20201018 Lord Caitanya Bids Farewell (Part 2)

Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book Compilation By His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on 18th October 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 will continue with the Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book compilation. Today’s chapter is entitled:

Lord Caitanya Bids Farewell - Part 2

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 3.207

prabhu o bhakta ubhayera paraspara bhāvimilana suyoga-nirdeśa :—

ghare giyā kara sabe kṛṣṇa-saṅkīrtana
punarapi āmā-saṅge ha-ibe milana

Translation: Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu also asked them to execute the congregational chanting of the holy name of the Lord at their homes, and He assured them that they would be able to meet Him again.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 3.208

bhaktagaṇera gamane o prabhura āgamane milana-sambhāvanā :—

kabhu vā tomarā karibe nīlādri gamana
kabhu vā āsiba āmi karite gaṅgā-snāna

Translation: Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu told them, “Sometimes you will come to Jagannātha Purī, and sometimes I shall come bathe in the Ganges.”

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 3.209–210

purīpathe prabhura saṅgī nitāipramukha cārijana;
prabhura śacī-mātāke vandanānantara yātrā :—

nityānanda-gosāñi, paṇḍita jagadānanda
dāmodara paṇḍita, āra datta mukunda

ei cāri-jana ācārya dila prabhu sane
jananī prabodha kari’ vandila caraṇe

Translation: Śrī Advaita Ācārya sent four persons —Nityānanda Gosāñi, Jagadānanda Paṇḍita, Dāmodara Paṇḍita and Mukunda Datta —to accompany the Lord. After pacifying His mother, Śacīmātā, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu submitted prayers to her lotus feet.

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya was reassuring all the devotees that sometimes they could come to Jagannātha Purī, and sometimes He would come and bathe in the Ganges. He also reassured mother Śacī. So having, reassured everyone, Advaita Gosāñi sent these four devotees with Him. So Lord Caitanya was going to Jagannātha Puri accompanied by these four devotees.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 3.211

tāṅre pradakṣiṇa kari’ karila gamana
ethā ācāryera ghare uṭhila krandana

Translation: When everything was arranged, Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu circumambulated His mother and then started for Jagannātha Purī. In the house of Advaita Ācārya there arose tumultuous crying.

Jayapatākā Swami: No matter how much Lord Caitanya reassured them, they felt intense separation from the Lord. And this is the symptom of prema-bhakti. The gopīs of Vṛndāvana were criticizing Lord Brahmā, that he had designed the eyelids so that they have to motion the eye and that temporary blinking would interfere with the gazing at the lotus face of the Lord. So what to speak of the Lord leaving, being out of sight, who knows how long! The devotees were crying like anything!

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 3.212

nirapekṣa hañā prabhu śīghra calilā
kāndite kāndite ācārya paścāt calilā

Translation: Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was unaffected. He left swiftly, and Advaita Ācārya followed Him, weeping.

Purport: As Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura explains, the word nirapekṣa means not being affected by anything material and remaining fixed in the service of the Lord. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu did not very much care for the roaring tumult and cry at the house of Advaita Ācārya, which He heard when starting for Jagannātha Purī. Worldly moralists may criticize Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu for being very cruel, but the Lord did not care for such criticism. As the world teacher of this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, He actually showed that a person seriously engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness should not be affected by worldly affection. The best course is to engage in rendering service to the Lord and to become callous to material objectives. Externally everyone is attached to material things, but if one becomes entangled in such things, he cannot make progress in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Therefore those who are engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness should not care for the so-called morality of the material world if that morality opposes the service of the Lord. As Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu has personally shown, one cannot properly execute Kṛṣṇa consciousness without being neutral.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 15.64

advaita-ācārya prabhura saṅge cali’ yāya
daṇḍa-dui giyā prabhu pāchupāne cāya

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Advaita Ācārya went with the Lord Caitanya. After forty-five minutes or an hour, Lord Caitanya looked back at Him.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 15.65

dāṁḍāilā mahāprabhu ācārya-vilambe
uttarilā ācārya kāṁkali avalambe

Jayapatākā Swami: Sri Caitanya Mahāprabhu stopped and stood and Lord Advaita Ācārya slowed down. Lord Advaita Ācārya without delay, was by His side.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 15.66

vayāna virasa–gharma bindu bindu tāya
kātara-antare kichu prabhure sudhāya–

Jayapatākā Swami: Advaita's face was withered with grief, many drops and drops of perspiration rested on His face. Lord Advaita’s heart was filled with sorrow, said following to Lord Caitanya:

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 15.67

tumi paradeśe yābe–ei mora duḥkha
tāhātei āra eka poḍe mora buka

Jayapatākā Swami: You will go to another country. This is My sadness. Along with that there is one other thing that burns in My heart.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 15.68

āpana antara kathā kahila gocara
niścaya kahibe prabhu ihāra uttara

Jayapatākā Swami: I have revealed My heart to my Lord, Lord Caitanya. Please give Your reply after considering My words.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 15.69

tora nijajana yata tomāra bicchede
kāndaye kātara hañā pada-aravinde

Jayapatākā Swami: Your own associates are feeling separation from Your lotus feet. They are crying in great sorrow.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 15.70

āmāra pāpiṣṭha hiyā nā darabe kene
e kāṭha-kaṭhina–aśru nāhika nayane

Jayapatākā Swami: My sinful heart, why doesn’t melt with grief? My hard heart is made of wood; tears are not in My eyes. Advaita Gosāñi is expressing His His not crying for Kṛṣṇa. Śrīla Prabhupāda mentioned that we should cry for Kṛṣṇa. If we are not able to cry for Kṛṣṇa, we should cry that we are not able to cry for Kṛṣṇa. It seems that Advaita Ācārya is doing that.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 15.71

āmāra adhika āra durācāra nāhi
tomāra bicchede hiyāya premā uṭhe nāhi

Jayapatākā Swami: There is no one more sinful and misbehaved than Me, that’s why, in Your separation, ecstatic spiritual love does not arise in My heart.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 15.72

e bola śuniñā prabhu hāsi’ kaila kole
kahiba ihāra tattva–śuna mora bole

Jayapatākā Swami: When Lord Caitanya heard these words from Lord Advaita, He smiled, and He embraced Lord Advaita and said, I will tell You the truth. Please listen to My words

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 15.73

tomāra premāya āmi chāḍite nā pāri
te-kāraṇe tora premā gāṁṭhite sambari

Jayapatākā Swami: Because You love Me so dearly, I cannot leave You. Therefore, for this reason I am bound to Your love in a knot.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 15.74

ihā bali’ āulāilā basanera granthi
premāra bibhora se ācārya mane cinti’

Jayapatākā Swami: Speaking these words, Lord Caitanya opened the knot that He had tied in His garment. Lord Advaita Ācārya was overcome with feelings of spiritual love.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 15.75

nayanasāgare bahe sāta pāṁca-dhārā
nirbhaya premāya sambodhana nāhi tārā

Jayapatākā Swami: His eyes were like an ocean, five to seven flooding rivers of tears flowed from His eyes. He was not able to express the spiritual love that He was feeling.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 15.76

āste-vyante sambaraṇa karilā ṭhākura
sambaraṇa kaila tabe ācārya catura

Jayapatākā Swami: Somehow or another, Lord Caitanya controlled His emotions, and the wise or intelligent Lord Advaita Ācārya, also restrained His transcendental emotions.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 15.77

ei ta kāraṇe tora premā uṭhe nāi
tomāra premāya āmi calite nā pāi

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya said, this is the reason why Your love for Me did not rise. Because Your spiritual love for Me is so intense, that I have no power to leave.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 15.78

tora premāra vaśa āmi–śunaha ācārya
pūrva soṅaraṇa kara–vithāraha kārya

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya continued, O Advaita Ācārya, please hear, I am controlled by Your pure spiritual love. Please remember the previous times that We spent together.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 15.79

e bola baliyā prabhu calila satvara
sakala vaiṣṇava gelā āpanāra ghara

Jayapatākā Swami: After speaking these words, Lord Caitanya quickly departed. All the Vaiṣṇavas then returned to their homes.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 15.80

kahaye locanadāsa gaurā-ṭhākurāla
sannyāsa naheka–buke rahi’ gela śāla

Jayapatākā Swami: Locana dāsa Ṭhākura says, “Lord Gaurāṅga Mahāprabhu did not accept sannyāsa, rather it is the piercing of the iron lance into the heart.”

Caitanya Carita Mahā Kāvya 11.76: The merciful Lord came in front of Nityānanda, who was joyful in his heart, and bid him farewell. The Lord was surrounded by Gadādhara, Mukunda and brāhmaṇas, who were attached to his lotus feet. They looked at him with sadness.

Caitanya Carita Mahā Kāvya 11.77: Singing the glories of the Lord, Gaurāṅga, weeping, accompanied by the devotees attached to his lotus feet, appeared most beautiful on the road. The ferrymen whose hearts were gladdened by giving and receiving did not obstruct any of the devotees endowed with the great mercy of the Lord.

Jayapatākā Swami: So Lord Caitanya, He continued on His journey to Jagannātha Purī. And He was accompanied by four devotees. Others went back to Navadvīpa dhāma. But the Navadvīpa-vāsīs’ separation of Lord Caitanya was intolerable. That is why, they don’t like to see Lord Caitanya as a sannyāsī.

Thus Ends the Chapter, Lord Caitanya Bids Farewell