# Śrī Caitanyadeva ## 1. Is the favor given by Mahāprabhu the highest favor? There has never been nor will there ever be better benefactors than Mahāprabhu and His devotees. No other type of human welfare work can compare; all those others simply perform a great disservice to humanity. The favor offered by Mahāprabhu and His devotees is the supreme favor. This favor is eternal, not a temporary five or ten day promise. Mundane benefits tend to ultimately do harm, but Mahāprabhu’s favor will never harm others. For example, what is good for our country will certainly be harmful to another country. It is the nature of temporary happiness to cause distress to others. If I am happy to ride in a horse-pulled cart, the horse will be inconvenienced by my pleasure. Mahāprabhu and His devotees never deceive people by preaching about temporary favors. Their favor and charities are suitable for all people at all times and under all circumstances. Their gifts are good for the entire universe. Mahāprabhu and His devotees never offer gifts related to narrow or sectarian views. Mahāprabhu’s compassion is considered harmless compassion. Thus we say that He and His devotees are the most magnanimous. I am not speaking flowery language or myth but topmost truth when I say these things. Mahāprabhu’s compassion is complete, while all other forms of compassion are limited and deceptive. Matsya, Kūrma, Varāhadeva, Rāmacandra, and even Kṛṣṇa distributed mercy only to Their devotees and annihilated those who opposed Them. Mahāprabhu displayed compassion to everyone. He did not even hesitate to show His harmless mercy to the Kazi and the Buddhists, and He converted the worshipers of Rāmacandra, known as the Rāmānandīs, into pure Vaiṣṇavas. ## 2. Is everything that happens Kṛṣṇa’s mercy? Everything that happens is an example of the Lord’s compassion, for He is full of compassion. Śrī Gaurasundara tests us by putting us into various difficulties and inconveniences. Our success at passing those tests depends on our good fortune. As the Supersoul, Śrī Gaurahari mercifully reveals eternal truth to sincere persons. Those who take full shelter at Hari’s lotus feet and the feet of guru and the Vaiṣṇavas never repose their faith in the illusory words of misguided people. Only unfortunate people are cheated by deceitful words. Our only hope at avoiding such misfortune is to remain firmly fixed at the lotus feet of Śrīman Mahāprabhu. Always study Caitanya-caritāmṛta and hear it explained by persons conversant with its actual purport. Chant Kṛṣṇa’s holy names offenselessly in the association of devotees. And continue to read— Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Prārthanā, and Śaraṇāgati especially—and you will find fortune. If you chant in the association of devotees, Gaurahari will bestow His mercy on you. ## 3. What has Śrī Caitanyadeva done? Śrī Caitanyadeva has instructed everyone to engage everything they have in Kṛṣṇa’s service. Although Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is Kṛṣṇa, He appeared in the mood of a devotee and revealed Kṛṣṇa to the world. He taught everyone to serve Kṛṣṇa by His own example. Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī Prabhu, who was an associate of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya, glorified Mahāprabhu as follows: namo mahā-vadānyāya, kṛṣṇa-prema-pradāya te kṛṣṇaya kṛṣṇa-caitanya-nāmne gaura-tviṣe namaḥ O most munificent incarnation! You are Kṛṣṇa Himself appearing as Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu. You have assumed the golden color of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, and You are widely distributing pure love of Kṛṣṇa. We offer our respectful obeisances unto You. (Caitanya-caritāmṛta Madhya 19.54) O Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya! You are most magnanimous! You have not established so-called schools and orphanages, nor have You spent your time digging wells, building hospitals, or performing other social welfare activities. Rather, You have established spiritual institutions to educate the people. You are therefore the ultimate shelter of all orphans. You have revealed the nectarean ocean of the mellows of devotional service. You have built Gauḍīya hospitals, centers where the root cause of material disease can be treated. Your mercy is causeless and yields no inauspicious results. The so-called mercy seen in this world always creates inauspiciousness in the end. But Your mercy on the living entities creates all auspiciousness for them. Therefore You are considered the most magnanimous personality and He who bestows love of Kṛṣṇa. You are the object of the living entities’ spontaneous propensity to render You service. You are most attractive and have appeared to manifest the most magnanimous pastimes in order to awaken our Kṛṣṇa consciousness. O Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya! You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead! You have an eternal spiritual body, a body full of knowledge and bliss. Your names, forms, qualities, and pastimes are all eternal. You are the energetic Lord Kṛṣṇa. Your energy, by whose influence the entire material world is bewildered, is known as Mahāmāyā. Lord Kṛṣṇa is the proprietor of this energy. The exquisitely beautiful Śrī Rādhikā, who enchants the entire universe, also enchants Mahāmayā. O Lord! You are fully absorbed in the mood and complexion of Śrī Rādhikā. Kṛṣṇa’s mood as the enjoyer of Rādhā is not present in Your magnanimous pastimes. Śrī Rādhā is the personification of Kṛṣṇa’s service, and Your heart is fully absorbed in Śrī Rādhās mood. Since You have awarded kṛṣṇa-prema to everyone, You are the most magnanimous and are the personification of love of God. You have incarnated to distribute love of God and are nondifferent from Kṛṣṇa. ## 4. Who is Śrī Caitanyadeva? Śrī Caitanyadeva is not a personality two thousand or ten thousand years old; He is eternal. He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is beginningless, the origin of all, and the cause of all causes. He is not born under the influence of time. Rather, past, present, and future originate in Him. He is eternal and almighty. He is not a physical body of flesh and bones but the primeval Lord. He is the supreme enjoyer and proprietor of everything. He is the Supersoul situated in the heart of all living entities. He is the supreme Brahman and the Supreme Lord. He is directly Kṛṣṇa and the fountainhead of all incarnations. He is full of all opulence and is the supreme Absolute Truth. Śrī Caitanyadeva is the ocean of mercy. No one else can bestow as much mercy as He can. No other incarnation of the Lord has ever distributed so much causeless mercy. His mercy is distributed to worthless persons to make them qualified. His mercy is eternal. He is so merciful that He gives Himself to His devotees. Such compassion has never before been seen. Karmīs, jñānīs, and yogīs are unable to see the beauty of His distribution of love of God, but any fortunate soul can attain it. Therefore I say, give up all your considerations and spend time hearing about Śrī Caitanyadeva. If we hear about such a personality, who is far superior to ordinary human beings, we can find enough qualification to engage in kṛṣṇa-bhajana, the actual path of peace. Then we will develop the propensity to love the Lord as our son. If we can replace the conception that the perception of human life or peace is attained by the marriage between a mundane man and a mundane woman, then a mother will no longer consider her son as hers own. Our success lies in reestablishing our relationship with the Supreme Lord. The five types of rasas such as śānta, dāsya, sakhya, vātsalya, and mādhurya are present in the Supreme Lord in full form. Since we have established our relationship with temporary objects rather than Him, we are unable to understand all these things. The Absolute Truth is full of knowledge and bliss. We run here and there to try to know Him; but the Lord of Goloka has appeared in human form among us as Gaurāṅga to give us instruction. If we do not follow His instructions, how will we be benefited? ## 5. Why did Lord Caitanya reject the most important instruction of Bhagavad-gītā, the sarva-dharman parityaja verse, as “external”? Mahāprabhu spoke these words to Śrī Ramānanda Rāya. Because devotional service is the constitutional propensity of the soul, there is no need for the Lord to encourage people to become devotees by establishing terms. Actually, the devotees are eager to please the Supreme Lord out of their own spontaneous love. If a father has to work hard to make his son devoted to him, then where is the glory or credit to the son? Shouldn’t the devotees serve the Lord out of their own accord? At present we have not only forgotten the Supreme Lord but forgotten our selves, our eternal constitutional position, and our eternal existence. We have become masters of temporary objects and also engaged in their service. Therefore Mahāprabhu has rejected such an important instruction in Bhagavad-gītā by calling it “external.” Instead, He taught the people of the entire world pure devotional service and that the topmost form of worship emulates the mood of the Vrajavāsīs. ## 6. What does the phrase, “Compassion toward all living entities” mean? By instructing that we should show compassion to all living entities, Śrī Caitanyadeva has induced us all to engage in the service of Lord Viṣṇu and the Vaiṣṇavas. This is the special nature of Śrī Caitanyadeva’s mercy. ## 7. Is Śrī Gaurāṅgadeva Kṛṣṇa Himself? Since Śrī Gaurasundara is nondifferent from Kṛṣṇa, He is the sole object of the twelve rasas. The only difference between Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Lord Kṛṣṇa is that Kṛṣṇa is the personification of enjoyment and Śrī Gaurasundara is in the mood of separation. Lord Kṛṣṇa personifies the āśraya and Śrī Gaurāṅgadeva plays the role of Kṛṣṇa’s servant. The most magnanimous son of Nanda Mahārāja when combined with Śrī Rādhā is none other than Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya. Śrī Gadhādhara is His most intimate energy. When we accept Śrī Gaurasundara as the predominating half and transcendental entity, we also accept His energy Gadhādhara as the predominated transcendental entity. ## 8. I have received great benefit from your instructions. Could you please explain more about Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu? The type of bhakti Śrī Gaurasundara preached is the highest service. Glorification of the Lord such as it was inaugurated by Śrī Gaura is the remedy to cure our diseased condition and awaken our propensity for loving service to the Lord. It is our duty to faithfully accept this remedy. Then we will be peaceful. Chanting Kṛṣṇa’s holy name is that infallible remedy. Thus we should glorify Hari all the time. The Lord has invested His holy name with all His energies, and He has included the crest jewel of all objectives in the chanting. It is the duty of those devotees who have taken complete shelter at the Śrī Caitanya’s lotus feet to cultivate the conclusion of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam while following in His footsteps. Forgetting our service to Kṛṣṇa, we have become masters. We wanted to become masters, and this material world provided us with the opportunity. This world is perfectly arranged for that purpose. But mastership is not our constitutional position. Rather, it is the tendency of conditioned souls. There is no peace in following one’s conditioning. Peace can only be attained by practicing devotional service, by considering oneself a servant of Kṛṣṇa. We have become degraded because we have forgotten who we are. We are Kṛṣṇa’s servants. The spiritual master, who is dear to Kṛṣṇa, imparts to us this transcendental knowledge. This process is called initiation. Simply by serving the spiritual master the desire to engage in devotional service is awakened. If we can sincerely approach Kṛṣṇa’s devotees and hear from them submissively, we will certainly benefit both in this life and the next. Our lives will become fully successful when we begin to engage everything in the Lord’s service. You all are learned. I do not consider you nondevotees. Because you are devotees I fall at your feet and beg you to please give me these alms: forget that you are important persons in this world. Give up everything and become attached to the lotus feet of Śrī Caitanyacandra. If you are even a little attracted to the Lord, you can immediately understand that there is no inconvenience in practicing His teachings. Whoever hears His instructions will certainly begin to chant Hari’s holy name. O my brothers! Why are you traveling the path of inauspiciousness? What do you gain by discussing worldly topics? Always hear kṛṣṇa-kathā and engage in Kṛṣṇa’s service. At present, the soul is sleeping peacefully after entrusting all its responsibilities to the mind. Break the soul’s sleep, because the mind is the greatest enemy and extremely unreliable. The mind will lead you only deep into the ocean of distress. You must keep the mind under control. It does not matter what our situation, if we forget the Lord we will find only trouble. Our fortune lies in taking shelter at Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet. If we give up Lord Hari, we will suffer material misery after falling into darkness. We have attained this human form of life by good fortune, not to become foolish or ignorant. Engage in your normal human condition as servants of the Lord. Caitanya-caritāmṛta Madhya-līla 22.33 states: kṛṣṇa, tomāra haṅa’ yadi bale eka-bāra māyā-bandha haite kṛṣṇa tāre kare pāra One is immediately freed from the clutches of Maya if he seriously and sincerely says, ’My dear Lord Kṛṣṇa, although I have forgotten You for so many long years in the material world, today I am surrendering unto You. I am Your sincere and serious servant. Please engage me in Your service.” ## 9. How does the Supreme Lord perform His appearance pastimes? Since mother Śacī and Jagannāth Misra are eternally perfect devotees, their hearts and bodies consist of pure goodness. They are never to be considered ordinary jīvas. Pure goodness is also called vasudeva. Lord Vāsudeva, who enjoys transcendental pastimes, appears only in pure goodness, or vasudeva. Mother Śacīs pregnancy did not occur through lusty association with her husband, as if they were a mundane male and female interested only in sense gratification, whose bodies were made of flesh, bones, and blood. Even to think of them in this way is an offense. If one considers her pregnancy with a service-inclined heart, one will realize how glorious Mother śacīs transcendental pregnancy was, and how it personified pure goodness. In his commentary on Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.2.16) Śrīdhara Svamīpāda wrote that the Supreme Lord appears in a devotee’s heart that is in the mode of pure goodness. He does not take birth like an ordinary human being. Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī wrote in Laghu-bhāgavatāmṛta that Lord Kṛṣṇa first manifests in the heart of Vasudeva, then from Vasudeva’s heart He manifests in the heart of Devakī. Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi 13.84-85 states: jagannātha miśra kahe svapna ye dekhila jyotirmaya-dhāma mora hṛdaye paśila Jagannātha Miśra then replied, “In a dream I saw the effulgent abode of the Lord enter my heart.” āmāra hṛdaya haite gelā tomāra hṛdaye hena bujhi, janmibena kona mahāśaye “From my heart it entered your heart. I therefore understand that a great personality will soon take birth.” ## 10. Is Śrī Caitanyadeva the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself? Śrī Caitanyadeva is directly the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Śrī Gaurāṅga Mahāprabhu is the supreme Absolute Truth, and the supreme consciousness. He is the Supreme Lord Himself and the controller of all other controllers. The Lord’s eternally perfect associate, Śrī Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura sings: vrajendranandana yei śacīsuta haila sei balarāma haila nitāi The son of Nanda Mahārāja has appeared as the son of Śacī, and Balarāma has appeared as Nityānanda Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta states: svayaṁ bhagavān kṛṣṇa, viṣṇu-paratattva, pūrṇa-jñāna pūrṇānanda parama mahattva ’nanda-suta’ bali’ yāṅre bhāgavate gāi, sei kṛṣṇa avatīrṇa caitanya-gosāñi Kṛṣṇa, the original form of the Personality of Godhead, is the summum bonum of the all-pervading Viṣṇu. He is all-perfect knowledge and all-perfect bliss. He is the Supreme Transcendence. He whom Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam describes as the son of Nanda Mahārāja has descended to earth as Lord Caitanya. parama īśvara kṛṣṇa svayaṁ bhagavān, sarva-avatārī, sarva-kāraṇa-pradhāna Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is personally the original Godhead, the source of all incarnations and the cause of all causes. (Madhya 8.134) sei kṛṣṇa avatārī vrajendra-kumāra, āpane caitanya-rūpe kaila avatāra That same Lord Kṛṣṇa, the fountainhead of all incarnations, is known as the son of the King of Vraja. He has descended personally as Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. (Ādi 2.109) We are servants of the Supreme Lord and serving Him is our eternal duty. Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa appeared as Lord Gaurāṅga in Kali-yuga. Therefore Lord Gaurāṅga is the eternal worshipable Lord of persons like us who live in Kali-yuga. Anyone who does not worship Caitanyacandra is unconscious. Those who do not worship the most merciful Śrī Caitanyacandra are unable even to become conscious. Śrī Caitanyacandra is the supreme Absolute Truth, full of sixteen transcendental characteristics. Therefore if His enlivening kathā enters our hearts, it will certainly attract us to His lotus feet. Those who hear about Him partially will surrender to Him partially. Until the living entities become constantly intoxicated by serving Śrī Caitanyacandra, offering body, mind, and words, house, children, and wife, at His lotus feet, it is to be understood that they have not heard about Śrī Caitanyacandra completely. Śrī Gaurasundara is the eternal Absolute Truth. He existed in the past, exists at present, and will continue to exist in future. Śrī Gaurāṅgadeva is the combined form of Śrī Rādhā-Govinda. Although He is directly Kṛṣṇa Himself, He performs pastimes as Kṛṣṇa’s servant to benefit the jīvas. He is fully absorbed in Śrī Rādhās mood. Because they are foolish, some people consider Him simply a great personality or a mere religious preacher. But He is neither. He is directly Kṛṣṇa, the son of Nanda. As Śrī Gaurāṅgadeva Kṛṣṇa appeared as the son of Śrī Jagannāth Miśra; Śrī Jagannāth Miśra was the Lord’s servant. ## 11. What is Śrī Gaurāṅgadeva’s compassion? Śrī Gaurasundara said that saṅkīrtana is the only duty of humankind. This is proof of His magnanimous nature. Human beings can attain what it is impossible even for the best of the demigods to attain. Śrī Gaurāṅgadeva does not cheat and does not mix material enjoyment with spiritual understanding. He has preached what is most beneficial to all living beings. If one hears His teachings he will understand that all other teachings in this world are incomplete and weak. Śrī Gaurasundara has not descended to cheat people as the mental speculators cheat people by presenting their insignificant sādhanas. By preaching Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam Śrī Gaurasundara has proved that the sādhanas put forth by so-called sampradāyas are simply ineffective. He has also demonstrated that the congregational chanting of Kṛṣṇa’s name is the only way to attain auspiciousness. But the saṅkīrtana must be for Kṛṣṇa. Any kīrtana performed for one’s own happiness or the happiness of others is not kṛṣṇa-kīrtana. The holy name of Kṛṣṇa is directly Kṛṣṇa Himself. The letters K-ṛ-ṣ-ṇ-a are nondifferent from Kṛṣṇa. By performing kṛṣṇa-kīrtana the sinful mentality of impersonalists and atheists is destroyed and they become eligible for ultimate liberation. Māyāvādī Prakāśānanda is the prime example of this fact. Even people who are too attached to material enjoyment can attain ultimate liberation by performing kṛṣṇa-kīrtana. Pratāparudra, the king of Utkala, is the prime example of this fact. All jīvas, including men, women, animals, birds, trees, and even the dead stones can be liberated by the performance of kṛṣṇa-kīrtana. The animals, birds, trees, and creepers of Jhārikhaṇḍa forest are prime examples of this fact. The living entities are not becoming liberated simply because they do not engage in kṛṣṇa-kīrtana. Śrī Gaurasundara incarnated in this world to benefit all living entities. Our only welfare lies in performing kṛṣṇa-kīrtana. There is no other way to attain the ultimate goal of education, knowledge, and life itself. Actual kṛṣṇa-kīrtana is that kīrtana by which Kṛṣṇa is pleased. The show of performing kīrtana for one’s own pleasure or the pleasure of others is not kṛṣṇa-kīrtana but māyā-kīrtana. As actions are judged by their results, so one can judge whether one is chanting the holy name by the results. If while chanting Hari’s name one’s propensity or attachment for material life increases, one can know that Hari is not the object of one’s chanting. Hari-nāma-saṅkīrtana should destroy attachment for material life, not increase it. While chanting one will realize the insignificance and temporality of material life, and will no longer relish it. Then all one’s anarthas will be destroyed, one’s heart will be purified and become steady, one’s material restlessness and misery will be destroyed, and one will attain love of God. If these stages do not occur, one can only imagine what one must be doing other than kṛṣṇa-kīrtana. śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya-dayā karaha vicāra, vicāra karite citte pābe camatkāra If you are indeed interested in logic and argument, kindly apply it to the mercy of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. If you do so, you will find it to be strikingly wonderful. (Caitanya-caritāmṛta Ādi 8.14) ’eka’ kṛṣṇa-nāme kare sarva-pāpa nāśa, premera kāraṇa bhakti karena prakāśa Simply chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra without offenses vanquishes all sinful activities. Thus pure devotional service, which is the cause of love of Godhead, becomes manifest. (Caitanya-caritāmṛta Ādi 8.26) anāyāse bhava-kṣaya, kṛṣṇera sevana, eka kṛṣṇa-nāmera phale pāi eta dhana As a result of chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, one makes such great advancement in spiritual life that simultaneously his material existence terminates, and he receives love of Godhead. The holy name of Kṛṣṇa is so powerful that by chanting even one name, one very easily achieves these transcendental riches. (Caitanya-caritāmṛta Ādi 8.28) harṣe prabhu kahena, “śuna svarūpa-rāma-rāya, nāma-saṅkīrtana kalau parama upāya saṅkīrtana-yajñe kalau kṛṣṇa-ārādhana, sei ta’ sumedhā pāya kṛṣṇera caraṇa In great jubilation, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, “My dear Svarū pa Dāmodara and Rāmānanda Rāya, know from Me that chanting the holy names is the most feasible means of salvation in this Age of Kali. “In this Age of Kali, the process of worshiping Kṛṣṇa is to perform sacrifice by chanting the holy name of the Lord. One who does so is certainly very intelligent, and he attains shelter at the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. (Caitanya-caritāmṛta Antya 20.8-9) nāma-saṅkīrtana haite sarvānartha-nāśa, sarva-śubhodaya, kṛṣṇa-premera ullāsa “Simply by chanting the holy name of Lord Kṛṣṇa, one can be freed from all undesirable habits. This is the means of awakening all good fortune, and initiating the flow of waves of love for Kṛṣṇa. (Caitanya-caritāmṛta Antya 20.11) saṅkīrtana haite pāpa-saṁsāra-nāśana, citta-śuddhi, sarva-bhakti-sādhana-udgama kṛṣṇa-premodgama, premāmṛta-āsvādana, kṛṣṇa-prāpti, sevāmṛta-samudre majjana “By performing congregational chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, one can destroy the sinful condition of material existence, purify the unclean heart, and awaken all varieties of devotional service. The result of chanting is that one awakens his love for Kṛṣṇa, and tastes transcendental bliss. Ultimately, one attains the association of Kṛṣṇa, and engages in His devotional service, as if immersing himself in a great ocean of love.” (Caitanya-caritāmṛta Antya 20.13-14) ## 12. Can one worship Lord Gaurāṅga as one’s husband? The Supreme Personality of Godhead Kṛṣṇa is the only enjoyer and everyone is enjoyed by Him. Although Śrī Gaurasundara is the object of worship, Kṛṣṇa, He is absorbed in the mood of a devotee. Although He is Kṛṣṇa Himself, He is searching after Kṛṣṇa. Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the personification of sweetness, and Śrī Gaurāṅgadeva is the personification of magnanimity. As soon as one proudly considers himself the enjoyer, he falls into material existence. Thus one becomes degraded. It is important to understand that although Śrī Gaurasundara is the supreme enjoyer, the āśraya, He is playing the pastimes of being a devotee. Therefore Śrī Lakṣmiprīyā and Śrī Viṣṇuprīyā are His legitimate wives, and all others subordinate to them are maidservants on the platform of pure servitorship. One cannot use words relating to the conjugal mellows when referring to Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s devotees. Wherever the word “husband” is used to indicate Śrī Gaurasundara in mādhurya-rati, it refers to the Kṛṣṇa form of Śrī Gaurasundara. Those who call Śrī Gaura nāgara, or “enjoyer of a damsel,” are ignorant offenders and unauthorized. Gaura-nāgarīvāda is certainly not scripturally based. Therefore Śrī Vṛndāvana dāsa Ṭhākura writes in his Śrī Caitanya-bhāgavata, ataeva yata mahā-mahima sakale, ’gaurāṅga-nāgara’ hena stava nāhi bale: “Therefore great personalities do not offer prayers addressing Lord Gaurāṅga as Gaurāṅga-nāgara, the enjoyer of damsels.” [CB Ādi-khaṇḍa 15.30-32] ## 13. Who is Śrī Gaurasundara? Lord Kṛṣṇa, the son of Vraja’s king, has appeared in this world as Lord Gaurāṅga. Śrī Gaurasundara is the eternal Absolute Truth. He is the son of Jagannāth Misra. Although appearing as the Lord’s father, Jagannāth Miśra is actually His servant. Śrī Gaurāṅgadeva is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and is fully transcendental. No one is equal to or greater than Him. He is a unique personality. Although superiors, His parents are also His servants. Śrī Gaurasundara is eternally situated with His servants, subordinates, and energies, as the non-dual substance. He is eternal, and His servants, subordinates, and energies are also eternal. By servants we mean those who render service to Him. Those who have been counted as His subordinates serve Him with love and affection. They are His sons and He is their father. Caitanyadeva distributes love of God in the form of chanting the holy name by appearing in the pure heart of His subordinates. They are His descendants, and they have maintained and are maintaining the flow of propagating Kṛṣṇa consciousness by distributing love of God and the holy name all over the world. Śrī Gaurasundara is directly Nanda-suta Kṛṣṇa. According to vaidhi consideration, Śrī Lakṣmī and Śrī Viṣṇuprīyā were His wives, and according to bhajana consideration, intimate devotees such as Śrī Svarūpa Dāmodara, Śrī Gadhādhara Pandita, and Śrī Rāya Rāmānanda were His eternal consorts situated on the highest platform of mādhurya-rasa. Although Śrī Gaurasundara is nondifferent from the son of Nanda Mahārāja, He is an incarnation of the mood of separation. Lord Kṛṣṇa is the personification of enjoyment, and Lord Gaurāṅga is the personification of the mellow of separation. ## 14. How does one worship Śrī Gaura? To follow Śrī Gaurasundara’s orders is to worship Śrī Gaura. It is said, dāsya rasa parākāsṭhā gaurāṅga bhajana, “In the worship of Gaurāṅga, the mood of servitorship is prominent.” Elsewhere it is said, madhura rasete gaura yugala ākāra, “In madhurya-rasa, Śrī Gaurāṅga is Śrī Rādhā Kṛṣṇa.” People who are full of anarthas cannot go to Kṛṣṇa, but the most magnanimous personality, Śrī Gaurasundara, delivered materialists like Sārvabhauma Bhattācārya and sinners like Jagāi and Mādhāi from their respective anarthas, qualifying them to engage in worship of Kṛṣṇa. Fortunate persons worship Gaurāṅga and Kṛṣṇa under the shelter of the spiritual master. The spiritual master is nondifferent from Śrī Gaura, because he is the manifestation of Śrī Gaura. He is servitor God. Although the spiritual master is as good as God, he is most dear to God. It is an offense to consider the spiritual master the supreme enjoyer or the object of service. ## 15. Why did Mahāprabhu chant “gopī, gopī”? The materialist cannot understand why Mahāprabhu, who is the supreme teacher of all living entities, chanted “gopī, gopī.” In order to teach people that without glorifying the devotees one cannot glorify Kṛṣṇa, and without engaging in the spiritual master’s service one cannot engage in Kṛṣṇa’s service, Mahāprabhu enacted this pastime. Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura sings, rādhā bhajane yadi mati nāhi bhelā kṛṣṇa bhajana tava akārana gelā: if one is not inclined toward the worship of Rādhā, his worship of Kṛṣṇa is useless. ## 16. Is Śrī Caitanyadeva only the Lord of the Bengalis? Śrī Caitanyadeva is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the supreme controller, the Absolute Truth, and the son of Nanda. In order to benefit everyone in the universe, Lord Kṛṣṇa appeared as Śrī Caitanyadeva. Needless to say He is worshipable by all and is the object of everyone’s service. Therefore we say that Caitanya Mahāprabhu is not only the Lord of the Bengalis but of all humankind and all jīvas, including the demigods headed by Brahmā and Śiva. He is the Supreme Lord. ## 17. Is Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta simply a book of the Lord’s pastimes? Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta is not simply a book containing Śrī Caitanyadeva’s pastimes. It is a wonderful philosophical work. It contains plenty of philosophical explanations. Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s second pastimes are the pastimes of Śrī Caitanya, and Śrī Caitanya’s second pastimes are the pastimes of Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Śrīla Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī Prabhu has written this book by taking guidance from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. ## 18. Can you please tell us Śrī Caitanyadeva’s philosophy in brief? We find Śrī Caitanyadeva’s philosophy summarized in one ancient verse: ārādhyo bhagavān vrajeśa-tanayas tad-dhāma vṛndāvanaṁ ramyā kācid upāsana vraja-vadhū-vargeṇā yā kalpitā śrīmad-bhāgavataṁ pramāṇam amalaṁ premā pum-artho mahān śrī-caitanya-mahāprabhor matam idaṁ tatrādarāḥ naḥ paraḥ The Supreme Personality of Godhead, the son of Nanda Mahārāja, is to be worshiped along with His transcendental abode, Vṛndāvana. The most pleasing form of worship for the Lord is that which was performed by the gopīs of Vṛndāvana. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the spotless authority on everything, and pure love of God is the ultimate goal of life for all men. These statements, for which we have the highest regard, are the opinion of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. (Caitanya-mañjuṣa, a commentary on Śrīmad Bhāgavatam) Kṛṣṇa, the son of Nanda, is the complete manifestation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Lord Kṛṣṇa manifests Himself in three features before His devotees according to their respective qualifications. All of these features are complete. They are not partial or indirect manifestations of Kṛṣṇa the way His manifestations as Paramātma and Brahman are partial. These three features are complete, more complete, and most complete and are situated in Dvārakā, Maṭhurā, and Vṛndāvana. In Dvārakā Kṛṣṇa’s manifestation is complete, in Maṭhurā, He is more complete, and in Vraja, He is most complete. We live on earth, which is situated somewhere in the fourteen planetary systems. These fourteen planetary systems consist of seven upper planets, beginning from earth, and seven planets below the earth. Among the seven upper planets the first three are Bhū, Bhūva, and Svaḥ. These are the residence of the pious, ambitious materialists. The rest, beginning with Mahar, Jana, Tapa, and Satya are the destination of those who practice renunciation. Among them those brahmacāris who live at the gurukula for a fixed period of time and then return home after offering dakṣiṇā to their guru, attain the planet called Maharloka. Those brahmacārīs who remain in their guru’s āśrama for their entire lives and who practice strict celibacy attain Janaloka. The destination of the vānaprasthas is Tapaloka, and sannyāsīs to Satyaloka. But devotees who have no desire either to enjoy in the material world or to merge into Brahman attain the most rare Vaikuṇṭhaloka. Above Vaikuṇṭha is Dvārakā, above Dvārkā is Maṭhurā, and above Maṭhurā is Goloka Vṛndāvana. Those spiritual abodes, which are eternally present in the spiritual sky, are also manifest in this world. Whatever is absent in the spiritual world cannot appear in this one. As lotus flowers grow in the water but are not touched by the water, so Vṛndāvana-dhāma is in this world but untouched by matter. Those whose hearts are not inclined to serve the Lord cannot realize the transcendental nature of the Lord’s abode as it appears in this world. Holy places like Ayodhyā, Dvārakā, and Purī are particular provinces of Vaikuṇṭha. The happiness one feels in Ayodhyā is superior to the happiness one feels in Vaikuṇṭha; the happiness one feels in Dvārakā is superior to the happiness one feels in Ayodhyā; and the happiness experienced by the residents of Goloka Vṛndāvana is the crest jewel of all happiness. The reason the happiness felt in one dhāma is superior to the happiness felt in another is based on the intensity of the rasas expressed in the particular dhāmas. The distress the devotees feel in Goloka dances on the head of all happiness. Distress in the spiritual world nourishes supreme happiness. Śrī Caitanyadeva established the supremacy of serving the Lord of Vṛndāvana or Gokula. Kṛṣṇa is the fountainhead of all the Viṣṇu incarnations; He is the son of Nanda and the beloved child of Yaśodā. He is also the beloved Lord of Rādhā. This Supreme Personality of Godhead Kṛṣṇa alone is the eternally worshipable Lord of the Gauḍīyas, the followers of Śrī Rūpa like ourselves. Śrī Caitanyadeva has instructed everyone to worship Kṛṣṇa, the Lord of Gokula. ## 19. Are Śrī Gaurāṅga’s instructions the topmost teachings? There is no truth superior to the truth preached by Śrī Gaurasundara. It is possible to attain to the highest kingdom of bhajana only by the Lord’s holy name.