20210516 Mukunda Feigns Epilepsy to Hide His Love of Kṛṣṇa

The following is a Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book Compilation given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on May 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! Dear Devotees! Today we will continue with the compilation of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book. Today's chapter is entitled as:

Mukunda Feigns Epilepsy to Hide His Love of Kṛṣṇa

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 15.112

pradhāna khaṇḍavāsitraya–

khaṇḍera mukunda-dāsa, śrī-raghunandana
śrī-narahari,—ei mukhya tina jana

Translation: Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu then turned His attention to three persons — Mukunda dāsa, Raghunandana and Śrī Narahari — inhabitants of the place called Khaṇḍa.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 15.113

prabhura mukunda-dāsake raghunandana-saha sambandha-jijñāsā—

mukunda dāsere puche śacīra nandana
‘tumi—pitā, putra tomāra—śrī-raghunandana?

Translation: Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, the son of mother Śacī, next asked Mukunda dāsa, “You are the father, and your son is Raghunandana. Is that so?

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 15.114

kibā raghunandana—pitā, tumi—tāra tanaya?
niścaya kariyā kaha, yāuka saṁśaya’

Translation: “Or is Śrīla Raghunandana your father and you are his son? Please let Me know the facts so that My doubts will go away.”

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 15.115

raghunandanake kṛṣṇa-bhakta jāniyā amānī mānada mukundera putra-buddhi-tyāga o guru-buddhi

mukunda kahe,—raghunandana mora ‘pitā’ haya
āmi tāra ‘putra’,—ei āmāra niścaya

Translation: Mukunda replied, “Raghunandana is my father, and I am his son. This is my decision.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 15.116

āmā sabāra kṛṣṇa-bhakti raghunandana haite
ataeva pitā—raghunandana āmāra niścite

Translation: “All of us have attained devotion to Kṛṣṇa due to Raghunandana. Therefore in my mind he is my father.”

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 15.117

mukundera saduttara-śravaṇe prabhura harṣa, sad guru’ vā ‘prakṛta pitā’ra saṁjñā

śuni’ harṣe kahe prabhu—“kahile niścaya
yāṅhā haite kṛṣṇa-bhakti sei guru haya”

Translation: Hearing Mukunda dāsa give this proper decision, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu confirmed it, saying, “Yes, it is correct. One who awakens devotion to Kṛṣṇa is certainly the spiritual master.”

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Raghunandana das was having the Laddu Gopāla deity eating from His hands. So, he had such devotion that Kṛṣṇa in the deity form, He would eat from Raghunandana’s hands. In this way his father considered him as his father or guru because of his ecstatic pure bhakti.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 15.118

bhaktera jayagāne matta bhagavān:—

bhaktera mahimā prabhu kahite pāya sukha
bhaktera mahimā kahite haya pañca-mukha

Translation: Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu became very happy just to speak of the glories of His devotees. Indeed, when He spoke of their glories, it was as if He had five faces.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 15.119

bhaktagaṇa-sammukhe mukundera kṛṣṇa-prema-varṇana

bhakta-gaṇe kahe,—śuna mukundera prema
nigūḍha nirmala prema, yena dagdha hema

Translation: Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu then informed all His devotees, “Please hear about Mukunda’s love of Godhead. It is a very deep and pure love and can only be compared to purified gold.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 15.120

vāhye loka-vyavahāra, antare kṛṣṇa-niṣṭhā

bāhye rāja-vaidya iṅho kare rāja-sevā
antare kṛṣṇa-prema iṅhāra jānibeka kebā

Translation: “Mukunda dāsa externally appears to be a royal physician engaged in governmental service, but internally he has a deep love for Kṛṣṇa. Who can understand his love?

Purport: Unless Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu discloses the fact, no one can understand who is actually a great devotee of the Lord engaged in His service. It is therefore said in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Madhya 23.39), even the most perfect and learned scholar cannot understand a Vaiṣṇava’s activities. A Vaiṣṇava may be engaged in governmental service or in a professional business so that externally one cannot understand his position. Internally, however, he may be a nitya-siddha Vaiṣṇava — that is, an eternally liberated Vaiṣṇava. Externally Mukunda dāsa was a royal physician, but internally he was the most liberated paramahaṁsa devotee. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu knew this very well, but ordinary men could not understand it, for the activities and plans of a Vaiṣṇava cannot be understood by ordinary men. However, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and His representative understand everything about a devotee, even though the devotee may externally pretend to be an ordinary householder and professional businessman.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Caitanya He loved to engage in glorifying His devotees. It is said, as if He had five mouths, he was so happy to enjoy glorifying His devotees and He alone could say the actual position of each devotee.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 15.121

eka divasera ghaṭanā-varṇana; mukunda o vādasāhera vṛttānta

eka dina mleccha-rājāra ucca-ṭuṅgite
cikitsāra bāt kahe tāṅhāra agrete

Translation: “One day Mukunda dāsa, the royal physician, was seated with the Muslim King on a high platform and was telling the King about medical treatment.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 15.122

hena-kāle eka mayūra-pucchera āḍānī
rāja-śiropari dhare eka sevaka āni’

Translation: “While the King and Mukunda dāsa were conversing, a servant brought a fan made of peacock feathers to shade the King’s head from the sun. Consequently he held the fan above the King’s head.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 15.123

śikhi-piccha dekhi’ mukunda premāviṣṭa hailā
ati-ucca ṭuṅgi haite bhūmite paḍilā

Translation: “Just by seeing the peacock-feathered fan, Mukunda dāsa became absorbed in ecstatic love of Godhead and fell from the high platform onto the ground.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 15.124

rājāra jñāna,—rāja-vaidyera ha-ila maraṇa
āpane nāmiyā tabe karāila cetana

Translation: “The King, fearing that the royal physician had been killed, personally descended and brought him to consciousness.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 15.125

rājā bale—vyathā tumi pāile kona ṭhāñi?
mukunda kahe,—ati-baḍa vyathā pāi nāi

Translation: “When the King asked Mukunda, ‘Where is it paining you?’ Mukunda replied, ‘I am not very much pained.’

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 15.126

rājā kahe,—mukunda, tumi paḍilā ki lāgi’?
mukunda kahe, rājā, mora vyādhi āche mṛgī

Translation: “The King then inquired, ‘Mukunda, why did you fall down?’

“Mukunda replied, ‘My dear King, I have a disease like epilepsy.’

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 15.127

mukundera chalanā o ātmagopana-sattveo rājāra tāṅhāke ‘mahā-puruṣa’-jñāna

mahā-vidagdha rājā, sei saba jāne
mukundere haila tāṅra ’mahā-siddha’-jñāne

Translation: “Being extraordinarily intelligent, the King could understand the whole affair. In his estimation, Mukunda was a most uncommon, exalted, liberated personality.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Mukunda he was feigning epilepsy but he actually was experiencing ecstatic love for Kṛṣṇa. But the King being very intelligent, He suspected something like this, that Mukunda was experiencing something spiritual

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 15.128-129

raghunandanera kṛṣṇa-sevāra dṛṣṭānta:—

raghunandana sevā kare kṛṣṇera mandire
dvāre puṣkariṇī, tāra ghāṭera upare

kadambera eka vṛkṣe phuṭe bāra-māse
nitya dui phula haya kṛṣṇa-avataṁse

Translation: “Raghunandana is constantly engaged in serving Lord Kṛṣṇa in the temple. Beside the entrance of the temple is a lake, and on its banks is a kadamba tree, which daily delivers two flowers to be used for Kṛṣṇa’s service.”

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 15.130

prabhukartṛka tinajanera sevā-vibhāga— (1) mukundera sevā

mukundere kahe punaḥ madhura vacana
‘tomāra kārya—dharme dhana-upārjana

Translation: Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu again spoke to Mukunda with sweet words: “Your duty is to earn both material and spiritual wealth.”

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 15.131

(2) raghunandanera sevā

raghunandanera kārya—kṛṣṇera sevana
kṛṣṇa-sevā vinā iṅhāra anya nāhi mana

Translation: “Furthermore, it is the duty of Raghunandana to always engage in Lord Kṛṣṇa’s service. He has no other intention but the service of Lord Kṛṣṇa.”

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 15.132

(3) naraharira sevā:—

narahari rahu āmāra bhakta-gaṇa-sane,
ei tina kārya sadā karaha tina jane’

Translation: Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu then ordered Narahari: “I wish you to remain here with My devotees. In this way the three of you should always execute these three duties for the service of the Lord.”

Purport: Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu set forth three duties for three different people. Mukunda was to earn money and follow the religious principles, whereas Narahari was to remain with the Lord’s devotees, and Raghunandana was to engage in the Lord’s service in the temple. Thus one person worships in the temple, another earns money honestly by executing his professional duty, and yet another preaches Kṛṣṇa consciousness with the devotees. Apparently these three types of service appear separate, but actually they are not. When Kṛṣṇa or Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is the center, everyone can engage in different activities for the service of the Lord. That is the verdict of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Narahari Ṭhākura was one of the devotees that remained longest after Lord Caitanya left and He wrote a book called Kṛṣṇa-bhajanāmṛta, in which gave his advice what to do if the guru falls down, What to do serving the devas, how to serve the devas in a Kṛṣṇa conscious way. So, He wrote different book, He preached to the devotees and this was the service given by Lord Caitanya. Lord Caitanya gave different service to the three. Since He was giving the service, all the three services were Absolute.

Hare Kṛṣṇa!

Thus ends the chapter entitled, Mukunda Feigns Epilepsy to Hide His Love of Kṛṣṇa.
Under the Section: The Lord Accepts Prasādam at the House of Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya