Srila Gurudeva: Caitanya Mahaprabhu came down all the way to the primary stage, to teach ABCD. What is ABCD?
atyanta durlabha prema koribare dana
sikhaya saranagati bhakatera prana
-Sri Krsna Caitanya Prabhu Jive Doya Kori 2
[To bestow freely that rarest treasure prema-bhakti, spontaneous love, He taught saranagati, the life and soul of the devotees.]
He began from saranagati. If a principal of a university will come here, he will not teach ABC. He will say, “Oh, you should go to primary school.” If anyone will stress upon him to teach him something higher, he will not do this. But Caitanya Mahaprabhu mercifully came to teach saranagati, the life and soul of the devotees. Prana means life. Why is it the life and soul of devotees? It is not the life and soul, but he is saying that, “If he cannot enter into the realm of bhakti, then he cannot do anything. So first he should enter into the realm of bhakti.” For this, these limbs of saranagati are especially needed so much. What are those limbs of saranagati?
dainya, atma-nivedana, goptrtve varana
‘avasya raksibe krsna’—visvasa palana
-Sri Krsna Caitanya Prabhu Jive Doya Kori 3
[Humility, self-dedication, accepting Him as one’s only maintainer and guardian, having complete conviction that Krsna will surely protect us;]
anukulyasya sankalpah pratikulyasya varjanam
raksisyatiti visvaso goptrtve varanam tatha
atma-niksepa-karpanye sad-vidha saranagatih
-Hari-bhakti-vilasa 11.676
[The six divisions of surrender are the acceptance of those things favorable to devotional service, the rejection of unfavorable things, the conviction that Krsna will give protection, the acceptance of the Lord as one’s guardian or master, full self-surrender, and humility.]
First should be what? Anukulyasya sankalpah. What is this? To accept what is favorable to please Krsna. This is bhakti. So what is helpful for bhakti, for serving Krsna, to please Krsna, only this should be adopted. But we don’t know what is pleasing to Krsna. Do we know what is favorable to Krsna and His bhakti? An ignorant person does not know and he cannot realize this. So, what does Krsna want? A realized and advanced uttama-adhikari can know what Krsna wants. So first you should go to His representative. Who is he? Gurudeva. If anyone has no Gurudeva, it is very hard to know these things. If you have no Gurudeva, then you should collect some sukrti and come to Vaisnavas and hear something. Then be initiated by Gurudeva and serve him, then you will know these things, otherwise not.
So first, we should adopt that which is helpful for bhakti. With His associates, He began to teach this for beginners. What does Krsna want? How will He be pleased? First we should know how his associates like Guru will be happy and then act according to their instruction. Then you should hear what is favorable for Krsna then you should do like that. Otherwise we cannot please Krsna. First we should try to adopt that saranagati. So first, anukulyasya sankalpah.
[Spoken by Srila Gurudeva on December 21st, 1998, Bali, published as part of the Bhakta Bandhav Anthology, Volume 24]