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instructed His disciples to write books on the science of Krishna, a task which
His followers have continued to carry out down to the present day. The elaborations and expositions on
the philosophy taught by Lord Caitanya are, in fact, the most voluminous, exacting, and consistent, due to
the system of disciplic succession. Although Lord Caitanya was widely renowned as a scholar in His youth, He
left only eight verses, called Sikshashtaka. These eight verses clearly reveal His mission and precepts.
These supremely valuable prayers are translated herein.


Glory to the sri-krishna-sankirtana, which cleanses the heart of all the dust accumulated for years and
extinguishes the fire of conditional life, of repeated birth and death. This sankirtana movement is the
prime benediction for humanity at large because it spreads the rays of the benediction moon. It is the life of
all transcendental knowledge. It increases the ocean of transcendental bliss, and it enables us to fully taste
the nectar for which we are always anxious.



O my Lord, Your holy name alone can render all benediction to living beings, and thus You have hundreds
and millions of names, like Krishna and Govinda. In these transcendental names You have invested all
Your transcendental energies. There are not even hard and fast rules for chanting these names. O my Lord, out
of kindness You enable us to easily approach You by Your holy names, but I am so unfortunate that I have
no attraction for them.


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.


O almighty Lord, I have no desire to accumulate wealth, nor do I desire beautiful women, nor do I want
any number of followers. I only want Your causeless devotional service, birth after birth.


O son of Maharaja Nanda [Krishna], I am Your eternal servitor, yet somehow or other I have fallen into the ocean
of birth and death. Please pick me up from this ocean of death and place me as one of the atoms at Your lotus feet.


O my Lord, when will my eyes be decorated with tears of love flowing constantly when I chant Your holy
name? When will my voice choke up, and when will the hairs of my body stand on end at the recitation of
Your name?



O Govinda! Feeling Your separation, I am considering a moment to be like twelve years or more. Tears are
flowing from my eyes like torrents of rain, and I am feeling all vacant in the world in Your absence.


I know no one but Krishna as my Lord, and He shall remain so even if He handles me roughly by His embrace
or makes me brokenhearted by not being present before me. He is completely free to do anything and
everything, for He is always my worshipful Lord, unconditionally.