S'rî Krishna Caitanya -
Foreword.
S'rî Krishna Caitanya -
An
Introduction.
S'rî Krishna Caitanya -
His
Life.
S'rî Krishna Caitanya -
His
Teachings.
S'rî
Krishna Caitanya
- The
Six Gosvâmîs.
S'rî Krishna Caitanya -
Devotional
Love.
Navadvîpa - Birthplace
of S'rî Krishna
Caitanya.
S'rî Krishna Caitanya -
Links.
Short
Wordlist
S'rî
Caitanya
-
Foreword.
His
Divine Grace, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
Prabhupâda, Founder-Âcârya of
The International Society for Krishna
Consciousness (Translator of S'rî
Caitanya-Caritâmrita of Krishnadâsa
Kavirâja Gosvâmî - The
Pastimes of Lord Caitanya Mahâprabhu),
writes in his preface:
'There
is no difference between the teaching of
Lord Caitanya
presented here and the teachings of
Lord Krishna
in the Bhagavad-gîtâ. The
teachings of Lord Caitanya are practical
demonstrations of Lord Krishna's teachings. Lord
Krishna's ultimate instruction in the
Bhagavad-gîtâ is that
everyone should surrender unto Him, Lord
Krishna. Krishna promises to take immediate
charge of such a surrendered soul. The Lord, the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, is already in
charge of the maintenance of this creation by
virtue of His plenary expansion,
Kshîrodakas'âyî
Vishnu,
but this maintenance is not direct. However,
when the Lord says that He takes charge of His
pure devotee, He actually takes direct charge. A
pure devotee is a soul who is forever
surrendered to the Lord, just as a child is
surrendered to his parents or an animal to its
master.
In the surrendering process, one
should:
1. accept things favorable for
discharging devotional service,
2. reject things unfavorable,
3. always believe firmly in the Lord's
protection,
4. feel exclusively dependent on the
mercy of the Lord,
5. have no interest separate from the
interest of the Lord, and
6. always feel oneself meek and
humble.
The
Lord demands that one surrender unto Him by
following these six guidelines, but the
unintelligent so-called scholars of the world
misunderstand these demands and urge the general
mass of people to reject them. At the conclusion
of the ninth chapter of the
Bhagavad-gîtâ, Lord Krishna
directly orders, "Always
think of Me, become My devotee, worship Me
alone, and offer obeisances unto Me
alone."
By so doing, the Lord says, one is sure to go to
Him in His transcendental abode. But the
scholarly demons misguide the masses of people
by directing them to surrender not to the
Supreme Lord but rather to the impersonal,
unmanifested, eternal, unborn truth. The
impersonalist
Mâyâvâdî
philosophers do not accept that the ultimate
aspect of the Absolute Truth is Lord
Krishna.
If
one desires to understand the sun as it is, one
must first face the sunshine and then the sun
globe, and then, if one is able to enter into
that globe, one may come face to face with the
predominating deity of the sun. Due to a poor
fund of knowledge, the
Mâyâvâdî philosophers
cannot go beyond the Brahman effulgence, which
may be compared to the sunshine. The
Upanishads confirm that one has to
penetrate the dazzling effulgence of Brahman
before one can see the real face of the
Personality of Godhead.
Lord
Caitanya therefore teaches direct worship of
Lord Krishna, Who appeared as the foster child
of the King of Vraja. He also teaches that the
place known as Vrindâvana is as good as
Lord Krishna because, Lord Krishna being the
Absolute Truth, there is no difference between
Him and His name, qualities, form, pastimes,
entourage and paraphernalia. That is the
absolute nature of Lord Krishna. Lord Caitanya
also teaches that the highest mode of worship in
the highest perfectional stage is the method
practiced by the damsels of Vraja. These damsels
(gopîs, or cowherd girls) simply loved
Krishna without any motive for material or
spiritual gain. Lord Caitanya also teaches that
S'rîmad Bhâgavatam is the
spotless narration of transcendental knowledge
and that the highest goal in human life is to
develop unalloyed love for Krishna, the Supreme
Lord.
Lord
Caitanya's teachings are identical to those
given by Lord Kapila [SB,
C3, 28-33],
the original propounder of
sânkhya-yoga, the
sânkhya system of philosophy. This
authorized system of yoga teaches
meditation on the transcendental form of the
Lord. There is no question of meditating on
something void or impersonal. When one can
meditate on the transcendental form of Lord
Vishnu even without practicing involved sitting
postures, such meditation is called perfect
samâdhi. That this kind of
meditation is perfect samâdhi is
confirmed at the end of the sixth chapter of the
Bhagavad-gîtâ, where Lord
Krishna says that of all yogîs, the
greatest is the one who constantly thinks of the
Lord within the core of his heart with love and
devotion.
On
the basis of the sânkhya philosophy
of acintya-bhedâbheda-tattva,
which maintains that the Supreme Lord is
simultaneously one with and different from His
creation, Lord Caitanya taught that the most
practical way for the mass of people to practice
sânkhya-yoga meditation is simply
to chant the holy name of the Lord. He taught
that the holy name of the Lord is the sound
incarnation of the Lord and that since the Lord
is the absolute whole, there is no difference
between His holy name and His transcendental
form. Thus by chanting the holy name of the Lord
one can directly associate with the Supreme Lord
by sound vibration.
As
one practices chanting this sound vibration, one
passes through three stages of development: the
offensive stage, the clearing stage and the
transcendental stage. In the offensive stage of
chanting one may desire all kinds of material
happiness, but in the second stage one becomes
clear of all material contamination. When one is
situated on the transcendental stage, one
attains the most coveted position - the stage of
loving God. Lord Caitanya taught that this is
the highest stage of perfection for human
beings.
Yoga
practice is essentially meant for controlling
the senses. The central controlling factor of
all the senses is the mind; therefore one first
has to practice controlling the mind by engaging
it in Krishna consciousness. The gross
activities of the mind are expressed through the
external senses, either for the acquisition of
knowledge or for the functioning of the senses
in accordance with the will. The subtle
activities of the mind are thinking, feeling and
willing, which are carried out according to
one's consciousness, either polluted or clear.
If one's mind is fixed on Krishna (His name,
qualities, form, pastimes, entourage and
paraphernalia), all one's activities-both subtle
and gross-become favorable. The
Bhagavad-gîtâ's process of
purifying consciousness is the process of fixing
one's mind on Krishna by talking of His
transcendental activities, cleansing His temple,
going to His temple, seeing the beautiful
transcendental form of the Lord nicely
decorated, hearing His transcendental glories,
tasting food offered to Him, associating with
His devotees, smelling the flowers and
tulasî leaves offered to Him,
engaging in activities for the Lord's interest,
becoming angry at those who are malicious toward
devotees, etc. No one can bring the activities
of the mind and senses to a stop, but one can
purify these activities through a change in
consciousness.
This change is
indicated in the Bhagavad-gîtâ
(2.39), where Krishna tells Arjuna of the
knowledge of yoga whereby one can work
without fruitive results:
"O
son of Prithâ, when you act in such
knowledge you can free yourself from the bondage
of works." A
human being is sometimes restricted in sense
gratification due to certain circumstances, such
as disease, but such directives are for the less
intelligent. Without knowing the actual process
by which the mind and senses can be controlled,
less intelligent men may try to stop the mind
and senses by force, but ultimately they give in
to them and are carried away by the waves of
sense gratification.
The
eight principles of sânkhya-yoga -
observing the regulative principles,
following the rules, practicing the various
sitting postures, performing the breathing
exercises, withdrawing one's senses from the
sense objects, etc.- are meant for those who are
too much engrossed in the bodily conception of
life. The intelligent man situated in Krishna
consciousness does not try to forcibly stop his
senses from acting. Rather, he engages his
senses in the service of Krishna. No one can
stop a child from playing by leaving him
inactive; rather, the child can be stopped from
engaging in nonsense by being engaged in
superior activities. Similarly, the forceful
restraint of sense activities by the eight
principles of yoga is recommended for
inferior men; superior men, being engaged in the
superior activities of Krishna consciousness,
naturally retire from the inferior activities of
material existence.
In
this way Lord Caitanya teaches the science of
Krishna consciousness. That science is absolute.
Dry mental speculators try to restrain
themselves from material attachment, but it is
generally found that the mind is too strong to
be controlled and that it drags them down to
sensual activities. A person in Krishna
consciousness does not run this risk. One
therefore has to engage one's mind and senses in
Krishna conscious activities, and Lord Caitanya
teaches one how to do this in
practice.
Before
accepting sannyâsa (the renounced
order), Lord Caitanya was known as Vis'vambhara.
The word vis'vambhara refers to one who
maintains the entire universe and who leads all
living entities. This maintainer and leader
appeared as Lord S'rî Krishna Caitanya to
give humanity these sublime teachings. Lord
Caitanya is the ideal teacher of life's prime
necessities. He is the most munificent bestower
of love of Krishna. He is the complete reservoir
of all mercies and good fortune. As confirmed in
S'rîmad Bhâgavatam, the
Bhagavad-gîtâ, the
Mahâbhârata and the
Upanishads, He is the Supreme Personality
of Godhead, Krishna Himself, and He is
worshipable by everyone in this age of
disagreement (Kali). Everyone can join in
His sankîrtana
movement. No previous qualification is
necessary. Just by following His teachings,
anyone can become a perfect human being. If a
person is fortunate enough to be attracted by
Lord Caitanya, he is sure to be successful in
his life's mission. In other words, those who
are interested in attaining spiritual existence
can easily be released from the clutches of
mâyâ by the grace of Lord
Caitanya.
The
conditioned soul, engrossed in the material
body, increases the pages of history by all
kinds of material activities. The teachings of
Lord Caitanya can help the members of human
society stop such unnecessary and temporary
activities and be elevated to the topmost
platform of spiritual activities, which begin
after liberation from material bondage. Such
liberated activities in Krishna consciousness
constitute the goal of human perfection. The
false prestige one acquires by attempting to
dominate material nature is illusory.
Illuminating knowledge can be acquired by
studying the teachings of Lord Caitanya, and by
such knowledge one can advance in spiritual
existence.
Everyone
has to suffer or enjoy the fruits of his
activity; no one can check the laws of material
nature that govern such things. As long as one
is engaged in fruitive activity, one is sure to
be baffled in the attempt to attain the ultimate
goal of life. I sincerely hope that by
understanding the teachings of Lord Caitanya
presented in S'ri
Caitanya-Caritâmrita, human society
will experience a new light of spiritual life,
which will open the field of activity for the
pure soul' -- OM TAT SAT. (March 14,
1968)
S'rî
Caitanya
-
Introduction.
In
S'rîmad Bhâgavatam,
Canto
7, Chapter 9, verse
38:
'This
way according the yuga in question appearing in
different incarnations as a human being, a
saint, a god or an aquatic, do You protect all
the worlds, sometimes killing the world its
troublemakers in defense of the dharma, o
Supreme Personality; in Kali yuga You are
covered and therefore are You, being one and the
same person, called
Triyuga'
[from being visible in the tree other yugas,
see also Canto
11:5.32].
This,
because in the fourth age (Kali) He manifests as
the 'channa' (hidden or secret) avatâr.
His existence in Kali-yuga is considered hidden
because, unlike other avatârs does the
Channa Avatâr not reveal Himself as an
incarnation. Rather, He displays His pastimes
(lîlâ) in the guise of His own
devotee, allowing only His most intimate
followers to know of His divinity. Still, those
who study the scriptures will know who He
is.
The
Purânas [SB,
C11-5: 20-33]
explain that in Satya-yuga the Lord comes in a
white color; in Treta, He is reddish; in
Dvapara, a blackish; and in Kali, He manifests
with a golden hue. S'rî Caitanya is
distinguished by His golden color, as has been
noted by all His biographers. Vedic and
post-Vedic writings describe avatârs in
considerable detail: their 'parentage', the town
where they appear, the mission they seek to
accomplish, and various specifics. Direct,
corroborative statements about the divinity of
S'rî Caitanya are found in the
Mahâbhârata and S'rîmad
Bhâgavatam, compiled centuries before
S'rî Caitanya's birth.
An
entire text that is considered part of the
Atharva Veda and is known as the
Caitanya Upanishad [see
links]
foretells His glories. The Krishna-yamala
and Brahma-yamala specifically mention
His mother's name and the town of His birth,
Navadvîpa (West-Bengal). These two
scriptures also relate His mission: propagating
the Sankîrtan movement, which focuses on
the congregational chanting of the holy name of
God.
The
Vayu Purâna says: "In the age of
Kali, when the Sankîrtan movement is
inaugurated, Krishna will descend as the divine
son of Sachidevi." The Bhâgavatam
substantiates the statement about S'rî
Caitanya Mahâprabhu being the "golden"
avatâr of Kali-yuga, and adds further
information about the Sankîrtan movement:
"In the age of Kali the incarnation of the Lord
always chants the holy name 'Krishna' in the
company of His associates. His complexion is not
blackish but golden. The wise worship Him by
chanting His name in congregation."
(SB
11:5.32).
Indeed, S'rî Caitanya and His
teachings of divine love through congregational
chanting of the holy name are the hidden glory
of India - India's actual glory.
S'rî
Caitanya
- His Life.
Listen
to:
Sâvarana
S'rî Gaura Pâda Padme
A prayer at the lotusfeet of S'rî
Gauranga -
(from
Prârthanâ)
and read
the lyrics
Caitanya
Mahâprabhu was born on February 18, 1486.
His birth name was Vishvambhar Mishra,
but later He became popular as Nimai
Pandit, and still later, after becoming a
renunciate, as Caitanya
Mahâprabhu. He was born in the
holy town of Navadvîpa, also known as
Mayapur, in West Bengal.
Mahâprabhu's
parents - Jagannath Mishra and
Sachidevi - had suffered through the
deaths of their first eight children, all girls.
The birth of Vishvarup,
Mahâprabhu's elder brother, signaled a
change in their lives. Soon after,
Mahâprabhu was born.
When
Mahâprabhu was about eight years of age,
He began school under the tutelage of Gangadas
Pandit. Two years later, in 1496, He became
known as a great scholar, having mastered
several languages, logic, hermeneutics
(exegesis), and philosophy. It was in this year,
too, that His elder brother, Vishvarup,
took sannyas, the renounced order of
life, and became
a traveling mendicant. This event had a deep
influence on young Mahâprabhu.
Four
years later, in the year 1500, He married
Lakshmipriya, and when she passed away
untimely, He remarried: Vishnupriya,
greatly respected in the Vaishnava community,
became His second wife. In 1505 S'rî
Caitanya Mahâprabhu traveled to Gaya, in
Bihar province, to perform the funeral rites for
His father. While in Gaya, He met Ishvara
Puri, a great saint, and took initiation
from him. It is said that immediately after
initiation, by chanting the mantras His teacher
gave Him, Mahâprabhu became
God-intoxicated. According to the Vaishnava
scriptures, spiritual sound virtually comes to
life when it is bestowed upon a disciple by a
genuine spiritual teacher. The chanter is thus
absorbed in divine madness (divyonmâda)
S'rî
Caitanya
- His Teachings.
Lord
Caitanya Mahâprabhu instructed His
disciples to write books on the science of
Krishna, a task which His followers have
continued to carry out down to the present day.
The elaborations and expositions on the
philosophy taught by Lord Caitanya are, in fact,
the most voluminous, exacting, and consistent,
due to the system of disciplic succession.
Although Lord Caitanya was widely renowned as a
scholar in His youth, He left only eight verses,
called S'rî S'rî
S'ikshâshthaka (the eight verses,
listen
online
/
lyrics).
These eight verses clearly reveal His mission
and precepts. These supremely valuable prayers
are translated herein:
1.
cetah-of the heart; darpana-the mirror;
mârjanam-cleansing; bhava-of material
existence; mahâ-dâva-agni-the
blazing forest fire;
nirvâpanam-extinguishing; s'reyah-of good
fortune; kairava-the white lotus;
candrikâ-the moonshine;
vitaranam-spreading; vidyâ-of all
education; vadhû-wife; jîvanam-the
life; ânanda-of bliss; ambudhi-the ocean;
vardhanam-increasing; prati-padam-at every step;
pûrna-amrita-of the full nectar;
asvâdanam-giving a taste; sarva-for
everyone; âtma-snapanam-bathing of the
self; param-transcendental; vijayate-let there
be victory;
s'rî-krishna-sankîrtanam-for the
congregational chanting of the holy name of
Krishna.
Glory
to the S'rî-Krishna-sankîrtana,
which cleanses the heart of all the dust
accumulated for years and extinguishes the fire
of conditional life, of repeated birth and
death. This sankîrtana movement is the
prime benediction for humanity at large because
it spreads the rays of the benediction moon. It
is the life of all transcendental knowledge. It
increases the ocean of transcendental bliss, and
it enables us to fully taste the nectar for
which we are always anxious.
2.
nâmnâm-of
the holy names of the Lord;
akâri-manifested; bahudhâ-various
kinds; nija-sarva-s'aktih-all kinds of personal
potencies; tatra-in that; arpitâ-bestowed;
niyamitah-restricted; smarane-in remembering;
na-not; kâlah-consideration of time;
etâdris'î-so much; tava-Your;
kripâ-mercy; bhagavan-O Lord; mama-My;
api-although; durdaivam-misfortune;
îdris'am-such; iha-in this (the holy
name); ajani-was born; na-not;
anurâgah-attachment.
O
my Lord, Your holy name alone can render all
benediction to living beings, and thus You have
hundreds and millions of names, like Krishna and
Govinda. In these transcendental names You have
invested all Your transcendental energies. There
are not even hard and fast rules for chanting
these names. O my Lord, out of kindness You
enable us to easily approach You by Your holy
names, but I am so unfortunate that I have no
attraction for them.
3.
trinât
api-than downtrodden grass; sunîcena-being
lower; taroh-than a tree; iva-like;
sahishnunâ-with tolerance;
amâninâ-without being puffed up by
false pride; mânadena-giving respect to
all; kîrtanîyah-to be chanted;
sadâ-always; harih-the holy name of the
Lord.
One
should chant the holy name of the Lord in a
humble state of mind, thinking oneself lower
than the straw in the street; one should be more
tolerant than a tree, devoid of all sense of
false prestige, and should be ready to offer all
respect to others. In such a state of mind one
can chant the holy name of the Lord constantly.
(Caitanya-caritâmrita,
Antya-lîlâ 20.21)
4.
na-not;
dhanam-riches; na-not; janam-followers; na-not;
sundarîm-a very beautiful woman;
kavitâm-fruitive activities described in
flowery language; vâ-or;
jagat-îs'a-O Lord of the universe;
kâmaye-I desire; mama-My; janmani-in
birth; janmani-after birth; îs'vare-unto
the Supreme Personality of Godhead;
bhavatât-let there be; bhaktih-devotional
service; ahaitukî-with no motives;
tvayi-unto You.
O
almighty Lord, I have no desire to accumulate
wealth, nor do I desire beautiful women nor do I
want any number of followers. I only want Your
causeless devotional service, birth after
birth.
5.
ayi-O
my Lord; nanda-tanuja-the son of Nanda
Mahârâja, Krijna; kinkaram-the
servant; patitam-fallen; mâm-me;
vijame-horrible; bhava-ambudhau-in the ocean of
nescience; kripayâ-by causeless mercy;
tava-Your; pâda-pankaja-lotus feet;
sthita-situated at;
dhûlî-sadris'am-like a particle of
dust; vicintaya-kindly consider.
O
son of Mahârâja Nanda
[Krishna], I am Your eternal servitor,
yet somehow or other I have fallen into the
ocean of birth and death. Please pick me up from
this ocean of death and place me as one of the
atoms at Your lotus feet.
6.
nayanam-the
eyes; galat-as'ru-dhârayâ-by streams
of tears running down; vadanam-mouth;
gadgada-faltering; ruddhayâ-choked up;
girâ-with words; pulakaih-with standing up
of the hairs due to transcendental happiness;
nicitam-covered; vapuh-the body;
kadâ-when; tava-Your;
nâma-grahane-in chanting the name;
bhavijyati-will be.
O
my Lord, when will my eyes be decorated with
tears of love flowing constantly when I chant
Your holy name? When will my voice choke up, and
when will the hairs of my body stand on end at
the recitation of Your name?
7.
yugâyitam-appearing
like a great millennium; nimejena-by a moment;
cakjujâ-from the eyes;
prâvrijâyitam-tears falling like
torrents of rain;
s'ûnyâyitam-appearing void;
jagat-the world; sarvam-all; govinda-from Lord
Govinda, Krijna; virahena me-by my
separation.
O
Govinda! Feeling Your separations I am
considering a moment to be like twelve years or
more. Tears are flowing from my eyes like
torrents of rain, and I am feeling all vacant in
the world in Your absence.
8.
âs'lishya-embracing
with great pleasure; vâ-or;
pâda-ratâm-who have fallen at the
lotus feet; pinashtu-let Him trample;
mâm-me; adars'anât-by not being
visible; marma-hatâm-brokenhearted;
karotu-let Him make; vâ-or; yathâ-as
(He likes); tathâ-so; va-or;
vidadhâtu-let Him do; lampatah-a
debauchee, who mixes with other women;
mat-prâna-nâthah-the Lord of My
life; tu-but; sah-He; eva-only; na aparah-not
anyone else.
I
know no one but Krishna as my Lord, and He shall
remain so even if He handles me roughly by His
embrace or makes me brokenhearted by not being
present before me. He is completely free to do
anything and everything, for He is always my
worshipful Lord, unconditionally.
S'rî
Caitanya -
The Six Gosvâmîs.
Lord
Caitanya Mahâprabhu experienced divine
love, a mysticism of the highest order, and He
communicated the confidential essence of this
love to His most intimate followers. It was
their responsibility to systematize this
knowledge and to formulate a method for its wide
distribution. After all, how would future
generations understand what Mahâprabhu
felt? And how would they attempt to recapture
the experience? It were the six
Gosvâmîs of Vrindâvan who took
the challenge to heart, making
Mahâprabhu's inner experience
accessible.
Raghunath
Das Gosvâmî (1495-1571) was the
first to meet the Master. He was born in a
non-brâhmana family (which made him
distinct among the six Gosvâmîs) in
the town of Chandpur (now S'rî
Krishnapur), West Bengal. He was extremely
wealthy, yet he had a distaste for material
riches. Due to association with the great saint
Haridas Thakur, Raghunath Das anxiously
anticipated the day he could see S'rî
Caitanya. This occurred shortly after
Mahâprabhu took sannyas, in 1510, when the
young Raghunath Das ran away from home to meet
Mahâprabhu in Shantipur. Das
Gosvâmî, as Raghunath Das came to be
called, became the preeminent mystic in the
Vaishnava tradition and composed beautiful
poetry based on his meditation.
In
South India, shortly after meeting Ragunath Das
Gosvâmî for the first time,
Mahâprabhu stayed at the house of Vyenkata
Bhatta. At the time Vyenkata had a
seven-year-old son named Gopal Bhatta. He would
be trained by Mahâprabhu Himself and
eventually grow up to be one of the major
theologians of Gaudiya Vaishnavism, Gopal
Bhatta Gosvâmî
(1503-1578).
As
a South Indian brâhmana, Gopal Bhatta was
keenly aware of the minutiae of day-to-day
Vaishnava practice; thus he would be an
invaluable asset to the mission of the
Gosvâmîs. Along with Sanatan
Gosvâmî, he compiled the
"lawbook" for Gaudiya Vaishnavas, called the
Hari-bhakti-vilas. The book details
minute aspects of the tradition, including deity
worship, temple rituals, and Vaishnava
etiquette.
Rupa
(1489-1564) and Sanatan (1488-1558)
Gosvâmîs, also of South India
roots, worked for the Islamic government in
Bengal. Both were great scholars and leaders.
S'rî Caitanya's wave of devotion swept
them up too, and they were introduced to
Mahâprabhu when He was on His way to
Vrindâvan. Later, Rupa met the
Master in Prayag (now Allahabad) and received
instruction in rasa
theology from Him. Sanatan met
Mahâprabhu in Benares and there learned
from Him the science of avatârs and
the complex philosophy of how God manifests in
this world. Rupa and Sanatan were prolific
writers. Their contributions manifested in the
form of drama, poetry, and
philosophy.
The
work of Rupa and Sanatan was expanded by their
young nephew, Jiva Gosvâmî
(1513-1598), who is to this day considered
one of India's greatest philosophers. He
developed themes begun by his renowned uncles
and highlighted the nuances of their theological
ideals. Some say that Jiva, the youngest of the
Six, met S'rî Caitanya on only one
occasion, as a child. Still, this one meeting,
along with the inspiration derived from
Rupa and Sanatan, was enough to
sustain Jiva throughout his productive
career.
Raghunath
Bhatta Gosvâmî
(1505-1579)
offered no literary contribution, but was known
for his beautiful singing and for his elaborate
recitation of the Bhâgavatam.
Indeed, the essence of Vaishnava theology
centers on kirtan, the ecstatic singing
of the holy name. Raghunath Bhatta
Gosvâmî set the highest example
by singing the glories of the Lord like no
other.
Srînivâsa
Âcârya
composed 'the eight verses for the
six
Gosvâmîs',
S'rî S'rî
Shadgosvâmy-ashthaka (listen
online
/lyrics)
and the lyrics are given below in a translation
by Swâmi
Prabhupâda:
Pañca-tattva: (pañca: five) The
reality of Lord Caitanya Mahâprabhu as
consisting of Himself, Nityânanda,
Advaita Âcârya, Gadâdhara and
S'rî Vasâdi, installed in a
temple
1.
I
offer my respectful obeisances unto the six
Gosvâmîs, namely S'rî Rupa
Gosvâmî, S'rî Sanatana
Gosvâmî, S'rî Raghunatha
Bhatta Gosvâmî, S'rî
Raghunatha dasa Gosvâmî, Srî
Jiva Gosvâmî, and S'rî Gopala
Bhatta Gosvâmî, who are always
engaged in chanting the holy name of Krishna and
dancing. They are just like the ocean of love of
God, and they are popular both with the gentle
and with the ruffians, because they are not
envious of anyone. Whatever they do, they are
all-pleasing to everyone, and they are fully
blessed by Lord Caitanya. Thus they are engaged
in missionary activities meant to deliver all
the conditioned souls in the material
universe.
2.
I
offer my respectful obeisances unto the six
Gosvâmîs, namely S'rî
Rupa Gosvâmî, S'rî
Sanatana Gosvâmî, S'rî
Raghunatha Bhatta Gosvâmî,
S'rî Raghunatha dasa
Gosvâmî, S'rî Jiva
Gosvâmî, and S'rî Gopala
Bhatta Gosvâmî, who are very expert
in scrutinizingly studying all the revealed
scriptures with the aim of establishing eternal
religious principles for the benefit of all
human beings. Thus they are honored all over the
three worlds and they are worth taking shelter
of because they are absorbed in the mood of the
gopis and are engaged in the transcendental
loving service of Râdhâ and
Krishna.
3.
I
offer my respectful obeisances unto the six
Gosvâmîs, namely S'rî
Rupa Gosvâmî, S'rî
Sanatana Gosvâmî, S'rî
Raghunatha Bhatta Gosvâmî,
S'rî Raghunatha dasa
Gosvâmî, S'rî Jiva
Gosvâmî, and S'rî Gopala
Bhatta Gosvâmî, who are very much
enriched in understanding of Lord Caitanya and
who are thus expert in narrating His
transcendental qualities. They can purify all
conditioned souls from the reactions of their
sinful activities by pouring upon them
transcendental songs about Govinda. As such,
they are very expert in increasing the limits of
the ocean of transcendental bliss, and they are
the saviors of the living entities from the
devouring mouth of liberation.
4.
I
offer my respectful obeisances unto the six
Gosvâmîs, namely S'rî
Rupa Gosvâmî, S'rî
Sanatana Gosvâmî, S'rî
Raghunatha Bhatta Gosvâmî,
S'rî Raghunatha dasa
Gosvâmî, S'rî Jiva
Gosvâmî, and S'rî Gopala
Bhatta Gosvâmî, who kicked off all
association of aristocracy as insignificant. In
order to deliver the poor conditioned souls,
they accepted loincloths, treating themselves as
mendicants, but they are always merged in the
ecstatic ocean of the gopis' love for Krishna
and bathe always and repeatedly in the waves of
that ocean.
5.
I
offer my respectful obeisances unto the six
Gosvâmîs, namely S'rî
Rupa Gosvâmî, S'rî
Sanatana Gosvâmî, S'rî
Raghunatha Bhatta Gosvâmî,
S'rî Raghunatha dasa
Gosvâmî, S'rî Jiva
Gosvâmî, and S'rî Gopala
Bhatta Gosvâmî, who were always
engaged in worshiping Râdhâ-Krishna
in the transcendental land of Vrindavana where
there are beautiful trees full of fruits and
flowers which have under their roots all
valuable jewels. The Gosvâmîs are
perfectly competent to bestow upon the living
entities the greatest boon of the goal of
life.
6.
I
offer my respectful obeisances unto the six
Gosvâmîs, namely S'rî
Rupa Gosvâmî, S'rî
Sanatana Gosvâmî, S'rî
Raghunatha Bhatta Gosvâmî,
S'rî Raghunatha dasa
Gosvâmî, S'rî Jiva
Gosvâmî, and S'rî Gopala
Bhatta Gosvâmî, who were engaged in
chanting the holy names of the Lord and bowing
down in a scheduled measurement. In this way
they utilized their valuable lives and in
executing these devotional activities they
conquered over eating and sleeping and were
always meek and humble enchanted by remembering
the transcendental qualities of the
Lord.
7.
I
offer my respectful obeisances unto the six
Gosvâmîs, namely S'rî
Rupa Gosvâmî, S'rî
Sanatana Gosvâmî, S'rî
Raghunatha Bhatta Gosvâmî,
S'rî Raghunatha dasa
Gosvâmî, S'rî Jiva
Gosvâmî, and S'rî Gopala
Bhatta Gosvâmî, who were sometimes
on the bank of the Râdhâ-kunda lake
or the shores of the Yamuna and sometimes at
Varnsivata. There they appeared just like madmen
in the full ecstasy of love for Krishna,
exhibiting different transcendental symptoms in
their bodies, and they were merged in the
ecstasy of Krishna consciousness.
8.
I
offer my respectful obeisances unto the six
Gosvâmîs, namely S'rî
Rupa Gosvâmî, S'rî
Sanatana Gosvâmî, S'rî
Raghunatha Bhatta Gosvâmî,
S'rî Raghunatha dasa
Gosvâmî, S'rî Jiva
Gosvâmî, and S'rî Gopala
Bhatta Gosvâmî, who were chanting
very loudly everywhere in Vrindavana, shouting,
"Queen of Vrindavana,
Râdhârânî! O Lalita! O
son of Nanda Maharaja! Where are you all now?
Are you just on the hill of Govardhana, or are
you under the trees on the bank of the Yamuna?
Where are you?" These were their moods in
executing Krishna consciousness.
S'rî
Caitanya -
Devotional Love.
The
essence of S'rî Caitanya's teaching is
bhakti,
or devotional love for Krishna. In the second
verse of his famed sutras on bhakti,
Shandilya
defines bhakti as "exclusive and intense loving
attachment to the Lord." The Vaishnava sage
Nârada elaborates upon this
definition in his
Nârada-bhakti-sutra, where He says,
"Bhakti
consists of offering one's every action to the
Supreme Lord and feeling extreme distress in
forgetting Him."
[Chapter
2, sutra 19]
The
very first book [Canto
1]
of S'rîmad Bhâgavatam defines
bhakti as parama-dharma, or "the highest
and most satisfying function of the soul."
Bhakti is thus paramount in Vaishnava
thought.
The
concept of bhakti is found in the writings of
the South Indian Alvars
[Alvar
means one
who is "immersed" in the experience of God, the
omnipresent mysterious One], who belonged to
India's earliest organized Vaishnava tradision,
Srivaishnavism. It is also found in the North,
as is amply represented by the works of Rupa
Gosvami, whose bhakti-rasa theory is at the very
core of Gaudiya Vaishnavism. Bhakti became
prominent in 15th- and 16th-century India, which
witnessed a "bhakti renaissance."
Coincidentally,
during this same period the Western world
experienced its own renaissance - one that moved
in the opposite direction. If the Indian
renaissance emphasized devotion to God, the
Western one focused on empirical learning and
material progress, on science and technology. In
essence, Western materialism came to the fore,
and spirituality receded to the
background.
The European
Renaissance is often remembered as a period of
growth, a journey toward self-sufficiency and
self-discovery. To characterize these times,
historian Jules
Michelet
coined the term "rebirth". Those were times of a
newfound awakening of man, when he was able to
escape his preoccupation with religion and
superstition and to become truly progressive by
focusing on material nature, on the body, and on
the world around him. Man moved toward
materialistic complexity, leaving spirituality
and simple living as a thing of the
past.
Most of India
has been greatly influenced by bhakti and
bhakti's practitioners. This may be because
bhakti addresses something fundamental in man,
and because the opposite - a renaissance moving
toward material progress - while advantageous in
some ways, ultimately leaves one spiritually
barren, in being without a
soul.
Navadvîpa
- Birthplace
of S'rî Krishna Caitanya.
Listen
to:
S'rî
S'achî-Sutâshthakam:
Eight prayers glorifying the Son of
S'rîmatî S'achi Devî
and read
the lyrics
Navadvîp
is a large trading center of regional importance
to the handloom cloth industry. It is situated
about 65 miles north of Kolkata (Calcutta),
connected to it by road, river, and rail. More
importantly, Navadvîp is famous as the
birthplace of S'rî Caitanya, who is also
known as Gaur and Gauranga, the "golden"
incarnation.
S'rî
Caitanya is nondifferent from S'rî
Krishna, hence Navadvîp (Mayapur) and the
lîlâ of Gaura (Caitanya) and that of
Krishna are mystically connected. Vaishnavas
reverently refer to the thirty-two-mile
Navadvîp/Mayapur region as
Gaura-mandala.
In 1063 c.e.,
Navadvîp became the capital of Bengal
under the Hindu rule of Lakshmanasena, but in
1202 it was conquered and destroyed by Muhammed
Bakhtiar Khilji. Bengal then passed under
Islamic rule. Despite social friction, Hindus
and Muslims lived there together.
Navadvîp, which was a famous seat of
Sanskrit learning, became a stronghold of
orthodox brahmanism. It was into this
environment that S'rî Caitanya
appeared.
Literally
hundreds of sites connected to S'rî
Caitanya Mahâprabhu's pastimes are found
throughout the area. The Yoga-pitha, where
Mahâprabhu was born, today houses deities
of Him and His associates. The spot where He was
born is daily visited by pilgrims. Nearby is
Shrivas Angan, the house of Shrivas Thakur,
where S'rî Caitanya inaugurated the
Sankîrtan movement.
Historically,
Navadvîp is considered to have been an
area consisting of nine islands. Thus it derives
its name: nava (nine),
dvîpa
(islands). Many believe "the nine islands" refer
to nine spiritual islands to be perceived only
by those who have attained the topmost
realization: because nine islands, as such, are
nowhere to be found. Pilgrims generally tour the
area of "nine islands" in the following
sequence: Antardvip, Simantadvip, Godrumdvip,
Madhyadvip, Koladvip, Ritudvip, Jahnudvip,
Modadrumadvip and Rudradvip.
In an esoteric
sense, the islands correspond to the nine
processes of devotional service
(bhâgavata
dharma):
hearing about God, chanting of Him, remembering
Him, serving His lotus feet, worshiping Him,
praying to Him, assisting Him, befriending Him,
and sacrificing everything for Him.
The
Rediscovery of S'ri Caitanya's Birthplace.
By the 19th century, few were aware of the
importance of Lord Caitanya's life and mission;
Muslim conquerors and the passage of time had
all but obliterated S'rî Caitanya from
history. This was soon to be corrected by a
single individual named
Bhaktivinode
Thhâkur
(1838-1914). An avid follower of Caitanya's
teachings, Bhaktivinode set out to rediscover
the Lord's birthplace.
To
Bhaktivinode's surprise, the village that his
contemporaries knew to be Navadvîp was
only one hundred years old and could not
possibly be the same Navadvîp in which
S'rî Caitanya had appeared. There were
diverse opinions, and some said that the Lord's
birthplace was now under the Ganges, which had
changed its course since the 15th
century.
But
Bhaktivinode was relentless, and he soon heard
of a place northeast of the town then considered
Navadvîp. The mysterious old village in
question was governed by Muslims. Bhaktivinode
soon realized that this was the actual
Navadvîp (Mayapur) and sought to confirm
this theory with available evidence. Strong
proof came from two maps made by British pilots
who had navigated the Ganges.
Bhaktivinode
found important leads also in regional
scriptures. For example, in Narahari
Chakravarti's Bhaktiratnakara he read that the
courtyard of Shrivas Pandit, where S'rî
Caitanya inaugurated the congregational chanting
of the Mahâmantra,
[listen
online
/ lyrics]
was situated one hundred dhanus (200 yards) to
the north of the "House of God". The courtyard
of Shrivas still exists, as it did in S'rî
Caitanya's time (and in Bhaktivinode's as well);
it was thus relatively easy to determine the
site of S'rî Caitanya's birth.
Furthermore, according to the
Caitanya-bhagavata, the Muslim governor of
Navadvîp was offended because he was able
to hear the chanting from Shriva's house while
sitting in his own home; it is said that because
of this he ordered his men to break the musical
instruments of the "Hindu Heathens". This
information aided Bhaktivinode in his discovery
of S'rî Caitanya's birth site. The
evidence was tallied, and it was augmented by
further geographical and archeological studies
made by Bhaktivinode himself.
In an attempt
to get spiritual confirmation of the site's
authenticity, Bhaktivinode brought to the area
his old and ailing teacher, Jagannath das
Babaji. Babaji Maharaj, although incapacitated,
began to jump in ecstacy and cry profusely in
love of God. Such an outpouring of devine love
convinced Bhaktivinode, perhaps more than the
hard, external evidence, that this was indeed
S'rî Caitanya's birthplace.
[Krishna
Bhajan composed by Bhaktivinode Thakur, listen
online to: S'uddha
Bhakata
/ lyrics
]
S'rî
Caitanya
-
Links.
S'rî
Caitanya-Caritâmrita
of Krishnadâsa Kavirâja
Gosvâmî - The Pastimes of Lord
Caitanya Mahâprabhu
Bhaktivedanta
VedaBase
Network
S'rîmad
Bhâgavatam.
(Bhâgavata Purâna) "The Story of the
Fortunate One", by Krishna-Dvaipâyana
Vyâsa, to the translations of S'rî
S'rîmad A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
Prabhupâda (first 9 cantos) and other
pupils (cantos 10, 11 and 12), prepared for the
Internet by Anand Aadhar Prabhu.
Bhagavad
Gîtâ As It
Is
- A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupâda
Bhagavad
Gîtâ of
Order
- Anand Aadhar Prabhu
[in
Dutch]
Levensbeschrijving
van His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
Prabhupâda
Caitanya
Upanishad
Nârada-bhakti-sûtra
Some
excerpts about Krishna Chaitanya, taken from the
volumes of "Sathya Sai
Speaks"
[in
Dutch only]
Krishna
en de Zingende
Filosoof
(translated: Krishna and the Singing Philosopher
- 'The Philosophy and Music of the Caitanya
Vaishnavas' by Anand
Aadhar Prabhu)
[in
Dutch]
Krishna's
Spel in Vraja en
Mathurâ,
by Hayeshvar Das
[in
Dutch]
Krishna's
Spel in Dvârakâ,
by
Hayeshvar Das
About
Gurus and Their
Teaching
This article critically surveys the value of
eastern gurus and their teachings in western
society, by Anand Aadhar Prabhu
Reincarnation
and the Fear of
Time
by Anand Aadhar Prabhu. Do we return to this
world? Must we do so? Where did we get the idea
from that this could be the reality? Why would
it be important to think about it? Are we afraid
of time? These pages discuss the subject of
reincarnation in the light of the christian
doctrine and rebirth of culture and the duality
of modern multicultural time-consciousness and
its psychological fears of time.
The
Spiritual
Essence
by Anand Aadhar Prabhu. To the essence of
spirituality the question is first of all: what
is it? Is it New Age, is it religious, is it a
cult, is it egoism staring for a selfrealization
without compassion? What defines spirituality
actually? What is this self that one has to
realize? Where does the soul come in? This
article revises the concept of spirituality
against the light of ancient vedic values at the
one hand and modern natural science at the other
hand.
Filognosy
and Terms
by Anand Aadhar Prabhu. Filognosy means love for
knowledge. There is knowledge of how to make a
living and manipulate matter. This knowledge is
subject to changes and is considered relative.
There is also knowledge of how to live
peacefully, keep your mind together, sacrifice
for a good cause and attain to togetherness and
spirit. This latter knowledge is classical,
found in the oldest books, is immutable and is
apart from some translation as fixed as the sun,
the moon and the celestial sky. This knowledge
is considered absolute: we cannot change its
reality of eternal time. Filognosy is about this
latter type of
knowledge.
Devotional
Music; Krishna Bhakti music by S'rîmad
Bhâgavatam.
The
bhajans or devotional chants are all written by
vaishnav âcârya's. Each one of them,
here presented with their original melodies, has
the power of the great
Krishna
mantra, the Mahâmantra.
Singing these songs of devotion is an essential
tool for liberation in our modern time. It
restores the balance with ones divine nature and
concentrates the mind on the Fortunate One. The
files are made in such a way that singing and
playing along and learning the texts is as easy
as can be.
His
Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
Prabhupâda
-
S'rî Caitanya
Mahâprabhu
and S'rî
Krishna
& S'rîla
Vyâsadeva
- by Stephen Knapp
Bhaktivedanta
Memorial
Library:
about Bhaktivinode Thakur and other spiritual
Leaders.
*S'rîla
Bhaktivinoda Thakura
*The
Six Gosvâmîs
The
Hidden Glory of
India
by
Steven J. Rosen. The Hidden Glory of India is a
feast for the eyes. This mini-coffee table book
presents an overview of the Vaishnava religious
tradition, part of the Hindu or Indic complex of
religions. Specifically, this volume focuses on
the Vaishnavism of Chaitanya, whose movement
arose in Bengal and spread throughout northern
India in the sixteenth century -- eventually
reaching almost all countries beginning in the
1960s due to the work of the late A.C.
Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupâda who
established the Hare Krishna movement.
Hare
Krishna.org:
Website of the Hare Krishna
Movement.
Sanskrit
Glossary by S'rîmad
Bhâgavatam
Verses
by Akbar - The Victor of my heart:
"Hail
Thee, O Chaitanya - the victor of my heart. Mark
the rhythm of this mystic dance, in lofty
ecstasy quite alone. Merrily sounds the tabor,
and the cymbals' notes keep time.
The joyous band following him sing and dance
merrily, merrily.
He steps a pace or two onwards, in His dancing
gait, and knows no rest. For he is intoxicated
with his own over-flowing joy.
O my heart's Lord, how can I express the love I
have for thee?
Shah Akbar craves a drop from the sea of Thy
love and piety."
(quoted
in D.C. Sen. 1922 Chaitanya and His Age.
Calcutta: University of Calcutta
Press.)
Friedrich
Nietzsche:
"I could believe only in a God who
understood how to dance".
Short
Word-list.
Âcârya:
bona fide, controllable, refutable,
selfrealized, spiritual teacher (guru) who
instructs by example representing
the paramparâ.
Acinthya-bhedâbheda-tattva:
Lord Caitanya's doctrine of Krishna as the
"inconceivable oneness and difference" of God
and His energies.
- The heuristic, the rule of thumb of the
Caitanya-vaishnava who poses: He is
Me, but I am not Him; He is the unity in the
manifold of the to Him only qualitatively equal
parts and parcels; He is the Person of God that
is the universe, of which I am only a part
kalâ
(ekatvena prithaktvena bahudhâ
B.G.
9.15).
Avatâra:
descend of the Supreme Lord. Two kinds:
vibhûti- and âves'a -
avatâras: more or less powerful (channa,
svayamrûpa and
Vishnu-tattva-avatâra,
gunâvatâra, yugâvatâra,
ams'a-avatâra, purusha-avatâra,
lîlâ-avatâra,
manvantara-avatâra (see SB.
2: 7,
for a description of Vishnu-avatâras)
[see: Bhagavadgita.org
for an enumeration of the various
avatâras, with pictures]
- A plenary expansion of the Lord.
- The empowered devotee of the Lord.
- Deductive process of the descending of the
(Super-) soul in
matter.
Bhâgavata-dharma:
devotional service in nine divisions:
s'ravanam (listening), kîrtanam (singing),
Vishnu-smaranam (remembering),
pâda-sevanam (visiting, helping),
arcanam (worship of the idol),
vandanam (prayer, japa),
dâsyam (deliver service),
sakhyam (friendship),
âtmâ-nivedanam (surrender);
(see SB: 7.5:
23-24).
- Also in six: 'Therefore unto You, o Best of
the Worshipable, do I offer my obeisances with
prayers and perform I worship, do I work for
You, do I remember You, attend to Your refuge
and do I always listen to the talks about You;
how can without such devotional service unto You
in all these six forms a person attain the
bhakti
that is there for the best of transcendence.'
(SB: 7.9.50).
Bhakti: bhakataH =
devotee; bhakta = devotee; bhaktaH = devotee;
bhaktaaH = devotees; bhaktaanukaMpinaaM =
compassionate to the devotees; bhakti =
devotion, worship; bhaktiM = devotional service;
bhaktiH = in devotional service; bhaktimaan.h =
devotee; bhaktiyogena = by devotional service;
bhakteshhu = amongst devotees; bhaktyaa = in
full devotion; bhaktyupahritaM = offered in
devotion.
Chaitanya:
Consciousness, intelligence, spirit, energy,
enthusiasm.
Caitanya: ('life
force') name of the incarnation of Krishna as
Krishna-bhakta 1486 in Navadvîpa, West
Bengal. Also named Mahâprabhu (: 'the
great master') Krishna-Caitanya en Gauranga.
Spoken as: Tsjètanja.
- An avatâra who ± 500 years ago in
India appeared to teach mankind the
yuga-dharma (the method of realization
valid for a certain era or yuga of our time,
knowing the chanting of the holy names of God,
to fight the corrupting influence of kali-yuga.
Although He was Krishna Himself, did he play the
role of Krishna's devotee, to show us how to
awaken our love for Him.
- Reformer of the vedic culture to fight the
false authority of dry book wisdom and the
caste-system. In de West positioned against
impersonalism and voidism.
- The incarnation of the Lord who descended into
this world to teach by means of the
sankîrtana-movement
how to love God.
Caitanya-caritâmrita:
the book of Krishnadâsa Kavirâja
Goswâmî about the life and teachings
of Lord Caitanya, the Lord of Vedic Reform.'The
New Testament' of the Caitanya-vaishnava written
in the sixteenth century.
Caitanya-vaishnavas:
school of devotees of Lord Vishnu that follow
Caitanya, based on the vedic conclusion:
Caitanya is the inscrutable unity in the
diversity
(acinthya-bhedâbheda-tattva).
Gosvâmî(s),
Six: 'master of the senses',
title
for an âcârya.
Six great wise of Vrindâvana, the
intimate disciples of Caitanya Mahâprabhu.
Raghunath Das Gosvâmî,
(1495-1571), Gopal Bhatta
Gosvâmî (1503-1578), Rupa
Gosvâmî (1489-1564), Sanatan
Gosvâmî (1488-1558),
Jiva Gosvâmî (1513-1598),
Raghunath Bhatta Gosvâmî
(1505-1579).
Divyonmâda:
expressions of godconscious folly or divine
madness [see also SB
10: 47-12 with
footnote]
Dvîpa:
'separate area, island or continent'. There are
seven dvîpas as for the continents of the
earth. Also Brahmâ's lotus, the galaxy, is
described as a dvîpa. The eurasian
continent is known as
Jambhûdvîpa. (see also
varsha
and S.B.
5.1:33,
5.20,
and 10.63:
37)
There is also a division of nine dvîpas,
nava-dvipa, named after the sons of
Âgnîdhra: Nâbhi, Kimpurusha,
Harivarsha, Ilâvrita, Ramyaka, Hiranmaya,
Kuru, Bhadrâshva and Ketumâla. These
constitute the different parts of India or
bhârata-varsha later ruled by nine
of the hundred sons of Rishabha (see
S.B.
5.2: 19-21
and 11.2:
19).
Hare Krishna,
Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare / Hare
Râma, Hare Râma, Râma
Râma, Hare Hare: the mahâ-mantra
or great saying of liberation. Krishna
and Râma
are names of the Lord and with Hare one
adresses the inner energy of the Lord. The
singing of these names is especially recommended
for this time. (listen to the Mahâmantra-bhajan
online
/ lyrics).
Kirtana:
loudly
chanting together. Second part of the ninefold
process of devotional service. San-kirtan or
communal chanting is also used to indicate the
preaching of the holy names: Lord Caitanya's
sankirtana movement.
Krishna: (Krsna) the
All-attractive One. Cowherd, warlord, lover,
vedic sovereign. Vishnu-avatâra. Is
recognized as the purusha, the Original Person
of God from whom Brahmâ, the Creator
originated. Is considered the most important,
most complete, Supreme Personality or descend of
God. Literally: dark, because of the hue of his
grayish-black skin. Is also called Hrisikesha as
the Master of the Senses, Govinda and Gopala as
the protector of the cows, Vâsudeva as the
son of Vasudeva, Yogishvâra as the lord of
Yoga and Hari as the Lord.
- Krishna - consciousness (natural
consciousness) is that state of consciousness
that results from the devotional service to Lord
Krishna.
- The name of the hero and teacher in the old
vedic times
before He was
known as the Vishnu-avatâra [see also
SB 6.9:44&45]
Kshîrodakas'âyî
Vishnu: third purusha-avatâra:
the form in which Garbhodakasâyi Vishnu
enters the heart of each separate living being,
in the individuality of each atom and even in
between the atoms. He is the
Paramâtmâ,
the local aspect of the omnipresent
Supersoul.
Mahâmantra:
('the great mantra'), the song of redemption,
Hare
Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare
Hare, Hare Râma Hare Râma,
Râma Râma, Hare
Hare;
called Mahâ because of the fact
that it can be as well as aloud as softly, alone
as well as together be sung or chanted.
Broadcasted by Caitanya
Mahâprabhu
as the remedy to liberate the material man in
Kali-yuga from the deluding power of matter and
to awaken God and the ecstasy of a spiritual
life.
Mâyâ:
(not-this; what is not): that what is not, the
deluding quality of the material is, also called
maha-maya; separateness from Krishna.)
- Because of her does, by identifying itself
with the deluding material energy
(ahamkâra), the individual soul think
itself the lord and supreme enjoyer over the
creation; that is to say: with the body (the
senses), the mind and the material intelligence,
with the consequence of losing the eternal bond
(svarupa) with the Lord, the thus conditioned
soul indulges in the pursuit of worldly pleasure
and gets because of this more and more entangled
in the cycle of birth and death
(samsâra).
- Bewilderment; the forgetfulness about ones
relation with Krishna.
Mâyâvâdî:
With this name are all adherents indicated of
the two main philosophies known as
impersonalism, or sankarism (preaching oneness
of the soul with Brahman), and the nihilism
(also known as the philosophy of voidism), that
is related to Buddhism (which denies the
existence of God).
- But mainly is this title used for those to
whom the absolute truth is without a form,
personality, intelligence, senses etc., and who
therefore reject the existence of God as the
Supreme Personality, or who think that the form
and activities of the Supreme Lord would be
subject to the influence of mâyâ,
the deluding material energy. (the term
mâyâvâdî can also
be used as an adjective (singular) meaning
'typical for
mâyâvâdî's'.)
- (one speaking in illusion) Nonofficial
spiritual teachers or non-âcâryas
who do not instruct by example, or who are not
capable of giving one a better stability in
transcendence.
- Spiritual teachers outside an by the Lord
enforced disciplic succession.
- Therapists and other mental healthcare people
who deny Krishna,
but despite of that want to give spiritual
directions.
- Narrowly defined: adherents of impersonalism
(oneness, sankarisme) and nihilism (voidism,
denial of god and soul).
- False teachers and preachers, prophets,
cheaters and/or charlatans who allure people
with nice discourses, but estrange them from God
and their fellow man by some or another
cult.
- Someone following the misery of vedic heresy
which found its beginning with king Arhat who
misinterpreted the example of Rishabadeva after
His disappearance (see
SB. 5.6: 9).
- Follower of bhuddism.
Nârada-bhakti-sutra:
Nârada's eighty-four jewel-like
aphorisms on devotion, known as the
Nârada-bhakti-sutra, reveal the secrets of
love of God - what it is, what it isn't; what
its effects are; what helps or hinders our
progress along the path; and much more. For the
sincere seeker of life's ultimate goal, the
Nârada-bhakti-sutra is essential.
Purusha-avatâras:
the first expansions of
Krishna
as the original person, three in number,
involved in the creation, maintenance and
dissolution of the material universe. (see also
S.B.
2.7).
These are the primary expansions of Lord Vishnu:
Kâranodakas'âyî Vishnu
(Mâhâ-Vishnu) lies within the Causal
Ocean and breathes our innumerable univeses;
Garbhodakas'âyî Vishnu enters each
universe and creates diversity; Kshîrodakas'âyî
Vishnu
(the Supersoul) enters into the heart of every
created being and into every atom.
Râma: (source of
joy) the Highest Enjoyer of eternal Bliss.
- Incarnation of Krishna, also called
Râmacandra: the Vishnu-avatâra who
together with Hanuman and his monkey-hordes and
His eternal companion brother Lakshmâna
(Sankarshan, Balarâma and
Nityânanda) defeated the demon
Râvana, to free Sîtâ, His wife
who was abducted by the demon (see
SB
9:10 & 11).
- Another name of
Balarâma.
Rasa:
(literal: state of love, relation, mood,
emotion, mellow): ecstatic emotional relation
with Krishna; relation of the Lord with the
living beings:
seven indirect (by S'rîla Rûpa
Gosvâmî in the Bhakti
Rasâmrita Sindhu 2.5.115 -116):
* anger (raudra), wonder (adbhuta), ghastliness
(bibhatsa), dread (bhayânaka), humor
(hâsya), chivalry (vîra) and
compassion (dayâ) and five direct main
rasa's:
* the neutral (santa), the
servant-Master-relation (dâsya),
friendship (sâkhya), the parent-child
relation (vâtsalya), the amorous relation
(sringâra).
Marital (mâdhurya) is distinguished
srngâra in:
* svakhya, mature and
* parakhya, youthful, indirect means distorted
by temporality. Direct means experienced to the
full in the liberated state.
* Also in five described in the Bhâgavatam
7.1:
30-32
as: (30) Of in lust, hatred, fear, affection
and devotion having a mind absorbed in the
Supreme have many given up the sin and by that
attained the path of liberation. (31) The gopis
with their lusty desires, Kamsa out of fear,
S'is'upâla and others out of hatred, many
Kings out of kinship, Krishna's family out of
affection and you and us through bhakti did so o
King. (32) Anyone but Vena would adopt one of
these five in regard to the Original Person and
therefore should one by any means fix ones mind
on Krishna.
* Monier Williams dictionary: (...) the
taste or character of a work, the feeling or
sentiment prevailing in it (from 8 to 10 Rasas
are generally enumerated, viz.
{s'ringâra}, love; {vîra}, heroism;
{bîbhatsa}, disgust; {raudra}, anger or
fury; {hâsya}, mirth; {bhayânaka},
terror; {karuna}, pity; {adbhuta}, wonder;
{s'anta}, tranquillity or contentment;
{vâtsalya}, paternal fondness; the last or
last two are sometimes omitted.
* The sap or juice of plants, juice of fruit,
any liquid or fluid, the best or finest or prime
part of anything, essence, marrow, elixir, soup,
serum, semen.
* Also mentioned in the Bhâgavatam, Canto
10, in verse 17
of chapter 43
where Vyâsa describes the different ways
of seeing Krishna stepping forward to wrestle
for justice, explained by S'rîla
S'rîdhara Svâmî in quoting the
verse:
raudro'dbhutas'ca s'ringâro
hâsyam vîro dayâ
tathâ
bhayânakas'ca bîbhatsah
s'ântah sa-prema-bhaktikah
"(There are ten different moods:) fury
(perceived by the wrestlers), wonder (by the
men), conjugal attraction (the women), laughter
(the cowherds), chivalry (the kings), mercy (His
parents), terror (Kamsa), loathing (the
unintelligent), peaceful neutrality (the
yogîs) and loving devotion (the
Vrishnis)."
* S'rîla Bhaktisiddhânta
Sarasvatî Thhâkur quotes the
following Vedic statement: raso vai sah rasam
hy evâyam labdhvânandî
bhavati. "He Himself is rasa, the taste or
mellow of a particular relationship. And
certainly one who achieves this rasa becomes
ânandî, filled with bliss."
(Taittirîya Upanishad 2.7.1)
* S'rîla Bhaktisiddhânta
Sarasvatî quotes a further verse to
explain the word rasa:
vyatîtya bhâvanâ-vartma
yas'camatkâra-bhâra-bhûh
hridi sattvojjvale bâdham
svadate sa raso matah
"That which is beyond imagination, heavy
with wonder and relished in the heart shining
with goodness - such is known as rasa."
Râsa-lîlâ:
the so called râsa-dance (râsa means
game or sport or dance). Famous dance of Krishna
with the gopîs at night outside of Vraja
(the vicinity where he grew up). Erotically
charged. Reason of the great renown of the
Bhâgavatam, especially the tenth canto
chapter
33
of the Summum Bonum, in India.
Ratha-yatra:
festival of the chariot in which Krishn as Lord
Jagannâtha is taken around the city placed
on a cart, pulled by the devotees.
Raudra:
anger as a rasa (indirect).
Sankîrtan:
preaching of His glory directly 'mouth to mouth'
or indirectly through the scriptures. Founded by
S'rî Caitanya Mahâprabhu.
Varsha:
area,
dominion, land marked out by mountain ranges.
There is a - galactic, universal, supernatural,
holistic - central area named
Ilâvrita-varsha where Lord
Brahmâ sits on the mountain Meru and where
Lord S'iva as the only man is there to the
happiness of the Supreme Personality. Next to
that there are eight varshas stretching
to all sides of which Bharata-varsha also is the
name of India. (see also dvîpa,
SB
5.16 and 17)