20200229 Saṅkīrtana Begins Within the Closed Doors of Śrīvāsa's House

20200229 JAYAPATAKA SWAMI GURU MAHARAJ, SRI KRSNA CAITANYA BOOK COMPILATION, SRI MAYAPUR DHAM, INDIA

Mukham karoti vacalam pangum langayate girim

Yat kripa tam aham vande sri gurum dina tarinam

Paramananda Madhavam Sri Caitanya Isvaram

So kirtan begins within the closed doors of Srivas’s house. Caitanya Caritamrita Adi Lila.

Translation and purport by Srila Prabhupada:

“This ecstatic chanting was performed with doors closed so that non-believers who came to make fun could not gain entrance.”

Purport: Chanting the Hare Krsna maha mantra is open to everyone but sometimes non-believers come to disturb the ceremony of chanting. It is indicated herein that wonders of… the temple doors should be closed. Only bona fide chanters should be admitted. Others should not. But when there is large scale chanting of the Hare Krsna maha mantra, we keep our temples open for everyone to join and by the grace of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, this policy has given good results.”

So there are many people who have joined the Hare Krsna movement because the doors have been kept open for everyone. But the situation in Navadvip, 500 and some years ago was completely negative for chanting the names out loud. The culture was that no one should chant the name of God loud, that would be taking the name of the Lord in vain. So, they would criticize and disturb the chanting. Maybe it is like that in some parts of the world, but generally there is freedom of religion in other parts of the world. And so we let everybody come, but if someone comes and offends the deity, offends what we are doing, then we ask the person to leave because everyone is open to come, but if they come, they should come in a proper respectful attitude.

Caitanya Carita Mahakavya: Sanskrit:

“The intelligent Srivas Pandit a great soul with generous character and natural devotion to the Lord, more serious and pure, engaging in his svadharma, in control of his mind and senses, rejoiced in serving the Lord daily.

The great soul Srivas took pleasure in the Lord’s association and performed pastimes constantly with Him by worship dancing, chanting and various sentiments.”

So, Srivas, he took advantage of the presence of Lord Caitanya. And participated in His pastimes, chanting, dancing and displaying various sentiments. So he was doing this constantly. That was giving himself, the Lord and other associates great spiritual bliss.

Caitanya Bhagavata:

When the vaisnavas heard the chanting of Lord Caitanya, they became filled with bliss, in ecstasy! So Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu in this way began His kirtan pastimes.

In Srivas Thakur’s garden, they had kirtan every night, except some days the kirtan was held at Candrasekara’s house.

“Nityananda, Gadadhara, Advaita, Srivas, Vidyanidhi, Murari, Hiranya, Haridas, Gangadas, Vanamali, Vijaya, Nandana, Jagadananda, Budhimanta Khan, Narayana, Kasiswara, Vasudeva, Rama, Garuda, Govinda, Govinda Nandana, Gopinath, Jagadish, Sriman, Sridhar, Sadasiva, Vakreswara, Srigarbha, Suklambara, Brahmananda, Purushottama, Sanjaya and innumerable other servants of Lord Caitanya were present in those kirtans. I only know a few names out of many.”

So many devotees participated in the nocturnal kirtans of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Some of the names have been mentioned here, but there were many more which could not be explained by Vrndavandas Thakur.

So, all these devotees participated in the dancing of Lord Caitanya. Other than these associates, no one else was allowed to be present there.

The Lord’s loud roaring and chanting of Hari in the night, was so tumultuous that it seemed to shatter the entire universe! So it seemed as anyone who was listening

“The people of the world are engaged in sense gratification during the day and sleep at night. But the devotees who are under the shelter of the Lord, engage in chanting the names of Hari at night, rather than sleeping. Just as they do in their course of their activities during the day.”

So the devotees used this time to gather together and to chant the holy names of the Lord. So, when the Viceroy of India, he came to Mayapur to find out. He was a Britisher, and at that time, they had applied for the post office to be called Sri Mayapur. So, there was a challenge from Navadvip, that we are the real Mayapur. We are the prachin, old Mayapur, they are upstarts! So then, you see, at that time there were no loudspeakers. So the chanting of Lord Caitanya at the house of Srivas would disturb the sleep of the Cand Kazi. And he was in Brahma pukur, his residence is still visible. So, that is possible to listen. The place that they call prachin Mayapur is on the other side of the Ganges. And that is like another 3-4 kilometers away. You couldn’t hear, that would be too far! So the Viceroy of India, who was a Britisher, the Lord, HE CITED THAT THIS IS THE REALY MAYAPUR! THIS IS SRI MAYAPUR! HARIBOL! That was a big victory! That time he wanted his tea. But Srila Bhaktisiddanta Saraswati Thakur said give him whatever he wants! Ha! So they gave him his tea! Ha! So they went to a tea stall to get some tea for him, because in the Matt they did not have tea!

Caitanya Caritamrita, Adi lila:

Translation by Srila Prabhupada:

“Thus the non-believers almost burnt to ashes and died out of envy.”

HA! HA!

“To retaliate, they planned various ways to give trouble to Srivas Thakur.”

So, they would listen outside the house and hear the loud chanting of Hare Krsna inside. Some would walk by and listen and say, see, you hear them? They are drinking alcohol and enjoying, dancing or partying with ladies! I think they are chanting Hare Krsna, said the passerby. Huh! Are you one of them? Ha! Ha! Envious people they were so angry that they couldn’t come in! So they were spinning out various offensive things.

So hearing this that sound of the kirtan, they atheists jumped around in anger and said, these fellows drink wine at night. So, atheism is very prominent among those who are envious against the devotional service of the Lord. They would say that devotees are uselessly shouting at night due to drinking wine. Or they would use the word bagiya which means jumping with anger.

These fellows, they know the mystic power of Madhumati, they are chanting the mantras at night, to call five virgins! So, in the previous times people used different types of black magic to enjoy different kinds of illicit activities and illicit sex. So, people knew that such things existed had in the past, so the envious people were falsely accusing the devotees of practicing black magic! And also even today, they misunderstand what the devotees are doing and think that somehow they are engaged in some form of intoxication. Although the devotees were engaged in unmotivated, transcendental, chanting of the holy names in kirtan. So in a book called the Trikalasa Dipika, one learns how to control the heavenly damsel called Madhumati and in this way get control of hundreds of heavenly damsels. And then you can go to heaven, to hell, to any place in the world. Such an art exists. So they were accusing the devotees, of practicing this black magic. Although they were chanting in ecstasy.

Four praharas, eight praharas, so 12 hours went by, we couldn’t sleep all night. These people all we hear is them chanting loudly, bolo, bolo, bolo! Haribol!

So in this way, the atheist people were speaking so many offensive things in anger. But Sri Sacinanandan was blissfully engaging in kirtan.

In this way, in Navadvipa dham, Viswambara Rai, Lord Viswambara, along with His devotees, engaged in sankirtan constantly.

So as they performed kirtan at night, the Lord closed the door from the inside. So that the outsiders could not enter.

Thus ends the chapter Sankirtan begins within the closed doors of Srivas’s house.

Haridhwani! Ulu dhwani!

So there is a book table tonight. Anyone wants to get their book signed. Now I will answer questions for 10-12 minutes.

Question: Dear guru maharaj: PAMRO. (Guru maharaj: YES!) I am here in Mayapur, doing Navadvip parikrama in the Tamil group. I wish to take shelter guru maharaj. Your daughter, Garisma, Co-pilot.

Guru maharaj: Where is she?

(We will do shelter after questions and answers)

Question: Dear guru maharaj, PAMHO, AGTSP! What is the actual meaning of carrying the lotus feet of the spiritual master in one’s heart? What does a disciple do to achieve this position and what are the symptoms of such a disciple? Your insignificant fallen servant, Prema Gaurasundar das

Guru maharaj: Well, it means that one carries the instructions of the guru in one’s heart and one tries to seriously carry out his instructions. So, the symptoms of such a person are transcendental. Ha!

Question: Dear guru maharaj, PAMHO, AGTSP! Does this mean that Lord Caitanya began the night club culture with the transcendental motivation? (Guru maharaj: Ha! Ha! )He is also known to have started the first disobedience movement. Your servant, Sujitendriya das.

Guru maharaj: He started civil disobedience for the right cause! Similarly, He started staying up at night and having festivities for the right cause! Ha! Ha!

Question: Dear guru maharaj. When will you be coming to Iskcon Kuching, Malaysia? Eagerly waiting for you. Purushottam (8 years old)

Guru maharaj: Kuching. Well when I go to Malaysia I may go to Kuching. Kuching leaders should invite me! Kuching is in Borneo in east Malaysia. So I would like to go there. I went there several times. The tribals in east Malaysia, they were dancing one time. They have the culture that the Supreme Personality of Godhead dances with a feather on His head! And He has the female counterpart. So this is very much like Radha and Krsna. So, if possible I would like to go to Kuching.

Submission:  Dear guru maharaj: Tomorrow one Chinese couple sponsored the International Parikrama Party’s breakfast in your name to pray for your health! Guru maharaj: Wow!

Question: Dear guru maharaj, PAMRO. I am always inspired by the disciples of Ramanujacarya. I also want to be dedicated in a similar way to you. But being a grihasta and a woman, sometimes I find it difficult to balance both material and spiritual. In which aspect can I please you? Please guide me. Your servant.

Guru maharaj: Now, personal servant of Ramanuja was a grihasta. And people criticized him. So then Ramanuja sent out two people and they came into the house where the wife of the personal servant was resting. And she had on her, gold ear rings and gold bracelets. So then she recognized, she saw that these are the students of Ramanujacarya, my guru. So then she turned over on one side so that they could easily steal her gold ornaments. But then she thought the other side is hidden, so I will turn over. And then they got frightened, maybe she woke up! So they pulled themselves out of the house, they had entered through the roof and so exited through the roof. So then they hid outside in the forest when they say that the servant of Ramanuja came and he saw his wife had ornaments on only one half. He said, what happened to you? Why are you wearing ornaments only on one side? She told what happened. And then he said, this is your problem. You THINK THAT YOU OWN THE ORNAMENTS! EVERYTHING BELONGS TO THE GURU! YOU HAVE NOTHING TO GIVE HIM! EVERYTHING ALREADY BELONGS TO HIM! And then the servants of Ramanuja who were hiding in the forest, heard all this. Then they went and Ramanujacarya sent them to the house of brahmacaris and sannyasis. They just took their kaupins and mixed them up! Their loin cloths, if you don’t know what kaupin is! In the morning they woke up and said, hey, you took my kaupin! And they had a real fight over their loin cloths! Ha! Ha! While the grihasta, he lost his gold but he was chastising the wife saying she lost the property of the guru. She thought she was giving. But anyway everything belongs to the guru. But the sannyasis were late to come to the guru’s class, fighting over who took whose kaupin!! So then Ramanuja asked the servants what happened. And they explained what happened. And all the sannyasis felt embarrassed that they fought over their kaupins. And the grihastas were unattached even to gold! So what does the kaupin value? So it doesn’t matter whether one is man or woman, grihasta or sannyasi, it is where your consciousness is. Haribol!