Adi-lila, Chapter 1 37

TRANSLATION

| offer my respectful obeisances unto the spiritual masters, the devotees of the
Lord, the Lord’s incarnations, His plenary portions, His energies, and the primeval
Lord Himself, Sri Krsna Caitanya.

PURPORT

Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami has composed this Sanskrit verse for the beginning
of his book, and now he will explain it in detail. He offers his respectful obeisances
to the six principles of the Absolute Truth. Gurin is plural in number because any-
one who gives spiritual instructions based on the revealed scriptures is accepted asa
spiritual master. Although others give help in showing the way to beginners, the guru
who first initiates one with the mahd-mantra is to be known as the initiator, and the
saints who give instructions for progressive advancement in Krsna consciousness are
called instructing spiritual masters. The initiating and instructing spiritual masters
are equal and identical manifestations of Krsna, although they have different dealings.
Their function is to guide the conditioned souls back home, back to Godhead. There-
fore Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami accepted Nityananda Prabhu and the six Gosvamis
in the category of guru. _

Isa-bhaktan refers to the devotees of the Lord like Sri Srivasa and all other such
followers, who are the energy of the Lord and are qualitatively nondifferent from
Him. /savatdrakan refers to dcaryas like Advaita Prabhu, who is an avatara of the
Lord. Tat-prakdsan indicates the direct manifestation of the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, Nityananda Prabhu, and the initiating spiritual master. Tac-chaktih refers
to the spiritual energies (saktis) of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Gadadhara, Damodara
and Jagadananda belong to this category of internal energy.

The six principles are differently manifested but allequally worshipable. Krsnadasa
Kaviraja begins by offering his obeisances unto them to teach us the method of
worshiping Lord Caitanya. The external potency of Godhead called mdyd can never
associate with the Lord, just as darkness cannot remain in the presence of light; yet
darkness, being but an illusory and temporary covering of light, has no existence in-
dependent of light.

TEXT 35

TIQR Bla TS fispayte |
Stara one SUT SACH THA I) Oc II

mantra-guru ara yata siksd-guru-gana
tanhara carana age kariye vandana

SYNONYMS

mantra-guru—the initiating spiritual master; @ra—and also; yata—as many (as there
are); Siksd-guru-gana—all the instructing spiritual masters; tanhdra—of all of them;
carana—unto the lotus feet; dge—at first; kariye—| offer; vandana—respectful obei-
sances.
