19860405 Caitanya-caritāmṛta Madhya-līlā 24.206-210

The following is clas given by His Holiness Jayapataka Swami Maharaj on April 5th 1986 in Atlanga Georgia. The class begis with a reading from the Chaitanya Charitamritha, Madya Lila chapter  24, text 206 through 210.

CC Madhya 24.206

Translation

This land Vrindavana, Vrajabhumi is glorified today. Your lotus feet have touched the Earth and grass. Your fingers have touched the trees and creepers and Your merciful eyes have glanced upon rivers, hills, birds and beasts. The gopis have been embraced by Your arms and even the goddess of fortune desires this. Now, all of these are glorified.

Purport:

This verse from SB 10.15.8 is spoken by Lord Krishna to Sri Balarama.

gā gopakair anu-vanaṁ nayator udāra-

veṇu-svanaiḥ kala-padais tanu-bhṛtsu sakhyaḥ

aspandanaṁ gatimatāṁ pulakas tarūṇāṁ

niryoga-pāśa-kṛta-lakṣaṇayor vicitram (CC Madhya 24.207)

“ ‘My dear friend, Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma are passing through the forest leading Their cows with Their cowherd boyfriends. They both carry ropes with which, at the time of milking, They bind the rear legs of the cows. When They play on Their flutes, all moving living entities are stunned, and nonmoving living entities experience ecstatic jubilation by Their sweet music. All these things are certainly very wonderful.’

Purport

This is a quotation from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.21.19). As Kṛṣṇa wandered in the forest with Baladeva and the two of Them wonderfully played Their flutes, all the gopīs became very much attracted. They, thus praised the Lord’s activities, describing how He was enthusing all the plants, birds, hills, water — everything.

vana-latās tarava ātmani viṣṇuṁ

vyañjayantya iva puṣpa-phalāḍhyāḥ

praṇata-bhāra-viṭapā madhu-dhārāḥ

prema-hṛṣṭa-tanavo vavṛṣuḥ sma (CC Madhya 24.208)

Translation

“ ‘The plants, creepers and trees were full of fruits and flowers due to ecstatic love of Kṛṣṇa. Indeed, being so full, they were bowing down. They were inspired by such deep love for Kṛṣṇa that they were constantly pouring showers of honey. In this way the gopīs saw all the forests of Vṛndāvana.’

Purport

This verse is from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.35.9). For an explanation, see Madhya-līlā 8.276.

kirāta-hūnāndhra-pulinda-pukkaśā

ābhīra-śumbhā yavanāḥ khaśādayaḥ

ye ’nye ca pāpā yad-upāśrayāśrayāḥ

śudhyanti tasmai prabhaviṣṇave namaḥ

Translation

“ ‘Kirātas, Hūnas, Āndhras, Pulindas, Pukkaśas, Ābhīras, Śumbhas, Yavanas and members of the Khaśa races, and even others who are addicted to sinful acts, can be purified by taking shelter of the devotees of the Lord, due to His being the supreme power. I beg to offer my respectful obeisances unto Him.’

CC Madhya Chapter 24 Verse 210

āge ‘tera’ artha kariluṅ, āra ‘chaya’ ei

ūnaviṁśati artha ha-ila mili’ ei dui

Translation

“I have already spoken about thirteen meanings [of the ātmārāma verse]. Now there are six more. Combined, these make nineteen.

Purport

The six further meanings of the verse are based on the following meanings of the word ātmārāma: (1) mental speculators (vide verse 165), (2) those engaged in different types of endeavor (vide verse 168), (3) those who are patient and sober (vide verse 174), (4) those who are intelligent and learned scholars (vide verse 187), (5) those who are intelligent but illiterate and foolish (vide verse 187), and (6) those who are conscious of their eternal servitorship to Kṛṣṇa (vide verse 201).

Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was explaining before how the different plants or non-moving or low born creatures beasts could be engaged and elevated in Krishna’s service. In the purport, it was mentioned that everyone is eligible for devotional service what to speak of greats sages the kumaras, human beings even the most low born even the beasts even the plants they could be elevated to devotional service so in these previous verses it that when Krishna was in vrindavan he touched the trees and creepers how he glanced over the rivers the hills the beasts the birds how he would milk the cows how by hearing his flute the living entities even immobile entities. there are two kinds of entities according to vedas - sthavara and jangam. Sthavara means unmoving and jangam means moving so non-moving - plants, mountains, jewels trees- these are considered non-moving generally speaking they don't walk. Jangam: birds, fish insects, reptiles, beasts, humans- they all fit under jangam. I mean they are moving entities. Then amongst jangam it is further subdivided into plants, fish, aquatic, insects not the insects in the biological term of six legged creatures but all forms of bugs in the general sense, reptiles, birds, and then animals then human beings. This way 8,400,000 species of life broad species of life described in the vedas. So amongst these it is considered those animals which have four legs are better than those that have no legs. so like the snake and other things that have four legs are better. They can move faster and they can get around better. Then those that have hands are considered better than those who have four legs. Because with hands we do so many things. Even the monkeys have hands off course. And better than amongst those who have hands off course the human beings are considered the best. Amongst humans, there are uncivilized types of human beings - there are hunters, aboriginals, various kinds of people who are not having much of an understanding of God consciousness or very primitive people - rustic - not the right word but sambaras and others. So amongst the human civilized type, there are uncivilized and civilized you can divide. Amongst the civilized, then they categorize first as vedamukhi mani dharmogahni papa nishidha kore that there are certain types of people who believe in vedic culture. Uncivilized those who are not following any spiritual culture, who are violent, who are unregulated meat eaters. They are a form of uncivilized creatures - humans. Amongst the civilized, those who accept the principles of spiritual life- vedic culture progressive human development up to god realization, there are those who profess religion, profess God consciousness but in name only. But actually in practical life, they commit so many unauthorized activities, so many sinful activities. They are not living up to what they profess. Amongst these better than them are those who actually practice principles of religion. They follow the rules - known as karma. They follow the authorized activities for achieving material happiness. Most religionists go to the churches to pray for wealth. Wealth is very important in material life because it is with wealth that we can achieve sense gratification. People like to have a lot of money so that they can buy the objects which will gratify their sense. This is the material reason why people are attracted to wealth. So those people who try to achieve their wealth and their sense gratification by following the religious formulas, rituals given in various religious systems they are considered as karma kandis. They are better than those who belong to a religion but don’t follow it. The differentiation is made there between those who claim to be followers of religion and those who actually those who are following but for material upliftment ultimately to achieve heaven where they can have more sense gratification, more material happiness than they can have here. Higher than them are the jnanis. The jnanis are those who want to transcend the sense gratification and actually achieve salvation, achieve liberation. So it is said Out of millions of such karma kandis, you find one person who wants to achieve self realization who want’s to really know who they are, who is God, at least wants to be liberated from this material suffering. Amongst the million of jnanis, then you actually find someone who is perfected or siddha. Out of those millions of perfected souls, you would find someone who is actually a devotee. Among such devotees, pure devotees is very rare. Mukti bhukti Siddhi Kami.. Sakaleva ashanta, Krishna bhakta nishkama ateva shanta. That of all those performing religion of course for thier material happiness or for liberation or for acievung perfection and mystic powers - all of them are not the ultimate conclusion, they are not satisfied. They have got some unfulfillment. But the devotee of the lord, Krishna’s devotee because they are completely desireless, they are without any other material sense or other motive. They are shanta. They are completely self satisfied. So this is the basic division of entities in the world. Of all the entities, Krishna devotee is considered the highest degree of evolution. Now modern society people talk about how people have evolved. Someone is more evolved than the other person. real evolvement. The basis for judging evolvement is given here in Chaitanya Charitamrita - specially it is explained in 7, 8th and 9th volume of Madhya lila in various ways in the teachings to Rupa or Sananta. This is also called teaching. The actual standard of evolving in human life in existence is given. The culmination of evolution is to become Krishna consciousness - to become God consciousness- to do so it is not simply some kind of mental - we think you know, well I am conscious I am aware of something. With awareness comes an evolvement. It is not possible to be aware of God unless you come to a basic platform which is at least qualitative wise equal with Krishna. That means you have to evolve up to a certain position on a certain platform where form you can understand who is the supreme personality of godhead. What is God? Who are we? How do we relate with God, with Nature, with the entire existence. So Actually it is simply a question of evolution. Normally people evolve one birth after the next. one life after the next. And Gradually by this process, they achieve many many births. Bahunam janamanam anta jnanvan mam prapapdante, vasudevam sarvam eti, sa mahatma su durlabham. They achieve the realization that Krishna is everything there is nothing except for God. That everything is an expansion either of his energy or directly a manifestation of his own power and glory, his own potency, his own slef. So that’s the ultimate point of evolution, so you can invite people you can analyze people where they are according to this absolute standard. normally people take a while a long time to come up to that under normal circumstances, what Chaitanya Mahaprabhu has done. He circumvented all of these standard procedures. Krishna has already initiated this program before whereby he would elevate even plants and beasts and other creatures to the platform of being conscious of Himself. Normally a plant is hardly conscious of much more than light, or touch, or through sensation, not very highly evolved in their consciousness but because Krishna is so intense - by his presence, they actually became conscious of Krishna being present. And being conscious of Krsna, although they were plants that meant they achieved the highest level of evolution. Being conscious of Krishna means that one is already above the evolutionary platform of liberation. One is already a liberated soul. So it's already far behind the material platform. So that mean by Krsna's personal presence even someone who is far down in the level of evolution, they can be immediately promoted.

Of course Krishna was personally present 5,000 years ago and only the creepers - the creepers and the plants in vrindavan who had the opportunity of hearing Krishna's flute or being glanced upon by Krishna by being walked upon by Krishna and touched by Krishna, they got this special Mercy. But 5,000 years later, when Krishna is not present then what is the hope for living entities who are stuck with him this evolutionary cycle? How can they supersede - get out of the insurmountable chain of events? Naturally people like to get ahead. No one likes to just although we are trained now in the Western World, we have to wait in queue wait, our turn but everyone would like to jump the line, but of course, we don't like to jump ahead of others, but we'd like to because we're conditioned that well, only one of us can go one at a time. But if all of a sudden unlimited counters open up at the same time and you can all go the first in line, then it's all right, in this way Krishna is unlimited so we don't have to wait one after another we can all go simultaneously. We don't have to wait when it's Krishna who is personally providing the facility. The point is of course people would like to not have to wait to achieve their complete happiness - the highest perfection for an unlimited period of time. If they could immediately achieve it, anyone who has the ability to comprehend it, they will naturally like to achieve it. But unfortunately those who aren't involved don't know about the opportunity. Just like these plants and creepers in Vrindavana, they don't know the opportunity that you do this that you do that. They have no alternative. They are simply standing there. The beasts or the uncivilized people, they are totally absorbed in simply trying to get something to eat through hunting or through scourging or through some means. Then occasionally they're agitated to have a little sex life. Or they are tired and they sleep or they're attacked by something and they defend themselves. It's about the this is enough to take up their full occupation and if they have a little time and they kind of wander around and maybe they start to philosophize little bit or something, but they don't get too far. So practically speaking in a modern society, when you tell someone why don't you participate in some self-realization. I have no time? Then you're remind them if you have no time, but what is the real advancement of civilization? The Aborigines have no time, animals have no time for self realization so if the modern man has no time and where is the advancement? They're doing the same thing that the Aborigines are - hard struggle for existence.

Civilization in the modern world is supposed to be advanced. That means it should have time saved for some higher pursuit. But in any case actually because in consciousness not everyone is fully evolved or even very far evolved, they're just at basic levels of understanding religion or professing religion or some are possibly doing - trying to follow some religious principle for material happiness at best.

The real meaning of life or the higher purpose to understand the Supreme person - that's not being fully comprehended by people. So just as Krishna personally in Vrindavan by His wandering about and glancing He would awaken these beasts these animals the birds the plants and creepers, what to speak of others

So Chaitanya Mahaprabhu when He was personally present, Krishna again came  500 years ago as His own devotee, then He also awakened but He didn't want to simply limited to His own personal presence because He could only be one place at a time of course, He could be everywhere simultaneously but for practical purposes since He was playing a particular lila or pastime, He would only be in one place at a time. He wanted to simultaneously be everywhere and let everyone be awakened. So therefore He appeared also in His form as the Holy Name.

nāma cintāmaṇiḥ kṛṣṇaś

caitanya-rasa-vigrahaḥ

pūrṇaḥ śuddho nitya-mukto

'bhinnatvān nāma-nāminoḥ

Krishna - Holy name - Nama. Nama means name in Sanskrit.  English comes from the Sanskrit language. Originally Nama is the Sanskrit word for name. Similarity is unmistakable. nama chintamani krishna that the holy name of krsna is a desire tree. It's a touchstone. It provides complete fulfillment of all desires. It is spiritual. It is chit or conscious. chaitanya rasa vigraha It is living and it is the form of transcendental ecstasy - mellow. punya suddho.  It is completely pure nitya mukto. It is eternally liberated. punya suddho nitya mukto abhinitva nama naminoh and there is no difference between the name of God and God himself.  They're the same on the absolute platform. In the material world the name and the named their different. Water and substance water is different. You can call water in different names Italian is aqua in Spanish, it's agua Hindi its Panee and Bengali its jala or Sanskrit Jala tamil it is thuni. Like this it has so many different name, but the substance remains the same. But these names although there are various names for water. But if you call out, whatever name you call, you still be thirsty you need to drink the water, but on the absolute platform everything is by definition is totally one - connected. So therefore, there's no difference between the name and the named. Maybe a difference in form to our perception but in substance in spiritual force, in spiritual potency in potential there's no different. There's no separation of time and space on the absolute platform. When you call just like if I call out Regan president of America sitting here in Atlanta, he's in Tokyo, he won't hear me because there's a separation of time, of space. We can bridge that through our telephones and other methods of telecommunication - by sending that vibration through various means but still there's the separation. We have to bridge that by various mechanical systems, but in the spiritual realm, time, space do not separate one thing from the next. How they are separated that is something inconceivable to us. How things are existing, but you can say that on that platform, there is no such thing as separation as we know it in the material world. Therefore, when we call God, He is immediately present. Of course, He's present everywhere anyway through his omnipotent, omnipresent feature. So by calling His name, He's personally present. Regan is not God. Therefore you call his name, it falls on deaf ears. Unless he's within a certain audible range, but Krishna being everywhere simultaneously you can call on His name. And although this is a very simple basic understanding although there are higher conceptions behind it but because He's everywhere so He can hear you - He's present. But of course it said that the name and the named are same that's very inconceivable. But that is the definition given there is a difference between the name of God and the name of anything else.

So Krishna Chaitanya mahaprabhu wanted that the people should, the living entities should be awakened should be brought to that plane platform of Krsna consciousness that Krishna personally gave when he was present when God was walking on this Earth - the Supreme person was glancing over the trees, was walking on the grass, everything that came in contact with the Lord immediately became ecstatic became evolved to the highest level irregardless off the body they were in whether it was a plant body or beast body the or aboriginal body or whether it was a most highly civilized human body, everyone became conscious of the Lord and thus they became immediately evolved to this highest level, especially in Vrindavana where immediately they responded to this consciousness of the Lord with a devotional attitude. They reciprocated to the best of their abilities. This reciprocation is very important. How you reciprocate with Krishna when He gives His gives us consciousness of Him. If we reciprocate in a favorable way in an unmotivated way in an unbroken way if we reciprocate to Him with love with devotion with service, then He immediately also responds and reciprocates with us giving us His unlimited love. The demons when they become conscious of the Lord, they reciprocate with fear, anger, hatred, violence. The Lord is capable also of reciprocating with them. This is the difference between devotees and demonic entities. Those who have been conditioned in a certain way, when they become conscious of God, they become envious of God. While devotees when they become conscious of the Lord, they become in love with the Lord. So there are creatures or entities in this world who have the covering of being demon. So when they become conscious of the Lord, then this hatred their love manifests in a negative form as hatred or envy. This is described in the Bhagavad-Gita that there are two types of entities. So sometimes Krishna would meet up with entities who would respond to his presence but hatred. No one could ignore Krishna's presence because when he is present, he's so intense that immediately one becomes conscious of him one becomes God conscious so those who are innocent or who are already slightly religious, they immediately become situated to the highest point of evolution of and develop love of Godhead and those who were offenders of the Lord from before offenders of His devotees, then they develop fear and hatred by being conscious of Him.

So these two responses were seen but nobody could ignore Krishna. It's like someone can't ignore the sun in the daytime. If it is there, you can't say that it's not there. You can close your eyes maybe to the Sun but they couldn't close their eyes to Krishna. They would immediately be polarized so Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu - He is very merciful. He never took offense from anyone even if people responded in a negative sense, He would still want to deliver them. He knew that this was simply due to previous offenses they had committed and a slight adjustment in their consciousness could again bring It around. Hate is opposite side of love. Just like negative attachment and with the slight adjustment that can again reverse and become love. So Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was willing to make that adjustment to reverse people's even negative attitude that we cannot imitate. It's not easy to do, but for Lord Chaitanya, it was possible. For His empowered pure great liberated devotees, it's also possible to do. Normally for the preaching devotee, we avoid the demons. It's not easy to turn around their attitude. But sometimes it's possible by the mercy of great devotees of the Lord. In any case Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, He wanted to bring everyone to the platform of being conscious of Krishna. Not only where He was but everywhere at the same time. So therefore He told his followers you chant the Lord's name. Because wherever the lord's name is Krishna is and thus people will be conscious of Krishna. And by being conscious of Krishna immediately, they'll become evolved. And gradually they'll come up to the level of Krishna conscious or God Consciousness, Thus, they will be situated in their constitutional eternal position as eternal servitor or lovers of God. So thus Lord Chaitanya send out His chanting parties to give the consciousness of Krishna to everyone. Thus, He circumvent the normal tedious cumbersome lengthy process of evolution of consciousness and immediately awakens people to the higher levels of consciousness - opens the door for them to become fully evolved as completely God conscious entities. And once you're fully God conscious, then at the end of this life, you can go back to home back to godhead to become liberated from the material world. You become situated in your complete perfectional status.

So there are many examples of this. This is confirmed by Haridas Thakur. He instructed a devotee who wanted to know whether it's better to chant softly? He said it is hundred times better to chant loudly because by chanting loudly all the creepers all the animals all the birds and other entities that hear the vibration they are benefited they are uplifted. Similarly Haridas Thakur also when the Lord expressed His intense desire how to deliver all of the conditioned souls, He said I flooded the entire world. Everyone is chanting the Holy Name except they are these few types of people who are escaping me how to get them also. He said the that yavanas - the meat eaters they are avoiding this mercy. He said the students and the mental speculative mental speculators, scholars, academicians, who are so proud of their false understandings and their mental concoctions and ideas and isms, they're somehow or other they are also many of them are avoiding this mercy due to their various mental blocks that they have constructed and a few other categories of hard nuts fishermen, hunters people escaped. He thought that how to, how to get them also. Then Haridas thakur said well when you flooded everyone else so in this flood some people are swimming in the water and some people are just being swept away they are floating in the waters somehow another everyone will be swept away whether they like it or not. In the flood waters, some may be swimming and other things may be floating somehow another everything is swept away. Haridas Thakur also said that by Your mercy even accidentally the people chant the holy name of Krishna that will help them to spiritually evolve by accident. He gave the example the Muslims they have a word which means offender blasphemer or something like you might say heathen in English. the word is called Haram. Say someone were to bring the pig meat into the mosque or something, Haram Haram. Horrible, paganistic word headonistic so Haridas thakur said that somehow or there they are saying Ram or even accidentally even by accidentally saying Rama they're giving some namabhasa it is shadow or reflection of the Holy Name that also is saving them from repetition of birth. So here even in America we find around Ramana Hills Ramana ins and different Laund-o-Rama. Walk-o-Rama. This Rama is quite prevalent. Somehow or other people are getting contact with the lord's name either accidentally, of course people in general Hare Krishna has become a household word. So at least some time or another in their lives, they may say Hare Krishna, which also takes it’s effect in helping them to evolve spiritually to this perfectional platform. It already puts them on the track. So this way Haridas Thakura tried to comfort Him and reassure Lord Chaitanya to appease his anxiety. Srila Prabhupada explained that this is the mood of the devotee is that to satisfy the desire of the Lord. The Lord is having an anxiety the devotee wants to end that anxiety. So therefore, we are all following in the footsteps. das anudas anudas the footsteps of the great devotees like Haridas Thakur. We want to satisfy Lord Chaitanya's desire.

He wants that all of the living entities not only the highly evolved great spiritual awakened sages, munis, priest so on, but even the common man, even the uncivilized people, even the beasts, the plants, the trees everything every entity - He wants to see them all given the highest Perfection of God consciousness. Therefore this atmarama verse that how the bondage of all living entities is broken is explained by giving these various meanings of the atmarama verse and showing that different kinds of people who can be liberated by the Lord's holy name so that the different types are expanding: mental speculators, those engage in different types of endeavor, those who are patient and sober, those who are intelligent learned, those who are intelligent but illiterate and foolish those, who are conscious of eternal servitorship to Krishna. In other words from the mental speculators from those who are just active all various kinds of people and entities are all eligible to become God conscious. Those who are already somewhat conscious who are already conscious that the duty of a entity is to serve and love God - they're at the top of the level and the bottom you have so many other varieties. So Lord Caitanya wanted all of these entities to be awakened to full God consciousness, to be completely evolved. So in this way Krishna conscious movement is meant to revolt against the evolutionary process and to immediately promote all forms of entities to the top rung of evolution. Real evolution is not Darwin's theory- real evolution is evolution of consciousness. Darwin's theory is a speculation, which will, is not a fact and will never be proven because it doesn't have basis in reality. It's similar to the actual reality. There is evolution of Consciousness. There is a development of species but in a different way than what he's understood. This is explained in the Vedas. And ultimately, it can be understood through this evolution of consciousness. One soul transmigrates to the next body to the next body. And there's naturally a link. Why one entity goes to the next form of body? It's a progression of development of desires of aspirations of necessities. This says if you crawl around as a caterpillar you desire to move it a little faster pace so much that in the end you turn into a cocoon and turn into a butterfly even in the same life so their will is so great. In same way life after life a person can evolve. That's a long tedious  process. So we want to circumvent all that to transcend that to immediately take people to the highest level of spiritual evolution.

When we preach to different people, we recognize at what level are they on now? Are they mental speculators are they can jnanis or are they yogis are they people who are believing in a religious process and practicing or they just people that are giving lip service are they people who are basically uncivilized in terms of spiritual values. What level are they are? And accordingly somehow or another we engage them in Krishna - being conscious of Krishna through whichever the various means that we have especially chanting the Holy Name. The more that this vibrations spreads, it makes entities conscious of Krishna. It polarizes people. We've seen in Harinam, sometimes people walk by and they just hold their ears. I don't want to hear it they run away. that means such a strong reaction. Somebody sits on the street and chants any other song you never find such intense emotional reactions from people. Why do people cover their ears and run and become excited or some people they become enraptured and different? Because it's Krishna you can see Krishna working and then someone will chant Hare Krishna, they will also see how Krishna works in their life. How the Lord is present in His name. Teachings of all the great religious teachers. In the Bible it says that the name is Holy. Name is powerful. One should chant the name of the Lord in the Psalms, it says how chanting the names of God with cymbals and drums, he used to dance in the street. This is Lord Chaitanya's process singing and dancing the names of God in the streets, everywhere. In the Quran, it glorifies the name of Allah -Name of God - the one without a second. In Other teachings of Gurunanak or other various teachings also glorifies chanting the name of God. So Lord Chaitanya gives the process of chanting the holy names of the Lord in a very systematic way and his advice is Kirtanya sada Hari or rather order that constantly chant the holy names of the Lord of Hari. He will uplift you immediately to His transcendental platform. There's no higher form. No quicker form of evolution. People like to evolve their personalities their existences their entity their self to the highest potential then this is the method for doing it. Practice Krishna consciousness, chant Hare Krishna. Thank you very much.