20201115 Vaitaraṇī Snāna, Darśana of Śrī Virajā Devī and Other Holy Places in Yājapura

Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book Compilation By His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on 15th 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: Hare Kṛṣṇa. Today we are continuing with Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book, today’s chapter entitled is:

Vaitaraṇī Snāna, Darśana of Śrī Virajā Devī and Other Holy Places in Yājapura

Caitanya Carita Mahā Kāvya 11.82

Disturbed in mind, thinking deeply, Mahāprabhu continued travelling, while joyfully chanting the name of the Lord. Constantly looking at the devatās on the path, he went in joy to the fortunate, beautiful town of Yāja-nagarī.

Jayapatākā Swami: So Lord Caitanya and his associates continued south from Remuṇā towards Jagannātha Purī and on the way He visited Yājapura.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 2.280

yājapure—
kata-dine mahāprabhu śrī-gaurasundara
āilena yājapure—brāhmaṇa-nagara

Jayapatākā Swami: Within some days Lord Caitanya, Śrī Gaurasundara Mahāprabhu arrived at the Brāhmaṇa-nagara area of Yājapura.

Purport (by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura): The footprints of Śrī Gaurasundara have been established in the Ādi-Varāha temple, which is situated in the Brāhmaṇa-nagara neighborhood of Yājapura. These footprints were established in memory of the mother of Śrīyukta Mohinī Mohana Rāya Chaudhuri Mahāśaya, the landlord of Bāliyāṭi village.

Jayapatākā Swami: So Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura established different lotus footprints of Lord Caitanya in the holy places where He visited. So there was footprints of the Lord in Kānāi-Nāṭśāla in Śrīraṅgam, Tirumala or Tirupati and many other places so the followers of Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura can continue to establish the foot prints of Lord Caitanya in different places that Lord Caitanya had visited. we had the great opportunity to establishing the lotus feet of Lord Caitanya in Ananta Padmanābha temple in Thiruvanthapuram. There are still many temples that Lord Caitanya had visited which could have His lotus footprints placed there.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 2.281

yaṅhi ādi-varāhera adbhuta prakāśa
yāṅra daraśane haya sarva-bandha-nāśa

Jayapatākā Swami: Manifested of Ādi-Varāha, by taking darśana of this Deity, all one's material bondage is destroyed.

Murāri Gupta Kaḍaca 3.6.12

Early in the morning, the Lord, whose face expands like a blossoming lotus, and whose lovely throat with its three folds of skin resembles a conch, continued walking and crossed other lands, passing many towns and villages along the way. Then, at an auspicious moment, He came upon a fast-flowing river, a tributary of the river of the gods.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 16.22

eimata prabhu pathe yāite yāite
nadī-vaitaraṇī taṭe gelā ācambite

Jayapatākā Swami: So Lord Caitanya in this was walked and walked on the road and on the way He came suddenly to the bank of the Vaitaraṇī River.

Murāri Gupta Kaḍaca 3.6.13

He looked upon that blessed river named Vaitaraṇī, who is capable of delivering humanity from their sins. Simply by seeing her, one becomes liberated from the punishments of Yamarāja; what then can be spoken of those who bathe in her waters? She forever shines.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, these rivers are glorified in this verse, even by seeing it one is purified by various karma what to speak of bathing in her waters.

Murāri Gupta Kaḍaca 3.6.14

As Śacī-suta bathed there according to the Vedic precept, He saw a very beautiful form of Lord Boar. Just by seeing Him, seventy-seven generations of a man's ancestors enter into heaven.

Jayapatākā Swami: As Lord Śacī-suta took His bath in Vaitaranī river there He saw a beautiful form of Adī-Varāha, Just by seeing that form seventy-seven generation of ones ancestors enter into heaven.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 16.23

snānapāna kailā nadī patita-pāvanī
āra tāhe snāna kaila ṭhākura āpani

Jayapatākā Swami: So Lord Caitanya He took His bath in Vaitaranī river, He drank its water. This river is the river of the fallen. Lord Caitanya personally took His bath in that water which now the devotees take bath as it have Lord Caitanya foot dust is also in the water.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 2.282

mahātīrtha-vahe yathā nadī vaitaraṇī
yāṅra daraśane pāpa palāya āpani

Jayapatākā Swami: In this great place of pilgrimage where the Vaitaraṇī River flows, one's sinful reactions flee away upon seeing this sacred river. The word "Vaitarani" in this verse refers to the Vaitarani River. Yajapur is also known as Navi-gaya is situated in the place known as Viraja-ksetra on the bank of this river.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 2.283

vaitaraṇī mahā-tīrthe-tīrtha-mahimā—
jantu-mātra ye nadīra hailei pāra
deva-gaṇe dekhe catur-bhujera ākāra

Jayapatākā Swami: So any living entity, merely by crossing this river, is seen by the demigods as having a four-armed form.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 2.284

nābhī-gayāvirajā-devīra yathā sthāna
yathā haite kṣetra—daśa-yojana-pramāṇa

Jayapatākā Swami: The Deity of Virajā-devī is situated in this place of Nābhi-gayā. This place is situated eighty miles from Jagannātha Purī. One yojana is 8 miles so ten yojana means 80 miles.

Murāri Gupta Kaḍaca 3.6.17

The ocean of mercy, also took darśana of the Virajā's lotus face, whose the mere sight delivers millions of souls from their sins committed in the countless material worlds.

Jayapatākā Swami: The ocean of mercy is Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, so He took the darśana of the Virajā’s lotus face. Seeing the Vaitaranī river, seeing the Virajā’s Deity countless sins are forgiven, thus millions of souls have been delivered.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 16.29

ānandahṛdaye yāya virajā dekhite
virajā mahimā ke vā pāraye kahite

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya with a joyful heart had the darśana of Virajā-devī, who has the power to describe all the glories of Virajā-devī

Murāri Gupta Kaḍaca 3.6.18

The Lord of all living beings gazed upon her and offered obeisances, begging whole-heartedly for the matchless gift of prema-bhakti. Then the lotus-faced Lord went to Gayā-nābhi, a priceless tīrtha for service to the forefathers.

Jayapatākā Swami: So we see how Lord Caitanya when He sees the different deities, he would ask for the priceless gifts, kṛṣṇa-prema. This is a good example for us to follow. Devotees sometimes they ask what should they pray to Lord Śiva or Durgā so we see how Lord Caitanya he asked for prema-bhakti from different deities Lord Caitanya who had a lotus face he went to the Nābhi-gayā, where normally people go to benefit their forefathers. ‘Pu’ means hell and ‘tra’ means to deliver so by going to these holy places you can deliver your forefather from these hellish existences.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 16.30

koṭi-koṭi pātaka nāśaye daraśane
virajā dekhila prabhu haraṣita-mane

Jayapatākā Swami: By the darśana of the Virajā many millions and millions of sins are destroyed. So Lord Caitanya He with a joyful mind He gazed at the Virajā deity.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 16.31

virajāke namaskari’ kahila vacana–
deha premabhakti more kṛṣṇera caraṇa

Jayapatākā Swami: So, offering his obeisances to the Virajā River, He prayed for the following benediction: “Please give me pure devotion for Lord Kṛṣṇa's feet.” We see in a history in the Purāṇas where Virajā river was engaged in serving Kṛṣṇa in a very intimate way but then she heard that Rādhārāṇī is coming angrily so then she was afraid and then she took a form of Virajā river which circumambulated the material world and separated from the spiritual world. So, when Rādhārāṇī appeared there Virajā was gone taking the form of a river. So now this representation of Virajā is present in Yājapura and by having the darśana of Virajā millions and millions of sins are cleared. We have a ISKCON temple in Yājapura.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 2.285

yājapure yateka āchaye deva-sthāna
lakṣa vatsare o nāri laite saba nāma

Jayapatākā Swami: there are many holy places and temples in Yājapura, even in hundred thousand years I am not able to describe them.

Purport (by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura): Another name of Nābhi-gayā is Virajā-kṣetra. This place is situated within Yājapura. This place is situated eighty miles from Nīlācala.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 2.286

tīrtha-bahula yājapura—
devālaya nāhi hena nāhi tathi sthāna
kevala devera vāsa—yājapura grāma

Jayapatākā Swami: The village of Yājapura consists of all varieties of temples with various deities residing there.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 2.287

prathame daśāśvamedha ghāṭe nyāsi-maṇi
snāna karilena bhakta-saṁhati āpani

Jayapatākā Swami: The crown jewel of the sannyāsīs, Lord Caitanya first took bath with His associates at Daśāśvamedha-ghāṭa.

Murāri Gupta Kaḍaca 3.7.17

Then at dawn, the Lord of the gods arose and swiftly departed to see again the river Virajā, who fully capable of purifying all people. One who sees her with devotion and faith is freed from bondage to birth and death.

Jayapatākā Swami: So we can see that the Lord has given these various holy places to benedict the fallen soul.

Murāri Gupta Kaḍaca 3.7.18

The same benefit a man obtains by direct audience of the Supreme Lord can be obtained simply by looking on the face of Virajā.

Murāri Gupta Kaḍaca 3.7.19

The illustrious Lord Śiva, whose countenance is graced by three eyes, is personally present here. One who dies in Kāśī or in Virajā is blessed with liberation.

Murāri Gupta Kaḍaca 3.7.20

As Śaṅkara becomes pleased with one who dies in Vārāṇasī, he is still more pleased if one dies in Virajā.

Jayapatākā Swami: So we see how sacred place is Virajā, although one gets all kinds of benedictions, liberation, sent to the heavenly planets. Lord Caitanya simply asked for pure loving devotion for Lord Kṛṣṇa.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 16.75

virajā dekhite prabhu yāya āravāra
yāhā dekhi’ saba loka taraye saṁsāra

Jayapatākā Swami: So Lord Caitanya went again to see Virajā, in which all the people get delivered from this world of birth and death simply by their seeing.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 16.76

virajāke namaskari’ cali’ yāya raṅge
uṭhila kṛṣṇera premā–pulakita aṅge

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Caitanya offered His obeisances to the Viarajā river and then He continued His journey joyfully, ecstatic love for Lord Kṛṣṇa arouse within His heart and the hairs of His body because of ecstasy stood erect.

Murāri Gupta Kaḍaca 3.7.21

After seeing her, Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya, who is Himself the sole purifier of all worlds, again departed on the path performing kṛṣṇa-nāma-saṅkīrtana with the bhaktas.

Jayapatākā Swami: Actually, Lord Caitanya doesn’t need to visit any holy place to be purified. Actually, He is teaching us by His example of visiting places He also purifies the holy places. We can see that in this verse that how He is always performing Kṛṣṇa-nāma-saṅkīrtana, that’s what we do in all the temples.

Murāri Gupta Kaḍaca 3.6.21

By hearing attentively this sanctified narration of Śrī Hari, which frees one from all sinful reaction, a person obtains the fruit of travelling on pilgrimage to the holy place of the forefathers as well as the benefit of sacrificial activities performed there. One experiences limitless happiness and becomes graced with all good qualities.

Jayapatākā Swami: By the mercy of Lord Caitanya, simply by hearing how Lord Caitanya visited Virajā, Nābhi-gayā, Yājapura, Vaitaranī river one gets freed from one’s different sinful reactions. In this way all the listeners get the special mercy to experience limitless happiness, ānandera simā nāhi, thus graced with all good qualities. Haribol!

Thus ends the chapter entitled Vaitaraṇī Snāna, Darśana of Śrī Virajā Devī and Other Holy Places in Yājapura Hare Krishna.