Category:Caitanya's Example
Theme Analysis
The advent of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu represents the highest expression of the Lord's compassion for the conditioned souls. Although He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa Himself, He did not strictly need to follow any rules or accept a spiritual master. However, to revive the lost system of devotional service in the modern age, He disguised Himself as a devotee to teach the world by His own practical example. Lord Caitanya perfectly assumed the role of an ācārya, demonstrating how to execute Kṛṣṇa consciousness in every aspect of life. From exhibiting the most profound humility and respect for Vaiṣṇavas to vigorously preaching the saṅkīrtana movement and displaying the deepest ecstasies of love in separation, His personal behavior established the ultimate standard of pure devotion.
- Acting as the Perfect Ācārya: The Lord accepted a spiritual master and strictly followed the etiquette of a disciple to teach others the absolute necessity of surrendering to a bona fide guru.
- Teaching Humility and Submissiveness: Through His profound behavior and instructions, Lord Caitanya demonstrated that one must consider oneself lower than the straw in the street to constantly chant the holy names.
- Establishing the Preaching Mission: Instead of destroying the demons, the Lord set the example of delivering them by actively traveling and broadcasting the chanting of the holy names.
- Demonstrating Ecstatic Love: To show the world the highest perfection of spiritual life, He exhibited extreme symptoms of transcendental ecstasy, specifically the mood of service in separation from Kṛṣṇa.
- Explore the synthesized essence of this category in this Vanipedia article: Caitanya's Example - The Supreme Lord as the Ideal Devotee.
Pages in category "Caitanya's Example"
The following 30 pages are in this category, out of 30 total.
A
- Advaita Acarya thought: "If Sri Krsna were to appear as an incarnation, He Himself could preach devotion by His personal example"
- As far as possible, no outsider should be allowed to touch one’s feet to take dust from them. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu personally showed this by His example, as explained in the next verse - CC Adi 17.245
B
- By His personal example, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu explains how one should be submissive and humble before a Vaisnava, even though one may be situated on a high platform
- By His practical example, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu has shown us that all the grains of sand must be picked up thoroughly and thrown outside. He also cleansed the outside of the temple, fearing that the grains of sand would again come within
C
- Caitanya Mahaprabhu did not kill the demons, but He converted them. So this should be our example
- Caitanya Mahaprabhu has given the example: stool is impure, rejectable. Everyone knows. Veda says: "No, cow dung is pure." And you examine it; you'll find it is pure. That is Vedic knowledge
- Caitanya Mahaprabhu, by the example of His actual life, taught vipralambha-seva, service of Krsna in separation. Tears would come from His eyes like torrents of rain, for He would feel everything to be vacant for want of Krsna
H
- He also personally relished transcendental activities. By His personal behavior He has given an example for devotees to follow. That is, one should broadcast the cult of devotional service
- Here (in CC Madhya 8.300) even Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu set the example in showing how one should offer respects to Hanumanji
I
- I have given a few examples of pastime incarnations. Now I will describe the guna-avataras, the incarnations of the material qualities. Please listen
- I have thus explained sixty different meanings, and all of them aim at the service of Lord Krsna. After giving so many examples, that is the only meaning
- It has now become customary for devotees, following the example of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, to go there (Isvara Puri's birthplace) and collect some earth from that place
L
- Let me give an example by which people may understand Lord Krsna's eternal pastimes. An example can be found in the zodiac
- Lord Caitanya displayed the typical example of transcendental ecstasy, as we can understand from the life of this incarnation of God
- Lord Caitanya set the example when he said that "I don't have any love for Krsna. If I had any love for Krsna, I would have died long ago from the separation." So one should always think of himself as unqualified
O
- One may ask that if Caitanya Mahaprabhu is Krsna 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 acarya (one who teaches by example), He accepted a spiritual master
- One should follow the example given by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Lord Caitanya says in His Siksastaka (3): trnad api su-nicena taror iva sahisnuna, amanina mana-dena kirtaniyah sada harih - CC Adi 17.31
- One should join the Krsna consciousness movement, following the examples of such great personalities as Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the six Gosvamis and, before them, the great sage Dadhici. Instead of wasting one's life for temporary bodily comforts
S
- Sri Caitanya advised, and He also showed by His own example, that a living entity should always desire to be a servant of the servant of the servant of Krsna, the maintainer of the gopis (gopi-bhartuh pada-kamalayor dasa-dasanudasah) - CC Madhya 13.80
- Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu cited the example of Lord Krsna’s accepting food at the house of Vidura, who was a sudra by birth. By the same token, Isvara Puri, an empowered spiritual master, could show mercy to anyone
- Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu personally traveled to different regions of India to spread the bhakti cult throughout the country. He also personally relished transcendental activities. By His personal behavior He has given an example for devotees to follow
- Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu set a practical example in that He did not establish any temples or Deities, but He profusely introduced the sankirtana movement
T
- The followers of Lord Caitanya cannot blindly accept that everyone born in a brahmana family is a brahmana. Therefore one should not indiscriminately follow the Lord's example of showing respect to brahmanas by drinking water that has washed their feet
- The Lord (Caitanya) was personally chastising and praising individuals in the course of the cleaning (of the Gundica temple), and those who are engaged as acaryas must learn from Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu how to train devotees by personal example
- There was a great need to revive the system of devotional service. The Lord Himself personally came down disguised as a devotee so that the fallen populace might take advantage of the Lord’s example
- To set the example, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu personally visited temples in various holy places. Wherever He visited, He immediately exhibited His ecstatic love for the Supreme Personality of Godhead
- To teach others by example how to be a faithful disciple of one’s spiritual master, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, visited the birthplace of Isvara Puri at Kumara-hatta and collected some earth from his birth site
W
- When the Lord was informed that Nityananda Prabhu was injured by Jagai and Madhai, He immediately went to the spot, angry like fire, wanting to kill them. Thus Lord Caitanya has explained His verse (Siksastaka 3) by the example of His own behavior
- When the two brothers Srila Rupa Gosvami and Sanatana Gosvami went to Vrndavana, they decided to live there. Following Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s example, they did not climb the hill because they considered it nondifferent from Krsna, the SP of Godhead