84 Sri Caitanya-caritamrta [Madhya-lila, Ch. 15

spiritual master, appeared in order to eradicate all the sins of his disciples. To this
end, Lord Jesus Christ appeared and disappeared. Here, however, we find sn
Vasudeva Datta Thakura and Srila Haridasa Thakura to be many millions of times
more advanced even when compared to Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ relieved
only his followers from all sinful reactions, but Vasudeva Datta is here prepared to
accept the sins of everyone in the universe. A Vaisnava is so liberal that he is pre-
pared to risk everything to rescue conditioned souls from material existence. Srila
Vasudeva Datta Thakura is universal love itself, for he was willing to sacrifice
everything and fully engage in the service of the Supreme.

Srila Vasudeva Datta knew very well that Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was the
original Personality of Godhead. He was transcendence itself, above the material
conception of illusion and mayd. Lord Jesus Christ certainly finished the sinful
reactions of his followers by his mercy, but that does not mean that he com-
pletely delivered them from the pangs of material existence. A person may be
relieved from sins once, but it is a practice among Christians to confess sins and
yet commit them again. By getting freed from sins and again engaging in them,
one cannot attain freedom from the pangs of material existence. A diseased per-
son may go to a physician for relief, but after he leaves the hospital he may again
be infected due to his unclean habits. Thus material existence continues. Srila
Vasudeva Datta wanted to completely relieve the conditioned souls from ma-
terial existence so that they would no longer have an opportunity to commit sin-
ful acts. This is the difference between Srila Vasudeva Datta and Lord Jesus Christ.
It is a great offense to receive pardon for sins and then commit the same sins
again. Such an offense is more dangerous than the sinful activity itself. Vasudeva
Datta was so liberal that he requested Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu to transfer all
offensive activity upon him so the conditioned souls might be purified. This
prayer was certainly without duplicity.

Vasudeva Datta’s example is unique not only within this world but within the
universe. It is beyond the conception of fruitive actors or the speculation of mun-
dane philosophers. Due to being illusioned by the external energy and due to a
poor fund of knowledge, people tend to envy one another. Because of this they
are entangled in fruitive activity, and they try to escape this fruitive activity by
mental speculation. Consequently neither karmis nor jfanis are purified. In the
words of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Thakura, they are kukarmis and kujiidnis—bad ac-
tors and bad speculators. The Mayavadis and karmis should therefore turn their
attention to the magnanimous Vasudeva Datta, who wanted to suffer for others
in a hellish condition. Nor should one consider Vasudeva Datta a mundane
philanthropist or welfare worker. He was not interested in merging into the Brah-
man effulgence, nor was he interested in material honor or reputation. He was far
above philanthropists, philosophers and fruitive actors. He was a most exalted
personality who wanted to show mercy upon conditioned souls. This is not an ex-
aggeration of his transcendental qualities. It is perfectly true. Actually there can-
