Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrī Gaura-Pūrṅimā Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.9.38

Anantarām Śāstrījī: [chants mantras] Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. [devotees repeat] Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, 7.9.38 [chants verse; Prabhupāda and devotees respond] [break]

itthaṁ nṛ-tiryag-ṛṣi-deva-jhaṣāvatārair lokān vibhāvayasi haṁsi jagat pratīpān dharmaṁ mahā-puruṣa pāsi yugānuvṛttaṁ channaḥ kalau yad abhavas tri-yugo 'tha sa tvam [SB 7.9.38]

[04:10]

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṅa: 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."

Prabhupāda:

So here is a very specific statement about Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, who is avatāra. Caitanya Mahāprabhu is the same Supreme Personality of Godhead, but He's channa. Channa means covered. Not directly, because He has appeared as a devotee. Avatāra... Rūpa Gosvāmī has found out that He's avatāra of Kṛṣṅa. All the devotees—Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya, Rūpa Gosvāmī—and in the śāstra, and the Upaniṣad, Mahābhārata, in every... Sādhu-śāstra. Avatāra should be confirmed by great devotees, personalities, and must be collaborated with the statement in the śāstra.

So here is another statement in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. The directly, it is stated in the Eleventh Canto, you know,

kṛṣṅa-varṅaṁ tviṣākṛṣṅaṁ sāṅgopāṅgāstra-pārṣadam yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtanaiḥ prāyair yajanti hi sumedhasaḥ [SB 11.5.32]

[In the Age of Kali, intelligent persons perform congregational chanting to worship the incarnation of Godhead who constantly sings the names of Kṛṣṅa. Although His complexion is not blackish, He is Kṛṣṅa Himself. He is accompanied by His associates, servants, weapons and confidential companions.]

The Supreme Personality of Godhead, when He was being described before King Nimi by Karabhājana Muni, the different incarnation in different millenniums, yuga-dharma-vṛttam... Caitanya Mahāprabhu is also described by Vṛndāvana dāsa Ṭhākura, yuga-dharma-pālo. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu is described here as channaḥ kalau. In the Kali-yuga He's not appearing as other incarnations, not like Nṛsiṁhadeva or many, Vāmanadeva, Lord Rāmacandra. He is appearing as a devotee. Why? Now, this is the most magnanimous avatāra. People are so foolish, they could not understand Kṛṣṅa. When Kṛṣṅa said, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṅaṁ [Bg 18.66], they took it: "Who is this person ordering like that, sarva-dharmān parityajya? What right?"

[Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reaction. Do not fear.]

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, Kṛṣṅa, 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-dharmān parityajya, 'giving up everything'? Why shall I give Him?" Sarva-dharmān: "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 Mahāprabhu.

Today is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's appearance day, so we must discuss this very thoroughly, that, that Rūpa Gosvāmī understood it. Therefore we have to go through guru. Rūpa Gosvāmī is our guru. Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura said,

rūpa-raghunātha-pade, hoibe ākuti, kabe hāma bujhabo, śrī-yugala-pīriti [Lālasāmayī Prārthanā 4]

[When shall I be very much eager to study the books left by the Six Gosvāmīs? One has to learn of the conjugal loving affairs of Rādhā-Kṛṣṅa through the teachings of these Six Gosvamīs.]

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

So Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu appeared this day for giving mercy to the fallen souls who are so foolish, they cannot take to Kṛṣṅa consciousness. He is personally teaching how to take to Kṛṣṅa consciousness. And that is this kīrtana. You'll find... You have seen the picture in our Teachings of Lord Caitanya that in Prayāg He was engaged in chanting, and Rūpa Gosvāmī is offering his obeisances. That is the first meeting with Rūpa Gosvāmī, and he composed this verse, namo mahā-vadānyāya kṛṣṅa-prema-pradāya te... [Cc Madhya 19.53]

[O most munificent incarnation! You are Kṛṣṅa Himself appearing as Śrī Kṛṣṅa Caitanya Mahāprabhu. You have assumed the golden color of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṅī, and You are widely distributing pure love of Kṛṣṅa. We offer our respectful obeisances unto You.]

Devotees: ...kṛṣṅāya kṛṣṅa-caitanya-nāmne gaura-tviṣe namaḥ.

Prabhupāda: Yes. So this is channaḥ-avatāra. He's Kṛṣṅa, He has come to give you kṛṣṅa-prema, but He's acting like a Kṛṣṅa 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 Kṛṣṅa consciousness. That is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's teaching.

tṛṅād api sunīcena taror api sahiṣṅunā amāninā mānadena kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ [Cc Ādi 17.31]

[One who thinks himself lower than the grass, who is more tolerant than a tree, and who does not expect personal honor yet is always prepared to give all respect to others can very easily always chant the holy name of the Lord.]

If you want to chant Hare Kṛṣṅa mantra, then you have to take this principle, tṛṅād api sunīcena. 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 sahiṣṅunā. 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 Mahāprabhu has selected, taror api sahiṣṅunā. And amāninā mānadena. For oneself one should not expect any respectful position, but he, the devotee, should offer all respect to anyone. Amāninā mānadena kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ [Cc Ādi 17.31]. If we acquire this qualification, then we can chant Hare Kṛṣṅa mahā-mantra without any disturbance. This is the qualification.

So Caitanya Mahāprabhu came to teach these principles. He is Kṛṣṅa Himself. There is no... Na caitanyāt kṛṣṅāt para-tattvaṁ param iha. Para-tattvam, the Supreme Truth, is Caitanya Mahāprabhu. The Supreme Truth is Kṛṣṅa, but Caitanya Mahāprabhu is not different from Kṛṣṅa. Na caitanyāt kṛṣṅāt para-tattvaṁ param iha, yad advaitaṁ brahmopaniṣadi [Cc Ādi 1.3]. The Brahman, advaita, monists' Brahman, which is described in the Upaniṣad, yad, that factor, yad advaita brāhmaṅopaniṣadi, Paramātmā, and the Paramātmā... Brahman, Paramātmā and Bhagavān—this is the three features of the Supreme Absolute Truth.

vadanti tat tattva-vidas tattvaṁ yaj jñānam advayam brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti śabdyate [SB 1.2.11]

[Learned transcendentalists who know the Absolute Truth call this nondual substance Brahman, Paramātmā or Bhagavān.]

The Absolute Truth is one, advaya-jñāna. 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 Paramātmā, Supersoul; and He appears as the beloved Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṅa—according to the receiver. Ye yathā māṁ prapadyante [Bg 4.11].

[All of them—as they surrender unto Me—I reward accordingly. Everyone follows My path in all respects, O son of Pṛthā.]

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 Paramātmā, 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 yathā māṁ 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 nṛ-tiryag-ṛṣi-deva-jhaṣāvatāraiḥ. According to the evolutionary process, so there was water all over the universe. So at that time, daśa-avatāra, keśava dhṛta-mīna-śarīra jaya jagadīśa hare [Daśāvatāra Stotra 1]. Similarly, He became tortoise. Then He becomes Nṛsiṁhadeva, He became Vāmanadeva—so many. That is going on, nitya, nitya-līlā. Don't think the avatāra comes only to the human society, nṛ. But He appears amongst the animals, amongst the insects, amongst the trees. Therefore in the Bhagavad-gītā 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].

[O son of Kuntī [Arjuna], I am the taste of water, the light of the sun and the moon, the syllable om in the Vedic mantras; I am the sound in ether and ability in man.]

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? Kṛṣṅa 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 Kṛṣṅa—then you are animal. This is animals. And if we drink water—everyone drinks water many times—so many times we can remember Kṛṣṅa. And that is the process of devotional... Smaraṅam. Śravaṅaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṅoḥ smaraṅam [SB 7.5.23].

[Prahlāda Mahārāja said: Hearing and chanting about the transcendental holy name, form, qualities, paraphernalia and pastimes of Lord Viṣṅu, remembering them, serving the lotus feet of the Lord, offering the Lord respectful worship with sixteen types of paraphernalia, offering prayers to the Lord, becoming His servant, considering the Lord one's best friend, and surrendering everything unto Him (in other words, serving Him with the body, mind and words)—these nine processes are accepted as pure devotional service. One who has dedicated his life to the service of Kṛṣṅa through these nine methods should be understood to be the most learned person, for he has acquired complete knowledge.]

So every time, if you drink water and remember Kṛṣṅa, 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-gītā it is stated that this taste is Kṛṣṅa," then immediately you remember Kṛṣṅa. And as soon as you remember Kṛṣṅa, it is devotional service, smaraṅam. Where is the difficulty? Where is the difficulty for becoming Kṛṣṅa conscious? Raso 'ham apsu kaunteya prabhāsmi śaśi-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 Kṛṣṅa's instructions that "This sunshine, moonshine, I am," so where is the difficulty?

raso 'ham apsu kaunteya prabhāsmi śaśi-sūryayoḥ praṅavaḥ sarva-vedeṣu... [Bg 7.8]

[O son of Kuntī [Arjuna], I am the taste of water, the light of the sun and the moon, the syllable om in the Vedic mantras; I am the sound in ether and ability in man.]

Now, if you think, "Eh, I am so learned Vedāntist. Why shall I study the sunshine-moonshine and what? I shall chant oṁ." [laughter] "Rascal, this oṁ I am." [laughter] "You are so big Vedāntist. You chant oṁ, but that I am." Praṅavaḥ sarva-vedeṣu. Every Vedic mantra is chanted after the vibration of omkara. Oṁ tad viṣṅoḥ paramaṁ padaṁ sadā paśyanti sūr... [Ṛg Veda 1.22.20].

[The lotus feet of Lord Viṣṅu are the supreme objective of all the demigods. These lotus feet of the Lord are as enlightening as the sun in the sky.]

This is the Vedic mantra always, every Veda. So either you become Vedāntist or ordinary human being—does not know anything—you can realize Kṛṣṅa. There is no difficulty.

So Kṛṣṅa taught everything for becoming Kṛṣṅa conscious, but still, we are so rascal we could not understand Kṛṣṅa. Therefore Kṛṣṅa came again: "These rascals failed to understand Me, and now I shall teach how to become a devotee of Kṛṣṅa by My personal behavior." That is Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, 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 Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṅa. Śrī-kṛṣṅa-caitanya rādhā-kṛṣṅa nahe anya [Śrī Guru-paramparā text 6]. You are worshiping Rādhā-Kṛṣṅa, and there is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's Deity also. There are some parties, they protest, "Why Caitanya Mahāprabhu's Deity should be placed along with Kṛṣṅa?" But they do not know śrī-kṛṣṅa-caitanya rādhā-kṛṣṅa nahe anya. It is not different.

So Śrī Kṛṣṅa Caitanya is Kṛṣṅa. It is confirmed by the śāstras. Here it is said, channaḥ, channaḥ kalau yad abhava. In the Kali-yuga, directly He does not appear as the incarnation like Nṛsiṁhadeva or Vāmanadeva or Lord Rāmacandra, yes, but as devotee. So He's the same incarnation, Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. 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 Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and this is the birthplace, this Māyāpur, and you are all present here. It is a good fortune. Always remember Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and chant śrī-kṛṣṅa-caitanya prabhu-nityānanda...

Devotees: ...śrī-advaita gadādhara śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda.

Prabhupāda: This will make your life perfect. Thank you very much.

Devotees: Haribol! [end]