THE ASSOCIATES OF SRI CAITANYA

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THE ASSOCIATES OF SRI CAITANYA

 

by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura Prabhupada

 

SRI KRISHNA CAITANYA IS SRI KRISHNA HIMSELF

 

 

The associates of Sri Krsna Caitanya are constituents of Himself. It is our

object in this short paper to study the implications of these doctrines.

 

 

Sri Krsna's active existence involves the undivided operation of the following

six divine entities viz., gurus, devotees, avataras (divine descents), divine

manifestations, divine powers, and Godhead Himself. All these are jointly and

severally divine.

 

 

As Sri Krsna Caitanya is identical with Sri Krsna the active existence of Sri

Caitanya also implies the cooperation of the above six divine categories.When

Sri Krsna Caitanya was pleased to manifest His appearance on this mundane plane

all the six constituents of Himself also necessarily made their appearance as

part and parcel of Himself. In the marvelous work, Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika, we

have the detailed identification of the several characters who are Divinely

associated in the performances of Si Krsna Caitanya with the corresponding

characters in the Dvapara lila of Sri Krsna. This correspondence is an

essential part of the religion of pure devotion propounded by Sri Krsna

Caitanya. In the opening verses of his great work Sri Caitanyacaritamrta, Sri

Krsnadas Kaviraja Gosvami accordingly makes his obeisance to Sri Krsna Caitanya

in His above six-fold form.

 

 

APPEARANCE OF THE DIVINE

 

 

The appearance of Godhead in this world implies the co-appearance of all His

divine paraphernalia. Godhead must not be conceived as in any way separable

from His entourage. Godhead shorn of any of His paraphernalia is a delusion. In

the same way the appearance of divine paraphernalia involves the appearance of

the divinity. The two are distinct yet inseparable forms of the one Supreme.

Sri Caitanya is the Divine Personality Himself. His associates share His divine

nature. Sri Krsna Caitanya is an extended subject. All the six divine forms

have to be worshipped if it is the intention to worship Sri Caitanya. The guru

is one of His constituents. it is necessary to receive initiation from him. It

is also necessary to be instructed by him. As teacher the guru has two forms.

He guides from within. He also appears as a guide and instructor existing

outside his disciples. Initiation is received from one person only.

Instructions may be had from many gurus. Sri Kaviraja Gosvami himself was

instructed by the famous six Gosvämis.

 

 

GUIDE TO THE ABSOLUTE

 

 

The guru is the embodiment of the manifestation of the divinity to the pure

receptive spiritual essence of the disciple. The guru is the real and original

recipient of the Truth. He conmunicates his knowledge to the disciple. The

disciple is too small a particle to be able by himself to receive the whole

truth. He is enabled to receive Him through the power of the guru. The guru, as

it were, takes the disciple by the hand and guides his every step on the plane

of the Absolute. It is perpetual tutelage on the part of the disciple. This

fact may be expressed in another way. The cognitive faculty of the individual

soul can have no ground to stand upon unless the Divinity Himself condescends

to be the legs as well as the ground on which he is to stand to function at

all. This function of the divinity is performed by the guru. As a matter of

fact the Divinity actually reveals Him only to Himself. The individual soul is

a separable constituent of the guru. It is only when he happens to be

associated by his own free choice with the guru in a completely dependent

manner that he can be on the plane of the guru's service of the Divinity. He

may or may not choose to be so associated. The guru may or may not choose to

admit him to his association. When there is active willing assent to such

association on the part of both then it is possible for the individual soul to

attain to the service of the Divinity in the really conscious form.

 

 

ALONE FIT TO INSTRUCT

 

 

Every one who is cognizant of the true nature of Krsna is alone fit to instruct

another in the knowledge of Krsna. The Divine paraphernalia are the gurus of an

individual souls. In this sense all the six divine categories are identical

with the guru. It can be so by reason the fact that on the plane of the

Absolute there is no separative difference. On that perfectly wholesome plane

there is distinction without difference. But there is also the distinctive

function of the guru which must be considered as also simultaneously distinct

from that of any of the other categories. One who neglects to see] the special

favor of the guru and to enter into the relation of discipleship with the

spiritual guide will miss entry to the spiritual plane. Nityänanda is the

Primary Manifestive Constituent of the Divinity. Nityananda alone possesses the

distinctive function of the guru. In Nityananda the function is embodied.

 

 

Nityananda is the servant-God. He serves Sri Gaurasundar by the distinctive

method of reverential servitude. He is identical with Sri Balarama of

Krsna-lila Sri Balarama is not the chum of Krsna, but His respected elder

brother. It is intimate relationship characterized by becoming reserved on one

side and of respectful deference on the other. Individual souls are under the

direction of Nityananda. They receive their service of Sri Gaurasundara i.e. of

Krsna, at his hands. Nityananda is not a jiva. He is Divinity He is the

ultimate source of the jiva. The jiva is a potency of Nityananda. No jiva can

be the medium of the service of the Absolute to another jiva. The Absolute

alone may communicate His service to the separable constituents of Himself.

This is the real nature of the function of the guru.

NEVER TOUCHED BY MAYA

 

 

But all jivas are not liable to be eclipsed by the deluding potency. Those who

are so liable are again distinct from the eternally free jivas. The eternally

free jivas are inseparable associates of Nityananda. They an integrated part

and parcel of Himself. They never fall into the clutches of maya. When

Nityananda manifests His appearance on the mundane plane His inseparable

constituents also appear in His company. They sometimes manifest their function

on this lower place in a visible form on the errands of Nityananda. They are

Vaisnavas whose subordination to Nityananda is natural and ingrained in their

nature. It is not necessary for such souls to undergo the process of

enlightenment for being restored to the spiritual plane. Unless this fact is

borne in mind the conditioned soul may be tempted to undervalue the constant

guidance of the guru on the hypocritical plea of following in the footsteps of

the eternally free pure devotees. Those, therefore, who suppose that

deliverance from the bondage of this world should be practicable without the

constant guidance of the spiritual preceptor, confound the conditioned state

with the free. The guidance of the guru is no curtailment of one's spiritual

freedom who are eternally free also follow his guidance by the spontaneous

undeviating impulse of their perfectly pure nature. Guidance of the guru is the

only divine guidance. Only atheists who are by their choice opposed to the

service of Godhead, can be consistent opponents of the obligation to serve the

guru in the same unconditional way as one should be prepared to serve Godhead

Himself. There is no difference between the two functions. If the claim of the

one is denied it necessarily involves the denial of the claim of the other.

Nityananda and His companions form one of the five groups of the associates of

Sri Krsna Caitanya, whose distinctive function is that of the guru.

SRIMATI RADHIKA

 

 

But Nityananda does not directly instruct in the confidential service of Krsna.

Srimati Radhika is the guru of the inner circle of the servants of Krsna.

Srimati, however, accepts the offer of service of only those souls who are

specially favored by Nityananda and are deemed by Him to be fit for Her

service. There is, therefore a most intimate relationship between the function

of Nityananda and that of Srimati which is at once supplementary and inclusive

of the former. The guru admits to the service of Krsna. The next category is

the bhakta or devotee. In this case also as in that of the guru, service of the

divinity which is the distinctive function of the bhakta, is not confined to

him only. The servants have been divided into two classes viz.,

(1) servants other than consorts

(2) consorts. The guru has distinctive function as master. The servant has no

distinctive function as master. This distinguishes the guru from the bhakta.

The bhakta is also Godhead in the distinctive form of this servant to whom the

guru manifests the divinity The mercy of the bhakta enables the dissociable

soul to receive the mercy of the guru. The guru and the bhakta are the

inseparable divine counterparts of one another. The guru and the bhakta are

thus two distinct entities forming the five categories. The avataras

(descending divinities) are the third category They are their distinctive

functions in the maintenance and deliverance of jivas inclined to divine

service. They have distinctive functions as master. The difference between the

avataras and the divinity as master consists in this that the avatäras are

derivatives from the divinity possessing the plenary divine nature. The

relation between the two is analogous to that between the original

self-existing source-light and other shining lamps that have been lighted from

the source. There is no substantive or magnitudinal difference between the two.

But there is distinctiveness in function. The avataras have distinctive natures

of their own. But the divinity is their common source possessing all their

distinctive functions in a synthesis which distinguishes Him from the avataras

without suffering any diminution of His divinity by the eternal parallel

coexistence of the distinctive activities and personalities of the avataras

also as divinities. Another divine category is the group of the divine

manifestations. The manifestations are divine forms who are either identical

with that of the divinity or of a distinctive nature. Krsna can appear

simultaneously in the same form or in different forms to different persons and

also simultaneously retain His own form. All these other forms are His own

manifestations. The fifth divine category is divine power. Divine power is the

Predominated Moiety of the divinity who is Predominating Whole. Sri Radhika is

the Predominated Counter-Whole of Sri Krsna. Sri Radhika has Her duplicates and

constituents who are also of the nature of plenary powers of the divinity. Sri

Radhika is the female consort in the Supreme Divine Pair. She is the source of

all the distinctive divine powers that serve as the corresponding

counter-wholes of the infinite manifestations and avataras of the divinity. She

also directly serves Sri Krsna in an infinity of ways in Her countless

distinctive plenary and secondary forms.

 

 

NECESSITY TO SERVE THROUGH

AN ASSOCIATE OF MAHAPRABHU

 

 

The associates of Sri Krsna Caitanya are made up of the five divine categories.

If any of these categories be left out the Truth who is indivisibly one,

refuses to present Himself to the arrogant aptitude of the pedant who does not

fully submit to be enlightened by grace regarding the necessity of serving the

divinity in and through the distinctions. The pedant is disposed to be

skeptical by reason of a lurking belief that it is the look-out of the divinity

to make Himself known to him. But the jiva is a dissociable particle of the

divine essence with the onus of choosing for himself from among the

alternatives of a serving, a neutral and a disobedient career, his own

relationship to the divinity. He cannot escape the privilege of exercising this

responsibility except by conscious self-deception on by hypocrisy.

 

 

MARGINAL POTENCY

 

 

The dissociable individual soul is distinct from the divine categories. He is a

particle of the marginal potency of the divinity. Sri Nityananda who is

identical with Balarama is the ultimate source of the jiva. The conditioned

soul is a particle of the marginal potency, who has been sent into this world

by the will of the Purusa, viz., Visnu reposing in the Causal Ocean, who is a

plenary part of Nityananda exercising the divine function of creator of all

mundane existence including the conditioned state without Himself belonging to

the mundane plane.