20210911 Seeing the Boyhood Pastime Places Part 1

The following is a Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book Compilation given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on September 11th, 2021 in Sri Dhama Mayapur, 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!

Continuation of the compilation of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book, the chapter entitled :

Seeing the Boyhood Pastime Places

Under the Section: The Lord Travels to Vṛndāvana

Murāri Gupta Kaḍaca, 4.7.1

Translation: Kṛṣṇa Dāsa continued, “Then, on the far shore of Yamunā, where the forest of Vṛndāvana exists eternally, Nanda Mahārāja and the other cowherds busily erected dwelling places.”

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Nanda Mahārāja and the cowherd men quickly erected housing for their families in Vṛndāvana. This was possible since houses are grass roof and mud wall.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 2.177

tabe pāra hailā se nikaṭa vṛndāvane
araddha-candrākṛti śakaṭa rākhila eikhāne

Translation: Kṛṣṇadasa continued, “After leaving Gokula the cowherd men crossed the Yamunā and went to Chattikara [in Vṛndāvana]. Here they arranged their bullock carts in a semi-circle.”

Jayapatākā Swami: So, to give protection to their family members, they strategically arranged the bullock carts in a semi-circle.

Murāri Gupta Kaḍaca, 4.7.2

Translation: “Behold this spot where the fathers and other men had created a fort out of the carts. Surrounded by the carts, Rāma and Kṛṣṇa played with the cows and cowherds.”

Jayapatākā Swami: Rāma and Kṛṣṇa as child cowherd boys were playing with the cows inside the circle.

Murāri Gupta Kaḍaca, 4.7.3

Translation: “O Lord Gauracandra! Here at the root of a kapittha tree, Śrī Janārdana slew Vatsāsura, the demon who took the form of a calf, as well as Bakāsura, the demon who took the form of a crane.”

Jayapatākā Swami: So, different demons were sent by King Kaṁsā were slain here by Lord Kṛṣṇa and this way They protected the cowherd men.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 2.178

kapittha-gāchera mūle batsaka vadhila
puccha-pada dhari’ tāre tuli’ āchāḍila

Translation: At the root of a kapittha tree, Lord Kṛṣṇa killed Vatsaka (Vatsāsura) by holding his tail and hind legs and smashing him on the ground.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, the demon took a form of cow-calf and Kṛṣṇa swung him around and threw him into the ground and thus he gave up his life.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 2.179

gili’ ugārila kṛṣṇa ethā bakāsura
dui ṭhoṅṭe dhari’ ciri’ prāṇa kaila dūra

Translation: Here the demon Bakāsura swallowed and vomited Lord Kṛṣṇa who coming out of his mouth killed the demon by bifurcating his beak.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Kṛṣṇa bifurcated the cane’s mouth and thus killed him.

Murāri Gupta Kaḍaca, 4.7.4

Translation: “In this place, Rāma and Janārdana, the protectors of the cosmic manifestation, equipped with flutes, sticks and other cowherd paraphernalia, played with their boyfriends, imitating the activities of the throngs of monkeys and the resounding cries and movements of the peacocks.”

Jayapatākā Swami: So, the Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma with their cowherd friends enjoyed playing like children and since Their associates were all children, the adults thought that this was normal activity for the child.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 2.180

ei goṭhe bihare bālaka saba saṅge
śiṅgā, veṇu, betra hāthe nānābidha raṅge

Translation: In this cowherd pasture Lord Kṛṣṇa enjoyed with His cowherd friends by carrying a flute, stick and buffalo horn in various ways.

Jayapatākā Swami:  So, Kṛṣṇa would play His flute and Balarāma would blew His horn, and in this way They enjoyed the pastimes, They were able to swing Their sticks as cowherd boys are able.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 2.181

keho kona jantu-chale sei śabda kare
uḍite pakṣera chāyā cāhe dharibāre

Translation: Someone would imitate the sounds of various forest animals. When Lord Kṛṣṇa played with the gopas He sometimes would run along the ground trying to catch the shadows of the birds flying overhead.”

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Kṛṣṇa was playing with his boy friends in various ways

Murāri Gupta Kaḍaca, 4.7.5

Translation: Hearing these descriptions, Gaura Hari, the crest jewel among all rasikas, who had accepted the form of an exemplary devotee, became wholly saturated with kṛṣṇa-rasa. In His former līlā, Gaura Candra Prabhu was imbued with the rasa of viṣaya-tattva, or the Absolute Truth as the object of transcendental love. Whereas in His present līlā, He is imbued with the rasa of āśraya-tattva, or the absolute truth as the subject of that love.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Caitanya was in the mood of a devotee, He had taken the mood of Śrīmatī Rādhārānī. So, when He heard all the pastimes of Lord Kṛṣṇa He became very inspired, this is being explained, how these pastimes are being appreciated by Lord Caitanya.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 2.182

e bola śuniñā gaura bihbala hiyāya
bālakera hena sei itastata dhāya

Translation:  Hearing this, Lord Caitanya became overwhelmed and being absorbed in Vraja-bhāva, forgetting everything else He started running around here and there like a little boy.

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya was totally absorbed in the pastimes of Kṛṣṇa in Vrindavna and He was enjoying all the rasas, or all the mellows that Kṛṣṇa enjoyed.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 2.183

mayurera śabda kare-dharaye pekama
pulake pūrala aṅga—aruṇa nayana

Translation:  Lord Caitanya made sounds like peacock and held on to the peacock tail and His body filled with horripilation, and His eyes reddened due to the deluge of ecstatic emotions.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Caitanya’s hair stood on end and He made the sound of peacock and played like Kṛṣṇa in Vṛndāvana dhāma and since His eyes were filled with tears they became reddish.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 2.184

bhāi bhāi bali’ ḍāke hai hai bole
śrīdāma, sudāma bali’ gācha kaila kole

Translation: He called out, “Brother! Brother!... Hoi hoi! Śrīdāma! Sudāma!” and embraced a tree.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Caitanya was experiencing such ecstasy that He was transported to the pastimes of Lord Kṛṣṇa with His cowherd boyfriends.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 2.185

sakhyabhāve vyākula haiyā gaurarāya
premāya ākula hañā cāridige dhāya

Translation: Being absorbed and overwhelmed in Sakhya-bhāva, Lord Gaurarāya ran in all four directions anxious out of love.

Jayapatākā Swami: See, this period where Lord Kṛṣṇa is enjoying the friendship rasa with His cowherd friends and Lord Caitanya was absorbed in that rasa, friendship bhāva, and He was running here and there very ecstatically.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 2.186

śāṅalī, dhavalī bali’ ḍāke ghana ghana
kati gela dhenukāsura—māriba ekhana

Translation: Lord Caitanya repeatedly called out, “Śyāmalī! Dhavalī!” Then He said angrily, “Where has Dhenukāsura gone. I will kill him now!”

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya called out the names, Śyāmalī! Dhavalī very intensely again and again in the mood of Kṛṣṇa He was looking for the demon Dhenukāsura.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 2.187

ihā bali’ kānde—bāhya nāhika śarīre
kṛṣṇadāsa bole ei sei yadubīre

Translation: Having said this, Lord Caitanya cried without external consciousness in His body. Kṛṣṇadāsa said that Lord Caitanya must be Yaduvīra [hero of the Yadu dynasty].

Jayapatākā Swami: Kṛṣṇa dāsa would not understand the actual position of Lord Caitanya that He was the combination of Kṛṣṇa and Rādhārānī, but he was thinking that Lord Caitanya might be a Yadu or hero.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 2.188

saṅgera saṅgatigaṇa-tārāo temana!
gaurā-mukha nehāraye-nāhi samvedana

Translation: Even the associates of Lord Caitanya were also like Him who beheld the face of Lord Gaura and they also lost their consciousness.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, the associates of Lord Caitanya became affected by the moods of Lord Caitanya and seeing His lotus face they became also absorbed in transcendental ecstasy.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 2.189

kathokṣaṇe gauracandrera haila ta’ bāhya
punarapi kṛṣṇadāse kahe¬–kaha kāryya

Translation: “After some time, Lord Gauracandra returned to external consciousness. He again told Kṛṣṇadāsa, “Please tell the pastimes.”

Jayapatākā Swami: So, sometimes Lord Caitanya went into an ecstasy, He was not aware of the external world and when He used to come out of the ecstasy, and become aware of the external world and He wanted Kṛṣṇa dāsa to tell Him some more pastimes.

Murāri Gupta Kaḍaca, 4.7.6

Translation: Kṛṣṇa Dāsa continued, “O Gaurāṅga! Behold the place where the immensely sinful demon Agha, the younger brother of Baka, assumed the form of a python and was slain by Śrī Hari.

Jayapatākā Swami: The pastime where Aghāsura lied with his mouth open on the road and His cowherd friends walked into the mouth of Aghāsura and then Lord Kṛṣṇa had to think how to save His friends and how to eliminate the demon. He then entered inside the mouth of the demon and He expanded Himself so that the demon could not breathe and in this way the demon left his body and Kṛṣṇa revived all His cowherd friends. When Lord Gaurāṅga He heard these pastimes places, He became overwhelmed with spiritual bliss.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 2.190

bakera-kaniṣṭha sarpa-nāma aghāsura
eikhāne kṛṣṇa tāra prāṇa kaila dūra

Translation: Kṛṣṇadāsa continued, “The younger brother of Putanā and Bakāsura is Aghāsura. At this place Lord Kṛṣṇa took away his life air far away.”

Jayapatākā Swami: Here I gave the details of how He liberated Aghāsura.

Murāri Gupta Kaḍaca, 4.7.7

Translation: “At this spot, when Brahmā saw the festive luncheon taking place amongst Kṛṣṇa and His intimate boyfriends, he stole away the calves and boys for one year.”

Jayapatākā Swami: So, when Kṛṣṇa was taking His lunch with His cowherd boys, the cowherd boys went off to get the calves. Lord Brahmā stole the cowherd boys and the calves and put them in a cave.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 2.191

eikhāne yamunā chila-nāhika ekhana
eikhāne harilā brahmā batsa-śiśugaṇa

Jayapatākā Swami: Although now not visible, the river Yamunā used to flow here. Here Lord Brahmā kidnapped all the boys and calves.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 2.192

batsareka chilā gobarddhanera bhitare
sei batsa-śiśu dekhi’ brahmā stava kare

Translation: They were in the cave of Govardhana for one year. Seeing them, the bewildered Brahmā offered many wonderful prayers.

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Kṛṣṇa had remanifested the calves and cowherd boys Himself and when Lord Brahmā came back after a moment of His time, which is a year by our time, He was amazed to see all the cowherd boys and calves still there, then He offered many prayers to Lord Kṛṣṇa and he understood that His mystic powers were very limited whereas Lord Kṛṣṇa’s was unlimited, like a lighting bulb and the rays of sunlight.

Thus ends the chapter entitled, Part 1 the Boyhood Pastime Places of Lord Kṛṣṇa