20210524 Phalaśruti– The Result of Hearing About the Lord Accepting Prasādam at the House of Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya

The following is a Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book Compilation given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on May 24th, 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:

Phalaśruti – The Result of Hearing About the Lord Accepting Prasādam at the House of Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya
Under the Section: The Lord Accepts Prasādam at the House of Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 15.286

bhaṭṭasamīpe āsiyā prabhura upaveśana

prabhu dekhi’ sārvabhauma dharilā caraṇe
prabhu tāṅre āliṅgiyā vasilā āsane

Translation: Upon seeing the Lord, Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya immediately caught hold of His lotus feet. The Lord embraced him and then sat down.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, we see what a merciful Lord, Lord Caitanya is. Immediately upon seeing Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya, He embraced him.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 15.287

śiśutulya amoghera aparādha-hetu krodha vā upavāsera akarttavyatā

prabhu kahe,—amogha śiśu, kibā tāra doṣa
kene upavāsa kara, kene kara roṣa

Translation: Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu pacified Sārvabhauma, saying, “After all, Amogha, your son-in-law, is a child. So what is his fault? Why are you fasting, and why are you angry?”

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 15.288

bhojana karite bhaṭṭake anurodha

uṭha, snāna kara, dekha jagannātha-mukha
śīghra āsi, bhojana kara, tabe mora sukha

Translation: “Just get up and take your bath and go see the face of Lord Jagannātha. Then return here to eat your lunch. In this way I shall be happy.’

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Caitanya He cared for His devotees so minutely.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 15.289

bhaṭṭera prasāda-sammāna paryanta pratīkṣā-pratijñā

tāvat rahiba āmi ethāya vasiyā
yāvat nā khāibe tumi prasāda āsiyā

Translation: “I shall stay here until you return to take Lord Jagannātha’s remnants for your lunch.”

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Caitanya He is ensuring that Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya would take his prasāda.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 15.290

amoghera prati bhaṭṭera krodha-prakāśa:—

prabhu-pada dhari’ bhaṭṭa kahite lāgilā
marita’ amogha, tāre kene jīyāilā

Translation: Catching hold of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s lotus feet, the Bhaṭṭācārya said, “Why did You bring Amogha back to life? It would have been better had he died.”

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 15.291

śiśu-jñāne amoghake kṣamā karite upadeśa–

prabhu kahe,—amogha śiśu, tomāra bālaka
bālaka-doṣa nā laya pitā, tāhāte pālaka

Translation: Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, “Amogha is a child and your son. The father does not take the faults of his son seriously, especially when he is maintaining him.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 15.292

amoghera aparādha-mocanānte vaiṣṇavatva-hetu bhaṭṭake prasanna haite anurodha

ebe ‘vaiṣṇava’ haila, tāra gela ‘aparādha’
tāhāra upare ebe karaha prasāda

Translation: “Now that he has become a Vaiṣṇava, he is offenseless. You can bestow your mercy upon him without hesitation.”

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Caitanya turned Amogha, from an offender to a pure Vaiṣṇava, and Amogha was chanting the holy names in great ecstasy and he felt very remorseful for His offenses.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 15.293

bhaṭṭera krodha-tyāga

bhaṭṭa kahe,—cala, prabhu, īśvara-daraśane
snāna kari’ tāṅhā muñi āsichoṅ ekhane

Translation: Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya said, “Please go, my Lord, to see Lord Jagannātha. After taking my bath, I shall go there and then return.”

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 15.294

bhaṭṭera prasāda-sevā-darśanārtha gopīnāthake apekṣā-janya ādeśa

prabhu kahe,—gopīnātha, ihāñi rahibā
iṅho prasāda pāile, vārtā āmāke kahibā

Translation: Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu then told Gopīnātha, “Stay here and inform Me when Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya has taken his prasādam.”

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 15.295

bhaṭṭera prasāda-sevana

eta bali’ prabhu gelā īśvara-daraśane
bhaṭṭa snāna darśana kari’ karilā bhojane

Translation: After saying this, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu went to see Lord Jagannātha. Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya completed his bath, went to see Lord Jagannātha and then returned to his house to accept food.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 15.296

prabhura aikāntika bhakta mahā-śānta-prakṛti amogha

sei amogha haila prabhura bhakta ‘ekānta’
preme nāce, kṛṣṇa-nāma laya mahā-śānta

Translation: Thereafter, Amogha became an unalloyed devotee of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. He danced in ecstasy and peacefully chanted the holy name of Lord Kṛṣṇa.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Caitanya gave His special mercy to Amogha because of his relationship with Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 15.297

prabhura eirūpa līlā–

aiche citra-līlā kare śacīra nandana
yei dekhe, śune, tāṅra vismaya haya mana

Translation: In this way, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu performed His various pastimes. Whoever sees them or hears them recounted becomes truly astonished.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, no one can understand how the Supreme Personality of Godhead is so merciful, and to see or hear Lord Caitanya’s pastimes it completely astonishes. In the material world, people serve their boss or their master, but there is no love, that it is all based on business, “you make me some money, I will pay you some salary”. But Lord Caitanya He showed pure love for His devotees and even His devotees servants, dogs, relatives, how can one not serve such a master?

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 15.298

bhaṭṭa-gṛhe prabhura bhojana o bhaṭṭera prabhuprīti:—

aiche bhaṭṭa-gṛhe kare bhojana-vilāsa
tāra madhye nānā citra-caritra-prakāśa

Translation: Thus Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu enjoyed eating in Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya’s house. Within that one pastime, many wonderful pastimes were manifested.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 15.299

sārvabhauma-ghare ei bhojana-carita
sārvabhauma-prema yāṅhā ha-ilā vidita

Translation: These are the peculiar characteristics of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s pastimes. Thus the Lord ate in Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya’s house, and in this way Sārvabhauma’s love for the Lord has become very well known.

Purport: As stated in the Śākhā-nirṇayāmṛta:

amogha-paṇḍitaṁ vande śrī-gaureṇātma-sātkṛtam
prema-gadgada-sāndrāṅgaṁ pulakākula-vigraham

“I offer my obeisances unto Amogha Paṇḍita, who was accepted by Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. As a result of this acceptance, he was always merged in ecstatic love, and he manifested ecstatic symptoms such as choking of the voice and standing of the hairs on his body.”

Jayapatākā Swami: So, by the mercy of Lord Caitanya, Amogha Paṇḍita became completely changed. That he became a lover of Kṛṣṇa. So, the touch of Lord Caitanya has such a effect.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 15.300

bhaṭṭa-patnīra prabhuprīti, bhakta-sambandhe aparādha-kṣamā:—

ṣāṭhīra mātāra prema, āra prabhura prasāda
bhakta-sambandhe yāhā kṣamila aparādha

Translation: Thus I have related the ecstatic love of Sārvabhauma’s wife, who is known as the mother of Ṣāṭhī. I have also related Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s great mercy, which He manifested by excusing Amogha’s offense. He did so due to Amogha’s relationship with a devotee.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Caitanya easily forgives one for some offence to Him, but it is very dangerous if one offends His devotees. So, we can see how the Lord is personally very merciful, but we should respect His devotees because He doesn’t tolerate Vaiṣṇava-aparādha.

Purport: Amogha was an offender because he blasphemed the Lord. As a result, he was about to die of cholera. Amogha did not receive an opportunity to be freed from all offenses after being attacked by the disease, but Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya and his wife were very dear to the Lord. Because of their relationship, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu excused Amogha. Instead of being punished by the Lord, he was saved by the Lord’s mercy. All this was due to the unflinching love of Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya for Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Externally, Amogha was Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya’s son-in-law, and he was being maintained by Sārvabhauma. Consequently if Amogha were not excused, his punishment would have directly affected Sārvabhauma. Amogha’s death would have indirectly brought about the death of Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 15.301

bhaṭṭa-gṛhe bhojana-līlā-śravaṇe caitanya-lābha:—

śraddhā kari’ ei līlā śune yei jana
acirāt pāya sei caitanya-caraṇa

Translation: Whoever hears these pastimes of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu with faith and love will attain the shelter of the Lord’s lotus feet very soon.

Jayapatākā Swami: Hari Bol! Hari Bol! Hari Bol! So, by hearing this pastime with faith and love we can achieve the lotus feet of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu very soon.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 15.1

sva-nika amoghake ātma-sātkārī gaurasundara

sārvabhauma-gṛhe bhuñjan
sva-nindakam amoghakam
aṅgī-kurvan sphuṭāṁ cakre
gauraḥ svāṁ bhakta-vaśyatām

Translation: While Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was taking prasādam at the house of Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya, Amogha criticized Him. Still, the Lord accepted Amogha, thereby showing how much He was obliged to His devotees.

Śrī Śrīmad Gaurāṅga-līlā-smaraṇa-maṅgala-stotram - 65
By Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhakura

amoghaṁ svī-cakre
harijana-kṛpā-leśa-balataḥ śacī-sūnuḥ
śaśvāt-smaraṇa-padavīṁ gacchatu sa me

Translation: The Lord accepted Amogha because of the strength of a tiny bit of a devotee's (of Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya) mercy. May Śacī-devī's son eternally travel on the path of my memory.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, how we can remember the transcdental qualities of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, then we will be eternally blessed. How the Lord in His different pastimes, He also showed these amazing qualities. As Narasiṁhadeva He protected His devotee Prahlāda and He came and gave His association to Bhakta Prahlāda. So, like this the Lord is especially merciful to His devotees. So being a servitor of His devotee is a special opportunity. So we all want to serve the lotus feet of His Divine Grace AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda and in this way we can get mercy of Lord Caitanya, the mercy of Lord Narasiṁha, the mercy of Lord Mādhava.

Haribol!

Thus ends the chapter entitled, Phalaśruti– The Result of Hearing About the Lord Accepting Prasādam at the House of Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya
End of The Section: The Lord Accepts Prasādam at the House of Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya.