The following is a transcription of a discourse delivered by Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja in the Netherlands on June 25, 2002 (Bhakta Bandhav Anthology Volume 87)

 

Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: First of all, my millions of humble obeisances unto the lotus feet of my paramārādhyadeva oṁ viṣṇupāda Śrī Śrīmad Bhakti Prajñāna Keśava Gosvāmī Mahārāja. And the same unto the lotus feet of my śikṣā-guru, oṁ viṣṇupāda Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Svāmī Mahārāja.

I am very happy today to see so many devotees in one place. For a long time, I wanted to meet you all. Especially, this is the first country I came to from India, and I saw beautiful cows, so many cows here. I also saw so many Indian devotees and met them. The people I met with were very simple and humble, so I called it ‘Holy Land.’ So today, I am very happy.

Especially, I want to request that, among a gathering of so many devotees, there may be some wrong thing that happens, knowingly or unknowingly, by those managing. But I am requesting everyone not to take any offence. They may not be management experts, but they are still managing, so I am very happy. And I request everyone to help those who are managing, without any hesitation.

Even if they do not want our help or anything else, you should still help the managers of these things without hesitation. As I saw last year when they were managing, everyone was very happy and actively involved in the management and everything else. Some were bringing so many utensils from the market, some were begging, some were donating, and everyone was helping here and there.

If we are like this, I think these classes will be very successful as well. Everywhere else, they have been very successful. In America, Mexico, Fiji, New Zealand, Australia, and everywhere else, it was so successful; it should be the same here. Try to attend our classes every day and also take care of the management, cooking, and everything else.

(Break in audio)

Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: Once, in Keśavajī Gauḍīya Maṭha on the occasion of the sannyāsa day of Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Svāmī Mahārāja, there was a big gathering of so many ISKCON leaders, and I said, “Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Svāmī has come to preach the same mission as Caitanya Mahāprabhu and His followers like Rūpa Gosvāmī, Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, and Śrīla Prabhupāda Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Ṭhākura. He has not come only to preach nāma-saṅkīrtana here and there. This was external. What was the internal reason for coming? He came to give the love and affection that the gopīs have towards Kṛṣṇa. This was the reason he came and preached.”

Oh, they became very angry with me, very angry. But I never compromised. What I said is true. I will also include this point in my explanation. I want to speak about the goal of life. There may be so many various kinds of goals of life, but what is the real sadhya and sādhana? What is the goal of life and the process to attain that goal? We should know. We see that in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta, in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and everywhere it has been stated:

jīvera ‘svarūpa’ haya — kṛṣṇera ‘nitya-dāsa’
kṛṣṇera ‘taṭasthā-śakti’ ‘bhedābheda-prakāśa’

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Madhya-līlā 20.108)

[“The jīva’s constitutional nature is to be an eternal servant of Śrī Kṛṣṇa. The jīva is the marginal potency of Kṛṣṇa and a manifestation simultaneously one with and different from the Lord.”]

kṛṣṇa bhuli’ sei jīva anādi-bahirmukha
ataeva māyā tāre deya saṁsāra-duḥkha

Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Madhya-līlā 20.117)

[“Forgetting Kṛṣṇa, the living entity has been attracted by the external feature from time immemorial. Therefore the illusory energy (māyā) gives him all kinds of misery in his material existence”]

By our transcendental constitutional position, we are the eternal servants of Kṛṣṇa, or maidservants of Kṛṣṇa or Rādhikā. Whether we accept it or not, this is a fact.

bhagavān brahma kārtsnyena
trir anvīkṣya manīṣayā
tad adhyavasyat kūṭa-stho
ratir ātman yato bhavet

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (2.2.34)

[“The great personality Brahmā, with great attention and concentration of the mind, studied the Vedas three times, and after scrutinizingly examining them, he ascertained that attraction for the Supreme Personality of Godhead Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the highest perfection of religion.”]

With his intelligence, Brahmā searched all the Vedas and concluded that without serving Kṛṣṇa, without having love and affection for Kṛṣṇa, one cannot be happy. It has been said everywhere that we are an infinitesimal part of Kṛṣṇa. This is our real identification. But anyhow, we have forgotten this and think, “I am this body, and whatever is related to the body is mine.”

Thus, we are too attached to this body and all these worldly things. In this way, in the endless cycle of birth and death, suffering and sorrows come. And in each birth, we are thinking, “Oh, this is our first and perhaps our last birth, so we should try to make so much money by foul means or by any means (by hook or by crook).” This is our main thing. Rāvaṇa, Hiraṇyakaśipu, Hiraṇyākṣa, Duryodhana, and all the demons think like this. We are thinking, “We should try to adopt the same processes as them to make money, and to collect beautiful ladies, husbands and boyfriends anyhow.”

Now we think, “Through this sense gratification, we will be happy forever.” But this is quite wrong. This is foolishness. A wise person cannot think like that. Like this, for millions of births, we have been in this cycle of birth and death since time immemorial. But no chance came of our coming out of this trap. In each birth, we think the same way: “I should have sense gratification, nothing else.”

But Kṛṣṇa is causelessly merciful, causelessly merciful. He is the embodiment of causeless mercy. He sees, “They are not searching for Me, not serving Me, so I should search for them. I should descend from Goloka Vṛndāvana.” Kṛṣṇa is suffering. Though we are suffering, we are thinking, “We are so good. We are okay,” like a person who has taken so much alcohol, having fallen down in a drain of stool and urine, he is thinking to himself, “I am the monarch of all.” And at that time, his mouth is being washed by the warm urine of dogs. But yet, he is thinking, “Oh, I am happy,” like a madman. We are like this.

So, Kṛṣṇa thought, “They cannot find Me. They do not have this intelligence, so I should Myself go to this material world. Not only this world, but to millions of universes.” Thus, in millions of forms, Kṛṣṇa descends to all universes, only to call the conditioned souls, “Come on, My dear daughters and sons. If you want to be happy, you should come and serve Me, and you will be happy forever.”

But we are still not paying any attention to His call, so He becomes very worried, very worried. Thus, again and again, in so many manifestations like Vāmanadeva, Varāhadeva, Nṛsiṁhadeva, Paraśurāma, Rāma, Kṛṣṇa, Baladeva, He again descends. But still, He was not satisfied. He then appeared as Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, taking the beauty and intrinsic mood, as well as the mercy of Rādhikā, and went door to door. Still, He was not satisfied. He told Haridāsa and Nityānanda Prabhu:

śuna śuna nityānanda, śuna haridāsa
sarvatra āmāra ājñā karaha prakāśa

Caitanya-bhāgavata (Madhya-khaṇḍa 13.8)

[“Listen, Nityānanda! Listen, Haridāsa! Go out and preach My order everywhere.”]

prati ghare ghare giyā kara ei bhikṣā
‘bala kṛṣṇa, bhaja kṛṣṇa, kara kṛṣṇa-sikṣā’

Caitanya-bhāgavata (Madhya-khaṇḍa 13.9)

[“Go to every house and beg in this way, ‘Chant the names of Kṛṣṇa, worship Kṛṣṇa, follow Kṛṣṇa’s instructions.’ ”]

Mahāprabhu told Nityānanda Prabhu, Haridāsa, Advaita Ācārya, Gadādhara Paṇḍita, and all others, “Go door to door and beg something. Don’t beg for any curd or any ingredients, money, or anything. Don’t beg for bread, or even for clothes, garments, or anything. Only beg, ‘You should utter only one time, ‘Kṛṣṇa.’ You should utter kṛṣṇa-nāma. Whether there is śraddhā or not, no harm. You should utter the name of Kṛṣṇa, and I will give you salvation. I will give you pure happiness of life.’ ”

yatheṣṭaṁ re bhrātaḥ! kuru hari-hari-dhvānam aniśaṁ
tato vaḥ saṁsārāmbudhi-taraṇa-dāyo mayi laget
idaṁ bāhu-sphoṭair aṭati raṭayan yaḥ pratigṛhaṁ
bhaje nityānandaṁ bhajana-taru-kandaṁ niravadhi

Śrī Nityānandāṣṭakam (5)

[“ ‘O brothers, simply chant the names of Śrī Hari incessantly, and let the responsibility of delivering you from the ocean of repeated birth and death rest upon Me.’ While travelling constantly, He approached the door of every home, declaring this with outstretched arms. I perpetually worship Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu, the root of the kṛṣṇa-bhakti tree.”]

Nityānanda Prabhu is saying, “You should once chant the name of Kṛṣṇa, and it will be My responsibility if you are not happy. I will be in hell for millions of lives. This is My responsibility. You should only chant, and you will be happy. And if you are not happy, then I am responsible for that.” He was even abused by Jagāi, Mādhāi, and so many others. You know Rāmacandra Khān, what did he do to Nityānanda Prabhu? He told Him, “You cannot stay here. Better You should be in the cowshed, not here.” He insulted Him, but what became of him? He, along with his whole dynasty, was finished in a moment.

In this way, Caitanya Mahāprabhu came to this world, along with all His associates, such as Gadādhara Paṇḍita, Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita, Advaita Ācārya, Svarūpa Dāmodara, Rāya Rāmānanda, Mukunda, and others. So many came, how can I count them? Mahāprabhu told them, “Go everywhere and preach this mission.” Thus, they began to go everywhere and preach. They have also inspired me. They also inspired Svāmījī, Bhaktivedānta Svāmī Mahārāja, and he came only for this purpose. He did not come to make money.

They also inspired me. My gurudeva and Svāmījī especially inspired me to go and preach. You know that I was very fortunate to receive so many services from Svāmījī. He gave me his last service. What was his last service? The performance of his samādhi ceremony. He also requested me, “You should mercifully save my disciples. I could not train them. You must help them.”

I told him, “I will do it,” and that is why I am coming. I was fully satisfied in Vṛndāvana and Mathurā, in Dvārakā and Navadvīpa. I was fully satisfied doing bhajana, especially in Vṛndāvana, at the lotus feet of Girirāja Govardhana, Vaṁśī-vaṭa, Bhāṇḍīravata. I was very satisfied. I don’t know why they inspired me to come. I don’t know why they inspired me, a quite foolish person. I am not learned. I did not go to college or get any degree. Despite that, all of them are paying attention and hearing.

My purpose here is this. This is my only purpose. You should listen and try to follow. Those who have become somewhat weak due to a lack of good association, again, you should return, without delay, and from today, you should begin to chant and have a strong belief in this process of bhakti-yoga. Otherwise, you cannot be happy — never, never, never and never:

harer nāma harer nāma
harer nāmaiva kevalam
kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva
nāsty eva gatir anyathā

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Ādi-līlā 17.21)

[“In this Age of Kali, there is no other means, no other means, no other means for self-realisation than chanting the holy name, chanting the holy name, chanting the holy name of Lord Hari.”]

Kalau nāsty eva (there is certainly no other way), and again nāsty eva, and again nāsty eva — three times. There can be no gati, no happiness. You will have to suffer. I have come to remind you of these things. You should know the goal of life. This world is full of misery. You should try to give up this sense gratification in which you are totally involved. You should work only to maintain your life. Only work enough to maintain your life. Do not do more than that; otherwise, you will be entangled in māyā. Only work for your maintenance.

You have been tasting this sense gratification for lakhs and lakhs of births. Sometimes you came as hogs, pigs, dogs, bitches, and donkeys, too. But you’re still thinking, “Oh, we should have sense gratification.” I think that animals like that are better in sense gratification than all of you. You should try to be somewhat detached from that sense gratification. Only do enough to maintain your life, whether you are a gṛhastha or a sannyāsī or brahmacārī or vānaprastha. If you are a gṛhastha, no harm. But be like the Pāṇḍavas, like Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita, like others. Follow them.

Most of the followers of Caitanya Mahāprabhu were like householders, no harm. To be with one wife, to be with only one husband, this is also like brahmacarya. Be like that, no harm. And if you are a sannyāsī, oh, very, very good. Brahmacārī, sannyāsī, vānaprastha, they are better and best.

But you should think:

nāhaṁ vipro na ca nara-patir nāpi vaiśyo na śūdro
nāhaṁ varṇī na ca gṛha-patir no vanastho yatir vā
kintu prodyan-nikhila-paramānanda-pūrnāmṛtābdher
gopī-bhartuḥ pada-kamalayor dāsa-dāsānudāsaḥ

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Madhya-līlā 13.80)

[“I am not a brāhmaṇa, I am not a kṣatriya, I am not a vaiśya or a śūdra. Nor am I a brahmacārī, a householder, a vānaprastha or a sannyāsī. I identify Myself only as the servant of the servant of the servant of the lotus feet of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the maintainer of the gopīs. He is like an ocean of nectar, and He is the cause of universal transcendental bliss. He is always existing with brilliance.”]

“I am not a brahmacārī, I am not a sannyāsī, I am not a vānaprasthī. I am not a brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, or śūdra. I am only gopī-bhartuḥ pada-kamalayor dāsa-dāsānudāsaḥ, only this.” Always remember this. This is the main goal in our lives. We are part and parcel and eternal servants of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa Conjugal or Nityānanda Prabhu, Caitanya Mahāprabhu. For this mission, Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa sometimes come to this world in the form of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, along with all Their associates like Lalitā, Viśākhā, Citrā, Campakalatā. They all come here in a male form, all of them, top to bottom. Some come in a female form, but mostly in a male form, in the pastimes of Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

All these things have been very clearly told in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta, especially in the dialogue between Rāya Rāmānanda and Caitanya Mahāprabhu, which took place on the bank of the Godāvarī. It has been explained very well. I think that even in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and the Purāṇas, it has not been explained as it has been in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta, which Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī has produced. And where did he take all these things from? From Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī.

But where did Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī take these things from? From Svarūpa Dāmodara, Rāya Rāmānanda, Caitanya Mahāprabhu, especially from Rūpa and Sanātana. So, we are very fortunate to be in this line. First, you should understand the goal of life. In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the first goal is also stated. In the Caitanya-caritāmṛta, in the fourth chapter of Ādi-līlā, the goal is very clearly stated. And in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, it is first stated what one’s sadhya (aim and object of life) is.

nigama-kalpa-taror galitaṁ phalaṁ
śuka-mukhād amṛta-drava-saṁyutam
pibata bhāgavataṁ rasam ālayam
muhur aho rasikā bhuvi bhāvukāḥ

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.1.3)

[“O expert and thoughtful men, relish Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the mature fruit of the desire tree of Vedic literatures. It emanated from the lips of Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī. Therefore, this fruit has become even more tasteful, although its nectarean juice was already relishable for all, including liberated souls.”]

In the tenth canto, the goal of life comes first. Then the eleventh canto explains the process for achieving that goal. So, the object should be first. One should first decide one’s aim and object, and then the process by which one can attain this object should be told later on. What has been said in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta?

caturtha ślokera artha ei kaila sāra
prema-nāma pracārite ei avatāra

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Ādi-līlā 4.5)

[“I have given the essential meaning of the fourth verse: this incarnation (Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu) descends to propagate the chanting of the holy name and spread love of God.”]

satya ei hetu, kintu eho bahiraṅga
āra eka hetu, śuna, āche antaraṅga

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Ādi-līlā 4.6)

[“Although this is true, this is but the external reason for the Lord’s incarnation. Please hear one other reason — the confidential reason — for the Lord’s appearance.”]

Caitanya Mahāprabhu came to preach the holy name and prema, it is true. But this is not prominent. This is secondary; this is secondary. This is in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta, in the fourth chapter of Ādi-līlā. Caitanya Mahāprabhu preached nagara-saṅkīrtana everywhere. And what did your gurudeva, Śrīla Prabhupāda, do? He also preached nāma-saṅkīrtana everywhere. But this was secondary. A Māyāvādī can also chant the holy name, no harm. Buddhists can chant. Ignorant persons can also chant nagara-saṅkīrtana. They can do so.

At the time of Svāmījī, so many renounced persons used to preach nagara-saṅkīrtana everywhere, distributing books and everything, but then why did they fall down? Why? What are the reasons? Because this is not the actual process. What is the process? There should be some love and affection in that nāma-saṅkīrtana. So, Caitanya Mahāprabhu came and preached nagara-saṅkīrtana, which is saturated with love.

The elephants, mad elephants, camels, bears, lions, tigers, all those who came in His sight began to chant, “Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare,” but with love and affection. Now, I think that so many disciples of Svāmījī, even all of you, do nagara-saṅkīrtana. But why did you become weak? Try to always be in the association of a high-class Vaiṣṇava.

‘sādhu-saṅga’, ‘sādhu-saṅga’ — sarva-śāstre kaya
lava-mātra sādhu-saṅge sarva-siddhi haya

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Madhya-līlā 22.54)

[“The verdict of all revealed scriptures is that by even a moment’s association with a pure devotee, one can attain all success.”]

Always remember this. Chanting only the holy name will not do. The name is everything, the embodiment of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. But only if it is uttered in sādhu-saṅga; only then will good fruit come, otherwise not. That chanting should be done in association, whether this association is far away or nearby, there is no harm. You should see that, although your guru (Svāmījī) and my gurudeva have entered aprakaṭa-līlā, they are still everywhere. Like Kṛṣṇa, they are everywhere. They will be everywhere forever. They are eternal and everywhere. The guru is like this. We should realise these things. If there is no association, then your chanting will not save you. Be in high-class association, chant, remember, and serve Kṛṣṇa. Then he is saying:

pūrve yena pṛthivīra bhāra haribāre
kṛṣṇa avatīrṇa hailā śāstrete pracāre

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Ādi-līlā 4.7)

[“The scriptures proclaim that Lord Kṛṣṇa previously descended to take away the burden of the earth.”]

svayaṁ-bhagavānera karma nahe bhāra-haraṇa
sthiti-kartā viṣṇu karena jagat-pālana

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Ādi-līlā 4.8)

[“To take away this burden, however, is not the work of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The maintainer, Lord Viṣṇu, is the one who protects the universe.”]

Kṛṣṇa, Vrajendra-nandana, Śyāmasundara, Yaśodā-nandana, He never kills anyone — never. He never killed Pūtanā, Aghāsura, Bakāsura, Kaṁsa, never. Who killed them? Viṣṇu. How? He was in the heart of Kṛṣṇa. They do all these things. They create and protect this universe and kill demons. This is not the function of Kṛṣṇa. Viṣṇu does all these things.

prema-rasa-niryāsa karite āsvādana
rāga-mārga bhakti loke karite pracāraṇa
rasika-śekhara kṛṣṇa parama-karuṇa
ei dui hetu haite icchāra udgama

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Ādi-līlā 4.15-16)

[“The Lord’s desire to appear was born from two reasons: the Lord wanted to taste the sweet essence of the mellows of love of God, and He wanted to propagate devotional service in the world on the platform of spontaneous attraction. Thus He is known as supremely jubilant and as the most merciful of all.”]

What is the purport of Svāmījī? Try to hear very attentively. I may only speak for one hour daily, but take it seriously. Don’t sleep. Don’t sit idle, like this. Sit properly, like this.

(A devotee reads the purport)

During the period of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s appearance, the killing of asuras or nonbelievers such as Kaṁsa and Jarāsandha was done by Viṣṇu, who was within the person of Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Such apparent killing by Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa took place as a matter of course and was an incidental activity for Him. But the real purpose of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s appearance was to stage a dramatic performance of His transcendental pastimes at Vrajabhūmi, thus exhibiting the highest limit of transcendental mellow in the exchanges of reciprocal love between the living entity and the Supreme Lord. These reciprocal exchanges of mellows are called rāga-bhakti, or devotional service to the Lord in transcendental rapture.

Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa wants to make known to all the conditioned souls that He is more attracted by rāga-bhakti than vidhi-bhakti, or devotional service under scheduled regulations. It is said in the Vedas (Taittirīya Upaniṣad 2.7), raso vai saḥ: the Absolute Truth is the reservoir for all kinds of reciprocal exchanges of loving sentiments. He is also causelessly merciful, and He wants to bestow upon us this privilege of rāga-bhakti. Thus, He appeared by His own internal energy. He was not forced to appear by any extraneous force.

Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: Some persons accuse me, especially the leaders of ISKCON, “Why are you preaching, ‘Rādhe Rādhe Rādhe Jaya Śrī Rādhe?’ Why are you doing so? It is against the principles of Svāmījī. Our guru has never told like this, and everywhere you are doing glorification of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa Conjugal. Why are you saying all these things?” We know they are quite ignorant. Bhakti can never be stopped in one place. It is like a stream.

Where the beginning of a river is, it cannot be stopped there. The Ganges originates in the Himalayan Mountains and flows into the ocean. No one can stop that. Anyhow, if they are blocking her way to the ocean, then anyhow she will discover another way, and she will come to the ocean. And if you disrupt that flow, a flood will come and destroy everything. Bhakti is like this; it cannot be stopped.

If it is stopped, it stagnates and becomes polluted. Bhakti is like a current. It begins with śraddhā, and very soon — gradually, gradually — it will go from śraddhā up to niṣṭhā, ruci, āsakti, bhāva (rati), prema, sneha, māna, praṇaya. It will increase gradually. But anyone may say, “Oh, bhakti should always be in the stage of śraddhā, not more than that. Śrīla Prabhupāda taught us only, ‘You should be there. Don’t take the name of Rādhā or the gopīs or anything else.’ ” This is nonsense. Why do they want to stop bhakti?

A person has been practising bhakti-yoga for twenty-five years. We want him to advance. He should not be in the same place where he began. But they want to remain at the same stage. What is this? Foolishness only. Develop your Kṛṣṇa consciousness gradually, not that we are always doing arcana, arcana, and arcana like this. You will have to follow the idea of Śrīla Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī, Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, Sanātana Gosvāmī, Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, and all the previous ācāryas; otherwise, your bhakti will be stagnant.

So, Kṛṣṇa took the intrinsic mood of Rādhikā and the beauty, the golden colour of Rādhikā, and He descended in the form of Śacīnandana Gaurahari. When He came at the time of a lunar eclipse, so many persons were taking a bath in the Ganges and chanting, “Hari bol! Hari bol!” They were all doing it like this. In the meantime, Caitanya Mahāprabhu appeared and performed so many sweet pastimes in His boyhood.

He used to play with girls, joking with them and telling them what? “You have come to worship the Ganges? I am the husband of the Ganges. Give that fruit, sandeśa, banana, and everything to Me. Otherwise, if you are not giving these things to Me, then I will give some curse that you will be the seventh co-wife of a very black and ugly husband, whose teeth are coming outside his mouth. That husband will also be very quarrelsome, always ready to beat you with a broom. He will hit your back with a broom.” Then the girls used to give all these things to Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

At a very early age of His life, He defeated Keśava Kāśmīrī. Mahāprabhu was like a student of Sanskrit grammar, and He defeated Keśava Kāśmīrī. Mahāprabhu went to Gayā for the śrāddha ceremony of his father, where He fortunately met with His guru, Īśvara Purīpāda. After that, Mahāprabhu was always absorbed in chanting, “Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare.”

ayi dīna-dayārdra nātha he
mathurā-nātha kadāvalokyase
hṛdayaṁ tvad-aloka-kātaraṁ
dayita bhrāmyati kiṁ karomy aham

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Madhya-līlā 4.197)

[“O My Lord! O most merciful master! O master of Mathurā! When shall I see You again? Because of My not seeing You, My agitated heart has become unsteady. O most beloved one, what shall I do now?”]

“O Kṛṣṇa, where are You? Where are You? If You are not coming and giving me Your darśana, my heart will break. Come very soon.”

he deva he dayita he bhuvanaika-bandho
he kṛṣṇa he capala he karuṇaika-sindho
he nātha he ramaṇa he nayanābhirāma
hā hā kadā nu bhavitāsi padaṁ dṛśor me

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Madhya-līlā 2.65)

[“O My Lord! O dearest one! O only friend of the universe! O Kṛṣṇa, O restless one, O only ocean of mercy! O My Lord, O My enjoyer, O beloved to My eyes! Alas, when will You again be visible to Me?”]

“O Kṛṣṇa, why did You leave Vṛndāvana and go to Mathurā and Dvārakā? All the gopīs, all the living beings of Vṛndāvana, are all dying. The peacocks are not dancing now. The cuckoo birds are not singing. The calves of the cows are not taking milk from the udders of their mothers. The cows are not grazing. All are dying without You. There is a big flood in the Yamunā. Why? From the tears of all the gopīs and Vrajavāsīs. If You are not coming, everyone will die. Only some consoling words will not do. You should come; You should come.” He would pray like this, weeping bitterly.

hā nātha ramaṇa preṣṭha
kvāsi kvāsi mahā-bhuja
dāsyās te kṛpaṇāyā me
sakhe darśaya sannidhim

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.30.39)

[“She cried out: ‘O master! My lover! O dearmost, where are You? Where are You? Please, O mighty-armed one, O friend, show Yourself to Me, Your poor servant!’ ”]

Praying like the gopīs, like Rādhikā Herself, “O Kṛṣṇa, where are You? Why have You left us? We will die at once. If You are somewhat late in coming, we will all die. Then, if You will come and You see that we are all dead, then it may be that You can also give up your body. We fear this, and therefore we are not going to die. Thus, we are somehow maintaining our lives.” A very, very pathetic scene was there. Caitanya Mahāprabhu was like this, always weeping.

He went to Gayā, and when He returned, He was no longer Nimāi Paṇḍita. He told His students, “I cannot teach you anymore. Now I see in all the letters, all the vowels, consonants, and all the anusvāra and visarga ‘Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa,’ everywhere. So, what can I teach you?”

Then all the students said, “We cannot go to another teacher. We want to follow You.”

“Then come with Me and do nagara-saṅkīrtana.”

(All the devotees join together and sing)

(hari) haraye namaḥ kṛṣṇa yādavāya namaḥ
yādavāya mādhavāya keśavāya namaḥ

(Hari) Haraye Namaḥ Kṛṣṇa (1)

[“I offer praṇāma unto You, O Hari, O Kṛṣṇa, O Yādava, O Mādhava, O Keśava!”]

gopāla govinda rāma śrī madhusūdana
giridhārī gopīnātha madana-mohana

(Hari) Haraye Namaḥ Kṛṣṇa (2)

[“O Gopāla, Govinda, Rāma, Śrī Madhusūdana! O Giridhārī, Gopīnātha, Madana-mohana!”]

(Devotees start to chant the third verse of this song, beginning, “Śrī caitanya, nityānanda, śrī advaita goptā…”)

Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: But Caitanya Mahāprabhu never chanted this. His followers chant the third verse and so on, but Mahāprabhu Himself only used to chant these four lines and, “Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare,” these six lines only. He used to sing and dance, “Hari bol! Hari bol,” like this. Soon after this, He left His old mother and His newly married wife, Viṣṇupriyā-devī. He left all His near and dear associates, went to Kaṇṭaka-nagara, and took sannyāsa. He even left His curly hair. He left everything.

But Nityānanda Prabhu, anyhow, by trick, He took Mahāprabhu to Advaita-bhavana, Śāntipura, where He again met His mother. Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī was there, a very young teenager. And from there, He anyhow came to Jagannātha Purī. After one year, perhaps He wanted to go to Vṛndāvana, but midway there He met Sanātana Prabhu and Rūpa Gosvāmī. Then, He returned to Purī because it was not good to be with thousands of devotees going to Vṛndāvana.

The mind will be disturbed on the way to Vṛndāvana like this. This is not the process to go to Vṛndāvana. Sanātana Gosvāmī told Him, “This is not the process to go to Vṛndāvana with thousands of devotees. If You will always be engaged in managing, then how can You chant, weep, and roll down on the earth? You should go to Vṛndāvana alone. Return to Purī.”

Then Mahāprabhu went to South India. Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya, a prominent Māyāvādī teacher, through the influence of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, became a high-class devotee. He was turned into a devotee. He was turned in such a way that, even at about four in the morning, Caitanya Mahāprabhu came and gave him mahā-prasādam. Upon waking, Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya immediately accepted the mahā-prasādam offered by Caitanya Mahāprabhu, without even rinsing his mouth.

Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya then told Mahāprabhu, “If You are going to South India, You must meet one person: Rāya Rāmānanda. Outwardly, he looks like a materialist, like a king, very powerful. But you should know that this is external. Internally, he is so rasika and a tattva-jña Vaiṣṇava. You must meet him.”

First, He went to Kūrma-sthalī and met with a leper named Vāsudeva. He embraced the leper, and at once he quickly became more beautiful than a demigod. That brāhmaṇa Vāsudeva began weeping. “What did You do, Prabhu? I was better when I was a leper. Now I will see myself and think, ‘How beautiful!’ Then, it may be that I will want a lady or something, and so much wealth and reputation.”

Mahāprabhu told him, “Don’t worry about this.” Then He went to the bank of the Godāvarī, where He met with Rāya Rāmānanda, who was a viceroy or governor of that province. He was a representative of Pratāparudra Mahārāja. What was he doing? In the morning, as the sun rose, it was very red. The water of the Godāvarī was reddish everywhere, and the sky was also tinged with red. Caitanya Mahāprabhu took a bath and sat, remembering something. What was He remembering? “Where is Rādhikā?” He was meditating like this.

Devotee: Rādhikā or Kṛṣṇa? Was He meditating on where is Rādhikā or where is Kṛṣṇa?

Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: At that time, He was in this mood, “Where is Rādhikā?” Mahāprabhu has so many moods. He has a bhakta mood, Kṛṣṇa mood, Rādhikā mood, mañjarī mood, sometimes the mood of Viśākhā, sometimes the mood of Lalitā, so many moods. He is not confined to any mood.

Rāya Rāmānanda was coming to take a bath there. Thousands of brāhmaṇas were following him, and they were reciting what? Vedic mantras like:

(oṁ) sahasra-śīrṣā puruṣaḥ
sahasrākṣaḥ sahasra-pāt
sa bhūmiṁ viśvato vṛtvā
’ty-atiṣṭhad daśāṅgulam

Svetasvatara Upanisad (3.14)

[“Hiraṇyagarbha, who is the Supersoul of this universe, is the second puruṣa-avatāra and endowed with unlimited heads, eyes and feet. He pervades the entire universe and is situated in a superior position to the Supersoul, who resides within the heart of the living entity.”]

(oṁ) puruṣa evedaṁ sarvaṁ
yad bhūtaṁ yac ca bhavyam
utāmṛtatvasyeśāno
yad annenātirohati

Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad (3.15)

[“The entire universe, in the past, present and future, is none other than the Puruṣa, or His plenary portions. The Puruṣa Himself is the Lord of immortality. That is, He is beyond this temporary material creation, which is maintained by grains, and He continues to exist after its destruction.”]

Rāya Rāmānanda was coming in a palanquin, and all the brāhmaṇas were reciting these mantras while drums were beating in the background. He took a bath, and at the same time, he saw a bāla sannyāsī (young sannyāsī), who was like the sun. Rays of His effulgence were going everywhere. He had a very beautiful golden colour and was wearing beautiful pink clothing. Rāya Rāmānanda was at once attracted. Giving up the association of all the brāhmaṇas, he left them, told them, “Wait here, I am coming back soon,” and went to Mahāprabhu.

Seeing this, Mahāprabhu looked upon his face and said very humbly, “Are you Rāya Rāmānanda?”

“Yes, I am the very wretched Rāya Rāmānanda.” Though he was a king, see how humble he is! You should try to be as humble as they are. He was so learned and a very high-class rasika Vaiṣṇava. Internally, he was Viśākhā. But still, see how polite and how humble he was. You should learn from them.

Then Mahāprabhu stood up and embraced him, and they both became senseless. Calling out, “Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa,” they became senseless. After some time, when they somewhat came back to their senses, Mahāprabhu said, “Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya has directed Me to meet with you, and that is why I have come to you. I want to hear something from you.”

Rāya Rāmānanda said, “I think that You are Himself Kṛṣṇa, so if You have come to sprinkle Your mercy on me, then why stay for only one day? For so many days, You can be here. I will wait, and in the evening, You should come and meet with me, and we will discuss something.” Then, he returned. Gaura-premānande! We will begin again tomorrow. This is the platform or beginning of Rāya Rāmānanda Saṁvāda. It is like a preface to the dialogue between Rāya Rāmānanda and Mahāprabhu. You should hear very patiently and try to follow. If you hear, it will be your presentation to me. Gaura-premānande! One kīrtana.

Source(s): Purebhakti.com, Serve Love – Bhakta Bandhav (Bhakta Bandhav Anthology transcribed and edited by the Bhakta Bandhav Team)

Image(s) made possible by Pixabay.com, Krishnapath.org.in, Keystone Press / Alamy Stock Photo and / or Bhaktiart.net

Unless indicated otherwise, all verse translations and quotes are from the books by Śrīla Prabhupāda (Vedabase.com)