2003-04-05T02:02:00.000-08:00

HARE KRISHNA HARE KRISHNA KRISHNA KRISHNA HARE HARE
HARE RAMA HARE RAMA RAMA RAMA HARE HARE

2003-04-05T02:01:00.000-08:00

Srutis (Vedas and Upanisads) about Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu

[1] atharva-vede (Third Kanda, Brahma-vibhaga)

(i) ito 'ham krta-sannyaso 'vatarisyami sa-guno nirvedo niskamo bhu-girbanas tira-stho 'lakanandayah kalau catuh-sahasrabdhopari panca-sahasrabhyantare gaura-varno dirghangah sarva-laksana-yukta isvara-prarthito nija-rasasvado bhakta-rupo misrakhyo vidita-yogah syam.

In the Atharva Veda, the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself says:

"Towards the end of the period between four-thousand to five-thousand years in Kali-yuga, I will descend on the earth as a golden-complexioned saintly brahmana in a place by the Ganges' shore and later become the crest-jewel of all sannyasis, exhibiting all My transcendental qualities including supreme renunciation and complete detachment from material desires. I will display all the thirty-two bodily symptoms of a great personality with my arms extending to my knees. I will become my own devotee, very advanced in bhakti-yoga and teach the worship of Lord Krsna (Myself) by the chanting of My own holy names and relishing the mellows of My own devotional service. At that time only My most confidential devotees will be able to understand Me."

atharva-vede (second khanda, third prapathaka, fourth anuvak, fifth mantra)

(ii) "visvambhara visvena ma bharasa pahi svaha."

"O Lord Visvambhara, the upholder of the universe, please preserve me by sustaining the universe."

[2] atharva-veda-purusa-bodiny-upanisadi (6th Prapathaka)

saptame gaura-varna-visnor ity anena sva-saktya caikyam etya prante pratar avatirya saha dvaih svam anusiksayati.

In the Purusa-bodini Upanisad- Atharva-veda it is said:

"In the seventh manvantara (Vaivasvata Manu), the Supreme Personality of Godhead Sri Gaura-Visnu will accept a golden complexion due to attaining oneness with His pleasure potency Srimati Radhika and descend on this earth with all His multifarious potencies in the beginning of the Kali-yuga of the twenty-eighth catur-yuga, accompanied by His own eternal associates to teach the chanting of His own holy names in the form of the Hare Krsna maha-mantra."

[3] gopala-tapany-upanisadi (Uttara-vibhaga 63)

hiranmayam saumya-tanum sva bhaktayabhaya-pradam
dhyayen manasi mam nityam venu-srnga dharam tu va

In the Gopala-tapani Upanisad it is said:

"Let my mind constantly meditate on the most gentle, grave and pure Supreme Personality of Godhead who has a complexion of molten gold, who carries a bamboo rod (sannyasa rod) and who bestows fearlessness upon His devotees."

[4] krsnopanisadi

sa eva bhagavan yuge turiye 'pi brahma-kule jayamanah sarva upanisadah uddidirsuh sarvani dharma-sastrani vistarayisnuh sarvan api janan santarayisnuh sarvan api vaisnavan dharman vijrmbhayan sarvan api pasandan nicakhana.

In the Krsna Upanisad it is said:

"In Kali-yuga (the fourth yuga), the Supreme Personality of Godhead Lord Krsna Himself will appear in a brahmana family with the purpose of teaching the message of all the 108 Upanisads and expanding the conclusions of all the dharma-sastras. He will deliver all the living entities in the universe from the cycle of birth and death by manifesting the pure principles of Vaisnava dharma and He will simultaneously subdue all the atheists and offenders."

[5] mundakopanisadi

(i) yada pasyah pasyate rukma-varnam
kartaram isam purusam brahma-yonim
tada vidvan punya-pape vidhuya
niranjanah paramam samyam upaiti

In the Mundaka Upanisad (3.1.3) it is said:

"One who is fortunate enough to see that actual object of our vision, the golden-colored Personality of Godhead, the Supreme Lord Gaura who is the ultimate doer, controller and enjoyer of everything and the source of the brahmajyoti (or one who has descended in a brahmana family), immediately becomes the most learned person, free from all material peity, sin, contamination and designations and effortlessly attains the supreme liberation of entering the abode of the Lord."

(ii) hiranmaye pare kose
virajam brahma niskalam
tac chubhram jyotisam jyotis
tad yad atma-vido viduh

They who actually know the self, know that the supremely effulgent Personality of Godhead, the source of all other splendors, resides in a pure, splendid and transcendental realm which appears golden due to being illuminated by His own golden bodily complexion.

(iii) sa evaitat paramam brahma-dhama
yatra visvam nihitam bhati subhram
upasate purusam ye hy akamas
te sukram etad ativartanti dhirah

The sober persons who becoming free for all material desires, worship that golden Supreme Personality of Godhead (Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu), who resides in His topmost effulgent spiritual abode, easily cross over this material world of repeated birth and death.

[6] sama-vede

tathaham kata-sannyaso bhu-girbano 'vatarirye tire 'lakanandayah punah punar isvara-prarthitah sa-parivaro niralambo nirdhuteh kali-kalmasa-kavalita-janavalambanaya.

In the Sama Veda, the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself says:

"To rescue the helpless people who are being devoured by the sins of Kali-yuga, I will descend to the earth in a saintly brahmana family residing on the shores of the Ganges accompanied by My eternal associates. I will then become an avadhuta-sannyasi and I will teach everyone the process of worshipping Me by the incessant chanting of My own holy names."

[7] svetasvataropanisadi (3.12)

mahan prabhur vai purusah sattvasyaisa pravartakah
su-nirmalam imam praptim isano jyotir avyayah

In the Svetasvatara Upanisad it is said:

"The Supreme Personality of Godhead who is supreme enjoyer is indeed Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who promulgates the transcendental platform of pure goodness through the process of hari-nama-sankirtana. This Supreme Lord is the source of all spiritual purity. Just to be in touch with Him is to be in contact with the indestructible brahmajyoti."

[8] chandogyopanisadi (Eighth Chapter)

harih om. atha yad idam asmin brahmapure daharam pundarikam vesma daharo 'sminn antarakasas tasmin yad-antas tad anvestavyam tad vava vijijnasitavyam iti.

In the Chandogya Upanisad 8.1.1, Navadvipa (the abode of Lord Caitanya) is hinted as the city of Brahmapura:

Hari. Om. In the very heart of this spiritual city (brahmapura) is a lotus abode (vesma). The internal part of that abode should be sought. This is the part one should desire to understand.

[Comment: The verse is furthur explained by Thakura Bhaktivinoda as follows:

atra brahma-puram nama pundarikam yad ucyate
tad evasta-dalam padma-sannibham puram adbhutam

In the Chandogya Upanisad, that place is a transcendental spiritual city (brahmapura) which is surrounded by a wonderful eight-petal lotus flower where each petal represents an island."

tan-madhye daharam saksat mayapuram itiryate
tatra vesma bhagavatas caitanyasya paratmanah
tasmin yas tv antarakaso hy antar-dvipah sa ucyate

In the center of that eight-petalled lotus-city is the ninth island (whorl of the lotus) called Antardvipa, and in the heart of Antardvipa is Sridhama Mayapur (Yogapitha), which is directly the abode of Lord Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.]

[9] atharva-veda- sri-caitanyopanisadi

The most important Sri Caitanya Upanisad-Atharva Veda comprises of the following 19 verses:

SRI CAITANYA UPANISAD

(i) atha pippaladah samit-panir bhagavantam brahmanam upasanno. bhagavan me subham kim atra caksasveti.

Carrying firewood in his hands, Pippalada humbly approached his supremely powerful father, Lord Brahma, and asked: "O my Lord, please instruct me on how I may attain an auspicious life."

(ii) sa hovaca.
bhuya eva tapasa brahmacaryena sasvad ramasva mano vaseti.

Lord Brahma replied: "Be satisfied by always remaining celibate and performing austerities and very carefully control the activities of the mind."

(iii) sa tatha bhutva bhuya enam upasadyaha.
bhagavan kalau papac channah prajah katham mucyerann iti.

Pippalada followed these instructions, and after having become pure in his own heart and mind, he again approached his father and asked: "O my Lord, please tell me how the living entities in Kali-yuga, who are completely covered by sin, may be delivered."

(iv) ko va devata ko va mantro bruhiti.

"Which form of the Lord should be the object of their worship, and what mantra should they chant in order to become delivered? Kindly inform me."

(v) sa hovaca rahasyam te vadisyami.
jahnavi-tire navadvipe golokakhye dhamni govindo dvi-bhujo gaurah sarvatma maha-puruso mahatma maha-yogi tri-gunatitah sattva-rupo bhaktim loke kasyatiti. tad ete sloka bhavanti.

Lord Brahma replied: "Listen carefully, for I shall give you a very confidential description of what will happen in the Kali-yuga. The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Govinda who is the all-pervading Supersoul residing in the hearts of all living entities, who is the Supreme Absolute Truth, the master of all mystics and the supreme enjoyer, who is beyond the touch of the three modes of material nature and whose form is transcendental, will appear again in the Kali age. Appearing as His own greatest devotee, the Lord will assume a two-armed form with a golden complexion in His abode of Goloka Vrndavana manifested on the bank of the Ganges at Navadvipa, West Bengal. He will disseminate pure devotional service in the whole world. I will now describe this incarnation of the Lord in the following verses."

(vi) eko devah sarva-rupi mahatma
gauro rakta-syamalah-sveta-rupah
caitanyatma sa vai caitanya-saktir
bhaktakaro bhakti-do bhakti-vedyah

"The one Supreme Personality of Godhead, who appears in innumerable transcendental forms, is the master of all transcendental potencies. That same Lord who previously appeared with white, red, and black complexions, will appear as Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu in Kali-yuga in a golden form. He will assume the role of a perfect devotee and He will freely distribute pure devotional service to the conditioned souls. But He will be known only by those who are surrendered to Him."

(vii) namo vedanta-vedyaya, krsnaya paramatmane;
sarva-caitanya-rupaya, caitanyaya namo namah.

"I offer my respectful obeisances unto Lord Sri Krsna, the all-pervading Supersoul residing in the hearts of all living entities, who is understood by the study of Vedanta philosophy. He appears as Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the supremely conscious person."

(viii) vedanta-vedyam purusam puranam
caitanyatmanam visva-yonim mahantam
tam eva viditvati-mrtyum eti
nanyah pantha vidyate 'yanaya

"One who understands that Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is known by the study of Vedanta philosophy, who is the original cause of unlimited universes, and who is the oldest, the original person, crosses beyond this world of birth and death. This is the proper understanding about Lord Caitanya, and aside from this there is no other way for one to achieve liberation."

(ix) sva-nama-mula-mantrena, sarvam hladayati vibhuh.

"Appearing in this golden form, the unlimited and all-powerful Supreme Lord will fill the entire universe with transcendental bliss by the congregational chanting of the maha-mantra which consists of His own holy names."

(x) dve sakti parame tasya, hladini samvid eva ca iti.

"In this way the Supreme Lord will manifest two of His transcendental potencies-His hladini-sakti (the potency of transcendental bliss) and samvit-sakti (the potency of transcendental knowledge)."

(xi) sa eva mula-mantram japati, harir iti krsna iti rama iti.

"The Supreme Lord will chant a mantra consisting of His own names Hari, Krsna, and Rama (the maha-mantra: Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare).

(xii) harati hrdaya-granthim vasana-rupam iti harih.
krsih smarane tac ca nas tad-ubhaya-melanam iti krsnah.
ramayati sarvam iti rama ananda-rupah. atra sloko bhavati.

"These three seed names of the maha-mantra of the Supreme Lord (Hari, Krsna, and Rama) may be explained in the following way: {1} 'Hari' means He who removes (harati) the knot of material desire in the hearts of the living entities; {2} 'Krsna' is composed of the two syllables 'krs' and 'na'. 'Krs' means He who attracts the minds of all living entities, and 'na' means the supreme transcendental pleasure; and {3} 'Rama' means He who is the personification of all transcendental bliss.

(xiii) mantro guhyah paramo bhakti-vedyah.

"The maha-mantra is the topmost and most confidential of all mantras. It can only be understood when one engages in the pure devotional service of the Supreme Lord."

(xiv) namany astav-asta ca sobhanani, tani nityam ye japanti dhiras. te vai mayam atitaranti, nanyah paramam-mantram parama-rahasyam nityam avartayati.

"Those who seriously desire to make progress in spiritual life should continually chant these sixteen beautiful names (maha-mantra) of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and in this way they will cross beyond the bondage of the illusory enery in this material world. There is no other mantra which is as powerful as this supremely great and most confidential of all mantras, which has directly descended from the spiritual world."

(xv) caitanya eva sankarsano vasudevah, paramesthi rudrah sarko brhaspatih sarve devah sarvani bhutani, sthavarani carani ca, yat kincit sad-asat-karanam sarvam. tad atra slokah.

"Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is the Supreme Personality of Godhead who appears as Lord Sankarsana and Lord Vasudeva. He is the original father of Lord Brahma, Siva, Indra, Brhaspati, all the demigods, and all moving and non-moving living entities. He is the original cause of all that is temporary and all that is eternal. Nothing exists separately from Him, and therefore He is everything. He is furthur described in the following verses."

(xvi) yat kincid asad bhunkte, ksaram tat karyam ucyate.

"The material world (ksara) which the living entities (souls) try to enjoy, is the illusory and temporary manifested effect."

(xvii) sat karanam param jivas, tad aksaram itiritam.

"The living entities (aksara) are eternal infinitesimal parts of the Lord and thus transcendental to this material world."

(xviii) ksaraksarabhyam paramah, sa eva purusottamah;
caitanyakhyam param tattvam, sarva-karana-karanam.

"The Supreme Personality of Godhead Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, however, is superior to both the temporary material energy (effect) and the eternal living entities (cause). He is the Supreme Person, the Absolute Truth and the original cause of all causes. He is thus the cause of both the living entities and the material world."

(xix) ya enam rasayati bhajati dhyayati, sa papmanam tarati, sa puto bhavati, sa tattvam janati, sa tarati sokam, gatis tasyaste nanyasyeti.

"One who cultivates a relationship with the Supreme Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and in this way always worships and remembers Him with devotion becomes free from all sins and completely pure. Easily understanding the truth about the Lord and becoming free from all material lamentation, such a devotee attains the supreme goal of life, which is unattainable by those averse to Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu."

NITYANANDAGAURANGAKRISHNA