20210129 The Means to Achieve the Limit of The Goal of Life (Part 1)

The following is a Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book Compilation given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on January 29th, 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, the chapter entitled:

The Means to Achieve the Limit of The Goal of Life

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 8.197

sādhanadvārāi sādhya-prāpti:— 
‘sādhya-vastu’ ‘sādhana’ vinu keha nāhi pāya
kṛpā kari’ kaha, rāya, pābāra upāya

Translation: “The goal of life cannot be achieved unless one practices the process. Now, being merciful upon Me, please explain that means by which this goal can be attained.”

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya wanted to achieve the goal of life and wanted to know by what means that is possible.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 8.198

prabhura icchāra nikaṭa rāyera vaśyatā:— 
rāya kahe, — yei kahāo, sei kahi vāṇī
ki kahiye bhāla-manda, kichui nā jāni

Translation: Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya replied, “I do not know what I am saying, but You have made me speak what I have spoken, be it good or bad. I am simply repeating that message.

Jayapatākā Swami: Rāmānanda Rāya is declaring that Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu is speaking through him, and he does not know what he is speaking may be good or bad whatever the Lord is speaking through him.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 8.199

tribhuvana-madhye aiche haya kon dhīra
ye tomāra māyā-nāṭe ha-ibeka sthira

Translation: “Within these three worlds, who is so undisturbed that he can remain steady as You manipulate Your different energies?

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya is known as Yogeśvara, He has unlimited spiritual potencies and He can manipulate those in any way He wants. Rāmānanda Rāya is saying that, “who can withstand the power of Your energies?”

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 8.200

rāyera mukhe prabhu svayaṃi baktā o svayaṁi śrotā:— 
mora mukhe vaktā tumi, tumi hao śrotā
atyanta rahasya, śuna, sādhanera kathā

Translation: “Actually You are speaking through my mouth, and at the same time You are listening. This is very mysterious. Anyway, kindly hear the explanation of the process by which the goal can be attained.

Purport By Srila Prabhupada: Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī has advised us to hear about Kṛṣṇa from a Vaiṣṇava. He has explicitly forbidden us to hear from an avaiṣṇava.

Thus quoting from Padma Purāṇa, Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī warns that one should not hear anything about Kṛṣṇa from an avaiṣṇava, however great a mundane scholar he may be. Milk touched by the lips of a serpent has poisonous effects; similarly, talks about Kṛṣṇa given by an avaiṣṇava are also poisonous. However, because a Vaiṣṇava is surrendered to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, his talks are spiritually potent. In the Bhagavad-gītā (10.10) the Supreme Lord says:

“To those who are constantly devoted to worshiping Me with love, I give the understanding by which they can come to Me. ” When a pure Vaiṣṇava speaks, he speaks perfectly. How is this? His speech is managed by Kṛṣṇa Himself from within the heart. Śrīla Rāmānanda Rāya accepts this benediction from Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu; therefore he admits that whatever he was speaking was not derived from his own intelligence. Rather, everything was coming from Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. According to the Bhagavad-gītā (15.15):

“I am seated in everyone’s heart, and from Me come remembrance, knowledge and forgetfulness. By all the Vedas, I am to be known. Indeed I am the compiler of the Vedānta, and I am the knower of the Vedas.”

All intelligence emanates from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Supersoul within the heart of everyone. Nondevotees want to ask the Supreme Lord for sense gratification; therefore nondevotees come under the influence of māyā, the illusory energy. A devotee, however, is directed by the Supreme Personality of Godhead and comes under the influence of yogamāyā. Consequently there is a gulf of difference between statements made by a devotee and those made by a nondevotee.

Jayapatākā Swami: So here Śrīla Prabhupāda had advised us not to hear topics about Kṛṣṇa from a non-devotee and while hearing from a devotee is beneficial.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 8.201

sādhana rahasya varṇana; kevala madhura rasei ‘kānta-bhāva’ prāpya:— 
rādhā-kṛṣṇera līlā ei ati gūḍhatara
dāsya-vātsalyādi-bhāve nā haya gocara

Translation: “The pastimes of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa are very confidential. They cannot be understood through the mellows of servitude, fraternity or parental affection.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 8.202

anugata sakhīgaṇera dvārāi rādhā-kṛṣṇa-vilāsa-puṣṭi:— 
sabe eka sakhī-gaṇera ihāṅ adhikāra
sakhī haite haya ei līlāra vistāra

Translation: “Actually, only the gopīs have the right to appreciate these transcendental pastimes, and only from them can these pastimes be expanded.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 8.203

sakhī vinā ei līlā puṣṭa nāhi haya
sakhī līlā vistāriyā, sakhī āsvādaya

Translation: “Without the gopīs, these pastimes between Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa cannot be nourished. Only by their cooperation are such pastimes broadcast. It is their business to taste the mellows.

Jayapatākā Swami: Only the devotees in the mādhurya-rasa are able to appreciate these pastimes, between Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. They can taste it and they can understand and they can share the mellows with others. With material consciousness they cannot understand even with the spiritual consciousness of the other rasas these pastimes cannot be understood.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 8.204-205

sakhī vinā ei līlāya anyera nāhi gati
sakhī-bhāve ye tāṅre kare anugati

Translation: “Without the help of the gopīs, one cannot enter into these pastimes. Only one who worships the Lord in the ecstasy of the gopīs, following in their footsteps, can engage in the service of Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa in the bushes of Vṛndāvana. Only then can one understand the conjugal love between Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. There is no other procedure for understanding.

Purport By Srila Prabhupada: The means for returning home, for going back to Godhead, is devotional service, but everyone has a different taste in the Lord’s service. One may be inclined to serve the Lord in servitude (dāsya-rasa), fraternity (sakhya-rasa) or parental love (vātsalya-rasa), but none of these can enable one to enter into the service of the Lord in conjugal love. To attain such service, one has to follow in the footsteps of the gopīs in the ecstasy of sakhī-bhāva. Then only can one understand the transcendental mellow of conjugal love.

As far as Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī and Her gopīs are concerned, their bodies, homes, dresses, ornaments, endeavors and activities are all spiritual. All of these are meant to satisfy the spiritual senses of Kṛṣṇa. Indeed, they are so pleasing and endearing to Kṛṣṇa that He is subjugated by the influence of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī and Her friends. They have nothing to do with anything mundane within the fourteen planetary systems of the universe. Although Kṛṣṇa is attractive to everyone, He is nonetheless attracted by the gopīs and Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī.

One should not be misled by mental concoctions, supposing his material body to be perfect and deeming oneself a sakhī. This is something like ahaṅgrahopāsanā, that is, a Māyāvādī’s worship of his own body as the Supreme. Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī has cautioned mundaners to abstain from such conceptions. He also warns that thinking oneself one of the associates of the Supreme without following in the footsteps of the gopīs is as offensive as thinking oneself the Supreme. Such thinking is an aparādha. One has to practice living in Vṛndāvana by hearing about the talks of the gopīs with Kṛṣṇa. However, one should not consider himself a gopī, for this is offensive.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, if one gets the mercy of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa they may take birth in Vṛndāvana and participate in the pastimes as a gopī friend. But if one thinks in the material world that they are a gopī that is offensive.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 8.206

sakhīdvārā śṛṅgāra rasapuṣṭi:—Govinda-Līlāmṛta (10.17)

vibhur api sukha-rūpaḥ sva-prakāśo ’pi bhāvaḥ
kṣaṇam api na hi rādhā-kṛṣṇayor yā ṛte svāḥ pravahati rasa-puṣṭiṁ cid-vibhūtīr iveśaḥ
śrayati na padam āsāṁ kaḥ sakhīnāṁ rasa-jñaḥ

Translation: “‘The pastimes of Śrī Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa are self-effulgent. They are happiness personified, unlimited and all-powerful. Even so, the spiritual humors of such pastimes are never complete without the gopīs, the Lord’s personal friends. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is never complete without His spiritual potencies; therefore unless one takes shelter of the gopīs, one cannot enter into the company of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. Who can be interested in Their spiritual pastimes without taking their shelter?’

Purport: This verse is also from the Govinda-līlāmṛta (10.16).

Jayapatākā Swami: One needs the mercy of the gopīs to enter into the pastimes of understanding Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 8.207

sakhīgaṇera śrī-rādhāme:— 
sakhīra svabhāva eka akathya-kathana
kṛṣṇa-saha nija-līlāya nāhi sakhīra mana

Translation: “There is an inexplicable fact about the natural inclinations of the gopīs. The gopīs never want to enjoy themselves with Kṛṣṇa personally.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 8.208

kṛṣṇa saha rādhikāra līlā ye karāya
nija-sukha haite tāte koṭi sukha pāya

Translation: “The happiness of the gopīs increases ten million times when they serve to engage Śrī Śrī Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa in Their transcendental pastimes.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, the gopīs are millions of times happier when Kṛṣṇa and Rādhā are happy.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 8.209

rādhā o sakhīgaṇera parasparera prema-sambandha:— 
rādhāra svarūpa — kṛṣṇa-prema-kalpalatā
sakhī-gaṇa haya tāra pallava-puṣpa-pātā

Translation: “By nature, Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī is just like a creeper of love of Godhead, and the gopīs are the twigs, flowers and leaves of that creeper.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 8.210

kṛṣṇa-līlāmṛta yadi latāke siñcaya
nija-sukha haite pallavādyera koṭi-sukha haya

Translation: “When the nectar of Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes is sprinkled on that creeper, the happiness derived by the twigs, flowers and leaves is ten million times greater than that derived by the creeper itself.

Purport: In his Amṛta-pravāha-bhāṣya, Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura states, “Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī is the creeper of love of Godhead, and the gopīs are exactly like twigs, flowers and leaves. When water is sprinkled on the creeper, the twigs, flowers and leaves indirectly receive all the benefits of the creeper itself. But water sprinkled directly on the twigs, leaves and flowers is not as effective as water sprinkled on the creeper’s root. The gopīs are not as pleased when they directly mix with Kṛṣṇa as when they serve to unite Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī with Kṛṣṇa. Their transcendental pleasure lies in uniting Them.”

Jayapatākā Swami: So, in the material world one gets pleasure by their own senses, but in the spiritual relationship we can see that one gets millions of times pleasure by serving Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 8.211

Śrī Govinda-Līlāmṛta (10.16)— 

sakhyaḥ śrī-rādhikāyā vraja-kumuda-vidhor hlādinī-nāma-śakteḥ
sārāṁśa-prema-vallyāḥ kisalaya-dala-puṣpādi-tulyāḥ sva-tulyāḥ 
iktāyāṁ kṛṣṇa-līlāmṛta-rasa-nicayair ullasantyām amuṣyāṁ
jātollāsāḥ sva-sekāc chata-guṇam adhikaṁ santi yat tan na citram

Translation: “All the gopīs, the personal friends of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, are equal to Her. Kṛṣṇa is pleasing to the inhabitants of Vrajabhūmi, just as the moon is pleasing to the lotus flower. His pleasure-giving potency is known as āhlādinī, of which the active principle is Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī. She is compared to a creeper with newly grown flowers and leaves. When the nectar of Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes is sprinkled on Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, all Her friends, the gopīs, immediately appreciate the pleasure a hundred times more than if they were sprinkled themselves. Actually this is not at all wonderful.’

Purport: This verse is also from the Govinda-līlāmṛta (10.16).

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 8.212

śrī rādhikāra sakhīprīti:— 
yadyapi sakhīra kṛṣṇa-saṅgame nāhi mana
tathāpi rādhikā yatne karāna saṅgama

Translation: “Although the gopīs, Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī’s friends, do not desire to enjoy themselves directly with Kṛṣṇa, Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī makes a great endeavor to induce Kṛṣṇa to enjoy Himself with the gopīs.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 8.213

nānā-cchale kṛṣṇe preri’ saṅgama karāya
ātma-kṛṣṇa-saṅga haite koṭi-sukha pāya

Translation: “Presenting various pleas for the gopīs, Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī sometimes sends the gopīs to Kṛṣṇa just to enable them to associate with Him directly. At such times, She, enjoys a happiness ten million times greater than that enjoyed through direct association.

Jayapatākā Swami: This is something inconceivable, we have no experience in the material world. So we have to hear these instructions from Rāmānanda Rāya to understand these relationships are completely transcendental.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 8.214

śrī rādhā o sakhīgaṇera paraspara prītite kṛṣṇera sukha:— 
anyonye viśuddha preme kare rasa puṣṭa
tāṅ-sabāra prema dekhi’ kṛṣṇa haya tuṣṭa

Translation: “The transcendental mellow is nourished by that mutual behavior in transcendental love of Godhead. When Lord Kṛṣṇa sees how the gopīs have developed pure love for Him, He becomes very satisfied.

Purport: Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī and the gopīs are not interested in their personal happiness derived from association with Kṛṣṇa. Rather, they become happy by seeing one another associate with Kṛṣṇa. In this way their dealings are further nourished by love of Godhead, and seeing this, Kṛṣṇa is very pleased.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 8.215

sahaja gopīra prema, — nahe prākṛta kāma
kāma-krīḍā-sāmye tāra kahi ‘kāma’-nāma

Translation: “It is to be noted that the natural characteristic of the gopīs is to love the Supreme Lord. Their lusty desire is not to be compared to material lust. Nonetheless, because their desire sometimes appears to resemble material lust, their transcendental love for Kṛṣṇa is sometimes described as lust.

Purport: Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura says that material lust should never be attributed to Kṛṣṇa, who is full of transcendental knowledge. Material lust cannot be engaged in the service of the Lord, for it is applicable to materialists, not to Kṛṣṇa. Only prema, or love of Godhead, is applicable for the satisfaction of Kṛṣṇa. Prema is full service rendered unto the Lord. The lusty affairs of the gopīs actually constitute the topmost love of Godhead because the gopīs never act for their own personal satisfaction. They are simply pleased by engaging other gopīs in the service of the Lord. The gopīs derive more transcendental pleasure from indirectly engaging other gopīs in the service of Kṛṣṇa than from engaging in His service themselves. That is the difference between material lust and love of Godhead. Lust applies to the material world, and love of Godhead applies only to Kṛṣṇa.

Jayapatākā Swami: Since the gopīs are always hankering for the transcendental pleasure of Kṛṣṇa so even they send other gopīs with the idea of satisfying Kṛṣṇa that is prema, pure love.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 8.216

Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.2.285)-dhṛta tantrabākya — 

premaiva gopa-rāmāṇāṁ
kāma ity agamat prathām
ity uddhavādayo ’py etaṁ
vāñchanti bhagavat-priyāḥ

Translation: “‘Although the dealings of the gopīs with Kṛṣṇa are on the platform of pure love of Godhead, such dealings are sometimes considered to be lusty. But because they are completely spiritual, Uddhava and all the other dearmost devotees of the Lord desire to participate in them.’

Purport: This is a quotation from the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.2.285).

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 8.217

nijendriya-sukha-hetu kāmera tātparya
kṛṣṇa-sukha-tātparya gopī-bhāva-varya

Translation: “Lusty desires are experienced when one is concerned with his own personal sense gratification. The mood of the gopīs is not like that. Their only desire is to satisfy the senses of Kṛṣṇa.

Jayapatākā Swami: In the material life we actually only feel our own senses. We cannot feel the happiness that the other person experiences, but in spiritual life the gopīs actually when Kṛṣṇa is pleased, they feel happiness.