The Divinity of Śrī Caitanyadeva

“The Divinity of Śrī Caitanyadeva’ (Śrī Caitanyadevera Bhagavattā), written by Śrīla A.C. Bhaktivedānta Swami Prabhupāda, was first published in Śrī Gauḍīya Patrikā (Vol.5, Issue 7) in 1953. In this article, Śrīla Prabhupāda presents evidence from the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam in relation to the divine position of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, summarises the symptoms of Kali-yuga, and also gives hope to the people of this age.

*dhyeyaṁ sadā paribhava-ghnam abhīṣṭa-dohaṁ

tīrthāspadaṁ śiva-viriñci-nutaṁ śaraṇyam

bhṛtyārti-haṁ praṇata-pāla bhavābdhi-potaṁ

vande mahā-puruṣa te caraṇāravindam*

tyaktvā su-dustyaja-surepsita-rājya-lakṣmīṁ

dharmiṣṭha ārya-vacasā yad agād araṇyam

māyā-mṛgaṁ dayitayepsitam anvadhāvad

vande mahā-puruṣa te caraṇāravindam

(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 11.5.33-34* *)

Our countless obeisances at the lotus feet of Śrī Caitanyadeva, the origin of all incarnations, the saviour of the fallen, the supremely magnanimous, and the sole protector of surrendered souls. Mahāprabhu Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanyadeva appeared with His associates and His abode to bestow pure kṛṣṇa-bhakti, free from other desires and not covered by philosophical speculation or fruitive activities, upon souls like ourselves, afflicted by the age of Kali. He is the Guardian of the Brahma Sampradāya, one of the four Vaiṣṇava lineages, preserved by Śrīla Ānanda Tīrtha. He is worshiped eternally by Śrīla Advaita Acharya, an incarnation of Lord Sadā-śiva, and by Śrīla Haridāsa Ṭhākura, an incarnation of Lord Brahmā. Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanyadeva, the saviour of the fallen, is the sole shelter for all living beings, the remover of the distress of His devotee, the leper brāhmaṇa, a boat for those like Vāsudeva Sārvabhauma and Prataparudra to cross the ocean of material existence, and the only deliverer of all.

Although Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanyadeva externally accepted the order of sannyāsa for certain reasons, inwardly He always nurtured the profound mood of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, eternally yearning in separation to relish Kṛṣṇa’s sweetness. He taught the living entities the secrets of kṛṣṇa-prema, and at His lotus feet – we offer our countless prostrations to His lotus feet. To bestow upon the living entities the rarest kṛṣṇa-prema, which even Brahmā cannot attain, Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanyadeva renounced the company of the worshipable Śrīmatī Viṣṇupriyā Devī and Śrīmati Lakṣmīpriyā Devī, who are worshipped by the Demigods, and accepted the austere vow of sannyāsa. In doing so, He fulfilled the prophecy mentioned in the Vedas and the Purāṇas about the Lord accepting the sannyāsa āśrama, and as a sannyāsī, Śrī Gaura Nārāyaṇa delivered the souls afflicted by the age of Kali.

In the Śrīmad Bhāgavata Mahā-Purāṇa, there two verses serve as the praṇāma-mantra of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanyadeva, the origin of all incarnations, are eternally preserved. In the Eleventh Canto of the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, from the first chapter to the fifth chapter, the conversation between King Nimi and the nine Yogendras is discussed. In this context, there is a detailed description of which incarnations of the Lord appear in different yugas. Among the nine Yogendras, the sage Śrīla Karabhajana Ṛṣi analyses the incarnations of the Lord in each yuga and explains their characteristics. In this explanation, he describes the avatārī (the source of all incarnations), Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanyadeva, along with His characteristics. After describing the various incarnations with distinct features in the Satya, Treta, and Dvapara-yugas, he describes the characteristics of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanyadeva’s incarnation as follows:

*kṛṣṇa-varṇaṁ tviṣākṛṣṇaṁ sāṅgopāṅgāstra-pārṣadam

yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtana-prāyair yajanti hi su-medhasaḥ

*(Śrimad Bhāgavatam 11.5.32)

In the Kali-yuga, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa will take on a golden or yellowish complexion, and will descend with His limbs, associates, and weapon (the Holy Name). Therefore, wise and intelligent individuals will worship Śrīmad Gaurasundara, the source of all incarnations, who is inwardly Kṛṣṇa and outwardly Gaura, endowed with the mood and radiance of Rādhā, through the sacrifice of congregational chanting of the Holy Name and will attain the highest fulfilment.

Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanyadeva is the proclaimer of bhāgavata-dharma and the teacher and initiator of the congregational chanting of the Holy Name. He accepted the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, which begins with the aphorism, janmādyasya, because it is the authentic commentary on the Brahma-sūtras or Vedānta philosophy. Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanyadeva’s divinity is accepted in this very Śrīmad Bhāgavatam. Not only in the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, but His divinity is also proven in the Upaniṣads, Purāṇas, Mahābharata and other scriptures.

Therefore, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanyadeva is not a God concocted by the fertile imagination of foolish persons, but the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself, as confirmed and specified by scriptural conclusions. He is none other than Śrī Kṛṣṇa Himself, and thus He is known as ‘Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya.’ Even Vāsudeva Sārvabhauma recognised Him as the Supreme Truth and praised Him with the following verses. These verses are especially cherished by the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas:

*vairāgya-vidyā-nija-bhakti-yoga-**śikṣārtham ekaḥ puruṣaḥ purāṇaḥ

**śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya-śarīra-dhārī *kṛpāmbudhir yas tam ahaṁ prapadye

I surrender unto that ocean of mercy who has accepted the form of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya. That unique, primeval Personality has appeared in order to teach the knowledge of renunciation and bhakti-yoga unto Himself. (Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 6.254)

*kālān naṣṭaṁ bhakti-yogaṁ nijaṁ yaḥ

prāduṣkartuṁ kṛṣṇa-caitanya-nāmā

āvirbhūtas tasya pādāravinde

gāḍhaṁ gāḍhaṁ līyatāṁ citta-bhṛṅgaḥ*

Like a honeybee, may my heart become fully immersed in the lotus feet of He who has appeared with the name Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya. He has come to revive that system of bhakti to Himself which was lost due to the influence of time. (Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 6.255)

In the second chapter of the Twelfth Canto of the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, there is a specific description in relation to the characteristics of the present Kali-yuga. The activities in Kali-yuga that we see before our very eyes are as follows:

Wealth will be the sole foundation for all activities in the age of Kali. Social status and hierarchy within society will be based upon wealth, and justice, freedom, and equality will all be determined by wealth. Personal beauty will become the only cause of attraction in married life, and the more deceit and cunning a person employs in practical affairs, the more successful they will be in achieving their goals. Men, empowered by their youthful vigour, will dominate women, and women will similarly gain dominance over men through their sexual power. Within society, high caste persons will claim the highest status merely by wearing a sacred thread, causing disorder and the gradual decline of the daivi–varṇāśrama If someone is unable to bear the various expenses of the court, they will not receive justice from the judicial system of the state. Those who act impulsively and boast about themselves will be revered by the general public. People oppressed by poverty will be labelled as dishonest in society, while arrogance and similar traits will be seen as signs of virtue. Marriage will be consummated and dissolved merely by signing a document, and the general public will consider bathing alone as sufficient as complete grooming. Water from distant rivers will be considered holy, and people will consider themselves beautiful based upon how much hair is on their head. There will be attempts to determine the Absolute Truth through unscriptural, non-divine, speculative methods. The ability to maintain a household will define a person’s competence as a householder, and those who can support their wives and children will gain social recognition. When society is distressed by the aforementioned conditions, any person, whether qualified or unqualified, elected by popular vote, will take control of state power, regardless of their caste – be they brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, or śūdra. Such unqualified rulers will naturally be greedy for wealth, selfish, ruthless, envious, and obsessed with self-glorification. As a result, they will plunder the wealth of their innocent subjects to strengthen themselves. The oppressed citizens, driven by the tyrannical rulers, will flee from one kingdom to another, becoming known as ‘refugees.’ All these refugees will be subjected to famine, disease, sorrow, and heavy taxation, forcing them to consume unsuitable foods like grass, roots, seeds, etc. Moreover, due to excessive rain or drought, the fertility of the fields will decline, leading to a shortage of food supplies on the Earth.

People afflicted by Kali-yuga will suffer from various sectarian disputes, hunger, thirst, disease, sorrow, and lack of proper clothing and shelter, causing them great distress and mental anguish. All the living entities of Kali-yuga will gradually become shorter in stature. The four varṇas and four āśramas will no longer be distinguished by guṇa and karma (qualities and activities), but will be governed by demonic principles, and the general public will engage in a way which is beyond reason. Attracted by actions contrary to virtue, people will engage in dishonest practices, seizing opportunities for high positions to indulge in acts of plunder. Therefore, in the Kali-yuga, no varṇa other than śūdra will remain. Cows will become like goats; Discrepancies will be observed in the dress and conduct of renunciates, and householders will adopt the dress of renunciates and practice begging, thereby deviating from their own duties. Friendships based on sexual relations will become the norm, medicinal trees and creepers will become like ordinary bushes, and trees will become stunted. Clouds will no longer contain water without lightning; during this time, Lord Kalki-deva will appear like a comet and destroy those who are of a barbaric nature.

There is still 427, 000 years left in Kali-yuga; therefore, at present it is just the first twilight period of the age of Kali. There is still a long time remaining. Therefore, all the symptoms mentioned above are already being observed with considerable intensity in this very early period of the age. Thus, it can be easily anticipated that people’s suffering and distress will increase even more in the future. The situation will deteriorate to such an extent that people will become like ghosts, due to the lack of essential bodily needs such as food and sleep. Due to the absence of all kinds of spiritual initiation (dīkṣā) and instruction (śikṣā), people with pleasure-seeking mentalities will become increasingly attracted to and involved in highly offensive and refined sexual discussions, both subtle and gross. At present, the widespread promotion of sexual-themed dramas, novels, and explicit images in films provides ample evidence of this. Such degraded persons will abandon the service of Vaiṣṇavas, parents, and guardians, neglecting the care of their wives and children. Also, becoming blind to their own self-interests, they will worship Śiva and Brahmā and reject their eternal relationship with the Lord, disrespecting their spiritual masters and becoming prākṛta-sahajiyās.

After extensively describing the symptoms of the Kali-yuga, the most exalted devotee and born yogī, Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī, has given a message of hope, which is as follows:

*kaler doṣa-nidhe rājann asti hy eko mahān guṇaḥ

kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya mukta-saṅgaḥ paraṁ vrajet

kṛte** yad dhyāyato viṣṇuṁ tretāyāṁ yajato makhaiḥ

dvāpare paricaryāyāṁ kalau tad dhari-kīrtanāt*

(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 12.3.51-52)

“In this age of Kali, the only great quality is that by chanting the holy names of Kṛṣṇa, people can attain liberation and come to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In Satya-yuga, liberation was attained through meditation on Viṣṇu; in Treta-yuga, it was achieved through sacrifices; and in Dvapara-yuga, it was through worship. In Kal-yuga, however, all these benefits can be attained simply by chanting the Holy Name of Lord Hari.”

In Kali-yuga, only the chanting of the Holy Names of Lord Hari is said to yield the benefits of all the previous ages. Therefore, those Āryans who only see the good in all things appreciate this age for this unique quality. Kṛṣṇa-saṅkīrtana is the only religion to be followed in Kali-yuga, and its founder is none other than Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya.

The statement of the śruti (Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad 3.3) describes this effulgent Personality (rukma-varṇa puruṣa) of Śrī Gaurasundara who is more beautiful than gold:

*yadā paśya paśyate rukma-varṇaṁ

kartāram īśam puruṣaṁ brahma-yonim

tadā vidvān puṅya-pāpaṁ vidhūya

nirañjanaḥ paramaṁ sāmyam upaiti*

When the wise person perceives the resplendent golden form of the Supreme Lord, who is the source of creation, then he becomes free from piety and sin, purified and attains and enters the Supreme Abode.

In addition to Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, which is the explanation of the Mahābhārata, the Dāna–pārva of the *Mahābhārata *mentions:

*suvarṇa-varṇo hemāṇgo varāṅgaś-candanāṅgadī

sannyāsa-kṛc chamaḥ śānto niṣṭhā-śānti-parāyaṇaḥ

*(Dāna-parva 14.9)

“While engaged in householder life, Lord Śrī Gaurasundara, who is adorned with a golden complexion and has a beautiful body, wearing a sandalwood garland, propagated the chanting of Kṛṣṇa’s Names in the holy dhāma of Nadīyā. Later, having accepted sannyāsa, He firmly dedicated Himself to the great sacrifice of chanting the Holy Names of Hari with a calm and disciplined demeanour.”

He propagated the Vedic message:

*harer nāma harer nāma harer nāmaiva kevalam

*kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva nāsty eva gatir anyathā

Only the Name of Hari, the Name of Hari, the Name of Hari! There is no other way, no other way, no other way in the age of Kali. (*Bṛhan-Nāradīya Purāṇa *3.8.126)

Therefore, it is mentioned in the scriptures that Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya is the Absolute Truth, Lord Kṛṣṇa Himself – this is the only conclusion unanimously agreed upon by all.

— Śrī Abhaya Caraṇāravinda Bhaktivedānta

(Chairman, Co-editor)

(Translated by Swami Bhaktivijñāna Giri)

📚 Prema Dhāma Deva Stotram Series Index Prakaṭa Pūrṇimā (The Appearance of the Full Moon) by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Śrī Sarasvatī Saṅlāpa (A Discourse by Sarasvatī Ṭhākura) by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Śrī Gaura ki Vastu? (Who is Sri Gaura?) by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura The ‘Vṛndāvana Express’ and the ‘Navadvīpa Special’ by Śrīla Bhakti Rakṣaka Śrīdhara Mahārāja Our Prospect is Through Gaura-Līlā by Śrīla Bhakti Rakṣaka Śrīdhara Mahārāja Paṇḍita Śrī Gadādhara Gosvāmī by Śrīla Bhakti Rakṣaka Śrīdhara Mahārāja The Magnanimous Nature of Nityānanda Prabhu by Śrīla Bhakti Rakṣaka Śrīdhara Mahārāja Makara Saṅkrānti by Śrīla Bhakti Rakṣaka Śrīdhara Mahārāja Śrī Gaura-līlāmṛṭa-sāra (The Essence of the Nectar of Śrī Gaura-Līlā) by Śrīla Bhakti Pramoda Puri Gosvāmī Mahāprabhu as Rasarāja-Mahābhāva by Śrīla Bhakti Gaurava Narasiṅgha Mahārāja Mahāprabhu as Prabhupāda by Śrīla Bhakti Gaurava Narasiṅgha Mahārāja The Five Precepts of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu Everything is by Mahāprabhu’s Grace by Śrīla Bhakti Gaurava Narasiṅgha Mahārāja Mahāprabhu’s Mudrā by Śrīla Bhakti Gaurava Narasiṅgha Mahārāja The Worship of Gaura-Gadādhara by Śrīla Bhakti Gaurava Narasiṅgha Mahārāja This Saṅkīrtana Movement Is the Līlā of Mahāprabhu by Śrīla Bhakti Gaurava Narasiṅgha Mahārāja Nityānanda Avadhūta by Śrīla Bhakti Gaurava Narasiṅgha Mahārāja

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