Caitanya-lila

Expressions researched:
"caitanya lila" |"caitanya-lila"

CC Adi-lila

CC Adi 9.13-15, Purport:

"Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu used to say, "I am living in this world only on account of the excellent behavior of Śrī Paramānanda Purī."" The Gaura-gaṇoddeśa-dīpikā (118) states, purī śrī-paramānando ya āsīd uddhavaḥ purā. "Paramānanda Purī is none other than Uddhava." Uddhava was Lord Kṛṣṇa's friend and cousin, and in caitanya-līlā the same Uddhava became the friend of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and His uncle in terms of their relationship in the disciplic succession.

CC Adi 9.13-15, Purport:

"Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu used to say, "I am living in this world only on account of the excellent behavior of Śrī Paramānanda Purī."" The Gaura-gaṇoddeśa-dīpikā (118) states, purī śrī-paramānando ya āsīd uddhavaḥ purā. "Paramānanda Purī is none other than Uddhava." Uddhava was Lord Kṛṣṇa's friend and cousin, and in caitanya-līlā the same Uddhava became the friend of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and His uncle in terms of their relationship in the disciplic succession.

CC Adi 10.40, Purport:

"In Vraja there were two very nice singers named Madhukaṇṭha and Madhuvrata. They appeared in caitanya-līlā as Mukunda and Vāsudeva Datta, who were singers in the society of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu." When Lord Caitanya was a student, Mukunda Datta was His class friend, and they frequently engaged in logical arguments. Sometimes Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu would fight with Mukunda Datta, using tricks of logic. This is described in the Caitanya-bhāgavata, Ādi-khaṇḍa, Chapters Eleven and Twelve.

CC Adi 15.29, Purport:

Vanamālī Ghaṭaka, a resident of Navadvīpa and a brāhmaṇa by caste, arranged the marriage of the Lord to Lakṣmīdevī. He was formerly Viśvāmitra, who negotiated the marriage of Lord Rāmacandra, and later he was the brāhmaṇa who negotiated the marriage of Lord Kṛṣṇa with Rukmiṇī. That same brāhmaṇa acted as the marriage-maker of the Lord in caitanya-līlā.

CC Antya-lila

CC Antya 20.82, Purport:

Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura says that all writers after Vṛndāvana dāsa Ṭhākura who are pure devotees of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and who have tried to describe the Lord's activities are to be considered like Vyāsa. Śrīla Vṛndāvana dāsa Ṭhākura is the original Vyāsadeva in describing caitanya-līlā, and all others who follow in his footsteps by describing Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu's pastimes are also to be called Vyāsadeva. The bona fide spiritual master is called Vyāsa because he is a representative of Vyāsa. Worshiping the birthday of such a spiritual master is called Vyāsa-pūjā.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 2.9.1 -- Tokyo, April 20, 1972:

Sometimes we played in our younger age Caitanya-līlā. I introduced. And one big director, Amrtalal Chosa, he was just like grandfather. He was one of the, just like in England Shakespeare and others, big, big dramatic, well-known persons. This Amrtalal Chosa and Girish Chandra Chosa, they introduced in India theatric... So we called him to give us direction. He was giving us direction, and repeatedly he was telling that "You feel like that," especially to me. "You feel like that."

Lecture on SB 7.9.8 -- Mayapur, February 28, 1977:

Like that. The author of Caitanya-caritāmṛta, he presents himself: "The lighter than the worm in the stool." Purīṣera kīṭa haite muñi se laghiṣṭha. And in Caitanya-līlā, Jagāi-Mādhāi, two brothers are supposed to be most sinful, but he has also They were also delivered. Kavirāja Gosvāmī says, "I am more sinful than the Jagāi-Mādhāi."

1968 Conversations and Morning Walks

Questions and Answers -- Montreal, August 26, 1968:

Prabhupāda: So that will come out very successful. Yes. In our childhood we had the occasion of taking part in a drama, Caitanya-līlā. I took the part of Advaita, and our friends, others, somebody took the part of Caitanya, Nityānanda. So that drama was so successful, it was unique in Calcutta. Because we were not, we were not professionals. I saw from the stage a huge gathering, they're all crying.

1971 Conversations and Morning Walks

Darsana -- June 28, 1971, San Francisco:

Prabhupāda: That I tell you, not immediately. But our main business is preaching. Either do it as a gṛhastha or as sannyāsī, it does not matter. This is only formality. The real work is preaching. Just like Rāmānanda Rāya was a gṛhastha and Lord Caitanya was a sannyāsī, but He was taking lesson from Rāmānanda Rāya. This is Caitanya-līlā.

1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- November 7, 1975, Bombay:

Bhāgavata: Yes, Jayapataka Mahārāja told me he was there. He saw the construction, and it's going to be two stories high, 75 feet long by 30 feet wide, and they're going to have dolls on both floors, Caitanya-līlā.

Prabhupāda: Hm. That's all right. You can do.

Bhāgavata: But we should make different līlās, different dolls.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Modern men will understand Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam by display of dolls.

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

Comments on Bhagavad-gita Play -- July 12, 1976, New York:

Sudāmā: It is incomplete. It is only the first two scenes, and the rest of the drama is four acts of caitanya-līlā. So we are waiting anxiously for the rest of the drama to come. Presently it is incomplete.

Prabhupāda: So how'll you show the incomplete?

Sudāmā: In Māyāpur you were interested to see the first..., or see the scene of the enemies-anger, lust, greed, envy—so we have worked on it.

Prabhupāda: Hmm. Kali, Kali-yuga.

1977 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation First Day in Juhu Quarters -- March 30, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Oh, yes. We played caitanya-līlā in our younger days. So we brought one very famous man, Amritlal Bose. He is one of the three chief men who started theatrical performances in Bengal. Amritlal Bose, Girish Candra Ghosh, and one some Pathan. This Amritlal Bose was a big author also, for writing comic books. And very expert lecturer. So somehow or other, we contacted him, and we used to call him, (Bengali:) dādā-mahāśaya. Dādā-mahāśaya means grandfather. He was of our grandfather's age. In the evening he was drinking.

Room Conversation First Day in Juhu Quarters -- March 30, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Oh, yes. We played caitanya-līlā in our younger days. So we brought one very famous man, Amritlal Bose. He is one of the three chief men who started theatrical performances in Bengal. Amritlal Bose, Girish Candra Ghosh, and one some Pathan. This Amritlal Bose was a big author also, for writing comic books. And very expert lecturer. So somehow or other, we contacted him, and we used to call him, (Bengali:) dādā-mahāśaya. Dādā-mahāśaya means grandfather. He was of our grandfather's age. In the evening he was drinking. Very luxurious. So when he came, he said, "Yes, I will give you direction. You are all aristocratic family. But you must know that what is the difference between this professional and this aristocratic family." So he explained that "Caitanya-līlā, in the public theater, anyone can pay eight annas." That eight annas was third-class ticket. Eight annas, one rupee, two rupees and five rupees. "So they can see Caitanya-līlā.

Room Conversation First Day in Juhu Quarters -- March 30, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: So it was due to training. He trained in such a way that we could not understand how we are playing, but the audience, they appreciated so much. Every one of them was crying. And another effect was... Because sometimes there were need of proxy. Some player has not come, and the rehearsal is going on. So the result was that each and every one of us learned the play of others. There was no scarcity of duplicate. So that was the first and last of playing in dramatic drama in my life. Caitanya-līlā. We had own club, Indian, Indian, like that.

Room Conversation First Day in Juhu Quarters -- March 30, 1977, Bombay:

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Sincerity, people see, the audience. That makes very genuine.

Gargamuni: We once went to see one caitanya-līlā in Calcutta.

Prabhupāda: Oh!

Gargamuni: They were no good.

Prabhupāda: That is third class. Our caitanya-līlā was played by all the young men of aristocratic Mulliks, Sils,(?) all millionaires.

Gargamuni: Nowadays it is not done.

Room Conversation Meeting with Dr. Sharma (from Russia) -- April 17, 1977, Bombay:

Dr. Sharma: And to do that exist on the political gimmick to show their Indo-Soviet relations, to increase it. We would send some of the people from here...

Prabhupāda: You note it. We shall give stress. We can make caitanya-līlā, kṛṣṇa-līlā, like that. We have got everything.

Guest (2): If we include more Indians or associate for such type of people it will have a greater effect. When those people and the philosophy is Hare Kṛṣṇa, but...

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: In Russia nobody knows that. In Russia, the local people, the people here are not famous in Russia. They are famous here in India.

Room Conversation Meeting with Dr. Sharma (from Russia) -- April 17, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Caitanya-līlā can be played very nicely.

Guest (1): And it is maintained at a very remarkable level standard. Performance is very good. This could definitely go in as an Indo-Soviet cultural group, and it would be really educating the masses in no time. It is almost as good as showing them a film show or a cinema.

Prabhupāda: The difficulty is the government has got the cultural department. So they will patronize Lata Mangeskar, but they will not give us money to go there.

1968 Correspondence

Letter to Kirtanananda, Hayagriva -- Montreal 23 August, 1968:

The San Francisco devotees are in New York, and so you may not send the Caitanya lila just now, better you finish it nicely. Then we shall see what to do.

Yes, Rayarama is trying his heart and soul to improve the quality of Back To Godhead, so this department should be exclusively managed by him, he has devoted his everything for this Back To Godhead department. I have asked also Janardana to join the editorial department of publication, and he will do translation work in French, of all our literatures, and similarly Syamasundara may help in translating all the literatures in Germany, and I am arranging to take the mimeograph machine from New York, into Montreal, so that Janardana and other boy, Dayala Nitai, who is French Canadian, they can immediately issue, a French edition of Back To Godhead.

1973 Correspondence

Letter to Patita Uddharana -- Bombay 14 October, 1973:

Regarding writing, I may quote from the Caitanya-caritamrta Ādi lila, ninth chapter, the blue print of which I have just received from New York.

esaba prasadae likhi caitanya-lila-guna

jani va na jani, kari apana-sodhana

(Cc. Ādi-lila 9:5)

"It is by the mercy of all these Vaisnavas and gurus that I attempt to write about the pastimes and qualities of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Whether I know or know not, it is for self purification that I write this book."