20210614 Meeting Various Associates in Rāghava Bhavana

The following is a Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book Compilation given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on June 14th,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:

Meeting Various Associates in Rāghava Bhavana
Under the Section: The Lord’s Attempt to Go to Vṛndāvana

Caitanya-bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 5.92

dāsa gadādharera āgamana—

rāghava-mandire śuni’ śrī-gaurasundara
gadādhara-dāsa dhāi’ āilā satvara

Jayapatākā Swami: As soon as Gadādhara dāsa heard that Lord Śrī Gaurasundara was at Rāghava Paṇḍita’s house, he quickly came there.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 5.93

dāsa gadādharera prati prabhura kṛpā—

prabhura parama priya—gadādhara dāsa
bhakti-sukhe pūrṇa yāṅra vigraha-prakāśa

Jayapatākā Swami: Gadādhara dāsa was extremely dear to Lord Caitanya. His body was filled with the happiness of devotional service.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 5.94

prabhu o dekhiyā gadādhara sukṛtire
śrī-caraṇa tuliyā dilena tāna śire

Jayapatākā Swami: When Lord Caitanya saw the fortunate Gadādhara dāsa, Lord Caitanya placed His lotus feet on Gadādhara dāsa’s head.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 5.95-96

parameśvarī dāsa—

purandara-paṇḍita parameśvarī-dāsa
yāṅhāra vigrahe gauracandrera prakāśa

satvare dhāiyā āilena sei-kṣaṇe
prabhu dekhi’ prema-yoge kānde dui jane

Jayapatākā Swami: At that time Purandara Paṇḍita and Parameśvarī dāsa, in whose Deity Lord Gauracandra manifested Himself, quickly they came there. On seeing Lord Caitanya, they both cried in loving ecstasy.

Purport (by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura): Śrīman Mahāprabhu manifest in the Gaurāṅga Deity worshiped by Parameśvarī dāsa, who lived in the village of Taḍā-āṇṭapura. He began the worship of the Deity form of Śrī Gaurasundara.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, these associates of the Lord from Bengal, when they heard that Lord Caitanya was in the house Rāghava Paṇḍita, they all quickly came to get His association. So, each one has some specialty, those are being described in these verses. These associates of the Lord are very dear to Him and we should see this Deity of Lord Gaurasundara in the village of Taḍā-āṇṭapura. So, it is says in this Caitanya-bhāgavata, that Lord Caitanya was personally present in this Deity form. Although we accept all Deities to be non-different from the Lord, but this Deity is apparently something special

Caitanya-bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 5.97

raghunātha vaidya—

raghunātha vaidya āilena tata-kṣaṇe
parama vaiṣṇava, anta nāhi yaṅra guṇe

Jayapatākā Swami: Raghunātha Vaidya also came at that time. He was a great Vaiṣṇava with unlimited good qualities.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 5.98

vaiṣṇavagaṇera prabhura sannidhāne āgamana—

ei mata yathā yata vaiṣṇava āchilā
sabei prabhura sthāne āsiyā mililā

Jayapatākā Swami: In this way Vaiṣṇavas came from wherever they were to meet Lord Caitanya.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 5.99

pāṇihāṭī-grāme haila parama ānanda
āpane sākṣāt yathā prabhu gauracandra

Jayapatākā Swami: The village of Pānihāṭi became filled with transcendental ecstasy, for Lord Gauracandra was personally present there.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 5.100

śrī nityānanda prabhuke śrī gaura-sundarera sahita abhinna-dṛṣṭita darśanārtha mahāprabhura rāghava paṇḍitera prati gopane guhya upadeśa—

rāghava paṇḍita-prati śrī-gaurasundara
nibhṛte karila kichu rahasya-uttara

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Śrī Gaurasundara spoke some confidential topics to Rāghava Paṇḍita in a solitary place. So, Lord Caitanya instructed that Lord Nityānanda was non-different from Him, and He spoke all these transcendental truths to Rāghava Paṇḍita.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 5.101

rāghava, tomāre āmi nija-gopya kai
āmāra dvitīya nāhi nityānanda-bai

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya said “O dear Rāghava Paṇḍita, I have something confidential to tell you, Lord Nityānanda is nondifferent from Me.”

Caitanya-bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 5.102

ei nityānanda yei karāya āmāre
se-i kari āmi, ei balila tomāre

Jayapatākā Swami: “I tell you,” said Lord Caitanya, “I do whatever Lord Nityānanda wants Me to do, I do that.”

Caitanya-bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 5.103

āmāra sakala karma-nityānanda-dvāre
akapaṭe ei āmi kahila tomāre

Jayapatākā Swami: “I tell you, frankly that all My activities are performed through Lord Nityānanda. I tell you this very honestly”

Caitanya-bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 5.104

yei āmi, se-i nityānanda—bheda nāi
tomāra gharei saba jānibā ethāi

Jayapatākā Swami: “Whatever I am, and Lord Nityānanda is non different. Everyone in your house will come to know this.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 5.105

nityānanda-sevārtha ādeśa—

mahā-yogeśvare yāhā pāite durlabha
nityānanda haite tāhā pāibā sulabha

Jayapatākā Swami: “That which is rarely attained by mystic yogīs, from Lord Nityānanda, you will easily achieve that.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 5.106

eteke haiyā tumi mahā-sāvadhāna
nityānanda seviha—yehena bhagavān

Jayapatākā Swami: “Therefore you should very carefully serve Lord Nityānanda, knowing Him to be the Supreme Lord Himself.”

Caitanya-bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 5.107

makara-dhvajera prati mahāprabhura upadeśa—

makaradhvaja-kara-prati śrī-gaurāṅga-candra
balilena,—“seviha tumi śrī-rāghavānanda

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Śrī Gaurāṅgacandra then said to Makaradhvaja Kara, “You should serve Śrī Rāghavānanda.”

Purport (by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura): For a description of Makaradhvaja Kara see Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā, Chapter Ten, text 24. In the Gaura-gaṇoddeśa-dīpikā (141) it is stated: “Candramukha, a famous dancer in Vṛndāvana, appeared in Lord Caitanya’s pastimes as Makaradhvaja Kara.”

Jayapatākā Swami: So, all these associates of Lord Caitanya who came to participate in His pastimes, most of them were associates from the spiritual world, nitya-siddhas who were in Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes in Vṛndāvana.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 5.108

rāghava-paṇḍita-prati ye prīti tomāra
se kevala suniścaya jāniha āmāra

Jayapatākā Swami: “Know for certain that your love for Me will be shown by the love you show for Rāghava Paṇḍita.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 5.109

hena-mate pānihāṭī-grāma dhanya kari’
āchilena kata-dina śrī-gaurāṅga-hari

Jayapatākā Swami: In this way Lord Caitanya made the village of Pānihāṭi glorious, by Lord Śrī Gaurāṅga Hari stayed there for some days. Śrīla Prabhupāda gave the Atlanta USA temple, the name as New Pānihāṭi dhāma, so we know that in Pānihāṭi there was the famous flat rice, yoghurt fruit festival, but here there is also some other pastimes of Lord Caitanya visiting Pānihāṭi. So, this also should be observed by the New Pānihāṭi dhāma. It shows that this place is famous for the devotees of Lord Caitanya assembling there and offering their service to Rāghava Paṇḍita and getting the association and blessings of Lord Caitanya. So when Śrīla Prabhupāda visited ISKCON Atlanta, he saw the Gaura-Nitāi Deities and he said that how everyone is blessed by the mercy of Lord Caitanya, and Lord Nityananda. He sang the “Parama-karuṇa” song, Haribol! It brought tears to the eyes of everybody. Whne Śrīla Prabhupāda visited Atlanta, Lord Gaura-Nitāi were in the central position and They are still there. This is the holy place of New Pānihāṭi, dhama where Nitāi-Gaura are the Supreme. Of course in Pānihāṭi, Rāghava Paṇḍita worshipped Rādhā-Madanamohana Deities and when Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityānanda were there, he worshipped Them, and fed Them sumptuous prasāda and all the associates of the Lord also ate sumptuous prasāda. So these are some of the special qualities of Pānihāṭi dhāma. We can hardly understand all the glories, since Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityānanda were there for many pastimes.

Thus ends the chapter entitled, Meeting Various Associates in Rāghava Bhavana
Under the Section: The Lord’s Attempt to Go to Vṛndāvana.