Krishna consciousness progressively matures from initial faith to divine love through devotional association and regulated practice.Listen — Srila Prabhupada Uvaca
Lecture [partially recorded] At Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Maṭha [BV Purī Mahārāja] — February 20, 1972, Visakhapatnam 720220LE-VISAKHAPATNAM [21:38 Minutes] Lecture_720220LE-VISAKHAPATNAM Prabhupāda: kṛṣṇot-kīrtana-gāna-nartana-parau premāmṛtāmbho-nidhī dhīrādhīra-jana-priyau priya-karau nirmatsarau pūjitau śrī-caitanya-kṛpā-bharau bhuvi bhuvo bhārāvahantārakau vande rūpa-sanātanau raghu-yugau śrī-jīva-gopālakau [Ṣaḍ-gosvāmy-aṣṭaka] Ladies and Gentlemen, I thank you very much for your coming here to participate in this great Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. This movement was started by Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, as we have explained several times, and the footsteps of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu was followed by the six Gosvāmīs. Vande rūpa-sanātanau raghu-yagan śrī-jīva-gopālakau. The six Gosvāmīs, who lived at Vṛndāvana, they came from different parts of the country. Rūpa Gosvāmī and Sanātana Gosvāmī belonged to formerly South Kanada, and they established..., their forefathers established themselves in Bengal.
So Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī was South Indian. Similarly, Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī belonged to Bengal. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu picked up very great personalities from all parts of the country. Vande rūpa-sanātanau raghu-yagau śrī-jīva-gopālakau. So how they...
Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare, just like these boys are chanting and dancing. Chanting very loudly Hare Kṛṣṇa and automatically they are in ecstasy and dancing jumping very high without any care. This is transcendental ecstasy from the spiritual platform, kṛṣṇotkīrtana. Kṛṣṇa-kīrtana is so powerful that immediately he reaches the spiritual platform and enhances the spiritual energy in the form of dancing. Kṛṣṇotkīrtana-gāna-nartana-parau premāmṛtāmbho-nidhī, they are merged in ocean of transcendental bliss. Dhīrādhīra-jana-priyau, the Gosvāmīs were dear to all classes of men.
There are two classes of men, one class is dhīra, dhīra means one who has satiated his material desires he is called dhīra. He has no more any anxiety for sense gratification he is called dhīra, and the other class is called adhīra they are busy for sense gratification. So this kṛṣṇotkīrtana the chanting and dancing, is dear very pleasing both to the dhīras and the adhīras, therefore the Gosvāmīs were dear to all classes of men. They were living in Vṛndāvana, not that they were liked by the devotees only but even ordinary men. They also worshipped these Gosvāmīs even in their family quarrel between husband and wife they would refer the case to the Gosvāmīs.
They were so dear to the general public that they would submit the family quarrel and whatever the Gosvāmīs would decide they will accept it. So dhīrādhīra-jana-priyau, priya-karau because this movement is so pleasing that anywhere it can be attractive that we are feeling practically… [disturbance in the audience]. This is not pleasing to the children… [laughter] That’s all right. So wherever we are doing in the remotest part of Africa where practically they have not seen what is civilised life. There also we find that when you chant this Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra all the boys, all the males and females in the village they come out and join with this chanting and dancing. Dhīrādhīra-jana-priyau priya-karau, it is so pleasing. The Africans are asking Indians there that why did you not bring this movement, so long?
Because there are many Indians in Africa, you know, many Gujaratis are there. So now there are asking why this movement was not imported so long and the African government also is very pleased upon us. We had also that saṅkīrtana festival for seven days many government officer came and they gave us permit that we welcome any nice movement in this country. So they welcomed our movement we have no hindrances from the government or from the public it is going on nicely. So dhīrādhīra-jana-priyau, it is pleasing to all classes of men nevermind whether he is dhīra or adhīra. Śrī-caitanya-mahāprabhu-kṛpā-bharau bhārāvahantārakau, this is possible only when one receives the blessings of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Śrī-caitanya-kṛpā-bharau, this Rūpa Gosvāmī received blessings directly from Lord Caitanya continually for 10 days in Daśāśvamedha-ghāṭa at Prayāga Allahabad.
Similarly Śrī Sanātana Gosvāmī was instructed continually for two months in Vārāṇasī. In this way these Gosvāmīs, vande rūpa-sanātanau raghu-yugau śrī-jīva-gopālakau. They were directly disciples of Lord Caitanya and empowered to preach this cult of Kṛṣṇa consciousness all over the world. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu asked not only the Gosvāmīs he asked all the Indian people through the Gosvāmīs he says, bhārata-bhūmite manuṣya-janma haila yāra janma sārthaka kari' kara para-upakāra [Cc. Ādi 9.41] This is para-upakāra, India is not meant for exploiting other countries. India’s special privilege is to do well to other countries, para-upakāra.