20190215 Various Services by Devotees [Part – 3]

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: Dvādaśī no fasting, fasting on the Ekādaśī. On Dvādaśī we can take full prasāda. On Trayodaśī it is Lord Nityānanda’s appearance! Haribol! So we fast till noon, and then we take feast. I don’t know what the exact observations will be in the Chennai temple. We will find out and tell you. So today I had my physical therapy and voice therapy. If there are any words you have difficulty in understanding my pronunciation, you can send them up by internet or if you are here, you can give them to Ekarāṇī. She has her hand lifted up at the back. Guru Mahārāja then said in Bengali: yati āmara kono katha asuvidha haya, tāhale bolben. (In English it means if you have any problem understanding, please tell.) Nanḍri (that is thank you in Tamil language).

Today we will continue reading Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s pastimes, we are little late.

Various Services by Devotees [Part – 3]

Caitanya-carita Mahā-kāvya 5.62

sotkaṇṭhaṁ sapadi gadādhareṇa puṣpaiḥ
sāmodair atiruciraiḥ sbayaṁ tadānīm
mālyaughaiḥ prabaṇatareṇa sauṣṭhabena
sba-sbāntair iba sa manorathair jugumphe

takhana svayaṁ gadādhara sugandha athaca atimanohara puṣpa dvārā utkaṇṭhā sahakāre tatkṣaṇāt sundara rūpe aneka prakāra mālya racanā karilena, ati spṛhā vaśataḥ puṣpera nyāya tām̐hāra manao tatkāle āmodita arthāt saharṣa o ati rucira haiyāchila, ihāte bodha haila tini yena manera dvārāi mālya granthana kariyāchilena.

Jayapatākā Swami: This Māhā-kāvya is a Sanskrit verse, so I have my secretary read the translation:

Translation: Gadādhara was absorbed with longing in skillfully stringing garlands using attractive, fragrant flowers. It seemed he was stringing a garland of desires with his mind.

Caitanya-carita Mahā-kāvya 5.63

uttaṁsaṁ kuṭila-kacocitaṁ bataṁsau
sa-śrīka-śruti-yugalocitau tathaiba
naipuṇyād biracita-puṣpa-bandha-ramyaṁ
graibeyaṁ tad anu lalaṭikāṁ ca kāntām

tatpare tini kuṭila keśera upayukta uttaṁsa arthāt śirobhūṣaṇa, suśobhana karṇayugalera upayukta abataṁsa arthāt karṇabhūṣaṇa ebaṁ nipuṇatā sahakāre puṣpa bandha dbārā ramaṇīya graibeya arthāt kaṇṭhabhūṣaṇa ebaṁ tatpaścāt manohara lalaṭikā (lalāṭa bhūṣaṇa) racanā karilena.

Translation: Gadādhara skillfully made a crown for the Lord’s curly hair, two attractive earrings, an attractive flower necklace and a beautiful forehead ornament.

Caitanya-carita Mahā-kāvya 5.64

hāraṁ ca grathana-sukauśalātimugdhaṁ
keyūre balaya-yugaṁ ca kaṅkaṇe ca
sarbāsām api bidadhe tad-aṅgulīnāṁ
sac-chobhācita-rucirormikā-samūham

tadanantara sukauśale ati sundara hāra, keyura arthāt bāhusthita tār̤a, balaya (bālā) kaṅkaṇa ebaṁ samasta aṅgulīra upayukta o utkṛṣṭa śobhāsampanna aṅgurī racanā karilena.

Translation: Gadādhara made an attractive necklace, arm bands, bracelets, and attractive rings for all his fingers.

Caitanya-carita Mahā-kāvya 5.65

ramyaṁ sārasanam āpi kramāt padābje
mañjīraṁ tad anu tad aṅgulī-vibhūṣām
nirmāya kṣaṇata itaḥ sa gaura-dehe
sotkaṇṭhaṁ ciram upa-yojayāmbabhūva

tāhāra para manojña sārasana (kāñcī) pādapadme nūpura tadante aṅgulībhūṣaṇa ei sakala kṣaṇakāla madhye yathākrame nirmāṇa kariyā ati utkaṇṭhā sahakāre śrīgaurāṅgera śarīre alpe alpe upayojita arthāt paridhāna karāilena.

Translation: Gadādhara made an attractive belt, anklets and ornaments for the Lord’s toes in an instant. With longing, he decorated Gaurāṅga’s body with these, taking a long time.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata, Madhya-khaṇḍa 9.74

campaka, mallikā, kunda, kadamba, mālatī
nānā puṣpe śobhe śrī-caraṇa-nakha-pāṅti

Jayapatākā Swami: Gadādhara decorated the lotus feet of Gaurasundara, and the Lord’s toe nails, with a variety of flowers including campaka, mallikā, kundha, kadamba, mālatī. I don’t know what the translation is for these Indian flowers! Campaka is called fanzy pansy in Hawaii. The kadamba are round flowers, it is a round flower with many different small flowers. In other words, they decorated the Lord’s feet and His toe nails with very fragrant, exquisite and rare flowers.

Caitanya-carita Mahā-kāvya 5.66

āpādāṅguli-bara-bhāla-paṭṭa-deśaṁ
śrīkhaṇḍāguru-ghanasāra-kuṅkumānām
sat-paṅkair bapur alipat tadīyam etat
sotkaṇṭhaṁ nibiḍam ananta-bhāgya-rāśiḥ

anantara, ananta bhāgyarāśi sei gadādhara pādapadmera aṅgulī haite utkṛṣṭa kapāla paryanta candana, aguru, kañjura o kuṅkuma paṅkasakalera dvārā śrīgaurāṅgera gaura aṅga ati utkaṇṭhāya pragār̤harūpe lepana karilena.

Translation: “With spiritual desire, the infinitely fortunate Gadādhara, with longing, then applied camphor, aguru, sandalwood and kuṅkuma, thickly to the Lord’s body from His toes to forehead.”

Caitanya-carita Mahā-kāvya 5.67-68

liptasyāpi ca bapuṣo ghanaṁ supaṅkaiḥ
śrīkhaṇḍāguru-racitair atipramodaiḥ
tejobhiḥ parity-rayadbhir etad uccair
uddyotaiḥ kanaka-nikāya-cāru-gauraiḥ

tair etaiḥ kusuma-bibhūṣaṇaiḥ samastais
tair etair malayaja-kuṅkumasya paṅkaiḥ
tejobhir nija-bapuṣo nisarga-gauraiḥ
sambhinnaḥ ka iba babhūba gauracandraḥ

ānandaprada athaca sugandha śrīkhaṇḍa o agurura paṅka dbārā ghana lipta abayabera uktabidha bhūṣaṇa bastura atiśaya tiraskārakārī o uddyotita sutarāṁ kanaka rāśira nyāya manohara gaurakiraṇa tathā sei sei kusuma bhūṣaṇa, samasta malayaja o kuṅkuma paṅka ebaṁ nijāṅgera naisargika gaurakānti dvārā śrīgauracandra miśrita haiyā, yena anya kona pṛthaka gauracandrera nyāya haiyāchilena.

Jayapatākā Swami: So the original verse is also in Sanskrit and the Bengali translation was read by Deva Gaurāṅga dāsa. Guru Mahārāja asked the repeater – you cannot read the Bengali script? And he replied sorry, no Guru Mahārāja.

Translation: “By applying the thick, fragrant paste of camphor and aguru, which shone everywhere like gold and decorating the Lord with flower ornaments and shining ointment of oil and kuṅkuma, combined with a natural gold of the Lord’s body, a different Gauracandra seemed to manifest.”

Thus ends the chapter entitled – “Various services by the devotees”, under the section of 21-hour ecstasy. Hare Kṛṣṇa!

Are there any questions?

Question: Ananya Devanātha dāsa: What is the significance of calling ‘prabhu’ in our ISKCON?

Jayapatākā Swami: We consider all devotees as worthy of serving or worshipping. Therefore, we address them as prabhu or master.

Question: Jishu Sen: How can one gain the firmness or devotion in the words of his gurudeva?

Jayapatākā Swami: If you apply them in your life, and you see that your life is improving, then naturally, you will have more and more faith. Like when you walk you put your foot ahead and you do not fall into a pit, then you think that the floor is solid, each step you put your foot, you gain your faith that this ground is solid. So you should follow the guru, and then you will see how his instructions help you. Hare Kṛṣṇa!

Last question.

Question: Why will responsibility lead to offenses?

Jayapatākā Swami: Why will responsibility lead to offences? If we are inconsiderate of the people, then only there will be offence. We think that all devotees are very dear to the Lord. Therefore, we engage them in service, and we do so very respectfully. In Māyāpur we give out free food, two days a week. But we do so with the utmost respect to the receivers. As a result, they also feel that that is a very nice expression, and they have commented so. So, having a responsibility doesn’t mean that we Lord it over others, rather, we engage others in the service.