Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, when He started this movement, He preached that simply by chanting you'll get all perfection, and the brāhmaṇas of Navadvīpa, they rebelled against Him, that "This boy..." He was boy of twenty years or less than that. This boy is preaching something against the Vedic religious system. So in other words, they were afraid of their priestly profession. Because if everyone takes to simply chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa and forgets all ritualistic activities, then how they will live? They were priestly class, they were getting some money by their followers. But Caitanya Mahāprabhu had no such desire. He simplified the whole thing. Harer nāma eva kevalam (CC Adi 17.21). Simply chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and you become elevated to the highest platform. Actually it is so. You can see from the behavior of our students. They simply took this chanting, now see their behavior, see their character. It will automatically. That is the result. Ihā haite sarva-siddhi haibe tomāra. Lord Caitanya said, every kind of, all kinds of perfection will follow. Simply you begin chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa sincerely. Yes. Go on.
Navadvipa (Lectures)
Lectures
Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures
So, as the Bhagavad-gītā prescribes, that you have to perform yajña, now, don't be afraid that you have to perform the same kind of yajña as it was being performed in the Tretā-yuga or Dvāpara-yuga by offering thousands and thousands of mounds of clarified butter and grains. That is not possible. Nobody can secure all those ingredients at the present moment. Neither it is recommended. In the Kali-yuga it is recommended that one can perform the saṅkīrtana-yajña. That will give him the same result which was derived by meditation in Satya-yuga.
So Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu introduced this method of saṅkīrtana-yajña in this age. Five hundred years before, Lord Caitanya advented Himself in India in Bengal in the district of Navadvīpa. It is about sixty miles from Calcutta. And He... Of course, He was born in that particular place, but He, I mean to say, distributed these missionary activities all over India. And He desired that His followers may also distribute this missionary activity in other parts of the world. That is His desire and foretelling.
So this yajña. So far yajña is concerned, we can perform this yajña, saṅkīrtana-yajña. That is not very difficult. Everyone, at home or in this place... What is that?
So if one is actually interested how to become liberated from this material bondage, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9)—these are the problems—then, according to śāstra, according to mahājana, one must take to this chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. This is our, I mean to say, purpose.
So even Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He was so learned scholar, every one of you know, and He was very popular leader at Navadvīpa. And when He was sixteen years only, He defeated one very great learned scholar, Keśava Kāśmīrī. And he was known as Nimāi Paṇḍita. Actually He was very learned scholar, and His explanation of one verse, ātmārāmāś ca munayo nirgranthā apy urukrame... He described this verse in sixty-four ways. He was such a learned scholar. So He was not a fool, but He represented the fool of this age, that "If you want liberation from material bondage...
Because this human form of life is meant for that purpose. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānu... (BG 13.9). This human life is meant for getting out of this encagement of repetition of birth, death, old age and disease. This is human form of life. It is meant for. Unfortunately there is no education that "Why? I do not want death, but why death is compulsory? I do not want old age; why old age is compulsory? I do not want to take birth; why birth is compulsory?" These are the actual questions or problems of life. And our whole Vedic literature is meant for solving this problem. That is whole purpose. Vedic literature, Vedic civilization, is not meant for working day and night like animals only for maintaining the foodstuff and sense gratification. It is not civilization. According to our Vedic civilization, this is not civilization. This is another form of animal life.
He maintains. It is a fact. We are simply unnecessarily wasting our time "Where is food? Where is shelter? Where is sex? Where is defense?" So do that. There is no objection. But do not forget God. Then it is perfect. Otherwise, śrama eva hi kevalam (SB 1.2.8), simply waste of time.
So because the whole world now has forgotten God, we have started... Not we have started. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. You see the statues of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Five hundred years ago, seeing the fallen condition of the living entities, especially the human society, He started this Hare Kṛṣṇa movement. Caitanya Mahāprabhu, five hundred years ago he appeared in Navadvīpa, a district in Bengal. And the station is sixty miles from Calcutta. We have got our very big temple there. You are invited to come there, stay there, try to understand the philosophy of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.
We have already written Caitanya-caritāmṛta, thirteen volumes. You have shown these books? You will find. So, Caitanya Mahāprabhu is also incarnation of Kṛṣṇa, but He is very liberal.
Anyway, apart from that, this misunderstanding of kīrtana, five hundred years before also, there was. When Caitanya Mahāprabhu was performing kīrtana, the, not the Muhammadans, but the Hindus, they took objection that "This is not according to our scripture. Caitanya Mahāprabhu has introduced something new." So he complained to the magistrate although the magistrate was Muhammadan, he was government representative. So he took action. What action was taken? Now, the first of all he warned Lord Caitanya's party that "You cannot perform saṅkīrtana." Then Lord Caitanya's party neglected. Then the magistrate sent some constables and they broke the mṛdaṅga. You have seen the mṛdaṅga. So there was some disturbance and Lord Caitanya formed a party of one hundred thousand people from Navadvīpa and He began to make a civil disobedience. He performed saṅkīrtana all over the city, and there was some trouble between the Muhammadan magistrate. And at last, they came to compromise. And when the compromise was done, then there was some discussion. The discussion was the distinction between Muhammadan religion and Hindu religion.
So similarly, this Haridāsa Ṭhākura, he happened to be a Muhammadan and he joined this Hare Kṛṣṇa movement. So the Muhammadan magistrate called him, "Oh, you are born in such a nice family and you are chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa? Hindu? You are chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hindu's name? Then what is your explanation?" So Haridāsa Ṭhākura was... He could understand that he is now in dangerous position. So he replied, "Sir, many Hindus also have become Muhammadan. So if some Muhammadan becomes Hindu, what is the harm?" "Oh, you are arguing?" Means he was to be punished. Give the dog a bad name and hang it.
So he was ordered that this man should be caned. And in, at that time Navadvīpa had twenty-two marketplaces. So in each marketplace he should be taken and in the public he should be flogged. So that he was done. And the idea was that by flogging he would die. The magistrate's idea was like that. But fortunately Haridāsa Ṭhākura did not die, neither he cried even. He was as good as silent. So these persons who were flogging, they fell on his feet. "Sir, the idea was that you would die. But now I see that you do not die. So now our punishment is awaiting. He will think that we have not flogged you sufficiently." Then Haridāsa Ṭhākura said, "What you want?" "No, we want that you should die." Then he made himself into samādhi and the flogger took him to the magistrate, "Here is the condition." The magistrate thought, "He's now dead." So told him, "Throw him in the water. Don't put him in the graveyard. He has become Hindu." So yasmin sthito guruṇāpi na vicālyate (Bg. 6.20-23). So he was so disturbed, but he was steady. So it is such a thing. He was chanting. The others were flogging him, and he was chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare, Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare.
Everyone has got his own theory; everyone has got his own philosophy. So therefore it is called Kali-yuga. And if I don't agree with you, you fight with me. Therefore it is called Kali-yuga. So this is the only method recommended in this age: kalau tad dhari-kīrtanāt. Simply by chanting the holy name of God, one can attain perfect self-realization, which was attained by the yoga system in the Satya-yuga, which was attained in the Tretā-yuga by performing great sacrifices, and which was performed in the Dvāpara-yuga by large-scale temple worship. That thing can be attained by the simple method hari-kīrtanāt. Hari means the Supreme Personality of Godhead; kīrtanāt—by glorifying Him. This is the method recommended in the śāstras. And Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, five hundred years ago, He appeared in a town which is known as Navadvīpa. It is about sixty miles northern side of Calcutta. People still go there. We have got our temple, center there. It is also a sacred pilgrimage. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu appeared there, and He started this saṅkīrtana movement, mass saṅkīrtana movement, without any discrimination. And He predicted that this saṅkīrtana movement would be spread all over the world and the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra would be chanted in every village, town on the surface of the globe.
Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures
He wanted to kill immediately Jagāi Mādhāi. Lord Nityānanda said, "My dear Sir, You promised that this incarnation You'll not take any weapon, Please be kind upon them."
So this is Nityānanda. Nityānanda-vaṁśa means one who takes the risk of preaching work, he can claim Nityānanda-vaṁśa. Not that easy-going. The preaching work is not easy-going. There are so many difficulties. All the big, big preachers... Śrī Rāmānujācārya. His life was attempted to be killed. Why Rāmānujācārya? My Guru Mahārāja was attempted to be killed. Twenty-five thousand rupees were raised fund for bribing the police officer. He told me personally. The Navadvīpa, Navadvīpa Gosāis, they wanted to kill him. So preaching work is always risky. Tat sādhu manye 'sura-varya dehinām. So kṛṣṇa-sampraśnaḥ. If you want to make the whole world peaceful, yenātmā suprasīdati. Suprasīdati. Prasīdati means to become satisfied, and su means super, extra satisfied. Then people should be educated to inquire about Kṛṣṇa. That's all. Simply. This very word. Yat kṛtaḥ kṛṣṇa-sampraśnaḥ. Make such propaganda in a way that everyone becomes inquisitive, "What is this nonsense, Kṛṣṇa, they are speaking?" At least...
Just like Jagāi-Mādhāi, when they... In the beginning, they were very much adverse to saṅkīrtana, hari-saṅkīrtana, but one day, the Mādhāi was telling to Jagāi, "My dear brother, Jagāi, after all, these rascals sing very nicely, (laughter) Hare Kṛṣṇa. They sing ver..." "Oh, you are going to be Vaiṣṇava?" "No, no. I am not going to be Vaiṣṇava. (laughter) I'm just appreciating. They sing very nicely." So you go like that. They will arrest you. You have got good experience. In London, they were arrested. You were in London. How many times you were arrested?
So Nārada Muni says that "You have described these things for which a man has got natural propensity in a religious form. So it is jugupsitam. This is most abominable." Just see. Even the restricted system of marriage, drinking and meat-eating, described in the śāstra, that is also condemned by Nārada. Jugupsitam. Jugupsitaṁ dharma-kṛte 'nuśāsataḥ: "You are the leader of the śāstras. You are writing śāstras. People will follow you." Just like in Vedic, Vedas, there is recommendation of sacri..., in the sacrifice, animal-killing, but that animal-killing is not killing. This... There was a discussion between Lord Caitanya and Chand Kazi, the Muhammadan magistrate. That story perhaps you know, that He started civil disobedience movement. And the brāhmaṇas of Navadvīpa, they complained to the Muhammadan ma... At that time, Bengal was being governed by Pathans, Muhammadans, and so there was Muhammadan magistrate called Kazi Saheb. So the brāhmaṇas, they lodged complaint to the Kazi Saheb that "This boy, Nimāi Paṇḍita, He has started one movement, Hare Kṛṣṇa, and people are being enthused, excited to chant this Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, and He is making propaganda that "Simply by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, you'll get all perfection." So the brāhmaṇas thought that "If this boy makes propaganda and popularize this Hare Kṛṣṇa movement, then, oh, what about ourself?" They were priestly class. "Then how we will live?" So they lodged complaint to the Chand Kazi that "He's doing something against our Vedic rituals. It is not Hindu religion. And..." Of course, he was Muhammadan magistrate, but after all, he was meant for giving justice to the people. So when big brāhmaṇas complained, he took action and he sent some constables to warn the followers of Lord Caitanya that "You are disturbing. You are disturbing, this Hare Kṛṣṇa chanting. You cannot do this. There is complaint."
So if we keep this principle in this temple, as it is now being appreciated... This is the most opulent temple in this district. That is being admitted. People are coming here to see this temple. It is being advertised. The other day, one gentleman, that Gopāla, he said that "In Navadvīpa, they simply inquire, 'Where is that American temple?' " They inquire. It is already nicely advertised, and it will be more and more advertised provided you keep Kṛṣṇa here by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra.
Thank you very much. (break) ...taste only Kṛṣṇa prasādam. This advantage we want to give to the whole world. Therefore we are opening so many centers all over the world, giving them chance: "Come here. Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and take prasādam. Go home."
"Don't associate with these rascals. Asat." Asat means those who are interested in material affairs. Asato mā sad gama. The Vedic injunction. That is Vedic injunction: sad gama. Just try to make progress towards sat. Oṁ tat sat. Don't be interested in asat. Asato mā sad gama. Jyotir gama. So these are the Vedic injunctions.
So because these Pāṇḍavas and their families were all sat by association of Kṛṣṇa, therefore they were all perplexed within their mind, that "Kṛṣṇa is going back to His home. How we shall live? How we can give up Kṛṣṇa?" Those who are actually devotee of Kṛṣṇa, they cannot give up Kṛṣṇa at any risk. Just like Prahlāda Mahārāja, and the Haridāsa Ṭhākura in this Navadvīpa area. He was a Muhammadan. He took to kṛṣṇa-nāma. The kazi called him, "You are Muhammadan. Why you are taking this kṛṣṇa-nāma?" "What is the fault, sir? There are many Hindus. They also become Muslim. So I like this." So he was punished. But he did not give up. He did not give up. One cannot give up. Prahlāda Mahārāja could not give up.
So that is explained, that sat-saṅgān mukta-duḥsaṅgaḥ. As soon as one associates with Kṛṣṇa's name, he associates with Kṛṣṇa. Therefore asat, māyā, cannot touch him. If he's purely chanting without any offense, māyā cannot touch him. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaṁ bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nir... (CC Antya 20.12). And as soon as māyā cannot touch him, then bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpaṇam. The blazing fire of material existence extinguished immediately.
Prabhupāda:
- bhavad-vidhā bhāgavatās
- tīrtha-bhūtāḥ svayaṁ vibho
- tīrthī-kurvanti tīrthāni
- svāntaḥ-sthena gadābhṛtā
- (SB 1.13.10)
So tīrthī, tīrtha. Tīrtha means holy place of pilgrimage. In every religion there is the system that the followers, they go to the holy place of pilgrimage. Just like in India, there are many holy places: Gayā, Prayāga, Mathurā, Vṛndāvana, Haridvar, Rāmeśvaram, Jagannātha Purī, Navadvīpa. Many. Some of them are very prominent, and still there are many nonprominent. Similarly, the Muhammadans they go to Mecca, Medina. The Christians they go Jordan. What is that?
Bhagavān: Jerusalem.
Prabhupāda: Jerusalem. So human society, there must be some religious process; otherwise, it is animal society. And in every religion there is recommendation to go to the place, holy places of pilgrimage. This is one set up. Another set up is that bhāgavatās tīrtha-bhūtāḥ. Those who are devotees, they are themselves mahā-bhāgavata. They are first-class devotee. They themselves are the holy place. Not only they are themselves holy place, but wherever they go, they make that place holy place, pilgrimage. This is the idea.
So we have got enough material to become Kṛṣṇa conscious. My Guru Mahārāja was questioned by one big politician. He came to see him. So my Guru Mahārāja... He was asking, "What are your activities?" So at that time he was publishing one paper. I think it is still published in Māyāpur. It is called... What is called, Dainik? Daily news, it was a daily newspaper, small. Navadvīpa Prakash, like that. Nadiya Prakash. Nadiya Prakash. So daily. So this politician inquired from Guru Mahārāja, "You are publishing a daily paper about God consciousness?" "Yes." "No, what you are writing?" He was surprised. The politicians think that newspaper can be filled up with rubbish political news only. That's all. They cannot think that newspaper can be filled up by news from spiritual world. Yes. They have no idea. They have no idea there is spiritual world. So my Guru Mahārāja explained that "Why you are thinking of only one small newspaper? You do not know what is spiritual world. This material world is one-fourth portion of the whole creation of the Lord. And the three-fourths' portion is the spiritual world. And in this one fourth portion there are innumerable universes. And in one of the universes... This is one of the universe. And in each universe there are millions of planets. And this planet, earthly planets, is only a small planet in that universe. And on this earthly planet, there are so many cities. And in each city, there are so many newspapers. And each newspaper has got so many editions. This is the position of the material world. Now, think over the spiritual world. It is... The spiritual world is three fourths, three times bigger than this material... And there are so many planets, so many universes, and so many activities. So we can produce not one newspaper daily, but every minute a newspaper.
It has no value. If somebody is voted by a number of asses, so what is the value of such vote? Those who elect, they must be very sober. So formerly a king was nominated not only by his father or grandfather, but confirmed by the society of learned brāhmaṇas and saintly persons. So... And he must personally prove that he is actually king.
So here Parīkṣit Mahārāja, digvijayāya. Digvijaya. Vijaya means to own victory, conquering. Just like Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu argued with a digvijaya-paṇḍita. There were several kinds of digvijaya. A learned scholar also would travel all over the world and challenge the other scholars about philosophical discussion, literary credit, so many other fields of activities. So one digvijaya-paṇḍita came from Kashmir. He got victory all over India and then came to Navadvīpa, Nadia. Because Nadia, still there are many, many learned scholars, and in those days, it was simply full of learned scholars. Some of the Indian cities were famous for learned scholars, like Navadvīpa, Nadia, Vārāṇasī, and there were several places, in Garabanga,(?) in the southern India also, there is a place. So there were several places where different schools, Māyāvādīs... Chiefly there are two schools of transcendental subject matter, namely the Māyāvādī school and the Vaiṣṇavas. So Māyāvādīs, were there in Vārāṇasī, mostly. And Vaiṣṇavas also they have their place, especially in Navadvīpa, Vṛndāvana, like that. So one digvijaya-paṇḍita, Keśava Kāśmīrī, he also came to Navadvīpa. He got victory in all other cities, but when he came to Navadvīpa, he became defeated, because Caitanya Mahāprabhu was there.
So many sinful activities are going on. How they expect to become happy? It is not possible. Therefore it is being asked that "Whether you are thinking of all these things and therefore you are unhappy?" Sober man becomes unhappy. Para-duḥkha... Especially Vaiṣṇava. A Vaiṣṇava has no problem for himself, but he has many problems for others. Because a Vaiṣṇava... That is Vaiṣṇava, unhappy by seeing others unhappy. That is Vaiṣṇava. That is a first-class Vaiṣṇava, para-duḥkha-duḥkhī. Just like Caitanya Mahāprabhu. By His practical example... He was a very learned scholar, many students, very respectable. He was so respectable in Navadvīpa that in one night He collected a hundred thousand of people to challenge against the Kazi's judgment, civil disobedience. Kazi acted against saṅkīrtana, so Caitanya Mahāprabhu challenged, "Now, tonight, we shall perform saṅkīrtana with 100,000 of people." And 100,000 of people gathered together and chanting and went to the house of Kazi.
So the example is... He was at that time hardly twenty years old, but how much influence He had that simply by His order 100,000 people collected and chanted Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra and challenged the Kazi, that "You are forbidding. We shall continue. Do whatever you like." So this is His popularity. And Lakṣmī-devī, the, directly the goddess of fortune, wife, most beautiful young wife. And seventy-years-old mother. So He has got obligation. But still, Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Vaiṣṇava, para-duḥkha-duḥkhī... That is stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
Prabhupāda: No, that's not, that I cannot accept.
Guest: Yes, yes.
Prabhupāda: Those who are chanting, we have got branch in Calcutta, in Māyāpur, in Bombay, in Vṛndāvana. None of our devotees are dying.
Guest: But I regret to say that in Māyāpur, in Navadvīpa also I saw there poor people dying.
Prabhupāda: Uh huh. You...
Guest: ...myself constructing...
Prabhupāda: So you simply inspect all the persons who are dying. You do not see who are living. (break) ...were in India, I asked the people here, we have got so many devotees in Europe, who is dying? Nobody is dying. It is simply propaganda.
Guest: I know nothing about Europe. This is the first time I'm coming to Europe, I know the problem. I was always in...
Prabhupāda: But you are wrong informed. You are talking from Europe about India.
Guest: No, I was in India about one month ago and...
Prabhupāda: But what is one month's experience, you have simply seen persons who are dying, that's all.
Guest: I am from Calcutta. I teach in Calcutta. I live in Calcutta. I am always in Bengal.
Prabhupāda: So you have seen that all Calcutta men are dying?
This is jñāna. So anyway—strength. When He was seven years old, Kṛṣṇa, He lifted the Govardhana Hill. Jñāna-vairāgya, everything complete. That is God. Nothing less. Not that, that "I am rich man, but I cannot lie down on the street." Not that kind of vairāgya. He is complete, completely different from a rich person. Akhila-loka-pāla. He is the controller of the whole universe; still, you see His vairāgya.
So Kṛṣṇa consciousness means vairāgya-vidyā. Vairāgya-vidyā nija bhakti-yogam (CC Madhya 6.254). Bhakti-yoga means vairāgya-vidyā. We should under... That is teaching by His personal behavior. Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He also taught us vairāgya-vidyā. He... When He was a gṛhastha, He was the most learned scholar in Navadvīpa. When He was sixteen years old He defeated a very great learned scholar, Keśava Kāśmīrī. He was requested by Caitanya Mahāprabhu to make some stanzas praying the Ganges. So he immediately made one hundred ślokas. And Caitanya Mahāprabhu, at that time sixteen years old, He was a student of grammar. So He pointed out on the sixty-fourth śloka so many defects. He was surprised that "This boy is a student of grammar, and He has picked up so many mistakes in my composition." One of the prominent mistake was bhavānī-bhartā. Bhavānī-bhartā. Bhavānī means the wife of Bhava, Lord Śiva. And He pointed out, "Who can be bhartā, he, her, again?" So both of them were paṇḍita, yes. And there were so many mistakes He pointed out. So that was His learning. He was known as Nimāi Paṇḍita. Of course, brāhmaṇas were all called paṇḍita. Still in India that is the practice. The brāhmaṇas are addressed as "paṇḍitjī" because brāhmaṇa cannot be mūrkha. That is possible. Then he's not a brāhmaṇa. He must be a scholar. At least he must know what is the ultimate goal of knowledge.
This Kānyakubja is still there. It is now known as Kanauj, within the division of Kanpur. It is very old city resided by brāhmaṇas especially. Still, in that city the most inhabitants are brāhmaṇas. Just like Nadia, Navadvīpa. It was formerly, even in Caitanya Mahāprabhu's time, inhabited by brāhmaṇas, learned scholars. So similarly, in northern India this place, Kanauj, since very long, long time, it is a very celebrated place. Now this place is very much famous for manufacturing perfumes, rosewater, scented attars, like that.
So anyway, it is history. Long, long ago there was a brāhmaṇa, dvija. Dvija means twice-born: first birth by the father and mother... That kind of birth is obtainable by any person, man or animal. As soon as you take birth, there must be father and mother. Without father-mother, there is no question of birth. Therefore, in the human society they do not take this birth as very important. We are very much proud of becoming American or Indian on account of birth, but according to the Vedic civilization, simply the birth by father-mother is not very important. There must be second birth, dvija. Dvi means second, and ja means birth. So according to the Vedic civilization, a human being must be trained up to become dvija, or take his birth second time. This is human civilization. Saṁskārād bhaved dvijaḥ. Janmanā jāyate śūdraḥ. Simply by ordinary birth by father and mother, it is śūdra. But the civilization is how a śūdra or less than śūdra can be elevated to the position of a brāhmaṇa. That is civilization.
He is called goṣṭhy-ānandī, increasing the number of devotees. That is preferred by Kṛṣṇa. It is said in the Bhagavad-gītā, ya imaṁ paramaṁ guhyaṁ mad-bhakteṣv abhidhāsyati: "Anyone who is engaged in preaching this confidential science of Bhagavad-gītā," na ca tasmān manuṣyeṣu kaścid me priya-kṛttamaḥ, "nobody is dearer to Me than he is." So if you want very quickly recognition by Kṛṣṇa, go on preaching Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Even if it imperfectly done, but because you are sincere in your capa..., whatever capacity you have got, if you preach, then Kṛṣṇa will be very much pleased. I have seen practically. In my Guru Mahārāja's day there was a paper, Dainika Nadiyā Prakāsh. It was being published daily, a piece of paper, just like I was publishing Back to Godhead. And if a small brahmacārī would go to Navadvīpa and would sell a few copies, one paisa a copy, that would be taken as a great preaching by Guru Mahārāja: "Oh, you have sold five copies? Very good." Because people are so reluctant—they are not at all interested in Kṛṣṇa consciousness—therefore we become very much engladdened when we see that some of our books and literatures are sold. They will read and be benefited.
So this is the mission of high-class Vaiṣṇava, how to preach Kṛṣṇa consciousness among the suffering humanity, and this is the purport of this verse said by Prahlāda Mahārāja, and we are following the footprints of Prahlāda Mahārāja. Never mind even it is imperfectly done, we must execute the orders of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, yāre dekha tāre kaha kṛṣṇa-upadeśa (CC Madhya 7.128). I may not be so very expert in delivering the message of Kṛṣṇa, but my duty is to try to my best capacity how to distribute this knowledge to the suffering humanity.
Nectar of Devotion Lectures
Kīrtanīyaḥ, to chant the glories of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, there are so many impediments. You are experiencing that our only business is to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, but there are so many enemies also. There are many friends—we have got more friends than enemies; still, there are so many enemies also, criticizing. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu predicted that this criticism would be there. Even when Caitanya Mahāprabhu was preaching this Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra... He was chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra very loudly. Some brāhmaṇas from Navadvīpa, they lodged complaint to the magistrate, Kazi, that "This Nimāi Paṇḍita has discovered a new type of religion, chanting loudly Hare Kṛṣṇa. This is the period of, sleeping period of Nārāyaṇa, and He's chanting so loudly. So Nārāyaṇa will be disturbed and there will be so much catastrophe. So kindly stop this chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa loudly." And Kazi, he took steps. He first of all warned the disciples of Caitanya Mahāprabhu to stop chanting. But when Caitanya Mahāprabhu disregarded the order, then the, some constables came and broke the mṛdaṅgas. Then Caitanya Mahāprabhu started the civil disobedience movement. About one lakh of people, chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, reached the house of Kazi, and there was some compromise.
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures
We are not impersonalist. Every person has got to serve the Lord in a particular way, and that is allowed. The central point is Kṛṣṇa. So although there are parties, if the central point is Kṛṣṇa, 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 Kṛṣṇa the center.
So on the whole, for the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava, means the followers of Caitanya Mahāprabhu... Especially in Bengal, there are many thousands followers, Bengal and Orissa. They are mainly followers of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and you will find in Vṛndāvana, Navadvīpa, many Bengali Vaiṣṇavas, followers of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. 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 Vṛndāvana. Similarly, Kavirāja Gosvāmī also took shelter of Vṛndāvana under the lotus feet of Madana-mohana. Therefore he says, mat-sarvasva-padāmbhojau: "The lotus feet of Madana-mohana is my everything. I have taken shelter of Madana-mohanajī. That is my everything." That is Vaiṣṇava feeling. They think the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa 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 Kṛṣṇa gives him the facility... Kṛṣṇa is prepared. How? Simply by service, one can easily become in possession of the lotus feet of the Lord. Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ (Brs. 1.2.234). We cannot bring in possession the lotus feet of the Supreme Being. That is no
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu distributed this Kṛṣṇa love immediately, anyone. That is Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu's contribution to the human society. If you simply become under the lotus feet of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu, then love of Kṛṣṇa is very easily achieved. Therefore it is said: tāṅhāra caraṇāśrita, sei baḍa dhanya (CC Adi 7.2). He's glorified because he receives... To become under the lotus feet of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu means you have got Kṛṣṇa. You have already got. That is the verdict of the śāstra and Caitanya-caritāmṛta. Because Kṛṣṇa, Caitanya Mahāprabhu, does not give anything else. Simply directly gives you Kṛṣṇa and His love. And to award this greatest benediction to the human society, He took sannyāsa at the age of twenty-four years only in this land of Māyāpur, Navadvīpa. It is very glorified place. It is not ordinary place. Therefore Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says, gauḍa maṇḍala bhūmi, yeba jane cintāmaṇi tara hoy vrajabhūme vāsa. Anyone who understands gauḍa maṇḍala bhūmi in Bengal—this Navadvīpa, Navadvīpa-candra, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu—if anyone understands the spiritual value of this land, he lives in Vrajabhūmi, in Vṛndāvana. There is no difference between Vṛndāvana and this Gaudamaṇḍala-bhūmi. That is the verdict of the śāstra. Gauḍa-maṇḍala-bhūmi yena jane cintāmaṇi tara hoy vrajabhūme vāsa.
Kṛṣṇa consciousness understanding does not depend on Sanskrit scholarship. That is the teaching of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. He said to the Māyāvādī sannyāsī Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī that "My Guru Mahārāja studied Me as a great fool." Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, presenting Himself. He was a learned scholar, undoubtedly, very learned scholar. In His youthful age He was known as Nimāi Paṇḍita. This paṇḍita title, especially the brāhmaṇas are given this paṇḍita title. But He was specifically known as Paṇḍita, Nimāi Paṇḍita, very good scholar. And He defeated the Keśava Kashmiri, a great, renowned scholar of Kashmir. The Kashmir country is mentioned in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam also. It is a very old country. And there were many learned scholars. And one scholar came to Navadvīpa to defeat the paṇḍitas, the learned scholars of Navadvīpa, but he was defeated by a young boy, Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Nimāi Paṇḍita was at that time only sixteen years old. But He defeated only in composition, Sanskrit composition. The Sanskrit composition, there is rules and regulations. So you know the story. He pointed out many defects in the verses composed by the Keśava Kashmiri. So he was defeated.
Just like in your country, President Washington, he rendered very valuable service to your country. He's still remembered. Recently, President Kennedy... He's still remembered. Similarly, those persons who have dedicated their life for the welfare of the human society, they are not ordinary men. Therefore he is addressed as mahā-bhāga, the most fortunate personality, because he dedicated his life for the good of the humanity. The greater man is engaged for the service to the humanity, he is considered the great man. Similarly, Lord Caitanya, He also renounced this world. You see His feature is just eighteen-years-to-twenty-years-boy. And after this movement, saṅkīrtana movement, at Navadvīpa during His householder life... He was married at the age of seventeen years. So He was considered to be a householder. And His first wife died at the age of twenty years. Then His mother requested to marry... (break)
...To do the best service to the humanity, that is His order. To do the best service to the humanity. He was so much compassionate with the human society. So by His grace, His philosophy, His teachings are now being spread in the Western countries. And I have taken up the humble responsibility. Please help me. You'll be happy. It is such a nice movement. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He was also humanitarian. He's not a religionist. He was not meant for preaching a particular cult to gather some followers. No. It is the need of the human society, and He wanted to preach all over the world. Because it was not possible at that time, in His time. He lived only for forty-eight years. He took sannyāsa at the age of twenty-four years, and He passed away in... Twenty-four years He was very busy all over India. Therefore He left His legacy to the Indians, any Indian, to take up this cause and preach this cult of saṅkīrtana movement all over the world. So I shall request you to understand the philosophy of Caitanya Mahāprabhu and His movement. We have got already six centers, five centers in your country. I started first in 1966, July, in New York. Then I started in San Francisco, then Boston, then at Montreal.
Now, if Kṛṣṇa is ordinary person, as the foolish rascals think, that avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā: (BG 9.11) "The foolish rascals deride at Me as ordinary man," how it is possible that Brahmā is offering his respect to Kṛṣṇa? If you think that "These are all stories..." Not stories. Do you think Caitanya Mahāprabhu is speaking some stories, some fabricated stories, to get His followers? Do you think like that? No. Lord Caitanya, such a great devotee... Apart from His feature of incarnation, take Him as a great devotee, learned. He was vastly learned, and nobody could surpass Him in His learning in those days. He defeated... When He was a sixteen-years-old boy, He defeated the greatest scholar, Keśava Kāśmīrī. His name was Keśava. He came to Navadvīpa from Kashmir to talk with scholars. Formerly, as nowadays you have got—what is called?—champion, champion. What is the meaning of champion?
In this way all these provinces were distributed, and still it is going on. The provincialism is amongst the educated circle. So far the mass of people are concerned, they don't know what is province. They travel from one province to another. They don't require any visa. They don't require any passport. So that was very nice.
So this Sanskrit scholar, Keśava Kāśmīrī, he came from Kashmir to challenge the learned scholars in other parts of the country. There were four celebrated places where highly educated scholars were there. One was at Benares. Benares still, it is considered to be the center of Sanskrit scholars place. Similarly Navadvīpa, where Caitanya Mahāprabhu was born. And in Bihar there was a place, Darbhanga. That is also a scholarly. So Benares, and Berhampur (?), Berhampur in East Bengal near Dacca. So some of the places in India, they are very famous for learned scholars. Still they are continuing. So Sanskrit scholars would come in such celebrated places, and they would challenge for arguing on the śāstras. So the rule was that two parties will argue, and the defeated party will become the disciple of the victorious party. That was the system. So Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, when He was sixteen years old, this Keśava Kāśmīrī came to Navadvīpa to challenge. In other places he was victorious. He became champion. And then, at last, he came to Bengal, Navadvīpa. So that scholarly discussion will take place.
Now notice is already given that "Keśava Kāśmīrī has come here," and he had an umbrella, and the four sides was covered with gold, and the one side is remaining. As soon as he becomes victorious in Navadvīpa, that side also will be covered with gold. So the people of Navadvīpa, learned scholars, they first of all thought that Nimāi Paṇḍita... Caitanya Mahāprabhu was known as Nimāi Paṇḍita because He was boy, sixteen-years-old boy, very learned scholar, especially in logic He was very learned scholar, logician. He was so... Even in His sixth year, with His class friends He will establish one theory; again He will cut it; again He will establish; again He will cut it; again the same, in His own way. He was so learned scholar, logician. So the elderly scholars of Navadvīpa, they designed that "This Nimāi Paṇḍita should be forwarded first to talk with Keśava Kāśmīrī because He is a boy. But He is a very nice boy. He is a very learned boy. If He becomes victorious, then our Navadvīpa will be glorified, that 'Keśava Kāśmīrī was defeated by a sixteen-years-old boy in Navadvīpa.' And if Nimāi Paṇḍita is defeated, then we shall go forward. We shall say, 'Oh, you have defeated a boy. Let us..., come to us.' So we get second chance." So that was the plan, Bengali plan, second chance: first chance, second chance. So it was arranged like that, that Lord Caitanya, Nimāi Paṇḍita, would talk, would discuss with Keśava Kāśmīrī.
Festival Lectures
Today is the second day of Lord Caitanya's birth ceremony. The Lord has appeared yesterday, 4th March. Not exactly 4th March. It is called, according to Vedic calendar, Gaura pūrṇimā, the full moon day of the month of Phālguna. Phālguna means up to 15th March. From 15th February to 14th March is the month of Phālguna according to Bengali calendar. And on the month of Phālguna, the full moon day, the full moon night is the appearance, or tithi, or occasion, for Lord Caitanya. Lord Caitanya appeared on the phālguni pūrṇimā. Pūrṇimā means full moon, and phālguni means the month which is called Phālguna, which is calculated from 15th February to 14th March.
So after the appearance of Lord Caitanya, there was great ceremony. All the inhabitants of Navadvīpa, His father, Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu's father, was not very rich man but was very respectable brāhmaṇa. The brāhmaṇa community, especially in those days, five hundred years ago, the brāhmaṇa community, as a community, they were not very rich because they did not care for material opulence. That is the specific quality of brāhmaṇas. There are four classes of men all over the world. (break) ...people, they are interested for success of this human form of life. They are called brāhmaṇas. And the next class of men, they are interested for political power, next important class. First important class is called who are seeking success of the human form of life, and the next class, they are seeking success to become very rich within this material world by political power. Another next class is trying to be successful by material opulence, by earning money, the mercantile community. First class, second class, third class. They are third class. And the fourth-class men, they are called śūdras. That means they have no other ambition than to fill up their belly also. That's all. They have no intelligence to become brāhmaṇa, neither to become kṣatriya, administrator, or to occupy political powers; neither they have energy to become very rich businessmen or industrialists. Therefore they are called fourth-class men.
From Vṛndāvana they were dispatched after the disappearance of... The Gosvāmīs, they left so many books handwritten, that when they were dispatched it was a full cartload, a big cartload, you see. Just imagine how many books they wrote. They were great scholars, and many varieties of books of bhakti school, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, they wrote. So these Gosvāmīs were engaged, kṛṣṇotkīrtana-gāna-nartana, chanting and dancing. Kīrtana means chanting, and nartana means dancing. Kṛṣṇotkīrtana, utkīrtana. Utkīrtana means very loudly, not softly.
So this loud kīrtana was inaugurated by Lord Caitanya. So this disturbance, this complaint, was current even in His own time. When Caitanya Mahāprabhu was introducing this kīrtana system, so many brāhmaṇas of Navadvīpa, they complained to the Muhammadan magistrate—at that time the government was Muhammadan government, Pathan—to the Kazi that "This boy..." Caitanya Mahāprabhu was that time seventeen years, eighteen-years-old boy, but He was very popular by introducing this saṅkīrtana, Hare Kṛṣṇa chanting and dancing. And He said that simply by chanting and dancing, as we are saying, one will achieve the highest perfectional stage. So the brāhmaṇas were working as priest, they thought that their business will not go on. They prescribed so many ritualistic performances, and Caitanya Mahāprabhu was saying simply by chanting one can achieve the highest perfection. So they were disturbed, and they lodged complaint to the then magistrate, Kazi. Maulana Chand Kazi, his name was Maulana Chand Kazi. You know, when a Muhammadan is learned and religious he gets the title Maulana. So that magistrate, Chand Kazi, was very learned scholar, not only in Muhammadan scriptures, but he was a great scholar Hindu scripture also. Just like in British period in India, there were many responsible English officers, just like high-court judge, civil service. They were very vastly learned in Sanskrit. One Mr. Woodruff, Justice Woodruff, Englishman in Calcutta high-court, oh, he was a very great scholar, Sanskrit scholar, and he translated all the tantric śāstras. So scholarly people are always there. It doesn't matter. They do not belong to any class of men. Scholars are scholars, saintly persons are saintly persons.
So this Chand Kazi was a great scholar, and the brāhmaṇas lodged complaint that "This boy Nimāi Paṇḍita..." Caitanya Mahāprabhu was known at that time "Nimāi Paṇḍita." His mother's given name was Nimāi. And because He was also very great scholar, in sixteen years old he defeated many scholars. One scholar came from Kashmir. He was, his name was Keśava Kāśmirī, he defeated all scholars of India. But when he came to Navadvīpa he was defeated by Caitanya Mahāprabhu. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu was a great scholar. He was scholar in logic especially, nyāya. So He was known as Nimāi Paṇḍita. Paṇḍita means learned scholar. Especially brāhmaṇas are called paṇḍita because generally the brāhmaṇas are expected to be great scholars. So unfortunately, later on the paṇḍita title was there, but some of them were great fools. Perhaps you know, our late Prime Minister, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru... Perhaps you've heard his name, Nehru. He came to your country I think during President Eisenhower's time, and in some meeting some American gentlemen or boys, I do not know, they asked him to explain some of the verses from Bhagavad-gītā. And he, I mean to say, admitted that he was not a scholar in Bhagavad-gītā. So, but his title was there, paṇḍita. Generally, the brāhmaṇas are given this title paṇḍita on account of their scholarship in Vedic literature. So Nimāi Paṇḍita, Nimāi Paṇḍita. Yes. So complaint was lodged against Him, and He disobeyed the order of the Kazi, civil disobedience, and there was a great incident. Then the Kazi became His admirer, follower. That is a long story.
Arrival Addresses and Talks
We see you chanting the mahā-mantra. Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu predicted that in every village, town, country on the surface of the globe this saṅkīrtana movement will be spreading. So we are very much obliged to you that in this remote place, which is thousands and thousands miles away from Lord Caitanya's birthplace, Navadvīpa, and you are carrying out, to fulfill His desire, chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu—the picture is there—assisted by four others, Pañca-tattva. Kṛṣṇa appeared in five principles. Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu is Kṛṣṇa Himself, and Nityānanda Prabhu is His immediate expansion, and Advaita Prabhu is incarnation. Gadādhara Prabhu is internal potency, and śrīvāsādi, Śrīvāsa is heading the list of His devotees. Śrīvāsa represents the marginal potency of Kṛṣṇa.
So śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu-nityānanda śrī-advaita gadādhara śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda means Kṛṣṇa complete. Just like when we speak of a king, "king" does not mean king is alone. He, somebody says the king is coming here, it is to be understood that king with his associates coming. King does not come alone. Whenever a..., the king goes, he goes with his secretary, minister, commander, so many other people. King is never alone. There must be queen also, and queen's associates. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa, the supreme king, how He can be alone? He's not alone. He's always with His associates. Therefore you see Kṛṣṇa's picture, Vṛndāvana picture. He's with His associates—a cowherds boy, a cowherds girl, Kṛṣṇa's father Nanda Mahārāja, Mother Yaśodā. But Kṛṣṇa is not alone. Supreme..., any person, he can not be alone. Just like we are here, we are not alone. We are so many friends, so many associates. So person does not mean alone. Person means with associates.
That is wanted. That is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's... Udilo, from early in the morning, active. "Come on, chant. Come with Me so that others will see. If we make a party chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, so in the beginning they may be disturbed because they have been accustomed to sleep up to nine o'clock, but as they will hear, gradually they'll become purified. They'll receive it."
So that is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mission. He practically did it, and He asked everyone to do it. Āmāra ājñāya guru hañā tāra ei deśa (CC Madhya 7.128). "This is My order." He could remain a big devotee at His home. He was very popular in Navadvīpa, even when He was twenty years old. But still, He took sannyāsa and went door to door, village to village, town to town in India, and He left His order: pṛthivīte āche yata nagarādi-grāma. "All over the world, as many towns and villages are there, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement should be..." (CB Antya-khaṇḍa 4.126) Not that "We are big, big gosvāmīs and bābājīs. We do not go out of Vṛndāvana." They say that: "We do not go out of..." You are imitating them. (chuckles) Caitanya Mahāprabhu says that pṛthivīte āche yata nagarādi-grāma. And they have become very big Vaiṣṇava: "No, I don't go beyond the limits of Vṛndāvana." What is this nonsense? Did Caitanya Mahāprabhu say like that, that "You do not go beyond the limits...?" A devotee, wherever he is, that is Vṛndāvana. That is Vṛndāvana tīrtha. Kurvanti tīrthāni. A devotee, a pure devotee, can make any hell a tīrtha, a holy place. That is devotee. Tīrthī-kurvanti tīrthāni. That was Bhagīratha. Gaṅgā was hesitating, mother Gaṅgā, that "I shall go to the material world. People will take, all sinful men will take bathing, and I'll be overloaded with sin. Then how I shall get out of this sinful, accumulation of sins?" So Bhagīratha said, "My mother, don't hesitate. When a holy man will take bath in your water, then all the sins he will assimilate." Then she agreed. "Yes. That's..."
Initiation Lectures
Prabhupāda: Māyāpur-śaśi is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's another name. Śaśi means moon, and Māyāpur is the birthplace of Lord Caitanya. Hare Kṛṣṇa. You know the rules and regulations? The rules and regulations?
Devotee: The rules?
Prabhupāda: Yes (pause). All right. (japa continues)
Devotee: Navadvīpa dāsa.
Prabhupāda: Yes, very good. Navadvīpa is the place of Lord Caitanya, and you are servitor of Lord Caitanya. Come on. (japa continues)
Devotee: Viśvambhara.
Prabhupāda: Viśvambhara. Viśvambhara is another name of Lord Caitanya. Viśvambhara dāsa. Come on. You know the rules and regulations? Hare Kṛṣṇa.
Devotee: (offers praṇāma mantras in background)
Devotee: Jagannātha-sūta.
Prabhupāda: Jagannātha-sūta is Caitanya... Prabhu. His father's name is Jagannātha. Sūta means son. Jagannātha son. Caitanya Mahāprabhu's father's name was Jagannātha Miśra. So you know the rules and regulations. What are those?
Jagannātha-sūta: No illicit sex, no intoxication, no meat-eating and no gambling.
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was resident of this place where you are taking sannyāsa. So what was the purpose of His taking sannyāsa? He was very respectable brāhmaṇa, Nimāi Paṇḍita. This tract of land, Navadvīpa, is the place of highly educated brāhmaṇas from time immemorial. So Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu belonged to a very respectable brāhmaṇa family, the son of Jagannātha Miśra, His grandfather, Nīlāmbara Cakravartī, very respectful, respectable persons. He took birth in that family. Personally He was very beautiful; therefore His another name is Gaurasundara. And He was very learned scholar also; therefore His another name is Nimāi Paṇḍita. So, and in His family life He had very nice, beautiful young wife, Viṣṇupriyā, and very affectionate mother, and He was very influential. You know that. In one day He collected about one hundred thousand followers to protest against the Kazi's order. So in this way His social position was very favorable. Personal position was very favorable. Still, He took sannyāsa, left home. Why? Dayitaye, in order to favor, in order to show mercy to the fallen souls of the world.
General Lectures
Kṛṣṇa's rasa-līlā should not be discussed in public meeting. It is most confidential. Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu never discussed. He discussed Kṛṣṇa's pastimes, līlā with gopīs, with His confidential, very confidential circle. Or those who are... Lord Caitanya had many thousands of followers, and... He was not discussing even within these five persons, śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu-nityānanda śrī-advaita gadādhara śrīvāsādi, Nityānanda, Advaita, Gadādhara, Śrīvāsa, and Himself, these five persons. So when He was at Navadvīpa, He was not discussing even with them, what to speak of others. He set up this example so that in future people may be very cautious. Because unless one understands what is Kṛṣṇa, how he can understand Kṛṣṇa's pastime? So this discussion of rasa-līlā is the summit of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. It is not ordinary thing. They're purely spiritual. There is nothing material. But because we are not completely free from material concept of life, we may think that Kṛṣṇa's līlā is something like this material. So that is offense. But that is the ultimate goal, to understand Kṛṣṇa's rasa-līlā. But you have to wait for relishing that Kṛṣṇa's rasa-līlā, to become more perfect in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Anarthāpagamam. Anartha means when one is freed from all anarthas. But it is so nice, even those who are with anartha, misgivings, if they are devotee, if they have got full surrender unto Kṛṣṇa, so they also will derive benefit. Kṛṣṇa's rasa-līlā means that Kṛṣṇa was adopted or foster child. Is that foster child? Yes. So, of Nanda Mahārāja. His father exchanged. His father Vasudeva wanted to save Kṛṣṇa, and he brought from Mathurā to Vṛndāvana, Gokula. And Nanda Mahārāja had a daughter. So he placed Kṛṣṇa on the lap of Yaśodā and took away the daughter, and this daughter was given to Kaṁsa for killing. Just see, there is selfishness. He wanted to save his own son and wanted to kill Yaśodā's daughter. (chuckling) You see? So this is not selfishness; therefore we shall misunderstand. That daughter was not ordinary child, she was the material energy herself, Durgā. So when Kaṁsa took that child by the leg and wanted to, what is called? Slash?
All glories to the saṅkīrtana movement. Paraṁ vijayate śrī-kṛṣṇa-saṅkīrtanam. Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, five hundred years ago in Navadvīpa, at the age of sixteen years only, a boy of sixteen years, He introduced this movement, saṅkīrtana movement. Not that He manufactured some religious system. Just like nowadays there are..., so many religious system have been manufactured. Actually, religion cannot be manufactured. Dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam: (SB 6.3.19) "Religion means the codes of God, the laws of God." That's all. Just like you cannot live without obeying the state laws, similarly, you cannot live without obeying the laws of God. And in the Bhagavad-gītā, the Lord says, yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati: (BG 4.7) "Whenever there is discrepancies in the process of religious, prosecution of religious activities," yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati, abhyutthānam adharmasya, "and there is predominance of irreligious activities," tadātmānaṁ sṛjāmy aham, "at that time," Kṛṣṇa, the Lord, says that "I appear." That is the way. The same principle. Just like as soon as there is disobedience of state laws, there is advent of some particular state officer or the governor or the state man to take step and to set things right. That is the way.
"Your complexion is just like golden, luster of gold. So You are so kind. So I bless everyone..." Gosvāmīs, they can bless because they are master of the senses. "...that this form of the Lord, Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, may always remain dancing in your heart." Another place, when Rūpa Gosvāmī first met Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu at Prayāg, Lord Caitanya was dancing on the street, "Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa." At that time also, he offered one prayer, namo mahā-vadānyāya kṛṣṇa-prema-pradāya te: (CC Madhya 19.53) "Oh, You are the most munificent of all incarnation because You are distributing love of Godhead." Kṛṣṇa-prema-pradāya te, kṛṣṇāya kṛṣṇa-caitanya-nāmne gaura-tviṣe namaḥ: "You are Kṛṣṇa Himself, because without being Kṛṣṇa, You cannot distribute Kṛṣṇa-prema. Love of God or love of Kṛṣṇa is not so easy thing, but You are distributing freely to everyone."
So this saṅkīrtana movement was inaugurated in Bengal in India and in Navadvīpa. So in this sense the Bengalis are very fortunate that in their country this movement was inaugurated by Lord Caitanya, and He predicted that... Those who are Bengalis here present, they will understand.
Yes. We are not only establishing New Vrindaban, but there is New Navadvīpa, New Jagannātha Purī. Yes. We have already started New Jagannātha Purī in San Francisco. The Ratha-yātrā festival is going on. And this year there will be a great ceremony of Ratha-yātrā in London. There will be three cars: Jagannātha, Subhadrā and Balarāma. And it will be taken to the riverside, Thames. So this American land, they have imported "New England," "New York"; why not New Vrindaban? So you should all join. Those who are Indians, they should join this movement especially to establish this New Vrindaban. Because Lord Caitanya recommended, ārādhyo bhagavān vrajeśa-tanayam. The vrajeśa-tanaya, Kṛṣṇa, the son of Nanda Mahārāja in the Vṛndāvana dhāma, or Vrajabhūmi, He is the supreme worshipable Deity. Tad-dhāma vṛndāvanam. And His place, Vṛndāvana, is also worshipable. So these Western boys and girls, they are taking to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So they should have a place like Vṛndāvana. So here is present our Swami Kīrtanānanda. He went to Vṛndāvana with me two years ago, and he has taken the idea, what is Vṛndāvana. So I have instructed him that "You should construct at least seven temples." In Vṛndāvana there are five thousand temples, not one, two. Five thousand temples of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. But the most important temples are seven, established by the Gosvāmīs. So our program is to live there, depending on agriculture and cow, cow protection and agriculture. That should be the economic solution. And peacefully be in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. That is the Vṛndāvana scheme. Yuktāhāra-vihārasya yogo bhavati siddhidaḥ.
So why you are neglecting your duty? Prepare hundreds and thousands of preachers from India and send outside. This rascaldom, fighting with one another always, it will be forgotten. There will be one under this flag of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. There is need of such preachers. We should open regular school or teaching institution for preparing preachers all over the world. That is needed. This Bombay city is very nice city. You can do that. We can help you how to do it. Lord Caitanya Himself preached. Although He was very young man, at that time only twenty-four years old, for preaching work He sacrificed everything. He sacrificed His nice, beautiful wife, He left His old mother, His popularity at Navadvīpa as a great scholar and beautiful boy, and He accepted sannyāsa just for the purpose of preaching Kṛṣṇa consciousness. These are the examples. So Sanātana Gosvāmī, Rūpa Gosvāmī, they were prime minister of the then government of Bengal. They sacrificed their post. They joined Caitanya Mahāprabhu, that "Let us help You." Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī, he was the biggest zamindar of that time. His father's income was twelve lakhs of rupees per month. How rich he was. He sacrificed everything and joined Caitanya Mahāprabhu's movement. There were six Gosvāmīs: Rūpa, Sanātana, Bhaṭṭa Raghunātha, Dāsa Raghunātha, and Jīva Gosvāmī, and Gopāla Bhaṭṭa. All, they were very stalwart men of that society.
So if one becomes a Vaiṣṇava under the principles of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, he can be lifted at once from any abominable condition, śvapacaṁ variṣṭham. Just like śvapacam, the dog-eater, he becomes variṣṭham, better than a brāhmaṇa. Because why? Because he is a devotee. So unless one becomes a devotee, one has to follow this varṇāśrama-dharma. This is the idea. Caitanya Mahāprabhu is speaking from the devotional platform. He did not say when He was actually acting as a brāhmaṇa in Navadvīpa. But when He realized... He is realized always, but as ācārya, He says that when one becomes Vaiṣṇava, gopī-bhartuḥ... What is the... Gopī-bhartuḥ pada-kamalayor dāsa-dāsānudāsaḥ (CC Madhya 13.80). He says, "I am not a brāhmaṇa." Then the next question is, What You are? He says, gopī-bhartuḥ pada-kamalayor dāsa-dāsānudāsaḥ: "I am the servant of the servant of the servant of Kṛṣṇa." So when one is realized in that way, that "I am eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa," he does not require to be a brāhmaṇa or śūdra. He transcends. He is postgraduate. So, so long he does not realize that, he has to follow the varṇāśrama-dharma. Otherwise he is not civilized. They are mleccha, yavanas. The most abominable, śvapacam, most abominable. Is that clear? Yes. (end)
The same thing; a little different language. And janmādy asya śloka is beginning of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Janmādy asya yataḥ anvayād (SB 1.1.1). In the Vedānta-sūtra the sūtra is janmādy asya yataḥ: "Absolute Truth is that from which or from whom everything emanates." Janmādy asya yataḥ. And Bhāgavata is explaining... That is commentary. What is that janmādy asya yataḥ? Janmādy asya yataḥ anvayād itarataś ca artheṣu abhijñaḥ sva-rāṭ. Who is that source of knowledge? He must be abhijña. Wherefrom He got this knowledge? Svarāṭ. These things are explained.
So you are all fortunate. You have come to Vṛndāvana, perhaps for the first time in life. So it is very good opportunity. Vṛndāvana-dhāma. Aprākṛta, cintāmaṇi. Similarly, you are coming from Navadvīpa. That is also cintāmaṇi-dhāma (Bs. 5.29). These two dhāma, places, are not ordinary places. Don't make dhāma-aparādha. As there are offenses against chanting the holy name, similarly, there are offenses in dhāma, that in the dhāma one should not perform any sinful activities in the dhāma. In the dhāma, if you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, then it increases thousand times. Similarly, in the dhāma, if you commit offenses, it increases thousand times. So dhāma, one should be very careful not to commit any sinful activities. Illicit sex, or intoxication, meat-eating and gambling—these are the sinful activities. So Vṛndāvana-dhāma, aprākṛta dhāma. Those who are attached to viṣaya, sense gratification, they cannot see what is Vṛndāvana. They cannot see what is Vṛndāvana. They cannot understand what is Kṛṣṇa and Rādhā, those who are viṣayī. Viṣaya means āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunaṁ ca. This is viṣaya, material objectives. They cannot.
Prabhupāda: Hmm?
Yogeśvara: We have the Moscow Talks book here, your conversation with Professor Kotovsky.
Guru-gaurāṅga: You may see that in this presentation book we have a center in Māyāpur, in Navadvīpa, in West Bengal. We are distributing Kṛṣṇa-prasāda. There is no problem.
Prabhupāda: Yes. In all our centers, we distribute prasādam. Anyone who may come, "Take prasādam."
Guest (4) (Indian man): Has the movement involved itself in social philosophy, then? Because sometimes I'm sure you, if you propagate your good will, the moral path...
Prabhupāda: Yes. We are spreading the best moral principle, Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Guest (4): But don't you come... (sound of jet drowns out) ...who don't like you? Does it not mean a bit of problem?
Prabhupāda: We are getting a better response from the Western countries than in India. In India, we see that the leaders, they do not like it. They are now opening beef shop, wine shop, and we are preaching "No intoxication, no meat-eating." So actually, we are not very favorable to their propaganda. (laughs) They don't like us, the leaders. Now there are big, big signboards. In Juhu we have got a center, and the government has opened beef shop, very big. And wine shop, you'll find everywhere. And we are preaching, "No intoxication, no meat-eating." So how they'll like us? That is the difficulty. "It is folly to be wise where ignorance is bliss." But still, we are struggling.
It is very nice. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu also introduced this dramatical play when He was gṛhastha at Navadvīpa, and all the devotees used to see. But they were played by all males. There was no such thing, female taking part. This female taking part was later on introduced by one dramatist, by Girish Chandra Ghose, imitating the Western way of dramatical play. Otherwise, in our childhood, we never saw any dramatical play performed by woman. So if you organize this kind of play, at least they'll be appreciated by the saintly order. The sannyāsīs also can see, but parts played by women, the sannyāsīs cannot see. That is not..., strictly prohibited. By Caitanya Mahāprabhu's personal example we can see that there was a dancing and musical play by women in the Jagannātha temple. Of course, ordinary visitors, they can see, but sannyāsīs or brahmacārīs, they are strictly prohibited. So when the music was going on, Caitanya Mahāprabhu became very ecstatic, that "Such a nice music is coming from Jagannātha temple. Let Me go and see." Then His personal servant Govinda prohibited Him, "Sir, these songs are from woman." "Oh? It is from woman? Govinda, you have saved My life." (laughter) So sannyāsīs and brahmacārīs are strictly prohibited to hear or to see dancing woman. Of course, in your country it is very difficult. But at least if such play, dramatical play performed, the sannyāsīs, brahmacārīs cannot take part. But if the parts are played by male members, everyone can see, in front of the Deity. There is no harm.
So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is practically Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu's movement. And Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is Kṛṣṇa Himself. So Kṛṣṇa is very kind upon the conditioned soul. He is trying to elevate them to the real platform of Kṛṣṇa consciousness again and again. But we are so stubborn, we are trying to forget Kṛṣṇa again and again. This is going on. So Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mission is... Especially He is instructing to the Indian people. He is saying to the Indian people, bhārata-bhūmite manuṣya-janma haila yāra (CC Adi 9.41). Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu appeared in Bengal, you know, in the district of Navadvīpa, about sixty-four miles from Calcutta, northern side. So His life and precepts are there. We have translated many books. You'll find Teachings of Lord Caitanya and Caitanya-caritāmṛta, almost seventeen volumes, Caitanya-caritāmṛta. And we have summarized the teaching in one volume. So you can learn about the teachings of Caitanya Mahāprabhu. But the summary of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu's teaching is like this. He says to every Indian, not only Bengalis... It is not that because He appeared in Bengal, therefore He advised to the Bengalis. He is especially speaking to the Indians.
This one verse He explained in sixty-four ways. Just see His learning. Not only that, when He was sixteen years old only, a great paṇḍita came to Navadvīpa. His name was Keśava Kāśmīrī. He conquered over all parts of the country..., India at least, because there was no possibility to go outside India. But He defeated him in one śloka when He was a boy. So He was not a fool, rascal. That is not the fact. But He represented Himself as a fool because we are fools. In this age we are all fools and rascals. What we shall read Vedānta and understand Vedānta? We have got practical experience how the so-called Vedāntists go to foreign countries and mislead them, and they learn how to eat meat and wine. This is their Vedānta knowledge. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu knew it very well that all the rascals, they will call them vedānti and do all nonsense. So don't become falsely a vedānti. Real vedānti means vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyam (BG 15.15). If you simply know Kṛṣṇa and surrender unto Him, then you become a vedanti, real vedanti. Vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyaḥ (BG 15.15).
This movement is śrī-caitanya-mano-'bhīṣṭam. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He appeared on this earth five thousand years ago in Bengal, Navadvīpa, to spread this Kṛṣṇa consciousness, although this movement is not new. This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement was started by Kṛṣṇa Himself. Apparently the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement was started by Kṛṣṇa Himself in the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra five thousand years ago, and He said that "This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement I spoke to the sun-god long, long years ago." Imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ proktavān aham avyayam (BG 4.1). This is avyaya. Avyaya means which is never diminished or destroyed. Vyaya means which is destroyed, and Kṛṣṇa says this yoga system... This is yoga system: bhakti-yoga. Yoga means to connect, to add, yoga. So at the present moment we are almost disconnected. Not exactly disconnected; forgotten our relationship with Kṛṣṇa, or God. God means Kṛṣṇa, and Kṛṣṇa means God. So in the human society there are many different types of yoga system just to reconnect our relationship with Kṛṣṇa. In the Bhagavad-gītā they are explained differently, karma-yoga, jñāna-yoga, haṭha-yoga, dhyāna-yoga, bhakti-yoga. All of them are yogas, but there are different stages. Yoga means to connect or to link up with the Supreme Absolute Truth. Now suppose he is in the topmost platform. So everyone is trying to go there. Mama vartmānuvartante manuṣyāḥ pārtha sarvaśaḥ. Kṛṣṇa says, "Everyone is trying to come to Me, but..." Just like the person who's on the top floor. So the staircase is one. Somebody has crossed ten steps; somebody has taken, crossed twenty steps; somebody has crossed hundred steps; but one has to go, to fulfill, say, one thousand steps. There are different yoga systems. Everyone is trying to go to the topmost platform, mama vartmānuvartante manuṣyāḥ pārtha sarvaśaḥ. This is a fact.
Purports to Songs
They're ever liberated. So all the associates of Lord Caitanya, just like Advaita Prabhu, Śrīvāsa, Gadādhara, Nityānanda, they are Viṣṇu-tattva. They are all liberated. Not only they, the Gosvāmīs... There are many others. So they are ever-liberated. So one who can understand that the associates of Lord Caitanya are ever-liberated... Nitya-siddha bale māni, sei yaya vrajendra suta-pāśa. Immediately he becomes eligible to enter into the abode of Kṛṣṇa.
And then he says, gauḍa-maṇḍala-bhūmi, yebā jāni cintāmaṇi. A... The gaura-maṇḍala means the place in West Bengal wherein Lord Caitanya had His pastimes. In Navadvīpa, during Lord Caitanya's birth anniversary, the devotees go and circumambulate different places of Lord Caitanya's pastimes. It takes nine days. So that portion of Bengal is called gauḍa-maṇḍala. So Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says, "One who understands that there is no difference between this part of the country with Vṛndāvana," tāra haya vraja-bhūmi vāsa, "it is as good as one lives in Vṛndāvana." Then he says, gaura-prema rasārṇarve. Lord Caitanya's activities is just like an ocean of loving affairs of Kṛṣṇa. Therefore one who takes a dip into this ocean, gaura-prema-rasārṇave, sei taraṅga yebā ḍube. Just like we take a dip and bath, and we play, sport, in the waves of the ocean or sea. Similarly, one who takes pleasure, taking a dip and sporting with the waves of the ocean of Lord Caitanya's distribution of love of God, such a person becomes immediately a confidential devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa. Sei rādhā-mādhava-antaraṅga. Antaraṅga means not ordinary devotee. They are confidential devotee. And Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says, gṛhe vā vanete thāke. "Such devotee, who is taking pleasure in the waves of Lord Caitanya's movement," because he has become a very confidential devotee of the Lord...
So Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu came to teach us how to become detached to this material. That is vairāgya-vidyā. Vidyā means vairāgya-vidyā. Vidyā does not mean to become more and more attached to this material world. That is not... That is avidyā, illusion, because I will not be able to save this body. This body will change. I will be annihilated. But still, I am very much anxious for this body. This is called illusion or ignorance or avidyā. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu came to teach us vairāgya-vidyā, how to become detached. He personally showed by His life example that... He was very learned scholar in Navadvīpa. His name was Nimāi Paṇḍita, and He was very influential also. He was so influential that simply by His calling, 100,000 people joined Him to show a civil disobedience movement, disobeying the order of the magistrate that "You cannot perform kīrtana." So Caitanya Mahāprabhu organized immediately about one lakh of people and went to perform at the house of the magistrate. The civil disobedience movement, perhaps you know that it was inaugurated by Gandhi, Mahatma Gandhi, in India against the British government. But long, long before, five hundred years before, Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He started this civil disobedience movement against the order of Kazi. So He was so popular. My point is that not only He was a very learned scholar... He was young man, twenty, twenty-two years, but He was so popular that He could call 100,000 people at once to start this civil disobedience. The social position...
"And the whole world is seeming to Me vacant," govinda-viraheṇa me, "being separated from Govinda." This is love. So it doesn't matter what religious system you are following, but the result should be this, that you should be mad after God. That is the test. Sa vai puṁsāṁ paro... That is first-class religion, yato bhaktir adhokṣaje, to love. Bhakti means love, service, rendering service. Adhokṣaje. Adhokṣaje means beyond the speculation of mind, mental exercise, bodily exercise. Adhokṣaja. Adhakṛta akṣaja jñānam.
So Caitanya Mahāprabhu taught this. And He took sannyāsa. For the benefit of the whole world, He took sannyāsa. He gave up His very opulent position in Navadvīpa, as I have told you, very learned scholar, very beautiful body, very beautiful wife, very affectionate mother, good popularity. There was no scarcity. And He was God Himself. Why there will be any scarcity? There is no question. But in spite of, He took sannyāsa for the benefit of the whole world. That Caitanya Mahāprabhu has come here in Atlanta. So you worship this Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Parama koruṇa, pahū dui jana, They are very, very merciful, and little service will enhance your devotional service to a larger scale.
| Page Title: | Navadvipa (Lectures) |
| Compiler: | Visnu Murti, RupaManjari |
| Created: | 23 of Nov, 2012 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=49, Con=0, Let=0 |
| No. of Quotes: | 49 |