A Collection of Frequently Quoted Verses from Śrī Caitanya-Caritāmṛta

Adi 1.2 Obeisances to Gaura-Nitai

vande śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya-

nityānandau sahoditau

gauḍodaye puṣpavantau

citrau śan-dau tamo-nudau

I offer my respectful obeisances unto Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya and Lord Nityānanda, who are like the sun and moon. They have arisen simultaneously on the horizon of Gauḍa to dissipate the darkness of ignorance and thus wonderfully bestow benediction upon all..

Adi 1.5 Gaura-tattva: Combined form of Radha and Krsna

The loving affairs of Śrī Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa are transcendental manifestations of the Lord’s internal pleasure-giving potency. Although Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa are one in Their identity, previously They separated Themselves. Now these two transcendental identities have again united, in the form of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya. I bow down to Him, who has manifested Himself with the sentiment and complexion of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī although He is Kṛṣṇa Himself. 

Adi 2.86 Spotless character of sages

Mistakes, illusions, cheating and defective perception do not occur in the sayings of the authoritative sages.

Adi 5.142-143 The only master of all servants

Lord Kṛṣṇa alone is the supreme controller, and all others are His servants. They dance as He makes them do so. Thus, Lord Caitanya is also the only controller. All others are His associates or servants.

Adi 7.74 Holy Name: The only religious principle

In this Age of Kali there is no religious principle other than the chanting of the holy name, which is the essence of all Vedic hymns. This is the purport of all scriptures.

Adi 9.41 Make life successful and preach

One who has taken his birth as a human being in the land of India [Bhārata-varṣa] should make his life successful and work for the benefit of all other people.

Madhya 6.169 Vedanta vs. Mayavada

Śrīla Vyāsadeva presented the Vedānta philosophy for the deliverance of conditioned souls, but if one hears the commentary of Śaṅkarācārya, everything is spoiled. (Lord Caitanya to Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya)

Madhya 8.128 Guru: Knower of the science of Krsna

Whether one is a brāhmaṇa, a sannyāsī or a śūdra—regardless of what he is—he can become a spiritual master if he knows the science of Kṛṣṇa.” (Lord Caitanya to Ramananda Raya)

Madhya 11.8 Seeing sense gratifiers is like drinking poison

Greatly lamenting, the Lord then informed Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya, ‘Alas, for a person who is seriously desiring to cross the material ocean and engage in the transcendental loving service of the Lord without material motives, seeing a materialist engaged in sense gratification or seeing a woman who is similarly interested is more abominable than drinking poison willingly.’ (Lord Caitanya to Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya)

Madhya 19.151 Fortune of receiving Bhakti-Lata-Bija

According to their karma, all living entities are wandering throughout the entire universe. Some of them are being elevated to the upper planetary systems, and some are going down into the lower planetary systems. Out of many millions of wandering living entities, one who is very fortunate gets an opportunity to associate with a bona fide spiritual master by the grace of Kṛṣṇa. By the mercy of both Kṛṣṇa and the spiritual master, such a person receives the seed of the creeper of devotional service. (Lord Caitanya to Rupa Gosvami)

Madhya 19.156 The mad-elephant offense

If the devotee commits an offense at the feet of a Vaiṣṇava while cultivating the creeper of devotional service in the material world, his offense is compared to a mad elephant that uproots the creeper and breaks it. In this way the leaves of the creeper are dried up. (Lord Caitanya to Rupa Gosvami)

Madhya 20.108 The living entity’s constitutional position

It is the living entity’s constitutional position to be an eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa because he is the marginal energy of Kṛṣṇa and a manifestation simultaneously one with and different from the Lord.

Madhya 20.122 Scriptures are Krsna’s mercy

The conditioned soul cannot revive his Kṛṣṇa consciousness by his own effort. But out of causeless mercy, Lord Kṛṣṇa compiled the Vedic literature and its supplements, the Purāṇas. (Lord Caitanya to Sanatana Gosvami)

Madhya 22.54 Glories of association of a devotee

The verdict of all revealed scriptures is that by even a moment’s association with a pure devotee, one can attain all success. (Lord Caitanya to Sanatana Gosvami) 

Madhya 22.87 Importance of avoiding bad association

For a Vaiṣṇava, the standard behavior is to avoid the assocation of ordinary people not interested in kṛṣṇa-bhakti. Such common people are, first, those who are too materially attached, especially to women, and, second, people who are not at all devotees of Lord Krsna. Vaisnavas should avoid the company of these two kinds of people. (Lord Caitanya to Sanatana Gosvami)

Madhya 22.128-129 The topmost five limbs of devotional service

One should associate with devotees, chant the holy name of the Lord, hear Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, reside at Mathurā and worship the Deity with faith and veneration.

sakala-sādhana-śreṣṭha ei pañca aṅga

kṛṣṇa-prema janmāya ei pāṅcera alpa saṅga

These five limbs of devotional service are the best of all. Even a slight performance of these five awakens love for Kṛṣṇa.

Antya 1.99 Nectar in the two syllables “Krsn-na”

I do not know how much nectar the two syllables ’Kṛṣ-ṇa’ have produced. When the holy name of Kṛṣṇa is chanted, it appears to dance within the mouth. We then desire many, many mouths. When that name enters the holes of the ears, we desire many millions of ears. And when the holy name dances in the courtyard of the heart, it conquers the activities of the mind, and therefore all the senses become inert. (Rupa Gosvami’s verse Vidagdha-mādhava (1.15) spoken by Lord Caitanya) 

Antya 6.220 Renunciation of Mahaprabhu’s devotees

Renunciation is the basic principle sustaining the lives of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s devotees. Seeing this renunciation, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is extremely satisfied.