20201106 Govardhana-dhārī Gopāla Tells Mādhavendra Purī to Take Him out of the Bush and Build a Temple

Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book Compilation By His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on 6th November 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: Today we are continuing with Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book compilation, today’s chapter entitled is: 

Govardhana-dhārī Gopāla Tells Mādhavendra Purī to Take Him out of the Bush and Build a Temple

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 4.1

yasmai dātuṁ corayan kṣīra-bhāṇḍaṁ /
gopīnāthaḥ kṣīra-corābhidho ’bhūt /
śrī-gopālaḥ prādurāsīd vaśaḥ san /
yat-premṇā taṁ mādhavendraṁ nato ’smi /

Translation: I offer my respectful obeisances unto Mādhavendra Purī, who was given a pot of sweet rice stolen by Śrī Gopīnātha, celebrated thereafter as Kṣīra-corā. Being pleased by Mādhavendra Purī’s love, Śrī Gopāla, the Deity at Govardhana, appeared to the public vision. 

Purport: Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura annotates that this Gopāla Deity was originally installed by Vajra, the great-grandson of Kṛṣṇa. Mādhavendra Purī rediscovered Gopāla and established Him on top of Govardhana Hill. This Gopāla Deity is now situated at Nāthadvāra and is under the management of descendants of Vallabhācārya. The worship of the Deity is very luxurious, and one who goes there can purchase varieties of prasādam by paying a small price.

Jayapatākā Swami: So there are several types of prasāda and the priests are not given any money and they are given mahā-prasāda. So they sell the prasāda and in that way they maintain their families. So they would have different types of prasāda and they would sell this and they say that this prasāda expiry date is 6 months, 3 months, one month, one day, the raitā with cucumber he said that its expiry date is three hours and he told me I could have it for free. So like that the if you go to see the Deity, it is very crowded in the room. In front part there are ladies and in the back part there are men and in between there was big pipe a rally and they advise, don’t take any mobile phone because there is gigantic rush and even if you want to stay you will be pushed out because people are coming in and pushed out. The Deity of Gopāla has one hand raised, the left hand is raised in the mood of holding up the Govardhana hill, so He is called Śrīnāthajī and is worshipped in Nāthadvāra but He was originally was Mādhavendra Purī’s Gopāla Deity who was installed by Vajra, the great-grandson of Kṛṣṇa. 

Actually it mentions in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, first canto how Vajra was installed as the King of Mathurā and this Deity is very beautiful and you can go again and again to se the Deity but once you are in you are pushed out very quickly and so they would have a market in the morning, they wills sell flowers, fruits not for eating for yourself but to donate for the Deity. So people would buy them, I want to see what was going on and there was some flowers left I got those for cheap rate and I donated that for the Deity and went to the windows of flowers and fruits. 

One bull came with wood piled up in the back, they pulled the rope and the wood fell-down and someone yelled “Sevā! Sevā!” that means "Service! Service!" And everybody ran and picked up the wood and put it on their head and took it to the kitchen so I also took a wood and ran into the kitchen and in the kitchen there was a big pile of wood so I put the wood there and also they had some wells which was filled with ghee to cook for the Deity so it was an amazing experience everybody was so filled with bhakti to serve the deity. Jaya! Śrīnāthjī kī jaya!

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 4.21

pūrve śrī-mādhava-purī āilā vṛndāvana
bhramite bhramite gelā giri govardhana

Translation: Once, Śrī Mādhavendra Purī traveled to Vṛndāvana, where he came upon the hill known as Govardhana.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 4.22

anukṣaṇa kṛṣṇa-premamatta mādhavendrapurī :—
preme matta,—nāhi tāṅra rātri-dina-jñāna
kṣaṇe uṭhe, kṣaṇe paḍe, nāhi sthānāsthāna

Translation: Mādhavendra Purī was almost mad in his ecstasy of love of Godhead, and he did not know whether it was day or night. Sometimes he stood up, and sometimes he fell to the ground. He could not discriminate whether he was in a proper place or not.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 4.23

śaila parikramā kari’ govinda-kuṇḍe āsi’
snāna kari, vṛkṣa-tale āche sandhyāya vasi’

Translation: After circumambulating the hill, Mādhavendra Purī went to Govinda-kuṇḍa and took his bath. He then sat beneath a tree to take his evening rest.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 4.24

gopabālakaveśe kṛṣṇera bhakta-purīke dugdha-dāna :—
gopāla-bālaka eka dugdha-bhāṇḍa lañā
āsi’ āge dhari’ kichu balila hāsiyā

Translation: While he was sitting beneath a tree, an unknown cowherd boy came with a pot of milk, placed it before Mādhavendra Purī and, smiling, addressed him as follows.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 4.25

purī, ei dugdha lañā kara tumi pāna
māgi’ kene nāhi khāo, kibā kara dhyāna

Translation: “O Mādhavendra Purī, please drink the milk I have brought. Why don’t you beg some food to eat? What kind of meditation are you undergoing?”

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 4.26

bālakera saundarye purīra ha-ila santoṣa
tāhāra madhura-vākye gela bhoka-śoṣa

Translation: When he saw the beauty of that boy, Mādhavendra Purī became very satisfied. Hearing His sweet words, he forgot all hunger and thirst.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 4.27

purīra bālakera paricaya jijñāsā :—
purī kahe,—ke tumi, kāhāṅ tomāra vāsa
ke-mate jānile, āmi kari upavāsa

Translation: Mādhavendra Purī said, “Who are You? Where do You reside? And how did You know that I was fasting?”

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 4.28

bālakera ātmagopana :—
bālaka kahe,—gopa āmi, ei grāme vasi
āmāra grāmete keha nā rahe upavāsī

Translation: The boy replied, “Sir, I am a cowherd boy, and I reside in this village. In My village, no one fasts.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 4.29

keha anna māgi’ khāya, keha dugdhāhāra
ayācaka-jane āmi diye ta’ āhāra

Translation: “In this village a person can beg food from others and thus eat. Some people drink only milk, but if a person does not ask anyone for food, I supply him all his eatables.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 4.30

jala nite strī-gaṇa tomāre dekhi’ gela
strī-saba dugdha diyā āmāre pāṭhāila

Translation: “The women who come here to take water saw you, and they supplied Me with this milk and sent Me to you.”

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 4.31

go-dohana karite cāhi, śīghra āmi yāba
āra-bāra āsi āmi ei bhāṇḍa la-iba

Translation: The boy continued, “I must go very soon to milk the cows, but I shall return and take back this milk pot from you.”

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 4.32

dugdha diyāi bālakera antarddhāna :—
eta bali’ gelā bālaka nā dekhiye āra
mādhava-purīra citte ha-ila camatkāra

Translation: Saying this, the boy left the place. Indeed, He suddenly could be seen no more, and Mādhavendra Purī’s heart was filled with wonder.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 4.33

dugdha-pānānte purīra bālakera janya pratīkṣā :—
dugdha pāna kari’ bhāṇḍa dhuñā rākhila
bāṭa dekhe, se bālaka punaḥ nā āila

Translation: After drinking the milk, Mādhavendra Purī washed the pot and put it aside. He looked toward the path, but the boy never returned.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 4.34

samādhite bālakarūpī kṛṣṇera darśanalābha :—
vasi’ nāma laya purī, nidrā nāhi haya
śeṣa-rātre tandrā haila,—bāhya-vṛtti-laya

Translation: Mādhavendra Purī could not sleep. He sat and chanted the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, and at the end of the night he dozed a little, and his external activities stopped.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 4.35

svapne mādhavendrake bālakarūpī kṛṣṇera eka kuñje ānayana :—
svapne dekhe, sei bālaka sammukhe āsiñā
eka kuñje lañā gela hātete dhariñā

Translation: In a dream Mādhavendra Purī saw the very same boy. The boy came before him and, holding his hand, took him to a bush in the jungle.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 4.36

sevā-śaithilyahetu giridhārīra duḥkha-jñāpana :— /

kuñja dekhāñā kahe,—āmi ei kuñje ra-i
śīta-vṛṣṭi-vātāgnite mahā-duḥkha pāi

Translation: The boy showed Mādhavendra Purī the bush and said, “I reside in this bush, and because of this, I suffer very much from severe cold, rain showers, winds and scorching heat

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 4.37

parvatopari eka maṭha nirmmāṇapūrvaka giridhārī gopāla pratiṣṭhā karite ādeśa :—
grāmera loka āni’ āmā kāḍha’ kuñja haite
parvata-upari lañā rākha bhāla-mate

Translation: Please bring the people of the village and get them to take Me out of this bush. Then have them situate Me nicely on top of the hill.

Jayapatākā Swami: So the boy who gave milk to Mādhvendra Purī was actually Kṛṣṇa Himself and now He is revealing His deity form he is situated in the bush and so like that Lord Kṛṣṇa He eternally resides in Vṛndāvana and He as Lord Caitanya eternally resides in Navadvīpa. So, like that the devotees can worship the Lord in His eternal dhāma.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 4.38

eka maṭha kari’ tāhāṅ karaha sthāpana
bahu śītala jale kara śrī-aṅga mārjana

Translation: “Please construct a temple on top of that hill,” the boy continued,” and install Me in that temple. After this, wash Me with large quantities of cold water so that My body may be cleansed.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 4.39

bhaktera pratīkṣāya bhagavān :—
bahu-dina tomāra patha kari nirīkṣaṇa
kabe āsi’ mādhava āmā karibe sevana

Translation: For many days I have been observing you, and I have been wondering, ’When will Mādhavendra Purī come here to serve Me?’

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 4.40

tomāra prema-vaśe kari’ sevā aṅgīkāra
darśana diyā nistāriba sakala saṁsāra

Translation: “I have accepted your service due to your ecstatic love for Me. Thus I shall appear, and by My audience all fallen souls will be delivered. So giving this audience to the conditioned souls Kṛṣṇa delivers them. So a pure devotee like Madhavendra Purī he was absorbed by Kṛṣṇa, and Kṛṣṇa was witing for him to come so that He can take Him out of the bush and worship Him. 

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 4.41

giridhārīra nija-paricaya-dāna :—
‘śrī-gopāla’ nāma mora,—govardhana-dhārī
vajrera sthāpita, āmi ihāṅ adhikārī

Translation: “My name is Gopāla. I am the lifter of Govardhana Hill. I was installed by Vajra, and here I am the authority.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 4.42

śaila-upari haite āmā kuñje lukāñā
mleccha-bhaye sevaka mora gela palāñā

Translation: “When the Muslims attacked, the priest who was serving Me hid Me in this bush in the jungle. Then he ran away out of fear of the attack.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 4.43

sei haite rahi āmi ei kuñja-sthāne
bhāla haila āilā āmā kāḍha sāvadhāne

Translation: “Since the priest went away, I have been staying in this bush. It is very good that you have come here. Now just remove Me with care.”

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 4.44

gopālera antarddhāna :—
eta bali’ se-bālaka antardhāna kaila
jāgiyā mādhava-purī vicāra karila

Translation: After saying this, the boy disappeared. Then Mādhavendra Purī woke up and began to consider his dream.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 4.45

mādhavendrera vicāra :—
śrī-kṛṣṇake dekhinu muñi nārinu cinite
eta bali’ premāveśe paḍilā bhūmite

Translation: Mādhavendra Purī began to lament, “I saw Lord Kṛṣṇa directly, but I could not recognize Him!” Thus he fell down on the ground in ecstatic love. So Mādhavendra Purī is one such rare soul who experiences mahā-bhava of Srimati Rādhārāṇī and He establish the Rādhā-bhava, the ecstasy of Rādhārāṇī in Mādhavācārya sampradāya, he was the guru of Advaita Gosāñi, some people say the guru of Nitāi and His disciple Īśvara Purī Mahārāja was the guru of Lord Gaurāṅga so He had this wonderful experience to see Kṛṣṇa face to face but that time He couldn’t recognise Him later when he realised He fainted in ecstatic love. 

Thus ends the chapter entitled, Govardhana-dhārī Gopāla Tells Mādhavendra Purī to Take Him out of the Bush and Build a Temple. 

Haribol!