Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrī Caitanya Caritāmrita Ādi 3.49

suvarna-varno hemāńgo

varāńgaś candanāńgadī

sannyāsa-kric chamah śānto

nishthā-śānti-parāyanah

SYNONYMS

suvarna — of gold; varnah — having the color; hema-ańgah — whose body was like molten gold; vara-ańgah — having a most beautiful body; candana-ańgadī — whose body was smeared with sandalwood; sannyāsa-krit — practicing the renounced order of life; śamah — equipoised; śāntah — peaceful; nishthā — devotion; śānti — and of peace; parāyanah — 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 sannyāsa 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 Mahābhārata (Dāna-dharma, Vishnu-sahasra-nāma-stotra). In his commentary on the Vishnu-sahasra-nāma, called the Nāmārtha-sudhā, Śrīla Baladeva Vidyābhūshana, 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 yadā paśyah paśyate rukma-varnam kartāram īśam purusham brahma-yonim (Mundaka Up. 3.1.3). Rukma-varnam kartāram īśam 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. Śrīla Baladeva Vidyābhūshana has explained that the word varāńga means "exquisitely beautiful."

Lord Caitanya accepted sannyāsa, 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. Śrīla Baladeva Vidyābhūshana has explained that the word nishthā indicates His being rigidly fixed in chanting the holy name of Śrī 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 Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness