Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Hare Krishna, Rama, Prabhupada, yoga, meditation

There is no difference between the teachings of Lord Caitanya presented here and the teachings of Lord Kṛṣṇa in the Bhagavad-gītā. The teachings of Lord Caitanya are practical demonstrations of Lord Kṛṣṇa's teachings. Lord Kṛṣṇa's ultimate instruction in Bhagavad-gītā is that everyone should surrender unto Him, Lord Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa promises to take immediate charge of such a surrendered soul. The Lord, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is already in charge of the maintenance of this creation by virtue of His plenary expansion, Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, but this maintenance is not direct. However, when the Lord says that He takes charge of His pure devotee, He actually takes direct charge. A pure devotee is a soul who is forever surrendered to the Lord, just as a child is surrendered to his parents or an animal to its master. In the surrendering process, one should: (1) accept things favorable for discharging devotional service, (2) reject things unfavorable, (3) believe firmly in the Lord's protection, (4) feel exclusively dependent on the mercy of the Lord, (5) have no interest separate from the interest of the Lord, and (6) always feel oneself meek and humble.

The Lord demands that one surrender unto Him by following these six guidelines, but the unintelligent so-called scholars of the world misunderstand these demands and urge the general mass of people to reject them. At the conclusion of the Ninth Chapter of Bhagavad-gītā, Lord Kṛṣṇa directly says: "Engage your mind always in thinking of Me, offer obeisances and worship Me. Being completely absorbed in Me, surely you will come to Me." (Bg. 9.34) However, the scholarly demons misguide the masses of people by directing them to the impersonal, unmanifest, eternal, unborn truth rather than the Personality of Godhead. The impersonalist Māyāvādī philosophers do not accept that the ultimate aspect of the Absolute Truth is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. If one desires to understand the sun as it is, one must first face the sunshine, then the sun globe and, after entering into that globe, come face to face with the predominating deity of the sun. Due to a poor fund of knowledge, the Māyāvādī philosophers cannot go beyond the Brahman effulgence, which may be compared to the sunshine. The Upaniṣads confirm that one has to penetrate the dazzling effulgence of Brahman before one can see the real face of the Personality of Godhead.

Lord Caitanya therefore teaches direct worship of Lord Kṛṣṇa, who appeared as the foster child of the King of Vraja. He also suggests that the place known as Vṛndāvana is as good as Lord Kṛṣṇa because there is no difference between the name, quality, form, pastimes, entourage and paraphernalia of Lord Kṛṣṇa and Lord Kṛṣṇa Himself. That is the absolute nature of the Absolute Truth.

Lord Caitanya also recommended that the highest mode of worship in the highest perfectional stage is the method practiced by the damsels of Vraja. These damsels (gopīs, or cowherd girls) simply loved Kṛṣṇa without a motive for material or spiritual gain. Caitanya also recommended Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam as the spotless narration of transcendental knowledge, and He pointed out that the highest goal in human life is to develop unalloyed love for Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Lord Caitanya's teachings are identical to those given by Lord Kapila, the original propounder of sāṅkhya-yoga, the sāṅkhya system of philosophy. This authorized system of yoga recommends meditation on the transcendental form of the Lord. There is no question of meditating on something void or impersonal. One can meditate on the transcendental form of Lord Viṣṇu even without practicing involved sitting postures. Such meditation is called perfect samādhi. This perfect samādhi is verified at the end of the Sixth Chapter of Bhagavad-gītā where Lord Kṛṣṇa says: "And of all yogīs, he who always abides in Me with great faith, worshiping Me in transcendental loving service, is most intimately united with Me in yoga and is the highest of all." (Bg. 6.47)

Lord Caitanya instructed the mass of people in the sāṅkhya philosophy of acintya-bhedābheda-tattva, which maintains that the Supreme Lord is simultaneously one with and different from His creation. Lord Caitanya taught this philosophy through the chanting of the holy name of the Lord. He taught that the holy name of the Lord is the sound incarnation of the Lord and that since the Lord is the absolute whole, there is no difference between His holy name and His transcendental form. Thus by chanting the holy name of the Lord one can directly associate with the Supreme Lord by sound vibration. As one practices this sound vibration, he passes through three stages of development: the offensive stage, the clearing stage and the transcendental stage. In the offensive stage one may desire all kinds of material happiness, but in the second stage one becomes clear of all material contamination. When one is situated on the transcendental stage, he attains the most coveted position-the stage of loving God. Lord Caitanya taught that this is the highest stage of perfection for human beings.

Yoga practice is essentially meant for controlling the senses. The central controlling factor of all the senses is the mind; therefore one first has to practice controlling the mind by engaging it in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The gross activities of the mind are expressed through the external senses, either for the acquiring of knowledge or the functioning of the senses in accordance to the will. The subtle activities of the mind are thinking, feeling and willing. In accordance to one's consciousness, the individual is either polluted or clear. If one's mind is fixed on Kṛṣṇa (His name, quality, form, pastimes, entourage and paraphernalia), all one's activities-both subtle and gross-become favorable. The Bhagavad-gītā's process of purifying consciousness is the process of fixing one's mind on Kṛṣṇa by talking of His transcendental activities, cleansing His temple, going to His temple, seeing the beautiful transcendental form of the Lord nicely decorated, hearing His transcendental glories, tasting food offered to Him, associating with His devotees, smelling the flowers and tulasī leaves offered Him, engaging in activities for the Lord's interest, etc. No one can bring the activities of the mind and senses to a stop, but one can purify these activities through a change in consciousness. This change is indicated in Bhagavad-gītā when Kṛṣṇa tells Arjuna of the knowledge of yoga whereby one can work without fruitive results. "O son of Pṛthā, when you act by such intelligence, you can free yourself from the bondage of works." (Bg. 2.39) A human being is sometimes restricted in sense gratification due to certain circumstances such as disease, etc., but this is not the prescription. Without knowing the actual process by which the mind and senses can be controlled, less intelligent men either try to stop the mind and senses by force, or they give in to them and are carried away by the waves of sense gratification.

The regulative principles and the rules of yoga, the various sitting postures and breathing exercises performed in an attempt to withdraw one's senses from the sense objects are methods meant for those who are too much engrossed in the bodily conception of life. The intelligent man who is situated in Kṛṣṇa consciousness does not try to forcibly stop his senses from acting. Rather, he engages his senses in the service of Kṛṣṇa. No one can stop a child from playing by leaving him inactive. A child can be stopped from engaging in nonsense by being engaged in superior activities. The forceful restraint of sense activities by the eight principles of yoga is recommended for inferior men. Being engaged in the superior activities of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, superior men naturally retire from the inferior activities of material existence.

In this way Lord Caitanya teaches the science of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That science is absolute. Dry mental speculators try to restrain themselves from material attachment, but it is generally found that the mind is too strong to be controlled and that it drags them down to sensual activities. A person in Kṛṣṇa consciousness does not run this risk. One has to engage his mind and senses in Kṛṣṇa conscious activities, and Lord Caitanya teaches one how to do this in practice.

Before accepting sannyāsa (the renounced order), Lord Caitanya was known as Viśvambhara. The word viśvambhara refers to one who maintains the entire universe and who leads all living entities. This maintainer and leader appeared as Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya to give humanity these sublime teachings. Lord Caitanya is the ideal teacher of life's prime necessities. He is the most munificent bestower of love of Kṛṣṇa. He is the complete reservoir of all mercies and good fortune. As confirmed in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Bhagavad-gītā, Mahābhārata and the Upaniṣads, He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa Himself, and He is worshipable by everyone in this age of disagreement. Everyone can join in His saṅkīrtana movement. No previous qualification is necessary. just by following His teachings, anyone can become a perfect human being. If one is fortunate enough to be attracted by His features, one is sure to be successful in one's life mission. In other words, those who are interested in attaining spiritual existence can be easily relieved from the clutches of māyā by the grace of Lord Caitanya. These teachings presented in this book are nondifferent from the Lord.

Being engrossed in the material body, the conditioned soul increases the pages of history by all kinds of material activities. The teachings of Lord Caitanya can help human society stop such unnecessary and temporary activities. By these teachings, humanity can be elevated to the topmost platform of spiritual activity. These spiritual activities actually begin after liberation from material bondage. Such liberated activities in Kṛṣṇa consciousness constitute the goal of human perfection. The false prestige one acquires by attempting to dominate material nature is illusory. Illuminating knowledge can be acquired from the teachings of Lord Caitanya, and by such knowledge one can advance in spiritual existence.

Everyone has to suffer or enjoy the fruits of his activity; no one can check the laws of material nature which govern such things. As long as one is engaged in fruitive activity, he is sure to be baffled in an attempt to attain the ultimate goal of life. I sincerely hope that by understanding the teachings of Lord Caitanya, human society will experience a new light of spiritual life which will open the field of activity for the pure soul.

om tat sat

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"Classic Edition"

Teachings of Lord Caitanya
The 40th Anniversary Commemortaive Edition 1968-2008
A Treatise on Factual Spiritual Life
by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

This is the summary study of Lord Caitanya's teachings in the Classic original edition. The life and teachings of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu who appeared in West Bengal, India in 1486 and Who spread love of Krishna all over India. Later His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhuapda brought the same message to the Western world.

We prostrate ourselves at the Lotus Feet of our Beloved Spiritual Master and offer this treasured book to His Divine Grace on our bowed heads. We came to Him looking for broken pieces of glass, and He has bestowed upon us a priceless gem. He has opened our eyes, which were blinded by the darkness of atheism, mental speculation, and sense gratification, to the glorious light of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. His Transcendental words are the seeds which in our hearts have bloomed into the perfection of Human life-the discovery that God lives and that we can live with Him-Krishna Consciousness. -The Publishers

"This 2008 printing of the Teachings Of Lord Chaitanya, 1968 version, is humbly presented to you in loving memory of your disciple Gangamayee devi dasi by her friends and family." -Annada devi dasi, March 21, 2008 Vrindavan

Format: Hardcover, 5.5" x 8"
Pages: 330
32 color plates
Note: Also available Wholesale by the case!!!

Golden Avatar

~ The Golden Avatar ~
By Gauridasa Pandita Dasa

Lord Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu appeared during an eclipse on the full moon night of February/ March in Mayapur India about 550 years ago. During eclipses in India it is the custom of the people to go to the Holy rivers and chant mantras to invoke auspiciousness.

Thus at the time of Lord Chaitanya’s birth most of the people of India were engaged in chanting the Holy Names of the Lord congregationally. This chanting of the Holy Names would prove to be the mission of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. This is confirmed by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada in one of his great literary works, the Sri Chaitanya-Caritamrta, a 17 volume set of books about the glories of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

It is stated in the 13th chapter text 21 of the Chaitanya-caritamrta:

“In jubilation everyone was chanting the Holy Name of the Lord–Hari-Hari–and Lord Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu then appeared, after first causing the appearance of the Holy Name. At His birth, in His childhood, in His early and later boyhood, as well as in His youth, Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, under different pleas, induced the people to chant the Holy Names, especially the Hare Krishna maha-mantra:

Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare
Hari Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

In different ages there are different methods for self-realization such as meditation, temple worship and various yoga practices to control the body and mind. This is the age of Kali-yuga which means that the people are short lived more than in other ages and prone to quarrels over insignificant matters.

Although this age of Kali is considered the worst of the four yugas: Satya, Treta, Dwarpa and Kali; it has some greater benefits than the other ages. One is the all-auspicious appearance of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

Since He is the color of molten gold He is called the golden avatar, thus this is also called the golden age of Lord Chaitanya. It is said that this golden age will last 10,000 years from the time of the appearance of Lord Chaitanya. Srila Prabhupada said that his books will be the spiritual lawbooks for the next 10,000 years also. So we have a window of opportunity now to get the mercy of Sri Sri Guru and Gouranga. The fortunate souls will take advantage of this priceless mercy.

One of the benefits of this age is that even by thinking good thoughts such as worshipping the Lord in your mind you get the benefit as if you actually did the worship etc. This is called manasa-puja, mental worship.

Another benefit of this age is that self-realization is now easy simply by chanting the Holy Names. One can become self-realized by chanting the Holy Names of the Lord, especially the most powerful Hare Krishna Mahamantra as taught and practiced by Lord Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu Himself.

Lord Chaitanya is described in the western encyclopedia as a great saint who travelled all over India and transcended the caste system; uniting all people as servants of God, Krishna. But He was more than a great saint, He is Radha and Krsna combined, acting like a devotee to teach us.

Lord Chaitanya performing so many miracles. He cured the sick and converted sinful people such as Jagai and Madhai into great saints.

Due to the prayers of Sri Advaita Acarya, Lord Chaitanya appeared within the womb of mother Sacidevi. When her husband, Jagannatha Misra saw her thus impregnated he said, “I see wonderful things! Your body is effulgent and it appears as if the Goddess of Fortune were now staying personally in my home. Anywhere and everywhere I go, all people offer me respect. Even without my asking, they voluntarily give me riches clothing and food.” Mother Sacimata replied, “I also see wonderfully brilliant human beings appearing in outer space, as if offering prayers.”Jagannatha Misra then replied, “In a dream I saw the effulgent abode of the Lord enter my heart. From my heart it entered your heart. I can therefore understand that a great personality will soon take birth.” (Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu)

This missionary work of Lord Caitanya was taken up by His Divine Grace A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada who, on the order of his spiritual master, came to New York in 1965 and started the Hare Krishna Movement in America. The Hare Krishna movement then spread around the world fulfilling Lord Chaitanya’s desire that the Holy Names spread to every town and village of the world.

Srila Prabhupada departed this world in 1977 but remains spiritually present in his teachings, through his books and recorded lectures etc. which will benefit aspiring souls for generations to come, especially during this Golden Age of Lord Chaitanya.

When I first met His Divine Grace in San Francisco the day after the 1974 Rathayatra Festival he said to me and the RDTSP Devotees, “You are all very bright-faced and fortunate to come to Lord Chaitanya’s Movement. Now that you are fortunate; make others fortunate. Preach this message of Lord Chaitanya’s all over the world.”

Srila Prabhupada often said that this mission of Lord Chaitanya’s could bring real peace to the world and indeed was the real ‘United Nations.’

Printed in ‘THE NEW TIMES’ 1992 Seattle Washington.

Hoping this meets you in best of health and happiness in KC!
Your friend and servant,
Gauridasa Pandita Dasa
Chant Hare KRSNA
and your life will
be Sublime!

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Case of Transcental Benediction

Teachings of Lord Caitanya

Classic 1968 Edition

A Treatise on Factual Spiritual Life

by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

This is the summary study of Lord Caitanya's teachings in the Classic original edition. The life and teachings of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu who appeared in West Bengal, India in 1486 and Who spread love of Krishna all over India. Later His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhuapda brought the same message to the Western world.

We prostrate ourselves at the Lotus Feet of our Beloved Spiritual Master and offer this treasured book to His Divine Grace on our bowed heads. We came to Him looking for broken pieces of glass, and He has bestowed upon us a priceless gem. He has opened our eyes, which were blinded by the darkness of atheism, mental speculation, and sense gratification, to the glorious light of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. His Transcendental words are the seeds which in our hearts have bloomed into the perfection of Human life-the discovery that God lives and that we can live with Him-Krishna Consciousness. -The Publishers

Format: Hardcover, 5.5" x 8"
Pages: 330
32 color plates
44 Hardcover books per case!

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