CC Madhya 8.1 – Sri Ramananda Raya’s Disappearance Day—Part 01

Giriraj Swami: Today is an auspicious day in Krishna consciousness. Of course, every day is auspicious in Krishna consciousness. When we first arrived in India, in Bombay, Srila Prabhupada was invited to a program on the lawn of an aristocratic gentleman’s house. Most of us went ahead, and Srila Prabhupada followed with a few disciples. When we arrived, our hosts told us, “It is very auspicious that you have come today, because today is a holy day.” We had never heard of the holy day and were somewhat doubtful, so when Srila Prabhupada arrived I asked him, “Is it true that today is a holy day?” And Srila Prabhupada replied, “For us, every day is a holy day; we are Krishna’s servants.”

But today is a special holy day, because it is the disappearance day of one of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s most confidential associates, Sri Ramananda Raya. Lord Chaitanya is Krishna Himself in the mood of Srimati Radharani, with Her bodily luster. Thus Lord Chaitanya is the combined form of Radha and Krishna (śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya, rādhā-kṛṣṇa nahe anya). And in kṛṣṇa-līlā Ramananda Raya is the gopī Visakha, one of the most confidential associates of both Srimati Radharani and Krishna. Spiritually, Visakha enjoyed a very intimate relationship with both Sri Krishna and Sri Radha.

In His later years, after He toured South India, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu retired to Jagannatha Puri, and He experienced intense separation from Krishna, just like Srimati Radharani did after Krishna left Vrindavan. In that ecstatic mood of separation, He would confide in two very close associates—Sri Svarupa Damodara Gosvami, who in kṛṣṇa-līlā is the gopī Lalita, and Sri Ramananda Raya.

Today we shall read about the first meeting between Lord Chaitanya and Ramananda Raya. Lord Chaitanya was just beginning His tour of South India. When He arrived in Jagannatha Puri from Navadvipa after taking sannyasa, He went straight to the Jagannatha temple, and as soon as He saw Lord Jagannatha He fainted in ecstasy. He had been in the mood of searching for Krishna, and when He saw Jagannatha He felt that He had found His Lord, for whom He was searching, and fell into a deep ecstatic trance. Eventually, Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya, the chief appointed pandit in the court of the king, Maharaja Prataparudra, removed Sri Chaitanya to his home, and there they had some discussions. When Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was about to depart on His tour of South India, Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya suggested that He meet and speak with Ramananda Raya, a most learned scholar and expert in the transcendental mellows of devotional service (bhakti-rasā).

Eventually Lord Chaitanya and Ramananda Raya met on the banks of the Godavari. Their meeting is vividly described in Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta. After their initial meeting, they decided to meet again in the evening to discuss confidential topics of Krishna. Their discussions, called rāmānanda-saṃvāda, contain all the truths of Gaudiya Vaishnava philosophy (siddhānta) and, with Lord Chaitanya’s instructions to Rupa Gosvami (rūpa-śikṣā) and His instructions to Sanatana Gosvami (sanātana-śikṣā), are most important for understanding Vaishnava siddhānta, both rasa and tattva.

We shall read from Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā, Chapter Eight: “Talks Between the Lord and Rāmānanda Rāya.”

TEXT 1

sañcārya rāmābhidha-bhakta-meghe

sva-bhakti-siddhānta-cayāmṛtāni

gaurābdhir etair amunā vitīrṇais

taj-jñatva-ratnālayatāṁ prayāti

TRANSLATION

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, who is known as Gaurāṅga, is the ocean of all conclusive knowledge in devotional service. He empowered Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya, who may be likened to a cloud of devotional service. This cloud was filled with the water of all the conclusive purports of devotional service and was empowered by the ocean to spread this water over the sea of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu Himself. Thus the ocean of Caitanya Mahāprabhu became filled with the jewels of the knowledge of pure devotional service.

COMMENT 

In this discussion between Ramananda Raya and Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Lord Chaitanya took the position of the student, or questioner, and Ramananda Raya was obliged to take the position of the teacher, or respondent. Ramananda Raya was hesitant, because apart from Chaitanya Mahaprabhu being the Supreme Personality of Godhead, in terms of the Vedic social system He was a brahman and a sannyasi, whereas Ramananda Raya, although a most learned scholar and exalted devotee, was a grihastha and was considered a sudra. So it was awkward for him to instruct Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, but Mahaprabhu told him, kibā vipra, kibā nyāsī, śūdra kene naya: it doesn’t matter whether one is a brahman, a sudra, a sannyasi, or whatever; yei kṛṣṇa-tattva-vettā, sei ‘guru’ haya: anyone who knows the science of Krishna is a guru.

We shall read from the beginning of their discussion.

TEXT 56

namaskāra kaila rāya, prabhu kaila āliṅgane

dui jane kṛṣṇa-kathā kaya rahaḥ-sthāne

TRANSLATION

Rāmānanda Rāya approached Lord Śrī Caitanya and offered his respectful obeisances, and the Lord embraced him. Then they began to discuss Kṛṣṇa in a secluded place.

TEXT 57

prabhu kahe, — “paḍa śloka sādhyera nirṇaya”
rāya kahe, — “sva-dharmācaraṇe viṣṇu-bhakti haya”

TRANSLATION

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu ordered Rāmānanda Rāya, “Recite a verse from the revealed scriptures concerning the ultimate goal of life.”

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

Rāmānanda replied, “If one executes the prescribed duties of his social position, he awakens his original Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

COMMENT

The original word in the text is sādhya—“the goal of life,” “that which is to be achieved.” Sadhana is the means by which we achieve the goal. Lord Chaitanya asked Ramananda Raya to say something about sādhya, the ultimate goal of life, and Ramananda Raya replied by citing different verses.

First Ramananda Raya quoted a verse from the Viṣṇu Purāṇa:

TEXT 58

varṇāśramācāra-vatā

puruṣeṇa paraḥ pumān

viṣṇur ārādhyate panthā

nānyat tat-toṣa-kāraṇam

TRANSLATION

“ ‘The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Viṣṇu, is worshiped by the proper execution of prescribed duties in the system of varṇa and āśrama. There is no other way to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead. One must be situated in the institution of the four varṇas and āśramas.’ ”

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

This is a quotation from the Viṣṇu Purāṇa (3.8.9). As stated by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura in his Amṛta-pravāha-bhāṣya, “The purport is that one can realize life’s perfection simply by satisfying the Supreme Personality of Godhead.” This is also confirmed in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.2.13):

ataḥ pumbhir dvija-śreṣṭhā

varṇāśrama-vibhāgaśaḥ

svanuṣṭhitasya dharmasya

saṁsiddhir hari-toṣaṇam

O best among the twice-born, it is therefore concluded that the highest perfection one can achieve by discharging the duties prescribed for one’s own occupation according to caste divisions and orders of life is to please the Personality of Godhead.

COMMENT

The goal of all of our activities should be to please Krishna, and the verse quoted by Ramananda Raya recommends executing one’s duties according to one’s varna and ashrama. Prabhupada often said that varnashrama-dharma is the beginning of human life. Dharmena hina paśubhiḥ samana: without dharma, men are on the level of animals. Why? Because dharma, religious principles, or varnashrama-dharma, occupational duties, regulate the activities of the living being. Without being regulated, a person is just like an animal. An animal eats whatever he wants, sleeps whenever he wants for as long as he can; has sex with whomever he wants whenever he can; and defends himself, arranges some shelter for himself, however he can. Even if a man engages his superior, human intelligence in these same activities, he is no better than an animal.

The human being may eat on a nice plate on a nice table, and the animal may eat on the floor of the jungle, but the animal enjoys his eating as much as the human being enjoys eating. The human may sleep on a nice mattress in a nice house, and the animal may sleep on the ground, but when asleep the animal doesn’t know he is sleeping on the ground, or the human that he is sleeping on a mattress. Sleeping is the same; in fact, the human’s sleep might be more disturbed than the animal’s, because he has so many worries and anxieties and causes of depression. And the animal might defend himself with his teeth and claws, and the human with sophisticated weapons of mass destruction, but it is the same principle—defending.

Eating, sleeping, mating, and defending are common to human beings and animals. What distinguishes a human from an animal is dharma, following religious principles to become God conscious. Otherwise, there is no difference.

āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunam ca
sāmānyam etat paśubhir naraṇām
dharmo hi teṣām adhiko viśeṣo
dharmeṇa hīnāḥ paśubhiḥ samānāḥ

“Both animals and men share the activities of eating, sleeping, mating, and defending. But the special property of the humans is that they are able to engage in spiritual life. Therefore without spiritual life, humans are on the level of animals.” (Hitopadeśa)

Now, one might question, “You mean to say that all the big leaders of the world—the presidents and prime ministers and scientists and Nobel Prize laureates—if they are not Krishna conscious, God conscious, they are no better than animals?” Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam says that they are just bigger animals. In the jungle the small animals all fear the big animals—respect the big animals—and the Bhāgavatam says that those who never engage in kṛṣṇa-kathā, who never hear the glories of the Lord, are just small animals who praise the bigger ones.

śva-viḍ-varāhoṣṭra-kharaiḥ

saṁstutaḥ puruṣaḥ paśuḥ

na yat-karṇa-pathopeto

jātu nāma gadāgrajaḥ

“Men who are like dogs, hogs, camels and asses praise those men who never listen to the transcendental pastimes of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the deliverer from evils.” (SB 2.3.19)

So, dharma is the beginning of human life, and one should execute one’s duties in varnashrama-dharma for the pleasure of the Supreme Lord, Vishnu. By that process one advances to the goal of life.

Here, Ramananda Raya and Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu are discussing kṛṣṇa-kathā. And after hearing this verse, what does Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu say?

TEXT 59

prabhu kahe, — “eho bāhya, āge kaha āra”
rāya kahe, “kṛṣṇe karmārpaṇa — sarva-sādhya-sāra”

TRANSLATION

The Lord replied, “This is external. You had better tell Me of some other means.”

Rāmānanda replied, “To offer the results of one’s activities to Kṛṣṇa is the essence of all perfection.”

COMMENT

Varnashrama-dharma is required, but following the regulations of varnashrama-dharma does not necessarily mean that one will be Krishna conscious. One can follow the rules and regulations, but if one is not in the mood of offering the results of one’s work to Krishna, he will not be Krishna conscious—directly Krishna conscious.

Ramananda Raya next quoted a verse from the Bhagavad-gītā (9.27):

TEXT 60

yat karoṣi yad aśnāsi

yaj juhoṣi dadāsi yat

yat tapasyasi kaunteya

tat kuruṣva mad-arpaṇam

TRANSLATION

“ ‘My dear son of Kuntī, whatever you do, whatever you eat, whatever you offer in sacrifice, whatever you give in charity, and whatever austerities you perform, all the results of such activities should be offered to Me

COMMENT

Here we are going a step further. One still works according to one’s position in the varnashrama system, but one offers the results of one’s work to Krishna, as Krishna advises in the Bhagavad-gītā. That is definitely a further development. And what does Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu say?

TEXT 61

prabhu kahe, — “eho bāhya, āge kaha āra”
rāya kahe, — “svadharma-tyāga, ei sādhya-sāra”

TRANSLATION

“This is also external,” Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu said. “Please proceed and speak further on this matter.”

Rāmānanda Rāya replied, “To give up one’s occupational duties in the varṇāśrama system is the essence of perfection.”

COMMENT

Ramananda Raya cited two verses in support of this proposal, and Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu responded:

TEXT 64

prabhu kahe, — “eho bāhya, āge kaha āra”
rāya kahe, “jñāna-miśrā bhakti — sādhya-sāra”

TRANSLATION

After hearing Rāmānanda Rāya speak in this way, Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu again rejected his statement and said, “Go ahead and say something more.”

Rāmānanda Rāya then replied, “Devotional service mixed with empiric knowledge is the essence of perfection.”

COMMENT

To offer the fruits of one’s work to Krishna is good, but even then one might be attached to one’s work. To give up one’s position in varnashrama-dharma is better, because it shows more detachment. But even if one has detachment, one may not have knowledge. So Ramananda Raya went further, including knowledge as part of the means, with reference to a verse from the Bhagavad-gītā (18.54).

And what did Lord Chaitanya say? “Eho bāhya, āge kaha āra.” He wanted Ramananda Raya to go further. And Ramananda Raya responded.

TEXT 66

prabhu kahe, “eho bāhya, āge kaha āra”
rāya kahe, — “jñāna-śūnyā bhakti — sādhya-sāra”

TRANSLATION

After hearing this, the Lord, as usual, rejected it,

COMMENT

He rejected devotional service mixed with empiric knowledge (jñāna-miśra-bhakti).

TRANSLATION (continued)

considering it to be external devotional service. He again asked Rāmānanda Rāya to speak further, and Rāmānanda Rāya replied, “Pure devotional service without any touch of speculative knowledge is the essence of perfection.”

COMMENT

Ramananda Raya then quoted an important verse from the Tenth Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.14.3):

TEXT 67

jñāne prayāsam udapāsya namanta eva

jīvanti san-mukharitāṁ bhavadīya-vārtām

sthāne sthitāḥ śruti-gatāṁ tanu-vāṅ-manobhir

ye prāyaśo ‘jita jito ‘py asi tais tri-lokyām

TRANSLATION

Rāmānanda Rāya continued, “Lord Brahmā said, ‘My dear Lord, those devotees who have thrown away the impersonal conception of the Absolute Truth and have therefore abandoned discussing empiric philosophical truths should hear from self-realized devotees about Your holy name, form, pastimes and qualities. They should completely follow the principles of devotional service and remain free from illicit sex, gambling, intoxication and animal slaughter. Surrendering themselves fully with body, words and mind, they can live in any āśrama or social status. Indeed, You are conquered by such persons, although You are always unconquerable.’ ”

COMMENT

Then Lord Chaitanya said, eho haya, “This is it!”—not eho bahya, “This is external.” But even then He added, āge kaha āra: “Please speak further.”

TEXT 68

prabhu kahe, “eho haya, āge kaha āra”
rāya kahe, “prema-bhakti — sarva-sādhya-sāra”

TRANSLATION

At this point, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu replied, “This is all right, but still you can speak more on the subject.”

Rāmānanda Rāya then replied, “Ecstatic love for the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the essence of all perfection.”

COMMENT

In the purport Srila Prabhupada says, “In his Amṛta-pravāha-bhāṣya, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura summarizes the conversation up to this point, where Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu says to Ramananda Raya, eho haya, āge kaha āra: ‘This is the process accepted in devotional service, but there is something more than this. Therefore please explain what is beyond.’”

The point is that although the verse from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam describes the process of pure devotional service, in the neophyte stage devotional activities may sometimes appear impure; there may appear to be some material taint in one’s devotional activities. Therefore, although Lord Chaitanya said, “You have come to this point of pure devotional service, which I accept as the goal of life and simultaneously the means to achieve the goal,” He also said, “Go further,” because He wanted to make sure that we come to the goal, prema-bhakti.

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.3.31) says, bhaktyā sañjātayā bhaktyā: bhakti comes from bhakti. We have come to the point of bhakti, pure bhakti, but bhaktyā sañjātayā bhaktyā—prema-bhakti, or sādhya-bhakti, comes from sādhana-bhakti. Sādhana-bhakti will lead to the goal, but one must stick to the process. If one does stick to the process, he will reach the goal, prema-bhakti.

Now we shall discuss the process of pure devotional service described in the verse cited by Sri Ramananda Raya, because that is a process that each and every one of us can and should follow. It is feasible for every one of us. We shall discuss each word, because each word is important.

Jñāne here means “for speculative knowledge.” Speculative knowledge almost always leads to an imperfect, impersonal conclusion. Prayāsam means “unnecessary endeavor”—it is unnecessary. And udapāsya means “giving up completely.” The endeavor for speculative knowledge has absolutely no value for a devotee and should be given up completely. Namantaḥ. In his synonyms, Srila Prabhupada writes, “completely surrendering.” More literally, namantaḥ is translated as “offering obeisances.” Obeisances are an indication of submission and surrender. Once, Srila Prabhupada paraphrased these words: “You should give up the bad habit of speculation and just become submissive.”

San-mukharitāṁ bhavadīya-vārtām. Bhavadīya-vārtām means “discussions related to You [Krishna],” and san-mukharitāṁ means “from the mouths of pure devotees [sat].” We should hear the messages of Godhead from the mouths of truthful devotees, not from professional reciters.

In India there are many professional reciters, and some tour. Although they may be very popular, hearing from them will not help. People go to them to be entertained, or they may feel that they are performing some pious activity. But what result do they want from such piety? Often they just want to be happy in the material world.

Srila Prabhupada spoke of one Bhāgavata reciter who would tell his audience, “Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam teaches that you should be happy in family life.” Now, the Bhāgavatam is filled with stories of devotees who left their families to realize God, beginning with the speaker of the Bhāgavatam, Śukadeva Gosvami. He did not remain at home long enough even to have his sacred-thread or other ceremonies. He just walked out of the house, and his father, Srila Vyasadeva, the literary incarnation of Godhead, went running after him into the forest, calling for him, but all he heard was the echoing of his voice in the trees.

sūta uvāca

yaṁ pravrajantam anupetam apeta-kṛtyaṁ

dvaipāyano viraha-kātara ājuhāva

putreti tan-mayatayā taravo ‘bhinedus

taṁ sarva-bhūta-hṛdayaṁ munim ānato ‘smi

“Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto that great sage [Śukadeva Gosvāmī] who can enter the hearts of all. When he went away to take up the renounced order of life [sannyāsa], leaving home without undergoing reformation by the sacred thread or the ceremonies observed by the higher castes, his father, Vyāsadeva, fearing separation from him, cried out, “O my son!” Indeed, only the trees, which were absorbed in the same feelings of separation, echoed in response to the begrieved father.” (SB 1.2.2)

Śukadeva Gosvami was gone. From the very beginning of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam we hear the histories of great devotees who left hearth and home to realize God. All five Pandavas left for the Himalayas. And Maharaja Parīkṣit gave up his family and kingdom to sit on the bank of the Ganges and hear Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

Why did the professional reciter claim that the Bhāgavatam teaches that you should remain happy in family life? Because, Prabhupada said, he wanted to get donations from the householders, so he wanted to say something that would please them. Sadhu means “to cut.” We have to hear from the mouths of sadhus (san-mukharitāṁ). Then it will be effective. Srila Prabhupada said—and I saw it myself when I visited a large bhāgavata-saptāha—that immediately after the recitation, everything remains as it was. People do not change. After the recitation people light up their cigarettes and talk about what a nice kathā they heard. This kind of kathā—bhāgavata-saptāha or whatever—will not help. Sanatana Gosvami says, avaiṣṇava-mukhodgīrṇaṁ pūtaṁ hari-kathāmṛtam śravaṇaṁ naiva kartavyaṁ: one should not hear talks about Krishna from a non-Vaishnava. San-mukharitāṁ—one should hear from pure devotees, self-realized souls.

Sthāne sthitāḥ means “remaining in their position.” It doesn’t matter if one is a grihastha. One can remain a grihastha—he need not become a sannyasi. That is not the point. One can remain in his position in the varnashrama system (although in natural course one may change his position), because pure devotional service is transcendental. Anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam. It is not limited by any material condition; it cannot be covered by karma or jnana or anything else. It is transcendental. So you can stay in your position, but you must follow the process described here.

In his translation Srila Prabhupada writes, “You should completely follow the principles of devotional service and remain free from illicit sex, gambling, intoxication, and animal slaughter.” Now, we don’t find these words in the Sanskrit. There are different types of translation, which have different names in Sanskrit. In one kind of translation one puts a bit of the purport into the translation, and that is what Srila Prabhupada did here. And I really appreciate it, because one can take this phrase sthāne sthitāḥ, “you remain in your position,” to mean, “Oh, I am fine as I am. I was getting worried for a while, but I can stay in my position and do everything the same.” Perhaps anticipating such a response from some readers, Srila Prabhupada qualified the phrase right in the translation. He did not take any chances that a reader would harbor any misconceptions going into the purport, but in the translation itself he says, “Yes, you can remain in your position, but you must follow the process of devotional service and refrain from illicit sex; gambling (and speculating); intoxicants, including tea, coffee, and cigarettes; and eating meat, fish, or eggs.”

If you do that, you can stay in your position and become Krishna conscious. That is the beauty of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s movement, the beauty of the bhakti cult, that one can remain in one’s position and execute devotional service in Krishna consciousness. A grihastha can become a pure devotee, and a sannyasi can become a pure devotee. Anyone can become a pure devotee if he or she follows the process. And anyone can follow. So it is very easy. One can remain in his or her position and simply follow. Jīvanti means that a devotee who always hears about Krishna will go back home, back to Godhead. He or she must simply follow the regulative principles and remain alive in Krishna consciousness by hearing and chanting about Krishna.

Tanu-vāṅ-manobhiḥ. Tanu means “body,” vāk means “words,” and mana means “mind.” Our acharyas have explained how these words can relate to other words in the text. The basic meaning is that one should surrender fully, with body, words, and mind, to the topics of Krishna spoken by self-realized souls. Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti says that one should offer all respects and obeisances (namantaḥ) with one’s body, words, and mind. With one’s body one can offer obeisances to the Bhāgavatam, to the speaker of the Bhāgavatam, and to the holy place where the Bhāgavatam is recited. With one’s words one can glorify the Bhāgavatam and the speakers of the Bhāgavatam, and one can repeat the message and narrations of Krishna. And with one’s mind one can feel reverence for and take pleasure in the topics of Krishna, and one can remember the instructions and pastimes of Krishna. Thus one can be fully engaged with one’s body, words, and mind—not that with our body we sit in the kṛṣṇa-kathā but with our mind we are somewhere else, calculating how much money we have in the bank and if we have enough to make the next payments. It is possible that one’s body could be in the kṛṣṇa-kathā but one’s words or mind could be somewhere else. But if we always engage everything (tanu-vāṅ-manobhiḥ), our whole being, in kṛṣṇa-kathā, in Krishna consciousness, that is pure devotional service.

And what is the result? Ye prāyaśo ’jita jito ’py asi tais tri-lokyām. One of Krishna’s names is Ajita, “unconquerable.” Even though Krishna cannot be conquered by any means, He can be conquered by pure devotees who follow this process. That is the conclusion. In other words, they will come to the stage of prema-bhakti, because Krishna is conquered only by prema, the pure love of His devotees.

Srila Sanatana Gosvami explains tanu-vāṅ-manobhiḥ (“by body, words, and mind”) in relation to conquering Krishna, who is unconquerable, in three ways. He says that nondevotees can never conquer Krishna. They cannot conquer Him by their physical strength (like Hiranyakasipu), by their verbal expertise, or by their mental power. Despite all their endeavors, the Absolute Truth remains beyond their grasp. But devotees, by engaging fully in devotional service, become perfect in Krishna consciousness, and thus they can conquer Him. Then they can touch His lotus feet with their hands, they can call Him to come with their words, and simply by thinking of Him they can gain His direct audience within their minds.

His Holiness Ṛtadhvaja Swami told me about a dream he had in which he was chanting Hare Krishna, and Krishna appeared. Scripture tells us, nāma cintāmaṇiḥ kṛṣṇaś caitanya-rasa-vigrahaḥ pūrṇaḥ śuddho nitya-mukto ‘bhinnatvān nāma-nāminoḥ—the name of Krishna and Krishna Himself are the same. So, in his dream he was chanting Hare Krishna and Krishna appeared. And in his dream he thought, Oh, it’s true! This is an example of how Krishna can be conquered by one’s words. If we chant Hare Krishna purely, Krishna comes. He appears. And the pure devotee, the self-realized soul, if he just thinks of Krishna, Krishna appears in his mind—or in person. He remains by the side of His devotee.

Sanatana Gosvami further explains these words in relation to Krishna, that Krishna’s body is conquered because He always remains by the side of His pure devotee, His words are conquered because He always sings the praises of His devotees, and His mind is conquered because He always thinks of His pure devotees. One can completely conquer Krishna by pure devotional service.

In the discussion between Lord Chaitanya and Ramananda Raya, this verse from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam marks the beginning of pure devotional service. But the discussion goes further. Lord Chaitanya keeps saying, age kaha ārā: “Speak more; go further.” Then we come to vaidhī-bhakti and rāgānugā-bhakti, and then to śānta-rasa, dāsya-rasa, sākhya-rasa, vātsalya-rasa, and mādhurya-rasa. In mādhurya-rasa there are many gopīs, and among them Srimati Radharani is the foremost. And Srimati Radharani Herself has various developments of ecstatic feelings, culminating in prema-vilāsa-vivarta, the height of ecstatic love in separation. When Ramananda Raya came to that point, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu covered his mouth with His hand and said, “This is the limit of the goal of life. Only by your mercy have I come to understand it.”

At the end of their discussions, Ramananda Raya said to Lord Chaitanya, “At first I saw You as a sannyasi, but now I see You as Shyamasundara, the cowherd boy, and now I see You with a golden luster. Please explain the reason.” Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was playing the part of a devotee, and for a devotee to be addressed as Krishna or even considered on the same level as Krishna is anathema. So Chaitanya Mahaprabhu replied, “You are an advanced devotee, and an advanced devotee—a mahā-bhāgavata—sees Krishna everywhere.”

sthāvara-jaṅgama dekhe, nā dekhe tāra mūrti

sarvatra haya nija iṣṭa-deva-sphūrti

“The mahā-bhāgavata, the advanced devotee, certainly sees everything mobile and immobile, but he does not exactly see their forms. Rather, everywhere he immediately sees manifest the form of the Supreme Lord.” (Cc Madhya 8.274)

Then Mahaprabhu quoted a verse from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam that describes the mahā-bhāgavata, that he doesn’t exactly see the forms of the material world but sees Krishna manifest everywhere.

sarva-bhūteṣu yaḥ paśyed

bhagavad-bhāvam ātmanaḥ

bhūtāni bhagavaty ātmany

eṣa bhāgavatottamaḥ

“ ‘A person advanced in devotional service sees within everything the soul of souls, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Consequently he always sees the form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead as the cause of all causes and understands that all things are situated in Him.’” (SB 11.2.45, quoted as Cc Madhya 8.275)

Ramananda Raya replied, “Please give up these serious talks. Do not try to conceal Your real form. I know who You are.” Then, out of His causeless mercy, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu revealed His combined form of Radha and Krishna (rasarāja and mahā-bhāva). We have a relief on the wall of the temple here that shows Ramananda Raya witnessing Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu manifesting His form as Radha and Krishna. And Ramananda Raya became overwhelmed with transcendental bliss. There are some esoteric explanations of this pastime in which Chaitanya Mahaprabhu revealed the confidential truth of His identity—śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya, rādhā-kṛṣṇa nahe anya. On occasion He would manifest Himself, but He would always say, “Do not disclose this fact to anyone,” because He was playing the part of a devotee and wanted to maintain His role as a devotee, to fulfill His purpose to show by example how to be a devotee and practice pure devotional service.

Especially in Kali-yuga, people are so fallen and prone to become imitation gods or accept imitation gods that the Lord, as Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, hid His identity. He was a channa-avatāra, a “concealed incarnation,” as mentioned in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

Srila Prabhupada told the story of a man in Calcutta who could imitate the barking of different types of dogs. He would hold programs in halls and sell tickets, and people would come to hear his demonstrations. Srila Prabhupada remarked that people would pay money to hear the imitation dog but that real dogs were barking in the street yet no one paid them heed. Similarly, the real God—Krishna—is there, but nobody cares. Yet if some imitation God comes, they flock. Get on a plane and go. Jump in a car and go. That is Kali-yuga.

That is why Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s identity as Radha and Krishna was revealed only to certain select devotees such as Ramananda Raya, and it is by their mercy and by the mercy of Srila Krishnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami, who wrote Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, and by the mercy of Srila Prabhupada, who translated and presented it to us in a most appropriate way, through paramparā, that we are able to enter into these transcendental mysteries and have the opportunity to realize the most confidential service of Radha and Krishna—by their mercy, following in their footsteps.