20210602 Conversation Between Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi and Svarūpa Dāmodara About the Doubt

Caitanya Caritāmṛta Madhya-līlā, 16.77

svarūpa-sahita tāṅra haya sakhya-prīti
dui-janāya kṛṣṇa-kathāya ekatra-i sthiti

Translation: Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī and Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi had a friendly, intimate relationship, and as far as discussing topics about Kṛṣṇa, they were situated on the same platform.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta Madhya-līlā, 16.78

premanidhira ‘oḍana-ṣaṣṭhī’ darśana:—

gadādhara-paṇḍite teṅho punaḥ mantra dila
oḍana-ṣaṣṭhīra dine yātrā ye dekhila

Translation: On the day of Oḍana-ṣaṣṭhī Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi saw the festival.

Purport: At the beginning of winter, there is a ceremony known as the Oḍana-ṣaṣṭhī. This ceremony indicates that from that day forward, a winter covering should be given to Lord Jagannātha. That covering is directly purchased from a weaver. According to the arcana-mārga, a cloth should first be washed to remove all the starch, and then it can be used to cover the Lord. Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi saw that the priest neglected to wash the cloth before covering Lord Jagannātha. Since he wanted to find some fault in the devotees, he became indignant.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta Madhya-līlā, 16.79

puṇḍarīka o jagannāthera maṇḍamaya vasanaghaṭita vṛttānta varṇana:—

jagannātha parena tathā ‘māḍuyā’ vasana
dekhiyā saghṛṇa haila vidyānidhira mana

Translation: When Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi saw that Lord Jagannātha was given a starched garment, he became a little hateful. In this way his mind was polluted.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 10.104

jijñāsilā dāmodara-svarūpera sthāne
“māṇḍuyā-vasana īśvarere dena kene

Translation: So, Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi asked Svarūpa Dāmodara, “Why do they offer starched dress to Lord Jagannātha?

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 10.105

e deśe ta’ śruti-smṛti-sakala pracure
tabe kene vinā dhaute maṇḍa-vastra pare?”

Translation: The śrutis and smṛtis are widely accepted in this place, so why is starched cloth offered before it is washed?”

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 10.106

dāmodarera uttara—

dāmodara-svarūpa kahena,—“śuna kathā
deśācāre ithe doṣa nā layena ethā

Translation: Svarūpa Dāmodara replied, “Please listen. There is no fault in this, because that is the custom of this place.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 10.107

śruti-smṛti ye jāne, se nā kare sarvathāe
yātrāra ei-mata sarva-kāla ethā

Translation: Persons who know the śrutis and smṛtis may not observe this festival, but here it has always been observed in this way.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 10.108

īśvarera icchā yadi nā thāke antare
tabe dekha rājā kene niṣedha nā kare

Translation: If this was not the desire of Lord Jagannātha, then why the King seeing this had not stopped it?”

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 10.109

vidyānidhira punaḥ praśna—

vidyānidhi bale,—“bhāla, karuka īśvare
īśvarera ye karma, sevake kene kare 

Translation: So, Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi said, "Good, Lord Jagannātha may do as He likes, but why do the sevakas imitate the activities of Lord Jagannātha?"

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 10.110

pūjā-pāṇḍā, paśu-pāla, paḍichā, vehārā
apavitra-vastra kene dhare vā ihārā

Translation: Why do the learned priests, the priests who dress Lord Jagannātha, the temple superintendents, and the servants touch the unwashed unclean clothes?

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 10.111

jagannātha-īśvara, sambhave saba tāne
tāna ācaraṇa ki kariba sarva-jane

Translation: Lord Jagannātha is the supreme controller. For Him, everything is possible. But how can others imitate His activities?

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 10.112

maṇḍa-vastra-sparśe hasta dhuile se śuddhi
ihā vā nā kare kene haiyā subuddhi

Translation: If one touches starched cloth, he should wash his hands to purify himself. Why don’t such learned persons follow this injunction?

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 10.113

rājapātra abudha ye ihā nā vicāre
rājāo māṇḍuyā-vastra dena nija-śire

Translation: The government officers are ignorant because they do not consider this. Even the king even wraps this starched cloth on his head.

Jayapatākā Swami: The starched cloth is the prasāda of Lord Jagannātha, so once it is offered to the Lord, everybody will put it on their heads.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 10.114

dāmodarera punaruttara–

dāmodara-svarūpa balena,—“śuna bhāi
hena bujhi, oḍana-yātrāya doṣa nāi

Translation: Dāmodara Svarūpa replied, “Please listen, my dear brother. I think there is no fault in this Oḍana festival.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 10.115

paraṁ brahma-jagannātha-rūpa-avatāra
vidhi vā niṣedha ethā nā kare vicāra

Translation: As the Supreme Brahman, the Absolute Truth has descended as the Deity form of Lord Jagannātha. Therefore, rules and regulations are not to be considered in relation to Him.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 10.116

vidyānidhira punaḥ prativāda-līlā—

vidyānidhi bale,—“bhāi, śuna eka kathā
paraṁ brahma—jagannātha-vigraha sarvathā

Translation: Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi said, “Please listen, brother. The Deity of Lord Jagannātha is the Supreme Brahman in all respects.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 10.117

tāne doṣa nāhi vidhi-niṣedha laṅghile
e-gulāo brahma haila thāki’ nīlācale

Translation: He is not at fault even if He violates the rules and regulations. But have all these others become Brahman by staying in Nīlācala?

Purport (by His Divine Grace Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura): Following local custom, the king would wrap an unwashed starched cloth around his head. Yet the smṛti injunction is that starched cloth is impure. Although this custom of wearing starched cloth is permissible for the Supreme Lord, it is proper for His servants to always remain in a pure state. Brahman is a nonvariegated object. It is devoid of all material qualities The Deity form of the Lord is transcendental, so this custom may be suitable for Him, but His servants are not Brahman devoid of material qualities. Therefore they must consider qualities and faults. The servants are not Deity incarnations. Vidyānidhi considered that the behavior of Lord Jagannātha’s servants was faulty.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, this is the consideration that should Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi should be complaining about the servants of Lord Jagannātha. Are they following the custom and therefore beyond criticism?

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 10.118

ihārāo chāḍileka loka-vyavahāra
sabei haila brahma-rūpa-avatāra!

Translation: They have given up proper etiquette and have become like incarnations of the Supreme Brahman.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 10.119

eta bali’ sarva-pathe hāsiyā hāsiyā
yāyena yehena hāsyāveśa-yukta haiyā

Translation: While speaking in this way, they laughed again and again as they walked down the road.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 10.120

dui sakhā hātāhāti kariyā hāsena
jagannātha-dāsereo ācāra doṣena

Translation: The two friends held each other’s hands and laughed as they discussed whether Lord Jagannātha’s servants were at fault.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 10.121

sabe nā jānena sarva-dāsera prabhāva
kṛṣṇa se jānena yāṅra yata anurāga

Translation: No one can understand the glories of the Lord Jagannātha’s servants. Only Lord Kṛṣṇa knows the level of their attachment for Him.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, it is a dangerous thing to criticize the devotees of the Lord, because it is difficult to understand their actual mood and their devotion. By superficially judging them we may commit offenses. There was a devotee of Rāmānujācārya, and he would sometime lay on the bed just for second on his guru's bed after making it, but someone asked, why do you that because it is against the rule to lie on the Guru's bed, “How do I know whether it is good or not, if I don’t lie on it?” Then they said, “But you may go to hell,” “Let me go to hell, I want to see that the bed is alright” they saw that his devotion was very great but superficially people were criticizing, as they didn’t know his actual mood.

Thus ends the chapter entitled, Conversation Between Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi and Svarūpa Dāmodara About the Doubt.

Under the Section: The Lord’s Attempt to Go to Vṛndāvana