20210407 Svarūpa Dāmodara Requests Lord Caitanya To Excuse the Bengali Vaiṣṇava

The following is a Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book Compilation given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on April 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!

Today we are continuing with the compilation of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book, today’s chapter entitled is:

Svarūpa Dāmodara Requests Lord Caitanya To Excuse the Bengali Vaiṣṇava

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 12.122

eka gauḍīya-bhaktera prabhura caraṇa dhuiyā pādodaka-pāna:—
hena-kāle gauḍīyā eka subuddhi sarala
prabhura caraṇa-yuge dila ghaṭa-jala

Translation: After everything was thoroughly washed, a Vaiṣṇava from Bengal, who was very intelligent and simple, came and poured water on the lotus feet of the Lord.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 12.123

sei jala lañā āpane pāna kaila
tāhā dekhi’ prabhura mane duḥkha roṣa haila

Translation: The Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava then took that water and drank it himself. Seeing that, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu felt a little unhappy and was also outwardly angry.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, previously devotees had poured water on the Lord and they sucked the water. In all of the cleaning of the temple, this was noticed by Lord Caitanya. Now the temple is already clean and this devotee obviously went and poured water on the Lord and took the water to drink. Lord Caitanya seeing him became outwardly angry and internally little unhappy.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 12.124

jagadaguru ācāryera līlā-pradarśaka prabhura krodha:—
yadyapi gosāñi tāre hañāche santoṣa
dharma-saṁsthāpana lāgi’ bāhire mahā-roṣa

Translation: Although the Lord was certainly satisfied with him, He became angry externally in order to establish the etiquette of religious principles.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, here it says internally He was satisfied with the action of the devotee but since he had transgressed certain principles, outwardly Lord Caitanya wanted to teach him and others and expressed some anger.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 12.125

mādhba-gauḍīyeśvara dāmodara-svarūpera nikaṭa prabhura abhiyoga:—
śikṣā lāgi’ svarūpe ḍāki’ kahila tāṅhāre
ei dekha tomāra ’gauḍīyā’ra vyavahāre

Translation: The Lord then called for Svarūpa Dāmodara and told him, “Just see the behavior of your Bengali Vaiṣṇava!

Jayapatākā Swami: So, it’s interesting that here Lord Caitanya addressed Svarūpa Dāmodara as in-charge of all the Bengali devotees.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 12.126

bhagavan-mandire padadhauti—jīvera sevāparādha:—
īśvara-mandire mora pada dhoyāila
sei jala āpani lañā pāna kaila

Translation: “This person from Bengal has washed My feet within the temple of the Personality of Godhead. Not only that, but he has drunk the water himself.

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya was establishing that in the temple of the Lord we should be very careful and since He was taking the role of a jīva, so then to wash His feet in the temple of the Lord, even more to drink the water was a great offence. Of course Lord Caitanya being Himself the Supreme Personality of Godhead this was not an issue. But Lord Caitanya was not playing that part, He took the role of a pure devotee, a jīva, so therefore this activity was a transgression.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 12.127

prabhura sevā-parādha (?) bhaye kātaratā:—
ei aparādhe mora kāhāṅ habe gati
tomāra ’gauḍīyā’ kare eteka phaijati!

Translation: “I now do not know what My destination is because of this offense. Indeed, your Bengali Vaiṣṇava has greatly implicated Me.”

Purport: It is significant that Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu told Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī that the Bengali Vaiṣṇava was “your Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava.” This means that all Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas who are followers of the Caitanya cult are subordinate to Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī. The paramparā system is very strictly observed by Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s personal secretary was Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī. The next group of devotees was the six Gosvāmīs, then Kavirāja Gosvāmī. It is necessary to observe the paramparā system of the Caitanya cult. There are many offenses one can commit while serving the Lord, and these are described in the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, Hari-bhakti-vilāsa and other books. According to the rules and regulations, no one should accept obeisances in the temple of the Lord before the Deity. Nor is it proper for a devotee to offer obeisances and touch the feet of the spiritual master before the Deity. This is considered an offense. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu Himself was personally the Supreme Personality of Godhead; therefore it was not actually offensive to wash His lotus feet in the temple. However, because He was playing the part of an ācārya, the Lord considered Himself an ordinary human being. He also wanted to give instructions to ordinary human beings. The point is that even though one plays the part of a spiritual master, he should not accept obeisances or permit a disciple to wash his feet before the Deity. This is a matter of etiquette.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 12.128

svarūpa-karttṛka ‘gauḍīyā’ke guṇḍicā haite bahiṣkaraṇa:—
tabe svarūpa gosāñi tāra ghāḍe hāta diyā
ḍhekā māri’ purīra bāhira rākhilena lañā

Translation: At this point Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī caught the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava by the neck and, giving him a little push, ejected him from the Guṇḍicā Purī temple and made him stay outside.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Svarūpa Dāmodara slowly had pushed the Bengali devotee out of the temple and in this way he was chastising him.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 12.129

prabhupade kṣamābhikṣā:—
punaḥ āsi’ prabhu pāya karila vinaya
‘ajña-aparādha’ kṣamā karite yuyāya

Translation: After Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī returned within the temple, he requested Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu to excuse that innocent person.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Svarūpa Dāmodara explained that the person acted without thinking and therefore actually he is innocent and simplistic and he begged Caitanya Mahāprabhu to forgive him.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 12.130

prabhura kṣamā; sakalera duipārśve upaveśana:—
tabe mahāprabhura mane santoṣa ha-ila
sāri kari’ dui pāśe sabāre vasāilā

Translation: After this incident, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was very satisfied. He then asked all of the devotees to sit down in two lines on both sides.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 12.131

madhyasthale prabhura tṛṇādi āharaṇa:—
āpane vasiyā mājhe, āpanāra hate
tṛṇa, kāṅkara, kuṭā lāgilā kuḍāite

Translation: The Lord then personally sat down in the middle and picked up all kinds of straw, grains of sand and dirty things.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 12.132

svalpāharaṇakārī vyaktike prasāda-grahaṇa-rūpa śāsti dāna:—
ke kata kuḍāya, saba ekatra Kariba
yāra alpa, tāra ṭhāñi piṭhā-pānā la-iba

Translation: While Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was picking up the straws and grains of sand, He said, “I shall gather everyone’s collection, and I shall ask whoever has collected less than all the others to pay a fine of sweet cakes and sweet rice.”

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Caitanya was having a transcendental competition, those who would lose had to give sweet cakes and sweet rice to Lord Caitanya and others.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 12.133

guṇḍicā sampūrṇa-rūpe nirmalīkṛta:
ei mata saba purī karila śodhana
śītala, nirmala kaila—yena nija-mana

Translation: In this way all the quarters of the Guṇḍicā temple were completely cleansed and cleared. All quarters were cool and spotless, like one’s cleansed and pacified mind.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, since the floor was made of rocks and stone slabs put together, there were cracks between the slabs. So these cracks were also cleansed and anything in them like straws, sand was swept out and cleansed and the temple was completely spotlessly clean like Lord Caitanya's spotless mind.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 12.134

payaḥpraṇālī-dvāre jala-niḥsāraṇa:—
praṇālikā chāḍi’ yadi pāni vahāila
nūtana nadī yena samudre milila

Translation: When the water from the different rooms was finally let out through the halls, it appeared as if new rivers were rushing out to meet the waters of the ocean.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 12.135

guṇḍicāra vibhinna patha pariṣkṛta:—
ei-mata puradvāra-āge patha yata
sakala śodhila, tāhā ke varṇibe kata

Translation: Outside the gateway of the temple, all the roads were also cleansed, and no one could tell exactly how this was done.

Purport: In commenting on the cleansing of the Guṇḍicā temple, Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura says that Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, as the world leader, was personally giving instructions on how one should receive Lord Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, within one’s cleansed and pacified heart. If one wants to see Kṛṣṇa seated in his heart, he must first cleanse the heart, as prescribed by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu in His Śikṣāṣṭaka: ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam. In this age, everyone’s heart is especially unclean, as confirmed in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam:

hṛdy antaḥ-stho hy abhadrāṇi.

To wash away all dirty things accumulated within the heart, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu advised everyone to chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. The first result will be that the heart is cleansed (ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam).

Similarly, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.2.17) confirms this statement:

“Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Personality of Godhead, who is the Paramātmā [Supersoul] in everyone’s heart and the benefactor of the truthful devotee, cleanses desire for material enjoyment from the heart of the devotee who relishes His messages, which are in themselves virtuous when properly heard and chanted.”

If a devotee at all wants to cleanse his heart, he must chant and hear the glories of the Lord, Śrī Kṛṣṇa (śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ). This is a simple process. Kṛṣṇa Himself will help cleanse the heart because He is already seated there. Kṛṣṇa wants to continue living within the heart, and the Lord wants to give directions, but one has to keep his heart as clean as Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu kept the Guṇḍicā temple. The devotee therefore has to cleanse his heart just as the Lord cleansed the Guṇḍicā temple. In this way one can be pacified and enriched in devotional service. If the heart is filled with straw, grains of sand, weeds or dust (in other words, anyābhilāṣa-pūrṇa), one cannot enthrone the Supreme Personality of Godhead there. The heart must be cleansed of all material motives brought about through fruitive work, speculative knowledge, the mystic yoga system and so many other forms of so-called meditation. The heart must be cleansed without ulterior motive.

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu used to teach every devotee by His personal behavior. Everyone who spreads the cult of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu accepts a similar responsibility. The Lord was personally chastising and praising individuals in the course of the cleaning, and those who are engaged as ācāryas must learn from Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu how to train devotees by personal example. The Lord was very pleased with those who could cleanse the temple by taking out undesirable things accumulated within. This is called anartha-nivṛtti, cleansing the heart of all unwanted things. Thus the cleansing of the Guṇḍicā-mandira was conducted by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu to let us know how the heart should be cleansed and soothed to receive Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa and enable Him to sit within the heart without disturbance.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, in this way, Lord Caitanya and His associates cleansed the Guṇḍicā temple. Similarly each devotee should cleanse their heart and get free of all ulterior motives and simply prepare the heart for receiving the Lord.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 12.136

nṛsiṃha-mandira-śodhanānte sakalera viśrāma:—
nṛsiṁha-mandira-bhitara-bāhira śodhila
kṣaṇeka viśrāma kari’ nṛtya ārambhila

Translation: Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu also cleansed the Nṛsiṁha temple inside and outside. Finally, He rested a few minutes and then began dancing.

Purport: The Nṛsiṁha temple is a nice temple just outside the Guṇḍicā temple. In this temple there is a great festival on the day of Nṛsiṁha-caturdaśī. There is also a Nṛsiṁha temple at Navadvīpa where the same festival is observed, as described by Murāri Gupta in his book Caitanya-carita.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, at the time of writing this book, the western devotees were not allowed in the Jagannātha Purī temple or the Guṇḍicā temple, we don’t know what happens in the future. But we are allowed in the Narasiṁha temple. Many times, the devotees have sat or circumambulated this Narasiṁha temple and have had darśana of Lord Narasimhadeva. So, it is interesting to note that Lord Caitanya has cleansed this temple and sat here also and then chanted and danced there after that.

Thus ends the chapter entitled, Svarūpa Dāmodara Requests Lord Caitanya to Excuse the Bengali Vaiṣṇava.