174
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
[Canto 2, Ch. 4]
word  mahāmanāḥ , which puts him on an equal level with the  mahātmās  described in the  Bhagavad-gītā . In the later age also there were many  mahātmās  of this type, and they also gave up all  karma-kāṇḍīya  conceptions of life, solely and wholly depending on the Supreme Personality of Godhead Kṛṣṇa. Lord Caitanya, who is Lord Kṛṣṇa Himself, taught us in His  Śikṣāṣṭakam :
āśliṣya vā pāda-ratāṁ pinaṣṭu mām adarśanān marma-hatāṁ karotu vā yathā tathā vā vidadhātu lampaṭo mat-prāṇa-nāthas tu sa eva nāparaḥ.
“Lord Kṛṣṇa, who is the lover of many devotees (women), may embrace this fully surrendered maidservant or may trample me with His feet, or He may render me brokenhearted by not being present before me for a long duration of time, still He is nothing less than the Absolute Lord of my heart.”
Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī spoke thus:
viracaya mayi daṇḍam dīna-bandho dayāṁ vā gatir iha na bhavattaḥ kācid anyā mamāsti nipatatu śata-koṭi nirbharaṁ vā navāmbhaḥ tad api kila payodaḥ stūyate cātakena.
“O Lord of the poor, do what you like with me, give me either mercy or punishment, but in this world I have none to look after except Your Lordship. The  cātaka  bird always prays for the cloud, regardless of whether it showers rains or throws a thunderbolt.”
Śrīla Mādhavendra Purī, the grand-spiritual master of Lord Caitanya, took leave of all  karma-kāṇḍīya  obligations in the following words:
sandhyā-vandana bhadram astu bhavato bhoḥ snāna tubhyaṁ namo bho devāḥ pitaraś ca tarpaṇa-vidhau nāhaṁ kṣamaḥ kṣamyatām yatra kvāpi niṣadya yādava-kulottamasya kaṁsa-dviṣaḥ smāraṁ smāram aghaṁ harāmi tad alaṁ manye kim anyena me.
“O my evening prayer, all good unto you. O my morning bath, I bid you good-bye. O demigods and forefathers, please excuse me. I am unable to perform any more offering for your pleasures. Now I have decided to free myself from all reactions of sins simply by remembering anywhere and everywhere the great descendant of Yadu and the great enemy of Kaṁsa [Lord Kṛṣṇa]. I think this is sufficient for me. So what is the use of further endeavors?”