20210108 Lord Caitanya Decides to Travel to All Holy Tīrthas

The following is a Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book Compilation given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on January 8th, 2021 in Śrī Dhāma 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!

Compilation of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book,

Lord Caitanya Decides to Travel to All Holy Tīrthas

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 7.3

māghe sannyāsa, phālgune purī-dhāme vāsa, caitre sārvabhaumoddhāra, vaiśākhe dākṣiṇātya-bhramaṇecchā :— 
ei-mate sārvabhaumera nistāra karila
dakṣiṇa-gamane prabhura icchā upajila

Translation: After delivering Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya, the Lord desired to go to South India to preach.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 7.4

māgha-śukla-pakṣe prabhu karila sannyāsa
phālgune āsiyā kaila nīlācale vāsa

Translation: Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu accepted the renounced order during the waxing fortnight of the month of Māgha. During the following month, Phālguna, He went to Jagannātha Purī and resided there.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 7.5

phālgunera śeṣe dola-yātrā se dekhila
premāveśe tāṅhā bahu nṛtya-gīta kaila

Translation: At the end of the month of Phālguna, He witnessed the Dola-yātrā ceremony, and in His usual ecstatic love of God, He chanted and danced in various ways on the occasion.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 7.6

caitre rahi’ kaila sārvabhauma-vimocana
vaiśākhera prathame dakṣiṇa yāite haila mana

Translation: During the month of Caitra, while living at Jagannātha Purī, the Lord delivered Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya, and at the beginning of the next month (Vaiśākha), He decided to go to South India.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, these verses tell the chronology of how He is taking sannyasa, going to Jagannātha Purī and staying in Jagannātha Purī and delivering Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya, and after attending the dola yātrā deciding to go to South India. So, these verses talk about the chronology, happening very quickly one after the next. Māgha month is the winter in India and Vaiśākha is the spring.

Murāri Gupta Kaḍaca 3.13.1-2

Translation: Gaura Krsṇa then accepted an invitation to reside in the home of the intelligent and exalted vaiṣṇava, Kāśīnātha Miśra. The reservoir of limitless opulence, then passed some time in sportive pastimes with the Vaiṣṇavas. Then, desiring to purify the tīrthas, He resolved to leave Śrī Kṣetra, the land of Jagannātha Svāmī.

Jayapatākā Swami: We got to tīrthas to get purified, He goes to tīrtha to purify it. Pilgrims visiting the holy places leave their sinful reactions behind. When the Lord visited, he would liberate those sinful reactions and purify the holy tīrthas.

Murāri Gupta Kaḍaca 3.13.3

Translation: Thus He went to see Lord Jagannātha. When He saw that best of males, He bowed down before Him with ardent devotion and became drenched by torrents of tears.

Murāri Gupta Kaḍaca 3.13.4

Translation: Śrī Gaura Hari, whose noble form is the ultimate consummation of kṛṣṇa-prema, with hands folded in supplication, falteringly addressed Jagannātha Svāmī with these charming words:

Murāri Gupta Kaḍaca 13.5

Translation: “O Divine Lord, because I am not worthy to reside in Your holy land, a desire has arisen in My heart to visit other lands.”

Murāri Gupta Kaḍaca 13.6-7

Translation: “Your face is bright as the lord of the night. Your eyes resemble the blossoming lotuses of autumn. Your wide lips, red as bimba fruit, hide pearl-like teeth. How sublime! Who, having beheld Your broad chest, can desire to go to any other land? Therefore, O Lord Hari, You have not bestowed very great mercy on Me.

Murāri Gupta Kaḍaca 13.8

Translation: “O Janārdana, who inspires the hearts of all, I am going to see Your other kṣetras. O Divine Lord! Bless Me with the power to wander throughout the holy places.”

Murāri Gupta Kaḍaca 13.9

Translation: “As long as his mind is flickering and is not fully purified, a man should wander throughout all the holy tīrthas.”

Murāri Gupta Kaḍaca 13.10

Translation: “Then, when his mind is fully purified, he should return and perpetually reside in Śrī Puruṣottama-dhāma with fixed determination, as a traveler happily returns to his own āśrama.”

Murāri Gupta Kaḍaca 13.11

Translation: As Śrī Caitanya was thus speaking, a garland hanging from Śrī Kṛṣṇa's neck fell to the foot of His lion-seat.

Murāri Gupta Kaḍaca 13.12

Translation: Then the attendant priest, in accordance with Jagannātha Svāmī's order, joyously placed that garland upon the head of Śrī Caitanya as a sign of the Lord's blessing.

Jayapatākā Swami: When the deities drop some flower or garland, that is a sign that They are blessing the devotees, Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja wanted the blessing to write the Caitanya-caritāmṛta, the deities dropped the garland. Lord Caitanya wanted to go to South India to visit all the holy places throughout India and come and reside in Jagannātha Purī, Lord Jagannātha dropped His flower garland, which was a sign of blessing for Lord Caitanya.

Caitanya Carita Mahā Kāvya 12.94

Translation: Spending eighteen days there, Mahāprabhu saw Jagannātha in great joy and bewildering the devotees with separation, prepared to leave.

Caitanya Carita Mahā Kāvya 12.95

Translation: After seeing the great Lord Jagannātha, Mahāprabhu, effulgent as gold nectar, took his permission and departed for the south in joy.

Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka 7.1: (Sarvabhauma enters). Sarvabhauma: Why has Mahārāja Prataparudra called for me at this unusual hour? I must go to him. (He walks).

(Accompanied by his associates, the king enters).

Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka 7.2: The King: Who is here? Who is here? Summon the Bhaṭṭācārya.

Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka 7.3: Bhattacarya: (approaching) It is I. I have come in response to your call.

Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka 7.4: The King: (bowing down to offer respects) Here is a seat. Please sit down.

Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka 7.5: (The Bhattacarya first blesses the king, and then sits down).

Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka 7.6: The King: Bhaṭṭācārya, I have heard that a very exalted and merciful sannyāsī has come here from Bengal.

Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka 7.7: Bhattacarya: Yes. It is so.

Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka 7.8: The King: How may I offer respects to His feet?

Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka 7.9: Bhattacarya: That is difficult to attain. He lives a secluded life and allows only those in the renounced order to see Him. Also, for some days He has been travelling in the south.

Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka 7.10: The King: Why would He leave Lord Jagannātha and go travelling?

Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka 7.11: Bhattacarya: The śāstra says:

“My Lord, devotees like Your good self are verily holy places personified. Because you carry the Personality of Godhead within your heart, you turn all places into places of pilgrimage.” *

This is the nature of general saintly persons. And He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, as we said before one of the pastimes of the Lord is to purify the holy places. During the Kuruksetra war, Lord Balarāma visited the holy places and therefore He visited the holy places and purified them. He also came to Māyāpur and He liberated the Māyāsura demon. Lord Jagannātha, Baladeva and Subadrā are still present in Simantadvīpa.

Gaurāṅga-līlā Smaraṇa Maṅgala Stotra 43

Translation: After staying for some days at Jagannātha Purī, the Lord travelled to south India.

Thus ends the chapter entitled, Lord Caitanya Decides to Travel to All Holy Tīrthas.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, this is how the decision was made and His majesty Prataprudra just missed Lord Caitanya.