20210421 Śrī Rāma Navamī - Lord Caitanya Pastimes in Rāma-līlā

The following is a class given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on April 21st, 2021 in Śrī Dhāma Māyāpur, India. The class is given on Rāma Navami.

mūkaṁ karoti vācālaṁ paṅguṁ laṅghayate girim
yat-kṛpā tam ahaṁ vande śrī-guruṁ dīna-tāraṇam
paramānandaṁ mādhavaṁ śrī caitanya iśvaram
Hariḥ oṁ tat sat!

Jayapatākā Swami: All glories to Lord Śrī Rāma!

raghupati rāghava rajārāma patita pāvana sītā rāma.

We know that Lord Caitanya has a six-handed form. He showed that to Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya and various other devotees, on some special occasions. Two hands of Rāma with bow and arrow, two hands of Kṛṣṇa, playing the flute, two hands of Lord Caitanya with a daṇḍa and kamaṇḍalu. So, Lord Caitanya also includes in some respects, Lord Rāma and Lord Kṛṣṇa. How there is a connection is mentioned in Navadvīpa Māhātmya, as Lord Nityānanda was taking Jīva Gosvāmī around the different islands of Navadvīpa, from Antardvīpa, to Sīmantadvīpa, Godrumadvīpa, Madhyadvīpa, Koladvīpa, Ṛtudvīpa, Jahnudvīpa, and Modadrumadvīpa. In Modadrumadvīpa, there is a pastime of Lord Śrī Rāma. There, He was under a large banyan tree, which has since ceased to be, at least not visible to our eyes. There He smiled and Sītā devī asked, “Why are You smiling?” Then He told the story. At that time, I was Rāma, and was green in color and carried a bow and had lotus eyes. So, at that time, since He was in the forest, He was dressed like a brahmacārī and on His head the hair was matted locked and He was so attractive that all the living entities’ minds were stolen away. But seeing Him smiling Sītā devī asked why He was smiling? He said, listen Sītā to a very secret story.

dhanya kali yabe haya ei nadīyāya
pītavarṇa rūpa mora dekhibāre pāya

Translation: When the glorious age of Kali advents, I will display a yellow complexioned form here in Nadia.

Jayapataka Swami: Remember that there is only one Personality of Godhead and He comes in different forms. So Kṛṣṇa is the original form, He has the maximum potency and Rāma is a special form. He has much greater potency than others. It says, if you chant one name of Rāma, that is equal to chanting 1000 names of Viṣṇu and if you chant one name of Kṛṣṇa that is equal to chanting 3000 names of Viṣṇu.

Text 11

jagannātha-miśra-gṛhe śrī-śacī-udare
gaurāṅga-rūpete janma labhiba satvare

Translation: I will take birth in the womb of Śacī in Jagannātha Miśra's house. I will give all the fortunate souls who see My childhood pastimes the supreme gift of prema.

Jayapataka Swami: So, we can see how the people of Nadia, of Navadvīpa-dhāma were so blessed, by seeing Lord Caitanya’s childhood pastimes, they got pure love for Kṛṣṇa, which is the supreme gift.

Text 12

bālyalīlā dekhibe ye-saba bhāgyavān
kariba se-sabe āmi para-prema dāna

Translation: I will give all the fortunate souls who see My childhood pastimes the supreme gift of prema.

Text 13

kariba se-kāle priye vidyāra vilāsa
śrīnāma-māhātmya āmi kariba prakāśa

Translation: At that time, I will enjoy My beloved educational pastimes and reveal the glories of the holy name.

Jayapataka Swami: So as Nimāi Paṇḍita, He became known as the greatest scholar in Navadvīpa. When He went to Gāya He got initiated by Īśvara Purī mahārāja. After that He became changed and He was in pure bhakti.

Text 14

sannyāsa kariyā āmi yā’ba nīlācale
kām̐dibe jananī svīya badhū la’ye kole”

Translation: I will then take sannyāsa and go to Puri, and My own mother will weep with My wife in her arms.'

Jayapataka Swami: So, He was telling His pastime of taking sannyāsa, how mother and wife are weeping. What was Sītā thinking of that?

Text 15

eka kathā śuni’ sītā balena vacana
“jananī kām̐dābe kena rājīva-locana

Translation: Hearing this, Sita asked, `O lotus-eyed one, why will You make Your mother cry?

Jayapataka Swami: We see Lord Rāma is being questioned, why His mother and wife are crying?

Text 16

sannyāsa karibe kena chāḍiyā gṛhiṇī
patnī duḥkha diyā sukha kibā nāhi jāni”

Translation: Why will You give up Your wife and take sannyāsa? What happiness is there in giving sorrow to Your wife?'

Jayapataka Swami: Sītā devī did not like this pastime of Lord Rāma, giving up His wife and taking sannyāsa.

Text 17

śrī-rāma balena, “priye tumi saba jāna
jīvere śikhāte ebe haile ajñāna

Translation: Śrī Rāma replied, `O dear one, you know everything. But you are acting ignorant just to teach the living entities.

Text 18

āmāte ye premabhakti tāra āsvādana
dui mate haya sītā śunaha vacana

Translation: Listen Sītā, My devotees relish prema-bhakti in two ways.

Jayapataka Swami: Lord Rāma is revealing a secret to Sītā devī.

Text 19

āmāra saṁyoge sukha sambhoga bolaya
āmāra viyoge sukha vipralambha haya

Translation: In union with Me they enjoy sambhoga, and in separation from Me they enjoy vipralambha.

Text 20

bhakta mora nitya saṅgī sambhoga vāñchaya
mama kṛpābaśe tāra vipralambha haya

Translation: My eternal associates desire sambhoga, but I mercifully give them vipralambha.

Jayapataka Swami: So, this is difficult for devotees to understand. But the intense ecstasy of separation from the Lord is greater, than the ecstasy of being with the Lord.

Text 21

vipralambhe duḥkha yei āmāra kāraṇa
parama ānanda tāhā, jāne bhaktajana

Translation: The devotees know that distress due to separation from Me is actually the topmost bliss.

Jayapataka Swami: Lord Caitanya taught us to experience the ecstasy of vipralambha and that was what the Ayodhya-vāsīs experienced when Lord Rāma left Ayodhyā Dhāma for 14 years.

Text 22

vipralambhe śeṣe yabe sambhoga udaya
pūrvāpekṣā koṭiguṇa sukha tāhe haya

Translation: After separation, when union occurs, they feel happiness so much greater than before-a million times multiplied.

Jayapataka Swami: Like a person if he is hungry, when they eat they feel much satisfaction. So, when a devotee is separate from the Lord, he is feeling great vipralambha or separation, when he is united with the Lord, his happiness increases many times,millions and millions of times!

Text 23

sei ta’ sukhera hetu āmāra biccheda
svīkāra karaha tumi, bale cāri veda

Translation: That is the explanation of how there can be happiness in separation. You should accept this mood which is described in the four Vedas.

Jayapataka Swami: In material life, separation is just suffering. But in spiritual life, separation is when one remembers the Lord very intensely therefore, the ecstasy is greater.

Text 24

śrī-gaurāṅga-avatāre kauśalyā-jananī
śacīdevī aditi vedete yāra dhvani

Translation: "She who is known as Aditi in the Vedas is now mother Kauśalya and will become mother Śacī in Gaurāṇga's pastimes.

Jayapataka Swami: Just as Kṛṣṇa before He was Rāma, and later He became Gaurāṅga. Similarly, all the associates were also there but in different forms.

Text 25

tumi viṣṇupriyā-rūpe sevibe āmāre
bicchede śrī-gaura-mūrti karibe pracāre

Translation: And you, Sītā, will serve Me as Viṣṇupriyā. In separation, you will worship My Deity and spread My glories.

Jayapataka Swami: So, He revealed that Sītā would come back as Viṣṇupriyā, and serve Him in separation.

Text 26

tomāra bicchede kabhu svarṇasītā kari’
bhajiba tomāre āmi ayodhyā-nagarī

Translation: Separated from you, I will worship a golden Sītā Deity in Ayodhya.

Jayapataka Swami: When Lord Rāma is separated from Sītā, He worshiped a golden form of Sītā.

Text 27

tā’ra vinimaye tumi nadīyā-nagare
gaurāṅga-pratimā kari’ pūjibe āmāre

Jayapataka Swami: In exchange for that, in Navadvīpa town, You will worship a golden form of Me.

Text 28

ei gūḍha kathā sītā gopanīya ati
lokete prakāśa nāhi haibe samprati

Jayapataka Swami: This secret which was revealed to Sītā-devī is very confidential. It was not manifested to the general public.

Text 29

ei navadvīpa mora baḍa priyasthāna
ayodhyādi nāhi haya ihāra samāna

Jayapataka Swami: This Navadvīpa is dear to Me. Ayodhyā and other holy places are not equal to this place.

Text 30

ei rāmavaṭa-vṛkṣa kali-āgamane
adarśana ha’ye sītā ra’be saṅgopane”

Jayapataka Swami: This banyan tree when Kali comes, will become invisible. Then Sītā would be present as Viṣṇupriyā.

Text 31

eirūpe rāma sītā-lakṣmaṇa-sahita
eisthāne katadina ha’ye avasthita

Jayapataka Swami: In this form of Lord Caitanya as Rāma, and Sītā along with Lakṣmaṇa, They stayed in this place for some days. So from this we can understand how the pastimes of Lord Rāma are connected to Lord Caitanya. So Rāmacandra had banished Sītā devī to the forest because of some varṇāśrama situation. In reciprocation, He banished Himself to the forest and as He was feeling separation from Sītā, She was feeling separation from Him as Viṣṇupriyā. Also each avatāra has a particular mood, so Lord Rāma had one mood, very righteous, very following all the rules. Whereas Kṛṣṇa was the independent Lord, so He would sometime bend the rules, usually to follow to show a good example. But Sometimes He would act independently, If you want to get pure love for Kṛṣṇa, you have to surrender to Him. Rāma as a King, His prajā or subjects could only get this close. Since He treated them like His own children. But Lord Caitanya as a bhakta-avatāra, He was very merciful and He would give His mercy to people without considering who was qualified or not. Every avatāra has a particular mood, like Nṛsiṁhadeva, is very angry, Lord Rāma had one nature, Kṛṣṇa had another and Lord Gaurāṅga another. So we are very fortunate we are here in Navadvīpa-dhāma known as Audārya-dhāma land of special mercy. Here Lord Rāma said this place is very dear to Him. Ayodhyā is not equal to Navadvīpa-dhāma. So, here we see that all the pastime of the Lord all the avatāras at some point or another, they came here. Modadrumadvīpa, Lord Rāma, Mother Sītā, and Lakṣmaṇa were also here. So, like that in the part of the Navadvīpa-dhāma in Rukumpur it says if one bathes on the full moon day, in the month of Kārtika in Rukumpur, we get special mercy of Lord Rāma, hundred times, so this is a special Rāma-tīrtha. So, like that Lord Rāma is also connected with Navadvīpa dhāma.

Also Lord Caitanya had told Murāri Gupta that he should worship Lord Kṛṣṇa. But Murāri Gupta was always worshiping Lord Sītā Rāma. So then he told Lord Caitanya that I think I will take my life in the Ganges. Lord Caitanya asked why? He said, “because I have not been able to follow Your order. I try to chant Kṛṣṇa’s names, but in my mind Raghunātha keeps coming up”. Then Lord Caitanya embraced him and said, you are the real devotee of Lord Rāma. Later He revealed to Murāri Gupta that he was actually Hanumān. Naturally he was a Rāma bhakta. Today we showed the Sītā Rāma, Lakṣmaṇa, Hanumān deity of Murāri Gupta which is still being worshiped in Navadvīpa-dhāma.