20200614 Lord Gaurāṅga Blesses Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura’s Servant

The following is the reading from the new Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book Compilation by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on 14th 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 had the Lord Caitanya’s procession to and from the Chand Kazi, and His blessings of Kolaveca Śrīdhara. Now we are getting into different individual pastimes. Today I received a letter that some devotees in a far corner of the world, they are listening to these classes of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Lord Gaurāṅga Mahāprabhu. It is Gaurāṅga vitamin! G-vitamins, I think it's also N-vitamins and G-vitamins, Nitāi-Gaura vitamin. May be Śrīvāsa, S-vitamins. Today we are reading

Lord Gaurāṅga Blesses Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura’s Servant

How blessed is a person to be the servant of the servant?

I think His Holiness Tamāla Kṛṣṇa Mahārāja wrote a book, Servant of the Servant. And Śyāmasundara, he wrote a book on Prabhupāda, Chasing the Rhinos, with the Guru. I have a book, on my memories with Śrīla Prabhupāda, but what should I call it?

I think, I was thinking that, Prabhupāda asked me, I told him that, they wanted me to serve but my father had become very angry that I had become a devotee and he wanted me to be drafted in the American Army, and lose my life in Vietnam.

I asked Prabhupāda, “What should I do?”

He said, “Better you join Kṛṣṇa’s Army.”

I have been in Kṛṣṇa’s Army ever since. Maybe I should use something like that as the title. Send me your suggestions. Today we will read how to get a lot of vitamin-G. I hope all of you get a lot of vitamin-G from today’s class, Gaurāṅga! Nityānanda! Gaurāṅga! 

So, Deva Gaurāṅga dāsa will read the Bengali, and I give the translation.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 25.5

prabhura nirantara harikīrtana o vividha aiśvarya-prakāśa—

niravadhi kare prabhu hari-saṅkīrtana
āpana aiśvarya prakāśaye sarva-kṣaṇa

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Gaurāṅga continuously performed the pastimes of Hari saṅkīrtana and He was constantly at all times manifesting His opulences, performing the congregational chanting of the holy names of Hari. So, after Lord Caitanya got the permission from the Kazi, that the Kazi would not obstruct His kīrtana in Navadvīpa, and in Nadia, He continued then to manifest His hari-saṅkīrtana, and this was not stopped. Now this was a daily affair, and all the people of Navadvīpa were then filled with love of Kṛṣṇa.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 25.6

prabhura nija nāmāveśe nṛtya o premavikāra

nṛtya kare mahāprabhu nija-nāmāveśe
huṅkāra kariyā mahā aṭṭa aṭṭa hāse

Jayapatākā Swami: Gaurāṅga Mahāprabhu was dancing and chanting His own transcendental names. He was loudly roaring and laughing— the ecstacy of laughing, mahā aṭṭa aṭṭa hāse—aṭṭa aṭṭa means intensely laughing. HA! HA! Mahā means great, He was laughing so intensely, I cannot even translate it… in the ecstasy of chanting His holy names.

Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura gives the purport:

Purport (by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura): The phrase nija-nāmāveśe is explained as follows: Lord Śrī Gaurasundara is nondifferent from Vrajendra-nandana.

Because He was absorbed in chanting the names of Kṛṣṇa, He is described as being situated in the ecstasy of chanting His own names

Jayapatākā Swami: Since He is Kṛṣṇa Himself, but in the mood of a devotee, so He was chanting actually His own name, He was chanting the name of Kṛṣṇa. Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare, Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare, and He was experiencing unlimited ecstasy and laughing loudly, crying, dancing. We cannot imagine how blissful it was. So, it is very esoteric, that Kṛṣṇa is chanting Kṛṣṇa’s name, so He is Kṛṣṇa, but He has taken the mood of Rādhārāṇī. So, He is chanting His own names, but was experiencing unlimited spiritual happiness. So, we should also chant the name of Kṛṣṇa, that we can experience unlimited spiritual bliss of loving ecstasy. Rūpa Gosvāmī was mentioning, how much happiness is in the two syllables, ‘kṛṣ’ ‘ṇa’ it’s beyond expression.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 25.7

prema-rase niravadhi gaḍāgaḍi' yāya
brahmāra vandita aṅga pūrṇita dhūlāya

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Gaurāṅga was filled with loving ecstasy, constantly, and therefore He rolled on the ground. His transcendental form is worshiped by Lord Brahmā, but it became covered with the dust.

Purport (by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura): As a servant, the four-headed Brahmā glorifies the transcendental body of the Supreme Lord. Although he is constitutionally filled with love for Kṛṣṇa, he is indifferent to external purity because he is touched by the mode of passion.

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Brahmā, he sang in his Brahma-Saṁhitā – Govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi. I worship the primeval Lord Govinda.

So, Lord Caitanya is that Lord, but in the mood of loving ecstasy, He was rolling on the ground, covered with the dust. So, by some material estimation, that may be considered as dirty but because the Lord was doing it in loving ecstasy, it’s was transcendental.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 25.8

prabhura ānanda-āveśera nāhi anta
nayana bhariyā dekhe saba bhāgyavanta

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Gaurāṅga’s absorption in transcendental ecstasy, had no end, and the fortunate devotees saw that to their full satisfaction of their eyes, the Lord’s transcendental ecstasy.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 25.9

prabhura bāhya-prāptite kṛtya—
bāhya haile vaise prabhu sarva-gaṇa lañā
kona-dina gaṅgā-jale viharaye giyā

Jayapatākā Swami: When Lord Gaurāṅga regained His external consciousness, He would sit with all His associate devotees, some days He would go and play water sports in the waters of the Ganges. So, when the kīrtana was over and the Lord came to His external consciousness, He would sit down with the devotees, sometimes He would go and swim around in the Ganges water. So, there were different levels of His consciousness, when He was in external normal consciousness, then He could talk with the devotees. When He was absorbed in internal, transcendental ecstatic love, and manifesting the eight symptoms of loving ecstasy, that was another consciousness.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 25.10

kona-dina nṛtya kari’ vasena aṅgane
ghare snāna karāyena sarva bhakta-gaṇe

Jayapatākā Swami: Some days, after dancing, Lord Gaurāṅga would sit in the courtyard, and there in the courtyard, He would be bathed by all the devotees.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 25.11

śrīvāsa-dāsī ‘duḥkhī’ra sevā—
yatha-kṣaṇa prabhura ānanda-nṛtya haye
tata-kṣaṇa ‘duḥkhī’ puṇyavatī jala vahe

Jayapatākā Swami: While Lord Gaurāṅga was dancing in ecstasy, in the courtyard of Śrīvāsa, at that time, the maidservant of Śrīvāsa, who was known as Duḥkhī, she was a very pious person, she would bring water from the Ganges, duḥkhī means sad. But we will hear about the so-called Duḥkhī, that was her name that was given to her at birth, by her parents.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 25.12

kṣaṇeke dekhaye nṛtya sajala-nayane
punaḥ punaḥ gaṅgā-jala vahi' vahi' āne

Jayapatākā Swami: Sometimes seeing the Lord Gaurāṅga dancing, tears would come to her eyes again and again, she brought Ganges water, and placed them in the courtyard.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 25.13

‘duḥkhī’ra sevāya prabhura santoṣa o ‘sukhī’- nāmakaraṇa—

sāri kari’ catur-dige eḍe kumbha-gaṇa
dekhiyā santoṣa baḍa śrī-śacī-nandana

Jayapatākā Swami: Śrī Śacīnandana, the son of Śacī, saw how the water pots were arrayed in a line, seeing this, He was very satisfied, with the service.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 25.14

śrīvāsera sthāne prabhu jijñāse āpane
“prati-dina gaṅgā-jala kon jane āne?”

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Gaurāṅga asked Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura, who brings every day, the Ganges water?

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 25.15

śrīvāsa balaye,—“prabhu, ‘duḥkhī’ vahi’ āne”
prabhu bale —“‘sukhī’ kari’ bala’ sarva-jane

Jayapatākā Swami: Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura replied, O Lord Gaurāṅga, the maidservant, Duḥkhī brings the water. Lord Gaurāṅga said, you should all call her as Sukhī, so sukhī means happy, duḥkhī means sad. So, Lord Caitanya was changing her name from Duḥkhī to Sukhī, from unhappy to happy. So, He was very pleased with her service, and she got this special mercy.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 25.16

e janera ‘duḥkhi’ nāma kabhu yogya naya
sarva-kāla ‘sukhī’ hena mora citte laya”

Jayapatākā Swami: This name of Duḥkhī is not appropriate for her, I think that she is always experiencing transcendental happiness, that she should be called Sukhī.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 25.17

‘duḥkhī’ra prati prabhura kṛpāya 'bhaktagaṇera ānanda o ‘duḥkhī’ke ‘sukhī sambodhana—

eteka kāruṇya śuni’ prabhura śrī-mukhe
kāndite lāgilā bhakta-gaṇa prema-sukhe

Jayapatākā Swami: Hearing that Lord Gaurāṅga’s great expression of mercy, the assembled devotees in loving ecstasy began to cry, in the happiness of ecstatic love, the assembled devotees began to cry.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 25.18

sabe ‘sukhī’ balilena prabhura ājñāya
‘dāsī’ buddhi śrīvāsa nā kare sarvathāya

Jayapatākā Swami: So, on Lord Gaurāṅga’s order, everyone began to call her as Sukhī, from that day onwards, Śrīvāsa did not consider her as a maidservant, or treat her as a maidservant.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 25.19

kṛṣṇasevā-ceṣṭāhīna sannyāsa vā prāyaścittādi yama yātanā-nivāraṇe asamartha

prema-yoge sevā karilei kṛṣṇa pāi
māthā muḍāile yama-daṇḍa nā eḍāi

Jayapatākā Swami: If one serves Kṛṣṇa with love, he can achieve Kṛṣṇa, or attain Kṛṣṇa, but just like shaving your head, you cannot escape the punishment of Yamarāja.

Purport (by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura): Simply by the external acceptance of sannyāsa or simply by atoning for one’s sinful activities, one cannot escape the punishment of Yamarāja. If one engages in service for the purpose of acquiring love for Kṛṣṇa, one attains Kṛṣṇa.

Jayapatākā Swami: Since the maidservant Duḥkhī was going out of her way to do the service, to please Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and since seeing Him dancing and chanting in ecstasy, she would also be crying, so Lord Caitanya gave her the name Sukhī, which touched all the devotees in the heart. We can see how the devotees with Lord Caitanya, they are very soft hearted, and when they would see the slightest compassion or mercy of the Lord, they would become very affected by that, and they would cry in great ecstasy, appreciating the transcendental qualities of the Lord. Maybe people in the modern world, are very hard hearted, that they cannot appreciate these simple things. But we can see how all the devotees with Lord Caitanya were very soft hearted, and every expression of the Lord’s mercy, deeply, impressed them, affected them, and they were very happy to see the Lord’s expression of love for His devotees.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 25.20

premaniṣṭhā vyatīta janmaiśvaryādira niṣphalatā—

kule, rūpe, dhane vā vidyāya kichu naya
prema-yoge bhajile se kṛṣṇa tuṣṭa haya

Jayapatākā Swami: Good birth, beautiful body, wealth, academic achievements, are nothing, are not useful for achieving Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is only pleased when one worships and serves Him with love.

Purport (by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura): One cannot develop love of God on the strength of high birth, physical beauty, great wealth, or keen intelligence; rather, if one cultivates love of God by favorably engaging these, then the Supreme Lord becomes pleased.

A jñānīs superior to the karmī, a devotee freed from the clutches of jñāna is superior to the jñānī, a devotee situated in ecstatic love is still superior, and they are each considered progressively qualified in the development of love for Kṛṣṇa.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, we should try to achieve pure loving devotion for Kṛṣṇa. The process of bhakti-yoga is to give our mind, our body, our soul, everything in the service of Kṛṣṇa. By serving Kṛṣṇa in great love, Kṛṣṇa is pleased. The other things are not useful, unless they are engaged in Kṛṣṇa’s service. If they are used in Kṛṣṇa’s service, then it is useful, this is called yukta-vairāgya. Using the opulences one may have, in the service of Kṛṣṇa. Education used for Kṛṣṇa’s service, wealth used for Kṛṣṇa’s service, etc. is useful. But if it is not used for Kṛṣṇa, what is its transcendental use?

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 25.21

gaurasundara-kartṛka veda-bhāgavata-tattvera ādarśa-pradarśana—

yateka kahena tattva vede bhāgavate
saba dekhāyena gaurasundara sākṣāte

Jayapatākā Swami: Whatever the transcendental truths explained in the Vedas and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, were directly displayed by Lord Gaurasundara, in His pastimes. Śrīla Prabhupāda was mentioning, how a teacher sometimes takes a chalk and writes something on the board. Kṛṣṇa spoke the Bhagavad-gītā, but many people did not understand His words. He came as Lord Gaurāṅga Mahāprabhu, to teach everyone by His example, His example is very easy to follow, and if one can understand whatever He is doing is actually the essence of what is taught, in the Vedas or in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, He will be a living example of the Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 25.22

kṛṣṇabhaktake nimnāvasthāne avasthita vivecanākārī vṛthā abhimānī apekṣā bhaktagṛhera dāsīra saubhāgyādhikya

dāsī hai’ ye prasāda ‘duḥkhī’ re haila
vṛthā-abhimānī saba tāhā nā dekhila

Jayapatākā Swami: Although Duḥkhī was a maidservant, she received the mercy from Lord Gaurāṅga Mahāprabhu, which was not achieved by people in some high social status, who were falsely proud.

Purport (by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura): Being a maidservant at the house of Śrīvāsa, Duḥkhī pleased the Supreme Lord, Śrī Gaurasundara, by bringing Him water from the Ganges.

As a result, the Supreme Lord became pleased with her and addressed the pious “Duḥkhī” as “Sukhī.” Such activities are examples of incidents described in scriptures like the Vedas and the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. If armchair speculators who observe things from a distance consider the devotees situated in ecstatic love as inferior, it is simply because they are falsely proud.

Jayapatākā Swami: In the spiritual world, actually the exchange there is one of love, and what we are missing in the material world is His love. So, we have racism, we have all kinds of different problems, which are part of the material world. Here there is business, but love is very rare. So, the devotees, some of them have come from the spiritual world, to participate in the Lord’s pastimes, and some are joining the Lord’s pastimes from the material world. So naturally the exchange is loving, and that is what Lord Caitanya is showing us, we should want to be in that spiritual abode, where there is love, and the exchange is loving ecstasy.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 25.23

ki kahiba śrīvāsera bhāgyera mahimā
yāṅra dāsa-dāsīra bhāgyera nāhi sīmā

Jayapatākā Swami: What shall I say regarding the good fortune and glories of Śrīvāsa? Even his servants’ and maidservants’ good fortune knows no limit. Haribol! So, who would like to be a servant or maidservant of Śrīvāsa? The members of the International Society for Kṛṣṇa Consciousness, are very fortunate to serve His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda. and all the previous ācāryas. So, like this, serving the servants, dāsa anudāsa, we get the special mercy of Lord Caitanya.

Thus, ends the chapter entitled, Lord Gaurāṅga Blesses Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura’s Servant.

So, two questions.

Question: Hare Kṛṣṇa dear Guru Mahārāja. Please accept my respectful obeisances, glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda, please explain what a devotee or a servant of the Lord means? Is there any difference between them? What does it mean to want to become a devotee? 

—Your spiritual granddaughter,
Jayā Gopālī devī dāsī, Russia.

Jayapatākā Swami: A devotee means a servant of the Supreme Lord. I don’t think there is any difference. You see, in this material world, people want to be a member of the Legislative Assembly, or Councilor of some municipality, or to be a Member of Parliament, be a minister or be a Prime Minister or be a President. But actually, to be a devotee of the Lord is the most wonderful position. All these temporary things in the material world, being a king, being a president, at the end of life they will still be punished by Yamarāja, in the precincts of Hell. So, the real thing is to be a dāsa, to be a servant of the Lord, and we should all aspire for that transcendental position. Lord Brahmā, who is the first living entity of this universe, he likes to be addressed as a servitor of the Supreme Lord, Lord Śiva, He likes to be addressed as a servitor of the Lord, Durgā is known as Vaiṣṇavī, she likes to be considered as a maidservant of the Lord. The most exalted living entities in this universe, aspire to be a servant of the Lord, a devotee of the Lord, so that should be our aspiration, and other things in the material world, in themselves, they are not very useful. Unless we can use them in the service of Kṛṣṇa. 

Yudhistira, he was the emperor of the world, but the position he really aspired was, to always be a servant of Lord Kṛṣṇa. So, he ruled his empire as a service to Kṛṣṇa, all of us, whatever our position is, should try to serve the Lord, with whatever ability or power that we have.

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Question: Hare Kṛṣṇa Dear Guru Mahārāja! Please accept my respectful obeisances. Are there any signs by which we can understand that Kṛṣṇa accepted our service to Him? 

—Mariya,
Perm, Russia.

Jayapatākā Swami: She is from the Urals in Russia. I went many times to Perm, Perm, Ekaterinburg, Chelyabinsk, and other places. So, if we please Kṛṣṇa, we can eventually feel blissful, but if we are not able to understand, then if we please the spiritual master, and we should understand that we pleased Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa accepts our service, if we offer it with devotion and love. If one is very proud, then Kṛṣṇa is not obliged to accept that service, that way we know that if I offer to my guru and he accepts, then he will offer to his guru, and he will accept, and in this way it goes back to Kṛṣṇa. So, the guru-paramparā system is such, that we know that our service is being accepted by Kṛṣṇa, if it is accepted by the spiritual master

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