20210315 Navadvīpa Devotees Start Their Journey to Jagannātha Purī

The following is a Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book Compilation given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on March 15th, 2021 in Sri Dhama Mayapur, 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!

Continuation of the Compilation of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya book,

Navadvīpa Devotees Start Their Journey to Jagannātha Purī 
Under the section Beda Kīrtana Pastimes of Lord Caitanya

Murāri Gupta Kaḍaca 4.17.1

Translation: Once all the bhaktas residing in Gauḍa desired to go to Nīlācala to see Śrī Gaurāṅga.

Murāri Gupta Kaḍaca 4.17.2

Translation: There was Śrī Advaita Ācārya, the Supreme Lord and guru of all living entities in the company of His associates, and also Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura, who was in a very blissful mood, together with his brothers.

Murāri Gupta Kaḍaca 4.17.3

Translation: There was Candra Śekhara, known as the Jewel Ācārya, and Puṇḍarīkākṣa Vidyānidhi, also known as Prema-nidhi.

Murāri Gupta Kaḍaca 4.17.4-8

Translation: There was also the scholar known as Gaṅgādāsa, who was endowed with godly qualities, as well as Vakreśvara Paṇḍita and Pradyumna Brahmacārī. Both Ṭhākura Haridāsa and Dvija Haridāsa were there, as well as Vāsudeva Datta and Mukunda Datta. Śrī Śivānanda Sena also came along with his wife and sons. Indeed, Govinda Ghoṣa was there with Mukunda, the best of singers. There was the scribe Vijaya, the scholar Sadāśiva, Puruṣottama, Sañjaya, and Śrīmān Paṇḍita. There were the brahmacārīs, Śrī Nandana and Śuklāmbara, and also the famous self-satisfied bhakta named Śrīdhara, who was known as Khola-vechā, the salesman of banana products.

Murāri Gupta Kaḍaca 4.17.9-13

Translation: There was the writer and scholar, Gopīnātha Paṇḍita, as well as Śrī Garbha Paṇḍita and Paṇḍita Vanamālī. There was Jagadīśa Paṇḍita, Vaiṣṇava Hiraṇya, Buddhimanta Khāna and Ācārya Śrī Purandara, Śrī Rāghava Paṇḍita, Murāri, the lion among physicians, Garuḍa Paṇḍita and Gopīnātha Siṁha, Śrī Rāma Paṇḍita, Śrī Nārāyaṇa Paṇḍita, Dāmodara Paṇḍita and Raghunandana Ṭhākura, Śrī Mukunda, Narahari, Cirañjīva, Sulocana, Rāmānanda Vasu, Satyarāja and others.

Murāri Gupta Kaḍaca 4.17.14

Translation: All of these bhaktas were as attached to Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya as to their own life-breath. Thus in a mood of great love, they travelled to Puruṣottama dhāma along with Advaita Prabhu.

Caitanya-Carita-Mahā-Kāvya 14.1

Translation: One time, the Lord, spoke to the devotees headed by Advaita Ācārya, who had come see his lotus feet.

Caitanya-Carita-Mahā-Kāvya 14.2

Translation: “O Ācārya! O most intelligent, learned one! Hear what I speak about the activities of Jagannātha.”

Caitanya-Carita-Mahā-Kāvya 14.3

Translation: “Jagannātha is always the shelter of all rasas. He goes to Guṇḍicā for special pastimes.”

Caitanya-Carita-Mahā-Kāvya 14.4

Translation: “There is an attractive flower garden on either side of the path going to Guṇḍicā.”

Caitanya-Carita-Mahā-Kāvya 14.5

Translation: “Know that it particularly gives remembrance of Vṛndāvana. Going to the Guṇḍicā hall Jagannātha stays and performs pastimes there for nine days.”

Caitanya-Carita-Mahā-Kāvya 14.6

Translation: “Every year you should all come to see this great festival, rare even for the devatās to see.”

Caitanya-Carita-Mahā-Kāvya 14.7

Translation: Mahāprabhu, the ocean of mercy, in this way, on the pretext of Ratha-yātra, allowed the devotees to see His own pastimes.

Caitanya-Carita-Mahā-Kāvya 14.8

Translation: Thus from that time onwards, they would eagerly come to see Gauracandra at the time of Ratha-yātra every year.

Caitanya-Carita-Mahā-Kāvya 14.9

Translation: How can hundreds of Bṛhaspatis describe these devotees who came to see Gauraṅga every year?

Caitanya-Carita-Mahā-Kāvya 14.10

Translation: I will describe how they went there one time, with constant eagerness, to give a general idea.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, the devotees from Bengal went every year to see Lord Caitanya, Missing and they were so eager to see Lord Caitanya that they were walking all the way five hundred kilometers to see Lord Caitanya. They had so much desire to see the Lord and serve the Lord.

Caitanya-Carita-Mahā-Kāvya 14.11

Translation: Advaita Ācārya and Śrīvāsa with many people were eager to go one year.

Caitanya-Carita-Mahā-Kāvya 14.12

Translation: In Vaiśākha month, with the Malaya wind blowing, with the chirping of cuckoos and humming of bees, they decided to go.

Caitanya-Carita-Mahā-Kāvya 14.13-14

Translation: Śrīvāsa full of joy, his heart soft with affection for Gauracandra, spoke to Vāsudeva Datta and Śivānanda Sena, giving their hearts joy.

Caitanya-Carita-Mahā-Kāvya 14.15

Translation: “Find out the day of Ratha-yātra, and decide what day is most suitable for us to depart for Purī.”

Caitanya-Carita-Mahā-Kāvya 14.16

Translation: Having fixed the day of going, they all with great longing and desire went to Navadvīpa.

Caitanya-Carita-Mahā-Kāvya 14.17

Translation: The great devotees saw Śacī, the form of Viṣṇu-bhakti, mother of the whole universe.

Caitanya-Carita-Mahā-Kāvya 14.18

Translation: Staying there a few days, with bliss and affection, they went to see Advaita Ācārya, who was filled with longing.

Caitanya-Carita-Mahā-Kāvya 14.19

Translation: He said in a sweet voice, “The day of departure that is suitable for you is suitable for Me also.”

Caitanya-Carita-Mahā-Kāvya 14.20

Translation: They danced and sang happily, blissful with affection for Gaurāṅga’s lotus feet.

Caitanya-Carita-Mahā-Kāvya 14.21

Translation: Advaita, the greatest mountain range of rasa for bhakti pastimes, also departed in great happiness.

Caitanya-Carita-Mahā-Kāvya 14.22

Translation: Hari-dāsa, absorbed in the great ocean of bhakti pastimes, was like a great mountain which had sunk in an ocean.

Caitanya-Carita-Mahā-Kāvya 14.23

Translation: Extracting kīrtana glorifying the Lord’s qualities from the great ocean continually, he agreed with great desire to go to Purī.

Caitanya-Carita-Mahā-Kāvya 14.24

Translation: Hari-dāsa and other great devotees, putting Advaita and Śrīvāsa in front, happily proceeded to Purī.

Caitanya-Carita-Mahā-Kāvya 14.25

Translation: Vāsudeva Datta and Śivānanda Sena, with great affection, happily went with them.

Caitanya-Carita-Mahā-Kāvya 14.26

Translation: The younger brother of Śrīvāsa, Śrirāma, who controlled Gaurāṅga by his singing at all times, also went.

Caitanya-Carita-Mahā-Kāvya 14.27-28

Translation: Mukunda, pure, affection, most dear to the Lord, sweet, peaceful, mild speaking and very soft, joyfully went with Murāri Gupta, an ocean of prema-bhakti.

Caitanya-Carita-Mahā-Kāvya 14.29

Translation: These devotees, trembling with prema for Gaurāṅga’s lotus feet, joyfully went while chanting the Lord’s name and qualities.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, the whole Purī was chanting and dancing they were filled with Kṛṣṇa-prema and they were very joyful to enjoy to see Lord Caitanya. So, all these devotees are described, they were so eager to see Lord Caitanya and had nothing else on their mind, they were simply meditating on Lord Caitanya, and thus they were hardly in external consciousness. Thinking of the Lord, they were constantly in deep meditation. So just to hear about these devotees is very purifying. So, when Lord Caitanya was in south India they had been longing to see the Lord and now He had returned to Jagannātha Purī, and they were eager to meet with the Lord.

Hare Kṛṣṇa!

Thus ends the chapter entitled, Navadvīpa Devotees Start Their Journey to Jagannātha Purī. 
Under the section Beda Kīrtana Pastimes of Lord Caitanya