Before the verses
The Preface and Introduction
Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta
The book opens with Śrīla Prabhupāda's Preface and Introduction, before Ādi-līlā 1.
Two short pages before the verses begin. They say what this book is, where it stands among the scriptures, and who Lord Caitanya is — the three things to hold before reading a single pastime.
The Preface and Introduction are printed at the front of the book; on Vedabase the text itself begins at Ādi-līlā 1.
What it says
Six things to hold before verse one
The name of the book
The Introduction opens by translating the title.
The words caitanya-caritāmṛta, then, may be translated as “the character of the living force in immortality.”
Where it stands
The order of study, in Śrīla Prabhupāda's own words.
Actually, the Caitanya-caritāmṛta is not intended for the novice, for it is the postgraduate study of spiritual knowledge. Ideally, one begins with the Bhagavad-gītā and advances through Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam to the Caitanya-caritāmṛta. Although all these great scriptures are on the same absolute level, for the sake of comparative study the Caitanya-caritāmṛta is considered to be on the highest platform. Every verse in it is perfectly composed.
The Gītā, lived
Nothing here contradicts the Gītā; it is the same teaching shown in a life.
There is no difference between the teachings of Lord Caitanya presented here and the teachings of Lord Kṛṣṇa in the Bhagavad-gītā. The teachings of Lord Caitanya are practical demonstrations of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s teachings.
The book is not different from the Lord
Reading these teachings is meeting Lord Caitanya Himself.
The teachings presented in this book are nondifferent from the Lord.
No qualification is needed
Whoever you are, you are included.
Everyone can join in His saṅkīrtana movement. No previous qualification is necessary. Just by following His teachings, anyone can become a perfect human being.
How to study Him
The one instruction the Introduction keeps repeating, to carry into every chapter.
Similarly, although Lord Caitanya appears in the guise of a devotee, we should not foolishly think He is an ordinary human being; we should always remember that Lord Caitanya is Kṛṣṇa (God) Himself teaching us how to become Kṛṣṇa conscious, and we must study Him in that light.
Then