20200630 Actors and Qualification to See the Drama

Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book Compilation by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on 30^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 continue reading about the special drama of Candraśekhara. We want to remind all the devotees, to please pray for His Holiness Bhakti Cāru Swami. At the end of class, I will speak something. So, this is about the actors and the qualifications to see the drama.

Actors and Qualification to See the Drama

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 18.3

bhakta-goṣṭhī sahita gaurāṅga jaya jaya
śunile caitanya kathā bhakti labhya haya

Jayapatākā Swami: All glories to Lord Gaurāṅga with His association of devotees. By hearing the topics of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, one attains devotional service. Actually, we heard that the Lord, He can give blessings for material benefits, or liberation into the impersonal Brahman, very easily. But the perfection of life is to achieve devotional service, bhakti, as it’s known in Sanskrit. So, actually by having bhakti or devotional service, one actually causes the Lord to reciprocate, because He promises that He will reciprocate with anyone who approaches Him. But if you approach Him in pure devotional service, then He reciprocates. So that makes Him somewhat, you can say, He is implicated. He is compromised, because you are approaching Him out of love in devotion, so naturally He reciprocates. So that’s why He accepted Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura as His father. Because Śrīvāsa had shown such dedication, such dedication for Him. So, this achievement of bhakti is the greatest achievement, and by hearing these topics of Lord Caitanya, who had come in this world to teach what are the principles of pure devotional service. So, by hearing these topics, naturally one is blessed, by achieving devotional service to the Lord.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 18.4

prabhura navadvīpa līlāya saṅkīrtana-rasāsvādana—

hena-mate navadvīpe viśvambhara-rāya
saṅkīrtana-rasa prabhu karaye sadāya

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Viśvambhara Mahāprabhu, while living in Navadvīpa, He was constantly absorbed in the mellows of saṅkīrtana.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 18.5

adhyāyera sūtra—

madhya-khaṇḍa kathā bhāi śuna eka-mane
lakṣmī-kāce prabhu nṛtya karilā yemane

Jayapatākā Swami: So, one should listen to the topics of the Madhya-khaṇḍa, my dear brothers, and hear the description, how the Lord danced in the dress of Lakṣmī-devī.

Purport by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura: The phrase lakṣmī-kāce means “to act in the dress of Lakṣmī.”

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 18.6

prabhura dṛśyakāvyera vidhāne nṛtyecchā o kāvyasajjārtha ādeśa—

eka-dina prabhu balilena sabā-sthāne
āji nṛtya karibāṅa aṅkera vidhāne

Jayapatākā Swami: One day, Lord Gaurāṅga informed everyone, that today we will perform a drama, according to the prescribed rules of drama. These are all Sanskrit dramas follows certain rules and regulations. One type of drama has acts or scenes, for each part of the theatrical performance. In Sanskrit they are known as aṅkas. So, this system of performing drama is very regulated, who is a hero, how to present the correct mellow? The dialogues are very concise and easy to understand. Every scene should have some connection with the main topic, but if a particular scene is basically irrelevant to the main topic of the drama, then such irrelevant topics should be kept in one scene. Irrelevant means they are more like a background subjects rather than the principle topic. So main themes are gradually developed over many scenes, the things build up, and then the actual conclusion is presented in the final act. Gradually different events transpire in the different acts, so there are more dialogues and poetry, no act, no scene should have any principle which impedes in the hero’s performance of religious rituals. Prolonged event should be extended over several scenes, in a serialized form. If the hero is present in each scene, there should be some topic which is related to him, each scene has 3 or 4 actors, and in one scene, there should not be too many activities, killing, fighting, revolution, marriage, feasting, cursing, offering garlands, death, playing chess, biting lips in lust, touching breast or other embarrassing acts, sleeping, drinking, so many things. What can be in an act or a scene, what can not be in the scene, how short or how long a scene should be, characteristics of kings, queens, ministers, merchants, should be clearly defined that cause the appropriate emotions to rise. So, there are so many rules and regulations for the drama, and if there are fight scenes, only the people who are fighting should be on the stage. So, the modern theory of materialists is that the Indians and the Sanskrit language, simply came out from the animals and the Europeans are the Āryans. But we can see that even a simple thing like a Sanskrit drama has so many rules and regulations. It’s obviously not something that came from the animals, this kind of false propaganda is completely ridiculous. The Sanskrit language is called Devanāgarī because it came from the higher planets. Actually, this language and this culture is divine in nature, and different speculations to the contrary, have no basis.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 18.7

sadāśiva buddhimanta khānere ḍākiyā
balilena prabhu,—“kāca sajja kara giyā

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Gaurāṅga called Sadāśiva and Buddhimanta Khān. And the Lord told them, arrange for some dramatic costumes. So, we when we visit in the Navadvīpa parikramā, in the Godrumadvīpa, next to the Ām Ghāṭa, there is a holy place called Suvarṇa-vihāra and there the king Suvarṇa Sena, by chanting the names of Gaurāṅga, He had the darśana of the Lord, and the Lord told him that he would appear as Buddhimanta Khān in His pastimes. So here is one of the services that Buddhimanta Khān had, He was a rich tax collector in the Navadvīpa city, and He arranged for the Lord’s marriage, and here we see that the Lord wants to do a drama, and Sadāśiva and Buddhimanta Khān were asked to arrange all the costumes, here are some of the details.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 18.8

śaṅkha, kāṅculī, pāṭaśāḍī, alaṅkāra
yogya yogya kari' sajja kara sabākāra

Jayapatākā Swami: Sadāśiva collect conches, ladies’ garments, bodices, silk sarees, ornaments that are suitable for all the participants.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 18.9

abhinayakārigaṇera nirdeśa—

gadādhara kācibena rukmiṇīra kāca
brahmānanda tāra buḍī sakhī suprabhāta

Jayapatākā Swami: Gadādhara Prabhu would dress up as Rukmiṇī, and Brahmānanda will dress up as Her elderly female assistant or companion, by the name of Suprabhā.

Caitanya candrodaya nāṭaka 3.23

maitrī: kadhehi, ko kassa bhūmiaṁ gahissadi
[kathaya, kaḥ kasya bhūmikām grahīṣyati]

Maitrī: Tell me: Who will take what role?

prema-bhaktiḥ: vatse'vadhāraya | advaitasya rudratvenātmatvam | svasya ca śrī-rādhā-svarūpa-grahaṇam anya-janāśakyaṁ parama-rahasyatvenāyogyaṁ ca matvā—

Prema Bhakti: Daughter listen. Thinking that Advaita is non-different from Rudra and Kṛṣṇa (i.e., He who is Advaita is Rudra and He who is Kṛṣṇa is Rudra) and accepting Rādhā's role is not possible for other person and that it is most confidential to take up…

Maitri: Tell me, who will take what role?

Caitanya candrodaya nāṭaka 3.24

advaitam āpādayad īśa-veśaṁ
svayaṁ ca rādhākṛtim agrahīt saḥ
iti pratītiḥ kila vastutas tu
sa eva devo dvividho babhūva

Translation: ...the Lord personally took the role of Rādhā and gave to Advaita the role of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is well known in the world, but the truth is the Lord divided Himself in two for the two roles, since he became Rādhā and also entered the body of Advaita who played the role of Kṛsṇa.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, this is a very confidential matter, because Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa combined in the form of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and in this drama Lord Caitanya divided Himself back into two, and He took the role of Rādhā, in one half, and the other half, He entered the body of Advaita and played the part of Kṛṣṇa.

Caitanya candrodaya nāṭaka 3.25

advaito veśa-mātreṇa kevalaṁ caritārthatām
agamat kintu tatrāsīd āvirbhūtaḥ svayaṁ hariḥ

Translation: Advaita attained success merely by accepting the role (of the Supreme Personality of Godhead), but Lord Hari Himself appeared in Him.

Caitanya candrodaya nāṭaka 3.26

api ca—
haridāsaḥ sūtra-dhāro mukundaḥ pāripārśvikaḥ
vāsudevācārya-nāmā nepathya-racanākaraḥ

Translation: Haridāsa will be the Director, Mukunda will be the Stage assistant, and Vasudeva Ācārya will make arrangements behind the scenes.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, here the Prema Bhakti is explaining, who will play what part, and who will be the director, stage manager etc. In this way, the drama is introduced for the players by the preluding act.

Caitanya candrodaya nāṭaka 3.27

śrī-rādhā-kṛṣṇa-saṁyoga-kāriṇī jaratīva sā
yogamāyā bhagavatī nityānanda-tanūṁ śritā

Translation: Goddess Yogamāyā, the old lady who arranges the meeting of Śrī Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, will take shelter of Nityānanda's body.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, this is explaining how Lord Nityānanda would take a role as an old lady, and that Goddess Yogamāyā will enter into His body, and He will arrange the meeting of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 18.10

nityānanda haibena baḍāi āmāra
kotoyāla haridāsa jāgāite bhāra

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Gaurāṅga explains that Lord Nityānanda will be My grandmother, Haridāsa Ṭhākura will be a guard who will keep everybody alert.

Purport by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura: The word baḍāi refers to an elderly grandmother. The elderly lady of Vṛndāvana is Paurṇamāsī. She is none other than Yogamāyā, the instrument for Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa's meetings.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 18.11

śrīvāsa—nārada-kāca, snātaka—śrīrāma
‘deuṭiyā āji muṣi’ balaye śrīmān”

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Gaurāṅga is explaining who will take what role. Śrīvāsa will play Nārada, and Śrīrāma would dress as a brahmacārī, who has completed his studies, and returning home to get married. Śrīmān the other brother of Śrīvāsa he said, “I will today, be the bearer of the torch.”

Purport by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura: The word deuṭiyā refers to one who holds a torch, and the word snātaka refers to a brāhmaṇa who is sprinkled water on his head when the student’s studies are complete with the spiritual master and if he plans to return home and take up household life, who undergoes the saṁskāra called samāvartana and take up wearing two sets of sacred threads.

Jayapatākā Swami: The young brahmacārī, is given the upanayanam, where he wears three strands of sacred thread, when he becomes a gṛhastha then he wears one strand for his wife, a strand of three, that means he has six, when one is a sannyāsī, he gets nine.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 18.12

advaita balaye,—“ke karibe pātra-kāca?”
prabhu bale,—“pātra siṁhāsane gopīnātha

Jayapatākā Swami: Advaita asked, “Who will dress up as the hero?” Lord Gaurāṅga replied that, “The hero will be Gopīnātha, who is sitting on the throne.”

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 18.13

sadāśiva buddhimantake kāca-sajjārtha prabhura punarādeśa o tāhādera sajjā āniyā prabhu-sthāne arpaṇa—

satvara calaha buddhimanta Khān tumi
kāca sajja kara giyā, nācibāṅa āmi”

Jayapatākā Swami: “Budhimanta Khān, go quickly and arrange the costumes so that I may dance in the drama!”

Purport by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura: The word kāca means “dress,” “decorations,” or “actors' costumes.” The word sajja means “prepare” or “arrange.”

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 18.14

ājṣāśire kari' sadāśiva buddhimanta
gṛhe calilena, ānandera nāhi anta

Jayapatākā Swami: Taking the order of the Lord on their heads, Sadāśiva and Budhimanta Khān quickly went home, their ecstasy knew no limits.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 18.15

sei-kṣaṇe kāthiyāra-cāndoyāṭāni
yākāca sajja karilena sundara kariyā

Jayapatākā Swami: So, they immediately prepared a special Kāthiyāra canopy, and prepared many beautiful, attractive costumes.

Purport by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura: The phrase Kāthiyāra candoya refers to a canopy made in Kāthiyāra, Bihar.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 18.16

laiyā yateka kāca buddhimanta Khān
thuilena laṣāṭhākurera vidyamāna

Jayapatākā Swami: After Budhimanta Khān had collected all the costumes, he brought them before the Lord. So, this service was so much appreciated by Budhimanta Khān, it says he had no limit to his ecstasy. So actually serving the Lord in devotional service is the highest ecstasy, and Budhimanta Khān was experiencing that ecstasy, and His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, has given us this great opportunity to engage in devotional service, all over the world.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 18.17

abhinayera sajjā darśane prabhura prīti evaṁ vaiṣṇavagaṇera prati ukti—

dekhiyā hailā prabhu santoṣita mana
sakala vaiṣṇava-prati balilā vacana

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Gaurāṅga seeing all the costumes, and all the arrangements, He was very satisfied in His heart. So, then He began to speak to all the Vaiṣṇavas, as follows:

Caitanya candrodaya nāṭaka 3.28

maitrī: sāmāiāo ke mī?
[sāmājikāḥ ke'mī?]

Maitrī: Who will be the audience?

prema-bhaktiḥ: adhikāriṇo ye'sminn arthe svayam eva bhagavān avādīt prāg eva | yathā—

Prema Bhakti: In this regard, Lord Himslelf has already said who is qualified. He said:

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 18.18

prabhura nija abhinayera nirdeśa o taddarśane adhikārī nirṇaya—

“prakṛti-svarūpā nṛtya haibe āmāra
dekhite ye jitendriya, tā'ra adhikāra

Jayapatākā Swami: I will dance in the form of a woman, only one who is self-controlled, is qualified to watch.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 18.19

sei se yāiba āji bāḍīra bhitare
ye jana indriya dharite śakti dhare”

Jayapatākā Swami: And therefore, today only those will go inside the house, who have the power to control their senses.

Caitanya candrodaya nāṭaka 3.29

he śrīvāsa svayam avahitenādya bhāvyaṁ tvayāsmin

yogyo yaḥ syāt sa viśati yathā nāparas tad-vidheyam |

Translation: The Lord told, “Ohe Śrīvāsa! Please arrange that only qualified persons and not others, enter.”

Caitanya candrodaya nāṭaka 3.30

ity ardhokte śrīvāsenābhāṣi—deva! kasmin karmaṇi yogyāyogya-vyavasthā karaṇīyā | kutra vā praveśaḥ kārayitavya iti | punar devenāpy avādi—

Translation: When the words were only half finished, Śrīvāsa said: “Lord, what action will determine who is qualified and unqualified to enter, and what place they will be made to enter?” again the Lord said: when the words were only half finished, Śrīvāsa said, “Lord what action will determine who is qualified and unqualified to enter, and what place they will be made to enter?” again the Lord said:

Caitanya candrodaya nāṭaka 3.31

śrī-rādhā atra svayam
iyam aho nūnam
ācārya-ratnasyavāsasyāṅgana-bhuvi
rasād vyaktam āvirbhavitrī

Translation: Due to affection Śrī Rādhā will certainly personally appear in the courtyard of Ācāryaratna's house.

Caitanya candrodaya nāṭaka 3.32

maitrī: tado tado?

Maitrī: Then? Then?

Caitanya candrodaya nāṭaka 3.33

prema-bhaktiḥ: tataḥ śrīvāsena manasi sandihānena bhagavad-vaca iti vihita-niścayenāpi gaṅgādāsa-nāmā bhagavataḥ paramāpto bhūsura-varo dvārapālakatvena nyayoji |

Prema Bhakti: Then, although there were some doubt in his mind, in carrying out the Lord's order accurately, Śrīvāsa made the greatly trustworthy brāhmaṇa devotee Gaṅgādāsa the doorkeeper.

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya had given His orders to Śrīvāsa that only the persons who are self-controlled should enter. Then Śrīvāsa assigned Gaṅgā dāsa as the doorkeeper, with the responsibility of only allowing qualified people in.

So, we will continue this description tomorrow.

So, I just wanted to mention that tomorrow is the Sayana Ekādaśī, also known as the Padma Ekādaśī, and you can read the description on the internet, it is there. Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja asked Lord Kṛṣṇa what is the significance of this Ekādaśī? Kṛṣṇa explained that this Ekādaśī fulfills all desires, delivers one from all sinful reactions, and one can go to the spiritual world, and He said that this was told by Lord Brahmā to His disciple and son, Nārada muni. In the Satya-yuga there was a great king called Maṅdakā, and that he cared for his subjects like his own children, and he was ruling very carefully, following all the religious principles and therefore there was no pestilence, no disturb, people were all rich in his kingdom. But somehow, for three years there was a famine, no rain. So, the citizens approached him and said, “Please do something to solve this. We can’t imagine now going to the government and saying please solve this problem.” But in those days, because everyone was so God conscious, and normally there would be an ideal situation in the world, so the king said, “I am thinking about this, why did this happen? So, I will find out and do what can be done.”

So, he took his soldiers and went into the forest. And then he was looking for some ṛṣi or someone who would tell him what to do, there he met Aṅgīra muni, who was effulgent, and from a distance he paid his obeisances, he begged for blessings. And Aṅgīra muni asked him, “What do you want?” Then he explained, “The problem that we are having no rain, we are having drought in our kingdom, so, I don’t know what the cause is, what the solution is?” Angira said, “Well in your kingdom there is a śūdra who is doing the activities of a brāhmaṇa. He is fasting and doing austerities and penances. So, if you kill him, then your kingdom will be restored”. But the king said, “How can I kill an innocent person who is doing austerities? Give me some spiritual solution”. And then Aṅgīra told him, “Alright, the coming Ekādaśī, if you observe that fully, stay up the whole night, have your ministers, your whole citizens, appeal them to observe this Ekādaśī and then everything will be restored.” So, then he called all the citizens, all the subjects, brāhmaṇas, vaiśyas, kṣatriyas, śūdras, and told them that they should all observe the Ekādaśī. And after observing the Ekādaśī, rains came, people became happy again and they could go back to Godhead at the end of their life. I was thinking that it is said that by hearing this we get freed from unlimited sins, so I wanted to tell this. But also, if anyone wants to observe the Ekādaśī and give the fruit to His Holiness Bhakti Cāru Swami, it may help him to overcome these tests.

Thank you and tomorrow we will also be observing the digital Ratha-yātrā, the ulṭa-ratha. If you have not yet registered or talked to the organizers, please do it quick. This time we are giving out, if some temple wants, an entire ratha, 500 people or more, then we can give them a ratha or two, whatever, one ratha has a maximum of 500 people. This is a special Ratha-yātrā, because normally the ulṭa-ratha is returning Jagannātha to Dvārakā, but we started in Navadvīpa dhāma, which is non-different from Vṛndāvana, and ending back to Navadvīpa dhāma, which is non-different from Vṛndāvana. So, we started in Vṛndāvana and we are ending in Vṛndāvana. So, if you want to help bring Lord Jagannātha Baladeva Subhadrā Sudarśana cakra back to Vṛndāvana dhāma, you can participate in this return ratha. We already heard many people have booked from China, Russia, many places, Bangladesh.

So, thank you very much. Hare Kṛṣṇa!