Madhya-līlā · 16

The words mahāprabhura mukhe, “from the mouth of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu,” are significant because Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu first heard the story of Mādhavendra Purī from His spiritual master, Śrīpāda Īśvara Purī. (See Madhya-līlā, chapter four, verse 18.) After staying at Śrī Advaita’s house in Śāntipura for some time, the Lord narrated the story of Mādhavendra Purī to Nityānanda Prabhu, Jagadānanda Prabhu, Dāmodara Paṇḍita and Mukunda dāsa. When they went to Remuṇā, to the temple of Gopīnātha, He described Mādhavendra Purī’s installation of the Gopāla Deity as well as Gopīnātha’s stealing condensed milk. Due to this incident, Lord Gopīnātha became well known as Kṣīracorā, the thief who stole condensed milk.

For these activities refer to Madhya-līlā, chapter five, verses 8-138.

In reference to Balagaṇḍi, see Madhya-līlā 13.193.

The Caitanya-bhāgavata (Antya-khaṇḍa, chapter nine) gives the following description. One day Śrīla Advaita Ācārya, having extended an invitation to Caitanya Mahāprabhu, thought that if the Lord came alone He would feed Him to His great satisfaction. It then so happened that when the other sannyāsīs were going to Advaita Ācārya’s to take lunch, there was a big rainstorm, and they could not reach His house. Thus, according to Advaita Ācārya’s desires, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu came alone and accepted the prasādam.

The mission of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is to spread the only medicine effective in this fallen Age of Kali — the chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. Following the orders of His mother, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was residing at Jagannātha Purī, and the devotees were coming to see Him. However, the Lord felt that this message must be spread very elaborately in Bengal, and in His absence there was not a second person capable of doing it. Consequently the Lord requested Nityānanda Prabhu to stay there and broadcast the message of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The Lord also entrusted a similar preaching responsibility to Rūpa Gosvāmī and Sanātana Gosvāmī. Nityānanda Prabhu was requested not to come every year to Jagannātha Purī, although seeing Lord Jagannātha greatly benefits everyone. Does this mean that the Lord was refusing Nityānanda Prabhu a fortunate opportunity? No. One who is a faithful servant of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu must execute His order, even if one has to sacrifice going to Jagannātha Purī to see Lord Jagannātha there. In other words, it is a greater fortune to carry out Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s order than to satisfy one’s senses by seeing Lord Jagannātha. Preaching Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s cult throughout the world is more important than staying in Vṛndāvana or Jagannātha Purī for one’s own personal satisfaction. Spreading Kṛṣṇa consciousness is Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s mission; therefore His sincere devotees must carry out His desire. pṛthivīte āche yata nagarādi grāmasarvatra pracāra haibe mora nāma The devotees of Lord Caitanya must preach Kṛṣṇa consciousness in every village and town in the world. That will satisfy the Lord. It is not that one should act whimsically for his own personal satisfaction. This order comes down through the paramparā system, and the spiritual master presents these orders to the disciple so that he can spread the message of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. It is the duty of every disciple to carry out the order of the bona fide spiritual master and spread Lord Caitanya’s message all over the world.

Lord Caitanya’s mission is to deliver the fallen souls of this age. In this Age of Kali, practically cent percent of the population is fallen. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu certainly delivered many fallen souls, but His disciples mainly came from the upper classes. For example, He delivered Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, Sanātana Gosvāmī, Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya and many others who were socially elevated but fallen from the spiritual point of view. Śrīla Rūpa and Sanātana Gosvāmīs were situated in government service, and Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya was the topmost scholar of India. Similarly, Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī was a leader of many thousands of Māyāvādī sannyāsīs. It was Śrīla Nityānanda Prabhu, however, who delivered persons like Jagāi and Mādhāi. Therefore, Lord Caitanya says, āmāra ‘duṣkara’ karma, tomā haite haye. Jagāi and Mādhāi were delivered solely by Nityānanda Prabhu’s mercy. When they injured Nityānanda Prabhu, Lord Caitanya became angry and decided to kill them with His Sudarśana cakra, but Nityānanda Prabhu saved them from the Lord’s wrath and delivered them. In the incarnation of Gaura-Nitāi, the Lord is not supposed to kill demons but is supposed to deliver them by preaching Kṛṣṇa consciousness. In the case of Jagāi and Mādhāi, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was so angry that He would have immediately killed them, but Nityānanda Prabhu was so kind that He not only saved them from death but elevated them to the transcendental position. Thus what was not possible for Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was carried out by Nityānanda Prabhu. Similarly, if one is true to Gaura-Nitāi’s service in the disciplic succession, he can even excel Nityānanda Prabhu’s service. This is the process of disciplic succession. Nityānanda Prabhu delivered Jagāi and Mādhāi, but a servant of Nityānanda Prabhu, by His grace, can deliver many thousands of Jagāis and Mādhāis. That is the special benediction of the disciplic succession. One who is situated in the disciplic succession can be understood by the result of his activities. This is always true as far as the activities of the Lord and His devotees are concerned. Therefore Lord Śiva says: ārādhanānāṁ sarveṣāṁ viṣṇor ārādhanaṁ paramtasmāt parataraṁ devi tadīyānāṁ samarcanam “Of all types of worship, worship of Lord Viṣṇu is best, and better than the worship of Lord Viṣṇu is the worship of His devotee, the Vaiṣṇava.” (Padma Purāṇa) By the grace of Viṣṇu, a Vaiṣṇava can render better service than Viṣṇu; that is the special prerogative of a Vaiṣṇava. The Lord actually wants to see His servants work more gloriously than Himself. For instance, on the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra, Śrī Kṛṣṇa provoked Arjuna to fight because all the warriors on the battlefield were to die by Kṛṣṇa’s plan. Kṛṣṇa Himself did not want to take credit; rather, He wanted Arjuna to take credit. Therefore He asked him to fight and win fame: tasmāt tvam uttiṣṭha yaśo labhasva jitvā śatrūn bhuṅkṣva rājyaṁ samṛddhammayaivaite nihatāḥ pūrvam eva nimitta-mātraṁ bhava savya-sācin “Therefore get up. Prepare to fight and win glory. Conquer your enemies and enjoy a flourishing kingdom. They are already put to death by My arrangement, and you, O Savyasācī, can be but an instrument in the fight.” (Bg. 11.33) Thus the Supreme Personality of Godhead gives credit to a devotee who performs any heavy task perfectly. Hanumānjī, or Vajrāṅgajī, the servant of Lord Rāmacandra, serves as another example. It was Hanumānjī who jumped over the sea in one leap and reached the shore of Laṅkā from the shore of Bhārata-varṣa. When Lord Rāmacandra chose to go there, He paved the way with stones, although by His will the stones were able to float on the sea. If we simply follow Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s instructions and follow in the footsteps of Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement can advance, and even more difficult tasks can be performed by the preachers remaining faithful to the service of the Lord.

As stated in the beginning of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam: tene brahma hṛdā ya ādi-kavaye. Lord Brahmā is the first living creature within this universe, and he is also the creator of this universe. How is this possible? Although he is the first living entity, Lord Brahmā is not in the category of viṣṇu-tattva. Rather, he is part of the jīva-tattva. Nonetheless, by the grace of the Lord, who instructed him through the heart (tene brahma hṛdā), Lord Brahmā could create a huge universe. Those who are actually pure devotees of the Lord are instructed by the Lord through the heart, where the Lord is always situated. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe ’rjuna tiṣṭhati (Bg. 18.61). If he follows the instructions of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the living entity, even though an insignificant creature, can perform the most difficult tasks by the Lord’s grace. Lord Kṛṣṇa confirms this in the Bhagavad-gītā (10.10): teṣāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakamdadāmi buddhi-yogaṁ taṁ yena mām upayānti te “To those who are constantly devoted to serving Me with love, I give the understanding by which they can come to Me.” Everything is possible for a pure devotee because he acts under the instructions of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Through His inconceivable energy, a pure devotee can perform tasks that are supposed to be very, very difficult. He can perform tasks not even previously performed by the Lord Himself. Therefore Nityānanda Prabhu told Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, ye karāha, sei kari, nāhika niyama: “I do not know by what regulative principle I am carrying out this wonderful work, but I know for certain that I will do whatever You desire.” Although the Lord wants to give all credit to His devotee, the devotee himself never takes credit, for he acts only under the Lord’s direction. Consequently all credit goes to the Lord. This is the nature of the relationship between the Lord and His devotee. The Lord wants to give all credit to His servant, but the servant does not take any credit, for he knows that everything is carried out by the Lord.

Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura says that any Vaiṣṇava who is constantly chanting the holy name of the Lord should be considered to have attained the second platform of Vaiṣṇavism. Such a devotee is superior to a neophyte Vaiṣṇava who has just learned to chant the holy name of the Lord. A neophyte devotee simply tries to chant the holy name, whereas the advanced devotee is accustomed to chanting and takes pleasure in it. Such an advanced devotee is called a madhyama-bhāgavata, which indicates that he has attained the intermediate stage between the neophyte and the perfect devotee. Generally a devotee in the intermediate stage becomes a preacher. A neophyte devotee or an ordinary person should worship the madhyama-bhāgavata, who is a via medium. In his Upadeśāmṛta (5) Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī says, praṇatibhiś ca bhajantam īśam. This means that madhyama-adhikārī devotees should exchange obeisances between themselves. The word nirantara, meaning “without cessation, continuously, constantly,” is very important in this verse. The word antara means “interval.” If one has desires other than a desire to perform devotional service — in other words, if one sometimes engages in devotional service and sometimes strives for sense gratification — his service will be interrupted. A pure devotee, therefore, should have no desire other than to serve Kṛṣṇa. He should be above fruitive activity and speculative knowledge. In his Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.1.11), Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī says: anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtamānukūlyena kṛṣṇānu- śīlanaṁ bhaktir uttamā This is the platform of pure devotional service. One should not be motivated by fruitive activity or mental speculation but should simply serve Kṛṣṇa favorably. That is first-class devotion. Another meaning of antara is “this body.” The body is an impediment to self-realization because it is always engaged in sense gratification. Similarly, antara means “money.” If money is not used in Kṛṣṇa’s service, it is also an impediment. Antara also means janatā, “people in general.” The association of ordinary persons may destroy the principles of devotional service. Similarly, antara may mean “greed” — greed to acquire more money or enjoy more sense gratification. Finally, the word antara may also mean “atheistic ideas,” by which one considers the temple Deity to be made of stone, wood or gold. All of these are impediments. The Deity in the temple is not material — He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself. Similarly, considering the spiritual master an ordinary human being (guruṣu nara-matiḥ) is also an impediment. Nor should one consider a Vaiṣṇava a member of a particular caste or nation. Nor should a Vaiṣṇava be considered material. Caraṇāmṛta should not be considered ordinary drinking water, and the holy name of the Lord should not be considered an ordinary sound vibration. Nor should one look on Lord Kṛṣṇa as an ordinary human being, for He is the origin of all viṣṇu-tattvas; nor should one regard the Supreme Lord as a demigod. Intermingling the spiritual with the material causes one to look on transcendence as material and the mundane as spiritual. This is all due to a poor fund of knowledge. One should not consider Lord Viṣṇu and things related to Him as being different. All this is offensive. In the Bhakti-sandarbha (265), Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī writes: nāmaikaṁ yasya vāci smaraṇa-patha-gatam ity-ādau deha-draviṇādi-nimittaka-‘pāṣaṇḍa’-śabdena ca daśa aparādhā lakṣyante, pāṣaṇḍa-mayatvāt teṣām. “In the verse beginning nāmaikaṁ yasya, we find the word pāṣaṇḍa [‘godlessness’]. The word literally indicates misuse of one’s body or property, but in that verse it implies the ten offenses against the Lord’s holy name, since each of these leads to such godless behavior.” The Māyāvādīs look on Viṣṇu and Vaiṣṇavas imperfectly due to their poor fund of knowledge, and this is condemned. In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.2.46), the intermediate Vaiṣṇava is described as follows: īśvare tad-adhīneṣu bāliśeṣu dviṣatsu caprema-maitrī-kṛpopekṣā yaḥ karoti sa madhyamaḥ “The intermediate Vaiṣṇava has to love God, make friends with the devotees, instruct the innocent and reject jealous people.” These are the four functions of the Vaiṣṇava in the intermediate stage. In the Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Madhya 22.64) Śrī Sanātana Gosvāmī is taught: śraddhāvān jana haya bhakti-adhikārī‘uttama’, ‘madhyama’, ‘kaniṣṭha’ — śraddhā-anusārī “One who is faithful is a proper candidate for devotional service. In terms of one’s degree of faith in devotional service, one is a first-class, second-class or neophyte Vaiṣṇava.” śāstra-yukti nāhi jāne dṛḍha, śraddhāvān‘madhyama-adhikārī’ sei mahā-bhāgyavān “One who has attained the intermediate stage is not very advanced in śāstric knowledge, but he has firm faith in the Lord. Such a person is very fortunate to be situated on the intermediate platform.” (Cc. Madhya 22.67) rati-prema-tāratamye bhakta-taratama “Attraction and love for God are the ultimate goal of devotional service. The degrees of such attraction and love distinguish the different stages of devotion — neophyte, intermediate and perfectional.” (Cc. Madhya 22.71) An intermediate devotee is greatly attracted to chanting the holy name, and by chanting he is elevated to the platform of love. If one chants the holy name of the Lord with great attachment, he can understand his position as an eternal servant of the spiritual master, other Vaiṣṇavas and Kṛṣṇa Himself. Thus the intermediate Vaiṣṇava considers himself kṛṣṇa-dāsa, Kṛṣṇa’s servant. He therefore preaches Kṛṣṇa consciousness to innocent neophytes and stresses the importance of chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. An intermediate devotee can identify the nondevotee or motivated devotee. The motivated devotee or the nondevotee are on the material platform, and they are called prākṛta. The intermediate devotee does not mix with such materialistic people. However, he understands that the Supreme Personality of Godhead and everything related to Him are on the same transcendental platform. Actually none of them are mundane.

Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura says that if an observer immediately remembers the holy name of Kṛṣṇa upon seeing a Vaiṣṇava, that Vaiṣṇava should be considered a mahā-bhāgavata, a first-class devotee. Such a Vaiṣṇava is always aware of his Kṛṣṇa conscious duty, and he is enlightened in self-realization. He is always in love with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, and this love is without adulteration. Because of this love, he is always awake to transcendental realization. Because he knows that Kṛṣṇa consciousness is the basis of knowledge and action, he sees everything as being connected with Kṛṣṇa. Such a person is able to chant the holy name of Kṛṣṇa perfectly. Such a mahā-bhāgavata Vaiṣṇava has the transcendental eyes to see who is sleeping under the spell of māyā, and he engages himself in awakening sleeping conditioned beings by spreading the knowledge of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. He opens eyes that are closed by forgetfulness of Kṛṣṇa. Thus the living entity is liberated from the dullness of material energy and is engaged fully in the service of the Lord. The madhyama-adhikārī Vaiṣṇava can awaken others to Kṛṣṇa consciousness and engage them in duties whereby they can advance. It is therefore said in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Madhya-līlā, chapter six, verse 279): lohāke yāvat sparśi’ hema nāhi karetāvat sparśa-maṇi keha cinite nā pāre “One cannot understand the value of touchstone until it turns iron into gold.” One should judge by action, not by promises. A mahā-bhāgavata can turn a living entity from abominable material life to the Lord’s service. This is the test of a mahā-bhāgavata. Although preaching is not meant for a mahā-bhāgavata, a mahā-bhāgavata can descend to the platform of madhyama-bhāgavata just to convert others to Vaiṣṇavism. Actually a mahā-bhāgavata is fit to spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness, but he does not distinguish where Kṛṣṇa consciousness should be spread from where it should not. He thinks that everyone is competent to accept Kṛṣṇa consciousness if the chance is provided. A neophyte and an intermediate devotee should always be eager to hear the mahā-bhāgavata and serve him in every respect. The neophyte and intermediate devotees can gradually rise to the platform of uttama-adhikārī and become first-class devotees. Symptoms of a first-class devotee are given in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.2.45): sarva-bhūteṣu yaḥ paśyed bhagavad-bhāvam ātmanaḥbhūtāni bhagavaty ātmany eṣa bhāgavatottamaḥ “The most advanced devotee sees within everything the soul of all souls, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Consequently, he sees everything in relation to the Supreme Lord and understands that everything that exists is eternally situated within the Lord.” When teaching Sanātana Gosvāmī, the Lord further said: śāstra-yuktye sunipuṇa, dṛḍha-śraddhā yāṅra‘uttama-adhikārī’ se tāraye saṁsāra “One who is expert in the Vedic literature and has full faith in the Supreme Lord is an uttama-adhikārī, a first-class Vaiṣṇava, a topmost Vaiṣṇava who can deliver the whole world and turn everyone to Kṛṣṇa consciousness.” (Cc. Madhya 22.65) With great love and affection, the mahā-bhāgavata observes the Supreme Personality of Godhead, devotional service and the devotee. He observes nothing beyond Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa consciousness and Kṛṣṇa’s devotees. The mahā-bhāgavata knows that everyone is engaged in the Lord’s service in different ways. He therefore descends to the middle platform to elevate everyone to the Kṛṣṇa conscious position.

At the beginning of winter, there is a ceremony known as the Oḍana-ṣaṣṭhī. This ceremony indicates that from that day forward, a winter covering should be given to Lord Jagannātha. That covering is directly purchased from a weaver. According to the arcana-mārga, a cloth should first be washed to remove all the starch, and then it can be used to cover the Lord. Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi saw that the priest neglected to wash the cloth before covering Lord Jagannātha. Since he wanted to find some fault in the devotees, he became indignant.

One goes through Bhavānīpura before reaching a well-known place named Jānkādei-pura, or Jānakīdevī-pura.

When one takes kṣetra-sannyāsa, he leaves his household life and goes to a place of pilgrimage devoted to Lord Viṣṇu. Such places include Puruṣottama (Jagannātha Purī), Navadvīpa-dhāma and Mathurā-dhāma. The kṣetra-sannyāsī lives in these places alone or with his family. Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura considers kṣetra-sannyāsa to be the preferable vānaprastha situation in this Age of Kali. Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya lived in this way, and he has been called a kṣetra-sannyāsī — that is, a sannyāsī living in Jagannātha Purī.

Just to get Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s association, Gadādhara Paṇḍita gave up his life’s vow to engage in Gopīnātha’s service. This kind of loving affection can be understood only by very confidential devotees. Ordinarily, no one can understand its purport.

Lord Kṛṣṇa promised not to fight in the Battle of Kurukṣetra or even take up a weapon. But when Bhīṣma wanted to keep his own promise to break the promise of the Lord, the Lord immediately got down from the chariot, and to make Bhīṣma’s promise true He picked up a chariot wheel and rushed forward to kill him. This is a quotation from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.9.37).

The place called Yājapura is very well known in Orissa. It is a subdivision of the Kaṭaka district and is situated on the southern side of the Vaitaraṇī River. Formerly great sages performed sacrifices on the northern bank of the Vaitaraṇī River; consequently the place is known as Yājapura, “the place where sacrifices are performed.” Some people say that this was one of the capital cities of King Yayāti and that from the name Yayāti-nagara the name Yājapura has come. As stated in the Mahābhārata (Vana-parva, chapter 114): ete kaliṅgāḥ kaunteya yatra vaitaraṇī nadīyatrāyajata dharmo ’pi devān śaraṇam etya vaiatra vai ṛṣayo ’nye ca purā kratubhir ījire According to the Mahābhārata, great sages formerly performed sacrifices in this place. There are still many temples of demigods and incarnations there, and there is also a Deity of Śrī Varāhadeva. This Deity is especially important and is visited by many pilgrims. Those who worship the Supreme Lord’s energy worship Vārāhī, Vaiṣṇavī and Indrāṇī, as well as many similar forms of Devī, the internal energy. There are many deities of Lord Śiva, and there are many places along the river known as Daśāśvamedha-ghāṭa. Sometimes Yājapura is also called Nābhi-gayā or Virajā-kṣetra.

It was stated in the first chapter of Madhya-līlā, verse 149, that Rāmānanda Rāya was bade farewell from Bhadraka. Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura states that in those days the place called Remuṇā also included Bhadraka.

During the old days, Pichaladā was part of Tamluk and Bengal. Pichaladā is located about fourteen miles south of Tamluk. The river Rūpa-nārāyaṇa is well known in Tamluk, and Pichaladā was situated on the bank of the Rūpa-nārāyaṇa River.

From this we can understand that since the Muslim governor was a drunkard (madyapa), ordinarily there would have been no chance that he would change. But Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu could turn anyone’s mind to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. One can be delivered from material existence simply by remembering Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s holy name or by visiting Him. This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is being spread throughout the world, but not even one yavana or mleccha addicted to drinking could have changed and accepted Kṛṣṇa consciousness without Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s grace. People are often astonished to see many thousands of Westerners converted to Vaiṣṇavism. Generally Westerners are addicted to meat-eating, drinking, gambling and illicit sex; therefore their taking up Kṛṣṇa consciousness is astonishing. In India, especially, there is much astonishment at this. The answer, however, is given here: darśana-smaraṇe yāṅra jagat tārila. This change is made possible simply by the remembrance of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. The Western devotees are very sincerely chanting the holy names of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and His associates: śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu-nityānanda śrī-advaita gadādhara śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda. By the mercy of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and His associates, people are being purified and their consciousness directed from māyā to Kṛṣṇa. The word viśvāsa refers to a secretary. This title is generally found among the kāyastha caste in the Hindu community. In Bengal, the title viśvāsa is still used by the kāyasthas. The word viśvāsa means “faithful,” and a viśvāsī is a person in whom one can place faith. Śrī Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura states that during the Muslim reign in Bengal, there was a secretariat entitled viśvāsa-khānā. The office of viśvāsa-khānā was a secretariat office in which only the most reliable people were employed. They were elected from the kāyastha community, a community that is still very expert in managing business and government affairs. The secretariat, or viśvāsa-khānā, is generally a very reliable and faithful servant. Whenever some confidential service was needed, these officers were employed.

This is a quotation from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (3.33.6). According to this verse, it does not matter what position a person holds. One may be the lowest of the low — a caṇḍāla, or dog-eater — but if he takes to chanting and hearing the holy name of the Lord, he is immediately eligible to perform Vedic sacrifices. This is especially true in this Age of Kali. harer nāma harer nāma harer nāmaiva kevalamkalau nāsty eva nāsty eva nāsty eva gatir anyathā (Bṛhan-nāradīya Purāṇa 38.126) “In this age of quarrel and hypocrisy, the only means of deliverance is the chanting of the holy names of the Lord. There is no other way. There is no other way. There is no other way.” A person born in a brāhmaṇa family cannot perform Vedic sacrifices until he is properly purified and has attained his sacred thread. However, according to the present verse of Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta (quoted from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam), it is understood that even a lowborn person can immediately perform sacrifices if he sincerely chants and hears the holy name of the Lord. Sometimes envious people ask how Europeans and Americans in this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement can become brāhmaṇas and perform sacrifices. They do not know that the Europeans and Americans have already been purified by chanting the holy name of the Lord — Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. This is the proof. Śvādo ’pi sadyaḥ savanāya kalpate. One may be born in a family of dog-eaters, but he can perform sacrifices simply by chanting the mahā-mantra. Those who find fault in the Western Vaiṣṇavas should consider this statement from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and the commentary on this verse by Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī. In this regard, Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī has stated that to become a brāhmaṇa one has to wait for purification and undergo the sacred thread ceremony, but a chanter of the holy name does not have to wait for the sacred thread ceremony. We do not allow devotees to perform sacrifices until they are properly initiated in the sacred thread ceremony. Yet according to this verse, an offenseless chanter of the holy name is already fit to perform a fire ceremony, even though he is not doubly initiated by the sacred thread ceremony. This is the verdict given by Devahūti, the mother of Lord Kapiladeva, when He was instructing her in pure Sāṅkhya philosophy.

It is Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s mercy that He advises everyone — even caṇḍālas, mlecchas and yavanas — to chant the holy name of the Lord. In other words, one who has taken to chanting the holy names “Kṛṣṇa” and “Hari” has already received Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s mercy. The Lord’s request to chant the holy name of Kṛṣṇa is now extended to everyone in the world through the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Whoever follows Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s instructions will certainly be purified, and one who sincerely chants the holy name offenselessly is already more than a brāhmaṇa. Unfortunately there are many fools and rascals in India who do not allow Western Vaiṣṇavas to enter certain temples. Such rascals do not clearly understand the Vedas. As stated previously, yan-nāmadheya-śravaṇānukīrtanād . . . savanāya kalpate.

If one is purified by following Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s orders — that is, by chanting the holy name of Kṛṣṇa — one must certainly be eager to render service to the Lord. This is the test. When one engages enthusiastically in the Lord’s service, it is to be understood that he is reaping the results of chanting the names of Kṛṣṇa and Hari.

By chanting the holy names Kṛṣṇa and Hari, one is certainly liberated from the reactions to such sinful activities as killing cows or insulting brāhmaṇas and Vaiṣṇavas. It is most sinful to kill cows and insult brāhmaṇas and Vaiṣṇavas. The karma incurred by such activity is very great, but one can immediately nullify all this karma by surrendering to Lord Kṛṣṇa and chanting His holy name. After being released from one’s sinful reactions (karma), one becomes eager to serve the Lord. This is the test. Since the Muslim governor was immediately purified in the presence of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, he could utter the names of Kṛṣṇa and Hari. Consequently he was eager to render some service, and the Lord, eager to fulfill his desires, immediately had the devotee Mukunda Datta inform the governor that there was some service to render.

The very wide mouth of the Ganges near present-day Diamond Harbour was called Mantreśvara. Through the Ganges, the boat entered the Rūpa-nārāyaṇa River and reached the village of Pichaldā. Pichaldā and Mantreśvara are located very close together. After passing Mantreśvara, the Muslim governor accompanied the Lord as far as Pichaldā.

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu bade farewell to the Muslim governor at Pichaldā. Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī herein states that the governor experienced symptoms of ecstatic love due to being separated from Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. These symptoms, he admits, cannot be described.

The village of Pānihāṭi is situated on the banks of the Ganges near Khaḍadaha.

The present name of Kumārahaṭṭa is Hālisahara. After Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu accepted sannyāsa, Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura left Navadvīpa due to separation from Him and went to Hālisahara to live. From Kumārahaṭṭa, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu went to Kāñcanapallī (also known as Kāṅcaḍāpāḍā), where Śivānanda Sena lived. After staying two days at Śivānanda’s house, the Lord went to the house of Vāsudeva Datta. From there He went to the western side of Navadvīpa, to the village called Vidyānagara. From Vidyānagara He went to Kuliyā-grāma and stayed at Mādhava dāsa’s house. He stayed there one week and excused the offenses of Devānanda and others. Due to Kavirāja Gosvāmī’s mentioning the name of Śāntipurācārya, some people think that Kuliyā is a village near Kāṅcaḍāpāḍā. Due to this mistaken idea, they invented another place known as New Kuliyāra Pāṭa. Actually such a place does not exist. Leaving the house of Vāsudeva Datta, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu went to the house of Advaita Ācārya. From there He went to the western side of Navadvīpa, to Vidyānagara, and stayed at the house of Vidyā-vācaspati. These accounts are given in the Caitanya-bhāgavata, Caitanya-maṅgala, Caitanyacandrodaya-nāṭaka and Caitanya-carita-kāvya. Śrīla Kavirāja Gosvāmī has not vividly described this entire tour; therefore, on the basis of Caitanya-caritāmṛta, some unscrupulous people have invented a place called Kuliyāra Pāṭa near Kāṅcaḍāpāḍā

The house of Vidyā-vācaspati was located at Vidyānagara, which was near Koladvīpa, or Kuliyā. It was here that Devānanda Paṇḍita was residing. This information is found in the Caitanya-bhāgavata (Madhya-khaṇḍa, chapter twenty-one). In the Caitanya-candrodaya-nāṭaka, the following statement is given about Kuliyā. Tataḥ kumārahaṭṭe śrīvāsa-paṇḍita-vāṭyām abhyāyayau: “From there the Lord went to the house of Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita in Kumārahaṭṭa”; tato ’dvaita-vāṭīm abhyetya haridāsenābhivanditas tathaiva taraṇī-vartmanā navadvīpasya pāre kuliyā-nāma-grāme mādhava-dāsa-vāṭyām uttīrṇavān. evaṁ sapta-dināni tatra sthitvā punas taṭa-vartmanā eva calitavān: “From the house of Śrīvāsa Ācārya, the Lord went to the house of Advaita Ācārya, where He was offered obeisances by Haridāsa Ṭhākura. The Lord then took a boat to the other side of Navadvīpa, to a place called Kuliyā, where He stayed seven days at the house of Mādhava dāsa. He then proceeded along the banks of the Ganges.” In the Śrī Caitanya-carita-mahā-kāvya, it is stated, anye-dyuḥ sa śrī-navadvīpa-bhūmeḥ pāre gaṅgāṁ paścime kvāpi deśe, śrīmān sarva-prāṇināṁ tat-tad-aṅgair netrānandaṁ samyag āgatya tene: “The Lord went to the western side of the Ganges at Navadvīpa, and everyone was pleased to see the Lord coming.” In the Caitanya-bhāgavata (Antya-khaṇḍa, chapter three), it is stated, sarva-pāriṣada-saṅge śrī-gaurasundara/ ācambite āsi’ uttarilā tāṅra ghara: “The Lord suddenly came to Vidyānagara with a full party and stayed there in the house of Vidyā-vācaspati.” Navadvīpādi sarva-dike haila dhvani: “Thus throughout Navadvīpa, the Lord’s arrival was made known.” Vācaspati-ghare āilā nyāsi-cūḍāmaṇi: “Thus the chief of all the sannyāsīs, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, arrived at the house of Vidyā-vācaspati.” As further stated: ananta arbuda loka bali’ ‘hari’ ‘hari’calilena dekhibāre gaurāṅga śrī-hari patha nāhi pāya keho lokera gahalevanaḍāla bhāṅgi’ loka daśa-dike cale lokera gahale yata araṇya āchilakṣaṇeke sakala divya pathamaya haila kṣaṇeke āila saba loka kheyā-ghāṭekheyārī karite pāra paḍila saṅkaṭe satvare āsilā vācaspati mahāśayakarilena aneka naukāra samuccaya naukāra apekṣā āra keho nāhi karenānā mate pāra haya ye yemate pāre hena-mate gaṅgā pāra ha-i’ sarva-janasabhei dharena vācaspatira caraṇa lukāñā gelā prabhu kuliyā-nagarakuliyāya āilena vaikuṇṭha-īśvara sarva-loka ‘hari’ bali’ vācaspati-saṅgesei-kṣaṇe sabhe calilena mahā-raṅge kuliyā-nagare āilena nyāsi-maṇisei-kṣaṇe sarva-dike haila mahā-dhvani sabe gaṅgā madhye nadīyāya-kuliyāyaśuni’ mātra sarva-loke mahānande dhāya vācaspatira grāme (vidyānagare) chila yateka gahalatāra koṭi koṭi-guṇe pūrila sakala lakṣa lakṣa naukā vā āila kothā haitenā jāni kateka pāra haya kata-mate lakṣa lakṣa loka bhāse jāhnavīra jalesabhe pāra hayena parama kutūhale gaṅgāya hañā pāra āpanā-āpanikolākoli kari’ sabhe kare hari-dhvani kṣaṇeke kuliyā-grāma — nagara prāntaraparipūrṇa haila sthala, nāhi avasara kṣaṇeke āilā mahāśaya vācaspatiteṅho nāhi pāyena prabhura kothā sthiti kuliyāya prakāśe yateka pāpī chilauttama, madhyama, nīca, — sabe pāra haila kuliyā-grāmete āsi’ śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanyahena nāhi, yāre prabhu nā karilā dhanya “When Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu stayed at Vidyā-vācaspati’s house, many hundreds of thousands of people went to see Him and chant the holy name of Hari. It was so crowded that people could not even find a place to walk; therefore they made room by clearing out the jungles near the village. Many roads were automatically excavated, and many people also came by boat to see the Lord. So many came that it was difficult for the boatmen to get them across the river. When Vidyā-vācaspati suddenly arrived, he made arrangements for many boats to receive these people, but the people would not wait for the boats. Somehow or other they crossed the river and hurried toward the house of Vidyā-vācaspati. Due to this great crowd, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu secretly went to Kuliyā-nagara. After the Lord left Vidyānagara, however, all the people heard news of His leaving. They then accompanied Vācaspati to Kuliyā-nagara. Since the news of the Lord’s arrival was immediately broadcast, large crowds arrived and greeted Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu with great jubilation. Indeed, when the crowd went to see Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, it increased ten thousand times in number. No one could say how many people crossed the river to see Him, but many hundreds of thousands made a great tumult when crossing the river Ganges. After crossing the river, everyone began to embrace one another because they heard the good news of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s arrival. Thus all the inhabitants of Kuliyā — the sinful, intermediate and spiritually advanced — were delivered and glorified by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.” As stated in the Caitanya-bhāgavata (Antya-khaṇḍa, chapter six): khānāyoḍā, baḍagāchi, āra dogāchiyāgaṅgāra opāra kabhu yāyena ‘kuliyā’ “Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu passed through Khānāyoḍā, Baḍagāchi and Dogāchiyā and then crossed the Ganges before arriving in Kuliyā.” As stated in the Caitanya-maṅgala: gaṅgā-snāna kari prabhu rāḍha-deśa diyākrame krame uttarilā nagara ‘kuliyā’ māyera vacane punaḥ gelā navadvīpavārakoṇā-ghāṭa, nija vāḍīra samīpa “Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu walked through Rāḍha-deśa and gradually arrived at the Ganges. After bathing in the river, he crossed it and went to Kuliyā. Because He had promised His mother He would return to Navadvīpa, He went to Vārakoṇā-ghāṭa, a village near His house.” In the commentary of Premadāsa it is said: nadīyāra mājhakhāne, sakala loketejāne, ‘kuliyā-pāhāḍapura’ nāme sthāna “Everyone knows that in the middle of Nadia is a village named Kuliyā-pāhāḍapura.” Śrī Narahari Cakravartī, or Ghanaśyāma dāsa, has written in his Bhakti-ratnākara: kuliyā pāhāḍapura dekha śrīnivāsapūrve ‘koladvīpa’-parvatākhya — e pracāra “He said, ‘O Śrīnivāsa, just see the town of Kuliyā-pāhāḍapura, which was previously known as Koladvīpa.’ ” In a book named Navadvīpa-dhāma-parikramā, also written by Ghanaśyāma dāsa, it is stated: kuliyā-pāhāḍapura grāma pūrve koladvīpa-parvatākhyānanda nāma. “The town of Kuliyā-pāhāḍapura was previously named Koladvīpa-parvatākhyānanda.” Therefore one can conclude that the present-day city of Navadvīpa and the places known as Bāhiradvīpa, Kolera Gañja, Kola-āmāda, Kolera Daha, Gadakhāli, etc., were known as Kuliyā, but the so-called Kuliyāra Pāṭa is not the original Kuliyā.

Mādhava dāsa is identified as follows. In the family of Śrīkara Caṭṭopādhyāya, Yudhiṣṭhira Caṭṭopādhyāya took his birth. Formerly, he and his family members lived in Bilvagrāma and Pāṭūli. From there he went to Kuliyā-pāhāḍapura, formerly known as Pāḍapura. The eldest son of Yudhiṣṭhira Caṭṭopādhyāya was known as Mādhava dāsa, the second son was called Haridāsa, and the youngest son was called Kṛṣṇasampatti Caṭṭopādhyāya. The three brothers’ nicknames were Chakaḍi, Tinakaḍi and Dukaḍi. The grandson of Mādhava dāsa was named Vaṁśīvadana, and, during the time of Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, his grandson Rāmacandra and their descendants were still living at Vāghnāpāḍā, or Vaiñcī.

This information is given in Ādi-līlā 10.35 and Madhya-līlā 1.155-162 and 175-226.

Hiraṇya and Govardhana were inhabitants of Saptagrāma in the district of Hugli. Actually they were inhabitants not of Saptagrāma but of a nearby village named Kṛṣṇapura. They took their birth in a big kāyastha family, and although their family title has not been ascertained, it is known that they came from an aristocratic family. The elder brother’s name was Hiraṇya Majumadāra, and the younger brother’s name was Govardhana Majumadāra. Śrī Raghunātha dāsa was the son of Govardhana Majumadāra. Their family priest was Balarāma Ācārya, who was a favorite of Haridāsa Ṭhākura’s, and the family’s spiritual master was Yadunandana Ācārya, a favorite of Vāsudeva Datta’s. The village of Saptagrāma is located on the Eastern Railway from Calcutta to Burdwan, and presently the railway station is called Triśabighā. In those days there was a large river there known as the Sarasvatī, and present-day Triśabighā is a great port. In 1592, the Pāṭhānas invaded, and due to a flooding of the Sarasvatī River in the year 1632, this great port was partially destroyed. It is said that in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, Portuguese businessmen used to come aboard their ships. In those days, Saptagrāma, situated on the southern side of Bengal, was very rich and popular. The merchants, who were the principal residents, were called Saptagrāma suvarṇa-vaṇiks. There were very many rich people there, and Hiraṇya Majumadāra and Govardhana Majumadāra belonged to the kāyastha community. They also were very rich, so much so that it is mentioned in this verse that their annual income as landlords amounted to 1,200,000 rupees. In this connection, one may refer to Ādi-līlā (chapter eleven, verse 41), which describes Uddhāraṇa Datta, who also belonged to the Saptagrāmī suvarṇa-vaṇik community.

Although Navadvīpa was very opulent and populous during Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s time, practically all the brāhmaṇas depended on the charity of Hiraṇya and Govardhana. Because the brothers highly respected the brāhmaṇas, they very liberally gave them money.

As stated in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.14.58): samāśritā ye pada-pallava-plavaṁ mahat-padaṁ puṇya-yaśo murāreḥbhavāmbudhir vatsa-padaṁ paraṁ padaṁ padaṁ padaṁ yad vipadāṁ na teṣām This material world is just like a big ocean. It begins with Brahmaloka and extends to Pātālaloka, and there are many planets, or islands, in this ocean. Not knowing about devotional service, the living entity wanders about this ocean, just as a man tries to swim to reach the shore. Our struggle for existence is similar to this. Everyone is trying to get out of the ocean of material existence. One cannot immediately reach the coast, but if one endeavors, he can cross the ocean by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s mercy. One may be very eager to cross this ocean, but he cannot attain success by acting like a madman. He must swim over the ocean very patiently and intelligently under the instructions of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu or His representative. Then, one day, he will reach the shore and return home, back to Godhead.

The word markaṭa-vairāgya, indicating false renunciation, is very important in this verse. Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, in commenting on this word, points out that monkeys make an external show of renunciation by not accepting clothing and by living naked in the forest. In this way they consider themselves renunciants, but actually they are very busy enjoying sense gratification with dozens of female monkeys. Such renunciation is called markaṭa vairāgya — the renunciation of a monkey. One cannot be really renounced until one actually becomes disgusted with material activity and sees it as a stumbling block to spiritual advancement. Renunciation should not be phalgu, temporary, but should exist throughout one’s life. Temporary renunciation, or monkey renunciation, is like the renunciation one feels at a cremation ground. When a man takes a dead body to the crematorium, he sometimes thinks, “This is the final end of the body. Why am I working so hard day and night?” Such sentiments naturally arise in the mind of any man who goes to a crematorial ghāṭa. However, as soon as he returns from the cremation grounds, he again engages in material activity for sense enjoyment. This is called śmaśāna-vairāgya, or markaṭa-vairāgya. In order to render service to the Lord, one may accept necessary things. If one lives in this way, he may actually become renounced. In the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.2.108), it is said: yāvatā syāt sva-nirvāhaḥ svī-kuryāt tāvad artha-vitādhikye nyūnatāyāṁ ca cyavate paramārthataḥ “The bare necessities of life must be accepted, but one should not superfluously increase his necessities. Nor should they be unnecessarily decreased. One should simply accept what is necessary to help one advance spiritually.” In his Durgama-saṅgamanī, Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī comments that the word sva-nirvāhaḥ actually means sva-sva-bhakti-nirvāhaḥ. The experienced devotee will accept only those material things that will help him render service to the Lord. In the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.2.256), markaṭa-vairāgya, or phalgu-vairāgya, is explained as follows: prāpañcikatayā buddhyā hari-sambandhi-vastunaḥmumukṣubhiḥ parityāgo vairāgyaṁ phalgu kathyate “When persons eager to achieve liberation renounce things related to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, thinking them to be material, their renunciation is called incomplete.” Whatever is favorable for the rendering of service to the Lord should be accepted and should not be rejected as a material thing. Yukta-vairāgya, or befitting renunciation, is thus explained: anāsaktasya viṣayān yathārham upayuñjataḥnirbandhaḥ kṛṣṇa-sambandhe yuktaṁ vairāgyam ucyate “Things should be accepted for the Lord’s service and not for one’s personal sense gratification. If one accepts something without attachment and accepts it because it is related to Kṛṣṇa, one’s renunciation is called yukta-vairāgya.” Since Kṛṣṇa is the Absolute Truth, whatever is accepted for His service is also the Absolute Truth. The word markaṭa-vairāgya is used by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu to indicate so-called Vaiṣṇavas who dress themselves in loincloths trying to imitate Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī. Such people carry a bead bag and chant, but at heart they are always thinking about getting women and money. Unknown to others, these markaṭa-vairāgīs maintain women but externally present themselves as renunciants. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was very much opposed to these markaṭa-vairāgīs, or pseudo Vaiṣṇavas.

Although Śrīla Raghunātha dāsa was very anxious to join Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, the Lord advised him to wait for the mercy of Lord Kṛṣṇa. He recommended that Raghunātha dāsa keep his Kṛṣṇa consciousness firmly fixed in his heart while externally behaving like an ordinary man. This is a trick for everyone advanced in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. One can live in society like an ordinary human being, but at the same time one’s own business should be to satisfy Kṛṣṇa and spread His glories. A Kṛṣṇa conscious person should not be absorbed in material things, for his only business is the devotional service of the Lord. If one is engaged in this way, Kṛṣṇa will certainly bestow His mercy. As Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu advised Raghunātha dāsa, yathā-yogya viṣaya bhuñja’ anāsakta hañā. The same is repeated, antare niṣṭhā kara, bāhye loka-vyavahāra. This means that one must have no desire within his heart other than to serve Kṛṣṇa. On the basis of such a conviction, one can cultivate Kṛṣṇa consciousness. This is confirmed in the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.2.200): laukikī vaidikī vāpi yā kriyā kriyate munehari-sevānukūlaiva sā kāryā bhaktim icchatā A devotee may act as an ordinary human being or as a strict follower of Vedic injunctions. In either case, everything he does is favorable for the advancement of devotional service because he is in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

When Raghunātha dāsa’s father and mother saw that their son was no longer acting like a crazy fellow and was responsibly attending to his duties, they became very happy. The eleven people — five watchmen, four personal servants and two brāhmaṇas — who were guarding him became less strict in their vigilance. When Raghunātha dāsa actually took up his household affairs, his parents reduced the number of guards.

Such are the qualifications of a pure devotee. Materially one may be very opulent, experienced, influential and educated, but if one still thinks himself lower than straw in the street, one attracts the attention of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu or Lord Kṛṣṇa. Although Mahārāja Pratāparudra was a king, he took up a broom to cleanse the road for Lord Jagannātha’s ratha (chariot). Because of this humble service, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was very pleased with the King, and for that reason the Lord embraced him. According to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s instructions, a devotee should never be puffed up by material power. He should know that material power is the result of one’s past good activities (karma) and is consequently transient. At any moment all one’s material opulence can be finished; therefore a devotee is never proud of such opulence. He is always humble and meek, considering himself lower than a piece of straw. Because of this, the devotees are eligible to return home, back to Godhead.

It was not essential for Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu to go to Vṛndāvana, for wherever He stayed was immediately converted to Vṛndāvana. Indeed, at that place were also the river Ganges, the river Yamunā and all other places of pilgrimage. This was also expressed by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu Himself when He danced in the Ratha-yātrā. At that time He said that His very mind was Vṛndāvana (mora-mana — vṛndāvana). Because His mind was Vṛndāvana, all the pastimes of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa were taking place within Himself. Nonetheless, just to teach people, He visited bhauma-vṛndāvana, Vṛndāvana-dhāma in this material world. In this way the Lord instructed everyone to visit Vṛndāvana-dhāma, which is a very holy place. Materialists consider Vṛndāvana-dhāma an unclean city because there are many monkeys and dogs there, and along the bank of the Yamunā there is refuse. Some time ago, a materialistic man asked me, “Why are you living in Vṛndāvana? Why have you selected such a dirty place to live after retiring?” Such a person cannot understand that the earthly Vṛndāvana-dhāma is always a representation of the original Vṛndāvana-dhāma. Consequently Vṛndāvana-dhāma is as worshipable as Lord Kṛṣṇa. Ārādhyo bhagavān vrajeśa-tanayas tad-dhāma vṛndāvanam: according to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s philosophy, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa and His abode, Vṛndāvana, are equally worshipable. Sometimes materialistic people who have no spiritual understanding go to Vṛndāvana as tourists. One who goes to Vṛndāvana with such materialistic vision cannot derive any spiritual benefit. Such a person is not convinced that Kṛṣṇa and Vṛndāvana are identical. Since they are identical, Vṛndāvana is as worshipable as Lord Kṛṣṇa. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s vision (mora-mana — vṛndāvana) is different from the vision of an ordinary materialistic person. At the Ratha-yātrā festival, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, absorbed in the ecstasy of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, dragged Lord Kṛṣṇa back to Vṛndāvana-dhāma. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu spoke of this in the verses beginning āhuś ca te (Madhya 13.136). In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.84.13) it is stated: yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke sva-dhīḥ kalatrādiṣu bhauma ijya-dhīḥyat-tīrtha-buddhiḥ salile na karhicij janeṣv abhijñeṣu sa eva go-kharaḥ “A human being who identifies the body made of three elements with his self, who considers the by-products of the body to be his kinsmen, who considers the land of birth as worshipable, and who goes to a place of pilgrimage simply to take a bath rather than meet men of transcendental knowledge there is to be considered like an ass or a cow.” Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu personally renovated Vṛndāvana-dhāma and advised His chief disciples, Rūpa and Sanātana, to develop it and open it to attract the spiritual vision of the general populace. At present there are about five thousand temples in Vṛndāvana, and still our society, the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, is constructing a huge, magnificent temple for the worship of Lord Kṛṣṇa and Lord Balarāma, along with Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa and Guru-Gaurāṅga. Since there is no prominent Kṛṣṇa-Balarāma temple in Vṛndāvana, we are attempting to construct one so that people will be attracted to Kṛṣṇa-Balarāma, or Nitāi-Gauracandra. Vrajendra-nandana yei, śacī suta haila sei. Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says that Balarāma and the son of Mahārāja Nanda have advented Themselves as Gaura-Nitāi. To propagate this fundamental principle, we are establishing a Kṛṣṇa-Balarāma temple to broadcast to the world that worship of Gaura-Nitāi is the same as worship of Kṛṣṇa-Balarāma. Although it is very difficult to enter into the Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa pastimes, most of the devotees of Vṛndāvana are attracted to the rādhā-kṛṣṇa-līlā. However, since Nitāi-Gauracandra are direct incarnations of Balarāma and Kṛṣṇa, we can be directly in touch with Lord Balarāma and Lord Kṛṣṇa through Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Nityānanda Prabhu. Those who are highly elevated in Kṛṣṇa consciousness can enter into the pastimes of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa through the mercy of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. It is said, śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya rādhā-kṛṣṇa nahe anya: “Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu is a combination of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa.” Sometimes materialists, forgetting the pastimes of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa-Balarāma, go to Vṛndāvana, accept the land’s spiritual facilities and engage in material activity. This is against the teachings of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. The prākṛta-sahajiyās proclaim themselves vraja-vāsīs or dhāma-vāsīs, but they are mainly engaged in sense gratification. Thus they become more and more implicated in the materialistic way of life. Those who are pure devotees in Kṛṣṇa consciousness condemn their activities. The eternal vraja-vāsīs like Svarūpa Dāmodara did not even come to Vṛndāvana-dhāma. Śrī Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi, Śrī Haridāsa Ṭhākura, Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita, Śivānanda Sena, Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya, Śrī Śikhi Māhiti, Śrī Mādhavīdevī and Śrī Gadādhara Paṇḍita Gosvāmī never visited Vṛndāvana-dhāma. Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura points out that we have no authorized documents stating that these exalted personalities visited Vṛndāvana. Nonetheless, we find many nondevotees, Māyāvādī sannyāsīs, prākṛta-sahajiyās, fruitive workers, mental speculators and many others with material motives going to Vṛndāvana to live. Many of these people go there to solve their economic problems by becoming beggars. Although anyone living in Vṛndāvana somehow or other is benefited, the real Vṛndāvana is appreciated only by a pure devotee. As stated in the Brahma-saṁhitā, premāñjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena. When one has purified eyes, he can see that Śrī Vṛndāvana and the original Goloka Vṛndāvana planet in the spiritual sky are identical. Śrīla Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura, Śrīnivāsa Ācārya, Śrī Jagannātha dāsa Bābājī Mahārāja, Śrī Bhagavān dāsa Bābājī Mahārāja and Śrīla Gaurakiśora dāsa Bābājī Mahārāja, and later Śrī Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura of Calcutta, always engaged in nāma-bhajana and certainly did not live anywhere but Vṛndāvana. Presently, the members of the Hare Kṛṣṇa movement throughout the world live in materially opulent cities, such as London, New York, Los Angeles, Paris, Moscow, Zurich and Stockholm. However, we are satisfied with following in the footsteps of Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura and other ācāryas. Because we live in the temples of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa and continuously hold hari-nāma-saṅkīrtana — the chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa — we consequently live in Vṛndāvana and nowhere else. We are also following in the footsteps of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu by attempting to construct a temple in Vṛndāvana for our disciples throughout the world to visit.