Sri Chaitanya Bhagavat
Adi Lila Chapter One
I worship their Lordships Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Sri Nityananda Prabhu, whose long arms
extend down to their knees, whose beautiful complexions are the radiant yellow of molten gold and
whose elongated eyes are like red lotuses. They are the topmost of the brahmanas, the guardians of
religious principles for this age, the munificent benefactors of all living entities, and the most
compassionate incarnations of Godhead. They initiated the congregational chanting of the names of
Lord Krsna.
O Lord! You are the eternal truth - past, present, and future - and You appeared as the son of Sri
Jagannatha Misra. I offer my repeated obeisances unto You along with Your inseparable servitors,
Your unalloyed devotees, Your sons (referring to His renounced Gosvami disciples, or the devotional
process of chanting the holy name of Lord Krishna), and Your relatives (Bhudevi as Sri Vishnu Priya,
Sridevi as Sri Laksmi Priya, and Lila, Nila or Durga as Navadvipa Dhama). According to devotional
tastes there are the two Gadadharas, Damodara, Narahari, Ramananda, Jagadananda etc. One is Sri
Gadadhara Pandita - the expansion of Srimati Radharani and Sri Gadadhara Bhatta from South India
who is Rangadevi.
I worship the two brothers, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Sri Nityananda Prabhu, who are the
embodiment of magnanimity. By Their inconceivable potency They are the transcendental, eternal
supreme controllers of all. Now They have descended to the material world.
All glories to Sri Gaurasundara, the supremely powerful Lord of pure transcendence. He has an aura of
molten gold, with lotus petal eyes, and His long graceful arms extend to His knees. While He sings the
glories of the Lord, He dances in various pleasing postures, His heart inundated by the ecstatic
emotions of devotional mellows.
All glories, all glories to the moonlike Sri Krishna Caitanya. He is the fully independent Supreme
Person, always engaged in transcendental pastimes. He is the Lord of the universe, the supreme
controller of all controllers, and the personification of transcendence. All glories, all glories to the
devotees of Sri Gauracandra. All glories, all glories to the ecstatic dancing of the Lord's intimate
associates.
In the beginning I offer my humble obeisances to the feet of the loving, confidential devotees of Lord
Sri Caitanya. I then offer my obeisances to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Krishna Caitanya.
He incarnated in Navadvipa, and He is known as Visvambhara.
That same Supreme Personality of Godhead has declared in the Vedas and Bhagavat, "Worship of My
devotees is superior to worship of Me." Lord Krishna said to Uddhava, "O Uddhava, serving My
devotees is many times better than worshiping Me." (SB 11:19:21). Therefore, I offer my worshipful
prayers unto the devotees of the Lord before I begin to write this book. By this act may my present
endeavor be successful.
I offer my respectful obeisances to my worshipable Lord and spiritual master, Sri Nityananda Raya, by
whose mercy the transcendental pastimes of Lord Sri Caitanya become spontaneously manifest. With a
thousand tongues we should incessantly glorify the Supreme Lord Balarama, because His thousand
mouths as Ananta Sesa constantly glorify Lord Krishna. Just as priceless gems are kept in secure
custody, so also the invaluable jewel of knowledge about Krsna's pastimes is kept safely in the mouth
of Anantadeva. Therefore the tongue which initially glorifies Balarama will automatically be qualified
to vibrate the transcendental pastime of Sri Caitanya.
The Supreme Lord Haladhara holds His thousand hoods like snakes. He is a gigantic figure and the
source of all inspiration. As Nityananda He is fully transcendental and eternally existent, intoxicated
by the nectar of Sri Caitanya. Whoever sings or hears about Nityananda's supramundane character is
offered the supreme shelter of Lord Caitanya.
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