19920701 Caitanya-Caritamrita Madhya līlā

The following is the class given by His Holiness Jayapataka Swami on July 1^st 1992. The class begins with a reading from ` Chaitanya Caritamrta Madya Lila chapter 12.

 

vande 'ham sri-guroh sri-yuta-pada-kamalam sri-gurun vaisnavams ca

sri-rupam sagrajatam saha-gana-raghunathanvitam tam sa-jivam

sadvaitam savadhutam parijana-sahitam krsna-caitanya-devam

sri-radha-krsna-padan saha-gana-lalita-sri-visakhanvitams ca

 

Śrī Chaitanya Mahāprabhu first of all called Kāśī Mishra, then for the superintendent of the temple, then for Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya. When these three people came the lord begged them to wash the temple known as Guṇḍicā.

Text 74:

paḍichā kahe,-āmi-saba sevaka tomāra

ye tomāra icchā sei kartavya āmāra

 

Translation:

Upon hearing the Lord's request for them to wash the Guṇḍicā temple, the paḍichā, the superintendent of the temple, said, "My dear sir, we are all Your servants. Whatever You desire is our duty to perform.

 

Text 75:

viśeṣe rājāra ājñā hañāche āmāre

prabhura ājñā yei, sei śīghra karibāre

 

Translation:

"The King gave a special order for me to do without delay whatever Your Lordship orders.

 

Text 76:

tomāra yogya sevā nahe mandira-mārjana

ei eka līlā kara, ye tomāra mana

Translation:

"My dear Lord, washing the temple is not service befitting You. Nonetheless, if You wish to do so, it is to be accepted as one of Your pastimes.

 

Text 77

kintu ghaṭa, sammārjanī bahuta cāhiye

ājñā deha-āji saba ihāṅ āni diye

Translation:

"To wash the temple, You need many waterpots and brooms. Therefore order me. I can immediately bring all these things to You."

Text 78

nūtana eka-śata ghaṭa, śata sammārjanī

paḍichā āniyā dila prabhura icchā jāni'

Translation:

As soon as the superintendent understood the desire of the Lord, he immediately delivered a hundred new waterpots and a hundred brooms for sweeping the temple.

Text 79

āra dine prabhāte lañā nija-gaṇa

śrī-haste sabāra aṅge lepilā candana

Translation:

The next day, early in the morning, the Lord took His personal associates with Him and, with His own hand, smeared sandalwood pulp on their bodies.

 

Text 80

śrī-haste dila sabāre eka eka mārjanī

saba-gaṇa lañā prabhu calilā āpani

Translation:

He then gave each devotee a broom with His own hand, and taking all of them personally with Him, the Lord went to Guṇḍicā.

Text 81

guṇḍicā-mandire gelā karite mārjana

prathame mārjanī lañā karila śodhana

 

Translation:

In this way the Lord and His associates went to cleanse the Guṇḍicā temple. At first they cleansed the temple with the brooms.

 

Text 82

bhitara mandira upara,-sakala mājila

siṁhāsana māji' punaḥ sthāpana karila

 

 Translation:

The Lord cleansed everything inside the temple very nicely, including the ceiling. He then took up the sitting place [siṁhāsana], cleansed it and again put it in its original place.

 

Text 83

choṭa-baḍa-mandira kaila mārjana-śodhana

pāche taiche śodhila śrī-jagamohana

 

Translation:

Thus the Lord and His companions cleansed and swept all the temple's buildings, big and small, and finally cleansed the area between the temple and the kīrtana hall.

 

Text 84

cāri-dike śata bhakta sammārjanī-kare

āpani śodhena prabhu, śikhā'na sabāre

Translation:

Indeed, hundreds of devotees were engaged in cleansing all around the temple, and Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was personally carrying out the operation just to instruct others.

Text 85

premollāse śodhena, layena kṛṣṇa-nāma

bhakta-gaṇa 'kṛṣṇa' kahe, kare nija-kāma

 

Translation:

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu washed and cleansed the temple in great jubilation, chanting the holy name of Lord Kṛṣṇa all the time. Similarly, all the devotees were also chanting and at the same time performing their respective duties.

 

Text 86

dhūli-dhūsara tanu dekhite śobhana

kāhāṅ kāhāṅ aśru-jale kare sammārjana

 

Translation:

The entire beautiful body of the Lord was covered with dust and dirt. In this way it became transcendentally beautiful. At times, when cleansing the temple, the Lord shed tears, and in some places He even cleansed with those tears.

Text 87

bhoga-mandira śodhana kari' śodhila prāṅgaṇa

sakala āvāsa krame karila śodhana

 

Translation:

After this, the place where the Deity's food was kept [bhoga-mandira] was cleansed. Then the yard was cleansed, and then all the residential quarters, one after the other.

 

Text 88

tṛṇa, dhūli, jhiṅkura, saba ekatra kariyā

bahirvāse lañā phelāya bāhira kariyā

Translation:

After Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu collected all the straw, dust and grains of sand in one place, He gathered it all in His cloth and threw it outside.

 Text 89

ei-mata bhakta-gaṇa kari' nija-vāse

tṛṇa, dhūli bāhire phelāya parama hariṣe

Translation:

Following the example of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, all the devotees, in great jubilation, began to gather straws and dust with their own cloths and throw them outside the temple.

 Text 90

prabhu kahe,-ke kata kariyācha sammārjana

tṛṇa, dhūli dekhilei jāniba pariśrama

Translation:

The Lord then told the devotees, "I can tell how much you have labored and how well you have cleansed the temple simply by seeing all the straw and dust you have collected outside."

 Text 91

sabāra jhyāṅṭāna bojhā ekatra karila

sabā haite prabhura bojhā adhika ha-ila

 Translation:

Even though all the devotees collected dirt in one pile, the dirt collected by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was much greater.

All the devotees Lord Chaitanya said let’s have a competition who can throw out the most dirt we will see who is doing more, so everybody was trying there hardest to lift out the temple faster but not only Lord Chaitanya was more than all the other but even all the other hundreds of devotees combined together was still less than Lord Chaitanya, so we can understand with how much love Lord Chaitanya was cleansing the temple of Gundicha for Lord Krsna.

Text 92

ei-mata abhyantara karila mārjana

punaḥ sabākāre dila kariyā vaṇṭana

After the inside of the temple was cleansed, the Lord again allotted areas for the devotees to cleanse.

Text 93

sūkṣma dhūli, tṛṇa, kāṅkara, saba karaha dūra

bhāla-mate śodhana karaha prabhura antaḥpura

 

Translation:

The Lord then ordered everyone to cleanse the inside of the temple very perfectly by taking finer dust, straws and grains of sand and throwing them outside.

Text 94

saba vaiṣṇava lañā yabe dui-bāra śodhila

dekhi' mahāprabhura mane santoṣa ha-ila

 

Translation:

After Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and all the Vaiṣṇavas cleansed the temple for the second time, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was very happy to see the cleansing work.

 Text 95

āra śata jana śata ghaṭe jala bhari'

prathamei lañā āche kāla apekṣā kari'

Translation:

While the temple was being swept, about a hundred men stood ready with filled waterpots, and they simply awaited the Lord's order to throw the water from them.

 Text 96

'jala āna' bali' yabe mahāprabhu kahila

tabe śata ghaṭa āni' prabhu-āge dila

Translation:

As soon as Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu called for water, all the men immediately brought the hundred waterpots, which were completely filled, and delivered them before the Lord.

Text 97

prathame karila prabhu mandira prakṣālana

ūrdhva-adho bhitti, gṛha-madhya, siṁhāsana

Translation:

In this way, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu first washed the main temple and then thoroughly washed the ceiling, the walls, the floor, the sitting place [siṁhāsana] and everything else within the room…

Text 98

khāparā bhariyā jala ūrdhve cālāila

sei jale ūrdhva śodhi bhitti prakṣālila

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu Himself and His devotees began to throw water onto the ceiling. When this water fell, it washed the walls and floor.

Translation:

Then Sri Chaitanya Mahāprabhu began to wash the sitting place of Lord Jagannatha with His own hands, and all the devotees began to bring water to the Lord. All the devotees within the temple began to wash. Each one had a broom in his hand and in this way they cleansed the temple of the Lord.

Text 101

keha jala āni' deya mahāprabhura kare

keha jala deya tāṅra caraṇa-upare

Translation:

Someone brought water to pour into the hands of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and someone poured water on His lotus feet.

TEXT 102

keha lukāñā kare sei jala pāna

keha māgi' laya, keha anye kare dāna

Translation:

The water that fell from the lotus feet of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was drunk by someone who hid himself. Someone else begged for that water, and another person was giving that water in charity.

 

Text 103

ghara dhui' praṇālikāya jala chāḍi' dila

sei jale prāṅgaṇa saba bhariyā rahila

 

Translation:

After the room was washed, the water was let out through an outlet, and it then flowed and filled the yard outside.

 

Text 104

nija-vastre kaila prabhu gṛha sammārjana

mahāprabhu nija-vastre mājila siṁhāsana

Translation:

The Lord mopped the rooms with His own clothes, and He polished the throne with them also.

 

Text 105

śata ghaṭa jale haila mandira mārjana

mandira śodhiyā kaila-yena nija mana

Translation:

In this way all the rooms were cleansed with a hundred waterpots. After the rooms had been cleansed, the minds of the devotees were as clean as the rooms.

Text 106

nirmala, śītala, snigdha karila mandire

āpana-hṛdaya yena dharila bāhire

 

Translation:

When the temple was cleansed, it was purified, cool and pleasing, just as if the Lord's own pure mind had appeared.

 

TEXT 107

śata śata jana jala bhare sarovare

ghāṭe sthāna nāhi, keha kūpe jala bhare

 

Translation:

Since hundreds of men were engaged in bringing water from the lake, there was no place to stand on the banks. Consequently, someone began to draw water from a well.

So many hundreds of devotees were bringing water including Nitai, Advaita, Swaroop Damodara, Brahmanada Bharati, Paramananda Puri all the big sanyasis everyone was engaged in filling the water pots and bringing them there. Sometimes the water pots were breaking as the people were bumping them together as they were made of clay and while.

Text 111

jala bhare, ghara dhoya, kare hari-dhvani

'kṛṣṇa' 'hari' dhvani vinā āra nāhi śuni

 Translation:

Some people were filling the pots, and others were washing the rooms, but everyone was engaged in chanting the holy name of Kṛṣṇa and Hari.

 everyone was chanting the holy name of Krsna, Krsna, Krsna, Hari, Hari, Hari

Text 112

'kṛṣṇa' 'kṛṣṇa' kahi' kare ghaṭera prārthana

'kṛṣṇa' 'kṛṣṇa' kahi' kare ghaṭa samarpaṇa

Translation:

One person begged for a waterpot by chanting the holy names "Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa," and another delivered a pot while chanting "Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa."

 

Text 113

yei yei kahe, sei kahe kṛṣṇa-nāme

kṛṣṇa-nāma ha-ila saṅketa saba-kāme

Translation:

Whenever anyone had to speak, he did so by uttering the holy name of Kṛṣṇa. Consequently, the holy name of Kṛṣṇa became an indication for everyone who wanted something.

 Text 114

premāveśe prabhu kahe 'kṛṣṇa' 'kṛṣṇa'-nāma

ekale premāveśe kare śata-janera kāma

 Translation:

As Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was vibrating the holy name of Kṛṣṇa in ecstatic love, He Himself was performing the work of hundreds of men.

Text 115

śata-haste karena yena kṣālana-mārjana

pratijana-pāśe yāi' karāna śikṣana

Translation:

It appeared as though Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu were cleansing and washing with a hundred hands. He approached every devotee just to teach him how to work.

Text 116

bhāla karma dekhi' tāre kare prasaṁśana

mane nā milile kare pavitra bhartsana

Translation:

When He saw someone doing nicely, the Lord praised him, but if He saw that someone was not working to His satisfaction, He immediately chastised that person, not bearing him any grudge.

Text 117

tumi bhāla kariyācha, śikhāha anyere

ei-mata bhāla karma seho yena kare

Translation:

The Lord would say, "You have done well. Please teach this to others so that they may act in the same way."

Text 118

e-kathā śuniyā sabe saṅkucita hañā

bhāla-mate karma kare sabe mana diyā

Translation:

As soon as they heard Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu say this, everyone became ashamed. Thus, the devotees began to work with great attention.

Text 119

tabe prakṣālana kaila śrī-jagamohana

bhoga-mandira-ādi tabe kaila prakṣālana

Translation:

They washed the Jagamohana area and then the place where food was kept. All other places were also washed.

So, Lord Chaitanya would give praise to those who were doing good and then tell them that they should teach others how to do that, also in the same way and then someone who wasn’t doing well he would tell them “oh you are not doing so well” but he wouldn’t hold any grudge, he wouldn’t hold any hatred or anger against him. So Pavitra vacha is the word used to purify criticism, sometime the devotees they criticize and they hold it in their hearts and get frustrated. Just see all the devotees they are not up to the standard, why am I devotee? Why am I here? I should do bhajan some guy is doing so they get they use some that kind of attitude to be very critical in a not pure way, then they use this to fall in maya and to do some ……  but here we see Lord Chaitanya he was being practical, he was just being very practical, some one was doing good, he advised, oh you are doing very good, go teach others and if someone was not doing good he was being practical also “oh you can do much better, you’re not doing as good  yet”

So we can learn from Lord Chaitanya how to praise and how to criticize, praise is not meant for someone to get puffed up but to give one encouragement to continue in the same way and then to teach others, it’s a responsibility.

 

One-time Prabhupada wanted to give special recognition to the devotees who are expert in a particular service, so they can teach others to do it the same way. So, this way the whole temple, the yard, the kitchen all the rooms have been washed and then there was a very special pastime.

One devotee came in just in front of Lord Chaitanya and poured water on his feet and he took the water and drank it, right in front of Lord Chaitanya everyone else were doing it but in a hidden way so then although the Lord was satisfied with this simple devotion he wanted to establish etiquette of Vaishnava principle so he called for Svarupa Damodara.

Text 125

śikṣā lāgi' svarūpe ḍāki' kahila tāṅhāre

ei dekha tomāra 'gauḍīyā'ra vyavahāre

Translation:

The Lord then called for Svarūpa Dāmodara and told him, "Just see the behavior of your Bengali Vaiṣṇava.

This person from Bengal has washed my feet within the temple of the Personality of Godhead. Not only that, but he has drunk the water himself, I now do not know what my destination is because of this offense. Indeed, your Bengali Vaishnava has greatly implicated me”

So Prabhupada explains that Svarupa Damodara is actually the head of the Gaudiya Vaishnava. Prabhupada said inside the temple you don’t bow down to the spiritual master or touch his feet, Svarupa Damodara “he was cleaning the temple in the deity room, then he washes his feet and drank the water in the deity room, therefore this was objected to by Lord Chaitanya. So, at this point Svarupa Damodara grabbed the Bengali vaishanva by the neck and threw him out of the temple and made him stay outside, then he begged Svarupa Damodara begged Lord Chaitanya to forgive him, then.

Text 131

āpane vasiyā mājhe, āpanāra hāte

tṛṇa, kāṅkara, kuṭā lāgilā kuḍāite

Text 132

ke kata kuḍāya, saba ekatra kariba

yāra alpa, tāra ṭhāñi piṭhā-pānā la-iba

Translation:

The Lord then personally sat down in the middle with all devotees and picked up all kinds of straw, grains of sand and dirty things.

While Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was picking up the straws and grains of sand, He said, "I shall gather everyone's collection, and I shall ask whoever has collected less than all the others to pay a fine of sweet cakes and sweet rice."

His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami: So here was a fine system, those who gave less collection they gave a special service to those who gave more collection, they gave nice sweets and fine cakes to the better collectors in the Guṇḍicā temple.

So, in this way everything was cleared, spotless, cool. So, in text 135 where it explains that even outside the temple automatically became cleansed.

Prabhupāda quotes a special purport by Bhakti Siddhantha Saraswathi Thakur in commenting on the cleansing of the Guṇḍicā temple Śrīla Bhaktisiddhantha Saraswathi Thakur says that Śrī Chaitanya Mahāprabhu was personally giving instructions on how one should receive Kṛṣṇa the supreme personality of God head within one’s cleansed and pacified heart.

If one wants to see Kṛṣṇa seated in his heart, he must first cleanse the heart as prescribed by Śrī Chaitanya Mahāprabhu in his Śikṣāṣṭakam “Ceto darpaṇa mārjanam”.

In this age everyone’s heart is unclean as confirmed in Śrīmad Bhāgavatam “hṛdy antaḥ stho hy abhadrāṇi” To wash all dirty things accumulated within the heart Śrī Chaitanya Mahāprabhu advised everyone to chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā mantra. The first result will be that the heart is cleansed “ceto darpaṇa mārjanam”.

Similarly, Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.2.17 also confirm this statement

śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ

puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ

hṛdy antaḥ stho hy abhadrāṇi

vidhunoti suhṛt satām

 

Translation:

Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Personality of Godhead, who is the Paramātmā [Supersoul] in everyone’s heart and the benefactor of the truthful devotee, cleanses desire for material enjoyment from the heart of the devotee who has developed the urge to hear His messages, which are in themselves virtuous when properly heard and chanted.

If a devotee at all wants to cleanse his heart, he must chant and hear the glories of the Lord, Śrī Kṛṣṇa (sṛṇvatam sva-kathaḥ kṛiṣḥna). This is a simple process. Kṛṣṇa Himself will help cleanse the heart because He is already seated there. Kṛṣṇa wants to continue living within the heart, and the Lord wants to give directions, but one has to keep his heart as clean as Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu kept the Guṇḍica temple.

The devotee therefore has to cleanse his heart just as the Lord cleansed the Guṇḍica temple. In this way one can be pacified and enriched in devotional service. So here the purport goes on just to break it, we all have to approach Kṛṣṇa Consciousness in a humble way. Being in a Kaliyuga we all have a certain degree of “abhadrāṇi suhṛt”, we have got in our heart certain amount of contamination.

Those contamination are going to be described by Śrīla Bhakti Siddhantha Saraswathi Thakur in comparison to Śrī Chaitanya cleansing of the temple. Someone may have very deep contamination or someone may have normal contamination, ordinary, medium size or someone may have very subtle contamination. Everyone has got contamination in the heart, in fact that is the nature of Kaliyuga. So the cleansing of the big stones, leaves and all these bigger things in the temple, these are bigger contamination “kaam, krodha, moha, lobha, matsa not being properly engaged in Kṛṣṇa’s service, having the desire for illicit sex, gambling, intoxication or meat eating fish, egg, onion, garlic these things are more contaminating,they are like a big stone. But someone may also have more subtle desire, it may seem like they are more innocent, they are trying to get just by doing karma kāṇḍa, gyana kāṇḍa they want liberation or they want material sense gratification according to religious principles, but these are also not pure devotion, so these are like dust and sand and other things and someone may have already given up all these desire but they have subtle desires for fame, distinction, Laba, Pūjā, Prathishtha, position so these are like the small fine dust in the cracks even though they looks clean but in the cracks there is still dirt.

So, Lord Chaitanya he cleansed everything, filled up the cracks in between the stones, no dust was allowed no dirt, no contamination.

Śrīla Bhakti Siddhantha Saraswati Thakur, here in this purport he explains, all the types of material attachments have to be cleansed from the heart if we want to have pure love of Kṛṣṇa.

Prabhupāda also explains the modernized material benefits are like the dust of material contamination. When this dust is agitated by the whirlwind of fruitive activity, it overcomes the heart. Thus, the mirror of the heart is covered with dust. There are many desires to perform auspicious and inauspicious activities, but people do not know how life after life they are keeping their hearts unclean.

One who cannot give up the desire for fruitive activity is understood to be covered by the dust of material contamination. Karmīs generally think that the interaction of fruitive activities can be counteracted by another karma, or fruitive activity. But this is certainly a mistaken conception. If one is deluded by such a conception, he is cheated by his own activity. Such activities have been compared to an elephant’s bathing. An elephant may bathe very thoroughly, but as soon as it comes out of the river, it immediately takes some sand from the land and throws it all over its body. If one suffers due to his past fruitive activities, he cannot counteract his suffering by performing auspicious activities.

The sufferings of human society cannot be counteracted by material plans. The only way suffering can be mitigated is by Kṛṣṇa consciousness. When one takes to Kṛṣṇa consciousness and engages himself in the devotional service of the Lord beginning with chanting and hearing the glories of the Lord, the cleansing of the heart begins.

His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami: This is a very important point by doing good works nobody can be free from suffering. Good works will give good sense gratification in the future but will not counteract the suffering and this sense gratification will keep oneself bound to the material world. If we want to get free from suffering, then we have to give up the cause of the suffering which is fruitive work, we have to give up, we have to take up the positive service of Kṛṣṇa.

Serving Kṛṣṇa by hearing and chanting and the other seven processes of devotional service is a practical way to get pure devotional service. So, Karma, Karma kāṇḍa, Jñāna kāṇḍa wanting to become one with God these also are not good.

Bhakti Siddhantha explains even if someone is freed from other things “kuti nati”, fault finding Is another obstacle “pratishthasa” desire for name, fame and high position “jīva hiṁsā” envy of other living entities “niṣiddhācāra” accepting things forbidden in the shastras “kāma” desire for material gain “pūjā” hankering for popularity.

He explains the kuti nati also means duplicity. One may try to imitate great devotee like Haridas Thakur. jīva hiṁsā also means to stop preaching, because preaching is the only way to save the world, save the other people from sufferin.,So he knows he can save them from suffering instead desires liberation for himself and if don’t help other that means really we are doing violence on others. So, we should remember how many time Lord Chaitanya cleansed once, twice, three times again and again in so many of his practical activities, Lord Chaitanya taught us how we should cleanse our heart, once the heart is cleansed, then what should we do. What is the reason why we want to clean the heart?

Who can say?

why do we want to clean the heart?

Anyone can say?

For whom do we want to clean the heart?

We clean the heart to receive who?

Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa, we want to initiate the heart so we don’t want to invite Kṛṣṇa in a dirty heart so we cleanse the heart and Kṛṣṇa would come and stay there.

So, we bring Kṛṣṇa in the heart, we eat Kṛṣṇa prasādam and we chant

“Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare

Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare”

Also, Prabhupāda said that those who are engaged as ācāryas must learn from Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu how to train devotees by personal example.

So, Lord Chaitanya taught by personal example. Anyone who wants to be a leader, they have to teach by personal example. So, this is the secret how to cleanse the heart, how to receive Kṛṣṇa.

Chaitanya Mahāprabhu ki

Devotees: Jai,

Jagganath Baladev Subadra ki

Devotees: Jai!

Guṇḍicā mārjanam mahotsav ki

Devotees: Jai!

Nitāi Gaura premānande Hari Hari Bol.

[devotees repeats]

Any questions?

Bhakti Siddhantha Thakur told one story, told the story about one carpenter, who wanted to go to Sundar ban. You know there is a Sundar ban jungle in South of Bengal. He wanted to go there to get some woods to make some furniture. So, there, he could get the wood free from the jungle just by cutting it. So, he was going to cut the wood. Some older carpenter told him that you should be very careful. Sunder ban has got many ferocious animals like tiger, fox. You have to be very careful. You are going into the jungle. Take some weapon with you. But that young carpenter, he thought what do these old guys know, what do they know? For what do I need to carry a weapon to the Sunder ban jungle?

I am a carpenter, any time I need a weapon, I can just chop off one branch of a tree and I will take a big branch and swing it around the head and the tiger will run away. Who will stand before me if I cut down a big branch? What do I need a weapon for? Anytime I can cut a branch. The jungle is filled with branches. Even if a tiger is jumping at you, he doesn’t give you much time to cut a branch, he thought the old guys don’t know anything I am going to cut there. So, he went into the forest and then a little tiger only 8 feet long not 12 feet or 15 feet long tiger, just 8 feet mini tiger just a small 400 kilos not one of a big of 800 kilos, he jumped on him. As the tiger was running up, he quickly cut that cut cut, the tiger jumped and sucked up all his blood, entire blood of the carpenter, human blood and he was finished.

And then,  one another one great devotee came, he was chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa and he went into the forest in Sunderban and nobody had tried to warn him, don’t go there tigers, there are bears and so many dangerous animals so all the villagers, senior villagers went in and followed this devotee to protect him from the tiger, but they saw the devotee was going in the jungle they saw that when he saw the tiger he said Haribol Haribol, chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and then the tiger started to chant Haribol HariBol and this devotee was chanting the tigers, the bears, the deers all were chanting and dancing and these karma kandis, these villagers with their weapons, all were seeing what was happening the tigers had a change in heart, they all became ecstatic dancing and rolling in the ground.

So Bhakti Siddhantha Thakur uses this example that the first carpenter was trying to protect himself by his own effort, he was like these yogis, they think they could protect themselves by pranayams, by mystic power but with kaam krodha moha attachment, they are not able to purify themselves, very quickly they get over. Similarly, these villagers who followed these devotees were like karma kandis, they try to protect themselves by doing good work, just like there is weapon but still they are always living in fear, but the devotee was fearless. Everywhere he went, he was chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa and he won over the animals, these ferocious animals by making them in loving devotion towards to Kṛṣṇa.

So similarly the devotee, he is not afraid of the vices such as kāma, krodha, lobha moha because he uses them In Kṛṣṇa’s service, he purifies them he uses kaam instead of some desire for himself, he desires when to build nice temple for Kṛṣṇa, when to print many books for Kṛṣṇa, he wants so many things but for Kṛṣṇa so for him lust and greed he offers all to Kṛṣṇa he does not want anything for himself, like this anger he only becomes angry when someone is trying to destroy Kṛṣṇa’s interest, because he does not become angry for himself so all these kaam, krodha, lobha, matsya, moha, illusion, he is always ecstatic in Kṛṣṇa’s devotion so his illusion is in ecstasy of love for Kṛṣṇa, he is not interested in the illusion of the material world, intoxicated in the love of Kṛṣṇa he does not care for the intoxication of the material world wine, gāñjā all these material things.

So, like this the devotee, he is far away from envy because he wants to give the mercy to everyone so why should he be envious of anyone. There is no envy that grows in his heart … are like all the wild animals of the jungle they won’t come and attack the , rather the devotee controls them and engages them in Kṛṣṇa’s service, so the same way we, we too completely surrender to Kṛṣṇa and engage everything in Kṛṣṇa’s service and we automatically be protected, but if we try to protect ourselves by arranging a nice comfortable lifestyle, by lots of sense gratification, we just get more entangled the tiger will come and eat us any way. If we try to protect our self by mystic yoga we won’t be able do it either because when the tiger will attack us very strongly you won’t be able to get that much purity to protect ourselves. We need to follow the system of Guṇḍicā Mārjanam, completely cleanse the heart by hearing and chanting and depending on Kṛṣṇa through devotional service this way we can be free from the influence of all the obstacles of material life, we can conquer over these wild animals.

Any questions? …

Few words of wisdom. The devotees by …. We can conquer … we must completely avoid the only way you can avoid it is to simply wish well for everyone. Because the pure devotee doesn’t wish anyone harm.

Just like someone was telling me how some devotee in Calcutta didn’t treat them nicely or didn’t receive them well or doesn’t arrange something nicely for them, so why should we go to Calcutta rath yatra because such devotee is in Calcutta connected with the temple so better to go to some other place or stay in Māyāpur don’t go to Calcutta because of such devotees, like this or like that, but then we are not going to Calcutta for this or that devotee, we are going to serve Jagannath!

Prabhupāda wanted us to please Jagannath and go to ratha yatra to make Calcutta ratha yatra the world’s largest, that’s his birth place he was always a great devotee of Jagannath. So, if we don’t have this hatred or envy in our heart and we if we just don’t allow ourselves to be affected, we always, we just keep our heart that we want to serve Kṛṣṇa and that person has got that behavior or we don’t like him that is his misfortune why should we be become affected by them we have to simply go to serve Jagannath. So as far as envy or discord we have to push it out of our heart.

Transcribed By: Parmeshwar Prem Das

Transcribed On: 29-June-2020

 

Proof Reading By: Amrita Padma Devi Dasi

On 21/9/2020

Proof Reading by Medhavini Sakhi Devi Dasi

Completed on 18th Dec 2020