20200618 Manifestation of Symptoms of Separation by Bhakta-vatsala (Lord Caitanya) Due to the Death of His Dear Devotee

The following is the reading from the new Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on 18th 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: Today is Thursday, and they said it is the eighty-sixth day of the lockdown, eighty-six days, wow! Almost three months! But we are very much affected that His Holiness Bhakti Cāru Swami has been attacked by the corona virus. We hope that all the devotees pray, that if Kṛṣṇa so pleases, Bhakti Cāru Swami may recover from this dangerous situation. Apparently, he has been improving, so anyway, whatever the Lord’s wish, but from our side, if the Lord so pleases, He may allow Bhakti Cāru Mahārāja, to stay with us for some more time. So, he was one of the inspirations for the ‘mercy on wheels’, and having a worldwide virtual Ratha-yātrā. So, we hope that you are registered. So, we have an idea minimal, how many people would like to participate. www.mercyonwheel.com it’s a free registration. Of course, we are very grateful if anyone gives donations, but basically, it is a free effort by the Māyāpur temple, to take Jagannātha-deva around the world! Now we are reading about the pastime of Lord Caitanya, where the son of Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura had left his body. So, the chapter is entitled:

Manifestation of Symptoms of Separation by Bhakta-vatsala (Lord Caitanya) Due to the Death of His Dear Devotee.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 25.37

sabe sthira hailena śrīvāsa-vacane
calilena śrīvāsa prabhura saṅkīrtane

Jayapatākā Swami: So, the ladies, they became pacified by the words of Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura, and Śrīvāsa, he went to join Lord Caitanya’s saṅkīrtana.

Śokaśātana The Dispelling of Grief – 3

Śrī Gītāmālā 28

by Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura

śrīvāsa-vacana, śravaṇa kariyā
sādhvī pati-vrata-gaṇa
śoka parihari’, mṛta śiśu rākhi’,
hari-rase dila mana

Translation: Hearing these words of Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita, all those chaste and faithful ladies gave up their lamentation for the dead son, because Śrīvāsa had satisfied their minds by informing them of the transcendental mellows of Lord Hari.

Jayapatākā Swami: Naturally, mother and ladies if their son dies, they feel some separation, some sadness. Actually, although officially the parents are the protectors of the children, actually, even the child is in their arms, they cannot save him, ultimately Kṛṣṇa is the decider of everyone’s fate, and so we need His mercy to be able to, there is a saying - Kṛṣṇa rākhe kṛṣṇa māre ke, māre kṛṣṇa rākhe ke - if Kṛṣṇa wants to save someone, who can take him? And if Kṛṣṇa wants take someone, who can save him? So, since Śrīvāsa’s son left during the kīrtana of Lord Caitanya, then his destination is auspicious, he will go back to the spiritual world.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 25.38

parānande saṅkīrtana karaye śrīvāsa
punaḥ punaḥ bāḍe āro viśeṣa ullāsa

Jayapatākā Swami: Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita, he participated with great ecstasy, in the saṅkīrtana. His exceptional ecstasy increased repeatedly.

Śrī Gītāmālā 28

śrīvāsa takhana, ānande mātiyā, aṅgane āila
punaḥnāce gorā-sane, sakala pāsari', gāya nanda-suta-guṇa

Translation: Then Śrīvāsa again came out into the courtyard and, overwhelmed with joy, resumed dancing with Lord Caitanya and loudly sang the glories of the son of Nanda Mahārāja, completely forgetting about what had just happened.”

Jayapatākā Swami: Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita was totally absorbed in the transcendental loving ecstasy of worshiping Lord Kṛṣṇa. Participating in the kīrtana of Lord Gaurāṅga. And so, he completely forgot about his son having left. In Māyāpur, once we heard that in Kolkata, one of the children, had left his body drowning in a lake. But then we saw the mother of the boy had come, and she looked totally pacified. So, we were wondering how was that, because normally a mother would be very much affected. So, we said, is it true your son left? She said yes, but she realized that although the body dies, the soul never dies. And she came to Māyāpur to pray to the Lord, for the departed soul of her son. So, she was very peaceful, and we could see how these devotees are very transcendental. So, this Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita has shown us how he can be transcendental, even though there is a loss in the family.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 25.39

śrīnivāsa paṇḍitera emana mahimā
caitanyera pārṣadera ei guṇa-sīmā

Jayapatākā Swami: Such are the glories of Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita and of all the associates of Lord Caitanya, he is the most qualified. He has the limit of good qualities.

Śrī Gītāmālā 28

cāri daṇḍa rātre, mārila kumāra,
aṅgane keha nā jāne
śrī-nāma-maṅgale, tṛtīya prahara,
rajanī atīta gāne

Translation: The boy had expired only one and a half hours after dark, but out in the courtyard no one had known anything due to the loud kīrtana. Then for nine hours there was continuous chanting of the auspicious holy names. Thus, the entire night had elapsed in this ecstatic singing.”

Jayapatākā Swami: So, although the boy had left soon after the sunset, since Śrīvāsa did not want to disturb the kīrtana of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, no one knew that the boy had left. The kīrtana was going on very ecstatically, the whole night.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 25.40

prabhura svānubhāvānande nṛtya—
svānubhāvānande nṛtya kare gauracandra
kata-kṣaṇe rahilena lai' bhakta-vṛnda

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Gauracandra danced in His own ecstatic mood. After some time, He and the devotees stopped the kīrtana.

Purport (by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura): The word svānubhāvānanda is explained as follows: In the realm of pure consciousness, the object to be known is experienced in three aspects – the realization of kṛṣṇa-prema, the persons who realize kṛṣṇa-prema, and the activities for realizing kṛṣṇa-prema – in other words, the object to be known is experienced through realization of sac-cid-ānanda, eternal blissful knowledge.”

Jayapatākā Swami: Since Lord Caitanya is Kṛṣṇa Himself, but He came in the role of a devotee, to understand what love the devotees have for Him. So, He was absorbed in this transcendental mood. The three aspects of the experience of kṛṣṇa-prema, or love for Kṛṣṇa. This is very esoteric. This deals with the Lord experiencing the ecstasy of the devotee.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 25.41

bhaktagaṇera śrīvāsa-putrera paraloka-prāpti-samvāda-śravaṇe ācaraṇa— paramparāśunilena sarva-bhakta-gaṇa
paṇḍitera putrera haila vaikuṇṭha-gamana

Jayapatākā Swami: Gradually the word had spread amongst all the devotees, that Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita’s son had departed for Vaikuṇṭha.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 25.42

tathāpi o keha kichu vyakta nāhi kare
duḥkha baḍa pāilena sabei antare

Jayapatākā Swami: Still, no one disclosed this matter to the Lord. But inside, all kept their feelings of distress, in their hearts.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 25.43

sarvajña prabhura jijñāsā o bhaktagaṇera uttara—
sarvajñera cūḍāmaṇi śrī-gaurasundara
jijñāsena prabhu sarva-janera antara

Jayapatākā Swami: Śrī Gaurasundara, the crown jewel of all the omniscient persons, He asked all the people present, why He sensed some internal mood.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 25.44

prabhu bale,—“āji mora citta kemana kare
kona duḥkha haiyāche paṇḍitera ghare”

Jayapatākā Swami: So Gaurāṅga Mahāprabhu said, today I cannot explain how I feel. It seems that some sadness has entered the house of Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita.

Śrī Gītāmālā 28

kīrtana bhaṅgile, kahe gaurahari,
āji kena pāi duḥkha?
bujhi, ei gṛhe, kichu amaṅgala,
ghaṭiyā harila sukha

Translation: Then the kīrtana stopped, and Lord Gaurahari said, “Why am I feeling some unhappiness today? I can understand that something inauspicious has happened in this house which has robbed Me of My bliss.”

Jayapatākā Swami: So, the Lord being omniscient, He knows everything that is happening. So, He is presenting very humbly, that I feel something happened today, which has robbed Me of My transcendental bliss. So, something inauspicious must have happened, in the house of Śrīvāsa. So, He was asking what happened? Actually, He knows everything, but still He asks, as if He doesn’t know.

Śrī Gītāmālā 28

tabe bhakta-jana, nivedana kare,
śrīvāsa-śiśura kathāśuni'
gaurā rāya, bale, hāya hāya,
marame pāinu vyathā

Translation: Then the devotees related to the Lord the story of the death of Śrīvāsa’s son. Hearing this news, the Lord loudly exclaimed, “Oh, no! What has happened? Now the core of My heart has become pierced with so much unbearable pain!”

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya is expressing His emotion, and we will see how He is showing affection for His devotee.

Śrī Gītāmālā 28

kena nā kahile, āmāre takhana,
vipada-saṁvāda sabe
bhakativinoda, bhakata-vatsala,
snehete majila tabe

Translation: “Why didn’t you inform Me of this calamity when it had just happened?” Now, Bhaktivinoda has completely lost himself in the affection that the Lord shows to His own devotees.”

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Gaurāṅga, He shows so much affection for His devotees. Actually, the devotee going back to the spiritual world is all under the influence of Lord Kṛṣṇa. But : Lord Gaurāṅga is showing His feeling of separation, for His devotee. So, this is the transcendental emotion. And naturally a devotee feels separation for their spiritual master, for other Vaiṣṇavas, and Lord Caitanya in the mood of a devotee, is showing that affection.

Thus, ends the chapter, Manifestation of Symptoms of Separation by Bhakta-vatsala (Lord Caitanya) Due to the Death of His Dear Devotee.

So, the pastimes of the Lord are something very confidential. And sometimes the Lord is in the mood as the Lord, sometimes in the mood as a devotee, so it is very hard to understand: Lord Gaurāṅga. But now He is in the mood of separation from His devotee. And also, we see that He has so much appreciation for Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita. Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita, he didn’t tell the sad news, because he didn’t want disturb Lord Caitanya’s kīrtana. So, this itself shows that Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita is such a selfless devotee. So, many things we learned about this pastime, and how Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Thakura, he wrote some verses. Actually, this pastime is very deep. So, it shows the selflessness of Śrīvāsa. At the same time, it reveals some qualities of the Lord. That He is Bhakta-vatsala, He is very affectionate to His devotees. Hare Kṛṣṇa!