Adi7.40

TEXT 40

vrndavana yaite prabhu rahila kasite

mayavadi-gana tanre lagila nindite

SYNONYMS

vrndavana—the holy place called Vrndavana; yaite—while going there; prabhu—Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; rahila—remained; kasite—at Varanasi; mayavadi-gana—the Mayavadi philosophers; tanre—unto Him; lagila—began; nindite—to speak against Him.

TRANSLATION

While Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu was passing through Varanasi on His way to Vrndavana, the Mayavadi sannyasi philosophers blasphemed against Him in many ways.

PURPORT

While preaching Krsna consciousness with full vigor, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu faced many Mayavadi philosophers. Similarly, we are also facing opposing svamis, yogis, impersonalists, scientists, philosophers and other mental speculators, and by the grace of Lord Krsna we successfully defeat all of them without difficulty.

Adi7.41

TEXT 41

sannyasi ha-iya kare gayana, nacana

na kare vedanta-patha, kare sankirtana

SYNONYMS

sannyasi—a person in the renounced order of life; ha-iya—accepting such a position; kare—does; gayana—singing; nacana—dancing; na kare—does not practice; vedanta-patha—study of the Vedanta philosophy; kare sankirtana—but simply engages in sankirtana.

TRANSLATION

"Although a sannyasi, He does not take interest in the study of Vedanta but instead always engages in chanting and dancing in sankirtana.

PURPORT

Fortunately or unfortunately, we also meet such Mayavadis who criticize our method of chanting and accuse us of not being interested in study. They do not know that we have translated volumes and volumes of books into English and that the students in our temples regularly study them in the morning, afternoon and evening. We are writing and printing books, and our students study them and distribute them all over the world. No Mayavadi school can present as many books as we have; nevertheless, they accuse us of not being fond of study. Such accusations are completely false. But although we study, we do not study the nonsense of the Mayavadis.

Adi7.42

TEXT 42

murkha sannyasi nija-dharma nahi jane

bhavuka ha-iya phere bhavukera sane

SYNONYMS

murkha—illiterate; sannyasi—one in the renounced order of life; nija-dharma—own duty; nahi—does not; jane—know; bhavuka—in ecstasy; ha-iya—becoming; phere—wanders; bhavukera—with another ecstatic person; sane—with.

TRANSLATION

“This Caitanya Mahaprabhu is an illiterate sannyasi and therefore does not know His real function. Guided only by His sentiments, He wanders about in the company of other sentimentalists.”

PURPORT

Foolish Mayavadis, not knowing that the Krsna consciousness movement is based on a solid philosophy of transcendental science, superficially conclude that those who dance and chant do not have philosophical knowledge. Those who are Krsna conscious actually have full knowledge of the essence of Vedanta philosophy, for they study the real commentary on the Vedanta philosophy, Srimad-Bhagavatam, and follow the actual words of the Supreme Personality of Godhead as found in Bhagavad-gita As It Is. After understanding the Bhagavata philosophy, or bhagavata-dharma, they become fully spiritually conscious or Krsna conscious, and therefore their chanting and dancing is not material but is on the spiritual platform. Although everyone admires the ecstatic chanting and dancing of the devotees, who are therefore popularly known as “the Hare Krsna people,” Mayavadis cannot appreciate these activities because of their poor fund of knowledge.

Adi7.43

TEXT 43

e saba suniya prabhu hase mane mane

upeksa kariya karo na kaila sambhasane

SYNONYMS

e saba—all these; suniya—after hearing; prabhu—the Lord; hase—smiled; mane mane—within His mind; upeksa—rejection; kariya—doing so; karo—with anyone; na—did not; kaila—make; sambhasane—conversation.

TRANSLATION

Hearing all this blasphemy, Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu merely smiled to Himself, rejected all these accusations and did not talk with the Mayavadis.

PURPORT

As Krsna conscious devotees, we do not like to converse with Mayavadi philosophers simply to waste valuable time, but whenever there is an opportunity we impress our philosophy upon them with great vigor and success.

Adi7.44

TEXT 44

upeksa kariya kaila mathura gamana

mathura dekhiya punah kaila agamana

SYNONYMS

upeksa—neglecting them; kariya—doing so; kaila—did; mathura—the town named Mathura; gamana—traveling; mathura—Mathura; dekhiya—after seeing it; punah—again; kaila agamana—came back.

TRANSLATION

Thus neglecting the blasphemy of the Varanasi Mayavadis, Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu proceeded to Mathura, and after visiting Mathura He returned to meet the situation.

PURPORT

Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu did not talk with the Mayavadi philosophers when He first visited Varanasi, but He returned there from Mathura to convince them of the real purpose of Vedanta.

Adi7.45

TEXT 45

kasite lekhaka sudra-sricandrasekhara

tanra ghare rahila prabhu svatantra isvara

SYNONYMS

kasite—in Varanasi; lekhaka—writer; sudra—born of a sudra family; sri-candrasekhara—of the name Candrasekhara; tanra ghare—in his house; rahila—remained; prabhu—the Lord; svatantra—independent; isvara—the supreme controller.

TRANSLATION

This time Lord Caitanya stayed at the house of Candrasekhara, although he was regarded as a sudra or kayastha, for the Lord, as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is completely independent.

PURPORT

Lord Caitanya stayed at the house of Candrasekhara, a clerk, although a sannyasi is not supposed to reside in a sudra’s house. Five hundred years ago, especially in Bengal, it was the system that persons who were born in the families of brahmanas were accepted as brahmanas, and all those who took birth in other families-even the higher castes, namely, the ksatriyas and vaisyas-were considered sudra non-brahmanas. Therefore although Sri Candrasekhara was a clerk from a kayastha family in upper India, he was considered a sudra. Similarly, vaisyas, especially those of the suvarna-vanik community, were accepted as sudras in Bengal, and even the vaidyas, who were generally physicians, were also considered sudras. Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, however, did not accept this artificial principle, which was introduced in society by self-interested men, and later the kayasthas, vaidyas and vaniks all began to accept the sacred thread, despite objections from the so-called brahmanas.

Before the time of Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the suvarna-vanik class was condemned by Ballal Sen, who was then the King of Bengal, due to a personal grudge. In Bengal the suvarna-vanik class are always very rich, for they are bankers and dealers in gold and silver. Therefore, Ballal Sen used to borrow money from a suvarna-vanik banker. Ballal Sen’s bankruptcy later obliged the suvarna-vanik banker to stop advancing money to him, and thus he became angry and condemned the entire suvarna-vanik society as belonging to the sudra community. Ballal Sen tried to induce the brahmanas not to accept the suvarna-vaniks as followers of the instructions of the Vedas under the brahminical directions, but although some brahmanas approved of Ballal Sen’s actions, others did not. Thus the brahmanas also became divided amongst themselves, and those who supported the suvarna-vanik class were rejected from the brahmana community. At the present day the same biases are still being followed.

There are many Vaisnava families in Bengal whose members, although not actually born brahmanas, act as acaryas by initiating disciples and offering the sacred thread as enjoined in the Vaisnava tantras. For example, in the families of Thakura Raghunandana Acarya, Thakura Krsnadasa, Navani Hoda and Rasikananda-deva (a disciple of Syamananda Prabhu), the sacred thread ceremony is performed, as it is for the caste Gosvamis, and this system has continued for the past three to four hundred years. Accepting disciples born in brahmana families, they are bona fide spiritual masters who have the facility to worship the salagrama-sila, which is worshiped with the Deity. As of this writing, salagrama-sila worship has not yet been introduced in our Krsna consciousness movement, but soon it will be introduced in all our temples as an essential function of arcana-marga (Deity worship).

Adi7.46

TEXT 46

tapana-misrera ghare bhiksa-nirvahana

sannyasira sange nahi mane nimantrana

SYNONYMS

tapana-misrera—of Tapana Misra; ghare—in the house; bhiksa—accepting food; nirvahana—regularly executed; sannyasira—with other Mayavadi sannyasis; sange—in company with them; nahi—never; mane—accepted; nimantrana—invitation.

TRANSLATION

As a matter of principle, Lord Caitanya regularly accepted His food at the house of Tapana Misra. He never mixed with other sannyasis, nor did He accept invitations from them.

PURPORT

This exemplary behavior of Lord Caitanya definitely proves that a Vaisnava sannyasi cannot accept invitations from Mayavadi sannyasis or intimately mix with them.

Adi7.47

TEXT 47

sanatana gosani asi’ tanhai milila

tanra siksa lagi’ prabhu du-masa rahila

SYNONYMS

sanatana—of the name Sanatana; gosani—a great devotee; asi’-coming there; tanhai—there at Varanasi; milila—visited Him; tanra—His; siksa—in struction; lagi’-for the matter of; prabhu—Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu; du-masa—two months; rahila—remained there.

TRANSLATION

When Sanatana Gosvami came from Bengal, he met Lord Caitanya at the house of Tapana Misra, where Lord Caitanya remained continuously for two months to teach him devotional service.

PURPORT

Lord Caitanya taught Sanatana Gosvami in the line of disciplic succession. Sanatana Gosvami was a very learned scholar in Sanskrit and other languages, but until instructed by Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu he did not write anything about Vaisnava behavior. His very famous book Hari-bhakti-vilasa, which gives directions for Vaisnava candidates, was written completely in compliance with the instructions of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. In this Hari-bhakti-vilasa Sri Sanatana Gosvami gives definite instructions that by proper initiation by a bona fide spiritual master one can immediately become a brahmana. In this connection he says:

yatha kancanatam yati kamsyam rasa-vidhanatah
tatha diksa-vidhanena dvijatvam jayate nrnam

“As bell metal is turned to gold when mixed with mercury in an alchemical process, so one who is properly trained and initiated by a bona fide spiritual master immediately becomes a brahmana.” Sometimes those born in brahmana families protest this, but they have no strong arguments against this principle. By the grace of Krsna and His devotee, one’s life can change. This is confirmed in Srimad-Bhagavatam by the words jahati bandham and sudhyanti. Jahati bandham indicates that a living entity is conditioned by a particular type of body. The body is certainly an impediment, but one who associates with a pure devotee and follows his instructions can avoid this impediment and become a regular brahmana by initiation under his strict guidance. Srila Jiva Gosvami states how a non-brahmana can be turned into a brahmana by the association of a pure devotee. Prabhavisnave namah: Lord Visnu is so powerful that He can do anything He likes. Therefore it is not difficult for Visnu to change the body of a devotee who is under the guidance of a pure devotee of the Lord.

Adi7.48

TEXT 48

tanre sikhaila saba vaisnavera dharma

bhagavata-adi sastrera yata gudha marma

SYNONYMS

tanre—unto him (Sanatana Gosvami); sikhaila—the Lord taught him; saba—all; vaisnavera—of the devotees; dharma—regular activities; bhagavata—Srimad-Bhagavatam; adi—beginning with; sastrera—of the revealed scriptures; yata—all; gudha—confidential; marma—purpose.

TRANSLATION

On the basis of scriptures like Srimad-Bhagavatam, which reveal these confidential directions, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu instructed Sanatana Gosvami regarding all the regular activities of a devotee.

PURPORT

In the parampara system, the instructions taken from the bona fide spiritual master must also be based on revealed Vedic scriptures. One who is in the line of disciplic succession cannot manufacture his own way of behavior. There are many so-called followers of the Vaisnava cult in the line of Caitanya Mahaprabhu who do not scrupulously follow the conclusions of the sastras, and therefore they are considered to be apa-sampradaya, which means “outside of the sampradaya.” Some of these groups are known as aula, baula, kartabhaja, neda, daravesa, sani sahajiya, sakhibheki, smarta, jata-gosani, ativadi, cudadhari and gauranga-nagari. In order to follow strictly the disciplic succession of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, one should not associate with these apasampradaya communities.

One who is not taught by a bona fide spiritual master cannot understand the Vedic literature. To emphasize this point, Lord Krsna, while instructing Arjuna, clearly said that it was because Arjuna was His devotee and confidential friend that he could understand the mystery of the Bhagavad-gita. It is to be concluded, therefore, that one who wants to understand the mystery of revealed scriptures must approach a bona fide spiritual master, hear from him very submissively and render service to him. Then the import of the scriptures will be revealed. It is stated in the Vedas (Svetasvatara Upanisad 6.23):

yasya deve para bhaktir
yatha deve tatha gurau
tasyaite kathita hy arthah
prakasante mahatmanah

“The real import of the scriptures is revealed to one who has unflinching faith in both the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the spiritual master.” Srila Narottama dasa Thakura advises, sadhu-sastra-guru-vakya, hrdaye kariya aikya. The meaning of this instruction is that one must consider the instructions of the sadhu, the revealed scriptures and the spiritual master in order to understand the real purpose of spiritual life. Neither a sadhu (saintly person or Vaisnava) nor a bona fide spiritual master says anything that is beyond the scope of the sanction of the revealed scriptures. Thus the statements of the revealed scriptures correspond to those of the bona fide spiritual master and saintly persons. One must therefore act with reference to these three important sources of understanding.

Adi7.49

TEXT 49

itimadhye candrasekhara, misra-tapana

duhkhi hana prabhu-paya kaila nivedana

SYNONYMS

iti-madhye—in the meantime; candrasekhara—the clerk of the name Candrasekhara; misra-tapana—as well as Tapana Misra; duhkhi hana—becoming very unhappy; prabhu-paya—at the lotus feet of the Lord; kaila—made; nivedana—an appeal.

TRANSLATION

While Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu was instructing Sanatana Gosvami, both Candrasekhara and Tapana Misra became very unhappy. Therefore they submitted an appeal unto the lotus feet of the Lord.

Adi7.50

TEXT 50

kateka suniba prabhu tomara nindana

na pari sahite, ebe chadiba jivana

SYNONYMS

kateka—how much; suniba—shall we hear; prabhu—O Lord; tomara—Your; nindana—blasphemy; na pari—we are not able; sahite—to tolerate; ebe—now; chadiba—give up; jivana—life.

TRANSLATION

"How long can we tolerate the blasphemy of Your critics against Your conduct? We should give up our lives rather than hear such blasphemy.

PURPORT

One of the most important instructions by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu regarding regular Vaisnava behavior is that a Vaisnava should be tolerant like a tree and submissive like grass.

trnad api sunicena
taror iva sahisnuna
amanina manadena
kirtaniyah sada harih

“One should chant the holy name of the Lord in a humble state of mind, thinking oneself lower than the straw in the street; one should be more tolerant than a tree, devoid of all sense of false prestige and should be ready to offer all respect to others. In such a state of mind one can chant the holy name of the Lord constantly.” Nevertheless, the author of these instructions, Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, did not tolerate the misbehavior of Jagai and Madhai. When they harmed Lord Nityananda Prabhu, He immediately became angry and wanted to kill them, and it was only by the mercy of Lord Nityananda Prabhu that they were saved. One should be very meek and humble in his personal transactions, and if insulted a Vaisnava should be tolerant and not angry. But if there is blasphemy against one’s guru or another Vaisnava, one should be as angry as fire. This was exhibited by Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. One should not tolerate blasphemy against a Vaisnava but should immediately take one of three actions. If someone blasphemes a Vaisnava, one should stop him with arguments and higher reason. If one is not expert enough to do this he should give up his life on the spot, and if he cannot do this, he must go away. While Caitanya Mahaprabhu was in Benares or Kasi, the Mayavadi sannyasis blasphemed Him in many ways because although He was a sannyasi He was indulging in chanting and dancing. Tapana Misra and Candrasekhara heard this criticism, and it was intolerable for them because they were great devotees of Lord Caitanya. They could not stop it, however, and therefore they appealed to Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu because this blasphemy was so intolerable that they had decided to give up their lives.

Adi7.51

TEXT 51

tomare nindaye yata sannyasira gana

sunite na pari, phate hrdaya-sravana

SYNONYMS

tomare—unto You; nindaye—blasphemes; yata—all; sannyasira gana—the Mayavadi sannyasis; sunite—to hear; na—cannot; pari—tolerate; phate—it breaks; hrdaya—our hearts; sravana—while hearing such blasphemy.

TRANSLATION

“The Mayavadi sannyasis are all criticizing Your Holiness. We cannot tolerate hearing such criticism, for this blasphemy breaks our hearts.”

PURPORT

This is a manifestation of real love for Krsna and Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. There are three categories of Vaisnavas: kanistha-adhikaris, madhyama-adhikaris and uttama-adhikaris. The kanistha-adhikari, or the devotee in the lowest stage of Vaisnava life, has firm faith but is not familiar with the conclusions of the sastras. The devotee in the second stage, the madhyama-adhikari, is completely aware of the sastric conclusion and has firm faith in his guru and the Lord. He, therefore, avoiding nondevotees, preaches to the innocent. However, the maha-bhagavata or uttama-adhikari, the devotee in the highest stage of devotional life, does not see anyone as being against the Vaisnava principles, for he regards everyone as a Vaisnava but himself. This is the essence of Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s instruction that one be more tolerant than a tree and think oneself lower than the straw in the street (trnad api su-nicena taror iva sahisnuna). However, even if a devotee is in the uttama-bhagavata status he must come down to the second status of life, madhyama-adhikari, to be a preacher, for a preacher should not tolerate blasphemy against another Vaisnava. Although a kanistha-adhikari also cannot tolerate such blasphemy, he is not competent to stop it by citing sastric evidences. Therefore Tapana Misra and Candrasekhara are understood to be kanistha-adhikaris because they could not refute the arguments of the sannyasis in Benares. They appealed to Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu to take action, for they felt that they could not tolerate such criticism although they also could not stop it.

Adi7.52

TEXT 52

iha suni rahe prabhu isat hasiya

sei kale eka vipra milila asiya

SYNONYMS

iha—this; suni—hearing; rahe—remained; prabhu—Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu; isat—slightly; hasiya—smiling; sei kale—at that time; eka—one; vipra—brahmana; milila—met; asiya—coming there.

TRANSLATION

While Tapana Misra and Candrasekhara were thus talking with Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, He only smiled slightly and remained silent. At that time a brahmana came there to meet the Lord.

PURPORT

Because the blasphemy was cast against Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu Himself, He did not feel sorry, and therefore He was smiling. This is ideal Vaisnava behavior. One should not become angry upon hearing criticism of himself, but if other Vaisnavas are criticized one must be prepared to act as previously suggested. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was very compassionate for His pure devotees Tapana Misra and Candrasekhara; therefore by His grace this brahmana immediately came to Him. By His omnipotency the Lord created this situation for the happiness of His devotees.

Adi7.53

TEXT 53

asi’ nivedana kare carane dhariya

eka vastu magon, deha prasanna ha-iya

SYNONYMS

asi’-coming there; nivedana—submissive statement; kare—made; carane—unto the lotus feet; dhariya—capturing; eka—one; vastu—thing; magon—beg from You; deha—kindly give it to me; prasanna—being pleased; ha-iya—becoming so.

TRANSLATION

The brahmana immediately fell at the lotus feet of Caitanya Mahaprabhu and requested Him to accept his proposal in a joyful mood.

PURPORT

Adi7.54

TEXT 54

sakala sannyasi muni kainu nimantrana

tumi yadi aisa, purna haya mora mana

SYNONYMS

sakala—all; sannyasi—renouncers; muni—I; kainu—made; nimantrana—invited; tumi—Your good self; yadi—if; aisa—come; purna—fulfillment; haya—becomes; mora—my; mana—mind.

TRANSLATION

"My dear Lord, I have invited all the sannyasis of Benares to my home. My desires will be fulfilled if You also accept my invitation.

PURPORT

This brahmana knew that Caitanya Mahaprabhu was the only Vaisnava sannyasi in Benares at that time and all the others were Mayavadis. It is the duty of a grhastha to sometimes invite sannyasis to take food at his home. This grhastha-brahmana wanted to invite all the sannyasis to his house, but he also knew that it would be very difficult to induce Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu to accept such an invitation because the Mayavadi sannyasis would be present. Therefore he fell down at His feet and fervently appealed to the Lord to be compassionate and grant his request. Thus he humbly submitted his desire.

Adi7.55

TEXT 55

na yaha sannyasi-gosthi, iha ami jani

more anugraha kara nimantrana mani’

SYNONYMS

na—not; yaha—You go; sannyasi-gosthi—the association of Mayavadi sannyasis; iha—this; ami—I; jani—know; more—unto me; anugraha—merciful; kara—become; nimantrana—invitation; mani’-accepting.

TRANSLATION

"My dear Lord, I know that You never mix with other sannyasis, but please be merciful unto me and accept my invitation.

PURPORT

An acarya, or great personality of the Vaisnava school, is very strict in his principles, but although he is as hard as a thunderbolt, sometimes he is as soft as a rose. Thus actually he is independent. He follows all the rules and regulations strictly, but sometimes he slackens this policy. It was known that Lord Caitanya never mixed with the Mayavadi sannyasis, yet He conceded to the request of the brahmana, as stated in the next verse.

Adi7.56

TEXT 56

prabhu hasi’ nimantrana kaila angikara

sannyasire krpa lagi’ e bhangi tanhara

SYNONYMS

prabhu—the Lord; hasi’-smiling; nimantrana—invitation; kaila—made; angikara—acceptance; sannyasire—unto the Mayavadi sannyasis; krpa—to show them mercy; lagi’-for the matter of; e—this; bhangi—gesture; tanhara—His.

TRANSLATION

Lord Caitanya smiled and accepted the invitation of the brahmana. He made this gesture to show His mercy to the Mayavadi sannyasis.

PURPORT

Tapana Misra and Candrasekhara appealed to the lotus feet of the Lord regarding their grief at the criticism of Him by the sannyasis in Benares. Caitanya Mahaprabhu merely smiled, yet He wanted to fulfill the desires of His devotees, and the opportunity came when the brahmana came to request Him to accept his invitation to be present in the midst of the other sannyasis. This coincidence was made possible by the omnipotency of the Lord.

Adi7.57

 TEXT 57

se vipra janena prabhu na ya’na ka’ra ghare

tanhara preranaya tanre atyagraha kare

SYNONYMS

se—that; vipra—brahmana; janena—knew it; prabhu—Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu; na—never; ya’na—goes; ka’ra—anyone’s; ghare—house; tanhara—His; preranaya—by inspiration; tanre—unto Him; atyagraha kare—strongly urging to accept the invitation.

TRANSLATION

 57>The brahmana knew that Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu never went to anyone else’s house, yet due to inspiration from the Lord he earnestly requested Him to accept this invitation.

Adi7.58

TEXT 58

ara dine gela prabhu se vipra-bhavane

dekhilena, vasiyachena sannyasira gane

SYNONYMS

ara—next; dine—day; gela—went; prabhu—the Lord; se—that; vipra—brahmana; bhavane—in the house of; dekhilena—He saw; vasiyachena—there were sitting; sannyasira—all the sannyasis; gane—in a group.

TRANSLATION

The next day, when Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu went to the house of that brahmana, He saw all the sannyasis of Benares sitting there.

Adi7.59

TEXT 59

saba namaskari’ gela pada-praksalane

pada praksalana kari vasila sei sthane

SYNONYMS

saba—to all; namaskari’-offering obeisances; gela—went; pada—foot; praksalane—for washing; pada—foot; praksalana—washing; kari—finishing; vasila—sat down; sei—in that; sthane—place.

TRANSLATION

As soon as Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu saw the sannyasis He immediately offered obeisances, and then He went to wash His feet. After washing His feet, He sat down by the place where He had done so.

PURPORT

By offering His obeisances to the Mayavadi sannyasis, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu very clearly exhibited His humbleness to everyone. Vaisnavas must not be disrespectful to anyone, to say nothing of a sannyasi. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu teaches, amanina mana-dena: one should always be respectful to others but should not demand respect for himself. A sannyasi should always walk barefoot, and therefore when he enters a temple or a society of devotees he should first wash his feet and then sit down in a proper place. In India it is still the prevalent custom that one put his shoes in a specified place and then enter the temple barefoot after washing his feet. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is an ideal acarya, and those who follow in His footsteps should practice the methods of devotional life that He teaches us.

Adi7.60

TEXT 60

vasiya karila kichu aisvarya prakasa

mahatejomaya vapu koti-suryabhasa

SYNONYMS

vasiya—after sitting; karila—exhibited; kichu—some; aisvarya—mystic power; prakasa—manifested; maha-tejo-maya—very brilliantly; vapu—body; koti—millions; surya—sun; abhasa—reflection.

TRANSLATION

After sitting on the ground, Caitanya Mahaprabhu exhibited His mystic power by manifesting an effulgence as brilliant as the illumination of millions of suns.

PURPORT

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, as the Supreme Personality of Godhead Krsna, is full of all potencies. Therefore it is not remarkable for Him to manifest the illumination of millions of suns. Lord Sri Krsna is known as Yogesvara, the master of all mystic powers. Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu is Lord Krsna Himself; therefore He can exhibit any mystic power.

Adi7.61

TEXT 61

prabhave akarsila saba sannyasira mana

uthila sannyasi saba chadiya asana

SYNONYMS

prabhave—by such illumination; akarsila—He attracted; saba—all; sannyasira—the Mayavadi sannyasis; mana—mind; uthila—stood up; sannyasi—all the Mayavadi sannyasis; saba—all; chadiya—giving up; asana—sitting places.

TRANSLATION

When the sannyasis saw the brilliant illumination of the body of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, their minds were attracted, and they all immediately gave up their sitting places and stood in respect.

PURPORT

To draw the attention of common men, sometimes saintly persons, acaryas and teachers exhibit extraordinary opulences. This is necessary to attract the attention of fools, but a saintly person should not misuse such power for personal sense gratification like false saints who declare themselves to be God. Even a magician can exhibit extraordinary feats that are not understandable to common men, but this does not mean that the magician is God. It is a most sinful activity to attract attention by exhibiting mystic powers and then to utilize this opportunity to declare oneself to be God. A real saintly person never declares himself to be God but always places himself in the position of a servant of God. For a servant of God there is no need to exhibit mystic powers, and he does not like to do so, but on behalf of the Supreme Personality of Godhead a humble servant of God performs his activities in such a wonderful way that no common man can dare try to act like him. Yet a saintly person never takes credit for such actions because he knows very well that when wonderful things are done on his behalf by the grace of the Supreme Lord, all credit goes to the master and not to the servant.