20190113 Prayers by Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura (Part 1)

mūkhaṁ karoti vācālaṁ paṅguṁ laṅghayate girim
yat kṛpā tam ahaṁ vande śrī gurum dina tarinam
paramānanda mādhavaṁ śrī caitanya īśvaram
hari oṁ tat sat

Introduction: Today outside we are having lot of drumming and preparation of Poṅgal eve day and Bhogī, and they are having the Ratha-yātrā tomorrow in Chennai. I was thinking how fortunate the Chennai-vāsīs are that 5000 years ago Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa came to this city, maybe His brother and sister with Him also. He met the princess of this kingdom; I think her name was Sulocana, also in Tamil Nadu, Lord Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa came, along with Hanumān and many monkeys. The Deity of Raṅganātha was brought to Tamil Nadu. There are many pastimes here with Lord Śiva and Ganeśa.

We are just in the district of Kāñcīpuram, which is on the outskirts of Chennai district and in Kāñcīpuram there is the Varadarāja Deity and also there is a Deity of Vaikuṇṭhanātha, which was worshipped by Lord Brahmā and somehow He came here to Kāñcīpuram, He is millions of years old and He was worshipped in Satya-loka. He came from the spiritual world. So, there are many Deities like that all over Tamil Nadu, Mīnākṣī deity in Madurai, so many historical, spiritual places. I was taught some Tamil pronunciation; I don’t think I got it right though, “uppu illai appan”, the Deity that doesn’t take salt, they call it in short ‘Uppilliappan’.

So today all my therapists are off so I had therapy done by my secretaries. I had a meeting on internet with the TOVP Exhibits section and this afternoon I went cycling, more or less 700 cycles. And we had a Mexican prasāda for dinner, at breakfast we had a Latin American prasāda, arepas, famous in Venezuela, Colombia and Ecuador, everyone says they have the breakfast they are the best. Venezuela says this is the best! Colombia says this is the best! So well we just had Kṛṣṇa-prasāda and that is the best. Ajita Gopinātha dāsa and his family always send up some special prasāda and we have our special doctor Dr. Amṛta Mādhava dāsa who is here with his family.

If I say any words which you find difficult to understand, please send them up. We have Gīteśvarī Viṣṇupriyā and Kairava Candrika, they are taking the notes down. I repeat them with the voice therapist.

“Prayers by Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura”

Jayapatākā Swami: Now, Śrīvāsa, he has been told by all the envious people that the king’s soldiers are going to arrest all the vaiṣṇavas because they chant Hare Kṛṣṇa in saṅkīrtana, in this Islamic country. So, he was worshipping Lord Narasiṁhadeva to protect all the Navadvīpa-vāsīs. Lord Caitanya came and kicked his door, ‘open up! that person who you are worshipping is here! I am He! I am He! Yes!’ And He showed His form of four hands with śaṅkha-cakra-gadā-padma. I don’t know if I said it right. There are 24 positions of these four. He had a particular positon. Śrīvāsa opened and he saw his Lord, he saw Nārāyaṇa, Lord Narsiṁhadeva. Viśvambhara said “I was in Vaikuṇṭha but your loud chanting and loud roaring of Advaita brought Me down here! I came here with all My associates. So, there is nothing for you to worry about. paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁvināśāya ca duṣkṛtām dharma-saṁsthāpanārthāya. - I will destroy all the miscreants and I deliver the devotees!”

So Śrīvāsa was seeing his worshipable Lord and he was crying in joy! Crying in joy! (The repeater was not as emphatic as Guru Mahārāja and Guru Mahārāja said: you don’t sound like it!) Ha Ha Ha! Ha Ha Ha! So that is where we are now. So He told Śrīvāsa you pray to Me.

So, we are reading the chapter “Prayers by Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura”

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 2.269

mahābhāgavata vidvān śrīvāsera brahma-kṛta bhagavatstuti pāṭha—

sahaje paṇḍita baḍa mahā-bhāgavata
ājñā pāi’ stuti kare yena abhimata

Jayapatākā Swami: Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita was a great and natural scholar, he was a māha-bhāgavata, a pure devotee of the Lord, getting the order, having been ordered by the Lord, he began to offer his heartfelt prayers to the Lord.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 2.270

bhāgavate āche brahma-mohāpanodana
sei śloka paḍi’ stuti karena prathama

Jayapatākā Swami: In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, there is a verse where Lord Brahmā spoke after his bewilderment, that was the first verse read by Śrīvāsa and he offered that prayer spoken by Lord Brahmā.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 2.271

goparājatanaẏa kṛṣṇera rūpa-varṇana o tatpraṇāma—

naumīḍya te ’bhra-vapuṣe taḍid-ambarāya
guñjāvataṁsa-paripiccha-lasan-mukhāya

vanya-sraje kavala-vetra-viṣāṇa-veṇu-
lakṣma-śriye mṛdu-pade paśupāṅgajāya

Jayapatākā Swami: “My dear Lord, You are the only worshipable Lord, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and therefore I offer my humble obeisances and prayers just to please You. Oh son of the king of the cowherds, Your transcendental body is star blue like a new cloud. Your garment is brilliant like lightening and the beauty of Your face is enhanced by Your guñjā earrings and the peacock feather on Your head. Wearing garlands of various forest flowers and leaves and equipped with a herding stick, a buffalo horn and a flute, You stand beautifully with a morsel of food in Your hand.”

Jayapatākā Swami: If you want to read about the description of the bewilderment of Lord Brahmā see the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10^th Canto, chapter 14.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 2.272

viśvambhara-caraṇe āmāra namaskāra
nava-ghana varṇa, pīta vasana yāṅhāra

Jayapatākā Swami: I offer my obeisances respectfully at the lotus feet of Lord Viśvambhara. His body luster - the colour is like that of a newly formed cloud, dressed in yellow garments.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 2.273

śacīra nandana-pāye mora namaskāra
nava-guñjāśikhi-puccha bhuṣaṇa yāṅhāra

Jayapatākā Swami: I offer my respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of the son of mother Śacī who head is decorated with strands of fresh guñjā flowers and a peacock feather.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 2.274

gaṅgādāsa-śiṣya-pāye mora namaskāra
vana-mālā, kare dadhi-odana yāṅhāra

Jayapatākā Swami: I offer my respectful obeisances at the lotus feet of Gaṅgādāsa Paṇḍita’s student who wears the forest flower garland and who has curd rice or yogurt rice, in His hand.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 2.275

jagannātha-putra-pāye mora namaskāra
koṭi-candra yini rūpa vadana yāṅhāra

Jayapatākā Swami: I offer my respectful obeisances to the lotus feet of the son of Jagannātha Miśra, whose attractive form defeats the beauty of millions of moons!

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 2.276

śṛṅga, vetra, veṇu—cihna-bhuṣaṇa yāṅhāra
sei tumi, tomāra caraṇe namaskāra

Jayapatākā Swami: Horn, stick and flute, which are Your decorations, I offer You my respectful obeisances unto Your lotus feet.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 2.277

cāri-vede yāṅre ghoṣe’ ’nandera kumāra’
sei tumi, tomāra caraṇe namaskāra”

Jayapatākā Swami: So, the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam śloka that Brahmā spoke to Lord Kṛṣṇa was spoken to Lord Caitanya, and how the meaning of that Bhāgavatam śloka applies to Lord Gaurāṅga is given here. So Śrīvāsa is continuing, who the four Vedas address, as the son of Mahārāja Nanda, that person is You and I offer my respectful obeisances to Your lotus feet.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 2.278

manera sādhe prabhustuti—

brahma-stave stuti kare’ prabhura caraṇe
svacchande balaye—yata āise vadane

Jayapatākā Swami: Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita offered the Lord prayers similar to the prayers offered by Brahmā. He spoke at great ease whatever came to his mouth.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 2.279-282

aiśvaryarase dāsyabhāve prabhuke nānāvatāra o bhaktavatsalarūpe staba o dainyoktimukhe sa-saubhāgya-varṇana—

tumi viṣṇu, tumi kṛṣṇa, tumi yajñeśvara
tomāra caraṇodaka—gaṅgā tīrtha-vara

Jayapatākā Swami: You are Viṣṇu, You are Kṛṣṇa, You are the Lord of all sacrifices. Your lotus feet are the source of the great holy tīrtha, the Ganges.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 2.280

jānakī-jīvana tumi, tumi narasiṁha
aja-bhava-ādi—tava caraṇera bhṛṅga

Jayapatākā Swami: You are the life of Jānakī, You are Narsiṁhadeva. Lord Brahmā, Śiva and others, they are servants at Your lotus feet.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 2.281

tumi se vedānta-vedya, tumi nārāyaṇa
tumi se chalilā bali haiyā vāmana

Jayapatākā Swami: You are the knower of the Vedānta, You are Nārāyaṇa, You are the one who deceived Bali as Vāmanadeva.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 2.282

tumi hayagrīva, tumi jagat-jīvana
tumi nīlācala-candra—sabāra kāraṇa

Jayapatākā Swami: You are Hayagrīva, You are the life and soul of the entire universe. You are the Lord of Nīlācala, Lord Jagannātha. You are the cause of all causes.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 2.283

tomāra māyāya kār nāhi haya bhaṅga?
kamalā nā jāne—yāṅra sane eka-saṅga

Jayapatākā Swami: Who is not defeated by Your illusory energy? No one is able to break Your illusory energy. Lakṣmī lives constantly with You, but She does not know Your full glories! So māyā is for the conditioned souls, the marginal energy, that means the material energy; and for the Lord’s liberated devotees, it means His internal potency, or yoga-māyā. So, everybody is somehow controlled either by material energy or by yoga-māyā.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 2.284

saṅgī, sakhā, bhāi—sarva-mate seve ye
hena prabhu moha māne’—anya janā ke?

Jayapatākā Swami: You bewilder even Lord Balarāma who serves as Your companion, friend and brother! Even this Prabhu is bewildered sometimes, what to speak of others?! Saṅkarṣaṇa’s expansion is Śeṣa or Ananta-deva. Śeṣa is sometimes bewildered by Lord Kṛṣṇa. This is explained in the Caitanya-Bhāgavata, Ādi-līlā Chapter 13, verse 101,102 and 105. So it is Chapter 9, and this chapter goes on for another 9 or 10 verses. So, I think that we will end here. We will start at this point, 2 85.