20200710 Entrance of Śrīvāsa in the Role of Nārada

Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book Compilation by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on 10^th July 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 are about to continue on the drama by Lord Caitanya, which was played in Candraśekhara’s house. Candraśekhara’s house is at the Caitanya Maṭha temple.

We are still under the feeling of great separation from our dear god brother and friend, His Holiness Bhakti Cāru Swami. We are waiting for his body to arrive in Māyāpur. At the same time, the government said we cannot have any big, public assembly, so these things are there.

Someone was asking me that, it seems in Kṛṣṇa consciousness there is lot of suffering. As we see in these different pastimes, Lord Caitanya, He is missing Kṛṣṇa’s presence, and sometimes He is crying, He is manifesting different, what is called as ecstatic loving symptoms. Now in the material world, if someone loses someone, they feel some sadness. But then later on, they may have someone else. But in the spiritual world, one has the relationship with Kṛṣṇa, and that never changes, and that the loving separation one feels from Kṛṣṇa and His devotees, is transcendental, we call that the loving ecstasy, and that cannot be understood by someone who is not a devotee. How the feeling of separation from Kṛṣṇa, is actually an ecstatic loving symptom. Now this is very difficult for non-devotees to understand. But the devotee has these profound emotions and the rasas, the mellows that they taste are something very wonderful and real. And they cannot be compared with the suffering of the material world. Or the enjoyment of the material world, which are all temporary and superficial. Now we will continue reading from the Caitanya-carita-mahā-kāvya.

Caitanya Carita Mahā Kāvya, 11.13

tato’smin niṣkrānte kṛta-naṭana-saṅkīrtana-rase
viveśāsau śrīmān dhṛta-parama-veśaḥ sumadhuraḥ
praviṣṭo’sau reje hima-kara-samūha-pratikṛtir
gṛhītvā sad-vetraṁ sapadi haridāso’ṅgana-bhuvi

Translation: When he left the stage dancing and singing, Haridāsa, dressed sweetly, entered the stage like a host of moons, holding a fine stick (playing a Vaikuṇṭha guard).

Murāri Gupta Kaḍaca, 2.16.1

prāviśat tad anu daṇḍa-dharo’grataḥ
pūrṇa-candra-sadṛśo hari-dāsaḥ
kīrtanaṁ kuru harer iti vādī
bodhayaṁs tri-jagatī paritaptām

Translation: (The drama performance continued:) Haridāsa, then appeared like the full moon before the assembly of the Lord and His bhaktas. Bearing a staff, he addressed them as follows, Perform Śrī Hari-kīrtana and thus enlighten the living beings of the three worlds, who are now burning in the

Caitanya Carita Mahā Kāvya, 11.14

vadann uccair uccair vada harim iti prema-vikalāḥ
kurudhvaṁ tad-gāthām iti sarabhasaṁ candra-lalitaḥ
diśan vetrāgreṇa pratipada-valad-dharṣa-vivaśas
trilokīṁ saṁsuptām iva sa yatate jāgarayitum

Translation: He said, “Loudly chant the name of the Lord. Joyful with prema, speak topics of the Lord.” Beautiful as the moon, overcome with great joy at every moment, pointing with the tip of his stick, he tried to wake up the sleeping people of the three worlds.

Jayapatākā Swami: We can see that the audience is also participating in the drama. They are asked to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, and thus wake up the sleeping souls of the material world, the three worlds, the heavenly planets, the intermediate planets and earthly planets.

Caitanya Carita Mahā Kāvya, 11.15

akuṇṭhād vaikuṇṭhāt prabhu-caraṇa-pāthoja-nikaṭāt
tadājṣāto bhūmau prathamam avatīrṇo’ham adhunā
tad-ājṣā-vācas tāḥ śṛṇuta paramāḥ sīdhu-madhurāḥ
kali-vyāla-grasta-prakaṭatara-saṣjīvana-karīḥ

Translation: “By the order of the lotus feet of the Lord, who is unlimited Vaikuṇṭha, I have first appeared on earth. Please hear that order, sweet as nectar, which will give life to all the people swallowed by the snake of Kali-yuga.

Jayapatākā Swami: What is the order? What is the order?

Caitanya Carita Mahā Kāvya, 11.16

vinā nāmnāṁ gāthāmṛta-rasa-dhunī-srotasi sadā
kṛta-snānān lokān iti tad adhunā vāṣchitam iha
tad etad viśvasminn iha sa vikirann ājigamiṣur
bhavadbhiḥ kīrtyantāṁ guṇa-samudayāḥ śrī-bhagavataḥ

Translation: No one is bathing in the sweet river of the name. That is what I desire. I desire to come to distribute to this world the name. All of you should chant the glories of the Lord.

Jayapatākā Swami: Here the significance of chanting the holy name of the Lord is mentioned. People are deprived of bathing in the sweet river of the holy name. So that is what Lord Gaurāṅga wants to give the people, that the people bathe in the nectar of the holy name. They should chant the glories of the Lord – Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare.

Caitanya Carita Mahā Kāvya, 11.17

idānīṁ tasyājṣāṁ śravasi paripīya pratipadaṁ
bhavanto nṛtyantu prativihita-saṅkīrtana-rasāḥ
iti śrutvā tasyānana-śaśi-samudbhūta-vacaso
vilāsaṁ te sarve vipula-pulakāṅgāḥ sulalitam

Translation: Drinking his order with your ears at every moment, you should dance, filled with the rasa of saṅkīrtana remedy.” Hearing these pleasant words flowing from his moonlike face, everyone’s hair stood on end. fire of sense enjoyment.

Jayapatākā Swami: Fire of sense enjoyment, seems like it is misplaced. According to this verse people were floating in the fire of sense enjoyment.

So here the audience hearing the sweet words of Haridāsa Ṭhākura emanating from His moonlike face, their hairs stood on end. The audience is very much a part of this whole performance. While the actors are on the stage playing their parts, the audience is also chanting the holy names and their hairs are standing on end, so, interactive drama.

Murāri Gupta Kaḍaca, 2.16.2

tasya tad-vacanam abja-mukhasya
sannipīya hitāṅga-ruhās te
vaiṣṇavā nanṛtur udgata-netra-
vāribhis timita-vigraha-bhājaḥ

Translation: After drinking through their thirsty ears the words of Haridāsa, whose face resembled a blossoming lotus, the Vaiṣṇavas began to sing and dance, their hairs thrilled with rapture, and their bodies became wet from tears which spurted forcefully from their eyes.

Jayapatākā Swami: So Haridāsa Ṭhākura got all the devotees in the audience to begin to sing and dance. And they are crying in ecstasy, and their cloth became wet from their tears, which spurted forcibly from their eyes, so this is a very ecstatic drama.

Caitanya Carita Mahā Kāvya, 11.18

jagur gītaṁ ramyaṁ kalita-kara-tāla-dhvani-valan-
mṛdaṅgālī-bhaṅgyā svayam api nanartaiṣa paramaḥ
asau bhūyo bhūyaḥ kṛta-naṭana-saṅkīrtana-raso
viniṣkrānto bhūtvā tad anu virarāma pramuditaḥ

Translation: They sang a pleasant song along with karatāla and mṛdaṅga beats. Haridāsa danced in joy, and, dancing to the rasa of saṅkīrtana, exited and took rest.

Jayapatākā Swami: So Haridāsa Ṭhākura was setting the scene for the next act.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 9.109

śuni haridāsa-vāṇī, sakala vaiṣṇamaṇi,
amṛte siñcilā saba gā
haraṣete nāce gāya, mājhe nāce gaurārāya,
kāndiyā dharaye rāṅgā pā

Translation: Hearing Haridāsa's words, all the jewellike Vaiṣnavas responded by making a great rain-shower of nectar. They joyfully sang and danced. In the center danced Lord Gaura-rāya. Weeping, the devotees grasped the Lord's reddish feet.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, all the audience was also chanting. Lord Caitanya came, and He was also chanting and dancing. Devotees weeping tried to touch Lord Gaurāṅga’s lotus feet.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 18.62

nāradera sahita śrīvāsera abhinnatva—

abhinna-nārada yena śrīvāsa paṇḍita
sei rūpa, sei vākya, sei se carita

Jayapatākā Swami: Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita appeared non-different from Nārada - that form, those words, and the same characteristics.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 18.63

pativratāgaṇa-saha śacīmātāra abhinaya darśana—

yata pati-vratā-gaṇa—sakala laiyā
āi dekhe kṛṣṇa-sudhā-rase magna haiyā

Jayapatākā Swami: Mother Śacī, along with all the chaste married ladies, they became absorbed in the pure nectarean mellows of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. In some Western countries, ladies have the name of something like magnolia or magna, I forget. But the Sanskrit word ‘magna’ means completely absorbed - so they are completely absorbed in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So, Mother Śacī and all the chaste married ladies who were present, were completely absorbed in the nectar and mellows of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. We can see that this Kṛṣṇa consciousness is for both men and women. Everyone can experience the transcendental ecstasy of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and as the audience is watching, they are also feeling completely absorbed in spiritual bliss.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 18.64

śacīmātāra rahasya-pūrvaka mālinīke śrīvāsera kathā jijñāsā o tanmūrti-darśane mūrchā—

mālinīre bale āi,—“ini ki paṇḍita?”
mālinī balaye,—“śuni ai suniścita”

Jayapatākā Swami: Mother Śacī asked Mālinī, “Is that Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita?” Mālinī replied, “Listen, it certainly is!”

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 18.65

parama vaiṣṇavīāi sarva-loka-mātā
śrīvāsera mūrti dekhi' hailā vismitā

Jayapatākā Swami: Mother Śacī was a great Vaiṣṇavī and the mother of the entire universe. When she saw the transcendental form of Śrīvāsa, playing the part of Nārada muni, she was struck with spiritual wonder.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 18.66

ānande paḍilā āi haiyā mūrcchitā
kothāo nāhika dhātu, sabe camakitā

Jayapatākā Swami: Mother Śacī, because of extreme spiritual ecstasy, fell unconscious. There was no sign of life in her. Everyone was astonished to see that there was no sign of life in her.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 18.67

nārīgaṇera śacīkarṇe kṛṣṇakīrtana o śacīdevīra vāhyaprāpti—

satvare sakala pati-vratā nārī-gaṇa
karṇa-mūle ‘kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa’ kare saṅaraṇa

Jayapatākā Swami: All the chaste married ladies, softly chanted in her ears, “Kṛṣṇa! Kṛṣṇa!” they chanted the names of Lord “Kṛṣṇa! Kṛṣṇa!” in her ear.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 18.68

samvit pāiyā āi govinda saṅare
pati-vratā-gaṇe dhare, dharite nā pāre

Jayapatākā Swami: Mother Śacī regained her external consciousness, and she remembered Lord Govinda. Although all the chaste married ladies tried to pacify her, they were unable to do so.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 18.69

sakalera vāhyahīna bhāva o krandana—

ei mata ki ghara-bāhire sarva-jana
bāhya nāhi sphure, sabe karena krandana

Jayapatākā Swami: In this way, everyone inside or outside the room, lost their external consciousness and everyone was crying in ecstasy. So, Lord Caitanya’s drama is just starting, already everyone like Mother Śacī fainted, and everyone is crying in ecstasy, having great kīrtana, chanting the holy names.

So, we see that this drama is really something very special. Not only the actors but even the audience, is fully absorbed in the action on the stage.

Thus, ends the chapter, Entrance of Śrīvāsa in the Role of Nārada.

So since at 8 O’clock I have a Zoom class, I have to eat my prasāda now.

Thank you all for participating in this drama!