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EDITORIAL  Why Does Sri Caitanya Appear BY ANANTACARYA DASA EDITORIAL, Mar 29 (VNN) — The purpose of this short article is to put in one place, all at the same time, concisely and in simple terms for the devotees, the reasons for the descent of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. However, we first must remember that Srimati Radharani is that one person in all of existence who knows best how to express love for Krsna. Moreover, She is actually the abode, or reservoir of love for Krsna, and, as such, is known as the asraya category. Also, let us remind ourselves that Lord Krsna is conjugal beauty personified... and the object of that love. Now, transcendental ecstatic bliss is called bhava. When ecstatic bliss becomes condensed (highly concentrated ecstatic bliss), it is called mahabhava. Srimati Radharani is mahabhava in person. Krsna, of course, is also tasting bliss. Indeed, He tastes the bliss to which He is entitled as the object of that love. However, He is noticing that the abode of love, Srimati Radharani, the asraya category, is tasting bliss ten million times greater than His! So Krsna is thinking that He too would like to experience the blissful emotions of Srimati Radharani. However, He cannot do that.. not unless He Himself takes up the position of the Asraya category. Therefore, in order to experience the blissful emotions of Srimati Radharani, He comes as Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Now, in addition, there is a continuous competition between Srimati Radharani and Lord Krsna to see who can most increase the intensity of the love which they have between them. She increases, He increases, She increases...there's no end to it. Neither of them wants to be defeated while increasing the intensity of Their love. Now, Krsna becomes curious. He can understand this loving competition from His angle of vision, but He does not understand what's going on in the mind of Srimati Radharani. He decides that He would like to understand this loving exchange from Her angle of vision. In this world we say, "What is it like on the other side of the fence? What does my neighbor have over in his backyard?" Krsna decides that He wants to know what it is like on the other side of the competition. He becomes very curious to understand the mental attitudes of Srimati Radharani. In order to understand those mental attitudes, He studies them while in Krsna lila. However, this diligent learning turns out to be not enough. In order to fully appreciate Her mental attitudes, practical experience is required. Again, this experience is not possible unless He actually takes up the position of the Asraya category. Consequently, in order to fully appreciate the mental attitudes of Srimati Radharani, He comes as Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Now remember, Krsna is the personification of conjugal beauty, and at one point, in Dvaravaka, He sees the beauty of His own reflection in a jewelled fountain. At that time He says, "My mind, bewildered upon seeing this beauty, impetuously wants to enjoy it in the same way that Srimati Radharani enjoys it." Again, in order to fulfill this desire, He takes up the position of the Asraya category and comes as Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Krsna's three desires, listed above, frequently(but not all the time) are grouped together and considered as just one reason why He comes as Sri Gaurasundara. It is identified as a primary, internal reason. The second reason for His descent is to bring with Him a wonderful present for this world. It is a special gift, and He gives it freely, without conditions. He makes no distinction between who is worthy and who is not. This gift is nicely explained in the famous verse below: anarpita-carim cirat karunayavatirnah kalau samarpayitum unnatojjvala-rasam sva bhakti-sriyam harih purata-sundara-dyuti-kadamba sandipitah sada hrdaya-kandare sphuratu vah saci-nandanah "May that Lord, who is known as the son of Srimati Sacidevi, be trancendentally situated in the innermost chambers of your heart. Resplendent with the radiance of molten gold, He has appeared in the age of Kali by His causeless mercy to bestow what no avatara ever offered before - manjari-bhava, the service of Srimati Radhika as Her confidential maidservant." (Caitanya-caritamrta Adi-lila 1.4) When Krsna is enriched with the feminine, tenderhearted mercy of Radha, His desire is to bestow upon all jivas the highest mood of love for God that can be given. Wanting to give the world this most charitable present is also called a primary reason. As for the next reason, Krsna Himself states it in this very well known verse of the Bhagavad Gita: "In order to deliver the pious and annihilate the miscreants, as well as to re-establish the principles of religion, I advent Myself millennium after millennium." (Bg. 4.8) Krsna always has a desire to protect His unalloyed bhaktas, annihilate the wicked, and to re-establish dharma. He therefore descends in every yuga. "I shall personally inaugurate the religion of the age--nama sankirtana, the congregational chanting of the holy name. I shall make the world dance in ecstasy, realizing the four mellows of devotional service."(CC.Adi 3.19) So when Krsna comes as Lord Caitanya, He re-establishes dharma by propagating the essence of all religion for this age of Kali..... the congregational chanting of Lord Hari's holy names. This purpose, by the way, is identified as a secondary, or incidental reason. His previous Bhagavad Gita verse (4.7) occasionally is also mentioned either separately or in conjunction with the above 4.8: "Whenever and wherever there is a decline in religious practice, O descendent of Bharata, and a predominant rise of irreligion, at that time I descend myself."(Bg. 4.7). In this regard, it must be pointed out that the only reason for His appearance is that He desires it. He descends of His own free will. This verse indicates that he wants to rectify the disorders in the world that only He can correct. Sometimes this reason is considered as integrated with the previous one; sometimes it is not. If a person prefers to think of it separately, then, of course, it also is a secondary motive. Another fascinating reason for the descent of Lord Caitanya is Sri Adwaita Acarya Prabhu. It is He who determines the timing of Krsna's descent. Adwaita Acarya was thinking,"The world has become atheistic. One after another people are forgetting Bhagavan, and for Me to rectify them alone is not possible. To bring devotion to the non-devotees will be very difficult work. Without the shakti of Krsna Himself, it simply cannot be done. And oh! These mayavadis! They only hear what they want to hear. Changing the thinking of these mayavadis will be very difficult. Only if Krsna Himself comes into this world will it be possible." Therefore, Adwaita Acarya Prabhu decided to call Lord Krsna immediately. It is then that He takes the Tulasi buds and Ganges water and, with great love, offers them to the Lord . With tears flowing from His eyes, He loudly calls Lord Krsna with His prayers, worshiping Krsna beside the Ganges. At the same time, Krsna, pondering all His desires, was trying to decide when to descend. He was thinking, "When should I go? Maybe in ten or twenty thousand years? Maybe after 100,000 years?" But upon hearing Adwaita Acarya's prayer, He came at once. In order to answer the prayers of Sri Adwaita Acarya, Krsna descends immediately as Sri Gaurasundara. Therefore, Sri Adwaita Acarya is known as another reason for Krsna's descent as Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Almost all the content of this concise article has been taken from the books of that great Vaisnava warrior who so kindly preached the message of Sri Caitanyadeva in the western countries... His Divine Grace, Om Vishnupada Sri Srimad A. C. Bhaktivendanta Swami Prabhupada; and also from the books and lectures of His distinguished disciple who is following in His footsteps... Om Vishnupada Sri Srimad Bhaktivedanta Narayana Maharaja. Nitai-Guara Krsna Prema Radhe Radhe! Hoping for a slight trace of the mercy of the Vaisnavas, I remain, your servant, Anantacarya Dasa. 12 March 2002 Nectarcup@msn.com Contact VNN about this story  Send this story to a friend
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