Lord Caitanya's Appearance Day
By His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

(Delivered in Mayapur, March 16, 1976)

Today is Caitanya Mahaprabhu's appearance day, so we must discuss this very thoroughly, that, that Rupa Gosvami understood it. Therefore we have to go through guru. Rupa Gosvami is our guru. Narottama dasa Thakura said, rupa-raghunatha-pade, hoibe akuti, kabe hama bujhabo, sri-yugala-piriti. If we want to understand the transcendental position of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, then we have to go through guru, guru-parampara system. Otherwise it is not possible. Rupa-raghunatha pade hoibe akuti. Unless we accept this process, unless we submit... This whole process is submission. Krishna wants this. Sarva-dharman parityajya. So if you want to approach Krishna, you have to become very submissive. And to whom? "Krishna is not here. To whom I shall submit?" No. To His devotee, to His representative. The business is submission. So Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu appeared this day for giving mercy to the fallen souls who are so foolish, they cannot take to Krishna consciousness. He is personally teaching how to take to Krishna consciousness. And that is this kirtana. You'll find. You have seen the picture in our Teachings of Lord Caitanya that in Prayag He was engaged in chanting, and Rupa Gosvami is offering his obeisances. That is the first meeting with Rupa Gosvami, and he composed this verse, namo maha-vadanyaya Krishna-prema-pradaya te... [Cc. Madhya 19.53].

Devotees: ...krsnaya Krishna-caitanya-namne gaura-tvise namah.

Prabhupada: Yes. So this is channah-avatara. He's Krishna, He has come to give you Krishna-prema, but He's acting like a Krishna devotee. This is covered. He is not commanding now, "You do this." Yes, He's commanding, "Do this," but in different way. Because people misunderstood, "Oh, who is this person commanding?" Even some so-called rascal scholar, he has said, "It's too much to demand." They have remarked like that. Yes, sophisticated persons, they are thinking like that.

But our process is to submit. Unless we submit, there is no hope of advancing in Krishna consciousness. That is Caitanya Mahaprabhu's teaching.

trnad api sunicena taror api sahisnuna amanina manadena kirtaniyah sada harih [Cc. Adi 17.31]

If you want to chant Hare Krishna mantra, then you have to take this principle, trnad api sunicena. You have to become humbler than the grass. Grass, it is lying on the street. Everyone is trampling down. Never protests. In the lawn you are... Everyone is trampling the grass. There is no protest. Taror api sahisnuna. And tolerant than the tree. The tree is giving us so much help. It is giving us fruit, flower, leaves, and when there is scorching heat, shelter also. Sit down underneath. So beneficial, still, we cut. As soon as I like, I cut it down. But there is no protest. The tree does not say, "I have given you so much help, and you are cutting me?" No. Tolerant. Yes. Therefore Caitanya Mahaprabhu has selected, taror api sahisnuna. And amanina manadena. For oneself one should not expect any respectful position, but he, the devotee, should offer all respect to anyone. Amanina manadena kirtaniyah sada harih [Cc. Adi 17.31]. If we acquire this qualification, then we can chant Hare Krishna maha-mantra without any disturbance. This is the qualification.

So Caitanya Mahaprabhu came to teach these principles. He is Krishna Himself. There is no... Na caitanyat krsnat para-tattvam param iha. Para-tattvam, the Supreme Truth, is Caitanya Mahaprabhu. The Supreme Truth is Krishna, but Caitanya Mahaprabhu is not different from Krishna. Na caitanyat krsnat para-tattvam param iha, yad advaitam brahmopanisadi [Cc. Adi 1.3]. The Brahman, advaita, monists' Brahman, which is described in the Upanisad, yad, that factor, yad advaita brahmanopanisadi, paramatma, and the Paramatma, Brahman, Paramatma and Bhagavan -- this is the three features of the Supreme Absolute Truth.

vadanti tat tattva-vidas tattvam yad jnanam advayam brahmeti paramatmeti bhagavan iti sabdyate [SB 1.2.11]

The Absolute Truth is one, advaya-jnana. There is no difference. But He, according to our qualification of understanding the Absolute Truth, He appears as Brahman, impersonal Brahman; He appears as localized Paramatma, Supersoul; and He appears as the beloved Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna, according to the receiver. Ye yatha mam prapadyante [Bg. 4.11]. That is meant. If you want to understand the Absolute Truth as impersonal Brahman, you realize that. If you want to realize the Absolute Truth as Paramatma, everywhere, all-pervading, you can realize Him. And if you want to see Him as the most beloved, then you can also have. That is the meaning of ye yatha mam prapadyante. You can realize the Absolute Truth any way. He is prepared to manifest Himself as you desire.

So "as you desire" does not mean... That also, He is present because, here it is stated, nr-tiryag-rsi-deva-jhasavataraih. According to the evolutionary process, so there was water all over the universe. So at that time, dasa-avatara, kesava dhrta-mina-sarira jaya jagadisa hare. Similarly, He became tortoise. Then He becomes Nrsimhadeva, He became Vamanadeva -- so many. That is going on, nitya, nitya-lila. Don't think the avatara comes only to the human society, nr. But He appears amongst the animals, amongst the insects, amongst the trees. Therefore in the Bhagavad-gita there is statement, "Among the trees, I am this tree. Among the animals, I am this animal. Among the persons... Among the fighters, I am this, I am this." He's everything, but just to point out a few... In another place He says, raso 'ham apsu kaunteya. He is prepared to be appreciated by you in any condition of life if you take His instruction how to realize Him. And if you manufacture your own way, no, that is not possible. That is... Even if you are most ordinary man, still, you can realize Him. There is no difficulty. How? Krishna said, raso 'ham apsu kaunteya: "My dear Arjuna, I am the taste of the water." Now, who does not drink water? Anyone? The animal also drinks water and the human being also drinks water. But the animal cannot understand God, although God is there in the water, and the man can understand because he is human being. Therefore a human being is different from animal. If we remain like animals -- we are drinking water, but we are not realizing Krishna -- then you are animal. This is animals. And if we drink water -- everyone drinks water many times -- so many times we can remember Krishna. And that is the process of devotional... Smaranam. Sravanam kirtanam visnoh smaranam [SB 7.5.23].

So every time, if you drink water and remember Krishna, then you are on the devotional service. Where is the difficulty? But the rascals will not take it. That is the... Where is the difficulty? Everyone drinks water, and as soon as you drink water when you are thirsty, and the taste of the water appeases your thirst, so if you simply remember that "In the Bhagavad-gita it is stated that this taste is Krishna," then immediately you remember Krishna. And as soon as you remember Krishna, it is devotional service, smaranam. Where is the difficulty? Where is the difficulty for becoming Krishna conscious? Raso 'ham apsu kaunteya prabhasmi sasi-suryayoh: "I am the illumination of the moon and the sun." So who does not see the moonshine and the sunshine? In daytime you see the sunshine and at night you see the moonshine. So if you see the sunshine and moonshine and if you remember Krishna's instructions that "This sunshine, moonshine, I am," so where is the difficulty?

raso 'ham apsu kaunteya prabhasmi sasi-suryayoh pranavah sarva-vedesu...

Now, if you think, "Eh, I am so learned Vedantist. Why shall I study the sunshine-moonshine and what? I shall chant om." (laughter) "Rascal, this om I am. (laughter) You are so big Vedantist. You chant om, but that I am." Pranavah sarva-vedesu. Every Vedic mantra is chanted after the vibration of omkara. Om tad visnoh paramam padam sada pasyanti sur... This is the Vedic mantra always, every Veda. So either you become Vedantist or ordinary human being -- does not know anything -- you can realize Krishna. There is no difficulty.

So Krishna taught everything for becoming Krishna conscious, but still, we are so rascal we could not understand Krishna. Therefore Krishna came again: "These rascals failed to understand Me, and now I shall teach how to become a devotee of Krishna by My personal behavior." That is Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, by His personal... Don't think that because He's playing the part... Just like somebody is giving massage to my body. So he's not giving properly. So immediately I take his hand and I began to give massage, "Do like this. Do like this." That does not mean I am masseur or I am servant of that person. Similarly, don't forget that Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna. Sri-Krishna-caitanya radha-Krishna nahe anya. You are worshiping Radha-Krishna, and there is Caitanya Mahaprabhu's Deity also. There are some parties, they protest, "Why Caitanya Mahaprabhu's Deity should be placed along with Krishna?" But they do not know sri-Krishna-caitanya radha-Krishna nahe anya. It is not different.

So Sri Krishna Caitanya is Krishna. It is confirmed by the sastras. Here it is said, channah kalau yad abhava. In the Kali-yuga, directly He does not appear as the incarnation like Nrsimhadeva or Vamanadeva or Lord Ramacandra, yes, but as devotee. So He's the same incarnation, Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Abhavat. "Therefore sometimes You are called as tri-yuga." There are four yugas, but He is known... Because in three yugas He appears distinctly, and in the fourth yuga, the Kali-yuga, as devotee, therefore He's called tri-yuga.

So today is the birthday or appearance day of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and this is the birthplace, this Mayapura, and you are all present here. It is a good fortune. Always remember Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and chant sri-Krishna-caitanya prabhu-nityananda...

Devotees: ...sri-advaita gadadhara srivasadi-gaura-bhakta-vrnda.

Prabhupada: This will make your life perfect. Thank you very much. (end)

© CHAKRA 9 March 2001

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