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Śrī-Caitanya-caritāmṛta
disagreement, the chanting of the holy names is the only way to liberation from the material clutches.
“By chanting the holy name,” Lord Caitanya continued, “I became almost mad. However, after inquiring from My spiritual master I have come to the conclusion that instead of striving for achievement in the four principles of religiosity ( dharma ), economic development ( artha ), sense gratification ( kāma ) and liberation ( mokṣa ), it is better if somehow or other one develops transcendental love of Godhead. That is the greatest success in life. One who has attained love of Godhead chants and dances by his nature, not caring for the public.” This stage of life is known as  bhāgavata-jīvana , or the life of a devotee.
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu continued, “I never chanted and danced to make an artificial show. I dance and chant because I firmly believe in the words of My spiritual master. Although the Māyāvādī philosophers do not like this chanting and dancing, I nevertheless perform it on the strength of his words. Therefore it is to be concluded that I deserve very little credit for these activities of chanting and dancing, for they are being done automatically by the grace of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.”
TEXT 97
কৃষ্ণনামে যে আনন্দসিন্ধু-আস্বাদন ।
ব্রহ্মানন্দ তার আগে খাতোদক-সম ॥ ৯৭ ॥
kṛṣṇa-nāme ye ānanda-sindhu-āsvādana brahmānanda tāra āge khātodaka-sama
SYNONYMS
kṛṣṇa-nāme —in the holy name of the Lord;  ye —which;  ānanda —transcendental bliss;  sindhu —ocean;  āsvādana —tasting;  brahmānanda —the transcendental bliss of impersonal understanding;  tāra —its;  āge —in front;  khāta-udaka —shallow water in the canals;  sama —like.
TRANSLATION
“Compared to the ocean of transcendental bliss which is tasted by chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, the pleasure derived from impersonal Brahman realization [brahmānanda] is like the shallow water in a canal.
PURPORT
In the  Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu  it is stated:
brahmānando bhaved eṣa cet parārddha-guṇīkṛtaḥ naiti bhakti-sukhāmbodheḥ paramāṇu-tulām api