20181129 The Lord's Pastimes with Students after His Gayā Yātrā

Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book work 29^th November 2018 in Chennai, India by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Guru Mahārāja.

Under the section: The Lord's Pastimes with Students after His Gayā Yātrā

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Jayapatākā Swami: So today we will continue with the compilation of the Kṛṣṇa Caitanya book. Lord Caitanya returned after being initiated by Īśvara Purī. So He left as Nimāi Paṇḍita, the greatest scholar and argumentarian and came back as a maha-bhāgavata and greatest Vaiṣṇava. All the things He would describe to His students was how the śāstras led one to Kṛṣṇa and He was speaking the glories of kṛṣṇa-bhakti. So He asked His students how they appreciated His lecture. And His students replied that You connected everything with Kṛṣṇa but we couldn’t understand anything because this was a completely different character side of Nimāi Paṇḍita. Then He said, “Oh, well, pack up your books and we will go to the Ganges.” So now He is in the Ganges and the līlā there is being explained.

I thank whoever brought the Jagannātha prasāda, that is always appreciated and some of the other gifts that were brought, olive oil, different herbal teas, so we thank you. I am past three months since my liver and kidney transplant, but that was the most difficult period. But they say that I have to be careful for the first 6 months for the first year, because I am taking many immune suppressant drugs so that my body doesn’t reject the liver and kidney. So if in case I get infection because I don’t have the normal immunity, if I get infection, it could be very dangerous. So that is why they are taking all these extra precautions. So yesterday I walked 16 and today 18 steps. I used to walk 1000 steps since my stroke but since the transplant operation I have not been able to walk much. So doing all the physical therapy I walked 18 steps. Maybe I could have walked more but just going ahead little by little.

So, actually the verse 1.182 revealed the poetic genius of the author.

Śrī Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya 1.182

gaṅgāra bāḍila prabhu-paraśe ullāsa
ānande karena devī taraṅga-prakāśa

Translation: Being touched by the Lord, goddess Gaṅgā became joyful, and out of delight, she manifested her agitation in waves.

Śrī Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya 1.183

taraṅgera chale nṛtya karena jāhnavīananta-
brahmāṇḍa yāṅra pada-yuge-sevī

Translation: Jāhnavī thus danced in the form of waves to worship the Lord, whose feet are served by innumerable universes.

Śrī Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya 1.184

catur-dike prabhure beḍiyā jahnu-sutā
taraṅgera chale jala dei alakṣitā

Translation: The daughter of Jahnu encircled the Lord on all sides and showered Him with her waters while remaining unseen.

Jayapatākā Swami: I don’t know if you will understand but the way the metaphor is used is poetic and those who know Bengali, it is very touching and very beautiful. I said last night that how Srila Prabhupāda predicted that how some people will learn Bengali to be just able to read these books, read the original books on Lord Caitanya’s pastimes. So today we will start from 185.

Śrī Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya 1.185

bhaviṣyate gaurakṛṣṇa-caritarūpa-purāṇe vyāsāvatāra kona gaura-līlā-lekhakera varṇana-sambandhe granthakārera bhaviṣyadvāṇī

vede mātra e-saba līlāra marma jāne
kichu śeṣe vyakta habe sakala purāṇe

Translation: The purport of these pastimes is known only to the Vedas, but later some of these pastimes will be revealed by the Purāṇas.

Jayapatākā Swami: The purport of these pastimes are only known to the Vedas but eventually later some of these things will be revealed by the Purāṇas.

Śrī Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya 1.186

snānānte prabhura o chātragaṇera svagṛha-gamana—

snāna kari’ gṛhe āilena viśvambhara
calilā paḍuyā-varga yathā yāṅra ghara

Translation: After completing their bath, Viśvambhara and His students returned to their own homes.

Jayapatākā Swami: So after completing His Ganges bath, Viśvambhara went to His house and all the students also went to their respective homes.

Śrī Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya 1.187-188

vaiṣṇava-gṛhasthagaṇake prabhura ādarśa dṛṣṭānta dvārā viṣṇu o tadīyera arcana o sadācāra śikṣā-pradāna

vastra parivarta’ kari’ dhuilā caraṇa
tulasīre jala diyā karilā secana

yathā-vidhi kari’ prabhu govinda-pūjana
āsiyā vasilā gṛhe karite bhojana

Translation: The Lord changed His clothes, washed His feet, and then offered water to tulasī. Then, after properly worshiping Govinda, the Lord came inside and sat down to take His meal.

Commentary: Unless a person properly initiated in the chanting of Viṣṇu mantras includes tulasī-mañjarīs in his offering of foodstuffs, Lord Viṣṇu will not accept the offering, because Tulasī is the eternal maidservant of Kṛṣṇa, and therefore her leaves and flowers, or mañjarīs, are certainly dear to Keśava. It is prescribed that one should offer tulasī-mañjarīs in worship to the Deity form of Śrī Govinda, for Tulasī has incarnated in the form of a tree. The arrangement for offering tulasī-mañjarīs in worship to the Deity form of Lord Viṣṇu is confirmed by all transcendental Vaiṣṇava smṛtis. After worshiping Śrī Tulasī in her manifested worshipable form as tadīya by sprinkling water on her, Śrī Gaurasundara worshiped His family Deity, Śrī Govinda; in other words, He offered pure worship to the Deity form of Viṣṇu. By performing this pastime, the Lord set the ideal example of mandatory daily duties for God-conscious householders. Every Vaiṣṇava householder should follow this ideal example of the Lord by engaging in the worship of the Deity form of Lord Viṣṇu and accepting with faith and humility the remnants of foodstuffs offered to the Lord.

Jayapatākā Swami: Changing His clothes and washing His lotus feet, putting water on the tulasī plant, according to the rules and regulations, He worshipped the form of Govinda and He came and sat down in His house to take His meal.

So normally a second initiated Vaiṣṇava will offer His worship to the tulasī plant because tulasī is one of the pure devotees of Lord Kṛṣṇa who has incarnated as a plant, so the Lord is very pleased to have her leaves and flowers or mañjarīs, flowers are also known as mañjarīs. Unless tulasī is offered to the Lord on each offering, He does not accept. Offering tulasī mañjarīs and the leaves to the deity form of Lord Viṣṇu is recommended and confirmed by all transcendental Vaiṣṇava smṛtis. So after worshiping the sacred tulasī in her manifested form, as one connected to Lord Kṛṣṇa by sprinkling water on her, Gaurasundara worshipped His family deity, Sri Govinda. In other words, He offered pure worship to the deity form of Viṣṇu. By doing this He gave the perfect example… ideal example of mandatory daily duties for God conscious householder. So every Vaiṣṇava householder should follow this ideal example of Lord Caitanya by engaging in the worship of the Deity form of Lord Viṣṇu and accepting with full faith and humility, remnants of foodstuffs offered to Viṣṇu. Who is ready to accept Kṛṣṇa prasādam, the supreme sacrifice? You will be surprised how many people do not make this simple sacrifice and how they agree to be deprived of Kṛṣṇa’s mercy by not taking kṛṣṇa-prasāda. Lord Caitanya showed as a householder how one should accept kṛṣṇa-prasāda.

Śrī Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya 1.189

tulasīra mañjarī-sahita divya anna
māye āni’ sammukhe karilā upasanna

Translation: Mother Śacī brought fine cooked rice with a tulasī flower on top and placed it before the Lord.

Jayapatākā Swami: Along with the tulasī mañjarīs mother Śacī brought a fine cooked rice and placed it before Lord Gaurasundara.

Śrī Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya 1.190

viśvaksenere tabe kari’ nivedana
ananta-brahmāṇḍa-nātha karena bhojana

Translation: After offering foodstuffs to Viśvaksena, the Lord of innumerable universes began to eat.

Commentary: Viśvaksena, or Viṣvaksena, is a four-armed associate of Lord Viṣṇu who holds the Lord’s garlands.

In the Hari-bhakti-vilāsa (8.84-87) it is stated: “Thereafter a sober person should offer one hundredth portion of the Lord’s prasāda to Viṣvaksena.” And in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.27.29, 43) it is stated: “With offerings such as prokṣaṇa one should worship Durgā, Vināyaka, Vyāsa, Viṣvaksena, the spiritual masters and the various demigods. All these personalities should be in their proper places facing the Deity of the Lord. Once again he should offer the Deity water for washing His mouth, and he should give the remnants of the Lord’s food to Viṣvaksena.” In his Bhāvārtha-dīpikā commentary on the quoted half of the latter verse, Śrīdhara Svāmipāda has stated: “One should meditate that the Lord has finished eating and then offer Him water for washing His hands and mouth. Thereafter one should offer the remnants of the Lord’s foodstuffs to Viṣvaksena, and after taking his permission one may then eat.” This is the scriptural injunction.

Jayapatākā Swami: So the Lord first offered foodstuffs to Viṣvaksena, the Lord of the unlimited universes, then He began to eat.

So this is a detail given in the Hari-Bhakti-Vilāsa where it is stated that a sober Vaiṣṇava should offer one hundredth of his prasāda to Viṣvaksena. In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 11.27.29 it is stated that “with offerings such as prokṣaṇa one should worship Durgā, Vinayāka, Vyāsa, Viṣvaksena, the spiritual masters and the various demigods. All these personalities should be in their proper places facing the Deity of the Lord.”

So after offering prasāda it is considered that the Lord has eaten the prasāda, so He is offered ācamana to wash His mouth. This is confirmed by Śrīdhara Svāmī. He says that one should meditate that the Lord has finished eating and offer Him water to wash His mouth and hands. Thereafter one should offer the remnants of the Lord’s foodstuffs to Viṣvaksena and after taking his permission, this is the scriptural injunction. We heard that Viṣvaksena was the spiritual form of the Lord with four hands, holding the Lord’s garlands, sometimes leading the battles, and so, that He was the origin of Vināyaka or Ganeśa. So it is said one should mentally offer prasāda to Viṣvaksena and the gurus and then take.

Śrī Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya 1.191

śacīmātāra o mahā-lakṣmīra prabhu-sevā—

sammukhe vasilāśacī jagatera mātāgharera
bhitare dekhe lakṣmī pati-vratā

Translation: Śacī, the mother of the universe, sat before the Lord, and the most chaste Viṣṇupriyā watched from within the next room.

Jayapatākā Swami: So Śacī devī, the mother of the universe, sat down before the Lord and the most chaste Viṣṇupriyā watched from the next room, Her husband taking prasāda.

Śrī Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya 1.192

māye bale,—“āji, bāpa! ki puṅthi paḍilā?
kāhāra sahita ki vā kandala karilā?”

Translation: Mother Śacī asked, “My dear son, what books did You study today? Did You quarrel with anyone?”

Jayapatākā Swami: Mother Śacī asked “today, my dear Son, what books did You study? Did you engage in any arguments with anyone?”

Lord Viśvambhara was famous for His asking anyone some question and then whatever they replied He would smash that and give the correct understanding. So Mother Śacī was asking whether He had done any of this today?

Śrī Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya 1.193-194

prabhu-kartṛka kṛṣṇera nāma, guṇa o śrī-caraṇera evaṁ kṛṣṇa-bhaktera nitya-satyatā-varṇana—

prabhu bale,—“āji paḍilāṅa kṛṣṇa-nāma
satya kṛṣṇa-caraṇa-kamala guṇa-dhāma

satya kṛṣṇa-nāma-guṇa-śravaṇa-kīrtana
satya kṛṣṇacandrera sevaka ye-ye-jana

Translation: The Lord replied, “Today I read about the names of Kṛṣṇa. The lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa are in fact the reservoirs of transcendental qualities. Hearing and chanting about the qualities and names of Kṛṣṇa is the Truth, and the servants of Kṛṣṇacandra are also the Truth.

Commentary: In answer to Śacīdevīs inquiry, the Lord said, “The lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa are alone the original shelter or source of all transcendental qualities. They are eternal, pure, primeval objects. The eternal occupational duty of all controlled living entities is to hear and chant about the Lord’s transcendental names, forms, qualities, associates, and pastimes, which are completely nondifferent from the person indicated by those names, possessing those forms, exhibiting those qualities, accompanied by those associates, and performing those pastimes. Those devotees who hear and chant Kṛṣṇa’s names, forms, qualities, associates, and pastimes are the eternal Truth.

Jayapatākā Swami: So the Lord replied, today I read the glories of Kṛṣṇa-nāma, the holy name of Lord Kṛṣṇa, how Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet are true and how Kṛṣṇa is the reservoir of all good qualities. Truth of Kṛṣṇa’s holy name and qualities, listening to their glories, true that Kṛṣṇacandra’s… servitors of Kṛṣṇacandra’s whoever they maybe they have achieved the Absolute Truth.

So in answer to Śacī devī’s inquiry what the Lord said was that the lotus feet alone was the original shelter and source of all transcendental qualities. They are eternal and pure and primeval objects. The eternal occupational duty of all the living entities is to hear and chant about the Lord’s transcendental names, form, qualities, associates and pastimes which are completely non-different from the person indicated by the names, possessing those forms, exhibiting those qualities, accompanied by those associates, and performing those pastimes. Those devotees who hear and chant about Kṛṣṇa’s names, forms, qualities, associates and pastimes are the eternal truth.

Śrī Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya 1.195

kṛṣṇa-bhaktipara śāstrera praśaṁsā o abhaktipara śāstrera garhaṇa—

se-i śāstra satya—kṛṣṇa-bhakti kahe yāya
anyathā haile śāstra pāṣaṇḍatva pāya

Translation: “The literatures that glorify devotional service to Kṛṣṇa are true scriptures, others are simply atheistic.

Commentary: Those spiritual scriptures that dissipate the darkness of ignorance and glorify the devotional service of Kṛṣṇa are true and establish supreme religious principles. If any literature does not glorify topics related to Kṛṣṇa’s names, forms, qualities, associates, and pastimes; does not describe the topmost glories and eternal position of Kṛṣṇa’s devotees; and does not describe devotional service to Kṛṣṇa as the topmost process for attaining the goal of life; then, instead of calling it a scripture, it should be known as the useless babbling of atheists. One should never study such scriptures, understanding them as bad association.

In his commentary, Śrī Madhvācārya quotes the following verses from the Skanda Purāṇa:

ṛg-yajuḥ-sāmātharvāś ca bhārataṁ pañcarātrakam
mūla-rāmāyaṇaṁ caiva śāstram ity abhidhīyate
yac cānukūlam etasya tac ca śāstraṁ prakīrtitam
ato’nya grantha vistaro naiva śāstraṁ kuvatma tat

“The Ṛg, Yajur, Sāma, and Atharva Vedas, as well as the Mahābhārata, the Nārada-pañcarātra, and the Rāmāyaṇa, are certainly known as śāstra. Those books that favorably follow in the footsteps of these authorized scriptures are also counted among the śāstras. All other literatures simply lead one down the wrong path and can never be known as scriptures.”

The following verses from the Matsya Purāṇa are quoted in the Tattva-sandarbha:

sāttvikeṣu ca kalpeṣu māhātmyam adhikaṁ h
areḥrājaseṣu ca māhātmyam adhikaṁ brahmaṇo viduḥ
tad-vad agneś ca māhātmyaṁ tāmaseṣūśivasya ca
saṅkīrṇeṣu sarasvatyāḥ pitṛṇāṁś ca nigadyate

“The Purāṇas in the mode of goodness glorify the Supreme Lord, Śrī Kṛṣṇa; those in the mode of passion promote the glories of Lord Brahmā, the creator of the universe; and those in the mode of ignorance celebrate the greatness of Agni, Śiva, and Durgā. In addition many other scriptures consisting of various mixtures of goodness, passion, and ignorance glorify the ancestors, the demigods, and demigoddesses like Sarasvatī.”

Many ignorant asslike people who desire neither their own nor other’s welfare think that since literatures glorifying Kṛṣṇa, the devotees of Kṛṣṇa, and the devotional service of Kṛṣṇa are critical of materially motivated persons attached to sense gratification, such literatures are therefore ever-conflicting and sectarian like their own literatures. But on the pretext of describing the glories of Kṛṣṇa, the devotees of Kṛṣṇa, and the devotional service of Kṛṣṇa to His own mother, Śrī Gaurasundara explained the supreme truth in order to deliver foolish, sensual-knowledge-dependent persons from their defective imaginations. Narrations of the glories of Kṛṣṇa, the devotees of Kṛṣṇa, and the devotional service of Kṛṣṇa by spiritual literatures that dissipate the darkness of ignorance are not sectarian, ever-conflicting interpretations; rather, they are the only supreme auspicious conclusions for all living entities who desire the topmost good fortune. Those hellish narrow-minded people who are attached to material conceptions think that even Kṛṣṇa, who is the source of Viṣṇu and the Lord of lords, is an equal rival to the demigods or the worshipable Lord of a bigoted sect. But if one gives up the bad association of studying jñāna-śāstras, which are based impersonal considerations, and karma-śāstras, which are full of interpretations, flowery language, and injunctions for worshiping many gods, and instead engages in the study of the Ekāyana-śāstras, which direct one to the devotional service of Kṛṣṇa, then he will certainly receive the opportunity to achieve the ultimate perfection of life.

Jayapatākā Swami: Those scriptures are the truth that glorify Kṛṣṇa’s devotional service. Other scriptures are almost atheistic in nature. The scriptures that glorify Kṛṣṇa’s devotional service can dissipate the ignorance and darkness and establish supreme religious principles. If any scripture does not glorify topics relating to Kṛṣṇa’s names, forms, qualities, associates and pastimes, does not describe the topmost process for attaining the goal of life, instead of calling it a scripture it should be known as a useless babbling of the atheists. One should never study such scriptures understanding them as bad association. In his commentary Madhvācārya quotes the Skanda Purana “The Ṛg, Yajur, Sāma and Atharva Vedas, as well as the Mahābhārata, the Nārada Pañcarātra and the Rāmayaṇa are certainly known as śāstra. Those books that favorably follow in the footsteps of these authorized scriptures are also counted among the śāstra. All other literatures simply lead one down the wrong path and can never be known as scriptures.”

The following verses from Matsya Purāṇa are quoted in the Tattva-sandarbha of Jīva Gosvāmī:

“The Purāṇas in the mode of goodness glorify the Supreme Lord Sri Kṛṣṇa, those in the mode of passion promote the glories of Lord Brahmā, the creator of the universe and those in the mode of ignorance celebrate the greatness of Agni, Śiva and Durgā. In addition, many other scriptures consisting of various mixtures of goodness, passion and ignorance glorify the ancestors, the demigods and demigoddesses like Sarasvatī.”

So Lord Caitanya started instructing His mother about the glories of kṛṣṇa-bhakti and scriptures that describe the devotional service to Kṛṣṇa. He is actually trying to deliver the foolish people who are avoiding devotional service because they are very attached to materialistic enjoyment, which are temporary in nature and cause of suffering. So one has to be careful because some books are written from the impersonal point of view, some are written ignoring Kṛṣṇa. I was giving a lecture in Sri Lanka and someone said that you are always quoting the Bhāgavata Purāṇa and then he showed some other Purāṇa and said why don’t you speak from this? Then we did research on the Vedabase and found that there are many quotes from these other Purāṇas which also glorify kṛṣṇa-bhakti but some of the quotes were so heavy that it couldn’t be stated in the class. Like it is said that to take shelter of the devas rather than Kṛṣṇa, it is liking taking shelter of a witch rather than your mother. So things like this and there were heavy quotes from the various scriptures that they were saying to read. So one has to be ready to explain things according to the ability of people to understand.

So in Dāmodardeśa we are having a two-day Kīrtana-melā. I am supposed to give a two-minute video message. I had yesterday or day before read the quotes that, “By chanting the holy names even if we have so many faults, even then the Lord will forgive all your faults and take you to the spiritual world, if you chant the holy names.” Can you find that please?

In the meantime, any questions?

Question, Gaurāṅga Karuṇā-sindhu dāsa: We have heard of the wonderful pastimes of Lord Caitanya and His dearmost associates delivering whole villages giving kṛṣṇa-prema freely even to the most sinful people. Why doesn’t He then appear in this most magnanimous golden form in the other yugas as well, but only in Kali-yuga?

Jayapatākā Swami: Śāstra says that Lord Caitanya sometimes appears after Kṛṣṇa and not in every appearance of Kṛṣṇa does Lord Caitanya come. But Lord Caitanya is very special and rare. Like in the song by Locana dāsa Ṭhākura, he says,

parama karuṇa, pahuṅ dui jana,
nitāi-gauracandra
saba avatāra-, sāra-śiromaṇi,
kevala ānanda-kāṇḍa

Among all the avatāras, He is the crown jewel because He gives the process which is simply blissful, chanting, singing and dancing, feasting on kṛṣṇa-prasada, hearing the Bhāgavatam, it is all nectar. If someone came back from vacation and said, “What were you doing?” “I was singing, dancing, feasting!” “So he said oh you had a good time.” That is the process of self-realization that Lord Caitanya gave us. Kṛṣṇa is thinking that I am having such a blissful time in My pastime in Vraja but so many people do not understand that and they don’t take advantage, so He comes as Kṛṣṇa Caitanya and delivers all the fallen souls. That is His external reason. He has some internal reasons. So only thing I can say that after Kṛṣṇa comes, Kṛṣṇa comes again as Lord Caitanya. In this universe Kṛṣṇa comes at the end of Dvāpara-yuga. So naturally Lord Caitanya comes at the beginning of Kali-yuga. In the Kali-yuga the recommended yajña is chanting the holy names of Kṛṣṇa. I don’t know what happens in the other universes. There are unlimited millions of universes. and Kṛṣṇa appears in each universe, once in the day of Brahmā. I can only say what happens in this universe, I don’t know what happens in other universes.