20200212 Mahāprabhu's First Manifestation at the House of Śuklāmbara Brahmacārī (Part 3)

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

Hariḥ oṁ tat sat!

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 1.74

gotraṁ nu vardhatām iti

Jayapatākā Swami: Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura, most magnanimous, was the first to speak. He said, may Kṛṣṇa increase our assembly of devotees. Now, Śrīla Prabhupāda always said that there are two kinds of devotees – the goṣṭhyānandī and the bhajanānandīs. The goṣṭhyānandīs want to increase the number of devotees, increase the family, increase the assembly, we increase the devotees. Bhajanānandīs are interested in their personal bhajan and they want to achieve their spiritual liberation. So, some people think, Śrīla Gaura Kiśora dāsa Bābājī was a bhajanānandī because he only had two disciples. But since he had Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda Ṭhākura as his disciple, and since He had Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda as his disciple and since Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura was a goṣṭhyānandī, he wanted to increase the number of devotees. So from that we can understand that actually Śrīla Gaura Kiśora dāsa Bābājī was very humble. But actually, he would like to see the number of devotees’ increase. So therefore, he had Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Prabhupāda Ṭhākura as his disciple. In the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, we want to see more devotees, happier devotees! That was one of our mottos in one of the previous ILS. So, we want to see the number of devotees increase and Śrīvāsa, when he heard that Nimāi Paṇḍita had become a parama-vaiṣṇava, he said that let Kṛṣṇa increase our family, let Kṛṣṇa increase the number of devotees. So, there is a natural desire of the devotees to want to increase the number of devotees, increase those who are practicing Kṛṣṇa consciousness! Haribol! So, again if You feel, may our family increase.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 1.75

ānande karena sabe kṛṣṇa-saṁkathana
uṭhila maṅgala-dhvani parama-mohana

Jayapatākā Swami: All the devotees were discussing the topics of Kṛṣṇa with great happiness. And as a result, a sound arose which was auspicious, and most enchanting! Parama mohāna!

 Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 1.76

‘tathāstu’ ’tathāstu’ bale bhāgavata-gaṇa
‘sabei bhajuka kṛṣṇacandrera caraṇa’

Jayapatākā Swami: All the devotees present were chanting, ‘tathāstu’ ’tathāstu’! So be it! So be it! Everyone wanted that people should worship Kṛṣṇa and take shelter of Lord Kṛṣṇacandra’s lotus feet. So, after Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura said, let everyone worship Kṛṣṇa, so all the devotees in great bliss, they all said, ‘tathāstu’ ’tathāstu’ SO BE IT! LET EVERYONE BE A DEVOTEE! HARIBOL!

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 1.77

hena-mate puṣpa tuli’ bhāgavata-gaṇa
pūjā karibāre sabe karilā gamana

Jayapatākā Swami: In this way, the devotees were picking the flowers and then do their morning worship they returned to their home.

 Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 1.78

śrīmān-paṇḍita calilena gaṅgā-tīre
śuklāmbara-brahmacārītāhāna mandire

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Śrīmān Paṇḍita, he went to the house of Śuklāmbara Brahmācārī, which was on the side of the Ganges.

 Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 1.79

śuniyā e-saba kathā prabhu-gadādhara
śuklāmbara gṛha-prati calilā satvara

Jayapatākā Swami: After Gadādhara prabhu heard the news of Lord Caitanya’s devotion, He went to the house of Śuklāmbara Brahmācārī quickly.

 Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 1.80

’ki ākhyāna kṛṣṇera kahena śuni giyā’
thākilena śuklāmbara-gṛhe lokāiyā

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Gadādhara prabhu was thinking, let Me hear what topics about Kṛṣṇa, Nimāi Paṇḍita would relate. So Gadādhara prabhu hid inside Śuklāmbara Brahmācārī’s house.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 1.81

sadāśiva, murāri, śrīmān, śuklāmbara
mililā sakala yata prema-anucara

Jayapatākā Swami: So, the loving companions of Lord Gaurāṅga, namely Sadāśiva, Murāri, Śrīmān and Śuklāmbara Brahmācārī all met together at Śuklāmbara Brahmācārī’s house.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 1.82

henai samaye viśvambhara dvija-rāja
āsiyā mililā hethā vaiṣṇava-samāja

Jayapatākā Swami: At that time, the King of the twice-born, Lord Viśvambar a , He arrived there and He met the assembled vaiṣṇavas.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 1.83

parama-ānande sabe karena sambhāṣa
prabhura nāhika bāhya-dṛṣṭi-parakāśa

Jayapatākā Swami: In great transcendental bliss, all the devotees welcomed the Lord. But Lord Viśvambara didn’t manifest any external vision. He was in total ecstasy.

 Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 1.84

dekhilena mātra prabhu bhāgavata-gaṇa
paḍite lāgilā śloka bhaktira lakṣaṇa

Jayapatākā Swami: When the Lord saw the devotees, He began to recite different ślokas which were glorifying the qualities of devotees and characteristics of devotional service. Lord Caitanya who was overwhelmed in love of Kṛṣṇa, He recited the following verses glorifying the characteristics of devotional service:

sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam
hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate

“Bhakti, or devotional service, means engaging all our senses in the service of the Lord, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the master of all the senses. When the spirit soul renders service unto the Supreme, there are two side effects. One is freed from all material designations, and, simply by being employed in the service of the Lord, one’s senses are purified.’

anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam
ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānu-śīlanaṁ bhaktir uttamā

One should render transcendental, loving service to the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa favorably and without desire for material profit or gain through fruitive activities or philosophical speculation, that is called pure devotional service.

Lord Caitanya also recited the following verse sung by Madhavendra Puri:

pāinu, īśvara mora kon dike gelā?—“I attained My Lord, but, oh, where has He gone?”

ayi dīna-dayārdra nātha he
mathurā-nātha kadāvalokyase
hṛdayaṁ tvad-aloka-kātaraṁ dayita
bhrāmyati kiṁ karomy aham

“O My Lord! O most merciful master! O master of Mathurā! When shall I see You again? Because of My not seeing You, My agitated heart has become unsteady. O most beloved one, what shall I do now?” This verse indicates the mood of separation from the Lord.”

This verse indicates how Caitanya Mahāprabhu is absorbed in separation of Lord Kṛṣṇa.So since the GBCs are taking rest, we will stop here. Someone said they could hear my voice, they didn’t hear what I was saying, but they heard my voice!

Question: Hare Kṛṣṇa, In Caitanya-caritāmṛta Adi-līlā, 17.265 purport, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, however, expected that even the caste brāhmaṇas would offer respectful obeisances to a sannyāsī because five hundred years ago the social custom was to offer obeisances immediately to any sannyāsī, known or unknown.

devatā-pratimāṁ dṛṣṭvā yatiṁ caiva tridaṇḍinam
namaskāraṁ na kuryād yaḥ prāyaścittīyate naraḥ

“One who does not offer respect to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, to His Deity in the temple or to a tridaṇḍī sannyāsī must undergo prāyaścitta [atonement].” If one does not offer obeisances to such a sannyāsī, the prescribed prāyaścitta is to fast for one day.

Now in Mayapur, especially during festival, we are blessed to see many Vaiṣṇava sannyāsīs. Sometimes I pay obeisances to some and sometimes not. So what should I do? Should I pay obeisances to all the sannyāsīs whoever we see every day, every time? Please enlighten me.

Jayapatākā Swami: You should, the first time you see a sannyāsī, you should pay your obeisances. You don’t have to pay every time you see him. The spiritual master generally, we pay obeisances, every time we see him. But to other sannyāsīs, we pay once a day. I asked Śrīla Prabhupāda when he was sending me to India, what should I do if I meet a sannyāsī? He said, pay your obeisances! I was a brahmacārī at that time.

Anyone leaving tomorrow? Tomorrow is the opening of the Pujari floor in the TOVP and I have to give class in the morning for 15 minutes. Although Gopal Kṛṣṇa Mahārāja and Rādhānātha Swami are giving class, each one of us about 15 minutes. So I will call the night, Haribol!

Transcribed by Jayarāseśvarī devī dāsī, 12th February 2020

Verified by Rasapriyā gopikā devī dāsī, 21st May 2020