20210702 The Situation of the People Before the Advent of Lord Caitanya (Part 1)

The following is a Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book Compilation given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on July 2nd, 2021 in Śrī Dhāma Māyāpur, India.

Hare Kṛṣṇa! Dear Devotees! Today we will continue with the compilation of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book, Todday's chapter is entitled as:

Mādhavendra Purī Observes the Situation of the People Before the Advent of Lord Caitanya 
Under the Section: The Lord’s Attempt to Go to Vṛndāvana

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 4.396

śrī gauraharira śāntipure avasthānakāle śrī-mādhavendra purīra ārādhanā-tithi upasthita— 
hena-mate śrī-gaurasundara śāntipure
āchena paramānande advaita-mandire

Jayapatākā Swami: In this way Lord Śrī Gaurasundara enjoyed transcendental happiness as He resided in the house of Advaita Ācārya at Śāntipura.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 4.397

mādhava-purīra ārādhanā puṇya-tithi
daiva-yoge upasanna haila āsi' tathi

Jayapatākā Swami: By divine arrangement, the auspicious appearance day of Śrīla Mādhavendra Purī arrived during Lord Caitanya's stay in Śāntipura.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 4.398

advaitācārya o mādhavendra abhinna haileo śrī-advaita mādhavendrera śiṣya-līlā-svīkārakārī— 
mādhavendra-advaite yadyapi bheda nāi
tathāpi tāhāna śiṣya-ācārya-gosāñi

Jayapatākā Swami: Although there is no difference between Mādhavendra Purī and Advaita Acarya, Ācārya Gosāñi was Mādhavendra Puri's disciple.

Purport by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhāta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura: Although Śrī Advaita Prabhu enacted the pastime of being a disciple of Śrīla Mādhavendra Purī, according to the principle of disciplic succession one should not see any difference between them.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 4.399

mādhavendradehe mahāprabhura vihāra— 
mādhavendra-purīra dehe śrī-gaurasundara
satya satya satya viharaye nirantara

Jayapatākā Swami: It is a certain fact that Lord Śrī Gaurasundara constantly resided in the body of Śrīla Mādhavendra Purī. Here it is mentioned satya three times, therefore confirmed again and again, that Lord Gaurasundara is staying in the body of Śrī Śrī Mādhavendra Purī.

Purport by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhāta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura: To preach the glories of the Supreme Lord in this world, Śrī Gaurasundara appeared within Śrīla Mādhavendra Purī and preached pure devotional service. Śrīla Mādhavendra Purī was always invested with the full potency of Supreme Lord. His incomparable service attitude is beyond the description of human language.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 4.400

mādhavendra-purīra akathya viṣṇu-bhakti
kṛṣṇera prasāde sarva-kāla purṇa-śakti

Jayapatākā Swami: Śrī Mādhavendra Purī's devotional service to Lord Viṣṇu is indescribable. By Lord Kṛṣṇa's mercy he was always fully empowered.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 4.401

śrī-caitanyera prakaṭa-līlāra pūrveo mādhavendrera caitanya kṛpāya kṛṣṇa-premonmāda prakāśa— 
ye-mate advaita śiṣya hailena tāna
citta diyāśuna sei maṅgala-ākhyāna

Jayapatākā Swami: Now hear attentively the auspicious narration of how Advaita Ācārya became his disciple.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 4.402

ye samaye nā chila caitanya-avatāra
viṣṇu-bhakti-śūnya saba āchila saṁsāra

Jayapatākā Swami: Before the advent of Lord Caitanya the entire world was devoid of devotional service to Lord Viṣṇu.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 4.403

takhane o mādhavendra caitanya-kṛpāya
prema-sukha-sindhu-mājhe bhāsena sadāya

Jayapatākā Swami: Yet by the mercy of Lord Caitanya, even at that time Śrī Mādhavendra always floated in an ocean of ecstatic love.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 4.404

niravadhi dehe roma-harṣa, aśru, kampa
huṅkāra, garjana, mahā-hāsya, stambha, gharma

Jayapatākā Swami: His body was always decorated with hairs standing on end, tears, shivering, roaring, thundering, laughing, becoming stunned, and perspiration.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 4.405

niravadhi govindera dhyāne nāhi bāhya
āpane o nā jānena—ki karena kārya

Jayapatākā Swami: He was always so absorbed in meditation on Lord Govinda that he did not know what he was doing.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 4.406

pathe cali' yāite o āpanā'-āpani
nācena parama-raṅge kari' hari-dhvani

Jayapatākā Swami: Even while walking on the path, Śrī Mādhavendra Purī would dance in ecstasy and chant the name of Lord Hari. Hari Bol!

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 4.407

kakhano vā hena se ānanda-mūrcchā haya
dui-tina-prahare o dehe bāhya naya

Jayapatākā Swami: Sometimes he would lose consciousness in transcendental ecstasy for six to nine hours.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 4.408

kakhano vā virahe ye karena rodana
gaṅgā-dhārā vahe yena—adbhuta-kathana

Jayapatākā Swami: Sometimes while absorbed in feelings of separation he would shed tears like streams of the Ganges. Such topics are certainly wonderful.

Advaita Ācārya was worshipping his śālagrāma-śilā in His courtyard. Then Śrī Mādhavendra Purī chose to walk on the path by the side of Ganges. Since the Ganges is a holy place, he happened to walk in the courtyard of Advaita Ācārya, He saw Advaita worshipping the śālagrāma-śilās and Advaita saw him, that he was a Vaiṣṇava sannyāsī, so he immediately paid his obeisances. He invited him to stay for food, prasāda and they discussed Kṛṣṇa-kathā. It was so much ecstatic to discuss Kṛṣṇa-kathā with Śrī Mādhavendra Purī, that Śrī Mādhavendra Purī ended up spending sometime there. So then Advaita Ācārya asked him for initiation, so then he was given the pañcarātrīka-mantra and got initiated and then Śrī Mādhavendra Purī continued on his journey to go to Jagannātha Purī and on the way the Remuna lila happened where the Gopīnātha deity stole kṣīra for Śrī Mādhavendra Purī. So like that somehow Advaita Ācārya, He got the shelter of Śrī Mādhavendra Purī. Although technically a brāhmaṇa-gṛhastha should only accept initiation from a gṛhastha but Lord Caitanya taught kibā vipra kibā nyāsī śūdra kene naya, yei kṛṣṇa-tattva-vettā, sei ‘guru’ haya (Cc. Madhya 8.128)

Whether one is a brāhmaṇa or a sannyāsī or for that matter even if one is a śūdra if they know the science of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, they should be accepted as a guru.

Hare Kṛṣṇa!