Adi-lila
CHAPTER 1

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is none other than the combined form of Sri Radha
and Krsna. He is the life of those devotees who strictly follow in the footsteps of
Srila Ripa Gosvami. Srila Ripa Gosvami and Srila Sanatana Gosvami are the two
principal followers of Srila Svaripa Damodara Gosvami, who acted as the most
confidential servitor of Lord Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu, known as Visvambhara
in His early life. A direct disciple of Srila Ripa Gosvami was Srila Raghunatha dasa
Gosvami. The author of Sri Caitanya-caritamgta, Srila Krgnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami,
stands as the direct disciple of Srila RUpa Gosvami and Srila Raghunatha dasa
Gosvami.

The direct disciple of Srila Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami was Srila Narottama dasa
Thakura, who accepted Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti as his servitor. Srila Visvanatha
Cakravarti Thakura accepted Srila Jagannatha dasa Babaji, who initiated Srila
Bhaktivinoda Thakura, who in turn initiated Srila Gaurakigora dasa Babaji, the
spiritual master of Or Visnupada Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Maharaja,
the divine master of our humble self.

Since we belong to this chain of disciplic succession from Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu,
this edition of Sr Caitanya-caritamrta will contain nothing newly manufactured by
our tiny brains, but only remnants of foodstuff originally eaten by the Lord Himself.
Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu does not belong to the mundane plane of the three
qualitative modes. He belongs to the transcendental plane beyond the reach of the
imperfect sense perception of a living being. Even the most erudite mundane
scholar cannot approach the transcendental plane unless he submits himself to
transcendental sound with a receptive mood, for in that mood only can one realize
the message of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. What will be described herein, therefore,
has nothing to do with the experimental thoughts created by the speculative habits
of inert minds. The subject matter of this book is not a mental concoction but a
factual spiritual experience that one can realize only by accepting the line of
disciplic succession described above. Any deviation from that line will bewilder the
reader’s understanding of the mystery of Sr7 Caitanya-caritamrta, which is a tran-
scendental literature meant for the post-graduate study of one who has realized
all the Vedic literatures such as the Upanisads and Vedanta and their natural com-
mentaries such as Srimad-Bhdagavatam and Bhagavad-gita.

This edition of $7 Coitanya-caritamrta is presented for the study of sincere
scholars who are really seeking the Absolute Truth. It is not the arrogant scholarship
of a mental speculator but a sincere effort to serve the order of a superior authority
whose service is the life and soul of this humble effort. It does not deviate even

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