Chanting Cc Ādi-līlā 8th Chapter – December 14, 1973, Los Angeles

I offer my respects to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, by whose desire I have become like a dancing dog and, although I am a fool, I have suddenly taken to the writing of Sri-Caitanya-caritamrta.

Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who is known as Gaurasundara. I also offer my respectful obeisances unto Nityananda Prabhu, who is always very joyful.

Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto Advaita Acarya, who is very merciful, and also to that great personality Gadadhara Panḍita, the learned scholar.

Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto Srivasa Thakura and all other devotees of the Lord. I fall down to offer them respect. I worship their lotus feet.

By remembering the lotus feet of the Panca-tattva, a dumb man can become a poet, a lame man can cross mountains, and a blind man can see the stars in the sky.

The education cultivated by so-called learned scholars who do not believe these statements of Caitanya-caritamrta is like the tumultuous croaking of frogs.

One who does not accept the glories of the Panca-tattva but still makes a show of devotional service to Krsna can never achieve the mercy of Krsna nor advance to the ultimate goal.

Formerly kings like Jarasandha [the father-in-law of Kamsa] strictly followed the Vedic rituals, thus worshiping Lord Visnu.

One who does not accept Krsna as the Supreme Personality of Godhead is certainly a demon. Similarly, anyone who does not accept Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu as Krsna, the same Supreme Lord, is also to be considered a demon.

Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu thought that unless people accepted Him they would all be destroyed. Thus the merciful Lord accepted the sannyasa order.

If a person offers obeisances to Lord Caitanya, even due to accepting Him only as an ordinary sannyasi, his material distresses will diminish, and he will ultimately get liberation.

One who does not show respect unto this merciful Lord, Caitanya Mahaprabhu, or does not worship Him should be considered a demon, even if he is very exalted in human society.

Therefore I say again, lifting my arms: O fellow human beings, please worship Sri Caitanya and Nityananda without false arguments!

Logicians say, "Unless one gains understanding through logic and argument, how can one decide upon a worshipable Deity?"

If you are indeed interested in logic and argument, kindly apply it to the mercy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. If you do so, you will find it to be strikingly wonderful.

If one is infested with the ten offenses in the chanting of the Hare Krsna maha-mantra, despite his endeavor to chant the holy name for many births, he will not get the love of Godhead which is the ultimate goal of this chanting.

"By cultivating philosophical knowledge one can understand his spiritual position and thus be liberated, and by performing sacrifices and pious activities one can achieve sense gratification in a higher planetary system, but the devotional service of the Lord is so rare that even by executing hundreds and thousands of such sacrifices one cannot obtain it."

If a devotee wants material sense gratification or liberation from the Lord, Krsna immediately delivers it, but pure devotional service He keeps hidden.

"The great sage Narada said: 'My dear Maharaja Yudhisthira, the Supreme Personality of Godhead Krsna is always ready to help you. He is your master, guru, God, very dear friend and head of your family. Yet sometimes He agrees to act as your servant or order carrier. You are greatly fortunate because this relationship is only possible by bhakti-yoga. The Lord can give liberation [mukti] very easily, but He does not give one bhakti-yoga because by that process He is bound to the devotee.' "

Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu has freely given this love of Krsna everywhere and anywhere, even to the most fallen, such as Jagai and Madhai. What then to speak of those who are already pious and elevated?

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, as the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself, is fully independent. Therefore, although it is the most confidentially stored benediction, He can distribute love of Godhead to anyone and everyone without consideration.

Whether he is offensive or inoffensive, anyone who even now chants sri-krsna-caitanya prabhu nityananda is immediately overwhelmed with ecstasy, and tears fill his eyes.

Simply by talking of Nityananda Prabhu one awakens his love for Krsna. Thus all his bodily limbs are agitated by ecstasy, and tears flow from his eyes like the waters of the Ganges.

There are offenses to be considered while chanting the Hare Krsna mantra. Therefore simply by chanting Hare Krsna one does not become ecstatic.

"If one's heart does not change, tears do not flow from his eyes, his body does not shiver, nor his hairs stand on end as he chants the Hare Krsna maha-mantra, it should be understood that his heart is as hard as iron. This is due to his offenses at the lotus feet of the Lord's holy name."

Simply chanting the Hare Krsna maha-mantra without offenses vanquishes all sinful activities. Thus pure devotional service, which is the cause of love of Godhead, becomes manifest.

When one's transcendental loving service to the Lord is actually awakened, it generates transformations in the body such as perspiration, trembling, throbbing of the heart, faltering of the voice and tears in the eyes.

As a result of chanting the Hare Krsna maha-mantra, one makes such great advancement in spiritual life that simultaneously his material existence terminates and he receives love of Godhead. The holy name of Krsna is so powerful that by chanting even one name, one very easily achieves these transcendental riches.

If one chants the exalted holy name of the Lord again and again and yet his love for the Supreme Lord does not develop and tears do not appear in his eyes, it is evident that because of his offenses in chanting, the seed of the holy name of Krsna does not sprout.

But if one only chants, with some slight faith, the holy names of Lord Caitanya and Nityananda, very quickly he is cleansed of all offenses. Thus as soon as he chants the Hare Krsna maha-mantra, he feels the ecstasy of love for God.

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the independent Supreme Personality of Godhead, is greatly magnanimous. Unless one worships Him, one can never be liberated.

O fools, just read Caitanya-mahgala! By reading this book you can understand all the glories of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

As Vyasadeva has compiled all the pastimes of Lord Krsna in the Srimad-Bhagavatam, Thakura Vrndavana dasa has depicted the pastimes of Lord Caitanya.

Thakura Vrndavana dasa has composed Caitanya-mahgala. Hearing this book will annihilate all misfortune.

By reading Caitanya-mahgala one can understand all the glories or truths of Lord Caitanya and Nityananda and come to the ultimate conclusion of devotional service to Lord Krsna.

In Caitanya-mahgala [later known as Sri-Caitanya-bhagavata] Srila Vrndavana dasa Thakura has given the conclusion and essence of devotional service by quoting the authoritative statements of Srimad-Bhagavatam.

If even a great atheist hears Caitanya-mahgala, he immediately becomes a great devotee.

The subject matter of this book is so sublime that it appears that Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu has personally spoken through the writings of Sri Vrndavana dasa Thakura.

I offer millions of obeisances unto the lotus feet of Vrndavana dasa Thakura. No one else could write such a wonderful book for the deliverance of all fallen souls.

Narayani eternally eats the remnants of the foodstuffs of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Srila Vrndavana dasa Thakura was born of her womb.

What a wonderful description he has given of the pastimes of Lord Caitanya! Anyone in the three worlds who hears it is purified.

I fervently appeal to everyone to adopt the method of devotional service given by Lord Caitanya and Nityananda and thus be freed from the miseries of material existence and ultimately achieve the loving service of the Lord.

Srila Vrndavana dasa Thakura has written Caitanya-mahgala and therein described in all respects the pastimes of Lord Caitanya.

He first summarized all the pastimes of the Lord and later described them vividly in detail.

The pastimes of Lord Caitanya are unlimited and unfathomable. Therefore, in describing all those pastimes, the book became voluminous.

He saw them to be so extensive that he later felt that some had not been properly described.

He ecstatically described the pastimes of Lord Nityananda, but the later pastimes of Caitanya Mahaprabhu remained untold.

The devotees of Vrndavana were all very anxious to hear those pastimes.

In Vrndavana, in a great place of pilgrimage underneath the desire trees, is a golden throne bedecked with jewels.

On that throne sits the son of Nanda Maharaja, Sri Govindadeva, the transcendental cupid.

Varieties of majestic service are rendered to Govinda there. His garments, ornaments and paraphernalia are all transcendental.

In that temple of Govindaji, thousands of servitors always render service to the Lord in devotion. Even with thousands of mouths, one could not describe this service.

In that temple the chief servitor was Sri Haridasa Panḍita. His qualities and fame are known all over the world.

He was gentle, tolerant, peaceful, magnanimous, grave, sweet in his words and very sober in his endeavors.

He was respectful to everyone and worked for the benefit of all. Diplomacy, envy and jealousy were unknown to his heart.

The fifty qualities of Lord Krsna were all present in his body.

"In one who has unflinching devotional faith in Krsna, all the good qualities of Krsna and the demigods are consistently manifested. However, one who has no devotion to the Supreme Personality of Godhead has no good qualifications because he is engaged by mental concoction in material existence, which is the external feature of the Lord."

Ananta Acarya was a disciple of Gadadhara Panḍita. His body was always absorbed in love of Godhead. He was magnanimous and advanced in all respects.

Ananta Acarya was a reservoir of all good qualities. No one can estimate how great he was. Panḍita Haridasa was his beloved disciple.

Panḍita Haridasa had great faith in Lord Caitanya and Nityananda. Therefore he took great satisfaction in knowing about Their pastimes and qualities.

He always accepted the good qualities of Vaisnavas and never found fault in them. He engaged his heart and soul only to satisfy the Vaisnavas.

He always heard the reading of Sri Caitanya-mahgala, and all the other Vaisnavas used to hear it by his grace.

Like the full moon, he illuminated the entire assembly of the Vaisnavas by speaking Caitanya-mahgala, and by the nectar of his qualities he increased their transcendental bliss.

By his causeless mercy he ordered me to write about the last pastimes of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

Govinda Gosani, the priest engaged in the service of Lord Govinda in Vrndavana, was a disciple of Kasisvara Gosani. There was no servant more dear to the Govinda Deity.

Sri Yadavacarya Gosani, a constant associate of Srila Rūpa Gosvami, was also very enthusiastic in hearing and chanting about Lord Caitanya's pastimes.

Bhugarbha Gosani, a disciple of Panḍita Gosani, was always engaged in topics regarding Lord Caitanya, knowing nothing else.

Among his disciples were Caitanya dasa, who was a priest of the Govinda Deity, as well as Mukundananda Cakravarti and the great devotee Krsnadasa.

Among the disciples of Ananta Acarya was Sivananda Cakravarti, in whose heart dwelled constantly Lord Caitanya and Nityananda.

In Vrndavana there were also many other great devotees, all of whom desired to hear the last pastimes of Lord Caitanya.

By their mercy, all these devotees ordered me to write of the last pastimes of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Because of their order only, although I am shameless, I have attempted to write this Caitanya-caritamrta.

Having received the order of the Vaisnavas but being anxious within my heart, I went to the temple of Madana-mohana in Vrndavana to ask His permission also.

When I visited the temple of Madana-mohana, the priest Gosani dasa was serving the feet of the Lord, and I also prayed at the Lord's lotus feet.

When I prayed to the Lord for permission, a garland from His neck immediately slipped down.

As soon as this happened, the Vaisnavas standing there all loudly chanted, "Haribol!" and the priest, Gosani dasa, brought me the garland and put it around my neck.

I was greatly pleased to have the garland signifying the order of the Lord, and then and there I commenced to write this book.

Actually Sri-Caitanya-caritamrta is not my writing but the dictation of Sri Madana-mohana. My writing is like the repetition of a parrot.

As a wooden doll is made to dance by a magician, I write as Madana-gopala orders me to do so.

I accept as my family Deity Madana-mohana, whose worshipers are Raghunatha dasa, Sri Rūpa and Sanatana Gosvami.

I took permission from Srila Vrndavana dasa Thakura by praying at his lotus feet, and upon receiving his order I have attempted to write this auspicious literature.

Srila Vrndavana dasa Thakura is the authorized writer on the pastimes of Lord Caitanya. Without his mercy, therefore, one cannot describe these pastimes.

I am foolish, lowborn and insignificant, and I always desire material enjoyment; yet by the order of the Vaisnavas I am greatly enthusiastic to write this transcendental literature.

The lotus feet of Sri Rūpa Gosvami and Raghunatha dasa Gosvami are my source of strength. Remembering their lotus feet can fulfill all one's desires.

Praying at the lotus feet of Sri Rūpa and Sri Raghunatha, always desiring their mercy, I, Krsnadasa, narrate Sri-Caitanya-caritamrta, following in their footsteps.