The Teachings of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu
According to many references in the sacred teachings of the Vedas, chanting this simple Maha mantra is the most highly recommended means of achieving spiritual perfection available in the modern age.
Lord Chaitanya is the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself, appearing as His own devotee, teaching how to practice Krishna consciousness by His own most authorised example, he also appears, to taste the mood of ecstasy that Radharani experiences as a devoted servitor, his top most servitor and inner most pleasure seeking potency. He would often manifest extreme bodily symptoms as a result of experiencing spiritual ecstasy, love in separation.
Chaitanya Mahaprbhu debated with some of the most respected Vedic scholars of His day—Kesava Kashmiri, Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya, and Prakashananda Sarasvati. Caitanya was able to convince each one of them that the worship of the Personality of God is superior to any other philosophical system. He also challenged the religious establishment by emphasizing spiritual equality of all living beings, insisting that anyone can become a devotee of Krishna, or even become a spiritual master regardless of social position, caste or creed.
He left us His divine instructions: Shikshashtakam. The name of the prayer comes from the Sanskrit words Siksa, meaning 'instruction', and astaka, meaning 'consisting of eight parts'. The teachings contained within the eight verses contain the essence of the teachings on Bhakti yoga.
श्री शिक्षाष्टकम्
Śrī Śikṣāṣṭakam
चेतो-दर्पण-मार्जनं भव-महा-दावाग्नि-निर्वापणं
श्रेयः-कैरव-चन्द्रिका-वितरणं विद्या-वधू-जीवनम्
आनन्दाम्बुधि-वर्धनं प्रति-पदं पूर्णामृतास्वादनं
सर्वात्म-स्नपनं परं विजयते श्री-कृष्ण-सण्कीर्तनम् ॥१॥
ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaṁ bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpaṇaṁ
śreyaḥ-kairava-candrikā-vitaraṇaṁ vidyā-vadhū-jīvanam
ānandāmbudhi-vardhanaṁ prati-padaṁ pūrṇāmṛtāsvādanaṁ
sarvātma-snapanaṁ paraṁ vijayate śrī-kṛṣṇa-saṇkīrtanam ॥1॥
Glory to the śrī-kṛṣṇa-saṅkīrtana, which cleanses the heart of all the dust accumulated for years and extinguishes the fire of conditional life, of repeated birth and death. This saṅkīrtana movement is the prime benediction for humanity at large because it spreads the rays of the benediction moon. It is the life of all transcendental knowledge. It increases the ocean of transcendental bliss, and it enables us to fully taste the nectar for which we are always anxious. (1)
नाम्नामकारि बहुधा निज-सर्व-शक्तिस्
तत्रार्पिता नियमितः स्मरणे न कालः
एतादृशी तव कृपा भगवन्ममापि
दुर्दैवमीदृशमिहाजनि नानुरागः ॥२॥
nāmnām akāri bahudhā nija-sarva-śaktis
tatrārpitā niyamitaḥ smaraṇe na kālaḥ
etādṛśī tava kṛpā bhagavan mamāpi
durdaivam īdṛśam ihājani nānurāgaḥ ॥2॥
O my Lord, Your holy name alone can render all benediction to living beings, and thus You have hundreds and millions of names, like Kṛṣṇa and Govinda. In these transcendental names You have invested all Your transcendental energies. There are not even hard and fast rules for chanting these names. O my Lord, out of kindness You enable us to easily approach You by Your holy names, but I am so unfortunate that I have no attraction for them. (2)
तृणादऽपि सुनीचेन
तरोरऽपि सहिष्णुना
अमानिना मानदेन
कीर्तनीयः सदा हरिः ॥३॥
tṛṇād api sunīcena
taror api sahiṣṇunā
amāninā mānadena
kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ ॥3॥
One should chant the holy name of the Lord in a humble state of mind, thinking oneself lower than the straw in the street; one should be more tolerant than a tree, devoid of all sense of false prestige, and should be ready to offer all respect to others. In such a state of mind one can chant the holy name of the Lord constantly. (3)
न धनं न जनं न सुन्दरीं
कवितां वा जगदीश कामये
मम जन्मनि जन्मनीश्वरे
भवताद् भक्तिर् अहैतुकी त्वयि ॥४॥
na dhanaṁ na janaṁ na sundarīṁ
kavitāṁ vā jagad-īśa kāmaye
mama janmani janmanīśvare
bhavatād bhaktir ahaitukī tvayi ॥4॥
O almighty Lord, I have no desire to accumulate wealth, nor do I desire beautiful women, nor do I want any number of followers. I only want Your causeless devotional service, birth after birth. (4)
अयि नन्द-तनुज किङ्करं
पतितं मां विषमे भवाम्बुधौ
कृपया तव पाद-पङ्कज-
स्थित-धूली-सदृशं विचिन्तय ॥५॥
ayi nanda-tanuja kiṅkaraṁ
patitaṁ māṁ viṣame bhavāmbudhau
kṛpayā tava pāda-paṅkaja-
sthita-dhūlī-sadṛśaṁ vicintaya ॥5॥
O son of Mahārāja Nanda [Kṛṣṇa], I am Your eternal servitor, yet somehow or other I have fallen into the ocean of birth and death. Please pick me up from this ocean of death and place me as one of the atoms at Your lotus feet. (5)
नयनं गलदश्रु-धारया
वदनं गद्गद-रुद्धया गिरा
पुलकैर्निचितं वपुः कदा
तव-नाम-ग्रहणे भविष्यति ॥६॥
nayanaṁ galad-aśru-dhārayā
vadanaṁ gadgada-ruddhayā girā
pulakair nicitaṁ vapuḥ kadā
tava-nāma-grahaṇe bhaviṣyati ॥6॥
O my Lord, when will my eyes be decorated with tears of love flowing constantly when I chant Your holy name? When will my voice choke up, and when will the hairs of my body stand on end at the recitation of Your name? (6)
युगायितं निमेषेण
चक्षुषा प्रावृषायितम्
शून्यायितं जगत्सर्वं
गोविन्द-विरहेण मे ॥७॥
yugāyitaṁ nimeṣeṇa
cakṣuṣā prāvṛṣāyitam
śūnyāyitaṁ jagat sarvaṁ
govinda-viraheṇa me ॥7॥
O Govinda! Feeling Your separation, I am considering a moment to be like twelve years or more. Tears are flowing from my eyes like torrents of rain, and I am feeling all vacant in the world in Your absence. (7)
आश्लिष्य वा पाद-रतां पिनष्टु माम्
अदर्शनान्मर्म-हताम्-हतां करोतु वा
यथा तथा वा विदधातु लम्पटो
मत्प्राण-नाथस्तु स एव नापरः ॥८॥
āśliṣya vā pāda-ratāṁ pinaṣṭu mām
adarśanān marma-hatām-hatāṁ karotu vā
yathā tathā vā vidadhātu lampaṭo
mat-prāṇa-nāthas tu sa eva nāparaḥ ॥8॥
I know no one but Kṛṣṇa as my Lord, and He shall remain so even if He handles me roughly by His embrace or makes me brokenhearted by not being present before me. He is completely free to do anything and everything, for He is always my worshipful Lord, unconditionally. (8)
prabhura 'śikṣāṣṭaka'-śloka yei paḍe, śune
kṛṣṇe prema-bhakti tāra bāḍe dine-dine |
If anyone recites or hears these eight verses of instruction by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, his ecstatic love and devotion for Kṛṣṇa increase day by day. (CC. Antya 20.65)
The great Lord of Krsna-consciousness
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu ( “Lord Chaitanya”) is a combined incarnation of Radha and Krishna who appeared in Nadia, West Bengal, India in Feb 1486 along with his associates Lord Nityananda Prabhu, Sri Advaita Acharya, Sri Gadadhar Pandit, Srivas Thakur, and other exalted associates.
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu appeared to freely give Krishna Prem (love of Godhead) to all jiva souls regardless of social standing, caste or creed. A series of books composed by Krishna Kaviraja Goswami (one of Lord Chaitanya’s chief associates) 'The Chaitanya Charitamrita' explains The Lords pastimes and delivers the higher understanding and position of all jiva souls, that is, to surrender to Lord Sri krishna in serving Him through serving his devotees with love and affection, to become a serving agent in the plane of dedication with love and affection. In this way one reaches the plane of transcendental realisation and the ultimate goal of life - 'nitya das' to be an eternal servant of the supreme Lord. It explains the most advanced teachings of God consciousness, or Krishna consciousness. Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu also gave us the conception of achintya bheda abheda - one and simultaneously same but different, That we are in quality the same as the Lord but quantitively different. 'Achintya' means inconceivable, 'bheda' means difference and 'abheda' means non-difference.
यदा यदा हि धर्मस्य ग्लानिर्भवति भारत |
अभ्युत्थानमधर्मस्य तदात्मानं सृजाम्यहम् || 7||
yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata
abhyutthānam adharmasya tadātmānaṁ sṛijāmyaham
As predicted in the Bhagavad-gita itself The Lord Said:“Whenever and wherever there is a decline in religiosity, and a preeminent rise in irreligion, at that time I descend Myself.”
Ch 4.7
In His youth, Chaitanya was known as Nimai Pandit. He gained early fame as the world’s pre-eminent scholar of the Vedas, able to defeat by logic and argument any philosophical opposition. His mission was to give us the remedy for the Yuga - dharma (age of Kali), that process is Harinam Sankirtan congregational chanting of the Holy name.
Commentary on verse 1 of Śrīman Mahāprabhu’s Śikṣāṣṭakam.
By Śrīla Bhakti Siddhānta Saraswatī Ṭhākur
Śrī Śikṣāṣṭakam Verse One
चेतोदर्पण-मार्ज्जनं भव-महादावाग्नि-निर्व्वापणं
श्रेयःकैरव-चन्द्रिका-वितरणं विद्यावधू-जीवनम् ।
आनन्दाम्बुधि-वर्द्धनं प्रतिपदं पूर्णामृतास्वादनं
सर्व्वात्म-स्नपनं परं विजयते श्रीकृष्णसङ्कीर्त्तनम् ॥१॥
cheto-darpaṇa-mārjanaṁ bhava-mahādāvāgni-nirvāpaṇaṁ
śreyaḥ-kairava-chandrikā-vitaraṇaṁ vidyā-vadhū-jīvanam
ānandāmbudhi-vardhanaṁ prati-padaṁ pūrṇāmṛtāsvādanaṁ
sarvātma-snapanaṁ paraṁ vijayate śrī-kṛṣṇa-saṅkīrtanam
chetaḥ–of mind; darpaṇa–mirror; mārjanam–cleanser; bhava–material existence; mahā–great; dāva–forest; agni–fire; nirvāpaṇam–extinguisher; śreyaḥ–good fortune; kairava–evening lotus; chandrikā–moonlight; vitaraṇam–bestower; vidyā–knowledge; vadhū–wife; jīvanam–life; ānanda–bliss; ambudhi–ocean; vardhanam–expander; prati–every; padam–step; pūrṇa–full; amṛta–nectar; āsvādanam–taste; sarva–entire; ātma–self; snapanam–soother; param–supreme; vijayate–be victorious; śrī-kṛṣṇa–Śrī Kṛṣṇa; saṅkīrtanam–complete chanting. [1]
mārjanam–The cleanser darpaṇa–of the mirror chetaḥ–of the mind, nirvāpaṇam–the extinguisher mahā–of the great dāva–forest agni–fire bhava–of material existence, vitaraṇam–the bestower chandrikā–of moonlight kairava–on the evening lotus śreyaḥ–of good fortune, jīvanam–the life vadhū–of the wife vidyā–of knowledge (the life of the wives with the highest knowledge—paramour love for the Lord), vardhanam–the expander ambudhi–of the ocean ānanda–of ecstasy, āsvādanam–the taste pūrṇa–of full amṛta–nectar prati–at every padam–moment, [and] snapanam–the soother sarva–of the entireātma–self, [may] saṅkīrtanam–the chanting [the Name] śrī-kṛṣṇa–of Śrī Kṛṣṇa [be] param–supremely vijayate–victorious! [1]
Śrī Kṛṣṇa-saṅkīrtan cleanses the mirror of the mind, extinguishes the raging forest fire of material existence, shines moonlight on the evening lotus of good fortune, is the life of the divine knowledge—the life of souls enlightened with paramour love for the Lord, expands the ocean of ecstasy, is the taste of full nectar at every moment, and soothes the entire self. May Śrī Kṛṣṇa-saṅkīrtan be supremely victorious!
***
The following is an English translation of Śrīla Bhakti Siddhānta Saraswatī Ṭhākur’s Bengali Vivṛti commentary on the first verse Śrī Chaitanya Mahāprabhu’s Śrī Śikṣāṣṭakam.
At the request of Western devotees in the 1980s, Śrīla Bhakti Rakṣak Śrīdhar Dev-Goswāmī Mahārāj discoursed extensively in English on Śrī Śikṣāṣṭakam, and as he concluded his discussion of the first verse, he commented (as recorded in The Golden Volcano of Divine Love): “Bhakti Vinod Ṭhākur has given his Sanskrit commentary on the Śikṣāṣṭakam, as well as his Bengali translation, and his is a most original presentation. Śrīla Bhakti Siddhānta Saraswatī Ṭhākur Prabhupād has also given his commentary on the Śikṣāṣṭakam. They should be carefully studied in order to understand these points more completely.”
Śrī Śikṣāṣṭakam Vivṛti 1
By Śrīla Bhakti Siddhānta Saraswatī Ṭhākur
śrī-kṛṣṇa-kīrtanāya namaḥ
Obeisance unto Śrī Kṛṣṇa-kīrtan.
All glory to the performer of Śrī Kṛṣṇa-saṅkīrtan Śrī Gurudev and the embodiment of Śrī Kṛṣṇa-kīrtan Śrī Gaurasundar!
There are descriptions of numerous limbs of bhakti in Śrīmad Bhāgavatam and Śrī Hari-bhakti-vilāsa from amidst the innumerable types of sādhana-bhakti. Principally, sixty-four limbs of bhakti are discussed regarding vaidha- and rāgānugā-bhakti-sādhana. We also see mention of pure bhakti in the words of Śrī Prahlād in Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, but Śrī Gaurasundar has said, “Śrī Nāma-saṅkīrtan is the foremost practice amongst all the limbs of bhakti.”
Knowers of Reality (tattva) ascertain the Absolute (the Advaya-jñāna-vastu) solely on the basis of chit (consciousness), that is, exclusively through jñān (awareness), as ‘Brahma’, through the modes of sat (existence) and chit as ‘Paramātmā’, and through all śaktis—sat, chit, and ānanda (bliss)—as ‘Bhagavān’. Through vision of His aiśvarya (majesty), Bhagavān is Vāsudev, and through vision of His mādhurya (sweetness) and relaxed aiśvarya, Bhagavān is Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Śrī Nārāyaṇ is the object of worship in two and a half rasas, and Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the worshippable treasure of all five rasas. From Śrī Kṛṣṇa comes the Mahā Vaikuṇṭha-līlā of His vaibhava-prakāśa form Śrī Baladev. There, the eternal quaternity [of Vāsudev, Saṅkarṣaṇ, Pradyumna, and Aniruddha] resides eternally.
Japa (chanting) of a mantra occurs only within the mind. Thereby, the performer of japa, the meditator, achieves success. But when the lips move, kīrtan, which is more fruitful than japa, occurs. When kīrtan occurs, its listeners are benefitted [in addition to its performers].
The word saṅkīrtan means complete kīrtan, that is, that which when chanted does not require the help of any other limb of sādhana. Partial kīrtan of Śrī Kṛṣṇa is not the meaning of saṅkīrtan. When the jīva by performing partial kīrtan of Kṛṣṇa does not attain all good fortune, then many doubts may arise about the power of Kṛṣṇa-kīrtan. So let complete kīrtan of Śrī Kṛṣṇa be victorious over all! In kīrtan of mundane matters, partial intent to enjoy arises, but in the supramundane (aprākṛta) realm, Śrī Kṛṣṇa alone is the focus and there is no scope for mundanity there. Thus, all attainments beyond the material energy (prakṛti) are attainable through Śrī Kṛṣṇa-saṅkīrtan. Amongst all such attainments, seven particular attainments are inherent in Śrī Kṛṣṇa-saṅkīrtan. These have been mentioned in this verse.
Śrī Kṛṣṇa-saṅkīrtan is the cleanser of the mirror of the jīva’s dirty mind (chitta). Trivial desires (anyābhilāṣa) based on aversion to the Lord, enjoyment of the results [of one’s actions], and renuncation of the results [of one’s actions]—the jīva’s mind is completely covered by these three types of filth. The best tool to remove such rubbish from the mirror of the jīva’s mind is Śrī Kṛṣṇa-saṅkīrtan. These three types of deception (kaitava) are coverings which obstruct the true nature of the jīva from being reflected in the mirror of the jīva’s mind. Only saṅkīrtan of Śrī Kṛṣṇa can remove them. By performing complete kīrtan of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the jīva can perceive their own servitorship to Kṛṣṇa in the looking-glass of their own mind.
Even though this world is sweet at first, it is actually like a firestorm in a dense forest. Now and then trees in a forest are being destroyed by the firestorm. Those who are averse to Kṛṣṇa continuously tolerate the pains (lit. ‘burns’) of this world like the heat of a firestorm, but only when they engage in complete kīrtan of Kṛṣṇa do they, even while remaining in this world, attain freedom from the affliction of this blazing fire as a result of their inclination towards Kṛṣṇa.
Complete kīrtan of Śrī Kṛṣṇa distributes the greatest fortune and well-being. Śreya means good fortune, kairava means the evening lotus, and chandrikā means light, brightness. As the evening lotus brightens with the rising of the moon, so all good fortune arises with Śrī Kṛṣṇa-saṅkīrtan. Trivial desire (anyābhilāṣa), karma, and jñān are not means to good fortune, and only Śrī Kṛṣṇa-kīrtan is the cause of the highest good fortune for the jīva.
In the Muṇḍaka-upaniṣad, two types of knowledge (vidyā) are discussed: worldly knowledge and transcendental knowledge. Śrī Kṛṣṇa-saṅkīrtan, secondarily, is like the life of the wife of worldly knowledge, and primarily is the life of the wife of transcendental knowledge, supramundane knowledge (aprākṛta-vidyā). By the influence of Śrī Kṛṣṇa-saṅkītan, the jīva becomes freed from the pride of worldly knowledge and attains knowledge of their relationship (sambandha) with Kṛṣṇa. The object of supramundane knowledge is Śrī Kṛṣṇa-saṅkīrtan.
Śrī Kṛṣṇa-saṅkīrtan is the expander of the ocean of supramundane bliss (aprākṛta ānanda) for the jīva. The word ocean here does not refer to a limited body of water, and thus the unlimited bliss [produced by Śrī Kṛṣṇa-saṅkīrtan] should be compared to an ocean which is boundless.
Śrī Kṛṣṇa-saṅkīrtan, at every step, produces the taste of complete nectar. There is no lack or incompleteness in taste of supramundane (aprākṛta) rasa, and only from Śrī Kṛṣṇa-saṅkīrtan does the taste of complete eternal rasa arise at every moment.
Everything supramundane becomes lustrous with Śrī Kṛṣṇa-saṅkīrtan, and in the mundane realm the body, the mind, and the ātma beyond them not only become pure through Śrī Kṛṣṇa-saṅkīrtan, but they inevitably become lustrous as well. All the dirtiness that the jīva enveloped by appendages (upādhis) acquires grossly and subtly is washed away by the influence of kīrtan. When the jīva gives up immersion in matter, then the jīva, inclined towards Kṛṣṇa, attains the soothing service of Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet.
Śrī Jīva Goswāmī Prabhu has written in division 273 of Śrī Bhakti-sandarbha within his Śrī Bhāgavat-sandarbha and in his Krama-sandarbha on the seventh canto of Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: “Ataeva yady apy anyā bhaktiḥ kalau kartavyā, tadā kīrtanākhyā bhakti-saṁyogenaiva: therefore, although other forms of bhakti should be practiced in the Age of Kali, they should be performed only in conjunction with the form of bhakti known as kīrtan.”