The Golden Promise

Appeared in the March 2013 issue of Back To Godhead (India).

The Golden Promise

During this festive season, let us make ourselves fortunate by becoming
a part of the glorious mission of the golden incarnation.

Around 5000 years ago, Lord Çré Kåñëa appeared in Våndävana, near Mathurä City. He established the principles of religion by killing great demons like Kaàsa and by speaking the superlative knowledge of the Bhagavad-gétä. That was in Dväpara-yuga, but the yuga has since changed; we are now in Kali-yuga – the age of rapid decline of spiritual standards. To re-establish the highest religious principles, just around 500 years ago, the Supreme Lord Çré Kåñëa once again descended to this world, this time appearing in Mäyäpur, West Bengal, in His eternal golden form of ÇréCaitanyaMahäprabhu. Çrémad-Bhägavatam(11.5.32) glorifies this most loving avatära of the Lord as follows:

kåñëa-varëaà tviñäkåñëaà

säìgopäìgästra-pärñadam

yajïaiù saìkértana-präyair

yajanti hi su-medhasaù

“In the age of Kali, intelligent persons perform congregational chanting to worship the incarnation of Godhead who constantly sings the names of Kåñëa. Although His complexion is not blackish[His complexion is the color of molten gold and therefore His name is Gauräìga], He is Kåñëa Himself. He is accompanied by His associates, servants, weapons, and confidential companions.”

The Absolute Truth – Subjects and Predicates

But who is Kåñëa? Without understanding this it is not possible to fully appreciate the significance of His descent in the form of Lord Caitanya. Kåñëa, His pastimes, and His teachings are so famous that we can take Him for granted. But Kåñëa is not just one part of our limited reality; He is the Absolute Truth.

The Vedic literature frequently mentions Brahman, Paramätmä, and Bhagavän. These three terms are widely known as the subjects of transcendental understanding. The ultimate aim of all Vedic literature is the Absolute Truth. The Çrémad-Bhägavatam(1.2.11) describes the Absolute Truth as follows:

vadanti tat tattva-vidas

tattvaà yaj jïänamadvayam

brahmetiparamätmeti

bhagavän iti çabdyate

“Learned transcendentalists who know the Absolute Truth say that it is nondual knowledge and is called impersonal Brahman, the localized Paramätmä, and the Personality of Godhead.”

The beginning of spiritual enlightenment is realization of impersonal Brahman. Such realization is effected by gradual negation of material variegation. However, in this realization of the Absolute Truth, spiritual variegation is also absent. This experience is therefore called advaita-väda, or realization of the oneness of the Absolute. The Supersoul in everyone’s heart, which is called the Paramätmä, is the controller of all living entities. He is present everywhere, within the heart of every living entity and within each and every atom as well. Thus by this feature, the Supersoul, the Lord is all-pervading. Mystic yogis realize this feature of the Absolute truth by meditation. The personal aspect of the Absolute Truth, who is complete in every respect, full in all opulences, is known as Bhagavän. Pure devotees of the Lord realize Him to be the Absolute Truth. This realization of the Absolute Truth includes the other two as well. All incarnations of the Absolute Truth, commonly known as incarnations of Viñëu, are the various forms of Bhagavän.

The three subjects – Brahman, Paramätmä,and Bhagavän – are widely discussed in Vedic literature. What is less widely known is that impersonal Brahman is the effulgence of Çré Kåñëa’s transcendental body and that the Paramätmä is only a partial representation of Lord Kåñëa. It is even less widely known that Lord Caitanya is identical with Lord Kåñëa. In Çré Caitanya-caritämåta (Ädi-lélä,chapter 2), Çréla Kåñëadäsa Kaviräja Gosvämé cites conclusive evidence from authoritative Vedic sources to prove the above claims. The Gosvämé likens this analysis to the structure of a sentence. In a sentence, the subject is mentioned first because the reader already knows the subject. And then something pertaining to the subject – known as the predicate – is added to make an informative statement. Since Brahman, Paramätmä, or Bhagavän are well known to students of the Vedas, they are compared to the subject in this analysis. The less known facts mentioned above are compared to predicates.

Kaviräja Gosvämé uses the same logic to further analyze the position of Lord Kåñëa, based on the following verse from Çrémad-Bhägavatam (1.3.28):

ete cäàça-kaläù puàsaù

kåñëas tu bhagavän svayam

indräri-vyäkulaà lokaà

måòayanti yuge yuge

“All these incarnations of Godhead are either plenary portions or parts of the plenary portions of the puruña-avatäras. But Kåñëa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself. In every age He protects the world through His different features when the world is disturbed by the enemies of Indra.”

This verse comes at the end of a series of verses that describe the appearance and activities of various incarnations of Bhagavän. This list includes Kåñëa as an incarnation of Bhagavän. Citing the logic pertaining to a subject and its predicate, Kaviräja Gosvämé explains as follows:

“In the same way, all these incarnations were known, but whose incarnations they are was unknown. First the word ete [“these”] establishes the subject [the incarnations]. Then “plenary portions of the puruña-avatäras” follows as the predicate. In the same way, when Kåñëa was first counted among the incarnations, specific knowledge about Him was still unknown. Therefore first the word kåñëa appears as the subject, followed by the predicate, describing Him as the original Personality of Godhead.” (Caitanya-caritämåta, Ädi-lélä 2.80–83)

In this way Kaviräja Gosvämé proves Krishna’s supreme position as the original Personality of Godhead, the source of all incarnations of Bhagavän. Since Lord Chaitanya is directly Lord Krishna Himself, Lord Chaitanya is that same Absolute Truth. Who would not want to be part of His mission?

The Golden Mission

In this age of Kali there is no way of achieving spiritual perfection other than loudly chanting the holy names of Çré Kåñëa in saëkértana. Even though He is all powerful, as Gauräìga the Lord doesn’t kill the demons but rather kills the demonic tendencies present in their hearts by giving them the holy name. Lord Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu, as the yuga-avatära, appeared in this world for the express purpose of spreading the harinäma-saìkértana movement far and wide, even outside the land of India. The following verse from one of the authoritative biographies of Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu, Çré Caitanya-bhägavata (Antya 4.126), reveals His golden promise in unambiguous words: påthivéte äche yata nagarädi gräma sarvatra pracära haibe mora näma. “In every town and village of the world, the chanting of My name will be heard.”

Lord Caitanya Mahäprabhu persuaded the highly learned non-devotional scholars like the great Särvabhauma Bhaööäcärya and Prakäçänanda Sarasvaté with His unparalleled scriptural and philosophical acumen. And he persuaded the masses with the all-conquering weapon of the sweet uproarious chanting of the holy name in saëkértana. Be it the philosophy or the holy name, by both methods hearts were transformed, and everyone who came in contact began chanting the holy names of Kåñëa and experienced the divine bliss of love of God. Even the most wretched and infamous evil brothers Jagäi and Mädhäi, who had left no sin uncommitted, weren’t spared by the all-merciful Çré Caitanya. Indeed, after converting even them to superlative Vaiñëavas, Lord Caitanya’s fame knew no bounds.

Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu appointed one of His most trusted servants to carry out the unprecedented and monumental task of spreading His mission all over the world. His prediction of such a personality is recorded in the Caitanya-maìgala as follows (paraphrased): If sinful people get away by being in distant countries where my personal preaching will not reach, I will send my devotee commander-in-chief (senäpati-bhakta) to deliver them.”

Carrying the divine grace of Lord Gauräìga, to execute His golden promise, His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupäda – the senäpati-bhakta – ventured into uncharted territories, outside the safety of his peaceful dwelling in Våndävana, to carry out the mission of the Supreme Lord. In 1965, at the ripe old age of 70, Çréla Prabhupäda found himself alone on the streets of New York with unflinching faith in Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu’s mercy as his only shelter. But what is impossible for the Lord? In 1966, Çréla Prabhupäda founded the International Society for Kåñëa Consciousness (ISKCON) as the medium through which he would spread Lord Caitanya’s message. He expanded Lord Chiatanya’s mission by bringing harinäma-saìkértana to the streets all over the world. In the short span of twelve years “Hare Kåñëa” became a household word all over the world.Despite his busy schedule, which included opening temples, giving discourses, and managing the world wide movement single handedly, he wrote volumes of authoritative philosophical literature based on the teachings of Lord Chaitanya and His intimate associates.

Even today, as the number of Lord Caitanya’s devotees and well-wishers grows, the mercy of Mahäprabhu continues to reach thousands through the medium of Çréla Prabhupäda’s ISKCON. On this most auspicious occasion of Gaura-pürëimä, the appearance anniversary of Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu, we look back in amazement at the limitless mercy of Lord Gauräìga, the astounding accomplishments of Çréla Prabhupäda, and the unimaginable potential that this movement holds. The future is golden.