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According to the principles of the Māyāvādī #i#sannyāsīs#/i#, singing, dancing and playing musical instruments are strictly prohibited, for they are considered to be sinful activities. The Māyāvādī #i#sannyāsī#/i# is simply supposed to engage in the study of #i#Vedānta#/i#. Therefore when the Māyāvādī #i#sannyāsīs#/i# in Benares saw that Lord Caitanya was indulging in singing, dancing, playing musical instruments and always chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare, they concluded that He was not educated and that, out of sentiment, He was misleading His followers. Śaṅkarācārya's injunction was that a #i#sannyāsī#/i# should always be engaged in the study of #i#Vedānta#/i# and that he should be satisfied by simply having one cloth and nothing more. Because Lord Caitanya neither studied #i#Vedānta#/i# formally nor ceased from singing and dancing He was criticized by all the #i#sannyāsīs#/i# at Benares, as well as by their householder followers.
#$p#When Lord Caitanya received news of this criticism from His students and disciples, He simply smiled and started for Mathurā and Vṛndāvana. When He returned again to Benares on His way from Mathurā to Jagannātha Purī, He stayed at the house of Candraśekhara, who was considered a #i#śūdra#/i# because he was a clerk. In spite of this, Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu made His residence at his home. Lord Caitanya made no distinctions between #i#brāhmaṇas#/i# and #i#śūdras#/i#; He accepted anyone who was devoted. Customarily, a #i#sannyāsī#/i# is supposed to take shelter and eat in the home of a #i#brāhmaṇa#/i#, but Caitanya Mahāprabhu, as the independent Supreme Personality of Godhead, used His own discretion and decided to stay at Candraśekhara's house.
#$p#In those days, by misusing their brahminical heritage, the #i#brāhmaṇas#/i# passed a law to the effect that anyone not born in a #i#brāhmaṇa#/i# family was to be considered a #i#śūdra#/i#. Thus even the #i#kṣatriyas#/i# and #i#vaidyas#/i# were also considered #i#śūdras#/i#. Because the #i#vaidyas#/i# were supposed to be descendants of #i#brāhmaṇa#/i# fathers and #i#śūdra#/i# wives, they were sometimes called #i#śūdras#/i#. Thus Candraśekhara Ācārya, although born in a #i#vaidya#/i# family, was called a #i#śūdra#/i# in Benares. As long as Lord Caitanya stayed in Benares, He remained at Candraśekhara's home, and He took His food at the home of Tapana Miśra.
#$p#When Sanātana Gosvāmī met Lord Caitanya at Benares, he learned the process and principles of devotional service during two months of continuous teaching. Lord Caitanya's instructions to Sanātana Gosvāmī have been described in the first part of this book. After receiving these teachings, Sanātana Gosvāmī was authorized to propagate the principles of devotional service and #i#Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam#/i#. It was during this time that both Tapana Miśra and Candraśekhara Ācārya were feeling very sorry about the strong criticism against Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and they came together and prayed for the Lord to meet the Māyāvādī #i#sannyāsīs#/i#.
#$p#"We have been mortified by hearing unfavorable criticisms from the Māyāvādī #i#sannyāsīs#/i# against You," they informed Lord Caitanya. "Indeed, it has become intolerable for us." They requested the Lord to do something so that these criticisms might be stopped. While they were discussing this subject, a #i#brāhmaṇa#/i# came to Lord Caitanya and invited Him to his home. All the #i#sannyāsīs#/i# had been invited but Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and now the #i#brāhmaṇa#/i# came to invite Him. Knowing that the Lord did not associate with Māyāvādī #i#sannyāsīs#/i#, the #i#brāhmaṇa#/i# fell down at Caitanya Mahāprabhu's feet and implored Him: "Although I know that You do not accept invitations, I still implore You to come and take #i#prasāda#/i# at my home with the other #i#sannyāsīs#/i#. If You accept this invitation, I will consider it a special favor."
#$p#The Lord took this opportunity and accepted the #i#brāhmaṇa's#/i# invitation in order to meet the Māyāvādī #i#sannyāsīs#/i#. Actually this was an arrangement made by the Lord Himself. Although the #i#brāhmaṇa#/i# who invited Him knew that the Lord did not accept any invitations, he was still very eager to invite Him.
#$p#The next day Lord Caitanya went to the house of the #i#brāhmaṇa#/i# and saw that all the Māyāvādī #i#sannyāsīs#/i# were sitting there. He offered His respects to all the #i#sannyāsīs#/i# as was customary, and then went to wash His feet. After washing, He sat down beside the foot basin, a little distance from the other #i#sannyāsīs#/i#. While He was sitting there, the #i#sannyāsīs#/i# saw a glaring effulgence emanating from His body. Being attracted by this glaring effulgence, all the Māyāvādī #i#sannyāsīs#/i# stood up and showed Him their respects. Amongst them was one #i#sannyāsī#/i# named Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī. He was the chief amongst the impersonalist #i#sannyāsīs#/i#, and he addressed Lord Caitanya with great humility, asking Him to come and sit amongst them.
#$p#"My dear Sir, why are You sitting in that filthy place?" he asked. "Please come and sit with us."
#$p#"Oh, I belong to an inferior sect of #i#sannyāsīs#/i#," Lord Caitanya replied. "Therefore I think that I should not sit with you. Let Me remain down here."
#$p#Prakāśānanda was surprised to hear such a thing from such a learned man, and he actually took the Lord's hand and requested Him to please come and sit with him. When Lord Caitanya was finally seated amongst them, Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī said, "I think Your name is Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya, and I understand that You belong to our Māyāvādī sect because You have taken #i#sannyāsa#/i# from Keśava Bhāratī, who belongs to the Śaṅkarācārya #i#sampradāya#/i#."
#$p#According to the Śaṅkara sect, there are ten different names for #i#sannyāsīs#/i#. Out of them, three names—Tīrtha, Āśrama and Sarasvatī—are given to the #i#sannyāsīs#/i# considered to be the most enlightened and cultured. Since Lord Caitanya was a Vaiṣṇava, He was naturally humble and meek, and He wanted to give the better sitting place to Prakāśānanda, who belonged to the Sarasvatī #i#sampradāya#/i#. According to Śaṅkara's principles, a #i#brahmacārī#/i# of the Bhāratic school is called Caitanya. However, although Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu took #i#sannyāsa#/i#, He kept His #i#brahmacārī#/i# name and did not take up the title of Bhāratī.
#$p#"Well, Sir," Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī continued, "You belong to our Śaṅkara sect, and You are living in Benares—so why don't You mix with us? What is the reason? Another thing—You are a #i#sannyāsī#/i# and are supposed to engage simply in the study of #i#Vedānta#/i#, but we see that instead You are always engaged in chanting and dancing and playing music. What is the reason? These are the activities of emotional and sentimental people but You are a qualified #i#sannyāsī#/i#. Why not engage in the study of #i#Vedānta#/i#? By Your effulgence it appears to us that You are just like the Supreme Nārāyaṇa, the Personality of Godhead, but by Your behavior, You appear to be otherwise. So we are inquisitive to know why You act in this way."
#$p#"My dear sir, My spiritual master considered Me a great fool (CC #i#Adi#/i# 7.71)," Lord Caitanya replied. "Therefore he has more or less punished Me by saying that because I am such a fool I have no capacity to study #i#Vedānta#/i#. So in turn he gave Me the chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. My spiritual master told Me, 'Just go on chanting this Hare Kṛṣṇa #i#mantra#/i#: it will make You all-perfect.' "
#$p#Actually Lord Caitanya was neither foolish nor ignorant of the principles of #i#Vedānta#/i#. His purpose was to demonstrate to modern society that fools who have no history of penance and austerity should not try to study #i#Vedānta#/i# just for some recreational purpose. In His #i#Śikṣāṣṭaka#/i#, Lord Caitanya said that one should be in a humble state of mind, should think himself lower than the grass on the street, should be more tolerant than a tree, and should be devoid of all sense of prestige and ready to offer all kinds of respects to others. In such a state of mind, one can chant the #i#Vedānta#/i# philosophy or the holy name of God constantly. The Lord also wanted to teach that a serious student of transcendental science should follow the words of his spiritual master. According to the calculations of the spiritual master, Lord Caitanya appeared to be a fool; therefore he said that He should not indulge in the study of #i#Vedānta#/i# but should continue chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa #i#mantra#/i#. Lord Caitanya strictly obeyed this order. In other words, Lord Caitanya impressed on the Māyāvādīs that the words of a bona fide spiritual master must be strictly followed. By following them, one becomes perfect in all respects.
#$p##i#Vedānta#/i# indicates that the last word of Vedic knowledge is the understanding of Kṛṣṇa. #i#Vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyo vedānta-kṛd veda-vid eva cāham#/i#: "By all the #i#Vedas#/i# am I to be known; indeed, I am the compiler of #i#Vedānta#/i#, and I am the knower of the #i#Vedas#/i#." (BG 15.15) When one actually comes to understand the #i#Vedānta#/i#, he comes to know Kṛṣṇa and his relationship with Kṛṣṇa. One who understands Kṛṣṇa, understands everything. The knower of Kṛṣṇa is always engaged in the transcendental loving service of Kṛṣṇa. This is confirmed by the Lord Himself in #i#Bhagavad-gītā#/i#:
#dl##dd##i#ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo#/i##/dd#
#dd##i#mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate#/i##/dd#
#dd##i#iti matvā bhajante māṁ#/i##/dd#
#dd##i#budhā bhāva-samanvitāḥ#/i##/dd##/dl#
"I am the source of all spiritual and material worlds. Everything emanates from Me. The wise who know this perfectly engage in My devotional service and worship Me with all their hearts." (BG 10.8)
#$p#A living entity is eternally related with Kṛṣṇa in the relationship of master and servant. Once that service is wanting—or, in other words, when one is not situated in Kṛṣṇa consciousness—it is to be understood that study of #i#Vedānta#/i# is insufficient. When one does not understand Kṛṣṇa or does not engage in His transcendental loving service, it is to be understood that he is adverse to the study of #i#Vedānta#/i# and to the understanding of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The path of #i#Vedānta#/i# study shown by Lord Caitanya should be followed by all. A person who is puffed up by so-called education and who has no humility does not seek the protection of a bona fide spiritual master. He thinks that he does not require a spiritual master and that he can achieve the highest perfection by his own efforts. Such persons are not eligible for the study of #i#Vedānta-sūtra#/i#. Those who are under the spell of material energy do not follow the instructions of the disciplic succession but try to manufacture something of their own and thereby step outside the sphere of #i#Vedānta#/i# study. A bona fide spiritual master must always condemn such independent mental speculators. If the bona fide spiritual master directly points out the foolishness of a disciple, it should not be taken otherwise.
#$p#A person who is completely ignorant of the science of God cannot be considered learned. More or less, everyone who is not in Kṛṣṇa consciousness is subject to foolishness. Sometimes we display our foolishness by accepting someone who is barely educated as a spiritual master. It is our duty to understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead, whose lotus feet are worshiped by all the #i#Vedas#/i#. One who does not understand Him and is proud of a false understanding of #i#Vedānta#/i# is actually a fool. Mundane attempts at academic knowledge are simply another type of foolishness. As long as one cannot understand the cosmic manifestation as a representation of the three modes of material nature, he must be considered to be in the darkness of inebriety and caught in the duality of this material world. A person who is in perfect knowledge of #i#Vedānta#/i# becomes a servitor of the Supreme Lord, who is the maintainer and sustainer of the whole cosmic manifestation. As long as one is not transcendental to the service of the limited, he cannot have knowledge of #i#Vedānta#/i#.
#$p#As long as one is within the limited jurisdiction of fruitive activities or is involved in mental speculation, he may perhaps be eligible to study or teach the theoretical knowledge of #i#Vedānta-sūtra#/i#, but he cannot understand the supreme, eternal, transcendental (completely liberated) vibration of Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. One who has achieved perfection in chanting the transcendental Hare Kṛṣṇa vibration does not have to separately learn the philosophy of #i#Vedānta-sūtra#/i#. According to the teachings of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, the bona fide spiritual master, those who do not understand the transcendental vibration as being nondifferent from the Supreme and who try to become Māyāvādī philosophers or experts in #i#Vedānta-sūtra#/i# are all fools. Studying #i#Vedānta-sūtra#/i# by one's own efforts (the ascending process of knowledge) is another sign of foolishness. He who has attained a taste for chanting the transcendental vibration, however, actually attains the conclusion of #i#Vedānta#/i#. In this connection, there are two verses in #i#Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam#/i# which are very instructive. The purport of the first is that even if a low caste person is engaged in chanting the transcendental vibration, it is to be understood that he has performed all types of renunciation, austerities and sacrifice and has studied all the #i#Brahma-sūtras#/i#. Thus one can be able to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. The purport of the second verse is that one who chants the two syllables #i#Ha-ri#/i# must be considered to have studied all the #i#Vedas#/i#: the #i#Ṛg Veda#/i#, #i#Atharva Veda#/i#, #i#Yajur Veda#/i# and #i#Sāma Veda#/i#.
#$p#On the other hand, there are many so-called devotees who think #i#Vedānta#/i# is not meant for devotees. Such people are ignorant of the fact that #i#Vedānta#/i# is the only platform of pure devotees. All the great #i#ācāryas#/i# of the four Vaiṣṇava #i#sampradāyas#/i# have made commentaries on the #i#Vedānta-sūtra#/i#, but the so-called devotees known as #i#prākṛta-sahajiyā#/i# carefully avoid the study of #i#Vedānta-sūtra#/i#. The #i#prākṛta-sahajiyā#/i# mistakenly take the pure devotees and Vaiṣṇava #i#ācāryas#/i# to be mental speculators or fruitive actors. Consequently they themselves become Māyāvādīs and leave the service of the Supreme Lord.
#$p#Understanding the #i#Vedānta-sūtra#/i# by academic knowledge never enables one to understand the value of the transcendental vibration. People who are entangled in academic knowledge are conditioned souls who are confused about the facts of "I", "mine" and "my" understanding. Consequently they are unable to detach their minds from the external energy. When a person actually attains transcendental knowledge, he becomes free from this duality and engages in the transcendental loving service of the Supreme Lord. The Lord's service is the only means by which one can become detached from material activities. A person properly initiated by a bona fide spiritual master and engaged in chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare gradually becomes freed from the conception of "I" and "mine" and becomes attached to the Lord's transcendental loving service in one of the five transcendental relationships. Such transcendental service is not a subject matter for gross and subtle bodies. Only when one can understand that there is no difference between the Supreme and His name can one be situated in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. At such a time one no longer needs to make grammatical adjustments. Rather, one becomes more interested in petitioning the Lord: "Hare Kṛṣṇa—O my Lord, O energy of the Lord, please engage me in Your service!"
#$p#Lord Caitanya explained all this to Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī and told him that He had heard all this from His spiritual master. He further informed Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī that His spiritual master had taught Him that #i#Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam#/i# is the actual commentary on #i#Vedānta-sūtra#/i#, as stated in #i#Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam#/i# by Vyāsadeva, the author of #i#Vedānta-sūtra#/i#.
#$p#A student is to be considered perfected when he understands the identity of the holy name and the Supreme Lord. Unless one is under the shelter of a realized spiritual master, his understanding of the Supreme is simply foolishness. However, one can fully understand the transcendental Lord by service and devotion. When Lord Caitanya offenselessly chanted the Hare Kṛṣṇa #i#mantra#/i#, He declared that the #i#mantra#/i# could at once deliver a conditioned soul from material contamination. In this age of Kali there is no alternative to chanting this #i#mahā-mantra#/i#. It is stated that the essence of all Vedic literature is the chanting of this holy name of Kṛṣṇa: Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. Lord Caitanya also told Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī, "In order to convince Me about this essential fact of Vedic knowledge, My spiritual master has taught Me a verse from #i#Bṛhan-nāradīya Purāṇa#/i# (38.126). #i#Harer nāma harer nāma harer nāmaiva kevalam/ kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva nāsty eva gatir anyathā#/i#: (CC #i#Ādi#/i# 17.21) In this age of quarrel and hypocrisy, the only means of deliverance is the chanting of the holy name of the Lord. There is no other way. There is no other way. There is no other way."
#$p#In three out of the four millenniums (namely Satya-yuga, Tretā-yuga and Dvāpara-yuga) people had the honor to be able to understand transcendence through the path of disciplic succession. However, in the present age, people have no interest in the disciplic succession. Instead, they have invented many paths of logic and argument. This individual attempt to understand the supreme transcendence (called the ascending process) is not approved by the #i#Vedas#/i#. The Absolute Truth must descend from the absolute platform. He is not to be understood by the ascending process. The holy name of the Lord—Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare—is a transcendental vibration because it comes from the transcendental platform, the supreme abode of Kṛṣṇa. Because there is no difference between Kṛṣṇa and His name, the holy name of Kṛṣṇa is as pure, perfect and liberated as Kṛṣṇa Himself. Academic scholars have no entrance by means of logic and other argument into the understanding of the transcendental nature of the holy name of God. The single path in understanding the transcendental nature of Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare is the chanting of these names with faith and adherence. Such chanting will release one from designated conditions arising from the gross and subtle bodies.
#$p#In this age of logic, argument and disagreement, the chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa is the only means for self-realization. Because this transcendental vibration alone can deliver the conditioned soul, it is considered to be the essence of the #i#Vedānta-sūtra#/i#. According to the material conception, there is duality between the name, form, quality, emotions and activities of a person and the person himself, but as far as the transcendental vibration is concerned, there is no such limitation, for it descends from the spiritual world. In the spiritual world there is no difference between the name of the person and the quality of the person. Of course in the material world there is a difference. Because the Māyāvādī philosophers cannot understand this, they cannot utter the transcendental vibration.
#$p#Lord Caitanya then told Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī that because He received the order from His spiritual master, He was constantly chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. "As a result of this chanting," the Lord said, "I sometimes become very impatient and cannot restrain Myself from dancing and laughing or crying and singing. Indeed, I become just like a madman. When I first wondered whether I had become mad by chanting this Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare, I approached My spiritual master and informed him that I had gone mad by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. Thus I asked him what was My actual position."
#$p#In the #i#Nārada-pañcarātra#/i# it is stated:
#dl##dd##i#eṣo vedāḥ ṣaḍ-aṅgāni#/i##/dd#
#dd##i#chandāṁsi vividhāḥ surāḥ#/i##/dd#
#dd##i#sarvam aṣṭākṣarāntaḥsthaṁ#/i##/dd#
#dd##i#yac cānyad api vāṅmayam#/i##/dd#
#dd##i#sarva-vedānta-sārārthaḥ#/i##/dd#
#dd##i#saṁsārārṇava-tāraṇaḥ#/i##/dd##/dl#
"All Vedic rituals, mantras and understanding are compressed into eight words: Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare." Similarly, in the #i#Kalisantaraṇa Upaniṣad#/i# it is stated:
#dl##dd##i#hare kṛṣṇa hare kṛṣṇa#/i##/dd#
#dd##i#kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa hare hare#/i##/dd#
#dd##i#hare rāma hare rāma#/i##/dd#
#dd##i#rāma rāma hare hare#/i##/dd##/dl#
#dl##dd##i#ti ṣoḍaśakaṁ nāmnāṁ#/i##/dd#
#dd##i#kali-kalmaṣa-nāśanam#/i##/dd#
#dd##i#nātaḥ parataropāyaḥ#/i##/dd#
#dd##i#sarva-vedeṣu dṛśyate#/i##/dd##/dl#
"The sixteen words—Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare—are especially meant for counteracting the contaminations of Kali. To save oneself from the contamination of Kali, there is no alternative but the chanting of these sixteen words."
#$p#Lord Caitanya informed Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī that when His spiritual master understood Him, he said, "It is the transcendental nature of the holy names of Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare to transport a man into spiritual madness. Anyone who sincerely chants this holy name very soon attains elevation to the platform of love of God and becomes mad after God. This madness arising from love of God is the first perfectional stage for a human being."
#$p#Generally a human being is interested in religion, economic development, sense gratification and liberation, but love of God is above all these. A bona fide spiritual master chants the holy names—Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare—and the transcendental sound vibration enters into the ear of the disciple, and if a disciple follows in the footsteps of his spiritual master and chants the holy name with similar respect, he actually comes to worship the transcendental name. When the transcendental name is worshiped by the devotee, the name Himself spreads His glories within the heart of a devotee. When a devotee is perfectly qualified in chanting the transcendental vibration of the holy name, he is quite fit to become a spiritual master and to deliver all the people of the world. The chanting of the holy name is so powerful that it gradually establishes its supremacy above everything in the world. The devotee who chants it becomes transcendentally situated in ecstasy and sometimes laughs, cries and dances in his ecstasy. Sometimes the unintelligent put hindrances in the path of chanting this #i#mahā-mantra#/i#, but one who is situated on the platform of love of Godhead chants the holy name loudly for all concerned. As a result, everyone becomes initiated in the chanting of the holy names—Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. By chanting and hearing the holy names of Kṛṣṇa, a person can remember the forms and qualities of Kṛṣṇa.
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According to the principles of the Māyāvādī #i#sannyāsīs#/i#, singing, dancing and playing musical instruments are strictly prohibited, for they are considered to be sinful activities. The Māyāvādī #i#sannyāsī#/i# is simply supposed to engage in the study of the #i#Vedānta#/i#. Therefore when the Māyāvādī #i#sannyāsīs#/i# in Benares saw that Lord Caitanya was indulging in singing, dancing, playing musical instruments and always chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare, they concluded that He was not educated and that, out of sentiment, He was misleading His followers. Śaṅkarācārya 's injunction was that a #i#sannyāsī#/i# should always study the #i#Vedānta#/i# and that he should be satisfied by simply having one cloth and nothing more. Because Lord Caitanya neither studied the #i#Vedānta#/i# formally nor ceased from singing and dancing, He was criticized by all the #i#sannyāsīs#/i# at Benares, as well as by their householder followers.
#$p#When Lord Caitanya received news of this criticism from His students and disciples, He simply smiled and started for Mathurā and Vṛndāvana. When He returned to Benares on His way from Mathurā to Jagannātha Purī, He stayed at the house of Candraśekhara, who was considered a #i#śūdra#/i# because he was a clerk. In spite of this, Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu made His residence at his home. Lord Caitanya made no distinctions between #i#brāhmaṇas#/i# and #i#śūdras#/i#; He accepted anyone who was devoted. Customarily, a #i#sannyāsī#/i# is supposed to take shelter and eat in the home of a #i#brāhmaṇa#/i#, but Caitanya Mahāprabhu, as the independent Supreme Personality of Godhead, used His own discretion and decided to stay at Candraśekhara 's house.
#$p#In those days, by misusing their brahminical heritage, the #i#brāhmaṇas#/i# had created a law to the effect that anyone not born in a #i#brāhmaṇa#/i# family was to be considered a #i#śūdra#/i#. Thus even the #i#kṣatriyas#/i# and #i#vaidyas#/i# were also considered #i#śūdras#/i#. Because the #i#vaidyas#/i# were said to be descendants of #i#brāhmaṇa#/i# fathers and #i#śūdra#/i# mothers, they were sometimes called #i#śūdras#/i#. Thus Candraśekhara, although born in a vaidya family, was called a śūdra in Benares. As long as Lord Caitanya stayed in Benares, He remained at Candraśekhara 's home, and He took His food at the home of Tapana Miśra.
#$p#When Sanātana Gosvāmī met Lord Caitanya at Benares, he learned the process and principles of devotional service during two months of continuous teaching. Lord Caitanya 's instructions to Sanātana Gosvāmī have been described in the first part of this book. After receiving these teachings, Sanātana Gosvāmī was authorized to propagate the principles of devotional service and #i#Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam#/i#. It was during this time that both Tapana Miśra and Candraśekhara were feeling very sorry about the strong criticism against Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and they came together and prayed for the Lord to meet the Māyāvādī #i#sannyāsīs#/i#.
#$p#"We have been mortified by hearing unfavorable criticisms from the Māyāvādī #i#sannyāsīs#/i# against You," they informed Lord Caitanya. "Indeed, it has become intolerable for us." They requested the Lord to do something so that these criticisms would be stopped. While they were discussing this subject, a #i#brāhmaṇa#/i# came to Lord Caitanya and invited Him to his home. All the #i#sannyāsīs#/i# but Caitanya Mahāprabhu had been invited, and now the #i#brāhmaṇa#/i# came to invite Him. Knowing that the Lord did not mix with Māyāvādī #i#sannyāsīs#/i#, the #i#brāhmaṇa#/i# fell down at Caitanya Mahāprabhu 's feet and implored Him: "Although I know that You do not accept invitations, I still implore You to come and take #i#prasādam#/i# at my home with the other #i#sannyāsīs#/i#. If You accept this invitation, I will consider it a special favor."
#$p#The Lord took this opportunity and accepted the #i#brāhmaṇa 's#/i# invitation in order to meet the Māyāvādī #i#sannyāsīs#/i#. Actually this was an arrangement made by the Lord Himself. Although the #i#brāhmaṇa#/i# who invited Him knew that the Lord did not accept any invitations, he was still very eager to invite Him.
#$p#The next day Lord Caitanya went to the house of the #i#brāhmaṇa#/i# and saw that all the Māyāvādī #i#sannyāsīs#/i# were sitting there. He offered His respects to all the #i#sannyāsīs#/i#, as was customary, and then went to wash His feet. After washing, He sat down at that spot, a little distance from the other #i#sannyāsīs#/i#. While He was sitting there, the #i#sannyāsīs#/i# saw a glaring effulgence emanating from His body. Attracted by this glaring effulgence, all the Māyāvādī #i#sannyāsīs#/i# stood up and showed Him their respects. Among them was a #i#sannyāsī#/i# named Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī. He was the chief among the impersonalist #i#sannyāsīs#/i#, and he addressed Lord Caitanya with great humility, asking Him to come and sit among them.
#$p#"My dear Sir, why are You sitting in that filthy place?" he asked. "Please come and sit with us."
#$p#"Oh, I belong to an inferior sect of #i#sannyāsīs#/i#," Lord Caitanya replied. "Therefore I think that I should not sit with you. Let Me remain down here."
#$p#Prakāśānanda was surprised to hear such a thing from such a learned man, and he took the Lord 's hand and requested Him to please come and sit with him and the other #i#sannyāsīs#/i#. When Lord Caitanya was finally seated among them, Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī said, "I think Your name is Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya, and because You have taken #i#sannyāsa#/i# from Keśava Bhāratī, who belongs to the Śaṅkarācārya #i#sampradāya#/i#, I understand that You belong to our Māyāvādī sect."
#$p#According to the Śaṅkara sect, there are ten different names for #i#sannyāsīs#/i#. Out of them, three names—Tīrtha, Āśrama and Sarasvatīare given to the #i#sannyāsīs#/i# considered to be the most enlightened and cultured. Since Lord Caitanya was a Vaiṣṇava, He was naturally humble and meek, and He wanted to give the better sitting place to Prakāśānanda, who belonged to the Sarasvatī#i#sampradāya#/i#. According to Śaṅkara 's principles, a #i#brahmacārī#/i# of the Bhāratī school is called Caitanya. However, although Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu took #i#sannyāsa#/i#, He kept His #i#brahmacārī#/i# name and did not take up the title of Bhāratī.
#$p#"Well, Sir," Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī continued, "You belong to our Śaṅkara sect, and You are living in Benares—so why don 't You mix with us? What is the reason? Another thing: You are a #i#sannyāsī#/i# and are supposed to engage simply in the study of the #i#Vedānta#/i#, but we see that instead You are always engaged in chanting and dancing and playing musical instruments. What is the reason? These are the activities of emotional and sentimental people. But You are a qualified #i#sannyāsī#/i#. Why not engage in the study of the #i#Vedānta#/i#? By Your effulgence it appears to us that You are just like the Supreme Nārāyaṇa, the Personality of Godhead, but by Your behavior You appear to be otherwise. So we are inquisitive to know why You act in this way."
#$p#"My dear sir," Lord Caitanya replied, "My spiritual master considered Me a great fool. Therefore he has more or less punished Me by saying that because I am such a fool I have no capacity to study the #i#Vedānta#/i#. So he kindly gave Me the chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. My spiritual master told Me, 'Just go on chanting this Hare Kṛṣṇa #i#mantra#/i#: it will make You all-perfect.' "
#$p#Actually, Lord Caitanya was neither foolish nor ignorant of the principles of the #i#Vedānta#/i#. His purpose was to demonstrate to modern society that fools who have no history of penance and austerity should not try to study the #i#Vedānta#/i# just for some recreational purpose. In His #i#Śikṣāṣṭaka#/i#, Lord Caitanya said that one should be in a humble state of mind, should think himself lower than the grass on the street, should be more tolerant than a tree, and should be devoid of all sense of prestige and ready to offer all kinds of respects to others. In such a state of mind, one can chant the #i#Vedānta#/i# philosophy or the holy name of God constantly. The Lord also wanted to teach that a serious student of transcendental science should exactly follow the words of his spiritual master. According to the calculations of His spiritual master, Lord Caitanya appeared to be a fool; therefore he said that He should not indulge in the study of the #i#Vedānta#/i# but should continue chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa #i#mantra#/i#. Lord Caitanya strictly obeyed this order. In other words, Lord Caitanya impressed on the Māyāvādīs that the words of a bona fide spiritual master must be strictly followed. One who does so becomes perfect in all respects.
#$p#The word #i#vedānta#/i# means "the last word of Vedic knowledge," which is to understand Kṛṣṇa. As Krsna states in the #i#Bhagavad-gītā#/i# (15.15), #i#vedaiśca sarvair aham eva vedyaḥ#/i#: "By all the #i#Vedas#/i#, I am to be known." When one actually comes to understand the #i#Vedānta#/i#, he comes to know Kṛṣṇa and his relationship with Kṛṣṇa. And one who understands Kṛṣṇa understands everything. Moreover, the knower of Kṛṣṇa is always engaged in His transcendental loving service. As the Lord states in the #i#Bhagavad-gītā#/i# (10.8):
#dl##dd##i#ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate#/i##/dd#
#dd##i#iti matvā bhajante māṁ budhā bhāva-samanvitāḥ#/i##/dd##/dl#
"I am the source of everything, and everything emanates from Me. One who perfectly knows this fully engages in My transcendental loving service."
#$p#A living entity is eternally related with Kṛṣṇa in the relationship of servant and master. Once that service is wanting—or, in other words, when one is not situated in Kṛṣṇa consciousness—it is to be understood that his study of the #i#Vedānta#/i# is insufficient. When one does not understand Kṛṣṇa or does not engage in His transcendental loving service, it is to be understood that he is averse to studying the #i#Vedānta#/i# and understanding the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The path of #i#Vedānta#/i# study shown by Lord Caitanya should be followed by all. A person who is puffed up by so-called education has no humility and therefore does not seek the protection of a bona fide spiritual master. He thinks that he does not require a spiritual master and that he can achieve the highest perfection by his own efforts. Such persons are not eligible for studying the #i#Vedānta-sūtra#/i#. Those who are under the spell of the material energy do not follow the instructions of the disciplic succession but try to manufacture something on their own. In this way they step outside the sphere of #i#Vedānta#/i# study. A bona fide spiritual master must always condemn such independent mental speculators. If the bona fide spiritual master directly points out the foolishness of a disciple, it should not be taken wrongly.
#$p#A person who is completely ignorant of the science of God cannot be considered learned. More or less, everyone who is not in Kṛṣṇa consciousness is subject to foolishness. Sometimes we display our foolishness by accepting someone who is barely educated as a spiritual master. It is our duty to understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead, whose lotus feet are worshiped by all the #i#Vedas#/i#. One who does not understand Him and is proud of a false understanding of the #i#Vedānta#/i# is actually a fool. Mundane attempts at academic knowledge are simply another type of foolishness. As long as one cannot understand the cosmic manifestation as a representation of the three modes of material nature, he must be considered to be in the darkness of inebriety and caught in the duality of this material world. A person who is in perfect knowledge of the #i#Vedānta#/i# becomes a servitor of the Supreme Lord, who is the maintainer and sustainer of the whole cosmic manifestation. As long as one is not transcendental to the service of the limited, he cannot have knowledge of the #i#Vedānta#/i#.
#$p#As long as one is within the limited jurisdiction of fruitive activities or is involved in mental speculation, he may perhaps be eligible to study or teach theoretical knowledge of the #i#Vedānta-sūtra#/i#, but he cannot understand the supreme, eternal, transcendental (completely liberated) vibration of Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. One who has achieved perfection in chanting this transcendental vibration does not have to separately learn the philosophy of the #i#Vedānta-sūtra#/i#. According to the teachings of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, the bona fide spiritual master, those who do not understand that this transcendental vibration is nondifferent from the Supreme, yet who try to become Māyāvādī philosophers expert in the #i#Vedānta-sūtra#/i#, are all fools. Studying the #i#Vedānta-sūtra#/i# by one 's own efforts (the ascending process of knowledge) is a sign of foolishness. On the other hand, he who has attained a taste for chanting this transcendental vibration has actually reached the conclusion of the #i#Vedānta#/i#. In this connection, there are two verses in #i#Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam#/i# which are very instructive. The purport of the first is that if a person is chanting the transcendental vibration Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare, then even if he was born in the family of the lowest of human beings it is to be understood that in his previous lives he performed all types of renunciation, austerities and sacrifice and studied all the #i#Brahma-sūtras#/i#. The purport of the second verse is that one who chants the two syllables #i#ha-ri#/i# must be considered to have studied all the #i#Vedas#/i#—the #i#Ṛg Veda#/i#, #i#Atharva Veda#/i#, #i#Yajur Veda#/i# and #i#Sāma Veda#/i#.
#$p#On the other hand, there are many so-called devotees who think the #i#Vedānta#/i# is not meant for devotees. Such people are ignorant of the fact that the #i#Vedānta#/i# is the only platform of pure devotees. Great #i#ācāryas#/i# in all four Vaiṣṇava #i#sampradāyas#/i# have made commentaries on the #i#Vedānta-sūtra#/i#, but the so-called devotees known as #i#prākṛta-sahajiyās#/i# carefully avoid the study of the #i#Vedānta-sūtra#/i#. The #i#prākṛta-sahajiyās#/i# mistakenly take the pure devotees and Vaiṣṇava #i#ācāryas#/i# to be mental speculators or fruitive actors. Consequently they themselves become Māyāvādīs and leave the service of the Supreme Lord.
#$p#Understanding the #i#Vedānta-sūtra#/i# by academic knowledge never enables one to understand the value of the transcendental vibration. People who are entangled in academic knowledge are conditioned souls who are confused about the facts of "I" and "mine" understanding. Consequently they are unable to detach their minds from the external energy. When a person actually attains transcendental knowledge, he becomes free from this duality and engages in the transcendental loving service of the Supreme Lord. The Lord 's service is the only means by which one can become detached from material activities. A person properly initiated by a bona fide spiritual master and engaged in chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare gradually becomes freed from the conception of "I" and "mine" and becomes attached to the Lord 's transcendental loving service in one of the five transcendental relationships. Such transcendental service is not a subject matter for gross and subtle bodies. Only when one can understand that there is no difference between the Supreme and His name can one be situated in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. At such a time one no longer needs to make grammatical adjustments. Rather, one becomes more interested in petitioning the Lord: "Hare Kṛṣṇa—O my Lord, O energy of the Lord, please engage me in Your service!"
#$p#Lord Caitanya explained all this to Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī and told him that He had heard all this from His spiritual master. He further informed Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī that His spiritual master had taught Him that #i#Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam#/i# is the actual commentary on the #i#Vedānta-sūtra#/i#, as stated in #i#Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam#/i# by Vyāsadeva, the author of the #i#Vedānta-sūtra#/i#.
#$p#A student 's perfection is to understand the identity of the holy name and the Supreme Lord. Unless one is under the shelter of a realized spiritual master, his understanding of the Supreme is simply foolishness. However, one can fully understand the transcendental Lord by service and devotion. When Lord Caitanya offenselessly chanted the Hare Kṛṣṇa #i#mantra#/i#, He declared that the #i#mantra#/i# could at once deliver a conditioned soul from material contamination. In this Age of Kali there is no alternative to chanting this #i#mahā-mantra#/i#. It is stated that the essence of all Vedic literature is the chanting of this holy name of Kṛṣṇa: Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. Lord Caitanya also told Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī, "In order to convince Me about this essential fact of Vedic knowledge, My spiritual master has taught Me a verse from #i#Bṛhan-nāradīya Purāṇa#/i# (38.126). #i#Harer nāma harer nāma harer nāmaiva kevalam/ kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva nāsty eva gatir anyathā#/i#: "In this age of quarrel and hypocrisy, the only means of deliverance is the chanting of the holy name of the Lord. There is no other way. There is no other way. There is no other way."
#$p#In three out of the four millenniums (namely Satya-yuga, Tretā-yuga and Dvāpara-yuga) people had the honor to strive to understand transcendence through the path of disciplic succession. But in the present age, due to the influence of Kali, people have no interest in the disciplic succession. Instead, they have invented many paths of logic and argument. This individual attempt to understand the supreme transcendence (called the ascending process) is not the Vedic way. The Absolute Truth must descend from the absolute platform. He is not to be understood by the ascending process. The holy name of the Lord—Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare—is a transcendental vibration because it comes from the transcendental platform, the supreme abode of Kṛṣṇa. And because there is no difference between Kṛṣṇa and His name, the holy name of Kṛṣṇa is as pure, perfect and liberated as Kṛṣṇa Himself. Academic scholars, relying on logic and argument, have no entrance into the understanding of the transcendental nature of the holy name of God. The single path for understanding the transcendental nature of Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare is the chanting of these names with faith and adherence. Such chanting will release one from designated conditions arising from the gross and subtle bodies.
#$p#In this age of logical argument and disagreement, the chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa is the only means for self-realization. And because this transcendental vibration alone can deliver the conditioned soul, it is the essence of the #i#Vedānta-sūtra#/i#. According to the material conception, there is a difference between a person himself and his name, form, qualities, emotions and activities, but as far as this transcendental vibration is concerned, there is no such limitation, for it descends from the spiritual world. In the spiritual world, unlike the material world, there is no difference between a person and his name and qualities. Because the Māyāvādī philosophers cannot understand this, they cannot utter the transcendental vibration.
#$p#Lord Caitanya then told Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī that because He received the order from His spiritual master He was constantly chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. "As a result of this chanting," the Lord said, "I sometimes become very impatient and cannot restrain Myself from dancing and laughing or crying and singing. Indeed, I become just like a madman. When I first wondered whether I had become mad by chanting this Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare, I approached My spiritual master and informed him that I had gone mad by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. Thus I asked him what was My actual position."
#$p#In the #i#Nārada-pañcarātra#/i# it is stated:
#dl##dd##i#eṣo vedāḥṣaḍ-aṅgāni chandāṁsi vividhāḥ surāḥ#/i##/dd#
#dd##i#sarvam aṣṭākṣarāntaḥsthaṁ yac cānyad api vāṅ-mayam#/i##/dd#
#dd##i#sarva-vedānta-sārārthaḥ saṁsārārṇava-tāraṇaḥ#/i##/dd##/dl#
"All Vedic rituals, mantras and understanding are compressed into the eight words Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare." Similarly, in the #i#Kali-santaraṇa Upaniṣad#/i# it is stated:
#dl##dd##i#hare kṛṣṇa hare kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa hare hare#/i##/dd#
#dd##i#hare rāma hare rāma rāma rāma hare hare#/i##/dd##/dl#
#dl##dd##i#iti ṣoḍaśakaṁ nāmnāṁ kali-kalmaṣa-nāśanam#/i##/dd#
#dd##i#nātaḥ parataropāyaḥ sarva-vedeṣu dṛśyate#/i##/dd##/dl#
"The sixteen words Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare are especially meant for counteracting the contaminations of Kali. To save oneself from the contamination of Kali, there is no alternative to the chanting of these sixteen words."
#$p#Lord Caitanya informed Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī that when His spiritual master understood Him he said, "It is the transcendental nature of the holy names Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare to transport a man into spiritual madness. Anyone who sincerely chants this holy name is quickly elevated to the platform of love of God and becomes mad after God. This madness arising from love of God is the highest perfectional stage for a human being."
#$p#Generally a human being is interested in religion, economic development, sense gratification and liberation. But love of God is above all these. A bona fide spiritual master chants the holy names Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare, and the transcendental sound vibration enters the ear of the disciple, and if the disciple follows in the footsteps of his spiritual master and chants the holy name with similar respect, this chanting constitutes worship of the transcendental name. When the transcendental name is worshiped by the devotee, the name Himself spreads His glories within the heart of the devotee. When the devotee is perfectly qualified in chanting the transcendental vibration of the holy name, he is quite fit to become a spiritual master and to deliver all the people of the world. The chanting of the holy name is so powerful that it gradually establishes its supremacy above everything in the world. The devotee who chants it becomes transcendentally situated in ecstasy and sometimes laughs, cries and dances in his ecstasy. Sometimes the unintelligent put hindrances in the path of the chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa #i#mahā-mantra#/i#, but one who is situated on the platform of love of Godhead continues to chant the holy name loudly for the benefit of all concerned. As a result, everyone becomes initiated into the chanting of the holy names—Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. By chanting and hearing the holy names of Kṛṣṇa, a person can remember the forms and qualities of Kṛṣṇa.
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