4 Teachings of Lord Chaitanya

“I appear in My own internal potency.” He is not overpowered by the ma-
terial potency when He is in the material world; Krishna and the incarnations
are not under its control—They are free. In Srimad Bhagwatam this is the
definition of godly nature—one is not affected although in material Nature.
Even a devotee can attain this freedom. Rupa Goswami explains that, if you
want to remain unattached to material contamination, the formula is to make
your ambition to serve Krishna. How to serve? It is not done by simply
meditating, which is just an activity of the mind, but by practical work. It is
achieved by working for Krishna. No resource should be left unused; whatever
is there, whatever you have, should be used for Krishna by practical work.
We can use everything: airplanes, the atom bomb, anything. If you speak
to an audience of Krishna Consciousness, that is also service. If your mind,
senses, speech, money, and energy are engaged, then you are not in material
Nature. Krishna and His expansions and His devotees are not in material
Nature, but foolish persons think that They are.

Chaitanya Charitamrita means that the spirit soul is immortal, and that
activities in the Spiritual World are also immortal. The Mayavadis, those who
hold to the view that the Absolute is impersonal and formless, say that a
realized soul has no more need to talk. The Vaishnava says, “No, talking begins
at that stage. Our previous talk was nonsense and had no value; now let us
begin real talk: talks of Krishna.”

The Mayavadis use the example of the water pot: when the pot is not filled
with water, it makes a sound; but when the pot is filled it makes no sound.
But am Ia water pot? Can I be compared to a water pot? Logically, an analogy
points out similarities, and the greatest number of similarities between the
two objects makes the best analogy. A water pot is not an active living force.
A pot can’t move. So ever-silent meditation is inadequate. Why? Because we
have so much to say about Krishna that we don’t have time to finish when there are
only twenty-four hours in a day. The fool, however, is celebrated as long as he
doesn’t speak. When he breaks his silence his lack of knowledge is exposed.
Chaitanya Charitamrita shows that there are so many things to discover, simply
for glorifying the Supreme.

Krishna Das Kaviraj Goswami writes: “I offer my respects to my Spiritual
Masters.” He uses the plural to express the disciplic succession. Not that my
Spiritual Master only is offered obeisances, but the whole Parampara, the
chain of disciplic succession. The Guru is addressed in the plural to show the
highest respect. After offering respect to the disciplic succession, it is offered
to devotees, other Godbrothers, the Spiritual Master, expansions of Godhead,
