20181114 Śrī Gaurāṅga's return to Navadvīpa from 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

Today is Wednesday. Monday, Wed, Fri and Sun are shaving days. Tues, Thurs and Sat we don’t shave. So today I have shaved my head and face. Sometimes in the month of Damodar or Chatur maas we grow our beard but Śrīla Prabhupad said that that makes sense if the devotee is doing some special austerity or vrata but if you are eating normal food and grow your food, no use!! So when I would do the chatur maas just eating khichdi, then I grew my beard. That was many years ago during the time of Śrīla Prabhupad. Bus since then since we only follow the minimum, no shaak, no dahi, no milk, no urad dal. So I don’t see a meaning to growing a beard. The idea is that when we are doing austerities we don’t shave; we keep the bodily things to a minimum. So now I have been here for some time and gradually I am regaining some strength. But I still have a considerable distance to go. The first year is a bit sensitive after liver and kidney transplant. If I get any infection, it could prove to be very serious. So we are taking precautions so outside we wear face mask, people visiting me they wear face mask. So the doctor said I should do physical therapy, I should eat a lot which I cannot do so much. I also should rest which also I cannot do so much. But generally I am feeling little better. The ICU is a hellish condition but they take very nice care you know but it is not natural. So I am happy to be here thanks to Ajita Gopīnath and his family.

So we will continue with the Caitanya book compilation. Normally I would read all these texts beforehand and then compile them in my mind and come out with a synopsis. But since there is no time to read them ahead, I just go through all the texts that relates to a particular subject, and giving translation where there is none. So then on the Gaya trip, several authorities have spoken about Lord Caitanya’s visit to Gaya. Murāri Gupta, Vrndavandas Thakur, Locanadas in Caitanya Mangal, and also the Kavi Karnapura in his Caitanya Caritamrita Mahakaavya. Some of them are having different details. So we want to include in the compilation all the details but not duplicate the same subject matter. So now we are where Lord Caitanya has taken initiation, He has worshipped the Gadaadhara footprints of Lord Vishnu. He had headed off towards Vrndavan but there was a voice from the sky which said no, now is not the time. When You take sanyas you will go to Vrndavan, now You should return to Navadvip, be in Your house, start the sankirtan movement. Haribol! You have come to deliver all the people. So you start that and later You can go to Vrndavan.

Śrī Gaurāṅga hears a divine voice when He is about to go to Mathurā-maṇḍala

Murāri-gupta Kaḍacā 1.16.10: āpani sarveśvara ta baṭei, sarvakārya karite vā nā karite sarvathāi samartha. tathāpi bhṛtyagaṇa yāhā baliteche, he prabho! tāhā sampādana karite ekṣaṇe ājñā haya.’

Translation: “Being the Supreme Godhead, You are able in all respects to do or not do anything according to Your own desire. You are completely independent, still Your master, please consider these words of your surrendered servant.”

Śrī Caitanya-bhāgavata, Ādi 17.135-137

jagatera hitārtha gaurasebanecchā-mūle debagaṇera airūpa ākāśa-bāṇī-jñāpana—

sevaka āmarā, tabu cāhi kahibāra
ataeva kahilāṅa caraṇe tomāra

svatantra prabhura niraṅkuśa abhilāṣai lokamaṅgalakara athaca durlaṅghya vidhāna—

āpanāra vidhātā āpane tumi prabhu
tomāra ye icchā, se laṅghana nahe kabhu

devagaṇera ākāśavāṇī dvārā prabhuke navadvīpe gamanapūrvaka pare mathurāya āgamanārtha nivedana—

ataeva, mahāprabhu! cala tumi ghara
vilambe dekhibā āsi’ mathurā-nagara”

Jayapatākā Swami: So the devas or demigods from the heavens spoke to the Lord, “We are Your servants. Therefore, we offer this reminder at Your lotus feet. O Supreme Lord, You are supremely independent, whatever You desire cannot be checked by anyone. So therefore, O Supreme Lord, please return to Navadvīpa. You will see the city of Mathurā later.” So the devas spoke from the sky. They wanted to remind Gaurasundara that He appeared in the world to distribute love of God, and chanting of the holy names and at present there was no need at for Him to go to Mathurā. So they prayed to Him as the Supreme Controller of everyone. No one can transgress the Supreme will. So they are appealing to Him to go back to Navadvīpa, to see Māyāpur and later go to Mathurā. So that everyone can be delivered by the saṅkīrtana movement. Lord Caitanya had external and internal purposes for His descent. His external purpose was to establish the yuga-dharma, chanting of the holy names of the Lord and with that to distribute love of Godhead. His internal purpose was to find out how the devotee is feeing, worshipping the Lord. So what the devas were doing was requesting the Lord to do His internal research later and first establish His external purpose of coming. Chanting the holy name and spreading love of Godhead. So they knew that if the Lord desired to do something no one could stop Him. Similarly, there is no one to order the Lord, simply appealing reminding that He had His external purpose and that was to establish the saṅkīrtana movement. Hare Kṛṣṇa!

Caitanya-carita Mahā-kāvya 4.68: takhana mahāprabhu eirūpa madhura daiva-vāṇī śravaṇa kariyā tatkṣaṇāt nijera sahacara brāhmaṇagaṇe pariveṣṭita haota gṛhera prati yātrā karilena.

Jayapatākā Swami: Hearing the sweet words of the devatas or demigods, Lord Caitanya became happy to go back to Navadvīpa and immediately He went with His associate brāhmaṇas surrounding Him. So He departed for His home.

Lord Caitanya is Kṛṣṇa and if Kṛṣṇa wants to do something, no one can stop Him. But He may change His mind and no one can stop that. Then demigods from the heavens were appealing to the Lord that He should first go back home to His house in Navadvīpa and later go to Mathurā. So the Lord, if He changes His mind, He will do that. Someone asked Prabhupāda one time, “If Kṛṣṇa can do something so heavy He cannot pick up.” Prabhupāda said that, “Yes, He would do something heavy that He could not pick up and then later He will pick it up!!” (laughter) That is the wonderful nature of the Supreme Lord!!

Śrī Caitanya-bhāgavata, Ādi 17.138

ākāśavāṇī-śravaṇe mathurā-yātrā haite prabhura virati o pratyāvartana —

śuniñā ākāśa-vaṇī śrī-gaurasundara
nivarta hailā prabhu hariṣa-antara

Jayapatākā Swami: So Lord Gaurasundara after hearing the voice from the heaven was satisfied and stopped His journey to Vṛndāvana.

Śrī Caitanya-bhāgavata, Ādi 17.139

gṛhe pratyāgamanānte saṅgi-śiṣyagaṇa-saha prabhura gayā-tyāga o navadvīpa-yātrā—

vāsāya āsiyā sarva-śiṣyera sahite
nija-gṛhe calilena bhakti prakāśite

Jayapatākā Swami: The Lord returned to His room in Gayā. Then He took His students back to Navadvīpa where He revealed the devotional service of Lord Kṛṣṇa.

Śrī Caitanya-maṅgala, Ādi 7.103

eimata daivavāṇī śuni nija karṇe
gamana-nirodha kaila saṅgera bramane

Jayapatākā Swami: So this was the same description from Caitanya-maṅgala. The Lord heard with His own ears the message from the angels or devas, demigods in the sky. So Lord Viśvambhara immediately ended His journey to Vṛndāvana and with His brāhmaṇa companions went to Navadvīpa.

Śrī Gaurāṅga's return to Navadvīpa from Gayā-dhāma

Murāri Gupta Kaḍacā 1.16.11: prabhu ei mahā-divya-vāṇī śravaṇa kariyā nija bandhugaṇa saha gṛhe pratyāvṛtta hailena, mātāra caraṇe daṇḍavat praṇati karile mātā takhana ānandāśru visarjana karite lāgilena.

Jayapatākā Swami: So this is Murāri Gupta’s kaḍacā in Sanskrit translated in English. Please read it.

Translation: “Having heard these supernatural words, Śrī Hari returned to His home, where His kinsfolk at once surrounded Him. He fell and bowed down at the feet of His mother and Śacīmātā’s eyes became filled with tears of joy.”

Jayapatākā Swami: Śacīmātā is the form of parental affection and as soon she saw her beloved son, she became joyful, and her eyes became filled with tears of joy. So all the residents of Navadvīpa were very happy to see Nimāi again.

Śrī Caitanya-maṅgala Ādi 7.104

leuṭiyā mahāprabhu gharete calilā
krame krame padavraje nadīyā āilā

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He returned His journey to His house. Actually, step-by -step He went forward on foot until He came to Nadīyā.

Caitanya-carita Mahā-kāvya 4.69: Edike śacīdevī putruke gṛhe āgamana karite dekhiyā nānāvidha utsave gṛha paripūrṇa karata svīya manoratha susiddha karilena.

Translation: So after some days, mother Śacī saw her son return to Navadvīpa. She filled her house with festivals. All her desires were fulfilled.

Caitanya-carita Mahā-kāvya 4.70: takhana madhura mṛdaṅga, yaśaḥ, paṭaha, paṇava, kāhala, kāṅsya o marddala prabhṛti nānāvidha vādya yantrera dhvanite digvidik sakala paripūrṇa haiyā uṭhila.

Jayapatākā Swami: So His very sweet sound filled the whole area. The musical instruments described here as mṛdaṅga, yaśa, paṭaha, paṇava, kāhala, kaṅsya, marddala and many other types of instruments. So these filled the sky from every direction, and the sound rose higher and higher, and everyone was filled with happiness. So I don’t know what to say, we will have to take pictures of these instruments, there is no translation, paṭahas, paṇavas, kāhalas, only mṛdaṅgas and cymbals we know. What are marddalas? Kāṅsya is gong? So there was a festive mood just by Gaurasundara’s coming back.

Caitanya-carita Mahā-kāvya 4.71: ity-vasare mahāprabhu dīrgha dinera para gṛhe āgamana kariyā loka nīti nipuṇa o praphulla vadanā nijera jananīke sandarśana karilena.

Jayapatākā Swami: In one story I read, maybe we don’t have that scripture here, when the Lord was returning from Gayā to go to Navadvīpa, He passed through Kānāi-Nāṭāśālā. Which is also on the bank of the Ganges. There He sat down, and He saw a cowherd boy at a great distance, playing on a flute and the cowherd boy danced and came closer. He could see His dhoti, His waist cloth, His urban, with peacock feather in it. He came closer and closer, and He could see the special marking of Viṣṇu, the shark earrings, His Śrīvatsa on His chest. So then He was sure that He was Kṛṣṇa and His hairs were standing on end, His eyes filled with tears and Kṛṣṇa came up and hugged Him and then His ecstasy was beyond description. Then Kṛṣṇa ran off. So He went running after Him. So then Kṛṣṇa at one point went behind a tree and disappeared. So Lord Caitanya was falling on the ground. So that place in Kānāi-Nāṭaśālā, where Lord Caitanya was rolling the ground is still there. Lord Caitanya had visiting Kānāi-Nāṭaśālā at least three time. Going to Gayā, coming back from Gayā, seeing Kṛṣṇa. When He was a sannyāsī He went to Rāmakeli and then He went to Kānāi-Nāṭaśālā and came back. Somehow this Kānāi-Nāṭaśālā by Kṛṣṇa’s mercy came to us. The Deities were stolen. So the Rāmanandi sampradāya had been in charge for 300 years, but it was told that if you ever fail to worship the Deity you should give the Deity to the Brahma-Madhva-Gauḍīya-sampradāya, whoever is the most prominent guru. So the Deity was stolen and the mahānta was 99 years old. He came to Māyāpur; he was sitting in our Long-building. So then our manager Dayārama dāsa, he came to speak to him and asked if he would take prasāda. He said, “No I just take fruit and I have already done that.” “So what would you like?” He said, “I want to hand over my śrīpāṭ at Kānāi-Nāṭaśālā and I heard that Bhaktivedanta Swami was the greatest preacher of the Brahma-Madhva line, so that is why I am here.” So then he named me as Prabhupāda’s representative as the mahānta, I am officially the mahānta of Kānāi-Nāṭaśālā and now ISKCON is formally in sevā of Kānāi-Nāṭaśālā. We never got the original Deity back but got new Deity installed. Then land is on millions of dollars of China clay. And the mahānta as worried that any of his disciple would sell it off just to get the money. So we have been valuing that place and it is a beautiful place, it is at the border of Bihar and the northern border of Jhārikhaṇḍa, in the southern district on the Ganges. Ganges is 6 km wide. Because it is just north of the Faraka Barrage. And it is very near to Malda and Rāmakeli. So it is an amazing place to visit, and government has built a guesthouse, and we are also developing the place. There is the lotus feet of Lord Caitanya established by Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura and there are the ancient footprints of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. So when you go there and can still feel the transcendental vibration. So we will end here.

Lord Caitanya has returned to Navadvīpa, returned to His house. From here on we will hear about how the saṅkīrtana movement expands. Haribol! Gaurāṅga Gauuuuuuurāṅga!

Mahā Varāha dāsa: Faraka Barrage is a barrage across the Ganges River located in Murshidabad district in the Indian state of West Bengal roughly 16.5 km from the border with Bangladesh near Chapainawabganj district. Faraka Barrage township is located in Faraka in Murshidabad district.