20210924 Mahā-rāsa-sthalī, Part 2

The following is a Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book Compilation By His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on 24th September 2021 in Śrīdhāma 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 continuing with the compilation of Caitanya līlā book, the chapter entitled today is:

Mahā-rāsa-sthalī, Part 2
Under the Section: Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s Visit to Śrī Vṛndāvana

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 2.250

vigata cetana gopī kṛṣṇa-ākarṣaṇe
upekhila kula-śīla-lāja-bhaya-māne

Translation: Hearing the flute, the gopīs became mad to meet Lord Kṛṣṇa. They were so overwhelmingly attracted that they practically fell unconscious. They gave up their womanly shyness, fear and family prestige.

Jayapatākā Swami: How the gopīs of Vṛndāvana became attracted hearing Lord Kṛṣṇa’s flute, they became almost mad with the desire to meet the Lord.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 2.251

vyasta-vastra ābharaṇa haila sabhākāra
kṛṣṇagata-citta-vṛtti madana-jhaṅkāra

Translation: All the gopīs' hair, dresses and ornaments were completely disarrayed. Their consciousness and activity are absorbed in Lord Kṛṣṇa and thus the transcendental Cupid flourished.

Jayapatākā Swami: This explains the mood of the gopīs, Lord Caitanya was observing these pastimes of Vṛndāvana and He was also experiencing great ecstasy in love of Lord Kṛṣṇa.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 2.252

aprākṛta-kāmete mugadha vrajabālā
kṛṣṇera nikaṭe āsi’ sabhāi mililā

Translation: The damsels of Vraja were captivated by the transcendental Cupid and thus they ran madly toward Lord Kṛṣṇa and met Him.

Jayapatākā Swami: Some of the gopīs actually left their material bodies and came to meet Kṛṣṇa in their spiritual form.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 2.253

eikhāne dekha bāme e govindarāya
śunimātra gaurācāṅda vibhora hiyāya

Translation: Behold here, Lord Govinda Rāya on Your left. Just by hearing this, Lord Gauracānda’s heart became bewildered.

Jayapatākā Swami: As Lord Caitanya was going on this Vṛndāvana Parikramā, when Kṛṣṇa dāsa was explaining the different places of Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes, then Lord Caitanya’s heart became overwhelmed and He was absorbed in spiritual ecstasy.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 2.254

haila āveśa punaḥ parabaśa aṅga
e bhūmi-ākāśa joḍe premera taraṅga

Translation: Thus, being absorbed, Lord Caitanya’s limbs became affected by the waves of love of Lord Kṛṣṇa permeated the land and sky.

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya experiencing love of Kṛṣṇa in the mood of Rādhārānī became swept away by the waves of the ocean of love Loving Ocean of Lord Kṛṣṇa.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 2.255

huhuṅkāra-nāde rasa-amiyā bariṣe
paśu pakṣī-unamāda madana-hariṣe

Translation: Roaring loudly, Lord Caitanya filled the atmosphere with a shower of nectar. The birds and beasts went mad in ecstatic love of Kṛṣṇa due to the transcendental Cupid.

Jayapatākā Swami: Not only was Lord Caitanya ecstatic, He made all the animals and birds ecstatic by His loud chanting and roaring.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 2.256

akāle puṣpita bhela tarubara
kokila susvara nāde—mātila bhramara

Translation: Though out of season, flowers bloomed in the trees, cuckoos cooed melodiously, and bees buzzed everywhere.

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya was creating miracles the trees filled with flowers even though it was not the season, like this Lord Caitanya’s ecstasy was contagious

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 2.257

‘vaṁśī bali’ ḍāke prabhu rāsa praśaṁsiyā
bhāli re bhāli re bole mucaki hāsiyā

Translation: Lord Caitanya cried out, Vamsi!” praising the rāsa-līla. Exclaiming, Wonderful! Wonderful!” He smiled gently.

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya was experiencing unlimited bliss in ecstasy to see the place of Kṛṣṇa’s rāsa-līlā.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 2.258

kona gopī bole-torā raha eikhāne
keho kathā kahe yena nidera svapane

Translation: In the mood of a certain gopī, Lord Caitanya said, All of you stay in this place.” Lord Caitanya talked to the gopīs as if He were speaking in a dream.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Caitanya was reliving the pastimes leading up to the rāsa-līlā, and taking the position of a gopī He toldall the other gopīs what to do.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 2.259

kṣaṇeke camaki nija aṅga kare kole
drabamaya bhela deha—saba aṅga jhare

Translation: In the next moment, being struck with wonder, Lord Caitanya wanted to embrace His own body. His body being liquefied and all the limbs started flowing like a water fall.

Jayapatākā Swami: This is an amazing situation, of Lord Caitanya's limbs became liquefied, and He wanted to embrace Himself. Since He was a combination of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, the Rādhā part wanted to embrace the Kṛṣṇa part.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 2.260

kṣaṇe bālyāveśe nāce aṭṭa-aṭṭa hāsa
vihavala caraṇe paḍi’ kānde kṛṣṇadāsa

Translation: Suddenly, in the mood of a boy, Lord Caitanya danced while laughing slowly and deeply. Seeing all this, Kṛṣṇadāsa became overwhelmed and fell down at Lord Caitanya feet, crying.

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya’s ecstatic symptoms struck Kṛṣṇa dāsa with wonders and He fell down and offered his daṇḍavats obeisances at Lord Caitanya’s lotus feet.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 2.261

mora bhāgye tina loke nāhi kona jana/ baḍa bhāgye pāiluṅ muñi hārāila-dhana

Translation: "Kṛṣṇadāsa, I’ve never seen such a person in the three worlds. I’m so fortunate to meet Him, but I have lost such a wealth.”

Jayapatākā Swami: Kṛṣṇa dāsa realized that there is nobody like Lord Caitanya, but now only he is getting His association. But all this time He lost it. So we also should feel great separation from Lord Caitanya.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 2.262

e bola balte prabhura bāha haila yabe
kaha kṛṣṇadāse puche—ki haila tabe

Translation: As Kṛṣṇadāsa said this, Gauranga came back to His senses and said, Kṛṣṇadāsa, tell Me what happened then…”

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Caitanya was absorbed in His ecstasy and He was not aware of what He was doing, but this was something that amazed Kṛṣṇa dāsa, he has never seen anyone express such ecstasy before.

Murāri Gupta Kaḍaca, 4.9.10

Translation: Hearing that captivating lilting song, the gopīs came. But being intoxicated with love, Śrī Kṛṣṇa merely instructed them in the principles of dharma, which are meant for those concerned with externals.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, the gopīs had left everything, their home and everything, to associate with Lord Kṛṣṇa, but He was giving them external world moral instructions, but the ladies, the gopīs were frustrated by Lord Kṛṣṇa’s monistic talk.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 2.263

eikhāne gopīke bujhāya kulācāra
gopīra nigūḍha bhakti bhāva bujhibāra

Translation: Kṛṣṇadāsa, Herein, Kṛṣṇa instructed the gopīs about the duties of women to understand the deep bhakti and bhāva of the gopīs.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Kṛṣṇa was testing the gopīs, who had left everything being attracted by His flute playing and wanted to serve Him, But He was testing their love for Him, by giving lecture on religious principles.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 2.264

kimbā anurāga vṛddhi karibāra tare
rasa paripāṭī bhāva bāḍhāya antare

Translation: Or to increase the intensity of their love for Him, Lord Kṛṣṇa spoke like this. Their mellows and emotions increased within.

Jayapatākā Swami: While Lord Kṛṣṇa was speaking about the principles of dharma, the love for Kṛṣṇa was increasing.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 2.265

sumadhya-māgana kene rātre kuñjamājhe
bhaya nā karile ethā āile kona kāje

Translation: Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa said to the gopīs, ‘Why have you, most beautiful ones with slender waists, come out to this lonely forest in the dead of night? For what work have you so fearlessly come here?

Jayapatākā Swami: So, it is obvious why the gopīs came but Lord Kṛṣṇa is testing them by asking all these indirect questions.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 2.266

parapati-lālasa-parāṇa hetu torā
paranārī daraśa-paraśa nāhi morā

Translation: Do you want to enjoy the company of another’s husband? It’s not My business to see or touch another man’s wife.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, here in Vṛndāvana , Kṛṣṇa is enjoying the parakīya-rāsa, wherre all the gopīs officially have another husband, officially have another husband, but actually they all love Lord Kṛṣṇa and when Brahmā stole the cowherd boys and put them in the caves, Kṛṣṇa expanded Himself in the form of the other cowherd boys. At that time all the cowherd boys were married to the gopīs, actually the gopīs are all Kṛṣṇa’s wives and so they had natural attraction to lord Kṛṣṇa, but He is testing their devotion.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 2.267

āpanāra ghare giyā pati-sevā kara
nārī nijapati bhaje-ei dharma sāra

Translation: So, go back to your homes and serve your husbands. The essence of a woman’s duty is to please her husband.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, this is the varṇāśrama system and Kṛṣṇa is telling them to observe the Varṇāśrama.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 2.268

kibā rugna kibā vṛddha daridra kurūpa
nijapati-sevā paradharmera svarūpa

Translation: The supreme occupational duty of a woman is to serve her husband, be he sick, old, poor or ugly.

Jayapatākā Swami: The gopīs came being attracted to Lord Kṛṣṇa but He was giving them very heavy lectures.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 2.269

cala cala nijagṛhe cala vrajabālā
satī nāhi kare nijadharme abahelā

Translation: ‘O Vraja girls! Go back to your homes. A chaste woman never neglects to perform the proper religious duties.

Jayapatākā Swami: Why the parakīya-rasa is considered higher, is because any chaste women gives up all her household duties to associate with Lord Kṛṣṇa

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 2.270

āmi mahādharma-kabhu nā kari adharma
nā bujhi’ āmāra mana kaile kon karma

Translation: I am religion personified, so I never do anything against religious principles. Without understanding My mind, why are you acting like this?’

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Caitanya while doing Vṛndāvana parikramā is very absorbed in the pastimes of Kṛṣṇa with the gopīs.

Murāri Gupta Kaḍaca, 4.9.11

Translation: Seeing that their hearts were utterly pure, Lord Kṛṣṇa, the master of all those who master the process of union with Him, awarded them bhāva and prema as He performed the rāsa dance in this very spot.

Thus ends the chapter entitled, Mahā-rāsa-sthalī, Part 2

Under the Section: Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s Visit to Śrī Vṛndāvana