PURPORT
His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda

This is a song by Narottama dāsa Thākura in praise of the glories of Lord Caitanya. Gauranga refers to Lord Caitanya, who has a fair complexion. One who has a fair complexion is called gaura, and since Lord Caitanya was very fair, just like molten gold, He was also named Gaurasundara. Narottama dāsa Thākura says, gaurāngera duțī pada, jāra dhana-sampada, se jane bhakati-rasa-sāra. Anyone who has accepted the two lotus feet of Lord Caitanya can understand the true essence of devotional service. Devotional service is very difficult. It cannot be understood by any ordinary man. As it is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, out of many thousands of persons who are trying to achieve the perfection of human life, only some actually become perfect and realise the self. And out of many thousands of such self-realised persons, only one can under- stand Krsna. Without understanding Krsna, how can one engage himself in the service of Krsna? Therefore, the devotional service of Krsna is not an ordinary thing. But fortunately, if one follows in the footsteps of Lord Caitanya (gaurāngera duți pada) by following the path shown by Lord Caitanya-the process of simply chanting Hare Krşņa-he can very easily understand what devotional service is. Therefore, Narottama dasa Thakura prays that one take shelter of Lord Caitanya and follow in His footsteps, for then one can understand the essence of devotional service.

Lord Caitanya’s pastimes are very pleasing, because the basic prin- ciples of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s movement are chanting, dancing, and eating Krsna-prasāda. He made His headquarters in Jagannatha Purī and would dance, chant, and then immediately call for prasāda to be distributed to the devotees. They were so pleased that every day hundreds of men would come to chant and dance with Lord Caitanya. The temple proprietor, the King of Orissa, Mahārāja Pratāparudra, had an open order to the workers in the temple to supply as much prasāda to Lord Caitanya’s devotees as they wanted. Therefore, His pastimes are very pleasing- chant, dance, and take prasāda. If one is captivated by the pastimes of Lord Caitanya, simply by chanting and dancing and eating prasāda, the dirty things in his heart will all become cleansed. The heart of anyone who takes to this movement of chanting, dancing, and eating krsna-prasāda will surely be cleansed of all dirty material contamination. Narottama dāsa Thakura says, very rightly, gaurängera madhura- līlā, jā’ra karne praveśilā, hrdaya nirmala bhela ta’ra: if one wants to cleanse his heart, he must take to the movement of Lord Caitanya-Krşņa consciousness.

Lord Caitanya is so nice that one who simply takes the holy name of Gaurasundara, Śrī Krşņa Caitanya, will immediately develop love of God. Generally, devotees first chant śrī-krşņa-caitanya prabhu nityananda, for the preliminary process of cleansing the heart is to invoke the mercy of Lord Caitanya, Lord Nityananda and Their associ- ates. Līlā means “pastimes.” Without associates there cannot be pas- times, so Caitanya Mahāparabhu is always accompanied by associates Nityananda, Advaita, Gadādhara, Śrīvāsa, and many other devotees. Tāra means “his,” haya means “it is effected,” and premadaya refers to development of love of God. Simply by chanting śrī-krsna-caitanya prabhu nityānanda one immediately develops love of God. To such a per- son Narottama dāsa Thakura says, “Bravo!” to encourage him in chanting Lord Caitanya’s name and dancing. Just as we clap and say, “Bravo!” similarly he says, jāi balihāri “Very nice, Excellent!”

Then he says, gauranga-gunete jhure, nitya-līlā tā’re sphure: if one appreciates the merciful pastimes of Lord Caitanya and feels ecstasy and sometimes cries, this process will immediately help him to understand the pastimes of Rādhā-Krsna, which are called nitya-līlā. The loving affairs between Radha-Krsna are not a temporary things. Here in this material world we can see loving affairs between boys and girls, but that is tempo- rary. That is simply for a few months, a few years. or maybe a little more. But then all that so-called love will go to hell. They are not permanent affairs. But if one really wants permanent love affairs, he must enter into the pastimes of Rādhā-Krsna. Simply by appreciating Lord Caitanya’s movement one can immediately enter into or understand Rādhā-Krsna’s eternal pastimes. One who can understand the transcendental, eternal pastimes of Radha-Krsna reaches the highest perfectional stage of devotional service.

The next line is, gaurängera sangi-gane. Sangi-gane means “associates.” Lord Caitanya is always associated: He is not alone. We never see a picture of Lord Caitanya alone. At least there must be Lord Nityananda or Gadadhara Pandita. Actually, wherever Lord Caitanya was present, many thousands of devotees would assemble. Such devotees, especially those who were His nearest intimate associates, were nitya-siddha. In the devotional line there are three kinds of perfect devotees. One is called sādhana-siddha. This refers to a person who has very rigidly performed the regulative prescriptions and thereby reached the perfectional stage. Reaching the perfectional stage by executing the regulative principles is called sādhana-siddha. There is another kind of devotee who is called krpā-siddha. He may not have executed the regulative principles very rigidly, but by his service mood he is specifically blessed by the spiritual master or Krşņa. He is immediately promoted to the perfectional stage. This is called krpā-siddha. Nitya-siddha is one who was never contami- nated by the material nature. The sadhana-siddhas and the krpā-siddhas were supposed to have once been in the contamination of material nature, but nitya-siddhas never came into contact with the material nature. All the associates of Caitanya Mahāprabhu are nitya-siddhas, or eternally per- fect. Nityananda Prabhu is Balarama, the immediate expansion of Krşņa; Advaita Prabhu is Mahā-Vişnu (He is also vişnu-tattva); Gadādhara Prabhu is an expansion of Rādhārāņī; and Śrīvāsa is an incarnation of Nārada. They are nitya-siddha, or eternally perfect. They were never imperfect. They were never in contact with material contamination. We should understand that as Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Krşņa Himself, is transcendental, similarly His personal associates are also nitya-siddha, or eternally transcendental. Se jay brajendra-suta-pāś. Brajendra-suta means Krşņa. Simply by accepting that the associates of Lord Caitanya are eternally free, one can immediately be promoted to the transcendental abode of Lord Krsna.

Śrī-gauda-mandala-bhūmi. Gauda means West Bengal. Lord Caitanya appeared in West Bengal, Navadvīpa, and He especially flooded that part of the country with the sankīrtana movement. That part of the country has special significance for it is nondifferent from Vrndāvana. It is as good as Vindāvana. Living in Vrndāvana and living in Navadvīpa are the same. Narottama dāsa Thakura says, śrī-gauda-mandala-bhūmi, jeba jane cintamani. Cintamani means the transcendental abode. ta’ra haya braja-bhūme bās. If one simply understands that this land of Navadvīpa is not different from Vrndāvana, then he actually lives in Vendāvana. One should not think that he is living in Bengal or any material country; the places where Lord Caitanya had His pastimes are as good as Vrndāvana.

Lord Caitanya’s distribution of this love of God is compared with an ocean (rasārnava). What kind of ocean? Not the salty ocean that one cannot taste. The water of this ocean is so nice that if one drinks even one drop, he will like it more and more. It is not ordinary ocean water, of which one cannot taste even a drop. Therefore it is called rasarnava. In this ocean there are different waves; an ocean does not stand still, for it is not impersonal or void. And as the ocean is always dancing with waves, similarly the ocean of transcendental love of Krşņa as introduced by Lord Caitanya has constant waves, constant sound. One has to dive deep into that ocean. If one knows the secret and says, “Let me dive deep into the ocean of the transcendental loving movement introduced by Lord Caitanya,” he immediately becomes one of the confidential devotees of Rādhā and Krşņa.

Therefore Narottama dāsa Thakura concludes this song by saying, grhe va vanete thake, ‘ha gauranga’ bale dake. It is not necessary that one become a mendicant or give up his family life and society. One can remain wherever he finds it suitable, whether as a householder, as a brahmacārī, as a vanaprastha, or as a sannyāsī. Vanaprasthas and sannyāsīs are supposed to live outside of the city. Vanete means “forest.” Formerly, those who were in spiritual consciousness used to live in the forest to become free of the turmoil of city life. But that is not possible now. In this age no one can go into the forest. That requires practice, and no one is practised to that line. Therefore, generally one is recom- mended to live with his friends, wife, and children. That doesn’t matter, but he must take to the process of Krşņa consciousness as introduced by Lord Caitanya. It is not difficult. The real thing is that one has to accept the movement of Lord Caitanya – chanting, dancing, and eating krsna- prasāda. Even if one is in family life, there is no difficulty. He can just sit down, chant Hare Krsna, dance nicely, and then take krsna-prasāda. Everyone can do this. Those who have renounced this world, sannyāsīs, also can do it; there is no difficulty. Therefore, Narottama dāsa Thakura says that it doesn’t matter whether one is a brahmacārī, grhastha, or sannyāsī. He says, “If you have taken to these principles of life, I desire your company, because you are a devotee of Lord Caitanya.” In this way, Narottama dāsa Thakura finishes the song.