Śrī Caitanya's Warnings to the Devotees
To protect the tender creeper of devotional service, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu established strict lines of conduct for His followers. While His mission was to freely distribute love of God, He simultaneously issued grave warnings against activities that could check a devotee's progress. These warnings serve as a fortress, guarding the sincere soul from the dangers of impersonalism, material contamination, and offensive behavior.
Danger of Hearing Māyāvāda Philosophy
The most emphatic warning given by Lord Caitanya concerns the association with impersonalist philosophers. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that the Lord considered the hearing of Māyāvāda commentaries to be fatal to spiritual life. If one listens to such interpretations, their understanding of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is covered, and they are doomed.
- He (Lord Caitanya) strictly warned, mayavadi-bhasya sunile haya sarva-nasa: "Anyone who follows the principles of Mayavada philosophy is certainly doomed." Such a fool needs to be reformed by punishment.
- A Mayavadi philosophers, they are so dangerous that they mislead their follower to the hell. Caitanya Mahaprabhu has therefore strongly warned, mayavadi-bhasya sunile haya sarva-nasa.
- The activities of Mayavada philosophy are very dangerous to the public, and therefore Lord Caitanya warned us never to hear from any Mayavadi about any scripture.
Avoiding Materialistic Association
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu warned His devotees against intimately mixing with worldly-minded people (viṣayīs) and the opposite sex. He taught that eating the food of a materialist contaminates the mind, making it wicked and unable to remember Kṛṣṇa. Furthermore, He demonstrated by His own example that a renunciant must be extremely cautious regarding association with women and wealthy persons to maintain their purity.
- Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu has also warned, visayira anna khaile dusta haya mana: "By eating food prepared by worldly people, one's mind becomes wicked.
- One's promotion to the spiritual world is checked simply by seeing the beautiful bodily structure & movements of women. Sri Caitanya has therefore warned all devotees to beware of the attraction of beautiful women & materialistic civilization.
- Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, through His personal behavior, warns everyone to avoid meeting a materialistic person or a woman.
Guarding Against Offenses and Impudence
Spiritual life requires humility and strict adherence to etiquette. Lord Caitanya warned against the offense of nāma-aparādha, specifically interpreting the glories of the holy name. He also cautioned against false prestige, such as claiming to be God, and warned His followers not to become independent or impudent, as such behavior leads to deviation from the path of the ācāryas.
- When a student interpreted the glories of the holy name as a prayer of exaggeration, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, greatly unhappy, immediately warned everyone not to see the student's face henceforward.
- He (Caitanya) strongly protested against being called God, although undoubtedly He was God Himself. The Lord behaves so to warn us against unscrupulous men who take pleasure in being addressed as God.
- Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu warned all His followers not to become independent or impudent. Unfortunately, after the disappearance of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, many apa-sampradayas (so-called followers) invented many ways not approved by the acaryas.
Conclusion
The warnings of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu are expressions of His intense desire to see the living entities delivered from the cycle of birth and death. By strictly avoiding the association of Māyāvādīs and materialists, and by remaining humble and free from offenses, a devotee remains safe under the shelter of the Lord.
Dive Deeper into Śrīla Prabhupāda's Vani
Śrīla Prabhupāda lives within his instructions. This article is a summary of the profound truths found in the Vaniquotes category Caitanya's Warnings. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.