Subject: Srila Prabhupada glorifies Sri Gaura Purnima- Divine Appearance of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu

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Srila Prabhupada re: the rarity of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s avatara on this planet. Devotee (8): Śrīla Prabhupāda, does Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu also appear every day of Brahma. Srila Prabhupāda: Yes, following Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa comes in the Dvāpara-yuga. There are four periods of each yuga: Sattva, Tretā, Dvāpara, Kali. So Kṛṣṇa comes at the end of Dvāpara-yuga, and Caitanya Mahāprabhu comes in the Kali-yuga. So almost about the same year, same circulation. Just like the sun appears after so many hours. It is like that. And the sun does not disappear. Sun is already there in the sky. It may not be in Australia’s vision, but it may be in other country’s vision. The sun is not dead. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa appears by rotation in this universe after so many years, eight billion and billion years. So next He goes to another universe. Just like the sun, after disappearance from Australia, it goes to another country. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa, after finishing His business in this universe, He goes to another universe. In this way the rotation takes eight million, nine billion years. Just imagine how many universes are there. He stays in one universe for 125 years. Everything is there, calculation, in the śāstra. Now we can imagine how many universes are there. That is, altogether, material world… Lectures : Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures : Canto 6: Lectures : SB 6.1: Lectures : Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.1.3 — Melbourne, May 22, 1975 ….  
Srila Prabhupada explains the real nature of the form of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is none other than the combined form of Śrī Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. He is the life of those devotees who strictly follow in the footsteps of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī. Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī and Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī are the two principal followers of Śrīla Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī, who acted as the most confidential servitor of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu, known as Viśvambhara in His early life. A direct disciple of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī was Śrīla Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī. The author of Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Śrīla Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī, stands as the direct disciple of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī and Śrīla Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī.Adi lila.Sri Kavi Karnapura glorifies the divine appearance of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

Sri Kavi Karnapura explains the esoteric reason for the appearance of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.Sri Vrindavana bhuvi pura sac cid ananda sandrogaurangibhih sadrsa rucibhih syama dhama nanartatasam sasvad drdhatara parirambha sambhedatah kimgaurangah san jayati sa navadvipam alambamanah The dark complexioned Sri Krsna, whose form is eternal, blissful and full of knowledge (sac-cid-ananda), formerly danced with the golden-compexioned Gopis in the land of Vrindavana. By intently embracing them, He attained a golden complexion like theirs. In this golden form He has now appeared in the town of Navadvipa. Sri Kavi Karnapura in Sri Gaura-Ganoddesa-Dipika Text 1 (Translation by Sriman Kusakratha dasa) 

Sri Prabhodhanda Sarasvati explains why Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu appeared in this world.stumas tam caitanyakrtim ati-vimaryada-paramadbhutaudaryam varyam vraja-pati-kumaram rasayitumvisuddha-sva-premonmada-madhura piyusa-laharimpradatum canebhyah para-pada-nabadvipa-prakatam ” Let us glorify the boundless merciful Suipreme Personality of Godhead, the prince of Vraja.  To taste the intoxicating sweet waves of the nectar of transcendental love for Krsna as well as to give that nectar to others, He has now appeared in the transcendental abode of Navadvipa as Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu.” Sri Caitanya-Candramrta, Chapter One, Text One (Translation by Sriman Kusakratha dasa) 

Citing Sri Prabhodhananda Saravati, Srila Prabhupada explains the power of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s mercy upon His devotees.kaivalyaṁ narakāyate tri-daśa-pūr ākāśa-puṣpāyate
durdāntendriya-kāla-sarpa-paṭalī protkhāta-daṁṣṭrāyate
viśvaṁ pūrṇa-sukhāyate vidhi-mahendrādiś ca kīṭāyate
yat-kāruṇya-kaṭākṣa-vaibhavavatāṁ taṁ gauram eva stumah Lectures : Bhagavad-gita Lectures : Bg 4: Lectures : Bhagavad-gita 4.26 — Bombay, April 15, 1974 : 740415BG.BOM : There is another verse written by Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī. He said, kaivalyaṁ narakāyate tridaśa-pūr ākāśa-puṣpāyate durdāntendriya-kāla-sarpa-paṭalī protkhāta-daṁṣṭrāyate. Protkhāta-daṁṣṭrāyate. Just like dentist, when there some pain in the teeth, they extract. That is called protkhāta, extracted. So the indriyas have been compared with kāla-sarpa, kāla-sarpa, means a venomous snake. As soon as the kāla-sarpa or snake touches in any part of your body, because the venomous teeth is there, death is there immediately. Therefore they’re called kāla-sarpa. Kāla means death. Kāla-sarpa. Therefore we are so much afraid of a snake. So but if the kāla-sarpa’s poison teeth is taken away, then it is no more, I mean, fearful. It is no more dangerous. Therefore Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī says that “By the mercy of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, our indriyas, the senses, which are compared with the kāla-sarpa, may be kāla-sarpa, but the poison teeth is extracted.” Durdāntendriya-kāla-sarpa-paṭalī protkhāta-daṁṣṭrāyate Lectures : Bhagavad-gita Lectures : Bg 4: Lectures : Bhagavad-gita 4.26 — Bombay, April 15, 1974 : 740415BG.  Lectures : Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures : Canto 1: Lectures : SB 1.8: Lectures : Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.8.18-19 — Bombay, April 9, 1971 : 710409SB.BOM : So yoga-siddhi, jugglery, yoga-siddhi magic, captivates foolish persons. So they want yoga-siddhi. If some foolish persons gather, then he gets sense enjoyment. That is another type of sense enjoyment. So therefore in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta it is said that bhukti-mukti-siddhi-kāmī sakali aśānta. They are not paramahaṁsas. Paramahaṁsa… Here it is stated that bhakti-yoga-vidhānārtham. Tathā paramahaṁsānāṁ munīnām amalātmanām [SB 1.8.20]. Amalātmanām means when there is no more dirty things. The karmīs, they have got dirty things, sense enjoyment. The jñānīs, they have got also dirty things. One may say that “Mukti is dirty thing?” Yes. According to Vaiṣṇava calculation it is dirty thing, because Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, he said, kaivalyaṁ narakāyate. Kaivalyam means to become one with the Supreme, mukti. He said, “It is exactly like hell.” Kaivalyaṁ narakāyate tri-daśa-pūrākāśa-puṣpāyate. “And these heavenly planets,” the domain or the objective of the karmīs, “that is like flower in the sky.” And durdāntendriya-kāla-sarpa-paṭalī protkhāta-daṁṣṭrāyate. Durdāntendriya-kāla-sarpa-paṭalī. The yogis, their first business is… They get so much yoga-siddhi because first business is indriya-saṁyama. Yoga-siddhi is not obtained easily. One has to practice it. And the first practice is controlling the senses. Durdāntendriya-kāla-sarpa-paṭalī protkhāta-daṁṣṭrāyateSrila Prabhupada elaborates and describes the benefit of surrendering to the lotus feet of Sri Caitanya MahaprabhuSakalam eva vihāya dūrād caitanya-candra-caraṇe kurutānurāgam. You just try to submit yourself on the lotus feet of Lord Caitanya. By His mercy you’ll find that, kaivalyaṁ narakāyate, you’ll find that to become one with the Supreme, it will appear to you just like hell. To merge into the Supreme, that is the highest ambition of the impersonalists. But if you submit yourself to the lotus feet of Caitanyacandra, then you’ll find that this conception is just like hell. Kaivalyaṁ narakāyate. Naraka means hell. You’ll find kaivalyam, to become one. And tridaśa-pūrākāśa-puṣpāyate. Tri-daśa-pūra means the planets, higher planets where demigods live. Thirty-three million demigods, there are at least thirty-three million planets. Tri-daśa-pūrākāśa-puspayateLectures : Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures : Canto 1: Lectures : SB 1.5: Lectures : Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.5.8-9 — New Vrindaban, May 24, 1969   

 Lectures : Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures : Canto 1: Lectures : SB 1.5: Lectures : Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.5.8-9 — New Vrindaban, May 24, 1969 : 690524SB.NVdentist, when there some pain in the teeth, they extract. That is called protkhāta, extracted. So the indriyas have been compared with kāla-sarpa, kāla-sarpa, means a venomous snake. As soon as the kāla-sarpa or snake touches in any part of your body, because the venomous teeth is there, death is there immediately. Therefore they’re called kāla-sarpa. Kāla means death. Kāla-sarpa. Therefore we are so much afraid of a snake. So but if the kāla-sarpa’s poison teeth is taken away, then it is no more, I mean, fearful. It is no more dangerous. Therefore Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī says that “By the mercy of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, our indriyas, the senses, which are compared with the kāla-sarpa, may be kāla-sarpa, but the poison teeth is extracted.” Durdāntendriya-kāla-sarpa-paṭalī protkhāta-daṁṣṭrāyate Lectures : Bhagavad-gita Lectures : Bg 4: Lectures : Bhagavad-gita 4.26 — Bombay, April 15, 1974 : 740415BG.  Lectures : Sri Isopanisad Lectures : Sri Isopanisad, Mantra 13-15 — Los Angeles, May 18, 1970 : 700518IP.LA : The idea is that Kṛṣṇa planet or the Vaikuṇṭha planets, they are beyond this Brahman effulgence, and those who are devotees, they are permitted to enter into these spiritual planets. Those who are not devotees, simply jñānīs or demons… The jñānīs and demons, they are offered the same place. The jñānīs… Āruhya kṛcchreṇa paraṁ padaṁ tataḥ [SB 10.2.32]. They practice severe austerities, penances, to enter into the Brahman effulgence. But the demons, simply by becoming enemy of Kṛṣṇa, they immediately get that place. The demons who are killed by Kṛṣṇa, they are immediately transferred to this Brahman effulgence. So just imagine, the place which is given to the enemies of Kṛṣṇa, is that very covetable thing? Suppose if somebody comes who is my enemy, I give him some place, and somebody, my intimate friend, I give him some other place. Similarly, this Brahman effulgence is not at all covetable. Therefore Prabodhānanda Sarasvatīpāda, he has composed a verse, that Brahman… Kaivalyaṁ narakāyate. Kaivalya means the Brahman effulgence, simply spiritual light. So kaivalyaṁ narakāyate. He says that this Brahman effulgence is just like hell. For a devotee, this Brahman… The jñānīs who are trying to merge into the Brahman effulgence, for devotee it is stated as hell. Kaivalyaṁ narakāyate. Tri-daśa-pūr ākāśa-puṣpāyate (Caitanya-candrāmṛta 5). And tri-daśa-pūr means the planets of the demigods within this material world. People are very much anxious to go into the heavenly planet. That is called tri-daśa-pūr or tri-daśa-pūr, the residential quarters of the demigods. And for a devotee it is understood as will-o’-the-wisp, ākāśa-puṣpāyate. And durdāntendriya-kāla-sarpa-paṭalī protkhāta-daṁṣṭrāyate. And the yogis, they are trying to control the senses, which are considered as venomous serpents, the senses. That’s a fact. So the bhakta says that “We are not afraid of the senses.” Why? Protkhāta-daṁṣṭrāyate. Because we have extracted the poison teeth. The senses has got a poison teeth. As soon as you indulge in sense gratification, immediately you become degraded. Immediately. So it is just like a venomous serpent. As soon as touches you, little biting, finished your life. So it is like that. Durdānta-kāla-sarpa-paṭalī, indriya. But these venomous snakes, if their poison teeth is taken away, then it may be fearful for the boys and children. But if an elderly person knows that his poison teeth has been taken away, nobody’s afraid of it. So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness means that we take away the poison teeth of the senses. So that even Kṛṣṇa conscious persons are allowed for sense gratification, the poison teeth is broken. So therefore they are not gliding down to the hellish condition of life. So in this way, either the karmīs or the jñānīs or the yogis, they are always… They are, every one of them, trying to elevate. And above them is the devotees Lectures : Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures : Canto 1: Lectures : SB 1.8: Lectures : Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.8.18-19 — Bombay, April 9, 1971 : 710409SB.BOM : So yoga-siddhi, jugglery, yoga-siddhi magic, captivates foolish persons. So they want yoga-siddhi. If some foolish persons gather, then he gets sense enjoyment. That is another type of sense enjoyment. So therefore in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta it is said that bhukti-mukti-siddhi-kāmī sakali aśānta. They are not paramahaṁsas. Paramahaṁsa… Here it is stated that bhakti-yoga-vidhānārtham. Tathā paramahaṁsānāṁ munīnām amalātmanām [SB 1.8.20]. Amalātmanām means when there is no more dirty things. The karmīs, they have got dirty things, sense enjoyment. The jñānīs, they have got also dirty things. One may say that “Mukti is dirty thing?” Yes. According to Vaiṣṇava calculation it is dirty thing, because Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, he said, kaivalyaṁ narakāyate. Kaivalyam means to become one with the Supreme, mukti. He said, “It is exactly like hell.” Kaivalyaṁ narakāyate tri-daśa-pūrākāśa-puṣpāyate. “And these heavenly planets,” the domain or the objective of the karmīs, “that is like flower in the sky.” And durdāntendriya-kāla-sarpa-paṭalī protkhāta-daṁṣṭrāyate. Durdāntendriya-kāla-sarpa-paṭalī. The yogis, their first business is… They get so much yoga-siddhi because first business is indriya-saṁyama. Yoga-siddhi is not obtained easily. One has to practice it. And the first practice is controlling the senses. Durdāntendriya-kāla-sarpa-paṭalī protkhāta-daṁṣṭrāyateSrila Prabhupada cites Sri Prabhodhananda Sarasvati explaining the glorious appearance and golden form of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.ananda lilamaya vigrahayahemabha-divya-cchavi-sundarayatasmai maha-prema-rasa-pradayaIn the year 1407 of the Śaka Era (A.D. 1486), Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu appeared, and in the year 1455 (A.D. 1534) He disappeared from this worldcaitanyacandraya namo namaste O Lord Caitanyacandra, O Lord whose form is full of blissful pastimes, O Lord whose complexion is as splendid gold, O Lord who gives incharity the nectar of pure love for Krsna, I offer my respectful obeisances unto You. I offer my respectful obeisances unto You. Sri Caitanya-Candramrta 2.11. (translation by Sriman Kusakratha dasa) Lectures : Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures : Canto 1: Lectures : SB 1.8: Lectures : Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.8.21 — New York, April 13, 1973 : 730413SB.NY : So ānanda-līlāmaya-vigraha. Ānanda-līlā, Kṛṣṇa’s līlā, pastimes are all jubilant. Ānanda-līlāmaya. Ānandamayo ‘bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). He is by nature ānandamaya. Kṛṣṇa, you’ll never find Kṛṣṇa is very unhappy. Kṛṣṇa is never unhappy. Kṛṣṇa is always happy. Therefore nanda-gopa-kumārāya govindāya [SB 1.8.21]. He is happy, and whoever, whoever associates with Him, he’s also happy. Govindāya. We are after sense gratification. Go means senses. So if you associate with Kṛṣṇa, you enjoy your senses affluently. Just like the gopīs are dancing with Kṛṣṇa. So there is no scarcity of sense gratification also. But that is not this sense gra…, gross sense gratification. That is spiritual sense. That is spiritual sense. Ānanda-cinmaya-sad-ujjvala-vigrahasya [Bs. 5.32]. We chant every day. That sense, you get, sense gratification is ānanda-cinmaya, cinmaya, in the spiritual world. Not this third-class ānanda with these bodily senses. This is not ānanda. This is an illusion. This is illusion. We are thinking that “I’m enjoying,” but that is not ānanda. This ānanda is not fact, because we cannot enjoy this material sense pleasure for long. Everyone has got experience. It is finished. It is finished. But spiritual enjoyment does not finish. It increases. That is the difference. Ānanda-cinmaya-sad-ujjvala-vigrahasya govindam ādi-puruṣam [Bs. 5.32

Srila Prabhupada cites Krsna dasa Kaviraja Goswami in His Caitanya-Caritamrta description of the details of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s avirbhava (appearance)

.Srila Prabhupada says — Because, what is secret? “As it is,” that’s all. No change.

• The law of interpretation is like this: when the things are not distinct, then you can interpret in your own way, I can interpret in my own way. But when the things are distinct, there is no question of interpretation.
• Prabhupāda: That’s all. (break) Before this, before this movement I started ten years ago, so many svāmīs, philosophers came in the Western country. Not a single person became a devotee of Kṛṣṇa. That is our challenge. And now you’ll find thousands and thousands. Because, what is secret? “As it is,” that’s all. No change.
• Prabhupāda: Eh? You cannot. If you have own design, don’t touch Bhagavad-gītā. You make your own design and preach otherwise. Why you take advantage of the Bhagavad-gītā? This is criminal. If you have got a different philosophy, you preach. Everyone has got the right. But why you misinterpret Bhagavad-gītā? When you take advantage of the popularity of Bhagavad-gītā and you speak nonsense, that is not good. That has murdered the whole thing. And practically we see that. Bhagavad-gītā as it is, you try to understand, you get the benefit and your life is successful. Besides that, interpretation when it is required. When things are understood directly, there is no question of interpretation. The law of interpretation is like this: when the things are not distinct, then you can interpret in your own way, I can interpret in my own way. But when the things are distinct, there is no question of interpretation.

• Ali: What is the meaning of “as it is.”
  
  Prabhupāda: “As it is” means Kurukṣetra is Kurukṣetra, dharma-kṣetra is dharma-kṣetra. That is “as it is.”
  
  Ali: Kṛṣṇa is Kṛṣṇa.
  
  Prabhupāda: Kṛṣṇa is Kṛṣṇa, Pāṇḍava is Pāṇḍava. That is “as it is.”

——————————————————————————————————–Prabhupāda: Eh? No difficulty. If you chant Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, where is the difficulty? That is man-manā. Apply your mind to Kṛṣṇa. Where is the difficulty? The difficulty is that we’ll not do it. That is our determination. We shall do everything, but not this. That is the difficulty. Otherwise, there is no difficulty. Everyone will teach about Bhagavad-gītā. So many things they will speak, but nobody speaks that you surrender to Kṛṣṇa. Rather, they will say Kṛṣṇa is fictitious, there was no Kṛṣṇa, there was no . . . they mislead, that’s all. And he becomes a big scholar. The more he deviates you, misguides you, he becomes a big scholar. This is going on. Is it not? There are so many scholars, politicians, philosophers, they are talking of Bhagavad-gītā. Nobody is talking that Kṛṣṇa . . . surrender to Kṛṣṇa. Am I right or wrong? They’ll say: “We have got different meaning of Kṛṣṇa.” Now, this is the position. Why different meaning of Kṛṣṇa? All the sages, all the saintly persons, they have accepted Kṛṣṇa. Just like Arjuna, when he understood Bhagavad-gītā, he immediately accepted Kṛṣṇa: paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān (BG 10.12). This is understanding of Kṛṣṇa. Sarvam etad ṛtaṁ manye yan māṁ vadasi keśava (BG 10.14): “Keśava, whatever You have spoken, I take it altogether as it is.” Sarvam etad ṛtaṁ manye. All fact. And they are manufacturing some meaning. How they’ll understand Kṛṣṇa? This is going on. And our this movement has become little successful . . . people give me such credit, “Swāmījī, you have done wonderful.” But I do not know what wonderful. I do not know any magic. I simply say that you accept Kṛṣṇa or Bhagavad-gītā as it is. That’s all. That is my magic. And they are accepting it. We are presenting Bhagavad-gītā as it is. We do not make any interpretation that, “Kṛṣṇa means this, Kurukṣetra means this, Pāṇḍavas means this.” No. We are presenting Bhagavad-gītā as it is. You have seen our Bhagavad-gītā?

Mr. Sahani: Yes.

Prabhupāda: That’s all. (break) Before this, before this movement I started ten years ago, so many svāmīs, philosophers came in the Western country. Not a single person became a devotee of Kṛṣṇa. That is our challenge. And now you’ll find thousands and thousands. Because, what is secret? “As it is,” that’s all. No change.

Mr. Sahani: But as it is, it is in Sanskrit, and it is very difficult to understand in the…
Prabhupāda: Not at all. What is the difficulty? Suppose

dharma-kṣetre kuru-kṣetresamavetā yuyutsavaḥmāmakāḥ pāṇḍavāś caivakim akurvata sañjaya(BG 1.1)

So dharma-kṣetre kuru-kṣetre. Kurukṣetra is still there, and it is a dharma-kṣetra. From Vedic order, Kurukṣetra is dharma ācaret. Still, people go there by thousands and by millions as pilgrimage. So where is the difficulty dharma-kṣetre kuru-kṣetre (BG 1.1)? Unless you make difficulty. But as the literature is, dharma-kṣetre kuru-kṣetre (BG 1.1), where is the difficulty to understand it? Kurukṣetra is there and it is dharma-kṣetra. Where is the difficulty? Unless you make it difficult.

Ali: What is the meaning of “as it is.”

Prabhupāda: “As it is” means Kurukṣetra is Kurukṣetra, dharma-kṣetra is dharma-kṣetra. That is “as it is.”

Ali: Kṛṣṇa is Kṛṣṇa.

Prabhupāda: Kṛṣṇa is Kṛṣṇa, Pāṇḍava is Pāṇḍava. That is “as it is.”

Ali: Kṛṣṇa explains who is.

Prabhupāda: No, first of all you have to understand. So Kṛṣṇa is explained Himself, “I am this.” Mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat kiñcid asti dhanañjaya (BG 7.7). “There is no more superior authority than Me.” We accept it. Why you accept another authority to understand Kṛṣṇa? Kṛṣṇa says mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat (BG 7.7). So there is no difficulty as it is. But we create difficulty. If somebody asks me, “Where is your nose?” if I say, “Here is my nose.” And if I say, “No here,” (laughter) then it is difficulty. If I say directly, “Here is my nose,” then there will be no difficulty. But if I want to do like this, then it is difficulty. There is no difficulty. We have created difficulty. That is our folly. Therefore there is no result. That is the present position, that we have created difficulty in understanding Bhagavad-gītā and we Indians are now practically out of our own culture.

Mrs. Sahani: Those who don’t understand Kṛṣṇa, it’s difficult for them.

Prabhupāda: How he will understand? He creates difficulty to understand Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa says, “I am the supreme authority,” and the person who heard from Kṛṣṇa, he says paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramam (BG 10.12). He accepts Kṛṣṇa as the supreme authority, Arjuna. And why we deviate? The speaker says that He is the supreme authority, and the listener, Arjuna, accepts Him. Now why we interpret? What right you have got interpretation?

Mrs. Sahani: We interpret it according to our own design.
Prabhupāda: Eh? You cannot. If you have own design, don’t touch Bhagavad-gītā. You make your own design and preach otherwise. Why you take advantage of the Bhagavad-gītā? This is criminal. If you have got a different philosophy, you preach. Everyone has got the right. But why you misinterpret Bhagavad-gītā? When you take advantage of the popularity of Bhagavad-gītā and you speak nonsense, that is not good. That has murdered the whole thing. And practically we see that. Bhagavad-gītā as it is, you try to understand, you get the benefit and your life is successful. Besides that, interpretation when it is required. When things are understood directly, there is no question of interpretation. The law of interpretation is like this: when the things are not distinct, then you can interpret in your own way, I can interpret in my own way. But when the things are distinct, there is no question of interpretation.

Mrs. Sahani: If that’s so, then we don’t understand because we don’t want to understand.

Prabhupāda: Yes. That is the folly. You don’t want to understand.
[Evening Darsan — August 10, 1976, Tehran]

Srila Prabhupada Speaks Out – “Don’t be disappointed. Krishna will act through His movement and kill them, these demons.How it will be done, that you cannot know now, but it will be done.”

“So this will give impetus to Krishna consciousness movement. Yada yada hi dharmasya glanir bhavati [Bg. 4.7]. Don’t be disappointed. Krishna will act through His movement and kill them, these demons. How it will be done, that you cannot know now, but it will be done.”(Evening Darshan, February 15, 1977, Mayapur)”If we remain sincere, even we are feeble, new-born, nobody can kill us. That is a fact. Just like Krishna when He was three months old, attempt was made by Putana to kill Him, but the Putana was killed”. (Room Conversation, May 3 1976 Honolulu)

Editing Srila Prabhupada’s Books

By Narasimha das

Before Srila Prabhupada’s first revised editions of Srimad-Bhagavatam were complete, we used to study and have classes from Srila Prabhupada’s India editions of the first three cantos. The devotees loved these editions, even though it seemed they were “irregularly composed” and contained some obvious typos. We thought Srila Prabhupada’s English was exotic and beautifully poetic, but perhaps dated or influenced by British prose from the 1800s. We later learned that these editions were edited by an old man in India connected with Srila Prabhupada’s first book publisher in New Delhi. This man must have been a great soul to be blessed by Srila Prabhupada with this service. Srila Prabhupada had obviously wanted to engage him, by His causeless mercy. Yet, as we later learned, Srila Prabhuapda’s English was perfect, even from a contemporary American point of view. This became clearly obvious when devotees discovered His early writings in Back to Godhead Magazine, His poems, and His first editions of Sri Isopanisad and Easy Journey to Other Planets.  Thus, it would seem, there may have been another reason why Srila Prabhupada allowed an unqualified man in India to edit or proof His first editions of Srimad-Bhagavatam: to glorify the prediction of Srila Vyasadeva Himself.

Srila Prabhupada very humbly writes in His Preface to Srimad-Bhagavatam: “I must admit my frailties in presenting Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, but still I am hopeful of its good reception by the thinkers and leaders of society on the strength of the following statement of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.5.11:

tad-vāg-visargo janatāgha-viplavo
yasmin prati–ślokam abaddhavaty api
nāmāny anantasya yaśo ‘ṅkitāni yac
chṛṇvanti gāyanti gṛṇanti sādhavaḥ

‘On the other hand, that literature which is full with descriptions of the transcendental glories of the name, fame, form and pastimes of the unlimited Supreme Lord is a transcendental creation meant to bring about a revolution in the impious life of a misdirected civilization. Such transcendental literatures, even though irregularly composed, are heard, sung and accepted by purified men who are thoroughly honest.’ ” (Srimad-Bhagavatam, Preface, 12/15/1962)

Srila Prabhupada later engaged some of His educated disciples for the sake of making some of His books technically more presentable for the wider academic community (“the thinkers and leaders of society”), and under His direct supervision, they engaged in this service. Srila Prabhupada accepted their service and finalized those authorized editions.

On the other hand, when Lord Chaitanya was playing His pastimes of being a scholar, before He manifested His pastimes of pure devotional service, He used to try to debate devotees on topics of philosophy, grammar, and logic. These pure devotees, although competent to debate these topics, would run away because they did not like discussions not directly about Krishna. Then one day Nimai Pandit happened to meet Srila Isvara Puri in Navadvipa and offered him obeisance. Isvara Puri stayed in Navadvipa Dhama at the house of Gopinatha Acharya for a few months, and Nimai Pandit would go regularly to see him. Srila Isvara Puri then began to teach Nimai Pandit his book, Sri Krishna-lilamrita. After a while, Srila Isvara Puri requested Nimai Pandit to point out the mistakes in his book (Sri Krishna-lilamrita) and indicated his desire to correct the mistakes under Nimai’s guidance.

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saravasti Thakura comments as follows: “Hearing his words, The Lord condemned mundane scholarship and spoke the following invaluable nectarean words: ‘First of all, this book is composed by such a pure devotee as Puripada, and, moreover, it is full of topics about Krishna. Therefore, whoever finds faults in this book is certainly an offender. The poetry of a pure devotee, in whatever form it may be, is always pleasing to Krishna. There is no doubt about it. The Supreme Lord never sees any grammatical faults in the statements of His devotees. A person who finds faults in the statements of a devotee is himself full of faults. No one is so audacious as to find faults in the descriptions of the Supreme Lord by a pure devotee like Puripada.’” (Sri Chaitanya-Bhagavata, Summary of Chapter 11)

 In 1977, Srila Prabhupada noticed some changes in his Srimad-Bhagavatam that he did not authorize. He therefore instructed devotees to go back to printing the original ISKCON editions he had previously authorized. He also several times instructed that no additional editing or changes were needed in any of his books. Leaders of the present-day iskcon have repeatedly ignored his instructions in this regard and continue to promote and sell unauthorized versions of his books, some with numerous changes done without Srila Prabhupada’s approval.]

Sri Gaura Purnima 2019

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