20200606 Lord Narasiṁhadeva Punishes Kazi

Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book Compilation by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on 6^th June 2020 in Śrīdhāma Māyāpur, India

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

Introduction: So, we are continuing Lord Caitanya’s meeting with the Chand Kazi, the procession was elaborated by the Caitanya-bhāgavata, but this section is elaborated by Caitanya-caritāmṛta, this chapter is entitled:

Lord Narasiṁhadeva Punishes Kazi

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā, 17.172

prabhura punarāya praśna

āra eka praśna kari, śuna, tumi māmā
yathārtha kahibe, chale nā vañchibe āmā’

Translation: “My dear maternal uncle, I wish to ask you another question. Please tell Me the truth. Do not try to cheat Me with tricks.”

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā, 17.173

tomāra nagare haya sadā saṅkīrtana
vādya-gīta-kolāhala, saṅgīta, nartana

Translation: “In your city there is always congregational chanting of the holy name. A tumultuous uproar of music, singing and dancing is always going on.”

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā, 17.174

tumi kājī—hindu-dharma-virodhe adhikārī
ebe ye nā kara mānā bujhite nā pāri

Translation: “As a Muslim magistrate, you have the right to oppose the performance of Hindu ceremonies, but now you do not forbid them. I cannot understand the reason why.”

Jayapatākā Swami: After the Chand Kazi has opposed the performance of kīrtana, broken the mṛdaṅga and threatened the devotees, even he has beaten some, but then, now Lord Caitanya is asking, why he is no longer forbidding them, He wants to understand the reason why.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā, 17.175

kājīra uttara-pradānamukhe svīya svapna-kāhinī

kājī bale—sabhe tomāya bale ’gaurahari’
sei nāme āmi tomāya sambodhana kari

Translation: The Kazi said, “Everyone calls You Gaurahari. Please let me address You by that name.”

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā, 17.176

śuna, gaurahari, ei praśnera kāraṇa
nibhṛta hao yadi, tabe kari nivedana

Translation: Kindly listen, “O Gaurahari! If You come to a private place, I shall then explain the reason.”

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā, 17.177

‘prabhura’ āśvāsa-dāna :

prabhu bale,—e loka āmāra antaraṅga haya
sphuṭa kari’ kaha tumi, nā kariha bhaya

Translation: The Lord replied, “All these men are My confidential associates. You may speak frankly. There is no reason to be afraid of them.”

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Chand Kazi wanted to talk to Lord Caitanya in private, but Lord Caitanya informed him, that all these associates are intimate associates, and that there is no reason to fear them, and he can speak frankly.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā, 17.178

kājīra svapna vṛttānta varṇana –

kājī kahe,—yabe āmi hindura ghare giyā
kīrtana kariluṅ mānā mṛdaṅga bhāṅgiyā

Translation: The Kazi said, “When I went to the Hindu’s house, broke the drum and forbade the performance of congregational chanting, …

Jayapatākā Swami: The mṛdaṅga drum is made out of clay with some leather straps, leather from cows, which die of old age. So, it is easy to break those drums because they are made out of burnt clay.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā, 17. 179

svapne nṛsiṁhadeva haḍte vibhīṣikā —

sei rātre eka siṁha mahā-bhayaṅkara
nara-deha, siṁha-mukha, garjaye vistara

Translation: …in my dreams that very night I saw a greatly fearful lion, roaring very loudly, His body like a human being’s and His face like a lion’s.

Jayapatākā Swami: Obviously, the Chand Kazi had a visitation by Narasiṁhadeva, the form of the Lord, half lion and half man!

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā, 17.180

śayane āmāra upara lāpha diyā caḍi’
aṭṭa aṭṭa hāse, kare danta-kaḍamaḍi

Translation: While I was asleep, the lion jumped on my chest, laughing fiercely, and gnashing His teeth.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā, 17.181

mora buke nakha diyā ghora-svare bale
phāḍimu tomāra buka mṛdaṅga badale

Translation: Placing its nails on my chest, the lion said in a grave voice, “I shall immediately bifurcate your chest as you broke the mṛdaṅga drum!

Jayapatākā Swami: So, the Chand Kazi had broken the mṛdaṅga drum, which was a paraphernalia of the kīrtana of Lord Caitanya. Lord Narasiṁhadeva is saying that, just as you have broken the drum, I will bifurcate your chest!

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā, 17.182

mora kīrtana mānā karis, karimu tora kṣaya
āṅkhi mudi’ kāṅpi āmi pāñā baḍa bhaya

Translation: You have forbidden the performance of My congregational chanting. Therefore, I must destroy you!” Being very much afraid of Him, I closed my eyes and trembled.

Jayapatākā Swami: This chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare, is the chanting of the Lord’s names, and if anyone obstructs that chanting, then the Lord, He may take vengeance on that person.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā, 17.183

bhīta dekhi’ siṁha bale ha-iyā sadaya
tore śikṣā dite kailu tora parājaya

Translation: Seeing me so afraid, the lion said, “I have defeated you just to teach you a lesson, but I must be merciful to you.

Jayapatākā Swami: This is the nature of Narasiṁhadeva, He is very fierce, at the same time, He is very gentle and merciful.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā, 17.184

se dina bahuta nāhi kaili utpāta
teñi kṣamā kari’ nā karinu prāṇāghāta

Translation: On that day you did not create a very great disturbance. Therefore, I have excused you and not taken your life.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā, 17.185

aiche yadi punaḥ kara, tabe nā sahimu

savaṁśe tomāre māri yavana nāśimu

Translation: But if you perform such activities again, I shall not be tolerant. At that time, I shall kill you, your entire family and all the meat-eaters.”

Jayapatākā Swami: So, this was Narasiṁhadeva’s threat to the Chand Kazi.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā, 17.186

eta kahi’ siṁha gela, āmāra haila bhaya
ei dekha, nakha-cihna amora hṛdaya

Translation: After saying this, the lion left, but I was very much afraid of Him. Just see the marks of His nails on my heart!”

Jayapatākā Swami: So, although the Chand Kazi had seen Narasiṁhadeva in a dream, actually Narasiṁhadeva had scraped His nails over his chest. As a result, even when the Chand Kazi woke up, he still had those marks on his chest.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā, 17.187

eta bali’ kājī nija-buka dekhāila
śuni’ dekhi’ sarva-loka āścarya mānila

Translation: After this description, the Kazi showed his chest. Having heard him and seen the marks, all the people there accepted the wonderful incident.

Jayapatākā Swami: Since dreams may be for various reasons, that whether to believe it or not, is always a question. But since the Chand Kazi had the marks of the lion on his chest, there is no doubt that he had this vision and had this experience. So, that is why he didn’t object to the kīrtana afterwards.

Thus, ends the chapter entitled Lord Narasiṁhadeva Punishes Kazi.

So, we will have some questions, especially from China and Russia!

Question: Hare Kṛṣṇa dear Guru Mahārāja. Please accept my respectful obeisance, King Pratāparudra and Rāmānanda Rāya both were externally materialists, having opulent positons, but internally pure devotees. Why Lord Caitanya kept King Pratāparudra away because he was wealthy and materialistic, and discussed but discussed most confidential pastimes with Rāmānanda Rāya? Same is the case with Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi, who was externally exhibiting himself as a materialist, but internally he was a pure devotee. What is the difference between King Pratāparudra externally a materialist, and Rāmānanda Rāya and Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi externally a materialist or have opulent, material positions? – Rāmananda Kanāi dāsa.

Jayapatākā Swami: The difference is that Pratāparudra was a king, and that Lord Caitanya wanted to establish that, one should avoid kings. Although Rāmānanda Rāya was a governor, and although Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi was a landlord, what they called a zamindar, they were not kings as such. So, Lord Caitanya actually ultimately, gave mercy to king Pratāparudra, but officially, he wanted to teach His followers not to hob-nob with politicians, associate with politicians.

Question: Dearmost Guru Mahārāja! Please accept my respectful obeisances, All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda. It is mentioned that only after self-realization one attains the stage of understanding devotional service. That one who is in the bodily concept of existence cannot understand the process of devotional service. Nārada-bhakti-sūtra 1. Could you kindly elaborate on this? Thank you very much.

Your insignificant servant,
Ojasvinī Rādhikā devī dāsī.

Jayapatākā Swami: I don’t know who translated Nārada-bhakti-sūtra, I don’t know if it is proper translation. But the idea is, that we understand that we are not the body. We are the spirit soul. And devotional service is offered on the platform of the spirit soul to Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme spirit. Jīvera svarūpa haya kṛṣṇer nitya-dāsa - that the jīva is the eternal servitor of Lord Kṛṣṇa. And devotional service is on the transcendental platform. In the spiritual world, people are in a loving relationship with Kṛṣṇa, and His expansions. In the material world, people falsely identify with the body, and are in a lusty position. So, to really understand devotional service, one should appreciate what the spiritual reality is, because devotional service is offered on the spiritual platform.

Question: Dear Guru Mahārāja! Please accept my respectful obeisances to your divine lotus feet. How can I get rid of mental speculations?

Your spiritual son,
Sarveśvara Govinda dāsa.

Jayapatākā Swami: We should read the books of Śrīla Prabhupāda, and fill up our consciousness with proper, spiritual understanding, and there is no reason to speculate on anything. Śrīla Prabhupāda has explained everything we need to know.

Question [From the Spanish Page]: When one dreams of one’s spiritual master and receives instructions from him, can we consider these dreams completely real?

Your servant,
Sarveśvarya Acyuta dāsa.

Jayapatākā Swami: Unless the dream is something strange that the guru would not do, it may be real. If the Guru is present, you can always ask him, if the instruction that was received should be followed. If the Guru is not present, he is no longer in this world, you can ask various senior godbrothers what they think. Sometimes the dreams are real, just as the Chand Kazi had a dream of Narasiṁhadeva, and that was real.

Question: Hare Kṛṣṇa dear Guru Mahārāja! Please accept my respectful obeisances. Sometimes our affection and compassion to someone turns to attachment. As a result, we experience suffering from that attachment. Kindly guide us the procedure to deal our personal relationships without being attached.

Your servant,
Shuvra Deb Babu.

Jayapatākā Swami: The point is that we should do everything out of attachment to Kṛṣṇa. We give our compassion to devotees, out of our attachment to Kṛṣṇa. We want to please Kṛṣṇa. So, we show our compassion to some devotee. But as Lord Caitanya said in the third verse of the Sīkṣāṣṭaka, we should not expect any reciprocation. Maybe we offer some respect to others, and we expect to have some reciprocation, that’s māyā. We should avoid that, and that is the advice of Lord Caitanya. In this way, one can always chant the holy name. But if we give respect to someone, and become attached to that person, and that person doesn’t reciprocate, then we can suffer, and then that impedes your chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa. So, we are advised not to do that, not to expect any appreciation, we just do it out of our attachment to Kṛṣṇa. Last question.

Question: Hare Kṛṣṇa Guru Mahārāja! Please accept my respectful obeisances. All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda, All glories to Your lotus feet! Guru Mahārāja When we see the ladder in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, niṣṭhā comes after anartha-nivṛtti. So, is that I will become steady in practicing devotional service after I become free from all anarthas?

Your servant,
Śrīguru Sevānandinī devī dāsī.

Jayapatākā Swami: The anarthas are such that, we have some days very good, strong, some days not so good, not so strong, that means unsteady, and then niṣṭhā means you are steady. So, when you actually become almost free from the anarthas, you become more fixed, more steady in practicing devotional service. There may be minor anarthas, but as they decrease, your niṣṭha increases. Hare Kṛṣṇa!

Thank you all very much. Hare Kṛṣṇa!