20211004 Lord Caitanya Refutes the Misconception that Kṛṣṇa Has Again Manifested at Vṛndāvana

The following is a Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book Compilation given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on October 4th, 2021 in Sri Dhama Mayapur, 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!

Continuation of the compilation of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book, the chapter entitled:

Lord Caitanya Refutes the Misconception that Kṛṣṇa Has Again Manifested at Vṛndāvana

Under the section: Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s Visit to Śrī Vṛndāvana

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā, 18.91

vṛndāvane kṛṣṇa prākaṭya-janarava:—

vṛndāvane punaḥ ‘kṛṣṇa’ prakaṭa ha-ila
yāhāṅ tāhāṅ loka saba kahite lāgila

Translation: Everywhere Lord Caitanya went, all the people said, “Kṛṣṇa has again manifested at Vṛndāvana.”

Jayapatākā Swami: So, this was the amazing discussion that Lord Caitanya went to find out what they meant.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā, 18.92

ekadina vṛndāvana haite bahulokera prabhu-samīpe āgamana:—

eka-dina akrūrete loka prātaḥ-kāle
vṛndāvana haite āise kari’ kolāhale

Translation: One morning many people came to Akrūra-tīrtha. As they came from Vṛndāvana, they made a tumultuous sound.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā, 18.93

prabhukarttṛka tāhādigera āgamana-kāraṇa-jijñāsā:—

prabhu dekhi’ karila loka caraṇa vandana
prabhu kahe,—kāhāṅ haite karilā āgamana?

Translation: Upon seeing Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, all the people offered respects at His lotus feet. The Lord then asked them, “Where are you all coming from?”

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā, 18.94

kṛṣṇa prākaṭya-janarava; mūḍha-lokera vivartta-bhrama:—

loke kahe,—kṛṣṇa prakaṭa kālīya-dahera jale!
kālīya-śire nṛtya kare, phaṇā-ratna jvale

Translation: The people replied, “Kṛṣṇa has again manifested Himself on the waters of Kālīya Lake. He dances on the hoods of the serpent Kālīya, and the jewels on those hoods are blazing.”

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā, 18.95

prabhu-darśanai kṛṣṇa-darśana; tathāpi prabhura kautuka-hāsya:—

sākṣāt dekhila loka—nāhika saṁśaya
śuni’ hāsi’ kahe prabhu,—saba ‘satya’ haya

Translation: “Everyone has seen Lord Kṛṣṇa Himself. There is no doubt about it.” Hearing this, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu began to laugh. He then said, “Everything is correct.”

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā, 18.96

Jayapatākā Swami: So, by the mercy of Sarasvatī devi people were seeing Lord Caitanya, who is Śrī Kṛṣṇa Himself. They were saying that they are seeing Kṛṣṇa, actually what they were saying was correct but not the way they thought so.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā, 18.96

tinadina yāvat sakalera kṛṣṇa-darśana-lābha varṇana:—

ei-mata tina-rātri lokera gamana
sabe āsi’ kahe,—kṛṣṇa pāiluṅ daraśana

Translation: For three successive nights people went to Kālīya-daha to see Kṛṣṇa, and everyone returned saying, “Now we have seen Kṛṣṇa Himself.”

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā, 18.97

sarasvatī-karttṛka ai vākyera satyatā-sthāpana:—

prabhu-āge kahe loka,—śrī-kṛṣṇa dekhila
‘sarasvatī’ ei vākye ‘satya’ kahāila

Translation: Everyone came before Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and said, “Now we have directly seen Lord Kṛṣṇa.” Thus by the mercy of the goddess of learning they were made to speak the truth.

Jayapatākā Swami: Actually by seeing Lord Caitanya they were seeing Lord Kṛṣṇa Himself but what they saw at Kalīya-daha was not actually Kṛṣṇa.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā, 18.98

prabhu-darśanei lokera kṛṣṇa-darśana ‘satya’ haileo prakṛtapakṣe tāhādera varṇana o uddeśya—vivarttāśrita:—

mahāprabhu dekhi’ ‘satya’ kṛṣṇa-daraśana
nijājñāne satya chāḍi’ ‘asatye satya-bhrama’

Translation: When the people saw Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, they actually saw Kṛṣṇa, but because they were following their own imperfect knowledge, they accepted the wrong thing as Kṛṣṇa.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, this is the situation in the age of Kali, for that matter any age. Just like the people in the arena of Kaṁsā saw Kṛṣṇa each in their personal point of view. Similarly the people see Lord Caitanya but they don’t realise that He is Kṛṣṇa and instead they think that something that is not Kṛṣṇa is actually Kṛṣṇa.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā, 18.99

sarala-buddhi bhaṭṭera vivartta-bhrama:—

bhaṭṭācārya tabe kahe prabhura caraṇe
‘ājñā deha’, yāi’ kari kṛṣṇa daraśane!’

Translation: At that time Balabhadra Bhaṭṭācārya placed a request at the lotus feet of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. He said, “Please give me permission to go see Lord Kṛṣṇa directly.”

Purport: The puzzled people who visited Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu were actually seeing Lord Kṛṣṇa, but they were mistaken in thinking that Lord Kṛṣṇa had come to Kālīya Lake. They all said that they had seen Kṛṣṇa directly performing His pastimes on the hoods of the serpent Kālīya and that the jewels on Kālīya’s hoods were blazing brilliantly. Because they were speculating with their imperfect knowledge, they saw Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu as an ordinary human being and a boatman’s light in the lake as Kṛṣṇa. One must see things as they are through the mercy of a spiritual master; otherwise, if one tries to see Kṛṣṇa directly, he may mistake an ordinary man for Kṛṣṇa or Kṛṣṇa for an ordinary man. Everyone has to see Kṛṣṇa according to the verdict of Vedic literatures presented by the self-realized spiritual master. A sincere person is able to see Kṛṣṇa through the transparent via medium of Śrī Gurudeva, the spiritual master. Unless one is enlightened by the knowledge given by the spiritual master, he cannot see things as they are, even though he remains constantly with the spiritual master. This incident at Kālīya-daha is very instructive for those eager to advance in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, even if Kṛṣṇa appeared we could have nmistake Him for an ordinary person. We have to see Kṛṣṇa through the eyes of a bona fide spiritual master. Lord Kṛṣṇa was revealed by His Divine Grace AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda in the pages of Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. So, by following Śrīla Prabhupāda we can understand Kṛṣṇa as He is.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā, 18.100

prabhukarttṛka tāṅhāra bhrama-nirasana:—

tabe tāṅre kahe prabhu cāpaḍa māriyā
“mūrkhera vākye ’mūrkha’ hailā paṇḍita hañā

Translation: When Balabhadra Bhaṭṭācārya asked to see Kṛṣṇa at Kālīya-daha, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu mercifully slapped him, saying, “You are a learned scholar, but you have become a fool, being influenced by the statements of other fools.”

Purport: Māyā is so strong that even a person like Balabhadra Bhaṭṭācārya, who was constantly staying with Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, was influenced by the words of fools. He wanted to see Kṛṣṇa directly by going to Kālīya-daha, but Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, being the original spiritual master, would not allow His servant to fall into such foolishness. He therefore chastised him, slapping him just to bring him to a real sense of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, just as in flying one has to learn to fly with the instruments, and when flying through the clouds, we cannot see but depend on the instruments. We cannot depend on our senses but we have to depend on our instruments, similarly to understand Kṛṣṇa we have to hear from and depend on the bona fide spiritual master, not our senses or statements of foolish people.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā, 18.101

svayaṁ kṛṣṇa haiyāo bhaṭṭake ātmagopana, athaca sarala-buddhi bhaṭṭake vivartta kabala haite uddhāra:—

kṛṣṇa kene daraśana dibe kali-kāle?
nija-bhrame mūrkha-loka kare kolāhale

Translation: “Why would Kṛṣṇa appear in the Age of Kali? Foolish people who are mistaken are simply causing agitation and making a tumult.

Purport: Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s first statement (kṛṣṇa kene daraśana dibe kali-kāle) refers to the scriptures. According to scripture, Kṛṣṇa appears in Dvāpara-yuga, but He never appears as Himself in Kali-yuga. Rather, He appears in Kali-yuga in a covered form.

As stated in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.5.32),

Kṛṣṇa appears in the Age of Kali in the garb of a devotee, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, who always associates with His internal soldiers— Śrī Advaita Prabhu, Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu, Śrīvāsa Prabhu and Gadādhara Prabhu. Although Balabhadra Bhaṭṭācārya was personally serving Lord Kṛṣṇa in His role as a devotee (Caitanya Mahāprabhu), he mistook Lord Kṛṣṇa for an ordinary man and an ordinary man for Lord Kṛṣṇa because he did not follow the rules set down by śāstra and guru.

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Kṛṣṇa’s name is tri-yuga, He only appears as the Supreme Personality of Godhead in the tri-yugas, Satya, Tretā and Dvāpara. In Kali-yuga He appears as channa-avatāra or disguised incarnation, He doesn’t proclaim Himself as God. So, why would Kṛṣṇa show Himself as Kṛṣṇa in Kali-yuga?

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā, 18.102

māyā-mugdha acite cidbuddhi vā cidāropakārī mūrkha.

vivarttavādīi ‘vāula’:—

‘vātula’ nā ha-io, ghare rahata vasiyā
‘kṛṣṇa’ daraśana kariha kāli rātrye yāñā”

Translation: “Do not become mad. Simply sit down here, and tomorrow night you will go see Kṛṣṇa.”

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya is guiding His disciple, He would reveal the misconceptions of the foolish people.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā, 18.103

prāte samāgata śiṣṭa lokake kṛṣṇa-darśana-kathā-jijñāsā:—

prātaḥ-kāle bhavya-loka prabhu-sthāne āilā
‘kṛṣṇa dekhi’ āilā?’—prabhu tāṅhāre puchilā

Translation: The next morning some respectable gentlemen came to see Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and the Lord asked them, “Have you seen Kṛṣṇa?”

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā, 18.104

sei lokera prakṛta-tathya-varṇana:—

loka kahe,—rātrye kaivartya naukāte caḍiyā
kālīya-dahe matsya māre, deuṭī jvāliyā

Translation: These respectable gentlemen replied, “At night in Kālīya Lake a fisherman lights a torch in his boat and catches many fish.”

Jayapatākā Swami: So, these gentlemen revealed the actual secret of foolish people saying that they had seen Kṛṣṇa. The fisherman's light was shining and moving around as he rocked the boat, and they thought those were the heads of the Kalīya serpent and the shadow of the fisherman they thought was Kṛṣṇa dancing on the heads of Kalīya.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā, 18.105

dūra haite tāhā dekhi’ lokera haya ‘bhrama’
‘kālīyera śarīre kṛṣṇa kariche nartana’!

Translation: “From a distance, people mistakenly think that they are seeing Kṛṣṇa dancing on the body of the Kālīya serpent.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā, 18.106

mūḍhalokera vivartta buddhi:—

naukāte kālīya-jñāna, dīpe ratna-jñāne!
jāliyāre mūḍha-loka ’kṛṣṇa’ kari’ māne!

Translation: “These fools think that the boat is the Kālīya serpent and the torchlight the jewels on his hoods. People also mistake the fisherman for Kṛṣṇa.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā, 18.107

pakṣāntare janaravera o lokera kṛṣṇa-darśana-kriyārao satyatā:—

vṛndāvane ‘kṛṣṇa’ āilā,—sei ‘satya’ haya
kṛṣṇere dekhila loka,—ihā ‘mithyā’ naya

Translation: “Actually Lord Kṛṣṇa has returned to Vṛndāvana. That is the truth, and it is also true that people have seen Him.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Kṛṣṇa came as Lord Caitanya and people have seen Him, that is true.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā, 18.108

kintu prakṛtapakṣe pratīti-baiṣamyei vivartta-bhramodaya:—

kintu kāhoṅ ‘kṛṣṇa’ dekhe, kāhoṅ ‘bhrama’ māne
sthāṇu-puruṣe yaiche viparīta-jñāne

Translation: “But where they are seeing Kṛṣṇa is their mistake. It is like considering a dry tree to be a person.”

Purport: The word sthāṇu means “a dry tree without leaves.” From a distance one may mistake such a tree for a person. This is called sthāṇu-puruṣa. Although Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was living in Vṛndāvana, the inhabitants considered Him an ordinary human being, and they mistook the fisherman to be Kṛṣṇa. Every human being is prone to make such mistakes. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was mistaken for an ordinary sannyāsī, the fisherman was mistaken for Kṛṣṇa, and the torchlight was mistaken for bright jewels on Kālīya’s hoods.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, human beings are subject to commit mistake, imperfect senses, to cheat others and being illusioned. So, therefore we have to see through the eyes of the scriptures and through the spiritual master.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā, 18.109

prabhura kṛṣṇa-darśana-prāpti-saṁvāda-jijñāsā, prabhu-darśane labdha-sukṛti lokera nārāyaṇa buddhi:—

prabhu kahe,—'kāhāṅ pāilā kṛṣṇa daraśana?’
loka kahe,—'sannyāsī tumi jaṅgama-nārāyaṇa

Translation: Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu then asked them, “Where have you seen Kṛṣṇa directly?”

The people replied, “You are a sannyāsī, a renunciant; therefore You are a moving Nārāyaṇa [jaṅgama-nārāyaṇa].”

Purport: This is the viewpoint of Māyāvāda philosophy. Māyāvāda philosophy supports the impersonalist view that Nārāyaṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, has no form. One can imagine impersonal Brahman in any form—as Viṣṇu, Lord Śiva, Vivasvān, Gaṇeśa or Devī Durgā. According to the Māyāvāda philosophy, when one becomes a sannyāsī he is to be considered a moving Nārāyaṇa. Māyāvāda philosophy holds that the real Nārāyaṇa does not move because, being impersonal, He has no legs. Thus according to Māyāvāda philosophy, whoever becomes a sannyāsī declares himself Nārāyaṇa. Foolish people accept such ordinary human beings as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is called vivarta-vāda.

In this regard, Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura comments that jaṅgama-nārāyaṇa means that the impersonal Brahman takes a shape and moves here and there in the form of a Māyāvādī sannyāsī. The Māyāvāda philosophy confirms this. Daṇḍa-grahaṇa-mātreṇa naro nārāyaṇo bhavet: “Simply by accepting the daṇḍa of the order of sannyāsa, one is immediately transformed into Nārāyaṇa.” Therefore Māyāvādī sannyāsīs address one another by saying oṁ namo nārāyaṇāya. In this way one Nārāyaṇa worships another Nārāyaṇa.

Actually an ordinary human being cannot become Nārāyaṇa. As the chief Māyāvādī sannyāsī, Śrī Śaṅkarācārya says, nārāyaṇaḥ paro ’vyaktāt: “Nārāyaṇa is not a creation of this material world. Nārāyaṇa is above the material creation.” Due to their poor fund of knowledge, Māyāvādī sannyāsīs think that Nārāyaṇa, the Absolute Truth, takes birth as a human being and that when He realizes this, He becomes Nārāyaṇa again. They never consider why Nārāyaṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, would accept an inferior position as a human being and then again become Nārāyaṇa when He is perfect. Why should Nārāyaṇa be imperfect? Why should He appear as a human being? Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu very nicely explained these points while at Vṛndāvana.

Jayapatākā Swami: This idea that the Māyāvādī sannyāsī is Nārāyaṇa, gave great distress to Śrī Mādhavendra Purī and He did not like to travel by the public roads, because if one meets a sannyāsī, he would address him as Nārāyaṇa. A Tridaṇḍi sannyāsī accepts one's self as a servant of Kṛṣṇa.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā, 18.110

vṛndāvane ha-ilā tumi kṛṣṇa-avatāra
tomā dekhi’ sarva-loka ha-ila nistāra

Translation: The people then said, “You have appeared in Vṛndāvana as an incarnation of Kṛṣṇa. Just by seeing You, everyone is now liberated.”

Jayapatākā Swami: Actually what they are saying is correct, actually Lord Caitanya was Kṛṣṇa Himself but they have the wrong idea that every sannyāsī is a moving Nārāyaṇa.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā, 18.111

prabhura loka-śikṣā, jīva ‘kṛṣṇa’ nahe, sutarāṁ jīve kṛṣṇa-buddhi niṣiddha:—

prabhu kahe,—'viṣṇu’ ‘viṣṇu’ ihā nā kahibā!
jīvādhame ‘kṛṣṇa’-jñāna kabhu nā karibā!

Translation: Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu immediately exclaimed, “Viṣṇu! Viṣṇu! Do not call Me the Supreme Personality of Godhead. A jīva cannot become Kṛṣṇa at any time. Do not even say such a thing!”

Purport: Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu immediately stated that a living being, however exalted he may be, should never be compared to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. All of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s preaching protests the monistic philosophy of the Māyāvāda school. The central point of Kṛṣṇa consciousness is that the jīva, the living entity, can never be accepted as Kṛṣṇa or Viṣṇu. This viewpoint is elaborated in the following verses.

Jayapatākā Swami: Jiva or living entity can never become the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Supreme Person is always Supreme and the living entity is always a living entity.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā, 18.112

jīve o kṛṣṇe bheda varṇana:—

sannyāsī—cit-kaṇa jīva, kiraṇa-kaṇa-sama
ṣaḍ-aiśvarya-pūrṇa kṛṣṇa haya sūryopama

Translation: “A sannyāsī in the renounced order is certainly part and parcel of the complete whole, just as a shining molecular particle of sunshine is part and parcel of the sun itself. Kṛṣṇa is like the sun, full of six opulences, but the living entity is only a fragment of the complete whole.

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya He took the part of devotee, and He was teaching by His example how a devotee should act and think. So, in this way He taught how a devotee should always think himself as a part of the whole and not as the whole.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā, 18.113

jīva, īśvara-tattva—kabhu nahe ‘sama’
jvalad-agni-rāśi yaiche sphuliṅgera ‘kaṇa’

Translation: “A living entity and the Absolute Personality of Godhead are never to be considered equal, just as a fragmental spark can never be considered the original flame.

Purport: Māyāvādī sannyāsīs consider themselves Brahman, and they superficially speak of themselves as Nārāyaṇa. The monistic disciples of the Māyāvāda school (known as smārta-brāhmaṇas) are generally householder brāhmaṇas who accept the Māyāvādī sannyāsīs as Nārāyaṇa incarnate; therefore they offer their obeisances to them. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu immediately protested this unauthorized system, specifically mentioning that a sannyāsī is nothing but a fragmental portion of the Supreme (cit-kaṇa jīva). In other words, he is nothing more than an ordinary living being. He is never Nārāyaṇa, just as a molecular portion of sunshine is never the sun itself. The living entity is nothing but a fragmental part of the Absolute Truth; therefore at no stage of perfection can a living entity become the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This Māyāvāda viewpoint is always condemned by the Vaiṣṇava school. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu Himself protested this philosophy. When the Māyāvādīs accept sannyāsa and consider themselves Nārāyaṇa, they become so puffed up that they do not even enter the temple of Nārāyaṇa to offer respects, for they falsely think themselves Nārāyaṇa Himself. Although Māyāvādī sannyāsīs may offer respects to other sannyāsīs and address them as Nārāyaṇa, they do not go to a Nārāyaṇa temple and offer respects. These Māyāvādī sannyāsīs are always condemned and are described as demons. The Vedas clearly state that living entities are subordinate parts and parcels of the supreme. Eko bahūnāṁ yo vidadhāti kāmān: the Supreme Being, Kṛṣṇa, maintains all living entities.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Caitanya said that the Māyāvādīs are Kṛṣṇa’s offenders, since they think they have become Kṛṣṇa. So, this compromise should be very strictly avoided.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā, 18.114

kṛṣṇa—‘īśvara’, jīva—tadīya ‘vaśya’:—

bhagavat-sandarbhe dhṛta sarvajñasūkta-vākya vā bhāḥ 1.7.6 ślokera ṭīkāya śrīdhara-svāmīra uddhṛta śrī-viṣṇu-svāmi-vākya—

hlādinyā saṁvid-āśliṣṭaḥ
sac-cid-ānanda īśvaraḥ
svāvidyā-saṁvṛto jīvaḥ
saṅkleśa-nikarākaraḥ

Translation: “‘The Supreme Personality of Godhead, the supreme controller, is always full of transcendental bliss and is accompanied by the potencies known as hlādinī and saṁvit. The conditioned soul, however, is always covered by ignorance and embarrassed by the threefold miseries of life. Thus he is a treasure-house of all kinds of tribulations.’

Purport: This quotation of Viṣṇu Svāmī is cited in Śrīdhara Svāmī’s Bhāvārtha-dīpikā commentary on Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.7.6).

Jayapatākā Swami: So, the material world is full of threefold miseries, where they are suffering miseries in various ways. But the Supreme Personality of Godhead is always transcendental to these miseries of material life. So, one Māyāvādī sannyāsī told me, he is growing old, with his pastimes, I told him that, everyone goes through that pastime, disease, old-age, death and birth but the Supreme Lord He never grows old or dies, He appears but He is not born like ordinary person and He never dies.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā, 18.115

jīva o nārāyaṇe sama-jñānai pāṣaṇḍatā:—

yei mūḍha kahe,—jīva īśvara haya ‘sama’
seita ‘pāṣaṇḍī’ haya, daṇḍe tāre yama

Translation: “A foolish person who says that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the same as the living entity is an atheist, and he becomes subject to punishment by the superintendent of death, Yamarāja.

Purport: Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura says that the word pāsaṇḍī refers to one who considers the living entity under the control of the illusory energy to be equal with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is transcendental to all material qualities. Another kind of pāṣaṇḍī is one who does not believe in the spirit soul, the superior potency of the Lord, and therefore does not distinguish between spirit and matter. While describing one of the offenses against chanting the holy names, specifically the offense called śruti-śāstra-nindana (blaspheming the Vedic literature), Jīva Gosvāmī states in his Bhakti-sandarbha,

yathā pāṣaṇda-mārgeṇa dattātreyarṣabha-devopāsakānāṁ pāṣaṇḍīnām

“Worshipers of impersonalists like Dattātreya are also pāṣaṇḍīs.” Concerning the offense of ahaṁ-mama-buddhi, or dehātma-buddhi (considering the body to be the self), Jīva Gosvāmī states,

“Those who are overly absorbed in the conception of the body and the bodily necessities are also called pāṣaṇḍīs.” Elsewhere in the Bhakti-sandarbha it is stated:

“A pāṣaṇḍī is one who considers the demigods and the Supreme Personality of Godhead to be one; therefore a pāṣaṇḍī worships any kind of demigod as the Supreme Personality of Godhead.” One who disobeys the orders of the spiritual master is also considered a pāṣaṇḍī.

The word pāṣaṇḍī has been described in many places in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, including 4.2.28, 30 and 32, 5.6.9, and 12.2.13 and 3.43.

On the whole, a pāṣaṇḍī is a nondevotee who does not accept the Vedic conclusions. In the Hari-bhakti-vilāsa (1.117) there is a verse quoted from the Padma Purāṇa describing the pāṣaṇḍī. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu quotes this verse as the following text.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā, 18.116

śāstra-pramāṇa vaiṣṇava-tantra -vākya, pādmottara-khaṇḍe (23.12) o hari-bhakti-vilāse (1.73)—

yas tu nārāyaṇaṁ devaṁ/ brahma-rudrādi-daivataiḥ
samatvenaiva vīkṣeta/ sa pāṣaṇḍī bhaved dhruvam

Translation: “‘A person who considers demigods like Brahmā and Śiva to be on an equal level with Nārāyaṇa is to be considered an offender, or pāṣaṇḍī.’”

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya has described various offenses, if one does these things he is considered as a pāṣaṇḍī or an atheist or offender.

Thus ends the chapter entitled, Lord Caitanya Refutes the Misconception that Kṛṣṇa Has Again Manifested at Vṛndāvana 
Under the section: Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s Visit to Śrī Vṛndāvana