20201119 The Leader of the Toll Collectors Becomes a Devotee

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 compilation Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book, today’s chapter entitled is:

The Leader of the Toll Collectors Becomes a Devotee

Murāri Gupta Kaḍaca 3.7.11

Hearing this, the Lord said, “Just wait! Everything will come out for the best.” Then He quickly sent Śrī Gadādhara, His internal potency, to summon the king.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 16.56

śuniñā ṭhākura baila–naha utarola
‘bhāla haiba’ bali’ mātra baila eka bola

Jayapatākā Swami: After Lord Caitanya heard the report, He said, “Everything will be good.” He said simply that and He didn’t say more.

Murāri Gupta Kaḍaca 3.7.12

However, at that very moment the master of all the toll-collectors arrived there and offered praise at the lotus feet of Śrī Hari. The great souls headed by Mukunda informed him of what had happened to them.

Jayapatākā Swami: So the leader of the toll-collectors, came and was praising Gaurahari, Mukunda dutta informed him of what had happened

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 16.57

sei rātre sei deśe dānīra īśvara
svapne dekhā dila tāre śacīra koṅara

Jayapatākā Swami: So that evening, the leader of the toll-collectors in that place saw a dream and son of mother of Śacī appeared before him.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 16.58

kṣīroda-samudre dekhe anantaśayane
lakṣmī-sarasvatī kare caraṇa sevane

Jayapatākā Swami: In the ocean of milk, he saw Lord Gaura lying down on Ananta-śeśa, he Lakṣmī and Sarasvatī serving His lotus feet.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 16.59

tāhāra antare dekhe sanakādi-gaṇa
brahmā-ādi deva dūre karaye stavana

Jayapatākā Swami: The toll collector saw that within the Lord, the sages headed by Sanaka and the four Kumāras and then Lord Brahmā and other demigods were offering prayers from a distance.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 16.60

dekhiyā dānīra rājā kāṁpila antare
aiśvarya dekhiyā tihoṁ paḍilā phāṁpare

Jayapatākā Swami: Seeing the Lords opulence the leader of the toll-collectors started to tremble from within. Seeing the Lord Caitanya's opulence, He became bewildered.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 16.61

virajā-nikaṭe āchi sannyāsīra veśe
mora bhakte duḥkha dila tora saba dāse

Jayapatākā Swami: Seeing Lord Caitanya in a dress of sannyāsī, near to Virajā River, he said, “Your servants gave trouble to my devotees and cause them suffering.”

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 16.62

kāṁpila antare–trāsa pāila apāra
satvare calila yathā śrī-gaura-gopāla

Jayapatākā Swami: The leader of the toll-collectors trembled within. He was greatly afraid. Quickly he went to Lord Gaura Gopāla.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 16.63

kathokṣaṇe seikhāne sei dānīśvara
prabhu namaskari’ kare vinaya vistara

Jayapatākā Swami: In a moment, in that place, the leader of the toll-collectors offered his obeisances very humbly to Lord Caitanya.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 16.64

tumi bhagavān kṣīra-nidhira vilāsa
jīva nistārite prabhu kariyācha sannyāsa

Jayapatākā Swami: “You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead. You enjoy pastimes on the ocean of milk. To deliver the people of this world, My Lord! You have accepted sannyāsa.”

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 16.65

tumi bhava-ghora-andhakārera candrimā
tumi veda–vedera parama-tattva-sīmā

Jayapatākā Swami: “You are the moon illuminating the blinding darkness of this world of birth and death. You are the highest truth described in the Vedas, You are the Vedas personified.”

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 16.66

śuni’ gaurācāṁda hāsi’ balilā tāhāre
acirāte kṛṣṇa kṛpā karuṇa tomāre

Jayapatākā Swami: Hearing these words, Lord Gauracānda smiled and said to the leader of toll-collector, “May Lord Kṛṣṇa quickly give His mercy to You.”

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 16.67

ihā bali’ caraṇa dharilā tāra māthe
premāya bibhora hañā nāce ūrddhahāte

Jayapatākā Swami: Saying these words, Lord Caitanya placed His lotus feet on leader of the toll-collector's head. At once the toll-collector was overcome with ecstatic spiritual love. He raised his hands and began to dance in ecstacy.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 16.68

tāre anugraha kari’ se deśe rākhiyā
adhikāra kṛṣṇabhakti tāre śikhāiyā

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya gave His mercy to the leader of the toll-collector. He kept him in that place and make him qualified by teaching him the truth of devotional service to Lord Kṛṣṇa. So, we see how Lord Caitanya He gave his transcendental mercy to the leader of the toll-collectors. By His mercy the leader of the toll-collectors got kṛṣṇa-prema and realized that Lord Caitanya was the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So, in this way everything became auspicious.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 16.69

henai samaye kahe vaiṣṇava-sakala–
aneka avasthā kaila tomāra naphara

Jayapatākā Swami: At that moment time all the Vaiṣṇavas said, “Your servants are put in many different situations.”

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 16.70

kāḍiyā laila āmā’ sabhāra kambala
e bola śuniñā sei saṅkoca antara

Jayapatākā Swami: The Vaiṣṇavas told the leader of the toll-collectors, “Your servants have taken away our blankets.” Hearing these words, he was embarrassed within his heart.

Murāri Gupta Kaḍaca 3.7.13

The king said, “For this wrong done to you, I shall beat those rogues very well with canes so they will never again behave in this way.”

Murāri Gupta Kaḍaca 3.7.14

The master of the tax-collectors became much aggrieved to hear of the misdeeds performed by his servants, and he presented the devotees with a very valuable new blanket.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Caitanya has told his servants that everything will be good, we see that Lord Caitanya had made the leader of toll-collector as a devotee, he got back the valuable blankets and everything was made good.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 16.71

notuna kambala dila dānīra īśvara
santuṣṭa haila tabe vaiṣṇava-antara

Jayapatākā Swami: The leader of the toll-collectors then gave new blankets to the devotees. At this the devotees became pleased at heart.

Murāri Gupta Kaḍaca 3.7.15

After he had spoken thus, the king offered obeisances to the Lord and departed for his opulent mansion. Thenceforward, he abandoned all material pursuits to take to the service of Gaura Hari's feet, upon which he meditated with a pure heart.

Jayapatākā Swami: by the mercy of Lord Caitanya, the leader of the toll-collectors, the king of the local area, he became fully absorbed in pure devotional service.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 16.72

tabe sei dānīśvara paraṇāma kari’
vidāya haiyā gelā āpanāra bāḍī

Jayapatākā Swami: Then the leader of the toll-collectors, he offered his obeisances to Lord Caitanya. He bid farewell and then returned to his house.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 16.73

ghare giyā kṛṣṇa-seva karila aśraya
saṅkīrtane harināme aharniśi raya

Jayapatākā Swami: Returning to his house, he engaged and took shelter of devotional service to Lord Kṛṣṇa. Day and night, he engaged in harināma-saṅkīrtana, chanting of Lord Hari’s holy names. So, everyone that Lord Caitanya met became absorbed in the chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 16.74

eimane sakala rajanī gela sukhe
prātaḥkāle prātaḥkriyā karilā kautuke

Jayapatākā Swami: In this way, the whole night passed happily. At dawn he happily performed his morning duties.

Murāri Gupta Kaḍaca 3.7.16

Now that their minds had been pacified, the devotees peacefully rested that night.

Jayapatākā Swami: Sometimes devotees ask, how can we do service in difficulties? But here we see that difficulties are the gateway to success, that Kṛṣṇa helps His devotees, Lord Caitanya would help His devotees so like that we should depend on Lord Caitanya, I was one time arrested for doing harināma in Montreal, but I was quickly released by the police chief and we were able to preach to the people in the jail.

Thus ends the chapter entitled, The Leader of the Toll Collectors Becomes a Devotee