Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.9.38, Śrī Gaura-Pūrṇimā – March 16, 1976, Māyāpur

Gaura Purnima-The Undercover Avatar

Anantaram Sastriji: [chants mantras]

My spiritual master is the embodiment of unlimited loving ecstasy for the son of Saci. I have been blessed by the nectarean mercy of your lotus feet. You are an unlimited ocean of mercy. I beg shelter and service to your lotus feet for ever. [Prayer to Prabhupada composed by Anantaram Sastriji.]

I offer my repeated obeisances to you. Kindly cast your merciful glance upon me. I offer my obeisances to beg for your attention. I offer my repeated obeisances to beg for your protection. O Prabhupada, please be merciful for you are supremely competent. [Prayer to Prabhupada composed by Anantaram Sastriji.]

Om namo bhagavate vasudevaya. Om namo bhagavate vasudevaya. Om namo bhagavate vasudevaya. [devotees repeat] Srimad-Bhagavatam, 7.9.38 [chants verse; Prabhupada and devotees respond] [break]

Pusta Krsna: Translation: "In this way, my Lord, You have appeared in different incarnations-as human beings, as animals, as a great saintly person, as demigods and as a fish and a tortoise. In this way You maintain the whole creation in different planetary systems and kill the demoniac principles in every age. My Lord, You therefore protect the principles of religion. In the Age of Kali You do not assert Yourself as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore You are known as Tri-yuga, or the Lord who appears in three yugas."

So here is a very specific statement about Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, His avatara. Caitanya Mahaprabhu is the same Supreme Personality of Godhead, but He's channa. Channa means covered. Not directly, because He has appeared as a devotee. Avatara... Rūpa Gosvami has found out that He's avatara of Krsna. All the devotees-Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya, Rūpa Gosvami-and in the sastra, and the Upanisad, Mahabharata, in every... Sadhu-sastra. Avatara should be confirmed by great devotees, personalities, and must be corraborated with the statement in the sastra. So here is another statement in the Srimad-Bhagavatam. The directly, it is stated in the Eleventh Canto, you know,

The Supreme Personality of Godhead, when He was being described before King Nimi by Karabhajana Muni, the different incarnation in different millenniums, yuga-dharma-palau.

Caitanya Mahaprabhu is also described by Vrndavana dasa Thakura, yuga-dharma-palo. So Caitanya Mahaprabhu is described here as channaḥ kalau. In the Kali-yuga He's not appearing as other incarnations, not like Nrsimhadeva or many, Vamanadeva, Lord Ramacandra. He is appearing as a devotee. Why? Now, this is the most magnanimous avatara. People are so foolish, they could not understand Krsna. When Krsna said, sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam [Bg 18.66], they took it: "Who is this person ordering like that, sarva-dharman parityajya? What right?"

That is our material disease. If somebody is ordered to do something, he protests, "Who are you to order me?" This is the position. God Himself, Krsna, what can He say? He orders, the Supreme Person, Supreme Being. He must order. He's the supreme controller. He must order. That is God. But we are so foolish that when God orders that "You do this," we take it otherwise: "Oh, who is this man? He's ordering like that. And sarva-dharman parityajya, 'giving up everything'? Why shall I give Him?" Sarva-dharman: "I have created so many dharmas, 'isms.' I shall give it up? Why shall I give it up?" Therefore the same Lord came again as Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Today is Caitanya Mahaprabhu's appearance day, so we must discuss this very thoroughly, that, that Rūpa Gosvami understood it. Therefore we have to go through guru. Rūpa Gosvami is our guru. Narottama dasa Thakura said,

If we want to understand the transcendental position of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, then we have to go through guru, guru-parampara system. Otherwise it is not possible. Rūpa-raghunatha pade haibe akuti. Unless we accept this process, unless we submit... This whole process is submission. Krsna wants this. Sarva-dharman parityajya [Bg 18.66]. So if you want to approach Krsna, you have to become very submissive. And to whom? "Krsna is not here. To whom I shall submit?" No. To His devotee, to His representative. The business is submission.

So Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu appeared this day for giving mercy to the fallen souls who are so foolish, they cannot take to Krsna consciousness. He is personally teaching how to take to Krsna consciousness. And that is this kirtana. You'll find... You have seen the picture in our Teachings of Lord Caitanya that in Prayag He was engaged in chanting, and Rūpa Gosvami is offering his obeisances. That is the first meeting with Rūpa Gosvami, and he composed this verse, namo maha-vadanyaya krsna-prema-pradaya te... [Cc Madhya 19.53]

Devotees: ...krsnaya krsna-caitanya-namne gaura-tvise namaḥ.

Prabhupada: Yes. So this is channaḥ-avatara. He's Krsna, He has come to give you krsna-prema, but He's acting like a Krsna devotee. This is covered. He is not commanding, "Now you do this." Yes, He's commanding "Do this," but in different way. Because people misunderstood, "Oh, who is this person commanding?" Even some so-called rascal scholar, he has said, "It's too much to demand." They have remarked like that. Yes, sophisticated persons, they are thinking like that.

But our process is to submit. Unless we submit, there is no hope of advancing in Krsna consciousness. That is Caitanya Mahaprabhu's teaching.

If you want to chant Hare Krsna mantra, then you have to take this principle, trnad api sunicena. You have to become humbler than the grass. Grass, it is lying on the street. Everyone is trampling down. It never protests. In the lawn you are..., everyone is trampling the grass. There is no protest. Taror api sahisnuna. And tolerant than the tree. The tree is giving us so much help. It is giving us fruit, flower, leaves, and when there is scorching heat, shelter also-sit down underneath. So beneficial; still, we cut. As soon as I like, I cut it down. But there is no protest. The tree does not say, "I have given you so much help, and you are cutting me?" No. Tolerant. Yes. Therefore Caitanya Mahaprabhu has selected, taror api sahisnuna. And amanina manadena. For oneself one should not expect any respectful position, but he, the devotee, should offer all respect to anyone. Amanina manadena kirtaniyaḥ sada hariḥ . If we acquire this qualification, then we can chant Hare Krsna maha-mantra without any disturbance. This is the qualification.

So Caitanya Mahaprabhu came to teach these principles. He is Krsna Himself. There is no... Na caitanyat krsnat para-tattvam param iha. Para-tattvam, the Supreme Truth, is Caitanya Mahaprabhu. The Supreme Truth is Krsna, but Caitanya Mahaprabhu is not different from Krsna. Na caitanyat krsnat para-tattvam param iha, yad advaitam brahmopanisadi . The Brahman, advaita, monists' Brahman, which is described in the Upanisad, yad, that factor, yad advaita brahmanopanisadi, Paramatma, and the Paramatma... Brahman, Paramatma and Bhagavan-this is the three features of the Supreme Absolute Truth.

The Absolute Truth is one, advaya-jnana. [Cc Madhya 20.152] There is no difference. But He, according to our qualification of understanding the Absolute Truth, He appears as Brahman, impersonal Brahman; He appears as localized Paramatma, Supersoul; and He appears as the beloved Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna-according to the receiver. Ye yatha mam prapadyante [Bg 4.11]. That is meant. If you want to understand the Absolute Truth as impersonal Brahman, you realize that. If you want to realize the Absolute Truth as Paramatma, everywhere, all-pervading, you can realize Him. And if you want to see Him as the most beloved, then you can also have. That is the meaning of ye yatha mam prapadyante. You can realize the Absolute Truth any way. He is prepared to manifest Himself as you desire.

So "as you desire" does not mean... That also, He is present because, here it is stated, that nr-tiryag-rsi-deva-jhasavataraiḥ. According to the evolutionary process, so there was water all over the universe. So at that time, dasa-avatara, kesava dhrta-mina-sarira jaya jagadisa hare [Dasavatara Stotra 1]. Similarly, He became tortoise. Then He becomes Nrsimhadeva, He became Vamanadeva-so many. That is going on, nitya, nitya-lila. Don't think the avatara comes only to the human society, nr. But He appears amongst the animals, amongst the insects, amongst the trees. Therefore in the Bhagavad-gita there is statement, "Among the trees, I am this tree. Among the animals, I am this animal. Among the persons... Among the fighters, I am this, I am this." He's everything, but just to point out a few... In another place He says, raso 'ham apsu kaunteya [Bg 7.8].

He is prepared to be appreciated by you in any condition of life if you take His instruction how to realize Him. And if you manufacture your own way, no, that is not possible. That is... Even if you are most ordinary man, still, you can realize Him. There is no difficulty. How? Krsna said, raso 'ham apsu kaunteya: "My dear Arjuna, I am the taste of the water." Now, who does not drink water? Anyone. The animal also drinks water and the human being also drinks water. But the animal cannot understand God, although God is there in the water, and the man can understand because he is human being. Therefore a human being is different from animal. If we remain like animal... We are drinking water, but we are not realizing Krsna-then you are animal. This is animals. And if we drink water-everyone drinks water many times-so many times we can remember Krsna. And that is the process of devotional... Smaranam. Sravanam kirtanam visnoḥ smaranam [SB 7.5.23].

So every time, if you drink water and remember Krsna, then you are on the devotional service. Where is the difficulty? But the rascals will not take it. That is the... Where is the difficulty? Everyone drinks water, and as soon as you drink water when you are thirsty, and the taste of the water appeases your thirst. So if you simply remember that "In the Bhagavad-gita it is stated that this taste is Krsna," then immediately you remember Krsna. And as soon as you remember Krsna, it is devotional service, smaranam. Where is the difficulty? Where is the difficulty for becoming Krsna conscious? Raso 'ham apsu kaunteya prabhasmi sasi-sūryayoḥ: "I am the illumination of the moon and the sun." So who does not see the moonshine and the sunshine? In daytime you see the sunshine and at night you see the moonshine. So if you see the sunshine and moonshine and if you remember Krsna's instructions that "This sunshine, moonshine, I am," so where is the difficulty?

Now, if you think, "Eh, I am so learned Vedantist. Why shall I study the sunshine-moonshine and what? I shall chant om." [laughter] "Rascal, this om I am." [laughter] "You are so big Vedantist. You chant om, but that I am." Pranavaḥ sarva-vedesu. Every Vedic mantra is chanted after the vibration of omkara. Om tad visnoḥ paramam padam sada pasyanti sūr... [Rg Veda 1.22.20]. This is the Vedic mantra always, every Veda. So either you become Vedantist or ordinary human being-does not know anything-you can realize Krsna. There is no difficulty.

So Krsna taught everything for becoming Krsna conscious, but still, we are so rascal we could not understand Krsna. Therefore Krsna came again: "These rascals failed to understand Me, and now I shall teach how to become a devotee of Krsna by My personal behavior." That is Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, by His personal... Don't think that because He's playing the part... Just like somebody is giving massage to my body, so he's not giving properly. So immediately I take his hand and I began to give massage, "Do like this. Do like this." That does not mean I am masseur or I am servant of that person. Similarly, don't forget that Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna. Sri-krsna-caitanya radha-krsna nahe anya [Sri Guru-parampara text 6]. You are worshiping Radha-Krsna, and there is Caitanya Mahaprabhu's Deity also. There are some parties, they protest, "Why Caitanya Mahaprabhu's Deity should be placed along with Krsna?" But they do not know sri-krsna-caitanya radha-krsna nahe anya. It is not different.

So Sri Krsna Caitanya is Krsna. It is confirmed by the sastras. Here it is said, channaḥ, channaḥ kalau yad abhava. In the Kali-yuga, directly He does not appear as the incarnation like Nrsimhadeva or Vamanadeva or Lord Ramacandra, yes, but as devotee. So He's the same incarnation, Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Abhavat. "Therefore sometimes You are called as tri-yuga." There are four yugas, but He is known... Because in three yugas He appears distinctly, and in the fourth yuga, the Kali-yuga, as devotee; therefore He's called tri-yuga. So today is the birthday, or appearance day, of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and this is the birthplace, this Mayapur, and you are all present here. It is a good fortune. Always remember Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and chant sri-krsna-caitanya prabhu-nityananda...