20210310 Unparalleled Good Fortune of Svarūpa Dāmodara

Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book Compilation By His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on 10th March 2021 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!

Hare Kṛṣṇa! Today we will continue with the Compilation of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya book, today’s chapter is entitled as:

Unparalleled Good Fortune of Svarūpa Dāmodara
Under the section of the Transcendental Pastimes of Lord Caitanya associates in Nīlācala.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 10.36

svarūpa-dāmodarera ucca-kīrtana-śravaṇe mūrtimanta sāttvika vikārera sahita prabhura nṛtya o bhāvāveśa
bhāgavata-pāṭhe gadādhara mahāśaya
dāmodara-svarūpera kīrtana viṣaya

Jayapatākā Swami: Just like Gadādhara Prabhu was expert in reciting Śrīmad-bhāgavatam, Svarūpa Dāmodara was expert in performing kīrtana.

Purport by Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura: Śrī Dāmodara Svarūpa was always engaged in glorifying the topics of Hari. He had no engagement other than glorifying the qualities of Hari. Śrī Dāmodara Svarūpa was the topmost authority on the conclusions regarding devotional service. He would always engage in pure kṛṣṇa-kīrtana without becoming influenced by other’s opinions, persistent requests, or mixed doctrines. The Māyāvādīs’ desire for liberation and the attached householders’ desire for sense gratification did not induce Śrī Dāmodara Svarūpa to indulge in associating with outsiders. He exclusively gave pleasure to Śrī Gaurasundara’s heart.

Jayapatākā Swami: Svarūpa Dāmodara was always engaged in singing the glories of the Lord’s names, qualities, and līlās thus he was giving Lord Caitanya transcendental bliss.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 10.37

ekeśvara dāmodara-svarūpa guṇa gāya
vihvala haiyā nāce śrī-gaurāṅga-rāya

Jayapatākā Swami: Whenever Svarūpa Dāmodara would chant the qualities of Lord Kṛṣṇa, who is one without a second, Lord Gaurāṅga Rāya would become overwhelmed and would dance in ecstasy.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 10.38-39

aśru, kampa, hāsya, mūrcchā, pulaka, huṅkāra
yata kichu āche prema-bhaktira vikāra
mūrtimanta sabe thāke īśvarera sthāne
nācena caitanyacandra iṅhā-sabā-sane

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya would dance and along with Him were the symptoms of pure love for Kṛṣṇa, tears of love, quievering of the body, laughing, falling unconsciousness, hairs standing and loud roaring all kind of inexplicable symptoms of pure love of Kṛṣṇa were manifested. These ecstatic symptoms would take their personal form and would be present where Lord Caitanya, the Supreme Lord Caitanyacandra would dance along with all the associates.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 10.40

dāmodara-svarūpera ucca-saṅkīrtana
śunile nā thāke bāhya, paḍe sei-kṣaṇa

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya, When He would hear Svarūpa Dāmodara's loud saṅkīrtana chanting, When He would hear His external consciousness would disappear and He would fall unconscious at that time.

Purport by Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura: On hearing the loud kīrtana of Śrī Dāmodara Svarūpa, Śrī Gaurasundara forgot the conception of the external world and manifest the cultivation of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 10.41

sannyāsi pārṣadāgragaṇya dāmodara-svarūpa o paramānanda-purī—
sannyāsi-pārṣada yata īśvarera haya
dāmodara-svarūpa-samāna keho naya

Jayapatākā Swami: Of all the sannyāsī associates of Lord Caitanya, no one was equal to Dāmodara Svarūpa.

Purport: Many people think that since according to social etiquette renunciants belonging to the fourth āśrama are superior to brahmacārīs fixed in ecstatic love for Kṛṣṇa, they are more dear to Śrī Gaurasundara. Yet none of the sannyāsīs headed by Paramānanda Purī were as dear to the Lord as Dāmodara Svarūpa.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Caitanya appreciated devotees based on their pure love and devotion not based on any external consideration of caste.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 10.42

yata prīti īśvarera purī-gosāñire
dāmodara-svarūpere tata prīti kare

Jayapatākā Swami: The Supreme Lord Caitanya, had for Paramānanda Purī a great affection but Svarūpa Dāmodara also had similar affection of the Lord.

Śrī Svarūpa Dāmodara was renowned as Lord Gaurasundara’s first manifestation. Śrī Gaurasundara did not display any less respect for Dāmodara Svarūpa than He displayed for Śrī Paramānanda Purī.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 10.43

kṛṣṇa-saṅgīta samrāṭa svarūpa-dāmodara—
dāmodara-svarūpa—saṅgīta-rasa-maya
yāṅra dhvani-śravaṇe prabhura nṛtya haya

Jayapatākā Swami: Dāmodara Svarūpa was an expert in the art of singing with mellows. As soon as Lord Caitanya would hear his singing, He would immediately start to dance.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 10.44

svarūpera ātmagopana o bahirmukha-vañcanā
alakṣita-rūpa—keho cinite nā pare
kapaṭīra rūpe yena bulena nagare

Jayapatākā Swami: Svarūpa Dāmodara, he would wander about in a hidden form, incognito. No one could recognize him so he wandered through the city in incognito form so no one would recognize him.

Purport: Mahāprabhu would begin to dance whenever Svarūpa sang melodiously. If a person disguises himself whenever he wanders about, people will not understand his actual identity. Mahāprabhu similarly covered His position as the Supreme Lord and concealed His actual identity whenever He wandered throughout the city disguised as a devotee.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, as Lord Caitanya was actually Lord Kṛṣṇa, but He acted as a devotee, similarly Svarūpa Dāmodara was a very special associate of Lord Caitanya. But he would wander about the city in disguise so that no one could recognize him.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 10.45

kīrtana karite yena tumburu nārada
ekā prabhu nācāyena—ki āra sampad

Jayapatākā Swami: Svarūpa Dāmodara would induce Lord Caitanya to dance by performing melodious kīrtana as nicely as Nārada Muni sings accompanied by his stringed instrument and thus Lord Caitanya would dance. What could be more glorious?

See the purport to Caitanya-bhāgavata, Ādi-khaṇḍa, Chapter One, text 52.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 10.46

sannyāsīra madhye īśvarera priya-pātra
āra nāhi, eka purī-gosāñi se mātra

Jayapatākā Swami: Amongst all the sannyāsī associates of Lord Caitanya, there was no one as dear as Paramānanda Purī Gosvāmī.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 10.47

dāmodara-svarūpa, paramānanda-purī
sannyāsi-pārṣade ei dui adhikārī

Jayapatākā Swami: Svarūpa Dāmodara and Paramānanda Purī were the two most qualified devotees amongst all Lord Caitanya’s sannyāsī associates.

Purport: Dāmodara Svarūpa was one of the Lord’s sannyāsī associates.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 10.48

prabhura antaraṅga o prabhura padāṅkānusaraṇakārī vipralambha ceṣṭāmaya svarūpa-dāmodara o paramānanda-purī—
niravadhi nikaṭe thākena dui jana
prabhura sannyāse kare daṇḍera grahaṇa

Jayapatākā Swami: These two Svarūpa Dāmodara and Paramānanda Purī, always remained close to Lord Caitanya. They accepted sannyāsa simply to assist Lord Caitanya in His sannyāsa pastimes.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 10.49

purī dhyānapara, dāmodarera kīrtana
nyāsi-rūpe nyāsi-dehe bāhu dui jana

Jayapatākā Swami: Paramānanda Purī was always absorbed in meditation, Śrī Svarūpa was always chanting the kīrtana of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. in the form of a sannyāsī, Lord Caitanya as a sannyāsī, they were like His two arms.

Purport: Dāmodara Svarūpa was fond of performing kīrtana, and Paramānanda Purī was renounced and engaged in worshiping the Lord through meditation. In the sannyāsa body of Lord Gaurasundara, these two were like His arms.

Haribol!

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 10.50

ahar-niśa gauracandra saṅkīrtana-raṅge
viharena dāmodara-svarūpera saṅge

Jayapatākā Swami: All day and night, Lord Gauracandra, He enjoyed performing saṅkīrtana with Svarūpa Dāmodara.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 10.51

ki śayane, ki bhojane, kibā paryaṭane
dāmodare prabhu nā chāḍena kona-kṣaṇe

Jayapatākā Swami: Whether the Lord was resting, whether He was eating, or travelling about, Svarūpa Dāmodara would never leave association of Lord Caitanya for even a moment.

Śrī Dāmodara always assisted the Lord, whether the Lord was sleeping, eating, or traveling. There was not a moment when Svarūpa Dāmodara was separated from the Lord.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 10.52

pūrvāśramera nāma puruṣottama bhaṭṭācārya—
pūrvāśrame puruṣottamācārya nāma tāna
priya-sakhā puṇḍarīka vidyānidhi-nāma

Jayapatākā Swami: In his previous āśrama, before taking sannyasa, he was known as Puruṣottama Ācārya, and he had a dear friend called Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi.

Purport: He who was known in the Lord’s Navadvīpa pastimes as Puruṣottama Bhaṭṭācārya became famous as Dāmodara Svarūpa during Mahāprabhu’s Nīlācala pastimes. The elderly Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi was his dearmost friend.

Jayapatākā Swami: Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhī was the incarnation of Vrshbhanu Mahārāja. He was the guru of Gadādhara Prabhu, who is the incarnation of Rādhārāṇī. So he is also known as Puṇḍarīka Prema Nidhi because he would have pure love for Kṛṣṇa. So, he is the third branch of the Caitanya tree.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 10.53

pathe vicaraṇa-kāleo dāmodarera saṅgaprārthī śrī-gaurasundara—
pathe caliteo prabhu dāmodara-gāne
nācena vihvala haiyā, patha nāhi jāne

Jayapatākā Swami: Even while Lord Caitanya was traversing on the road, if He heard Svarūpa Dāmodara sing, He becomes overwhelmed and begin to dance in ecstasy and then He would forget the way.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 10.54

ekeśvara dāmodara-svarūpa-saṁhati
prabhu se ānande paḍe, nā jānena kati

Jayapatākā Swami: In the association of Svarūpa Dāmodara, Lord Caitanya would relish Lord Kṛṣṇa’s glories, Lord Caitanya would fall in such ecstasy that He would not know where He was.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 10.55

kibā jala, kibā sthala, kibā vana, ḍāla
kichu nā jānena prabhu, garjena viśāla

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya would not know whether He was in the water, whether He was in the land, whether He was in the forest, Lord Caitanya would not know anything but He would cry out loudly.

He would not know whether He was in the forest or in the bushes.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 10.56

ekeśvara dāmodara kīrtana karena
prabhure o vane ḍāle paḍite dharena

Jayapatākā Swami: Svarūpa Dāmodara would sing the glories of Lord Kṛṣṇa in kīrtana, and Lord Caitanya, He would fall sometimes in the forest or in the bushes, and Svarūpa Dāmodara would catch hold of Him.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 10.57

dāmodara-svarūpera bhāgyera ye sīmā
dāmodara-svarūpa se tāhāra upamā

Jayapatākā Swami: if you try to understand the good fortune of Dāmodara Svarūpa we cannot compare his fortune with anyone else. Svarūpa Dāmodara is the limit of the good fortune.

Purport: Because Śrī Dāmodara Svarūpa was the constant companion of Śrī Gaurasundara, his good fortune surpassed that of other devotees of Gaura. Whenever Mahāprabhu would fall in the forest or in the branches of trees out of ecstasy, Śrī Dāmodara Svarūpa would display his matchless service propensity by completely protecting Mahāprabhu’s transcendental body from all kinds of injury. Since Mahāprabhu always remained intoxicated with ecstatic love, He seldom displayed external consciousness. At such times Dāmodara would serve Him in all respects.

Jayapatākā Swami: We see the unparallel good fortune of Svarūpa Dāmodara in serving Lord Caitanya, so this is the chapter.

Thus ends the chapter entitled, Unparalleled Good Fortune of Svarūpa Dāmodara, Under the section of the Transcendental Pastimes of Lord Caitanya associates in Nīlācala.

Haribol!