TEXT 143
mahaprabhu--krpa-sindhu, ke pare bujhite?
priya bhakte danda karena dharma bujhaite
SYNONYMS
mahaprabhuSri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; krpa-sindhuthe ocean of mercy; ke pare bujhitewho can understand; priya bhakteunto His dear devotees; danda karenamakes chastisement; dharma bujhaiteto establish principles of religion or duty.
TRANSLATION
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is the ocean of mercy. Who can understand Him? When He chastises His dear devotees, He certainly does so to reestablish the principles of religion or duty.
PURPORT
Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura says in this connection that Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the ocean of mercy, chastised Junior Haridasa, although Junior Haridasa was His dear devotee, to establish that one in the devotional line, engaged in pure devotional service, should not be a hypocrite. For a person engaged in devotional service in the renounced order, having intimate relationships with women is certainly hypocrisy. This chastisement was given to Junior Haridasa as an example to future sahajiyas who might adopt the dress of the renounced order to imitate Rupa Gosvami and other bona fide sannyasis but secretly have illicit connections with women. To teach such men, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu chastised His dear devotee Haridasa for a slight deviation from the regulative principles. Srimati Madhavidevi was a highly elevated devotee; therefore approaching her to ask for some rice to serve Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was certainly not very offensive. Nevertheless, just to preserve the regulative principles for the future, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu enforced the hard-and-fast rule that no one in the renounced order should intimately mix with women. Had Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu not chastised Junior Haridasa for this slight deviation, so-called devotees of the Lord would have exploited the example of Junior Haridasa to continue their habit of illicit connections with women unrestrictedly. Indeed, they still preach that such behavior is allowed for a Vaisnava. But it is strictly not allowed. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is the teacher of the entire world, and therefore He enforced this exemplary punishment to establish that illicit sexual connections are never allowed by Vaisnava philosophy. This was His purpose in chastising Junior Haridasa. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is in fact the most magnanimous incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but He strictly prohibited illicit sex.

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