Six Opulences of Lord Chaitanya (3): Knowledge

Transcript

This is an AI-generated transcript and may contain some errors.
So, even when exhibiting his learning, he never hurt anyone. He never humiliated anyone.
And everybody was stunned by his learning. When he would go around debating with people, he would just go around and challenge. All of you are Trivedi, Chaturvedi, Bhattacharyas.
Come and debate with me. And other students, older students would say, what do you know? Let us debate. But he would just, whatever arguments they would make, he would refute it completely.
And then, in this way, at the age of 14. Now, 14 is generally the age when a person is just coming into 9th or 10th standard. So, even in Vedic times, learning Sanskrit itself takes many many years.
Often it is said 12 years is the Sanskrit grammar. But at the age of 14, Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, that time he was known as Nimai. And when he became so learned, he got the title, the epithet Pandit.
So, he was known as Nimai Pandit. At the age of 14, he started his own Tola. Tola means teaching school.
And dozens and dozens and hundreds of students started coming to him just for learning. And he took the blessings of his teacher Gangadhar Pandit, who was very pleased to have a student like him, who had learned so fast and so quickly. And after that he started going around, learning in a very effective way, teaching in a very effective way.
And then at that time, there was this extraordinarily learned Pandit Keshav Kashmiri, who was travelling all around the country defeating different people. And he came to meet Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Actually, he came to Navadvip to challenge the scholars of Navadvip.
At that time, Navadvip was a high seat of learning. Not just in Bengal, but practically all over India it was recognised as a place where scholars would congregate and scholars would discuss and debate. So, for Chaitanya Mahaprabhu as Nimai Pandit, to become accomplished in such a scenario was extraordinary.
But he did that by his extraordinary learning. So, when Keshav Kashmiri, who had been benedicted by Saraswati Devi, came there to meet Chaitanya Mahaprabhu to Navadvip to challenge the scholars, all the scholars, they discussed among themselves and they said, this Keshav Kashmiri is so learned that he has been blessed by Saraswati Devi that nobody can debate with him, nobody can defeat him. So, if Saraswati Devi has blessed him, what is the use of debating with him? And all the scholars practically fled from Navadvip, just left home on some excuse and went to some relative’s place.
So, the idea is that if the rival comes to debate, and if you are not there only, so the debate doesn’t happen, then it’s as if you are not defeated. So, that way they wanted to protect their honour. And they decided that Nimai Pandit, who is just a 14-year-old lad, let him debate with Keshav Kashmiri.
And if he is defeated, still we can say, oh, you only defeated a young boy from Avanodhi, you did not defeat the big scholars. And if somehow he is able to defeat Keshav Kashmiri, then we will say that even a small boy, even a young lad from our village, our town can defeat the world champion scholar. So, how great are the scholars? This way they had their own plan to try to deal with Keshav Kashmiri.
But Nimai Pandit has his own plan. So, actually, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu decided, as Nimai Pandit, not to confront Keshav Kashmiri in a direct public debate. Because if he had done that, and if he had defeated him over there, it would have been such a great humiliation for him that he would not have been able to tolerate it.
Lord Krishna says in the Bhagavad Gita, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu says, that for those who are honoured, dishonour is worse than death. And so, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu very casually met him. Hare Krishna, are you able to hear me? Hare Krishna Can you hear me? Rishi Keshava, devotees, you can also hear me? Yes, okay, thank you.
So, we were talking about Keshav Kashmiri. So, now Chaitanya Mahaprabhu decided that he would not meet him in a public debate. And Keshav Kashmiri, although he was a very learned person, he also knew about Vedic culture and he came to the banks of Ganga to bathe over there.
And when he bathed over there, he saw Nimai Pandit sitting with his students on the banks of the Ganga. He was very attracted. He was young, effulgent looking personality with a golden complexion.
He asked his students, who is this person? So, you don’t know, he is Nimai Pandit, the greatly learned scholar. So, Nimai Pandit himself got up and he said, oh, please come. We are honoured to have you in our presence.
So, Keshav Kashmiri said, I have heard a lot about you. You are a very learned person. He said, no, no, I just teach grammar to beginners, but you are truly learned.
So, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu has a very excellent plan of how to deal with people’s egos. Generally, you know, a good doctor, he always gives anaesthesia before he does surgery. Because if you do the surgery without anaesthesia, it causes intolerable pain.
Pain to such extent that the patient may even run away from the hospital and not let the surgery be done. So, like that, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, either he deals with Keshav Kashmiri or with Saro Bhattacharya or with Prakashana Saraswati. These are three main intellectual confrontations that he had.
He always pacifies the other person. You know, gives that other person the required respect and honour. And when that person feels secure that, yes, I’m not being challenged, then in the most unexpected and endearing way, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu topples his pride.
So, what did Chaitanya Mahaprabhu do in this case? He said, oh, you are such a learned scholar. And we are very fortunate that we are able to have you. So, we are in the banks of the Ganga.
Can you please speak some verses glorifying Ganga? So, Keshav Kashmiri’s pride was peaked. Yes. And he started speaking 100 verses on the spot, composed.
And he started glorifying. So, everybody was dazzled. All the students over there, they, what kind of scholarship is this? So, Chaitanya, when he finished speaking, he was speaking for more than an hour.
100 verses just going on and on. It seemed like one Ganga was flowing in the riverbed, other Ganga was flowing from his mouth. So, Nivaya Pandit continued his strategy of flattering.
He said, oh, you are such a learned scholar. You can glorify Ganga in such a powerful way that nobody except you can understand what you are speaking. So, please, can you, as we are all grammar students, can you examine, can you tell us about your poetry from a critical point of view, from a review point of view? So, which verse? So, can you tell us, can you do a review of the 66th verse? He spoke the 66th verse.
So, Keshav Kashmiri’s term, it was not understood. He said, how did you remember the 66th verse? So, Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, very nonchalantly said, by the mercy of Lord Krishna, somebody can compose 100 verses on the moment. And by the mercy of that same Lord Krishna, somebody else can remember whatever he has heard immediately.
So, Keshav Kashmiri already said, he was a little impressed. Generally, people who are so intoxicated by their own ego, unless they see somebody who is accomplished in their own field in a compatible or equal way, they are not impressed. But when they see the other person is accomplished, then they start respecting him.
So, what had happened? First, now, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu had respected him. So, he didn’t feel insecure. And now, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Nimaya Pandit exhibited his own learning, that when he was a learned person, not ordinary person, his respect increased.
And then after that, he said, when he recited the 66th verse, he said, please tell me what are the good points and the faults in this verse. There were no faults in my verse. So, Nimaya Pandit, he said, actually, even the compositions of great great poets also has faults in it.
So, please don’t get angry. Please tell me what are the faults and the good points in it. How can you tell the faults? You have not studied Kavya.
Vyakaran is the first thing that is studied in Sanskrit. Later on, an advanced is to study Kavya. So, Nimaya Pandit said, yes, I have not studied it, but I have heard from authorities.
So, based on that, I can review the poetry. Then you review it and tell me. And then that’s a very technical section which comes in the 16th chapter of the Adi Leela, where Chaitanya Mahaprabhu actually describes how there are so many different faults in that poetry.
So, of course, this whole pastime can itself take the whole class. So, we will focus on. So, then he points out how, I just take one point.
He talks about how Bhavani Bhartu. You have used this word Bhavani Bhartu means Bhava is Lord Shiva, Ani is his wife, and Bhartu is the husband. So, the husband of the wife of Lord Shiva.
What do you mean by this? Are you saying that Parvati Ranji is? When he spoke this, he tried to give some replies. Keshav Kashmir, he didn’t reply anything. Eventually, all the students started laughing to see that Keshav Kashmir had been outwitted, outclassed.
But Nimaya Pandit is very brave. Don’t laugh, don’t laugh. You know, we can contrast this with when Duryodhana had fallen in the Maya Sabha of Yudhishthira.
When he slipped, all the queens started laughing. When the queens started laughing, Yudhishthira Maharaj told them, don’t laugh, don’t laugh. But Lord Krishna told Yudhishthira, don’t stop it.
So, why did Krishna do that? Because Krishna saw that Duryodhana was incorrigible. Duryodhana was somebody who could never be changed. Incorrigible means one who is sinful or bad, which cannot be changed.
So, the only way that he could be cured was by direct confrontation on the battlefield. So, Lord Krishna wanted to remove adharma and so he allowed Duryodhana to be provoked all the more. But Chaitanya Mahaprabhu has come not to kill demons, but to kill the demoniac mentality.
So, he wanted to transform Keshav Kashmir. So, he told them. And very respectfully he told Keshav Kashmir, although he had been defeated, that today has been a long day.
He has spoken those 100 verses also. You must be tired. You can go home, take rest, study your books and come tomorrow and we can discuss.
So, this is a very gentle way of telling him that you are defeated, you can go back. He didn’t say, I have defeated you. Come back to me.
So, very respectfully also. Actually, even when we are preaching, sometimes we have to defeat people in their false arguments. But if we, sometimes we defeat the person, but in defeating the person, we lose the person.
So, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu actually teaches us how we should always respect that person. And to some extent, separate the opinion of that person from that person and respect the person and repute his opinion. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu does that very expertly over here.
He clearly proves that what he has spoken is wrong, but he continues respecting. And still, of course, Kishore Kashiwari is devastated. But he is not so humiliated as he would have been if he had been defeated in a public debate.
And then he goes back and prays to Saraswati and Saraswati tells him, Yes, I have given you my vow, but I cannot exhibit my learning in front of the master of my master. My master is Lord Brahma and his master is Krishna. And Chaitanya Mahaprabhu told Krishna to go back and surrender to him.
And then he goes back and surrenders and he becomes a great writer, Mahadeva. So, generally when a person is learned, he loves to show his learning to others and to prove others how the others are very insignificant. And they should just stand by and admire him.
But Chaitanya Mahaprabhu doesn’t do that. As Maya Pandita also, before he manifested his devotion, he is showing that actually learning should be used only for the service of others, for benefiting others. So, here he benefited Krishna Kashmiri by freeing him from pride and enabling him to become a devotee.
Similarly, when Chaitanya Mahaprabhu went to, after he took sanyas, he went to South India. So, South India, first he went to Jagannath Puri. In Jagannath Puri, when he met Sarvambhattacharya, what did Chaitanya Mahaprabhu do? Again, he was very humble.
He said, Sarvambhattacharya, you are like my son. And I am like your, you are like my father, I am like your son. You please protect me and instruct me how I should preserve my sanyas.
And then he said that sanyas should give Vedanta Sutra. And he agreed. He sat down and heard.
And for seven days he continued hearing. Seven days he continued hearing. And sometimes when we go to do some follow-up for boys, they have some problem.
And sometimes what happens is, even before we hear their problem, we offer the solution. And when that happens, they just don’t take it. Suppose we go to a doctor, and go to an eye specialist.
And even before we tell what is the problem they are having in the eye, he says, okay, this is the prescription. You have to wear this glass, this lens, this lens, this magnitude cylindrical, this magnitude oblong. He says, no, you did not diagnose me.
How can you prescribe? So, a doctor who gives a prescription without a diagnosis will not attract much faith in the audience. Generally, people need to be heard. So, when they feel that their side is understood, then they become open to understanding the other side.
So, that’s why Chitrannapur sat and heard Prakashan Saradamba Pachadi for seven days. And he did stay there. Finally, after seven days, now, finally, he asked, So, are you understanding? You are not asking any questions? Now, the reply that Chaitanya Mahaprabhu gave was shocking for Sarovaracharya.
He said Vyasa’s Vedanta Sutra is as clear as the sun. But your explanations are like the dark cloud that covers the sun. Now, this explanation is very very jolting.
Because what does it mean? Sarovaracharya is trying to instruct, teach Vedanta Sutra to Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is saying that the Vedanta Sutras are as clear as the sun. That means I already know Vedanta Sutra.
And then he is saying your explanation is like the dark cloud covering. That means not only do I know the subject, I also know that what you are teaching is wrong. So, it’s quite afferent to the teacher.
And normally Sarovaracharya would have reacted in a very aggressive way. But because Chaitanya Mahaprabhu has heard him for several days. If you feel my explanations are wrong, I am giving the explanation as only Shankaracharya’s explanation.
So, what is your explanation? Then Chaitanya Mahaprabhu started asking. First, Sarovaracharya, although he was to some extent a Mayavadi, he was an open-minded person. So, when people follow a particular path, sometimes they use their intelligence to understand whether the path is right.
Other times they use their intelligence to prove that their path is right. Somehow or the other, they don’t want to open-mindedly investigate. Sarovaracharya was open-minded.
And when Chaitanya Mahaprabhu gave the explanation, actually for the first time he understood. It was such a simple and systematic explanation. Because Shankaracharya, in order to give a Mayavadi interpretation, has to give a secondary meaning to many of the verses.
He has to even say some verses are inappropriately written. And it’s quite questionable some of the things which he has done. So, that’s why when Chaitanya Mahaprabhu gave the explanation, he was very strong.
He was one of the prominent scholars who translated both Shankaracharya’s Vedanta-sutra commentary and Ramacharya’s Vedanta-sutra commentary. He said after writing commentary, he was a western scholar. So, he said that as far as the Vedanta-sutra itself is concerned, Ramacharya’s commentary is more faithful to the text.
So, at that time, many Indians wrote back to him and said, how can you say Shankaracharya is wrong? So, he said, I am not commenting about Shankaracharya’s philosophy. I am commenting about Vedanta-sutra. Shankaracharya’s philosophy may be right or wrong, but we are going to see whether his philosophy is faithful to Vedanta-sutra.
And I stick to my point, it is not faithful to Vedanta-sutra. So, actually, even when Madhacharya, Ramacharya, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu would debate, the main argument people would give is, how can Shankaracharya be wrong? Shankaracharya is such a great person. So, generally speaking, people get faith in the philosophy not just by how the person argues, but by how the person lives, what is his personality, what is his charisma.
Shankaracharya himself is Lord Shiva and he wanted to drive away Buddhism. So, he lived a very exemplary life. Shankaracharya’s Advaitavad had a hold on Indian intellectual society at that time, much stronger hold that science has on modern society.
So, that’s why Chaitanya Mahaprabhu told Sarvambhattacharya that Shankaracharya is not wrong because he was instructed by Lord Vishnu to spread this Mayavad. And then Chaitanya Mahaprabhu quoted from the Padma Purana verses about how Lord Vishnu told Lord Shiva, go in Kaliyuga and spread this Mayavad. So, now Sarvambhattacharya had two roadblocks were removed for him.
One was, he could see the logicality of Vedanta Sutra as explained by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Secondly, he could also understand that Shankaracharya was not wrong, but he was told to teach this. So, now, then Chaitanya Mahaprabhu explains this in his book about Atmarambas.
He said, can you please explain the Atmarambas, Sarvambhattacharya said. So, from the Mayavad point of view, Sarvambhattacharya explained nine different meanings. And Chaitanya Mahaprabhu appreciated.
He did not react and say, your meaning is all nonsense. He said, your meanings are good, but there are additional meanings to this. And then, he gave many many more meanings.
Some people say 27, some people say 35. He gave so many meanings. At that time, Sarvambhattacharya saw such a learning he used and fell at the feet of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.
He said, such learning cannot be there in anybody except the Supreme Personality of God. And then he was transformed. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu gave him such a darshan and then his heart was transformed.
Here also Chaitanya Mahaprabhu used his learning to transform somebody who was very learned. He did it in a very sensitive, mature and respectful way. Similarly, Prakashan Saraswati.
He was in his Naukriya tower when he went to Varanasi. So, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, starting he took a very humble position, very respectful to all that. So, when they met in the Maharashtrian Brahmin’s house, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu sat down at the washing place and told that, Prakashan Saraswati said, why are you sitting there? Why are you lamenting like this? Chaitanya Mahaprabhu said, actually you are all very exalted.
I am a very ordinary person. That’s why I am sitting here. So, this humility is actually very nice.
And then Chaitanya Mahaprabhu also exhibited the Brahmanic qualities. It’s a very long conversation which comes in both the 7th chapter of the Aadhinga, as well as the 26th chapter of the Aadhiniga. All of them have been there.
So, eventually Chaitanya Mahaprabhu explains how, you know, Tattvamasi is not the Mahavakya. Omkara is the Mahavakya of the Upanishads. And he systematically defeats the misunderstanding of Prakashan Saraswati.
After Chaitanya Mahaprabhu actually counters Prakashan Saraswati’s arguments. So, at the end of it, Prakashan Saraswati understands what is actually Prakash, what is actual Ananda and what is actual Saraswati. And he becomes completely transparent.
And he and all his followers become Vaishnavas. So, actually Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, very interestingly that he was so learned, but he did not exhibit his learning normally. Normally he was inspired to chant and dance and take shelter of the home.
But whenever it was required, he exhibited his skills. So, one of the mysterious aspects of Krishna Leela is that God does not always act as God. When Krishna is being bound by Mother Yashoda or when Krishna is stealing butter, if he acts omniscient, he says, I know where is the butter, I know it is in this pot.
And this pot is here. So, there is no fun in that. So, Krishna also hides his omniscience and pretends as if he does not know.
Similarly, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, although omniscient, does not always exhibit omniscience. He allows Yogamaya to cover his omniscience so that there can be reciprocation of love between him and his devotees. It is a performance of Leela kind of thing.
So, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, he first exhibited how he attained the summit of learning. Now, I think at that time also, it was like the headquarters of education and learning in India. That is why K. K. Kashmiri came there to challenge the context.
After going all over India. But in that Navadvip, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu attained the topmost recognition of being the most learned person. But then Chaitanya Mahaprabhu announced that to the community.
So, actually Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, through his own life, teaches that learning itself cannot lead us to the ultimate goal of life. But he also wanted to counter the existing misconception that was there. That actually there is this conception that Gyan is for intellectual people and Bhakti is for sentimental people.
We are intellectual people, we will follow Gyan. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu wanted to counter this misconception. So, what did he do? He attained the summit of Gyan.
He became the topmost scholar of his times. And after becoming the scholar, he decided to renounce scholarship. Renounce scholarship for devotion.
Through his own life, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu demonstrated that actually it is not that Bhakti is for sentimental people. Bhakti is also for intellectual people. But Bhakti is so great that even those who are not intelligent can practise it.
That doesn’t mean that Bhakti is for less intellectual people. Most intelligent people also practise Bhakti. And most intelligent people also cannot attain the perfection of life unless they have practised the recognition programme.
So, that’s why Mr. Kishore Kashmiri said that Bhagyavanta Pandita Saphala Jivana Vidyara Balle Kaila Chaitanya Charana He described that Pandita was Bhagyavan. Why was he Bhagyavan? Vidyara Balle. By the power of his Vidya, he did not just become a world-famous scholar in this world, but he attained the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord.
He surrendered to the Supreme Lord. So, Chitra Mahaprabhu did that to Kishore Kashmiri. And he demonstrated that in his own life also.
That he attained the pinnacle of learning. And then he renounced learning to accept devotion. Lord Krishna also says in Bhagavad Gita In the 6th chapter, 19th verse, he says that after many lifetimes of cultivating knowledge, one becomes Jnanavan.
In two verses before this, three verses before this, 16th, 17th, 18th, Krishna uses the word Jnani over it. It is how the Jnani is very good. The Jnani is very dear to me.
But Jnani is one who is seeker of knowledge. And Jnanavan is one who is the possessor of knowledge. So, there is a difference between the two.
Jnani is a person who is seeking knowledge. Like Bhagavan is a person who possesses opulences. So, like that, when a person is seeker of knowledge, he starts practising devotional service.
But when he becomes a possessor of knowledge, he completely surrenders to me. So, Sri Prabhupada writes in the Introduction to the Teachings of Lord Caitanya, Introduction to the Second Chapter of the Tamil also, that there is no difference between the teachings of Lord Krishna and the teachings of Lord Caitanya. This is demonstrated by Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.
Krishna says that, a seeker of knowledge comes to me, a possessor of knowledge surrenders to me. Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu also demonstrated the same thing through his life. He attained the summit of learning, and then he renounced learning.
Renouncing learning doesn’t mean that he becomes foolish or ignorant, but that he understands that there is something beyond learning. There is devotion beyond that. So, Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, when he was in a normal relationship with his devotees, he would not normally exhibit omniscience.
Sometimes, in a very mysterious way, he would do that. So, when when Janaka Goswami, Sanatana Goswami, Sanatana Goswami, decided to renounce their great opulence and worldly power, Janaka Goswami left first, and Sanatana Goswami was arrested by Nawab Hussain Shah and put in jail. So, when Chaitanya Mahaprabhu finally came to remember Swarup Goswami for a year, at that time, he asked, So, where is Sanatana Goswami? He said, Oh, actually he has been arrested by Nawab Hussain Shah, and if you have mercy on him, then he will be released.
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu smiled and said, He has already been released. He has already been, and it was actually true. Sanatana Goswami, by his intelligence, he had actually planned to get himself released from the prison.
So, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, as nonsense he asked, Where is Sanatana Goswami? But, he tells also, because Swarup Goswami is in anxiety, or Sanatana Goswami is still in prison, so he is in anxiety, he has already been released. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu exhibits his omniscience in small, small, sensitive ways like this. Similarly, when Sanatana Goswami comes to Varanasi, and he is outside the house of Sanmishra, and externally he is just like a Muslim fakir.
So, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu tells Sanatana Goswami, there is a Vaishnava outside, go and get him. So, he says, there is no Vaishnava, this is a bearded person, he looks like a Muslim. He says, there is no Vaishnava outside.
Is there somebody? Is there somebody at all outside? He says, yes, yes. There is a Muslim fakir outside. So, get him, he says.
So, he gets him, and then what happens? Chaitanya Mahaprabhu embraces him. How did Chaitanya Mahaprabhu feel that Sanatana Goswami is outside? He knew because his omniscience is revealed. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu exhibits his omniscience in far more miraculous ways also, in far more important ways.
Sanatana Goswami later on, he comes to, he comes to Jagannath Puri from Vrindavan. At that time, during his journey, he drinks some infected water. His whole body gets covered with sores.
When his body gets covered with sores, he feels very distressed. And his sores are also giving out a smell, and dirty food is coming out. When he meets Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu personally comes and embraces him.
Sanatana Goswami has made a plan that, I will throw myself under the Jagannath cart and commit suicide. But what is the use of my life? That in my life I am getting so diseased, so sickly, and so smelly, and I am actually contaminating the floor and golden body of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu by my touch. By his touching me.
My life is worthless. So he decides to come to Jagannath. What happens? Chaitanya Mahaprabhu comes to him.
How is it that you are trying to destroy somebody else’s body? Sometimes, when we have to chastise a person, we directly chastise the person, that person will feel hurt. But when we talk about that person to another person, that other person understands, the first person understands. Sanatana Goswami is playing with Dhritarashtra.
Then Mahaprabhu tells Dhritarashtra, just look at this person. He says, how is it that he is destroying the property of somebody else? Then Sanatana Goswami says, your body is my property. How can you destroy? You have surrendered to me.
I have accepted you. How can you destroy that is my property? Sanatana Goswami says, my dear lord, my body is useless. How can I deal with it? Dhritarashtra says, oh, I have so many plans to fulfil with your body.
That’s why I have sent you to Vrindavan. I wanted to go to Vrindavan. I couldn’t do it.
That’s why I have sent you. So Dhritarashtra already knew that Sanatana Goswami was trying to commit suicide. And he was not at all pleased with that idea.
Mahaprabhu told him, don’t commit suicide. He said, if by committing suicide one could attain Lord Krishna, then I would have committed suicide hundreds of times. One attains Lord Krishna not by committing suicide but by surrendering one’s life to Krishna.
Krishna decides that the life of sacrifice is far more glorious than the sacrifice of life. I’ll repeat, the life of sacrifice is far more glorious than the sacrifice of life. That means that suppose some terrorists come to the temple and try to attack the temple and somebody just jumps in and stops the terrorist and gives up his life at that time.
That’s glorious. That is the sacrifice of life. That is glorious but actually even more glorious and more challenging is the life of sacrifice.
Because every day we decide our selfish desires, we ask our ego to sacrifice our ego, our selfish desires and surrender to Krishna. Day after day doing what he wants us to do in this life. And that is far more glorious.
So the word sacrifice actually comes from the Greek sacra. Sacra is a word sacred. Sacrifice means to make sacred your offering to God.
That’s why Krishna and Prabhupada use the word Yajur. Sacrifice has the concept of Yajur. Yajur means to be sanctified.
So actually all of us we may not have the opportunity to sacrifice our life for Krishna. Even if we get the opportunity we may not have the courage to do that. But that is not necessary.
What all of us can try to do is to live a life of sacrifice according to whatever capacity we have. Keeping aside our own selfish interest and trying to see what will please Krishna, what will please Krishna’s wish. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu told Saravana Goswami you may feel your body is useless but for me your body is very useful.
And therefore instead of sacrificing your life, instead of the sacrifice of life, you live a life of sacrifice. And Chaitanya Mahaprabhu told Saravana Goswami freed him from all his sins. So in this way he could not protect his life from Saravana Goswami by his omniscience.
Similarly, they describe that Chaitanya Mahaprabhu also exhibited omniscience in protesting Murari Gupta. Murari Gupta was a devotee of Lord Ram. And Chaitanya Mahaprabhu told him Krishna exhibits far more vassals than Lord Ram.
Therefore if you worship Krishna, Krishna will always give you this idea of God. Murari Gupta could not abuse Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s instruction. At the same time he could not take his heart of mind of heart and mind of Lord Ram Chaitanya.
So he decided I cannot disobey Lord Chaitanya. At the same time I cannot be unfaithful to my Lord Ram Chaitanya. So he decided the only solution is to commit suicide.
He kept Chaitanya, he purchased a knife and kept the knife at a secret place in his house. That night I will kill myself Chaitanya Mahaprabhu came out and straight away asked Where is the knife? What are you talking about? Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was surprised. I only made the knife.
It is I only who arranged the knife through the knife seller to give you that knife. Therefore I am asking you where is the knife? Somebody else informed me. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu directly went to that place where the knife had been consumed and took the knife.
Actually by giving up our life we can entertain Lord Ram Chaitanya. Similarly Chaitanya Mahaprabhu went to South India to Kodbhag Kshetra where he met Guru Ram Chaitanya. After blessing Kodbhag Ram Chaitanya Chaitanya Mahaprabhu went there.
At that point there was a nephew Vasudev who came there. Vasudev wanted to meet Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and have his darshan. So he came there.
When he came there what happened? Chaitanya Mahaprabhu met Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and asked him to have darshan. What did Chaitanya Mahaprabhu do? He immediately came back. Although he had gone far ahead from Kodbhag Kshetra he came back.
He embraced Vasudev and he transformed. Although he was very in the body of the tree. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu came and said Indra Prasundar Vasudev Kranakarta He made his body like Indra Prasundar.
He made his body like shining like Kshetra Karya. Kshetra Kushtam Rupa Kushtam Bhakti Kushtam Chakarya What did Kshetra Kushtam do? His Kshetra Rupa was Rupa Kushtam. He had a beautiful form.
Healthy form. Bhakti Kushtam Chakarya Chaitanya Mahaprabhu exhibited omniscience over there also. There are many many more past times we can discuss about Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s omniscience.
But one thing we need to understand that we need to understand about Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s omniscience and it means he knows everything about us. So now when Chaitanya Mahaprabhu knows everything about us that has both a sobering and a reassuring effect on us. Sobering just like in a concept like he is trying to rob some place and we don’t know what happens? He becomes frightened.
He becomes alarmed. On the other hand somebody is a law abiding citizen and he is going on a dark road at night. Suddenly he sees a policeman.
In the scene a policeman has a reassuring effect. Similarly whenever we have a law breaking tendency, when we tend to become like thieves, then at that time the remembrance of the Lord of Omniscience has a sobering effect on us. And on the other hand when we are trying to do something and we know the difficulties so if he knows how to solve this problem then it’s like thieves are there about to attack us.
And we say, oh there is a policeman over there. So for us as devotees we should learn from Krishna Goswami’s teaching that the knowledge that Krishna is omniscient is actually very reassuring and very protecting. So devotees should always be very confident that there is no need for us to worry about we should not do whatever is required for us to protect our bhakti.
But we know that for practising our bhakti there is a danger which we have to take. Surely we can take that and we can have faith that Lord Krishna will surely protect us. So with this faith and with this confidence coming out of the attack that Krishna is all-knowing.
We can confidently practise bhakti. And we know that Lord Krishna is all-knowing. He knows our anarkas.
He knows our weaknesses. And He will compensate for our weaknesses. There is a very beautiful verse which concludes the Ishopanishad.
Abhne Naya Sukta Raya Saan. Kishma Nidhe Veyo Naam Dholna Nidhimaan. Yogya Smrit Jigraana Meno.
Nishtha Nidhena Ma Upte Nidhena. It describes my dear Lord, you are omniscient and you know whatever difficulties are there in my practise of bhakti. Whatever artha that I may have.
So please lead me on the right path. Please protect me from this artha. And please help me to come back to you.
I offer my obeisances to you. So in this way, we can become the knowledge that Krishna knows everything can make us very humbled. At the same time very confident.
Humbled that Krishna knows what is wrong with us. And confident that Krishna knows also how to cure us. Krishna’s omniscience is Krishna’s omniscience.
He is not trying to make us feel like a criminal. He is trying to make us like a confident patient. You know when the patient is confident doctor, doctor really knows the subject properly.
The doctor really knows the patient’s sickness properly. The doctor really knows the cure properly. All the patient has to do is just to cure.
Similarly, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is the master of this. Krishna’s father used to call him as Vaidya, Mahavaidya. Chaitanya Mahavaidya he calls him.
So he is always actively in due to confidence that whatever difficulties we have, the lord knows the way to solve them. What do we have to do? We just have to cooperate. Cooperate in practising omniscience enthusiastically, sincerely and we will be transformed.
We will be uplifted. And we will be ultimately purified and we will be taken back home. So I’ll summarise.
I talked about the opulence of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. We all know in three ways how he exhibited the opulence before he manifested his devotion by defeating Keshavashmi and he showed how after attaining the pinnacle of learning or renounces learning so that we can surrender to him. Then as a doctor, he very respectfully defeated all counter arguments by which he could establish the privacy of bhakti.
We discussed this with Sarvabhattacharya and Prakashantham. And then we discussed last year how Chaitanya Mahaprabhu exhibits his omniscience in a very sweet endearing way to facilitate the pastime of his devotees. To receive their love, to express his love for them, to protect them and to inspire them.
And lastly, concluded, when we understand that Krishna is all-knowing, Bhagavan Mahaprabhu is all-knowing, that is we are in safe hands. Krishna or Chaitanya are our doctor and they know what is the disease, they know what is the cure, we just have to take care of them. Obviously, we have enthusiastic practise to use this service and attain the ultimate goal.
Thank you very much. Are there any questions? So very good question. While studying, we acquire so much knowledge.
How can we use that to serve Krishna and how can we use an instrument to develop humility? First point is that principle of yukta-vairagya. We all have to have some source of livelihood and if that livelihood can be acquired through a particular source of common education knowledge, why not? It can enable us to earn a livelihood similarly if we are in engineering or some field like that. In today’s society it has respectability.
In traditional society, we think all have respectability. But whatever way we can gain respect in the eyes of others, we can use that for serving Krishna. You know, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu although he thought that he should be humble, at the same time he also realised that the preacher needs to have respect so that people can take his message seriously.
So, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu went to such an extent that he put sannyas in a Mayavad Sampradaya. He put sannyas in a Mayavad Sampradaya because Mayavad was respected like that. So you can see how important it is for a preacher to gain respectability in society.
Similarly, if as students, if we study properly, systematically and get good marks and do our marks from the regarding position, we can gain respectability in society and it can help us enormously in getting respect for the message that we want to give. That’s why Yukta Bhairava has told his students try to do your studies nicely, acquire the knowledge and use that knowledge in a respect that will come from acquiring that knowledge to gain respectability for Krishna’s message. And how do we develop humility? Humility will come not by literal studies.
Humility will come by our practise of devotional service. When we practise devotional service, we stand close to the thought of women. How small and fallible we are.
How small as compared to the largeness of the universe. How fallible is how much temporary our life is. We may claim that we are very learned but nowadays brain haemorrhage is becoming so common.
One nerve and one blood vessel in the brain bursts. A person dies. Even if he survives he loses all the information in his memory.
I know people who are very very intelligent and learned and one brain haemorrhage and they can’t even remember their own name. They can’t recognise their friend and relatives. So our memory is so fallible.
And our intellectual relationships and intellectual resources are so temporal and so losable. Therefore, knowing that what we have does not belong to us. It is given to us by Lord Krishna and it can be taken away by Him immediately.
When we meditate on this then we can stay good. Prabhupada said don’t be proud of borrowed films. What you have is a devotional service but don’t be proud of it.
Any other questions? Thank you very much for your time and attention. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu ki Mahakrishna Prabhupada ki Rai.