20200807 Lord Consoles the Assembled Devotees

Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book Compilation by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on 7^th August 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 today we don’t have the Bengali translator and the Chinese translator present. They are translating from home. We are missing their presence, but what to do? So, this is a very difficult part of the Kṛṣṇa Caitanya-līlā, because here the Lord has decided that He will take sannyāsa, He will leave home, He will leave Navadvīpa in search of Kṛṣṇa. So today the chapter is entitled:

Lord Consoles the Assembled Devotees

This is a very tear-jerking situation.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 26.178

sannyāsa-vārtā śravaṇe bhaktagaṇera krandana—

ei mata āpta-vaiṣṇavera sthāne sthāne
‘śikhā-sūtra ghucāimu’ balilā āpane

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Gaurāṅga personally informed His intimate devotees in various places, that He would shave His head, give up His brāhmaṇa thread.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 26.179

sabei śuniyāśrī-śikhāra antardhāna
mūrcchita paḍaye kāru nāhi dehe jñāna

Jayapatākā Swami: All the devotees, when they heard, that the Lord would shave His head, many fell unconscious, and lost all perception of their bodies. So, the condition of the devotees was very deplorable, and with the imminent loss of Lord Gaura’s association, they were feeling intense lamentation and separation.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 26.180

rāmakiri-rāga—

karibena mahāprabhu śikhāra muṇḍana
śrī-śikhā saṅariyā kānde sarva-bhakta-gaṇa

Jayapatākā Swami: When Lord Gaurāṅga Mahāprabhu would shave His head and cut of His śikhā, all the devotees when they thought of this, they all cried.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 26.181

keha bale,—“se sundara cāṅcara cikure
āra mālā gāṅthiyā ki diva tā'-upare”

Jayapatākā Swami: Someone said that beautiful hair with a bun on the top of His head, how will I make a flower garland, to put on top of His head, the beautiful curly hair?

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 26.182

keha bale,—“nā dekhiyā se keśa-bandhana
ke-mate rahibe ei pāpiṣṭha jīvana”

Jayapatākā Swami: Someone else said, not being able to see the nicely bound hair, how will I remain in this sinful life?

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 26.183

“se keśera divya gandha nā laiba āra”
eta bali' śire kara hānaye apāra

Jayapatākā Swami: While slapping his head, someone said, I will no longer smell the divine fragrance of His hair.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 26.184

keha bale,—“se sundara keśe āra bāra
āmalaka diyā ki vā kariba saṁskāra”

Jayapatākā Swami: Someone else said, that beautiful hair, how will I again wash with āmalakī? How will treat that beautiful hair with āmalakī?

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 26.185

‘hari hari’ bali’ keha kānde uccaiḥsvare
ḍubilena bhakta-gaṇa duḥkhera sāgare

Jayapatākā Swami: “Hari! Hari!” Said someone while crying loudly and weeping loudly! The devotees, in this way, were drowned in an ocean of distress.

Caitanya Carita Mahā Kāvya 11.48: All the devotees became constantly afflicted with sorrow. They wailed pitifully in confusion, “O Lord! Where has he gone?” As they reflected, after seven days they saw him, with disturbed heart, desiring to take sannyāsa.

Caitanya Carita Mahā Kāvya 11.49: Seeing him in this condition, they all immediately fell into painful, constant lamentation. “O Lord! What is this play? The beautiful Gauraṅga desires to take sannyāsa and wander about. You are hard-hearted.”

Caitanya Carita Mahā Kāvya 11.50: The women spoke. “Ah! Śiva! Śiva! This is a most cruel. The Lord is astonishing. A thunderbolt has suddenly struck. He has such form, character, and sweet beauty. But now he is taking sannyāsa. This bewilders the mind at every moment.”

Caitanya Carita Mahā Kāvya 11.51: Crying, the Lord, to spread happiness, said to the crying people, “O mother! O father! I bless you that you shall have prema at the lotus feet of the Lord at all times.”

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 10.120

prabhu kahe—tomarā āmāra nija dāsa
to-sabhāre kahi śuna āpana viśvāsa

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Gaurāṅga said, “You are all My personal servants. I tell to you all. Please listen, and have faith in Me.”

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 10.121

kahite ārambha mātra gadagada svara
aruṇa-kamala-āṁkhi kare chalachala

Jayapatākā Swami: As soon as the Lord Gaurāṅga began to speak, His voice became choked with emotion. His lotus eyes, reddish, were filled with tears of love flowing.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 10.122

sakaruṇa kaṇṭhe ādha-ādha vāṇī kahe
sambarite nāre kṣaṇe niśavade rahe

Jayapatākā Swami: With a merciful and emotional voice, He was speaking half-half words. He could not control Himself, and in a moment He became silent.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 10.123

āmāra biccheda bhaye tomarā kātara
mora kṛṣṇa-virahe vyākula kalevara

Jayapatākā Swami: Out of fear of separation from Me, you are extremely tormented. Similarly, My body in separation of Kṛṣṇa, is extremely anxious or agitated.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 10.124

ātmasukha lāgi torā more deha sukha
kemana piriti kara more torā loka

Jayapatākā Swami: For the sake of your personal happiness, you always want to give Me happiness. But what kind of love, you have for Me?

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 10.125

kṛṣṇera virahe mora poḍaye antara
dagadha indriya—dehe bhela mahājvara

Jayapatākā Swami: In separation from Lord Kṛṣṇa, My heart is burning and My senses are burnt to ashes. My whole body is feverish, mahājvara a flame or great fever.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 10.126

agni hena lāge mora se-hena jananī
viṣa miśāila yena to-sabhāra vāṇī

Jayapatākā Swami: It is as if a burning fire has become My mother, and all your words are like laced with poison, or mixed with poison.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 10.127

kṛṣṇa-binu jīvana-jīvane nāhi lekhi
ki kāja e chāra jīve yena paśu pākhī

Jayapatākā Swami: Without Lord Kṛṣṇa, life is not life. What is the use of this wretched life, passing time like a bird or beast, without Kṛṣṇa? Lord Caitanya is expressing His side, His personal suffering, and how the devotees are considering their personal torments in the possible separation of Lord Gaurāṅga, but they are not considering His situation, that He is feeling great separation from Kṛṣṇa. His inside is burning; His existence has no meaning without Kṛṣṇa. So, He wants to engage in Kṛṣṇa’s service, and He is thinking that by taking sannyāsa, He would do that.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 10.128

marāra ye hena sarva arayara āche
jīvake jīyāya yena latā pātā gāche

Jayapatākā Swami: It is like a corpse that has all its sense organs or living like leaves on a vine or tree.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 10.129

kṛṣṇa binu dharmakarma, dvija - vedahīna
pati-binu yuvatī yena, jala-binu mīna

Jayapatākā Swami: Without Lord Kṛṣṇa, religion and pious deeds are like a brāhmaṇa without Vedas, like a girl without the husband, like a fish out of the water. Lord Gaurāṅga is expressing His situation very graphically.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 10.130

dhanahīna gṛhārambhe kichu nāhi kāja
vidyāhīna baise yena vidvāna samāja

Jayapatākā Swami: Like an unemployed, poverty-stricken person, trying to construct a new home, like an uneducated person, sitting in a society of scholars.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 10.131

kṛṣṇera virahe mora dhakdhak prāṇa
āra yata bola, tāhā nā sāmbhāye kāṇa

Jayapatākā Swami: In separation of Lord Kṛṣṇa, My life air internally throbs with pain. Whatever you say, nothing can enter into My ears.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 10.132

dhariyā yogīra veśa yāba deśe deśe
yathā gele pāṅa prāṇanāthera uddeśye

Jayapatākā Swami: Wearing a yogī’s garments, I will travel from country to country. I will travel to find the master of My life.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 10.133

ihā bali kānde prabhu dharaṇī paḍiyā
nija-aṅga-upavīta phelila chiḍiyā

Jayapatākā Swami: Saying this, Lord Gaurāṅga wept and fell to the earth. He took the sacred thread from His body, and He broke it and threw it away.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 10.134

kṛṣṇa, kṛṣṇa bali ḍāke ati ārtanāde
sakaruṇa-svare prāṇanātha’ bali kānde

Jayapatākā Swami: Calling out, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa! In a voice filled with extreme pain, with an imploring voice, He called out, Lord of My life! And He wept.

So, you have this situation where the devotees are lamenting in separation of the Lord. But the Lord in the mood of His devotee, is feeling separation of Lord Kṛṣṇa. So, He wants to travel and take sannyāsa. Actually, in the Navadvīpa parikramā, in the seventh island of Modadrumadvīpa, Lord Rāma visited with Sītā and Lakṣmaṇa. There, Lord Rāma smiled and Sītā asked Him why are You smiling? He said, well, “We are in the holy land of Navadvīpa, I will appear here in the Kali-yuga in a golden form, in this pastime, I will banish You to the forest and worship a golden form of You. In the Kali-yuga, as Lord Gaurāṅga, I will banish Myself to the forest and You will worship a golden form of Me.” And Sītā-devī was not happy in either case! But it seems that since Lord Rāma was forced to banish Sītā, out of prevalent codes of conduct, that He reciprocates and banishes Himself to the forest in this pastime, as taking sannyāsa is like banishing Himself to the forest. So, this is a suffering for all the devotees. But Lord Caitanya is expressing in His mood, He is the combined form of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, that He is in the mood of a devotee, that He is feeling separation from Kṛṣṇa, therefore He has to go.

So this is a long chapter. We will end here. Normally, you ask me questions and I will answer. Today the tables are turned! I will ask you a few questions, and are you all willing to answer? Are you all ready? Okay! Here we go!

Do you miss Śrī Māyāpur dhāma? Yes or No? Yes!

We should do a poll, how much? Little bit? Very much? Very, very, much?

Do you want to come to Śrīdhāma Māyāpur this month? Are you really serious? Alright! Then I invite you all to Śrīdhāma Māyāpur! On 26^th August. On the auspicious occasion of Śrīmatī Rādhāṣṭamī! Don’t worry about the pandemic and restraints. Don’t need to pack your bags, get your visa done, have your tickets confirmed, just register for the program called ‘Kṛpā-kaṭākṣa – A Gaze of Rādhā – the gaze of Grace’ And be right here on Rādhāṣṭamī, with all of us. Sitting in your drawing rooms, you put on your instrument called the virtual reality headset. Be transported right here to Śrīdhāma Māyāpur, in less than a second. Well, I tried a virtual reality headset, I found it extremely immersive medium. Like you were there in that place! Look around, you will see different things! So save time, save money, avoid hassles, avoid the pandemic, register now! I am told by the same team that organized the Virtual Ratha-yātrā, they are going to organize a Virtual Rādhāṣṭamī darśana. Of course, hope for the best. So of course, we hope for the best! If you have your own headset, then you just need to get the virtual experience downloaded. But if you don’t have the headset, we got a good offer for some headsets. You can register and they will send you a headset. But you have to register now. Because they have to send it. So, this website is called wwwayapurvrfestivals.com. We need to send you your virtual reality headset, if you don’t have one, please register as soon as possible, to avoid any shipping delays. We got an Indian as well as American source. I don’t know what else they have. Perhaps they have Australian, European source? I don’t know. You will find out on the website. I have been asked to announce this. And I welcome you all to Śrīdhāma Māyāpur! Hare Kṛṣṇa! See you here soon! Apparently, they will offer virtual experiences for the different Mayapur festivals. So your headsets can be used for various virtual experiences from Māyāpur. This is what I am told.