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This Krsna wants to see, that you surrender to Him and become perfect and go back to home, back to Godhead. That is Krsna's mission. So this Krsna consciousness movement is the same mission: to canvass

2022-12-20T13:53:29Z

Kusumangi: Created page with "<div id="compilation"> <div id="facts"> {{terms|"This Kṛṣṇa wants to see, that you surrender to Him and become perfect and go back to home, back to Godhead. That is Kṛ..."

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{{terms|"This Kṛṣṇa wants to see, that you surrender to Him and become perfect and go back to home, back to Godhead. That is Kṛṣṇa's mission. So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is the same mission: to canvass"}}
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[[Category:Krsna Wants]]
[[Category:Surrendering to Krsna]]
[[Category:Become Perfect]]
[[Category:Go Back to Home, Back to Godhead]]
[[Category:Krsna's Mission]]
[[Category:Krsna Consciousness Movement Is A Mission]]
[[Category:A Devotee's Business is to Canvass on Behalf of God]]
[[Category:Caitanya Is Canvassing]]
[[Category:Preaching Mission]]
[[Category:Mission of Krsna Consciousness]]
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<div id="section">
<h2>Lectures</h2>
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<div id="sub_section">
<h3>Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures</h3>
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This Kṛṣṇa wants to see, that you surrender to Him and become perfect and go back to home, back to Godhead. That is Kṛṣṇa's mission. So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is the same mission: to canvass.
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[[Vanisource:761117 - Lecture SB 05.05.30 - Vrndavana|761117 - Lecture SB 05.05.30 - Vrndavana]]
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Simply you should remain Kṛṣṇa conscious twenty-four hours, even in sleeping. That is the perfect stage. But we have to practice. It is not simply words. But it can be practiced; it is not impossible. The practice Kṛṣṇa is recommending, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru ([[Vanisource:BG 18.65 (1972)|BG 18.65]]): "Always think of Me." Our, this temple worship . . . Mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru. And "Always think of Me." This class, this kīrtana, this prasādam distribution and offering obeisances, worshiping, so many—śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam ([[Vanisource:SB 7.5.23-24|SB 7.5.23]])—take any one of them or all of them. Be perfect in that particular process. Try to become, at least. Kṛṣṇa will help you. Teṣāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam ([[Vanisource:BG 10.10 (1972)|BG 10.10]]). If you try your best, Kṛṣṇa will give you strength. Kṛṣṇa is always ready to help you, provided you want to take His help. He is ready. He has come to help you. Otherwise, what is the use of Kṛṣṇa's coming here and canvassing, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekam ([[Vanisource:BG 18.66 (1972)|BG 18.66]])? That is for our interest. You surrender to Kṛṣṇa or not surrender, it doesn't matter to Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa does not depend on your service. He is completely perfect. He can create millions of servants like you in a moment. So why does He require your service? Why He should canvass for your service? His service is not suffering for want of you. But it is your interest to surrender to Him. It is your interest. This Kṛṣṇa wants to see, that you surrender to Him and become perfect and go back to home, back to Godhead. That is Kṛṣṇa's mission.

So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is the same mission: to canvass,

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:dante nidhāya tṛṇakaṁ padayor nipatya
:kāku-śatam kṛtvā cāhaṁ bravīmi
:he sādhavaḥ sakalam eva vihāya dūrād
:caitanya-candra-caraṇe kurutānurāgam
:(Caitanya-candrāmṛta 8.90)
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This is our mission, Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mission. Why Prabodhananda Sarasvatī is requesting, caitanya-candra-caraṇe kurutānurāgam: "You just become inclined to serve the lotus feet of Caitanya"? Because He's Kṛṣṇa personally, and He has come to teach us how to approach Kṛṣṇa. That is Caitanya . . . Kṛṣṇaya kṛṣṇa-caitanya-namne gaura-tviṣe namaḥ ([[Vanisource:CC Madhya 19.53|CC Madhya 19.53]]). Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, he understood. Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya, he understood.

<div class="quote_verse">
:vairāgya vidyā-nija-bhakti-yoga-
:śikṣārtham ekaḥ puruṣaḥ purāṇaḥ
:śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya-śarīra-dhārī
:kṛpāmbudhir yas tam ahaṁ prapadye
:([[Vanisource:CC Madhya 6.254|CC Madhya 6.254]])
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If we understand Kṛṣṇa through Caitanya Mahāprabhu . . . Caitanya Mahāprabhu says that "You become guru." How? Yāre dekha, tāre kaha 'kṛṣṇa'-upadeśa ([[Vanisource:CC Madhya 7.128|CC Madhya 7.128]]). Don't change, don't alter. You simply try to preach what Kṛṣṇa has said. This is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's instruction. If you follow this instruction . . . Don't make any addition and alteration of your so-called learned scholarship. That will not help you. You must present Bhagavad-gītā as it is. Yāre dekha, tāre kaha 'kṛṣṇa'-upadeśa. There is everything, very easily done, provided we follow paramparā system.

So our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement should be pushed on very humbly.

<div class="quote_verse">
:tṛṇād api sunīcena
:taror api sahiṣṇunā
:amāninā mānadena
:kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ
:([[Vanisource:CC Adi 17.31|CC Adi 17.31]])
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Kīrtanīya. This preaching means kīrtana. Not that simply with mṛdaṅga we can have musical kīrtana. No. Preaching is also kīrtana. Abhavad vaiyāsaki-kīrtane ([[Vanisource:CC Madhya 22.136|CC Madhya 22.136]]): Vaiyāsaki, the son of Vyāsadeva, Śukadeva Gosvāmī, he simply described Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and became perfect. Abhavad vaiyāsaki-kīrtane. Śrī-viṣṇu-śravaṇe parīkṣit ([[Vanisource:CC Madhya 22.136|CC Madhya 22.136]]): Parīkṣit Mahārāja simply listened; he became perfect. And Śukadeva Gosvāmī simply described. That is also kīrtana. So this is also kīrtana. As Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī teaching us, he sādhavaḥ sakalam eva vihāya dūrād caitanya-candra-caraṇe kurutānurāgam (Caitanya-candrāmṛta): "You are sādhu, best person, noble, but this is my request." This is humbleness. If you say, "Oh, you are a karmī, you are a mūḍha . . ." Actually he's a mūḍha, but don't . . . In the beginning, if you say, then there will be no opportunity to speak. He is a mūḍha, that there is no . . . Working like hogs and dogs day and night for sense gratification, certainly he is mūḍha, karmī. Similarly, jñānī, they are simply speculating. That logic, kākā-taliya nyāya: "Whether the crow first of all sat down on the palm fruit, then the palm fruit fell down? Or the palm fruit fell down; therefore the crow could not sit on the palm fruit?" Logic. One paṇḍita said, "No, no. First of all, the palm fruit fell down, and the crow wanted to sit down on it, so he could not." Now another paṇḍita says, "No, no. The palm fruit was there, and because the crow sat down on it, it fell down." Now this is logic. They are wasting time speculating. Kākā-taliya nyāya. Kupa-manduka-nyāya. There are.

So that will also not help. They are presenting themself as big scholar. No. Māyayāpahṛta-jñānā. Simply wasting time. Simply wasting time. They are so-called jñānī, but māyayāpahṛta-jñānā—there is no knowledge, Vedānta. Big, big Vedānti. Kṛṣṇa said, the supreme authority, vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyaḥ vedānta-kṛt vedānta-vid ca aham ([[Vanisource:BG 15.15 (1972)|BG 15.15]]). Now they do not care for Kṛṣṇa, and they are Vedānti. What kind of Vedānti? Nonsense. So this will not help. We have to preach . .
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So our mission, Caitanya Mahaprabhu's mission, Krsna consciousness, the same mission as Caitanya Mahaprabhu, yare dekha, tare kaha 'krsna'-upadesa (CC Madhya 7.128)

2022-12-19T11:44:18Z

Kusumangi: Created page with "<div id="compilation"> <div id="facts"> {{terms|"So our mission, Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mission, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, the same mission as Caitanya Mahāprabhu: yāre dek..."

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{{terms|"So our mission, Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mission, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, the same mission as Caitanya Mahāprabhu: yāre dekha, tāre kaha 'kṛṣṇa'-upadeśa (CC Madhya 7.128)"}}
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[[Category:That Is Our Mission]]
[[Category:Devotees of God Execute God's Mission]]
[[Category:Mission of Devotees of God is to Enlighten Others]]
[[Category:Caitanya's]]
[[Category:Caitanya's Mission]]
[[Category:Executing Caitanya's Mission]]
[[Category:Krsna Consciousness]]
[[Category:Krsna Consciousness Movement Is A Mission]]
[[Category:Krsna Consciousness Movement Is Teaching...]]
[[Category:Mission of Krsna Consciousness]]
[[Category:Caitanya]]
[[Category:The Same Mission]]
[[Category:Speaking about Krsna]]
[[Category:Speaking about Krsna Consciousness]]
[[Category:Speaking the Bhagavad-gita]]
[[Category:Become Krsna Conscious]]
[[Category:Preaching Mission]]
</div>
<div id="section">
<h2>Lectures</h2>
</div>
<div id="sub_section">
<h3>Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures</h3>
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<div class="quote">
<div class="quote_heading">
So our mission, Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mission, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, the same mission as Caitanya Mahāprabhu: yāre dekha, tāre kaha 'kṛṣṇa'-upadeśa (CC Madhya 7.128). This kṛṣṇa-upadeśa I have translated into "Kṛṣṇa conscious," how to make people Kṛṣṇa conscious. This is our mission.
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[[Vanisource:760809 - Lecture SB 03.22.20 - Tehran|760809 - Lecture SB 03.22.20 - Tehran]]
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Caitanya Mahāprabhu stressed, ye kṛṣṇa-tattva-vettā, sei 'guru' haya ([[Vanisource:CC Madhya 8.128|CC Madhya 8.128]]). He never said that the sannyāsīs should be guru and not the gṛhasthas. He says, ye kṛṣṇa-tattva-vettā, sei 'guru' haya. Anyone who knows the science of Kṛṣṇa, he can become guru. And that guru . . . Caitanya Mahāprabhu says everything very simplified:

<div class="quote_verse">
:āmāra ājñāya guru hañā tāra'sarva deśa
:yāre dekha, tāre kaha 'kṛṣṇa'-upadeśa
:([[Vanisource:CC Madhya 7.128|CC Madhya 7.128]])
</div>

Sarva deśa, or ei deśa, wherever you are living, it doesn't matter. Just like our Atreya Ṛṣi, he's gṛhastha, he's living in Iran, Tehran, but it doesn't matter. If he speaks kṛṣṇa-kathā, then he's guru. It is very simple thing. We should not speak beyond what is spoken by Kṛṣṇa. Take Bhagavad-gītā and try to preach the principles, speak whatever is spoken in the Bhagavad-gītā. Then it doesn't matter whether you are a gṛhastha or sannyāsī or brahmacārī. You become guru.

So our mission, Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mission, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, the same mission as Caitanya Mahāprabhu: yāre dekha, tāre kaha 'kṛṣṇa'-upadeśa ([[Vanisource:CC Madhya 7.128|CC Madhya 7.128]]). This kṛṣṇa-upadeśa I have translated into "Kṛṣṇa conscious," how to make people Kṛṣṇa conscious. This is our mission. On this principle, either gṛhastha or vānaprastha or sannyāsī, everyone can take part. Ye kṛṣṇa-tattva-vettā, sei 'guru' haya. Caitanya Mahāprabhu was taking instruction from Rāmānanda Rāya. He was gṛhastha, not even brāhmaṇa. So he was hesitating, that "Caitanya Mahāprabhu is coming from a very exalted brāhmaṇa family, and sannyāsa," and Rāmānanda Rāya was gṛhastha, not even brāhmaṇa. How he could teach Him or give Him instruction? He was hesitating. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu, in order to favor him, He said, "It doesn't matter. Don't hesitate."

<div class="quote_verse">
:kibā vipra, kibā śūdra, nyāsī kene naya
:yei kṛṣṇa-tattva-vettā, sei 'guru' haya
:([[Vanisource:CC Madhya 8.128|CC Madhya 8.128]])
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By his practical life, He was asking. Generally, questions are asked to the superior person, and the superior person answers. But Caitanya Mahāprabhu, although He was superior in everything, He was asking Rāmaṇanda Rāya to answer. He made Haridāsa Ṭhākura—he was Muhammadan by birth—nāmācārya, the ācārya of spreading Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. These are the wonderful activities. Sanātana Gosvāmī, he practically become Muhammadan. Why practically? Absolutely. He was rejected by the brāhmaṇa society because he was minister, he was mixing with the Muhammadans and everything. He was eating with them. So the brāhmaṇa society rejected him. The name was also changed, Sākara Mallika. Nawab Hussain Shah's very confidential man. Nawab Hussain Shah was keeping Sanātana Gosvāmī as his representative in everything. The government was being managed by him. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu accepted them, and they became the Gosvāmīs, Sanātana Gosvāmī.

So in this movement, no such consideration, who is who. Anyone who takes to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he is first class, that's all. So our principle should be how to make people Kṛṣṇa conscious, God conscious. Then our mission will be successful. Either as gṛhastha, as a vānaprastha, as sannyāsī, it doesn't matter. Philosophy, the truth, should be preached. Everyone will be happy. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Thank you very much.
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Lord Caitanya, He is Krsna Himself. He appeared as a devotee of Krsna, but He never said that "I am Krsna." But from Vedic references we understand that He is Krsna. But the same mission

2022-12-14T11:34:03Z

Kusumangi: Created page with "<div id="compilation"> <div id="facts"> {{terms|"Lord Caitanya, He is Kṛṣṇa Himself. He appeared as a devotee of Kṛṣṇa, but He never said that, "I am Kṛṣṇa."..."

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{{terms|"Lord Caitanya, He is Kṛṣṇa Himself. He appeared as a devotee of Kṛṣṇa, but He never said that, "I am Kṛṣṇa." But from Vedic references we understand that He is Kṛṣṇa. But the same mission"}}
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[[Category:Caitanya Never Displayed Himself As Krsna]]
[[Category:Vedic]]
[[Category:Referring to Caitanya]]
[[Category:Referring to Krsna]]
[[Category:The Same Mission]]
[[Category:Krsna's Mission]]
[[Category:Caitanya's Mission]]
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<div id="section">
<h2>Lectures</h2>
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<div id="sub_section">
<h3>Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures</h3>
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<div class="quote">
<div class="quote_heading">
Lord Caitanya, He is Kṛṣṇa Himself. He appeared as a devotee of Kṛṣṇa, but He never said that, "I am Kṛṣṇa." But from Vedic references we understand that He is Kṛṣṇa. But the same mission. The Kṛṣṇa's mission and Lord Caitanya's mission is the same. How it is same? Kṛṣṇa, as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He said that, "You surrender unto Me," and Lord Caitanya said, "You surrender unto Kṛṣṇa.".
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[[Vanisource:660727 - Lecture BG 04.12-13 - New York|660727 - Lecture BG 04.12-13 - New York]]
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So here is . . . Bhagavad-gītā is giving a chance to everyone to become brāhmin or be qualified person who knows Brahman and who is preparing himself for the next birth in the spiritual kingdom. He is called brāhmin. Cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭam ([[Vanisource:BG 4.13 (1972)|BG 4.13]]).

Now, the Lord says, tasya kartāram api māṁ viddhy akartāram avyayam: "Although I have created this system, still, I am not there." "I am not there." Why? Because Kṛṣṇa is neither brāhmin nor śūdra nor kṣatriya or anything, anything of the material world. He is transcendental. When we go to Kṛṣṇa with spiritual body, we also become like Kṛṣṇa in transcendental body. That chance is given here. So just it is our duty, everyone.

Lord Caitanya, He is Kṛṣṇa Himself. He appeared as a devotee of Kṛṣṇa, but He never said that, "I am Kṛṣṇa." But from Vedic references we understand that He is Kṛṣṇa. But the same mission. The Kṛṣṇa's mission and Lord Caitanya's mission is the same. How it is same? Kṛṣṇa, as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He said that, "You surrender unto Me," and Lord Caitanya said, "You surrender unto Kṛṣṇa." The same thing. Lord Caitanya said . . . what is the philosophy of Lord Caitanya? Lord Caitanya says:

:ārādhyo bhagavān vrajeśa-tanayas tad-dhāma vṛṇdāvanaṁ
:ramya kaścid upāsanā vraja-vadhu-varga-vīrya kalpita
:śrīmad-bhāgavatam amalaṁ purāṇaṁ premā pum-artho mahān
:śrī-caitanya mahāprabhor matam idaṁ tatradaraḥ na paraḥ
:(Caitanya-mañjusā)
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The Bhagavad-gita's process of purifying consciousness is the process of fixing one's mind on Krsna by talking of His transcendental activities, cleansing His temple, going to His temple - CC Preface

2022-09-18T13:03:15Z

Kusumangi:

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[[Category:Process of Purification]]
[[Category:Purified Consciousness]]
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[[Category:Fixing the Mind on Krsna]]
[[Category:One (as in someone)]]
[[Category:Talking about Krsna]]
[[Category:Krsna's Transcendental Activities]]
[[Category:Cleaning the Temple]]
[[Category:Krsna Temples]]
[[Category:His (Krsna)]]
[[Category:Going to Temples]]
[[Category:Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Preface]]
[[Category:Sri Caitanya-caritamrta - 62 Chapters]]
[[Category:Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi-lila 17 Chapters]]
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<h2>Sri Caitanya-caritamrta</h2>
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<h3>CC Preface and Introduction</h3>
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The Bhagavad-gītā’s process of purifying consciousness is the process of fixing one’s mind on Kṛṣṇa 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 tulasī leaves offered to Him, engaging in activities for the Lord’s interest, becoming angry at those who are malicious toward devotees, etc.
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[[Vanisource:CC Preface|CC Preface]]
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There is no difference between the teachings of Lord Caitanya presented here and the teachings of Lord Kṛṣṇa in the Bhagavad-gītā. The teachings of Lord Caitanya are practical demonstrations of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s teachings. Lord Kṛṣṇa’s ultimate instruction in the Bhagavad-gītā is that everyone should surrender unto Him, Lord Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa 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, Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, 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-gītā, Lord Kṛṣṇa 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 Personality of Godhead but rather to the impersonal, unmanifested, eternal, unborn truth. The impersonalist Māyāvādī philosophers do not accept that the ultimate aspect of the Absolute Truth is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. 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 Māyāvādī philosophers cannot go beyond the Brahman effulgence, which may be compared to the sunshine. The Upaniṣads 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 Kṛṣṇa, who appeared as the foster child of the King of Vraja. He also teaches that the place known as Vṛndāvana is as good as Lord Kṛṣṇa because, Lord Kṛṣṇa 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 the Personality of Godhead. 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 (gopīs, or cowherd girls) simply loved Kṛṣṇa without any motive for material or spiritual gain. Lord Caitanya also teaches that Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the spotless narration of transcendental knowledge and that the highest goal in human life is to develop unalloyed love for Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Lord Caitanya’s teachings are identical to those given by Lord Kapila, the original propounder of sāṅkhya-yoga, the sāṅkhya 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 Viṣṇu even without practicing involved sitting postures, such meditation is called perfect samādhi. That this kind of meditation is perfect samādhi is confirmed at the end of the Sixth Chapter of the Bhagavad-gītā, where Lord Kṛṣṇa says that of all yogīs, 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 sāṅkhya philosophy of acintya-bhedābheda-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 sānkhya-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 Kṛṣṇa 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 Kṛṣṇa (His name, qualities, form, pastimes, entourage and paraphernalia), all one’s activities—both subtle and gross—become favorable. The Bhagavad-gītā’s process of purifying consciousness is the process of fixing one’s mind on Kṛṣṇa 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 tulasī 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-gītā ([[Vanisource:BG 2.39 (1972)|BG 2.39]]), where Kṛṣṇa tells Arjuna of the knowledge of yoga whereby one can work without fruitive results: “O son of Pṛthā, 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 proscriptions 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 sāṅkhya-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 Kṛṣṇa consciousness does not try to forcibly stop his senses from acting. Rather, he engages his senses in the service of Kṛṣṇa. 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 Kṛṣṇa consciousness, naturally retire from the inferior activities of material existence.

In this way Lord Caitanya teaches the science of Kṛṣṇa 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 Kṛṣṇa consciousness does not run this risk. One therefore has to engage one’s mind and senses in Kṛṣṇa conscious activities, and Lord Caitanya teaches one how to do this in practice.

Before accepting sannyāsa (the renounced order), Lord Caitanya was known as Viśvambhara. The word viśvambhara refers to one who maintains the entire universe and who leads all living entities. This maintainer and leader appeared as Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa 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 Kṛṣṇa. He is the complete reservoir of all mercies and good fortune. As confirmed in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the Bhagavad-gītā, the Mahābhārata and the Upaniṣads, He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa Himself, and He is worshipable by everyone in this age of disagreement. Everyone can join in His saṅkīrtana 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 māyā by the grace of Lord Caitanya. The teachings presented in this book are nondifferent from the Lord.

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 Kṛṣṇa 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 this book, Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, human society will experience a new light of spiritual life, which will open the field of activity for the pure soul.
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oṁ tat sat

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:A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
:March 14, 1968
:The Birthday of Lord Caitanya
:Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa Temple
:New York, N.Y.
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