20201122 The Elderly Brāhmaṇa Promises to Give His Daughter to Younger Brāhmaṇa and Makes Gopāla as Witness

Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book Compilation By His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on 22nd 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 compilation Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book, today’s chapter entitled is:

The Elderly Brāhmaṇa Promises to Give His Daughter to Younger Brāhmaṇa and Makes Gopāla as Witness

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 5.10

sākṣi-gopāla vṛttānta; dui viprera kathā:—

pūrve vidyānagarera dui ta’ brāhmaṇa
tīrtha karibāre duṅhe karilā gamana

Translation: Formerly at Vidyānagara in South India there were two brāhmaṇas who made a long tour to see different places of pilgrimage.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 5.11

gayā, vārāṇasī, prayāga—sakala kariyā
mathurāte āilā duṅhe ānandita hañā

Translation: First of all, they visited Gayā, then Kāśī, then Prayāga. Finally, with great pleasure, they came to Mathurā.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 5.12

vana-yātrāya vana dekhi’ dekhe govardhana
dvādaśa-vana dekhi’ śeṣe gelā vṛndāvana

Translation: After reaching Mathurā, they started visiting the different forests of Vṛndāvana and came to Govardhana Hill. They visited all twelve forests [vanas] and at last came to the town of Vṛndāvana.

Purport: The five forests situated on the eastern side of the river Yamunā are Bhadra, Bilva, Loha, Bhāṇḍīra and Mahāvana. The seven forests situated on the western side of the Yamunā are Madhu, Tāla, Kumuda, Bahulā, Kāmya, Khadira and Vṛndāvana. After visiting all these forests, these pilgrims went to a place known as Pañcakrośī Vṛndāvana. Out of the twelve forests, the Vṛndāvana forest extends from the town of Vṛndāvana up to Nanda-grāma and Varṣāṇā, a distance of thirty-two miles, within which the Pañcakrośī Vṛndāvana town is situated.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, the two brāhmaṇas has visited all the holy places mentioned and then they went throughout the twelve forests of Vṛndāvana. So they have completed a very major parikramā of holy places and the elderly brāhmaṇa was assisted by the younger brāhmaṇa and it seems it would not be possible for the elderly brāhmaṇa to have done all these pilgrimages without the help of the younger brāhmaṇa.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 5.13

vṛndāvane govinda-sthāne mahā-devālaya
se mandire gopālera mahā-sevā haya

Translation: In the village of Pañcakrośī Vṛndāvana, at the site where the Govinda temple is now situated, there was a great temple where gorgeous worship of Gopāla was performed.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 5.14

keśī-tīrtha, kālīya-hradādike kaila snāna
śrī-gopāla dekhi’ tāhāṅ karilā viśrāma

Translation: After taking baths at different bathing places along the river Yamunā, such as Keśī-ghāṭa and Kāliya-ghāṭa, the pilgrims visited the temple of Gopāla. Afterwards, they took rest in that temple.

Jayapatākā Swami: These are the different holy places still visited by devotees in the Vraja-maṇḍala-parikramā.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 5.15

gopāla-saundarya duṅhāra mana nila hari’
sukha pāñā rahe tāhāṅ dina dui-cāri

Translation: The beauty of the Gopāla Deity stole away their minds, and feeling great happiness, they remained there for two or four days.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 5.16

dui-vipra-madhye eka vipra—vṛddha-prāya
āra vipra—yuvā, tāṅra karena sahāya

Translation: One of the two brāhmaṇas was an old man, and the other was young. The young man was assisting the old one.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 5.17

choṭa-vipra kare sadā tāṅhāra sevana
tāṅhāra sevāya viprera tuṣṭa haila mana

Translation: Indeed, the young brāhmaṇa always rendered service to the older one, and the old man, being very satisfied with his service, was pleased with him.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 5.18

vipra bale—tumi mora bahu sevā kailā
sahāya hañā more tīrtha karāilā

Translation: The older man told the younger, “You have rendered various types of service to me. You have assisted me in traveling to all these places of pilgrimage.”

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 5.19

putreo pitāra aiche nā kare sevana
tomāra prasāde āmi nā pāilāma śrama

Translation: “Even my own son does not render such service. By your mercy, I did not become fatigued while on this tour.”

Jayapatākā Swami: The elderly brāhmaṇa was very grateful and it happens that one’s own family members may not offer such dedicated services Śrīla Prabhupāda was mentioning that His disciples or His spiritual children are offering Him such dedicated service, he was very grateful

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 5.20

kṛta-ghnatā haya tomāya nā kaile sammāna
ataeva tomāya āmi diba kanyā-dāna

Translation: “If I did not show you any respect, I would be ungrateful. Therefore, I promise to give you my daughter in charity.”

Jayapatākā Swami: The system of marriage in India was traditional that the daughter would be given by the father. This marriage ceremony is called as Kanyā-dāna. Of course, today the bride has to agree but traditionally the parents would see to the proper life partner of their daughter. This elderly brāhmaṇa was thinking that this younger brāhmaṇa would be a suitable husband for his daughter. Because he had served so faithfully and rendered his menial service without any conditions.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 5.21

choṭa-vipra kahe, “śuna, vipra-mahāśaya
asambhava kaha kene, yei nāhi haya

Translation: The younger brāhmaṇa replied, “My dear sir, please hear me. You are saying something very unusual. Such a thing never happens.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 5.22

mahā-kulīna tumi—vidyā-dhanādi-pravīṇa
āmi akulīna, āra dhana-vidyā-hīna

Translation: “You are a most aristocratic family man, well educated and very rich. I am not at all aristocratic, and I am without a decent education and have no wealth.

Purport: Due to pious activities, one can be enriched by four opulences: one may obtain birth in an aristocratic family, become highly educated, become very beautiful or get a great quantity of riches. These are symptoms of pious activities performed in one’s past life. In India it is still current for an aristocratic family never to consider a marriage with a common family. Though the caste may be the same, to maintain the aristocracy such marriages are rejected. No poor man will dare marry the daughter of a rich man. Because of this, when the elderly brāhmaṇa offered the young brāhmaṇa his daughter, the young brāhmaṇa did not believe that it would be possible to marry her. Therefore, he asked the elderly brāhmaṇa why he was proposing something unprecedented (asambhava). It was unheard of for an aristocratic person to offer his daughter to a person who was both uneducated and poor.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Śrīla Prabhupāda mentions the tradition of arranged marriage.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 5.23

kanyā-dāna-pātra āmi nā ha-i tomāra
kṛṣṇa-prītye kari tomāra sevā-vyavahāra

Translation: Sir, I am not a suitable bridegroom for your daughter. I render service to you only for the satisfaction of Kṛṣṇa.

Purport: Both brāhmaṇas were pure Vaiṣṇavas. The younger man took special care of the older one simply to please Kṛṣṇa. In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.19.21) Kṛṣṇa says, mad-bhakta-pūjābhyadhikā: “It is better to render service to My devotee.” Thus, according to the Gauḍīya-Vaiṣṇava philosophy of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, it is better to be a servant of the servant of God [Cc. Madhya 13.80]. One should not try to serve Kṛṣṇa directly. A pure Vaiṣṇava serves a servant of Kṛṣṇa and identifies himself as a servant of a servant of Kṛṣṇa. This is pleasing to Lord Kṛṣṇa. Śrīla Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura confirms this philosophy: chāḍiyā vaiṣṇava-sevā nistāra peyeche kebā. Unless one serves a liberated Vaiṣṇava, he cannot attain liberation by directly serving Kṛṣṇa. He must serve the servant of Kṛṣṇa.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, here the importance of devotee care is mentioned, one should serve the devotees, giving us the service of the devotees one would never achieve liberation so Śrīla Prabhupāda, he was very kind and He accepted service from anyone and everyone and in this way He gave blessings to unlimited fallen souls.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 5.24

brāhmaṇa-sevāya kṛṣṇera prīti baḍa haya
tāṅhāra santoṣe bhakti-sampad bāḍaya”

Translation: “Lord Kṛṣṇa is very much pleased by service rendered to brāhmaṇas, and when the Lord is pleased, the opulence of one’s devotional service increases.”

Purport: In this regard, Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura comments that the younger brāhmaṇa rendered service to the older one with the purpose of pleasing Kṛṣṇa. It was not a matter of ordinary worldly dealings. Kṛṣṇa is pleased when a Vaiṣṇava is rendered service. Because the younger brāhmaṇa served the older one, Lord Gopāla agreed to become a witness of the marriage negotiation in order to maintain the prestige of both devotees. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu would certainly not have liked to hear about marital dealings unless such dealings were exchanged between two Vaiṣṇavas. Marriage arrangements and ceremonies belong to ordinary material karma-kāṇḍa sections of the scriptures. The Vaiṣṇavas, however, are not interested in any kind of karma-kāṇḍa dealings. Śrīla Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says: karma-kāṇḍa jñāna-kāṇḍa kevala viṣera bhāṇḍa. For a Vaiṣṇava, the karma-kāṇḍa and jñāna-kāṇḍa sections of the Vedas are unnecessary. Indeed, a real Vaiṣṇava takes these sections as a poison pot (viṣera bhāṇḍa). Sometimes we take part in a marriage ceremony for our disciples, but this does not mean that we are interested in karma-kāṇḍa activities. Sometimes, not knowing the Vaiṣṇava philosophy, an outsider criticizes such activity, maintaining that a sannyāsī should not take part in a marriage ceremony between a young boy and a young girl. However, this is not a karma-kāṇḍa activity, because our purpose is to spread the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. We are giving all facility to the general populace to take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and in order to fix the devotees in concentration on the service of the Lord, marriage is sometimes allowed. We have experienced that such married couples actually render very important service to the mission. Therefore, one should not misunderstand when a sannyāsī takes part in a marriage ceremony. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Nityānanda Prabhu took great pleasure in hearing about the marriage ceremony between the young brāhmaṇa and the daughter of the elderly brāhmaṇa.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, the part which was important was that the importance of serving Vaiṣṇava. Lord Kṛṣṇa wanted to emphasize that point that everyone should serve the Vaiṣṇava therefore He accepted to be the witness. Actually, ordinary marriage dealings are not very important, but here we see also Śrīla Prabhupāda is mentions that the husband and wife can increase their devotional service and render many services to Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement in that sense Śrīla Prabhupāda emphasized marriage amongst the Vaiṣṇava so that husband and wife could be a team to render devotional service.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 5.25

baḍa-vipra kahe,—“tumi nā kara saṁśaya
tomāke kanyā diba āmi, karila niścaya”

Translation: The older brāhmaṇa replied, “My dear boy, do not doubt me. I will give you my daughter in charity. I have already decided this.”

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 5.26

choṭa-vipra bale,—”tomāra strī-putra saba
bahu jñāti-goṣṭhī tomāra bahuta bāndhava

Translation: The young brāhmaṇa said, “You have a wife and sons, and you have a large circle of relatives and friends.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 5.27

tā’-sabāra sammati vinā nahe kanyā-dāna
rukmiṇīra pitā bhīṣmaka tāhāte pramāṇa

Translation: “Without the consent of all your friends and relatives, it is not possible to give me your daughter in charity. Just consider the story of Queen Rukmiṇī and her father, Bhīṣmaka.”

Jayapatākā Swami: Actually, Bhīṣmaka wanted to give Rukmiṇī to Kṛṣṇa but his elder son Rukmī, wanted to give her to Sisupāla so he had to accept that arrangement but then Kṛṣṇa kidnapped Rukmiṇī, that’s explained in the following verses.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 5.28

bhīṣmakera icchā,—kṛṣṇe kanyā samarpite
putrera virodhe kanyā nārila arpite”

Translation: “King Bhīṣmaka wanted to give his daughter, Rukmiṇī, in charity to Kṛṣṇa, but Rukmī, his eldest son, objected. Therefore he could not carry out his decision.”

Purport: As stated in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.52.25): King Bhīṣmaka of Vidarbha wanted to offer Kṛṣṇa his daughter, Rukmiṇī, but Rukmī, the eldest of his five sons, objected. Therefore Bhīṣmaka withdrew his decision and decided to offer Rukmiṇī to the king of Cedi, Śiśupāla, who was a cousin of Kṛṣṇa’s. However, Rukmiṇī conceived of a trick: she sent a letter to Kṛṣṇa asking Him to kidnap her. Thus in order to please Rukmiṇī, who was His great devotee, Kṛṣṇa kidnapped her. There ensued a great fight between Kṛṣṇa and the opposing party, headed by Rukmiṇī’s brother Rukmī. Rukmī was defeated and, because of his harsh words against Kṛṣṇa, was about to be killed, but he was saved at the request of Rukmiṇī. However, Kṛṣṇa shaved off all of Rukmī’s hair with His sword. Śrī Balarāma did not like this, and so to please Rukmiṇī, Balarāma rebuked Kṛṣṇa.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 5.29

baḍa-vipra kahe,—“kanyā mora nija-dhana
nija-dhana dite niṣedhibe kon jana

Translation: The elderly brāhmaṇa said, “My daughter is my own property. If I choose to give my property to someone, who has the power to stop me?”

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 5.30

tomāke kanyā diba, sabāke kari’ tiraskāra
saṁśaya nā kara tumi, karaha svīkāra”

Translation: “My dear boy, I will give my daughter to you in charity, and I will neglect the position of all others. Don’t doubt me in this regard; just accept my proposal.”

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 5.31

choṭa-vipra kahe,—“yadi kanyā dite mana
gopālera āge kaha e satya-vacana”

Translation: The younger brāhmaṇa replied, “If you have decided to give your young daughter to me, then say so before the Gopāla Deity.”

Jayapatākā Swami: Since the deity of Kṛṣṇa is considered directly as Kṛṣṇa so a promise made before the deity is very solemn like in the court of the Western world people take a vow with the hand on the holy scriptures, “I tell the truth, that nothing but the truth.” So similar to this is if one states before the deity it would be true.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 5.32

gopālera āge vipra kahite lāgila
’tumi jāna, nija-kanyā ihāre āmi dila’

Translation: Coming before Gopāla, the elderly brāhmaṇa said, “My dear Lord, please witness that I have given my daughter to this boy.”

Purport by Srila Prabhupada: In India it is still the custom for a daughter to be offered to someone simply by word. This is called vāg-datta. This means that the father, brother or guardian of a girl has given his word that she will be married to a certain man. Consequently, that daughter cannot be married to anyone else. She is reserved by virtue of the honest words of the father or guardian. There are many instances in which the parents of a female child have given someone a verbal promise that their daughter will be married to his son. Both parties agree to wait until the boy and girl are grown up, and then the marriage takes place. Following this custom, which is very old in India, the elderly brāhmaṇa promised to give his daughter to the younger brāhmaṇa in charity, and he promised this before the Gopāla Deity. In India the custom is to honor any promise made before the Deity. Such a promise cannot be canceled. In Indian villages, whenever there is a quarrel between two parties, they go to a temple to settle the quarrel. Whatever is spoken in front of the Deity is taken to be true, for no one would dare lie before the Deity. This same principle was followed in the Battle of Kurukṣetra. Therefore, in the very beginning of the Bhagavad-gītā it is stated: dharma-kṣetre kuru-kṣetre [Bg. 1.1]. By not becoming God conscious, human society is deteriorating to the lowest standard of animal life. This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is very essential to reviving God consciousness among the general populace. If people actually become God conscious, all quarrels can be settled outside of court, as happened in the case of the two brāhmaṇas whose disagreement was settled by the witness Gopāla.

Jayapatākā Swami: So the importance of the people accepting the Supreme Personality of Godhead is we see that modern society eating meat, sleeping, defending are the important things but these things are also there in animal kingdom and human beings are meant to understand self-realization and spiritual things so we can see that this culture was there when the elderly brāhmaṇa and the younger brāhmaṇa were travelling to all holy places in India. Therefore, a solemn promise was made before the deity.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 5.33

choṭa-vipra bale,—”ṭhākura, tumi mora sākṣī
tomā sākṣī bolāimu, yadi anyathā dekhi”

Translation: Then the younger brāhmaṇa addressed the Deity, saying, “My dear Lord, You are my witness. I shall call for You to testify if it is necessary later on.”

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 5.34

eta bali’ dui-jane calilā deśere
guru-buddhye choṭa-vipra bahu sevā kare

Translation: After these talks, the two brāhmaṇas started for home. As usual, the young brāhmaṇa accompanied the elderly brāhmaṇa as if the older brāhmaṇa were a guru [spiritual master] and rendered him service in various ways.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, we can see that the younger brāhmaṇa was offering service to the older as if He was his guru and this was the standard of the service to the guru and he did so in the idea of pleasing Kṛṣṇa.

Thus, ends the chapter entitled: The Elderly Brāhmaṇa Promises to Give His Daughter to Younger Brāhmaṇa and Makes Gopāla as Witness

Hare Kṛṣṇa.