Why do you address Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu as God?

Vaṃśaropaṇa Siṃha then asked Śrī Gaura Nārāyaṇa, “Oh beṭā, why do you address Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu as God?”

Śrīla Gurudeva replied, “We never say that Mahāprabhu is God. That is a title for Lord Nārāyaṇa, Lord rāma, Lord Nṛsiṃha and so forth. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is Svayam Bhagavān (the Supreme Personality of Godhead).”

“Is there any proof in scripture?” asked Vaṃśaropan.

“Yes, yes,” replied Śrīla Gurudeva, “there is so much evidence.”

“Then please present some.”

Śrīla Gurudeva then cited the following references:

महान्-प्रभुर् वै पुरुषः सत्त्वस्येष प्रवर्त्तकः
सुर्निमलाम् इमं शान्तीमीशानो ज्योतिरव्यः

mahān-prabhur vai puruṣaḥ sattvasyeṣa pravarttakaḥ
surnimalām imaṃ śāntīmīśāno jyotiravyaḥ

Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad (3.12)

The Personality of Godhead, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, is brilliantly effulgent and imperishable like molten gold. He is the Supreme Controller. He controls the mode of goodness, and through saṅkīrtana, bestows spiritual intelligence on the living beings. In the guise of a sannyāsī, He is the source of spiritual purity and of liberation. He is therefore known as Mahāprabhu.

कृष्ण-वर्णं त्विषाकृष्णं साङ्गोपाङ्गास्त्र-पार्षदम्
यज्ञैः सङ्कीर्तन-प्रायैर् यजन्ति हि सु-मेधसः

kṛṣṇa-varṇaṃ tviṣākṛṣṇaṃ sāṅgopāṅgāstra-pārṣadam
yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtana-prāyair yajanti hi su-medhasaḥ

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.5.32)

In the age of Kali, Kṛṣṇa appears with a golden complexion (akṛṣṇa). He is constantly singing the two syllables–kṛṣ and ṇa–and He is accompanied by His associates, servitors, weapons and confidential companions. Intelligent people worship Him by performing saṅkīrtana-yajña.

This verse can also be understood as follows:

I worship Śrī Gaurāṅgadeva, who delivers the living entities of Kali-yuga (kali-pāvanam) through the congregational chanting of the holy names (śrī-nāma-saṅkīrtana-yajña). He describes the name, form, qualities, and pastimes of Śrī Kṛṣṇa; and He performs kīrtana of the two syllables–kṛṣ and ṇa. His complexion is fair; He is surrounded by His aṅgas (associates such as Śrīman Nityānanda Prabhu and Śrīman Advaita Ācārya Prabhu), upāṅgas (servitors such as Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita and other pure devotees), and pārṣadas (confidential companions such as Śrī Svarūpa Dāmodara, Śrī rāya rāmānanda, Śrī Gadādhara Paṇḍita and the six Gosvāmīs); and He is endowed with His weapon (astra) of harināma, which destroys ignorance.

‘কৃষ্ণ’ এই দুই বর্ণ সদা যাঙ্র মুখে
অথবা, কৃষ্ণকে তিঙ্হো বর্ণে নিজ সুখে

‘kṛṣṇa’ ei dui varṇa sadā yāṅra mukhe
athavā, kṛṣṇake tiṅho varṇe nija sukhe

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā 3.54

দেহ-কান্ত্যে হয তেঙ্হো অকৃষ্ণ-বরণ
অকৃষ্ণ-বরণে কহে পীত-বরণ

deha-kāntye haya teṅho akṛṣṇa-varaṇa
akṛṣṇa-varaṇe kahe pīta-varaṇa

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 3.57

The two syllables, kṛṣ and ṇa, are ever in His mouth, or He is constantly describing Kṛṣṇa with great pleasure. His complexion is definitely not blackish. Indeed, this indicates that His complexion is yellow (pīta).

At the time of the name-giving ceremony of the Supreme Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the topmost astrologer Śrī Gargācārya explained to Nanda Bābā:

आसन् वर्णास् त्रयो ह्यस्य गृह्णतोऽनुयुगं तनुः
शुक्लो रक्तस् तथा पीत इदानीं कृष्णतां गतः

āsan varṇās trayo hyasya gṛhṇato'nuyugaṃ tanuḥ
śuklo raktas tathā pīta idānīṃ kṛṣṇatāṃ gataḥ

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.8.13)

Your son Kṛṣṇa appears in every yuga as an avatāra. Previously, He assumed three different colors–white, red and yellow–and now He has appeared in a blackish colour.

अहम् एव क्वचिद् ब्रह्मन् सन्न्यासाश्रमम् आश्रितः
हरि-भक्तिं ग्राहयामि कलौ पाप-हतान् नरान्

aham eva kvacid brahman sannyāsāśramam āśritaḥ
hari-bhaktiṃ grāhayāmi kalau pāpa-hatān narān

Upapurāṇas / Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā 3.83

O learned brāhmaṇa; sometimes I take the renounced order of life to induce the sinful people of the age of Kali to accept devotional service to the Lord. (This verse was spoken by Kṛṣṇa to Vyāsadeva.)

अहम् एव द्विज-श्रेष्ठ नित्यं प्रच्छन-विग्रहः
भगवद्-भक्त-रूपेन लोकान् रक्षामि सर्वदा

aham eva dvija-śreṣṭha nityaṃ pracchana-vigrahaḥ
bhagavad-bhakta-rūpena lokān rakṣāmi sarvadā

Ādi Purāṇa

O best of the brāhmaṇas, My disguised form is eternal. In this way, with My own form hidden from ordinary sight, I take the form of a devotee and appear among the people in general in order to establish and protect religious principles.

अन्तः कृष्णं बहिर्-गौरं दर्शिताङ्गादि-वैभवम्
कलौ सङ्कीर्तनाद्यैः स्म कृष्ण-चैतन्यम् आश्रिताः

antaḥ kṛṣṇaṃ bahir-gauraṃ darśitāṅgādi-vaibhavam
kalau saṅkīrtanādyaiḥ sma kṛṣṇa-caitanyam āśritāḥ

Tattva-sandarbha (2), Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā 3.81

I take shelter of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya, who is outwardly gaura (of fair complexion), but is inwardly Kṛṣṇa Himself. In Kali-yuga, He displays His associates, servitors and confidential companions while performing saṅkīrtana.

শুতিযা আচ্ছিনু ক্ষীর-সাগর-ভিতরে
মোর নিদ্র ভাঙ্গ হৈল নাডার হুওকারে

śutiyā ācchinu kṣīra-sāgara-bhitare
mora nidra bhāṅga haila nāḍāra huokāre

Śrī Caitanya-bhāgavat, Madhya-khaṇḍa 22.16

[While sitting on the altar of Śrī Viṣṇu in the house of Śrīvasa Paṇḍita in Māyāpura-dhāma, Lord Caitanya said:] When I was lying within the ocean of milk, the loud cries of My devotee Nara (Śrī Advaita Ācārya) broke My transcendental slumber and awakened Me. Thus I have come.

गोलोकं च परित्यज्य लोकानां त्राण-कारणात्
कलौ गौराङ्ग-रूपेण लीला-लावण्य-विग्रहः

golokaṃ ca parityajya lokānāṃ trāṇa-kāraṇāt
kalau gaurāṅga-rūpeṇa līlā-lāvaṇya-vigrahaḥ

Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa

I assume the most attractive forms to perform many pastimes. Nevertheless, I shall abandon Goloka in Kali-yuga. Thus, I shall appear in the form of Śrī Gaurāṅga to protect the devotees.

यो रेमे सह-वल्लवी रमयते वृन्दावनेऽहर्निशं
यः कंसं निजधान कौरवरणे यः पाण्डवानां सखा
सोऽयं वैष्णव-दण्ड-मण्डित-भुजः सन्न्यास-वेषः स्वयं
निःसन्देहमुपागताः क्षिति-तले चैतन्य-रूपः प्रभुः

yo reme saha-vallavī ramayate vṛndāvane'harniśaṃ
yaḥ kaṃsaṃ nijadhāna kauravaraṇe yaḥ pāṇḍavānāṃ sakhā
so'yaṃ vaiṣṇava-daṇḍa-maṇḍita-bhujaḥ sannyāsa-veṣaḥ svayaṃ
niḥsandehamupāgatāḥ kṣiti-tale caitanya-rūpaḥ prabhuḥ

Garuḍa Purāṇa

The Supreme Lord displayed the form of Śrī Kṛṣṇacandra. Thus, He performed many pastimes such as the rāsa-līlā with the gopīs in Śrī Vṛndāvana-dhāma. Moreover, He killed Kaṃsa. He became a friend of the Pāṇḍavas in the Kurukṣetra War; thus, He came to be known as Pārtha-sārathi. Doubtlessly, the Supreme Lord can make even the impossible possible. Therefore, He will assume sannyāsa dress, the Vaiṣṇava staff will decorate His hand, and thus, He will appear on the earth in the form of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya.

वैवस्वतान्तरे ब्रह्मन् गङ्गा-तिरे सु-पुण्य-दे
हरि-नाम तदा दत्त्वा चान्दालान् हडिकांस्तथा
ब्राह्मणान् क्षत्रियान् वैश्यान् शततो’थ सहस्त्रशः
उद्धरिष्याहम् तत्र तप्त-स्वर्ण-कलेवरह्
सन्न्यासश्च करिष्यामि काञ्चन-ग्राममास्थितः

vaivasvatāntare brahman gaṅgā-tire su-puṇya-de
hari-nāma tadā dattvā cāndālān haḍikāṃstathā
brāhmaṇān kṣatriyān vaiśyān śatato’tha sahastraśaḥ
uddhariṣyāham tatra tapta-svarṇa-kalevarah
sannyāsaśca kariṣyāmi kāñcana-grāmamāsthitaḥ

Urdhvāmnāya Saṃhitā

Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa Himself said, “O brāhmaṇa, I shall appear in the Vaivasvata Manvantara, on the shore of the holy Gaṅgā river. I shall accept the yellow bodily colour of molten gold. I shall distribute the holy name of Lord Hari to countless brāhmaṇas, kṣatriyas, vaiśyas and the people of lower classes. Thus, I shall deliver them. I shall go to Kāñcanā-grāma and take sannyāsa.”

Hearing this, Vaṃśaropaṇa asked, “My son, those quotations from Bhāgavatam do not clearly mention Mahāprabhu. Is there any other evidence?”

Śrīla Gurudeva then quoted this verse from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.5.34):

त्यक्त्वा सु-दुस्त्यज-सुरेप्सित-राज्य-लक्ष्मीं
धर्मिष्ठ आर्य-वचसा यद् अगाद् अरण्यम्
माया-मृगं दयितयेप्सितम् अन्वधावद्
वन्दे महा-पुरुष ते चरणारविन्दम्

tyaktvā su-dustyaja-surepsita-rājya-lakṣmīṃ
dharmiṣṭha ārya-vacasā yad agād araṇyam
māyā-mṛgaṃ dayitayepsitam anvadhāvad
vande mahā-puruṣa te caraṇāravindam

O Mahā-puruṣa, I worship Your lotus feet. You gave up the association with the goddess of fortune and all her opulence, which is most difficult to renounce and is hankered after by even the great demigods. Being the most faithful follower of the path of religion, You thus left for the forest in obedience to a brāhmaṇa’s curse. Out of sheer mercifulness, You chased after the fallen conditioned souls, who are always in pursuit of the false enjoyment of illusion, and are at the same time engaged in searching out Your own desired object, Lord Śyāmasundara.”

Smilingly, Vaṃśaropaṇa Siṃha said, “Beṭā, this verse refers to Lord rāma, not to Mahāprabhu.”

Śrīla Gurudeva replied, “uncle, I have heard from my Śrīla Gurudeva that many learned scholars have become bewildered by this verse. Lord rāma went to the forest, it is true, but did not give up His Lakṣmī, Śrīmatī Sītā-devī. Mahāprabhu, on the other hand, took the renounced order giving up His consort Śrīmatī Viṣṇu-priya-devī.”

Hearing this vast and deep siddhānta^[1] coming from Śrī Gaura Nārāyaṇa, Vaṃśaropaṇa Siṃha was extremely impressed. He announced to the crowd of locals who had gathered to listen, “This boy knows an immense amount of siddhānta. I believe that none of you knows the siddhānta that he knows. Not only that, even a scholar very learned in the teachings of his own sampradāya, could not explain it as simply and lucidly as our son has done. each sampradāya has some very complex and difficult technical terms; this boy, however, has explained everything with great ease and in very simple language. Within only one year with his guru, he has become so expert. I do not know his guru, but that guru must be an exceptionally learned scholar, a great personality and a liberated soul. I predict that none can check this boy. Considering the proclivity he has for all this śāstra, his ability to communicate, and his taste for Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Śrī Kṛṣṇa, no one will be able to defeat him. This boy will one day preach widely and impart this vast siddhānta to the whole world.”

We are now witnessing what Vaṃśāropaṇa Siṃha predicted many decades ago. Śrīla Gurudeva is travelling everywhere and delivering this Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava siddhānta to the whole world. His knowledge is fully realized and practiced.

People cannot enter deeply into Kṛṣṇa consciousness unless they have a firm grasp of bhakti-siddhānta, and endeavor to please śrī guru and the Lord; their understanding will be only superficial and social. It is of utmost importance for progress in spiritual life to become fully grounded in the proper bhakti-siddhānta as preached by Śrīla Gurudeva and the Brahma-Madhva-Gauḍīya sampradāya.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

The siddhānta of the four bona fide sampradāyas is vast and complicated to understand for the majority of people. It is filled with language that is difficult to comprehend and has much technical matter that goes way beyond most people’s intellect. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu came to simplify everything for the people of this age, but unfortunately most people in this world have not heard about Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu; they do not know that He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and the purpose of His appearance. Śrīla Gurudeva had this dialogue with Śrī Vaṃśāropaṇa Siṃha while serving his own guru and the mission of Lord Caitanya. The villagers from his childhood birthplace and neighbouring villages gathered around to hear this conversation, and he spoke siddhānta in such simple language that topics that were previously perplexing became clear and comprehensible. Whoever reads and follows this dialogue that took place between Śrīla Gurudeva and Vaṃśāropaṇa Siṃha will be able to understand the essence of the teachings of the four sampradāyas. Then, they will surely be the recipients of the mercy of śrī guru and get parā-bhakti at the lotus feet of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.