Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Sri Caitanya Caritamrita Adi 3.49

suvarna-varno hemango

varangas candanangadi

sannyasa-kric chamah santo

nishtha-santi-parayanah

SYNONYMS

suvarna -- of gold; varnah -- having the color; hema-angah -- whose body was like molten gold; vara-angah -- having a most beautiful body; candana-angadi -- whose body was smeared with sandalwood; sannyasa-krit -- practicing the renounced order of life; samah -- equipoised; santah -- peaceful; nishtha -- devotion; santi -- and of peace; parayanah -- the highest resort.

TRANSLATION

"In His early pastimes He appears as a householder with a golden complexion. His limbs are beautiful, and His body, smeared with the pulp of sandalwood, seems like molten gold. In His later pastimes He accepts the sannyasa order, and He is equipoised and peaceful. He is the highest abode of peace and devotion, for He silences the impersonalist nondevotees."

PURPORT

This is a verse from the Mahabharata (Dana-dharma, Vishnu-sahasra-nama-stotra). In his commentary on the Vishnu-sahasra-nama, called the Namartha-sudha, Srila Baladeva Vidyabhushana, commenting upon this verse, asserts that Lord Caitanya is the Supreme Personality of Godhead according to the evidence of the Upanishads. He explains that suvarna-varnah means a golden complexion. He also quotes the Vedic injunction yada pasyah pasyate rukma-varnam kartaram isam purusham brahma-yonim (Mundaka Up. 3.1.3). Rukma-varnam kartaram isam refers to the Supreme Personality of Godhead as having a complexion the color of molten gold. Purusham means the Supreme Lord, and brahma-yonim indicates that He is also the Supreme Brahman. This evidence, too, proves that Lord Caitanya is the Supreme Personality of Godhead Krishna. Another meaning of the description of the Lord as having a golden hue is that Lord Caitanya's personality is as fascinating as gold is attractive. Srila Baladeva Vidyabhushana has explained that the word varanga means "exquisitely beautiful."

Lord Caitanya accepted sannyasa, leaving aside His householder life, to preach His mission. He has equanimity in different senses. First, He describes the confidential truth of the Personality of Godhead, and second, He satisfies everyone by knowledge and attachment to Krishna. He is peaceful because He renounces all topics not related to the service of Krishna. Srila Baladeva Vidyabhushana has explained that the word nishtha indicates His being rigidly fixed in chanting the holy name of Sri Krishna. Lord Caitanya subdued all disturbing opponents of devotional service, especially the monists, who are actually averse to the personal feature of the Supreme Lord.

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His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder Acarya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness