Mahaprabhu& Madness part two

Mahanidhi Madan Gopal Das

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Divine Madness of Mahaprabhu

Worried over Nimai’s apparent mental health, mother Shachi showed him to a doctor. The doctor examined and said, “Nimai is exhibiting madness, so you must tie His legs together and keep Him home. Massage Nimai’s head with medicated oil and feed Him fresh coconut water until his madness is cured!”

A few days later, SrivasaThakura visited Vishvambhara in His home in Navadvipa and saw Gaurahari doing tulasiparikrama. Then upon suddenly noticing a devotee, Mahaprabhu swooned and shivered intensely in divine love. Upon assuming external consciousness, Mahaprabhu greeted SrivasaThakura and said, “They say I am mad, insane. What do you think?”

hāsi’ bale śrīvāsa, paṇḍitabhālavāi

tomāra ye-matavāi, tāhāāmicāi

Smilingly, Srivasa said, “O Mahaprabhu, Your madness is good. I also want the same kind of madness that You have, wherein I experience divine love and the direct mercy of Sri Krishna.” (CB 2.2.98-114)

Since Sri ChaitanyaMahaprabhu’slilas are eternally manifest in one universe or another, His divine madness is also eternal. Sri Krishna DasaKaviraja explains:

rādhikārabhāvayaiche, uddhava-darśane

seibhāvemattaprabhu,  raherātri-dine

Just as Rādhikā entered a state of divine madness [in mahabhava] upon seeing Uddhava, Mahaprabhu was all day and night in that same state of divine madness [in separation from Krishna] (Cc. 1.4.108)

Divine Madness in Vrindavana

prememattacali’ āilāgovardhana-grāma

Arriving at Mt. Govardhana, Mahaprabhu went mad in Krishna prema. (Cc.  2.18.17)

harideva-āgenāceprememattahañā

And while taking darshana of Sri Haridevji at Mansi Ganga, Mahaprabhu madly danced in Krishna prema.  (Cc. 2.18.19)

Divine Madness Distribution

śuni’ ‘Krishna’ ‘Krishna’ bali, amoghauṭhilā

premonmādemattahañā,  nācitelāgilā

Upon hearing Sri ChaitanyaMahaprabhu chant ‘Krishna! Krishna!’ the terminally diseased Amogha immediately got off his deathbed and began to chant Krishna nama. Becoming mad with ecstatic love, Amogha danced very emotionally. (Cc. 1.15.278)

yāṅhāradarśanelokeprememattahañā

hāse, kānde, nāce, gāya, Krishna-nāmalañā

The people said, “Simply by seeing ŚrīCaitanyaMahāprabhu, everyone is maddened with love of Krishna. Thus they are laughing, crying, dancing, chanting Krishna KrishnaKrishnaKrishna.” (Cc.  2.15.162)

With a mere embrace of mercy from Mahaprabhu, Krishna dasa went mad in love divine and began dancing and singing, “Hari! Hari! Hari!” (Cc. 2.18.88)

tomādekhi Krishna-preme, jagata-pāgala

By seeing Mahaprabhu everyone went crazy with Krishna prema. (Cc. 2.18.120)

yetomāra ‘nāma’ śune

sei Krishna-premematta, tāretribhuvane

If anyone hears Mahaprabhu’s name, he/she will go mad in Krishna prema and perform harinamasankirtana to deliver the three worlds. (Cc. 2.18.123, 219)

Divine Madness &HarinamaSankirtana

punaḥpunaḥpiyāiyāhayamahāmatta

nāce, kānde, hāse, gāya, yaichemada-matta

Repeatedly drinking Harinama rasa, Sri Gauranga and the others became greatly mad. So they all started singing, dancing, laughing and crying in the madness of divine delirium. (Cc. 1.7.22)

And with His saṅkīrtana movement, Mahaprabhu made everyone mad like Himself. We do not find anyone who was not maddened by Gauranga’ssaṅkīrtana movement. (Cc. 1.9.52)

“When the people assembled, ŚrīCaitanyaMahāprabhu raised His beautiful long golden arms and shouted, “Haribol!” Responding, the people became ecstatic in divine madness, dancing and chanting the transcendental sound “Hari!” (Cc. 2.17.189)

“Like a mad lion, matta-siṁha, Mahaprabhu danced in the center of a circle of kirtaneers. (Cc.  2.12.137) “If anyone, after hearing from Sri Chaitanya, would chant “Hari Krishna” he or she would go mad in love divine (prema-matta)” (Cc. 2.7.98)

Divine Madness & Krishna Prema

krishnapremaphalāsvāde, mattaloka ha-ilasakala

Everyone who tastes the fruit of Krishna prema will become mad in divine bliss. (Cc.  1.9.48)

SrilaPrabhupada explains the nature of Krishna prema, separation and madness: “We become mad after Krishna in our separation from Him. This is called Krishna-premā. And this love was distributed by CaitanyaMahāprabhu.” (TLK v. 30 p.)

“When one is separated from Radha-Krishna, then all the bodily symptoms of transcendental ecstasy manifest, and one appears inconceivably crazy i.e. transcendental madness.” (Cc. 2.1.87 p.)

Divine Madness Is Krishna Consciousness

Dancing madly on harinamasankirtan, being crazy about Krishna, and going mad in separation from Radha-GovindaYugala—this is Krishna Consciousness. The true devotee is one who feels intense separation from the sweetness in Shyama, and goes mad by a mere remembrance of those first sweet drops of joy in Krishna bhakti. 

The greatest Krishna bhakta is Sri ChaitanyaMahaprabhu Himself. His madness in separation from love divine Sri Krishna is legendary and astonishing. As Mahaprabhu was, we too should become mad men/women searching in separation for Krishna within ourselves, within others and within the medium we move.  

In the following amazing rasa-filled quote, SrilaPrabhupada explains Krishna consciousness in a nutshell.

SrilaPrabhupada said, “Sri Caitanya, the greatest symbol of a Krishna-bhakta, was mad after Krishna, [crying continually], ‘Where I can see Krishna? Where is Krishna? Where is Krishna? He was mad after Krishna.”(folio: 670323SB.SF)

“This is Krishna consciousness—when one becomes mad after Krishna, thinking, "How to see Him? How to see Krishna? How to see Him. How to see Him? Where He is? Where He is? Where He is?" Increasing this intense love for Krishna.

“When we will be mad for Krishna that is the perfection of life. We should be very, very serious to see Krishna. At least this attitude will help us: "Where is Krishna? How I will see Him? How I would meet Him?" That is called Krishna consciousness.” (folio: 730901R2.LON)

MadhureṇaSamāpayed: A Sweet Ending

“Murari’s mesmerizing flute forces the maidens of Vraja to forsake their self-control, righteousness and bashfulness. They ramble through the woods of Vrindavan like ones possessed, asking the trees, creepers and shrubs about Sri Krishna. Undoubtedly, a colossal maddening-shakti is working on them.

“Yet the madness of the damsels of Vraja is nothing in comparison to the special divine lunacy of SrimatiRadharani i.e. divyonmadamahabhava. Radhika alone has the monopoly over this priceless gem called 'divine lunacy'. And we are fortunate that we belong to this particular Kali-yuga, wherein Sri Goursundar has relished the sweet rasa of Sri Radha’s divine lunacy.” (Analytical Study of Love: Sri AnantaDasji Maharaja)

Mahaprabhu and Madness! Krishna creates the madness, places it in the hearts of His beloveds, and then relishes the sweet taste of loving separation for time eternal as Sri ChaitanyaMahaprabhu. We Their humble servants cry in Their footsteps, begging in separation for a drop of prema or a glimpse of Shyama. O SrimatiRadharani! With Your power and tender mercy, that impossible vision becomes a sweet reality.

Crazy for Radha-Krishna ki jai! Jaya Jaya Sri Radhe!