19900304 Caitanya-līlā | Gaura Purnima Festival

The following is the class given by HH. Jayapataka Swami during the Mayapur Festival in March 04th 1990 in Sridham Mayapur, This is given during the Caitanya Lila Seminar.

Now that we are here gathered on the 504th appearance anniversary of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu here in Mayapur Navadvip dham , we may , that 500 year a long time , before history, 5000 years ago a long time, historians like _, 3000 years ago, sages and kings but 504 year is recent enough, enough evidence that Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was here, had his pastime, very well documented in the Sri Caitanya Caritamruta, Caitanya Bhagavat, and Sri Caitanya Mangala, then many other , Govinda Gotcha, Murari gupta Gotcha, and things like Caitanya chandrika nataka, various by Naratom das thakur, by various other associates of Caitanya Mahaprabhu, such as Govinda gosh, Vasudev Datta, Mukunda data, so many others, VasuGhosh, they saw , they also knew some of the pastime of Caitanya Mahaprabhu , so his transcendental activity and , _ there is no time significant contradiction, you find, that there is a common unity amongst all the different scripture about Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

Although some may give different details, Caitanya caritamrita, it discussed the ceremony of Lord Caitanya being given His name, in details how, Sita thakurani, the consort of Advaita gosvami, she came with many gifts and presents, she came by a palanquin as a custom for a very aristocratic lady. In those days, they wouldn’t go in public ,they wouldn’t be seen by outsider,s only within the close circle, just like royalty in US, the aristocratic brahmanas, they didn’t even seen ladies walking on the streets, they go by palki, or palanquin, these are given in details, how she came, what gift she brought, then in the Caitanya Bhagavat it explains, how there was a disagreement, the main name of Caitanya Mahaprabhu is Visvambar, one who supports visva mean universe , bara mean to support , to maintain , to protect, Visvambar is one who is sustaining, the entire universe, but the ladies, they wanted to call Lord Caitanya, Nimai because he born under a neem tree because they thought that the Nimai will keep away the ghost and evil spirit because neem has got this characteristics, so there is no opinion what name to give Him.

So then Nilambar chakravarthi thakur, the father of Saci matha, who was a greatest astrologer , he was the referee  , he considered  and he aid yes both have good suggestions, as appropriate name for this child.

Formally, I want to give him one name and informally He can have other name. He will be formally known as Visvambar, but he will be affectionately called by a nick name as Nimai, second informal name, in this way, he _ in the many  mantras regarding Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the word visvambara, is used different mantras from Caitanya Bhagavat, visvambaro, dhujabaro, both considered visvambaro , the both sustaining the universe, but he was known as Nimai, everyone call him Nimai,Nimai Pandit,

Nimai became a favorite name like his passport name was visvambar, but he was known as Nimai, in India this is common they call dock naam, a name someone you call by, a nick name, , someone may be Ja__ William, shall we call him Janny, Ja, or Jo, something like that, but anyway after this ceremony got over , Caitanya Mangala, it describes Caitanya Mahaprabhu as _ he was decorated with a black eye liner ,  made from some kind of wood charcoal or something like ghee,  how he had beautiful jewels, golden ornaments, little baby, small child of one year old, big baby, little baby one year, two years, and , just  call him !

He was given his ornaments, looking and smiling at everyone, then the next ceremony was to the anna prasanam, they did at the same time namakaranam, anna prasanam, is giving the name and also giving the first grain, so we do in ISKCON simplified version we put money and book , but Jaganath misra he did it in a more integrated way  , elaborate way, he put a pile of books, many  type of books, karma kanda, jnana kanda, bhakti kanda, Bhagavat, all types of Vedic  sastras one after another, then he put a pile of gold coin, silver coin, then some small conchshell, which are like paise like cents, pudi,pudi, in those day any of those consha equal to one penny, less than a cents, but very _ they put a pile of than they also given to _ they will bless him and said, small chain they put a pile of that, also put them some _ small timer, medium or big, _ the relative , what level of money, if you wants book, which book he will go for, Vedas, subdivide, in detail , well one thing lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu as a little Nimai looked , you take whatever you want , he just crawled  right to the pile of books, and immediately he grabbed , one of the book and he started to just hug it and embraced it,  sitting there looking at everyone , then all the pundits,, Oh, what a great Pandit, he went to the books but the devotees said, No, he went to the Bhagavatam,

Grantharaj Srimad Bhagavatam kijai  (Devotee says Jai…. )

He went right to the Srimad Bhagavatam and he grabbed it and he was embracing it, smiling, he loved the Srimad Bhagavatam so much , therefore grabbed it, and embraced it, no one ever seen that, _ devotees .. already in ISKCON a dozen of annaprasam, child looks this way that way touches one thing or other but never crawl grab the book, pick it up, hold it and hugged it…

Srimad Bhagavatam ki jai (Devotee says jai )

Of course Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu _ reality is that he is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he is playing pastimes. Caitanya Mahaprabhu pastimes, pastime because all other devotee they are relating to  Caitanya Mahapurabhu according to the way he is interchanging, __ small child, they say this is a small child what a beautiful child, the Lord he also plays like that, , he also potentially, Hhee is the same the supreme transcendental person, supreme personality of Godhead he is just playing the role ,he is in control of the whole situation, but he allows himself to go and move , exchanging loving sentiments with the devotees,  the lord begin enjoyed the loving relationship, exchanging with the devotees more than all the form of chanting  of Vedas, more than tapasyas and austerity, penances and , this is pure loving devotional service to him is the things more spiritual pleasure for his devotee. He is in that mood.

Once the lord was playing. In the puranas, it is mentioned that the Lord will come as the son of Saci, in the age of kali, so once he came as the son of Saci , he is just playing in the yard , playing in the house like a little baby, this is the wonderful thing, how fortunate the devotee of the Lord, because of their pure devotion they are able to get the Lord as their own son, the love mother Saci , Jagannath Mishra have for Caitanya Mahaprabhu the reciprocation is beyond description, it is not possible to explain even a fraction of the glories of Caitanya Mahaprabhu pastimes.

Many examples have been given how it is impossible to fully give justice to the pastimes of Caitanya Mahaprabhu , some example is like, his pastime are like _ in sky , in the __ someone is described like a bird, different birds can fly in different height, but no bird can fly to the limit of the sky, another example is Anantadeva with his hundreds and thousands of heads, he cannot glorify,  explain all the glories like in one day, of Lord Gauranga’s pastimes, with all of his heads,  all of his mouths.

So we see in the different sastras say we go in little details , but actually, his pastimes should be analyzed with unlimited angles, how he is reciprocating with different devotees, how He is inspiring his transcendental appearance ,one pious activity what great blessings, how did these devotees get to become the parents or the neighbors , the associates of the Lord, simply by his causeless mercy.

Everyone all the neighbors of Lord Caitanya  Mahaprabhu, they loved him more than their own children, this phenomena was also seen in Vrindavan, in Ekacakra , where in Vrindavan, the residents of Vrindavan, they only talking about Krsna, Krsna will steal the butter , and they will talking about Krsna, complaining to mother yashoda about Krsna, because they love to talk about Krsna, because they love Krsna, even the anger, they didn’t want Krsna should really be punished, they still enjoying, the whole was created by Krsna, stealing the butter, and playing to be able to watch Him and exchange the pastimes of Lord Krsna, similarly, Caitanya Mahaprabhu as Nimai gradually attracted the mind of all of the people, first the family members ,relatives and neighbors, they were , someone will goes to the house , as he grew bigger, they had increased until finally he was Nimai Pandit, He practically , He attracted all the people of  Nawadwip , when he became Gaurahari , when he started His sankirtan movement, then not only Nawadwip but the whole India became swept away by his transcendental pastimes of preaching.

So,  _ all like a bow, His pastime enter very subtly noticed so much those who are aware there was a full moon eclipse everyone, everyone  was chanting the holy names of Krsna, the whole atmosphere became auspicious people are actually became attracted to do spiritual activities, they were not really engaged in Krsna conscious activities, normally in lunar eclipse, it is considered inauspicious, so when this lunar eclipse happened everyone went to the Ganges, to bathe, we used to do this in previous years there was a lunar eclipse and  Gaura Purnima we go in the Ganges and stay there for hours and two hours till the eclipse got over, this is considered the safest place to be to avoid any contamination from the astrological effects and otherwise of the eclipse, so there was a peculiar situation in Nawadwip the people wouldn’t chant the name of Krsna normally , the Brahmins taught the people that this is the mantra

Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare

Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

The mantra shouldn’t be chanted by anyone and everyone ,way out the mantra  take away its potency , shouldn’t be chanted like that, the only exception they gave , when you go out in Ganges and when you bathe, the Ganges is the maha tirtha, the pure, while you are in you can chant, that the smarthas, the caste Brahmin, was spreading in Nawadwip so they were criticise the pure Krsna devotees, chanting Hare Krsna, you are ruining the Hindu dharma because you are chanting the name of God aloud, and destroying the effect, but during the lunar eclipse everyone came up , everyone, so the devotees staying in the whole town,

Hari Bol

Hari Bol

Hari Bol

Gaura Hari

They say like

Govinda

Govinda

Govinda

Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare

Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

They are wondering, this is supposed to be inauspicious lunar eclipse but we have never seen more auspicious movement.