20200929 The Residents of Navadvīpa Go to Phuliyā to See Mahāprabhu

Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book Compilation By His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on 29th 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 Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book compilation,
today’ s topic is:

The Residents of Navadvīpa Go to Phuliyā to See Mahāprabhu.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 14.62

calaha sakala loka prabhu dekhibāre
seimane seikṣaṇe sarvajana cale

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Nityānanda said, “Everyone should go to see the Lord Gaurāṅga.” With that intention at that moment everyone went on that journey.

Murāri Gupta Kaḍaca 3.4.9½: On the following day, accompanied by all the bhaktas, including brāhmaṇas, śūdras and even lowly physicians (like myself), that mahātmā (Nityānanda) departed for Śāntipura and the home of Advaita.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 1.176

navadvīpavāsīra mahāprabhu-darśanārtha phuliyāya yātrā—

tabe sarva bhakta-gaṇa nityānanda-saṅge
prabhu dekhibāre sajja karilena raṅge

Jayapatākā Swami: All the devotees went with Lord Nityānanda with great happiness and were prepared to see Lord Gaurāṅga.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 1.177

e saba ākhyāna yata navadvīpa-vāsīśunilena
“gauracandra hailā sannyāsī”

Jayapatākā Swami: All the Navadvīpa residents heard the news that, “Gauracandra had become a sannyāsī.”

Caitanya-bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 1.178

śuniyā adbhuta nāma `śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya'
sarva-loka `hari' bali' bale `dhanya dhanya'

Jayapatākā Swami: When they heard the wonderful name, “Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya,” all the people chanted Hari bol! And said, “Glories! Glories!”

Caitanya-bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 1.179

phuliyā nagare prabhu āchena śuniyā /
dekhite calilā saba loka harṣa hañā /

Jayapatākā Swami: When they heard that the Lord Gaurāṅga was in the town of Phuliyā, they happily went to see the Lord.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 14.63

ābāla-vṛddha, yuvatī, mūka, dhīra jana
murkha kibā tapasvī–calilā sarvajana

Jayapatākā Swami: Children, elders, young ladies, the dumb, the wise, the foolish, the ascetics, everyone, everyone went.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 1.180

kibā vṛddha, kibāśiśu, ki puruṣa, nārīā
nande calilā sabe bali' `hari hari'

Jayapatākā Swami: Whether old people, whether young people, whether men, and women—they all with great bliss departed for Phuliyā chanting the names of Hari. Hari! Hari! Haribol!

Murāri Gupta Kaḍaca 3.4.10: Śacī also in gladness and consummate love went with great haste to Advaita's house thinking all the while of her son, the Ultimate Supreme Person.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 14.64

śacī āge āge dhāya gāye haila bala
ānande caliyā yāya vaiṣṇavasakala

Jayapatākā Swami: Mother Śacī quickly ran ahead of everyone. Her body became strong. All the Vaiṣṇavas joyfully went.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 1.181

pūrva pāṣaṇḍigaṇera anuśocanā o nirveda—

pūrve ye pāṣaṇḍī saba karila nindana
tārā o saparikare karila gamana

Jayapatākā Swami: Those atheists who had previously criticised or blasphemed the Lord Gaurāṅga they went with their families to see Lord Gaurāṅga So, Lord Caitanya strategy of taking sannyāsa to deliver all the fallen souls, those who blasphemed Him and attacked him. Somehow all those people also were changed and went to see the Lord along with their families.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 1.182-183

gūḍha-rūpe navadvīpe labhilena janma
“nā bujhiyā nindā karilāṅa tāna dharma

Jayapatākā Swami: That the Supreme Personality of Godhead had secretly had taken His appearance in Navadvīpa, they thought, “Without understanding, we have blasphemed the Lord blasphemed His dharma, and blasphemed His spiritual activities.

ebe lai giyā tāna caraṇe śaraṇa
tabe saba aparādha haibe khaṇḍana”

Jayapatākā Swami: If we go and take shelter at His lotus feet, then all our offenses will be destroyed. 

Purport (by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura): Those atheists who were opposed to Śrī Mahāprabhu and who blasphemed Him during His residence in Śrīdhāma Māyāpur also departed for Phuliyā to counteract their offenses when they understood that Śrī Mahāprabhu was there. 

In the Skanda Purāṇa, Kumārikā-khaṇḍa of the Maheśvara-khaṇḍa, (7.101) it is stated:

“O Lord, as the earth is the only shelter for those who slip and fall, You are the only shelter for misguided people.”

Caitanya-bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 1.184

ei mate bali' loka mahānande dhāya
hena nāhi jāni loka kata pathe jāya

Jayapatākā Swami: Speaking in this way, people rushed there in great happiness. No one could understand how many different paths people were taking. So there was a massive expedite from Navadvīpa to see Lord Caitanya.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 1.185

‘śrīcaitanya'-nāma-śravaṇe śrīcaitanya darśanārtha gaṇasamaṣṭira phuliyā-yātrā—

ananta arbuda loka haila kheyā-ghāṭe
kheyāri karite pāra paḍila saṅkaṭe

Jayapatākā Swami: Unlimited millions of people gathered at the ferry boat landing. The ferry boatmen fell into a dilemma about how to get everyone across the river. During the time of Mahāprabhu the Sarasvatī, or Khaḍiyā, River entered the Ganges where the canal known as Vāg-devī currently enters the Ganges near Nṛsiṁhapallī. At that time the boat ghāṭa on the Khaḍiyā River was outside Śrī Māyāpur, past Suvarṇavihāra, Godruma, and Madhyadvīpa. At that place people from Navadvīpa would cross the river to go to Śāntipura and Phuliyā. It seems that Navadvīpa was quite vast at that time.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 1.186

keha bāndhe bhelā keha ghaṭa buke kare
keha vā kalāra gācha dhariyā sāṅtāre

Jayapatākā Swami: Some men put on banana tree trunks together making a raft to cross the river. some had overturned waterpots to their chest they held it to their chest and swam across, and some swam across while holding banana trunks. In other words, people were anxious to get crossed, since the ferry boats could hold only limited people, they were so anxious to get across. Somehow holding banana trees or waterpot upside down, rafts of banana trees, somehow or other they crossed the river with great enthusiasm to see Lord Caitanya. 

Caitanya-bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 1.187

kata vā haila loka nāhi samuccaya
ye-ye mate pāre, sei mate pāra haya

Jayapatākā Swami: No one could tell How many people there were to get across the river. People crossed the river in whichever wat they were able and in every possible way.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 1.188

garbhavatī nārī cale ghana śvāsa vaya
caitanyera nāma kari' seha pāra haya

Jayapatākā Swami: Pregnant women they went breathing heavily as they walked. Chanting the holy names of Lord Caitanya, they also somehow or other they crossed the river.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 1.189

andha, khoṇḍā loka saba cale sāthe sāthe
caitanyera nāmete praśasta patha dekhe

Jayapatākā Swami: The blind and the lame crippled walked and walked together, taking the holy name of Lord Caitanya. They saw that road as broad by the influence of Lord Caitanya's name.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 1.190

sahasra sahasra loka eka nāye caḍe
kata dūra giyā mātra naukāḍubi' paḍe

Jayapatākā Swami: Thousands and thousands of people would sit in one boat. After going a short distance, the boat would sink.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 1.191

tathāpiha citte keha viṣāda nā kare
bhāse sarva loka `hari' bale uccaiḥ-svare

Jayapatākā Swami: Still in spite of that, no one felt discouraged. They all floated in the water and loudly chanted the name of Hari.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 1.192

hena se ānanda janmi' āchaye antare
sarva-loka bhāse mahā ānanda-sāgare

Jayapatākā Swami: Such an ecstasy appeared in their hearts that all the people floated in an ocean of great ecstasy.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 1.193

ye nā jāne sāṅtārite, se o bhāse sukhe
īśvara-prabhāve kūla pāya vinā duḥkhe

Jayapatākā Swami: Those who did not know how to swim they also happily floated. By the mercy of the Lord, they reached the opposite shore without distress. So, since the people were meditating on Lord Caitanya and wanted to see Him, by His mercy the people somehow or another crossed the river, and then could proceed to see the Lord.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 1.194

kata dike loka pāra haya nāhi jāni
sabe mātra catur-dige śuni hari-dhvani

Jayapatākā Swami: The author said, I don’t know in how many directions, the people crossed the river, and in all directions all that could be heard was the name of Hari.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 1.195

ei mata ānande calilā saba loka
pāsariyā kṣudhā-tṛṣṇā gṛha-dharma-śoka

Jayapatākā Swami: When they proceeded to see Lord Caitanya, in great spiritual happiness, all the people forgot their hunger, thirst and their household duties and lamentation. So, this is the secret of how to be happy in this material world. If we are fully Kṛṣṇa conscious or God conscious, then we forget all the suffering of the material world, and we will be floating in the ocean of transcendental bliss.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 1.196

āila sakala loka phuliyā-nagare
brahmāṇḍa sparśiyā `hari' bale uccaiḥ-svare

Jayapatākā Swami: All the people arrived in the town of Phuliyā, chanting the name of Hari so loudly, that the vibration filled the entire universe.

Murāri Gupta Kaḍaca 3.4.11: Throughout that day all of the bhaktas stayed there and ate the highly sanctified prasādī food given by the blessed Mahātmā Śrī Advaita, who is the...

Murāri Gupta Kaḍaca 3.4.12: the plenary portion of Śrī Śiva. On the next day, Mahāprabhu came from Puṣpa-grāma (Phuliyā).

Jayapatākā Swami: So Phuliyā is in between Śāntipura and Rāṇāghāta which is on the way to Kolkata. So Phuliya was the place that Haridāsa Ṭhākura would reside in a cave, and chanted Hare Kṛṣṇa. So that’s also on the side of the Ganges. So, when Lord Caitanya went to Phuliya to see Haridāsa Ṭhākura and then went to Śāntipura, to the house of Advaita. There are different versions but somehow or another the Lord reached Śāntipura. And all the people were waiting there for the Lord, chanting loudly the name of Hare Kṛṣṇa!

Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa,
Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare,
Hare Rama, Hare Rāma,
Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare!

We know that Advaita Gosvāmī is simultaneously the incarnation of Mahā-Viṣṇu, and the transcendental form of Lord Śiva as Sadāśiva. Sometimes He is addressed as Mahā-Viṣṇu, and sometimes He is addressed as the plenary portion of Sadāśiva. That it is not humanly possible to feed that many people that arrived, that arrive without informing to see Lord Caitanya. But for Lord Śiva, everything is possible. Advaita Gosvāmī, He could do that. 

Thus ends the Chapter, The Residents of Navadvīpa Go to Phuliyā to See Mahāprabhu.