20201218 Conversation Between Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya and Gopīnātha Ācārya (Part 1)

Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book Compilation By His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on 18th December 2020 in Śrīdhāma Māyāpur, India.

mūkaṁ karoti vācālaṁ paṅguṁ laṅghayate girim / yat-kṛpā tam ahaṁ vande śrī-guruṁ dīna-tāraṇam /

paramānandaṁ mādhavaṁ śrī caitanya iśvaram / hariḥ oṁ tat sat /

Introduction: Today we are continuing with the compilation of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya book, today’s chapter entitled:

Conversation Between Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya and Gopīnātha Ācārya

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 6.68

mukunda-saṅge sārvabhauma-gṛhe āgamana:—

mukunda-datta lañā āilā sārvabhauma sthāne
sārvabhauma kichu tāṅre balilā vacane

Translation: Gopīnātha Ācārya then took Mukunda Datta with him and went to Sārvabhauma’s house. When they arrived, Sārvabhauma addressed Mukunda Datta as follows.

Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka 6.131:

Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya:

Ācārya stay.

Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka 6.132: (Half having left the stage,

Gopīnātha takes Mukunda by the hand,

returns with him,

and then sits down).

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 6.69 sārvabhaumera snehaprītibhare prabhura sannyāsa paricaya-jijñāsā:— /

‘prakṛti-vinīta, sannyāsī dekhite sundara / āmāra bahu-prīti bāḍe iṅhāra upara /

Translation: “The sannyāsī is very meek

and humble by nature,

and His person is very beautiful to see.

Consequently,

my affection for Him increases.

Purport by Srila Prabhupada:

Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya

considered Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu

a very humble and meek person

because although Caitanya Mahāprabhu

was a sannyāsī,

He still retained His brahmacārī name.

The Lord took sannyāsa

from Keśava Bhāratī in the Bhāratī sampradāya,

in which the brahmacārīs

(the assistants of the sannyāsīs) are named “Caitanya.”

Even after accepting sannyāsa,

Caitanya Mahāprabhu retained the name

“Caitanya,”

meaning a humble servant of a sannyāsī.

Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya

appreciated this very much.

Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka 6.133:

Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya:

Ācārya, I have become unsteady

with affection and sadness when I see Him.

Due to his relationship

with Nīlāmbara Cakravartī,

He has become an object of affection for us.

Why did He accept

sannyāsa at such an early age?

Who is His sannyāsa guru?

Jayapataka Swami: Generally one stay a grihasta until 50 years, then he becomes a vanaprastha

, then after some time as a vanaprastha, one may take sannyasa.

So it seems very unusual

that Lord Caitanya would take sannyasa at such an early age

from the grihasta ashrama.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 6.70 kon sampradāye sannyāsa karyāchena grahaṇa / kibā nāma iṅhāra, śunite haya mana’ /

Translation: “From which sampradāya has He accepted the sannyāsa order, and what is His name?”

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 6.71 gopīnāthakarttṛka paricaya-pradāna:— .

gopīnātha kahe, — nāma śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya / guru iṅhāra keśava-bhāratī mahā-dhanya /

Translation: Gopīnātha Ācārya replied,

“The Lord’s name is Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya,

and His sannyāsa precepto

r is the greatly fortunate

Keśava Bhāratī.”

Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka 6.134:

Gopīnātha Ācārya:

Keśava-bhāratī.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 6.72 sārvabhaumera sampradāya-samālocanā:— /

sārvabhauma kahe, — ‘iṅhāra nāma sarvottama / bhāratī-sampradāya iṅho — hayena madhyama’ /

Translation: Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya said,

“‘Śrī Kṛṣṇa’ is a very good name,

but He belongs to the Bhāratī community.

Therefore, He is a second-class sannyāsī.”

Jayapatākā Swami: So, there are different sampradāyas of sannyāsīs

named by Sārasvatī

are named considered by first class,

Bhāratī and other similar names

are considered second class.

Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka 6.135:

Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya:

Alas! Why did He accept

initiation in the Bhāratī-sampradāya?

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 6.73 gopīnāthera prabhura sampradāya-samarthana:— /

gopīnātha kahe, — iṅhāra nāhi bāhyāpekṣā / ataeva baḍa sampradāyera nāhika apekṣā /

Translation: Gopīnātha Ācārya replied,

“Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu

does not rely on any external formality

. There is no need for Him

to accept the sannyāsa order

from a superior sampradāya.”

Purport by Srila Prabhupada:

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu accepted sannyāsa

from the Bhāratī sampradāya (community),

which belongs to the disciplic succession of

Śaṅkarācārya.

Śaṅkarācārya introduced

names for his sannyāsa disciples,

and these are ten in number.

Out of these, the surnames

Tīrtha, Āśrama and Sarasvatī

are considered topmost.

In the monastery at Śṛṅgerī,

the surname Sarasvatī is considered

first class,

Bhāratī second class and Purī third class.

A sannyāsī who has very nicely understood

the slogan

tat tvam asi

and who takes his bath

at the confluence of the rivers Ganges,

Yamunā and Sarasvatī is called a Tīrtha.

A person who is very eager

to accept sannyāsa,

who is detached from worldly activities,

who has no desire for any kind

of material facilities,

and who is thus saved

from repeated birth and death

is known as Āśrama.

When a sannyāsī lives in a beautiful,

solitary place in the forest

and is freed from all material desires,

he is called Vana.

A sannyāsī who always lives

in the forest and renounces all connection

with the world in order to be elevated

to the heavenly planets,

where he can live

in the Nandana-kānana,

is called Araṇya.

One who prefers living

in the mountains engaging

in the study of the Bhagavad-gītā

and whose intelligence

is fixed is called Giri.

One who prefers living in great mountains,

even among ferocious animals,

to attain the summit of philosophical speculation

(understanding that the essence

of this material world is useless)

is called Parvata.

A sannyāsī who has dipped into the ocean

of the Absolute Truth

and collected some valuable

stones of knowledge from that ocean,

and who never falls from the regulative

principles of a sannyāsī, is called Sāgara.

One who has learned the classical art of music,

who engages in its culture,

and who has become expert

and completely aloof from material attachment

is called Sarasvatī.

Sarasvatī is the goddess of music

and learning, and in one hand

she holds a musical instrument called a vīṇā.

A sannyāsī who is always engaged

in music for spiritual elevation

is called Sarasvatī.

One who has become completely educated

and is freed from all kinds of ignorance

and who is never unhappy,

even in a distressed condition, is called Bhāratī.

One who has become very expert

in absolute knowledge,

who is situated in the Absolute Truth,

and who always discusses

the Absolute Truth is called Purī.

All these sannyāsīs are assisted by brahmacārīs,

who are described as follows:

One who knows his real identity

and is fixed in his

particular occupational duty,

who is always

happy in spiritual understanding, is

called Svarūpa-brahmacārī.

One who completely knows the Brahman effulgence

and is always engaged

in the practice of yoga is

called Prakāśa-brahmacārī.

One who has acquired absolute knowledge

and who always meditates on the Absolute Truth,

knowledge, the unlimited

and the Brahman effulgence,

thus keeping himself in transcendental bliss,

is called Ānanda-brahmacārī.

One who is able to distinguish

between matter and spirit,

who is never disturbed by

material transformations,

and who meditates on the unlimited,

inexhaustible,

auspicious Brahman

effulgence is a first-class,

learned brahmacārī

and is named Caitanya.

When Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya

was talking with Gopīnātha Ācārya

about Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s sannyāsa community,

he appreciated the first name, “Śrī Kṛṣṇa,”

but did not like the surname, “Caitanya,”

which is the name

for a brahmacārī

belonging to the Bhāratī community.

He therefore suggested that the Lord

be elevated to the Sarasvatī community.

However, Gopīnātha Ācārya pointed out

that the Lord does not depend on any external formality.

Gopīnātha Ācārya was firmly convinced

that Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was Kṛṣṇa Himself

and therefore independent

of any external ritual or formality.

If one wants to engage in pure devotional service,

he does not require

titular superiority

as a Bhāratī or a Sarasvatī.

Jayapatākā Swami: Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya, he was fixed in the external consciousness,

lower superior titles.

But as instructed in the scriptures, pure devotion is free from all designations

sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam,

Lord Caitanya was showing how to practice pure devotion,

so He was not interested in any external titles

Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka 6.136:

Gopīnātha Ācārya:

He has no regard for external considerations.

He has regard only for vairāgya.

Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka 6.137: Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya:

What are those external considerations?

Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka 6.138: Gopīnātha Ācārya:

The consideration that one sampradāya is

better than another and so on.

Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka 6.139: Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya:

You did not say the right thing.

The glory of the sannyāsa-āśrama is not external.

Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka 6.140: Gopīnātha Ācārya:

If the glory of the sannyāsa-āśrama

is only for respect,

(but not for spiritual practice),

then it is external.

Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka 6.141: Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya:

What is wrong with respect?

I say that He (Lord Caitanya)

should be purified

by again accepting saffron garments

from a sannyāsī of the best sampradāya

and by hearing Vedānta.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 6.74 marttya yuvā-jñāne prabhuprati bhaṭṭācāryera guruvat upadeśokti:— /

bhaṭṭācārya kahe, — ‘iṅhāra prauḍha yauvana / kemate sannyāsa-dharma ha-ibe rakṣaṇa /

Translation: The Bhaṭṭācārya inquired,

“Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu

is in His full-fledged youthful life.

How can He keep the principles of sannyāsa?

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 6.75 nirantara iṅhāke vedānta śunāiba / vairāgya-advaita-mārge praveśa karāiba /

Translation: “I shall continually

recite Vedānta philosophy before

Caitanya Mahāprabhu

so that He may remain fixed

in His renunciation and thus

enter upon the path of monism.”

Purport by Srila Prabhupada:

According to Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya,

among sannyāsīs the cultivation of Vedānta philosophy

helps in becoming detached from sense gratification.

Thus a sannyāsī can protect

the prestige

of wearing a loincloth (kaupīna).

One has to practice sense control

as well as mind control

and subdue the six forces of

speech, mind, anger, tongue, belly and genitals.

Then one can become expert in understanding

the devotional service of the Lord

and thus become a perfect sannyāsī.

For that purpose one must cultivate knowledge

and renunciation regularly.

When one is attached to material sense gratification,

he cannot protect

his sannyāsa order.

Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya suggested that

by the study of vairāgya (renunciation)

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu might be saved from

the clutches of full-fledged youthful desires.

Jayapatākā Swami: Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya was considering Lord Caitanya as an ordinary youth

and that’s why he thought if he is absorbed in the Vedānta philosophy

He could maintain the sannyāsa.

He will learn eventually that Lord Caitanya is in completely in different level.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 6.76 kahena yadi, punarapi yoga-paṭṭa diyā / saṁskāra kariye uttama-sampradāye āniyā’/

Translation: Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya then suggested,

“If Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu would like,

I could bring Him into a first-class

sampradāya by offering Him

saffron cloth and performing

the reformatory process again.”

Purport by Srila Prabhupada:

The Bhaṭṭācārya wanted to reinstate

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu into the Sarasvatī sampradāya

because he did not like

the Lord’s belonging

to the Bhāratī sampradāya or Purī sampradāya.

Actually, he did not know

the position of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

As the Supreme Personality of Godhead,

Caitanya Mahāprabhu did not depend on

an inferior or superior sampradāya.

The Supreme Personality of Godhead

remains in the supreme position

in all circumstances.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 6.77 prabhura prati śāsana-darśane bhaktadvayera duḥkha:— /

śuni’ gopīnātha-mukunda duṅhe duḥkhī hailā / gopīnāthācārya kichu kahite lāgilā /

Translation: Gopīnātha Ācārya and Mukunda Datta

became very unhappy

when they heard this.

Gopīnātha Ācārya therefore

addressed Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya

as follows.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 6.78 sārvabhaumera ajñatā-darśane gopīnāthera prabhu-mahimā-kīrtana /

‘bhaṭṭācārya’ tumi iṅhāra nā jāna mahimā / bhagavattā-lakṣaṇera iṅhātei sīmā /

Translation: “My dear Bhaṭṭācārya,

you do not know the greatness

of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

All the symptoms of

the Supreme Personality of Godhead

are found in Him to the highest degree.”

Purport by Srila Prabhupada:

Since the Bhaṭṭācārya was an impersonalist,

he had no idea

of the Absolute Truth

beyond the impersonal effulgence.

However, Gopīnātha Ācārya

informed him that Caitanya Mahāprabhu

was the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Those who know the Absolute Truth

know it in three phases,

as explained in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.2.11):

vadanti tat tattva-vidas tattvaṁ yaj jñānam advayam / brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti śabdyate /

“Those who are in knowledge of the

nondual Absolute Truth

know very clearly what is Brahman,

what is Paramātmā, and what is

the Supreme Personality of Godhead.”

The Supreme Personality of Godhead

is ṣaḍ-aiśvarya-pūrṇa,

complete with six opulences.

Gopīnātha Ācārya emphasized that all

those six opulences were completely existing

in Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

Jayapatākā Swami: So Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya, gained the sat-saṅga of the auspicious association with the devotees.

They are sharing with him, the actual glories of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu,

but it may take some time to understand.

Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka 6.142:

Gopīnātha Ācārya: (as if irritated)

Bhaṭṭācārya, you do not understand His glory.

By whatever I have seen,

it is to be inferred that

He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka 6.143: Mukunda: (to himself)

Well spoken. O Ācārya, well spoken.

My life was burning with

(by the words of Sārvabhauma)

and you have cooled it.

Jayapatākā Swami: A devotee cannot tolerate any offense to Supreme Personality of Godhead,

or to his devotees.

Since Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya was referring to Lord Caitanya

in a material sense,

Mukunda Dutta was feeling greatly irritated

and He wanted to say something

but Gopinath Ācārya said for him.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 6.79 tāhāte vikhyāta iṅho parama-īśvara / ajña-sthāne kichu nahe vijñera gocara’ /

Translation: Gopīnātha Ācārya continued,

“Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu is celebrated

as the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Those who are ignorant

in this connection find the conclusion of

knowledgeable men

very difficult to understand.”

Jayapatākā Swami: People don’t understand the actual position of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya,

they are very confused

and are not able to understand what’s going on

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 6.80 tarkapanthī o śrautapanthīra vicāra; tarkapanthāya bhagavān alabhya, śrautapanthāya sulabha:— /

śiṣya-gaṇa kahe, — ‘īśvara kaha kon pramāṇe’ / ācārya kahe, — ‘vijña-mata īśvara-lakṣaṇe’ /

Translation: The disciples of Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya retaliated,

“By what evidence do you conclude

that Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is the Supreme Lord?”

Gopīnātha Ācārya replied,

“The statements of authorized ācāryas

who understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead

are proof.”

Purport by Srila Prabhupada:

Since the appearance of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu,

there have been many pseudo incarnations

in India who do not present

authorized evidence.

Five hundred years ago

the disciples of Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya,

being very learned scholars,

were certainly right in asking

Gopīnātha Ācārya for evidence.

If a person proposes

that he himself is God

or that someone else is an incarnation of God

or God Himself,

he must cite evidence from śāstra

to prove his claim.

Thus the request of the Bhaṭṭācārya’s disciples

is quite bona fide.

Unfortunately, at the present moment

it has become fashionable

to present someone as an incarnation of God

without referring to the śāstras.

Before an intelligent person

accepts someone as an incarnation of God,

however, he must ask about the evidence.

When the disciples of

Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya

challenged Gopīnātha Ācārya,

he immediately replied correctly:

“We must hear the statements

of great personalities in order to

understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead.”

Lord Kṛṣṇa is established

as the Supreme Personality of Godhead

by statements from many authorized persons,

such as Brahmā, Nārada,

Vyāsadeva, Asita and Arjuna.

Similarly, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu

is also established

as the Supreme Personality of Godhead

by evidence from the same personalities.

This will be explained later.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, if someone claims He is god or claims someone as god

or incarnation of Godhead

then it is quite natural to ask what is the proof.

So, a person should be predicted in the Vedas,

or Vedic literature.

He should perform the activities mentioned about that incarnations

and He should do some activity which are miraculous, and which cannot be performed by ordinary people.

This is how Lord Caitanya assumed the mood of Lord Varāhadeva

and manifested the four hoofs.

If someone claims to be God

then they should be able to manifest the hoofs.

Just like Kṛṣṇa, when he spoke the Bhagavad-gītā,

he manifested in the eleventh Chapter the Viśva-rupa

so like that someone may claim they are avatāra

so they should be able to show something

which confirms that.

In the Vedas it is mentioned that there would be a Kalki avatāra

but it says that the Kalki avatāra would come at the end of the Kali-yuga,

that’s 4,32,000 years after the beginning of the Kali yuga.

Recently someone in Andhra Pradesh

claimed that He was Kalki avatāra,

then when we showed him that its little early, he should come after three or 4,27,000,

well I may not be a Kalki avatāra but I am an avatāra.

So, like this in Kali yuga there are many people falsely claim they are incarnation of Godhead

so it’s proper that the servants of Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya asked, “what is the proof?”

Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka 6.144:

Sārvabhauma's Disciples:

What evidence makes you think

He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka 6.145: Gopīnātha Ācārya:

By the transcendental evidence

of the specialized knowledge obtained

by the mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Because the Lord is spiritual in nature,

He cannot be known by material evidence.

Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka 6.146: The Disciples:

This is not the purport of the scriptures.

Why can the Supreme Personality of Godhead

not be known by guesswork or hypothesis?

Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka 6.147: Gopīnātha Ācārya:

By logic one may infer His existence,

but one cannot establish the truth about Him.

Only by the knowledge obtained by His mercy

can one know Him

(not by other means),

because the infallible knowledge

is the means to establish Him.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 6.81 śiṣya kahe, — ‘īśvara-tattva sādhi anumāne’ / ācārya kahe, — ‘anumāne nahe īśvara-jñāne /

Translation: The disciples of the Bhaṭṭācārya said,

“We derive knowledge of the Absolute Truth

by logical hypothesis.”

Gopīnātha Ācārya replied,

“One cannot attain real knowledge

of the Supreme Personality of Godhead

by such logical

hypothesis and argument.”

Purport: The Māyāvādī philosophers

in particular make certain hypotheses

about the Absolute Truth.

They reason that

in the material world we

experience that everything is created.

If we trace the history of anything,

we find a creator.

Therefore there must be a creator

of this huge cosmic manifestation.

By such reasoning they come to the conclusion

that a higher power has created this cosmic manifestation.

The Māyāvādīs do not accept

this great power to be a person.

Their brains cannot accommodate

the fact that the huge cosmic manifestation

can be created by a person.

They doubt this because

as soon as they think of a person,

they think of a person within

the material world with limited potency.

Sometimes the Māyāvādī philosophers

will accept Lord Kṛṣṇa

or Lord Rāma as Bhagavān,

but they think of the Lord

as a person having a material body.

The Māyāvādīs do not understand

that the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa,

has a spiritual body.

They think of Kṛṣṇa

as a great personality, a human being,

within whom there

is the supreme impersonal power, Brahman.

Therefore, they finally conclude

that the impersonal Brahman is the Supreme,

not the personality Kṛṣṇa.

This is the basis of Māyāvādī philosophy.

However, from the śāstras

we can understand

that the Brahman effulgence consists

of the bodily rays of Kṛṣṇa:

yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi-/ koṭiṣv aśeṣa-vasudhādi-vibhūti-bhinnam /

tad brahma niṣkalam anantam aśeṣa-bhūtaṁ / govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi /

“I serve the Supreme Personality of Godhead,

Govinda, the primeval Lord,

the effulgence of whose transcendental body

is known as the brahma-jyoti.

That brahma-jyoti, which is unlimited,

unfathomed and all-pervasive,

is the cause of the creation of

unlimited numbers of planets

with varieties of

climates and specific conditions of life.” (Bs. 5.40)

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 6.82 anumāna pramāṇa nahe īśvara-tattva-jñāne / kṛpā vinā īśvarere keha nāhi jāne /

Translation: Gopīnātha Ācārya continued,

“One can understand the

Supreme Personality of Godhead

only by His mercy,

not by guesswork or hypothesis.”

Purport by Srila Prabhupada:

One cannot understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead

simply by exhibiting some mundane magic.

Foolish people are enchanted

by magical demonstrations,

and when they see a few wonderful things done by mystical power,

they accept a magician

as the Personality of Godhead

or an incarnation.

This is not the way of realization.

Nor should one guess or speculate

about an incarnation of God

or the Personality of Godhead.

One has to learn from the bona fide person

or from the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself,

as Arjuna did, by the mercy of Kṛṣṇa.

Kṛṣṇa Himself also gives many hints about His potencies

as the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

One should understand

the Supreme Personality of Godhead

only through the evidence presented

by the śāstras and the mahājanas.

In any case, one

must have the mercy of the Lord in order to understand

the Supreme Personality of Godhead

by devotional service.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, the incarnation of Godhead is predicted in the śāstras or revealed scriptures.

So that evidence from the scriptures confirmed by the Lord’s activities

is the proper system for understanding who is the Personality of Godhead.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 6.83 īśvarera kṛpā-leśa haya ta’ yāhāre / sei ta’ īśvara-tattva jānibāre pāre /

Translation: The Ācārya continued,

“If one receives

but a tiny bit of the Lord’s favor

by dint of devotional service,

he can understand the nature

of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka 6.148:

The Disciples:

Where is the proof of that in scripture?

Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka 6.149: Gopīnātha Ācārya:

The word of the Purāṇa is the proof.

Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka 6.150: The Disciples:

Recite (Purāṇa-vacana as the proof).

Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka 6.151: Gopīnātha Ācārya:

(Herein in this verse,

the word ‘vicinvan’

is ‘the path of the scriptures’

in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.14.29) which

is the same verse below)

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 6.84 kṛpā vinā kevala jñānamārge bhagavān agocara— /

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.14.29)— / athāpi te deva padāmbuja-dvaya- / prasāda-leśānugṛhīta eva hi /

jānāti tattvaṁ bhagavan-mahimno / na cānya eko ’pi ciraṁ vicinvan /

Translation: “‘My Lord, if one is favored

by even a slight trace

of the mercy of Your lotus feet,

he can understand the greatness

of Your personality.

But those who speculate

in order to understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead

are unable to know You,

even though they continue to study

the Vedas for many years.’”

Purport by Srila Prabhupada: The above verse is from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.14.29).

The Brahma-saṁhitā states,

vedeṣu durlabham adurlabham ātma-bhaktau (Bs. 5.33).

Although the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa,

is the ultimate goal of knowledge

(vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyaḥ [Bg. 15.15]),

one who is not a pure devotee

and who is not engaged in the service

of the Lord cannot understand Him.

Lord Brahmā therefore confirms this.

Vedeṣu durlabham:

“It is very difficult to understand the Supreme Lord

simply through one’s studies.”

Adurlabham ātma-bhaktau:

“However, it is very easy

for the devotees to capture the Lord.”

The Lord is known as ajita

(unconquerable).

No one can conquer

the Supreme Personality of Godhead,

but the Lord consents

to be conquered by His devotees.

That is His nature.

As stated in the Padma Purāṇa:

ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi na bhaved grahyam indriyaiḥ / sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ / [Cc. Madhya 17.136] /

Being pleased by devotional activities,

the Lord reveals Himself to His devotees.

That is the way to understand Him.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 6.85 mānada haiyāo bhaṭṭācāryera nāstikatā-darśane gopīnāthera anādara:— /

yadyapi jagad-guru tumi — śāstra-jñānavān / pṛthivīte nāhi paṇḍita tomāra samāna /

Translation: Gopīnātha Ācārya then addressed

Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya:

“You are a great scholar

and a teacher of many disciples.

Indeed, there is no other scholar like you on earth.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 6.86 īśvarera kṛpā-leśa nāhika tomāte / ataeva īśvara-tattva nā pāra jānite /

Translation: Nonetheless, because you are bereft

of even a pinch of the Lord’s mercy,

you cannot understand Him,

even though He is present in your home.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 6.87 tomāra nāhika doṣa, śāstre ei kahe / pāṇḍityādye īśvara-tattva-jñāna kabhu nahe’ /

Translation: “It is not your fault;

it is the verdict of the scriptures.

You cannot understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead

simply by scholarship.”

Purport: This is a very important verse.

Even big scholars cannot understand Kṛṣṇa,

yet they dare comment on the Bhagavad-gītā.

Reading the Bhagavad-gītā means understanding Kṛṣṇa,

yet we actually see many scholars

making blunders in trying to understand Kṛṣṇa.

Gopīnātha Ācārya’s statement

is confirmed in many places in the Vedic literature.

Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka 6.153:

The Disciples:

Then, is there no Lord's mercy in the scriptures?

Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka 6.154: Gopīnātha Ācārya:

Yes.

Why is it stated otherwise

by the word ‘vicinvan’.

Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka 6.155: The Disciples: (Laughing)

Then how

is that you have vainly studied all these days?

Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka 6.156: Gopīnātha Ācārya:

That is only dexterity

in literary production.

Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka 6.157: Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya: (laughing)

It could be you have obtained the mercy of the Lord.

Then, you know the truth about Him.

Tell us something.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 6.88 sārvabhaumera kutarka:— /

sārvabhauma kahe, — ācārya, kaha sāvadhāne / tomāte īśvara-kṛpā ithe ki pramāṇe /

Translation: Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya replied,

“My dear Gopīnātha Ācārya,

please speak with great care

. What is the proof

that you have received the mercy of the Lord?”

Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka 6.158: Gopīnātha Ācārya:

It cannot be explained in words.

It is only known by direct perception.

When you have obtained the mercy of the Lord

you will be able to directly perceive it.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 6.89 gopīnāthera tannirāsa:— /

ācārya kahe, — “vastu-viṣaye haya vastu-jñāna / vastu-tattva-jñāna haya kṛpāte pramāṇa /

Translation: Gopīnātha Ācārya replied,

“Knowledge of the summum bonum,

the Absolute Truth,

is evidence of the mercy

of the Supreme Lord.”

Purport by Srila Prabhupada:

Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya informed

his brother-in-law, Gopīnātha Ācārya,

“The Supreme Personality of Godhead

may not have shown mercy to me,

but what is the proof of His having shown it to you?

Kindly let us know about this.”

In reply to this, Gopīnātha Ācārya said

that the summum bonum, the Absolute Truth,

and His different potencies

are identical.

Therefore, one can understand

the substance of the Absolute Truth

by the manifestation of His different potencies.

The summum bonum includes

all potencies in one unit.

The Absolute Truth combined

with different characteristics is

the original substance (vastu):

parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate [Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport]

Thus, the Vedas state

that the Absolute Truth has different potencies.

When one understands

the characteristics of the potencies

of the Absolute Truth,

one is aware of the Absolute Truth.

On the material platform as well,

one can understand the substance

by the manifestation of its symptoms.

For example, when there is heat,

it is to be understood that there is fire.

The heat of the fire is perceived directly.

The fire may not be visible,

but one can search out

the fire by feeling heat.

Similarly, if one can perceive

the characteristics of the Absolute Truth,

we can know that he has understood

the substance of the Absolute Truth

by the mercy of the Lord.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 6.90 pratyakṣa īśvara-lakṣaṇa dekhiyāo īśvare abiśvāsa— / māyāra khelā:— /

iṅhāra śarīre saba īśvara-lakṣaṇa/ mahā-premāveśa tumi pāñācha darśana /

Translation: Gopīnātha Ācārya continued,

“You have seen the symptoms

of the Supreme Personality of Godhead

in the body of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu

during His absorption in an ecstatic mood.

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya was in complete nirvikāra mood,

where He is hardly breathing.

So Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya held a cotton swab across His nostrils

and perceive that He was still alive,

and these symptoms was not ordinary.

So Gopīnātha Ācārya was saying that, you were seeing these symptoms

which were not possible for ordinary people.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 6.91

tabu ta’ īśvara-jñāna nā haya tomāra
īśvarera māyā ei — bali vyavahāra

Translation: “Despite directly perceiving the symptoms of the Supreme Lord in the body of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, you cannot understand Him. This is commonly called illusion.”

Purport: Gopīnātha Ācārya is pointing out that Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya had already seen uncommon symptoms of ecstasy in the body of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. These uncommon symptom s of ecstatic love indicated the Supreme Person, but despite having seen all these symptoms, the Bhaṭṭācārya could not understand the Lord’s transcendental nature. He was considering the Lord’s pastimes to be mundane. This was certainly due to illusion

Jayapatākā Swami: So, anyone claims to be God, we should ask him such questions and the actual understanding is seen by three evidences.