20210212 Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s Conversations with Veṅkaṭa Bhaṭṭa (Part 2)

The following is a Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book Compilation given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on February 12th, 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:

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s Conversations with Veṅkaṭa Bhaṭṭa Part -2

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 9.136

lakṣmīra aiśvarya-jñāne kṛṣṇa-saṅga asambhava:— 
lakṣmī cāhe sei dehe kṛṣṇera saṅgama
gopikā-anugā hañā nā kaila bhajana

Translation: “The goddess of fortune, Lakṣmī, wanted to enjoy Kṛṣṇa and at the same time retain her spiritual body in the form of Lakṣmī. However, she did not follow in the footsteps of the gopīs in her worship of Kṛṣṇa.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 9.137

anya dehe nā pāiye rāsa-vilāsa
ataeva ‘nāyaṁ’ śloka kahe veda-vyāsa

Translation: “Vyāsadeva, the supreme authority on Vedic literature, composed the verse beginning ‘nāyaṁ sukhāpo bhagavān’ because no one can enter into the rāsa-līlā dance in any body other than that of a gopī.”

Purport: This verse confirms a verse of the Bhagavad-gītā (9.25):

yānti deva-vratā devān
pitṝn yānti pitṛ-vratāḥ
bhūtāni yānti bhūtejyā
yānti mad-yājino ’pi mām

Lord Kṛṣṇa said, “Those who worship the demigods will take birth among the demigods, those who worship the ancestors go to the ancestors, those who worship ghosts and spirits will take birth among such beings, and those who worship Me will live with Me.”

In the material world, every conditioned soul changes his material body again and again, but when the spirit soul is purified of all material coverings, there is no longer a chance of his accepting a material body. Such a soul then remains in his original, spiritual identity, a state that is possible to achieve only by understanding Kṛṣṇa in truth through the practice of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. As Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā (4.9),

janma karma ca me divyam
evaṁ yo vetti tattvataḥ
tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma
naiti mām eti so ’rjuna

“One who knows the transcendental nature of My appearance and activities does not, upon leaving the body, take his birth again in this material world,enter into the spiritual kingdom As far as the rāsa-līlā pastimes of the Lord are concerned, it is futile for one who is within the material world to attempt to imitate the Lord’s dances. One has to attain a spiritual body like that of a gopī to enter into the pastimes of the rāsa-līlā. In the nāyaṁ sukhāpo verse, the devotees are referred to as bhaktimat, that is, fully engaged in devotional service and devoid of material contamination. One cannot enter into Kṛṣṇa’s rāsa-līlā dance simply by artificially imitating it or artificially thinking oneself a sakhī and dressing up like one. Kṛṣṇa’s rāsa-līlā dance is completely spiritual; it has nothing to do with material contamination. Therefore no one can enter into this pastime by artificial, material means. That is the instruction of the nāyaṁ sukhāpo verse, and it must be strictly understood.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, one of the apasampradāya systens of worshiping Kṛṣṇa are the sakhī-bhekhī, they dress like a gopī, although they may be a male. I saw one sakhī-bhekhī, from the back he was wearing a saree and looked like a lady and when he turned around he had a beard so they are called sakhī-bhekhī, they are thinking of imitating a gopī, but here we can see that externally one cannot do that. One has to purify the consciousness and do it internally.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 9.138

pūrve ‘śrī-vaiṣṇava’ bhaṭṭera nārāyaṇakei svayaṁ-rūpa’ baliyā dhāraṇā:— 
pūrve bhaṭṭera mane eka chila abhimāna
‘śrī-nārāyaṇa’ hayena svayaṁ-bhagavān

Translation: Before this explanation was given by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Veṅkaṭa Bhaṭṭa thought that Śrī Nārāyaṇa was the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 9.139

tāṅhāra bhajana sarvopari-kakṣā haya
śrī-vaiṣṇave’ra bhajana ei sarvopari haya

Translation: Thinking in this way, Veṅkaṭa Bhaṭṭa believed that worship of Nārāyaṇa was the supreme form of worship, superior to all other processes of devotional service, for it was followed by the Śrī Vaiṣṇava disciples of Rāmānujācārya.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 9.140

ei tāṅra garva prabhu karite khaṇḍana
parihāsa-dvāre uṭhāya eteka vacana

Translation: Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu had understood this misconception of Veṅkaṭa Bhaṭṭa’s, and to correct it the Lord talked so much in a joking way.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 9.141

prabhukarttṛka kṛṣṇera o nārāyaṇera līlā-vaiśiṣṭya varṇana o kṛṣṇera svayaṁ-rūpatva saṁsthāpana 
prabhu kahe, — bhaṭṭa, tumi nā kariha saṁśaya
‘svayaṁ-bhagavān’ kṛṣṇa ei ta’ niścaya

Translation: The Lord then continued, “My dear Veṅkaṭa Bhaṭṭa, please do not continue doubting. Lord Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and this is the conclusion of the Vedic literatures.

Jayapatākā Swami: In the first canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, it states, kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam, He is the original personality of Godhead. Nārāyaṇa and other form of Godhead are His expansions or the expansions of His expansion.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 9.142

kṛṣṇera vilāsa-mūrti — śrī-nārāyaṇa
ataeva lakṣmī-ādyera hare teṅha mana

Translation: “Lord Nārāyaṇa, the opulent form of Kṛṣṇa, attracts the minds of the goddess of fortune and her followers.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 9.143

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.3.28)—

ete cāṁśa-kalāḥ puṁsaḥ
kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam
indrāri-vyākulaṁ lokaṁ
mṛḍayanti yuge yuge

Translation: “‘All these incarnations of Godhead are either plenary portions or parts of the plenary portions of the puruṣa-avatāras. But Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself. In every age He protects the world through His different features when the world is disturbed by the enemies of Indra.’

Purport: This is a verse from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.3.28).

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 9.144

nārāyaṇa haite kṛṣṇera asādhāraṇa guṇa
ataeva lakṣmīra kṛṣṇe tṛṣṇā anukṣaṇa

Translation: “Because Kṛṣṇa has four extraordinary qualities not possessed by Lord Nārāyaṇa, the goddess of fortune, Lakṣmī, always desires His company.

Purport: Lord Nārāyaṇa has sixty transcendental qualities. Over and above these, Kṛṣṇa has four extraordinary transcendental qualities absent in Lord Nārāyaṇa.

These four qualities are

(1) His wonderful pastimes, which are compared to an ocean,

(2) His association in the circle of the supreme devotees in conjugal love (the gopīs),

(3) His playing on the flute, whose vibration attracts the three worlds, and

(4) His extraordinary beauty, which surpasses the beauty of the three worlds. Lord Kṛṣṇa’s beauty is unequaled and unsurpassed.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, this study was done by the father of Vyāsadevā, Parāsara Muñi and so He said that Kṛṣṇa has 64 qualities, Nārāyaṇa and other avatāras have sixty qualities, Lord Śiva had fifty five and Brahmā and other living entities they have a maximum fifty.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 9.145

tumi ye paḍilā śloka, se haya pramāṇa
sei śloke āise ‘kṛṣṇa — svayaṁ bhagavān’

Translation: “You have recited the śloka beginning with ‘siddhāntatas tv abhede ’pi.’ That very verse is evidence that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 9.146

Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.2.59)— 

siddhāntatas tv abhede ’pi
śrīśa-kṛṣṇa-svarūpayoḥ
rasenotkṛṣyate kṛṣṇa-
rūpam eṣā rasa-sthitiḥ

Translation: “‘According to transcendental realization, there is no difference between the forms of Kṛṣṇa and Nārāyaṇa. Yet in Kṛṣṇa there is a special transcendental attraction due to the conjugal mellow, and consequently He surpasses Nārāyaṇa. This is the conclusion of transcendental mellows.’

Purport: This is a verse from the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.2.59). Here Śrīla Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja says that Lord Caitanya spoke the verse to Veṅkaṭa Bhaṭṭa, and earlier he said that Veṅkaṭa Bhaṭṭa spoke it to the Lord. But since their conversation took place long, long before the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu was composed, the question my be raised as to how either of them quoted the verse. Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura explains that this verse and many others like it were current among devotees long before the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu was composed. Thus devotees would always quote them and explain their purport in ecstasy.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 9.147

lakṣmī kṛṣṇa-mādhurya cāna, kintu gopī catur-bhuja nārāyaṇa-aiśvarya cāna nā – 
svayaṁ bhagavān ‘kṛṣṇa’ hare lakṣmīra mana
gopikāra mana harite nāre ‘nārāyaṇa’

Translation: “The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, attracts the mind of the goddess of fortune, but Lord Nārāyaṇa cannot attract the minds of the gopīs. This proves the superexcellence of Kṛṣṇa.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 9.148

svayaṁ-kṛṣṇera caturbhuja-rūpeo gopīra anādara:— 
nārāyaṇera kā kathā, śrī-kṛṣṇa āpane
gopikāre hāsya karāite haya ‘nārāyaṇe’

Translation: “To say nothing of Lord Nārāyaṇa personally, Lord Kṛṣṇa Himself appeared as Nārāyaṇa just to play a joke on the gopīs.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 9.149

catur-bhuja-mūrti’ dekhāya gopī-gaṇera āge
sei ‘kṛṣṇe’ gopikāra nahe anurāge

Translation: “Although Kṛṣṇa assumed the four-armed form of Nārāyaṇa, He could not attract the serious attention of the gopīs in ecstatic love.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 9.150

Lalita Mādhava (6.14)—

Translation: “‘Once Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa playfully manifested Himself as Nārāyaṇa, with four victorious hands and a very beautiful form. When the gopīs saw this exalted form, however, their ecstatic feelings were crippled. A learned scholar, therefore, cannot understand the gopīs’ ecstatic feelings, which are firmly fixed upon the original form of Lord Kṛṣṇa as the son of Nanda Mahārāja. The wonderful feelings of the gopīs in ecstatic parama-rasa with Kṛṣṇa constitute the greatest mystery in spiritual life.’”

Purport: This is a verse spoken by Nārada Muni in the Lalita-mādhava-nāṭaka (6.14), a drama written by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 9.151

prabhukarttṛka lakṣmīra o gopī-tattvera samanvaya-sādhana:— 
eta kahi’ prabhu tāṅra garva cūrṇa kariyā
tāṅre sukha dite kahe siddhānta phirāiyā

Translation: In this way Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu deflated the pride of Veṅkaṭa Bhaṭṭa, but just to make him happy again, He spoke as follows.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 9.152

duḥkha nā bhāviha, bhaṭṭa, kailuṅ parihāsa
śāstra-siddhānta śuna, yāte vaiṣṇava-viśvāsa

Translation: The Lord pacified Veṅkaṭa Bhaṭṭa by saying, “Actually whatever I have said is by way of jest. Now you can hear from Me the conclusion of the śāstras, in which every Vaiṣṇava devotee has firm faith.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 9.153

svayaṁ bhagavān kṛṣṇa o nārāyaṇatattva evaṁ sarva-lakṣmīmayī śrī-rādhā o lakṣmī-tattva:— 
kṛṣṇa-nārāyaṇa, yaiche eka-i svarūpa
gopī-lakṣmī-bheda nāhi haya eka-rūpa

Translation: “There is no difference between Lord Kṛṣṇa and Lord Nārāyaṇa, for They are of the same form. Similarly, there is no difference between the gopīs and the goddess of fortune, for they also are of the same form.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 9.154

kṛṣṇa-tattva o viṣṇu-tattva evaṁ śrī-rādhā-tattva o lakṣmī-tattve bheda-buddhi-aparādhajanaka:— 
gopī-dvāre lakṣmī kare kṛṣṇa-saṅgāsvāda
īśvaratve bheda mānile haya aparādha

Translation: “The goddess of fortune enjoys the association of Kṛṣṇa through the gopīs. One should not differentiate between the forms of the Lord, for such a conception is offensive.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 9.155

bhaktera svarūpānurūpa sevā-bhede ārādhyavastura mādhurya o aiśvaryabheda:— 
eka īśvara — bhaktera dhyāna-anurūpa
eka-i vigrahe kare nānākāra rūpa

Translation: “There is no difference between the transcendental forms of the Lord. Different forms are manifested due to different attachments of different devotees. Actually the Lord is one, but He appears in different forms just to satisfy His devotees.

Purport: In the Brahma-saṁhitā (5.33) it is stated:

advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam
ādyaṁ purāṇa-puruṣaṁ nava-yauvanaṁ ca

The Lord is advaita, without differentiation. There is no difference between the forms of Kṛṣṇa, Rāma, Nārāyaṇa and Viṣṇu. All of Them are one. Sometimes foolish people ask whether when we chant “Rāma” in the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra we refer to Lord Rāmacandra or Lord Balarāma. If a devotee says that the name Rāma in the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra refers to Balarāma, a foolish person may become angry because to him the name Rāma refers to Lord Rāmacandra. Actually there is no difference between Balarāma and Lord Rāma. It does not matter whether one refers to Balarāma or to Lord Rāmacandra when chanting Hare Rāma,for there is no difference between Them. However, it is offensive to think that Balarāma is superior to Lord Rāmacandra or vice versa. Neophyte devotees do not understand this śāstric conclusion, and consequently they unn ecessarily create an offensive situation. In Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 9.154 Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu clarified this in a very lucid way: īśvaratve bheda mānile haya aparādha. “It is offensive for one to differentiate between the forms of the Lord.” On the other hand, one should not think that the forms of the Lord are the same as the forms of the demigods. This is certainly offensive, as confirmed by the Vaiṣṇava-tantra:

“A pāṣaṇḍī is one who considers the great demigods such as Lord Brahmā and Lord Śiva equal to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Nārāyaṇa.” (Hari-bhakti-vilāsa 7.117)

The conclusion is that we should neither differentiate between the forms of the Lord nor equate the forms of the Lord with the forms of demigods or human beings. For instance, sometimes foolish sannyāsīs, thinking the body of the Lord to be material, equate daridra-nārāyaṇa with Nārāyaṇa, and this is certainly offensive. Unless one is instructed by a bona fide spiritual master, he cannot perfectly understand these different forms. The Brahma-saṁhitā confirms, vedeṣu durlabham adurlabham ātma-bhaktau. One cannot understand the differences between the forms of the Lord simply by academic study or by reading Vedic literature. One must learn from a realized devotee. Only then can one learn how to distinguish between one form of the Lord and another. The conclusion is that there is no difference between the forms of the Lord, but there is a difference between His forms and those of the demigods.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, there is only one Supreme Personality of Godhead but He has unlimited forms, ananta rupam so all the forms are spiritually one and He had different form because different devotee pray in one particular aspect. So therefore, He reciprocates with those devotees by accepting so many different forms but all the forms are transcendental and Absolute. But the forms of devatas cannot be compared with forms of Nārāyaṇa or Kṛṣṇa.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 9.156

Laghu Bhāgavatāmṛta (1.357)-dhṛta śrī-nārada-pañcarātra-vacana:— 

maṇir yathā vibhāgena
nīla-pītādibhir yutaḥ
rūpa-bhedam avāpnoti
dhyāna-bhedāt tathācyutaḥ

“‘When the jewel known as vaidūrya touches various other materials, it appears to be separated into different colors, and consequently its forms also appear different. Similarly, according to the meditational ecstasy of the devotee, the Lord, who is known as Acyuta [“the infallible one”], appears in different forms, although He is essentially one.’”

Purport: This is a verse quoted from Śrī Nārada-pañcarātra.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 9.157

bhaṭṭera prabhuke ‘kṛṣṇa’-jñāna:— 
bhaṭṭa kahe, — kāhāṅ āmi jīva pāmara
kāhāṅ tumi sei kṛṣṇa, — sākṣāt īśvara

Translation: Veṅkaṭa Bhaṭṭa then said, “I am an ordinary fallen living entity, but You are Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 9.158

prabhura siddhānte bhaṭṭera dṛḍhaviśvāsa:— 
agādha īśvara-līlā kichui nā jāni
tumi yei kaha, sei satya kari’ māni

Translation: “The transcendental pastimes of the Lord are unfathomable, and I do not know anything about them. Whatever You say I accept as the truth.

Purport: This is the way to understand the truth about the Supreme Personality of Godhead. After hearing the Bhagavad-gītā, Arjuna said very much the same thing:

“O Kṛṣṇa, I totally accept as truth all that You have told me. Neither the demigods nor the demons, O Lord, can understand Your personality.” (Bg. 10.14)

It is not possible to understand the truth about the pastimes of the Lord simply by using our own logic, argument and academic education. We must receive bona fide information from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, just as Arjuna received information when Kṛṣṇa spoke the Bhagavad-gītā. We have to accept the Bhagavad-gītā or any other Vedic literature in good faith. These Vedic literatures are the only source of knowledge about the Lord. We must understand that we cannot comprehend the Absolute Truth by the speculative process.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 9.159

upāsya lakṣmī-nārāyaṇa- kṛpātei prabhura kṛpā lābha:— 
more pūrṇa kṛpā kaila lakṣmī-nārāyaṇa
tāṅra kṛpāya pāinu tomāra caraṇa-daraśana

Translation: “I have been engaged in the service of Lakṣmī-Nārāyaṇa, and it is due to Their mercy that I have been able to see Your lotus feet.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 9.160

prabhu-kṛpāya bhaṭṭera kṛṣṇa-sevārambha:— 
kṛpā kari’ kahile more kṛṣṇera mahimā
yāṅra rūpa-guṇaiśvaryera keha nā pāya sīmā

Translation: “Out of Your causeless mercy You have told me of the glories of Lord Kṛṣṇa. No one can reach the end of the opulence, qualities and forms of the Lord.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 9.161

ebe se jāninu kṛṣṇa-bhakti sarvopari
kṛtārtha karile, more kahile kṛpā kari’

Translation: “I can now understand that devotional service unto Lord Kṛṣṇa is the supreme form of worship. Out of Your causeless mercy You have made my life successful simply by explaining the facts.”

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Veṅkaṭa Bhaṭṭa was appreciating the association of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu by His teachings he started to worship Lord Kṛṣṇa.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 9.162

bhaṭṭera prabhuke praṇāma o prabhura āliṅgana:— 
eta bali’ bhaṭṭa paḍilā prabhura caraṇe
kṛpā kari’ prabhu tāṅre kailā āliṅgane

Translation: After saying this, Veṅkaṭa Bhaṭṭa fell down before the lotus feet of the Lord, and the Lord, out of His causeless mercy, embraced him.

Jayapatākā Swami: By the causeless mercy of Lord Caitanya, someone receives the blessing of His embrace. So Veṅkaṭa Bhaṭṭa is thus embraced by Lord Caitanya and that way he got the highest mercy.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 9.163

cāturmāsyānte prabhura punarāya dakṣiṇa-yātrā:— 
cāturmāsya pūrṇa haila, bhaṭṭa-ājñā lañā
dakṣiṇa calilā prabhu śrī-raṅga dekhiyā

Translation: When the period of Cāturmāsya was completed, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu took permission to leave from Veṅkaṭa Bhaṭṭa, and after visiting Śrī Raṅga, He proceeded further toward southern India.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 9.164

anugāmī bhaṭṭake prabhura sāntvanā-dāna:— 
saṅgete calilā bhaṭṭa, nā yāya bhavane
tāṅre vidāya dilā prabhu aneka yatane

Translation: Veṅkaṭa Bhaṭṭa did not want to return home but also wanted to go with the Lord. It was with great endeavor that Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu bade him farewell.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 9.165

prabhu-virahe bhaṭṭa:— 
prabhura viyoge bhaṭṭa haila acetana
ei raṅga-līlā kare śacīra nandana

Translation: When He did so, Veṅkaṭa Bhaṭṭa fell down unconscious. Such are the pastimes of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, the son of mother Śacī, at Śrī Raṅga-kṣetra.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Veṅkaṭa Bhaṭṭa had developed so much attachment for Lord Caitanya that when Lord Caitanya insisted that he should go home and bade farewell, Veṅkaṭa Bhaṭṭa fell unconscious.

Gaurāṅga Līlā Smaraṇa Maṅgala Stotra 44

Translation: The Lord travelled to many places and distributed pure love of Krsna wherever He went. He stayed for some days at Rangaksetra, and mercifully converted Veṅkaṭa Bhaṭṭa, his family, and the local scholars into pure devotees of Lord Krsna. I meditate on that golden Lord Caitanya, who is an ocean of happiness for the home of Gopala Bhaṭṭa.

Jayapatākā Swami: Gopāla Bhaṭṭa was serving Lord Caitanya while He was in Śrīraṅgam. Then Lord Caitanya later told him to go to Vṛndāvana and join Śrī Rūpa and Sanātana and he became one of the six Gosvāmīs. Hare Kṛṣṇa

Thus, ends the chapter entitled, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s conversations with Veṅkaṭa Bhaṭṭa.