262 Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Madhya-lila, Ch. 11
TRANSLATION
“Anyone who worships Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu by congregational
chanting should be understood to be very intelligent. One who does not do so
must be considered a victim of this age and bereft of all intelligence.
PURPORT
Rascals propose that anyone can invent his own religious process, and this
proposition is condemned herein. If one actually wants to become religious, he
must take up the chanting of the Hare Krsna maha-mantra. The real meaning of
religion is stated in Srimad-Bhagavatam (6.3.19-22).
dharmam tu saksad-bhagavat-pranitam
na vai vidur rsayo napi devah
na siddha-mukhya asura manusyah
kutas ca vidyadhara-caranadayah
svayambhér naradah sambhuh
kumarah kapilo manuh
prahlado janako bhismo
balir vaiyasakir vayam
dvadasaite vijanimo
dharmar bhagavatarn bhatah
guhyam visuddham durbodham
yam jfatvamrtam asnute
etavan eva loke ’smin
purnsam dharmah parah smrtah
bhakti-yogo bhagavati
tan-nama-grahanadibhih
The purport of these verses is that dharma, or religion, cannot be manufactured
by a human being. Religion is the law or code of the Lord. Consequently religion
cannot be manufactured even by great saintly persons, demigods or siddha-
mukhyas, and what to speak of asuras, human beings, Vidyadharas, Caranas, and
so on. The principles of dharma, religion, come down in the parampara system
beginning with twelve personalities—namely, Lord Brahma; the great saint
Narada; Lord Siva; the four Kumaras; Kapila, the son of Devahiti; Svayambhuva
Manu; Prahlada Maharaja; King Janaka; grandfather Bhisma; Bali Maharaja;
Sukadeva Gosvami; and Yamaraja. The principles of religion are known to these
twelve personalities. Dharma refers to the religious principles by which one can
