The following is a transcription of a discourse delivered by Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja in Jagannātha Purī, India, on August 6, 2004

 

sañcārya rāmābhidha-bhakta-meghe
sva-bhakti-siddhānta-cayāmṛtāni
gaurābdhir etair amunā vitīrṇais
taj-jñatva-ratnālayatāṁ prayāti

 Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Madhya-līlā 8.1)

 [“Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, who is known as Gaurāṅga, is the ocean of all conclusive knowledge in devotional service. He empowered Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya, who may be likened to a cloud of devotional service. This cloud was filled with the water of all the conclusive purports of devotional service and was empowered by the ocean to spread this water over the sea of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu Himself. Thus the ocean of Caitanya Mahāprabhu became filled with the jewels of the knowledge of pure devotional service.”]

The confidential meanings of this verse are explained in great detail herein. Here we find the word “gaurābdhir” (gaura-abdhi), which means that Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is like an ocean. This ocean is unlimitedly deep. And it is endless; it has no shores. This ocean has amṛta, which has two meanings. The natural meaning is nectar, and another meaning is water. Nectar is most appropriate here, because Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is the ultimate limit of the nectar of rasa (transcendental mellow taste in loving relationships).

Lord Kṛṣṇa has been described in the Upaniṣads: raso vai saḥ rasaṁ hy evāyaṁ labdhvānandī bhavati (Taittirīya Upaniṣad 2.7.1). Kṛṣṇa is the embodiment of rasa, the taste of rasa and the object of rasa. If one realises this rasa, he will become completely blissful and satisfied. Kṛṣṇa is the reservoir of pleasure and relationships, but here, in the form of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He is compared to an ocean. Why? The ocean is salty, so this is not the reason. In the ocean, there are many snakes, timiṅgila fish, sharks, crocodiles and dangerous animals, but the ocean of rasa of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is not like that. The nectar of that ocean is so tasty that it completely minimises and criticises the value of ordinary nectar. It is most desirable.

The ocean of Caitanya Mahāprabhu is full of astonishment. It is miraculous. Nothing is equal to or greater than it, and it is unprecedented. These are the specialities of the ocean of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu (gaura-rūpī-sagara).

The verse mentioned above contains the words “sva-bhakti-siddhānta-cayāmṛtāni.” Here, the word “sva” means Kṛṣṇa. “Sva-bhakti” means the bhakti which is performed for Kṛṣṇa – Kṛṣṇa is the object. This bhakti is of four types: dāsya (servitor), sakhya (friendship), vātsalya (parental) and mādhurya (conjugal).

What Mother Yaśodā feels in her heart is not known to Kṛṣṇa. Moreover, although from His point of view He can relish the love that the gopīs of Vṛndāvana have for Him, He cannot understand how they feel within their hearts. That is not possible for Him. To understand these feelings, He had to appear, taking the sentiment and complexion of Śrīmatī Rādhikā.

But this was not enough. He had to take shelter of Śrīmatī Viśākhā-devī, Śrīmatī Rādhikā’s very dear friend, whose moods are similar to Hers, in the form of Śrīla Rāmānanda Rāya. Then, by staying in Śrī Gambhīrā in the association of Lalitā and Viśākhā, in their forms of Śrī Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī and Rāmānanda Rāya, respectively, and hearing from them, He could realise something directly. Without their mercy and assistance, it would not have been possible.

Śrīmatī Rādhikā Herself also came and stayed here, in the form of Śrī Gadādhara Paṇḍita. She observed Kṛṣṇa in the form of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu to see, “Is He playing My role correctly? Perhaps there will be some defect.” Śrīmatī Rādhikā was therefore present as Gadādhara Paṇḍita, watching and giving advice.

Kṛṣṇa had three desires that He could not fulfil in His form as Kṛṣṇa:

śrī-rādhāyāḥ praṇaya-mahimā kīdṛśo vānayaivā-
svādyo yenādbhuta-madhurimā kīdṛśo vā madīyaḥ
saukhyaṁ cāsyā mad-anubhavataḥ kīdṛśaṁ veti lobhāt
tad-bhāvāḍhyaḥ samajani śacī-garbha-sindhau harīnduḥ

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Ādi-līlā 1.6)

[“Desiring to understand the glory of Rādhārāṇī’s love, the wonderful qualities in Him that She alone relishes through Her love, and the happiness She feels when She realises the sweetness of His love, the Supreme Lord Hari, richly endowed with Her emotions, appeared from the womb of Śrīmatī Śacī-devī, as the moon appeared from the ocean.”]

How deep is the love of Śrīmatī Rādhikā? Kṛṣṇa Himself did not know. Therefore, He appeared as Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

rādhā kṛṣṇa-praṇaya-vikṛtir hlādinī śaktir asmād
ekātmānāv api bhuvi purā deha-bhedaṁ gatau tau
caitanyākhyaṁ prakaṭam adhunā tad-dvayaṁ caikyam āptaṁ
rādhā-bhāva-dyuti-suvalitaṁ naumi kṛṣṇa-svarūpam

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Ādi-līlā 1.5)

[“The loving affairs of Śrī Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa are transcendental manifestations of the Lord’s internal pleasure-giving potency. Although Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa are one in Their identity, previously They separated Themselves. Now these two transcendental identities have again united, in the form of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya. I bow down to Him, who has manifested Himself with the sentiment and complexion of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī although He is Kṛṣṇa Himself.”]

When Kṛṣṇa appeared as Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He brought with Him Śrīmatī Rādhikā’s bhāva and complexion. He brought Her mood and complexion, but can He taste or realise it? And to what degree does He understand it? Śrīmatī Rādhikā and Her associates came to help Him.

The example is given in this first verse that Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is like an ocean of bhakti-siddhānta (the conclusive truths of pure devotion). By the influence of the sun, the ocean infuses its water within a cloud. Similarly, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu infused all bhakti-siddhānta in the heart of Śrīla Rāmānanda Rāya.

Before they met, Lord Kṛṣṇa in the form of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu had not realised Śrīmatī Rādhikā’s moods. There is a vast difference between jñāna (knowing something intellectually) and vijñāna (realising it). In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Lord Nārāyaṇa inspired four-headed Lord Brahmā:

yāvān ahaṁ yathā-bhāvo
yad-rūpa-guṇa-karmakaḥ
tathaiva tattva-vijñānam
astu te mad-anugrahāt

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (2.9.32)

[“All of Me, namely My actual eternal form and My transcendental existence, colour, qualities and activities — let all be awakened within you by factual realisation, out of My causeless mercy.”]

“As far as I am to be realised, may My name, form, qualities and loving pastimes be awakened in your heart by My blessings.”

Without the mercy of the Supreme Lord, Śrī Guru and pure Vaiṣṇavas, the realisation of bhakti-tattva (the truths of pure devotional service) is impossible – even for Lord Kṛṣṇa Himself.

The ocean has the power to manifest jewels. When the ocean is full of jewels, it is called ratnālaya (a repository of precious jewels). When the rain falls at the time of the constellation of stars called svāti–nakṣatra, it has a special potency, for the potential of the ocean to manifest jewels becomes realised at that time.

Here, the rain of svāti–nakṣatra is Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya’s explanation of all bhakti-siddhānta. When the clouds of Rāmānanda Rāya sprinkled the rain of explanation on the ocean of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, His heart became the repository of jewels. Those jewels were the “anubhāva-yukta siddhānta“. “Anubhāva” means “realisation”, “yukta” means “combined with”, and “siddhānta” means “conclusive knowledge”. The bhakti-siddhānta that Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu inspired within the heart of Rāmānanda Rāya became anubhāva–yukta. In other words, His theoretical knowledge of how Śrīmatī Rādhikā feels when she is rendering service to Śrī Kṛṣṇa became realised knowledge. The realisation of Rādhikā’s mood came in the heart of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. He tasted it, and He began to realise the desires for which He appeared within this world.

This is an iṣṭagoṣṭhī. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya are about to have a wonderful conversation on the bank of the Godāvarī, so all should come with me there, by heart, and we should all arrive together at that place.

The author of Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Śrī Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī, after offering his obeisances to this conversation, says:

jaya jaya śrī-caitanya jaya nityānanda
jayādvaita-candra jaya gaura-bhakta-vṛnda

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Madhya-līlā 8.2)

[“All glories to Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu! All glories to Lord Nityānanda! All glories to Advaita Ācārya! And all glories to all the devotees of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu!”]

Without glorifying the Lord and His associates and procuring their blessings, we cannot enter into this very confidential discussion.

According to His previous behaviour, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was travelling. Wherever He went, He would meet with people and give them the same instruction.

yāre dekha, tāre kaha ‘kṛṣṇa’-upadeśa
āmāra ājñāya guru hañā tāra’ ei deśa

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Madhya-līlā 7.128)

[“Instruct everyone to follow the orders of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa as they are given in the Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. In this way become a spiritual master and try to liberate everyone in this land.”]

To whomever you see and whomever you meet, give them the teachings of Śrī Kṛṣṇa and tell them about Śrī Kṛṣṇa. On My order, become a guru, a teacher, and liberate everyone in this entire land. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was singing, dancing and preaching everywhere He went; and all would become enlivened. He would convert everyone He met to Vaiṣṇavism, and they would realise the nature of the soul as being a servant of Kṛṣṇa. He told them to engage in proper devotional behaviour and also to preach.

Preaching is one type of bhakti. Therefore, all the gurus in our disciplic succession, such as Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī, Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura and Bhaktivedānta Svāmī Prabhupāda, have engaged in their own devotional practices and have also given their energy in preaching to others. In this way, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu distributed prema.

There is a verse in Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta which states:

emana kṛpālu nāhi śuni tribhuvane
kṛṣṇa-premā haya yāṅra dūra daraśane

[“There is no one as merciful as Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu within all three worlds. Simply by seeing Him from a distance, one is overwhelmed with love of Godhead.”]

Another verse states, “How can you conquer the heart of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu? Don’t criticise anyone. Have no concern for the nature and activities of others, but rather always chant harināma without committing offence to any living entity.”

We should not think that preaching is karma-kāṇḍa (fruitive activity). If one is not practising, then one’s preaching is like karma, but if one is practising, this is not true. Those who practise but don’t preach are somewhat better than those who preach but don’t practise. Those who follow the proper system of devotional service, and also preach, are the best of all. We should try to have the association of such a Vaiṣṇava who practises and preaches, whose character is impeccable, who has no attachment to anything in this material world, and who discusses hari-kathā expertly. By associating and hearing from such a Vaiṣṇava, one will have a sphūrti of Kṛṣṇa in his heart.

When Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu came to the temple of Jiyaḍa-nṛsiṁha, He was singing and dancing in ecstasy:

“śrī-nṛsiṁha, jaya nṛsiṁha, jaya jaya nṛsiṁha
prahlādeśa jaya padmā-mukha-padma-bhṛṅga”

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Madhya-līlā 8.5)

[“All glories to Nṛsiṁhadeva! All glories to Nṛsiṁhadeva, who is the Lord of Prahlāda Mahārāja and, like a honeybee, is always engaged in beholding the lotuslike face of the goddess of fortune.”]

“All glories to Śrī Nṛsiṁhadeva. He is the Lord of Śrī Prahlāda Mahārāja. The face of Lakṣmī devī (Padma) is like a lotus flower, and Lakṣmī is rendering service to Him. All the moods of her service are expressed by the beauty of her face; and Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva has become like a bumblebee, tasting that nectar.” There is a question here:

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is absorbed in rādhā-bhāva, and He sings about Lord Kṛṣṇa’s names and pastimes. So why is He now chanting, “prahlādeśa jaya padmā-mukha-padma-bhṛṅga”?

His absorption is quite uncommon. It is transcendental, not material. He knows that Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva, Rāmacandra, Vāmanadeva and all other incarnations are not different from Kṛṣṇa. They are Kṛṣṇa Himself. To taste the specialities of different types of love, Kṛṣṇa has appeared in different forms. Due to this fact, there is no rasa that He – or Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu – cannot taste.

Who is Padma? Padma is none other than a partial manifestation of the service moods of Śrīmatī Rādhikā, just as Sītā-devī is a partial manifestation of Her moods. When Lord Vāmanadeva appeared, he was served by Lakṣmī devī. This Lakṣmī is also a partial manifestation of the moods of Śrīmatī Rādhikā.

Kṛṣṇa can taste all varieties of moods, and Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu can as well. If He had not been able to taste all varieties of moods, there would be some deficiency in Him. There is no deficiency in Him at all. He is complete.

The conditioned souls in this world are suffering, and Kṛṣṇa comes here in various incarnations to deliver them. Why? There is some rasa in this as well. Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura has explained this in Jaiva-dharma, wherein Vrajanātha asked Śrī Raghunātha dāsa Bābājī, “Why is this pastime of the Lord going on – that jīvas are suffering so much in this world?” Śrī Raghunātha dāsa Bābājī replied, “Kṛṣṇa is complete, so there cannot be any pastime missing in Him. There is one kind of taste in giving mercy to those who are helpless and hopeless and have no chance.” This is one kind of mellow that Kṛṣṇa tastes. Śrī Kṛṣṇa and Śrīmatī Rādhikā can taste all kinds of mellows – otherwise there would be some deficiency.

Source: Purebhakti.com

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