Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrī Caitanya Caritāmṛta Madhya 3.181

teńho yadi ihāń rahe, tabe mora sukha

tāń'ra nindā haya yadi, seha mora duḥkha

SYNONYMS

teńho — Lord Caitanya; yadi — if; ihāń — here; rahe — stays; tabe — then; mora — my; sukha — happiness; tāń'ra nindā — blasphemy of Him; haya — there is; yadi — if; seha — that also; mora — my; duḥkha — unhappiness.

TRANSLATION

Śacīmātā said, "It will be a great happiness for me if Nimāi [Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu] stays here. But at the same time, if someone blames Him, it will be my great unhappiness."

PURPORT

It is a great happiness for a mother if her son does not leave home to search out Kṛṣṇa but remains with her. At the same time, if a son does not search after Kṛṣṇa but simply remains at home, he is certainly blamed by experienced saintly persons. Such blame certainly causes great unhappiness for a mother. If a real mother wants her son to progress spiritually, she had better allow him to go out searching for Kṛṣṇa. The mother naturally desires the welfare of the son. If a mother does not allow her son to search for Kṛṣṇa, she is called mā, which indicates māyā. By allowing her son to go as a sannyāsī and search for Kṛṣṇa, Śacīmātā instructs all mothers of the world. She indicates that all sons should become real devotees of Kṛṣṇa and should not stay at home under the care of an affectionate mother. This is supported by Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (5.5.18):

gurur na sa syāt sva-jano na sa syāt

pitā na sa syāj jananī na sā syāt

daivaḿ na tat syān na patiś ca sa syān

na mocayed yaḥ samupeta-mṛtyum

"No one should become a spiritual master — nor a relative, father, mother, worshipable Deity or husband — if he cannot help a person escape the imminent path of death." Every living entity is wandering within the universe, subjected to the law of karma and transmigrating from one body to another and from one planet to another. Therefore the whole Vedic process is meant to save the wandering living entities from the clutches of māyā — birth, death, disease and old age. This means stopping the cycle of birth and death. This cycle can be stopped only if one worships Kṛṣṇa. As the Lord says in the Bhagavad-gītā (4.9):

janma karma ca me divyam evaḿ yo vetti tattvataḥ

tyaktvā dehaḿ punar janma naiti mām eti so 'rjuna

"One who knows the transcendental nature of My appearance and activities does not, upon leaving the body, take his birth again in this material world, but attains My eternal abode, O Arjuna."

To stop the cycle of birth and death, one has to understand Kṛṣṇa as He is. Simply by knowing Kṛṣṇa, one can stop the process of rebirth into this material world. By acting in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, one can return to Godhead. The highest perfection of life is for a father, mother, spiritual master, husband or any other family member to help others return home, back to Godhead. That is the most preferred welfare activity for the benefit of relatives. Therefore, Śacīmātā, although the mother of Nimāi Paṇḍita, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, considered all the facts and decided to allow her son to go out and search for Kṛṣṇa. At the same time, she made some arrangements in order that she might get news of all the activities of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

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