20181106 Śrī Gaurāṅga's Offering of the Piṇḍa Oblations at Gayā-dhāma

mūkaṁ karoti vācālaṁ paṅguṁ laṅghayate girim
yat-kṛpā tam ahaṁ vande śrī-gurun dina tāriṇam
paramānanda-mādhavam śrī caitanya īśvaram
Harihi oṁ tat sat

Śrī Caitanya-bhāgavata, Ādi 17.74

uttara-mānase prabhu piṇḍa dāna kari’
bhīma-gayā karilena gaurāṅga śrī-hari

Jayapatākā Swami: So at the place off Uttara Manasa Lord Caitanya, again offered pinda for His forefathers. He visited the Gaya named Bhima Gaya. There He manifested His pastimes as Gauranga who is non-different from Shri Hari.

Śrī Caitanya-bhāgavata, Ādi 17.75

śiva-gayā brahma-gayā ādi yata āche
saba kari’ ṣoḍaśa-gayāya gelā pāche

Jayapatākā Swami: So as I said that there are many Gayās in Gayā. So one of those is known as Śiva Gayā and Brahmā-gayā. So the Lord went to all the different Gayās and performed the rituals for His forefathers. Thus He went to the Ṣoḍaṣa-gayā finally.

Murāri Gupta Kaḍacā 1.16.4. Dvijauttamagaṇera sāhājye ṣoḍaśa vedite pitṛkārya niṣpādana karile śrīmad jagannātha purandara sākṣāt haiyā ānanditacitte piṇḍa grahaṇa karilen. svīya padasparśa dvārā brahma-kuṇḍake tīrthīkaraṇānte gayā-śire gadādhara-pādapadme piṇḍadāna-līlābhinaya-pradarśana —

Jayapatākā Swami: So Lord Caitanya went to these different Gayās and He was assisted by qualified brāhmaṇas. He performed the piṇḍa for His father at a place known as Ṣoḍaśa-gayā or 16 altars. Jagannātha Miśra became distinctly visible to all the people present and he joyfully accepted the offering made by his divine son. So Lord Caitanya not only did these rites to show that example to the people but also made His departed father visibly present and His father also accepted the offerings.

Śrī Caitanya-bhāgavata, Ādi 17.76

ṣoḍaśa-gayāya prabhu ṣoḍaśī kariyā
sabāre dilena piṇḍa śraddhā-yukta haiyā

Jayapatākā Swami: When the Lord was at Ṣoḍaśa-gayā He faithfully offered śrāddhā with 16 ingredients. Thus all His ancestors and forefathers received the benefit.

Śrī Caitanya-maṅgala 1.7.82

ṣoḍaśa vedikā prabhu piṇḍadāna kare
utkaṇṭha bāṭila viṣṇupada dekhibāre

Jayapatākā Swami: So on the 16 altars the Lord performed the ritual known as piṇḍadāna. Thus He was very anxious and desirous of seeing the lotus footprint of Lord Viṣṇu.

Śrī Caitanya-bhāgavata, Ādi 17.77

svīya padasparśa dvārā brahma-kuṇḍake tīrthīkaraṇānte gayā-śire gadādhara-pādapadme piṇḍadāna-līlābhinaya-pradarśana —

tabe mahāprabhu brahma-kuṇḍe kari’ snāna
gayā-śire āsi’ karilena piṇḍa dāna

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya took His bath at the Brahma-kuṇḍa. At Gayā-śira He came and offered piṇḍa and oblations.

Murāri Gupta Kaḍacā 1.16.6: tini viṣṇupade śrī haripāda-cihna dekhiyā ānandite hailena ebaṃ mane mane balilen—‘harira padapādma-cihna dekhiyāo kena āmāra premodaya haila nā!’

Jayapatākā Swami: Then the Lord went to the Viṣṇu Gayā temple and saw the footprints of Lord Viṣṇu. He saw all the markings which are characteristically found on the lotus feet of Lord Viṣṇu. Gaurahari became quite jubilant to see the lotus feet of Lord Viṣṇu. But He wondered, ‘how can it be that My eyes have seen the marks on Lord Viṣṇu’s lotus feet but yet prema has not arisen within My heart!’

Śrī Caitanya-bhāgavata, Ādi 17.78

mālyacandana-dvārā prabhura svahaste viṣṇupadacihna-pūjana—

divya mālā-candana śrī-haste prabhu laiyā
viṣṇu-pada-cihna pūjilena harṣa haiyā

Jayapatākā Swami: So with divine garlands and candana the Lord Himself worshipped the lotus footprint of Lord Viṣṇu and was very happy and jubilant to do so.

Śrī Caitanya-bhāgavata, Ādi 17.79

śrāddhānuṣṭhāna-līlābhinayānte prabhura svagṛhe āgamana—

ei-mata sarva-sthāne śrāddhādi kariyā
vāsāya calilā vipra-gaṇe santoṣiyā

Jayapatākā Swami: In this way in all the different places the Lord offered śrāddhā, piṇḍa and all rituals. He went to the place where He would stay after satisfying all the brāhmaṇas. So Ṣoḍaśa is a particular type of śrāddhā in which 16 types of ingredients are offered, namely, land, āśana or a sitting place, water, cloth, ghee lamp, rice, beetle nuts, umbrellas, sandalwood paste flower garlands, fruits, bedding, shoes, cows, gold and sliver, or it may refer to a kind of sacrificial pot. So there are two systems, there is the karma-kāṇḍā system and there is the Vaiṣṇava more spontaneous type of system, more loving system. So in the Viṣṇu Purāṇa, Aurva spoke to Sagara Mahārāja and said that, “Oh king, a person goes to Gayā and offers oblations and offers oblations makes his life successful by satisfying his forefathers.” So going to Gayā is done by the karma-kāṇdīs and Vaiṣṇavas but their inspiration might be different.

So the son who performs these rituals for his forefathers is known as suputra. Su means auspicious, pu means hell or hellish existence, tra means to deliver like mantra to deliver the mind. Tantra to use the body to achieve deliverance. So this system is observed by people from time immemorial to go to Gayā and perform the rituals. Lord Caitanya He was wondering why I am not having love for Lord Kṛṣṇa? This is what human life is actually meant for. That we should awaken our dormant love for Lord Kṛṣṇa.

In Chennai today people are celebrating Diwali. In fact, it is an all India festival. Some people are exploding their fire crackers, and fireworks. Some are using this opportunity to have a good time. Some may do it as a system of observing Diwali. For devotees it is a time when we remember the Lord. Just like all the people of Ayodhyā opened their hearts to receive Sītā and Rāma. It was a dark moon night, and it would be hard to find Ayodhyā in the dark, they were coming by flower airplane. So all the people of Ayodhyā put lamps on their houses so that Ayodhyā could easily be seen from the air. People in Ayodhyā had so much devotion for Rāma. At the end of is pastime he entered the nearby Sarayū river. At hath time all the residents of Ayodhyā followed Him and went into the river and all were transferred to the spiritual world Haribol! So we heard how Gayā is a holy place of pilgrimage but greater than those is to hear from those who reside in the holy place. To hear from a pure devotees and elevated souls who live in this place.

Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura was saying that wherever these souls go that place is Vṛndāvana. That those hills in those places are non-different from Govardhana. That the waters nearby are non-different from the Ganges or Yamunā. Like this he showed that he always wanted to serve the Vaiṣṇavas.

So Lord Caitanya is showing by His example that He is performing all the rituals, but He is wondering, “Even though I am doing all these rituals why am I not able to able My dormant love for Kṛṣṇa?” So this is the real purpose of human life. We should awaken our dormant love for Kṛṣṇa.