19851031 Caitanya-caritāmṛta Madhya-līlā 16.159-195

Caitanya Caritamrita Madhya Lila 16 159-195 

Book:

Caitanya Caritamrita (CC)

Date:

Thursday, October 31, 1985

Collection:

Enlightenment 4

Audio player:

19851031_Caitanya_Caritamrita_Madhya_Lila_16.159-195_Atlanta The following is a class given by His Holiness Jayapataka Swami, on October 31st, 1985, in Atlanta, Georgia. The class begins with a reading from Caitanya Caritamrita, Madhya Lila, Chapter 16, Text 159-195. tāṅra bhaye pathe keha nāre calibāra He informed the Lord that the territory ahead was ruled by a Muslim governor who was a drunkard. Out of fear for this king, no one could walk the road freely. pichaladā paryanta saba tāṅra adhikāra tāṅra bhaye nadī keha haite nāre pāra The jurisdiction of the Mohammedan government extended up to the... up to Pichaladā. Due to the fear, due to fear of the Mohammedans, no one could cross the river. 1.30 governor seem to ...1.36.... Prabhupada said in puport. During the old days, Pichaladā was part of Tamluka and Bengal. Pichaladā is located about fourteen miles south of Tamluka. The river Rūpa-nārāyaṇa is well known in Tamluka, and Pichaladā was situated on the bank of the Rūpa-nārāyaṇa River. So this is just one part, it is just like... I explained that in the Feudal system, there is a landlord, governors, and there is small kings called Rajas, and there is bigger kings, they have many smaller kings under them called Maharajas, and then there is emperors called Samrat who have many big kings under them, and there is system where each king has to pay a one-third of their total revenue and so many thousands of soldiers to the bigger king. In this way the bigger king always get bigger. They only have to give one-thirds, two-thirds they get to keep. When they... say when they are attacking some place, if the people fight, they get defeated they can go and get anything. But say if they fight a little bit, they can really make a truce, they make a treaty, then 2.48-52, they may not use it. You think you might loose, then you make some treaty, then he may be kept there as the as the king, 03.00-12 (background disturbance) So this mohammedan governor, he is like a little king. aneka siddha-puruṣa haya tāṅhāra sahite The mohammaden spy saw the wonderful characteristics of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and when he returned to the mohammaden governor, he told him, “A mendicant has come from Jagannātha Purī with many liberated persons. nirantara kare sabe kṛṣṇa-saṅkīrtana sabe hāse, nāce, gāya, karaye krandana All these saintly people incessantly chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, and they all laugh, dance, chant and cry. lakṣa lakṣa loka āise tāhā dekhibāre tāṅre dekhi’ punarapi yāite nāre ghare Many millions upon millions of people come to see Him, and after they see Him, they cannot return home. sei saba loka haya bāulera prāya ‘kṛṣṇa’ kahi’ nāce, kānde, gaḍāgaḍi yāya All these people become madmen. They simply chant the holy name of Kṛṣṇa and dance. Sometimes they even cry and roll on the ground. Gara Gari, roll.........haribol kahibāra kathā nahe — dekhile se jāni tāṅhāra prabhāve tāṅre ‘īśvara’ kari’ māni’ Actually seeing this things cannot even be described. One cannot unders.... one can understand them only by seeing, by his influence I accept Him as the supreme personality of Godhead. eta kahi’ sei cara ‘hari’ ‘kṛṣṇa’ gāya hāse, kānde, nāce, gāya bāulera prāya After saying this, the messenger, the mohammaden ah... spy, he began to chant the holy names of Hari and Kṛṣṇa. He also began to laugh and cry, dance and sing exactly like a madman. eta śuni’ yavanera mana phiri’ gela āpana-‘viśvāsa’ uḍiyā sthāne pāṭhāila By hearing this the mind of the Mohammedan government was changed. He then sent his own secretary to the representative of the Orissan government. ‘viśvāsa’ āsiyā prabhura caraṇa vandila ‘kṛṣṇa’ ‘kṛṣṇa’ kahi’ preme vihvala ha-ila The Mohammedan secretary came to see Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. When he offered his respects to the Lord’s lotus feet and uttered the holy name of the Lord, “Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa,” he also was overwhelmed with ecstatic love. dhairya hañā uḍiyāke kahe namaskari’ ‘tomā-sthāne pāṭhāilā mleccha adhikārī After calming down, the Mohammedan secretary offered his respects and informed the representative of the Orissan government, “The Mohammedan governor has sent me here. tumi yadi ājñā deha’ ethāke āsiyā yavana adhikārī yāya prabhuke miliyā If you agree, the Mohammedan governor will come here to meet Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and then return. bahuta utkaṇṭhā tāṅra, karyāche vinaya tomā-sane ei sandhi, nāhi yuddha-bhaya’ The Mohammedan governor is very eager, and he has submitted this petition with great respect. It is a proposal for peace. You need not fear that we will fight. śuni’ mahā-pātra kahe hañā vismaya ‘madyapa yavanera citta aiche ke karaya! Upon hearing this proposal, the representative of the Orissan government, the mahā-pātra, was very much astonished. He thought, “The Mohammedan governor is a drunkard. Who has changed his mind?

āpane mahāprabhu tāṅra mana phirāila darśana-smaraṇe yāṅra jagat tārila’ It must be Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu Himself who has changed the Mohammaden’s mind. Due to His presence and even due to His remembrance, the whole world is liberated.

Translation with repletion

JPS: It must be Devotees: It must be

JPS: Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu Devotees: Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu JPS: who has changed the Mohammedan’s mind. Devotees: who has changed the Mohammedan’s mind. JPS: Due to His presence Devotees: Due to His presence JPS: the whole world is liberated Devotees: the whole world is liberated From this we can understand that since the Muslim governor was a drunkard (madyapa), ordinarily there would have been no chance that he would change. But Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu could turn anyone’s mind to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. One can be delivered from material existence simply by remembering Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s holy name or by visiting Him. This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is being spread throughout the world, but not even one yavana or mleccha addicted to drinking could have changed and accepted Kṛṣṇa consciousness without Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s grace. People are often astonished to see many thousands of Westerners converted to Vaiṣṇavism. Generally Westerners are addicted to meat-eating, drinking, gambling and illicit sex; therefore their taking up Kṛṣṇa consciousness is astonishing. In India, especially, there is much astonishment at this. The answer, however, is given here: darśana-smaraṇe yāṅra jagat tārila. This change is made possible simply by the remembrance of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. The Western devotees are very sincerely chanting the holy names of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and His associates: śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu-nityānanda śrī-advaita gadādhara śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda. By the mercy of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and His associates, people are being purified and their consciousness directed from māyā to Kṛṣṇa. The word viśvāsa refers to a secretary. This title is generally found among the kāyastha caste in the Hindu community. In Bengal, the title viśvāsa is still used by the kāyasthas. The word viśvāsa means “faithful,” and a viśvāsī is a person in whom one can place faith. Śrī Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura states that during the Muslim reign in Bengal, there was a secretariat entitled viśvāsa-khānā. The office of viśvāsa-khānā was a secretariat office in which only the most reliable people were employed. They were elected from the kāyastha community, a community that is still very expert in managing business and government affairs. The secretary or viśvāsa-khānā, is generally a very reliable and faithful servant. Whenever some confidential service was needed, these officers were employed. That means, even the Mohammedan rulers, when they wanted a confidential work to be done , they would have one of this Hindu Visavase’s do it.

Visvasa or is a kayasta. Kayasta is a mixer between a Brahmana or Ksatriya, and they are like administrators and something, and not in a political sense but like beurocrats. Sometimes ah... sometimes they say they are ksatriya and vaisya’s. Some say they are depends in different parts of India. But, they are a little bit of a mix, but they have a part of ah.. ksatriya tendency in them, and a part of some other tendency. That’s interesting that how generally, because of the vedic culture the people are a little bit more peaceful. We...they found that the people from the vedic varnasrama system are more reliable and ah... in the story they, the emperor of Bengal, he was giving a big feast, and so he would ....he... he fed all the mohammaden on one side, the emperor was a mohammaden, he fed all his mohammaden generals and lords but not...on one side and on the other side all of his big, highly placed hindu officers he fed. They were cooked and fed by brahmanas, and ah... serving Prasad and cooking, this is a tradition with brahmanas, which they generally do. If a brahamana cooks everyone can take, a sudra cooks, no other you know, no satriya or brahmana would take, so it is a constant brahamanas who would cook, they were special brahmanas who... their service is cooking, and offering to the deities... cook... and it is offered to the deity and even the brahmana’s serve as Prasad. Although it maynot be always the brahmanas serving, but atleast they cook. So it was after the great feast, some of the Mohammaden ah.. generals came up to the King and said, “Just see, we have finished all the food in our plates, clean, but the... these hindus, they have left some of the things on their plates, they didn’t eat everything, they were criticizing them. Then the King said, the emperor said, “Yes, the just like, if one of you assassinate me, then you not only killed me, but my wife, my children, my entire dynasty, but if they assassinate me, they try 12.41, they will just kill me and leave rest of my family, and history of ah... said, many of the Islamic histories had this kind of tendency where there was violence, not such much, at least in this part of India, here it was a... , even to this day we see that in most troubled part of the world, for some reason, in the middle east, their method is no ....13.10 Mohammad, because he gave very wonderful teachings, but there is some, somewhere in the parampara, I have heard that there is some of the 13.20 strictly kept in line of Mohamadden teachings, he said to separate.........13.25 , may other things which were not followed, much later. I don’t know why, the history...........we can also see that at that time there was difficulty and at this time even the person ........with the terrorist or whatever, .......13.40-45..., I mean about 40 wars going on in the world, .......about a good number of, percent, high percentage of ..... specially in those places. So, even though the rulers, mohammaden they couldn’t fully trust their, even their own son because ah... the... the... many kind of sons who had killed their father, take over the throne, couldn’t wait until he got natural 14.05 So it’s a very kind of a... I don’t know exactly, I don’t want to say anything, generalized you see, you see you can try but ah.. generally I mean the culture is very much on eating meat and fish and things like that, I think that’w what gives them the additional passion. The point is that ah... not only was... normally you see if a mohammaden is a strictly religious mohammaden, he won’t drink, but this was so called mohammaden who was a drunkard, you see like in Saudi Arabia there is no drinking allowed, legally, they all fly it to the bylane which was a.... previously was a British colony, and they have a taverns and casinos, where the.... go there. I was visiting their... bylane during their Id festival ........ There were thousands of Saudi Arabians who came in during their like Christmas time to get you know, to serve.....15.00-03 to eat by ah.. So just ah...trying to prove that, the... strictly to follow the principles given by Muhammad, you don’t drink, you don’t gamble, you don’t do anything, but they have desire, like there is no positive alternative, there is no bliss ah..., the ah...they have a very strict, very strict if you follow it strictly, I am sure you can make a lot of advancement, but ah.. you know, considering Kali yuga and other desires and things, sometimes even five hundred years ago, it’s very hard for them to restrain themselves, and this particular governor was actually a drunkard, he wasn’t even a very strict, he was a mohammedan, but which meant that ah... there was no dietary restrictions, practically speaking. There were other little restrictions, but at least was one little restriction, but he didn’t also follow that. He was even a drunkard, so there was a pretty kind of ah... question about character , and top of that, it indicated, he was also some other way 16.07, and he would send his soldiers and rob the pilgrims who travelled on the road. So although the person was a pretty much of an antisocial kind of an element, although he was in a very powerful position, but he was sending his own personal16.20-26 to Lord Caitanya, by hearing about Lord Caitanya, His life had become changed. So then ah... certainly this is the mercy of Lord Caitanya. In the Western world, little bit different of course, and the people on the other hand are very attached to sense gratification, and their minds are always disturbed, by taking some you know... there was a little bit of a... anxiety and the natural tendency is to take some ah... intoxication to relieve it. If there is a litte ah... hole or urge in any of the senses, they think that we, they think that they will have to satisfy it, the idea of austerity or controlling the mind and senses for a higher purpose, .....Apart may for some period for cramming in college, or maybe for some... big, may be some material effort they may do it but spiritual purpose is not very visible in the modern world today but Lord ah... Caitanya’s mercy came down through Prabhupada, and although people were not ah... very inclined to spiritual practices and austerities, because of the nectar of Lord Caitanya’s pastimes, they started to feel that there is a higher ecstasy, a higher happiness within the Krishna conscious practices, and so as a result thousands of people have taken to Krishna consciousness. eta bali’ viśvāsere kahila vacana “bhāgya tāṅra — āsi’ karuka prabhu daraśana After thinking this, the mahā-pātra immediately informed the Muslim secretary, “It is a great fortune for your governor. Let him come visit Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. pratīta kariye — yadi nirastra hañā āsibeka pāṅca-sāta bhṛtya saṅge lañā?”

“However, let me make it understood that he should come here without weapons. He may bring with him five or seven servants.” ‘viśvāsa’ yāñā tāṅhāre sakala kahila hindu-veśa dhari’ sei yavana āila The secretary returned to the Muslim governor and informed him of this news. Dressing himself like a Hindu, the Muslim governor then came to see Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. dūra haite prabhu dekhi’ bhūmete paḍiyā daṇḍavat hañā aśru-pulakita hañā Upon seeing Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu from a distant place, the Muslim governor fell to the ground and offered obeisances. Tears came to his eyes, and he was jubilant with ecstatic emotions. Asru pulakita means that also, now tears were coming from his eyes but hairs were standing on end in ecstasy. mahā-pātra ānila tāṅre kariyā sammāna yoḍa-hāte prabhu-āge laya kṛṣṇa-nāma Arriving in that way, the Mohammaden governor was respectfully brought before Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu by the mahā-pātra. The governor then stood before the Lord with folded hands, he chanted the holy name of Kṛṣṇa. “adhama yavana-kule kena janma haila vidhi more hindu-kule kena nā janmāila The governor then submissively asked, “Why was I born in a Mohammaden family? This is considered a low birth. Why didn’t supreme Providence grant me a birth in a Hindu family? hindu’ haile pāitāma tomāra caraṇa-sannidhāna vyartha mora ei deha, yāuka parāṇa” “If I had taken birth in a Hindu family, it would have been easy for me to remain near Your lotus feet. Since my body is now useless, let me die immediately.” eta śuni’ mahā-pātra āviṣṭa hañā prabhuke karena stuti caraṇe dhariyā Upon hearing the governor’s submissive statement, the mahā-pātra was overwhelmed with joy. He clasped the lotus feet of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and began to offer the following prayers. Simply by hearing Your holy name, a caṇḍāla, lowest of men can be purified. Now this conditioned soul has received Your personal interview. It is no wonder that this Muslim governor has attained such results. Simply by seeing You, all this is possible. To say nothing, this is in the Srimad Bhagavatam, To say nothing of the spiritual advancement of persons who see the Supreme Person face to face, even a person born in a family of dog-eaters becomes immediately eligible to perform Vedic sacrifices if he once utters the holy name of the Supreme Personality of Godhead or chants about Him, hears about His pastimes, offers Him obeisance’s or even remembers Him.

So Prabhupada said that this is a quote from Srimad Bhagavatam, 3.33.6. According to this verse, it does not matter what position a person holds. One may be the lowest of the low — a caṇḍāla, or even a dog-eater. Recently passed a law in Philippines, that no one should eat their pet dogs because it was making a bad publicity in America and other places, when you know people would see that the pet dog, and would find the next day it would be in the dinner table. (laughter) 21.45-47. So they thought of they can kill the cow, but now they cannot kill pet dog, but ah.. people who are dog eaters smell like dogs, scent like that come out of the skin, 22.18-22.02 (laughter) Pig eater (22.05-08) , even the dog eaters look down on the pig eaters. Even a mohammedan 22.15-20, so here it says that even the lowest of low, if he takes to chanting of holy name of the Lord, immediately he is eligible to perform vedic sacrifices. This is specially true in this age of Kali. Harer nama Harer nama Harer Nama kevalam Kalau nasteva nasteve nasteva gatir anyatha Brihadya narada purana, 38.126 A person born in a brahmana family cannot perform vedic sacrifices until he is properly purified, and has attained his sacred thread. However according to this verses, almost to even a low born person can immediately perform sacrifices if he sincerely chants and hears the holy name of Lord. Sometimes envious people ask how Europeans and Americans in this Krishna conscious movement can become brahmanas and perform sacrifices? They donot know that the Europeans and Americans have already been purified by chanting the holy name of the Lord, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

This is the proof, Svadopi sadhya samanaye kalpate. One may be born in a family of dog eaters but he can perform sacrifices simply by chanting the mahamantra. Those who find fault in the Western vaisnavas should consider the statement from Srimad Bhagavatam and the commentary on this verse by Srila Jiva Gosvami. In this regard Jiva Gosvami has stated, that to become a Brahmana one has to wait for purification and undergo the sacred thread ceremony... ceremony, but the chanter of the holy name does not have to wait for the sacred thread ceremony. We donot allow devotees perform sacrifices until they are properly initiated in the sacred thread ceremony. Yet according to this verse and offensive chanting of the holy name is already fit to perform a fire sacrifice even though he is not doubly initiated by the sacred thread ceremony. This is the verdict given by Lord Kapila Dev and his instruction to his mother Devahuti. It was Lord Kapila Dev who initiated Devahuti in pure Sankhya philosophy. Sri Caitanay Mahaprabhu then tabe mahāprabhu tāṅre kṛpā-dṛṣṭi kari’ āśvāsiyā kahe, — tumi kaha ‘kṛṣṇa’ nama ‘hari’ Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu then glanced with mercy at the Mohammaden governor, giving him assurance, He asked him to chant the holy names “Kṛṣṇa” and “Hari.” It is... Purport. It is advised that even Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s mercy that he advises everyone- even candalas, yavanas and mlecchas to chant the name of the Lord. In other words one who has taken to the chanting of the holy names of Krishna and Hari, has already received Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s mercy. The Lord’s request to chant the holy name of Kṛṣṇa is now extended to everyone in the world through the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Whoever follows Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s instructions will certainly be purified, and one who sincerely chants the holy name offenselessly is already more than a brāhmaṇa. Unfortunately there are many fools and rascals in India who do not follow... allow Western Vaiṣṇavas to enter certain temples. Such rascals do not clearly understand the Vedas. As stated previously, yan-nāmadheya-śravaṇānukīrtanād . . . savanāya kalpate. Prabhupada used this very strong words to describe the persons who don’t let the western devotees enter their temple. So there are many fools and rascals who do not allow Western Vaisnavas. So it describes the decrease, something one or two temples which donot allow Western devotees. 26.12-14 only for Hindu.... they allow the Western devotees to go. Of course we not even a caste Hindu in that sense. We follow the vedic culture then, from our point of view that Hindu dharma has deviated from the strict vedic culture but ah... you know from the point of view of the like the mohammed government and everything, you just see them all as Hindus, it’s hard for them to differentiate, but there is a difference between vaisnavism and Hinduism. So this mohammedan governor, he was ah...paid for liberation when he had committed so many sinful activities from being envious of brahmanas and vaisnavas, and killing of cows. So in purport Prabhupada sinful to do such things and it is a great karma that one gets if by practicing Krishna consciousness and chanting the holy name one can be relieved from all this karmas, and that’s when one becomes eager to serve Krishna. See I was riding in a Air Canada from 27.17-22 to Cananda City, I was sitting next to people who were sitting very near to me, they were both slightly intoxicated, and one of them I had some cookie prasada, so I offered, and one took the cookie Prasad. One that next to me but sitting very fully crowded, I was like in the middle sit, uncomfortable kind of position, but the person sitting over, he took a little Prasad, but the one next to said, “No I don’t take those stuff.” And everytime27.50-28.07.... little curby... gold chain.. .(laughter) The whole about things, so things 18.20-25, I gave another guy books 28.28-34 , so a person is very addicted to sense gratification and intoxication and drinking. The tendency is that... that ah... then I became eager for this type of spiritual activity, totally.... I mean just the opposite. They are totally..just single you know, they are just focussed on their atleast sensual things. They can’t understand you know, may they once they are awyay, may be it appears to be spiritual and so on. So here it’s nice that it brings out that point. When one becomes free from one’s karmas, one becomes eager to serve the Lord, after being relieved by the mercy of the Lord then one becomes eager. So this quality of a person when they actually eagerly chant Hare Krishna,that they are eager to... someone said what is the system to ... that I am free from karma. As a person is chanting and he is becoming relieved from that mentality where one is just like slave to the whether the way their senses, any the object goes by sh.... you know they completely out of control, then instead of becoming eager to serve the Lord and they are not so affected by every ah... stimulus ah... that happens to goes by. Not that there is no effect, not that you become stone or something, there might be some desire even come in the mind but it is described in the Bhagavat Gita, that just like the rivers are constantly going in the ocean, the desire’s of sense control, self realized soul, they are coming constantly like that but their mind is always fixed on the absolute truth even though so many thought and desires come one after another, they are... they don’t dwell on those thoughts.Self realized soul doesn’t get effected by those. He remains fixed in his Krishna consciousness and the desires and the thoughts will come and go, doesn’t allow himself to be 30.32...or misled by those. I didn’t realize... very long story, it’s very interesting but I don’t know. So the Mukunda Duttta told the Mohammaden governor, “My dear Sir, please hear, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu wishes to go to the banks of Ganges. Since the mohammaden governor was really purified by the presence of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, he could utter the names of Krishna and Hari, consequently he was anxious to render some service to the Lord to fulfil his desires. Immediately he had the devotee Mukunda Dutta, inform the governor, there was a... some service to render. This is the test. Somebody can say, how can you know what is the test. When a person is able to chant Hare Krishna and able to ah... free from their ah... Karma’s, they are able to chant with some enthusiasm, that... that itself is a very good sign, that is not an ordinary... very good sign. So they are requesting the governor to give assistance to Lord Caitanya. So after this the mohammaden governor offered prayers to the lotus feet of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu as well as to the lotus feet of all His devotees. After that the governor departed, he was very pleased. The governor by serving the Lord, he became very pleased. Before the governor left, Mahapatra embraced him and offered him many material gifts. He does establish afriendship with him. He noticed how he embraced this moham... why? Because he got the mercy of the Lord Caitanya, even 500 years ago, even though he was a mahapatra, very highly placed government officer, caste in the Varnasrama system,. They never embraced or touched a mohammaden ah... you know 32.24-27 meateaters or like that, you know, intimate way... not like to embrace them because they are not very clean, but ah... he embraced him obviously because he thought, he accepted him, since he accepted Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu by chanting the names Krishna and Hari, he was purified. So even 500 years ago, in this little dealing we can see that they accepted that someone was purified by becoming a devotee, then next morning the governor sent his secretary, very nicely decorated boats to meet, to bring Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu to the other side of the river. This Mahapatra river is very big. This rupa-narayan river is very wide. The bridge is more than a kilometre, maybe almost a mile wide, but it is not a very deep river. It may be only 20 feet deep, but it has water all the year long, it’s a very wide river. So we can’t, that’s why this we can’t, this was the border, this was the border of the Orissa, it was very ...very formidable barrier in terms of that type of warfare that had been 500 years ago, so that we formed a natural bourndary, which was easier to defend, that the other side the mohammaden governmenor himself worshipped Lord Caitanya, and he brought Lord Caitanya a brand new boat. He took him down to the Ganges, and he accompanied Lord Caitanya to protect Him from pirates, soldiers. So we are going to be going through all this places through the pada yatra, celebrating Lord Caitanya’s visit to this places and get His mercy. Transcribed by: Sadananda Krishnaprem Das