Ādi-līlā, Chapter 1
37
TRANSLATION
I offer my respectful obeisances unto the spiritual masters, the devotees of the Lord, the Lord's incarnations, His plenary portions, His energies, and the primeval Lord Himself, Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya.
PURPORT
Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī has composed this Sanskrit verse for the beginning of his book, and now he will explain it in detail. He offers his respectful obeisances to the six principles of the Absolute Truth.  Gurūn  is plural in number because anyone who gives spiritual instructions based on the revealed scriptures is accepted as a spiritual master. Although others give help in showing the way to beginners, the  guru  who first initiates one with the  mahā-mantra  is to be known as the initiator, and the saints who give instructions for progressive advancement in Kṛṣṇa consciousness are called instructing spiritual masters. The initiating and instructing spiritual masters are equal and identical manifestations of Kṛṣṇa, although they have different dealings. Their function is to guide the conditioned souls back home, back to Godhead. Therefore Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī accepted Nityānanda Prabhu and the six Gosvāmīs in the category of  guru .
Īśa-bhaktān  refers to the devotees of the Lord like Śrī Śrīvāsa and all other such followers, who are the energy of the Lord and are qualitatively nondifferent from Him.  Īśāvatārakān  refers to  ācāryas  like Advaita Prabhu, who is an  avatāra  of the Lord.  Tat-prakāśān  indicates the direct manifestation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Nityānanda Prabhu, and the initiating spiritual master.  Tac-chaktīḥ  refers to the spiritual energies ( śaktis ) of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Gadādhara, Dāmodara and Jagadānanda belong to this category of internal energy.
The six principles are differently manifested unto all equally worshipable. Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja begins by offering his obeisances unto them to teach us the method of worshiping Lord Caitanya. The external potency of Godhead called  māyā  can never associate with the Lord, just as darkness cannot remain in the presence of light; yet darkness, being but an illusory and temporary covering of light, has no existence independent of light.
TEXT 35
मन्त्राणि अत्र यत् शिक्षाञ्जनानां ।
तैश्चात्र तन्न आगे करिष्ये वन्दनम् ॥ ७० ॥
mantra-guru āra yata śikṣā-guru-gaṇa   tāṅhāra caraṇa āge kariye vandana
SYNONYMS
mantra-guru —the initiating spiritual master;  āra —and also;  yata —as many (as there are);  śikṣā-guru-gaṇa —all the instructing spiritual masters;  tāṅhāra —of all of them;  caraṇa —unto the lotus feet;  āge —at first;  kariye —I offer;  vandana —respectful obeisances.