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Marriage (CC)

Expressions researched:
"marriage" |"marriageable" |"marriages" |"married" |"marries" |"marrige" |"marry" |"marrying" |"matrimonial" |"remarriage" |"remarried" |"remarry" |"wedlock"

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta

CC Preface and Introduction

CC Foreword:

The author also proves that Caitanya Mahāprabhu is identical to Lord Kṛṣṇa and explains that He descends to liberally grant the fallen souls of this degraded age pure love of God by propagating saṅkīrtana—literally, "congregational glorification of God"—especially by organizing massive public chanting of the mahā-mantra: Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. In addition, in the twelve-chapter preface Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja reveals the esoteric purpose of Lord Caitanya's appearance in the world, describes His co-avatāras and principal devotees, and summarizes His teachings. In the remaining portion of the Ādi-līlā, chapters thirteen through seventeen, the author briefly recounts Lord Caitanya's divine birth and His life until He accepted the renounced order. This account includes His childhood miracles, schooling, marriage, and early philosophical confrontations, as well as His organization of a widespread saṅkīrtana movement and His civil disobedience against the repression of the Muslim government.

CC Introduction:

Finally Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī offers his blessings to his readers in the name of the Gopīnātha Deity, who is Kṛṣṇa as master and proprietor of the gopīs. When Kṛṣṇa played upon His flute, all the gopīs, or cowherd girls, were attracted by the sound and left their household duties, and when they came to Him, He danced with them. These activities are all described in the Tenth Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. These gopīs were childhood friends of Kṛṣṇa, and many were married, for in India the girls are generally married by the age of twelve. The boys, however, are not married before eighteen, so Kṛṣṇa, who was fifteen or sixteen at the time, was not married. Nonetheless, He called these girls from their homes and invited them to dance with Him. That dance is called the rāsa-līlā dance, and it is the most elevated of all the Vṛndāvana pastimes. Kṛṣṇa is therefore called Gopīnātha because He is the beloved master of the gopīs.

CC Adi-lila

CC Adi 1.52, Purport:

The transcendental personal forms of the Lord are a mystery, and the symptoms of these forms, which are absolutely different from anything made of mundane elements, are also mysterious. The innumerable forms of the Lord, such as Śyāmasundara, Nārāyaṇa, Rāma and Gaurasundara; the colors of these forms (white, red, yellow, cloudlike śyāma and others); His qualities, as the responsive Personality of Godhead to pure devotees and as impersonal Brahman to dry speculators; His uncommon activities like lifting Govardhana Hill, marrying more than sixteen thousand queens at Dvārakā, and entering the rāsa dance with the damsels of Vraja, expanding Himself in as many forms as there were damsels in the dance—these and innumerable other uncommon acts and attributes are all mysteries, one aspect of which is presented in the scientific knowledge of the Bhagavad-gītā, which is read and adored all over the world by all classes of scholars, with as many interpretations as there are empiric philosophers.

CC Adi 1.68, Purport:

The Supreme Lord expands His personal forms in two primary categories. The prakāśa forms are manifested by Lord Kṛṣṇa for His pastimes, and their features are exactly like His. When Lord Kṛṣṇa married sixteen thousand queens in Dvārakā, He did so in sixteen thousand prakāśa expansions. Similarly, during the rāsa dance He expanded Himself in identical prakāśa forms to dance beside each and every gopī simultaneously. When the Lord manifests His vilāsa expansions, however, they are all somewhat different in their bodily features. Lord Balarāma is the first vilāsa expansion of Lord Kṛṣṇa, and the four-handed Nārāyaṇa forms in Vaikuṇṭha expand from Balarāma. There is no difference between the bodily forms of Śrī Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma except that Their bodily colors are different. Similarly, Śrī Nārāyaṇa in Vaikuṇṭha has four hands, whereas Kṛṣṇa has only two. The expansions of the Lord who manifest such bodily differences are known as vilāsa-vigrahas.

CC Adi 1.69-70, Translation:

When the Personality of Godhead expands Himself in many forms, all nondifferent in Their features, as Lord Kṛṣṇa did when He married sixteen thousand queens and when He performed His rāsa dance, such forms of the Lord are called manifested forms (prakāśa-vigrahas).

CC Adi 1.71, Translation:

"It is astounding that Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who is one without a second, expanded Himself in sixteen thousand similar forms to marry sixteen thousand queens in their respective homes."

CC Adi 4.30, Purport:

In Goloka Vṛndāvana there is an exchange of love known as parakīya-rasa. It is something like the attraction of a married woman for a man other than her husband. In the material world this sort of relationship is most abominable because it is a perverted reflection of the parakīya-rasa in the spiritual world, where it is the highest kind of loving affair. Such feelings between the devotee and the Lord are presented by the influence of yogamāyā. The Bhagavad-gītā states that devotees of the highest grade are under the care of daiva-māyā, or yogamāyā: mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ (BG 9.13). Those who are actually great souls (mahātmās) are fully absorbed in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, always engaged in the service of the Lord. They are under the care of daivī-prakṛti, or yogamāyā. Yogamāyā creates a situation in which the devotee is prepared to transgress all regulative principles simply to love Kṛṣṇa. A devotee naturally does not like to transgress the laws of reverence for the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but by the influence of yogamāyā he is prepared to do anything to love the Supreme Lord better.

CC Adi 4.50, Purport:

Of the four kinds of reciprocation of loving service—dāsya, sakhya, vātsalya and mādhurya—mādhurya is considered the fullest. But the conjugal relationship is further divided into two varieties, namely svakīya and parakīya. Svakīya is the relationship with Kṛṣṇa as a formally married husband, and parakīya is the relationship with Kṛṣṇa as a paramour. Expert analysts have decided that the transcendental ecstasy of the parakīya mellow is better because it is more enthusiastic. This phase of conjugal love is found in those who have surrendered to the Lord in intense love, knowing well that such illicit love with a paramour is not morally approved in society. The risks involved in such love of Godhead make this emotion superior to the relationship in which such risk is not involved. The validity of such risk, however, is possible only in the transcendental realm. Svakīya and parakīya conjugal love of Godhead have no existence in the material world, and parakīya is not exhibited anywhere in Vaikuṇṭha, but only in the portion of Goloka Vṛndāvana known as Vraja.

CC Adi 5.41, Purport:

"Although the Supreme Personality of Godhead has nothing to do, He nevertheless acts; although He is always unborn, He nevertheless takes birth; although He is time, fearful to everyone, He flees Mathurā in fear of His enemy to take shelter in a fort; and although He is self-sufficient, He marries 16,000 women. These pastimes seem like bewildering contradictions, even to the most intelligent." Had these activities of the Lord not been a reality, sages would not have been puzzled by them. Therefore such activities should never be considered imaginary. Whenever the Lord desires, His inconceivable energy (yogamāyā) serves Him in creating and performing such pastimes.

CC Adi 7.37, Purport:

An ācārya should devise a means by which people may somehow or other come to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. First they should become Kṛṣṇa conscious, and all the prescribed rules and regulations may later gradually be introduced. In our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement we follow this policy of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. For example, since boys and girls in the Western countries freely intermingle, special concessions regarding their customs and habits are necessary to bring them to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The ācārya must devise a means to bring them to devotional service. Therefore, although I am a sannyāsī I sometimes take part in getting boys and girls married, although in the history of sannyāsa no sannyāsī has personally taken part in marrying his disciples.

CC Adi 7.38, Purport:
In Europe and America boys and girls mingle unrestrictedly and have equal rights; therefore it is not possible to completely separate the men from the women. However, we are thoroughly instructing both men and women how to preach, and actually they are preaching wonderfully. Of course, we very strictly prohibit illicit sex. Boys and girls who are not married are not allowed to sleep together or live together, and there are separate arrangements for boys and girls in every temple. Gṛhasthas live outside the temple, for in the temple we do not allow even husband and wife to live together. The results of this are wonderful. Both men and women are preaching the gospel of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Lord Kṛṣṇa with redoubled strength. In this verse the words sabā nistārite kare cāturī apāra indicate that Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu wanted to deliver one and all. Therefore it is a principle that a preacher must strictly follow the rules and regulations laid down in the śāstras yet at the same time devise a means by which the preaching work to reclaim the fallen may go on with full force.
CC Adi 10.74, Purport:

Śrī Buddhimanta Khān was one of the inhabitants of Navadvīpa. He was very rich, and it is he who arranged for the marriage of Lord Caitanya with Viṣṇupriyā, the daughter of Sanātana Miśra, who was the priest of the local zamindar. He personally defrayed all the expenditures for the marriage ceremony. When Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu was attacked by vāyu-vyādhi (derangement of the air within the body) Buddhimanta Khān paid for all requisite medicines and treatments to cure the Lord. He was the Lord's constant companion in the kīrtana movement. He collected ornaments for the Lord when He played the part of the goddess of fortune in the house of Candraśekhara Ācārya. He also went to see Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu when He was staying at Jagannātha Purī.

CC Adi 10.85, Purport:

According to another accusation, Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī did not approve of the principles of the parakīya-rasa of Vraja-dhāma and therefore supported svakīya-rasa, showing that Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa are eternally married. Actually, when Jīva Gosvāmī was alive, some of his followers disliked the parakīya-rasa of the gopīs. Therefore Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī, for their spiritual benefit, supported svakīya-rasa, for he could understand that sahajiyās would otherwise exploit the parakīya-rasa, as they are actually doing at the present time. Unfortunately, in Vṛndāvana and Navadvīpa it has become fashionable among sahajiyās, in their debauchery, to find an unmarried sexual partner to live with to execute so-called devotional service in parakīya-rasa. Foreseeing this, Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī supported svakīya-rasa, and later all the Vaiṣṇava ācāryas also approved of it. Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī was never opposed to the transcendental parakīya-rasa, nor has any other Vaiṣṇava disapproved of it. Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī strictly followed his predecessor gurus and Vaiṣṇavas, Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī and Sanātana Gosvāmī, and Śrīla Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī accepted him as one of his instructor gurus.

CC Adi 10.106, Purport:

Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura writes in his Anubhāṣya, “Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu opened a primary school in the house of Mukunda, or Mukunda Sañjaya, and Mukunda's son, whose name was Puruṣottama, became the Lord's student. Kāśīnātha arranged the marriage of Lord Caitanya in His previous āśrama, when His name was Viśvambhara. Kāśīnātha induced the court paṇḍita, Sanātana, to offer Viśvambhara his daughter. In text 50 of the Gaura-gaṇoddeśa-dīpikā it is mentioned that Kāśīnātha was an incarnation of the brāhmaṇa Kulaka, whom Satrājit sent to arrange the marriage of Kṛṣṇa and Satyabhāmā, and in text 135 it is mentioned that Rudra, or Śrī Rudrarāma Paṇḍita, was formerly a friend of Lord Kṛṣṇa's named Varūthapa. Śrī Rudrarāma Paṇḍita constructed a big temple at Vallabhapura, which is one mile north of Māheśa, for the Deities named Rādhāvallabha. The descendants of his brother, Yadunandana Vandyopādhyāya, are known as Cakravartī Ṭhākuras, and they are in charge of the maintenance of this temple as sevaits. Formerly the Jagannātha Deity used to come to the temple of Rādhāvallabha from Māheśa during the Ratha-yātrā festival, but in the Bengali year 1262 (A.D. 1855), due to a misunderstanding between the priests of the two temples, the Jagannātha Deity stopped coming.”

CC Adi 10.119, Purport:

Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura writes in his Anubhāṣya, “Śrī Mādhavācārya was the husband of Lord Nityānanda's daughter, Gaṅgādevī. He took initiation from Puruṣottama, a branch of Nityānanda Prabhu. It is said that when Nityānanda Prabhu's daughter married Mādhavācārya, the Lord gave him the village named Pāṅjinagara as a dowry. Mādhavācārya's temple is situated near the Jīrāṭ railway station on the Eastern Railway. According to the Gaura-gaṇoddeśa-dīpikā (169), Śrī Mādhavācārya was formerly the gopī named Mādhavī. Kamalākānta belonged to the branch of Śrī Advaita Prabhu. His full name was Kamalākānta Viśvāsa.”

CC Adi 10.158, Purport:

Raghunātha Bhaṭṭācārya, or Raghunātha Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī, one of the Six Gosvāmīs, was the son of Tapana Miśra. Born in approximately 1425 Śakābda (A.D. 1503), he was expert in reciting Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and in Antya-līlā, Chapter Thirteen, it is stated that he was also expert in cooking; whatever he cooked would be nectarean. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was greatly pleased to accept the food that he cooked, and Raghunātha Bhaṭṭa used to take the remnants of food left by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Raghunātha Bhaṭṭācārya lived for eight months in Jagannātha Purī, after which Lord Caitanya ordered him to go to Vṛndāvana to join Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu asked Raghunātha Bhaṭṭācārya not to marry but to remain a brahmacārī, and He also ordered him to read Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam constantly. Thus he went to Vṛndāvana, where he engaged in reciting Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam to Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī. He was so expert in reciting Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam that he would recite each and every verse in three melodious tunes. While Raghunātha Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī was living with Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, the Lord blessed him by offering him betel nuts offered to the Jagannātha Deity and a garland of tulasī said to be as long as fourteen cubits.

CC Adi 11.8, Purport:

Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura writes in his Anubhāṣya, “Vīrabhadra Gosāñi was the direct son of Śrīla Nityānanda Prabhu and a disciple of Jāhnavā-devī. His real mother was Vasudhā. In the Gaura-gaṇoddeśa-dīpikā (67) He is mentioned as an incarnation of Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu. Therefore Vīrabhadra Gosāñi is nondifferent from Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu. In a village of the name Jhāmaṭapura, in the district of Hugli, Vīrabhadra Gosāñi had a disciple named Yadunāthācārya, who had two daughters—a real daughter named Śrīmatī and a foster daughter named Nārāyaṇī. Both these daughters married, and they are mentioned in the Bhakti-ratnākara (Thirteenth Wave). Vīrabhadra Gosāñi had three disciples who are celebrated as his sons—Gopījana-vallabha, Rāmakṛṣṇa and Rāmacandra. The youngest, Rāmacandra, belonged to the Śāṇḍilya dynasty and had the surname Vaṭavyāla. He established his family at Khaḍadaha, and its members are known as the gosvāmīs of Khaḍadaha.

CC Adi 11.23, Purport:

“Sundarānanda Prabhu was a naiṣṭhika-brahmacārī: he never married in his life. Therefore he had no direct descendants except his disciples, but the descendants of his family still reside in the village known as Maṅgalaḍihi in the district of Birbhum. In that same village is a temple of Balarāma, and the Deity there is regularly worshiped. The original Deity of Maheśapura, Rādhāvallabha, was taken by the Saidābād Gosvāmīs of Berhampur, and since the present Deities were installed, a zamindar family of Maheśapura has looked after Their worship. On the full-moon day of the month of Māgha (January-February), the anniversary of Sundarānanda's disappearance is regularly celebrated, and people from the neighboring areas gather together to observe this festival.”

CC Adi 11.40, Purport:

“In the family of Kānu Ṭhākura there is a Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa Deity known as Prāṇavallabha. It is said that his family worshiped this Deity long before the appearance of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. When there was a Maharashtrian invasion of Bengal, the family of Kānu Ṭhākura was scattered, and after the invasion one Harikṛṣṇa Gosvāmī of that family came back to their original home, Bodhakhānā, and re-established the Prāṇavallabha Deity. The descendants of the family still engage in the service of Prāṇavallabha. Kānu Ṭhākura was present during the Kheṭari utsava, when Jāhnavā-devī and Vīrabhadra Gosvāmī were also present. One of Kānu Ṭhākura's family members, Mādhavācārya, married the daughter of Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu, who was named Gaṅgādevī. Both Puruṣottama Ṭhākura and Kānu Ṭhākura had many disciples from brāhmaṇa families. Most of the disciplic descendants of Kānu Ṭhākura now reside in the village named Gaḍabetā, by the river Śilāvatī, in the Midnapore district.”

CC Adi 11.50, Purport:

Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura writes in his Anubhāṣya, “Navanī Hoḍa appears to have been the same person as Hoḍa Kṛṣṇadāsa, the son of the King of Baḍagāchi. His father's name was Hari Hoḍa. One can visit Baḍagāchi by taking the Lālagolā-ghāṭa railway line. Formerly the Ganges flowed by Baḍagāchi, but now it has become a canal known as the Kālśira Khāla. Near the Muḍāgāchā station is a village known as Śāligrāma in which King Kṛṣṇadāsa arranged for the marriage of Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu, as described in the Bhakti-ratnākara (Twelfth Wave). It is sometimes said that Navanī Hoḍa was the son of Rāja Kṛṣṇadāsa. His descendants still live in Rukuṇapura, a village near Bahiragāchi. They belong to the dakṣiṇa-rāḍhīya-kāyastha community, but, having been reformed as brāhmaṇas, they still initiate all classes of men.”

CC Adi 12.17, Purport:

Advaita Prabhu married in the beginning of the fifteenth century Śakābda (late fifteenth century A.D.). When Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu wanted to visit the village of Rāmakeli while going from Jagannātha Purī to Vṛndāvana during the Śakābda years 1433 and 1434 (A.D. 1511 and 1512), Acyutānanda was only five years old. The Caitanya-bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa, Fourth Chapter, describes Acyutānanda at that time as pañca-varṣa vayasa madhura digambara, "only five years old and standing naked." Therefore it is to be concluded that Acyutānanda was born sometime in the year 1428 (A.D. 1506). Before the birth of Acyutānanda, Advaita Prabhu's wife, Sītādevī, came to see Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu at His birth. Thus it is not impossible that she had the other three sons by Advaita within the twenty-one years between 1407 and 1428 Śakābda (A.D. 1486 and 1507). In an unauthorized book of the name Sītādvaita-carita, published in Bengali in the unauthorized newspaper Nityānanda-dāyinī in 1792 Śakābda (A.D. 1870), it is mentioned that Acyutānanda was a class friend of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

CC Adi 12.17, Purport:

There is no information that Acyutānanda ever married, but he is described as the biggest branch of the Advaita Ācārya family. From a book named Śākhā-nirṇayāmṛta it is understood that Acyutānanda was a disciple of Gadādhara Paṇḍita and that he took shelter of Lord Caitanya in Jagannātha Purī and engaged in devotional service. The Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā, Chapter Ten, states that Acyutānanda, the son of Advaita Ācārya, lived in Jagannātha Purī, taking shelter of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Gadādhara Paṇḍita, in the last years of his life, also lived with Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu at Jagannātha Purī. There is no doubt, therefore, that Acyutānanda was a disciple of Paṇḍita Gadādhara. In the accounts of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu's dancing in front of the car during the Ratha-yātrā festival, Acyutānanda's name is to be found many times.

CC Adi 12.87, Purport:

Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura writes in his Anubhāṣya, “Śrī Maṅgala Vaiṣṇava was a resident of the village of Ṭiṭakaṇā in the district of Murshidabad. His forefathers were śāktas who worshiped the goddess Kirīṭeśvarī. It is said that Maṅgala Vaiṣṇava, formerly a staunch brahmacārī, left home and later married the daughter of his disciple Prāṇanātha Adhikārī in the village of Mayanāḍāla. The descendants of this family are known as the Ṭhākuras of Kāṅdaḍā, which is a village in the district of Burdwan near Katwa. Scattered descendants of Maṅgala Vaiṣṇava, thirty-six families altogether, still live there. Among the celebrated disciples of Maṅgala Ṭhākura are Prāṇanātha Adhikārī, Puruṣottama Cakravartī of the village of Kāṅdaḍā, and Nṛsiṁha-prasāda Mitra, whose family members are well-known mṛdaṅga players. Sudhākṛṣṇa Mitra and Nikuñjavihārī Mitra are both especially famous mṛdaṅga players. In the family of Puruṣottama Cakravartī there are famous persons like Kuñjavihārī Cakravartī and Rādhāvallabha Cakravartī, who now live in the district of Birbhum.

CC Adi 13 Summary:

A learned brāhmaṇa named Upendra Miśra, who resided in the district of Śrīhaṭṭa, was the father of Jagannātha Miśra, who came to Navadvīpa to study under the direction of Nīlāmbara Cakravartī and then settled there after marrying Nīlāmbara Cakravartī’s daughter, Śacīdevī. Śrī Śacīdevī gave birth to eight children, all daughters, who died one after another immediately after birth. After her ninth pregnancy she gave birth to a son, who was named Viśvarūpa. Then, in 1407 Śaka Era (A.D. 1486), in the full-moon evening of the month of Phālguna, with the moon in the constellation of Siṁha (Leo), Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu appeared as the son of Śrī Śacīdevī and Jagannātha Miśra. After hearing of the birth of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, learned scholars and brāhmaṇas, bringing many gifts, came to see the newborn baby. Nīlāmbara Cakravartī, who was a great astrologer, immediately prepared a horoscope, and by astrological calculation he saw that the child was a great personality. This chapter describes the symptoms of this great personality.

CC Adi 13.26, Translation:

His childhood lasted until the date of hāte khaḍi, the beginning of His education, and His age from the end of His childhood until He married is called paugaṇḍa.

CC Adi 13.27, Translation:

After His marriage His youth began, and in His youth He induced everyone to chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra anywhere and everywhere.

CC Adi 13.74, Purport:

Viśvarūpa was the elder brother of Gaurahari, Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. When arrangements were being made for the marriage of Viśvarūpa, He took sannyāsa and left home. He took the sannyāsa name of Śaṅkarāraṇya. In 1431 Śakābda Era (A.D. 1509), He disappeared in Pāṇḍarapura, in the district of Sholapur. As an incarnation of Saṅkarṣaṇa, He is both the ingredient and immediate cause of the creation of this material world. He is nondifferent from Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, for the aṁśa and the aṁśī, or the part and the whole, are not different. As an incarnation of Saṅkarṣaṇa, Viśvarūpa belongs to the quadruple manifestation of catur-vyūha. In the Gaura-candrodaya it is said that Viśvarūpa, after His so-called demise, remained mixed within Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu.

CC Adi 13.106, Purport:

As there are professional singers, dancers and reciters of prayers in the heavenly planets, so in India still there are professional dancers, blessers and singers, all of whom assemble together during householder ceremonies, especially marriages and birth ceremonies. These professional men earn their livelihood by taking charity on such occasions from the homes of the Hindus. Eunuchs also take advantage of such ceremonies to receive charity. That is their means of livelihood. Such men never become servants or engage themselves in agriculture or business occupations; they simply take charity from neighborhood friends to maintain themselves peacefully. The bhāṭas are a class of brāhmaṇas who go to such ceremonies to offer blessings by composing poems with references to the Vedic scriptures.

CC Adi 13.110, Purport:

Vermilion, kha-i (fused rice), bananas, coconuts and turmeric mixed with oil are all auspicious gifts for such a ceremony. As there is puffed rice, so there is another preparation of rice called kha-i, or fused rice, which, along with bananas, is taken as a very auspicious presentation. Also, turmeric mixed with oil and vermilion makes an auspicious ointment that is smeared over the body of a newborn baby or a person who is going to marry. These are all auspicious activities in family affairs. We see that five hundred years ago at the birth of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu all these ceremonies were performed rigidly, but at present such ritualistic performances hardly ever take place. Generally a pregnant mother is sent to the hospital, and as soon as her child is born he is washed with an antiseptic, and this concludes everything.

CC Adi 14.20, Purport:

It is the Vedic system to observe all kinds of festivals, including birthday festivals, marriage festivals, name-giving festivals and festivals marking the beginning of education, by especially inviting brāhmaṇas. In every festival the brāhmaṇas are to be fed first, and when the brāhmaṇas are pleased they bless the festival by chanting Vedic mantras or the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra.

CC Adi 14.58, Purport:

In India in those days and even until fifty years ago, polygamy was freely allowed. Any man, especially of the higher castes—the brāhmaṇas, the vaiśyas and particularly the kṣatriyas—could marry more than one wife. In the Mahābhārata, or the old history of India, we see that kṣatriya kings especially used to marry many wives. According to Vedic civilization there was no restriction against this, and even a man more than fifty years old could marry. But to be married to a man who had many wives was not a very pleasing situation because the husband's love would be divided among his many wives. To punish the girls unwilling to offer Him the naivedya, Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu apparently wanted to curse them to be married to men who had at least four wives.

The social structure allowing a man to marry more than one wife can be supported in this way. Generally in every society the female population is greater in number than the male population. Therefore if it is a principle in the society that all girls should be married, unless polygamy is allowed it will not be possible. If all the girls are not married there is a good chance of adultery, and a society in which adultery is allowed cannot be very peaceful or pure. In our Kṛṣṇa consciousness society we have restricted illicit sex. The practical difficulty is to find a husband for each and every girl. We are therefore in favor of polygamy, provided, of course, that the husband is able to maintain more than one wife.

CC Adi 15 Summary:

A synopsis of the Fifteenth Chapter is as follows. The Lord took lessons in grammar from Gaṅgādāsa Paṇḍita and became very expert in commenting upon grammar. He forbade His mother to take grains on the Ekādaśī day. He narrated a story that Viśvarūpa, after accepting the sannyāsa order, invited Him in a dream to accept sannyāsa also, but the Lord refused and was therefore sent back home. When Jagannātha Miśra passed away, the Lord married the daughter of Vallabhācārya, whose name was Lakṣmī. All these events are summarized in this chapter.

CC Adi 15.4, Translation:

The pastimes of the Lord during His paugaṇḍa age were very extensive. His education was His chief occupation, and after that His very beautiful marriage took place.

CC Adi 15.11, Translation:

Thereafter, seeing that Viśvarūpa was a grown-up youth, Jagannātha Miśra wanted to find a girl and arrange a marriage ceremony for Him.

CC Adi 15.26, Translation:

Without a wife,” Lord Caitanya considered, "there is no meaning to householder life." Thus the Lord decided to marry.

CC Adi 15.29, Translation and Purport:

When the Lord and Lakṣmīdevī met, their relationship awakened, having already been settled, and coincidentally the marriage-maker Vanamālī came to see Śacīmātā.

Vanamālī Ghaṭaka, a resident of Navadvīpa and a brāhmaṇa by caste, arranged the marriage of the Lord to Lakṣmīdevī. He was formerly Viśvāmitra, who negotiated the marriage of Lord Rāmacandra, and later he was the brāhmaṇa who negotiated the marriage of Lord Kṛṣṇa with Rukmiṇī. That same brāhmaṇa acted as the marriage-maker of the Lord in caitanya-līlā.

CC Adi 15.30, Translation:

Following the indications of Śacīdevī, Vanamālī Ghaṭaka arranged the marriage, and thus in due course the Lord married Lakṣmīdevī.

CC Adi 16 Summary:

He went to East Bengal to secure financial assistance, cultivate knowledge and introduce the saṅkīrtana movement, and there He met Tapana Miśra, whom He instructed about spiritual advancement and ordered to go to Vārāṇasī. While Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu was touring East Bengal, His wife, Lakṣmīdevī, was bitten by a serpent or by the serpent of separation, and thus she left this world. When the Lord returned home, He saw that His mother was overwhelmed with grief because of Lakṣmīdevī’s death. Therefore at her request He later married His second wife, Viṣṇupriyā-devī. This chapter also describes the Lord's argument with Keśava Kāśmīrī, the celebrated scholar, and the Lord's criticism of his prayer glorifying mother Ganges. In this prayer the Lord found five kinds of literary ornaments and five kinds of literary faults, thus defeating the paṇḍita. Later the Kāśmīrī Paṇḍita, who was known to have been victorious all over the country, submitted himself to the goddess of learning, and by her order he met Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu on the morning of the next day and surrendered unto Him.

CC Adi 16.25, Translation:

Then Lord Caitanya married Viṣṇupriyā, the goddess of fortune, and thereafter He conquered a champion of learning named Keśava Kāśmīrī.

CC Madhya-lila

CC Madhya 1.44, Purport:

In the second part, known as Uttara-campū, the following subject matters are discussed: (1) attraction for Vrajabhūmi; (2) the cruel activities of Akrūra; (3) Kṛṣṇa's departure for Mathurā; (4) a description of the city of Mathurā; (5) the killing of Kaṁsa; (6) Nanda Mahārāja's separation from Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma; (7) Nanda Mahārāja's entrance into Vṛndāvana without Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma; (8) the studies of Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma; (9) how the son of the teacher of Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma was returned; (10) Uddhava's visit to Vṛndāvana; (11) Rādhārāṇī’s talking with the messenger bumblebee; (12) the return of Uddhava from Vṛndāvana; (13) the binding of Jarāsandha; (14) the killing of the yavana Jarāsandha; (15) the marriage of Balarāma; (16) the marriage of Rukmiṇī; (17) seven marriages; (18) the killing of Narakāsura, the taking of the pārijāta flower from heaven and Kṛṣṇa's marriage to 16,000 princesses; (19) victory over Bāṇāsura; (20) a description of Balarāma's return to Vraja; (21) the killing of Pauṇḍraka (the imitation Viṣṇu); (22) the killing of Dvivida and thoughts of Hastināpura; (23) departure for Kurukṣetra; (24) how the residents of Vṛndāvana and Dvārakā met at Kurukṣetra; (25) Kṛṣṇa's consultation with Uddhava; (26) the deliverance of the king; (27) the performance of the Rājasūya sacrifice; (28) the killing of Śālva; (29) Kṛṣṇa's considering returning to Vṛndāvana; (30) Kṛṣṇa's revisiting Vṛndāvana; (31) the adjustment of obstructions by Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī and others; (32) everything completed; (33) the residence of Rādhā and Mādhava; (34) decorating Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī and Kṛṣṇa; (35) the marriage ceremony of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī and Kṛṣṇa; (36) the meeting of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī and Kṛṣṇa; and (37) entering Goloka.

CC Madhya 3.167, Purport:

These verses indicate that mother Śacī, born in the family of Nīlāmbara Cakravartī, used to worship Lord Viṣṇu even before her marriage. As stated in the Bhagavad-gītā (6.41):

prāpya puṇya-kṛtāṁ lokān uṣitvā śāśvatīḥ samāḥ
śucīnāṁ śrīmatāṁ gehe yoga-bhraṣṭo ’bhijāyate

"The unsuccessful yogī, after many, many years of enjoyment on the planets of the pious living entities, is born into a family of righteous people, or into a family of rich aristocracy." Mother Śacī, a nitya-siddha living entity, is an incarnation of mother Yaśodā. She appeared in the house of Nīlāmbara Cakravartī and was everlastingly engaged in the service of Lord Viṣṇu. Later she directly had as her child Lord Viṣṇu, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and she served Him from the day of His appearance. This is the position of nitya-siddha associates. Śrī Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura therefore sings: gaurāṅgera saṅgi-gaṇe nitya-siddha kari māne. Every devotee should know that all the associates of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu—His family members, friends and other associates—were all nitya-siddhas. A nitya-siddha never forgets the service of the Lord. He is always engaged, even from childhood, in worshiping the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

CC Madhya 4.133, Purport:

The sun is not polluted by absorbing such water. Rather, the sun makes the filthy place pure. If a devotee approaches the Supreme Personality of Godhead for an immoral or improper purpose, he nonetheless becomes purified; the Lord does not become infected. In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.29.15) it is stated that if one approaches the Supreme Lord even out of lust, anger or fear (kāmaṁ krodhaṁ bhayam), he is purified. The gopīs, being young girls, approached Kṛṣṇa because He was a beautiful young boy. From the external point of view, they approached the Lord out of lust, and the Lord danced with them at midnight. From the mundane point of view, these activities may appear immoral because a married or unmarried young girl cannot leave home to mix with a young boy and dance with him. Although this is immoral from the mundane viewpoint, the activities of the gopīs are accepted as the highest form of worship because it was Lord Kṛṣṇa whom they approached with lusty desires in the dead of night.

CC Madhya 5 Summary:

Once there were two brāhmaṇas, one elderly and the other young, who were inhabitants of a place known as Vidyānagara. After touring many places of pilgrimage, the two brāhmaṇas finally reached Vṛndāvana. The elderly brāhmaṇa was very satisfied with the service of the young brāhmaṇa, and he wanted to offer him his youngest daughter in marriage. The young brāhmaṇa received the promise of his elder before the Gopāla Deity of Vṛndāvana. Thus the Gopāla Deity acted as a witness. When the two brāhmaṇas returned to Vidyānagara, the younger brāhmaṇa raised the question of this marriage, but the elderly brāhmaṇa, due to obligations to his friends and wife, answered that he could not remember his promise. Because of this, the younger brāhmaṇa returned to Vṛndāvana and narrated the whole story to Gopālajī. Thus Gopālajī, being obliged by the young man's devotional service, accompanied him to southern India. Gopālajī followed the younger brāhmaṇa, who could hear the tinkling sound of Gopālajī’s ankle bells. When all the respectable gentlemen of Vidyānagara were assembled, Gopālajī testified to the promise of the elderly brāhmaṇa. Thus the marriage was performed. Later, the king of that country constructed a fine temple for Gopāla.

Afterwards, King Puruṣottama-deva of Orissa was insulted by the King of Vidyānagara, who refused to give him his daughter in marriage and called him a sweeper of Lord Jagannātha. With the help of Lord Jagannātha, King Puruṣottama-deva fought the King of Vidyānagara and defeated him. Thus he took charge of both the King's daughter and his kingdom as well. At that time, Gopālajī, being very much obligated by the devotional service of King Puruṣottama-deva, was brought to the town of Kaṭaka.

CC Madhya 5.22, Purport:

Due to pious activities, one can be enriched by four opulences: one may obtain birth in an aristocratic family, become highly educated, become very beautiful or get a sufficient quantity of riches. These are symptoms of pious activities performed in one's past life. In India it is still current for an aristocratic family never to consider a marriage with a common family. Though the caste may be the same, to maintain the aristocracy such marriages are rejected. No poor man will dare marry the daughter of a rich man. Because of this, when the elderly brāhmaṇa offered the young brāhmaṇa his daughter, the young brāhmaṇa did not believe that it would be possible to marry her. Therefore he asked the elderly brāhmaṇa why he was proposing something unprecedented (asambhava). It was unheard of for an aristocratic person to offer his daughter to a person who was both uneducated and poor.

CC Madhya 5.24, Purport:

In this regard, Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura comments that the younger brāhmaṇa rendered service to the older one with the purpose of pleasing Kṛṣṇa. It was not a matter of ordinary worldly dealings. Kṛṣṇa is pleased when a Vaiṣṇava is rendered service. Because the younger brāhmaṇa served the older one, Lord Gopāla agreed to become a witness of the marriage negotiation in order to maintain the prestige of both devotees. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu would certainly not have liked to hear about marital dealings unless such dealings were exchanged between two Vaiṣṇavas. Marriage arrangements and ceremonies belong to ordinary material karma-kāṇḍa sections of the scriptures. The Vaiṣṇavas, however, are not interested in any kind of karma-kāṇḍa dealings. Śrīla Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says: karma-kāṇḍa jñāna-kāṇḍa kevala viṣera bhāṇḍa. For a Vaiṣṇava, the karma-kāṇḍa and jñāna-kāṇḍa sections of the Vedas are unnecessary. Indeed, a real Vaiṣṇava takes these sections as a poison pot (viṣera bhāṇḍa). Sometimes we take part in a marriage ceremony for our disciples, but this does not mean that we are interested in karma-kāṇḍa activities. Sometimes, not knowing the Vaiṣṇava philosophy, an outsider criticizes such activity, maintaining that a sannyāsī should not take part in a marriage ceremony between a young boy and a young girl. However, this is not a karma-kāṇḍa activity, because our purpose is to spread the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. We are giving all facility to the general populace to take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and in order to fix the devotees in concentration on the service of the Lord, marriage is sometimes allowed. We have experienced that such married couples actually render very important service to the mission. Therefore, one should not misunderstand when a sannyāsī takes part in a marriage ceremony. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Nityānanda Prabhu took great pleasure in hearing about the marriage ceremony between the young brāhmaṇa and the daughter of the elderly brāhmaṇa.

CC Madhya 5.32, Purport:

In India it is still the custom for a daughter to be offered to someone simply by word. This is called vāg-datta. This means that the father, brother or guardian of a girl has given his word that she will be married to a certain man. Consequently, that daughter cannot be married to anyone else. She is reserved by virtue of the honest words of the father or guardian. There are many instances in which the parents of a female child have given someone a verbal promise that their daughter will be married to his son. Both parties agree to wait until the boy and girl are grown up, and then the marriage takes place. Following this custom, which is very old in India, the elderly brāhmaṇa promised to give his daughter to the younger brāhmaṇa in charity, and he promised this before the Gopāla Deity. In India the custom is to honor any promise made before the Deity. Such a promise cannot be canceled. In Indian villages, whenever there is a quarrel between two parties, they go to a temple to settle the quarrel. Whatever is spoken in front of the Deity is taken to be true, for no one would dare lie before the Deity. This same principle was followed in the Battle of Kurukṣetra. Therefore in the very beginning of the Bhagavad-gītā it is stated: dharma-kṣetre kuru-kṣetre (BG 1.1).

CC Madhya 5.52, Translation:

The son said, "Oh, you are most degraded! You want to marry my sister, just like a dwarf who wants to catch the moon!"

CC Madhya 5.77-78, Purport:

As the Supersoul within the heart of all living entities, Kṛṣṇa knows everyone's desire, everyone's request and everyone's prayer. Although all these may be contradictory, the Lord has to create a situation in which everyone will be pleased. This is an instance of a marriage negotiation between an elderly brāhmaṇa and a youthful one. The elderly brāhmaṇa was certainly willing to give his daughter in charity to the young brāhmaṇa, but his son and relatives became impediments to this transaction. The elderly brāhmaṇa considered how to get out of this situation and still offer his daughter to the young brāhmaṇa. His son, an atheist and a very cunning fellow, was thinking of how to stop the marriage. The father and son were thinking in a contradictory way, yet Kṛṣṇa created a situation wherein they agreed. They both agreed that if the Gopāla Deity would come and serve as a witness, the daughter would be given to the young brāhmaṇa.

CC Madhya 5.89, Purport:

It was not at all the intention of the young brāhmaṇa to get the daughter of the elderly brāhmaṇa in marriage and thus enjoy material happiness and sense gratification. It was not for that reason that the young brāhmaṇa went to Vṛndāvana to ask the Supreme Personality of Godhead to act as a witness. His only concern was that the elderly brāhmaṇa had promised something, and if Gopāla did not bear witness to that transaction, then the older brāhmaṇa would incur a spiritual blemish. Therefore, the young brāhmaṇa wanted protection and help from the Deity. The young brāhmaṇa was thus a pure Vaiṣṇava, and he had no desire for sense gratification. He wanted only to serve the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the older brāhmaṇa, who was also a Vaiṣṇava and very much devoted to the Lord.

CC Madhya 5.113, Translation:

After the marriage ceremony was performed, the Lord informed both brāhmaṇas, "You two brāhmaṇas are My eternal servants, birth after birth."

CC Madhya 5.113, Purport:

There are two kinds of living entities—nitya-siddha and nitya-baddha. The nitya-siddha never forgets his relationship with the Supreme Personality, whereas the nitya-baddha is always conditioned, even before the creation. He always forgets his relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Here the Lord informs the two brāhmaṇas that they are His servants birth after birth. The phrase birth after birth refers to the material world because in the spiritual world there is no birth, death, old age or disease. By the order of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the nitya-siddha remains within this material world like an ordinary man, but the only business of the nitya-siddha is to broadcast the glories of the Lord. This incident appears to be an ordinary story about a marriage transaction involving two ordinary people. However, Kṛṣṇa accepted the two brāhmaṇas as His eternal servants. Both brāhmaṇas took much trouble in these negotiations, just like mundane people, yet they were acting as eternal servants of the Lord. All nitya-siddhas within this material world may appear to toil like ordinary men, but they never forget their position as servants of the Lord.

CC Madhya 7.128, Purport:

These works are now available in an English translation and are done very authoritatively to appeal to all classes of men. Instead of living engrossed in material activities, people throughout the world should take advantage of this movement and chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra at home with their families. One should also refrain from sinful activities—illicit sex, meat-eating, gambling and intoxication. Out of these four items, illicit sex is very sinful. Every person must get married. Every woman especially must get married. If the women outnumber the men, some men can accept more than one wife. In that way there will be no prostitution in society. If men can marry more than one wife, illicit sex life will be stopped. One can also produce many nice preparations to offer Kṛṣṇa—grain, fruit, flowers and milk. Why should one indulge in unnecessary meat-eating and maintain horrible slaughterhouses? What is the use of smoking and drinking tea and coffee? People are already intoxicated by material enjoyment, and if they indulge in further intoxication, what chance is there for self-realization? Similarly, one should not partake in gambling and unnecessarily agitate the mind. The real purpose of human life is to attain the spiritual platform and return to Godhead. That is the summum bonum of spiritual realization. The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is trying to elevate human society to the perfection of life by pursuing the method described by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu in His advice to the brāhmaṇa Kūrma. That is, one should stay at home, chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra and preach the instructions of Kṛṣṇa as they are given in the Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

CC Madhya 9.79, Purport:

The incarnation of the goddess of fortune known as Godādevī or Śrī Āṇḍāl was one of the twelve Ālvārs, liberated persons known as divya-sūris. She was married to the Deity of Lord Śrī Raṅganātha, and later she entered into the body of the Lord. An incarnation of Kārmuka named Tirumaṅga (also one of the Ālvārs) acquired some money by stealing and built the fourth boundary wall of Śrī Raṅgam. It is said that in the year 289 of the Age of Kali, the Ālvār of the name Toṇḍaraḍippaḍi was born. While engaged in devotional service he fell victim to a prostitute, and Śrī Raṅganātha, seeing His devotee so degraded, sent one of His servants with a golden plate to that prostitute. When the golden plate was discovered missing from the temple, there was a search, and it was found in the prostitute's house. When the devotee saw Raṅganātha's mercy upon this prostitute, his mistake was rectified. He then prepared the third boundary wall of the Raṅganātha temple and cultivated a tulasī garden there.

CC Madhya 13.24, Purport:

In this connection, Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura comments that as an ideal husband, Lord Jagannātha remained fifteen days in a secluded place with His wife, the supreme goddess of fortune. Nonetheless, the Lord wanted to come out of seclusion to give happiness to His devotees. The Lord enjoys Himself in two ways, known as svakīya and parakīya. The Lord's conjugal love in the svakīya-rasa relates to the regulative principles observed in Dvārakā, where the Lord has many married queens. But in Vṛndāvana the conjugal love of the Lord is not with His married wives but with His girlfriends, the gopīs. Conjugal love with the gopīs is called parakīya-rasa. Lord Jagannātha leaves the secluded place where He enjoys the company of the supreme goddess of fortune in svakīya-rasa, and He goes to Vṛndāvana, where He enjoys the parakīya-rasa. Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura therefore reminds us that the Lord's pleasure in parakīya-rasa is superior to His pleasure in svakīya-rasa.

CC Madhya 13.67, Purport:

Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa expanded Himself into many forms while engaged in the rāsa-līlā dance, and He also expanded Himself when He married 16,000 wives in Dvārakā. The same process was adopted by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu when He expanded Himself into seven forms to dance in each and every group of the saṅkīrtana party. These expansions were appreciated by pure devotees, including King Pratāparudra. Although for reasons of external formality Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu refused to see King Pratāparudra because he was a king, King Pratāparudra became one of the Lord's most confidential devotees by the Lord's special mercy upon him. The King could see Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu simultaneously present in all seven groups. As confirmed in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, one cannot see the expansions of the transcendental forms of the Lord unless one is a pure devotee of the Lord.

CC Madhya 15.42, Purport:

In his Anubhāṣya, Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura writes, "There is a class of so-called devotees called prākṛta-sahajiyās who think that Nityānanda Prabhu is an ordinary human being. They have spread the news that Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu ordered Nityānanda Prabhu to return to Bengal from Orissa just to marry and beget children. This is certainly a great offense against Nityānanda Prabhu."

CC Madhya 19.61, Purport:

After studying for eleven years at Vārāṇasī, Vallabhācārya returned home. On his return, he heard that his father had departed from the material world. Keeping his brother and mother at home, he went to the banks of the river Tuṅgabhadrā, to a village called Vidyānagara, where he enlightened Kṛṣṇadeva, the grandson of King Bukkarāja. After that, he traveled throughout India thrice on trips lasting six years each. Thus he passed eighteen years and became victorious in his discussions of revealed scripture. When he was thirty years old, he married Mahālakṣmī, who belonged to the same brāhmaṇa community as his. Near Govardhana Hill he established a Deity in the valley. Finally he came to Āḍāila, which is on the other side of the Yamunā from Prayāga.

CC Madhya 20.168, Translation:

When the Lord married 16,108 wives at Dvārakā, He expanded Himself into many forms. These expansions and the expansions at the rāsa dance are called prābhava-prakāśa, according to the directions of revealed scriptures.

CC Madhya 20.170, Translation:

"It is astounding that Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who is one without a second, expanded Himself in sixteen thousand similar forms to marry sixteen thousand queens in their respective homes."

CC Madhya 20.334, Purport:

Kardama Muni was one of the prajāpatis. He married Devahūti, the daughter of Manu, and their son was Kapiladeva. The Supreme Lord was very pleased with Kardama Muni's austerities, and He appeared before Kardama Muni in a whitish body. This happened in the Satya-yuga millennium, when people were accustomed to practicing meditation.

CC Madhya 24.52, Purport:

This verse (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.52.37) was written by Rukmiṇīdevī in a letter to Kṛṣṇa inviting Him to kidnap her. Śukadeva Gosvāmī described this to Mahārāja Parīkṣit when the King asked him how Rukmiṇī had been kidnapped. Rukmiṇī had heard about Kṛṣṇa's qualities from different people, and after she heard about them, she decided to accept Kṛṣṇa as her husband. Everything had been arranged for her marriage to Śiśupāla; therefore she wrote a letter to Kṛṣṇa, which she sent through a brāhmaṇa, and invited Him to kidnap her.

CC Antya-lila

CC Antya 6.237, Purport:

Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura says in his Amṛta-pravāha-bhāṣya that when a man and woman are married, they beget children and are thus entangled in family life. Talk concerning such family life is called grāmya-kathā. A person in the renounced order never indulges in either hearing or talking about such subjects. He should not eat palatable dishes, since that is unfit for a person in the renounced order. He should show all respect to others, but should not expect respect for himself. In this way, one should chant the holy name of the Lord and think of how to serve Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa in Vṛndāvana.

CC Antya 13.112, Translation and Purport:

After eight months, when Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu bade farewell to Raghunātha Bhaṭṭa, the Lord flatly forbade him to marry. "Do not marry," the Lord said.

Raghunātha Bhaṭṭācārya had become a greatly advanced devotee while still unmarried. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu could see this, and therefore He advised him not to begin the process of material sense gratification. Marriage is a concession for people who are unable to control their senses. Raghunātha, however, being an advanced devotee of Kṛṣṇa, naturally had no desire for sense gratification. Therefore Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu advised him not to enter the bondage of marriage. Generally a person cannot make much advancement in spiritual consciousness if he is married. He becomes attached to his family and is prone to sense gratification. Thus his spiritual advancement is very slow or almost nil.

CC Antya 16.142, Translation:

Some gopīs said to other gopīs, "Just see the astonishing pastimes of Kṛṣṇa, the son of Vrajendra! He will certainly marry all the gopīs of Vṛndāvana. Therefore, the gopīs know for certain that the nectar of Kṛṣṇa"s lips is their own property and cannot be enjoyed by anyone else.

CC Antya Concluding Words:

In this connection we may call to memory the time when I was fortunate enough to meet His Divine Grace Śrīla Prabhupāda, sometime in the year 1922. Śrīla Prabhupāda had come to Calcutta from Śrīdhāma Māyāpur to start the missionary activities of the Gauḍīya Maṭha. He was sitting in a house at Ulta Danga when through the inducement of an intimate friend, the late Śrīmān Narendranath Mullik, I had the opportunity to meet His Divine Grace for the first time. I do not remember the actual date of the meeting, but at that time I was one of the managers of Dr. Bose's laboratory in Calcutta. I was a newly married young man, addicted to Gandhi's movement and dressed in khadi. Fortunately, even at our first meeting His Divine Grace advised me to preach the cult of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu in English in the Western countries. Because at that time I was a complete nationalist, a follower of Mahatma Gandhi's, I submitted to His Divine Grace that unless our country were freed from foreign subjugation, no one would hear the message of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu seriously. Of course, we had some argument on this subject, but at last I was defeated and convinced that Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu's message is the only panacea for suffering humanity. I was also convinced that the message of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was then in the hands of a very expert devotee and that surely the message of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu would spread all over the world. I could not, however, immediately take up his instructions to preach, but I took his words very seriously and was always thinking of how to execute his order, although I was quite unfit to do so.

Page Title:Marriage (CC)
Compiler:Visnu Murti, Mayapur
Created:30 of Mar, 2012
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=65, OB=0, Lec=0, Con=0, Let=0
No. of Quotes:65