20201127 Gopāla and Mahāprabhu Are Seen as Non-different

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

Gopāla and Mahāprabhu Are Seen as Non-different

Caitanya-caritāmṛta Madhya-līlā 5.120

utkalera rājā puruṣottama-deva nāma
sei deśa jini’ nila kariyā saṅgrāma

Translation: Later there was a fight, and this country was conquered by King Puruṣottama-deva of Orissa.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta Madhya-līlā 5.121

sei rājā jini’ nila tāṅra siṁhāsana
‘māṇikya-siṁhāsana’ nāma aneka ratana

Translation: That King was victorious over the King of Vidyānagara, and he took possession of his throne, the Māṇikya-siṁhāsana, which was bedecked with many jewels.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta Madhya-līlā 5.122

puruṣottama-deva sei baḍa bhakta ārya
gopāla-caraṇe māge, — ‘cala mora rājya’

Translation: King Puruṣottama-deva was a great devotee and was advanced in the civilization of the Āryans. He begged at the lotus feet of Gopāla, “Please come to my kingdom.”

Jayapatākā Swami: So, this is giving the history of how Sākṣi-gopāla ended up in Orissa, while He was originally in Vijāyanagara of Andhra Pradesh. Puruṣottama-deva, he was a great devotee of the Lord and he begged to the Sākṣi-gopāla to come to his main capital of his kingdom in Orissa.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta Madhya-līlā 5.123

tāṅra bhakti-vaśe gopāla tāṅre ājñā dila
gopāla la-iyā sei kaṭake āila

Translation: When the King begged Him to come to his kingdom, Gopāla, who was already obliged for his devotional service, accepted his prayer. Thus, the King took the Gopāla Deity and went back to Kaṭaka.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta Madhya-līlā 5.124

jagannāthe āni’ dila māṇikya-siṁhāsana
kaṭake gopāla-sevā karila sthāpana

Translation: After winning the Māṇikya throne, King Puruṣottama-deva took it to Jagannātha Purī and presented it to Lord Jagannātha. In the meantime, he also established regular worship of the Gopāla Deity at Kaṭaka.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta Madhya-līlā 5.125

śrī-gopālare-ājña

tāṅhāra mahiṣī āilā gopāla-darśane
bhakti kari’ bahu alaṅkāra kaila samarpaṇe

Translation: When the Gopāla Deity was installed at Kaṭaka, the Queen of Puruṣottama-deva went to see Him and, with great devotion, presented various kinds of ornaments.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, its recommended in the scriptures that one should give presentations to the Lord according to one’s ability. The queen of the King Puruṣottama-deva naturally have a big capacity so according to her capacity she gave ornaments to the Gopāla Deity.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta Madhya-līlā 5.126

tāṅhāra nāsāte bahu-mūlya muktā haya
tāhā dite icchā haila, manete cintaya

Translation: The Queen had a very valuable pearl, which she wore on her nose, and she wished to give it to Gopāla. She then began to think as follows.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta Madhya-līlā 5.127

ṭhākurera nāsāte yadi chidra thākita
tabe ei dāsī muktā nāsāya parāita

Translation: “If there were a hole in the Deity’s nose, I could transfer the pearl to Him.”

Caitanya-caritāmṛta Madhya-līlā 5.128

eta cinti’ namaskari’ gelā sva-bhavane
rātri-śeṣe gopāla tāṅre kahena svapane

Translation: Considering this, the Queen offered her obeisances to Gopāla and returned to her palace. That night she dreamed that Gopāla appeared and began to speak to her as follows.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta Madhya-līlā 5.129

“bālya-kāle mātā mora nāsā chidra kari’

muktā parāñāchila bahu yatna kari’

Translation: “During My childhood My mother made a hole in My nose and with great endeavor set a pearl there.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta Madhya-līlā 5.130

sei chidra adyāpiha āchaye nāsāte
sei muktā parāha, yāhā cāhiyācha dite”

Translation: “That very hole is still there, and you can use it to set the pearl you desired to give Me.”

Caitanya-caritāmṛta Madhya-līlā 5.131

svapne dekhi’ sei rāṇī rājāke kahila
rājā-saha muktā lañā mandire āila

Translation: After dreaming this, the Queen explained it to her husband, the King. Both the King and the Queen then went to the temple with the pearl.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta Madhya-līlā 5.132

parāila muktā nāsāya chidra dekhiñā
mahā-mahotsava kaila ānandita hañā

Translation: Seeing the hole in the nose of the Deity, they set the pearl there and, being very pleased, held a great festival.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, we can see how devotees of Kṛṣṇa are so happy to being able to offer some service to the Lord and how the queen was blessed that Kṛṣṇa came in her dream and told her of the hole in the nose and when they saw they gave the valuable pearl and they were very happy and they had great festival.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta Madhya-līlā 5.133

sei haite gopālera kaṭakete sthiti
ei lāgi ‘sākṣi-gopāla’ nāma haila khyāti

Translation: Since then, Gopāla has been situated in the city of Kaṭaka [Cuttack], and He has been known ever since as Sākṣi-gopāla.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta Madhya-līlā 5.134

nityānanda-mukhe śuni’ gopāla-carita
tuṣṭa hailā mahāprabhu svabhakta-sahita

Translation: Thus Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu heard the narration of Gopāla’s activities. Both He and His personal devotees became very pleased.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta Madhya-līlā 5.135

gopālera āge yabe prabhura haya sthiti
bhakta-gaṇe dekhe — yena duṅhe eka-mūrti

Translation: When Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was sitting before the Gopāla Deity, all the devotees saw Him and the Deity as being of the same form.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, in this way devotees saw Lord Caitanya and Gopāla being non-different, the Gopāla deity walked from Vṛndāvana, otherwise, deities don’t move but Lord Caitanya is Kṛṣṇa Himself but He is in His moving form. But somehow when devotees saw Gopāla and Lord Caitanya they saw them as non-different.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta Madhya-līlā 5.136

duṅhe – eka varṇa, duṅhe – rakāṇḍa-śarīra
duṅhe – raktāmbara, duṅhāra svabhāva – gambhīra

Translation: They were of the same complexion, and both had gigantic bodies. Both wore saffron cloth, and both were very grave.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta Madhya-līlā 5.137

mahā-tejo-maya duṅhe kamala-nayana

duṅhāra bhāvāveśa, duṅhe – candra-vadana

Translation: The devotees saw that both Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Gopāla were brilliantly effulgent and had eyes like lotuses. They were both absorbed in ecstasy, and both Their faces resembled full moons.

Jayapatākā Swami: The Supreme Lord is truly wonderful and these characteristics which they saw in Gopāla and Lord Caitanya was described here and we can see that since the Lord is having all transcendental qualities, we should want to serve the Lord.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta Madhya-līlā 5.138

duṅhā dekhi’ nityānanda-prabhu mahā-raṅge
ṭhārāṭhāri kari’ hāse bhakta-gaṇa-saṅge

Translation: When Nityānanda saw the Gopāla Deity and Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu in that way, He began to exchange remarks with the devotees, all of whom were smiling.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta Madhya-līlā 5.139

ei-mata mahā-raṅge se rātri vañciyā

prabhāte calilā maṅgala-ārati dekhiñā

Translation: Thus, with great pleasure Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu passed that night in the temple. After seeing the maṅgala-ārati ceremony in the morning, He started on His journey.

Jayapatākā Swami: So here we see Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu is proceeding from Bengal to Jagannātha Purī and now He is in Orissa, He went from Cuttack to Jagannātha Purī and now He is very close to Jagannātha Purī.

Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka 6.64: [Gaṅgā]: Lord Caitanya stayed there that day. The next day, with agitated heart and with great anxiety, to see lotus-eyed Lord Jagannātha, He quickly left.

Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka 6.65: [Ratnākara]: Then? Then?

Caitanya-caritāmṛta Madhya 5.159

brahmaṇya-deva-gopālera mahimā ei dhanya
nityānanda – vaktā yāra, śrotā – śrī-caitanya

Translation: The glories of Lord Gopāla, who is merciful to brāhmaṇas, are very great. The narration of Sākṣi-gopāla was spoken by Nityānanda Prabhu and heard by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

Purport: There are four points of instruction one should consider in the story of Sākṣi-gopāla. First, the Deity (arcā-vigraha) of Śrī Gopāla is eternally sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha, the transcendental form of the Lord. Second, the Deity surpasses material regulative principles and extends the reality of transcendental principles. Third, one can be situated in a transcendental position after becoming a brāhmaṇa, but as a brāhmaṇa, one has to follow the regulative principles very strictly. Lastly, brahmaṇya-deva indicates Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa Himself, who is worshiped thus: namo brahmaṇya-devāya go-brāhmaṇa-hitāya ca/ jagad-dhitāya kṛṣṇāya govindāya namo namaḥ. This indicates that a devotee who is under the protection of Kṛṣṇa is automatically situated as a brāhmaṇa, and such a brāhmaṇa is not illusioned. This is factual.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta Madhya 5.160

śraddhā-yukta hañā ihā śune yei jana 
acire milaye tāre gopāla-caraṇa 

Translation: One who hears this narration of Lord Gopāla with faith and love very soon attains the lotus feet of Lord Gopāla.

Thus ends the chapter entitled Gopāla and Mahāprabhu are Seen as Non-different 

Jayapatākā Swami: So, by hearing this narration one can get the special blessing and very soon can attain the lotus feet of Lord Gopāla, its wonderful so the devotees are very fortunate to have been hearing these pastimes.