20181118 Gaurāṅga’s Display of Prema-bhakti

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

Jayapatākā Swami: Today we are continuing the compilation of the Caitanya Book, taking various scriptures which detail the pastimes of Lord Caitanya and compile that into one book. This is the first over and then there will be editing.

Śrī Caitanya-bhāgavata, Madhya 1.41

sakalake vidāya-dāna—

sambhāṣa kariyā sabe karilā vidāya
yathā-kārye rahilena viśvambhara-rāya

Jayapatākā Swami: After speaking with everyone, He wished everyone farewell, He bid them goodbye and then He did His own house duties, Viśvambhara Rāya, He did His duties.

Śrī Caitanya-bhāgavata, Madhya 1.42

prabhura kṛṣṇapremāveśa o kṛṣṇetara viṣaye vairāgya—

niravadhi kṛṣṇāveśa prabhura śarīre
mahā-viraktera prāya vyavahāra kare

Jayapatākā Swami: So in the Lord’s body symptoms of pure love of Kṛṣṇa, the ecstatic love of Kṛṣṇa were constantly visible. And He started to act in a very renounced manner in His dealings.

So the love that Lord Caitanya was manifesting for Lord Kṛṣṇa was in the mood of adhirūḍha-mahābhāva or ecstatic symptoms in the body of the Lord. So the Lord, was following in the footsteps of the topmost renunciants and being absorbed in the mood of a devotee, He gave up all desires for enjoying personal happiness and as a personification of pure renunciation, He displayed intense eagerness.

Regardless of the simultaneous presence of renunciation and devotion, one can discuss the verse from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam in the 11^th canto, chapter 2, 42 verse, devotion, direct experience of the Supreme Lord and detachment from other things. These three occur simultaneously for one who has taken shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In the same way, the pleasure, nourishment and relief from hunger come simultaneously and increases with each bite for a person who is engaged in eating.

Śrī Caitanya-bhāgavata, Madhya 1.43

putravatsalā śacīra putrera premavikāra-darśana

bujhite nā pāre āi putrera carita
tathāpiha putra dekhi’ mahā-ānandita

Jayapatākā Swami: Mother Śacī could not understand her son’s activities. Still seeing her son, she was in a great jubilation.

Śrī Caitanya-bhāgavata, Madhya 1.44

‘kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa bali’ prabhu karaye krandana
āi dekhe,—aśru-jale bharila aṅgana

Jayapatākā Swami: So Lord Caitanya, He cried out, ‘Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa’ and He cried, tears came from His eyes. Mother Śacī saw all this and she saw that the tears of love had filled up her courtyard.

Śrī Caitanya-bhāgavata, Madhya 1.45

“kothā kṛṣṇa! kothā kṛṣṇa!” balaye ṭhākura
balite balite prema bāḍaye pracura

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Gaurahari called out, “Where is Kṛṣṇa? Where is Kṛṣṇa?” As He was saying this, His ecstatic love for Kṛṣṇa increased more and more.

Śrī Caitanya-bhāgavata, Madhya 1.46

putrera daśā-darśane śacīra kiṁkartavya vimūḍhāvasthā

kichu nāhi bujhe āi kon vā kāraṇa
kara-yoḍe lailā āi govinda-śaraṇa

Jayapatākā Swami: So Mother Śacī, she couldn’t understand anything. What was the cause of this change in her son? With folded hands she took protection from Lord Govinda.

Śrī Caitanya-bhāgavata, Madhya 1.47

harināma-prema-prakāśa-rūpa nija-avatāra-kāraṇa-rahasya-prakaṭanārambha

ārambhilā mahāprabhu āpana-prakāśa
ananta brahmāṇda-maya haila ullāsa

Jayapatākā Swami: So Lord Gaurahari Mahāprabhu He began to manifest Himself and this was expanded more and more. The unlimited brahmāṇḍas, the universes became filled with joy.

Śrī Caitanya-bhāgavata, Madhya 1.48

prabhu-darśanārtha bhaktagaṇera āgamana—

‘prema-vṛṣṭi karite prabhura śubhārambha’
dhvani śuni’ yāya yathā bhāgavata-vṛnda

Jayapatākā Swami: The shower of the Lord’s love for Kṛṣṇa as He started to manifest Himself. When the word came out about His devotion, wherever they were the devotees came to see Him. So the Lord Gaurahari was very compassionate to the conditioned souls in this material world. So He began to shower love of Kṛṣṇa, love of God at some auspicious moments. As soon as this news spread the devotees immediately came to see Him. Everyone wanted to get love of Kṛṣṇa. Here who would like to see the Lord?

Śrī Caitanya-bhāgavata, Madhya 1.49

ye-saba vaiṣṇava gelā prabhu-daraśane
sambhāṣā karilā prabhu tāṅ sabāra sane

Jayapatākā Swami: All those devotees who went to have the Lord’s audience, the Lord greeted them very warmly and gave His association to everyone.

Śrī Caitanya-bhāgavata, Madhya 1.50

śuklāmbara-gṛhe sakalake āgamanārtha anurodha

“kāli śuklāmbara-ghare milibā
āsiyāmora duḥkha nivedimu nibhṛte vasiyā”

Jayapatākā Swami: Tomorrow at the house of Śuklāmbara Brahmacārī, come there and meet Me. I will reveal My sadness and My request in a private place.

Śrī Caitanya-bhāgavata, Madhya 1.51

prabhura apūrva prema darśane śrīmān paṇḍitera harṣa

hariṣe pūrṇita hailā śrīmān-paṇḍita
dekhiyā adbhuta prema mahā haraṣita

Jayapatākā Swami: Śrīmān Paṇḍita seeing the Lord’s wonderful manifestation of ecstatic love for Lord Kṛṣṇa, was filled with joy. He was delighted seeing the Lord’s wonderful manifestation of love.

Śrī Caitanya-bhāgavata, Madhya 1.52

paradina pratyuṣe bhaktagaṇera śrīvāsa-gṛhe puṣpa-cayanārtha

yathā kṛtya kari’ ūṣaḥ-kāle sāji
laiyācalilā tulite puṣpa haraṣita haiyā

Jayapatākā Swami: Doing His early morning duties, the Lord at sunrise the next day, took His basket with Him and went to pluck flowers being very happy to do so.

Śrī Caitanya-bhāgavata, Madhya 1.53

eka kunda gācha āche śrīvāsa-mandire
kunda-rūpe kibā kalpa-taru avatare

Jayapatākā Swami: In the house of Śrīvāsa, there was a small manmade lake which had a tree and that tree was like a kalpa-vṛkṣa, desire tree incarnation. This desire tree would give you whatever you want. Like if you say 24 gardenias, 16 roses, then you make your wish for six kinds of flowers, shoo, shoo then it will manifest all the flowers. That is why it is called desire tree. This tree was on the side of this kuṇḍa or manmade lake. Not lake but a small body of water. Lake could be a sarovara but kuṇḍa means small.

Śrī Caitanya-bhāgavata, Madhya 1.54

yateka vaiṣṇava tole tulite nā pāre
akṣaya avyaya puṣpa sarva-kṣaṇa dhare

Jayapatākā Swami: Many of the Vaiṣṇavas picked flowers of that tree. That tree supplied insurmountable number of flowers which never seemed to diminish or exhaust.

Śrī Caitanya-bhāgavata, Madhya 1.55

ūṣaḥ-kāle uṭhiyā sakala bhakta-gaṇa
puṣpa tulibāre āsi’ hailā milana

Jayapatākā Swami: So early morning just after sunrise, all the Vaiṣṇavas rose and came to that place to pick flowers. In this way they met the other Vaiṣṇavas.

Śrī Caitanya-bhāgavata, Madhya 1.56

sabei tolena puṣpa kṛṣṇa-kathā rase
gadādhara, gopīnātha, rāmāñi, śrīvāse

Jayapatākā Swami: Gadādhara, Ramāi, Gopīnātha and Śrīvāsa, they all came to get the flowers and in this opportunity they were absorbed in the mellow of discussing the pastimes of Kṛṣṇa.

Śrī Caitanya-bhāgavata, Madhya 1.57

śrīmān paṇḍitera tathāya sahāsye āgamana

henai samaye āsi’ śrīmān-paṇḍita
hāsite hāsite āsi’ hailā vidita

Jayapatākā Swami: At that time Śrīmān Paṇḍita came, he was smiling and laughing as he came. So he arrived in their presence.

Śrī Caitanya-bhāgavata, Madhya 1.58

śrīmān paṇḍitera prati bhaktagaṇera hāsira kāraṇa-jijñāsā

sabei balena,—“āji baḍa dekhi hāsya?”
śrīmān kahena,—“āche kāraṇa avaśya”

Jayapatākā Swami: Everyone said, “We see that You are manifesting a big smile, why is that?” Śrīmān said, “Certainly there is a cause”.

Śrī Caitanya-bhāgavata, Madhya 1.59

“kaha dekhi” balilena bhāgavata-gaṇa
śrīmān-paṇḍita bale,—“śunaha kāraṇa

Jayapatākā Swami: So all the devotees said, “Tell us, let us see.” Śrīmān Paṇḍita said, “Listen to the cause.”

Śrī Caitanya-bhāgavata, Madhya 1.60

bhaktagaṇake śrīmān paṇḍitera pūrvadivasīya prabhu-prema-vikāra-ceṣṭā-varṇana—

parama-adbhuta kathā, mahā asambhava
’nimāi-paṇḍita hailā parama vaiṣṇava’

Jayapatākā Swami: So the most wonderful reason, great impossibility, Nimāi Paṇḍita has become a supremely pure devotee of the Lord! So Nimāi Paṇḍita just a few days before was the best of the logicians. He ridiculed Vaiṣṇavas with caricatures, teasing words and now has become a great Vaiṣṇava. This is truly amazing!! Mission impossible You have done!

What time is it? So we will stop here.

Tomorrow starts the Bhishma-pañcaka and on my Facebook I gave and we will be putting up all the details. This is a very short vrata of five days. One takes either haviṣyanna or fruits and roots or pañca-gavya. Whichever you want. And you offer some prayers to Bhīṣmadeva. You offer some worship to Lord Kṛṣṇa and you offer a lamp to Kṛṣṇa and you either hear the Bhāgavatam class or hear a verse from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam or Bhagavad-gītā. If you can then you can take a bath in the Ganges in midday. If you are far from the Ganges, then chant Gaṅgā three times loudly and the Ganges will be invoked. On the full moon at the moonrise or sunset, one breaks the fast. So, many devotees try to do this Bhīṣma-pañcaka. It gives one lots of spiritual blessings and it is not so difficult. But you should be able to continue with your normal activities. Don’t take too difficult a fast if it interrupts your daily routines. Thank you very much. For me this is my last day of Kārtika but I will offer lamp every day until the Pūrṇimā. I started the vrata of Kārtika on Ekādaśī, so today is my last day and tomorrow is Ekādaśī, so I am finished!

Any questions?

Question: If someone is doing haviṣyanna can they take fruits and roots?

Jayapatākā Swami: Fruits and roots are also mentioned in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa and Śkanda Purāṇa. Fruits should be with few seed. You should avoid the bahu-bīja fruits. Like if you say seeds, fix how many seeds. So today I took fig.

Question: Whereas Lord Caitanya’s manifest pastimes are very vividly described, why His disappearance from the world is not elaborated in the śāstras although there were many devotees present then?

Jayapatākā Swami: We are just discussing the beginning of His saṅkīrtana movement. Why are you going to the end?

Question: Although many devotees participate in the Dāmodara-ārati program, why there is lesser attendance during lecture programs?

Jayapatākā Swami: Why don’t you ask them? Why don’t they attend? Maybe they have to rush home. May be, they have some duties, I would be speculating, so better ask them.

Some ask can we take carrots and beetroots? Some paṇḍitas say cannot. But I don’t see it is particularly mentioned. In the quote of haviṣyanna it says all roots except just one, grass root. Someone said that carrot was imported from Europe some couple of hundred years ago and so they gave the Indian name gājar. But whether the gājar is the same as the gājar which they take, someone has to research it. If the carrot was only imported only 200 hundred years then it will not be mentioned in the śāstras.