20201130 Sudarśana Burns Vārāṇasī and Chases Maheśvara

Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book Compilation By His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on 30th 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 the compilation of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book, today’s chapter entitled as:

Sudarśana Burns Vārāṇasī and Chases Maheśvara

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 2.315

sei sthāna śiva pāilena yena-mate
sei kathā kahi skanda-purāṇera mate

Jayapatākā Swami: I shall narrate how Lord Śiva came to this place. That incident is mentioned in the Skanda Purāṇa.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 2.316

skanda-purāṇokta bhuvaneśvara śivera kathā—

kāśī-madhye pūrve śiva pārvatī-sahite
āchilā aneka kāla parama-nibhṛte

Jayapatākā Swami: In a supremely solitary place at Kāśī, previously Lord Śiva and Pārvatī had lived for a long time.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 2.317

tabe gaurī-saha śiva gelena kailāsa
nara-rāja-gaṇe kāśī karaye vilāsa

Jayapatākā Swami: Then Śiva along with Gaurī went to Kailāsa, and the human kings began to rule Kāśī and enjoyed there.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 2.318

tabe kāśīrāja-nāme hailā eka rājā
kāśīpura bhoga kare kari' śiva-pūjā

Jayapatākā Swami: There was one king by the name of Kāśirāja, who enjoyed the opulence of Kāśī as he worshiped Śiva.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 2.319

daive āsi' kālapāśa lāgila tāhāre
ugra-tape śiva pūje kṛṣṇe jinibāre

Jayapatākā Swami: So, the King was worshipping Lord Śiva by the will of providence, he became bound by the ropes of time performing severe austerities and worshiping Śiva in order to defeat Kṛṣṇa in battle.

Purport (by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura): The topics of Sudakṣiṇa, the King of Kāśī, are described in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Tenth Canto, Chapter Sixty-six as follows: While Lord Baladeva was visiting Nanda's Vraja, King Pauṇḍraka of Karūṣa, encouraged by fools, announced that he was the real Vāsudeva and informed the Supreme Personality of Godhead Vāsudeva that no one other than he himself was Vāsudeva, and therefore Śrī Kṛṣṇa should give up both the name and the symbols of Vāsudeva and take shelter of Pauṇḍraka, otherwise He should fight with him. When Ugrasena and the members of his royal assembly heard Pauṇḍraka's foolish boast, they all laughed heartily. Śrī Kṛṣṇa told Pauṇḍraka's messenger that He would soon make that foolish king drop his artificial symbols like the Sudarśana cakra that he was presently carrying and his body would be eaten by dogs after it fell on the battlefield. Thereafter, when Kṛṣṇa came near Kāśī, Pauṇḍraka immediately led his army on to the battlefield with enthusiasm, and his friend Kāśirāja followed him for support. Just as the fire of universal devastation burns everything in the four directions, Śrī Kṛṣṇa began to destroy the armies of Pauṇḍraka and Kāśirāja with His weapons. Kṛṣṇa then told Pauṇḍraka that He would force him to relinquish the falsely assumed name of Vāsudeva, otherwise if He did not wish to fight, He would surrender to Pauṇḍraka. After speaking these words, Kṛṣṇa destroyed Pauṇḍraka's chariot with a sharp arrow and beheaded Pauṇḍraka with His Sudarśana cakra. He then severed the head of Kāśirāja from his body, threw it into Kāśī, and returned to Dvārakā. Since Pauṇḍraka dressed like Śrī Hari and always remembered Kṛṣṇa, he attained liberation. When the queen, children, and relatives of Kāśirāja saw his severed head, they began to cry. Thereafter, with a desire to take revenge on his father’s killer, Sudakṣiṇa, the son of Kāśirāja, began to perform severe austerities to please Mahādeva. When Mahādeva became pleased with his austerities and desired to give him a benediction, Sudakṣiṇa requested the means to kill his father's killer. Mahādeva instructed him to worship the Dakṣiṇāgni fire according to the injunctions of the abhicāra ritual. After the sacrifice was completed, a formidable fiery form appeared from the sacrificial fire pit with a fiery trident in his hand. When that demon was sent to Dvārakā, the residents of Dvārakā became frightened and approached Kṛṣṇa, who was engaged in playing chess. Śrī Kṛṣṇa gave them His assurance and ordered Sudarśana cakra to destroy the demon created with the help of Mahādeva. When by the influence of Sudarśana cakra the fire created by the abhicāra ritual was checked, it returned to Vārāṇasī and burned the priests and Sudakṣiṇa to ashes. Sudarśana cakra then entered Vārāṇasī, burned the entire city, and returned to Kṛṣṇa.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, this gives the history of the Kaśirāja Sudakṣiṇa-rājā and how they were burnt by the Sudarśana cakra. Somehow the living entities become envious with the Supreme Personality of Godhead and thus they are considered as demons and they get defeated by Kṛṣṇa as a result of their enmity because Kṛṣṇa is all auspicious, Pauṇḍraka was always meditating on Kṛṣṇa, and wearing the symbols of Kṛṣṇa thinking himself of Kṛṣṇa. He achieved liberation by being Kṛṣṇa conscious although his form of Kṛṣṇa consciousness was negative but somehow or other one can think of Kṛṣṇa positively or negatively one can achieve liberation. Of course, devotees of the Lord want to serve the Lord favorable therefore they practice bhakti-yoga to serve the Lord favorably. But if the demons who they are always Kṛṣṇa conscious in negative way they also get blessed. Those who occasionally think of Kṛṣṇa and otherwise envious, they don’t achieve any liberation.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 2.320

pratyakṣa hailāśiva tapera prabhāve
‘vara māga’ balile, se rājā vara māge

Jayapatākā Swami: By the influence of the austerities, Lord Śiva appeared before the king and said, “Ask for a benediction.” The king then asked for the following benediction.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 2.320

“eka vara māgoṅ prabhu, tomāra caraṇe
yena muñi kṛṣṇa jinibāre pāroṅ raṇe”

Jayapatākā Swami: “I desire to beg you for one benediction, my Lord. I request at your lotus feet that I can defeat Lord Kṛṣṇa in battle.”

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 2.322

bholānātha śaṅkarera caritra agādha
ke bujhe ki-rūpe kāre karena prasāda

Jayapatākā Swami: The characteristics of Bholānātha Śiva-Śaṅkara are unfathomable. Who can understand what form of mercy he bestows or on who he bestows it?

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 2.323

ātma-vañcanākārī kāśīrājera āsurika tapasyāra phalarūpe śivera vañcanāmaya vara dāna—

tāre balilena,—“rājā, cala yuddhe tumi
tora pāche sarva-gaṇa saha āchi āmi

Jayapatākā Swami: He said, “O King, you go and fight. I will follow you with all my associates.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 2.324

tora jinibeka hena kāra śakti āche
pāśupata astra lai' muñi tora pāche”

Jayapatākā Swami: “Who has the power to defeat you when I am behind you with my Pāśupata weapon?”

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 2.325

mūḍha kāśīrājera śrī-kṛṣṇera viruddhe abhiyāna—

pāiyāśivera bala sei mūḍha-mati
calila hariṣe yuddhe kṛṣṇera saṁhati

Jayapatākā Swami: Getting the strength from Lord Śiva, that foolish minded King happily went to fight Lord Kṛṣṇa in battle.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 2.326

anucara-saha śivera rājāra pakṣābalambana—

śiva calilena tāra pāche sarva-gaṇe
tāra pakṣa hai' yuddha karibāra mane

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Śiva and his associates followed behind the king with the intention of fighting on his behalf.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 2.327

viṣṇura sudarśana-nikṣepa—

sarva-bhūta-antaryāmī devakīnandana
sakala vṛttānta jānilena sei-kṣaṇa

Jayapatākā Swami: The Supersoul of all living entities, the son of Devakī, immediately understood the entire situation.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 2.328

jāniyā vṛttānta nija-cakra-sudarśana
eḍilena kṛṣṇacandra sabāra dalana

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Kṛṣṇacandra understanding the situation, released His own weapon, the Sudarśana cakra to destroy them all.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 2.329

sudarśana-cakre kāśīrājera muṇḍapāta o kāśī dagdha—

kāro avyahati nāhi sudarśana-sthāne
kāśīrāja-muṇḍa giyā kāṭila prathame

Jayapatākā Swami: No one can escape the power of Sudarśana. It first went and cut off the head of the king Kāśirāja.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 2.330

śeṣe tāra sambandhe sakala vārāṇasī
poḍāiyā sakala karila bhasma-rāśi

Jayapatākā Swami: At the end, because of that king's offense, the Sudarśana cakra went to Vārāṇasī and He burnt the everything to ashes.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 2.331

śivera krodha o pāśupata astranikṣepa—

vārāṇasī dāha dekhi' kruddha maheśvara
pāśupata-astra eḍilena bhayaṅkara

Jayapatākā Swami: When Lord Maheśvara Śiva became angry seeing the Vārāṇasī city being burnt. He releases His fearful weapon Pāśupata.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 2.332

pāśupata-astra ki kariba cakra-sthāne
cakra-teja dekhi' palāila sei-kṣaṇe

Jayapatākā Swami: What can the Pāśupata weapon do before the Sudarśana cakra? Seeing the formidable power of Sudarśana cakra, the Pāśupata weapon immediately fled away from that place.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 2.333

śeṣe maheśvara-prati yāyena dhāiyā
cakra-bhaye śaṅkara yāyena palāiyā

Jayapatākā Swami: Eventually Sudarśana cakra went after Maheśvara Śiva, who fled away out of fear of the Sudarśana cakra.

Purport (by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura): In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.66.42) it is stated: “After burning down the entire city of Vārāṇasī, Lord Viṣṇu's Sudarśana cakra returned to the side of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, whose actions are effortless.”

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 2.334

sudarśana-cakrasthāne pāśupata-astrera teja nirasta o 'bhaye śaṅkarera palāyana—

cakra-teje vyāpileka sakala bhuvana
palāite dik nā pāyena trilocana

Jayapatākā Swami: The formidable power of Sudarśana was felt throughout the universe, the three-eyed Śiva had no place to escape.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 2.335

durvāsāra nyāya śaṅkarera gati—

pūrve yena cakra-teje durvāsā pīḍita
śivera haila ebe, sei saba rīta

Jayapatākā Swami: Thus Lord Śiva fell into a similar predicament as what happened with Durvāsā muni, when he was suffering under the prowess of Sudarśana cakra.

Purport (by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura): For a description of this incident, one should see Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Ninth Canto, Chapter Four.

Jayapatākā Swami: This is the description of how Lord Śiva came to Ekāmra-tala or Bhuvaneśvara, so all these things were heard by Lord Caitanya about the glories of this holy place. Normally Lord Śiva is situated in the worship of Lord Kṛṣṇa. It’s a mystery how He became supportive of the King who wanted to defeat Kṛṣṇa. But in this way, we can see that a weapon of Lord Śiva Paśupata is not able to stand up to weapon of Lord Kṛṣṇa and in one sense this is instructing the people who worship Lord Śiva that He is ultimately subordinate to Lord Kṛṣṇa so it may be something that’s He wants to teach his followers. We are very happy to hear the glories of Bhuvaneśvara and how Lord Śiva he came to Bhuvaneśvara on taking the prasāda of Lord Kṛṣṇa.

Thus, ends the chapter entitled, Sudarśana Burns Vārāṇasī and Chases Maheśvara