20210907 Setu-bandha Sarovara Part 2

The following is a Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book Compilation given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on September 07th, 2021 in Śrī Dhāma Māyapur, 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 we will be continuing from Part-2 of the chapter is entitled :

Setu-bandha Sarovara
Under The Section: The Lord Travels to Vṛndāvana

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 2.123

samudra bāndhilā tehoṅ e gācha-pāthare
tumiha bāndhaha dekhi ei sarovare

Translation: Rāma built a bridge across the vast sea with trees and stones. Let us see if You can build a bridge now?’

Jayapatākā Swami: So, this was spoken by Rādhārānī to Kṛṣṇa.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 2.124

e bola śuniñā prabhu lahu-lahu hāse
āmi jale thuile se iṭā-pāthara bhāse

Translation: Lord Kṛṣṇa, laughing slightly at Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī's challenge, said, “If I throw trees and stones on the water, they will definitely float.”

Jayapatākā Swami: We see normally stones don’t float, but Lord Rāma was able to make the stones float. So Śrīmatī Rādhārānī was challenging Kṛṣṇa, alright, if You are really Rāma then make the stones float. So, this is an interesting test, if someone says that they are an avatāra then they should show you that they can make the stones float.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 2.125

e bola śuniñā gopī baliche vacana
āniye pāthara dekhi’ bāndhaha ekhana

Translation: Hearing these words of Lord Kṛṣṇa, the gopīs said, ‘Okay we’ll bring the stones. Let us see how You’ll make a bridge.’

Jayapatākā Swami: So, in this way the pastime of Lord Kṛṣṇa was being explained to Lord Caitanya and Lord Caitanya was feeling great ecstasy.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 2.126

michā garva nā kariha-śunaha kānāi
pāthara bhāsaye jale-kabhu śuni nāi

Translation: “Listen, O Kānāi, don’t be falsely proud. We’ve never heard stones floating on water.”

Jayapatākā Swami: So, all the gopīs are challenging Kānāi, so Lord Kṛṣṇa should be able to show the stones float otherwise He cannot call Himself Rāma.

Murāri Gupta Kaḍaca 4.5.11

Translation: “Then Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who is the master-mind of uncountable transcendental pranks and the exclusive enjoyer of mischievous rasa-imbued jests, replied to Rādhā, “Know that I am an exquisite jewel of all sublime qualities. You are a cowherd’s daughter!”

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Kṛṣṇa was replying to Rādhārānī first.

Murāri Gupta Kaḍaca 4.5.12

Translation: “If someone were to take the great abundance of rocks and trees from the mountains and weave them together upon the water, they could never float. Still, O treasure house of ecstasy Rādhe! You may now witness a demonstration of the power of My host of sublime jewel-like qualities!”

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Kṛṣṇa replied to Rādhārāṇī and gopīs with these words.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 2.127

ṭhākura kahaye-āna’ e gācha pāthara
pāthare bāndhiba āmi e sarovara

Translation: “Lord Kṛṣṇa said, ‘Just bring the trees and stones, and I’ll build with these stones a bridge over this lake.”

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Kṛṣṇa is telling the gopīs, “alright, bring the trees and stones.”

Murāri Gupta Kaḍaca 4.5.13

Translation: “All of Rādhā’s sakhīs who are the topmost rasikās, and understood the essence of Rādhikā’s words, Enthusiastically forming a line and they very quickly brought many rocks, trees, the trees with the boulders and so forth from the forest. Śrī Kṛṣṇa used these to built a bridge that floated upon the water of this kuṇḍa. As everyone looked upon the scene, the gopīs bowed down and glorified Him with utterances of ‘Jaya! Jaya!’”

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Kṛṣṇa He did what He said He would do, and the gopīs bowed down and appreciated Kṛṣṇa and said “All glories! All glories! Jaya! Jaya!

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 2.128

e bola śuniñā tārā bahi āne iṭā
kāṣṭha khāna-khāna āne pāthara goṭā-goṭā

Translation: “Hearing the words of Kṛṣṇa, the gopīs carried the bricks. They brought pieces of wood and lumps of stones.”

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 2.129

e gācha-pāthare sarovara gela bāndhā
bhāla bhāla bole gopī-mucaki hāse rādhā

Translation: With these trees and stones, Lord Kṛṣṇa built the bridge across the lake. Congratulating Him, the gopīs said, ‘Good, good.’ Rādhārāṇī showed a slight smile.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Kṛṣṇa had fulfilled His promise and the rocks and trees floated and built a bridge across the lake.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 2.130

rādhāra kāraṇe sarovare haila setu
‘setubandha-sarovara’ kahi ei hetu

Translation: Because of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, bridge was built on the lake. Therefore, this place is known as Setubandha Sarovara.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Kṛṣṇa had said that He was Lord Rāma and Rādhārānī said that you are a cowherd boy and if you are Rāma, then build a bridge across this lake of rocks floating on the water and that was done by Lord Kṛṣṇa and in this way Rādhārānī and the gopīs were increasing the transcendental rasa of Lord Kṛṣṇa.

Murāri Gupta Kaḍaca 4.5.14

Translation: “The pastimes of Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa in the company of their gopī friends are imbued with the zenith of sweet rasa with comedy and so on. All glories to those pleasure-pastimes, which are forever filled with the uninterrupted ever-expanding flow of Their divine prema! The topmost rasikas who hear of these pastimes and thus remember the Divine Couple simply laugh at the idea of achieving happiness through mere transcendental knowledge, and without a qualm they utterly ridicule the thought of liberation.”

Jayapatākā Swami: There is so much ecstasy in the pastimes of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa and the gopīs, therefore the advanced hear these pastimes they reject the idea of impersonal liberation. Because they want to enjoy the transcendental loving ecstasy enjoyed by Kṛṣṇa and Śrīmatī Rādhārānī.

Murāri Gupta Kaḍaca 4.5.15

Translation: Hearing this most astounding and confidential narration of Śrī Kṛṣṇa-līlā, Śrī Gaura Hari became immersed in the ecstatic moods of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, and He danced in joyful abandon.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu is Kṛṣṇa in the mood of Rādhārānī. So, hearing these pastimes He felt great transcendental joy and He was dancing in the ecstasy of Rādhārānī.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 2.131

e bola śuniñā prabhu antara ullāsa
gaurāguṇa gāya sukhe e locanadāsa

Translation: Lord Caitanya became happy to hear this pastime of Śrī Rādhā and Lord Kṛṣṇa. Locana Dāsa also finds great joy in describing the glories of Lord Gaurāṅga.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, this ends the description of the Setu-bandha Sarovara as Lord Caitanya He was visiting the holy places in Vraja Maṇḍala so in these confidential pastimes of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa He was experiencing extreme ecstasy and dancing with total abandon.

Thus ends the chapter entitled, Setu-bandha Sarovara Part 2 
Under the Section: The Lord Travels to Vṛndāvana