Essential Principles in Accompanying Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu

The pastimes of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu demonstrate that the Supreme Lord is always surrounded by His loving associates. Śrīla Prabhupāda emphasizes that understanding the nature of these companions is essential for understanding the Lord Himself. Through the descriptions given by him, we are able to learn that accompanying the Lord requires specific spiritual qualifications and a mood of unmotivated service.

The Constant Association of the Pañca-tattva

Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is never alone but is always accompanied by His internal and marginal potencies. According to him, the Lord appears in the Age of Kali specifically with His associates to inaugurate the saṅkīrtana movement, proving that God is always with His entourage.

• Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is always accompanied by His plenary expansion Sri Nityananda Prabhu, His incarnation Sri Advaita Prabhu, His internal potency Sri Gadadhara Prabhu and His marginal potency Srivasa Prabhu. He is in the midst of them as the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
• Although His complexion is not blackish, He is Krsna Himself. He is accompanied by His associates, servants, weapons and confidential companions.
• In Kali-yuga, intelligent men worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead in the form of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who is always accompanied by His associates such as Nityananda, Advaita, Gadadhara and Srivasa.

Qualifications for Personal Service

Śrīla Prabhupāda highlights that the Lord was very selective about who could physically accompany Him on His travels. As he points out, the Lord required a companion who was a qualified brāhmaṇa, peaceful in mind, and free from the agitation of the senses, ensuring that the standard of worship and purity was maintained.

• Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu did not want a person like Kala Krsnadasa to accompany Him. He wanted someone who was determined, who had a peaceful mind, and who was not agitated by ulterior motives.
• He (Balabhadra Bhattacarya) was also advanced in Krsna consciousness; therefore he was considered appropriate for accompanying the Lord (Caitanya) as a personal servant.
• When You go through the jungle, there will be no brahmana available from whom You can accept lunch. Therefore please give permission for at least one pure brahmana to accompany You.

Rejection of Sentimental Attachment

In his teachings, Śrīla Prabhupāda clarifies that the Lord did not encourage sentimental attachment that interfered with duty or renunciation. He cites the example of Raghunātha dāsa to show that the Lord sometimes forbade devotees from accompanying Him to teach them the proper standard of renunciation and internal devotion.

• Raghunatha dasa asked permission from the Lord to leave his material connections and accompany Him. The Lord refused to accept this proposal and instructed Raghunatha dasa that it is useless to leave worldly connections out of sentimentality.
• To prevent them from accompanying Him and becoming unhappy, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu declared their good qualities to be faults.
• Prakasananda Sarasvati continued, "I know that His name is Caitanya and that He is accompanied by many sentimentalists. His followers dance with Him, and He tours from country to country and village to village".

Ecstatic Pastimes with Pure Devotees

Śrīla Prabhupāda describes how the Lord engaged in various pastimes, such as washing the Guṇḍicā temple or sporting in the water, specifically in the company of His devotees. These activities, as explained by him, were performed to exhibit the exalted nature of love of Godhead and to share transcendental bliss with His confidential associates.

• Accompanied by His personal associates, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu washed and swept the Gundica temple, cleansing it as usual.
• Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, accompanied by His associates, His pure devotees, enjoyed transcendental bliss in Jagannatha Puri (Nilacala) by preaching the bhakti cult in many ways.
• Accompanied by His devotees, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu then went into the garden and enjoyed the pastimes of Vrndavana.

Conclusion

The principle of accompanying Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is deeply rooted in the philosophy of association and qualified service. Śrīla Prabhupāda teaches us that while the Lord is the Supreme Independent Controller, He chooses to be accompanied by those who are surrendered, peaceful, and fixed in their devotion. Through these pastimes, he reveals that the perfection of life is to attain the qualification to serve the Lord in the company of His eternal associates.

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