society. The poorest man could inquire from an astrologer about his past, present and future, with no need for business agreements or exorbitant payments. The brāhmaṇa would give him all the benefit of his knowledge without asking remuneration, and the poor man, in return, would offer a handful of rice, or anything he had in his possession, to satisfy the brāhmaṇa. In a perfect human society, perfect knowledge in any science — medical, astrological, ecclesiastical and so on — is available even to the poorest man, with no anxiety over payment. In the present day, however, no one can get justice, medical treatment, astrological help or ecclesiastical enlightenment without money, and since people are generally poor, they are bereft of the benefits of all these great sciences.

Here we get some information of the Vaikuṇṭha world, or spiritual world. Vaikuṇṭha means “without anxiety.” In the material world, everyone is full of anxiety, but another world, where there is no anxiety, is described in the Bhagavad-gītā (8.20):

“Yet there is another unmanifest nature, which is eternal and is transcendental to this manifested and unmanifested matter. It is supreme and is never annihilated. When all in this world is annihilated, that part remains as it is.”

As there are many planets within the material world, there are many millions of planets, called Vaikuṇṭhalokas, in the spiritual world. All these Vaikuṇṭhalokas, or superior planets, rest on the effulgence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. As stated in the Brahma-saṁhitā (yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi-), the Brahman effulgence emanating from the body of the Supreme Lord creates innumerable planets in both the spiritual and material worlds; thus these planets are creations of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The astrologer saw Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu to be the very same Personality of Godhead. We can just imagine how learned he was, yet he was traveling door to door, just like an ordinary beggar, for the highest benefit of human society.

Herein it is clearly indicated that the Absolute Truth, the Supreme Brahman, is, in the ultimate issue, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore a person is the beginning of all things. As confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā (10.8), mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate: everything begins from the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Supreme Lord is the supreme living entity. Therefore whatever exists, whether matter or spirit, is all but an emanation from the Supreme Person, or supreme life. The modern scientists’ theory that life begins from matter is nonsense. Both matter and life begin from life. Unfortunately the scientists do not know this scientific fact; they are drifting in the darkness of their so-called knowledge.

By the power of astrological science one can even ascertain the position of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Everything is to be identified by its symptoms. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is identified by the symptoms mentioned in the śāstras. It is not that anyone and everyone can become God without proof from śāstras.