20240322 Śrī Caitanya Śikṣāmṛta 1.3. Kṛṣṇa—energy of Kṛṣṇa and Mellow

mūkaṁ karoti vācālaṁ paṅguṁ laṅghayate girim
yat-kṛpā tam ahaṁ vande śrī-guruṁ dīna-tāraṇam
paramānanda-mādhavam śrī caitanya īśvaram
Harihi oṁ tat sat

Śrī Caitanya-Śikṣāmṛta

The Nectar of the teachings of Śrī Caitanya

Today’s chapter is: First shower—Third stream Three types of vision —

The conclusion is that, when the living entity, being in the identity of a seer, wants to see the Lord, then the personal qualification in which the living entity is situated and looks, accordingly sees the identity of the Lord to be seen for that qualification. Paramātmā is perceived by karma-yoga, Brahman by jñāna-yoga and Bhagavān by bhakti-yoga in our relationship. Tattvavit (learned transcendentalists) scholars call the substance of nondual knowledge spiritual nature as the Absolute Truth.

Note: Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.2.11:

vadanti tat tattva-vidas
tattvaṁ yaj jñānam advayam
brahmeti paramātmeti
bhagavān iti śabdyate

Learned transcendentalists who know the Absolute Truth call this nondual substance Brahman, Paramātmā or Bhagavān.

That nondual spiritual form is seen differently due to one’s personally obtained instruments. In fact, Brahman, Paramātmā and Bhagavān are one truth. As far as one sees and whichever way one sees, a person, decides that to be the best.

That Bhagavān is Kṛṣṇa. Those who neglect Kṛṣṇa considering Him as an ordinary humanly form and enjoys as a human, their understanding of the truth is seen to be very little.

Jayapatākā Swami: In the Bhagavad-gītā there is a verse which says sometimes we mistake Kṛṣṇa for an ordinary human being. But actually, Kṛṣṇa is the origin of everything, and He can assume a human form to be able to enjoy different pastimes. But that doesn’t limit Him as it limits us. The human body limits us but He is unlimited. Brahman, Paramātmā and Bhagavān, three different forms of the Absolute Truth. So depending on that we can do karma-yoga, dhyana-yoga or bhakti-yoga. By doing this we realize the different aspects of the Absolute Truth. But Kṛṣṇa is complete although He has a form. That is why He is known as Bhagavān! Haribol! Gaurāṅga!

Mahāprabhu has instructed Sanātana Gosvāmī in Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā, 20.164-167:

‘bhaktye’ bhagavānera anubhava — pūrṇa-rūpa
eka-i vigrahe tāṅra ananta svarūpa

svayaṁ-rūpa, tad-ekātma-rūpa, āveśa — nāma
prathamei tina-rūpe rahena bhagavān

‘svayaṁ-rūpa’ ‘svayaṁ-prakāśa’ — dui rūpe sphūrti
svayaṁ-rūpe — eka ‘kṛṣṇa’ vraje gopa-mūrti

‘prābhava-vaibhava’-rūpe dvividha prakāśe
eka-vapu bahu rūpa yaiche haila rāse

Only by devotional activity can one understand the transcendental form of the Lord, which is perfect in all respects. Although His form is one, He can expand His form into unlimited numbers by His supreme will. The Supreme Personality of Godhead exists in three principal forms — svayaṁ-rūpa, tad-ekātma-rūpa and āveśa-rūpa. The original form of the Lord [svayaṁ-rūpa] is exhibited in two forms — svayaṁ-rūpa and svayaṁ-prakāśa. In His original form as svayaṁ-rūpa, Kṛṣṇa is observed as a cowherd boy in Vṛndāvana. In His original form, Kṛṣṇa manifests Himself in two features — prābhava and vaibhava.

avatāra haya kṛṣṇera ṣaḍ-vidha prakāra
puruṣāvatāra eka, līlāvatāra āra

guṇāvatāra, āra manvantarāvatāra
yugāvatāra, āra śaktyāveśāvatāra

There are six types of incarnations [avatāras] of Kṛṣṇa. One comprises the incarnations of Viṣṇu [puruṣa-avatāras], and another comprises the incarnations meant for the performance of pastimes [līlā-avatāras]. There are incarnations that control the material qualities [guṇa-avatāras], incarnations who appear during the reign of each Manu [manvantara-avatāras], incarnations in different millenniums [yuga-avatāras] and incarnations of empowered living entities [śaktyāveśa-avatāras].

Jayapatākā Swami: His Divine Grace Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, he is explaining the different types of avatāras. These are also explained in Śrīla Prabhupāda’s teachings. Nārada Muni was witnessing that Kṛṣṇa, He expanded into 16,108 Kṛṣṇas, for each of the queens. Normally, a yogī, he can expand himself into ten forms. But he has only one consciousness. It is like a computer, only one chip! But Kṛṣṇa is like a multi-tasking. He has unlimited chips! So He is doing a different emotion, a different activity with different queens. He is playing chess with one queen, with another one He is talking with some minister, He is playing with His children in another. Nārada Muni was astonished how Kṛṣṇa, He was manifesting different pastimes with each of the queens! Of course, other than Kṛṣṇa there are other avatāras. It is very expansive.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā, 20.245-246.

brahmā, śiva — ājñā-kārī bhakta-avatāra
pālanārthe viṣṇu — kṛṣṇera svarūpa-ākāra

The conclusion is that Lord Brahmā and Lord Śiva are simply devotee incarnations who carry out orders. However, Lord Viṣṇu, the maintainer, is the personal feature of Lord Kṛṣṇa.

Jayapatākā Swami: Like Lord Advaita, He considered Himself, a lower personality of Godhead. He could give liberation, but He could not give love of Godhead. But Kṛṣṇa was able to give not only liberation but also love of Godhead. Advaita, He called again and again for Lord Caitanya to come down. By Lord Caitanya’s mercy, He could give out love of Kṛṣṇa. By Lord Caitanya’s mercy, Nitāi could also give out love of Kṛṣṇa. So some of the Absolute Truths have 60 features found by the father of Vyāsadeva. And some of the personalities of Godheads like Kṛṣṇa, they have all the 64 features. Although there is only one Personality of Godhead some of those personalities are full, some are partial.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā, 20.317:

Note: Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 2.6.32:

sṛjāmi tan-niyukto ’haṁ
haro harati tad-vaśaḥ
viśvaṁ puruṣa-rūpeṇa
paripāti tri-śakti-dhṛk

By His will, I create, Lord Śiva destroys, and He Himself, in His eternal form as the Personality of Godhead, maintains everything. He is the powerful controller of these three energies.

The entire opulence (aiśvarya), entire strength (vīrya), entire fame (yaśa), entire beauty (śrī), entire knowledge (jñāna) and entire renunciation (vairāgya) are the six opulence. The person who has it is Bhagavān. Kṛṣṇa is svayam Bhagavān, because by nature, all the opulence are manifest in Him. There is no one higher than Kṛṣṇa or equal to Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa, in His personal form, always resides in Goloka. Tad-ekātma personalities perform actions by Kṛṣṇa’s will. Mahā-Viṣṇu is the first puruṣāvatāra of Kṛṣṇa. He sleeps in the causal ocean. His portions are the two personalities of Garbodakasayi and Kṣīrodakaśāyī. Rāma, Nṛsiṃha and so on are plenary expansions of the puruṣāvatāra. But Kṛṣṇa is svayam Bhagavān, the origin of puruṣāvatāra. At the same time, on the strength of inconceivable potency, even though Kṛṣṇa is present as the supreme, He simultaneously descends in the form of the son of Nanda Mahārāja (Vrajendranandana).

Jayapatākā Swami: Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura is instructing what is Kṛṣṇa’s actual position. That Nṛsiṁhadeva and others are His expansions of His expansions. Some are the puruṣāvatāras. Mahā-Visnu is His expansion. Somehow, Kṛṣṇa, He manifests Himself in different aspects. To enjoy as the Līlā Puruṣottama, He has different pastimes in Vṛndāvana, Mathurā and Dvārakā.

Identity of Kṛṣṇa and His manifestation

The brahman mentioned in the Upaniṣads, that Brahman is the effulgence of Kṛṣṇa’s limbs.

Note: Brahma-saṁhitā 5.40:

yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi-
koṭiṣv aśeṣa-vasudhādi vibhūti-bhinnam
tad brahma niṣkalam anantam aśeṣa-bhūtaṁ
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, whose effulgence is the source of the nondifferentiated Brahman mentioned in the Upaniṣads, being differentiated from the infinity of glories of the mundane universe appears as the indivisible, infinite, limitless, truth.

Jayapatākā Swami: Some of the yogīs, the jñāna-yogīs, they see this aspect of Brahman. Actually, the Brahman is the effulgence coming from Kṛṣṇa’s limbs. We have some people who are jñānīs who like to see the effulgence. Some who are yogīs and want to see the Paramātmā. But some are bhaktas, they like to see Bhagavān. We are trying to follow the path of bhakti-yoga. By which we try to serve Kṛṣṇa and serve His senses. Bhakti-yogīs, they see Kṛṣṇa everywhere.

The paramātmā mentioned in the yoga-scriptures and the Vedas, that paramātmā is one part of Kṛṣṇa.

Note: Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.14.55:

kṛṣṇam enam avehi tvam
ātmānam akhilātmanām
jagad-dhitāya so ’py atra
dehīvābhāti māyayā

You should know Kṛṣṇa to be the original Soul of all living entities. For the benefit of the whole universe, He has, out of His causeless mercy, appeared as an ordinary human being. He has done this by the strength of His internal potency.

Evidence of these two topic (above about Brahman and Paramātmā) is present in many scriptures, but the reasoning of logical scriptures cannot easily understand.

Just as the light from the sun’s form is spread everywhere in the solar system, similarly from the transcendental spiritual form and all powerful Kṛṣṇa-sun infinite rays spread everywhere in the form of Brahman and appears by contrary nature as formless in the minds of speculative scholars who think differently in a negative way.

A part of Kṛṣṇa who creates the world and enters in it is searched after as Paramātmā by yogīs.

As the transformation of the quality of material goodness, the formless and changeless natures has become the object of veneration for the scholars with a partial fragment of knowledge.

Jayapatākā Swami: Some of the yogīs through their meditation are able to realize the Paramātmā. Some of the yogīs through jñāna, they are able to realize the impersonal Brahman. But only the bhakti-yogis who are trying to realize and serve Bhagavān can realize Bhagavān in His personal aspect.

Afraid that the worship of a human or the material qualities should take possession of them, men with a partial fragment of knowledge who consider themselves to be scholars take refuge in the formless and changeless and are finally deprived of the wealth of love.

Jayapatākā Swami: Because people misunderstand Kṛṣṇa to be something material, therefore they are deprived of love of Kṛṣṇa. Bhakti-yogīs can achieve love of Kṛṣṇa. They want to see Kṛṣṇa, and to relate with Kṛṣṇa in unlimited aspects. This is possible only if they can see Kṛṣṇa as a person. If they are seeing Kṛṣṇa as a light or a localized form or a partial form, then they will not get the full realization. So we are getting an idea of different aspects of Kṛṣṇa and how different devotees perceive Him, how they see Him in different aspects Haribol!

So tomorrow night I will be attending a talk show on the stage at the Gītā Bhavan Pandal from 7.15 pm to 8.15 pm IST, on ‘Deepening your relationship with Śrīla Prabhupāda’. I will be accompanied by His Holiness Candramauli Swami, and I think we will be talking about Śrīla Prabhupāda. They call this as a talk show.

So you can all pray for his father (Ekanātha Gaura dāsa’s father) and some devotees who have passed away so let us chant Hare Kṛṣṇa!

Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/
Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare!

Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/
Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare!

Here is His Holiness Bhakti Vijaya Bhāgavata Swami Mahārāja, who has some special message on the Caitanya-caritāmṛta.

Kṛṣṇe matir astu!