20210416 Lord Caitanya Dances Jubilantly and Offers Prayers

The following is a Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book Compilation given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on April 16th, 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!

Hare Kṛṣṇa! Today we will Continue with the Compilation of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book, today's chapter is entitled as:

Lord Caitanya Dances Jubilantly and Offers Prayers

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 13.67

aprākṛtavastu nahe prākṛta-gocara’’:—
bhakta-gaṇa anubhave, nāhi jāne āna
śrī-bhāgavata-śāstra tāhāte pramāṇa

Translation: Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s dancing before the Ratha-yātrā car could be perceived only by pure devotees. Others could not understand. Descriptions of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s uncommon dancing can be found in the revealed scripture Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

Purport: Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa expanded Himself into many forms while engaged in the rāsa-līlā dance, and He also expanded Himself when He married 16,000 wives in Dvārakā. The same process was adopted by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu when He expanded Himself into seven forms to dance in each and every group of the saṅkīrtana party. These expansions were appreciated by pure devotees, including King Pratāparudra. Although for reasons of external formality Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu refused to see King Pratāparudra because he was a king, King Pratāparudra became one of the Lord’s most confidential devotees by the Lord’s special mercy upon him. The King could see Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu simultaneously present in all seven groups. As confirmed in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, one cannot see the expansions of the transcendental forms of the Lord unless one is a pure devotee of the Lord.

Jayapatākā Swami: Hari Bol! So, King Pratāparudra got this special mercy from Lord Caitanya, that he could see the Lord’s transcendental expansions in the seven saṅkīrtana groups. So this shows that he was given the special mercy.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 13.68

prabhura narttane lokoddhāra:—
ei-mata mahāprabhu kare nṛtya-raṅge
bhāsāila saba loka premera taraṅge

Translation: In this way Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu danced in great jubilation and inundated all the people with waves of ecstatic love.

Jayapatākā Swami: In this way just as Lord Caitanya was present on the earth, He swept the people away in the waves of ecstatic love, similarly the devotees of Lord Caitanya should also inundate the whole world in this saṅkīrtana chanting and have the people being washed by the waves of ecstatic love.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 13.69

sagaṇa prabhura narttana-kīrtanera madhye jagannāthera rathārohaṇa o gundhicā-gamana:—
ei-mata haila kṛṣṇera rathe ārohaṇa
tāra āge prabhu nācāila bhakta-gaṇa

Translation: Thus Lord Jagannātha mounted His car, and Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu inspired all His devotees to dance in front of it.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 13.70

āge śuna jagannāthera guṇḍicā-gamana
tāra āge prabhu yaiche karilā nartana

Translation: Now please hear about Lord Jagannātha’s going to the Guṇḍicā temple while Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu danced before the Ratha car.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 13.71

ei-mata kīrtana prabhu karila kata-kṣaṇa
āpana-udyoge nācāila bhakta-gaṇa

Translation: The Lord performed kīrtana for some time and, through His own endeavor, inspired all the devotees to dance.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 13.72

narttanecchā-hetu 9 jana bhaktasaha sarūpera kīrtana-dala-gaṭhana:—
āpani nācite yabe prabhura mana haila
sāta sampradāya tabe ekatra karila

Translation: When the Lord Himself wanted to dance, all seven groups combined together.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 13.73

śrīvāsa, rāmāi, raghu, govinda, mukunda haridāsa, govindānanda, mādhava, govinda

Translation: The Lord’s devotees — including Śrīvāsa, Rāmāi, Raghu, Govinda, Mukunda, Haridāsa, Govindānanda, Mādhava and Govinda — all combined together.

Jayapatākā Swami: All the seven kīrtana groups, all combined together, all fourteen mṛdaṅgas, all singers and all dancers.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 13.74

uddaṇḍa-nṛtye prabhura yabe haila mana
svarūpera saṅge dila ei nava jana

Translation: When Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu desired to jump high while dancing, He placed these nine people in the charge of Svarūpa Dāmodara.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 13.75

anyānya bhaktera caturddike kīrttana :—
ei daśa jana prabhura saṅge gāya, dhāya
āra saba sampradāya cāri dike gāya

Translation: These devotees [Svarūpa Dāmodara and the devotees in his charge] sang along with the Lord, and they also ran beside Him. All the other groups of men also sang.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 13.76

prabhura jagannātha-stuti:—
daṇḍavat kari, prabhu yuḍi’ dui hāta
ūrdhva-mukhe stuti kare dekhi’ jagannātha

Translation: Offering obeisances to the Lord with folded hands, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu raised His face toward Jagannātha and prayed as follows.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 13.77

Viṣṇu-Purāṇa (1.19.65)—

namo brahmaṇya-devāya
go-brāhmaṇa-hitāya ca
jagad-dhitāya kṛṣṇāya
govindāya namo namaḥ

Translation: “‘Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto Lord Kṛṣṇa, who is the worshipable Deity for all brahminical men, who is the well-wisher of cows and brāhmaṇas, and who is always benefiting the whole world. I offer my repeated obeisances to the Personality of Godhead, known as Kṛṣṇa and Govinda.”

Purport: This is a quotation from the Viṣṇu Purāṇa (1.19.65).

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 13.78

śrīkula-śekhara-kṛta mukundamālā-stotre:—
jayati jayati devo devakī-nandano ’sau
jayati jayati kṛṣṇo vṛṣṇi-vaṁśa-pradīpaḥ
jayati jayati megha-śyāmalaḥ komalāṅgo
jayati jayati pṛthvī-bhāra-nāśo mukundaḥ

Translation: “‘All glories unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is known as the son of Devakī! All glories to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is known as the light of the dynasty of Vṛṣṇi! All glories to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, whose bodily luster is like that of a new cloud, and whose body is as soft as a lotus flower! All glories to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who appeared on this planet to deliver the world from the burden of demons, and who can offer liberation to everyone!’

Purport: This is a verse from the Mukunda-mālā (2).

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 13.79

aprākṛta navīna kāmadevera jaya:—

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.90.48)—

jayati jana-nivāso devakī-janma-vādo
yadu-vara-pariṣat svair dorbhir asyann adharmam
sthira-cara-vṛjina-ghnaḥ susmita-śrī-mukhena
vraja-pura-vanitānāṁ vardhayan kāma-devam

Translation: “‘Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa is He who is known as jana-nivāsa, the ultimate resort of all living entities, and who is also known as Devakī-nandana or Yaśodā-nandana, the son of Devakī and Yaśodā. He is the guide of the Yadu dynasty, and with His mighty arms He kills everything inauspicious, as well as every man who is impious. By His presence He destroys all things inauspicious for all living entities, moving and inert. His blissful smiling face always increases the lusty desires of the gopīs of Vṛndāvana. May He be all-glorious and happy!’

Purport: This is a quotation from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.90.48).

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 13.80

ahaṁ-padārthavācya jīvātma-svarūpa:—
padyāvalīte (74) dhṛta śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanyokta-śloka:—
nāhaṁ vipro na ca nara-patir nāpi vaiśyo na śūdro
nāhaṁ varṇī na ca gṛha-patir no vanastho yatir vā
kintu prodyan-nikhila-paramānanda-pūrnāmṛtābdher
gopī-bhartuḥ pada-kamalayor dāsa-dāsānudāsaḥ

Translation: “‘I am not a brāhmaṇa, I am not a kṣatriya, I am not a vaiśya or a śūdra. Nor am I a brahmacārī, a householder, a vānaprastha or a sannyāsī. I identify Myself only as the servant of the servant of the servant of the lotus feet of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the maintainer of the gopīs. He is like an ocean of nectar, and He is the cause of universal transcendental bliss. He is always existing with brilliance.”

Purport: This is verse 74 from the Padyāvalī, an anthology of verses compiled by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 13.81

prabhura anugamane bhaktagaṇera bhagavatpraṇāma:—
eta paḍi’ punarapi karila praṇāma
yoḍa-hāte bhakta-gaṇa vande bhagavān

Translation: Having recited all these verses from scripture, the Lord again offered His obeisances, and all the devotees, with folded hands, also offered prayers to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Caitanya in His participation in the Ratha-yātrā of Lord Jagannātha, He offered His prostrate obeisances and with folded hands He offered these beautiful prayers before Lord Jagannātha, and gave all the devotees immense transcendental ecstasy. So, Lord Caitanya was teaching by His personal example, how to worship Kṛṣṇa, how to have pure bhakti for Lord Kṛṣṇa, and by His example the devotees can practice Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Thus ends the chapter entitled, Lord Caitanya Dances Jubilantly and Offers Prayers.