54
Śrī-Caitanya-caritāmṛta
SYNONYMS
prabhu kahe —the Lord replied;  śuna —kindly hear;  śrīpāda —Your Holiness;  ihāra —of this;  kāraṇa —reason;  guru —My spiritual master;  more —Me;  mūrkha —fool;  dekhi —understanding;  karila —he did;  śāsana —chastisement.
TRANSLATION
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu replied to Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī: “My dear sir, kindly hear the reason. My spiritual master considered Me a fool, and therefore he chastised Me.
PURPORT
When Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī inquired from Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu why He neither studied Vedānta nor performed meditation, Lord Caitanya presented Himself as a number one fool in order to indicate that the present age, Kali-yuga, is an age of fools and rascals in which it is not possible to obtain perfection simply by reading Vedānta philosophy and meditating. The  śāstras  strongly recommend:
harer nāma harer nāma harer nāmaiva kevalam kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva nāsty eva gatir anyathā
“In this age of quarrel and hypocrisy the only means of deliverance is the chanting of the holy names of the Lord. There is no other way. There is no other way. There is no other way.” People in general in Kali-yuga are so fallen that it is not possible for them to obtain perfection simply by studying  Vedānta-sūtra . One should therefore seriously take to the constant chanting of the holy name of the Lord.
TEXT 72
मूर्ध तूमि, तेमार नाहिक वेदांशाभिकार । ‘कृष्णमन्त्र’ जप सदा, — अहे मन्त्रसार ॥ १२ ॥
mūrkha tumi, tomāra nāhika vedāntādhikāra ‘kṛṣṇa-mantra’ japa sadā, —ei mantra-sāra
SYNONYMS
mūrkha tumi —You are a fool;  tomāra —Your;  nāhika —there is not;  vedānta —Vedānta philosophy;  adhikāra —qualification to study;  kṛṣṇa-mantra —the hymn of Kṛṣṇa (Hare Kṛṣṇa);  japa —chant;  sadā —always;  ei —this;  mantra —hymn;  sāra —essence of all Vedic knowledge.
TRANSLATION
“‘You are a fool,’ he said. ‘You are not qualified to study Vedānta philosophy, and therefore You must always chant the holy name of Kṛṣṇa. This is the essence of all mantras or Vedic hymns.