Srila Prabhupada - "Caitanya Mahaprabhu is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but He’s channa. Channa means “covered.”
Lord Caitanya is a covered Avatara, or special incarnation where Krishna and Radha are combined as the Supreme Couple "Radha and Krishna" and because He also appeared as a devotee.
In the rare Kali-yuga He appears (just "one" out of every 1000 Kali-yugas which is "once" in a day of Brahma or every 8 billion 640 million human years) He does not appear directly like other incarnations, such as Narsimhadeva, Vamanadeva, or Lord Ramachandra. He appears as a devotee.
Why?
Because He is the most magnanimous Avatara. People are so foolish that they could not understand Krishna. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu appeared to give mercy to the fallen souls, who are so foolish that they cannot take to Krishna consciousness.
He is personally teaching how to take to Krishna consciousness. And that process is this kirtana, chanting Krishna’s holy names". – Lecture in Mayapur on the appearance day of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu: March 16, 1976
Srila Prabhupada - "You appear in various incarnations as a human being, an animal, a great saint, a demigod, a fish, or a tortoise, thus maintaining the entire creation in different planetary systems and killing the demoniac principles.
According to the age, O my Lord, You protect the principles of religion. In the Age of Kali, however, You do not assert Yourself as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and therefore You are known as Triyuga, or the Lord who appears in three yugas". – Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.9.38
Srila Prabhupada - "The Lord tried to conceal His identity as the Supreme Personality of Godhead by representing Himself as a devotee, but His pure devotees could recognize Him by His special features. The Vedas and Puranas foretell the appearance of Lord Caitanya, but still He is sometimes called, significantly, the concealed descent of the Supreme Personality of Godhead". – Introduction to Cc. adi Chapter 3
External Reasons for Lord Caitanya’s Appearance
Srila Prabhupada - "According to the Vedic literature, the foremost occupational duty for humanity in this Age of Kali is nama-sankirtana, or congregational chanting of the holy name of the Lord.
The incarnation for this age especially preaches this process, but only Krishna Himself can explain the confidential loving service performed in the four principal varieties of loving affairs between the Supreme Lord and His devotees.
Lord Krishna therefore personally appeared, with His plenary portions, as Lord Caitanya. As stated in this chapter, it was for this purpose that Lord Krishna appeared personally in Navadvipa in the form of Sri Krishna Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
Advaita acharya felt sorry for the condition of the world because even after Lord Krishna’s appearance, no one had interest in devotional service to Krishna.
This forgetfulness was so overwhelming that Advaita Prabhu was convinced that no one but Lord Krishna Himself could enlighten people about devotional service to the Supreme Lord. Therefore Advaita requested Lord Krishna to appear as Lord Caitanya.
Offering tulasi leaves and Ganges water, He cried for the Lord’s appearance. The Lord, being satisfied by His pure devotees, descends to satisfy them. As such, being pleased by Advaita acharya, Lord Caitanya appeared". – Introduction to Cc. adi Chapter 3
Confidential Reasons for Lord Caitanya’s Appearance
Srila Prabhupada - "The first purpose was to relish the position of Srimati Radharani, who is the prime reciprocator of transcendental love of Sri Krishna. Lord Krishna is the reservoir of transcendental loving transactions with Srimati Radharani.
The subject of those loving transactions is the Lord Himself, and Radharani is the object. Thus the subject, the Lord, wanted to relish the loving mellow in the position of the object, Radharani.
The second reason for His appearance was to understand the transcendental mellow of Himself. Lord Krishna is all sweetness.
Radharani’s attraction for Krishna is sublime, and to experience that attraction and understand the transcendental sweetness of Himself, He accepted the mentality of Radharani.
The third reason that Lord Caitanya appeared was to enjoy the bliss tasted by Radharani. The Lord thought that undoubtedly Radharani enjoyed His company and He enjoyed the company of Radharani, but the exchange of transcendental mellow between the spiritual couple was more pleasing to Srimati Radharani than to Sri Krishna. . . . Krishna is the transcendental male, and Radharani is the transcendental female.
Therefore, to know the transcendental pleasure of loving Krishna, Lord Krishna Himself appeared as Lord Caitanya, accepting the emotions and bodily luster of Srimati Radharani". – Introduction to Cc. adi Chapter 4
Activities of Lord Caitanya
Srila Prabhupada - "After accepting the renounced order of life, Caitanya Mahaprabhu converted many karma-nisthas who were addicted to fruitive activities, many great logicians like Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya, nindakas (blasphemers) like Prakasananda Sarasvati, pasandis (nondevotees) like Jagai and Madhai, and adhama paduyas (degraded students) like Mukunda and his friends.
All of them gradually became devotees of the Lord, even the Pathans (Muslims)". – Cc. adi 7.39, purport
Imparting Transcendental Knowledge
Srila Prabhupada - "For ten days Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu stayed at Prayaga and instructed Rupa Goswami, empowering him with the necessary potency". -Cc. adi 19.135
Inaugurating the Sankirtana Movement
Srila Prabhupada - "Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu wanted to preach the sankirtana movement of love of Krishna throughout the entire world, and therefore during His presence He inspired the sankirtana movement".
– Cc. adi 7.171, purport
Delivering the most fallen
Srila Prabhupada - "Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu has freely given this love of Krishna everywhere and anywhere, even to the most fallen, such as Jagai and Madhai. What then to speak of those who are already pious and elevated?" – Cc. adi 8.20
Lord Caitanya’s Special Forms
Srila Prabhupada - "Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya was so fortunate as to see the six-armed form of Lord Caitanya known as sadbhuja. A sadbhuja Deity is still situated at one end of the Jagannatha temple.
Lord Caitanya’s Preaching Mission
Srila Prabhupada - "Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu wanted the cult of His sankirtana movement to spread all over the world. Now that the International Society for Krishna Consciousness has taken up this task of preaching the cult of Lord Caitanya, its members should not only construct temples in every town and village of the globe but also distribute the books that have already been written and further increase the number of books". – Cc. adi 7.164, purport
Srila Prabhupada - "Krishna-varnam tvisakrishnam sangopangastra-parsadam/ yajnaih sankirtana-prayair yajanti hi su-medhasah:
In the age of Kali, intelligent persons perform congregational chanting to worship the incarnation of Godhead who constantly sings the names of Krishna.
Although His complexion is not blackish, He is Krishna Himself. He is accompanied by His associates, servants, weapons and confidential companions.” – Srimad-Bhagavatam 11.5.32
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: The question I've had is that in the pictures they always show her head. She is bareheaded. She doesn't cover her head. And I noticed the thing that when we're sometimes passing in a car in Bengal I notice that the women, very often, they don't... It's more in this state than anywhere else, they don't cover their head. Is that due to her influence?
ReplyDeletePrabhupāda: No, no. The system is when the woman is at the care of father she does not cover. But when she is under the care of husband she must cover. By dress you can understand what she is, whether she is widow, whether she has got husband, whether she is prostitute. Everything by dress you'll understand". Morning walk Mayapur january 20th 1976