Sri Caitanya-Caritamrita: Madhya-lila 9.61

1582 AD – Srila Krishnadasa Kaviraja Goswami completed the writing of Sri Caitanya Caritamrita

Madhya-lila 9.61: When all the disciples chanted the holy names Krishna, Rama and Hari, the Buddhist teacher regained consciousness and immediately began to chant the holy name of Lord Hari.

PURPORT BY SRILA PRABHUPADA

Sri Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura comments that all the Buddhist disciples were actually initiated by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu into the chanting of the holy name of Krishna, and when they chanted, they actually became different persons. At that time they were not Buddhists or atheists but Vaishnavas.

Consequently they immediately accepted Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s order. Their original Krishna consciousness was revived, and they were immediately able to chant Hare Krishna and begin worshiping the Supreme Lord Visnu.

It is the spiritual master who delivers the disciple from the clutches of maya by initiating him into the chanting of the Hare Krishna maha-mantra. In this way a sleeping human being can revive his consciousness by chanting Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.

In other words, the spiritual master awakens the sleeping living entity to his original consciousness so that he can worship Lord Visnu. This is the purpose of diksa, or initiation. Initiation means receiving the pure knowledge of spiritual consciousness.

One point to note in this regard is that the spiritual master of the Buddhists did not initiate his disciples. Rather, his disciples were initiated by Sri Krishna Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and they in turn were able to initiate their so-called spiritual master.

This is the parampara system. The so-called spiritual master of the Buddhists was actually in the position of a disciple, and after his disciples were initiated by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, they acted as his spiritual masters.

Srila Prabhupada’s ORIGINAL 17 volume version back in print:
https://krishnastore.eu/sri-caitanyacaritamrta-17-volume-set-1974-edition-h-krishna-3415.html

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