20200625 Śrī Gaurahari Performs the Funeral Ceremony Along with His Associates

The following is reading from the new Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on 25th 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 before we begin our class on Caitanya-līlā, we would like to request all the devotees to please pray for His Holiness Bhakti Cāru Swami, that if the Lord pleases, may Lord Narasiṁhadeva, Bhakta Prahlāda, the Pañca-tattva, Rādhā-Mādhava Aṣṭa sakhī, Rādhā-Mādhava Māyāpur-candra, that if They so please, Bhakti Cāru Mahārāja, he may recover and come back to us for preaching and leading the saṅkīrtana movement. You see, we are also concerned that a very senior devotee in ISKCON India, Sura dāsa who is the head of the Navi Mumbai project, he is also in the ICU with COVID-19. So, devotees should be very careful, because if one gets it, it spreads very quickly to the community, because we don’t think about it. We should be very careful, in the mass and public, it’s not a joke. It could be life and death, I have many disciples who have written that their husbands, fathers, mothers have died. So,we have seen that in Bangladesh, one brahmacārī gets it, all the brahmacārīs got it because they are very careless about associating with each other. So, we have to be very careful while the pandemic going on. Whether other people observe or not, we should be careful, we don’t want to give it to anyone else. 

Śrī Gaurahari Performs the Funeral Ceremony Along with His Associates

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 25.78

sagaṇa prabhu kartṛka mṛtera satkāra—
sarva-gaṇa-saha prabhu bālaka laiyā
calilena gaṅgā-tīre kīrtana kariyā

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Gaurāṅga took the dead body of the boy, along with His associates, and went to the bank of the Ganges, chanting in kīrtana.

Śokaśātana, The Dispelling of Grief by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura

mṛta śiśu la’ye tabe bhakata-vatsala
bhakata-saṅgete gāya śrī-nāma-maṅgala

Translation: Lord Caitanya, who is so affectionate to His own devotees, then took the dead boy and, along with all the devotees, began to chant the most auspicious sound vibration of the holy names.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, it is necessary to perform the final rites, and He took the boy to the side of the Ganges, to perform his final rites. So, He and all His associates were chanting the holy names, in kīrtana. So, with great affection for His devotees, He is performing these final rites.

Śokaśātana, The Dispelling of Grief

gāite gāite gelā jāhnavīra tīre
balake satkāra kaila jāhnavīra nīre

Translation: Thus, singing and singing, they all arrived on the bank of the Gaṅgā (the Jāhnavī). Then they performed the proper funeral rites with some water from the Gaṅgā.

Jayapatākā Swami: By placing some water from the holy river Ganges, on the head of the departed soul, of the body, the soul is blessed and will attain the spiritual world. So, it is very auspicious to have the funeral rites performed on the bank of the Ganges.

Śokaśātana, The Dispelling of Grief

jāhnavī balena, mama saubhāgya apāra
saphala haila vrata chila ye āmāra

Translation: Śrī Jāhnavī devī, then appeared herself and said, “Such unlimited auspicious fortune has become mine today. Now I have achieved the successful fruits of all the vows and penances I had undertaken.”

Śokaśātana, The Dispelling of Grief

mṛta śiśu dena gorā jāhnavīra jale
uthali jāhnavī devīśiśu laya kole

Translation: Then Lord Caitanya personally put the boy’s body into the river, immediately thereafter, Jāhnavī devī picked up the body and took him on her lap.

Śokaśātana, The Dispelling of Grief

uthaliyā sparśe gorā-caraṇa-kamala
śiśu-kole preme devī haya ṭalamala

Translation: Bringing the dead boy out of the water, she touched the lotus feet of Lord Gaura with the body still on her lap, she began to tremble with ecstatic love for the Lord.

Śokaśātana, The Dispelling of Grief

jāhnavīra bhāva dekhi' yata bhakta-gaṇa
śrī-nāma-maṅgala-dhvani kare anukṣaṇa

Translation: Seeing such an ecstatic mood being exhibited by Śrī Jāhnavī devī, all the assembled devotees there immediately began chanting the auspicious holy names incessantly.

Jayapatākā Swami: It’s very rare to see the deity of the Ganges. According to the śāstras, all the holy rivers and holy tīrthas have personalities. So, the Ganges also has her personality, known as Jāhnavī devī or Gaṅgā devī, but it’s very rare to see her. But now all the associates of Lord Caitanya are seeing Jāhnavī devī, and she is taking the dust from the lotus feet of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and she is carrying the body of the boy. So, this was very auspicious, incomparable situation. That’s why the devotees, suddenly began to chant the holy name there, overwhelmed with ecstasy. Haribol! Haribol! Haribol!

Śokaśātana, The Dispelling of Grief

svarga haite deve kare puṣpa-variṣaṇa
vimāna saṅkula tabe chāila gagana

Translation: From the heavens, the demigods began to shower flowers like rainfall. They crowded in the sky, almost blocking out the sunlight with their innumerable airplanes.

Jayapatākā Swami: Three planetary systems are visible to the residents of the earth Svarga-loka, Bhūvar-loka and Bhūr-loka. So, the demigods come from the Svarga-loka. They came to see this activity of the Supreme Lord, in His avatāra as Gaurāṅga Mahāprabhu, how the dead body of Śrīvāsa’s son, and how the Ganges personified, is bringing up the dead body, touching the lotus feet of Lord Caitanya, and even the celestial beings are ecstatic in seeing these activities, and they were raining down flowers. So, so many crowded the sky, that their airplanes almost blocked out the sunlight. 

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 25.079

yathocita kriyā kari’ kailā gaṅgā-snāna
‘kṛṣṇa’ bali’ sabe gṛhe karilā payāna

Jayapatākā Swami: After performing all the specified activities, rituals, for the final rites of the dead son of Śrīvāsa, they all took a bath in the Ganges, while chanting the holy names of Kṛṣṇa, and then they returned to their homes.

Śokaśātana, The Dispelling of Grief

ei-rūpe nānā bhāve haiyā magana
satkāra kariyā snāna kaila sarva-jana

Translation: In this way, everyone on all sides was absorbed in various ecstasies. After performing the funeral rites, they all took their bath in the Gaṅgā.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, there are some specific rituals which are to be performed when the body is cremated. Afterwards, it is said that everyone should take their bath. So, since they were there on the side of the Ganges, they took their bath in the holy river Ganges. Being overwhelmed by the ecstatic situation they all began to chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, and that they continued to chant as they went to their homes.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 25.80

prabhu, bhakta-gaṇa sabe gelā nija-ghara
śrīvāsera goṣṭhī saba hailā vihvala

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Gaurāṅga and His associates, devotees, all returned to their own houses, Śrīvāsa’s family, became overwhelmed in spiritual ecstasy.

Śokaśātana, The Dispelling of Grief –12

parama ānande sabe gela nija ghare
bhakativinoda māje gorā-bhāva-bhare

Translation: In great happiness, everyone then returned to their respective homes, and Bhaktivinoda is now completely immersed in the transcendental ecstasies of Lord Gaurasundara.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, the death of a boy in a family, is normally a matter of lamentation, but the way the things transpired; it was very auspicious. But the fact that Lord Caitanya brought the boy back to life, and he was speaking from the Absolute platform, talking about the truths about transmigration of the soul, to the performance of the final rites by the side of the Ganges, and how normally the body is bathed in the Ganges water, and then cremated, but when Lord Caitanya took the body in the Ganges, the Ganges herself came and picked up the body of the boy, and then she touched the lotus feet of Lord Gaura and she declared, that now my life is successful. So, they cremated the body, but everyone in their heart, was filled with love of Kṛṣṇa, and they were feeling great ecstasy. Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, he also was immersed in the transcendental ecstasies of Lord Gaurasundara’s pastimes. 

Thus ends the chapter, Śrī Gaurahari Performs the Funeral Ceremony Along with His Associates.

Phala-śruti–The Result of Hearing the Pastime of the Dispelling of Grief

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 25.81

gūḍha caitanya-līlāra phala-śruti—
e saba nigūḍha katha ye kare śravaṇa
avaśya miliba tāre kṛṣṇa-prema-dhana

Jayapatākā Swami: So those who hear these confidential topics, certainly will receive, the wealth of pure love for Kṛṣṇa.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 25.82

gaura-nitāira putrarūpe śrīvāsera sevā-grahaṇa—
śrīvāsera caraṇe rahuka namaskāra
‘gauracandra’ ‘nityānanda’—nandana yāṅhāra

Jayapatākā Swami: I offer my respectful obeisances, at the lotus feet of Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura, whose sons were Gauracandra and Nityānanda. 

Purport (by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura): Śrī Gaura and Śrī Nityananda accepted Śrīvāsa’s service as his sons.”

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 25.83

e saba adbhuta sei navadvīpe haya
bhaktera pratīta haya, abhaktera naya

Jayapatākā Swami: These wonderful pastimes took place in Navadvīpa dhāma. The devotees accept all this as real, but the non-devotees, may not have faith. So, Lord Caitanya was performing various pastimes in Navadvīpa dhāma, and the devotees were enjoying all these pastimes, and they were overwhelmed in spiritual ecstasy. But the non-devotees, they may not understand anything about these transcendental pastimes.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 25.84

madhya-khaṇḍe parama apūrva saba
kathāmṛta-śiśu tattva-jṣāna kahilena yathā

Jayapatākā Swami: In the Caitanya-bhāgavata, this part of Lord Caitanya’s pastimes are known as the Madhya-khaṇḍa, and so the discussions are most extraordinary, how a dead child is speaking on spiritual truths. This is included among the pastimes that occurred in Navadvīpa.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 25.85

hena mate navadvīpe śrī-gaura-sundara
viharaye saṅkīrtana-sukhe nirantara

Jayapatākā Swami: In this way, Śrī Gaurasundara experienced the happiness of the saṅkīrtana-līlā, in Navadvīpa continuously. So, the pastime of Lord Caitanya, after He took initiation in Gayā, from Īśvara Purī Mahārāja, returned to Navadvīpa, He was in the mood of devotional service, and He started the saṅkīrtana movement in Navadvīpa. So, these pastimes are very blissful, and they show the importance of congregationally chanting the holy names, and so these pastimes of Lord Caitanya, completely bestow unlimited mercy on the conditioned souls.

Śokaśātana, The Dispelling of Grief

nadīyā-nagare gorā-carita amṛta
piyāśoka bhaya chāḍa sthira kara cita

Translation: The activities and behavior of Lord Gaurasundara within the villages around Nadia district are just like sweet ambrosial nectar. By drinking this nectar, just give up all of your material lamentations and fears, and make your heart become thus fixed up.

Śokaśātana, The Dispelling of Grief

anitya saṁsāra bhāi kṛṣṇa mātra sāra
gorā-śikṣā mate kṛṣṇa bhaja anivāra

Translation: Within this temporary material world, my friends, the only substantial essence of Absolute truth is Lord Kṛṣṇa. Therefore, kindly take heed of Lord Caitanya’s advice, and just worship Kṛṣṇa constantly. 

Jayapatākā Swami: Here that the actual purpose of human life, is to worship Lord Kṛṣṇa constantly. It is being revealed by Lord Caitanya. If the human beings would do that, they could transform this planet to a spiritual atmosphere. So, all the fears and dangers of ordinary material life, will disappear and one can be completely absorbed in ecstatic love for Lord Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Śokaśātana, The Dispelling of Grief

gorāra caraṇa dhari’ yei bhāgyavān
vraje rādhā-kṛṣṇa bhaje, sei mora prāṇa

Translation: Whoever understand this and thereby firmly grabs hold of Lord Caitanya’s lotus feet is most fortunate. And if he worships Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa in Vṛndāvana, then I will accept him as my very life soul. 

Śokaśātana, The Dispelling of Grief

rādhā-kṛṣṇa gorācāṅda na'de vṛndāvana
ei mātra kara sāra pā'be nitya dhana

Translation: Their Lordships Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa are none other than the selfsame Lord Gaurasundara, and Śrī Navadvīpa-dhāma is that very same Vṛndāvana dhāma. If you consider this as the only essential point, then you will rightfully receive some eternal treasures.

Jayapatākā Swami: This is the secret that Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa had Their pastimes in Vṛndāvana, and They combined together as Śrī Gaurasundara, and He had His pastimes in Navadvīpa, and Navadvīpa and Vṛndāvana are non-different, if someone understands this, then they can achieve the highest treasure of life. 

Śokaśātana, The Dispelling of Grief

vidyā-buddhi hīna dīna akiṣcana chāra
karma-jṣāna-śūnya āmi śūnya-sad-ācāra

Translation: Actually, I am completely devoid of any real knowledge or good inteligence. Indeed, I am most lowly, insignificant and contemptible. I am also certainly without the slightest trace of good karma or philosophical understanding, and I am completely bereft of any virtuous behavior. 

Jayapatākā Swami: Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura is humbling himself before the Lord. 

Śokaśātana, The Dispelling of Grief

śrī-guru vaiṣṇava more dilena upādhi
bhakti-hīne upādhi haila ebe vyādhi

Translation: All the assembled Vaiṣṇavas, who I consider to be just like my spiritual master, have given me this title of Bhaktivinoda, but because I am actually totally devoid of any trace of devotion, this title has simply become like a painful disease for me.

Jayapatākā Swami: Here Ṭhākura Bhaktivinoda, is showing us how we should be humble, and beg for the mercy, at the feet of the Vaiṣṇavas. 

Śokaśātana, The Dispelling of Grief

yatana kariyā sei vyadhi nivaraṇe
śaraṇa lainu āmi vaiṣṇava-caraṇe

Translation: Taking great care to check the spreading of this disease, I have taken refuge at the lotus feet of all the Vaiṣṇavas.

Śokaśātana, The Dispelling of Grief

vaiṣṇavera pada-raja mastake dhariyāe
‘śoka-śātana’ gāya bhaktivinodiyā

Translation: Taking the dust of the lotus feet of all the Vaisnavas upon my head, this lowly Bhaktivinoda thus sings this story called Śokaśātana (The Dispelling of Grief).

Jayapatākā Swami: So Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, sang the pastime of the passing away of Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita’s son, and how Lord Caitanya dispelled the grief, and accepted Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita as His father, and so by hearing this pastime, having faith in it, we get the wealth of pure love of Kṛṣṇa. 

Thus, ends the chapter, The Result of Hearing the Pastime of the Dispelling of Grief

Don’t forget to pray for His Holiness Bhakti Cāru Swami and for all the other devotees who are affected. Thank you for participating in the virtual Ratha-yātrā, and thank you to those who have sent me their realizations. I am still waiting for other realizations. Thank you very much!