20210919 Govardhana, Part 2

The following is a Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book Compilation given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on September 19th, 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:

Govardhana - Part 2
Under the Section: The Lord Travels to Vṛndāvana

Murāri Gupta Kaḍaca, 4.8.7

Translation: Then the master of everyone (Lord Caitanya) became overwhelmed by bhakti-rasa wept. He anointed the stone by the tears from His eyes and smeared those waters on his head.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Caitanya in Vṛndāvana Parikramā hearing the different pastimes of Kṛṣṇa in Govardhana, he became filled with Bhakti-rasa. He wept and with the water from His eyes, He anointed His head.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 2.219

pāṣāṇa dekhiyā prabhu gadagada-svara
aruṇavaraṇa bhela saba kalevara

Jayapatākā Swami: Seeing the stones Lord Caitanya’s voice choked up and His entire golden body become covered with a reddish glow. ‘

Seeing the rocks in the Govardhana Hill which were slightly reddish color, His body also had a reddish glow.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 2.220

nija kara diyā prabhu mājaye pāṣāṇa
ekadṛṣṭe cāhe prabhu basibāra sthāna

Jayapatākā Swami: With his own hands, Lord Caitanya rubbed the stones with His lotus hands. Staring with unblinking eyes, Lord Caitanya gazed upon the sitting place of the Dāna-līla.

Lord Caitanya was reliving His pastime as Kṛṣṇa entered the Dāna-līlā.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 2.221

kṣaṇe buka deya kṣaṇe kare namaskāra
kṣaṇe bole-rādhā dāna dehanā āmāya

Jayapatākā Swami: In a moment, He embraced the stone and the next moment he offer His obeisances, and the next moment, He cried out, “Rādhā please give me dāna (tax).”

Lord Caitanya was transported to the pastimes and He asked as Kṛṣṇa He asked Rādhā to give Him tax. He was enjoying every moment in complete ecstasy.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 18.16

govardhana dekhi’ prabhu ha-ilā daṇḍavat
‘eka śilā’ āliṅgiyā ha-ilā unmatta

Translation: When the Lord saw Govardhana Hill, He immediately offered obeisances, falling down on the ground like a rod. He embraced one piece of rock from the Govardhana Hill and became mad.

Jayapatākā Swami: Sometimes Lord Caitanya is in the mood of Rādhārānī and sometimes in the mood of Kṛṣṇa. Since Govardhana is non-different from Kṛṣṇa, when He hugged the rock of Govardhana, He was completely mad in ecstasy.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 2.222

avaśa śarīra prabhu paḍe bhūmitale
kṣaṇete uṭhiyā se pāthara kare kole

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya fainted and fell on the ground. A moment later He awoke and embraced the stone in His lap.

So, Lord Caitanya, He saw Govardhana as non-different from Kṛṣṇa, and therefore He was offering daṇḍavats, and hugging the rocks.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 2.223

kṛṣṇadāsa bole gosāñi śuna mora bola
dekhibe ta’ saba sthāna—naha utarola

Jayapatākā Swami: Kṛṣṇadāsa, “Gosāñi, hear my words. You will see all places. Please try to contain Yourself and don't get so excited.”

Lord Caitanya being in Vṛndāvana, it’s already being described that His ecstasy was ten thousand times greater. Kṛṣṇadāsa, the Sanoḍiyā Brāhmaṇa was worried that Kṛṣṇa Caitanya was getting so excited, so He would do unexpected things. He was worried that Lord Caitanya may hurt Himself.

Murāri Gupta Kaḍaca, 4.8.8

Translation: Kṛṣṇa Dāsa continued, “Behold! To the east of the hill are a pair of kuṇḍas which bestow Kṛṣṇa-rasa. And on the southern side is the circle of the transcendental rāsa-dance.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Kṛṣṇa dāsa was showing different pastimes places around Govardhana to Lord Caitanya.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 18.15

kusuma-sarovare kṛṣṇābhinna govardhana-darśane prema:—

tabe cali’ āilā prabhu ’sumanaḥ-sarovara’
tāhāṅ ’govardhana’ dekhi’ ha-ilā vihvala

Translation: From Rādhā-kuṇḍa, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu went to Sumanas Lake. When He saw Govardhana Hill from there, He was overwhelmed with joy.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, this is also described as Kusum-sarovara, which is a beautiful lake. Recently some kings or some devotees have built steps on the bathing areas.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 2.224

parvatera pūrva dekha e kusumavana
tāhāra dakṣiṇe rāsa-maṇḍalera sthāna

Jayapatākā Swami: Look! Just east of Govardhana Hill is the Kusuma Sarovara. South of the hill, Kṛṣṇa and the gopīs performed rāsa-līlā on the rāsa-maṇḍala there.”

So, Lord Caitanya could see all these beautiful pastime splaces, He was feeling extreme ecstasy in the love of Kṛṣṇa.

Murāri Gupta Kaḍaca, 4.8.9

Translation: “See here the actual place of the rāsa-dancing pastimes of Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. These pastimes are revealed only to devotees whose hearts are wholly absorbed in prema-rasa.”

Jayapatākā Swami: So, these pastimes are very confidential and they are revealed to those devotees who are fully absorbed in prema-rasa, pure loving mellows.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 2.225

e bola balite gaurā bole raha raha
‘śrī-rāsa-maṇḍala-kathā’ bhālamate kaha

Jayapatākā Swami: When Kṛṣṇadāsa said these, Lord Caitanya said, “Hold on. Hold on. Please describe the topics of Śrī Rāsa-maṇḍala nicely.”

Lord Caitanya wanted to hear the pastimes of rāsa-līlā, He wanted this to be explained in great detail. He would taste all the ecstasies of these pastimes.

Murāri Gupta Kaḍaca, 4.8.10

Translation: Because Śrī Gaurāṅga is the combined form of Rādhā-Mādhava, Gaura Hari displayed whatever moods the Divine Couple experiences in Their relationship, as He followed Their līlā step by step.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, being in the places of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa’s hidden pastimes, He was feeling the particular moods of love that the divine couple were experiencing, that’s why His Vṛndāvana parikramā was totally different. He was experiencing every pastime.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 2.226

rādhā-kṛṣṇa rāsa kaila-sei ei sthāna
e bola balite gaurāra jhare du-nayāna

Jayapatākā Swami: Kṛṣṇadāsa, “Here in this place Sri Rādhā and Lord Kṛṣṇa enjoyed the rāsa dance.” Hearing this, Lord Gaurāṅga’s two eyes shed streams of tears.

Lord Caitanya was experiencing these pastimes of Rādhā and Mādhava and He was overwhelmed with ecstatic symptoms of loving devotion.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 2.227

hā hā kṛṣṇa! hā hā rādhā! bole bāra bāra
aruṇanayāne jhare sāta-pāṅca dhāra

Jayapatākā Swami: “Hā hā Kṛṣṇa! Hā hā Rādhā!” Lord Caitanya said again and again. From His two lotus reddened eyes, five to seven streams of tears flowed.

Lord Caitanya’s eyes became reddish and tears were flowing from His eyes in streams, He was so blissful thinking of Kṛṣṇa and Rādhā.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 2.228

‘śrī-rāsa-maṇḍala’ bali’ pāḍe gaḍāgaḍi
kṣaṇe ubha bāhu tuli’ huhuṅkāra chāḍi’

Jayapatākā Swami: He uttered, “Śrī Rāsa-maṇḍala!” and rolled on the ground; A second later, Lord Gaurāṅga stood up, raised His arms over His head and made roaring sounds.”

It is not possible to describe the ecstatic symptoms that Lord Caitanya was going through in these places but the author is trying to do so with his limited ability. Sometimes Lord Caitanya would cry out, then rolling on the ground, then jumping up and roaring and raising His hand over His head, He was experiencing such transcendental love. It’s impossible to explain to describe all the symptoms He was manifesting.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 2.229

jānura upare jānu-tri-bhaṅgima rahe
śuna śuna bali’ rādhā-kṛṣṇa-kathā kahe

Jayapatākā Swami: Keeping His one knee on another knee, he stood in three-fold bending form. He said, “Listen, listen,” and told the topics about Sri Sri Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa.

While, Lord Caitanya was absorbed in these pastimes of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, at one point He as soon as He was manifesting the form of Lord Kṛṣṇa, He started to speak the transcendental topics of Śrī Śrī Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa and this was totally spontaneous and loving.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 2.230

punaḥ ki kahiba bali’ aṭṭa-aṭṭa hāsa
eikhāne ha’ye rādhā-kṛṣṇa kaila rāsa

Jayapatākā Swami: Again He said, “What shall I?” and laughed very loudly. “Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa enjoyed the rāsa-līlā here.”

So, What should I say and He laughed very loudly, he was describing how these places wer places of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa enjoying the rāsa-līlā.

Murāri Gupta Kaḍaca, 4.8.11

Translation: The exalted brāhmaṇa then spoke to Kṛṣṇa Caitanya, who was experiencing the bhāvamaya pastimes in His heart, “Behold a temple on this hill for the worship of Śrī Rādhikā.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Kṛṣṇa dāsa was showing Lord Caitanya all the places of Vṛndāvana.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 2.231

vihvala dekhiyā gaura bole kṛṣṇadāsa
parvata-upare rādhā kadamba vilāsa

Jayapatākā Swami: Seeing Lord Caitanya being overwhelmed, Kṛṣṇadāsa said, “On top of this hill, Rādhā once performed Kadamba-vilāsa.

So, the brāhmaṇa was showing Lord Caitanya all the pastimes place and thus Lord Caitanya was submerged in the ocean of transcendental bliss.

Murāri Gupta Kaḍaca, 4.8.12

Translation: “Here is the place where the residents of Vraja offered heaps of foodstuff to the brāhmaṇas and to Govardhana hill. After seeing the calamities wrought by Indra, Lord Kṛṣṇa destroyed the pride of that chief of the demigods by lifting Govardhana hill.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Indra was proud and he was angry that Nanda Mahārāja stopped worshipping him, he started to deluge Vraja with heavy rain, and sending a flash flood, and then Lord Kṛṣṇa lifted the Govardhana hill and saved all the Vrajavāsīs and the cows, crushing the false pride of Indra, the chief of all the devas.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 2.232

dekha indra-arādhana—annakūṭa sthāna
indra-pujā bādha kṛṣṇa kaila ei sthāna

Jayapatākā Swami: Just see Indra-arādhana and the place of the Annakūṭa festival. In this place, Lord Kṛṣṇa stopped the worship of Indra.

So Annakūṭa means mountain of rice and the Vrajavāsīs offered the Govardhana Hill, mountains of rice as bhoga, so their worship to Lord Indra was stopped by Lord Kṛṣṇa.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 2.233

abhimāne āpanā pāśare indra-rāja
jhaḍa bariṣaṇa kaila goyālā-samāja

Jayapatākā Swami: The proud Indra forgot his real position. Indra tried to punish the Vraja-vāsīs by sending rain clouds, high winds and thunderbolts.

Indra is in-charge of the rains, so generally he sends nice beneficial rains or he can send thunderstorms and huge rains. So, being angry and proud he sent the destructive rains, but Kṛṣṇa counteracted that by lifting the Govardhana hill when He was only seven years old.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 18.17

govardhana-grāme harideva-darśana:—

preme matta cali’ āilā govardhana-grāma
‘harideva’ dekhi’ tāhāṅ ha-ilā praṇāma

Translation: Mad with ecstatic love, the Lord came to the village known as Govardhana. There He saw the Deity named Harideva and offered His obeisances unto Him.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Caitanya continued on His Parikramā around Govardhana, he saw the deity of Harideva, He offered His prostrated obeisances.

Thus ends the chapter entitled, Govardhana, Part 2
Under the Section: The Lord Travels to Vṛndāvana