Originally delivered as ďŹve morning lectures on Caitanya-caritÄmášta â the authoritative biography of Lord Caitanya MahÄprabhu, by KášášŁášadÄsa KavirÄja GosvÄmÄŤ â before the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, New York City, April 10â14, 1967.
The word caitanya means âliving force,â carita means âcharacter,â and amášta means âimmortal.â As living entities we can move, but a table cannot because it does not possess living force. Movement and activity may be considered signs of the living force. Indeed, it may be said that there can be no activity without the living force. Although the living force is present in the material condition, this condition is not amášta, immortal. The words caitanya-caritÄmášta, then, may be translated as âthe character of the living force in immortality.â
But how is this living force displayed immortally? It is not displayed by man or any other creature in this material universe, for none of us are immortal in these bodies. We possess the living force, we perform activities, and we are immortal by our nature and constitution, but the material condition into which we have been put does not allow our immortality to be displayed. It is stated in the Kaášha Upaniᚣad that eternality and the living force are characteristics of both ourselves and God. Although this is true in that both God and ourselves are immortal living beings, there is a difference. As living entities, we perform many activities, but we have a tendency to fall down into material nature. God has no such tendency. Being all-powerful, He never comes under the control of material nature. Indeed, material nature is but one display of His inconceivable energies.
An analogy will help us understand the distinction between ourselves and God. From the ground we may see only clouds in the sky, but if we fly above the clouds we can see the sun shining. From the sky, skyscrapers and cities seem very tiny; similarly, from Godâs position this entire material creation is insignificant. The living entity is also insignificant, and his tendency is to come down from the heights, where everything can be seen in perspective. God, however, does not have this tendency. The Supreme Lord is not subject to falling down into illusion (mÄyÄ), any more than the sun is subject to falling beneath the clouds. Impersonalist philosophers (MÄyÄvÄdÄŤs) maintain that because we fall under the control of mÄyÄ when we come into this material world, God must also fall under mÄyÄâs control. This is the fallacy of their philosophy.
Lord Caitanya MahÄprabhu should therefore not be considered one of us. He is KášášŁáša Himself, the supreme living entity, and as such He never comes under the cloud of mÄyÄ. KášášŁáša, His expansions and even His higher devotees never fall into the clutches of illusion. Lord Caitanya came to earth simply to preach kášášŁáša-bhakti, love of KášášŁáša. In other words, He is Lord KášášŁáša Himself teaching the living entities the proper way to approach KášášŁáša. He is like a teacher who, seeing a student doing poorly, takes up a pencil and writes, saying, âDo it like this: A, B, C.â From this one should not foolishly think that the teacher is learning his ABCâs. Similarly, although Lord Caitanya appears in the guise of a devotee, we should not foolishly think He is an ordinary human being; we should always remember that Lord Caitanya is KášášŁáša (God) Himself teaching us how to become KášášŁáša conscious, and we must study Him in that light.
In the Bhagavad-gÄŤtÄ (18.66) Lord KášášŁáša says, âGive up all your nonsense and surrender to Me. I will protect you.â
We say, âOh, surrender? But I have so many responsibilities.â
And mÄyÄ, illusion, says to us, âDonât do it, or youâll be out of my clutches. Just stay in my clutches, and Iâll kick you.â
It is a fact that we are constantly being kicked by mÄyÄ, just as the male ass is kicked in the face by the she-ass when he comes for sex. Similarly, cats and dogs are always fighting and whining when they have sex. Even an elephant in the jungle is caught by the use of a trained she-elephant who leads him into a pit. We should learn by observing these tricks of nature.
MÄyÄ has many ways to entrap us, and her strongest shackle is the female. Of course, in actuality we are neither male nor female, for these designations refer only to the outer dress, the body. We are all actually KášášŁášaâs servants. But in conditioned life we are shackled by iron chains in the form of beautiful women. Thus every male is bound by sex, and therefore one who wishes to gain liberation from the material clutches must first learn to control the sex urge. Unrestricted sex puts one fully in the clutches of illusion. Lord Caitanya MahÄprabhu officially renounced this illusion at the age of twenty-four, although His wife was sixteen and His mother seventy and He was the only male in the family. Although He was a brÄhmaáša and was not rich, He took sannyÄsa, the renounced order of life, and thus extricated Himself from family entanglement.
If we wish to become fully KášášŁáša conscious, we have to give up the shackles of mÄyÄ. Or, if we remain with mÄyÄ, we should live in such a way that we will not be subject to illusion, as did the many householders among Lord Caitanyaâs closest devotees. With His followers in the renounced order, however, Lord Caitanya was very strict. He even banished Junior HaridÄsa, an important kÄŤrtana leader, for glancing lustfully at a woman. The Lord told him, âYou are living with Me in the renounced order, and yet you are looking at a woman with lust.â Other devotees of the Lord had appealed to Him to forgive HaridÄsa, but He replied, âAll of you can forgive him and live with him. I shall live alone.â On the other hand, when the Lord learned that the wife of one of His householder devotees was pregnant, He asked that the baby be given a certain auspicious name. So while the Lord approved of householders having regulated sex, He was like a thunderbolt with those in the renounced order who tried to cheat by the method known as âdrinking water underwater while bathing on a fast day.â In other words, He tolerated no hypocrisy among His followers.
From the Caitanya-caritÄmášta we learn how Lord Caitanya taught people to break the shackles of mÄyÄ and become immortal. Thus, as mentioned above, the title may be properly translated as âthe character of the living force in immortality.â The supreme living force is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is also the supreme entity. There are innumerable living entities, and all of them are individuals. This is very easy to understand: We are all individual in our thoughts and desires, and the Supreme Lord is also an individual person. He is different, though, in that He is the leader, the one whom no one can excel. Among the minute living entities, one being can excel another in one capacity or another. Like each of these living entities, the Lord is an individual, but He is different in that He is the supreme individual. God is also infallible, and thus in the Bhagavad-gÄŤtÄ He is addressed as Acyuta, which means âHe who never falls down.â This name is appropriate because in the Bhagavad-gÄŤtÄ Arjuna falls into illusion but KášášŁáša does not. KášášŁáša Himself reveals His infallibility when he says to Arjuna, âWhen I appear in this world, I do so by My own internal potency.â (Bhagavad-gÄŤtÄ 4.6)
Thus we should not think that KášášŁáša is overpowered by the material potency when He is in the material world. Neither KášášŁáša nor His incarnations ever come under the control of material nature. They are totally free. Indeed, in ĹrÄŤmad-BhÄgavatam one who has a godly nature is actually defined as one who is not affected by the modes of material nature although in material nature. If even a devotee can attain this freedom, then what to speak of the Supreme Lord?
The real question is, How can we remain unpolluted by material contamination while in the material world? ĹrÄŤla RĹŤpa GosvÄmÄŤ explains that we can remain uncontaminated while in the world if we simply make it our ambition to serve KášášŁáša. One may then justifiably ask, âHow can I serve?â It is not simply a matter of meditation, which is just an activity of the mind, but of performing practical work for KášášŁáša. In such work, we should leave no resource unused. Whatever is there, whatever we have, should be used for KášášŁáša. We can use everything â typewriters, automobiles, airplanes, missiles. If we simply speak to people about KášášŁáša consciousness, we are also rendering service. If our mind, senses, speech, money and energies are thus engaged in the service of KášášŁáša, then we are no longer in material nature. By virtue of spiritual consciousness, or KášášŁáša consciousness, we transcend the platform of material nature. It is a fact that KášášŁáša, His expansions and His devotees â that is, those who work for Him â are not in material nature, although people with a poor fund of knowledge think that they are.
The Caitanya-caritÄmášta teaches that the spirit soul is immortal and that our activities in the spiritual world are also immortal. The MÄyÄvÄdÄŤs, who hold the view that the Absolute is impersonal and formless, contend that a realized soul has no need to talk. But the Vaiᚣášavas, devotees of KášášŁáša, contend that when one reaches the stage of realization, he really begins to talk. âPreviously we only talked of nonsense,â the Vaiᚣášava says. âNow let us begin our real talks, talks of KášášŁáša.â In support of their view that the self-realized remain silent, the MÄyÄvÄdÄŤs are fond of using the example of the waterpot, maintaining that when a pot is not filled with water it makes a sound, but that when it is filled it makes no sound. But are we waterpots? How can we be compared to them? A good analogy utilizes as many similarities between two objects as possible. A waterpot is not an active living force, but we are. Ever-silent meditation may be adequate for a waterpot, but not for us. Indeed, when a devotee realizes how much he has to say about KášášŁáša, twenty-four hours in a day are not sufficient. It is the fool who is celebrated as long as he does not speak, for when he breaks his silence his lack of knowledge is exposed. The Caitanya-caritÄmášta shows that there are many wonderful things to discover by glorifying the Supreme.
In the beginning of the Caitanya-caritÄmášta, KášášŁášadÄsa KavirÄja GosvÄmÄŤ writes, âI offer my respects to my spiritual masters.â He uses the plural here to indicate the disciplic succession. He offers obeisances not to his spiritual master alone but to the whole paramparÄ, the chain of disciplic succession beginning with Lord KášášŁáša Himself. Thus the author addresses the guru in the plural to show the highest respect for all his predecessor spiritual masters. After offering obeisances to the disciplic succession, the author pays obeisances to all other devotees, to the Lord Himself, to His incarnations, to the expansions of Godhead and to the manifestation of KášášŁášaâs internal energy. Lord Caitanya MahÄprabhu (sometimes called KášášŁáša Caitanya) is the embodiment of all of these: He is God, guru, devotee, incarnation, internal energy and expansion of God. As His associate NityÄnanda, He is the first expansion of God; as Advaita, He is an incarnation; as GadÄdhara, He is the internal potency; and as ĹrÄŤvÄsa, He is the marginal living entity in the role of a devotee. Thus KášášŁáša should not be thought of as being alone but should be considered as eternally existing with all His manifestations, as described by RÄmÄnujÄcÄrya. In the ViĹiᚣášÄdvaita philosophy, Godâs energies, expansions and incarnations are considered to be oneness in diversity. In other words, God is not separate from all of these: everything together is God.
Actually, the Caitanya-caritÄmášta is not intended for the novice, for it is the postgraduate study of spiritual knowledge. Ideally, one begins with the Bhagavad-gÄŤtÄ and advances through ĹrÄŤmad-BhÄgavatam to the Caitanya-caritÄmášta. Although all these great scriptures are on the same absolute level, for the sake of comparative study the Caitanya-caritÄmášta is considered to be on the highest platform. Every verse in it is perfectly composed.
In the second verse of the Caitanya-caritÄmášta, the author offers his obeisances to Lord Caitanya and Lord NityÄnanda. He compares Them to the sun and the moon because They dissipate the darkness of the material world. In this instance the sun and the moon have risen together.
In the Western world, where the glories of Lord Caitanya are relatively unknown, one may inquire, âWho is KášášŁáša Caitanya?â The author of the Caitanya-caritÄmášta, ĹrÄŤla KášášŁášadÄsa KavirÄja, answers that question in the third verse of his book. Generally, in the Upaniᚣads the Supreme Absolute Truth is described in an impersonal way, but the personal aspect of the Absolute Truth is mentioned in the ÄŞĹopaniᚣad, where we find the following verse:
hiraášmayena pÄtreáša
satyasyÄpihitaáš mukham
tat tvaáš pōᚣann apÄvášášu
satya-dharmÄya dášášŁášaye
âO my Lord, sustainer of all that lives, Your real face is covered by Your dazzling effulgence. Kindly remove that covering and exhibit Yourself to Your pure devotee.â (ÄŞĹopaniᚣad 15)
The impersonalists do not have the power to go beyond the effulgence of God and arrive at the Personality of Godhead, from whom this effulgence is emanating.
The ÄŞĹopaniᚣad is a hymn to that Personality of Godhead. It is not that the impersonal Brahman is denied; it is also described, but that Brahman is revealed to be the glaring effulgence of the body of Lord KášášŁáša. And in the Caitanya-caritÄmášta we learn that Lord Caitanya is KášášŁáša Himself. In other words, ĹrÄŤ KášášŁáša Caitanya is the basis of the impersonal Brahman. The ParamÄtmÄ, or Supersoul, who is present within the heart of every living entity and within every atom of the universe, is but the partial representation of Lord Caitanya. Therefore ĹrÄŤ KášášŁáša Caitanya, being the basis of both Brahman and the all-pervading ParamÄtmÄ as well, is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. As such, He is full in six opulences: wealth, fame, strength, beauty, knowledge and renunciation. In short, we should know that He is KášášŁáša, God, and that nothing is equal to or greater than Him. There is nothing superior to be conceived. He is the Supreme Person.
ĹrÄŤla RĹŤpa GosvÄmÄŤ, a confidential devotee taught for more than ten days continually by Lord Caitanya, wrote:
namo mahÄ-vadÄnyÄya
kášášŁáša-prema-pradÄya te
kášášŁášÄya kášášŁáša-caitanya-
nÄmne gaura-tviᚣe namaḼ
âI offer my respectful obeisances unto the Supreme Lord ĹrÄŤ KášášŁáša Caitanya, who is more magnanimous than any other avatÄra, even KášášŁáša Himself, because He is bestowing freely what no one else has ever given â pure love of KášášŁáša.â
Lord Caitanyaâs teachings begin from the point of surrender to KášášŁáša. He does not pursue the paths of karma-yoga or jĂąÄna-yoga or haášha-yoga but begins at the end of material existence, at the point where one gives up all material attachment. In the Bhagavad-gÄŤtÄ KášášŁáša begins His teachings by distinguishing the soul from matter, and in the eighteenth chapter He concludes at the point where the soul surrenders to Him in devotion. The MÄyÄvÄdÄŤs would have all talk cease there, but at that point the real discussion only begins. As the VedÄnta-sĹŤtra says at the very beginning, athÄto brahma-jijĂąÄsÄ: âNow let us begin to inquire about the Supreme Absolute Truth.â RĹŤpa GosvÄmÄŤ thus praises Lord Caitanya as the most munificent incarnation of all, for He gives the greatest gift by teaching the highest form of devotional service. In other words, He answers the most important inquiries that anyone can make.
There are different stages of devotional service and God realization. Strictly speaking, anyone who accepts the existence of God is situated in devotional service. To acknowledge that God is great is something, but not much. Lord Caitanya, preaching as an ÄcÄrya, a great teacher, taught that we can enter into a relationship with God and actually become Godâs friend, parent or lover. In the Bhagavad-gÄŤtÄ KášášŁáša showed Arjuna His universal form because Arjuna was His very dear friend. Upon seeing KášášŁáša as the Lord of the universes, however, Arjuna asked KášášŁáša to forgive the familiarity of his friendship. Lord Caitanya goes beyond this point. Through Lord Caitanya we can become friends with KášášŁáša, and there will be no limit to this friendship. We can become friends of KášášŁáša not in awe or adoration but in complete freedom. We can even relate to God as His father or mother. This is the philosophy not only of the Caitanya-caritÄmášta but of ĹrÄŤmad-BhÄgavatam as well. There are no other scriptures in the world in which God is treated as the son of a devotee. Usually God is seen as the almighty father who supplies the demands of His sons. The great devotees, however, sometimes treat God as a son in their execution of devotional service. The son demands, and the father and mother supply, and in supplying KášášŁáša the devotee becomes like a father or mother. Instead of taking from God, we give to God. It was in this relationship that KášášŁášaâs mother, YaĹodÄ, told the Lord, âHere, eat this or Youâll die. Eat nicely.â In this way KášášŁáša, although the proprietor of everything, depends on the mercy of His devotee. This is a uniquely high level of friendship, in which the devotee actually believes himself to be the father or mother of KášášŁáša.
However, Lord Caitanyaâs greatest gift was His teaching that KášášŁáša can be treated as oneâs lover. In this relationship the Lord becomes so much attached to His devotee that He expresses His inability to reciprocate. KášášŁáša was so obliged to the gopÄŤs, the cowherd girls of VášndÄvana, that He felt unable to return their love. âI cannot repay your love,â He told them. âI have no more assets to give.â Devotional service on this highest, most excellent platform of lover and beloved, which had never been given by any previous incarnation or ÄcÄrya, was given by Caitanya MahÄprabhu. Therefore KášášŁášadÄsa KavirÄja, quoting ĹrÄŤla RĹŤpa GosvÄmÄŤ, writes in the fourth verse of his book, âLord Caitanya is KášášŁáša in a yellow complexion, and He is ĹacÄŤnandana, the son of Mother ĹacÄŤ. He is the most charitable personality because He came to deliver kášášŁáša-prema, unalloyed love for KášášŁáša, to everyone. May you always keep Him in your hearts. It will be easy to understand KášášŁáša through Him.â
We have often heard the phrase âlove of Godhead.â How far this love of Godhead can actually be developed can be learned from the Vaiᚣášava philosophy. Theoretical knowledge of love of God can be found in many places and in many scriptures, but what that love of Godhead actually is and how it is developed can be found in the Vaiᚣášava literatures. It is the unique and highest development of love of God that is given by Caitanya MahÄprabhu.
Even in this material world we can have a little sense of love. How is this possible? It is due to the presence of our original love of God. Whatever we find within our experience within this conditioned life is situated in the Supreme Lord, who is the ultimate source of everything. In our original relationship with the Supreme Lord there is real love, and that love is reflected pervertedly through material conditions. Our real love is continuous and unending, but because that love is reflected pervertedly in this material world, it lacks continuity and is inebriating. If we want real, transcendental love, we have to transfer our love to the supreme lovable object â KášášŁáša, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is the basic principle of KášášŁáša consciousness.
In material consciousness we are trying to love that which is not at all lovable. We give our love to cats and dogs, running the risk that at the time of death we may think of them and consequently take birth in a family of cats or dogs. Our consciousness at the time of death determines our next life. That is one reason why the Vedic scriptures stress the chastity of women: If a woman is very much attached to her husband, at the time of death she will think of him, and in the next life she will be promoted to a manâs body. Generally a manâs life is better than a womanâs because a man usually has better facilities for understanding the spiritual science.
But KášášŁáša consciousness is so nice that it makes no distinction between man and woman. In the Bhagavad-gÄŤtÄ (9.32), Lord KášášŁáša says, âAnyone who takes shelter of Me â whether a woman, ĹĹŤdra, vaiĹya or someone of low birth â is sure to achieve My association.â This is KášášŁášaâs guarantee.
Caitanya MahÄprabhu informs us that in every country and in every scripture there is some hint of love of Godhead. But no one knows what love of Godhead actually is. The Vedic scriptures, however, are different in that they can direct the individual in the proper way to love God. Other scriptures do not give information on how one can love God, nor do they actually define or describe what or who the Godhead actually is. Although they officially promote love of Godhead, they have no idea how to execute it. But Caitanya MahÄprabhu gives a practical demonstration of how to love God in a conjugal relationship. Taking the part of ĹrÄŤmatÄŤ RÄdhÄrÄášÄŤ, Caitanya MahÄprabhu tried to love KášášŁáša as RÄdhÄrÄášÄŤ loved Him. KášášŁáša was always amazed by RÄdhÄrÄášÄŤâs love. âHow does RÄdhÄrÄášÄŤ give Me such pleasure?â He would ask. In order to study RÄdhÄrÄášÄŤ, KášášŁáša lived in Her role and tried to understand Himself. This is the secret of Lord Caitanyaâs incarnation. Caitanya MahÄprabhu is KášášŁáša, but He has taken the mood and role of RÄdhÄrÄášÄŤ to show us how to love KášášŁáša. Thus the author writes in the fifth verse, âI offer my respectful obeisances unto the Supreme Lord, who is absorbed in RÄdhÄrÄášÄŤâs thoughts.â
This brings up the question of who ĹrÄŤmatÄŤ RÄdhÄrÄášÄŤ is and what RÄdhÄ-KášášŁáša is. Actually RÄdhÄ-KášášŁáša is the exchange of love â but not ordinary love. KášášŁáša has immense potencies, of which three are principal: the internal, the external and the marginal potencies. In the internal potency there are three divisions: samvit, hlÄdinÄŤ and sandhinÄŤ. The hlÄdinÄŤ potency is KášášŁášaâs pleasure potency. All living entities have this pleasure-seeking potency, for all beings are trying to have pleasure. This is the very nature of the living entity. At present we are trying to enjoy our pleasure potency by means of the body in the material condition. By bodily contact we are attempting to derive pleasure from material sense objects. But we should not entertain the nonsensical idea that KášášŁáša, who is always spiritual, also tries to seek pleasure on this material plane. In the Bhagavad-gÄŤtÄ KášášŁáša describes the material universe as a nonpermanent place full of miseries. Why, then, would He seek pleasure in matter? He is the Supersoul, the supreme spirit, and His pleasure is beyond the material conception.
To learn how KášášŁáša enjoys pleasure, we must study the first nine cantos of ĹrÄŤmad-BhÄgavatam, and then we should study the Tenth Canto, in which KášášŁášaâs pleasure potency is displayed in His pastimes with RÄdhÄrÄášÄŤ and the damsels of Vraja. Unfortunately, unintelligent people turn at once to the sports of KášášŁáša in the DaĹama-skandha, the Tenth Canto. KášášŁášaâs embracing RÄdhÄrÄášÄŤ or His dancing with the cowherd girls in the rÄsa dance are generally not understood by ordinary men, because they consider these pastimes in the light of mundane lust. They foolishly think that KášášŁáša is like themselves and that He embraces the gopÄŤs just as an ordinary man embraces a young girl. Some people thus become interested in KášášŁáša because they think that His religion allows indulgence in sex. This is not kášášŁáša-bhakti, love of KášášŁáša, but prÄkášta-sahajiyÄ â materialistic lust.
To avoid such errors, we should understand what RÄdhÄ-KášášŁáša actually is. RÄdhÄ and KášášŁáša display Their pastimes through KášášŁášaâs internal energy. The pleasure potency of KášášŁášaâs internal energy is a most difficult subject matter, and unless one understands what KášášŁáša is, one cannot understand it. KášášŁáša does not take any pleasure in this material world, but He has a pleasure potency. Because we are part and parcel of KášášŁáša, the pleasure potency is within us also, but we are trying to exhibit that pleasure potency in matter. KášášŁáša, however, does not make such a vain attempt. The object of KášášŁášaâs pleasure potency is RÄdhÄrÄášÄŤ; KášášŁáša exhibits His potency as RÄdhÄrÄášÄŤ and then engages in loving affairs with Her. In other words, KášášŁáša does not take pleasure in this external energy but exhibits His internal energy, His pleasure potency, as RÄdhÄrÄášÄŤ and then enjoys with Her. Thus KášášŁáša manifests Himself as RÄdhÄrÄášÄŤ in order to enjoy His internal pleasure potency. Of the many extensions, expansions and incarnations of the Lord, this pleasure potency is the foremost and chief.
It is not that RÄdhÄrÄášÄŤ is separate from KášášŁáša. RÄdhÄrÄášÄŤ is also KášášŁáša, for there is no difference between the energy and the energetic. Without energy, there is no meaning to the energetic, and without the energetic, there is no energy. Similarly, without RÄdhÄ there is no meaning to KášášŁáša, and without KášášŁáša there is no meaning to RÄdhÄ. Because of this, the Vaiᚣášava philosophy first of all pays obeisances to and worships the internal pleasure potency of the Supreme Lord. Thus the Lord and His potency are always referred to as RÄdhÄ-KášášŁáša. Similarly, those who worship NÄrÄyaáša first of all utter the name of LakᚣmÄŤ, as LakᚣmÄŤ-NÄrÄyaáša. Similarly, those who worship Lord RÄma first of all utter the name of SÄŤtÄ. In any case â SÄŤtÄ-RÄma, RÄdhÄ-KášášŁáša, LakᚣmÄŤ-NÄrÄyaáša â the potency always comes first.
RÄdhÄ and KášášŁáša are one, and when KášášŁáša desires to enjoy pleasure, He manifests Himself as RÄdhÄrÄášÄŤ. The spiritual exchange of love between RÄdhÄ and KášášŁáša is the actual display of KášášŁášaâs internal pleasure potency. Although we speak of âwhenâ KášášŁáša desires, just when He did desire we cannot say. We only speak in this way because in conditioned life we take it that everything has a beginning; however, in spiritual life everything is absolute, and so there is neither beginning nor end. Yet in order to understand that RÄdhÄ and KášášŁáša are one and that They also become divided, the question âWhen?â automatically comes to mind. When KášášŁáša desired to enjoy His pleasure potency, He manifested Himself in the separate form of RÄdhÄrÄášÄŤ, and when He wanted to understand Himself through the agency of RÄdhÄ, He united with RÄdhÄrÄášÄŤ, and that unification is called Lord Caitanya. This is all explained by ĹrÄŤla KášášŁášadÄsa KavirÄja in the fifth verse of the Caitanya-caritÄmášta.
In the next verse the author further explains why KášášŁáša assumed the form of Caitanya MahÄprabhu. KášášŁáša desired to know the glory of RÄdhÄâs love. âWhy is She so much in love with Me?â KášášŁáša asked. âWhat is My special qualification that attracts Her so? And what is the actual way in which She loves Me?â It seems strange that KášášŁáša, as the Supreme, should be attracted by anyoneâs love. A man searches after the love of a woman because he is imperfect â he lacks something. The love of a woman, that potency and pleasure, is absent in man, and therefore a man wants a woman. But this is not the case with KášášŁáša, who is full in Himself. Thus KášášŁáša expressed surprise: âWhy am I attracted by RÄdhÄrÄášÄŤ? And when RÄdhÄrÄášÄŤ feels My love, what is She actually feeling?â To taste the essence of that loving exchange, KášášŁáša made His appearance in the same way that the moon appears on the horizon of the sea. Just as the moon was produced by the churning of the sea, by the churning of spiritual loving affairs the moon of Caitanya MahÄprabhu appeared. Indeed, Lord Caitanyaâs complexion was golden, just like the luster of the moon. Although this is figurative language, it conveys the meaning behind the appearance of Caitanya MahÄprabhu. The full significance of His appearance will be explained in later chapters.
After offering respects to Lord Caitanya, KášášŁášadÄsa KavirÄja begins offering them to Lord NityÄnanda in the seventh verse of the Caitanya-caritÄmášta. The author explains that Lord NityÄnanda is BalarÄma, who is the origin of MahÄ-viᚣášu. KášášŁášaâs first expansion is BalarÄma, a portion of whom is manifested as Saáš karᚣaáša, who then expands as Pradyumna. In this way so many expansions take place. Although there are many expansions, Lord ĹrÄŤ KášášŁáša is the origin, as confirmed in the Brahma-saášhitÄ. He is like the original candle, from which many thousands and millions of candles are lit. Although any number of candles can be lit, the original candle still retains its identity as the origin. In this way KášášŁáša expands Himself into so many forms, and all these expansions are called viᚣášu-tattva. Viᚣášu is a large light, and we are small lights, but all are expansions of KášášŁáša.
When it is necessary to create the material universes, Viᚣášu expands Himself as MahÄ-viᚣášu. MahÄ-viᚣášu lies down in the Causal Ocean and breathes all the universes from His nostrils. Thus from MahÄ-viᚣášu and the Causal Ocean spring all the universes, and all these universes, including ours, float in the Causal Ocean. In this regard there is the story of VÄmana, who, when He took three steps, stuck His foot through the covering of this universe. Water from the Causal Ocean flowed through the hole that His foot made, and it is said that that water became the river Ganges. Therefore the Ganges is accepted as the most sacred water of Viᚣášu and is worshiped by all Hindus, from the Himalayas down to the Bay of Bengal.
MahÄ-viᚣášu is actually an expansion of BalarÄma, who is KášášŁášaâs first expansion and, in the VášndÄvana pastimes, His brother. In the mahÄ-mantra â Hare KášášŁáša, Hare KášášŁáša, KášášŁáša KášášŁáša, Hare Hare/ Hare RÄma, Hare RÄma, RÄma RÄma, Hare Hareâthe word âRÄmaâ refers to BalarÄma. Since Lord NityÄnanda is BalarÄma, âRÄmaâ also refers to Lord NityÄnanda. Thus Hare KášášŁáša, Hare RÄma addresses not only KášášŁáša and BalarÄma but Lord Caitanya and Lord NityÄnanda as well.
The subject matter of the Caitanya-caritÄmášta deals primarily with what is beyond this material creation. The cosmic material expansion is called mÄyÄ, illusion, because it has no eternal existence. Because it is sometimes manifested and sometimes not, it is regarded as illusory. But beyond this temporary manifestation is a higher nature, as indicated in the Bhagavad-gÄŤtÄ (8.20):
paras tasmÄt tu bhavo ânyo
âvyakto âvyaktÄt sanÄtanaḼ
yaḼ sa sarveᚣu bhōteᚣu
naĹyatsu na vinaĹyati
âYet there is another nature, which is eternal and is transcendental to this manifested and unmanifested matter. It is supreme and is never annihilated. When all in this world is annihilated, that part remains as it is.â (Bhagavad-gÄŤtÄ 8.20)
The material world has a manifested state (vyakta) and a potential, unmanifested state (avyakta). The supreme nature is beyond both the manifested and the unmanifested material nature. This superior nature can be understood as the living force, which is present in the bodies of all living creatures. The body itself is composed of inferior nature, matter, but it is the superior nature that is moving the body. The symptom of that superior nature is consciousness. Thus in the spiritual world, where everything is composed of the superior nature, everything is conscious. In the material world there are inanimate objects that are not conscious, but in the spiritual world nothing is inanimate. There a table is conscious, the land is conscious, the trees are conscious â everything is conscious.
It is not possible to imagine how far this material manifestation extends. In the material world everything is calculated by imagination or by some imperfect method, but the Vedic literatures give real information of what lies beyond the material universe. Since it is not possible to obtain information of anything beyond this material nature by experimental means, those who believe only in experimental knowledge may doubt the Vedic conclusions, for such people cannot even calculate how far this universe extends, nor can they reach far into the universe itself. That which is beyond our power of conception is called acintya, inconceivable. It is useless to argue or speculate about the inconceivable. If something is truly inconceivable, it is not subject to speculation or experimentation. Our energy is limited, and our sense perception is limited; therefore we must rely on the Vedic conclusions regarding that subject matter which is inconceivable. Knowledge of the superior nature must simply be accepted without argument. How is it possible to argue about something to which we have no access? The method for understanding transcendental subject matter is given by Lord KášášŁáša Himself in the Bhagavad-gÄŤtÄ, where KášášŁáša tells Arjuna at the beginning of the fourth chapter:
imaáš vivasvate yogaáš
proktavÄn aham avyayam
vivasvÄn manave prÄha
manur ikᚣvÄkave âbravÄŤt
âI instructed this imperishable science of yoga to the sun god, VivasvÄn, and VivasvÄn instructed it to Manu, the father of mankind, and Manu in turn instructed it to IkᚣvÄku.â (Bhagavad-gÄŤtÄ 4.1)
This is the method of paramparÄ, or disciplic succession. Similarly, ĹrÄŤmad-BhÄgavatam explains that KášášŁáša imparted knowledge into the heart of BrahmÄ, the first created being within the universe. BrahmÄ imparted those lessons to his disciple NÄrada, and NÄrada imparted that knowledge to his disciple VyÄsadeva. VyÄsadeva imparted it to MadhvÄcÄrya, and from MadhvÄcÄrya the knowledge came down to MÄdhavendra PurÄŤ and then to ÄŞĹvara PurÄŤ, and from him to Caitanya MahÄprabhu.
One may ask that if Caitanya MahÄprabhu is KášášŁáša Himself, then why did He need a spiritual master? Of course, He did not need a spiritual master, but because He was playing the role of ÄcÄrya (one who teaches by example), He accepted a spiritual master. Even KášášŁáša Himself accepted a spiritual master, for that is the system. In this way the Lord sets the example for men. We should not think, however, that the Lord takes a spiritual master because He is in want of knowledge. He is simply stressing the importance of accepting the disciplic succession. The knowledge of that disciplic succession actually comes from the Lord Himself, and if the knowledge descends unbroken, it is perfect. Although we may not be in touch with the original personality who first imparted the knowledge, we may receive the same knowledge through this process of transmission. In ĹrÄŤmad-BhÄgavatam it is stated that KášášŁáša, the Absolute Truth, the Personality of Godhead, transmitted transcendental knowledge into the heart of BrahmÄ. This, then, is one way knowledge is received â through the heart. Thus there are two processes by which one may receive knowledge: One depends directly upon the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is situated as the Supersoul within the heart of all living entities, and the other depends upon the guru, or spiritual master, who is an expansion of KášášŁáša. Thus KášášŁáša transmits information both from within and from without. We simply have to receive it. If knowledge is received in this way, it doesnât matter whether it is inconceivable or not.
In ĹrÄŤmad-BhÄgavatam there is a great deal of information given about the Vaikuášášha planetary systems, which are beyond the material universe. Similarly, a great deal of inconceivable information is given in the Caitanya-caritÄmášta. Any attempt to arrive at this information through experimental knowledge will fail. The knowledge simply has to be accepted. According to the Vedic method, Ĺabda, or transcendental sound, is regarded as evidence. Sound is very important in Vedic understanding, for if it is pure it is accepted as authoritative. Even in the material world we accept a great deal of information sent thousands of miles by telephone or radio. In this way we also accept sound as evidence in our daily lives. Although we cannot see the informant, we accept his information as valid on the basis of sound. Sound vibration, then, is very important in the transmission of Vedic knowledge.
The Vedas inform us that beyond this cosmic manifestation there are extensive planets in the spiritual sky. This material manifestation is regarded as only a small portion of the total creation. The material manifestation includes not only this universe but innumerable others as well, but all the material universes combined constitute only one fourth of the total creation. The remaining three fourths is situated in the spiritual sky. In that sky innumerable planets float, and these are called Vaikuášášha-lokas. In every Vaikuášášha-loka, NÄrÄyaáša presides with His four expansions: Saáš karᚣaáša, Pradyumna, Aniruddha and VÄsudeva. This Saáš karᚣaáša, states KášášŁášadÄsa KavirÄja in the eighth verse of the Caitanya-caritÄmášta, is Lord NityÄnanda.
As stated before, it is in His form as MahÄ-viᚣášu that the Lord manifests the material universes. Just as a husband and wife combine to beget offspring, MahÄ-viᚣášu combines with His wife MÄyÄ, or material nature. This is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gÄŤtÄ (14.4), where KášášŁáša states:
sarva-yoniᚣu kaunteya
mĹŤrtayaḼ sambhavanti yÄḼ
tÄsÄáš brahma mahad yonir
ahaáš bÄŤja-pradaḼ pitÄ
âIt should be understood that all species of life, O son of KuntÄŤ, are made possible by birth in this material nature, and that I am the seed-giving father.â
Viᚣášu impregnates mÄyÄ, the material nature, simply by glancing at her. This is the spiritual method. Materially we are limited to impregnating by only one particular part of our body, but the Supreme Lord, KášášŁáša or MahÄ-viᚣášu, can impregnate by any part. Simply by glancing, the Lord can conceive countless living entities in the womb of material nature. The Brahma-saášhitÄ confirms that the spiritual body of the Supreme Lord is so powerful that any part of His body can perform the functions of any other part. We can touch only with our hands or skin, but KášášŁáša can touch just by glancing. We can see only with our eyes; we cannot touch or smell with them. KášášŁáša, however, can smell and also eat with His eyes. When food is offered to KášášŁáša, we do not see Him eating, but He eats simply by glancing at the food. We cannot imagine how things work in the spiritual world, where everything is spiritual. It is not that KášášŁáša does not eat or that we imagine that He eats; He actually eats, but His eating is different from ours. Our eating process will be similar to His when we are completely on the spiritual platform. On that platform every part of the body can act on behalf of any other part.
Viᚣášu does not require anything in order to create. He does not require the goddess LakᚣmÄŤ in order to give birth to BrahmÄ, for BrahmÄ is born from a lotus flower that grows from the navel of Viᚣášu. The goddess LakᚣmÄŤ sits at the feet of Viᚣášu and serves Him. In this material world sex is required to produce children, but in the spiritual world a man can produce as many children as he likes without having to take help from his wife. So there is no sex there. Because we have no experience with spiritual energy, we think that BrahmÄâs birth from the navel of Viᚣášu is simply a fictional story. We are not aware that spiritual energy is so powerful that it can do anything and everything. Material energy is dependent on certain laws, but spiritual energy is fully independent.
Countless universes reside like seeds within the skin pores of MahÄ-viᚣášu, and when He exhales, they are all manifested. In the material world we have no experience of such a thing, but we do experience a perverted reflection in the phenomenon of perspiration. We cannot imagine, however, the duration of one breath of MahÄ-viᚣášu, for within one breath all the universes are created and annihilated. This is stated in the Brahma-saášhitÄ. Lord BrahmÄ lives only for the duration of one breath, and according to our time scale 4,320,000,000 years constitute only twelve hours for BrahmÄ, and BrahmÄ lives one hundred of his years. Yet the whole life of BrahmÄ is contained within one breath of MahÄ-viᚣášu. Thus it is not possible for us to imagine the breathing power of MahÄ-viᚣášu, who is but a partial manifestation of Lord NityÄnanda. This the author of the Caitanya-caritÄmášta explains in the ninth verse.
In the tenth and eleventh verses KášášŁášadÄsa KavirÄja describes Garbhodaka-ĹÄyÄŤ Viᚣášu and Kᚣčrodaka-ĹÄyÄŤ Viᚣášu, successive plenary expansions of MahÄ-viᚣášu. BrahmÄ appears upon a lotus growing from the navel of Garbhodaka-ĹÄyÄŤ Viᚣášu, and within the stem of that lotus are so many planetary systems. Then BrahmÄ creates the whole of human society, animal society â everything. Kᚣčrodaka-ĹÄyÄŤ Viᚣášu lies on the milk ocean within the universe, of which He is the controller and maintainer. Thus BrahmÄ is the creator, Viᚣášu is the maintainer, and when the time for annihilation arrives, Ĺiva will finish everything.
In the first eleven verses of the Caitanya-caritÄmášta, KášášŁášadÄsa KavirÄja GosvÄmÄŤ thus discusses Lord Caitanya MahÄprabhu as ĹrÄŤ KášášŁáša Himself, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and Lord NityÄnanda as BalarÄma, the first expansion of KášášŁáša. Then in the twelfth and thirteenth verses he describes Advaita ÄcÄrya, who is another principal associate of Lord Caitanya MahÄprabhuâs and an incarnation of MahÄ-viᚣášu. Thus Advaita ÄcÄrya is also the Lord, or, more precisely, an expansion of the Lord. The word advaita means ânondual,â and His name is such because He is nondifferent from the Supreme Lord. He is also called ÄcÄrya, teacher, because He disseminated KášášŁáša consciousness. In this way He is just like Caitanya MahÄprabhu. Although Lord Caitanya is ĹrÄŤ KášášŁáša Himself, He appeared as a devotee to teach people in general how to love KášášŁáša. Similarly, although Advaita ÄcÄrya is the Lord, He appeared just to distribute the knowledge of KášášŁáša consciousness. Thus He is also the Lord incarnated as a devotee.
In the pastimes of Lord Caitanya, KášášŁáša is manifested in five different features, known as the PaĂąca-tattva, to whom ĹrÄŤla KášášŁášadÄsa KavirÄja offers his obeisances in the fourteenth verse of the Caitanya-caritÄmášta. KášášŁáša and His associates appear as devotees of the Supreme Lord in the form of ĹrÄŤ KášášŁáša Caitanya, ĹrÄŤ NityÄnanda Prabhu, ĹrÄŤ Advaita ÄcÄrya, ĹrÄŤ GadÄdhara Prabhu and ĹrÄŤvÄsa Prabhu. In all cases, Caitanya MahÄprabhu is the source of energy for all His devotees. Since this is the case, if we take shelter of Caitanya MahÄprabhu for the successful execution of KášášŁáša consciousness, we are sure to make progress. In a devotional song, Narottama dÄsa ᚏhÄkura sings, âMy dear Lord Caitanya, please have mercy upon me. There is no one who is as merciful as You. My plea is most urgent because Your mission is to deliver all fallen souls, and no one is more fallen than I. Therefore I beg priority.â
With verse fifteen, KášášŁášadÄsa KavirÄja GosvÄmÄŤ begins offering his obeisances directly to KášášŁáša Himself. KášášŁášadÄsa KavirÄja was an inhabitant of VášndÄvana and a great devotee. He had been living with his family in Katwa, a small town in the district of Burdwan, in Bengal. He worshiped RÄdhÄ-KášášŁáša with his family, and once when there was some misunderstanding among his family members about devotional service, he was advised by NityÄnanda Prabhu in a dream to leave home and go to VášndÄvana. Although he was very old, he started out that very night and went to live in VášndÄvana. While he was there, he met some of the Six GosvÄmÄŤs, the principal disciples of Lord Caitanya MahÄprabhu. He was requested to write the Caitanya-caritÄmášta by the devotees of VášndÄvana. Although he began this work at a very old age, by the grace of Lord Caitanya he finished it. Today it remains the most authoritative book on Caitanya MahÄprabhuâs philosophy and life.
When KášášŁášadÄsa KavirÄja GosvÄmÄŤ was living in VášndÄvana, there were not very many temples. At that time the three principal temples were those of Madana-mohana, GovindajÄŤ and GopÄŤnÄtha. As a resident of VášndÄvana, KášášŁášadÄsa KavirÄja offers his respects to the Deities in these temples and requests Godâs favor: âMy progress in spiritual life is very slow, so Iâm asking Your help.â In the fifteenth verse of the Caitanya-caritÄmášta, KášášŁášadÄsa offers his obeisances to the Madana-mohana vigraha, the Deity who can help us progress in KášášŁáša consciousness. In the execution of KášášŁáša consciousness, our first business is to know KášášŁáša and our relationship with Him. To know KášášŁáša is to know oneâs self, and to know oneâs self is to know oneâs relationship with KášášŁáša. Since this relationship can be learned by worshiping the Madana-mohana vigraha, KášášŁášadÄsa KavirÄja GosvÄmÄŤ first establishes his relationship with Him.
When this is established, in the sixteenth verse KášášŁášadÄsa offers his obeisances to the functional Deity, Govinda. The Govinda Deity is called the functional Deity because He shows us how to serve RÄdhÄ and KášášŁáša. The Madana-mohana Deity simply establishes that âI am Your eternal servant.â With Govinda, however, there is actual acceptance of service. Govinda resides eternally in VášndÄvana. In the spiritual world of VášndÄvana the buildings are made of touchstone, the cows are known as surabhi cows, givers of abundant milk, and the trees are known as wish-fulfilling trees, for they yield whatever one desires. In VášndÄvana KášášŁáša herds the surabhi cows, and He is worshiped by hundreds and thousands of gopÄŤs, cowherd girls, who are all goddesses of fortune. When KášášŁáša descends to the material world, this same VášndÄvana descends with Him, just as an entourage accompanies an important personage. Because when KášášŁáša comes His land also comes, VášndÄvana is considered to exist beyond the material world. Therefore devotees take shelter of the VášndÄvana in India, for it is considered to be a replica of the original VášndÄvana. Although one may complain that no kalpa-váškᚣa, wish-fulfilling trees, exist there, when the Six GosvÄmÄŤs were there, kalpa-váškᚣas were present. It is not that one can simply go to such a tree and make demands; one must first become a devotee. The GosvÄmÄŤs would live under a tree for one night only, and the trees would satisfy all their desires. For the common man this may all seem very wonderful, but as one makes progress in devotional service, all this can be realized.
VášndÄvana is actually experienced as it is by persons who have stopped trying to derive pleasure from material enjoyment. âWhen will my mind become cleansed of all hankering for material enjoyment so I will be able to see VášndÄvana?â one great devotee asks. The more KášášŁáša conscious we become and the more we advance, the more everything is revealed as spiritual. Thus KášášŁášadÄsa KavirÄja GosvÄmÄŤ considered the VášndÄvana in India to be as good as the VášndÄvana in the spiritual sky, and in the sixteenth verse of the Caitanya-caritÄmášta he describes RÄdhÄrÄášÄŤ and KášášŁáša as seated beneath a wish-fulfilling tree in VášndÄvana, on a throne decorated with valuable jewels. There KášášŁášaâs dear gopÄŤ friends serve RÄdhÄ and KášášŁáša by singing, dancing, offering betel nuts and refreshments, and decorating Their Lordships with flowers. Even today in India people decorate swinging thrones and re-create this scene during the month of JulyâAugust. Generally at that time people go to VášndÄvana to offer their respects to the Deities there.
Finally KášášŁášadÄsa KavirÄja GosvÄmÄŤ offers his blessings to his readers in the name of the GopÄŤnÄtha Deity, who is KášášŁáša as master and proprietor of the gopÄŤs. When KášášŁáša played upon His flute, all the gopÄŤs, or cowherd girls, were attracted by the sound and left their household duties, and when they came to Him, He danced with them. These activities are all described in the Tenth Canto of ĹrÄŤmad-BhÄgavatam. These gopÄŤs were childhood friends of KášášŁáša, and many were married, for in India the girls are generally married by the age of twelve. The boys, however, are not married before eighteen, so KášášŁáša, who was fifteen or sixteen at the time, was not married. Nonetheless, He called these girls from their homes and invited them to dance with Him. That dance is called the rÄsa-lÄŤlÄ dance, and it is the most elevated of all the VášndÄvana pastimes. KášášŁáša is therefore called GopÄŤnÄtha because He is the beloved master of the gopÄŤs.
KášášŁášadÄsa KavirÄja GosvÄmÄŤ petitions the blessings of Lord GopÄŤnÄtha: âMay that GopÄŤnÄtha, the master of the gopÄŤs, KášášŁáša, bless you. May you become blessed by GopÄŤnÄtha.â The author of the Caitanya-caritÄmášta prays that just as KášášŁáša attracted the gopÄŤs by the sweet sound of His flute, He will also attract the readerâs mind by that transcendental vibration.