Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu - The Original Form of Godhead (An Antholgoy of Scriptural Evidence)

Email

Whatsapp

Facebook

Pinterest

Twitter

Copy link

His gurudeva had instructed him to translate the writings of prominent Gaudiya Vaigravas into Hindi, a task he assiduously assumed throughout his entire life and which resulted in the publication of nearly fifty Hindi sacred texts. These invaluable masterpieces are currently being translated into English and other major languages of the world.

For many years, he travelled throughout India to spread the message of Gaudiya Vaistravism, and it was for this end, also, that in 1996, he journeyed abroad. During the next fourteen years, he circled the globe more than thirty times. Whether he was in India or overseas, his preaching always bore the distinctive characteristic of boldly unmasking any misconception obscuring the specific purposes of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's advent, in strict adherence to the desire of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura Prabhupada and in perfect congruence with the conceptions of Srila Riipa Gosvami, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's foremost follower. Thus, in present times, in upholding the glorious tenets of the Gaudiya sampradaya, he performed the function of a true ticarya.

At the age of ninety years, on December 29, 2010, at Cakra-tirtha in Sri Jagannatha Puri-dhama, he concluded his pastimes in this world. The following day, in Sri Navadvipa-dhama, Sri Gaurasundara's fully empowered emissary, the very embodiment of His unique compassion, was given samadhi. He will forever live in his divine instructions and in the hearts of those who are devoted to him.

On the auspicious day of Mauni Amavasaya, 1921, Sri Srimad Bhaktivedinta Narayana Gosvarni Maharaja took his divine birth in a devout Vaisnava family in Tiwaripura, in the state of Bihar, India.

In February, 1946, he met his gurudeva, Sri Srimad Bhakti Prajnana Kesava Gosvami Maharaja, and his life of complete and exemplary dedication to Gaucliya Vaisnavism, or the path of krsrpbhakti in the line of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, began.

He accompanied his gurudeva on his extensive preaching tours throughout India, actively assisting him in propagating the teachings of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu for the eternal benefit of the living entities in this world. This included regularly hosting the thousands of pilgrims attending the yearly circumambulation of Sri Navadvipa-dhama, the appearance place of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

This book of quotations, entitled A Collection of Scriptural Proof Establishing that Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is Svayam Bhagavan, the Original Form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is being presented to the reader by virtue of the causeless mercy and inspiration of my most worship able spiritual master, oth visnupada astottara-rata Sri Srila Bhakti PrajMna KeSava Gosvami Maharaja. In the case of discerning bhagavat-tattva and the truth about the Lord's incarnations, only two kinds of evidence are acceptable. The first kind is evidence extracted from the bona-fide scriptures and the second is taken from the realization of great devotees, maha-bhagavatas, who are expert in the philosophical conclusions of the Vedic scriptures, and who have direct experience of the Absolute Truth, parath-brahma. This book is a limited collection of both kinds of evidence.

According to the statement of the Vedas, raso vai sab, the Absolute Truth, parath-brahma, is the embodiment of rasa (rasa-svarupa). The king of rasikas relishes rasa in two forms: as the object of love (visaya) and as the reservoir of love (araya). In truth, it is in these two forms that rasa can be relished to the greatest extent, i.e. as the taster of rasa and as that which is tasted. When the Lord tastes rasa as the object of prema, or love (visaya), He is Vrajendra-nandana Syamasundara, Gopi-jana-vallabha Sri Krsna (the beloved of the gopis), whilst when tasting rasa as the reservoir of love (ciiraya), that same Lord is Sacinandana Gaurahari, Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu. In order to relish the rasa of cgraya-vigraha, rasika-iekhara Sri Krsna adopted the mood and complexion of Srimati Radhika, who is the original cilraya-vigraha and the embodiment of mand-bhciva. Thus He appeared in the form of Sri Gaurasundara, or Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

Based on the verse, channah kalau (Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.9.38), the Lord appears in Kali-yuga in a hidden form. The word channah comes from the verbal root chad and means 'concealed'. This signifies that in Kali-yuga, Svayam Bhagavan Sri Krsna comes concealed under the golden complexion of Srimati Radhika to relish the rasa of the asray-vigraha. That concealed form of the Supreme Lord is svaya,-avatari Sri Gaurahga Mahaprabhu, the source of all incarnations, who is the principle object of worship in Kali-yuga.

The verse krma-varnarh tvisdkrsuam (Srimad-Bhagavatam 11.5.32) establishes Sri Gauranga Mahaprabhu as the sole object of worship in Kali-yuga. It depicts that He is singing the names of Kona (krsna-varnam), His complexion is golden (tvisithrsnam), and that the method for worshipping Him is the sacrifice (yajfia) of the congregational chanting of the holy names of Krsna (harincima-sankirtana). This book provides complete explanations of the above verses.

One of the main, distinguishing qualities of Svayam Bhagavan is that all other forms of the Lord are present in Him. Sri Kona and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu alone possess this quality; even Sri Narayana, the Lord of Vaikuntha, and Sri Vasudeva, the king of Dvaraka, do not. On various occasions, devotees witnessed Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu manifest different forms of the Lord, just as Sri Kona had done. Another important quality distinguishing Svayam Bhagavan from other incarnations is His ability to distribute prema. Apart from Svayam Bhagavan Sri Kona, no other form of the Lord distributes prema. This is stated in Srila Riipa Gosvami's philosophical treatise Sri Laghu-Bhagavatamrta (5.37): kt-snad anyah ko va latasv api premado bhavati

There may be many all-auspicious incarnations of the Supreme Person, but who other than Lord Sri Krsna can bestow love of God upon the surrendered souls?

This definitive statement gives rise to the conclusion that Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is Kona Himself. He distributed that love of God which is rarely attained by even Lord Brahma. He not only granted it to His devotees but also to the forest creatures as He made His way to Vtriclavana, and to great sinners such as Jagai and Madhai. Therefore, the Lord's eternal associate, Srila Rupa Gosvami, who is completely endowed with all scriptural knowledge, glorified Him as the crest jewel of those great personalities able to bestow krsria-prema, namely Sri Kona Himself:

I offer my respectful obeisance’s unto Lord Sri Kona who appears with a golden complexion and is called Sri Krsna Caitanya. In this from, He is more magnanimous than any other incarnation even krsna Himself, because he freely distributes what has not been given for long time - pure love of krsna.

To whom is Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu unknown? He has inundated the whole world with pure love for the Supreme Lord and inaugurated the congregational chanting of the Lord's holy names! By His causeless mercy alone, the sweet sound of kmja-nama-sankirtana presently echoes, not only in Bengal or India, but throughout all the corners of the world.

Nowadays, Western countries are immersed in sense gratification. Nevertheless, many young, educated, Western men and women are totally abandoning all sense of shame and adopting the Vedic standard of proper behavior. They have become absorbed in singing Sri Krsna's names with great devotion, while playing mrdanga and karatalas in every house, street and town. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu predicted more than 500 years ago that His name would be spread throughout the world. prthivite ache jata nagaradi grama sarvatra pracara haibe mora ndma (Sri Caitanya-bhagavata, Antya-lila 4.126)

In every town and village on this earth, the glories of my name will be chanted.

Accepting the mood and complexion of Srimati Radhika, Vrajendra-nandana Sri Krsna appeared as Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Elaborate evidence is given in the Vedas, Puranas, Upanisads, Mahcibharata and other scriptures written by great saintly personalities, of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's position as the Supreme Lord. One premi-bhakta has explained very beautifully and simply why it is that Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu descended to this material world

All glories to Vrajaraja Krsna, who appears as Sri Krsna-Caitanya Mahaprabhu in the age of Kali.

In addition to evidence from the scriptures, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's contemporaries, all greatly learned and fully liberated saintly personalities, describe Him in their writings and prayers - and from their own direct experience - as Svayam Bhagavan, the original form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Among them, Sri Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya; Sri Svarupa Damodara; Sri Raya Ramananda; the six Gosvamis: Sri Rupa, Sri Sanatana, Sri Rahunatha dasa, Sri Raghunatha Bhatta, Sri Jiva and Sri Gopala Bhatta; Sri Vitthalegvara Acarya; Sri Prabodhananda Sarasvati; Sri Kavi Karrjaptira; Sri Vtnclavana crasa Thakura; and Sri Ktsrtadasa Kaviraja, are especially notable.

Some people regard Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu as a devotee, some as a pure devotee (premi-bhakta) or as some great personality, while others consider Him and civela-avatara (an individual empowered by the Lord), a partial incarnation or another type of incarnation. Not wishing to contradict these beliefs, it nonetheless remains necessary to present the truth in full for the benefit of the whole world. Therefore, a wide range of evidence has been collected, both from various scriptures, and from the writings of eminent and learned personalities.

A Brief History of §riman Mahaprabhu

The Supreme Lord, Svayam Bhagavan Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, appeared in Bengal on the bank of the river Bhagirathi (Ganges), whose water is pure and transcendental. This event took place on a Saturday evening, in the year 1486 A.D. according to the Christian calendar, and the year 1542 according to the Hindu calendar. He appeared in the lunar month of Phalguni (February/March), in Sri Mayapura, within the Holy abode of Sri Dhama Navadvipa, in the district of Nadiya. There was a lunar eclipse at the time of His birth and the whole town was reverberating with the sweet sound of the congregational chanting of the Holy names (harincima-sankirtana).

The Lord's father was the learned Sri Jagannatha Migra and His mother was Srimati Saci-devi. The newborn baby's maternal grandfather, Sri Nilambara Cakravarti, was a famous astrologer. After examining the auspicious position of Leo in the infant's natal horoscope, he concluded that the boy showed all the signs of an extraordinary personality (maha-purusa), and that he possessed the power to maintain the entire universe; He thus named the child ViSvambhara. The parents and neighbors of the newborn baby lovingly addressed Him as Gaurasundara, Gauratiga, Gaurahari and Sri Sacinandan, but generally during His childhood he was known by the name Nimai.