20200924 Lord Caitanya is Pleased to Hear the Cowherd Boys in Rāḍha-deśa Chant ‘Hari’

Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book Compilation By His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on 24th September 2020 in Śrīdhāma Māyāpur, India

govardhanadharam vande /

gopālam goparūpiṇam /

gokulotsavam īśānam /

govindam gopikāpriyam /

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, this chapter entitled: Lord Caitanya is Pleased to Hear the Cowherd Boys in Rāḍha-deśa Chant ‘Hari’

Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka 5.8:

(Nityānanda pauses for a moment and then feels relief within His mind, by the following thought)

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is overcome with bliss.

At present, this is the medicine to save our lives.

He does not know where He is going.

Making him roaming about, I will lead Him to Lord Advaita's home.

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Nityānanda strategy to get Lord Caitanya to Advaita house

since Lord Caitanya is so ecstatic

He doesn’t know where He is going.

So, we see that Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka is written as drama

so it would be nice some devotees to put on this drama.

(Thus he is consoled)

Caitanya-bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 1.96 gaṅgābhimukhe— /

gaṅgā-mukha haiyā calilā gauracandra / niravadhi dehe nija-premera ānanda /

Jayapatākā Swami: As Lord Gauracandra headed towards the Ganges,

His transcendental body was constantly filled with His own ecstatic love.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 1.97 hari-kīrtana śūnya deśe prabhura duḥkhānubhava— /

bhakti-śūnya sarva deśa, nā jāne kīrtana / kāro mukhe nāhi kṛṣṇa-nāma-uccāraṇa /

Jayapatākā Swami: All the places the Lord was travelling in Rāḍha-deśa was completely devoid of devotion to Kṛṣṇa

they didn’t know anything about kīrtana.

He didn’t hear anyone saying the holy name of Kṛṣṇa.

Purport by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura: Being conditioned by matter,

people averse to Kṛṣṇa totally forget His service.

Therefore, rather than engage in glorifying Kṛṣṇa,

they pass their days discussing worldly topics.

Since they reject hari-kīrtana, they become engrossed in sense gratification

and are thus unable to utter the name of Kṛṣṇa.

The absence of topics related to Kṛṣṇa in a desert devoid of devotional service

results in the absence of the flood of ecstatic love.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, we see that in the modern world,

people are very much busy with asking questions and getting answers,

but they are all questions about material subject matters

and the answers are all material answers.

Thus, the result will be deprived of ecstatic love for Kṛṣṇa

and they think that material sense gratification is the only happiness.

That is their unfortunate position.

that gave great sadness to Lord Caitanya

Caitanya-bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 1.98 prabhu bale, —“hena deśe āilāṅa kene / `kṛṣṇa' hena nāma kāro nāśuni vadane /

Jayapatākā Swami: The Lord Caitnaya Mahāprabhu said,

“Why did I come to a land where no one utters the name of Kṛṣṇa?

I do not hear the name of Kṛṣṇa from anyone’s mouth

Caitanya-bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 1.99 kene hena deśe muṣi kariluṅ payāna / nā rākhimu deha muṣi chāḍoṅ ei prāṇa” /

Jayapatākā Swami: “Why did I come to such a land?

Why did I travel in such a land?

I will not keep this body any longer.

I will give up my life.”

Purport by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura: The word payāna means “exit” or “departure.”

When Śrī Gaurasundara went to a place where there was no discussion on topics of Kṛṣṇa

—a place that by visiting one needs to undergo atonement

—He resolved to give up His life.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 1.100-101 rākhāla śiśura mukhe haridhvani-śravaṇa— / henai samaye dhenu rākhe śiśu-gaṇa / tāra madhye sukṛti āchaye eka jana /

Jayapatākā Swami: At that time, a group of cowherd boys

were grazing cows

and among them was one specially fortunate child.

hari-dhvani karite lāgilā ācambita / śuniyā hailā prabhu ati haraṣita /

Jayapatākā Swami: That boy suddenly began to chant the holy names of Hari.

"Haribol! Haribol!"

Lord Caitnaya became very pleased to hear that.

Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka 5.9: (From behind the scenes, sounds of, “say ‘hari’ say ‘hari’” in unison).

Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka 5.10: Nityānanda: (looking ahead)

Ah! This is wonderful, because by beholding the Lord,

these cowherd boys, with great eagerness, reverence,

devotion, faith, bliss and wonder,

loudly call out: “Haribol! Haribol!”

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 3.13

bālakagaṇera prati prabhura sneha— / gopa-bālaka saba prabhuke dekhiyā / ‘hari’ ‘hari’ bali’ ḍāke ucca kariyā /

Translation: All the cowherd boys who saw Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu

joined with Him and began to shout loudly, “Hari! Hari!”

Jayapatākā Swami: Hari bol! hari bol!

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 3.14

śuni’ tā-sabāra nikaṭa gelā gaurahari / ‘bala’ ‘bala’ bale sabāra śire hasta dhari’ /

Translation: When He heard all the cowherd boys also chanting “Hari! Hari!”

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was very pleased.

He approached them, put His hand on their heads

and said, “Go on chanting like that.”

Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka 5.11: (Lord, due to His previous practice,

by hearing the sound “Hari”,

as if somewhat awakened from His trance of transcendental bliss,

opens His two lotus-eyes

and looks to the direction from which the sounds of “Hari” came.)

Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka 5.12: Nityānanda: (looking)

hese cowherd boys have helped,

since as a great mantra revives someone bitten by a snake,

so their calling out “Hari!” awakened the Lord from His trance of bliss

and He approaches their path.

Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka 5.13: Bhagavān: (approaching)

Say O dear! O say “Hari”.

(Thus He tells them again again).

Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka 5.14: (The cowherd boys enter,

offer daṇḍavat obeisances to the Lord,

and clapping their hands perform Hari-saṅkīrtana.

Eagerly listening to them, the Lord stops walking for a while).

Jayapatākā Swami: we can see how Lord Caitanya is so happy to hear the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra

and how these boys offered their prostrated obeisances

seeing Lord Caitanya

and they chanted in saṅkīrtana

which gave great pleasure to Lord Caitanya.

Last week we get the people of the world to chant,

that will give Lord Caitanya very great happiness.

Actually, Lord Caitanya was able to get the animals in Jhārikhaṇḍa forest to chant,

Śrīla Prabhupāda said that we may not be able to do that

if we get the human beings to chant that will be a success.

In the conclusion to World Holy Name Festival which ended yesterday,

I saw that many people were chanting the holy name

and some people after finishing the mantra couldn’t help but smile.

They were very happy.

Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka 5.15: Nityānanda: (blissful)

The Lord's madness of bliss has many forms.

Unsurpassed, sometimes He is restless, sometimes stunned,

sometimes both restless and stunned,

and sometimes He seems possessed by a ghost.

Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka 5.16:

Now the Lord's madness of bliss has attained

as if ascending the highest pinnacle.

Opening His eyes, He doesn’t see anything.

As if half-deaf, He hears a little,

but doesn’t understand the meaning of the words.

Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka 5.17½: Bhagavān: (He strokes their heads with His lotus hand)

Ah! You have nicely done bhagavat nāma-saṅkīrtanam

and made Me successful.

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya was so happy to hear the boys chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa.

Previously He thought to leave this world

because He didn’t hear anyone chanting

and when these boys started to chant it gave Him a new reason for life.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 3.15: tā’-sabāra stuti kare,—tomarā bhāgyavān / kṛtārtha karile more śunāñā hari-nāma /

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu thus blessed them all,

saying that they were all fortunate.

In this way He praised them,

and He felt very successful because they chanted the holy name of Lord Hari.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, they were fortunate people

in the World Holy Name Festival, the idea was to make all people fortunate

by chanting the holy name of Kṛṣṇa.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 1.102: ‘hari-bola’ vākya prabhu śuni' śiśu-mukhe / vicāra karite lāgilena mahāsukhe /

Haribol!

Jayapatākā Swami: When the Lord Caitanya heard the sound of “Hari bol!”

from that child’s mouth,

He started

to contemplate with great happiness.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 1.103 “dina-dui-cāri yata dekhilāṅa grāma / kāhāro mukhete nāśuniluṅ hari-nāma /

Jayapatākā Swami: “I have passed two to four days

all the villages I pass through

I never heard anyone vibrate the name of Hari from their mouth.”

Caitanya-bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 1.104 ācambite śiśu-mukhe śuni’ hari-dhvani / ki hetu ihāra sabe kaha dekhi śuni?” /

Jayapatākā Swami: “Suddenly from this child mouth I heard the holy names of Hari.

Haribol!

What is the reason for this?

Tell me I will hear”

Purport by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura: When Śrī Gaurasundara suddenly heard the name of Hari

rom the mouths of some cowherd boys,

He became anxious to know who those children were.

Wherever the Ganges flows,

one will find preaching of devotional service to Hari.

Therefore, this is the glory of the Ganges.

Jayapatākā Swami: In the Purāṇas it is mentioned that anyone

who lives within a certain distance of Ganges,

any service performed

the result is increased manifold.

I think within 3 miles of Ganges

this benediction is there.

Of course, if anyone chants the names of Ganges

even within a long distance,

many thousands of miles

they also get the blessings of the Ganges.

The glory of Ganges is that it helps people to chant and to render devotional service

to Lord Hari.

Māyāpur is very fortunate

since the Ganges flows through the Navadvīpa

and Māyāpur Candrodaya Mandir is also within a kilometer of the Ganges

and sometimes floods and submerges the whole Māyāpur

with her water.

That Śrīla Prabhupāda said that’s the sign of Lord Caitanya

that He wants the world to be flooded with devotional service.

Hari bol!

Thus Ends the Chapter, Lord Caitanya is Pleased to Hear the Cowherd Boys in Rāḍha-deśa Chant 'Hari'

Questions: Dearest Guru Mahārāja! Daṇḍavat praṇāmas. All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda!

How do you get out of the trap of negative memories

which lead to harmful and ugly thoughts?

I want to overcome these obstacles and

devote myself to devotional service to You Guru and Gaurāṅga,

without unnecessary disturbances.

Please bless me that I may develop

ever greater devotion and surrender to Guru and Gaurāṅga.

Thank you for your constant mercy.

Your spiritual child, Gaura Naṭarāja dāsa, Italy

Jayapatākā Swami: This point is very important.

We should fill our mind with the pastimes of Lord Kṛṣṇa, Lord Gaurāṅga,

that will replace the ugly thoughts.

We should be so much conscious of Kṛṣṇa that we are not thinking about the previous bad thoughts.

We would like to offer our prayers to Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, that They make take Līlāśaktī devī dāsī who passed away today,

back to the spiritual abode, if it so pleases the Lord.

Question: I observed your dealings very closely during your last visit to Bengaluru.

How have you developed such deep respect for all, irrespective of age, gender, and position, etc.?

Your Keśava Kṛpā Sindhu dāsa, Bengaluru

Jayapatākā Swami: By associating with Śrīla Prabhupāda,

seeing how he dealt with everybody,

maybe his association has rubbed off,

had some influence on me.

But I don’t think I am respectful enough.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder,

because you are beautiful, you think I am nice.

Question: Father, it sometimes so happens that I lose my determination.

How to gain consistency in devotional service? Please enlighten me.

– Harihara Kṛṣṇa Caitanya dāsa.

Jayapatākā Swami: Haraye namaḥ, kṛṣṇa yādavāya namaḥ /

gopāla govinda rāma śrī-madhusūdana. /

This is one of the anarthas.

Sometimes we are very determined,

sometimes we are very weak.

So this is called thick and thin anartha.

Sometimes our devotion is very thick and sometimes it is very thin.

So, naturally when you get over this stage,

by practicing Kṛṣṇa consciousness,

then you reach the stage of steadiness, niṣṭhā.

And that will happen.

As part of your Kṛṣṇa consciousness development.

Don’t give up. Keep on trying. Going on!

Haribol!

Question: In one of your lectures you mentioned that guru disciple relationship is a heart to heart relationship.

Please kindly elaborate on this Gurudeva.

Your spiritual son, Raṅga Rāma dāsa

Jayapatākā Swami: You see the ātmā is in the heart.

And the Supersoul, the Paramātmā is also in the heart.

Paramātmā is in my heart, in your heart,

everyone’s heart.

So, when the disciple and the spiritual master, they are connected together

in their devotional relationship.

Naturally, this is not a material connection.

This a heart to heart, ātmā to ātmā relationship.

Question: How to increase the love to read Śrīla Prabhupāda’s books?

Your humble servant, Dilli Prasad (Sheltered disciple), Tirupati.

Jayapatākā Swami: If you read Śrīla Prabhupāda’s books,

your love for the books increases.

So, as I recommend everyone

please read Śrīla Prabhupāda’s books.

I was thinking that some devotees like Draviḍa dāsa, and others have very kindly spoken the Bhagavad-gītā verses and translations and the purports.

That when ladies are cooking, they can play the audio

and listen to Bhagavad-gītā.

I don’t know if other books are in the audio format.

But somehow or another we hear the Śrīla Prabhupāda books.

That will also help us.

Every night I hear from Śrīla Prabhupāda’s books.

Now we started the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam all over again.

We are in the first canto.

I just heard the prayers of queen Kuntī again.

This way, to hear again and again there is no problem.

So I would like to have Māha Varāha with his announcement, and we thank all the devotees who have helped in the World Holy Name festival.

And we hope that everyone is taking part in the observance of the Puruṣottama month.