20210604 Swollen Cheeks of Puṇḍarīla Vidyānidhi Observed by Svarūpa Dāmodara

The following is a Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book Compilation given By His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on June 4th 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 om tat sat!

Today we will continue with the compilation of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya book, the chapter entitled:

Swollen Cheeks of Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi Observed by Svarūpa Dāmodara

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

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 10.142

vidyānidhira jāgaraṇa o gaṇḍa-deśe capeṭāghātera cihna—

svapna dekhi’ vidyānidhi jāgiyā uṭhilā
gāle caḍa dekhi’ saba hāsite lāgilā

Translation: After seeing this dream, Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi woke up. Then he saw the slap marks on his cheeks and began to laugh.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 10.143

vidyānidhira gaṇḍa-sphīti—

śrī-hastera caḍe saba phuliyāche gala
dekhi’ premanidhi bale,—“baḍa bhāla bhāla

Translation: His cheeks were swollen from the slapping of the lotus hands of the Supreme Lord. Seeing this, Premanidhi said, “This is very good!

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 10.144

yena kailuṅ aparādha, tāra śāsti pāiluṅ
bhālai kailena prabhu, alpe eḍāiluṅ

Translation: I have received punishment for my offense, yet Lord Jagannātha has mercifully awarded me only a token punishment.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 10.145

vidyānidhira mahimā—

dekha dekha ei vidyānidhira mahimā
sevakere dayā yata, tāra ei sīmā

Translation: Just see! Just see! the glories of Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi! This is the limit of the Lord Jagannātha’s mercy on His devotees.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 10.146

pradyumna, jānakī, rukmiṇyādi āptavargera pratio prabhura etādṛśa karuṇāra nidarśana prakāśita haya nāi—

putra ye pradyumna—tāhāne o hena-mate
caḍa nā mārena prabhu śikṣāra nimitte

Translation: Lord Kṛṣṇa did not even slap His own son Pradyumna to teach him in this way.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 10.147-148

svapna-prasāda durlabha—

jānakī-rukmiṇī-satyabhāmā-ādi yata
īśvara-īśvarīāra āche kata kata

sākṣātei māre yāra aparādha haya
svapnera prasāda-śāsti dṛśya kabhu naya

Translation: Lord Kṛṣṇa’s associates and consorts like Jānakī, Rukmiṇī, and Satyabhāmā, as well as the various gods and goddesses are directly punished if they commit an offense, but to receive the Lord Kṛṣṇa’s mercy by being punished in a dream is rarely seen.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 10.149

svapne daṇḍa pāya, kibā artha-lābha haya
jāgile puruṣa se sakala kichu naya

Translation: Someone who receives punishment or wealth in a dream has nothing to show for it when he wakes up.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 10.150

śāsti vā prasāda prabhu svapne yāre kare
ye yadi sākṣāta loke dekhe phala dhare

Translation: If Lord Jagannātha bestows His punishment or mercy in a dream, people see directly the results of that action.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 10.151

tāṅra baḍa bhāgyavān nāhika saṁsāre
svapneho nā kahe kichu abhakta-janere

Translation: There is no one so fortunate in this entire material world, Lord Jagannātha or Lord Kṛṣṇa does not even speak to non-devotees even in their dreams.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 10.152-153

sākṣāte se ei saba bujhaha vicāre
ei ye yavana-gaṇe nindā-hiṁsā kare

tāhārāo svapne anubhava mātra cāhe
nindā-hiṁsā kare dekhi, svapna nāhi pāye

Translation: By analyzing this incident one can directly understand that because the yavanas engage in blasphemy and violence, they can never see Lord Kṛṣṇa in their dreams, even if they want to.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 10.154-155

yavanera ki dāya, ye brāhmaṇa sajjana
tārā yata aparādha kare anukṣaṇa

aparādha haile dui loke duḥkha pāya
svapneho abhakta pāpiṣṭhere nāśikhāya

Translation: What to speak of yavanas, even respectable brāhmaṇas who constantly commit offenses attain miseries in this life and in the next as a result of their offenses. Yet Lord Kṛṣṇa does not teach such sinful non-devotees in their dreams.

Purport (by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura): The Supreme Lord always remains aloof from either rewarding or punishing the non-devotees. But since He is the well-wisher of the devotees, He rectifies His dear devotee by punishing him in his dream. So, we understand that Lord Jagannātha and Lord Baladeva appearing in the dream of Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi was itself a special mercy, what to speak of, when he woke up, his cheeks were swollen. So that the slapping of the Lord was visible to everyone. This happens to one who is a more fortunate person.

Jayapatākā Swami: So a non-devotees he is also not blessed by a dream of the Lord. Even many devotees they always desire to see the Lord in their dream but they are not blessed, that’s why Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi, he was feeling very blessed, after committing offenses he was immediately punished by the Lord and he thought that the punishment that was given by the Lord was a token or minor punishment for a great offense. Actually, the author is explaining how this is actually a great blessing of the Lord. He only gives such a blessing to a dear devotee, that’s what we should understand from this pastime that Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi is very dear to the Lord that he got the personal instruction from the Lord, and others who may be offensive, be there be Yavanas or the brāhmaṇas, they are not blessed in such a way by Lord Kṛṣṇa.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 10.156

svapne pratyādeśa prabhu karena yāhāre
se-i mahābhāgya hena māne āpanāre

Translation: A person who receives instructions from Lord Kṛṣṇa in a dream considers himself most fortunate.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 10.157

sākṣāte āpane svapne mārila tāhāre
e prasāde sabe dekhe śrī-premanidhire

Translation: Evidence of the mercy Śrī Premanidhi received when he was beaten by Lord Jagannātha in a dream could be seen by everyone.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 10.158

tabe puṇḍarīka-deva uṭhilā prabhāte
caḍe gāla phuliyāche dekhe dui hāte

Translation: When Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi got up early morning, he could feel with his hands that his cheeks were swollen from the slapping of the Lord.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 10.159

pratyaha dāmodara o vidyānidhira ekasaṅge jagannātha-darśanārtha gamana—

prati-dina dāmodara-svarūpa āsiyā
jagannātha dekhe doṅhe eka-saṅga haiyā

Translation: Svarūpa Dāmodara would come every day, and the two would go together to see Lord Jagannātha.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 10.160

svarūpa dāmodarera vidyānidhira gaṇḍa-deśe capeṭāghāta-cihna darśana—

pratyaha āise svarūpa se dina āilā
āsiyā tāṅhāke kichu kahite lāgilā

Translation: When Svarūpa Dāmodara came as he did everyday, he began to speak something to Vidyānidhi.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 10.161

“sakāle āisa jagannātha-daraśane
āji śayā haite nāhi uṭhe ki kāraṇe?”

Translation: Every morning you come with me to see Lord Jagannātha. Why haven’t you gotten up yet today?”

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 10.162

vidyānidhi bale,—“bhāi, hethāya āisa
saba kathā kara mora ethā āsi’ vaisa”

Translation: Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi Said or replied, “O brother, please come and sit down, and I will explain everything.”

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 10.163

dāmodara āsi’ dekhe—tāna dui gala
phuliyāche, caḍa-cihna dekhena viśāla

Translation: When Svarūpa Dāmodara came near, he saw that Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi’s cheeks were extremely swollen with slap marks.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Svarūpa Dāmodara personally witnessed how Lord Jagannātha and Lord Baladeva had given their mercy to Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi, and although They appeared to him in the dream, when he woke up his cheeks were extremely swollen with finger marks. So, this is something very rare, Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi felt that he was blessed by the Lord.

Thus ends the chapter entitled, Swollen Cheeks of Puṇḍarīla Vidyānidhi Observed by Svarūpa Dāmodara.

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