20200905 Śrī Viśvambharadeva Approaches Keśava Bhāratī

Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book Compilation By His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on 5th September 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 will continue the compilation of the Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book. Lord Caitanya left Navadvīpa to take sannyāsa. Last couple of days, we have been discussing the lamentation in separation of the devotees in Navadvīpa. Now we are catching up with Lord Viśvambhara, where He went.

The title of today’s chapter is:

Śrī Viśvambharadeva Approaches Keśava Bhāratī

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā 17.268

tatkāle keśava bhāratīra navadvīpe prabhugṛhe bhikṣāgrahaṇa —
ei dṛḍha yukti kari’ prabhu āche ghare
keśava bhāratī āilā nadīyā-nagare

Translation: “After coming to this firm conclusion, the Lord continued to stay at home. In the meantime, Keśava Bhāratī came to the town of Nadia.”

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā 17.269

prabhu tāṅre namaskari’ kaila nimantraṇa
bhikṣā karāiyā tāṅre kaila nivedana

Translation: “The Lord offered him respectful obeisances and invited him to His house. After feeding him sumptuously, He submitted to him His petition.

Purport: According to the system of Vedic society, whenever an unknown sannyāsī comes to a village or town, someone must invite him to take prasāda in his home. Sannyāsīs, generally take prasāda in the house of a brāhmaṇa because the brāhmaṇa worships the Lord Nārāyaṇa-śilā, or sālagrāma-śilā, and therefore there is prasāda that the sannyāsī may take. Keśava Bhāratī accepted the invitation of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Thus, the Lord had a good opportunity to explain His desire to take sannyāsa from him.”

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā 17.270

bhāratīra nikaṭa prabhura nivedana –
tumi ta’ īśvara baṭa,—sākṣāt nārāyaṇa
kṛpā kari’ kara mora saṁsāra mocana

Translation: “Sir, you are directly Narayana. Therefore, please be merciful unto Me. Deliver Me from this material bondage.”

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā 17.271

bhāratīra ukti –
bhāratī kahena,—tumi īśvara, antaryāmī
ye karāha, se kariba,—svatantra nahi āmi

Translation: “Keśava Bhāratī replied to the Lord, “You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Supersoul. I must do whatever You cause me to do. I am not independent of You.”

Jayapatākā Swami: So Keśava Bhāratī Mahārāja, he replied to Lord Gaurāṅga that Lord Gaurāṅga is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. As the Supersoul, He is directing the activities of all the conditioned souls. So Keśava Bhāratī Mahārāja is saying that since Lord Caitanya is the independent Lord, that whatever He wants, certainly Keśava Bhāratī will do. Keśava Bhāratī did not accept that he was Nārāyaṇa. As a spiritual master, he is sākṣād Nārāyaṇa. He is a representative of Nārāyaṇa but he is not Nārāyaṇa Himself, although he is offered respect like we would offer to Lord Nārāyaṇa,the Supreme Lord. 

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā 17.272

bhāratīra kāṭoyāya pratyāvartana o prabhura tatsamīpe sannyāsa-grahaṇa
eta bali’ bhāratī gosāñi kāṭoyāte gelā
mahāprabhu tāhā yāi’ sannyāsa karilā

Translation: After saying this, Keśava Bhāratī, the spiritual master, went back to his village, Katwa. Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu went there and accepted the renounced order of life [sannyāsa].

Purport: At the end of His twenty-fourth year, at the end of the fortnight of the waxing moon, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu left Navadvīpa and crossed the river Ganges at a place known as Nidayāra-ghāṭa. Then He reached Kaṇṭaka-nagara, or Kāṭoyā (Katwa), where He accepted ekadaṇḍa-sannyāsa according to the Śaṅkarite system. Since Keśava Bhāratī belonged to the Śaṅkarite sect, he could not initiate Caitanya Mahāprabhu into the Vaiṣṇava sannyāsa order, whose members carry the tridaṇḍa. Candraśekhara Ācārya assisted in the routine ceremonial work of the Lord’s acceptance of sannyāsa. By the order of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, kīrtana was performed for the entire day, and at the end of the day the Lord shaved off His hair. On the next day He became a regular sannyāsī, with one rod (ekadaṇḍa). From that day on, His name was Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya. Before that, He was known as Nimāi Paṇḍita. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, in the sannyāsa order, traveled all over Rāḍhadeśa, the region where the Ganges River cannot be seen. Keśava Bhāratī accompanied Him for some distance.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, this gives a brief overview of the activities of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, in His acceptance of sannyāsa from Keśava Bhāratī.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa, 13.45

ethā gaurahari śīghra calilā satvara
koṭi-kuñjara matta gamana sundara

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Gaura Hari went very quickly, proceeding to Katwa, walking like a beautiful, wild elephant.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa, 13.46

jharajhara nayane jharaye premadhārā
pulake ākula aṅga soṇāra kiśora

Jayapatākā Swami: Streams of tears of spiritual love flowed from His eyes. His hairs were standing on end, all over His youthful, golden body.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa, 13.47

urddhavāsa keśa prabhu kariyā bandhana
mathurāya malla yena kariyāche gamana

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Gaurāṅga’s hair was tied, upwardly, He walked like a wrestler of Mathurā.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa, 13.48

rādhāra virahabhāve haiyā ākula
kothā rādhā gelā mora kothāya gokula

Jayapatākā Swami: He was overwhelmed in feelings of separation in the mood of Rādhārāṇī. He was thinking, where has Rādhā gone? where is My Gokula? Lord Caitanya was Kṛṣṇa in the mood of Rādhārāṇī. But He was feeling the mood of separation of Rādhārāṇī. Where is Rādhā? Where is Kṛṣṇa? Where is Gokula? He was overwhelmed, overcome by this emotion of separation of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa, 13.49

se gamana kṣaṇe kṣaṇe manthara haiyā
mālasāṭa māre kṣaṇe caudige cāhiyā

Jayapatākā Swami: As He went, in this way, step by step, His feelings of love increased, and He struck His arms and one time, He looked all around.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa, 13.50

eimate premāveśe cali’ yāya pathe
akhilera guru mora prabhu jagannāthe

Jayapatākā Swami: In this way, He walked on, on the pathway, filled with ecstatic spiritual love. The spiritual master of everyone, My master, Lord Jagannātha. There is a saying that Lord Jagannātha is not different from Lord Gaurāṅga. Lord Jagannātha is stationary in the temple and Lord Caitanya is walking. But actually, there is no difference between Lord Jagannātha and Lord Caitanya. Lord Caitanya is a walking form of Lord Jagannātha.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa, 13.51

kāñcana-nagare āila prabhu viśvambhara
yathā āche keśavabhāratī gyāsivara

Jayapatākā Swami: So Lord Viśvambhara, He arrived at Katwa, where is situated Keśava Bhāratī, the best of the sannyāsīs.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 28.102

prabhura keśava bhāratī-samīpe gamana o kṛpā-yācñābhinaya—
gaṅgā pāra haiyāśrī-gaurāṅga-sundara
sei dine āilena kaṇṭaka-nagara

Jayapatākā Swami: After crossing the Ganges, Lord Śrī Gaurāṅgasundara, He arrived that day at Katwa which is also known as Kaṇṭaka-nagara. Actually, Katwa is about 40 km north of Navadvīpa, Māyāpur. So, to reach there in one day, the Lord would have to be walking very fast. Normally in one day, usually a person at a normal speed, maybe he would walk 20 – 25 km. Since He covered 40 km in one day, that means He is walking very fast!

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 28.103-104

yāre yāre ājñā prabhu purve karichilā
tāhārā o alpe alpe āsiyā mililā

śrī-avadhūtacandra, gadādhara, mukunda
śrī-candraśekharācārya, āra brahmānanda

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Gaurāṅga had given instructions to Lord Nityānanda, who He could tell about His taking sannyāsa. He told that previously. So, they came to Katwa, gradually and there they met with the Lord. This was Lord Nityānanda (avaduta-candra), Gadādhara Paṇḍita, Mukunda Datta, Candraśekhara Ācārya and Brahmānanda Bhāratī.

Purport by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura: “Śrī Gaurasundara planned His acceptance of sannyāsa at the house of Śrī Candraśekhara Ācārya. Śrī Nityānanda, Gadādhara, Mukunda, and Brāhmaṇanda Bhāratī were present there at the time.”

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā 17.273

prabhura sannyāsakāle nitāi, ācāryaratna o mukunda
saṅge nityānanda, candraśekhara ācārya
mukunda-datta,—ei tina kaila sarva kārya

Translation: When Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu accepted sannyāsa, three personalities were with Him to perform all the necessary activities. They were Nityānanda Prabhu, Candraśekhara Ācārya and Mukunda Datta.”

Jayapatākā Swami: In Katwa, under the tree there, there are the seats of the five personalities. These three and also Gadādhara and Brahmānanda Bhāratī. It seems that these three did the actual activities, to help the Lord take sannyāsa. Which means to get ready, the fire sacrifice, eka-daṇḍa, the sannyāsa cloths, sannyāsa-kaupīna and various things, arrange the barber. So, these things apparently were done by Lord Nityānanda Prabhu, Candraśekhara Ācārya and Mukunda Datta.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 28.105

āilena prabhu yathā keśava bhāratī
matta-siṁha-prāya priya-vargera saṁhat

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Gaurāṅga, with His dear associates, He arrived like a maddened elephant, at the āśrama of Keśava Bhāratī.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 28.106

adbhuta dehera jyotiḥ dekhiyā tāhāna
uṭhilena keśava-bhāratī puṇyavān

Jayapatākā Swami: Upon seeing Lord Gaurāṅga’s wonderful bodily effulgence, the pious Keśava Bhāratī Mahārāja, stood up.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa, 13.52

paramabhakati kari’ paraṇāma kare
uṭhiyā sambhrame nyāsī nārāyaṇa smare’

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Gaurāṅga offered His obeisances, with great devotion. Keśava Bhāratī quickly got up and remembered Lord Nārāyaṇa.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 28.107

daṇḍavat-praṇāma kariyā prabhu tāne
kara-yoḍa kari' stuti karena āpane

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Gaurāṅga offered His prostrated obeisances to Keśava Bhāratī. With folded hands, He offered various prayers. 

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 28.108

“anugraha tumi more kara mahāśaya!
patita-pāvana-tumi mahā-kṛpā-maya

Jayapatākā Swami: “Please have your mercy on Me, Oh respected master! You are the great compassionate deliverer of the fallen!”

So, it’s very difficult to translate this part of the Caitanya-līlā. I think that the Bengali words have so much emotion and respect, that it is difficult to actually say that in English. I mean we can give the literary translation, but in common English usage we don’t find such a respectful mentioning. I don’t know, maybe in the royal parlance, they have such things. But here the word mahā-kṛpāmaya – kṛpāmaya means filled with mercy and mahā means great. But actually, to say that, how do you say that to keep the sweetness? patita-pāvana-tumi, Patita Pāvana means the deliverer of the fallen. It is very sweetly expressed. So, we are trying to present this in the English language. But actually, to get the full emotion you need to relish the original Bengali. 

His Divine Grace Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Prabhupāda Ṭhākura had said that, people will learn Bengali just to understand these verses of the Caitanya-caritāmṛta and Caitanya-bhāgavata, etc. and we can see that Lord Caitanya’s poetic surrender to Keśava Bhāratī is very sweet.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa, 13.53

baḍa bhāgya māni’ doṁhe sarasa sambhāṣa
viśvambhara bole–mere karāha sannyāsa

Jayapatākā Swami: So, both of Them, Lord Gaurāṅga and Keśava Bhāratī, felt that they were blessed, or very fortunate. And they talked with emotional feelings of spiritual love. Lord Viśvambhara requested, please give Me sannyāsa.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa, 13.54

eimane duijane āche eka-kāle
āilā nityānanda candraśekharādi-mele

Jayapatākā Swami: As these two thus met each other, at that time, Lord Nityānanda, Candraśekhara Ācārya and others also arrived.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa, 13.55

sannyāsīke namaskari’ prabhu namaskāre
hāsiyā kahaye prabhu-bhāla haila āile 

Jayapatākā Swami: So, the arriving devotees offered their obeisances to the sannyāsī Keśava Bhāratī, and they offered their obeisances to Lord Viśvambhara, who smiled and said, “It is good You have come.”

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa, 13.56

tomāra gamane mora sakali maṅgala
sannyāsa haiba mora janama saphala

Jayapatākā Swami: “Your arrival is all auspicious for Me. I will accept sannyāsa. Now My birth in this world will bear its auspicious fruit.”

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa, 13.57

e bola baliyā punaḥ bhāratī sambhāṣe
praṇati minati kare sannyāsera āśe

Jayapatākā Swami: After speaking these words, again Lord Gaurāṅga, spoke with Keśava Bhāratī Mahārāja. He offered him again obeisances and prayers, with the desire to accept sannyāsa.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍ 28.109

tumi se dibāre pāra kṛṣṇa prāṇa-nātha
niravadhi kṛṣṇacandra vasaye tomā'ta

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Kṛṣṇacandra always sits in your heart, and therefore you are qualified to give Me Lord Kṛṣṇa, the Lord of My life.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 28.110

kṛṣṇa-dāsya vinu mora nahe kichu āna
hena upadeśa tumi more deha' dāna”

Jayapatākā Swami: Other than the service of Lord Kṛṣṇa, I do not desire anything else. Therefore, please give Me instructions accordingly.

Purport (by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura): “Some people consider Śrī Keśava Bhāratī as a disciple of Śrīla Madhavendra Purī. Śrī Gaurasundara said to Keśava Bhāratī, “You have accepted Kṛṣṇacandra as your beloved Lord within your heart. I do not want anything else. I desire only that Kṛṣṇa will accept My service. Please bestow such mercy on Me.”

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 28.111

prabhura premavikāra o mukundādira kīrtana—
prema-jale aṅga bhāse prabhura kahite
huṅkāra kariyāśeṣe lāgilā nācite

Jayapatākā Swami: As Lord Gaurāṅga was thinking, His body seemed to be flooding in the water of ecstatic love. He loudly shouted and at the end He was dancing. 

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 28.112

gāite lāgila mukundādi bhakta-gaṇa
nijāveśe matta nāce śrī-śacīnandana

Jayapatākā Swami: So Mukunda Datta and others, all the devotees, they began to sing. As Lord Śrī Śacīnandana, the son of mother Śacī, danced in His own mood. He danced madly in His own ecstatic mood.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 28.113

bahulokera prabhu-darśane āgamana o nirnimeṣa-nayane prabhu-darśana—
arbuda arbuda loka śuni' sei-kṣaṇe
āsiyā mililā nāhi jāni kothā hane

Jayapatākā Swami: Millions and millions of people, hearing that Lord Gaurāṅga was there, they arrived there, and no one knew where they came from. So a koṭi is ten million, and arbuda is more than that, hundreds of koṭis. That means a lot of people were there!

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 28.114

dekhiyā prabhura rūpa parama sundara
eka dṛṣṭe pāna sabe kare nirantara

Jayapatākā Swami: With unblinking eyes, they all continuously drank Lord Gaurāṅga’s form’s exquisite beauty. So, somehow or other, the word of Lord Gaurāṅga’s presence in Katwa got out, and huge crowds of people arrived there to see the Lord. And seeing the Lord’s incomparable, transcendental beauty, they were amazed. They were drinking His beauty with their eyes!

Thus ends the Chapter, Śrī Viśvambharadeva Approaches Keśava Bhāratī