20191021 Śrī Krishna Caitanya Book

The following is a reading from the new Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on October 21st, 2019 in Śrī Dhāma Māyāpur, India.

jaya rādhā-mādhava kuñja-vihārī
gopī-jana-vallabha giri-vara-dhārī
yasoda-nandana braja-jana-rañjana
yamunā-tīra-vana-cārī
jaya rādhā-mādhava kuñja-vihārī

mūkaṁ karoti vācālaṁ paṅguṁ laṅghayate girim
yat-kṛpā tam ahaṁ vande śrī-guruṁ dīna-tāraṇam
paramānandaṁ mādhavaṁ śrī caitanya iśvaram

Hariḥ oṁ tat sat!

Tomorrow is the appearance of Rādhā-kuṇḍa. So I will first speak a few words about the appearance of Rādhā-kuṇḍa.

One demon was sent by king Kaṁsa to kill Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma and he took the form of a big bull called Ariṣṭāsura. He was huge; his tail and horns reached high in the sky and some clouds thinking that his horns were mountain peaks, hovered around his horns. He was stomping on the ground, and he scared all the residents of Vṛndāvana. Some ladies who were pregnant, they had miscarriages, seeing the fearful form of this demon bull. Some of the cows also had miscarriages. So the bull was stomping, scratching the ground with his feet but Kṛṣṇa was completely nonchalant. He had His hands on His friend’s shoulder and He said that the demon, “Why are you frightening all the residents – the cows and the cow herders? When I am here, I will kill you. Demons like you are meant to be killed. You are creating fear for nothing.” So then the bull with his head down and his horns aimed at Lord Kṛṣṇa, he charged with full force. But then Kṛṣṇa grabbed his horns and pushed him back 18 steps. The bull, he was, he got his energy together, he was perspiring over his whole body. Again, he charged at Kṛṣṇa, smirking, he would charge with full force at Lord Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa grabbed him by the horns and threw him down. He pulled down one of the horns from his head and then he beat him like a pile of laundry, and He beat him until he was coughing blood and he gave up his living force.

Then Kṛṣṇa, He was that night expecting to have a rāsa dance. He headed to see Rādhārāṇī and the gopīs and they told Him “Don’t come near us. You may killed a demon, but he was a male cow, so You are guilty of having killing a cow. So don’t come near us. You are very sinful! You have to go to all the holy places in the universe to get purified of Your offence, killing a cow, killing a bull.”

Kṛṣṇa replied, "I will bring all the holy places here.” He kicked the earth and Śyāma-kuṇḍa was created. And then He called, “All the holy places, come here!” And because of receiving the order from the Supreme Lord, all the holy places came, and they were in their personal forms. So each one had introduced himself, “I am Gaṅgā devī! I am Yamunā devī! I am Sarasvatī devī! and they would join together at Prayāga, I am Prayāga Tīrtha! I am Puṣkara Tīrtha!” And like that one after another each introduced themselves, different holy places. And Kṛṣṇa ordered them, “Fill up My kuṇḍa with your waters.” So then they filled up His kuṇḍa and Kṛṣṇa bathed there and came out, and said “I feel so fresh, so purified.” So He told the gopīs and Rādhā, “Come and bathe in My kuṇḍa.” She said, “No, never, never, no! We will have our own kuṇḍa.” She told Her unlimited gopī friends, “We must make a more beautiful lake than Kṛṣṇa. So you may immediately dig a lake. So the gopīs are energies of Rādhārāṇī, started to excavate a pond and at no time, in less than an hour, they had excavated a huge pond, but it was dry. So then Kṛṣṇa said, “You take from My water and put it in Your lake, in Your pond.” But Rādhārāṇī said, “No, I will call my unlimited gopīs and they will go to the heavenly planets, the Mānasī Gaṅgā and there, in billion pots, they will bring down the water and fill up My kuṇḍa, which will be famous throughout the whole world because they are bringing the celestial waters to the Mānasī Gaṅgā.”

Then the personified holy place came out of the Syāma-kuṇḍa and bowed down at Rādhārāṇī’s lotus feet and then he said, “My dear goddess, if we cannot serve you then our tree of desire will not bear fruit. So please have Your mercy on us and let us serve you.” She said, “What do you want?” He said, “You are the supreme energy of the Lord, so we want that we can also fill Your pond, and You will bathe in our waters. And then we will be successful and pleased.” So, and She looked at Lalitā and other sakhīs and they nodded their approval and She said, “Okay! You can come.” No sooner than She said that, they broke the earth between Śyāma-kuṇḍa and Rādhā-kuṇḍa and rushed into Rādhā-kuṇḍa. Then Kṛṣṇa declared, “I will bathe in the Rādhā-kuṇḍa and as dear Rādhārāṇī is to Me, Her kuṇḍa is also dear to Me! Anyone who bathes in that kuṇḍa even one time, will get the attraction of Rādhārāṇī to Me.”

So tomorrow is the appearance day of Rādhā-kuṇḍa anniversary and so this is a great holy place. The Upadeśamṛta declares that among all the holy places, this is the most holier place. So in Navadvīpa dhāma, in Ṛtudvīpa, there is also Rādhā-kuṇḍa. And also in Antardvīpa by the mercy, by the influence of Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda, he brought the Rādhā-kuṇḍa here. So we should take a little water and put it on our head, from Ṛtudvīpa or from this Caitanya Maṭha. So we also remember how Rādhā-kuṇḍa was so dear to Lord Kṛṣṇa and how Rādhārāṇī, She would serve Kṛṣṇa in this bathing pond of Rādhā-kuṇḍa.

So Lord Caitanya when He visited, He was so happy, He started dancing kīrtana on the bank of the Rādhā-kuṇḍa. He took some of the mud in Rādhā-kuṇḍa and He wore it as tilaka. Gaurāṅga! Gaurāṅga! Gaurāṅga! Gaurāṅga! Gaurāṅga! So that is the story how the Rādhā-kuṇḍa came into being.

Śrīla Prabhupāda mentioned how in 1935 or so, when his gurudeva, Śrīla Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvatī Goswami Prabhupāda Mahārāja was staying in Rādhā-kuṇḍa, he went to see his gurudeva. At that time, he gave Prabhupāda the important instruction that he should publish books. So he told Prabhupāda, both constructing temples and publishing books. He told him that publishing books was more important than constructing temples. So Śrīla Prabhupāda said that those instructions remained in his mind for many years. So we see that Śrīla Prabhupāda, along with establishing 108 temples, he published many books on Lord Caitanya and Lord Kṛṣṇa. He published the Bhagavad-gītā, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Caitanya-caritāmṛta and many other books. So here in Māyāpur, he would come before or after the month of Kārtika and he would publish, rather he would translate different books. So we saw him every night getting up at midnight and then translating books till 3 or 4 in in the morning. Sometimes he called me to tell me something and I saw him in the night translating the books. So everyone should read the books of Śrīla Prabhupāda. He worked so hard to translate them.

So we will read a few verses on the kīrtana with Jagāi and Mādhāi. Last night, they were delivered by Nitāi-Gaura and tonight they are doing kīrtana! Haribol! ? So Jagāi and Mādhāi were actually born in brāhmaṇa families. So these two brāhmaṇas had their illusion destroyed and they merged in the ocean of transcendental bliss and ecstasy. Knowing this, Viśvambara Prabhu, He gave the following order as follows. Jagāi and Mādhāi, although they were born in brāhmaṇa families, they had taken up a profession of rogues. But by the mercy of Lord Caitanya, they regained their lives. So since their foolish propensity to enjoy was removed by the Lord’s mercy, they immediately understood the purport of the Vedic literature. And thus, they realized their sambandha or relationship with the Supreme Lord, their abhideya, the regulated activities for reviving that relationship and prayojana, the ultimate goal of life. After they understood the purports of Vaiṣṇavism, they started to serve the Lord and they became very ecstatic in spiritual ecstasy. So their illusion was vanquished and they began to serve Lord Govinda and Lord Gopīnātha.

Pick up these two and take them to My house, today, these two will perform kīrtana, congregational chanting of the holy names.

Today, I will give these two what is rare for even Lord Brahma to achieve. I will give these two the top most position in the universe. So Lord Caitanya, after forgiving the two rogues for their offences, the causelessly merciful, Gauuura Sundara, awarded them the qualification to participate in hearing and chanting the Lord’s glories! From the material point of view, these two were antisocial atheists. But they were uplifted from their extreme abomination and awarded the qualification to engage in the topmost service of Lord Viṣṇu. The good fortune which Lord Brahma, the grandfather of all living entities, rarely gets. Today these two, Jagāi and Mādhāi attained superior good fortune, of attaining the position of topmost Vaiṣṇavas. The extent of Lord Gaurasundar’s mercy has no limit Ha! Ha! Ha! Due to His causeless mercy, He can elevate the most fallen and unqualified persons to the highest platform. Haribol!

So previously if someone was touched by these two rogues, they would take a bath in the Ganges to purify themselves. Now would they say that these two are now equal with the Ganges! Haribol! So touching or even seeing the two rogues, the sinful propensities of living entities would awaken. Therefore, they would take bath in the Ganges to counteract the sinful touching or seeing of these two drunkard rogues. But after receiving the mercy of Lord Gaurāṅga, Jagāi and Mādhāi became purifying as the touch of the holy Ganges river, which destroys all sins.

The determination of Lord Nityānanda is never defeated. Know for certain that this is the desire of Lord Nityānanda.

Jagāi Mādhāi were held by all the devotees and the Vaiṣṇavas, would hold Jagāi Mādhāi and took them inside the house of Lord Caitanya. So the Vaiṣṇava devotees considered these two Jagāi Mādhāi as part of their own group, so they brought them into the house of Lord Gaurasundar.

So the intimate associates of the Lord entered along with the Lord. And the door was then closed and no one was able to go inside after that. So for the others, the door was closed when Jagāi and Mādhāi’s intimate associates went inside.

So Mahāprabhu Viśvambara, He came in and sat down. On His two sides were the beautiful Nityānanda and Gadādhara. So we see how Jagāi Mādhāi were previously rogues, sinners, drunkards and how by the mercy of Lord Nityānanda, they got the mercy of Lord Caitanya and thus now they are part of the intimate group of the Lord. This is the Lord’s mercy that He could take a person, the most roguelike, defiled sinner, purify him and bring him to the position of the topmost devotee of the Lord, topmost Vaiṣṇava. So this is the unlimited mercy of Nitāi Gaura. So we are seeing how the mercy has fallen on the two rogues Jagāi and Mādhāi and how they became topmost, saintly devotees.

Advaita sat in front of the Lord. He was a great receiver of the Lord’s mercy. On all sides, the Vaiṣṇava devotees sat down.

So the names of some of those intimate associates is given. Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhī, Haridāsa Prabhu, Gaura, Ramāi, Śrīnivāsa and Gaṅgādāsa.

Vakreśvara Paṇḍita and Candrasekara Ācārya, all these knew the pastimes and activities of Lord Caitanya.

Many exalted devotees sat around Lord Caitanya with great pleasure. They sat down taking Jagāi and Mādhāi with them.

So Jagai Mādhāi began rolling on the ground, their hair was standing on end, tears of love flowing from their eyes and their body began to quiver in all parts, feeling all these transcendental ecstasies.

Who has the power to understand the desire of Lord Caitanya who transformed two thieves into mahā-bhāgavatas or devotees of the Lord? Haribol! So the pastimes of Lord Caitanya are incomprehensible and most grave to the ordinary people. Ha! Ha! Ha! The quality of being a mahā-bhāgavata, a great devotee of the Lord, cannot be achieved after serving the Lord for many births, for many lifetimes. But this mercy was achieved by the two rogues in just a moment, by the mercy of Lord Caitanya! Therefore, no one has the power or the qualification to understand this power of Lord Caitanya.

So supremely simple people are made into great ascetics and sannyāsīs. This is Lord Caitanya’s nectarean pastime. So the atheistic demigod worshippers were delivered from their sinful propensities,sinful activities, and in this way their individual, materialistic desires were engaged in the service of the Lord Hari, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. These sweet pastimes of are ideal examples of Lord Caitanya’s awarding potions of nectar on the living entities! Ha! ? So anyone who has faith in these pastimes attains Lord Kṛṣṇa and those who have doubts they will fall down. So we should take the shelter of Lord Caitanya, by His mercy one can achieve the perfection of life. If one avoids Lord Caitanya’s mercy, they are very unfortunate. They cannot achieve inclination to serve the Lord. So at last these people have material misters and then put down to the lowest stages of life. But the devotees of Lord Caitanya can easily achieve the service of Lord Kṛṣṇa. So materialistic people become the master of materialistic objects rather than the servants of the Lord. I was reading how some materialistic person said that life is a game, who dies with the most toys wins! They think that winning means being the master of many material objects. But the real perfection of life is to be a servant of the Lord. That is the supreme aim and topmost goal of life. Haribol! So material energy is there to make us attached to material enjoyment and still be attached to serving the Lord. So māyā, the material energy, is meant to cover our real knowledge. It makes us forget our eternal relationship with the Supreme Lord and makes us attached to material things. So discussing the books of Śrīla Prabhupāda, discussing the Gītā and Bhāgavatam, the materialistic person, day by day, develops a taste for serving the Lord. So if one has a bona fide spiritual master, he can achieve the spiritual vibration and so his eagerness for spiritual variegated pastimes increases. Then he does not consider the material object of enjoyment as very important. He accepts Viṣṇu the Supreme Personality of Godhead as the supreme object of his senses, and thus by the Lord’s causeless mercy, and hearing from the spiritual master, he becomes faithful. At that time, his knowledge of Rādhā-Mādhava, Rādhā-Madanamohana, and Kṛṣṇa protects him from sentiments, from material enjoyment. So in order to award devotional service, one achieves the three stages, one’s relationship with the Lord, sambandha. And the next is abhideya or the actual process of service and finally the prayojana, the perfection of life. So the Lord appears to us as Rādhā Govinda or the abhideya, practice of devotional service, and that takes us to the perfection of life. So this is possible by the mercy of Nitāi-Gaura. Normally, it takes many, many births, but by the mercy of Lord Gaurasundara, one can achieve this mercy very quickly. In a moment! And you find most people, they don’t think at all about God, they don’t think about the Personality of Godhead. They are fully absorbed in material things. But by the mercy of Lord Caitanya, one becomes focused on the Supreme Lord. So thus ends the chapter, kīrtana with Jagāi and Mādhāi! Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare, Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare! So you can imagine the unlimited mercy of Nitāi-Gaura! Two rogues, drunkards, criminals, antisocials, thieves, arsons, they were in a moment converted to topmost devotees of the Lord. Nitāi-Gaura ki jai! Nitāi-Gaura ki jai! Nitāi-Gaura ki jai! ? And one can achieve Their mercy very easily here in the holy dhāma. We hope that you all take advantage and get the Lord’s mercy! Hare Kṛṣṇa!

So today I came on time, 8 o clock! And now it is time to take a few questions, so that you can all get some sleep and attend Maṅgala-ārati! Ha! My sister Mary is here, give her a vocal Haribol! Haribol! Haribol!

How many listening to you Jalāṅgī? 307. From China.

Question: Guru maharaj, many devotees they want to live in Rādhā-kuṇḍa and do their bhajana, considering that it is the supreme abode the supremely holy place. But we see that all our ācāryas left Vṛndāvana and came to Navadvīpa to perform their bhajana. How to understand?

Jayapatākā Swami: You see, in Vṛndāvana, you get a 1000 times benefit for any service. But any offence you do, any materialistic or sinful activity, you also get a 1000 times the bad effect. So Vṛndāvana is very heavy because we are not pure souls, we may commit some mistake, so Vṛndāvana is very heavy and to live in Rādhā-kuṇḍa, in a holy place, one has to be very pure. So it is recommended we go for a few days and then we come back. But here in Māyāpur, Navadvip, we get the same benefit as Vṛndāvana, you get a 1000 times credit for any devotional service. In this month of Dāmodara, we get a 100, that means a 100,000. A 100 times 1000. So therefore many ācāryas, they decided to stay in Navadvīpa, because they get the same benefit as Vṛndāvana, without the negative side. Here also in this holy place, we have Rādhā-kuṇḍa. In Ritudvīpa, also here in Caitanya Maṭha. Tomorrow many people go and bathe in the Rādhā-kuṇḍa. It is very important for the devotees to bathe in but you have to do it not with an ordinary bath. Just like ablution. You go in and out, with all respect. So some devotees, they think that oh, it is Rādhā-kuṇḍa, jumping off the sides and it is not like a swimming pool. You have to be very respectful. It is the holiest of holy places. So Śrīla Prabhupāda said, it is for the devotees to bathe in but you do so with the utmost respect.

Question: Bahulāṣṭamī is considered to be the appearance of Rādhā-kuṇḍa. And thousands of devotees take a dip on this day. But those devotees were not able to be there on that day, how can they get the benefit of taking a holy dip?

Jayapatākā Swami: If people get permission from their spiritual master, maybe they can take a bath in the Rādhā-kuṇḍa. But one has to know the process. You should be very respectful. Hare Kṛṣṇa!

Divya Govinda Dāsa: So fortunate Jagai Madhai to receive such mercy. Can we also receive such mercy? Thanks, your servant, 

Jayapatākā Swami: Why not? Śrīla Prabhupāda said the mercy of Lord Caitanya has no limit! We cannot put a limit on it. So it is possible to get the mercy of Lord Caitanya like Jagāi Mādhāi got. But somehow they got it even though they didn’t ask for it. But if you ask for it and if you want it, why won’t the Lord give you?

Śāntā Gopī devī dāsī: What is the relationship of living entities with Lord Caitanya, like living entities have four types of relationship with Kṛṣṇa?

Jayapatākā Swami: You see, first of all there are five types of relationships. Śānta, dāsya, sakhya, vātsalya and madhurya. The awe and reverence mood we call śānta. The service mood we call dāsya. Friendship mode is called sākhya and the parental mood is called vātsalya. The conjugal mode is called mādhurya. So one has any one of these relationships with the Lord. If one has dāsya, it includes śānta. If one has sākhya it includes dāsya and śānta. If one has vātsalya or parental, it includes the previous three. If one has mādhurya, it includes all the five. So we can have any of the relationships. Normally, those who are especially attracted to Lord Caitanya’s pastimes achieve conjugal. And those who are attracted to Lord Nityānanda’s pastime, they achieve the parental or something. So like that depending on your attachment, you have the particular mood. Some people worship Gaura-Gadāi. Some people worship Nitāi-Gaura. Nitāi-Gaura are more for preaching. And Gaura-Gadāi are for relationship. Last question.

Question: Bengali. Hare Kṛṣṇa Guru Mahārāja, Daṇḍavat pranam. Śrīla Prabhupāda during distribution of books or in the month of Dāmodara … Priyanka.

Jayapatākā Swami: So you want to give synopsis of the question. Basically she is saying that how do we tell people the greatness, in the month of Dāmodara from Śrīla Prabhupāda’s books. So through the different Vedic literatures, the greatness of the month of Dāmodara is mentioned. But that is in the Padma Purāṇa and other Purāṇas. Slightly mentioned in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, but the most important thing is to engage in devotional service and then during these special months and special days we get multiple benefits. So to encourage people to engage in devotional service. We mentioned how Jagāi and Mādhāi, by receiving the mercy of Nitāi-Gaura, they were able to achieve perfection in their lives. So have them take up the service of Nitāi-Gaura. Have them chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. Have them discussing in the holy month of Dāmodara. Engage them in offering a lamp to Kṛṣṇa, chanting His holy names and doing some services to the devotees of the Lord and the Lord. In this way, one may get a tastes. Don’t be attached to the result. If the persons accepts or maybe the person does not accept. We don’t have the potency yet, then bring the person to someone who is more advanced and by their association, that person might get changed. In the market of the holy name described by Bhakti Vinoda Ṭhākura, he said how some people sell the goods and some people act as brokers. They bring the people to the sellers of the goods. If you have the goods to sell, if you have the personal capacity to give Kṛṣṇa, then you give. If you don’t have the capacity, you give Śrīla Prabhupāda’s books or bring them to someone who is more advanced and then that person can hopefully be able to influence the person. But don’t be discouraged. Do as far as you can and sometimes may overtly show some disregard but later they change. But this question said, he or she really believes in what she says and therefore the person remembers. So the person may outwardly show disdain but inwardly he may be affected, that how this devotee, how Priyanka is so sincere, I don’t believe in anything. I was in one TV show in Montreal, Canada, and they paid me at that time 45 dollars, I had to play the part of a devotee. And ha! Ha! It was not difficult for me. My parents in the show they were trying to tell this kind of personal court. I was wondering if I got some tips from my father, how I would use it in the service of Kṛṣṇa. Which I discussed. Alright, my father said, this acting father, if I give a gift I want my son use it, not give it to the organization to use it for Kṛṣṇa. That was the whole thing. Then the judge, the personal judge was supposed to give his order. So naturally there was scope for advertisement. So during the stop the actor said, he really believes in what he is saying! I don’t believe in anything. That was his off the record comment. So the judge he found that I was right, ha! Ha! But it is a fact that most people don’t believe anything. That was an eye opener for me.

Thank you all very much!