20200906 Lamentation of the Residents of Katwa Hearing About Nimāi Sannyāsa

Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book Compilation By His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on 6th 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 today we are continuing with the compilation of the Caitanya Book. From today we are starting at 7 pm, to take dinner earlier, and also allow you to attend the sandhya-ārati of the Deities. We will try this for a week or two, we will see what the comments are, what the advantages are. 

So today’s chapter is entitled:

Lamentation of the Residents of Katwa Hearing About Nimāi Sannyāsa

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 28.115

prabhura adbhuta premabhāva-darśane o sannyāsa-vārtā-śravaṇe sakalera krandana—
akathya adbhuta dhārā prabhura nayane
tāhā nā kahite pāre ‘ananta’ vadane

Jayapatākā Swami: The indescribable, wonderful flow of tears of love from Lord Gaurāṅga’s lotus eyes could not be described, even by the unlimited mouths of Lord Anantadeva.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa, 13.95

aruṇa-nayane jala jhare anivāra
dekhiyā sakala loka kare hāhākāra

Jayapatākā Swami: His reddish eyes had tears flowing without stop. When all the people of Katwa saw Him, everyone loudly cried out, “Alas! Alas!”

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa, 13.96

kāñcana-nagarera loka dekhibāre dhāya
ye dekhaye tāra hiyā nayana juḍāya

Jayapatākā Swami: Everyone, all the people from Katwa, also known as the golden town, ran to see Lord Gaurāṅga. Whoever saw the Lord, their eyes and hearts were filled with transcendental bliss.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 28.116

pāka diyā nṛtya karite ye chuṭe jala
tāhātei loka snāna karila sakala

Jayapatākā Swami: As Lord Gaurāṅga danced in a circle, the tears from His eyes sprinkled around. By that, all the people gathered around Him were bathed by His tears.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa, 13.97

kibā vṛddha, kibā andha, ki nārī, puruṣa
kibā se paṇḍitajana e gaṇḍa-murukha

Jayapatākā Swami: Whether one was an elder, or they were blind, whether woman or whether puruśa, whether a great Paṇḍita, or grossly foolish, all ran to see Him.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa, 13.98

śiśugaṇa dhāya āra kulera yuvatī
nija chāyā nāhi cine hena rūpavatī

Translation: The children came running and also the young chaste family ladies, who have taken the vow to stay indoors, and who were very beautiful.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa, 13.99

kāṁkhe kumbha kari’ keho dāṁḍāiyā cāhe
naḍite nā pāre––seha laḍi dhari’ dhāye

Jayapatākā Swami: Those who were resting water pots on their hips, some ladies stood like sticks and gazed at Lord Gaurāṅga. Those who were not able to move, they grabbed their staffs and they also ran to watch.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa, 13.100

paṅgu se ātura kibā garbhavatī nārī
śrīaṅga dekhiyā sannyāsīre pāḍe gāli

Jayapatākā Swami: The lame, the sick and the pregnant women, all gazed at the Lord. Seeing the graceful limbs of the Lord, they scolded the sannyāsī about to offer Him sannyāsa.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 28.117

sarva loka titila prabhura prema-jale
strī-puruṣe bāla-vṛddhe ‘hari hari’ bale

Jayapatākā Swami: All the people present were moistened in the water of Lord Gaurāṅga’s love of Kṛṣṇa. Ladies and men, young and old, all chanted, “Haribol! Haribol! Hari Hari!”

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 28.118

kṣaṇe kampa, kṣaṇe sveda, kṣaṇe mūrcchā yāya
āchāḍa dekhite sarva loke pāya bhaya

Jayapatākā Swami: One moment He was trembling, another moment He was perspiring, and the next moment, He fell unconscious on the ground. All the people there became frightened at seeing the Lord falling to the ground.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 28.119

ananta-brahmāṇḍa-nātha nija-dāsya-bhāve
dante tṛṇa kari' sabā’-sthāne dāsya māge

Jayapatākā Swami: The Lord of the unlimited universes, absorbed in the mood of His own servitude, took a straw in His teeth and begged everyone present, for the service to Lord Kṛṣṇa.

Purport (by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura): Despite being nondifferent from Śrī Vrajendra-nandana, or svayaṁ-rūpa Kṛṣṇa, the Lord of the fourteen worlds, the Lord most submissively and humbly prayed for the service of Kṛṣṇa and the devotees for the purpose of teaching people. 

Jayapatākā Swami: In other words, Lord Gaurāṅga was teaching people, that the most important thing was to have pure, devotional service for Lord Kṛṣṇa. And He was teaching by His own example.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 28.120

se kāruṇya dekhiyā kāndaye sarva-loka
sannyāsa śuniyā sabe bhāve mahā-śoka

Jayapatākā Swami: On seeing Lord Gaurāṅga’s humility and mercy, all the people present, cried. When they heard that the Lord was about to take sannyāsa, they took the mood of great grief.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa, 13.101

dhanya dhanya kari’ loka vākhānaye rūpa
etakāle dekhila e ati aparūpa

Translation: They said, “Glorious, Glorious!” and described His beautiful form saying, “Only until now we have seen so wonderful a form.”

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa, 13.102

dhanya dhanya jananī dharila putra garbhe
devakīsamāna sei śuniyāchi pūrve

Jayapatākā Swami: All glories! All glories! To the mother who has carried this son in her womb. Having heard the glories of Devakī previously, she must be equal with her.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 28.121

“kemane dhariba prāṇa ihāra jananī
āji tāne pohāila ki kāla-rajanī

Jayapatākā Swami: How will His mother survive? What a horrible night she must have passed!

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa, 13.103

kon bhāgyavatī hena pāyachila pati
trailokye tāṁhāra sama nāhi bhāgyavatī

Jayapatākā Swami: Who is the fortunate lady who has Him as her husband? In the three worlds, there is no one as fortunate as her!

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa, 13.104

rūpa dekhi’ nija āṁkhi pālaṭite nāri
ihāra sannyāsa kibā sahibāre pari

Jayapatākā Swami: Seeing His beautiful form, our eyes cannot look away from Him. How can she tolerate His taking sannyāsa?

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 28.122

kon puṇyavatī hena pāileka nidhi
kon vā dāruṇa doṣe harileka vidhi

Jayapatākā Swami: What pious activity has His wife performed, to attain Him as her husband? And by what misfortune has she lost Him?

Purport (by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura): Referring to Viṣṇupriyā, thoughtful people noted that she had achieved great fortune by attaining Śrī Gaurasundara as her husband. But when they came to know that Gaurasundara was about to take sannyāsa, they wondered what kind of offense Viṣṇupriyā-devī had committed so that providence was taking away her achieved treasure.”

Jayapatākā Swami: In the pastime of Rāmacandra, being a perfect king, when people criticized, that He had taken His wife back after she had been in the possession of Rāvaṇa. At that time, the system of society was that a woman, a wife, if she was with another man, then She could not be accepted back. So, He had banished Her to the forest. But being in the forest, she remembered all the happy moments She had with Lord Rāma, when They were alone together for fourteen years. Lord Rāma said to Sītā-devī, in Kali-yuga, I will go to the forest and You will stay at home. So, Lord Caitanya was taking sannyāsa to reciprocate with Sītā-devī. That is one point. There are many reasons for His doing one thing. Of course, Sītā-devī didn’t like either of the options, or situations, because She always wanted to be with the Lord.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 28.123

āmā’-sabākāra prāṇa vidare śunite
bhāryā vā janananī prāṇa dhariba ke-mate”

ayapatākā Swami: When even our hearts are broken, just to hear about the Lord’s taking sannyāsa, how will His wife or mother survive in this situation?

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa, 13.105

kemane vā jīve’ se iṁhāra jananī
e kathā śunile mātra maribe ramaṇī

Jayapatākā Swami: How will His mother continue to live? Just hearing about this, she will die.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 28.124

ei-mata nārī-gaṇa duḥkha bhāvi’ kānde
paḍi’ kānde sarva jīva caitanyera phānde

Jayapatākā Swami: In this way, the ladies, they cried in great distress. Considering all of this, the conditioned souls fell in the trap of Lord Caitanya and cried incessantly.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 28.125

kṣaṇeka samvari' nṛtya vaise viśvambhara
vasilena catur-dike saba anucara

Jayapatākā Swami: After some time, Lord Śrī Viśvambhara controlled Himself and stopped dancing, and sat down, surrounded by His associates.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa, 13.106

eta anumāna kari’ kānde sara loka
bhākiyā kahaye prabhu – nā kariha śoka

Jayapatākā Swami: Considering all these points, all the people were weeping in lamentation. Lord Gaurāṅga, He called out to the people, “Please don’t lament!”

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa, 13.107

āśīrvāda kara more – śuna mātā pitā
sādha lāge-kṛṣṇera caraṇe deṅa, māthā

Jayapatākā Swami: “Please give your blessings to Me! Listen, my dear mothers, my dear fathers! I yearn to dedicate My head to Lord Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet.”

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa, 13.108

yāra yei nija pati-sei tāhā cāhe
tāra citta bāndhibāre karaye upāye

Jayapatākā Swami: “Who is one’s own master, one naturally wants him. So, I am looking for the means to bind My heart, My consciousness to His lotus feet.” Lord Caitanya, He wanted to absorb Himself in pure devotional service to the lotus feet of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa, 13.109

rūpa, yauvana yata e rasa-lāvaṇya
nija pati bhajile se saba haya dhanya

Jayapatākā Swami: A person who dedicates his handsomeness, his youth, his grace, all the good fortune, everything, to the Lord offering everything to his master, he can achieve all good fortune.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa, 13.110

mane mane kara – e sabhāra anubhava
patti binu yuvatīra michā chaya saba

Jayapatākā Swami: Please think of this in your hearts. Everyone think accordingly, for a young girl without her husband, everything is false.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa, 13.111

kṛṣṇapada binu mora nāhi anya gati
nija aṅga diyā mo bhajiba prāṇapati

Jayapatākā Swami: Without achieving the lotus feet of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, I have no other goal. Offering My body in the service of the Lord of My life, I will worship Him.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa, 13.112

ihā bali’ mahāprabhu kariye rodana
kṣaṇeka antare saba kaila samvaraṇa

Jayapatākā Swami: Speaking these words, Lord Gaurāṅga Mahāprabhu, He wept. For a while, everyone controlled their inner self. Lord Gaurāṅga was explaining His purpose. For Him, the only goal was complete surrender and dedication to serve the lotus feet of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa. And therefore, He was dedicating His body in the service of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Just as a chaste wife wants to dedicate herself to her husband, and without her husband everything seems to be empty. Somehow Lord Caitanya was communicating that without Lord Kṛṣṇa, He feels the whole world is empty. Therefore, He was taking this step to surrender His body at the service of Lord Kṛṣṇa. Hare Kṛṣṇa!

Thus ends the chapter, Lamentation of the Residents of Katwa Hearing about Nimāi’s Sannyāsa.