20201117 Mukunda’s Arrest by the Toll Collectors

Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book Compilation By His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on 17th 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

Today we are continuing with the compilation of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book, the chapter entitled: Mukunda’s Arrest by the Toll Collectors

Murāri Gupta Kaḍaca 3.7.1: 

Bowed down with devotion to the joyous Lord of the universe, the physician Mukunda with a blossoming face addressed Him:

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 16.36

henai samaye sei śrī-mukunda datta
prabhura sākṣāte kahe–ye jānaye tattva–

Translation: At that time Śri Mukunda Datta said to Lord Caitanya personally, “I know a truth.”

Murāri Gupta Kaḍaca 3.7.2

“Lord, in this place there is not the slightest reason to fear toll collectors. I personally know the people of this region who are corrupt.”

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 16.37

ei haite dānīke nāhika āra bhaya
āmi sarva jāni duṣṭa ye yekhāne raya

Translation: From this time on there is no need to fear on the toll-collectors. I know all the places where these wicked toll-collectors stay.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 16.38

e bola śuniñā prabhu mucaki hāsaye
ki baliba tore muñi tumi mahāśaye

Translation: Hearing these words Lord Caitanya smiled and said, “What can I say to you? You are a great soul.”

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 16.39

āmi ta sannyāsa-dharma kariyāchi āśraya
dānī ki kariba mora–kaha ta niścaya 

Translation: “I have accepted the sannyāsa-āśrama dharma. What can a toll-collector do to Me? Tell Me for certain.”

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 16.40

śuniñā mukunda kichu bhaya nā pāila
tabhu duḥkha deya prabhu tomāre kahila

Translation: Hearing these words, Mukunda dutta was no longer afraid. Mukunda Dutta didn’t have any fear, still, he said to Lord Caitanya, “That last toll-collector tried to trouble You.”

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 16.41

śuniñā ṭhākura bole–śunaha mukunda
rākhibe āmāra deha sakala kuṭumba

Translation: Hearing these words, Lord Caitanya said, “Please hear, O Mukunda. My family will protect My body.”

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 16.42

dhairyaṁ yasya pita kṣama ca jananī śantiś ciraṁ gehinī
satyaṁ sunur ayaṁ daya ca bhaginī bhrata manaḥ-samyamaḥ

śayya bhumi-talaṁ diśo 'pi vasanaṁ jñanamṛtaṁ bhojanaṁ
yasyaite hi kuṭumbino vada sakhe kasmad bhayaṁ yoginaḥ

dhairyya yāṅhāra pitā, kṣamā yāṅhāra jananī,
cira-śānti yāṅhāra gehiṇī,

satya yāṅhāra putra, dayā yāṅhāra bhaginī-svarūpiṇī,
manaḥsaṁyama yāṅhāra bhrātṛsvarūpa, pṛthvītala yāṅhāra śayyā o

dikasamūha yāṅhāra vasana, evaṁ jñānāmṛta yāṅhāra āhāra;
he sakhe! bala dekhi, ihārā yāhāra ātmīya tāhāra āra bhaya kothāya?

Translation: Steadiness is his father, patience his mother, peacefulness his wife, truthfulness his son, mercy his sister, steadiness of mind his brother, the ground his bed, the directions his clothing, and the nectar of transcendental knowledge his food. These are the family of a yogī. Whom should such a yogī fear? Please tell.

Jayapatākā Swami: So Lord Caitanya is saying about His kuṭumba, His family. So just He is describing these are His family Steadiness, peacefulness, truthfulness, mercy, steadiness of mind, direction, the ground, the directions and the nectar of transcendental knowledge. So with this family what should I fear?

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 16.43

śuniñā mukunda bhaya nā pāila cite
kahila tāhāre prabhu hāsite hāsite–

Translation: Hearing these words, Mukunda dutta didn’t keep any fear in his heart. Lord Caitanya spoke these words to him, and He was laughing and smiling.

Murāri Gupta Kaḍacā 3.7.3

Hearing this, the Lord replied with His expressive face filled with bright smiles, “Yes, until now, there was so much danger for us, but you protected all of us.”

Jayapatākā Swami: So why Lord Caitanya was smiling we will see! 

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 16.44

etadūra pratipāli’ ānile āmāre
ihā bali’ cali’ gela bhikṣā karibāre

Translation: “Protecting me, you have brought me so far.” Saying these words, Lord Caitanya departed to collect alms.

Murāri Gupta Kaḍaca 3.7.4

So saying, even though He is Śrī Kṛṣṇa Himself, the lover of Mahā-Lakṣmī, He went out to beg alms, just to teach others through His example, who has accepted the form of a sannyāsī. 

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya, although He is incarnation of Lord Kṛṣṇa, since He has taken the sannyāsa, he is doing the sannyāsa dharma of collecting alms.

Murāri Gupta Kaḍaca 3.7.5-6

Śrī Nityānanda-avadhūta, the master of all śaktis, and Śrī Gadādhara, the learned scholar, as well as Mukunda and the other saintly devotees also went their own ways and wandered about the town begging alms. However, a toll-collector would not allow them to do so. He angrily captured Mukunda and bound him up, keeping him prisoner for the whole day.

Jayapatākā Swami: Although Mukunda Datta told Lord Caitanya, nothing to fear he knows all the evil toll-collectors, he was arrested by a toll-collector and He was kept bound up. May be that’s the reason why Lord Caitanya was smiling, ultimately Kṛṣṇa is the controller of everything.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 16.45

gadādhara-ādi kari’ yata saṅgīgaṇa
ṭhāñi ṭhāñi gelā karibāre bhikṣāṭana

Jayapatākā Swami: Gadādhara Prabhu and other associates of Lord Caitanya went from place to place to collect alms.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 16.46

henakāle eka dānī rākhe tā’sabhāre
mahākrodha kari’ dānī bāndhe mukundere

Translation: At that time, one toll-collector, he stopped everyone. In great anger the toll-collector bound Mukunda dutta.

Murāri Gupta Kaḍaca 3.7.7

At dusk, that man accepted a valuable blanket as payment and finally released them all. Then the devotees departed from that place dejectedly.

Jayapatākā Swami: They went to beg alms but the whole day they were detained. 

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 16.47

sārādina rākhiyāchi–krodha nāhi paḍe

Translation: The whole day he kept Mukunda dutta captive. His anger did not fall away. After many words he released Mukunda datta at sunset.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 16.48

tā-sabhāra āchila kambala ekakhaṇḍa
kāḍiyā laila sei pāpiṣṭha pāṣaṇḍa

Translation: All of them had blanket, and this wretched sinner took away the blanket.

Murāri Gupta Kaḍaca 3.7.8

The devotees then went to beg alms from some brāhmaṇas. Lord Nityānanda is personally very powerful and so who can understand Him (of begging)?

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 16.49

sandhyākāle sabhe bhikṣā kari’ sthāne sthāne
saṅketa maṇḍape sabhe āilā jane jane

Translation: At sunset they collected alms from place to place, and they assembled at the designated hall.

Murāri Gupta Kaḍaca 3.7.9

Next they went to take rest on a raised platform beneath a tree at the āśrama of the brāhmaṇas. When the magnanimous Nityānanda finally arrived there, He laughed to hear the story of the bhaktas' arrest.

Murāri Gupta Kaḍaca 3.7.10

Then having collected His bhikṣa, Śrī Gaura Bhagavān arrived by His own desire. Seeing Him, the bhaktas described to Him all that the toll-collectors had done by force.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 16.50

sei ta maṇḍape āge āchena ṭhākura
dekhi’ sarvajana-hiyā ānanda pracura

Translation: Seeing Lord Caitanya in that hall, Seeing Him all the devotees felt that their hearts become filled with transcendental bliss.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 16.51

caraṇe paḍiyā kānde mukunda-datta
ājiho nā jāni’ prabhu tomāra mahattva

Translation: Falling at Lord Caitanya's feet, Śrī Mukunda Datta wept and said, “My Lord, even now, I do not know Your true glories.”

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 16.52

tomāra sammukhe baila–nāhi dāni-bhaya
tāhāra lāgiyā mora etadūra haya

Translation: In front of You I have told that I have no fear of toll-collector. Therefore, to that extent, I underwent all these ordeals. So Mukunda dutta was regretting that he spoke proud words in front of Lord Caitanya but Lord Caitanya, He suffered more ordeals for what Mukunda dutta did.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 16.53

jāniñā nā jāno muñi–tumi bhagavān
tomāra upare āra ke sādhiba dāna

Translation: You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead. I know this, but then again, I do not know it. Transgressing You, who can collect toll tax from You?

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 16.54

tomāre nirbhaya karibāre kahoṁ kathā
bhāla haila-dānī mora karila avasthā

Translation: “In order to make You fearless, I spoke these words. Therefore, it was good that the toll-collector did what he did to me.”

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 16.55

e bola śuniyā prabhu gadādhare puche
pratyakṣa kahila dānī yata kariyāche

Translation: Hearing these words, Lord Caitanya asked Gadādhara Prabhu, “What happened?” Therefore, Gadādhara narrated everything that happened that the toll collectors did. 

Jayapatākā Swami: So actually, Lord Caitanya can take care of Himself but its nice that His devotees want to protect the Lord. But there was being some defect in what Mukunda dutta was saying rather than protecting the Lord, He was boasting and then as a result he got arrested. Anyway, we should depend on the Lord, we shouldn’t think that the Lord is subjected to the same things we are!

Thus ends the chapter entitled Mukunda's Arrest by the Toll Collectors.