Adi17.24

TEXT 24

’kevala’-sabde punarapi niscaya-karana

jnana-yoga-tapa-karma-adi nivarana

SYNONYMS

’kevala’-sabde—by the word kevala, or “only”; punarapi—again; niscaya-karana—final decision; jnana—cultivation of knowledge; yoga—practice of the mystic yoga system; tapa—austerity; karma—fruitive activities; adi—and so on; nivarana—prohibition.

TRANSLATION

"The use of the word ’kevala’ [’only’] prohibits all other processes, such as cultivation of knowledge, practice of mystic yoga, and performance of austerities and fruitive activities.

PURPORT

Our Krsna consciousness movement stresses the chanting of the Hare Krsna mantra only, whereas those who do not know the secret of success for this Age of Kali unnecessarily indulge in the cultivation of knowledge, the practice of mystic yoga or the performance of fruitive activities or useless austerities. They are simply wasting their time and misleading their followers. When we point this out very plainly to an audience, members of opposing groups become angry at us. But according to the injunctions of the sastras, we cannot make compromises with these so-called jnanis, yogis, karmis and tapasvis. When they say they are as good as we are, we must say that only we are good and that they are not good. This is not our obstinacy; it is the injunction of the sastras. We must not deviate from the injunctions of the sastras. This is confirmed in the next verse of Caitanya-caritamrta.

Adi17.25

TEXT 25

anyatha ye mane, tara nahika nistara

nahi, nahi, nahi--e tina ’eva’-kara

SYNONYMS

anyatha—otherwise; ye—anyone who; mane—accepts; tara—of him; nahika—there is no; nistara—deliverance; nahi nahi nahi—there is nothing else, nothing else, nothing else; e—in this; tina—three; eva-kara—bearing the meaning of emphasis.

TRANSLATION

"This verse clearly states that anyone who accepts any other path cannot be delivered. This is the reason for the triple repetition ’nothing else, nothing else, nothing else,’ which emphasizes the real process of self-realization.

Adi17.26

TEXT 26

trna haite nica hana sada labe nama

apani nirabhimani, anye dibe mana

SYNONYMS

trna—grass; haite—than; nica—lower; hana—becoming; sada—always; labe—chant; nama—the holy name; apani—personally; nirabhimani—without honor; anye—unto others; dibe—you should give; mana—all respect.

TRANSLATION

"To chant the holy name always, one should be humbler than the grass in the street and devoid of all desire for personal honor, but one should offer others all respectful obeisances.

Adi17.27

TEXT 27

taru-sama sahisnuta vaisnava karibe

bhartsana-tadane kake kichu na balibe

SYNONYMS

taru-sama—like a tree; sahisnuta—forbearance; vaisnava—devotee; karibe—should practice; bhartsana—rebuking; tadane—chastising; kake—unto anyone; kichu—something; na—not; balibe—will utter.

TRANSLATION

"A devotee engaged in chanting the holy name of the Lord should practice forbearance like that of a tree. Even if rebuked or chastised, he should not say anything to others to retaliate.

Adi17.28

TEXT 28

katileha taru yena kichu na bolaya

sukaiya mare, tabu jala na magaya

SYNONYMS

katileha—even being cut; taru—the tree; yena—as; kichu—something; na—not; bolaya—says; sukaiya—drying up; mare—dies; tabu—still; jala—water; na—does not; magaya—ask for.

TRANSLATION

"For even if one cuts a tree, it never protests, and even if it is drying up and dying it does not ask anyone for water.

PURPORT

This practice of forbearance (trnad api sunicena) is very difficult, but when one actually engages in chanting the Hare Krsna mantra, the quality of forbearance automatically develops. A person advanced in spiritual consciousness through the chanting of the Hare Krsna mantra need not practice to develop it separately, for a devotee develops all good qualities simply by chanting the Hare Krsna mantra regularly.

Adi17.29

TEXT 29

ei-mata vaisnava kare kichu na magiba

ayacita-vrtti, kimva saka-phala khaiba

SYNONYMS

ei-mata—in this way; vaisnava—a devotee; kare—from anyone; kichu—anything; na—not; magiba—shall ask for; ayacita-vrtti—the profession of not asking for anything; kimva—or; saka—vegetables; phala—fruits; khaiba—shall eat.

TRANSLATION

"Thus a Vaisnava should not ask anything from anyone else. If someone gives him something without being asked, he should accept it, but if nothing comes, a Vaisnava should be satisfied to eat whatever vegetables and fruits are easily available.

Adi17.30

TEXT 30

sada nama la-iba, yatha-labhete santosa

eita acara kare bhakti-dharma-posa

SYNONYMS

sada—always; nama—the holy name; la-iba—one should chant; yatha—inasmuch as; labhete—gains; santosa—satisfaction; eita—this; acara—behavior; kare—does; bhakti-dharma—of devotional service; posa—maintenance.

TRANSLATION

"One should strictly follow the principle of always chanting the holy name, and one should be satisfied with whatever he gets easily. Such devotional behavior solidly maintains one’s devotional service.

Adi17.31

TEXT 31

trnad api su-nicena

taror iva sahisnuna

amanina mana-dena

kirtaniyah sada harih

SYNONYMS

trnat api—than downtrodden grass; su-nicena—being lower; taroh—than a tree; iva—like; sahisnuna—with tolerance; amanina—without being puffed up by false pride; mana-dena—giving respect to all; kirtaniyah—to be chanted; sada—always; harih—the holy name of the Lord.

TRANSLATION

“One who thinks himself lower than the grass, who is more tolerant than a tree, and who does not expect personal honor yet is always prepared to give all respect to others can very easily always chant the holy name of the Lord.”

PURPORT

The grass is specifically mentioned in this verse because everyone tramples upon it yet the grass never protests. This example indicates that a spiritual master or leader should not be proud of his position; being always humbler than an ordinary common man, he should go on preaching the cult of Caitanya Mahaprabhu by chanting the Hare Krsna mantra.

Adi17.32

TEXT 32

urdhva-bahu kari’ kahon, suna, sarva-loka

nama-sutre ganthi’ para kanthe ei sloka

SYNONYMS

urdhva-bahu—raising my hands; kari’-doing so; kahon—I declare; suna—please hear; sarva-loka—all persons; nama—of the holy name; sutre—on the thread; ganthi—stringing; para—get it; kanthe—on the neck; ei—this; sloka—verse.

TRANSLATION

Raising my hands, I declare, “Everyone please hear me! String this verse on the thread of the holy name and wear it on your neck for continuous remembrance.”

PURPORT

When chanting the Hare Krsna maha-mantra, in the beginning one may commit many offenses, which are called namabhasa and nama-aparadha. In this stage there is no possibility of achieving perfect love of Krsna by chanting the Hare Krsna maha-mantra. Therefore one must chant the Hare Krsna maha-mantra according to the principles of the above verse, trnad api su-nicena taror iva sahisnuna. One should note in this connection that chanting involves the activities of the upper and lower lips as well as the tongue. All three must be engaged in chanting the Hare Krsna maha-mantra. The words “Hare Krsna” should be very distinctly pronounced and heard. Sometimes one mechanically produces a hissing sound instead of chanting with the proper pronunciation with the help of the lips and tongue. Chanting is very simple, but one must practice it seriously. Therefore the author of Caitanya-caritamrta, Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami, advises everyone to keep this verse always strung about his neck.

Adi17.33

TEXT 33

prabhu-ajnaya kara ei sloka acarana

avasya paibe tabe sri-krsna-carana

SYNONYMS

prabhu—of the Lord; ajnaya—on the order; kara—do; ei sloka—of this verse; acarana—practice; avasya—certainly; paibe—he will get; tabe—afterwards; sri-krsna-carana—the lotus feet of Lord Krsna.

TRANSLATION

One must strictly follow the principles given by Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu in this verse. If one simply follows in the footsteps of Lord Caitanya and the Gosvamis, certainly he will achieve the ultimate goal of life, the lotus feet of Sri Krsna.

Adi17.34

TEXT 34

tabe prabhu srivasera grhe nirantara

ratre sankirtana kaila eka samvatsara

SYNONYMS

tabe—thereafter; prabhu—the Lord, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; srivasera—of Srivasa Thakura; grhe—in the home; nirantara—always; ratre—at night; sankirtana—congregational chanting of the Hare Krsna maha-mantra; kaila—performed; eka samvatsara—one full year.

TRANSLATION

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu regularly led congregational chanting of the Hare Krsna maha-mantra in the house of Srivasa Thakura every night for one full year.

Adi17.35

TEXT 35

kapata diya kirtana kare parama avese

pasandi hasite aise, na paya pravese

SYNONYMS

kapata—door; diya—closing; kirtana—chanting; kare—performed; parama—very high; avese—in an ecstatic condition; pasandi—nonbelievers; hasite—to laugh; aise—come; na—does not; paya—get; pravese—entrance.

TRANSLATION

This ecstatic chanting was performed with the doors closed so that nonbelievers who came to make fun could not gain entrance.

PURPORT

Chanting of the Hare Krsna maha-mantra is open to everyone, but sometimes nonbelievers come to disturb the ceremony of chanting. It is indicated herein that under such circumstances the temple doors should be closed. Only bona fide chanters should be admitted; others should not. But when there is large-scale congregational chanting of the Hare Krsna maha-mantra, we keep our temples for everyone to join, and by the grace of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu this policy has given good results.

Adi17.36

TEXT 36

kirtana suni’ bahire tara jvali’ pudi’ mare

srivasere duhkha dite nana yukti kare

SYNONYMS

kirtana suni’-after hearing the chanting; bahire—outside; tara—the nonbelievers; jvali’-burned; pudi’-to ashes; mare—die; srivasere—unto Srivasa Thakura; duhkha—troubles; dite—to give; nana—various; yukti—plans; kare—do.

TRANSLATION

Thus the nonbelievers almost burned to ashes and died in envy. To retaliate, they planned various ways to give trouble to Srivasa Thakura.

Adi17.37-38

TEXTS 37-38

eka-dina vipra, nama--’gopala capala’

pasandi-pradhana sei durmukha, vacala

bhavani-pujara saba samagri lana

ratre srivasera dvare sthana lepana

SYNONYMS

eka-dina—one day; vipra—one brahmana; nama—named; gopala capala—of the name Gopala Capala; pasandi-pradhana—the chief of the nonbelievers; sei—he; durmukha—ferocious, using strong words; vacala—talkative; bhavani-pujara—for worshiping the goddess Bhavani; saba—all; samagri—ingredients, paraphernalia; lana—taking; ratre—at night; srivasera—of Srivasa Thakura; dvare—on the door; sthana—the place; lepana—smearing.

TRANSLATION

One night while kirtana was going on inside Srivasa Thakura’s house, a brahmana named Gopala Capala, the chief of the nonbelievers, who was talkative and very rough in his speech, placed all the paraphernalia for worshiping the goddess Durga outside Srivasa Thakura’s door.

PURPORT

This brahmana, Gopala Capala, wanted to defame Srivasa Thakura by proving that he was actually a sakta, or a worshiper of Bhavani, the goddess Durga, but was externally posing as a Vaisnava. In Bengal there is perpetual competition between the devotees of Goddess Kali and the devotees of Lord Krsna. Generally Bengalis, especially those who are meat-eaters and drunkards, are very much attached to worshiping the goddesses Durga, Kali, Sitala and Candi. Such devotees, who are known as saktas, or worshipers of the sakti-tattva, are always envious of Vaisnavas. Since Srivasa Thakura was a well-known and respected Vaisnava in Navadvipa, Gopala Capala wanted to reduce his prestige by bringing him down to the platform of the saktas. Therefore outside Srivasa Thakura’s door he placed various paraphernalia for worshiping Bhavani, the wife of Lord Siva, such as a red flower, a plantain leaf, a pot of wine, and reddish sandalwood paste. In the morning, when Srivasa Thakura saw all this paraphernalia in front of his door, he called for the respectable gentlemen of the neighborhood and showed them that at night he was worshiping Bhavani. Very much sorry, these gentlemen called for a sweeper to cleanse the place and purify it by sprinkling water and cow dung there. This incident concerning Gopala Capala is not mentioned in the Caitanya-bhagavata.

Adi17.39

TEXT 39

kalara pata upare thuila oda-phula

haridra, sindura ara rakta-candana, tandula

SYNONYMS

kalara pata—a banana leaf; upare—upon it; thuila—placed; oda-phula—a particular type of flower; haridra—turmeric; sindura—vermilion; ara—and; rakta-candana—red sandalwood; tandula—rice.

TRANSLATION

On the upper portion of a plantain leaf he placed such paraphernalia for worship as oda-phula, turmeric, vermilion, red sandalwood and rice.

Adi17.40

TEXT 40

madya-bhanda-pase dhari’ nija-ghare gela

pratah-kale srivasa taha ta’ dekhila

SYNONYMS

madya-bhanda—a pot of wine; pase—by the side of; dhari’-placing; nija-ghare—to his own home; gela—went; pratah-kale—in the morning; srivasa—Srivasa Thakura; taha—all those things; ta’-certainly; dekhila—saw.

TRANSLATION

He placed a pot of wine beside all this, and in the morning when Srivasa Thakura opened his door he saw this paraphernalia.

Adi17.41

TEXT 41

bada bada loka saba anila bolaiya

sabare kahe srivasa hasiya hasiya

SYNONYMS

bada bada—respectable; loka—persons; saba—all; anila—brought them; bolaiya—causing to be called; sabare—to everyone; kahe—addresses; srivasa—Srivasa Thakura; hasiya hasiya—while smiling.

TRANSLATION

Srivasa Thakura called for all the respectable gentlemen of the neighborhood and smilingly addressed them as follows.

Adi17.42

TEXT 42

nitya ratre kari ami bhavani-pujana

amara mahima dekha, brahmana-sajjana

SYNONYMS

nitya ratre—every night; kari—I do; ami—I; bhavani-pujana—worship of Bhavani, the wife of Lord Siva; amara—my; mahima—glories; dekha—you see; brahmana-sat-jana—all respectable brahmanas.

TRANSLATION

“Gentlemen, every night I worship the goddess Bhavani. Since the paraphernalia for the worship is present here, now all you respectable brahmanas and members of the higher castes can understand my position.”

PURPORT

According to the Vedic system there are four castes-the brahmanas, ksatriyas, vaisyas and sudras-and below them are the pancamas, who are lower than the sudras. The higher castes-the brahmanas, the ksatriyas and even the vaisyas-were known as brahmana-saj-jana. The brahmanas especially were known as sajjana, or respectable gentlemen who guided the entire society. If there were disputes in the village, people would approach these respectable brahmanas to settle them. Now it is very difficult to find such brahmanas and saj-janas, and thus every village and town is so disrupted that there is no peace and happiness anywhere. To revive a fully cultured civilization, the scientific division of society into brahmanas, ksatriyas, vaisyas and sudras must be introduced all over the world. Unless some people are trained as brahmanas, there cannot be peace in human society.

Adi17.43

TEXT 43

tabe saba sista-loka kare hahakara

aiche karma hetha kaila kon duracara

SYNONYMS

tabe—thereafter; saba—all; sista-loka—gentlemen; kare—exclaimed; haha-kara—alas, alas; aiche—such; karma—activities; hetha—here; kaila—did; kon—who; duracara—sinful person.

TRANSLATION

Then all the assembled gentlemen exclaimed, “What is this? What is this? Who has performed such mischievous activities? Who is that sinful man?”

Adi17.44

TEXT 44

hadike aniya saba dura karaila

jala-gomaya diya sei sthana lepaila

SYNONYMS

hadike—a sweeper; aniya—calling; saba—all; dura karaila—caused to be thrown far; jala—water; gomaya—cow dung; diya—mixing; sei—that; sthana—place; lepaila—caused to be smeared over.

TRANSLATION

They called for a sweeper [hadi], who threw all the items of worship far away and cleansed the place by mopping it with a mixture of water and cow dung.

PURPORT

Adi17.45

TEXT 45

tina dina rahi’ sei gopala-capala

sarvange ha-ila kustha, vahe rakta-dhara

SYNONYMS

tina dina—three days; rahi’-remaining in that way; sei—that; gopala-capala—of the name Gopala Capala; sarva-ange—all over the body; ha-ila—became visible; kustha—leprosy; vahe—discharging; rakta-dhara—a flow of blood.

TRANSLATION

After three days, leprosy attacked Gopala Capala, and blood oozed from sores all over his body.

Adi17.46

TEXT 46

sarvanga bedila kite, kate nirantara

asahya vedana, duhkhe jvalaye antara

SYNONYMS

sarva-anga—all over the body; bedila—became covered; kite—by insects; kate—biting; nirantara—always; asahya—unbearable; vedana—pain; duhkhe—in unhappiness; jvalaye—burns; antara—without cessation.

TRANSLATION

Incessantly covered with germs and insects biting him all over his body, Gopala Capala felt unbearable pain. His entire body burned in distress.

Adi17.47

TEXT 47

ganga-ghate vrksa-tale rahe ta’ vasiya

eka dina bale kichu prabhuke dekhiya

SYNONYMS

ganga-ghate—on the bank of the Ganges; vrksa-tale—underneath a tree; rahe—remains; ta’-certainly; vasiya—sitting; eka dina—one day; bale—says; kichu—something; prabhuke—the Lord; dekhiya—seeing.

TRANSLATION

Since leprosy is an infectious disease, Gopala Capala left the village to sit down on the bank of the Ganges underneath a tree. One day, however, he saw Caitanya Mahaprabhu passing by and spoke to Him as follows.

Adi17.48

TEXT 48

grama-sambandhe ami tomara matula

bhagina, mui kustha-vyadhite hanachi vyakula

SYNONYMS

grama-sambandhe—in a village relationship; ami—I (am); tomara—Your; matula—maternal uncle; bhagina—nephew; mui—I; kustha-vyadhite—by the disease of leprosy; hanachi—have become; vyakula—too much afflicted.

TRANSLATION

"My dear nephew, I am Your maternal uncle in our village relationship. Please see how greatly this attack of leprosy has afflicted me.

Adi17.49

TEXT 49

loka saba uddharite tomara avatara

muni bada dukhi, more karaha uddhara

SYNONYMS

loka—people; saba—all; uddharite—to deliver; tomara—Your; avatara—incarnation; muni—I (am); bada—very; dukhi—unhappy; more—unto me; karaha—please do; uddhara—deliverance.

TRANSLATION

“As an incarnation of God, You are delivering so many fallen souls. I am also a greatly unhappy fallen soul. Kindly deliver me by Your mercy.”

PURPORT

It appears that although Gopala Capala was sinful, talkative and insulting, he nevertheless had the qualification of simplicity. Thus he believed Caitanya Mahaprabhu to be the incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead who had come to deliver all fallen souls, and he appealed for his own deliverance, seeking the mercy of the Lord. He did not know, however, that the deliverance of the fallen does not consist of curing their bodily diseases, although it is also a fact that when a man is delivered from the material clutches his material bodily diseases are automatically cured. Gopala Capala simply wanted to be delivered from the bodily sufferings of leprosy, but Sri Caitanya, although accepting his sincere appeal, wanted to inform him of the real cause of suffering.

Adi17.50

TEXT 50

eta suni’ mahaprabhura ha-ila kruddha mana

krodhavese bale tare tarjana-vacana

SYNONYMS

eta—thus; suni’-hearing; mahaprabhura—of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; ha-ila—there was; kruddha—angry; mana—mind; krodha-avese—out of intense anger; bale—says; tare—unto him; tarjana—chastising; vacana—words.

TRANSLATION

Hearing this, Caitanya Mahaprabhu appeared greatly angry, and in that angry mood He spoke some words chastising him.

Adi17.51

TEXT 51

are papi, bhakta-dvesi, tore na uddharimu

koti-janma ei mate kidaya khaoyaimu

SYNONYMS

are—O; papi—you sinful person; bhakta-dvesi—envious of devotees; tore—you; na uddharimu—I shall not deliver; koti-janma—for ten million births; ei mate—in this way; kidaya—by the germs; khaoyaimu—I shall cause you to be bitten.

TRANSLATION

"O sinful person, envious of pure devotees, I shall not deliver you! Rather, I shall have you bitten by these germs for many millions of years.

PURPORT

We should note herein that all our sufferings in this material world, especially from disease, are due to our past sinful activities. And of all sinful activities, actions directed against a pure devotee out of sheer envy are considered extremely severe. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu wanted Gopala Capala to understand the cause of his suffering. Any person who disturbs a pure devotee engaged in broadcasting the holy name of the Lord is certainly punished like Gopala Capala. This is the instruction of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. As we shall see, one who offends a pure devotee can never satisfy Caitanya Mahaprabhu unless and until he sincerely regrets his offense and thus rectifies it.

Adi17.52

TEXT 52

srivase karaili tui bhavani-pujana

koti janma habe tora raurave patana

SYNONYMS

srivase—unto Srivasa Thakura; karaili—you have caused to do; tui—you; bhavani-pujana—worshiping the goddess Bhavani; koti janma—for ten million births; habe—there will be; tora—your; raurave—in hell; patana—fall down.

TRANSLATION

"You have made Srivasa Thakura appear to have been worshiping the goddess Bhavani. Simply for this offense, you will have to fall down into hellish life for ten million births.

PURPORT

There are many tantric followers who practice the black art of worshiping the goddess Bhavani in a crematorium, wishing to eat meat and drink wine. Such fools also consider this bhavani-puja as good as worship of Lord Krsna in devotional service. Such abominable tantric activities performed by so-called svamis and yogis are herein condemned, however, by Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. He declares that such bhavani-puja for drinking wine and eating meat quickly plunges one into hellish life. The method of worship itself is already hellish, and its results must also be hellish and nothing more.

Adi17.53

TEXT 53

pasandi samharite mora ei avatara

pasandi samhari’ bhakti karimu pracara

SYNONYMS

pasandi—demons, atheists; samharite—to kill; mora—My; ei—this; avatara—incarnation; pasandi—atheist; samhari’-killing; bhakti—devotional service; karimu—I shall do; pracara—preaching.

TRANSLATION

“I have appeared in this incarnation to kill the demons [pasandis] and, after killing them, to preach the cult of devotional service.”

PURPORT

Adi17.54

TEXT 54

eta bali’ gela prabhu karite ganga-snana

sei papi duhkha bhoge, na yaya parana

SYNONYMS

eta bali’-saying this; gela—went away; prabhu—the Lord; karite—to take; ganga-snana—a bath in the Ganges; sei—that; papi—sinful man; duhkha—pains; bhoge—suffers; na—not; yaya—go away; parana—the life.

TRANSLATION

After saying this, the Lord left to take His bath in the Ganges, and that sinful man did not give up his life but continued to suffer.

PURPORT

It appears that an offender to a Vaisnava continues to suffer and does not give up his life. We have actually seen that a great vaisnava-aparadhi is continuously suffering so much that it is difficult for him to move, and yet he does not die.