Truth and Love
12-Mar-2017
Srila B.V. Tripurari Swami Maharaja
Founder-Acharya: Sri Caitanya Sangha
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Next Issue shall contain:
Siksastakam Text One
Sri Rama Navami
Sri Gadadhara Pandita
...and more.
Issue: 28
Vande Sri Krishna Caitanya
Swami B.V. Tripurari
In the auspicious invocation to his treatise, Śri Cai-
tanya-caritāmṛta, Śri Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Goswami
offers two praṇāma verses. Śri Kṛṣṇadāsa tells us that
the second of these verses is specific (viśeṣa), indicat-
ing that in it the presiding deity of the book is named
and described. This stanza runs as follows:
vande śri-kṛṣṇa-caitanya-nityānandau sahoditau
gauḍodaye puṣpavantau citrau śan-dau tamo-nudau
Kavirāja Goswami offers his respect (vande) to Śri
Kṛṣṇa Caitanya. Śri Kṛṣṇa means Rādha Kṛṣṇa, who
have appeared as Caitanya. He is Kṛṣṇa Caitanya, or Krishna conscious. This name was given to him
by Keśava Bhārati Mahārāja as Mahāprabhu began his preaching lilā. The word caitanya means con-
sciousness. Mahāprabhu is always conscious of Kṛṣṇa. Caitanya also means ‗soul.‘ Mahaprabhu is
the soul of Kṛṣṇa, Śrimati Rādhārāṇi, and thus he is conscious of Kṛṣṇa as only she can be. Kṛṣṇadāsa
Kavirāja Goswami wants to say all of these things. He wants us to know from this verse that Caitanya
Mahāprabhu is Śri (Rādhā) and Kṛṣṇa combined.
Śri Rādhā saw Gaurāṅga in her dream once, a golden dancing figure in a land non-different from her
own Vṛndāvana. His dancing and chanting made the entire universe cry. When she awoke, she won-
dered who this figure was. Was he Kṛṣṇa, or was he her own self in another form? When Kṛṣṇa ar-
rived and heard her speaking about this he merely laughed. However, his kaustubha maṇi (gem) that
he wears over his heart and which represents all jivas suddenly shone brightly, revealing to Rādhā the
reason why Kṛṣṇa only laughed.
She understood from the joy of the jivas resulting from thinking of that golden figure that he was both
Kṛṣṇa and herself in one figure. She told Kṛṣṇa, ―You, Gopāla, are that figure,‖ „tat tvam asi,‟ and in
that figure, ―I am also you, Gopāla,‖ „ahaṁ gopālo.‟ This is the truth of the Upaniṣads.
Then Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Goswami says „nityānandau sahoditau.‟ The word sahoditau refers to both
the figurative, simultaneous rising of the sun and moon referred to in the third line of this verse, as
well as to the oneness of Gaura and Nityānanda. These two are one. Saha means ‗together with,‘ and
suggests action in common. Kṛṣṇa Caitanya appears together with Nityānanda Prabhu, his other self,
who knows nothing other than the service of Gaurāṅga.
Udita means ‗rising high,‘ ‗exalted.‘ Nityānanda causes the name and person of Sri Kṛṣṇa Caitanya to
rise high on the spiritual horizon through his part in the conversion of Jagāi and Mādhāi and other
preaching exploits, and Kṛṣṇa Caitanya made clear to all of his devotees the exalted position of Nitāi,
lest he be misunderstood owing to his unorthodox behavior.
They appeared together on gauḍodaye, the eastern horizon of Gauḍa. Gauḍa means sweet. Gauḍadeśa
is the sweet country that is non-different from Vṛndāvana, the land of sweetness, mādhurya. As the
sun and moon rise in the east, „udaye‟ implies this direction. East is the spiritual direction, to which
we shall turn to uncover the secret treasure of our spiritual inheritance. Light arises in the east, the
direction of the gods. The mādhurya, human-like sweetness, of Kṛṣṇa in his aprākṛta-lilā looks ordi-
nary and mundane (prākṛta), but it is Godly to the extreme
(aprākṛta).
Gauḍa represents his sweetness, and udaya the eastern direc-
tion, that of his aiśvarya. When he who is all majestic appears
as if ordinary, this is truly sweet. When the two sweet Gods,
Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma, appear as Kṛṣṇa Caitanya and Prabhu
Nityānanda there is something more added to their sweetness.
On the eastern horizon of the land of mādhurya they appeared
like the sun and moon, as if these two luminary orbs had simul-
taneously arisen. Kavirāja Goswami describes this as „citrau,‟
brilliant and wonderful. This wonder (camatkāra) is the basis of
the aesthetic rapture (rasa) that they came to bestow wonderful-
ly and with brilliance like that of the simultaneous rising of the
sun and moon.
The word puṣpavantau indicates the sun and moon. Puṣpa im-
plies nourishment. These two Gods nourish our soul sweetly, as
the sun produces rain to nourish the crops and the moon is said
to make them succulent. Viśvambhara sustains the universe
with bhakti and the ever-happy Nitāi makes the world joyful by
giving everyone Gaurāṅga. This rising from mādhurya on the
eastern horizon is the compassionate, magnanimous heart of the
Godhead that stands so exalted in our mind.
Kavirāja Goswami says „śam-dau,‟ indicating that the appear-
ance of Gaura Nityānanda is mādhurya with the addition of
audārya (generosity). Śama is the son of Dharma. Śama indi-
cates the absence of sexual passion and the peacefulness that
follows this absence. Gaura Nityānanda bestow (dau) this
soothing śama, giving rise to the ānanda of the soul, and more,
the prema-dharma of Vraja-bhakti.
To further stress this point and make clear what the farthest
reach of this benediction of Gaura Nityānanda is, Kavirāja Gos-
wami says „tamo-nudau.‟ Gaura Nityānanda take away the
darkness of ignorance. What is this ignorance? Kavirāja Gos-
wami says “ajñāna-tamera nāma kahiye kaitava.” It is known
as kaitava, and it appears in four forms: “dharma artha kāma
mokṣa vāñchā adi saba.” The desires for piety, economic de-
velopment, sense indulgence, and liberation from all of these is
kaitava, cheating. Desire for these four goals of life are the
darkness (tamo) of ignorance, especially the desire for mokṣa,
which ignores one‘s innate nature as a servant of God.
The gift of Gaura Nityānanda, their benediction (śam), is called
‗pañcama puruṣārtha,‟ the fifth goal of life, „prema pumartho
mahān.‟ Kavirāja Goswami says:
tattva-vastu—kṛṣṇa, kṛṣṇa-bhakti, prema-rūpa,
nāma-saṅkirtana—saba ānanda-svarūpa
The Absolute truth Kṛṣṇa (sambandha), Kṛṣṇa-bhakti
(abhidheya), and prema-rūpa (prayojana) can be realized by
nāma-saṅkirtana, which is the essence of all bliss (saba ānanda
-svarūpa).
This nāma-saṅkirtana taught by Gaura Nityānanda dissipates
the darkness of the heart (ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam) and brings
us to niṣṭha-bhakti in the service of two bhāgavatas, the book
bhāgavata and those who embody its message (naṣṭa-prāyeṣv
abhadreṣu nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā).
Serving these two is the door to bhakti-rasa (dui bhāgavata
dvārā diyā bhakti-rasa). The nature of this bhakti-rasa is that
having removed all ignorance from the heart it imprisons Kṛṣṇa
therein.
Shyama Becomes Gaura
From the book ‗Śikṣāṣṭakam of Śrī Caitanya‘ by Swami B.V.
Tripurari
While pursuing the highest love during his earthly lilā,
rasarāja Kṛṣṇa was dumbfounded to experience the measure of
Rādhā‘s love, for it exceeded anything that he had ever experi-
enced. Because he always considered himself the king of love,
this experience threw Kṛṣṇa into an existential crisis, forcing
him to ask the difficult question, ―Am I really the king of love,
when it is apparent that Rādhā‘s love exceeds anything that I
have experienced?‖ When the primary reason for his descent—
to taste the highest love—was thus frustrated, this in turn af-
fected his ability to accomplish his secondary purpose—to
teach the world about love.
To resolve this twofold crisis, Kṛṣṇa, keeping with his nature,
attempted to steal the emotions of Rādhā. A clever thief knows
where to hide. Where did
Śyāma go? That beauti-
ful, dark-complected thief
hid himself in the age of
darkness, Kali-yuga, dis-
guising himself as a
sādhu. However, that
which he stole was more
brilliant than millions of
suns. Thus when his dev-
otees—the dearest of
Rādhā—looked for him,
he was not hard to find.
Realizing the likelihood of his capture at the hands of his devo-
tees, Kṛṣṇa gave away the stolen goods in an effort to deflect
attention, advising each person who received the goods to pass
them on to another. This, however, only made matters worse,
for seeing the distribution of prema, his devotees became suspi-
cious. They knew that a love as brilliant as Rādhā‘s could only
be experienced in relation to Kṛṣṇa himself and that he must
therefore be in their midst. Furthermore, although Kṛṣṇa had
tried to distribute the goods, because of the nature of prema it
only swelled within him that much more, turning his complex-
ion golden. Attracted by his golden hue and seeing the measure
of his prema, they dubbed him Gaura Kṛṣṇa and proceeded to
broadcast the truth to the whole world. In the end, this golden
Kṛṣṇa, in the captivity of Rādhā‘s two best friends, wrote his
confession in eight stanzas, begging for mercy. Only after re-
ceiving that mercy was he able to realize the consequences of
what he had done and fully taste Rādhā‘s love.
For purchasing this book, please visit: www.darshanpress.com
Bhagavad-Gita 9.34 mahāprabhoś caraṇayor yā keśa-śeṣādibhiḥ sevāgamyatayā—
the gods, goddesses, and even Ananta Śeṣa cannot comprehend
From ‗Bhagavad-Gita, Its feeling and philosophy‘ by Swami the wonder of Gaura-lilā. As Śri Vyāsarāya has written, this is
B.V. Tripurari true for Kṛṣṇa-lilā as well, muhyanti yat sūrayah. The many
lilās of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa are comparable to rivers flowing in all
man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru
directions, but the fountain from which they flow is the lilā of
mām evaiṣyasi yuktvaivam ātmānam mat-parāyaṇaḥ
Śri Gaurāṅga. Śri Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Mahāśaya writes:
Fix your mind on me. Be my devotee! Sacrifice for me. Of- kṛṣṇa-lilā amṛta-sāra, tāra śata śata dhāra,
fer obeisance unto me. Absorbed thus in me alone, you shall daśa-dike vahe yāhā haite
come to me. se caitanya-lilā haya, sarovara akṣaya,
mano-haṁsa carāha ‟tāhāte —(CC 2.25.271)
One whose mind is fixed on Kṛṣṇa is one who is Kṛṣṇa‘s devo-
―Kṛṣṇa-lilā is the essence of eternal nectar flowing in hundreds
tee. Thus devotion proper requires more than the physical act of
of branches in all ten directions from the inexhaustible lake of
service. We are where our minds are regardless of where we
Caitanya-lilā. May the swan of my mind swim in that lake.‖
appear to be physically. Both Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa and
Madhusūdana Saraswati give the example of a king‘s servant, How can we approach that lake? It is the property of Gaura‘s
who although serving the king physically has his mind on his devotees and they can give it to us, sva-bhakta-vihitā sānyair-
own family. Thus Kṛṣṇa says one should both devote oneself to yayā labhyate. Viśvanātha Cakravarti Ṭhākura has dug a chan-
him and think of him. The word bhava is an imperative in this nel from the bottomless lake of Gaura-lilā to our ears in the
regard, as if Kṛṣṇa is commanding and empowering one to be form of his Gaurāṅga-lilā-smaraṇa-stotra, and if we listen to
his devotee by the force of his heartfelt words. this stotra with faith, it will enter our hearts through our ears
Kṛṣṇa says that such a devotee should sacrifice for him. This is and flood any prospect for material enjoyment, while drowning
the heart of worship and the basis of love. Love arises out of our souls in Gaura-lilā.
sacrifice, labor‘s beautiful child. As in text 14, here again Kṛṣṇa
says māṁ namaskuru: ―Offer obeisance unto me,‖ symbolizing Let us offer our obeisances to the daily lilā and endearing char-
the offering of nothing less than one‘s entire self, mind, body, acter of the Lord who takes birth in Navadvipa Dhāma, naumi
and speech, as all of these are involved in the act of obeisance. prātyāhikaṁ tadiya-caritaṁ śriman-navadvipa-jam.

This verse is the essence and conclusion of the Bhagavad-gîtā

and it is repeated almost verbatim in the sixty-fifth verse of the
eighteenth chapter. Preceding it there in verse 64, Kṛṣṇa de-
scribes this knowledge and path of bhakti as sarva-
guhyatamam, the most confidential knowledge. Although many
paths have been discussed and recommended at different times
thus far, here they are all superseded as Kṛṣṇa fully opens his
heart to Arjuna.
At the end of chapter 6 Kṛṣṇa revealed that his idea of the per-
fectly integrated being was his devotee. Thus he implored Arju-
na to be a devotee. In chapters 7 through 9 different kinds of
devotees are discussed: karma-miśra, jñāna-miśra, yoga-miśra,
and unalloyed bhaktas. As Kṛṣṇa concludes this chapter, he
makes it clear that his ideal person is not merely his devotee, In Nadiya, many perfect devotees reside in their fully spiritual-
but an unalloyed devotee. ized perfected sādhaka-dehas. Ever youthful, surrounded by
When all is said and done, spiritual life is as simple as this verse their disciples, and under the shelter of their gurus they serve
makes it out to be. Devotion, love, the heart‘s domain, rules Śri Gaurāṅga, Nityānanda Prabhu, Śri Advaita Ācārya, and
over all. It is the path, the ocean into which all rivers must flow their pārṣadas. There are innumerable aśramas dotting the
and are worthy of rafting only if they reach her shore. landscape of Navadvipa Dhāma and our guru‟s aśrama in this
world is a particular manifestation of the magnanimous abode
For purchasing this book, please visit: www.darshanpress.com of Śri Gaurāṅga. Thinking of himself as a servant of śri guru
and a sevaka of his aśrama, a sādhaka can perfect himself and
enter the eternal lilā of the moon of Gauḍa Manḍala with one‘s
guru-given name in the form of a brāhmaṇa-kiśora. Meditating
on the daily lilā of Śri Gauracandra and engaging in nāma-
sankirtana one enters Gaura-lilā, and as Nimai Paṇḍita, in the
Entering Gaura-lila course of his eightfold daily lilā, enters the trance of Kṛṣṇa-lilā,
one follows him in one‘s self-realized form as a Vraja gopi or
By Swami B.V. Tripurari
gopa.
Gaura-lilā is oceanic. Its sacred wonder is beyond comprehen-
Gaura-lilā is always tempered by a degree of reverence. Even
sion. Viśvanātha Cakravarti Ṭhākura says: śri gaurāṅga
the most intimate devotees of Śri Kṛṣṇa when appearing in
Gaura-lilā show reverence for Śri Caitanya-deva. However, for phālguni purṇimā, hindola raṅgimā
the sādhaka, reverence—dāsya-bhakti—for Śri Gaurāṅga leads sujana-bhajana rāge
naturally to love of God in intimacy—Vraja-bhakti. saṅkirtana sane, marama gahane
nā jāni ki bhāva jāge

During the full moon of the month of Phālguna, on the colorful

day of the swing festival, the devotees worship the Lord with
love. No one can comprehend the feelings and substance that
awakens within the heart from this saṅkirtana. (6)
Sri Gaurasundara Avirbhava
Vasare sandhyā samāgama, tapana magana
heno hema-ghana kole
This Bengali song was composed by Srila Bhakti-Raksaka Sri- aparūpa kata, pūrava parvata
dhara-deva Goswami Maharaja, commemorating the divine suvarṇa-candramā bhāle
appearance of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
As twilight nears, the warm sun sets, as if in a golden cloud.
aruṇa vasane, sonāra sūraja That indescribably beautiful golden moon has arisen, illuminat-
udiche keno re āja ing the eastern mountains. (7)
vasanta suṣamā, ujari āpana
ḍhale keno jagamājha suvarṇa candramā, paśiche nilimā
se nila-bilina heme
On this day, why has the Golden Sun arisen wearing red cloth? ithe kibā bhaya, sādhu-jana gāya
Why has the wonderful season of Spring descended to the kalaṅka nā rahe preme
earth? (1)
Darkness enters and covers the golden moon; overshadowing
taru-gulma-latā, apūrva-baratā its golden shine. At that moment the sādhus sing that divine
bahe keno phale phūle love has descended and no contamination can remain. (8)
bhṛṅga o vihaṅge, keno heno raṅge
saṅgita-taraṅga tūle mahājane bale, grahaṇera chale
saṅge nāma-saṅkirtana
Why are all the trees, shrubs and creepers full of fruits and gaura-candrodaya, papa-rāhu kṣaya
flowers? Why do the birds and bees sing their songs with such candra-śobhā prema-dhana
bliss? (2)
The mahājanas say, ―This
patita durjana, keno re garjana eclipse is a trick to make eve-
ullāse phāṭiya paḍe ryone chant the Holy Name in
vidyā-kula-dhana-abhimāni jana sankirtana. When Gauracandra
keno mlāna duḥkha bhare manifests, the sins personified
as Rāhu are destroyed. He is
Why are the most fallen and wicked people now effulgent and
more beautiful than the moon,
full of happiness? Why have those with pride in and is filled with the wealth of
their knowledge, noble birth, and material wealth, become so
love for Krsna.‖ (9)
unfortunate? (3)
marmajña sakale, kahe kutūhale
ākāśa vatāsā, ghucāiyā trāsa
nilimā-bilina cānde
āśvāse bhāsāye deya
channa-avatāra, lukāñā kāhāra
sādhu-jana-mana, sukha-vitaraṇa rādhā-ruci-rūpa-cānde
āveśe unmāda haya
Those who know the essence tell everyone with joy, ―The
A heavenly wind has dispelled all distress and has brought
moon may be covered by darkness, but how can the hidden
hope, and the sadhus have become mad with a bliss that is
avatāra be covered? He is the moon who has the splendor and
spreading everywhere. (4)
form of Rādhā.‖ (10)
caudikete dhvani, ki apūrva śuni
ithe hena stuti, rādhā-bhāva-dyuti
bahu-jana uccarola suvalita syāmarāo
hare kṛṣṇa rāma, nāma divya-dhāma
udilo gaurāṅga, nāma-prema saṅga
hari hari hari bala
jaya jaya gorā gāo
Never before has such a sound been heard – from all directions,
This prayer is to the beautiful Lord Śyama who now has the
a thousand voices chanting the names: Hare, Kṛṣṇa, Rāma!
heart and halo of Śri Rādhā – Gaurāṅga, who has descended
Everywhere becomes the divine abode of the Holy Name. Hari and brought nāma and prema. Continuously chant, ―Jaya Jaya
Hari Hari bol!!! (5)
Gaura!‖ (11)