20201210 Devotees From Bengal Reach the House of Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya

Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book Compilation By His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on 10th December 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 is entitled:

The Devotees from Bengal Reach the House of Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya

Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka 6.109: (Instructing his disciples, Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya enters). Bhaṭṭācārya: Who is here? Who knows whether or not Lord Jagannātha is offered incense at noon?

Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka 6.110: Gopīnātha Ācārya: The Bhaṭṭācārya has ended his class. He is about to go inside. I should quickly approach him. (reflecting) Lord, please rest here for a while, till I come. (He quickly approaches). Bhaṭṭācārya, a great personality has come. Therefore, please approach Him to bring home.

Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka 6.111: Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya: How far away is He?

Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka 6.112: Gopīnātha Ācārya: He is nearby.

Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka 6.113: (Standing up, Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya walks. His disciples follow).

Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka 6.114: Nityānanda: Ah! He is Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya. Since he has come of his own accord, our work will be work will be nicely done.

Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka 6.115: Bhaṭṭācārya: (approaching) I offer my respect to Lord Nārāyaṇa. (He bows down).

Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka 6.116: Bhagavān Śrī Caitanya Mahaprabhu: May you love Kṛṣṇa. May you think of Kṛṣṇa.

Jayapatākā Swami : New blessings, “kṛṣṇe ratiḥ, kṛṣṇe matiḥ”

Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka 6.117: Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya: (to himself) That is an unprecedented statement. Perhaps He was a Vaiṣṇava in His former āśrama.

Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka 6.118: (Sārvabhauma's disciples smile).

Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka 6.119: Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya: Lord, this way. (He takes the Lord, gives Him a comfortable seat, and then also sits down nearby).

Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka 6.120: (Then everyone enacts sitting down).

Caitanya Carita Mahā Kāvya 12.3: “Where did you come from and where are you going? You are charming, peaceful and in control of your senses.” When he asked all this, the devotees answered everything.

Caitanya Carita Mahā Kāvya 12.4: Understanding everything, knowing what he had not known, he was happy. He revealed his bliss before the lotus feet of the Lord, worthy of worship by all eminent people.

Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka 6.121: Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya: Ācārya, was He a Gauḍīya in His previous āśrama (did He live in Bengal)?

Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka 6.122: Translation: Gopīnātha Ācārya: O Bhaṭṭācārya, in His former āśrama He was the son of Jagannātha Miśra Purandara. His mother was the daughter of Nīlāmbara Cakravartī. They were all residents of Navadvīpa.

Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka 6.123: Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya: (with love and respect) Ah! Nīlāmbara Cakravartī was my father's classmate, and Miśra Purandara was highly regarded by my father.

Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 6.9

prabhuke mṛtera nyāya acetana dekhiyā bhaṭṭācāryera āśaṅkā:—

śvāsa-praśvāsa nāhi udara-spandana
dekhiyā cintita haila bhaṭṭācāryera mana 

Translation: Examining the body of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Sārvabhauma saw that His abdomen was not moving and that He was not breathing. Seeing His condition, the Bhaṭṭācārya became very anxious.

Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 6.10

prabhura caitanya-parīkṣā o bhaṭṭācāryera kathañcit dhairya:—

sūkṣma tulā āni’ nāsā-agrete dharila
īṣat calaye tulā dekhi’ dhairya haila 

Translation: The Bhaṭṭācārya then took a fine cotton swab and put it before the Lord’s nostrils. When he saw the cotton move very slightly, he became hopeful.

Jayapatākā Swami : So, we see Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka is one version and in the Caitanya-Caritāmṛta there is another version. we usually take Caitanya-Caritāmṛta as more authoritative but somehow the two should be combined so somehow Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya was asking about Lord Caitanya’s history, who was He in His previous āśrama? That’s how they would refer to a sannyāsa, before they took sannyāsa, that’s called His previous āśrama. In His previous āśrama, He was son of Mother Śacī and Jagannātha Miśra Purandara and they were identified as Mother Śacī was the daughter of Nīlāmbara Cakravartī a well-known personalities in Navadvīpa like that Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya, he understood who Lord Caitanya was but according to Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, He is still unconscious.

Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 6.11

bhaṭṭācāryera prabhudehe mahāprema-vikāra—

vasi’ bhaṭṭācārya mane karena vicāra
ei kṛṣṇa-mahāpremera sāttvika vikāra 

Translation: Sitting beside Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, he thought, “This is a transcendental ecstatic transformation brought about by love of Kṛṣṇa.”

Jayapatākā Swami : So somehow Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya, he knew the system of love of Kṛṣṇa and He was able to understand that Lord Caitanya was in a type of ecstatic transformation due to ecstatic love for Kṛṣṇa.

Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 6.12

sūddīpta bhāva:—

‘sūddīpta sāttvika’ ei nāma ye ‘pralaya’
nitya-siddha bhakte se ‘sūddīpta bhāva’ haya 

Translation: Upon seeing the sign of sūddīpta-sāttvika, Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya could immediately understand the transcendental ecstatic transformation in the body of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Such a sign takes place only in the bodies of eternally liberated devotees.

Purport: The word sūddīpta-sāttvika is explained as follows by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura: “The Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu mentions eight kinds of transcendental transformations in the bodies of advanced devotees. These are sometimes checked by the devotee, and there are two stages of such checking, technically known as dhūmāyitā and jvalitā. The dhūmāyitā (smoking) stage is exhibited when only one or two transformations are slightly present and it is possible to conceal them. When more than two or three transcendental transformations are manifest and it is still possible to conceal them, although with great difficulty, that stage is called jvalitā (lighted). When four or five symptoms are exhibited, the dīpta (blazing) stage has been reached. When five, six or all eight symptoms are simultaneously manifest, that position is called uddīpta (inflamed). And when all eight symptoms are multiplied a thousand times and are all visible at once, the devotee is in the sūddīpta (intensely inflamed) stage. Nitya-siddha-bhakta indicates the eternally liberated associates of the Lord. Such devotees enjoy the company of the Lord in four relationships —as servant, friend, parent or conjugal lover.”

Jayapatākā Swami : So, the transcendental position of Lord Caitanya when He was manifesting all symptoms thousands of times intensified that’s called sūddīpta-sāttvika. Lord Caitanya was in this māhabhava, totally absorbed in transcendental love for Kṛṣṇa that is called as the sūddīpta stage.

Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 6.13

prabhura dehe lokātīta mahā-bhāva:—

‘adhirūḍha bhāva’ yāṅra, tāṅra e vikāra
manuṣyera dehe dekhi,—baḍa camatkāra 

Translation: Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya considered, “The uncommon ecstatic symptoms of adhirūḍha-bhāva are appearing in the body of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. This is very wonderful! How are they possible in the body of a human being?”

Purport: Adhirūḍha-bhāva, or adhirūḍha-mahābhāva, is explained in the Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī. Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura quotes Rūpa Gosvāmī as follows: “The loving propensity of the āśraya (devotee) toward the viṣaya (Lord) becomes so ecstatic that even after enjoying the company of the beloved, the devotee feels that his enjoyment is insufficient. At such a time, the lover sees the beloved in different ways. Such a development of ecstasy is called anurāga. When anurāga reaches its highest limit and becomes perceivable in the body, it is called bhāva. When the bodily symptoms are not very distinct, however, the emotional state is still called anurāga, not bhāva. When bhāva ecstasy is intensified, it is called mahā-bhāva. The symptoms of mahā-bhāva are visible only in the bodies of eternal associates like the gopīs.”

Jayapatākā Swami : So, since Lord Caitanya is Kṛṣṇa Himself come as a devotee taking the mood of Rādhārāṇī, it’s not unusual that He is manifesting this topmost symptom. In transcendental relationships devotees feel higher ecstasy than the object of enjoyment

Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 6.14

bhaṭṭācāryera cintā:— 

eta cinti’ bhaṭṭācārya āchena vasiyā
nityānandādi siṁha-dvāre milila āsiyā 

Translation: While the Bhaṭṭācārya was thinking in this way at his home, all the devotees of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, headed by Nityānanda Prabhu, approached the Siṁha-dvāra [the entrance door of the temple].

Caitanya-bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 2.448

nityānandādi bhaktagaṇera siṁhadvāre āgamana evaṁ prabhura paścāte gamana—

tāṅhā śune loke kahe anyonye bāt
eka sannyāsī āsi’ dekhi’ jagannātha 

Jayapatākā Swami : So sometimes the combination of the different scriptures cannot actually put in sync. So this verse tells about the guards carrying Lord Caitanya to the house of Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya, while they were carrying the Lord they chanted the holy name Hari bol! Hari bol! and they kept chanting the holy name as they carried the Lord and this vibration filled all the four directions. They were all very joyful holding and carrying the Lord.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 2.449

mūrcchita haila, cetana nā haya śarīre
sārvabhauma lañā gelā āpanāra ghare 

Jayapatākā Swami : At that time all the devotees reached the main entrance of the Jagannātha temple know as the Siṁha-dvāra and they became filled with joy and happiness when they saw the Lord.

Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 6.15

nityānandādira āṭhāranālā haite purīte āgamana o loka-mukhe prabhura bhaṭṭācārya-gṛhe avasthāna-śravaṇa:— 

śuni’ sabe jānilā ei mahāprabhura kārya
hena-kāle āilā tāhāṅ gopīnāthācārya 

Translation: There the devotees heard the people talking about a mendicant who had come to Jagannātha Purī and seen the Deity of Jagannātha.

Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 6.16

mūrcchita haila, cetana nā haya śarīre
sārvabhauma lañā gelā āpanāra ghare 

Translation: The people said that the sannyāsī had fallen unconscious upon seeing the Deity of Lord Jagannātha. Because His consciousness did not return, Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya had taken Him to his home.

Jayapatākā Swami : So, this is the explanation of the Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, we accept that as the official situation.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 2.450

parama adbhuta sabe dekhena āsiyā
pipīlikā-gaṇa yena anna yāya la'yā 

Jayapatākā Swami : When devotees came, what they saw was supremely wonderful scene, it was like ants carrying lumps of food grains. So Caitanya-bhāgavata explains the vision of the Lord being carried by the temple guards with Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya, to the house of Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya. So Lord Caitanya was tall and large body and the while He was being carried, it looks like ants carrying a lump.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 2.451

ei mata prabhure aneka loka dhari
laiyā yāyena sabe mahānanda kari' 

Jayapatākā Swami : In this way Lord Caitanya was carried, many people grabbing on Him and they took Him in great ecstasy.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 2.452

siṁha-dvāre namaskari' sarva bhakta-gaṇa
hariṣe prabhura pāche karilā gamana 

Jayapatākā Swami : So, all the devotees of Lord Caitanya, they offered their obeisances at the Siṁha-dvāra, and they joyfully followed the Lord.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 2.453

lokasaṅgha-nivāraṇārtha sārvabhauma-gṛhera dvāraruddha—

sarva-loke dhari' sārvabhaumera mandire
ānilena, kapāṭa paḍila tāṅra dvāre 

Jayapatākā Swami : So all the people grab hold of Lord Caitanya and carried Him to Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya 's house, and after they brought the Lord they locked the door from within.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 2.454

bhaktagaṇera sārvabhauma-gṛhe prabhu-saha-milana—

prabhure āsiyā ye mililā bhakta-gaṇa
dekhi' hailā sārvabhauma haraṣita mana 

Jayapatākā Swami : All the devotees came and met Lord Caitanya. When Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya saw this, his mind became very pleased.

Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 6.17

sārvabhauma-bhagnīpati gopīnāthera tathāya gamana:—

 śuni’ sabe jānilā ei mahāprabhura kārya
hena-kāle āilā tāhāṅ gopīnāthācārya

Translation: Hearing this, the devotees could understand that they were speaking of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Just then, Śrī Gopīnātha Ācārya arrived.

Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 6.18

nadīyā-nivāsī, viśāradera jāmātā
mahāprabhura bhakta teṅho prabhu-tattva-jñātā 

Translation: Gopīnātha Ācārya was a resident of Nadia, the son-in-law of Viśārada and a devotee of Caitanya Mahāprabhu. He knew the true identity of His Lordship.

Purport: Maheśvara Viśārada was a classmate of Nīlāmbara Cakravartī’s. He lived in the Nadia district, in a village called Vidyānagara, and had two sons named Madhusūdana Vācaspati and Vāsudeva Sārvabhauma. His son-in-law was Gopīnātha Ācārya.

Jayapatākā Swami : So he was like a brother-in-law of Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya .

Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 6.19

pūrvaparicayasūtre mukundādira sahita ālāpa sambhāṣaṇānte prabhura saṁvāda-śravaṇa:—

mukunda-sahita pūrve āche paricaya
mukunda dekhiyā tāṅra ha-ila vismaya 

Translation: Gopīnātha Ācārya had previously been acquainted with Mukunda Datta, and when the Ācārya saw him at Jagannātha Purī, he was very much astonished.

Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 6.20

mukunda tāṅhāre dekhi’ kaila namaskāra
teṅho āliṅgiyā puche prabhura samācāra

Translation: Mukunda Datta offered obeisances unto Gopīnātha Ācārya upon meeting him. Then the Ācārya embraced Mukunda Datta and inquired about news of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 6.21

mukunda kahe,—prabhura ihāṅ haila āgamane
āmi-saba āsiyāchi mahāprabhura sane

Translation: Mukunda Datta replied, “The Lord has already arrived here. We have come with Him.”

Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 6.22

nityānanda-gosāñike ācārya kaila namaskāra
sabe meli’ puche prabhura vārtā bāra bāra

Translation: As soon as Gopīnātha Ācārya saw Nityānanda Prabhu, he offered his obeisances unto Him. In this way, meeting all the devotees, he asked about news of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu again and again.

Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 6.23

mukunda kahe,—’mahāprabhu sannyāsa kariyā
nīlācale āilā saṅge āmā-sabā lañā

Translation: Mukunda Datta continued, “After accepting the sannyāsa order, Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu has come to Jagannātha Purī and has brought all of us with Him.

Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 6.24

āmā-sabā chāḍi’ āge gelā daraśane
āmi-saba pāche āilāṅ tāṅra anveṣaṇe

Translation: “Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu left our company and walked ahead to see Lord Jagannātha. We have just arrived and are now looking for Him.

Jayapatākā Swami : So Mukunda Dutta is telling all the facts to Gopīnātha Ācārya to bring him up to date to explain the situation.

Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 6.25

anyonye lokera mukhe ye kathā śunila
sārvabhauma-gṛhe prabhu,—anumāna kaila

Translation: “From the talk of the people in general, we have guessed that the Lord is now at the house of Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya.

Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 6.26

īśvara-darśane prabhu preme acetana
sārvabhauma lañā gelā āpana-bhavana 

Translation: “Upon seeing Lord Jagannātha, Caitanya Mahāprabhu became ecstatic and fell unconscious, and Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya has taken Him to his home in this condition.”

Jayapatākā Swami : So, they are repeating what they heard from all the residents of Purī

Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 6.27

tomāra milane yabe āmāra haila mana 
daive sei kṣaṇe pāiluṅ tomāra daraśana

Translation: “Just as I was thinking of meeting you, by chance we have actually met.

Jayapatākā Swami : Since they knew Gopīnātha Ācārya and they heard that he was related to Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya, so they want to meet him and have him introduce, take them to the house of Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya, by the will of providence he appeared on the scene.

Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 6.28

jagannāthāpekṣā prabhura prati premādhikya:—  

cala, sabe yāi sārvabhaumera bhavana
prabhu dekhi’ pāche kariba īśvara darśana’

Translation: “First let us all go to the house of Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya and see Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Later we shall come to see Lord Jagannātha.”

Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 6.29

sakalera sārvabhaumera gṛhe gamana: –

eta śuni’ gopīnātha sabāre lañā
sārvabhauma-ghare gelā haraṣita hañā

Translation: Hearing this and feeling very pleased, Gopīnātha Ācārya immediately took all the devotees with him and approached the house of Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya.

Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 6.30

tathāya prabhuke darśana, gopīnāthera prabhu-darśane yugapat harṣa o viṣāda:—

sārvabhauma-sthāne giyā prabhuke dekhila
prabhu dekhi’ ācāryera duḥkha-harṣa haila

Translation: Arriving at the home of Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya, everyone saw the Lord lying unconscious. Seeing Him in this condition, Gopīnātha Ācārya became very unhappy, but at the same time he was happy just to see the Lord.

Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 6.31

sakalake gṛhābhyantare preraṇa o yathāyogya sambhāṣaṇa:—

sārvabhaume jānāñā sabā nila abhyantare
nityānanda-gosāñire teṅho kaila namaskāre 

Translation: Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya permitted all the devotees to enter his house, and upon seeing Nityānanda Prabhu, the Bhaṭṭācārya offered Him obeisances.

Jayapatākā Swami : Devotees came to be with the Lord and they saw that He was unconscious. So Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya, he let all the devotees into his house and he offered his very special obeisances to Lord Nityānanda prabhu.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 2.458

sārvabhaumera nityānanda-padadhūli-grahaṇa—

nityānanda dekhi' sārvabhauma mahāśaya
lailā caraṇa-dhūli kariyā vinaya 

Jayapatākā Swami : When Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya saw Nityānanda, he humbly took the dust from His lotus feet.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 2.455

yathāyogya sambhāṣā kariyā sabā'-sane
vasilena, sandeha bhāṅgila tata-kṣaṇe 

Jayapatākā Swami : After appropriately greeting the devotees, Sārvabhauma sat them down and all his doubts were removed at that time.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 2.456

baḍa sukhī hailā sārvabhauma mahāśaya
āra tāṅra kibā bhāgya-phalera udaya 

Jayapatākā Swami : Sārvabhauma Mahāśaya was very, very happy. Who has the good fortune in vision more than him?

Caitanya-bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 2.457

yāra kīrti-mātra sarva vede vyākhyā kare
anāyāse se īśvara āilā mandire 

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya, whose glories are described in the Vedic literature, that Lord, that Supreme Personality of Godhead has now personally come to his house.

Purport (by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura): In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (6.4.25) it is stated: sarvaṁ pumān veda guṇāṁś ca taj-jño / na veda sarva-jñam anantam īḍe / “Although the living being may know the qualities of material nature, he is unable to see the Supreme Being, who is omniscient and unlimited. I therefore offer my respectful obeisances unto Him.” In the Mahābhārata (Svargārohaṇa-parva 6.93) and in the Hari-vaṁśa (Bhaviṣyat-parva 132.95) it is stated:

vede rāmāyaṇe caiva purāṇe bhārate tathā
ādāv ante ca madhye ca hariḥ sarvatra gīyate

“In the Vedic literature, including the Rāmāyaṇa, Purāṇas, and Mahābhārata, from the very beginning (ādau) to the end (ante ca), as well as within the middle (madhye ca), only Hari, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is explained.”

Caitanya-Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 6.32

sabā sahita yathā-yogya karila milana
prabhu dekhi’ sabāra haila haraṣita mana

Translation: Sārvabhauma met with all the devotees and offered them a proper welcome. They were all pleased to see Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

Jayapatākā Swami : So, by the will of the Lord, He went ahead and the devotees followed behind then He went into ecstasy into the temple of Lord Jagannātha, Baladeva and Subhadrā and He was protected by Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya, who brought Him to his house. So now the devotees have reunited with Lord Caitanya although He is still unconscious so somehow by the arrangement of Lord Caitanya Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya got special mercy. He is actually the incarnation of Bṛhaspati who came down from the heavenly planet, he is guru of the demigods and the angels and once he took birth in the human planet. He forgot his previous birth and he got somehow miss directed to Jagannātha Purī. He became a teacher of guru of the Māyāvādīs so when Lord Caitanya went to His house He received a very special mercy so we will see how the pastimes unfold.

Thus ends the chapter entitled: The Devotees From Bengal Reach the House of Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya