20200507 Lord Caitanya Awards the Gift of Love of Kṛṣṇa to An Astrologer

mūkaṁ karoti vācālaṁ paṅguṁ laṅghayate girim
yat-kṛpā tam ahaṁ vande śrī-guruṁ dīna-tāraṇam
paramānanda-mādhavam śrī caitanya īśvaram
Harihi oṁ tat sat

We are late today because a typhoon came, and the translation was delayed. Now the rain has stopped, the typhoon has passed. We are reading how Lord Caitanya Awards the gift of love of Kṛṣṇa to an astrologer. Haribol! Today is the Pūrṇimā, full moon day. The appearance day of Mādhavendra Purī and Śrīnivāsa Ācārya and Buddha Pūrṇimā, the avatāra of Lord Buddha. So today is a very special day and any donations made given today, any service done today, you get 100 times the benefit. This is the last day of the month of Vaiśākha, and this a very sacred day of Purnima. We just heard that a lot of devotees in Bangladesh, about 1300 families, are without any savings. They are actually, going hungry. So, we are trying to arrange some relief to send to them. Some of the temples in Bangladesh and India, some of the tribal devotees, are also in great need. And then we are distributing prasādam here in Navadvīpa-dhāma and through your kind donations, we are now able to increase prasādam distribution. We just have to work out the logistics. But it seems we could increase about 40%. So, I thank all the devotees for their help and so now we will go on.

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Chapter entitled as Lord Caitanya Awards the Gift of Love of Kṛṣṇa to An Astrologer

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā, 17.103

jyotiṣīke prabhura nija-pūrvaparicaya-jijñāsā —

āra dine jyotiṣa sarva-jña eka āila
tāhāre sammāna kari’ prabhu praśna kaila

Anubhāṣya: jyotiṣīra vṛttānta caitanyabhāgavate dṛṣṭa haya nā.

Translation: On another day an astrologer came who was said to know everything—past, present and future. Thus Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu received him with all honor and put this question before him.

PURPORT: Brāhmaṇas generally used to become astrologers, Āyur-vedic physicians, teachers and priests. Although highly learned and respectable, such brāhmaṇas went from door to door to distribute their knowledge. A brāhmaṇa would first go to a householder’s home to give information about the functions to be performed on a particular tithi, or date, but if there were sickness in the family, the family members would consult the brāhmaṇa as a physician, and the brāhmaṇa would give instruction and some medicine. Often, since the brāhmaṇas were expert in astrology, people would also be greatly inquisitive about their past, present and future.

Although the brāhmaṇa appeared at Lord Caitanya’s house as a beggar, Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu received him with great respect because he was a qualified brāhmaṇa who knew the astrological science perfectly. Although brāhmaṇas would go door to door just like beggars, they were honored as very respectable guests. This was the system in Hindu society five hundred years ago, during the time of Caitanya Mahāprabhu. This system was current even one hundred years ago; even fifty or sixty years ago, when we were children, such brāhmaṇas would visit householders like humble beggars, and people would derive great benefit from the mercy of such brāhmaṇas. The greatest benefit was that a householder could save a great deal of money from being spent on doctor bills because the brāhmaṇas, aside from explaining the past, present and future, could ordinarily cure all kinds of diseases simply by giving instructions and some medicine. Thus no one was bereft of the benefit of a first-class physician, astrologer and priest. The important members of ISKCON should give careful attention to our Dallas school, where children are being taught Sanskrit and English to become perfect brāhmaṇas. If they are actually trained as perfect brāhmaṇas, they can save society from rogues and ruffians; indeed, people can live happily under the protection of qualified brāhmaṇas. Therefore, the Bhagavad-gītā (4.13) gives special stress to the division of society (cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ). Unfortunately, some people are now claiming to be brāhmaṇas simply by birthright, with no qualifications. Therefore, the entire society is in chaos.

Jayapatākā Swami: Now you can see how the brāhmaṇas in society were providing very essential services, and they brought the knowledge they had to every householder. And they were providing service to the householders. So, in this way the society was very systematic. Now you have physicians who are not having the qualities of brāhmaṇas. And also, they charge a lot. So, in this way the society is, as Śrīla Prabhupāda said, in chaos. And that, people cannot get the medical help unless they are wealthy. In some countries of the world, they have free medical service. But here we see the brāhmaṇas would offer like first aid, house to house. Tell the people how to observe a particular festival and they would be also be expert astrologers. All these things are needed, but at present they are not so much available.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā, 17.104

ke āchiluṅ āmi pūrva janme kaha gaṇi’
gaṇite lāgilā sarva-jña prabhu-vākya śuni’

Commentary: Adyāpi pūrva-baṅge (viśeṣataḥ ḍhākā-vibhāge) ‘chila’ ‘chile’ o ‘chilāma’ prabhṛti kriyāvibhaktisthale ‘āchila’, ‘āchilā’ o ‘āchilāma’ vyavahṛta haiyā āsiteche.

Translation: “Please tell Me who I was in My previous birth,” the Lord said. ”Please tell Me by your astrological computations.” Hearing the words of the Lord, the astrologer immediately began to calculate.

Purport: Through astrology one can know past, present and future. Modern Western astrologers have no knowledge of the past or future, nor can they perfectly say anything about the present. Herein we find, however, that after hearing Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s order, the astrologer immediately began his calculations. This was not a facade: he actually knew how to ascertain one’s past life through astrology. A still-existing treatise called the Bhṛgu-saṁhitā describes a system by which anyone can immediately get information about what he was in the past and what he is going to be in the future. The brāhmaṇas who went door to door as if beggars had perfect command of such vast knowledge. Thus, the highest knowledge was easily available even to the poorest man in society. The poorest man could inquire from an astrologer about his past, present and future, with no need for business agreements or exorbitant payments. The brāhmaṇa would give him all the benefit of his knowledge without asking remuneration, and the poor man, in return, would offer a handful of rice, or anything he had in his possession, to satisfy the brāhmaṇa. In a perfect human society, perfect knowledge in any science—medical, astrological, ecclesiastical and so on—is available even to the poorest man, with no anxiety over payment. In the present day, however, no one can get justice, medical treatment, astrological help or ecclesiastical enlightenment without money, and since people are generally poor, they are bereft of the benefits of all these great sciences.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, you can see how the Vedic society provided facilities to all the people, no matter how poor they were. The brāhmaṇas lived very simply and they would accept what was offered to them. If a person was wealthy, he would remunerate the brāhmaṇas adequately, very amply. But the brāhmaṇas would go even to the poor people. And they would give their knowledge to everybody, rich and poor, and accept whatever remuneration was offered.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā, 17.105

jyotiṣīra prabhuke parameśvara-jñāna —

gaṇi’ dhyāne dekhe sarva-jña, — mahā-jyotirmaya
ananta vaikuṇṭha-brahmāṇḍa — sabāra āśraya

Translation: Through calculation and meditation, the all-knowing astrologer saw the greatly effulgent body of the Lord, which is the resting place of all the unlimited Vaikuṇṭha planets.

Purport: Here we get some information of the Vaikuṇṭha world, or spiritual world. Vaikuṇṭha means “without anxiety.” In the material world, everyone is full of anxiety, but another world, where there is no anxiety, is described in the Bhagavad-gītā (8.20):

paras tasmāt tu bhāvo ’nyo
‘vyakto ’vyaktāt sanātanaḥ
yaḥ sa sarveṣu bhūteṣu
naśyatsu na vinaśyati

“Yet there is another unmanifest nature, which is eternal and is transcendental to this manifested and unmanifested matter. It is supreme and is never annihilated. When all in this world is annihilated, that part remains as it is.”

As there are many planets within the material world, there are many millions of planets, called Vaikuṇṭhalokas, in the spiritual world. All these Vaikuṇṭhalokas, or superior planets, rest on the effulgence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. As stated in the Brahma-saṁhitā (yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi- [Bs. 5.40]), the Brahman effulgence emanating from the body of the Supreme Lord creates innumerable planets in both the spiritual and material worlds; thus, these planets are creations of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The astrologer saw Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu to be the very same Personality of Godhead. We can just imagine how learned he was, yet he was traveling door to door, just like an ordinary beggar, for the highest benefit of human society.

Jayapatākā Swami: So here the Vaikuṇṭhaloka or the spiritual world is being revealed. Now we are having the corona virus pandemic. The Supreme Court of India said that maybe more people will be killed by the anxiety, than by the actual disease! So, this material world is a place of anxiety, where everyone suffers birth, death, old age and disease. But in the spiritual world, it is eternal, nobody dies, nobody has disease, nobody gets old. And therefore, there is no birth. So, we are meant to live in the eternal spiritual world. Somehow, we have ended up in this material world. This is due to our misuse of our independence. This astrologer, he could see that Lord Caitanya was the support of the material and spiritual universes.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā, 17.106

parama-tattva, para-brahma, parama-īśvara
dekhi’ prabhura mūrti sarva-jña ha-ila phāṅphara

Translation: Seeing Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu to be the same Absolute Truth, the Supreme Brahman, the Personality of Godhead, the astrologer was confused.

Purport: Herein it is clearly indicated that the Absolute Truth, the Supreme Brahman, is, in the ultimate issue, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore, a person is the beginning of all things. As confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā (10.8), mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate: everything begins from the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Supreme Lord is the supreme living entity. Therefore, whatever exists, whether matter or spirit, is all but an emanation from the Supreme Person, or supreme life. The modern scientists’ theory that life begins from matter is nonsense. Both matter and life begin from life. Unfortunately, the scientists do not know this scientific fact; they are drifting in the darkness of their so-called knowledge.

Jayapatākā Swami: In the TOVP West Wing, Temple of Vedic Planetarium, West Wing, we are having different exhibits on the Vedic version of the cosmology and showing how life comes from life. And matter also comes from life. The scientists’ theory is that somehow accidentally matter creates life. But that is not proven at all! If you give the scientists all the chemicals, and say, now produce life! No, he cannot do it. He cannot even make one cell. One cell, you look at a close up, it has so many parts, so many things. And like the corona virus, they are now looking at the virus, and they are trying to figure out what is the treatment, what is the vaccine. But according to the scientists, these are all accidents. But they also found out that this disease exists in bats. Some people eat bats, and somehow this animal disease came over to the human beings. So, things are not accidental. They happen because we break the laws of nature. Unfortunately, the modern people don’t know how the world is created, sustained and destroyed by the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā, 17.107

balite nā pāre kichu, mauna ha-ila
prabhu punaḥ praśna kaila, kahite lāgila

Translation: Struck with wonder, the astrologer remained silent, unable to speak. But when the Lord again put the question before him, he replied as follows.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā, 17.108

pūrva janme chilā tumi jagat-āśraya
paripūrṇa bhagavān — sarvaiśvaryamaya

Translation: “My dear sir, in Your previous birth You were the shelter of all creation, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, full of all opulences.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā, 17.109

pūrve yaiche chilā tumi ebeha se-rūpa
durvijñeya nityānanda — tomāra svarūpa

Translation: “You are now the same Personality of Godhead that You were in Your previous birth. Your identity is inconceivable eternal happiness.”

Purport: By the power of astrological science one can even ascertain the position of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Everything is to be identified by its symptoms. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is identified by the symptoms mentioned in the śāstras. It is not that anyone and everyone can become God without proof from śāstras.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, the astrologer, he was saying that Lord Caitanya is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Actually, His maternal grandfather, Nīlāmbara Cakravartī, he said He should have the name Viśvambara, one who holds the entire universe. So, he could understand that Lord Caitanya was the holder of the entire universe. So, this astrologer also saw that Lord Caitanya was the Supreme Personality of Godhead. There are certain symptoms to ascertain who is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. You should be predicted in the śāstras, scripture. You should have the symptoms which match the prediction. You should do some activities which are not possible by normal people. There was a person in South India, who claimed to be incarnation of Kalki, he said he was the Kalki avatāra. In the śāstras it is mentioned that it is the last incarnation of Godhead and comes in the last part of the Kali-yuga. So that is 430,000 years after this. Someone asked him, you say you are Kalki avatāra, but he is supposed to come after 427,000 years, aren’t you a little off time? He said, I may not be Kalki avatāra, but I am an avatāra. Like that in Kali-yuga, some people claim to be incarnation of Godhead. They do nothing exceptional and they do not match the predictions of the scriptures.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā, 17.110

prabhura nija-gopaparicaya pradāna —

prabhu hāsi’ kailā, — tumi kichu nā jānilā
pūrve āmi āchilāṅ jātite goyālā

Translation: When the astrologer was speaking so highly of Him, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu stopped him and began to smile. ”My dear sir,” He said, ”I think you do not know very clearly what I was, for I know that in My previous birth I was a cowherd boy.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā, 17.111

gopa-gṛhe janma chila, gābhīra rākhāla
sei puṇye hailāṅ ebe brāhmaṇa-chāoyāla

Translation: “In My last birth I was born in the family of cowherd men, and I gave protection to the calves and cows. Because of such pious activities, I have now become the son of a brāhmaṇa.”

Purport: The words of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, the greatest authority, herein clearly indicate that one becomes pious simply by keeping cows and protecting them. Unfortunately, people have become such rascals that they do not even care about the words of an authority. People generally consider cowherd men lowly members of society, but herein Caitanya Mahāprabhu confirms that they are so pious that in their next lives they are going to be brāhmaṇas. The caste system has a specific purpose. If this scientific system is followed, human society will get the greatest benefit. Heeding this instruction by the Lord, people should serve cows and calves and in return get ample quantities of milk. There is no loss in serving the cows and calves, but modern human society has become so degraded that instead of giving protection to the cows and serving them, people are killing them. How can they expect peace and prosperity in human society while committing such sinful activities? It is impossible.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, the point here is that the cows and calves should be protected. They should not be killed. And actually, the cows give milk almost to their death. Maximum, one or two years they live, after stopping milk. So, one can maintain the cows and protect them. Actually, the cow urine is a medicine, dung can be used in various ways. Bulls can be made as oxen and plough the fields. Just as they have now a days, organic vegetables and grains, we can have also ahiṁsā milk, where they protect the cows and calves and bulls. That milk is actually beneficial. It gives finer intelligence to the human beings. So, the International Society for Kṛṣṇa Consciousness is committed to protecting the cows and calves. Because we are killing animals to eat them, therefore we are suffering these pandemics.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā, 17.112

jyotiṣīra śaraṇa grahaṇa o premalābha —

sarva-jña kahe āmi tāhā dhyāne dekhilāṅ
tāhāte aiśvarya dekhi’ phāṅphara ha-ilāṅ

Translation: The astrologer said, “What I saw in meditation was full of opulence, and therefore I was confused.

Purport: It appears that the astrologer not only was a knower of past, present and future through astrological calculation, but was a great meditator as well. Therefore, he was a great devotee and could see Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu to be the same personality as Kṛṣṇa. He was puzzled, however, about whether Kṛṣṇa and Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu were actually the same person.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā, 17.113

sei-rūpe ei-rūpe dekhi ekākāra
kabhu bheda dekhi, ei māyāya tomāra

Translation: “I am certain that Your form and the form I saw in my meditation are one and the same. If I see any difference, this is an act of Your illusory energy.”

Purport: Śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya rādhā-kṛṣṇa nahe anya: in the vision of a perfect devotee, Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu is a combination of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. One who sees Lord Caitanya to be different from Kṛṣṇa is under the illusory energy of the Lord. It appears that the astrologer was already an advanced devotee, and when he came into the presence of the Supreme Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, he became perfectly self-realized and could see that the Supreme Personality of Godhead Kṛṣṇa and Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu are one and the same Supreme Person.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, this astrologer, he had a special mercy. Where he could see that Lord Caitanya was non-different from Kṛṣṇa. They were the same Supreme Person. What Lord Caitanya said, is one sense true, that in His previous birth, He had the pastime as Kṛṣṇa, the son of Yaśodā and Nanda Mahārāja in His previous avatāra in this universe. And then now He had come as Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. So, Lord Caitanya is Kṛṣṇa Himself. With the heart of Radhārāṇī and the color of Radhārāṇī.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā, 17.114

jyotiṣīke kṛpā o premadāna

ye hao, se hao tumi, tomāke namaskāra
prabhu tāre prema diyā kaila puraskāra

Translation: The all-knowing astrologer concluded, “Whatever You may be or whoever You may be, I offer my respectful obeisances unto You!” By His causeless mercy, the Lord then gave him love of Godhead, thus rewarding him for his service.

Purport: The incident of Lord Caitanya’s meeting the all-knowing astrologer is not mentioned in the Caitanya-bhāgavata, but we cannot therefore say that it did not take place. On the contrary, we must accept the statement of Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī that whatever the Caitanya-bhāgavata did not mention he has especially mentioned in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta.

Jayapatākā Swami: So normally a brāhmaṇa would go house to house and offer his services which may be medical, astrological or ecclesiastical. And then the householder would give him some alms. So, he came to the house of Lord Caitanya and offered his astrological services. Then He saw that Lord Caitanya was Kṛṣṇa. Whatever You are, whoever You may be, I offer my respectful obeisances to You, and in remuneration the Lord gave him love of Kṛṣṇa! Ha! Ha! Haribol! Gaurāṅga.

Thus ends the chapter Lord Caitanya Awards the Gift of Love of Kṛṣṇa to an Astrologer

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So, since we started late, we will have only two questions, that is it.

What I was seeing that some of the pastimes are told in the Caitanya Bhāgavata, and those are not told in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta already referred to. But Caitanya-caritāmṛta respecting the author of the Caitanya-Bhāgavata, he would only tell those stories which Caitanya-Bhāgavata didn’t tell. And then Caitanya-maṅgala also did that. They told pastimes which were not so much told by the others. Like this, to get the complete picture of the Lord’s pastimes, one needs to see all the books. So that may not be possible. I am trying to combine all the books so that one can get a more complete vision of the pastimes of the Lord. Question?

Question: Dear Guru Mahārāja, Please accept my respectful obeisances. If we break the fast today with Ekādaśī prasāda I remember you saying that it helps one if one has accidentally broken Ekādaśī fast and also it is related to guru, right? Could you please elaborate on this? May Lord Narasiṁhadeva protect you always from all sides. Thank you very much. –Your servant always, Vijaya Rādhā devī dāsī

Jayapatākā Swami: I don’t fully understand the question. I mean in the Narasiṁha-caturdaśī, most devotees unless they have some health issue, they fast till the sunset and then they take prasāda. It is voluntary to take anukalpa or Ekādaśī type prasāda. Most devotees in Māyāpur voluntarily accept that. Since we have Narasiṁhadeva Deity, like if some devotees have Deities of Sītā Rāma Lakṣmaṇa Hanumān, they observe fasting on Rāma-navamī, and also on appearance day of Sītā Devī. The same way we observe fasting on the appearance of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. If one accidentally breaks Ekādaśī, Śrīla Prabhupāda said that you can observe the Ekādaśī fast on Trayodaśī. Dvādaśī you have to take grain. On Trayodaśī, you can do the Ekādaśī fasting as a penance. Normally I always observe Ekādaśī with the mercy of Kṛṣṇa. Once there was a new devotee who was asked to make Ekādaśī prasāda salad for me once. But he by mistake gave a mung sprout salad. So, I had to observe Ekādaśī on Trayodaśī.

Question: Rādhikā devī dāsī: Hare Kṛṣṇa Guru Mahārāja: Lord Śiva being a great Vaiṣṇava, why can He not take anyone to Kṛṣṇa? Also, being in the Rudra sampradāya being a bona fide sampradāya, they cannot go back to Godhead someway?

Jayapatākā Swami: Members of the Rudra sampradāya can go back to Kṛṣṇa, can go back to Godhead. They are one of the four Vaiṣṇava sampradāyas. Someone who worships Śiva as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he cannot go back to Godhead. He goes to Lord Śiva. And if someone worships Śiva as a devotee, and if they are in His paramparā, or He is the Founder-Ācārya, then naturally they can go back to the spiritual world. Hare Kṛṣṇa!

Thank you very much!