Adi-lila, Chapter 7 39
SYNONYMS
kateka—how much; Suniba—shall we hear; prabhu—O Lord; tomara—Your;
nindana—blasphemy; na pari—we are not able; sahite—to tolerate; ebe—now;
chadiba—give up; jivana—life.
TRANSLATION
“How long can we tolerate the blasphemy of Your critics against Your conduct?
We should give up our lives rather than hear such blasphemy.
PURPORT
One of the most important instructions by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu regarding
regular Vaisnava behavior is that a Vaisnava should be tolerant like a tree and sub-
missive like grass.
trnad api sunicena
taror api sahisnuna
amanina manadena
kirtaniyah sada harih
“One should chant the holy name of the Lord in a humble state of mind, thinking
oneself lower than the straw in the street; one should be more tolerant than a tree,
devoid of all sense of false prestige and should be ready to offer all respect to others.
In such a state of mind one can chant the holy name of the Lord constantly.”
Nevertheless, the author of these instructions, Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, did not
tolerate the misbehavior of Jagai and Madhai. When they harmed Lord Nityananda
Prabhu, He immediately became angry and wanted to kill them, and it was only by
the mercy of Lord Nityananda Prabhu that they were saved. One should be very
meek and humble in his personal transactions, and if insulted a Vaisnava should be
tolerant and not angry. But if there is blasphemy against one’s guru or another
Vaisnava, one should be as angry as fire. This was exhibited by Lord Caitanya
Mahaprabhu. One should not tolerate blasphemy against a Vaisnava but should
immediately take one of three actions. If someone blasphemes a Vaisnava, one
should stop him with arguments and higher reason. If one is not expert enough to
do this he should give up his life on the spot, and if he cannot do this, he must go
away. While Caitanya Mahaprabhu was in Benares or Kasi, the Mayavadi sannyasis
blasphemed Him in many ways because although He was a sannyasi He was indulg-
ing in chanting and dancing. Tapana Misra and Candrasekhara heard this criticism,
and it was intolerable for them because they were great devotees of Lord Caitanya.
They could not stop it, however, and therefore they appealed to Lord Caitanya
Mahaprabhu because this blasphemy was so intolerable that they had decided to
give up their lives.
TEXT 51
CBYANTS FACH ASG HAAN st |
SACS a FH, BITE BrA-wtad 1 ¢> 1
