Introduction 9

“when” Krsna desires, just when He did desire we cannot say. We only speak in this
way because in conditional life we take it that everything has a beginning; however,
in the absolute or spiritual life there is neither beginning nor end. Yet in order to
understand that Radha and Krsna are one and that They also become divided, the
question ‘‘When?” automatically comes to mind. When Krsna desired to enjoy His
pleasure potency, He manifested Himself in the separate form of Radharani, and
when He wanted to understand Himself through the agency of Radha, He united
with Radharanf, and that unification is called Lord Caitanya.

Why did Krsna assume the form of Caitanya Mahaprabhu? It is explained that
Krsna desired to know the glory of Radha’s love. ‘“‘Why is She so much in love with
Me?” Krsna asked. “What is My special qualification that attracts Her so? And what
is the actual way in which She loves Me?” It seems strange that Krsna, as the
Supreme, should be attracted by anyone’s love. We search after the love of a woman
or a man because we are imperfect and lack something. The love of a woman, that
potency and pleasure, is absent in man, and therefore a man wants a woman, but
this is not the case with Krsna, who is full in Himself. Thus Krsna expressed surprise:
“Why am | attracted by Radharant? And when Radharani feels My love, what is She
actually feeling?” In order to taste the essence of that loving affair, Krsna appeared
just as the moon appears on the horizon of the sea. Just as the moon was produced
by the churning of the sea, by the churning of spiritual love affairs the moon of
Caitanya Mahaprabhu appeared. Indeed, Caitanya’s complexion was golden, just
like the moon. Although this is figurative language, it conveys the meaning behind
the appearance of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. The full significance of His appearance will
be explained in later chapters.

The manifestations of the Supreme are also explained in Caitanya-caritamrta.
After offering respects to Lord Caitanya, Krsnadasa Kaviraja next offers them to
Nityananda. He explains that Nityananda is a manifestation of Sankarsana, who is
the origin of the Maha-Visnu. Krsna’s first manifestation is as Balarama and then
Sankarsana, and after Sankarsana He is manifest as Pradyumna. In this way so many
expansions take place. Although there are many expansions, Lord Sri Krsna is the ori-
gin, as confirmed in Brahma-samhita. He is like the original candle from which many
thousands and millions of candles are lit. Although any number of candles can be
lighted, the original candle still retains its identity as the origin. In this way Krsna
expands, Himself into so many lights, and all these expansions are called visnu-tattva.
Visnu is a large light, and we are small lights, but all are expansions of Krsna.

When it is necessary to create the material universe, Visnu expands Himself as the
Maha-Visnu. This Maha-Visnu lies down on the Causal Ocean and breathes all the
universes from His nostrils. Thus from the Maha-Visnu and the Causal Ocean all the
universes spring, and all these universes float in the Causal Ocean. In this regard there
is the story of Vamana, who, when He took three steps, stuck His foot through the
covering of the universe. Water from the Causal Ocean flowed through the hole
which His foot made, and it is said that that flow of water became the River Ganges.
Therefore the Ganges is accepted as the most sacred water of Visnu and is worshiped
by all Hindus from the Himalayas down to the Bay of Bengal.
