20210628 Blessings Obtained by Eating Various Spinach

The following is a Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book Compilation given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on June 28th, 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 :

Blessings Obtained by Eating Various Spinach 
Under the Section: The Lord’s Attempt to Go to Vṛndāvana

Caitanya Carita Mahā Kāvya 20.23

Translation: Śacī devī, mother of the three worlds, came and, seeing him, felt herself drown in an ocean of bliss, while experiencing joy, sorrow and shyness.

Jayapatākā Swami: Mother Śacī was experiencing so many different types of emotions. She was drowning in the ocean of bliss. This happiness is totally spiritual.

Caitanya Carita Mahā Kāvya 20.24

Translation: Accepting services rendered with affection by Advaita, Gauracandra, giving bliss to all eyes, spent six days in Śāntipura and ate with satisfaction food given by his mother.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 4.282

bhoga-pariveśana o tadupari tulasī-mañjarī-sthāpana — 
śrī-anna-vyañjana saba upaskāra kari’
sabāra upare dila tulasī-mañjarī

Jayapatākā Swami: Mother Śacī properly served by putting the divine rice and the vegetables on the plates and then placed tulasī-mañjarīs on top.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 4.283

uttama āsana pradāna — 
catur-dike sāri kari’ śrī-anna-vyañjana
madhye pātilena ati uttama āsana

Jayapatākā Swami: Mother Śacī placed rice and vegetable preparations in rows on all sides, and then she placed a fine seat in the middle.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 4.284

pārṣadavarga-saha prabhura bhojanārtha āgamana— 
āilena mahāprabhu karite bhojana
saṁhati laiyā saba pāriṣada-gaṇa

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu then came with His associates to eat.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 4.285

prabhura śrī-annavyañjanera sajjādarśane daṇḍavat-praṇāma — 
dekhi’ prabhu śrī-anna-vyañjanera upaskāra
daṇḍavat haiyā karilā namaskāra

Jayapatākā Swami: When Lord Caitanya saw the arrangement of rice and vegetable preparations, He offered His full prostrate obeisances. So, Mother Śacī not only cooked all these preparations, but she arranged them in such a way, that just by seeing the arrangement, Lord Caitanya became very devotional and offered His prostrate obeisances. This was how the cooking is one thing and presentation is another.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 4.286

prabhura mahāprasāda māhātmya-varṇanānte sapārṣade prasāda-sevana— 
prabhu bale,—“e annera thākuka bhojana
e anna dekhile haya bandha-vimocana

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya said, “What to speak of eating this rice, one is freed from material bondage just by seeing it.

Purport: Śrī Śacīdevī cooked twenty varieties of śāka and ten to twenty different preparations from each vegetable, and after placing tulasī-mañjarīs on top she offered everything to Viṣṇu. When Gaurasundara saw this offering, He offered obeisances and said, “What to speak of eating these food preparations, anyone who sees them will be freed from the bondage resulting from enjoying this material world. Anyone who smells the divine fragrance of this rice will become inclined to the service of Kṛṣṇa.”

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Mother Śacī offered this bhoga to Śrī Kṛṣṇa and the prasāda to her son Lord Caitanya. So, everything was done with such devotion, actually by smelling it or by seeing it one could get quickly attached to Kṛṣṇa.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 4.287

śacīmātāra pācita annera gandheo kṛṣṇe bhaktira udaya haya— 
ki randhana—ihā ta’ kahile kichu naya
e annera gandhe o kṛṣṇete bhakti haya

Jayapatākā Swami: “I am unable to describe such cooking. Even by smelling this rice one develops devotion to Kṛṣṇa.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 4.288

bujhilāma kṛṣṇa lai’ saba parivāra
e anna kariyāchena āpane svīkāra”

Jayapatākā Swami: “I think Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa and His associates have personally tasted this rice.”

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 4.289

prabhura anna-pradakṣiṇa o bhojane upaveśana — 
eta bali’ prabhu anna-pradakṣiṇa kari’
bhojane vasilāśrī-gaurāṅga-narahari

Jayapatākā Swami: After speaking these words, Lord Gaurāṅga circumambulated the rice and then Lord Gaurāṅga-narahari sat down to eat. Lord Caitanya had so much respect for the prasāda, that He was paying His obeisances to it, He was circumambulating it before He sat down to eat it. One can realize from this how Kṛṣṇa prasāda is transcendental and how we should not waste any prasāda and how we should respect it, that Kṛṣṇa has taken it, especially prasāda cooked by Śacī devi or Rādhārānī, definitely Kṛṣṇa has tasted it.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 4.290

pārṣadagaṇera bhojana-darśanārtha caturdike upaveśana— 
prabhura ājñāya saba pāriṣada-gaṇa
vasilena catur-dike dekhite bhojana

Jayapatākā Swami: On the order of Lord Caitanya, all of His associates sat down on all sides to watch Lord Caitanya eat.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 4.291

prabhura bhojana-darśane śacīmātāra nayana-paritṛpti – 
bhojana karena vaikuṇṭhera adhipati
nayana bhariyā dekhe āi bhāgyavatī

Jayapatākā Swami: As the Lord of Vaikuṇṭha began eating, the fortunate Mother Śacī watched to the full satisfaction of her eyes.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 4.292

ānandabhare o paritṛpti-sahakāre prabhura pratyeka dravya-bhojana— 
pratyeke pratyeke prabhu sakala vyañjana
mahā āmodiyā nātha karena bhojana

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya relished each and every vegetable preparation and with great satisfaction, the Lord ate the prasāda.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 4.293

śrī-śāka-vyañjanera bhāgya—punaḥ punaḥ mahāprabhura grahaṇa— 
sabā’ haite bhāgyavanta—śrī-śāka-vyañjana
punaḥ punaḥ yāhā prabhu karena grahaṇa

Jayapatākā Swami: Yet of all the preparations, the holy śāka preparations were most glorious and fortunate, for Lord Caitanya repeatedly ate them.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 4.294

śāke prīti-darśane bhaktagaṇera ānanda 
śākete dekhiyā baḍa prabhura ādara
hāsena prabhura yata saba anucara

Jayapatākā Swami: On seeing Lord Caitanya’s great fondness for śāka (green leafy vegetables like spinach) all of Lord Caitanya’s associates smiled.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 4.295

bhaktagaṇera nikaṭa prabhura vibhinna śākera mahimā kathana — 
śākera mahimā prabhu sabāre kahiyā
bhojana karena prabhu īṣat hāsiyā

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya smiled and told the glories of the different śāka preparations to everyone. While Lord Caitanya was eating, He laughed and ate.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 4.296

prabhu bale,—“ei ye ‘acyutā’ nāme śāka
ihāra bhojane haya kṛṣṇe anurāga

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya said, “This śāka is known as acyutā. By eating this, one develops attachment for Kṛṣṇa.

Purport: Acyutā is a type of śāka. As the Lord ate, He glorified the various qualities of the various śākas and their relationships to Kṛṣṇa.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 4.297

‘paṭala’ ‘vāstuka’ ‘kāla’ śākera bhojane
janma janma viharaye vaiṣṇavera sane

Jayapatākā Swami: “By eating paṭala, vāstuka, and kāla śākas, one enjoys the Vaiṣṇavas’ association birth after birth.

We see that each of these leafy vegetables have a special relationship with Kṛṣṇa and they give special blessings. So, Lord Caitanya was glorifying each of these śākas.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 4.298

‘sāliñcā’ ‘heleñcā’ śāka bhakṣaṇa karile
ārogya thākaye tāre kṛṣṇa-bhakti mile”

Jayapatākā Swami: “By eating sāliñcā and heleñcā śāka, one remains free from disease and attains the devotional service of Lord Kṛṣṇa.”

Just by eating prasāda of this type, you can get devotional service unto Lord Kṛṣṇa.

Haribol!

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 4.299

ei mata śākera mahimā kahi’ kahi’
bhojana karena prabhu pulakita hai’

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya’s hairs stood on end as He narrated in this way the glories of the various śākas while eating.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 4.300

 yateka ānanda haila e dina bhojane
sabe ihā jāne prabhu sahasra-vadane

Jayapatākā Swami: Only the thousand-headed Anantadeva knows the happiness that Lord Caitanya enjoyed while eating that day.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 4.301

ei yaśa sahasra-jihvāya nirantara
gāyena ananta ādideva mahīdhara

Jayapatākā Swami: The original Lord Anantadeva, who is greatly steady and supports the universe, constantly glorifies these pastimes with His thousands of tongues. Since The Lord, His form, His pastimes, his Holy names, they are all non-different, similarly Kṛṣṇa prasāda that He would take is also transcendental and that would naturally awaken love of Kṛṣṇa.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 4.302

anantadevera mūla aṁśirūpe kali-yuge śrī-nityānanda prakaṭita; tāṅhāra ājñāya granthakārera sūtrākāre gaura-līlā-varṇana— 
sei prabhu kali-yuge—avadhūta rāya
sūtra mātra likhi āmi tāhāna ājñāya

Jayapatākā Swami: That same Lord Ananta has appeared in Kali-yuga as the avadhūta, Lord Nityānanda Prabhu. On His order I am writing only a summary of these pastimes. Vṛndāvana dāsa Ṭhākura is a great devotee of Lord Nityānanda and he is considered to be an avatara of Vedavyāsa in Caitanya-līlā.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 4.303

vedavyāsa-ādi kari’ yata muni-gaṇa
ei saba yaśa sabe karena varṇana

Jayapatākā Swami: The great sages headed by Vedavyāsa elaborately describe these glorious pastimes.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 4.304

mahāprabhura kīrti-śravaṇe o pāṭhe avidyā-dhvaṁsa— 
e yaśera yadi kare śravaṇa-paṭhana
tabe se jīvera khaṇḍe avidyā-bandhana

Jayapatākā Swami: If a living entity hears or reads about these glorious pastimes, that conditioned soul is freed from the bondage of ignorance.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 4.305

prabhura bhojana-samāpti 
hena-raṅge mahāprabhu kariyā bhojana
vasilena giyā prabhu kari’ ācamana

Jayapatākā Swami: After finishing His pastime of eating, Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu washed His hands and sat down. So, this acceptance of prasāda we can see that it is a totally transcendental activity.

Thus ends the chapter entitled, Blessings Obtained by Eating Various Spinach
Under the Section: The Lord’s Attempt to Go to Vṛndāvana