Madhya16.47

TEXT 47

ei-mata bhakta-gana rahila cari masa

prabhura sahita kare kirtana-vilasa

SYNONYMS

ei-mata—in this way; bhakta-gana—the devotees; rahila—remained; cari masa—for four months; prabhura sahita—with Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; kare—performed; kirtana-vilasa—the pastimes of sankirtana.

TRANSLATION

For four continuous months all the devotees remained there and enjoyed chanting the Hare Krsna maha-mantra with Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

Madhya16.48

TEXT 48

purvavat ratha-yatra-kala yabe aila

saba lana gundica-mandira praksalila

SYNONYMS

purva-vat—as in the previous year; ratha-yatra-kala—the time for Ratha-yatra festival; yabe—when; aila—arrived; saba lana—taking all of them; gundica-mandira—the temple of Gundica; praksalila—washed.

TRANSLATION

As in the previous year, they all washed the Gundica temple when the time for Ratha-yatra arrived.

Madhya16.49

TEXT 49

kulina-grami patta-dori jagannathe dila

purvavat ratha-agre nartana karila

SYNONYMS

kulina-grami—the residents of Kulina-grama; patta-dori—silken ropes; jagannathe dila—offered to Lord Jagannatha; purva-vat—like the previous year; ratha-agre—in front of the car; nartana karila—danced.

TRANSLATION

The inhabitants of Kulina-grama delivered silken ropes to Lord Jagannatha, and as previously they all danced before the Lord’s car.

Madhya16.50

TEXT 50

bahu nrtya kari’ punah calila udyane

vapi-tire tahan yai’ karila visrame

SYNONYMS

bahu nrtya kari’-after dancing a great deal; punah—again; calila—started for; udyane—the garden; vapi-tire—on the bank of the lake; tahan yai’-going there; karila visrame—took rest.

TRANSLATION

After dancing a great deal, they all went to a nearby garden and took rest beside a lake.

Madhya16.51

TEXT 51

radhi eka vipra, tenho--nityananda dasa

maha-bhagyavan tenho, nama--krsnadasa

SYNONYMS

radhi eka vipra—one brahmana resident of Radha-desa (where the Ganges does not flow); tenho—he; nityananda dasa—servant of Lord Nityananda; maha-bhagyavan—greatly fortunate; tenho—he; nama—named; krsnadasa—Krsnadasa.

TRANSLATION

One brahmana named Krsnadasa, who was a resident of Radha-desa and a servant of Lord Nityananda’s, was a very fortunate person.

Madhya16.52

TEXT 52

ghata bhari’ prabhura tenho abhiseka kaila

tanra abhiseke prabhu maha-trpta haila

SYNONYMS

ghata bhari’-filling one waterpot; prabhura—of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu; tenho—he; abhiseka kaila—performed the bathing; tanra—his; abhiseke—by the act of bathing the Lord; prabhu—Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; maha-trpta haila—became very satisfied.

TRANSLATION

It was Krsnadasa who filled a great waterpot and poured it over the Lord while He was taking His bath. The Lord was greatly satisfied by this.

Madhya16.53

TEXT 53

balagandi-bhogera bahu prasada aila

saba sange mahaprabhu prasada khaila

SYNONYMS

balagandi-bhogera—of the food offered at Balagandi; bahu prasada—a great quantity of prasada; aila—arrived; saba sange—with all the devotees; mahaprabhu—Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; prasada—remnants of the food of Jagannatha; khaila—ate.

TRANSLATION

The remnants of food offered to the Lord at Balagandi then arrived in great quantity, and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and all His devotees ate it.

PURPORT

Madhya16.54

TEXT 54

purvavat ratha-yatra kaila darasana

hera-pancami-yatra dekhe lana bhakta-gana

SYNONYMS

purva-vat—as in the previous year; ratha-yatra—the car festival; kaila darasana—saw; hera-pancami-yatra—the festival of Hera-pancami; dekhe—He sees; lana bhakta-gana—with all the devotees.

TRANSLATION

As in the previous year, the Lord, with all the devotees, saw the Ratha-yatra festival and the Hera-pancami festival as well.

Madhya16.55

TEXT 55

acarya-gosani prabhura kaila nimantrana

tara madhye kaila yaiche jhada-varisana

SYNONYMS

acarya-gosani—Advaita Acarya; prabhura—of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; kaila—made; nimantrana—invitation; tara madhye—within that episode; kaila—occurred; yaiche—just as; jhada-varisana—rainstorm.

TRANSLATION

Advaita Acarya then extended an invitation to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and there was a great rainstorm connected with that incident.

Madhya16.56

TEXT 56

vistari’ varniyachena dasa-vrndavana

srivasa prabhure tabe kaila nimantrana

SYNONYMS

vistari’-elaborating; varniyachena—has described; dasa-vrndavana—Vrndavana dasa Thakura; srivasa—Srivasa; prabhure—to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; tabe—then; kaila nimantrana—gave an invitation.

TRANSLATION

All these episodes have been elaborately described by Srila Vrndavana dasa Thakura. Then one day Srivasa Thakura extended an invitation to the Lord.

PURPORT

Caitanya-bhagavata (Antya-lila, Chapter Eight) gives the following description. One day Srila Advaita Acarya, having extended an invitation to Caitanya Mahaprabhu, thought that if the Lord came alone He would feed Him to His great satisfaction. It then so happened that when the other sannyasis were going to Advaita Acarya’s to take lunch, there was a big rainstorm, and they could not reach His house. Thus, according to Advaita Acarya’s desires, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu came alone and accepted the prasada.

Madhya16.57

TEXT 57

prabhura priya-vyanjana saba randhena malini

’bhaktye dasi’-abhimana, ’snehete janani’

SYNONYMS

prabhura—of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; priya-vyanjana—favorite vegetables; saba—all; randhena—cooks; malini—the wife of Srivasa Thakura; bhaktye dasi—in devotion she was just like a maidservant; abhimana—it was her conception; snehete—in affection; janani—exactly like a mother.

TRANSLATION

The Lord’s favorite vegetables were cooked by Malinidevi, the wife of Srivasa Thakura. She devotedly considered herself a maidservant of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s, but in affection she was just like a mother.

Madhya16.58

TEXT 58

acaryaratna-adi yata mukhya bhakta-gana

madhye madhye prabhure karena nimantrana

SYNONYMS

acaryaratna—Candrasekhara; adi—and others; yata—all; mukhya bhakta-gana—chief devotees; madhye madhye—at intervals; prabhure—to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; karena nimantrana—gave invitations.

TRANSLATION

All the chief devotees, headed by Candrasekhara [Acaryaratna] used to extend invitations to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu periodically.

Madhya16.59

TEXT 59

caturmasya-ante punah nityanande lana

kiba yukti kare nitya nibhrte vasiya

SYNONYMS

caturmasya-ante—at the end of Caturmasya; punah—again; nityanande—Sri Nityananda Prabhu; lana—taking into confidence; kiba—what; yukti kare—They consult; nitya—daily; nibhrte—in a solitary place; vasiya—sitting.

TRANSLATION

At the end of the four-month Caturmasya period, Caitanya Mahaprabhu again consulted with Nityananda Prabhu daily in a solitary place. No one could understand what Their consultation was about.

Madhya16.60

TEXT 60

acarya-gosani prabhuke kahe thare-thore

acarya tarja pade, keha bujhite na pare

SYNONYMS

acarya-gosani—Advaita Acarya; prabhuke—unto Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; kahe—speaks; thare-thore—by indications; acarya—Advaita Acarya; tarja pade—reads some poetic passages; keha—anyone; bujhite—to understand; na pare—was not able.

TRANSLATION

Then Srila Advaita Acarya said something to Caitanya Mahaprabhu through gestures and read some poetic passages, which no one understood.

Madhya16.61

TEXT 61

tanra mukha dekhi’ hase sacira nandana

angikara jani’ acarya karena nartana

SYNONYMS

tanra mukha—His face; dekhi’-seeing; hase—smiles; sacira nandana—Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; angikara jani’-understanding the acceptance; acarya—Advaita Acarya; karena—performed; nartana—dancing.

TRANSLATION

Seeing the face of Advaita Acarya, Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu smiled. Understanding that the Lord had accepted the proposal, Advaita Acarya started to dance.

Madhya16.62

TEXT 62

kiba prarthana, kiba ajna--keha na bujhila

alingana kari’ prabhu tanre vidaya dila

SYNONYMS

kiba—what; prarthana—the request; kiba—what; ajna—the order; keha—anyone; na bujhila—did not know; alingana kari’-embracing; prabhu—Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; tanre—to Him; vidaya dila—bade farewell.

TRANSLATION

No one knew what Advaita Acarya requested or what the Lord ordered. After embracing the Acarya, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu bade Him farewell.

Madhya16.63

TEXT 63

nityanande kahe prabhu,--sunaha, sripada

ei ami magi, tumi karaha prasada

SYNONYMS

nityanande—unto Sri Nityananda Prabhu; kahe—says; prabhu—Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; sunaha—please hear; sri-pada—O holy man; ei—this; ami—I; magi—request; tumi—You; karaha—kindly show; prasada—mercy.

TRANSLATION

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu then told Nityananda Prabhu, "Please hear Me, O holy man: I now request something of You. Kindly grant My request.

Madhya16.64

TEXT 64

prati-varsa nilacale tumi na asiba

gaude rahi’ mora iccha saphala kariba

SYNONYMS

prati-varsa—every year; nilacale—to Jagannatha Puri; tumi—You; na asiba—do not come; gaude rahi’-staying in Bengal; mora iccha—My desire; sa-phala kariba—make successful.

TRANSLATION

“Do not come to Jagannatha Puri every year, but stay in Bengal and fulfill My desire.”

PURPORT

The mission of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is to spread the only medicine effective in this fallen age of Kali-the chanting of the Hare Krsna maha-mantra. Following the orders of His mother, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was residing at Jagannatha Puri, and the devotees were coming to see Him. However, the Lord felt that this message must be spread very elaborately in Bengal, and in His absence there was not a second person capable of doing it. Consequently the Lord requested Nityananda Prabhu to stay there and broadcast the message of Krsna consciousness. The Lord also entrusted a similar preaching responsibility to Rupa and Sanatana. Nityananda Prabhu was requested not to come every year to Jagannatha Puri, although seeing Lord Jagannatha greatly benefits everyone. Does this mean that the Lord was refusing Nityananda Prabhu a fortunate opportunity? No. One who is a faithful servant of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu must execute His order, even if one has to sacrifice going to Jagannatha Puri to see Lord Jagannatha there. In other words, it is a greater fortune to carry out Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s order than to satisfy one’s senses by seeing Lord Jagannatha.

Preaching Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s cult throughout the world is more important than staying in Vrndavana or Jagannatha Puri for one’s own personal satisfaction. Spreading Krsna consciousness is Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s mission; therefore His sincere devotees must carry out His desire.

prthivite ache yata nagaradi grama
sarvatra pracara haibe mora nama

The devotees of Lord Caitanya must preach Krsna consciousness in every village and town in the world. That will satisfy the Lord. It is not that one should act whimsically for his own personal satisfaction. This order comes down through the parampara system, and the spiritual master presents these orders to the disciple so that he can spread the message of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. It is the duty of every disciple to carry out the order of the bona fide spiritual master and spread Lord Caitanya’s message all over the world.

Madhya16.65

TEXT 65

tahan siddhi kare--hena anye na dekhiye

amara ’duskara’ karma, toma haite haye

SYNONYMS

tahan—there; siddhi—success; kare—makes; hena—such; anye—other person; na—not; dekhiye—I see; amara—My; duskara—difficult to perform; karma—work; toma—You; haite—from; haye—becomes successful.

TRANSLATION

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu continued, “You can perform a task that even I cannot do. But for You, I cannot find anyone in Gauda-desa who can fulfill My mission there.”

PURPORT

Lord Caitanya’s mission is to deliver the fallen souls of this age. In this Age of Kali, practically cent percent of the population is fallen. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu certainly delivered many fallen souls, but His disciples mainly came from the upper classes. For example, He delivered Srila Rupa Gosvami, Sanatana Gosvami, Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya and many others who were socially elevated but fallen from the spiritual point of view. Srila Rupa and Sanatana Gosvamis were situated in government service, and Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya was the topmost scholar of India. Similarly, Prakasananda Sarasvati was a leader of many thousands of Mayavadi sannyasis. It was Srila Nityananda Prabhu, however, who delivered persons like Jagai and Madhai. Therefore, Lord Caitanya says, amara ’duskara’ karma, toma haite haye. Jagai and Madhai were delivered solely by Nityananda Prabhu’s mercy. When they injured Nityananda Prabhu, Lord Caitanya became angry and decided to kill them with His Sudarsana cakra, but Nityananda Prabhu saved them from the Lord’s wrath and delivered them. In the incarnation of Gaura-Nitai, the Lord is not supposed to kill demons but deliver them by preaching Krsna consciousness. In the case of Jagai and Madhai, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was so angry that He would have immediately killed them, but Nityananda Prabhu was so kind that He not only saved them from death but elevated them to the transcendental position. Thus what was not possible for Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was carried out by Nityananda Prabhu.

Similarly, if one is true to Gaura-Nitai’s service in the disciplic succession, he can even excel Nityananda Prabhu’s service. This is the process of disciplic succession. Nityananda Prabhu delivered Jagai and Madhai, but a servant of Nityananda Prabhu, by His grace, can deliver many thousands of Jagai’s and Madhai’s. That is the special benediction of the disciplic succession. One who is situated in the disciplic succession can be understood by the result of his activities. This is always true as far as the activities of the Lord and His devotees are concerned. Therefore Lord Siva says:

aradhananam sarvesam
visnor aradhanam param
tasmat parataram devi
tadiyanam samarcanam

“Of all types of worship, worship of Lord Visnu is best, and better than the worship of Lord Visnu is the worship of His devotee, the Vaisnava.” (Padma Purana)

By the grace of Visnu, a Vaisnava can render better service than Visnu; that is the special prerogative of a Vaisnava. The Lord actually wants to see His servants work more gloriously than Himself. For instance, on the Battlefield of Kuruksetra, Sri Krsna provoked Arjuna to fight because all the warriors on the battlefield were to die by Krsna’s plan. Krsna Himself did not want to take credit; rather, He wanted Arjuna to take credit. Therefore He asked him to fight and win fame.

tasmat tvam uttistha yaso labhasva
jitva satrun bhunksva rajyam samrddham
mayaivaite nihatah purvam eva
nimitta-matram bhava savyasacin

Madhya16.66

TEXT 66

nityananda kahe,--ami ’deha’ tumi ’prana’

’deha’ ’prana’ bhinna nahe,--ei ta pramana

SYNONYMS

nityananda kahe—Lord Nityananda Prabhu said; ami—I; deha—the body; tumi—You; prana—the life; deha—the body; prana—the life; bhinna nahe—not separate; ei ta pramana—this is the evidence.

TRANSLATION

Nityananda Prabhu replied, "O Lord, You are the life, and I am the body. There is no difference between the body and life itself, but life is more important than the body.

Madhya16.67

TEXT 67

acintya-saktye kara tumi tahara ghatana

ye karaha, sei kari, nahika niyama

SYNONYMS

acintya-saktye—by inconceivable energy; kara—do; tumi—You; tahara—of that relationship; ghatana—the operation; ye—whatever; karaha—You make Me do; sei—that; kari—I do; nahika—there is not; niyama—restriction.

TRANSLATION

“By Your inconceivable energy, You can do whatever You like, and whatever You make Me do, I do without restriction.”

PURPORT

Madhya16.68

TEXT 68

tanre vidaya dila prabhu kari’ alingana

ei-mata vidaya dila saba bhakta-gana

SYNONYMS

tanre—unto Him (Nityananda Prabhu); vidaya dila—bade farewell; prabhu—Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; kari’-doing; alingana—embracing; ei-mata—in this way; vidaya dila—bade farewell; saba—to all; bhakta-gana—the devotees.

TRANSLATION

In this way, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu embraced Nityananda Prabhu and bade Him farewell. He then bade farewell to all the other devotees.

Madhya16.69

TEXT 69

kulina-grami purvavat kaila nivedana

“prabhu, ajna kara,--amara kartavya sadhana”

SYNONYMS

kulina-grami—one of the residents of Kulina-grama; purva-vat—like last year; kaila—submitted; nivedana—petition; prabhu—my Lord; ajna kara—order; amara—my; kartavya—necessary; sadhana—performance.

TRANSLATION

As in the previous year, one of the inhabitants of Kulina-grama submitted a petition to the Lord, saying, “My Lord, kindly tell me what my duty is and how I should execute it.”

Madhya16.70

TEXT 70

prabhu kahe,--"vaisnava-seva, nama-sankirtana

dui kara, sighra pabe sri-krsna-carana"

SYNONYMS

prabhu kahe—the Lord replied; vaisnava-seva—service to the Vaisnavas; nama-sankirtana—chanting the holy name of the Lord; dui kara—you perform these two things; sighra—very soon; pabe—you will get; sri-krsna-carana—shelter at the lotus feet of the Lord, Sri Krsna.

TRANSLATION

The Lord replied, “You should engage yourself in the service of the servants of Krsna and always chant the holy name of Krsna. If you do these two things, you will very soon attain shelter at Krsna’s lotus feet.”

Madhya16.71

TEXT 71

tenho kahe,--“ke vaisnava, ki tanra laksana?”

tabe hasi’ kahe prabhu jani’ tanra mana

SYNONYMS

tenho kahe—he said; ke—who; vaisnava—a Vaisnava; ki—what; tanra—of him; laksana—the symptoms; tabe—thereafter; hasi’-smiling; kahe—says; prabhu—Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; jani’-knowing; tanra mana—his mind.

TRANSLATION

The inhabitant of Kulina-grama said, “Please let me know who is actually a Vaisnava and what his symptoms are.” Understanding his mind, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu smiled and gave the following reply.

Madhya16.72

TEXT 72

"krsna-nama nirantara yanhara vadane

sei vaisnava-srestha, bhaja tanhara carane

SYNONYMS

krsna-nama—the holy name of Lord Krsna; nirantara—incessantly; yanhara—whose; vadane—in the mouth; sei—such a person; vaisnava-srestha—a first-class Vaisnava; bhaja—worship; tanhara carane—his lotus feet.

TRANSLATION

“A person who is always chanting the holy name of the Lord is to be considered a first-class Vaisnava, and your duty is to serve his lotus feet.”

PURPORT

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura says that any Vaisnava who is constantly chanting the holy name of the Lord should be considered to have attained the second platform of Vaisnavism. Such a devotee is superior to a neophyte Vaisnava who has just learned to chant the holy name of the Lord. A neophyte devotee simply tries to chant the holy name, whereas the advanced devotee is accustomed to chanting and takes pleasure in it. Such an advanced devotee is called madhyama-bhagavata, which indicates that he has attained the intermediate stage between the neophyte and the perfect devotee. Generally a devotee in the intermediate stage becomes a preacher. A neophyte devotee or an ordinary person should worship the madhyama-bhagavata, who is a via medium.

In his Upadesamrta Srila Rupa Gosvami says: pranatibhis ca bhajantam isam. This means that madhyama-adhikari devotees should exchange obeisances between themselves.

The word nirantara, meaning “without cessation, continuously, constantly,” is very important in this verse. The word antara means “interval.” if one has desires other than a desire to perform devotional service-in other words, if one sometimes engages in devotional service and sometimes strives for sense gratification-his service will be interrupted. A pure devotee, therefore, should have no other desire than to serve Krsna. He should be above fruitive activity and speculative knowledge. In his Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu, Srila Rupa Gosvami says:

anyabhilasita-sunyam
jnana-karmady-anavrtam
anukulyena krsnanu-
silanam bhaktir uttama

This is the platform of pure devotional service. One should not be motivated by fruitive activity or mental speculation but should simply serve Krsna favorably. That is first-class devotion.

Another meaning of antara is “this body.” The body is an impediment to self-realization because it is always engaged in sense gratification. Similarly, antara means “money.” If money is not used in Krsna’s service, it is also an impediment. Antara also means janata, “people in general.” The association of ordinary persons may destroy the principles of devotional service. Similarly, antara may mean “greed,” greed to acquire more money or enjoy more sense gratification. Finally, the word antara may also mean “atheistic ideas” by which one considers the temple Deity to be made of stone, wood or gold. All of these are impediments. The Deity in the temple is not material-He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself. Similarly, considering the spiritual master an ordinary human being (gurusu nara-matih) is also an impediment. Nor should one consider a Vaisnava a member of a particular caste or nation. Nor should a Vaisnava be considered material. Caranamrta should not be considered ordinary drinking water, and the holy name of the Lord should not be considered an ordinary sound vibration. Nor should one look on Lord Krsna as an ordinary human being, for He is the origin of all visnu-tattvas; nor should one regard the Supreme Lord as a demigod. Intermingling the spiritual with the material causes one to look on transcendence as material and the mundane as spiritual. This is all due to a poor fund of knowledge. One should not consider Lord Visnu and things related to him as being different. All this is offensive.

In the Bhakti-sandarbha (265), Srila Jiva Gosvami writes: namaikam yasya vaci smarana-patha-gatam ityadau deha-dravinadi-nimittaka-’pasanda’-sabdena ca dasa aparadha laksyante, pasandamayatvat tesam.

The Mayavadis look on Visnu and Vaisnavas imperfectly due to their poor fund of knowledge, and this is condemned. In Srimad-Bhagavatam (11.2.46), the intermediate Vaisnava is described as follows:

isvare tad-adhinesu
balisesu dvisatsu ca
prema-maitri-krpopeksa
yah karoti sa madhyamah

Madhya16.73

TEXT 73

varsantare punah tanra aiche prasna kaila

vaisnavera taratamya prabhu sikhaila

SYNONYMS

varsantare—after one year; punah—again; tanra—they (the inhabitants of Kulina-grama); aiche—such; prasna—a question; kaila—made; vaisnavera—of Vaisnavas; taratamya—upper and lower gradations; prabhu—Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu; sikhaila—taught.

TRANSLATION

The following year, the inhabitants of Kulina-grama again asked the Lord the same question. Hearing this question, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu again taught them about the different types of Vaisnavas.

Madhya16.74

TEXT 74

yanhara darsane mukhe aise krsna-nama

tanhare janiha tumi ’vaisnava-pradhana’

SYNONYMS

yanhara darsane—by the sight of whom; mukhe—in the mouth; aise—automatically awakens; krsna-nama—the holy name of Krsna; tanhare—him; janiha—must know; tumi—you; vaisnava-pradhana—the first-class Vaisnava.

TRANSLATION

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, “A first-class Vaisnava is he whose very presence makes others chant the holy name of Krsna.”

PURPORT

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura says that if an observer immediately remembers the holy name of Krsna upon seeing a Vaisnava, that Vaisnava should be considered a maha-bhagavata, a first-class devotee. Such a Vaisnava is always aware of his Krsna conscious duty, and he is enlightened in self-realization. He is always in love with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna, and this love is without adulteration. Because of this love, he is always awake to transcendental realization. Because he knows that Krsna consciousness is the basis of knowledge and action, he sees everything connected with Krsna. Such a person is able to chant the holy name of Krsna perfectly. Such a maha-bhagavata Vaisnava has the transcendental eyes to see who is sleeping under the spell of maya, and he engages himself in awakening sleeping conditioned beings by spreading the knowledge of Krsna consciousness. He opens eyes that are closed by forgetfulness of Krsna. Thus the living entity is liberated from the dullness of material energy and is engaged fully in the service of the Lord. The madhyama-adhikari Vaisnava can awaken others to Krsna consciousness and engage them in duties whereby they can advance. It is therefore said in Caitanya-caritamrta (Madhya-lila, Chapter Six, verse 279):

lohake yavat sparsi’ hema nahi kare
tavat sparsa-mani keha cinite na pare

“One cannot understand the value of touchstone until it turns iron into gold.” One should judge by action, not by promises. A maha-bhagavata can turn a living entity from abominable material life to the Lord’s service. This is the test of a maha-bhagavata. Although preaching is not meant for a maha-bhagavata, a maha-bhagavata can descend to the platform of madhyama-bhagavata just to convert others to Vaisnavism. Actually a maha-bhagavata is fit to spread Krsna consciousness, but he does not distinguish where Krsna consciousness should be spread from where it should not. He thinks that everyone is competent to accept Krsna consciousness if the chance is provided. A neophyte and intermediate devotee should always be anxious to hear the maha-bhagavata and serve him in every respect. The neophyte and intermediate devotees can gradually rise to the platform of uttama-adhikari and become first-class devotees. Symptoms of a first-class devotee are given in Srimad-Bhagavatam (11.2.45):

sarva-bhutesu yah pasyed
bhagavad-bhavam atmanah
bhutani bhagavaty atmany
esa bhagavatottamah

When teaching Sanatana Gosvami, the Lord further said:

sastra-yuktye sunipuna, drdha-sraddha yanra
’uttama-adhikari’ se taraye samsara