20210417 Haricandana, an Officer of King Pratāparudra is Graced by Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura

The following is a Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book Compilation given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on April 17th, 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! Dear Devotees! We will continue with the Compilation of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book, today's chapter is entitled

Haricandana, an Officer of King Pratāparudra is Graced by Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 13.82

prabhura uddaṇḍa nṛtya-varṇana:—
uddaṇḍa nṛtya prabhu kariyā huṅkāra
cakra-bhrami bhrame yaiche alāta-ākāra

Translation: When Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu danced and jumped high, roaring like thunder and moving in a circle like a wheel, He appeared like a circling firebrand.

Purport: If a burning cinder of a firebrand is whirled about very swiftly, it gives the appearance of a circle of fire. This is called alāta-ākāra or alāta-cakra, a firebrand circle. This whole circle is not actually made of fire but is a single fire in motion. Similarly, Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is a single personality, but when He danced and jumped high in a circle, He appeared like the alāta-cakra.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 13.83

nṛtye prabhura yāhāṅ yāṅhā paḍe pada-tala
sasāgara-śaila mahī kare ṭalamala

Translation: Wherever Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu stepped while dancing, the whole earth, with its hills and seas, appeared to tilt.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 13.84

prabhura aṣṭa-sāttvika vikāra:—
stambha, sveda, pulaka, aśru, kampa, vaivarṇya
nānā-bhāve vivaśatā, garva, harṣa, dainya 

Translation: When Caitanya Mahāprabhu danced, He displayed various blissful transcendental changes in His body. Sometimes He appeared as though stunned. Sometimes the hairs of His body stood on end. Sometimes He perspired, cried, trembled and changed color, and sometimes He exhibited symptoms of helplessness, pride, exuberance and humility.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Caitanya was exhibiting the māha-bhāva, the highest level of kṛṣṇa-prema, and in His transcendental pastimes He as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, wherever He stepped the whole earth started to tremble and tilt because the whole creation is depending on Him, all the unlimited millions of universes. So His dancing had unlimited mass and He was creating such an dynamic influence on the earth.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 13.85

āchāḍa khāñā paḍe bhūme gaḍi’ yāya
suvarṇa-parvata yaiche bhūmete loṭāya

Translation: When Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu fell down with a crash while dancing, He would roll on the ground. At such times it appeared that a golden mountain was rolling on the ground.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Caitanya, he would exhibit such transcendental ecstasies sometimes He would crash to the ground then He would be rolling in the ground. This is just like a golden mountain rolling on the ground, and it is not peaceful, actually Lord Caitanya’s rolling on the ground is something astonishing.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 13.86

nitāira rakṣaṇa-ceṣṭā:—
nityānanda-prabhu dui hāta prasāriyā
prabhure dharite cāhe āśa-pāśa dhāñā

Translation: Nityānanda Prabhu would stretch out His two hands and try to catch the Lord when He was running here and there.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 13.87

prabhura paścāte haridhvani-nirata advaita:—
prabhu-pāche bule ācārya kariyā huṅkāra
‘hari-bola’ ’hari-bola’ bale bāra bāra

Translation: Advaita Ācārya would walk behind the Lord and loudly chant “Haribol! Haribol!” again and again.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 13.88

prabhuke lokasparśa haite rakṣaṇārtha tinadalera veṣṭana:—
loka nivārite haila tina maṇḍala
prathama-maṇḍale nityānanda mahā-bala

Translation: Just to check the crowds from coming too near the Lord, the devotees formed three circles. The first circle was guided by Nityānanda Prabhu, who is Balarāma Himself, the possessor of great strength.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 13.89

kāśīśvara govindādi yata bhakta-gaṇa
hātāhāti kari’ haila dvitīya āvaraṇa

Translation: All the devotees headed by Kāśīśvara and Govinda linked hands and formed a second circle around the Lord.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 13.90

bāhire pratāparudra lañā pātra-gaṇa
maṇḍala hañā kare loka nivāraṇa

Translation: Mahārāja Pratāparudra and his personal assistants formed a third circle around the two inner circles just to check the crowds from coming too near.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, we see how three circles protected as the Lord performed and King Pratāparudra was having the third circle, he was doing this personal service to Lord Caitanya.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 13.91

haricandana-saṅge rājāra prabhu-nṛtya-darśana:—
haricandanera skandhe hasta ālambiyā
prabhura nṛtya dekhe rājā āviṣṭa hañā

Translation: With his hands on the shoulders of Haricandana, King Pratāparudra could see Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu dancing, and the King felt great ecstasy.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 13.92

rājasammukhe śrīvāsera prabhu-nṛtya-darśana-sevā:—
hena-kāle śrīnivāsa premāviṣṭa-mana
rājāra āge rahi’ dekhe prabhura nartana

Translation: While the King beheld the dancing, Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura, standing in front of him, became ecstatic as he saw the dancing of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, everyone was watching Lord Caitanya’s dancing and Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura, he was in front of the King watching Lord Caitanya’s dancing. But he was completely ecstatic and not aware of anything else. Meanwhile the King with his hands on Haricandana was also ecstatic watching the dancing Lord Caitanya.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 13.93

avādhe rājāra darśana-suyogajanya śrīvāsake haricandanera mṛdubhāve apasāraṇa-ceṣṭā:—
rājāra āge haricandana dekhe śrīnivāsa
haste tāṅre sparśi’ kahe,—hao eka-pāśa

Translation: Seeing Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura standing before the King, Haricandana touched Śrīvāsa with his hand and requested him to step aside.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 13.94

sevā-rata śrīvāsera punaḥ punaḥ sevā-vighnahetu krodha:—
nṛtyāveśe śrīnivāsa kichui nā jāne
bāra bāra ṭhele, teṅho krodha haila mane

Translation: Absorbed in watching Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu dance, Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura could not understand why he was being touched and pushed. After he was pushed again and again, he became angry.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 13.95

haricandanake capeṭāghāta, tatphale tāhāra krodha:—
cāpaḍa māriyā tāre kaila nivāraṇa
cāpaḍa khāñā kruddha hailā haricandana

Translation: Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura slapped Haricandana to stop him from pushing him. In turn, this made Haricandana angry.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 13.96

haricandanake rājāra nivāraṇa:—
kruddha hañā tāṅre kichu cāhe balibāre
āpani pratāparudra nivārila tāre

Translation: As the angered Haricandana was about to speak to Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura, Pratāparudra Mahārāja personally stopped him.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Haricandana was trying to make a place for the King to see. So, he was pushing Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura, who was absorbed in the ecstasy of seeing Lord Caitanya dance. So Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura couldn’t understand why someone was poking him in the ribs. So he turned around and slapped Haricandana to get him to stop poking him, and then Haricandana became angry so there may be an argument but King Pratāparudra stopped him and advised him to be calm.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 13.97

vaiṣṇava-karttṛka apamāna vā āghātao saubhāgya-sūcaka :—
bhāgyavān tumi—iṅhāra hasta-sparśa pāilā
āmāra bhāgye nāhi, tumi kṛtārtha hailā

Translation: King Pratāparudra said, “You are very fortunate, for you have been graced by the touch of Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura. I am not so fortunate. You should feel obliged to him.”

Jayapatākā Swami: Hari Bol! Hari Bol! how King Pratāparudra had become so much appreciative of the devotees of Lord Caitanya, and even his servant was slapped by Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura but King Pratāparudra said that he was blessed, “I am not getting such a mercy!” Haribol!

Thus ends the chapter entitled, Haricandana, an Officer of King Pratāparudra is Graced by Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura

So, like this there are many pastimes that happened during the Ratha-yātrā and Lord Caitanya was jumping and dancing, crushing to the ground and He was exhibiting so many ecstasies, māha-bhāva and everyone was overwhelmed to see the loving emotions and ecstasies of the Lord. These are not humanly possible or visible. These transcendental exhibitions were something that Lord Caitanya alone can display, and so the residents of Purī they were fortunate to see Lord Caitanya’s transcendental exhibits. So just to hear about the Lord’s transcendental exhibits, there is no difference between the Lord's pastimes and the Lord, so by hearing we are also blessed.

Hare Kṛṣṇa! Haribol!