BY: YASHODANANDAN DASA (ACBSP)
ore mudha loka, suna caitanya-mangala
caitanya-mahima yate janibe sakala
SYNONYMS
ore—O all of you; mudha—foolish; loka—people; suna—just hear; caitanya-mangala—the book of this name; caitanya—Lord Caitanya’s; mahima—glories; yate—in which; janibe—you will know; sakala—all.
TRANSLATION
O fools, just read Sri Caitanya-mangala! By reading this book you can understand all the glories of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
PURPORT
Sri Vrndavana dasa Thakura’s Caitanya-bhagavata was originally entitled Caitanya-mangala, but when Srila Locana dasa Thakura later wrote another book named Caitanya-mangala, Srila Vrndavana dasa Thakura changed the name of his own book, which is now therefore known as Caitanya-bhagavata.
The life of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is very elaborately described in the Caitanya-bhagavata, and Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami has already informed us that in his Sri Caitanya-caritamrta he has described whatever Vrndavana dasa Thakura has not mentioned. This acceptance of Sri Caitanya-bhagavata by Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami indicates his acceptance of the disciplic succession. A writer of transcendental literature never tries to surpass the previous acaryas.
Cc. Adi-lila : Adi 8: The Author Receives the Orders of Krsna and Guru : Adi 8.33 : PURPORT
krsna-lila bhagavate kahe veda-vyasa
caitanya-lilara vyasa–vrndavana-dasa
SYNONYMS
krsna-lila—the pastimes of Lord Krsna; bhagavate—in the book Srimad-Bhagavatam; kahe—tells; veda-vyasa—Vyasadeva, the editor of the Vedic literature; caitanya-lilara—of the pastimes of Lord Caitanya; vyasa—compiler; vrndavana-dasa—is Vrndavana dasa.
TRANSLATION
As Vyasadeva has compiled all the pastimes of Lord Krsna in Srimad-Bhagavatam, Thakura Vrndavana dasa has depicted the pastimes of Lord Caitanya
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta – 1975 Edition : Cc. Adi-lila : Adi 8: The Author Receives the Orders of Krsna and Guru : Adi 8.34
vrndavana-dasa kaila ‘caitanya-mangala’
yanhara sravane nase sarva amangala
SYNONYMS
vrndavana-dasa—of the name Vrndavana dasa; kaila—compiled; caitanya-mangala—the book named Caitanya-mangala; yanhara—of which; sravane—by hearing; nase—annihilated; sarva—all; amangala—inauspiciousness.
TRANSLATION
Thakura Vrndavana dasa has composed Sri Caitanya-mangala. Hearing this book annihilates all misfortune.
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta – 1975 Edition : Cc. Adi-lila : Adi 8: The Author Receives the Orders of Krsna and Guru : Adi 8.35 :
caitanya-nitaira yate janiye mahima
yate jani krsna-bhakti-siddhantera sima
SYNONYMS
caitanya-nitaira—of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Nityananda Prabhu; yate—in which; janiye—one can know; mahima—all glories; yate—in which; jani—I can understand; krsna-bhakti—of devotion to Lord Krsna; siddhantera—of the conclusion; sima—limit.
TRANSLATION
By reading Sri Caitanya-mangala one can understand all the glories and truths of Lord Caitanya and Nityananda and come to the ultimate conclusion of devotional service to Lord Krsna.
PURPORT
Srimad-Bhagavatam is the authoritative reference book from which to understand devotional service, but because it is very elaborate, few men can understand its purpose. Srimad-Bhagavatam is the original commentary on the Vedanta-sutra, which is called nyaya-prasthana. It was written to enable one to understand the Absolute Truth through infallible logic and argument, and therefore its natural commentary, Srimad-Bhagavatam, is extremely elaborate. Professional reciters have created the impression that Srimad-Bhagavatam deals only with Krsna’s rasa-lila, although Krsna’s rasa-lila is described only in the Tenth Canto (chapters 29-35). They have in this way presented Krsna to the Western world as a great woman-hunter, and therefore we sometimes have to deal with such misconceptions in preaching.
Another difficulty in understanding Srimad-Bhagavatam is that the professional reciters have introduced bhagavata-saptaha, or seven-day readings of the Bhagavatam. They want to finish Srimad-Bhagavatam in a week, although it is so sublime that even one verse of Srimad-Bhagavatam, if properly explained, cannot be completed in three months. Under these circumstances, it is a great aid for the common man to read Srila Vrndavana dasa Thakura’s Caitanya-bhagavata, for thus he can actually understand devotional service, Krsna, Lord Caitanya and Nityananda. Srila Rupa Gosvami has said:
sruti-smrti-puranadi-
pancaratra-vidhim vina
aikantiki harer bhaktir
utpatayaiva kalpate
“Devotional service to the Lord that ignores the authorized Vedic scriptures like the Upanisads, Puranas, Narada-pancaratra, etc., is simply an unnecessary disturbance in society.” Due to misunderstanding Srimad-Bhagavatam, people are misled regarding the science of Krsna. However, by reading Srila Vrndavana dasa Thakura’s book one can very easily understand this science
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta – 1975 Edition : Cc. Adi-lila : Adi 8: The Author Receives the Orders of Krsna and Guru : Adi 8.36
bhagavate yata bhakti-siddhantera sara
likhiyachena inha jani’ kariya uddhara
SYNONYMS
bhagavate—in Srimad-Bhagavatam; yata—all; bhakti-siddhantera—in understanding devotional service; sara—essence; likhiyachena—has written; inha—this; jani’-I know; kariya—making; uddhara—quotation.
TRANSLATION
In Sri Caitanya-mangala [later known as Sri Caitanya-bhagavata] Srila Vrndavana dasa Thakura has given the conclusion and essence of devotional service by quoting the authoritative statements of Srimad-Bhagavatam
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta – 1975 Edition : Cc. Adi-lila : Adi 8: The Author Receives the Orders of Krsna and Guru : Adi 8.37
manusye racite nare aiche grantha dhanya
vrndavana-dasa-mukhe vakta sri-caitanya
SYNONYMS
manusye—a human being; racite—compiled; nare—cannot; aiche—such; grantha—book; dhanya—so glorious; vrndavana-dasa—the author, Srila Vrndavana dasa Thakura; mukhe—from his mouth; vakta—speaker; sri-caitanya—Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
TRANSLATION
The subject matter of this book is so sublime that it appears that Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu has personally spoken through the writings of Sri Vrndavana dasa Thakura.
PURPORT
Srila Sanatana Gosvami has written in his Hari-bhakti-vilasa:
avaisnava-mukhodgirnam
putam hari-kathamrtam
sravanam naiva kartavyam
sarpocchistam yatha payah
Transcendental literature that strictly follows the Vedic principles and the conclusion of the Puranas and pancaratrika-vidhi can be written only by a pure devotee.
It is not possible for a common man to write books on bhakti, for his writings will not be effective. He may be a very great scholar and expert in presenting literature in flowery language, but this is not at all helpful in understanding transcendental literature. Even if transcendental literature is written in faulty language, it is acceptable if it is written by a devotee, whereas so-called transcendental literature written by a mundane scholar, even if it is a very highly polished literary presentation, cannot be accepted.
The secret in a devotee’s writing is that when he writes about the pastimes of the Lord, the Lord helps him; he does not write himself. As stated in the Bhagavad-gita (10.10), dadami buddhi-yogam tam yena mam upayanti te. Since a devotee writes in service to the Lord, the Lord from within gives him so much intelligence that he sits down near the Lord and goes on writing books. Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami confirms that what Vrndavana dasa Thakura wrote was actually spoken by Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and he simply repeated it.
The same holds true for Sri Caitanya-caritamrta. Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami wrote Sri Caitanya-caritamrta in his old age, in an invalid condition, but it is such a sublime scripture that Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Maharaja used to say, “The time will come when the people of the world will learn Bengali to read Sri Caitanya-caritamrta.”
We are trying to present Sri Caitanya-caritamrta in English and do not know how successful it will be, but if one reads the original Caitanya-caritamrta in Bengali he will relish increasing ecstasy in devotional service.CC Adi-lila 8.39
vrndavana-dasa-pade koti namaskara
aiche grantha kari’ tenho tarila samsara
SYNONYMS
vrndavana-dasa-pade—unto the lotus feet of Srila Vrndavana dasa Thakura; koti—millions; namaskara—obeisances; aiche—such; grantha—book; kari’-compiling; tenho—he; tarila—delivered; samsara—all the world.
I took permission from Srila Vrndavana dasa Thakura by praying at his lotus feet, and upon receiving his order I have attempted to write this auspicious scripture
CC Adi-Lila 8.81
Caitanya-lilate ‘vyasa’–vrndavana-dasa
tanra krpa vina anye na haya prakasa
SYNONYMS
caitanya-lilate—in describing the pastimes of Lord Caitanya; vyasa—Vyasadeva; vrndavana-dasa—is Srila Vrndavana dasa Thakura; tanra—his; krpa—mercy; vina—without; anye—other; na—never; haya—becomes; prakasa—manifest.
TRANSLATION
Srila Vrndavana dasa Thakura is the authorized writer on the pastimes of Lord Caitanya. Without his mercy, therefore, one cannot describe these pastimes CC Adi Lila 8.82
bhagavate krsna-lila varnila vedavyasa
caitanya-lilate vyasa–vrndavana dasa
SYNONYMS
bhagavate—in Srimad-Bhagavatam; krsna-lila—the pastimes of Lord Krsna; varnila—described; veda-vyasa—Dvaipayana Vyasadeva; caitanya-lilate—in the pastimes of Lord Caitanya; vyasa—Vedavyasa; vrndavana dasa—Srila Vrndavana dasa Thakura.
TRANSLATION
Srila Vyasadeva described the pastimes of Krsna in Srimad-Bhagavatam. The Vyasa of the pastimes of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu was Vrndavana dasa.
PURPORT
Srila Vrndavana dasa Thakura was an incarnation of Vedavyasa and also a friendly cowherd boy named Kusumapida in krsna-lila. In other words, the author of Sri Caitanya-bhagavata, Srila Vrndavana dasa Thakura, the son of Srivasa Thakura’s niece Narayani, was a combined incarnation of Vedavyasa and the cowherd boy Kusumapida.
There is a descriptive statement by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura in his commentary on Sri Caitanya-bhagavata giving the biographical details of the life of Vrndavana dasa Thakura CCAdi lila 11 55.
caitanya-lilara vyasa,–dasa vrndavana
madhura kariya lila karila racana
SYNONYMS
caitanya-lilara—of the pastimes of Lord Caitanya; vyasa—the authorized writer Vyasadeva; dasa vrndavana—Vrndavana dasa Thakura; madhura—sweet; kariya—making it; lila—pastimes; karila—did; racana—compilation.
TRANSLATION
Srila Vrndavana dasa Thakura, the authorized writer of the pastimes of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, is as good as Srila Vyasadeva. He has described the pastimes in such a way as to make them sweeter and sweeter Cc Adi-Lila 13.48
prabhura lilamrta tenho kaila asvadana
tanra bhukta-sesa kichu kariye carvana
SYNONYMS
prabhura—of the Lord; lilamrta—the nectar of the pastimes; tenho—he (Vrndavana dasa Thakura); kaila—did; asvadana—taste; tanra—his; bhukta—of food; sesa—remnants; kichu—something; kariye—I do; carvana—chew.
TRANSLATION
The transcendental pastimes of Lord Caitanya have actually been relished by Srila Vrndavana dasa Thakura. I am simply trying to chew the remnants of food left by him CC Adi lila 13.50
caitanya-lilara vyasa–dasa vrndavana
tanra ajnaya karon tanra ucchista carvana
SYNONYMS
caitanya-lilara vyasa—the Vyasadeva, or compiler of the pastimes, of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu; dasa vrndavana—Vrndavana dasa Thakura; tanra—of him; ajnaya—upon the order; karon—I do; tanra—his; ucchista—of the remnants of food; carvana—chewing.
TRANSLATION
Actually the authorized compiler of the pastimes of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is Srila Vrndavana dasa, the incarnation of Vyasadeva. Only upon his orders am I trying to chew the remnants of food that he has left CCml 1.13
sahaje vicitra madhura caitanya-vihara
vrndavana-dasa-mukhe amrtera dhara
SYNONYMS
sahaje—naturally; vicitra—wonderful; madhura—sweet; caitanya—of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu; vihara—the activities; vrndavana-dasa—of Vrndavana dasa Thakura; mukhe—from the mouth; amrtera—of nectar; dhara—shower.
TRANSLATION
By nature all the activities of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu are very wonderful and sweet, and when they are described by Vrndavana dasa Thakura, they become like a shower of nectar ccml 4.5
caitanya-mangale iha likhiyache sthane-sthane
satya kahena,–‘age vyasa kariba varnane’
SYNONYMS
caitanya-mangale—in the book named Caitanya-mangala; iha—this statement; likhiyache—has written; sthane-sthane—in many places; satya—the truth; kahena—he says; age—in the future; vyasa kariba varnane—Vyasadeva will describe them more elaborately.
TRANSLATION
In Caitanya-mangala, Srila Vrndavana dasa Thakura has stated in many places the factual truth that in the future Vyasadeva will describe them elaborately.
PURPORT
The statement age vyasa kariba varnane is similar to a text in the Caitanya-bhagavata (First Chapter, text 180) in which Vrndavana dasa Thakura says:
sesa-khande caitanyera ananta vilasa
vistariya varnite achena veda-vyasa
“The unlimited pastimes of Sri Caitanya will be described by Vyasadeva in the future.”
Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura says that these statements indicate that in the future, other representatives of Vyasadeva will elaborately describe Lord Caitanya’s pastimes.
The purport is that any pure devotee in the disciplic succession who describes the pastimes of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is confirmed to be a representative of Vyasadeva Cc Antya-lila 20.87
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