19950402 SAFARI - Ramakeli

https://archives.jayapatakaswami.com/courses/306577/lectures/5016111

2/APR/1995

Lecture Code: 19950402

SAFARI Lecture By

His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja

In Ramakeli, West Bengal, India

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 Kṛṣṇa-caitanya-devam

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

His Holiness Jayapataka Swami Maharaj: So here, they were the Prime minister and the finance ministers. Sanatana Goswami was the Prime minister, Rupa Goswami was the finance minister, I believe or vice versa. To get which minister? And, I think Sanatana Goswami was the prime minister because Rupa Goswami is other way first. So, the capital of the empire that time was Gauda. This is known as Gaudadesa. Gauda is the name of this empire of that period and the capital of Gauda or Gauda is just three kilometers from here. In fact, we can go there see the ruins of Gauda , how Gauda was, there is a historical reference, this was the personal residence of Rupa and Sanatana. Although they were named Dabir Khas and Sakara Malik but in their house they were continuing all their devotional activities. They are coming in the family of the brahmanas. Originally seven generations earlier, their forefathers had been kings of Karnataka, who had moved to Bengal, who had a kingdom. In Chaitanya Caritramrita, the Prabhupada’s book, in southern bengal. Then after three generations, their forefathers became brahmanas and they were given some villages in what is now known as Jessore, district of Bangladesh and in that district Rupa and Sanatana appeared. But then they came here and resided here. So in the Bhakti Ratnakara, it mentions how they came, how the father, how Chaitanya, the father of Srinivas Acharya, he had come to see Rupa and Sanatan in Ramkeli and that time, (some talking going on) who can find this Madhya lila Lord Chaitanya’s coming to Ramakeli? Look in the page of contents. At that time he was nine years old or twelve years old and then he came with his father and he remembers that there was a huge crowd of brahmanas coming here from Navadvip and at that time in this kingdom Navadvip was the center of learning in almost the whole India. So how is it possible under the Mughal rule that there will be so much promotion of Brahminism and learning, of Vedic learning? So this was being supported by Rupa and Sanatana and the brahmanas were coming and getting Dakshina, donations from them. So as a brahmin also, the father, Das came and he also got some donations for doing his activities. The brahamanas, so at that time, just like the ants are going for sugar, they were like lined up to come. And he saw that were reading from the Bhagavatam, they were having regular Bhagavatam classes and so many brahmanas were there surrounded by very erudite pandita. So though superficially, they were maintaining certain profiles for the government, aristocracy in the Mughal court, at the same time, they were also maintaining in their private lives, the spiritual activities.  This is the example of yukta vairagya, which is many times cited. Now in the modern world, some people have to take jobs in the banks, jobs in different occupations, at the same time, they want to practice their Krishna Consciousness. So, Rupa and Sanatana showed how to do that in their grihastha life. How to have an outside occupation, which is not,  which might appear to be contradictory but then utilize that to promote Krishna Consciousness, by profusely supporting the vaishnavas and the brahmanas.  So when Lord Chaitanya, He came here on His way to Vrindavan. At that time, He saw Rupa and Sanatana Goswami, but before He saw Rupa and Santana Goswami, He was outside, in this area, chanting and having a big kirtan, so such a huge kirtan was going on, that literally tens of thousands and hundreds of thousands of people were just coming. So naturally the intelligence of the emperor supported, you know this can’t be just some hindu mendicant with thousands of thousands of people are there. So the emperor he called one of the hindu ministers and he asked, ‘who is this’?. ‘Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’, the hindu minister wanted to play a dumb because he was afraid, he didn’t want the Mughal ruler, what if he does something against Lord Chaitanya. So no no, He is just a hindu fakir and the Mohammedans, they have this fakir who are like one mendicant who would go around and something. But the Hussain Shah, he didn’t agree with that. He said that no, I don’t think this is true. So then the minister asked him, since he was the emperor and the representative of God. Emperors and kings are considered to be administratively representing the Lord, is supposed to protect the citizens like the Lord is protecting everyone. That was the custom, that they would address the monarchs in the past in India, they used to call him naradeva, and they are demigods among men. They got so much power, to punish or to reward people, in those days at least. So he said, since you are naradeva why don’t you ask yourself, and you tell us what do you think? So then the emperor he asked himself in the, he said I think that Lord Chaitanya is not different from ahoda. He is not different from Allah, in other words. So it was very surprising to the minister that he said, why do you think like that? He said, no, because, if He is not someone who is not different from Allah, He can’t do what He is doing. Why are you people working for me? Why you are working so hard. Because we respect you and you are the ruler, it is our duty. He said, no, because I pay you.(laughter) If I didn’t pay you, with salary, who will work for me? My generals, my ministers, my governors, the stable boys, nobody will work for me, if I didn’t pay them all. I don’t know even if my wife will stay with me, if I didn’t give her many material things but this Lord Chaitanya, He doesn’t give anybody any thing, He doesn’t have anything material possession. He doesn’t give anything material to people but why they are running after Him? Everyone is leaving everything and going after Him and He is not giving them anything material, therefore, He must be non-different from Allah because only Allah has the power to satisfy people without giving material things. So all these things were going on while Lord Chaitanya was doing His kirtan here. So while Lord Chaitanya was doing the kirtan, still looking, some pastimes were(?) So while Lord Chaitanya was doing the kirtan, the minister was worried, you know, that maybe the chronology is not right maybe it was before the questioning, the minister sent over one messenger to tell Lord Chaitanya that He is only three miles, three kilometres from the palace of the emperor and therefore He should move away. It is too dangerous to be chanting with big crowd close to the Mughal emperor, who is known for breaking temples and things like that. So the messenger went, but was waiting for the time for Lord Chaitanya, but the kirtan was going on from morning till night. If it requires to take a break. One member would go out and take a bath, take some prasad, come back and join the kirtan. There was like never anytime, they were completely, intensely busy with the kirtan. Could not find one gap. Finally after two days, his time to see Lord Chaitanya, in this finding big crowd of people and big kirtan was going on. Finally he started telling to people arey, are you are you guys doing, you are chanting, you don’t know our Mughal ruler is right there, how could you be chanting like this? What happens if he gets angry? So the people started getting like paranoid. You know it’s like, they were going around getting them infighting, so the ecstasy was getting dim in people like how they were Hare Krishna(slowly), you know some of them were in fear. So then Lord Chaitanya stopped the kirtan, and He announced if any of you have any doubt about this, I know that I am three kilometers away, two miles away from the palace of the emperor and I have absolutely no fear at all. Krishna will protect us. And just go on chanting Hare Krishna, don’t worry about anything. And then (apnader deri holo keno?) so in this way Lord Chaitanya was chanting, creating a big sensation here and then He met Rupa and Sanatana Goswamis in a private place. At that time Rupa and Sanatana, from a distance they put the straw in their teeth and they bowed down at a distance paying their obeisances to Lord Chaitanya and 

tabe ‘rāmakeli’-grāme prabhu yaiche gelā
‘nāṭaśālā’ haite prabhu punaḥ phiri’ āilā

The Lord then visited the village known as Rāmakeli and the place known as Kānāi Nāṭaśālā. From there He returned to Śāntipura. (CC Madhya 16.211)

So he is just giving the synopsis. Anyway, so then they offered the prayers with very great humility.  They said we are so much, we are so fallen, we are more fallen, more unfortunate than Jagai and Madhai. Jagai and Madhai, were great souls, they born in Navadvip Dham, they were dhamvasis, they were born in  a brahmana family but we have become employs of the Mughal governor and therefore, we have lost all our good qualities. We were neither born also in the dham, so we were more fortunate and therefore, we need mercy more than anyone. You are patitapavana. So in this way they are very humbly putting themselves before the Lord. Lord Chaitanya said, you are breaking my heart. You are actually breaking my heart with your humility, there is no one more humble. Here is the prime minister, the finance minister, bowing down with a straw in their mouth before Lord Chaitanya, saying they are more fallen than Jagai, Madhai. You know how normally these prime ministers are pretty puffed up, so here, they have come before the Lord, completely humble, pure vaishnavas, begging the Lord, Lord Chaitanya for His mercy. Please accept them. So He touched His lotus feet on their heads and gave them the name Rupa and Sanatana . He initiated them and He said actually I have come here just to see you two. At that time their younger brother Anupama was also here, the father of Jiva Goswami. So all these different pastimes and many other pastimes have happened here. Lord Chaitanya was here maybe ten days.  Around this house, there are different kundas, that time they constructed Radha Kunda, Shyama Kunda and a kunda for each of the eight gopis. At that time Radha Kunda and Shyam Kunda they are visible right over here. The kunda for the other gopis, I think six or seven kundas of the eight gopis kundas are still visible. One or two kunda is missing. Jiva Goswami’s temple is right now being repaired by Maharaj, he is the manager of the Bhaktivedanata Swami charity trust. (claps). I think you can tell something about the Ramakeli. All the eight kundas are known, where they are and six are still in the shape of ponds for the other two, the place in known. That means Lalita sakhi, Lalita, Visakha, Champakalata, Citradevi, Tungabhadra and Indulekha, Rangadevi and Sudevi. All there kundas are here and also Rupa had a very big lake which is known as Rupa-Sanatan sagar, which is the sea of Rupa and Sanatan, which is just across the street over there and we can take our midday bath at Rupa Sanatan sagar. (Haribol, claps!) 

Now His Holiness Bhakti Vrajendranandana Maharaj has requested that Subhaga Swami Maharaj kindly, who has been working here in Ramakeli, so that he can give some of the hidden details. 

His Holinss Subhag Swami Maharaj: This is a wonderful place, you can see, as Maharaj more or less told you everything, what I know and what I don’t know. 

His Holinss Jayapataka Swami Maharaj: I said something you didn’t not know? (laughter)

His Holinss Subhag Swami Maharaj: Can’t remember at this time. So, this is called also Vrindavana, Gupta Vrindavana. (Haribol!) And deities worshiped by Rupa Goswami and all the things are here. Devotees are coming and many times have been coming here and as Maharaja said many sarovar or lakes there. Rupa Sarovar, something like that, Rupa sagar, sorry, many kundas here. As I know you will like it very much, if you go by vehicle, go to some places where they used have their courts, offices, because one of them were finance minister, one of them were prime minister. Actually the king or Badshah, emperor, he used to go for hunting, the two brother actually is running the whole country. So when they left. And specially Sanatana was pretending to be sick. After sometime he suspected and sent his men to check what sort of sickness he has and his men told actually he is not sick, with twenty other big scholars he is relishing Srimad Bhagavatam there, in his house and also Rupa Goswami, Sanatana Goswami’s place is there. One of them Sanatana was then after that they put him behind the bars, still that jail is there, you go and see, all those places are still there. That building is still there and what he did is, he bribed the jailer and he said, tell him that I was going out in the toilet and though he was handcuffed or something and he said when he went towards the river, he suddenly jumped and disappeared, actually he gave him money. He promised him that I will give you this much gold coins and then he said what shall I tell, I will be sent to jail. He said, no no, you tell the story. I know that when you were coming from kanainatshala, you saw few range, the mountain ranges, there is one place as Gauranga Prem Prabhu said, when Sanatana Goswami was going, at that time, it was full of jungles actually. He was going, he was staying in one inn, the innkeeper was in-charge, was treating him with so much love and affection that at once Sanatana suspected something fishy, so he said somebody was with him, he said, do you have some money with you? Gold? Why? He is treating me such that I can hardly expect, the way I don’t know him. He said, yes, I have got some gold coins, at once call them and say thank you very much for the shelter you have given and we would like to give you some present. What’s that? They gave him gold coins. Actually that in charge of the inn he had an astrologer and he calculated that this persons came with another servant, with him he has got gold coins. So we will kill him tonight and take away everything. First of all feed him very nicely with love and affection externally, but Sanatana Goswami is a minister, he could understand all these, he is a very intelligent person. He at once could understand why is he showing so much love and affection. I don’t know him and so on. Alright take it, we are sadhus, now please help us to cross this mountain so that I can go away, so that I can’t be within the grip of the king. Then the two came, we don’t want anything. All these gold coins, this and that, he said no no, doesn’t matter, we are sadhus. You take all. And that night, they fed him nicely and took him away, and with the help, the guidance of that innkeeper, he crossed that mountain range and you saw one of them and went far away where the, where the  king cannot catch him with his men. And this all these things happened from this place and the place you will go, where Maharaj mentioned three kilometers, you have got  time , I think you should go and see all these places. The house where they used to stay, the jail. Some place I saw, last time I came, not very long ago, the construction going, time to time I have to come and check out. So some places, they show the underground is, there is tunnel there, like that they are covering that place. It is worth seeing actually. Remains of some of the palaces, mosques and finance minister’s office that means one of the brothers, one was finance minister Dabir Khas and Sakar Malik. This is a nice description they that when Mahaprabhu came, I will show some of you, there’s a place where Chaitanya Mahaprabhu stayed and Rupa Sanatana came to receive Him and thousands of people following Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was chanting and dancing. Rupa Sanatana fell flat, giving obeisance, dandavat to Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Chaitanya Mahaprabhu says my heart breaks, seeing your, you are so humble, your humility, both of you, stand up, He embraced them. And Bhakti Sidhhanta Saraswati Thakur sometime back, I don’t know, he came here and he built something there, you will find tamal tree.  Actually if you come, tamal tree is there, which indicates a very auspicious place there and Rupa Sanatana, then king said, most probably Maharaj mentioned that who is this person that so many thousands of people are following Him. Though I am king, not I am so popular it must be some sort of, almost like a God or something. He enquired from Rupa Sanatan, one of them, he said, He must be a great saint. He didn’t show God or Vaishnava, he didn’t tell him because he may not, I don’t how he will react, this is much I remember. Many other incident took place here, devotees time to time come and like this place very much. Many times we took prasad like that side, we wish that devotees, ISKCON devotees will come. Here also Advaita Acharya came, Nityananda Prabhu came, those spots are there, just outside the gate, little you go, one place and other places are difficult to find out, locate. But some place you can see where Nityananda sat down and there is a dais and little behind that Advaita Acharya also came there, here, these spots are still there.

His Holiness Jayapataka Swami Maharaj: This is also the birth place of Srila Jiva Goswami according to historical accounts. We have many histories here exactly because where the house of Rupa and Sanatana were, mentioned here, in some historical books. But we all come here, because to see the deity worshiped by them and there is Radha Kunda and Shyam Kunda. So right now, the prasadam is ready. So I think everyone should take prasadam, so that we can go, be group again, please go to the back, go to the right side there, where Bhadra Charu is pointing and take your positions. 

Transcribed By: Snigdha Mataji

Transcribed On: 2-Oct-2020

Proof Reading By: Amrita Padma Devi Dasi

On 10/10/2020