20210613 Amazing Cooking of Rāghava Paṇḍita Praised by Lord Caitanya

The following is a Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book Compilation given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on June 13th, 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:

Amazing Cooking of Rāghava Paṇḍita Praised by Lord Caitanya
Under the Section: The Lord’s Attempt to Go to Vṛndāvana

Caitanya-bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 5.76

kṛṣṇa-kārye āchena śrī-rāghava-paṇḍita
sammukhe śrī-gauracandra hailā vidita

Jayapatākā Swami: While Śrī Rāghava Paṇḍita was engaged in the service and worship of Lord Kṛṣṇa, Lord Śrī Gaurāṅga, Lord Gaurasundara came there in front of him.

Purport (By His Divine Grace Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura): Many karmīs think that pure devotees of the Supreme Lord also desire like themselves to enjoy the fruits of their activities and engage as they do in activities for obtaining those fruits. But the devotees of the Lord have no business other than engaging in activities for pleasing Kṛṣṇa. Engaging in activities for the pleasure of Kṛṣṇa is called bhakti, or devotional service. One who works under the conception that he is the doer of activities enjoys the fruits of his work. But those activities performed by a Vaiṣṇava for the pleasure of Kṛṣṇa are devotional service. Karma and bhakti are different from each other, and there is a large gap between them.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, karma is performed to get the fruit of ones activities. Bhakti is performed to please the Lord.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 5.77

prāṇa-nātha dekhiyāśrī-rāghava-paṇḍita
daṇḍavata haiyā paḍilā pṛthivīta

Jayapatākā Swami: When Śrī Rāghava Paṇḍita saw Lord Caitanya, the Lord of his life, he immediately offered his prostrate obeisances falling to the ground.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 5.78

dṛḍha kari’ dhari’ ramā-vallabha-caraṇa
ānande rāghavānanda karena krandana

Jayapatākā Swami: Rāghavānanda held firmly the Lotus feet of Lord Caitanya, whose lotus feet are cherished by Ramā, the goddess of fortune and he was crying in ecstasy.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 5.79

prabhu o rāghava-paṇḍitere kari’ kole
siñcilena aṅga tāna premānanda-jale

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya took Rāghava Paṇḍita and embraced him and soaked his body with tears of ecstatic love.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 5.80

hena se ānanda haila rāghava-śarīre
kon vidhi karibena, kichui nā sphure

Jayapatākā Swami: Rāghava Paṇḍita’s body was filled with such ecstasy that what rule he should do, nothing came to his mind. So, Lord Caitanya was reciprocating the ecstatic love of Rāghava Paṇḍita and Rāghava Paṇḍita was paying his obeisances and crying and Lord Caitanya picked him up, was embracing him and also crying.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 5.81

rāghavera bhakti dekhi’ śrī-vaikuṇṭha-nātha
rāghavere karilena śubha-dṛṣṭi-pāta

Jayapatākā Swami: When Lord Caitanya, the Lord of Vaikuṇṭha saw Rāghava Paṇḍita’s deep devotion, He gave His merciful glance on Rāghava Paṇḍita.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 5.82

prabhu bale,—“rāghavera ālaye āsiyā
pāsariluṅ saba duḥkha rāghava dekhiyā

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Caitanya said, “After coming to Rāghava Paṇḍita’s house and seeing Rāghava Paṇḍita, I have forgotten all My tribulations. When one travels, they endure all kinds of trouble, and when they reach home, they become satisfied. So, such feelings were experienced by Lord Caitanya when He reached the house of Rāghava Paṇḍita.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 5.83

gaṅgāya avagāhanera nyāya rāghava-ālaye prabhura sukhodaya—

gaṅgāya majjana kaile ye santoṣa haya
sei sukha pāilāṅa rāghava-ālaya”

Jayapatākā Swami: “I have obtained the same satisfaction at Rāghava’s house as one gets by taking bath in the Ganges.”

Purport (by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura): Śrī Gaurasundara obtained the same satisfaction at Rāghava’s house as the freshness and pleasure one attains by bathing in the Ganges.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Rāghava Paṇḍita’s house's atmosphere was so Kṛṣṇa conscious that naturally Lord Caitanya felt great bliss when He reached Rāghava Paṇḍita’s house.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 5.84

prabhura svaẏaṁ rāghava-paṇḍitake randhanārtha ādeśa—

hāsi’ bale prabhu,—“śuna rāghava paṇḍita!
kṛṣṇera randhana giyā karaha tvarita”

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya smiled and said, “Listen, My dear Rāghava Paṇḍita! Go and quickly cook for Lord Kṛṣṇa.”

Caitanya-bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 5.85

prabhura ājñāya rāghavera svahaste vicitra randhana—

ājñā pāi’ śrī-rāghava parama-santoṣe
calilena randana karite prema-rase

Jayapatākā Swami: Śrī Rāghava was greatly satisfied to receive Lord Caitanya’s order, and he left to engage in cooking, absorbed in the mellows of ecstasy. So, Rāghava Paṇḍita’s service was to cook for the Lord, he loved cooking. He was famous, that every year devotees would go from Bengal to Jagannātha Purī. He was very famous as Rāghava jholis or Rāghava Paṇḍita’s bags of prasāda. So, he was very happy to cook for the Lord.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 5.86

citta-vṛtti yateka mānasa āpanāra
sei mata pāka vipra karilā apāra

Jayapatākā Swami: Following the dictates of his heart, that brāhmaṇa cooked unlimited varieties of foods.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 5.87

āilena mahāprabhu karite bhojana
nityānanda-saṅge āra yata āpta-gaṇa

Jayapatākā Swami: Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu then came with Lord Nityānanda and other associates to eat prasāda.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 5.88

bhojana karena gauracandra lakṣmī-kānta
sakala vyañjana prabhu praśaṁse ekānta

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Gauracandra, the husband of Lakṣmī, the goddess of fortune, ate the vegetable preparations, Lord Caitanya lavishly praised each of the vegetable preparations.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 5.89

prabhū-kartṛka rāghava-paṇḍitera randhanera praśaṁsā—

prabhu bale,—“rāghavera ki sundara pāka
e-mata kothāo āmi nāhi khāi śāka”

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya said, “How beautiful is Rāghava Paṇḍita’s cooking! I have never eaten śāka anywhere like this before.”

Caitanya-bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 5.90

śākete prabhura prīta rāghava jāniyā
rāndhiyā āchena śāka vividha āniyā

Jayapatākā Swami: Rāghava Paṇḍita knew that Lord Caitanya liked a variety of śākas, or spinach. So, he had cooked various types of leafy vegetables or śāka.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 5.91

ei mata raṅge prabhu kariyā bhojana
vasilena giyā prabhu kari’ ācamana

Jayapatākā Swami: In this way Lord Caitanya, joyfully took His meal, Lord Caitanya then washed His hands and mouth and then sat down. So, Lord Caitanya loves śāka or green leafy vegetables like spinach. Once in Māyāpur they cooked 13 varieties of śākas. Like this Rāghava Paṇḍita prabhu was preparing varieties of śāka for Lord Caitanya.

Thus ends the chapter entitled, Amazing Cookaing of Rāghava Paṇḍita Praised by Lord Caitanya.