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Acarya (CC Madhya-lila)

Expressions researched:
"acarya" |"acarya's" |"acaryadeva" |"acaryas" |"acharya" |"acharya's" |"acharyas"

Notes from the compiler: Excluding all names including acarya, i.e.: "Advaita Acarya"

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta

CC Madhya-lila

CC Madhya 1.220, Purport:

A disciple of Kali cannot become an ācārya by the decision of some high-court. Mundane votes have no jurisdiction to elect a Vaiṣṇava ācārya. A Vaiṣṇava ācārya is self-effulgent, and there is no need for any court judgment. A false ācārya may try to override a Vaiṣṇava by a high-court decision, but Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura says that he is nothing but a disciple of Kali-yuga.

CC Madhya 1.271, Purport:

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu warned all His followers not to become independent or impudent. Unfortunately, after the disappearance of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, many apa-sampradāyas (so-called followers) invented many ways not approved by the ācāryas. Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura has described them as the āula, bāula, kartābhajā, neḍā, daraveśa, sāni, sahajiyā, sakhībhekī, smārta, jāta-gosāñi, ativāḍī, cūḍādhārī and gaurāṅga-nāgarī.

The āula-sampradāya, bāula-sampradāya and others invented their own ways of understanding Lord Caitanya's philosophy, without following in the footsteps of the ācāryas. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu Himself indicates herein that all such attempts would simply spoil the spirit of His cult.

CC Madhya 2.85, Purport:

rīla Kavirāja Gosvāmī and one who follows in his footsteps do not have to cater to the public. Their business is simply to satisfy the previous ācāryas and describe the pastimes of the Lord. One who is able to understand can relish this exalted transcendental literature, which is actually not meant for ordinary persons like scholars and literary men.

CC Madhya 2.93, Purport:

The author of Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta begs the mercy of all these devotees and asks them to be pleased with him. He says, "Let the neophyte devotees—the devotees who are very expert in arguing though they have no sense of advanced devotional service, who think themselves very advanced because they imitate some smārta-brāhmaṇa—let such devotees not be displeased with me, thinking that I have committed errors in this regard. I beg their pardon with great humility, but I am submitting that I personally have no desire to add or subtract anything. I have only written what I have heard in the disciplic succession because I am dedicated to the lotus feet of previous ācāryas like Svarūpa Dāmodara, Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī and Rūpa Gosvāmī. I have only written what I have learned from them."

CC Madhya 3.6, Translation:

(As a brāhmaṇa from Avantī-deśa said:) "I shall cross over the insurmountable ocean of nescience by being firmly fixed in the service of the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. This was approved by the previous ācāryas, who were fixed in firm devotion to the Lord, Paramātmā, the Supreme Personality of Godhead."

CC Madhya 3.6, Purport:

Those who are completely dedicated to the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa in service are actually sannyāsīs. As a matter of formality, the devotee accepts the sannyāsa dress as previous ācāryas did. He also accepts the three daṇḍas.

CC Madhya 3.6, Purport:

The ekadaṇḍi-sannyāsīs of the Māyāvādī school give up the sacred thread and do not keep any tuft of hair. Therefore they are unable to understand the purport of tridaṇḍa-sannyāsa, and as such they are not inclined to dedicate their lives to the service of Mukunda. They simply think of merging into the existence of Brahman because of their disgust with material existence. The ācāryas who advocate the daiva-varṇāśrama (the social order of cātur-varṇyam mentioned in the Bhagavad-gītā) do not accept the proposition of āsura-varṇāśrama, which maintains that the social order of varṇa is indicated by birth.

CC Madhya 3.6, Purport:

Śrīla Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī, who is known as a smṛty-ācārya in the Gauḍīya-Vaiṣṇava-sampradāya, later accepted the tridaṇḍa-sannyāsa order from Tridaṇḍipāda Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī.

CC Madhya 6.147, Purport:

Therefore when reading Vedic literature, we must take the path traversed by great ācāryas: mahā-jano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ. Unless one follows the path traversed by great ācāryas, he cannot understand the real purport of the Vedas.

CC Madhya 7.29, Purport:

There are many instances of devotional service rendered by previous ācāryas who did not care about social behavior when intensely absorbed in love for Kṛṣṇa. Unfortunately, as long as we are within this material world, we must observe social customs to avoid criticism by the general populace. This is Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu's desire.

CC Madhya 7.130, Purport:

There are many sahajiyās who decry the activities of the six Gosvāmīs—Śrīla Rūpa, Sanātana, Raghunātha dāsa, Bhaṭṭa Raghunātha, Jīva and Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmīs—who are the personal associates of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and who enlightened society by writing books on devotional service. Similarly, Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura and other great ācāryas like Madhvācārya, Rāmānujācārya and others accepted many thousands of disciples to induce them to render devotional service.

CC Madhya 7.152, Purport:

When a person actually revives his consciousness with thoughts of Kṛṣṇa by the mercy of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, he revives his spiritual life and becomes addicted to the service of the Lord. Only then can he act as an ācārya. In other words, everyone should engage in preaching, following in the footsteps of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. In this way one will be very much appreciated by Lord Kṛṣṇa and will quickly be recognized by Him. Actually a devotee of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu must engage in preaching in order to increase the followers of the Lord. By thus preaching actual Vedic knowledge all over the world, one will benefit all mankind.

CC Madhya 8.83, Translation:

The analysis of different types of love of Godhead has been made by expert ācāryas who know all about devotional service on the transcendental platform. Unfortunately, inexperienced and unauthorized persons in the mundane world, not understanding the transcendental position of pure love, try to find some material fault in the transcendental process. This is simply impudence on the part of spiritually inexperienced people. Such faultfinding is symptomatic of unfortunate mundane wranglers.

CC Madhya 8.90, Purport:

Such materialists claim that since ultimately all these names and forms are one, the result is the same. They also give the example that a man who has different names will answer if called by any one of them. Therefore, they claim, there is no need to chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. If one chants the name of Kālī, Durgā, Śiva, Gaṇeśa or anyone else, the result will be the same.

Such claims made by mental speculators are no doubt very pleasing to mental speculators, but those who are actually in knowledge do not admit such conclusions, which are against the authority of the śāstras. A bona fide ācārya will certainly not accept such a conclusion.

CC Madhya 8.127, Purport:

By His personal example, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu explains how one should be submissive and humble before a Vaiṣṇava, even though one may be situated on a high platform. Such is the teaching of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu as the ācārya of the world, the supreme spiritual master and teacher.

CC Madhya 8.312, Purport:

The process is mahā-jano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ: one has to strictly follow great personalities and ācāryas. Ācārya-vān puruṣo veda: one who has the favor of the ācārya knows everything. This statement made by Kavirāja Gosvāmī is very valuable for all pure devotees.

CC Madhya 9.11, Purport:

Śrīla Madhvācārya has purposefully avoided commenting on that portion of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam in which brahma-mohana, the illusion of Lord Brahmā, is mentioned. Śrīla Mādhavendra Purī was one of the ācāryas in the Tattvavāda disciplic succession, and he established the ultimate goal of transcendentalism to be attainment of pure devotional service, love of Godhead.

CC Madhya 9.11, Purport:

In the book known as Adhyātma-rāmāyaṇa, there are statements in Chapters Twelve to Fifteen about worshiping the Deities of Śrī Rāmacandra and Sītā. There it is stated that during Lord Rāmacandra's time there was a brāhmaṇa who took a vow to fast until he saw Lord Rāmacandra. Sometimes, due to business, Lord Rāmacandra was absent from His capital for a full week and could not be seen by the citizens during that time. Because of his vow, the brāhmaṇa could not take even a drop of water during that week. Later, after eight or nine days, when the brāhmaṇa could see Lord Rāmacandra personally, he would break his fast. Upon observing the brāhmaṇa's rigid vow, Lord Śrī Rāmacandra ordered His younger brother Lakṣmaṇa to deliver a pair of Sītā-Rāma Deities to the brāhmaṇa. The brāhmaṇa received the Deities from Śrī Lakṣmaṇajī and worshiped Them faithfully as long as he lived. At the time of his death, he delivered the Deities to Śrī Hanumānjī, who, for many years, hung Them around his neck and served Them with all devotion. After many years, when Hanumānjī departed on the hill known as Gandha-mādana, he delivered the Deities to Bhīmasena, one of the Pāṇḍavas, and Bhīmasena brought Them to his palace, where he kept Them very carefully. The last king of the Pāṇḍavas, Kṣemakānta, worshiped the Deities in that palace. Later, the same Deities were kept in the custody of the kings of Orissa known as Gajapatis. One of the ācāryas, known as Narahari Tīrtha, who was in the disciplic succession of Madhvācārya, received these Deities from the King of Orissa.

CC Madhya 9.61, Purport:

This was possible only because the disciples of the Buddhist ācārya received the mercy of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Unless one is favored by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu in the disciplic succession, one cannot act as a spiritual master. We should take the instructions of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, the spiritual master of the whole universe, to understand how one becomes a spiritual master and a disciple.

CC Madhya 9.195, Purport:

Mahā-jano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ: "We have to follow in the footsteps of great authorities coming down in the paramparā system." If we approach a bona fide ācārya and keep faith in his words, spiritual realization will be easy.

CC Madhya 9.244, Purport:

The Śṛṅgeri-maṭha is situated in South India, in a portion of the country comprising Āndhra, Draviḍa, Karṇāṭa and Kerala. The community is called Bhūrivāra, and the dynasty is called Bhūr-bhuvaḥ. The place is called Rāmeśvara, and the slogan is ahaṁ brahmāsmi. The Deity is Lord Varāha, and the energetic power is Kāmākṣī. The ācārya is Hastāmalaka, and the brahmacārī assistants of the sannyāsīs are known as Caitanya. The place of pilgrimage is called Tuṅgabhadrā, and the subject for Vedic study is the Yajur Veda.

The list of the disciplic succession from Śaṅkarācārya is available, and the names of the ācāryas and the dates of their accepting sannyāsa, according to the Śaka Era (or Śakābda), are as follows (for approximate Christian-era dates, add 78 years): Śaṅkarācārya, 622 Śaka; Sureśvarācārya, 630; Bodhanācārya, 680; Jñānadhanācārya, 768; Jñānottama-śivācārya, 827; Jñānagiri Ācārya, 871; Siṁhagiri Ācārya, 958; Īśvara Tīrtha, 1019; Narasiṁha Tīrtha, 1067; Vidyātīrtha Vidyā-śaṅkara, 1150; Bhāratī-kṛṣṇa Tīrtha, 1250; Vidyāraṇya Bhāratī, 1253; Candraśekhara Bhāratī, 1290; Narasiṁha Bhāratī, 1309; Puruṣottama Bhāratī, 1328; Śaṅkarānanda, 1350; Candraśekhara Bhāratī, 1371; Narasiṁha Bhāratī, 1386; Puruṣottama Bhāratī, 1398; Rāmacandra Bhāratī, 1430; Narasiṁha Bhāratī, 1479; Narasiṁha Bhāratī, 1485; Dhanamaḍi-narasiṁha Bhāratī, 1498; Abhinava-narasiṁha Bhāratī, 1521; Saccidānanda Bhāratī, 1544; Narasiṁha Bhāratī, 1585; Saccidānanda Bhāratī, 1627; Abhinava-saccidānanda Bhāratī, 1663; Nṛsiṁha Bhāratī, 1689; Saccidānanda Bhāratī, 1692; Abhinava-saccidānanda Bhāratī, 1730; Narasiṁha Bhāratī, 1739; Saccidānanda Śivābhinava Vidyā-narasiṁha Bhāratī, 1788.

CC Madhya 9.245, Purport:

The ācāryas of the Madhva-sampradāya established Uḍupī as the chief center, and the monastery there was known as Uttararāḍhī-maṭha.

CC Madhya 9.245, Purport:

After the sixteenth ācārya (Vidyādhirāja Tīrtha), there was another disciplic succession, including Rājendra Tīrtha, 1254; Vijayadhvaja; Puruṣottama; Subrahmaṇya; and Vyāsa Rāya, 1470–1520. The nineteenth ācārya, Rāmacandra Tīrtha, had another disciplic succession, including Vibudhendra, 1218; Jitāmitra, 1348; Raghunandana; Surendra; Vijendra; Sudhīndra; and Rāghavendra Tīrtha, 1545.

CC Madhya 9.254, Translation:

The chief ācārya of the Tattvavāda community was very learned in the revealed scriptures. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu humbly questioned him.

CC Madhya 9.256, Translation:

The ācārya replied, “When the activities of the four castes and the four āśramas are dedicated to Kṛṣṇa, they constitute the best means whereby one can attain the highest goal of life.

CC Madhya 9.272, Translation:

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu continued speaking to the Tattvavādī ācārya: "Seeing that I am a mendicant in the renounced order of life, you have been playing with Me in a duplicitous way. You have not actually described the process and ultimate objective."

CC Madhya 9.273, Translation:

After hearing Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, the ācārya of the Tattvavāda sampradāya became very much ashamed. Upon observing Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu's rigid faith in Vaiṣṇavism, he was struck with wonder.

CC Madhya 9.274, Translation:

The Tattvavādī ācārya replied, “What You have said is certainly factual. It is the conclusion of all the revealed scriptures of the Vaiṣṇavas.

CC Madhya 9.277, Purport:

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu wanted to point out to the Tattvavādī ācārya, who belonged to the Madhvācārya-sampradāya, that the general behavior of the Tattvavādīs did not favor pure devotional service, which must be devoid of the taints of fruitive activity and speculative knowledge.

CC Madhya 10.17, Translation and Purport:

The King said, “Bhaṭṭācārya, you are the most learned and experienced person I know. Therefore when you address Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu as Lord Kṛṣṇa, I accept this as the truth.

This is the way to advance in spiritual science. One must accept the words of an ācārya, a bona fide spiritual master, to clear the path for spiritual advancement. This is the secret of success. However, one's guide must be a spiritual master who is actually an unalloyed devotee strictly following the instructions of the previous ācārya without deviation. Whatever the spiritual master says must be accepted by the disciple. Only then is success certain. This is the Vedic system.

CC Madhya 10.23, Purport:

The ācārya, the spiritual master, is generally respected by others as Śrīpāda, and the initiated Vaiṣṇavas are addressed as Prabhu. Prabhu, Prabhupāda and Viṣṇupāda are described in revealed scriptures like Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Caitanya-caritāmṛta and Caitanya-bhāgavata. In this regard, these scriptures present evidence accepted by unalloyed devotees.

CC Madhya 11.31, Purport:

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and His followers mainly worship Lord Kṛṣṇa in mādhurya-rasa. Other Vaiṣṇava ācāryas recommended worship up to vātsalya-rasa.

CC Madhya 11.31, Purport:

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu appeared in this Age of Kali to exhibit the superexcellence of mādhurya-rasa, a gift never previously bestowed by any ācārya or incarnation.

CC Madhya 11.176, Purport:

No one can suddenly attain the level of Haridāsa Ṭhākura and sit down in a solitary place to chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra and remember the lotus feet of the Lord. Only an exalted person like Haridāsa Ṭhākura or Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, who is personally exhibiting the proper behavior for an ācārya, can engage in such a practice.

CC Madhya 12.135, Purport:

By His practical activity, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu informed us how to cleanse our hearts. Once the heart is cleansed, we should invite Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa to sit down, and we should observe the festival by distributing prasādam and chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu used to teach every devotee by His personal behavior. Everyone who spreads the cult of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu accepts a similar responsibility. The Lord was personally chastising and praising individuals in the course of the cleaning, and those who are engaged as ācāryas must learn from Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu how to train devotees by personal example.

CC Madhya 12.150, Translation and Purport:

This incident has been described in detail by Vṛndāvana dāsa Ṭhākura. Therefore I have described it only in brief.

This is a matter of etiquette. If a previous ācārya has already written about something, there is no need to repeat it for personal sense gratification or to outdo the previous ācārya. Unless there is some definite improvement, one should not repeat.

CC Madhya 12.194, Purport:

Absolute knowledge consists of Brahman, Paramātmā and Bhagavān. This conclusion is not the same as that of the monists. Śrīla Advaita Ācārya was given the title of ācārya because He spread the bhakti cult, not the philosophy of monism.

CC Madhya 16.281, Purport:

Śrīla Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura, Śrīnivāsa Ācārya, Śrīla Jagannātha dāsa Bābājī Mahārāja, Śrī Bhagavān dāsa Bābājī Mahārāja and Śrīla Gaurakiśora dāsa Bābājī Mahārāja, and later Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura of Calcutta, always engaged in nāma-bhajana and certainly did not live anywhere but Vṛndāvana. Presently, the members of the Hare Kṛṣṇa movement throughout the world live in materially opulent cities, such as London, New York, Los Angeles, Paris, Moscow, Zurich and Stockholm. However, we are satisfied with following in the footsteps of Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura and other ācāryas. Because we live in the temples of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa and continuously hold hari-nāma-saṅkīrtana—the chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa—we consequently live in Vṛndāvana and nowhere else. We are also following in the footsteps of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu by attempting to construct a temple in Vṛndāvana for our disciples throughout the world to visit.

CC Madhya 19.61, Purport:

Vallabha Bhaṭṭa was a great learned scholar of Vaiṣṇavism. In the beginning he was very much devoted to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, but since he thought that he could not receive proper respect from Him, he later joined the Viṣṇu Svāmī sect and became the ācārya of that sect.

CC Madhya 19.117, Translation and Purport:

By entering the heart of Rūpa Gosvāmī, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu empowered him to ascertain properly the conclusions of all truths. He made him an experienced devotee whose decisions correctly agreed with the verdicts of the disciplic succession. Thus Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī was personally empowered by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

The principles of devotional service are only apparently under the jurisdiction of material activity. To be rightly guided, one must be personally guided by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. This was the case with Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, Sanātana Gosvāmī and other ācāryas.

CC Madhya 19.151, Purport:

How one can become this fortunate can be seen in the life of Śrīla Nārada Muni. In his previous life he was born of a maidservant. Although he was not born into a prestigious position, his mother was fortunately engaged in rendering service to some Vaiṣṇavas. When these Vaiṣṇavas were resting during the Cāturmāsya period, the boy Nārada took the opportunity to engage in their service. Taking compassion upon the boy, the Vaiṣṇavas offered him the remnants of their food. By serving these Vaiṣṇavas and obeying their orders, the boy became the object of their sympathy, and by the Vaiṣṇavas' unknown mercy, he gradually became a pure devotee. In the next life he was Nārada Muni, the most exalted of Vaiṣṇavas and the most important guru and ācārya of Vaiṣṇavas.

CC Madhya 19.156, Purport:

By his personal example, Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura stresses that a devotee must always remember to please his predecessor ācārya. The Gosvāmīs are represented by one's spiritual master. One cannot be an ācārya (spiritual master) without following strictly in the disciplic succession of the ācāryas. One who is actually serious about advancing in devotional service should desire only to satisfy the previous ācāryas. Ei chaya gosāñi yāra, mui tāra dāsa. One should always think of oneself as a servant of the servant of the ācāryas, and thinking this, one should live in the society of Vaiṣṇavas (CC Madhya 13.80).

CC Madhya 20.352, Purport:

The śāstra is the center for all. Unfortunately, at the present moment, people do not refer to the śāstras; therefore they accept rascals as incarnations, and consequently they have made incarnations into a very cheap thing. Intelligent people who follow Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu's instructions and the instructions of the ācārya, the bona fide spiritual master, will not accept a pretender as an incarnation of God.

CC Madhya 20.359, Translation and Purport:

“"O my Lord, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, son of Vasudeva, O all-pervading Personality of Godhead, I offer my respectful obeisances unto You. I meditate upon Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa because He is the Absolute Truth and the primeval cause of all causes of the creation, sustenance and destruction of the manifested universes. He is directly and indirectly conscious of all manifestations, and He is independent because there is no other cause beyond Him. It is He only who first imparted the Vedic knowledge unto the heart of Brahmājī, the original living being. By Him even the great sages and demigods are placed into illusion, as one is bewildered by the illusory representations of water seen in fire, or land seen on water. Only because of Him do the material universes, temporarily manifested by the reactions of the three modes of nature, appear factual, although they are unreal. I therefore meditate upon Him, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who is eternally existent in the transcendental abode, which is forever free from the illusory representations of the material world. I meditate upon Him, for He is the Absolute Truth."

This verse, quoted from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.1.1), links the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with the Vedānta-sūtra with the words janmādy asya yataḥ. It is stated that the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vāsudeva, is the Absolute Truth beyond the material creation. This has been accepted by all ācāryas.

CC Madhya 22.48, Translation:

“"O my Lord! Transcendental poets and experts in spiritual science could not fully express their indebtedness to You, even if they were endowed with the prolonged lifetime of Brahmā, for You appear in two features—externally as the ācārya and internally as the Supersoul—to deliver the embodied living being by directing him how to come to You."

CC Madhya 22.115, Translation:

“On the path of regulative devotional service, one must observe the following items: (1) One must accept a bona fide spiritual master. (2) One must accept initiation from him. (3) One must serve him. (4) One must receive instructions from the spiritual master and make inquiries in order to learn devotional service. (5) One must follow in the footsteps of the previous ācāryas and follow the directions given by the spiritual master.

CC Madhya 23.82-83, Purport:

Māyāvādī philosophers, who have a poor fund of knowledge, simply dismiss the subject by explaining that kṛṣṇa means "black." Not understanding the qualities of Kṛṣṇa, these atheistic rascals do not accept Him as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Although the Lord is described and accepted by great personalities, ācāryas and sages, the Māyāvādīs still do not appreciate Him. Unfortunately, at the present moment human society is so degraded that people cannot even provide themselves with life's daily necessities, yet they are captivated by Māyāvādī philosophers and are being misled.

CC Madhya 23.105, Purport:

"He who is temperate in his habits of eating, sleeping, recreation and work can mitigate all material pains by practicing the yoga system." To broadcast the cult of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, one has to learn the possibility of renunciation in terms of country, time and candidate. A candidate for Kṛṣṇa consciousness in the Western countries should be taught about the renunciation of material existence, but one would teach candidates from a country like India in a different way. The teacher (ācārya) has to consider time, candidate and country. He must avoid the principle of niyamāgraha—that is, he should not try to perform the impossible. What is possible in one country may not be possible in another. The ācārya's duty is to accept the essence of devotional service. There may be a little change here and there as far as yukta-vairāgya (proper renunciation) is concerned. Dry renunciation is forbidden by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and we have also learned this from our spiritual master, His Divine Grace Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Gosvāmī Mahārāja. The essence of devotional service must be taken into consideration, and not the outward paraphernalia.

CC Madhya 24.323, Purport:

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu plainly explains that Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam cannot be understood by those who are materially situated. In other words, one has to become a madman like Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Apart from being the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is an ācārya who exhibited love of God like a madman. According to His own written verse, yugāyitaṁ nimeṣeṇa. He says that for Him, "a moment seems to last twelve years." Cakṣuṣā prāvṛṣāyitam: "My tears are flowing like torrents of rain." Śūnyāyitaṁ jagat sarvam: "I feel as if the entire universe were vacant." Why? Govinda-viraheṇa me: "Due to My being separated from Govinda, Kṛṣṇa."

CC Madhya 24.330, Purport:

The bona fide spiritual master who accepts disciples from all over the world is also worshiped all over the world because of his qualities. Lokānām asau pūjyo yathā hariḥ: the people of the world worship him just as they worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead. All these honors are offered to him because he strictly follows the brahminical principles and teaches these principles to his disciples. Such a person is called an ācārya because he knows the principles of devotional service, he behaves in that way himself, and he teaches his disciples to follow in his footsteps. Thus he is an ācārya or jagad-guru. Even though a person is born in a brahminical family and is very expert in performing sacrifices, he cannot be accepted as a guru if he is not a strict Vaiṣṇava. A guru is a brāhmaṇa by qualification, and he can turn others into brāhmaṇas according to the śāstric principles and brahminical qualifications. Brahmanism is not a question of heredity.

CC Madhya 24.330, Purport:

The caste system method of distinguishing a brāhmaṇa by birth is not acceptable when applied to a bona fide spiritual master. A spiritual master is a qualified brāhmaṇa and ācārya. If one is not a qualified brāhmaṇa, he is not expert in studying the Vedic literatures. Nānā-śāstra-vicāraṇaika-nipuṇau. Every Vaiṣṇava is a spiritual master, and a spiritual master is automatically expert in brahminical behavior. He also understands the Vedic śāstras.

CC Madhya 25.9, Purport:

Only an empowered personality can distribute the holy name of the Lord and enjoin all fallen souls to worship Kṛṣṇa. By distributing the holy name of the Lord, he cleanses the hearts of the most fallen people; therefore he extinguishes the blazing fire of the material world. Not only that, he broadcasts the shining brightness of Kṛṣṇa's effulgence throughout the world. Such an ācārya, or spiritual master, should be considered nondifferent from Kṛṣṇa—that is, he should be considered the incarnation of Lord Kṛṣṇa's potency. Such a personality is kṛṣṇāliṅgita-vigraha—that is, he is always embraced by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa. Such a person is above the considerations of the varṇāśrama institution. He is the guru, or spiritual master, for the entire world, a devotee on the topmost platform, the mahā-bhāgavata stage, and a paramahaṁsa-ṭhākura, a spiritual form only fit to be addressed as paramahaṁsa or ṭhākura.”

CC Madhya 25.35, Purport:

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu's movement especially aims at defeating the Māyāvāda conclusion about the Absolute Truth. Since the members of the Māyāvāda school cannot understand the spiritual form of the Lord, they incorrectly think the Lord's form is also made of material energy. They think that He is covered by a material body just like other living beings. Due to this offensive understanding, they cannot recognize that Śrī Kṛṣṇa's personal form is transcendental, not material. Their conclusion is a great offense at the lotus feet of the Lord. As explained by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Śrī Kṛṣṇa has His eternal, blissful form that is full of knowledge, and all Vaiṣṇava ācāryas accept this. That is the proper understanding of the Absolute Truth.

CC Madhya 25.42, Purport:

Śrīpāda Śaṅkarācārya's propaganda opposed the atheistic philosophy of Buddha. Lord Buddha's intention was to stop atheists from committing the sin of killing animals. Atheists cannot understand God; therefore Lord Buddha appeared and spread the philosophy of nonviolence to keep the atheists from killing animals. Unless one is free from the sin of animal-killing, he cannot understand religion or God. Although Lord Buddha was an incarnation of Kṛṣṇa, he did not speak about God, for the people were unable to understand. He simply wanted to stop animal-killing. Śrīpāda Śaṅkarācārya wanted to establish the predominance of one's spiritual identity; therefore he wanted to convert the atheists through an imaginary interpretation of the Vedic literatures. These are the secrets of the ācāryas. Sometimes they conceal the real purport of the Vedas and explain the Vedas in a different way. Sometimes they enunciate a different theory just to bring the atheists under their control. Thus it is said that Śaṅkara's philosophy is for pāṣaṇḍas, atheists.

CC Madhya 25.56, Purport:

The ultimate goal of studying all Vedic literature is the acceptance of Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is propagating the philosophical conclusion of Śrīla Vyāsadeva and following other great ācāryas like Rāmānujācārya, Madhvācārya, Viṣṇu Svāmī, Nimbārka and Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu Himself.

CC Madhya 25.205, Purport:

When one is in the renounced order, saving money is not recommended. However, if one saves money for the service of the Lord or a Vaiṣṇava, that is accepted. These are the dealings of Subuddhi Rāya, who is one of the confidential devotees of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī also followed this principle by spending fifty percent of his money in order to serve Kṛṣṇa through brāhmaṇas and Vaiṣṇavas. He gave twenty-five percent of his money to relatives, and twenty-five percent he deposited in the custody of a merchant. These are the approved methods recommended in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta. Whether in the renounced order or in the gṛhastha order, a Vaiṣṇava should follow these principles set forth by the previous ācāryas.

CC Madhya 25.267, Purport:

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, as an ideal teacher, or ācārya, explained Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam very elaborately Himself. He sometimes also empowered His devotees to speak while He listened. This is the way an ācārya should train his disciples. Not only should he describe the bhāgavata cult personally, but he should also train his disciples to speak on this sublime subject.

CC Madhya 25.283, Purport:

The author of Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī, has condemned all his enemies by comparing them to envious hogs and pigs. The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, which is spreading throughout the world, is being appreciated by sincere people, although they have never previously heard of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Kṛṣṇa's pastimes. Now even the higher, priestly circles are appreciating this movement. They have concluded that this movement is very nice and that they have something to learn from it. Nonetheless, in India there are some people who say that they belong to this cult but who are actually very envious of the ācārya. They have tried to suppress our activities in many ways, but as far as we are concerned, we follow in the footsteps of Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī and take them as envious pigs and hogs. We simply wish to present the pastimes of Lord Kṛṣṇa and Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu to the best of our ability so that those who are really honest can cleanse their hearts. We hope that they enjoy this literature and bestow their blessings upon us. It appears that even such a great personality as Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī met with some envious obstacles; what, then, to speak of us, who are only insignificant creatures in this universe. We are simply trying to execute the orders of our spiritual master to the best of our ability.

Page Title:Acarya (CC Madhya-lila)
Compiler:MadhuGopaldas, Archana
Created:22 of Dec, 2010
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=58, OB=0, Lec=0, Con=0, Let=0
No. of Quotes:58