19850922 Caitanya-caritāmṛta Antya-līlā 1.93-99

9850922_Caitanya_Caritamrita_Antya_Lila.1.93-99_When_the_Holy_Name_Dances_In_Our_Heart_Atlanta

 

Rūpa Goswami was gone. Gopal Bhaṭṭa Goswami he had had a dream. He was told by Rūpa and Sanātana that, here Jīva Goswami told them that they wanted Śrīnivāsācārya, Narothamdas Thakur and Śyāmānanda Pandit to take all of books to Bengal. That time so many books Bhakti Rasāmṛta Sindu, this Vidagdha Mādhava, so many books were written. Only thing was may be most of them were written. The ones that were not written. Of course, the most important book of all the books written was Caitanya Caritāmṛta. These books were all there in Vṛndāvan. But all the pandits, all of the people, they could copy the books, they were all in Navadvīpa, Māyāpur. So, the books had to be taken to Navadvīpa and be copied by hand. And then they would be sent off to various preachers, and they would preach from those books and established. There wasn’t a printing press at that time.

 

 So, in this way you should know, like I told this before, how three devotees went off together and they brought the books up until Bengal. Because when they got into Bengal, then there was a king who had stolen the books. Srinivas ācārya said he will find the books somehow or other. He send other two preachers to their respective areas. One to Kheturi gram, and one to southern Midnapore, Southern Bengal and Northern Orissa. Gopivallabha pur, Remuṇā, like this. Srinivas Acharya set out finding the books.  So eventually he found it.  In this way Kṛṣṇa arranged so that everything was achieved without any difficult.

 

So, I was just in Remuṇā. We went there just for darshan. And (inaudible) the whole thing that the Remuṇā priests and the executive officer, Remuṇā’s Kshirachora Gopīnāth, he suddenly arranged a big reception for Iskcon and also padayatra was going to visit there and… Of course, Kshirachora Gopīnāth temple, we know it because He took the khīr for Mādhavendra Purī but also after that happened the Deity have been put into a lake, pukur, because of some attack from the Moghuls and has been unworshipped for almost a century or at least for a long time. Then in a dream Rasikānanda a disciple of Śyāmānanda Pandit, he had a dream that the Deity was there in the lake. He came down found a Deity. Reestablished it. Built the present temple and started to worship.

 

So, they asked me to speak some time. So being there at the place of Kshira chora Gopīnāth we could remember Mādhavendra Purī and Śrīpād Purī and Śrīpād Rasikānanda. The, we can remember how …

(aside:) I flew the whole night. I am a little bit...Haven’t had any rest yet.

 

Naturally I will speak. Being there at that place, remembering all these previous acharyas, I spoke that how we can remember how Srinivas Acharya, Śyāmānanda Pandit, Narothama das Thakur. How although each of them have separate spiritual master in terms of diksha guru. One was initiated by Gopāla Bhaṭṭa. One by Lokanāth Goswami. One by Hridayānanda das. But they all worked cooperatively together. That we could see from the history given in the Bhakti Rasamrt, in Bhakti Ratnakara, given in other historical books of that time. That how their preaching went on in a complete harmony. There was one movement. Although there were many spiritual masters, there were many devotees, there were many Vaiṣṇavas, but there was one movement of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. There was not any kind of incongruity or anything. Just like that - perfect cooperation. Unity in diversity.

 

How Śrīla Prabhupāda in establishing in ISKCON, but actually we can see that he had given us this same basic blueprint, same basic blueprint, so that we can have preachers all over the world with different responsibilities working together to spread the harinām sankirtan movement.

 

Just like one-time Narotham das Thakur, he got an idea that he wanted to observe the appearance day of Caitanya Mahāprabhu. He wanted to invite all of the different devotees. So naturally, he called his godbrothers, his swatirtha, Srinivas Acharya. When Srinivas Acharya reached the outskirts of the town, the people were so happy to hear that he was coming that they spontaneously took the kīrtan party there. They bathed his feet. They greeted him. They brought him in with the kīrtan party, and then he came and then he took Prasad, everything. Finally, after everything was settle down, he rested.

 And Narotham das Thakur went to speak with him and asked him his opinion that “I have this desire to make a big festival for Gaura Pūrṇimā and invite all of the Vaiṣṇava devotees that are present on the planet,of  Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu all the associates and disciples of His  associates like Virchandra, Achyutananda, and Raghunandan Thakur, so many others.”

 

 So that time Śrīnivāsa Acharya said, “Don’t worry I will arrange everything for you. I will invite everyone,” and asked Śrīpād (inaudible) to explain something about Narotham Ṭhākura’s preaching Manipur to his disciples.

 

(aside:) But this one I have to finish one episode.

 

So, he asked. So, Srinivas Acharya, he said that “Don’t worry. I will take care of everything.”

 

Then Narottam was very happy. He went. Took his rest. Then Srinivas Acharya, he went off to his room and he sat down. He started meditating on what it would mean to get all those Vaiṣṇavas. Then he suddenly got afraid that it is almost an impossible task. Just to encourage Narottam, he said, “Don’t worry, I will do the hwole thing.” But actually, when he thought about it because those disciples of Lord Caitanya, they are still present. The associates, they were in such a separation and they were nonstop crying, just crying in total separation.

 

Every time they thought about Lord Caitanya they go into different ecstatic symptoms and to get them to come would be exceedingly difficult. And then the other devotees are over such a wide area that he suddenly became very afraid. “That maybe I couldn't get them all to come. I promised. Whether I can do it.” Like this, he was thinking thinking into the night - how to do it. Then he dozed off. At that time Lord Caitanya appeared before him and said, “This is My desire to have this festival. Don’t worry, it will be a success. You send the all messengers of tomorrow to everyone. Don’t worry.”

 

 Srinivas acharya woke up, bow down. (inaudible) Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s desire. So, this way he sent messages off to various devotees that were still there in Bengal. And of course, they agreed to come. In fact, simultaneously Lord Caitanya and Nityānanda prabhu appeared, Jāhnavā devī she got the invitation, “How can I go? I am a widow.” Widow to travel and go on meet so many people might not be proper. Nityānanda prabhu appeared to her in a similar kind of vision and told her that “You have to go and you bring that all Vaiṣṇavas with you,” and then she got the order so.

 

When she was going, she had a own female… Sometimes people ask whether you have women who are gurus. She was a guru. She had many disciples. Not only Jāhnavā devī but also Ṭhākurāṇī Vishnupriya, she had some disciples and others were also. But they were very strict. She had only a female assistant, secretary, and she kept a very distinct distance from all the male although she had some male disciples. But sanyasis keep distance from the women, she kept from the men. Like that. She had her own party. And the men were there to protect but the… Unique situation. But when she was going she gave Bhāgavatam classes and everything. All of the other devotees they couldn’t resist her invitation. They had to also come. That was a very historical event.

 

So, in this way Acyutānanda the son of Advaita Gosāi, he went in various other, Rāma das the brother of Śrīvas Thakur and the other associates that were there in Navadwip.  They went on both sides of the river Ganges. All the devotees like a clean sweep they brought them all up. From Srikando, from Kulīna gram, from Adi Sapta gram, from all the places the Vaiṣṇavas were, they went there. Picked up every one of them.  Took them all along to Kheturi. It is on the other side of the Padma river where the Ganges separate. So, in this they all, the whole village of Kheturi so overwhelmed to hear that all these Vaishnavas were coming. That they personally, all the devotees they swept the streets; they wash them down.

 

So, the entire town was (inaudible) eat of the floor of the street. It was so clean. All the town people spontaneously to receive the Vaishnavas, they clean the entire town. They decorated each doorway. They put this sugarcane over the doorway. They may gates (inaudible) with banana trees.  Everything. Full water pots at the door with coconuts. They did every possible spontaneously. No one was going around and telling them to do this. It was a natural thing. Everyone was competing with the other how to make a nice reception for all of the Vaishnavas, for all of the devotees who are coming.

 

So, in this way even the king of that Kheturi uncle of Narottama das Thakur he personally went across the river and he greeted the some of the prominent Vaiṣṇavas and organised their reception, their pūjā and brought them across the river. Personally, receiving them. It is very rare for kings to go out and receive these, anyone. But for these for great devotees, he went out and he receive. I think his name was Santhosa Rāya if I am not mistaken.  So, in this way, of course, that was the first Gaura Pūrṇimā festival which was a very historical event. And there all of the devotees were chanting together, giving different lectures. So, we can see how...

 

Jai Rādhā Rasbaihari ji ki!

 

 Śrīla Prabhupāda, he told that (inaudible) to start the annual Māyāpur Festival. This is actually fulfilling the desire of the previous acharyas. Narottama das Thakur wanted that every year all the devotees should come together on Gaura Pūrṇimā. One-time Śrīla Prabhupāda, Bhaktisiddhānta Ṭhākura disappearance day festival, Śrīla Prabhupāda was talking about the Bhaktisiddhānta glories and he started to mention it how when we discuss the previous acharyas, actually we should discuss their desires (inaudible) immediate one even before that all the previous acharyas. And he mentioned how Bhaktivinoda Thakur for isntance he begged door to door to build the Māyāpur temple at the birth place of Lord Caitanya. He built a small temple there for the Lord Caitanya. And then how subsequently Bhaktisiddhānta Saraswati Thakur, he had built the present big birthplace temple. That he wanted to develop Māyāpur.

 

Śrīla Prabhupāda said that he also wants to develop Māyāpur, the birthplace of Lord Caitanya, to fulfil the desires of previous acharyas. And he was very grateful to all of his disciples all around ISKCON for their cooperation in building Māyāpur and try to satisfy the previous acharyas. When he was saying this, then he was saying how the actual secret of advancement in devotional service is to know the desires of guru paramparā, the previous acharyas, and trying to satisfy them. And he became so overwhelmed and he started to cry and he had to stop the lecture.

 

So, in that way we can see that Prabhupāda has embodied within ISKCON, we don’t actually, even we don’t look further back because Śrīla Prabhupāda has already done that for us. But actually, within ISKCON he is already everything all these programmes are simply for expanding and serving the desire of previous acharyas. Whether māyāpur or book publication or building temples around the world or his preaching of varnashram which fulfils Bhaktivinoda Thakur’s desire that he wanted that namahatta and the whole society should be engaged in Kṛṣṇa  consciousness activities. So, in this way Śrīla Prabhupāda has given us that his special message.

 

 But Narottama das Thakur, Srinivas ācārya, each of them had a particular zone that they are working. But they all got together. they all worked together. It is interesting to note how from Kheturi gram, Narottama das Thakur had various disciples like Gangadas and others, and he sent his disciples preaching. One of those disciples went all the way to Manipur and was able to convince the ruler of Manipur to accept Gauḍīya Vaishnava philosophy.  Maybe we can get a little firsthand information from His Divine Grace Śrīla Śrīpād something about that aspect of our sampraday’s preaching. You can tell us exactly how this happened. I think it will be very enlightening for everyone.  I know from this Bengal side they went there. But how it happened. That just shift. Narottama Thakur, he sent his disciples there, in Manipur, and they were preaching in the… Somehow establish the…

 

 

 Śrīpād Mahārāja (His Holiness Bhakti Swarupa Dāmodara Mahārāja):  Everybody in Manipur (inaudible) spiritual master because of this incident and also the activities in Manipur, Vaishnava culture is a based on Narottama Thakur’s mood. Like rasalila that Manipuri dance, that rasalila most of the songs are from Narottama das Thakur. And on his appearance day and disappearance day of Narottama das Thakur, all our Manipur is a big celebration of Narottama das Thakur’s appearance and disappearance and especially his songs that we sing are strictly based on Narottama das Thakur’s mood.

 

 In fact, the reason is a… Devotional mood of Narottama das Thakur is so intense, especially that becomes in a rasalila called divya ras. Divya ras is played in a daytime. Generally, rasa līlā is played in the night. But especially this divya ras is played in the day time. Anaṅga mañjarī is involved and it is strictly based on the mood of Narottama das Ṭhākura’s, mood of seeing Rādhā Kṛṣṇa  in Vṛndāvan and comes in an assembly like a, in the minds of the bhaktas, devotionally inclined. So, like that the Manipuri Vaishnava culture is very much based on Narottama das’s mood. Even now, although it is not so visible totally but in many corners of Manipur, I think that mood still remains same, predominant. Just like I was doing this padayatra almost fifty percent of Manipur was covered in 11 days. And I saw that actually first time in Manipur, although I was born in Manipur, I have- never seen more parts of the Manipur until this travelling. I went to the Burmese border, and I saw even in distant villages in Manipur, they have this mood, I would say very strong mood of this devotional spirit based on Narottama das thakur’s teachings.

 

By Śrīla Prabhupāda blessing’s hope that someday people there will develop these qualities of devotion which will be useful in helping spread these Kṛṣṇa Consciousness.

 

His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami:

 

Narottama dasThakur ki!  Jai

Manipur preaching mission ki! Jai

 

So, in this five hundred anniversary of Lord Caitanya, we are hoping that all the acharyas and all the great devotees of Lord Caitanya will all be personally present in Māyāpur in a visible form, even though they were here four, five hundred years ago.

 

Devotee: (inaudible)

 

His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami:  He is planning to bring them. (everybody clapping)

 

Devotee: (inaudible)

 

His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami: (laughing) Planning to bring what?

Devotee: (inaudible)

 

His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami: So, when…

 

(aside:) Very low isn’t it? Isn’t it low? When I speak isn’t it low?

 

 When they finally all arrive at Kheturi and had the festival, considering the way that Śrīpād has explained. That Narottama das Thakur, actually he was requested to sing. First Acyutānanda was singing some kīrtan.Different devotees were singing in kīrtanaṁ, but then they asked Narotham thakur that he should lead the kīrtan. So then he started to sing sankirtan glorifying RādhāKrṣṇa , glorifying Lord Caitanya. And then he just started chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa in such a way that it was so intense, was so feel with separation. That the devotees as if they were dancing in a kind of inside of petroleum jelly or something. I mean, inside liquid or something. It was like, became a slow motion. It is like no one could move. It was like, became so thick the mood of separation from Lord Caitanya. That everyone was moving in a very kind of slow way and this completely intently fixed in samādhi on Caitanya Mahāprabhu. So much they became intensed that people were crying and feeling so much separation.

 

Then all of a sudden Caitanya Mahāprabhu appeared with all of His associates, with all devotees. Everyone, they all appeared there. Even the disciples of disciples of Narottama das Thakur, (inaudible) four generations of Lord Caitanya, they hadn’t seen the Pañca tattva or any of those that was already, many years had passed, even they were able to see face to face Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Nityānanda, Advaita, Gadhadara, Śrīvāsa, Rūpa Goswami, even the devotees of Vṛndāvan, Nilachal, Navadvīpa who never got together at one place. They all were there at that time, they were all together.  And they were all chanting

 

Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare

Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare.

 

Just dancing.  Naturally devotees were feeling one second separation. All of a sudden, they just like a rocket they were lifted to the highest ecstatic state. There they were with Caitanya Mahāprabhu. It was inconceivable causeless mercy. And they all just then chanting together.

 

Actually, that kīrtan time was stopped, and that kīrtan went on for one day of Brahmā. Just to accommodate and satisfy all the devotees. You see, although for them it was going on for one day of Bramha. Then like that we are hoping that in a similar way by the pure desire of all the devotees that these five hundred anniversaries we could have that kind of association. Of course, this is too much to hope for. But the Lord is inconceivable if we want, He can do anything. So He can be present and He can chant in kīrtan along with all of the ISKCON dasanudas’s, who are following the footsteps of Narottama das Thakur, Srinivas Acharya and so on.

 

So, Lord Caitanya, He was chanting always (inaudible) Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is so necterean as we read here in this verse today: “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.” (CC Antya 1.99)

 

In other words, the devotee gets such sweet taste in chanting that they think one mouth is not enough. They need many mouths to chant.

 

“When that name enters the holes of the ears, we desire many millions of ears.”

(Inaudible) you are not getting enough amplification. You need many millions of ears. I was walking in Montreal subway system many years ago, in one of the subway outlets, what you call that “stations” you know substations, where you go in and out. In the anteroom, they have made it in a shape of a parabolic roof. You know paraball, parabolic dome? That mean when you are in the center, then all of the vibration, it comes right back. It focus right of (inaudible) So I was just walking doing chanting. When I got to the center all of suddenly, I was hit by the sudden vibration - hare Kṛṣṇa. (inaudible) I just had to stop there and chant for a few minutes.  Then all of people start looking what’s going on - This crazy guy is yelling Hare Kṛṣṇa. But it was so nice thing to hear the holy name so loud.

 

Here we find that Rūpa Goswami, he is expressing the desire to have millions of ears. So, we can hear millions of times amplified the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahāmantra. Just fill the consciousness.

 

“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.”

(CC Antya 1.99)

 

So, when the holy name fills the heart, the heart is filled with these chantings, people say how to control the mind, how to conquer the mind, how to have concentration, how to control the senses. Here the answer is right here. When the holy name is dancing in our heart, once we are able to somehow or other get the holy name into our heart, then the senses become inert. They stop their hankering and lamenting and desiring and so on. Everything becomes fixed in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So, this is the (inaudible) aspired for. Getting the mercy of Lord Chaitanya, previous ācāryas, Śrīla Prabhupāda that we can actually relish the chanting of the holy name. We can bring Kṛṣṇa ’s holy name in our heart. Our heart will be filled with the holy name. All other kinds of distracting thoughts will be taken out, and the holy name will be established in the courtyard of our heart. And thus everything, all other material distractions, senses and everything, they will become inert, they become dormant and will be in this way fixed up in pure Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

 

Jai Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu ki Jai

 

Śrī Rūpa Goswami ki Jai

 

Pūrva acharya gana ki jai

 

Śrīla Prabhupāda ki jai

 

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrita ki jai

 

Gour premānande

 

 hari hari bol!

 

Devotee: (inaudible)

 

His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami: It seems you are in a position of great elevation to be able to have the vision to say that honesty is not rewarded. According to the Bhagavad-gītā for every work we do, there is reaction. There is a follow-up.

Kṛṣṇa says that if you do good work, you get a good result. But you may not always get it immediately. So, if People are doing honestly, they will certainly be rewarded with honest results in the future.  And if they do dishonesty, they will be rewarded with that type of punishment in the future. Someone may act honestly now but in the past he may have acted dishonestly. Now he is getting the result. Now he should continue to act honestly. Then in the future he will get the result. Now in Bhagavad, Śrīmad Bhāgavatam in the first verse, first second verse rather, it mentions “Dharma projitha kaitava.”  That we should, that the religion which is free from all kind of dishonesty, all kind of cheating, the religion which is completely pure is that bhagavad dharma which is a pure devotional service to Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa.

 

So actually, unless a person is engaging in pure devotional service to Kṛṣṇa, they are not thoroughly honest. There are some amount of dishonesty there, some amount of mistruth is there. So therefore, we are trying to encourage people to take up this thoroughly honest path which is devotional service to Kṛṣṇa. And everyone who has done this, mark it, everyone who has done this from all parts of the world, they have experienced some happiness and some satisfaction from that. All of the people present here from different parts of the world who have tried Kṛṣṇa consciousness, those of you who have found some benefit from this process of Kṛṣṇa consciousness please raise your hand.

 

You see. Because this process is thoroughly honest, they are being rewarded