20201024 To Please Rāmacandra Khān, Lord Caitanya Accepts Meal in His House

Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book Compilation By His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on 24th 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 we will be having the Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya pastime class.

First I would like to glorify my departed godbrother His Grace Yaśomatīnandana Prabhu, who expanded Kṛṣṇa consciousness throughout Gujarat. He had very large temples built in Ahmedabad and Surat, there is also a temple in Baroda by Vāsu Ghoṣa. The whole of Gujarat was under Yaśomatīnandana Prabhu. Unfortunately for us, at 5 O’clock today he passed away. He was feeling better, he was attacked by Covid-19. He was almost released from the hospital. And he felt bad, and went back into the hospital, and apparently, he had this morning some heart attacks and he left the world at 5pm. So, we are… this Covid-19 pandemic has taken away from us many very senior, wonderful devotees. And so I just want to say, although the Government may be opening up, still it is a dangerous thing and we should very carefully sanitize our hands, observe social distancing, wear a mask, and if you have any symptoms take some remedial medicines immediately. Just as a precaution, even if you are tested negative.

To Please Rāmacandra Khān, Lord Caitanya Accepts Meal in his House

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 2.82

grāmādhikārī bhāgyavān rāmacandra khāṅna—

sei grāme adhikārī rāmacandra khāṅna
yadyapi viṣayī tabu mahābhāgyavān

Jayapatākā Swami: The administrator of that village was Rāmacandra Khān. Although he was a sense enjoyer, he was greatly fortunate because Lord Caitanya stayed with him.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 2.83

anyathā prabhura saṅge tāna dekhā kene
daivagati āsiyā mililā sei sthāne

Jayapatākā Swami: Otherwise how could he see Lord Caitanya and get His association? By the will of providence, he met the Lord in that place.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 2.84

dekhiyā prabhura teja bhaya haila mane
dolā haite satvare nāmila sei kṣaṇe

Jayapatākā Swami: When he saw the Lord Caitanya’s effulgence, he was stuck with awe and reverence immediately he quickly descended from his palanquin.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 2.85

daṇḍavata haiyā paḍilā pada-tale
prabhura nāhika bāhya premānanda-jale

Jayapatākā Swami: He offered his prostrated obeisances at the lotus feet of the Lord Caitanya, but the Lord had no external consciousness as He shed tears of ecstatic love.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 2.86

jagannātha-darśanārtha prabhura adbhuta ārti vā vipralambha-premonmāda—

“hā hā jagannātha”, prabhu bale ghane ghana
pṛthivīte paḍi’ ghana karaye krandana

Jayapatākā Swami: The Lord Caitanya fell to the ground and He cried profusely He repeatedly called, “O Jagannātha! O Jagannātha!”

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 2.87

dekhiyā prabhura ārti rāmacandra khāṅna
antare vidīrṇa haila sajjanera-prāṇa

Jayapatākā Swami: When Rāmacandra Khān saw the Lord Caitanya in such distress, the gentlemen’s heart was shattered.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 2.88

“kona mate e ārtira nahe samvaraṇa”
kānde, āra ei mata cinte mane mana

Jayapatākā Swami: He began to cry thinking, “There is no way which this grief will be checked.” So he was thinking in this way.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 2.89

tribhuvane hena āche dekhi se krandana
vidīrṇa nā haya kāṣṭha-pāṣāṇera mana

Jayapatākā Swami: Anyone in three worlds who after seeing Lord Caitanya’s crying does not become melted in heart must have a heart of stone or wood. So Lord Caitanya was absorbed in His ecstatic mood of separation from the Lord crying in extreme ecstasy of love and anyone who witnesses that would also get affected otherwise they are very hard hearted.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 2.90

rāmacandra khāṅnera paricaya-jijñāsā—

kichu sthira hai’ vaikuṇṭhera cūḍāmaṇi
jijñāsila rāmacandra khāṅnere “ke tumi?”

Jayapatākā Swami: After becoming somewhat pacified, the crown jewel of Vaikuṇṭha, Lord Caitanya asked Rāmacandra Khān, “Who are you?”

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 2.91

sambhrame kariyā daṇḍavata kara-yoḍa
bale,—“prabhu, dāsa-anudāsa muñi tora”

Jayapatākā Swami: Folding his hands with awe and reverence, offering his prostrate obeisances he replied, “O my Lord, I am the servant of Your servant.”

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 2.92

tabe śeṣe sarva-loke lāgilā kahite
“ei adhikārī prabhu, dakṣiṇa-rājyete”

Jayapatākā Swami: Then at the end, the other persons informed the Lord, “He is the administrator of this southern province.”

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 2.93

grāmādhikārī rāmacandra khāṅnake śīghra prabhura janya nīlācala-gamanera pathera bandovasta karibāra ādeśa pradāna-chale prabhura adhikārīke kṛpā—

prabhu bale,—“tumi adhikārī baḍa bhāla
nīlācale āmi yāi ke-mate sakāla”

Jayapatākā Swami: The Lord Caitanya said, “It is very good that you are the administrator. Tell Me how I can quickly reach Nīlācala (Jagannātha Purī).”

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 2.94

vahaye ānanda-dhārā kahite kahite
`nīlācalacandra', bali' paḍilā bhūmite

Jayapatākā Swami: As the Lord Caitanya was speaking, tears of loving ecstasy flowed from His eyes. He then fell to the ground exclaiming, “O Nīlācala-candra!”

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 2.95

rāmacandra khāṅna bale,—“śuna mahāśaya!
ye ājñā tomāra se-i kartavya niścaya

Jayapatākā Swami: Rāmacandra Khān replied, “Listen, my dear sir, certainly it is my duty is to do whatever You want or whatever you order.”

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 2.96

rāmacandra khānera tatkālika rājanaitika avasthāra varṇanāmukhe nīlācala-pathera avasthā-jñāpana—

sabe prabhu, haiyāche viṣama samaya
se deśe e deśe keha patha nāhi vaya

Jayapatākā Swami: “But, my Lord, the situation is very tense at the present. That country and this country there is no travel between the two.”

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 2.97

rājārā triśūla puṅtiyāche sthāne sthāne
pathika pāile `jāśu' bali' laya prāṇe

Jayapatākā Swami: “The King's men have booby trapped the road with three pointed spears. If they happen to find any traveler, they accuse him of being a spy and execute him.”

Purport (by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura): Just as submarines destroy the opposition in the seas, there was a practice of hiding sharp spears beneath the surface of the ground. Spears as sharp as needles were planted in different parts of the road so that inimical people could not enter each other's territory. The idea was that when the enemy army would advance to attack, their feet would be pierced by those sharp spears. The word jāśu refers to a spy or infiltrator.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 2.98

kon dik diyā vā pāṭhāṅa lukāiyātāhāte
ḍarāṅa prabhu, śuna mana diyā

Jayapatākā Swami: “O Lord, listen carefully. I am apprehensive about which way I will send You in secret.”

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 2.99

muñi se naskara, ethākāra mora bhāra
nāgāli pāile, āge saṁśaya āmāra

Jayapatākā Swami: “I am the army commander, and I oversee this area. If I am caught helping You, I will be in trouble.”

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 2.100

tathāpio ye-te kene prabhu mora naya
ye tomāra ājñā tāhā karimu niścaya

Jayapatākā Swami: “Still, O Lord, I will somehow or other certainly fulfill Your order, fulfill Your request.”

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 2.101

svagṛhe prabhuke bhikṣā karāibāra janya rāmacandra khānra anurodha—

yadi more `bhṛtya' hena jñāna thāke mane
tabe ethā bhikṣā āji kara sarva-gaṇe

Jayapatākā Swami: “If You accept me as Your servant in Your mind then You and Your associates will kindly take Your meal with me today.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 2.102

jāti-prāṇa-dhana kene mohāra nā yāya
āji rātre tomā' pāṭhāimu sarvathāya”

Jayapatākā Swami: “I am prepared to lose my caste, my life, and my wealth, but I will certainly help You to cross the border tonight.”

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 2.103

śuniyā hailā sukhī vaikuṇṭhera nātha
hāsi' tāne karilena śubha dṛṣṭi-pāta

Jayapatākā Swami: On hearing his words, the Lord of Vaikuṇṭha, Lord Caitanya was pleased and smiled and glanced mercifully on him.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 2.104

sevāvaraṇakārī rāmacandra khānera gṛhe bhaktagaṇa-saha prabhura bhikṣā-svīkāra—

dṛṣṭi-mātra tāṅra sarva-bandha-kṣaya kari'
brāhmaṇa-āśrame rahilena gaurahari

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Gaurahari freed him from all material bondage by His merciful glance, the Lord went to stay in the brāhmaṇa's house.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 2.105

brāhmaṇa-mandire haila parama maṅgala
pratyakṣa pāila sarva sukṛtira phala

Jayapatākā Swami: That brāhmaṇa's house became supremely sanctified, as he directly perceived the fruits of all his past auspicious deeds. So we can see how by the mercy of Lord Caitanya, this materialistic commander in chief of the army, administrator of the Southern Province, he received extreme mercy from the Lord and his heart was completely transformed.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 2.106

nānā yatne dṛḍha-bhakti-yoga-citta hañā
prabhura randhana vipra karilena giyā

Jayapatākā Swami: The brāhmaṇa's heart by cooking for Lord Caitanya carefully obtained his consciousness was fixed in firm devotional service as he cooked for Lord with great care.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 2.107

nāme se ṭhākura mātra karena bhojana
nijāveśe avakāśa nāhi eka kṣaṇa

Jayapatākā Swami: The Lord Caitnaya only ate as a matter of formality, for He was absorbed in His own ecstacy that He could not be diverted for even a moment.

Purport (by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura): When palatable foods were brought before Gaurasundara at the house of Rāmacandra Khān, Śrī Mahāprabhu ate only in name. Gaurasundara, who was overwhelmed with love for Kṛṣṇa, accepted foods offered by Rāmacandra Khān only as a matter of formality.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 2.108

paramārthai prabhura ekamātra anukṣaṇa bhojya—

bhikṣā kare prabhu priya-varga-santoṣārtha
niravadhi prabhura bhojana—paramārtha

Jayapatākā Swami: The Lord Caitanya ate only for the satisfaction of His beloved devotees. The Lord Caitanya's food always consisted of only spiritual foodstuffs.

Purport (by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura): Externally, the Lord's acceptance of foodstuffs on the pretext of begging alms was to deceive ordinary people of the external world, but from the spiritual viewpoint His pastime of accepting food consisted only in honoring bhagavata-prasāda. Karmis opposed to devotional service think that Śrī Gaurasundara took His meal at the house of a pseudo brāhmaṇa who proudly identified himself as a born brāhmaṇa, but actually this pastime was meant to refute their mundane conceptions. Such blatant indirect approval of foolish behavior was simply to deceive those so-called brāhmaṇas who are attached to karma-kāṇḍa, who are worthy of being deceived, and who are perpetually bereft of spiritual understanding. […] The Lord enacted this pastime of accepting the non-Vaiṣṇava behavior of smārtas to protect the community of so-called brāhmaṇas who would perpetually fall into hell by considering Him as one who disrespects so-called brāhmaṇas. Actually Mahāprabhu demonstrated the spiritual principle that Lord Kṛṣṇa never accepts anything offered by a person who does not chant one hundred thousand names. […] Therefore the remnants of mahā-prasāda that has been relished by devotees are certainly spiritual foodstuffs. Foods that have not been offered to the Lord are to be rejected as stool and urine.

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya was accepting the food offered by the brāhmaṇa as a matter of formality giving His blessings to the brāhmaṇa otherwise He would only take kṛṣṇa-prasāda. otherwise He would only take kṛṣṇa-prasāda.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 2.109

viśeṣe calila ye avadhi jagannāthe
nāme se bhojana prabhu kare sei haite

Jayapatākā Swami: As Lord Caitanya was travelling to Jagannātha Purī, the Lord Caitanya ate only out of formality from that time onwards.

Purport (by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura): Brāhmaṇas engaged in the pure service of Viṣṇu are dear to the Supreme Lord. One of the Lord's wonderful pastimes was to please His dear devotees by giving so-called brāhmaṇas the qualification to serve Him. But that does not mean that one should reject spiritual foodstuffs and accept untouchable, unoffered foodstuffs as foolish people do, or that one should approve the acceptance of foodstuffs that are offered by sinful people.

Jayapatākā Swami: Śrīla Prabhupāda when he went to Jagannātha Purī as a gṛhastha, Purī paṅdās thought that he is Bengali and offered him fish, he said, “No, no I want Jagannātha prasāda” So Lord Caitanya, He also took vegetarian food but He only wanted kṛṣṇa-prasāda. As a sannyāsī when was travelling, He didn’t get prasāda He would eat as a formality. In this way while Śrīla Prabhupāda travelled by train at some places He would take some samosas, or purīs or sabjīs because there was no prasāda available, just as a formality. But actually, when he reached the destination, he always wanted kṛṣṇa-prasāda.

Thus Ends the Chapter, To Please Rāmacandra Khān, Lord Caitanya Accepts Meal in his House Haribol!