Skip to main content

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 21.13-48

Prabhupāda:

nāntaṁ vidāmy aham amī munayo agrajās te
māyā-balasya puruṣasya kuto 'varā ye
gāyan guṇān daśa-śatānana ādi-devaḥ
śeṣo 'dhunāpi samavasyati nāsya pāram

[Cc. Madhya 21.13]

[Neither I nor all the sages born before you know fully the omnipotent Personality of Godhead. So what can others, who are born after us, know about Him? Even the first incarnation of the Lord, namely Śeṣa, has not been able to reach the limit of such knowledge, although He is describing the qualities of the Lord with ten hundred mouths.]

This is a verse from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. This was recited by Brahmā. The purpose of this verse is... Brahmā says that "Although I am Brahmā, and before me all the great sages, everyone, has tried to know the Supreme Lord in," I mean to say, "incomplete, but nobody could understand where is the end of these unlimited potencies of the Supreme Lord."

seho rahu-sarvajña-śiromaṇi śrī-kṛṣṇa
nija-guṇera anta nā pāñā hayena satṛṣṇa

[Cc. Madhya 21.14]

[To say nothing of Anantadeva, even Lord Kṛṣṇa Himself cannot find an end to His own transcendental qualities. Indeed, He Himself is always eager to know them.]

Even Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa Himself, He does not know how unlimited is His potency. Lord Caitanya says that. He also does not know.

seha rahu-vraje yabe kṛṣṇa avatāra
tāṅra caritra vicārite mana nā pāya pāra

[Cc. Madhya 21.16]

[Apart from all argument, logic and negative or positive processes, when Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa was present as the Supreme Personality of Godhead at Vṛndāvana, no one could find a limit to His potencies by studying His characteristics and activities.]

prākṛtāprākṛta sṛṣṭi kaila eka-kṣaṇe
aśeṣa-vaikuṇṭhājāṇḍa svasvanātha-sane

[Cc. Madhya 21.17]

[At Vṛndāvana, the Lord immediately created all material and spiritual planets in one moment. Indeed, all of them were created with their predominating deities.]

In this way, the Supreme Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, by His plenary expansions, He is doing unlimited activities, transcendental. So for a living entity, a small living entity like us, we cannot know. The only thing is that, as stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, that satataṁ kīrtayanto māṁ yatantaś ca dṛḍha-vratāḥ, tuṣyanti ca ramanti ca [Bg. 9.14].

[Always chanting My glories, endeavoring with great determination, bowing down before Me, these great souls perpetually worship Me with devotion.]

The subject matter is so nice that the devotees who are engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness in the transcendental loving service, they like. And in the association of pure devotee, these topics become palatable.

There are many instances in the Bhāgavata also. When śaunakādi ṛṣi, sages headed by Śaunaka Muni, was hearing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam from Sūta Gosvāmī, they also uttered this, vayaṁ tu na vitṛpyāma [SB 1.1.19]:

[We never tire of hearing the transcendental pastimes of the Personality of Godhead, who is glorified by hymns and prayers. Those who have developed a taste for transcendental relationships with Him relish hearing of His pastimes at every moment.]

"You are reciting about the glories of the Supreme Lord, His activities, so please continue. We are not yet satisfied. The subject matter is so nice that we want to more and more..." Svādu svādu krame krame. As you go on hearing, and as you become purified...

There is a very practical example: the sugar candy. Sugar candy is, by nature, it is very sweet. But if you give it to a patient who is jaundiced, if you give, he will taste it, that he'll say that it is bitter. It is bitter. You will have practical example. If you ask him what is the taste, he'll say bitter.

Everyone knows that sugar candy is very sweet, but if you give to a patient suffering from jaundice, he'll say it is bitter. Similarly, the kṛṣṇa-kathā, the Lord's name, fame, quality, entourage, all these things are very sweet. To whom? Those who are liberated from this jaundice of materialism. For them it is very sweet.

So as you feel sweetness of this kṛṣṇa-kathā, you should know that you are becoming liberated from this material entanglement. The same thing: sugar candy is the only medicine for jaundice. Those who are suffering from jaundice, they are prescribed by physician to take sugar candy water in the morning. And by drinking that sugar candy water, gradually he feels the sweetness of sugar candy. That is the test that he is getting free from the disease.

So similarly, Bhagavad-gītā or Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam or anything where the topics of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is discussed, if you feel it is interesting, that means you are getting out of the jaundice of this material disease. Yes. This is the test. If you don't feel interested, then you must know that the jaundice of material disease is there. So this is the test. The more you feel kṛṣṇa-kathā, the topics of Kṛṣṇa, tasteful, the more you'll know that you are getting free from the jaundice of material disease.

e-mata anyatra nāhi śuniye adbhuta
yāhāra śravaṇe citta haya avadhūta

[Cc. Madhya 21.18]

[We do not hear of such wonderful things anywhere else. Simply by one’s hearing of those incidents, one’s consciousness is agitated and cleansed.]

'kṛṣṇa-vatsair... 'kṛṣṇa-vatsairasaṅkhyātaiḥ'-śukadeva-vāṇī
kṛṣṇa-saṅge kata gopa-saṅkhyā nāhi jāni

[Cc. Madhya 21.19]

[According to Śukadeva Gosvāmī, Kṛṣṇa had unlimited calves and cowherd boys with Him. No one could count their actual number.]

Gopa. Kṛṣṇa, you know, in His abode, He is just like a sixteen-years-old boy, and His main pastime is to take the cows and..., in the pasturing ground with His friends, boyfriends, and play with them. This is Kṛṣṇa's day's business. So Śukadeva Gosvāmī has written a very nice verse, that these boys who are playing with Kṛṣṇa, in their past life they had accumulated heaps of pious activities. Kṛta-puṇya-puñjāḥ [SB 10.12.11]. Sākaṁ vijahruḥ. Itthaṁ satāṁ brahma-sukhānubhūtyā.

[All the boys would be differently engaged. Some boys blew their flutes, and others blew bugles made of horn. Some imitated the buzzing of the bumblebees, and others imitated the voice of the cuckoo. Some boys imitated flying birds by running after the birds' shadows on the ground, some imitated the beautiful movements and attractive postures of the swans, some sat down with the ducks, sitting silently, and others imitated the dancing of the peacocks.

Some boys attracted young monkeys in the trees, some jumped into the trees, imitating the monkeys, some made faces as the monkeys were accustomed to do, and others jumped from one branch to another. Some boys went to the waterfalls and crossed over the river, jumping with the frogs, and when they saw their own reflections on the water they would laugh. They would also condemn the sounds of their own echoes.

In this way, all the cowherd boys used to play with Kṛṣṇa, who is the source of the Brahman effulgence for jñānīs desiring to merge into that effulgence, who is the Supreme Personality of Godhead for devotees who have accepted eternal servitorship, and who for ordinary persons is but another ordinary child. The cowherd boys, having accumulated the results of pious activities for many lives, were able to associate in this way with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. How can one explain their great fortune?]

Now, Śukadeva Gosvāmī is writing. Now, these boys who are playing with Kṛṣṇa, they are playing with whom? They are playing with the Supreme Absolute Truth, who is considered as impersonal by the great sages. Itthaṁ satāṁ brahma... Brahma-sukha. Brahma, transcendental Brahman realization. The reservoir of Brahman realization is here, Kṛṣṇa. So these boys who are playing with this Kṛṣṇa, He is the reservoir of the Brahman realization.

Itthaṁ satāṁ brahma-sukhānubhūtyā dāsyaṁ gatānāṁ para-daivatena. And dāsyaṁ gatānām, those who have accepted the Supreme Lord as master, that means devotees, for them this Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Lord. For the impersonalist He is Supreme Brahman, and for the personalist He is Supreme Lord. And māyāśritānāṁ nara-dārakeṇa: and those who are under the spell of materialism, for them He is ordinary boy. Māyāśritānāṁ nara-dārakeṇa sākaṁ vijahruḥ kṛta-puṇya-puñjāḥ [SB 10.12.11].

With Him these boys, who had accumulated millions and millions' births of pious activities, now they have got the opportunity of playing with Kṛṣṇa face to face, just like ordinary boys play.

So similarly, Kṛṣṇa is very much fond of playing with His young boyfriends. That is mentioned in the Brahma-saṁhitā: surabhīr abhipālayantam, lakṣmī-sahasra-śata-sambhrama-sevyamānam [Bs. 5.29].

[I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, the first progenitor who is tending the cows, yielding all desire, in abodes built with spiritual gems, surrounded by millions of purpose trees, always served with great reverence and affection by hundreds of thousands of lakṣmīs or gopīs.]

So these things are explained here also.

eka eka gopa kare ye vatsa cāraṇa
koṭi, arbuda, śaṇkha, padma, tāhāra gaṇana

[Cc. Madhya 21.20]

[Each of the cowherd boys was tending calves to the extent of a koṭi, arbuda, śaṅkha and padma. That is the way of counting.]

Now there are so many friends, cowherd boys, nobody can count. Nobody... Unlimited, everything unlimited. They have unlimited number of cows, unlimited number of boyfriends—everything unlimited.

vetra, veṇu dala, śṛṅga, vastra, alaṅkāra,
gopa-gaṇera yata, tāra nāhi lekhā-pāra

[Cc. Madhya 21.21]

[All the cowherd boys had unlimited calves. Similarly, their canes, flutes, lotus flowers, horns, garments and ornaments were all unlimited. They cannot be limited by writing about them.]

Now these cowherds boys, they have got a cane in the hand, vetra. And each of them has got a flute also. Vetra veṇu dala. And a lotus flower, and a śṛṅgara, a horn. Śṛṅgara vastra, and very nicely dressed, and full of ornaments. Just like Kṛṣṇa is dressed, similarly, His friends, cowherd boys, they are also dressed.

In the spiritual world, when you'll go, you'll not be able to understand who is Kṛṣṇa and who is not Kṛṣṇa. Everyone is like Kṛṣṇa. Similarly, in the Vaikuṇṭha planets everyone is like Viṣṇu. That is called sayujya-mukti. The living entities, when they enter into the spiritual planets, they become as good as Kṛṣṇa and Viṣṇu—there is no difference—because it is absolute world.

Here the difference is there. The impersonalists, they cannot understand that even in individuality there is no difference. As soon as they think of individuality, oh, they think that there is difference. Then what is liberation? Yes. And actually there is no difference. The difference is only that Kṛṣṇa's personality and others' personality, they are conscious that "Kṛṣṇa is our object of love." That's it. The center is Kṛṣṇa. In this way, the individual boys and girls and Kṛṣṇa, everyone is enjoying spiritual bliss.

sabe hailā caturbhuja vaikuṇṭhera pati
pṛthak pṛthak brahmāṇḍera brahmā kare stuti

[Cc. Madhya 21.22]

[The cowherd boys then became four-handed Nārāyaṇas, predominating Deities of Vaikuṇṭha planets. All the separate Brahmās from different universes began to offer their prayers unto the Lords.]

eka kṛṣṇa-deha haite sabāra prakāśe
kṣaṇeke sabāi sei śarīre praveśe

[Cc. Madhya 21.23]

[All these transcendental bodies emanated from the body of Kṛṣṇa, and within a second They all entered again into His body.]

Now these, all these cowherd boys and everything, cows and everything, they are all expansion of Kṛṣṇa's energy. It is spiritual. Just like we are expansion of Kṛṣṇa's marginal energy and the matter is also expansion of Kṛṣṇa's inferior, material energy, similarly, in the spiritual world all those things—Kṛṣṇa, the cowherd boys, the cows and everything—they are also expansion of His spiritual energy.

eka kṛṣṇa-deha haite sabāra prakāśe
kṣaṇeke sabāi sei śarīre praveśe

[Cc. Madhya 21.23]

[All these transcendental bodies emanated from the body of Kṛṣṇa, and within a second They all entered again into His body.]

ihā dekhi' brahmā hailā mohita, vismita
stuti kari' ei pāche karilā niścita

[Cc. Madhya 21.24]

[When the Lord Brahmā from this universe saw this pastime, he was astonished and struck with wonder. After offering his prayers, he gave the following conclusion.]

Brahmā, he was, I mean to say, bewildered. When Kṛṣṇa came on this planet, Brahmā... Muhyanti yat sūrayaḥ [SB 1.1.1].

[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.]

Brahmā was astonished and Indra was astonished: "How is that, my Lord Kṛṣṇa has come at Vṛndāvana as a cowherd boy?" So they came to Vṛndāvana to test. So all... Brahmā, by his...

He has got so much power, he had kidnapped all the cows and the boys of Kṛṣṇa. And when he came back he saw the Kṛṣṇa is playing with the same cows and boys again. Then he could understand that "This boy is Kṛṣṇa." Then he offered his prayer and begged pardon from Him, that "I misunderstood." In this way there are many narrations in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Here Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu is referring to that incident.

ihā dekhi' brahmā hailā mohita, vismita
stuti kari' ei pāche karilā niścita

[Cc. Madhya 21.24]

[When the Lord Brahmā from this universe saw this pastime, he was astonished and struck with wonder. After offering his prayers, he gave the following conclusion.]

So he was astonished, and then, after prayer, he was satisfied.

ye kahe-'kṛṣṇera vaibhava muñi saba jānon'
se jānuka—kāya-mane muñi ei mānoṅ

[Cc. Madhya 21.25]

[Lord Brahmā said, ’If someone says that he knows everything about Kṛṣṇa’s opulence, let him think that way. But as far as I am concerned, with my body and mind I consider it in this way.]

So Brahmā admitted that "If anybody says that 'I know Kṛṣṇa. I know the Supreme Personality of Godhead in detail,' so maybe he may know, but so far I am concerned, I do not know."

The purport is that Brahmā is the first creature in this universe. He is the first living entity. He accepts his inability to understand about Kṛṣṇa, and what to speak of others? What to speak of the commentator who says that "This is not Kṛṣṇa; this is something else"?

ei ye tomāra ananta vaibhavāmṛta-sindhu
mora vāṅ-mano-gamya nahe eka bindu

[Cc. Madhya 21.26]

[My Lord, Your opulence is like an unlimited ocean of nectar, and it is verbally and mentally impossible for me to realize even a drop of that ocean.]

Brahmā admitted that "Your activities, Your pastimes, everything of You, it is not possible even to taste or to understand even a particle of it." The very verse recited here,

jānanta eva jānantu
kiṁ bahūktyā na me prabho
manaso vapuṣo vāco
vaibhavaṁ tava gocaraḥ

[Cc. Madhya 21.27]

[There are people who say, ”I know everything about Kṛṣṇa.” Let them think that way. As far as I am concerned, I do not wish to speak very much about this matter. O my Lord, let me say this much. As far as Your opulences are concerned, they are all beyond the reach of my mind, body and words.]

Nobody can understand how great is Kṛṣṇa.

kṛṣṇera mahimā rahu-kebā tāra jñātā
vṛndāvana-sthānera dekha āścarya vibhutā

[Cc. Madhya 21.28]

[Let the glories of Lord Kṛṣṇa be! Who could be aware of all of them? His abode, Vṛndāvana, has many wonderful opulences. Just try to see them all.]

That is described, the glories of Kṛṣṇa—nobody can understand. Similarly, vṛndāvana-sthānera āścarya vibhutā. Similarly, the land which is known as Vṛndāvana, it has also got unlimited potency. Still, as I have several times mentioned, if you go to Vṛndāvana you'll find unlimited potency of spiritual atmosphere still. And therefore Lord Caitanya recommended that ārādhyo bhagavān vrajeśa-tanayaḥ tad dhāma vṛndāvanam [Caitanya-mañjusā]:

[The Supreme Personality of Godhead, the son of Nanda Mahārāja, is to be worshiped along with His transcendental abode, Vṛndāvana. The most pleasing form of worship for the Lord is that which was performed by the gopīs of Vṛndāvaṇa. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the spotless authority on everything, and pure love of God is the ultimate goal of life for all men. These statements, for which we have the highest regard, are the opinion of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.]

"As Lord Kṛṣṇa is worshipable, similarly His place, Vṛndāvana, is as good as Kṛṣṇa. It is also worshipable." And actually, still in India, if you go to Vṛndāvana, you'll see so many saints and sages are still there. They are worshiping Vṛndāvana-dhāma. Yes.

[apāra aiśvarya kṛṣṇera-nāhika gaṇana
śākhā-candra-nyāye kari dig-daraśana

Cc. Madhya 21.30]

[No one can estimate the opulence of Kṛṣṇa. That is unlimited. However, just as one sees the moon through the branches of a tree, I wish to give a little indication.]

aiśvarya kahite sphurila aiśvarya-sāgara
manendriya ḍubilā, prabhu ha-ilā phāṅpara

[Cc. Madhya 21.31]

[While describing the transcendental opulences of Kṛṣṇa, the ocean of opulence manifested in the mind of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and His mind and senses were immersed in this ocean. Thus He was perplexed.]

bhāgavatera ei śloka paḍilā āpane
artha āsvādite sukhe karena vyākhyāne

[Cc. Madhya 21.32]

[Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu personally recited the following verse from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and to relish the meaning, He began to explain it Himself.]

Now, Caitanya Mahāprabhu's attitude was... When He was speaking of Kṛṣṇa He sometimes became in trance, and He became sometimes unconscious. That was His... Because Caitanya Mahāprabhu's incarnation is that He is Kṛṣṇa, and Kṛṣṇa is trying to understand Kṛṣṇa as Kṛṣṇa's devotee. That is His feature. These are very complicated things, but that is the position of Caitanya Mahāprabhu. So when He used to speak something of Kṛṣṇa, He sometimes became unconscious.

brahmā viṣṇu hara-ei sṛṣṭyādi-īśvara
tine ājñākārī kṛṣṇera kṛṣṇa-adhīśvara

[Cc. Madhya 21.36]

[The primary predominating deities of this material creation are Lord Brahmā, Lord Śiva and Lord Viṣṇu. Nonetheless, they simply carry out the orders of Lord Kṛṣṇa, who is master of them all.]

Now... So far the demigods are concerned, Brahmā is the chief. Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Maheśvara, they are ājñākārī. They are under the order of Kṛṣṇa: Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Maheśvara.

e sāmānya tryadhīśvarera śuna artha āra
jagat-kāraṇa tina puruṣāvatāra

[Cc. Madhya 21.38]

[This is only a general description. Please try to understand another meaning of tryadhīśa. The three puruṣa incarnations of Viṣṇu are the original cause of the material creation.]

Then there are three puruṣa-avatāras; we have already discussed. Jagat... For material creation there are three puruṣa incarnation.

mahā-viṣṇu, padmanābha, kṣīrodaka-svāmī
ei tina-sthūla-sūkṣma-sarva-antaryāmī

[Cc. Madhya 21.39]

[Mahā-Viṣṇu, Padmanābha and Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu are the Supersouls of all subtle and gross existences.]

And those three incarnation are called Mahā-Viṣṇu; Padmanābha, Padmanābha Viṣṇu—Padmanābha means from His navel there is a stem of lotus flower—and Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu. Ei tina-sthūla-sūkṣma-sarva-antaryāmī.

ei tina-sarvāśraya jagat-īśvara
eho saba kalā-aṁśa kṛṣṇa-adhīśvara

[Cc. Madhya 21.40]

[Although Mahā-Viṣṇu, Padmanābha and Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu are all shelters and controllers of the entire universe, They are nonetheless but plenary portions or portions of the plenary portions of Kṛṣṇa. Therefore He is the original Personality of Godhead.]

So all these incarnation are plenary parts of Kṛṣṇa. And this is confirmed in Brahma-saṁhitā:

yasyaika-niśvasita-kālam athāvalambya
jīvanti loma-vilajā jagad-aṇḍa-nāthāḥ
viṣṇur mahān sa iha yasya kalā-viśeṣo
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

[Bs. 5.48]

[Brahmā and other lords of the mundane worlds, appearing from the pores of hair of Mahā-Viṣṇu, remain alive as long as the duration of one exhalation of the latter [Mahā-Viṣṇu]. I adore the primeval Lord Govinda of whose subjective personality Mahā-Viṣṇu is the portion of portion.]

So Govinda, the Supreme Lord, the cause of all causes, His plenary portions are these three Viṣṇus.

ei artha-madhyama, śuna 'gūḍha' artha āra
tina āvāsa-sthāna kṛṣṇera śāstre khyāti yāra

[Cc. Madhya 21.42]

[This is the middle meaning. Now please hear the confidential meaning. Lord Kṛṣṇa has three places of residence, which are well known from the revealed scriptures.]

Now, Kṛṣṇa abode, the, I mean to say, planet which is called Goloka Vṛndāvana, that has three divisions. As we have got replica on this earth, there is Vṛndāvana, Mathurā and Dvārakā... Dvārakā is in Gujarat, and Mathurā and Vṛndāvana is in U.P., United..., Uttar Pradesh, near Delhi. And Dvārakā is about three hundred miles or more than that from Delhi. So these are replicas of the original Kṛṣṇaloka.

'antaḥpura'-goloka-śrī-vṛndāvana
yāhāṅ nitya-sthiti mātā-pitā-bandhu-gaṇa

[Cc. Madhya 21.43]

[The internal abode is called Goloka Vṛndāvana. It is there that Lord Kṛṣṇa’s personal friends, associates, father and mother live.]

madhuraiśvarya-mādhurya-kṛpādi-bhāṇḍāra
yogamāyā dāsī yāhāṅ rāsādi līlā-sāra

[Cc. Madhya 21.44]

[Vṛndāvana is the storehouse of Kṛṣṇa’s mercy and the sweet opulences of conjugal love. That is where the spiritual energy, working as a maidservant, exhibits the rāsa dance, the quintessence of all pastimes.]

So out of these three places, Vṛndāvana-dhāma is the most important. That is the confidential home of Kṛṣṇa. Just like a businessman might have many places for his business, I mean to say, activities, but his home is different from all this business. He may live in the countryside in a cottage, but he may be a very big businessman.

Similarly Kṛṣṇa, although He's all-powerful, He lives at Vṛndāvana in the gardenlike city. Not city; a tract of land. A small city is there now; they have named Vṛndāvana. But Vṛndāvana is not that small city. It is a tract of land about eighty-four miles.

So it is full of garden and full of nice places. Anywhere you go, you will find something wonder to see. There are many trees of fruits and flowers, many varieties of birds, and the cranes on the Yamunā side. Every... Each and every place is remembering Kṛṣṇa. If you go there you'll find that "Kṛṣṇa is... Somewhere He was playing. I must find out." It is such nice place. So Vṛndāvana is the most confidential part of Kṛṣṇa's abode.

tāra tale paravyoma-'viṣṇuloka'-nāma
nārāyaṇa-ādi ananta svarūpera dhāma

[Cc. Madhya 21.46]

[Below the Vṛndāvana planet is the spiritual sky, which is known as Viṣṇuloka. In Viṣṇuloka there are innumerable Vaikuṇṭha planets controlled by Nārāyaṇa and innumerable other expansions of Kṛṣṇa.]

So in the spiritual world, that Vṛndāvana planet is the highest planet, and below that planet there are innumerable Vaikuṇṭha planets, which are called Viṣṇuloka.

tāra tale paravyoma-'viṣṇuloka'-nāma
nārāyaṇa-ādi ananta svarūpera dhāma

[Cc. Madhya 21.46]

And the presiding Deity, predominating Deity in those planets, is called Nārāyaṇa. Nārāyaṇa is also expansion of Kṛṣṇa. Generally, Nārāyaṇa is accepted as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but from authentic scripture we understand that Nārāyaṇa is expansion of Kṛṣṇa.

'madhyama-āvāsa' kṛṣṇera-ṣaḍ-aiśvarya-bhāṇḍāra
ananta svarūpe yāhāṅ karena vihāra
[Cc. Madhya 21.47]

[The spiritual sky, which is full in all six opulences, is the intermediate residence of Lord Kṛṣṇa. It is there that an unlimited number of forms of Kṛṣṇa enjoy Their pastimes.]

Although Kṛṣṇa is two-handed and, I mean to say, busy with His flute-playing, but we do not know—many do not know—that He is..., has expanded as Nārāyaṇa and Viṣṇu. He is the predominating Deity all over the spiritual world.

ananta vaikuṇṭha yāhāṅ bhāṇḍāra-koṭhari
pāriṣada-gaṇe ṣaḍ-aiśvarye āche bhari'

[Cc. Madhya 21.48]

[Innumerable Vaikuṇṭha planets, which are just like different rooms of a treasure-house, are all there, filled with all opulences. Those unlimited planets house the Lord’s eternal associates, who are also enriched with the six opulences.]

And each and every planet there are innumerable devotees. He's surrounded by the innumerable devotees. And He's citing evidencial verse from Brahma-saṁhitā:

goloka-nāmni nija-dhāmni tale ca tasya
devī-maheśa-hari-dhāmasu teṣu teṣu
te te prabhāva-nicayā vihitāś ca yena
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

[Bs. 5.43]

[Lowest of all is located Devī-dhāma [mundane world], next above it is Maheśa-dhāma [abode of Maheśa]; above Maheśa-dhāma is placed Hari-dhāma [abode of Hari] and above them all is located Kṛṣṇa's own realm named Goloka. I adore the primeval Lord Govinda, who has allotted their respective authorities to the rulers of those graded realms.]

His own personal planet is Goloka Vṛndāvana, and below that planet there are many other, innumerable planets, which are known as Vaikuṇṭha. And below that spiritual world there is material world. And between material world and spiritual world there is another space, which is called Śivaloka. And below that Śivaloka is this Devī-dhāma.

This material is called Devī-dhāma. Durgā. The presiding deity of this Devī-dhāma is Durgā. He's giving evidences from many authentic Vedic literature. One of them is Brahma-saṁhitā. Then He's giving another evidence from Padma Purāṇa, the existence of spiritual planets.

In Indian spiritual society the evidences are given from Vedic literature. Then it is accepted. Not that mental speculationist's theory, "I think this is... I think that. I..." No. Just the same example I have several times cited before you, that the law court, they give evidences from the law book, sections from the law book.

Similarly, the process is whenever we speak something transcendental subject, if we can pick up evidences from Vedic literatures... There are many authentic Vedic literatures. They are accepted by the spiritual societies. And one's learning is proved if he can give evidences from these Vedic literatures. Similarly Lord Caitanya, whatever He is speaking, He's giving immediately references from Vedic literature.

So, so far the existence of the spiritual world and different planets, spiritual planets, Vaikuṇṭha and Kṛṣṇaloka, one may think... Of course, those who have no knowledge, they may think that these are all stories. No, they are not stories; they are actual facts, and Lord Caitanya is giving evidences from Brahma-saṁhitā, from Padma Purāṇa and similar other Vedic literatures.

Thank you very much.

Any question? [end]