20200608 Deliverance of Chand Kazi and the Result of Hearing the Pastime

Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book Compilation by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on 8^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: We have for so many days, about ten days we have been listening to the pastime of the Chand Kazi, how he broke the mṛdaṅga, gave the order not to do kīrtana, had some Vaiṣṇavas beaten and threatened to convert everybody forcefully. Then Lord Caitanya organized a massive civil disobedience kīrtana, and that was a universal kīrtana where people from all over the universe, the denizens, even the residents of the celestial planets participated. Some of the associates of the Lord who came from the spiritual world they also participated. Then how Lord Caitanya discussed with the Chand Kazi and the Chand Kazi revealed that he was approached by Narasiṁhadeva and threatened, and he showed that his chest had the scars of the nails of Narasiṁhadeva, and he revealed that some of his orderlies had gone to stop the kīrtana and when they went, their beards were burnt and their faces had blisters from the burns. This happened to every orderly that went to stop the kīrtana, so all these things were revealed by the Chand Kazi, so today the chapter is entitled:

Deliverance of Chand Kazi and the Result of Hearing the Pastime

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā 17.216

prabhura kṛpokti —

eta śuni’ mahāprabhu hāsiyā hāsiyā
kahite lāgilā kichu kājire chuṅiyā

Translation: After hearing the Kazi speak so nicely, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu touched him and smilingly spoke as follows.

Jayapatākā Swami: Just by being touched by Lord Caitanya, the Kazi was blessed.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā 17.217

nāmābhāse pāpakṣaya —

tomāra mukhe kṛṣṇa-nāma,—e baḍa vicitra
pāpa-kṣaya gela, hailā parama pavitra

Translation: “The chanting of the holy name of Kṛṣṇa from your mouth has performed a wonder—it has nullified the reactions of all your sinful activities. Now you have become supremely pure.

Purport by Śrīla Prabhupāda: Confirming the potency of the saṅkīrtana movement, these words from the very mouth of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu express how people can be purified simply by chanting the holy name of Lord Kṛṣṇa. The Kazi was a Muslim mleccha, or meat-eater, but because he several times uttered the holy name of Lord Kṛṣṇa, automatically the reactions of his sinful life were vanquished, and he was fully purified of all material contamination. We do not know why the pāṣaṇḍīs of the present-day protest that we are deteriorating the Hindu religion by spreading Kṛṣṇa consciousness all over the world and claiming all classes of men to the highest standard of Vaiṣṇavism. But these rascals disagree with us so vehemently that some of them do not allow European and American Vaiṣṇavas to enter the temples of Viṣṇu. Thinking religion to be meant for material benefit, these so-called Hindus have actually become vicious by worshiping the numerous forms of the demigods. In the next verse Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu confirms the Kazi’s purification.

Jayapatākā Swami: Although the Kazi wasn’t chanting the holy names, in the course of his discussion, he mentioned the name Nārāyaṇa, Hari, Kṛṣṇa, so in this way, he got purified by nāmābhāsa.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā 17.218

’hari’ ’kṛṣṇa’ ’nārāyaṇa’—laile tina nāma
baḍa bhāgyavān tumi, baḍa puṇyavān

Translation: Because you have chanted three holy names of the Lord—Hari, Kṛṣṇa and Nārāyaṇa—you are undoubtedly the most fortunate and pious.”

Purport by Śrīla Prabhupāda: Here the Supreme Lord, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, confirms that anyone who chants the holy names Hari, Kṛṣṇa and Nārāyaṇa without offense is certainly extremely fortunate, and whether Indian or non-Indian, Hindu or non-Hindu, he immediately comes to the level of the most pious personality. We therefore do not care about the statements of pāṣaṇḍīs who protest against our movement’s making the members of other cities or countries into Vaiṣṇavas. We have to follow in the footsteps of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, executing our mission peacefully, or, if necessary, kicking the heads of such protesters.

Jayapatākā Swami: Since the Chand Kazi wasn’t saying the names with any specific material desire, he just mentioned the names casually in his discussion, and that is why Lord Caitanya said that he got completely purified.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā 17.219

kājīra dainyokti

eta śuni’ kājīra dui cakṣe paḍe pāni
prabhura caraṇa chuṅi’ bale priya-vāṇī

Translation: After the Kazi heard this, tears flowed down from his eyes. He immediately touched the lotus feet of the Lord and spoke the following sweet words.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā 17.220

tomāra prasāde mora ghucila kumati
ei kṛpā kara,—yena tomāte rahu bhakti

Translation: “Only by Your mercy have my bad intentions vanished. Kindly favor me so that my devotion may always be fixed upon You.”

Jayapatākā Swami: So, it seems from this that the Chand Kazi has become a devotee of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and by chanting the names, he became purified. He was touched by Lord Caitanya, he touched the lotus feet of Lord Caitanya, his consciousness had been completely changed. All his inimical desires against the saṅkīrtana movement vanished.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā 17.221

prabhura ukti –

prabhu kahe,—eka dāna māgiye tomāya

saṅkīrtana vāda yaiche nahe nadīyāya

Translation: The Lord said, “I wish to beg you for one favor in charity. You must pledge that this saṅkīrtana movement will not be checked, at least in the district of Nadia.”

Jayapatākā Swami: So this is a very important request by Caitanya Mahāprabhu to Chand Kazi, since he is the representative of the king, his pledging to not obstruct the saṅkīrtana movement at least in the district of Nadia was very important, that’s why Nadia in Navadvīpa is so special.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā 17.222

kājīra pratijñā

kājī kahe,—mora vaṁśe yata upajibe
tāhāke ’tālāka’ diba,—kīrtana nā bādhibe

Translation: The Kazi said, “To as many descendants as take birth in my dynasty in the future, I give this grave admonition: No one should check the saṅkīrtana movement.”

Purport by Śrīla Prabhupāda: As a result of this grave injunction by the Kazi, even at present the descendants of the Kazi’s family do not oppose the saṅkīrtana movement under any circumstances. Even during the great Hindu-Muslim riots in neighboring places, the descendants of the Kazi honestly preserved the assurance given by their forefather.

Jayapatākā Swami: Even today the residents of Vāmana-pukura that come from the Chand Kazi, they don’t obstruct the kīrtana, they don’t check the kīrtana, they are very favorable. So, the Kazi agreed to that and He gave this symbol, that they could carry with the kīrtana, the symbol of the Kazi, so this is authorized, permitted. Haribol! Haribol! Haribol!

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā 17.223

prabhura o bhaktagaṇera harṣa —

śuni’ prabhu ’hari’ bali’ uṭhilā āpani
uṭhila vaiṣṇava saba kari’ hari-dhvani

Translation: Hearing this, the Lord got up, chanting “Hari! Hari!” Following Him, all the other Vaiṣṇavas also got up, chanting the vibration of the holy name.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā 17.224

sagaṇa prabhura gṛhe pratyāvartana —

kīrtana karite prabhu karilā gamana
saṅge cali’ āise kājī ullasita mana

Translation: Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu went back to perform kīrtana, and the Kazi, his mind jubilant, went with Him.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā 17.225

kājīre vidāya dila śacīra nandana
nācite nācite āilā āpana bhavana

Translation: The Lord asked the Kazi to go back home. Then the son of Mother Śacī came back to His own home, dancing, and dancing.

Jayapatākā Swami: You see in the Caitanya-bhāgavata, they have a pastime where the Lord, He first went to the house of Kolaveca Śrīdhara, and then He went to His own home. So that is why the house of Śrīdhara Ṭhākura is known as vīśrāma-sthāna.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 23.418

kājīre kariyā daṇḍa sarva-loka-rāya
saṅkīrtana-rase sarva-gaṇe nāci' yāya

Jayapatākā Swami: After the Kazi was punished, the Lord of all the people, He danced along in the ecstasy of saṅkīrtana with all of His associates.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 23.419

mṛdaṅga mandirā bāje śaṅkha karatāla
‘rāma kṛṣṇa jaya-dhvani govinda gopāla’

Jayapatākā Swami: With mṛdaṅgas, large karatālas or whompers and hand cymbals, conch shells blowing, the devotees began chanting, they chanted the glories to Rāma and Kṛṣṇa and Govinda and Gopāla.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 23.420

kājīra bhāṅgiyā ghara sarva-nagariyā
mahānande `hari' bali' yāyena nāciyā

Jayapatākā Swami: After the civil disobedience at the house of the Chand Kazi, all the people of Navadvīpa and Nadia district, all the citizens of Navadvīpa, with great happiness, they chanted the names of “Hari” Haribol! And they started to dance in ecstasy, down the road!

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 23.421

pāṣaṇḍīra haila parama citta-bhaṅga

pāṣaṇḍī viṣāda bhāve, vaiṣṇavera raṅga

Jayapatākā Swami: The atheists’ hearts were greatly broken; the atheists were lamenting and the Vaiṣṇavas were rejoicing.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 23.422

“jaya kṛṣṇa mukunda murāri vanamālī”
gāya saba nagariyā diyā hāte tāli

Jayapatākā Swami: The residents of Navadvīpa city clapped their hands and sang, “Jaya Kṛṣṇa! Jaya Mukunda! Jaya Murāri! Jaya Vanamālī!” Jaya also means victory to or glories to. So, devotees express their jubilation by chanting, “Jaya! Jaya Kṛṣṇa! Jaya Govinda! All glories to Lord Govinda!”

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 23.423

jaya-kolāhala prati-nagare nagare
bhāsaye sakala loka ānanda-sāgare

Jayapatākā Swami: As the loud vibration of Jaya Govinda! filled every neighborhood of Navadvīpa town, all the people were floating in an ocean of spiritual bliss.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 23.424

kebā kon dige nāce, kebā gāya, vā'ya
hena nāhi jāni kebā kon dige dhāya

Jayapatākā Swami: In what direction one was dancing, who was singing, who was playing on some instrument, nobody could tell which way or in which direction someone was running. People were rejoicing, they were chanting, dancing, playing on instruments, running here and there. The whole town the whole city of Navadvīpa became filled with spiritual bliss.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 23.425

āge nṛtya kariyā calaye bhakta-gaṇa
śeṣe cale mahāprabhu śrī-śacī-nandana

Jayapatākā Swami: The devotees danced in front of the Lord, behind them came Śrī Śacīnandana Mahāprabhu, the son of Mother Śacī.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 23.426

kīrtanīyābrahmā, śiva, ananta āpani
nṛtya kare prabhu vaiṣṇavera cūḍāmaṇi

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Brahmā, Lord Śiva and Lord Anantadeva, were all chanting, and the Lord, Gaurāṅga, who is the crown jewel of all vaiṣṇavas, He danced.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 23.427

ihāte sandeha kichu nā kariha mane
sei prabhu kahiyāche kṛpāya āpane

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Gaurāṅga, He has mercifully instructed everyone to not have any doubt regarding these pastimes. These are not exaggerations; they are truly the historical account of what happened, and it was a big change in the policy of the government in the city of Navadvīpa, in the city of Nadia, the saṅkīrtana movement was officially permitted, and Lord Caitanya was successful in His attempt, and all the people were rejoicing. No one should have any doubt about any of these pastimes, this is described in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā 17.226

ei mate kājīre prabhu karilā prasāda
ihā yei śune tāra khaṇḍe aparādha

Translation: This is the incident concerning the Kazi and the Lord’s mercy upon him. Anyone who hears this is also freed from all offenses.

Jayapatākā Swami: Sometimes devotees ask me, how can they be freed of offences, and we know that how getting the forgiveness from the Vaiṣṇava offended, is the normal process. But here we see that there is a special mercy, that if one hears the pastimes deliverance of the Chand Kazi with faith and submission, they get forgiven for all offences. Haribol! Haribol!  So, hope you all were listening with full faith. Haribol!

Thus, ends the chapter, Deliverance of Chand Kazi and The Result of Hearing the Pastime.

Any questions?

The Chand Kazi had obstructed the kīrtana. He had broken mṛdaṅgas, he had Vaiṣṇavas beaten, he had done so many offences. But he got the mercy of Lord Caitanya, and by hearing this pastime, faithfully, we can also get forgiven for all our offences. Now you have a clean slate! But don’t commit any more offences.

Question: Hare Kṛṣṇa Guru Mahārāja! Daṇḍavat praṇāmas! Please accept my respectful obeisances. All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda! (Jayapatākā Swami: Gaurāṅga!) I feel that I don’t get the same interest in hearing Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta as I have for Bhagavad-gītā or Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, I found it difficult to understand anything even after reading it many times, I feel it is beyond my understanding.

Your spiritual daughter,
Raṅgavallī Gopī devī dāsī.

Jayapatākā Swami: The Caitanya-caritāmṛta is more esoteric. Because if understands the pastimes in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, then Lord Caitanya, He relives all those pastimes. But He is sometimes doing the pastime of Narasiṁha-līlā, sometimes Varāhadeva, sometimes Balarāma. So, He would do various pastimes, unless one understands that pastime from the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, they may not be able to relate with the pastimes of Śrī Caitanya. Therefore, we see that Śrīla Prabhupāda said that Bhakti-śāstri is for the Bhagavad-gītā and other preliminary books. Bhakti-vaibhava is for the first six chapters of the Bhāgavatam, Bhaktivedānta you read the last six Canto of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, But the Vaiṣṇava- Sarvabhauma degree is Caitanya-caritāmṛta and other works, and Caitanya-caritāmṛta is pure nectar, but to appreciate it may be one must have read and studied the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and the Bhagavad-gītā first.

Question: We hear in the pastimes of Lord Caitanya that the Lord and His devotees gave out so much mercy. My question is how can we make the best use of the mercy? – Milana Mādhava dāsa.

Jayapatākā Swami: Some of the six Gosvāmīs and also Śrīnivāsa Ācārya, they instructed how we should guard this treasure of bhakti from various thieves and different things will try to steal away our treasure of bhakti. So, we should guard the bhakti treasure with the mercy of Lord Caitanya. Hare Kṛṣṇa!

Question from the Spanish Page: Dear Guru Mahārāja! Please accept my respectful obeisances. All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda! What happens if one devotee does not forgive another devotee? – Kāverī devī dāsī.

Jayapatākā Swami: This happened to Śacīmātā. She had offended Advaita Gosvāmī. So, Lord Caitanya brought her and she asked forgiveness from Advaita Gosvāmī. But Advaita Gosvāmī. started to glorify Śacīmāta. He said, “I cannot be offended by Śacīmāta, I am very insignificant. She is such a great devotee,” he was glorifying and glorying her, and then He got so ecstatic thinking about her great Vaiṣṇavī qualities, that he fainted unconscious on the ground. Lord Caitanya said, “He is not going to forgive you, touch the dust from His lotus feet, put in in your head and by that you will be forgiven.” So that is the normal way. If you have heard this pastime of the deliverance of the Chand Kazi, and the kīrtana leading up to it, then you get forgiven for offences. So that is the secret glories of this pastimes, also in the Navadvīpa parikramā, there is a place called aparādha-vañjan kuliyā pāṭ, where you get forgiven for your offences. So, most devotees who go on the Navadvīpa parikramā, when they go to this place, they forgive everyone for their offences, and they get forgiven. Haribol!

Question: Hare Kṛṣṇa Guru Mahārāja, daṇḍavat praṇāmas. Please accept my respectful obeisances. While offering bhoga I sometimes get late due to which my family members get irritated maybe because they are too hungry, or they need to take prasāda and go out for work. So, they tell me to hurry up and do some shortcut of this offering process. But I don’t know any shortcut bhoga offering process. I do as per you taught us. Bur generally it takes time, they become very impatient. It seems that instead of wanting to offer to Kṛṣṇa, they want to have it first. – Sevānanda Śyāma dāsa.

Jayapatākā Swami:  Technically once the bhoga is offered to Kṛṣṇa, it can be taken. We usually wait till the whole process is finished. But if someone is in a hurry, as soon as the bell rings, that means Kṛṣṇa has already eaten. So, at that time they can take if they have to.

Question: Dearest Guru Mahārāja! Please accept my respectful obeisances. It is said that the Chand Kazi is Kaṁsā in Kṛṣṇa-līlā. Would you care to speak on this? – Haridhvani devī dāsī.

Jayapatākā Swami: In the Caitanya-līlā, we see that the offenders of Lord Kṛṣṇa are purified by Lord Caitanya, and they become devotees, and in Kṛṣṇa-līlā, the demons were killed by Kṛṣṇa. But in Caitanya līlā their demonic qualities are killed, and they are left purified. Hare Kṛṣṇa!

Question: Devotional service is always pure and transcendental, but Lord Kapiladeva says to His glorious mother Devahūti, about devotional service in goodness, passion and ignorance. How can it mix with material or material mix with devotional service? – Vrajeśvara Gaura dāsa.

Jayapatākā Swami: Devotional service is offered for the pleasure of Kṛṣṇa, that is transcendental. If someone offers devotional service because they want to get vengeance against someone, that is in the mode of ignorance, and if they do devotional service because they want to be rich or famous or get something material, that is mixed with the mode of passion, and if they want to merge into the brahma-jyoti or somehow benefit people materially, then they will be mixed with the mode of goodness. So pure devotional service is not mixed with any of the three modes, and therefore the fruit of that is that one gets love of Kṛṣṇa. But you are advised not to desire anything material in exchange for our devotional service. Last question.

Question: Hare Kṛṣṇa! Please accept my respectful obeisances. My question is that I heard Gaura Nitāi cannot be offered Dvādaśī-bhoga on Ekādaśī fasting day? Is that so? – Sunītī Priyā devī dāsī

Jayapatākā Swami: If you are worshipping Nitāi-Gaura as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, they can be offered grains. In the temple I think they offer grains, in the house deities, since the devotees in the house take non-grain, they offer non-grain to the Nitāi-Gaura Deities, not being able to cook separate. But since we worship the Lord Nitāi-Gaura as the Supreme Personality of Godhead and His first expansion, they don’t need to fast.

Question: Hare Kṛṣṇa Guru Mahārāja! Please accept my respectful obeisances, How can we enhance the mood of treating family members practicing Kṛṣṇa consciousness as devotees rather than family members?

Your servant,
Śrīpati Acyuta dāsa, Perambur, Chennai.

Jayapatākā Swami: Materialistic family members may like the social customs related with family members. But the devotees appreciate respecting in a more devotional manner, like giving flower garlands or sandalwood pulp or offering them prasāda. So, if someone is a devotee then naturally, we can relate with them with devotional things. Thank you all very much! Hare Kṛṣṇa!