20210207 Veṅkaṭa Bhaṭṭa of Śrī Raṅga-kṣetra Invites Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu to His House (Part 1)

The following is a Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book Compilation given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on February 7th, 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, Entitled :

Veṅkaṭa Bhaṭṭa of Śrī Raṅga-kṣetra Invites Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu to His House

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 1.115

pāpa-tāpa hara yamabhaya
jaya śacīnandana jaya jaya

Jayapatākā Swami: Sin, suffering and fear of Yamarāja are transcended. All glories to Śrī Śacīnandana! Jaya! Jaya!

tabe mahāprabhu sei ānanda-kautuke
calite ānanda deha bharila pulake

Jayapatākā Swami: Then Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu with His blissful pastimes, He went very happily and His body is filled with hairs standing on end.

Murāri Gupta Kaḍaca 3.15.6: As Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya travelled, He sang the names, "Śrī Rāma! Govinda! Kṛṣṇa!" Crossing the Godāvarī River, He entered the great forest of Pāñcavatī and became wholly entranced by remembrance of Sītā-Rāma.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 1.116

eimane krame krame pathe cali’ yāya
godāvarī kari’ pañcavaṭīte sāmbhāya

Jayapatākā Swami: In this way gradually, He traversed along the path. He crossed the Godāvarī River, and arrived in Pañcavaṭī.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 1.117

ei mahā-puṇya-tīrtha-pañcavaṭī nāma
yāhāte āchilā sītā, lakṣaṇa, śrī-rāma

Jayapatākā Swami: This great pious holy place named as Pañcavaṭī where once lived Sītā, Lakṣmaṇa and Rāma.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 1.118

pañcavaṭī dekhi’ prabhu preme acetana
śrī-rāma, lakṣaṇa bali’ ḍāke ghana ghana

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya when saw the holy place of Pañcavaṭī, Lord Caitanya out of love became unconscious due to kṛṣṇa-prema and He repeatedly called out the holy names of "Śrī Rāma! Lakṣmaṇa!"

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 1.119

eikhāne kuṅḍe ghara bāndhilā lakṣmaṇa
mṛgī māribāre rāma karila gamana

Jayapatākā Swami: This is the place where Lakṣmaṇa stayed in a thatched hut, protecting Sītādevī, while Lord Rāma, He went to kill the golden deer.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 1.120

śrī-rāma-uddeśe pāche calilā lakṣmaṇa
eikhāne sītā hari’ nileka rāvaṇa

Jayapatākā Swami: The moment Lakṣmaṇa, He left to search for Lord Śrī Rāma, the evil demon Rāvaṇa kidnapped Sītādevī in this place.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 1.121

ihā bali’ kānde prabhu premāya vihvala
mār mār bole kṣaṇe bole dhar dhar

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya was crying, overwhelmed out of love, He yelled, "Kill! Kill! Kill him!" The next moment He said, "Catch him! Catch him!"

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 1.122

lakṣmaṇa! lakṣmaṇa! bali’ ḍāke ubharāya
sītā smaṅariyā kānde avaśa-hiyāya

Jayapatākā Swami: Then He loudly shouted, “Lakṣmaṇa! Lakṣmaṇa!” Remembering Sītā, He cried feeling helpless within His heart.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 1.123

saṅgera saṅgatigaṇa prabodhite nāre
āpanei mahāprabhu āpanā-samvare

Jayapatākā Swami: His associates who had gone with Him, could do nothing to pacify Him. Finally, Caitanya Mahāprabhu pacified Himself and became controlled.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 9.64

tirupati-tirumalaye āgamana o bālājīu-darśana :— 
mahāprabhu cali’ āilā tripati-trimalle
catur-bhuja mūrti dekhi’ veṅkaṭādrye cale

Translation: Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu next arrived at Tirupati and Tirumala, where He saw a four-handed Deity. Then He proceeded toward Veṅkaṭa Hill.

Purport: Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura has actually described the chronological order of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s visit. The Tirupati temple is sometimes called Tirupaṭura. It is situated on the northern side of Arcot in the district of Candragiri. It is a famous holy place of pilgrimage. In pursuance of His name, Veṅkaṭeśvara, the four-handed Lord Viṣṇu, the Deity of Bālājī, with His potencies named Śrī and Bhū, is located on Veṅkaṭa Hill, about eight miles from Tirupati. This Veṅkaṭeśvara Deity is in the form of Lord Viṣṇu, and the place where He is situated is known as Veṅkaṭa-kṣetra. There are many temples in southern India, but this Bālājī temple is especially opulent. A great fair is held there in the month of Āśvina (September-October). There is a railway station called Tirupati on the Southern Railway. Nimna-tirupati is located in the valley of Veṅkaṭa Hill. There are several temples there also, among which are those of Govindarāja and Lord Rāmacandra.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, there is also a temple of Padmāvatī, She was the one who served as Chāyā Sītā, The real Sītā was kept with Agni-deva. So she had a blessing as Lord’s consort in Kali-yuga.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 9.65

vyeṅkaṭācale śrī-rāma-darśana :— 
tripati āsiyā kaila śrī-rāma daraśana
raghunātha-āge kaila praṇāma stavana

Translation: After arriving at Tirupati, Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu visited the temple of Lord Rāmacandra. He offered His prayers and obeisances before Rāmacandra, the descendant of King Raghu.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 9.66

pānā-nṛsiṃha-darśana:— 
sva-prabhāve loka-sabāra karāñā vismaya
pānā-nṛsiṁhe āilā prabhu dayā-maya

Translation: Everywhere Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu went, His influence astonished everyone. He next arrived at the temple of Pānā-nṛsiṁha. The Lord is so merciful.

Purport: Pānā-nṛsiṁha, or Pānākal-narasiṁha, is located in the district of Krishna, in the hills known as Maṅgalagiri, about seven miles from a city known as Vijayawada. One must climb six hundred steps to reach the temple. It is said that when the Lord is offered food with syrup here, He does not take more than half. Within this temple is a conchshell presented by the late king of Tanjore, and it is said that this shell was used by Lord Kṛṣṇa Himself. During the month of March, a great fair takes place in this temple.

Jayapatākā Swami: There is a very ancient temple, it is said in Satya yuga they offer Soma-rasa, in Tretā yuga they offer ghee, In Dvāpara yuga they offer milk and in Kali-yuga they offer gūr and water, He takes half and gives half back. This is very far north as it says it is near Vijayawada. It says that Lord Caitanya visited Ahobhilam then He went to Tirupati, He should have gone to Pānakal Narasiṁha temple first. Because it doesn’t makes sense that He goes to Tirupati and back but Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja said, his chronology is not dependable in South India. So I think that this place should have been done before, the meeting of the Rāma bhakta.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 9.67

nṛsiṁhe praṇati-stuti premāveśe kaila
prabhura prabhāve loka camatkāra haila

Translation: In great ecstatic love, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu offered obeisances and prayers unto Lord Nṛsiṁha. The people were astonished to see Lord Caitanya’s influence.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 9.68

śivakāñcīte śiva-darśana o prabhukṛpāya śaivagaṇera vaiṣṇavatālābha :— 
śiva-kāñcī āsiyā kaila śiva daraśana
prabhāve ’vaiṣṇava’ kaila saba śaiva-gaṇa

Translation: Arriving at Śiva-kāñcī, Caitanya Mahāprabhu visited the deity of Lord Śiva. By His influence, He converted all the devotees of Lord Śiva into Vaiṣṇavas.

Purport: Śiva-kāñcī is also known as Kāñcīpuram, or the Benares of southern India. In Śiva-kāñcī there are hundreds of temples containing symbolic representations of Lord Śiva, and one of these temples is said to be very, very old.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, there is a Śiva-Kañcī and Viṣṇu-Kañcī and it is sixty km from Chennai so it makes sense that after Tirupati, he went to Kañcīpuram.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 9.69

viṣṇu-kāñcīte lakṣmī-nārāyaṇa darśana o tatrastha lokera kṛṣṇa-bhakti-lābha:— 
viṣṇu-kāñcī āsi’ dekhila lakṣmī-nārāyaṇa
praṇāma kariyā kaila bahuta stavana

Translation: The Lord then visited a holy place known as Viṣṇu-kāñcī. There He saw Lakṣmī-Nārāyaṇa Deities, and He offered His respects and many prayers to please Them.

Purport: Viṣṇu-kāñcī is situated about five miles away from Kāñcīpuram. It is here that Lord Varadarāja, another form of Lord Viṣṇu, resides. There is also a big lake known as Ananta-sarovara.

Jayapatākā Swami: There are many divya-deśas and Lakṣmī Nārāyaṇa temple. One Deity of Nārāyaṇa is said to have been worshipped by Lord Brahmā and that descended to the earth from the higher planets.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 9.70

premāveśe nṛtya-gīta bahuta karila
dina-dui rahi’ loke ’kṛṣṇa-bhakta’ kaila

Translation: When Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu stayed at Viṣṇu-kāñcī for two days, He danced and performed kīrtana in ecstasy. When all the people saw Him, they were converted into devotees of Lord Kṛṣṇa.

Jayapatākā Swami: Hari bol! So, every place Lord Caitanya was dancing and chanting in ecstasy, simply by seeing Him people would become then Kṛṣṇa bhaktas.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 9.71

trikālahastīte śambhu-darśana o 
trimalaya dekhi’ gelā trikāla-hasti-sthāne
mahādeva dekhi’ tāṅre karila praṇāme

Translation: After visiting Trimalaya, Caitanya Mahāprabhu went to see Trikāla-hasti. There He saw Lord Śiva and offered him all respects and obeisances.

Purport: Trikāla-hasti, or Śrī Kāla-hasti, is situated about twenty-two miles east of Tirupati. On its western side is a river known as Suvarṇa-mukhī. The temple of Trikāla-hasti is located on the southern side of the river. The place is generally known as Śrī Kālahasti or Kālahasti and is famous for its temple of Lord Śiva. There he is called Vāyu-liṅga Śiva.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, it makes sense that Lord Caitanya would visit this Kāla-hasti before or after visiting Tirumala or Tirupati because it is very close to Tirupati and very far from Śiva-Kañcī.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 9.72

pakṣītīrthe śiva-darśana, vṛddhakola-tīrthe śveta-varāha vigraha-darśana :— 
pakṣi-tīrtha dekhi’ kaila śiva darśana
vṛddhakola-tīrthe tabe karilā gamana

Translation: At Pakṣi-tīrtha, Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu visited the temple of Lord Śiva. Then He went to the Vṛddhakola place of pilgrimage.

Purport: Pakṣi-tīrtha, also called Tirukāḍi-kuṇḍam, is located nine miles southeast of Ciṁlipaṭ. It has a five-hundred-foot elevation and is situated in a chain of hills known as Vedagiri or Vedācalam. There is a temple of Lord Śiva there, and the deity is known as Vedagirīśvara. Two birds come there daily to receive food from the temple priest, and it is claimed that they have been coming since time immemorial.

Jayapatākā Swami: People go there to see the birds, two birds will come for prasāda and then they fly away.