Purnaprajna Das - SRI CAITANYA-BHAGAVATA: Concisely told by Purnaprajna Das

SRI CAITANYA-BHAGAVATA

Concisely told by Purnaprajna Das

I worship Their Lordships Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Sri Nityananda Prabhu, whose long arms extend to Their knees, whose beautiful complexions are the luminous yellow of molten gold, and whose elongated eyes are like red lotuses. They are the topmost brahmanas , the guardians of religious principles for this age, the most munificent benefactors of all living entities, and the most compassionate incarnations of Godhead. They inaugurated the congregational chanting of the holy names of Lord Krsna
All glories, all glories to moonlike Sri Krsna Caitanya. He is the fully independent Supreme Person, He is the Lord of the universe, He is the supreme controller of all controllers, and He is always engaged in transcendental pastimes.
All glories, all glories to the devotees of Sri Gauracandra. All glories, all glories to the ecstatic dancing of the Lords intimate associates.
In the beginning I offer my humble obeisances to the feet of the loving, confidential devotees of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. I then offer my obeisances to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Krsna Caitanya. He incarnated in Navadvipa, and He is known as Visvambhara.
Lord Krsna has said: O Uddhava, serving My devotees is many times better than worshiping Me. (SB 11.19.21)
Therefore, I offer my submissive prayers unto the devotees of the Lord before I begin to write this book. By this act, may my humble endeavor become successful.
I offer my respectful obeisances to my worshipable Lord and spiritual master, Sri Nityananda Raya, by whose mercy the transcendental pastimes of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu become spontaneously manifest. With a thousand tongues we should incessantly glorify the Supreme Lord, Balarama, because His thousand mouths as Ananta Sesa constantly glorify Lord Krsna.

Just as priceless gems are kept in secure custody, so the invaluable jewel of knowledge about Krsnas pastimes is kept safely in the mouth of Anantadeva. Therefore, the tongue that initially glorifies Nityananda Balarama will automatically be qualified to vibrate the transcendental pastimes of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
Lord Balarama, as Nityananda, is fully transcendental and eternally existent, and He is continuously intoxicated by the nectar of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhus pastimes. Whoever sings or hears about Nityanandas sublime character is offered the supreme shelter of Lord Caitanya. The transcendental qualities of Lord Balarama are obscure in the four Vedas , but the Puranas describe them boldly. If a person, after reading Srimad-Bhagavatam , is not affectionately inclined towards Lord Balarama, he is rejected by the Supreme Lord Visnu and His devotees. Offenses at Lord Balaramas lotus feet destroy all possibilities for salvation.
In His incarnation as Laksmana, the younger brother of Lord Ramacandra, Balarama enacted the role of the Lords servitor, but as the Supreme Lord, He serves Himself in every respect. Lord Nityananda Balaramas direct, partial expansion, Ananta Sesa, manifests Himself as Lord Krsnas residence, bed, throne, shoes, clothes, jewelry, etc. Similarly, Lord Nityananda serves Lord Caitanya in the following ten waysfriend, brother, fan, bed, carrier, residence, umbrella, garments, ornaments, and sitting place.
In the court of Brahma, Narada Muni plays his vina and sings about the transcendental qualities and pastimes of the Supreme Lord. Indeed, Brahma and others become stunned with ecstasy while hearing Narada Munis krsna-katha , and for this reason he is worshiped by all.
I have also been moved to write a few phrases in praise of the unlimited potencies of Lord Nityananda Anantadeva, and so I humbly request all of you to develop a loving devotional mood toward Him. Those who desire to cross over the dangerous ocean of material existence and drown in the ocean of devotional ecstasy should take shelter of Lord Nityananda.
I pray that the merciful devotees of the Lord may fulfill my hearts yearning, so that I can serve my Lord Balarama, birth after birth. Just as dvija , vipra and brahmana are different names for the same person, so Nityananda, Ananta and Balarama are different names of the same Supreme Personality of Godhead.
My Lord Nityananda Prabhu appeared within my heart and instructed me to narrate the transcendental qualities of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu by writing this book. The pastimes of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu are only revealed by Lord Nityanandas mercy, because His personal expansion, Ananta Sesa, is the storehouse of information about Lord Caitanya and Lord Krsnas pastimes.
Hearing of Lord Caitanyas qualities and pastimes can cleanse one of all material contamination. Know for certain that the Lords pastimes are revealed only through a pure devotees grace. Who can know the nature and pastimes of Lord Caitanya? These topics are so confidential that they are not even openly discussed in the Vedas . Therefore, I have compiled only first-hand accounts, taken directly from the lips of the Lords associates.
I see no beginning or end to Lord Caitanyas pastimes. They are eternal and unlimited, and only the Lords grace gives me the potency to describe them. I am simply Lord Caitanyas spokesman, repeating whatever He desires. I am just like a doll that is being moved by an unseen hand. I throw myself at the feet of all the pure Vaisnavas, so that they may cleanse me of all offenses.
O my brothers! Please listen very attentively to the transcendental pastimes Lord Caitanya performed with His devotee associates!
In Bhagavad-gita , Lord Krsna says: Whenever and wherever there is a decline in religious practice, O descendent of Bharata, and a predominant rise in irreligion, at that time, I descend. To deliver the pious and annihilate the miscreants, as well as to re-establish the principles of religion, I advent Myself millennium after millennium.
It is confirmed in Srimad-Bhagavatam that the Supreme Absolute Truth, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, incarnated solely for the purpose of propagating the congregational chanting of Lord Krsnas holy name.
King Nimi, devotees always offer prayers to the Supreme Lord, Hari, but now I will explain how the devotees in Kali-yuga offer the choicest prayers, accompanied by various rituals and regulations, for the satisfaction of the Supreme Lord. In this age of Kali, people who are endowed with sufficient intelligence will worship the Lord, Who is accompanied by His associates, by the performance of sankirtana-yajna .
According to the Lords desire, His eternal associates appeared before Him. Most of them, including Ananta Sesa, Lord Siva and Brahma, were born in Navadvipa, yet some were born in other places in Bengal and Orissa. Although born in various places, all of these associates met at Navadvipa.
Srivasa Pandita, Sri Rama Pandita, Candrasekhara and Murari Gupta appeared at Srihatta. Pundarika Vidyanidhi, Caitanya Vallabha, and Vasudeva Datta appeared at Cattagrama. Haridas Thakura appeared at Budhana.
Lord Nityananda appeared at the village of Ekacakra in the Radha-desa district of Bengal. Although He is factually the supreme father of all living entities, Lord Nityananda appeared as the son of Hadai Pandita, a brahmana and pure devotee, just to manifest His mercy.
Sri Paramananda Puri, who was Lord Caitanyas close associate at Nilacala, appeared at Trihut, in Mithila, located in present-day Bihar. In this way, the Supreme Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu arranged that His associates appear in many different places, and yet they met, as if by chance, in Navadvipa.
Knowing that Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu would appear there, Providence made Navadvipa a very prosperous and flourishing townjust so that it would be worthy to receive the Lord. Who could possibly describe Navadvipas opulence? By the grace of mother Sarasvati, the residents of Navadvipa, regardless of their ages, were learned propounders of sastra . At the same time, the people were very proud of their knowledge, and indeed, even young boys would argue logic with senior scholars.