The Golden Volcano of Divine Love

The Golden Avatar

In the teachings of Karabhajana Rsi we find mention of the different incarnations for different ages (yugavataras). In Dvapara-yuga, the yugavatara is mentioned as follows:

dvapare bhagavan syamah
pita-vasa nijayudhah
srivatsadibhir ankais ca
laksanair upalaksitah

In Dvapara-yuga, Lord Krsna appears with the color of a dark rain cloud, wearing lightning-colored garments. He is decorated with beautiful ornaments. His chest bears the mark of Srivatsa, and He carries His own weapons.

After the description of the yugavatara of Dvapara-yuga, Karabhajana Rsi mentions the kali-yugavatara:

iti dvapara urv-isa
stuvanti jagad-isvaram
nana-tantra-vidhanena
kalav api tatha srnu

He says, "0 King, up to Dvapara-yuga, I have finished describing the incarnations for different ages who come to remind the people of the most appropriate duty for their age. They come and tell us, 'If you do this, you will get the greatest benefit.' O King, after the Dvapara age is finished, the age of Kali comes. The incarnation for the age of Kali has been mentioned in many places in the scriptures, and now I am just going to explain that information to you." (S.B. 11.5.31)

Then he says:

In a suppressed way, this verse explains the advent of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. The ordinary meaning of krsna-varnam is "of a black color." But tvisakrsnam means "His luster is not black." Accompanied by His associates, He is worshiped by the process of sankirtana, the chanting of the holy name of Krsna, and those of sharp intellect will perform this kind of worship.

Golden Gift of the Golden Lord

Jiva Goswami explains the meaning of this verse in his own parallel verse:

"I take shelter of Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who is outwardly of a golden complexion, but is inwardly Krsna Himself. In this age of Kali, He displays His expansions while performing congregational chanting of the holy name of Krsna. That He is blackish within means that internally He is Krsna; that He is golden without means that He has accepted the mood of Srimati Radharani. In the age of Kali, that Golden Lord is seen accompanied by His expansions, associates, and intimate devotees performing sankirtana."

Someone may argue that the meaning of krsna-varnam is that His color is black and His luster is also black. But how is this possible? That would be redundant. The conjunction between the words tvisa and akrsnam mean that His color is krsna, black, but His luster is akrsna: not black. Then, someone might say, "Not black does not necessarily mean golden. Why should it mean golden?" The answer is found in Srimad-Bhagavatam.

Once, Vasudeva sent the astrologer-priest Garga Rsi to Vrndavana to perform the name-giving ceremony for Krsna. At that time, Garga Rsi came to the house of Nanda Maharaja and explained that Vasudeva had sent him. He said, "Your child is now a little grown up and the name-giving ceremony must be performed." At that time, he spoke the following verse:

asan vamas trayo hy asya
grhnato 'nuyugam tanuh
suklo raktas tatha pita
idanim krsnatam gatah

In past incarnations, this boy has appeared with different complexions: white, red, and gold, according to the particular age in which He appeared. Now He has assumed this blackish color."

He said, "Krsna comes in a white color in Satya-yuga, red in Treta-yuga, and He also comes with a golden complexion. Now in this Dvapara-yuga He has come in a black color." So the reference to the golden color (pita) is found here, because only that color has been left for this present age of Kali. There is another reference to this golden color in the Upanisads: yada pasya pasyate rukma varnam: "Krsna, the Supreme Brahman, appears in a golden form." Rukma varnam means golden. And here also, non-black means golden.

Krsna wanted to come as the incarnation for this age of Kali, as well as to fulfill His promise in Vrndavana: "I shall chant the glory of the gopis, especially of Radharani. I shall chant Her name. Her glory, and roll in the dust of the earth!" But Radharani said, "\ won't allow Your body to roll in the dust of this earth. I shall cover You with My luster." Both the mood as well as the luster of Radharani capture Krsna when He comes here in Kali-yuga. And this does not occur in all Kali-yugas, but only in a special Kali-yuga.

In all the days of Brahma, in every yuga, the yugavatara comes, but Krsna appears only once in a day of Brahma, or once every 4.3 billion years. At that time, the Original Personality of Godhead (svayam bhagavan) appears along with His abodes, Vrndavana and Navadwipa. And Krsna and Mahaprabhu do not come here alone, but They come with Their paraphernalia and suitable companions.

And in this age of Kali, He performs a double function: He preaches nama-sankirtana, and more important. He assumes the mood of Radharani to taste His own sweetness, rasa. He is rasa Himself. Krsna thinks, "What is the intensity of the finest rasa in Me? I would like to taste that." But only devotees can taste that, so He took the position of Radharani to taste Himself as Krsna, the central final and perfect abode of rasa. Only Radharani can taste the maximum rasa, so He has to take Her nature, Her mood and temperament to taste His own intrinsic ecstasy. For that reason He descended. His first duty was to spread nama-sankirtana, and the secondary, internal, private duty was to perform bhajana-vibhajan, to taste His own intrinsic ecstasy in the mood of Radharani. In Puri, with Ramananda Raya, Svarupa Damodara, and other intimate associates. He tasted that great ocean of union in separation continuously for twelve years. In His last twelve years. He passed His time only in the process of tasting that mellow.

That incarnation is generally worshiped by sankirtana. Without sankirtana, Gauranga and His paraphernalia cannot be worshiped. He is the propounder of sankirtana, He loves sankirtana, and He gets satisfaction only by sankirtana. Only those who have sufficient merit (sukrti-van), will worship Him by this process. The common mob cannot join this campaign. Those who have good guidance internally, good fortune, can catch the very gist of truth and engage in this process of nama-sankirtana.

A rubbish-brain cannot detect what is right or wrong, or how precious this is. He cannot understand or follow this higher line of thought. A man should be judged by his ideal, his aspiration for higher things. If the ideal is great, the man is great. What should be the highest ideal? Love. Love is the supreme thing. It is the most rare and precious thing. Divine love and beauty is the highest thing ever known to the world, and those who can catch this are really possessed of good intellect (su-medhasah). And one who possesses this highest ideal should be considered to be a man of higher order. He alone can understand and practice sankirtana. He alone can take to this path, this process of satisfying the Supreme Being by chanting the holy name of the Lord.

The Hidden Incarnation

This is mentioned in the Srimad-Bhagavatam, as well as in the Mahdbharata and other Vedic scriptures. Karabha-jana Rsi, the last of the nine great yogis, has given us a clue to understand Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu as the special incarnation for the age. He has mentioned the incarnation for this age of Kali in a mystic way. We may think, why has this not been described very plainly? So many avatdras are clearly described, but when Srimad-Bhagavatam describes Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu as the incarnation for the age of Kali, it is discussed in a mystic way. The answer is found in the teachings of Prahlada Maharaja, who says, "0 Lord, one of Your names is Triyuga, meaning one who incarnates in three ages—Satya, Treta, and Dvapara—but not in Kali. And why? Because the incarnation for the age of Kali is in disguise (channah kalau yad abhavas tri-yugo 'tha sa tvam)."

Here we find the key to this mystic way of representing Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu to the fortunate and intelligent circle (su-med-hasah), that ordinary people may not have any clue.

dhyeyam sada paribhava-ghnam abhista-doham
tirthaspadam siva-virinci-nutam saranyam
bhrtyarti-ham pranata-pala bhavabdhi-potam
vande maha-purusa te caranaravindam

"0 Mahaprabhu, Your lotus feet are the highest object of meditation, for they not only destroy the pain of material existence, but they bestow the greatest fulfillment to all souls who take shelter beneath them. Your lotus feet even purify all saintly persons and holy places. Lord Siva and Lord Brahma aspire to take shelter beneath Your lotus feet. 0 Mahaprabhu, You give shelter to all who simply bow down before You. You relieve all the miseries of Your surrendered servants. In the grand ship of Your lotus feet, we can cross over this ocean of material miseries. 0 Mahaprabhu, I bow down before Your lotus feet."

After mentioning the incarnation of Godhead for the age of Kali, Srimad-Bhdgavatam suddenly begins this song in praise of that great yugavatara, Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu. With a grand voice the Bhagavatam has come to sing the praise of that guide for Kali-yuga. This follows the verse which hints at the avatara of Kali-yuga. Krsna-varnam means one who is always describing Krsna, who always has on his lips the words "Krsna, Krsna, Krsna." Another meaning of this expression is "One who is Krsna Himself, but whose luster is not black." If we look deeply, we shall find that hidden beneath His golden luster is the blackish body of Krsna. With His own paraphernalia He has come to this plane, and service to Him is performed only by sankirtana, divine sound in mass prayer. By that symptom we can recognize His divine position.

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is a hidden incarnation; He comes in disguise. Such an avatara is worshiped by the divinely intellectual. In this way, the Srimad-Bhagavatam first describes that uncommon, extraordinary personality, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, in a mystic way and then proclaims His nobility and His greatness.

The Srimad-Bhagavatam explains, "That same personality who came as Ramacandra and Krsna has again appeared. He has come to direct you to the real fulfillment of life. He is drawing the sweetest nectar from above for the sake of everyone. Only meditate on Him and all your troubles will be finished. He is the agent purifying all the holy places of pilgrimage and great saintly persons by His touch, by His sankirtana, by His drawing the highest things down from the highest plane. And even Brahma and Siva, puzzled by His noble gift, will begin to praise Him. They will eagerly aspire to take shelter under His lotus feet in surrender. The pains of all who come to serve Him will be removed, and their inner necessities will be fulfilled. And He will take care of those who take shelter of Him; they will be given protection as well as everything they may need. In this world where mortality rules, where we are continually experiencing the undesirable changes of repeated birth and dea th, in this area where no one wants to live, a great ship will come for us and take us within and carry us away from this unpleasant position. Let us fall at the feet of that great personality who comes to give the highest nectar." The Srimad-Bhagavatam continues:

"0 Supreme Lord, You gave up the goddess of fortune and Her great opulence, which is most difficult to abandon, and is sought after even by the gods. In order to perfectly establish the principles of religion. You left for the forest to honor the brahmana's curse. To deliver the sinful souls who chase illusory pleasures. You search after them and award them Your devotional service. At the same rime. You are engaged in search of Yourself, in search for Sri Krsna: reality the beautiful."

Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura has given his explanation that although it seems that this verse applies to Lord Ramacandra, who left His kingdom and went with Sitadevi to the forest to discharge the duties designed by His father, this also applies to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura has drawn out the internal meaning of this verse and applied it in the case of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Tyakva su-dustyaja-surepsita-raj ya-laksmim means He left imperial prosperity which is hard to abandon. Generally we find this in the case ot Lord Ramacandra, but Visvanatha Cakravarh Thakura says that surepsita-rajya-laksmim means the valuable devotional company of Visnupriya-devi. That may not appear to be a materially big thing, but the dedication that Visnupriya has shown in Her heart for Sriman Mahaprabhu is greater than any imperial standard. And He had to leave that behind. Such a standard of sacrifice and service is never found even among the great society of the gods. For the sake of the public welfare He had to ignore the serving, loving attitude of Visnupriya.

This verse mentions the curse of a brahmana. That brahmana told Sriman Mahaprabhu, "I want to participate in Your nocturnal kirtanas in which You taste krsna-lila, but the doors are closed." When Sriman Mahaprabhu used to perform kirtana and taste the vraja-lila of Krsna, He did so behind closed doors in deep night. But this brahmana thought himself a very qualified, religious person because he lived by only drinking milk and nothing else, so he said, "\ must have entrance into that kirtana. I do not eat anything but milk; why should I not be allowed?" Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu replied, "Milk drinking is no qualification for entering into Krsna consciousness." The brdhmana said, "Then I curse You to lose your family life!" "All right," Mahaprabhu said and accepted the curse. And later He took sannyasa and chased after those who were misguided by Mayadevi in order to save them. At the same time , although He is Krsna, He accepted the mood of Sriman Radharani. For these two reasons. He left His apparently worldly life: He acted for the welfare of the public and, after finishing that work, spent the next twelve years tasting the very inner aspiration of Sriman Radharani and searching after His own inner sweetness. This was what he came to show to the world. In this mystic way, Srimad-Bhagavatam has proclaimed the magnanimous appearance of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

The Golden Avatar

In the teachings of Karabhajana Rsi we find mention of the different incarnations for different ages (yugavataras). In Dvapara-yuga, the yugavatara is mentioned as follows:

dvapare bhagavan syamah
pita-vasa nijayudhah
srivatsadibhir ankais ca
laksanair upalaksitah

In Dvapara-yuga, Lord Krsna appears with the color of a dark rain cloud, wearing lightning-colored garments. He is decorated with beautiful ornaments. His chest bears the mark of Srivatsa, and He carries His own weapons.

After the description of the yugavatara of Dvapara-yuga, Karabhajana Rsi mentions the kali-yugavatara:

iti dvapara urv-isa
stuvanti jagad-isvaram
nana-tantra-vidhanena
kalav api tatha srnu

He says, "0 King, up to Dvapara-yuga, I have finished describing the incarnations for different ages who come to remind the people of the most appropriate duty for their age. They come and tell us, 'If you do this, you will get the greatest benefit.' O King, after the Dvapara age is finished, the age of Kali comes. The incarnation for the age of Kali has been mentioned in many places in the scriptures, and now I am just going to explain that information to you." (S.B. 11.5.31)

Then he says:

In a suppressed way, this verse explains the advent of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. The ordinary meaning of krsna-varnam is "of a black color." But tvisakrsnam means "His luster is not black." Accompanied by His associates, He is worshiped by the process of sankirtana, the chanting of the holy name of Krsna, and those of sharp intellect will perform this kind of worship.

Golden Gift of the Golden Lord

Jiva Goswami explains the meaning of this verse in his own parallel verse:

"I take shelter of Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who is outwardly of a golden complexion, but is inwardly Krsna Himself. In this age of Kali, He displays His expansions while performing congregational chanting of the holy name of Krsna. That He is blackish within means that internally He is Krsna; that He is golden without means that He has accepted the mood of Srimati Radharani. In the age of Kali, that Golden Lord is seen accompanied by His expansions, associates, and intimate devotees performing sankirtana."

Someone may argue that the meaning of krsna-varnam is that His color is black and His luster is also black. But how is this possible? That would be redundant. The conjunction between the words tvisa and akrsnam mean that His color is krsna, black, but His luster is akrsna: not black. Then, someone might say, "Not black does not necessarily mean golden. Why should it mean golden?" The answer is found in Srimad-Bhagavatam.

Once, Vasudeva sent the astrologer-priest Garga Rsi to Vrndavana to perform the name-giving ceremony for Krsna. At that time, Garga Rsi came to the house of Nanda Maharaja and explained that Vasudeva had sent him. He said, "Your child is now a little grown up and the name-giving ceremony must be performed." At that time, he spoke the following verse:

asan vamas trayo hy asya
grhnato 'nuyugam tanuh
suklo raktas tatha pita
idanim krsnatam gatah

In past incarnations, this boy has appeared with different complexions: white, red, and gold, according to the particular age in which He appeared. Now He has assumed this blackish color."

He said, "Krsna comes in a white color in Satya-yuga, red in Treta-yuga, and He also comes with a golden complexion. Now in this Dvapara-yuga He has come in a black color." So the reference to the golden color (pita) is found here, because only that color has been left for this present age of Kali. There is another reference to this golden color in the Upanisads: yada pasya pasyate rukma varnam: "Krsna, the Supreme Brahman, appears in a golden form." Rukma varnam means golden. And here also, non-black means golden.

Krsna wanted to come as the incarnation for this age of Kali, as well as to fulfill His promise in Vrndavana: "I shall chant the glory of the gopis, especially of Radharani. I shall chant Her name. Her glory, and roll in the dust of the earth!" But Radharani said, "\ won't allow Your body to roll in the dust of this earth. I shall cover You with My luster." Both the mood as well as the luster of Radharani capture Krsna when He comes here in Kali-yuga. And this does not occur in all Kali-yugas, but only in a special Kali-yuga.

In all the days of Brahma, in every yuga, the yugavatara comes, but Krsna appears only once in a day of Brahma, or once every 4.3 billion years. At that time, the Original Personality of Godhead (svayam bhagavan) appears along with His abodes, Vrndavana and Navadwipa. And Krsna and Mahaprabhu do not come here alone, but They come with Their paraphernalia and suitable companions.

And in this age of Kali, He performs a double function: He preaches nama-sankirtana, and more important. He assumes the mood of Radharani to taste His own sweetness, rasa. He is rasa Himself. Krsna thinks, "What is the intensity of the finest rasa in Me? I would like to taste that." But only devotees can taste that, so He took the position of Radharani to taste Himself as Krsna, the central final and perfect abode of rasa. Only Radharani can taste the maximum rasa, so He has to take Her nature, Her mood and temperament to taste His own intrinsic ecstasy. For that reason He descended. His first duty was to spread nama-sankirtana, and the secondary, internal, private duty was to perform bhajana-vibhajan, to taste His own intrinsic ecstasy in the mood of Radharani. In Puri, with Ramananda Raya, Svarupa Damodara, and other intimate associates. He tasted that great ocean of union in separation continuously for twelve years. In His last twelve years. He passed His time only in the process of tasting that mellow.

That incarnation is generally worshiped by sankirtana. Without sankirtana, Gauranga and His paraphernalia cannot be worshiped. He is the propounder of sankirtana, He loves sankirtana, and He gets satisfaction only by sankirtana. Only those who have sufficient merit (sukrti-van), will worship Him by this process. The common mob cannot join this campaign. Those who have good guidance internally, good fortune, can catch the very gist of truth and engage in this process of nama-sankirtana.

A rubbish-brain cannot detect what is right or wrong, or how precious this is. He cannot understand or follow this higher line of thought. A man should be judged by his ideal, his aspiration for higher things. If the ideal is great, the man is great. What should be the highest ideal? Love. Love is the supreme thing. It is the most rare and precious thing. Divine love and beauty is the highest thing ever known to the world, and those who can catch this are really possessed of good intellect (su-medhasah). And one who possesses this highest ideal should be considered to be a man of higher order. He alone can understand and practice sankirtana. He alone can take to this path, this process of satisfying the Supreme Being by chanting the holy name of the Lord.

The Hidden Incarnation

This is mentioned in the Srimad-Bhagavatam, as well as in the Mahdbharata and other Vedic scriptures. Karabha-jana Rsi, the last of the nine great yogis, has given us a clue to understand Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu as the special incarnation for the age. He has mentioned the incarnation for this age of Kali in a mystic way. We may think, why has this not been described very plainly? So many avatdras are clearly described, but when Srimad-Bhagavatam describes Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu as the incarnation for the age of Kali, it is discussed in a mystic way. The answer is found in the teachings of Prahlada Maharaja, who says, "0 Lord, one of Your names is Triyuga, meaning one who incarnates in three ages—Satya, Treta, and Dvapara—but not in Kali. And why? Because the incarnation for the age of Kali is in disguise (channah kalau yad abhavas tri-yugo 'tha sa tvam)."

Here we find the key to this mystic way of representing Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu to the fortunate and intelligent circle (su-med-hasah), that ordinary people may not have any clue.

dhyeyam sada paribhava-ghnam abhista-doham
tirthaspadam siva-virinci-nutam saranyam
bhrtyarti-ham pranata-pala bhavabdhi-potam
vande maha-purusa te caranaravindam

"0 Mahaprabhu, Your lotus feet are the highest object of meditation, for they not only destroy the pain of material existence, but they bestow the greatest fulfillment to all souls who take shelter beneath them. Your lotus feet even purify all saintly persons and holy places. Lord Siva and Lord Brahma aspire to take shelter beneath Your lotus feet. 0 Mahaprabhu, You give shelter to all who simply bow down before You. You relieve all the miseries of Your surrendered servants. In the grand ship of Your lotus feet, we can cross over this ocean of material miseries. 0 Mahaprabhu, I bow down before Your lotus feet."

After mentioning the incarnation of Godhead for the age of Kali, Srimad-Bhdgavatam suddenly begins this song in praise of that great yugavatara, Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu. With a grand voice the Bhagavatam has come to sing the praise of that guide for Kali-yuga. This follows the verse which hints at the avatara of Kali-yuga. Krsna-varnam means one who is always describing Krsna, who always has on his lips the words "Krsna, Krsna, Krsna." Another meaning of this expression is "One who is Krsna Himself, but whose luster is not black." If we look deeply, we shall find that hidden beneath His golden luster is the blackish body of Krsna. With His own paraphernalia He has come to this plane, and service to Him is performed only by sankirtana, divine sound in mass prayer. By that symptom we can recognize His divine position.

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is a hidden incarnation; He comes in disguise. Such an avatara is worshiped by the divinely intellectual. In this way, the Srimad-Bhagavatam first describes that uncommon, extraordinary personality, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, in a mystic way and then proclaims His nobility and His greatness.

The Srimad-Bhagavatam explains, "That same personality who came as Ramacandra and Krsna has again appeared. He has come to direct you to the real fulfillment of life. He is drawing the sweetest nectar from above for the sake of everyone. Only meditate on Him and all your troubles will be finished. He is the agent purifying all the holy places of pilgrimage and great saintly persons by His touch, by His sankirtana, by His drawing the highest things down from the highest plane. And even Brahma and Siva, puzzled by His noble gift, will begin to praise Him. They will eagerly aspire to take shelter under His lotus feet in surrender. The pains of all who come to serve Him will be removed, and their inner necessities will be fulfilled. And He will take care of those who take shelter of Him; they will be given protection as well as everything they may need. In this world where mortality rules, where we are continually experiencing the undesirable changes of repeated birth and dea th, in this area where no one wants to live, a great ship will come for us and take us within and carry us away from this unpleasant position. Let us fall at the feet of that great personality who comes to give the highest nectar." The Srimad-Bhagavatam continues:

"0 Supreme Lord, You gave up the goddess of fortune and Her great opulence, which is most difficult to abandon, and is sought after even by the gods. In order to perfectly establish the principles of religion. You left for the forest to honor the brahmana's curse. To deliver the sinful souls who chase illusory pleasures. You search after them and award them Your devotional service. At the same rime. You are engaged in search of Yourself, in search for Sri Krsna: reality the beautiful."

Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura has given his explanation that although it seems that this verse applies to Lord Ramacandra, who left His kingdom and went with Sitadevi to the forest to discharge the duties designed by His father, this also applies to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura has drawn out the internal meaning of this verse and applied it in the case of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Tyakva su-dustyaja-surepsita-raj ya-laksmim means He left imperial prosperity which is hard to abandon. Generally we find this in the case ot Lord Ramacandra, but Visvanatha Cakravarh Thakura says that surepsita-rajya-laksmim means the valuable devotional company of Visnupriya-devi. That may not appear to be a materially big thing, but the dedication that Visnupriya has shown in Her heart for Sriman Mahaprabhu is greater than any imperial standard. And He had to leave that behind. Such a standard of sacrifice and service is never found even among the great society of the gods. For the sake of the public welfare He had to ignore the serving, loving attitude of Visnupriya.

This verse mentions the curse of a brahmana. That brahmana told Sriman Mahaprabhu, "I want to participate in Your nocturnal kirtanas in which You taste krsna-lila, but the doors are closed." When Sriman Mahaprabhu used to perform kirtana and taste the vraja-lila of Krsna, He did so behind closed doors in deep night. But this brahmana thought himself a very qualified, religious person because he lived by only drinking milk and nothing else, so he said, "\ must have entrance into that kirtana. I do not eat anything but milk; why should I not be allowed?" Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu replied, "Milk drinking is no qualification for entering into Krsna consciousness." The brdhmana said, "Then I curse You to lose your family life!" "All right," Mahaprabhu said and accepted the curse. And later He took sannyasa and chased after those who were misguided by Mayadevi in order to save them. At the same time , although He is Krsna, He accepted the mood of Sriman Radharani. For these two reasons. He left His apparently worldly life: He acted for the welfare of the public and, after finishing that work, spent the next twelve years tasting the very inner aspiration of Sriman Radharani and searching after His own inner sweetness. This was what he came to show to the world. In this mystic way, Srimad-Bhagavatam has proclaimed the magnanimous appearance of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

A Mysterious Incarnation

After Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu took sannyasa, He went to live in Jagannatha Puri. There, He converted the greatest scholar of the day, Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya. After meeting Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the great scholar Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya questioned his brother-in-law Gopinatha Acarya about the avatara of the present age Kali-yuga. Gopinatha had been living in Navadwipa, and he was a follower of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. In his own way, Sarvabhauma began to praise Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu as a beautiful man and a great scholar.

"I have great attraction for Him," he said, "But I don't think it wise that at such a young age He has taken sannyasa, the renounced order ot life. He has such a long life ahead of Him; how will He be able to keep up the dignity of the life of a sannyasi, a life of renunciation? I can't sit by and do nothing. I like this boy very much. I shall have to help Him as a guardian, so that He may not lose His prestige by giving up sannyasa, attracted by the fascination of worldly pleasures."

Gopinatha could not tolerate all this guardian-like advice. He told Sarvabhauma, "This young man, who is very beautiful, charming, and scholarly, has attracted your attention, and you want to become His guardian to keep up the purity or His life. Do you think you will have to help Him? What do you mean by saying all these things? Don't you know that He is really the incarnation of Godhead for this age? He is the avatara for Kali-yuga He inaugurated the yuga-dharma of nama-sankirtana in Navadwipa, and His appearance is mentioned in the scriptures." Sarvabhauma replied, "No, no! You are not talking to an ordinary person. Don't think that you can say whatever you like and I will accept it. I am a hard nut to crack. What are you saying? There is no kali-yuga-avatara. One of the names of Visnu mentioned in the Visnu-sahasra-nama in the Mahabharata is Triyuga, 'The Lord who appears only in three ages.' That means that the Lord has no incarnation in Kali-yuga except Kalki, who is a pastime incarnation and not the yugavatara, the incarnation for the age." Gopinatha replied, "You think yourself so learned, but although you have studied all the scriptures, and are so proud of your learning, the Maha-bharata and Srimad-Bhagavatam are the main scriptures of the followers of eternal religious principles, and still you have no particular knowledge about that."

At that time, Gopinatha Acarya quoted passages from the Srimad-Bhdgavatam and Mahabharata (krsna-varnam tvisakrsnam, suvarna varna hemango). In this way, he pressed his point: "Here we find the direct avatara for the age of Kali. He has appeared to spread ndma-sankirtana. He is not a man, but the Supreme Lord, Krsna Himself." Sarvabhauma said, "No, no. Go away. Mind your own business. Don't think that you can instruct me." And in this way they argued.

Later Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya told Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, "I would like to teach You Vedanta philosophy so that You can keep up the standard of Your renunciation. I will teach You that this world is nothing, so that You never feel any charm to again enter into mundane life." Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, "Yes, you are My guardian. Whatever you say, I must do. I will come and learn Vedanta philosophy from you at whatever time is suitable for you.

Then Gopinatha Acarya told Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, "Sarvabhauma is saying this because he doesn't know Your real identity." Sriman Mahaprabhu replied, "Why are you speaking against him? He is My guardian. He was My father's classmate, so he has great affection for Me. It is out of affection that he poses himself as My guardian and looks after My welfare. I don't find any fault in that."

In a few days, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu began to hear Vedanta from Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya, and as Sarvabhauma would speak. He would remain silent like a good boy, as if He were hearing with a submissive attitude. But after he had been teaching Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu for seven days, Sarvabhauma had some doubt in his mind. He thought, "What is the matter? I am such a great scholar in Vedanta and logic, and I am trying my best with all my intelligence to put before Him the inner meaning of Vedanta, but I draw no response from Him. He is only quietly attending my discourse as if He is deaf and dumb. And I can't say that He does not understand me, for He has a sharp intellect. I am sure of this, but still He gives no appreciation, no response whatsoever. He raises no question and gives no indication whether He understands or not—nothing of the kind. Then what am I doing?" He could not keep to himself any longer. He put

"Srimad-Bhagavatam represents the real purport of Vedanta-sutra. And although it is very difficult to draw out the real purpose of the one hundred thousand verse epic Mahabharata, the great history of the world, Srimad-Bhagavatam has come to give its real meaning. The mother of all Vedic knowledge is the Gayatri mantra. Srimad-Bhagavatam gives the gist of Gayatri in a very full-fledged way. And the supplementary truths of the Vedas are also found within Srimad-Bhagavatam." Therefore, Vedanta must be explained in the line of the truth which has been expressed in the Srimad-Bhagavatam. Only then can the real meaning be understood.

When Sriman Mahaprabhu mentioned Srimad-Bhagavatam, Sarvabhauma, being a learned pandita could not deny its validity. He said, "Yes, I also like Srimad-Bhagavatam. And I especially like one very beautiful verse. At that time, Sarvabhauma, to regain his lost prestige, began to explain the atmarama verse of Srimad-Bhagavatam:

"Even the liberated souls fully satisfied in the self are irresistibly attracted by the superexcellent qualities of Krsna and surrender to Him with unalloyed devotion."

Sarvabhauma explained this verse in nine different ways, while Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu/ as before, sat silently hearing. After he had finished his explanation Sarvabhauma thought that he had regained his position to a certain extent. Still, as a courtesy, he asked Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, "Are You satisfied with this explanation? If You can give any more light to this verse, will listen to that." Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu told him, "If you order me, I may try." Then He gave eighteen different types of explanations of that verse, leaving aside the nine already given by Sarvabhauma.

At that time, while listening to the explanation of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Sarvabhauma gradually saw that he was losing his position. His pride was finished. Astounded, he thought, "This youth, this young boy, is not an ordinary person. No ordinary intellect can refute my arguments. Leaving aside all of my attempts to explain this verse. He gave eighteen wonderful explanations of this particular verse. What is this? Such consistent, irresistible, devotional, and beautiful explanations are coming, superceding all those that with great energy and effort I explained. No human being can surpass my explanations. No human intellect can cross mine. This is a different sort of explanation. It is all-encompassing. But it is coming from this young boy? What is this?"

Gradually, he lost his faith in himself and became baffled. And then he recalled how Gopinatha Acarya had said that Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was not a human being and thought, "It is not possible for a human to explain things in this way—it is something supernatural. Then Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu revealed to Sarvabhauma His spiritual position as Narayana and Krsna combined. In a trance, Sarvabhauma saw all these things and fell at the Lord's feet, and almost completely lost consciousness.

When he arose from his trance, he found that boy still sitting there like a student with great humility. Then Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu asked him, "May I go for today?"

Sarvabhauma said, "Yes, you may go now." The Lord went away, and Sarvabhauma remained there. After some time, he recovered, and began to think, "What have I seen? Four-handed Narayana, then Krsna playing the flute! I was not defeated by a man—that is my solace. Sarvabhauma became a changed man and composed two verses:

"I surrender unto the lotus feet of Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who is an ocean of mercy. He is the Original Personality of Godhead, Krsna, and has descended to teach us the real meaning of knowledge, renunciation, and devotion to Him."

"Let the honeybee of my mind dive deep into the lotus feet of Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna Himself. He has appeared to revive the path of unalloyed devotion, which had almost become lost due to the influence of time."

These two verses were composed by Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya expressing that Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is the Supreme Lord Himself. The next day, early in the morning, Sriman Mahaprabhu, with some prasddam from the Jagannatha temple, ran to Sarvabhauma while he was still in bed. He cried in a loud voice, "Sarvabhauma—How wonderful is this prasadam!. It has a very extraordinary taste. Please take it. I have come for you with this prasadam." Sarvabhauma arose from bed as Mahaprabhu offered him the prasadam, and he could not but accept it without even cleansing his mouth. Ordinarily a brahmana pandita, early in the morning, will first cleanse his mouth, bathe, offer different prayers, and only then take prasadam. But when Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu personally came and offered it to him with His own hand, what could Sarvabhauma do? He had to accept that prasadam. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu told him, "We have previously experienced th e taste of so many things like ghee, rice, sweets, and spices. We all know what flavors they have, but this is wonderful. This has touched the lips of Krsna Himself. It is extraordinarily wonderful and tasteful." Then, Sarvabhauma eagerly ate that prasadam and began uttering some mantras:

"One should take the maha-prasada of Sri Krsna as soon as one receives it, without consideration of time or place, even though it may be dried up, stale, or brought from a distant country."

The prasada of Sri Krsna is to be taken by gentlemen as soon as it is received, without hesitation. There are no regulative principles concerning time and place. This is the order of the Supreme Personality of Godhead."

He took prasadam, and the Lord and servant embraced one another and began to dance in ecstasy. As they danced, the symptoms of ecstasy appeared in both of them. They perspired, trembled, and shed tears. Absorbed in ecstatic love, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, "Today, I have conquered the whole world, for I have converted a scholar like Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya. Now, he has so much faith in maha-prasada that without performing any Vedic rituals, he took the prasadam. My mission is successful!"

From that day on, Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya knew nothing but the lotus feet of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and could only explain the scriptures with the conclusions of devotion. Seeing that Sarvabhauma had become a follower of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Gopinatha Acarya began to clap his hands and dance. He said, "Well, Sarvabhauma, what do you think now?" Sarvabhauma replied, "Gopinatha, you are my real friend, for it is by your grace that I received the mercy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu."

Friend of the Fallen

Although it is the duty of justice to seek qualifications, mercy has no such limits. Divine mercy does not care for any qualifications, but is always ready to compensate the weak and unfit. Only one thing is required: our sincere eagerness to receive mercy. In Caitanya-caritamrta it is said:

"Pure devotional service to Krsna cannot be obtained by performing pious activities even for millions of births. It can be purchased only by paying one price: intense eagerness. Wherever it is available, one must purchase it immediately." No qualifications from one's previous life will help one to attain Krsna consciousness; only eagerness and faith are important.

And what is the effect of Krsna consciousness?

"Our inner aspiration for rasa, ecstasy, is buried in the heart and the heart is tied down and sealed. But hearing and chanting the glories of Krsna breaks the seal of the heart, and the heart awakens and opens to receive Krsna, the reservoir of pleasure, ecstasy Himself (rasa vai sah, akhila rasamrta murtih)."

Our heart's concern is with ecstasy, charm, and sweetness. And this is felt by the heart, not by the brain, so the heart has been given the most importance. The next effect is felt in the plane of knowledge. After getting a taste of divine sweetness, suspicion vanishes (rasa-varjam raso 'py asya pararh drstva nivartate). When we have a taste of real ecstasy (rasa), then all doubts are cleared. By getting a taste of Krsna consciousness, the heart is captured, and when the heart is captured, the ecstasy of love of Godhead, prema, begins to flow. Being satisfied, the heart will say, "This is what I was searching for!" Then, the brain will follow, thinking, "Yes, there can be no doubt, this is the highest goal of our search. Dissolve everything else." The heart will say, "I have attained prema, divine love—this is the highest thing! Stop all works from now on." Then, karma will close all its workshops. After coming in touch with Krsna c onsciousness, the first result is that the heart awakens. When the heart is captured, the brain approves, and our karma, energizing in the wrong direction, stops. Krsna consciousness is the real wealth of the heart.

It is the nature of divine mercy to extend itself without coring for any law. The only consideration is our eagerness to accept it. Mercy is offered in this way: "Do you want this?" If we simply agree, "Yes, it is wonderful and most tasteful," then we can have it. If our prayer is genuine, then nothing else is required. It is a simple transaction. If we want it, we will get it. Krsna consciousness is most simple. Whether one is fit or unfit is unimportant. Anyone who simply wants it may have it.

And what of those who don't want this divine gift? For them, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu distributed special mercy through His most magnanimous canvassing agent, Sripada Nityananda Prabhu. Nityananda Prabhu won't allow even those who want to avoid Krsna consciousness to escape. If someone says, "I don't want it," Nityananda Prabhu won't allow it. He will say, "No! You must want it. I request you earnestly—take it! Use it and you will be able to feel the value of Krsna consciousness."

To capture the market, a clever merchant may distribute free samples of his product to his customers, saying, "Take one free! There is no question of paying any price now. I am giving this away. Use it, and if you feel the value, the utility of my product—buy it." And then afterwards everyone will purchase.

In a similar way, Nityananda Prabhu traveled throughout Bengal making His humble appeal. Nityananda Prabhu would knock at the door and fall at the feet of His customers, crying, "Please accept this! Don't dismiss Me, don't drive Me away. Please do what I say. Give all your attention to Gauranga and you will be benefited beyond expectation. This is My request to you." He would shed tears, roll at their door, and say, "You are reluctant to accept this, but have no doubts. I implore you—take it! Believe Me. Please accept Gauranga!" In this way, Nityananda Prabhu used to wander down both sides of the Ganges, roaming here and there and preaching about Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

Nityananda Prabhu knows only Gauranga. He is represented in krsna-lila as Baladeva. Baladeva apparently performed the rasa-lila, but at heart was only arranging rasa-lila for Krsna: His nature shows the experts of devotion that He is always dedicated to Krsna. Otherwise He would not be Baladeva. He has no individual thoughts for His own enjoyment; every atom of His body is always eager to make arrangements for the enjoyment of Krsna. In a similar way, every atom of the body of Nityananda Prabhu is conscious transcendental substance. And every atom of His body is meant only for the service and satisfaction of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

One day, Mahaprabhu's mother, Sacidevi, had a dream that Krsna and Balarama were on a throne and Nityananda Prabhu was addressing Baladeva, "Come down from Your throne! Your days are over. Now My Lord Gaurahga will be installed." Baladeva refused: "No. I have My Lord—Krsna." There was a fight, but Nityananda Prabhu was stronger and He took Baladeva down from the throne, saying, "Your day has gone. Now the time for My master, Gauranga, has come. You are a trespasser, a usurper—You must come down." And Baladeva could not defeat Nityananda, who took Him down from the throne.

This is the nature of Nityananda Prabhu's relationship with Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. He has nothing of His own; His everything is Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. As Baladeva is to Krsna, Nityananda Prabhu is to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. The aim of Sriman Mahaprabhu's descent was to distribute the devotional service of Vrndavana most generously. On the other hand, Nityananda Prabhu used to sing, "Bhaja gauranga, kaha gauranga laha gauranger nama, yei jana gauranga bhaje sei amara prana: worship Gauranga, speak of Gauranga, chant Gauranga's name. Whoever worships Sri Gaurahga is My life and soul." Nityananda Prabhu tried His best to make the people at large accept Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. What did He say? "Come straight to the campaign of iSri Caitanya and you will safely attain Vrndavana."

Of course, Navadwipa, the abode of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, is no less valuable than Vrndavana, the abode of Krsna. The same rasa which is found in Vrndavana is present in another feature in Navadwipa. Some devotees have a special attraction for vrndavana-lila,, others have a special attraction for navadwipa-lila, and a third group represents both camps, but Navadwipa is the most generous. In Vrndavana, the pastimes of Krsna are confined to a confidential circle, but in Navadwipa, those pastimes are distributed. Gaura-lila is more generous than krsna-lila.

In the Caitanya-caritamrta (Mad. 25.271), Krsnadasa Kaviraja Goswami explains his conception of the difference between gaura-lila and krsna-lila:

He says, "There is no doubt that we find the highest nectarine taste of rasa in krsna-lila. But what is gaura-lila? In gaura-lila, the nectar of krsna-lila is not confined to a limited circle, but is being distributed on all sides. It is just as if from all ten sides of the nectarine lake of krsna-lila hundreds of streams are flowing."

Our highest aspiration is to achieve the service of Srimati Radharani, but in the beginning, we must approach Sri Nityananda Prabhu through His manifest representation, the guru. Nityananda Prabhu consolidates the foundation which helps us progress further in devotion. Quick progress without a good foundation invites a negative reaction, so the mercy of Nityananda Prabhu is our primary necessity. This approach culminates in the service of Srimati Radharani (nitaiyer-karuna habe braje radha-krsnapabe).

To be reinstated as a servant of the servant to the extreme degree is the philosophy of Gaudiya Vaisnavism. Our goal is not to become one with Krsna—to receive service—we want to render service. The predominated moiety of the Absolute Truth is negative potency—the energy that serves—and the predominating moiety receives that service. Our best interest will be reached when, according to our constitutional nature, we attain our position in the line of servitors in the negative, predominated moiety; not by considering ourselves one with the positive, predominating moiety.

By the grace of Nityananda Prabhu, we develop our attraction for Sri Gauranga. If we receive the grace of Sri Gauranga, we receive everything in the highest degree. And that is the safest way to approach Radha-Govinda. If we try to achieve Radha-Govinda in some other way, our attempt will naturally be artificial and defective; if we approach Radha-Govinda directly, avoiding Sri Gauranga, there will be great difficulty.

Therefore, we should invest all our energy in the service of Sri Gaurahga. Then, we shall automatically find ourselves being lifted towards the highest level. Prabhodananda Saraswati Thakura prays:

As much as we devote ourselves to the lotus feet of Sri Gauranga, we will automatically achieve the nectarine service of Srimati Radharani in Vrndavana. An investment in Navadwipa Dhama will automatically take one to Vrndavana. How one has been carried there will be unknown to him. But those who have good fortune invest everything in the service of Gauranga. If they do that, they will find that everything has automatically been offered to the divine feet of Srimati Radharani. She will accept them in Her confidential service and give them engagement, saying, "Oh, you have a good recommendation from Navadwipa; I immediately appoint you to this service." Srimati Radharani is introduced in the form of Gauranga with the added element of magnanimity. No selfish sensualism can enter our consideration of the pastimes of Sri Gauranga, for there He appears as a sannyasi and a devotee.

Of course, if we are to analyze Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, we shall find Krsna in the garb of Radharani. According to the impersonal philosophers, when negative and positive combine, they become non-differentiated oneness, but Vaisnava philosophy says that when both positive and negative aspects of Godhead are com-bined, personality is not lost. Rather, in the garb of the negative, the positive is converted and begins searching for Himself in the mood of the highest searcher. According to Vaisnavism, when positive and negative combine, they do not create equilibrium; rather, their dynamic character is always maintained. The combination of Radha and Govinda is Sri Gauranga, and by the grace of Nityananda Prabhu, we may be attracted to Sri Gauranga.

Nityananda Prabhu's mercy sometimes exceeds the mercy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Because it may create a bad precedent, Mahaprabhu sometimes cannot accept certain fallen souls—He has to consider their status as well as other things. Nityananda Prabhu's mercy, however, does not care for any unfavorable circumstances; His mercy is very lavish and almost blind. He does not discriminate between different degrees of sinners. His mercy is all-embracing. And Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu cannot dismiss His recommendation. Even those who Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu rejected, Nityananda Prabhu sheltered, and gradually Mahaprabhu had to accept them. So the grace of Nityananda is greatest both in magnitude and circumference, and that is our solace, for by His mercy even the most fallen souls can attain the supreme goal.

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu once told His followers, "Even if Nityananda Prabhu is found with a fallen girl of the lowest kind, drinking wine in a wine shop, still you should know that He is above all these things. Although you may find Him apparently engaged in lower activities, He is never implicated. He may appear connected with so many fallen activities, but you should know that He is always revered by the creator of the universe. Lord Brahma, and other exalted devotees. Nityananda Prabhu's mercy is so powerful that if one simply takes a piece of His loincloth and wears it respectfully on his body. He will be saved from all me disturbances of the mundane senses." Therefore we pray, "May my mind always stick to His holy feet; I offer my obeisances to Sri Nityananda Prabhu."

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu took sannyasa for the benefit of those souls swallowed by maya. He ran and chased after the fallen souls to deliver them from illusion by giving them the holy name of Krsna, and Nityananda Prabhu, like His shadow, ran after Him wherever He went. He fully surrendered and identified Himself with Mahaprabhu's cause. So we must bow down to Nityananda Prabhu. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was merged in tasting the sweetness of Radha-Govinda lila, and diving deep into that reality, however, at the same time. He wanted to deliver all souls whose hearts had been devoured by the false notions of renunciation and exploitation, He ordered Nityananda Prabhu, "Go to Bengal and try to deliver them—give them divine love for Radha and Krsna."

He ordered Nityananda Prabhu to distribute divine love for Radha-Govinda, but instead, Nityananda began to preach about Sri Gauranga. He thought, "It will be better for them to worship Gauranga; that will help free them from their offenses in their present position, and by doing so, they will automatically achieve a position in Radha-Govinda lila." He was ordered to preach the name of Krsna, but instead began to preach the name of Gauranga. So, for our own welfare, we bow down to Nityananda Prabhu with all our humility.

We pray, "0 Nityananda Prabhu, 0 gurudeva, please give me a drop of firm faith in Sri Gauranga, who is Radha-Govinda combined, tasting the sweetness of the divine nectar of the pastimes of Vrndavana. Give me a drop of faith, so that one day I may attain divine love and enter into that domain."

If we neglect Nityananda Prabhu and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, our aspiration to serve Radha-Govinda will be a dream, an abstract imagination without reality. Nityananda Prabhu is the refuge of all fallen souls. He is the most generous-hearted aspect of guru-tattva; we must bow down our head to Him, accept His holy feet, and surrender to Him.

In the spiritual realm of Vaikuntha, Nityananda Prabhu is represented as Sankarsana, the Supreme Lord who is considered to be the foundation of everything in existence. All possible existence is maintained by His energy. Nityananda Prabhu is the original Baladeva, the Personality of Godhead. Therefore, we should view the pastimes of Nityananda Prabhu with full consciousness of His dignified position, although He used to roam about here and there, rolling in the dust with tears in His eyes, saying, "Take the name of Gauranga and I will be sold to you." Although He posed in this lower position, still. He should be considered in light of His actual dignified position. We must surrender to Him with that attitude.

Balarama is represented in different parts of the spiritual world in different aspects. He came here as Nityananda Prabhu with Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. The truth about Nityananda Prabhu has been exhaustively explained in Caitanya-caritamrta and Caitanya-bhagavata. There, He is described as enjoying His life and relishing His pastimes with His own younger brother. To that Nityananda, we must bow our heads.

Sri Krsna prema, divine love, is an inconceivable substance which is very pleasing and ecstatic. Great saints who get a taste of that wonderful substance throw away all sorts of aspirations, including salvation, which is lavishly praised by the Vedas. So Nityananda Prabhu, although one with Baladeva, is greater than Him. Why? He is distributing divine love.

What is divine love? It is so important and valuable, so much higher than all other sorts of achievements, that one who can give divine love is far superior to those who can give duty, wealth, pleasure, and even salvation (dharma, artha, kama, moksa). If we conceive that Krsna is subordinate to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, then of course Balarama is subordinate to Nityananda Prabhu. In all other respects the two of Them are similar, but when magnanimity is added to Balarama, He becomes Nityananda Prabhu.

First, the position of divine love must be established: the great saints discard salvation and other things after they get a slight scent of divine love. Once the position of divine love is established, we can understand that one who can give it must necessarily be superior to the givers of all other things.

So Nityananda Balarama is superior to Karanadakasayi Visnu, the Supersoul of the collective universes, Garbhodakasayi Visnu, the Supersoul of this universe; and Ksirodakasayi Visnu, the Supersoul of all living beings. And that Balarama has come here as Nityananda Prabhu—not with majesty, grandeur, or power, but in a human form—to distribute divine love. And He is the giver of Gauranga. His greatness is proved by this fact. We can understand this further by examining the different aspects of His life, step by step.

Nityananda Prabhu was born in Ekacakra, and there He passed His early life. His parents, friends, and neighbors were filled with ecstatic joy, being pleased with His sweet infant pastimes. From His birth. He was a pleasure to the whole atmosphere of Ekacakra, and in this joyful atmosphere He passed His childhood years.

One day, while Nityananda was still young, a sannyasi came to His home and begged Him from His parents. The sannyasi was roaming about to different holy places and he prayed for Nityananda as his alms. He took Him in his company and Nityananda Prabhu wandered about almost all the holy places, following that sannyasi. It is said that the sannyasi was Madhavendra Puri.

Then one day, from within, feeling ecstasy in His heart, Nityananda Prabhu could understand that Sri Gauranga had begun His pastimes of sankirtana in Navadwipa. And with that inspiration, He came to Navadwipa Dhama.

That day, Mahaprabhu told His followers, "I had a dream that an extraordinarily great man, in a chariot marked with the palm tree flag of Balarama, came to My door and said, 'Where is the house of Nimai Pandita?' Twice, thrice, four times—again and again—He kept saying, 'Where is the house of Nimai Pandita?'" Mahaprabhu continued, "That great personage must have come last night to Navadwipa. Try to search Him out." They searched and searched, but could not find Him anywhere.

Then Mahaprabhu told them, "Let Me try." He took them straight to the home of Nandanacarya, and when Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu with His followers suddenly arrived there, they found Nityananda Prabhu sitting on the veranda. After seeing Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Nityananda Prabhu stared intently at Him for some time, became absorbed in Him, and fainted. In this way, in one day. He became the most intimate associate of Sriman Mahaprabhu. When He was ordered by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu to give Krsna consciousness to everyone, He began to distribute Gauranga consciousness, divine love of Sri Gauranga. That Nityananda Prabhu is the savior of all fallen souls, without any discrimination of the degree of their fallenness, so we bow down to His holy feet.

Once, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu had a secret talk with Nityananda Prabhu in Jagannatha Puri. When Nityananda Prabhu went to Bengal and married, some say that Mahaprabhu asked Him to marry. It is our opinion that because the so-called "high class" people were so much surcharged with vanity, Nityananda Prabhu was asked to approach the masses. Because He was ordered to mix with them very familiarly for His preaching purposes, it was found necessary for Him to marry. Otherwise, if He were to have mixed very familiarly with family men, accusations may have been leveled at His standard of renunciation. And to further that purpose. He married. He had to adopt that policy and accept that attitude. And He may have been told to do so by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; it was not His own decision. Of course, marrying or not marrying was nothing to Him.

How He came in contact with His eternal consort, Jahnavadevi is described in the Bhakti-ratnakara. It appears that when He was preaching all around Bengal, He preached at the house of Jahnavadevi's father, Suryadasa Pandita, the brother of Gauridasa Pandita, who was already a follower of Gaura-Nityananda. Suryadasa gave Him intimate help in His propaganda work, as his house was a good base. And Suryadasa, who had two daughters, offered Nityananda Prabhu his daughter in marriage. Ultimately, Srila Nityananda Prabhu and Srimati Jahnavadevi are eternally associated, and although their marriage apparently took place out of necessity, it was actually part of Their eternal lila.

Of course, some so-called sannyasis take advantage of this to give up their vows of celibacy and marry. They give the marriage of Nityananda as an excuse. But it is not a proven fact that Nityananda Prabhu was a sannyasi. Actually, the name "Nityananda" is a brahmacari name. "Ananda" is a suffix added to the name of a brahmacari. Ananda, Svarupa, Prakasa, and Caitanya are different types of brahmacari names. The name Ananda is also found in the sannyasa order of life, but we find no sannyasa title mentioned for Nityananda Prabhu. There is also no mention-anywhere of a sannyasa guru for Nityananda Prabhu, although we know that His diksa guru was Madhavendra Puri, the guru of Advaita Prabhu and Isvara Puri.

Nityananda Prabhu is known as an avadhuta. Avadhuta does not mean a sannyasi, but one who is not very particular about his external practices and sometimes does things which should not be done. When an exalted person is seen engaging in lower practices, he is considered an avadhuta. It is understood that he is above that, but his practices are of a lower nature. Ava means lower, and dhuta means that he can either remove or purify.

Nityananda Prabhu broke the single sannyasa staff (eka-danda) into three; that indicates that when taking sanyasa, the renounced order of life, we should accept not one, but three dandas, which symbolize the dedication of body, mind, and words in the service of the Lord. And Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura Prabhupada was also inspired by this action of Nityananda Prabhu's to give tridandi sannydsa to his followers, in contrast with ekadanda which was formerly current in Bengal. The system of tridandi sannydsa was the custom in Southeast India with the Vaisnavas who follow Ramanujacarya, and Srila Bhaktisiddhanta introduced it for the modern world.

Nityananda Prabhu's approach was somewhat peculiar. His strategy was to uplift the most fallen. Like Napoleon, whose policy was to attack the strongest position of the opposing army, Nityananda Prabhu wanted to capture the most sinful. Generally, we think that a saint flies away from this world of maya and goes to a solitary place where he can enter into a cave and engage himself in meditation. Indian saints generally preach, "Give up everything, go to a solitary place in the jungle, find a cave, and engage yourself fully in understanding Godhead."

But our guru maharaja was different. Like Mahaprabhu and Nityananda Prabhu, he wanted to attack maya and, like a great general, he declared totalitarian war on illusion and even all other existing conceptions of religion. "Why is there this misunderstanding and misconception?" he thought, "Everything belongs to Krsna: isavasyam idam sarvam. It is plain and simple and sweet. How can we think, "This is for me, that is for Him?' Why should we let this misconception stand here at all? Attack it—and crush the whole thing!"

He told us, "Kirtana means to preach against misconception. As soldiers, you must go door to door and preach Krsna consciousness—Krsna's interest—the Krsna conception. If they understand that everything is for Krsna, they will be saved. This truth is plain and simple. Why should they not understand this? Try to capture them, to release them from the world of misconception and misunderstanding where they are now suffering from reaction."

In this way, we are not afraid of anything. A Vaisnava who loved solitary life once asked our guru maharaja, "Why do you stay at Calcutta? That is the place of Satan, where fighting for selfish interest is so acute. Leave that—come to the holy dhama." But Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura especially chose that place, saying, "I prefer to represent Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's creed in an extremely contaminated place." For this reason, he wanted to send men to the West. "The East is captured by the glamour of Western civilization," he said, "so Western civilization must first be crushed. Then, its glamour will vanish and the whole world will come to join the campaign of divine love of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu." This was the same spirit with which Nityananda Prabhu canvassed the fallen souls of this world, in His attempt to take them to the lotus feet of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

Mad Nimai Pandita

At the time of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's advent, Bengal had fallen far away from Krsna consciousness. The people of the day had become so much degraded that they would pass their time spending money like water to see the marriage of cats. Deviating from the worship of the Supreme Lord, Krsna, they used to worship the serpent-god, Visahari, or the controller of the demons, Kali. Very rarely would the name of Krsna be heard from their lips. Only a few of the Hindu gentlemen, when bathing in the Ganges, would chant the holy name of Govinda, Hari, or Krsna. And Navadvipa dhama, the place of advent of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, was under Mohammedan rule in those days. The Kazi was in power in Navadwipa, and the Hindu's religious feelings were checked by the strong hand of his Islamic rule.

Advaita Acarya was a great scholar and the most senior among Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's followers. He appeared in Navagrama in Sri Hatta, in the eastern province of Bengal, and resided in Santipura. Ontologically speaking, Sri Advaita Acarya is the avatara of Mahavisnu, who creates the material cosmos through the agency of His illusory energy. Advaita Acarya is the devotee who earnestly invited Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu to descend here as the yugavatara to look after the welfare of all souls. He began to worship the Lord with Ganges water and tulasi leaves and invoked His grace, praying, "0 Lord, please come and deliver these people; the time has come to relieve them by the distribution of the sweet name of Krsna. Come, my Lord—they are most poor!" In this way Advaita Acarya attracted Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu by pleading the cause of the fallen souls. Of course, the time had come for the advent of the incarnation for this age, the yugavatara, but still Advaita Acarya performed the function of inviting and welcoming Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

And when the Supreme Lord was about to appear, Advaita felt in His heart, "My prayer is going to be satisfied—He is coming!" Ultimately, He detected that Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, had personally appeared in the house of Sri Jagannatha Misra and Sacidevi as their newborn boy, Nimai Visvambhara. And so, Advaita Acarya went to pay due respects to the child and His parents on the divine advent day.

When the boy was a little grown up, Sri Advaita Prabhu came to bow at the feet of the child, Nimai. Sacidevi, Nimai's mother, shuddered: "What are you doing? You are an old pandita, a Vedic scholar. If you show this kind of respect to my young boy it will spoil His future! What are you doing?" It was said that whenever Advaita Acarya used to bow down His head to a Deity, the statue would shatter into pieces if it was a sham, if there was no genuine presence of the Lord. But here, when Advaita put His head at the feet of the boy, Nimai put one foot on Advaita Acarya's head. Everyone was astounded and wondered, "What kind of spiritual power does this child have? Such a great devotee-scholar and senior man as Advaita has bowed down to this child, and the child has stepped on Advaita's head, but the child is quite unaffected! Who is this child?

When Nimai was a boy, sometimes He would disguise Himself with a blanket and enter into the banana grove of a neighbor's house. With a push of His head He used to break down the banana trees. The neighbors would come out and think, "A bull must have entered and demolished our garden!" In these pastimes the Lord was teaching His devotees, "I am demolishing all your banana trees that will be used for some other purpose besides My service. In the highest sense, you are My eternal associates, and I can do anything and everything with your possessions to suit My fleeting pleasures." Sometimes He would snatch fruit from the hand of Sridhara Pandita, saying, "Oh, give me this banana. I won't be able to pay you any price." Sridhara Pandita would tell Him, "Why are you doing this? You are a brahmana boy; I can't refuse you. But you should not do these things. I am a poor man. If you snatch away my best things, how can I make a living?" In this way, Nimai performed His pastimes of stealing fruit.

As Nimai Pandita grew up, he used to show Advaita Acarya great respect. But Advaita could not tolerate it. He said, "I know that You are not an ordinary person. You are a supernatural, transcendental personality of the highest order. Still, in the worldly sense. You are younger than Me, so You show Me respect, but I can't tolerate it. It is too much for Me." But what could Advaita do? Nimai used to show His formal respect to Advaita Prabhu every time They met, so Advaita made a plan to stop this, and thought to Himself, "I shall see how clever You are."

He left Navadwipa, went to Santipura, and began to preach against the devotional school. The news came to Nimai that Advaita Acarya, after such a long a time as a devotee, was preaching against the devotional school. He was preaching that jnana, knowledge, is higher than devotion. "Devotion makes the Lord far away," He argued, "and knowledge tries to bring Him very near. With knowledge, one thinks, 'I want to experience You, 0 Lord.' And devotion says 'He is adhoksaja: transcendental. He can't be traced by our senses.' So, devotion makes him far away by saying, 'It is only His sweet will that may connect us.' But, according to the path of knowledge, the supreme authority is within you, in your heart. The devotional school is clearly secondary."

In this way, Advaita Acarya began to preach. And when that reached the ears of Nimai Pandita, He went with Nityananda to punish Advaita. They jumped into the Ganges and swam all the way to Santipura, where they found Advaita Acarya. Nimai confronted him: "What are you doing, Acarya? Why have You invited Me to come here? With Ganges water and tulasi leaves. You prayed for Me to appear, and now You are making fun of Me? You are speaking against devotion, against Me? What is the matter with You?" In this way, Nimai Pandita began to punish Advaita. He began to slap Him. The old wife of Advaita Acarya began to cry, "What are you doing? Don't kill that old man!"

Nityananda Prabhu was smiling, and Haridasa Thakura, perplexed, was standing at a little distance trying to understand, "What is the matter?" Then Advaita Acarya Prabhu felt great satisfaction. He said, "I have taught You a lesson now—You have come to punish Me. You are defeated—I have gained victory over You!" Advaita Prabhu began to dance. "Today I have defeated You, My Lord! You had to punish Me. Where has that formal respect You were always showing Me gone now?" In this way, Advaita Acarya rejoiced, and offered Mahaprabhu a feast of sak, His favorite delicacy.

The Lord gave so much grace to Advaita Prabhu that although He was an old scholar and acarya, He was punished with slaps. It is not possible to punish or dishonor anyone we respect, but only our intimate friends. Disrespect and dishonor is possible only when there is great intimacy. Pure devotees want punishment. "Punish us!," they pray, but punishment from the high quarter is not very cheap.

Many years later, just before Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu began to manifest His final pastimes of divine ecstasy, Advaita Acarya Prabhu wrote some mystic lines of poetry which He sent to the Lord through Jagadananda Pandita:

Tell our Prabhu, who acts as madmen do,
that everyone has lost their sanity,
And rice once high in price has no value.
In love of God, half-crazed humanity neglects this world
and all they once held dear;
tell Him a madman brings this to His ear.

When Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu read that mystic poem. His mood became serious. Svarupa Damodara was there: "What is written here?" he said. Mahaprabhu replied, "I do not know what is the real meaning, but Advaita Acarya is a great 'worshiper,' and a certain class of 'worshipers' are accustomed to think, "We shall invite the Deity, and for some time we shall try to keep Him here for worship. Then, when we are finished with our worship, finally we shall bid Him adieu.' Perhaps Advaita thinks, 'Now it is time for the Deity to go.' I don't know what is the real meaning, but perhaps this is His purpose." Svarupa Damodara took the poem, read it, and became very thoughtful: "Oh. Advaita Prabhu is saying that the requirements for Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's appearance have been fulfilled, and now, He is no longer needed to preach the holy name of Krsna as the incarnation for this age. The avatara's duty is finished, and so He may go."

After this, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu remained within this world for twelve more years, but not as before. His mood was quite changed. From that day on. He felt great separation from Krsna in the mood of Radharani. Divine madness became predominant in Him and His social connection was almost closed. Ramananda Raya and Svarupa Damodara were His attendants at that rime. He no longer kept any social connections; the fire within Him was burning, the fire of separation. He was absorbed in Radharam's search for Sri Krsna after Krsna left Vrndavana. In that mood of divine madness. He spent twelve years in a closed room within the house compound of Kasi Misra.

Sometimes at night, unconsciously crossing the boundary wall. He would run to meet Lord Jagannatha. When Svarupa Damodara and His other attendants would suddenly find that no sound of Krsna's name could be heard within His room, they would begin searching: "Mahaprabhu is not there, where is He?" Sometimes they would find Him fallen before the main gate of the Jagannatha temple. His legs and hands drawn within His body like the limbs of a tortoise drawn within its shell. A very sweet fragrance could be detected emanating from Him, and the cows would flock there, smelling His body. While Mahaprabhu was lying in his trance. He was internally experiencing the pastimes of Radha and Govinda with the gopis in Govardhana. At that time, Svarupa Damodara and the others tried their best to revive Him from His trance by chanting the holy name of Krishna.

When Mahaprabhu was roused. He complained, "What have you done? I was enjoying a most happy experience there but by raising a clamor, you have drawn me down here." And what raised a clamor? The chanting of Hare Krsna. And who was chanting the name of Krsna? Svarupa Damodara and others of his caliber. The depth of the experience of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu in His divine trance was so great that He took the chanting of Hare Krsna to be noise. So, we may chant the holy name of Krsna, and that may be simply noise. From another angle of vision, however, it may be seen that krsna-nama is of such immense value that it was given preference over direct participation in krsna-lila. But the direction given to us by our acaryas, the spiritual preceptors of our line, is that we should consider our own chanting to be merely noise.

One day, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was wandering near the seashore. A girl was fervently singing in praise of Lord Jagannatha, and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu ran straight towards that sound. He began running through thickets of dangerous thorns. Then Govinda, His attendant, somehow stopped Him. When He understood everything, he said, "Oh, a girl is singing? Govinda saved my life."

Sometimes He would suddenly feel that Krsna is playing with the gopis in the Yamuna. In that mood He would jump into the ocean, crying, "Krsna!" He jumped there and became unconscious, as the waves were playing with Him. Finding Him gone. His devotees would wonder, "Where is Mahaprabhu?" and, headed by Svarupa Damodara, would begin their searching. Once, the night was almost over and they still couldn't find him. At last a fisherman came running, half-mad, chanting, "Krsna, Krsna, Krsna!

"What is the matter?" Svarupa Damodara asked. The fisherman replied, "Every night I catch fish, but tonight I threw out my net and caught something very heavy. When I began pulling it in, I thought it was a big fish, but when I took it on shore I found a big human figure, and when I went to remove the body from my net, somehow I touched Him; now I am half-mad." Then, Svarupa Damodara said, "You must have seen our Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu?" "No, I have seen Him before," the fisherman said, "He has a beautiful figure. It is not Him. It is something else." Svarupa Damodara told him, "Anyhow, try to show us where He is."

They went and saw the long figure of the Lord, His joints dislocated, lying on the sands, senseless. Svarupa Damodara and the others began to chant the holy name of Krsna in his ear, until he came to his senses. At that time Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu began to describe the lila of Krsna that He had seen in His trance. In this way, after Advaita Acarya's poetry was sent to Him, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu lived His last twelve years in the mood of intense separation that Srimati Radharani felt for Krsna.

This intense degree of divine madness was exhibited by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu in His last days on this Earth. But even in His life in Navadwipa, when Mahaprabhu was the great boy-scholar Nimai Pandita, everyone thought he had become mad after he had returned from Gaya and had begun showing signs of devotion to Krsna. The normal-thinking men of the day said:

"This Nimai Pandita was a good man, a gentleman, but after returning from Gaya, He is totally changed, and is doing so many undesirable things. He wants to preach so many new ideas. What is this? He has become a madman. He doesn't care for any rules and regulations, social customs, or ancient scriptures—only 'Krsna, Krsna, Krsna.' Before, He was normal, but recently He has become abnormal. Of course. He has a powerful intellect. When He was a professor. He did not care for the scholarship of even the greatest of panditas. He easily defeated the champion scholar, Kesava Kasmiri, and many others. But now we have lost Him. Now He is different. He does not care for the brahmanas or the scriptures we follow. He has a new opinion and He is presenting that to the world. His ways are incomprehensible." The neighbors complained to His mother, Sacidevi: "Sacidevi, what is this? Nimai was not like this before; now He doesn't care for us anymore. He even has no charm for His wife. What ha s He become? You are the daughter of a gentleman, but just see your misfortune! What to do? The fact is this, Saci: your only son, who was so brilliant, has become mad. You must arrange for proper medical treatment." Then, Sacidevi called for the kaviraja, the doctor.

The doctor made an arrangement for a small, brick-built bathing tank to be filled up with Visnu oil, which is supposed to be a very cooling thing. And Nimai Pandita was asked to bathe in that tank. He did so, and suddenly began laughing and playing in the tank. As He was diving and swimming in the oil. He was laughing madly. At that time, Srivasa Thakura arrived for a visit and asked, "How is Nimai Pandita?" Sacidevi told him, "Just see my misfortune! My Nimai has become completely mad. I called for the doctor and he arranged for this treatment." As she showed Srivasa how Nimai was playing in the tank, he asked, "What is this?" Saci replied, "My neighbors advised me to do this." Srivasa said, "You are a very gentle lady. You do not know how to deal with others. What Nimai has—I want! Your boy has krsna-prema, and I want a drop of that. If only we are allowed to live a few days longer, we shall have the opportunity of seeing many wonderful pastimes of Krsna."

Then, Nimai became sober for the time being and told Srivasa, "If you had also remarked that I was mad, then I would have run to the Ganges and finished my life. At least you have understood what I am; that is my solace, Srivasa. If you would have told the public, "He is mad," then I would have found that there is no man here to accept what I have come to give, so I must enter the river and drown myself without hesitation."

Before Nimai Pandita went to Gaya, He was a big scholar. When He returned from Gaya surcharged with devotion. He began to explain grammar again, as before, but now He would show Krsna in the grammar. He would give interpretations of the roots of Sanskrit grammar which showed the relationship between Sanskrit and Krsna. He explained that sound is only a vibration, and vibration means the potency of Krsna. It is the potency of Krsna that makes everything pure, that makes everything move. If that potency is withdrawn, everything is dead and gone. In this way, Nimai Pandita wanted to explain grammar in terms of Krsna.

Then, His students became very much disturbed. "What is this!" they thought. "We have come to learn Sanskrit from Nimai Pandita, but our academic requirements will not be satisfied now. Still, the coaching we got from Him is never to be had anywhere else, so we can't abandon Him. But how to improve the style of His teaching?" They went to the previous teacher of Nimai Pandita, Gangadasa Pandita. He had been Nimai's tutor in His childhood. Gangadasa said, "You are all fortunate to be students of Nimai Pandita—He is such a nice professor. What is your complaint?" The students said, "We were very much pleased by studying under Nimai Pandita. But now, since He has returned from Gaya, He is explaining everything in quite a new way. He teaches Sanskrit in terms of the holy name of Krsna. He understands a very high philosophy, but that won't serve our purpose of studying grammar. It is certainly valuable, but it will not help our studies. Please ask Him to change His ways. He has regard for you be cause you are His teacher. Only you can influence Him." "All right," he said, "Ask Him to see me tomorrow."

The students went to Nimai Pandita and told Him, "Your former professor has called for You. He wants to see You." Nimai said, "Yes, I shall go and see him," and later that day. He went to Gangadasa Pandita, and offered His respectful obeisances. Gangadasa said: "How are You my boy? I am happy to hear that You went to Gaya and performed Your religious duties for Your ancestors. This is all very good, but what is the matter? Your students are complaining to me. Is it true that You do not care to teach them properly? Why don't You care to teach them as you did before? They all appreciate Your teachings, but after returning from Gaya You have adopted a novel style of teaching. Don't continue this. I say, teach them properly. I hear from the people that You have become a devotee. But were Your fathers and forefathers not devotees? Of course. You have become a devotee of an extraordinary type. But don't go astray. What You speak about devotion seems unnecessary—that is not really grammar. Do You -think You are giving new light with Your new meanings? Do You think Your former professors were all idiots? What do You have to say?" Nimai was silent. "All right then. Don't go astray. Remain calm and follow Your predecessors and teach the boys well, so we will not have to hear any complaints against You in the future. Your students won't go to any other school. They are very fond of You, so teach them well." Then, Nimai Pandita took the dust of His teacher's feet and told him, "Yes, I shall try to obey your order. By dint of your foot dust, no one can challenge Me in scholarship. Don't worry. I shall teach them well."

A few days later, Nimai Pandita began to chant the name 'gopi, gopi while He was in a trance of devotion. Some big scholars that held a high social position went to Him and said, "Nimai Pandita! You were a big pandita and now You are a devotee. That doesn't matter, but why do you chant the name 'gopi gopi ?' Take the name of Krsna. According to the scriptures, that will bring you some benefit. But You are chanting 'gopi, gopi.' What benefit will You get from that? You are mad." Nimai said, "Who is this Krsna? Why should I worship Him? He is a dacoit and a woman-hunter!" And Nimai picked up a stick and chased them away.

Later they began to talk among themselves, saying, "Nimai Pandita has become stark mad. We went to speak something good to Him, and He came with a stick to kill us! We are not sons of ordinary men—we have our high position in society and our family dignity. We will show him!" They began a conspiracy to teach Nimai Pandita a good lesson by giving Him a good beating. At that time, Nimai suddenly cried out: "I took the greatest measures to deliver these wretched souls, but I see now that they are simply creating more sins by abusing Me and conspiring to punish Me. Why have I come? What will be effective in delivering them? I shall have to take the role of a sannyasi. Otherwise, they think that I am simply one of them, a householder. But if I become a sannyasi, a preacher—then they may have some respect. They will say, "We are all householders. He has become a sannyasi. He should be revered." Then, from that reverence, they will get some benefit. Otherwise, they will have t o go to hell for thinking that I am an ordinary man. To create some respect, so they may benefit, I shall have to accept the role of a sannyasi. And He revealed to Nityananda Prabhu and a few others, "On the last day of the first month of this year, I shall take sannyasa."

A Tragedy of Separation

According to solar calculation, it was on the day of Makara-sankranti, an auspicious conjunction of the stars, that Nimai Pandita went to Katwa to take sannyasa, the renounced order of life. After this. He would become known as Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. He swam across the Ganges and in wet cloth ran towards Katwa. Just before this. He told only a few of His friends, including Nityananda Prabhu, Gadadhara Pandita, Mukunda, and others, "The time when I will accept the robe of renunciation is very near."

Just a few days before this, an opposition party had been raised against Nimai Pandita. Those who believed that material nature is the highest principle, and that consciousness is a product of matter, began to abuse Nimai Pandita. He thought,"I came to deliver the lowest of men, but if they commit offenses against Me, there will be no hope for their upliftment." Suddenly, He said, "I came with that medicine which gives the greatest relief, but now I find that their disease is rapidly growing worse and seems beyond treatment. It will take its own course towards doom. The patients are committing offenses by abusing their doctor. They are making arrangements to insult Me. They take it that I am a family man—their nephew—they take Me as one of them. I came with the best medicine for the present degraded age, but now I find that they are plotting against Me. Now they are doomed. At least I have to show them that I am not one of them." He thought, "I shall leave family life and take sa nnyasa and wander from village to village, town to town, preaching the holy name of Krsna." That was His decision, and within a few days He went to take sannyasa at Katwa from Kesava Bharati Maharaja.

Just the day before He left to take sannyasa, from the afternoon until the evening, there was a spontaneous gathering of devotees in the home of Nimai Pandita. Every year in Bengal, that day was celebrated as Laksmi-puja, worship of the goddess of fortune, when special cakes are prepared and distributed. Nimai, knowing that early the next morning He would leave Navadwipa to take sannyasa, attracted His followers in such a way that almost every leading devotee came to see Him that evening.

They came with flower garlands and many other offerings to be presented to the Lord. Nimai accepted their garlands and then placed them on the necks of the devotees who gave them. Only four of His most intimate devotees knew He was leaving; the ordinary devotees did not know this would be His last night in Navadwipa. With His own hands He garlanded the necks of His devotees and appealed to them, "Always chant the name of Krsna. Under no condition should you give up this krsna-nama. And don't do anything else. While working, eating, sleeping or waking, day or night—in whatever you do—continuously take the name of Krsna. Always talk about Krsna—nothing else. If you have any real attraction or affection for Me, then don't do anything without chanting the name of Krsna.

"Cultivate Krsna consciousness. Krsna is the origin of us all. He is our father; we have come from Him. The son who shows no gratitude towards the father is sure to be punished birth after birth. Always chant these names of the Lord:

No other religious principle is required. Chant Hare Krsna. This is not an ordinary mantra, but this is the maha-mantra, the greatest of all the great mantras, the very essence of all the mantras known to the world. Only take to this, always. No other prescription is to be followed.

"Remember your Lord, your home. This is a foreign land; you have nothing to aspire after here. Try always to go back home, back to Godhead." In this way, the Lord spoke, and all His devotees intuitively came because it was Nimai Pandita's last night in Navadwipa.

Late at night, one devotee named Sridhara Kholaveca arrived. He used to make trade on the plantain tree and its fruit. He would sell the fruit, ripe or green, and the big leaves which are used as plates. Sometimes Nimai would pay him less for his fruits than what they were worth, and sometimes He would snatch the best fruits from him. Sridhara came to see Him late at night to offer Him a choice pumpkin. And Nimai thought, "I have spent almost My whole life snatching so many things from him, and now, on this last night he has brought this wonderful pumpkin. I can't resist." He asked Sacidevi, "Mother, Sridhara has given Me this pumpkin. Please think of how it can be prepared." At bedtime, someone came with some milk. Nimai said, "Mother, with this milk and this pumpkin, please prepare some sweet-rice." So Sacidevi prepared some pumpkin sweet-rice: pumpkin boiled with milk, rice, and sugar.

Late at night, at about three o' clock in the morning, Nimai went away. He left Visnupriya-devi asleep in bed. His mother Sacidevi, sensing what was to come, was staying awake all night guarding the door. Nimai bowed down to her and went away. And like a stone figure, Mother Sacidevi sat there by the gate as Nimai left. She could not say anything, but was struck dumb.

A little after three o' clock in the morning, Nimai swam across the Ganges and in His wet cloth went straight to Katwa, a distance of twenty-five miles. He reached there by nine or ten o' clock. There, He approached Kesava Bharati to take sannyasa.

In the early morning, the devotees came to see Nimai and found Sacidevi like a statue, sitting at the door. The door was open. Everything was empty. "What's the matter Sacidevi?" they asked. She told them, "Oh, I was waiting for you devotees. You take possession of the house. I shall go somewhere else. I can't enter this house any more. You are His devotees; you are the true heirs. Take possession." They began to throng around her and console her. "You will go? What about the young wife He left? The girl is only fourteen years old. Who will protect her? You can't shun the responsibility given to you. It is on your shoulders." In this way they came and consoled her and tried to give her some hope.

Suddenly, the devotees heard that Nimai Pandita, Sri Gauranga, had left Navadwipa. They learned that He had gone to Katwa, to Kesava Bharati's asrama to take sannyasa, bidding goodbye to the people of Navadwipa forever.

A dark shadow came down. Many began to weep and cry for Him. Many of them ran towards Katwa. Nimai Pandita was an unprecedented scholar with beautiful features—tall, fair, and benevolent. He had already made the people mad with the holy name of Krsna. He had released the two great sinners Jagai and Madhai from their nasty life. He had checked the Mohammedan ruler, the Kazi, who had broken the mrdanga drum. As a famous pandita, He had defeated many scholars who came to conquer Navadwipa, which was very much renowned for its high culture of learning, especially of logic.

At that time in Navadwipa, logic (nyaya), worship of material energy (tantra), and official Hinduism (smrti), were in high culture. Navadwipa was highly renowned for scholarship. If panditas could not defeat the scholars of Navadwipa, they could not become famous. From far away in Kashmir, Kesava Kasmiri had to come to Navadwipa to get a certificate that he was a pandita. And he was defeated by Nimai Pandita. Kesava Kasmiri was such a big pandita that it was rumored he was the favorite child of Saraswati, the goddess of learning. No one could face him. Still, he was defeated by Nimai Pandita.

But Nimai Pandita left Navadwipa forever and took sannyasa because the people of Navadwipa could not appreciate Him. He reached Katwa, where, just on the banks of the Ganges, there was a sannyasi: Kesava Bharati. Nimai went to him and asked him for sannyasa. Kesava Bharati suddenly found that his asrama was full of luster. At first, it seemed as if the sun was rising before him; then he saw that it was a bright person approaching. He rose from his seat, and with strained eyes approached in wonder. "What is this?" he thought.

Then he realized that the great devotee-scholar, Nimai Pandita, had come. He appeared before him saying, "I want to take sannyasa from you." But Kesava Bharati could not accept Nimai's offer. "I am charmed by Your beauty and personality," he said. "But You are so young, only twenty-four years old. What about Your mother, Your wife, and Your guardians? Without consulting with them, I cannot venture to give You the robe of renunciation."

In the meantime, as it was Makara-sarikranti, a famous holiday, many people had come to take bath in the holy waters of the Ganges. They gathered there and the rumor spread like fire: "Nimai Pandita of Navadwipa has come to take sannyasa." Many men flocked there, until a huge crowd gathered.

They all opposed Mahaprabhu's sannyasa. Some of them raised their voices in protest: "You—Kesava Bharati! We won't allow you to give sannyasa to this young man. He has His family. His mother and wife. We won't allow it. If you give sannyasa to this charming, young, beautiful boy, we will break down your dsrama immediately. It can't be!"

But Nimai Pandita kept pressing for sannyasa. At last, Kesava Bharati asked Him, "So, You are that Nimai Pandita about whom we have heard so much? Many big scholars came to conquer Navadwipa, the famous seat of learning, and You have defeated them all . Are You that Nimai Pandita?" "Yes," said Nimai. Kesava Bharati told Him, "I can give You sannyasa, but You must take the permission of Your mother—otherwise I won't, I can't do it." Nimai suddenly began running towards Navadwipa to ask permission, but Kesava Bharati thought, "He has such a commanding personality. He can do anything."

Nimai was called back. Kesava Bharati told Him, "With Your most extraordinary personality You can do anything. You will go there, charm Your guardians, get permission, and return. Nothing is impossible for You."

The ordinary public was very much enraged, saying to Kesava Bharati, "We can't allow you, Swamiji, to give sannyasa to this young boy. It is impossible! If you do, then we shall smash your asrama." Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu began performing kirtana, chanting Hare Krsna and dancing madly. And the angry mob grew, sometimes creating a disturbance. In this way, the whole day passed with no decision. The night passed in sankirtana. And the next day, Nimai's will prevailed, although there was still some opposition.

Nityananda Prabhu, Nimai's maternal uncle Candra-sekhara, Mukunda Datta and Jagadananda Pandita, gradually arrived there. And that afternoon, the sannyasa function began. Candrasekhara Acarya was asked to perform the ceremony on behalf of Nimai Pandita, who began to chant and dance and charm the audience.

"While showers of tears fell from the eyes of millions, He delighted in having His beautiful hair shaved away. Millions of voices sang the glories of Krsna, as Sri Krsna Caitanya accepted the staff of renunciation. From that time on, wherever He went, whoever saw Him in the dress of a sannydsi cried in grief. I sing the glories of that beautiful Golden God, the giver of divine love."

The scene was at Katwa. Four-hundred and seventy-four years ago, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu took sannyasa. He was young and beautiful, with a tall figure. He was only twenty-four and had beautiful curling hair. A barber was asked to shave Him, and approached Him, but then withdrew. The barber could not venture to touch Nimai's body. He began to cry. "How can I remove such beautiful hair from such a beautiful head?"

And so many others were also crying aloud, "What a horrible thing is being done here! Who is the creator of this sannydsa⁷ Who is so hard-hearted that he created the sannyasa-asrama, where one must give up all that is near and dear and go from door to door, begging, leaving his own friends and relatives crying helplessly? What is this creation of the Supreme? Is it logical? Is it a happy thing? It is most cruel!"

Nimai Pandita was smiling. After the barber was ordered repeatedly, somehow he was forced to shave Nimai's head. At first, he could not venture to touch His hair, saying, "I can't touch Him." But at last, he had to do the service of shaving the beautiful, curling hair of the beautiful face of the twenty-four year old genius boy. He began with his shears. Some people could not stand the scene. Some even became mad. In the midst of the weeping, wailing, and crying of the threatening mob, it was done.

Nimai Pandita was senseless. After being only half-shaved, he stood up and began chanting in kirtana and dancing in ecstatic joy. After He was shaved, the barber promised, "\ will never again shave anyone with this hand! I would rather live by begging. This is my last service as a barber." After this, that barber took up the occupation of a sweetmaker.

Ultimately Nimai's appeals pacified the mob, and a little before noon the inevitable gradually came: the sannyasa function was performed. Candrasekhara Acarya, the maternal uncle of Nimai Pandita, was deputed to take charge of the rituals in the ceremony of sannyasa. When the mantra was to be conferred, Nimai Pandita asked Kesava Bharati, "Is this the mantra you will give me? I heard it in a dream." He whispered the mantra in the ear of his guru who accepted, saying, "Yes, this is the mantra I shall give you." Then that mantra was given.

And the name of this sannyasi was not given in an ordinary way either. A most peculiar name came through Kesava Bharati: "Krsna Caitanya." None of the ten names generally given to sannyasis was given to Nimai Pandita, but the name that was given to Him was Krsna Caitanya. As soon as they heard that name, the mob began to cry, "Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu ki jaya!" "All glories to Sri Krsna Caitanya!"

The father of Srinivasa Acarya was a class-friend of Nimai Pandita. On his way to his father-in-law's house, he heard that Nimai Pandita had come to take sannyasa. He ran there, and seeing everything, he became dumb— he was devastated and went half-mad. After that, nothing came from his mouth but "Caitanya." After he heard the name "Krsna Caitanya," whatever anyone said to him, he would only say, "Caitanya!" He became mad. After that, his name became Caitanya dasa. His former name vanished, and everyone used to call him Caitanya dasa. He could not stand the scene of Nimai Pandita's sannyasa.

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, newly dressed in red robes, embraced His guru, and both of them began to dance, chanting the name of Krsna. After some time, the meaning of the name was given. Kesava Bharati Maharaja said, "Sri Krsna Caitanya means that You arouse Krsna consciousness throughout the entire world. You have descended to make all people Krsna conscious. So the most suitable name for You cannot but be Sri Krsna Caitanya."

Mahaprabhu was very cheerful, thinking, "I am going to relieve so many souls from their eternal misery and affliction. I have promised to deliver the whole world from this ocean of misery and take them to the nectarine world, and now I am going to accept that task." He was cheerful, but everyone around Him was diving in the ocean of despair and sorrow.

Some scholars stress that Caitanya Mahaprabhu took sannyasa from Kesava Bharati, who was a mayavadi, an impersonalist. But although Kesava Bharati may have externally showed himself in that way, it is seen that by coming in connection with Mahaprabhu, he became a devotee. Otherwise, we may also think that he was a devotee who came in the garb of an impersonalist to help the preaching of Mahaprabhu by assisting Him with the social formality of taking sannyasa. At that time, all over India, mayavadi sannyasis had greater recognition than Vaisnava sannyasis, and Kesava Bharati was already situated in that post. Mahaprabhu took the garb of a sannyasi from him for His own purpose, to help His preaching activity. All these things may be explained in different ways. In any case, after Mahaprabhu took sannyasa, Kesava Bharati began to sing and dance with Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. He joined in sankirtana and was immediately converted.

In this way, the sannyasa of Nimai Pandita took place. What is the meaning of His sannyasa⁷ Is it redundant, auxiliary, or a necessary part of spiritual advancement? Is it desirable? Although apparently undesirable, still it has its necessity. In the Krsna conception of theism, there is a deep-rooted correlation between union with the Lord and separation from Him. Without separation, union cannot be deep-rooted. The pain of separation can enter into the depth of the heart much more than cheerfulness. Such apprehension increases our satisfaction. The greater our want, the greater our satisfaction. This is especially true in love affairs. If there is no necessity of a thing, it has no value. This principle is found everywhere. A glass of water is ordinary, but according to the degree of its necessity, its value will increase. So the degree of necessity is most important. Necessity means separation. Necessity independent of fulfillment is separation, h unger.

Separation plays the most important part in both Navadwipa and Vrndavana lila. How many years of union were there between Krsna and the gopis? Krsna was only in Vrndavana from the age of seven years up to the age of twelve: five years. Then, He went to Mathura. Of course, it is mentioned in the Padma Purana that in peculiar or extraordinary cases, growth should be measured by multiplying by one and a half. So when Krsna is eight years old. He should be considered twelve. When He is twelve, he should be considered eighteen years of age. So according to His growth, Krsna was in Vrndavana from the age of twelve to eighteen, but according to His years, from the age of seven to twelve.

He stayed in Dvaraka for a long time; altogether He lived here on this Earth for one hundred and twenty-five years. After He left Vrndavana at the age of twelve, the pangs of separation were felt by the gopis throughout their whole lives. Their long, long separation has made their devotion so dignified; the test of separation shows whether love is real. Such a long-standing separation and such a great test has never been found in history; still, the depth of their love did not diminish. Rather, an inconceivable, ever-increasing depth of divine love was found there.

And in both Navadwipa and Vrndavana, the background is almost similar. In Navadwipa, to gain victory over the opposition party, Mahaprabhu left His household life. And in vrndavana-lila it is also similar. The opposition in vrndavana-lila came from Mathura in the form of Agha, Baka, Putana, Tmavarta, and other demons who were being sent by King Kamsa. To uproot the opposition, Krsna had to go to Mathura. And when He went there. He found that the opposition was widespread. Kamsa's father-in-law, Jarasandha, Kalayavana, Sisupala, Dantavakra, and many others were inimical to Krsna. So Krsna promised the gopis that after finishing His enemies. He would return to Vrndavana to play peacefully with them. To uproot the opposition party, Krsna had to go away. And He told the gopis in Kuru-ksetra, "I have some other enemies; after finishing with them, I will be reunited with you." That sort of hope was given to the gopis in Kuruksetra.

Here also, to conquer the opposition party, Mahaprabhu had to leave Navadwipa. Later, after His conquest of all the Indian scholars and religionists of different positions and creeds, after five years, when He returned to Navadwipa, everyone was transformed. The mass approached Him madly. It is difficult to conceive with what madness the mass approached Sri Caitanya-deva, the child of their own village.

They crossed the Ganges. The whole Ganges, as far as it could be seen, was filled with human heads. They were running towards Him from all directions in such a way that the jungles were cleared by human feet. For a few days, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu stayed nearby in Vidyanagara, and then went towards Vrndavana, singing the holy name of Krsna. Thousands of devotees were running behind Him, digging up the earth to take the dust of His holy feet, and huge pits were being created.

For about eighteen years Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu led a scholarly life as Nimai Pandita. After that, for about six years. He wandered through the length and breadth of India, including Vrndavana. The last eighteen years of His life. He remained in Jagannatha Puri continuously. For the first six years of His sannyasa, He mixed with the general public. The last twelve years of His life. He al-most retired from the whole human society and engaged Himself deeply in tasting the union in separation of Radha-Govinda. And many extraordinary symptoms of ecstasy which have never been experienced anywhere, nor even heard of, were expressed by Him. Separation can produce such wonderful effects in the body and mind.

Sri Gauranga-avatara has twofold characteristics: the apparent reason for His advent is to deliver the people in general from sin, and to give them the highest attainment of life—to take them towards Vrndavana, braja-lila, by giving the holy name of Krsna. This is actually the function of the yuga-avatara, the incarnation of Godhead for the age. The Lord comes to distribute divine sound and to show how one can reach the highest position through divine sound. Still, He had another purpose to fulfill. Once in Brahma's day—in a special Kali-yuga—Krsna Himself comes in the mood of Radharani to search Himself. He wants to taste the mood of Radharani, to understand the nature of Her inner hankering for Krsna, how She can taste the sweetness of Krsna by Her mood, and what is the joy She derives.

Krsna wanted to have some experience of why Radharani is so mad for Him. He thought, "What is there in Me that makes Her so immeasurably mad for Me? What sweetness can She draw from Me? I can't ascertain it." He wanted to mold Himself in the mood of Sri Radhika and try to taste His own self from that temperament. So He came as Sri Caitanya.

When He conceived of such an incarnation, and pro-posed His idea to Srimati Radharani, we are told that Radharani, on Her part, said, "Sometimes You will madly roll on the earth, taking My name, but I won't be able to tolerate it. I shall cover Your body with My golden form. I won't allow You to roll on the earth. I shall cover You with My embrace." So it is said by those who know the ontological aspect of Sri Caitanyadeva, "I offer my respects to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, whose mood and color is Radharani's and whose inner self is Krsna searching for Himself, tasting Himself, and trying to understand why Radharani is mad to taste Him and what sort of sweetness She finds in Him (radha bhava dyuti suualitam naumi krsna svarupam).

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu remained in this world for forty-eight years. In the last twelve years of His life. He engaged Himself with deep attention in tasting Himself. Just as everyone is mad to taste sweetness, Krsna, sweetness personified, is also mad to taste Himself.

Introspection means to know oneself. Consciousness can know consciousness. And just as one can feel his own body, or consciousness can conceive of itself, ecstasy can also taste ecstasy. This is confirmed by Svarupa Damodara Prabhu, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's personal secretary, who is considered to be Lalita-sakhi, the nearest friend of Srimati Radharani in the pastimes of Krsna. He has said what Sri Caitanyadeva is:

"I worship Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who is Krsna Himself, enriched with the emotions and radiance of Srimati Radharani. As the predominating and predominated moieties, Radha and Krsna are eternally one, with separate individual identities. Now They have again united as Sri Krsna Caitanya. This inconceivable transformation of the Lord's internal pleasure-giving potency has arisen from the loving affairs of Radha and Krsna."

In this verse, Svarupa Damodara says that the pastimes of Radha-Krsna and those of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu are parallel and eternal. Whether winter is first and summer follows, or summer is first and winter follows, is difficult to say. Similarly, in the eternal pastimes of Ihe Lord, the movement is rolling in a circle. Therefore, Svarupa Damodara says, "Whether Caitanya-avatara is first and Krsna-avatara is next, or Krsna-avatara is first and Caitanya-avatara is next is difficult to say—both are eternal."

And who is Sri Radha? She is the development of the sweetness that springs from Krsna Himself. That sweetness, in a developed form as Radha, springs up from within Krsna; Srimati Radharani is a particular potency coming out of Krsna Himself: hladini sakti. So Radha and Krsna cannot be conceived of as separate entities; the two of Them are one and the same. Still, we are told that in ancient times They divided into two. And then again, both of Them combine as Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, whose luster and mood is that of Srimati Radharani and whose nature and reality within is Sri Krsna's. Fire and heat cannot be separated; sun and light cannot exist separately. They are one and the same. The Absolute Truth is one absolute substance (advaya-jnana), but sometimes Radha and Govinda show Themselves as divided and again They are united. When They are together, They are enjoying each other, and sometimes They experience painful separation without the possibility of union. That is Their d ivine nature.

Sri Rupa Goswami explains this as follows:

aher iva gatih premnah
svabhava-kutila bhavet
ato hetor ahetos ca
yunor mana udancati

He says that just as a serpent naturally moves in a crooked way, in a zigzag way, the nature of love is naturally crooked. It is not straight. So the concerned parties quarrel, sometimes with cause and sometimes without cause, and separation comes. Separation is necessary for the transcendental pastimes of Radha and Krsna.

There are four kinds of separation: purva-raga, mana, prabasa and prema-vaicittya. Purva-raga means before meeting. This is found when Radha and Govinda are not actually meeting, but somehow one has come in remote connection with the other's name, portrait, or something of that nature. When Radha hears Krsna's name or the sound of the flute—no real meeting is there, but there is some connection. The sound of Krsna's flute, a picture of Krsna, or Krsna's name may bring about purva-raga. And Krsna may experience something similar by hearing the sound of Srimati Radharani's name. In this way, there are pangs of separation, but no actual meeting. The name is so sweet that He can't contain Himself; She can't contain Herself.

When the holy name of Krsna enters within Srimati Radharani's ear. She becomes perturbed, thinking, "Is a name as sweet as this possible within this world?" This is Her reaction, and She experiences pain also. She feels, "I can't meet Him." A pang of separation comes within Her heart. That is purva-raga: the pain of separation that comes before meeting.

Mana is another kind of separation. Mana means that when meeting, there is some difference between Them in trifling matters. This is the very nature of love. Therefore, Srila Rupa Goswami say 'that love moves in a curved way like a serpent. It is not diseased, but this is the nature of the path of love. Sometimes with a trifling cause, or with no cause, a feeling comes that, "He is neglecting Me; He wants to avoid Me." And thereby Srimati Radharani thinks, "\ don't want His company." Although cent per cent appreciation is there, still, for the time being, some opposing sentiments spring up from underground; a clash comes in the sentiments of the two, and one wants to avoid the company of the other.

In prema-vaicittya, jealousy rises to such a degree that although They are already together, still some sort of thought comes within and makes Them think that They are far away from each other. These different kinds of separation are found only in the madhurya-rasa. Prema-vaicittya is that condition which arises when Krsna is there and Radharani is just nearby, but seeing Her own shadow reflected on the body of Krsna, She is so jealous that She thinks that it is another lady. So, great pangs of separation come within Her, and She thinks, "What is this? Another lady is there!" Her mind revolts. But Her friend, Lalita, is warning Her, "What are You saying? It is only Your own image reflected there. Can't You see it?" Then Radharani comes to Her consciousness. She particularly notices, "Oh, it is My own shadow." Then that feeling is immediatel