Sri Caitanya: 'the soul of Krsna' [From Sanga]

[Jahnava Nitai Das]

S a n g a

 

Friday, March 9, Gaura Purnima

 

"Caitanya means consciousness. Mahaprabhu is always conscious of Krsna.

Caitanya also means soul. Mahaprabhu is the soul of Krsna, Sri Radha, and

thus he is conscious of Krsna as only she can be."

 

Hari katha with Swami B.V. Tripurari, Gaura Purnima, 2000, Vrindavan,

India.

 

Q. What is the meaning of Sri Krsna Caitanya?

 

A. Sri Krsna means Radha Krsna, who have appeared as Caitanya. He is Krsna

Caitanya, or Krsna conscious. This name was given to him by Kesava Bharati

Maharaja as Mahaprabhu began his preaching lila. The word 'caitanya' means

consciousness. Mahaprabhu is always conscious of Krsna. Caitanya also means

soul. Mahaprabhu is the soul of Krsna, Sri Radha, and thus he is conscious

of Krsna as only she can be. Caitanya Mahaprabhu is Sri (Radha) and Krsna

combined.

 

One time Sri Radhika had a dream. In that dream she saw a golden figure

dancing and singing in a setting resembling Vraja dhama. By that singing

and dancing she was so attracted and she saw everybody in the universe from

the lowest up to Lord Brahma were crying. She awoke from the dream and

thought, in the chastity of her love for Krsna, 'How could I be so

attracted to that person? Who was that?' She was puzzled. Krsna came on the

scene and she asked him and he laughed.

 

She could not understand. But the kastauba mani jewel that Krsna wears over

his chest, which represents all jiva souls that he holds near his heart,

began to shine brightly. and inside that jewel the hearts of all jivas were

rejoicing at the thought of that golden figure that Radha saw in her dream.

From this she realized why Krsna is laughing - the joy that they will feel

from that figure can only come from the worship of Radha and Krsna. So she

said 'Krsna: tat tvam asi - you are that.' and 'aham gopala - I am that, I

am you Gopala also in that appearance' '

 

Q. Why did Krsna make this special appearance?

 

A. We are not short of explanations to shed light on the mystical and

covert appearance of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Covered it is, but it is our

business to uncover it. In the Gitopanisad Krsna says, 'ye yatha mam

prapadyante' those who surrender to me, however they may do it, I

reciprocate accordingly. The gopis took this verse to the extreme. In

effect they took Krsna up on his offer and they surrendered fully,

expecting reciprocation. During rasa-lila Krsna witnessed the measure of

their love and surrender, and being Rasaraja, the connoisseur of love, he

left the rasa dance to see the measure of their love even more. But when he

saw the extent of it he realized that he was defeated.

 

He told the gopis, 'I disappeared because I wanted to see the true measure

of your love.' For how one reacts after losing something very valuable is

much greater than when you had it in the first place. 'I disappeared from

the rasa dance to see your love increase. But I have to admit that upon

seeing it, I am defeated. I can only surrender. And for your reward you

will have to settle for your love, which, in a mystic way, is greater than

myself.'

 

So in this way the gopis took this verse of Bhagavad-gita, 'ye yatha mam

prapadyante' to its extreme and completely exhausted Krsna's capacity to

reciprocate. This is the essence of Caitanya Mahaprabhu; Krsna seeing the

measure of the gopis' love, seeing that it is greater than he himself, and

as the connoisseur of love, desiring to taste it.

 

Q. I heard tomorrow is a special anniversary.

 

A. Yes, I took sannyasa here 25 years ago at the opening of the Krsna

Balaram Mandir. I joined Prabhupada in 1972, so 28 years have passed. I am

in my fifty-first year. So many things we have seen come and go. And I'm

not the only person coming to this age who has been involved in this. So

many of you are here today! So now we must become real devotees. It is

time. We should be settled in this, what it is.

 

We are all together. You should know this: nobody is going anywhere. If

there is somebody you don't like, you'd better get over it because they are

not going away. We are all in this forever. Whatever exists will always

exist, and whatever doesn't exist will never come into existence. This is

Vedanta, nyaya, and in terms of bhakti it applies as well in the smaller

group. We are all in this forever and nobody is going away. So if somebody

is giving you a hard time, you'd better find another way to get around it

than opposing or avoiding that person. Try to see the good qualities in

others, somehow or other. And if they can see yours, then maybe you don't

have that much to argue about. This is incumbent upon all of us. It is

time. I feel pressed to tell you this. Forgive me because I am the worst of

all of you, but this we must do.

 

We should know our family, how we are connected. And brothers argue too. I

have a love-hate relationship with many of my godbrothers, but love is

still underlying it all. They may do so many nonsense things and they may

think I do the same, but underneath it all we have worked together, we have

served together for so many years for the same divine cause and each one of

us knows what that is about.

 

That is not just limited to my godbrothers and godsisters. It extends to

all of us who have been touched by what Krsnadasa Kaviraja is speaking of.

Those difficulties that are on the surface can be cleared away very

quickly. And they may not need to be cleared also, that is another way of

looking at it. 'Variety is the spice of life' we are told. If we just

reflect on it, differences between godbrothers, if we look closely, may

also come to charm us. Bhakti requires some introspection. To be a decent

human being requires introspection. So if we can just have a little human

introspection, we can understand the nature of these dealings.

 

Q. What kind of relationship should we aspire for?

 

A. Candidly speaking our heart, hiding nothing, this should be our

relationship with one another. This is sat sanga, truthful sanga. We should

come together in the evening, do kirtan, sit, and go around the room and

speak about what we did that day, if we deviated in any way from Krsna's

service, speak about it, and the next person and the next person. Every

night like this. This is sadhu sanga, this is loving relationship, sharing

one's heart. Such a great gift we got from Srila Prabhupada, the

universality of Mahaprabhu's mission. We are all Vaisnavas - not American

Vaisnavas, or Indian Vaisnavas. We are all part of Caitanya Mahaprabhu's

mission, we have all come in its grand wake.

 

By nama sankirtana we will know the truth of Krsna bhakti. It's nature is

self-luminous. It will come to us. Chant Krsna nama nicely, practice

vaidhi-bhakti sincerely and aspire, 'I want to attain Vraja bhakti.' When I

was a young and inexperienced devotee living in New Dwaraka, someone

mistakenly told me 'You know most devotees go to Vaikuntha.' At the time I

didn't how to respond - but I cried. I thought, 'Vaikuntha! Krsna is not in

Vaikuntha! He who plays the flute, standing on the altar - I'm attached to

him. And you're telling me I'm going to Vaikuntha?' We should have this

kind of feeling: 'I want only Vraja lila.'

 

Q. How do we do that?

 

A. Ruci is the basis of spiritual identity. When you have ruci, you know

what to do. You follow the ruci, the taste. Follow the taste - this is the

ultimate pramana, or evidence. We hear about sastra pramana, but Caitanya

Caritamrta teaches that the real pramana is experience. And we know that as

a fact. We can hear sastra all day and night, but the only reason we are

here is that we got a little experience somewhere along the line and we

know 'it is not like anything else. I want this!'

 

I may know I am not qualified to go there now, but I will try to qualify

myself with all these practices and I will chant my mantram and think as

Jiva Goswami said, 'I want to go there, the place this mantra is talking

about.' And if we are sincere in our practice, that mantra will rise in our

heart like the sun and reveal Bhagavat-sambandha, our relationship with the

Lord. And then there will be no more questions like, 'How will I know? How

can I tell?' If we ask this question then it has not come yet.

 

And then as this love awakens the feeling comes that you want to share it.

This is the nature of love, to share. And as you start to share, you

realize, 'Oh I can't, not everyone shares the same feeling and they may

think I am crazy, saying 'Who are you to say that, that you are feeling

like this?'

 

So that ideal, that awakening in the heart, is a very high thing of course.

But it will come. It will come to the simple and sincere devotee. Try to be

a good devotee, not a great devotee and it will come. Serve the Vaisnavas

and when it comes, you will know it.

 

Q. And study scripture?

 

A. Yes, study the scripture. But for what? For doing bhajan, not for

collecting information to prove a point, to beat somebody over the head

with it. Such argumentation is not helpful at all for bhakti. It is

pratikula, unfavorable. So study sastra for bhajan. Let it speak to us of

what we need to do now, today, to make progress in Krsna's service. This is

what I mean by an open heart. Study sastra in that way, and practice.

 

Q. And preaching?

 

A. What comes to you, if you feel it is worth sharing, then share it. If

someone asks you a question, you answer honestly what you have understood.

And if people are attracted to that, then this is preaching.

 

You don't have to study for preaching, planning what to say, how to defeat

them, thinking, 'they're all demons, they have all rejected the right way,

they are this or that,' whatever ism or schism we are part of.

 

Find a verse that changes your heart. When your heart changes, preaching

will overflow, automatically. That kind of preaching will be compelling and

it will draw people in and it will draw down the mercy of Caitanya

Mahaprabhu as well.