14.5

vande caitanya-krsnasya

balya-lilam mano-haram

laukikim api tam isa-

cestaya valitantaram

SYNONYMS

vande—I worship; caitanya-krsnasya—of Lord Caitanya, who is Krsna Himself; balya-lila—pastimes of childhood; manah-haram—which are so beautiful; laukikim—appearing ordinary; api—although; tam—those; isa-cestaya—by manifestation of supreme authority; valita-antaram—quite fit although appearing differently.

Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto the childhood pastimes of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who is Lord Krsna Himself.

Although such pastimes appear exactly like those of an ordinary child, they should be understood as various pastimes of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

PURPORT

In the Bhagavad-gita (9.11) this statement is confirmed as follows:

avajananti mam mudha

manusim tanum asritam

param bhavam ajananto

mama bhuta-mahesvaram “Fools deride Me when I descend in the human form.

They do not know My transcendental nature and My supreme dominion over all that be.” To execute His pastimes, the Supreme Personality of Godhead appears on this planet or within this universe like an ordinary human being or human child, yet He maintains His superiority as the Supreme Lord.

Lord Krsna appeared as a human child, but His uncommon activities, even in His childhood-like the killing of the demon Putana or lifting of Govardana Hill-were not the engagements of an ordinary child.

Similarly, although the pastimes of Lord Caitanya, as they will be described in this chapter, appear like the activities of a small boy, they are uncommon pastimes impossible for an ordinary human child to execute.