Caitanya Caritamrta, Adi 3.47
suvarna-varno hemango varangas candanangadi
sannyasa-krc chamah santo nistha-santi-parayanah
TRANSLATION: "In His early pastimes He appears as a householder with a golden complexion. His limbs are beautiful, and His body, smeared with the pulp of sandalwood, seems like molten gold. In His later pastimes He accepts the sannyasa order, and He is equipoised and peaceful. He is the highest abode of peace and devotion, for He silences the impersonalist nondevotees."
PURPORT: This is a verse from the Mahabharata (Dana-dharma, Visnu-sahasra-nama-stotra). In his commentary on the Visnu-sahasra-nama, called the Namartha-sudha, Srila Baladeva Vidyabhusana, commenting upon this verse, asserts that Lord Caitanya is the Supreme Personality of Godhead according to the evidence of the Upanisads. He explains that suvarna-varnah means a golden complexion. He also quotes the Vedic injunction yada pasyah pasyate rukma-varnam kartaram isam purusam brahma-yonim (Mundaka Up. 3.1.3). Rukma-varnam kartaram isam refers to the Supreme Personality of Godhead as having a complexion the color of molten gold. Purusam means the Supreme Lord, and brahma-yonim indicates that He is also the Supreme Brahman. This evidence, too, proves that Lord Caitanya is the Supreme Personality of Godhead Krsna. Another meaning of the description of the Lord as having a golden hue is that Lord Caitanya's personality is as fascinating as gold is attractive. Srila Baladeva Vidyabhusana has explained that the word varanga means "exquisitely beautiful."
Lord Caitanya accepted sannyasa, leaving aside His householder life, to preach His mission. He has equanimity in different senses. First, He describes the confidential truth of the Personality of Godhead, and second, He satisfies everyone by knowledge and attachment to Krsna. He is peaceful because He renounces all topics not related to the service of Krsna. Srila Baladeva Vidyabhusana has explained that the word nistha indicates His being rigidly fixed in chanting the holy name of Sri Krsna. Lord Caitanya subdued all disturbing opponents of devotional service, especially the monists, who are actually averse to the personal feature of the Supreme Lord. [End of purport]
Candramauli Swami: So in these last few days prior to the appearance of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Gaura Purnima, we've turned our attention to his personality, his glories, his activities, everything about the Supreme Lord in the form of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
This verse is actually from the Mahabharata. It is describing the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. It's interesting how with careful research, one can find, in various religious scriptures, indication of Caitanya Mahaprabhu's identity, his appearance, and his activities. Here we find in the Mahabharata. Also in Srimad-Bhagavatam, in the prayers by Prahlad Maharaja to Lord Nrsimhadeva, the Lord is also indicated as one who appears in the color of gold, or yellow, pita.
Also in the same Srimad-Bhagavatam, in the prayers by the residents of Jambudvipa, the Lord is mentioned as tri-yuga. Tri-yuga refers to that personality who is the Supreme Personality of Godhead who appears as the Lord in three yugas: in Satya-yuga, Treta-yuga, Dvapara-yuga. In Kali-yuga he is channa-avatara. Channa means hidden. He appears not as the supreme Lord but as his own devotee. Therefore he is referred to as tri-yuga, or as the Lord who appears in three yugas. But in the Kali-yuga he appears as a devotee of himself.
This is the position of Lord Caitanya that actually he is coming as his own devotee. It is explained in the Caitanya-caritamrta in this fourth chapter that he comes for six reasons. Three of them are external and three are internal. It is explained that the internal reasons are foremost, the primary. The external reasons we all know. He comes to fulfill the yuga-dharma, the chanting of the Holy Names of the Lord or to spread the mercy of pure love of Godhead in the form of harinama-sankirtana. That is considered external. Also it is mentioned in Bhagavad-gita:
yada yada hi dharmasya glanir bhavati bharata abhyutthanam adharmasya tadatmanam srjamy aham
paritranaya sadhunam vinasaya ca duskrtam dharma-samsthapanarthaya sambhavami yuge yuge
He comes in every yuga. In order to fulfill his own words in Bhagavad-gita, he keeps that principle and appears in the Kali-yuga. But he appears once in every thousand yuga cycles in the Kali-yuga as Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, as the channa-avatara, hidden. Of course the third reason is to satisfy the desire and the heartfelt prayers of Sri Advaita Acarya.
Jaya Radha-Madhava, Asta-Sakhi ki jai!
Sri Advaita Acarya was praying from the core of his heart that these inhabitants of Navadvipa Dham have become so lost. Before the advent of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Navadvipa Dham was considered one of the greatest centers of learning throughout the entire world. People from all over the world would go to get the highest and best education in Navadvipa. It was concerned the greatest of all education bastions. It had some of the greatest scholars in the world. In fact, all of the religious scriptures known were present here. But generally, the population was somewhat pious but not very much absorbed in pure devotional service. People were educated, they had great intelligence, pious activities, good qualities, a lot of material facilities, worshiping demigods, but very little of the essence of spiritual life, pure devotional service.
Advaita Acarya, of course, who is Advaita Acarya? He is a combination of Sada Siva and Mahavisnu. He is praying to the Lord, "Please come."
He was angry to see how people were wasting their lives in material education. They were spending all their money. They would spend practically life savings on weddings and pujas and vratas and homas. They were even doing things like marrying cats and dogs because when you get materially wealthy and situated, after a while, you get bored. You just want to do different things or change. That's what happens when too much material opulence without any real, solid spiritual worship. They get bored after a while, so they do different things. It is explained by Vrindavan Das Thakur in Caitanya-bhagavat that they were engaging in marriage of cats and dogs. Can you imagine?
Advaita Acarya, feeling compassion for the fallen conditioned souls of this age, he went down to the banks of the Ganges with great prayers in his heart, worshiping his Nrsimha-sila with tulasi leaves and praying from the core of his heart, "Please my dear Lord, come."
And Lord Caitanya actually said, "I have come because of the prayers of Advaita Acarya." But there are many reasons. These are the three external reasons.
The internal reasons are actually the primary reasons. What are the internal reasons? These are very interesting. Sri Krsna himself, in order to experience the position of Srimati Radharani, wanting to understand her position in relationship to himself, he took on the position of her. He took on her bhava, her relationship with Krsna. He wanted to understand not only her position but he wanted to understand, "What is so attractive about me. Why am I so attractive to Srimati Radharani?" She cannot, even for a fraction of an iota of an insignificant speck of time, not be absorbed in pure loving service to Krsna. Her love is intense. Even Krsna couldn't understand Radharani's love. He wanted to find out what was the nature of that love and what was it about him that makes her have such deep love. So he wanted to understand his own good qualities.
Krsna is very attractive. There is a story, one time Krsna was walking along and he came across a pillar. The pillar had a reflecting surface. He stopped and looked and said, "Wow, who is that beautiful personality there?" He was so overwhelmed seeing his own image that he just ran toward it to embrace it. Then he realized it was himself. [Chuckles] This is Krsna. He is so attractive that he attracts himself.
But in order to understand his own attractiveness, he had to take the position of the object in order to understand the subject. Also to understand what is the nature of the happiness she experiences from that loving relationship, her happiness, her love, her position, and what are his qualities. These are the internal reasons.
Srila Krsnadas Kaviraja Goswami points out in the Caitanya-caritamrta that the time for the yuga-dharma or for descending in order to propagate the teachings of harinama-sankirtana just happened to coincide with Lord Krsna's desire to appear as Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu to understand the internal reasons of his appearance, in other words, to understand that loving relationship. The external reasons are secondary.
Here in this particular verse it is describing some of his extraordinary qualities. One of the qualities that is mentioned, it was mentioned in the previous class by His Holiness Sivarama Maharaja, that he has a beautiful golden color. Radharani is called Gaurangi and Caitanya Mahaprabhu is called Gauranga, golden complexion. Actually Krsna told Radharani, when he was in the spiritual world, "I am descending in order to taste this loving relationship of your love for me."
When Radharani heard about that, she was quite alarmed because she knew the ecstasy he would experience in trying to experience her bhava. Therefore she said, "Your body will not be able to maintain. Therefore I give you protection of your body. I give you my own color." She gave him the color golden. So here is it is explained: radha-bhava-dyuti-suvalitam, that he is decorated with the transcendental color of Srimati Radharani. He is called Gauranga.
ajanu-lambita-bhujau kanakavadatau sankirtanaika-pitarau kamalayataksau visvambharau dvija-varau yuga-dharma-palau vande jagat priya-karau karunavatarau
In that verse it is also mentioned that Lord Caitanya has a golden color. His arms extend down to his knees. His eyes are elongated. His is the best of the brahmanas and he is teaching the highest principles of religion. That is, he is initiating personally himself the yuga-dharma, the harinama-sankirtana movement.
This chanting the Holy Name is the essence of all religious principles. Yamaraja himself, when he was speaking to his followers after they had returned in their failed attempt to take the soul of Ajamila to the courtyard of Yamaraja, they were questioning Yamaraja, "What is your position?"
He explained, "Actually, I am not supreme. I am subordinate. The devotees of Krsna are in all sense worshipable. Therefore, even I worship them." Then he explained that in this age, devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the highest form of religious principles, but the essence of all devotional activities is to chant the Hare Krsna Mahamantra. That is the essence of the essence.
Sometimes when we preach, or even sometimes in a very uninformed understanding, we cannot understand how important it is to chant Hare Krsna. Actually, Srila Prabhupada said, "All your advancement in devotional service depends on chanting the Holy Names of the Lord." Everything else we do in our devotional service is meant to purify our consciousness so we can approach Krsna's name in the proper consciousness, with the proper mood.
Therefore all practices in devotional service are in one sense supporting the quality of our chanting if we are performing those activities in the right mood, with the right understanding: chanting, reading Srimad-Bhagavatam, associating with devotees, engaging in practical devotional service, worshiping the Supreme Personality of Godhead. These are various principles of powerful devotional service, but Caitanya Mahaprabhu, being the yuga-avatara, emphasized two things that are primary amongst all religious principles. Those two things are association and service to Vaisnavas and chanting the Hare Krsna Mahamantra. These are the essence of the essence.
Here in Sri Dham Mayapur we have such a wonderful opportunity to serve Vaisnavas and to hear and chant the Hare Krsna Mahamantra. Prabhupada said, "This Sri Dham Mayapur is the spiritual world. It is non-different."
One time one senior devotee asked Srila Prabhupada, they were in Mayapur, "Srila Prabhupada, sometimes devotees come to the dham and they are trying to enjoy here." It was kind of a question like maybe it's not right.
Prabhupada said, "The dham, it is for enjoyment. It is the spiritual world, spiritual enjoyment." What is that spiritual enjoyment? Chanting, dancing, associating with devotees, taking Krsna prasadam, hearing the philosophy of Bhagavad-gita, Srimad-Bhagavatam, and purifying our hearts. What is the culmination of purifying our hearts? Then these same activities become transcendentally blissful. It's not that we change our activities. The activities actually are the fundamental principle, the essence of devotional practice. But in a purified state of consciousness they bring the goal of life, that is, the direct connection between the Lord and his devotee.
So Caitanya Mahaprabhu came to teach that principle here in Sri Dham Mayapur. We are so fortunate to be here to be able to engage in these devotional activities - chanting the Holy Names, serving the Vaisnavas: nama ruci, vaisnava seva. Then he emphasized one other thing, Lord Caitanya mentioned. That is jiva doya. That is taking this mercy and giving it to others. We might call it preaching, but distributing the mercy to others. Not that we become "packed up", Prabhupada said, "packed up". We become packed up, that's nice, but the pack becomes bigger when you give it.
Lord Caitanya said, "I have the storehouse of the fruits of love of God and the storehouse is overwhelmed with fruits. I am just one gardener and I am trying to distribute these fruits to the entire world. How much can I do? Therefore, please help me to distribute these fruits."
He goes on to explain by distributing the fruits, the storehouse doesn't become less. It actually becomes greater. The more you give Krsna, the more you get Krsna. The more you try to keep Krsna, the more it is hard to find Krsna. Krsna is fast. He is always moving. So we are chasing Krsna by trying to catch him in the form of giving Krsna to others in devotional service. So these three things Lord Caitanya emphasized. So this is the essence of Lord Caitanya's movement. So we worship the Lord in this chanting and dancing.
We also have to be very conscience and cautious to avoid the negative. There are things to do and things not to do: anukulya, pratikula. Things I should do and things I don't do. Things that I don't do, if I do those things and I am still doing the things I do do, it's like building a fire and pouring water on it at the same time. One has to be very conscious to avoid things that are detrimental to devotional service.
Lord Caitanya says, "I give my full mercy to anyone chants the Holy Names of the Lord, serves the Vaisnavas, and does not find fault with others." He says, "Finding fault with others or criticizing others is the fastest way one can destroy the mercy that is being given." It is mentioned in the Caitanya-bhagavat that one who criticizes others, Lord Caitanya said, "That is like drinking poison and if you drink poison, you die." But how to neutralize that poisonous effect? Glorify others. By glorifying others, by glorifying the devotees, by seeing the good qualities in devotees and magnifying those qualities, that is like drinking nectar. When one drinks nectar, one attains immortal life.
So Lord Caitanya gives other considerations. We should be very careful not to engage in prajalpa, or useless talk, finding fault, criticizing, because we are just dampening the mercy that is so easily available in the form of this harinama-sankirtana. So it is important to keep these principles in mind. And Sri Caitanya is very merciful, but he emphasized certain principles that in order to practice devotional service successfully one must develop the qualities:
trnad api sunicena taror api sahisnuna amanina manadena kirtaniyah sada harih
This verse was spoken by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Maharaja sometimes he was asked, "Maharaja, can you tell me what is my svarupa, what is my internal relationship?"
He said, "Your svarupa is:
trnad api sunicena taror api sahisnuna amanina manadena kirtaniyah sada harih
This is actually the principle that Lord Caitanya emphasized as far as practicing devotional service successfully. And Krsnadas Kaviraja Goswami in Caitanya-caritamrta, he emphasizes this verse. He is actually quoting Jiva Goswami, Jiva Goswami says, "You take this verse and string it on the necklace of the Holy Name and wear it as your ornament." What is the result? The result is kirtaniyah sada. One can develop an attraction, an attachment to chanting the Holy Names of the Lord. Lord Caitanya emphasized this verse amongst many, many verses.
So we are here, Sri Dham Mayapur, just on the advent of the appearance of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. When he appears, of course he is always appearing in the hearts of the devotees who are following his instructions and the instructions of his representative, the spiritual master, but on this Gaura Purnima festival, the Lord's mercy is bestowed in such waves, such oceans that on his appearance day, this more or less inspires us to become more and more serious in our Krsna consciousness.
Many of us have to go back to our respective areas and we have to again associate with the material energy more directly. Sometimes in occupation or just living in mundane materialistic society. Whatever time we are here, we should try to get as much opportunity to absorb in the mercy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, purify our hearts more, bring it back, and preach that message to others.
Prabhupada says there are two aspects to devotional service: become purified and to help others become purified. Just to become Krsna conscious yourself is not possible. One has to actually be an instrument of the mercy for the Lord in whatever way we can. it's not that everyone has to take up a position of being a great scholar of the Vedas or preaching in a formal way. Lord Caitanya said, "Whoever you meet, tell them about Krsna. Whoever you meet, tell them about the chanting of the Holy Names. By my command, be guru, save the land." That means you come in contact, give them an opportunity to somehow come forward.
Lord Caitanya's mission is a mission of compassion. He has taken Radharani's love, which is his own bhava, in the form of this sankirtana movement, and he is garlanding the entire world with that love in the form of this sankirtana movement. This sankirtana movement is Radharani's love for Krsna. This is the internal mood of this entire lila of Caitanya Mahaprabhu, to give Radharani's love in the form of this sankirtana movement to the entire world.
We have a legacy. Our legacy is, as Srila Prabhupada said when someone asked him, "How can we serve you Prabhupada?"
Prabhupada said, "Do what I am doing." He means that we should also take the mission of the spiritual master as our life and soul. That means make his mission our practice in devotional service. To try to in any way, we just see what Krsna has given us, he has given us time, energy, facilities, opulences, intelligence, whatever, use that in any way you can to spread Krsna consciousness.
Caitanya Mahaprabhu when he went traveling through South India, he was spreading the Holy Name and everyone who saw him became inspired. That person told another person and that person told another person and that person told another person. In this way, Lord Caitanya's mercy in the form of the sankirtana movement spread throughout the entire continent of India. In the time of Caitanya Mahaprabhu, he made the entire continent of India Krsna conscious by his presence and his travels to South India. That is the power and that same mercy if fully available to us today.
sri-krsna-caitanya prabhu-nityananda sri-advaita gadadhara srivasadi-gaura-bhakta-vrnda
Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
Thank you very much.
Srila Prabhupada ki jai!
Do we have time for questions? Are there any questions, comments? Yes?
Question: Hare Krsna. Maharaja, you were speaking about criticism. Can you please explain corrective criticism? Also you were speaking about humility. Can you please explain also . . . ?
Candramauli Maharaja:I'll try. I don't have these qualities.
The spiritual master is in the position to find fault with his disciple. Why? As a service to his disciples, he can correct them to improve their devotional life. In general, a relationship with other devotees, unless it is in the role of a spiritual master-disciple, is to share the six loving exchanges: to talk about Krsna, to hear about Krsna, to give prasadam, to accept prasadam, to give gifts, to accept gifts.
If one finds a situation where one finds there is obligation to do some correction, one should be very, very careful and cautious to do it in such a way that doesn't cause disturbance and that person will accept. Generally when a person is doing something wrong, they are not in a position to understand because already their consciousness is wrong, so one has to be very sensitive in offering corrective criticism.
One should think ahead of time what will be the results. Even if your intention is not to offend and you do offend, it's still an offense. Unintentionally, still it is an offense. The relationships between devotees are very, very sweet, are meant to be very sweet and very, very loving. In order to keep that mood, even in the mood of correction, we should be very, very careful to do it in such a way that that person will accept.
If we feel we can't do that, we should ask someone else who feel may be in a better position to do that correction. It's not wrong to do it, provided it is done in the right consciousness. That means one has to be not in the mood of "I'm the corrector" but in the mood, "I want to help this person and their Krsna consciousness." It is a principle of compassion. Correction means you are trying to make that person act in a more proper way that their Krsna consciousness will not be affected in a negative way. You're trying to help them, but it has to be accepted in that way.
We shouldn't walk around looking for faults to be the all Supreme Personality of Godhead Corrector. Sometimes we find that. Some personalities put themselves in the position of correcting everybody. That is not Vaisnava attitude. The Vaisnava is always trying to see the good. Prabhupada said we should be like bumblebee. Bumblebee goes for the honey. Fly goes for the stool. Devotees may have, practically everyone has good qualities, everyone has faults, except pure devotees.
So you can see what you want to see. You can see the faults or you can see the good qualities. If you see the good qualities, then actually you'll appreciate. We find that as we change ourselves, we also change others. The more we develop our own Krsna consciousness, the more we will see the good qualities in others.
In the form of corrective criticism, if it is done in the proper mood as a service, then that is acceptable. Then again, one has to be careful how to do that. Not, "Hey Prabhu, you're in maya!" That's not going to work. First of all you can't call someone Prabhu and then say he's in maya. "Hey master, you're in maya. Hey, stop that!"
The devotees are humble. Many times they'll accept, but sometimes in their heart they'll feel, "Why did he do it like that? Why wasn't he more gentle and sensitive? I'm not such a demon." So we have to be careful in dealing with Vaisnavas, very careful. We see, we've committed a lot of Vaisnava aparadha in our society. A lot of times devotees go away because these things are done. Therefore, we have to be very, very careful but not foolish to allow things that are against religious principles to go on simply with the idea that we don't want to correct. If someone is doing something wrong of offensive, some attempt should be made. If I can't do it, let me contact someone who can do it more effectively.
Does that help? That didn't answer your question? OK.
[Unclear comment]
Devotees are not fools, but they are humble. Humility does not relegate one to foolishness. Humility is actually a position of empowerment. Humility means, Prabhupada gave different definitions, but one of them is, "I can't do anything; Krsna can do anything. Therefore, the more I take shelter of Krsna and the spiritual master, the more I become empowered."
Srila Prabhupada spread Krsna consciousness around the world, but he was one of the most humble of all personalities ever. He saw himself as an insignificant person, but he was fully devoted to the lotus feet of the Lord. He knew whatever success he is having or whatever he does is simply by the mercy and kindness of the Lord and his spiritual master. That is humility.
Humility also means I don't want to be honored. Prabhupada writes that in Bhagavad-gita in the Fourteenth Chapter. He is describing the qualities amanitvam adambhitvam. The first one is humility, the second one is pirdelessness, the third is tolerance. He explains that these are qualities of knowledge, or principles of knowledge.
The first principle of knowledge is humility because that is the main quality of a Vaisnava. So Prabhupada describes humility means not to want the distinction to be honored by others. Not wanting honor. Therefore amanina manadena, to want to honor others and not want honor for oneself.
If someone gives you honor and if you keep it, then pride can develop. But if someone gives you honor and you say, "All glories to my spiritual master. All glories to the Lord. This person is actually seeing some good qualities in me, that is his good quality he can see something good in me." These are some definitions of humility as give by the acaryas.
Humility also means not to think less oneself, but to think of oneself less. To think of oneself less. We are always thinking about me. We should be thinking about ? or Krsna or how to serve, like that. If we are so much overwhelmed by self consciousness, then that is a perverted principle of humility. "Oh, I am so fallen, I am so useless, I can't do anything. Therefore, I won't do anything." [Chuckles] That is not humility. Humility gives one empowerment, empowers one to do things.
Does that help?
Thank you.
OK, I think we should go on. They say one cannot live by philosophy alone. It's time for prasad.
Thank you very much.
Srila Prabhupada ki jai!The Advent Of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu
A Lecture given by Srila Gour Govinda Swami on the Auspicious Appearance Day of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, in Bhubaneswar, India, March 17, 1992.
Desiring to understand the glory of Radharani's love, the wonderful qualities in Him that She alone relishes through Her love, and the happiness She feels when She realizes the sweetness of His love, the Supreme Lord Hari, richly endowed with Her emotions, appears from the womb of Srimati Sacidevi as the moon appears from the ocean.
When we speak of the advent of Gauranga Mahaprabhu we should understand what is the cause of the appearance of Gauranga Mahaprabhu. There are two types of causes, external cause and internal cause. The external cause is to spread nama-prema, love of God through the chanting of the holy name, harinama-sankirtan, pracare-yuga dharma-pracara.
kali-yuga dharma haya hari-sankirtana
etad arthe avatirna Sri Sacinandana
(Caitanya-bhagavat, Adi, 2.22)
"The religious principle for the age of Kali is the congregational chanting of the holy names of the Lord. Sri Sacinandana incarnates to establish this principle." (Caitanya-bhagavat, Adi, 2.22)
To fulfill this purpose, Sacinandana appears:
ei kaye bhagavate sarva-tattva-sara
kirtana-nimitta gauracandra-avatara
"It is stated in the Srimad Bhagavatam that the Supreme Absolute Truth, Lord Gauracandra, incarnates to propagate the chanting of the holy names." (Caitanya-bhagavat, Adi, 2.23)
He is the father of hari-sankirtan,sankirtana-ike janakau . He is Gauranga Mahaprabhu:
kali-yuga sarva-dharma hari-sankirtana
sarva prakacilena caitanya-narayana
"Lord Caitanya inaugurated the congregational chanting of the holy names as the essence of all religious principles for the age of Kali." (Caitanya-bhagavat, Adi, 2.26)
This is a quotation from Caitanya Bhagavata:
kali-yuge sankirtana-dharma palibare
avatirna hoila prabhu sarva-parikare
"In Kali-yuga the Lord incarnates with His associates in order to maintain the religious principle of sankirtana." (Caitanya-bhagavat, Adi, 2.27)
With all His associates, paraphernalia, His dharma, Gauranga Mahaprabhu appears in Kali-yuga, especially this Kali-yuga, to fulfill this purpose ? yuga-dharma, nama-prema-pracara, (Cc Adi 3.40) and prema-dharma, the chief result of this harinama-sankirtan is to achieve Krsna-prema and to get Krsna. He is offering and distributing this Krsna-prema freely, indiscriminately, apamaram yo vitatara. "The most munificent Supreme Personality of Godhead, known as Gaurakrsna, distributed to everyoneeven the lowest of men." (Cc Madhya, 23.1)
brahmar durlabha prema saba kare sache
dina hina patita pamara nahi bache
(Srila Locan Dasa Thakura)
It is very difficult even on the part of Brahma to get such prem but Mahaprabhu gives it freely, indiscriminately. Even patita-pamaras, Jagai and Madhais, most degraded, most sinful persons also get it. Therefore He is known as Prema Purusottama Sacinandana Gauranga.
Five thousand years ago Krsna came in His own svarupa and in His Kuruksetra-lila He gave His message in the form of Bhagavad-gita through Arjuna to all mankind. There He gave confidential, more confidential and most confidential instruction. His most confidential instruction is man-mana bhava mad-bhakto, mad-yaji mam namaskuru : "Engage your mind always in thinking of Me, become My devotee, offer obeisances to Me and worship Me. Being completely absorbed in Me, surely you will come to Me." (Bg. 9.34) That is His most confidential instruction. The concluding instruction is, sarva dharman parityajya, mam-ekam saranam vraja, giving up all varieties of dharma, just surrender unto Me. (Bg 18.66) He only said this theoretically, He never taught how to surrender practically.
"I Have To Go Again"
So after winding up His lila after Dvapara-yuga, He went to His own abode, Goloka Vrndavan and because He's the only well-wishing friend of all living entities, suhrdam sarva-bhutanam, therefore He is thinking, "I have given confidential, more confidential and most confidential instruction to Arjuna for all mankind, but after Dvarpara-yuga there is Kali-yuga, the most sinful age. Due to an increase of sinful activities the consciousness of the people is most polluted consciousness. All are engaged in sinful activities. They cannot understand what I said, they cannot understand this saranagati-tattva and I have only said theoretically, I have not demonstrated it practically how to surrender. Therefore I have to go again." So He came again as Gauranga Mahaprabhu. This is the purpose, this is the reason why He comes.
yuga dharma pravartaimu nama-sankirtana
cari bhava-bhakti diya nacamu bhuvana
"I shall personally inaugurate the religion of the age nama-sankirtana, the congregational chanting of the holy name. I shall make the world dance in ecstasy, realizing the four mellows of loving devotional service." (Cc. Adi 3.19)
I'll go and preach this yuga-dharma, nama-sankirtan and I'll give the four forms of bhakti: dasya [sevitorship], sakhya [friendship], vatsalya [parenthood], madhurya, [conjugal love] (santa, neutrality, is discarded in Sriman Mahaprabhu's line), and make the whole world dance with that bhava-bhakti.
apani karimu bhakta-bhava angikare
apani acari bhakti sikhaimu sabare
I'll accept bhakta-bhava, the mood of a bhakta and I'll teach bhakti . Unless I practice it Myself I cannot teach.
apane na kaila dharma sikhana na yaya
ei ta' siddhanta gita-bhagavate gaya
(Cc Adi, 3.20-21)
If I don't practice bhakti,sarangati (surrender) in My own life, I cannot teach it. So His mood is bhakti-bhava, the mood of a bhakta . This is the purpose and this is the external cause (bahiranga karanam). Then there is the internal cause (antaranga karanam). The external cause is for others, it is for the people of Kali-yuga, kali-yuga jiva. Therefore it is bahiranga, or external. Antaranga is mean for Himself. These two causes are there and then that calling of Advaita Acarya which I'll speak about tomorrow morning, is there. That is also one of the causes, but the most internal cause is to fulfill the three desires.
radhayah pranaya-mahima kidrso vanayaiva
svadyo yenadbhuta-madhurima kidrso va madiyah
saukhyam casya mad-anubhavatah kidrsam veti lobhat
tad bhavadhyah samajami saci-garbha-sindhau harinduh
"Desiring to understand the glory of Radharani's love, the wonderful qualities in Him that She alone relishes through Her love, and the happiness She feels when She realizes the sweetness of His love, the Supreme Lord Hari, richly endowed with Her emotions, appears from the womb of Srimati Sacidevi as the moon appears from the ocean." (Cc. Adi. 1.6)
Svarup Damodara Gosvami has said this and this quotation is mentioned by Rupa Gosvami in Lalita-Madhava . Three types of desires remain unfulfilled in Krsna-lila. What is radhayah pranaya-mahima kidrso vanayarva, what is Radharani's love? Svadyo yenadbhuta madhurima kidrso va madiyah, what is my rupa-madhuri, excellent beauty, My beauty that Radharani relishes? What is My extra-excellent beauty and how can I relish it? In other words this veti lobhat, three desires, three types of greed developed in the Supreme Lord Krsna. Therefore, saci garbha-sindhau harinduh, to fulfill these three desires, these three types of greed, He appeared from the womb of Sacimata, that is Gaura-avatara.
Greed
Here this word lobha ? greed, is very, very significant. The Lord has greed. It is quite natural that we have greed. We are greed persons, materially greedy. This greed of the material world is condemned, it is considered as one of the enemies. In the 16 th chapter, 21 st verse of Bhagavad-gita you'll find Lord Krsna has said:
tri-vidham narakasyedam
dvaram nasanam atmanah
kamah krodhas tatha lobhas
tasmad etat trayam tyajey
(Bg. 16.21)
Lord Krsna says, give up these three, kama, krodha, lobha - lust, anger and greed. If you become influenced or affected by these three then you will open your door towards hell, so give up these things. This lobha (greed) is very bad. Those persons who are materially greedy, definitely they suffer. For example, one very small story is there.
A greedy boy was in his house when his mother put some nice berries into an earthen pot, like a water pot that has a very narrow opening. The boy developed greed to get some of those berries so he put his hand into the pot and grasped a handful of those berries. When he tried to get his hand out of the pot, it got caught because the opening was so narrow and caused some pain as he pulled but it wouldn't come out so he was crying. This is suffering out of greed. Though he's suffering, he's not allowing any berries to get out. A simple story showing the consequence of greed is suffering. Therefore Bhagavan Krsna in Gita says to give up this greed.
But this greed can be utilised in Krsna's service. This word lobha is a very ancient word, it is not a modern word. The seed of this greed is also there in Bhagavan and in bhakta also. So in respect of Bhagavat-bhakta, the devotee of the Lord will say, lobha sadhu-sange hari-katha . How can you utilise this greed? Develop this greed to have more and more sadhu-sanga, association of sadhus and hear more and more Krsna-katha . Develop this greed, this is very nice greed, this is spiritual greed, transcendental greed. One should not give up this greed. One should develop this greed more and more. The more you develop this greed the more you get spiritual relishment and spiritual advancement. One who is not greedy he cannot make advancement in the spiritual path in this respect. But material greed should be given up, whereas spiritual greed should be developed.
Again it is said:
Krsna-bhakti-rasa-bhavita matih
kriyatam jadi kuto pi labhyate,
tatra laulyam api mulyam-ekalam
janma-koti-sukrtair na labhyate
"Pure devotional service in Krsna consciousness cannot be had even by pious activity in hundreds and thousands of lives. It can be attained only by paying one price ? that is intense greed to obtain it. If it is available somewhere, one must purchase it without delay." (Padyavali 14)
Laulya means lobha (greed). That means from this verse you can understand how the seed of greed is there. The purport is that if you have such spiritual greed you can achieve krsna-bhakti-rasa, mellow of Krsna-bhakti, otherwise if you are devoid of this greed you cannot have it, cannot achieve it. Sadhu sange hari katha . One should develop this greed of having more and more sadhu-sanga and hearing more and more hari-kirtan, hari-katha, than you will make advancement in bhajan-sadhana . Materialistic people don't know the use of this greed, they abuse it, utilising it for material enjoyment, material possessions, they suffer. So when you speak about the advent of Sacinandana Gaura Hari, the Appearance of Gauranga Mahaprabhu, this greed is there.
This is Very Wonderful
In the beginning I explained that Krsna developed three types of greed that could not be fulfilled Krsna-lila, therefore Gaura-avatara. In Gaura-lila those three types of greed are fulfilled. This is very wonderful using this word greed. Has anybody used such word previously? No one has used such word previously. Svarupa Damodara Goswami has used it. Therefore, Vrajaraja-nandana Krsna became Sacinandana Gaura Hari because of the development of this greed. One who is purna-brahma, one who has no deficiency, no wanting anything, still He develops greed. Wonderful! Wonderful! He has no deficiency, He is purna-brahma, He is self-satisfied, He doesn't want anything, there is no lacking there. Why such greed? Wonderful, so wonderful! One should understand its mystery, what is the tattva behind it? He who is aptakama (self-satisfied), atmarama, who is rasa-svarupa-purna-brahma, who is paramananda-maya, supremely blissful sacidananda-maya, He develops greed. What type of greed and to get what? Very wonderful! Very wonderful! Now you can understand how the seed of this greed gradually develops and the culmination is there in Gauranga svarupa. I'll give you an example.
The Greed of Lord Visnu
Vaikuntha-dhipati Visnu, He develops some greed. He develops the desire for fighting. He cherishes that, I'll fight. When He is Bhagavan the six types of opulences are there completely in Him and one of the opulences is strength or bala . Incomparable strength is there, therefore it is quite natural to develop such desire that, I'll fight and fulfill this desire, this greed. Whenever Bhagavan wants to fulfill some desire, His internal energy, potency, Yogamaya creates such an atmosphere. So when this desire developed in Vaikuntha-dhipati Narayan to fight, Yogamaya, the internal potency created the circumstances to fulfill that desire.
Another point is that the opponent should be equally strong otherwise one cannot get pleasure in fighting. So who is there? With whom will the Lord fight? Then the question of Jaya and Vijaya, the two doorkeepers, who were very strong came. By the desire or will of the Supreme Lord those two doorkeepers were cursed by the four Kumaras to become demons for three lives. Yogamaya did it. The first is Hiranyaksa and Hiranyakasipu, the the second is Ravana and Kumbhakana and the third is Sisupala and Dantavakra. Three incarnations are there and Lord Visnu, Narayana fought with them and got pleasure in fighting. This is the greed of Narayana, Visnu, this is in Srimad Bhagavatam . So this is lobha .
The Greed of Lord Nrsimhadeva
Then came the greed of Nrsimhadev. Nrsimhadev has two types of forms, ugra (fearsome) and anugra (peaceful). One is a very fearful form and another is a very peaceful form. After killing Hirasnyakasipu, Nrsimhadev is very, very fearful, an extremely fearful form and He was dancing, like the tandava-nrtya of Siva at the time of annihilation. The whole world was trembling seeing such dancing and anger of the fearful form of Nrsimhadev. All the demigods are offering prayers to pacify Him, but it was all null and void. Then they requested Bhakta Prahlad, "You please go and calm down the anger of Lord Nrsimhadev." Prahlad Maharaja is a very dear devotee of the Lord, so Prahlad went there to offer prayers and Lord Nrsimhadev became calm and then His form is a very peaceful form. Then Nrsimhadev put His dear devotee Prahlad, like a son, on His lap. At that time vatsalya-prem, parental love and affection developed in Nrsimhadev.
Both father and son relish this rasa, mellow. Father relishes, son also relishes by sitting in the lap of the father, so it is reciprocal but the relishing if this mellow of the son is greater than that of the father. One should understand this. So Nrsimhadev developed that greed, "How can I sit in the lap of My father and relish that rasa? In this incarnation My father is a stone pillar, I cannot have it." So He developed that greed. Then all the incarnations after Nrsimhadeva came accepting father and mother, to fulfill that greed.
The Greed of Lord Rama
Lord Ram also developed greed, very nice topic you see. Vibhisana and Sugriva are friends of Lord Ram. That means sakhya-rasa is there in Ram avatara. But there are two types of sakhya-rasa,visrambha and sambhrama sakhya. Sambhrama means with awe and reverence and visrambha and sambhrama is without awe and reverence - equal. So the sakhya-rasa in Ram avatara is the sambhrama sakhya, with awe and reverence. There is no question of visrambha sakhya or equality. In Ram-avatara His friends Sugriva and Vibhisana cannot climb onto the shoulders of Lord Ram. They cannot snatch away the food from the mouth of Lord Ram, what to speak of climbing onto the shoulders of Lord Ram. They are afraid if even their leg will touch Lord Ram's body. They are afraid and it will be offensive. This is sambhrama sakhya . That means sakhya-rasa with awe and reverence.
But affection that the friends think themselves equal with the Lord. There is no question of awe and reverence. If your own leg will touch your own body, is there nay agitation? There is no agitation at all because it's your own leg touching your own body, not the leg of a different person. A different person is very cautious. If he comes near, he very cautiously moves. In Krsna-lila you will find this visrambha sakhya . The cowherd boys climb up to the shoulders of Krsna and they snatch away the food from the mouth of Krsna and Krsna snatches away the food from the mouth of the cowherd boys as if equal. The legs of the cowherd boys touch Krsna's body and there is no agitation in Krsna because it's as if it is His own leg, because priya-syasakha, is very dear. Therefore, there is equality and abhinnam (non-difference). But in Ram-avatara this sakhya-rasa is not relished. Therefore Lord Ram develops greed for it, how can I relish it? Then it was fulfilled in Krsna avatara.
The Essence of Conjugal Mellow
Also another rasa is there, ie. conjugal mellow, madhurya-rasa. In Ram avatara, Lord Ram is maryada-purusottama, who very strictly follows Vedic rules and regulations. Never transgresses them at all, eka-patni-dhara . He accepts only one wife, not more than one wife. Very strictly follows. In Ram-lila, mahurya-rasa, the conjugal mellow is not relished there because when there is a question of union milan and separation, biraha between lover and beloved, the essence of that conjugal rasa is relished in the highest degree. We will find also in Ram-lila is union and separation of Rama and Sita. Ravana kidnapped Sita, took her away so there is separation and also to give pleasure and happiness to His citizens He, (Lord Ram) banished Sita, separation is there also, but there is no variegatedness in this type of separation, it is not natural, it is forced, so there is no question of relishing the essence of that conjugal mellow.
Rupa Gosvami has mentioned all these things (i.e. different types of virahas (separation) in Ujjvala Nilamani . There are many types of virahas: purava-raga viraha, mana viraha, prema -vaicitya viraha, and these virahas or separations are not there in Ram-lila, no. One type of viraha is there, pravasa viraha . You cannot understand but just hear this. This is in Ujjvala Nilamani. It is a big topic and very, very confidential and subtle point. I am not going to explain it but when some occasion will arise I'll tell you. All these virahas are there Krsna-lila, this prema vaicitya viraha, purva-raga viraha, mana viraha . Therefore Lord Ram develops this greed, how to relish these types of viraha . In Krsna-avatara this greed is filled. The viraha, the separation between lover and beloved is highest platform of prema . On that platform both the nayaka nd nayika, lover and beloved, relish that mellow in their heart. Therefore in Krsna-lila, Krsna is Radha-kanta (the husband of Radha) Radha is His own wife, Gopi-kanta, (the husband of gopis), He's the husband of gopis, He made them the wives of others to relish parakiya-rasa .
In Ram-lila only svakiya-rasa is relished. Svakiya means ones own wife, not the relishment of parakiya-rasa . Therefore Ram developed that greed. So Krsna made His own wives of others to relish parakiya -rasa. Therefore that greed is fulfilled in Krsna-lila but remained unfulfilled in Ram-lila; therefore Krsna-avatara. In this way, this is how the development of greed gradually turned into incarnation after incarnation of the Lord.
The Abode of Love
Now in Krsna-lila these three types of greed are there:
sri radhayah pranaya-mahima kidrso vanayaiva
svadyo yenadbhuta-madhurima kidrso va madiyah
saukhyam casya mad-anubhavatah kidrsam veti lobhat
tad bhavadhyah samajami saci-garbha-sindhau harinduh
"Desiring to understand the glory of Radharani'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, appears from the womb of Srimati Sacidevi as the moon appears from the ocean." (Cc Adi, 1.6)
Krsna developed these three types of greed, as I previously mentioned. The first desire (or greed): What is the love of Radharani and how can I relish it? Second desire (or greed): What is My excellent all-attractive beauty? I cannot relish Myself. So how can I have it? And the third desire (or greed): What pleasure and happiness does Radharani get by relishing My all-attractive excellent beauty? How can I have it? These three greeds, these three desires remain unfulfilled in Krsna-lila, therefore Gaura-avatara. The fulfillment of three types of desires and greed is antaranga karanam, internal cause. Svarupa Damodara Goswami has used this word lobhat meaning, from greed. This word is so significant.
Thank you very much.
Sri Gauranga Pranama
namo maha-vadayaya krsna-prema-pradaya te
krsnaya krsna-caitanya-namne gaura-tvise namah
O most munificent incarnation! You are Krsna Himself ap pearing as Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu. You have assumed the golden color of Srimati Radharani, and You are widely distributing pure love of Krsna. We offer our respectful obeisances unto You.
Sri Panca-tattva Pranama
panca-tattvatmakam krsnam bhakta-rupa-svarupakam
bhaktavataram bhaktakhyam namami bhakta-saktikam
I offer my obeisances unto the Supreme Lord, Krsna, who is nondifferent from His features as a devotee, devotional incarnation, devotional manifestation pure devotee, and devotional energy.
Panca-tattva Maha-mantra
(jaya) sri-krsna-caitanya prabhu nityananda
sri-advaita gadadhara srivasadi-gaura-bhakta-vrnda
HARE KRSNA HARE KRSNA KRSNA KRSNA HARE HARE
HARE RAMA HARE RAMA RAMA RAMA HARE HARE
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Lecture by His Holiness Candramauli Swami, given on March 1, at the 2007 Gaura Purnima Festival, Sri Mayapur Candrodaya Mandir, Mayapur, India.
Caitanya Caritamrta, Adi 3.47
suvarna-varno hemango varangas candanangadi
sannyasa-krc chamah santo nistha-santi-parayanah
TRANSLATION: "In His early pastimes He appears as a householder with a golden complexion. His limbs are beautiful, and His body, smeared with the pulp of sandalwood, seems like molten gold. In His later pastimes He accepts the sannyasa order, and He is equipoised and peaceful. He is the highest abode of peace and devotion, for He silences the impersonalist nondevotees."
PURPORT: This is a verse from the Mahabharata (Dana-dharma, Visnu-sahasra-nama-stotra). In his commentary on the Visnu-sahasra-nama, called the Namartha-sudha, Srila Baladeva Vidyabhusana, commenting upon this verse, asserts that Lord Caitanya is the Supreme Personality of Godhead according to the evidence of the Upanisads. He explains that suvarna-varnah means a golden complexion. He also quotes the Vedic injunction yada pasyah pasyate rukma-varnam kartaram isam purusam brahma-yonim (Mundaka Up. 3.1.3). Rukma-varnam kartaram isam refers to the Supreme Personality of Godhead as having a complexion the color of molten gold. Purusam means the Supreme Lord, and brahma-yonim indicates that He is also the Supreme Brahman. This evidence, too, proves that Lord Caitanya is the Supreme Personality of Godhead Krsna. Another meaning of the description of the Lord as having a golden hue is that Lord Caitanya's personality is as fascinating as gold is attractive. Srila Baladeva Vidyabhusana has explained that the word varanga means "exquisitely beautiful."
Lord Caitanya accepted sannyasa, leaving aside His householder life, to preach His mission. He has equanimity in different senses. First, He describes the confidential truth of the Personality of Godhead, and second, He satisfies everyone by knowledge and attachment to Krsna. He is peaceful because He renounces all topics not related to the service of Krsna. Srila Baladeva Vidyabhusana has explained that the word nistha indicates His being rigidly fixed in chanting the holy name of Sri Krsna. Lord Caitanya subdued all disturbing opponents of devotional service, especially the monists, who are actually averse to the personal feature of the Supreme Lord. [End of purport]
Candramauli Swami: So in these last few days prior to the appearance of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Gaura Purnima, we've turned our attention to his personality, his glories, his activities, everything about the Supreme Lord in the form of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
This verse is actually from the Mahabharata. It is describing the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. It's interesting how with careful research, one can find, in various religious scriptures, indication of Caitanya Mahaprabhu's identity, his appearance, and his activities. Here we find in the Mahabharata. Also in Srimad-Bhagavatam, in the prayers by Prahlad Maharaja to Lord Nrsimhadeva, the Lord is also indicated as one who appears in the color of gold, or yellow, pita.
Also in the same Srimad-Bhagavatam, in the prayers by the residents of Jambudvipa, the Lord is mentioned as tri-yuga. Tri-yuga refers to that personality who is the Supreme Personality of Godhead who appears as the Lord in three yugas: in Satya-yuga, Treta-yuga, Dvapara-yuga. In Kali-yuga he is channa-avatara. Channa means hidden. He appears not as the supreme Lord but as his own devotee. Therefore he is referred to as tri-yuga, or as the Lord who appears in three yugas. But in the Kali-yuga he appears as a devotee of himself.
This is the position of Lord Caitanya that actually he is coming as his own devotee. It is explained in the Caitanya-caritamrta in this fourth chapter that he comes for six reasons. Three of them are external and three are internal. It is explained that the internal reasons are foremost, the primary. The external reasons we all know. He comes to fulfill the yuga-dharma, the chanting of the Holy Names of the Lord or to spread the mercy of pure love of Godhead in the form of harinama-sankirtana. That is considered external. Also it is mentioned in Bhagavad-gita:
yada yada hi dharmasya glanir bhavati bharata abhyutthanam adharmasya tadatmanam srjamy aham
paritranaya sadhunam vinasaya ca duskrtam dharma-samsthapanarthaya sambhavami yuge yuge
He comes in every yuga. In order to fulfill his own words in Bhagavad-gita, he keeps that principle and appears in the Kali-yuga. But he appears once in every thousand yuga cycles in the Kali-yuga as Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, as the channa-avatara, hidden. Of course the third reason is to satisfy the desire and the heartfelt prayers of Sri Advaita Acarya.
Jaya Radha-Madhava, Asta-Sakhi ki jai!
Sri Advaita Acarya was praying from the core of his heart that these inhabitants of Navadvipa Dham have become so lost. Before the advent of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Navadvipa Dham was considered one of the greatest centers of learning throughout the entire world. People from all over the world would go to get the highest and best education in Navadvipa. It was concerned the greatest of all education bastions. It had some of the greatest scholars in the world. In fact, all of the religious scriptures known were present here. But generally, the population was somewhat pious but not very much absorbed in pure devotional service. People were educated, they had great intelligence, pious activities, good qualities, a lot of material facilities, worshiping demigods, but very little of the essence of spiritual life, pure devotional service.
Advaita Acarya, of course, who is Advaita Acarya? He is a combination of Sada Siva and Mahavisnu. He is praying to the Lord, "Please come."
He was angry to see how people were wasting their lives in material education. They were spending all their money. They would spend practically life savings on weddings and pujas and vratas and homas. They were even doing things like marrying cats and dogs because when you get materially wealthy and situated, after a while, you get bored. You just want to do different things or change. That's what happens when too much material opulence without any real, solid spiritual worship. They get bored after a while, so they do different things. It is explained by Vrindavan Das Thakur in Caitanya-bhagavat that they were engaging in marriage of cats and dogs. Can you imagine?
Advaita Acarya, feeling compassion for the fallen conditioned souls of this age, he went down to the banks of the Ganges with great prayers in his heart, worshiping his Nrsimha-sila with tulasi leaves and praying from the core of his heart, "Please my dear Lord, come."
And Lord Caitanya actually said, "I have come because of the prayers of Advaita Acarya." But there are many reasons. These are the three external reasons.
The internal reasons are actually the primary reasons. What are the internal reasons? These are very interesting. Sri Krsna himself, in order to experience the position of Srimati Radharani, wanting to understand her position in relationship to himself, he took on the position of her. He took on her bhava, her relationship with Krsna. He wanted to understand not only her position but he wanted to understand, "What is so attractive about me. Why am I so attractive to Srimati Radharani?" She cannot, even for a fraction of an iota of an insignificant speck of time, not be absorbed in pure loving service to Krsna. Her love is intense. Even Krsna couldn't understand Radharani's love. He wanted to find out what was the nature of that love and what was it about him that makes her have such deep love. So he wanted to understand his own good qualities.
Krsna is very attractive. There is a story, one time Krsna was walking along and he came across a pillar. The pillar had a reflecting surface. He stopped and looked and said, "Wow, who is that beautiful personality there?" He was so overwhelmed seeing his own image that he just ran toward it to embrace it. Then he realized it was himself. [Chuckles] This is Krsna. He is so attractive that he attracts himself.
But in order to understand his own attractiveness, he had to take the position of the object in order to understand the subject. Also to understand what is the nature of the happiness she experiences from that loving relationship, her happiness, her love, her position, and what are his qualities. These are the internal reasons.
Srila Krsnadas Kaviraja Goswami points out in the Caitanya-caritamrta that the time for the yuga-dharma or for descending in order to propagate the teachings of harinama-sankirtana just happened to coincide with Lord Krsna's desire to appear as Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu to understand the internal reasons of his appearance, in other words, to understand that loving relationship. The external reasons are secondary.
Here in this particular verse it is describing some of his extraordinary qualities. One of the qualities that is mentioned, it was mentioned in the previous class by His Holiness Sivarama Maharaja, that he has a beautiful golden color. Radharani is called Gaurangi and Caitanya Mahaprabhu is called Gauranga, golden complexion. Actually Krsna told Radharani, when he was in the spiritual world, "I am descending in order to taste this loving relationship of your love for me."
When Radharani heard about that, she was quite alarmed because she knew the ecstasy he would experience in trying to experience her bhava. Therefore she said, "Your body will not be able to maintain. Therefore I give you protection of your body. I give you my own color." She gave him the color golden. So here is it is explained: radha-bhava-dyuti-suvalitam, that he is decorated with the transcendental color of Srimati Radharani. He is called Gauranga.
ajanu-lambita-bhujau kanakavadatau sankirtanaika-pitarau kamalayataksau visvambharau dvija-varau yuga-dharma-palau vande jagat priya-karau karunavatarau
In that verse it is also mentioned that Lord Caitanya has a golden color. His arms extend down to his knees. His eyes are elongated. His is the best of the brahmanas and he is teaching the highest principles of religion. That is, he is initiating personally himself the yuga-dharma, the harinama-sankirtana movement.
This chanting the Holy Name is the essence of all religious principles. Yamaraja himself, when he was speaking to his followers after they had returned in their failed attempt to take the soul of Ajamila to the courtyard of Yamaraja, they were questioning Yamaraja, "What is your position?"
He explained, "Actually, I am not supreme. I am subordinate. The devotees of Krsna are in all sense worshipable. Therefore, even I worship them." Then he explained that in this age, devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the highest form of religious principles, but the essence of all devotional activities is to chant the Hare Krsna Mahamantra. That is the essence of the essence.
Sometimes when we preach, or even sometimes in a very uninformed understanding, we cannot understand how important it is to chant Hare Krsna. Actually, Srila Prabhupada said, "All your advancement in devotional service depends on chanting the Holy Names of the Lord." Everything else we do in our devotional service is meant to purify our consciousness so we can approach Krsna's name in the proper consciousness, with the proper mood.
Therefore all practices in devotional service are in one sense supporting the quality of our chanting if we are performing those activities in the right mood, with the right understanding: chanting, reading Srimad-Bhagavatam, associating with devotees, engaging in practical devotional service, worshiping the Supreme Personality of Godhead. These are various principles of powerful devotional service, but Caitanya Mahaprabhu, being the yuga-avatara, emphasized two things that are primary amongst all religious principles. Those two things are association and service to Vaisnavas and chanting the Hare Krsna Mahamantra. These are the essence of the essence.
Here in Sri Dham Mayapur we have such a wonderful opportunity to serve Vaisnavas and to hear and chant the Hare Krsna Mahamantra. Prabhupada said, "This Sri Dham Mayapur is the spiritual world. It is non-different."
One time one senior devotee asked Srila Prabhupada, they were in Mayapur, "Srila Prabhupada, sometimes devotees come to the dham and they are trying to enjoy here." It was kind of a question like maybe it's not right.
Prabhupada said, "The dham, it is for enjoyment. It is the spiritual world, spiritual enjoyment." What is that spiritual enjoyment? Chanting, dancing, associating with devotees, taking Krsna prasadam, hearing the philosophy of Bhagavad-gita, Srimad-Bhagavatam, and purifying our hearts. What is the culmination of purifying our hearts? Then these same activities become transcendentally blissful. It's not that we change our activities. The activities actually are the fundamental principle, the essence of devotional practice. But in a purified state of consciousness they bring the goal of life, that is, the direct connection between the Lord and his devotee.
So Caitanya Mahaprabhu came to teach that principle here in Sri Dham Mayapur. We are so fortunate to be here to be able to engage in these devotional activities - chanting the Holy Names, serving the Vaisnavas: nama ruci, vaisnava seva. Then he emphasized one other thing, Lord Caitanya mentioned. That is jiva doya. That is taking this mercy and giving it to others. We might call it preaching, but distributing the mercy to others. Not that we become "packed up", Prabhupada said, "packed up". We become packed up, that's nice, but the pack becomes bigger when you give it.
Lord Caitanya said, "I have the storehouse of the fruits of love of God and the storehouse is overwhelmed with fruits. I am just one gardener and I am trying to distribute these fruits to the entire world. How much can I do? Therefore, please help me to distribute these fruits."
He goes on to explain by distributing the fruits, the storehouse doesn't become less. It actually becomes greater. The more you give Krsna, the more you get Krsna. The more you try to keep Krsna, the more it is hard to find Krsna. Krsna is fast. He is always moving. So we are chasing Krsna by trying to catch him in the form of giving Krsna to others in devotional service. So these three things Lord Caitanya emphasized. So this is the essence of Lord Caitanya's movement. So we worship the Lord in this chanting and dancing.
We also have to be very conscience and cautious to avoid the negative. There are things to do and things not to do: anukulya, pratikula. Things I should do and things I don't do. Things that I don't do, if I do those things and I am still doing the things I do do, it's like building a fire and pouring water on it at the same time. One has to be very conscious to avoid things that are detrimental to devotional service.
Lord Caitanya says, "I give my full mercy to anyone chants the Holy Names of the Lord, serves the Vaisnavas, and does not find fault with others." He says, "Finding fault with others or criticizing others is the fastest way one can destroy the mercy that is being given." It is mentioned in the Caitanya-bhagavat that one who criticizes others, Lord Caitanya said, "That is like drinking poison and if you drink poison, you die." But how to neutralize that poisonous effect? Glorify others. By glorifying others, by glorifying the devotees, by seeing the good qualities in devotees and magnifying those qualities, that is like drinking nectar. When one drinks nectar, one attains immortal life.
So Lord Caitanya gives other considerations. We should be very careful not to engage in prajalpa, or useless talk, finding fault, criticizing, because we are just dampening the mercy that is so easily available in the form of this harinama-sankirtana. So it is important to keep these principles in mind. And Sri Caitanya is very merciful, but he emphasized certain principles that in order to practice devotional service successfully one must develop the qualities:
trnad api sunicena taror api sahisnuna amanina manadena kirtaniyah sada harih
This verse was spoken by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Maharaja sometimes he was asked, "Maharaja, can you tell me what is my svarupa, what is my internal relationship?"
He said, "Your svarupa is:
trnad api sunicena taror api sahisnuna amanina manadena kirtaniyah sada harih
This is actually the principle that Lord Caitanya emphasized as far as practicing devotional service successfully. And Krsnadas Kaviraja Goswami in Caitanya-caritamrta, he emphasizes this verse. He is actually quoting Jiva Goswami, Jiva Goswami says, "You take this verse and string it on the necklace of the Holy Name and wear it as your ornament." What is the result? The result is kirtaniyah sada. One can develop an attraction, an attachment to chanting the Holy Names of the Lord. Lord Caitanya emphasized this verse amongst many, many verses.
So we are here, Sri Dham Mayapur, just on the advent of the appearance of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. When he appears, of course he is always appearing in the hearts of the devotees who are following his instructions and the instructions of his representative, the spiritual master, but on this Gaura Purnima festival, the Lord's mercy is bestowed in such waves, such oceans that on his appearance day, this more or less inspires us to become more and more serious in our Krsna consciousness.
Many of us have to go back to our respective areas and we have to again associate with the material energy more directly. Sometimes in occupation or just living in mundane materialistic society. Whatever time we are here, we should try to get as much opportunity to absorb in the mercy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, purify our hearts more, bring it back, and preach that message to others.
Prabhupada says there are two aspects to devotional service: become purified and to help others become purified. Just to become Krsna conscious yourself is not possible. One has to actually be an instrument of the mercy for the Lord in whatever way we can. it's not that everyone has to take up a position of being a great scholar of the Vedas or preaching in a formal way. Lord Caitanya said, "Whoever you meet, tell them about Krsna. Whoever you meet, tell them about the chanting of the Holy Names. By my command, be guru, save the land." That means you come in contact, give them an opportunity to somehow come forward.
Lord Caitanya's mission is a mission of compassion. He has taken Radharani's love, which is his own bhava, in the form of this sankirtana movement, and he is garlanding the entire world with that love in the form of this sankirtana movement. This sankirtana movement is Radharani's love for Krsna. This is the internal mood of this entire lila of Caitanya Mahaprabhu, to give Radharani's love in the form of this sankirtana movement to the entire world.
We have a legacy. Our legacy is, as Srila Prabhupada said when someone asked him, "How can we serve you Prabhupada?"
Prabhupada said, "Do what I am doing." He means that we should also take the mission of the spiritual master as our life and soul. That means make his mission our practice in devotional service. To try to in any way, we just see what Krsna has given us, he has given us time, energy, facilities, opulences, intelligence, whatever, use that in any way you can to spread Krsna consciousness.
Caitanya Mahaprabhu when he went traveling through South India, he was spreading the Holy Name and everyone who saw him became inspired. That person told another person and that person told another person and that person told another person. In this way, Lord Caitanya's mercy in the form of the sankirtana movement spread throughout the entire continent of India. In the time of Caitanya Mahaprabhu, he made the entire continent of India Krsna conscious by his presence and his travels to South India. That is the power and that same mercy if fully available to us today.
sri-krsna-caitanya prabhu-nityananda sri-advaita gadadhara srivasadi-gaura-bhakta-vrnda
Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
Thank you very much.
Srila Prabhupada ki jai!
Do we have time for questions? Are there any questions, comments? Yes?
Question: Hare Krsna. Maharaja, you were speaking about criticism. Can you please explain corrective criticism? Also you were speaking about humility. Can you please explain also . . . ?
Candramauli Maharaja:I'll try. I don't have these qualities.
The spiritual master is in the position to find fault with his disciple. Why? As a service to his disciples, he can correct them to improve their devotional life. In general, a relationship with other devotees, unless it is in the role of a spiritual master-disciple, is to share the six loving exchanges: to talk about Krsna, to hear about Krsna, to give prasadam, to accept prasadam, to give gifts, to accept gifts.
If one finds a situation where one finds there is obligation to do some correction, one should be very, very careful and cautious to do it in such a way that doesn't cause disturbance and that person will accept. Generally when a person is doing something wrong, they are not in a position to understand because already their consciousness is wrong, so one has to be very sensitive in offering corrective criticism.
One should think ahead of time what will be the results. Even if your intention is not to offend and you do offend, it's still an offense. Unintentionally, still it is an offense. The relationships between devotees are very, very sweet, are meant to be very sweet and very, very loving. In order to keep that mood, even in the mood of correction, we should be very, very careful to do it in such a way that that person will accept.
If we feel we can't do that, we should ask someone else who feel may be in a better position to do that correction. It's not wrong to do it, provided it is done in the right consciousness. That means one has to be not in the mood of "I'm the corrector" but in the mood, "I want to help this person and their Krsna consciousness." It is a principle of compassion. Correction means you are trying to make that person act in a more proper way that their Krsna consciousness will not be affected in a negative way. You're trying to help them, but it has to be accepted in that way.
We shouldn't walk around looking for faults to be the all Supreme Personality of Godhead Corrector. Sometimes we find that. Some personalities put themselves in the position of correcting everybody. That is not Vaisnava attitude. The Vaisnava is always trying to see the good. Prabhupada said we should be like bumblebee. Bumblebee goes for the honey. Fly goes for the stool. Devotees may have, practically everyone has good qualities, everyone has faults, except pure devotees.
So you can see what you want to see. You can see the faults or you can see the good qualities. If you see the good qualities, then actually you'll appreciate. We find that as we change ourselves, we also change others. The more we develop our own Krsna consciousness, the more we will see the good qualities in others.
In the form of corrective criticism, if it is done in the proper mood as a service, then that is acceptable. Then again, one has to be careful how to do that. Not, "Hey Prabhu, you're in maya!" That's not going to work. First of all you can't call someone Prabhu and then say he's in maya. "Hey master, you're in maya. Hey, stop that!"
The devotees are humble. Many times they'll accept, but sometimes in their heart they'll feel, "Why did he do it like that? Why wasn't he more gentle and sensitive? I'm not such a demon." So we have to be careful in dealing with Vaisnavas, very careful. We see, we've committed a lot of Vaisnava aparadha in our society. A lot of times devotees go away because these things are done. Therefore, we have to be very, very careful but not foolish to allow things that are against religious principles to go on simply with the idea that we don't want to correct. If someone is doing something wrong of offensive, some attempt should be made. If I can't do it, let me contact someone who can do it more effectively.
Does that help? That didn't answer your question? OK.
[Unclear comment]
Devotees are not fools, but they are humble. Humility does not relegate one to foolishness. Humility is actually a position of empowerment. Humility means, Prabhupada gave different definitions, but one of them is, "I can't do anything; Krsna can do anything. Therefore, the more I take shelter of Krsna and the spiritual master, the more I become empowered."
Srila Prabhupada spread Krsna consciousness around the world, but he was one of the most humble of all personalities ever. He saw himself as an insignificant person, but he was fully devoted to the lotus feet of the Lord. He knew whatever success he is having or whatever he does is simply by the mercy and kindness of the Lord and his spiritual master. That is humility.
Humility also means I don't want to be honored. Prabhupada writes that in Bhagavad-gita in the Fourteenth Chapter. He is describing the qualities amanitvam adambhitvam. The first one is humility, the second one is pirdelessness, the third is tolerance. He explains that these are qualities of knowledge, or principles of knowledge.
The first principle of knowledge is humility because that is the main quality of a Vaisnava. So Prabhupada describes humility means not to want the distinction to be honored by others. Not wanting honor. Therefore amanina manadena, to want to honor others and not want honor for oneself.
If someone gives you honor and if you keep it, then pride can develop. But if someone gives you honor and you say, "All glories to my spiritual master. All glories to the Lord. This person is actually seeing some good qualities in me, that is his good quality he can see something good in me." These are some definitions of humility as give by the acaryas.
Humility also means not to think less oneself, but to think of oneself less. To think of oneself less. We are always thinking about me. We should be thinking about ? or Krsna or how to serve, like that. If we are so much overwhelmed by self consciousness, then that is a perverted principle of humility. "Oh, I am so fallen, I am so useless, I can't do anything. Therefore, I won't do anything." [Chuckles] That is not humility. Humility gives one empowerment, empowers one to do things.
Does that help?
Thank you.
OK, I think we should go on. They say one cannot live by philosophy alone. It's time for prasad.
Thank you very much.
Srila Prabhupada ki jai!
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The Advent Of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu
A Lecture given by Srila Gour Govinda Swami on the Auspicious Appearance Day of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, in Bhubaneswar, India, March 17, 1992.
Desiring to understand the glory of Radharani's love, the wonderful qualities in Him that She alone relishes through Her love, and the happiness She feels when She realizes the sweetness of His love, the Supreme Lord Hari, richly endowed with Her emotions, appears from the womb of Srimati Sacidevi as the moon appears from the ocean.
When we speak of the advent of Gauranga Mahaprabhu we should understand what is the cause of the appearance of Gauranga Mahaprabhu. There are two types of causes, external cause and internal cause. The external cause is to spread nama-prema, love of God through the chanting of the holy name, harinama-sankirtan, pracare-yuga dharma-pracara.
kali-yuga dharma haya hari-sankirtana
etad arthe avatirna Sri Sacinandana
(Caitanya-bhagavat, Adi, 2.22)
"The religious principle for the age of Kali is the congregational chanting of the holy names of the Lord. Sri Sacinandana incarnates to establish this principle." (Caitanya-bhagavat, Adi, 2.22)
To fulfill this purpose, Sacinandana appears:
ei kaye bhagavate sarva-tattva-sara
kirtana-nimitta gauracandra-avatara
"It is stated in the Srimad Bhagavatam that the Supreme Absolute Truth, Lord Gauracandra, incarnates to propagate the chanting of the holy names." (Caitanya-bhagavat, Adi, 2.23)
He is the father of hari-sankirtan,sankirtana-ike janakau . He is Gauranga Mahaprabhu:
kali-yuga sarva-dharma hari-sankirtana
sarva prakacilena caitanya-narayana
"Lord Caitanya inaugurated the congregational chanting of the holy names as the essence of all religious principles for the age of Kali." (Caitanya-bhagavat, Adi, 2.26)
This is a quotation from Caitanya Bhagavata:
kali-yuge sankirtana-dharma palibare
avatirna hoila prabhu sarva-parikare
"In Kali-yuga the Lord incarnates with His associates in order to maintain the religious principle of sankirtana." (Caitanya-bhagavat, Adi, 2.27)
With all His associates, paraphernalia, His dharma, Gauranga Mahaprabhu appears in Kali-yuga, especially this Kali-yuga, to fulfill this purpose ? yuga-dharma, nama-prema-pracara, (Cc Adi 3.40) and prema-dharma, the chief result of this harinama-sankirtan is to achieve Krsna-prema and to get Krsna. He is offering and distributing this Krsna-prema freely, indiscriminately, apamaram yo vitatara. "The most munificent Supreme Personality of Godhead, known as Gaurakrsna, distributed to everyoneeven the lowest of men." (Cc Madhya, 23.1)
brahmar durlabha prema saba kare sache
dina hina patita pamara nahi bache
(Srila Locan Dasa Thakura)
It is very difficult even on the part of Brahma to get such prem but Mahaprabhu gives it freely, indiscriminately. Even patita-pamaras, Jagai and Madhais, most degraded, most sinful persons also get it. Therefore He is known as Prema Purusottama Sacinandana Gauranga.
Five thousand years ago Krsna came in His own svarupa and in His Kuruksetra-lila He gave His message in the form of Bhagavad-gita through Arjuna to all mankind. There He gave confidential, more confidential and most confidential instruction. His most confidential instruction is man-mana bhava mad-bhakto, mad-yaji mam namaskuru : "Engage your mind always in thinking of Me, become My devotee, offer obeisances to Me and worship Me. Being completely absorbed in Me, surely you will come to Me." (Bg. 9.34) That is His most confidential instruction. The concluding instruction is, sarva dharman parityajya, mam-ekam saranam vraja, giving up all varieties of dharma, just surrender unto Me. (Bg 18.66) He only said this theoretically, He never taught how to surrender practically.
"I Have To Go Again"
So after winding up His lila after Dvapara-yuga, He went to His own abode, Goloka Vrndavan and because He's the only well-wishing friend of all living entities, suhrdam sarva-bhutanam, therefore He is thinking, "I have given confidential, more confidential and most confidential instruction to Arjuna for all mankind, but after Dvarpara-yuga there is Kali-yuga, the most sinful age. Due to an increase of sinful activities the consciousness of the people is most polluted consciousness. All are engaged in sinful activities. They cannot understand what I said, they cannot understand this saranagati-tattva and I have only said theoretically, I have not demonstrated it practically how to surrender. Therefore I have to go again." So He came again as Gauranga Mahaprabhu. This is the purpose, this is the reason why He comes.
yuga dharma pravartaimu nama-sankirtana
cari bhava-bhakti diya nacamu bhuvana
"I shall personally inaugurate the religion of the age nama-sankirtana, the congregational chanting of the holy name. I shall make the world dance in ecstasy, realizing the four mellows of loving devotional service." (Cc. Adi 3.19)
I'll go and preach this yuga-dharma, nama-sankirtan and I'll give the four forms of bhakti: dasya [sevitorship], sakhya [friendship], vatsalya [parenthood], madhurya, [conjugal love] (santa, neutrality, is discarded in Sriman Mahaprabhu's line), and make the whole world dance with that bhava-bhakti.
apani karimu bhakta-bhava angikare
apani acari bhakti sikhaimu sabare
I'll accept bhakta-bhava, the mood of a bhakta and I'll teach bhakti . Unless I practice it Myself I cannot teach.
apane na kaila dharma sikhana na yaya
ei ta' siddhanta gita-bhagavate gaya
(Cc Adi, 3.20-21)
If I don't practice bhakti,sarangati (surrender) in My own life, I cannot teach it. So His mood is bhakti-bhava, the mood of a bhakta . This is the purpose and this is the external cause (bahiranga karanam). Then there is the internal cause (antaranga karanam). The external cause is for others, it is for the people of Kali-yuga, kali-yuga jiva. Therefore it is bahiranga, or external. Antaranga is mean for Himself. These two causes are there and then that calling of Advaita Acarya which I'll speak about tomorrow morning, is there. That is also one of the causes, but the most internal cause is to fulfill the three desires.
radhayah pranaya-mahima kidrso vanayaiva
svadyo yenadbhuta-madhurima kidrso va madiyah
saukhyam casya mad-anubhavatah kidrsam veti lobhat
tad bhavadhyah samajami saci-garbha-sindhau harinduh
"Desiring to understand the glory of Radharani's love, the wonderful qualities in Him that She alone relishes through Her love, and the happiness She feels when She realizes the sweetness of His love, the Supreme Lord Hari, richly endowed with Her emotions, appears from the womb of Srimati Sacidevi as the moon appears from the ocean." (Cc. Adi. 1.6)
Svarup Damodara Gosvami has said this and this quotation is mentioned by Rupa Gosvami in Lalita-Madhava . Three types of desires remain unfulfilled in Krsna-lila. What is radhayah pranaya-mahima kidrso vanayarva, what is Radharani's love? Svadyo yenadbhuta madhurima kidrso va madiyah, what is my rupa-madhuri, excellent beauty, My beauty that Radharani relishes? What is My extra-excellent beauty and how can I relish it? In other words this veti lobhat, three desires, three types of greed developed in the Supreme Lord Krsna. Therefore, saci garbha-sindhau harinduh, to fulfill these three desires, these three types of greed, He appeared from the womb of Sacimata, that is Gaura-avatara.
Greed
Here this word lobha ? greed, is very, very significant. The Lord has greed. It is quite natural that we have greed. We are greed persons, materially greedy. This greed of the material world is condemned, it is considered as one of the enemies. In the 16 th chapter, 21 st verse of Bhagavad-gita you'll find Lord Krsna has said:
tri-vidham narakasyedam
dvaram nasanam atmanah
kamah krodhas tatha lobhas
tasmad etat trayam tyajey
(Bg. 16.21)
Lord Krsna says, give up these three, kama, krodha, lobha - lust, anger and greed. If you become influenced or affected by these three then you will open your door towards hell, so give up these things. This lobha (greed) is very bad. Those persons who are materially greedy, definitely they suffer. For example, one very small story is there.
A greedy boy was in his house when his mother put some nice berries into an earthen pot, like a water pot that has a very narrow opening. The boy developed greed to get some of those berries so he put his hand into the pot and grasped a handful of those berries. When he tried to get his hand out of the pot, it got caught because the opening was so narrow and caused some pain as he pulled but it wouldn't come out so he was crying. This is suffering out of greed. Though he's suffering, he's not allowing any berries to get out. A simple story showing the consequence of greed is suffering. Therefore Bhagavan Krsna in Gita says to give up this greed.
But this greed can be utilised in Krsna's service. This word lobha is a very ancient word, it is not a modern word. The seed of this greed is also there in Bhagavan and in bhakta also. So in respect of Bhagavat-bhakta, the devotee of the Lord will say, lobha sadhu-sange hari-katha . How can you utilise this greed? Develop this greed to have more and more sadhu-sanga, association of sadhus and hear more and more Krsna-katha . Develop this greed, this is very nice greed, this is spiritual greed, transcendental greed. One should not give up this greed. One should develop this greed more and more. The more you develop this greed the more you get spiritual relishment and spiritual advancement. One who is not greedy he cannot make advancement in the spiritual path in this respect. But material greed should be given up, whereas spiritual greed should be developed.
Again it is said:
Krsna-bhakti-rasa-bhavita matih
kriyatam jadi kuto pi labhyate,
tatra laulyam api mulyam-ekalam
janma-koti-sukrtair na labhyate
"Pure devotional service in Krsna consciousness cannot be had even by pious activity in hundreds and thousands of lives. It can be attained only by paying one price ? that is intense greed to obtain it. If it is available somewhere, one must purchase it without delay." (Padyavali 14)
Laulya means lobha (greed). That means from this verse you can understand how the seed of greed is there. The purport is that if you have such spiritual greed you can achieve krsna-bhakti-rasa, mellow of Krsna-bhakti, otherwise if you are devoid of this greed you cannot have it, cannot achieve it. Sadhu sange hari katha . One should develop this greed of having more and more sadhu-sanga and hearing more and more hari-kirtan, hari-katha, than you will make advancement in bhajan-sadhana . Materialistic people don't know the use of this greed, they abuse it, utilising it for material enjoyment, material possessions, they suffer. So when you speak about the advent of Sacinandana Gaura Hari, the Appearance of Gauranga Mahaprabhu, this greed is there.
This is Very Wonderful
In the beginning I explained that Krsna developed three types of greed that could not be fulfilled Krsna-lila, therefore Gaura-avatara. In Gaura-lila those three types of greed are fulfilled. This is very wonderful using this word greed. Has anybody used such word previously? No one has used such word previously. Svarupa Damodara Goswami has used it. Therefore, Vrajaraja-nandana Krsna became Sacinandana Gaura Hari because of the development of this greed. One who is purna-brahma, one who has no deficiency, no wanting anything, still He develops greed. Wonderful! Wonderful! He has no deficiency, He is purna-brahma, He is self-satisfied, He doesn't want anything, there is no lacking there. Why such greed? Wonderful, so wonderful! One should understand its mystery, what is the tattva behind it? He who is aptakama (self-satisfied), atmarama, who is rasa-svarupa-purna-brahma, who is paramananda-maya, supremely blissful sacidananda-maya, He develops greed. What type of greed and to get what? Very wonderful! Very wonderful! Now you can understand how the seed of this greed gradually develops and the culmination is there in Gauranga svarupa. I'll give you an example.
The Greed of Lord Visnu
Vaikuntha-dhipati Visnu, He develops some greed. He develops the desire for fighting. He cherishes that, I'll fight. When He is Bhagavan the six types of opulences are there completely in Him and one of the opulences is strength or bala . Incomparable strength is there, therefore it is quite natural to develop such desire that, I'll fight and fulfill this desire, this greed. Whenever Bhagavan wants to fulfill some desire, His internal energy, potency, Yogamaya creates such an atmosphere. So when this desire developed in Vaikuntha-dhipati Narayan to fight, Yogamaya, the internal potency created the circumstances to fulfill that desire.
Another point is that the opponent should be equally strong otherwise one cannot get pleasure in fighting. So who is there? With whom will the Lord fight? Then the question of Jaya and Vijaya, the two doorkeepers, who were very strong came. By the desire or will of the Supreme Lord those two doorkeepers were cursed by the four Kumaras to become demons for three lives. Yogamaya did it. The first is Hiranyaksa and Hiranyakasipu, the the second is Ravana and Kumbhakana and the third is Sisupala and Dantavakra. Three incarnations are there and Lord Visnu, Narayana fought with them and got pleasure in fighting. This is the greed of Narayana, Visnu, this is in Srimad Bhagavatam . So this is lobha .
The Greed of Lord Nrsimhadeva
Then came the greed of Nrsimhadev. Nrsimhadev has two types of forms, ugra (fearsome) and anugra (peaceful). One is a very fearful form and another is a very peaceful form. After killing Hirasnyakasipu, Nrsimhadev is very, very fearful, an extremely fearful form and He was dancing, like the tandava-nrtya of Siva at the time of annihilation. The whole world was trembling seeing such dancing and anger of the fearful form of Nrsimhadev. All the demigods are offering prayers to pacify Him, but it was all null and void. Then they requested Bhakta Prahlad, "You please go and calm down the anger of Lord Nrsimhadev." Prahlad Maharaja is a very dear devotee of the Lord, so Prahlad went there to offer prayers and Lord Nrsimhadev became calm and then His form is a very peaceful form. Then Nrsimhadev put His dear devotee Prahlad, like a son, on His lap. At that time vatsalya-prem, parental love and affection developed in Nrsimhadev.
Both father and son relish this rasa, mellow. Father relishes, son also relishes by sitting in the lap of the father, so it is reciprocal but the relishing if this mellow of the son is greater than that of the father. One should understand this. So Nrsimhadev developed that greed, "How can I sit in the lap of My father and relish that rasa? In this incarnation My father is a stone pillar, I cannot have it." So He developed that greed. Then all the incarnations after Nrsimhadeva came accepting father and mother, to fulfill that greed.
The Greed of Lord Rama
Lord Ram also developed greed, very nice topic you see. Vibhisana and Sugriva are friends of Lord Ram. That means sakhya-rasa is there in Ram avatara. But there are two types of sakhya-rasa,visrambha and sambhrama sakhya. Sambhrama means with awe and reverence and visrambha and sambhrama is without awe and reverence - equal. So the sakhya-rasa in Ram avatara is the sambhrama sakhya, with awe and reverence. There is no question of visrambha sakhya or equality. In Ram-avatara His friends Sugriva and Vibhisana cannot climb onto the shoulders of Lord Ram. They cannot snatch away the food from the mouth of Lord Ram, what to speak of climbing onto the shoulders of Lord Ram. They are afraid if even their leg will touch Lord Ram's body. They are afraid and it will be offensive. This is sambhrama sakhya . That means sakhya-rasa with awe and reverence.
But affection that the friends think themselves equal with the Lord. There is no question of awe and reverence. If your own leg will touch your own body, is there nay agitation? There is no agitation at all because it's your own leg touching your own body, not the leg of a different person. A different person is very cautious. If he comes near, he very cautiously moves. In Krsna-lila you will find this visrambha sakhya . The cowherd boys climb up to the shoulders of Krsna and they snatch away the food from the mouth of Krsna and Krsna snatches away the food from the mouth of the cowherd boys as if equal. The legs of the cowherd boys touch Krsna's body and there is no agitation in Krsna because it's as if it is His own leg, because priya-syasakha, is very dear. Therefore, there is equality and abhinnam (non-difference). But in Ram-avatara this sakhya-rasa is not relished. Therefore Lord Ram develops greed for it, how can I relish it? Then it was fulfilled in Krsna avatara.
The Essence of Conjugal Mellow
Also another rasa is there, ie. conjugal mellow, madhurya-rasa. In Ram avatara, Lord Ram is maryada-purusottama, who very strictly follows Vedic rules and regulations. Never transgresses them at all, eka-patni-dhara . He accepts only one wife, not more than one wife. Very strictly follows. In Ram-lila, mahurya-rasa, the conjugal mellow is not relished there because when there is a question of union milan and separation, biraha between lover and beloved, the essence of that conjugal rasa is relished in the highest degree. We will find also in Ram-lila is union and separation of Rama and Sita. Ravana kidnapped Sita, took her away so there is separation and also to give pleasure and happiness to His citizens He, (Lord Ram) banished Sita, separation is there also, but there is no variegatedness in this type of separation, it is not natural, it is forced, so there is no question of relishing the essence of that conjugal mellow.
Rupa Gosvami has mentioned all these things (i.e. different types of virahas (separation) in Ujjvala Nilamani . There are many types of virahas: purava-raga viraha, mana viraha, prema -vaicitya viraha, and these virahas or separations are not there in Ram-lila, no. One type of viraha is there, pravasa viraha . You cannot understand but just hear this. This is in Ujjvala Nilamani. It is a big topic and very, very confidential and subtle point. I am not going to explain it but when some occasion will arise I'll tell you. All these virahas are there Krsna-lila, this prema vaicitya viraha, purva-raga viraha, mana viraha . Therefore Lord Ram develops this greed, how to relish these types of viraha . In Krsna-avatara this greed is filled. The viraha, the separation between lover and beloved is highest platform of prema . On that platform both the nayaka nd nayika, lover and beloved, relish that mellow in their heart. Therefore in Krsna-lila, Krsna is Radha-kanta (the husband of Radha) Radha is His own wife, Gopi-kanta, (the husband of gopis), He's the husband of gopis, He made them the wives of others to relish parakiya-rasa .
In Ram-lila only svakiya-rasa is relished. Svakiya means ones own wife, not the relishment of parakiya-rasa . Therefore Ram developed that greed. So Krsna made His own wives of others to relish parakiya -rasa. Therefore that greed is fulfilled in Krsna-lila but remained unfulfilled in Ram-lila; therefore Krsna-avatara. In this way, this is how the development of greed gradually turned into incarnation after incarnation of the Lord.
The Abode of Love
Now in Krsna-lila these three types of greed are there:
sri radhayah pranaya-mahima kidrso vanayaiva
svadyo yenadbhuta-madhurima kidrso va madiyah
saukhyam casya mad-anubhavatah kidrsam veti lobhat
tad bhavadhyah samajami saci-garbha-sindhau harinduh
"Desiring to understand the glory of Radharani'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, appears from the womb of Srimati Sacidevi as the moon appears from the ocean." (Cc Adi, 1.6)
Krsna developed these three types of greed, as I previously mentioned. The first desire (or greed): What is the love of Radharani and how can I relish it? Second desire (or greed): What is My excellent all-attractive beauty? I cannot relish Myself. So how can I have it? And the third desire (or greed): What pleasure and happiness does Radharani get by relishing My all-attractive excellent beauty? How can I have it? These three greeds, these three desires remain unfulfilled in Krsna-lila, therefore Gaura-avatara. The fulfillment of three types of desires and greed is antaranga karanam, internal cause. Svarupa Damodara Goswami has used this word lobhat meaning, from greed. This word is so significant.
Thank you very much.
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namo maha-vadayaya krsna-prema-pradaya te
krsnaya krsna-caitanya-namne gaura-tvise namah
O most munificent incarnation! You are Krsna Himself ap pearing as Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu. You have assumed the golden color of Srimati Radharani, and You are widely distributing pure love of Krsna. We offer our respectful obeisances unto You.
Sri Panca-tattva Pranama
panca-tattvatmakam krsnam bhakta-rupa-svarupakam
bhaktavataram bhaktakhyam namami bhakta-saktikam
I offer my obeisances unto the Supreme Lord, Krsna, who is nondifferent from His features as a devotee, devotional incarnation, devotional manifestation pure devotee, and devotional energy.
Panca-tattva Maha-mantra
(jaya) sri-krsna-caitanya prabhu nityananda
sri-advaita gadadhara srivasadi-gaura-bhakta-vrnda
HARE KRSNA HARE KRSNA KRSNA KRSNA HARE HARE
HARE RAMA HARE RAMA RAMA RAMA HARE HARE
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Lecture by His Holiness Candramauli Swami, given on March 1, at the 2007 Gaura Purnima Festival, Sri Mayapur Candrodaya Mandir, Mayapur, India.
Caitanya Caritamrta, Adi 3.47
suvarna-varno hemango varangas candanangadi
sannyasa-krc chamah santo nistha-santi-parayanah
TRANSLATION: "In His early pastimes He appears as a householder with a golden complexion. His limbs are beautiful, and His body, smeared with the pulp of sandalwood, seems like molten gold. In His later pastimes He accepts the sannyasa order, and He is equipoised and peaceful. He is the highest abode of peace and devotion, for He silences the impersonalist nondevotees."
PURPORT: This is a verse from the Mahabharata (Dana-dharma, Visnu-sahasra-nama-stotra). In his commentary on the Visnu-sahasra-nama, called the Namartha-sudha, Srila Baladeva Vidyabhusana, commenting upon this verse, asserts that Lord Caitanya is the Supreme Personality of Godhead according to the evidence of the Upanisads. He explains that suvarna-varnah means a golden complexion. He also quotes the Vedic injunction yada pasyah pasyate rukma-varnam kartaram isam purusam brahma-yonim (Mundaka Up. 3.1.3). Rukma-varnam kartaram isam refers to the Supreme Personality of Godhead as having a complexion the color of molten gold. Purusam means the Supreme Lord, and brahma-yonim indicates that He is also the Supreme Brahman. This evidence, too, proves that Lord Caitanya is the Supreme Personality of Godhead Krsna. Another meaning of the description of the Lord as having a golden hue is that Lord Caitanya's personality is as fascinating as gold is attractive. Srila Baladeva Vidyabhusana has explained that the word varanga means "exquisitely beautiful."
Lord Caitanya accepted sannyasa, leaving aside His householder life, to preach His mission. He has equanimity in different senses. First, He describes the confidential truth of the Personality of Godhead, and second, He satisfies everyone by knowledge and attachment to Krsna. He is peaceful because He renounces all topics not related to the service of Krsna. Srila Baladeva Vidyabhusana has explained that the word nistha indicates His being rigidly fixed in chanting the holy name of Sri Krsna. Lord Caitanya subdued all disturbing opponents of devotional service, especially the monists, who are actually averse to the personal feature of the Supreme Lord. [End of purport]
Candramauli Swami: So in these last few days prior to the appearance of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Gaura Purnima, we've turned our attention to his personality, his glories, his activities, everything about the Supreme Lord in the form of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
This verse is actually from the Mahabharata. It is describing the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. It's interesting how with careful research, one can find, in various religious scriptures, indication of Caitanya Mahaprabhu's identity, his appearance, and his activities. Here we find in the Mahabharata. Also in Srimad-Bhagavatam, in the prayers by Prahlad Maharaja to Lord Nrsimhadeva, the Lord is also indicated as one who appears in the color of gold, or yellow, pita.
Also in the same Srimad-Bhagavatam, in the prayers by the residents of Jambudvipa, the Lord is mentioned as tri-yuga. Tri-yuga refers to that personality who is the Supreme Personality of Godhead who appears as the Lord in three yugas: in Satya-yuga, Treta-yuga, Dvapara-yuga. In Kali-yuga he is channa-avatara. Channa means hidden. He appears not as the supreme Lord but as his own devotee. Therefore he is referred to as tri-yuga, or as the Lord who appears in three yugas. But in the Kali-yuga he appears as a devotee of himself.
This is the position of Lord Caitanya that actually he is coming as his own devotee. It is explained in the Caitanya-caritamrta in this fourth chapter that he comes for six reasons. Three of them are external and three are internal. It is explained that the internal reasons are foremost, the primary. The external reasons we all know. He comes to fulfill the yuga-dharma, the chanting of the Holy Names of the Lord or to spread the mercy of pure love of Godhead in the form of harinama-sankirtana. That is considered external. Also it is mentioned in Bhagavad-gita:
yada yada hi dharmasya glanir bhavati bharata abhyutthanam adharmasya tadatmanam srjamy aham
paritranaya sadhunam vinasaya ca duskrtam dharma-samsthapanarthaya sambhavami yuge yuge
He comes in every yuga. In order to fulfill his own words in Bhagavad-gita, he keeps that principle and appears in the Kali-yuga. But he appears once in every thousand yuga cycles in the Kali-yuga as Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, as the channa-avatara, hidden. Of course the third reason is to satisfy the desire and the heartfelt prayers of Sri Advaita Acarya.
Jaya Radha-Madhava, Asta-Sakhi ki jai!
Sri Advaita Acarya was praying from the core of his heart that these inhabitants of Navadvipa Dham have become so lost. Before the advent of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Navadvipa Dham was considered one of the greatest centers of learning throughout the entire world. People from all over the world would go to get the highest and best education in Navadvipa. It was concerned the greatest of all education bastions. It had some of the greatest scholars in the world. In fact, all of the religious scriptures known were present here. But generally, the population was somewhat pious but not very much absorbed in pure devotional service. People were educated, they had great intelligence, pious activities, good qualities, a lot of material facilities, worshiping demigods, but very little of the essence of spiritual life, pure devotional service.
Advaita Acarya, of course, who is Advaita Acarya? He is a combination of Sada Siva and Mahavisnu. He is praying to the Lord, "Please come."
He was angry to see how people were wasting their lives in material education. They were spending all their money. They would spend practically life savings on weddings and pujas and vratas and homas. They were even doing things like marrying cats and dogs because when you get materially wealthy and situated, after a while, you get bored. You just want to do different things or change. That's what happens when too much material opulence without any real, solid spiritual worship. They get bored after a while, so they do different things. It is explained by Vrindavan Das Thakur in Caitanya-bhagavat that they were engaging in marriage of cats and dogs. Can you imagine?
Advaita Acarya, feeling compassion for the fallen conditioned souls of this age, he went down to the banks of the Ganges with great prayers in his heart, worshiping his Nrsimha-sila with tulasi leaves and praying from the core of his heart, "Please my dear Lord, come."
And Lord Caitanya actually said, "I have come because of the prayers of Advaita Acarya." But there are many reasons. These are the three external reasons.
The internal reasons are actually the primary reasons. What are the internal reasons? These are very interesting. Sri Krsna himself, in order to experience the position of Srimati Radharani, wanting to understand her position in relationship to himself, he took on the position of her. He took on her bhava, her relationship with Krsna. He wanted to understand not only her position but he wanted to understand, "What is so attractive about me. Why am I so attractive to Srimati Radharani?" She cannot, even for a fraction of an iota of an insignificant speck of time, not be absorbed in pure loving service to Krsna. Her love is intense. Even Krsna couldn't understand Radharani's love. He wanted to find out what was the nature of that love and what was it about him that makes her have such deep love. So he wanted to understand his own good qualities.
Krsna is very attractive. There is a story, one time Krsna was walking along and he came across a pillar. The pillar had a reflecting surface. He stopped and looked and said, "Wow, who is that beautiful personality there?" He was so overwhelmed seeing his own image that he just ran toward it to embrace it. Then he realized it was himself. [Chuckles] This is Krsna. He is so attractive that he attracts himself.
But in order to understand his own attractiveness, he had to take the position of the object in order to understand the subject. Also to understand what is the nature of the happiness she experiences from that loving relationship, her happiness, her love, her position, and what are his qualities. These are the internal reasons.
Srila Krsnadas Kaviraja Goswami points out in the Caitanya-caritamrta that the time for the yuga-dharma or for descending in order to propagate the teachings of harinama-sankirtana just happened to coincide with Lord Krsna's desire to appear as Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu to understand the internal reasons of his appearance, in other words, to understand that loving relationship. The external reasons are secondary.
Here in this particular verse it is describing some of his extraordinary qualities. One of the qualities that is mentioned, it was mentioned in the previous class by His Holiness Sivarama Maharaja, that he has a beautiful golden color. Radharani is called Gaurangi and Caitanya Mahaprabhu is called Gauranga, golden complexion. Actually Krsna told Radharani, when he was in the spiritual world, "I am descending in order to taste this loving relationship of your love for me."
When Radharani heard about that, she was quite alarmed because she knew the ecstasy he would experience in trying to experience her bhava. Therefore she said, "Your body will not be able to maintain. Therefore I give you protection of your body. I give you my own color." She gave him the color golden. So here is it is explained: radha-bhava-dyuti-suvalitam, that he is decorated with the transcendental color of Srimati Radharani. He is called Gauranga.
ajanu-lambita-bhujau kanakavadatau sankirtanaika-pitarau kamalayataksau visvambharau dvija-varau yuga-dharma-palau vande jagat priya-karau karunavatarau
In that verse it is also mentioned that Lord Caitanya has a golden color. His arms extend down to his knees. His eyes are elongated. His is the best of the brahmanas and he is teaching the highest principles of religion. That is, he is initiating personally himself the yuga-dharma, the harinama-sankirtana movement.
This chanting the Holy Name is the essence of all religious principles. Yamaraja himself, when he was speaking to his followers after they had returned in their failed attempt to take the soul of Ajamila to the courtyard of Yamaraja, they were questioning Yamaraja, "What is your position?"
He explained, "Actually, I am not supreme. I am subordinate. The devotees of Krsna are in all sense worshipable. Therefore, even I worship them." Then he explained that in this age, devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the highest form of religious principles, but the essence of all devotional activities is to chant the Hare Krsna Mahamantra. That is the essence of the essence.
Sometimes when we preach, or even sometimes in a very uninformed understanding, we cannot understand how important it is to chant Hare Krsna. Actually, Srila Prabhupada said, "All your advancement in devotional service depends on chanting the Holy Names of the Lord." Everything else we do in our devotional service is meant to purify our consciousness so we can approach Krsna's name in the proper consciousness, with the proper mood.
Therefore all practices in devotional service are in one sense supporting the quality of our chanting if we are performing those activities in the right mood, with the right understanding: chanting, reading Srimad-Bhagavatam, associating with devotees, engaging in practical devotional service, worshiping the Supreme Personality of Godhead. These are various principles of powerful devotional service, but Caitanya Mahaprabhu, being the yuga-avatara, emphasized two things that are primary amongst all religious principles. Those two things are association and service to Vaisnavas and chanting the Hare Krsna Mahamantra. These are the essence of the essence.
Here in Sri Dham Mayapur we have such a wonderful opportunity to serve Vaisnavas and to hear and chant the Hare Krsna Mahamantra. Prabhupada said, "This Sri Dham Mayapur is the spiritual world. It is non-different."
One time one senior devotee asked Srila Prabhupada, they were in Mayapur, "Srila Prabhupada, sometimes devotees come to the dham and they are trying to enjoy here." It was kind of a question like maybe it's not right.
Prabhupada said, "The dham, it is for enjoyment. It is the spiritual world, spiritual enjoyment." What is that spiritual enjoyment? Chanting, dancing, associating with devotees, taking Krsna prasadam, hearing the philosophy of Bhagavad-gita, Srimad-Bhagavatam, and purifying our hearts. What is the culmination of purifying our hearts? Then these same activities become transcendentally blissful. It's not that we change our activities. The activities actually are the fundamental principle, the essence of devotional practice. But in a purified state of consciousness they bring the goal of life, that is, the direct connection between the Lord and his devotee.
So Caitanya Mahaprabhu came to teach that principle here in Sri Dham Mayapur. We are so fortunate to be here to be able to engage in these devotional activities - chanting the Holy Names, serving the Vaisnavas: nama ruci, vaisnava seva. Then he emphasized one other thing, Lord Caitanya mentioned. That is jiva doya. That is taking this mercy and giving it to others. We might call it preaching, but distributing the mercy to others. Not that we become "packed up", Prabhupada said, "packed up". We become packed up, that's nice, but the pack becomes bigger when you give it.
Lord Caitanya said, "I have the storehouse of the fruits of love of God and the storehouse is overwhelmed with fruits. I am just one gardener and I am trying to distribute these fruits to the entire world. How much can I do? Therefore, please help me to distribute these fruits."
He goes on to explain by distributing the fruits, the storehouse doesn't become less. It actually becomes greater. The more you give Krsna, the more you get Krsna. The more you try to keep Krsna, the more it is hard to find Krsna. Krsna is fast. He is always moving. So we are chasing Krsna by trying to catch him in the form of giving Krsna to others in devotional service. So these three things Lord Caitanya emphasized. So this is the essence of Lord Caitanya's movement. So we worship the Lord in this chanting and dancing.
We also have to be very conscience and cautious to avoid the negative. There are things to do and things not to do: anukulya, pratikula. Things I should do and things I don't do. Things that I don't do, if I do those things and I am still doing the things I do do, it's like building a fire and pouring water on it at the same time. One has to be very conscious to avoid things that are detrimental to devotional service.
Lord Caitanya says, "I give my full mercy to anyone chants the Holy Names of the Lord, serves the Vaisnavas, and does not find fault with others." He says, "Finding fault with others or criticizing others is the fastest way one can destroy the mercy that is being given." It is mentioned in the Caitanya-bhagavat that one who criticizes others, Lord Caitanya said, "That is like drinking poison and if you drink poison, you die." But how to neutralize that poisonous effect? Glorify others. By glorifying others, by glorifying the devotees, by seeing the good qualities in devotees and magnifying those qualities, that is like drinking nectar. When one drinks nectar, one attains immortal life.
So Lord Caitanya gives other considerations. We should be very careful not to engage in prajalpa, or useless talk, finding fault, criticizing, because we are just dampening the mercy that is so easily available in the form of this harinama-sankirtana. So it is important to keep these principles in mind. And Sri Caitanya is very merciful, but he emphasized certain principles that in order to practice devotional service successfully one must develop the qualities:
trnad api sunicena taror api sahisnuna amanina manadena kirtaniyah sada harih
This verse was spoken by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Maharaja sometimes he was asked, "Maharaja, can you tell me what is my svarupa, what is my internal relationship?"
He said, "Your svarupa is:
trnad api sunicena taror api sahisnuna amanina manadena kirtaniyah sada harih
This is actually the principle that Lord Caitanya emphasized as far as practicing devotional service successfully. And Krsnadas Kaviraja Goswami in Caitanya-caritamrta, he emphasizes this verse. He is actually quoting Jiva Goswami, Jiva Goswami says, "You take this verse and string it on the necklace of the Holy Name and wear it as your ornament." What is the result? The result is kirtaniyah sada. One can develop an attraction, an attachment to chanting the Holy Names of the Lord. Lord Caitanya emphasized this verse amongst many, many verses.
So we are here, Sri Dham Mayapur, just on the advent of the appearance of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. When he appears, of course he is always appearing in the hearts of the devotees who are following his instructions and the instructions of his representative, the spiritual master, but on this Gaura Purnima festival, the Lord's mercy is bestowed in such waves, such oceans that on his appearance day, this more or less inspires us to become more and more serious in our Krsna consciousness.
Many of us have to go back to our respective areas and we have to again associate with the material energy more directly. Sometimes in occupation or just living in mundane materialistic society. Whatever time we are here, we should try to get as much opportunity to absorb in the mercy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, purify our hearts more, bring it back, and preach that message to others.
Prabhupada says there are two aspects to devotional service: become purified and to help others become purified. Just to become Krsna conscious yourself is not possible. One has to actually be an instrument of the mercy for the Lord in whatever way we can. it's not that everyone has to take up a position of being a great scholar of the Vedas or preaching in a formal way. Lord Caitanya said, "Whoever you meet, tell them about Krsna. Whoever you meet, tell them about the chanting of the Holy Names. By my command, be guru, save the land." That means you come in contact, give them an opportunity to somehow come forward.
Lord Caitanya's mission is a mission of compassion. He has taken Radharani's love, which is his own bhava, in the form of this sankirtana movement, and he is garlanding the entire world with that love in the form of this sankirtana movement. This sankirtana movement is Radharani's love for Krsna. This is the internal mood of this entire lila of Caitanya Mahaprabhu, to give Radharani's love in the form of this sankirtana movement to the entire world.
We have a legacy. Our legacy is, as Srila Prabhupada said when someone asked him, "How can we serve you Prabhupada?"
Prabhupada said, "Do what I am doing." He means that we should also take the mission of the spiritual master as our life and soul. That means make his mission our practice in devotional service. To try to in any way, we just see what Krsna has given us, he has given us time, energy, facilities, opulences, intelligence, whatever, use that in any way you can to spread Krsna consciousness.
Caitanya Mahaprabhu when he went traveling through South India, he was spreading the Holy Name and everyone who saw him became inspired. That person told another person and that person told another person and that person told another person. In this way, Lord Caitanya's mercy in the form of the sankirtana movement spread throughout the entire continent of India. In the time of Caitanya Mahaprabhu, he made the entire continent of India Krsna conscious by his presence and his travels to South India. That is the power and that same mercy if fully available to us today.
sri-krsna-caitanya prabhu-nityananda sri-advaita gadadhara srivasadi-gaura-bhakta-vrnda
Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
Thank you very much.
Srila Prabhupada ki jai!
Do we have time for questions? Are there any questions, comments? Yes?
Question: Hare Krsna. Maharaja, you were speaking about criticism. Can you please explain corrective criticism? Also you were speaking about humility. Can you please explain also . . . ?
Candramauli Maharaja:I'll try. I don't have these qualities.
The spiritual master is in the position to find fault with his disciple. Why? As a service to his disciples, he can correct them to improve their devotional life. In general, a relationship with other devotees, unless it is in the role of a spiritual master-disciple, is to share the six loving exchanges: to talk about Krsna, to hear about Krsna, to give prasadam, to accept prasadam, to give gifts, to accept gifts.
If one finds a situation where one finds there is obligation to do some correction, one should be very, very careful and cautious to do it in such a way that doesn't cause disturbance and that person will accept. Generally when a person is doing something wrong, they are not in a position to understand because already their consciousness is wrong, so one has to be very sensitive in offering corrective criticism.
One should think ahead of time what will be the results. Even if your intention is not to offend and you do offend, it's still an offense. Unintentionally, still it is an offense. The relationships between devotees are very, very sweet, are meant to be very sweet and very, very loving. In order to keep that mood, even in the mood of correction, we should be very, very careful to do it in such a way that that person will accept.
If we feel we can't do that, we should ask someone else who feel may be in a better position to do that correction. It's not wrong to do it, provided it is done in the right consciousness. That means one has to be not in the mood of "I'm the corrector" but in the mood, "I want to help this person and their Krsna consciousness." It is a principle of compassion. Correction means you are trying to make that person act in a more proper way that their Krsna consciousness will not be affected in a negative way. You're trying to help them, but it has to be accepted in that way.
We shouldn't walk around looking for faults to be the all Supreme Personality of Godhead Corrector. Sometimes we find that. Some personalities put themselves in the position of correcting everybody. That is not Vaisnava attitude. The Vaisnava is always trying to see the good. Prabhupada said we should be like bumblebee. Bumblebee goes for the honey. Fly goes for the stool. Devotees may have, practically everyone has good qualities, everyone has faults, except pure devotees.
So you can see what you want to see. You can see the faults or you can see the good qualities. If you see the good qualities, then actually you'll appreciate. We find that as we change ourselves, we also change others. The more we develop our own Krsna consciousness, the more we will see the good qualities in others.
In the form of corrective criticism, if it is done in the proper mood as a service, then that is acceptable. Then again, one has to be careful how to do that. Not, "Hey Prabhu, you're in maya!" That's not going to work. First of all you can't call someone Prabhu and then say he's in maya. "Hey master, you're in maya. Hey, stop that!"
The devotees are humble. Many times they'll accept, but sometimes in their heart they'll feel, "Why did he do it like that? Why wasn't he more gentle and sensitive? I'm not such a demon." So we have to be careful in dealing with Vaisnavas, very careful. We see, we've committed a lot of Vaisnava aparadha in our society. A lot of times devotees go away because these things are done. Therefore, we have to be very, very careful but not foolish to allow things that are against religious principles to go on simply with the idea that we don't want to correct. If someone is doing something wrong of offensive, some attempt should be made. If I can't do it, let me contact someone who can do it more effectively.
Does that help? That didn't answer your question? OK.
[Unclear comment]
Devotees are not fools, but they are humble. Humility does not relegate one to foolishness. Humility is actually a position of empowerment. Humility means, Prabhupada gave different definitions, but one of them is, "I can't do anything; Krsna can do anything. Therefore, the more I take shelter of Krsna and the spiritual master, the more I become empowered."
Srila Prabhupada spread Krsna consciousness around the world, but he was one of the most humble of all personalities ever. He saw himself as an insignificant person, but he was fully devoted to the lotus feet of the Lord. He knew whatever success he is having or whatever he does is simply by the mercy and kindness of the Lord and his spiritual master. That is humility.
Humility also means I don't want to be honored. Prabhupada writes that in Bhagavad-gita in the Fourteenth Chapter. He is describing the qualities amanitvam adambhitvam. The first one is humility, the second one is pirdelessness, the third is tolerance. He explains that these are qualities of knowledge, or principles of knowledge.
The first principle of knowledge is humility because that is the main quality of a Vaisnava. So Prabhupada describes humility means not to want the distinction to be honored by others. Not wanting honor. Therefore amanina manadena, to want to honor others and not want honor for oneself.
If someone gives you honor and if you keep it, then pride can develop. But if someone gives you honor and you say, "All glories to my spiritual master. All glories to the Lord. This person is actually seeing some good qualities in me, that is his good quality he can see something good in me." These are some definitions of humility as give by the acaryas.
Humility also means not to think less oneself, but to think of oneself less. To think of oneself less. We are always thinking about me. We should be thinking about ? or Krsna or how to serve, like that. If we are so much overwhelmed by self consciousness, then that is a perverted principle of humility. "Oh, I am so fallen, I am so useless, I can't do anything. Therefore, I won't do anything." [Chuckles] That is not humility. Humility gives one empowerment, empowers one to do things.
Does that help?
Thank you.
OK, I think we should go on. They say one cannot live by philosophy alone. It's time for prasad.
Thank you very much.
Srila Prabhupada ki jai!
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The Advent Of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu
A Lecture given by Srila Gour Govinda Swami on the Auspicious Appearance Day of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, in Bhubaneswar, India, March 17, 1992.
Desiring to understand the glory of Radharani's love, the wonderful qualities in Him that She alone relishes through Her love, and the happiness She feels when She realizes the sweetness of His love, the Supreme Lord Hari, richly endowed with Her emotions, appears from the womb of Srimati Sacidevi as the moon appears from the ocean.
When we speak of the advent of Gauranga Mahaprabhu we should understand what is the cause of the appearance of Gauranga Mahaprabhu. There are two types of causes, external cause and internal cause. The external cause is to spread nama-prema, love of God through the chanting of the holy name, harinama-sankirtan, pracare-yuga dharma-pracara.
kali-yuga dharma haya hari-sankirtana
etad arthe avatirna Sri Sacinandana
(Caitanya-bhagavat, Adi, 2.22)
"The religious principle for the age of Kali is the congregational chanting of the holy names of the Lord. Sri Sacinandana incarnates to establish this principle." (Caitanya-bhagavat, Adi, 2.22)
To fulfill this purpose, Sacinandana appears:
ei kaye bhagavate sarva-tattva-sara
kirtana-nimitta gauracandra-avatara
"It is stated in the Srimad Bhagavatam that the Supreme Absolute Truth, Lord Gauracandra, incarnates to propagate the chanting of the holy names." (Caitanya-bhagavat, Adi, 2.23)
He is the father of hari-sankirtan,sankirtana-ike janakau . He is Gauranga Mahaprabhu:
kali-yuga sarva-dharma hari-sankirtana
sarva prakacilena caitanya-narayana
"Lord Caitanya inaugurated the congregational chanting of the holy names as the essence of all religious principles for the age of Kali." (Caitanya-bhagavat, Adi, 2.26)
This is a quotation from Caitanya Bhagavata:
kali-yuge sankirtana-dharma palibare
avatirna hoila prabhu sarva-parikare
"In Kali-yuga the Lord incarnates with His associates in order to maintain the religious principle of sankirtana." (Caitanya-bhagavat, Adi, 2.27)
With all His associates, paraphernalia, His dharma, Gauranga Mahaprabhu appears in Kali-yuga, especially this Kali-yuga, to fulfill this purpose ? yuga-dharma, nama-prema-pracara, (Cc Adi 3.40) and prema-dharma, the chief result of this harinama-sankirtan is to achieve Krsna-prema and to get Krsna. He is offering and distributing this Krsna-prema freely, indiscriminately, apamaram yo vitatara. "The most munificent Supreme Personality of Godhead, known as Gaurakrsna, distributed to everyoneeven the lowest of men." (Cc Madhya, 23.1)
brahmar durlabha prema saba kare sache
dina hina patita pamara nahi bache
(Srila Locan Dasa Thakura)
It is very difficult even on the part of Brahma to get such prem but Mahaprabhu gives it freely, indiscriminately. Even patita-pamaras, Jagai and Madhais, most degraded, most sinful persons also get it. Therefore He is known as Prema Purusottama Sacinandana Gauranga.
Five thousand years ago Krsna came in His own svarupa and in His Kuruksetra-lila He gave His message in the form of Bhagavad-gita through Arjuna to all mankind. There He gave confidential, more confidential and most confidential instruction. His most confidential instruction is man-mana bhava mad-bhakto, mad-yaji mam namaskuru : "Engage your mind always in thinking of Me, become My devotee, offer obeisances to Me and worship Me. Being completely absorbed in Me, surely you will come to Me." (Bg. 9.34) That is His most confidential instruction. The concluding instruction is, sarva dharman parityajya, mam-ekam saranam vraja, giving up all varieties of dharma, just surrender unto Me. (Bg 18.66) He only said this theoretically, He never taught how to surrender practically.
"I Have To Go Again"
So after winding up His lila after Dvapara-yuga, He went to His own abode, Goloka Vrndavan and because He's the only well-wishing friend of all living entities, suhrdam sarva-bhutanam, therefore He is thinking, "I have given confidential, more confidential and most confidential instruction to Arjuna for all mankind, but after Dvarpara-yuga there is Kali-yuga, the most sinful age. Due to an increase of sinful activities the consciousness of the people is most polluted consciousness. All are engaged in sinful activities. They cannot understand what I said, they cannot understand this saranagati-tattva and I have only said theoretically, I have not demonstrated it practically how to surrender. Therefore I have to go again." So He came again as Gauranga Mahaprabhu. This is the purpose, this is the reason why He comes.
yuga dharma pravartaimu nama-sankirtana
cari bhava-bhakti diya nacamu bhuvana
"I shall personally inaugurate the religion of the age nama-sankirtana, the congregational chanting of the holy name. I shall make the world dance in ecstasy, realizing the four mellows of loving devotional service." (Cc. Adi 3.19)
I'll go and preach this yuga-dharma, nama-sankirtan and I'll give the four forms of bhakti: dasya [sevitorship], sakhya [friendship], vatsalya [parenthood], madhurya, [conjugal love] (santa, neutrality, is discarded in Sriman Mahaprabhu's line), and make the whole world dance with that bhava-bhakti.
apani karimu bhakta-bhava angikare
apani acari bhakti sikhaimu sabare
I'll accept bhakta-bhava, the mood of a bhakta and I'll teach bhakti . Unless I practice it Myself I cannot teach.
apane na kaila dharma sikhana na yaya
ei ta' siddhanta gita-bhagavate gaya
(Cc Adi, 3.20-21)
If I don't practice bhakti,sarangati (surrender) in My own life, I cannot teach it. So His mood is bhakti-bhava, the mood of a bhakta . This is the purpose and this is the external cause (bahiranga karanam). Then there is the internal cause (antaranga karanam). The external cause is for others, it is for the people of Kali-yuga, kali-yuga jiva. Therefore it is bahiranga, or external. Antaranga is mean for Himself. These two causes are there and then that calling of Advaita Acarya which I'll speak about tomorrow morning, is there. That is also one of the causes, but the most internal cause is to fulfill the three desires.
radhayah pranaya-mahima kidrso vanayaiva
svadyo yenadbhuta-madhurima kidrso va madiyah
saukhyam casya mad-anubhavatah kidrsam veti lobhat
tad bhavadhyah samajami saci-garbha-sindhau harinduh
"Desiring to understand the glory of Radharani's love, the wonderful qualities in Him that She alone relishes through Her love, and the happiness She feels when She realizes the sweetness of His love, the Supreme Lord Hari, richly endowed with Her emotions, appears from the womb of Srimati Sacidevi as the moon appears from the ocean." (Cc. Adi. 1.6)
Svarup Damodara Gosvami has said this and this quotation is mentioned by Rupa Gosvami in Lalita-Madhava . Three types of desires remain unfulfilled in Krsna-lila. What is radhayah pranaya-mahima kidrso vanayarva, what is Radharani's love? Svadyo yenadbhuta madhurima kidrso va madiyah, what is my rupa-madhuri, excellent beauty, My beauty that Radharani relishes? What is My extra-excellent beauty and how can I relish it? In other words this veti lobhat, three desires, three types of greed developed in the Supreme Lord Krsna. Therefore, saci garbha-sindhau harinduh, to fulfill these three desires, these three types of greed, He appeared from the womb of Sacimata, that is Gaura-avatara.
Greed
Here this word lobha ? greed, is very, very significant. The Lord has greed. It is quite natural that we have greed. We are greed persons, materially greedy. This greed of the material world is condemned, it is considered as one of the enemies. In the 16 th chapter, 21 st verse of Bhagavad-gita you'll find Lord Krsna has said:
tri-vidham narakasyedam
dvaram nasanam atmanah
kamah krodhas tatha lobhas
tasmad etat trayam tyajey
(Bg. 16.21)
Lord Krsna says, give up these three, kama, krodha, lobha - lust, anger and greed. If you become influenced or affected by these three then you will open your door towards hell, so give up these things. This lobha (greed) is very bad. Those persons who are materially greedy, definitely they suffer. For example, one very small story is there.
A greedy boy was in his house when his mother put some nice berries into an earthen pot, like a water pot that has a very narrow opening. The boy developed greed to get some of those berries so he put his hand into the pot and grasped a handful of those berries. When he tried to get his hand out of the pot, it got caught because the opening was so narrow and caused some pain as he pulled but it wouldn't come out so he was crying. This is suffering out of greed. Though he's suffering, he's not allowing any berries to get out. A simple story showing the consequence of greed is suffering. Therefore Bhagavan Krsna in Gita says to give up this greed.
But this greed can be utilised in Krsna's service. This word lobha is a very ancient word, it is not a modern word. The seed of this greed is also there in Bhagavan and in bhakta also. So in respect of Bhagavat-bhakta, the devotee of the Lord will say, lobha sadhu-sange hari-katha . How can you utilise this greed? Develop this greed to have more and more sadhu-sanga, association of sadhus and hear more and more Krsna-katha . Develop this greed, this is very nice greed, this is spiritual greed, transcendental greed. One should not give up this greed. One should develop this greed more and more. The more you develop this greed the more you get spiritual relishment and spiritual advancement. One who is not greedy he cannot make advancement in the spiritual path in this respect. But material greed should be given up, whereas spiritual greed should be developed.
Again it is said:
Krsna-bhakti-rasa-bhavita matih
kriyatam jadi kuto pi labhyate,
tatra laulyam api mulyam-ekalam
janma-koti-sukrtair na labhyate
"Pure devotional service in Krsna consciousness cannot be had even by pious activity in hundreds and thousands of lives. It can be attained only by paying one price ? that is intense greed to obtain it. If it is available somewhere, one must purchase it without delay." (Padyavali 14)
Laulya means lobha (greed). That means from this verse you can understand how the seed of greed is there. The purport is that if you have such spiritual greed you can achieve krsna-bhakti-rasa, mellow of Krsna-bhakti, otherwise if you are devoid of this greed you cannot have it, cannot achieve it. Sadhu sange hari katha . One should develop this greed of having more and more sadhu-sanga and hearing more and more hari-kirtan, hari-katha, than you will make advancement in bhajan-sadhana . Materialistic people don't know the use of this greed, they abuse it, utilising it for material enjoyment, material possessions, they suffer. So when you speak about the advent of Sacinandana Gaura Hari, the Appearance of Gauranga Mahaprabhu, this greed is there.
This is Very Wonderful
In the beginning I explained that Krsna developed three types of greed that could not be fulfilled Krsna-lila, therefore Gaura-avatara. In Gaura-lila those three types of greed are fulfilled. This is very wonderful using this word greed. Has anybody used such word previously? No one has used such word previously. Svarupa Damodara Goswami has used it. Therefore, Vrajaraja-nandana Krsna became Sacinandana Gaura Hari because of the development of this greed. One who is purna-brahma, one who has no deficiency, no wanting anything, still He develops greed. Wonderful! Wonderful! He has no deficiency, He is purna-brahma, He is self-satisfied, He doesn't want anything, there is no lacking there. Why such greed? Wonderful, so wonderful! One should understand its mystery, what is the tattva behind it? He who is aptakama (self-satisfied), atmarama, who is rasa-svarupa-purna-brahma, who is paramananda-maya, supremely blissful sacidananda-maya, He develops greed. What type of greed and to get what? Very wonderful! Very wonderful! Now you can understand how the seed of this greed gradually develops and the culmination is there in Gauranga svarupa. I'll give you an example.
The Greed of Lord Visnu
Vaikuntha-dhipati Visnu, He develops some greed. He develops the desire for fighting. He cherishes that, I'll fight. When He is Bhagavan the six types of opulences are there completely in Him and one of the opulences is strength or bala . Incomparable strength is there, therefore it is quite natural to develop such desire that, I'll fight and fulfill this desire, this greed. Whenever Bhagavan wants to fulfill some desire, His internal energy, potency, Yogamaya creates such an atmosphere. So when this desire developed in Vaikuntha-dhipati Narayan to fight, Yogamaya, the internal potency created the circumstances to fulfill that desire.
Another point is that the opponent should be equally strong otherwise one cannot get pleasure in fighting. So who is there? With whom will the Lord fight? Then the question of Jaya and Vijaya, the two doorkeepers, who were very strong came. By the desire or will of the Supreme Lord those two doorkeepers were cursed by the four Kumaras to become demons for three lives. Yogamaya did it. The first is Hiranyaksa and Hiranyakasipu, the the second is Ravana and Kumbhakana and the third is Sisupala and Dantavakra. Three incarnations are there and Lord Visnu, Narayana fought with them and got pleasure in fighting. This is the greed of Narayana, Visnu, this is in Srimad Bhagavatam . So this is lobha .
The Greed of Lord Nrsimhadeva
Then came the greed of Nrsimhadev. Nrsimhadev has two types of forms, ugra (fearsome) and anugra (peaceful). One is a very fearful form and another is a very peaceful form. After killing Hirasnyakasipu, Nrsimhadev is very, very fearful, an extremely fearful form and He was dancing, like the tandava-nrtya of Siva at the time of annihilation. The whole world was trembling seeing such dancing and anger of the fearful form of Nrsimhadev. All the demigods are offering prayers to pacify Him, but it was all null and void. Then they requested Bhakta Prahlad, "You please go and calm down the anger of Lord Nrsimhadev." Prahlad Maharaja is a very dear devotee of the Lord, so Prahlad went there to offer prayers and Lord Nrsimhadev became calm and then His form is a very peaceful form. Then Nrsimhadev put His dear devotee Prahlad, like a son, on His lap. At that time vatsalya-prem, parental love and affection developed in Nrsimhadev.
Both father and son relish this rasa, mellow. Father relishes, son also relishes by sitting in the lap of the father, so it is reciprocal but the relishing if this mellow of the son is greater than that of the father. One should understand this. So Nrsimhadev developed that greed, "How can I sit in the lap of My father and relish that rasa? In this incarnation My father is a stone pillar, I cannot have it." So He developed that greed. Then all the incarnations after Nrsimhadeva came accepting father and mother, to fulfill that greed.
The Greed of Lord Rama
Lord Ram also developed greed, very nice topic you see. Vibhisana and Sugriva are friends of Lord Ram. That means sakhya-rasa is there in Ram avatara. But there are two types of sakhya-rasa,visrambha and sambhrama sakhya. Sambhrama means with awe and reverence and visrambha and sambhrama is without awe and reverence - equal. So the sakhya-rasa in Ram avatara is the sambhrama sakhya, with awe and reverence. There is no question of visrambha sakhya or equality. In Ram-avatara His friends Sugriva and Vibhisana cannot climb onto the shoulders of Lord Ram. They cannot snatch away the food from the mouth of Lord Ram, what to speak of climbing onto the shoulders of Lord Ram. They are afraid if even their leg will touch Lord Ram's body. They are afraid and it will be offensive. This is sambhrama sakhya . That means sakhya-rasa with awe and reverence.
But affection that the friends think themselves equal with the Lord. There is no question of awe and reverence. If your own leg will touch your own body, is there nay agitation? There is no agitation at all because it's your own leg touching your own body, not the leg of a different person. A different person is very cautious. If he comes near, he very cautiously moves. In Krsna-lila you will find this visrambha sakhya . The cowherd boys climb up to the shoulders of Krsna and they snatch away the food from the mouth of Krsna and Krsna snatches away the food from the mouth of the cowherd boys as if equal. The legs of the cowherd boys touch Krsna's body and there is no agitation in Krsna because it's as if it is His own leg, because priya-syasakha, is very dear. Therefore, there is equality and abhinnam (non-difference). But in Ram-avatara this sakhya-rasa is not relished. Therefore Lord Ram develops greed for it, how can I relish it? Then it was fulfilled in Krsna avatara.
The Essence of Conjugal Mellow
Also another rasa is there, ie. conjugal mellow, madhurya-rasa. In Ram avatara, Lord Ram is maryada-purusottama, who very strictly follows Vedic rules and regulations. Never transgresses them at all, eka-patni-dhara . He accepts only one wife, not more than one wife. Very strictly follows. In Ram-lila, mahurya-rasa, the conjugal mellow is not relished there because when there is a question of union milan and separation, biraha between lover and beloved, the essence of that conjugal rasa is relished in the highest degree. We will find also in Ram-lila is union and separation of Rama and Sita. Ravana kidnapped Sita, took her away so there is separation and also to give pleasure and happiness to His citizens He, (Lord Ram) banished Sita, separation is there also, but there is no variegatedness in this type of separation, it is not natural, it is forced, so there is no question of relishing the essence of that conjugal mellow.
Rupa Gosvami has mentioned all these things (i.e. different types of virahas (separation) in Ujjvala Nilamani . There are many types of virahas: purava-raga viraha, mana viraha, prema -vaicitya viraha, and these virahas or separations are not there in Ram-lila, no. One type of viraha is there, pravasa viraha . You cannot understand but just hear this. This is in Ujjvala Nilamani. It is a big topic and very, very confidential and subtle point. I am not going to explain it but when some occasion will arise I'll tell you. All these virahas are there Krsna-lila, this prema vaicitya viraha, purva-raga viraha, mana viraha . Therefore Lord Ram develops this greed, how to relish these types of viraha . In Krsna-avatara this greed is filled. The viraha, the separation between lover and beloved is highest platform of prema . On that platform both the nayaka nd nayika, lover and beloved, relish that mellow in their heart. Therefore in Krsna-lila, Krsna is Radha-kanta (the husband of Radha) Radha is His own wife, Gopi-kanta, (the husband of gopis), He's the husband of gopis, He made them the wives of others to relish parakiya-rasa .
In Ram-lila only svakiya-rasa is relished. Svakiya means ones own wife, not the relishment of parakiya-rasa . Therefore Ram developed that greed. So Krsna made His own wives of others to relish parakiya -rasa. Therefore that greed is fulfilled in Krsna-lila but remained unfulfilled in Ram-lila; therefore Krsna-avatara. In this way, this is how the development of greed gradually turned into incarnation after incarnation of the Lord.
The Abode of Love
Now in Krsna-lila these three types of greed are there:
sri radhayah pranaya-mahima kidrso vanayaiva
svadyo yenadbhuta-madhurima kidrso va madiyah
saukhyam casya mad-anubhavatah kidrsam veti lobhat
tad bhavadhyah samajami saci-garbha-sindhau harinduh
"Desiring to understand the glory of Radharani'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, appears from the womb of Srimati Sacidevi as the moon appears from the ocean." (Cc Adi, 1.6)
Krsna developed these three types of greed, as I previously mentioned. The first desire (or greed): What is the love of Radharani and how can I relish it? Second desire (or greed): What is My excellent all-attractive beauty? I cannot relish Myself. So how can I have it? And the third desire (or greed): What pleasure and happiness does Radharani get by relishing My all-attractive excellent beauty? How can I have it? These three greeds, these three desires remain unfulfilled in Krsna-lila, therefore Gaura-avatara. The fulfillment of three types of desires and greed is antaranga karanam, internal cause. Svarupa Damodara Goswami has used this word lobhat meaning, from greed. This word is so significant.
Thank you very much.
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