20211016 Rūpa Gosvāmī and Śrī Vallabha Receive the Mercy of Lord Caitanya

The following is a Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book Compilation given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on October 16th, 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 is the compilation of Caitanya-līlā book, Today's chapter is entitled as:

Rūpa Gosvāmī and Śrī Vallabha Receive the Mercy of Lord Caitanya

Under the Section: Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu Instructs Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 19.48

tāṅhādigake dekhiyā prabhura prīti:—

śrī-rūpe dekhiyā prabhura prasanna haila mana
‘uṭha, uṭha, rūpa, āisa’, balilā vacana

Translation: Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was very pleased to see Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, and He told him, “Stand up! Stand up! My dear Rūpa, come here.”

Jayapatākā Swami: We can see Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu had great love for Rūpa Gosvāmī and as soon he came He recognized him and told him to stand up and come here.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 19.49

kṛṣṇa-kṛpāya jīvera saṁsāra-mocana-varṇana:—

kṛṣṇera karuṇā kichu nā yāya varṇane
viṣaya-kūpa haite kāḍila tomā dui-jane

Translation: Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu then said, “It is not possible to describe Kṛṣṇa’s mercy, for He has delivered you both from the well of material enjoyment.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Rūpa and Śrī Vallabha were delivered from the family life and they had come and distributed their wealth appropriately. They came to go to Vṛndāvana under the order of Lord Caitanya, but by His mercy they met Lord Caitanya in Prayāga, so they were very eager to receive His instructions.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 19.50

ye-kona kulodbhava vaiṣṇavai bhagavānera nyāya sakalera sarvathā pūjya:— Śrī-Hari-Bhakti-Vilāse (10.91)—

itihāsasamuccaye bhagavad-vākye—

na me ’bhaktaś catur-vedī
mad-bhaktaḥ śva-pacaḥ priyaḥ
tasmai deyaṁ tato grāhyaṁ  

Translation: “[Lord Kṛṣṇa said:] ‘Even though a person is a very learned scholar of the Sanskrit Vedic literatures, he is not accepted as My devotee unless he is pure in devotional service. Even though a person is born in a family of dog-eaters, he is very dear to Me if he is a pure devotee who has no motive to enjoy fruitive activities or mental speculation. Indeed, all respects should be given to him, and whatever he offers should be accepted. Such devotees are as worshipable as I am.”’

Purport: This verse is included in the Hari-bhakti-vilāsa (10.127), compiled by Sanātana Gosvāmī.

Jayapatākā Swami: Actually, a devotee of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who doesn’t desire anything material or liberation from the Supreme Lord, wants to serve Him, that kind of a devotee is very rare. Most devotees have their wish list and they want some material facility from their worship of Kṛṣṇa. If someone is a pure devotee and had no desire for fruitive results or speculative knowledge is very rare and Kṛṣṇa says that He is as worshipable as Kṛṣṇa is.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 19.51

prabhura āliṅgana o ubhayera mastake sva-caraṇārpaṇa:—

ei śloka paḍi’ duṅhāre kailā āliṅgana
kṛpāte duṅhāra māthāya dharilā caraṇa

Translation: After reciting this verse, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu embraced the two brothers, and out of His causeless mercy He placed His feet on their heads.

Jayapatākā Swami: Although Rūpa Gosvāmī was a Minister in the government of Hussain Shah, he and his younger brother left all that and came to join Lord Caitanya. They wanted pure bhakti and they had no other desire, so they are very dear to Lord Caitanya and when they bow down He placed His lotus foot on the head, giving them unlimited blessings.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 19.52

bhrātṛdvayera prabhu-stava:—

prabhu-kṛpā pāñā duṅhe dui hāta yuḍi’
dīna hañā stuti kare vinaya ācari’

Translation: After receiving the Lord’s causeless mercy, the two brothers folded their hands and in great humility offered the following prayers unto the Lord.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 19.53

svarūpa-nāma-rūpa-guṇa-līlāmaya evaṁ sambandhābhidheya-prayojanādhi-devatā śrī-gaurera praṇāma:—

śrī-rūpa-vacana—

namo mahā-vadānyāya
kṛṣṇa-prema-pradāya te
kṛṣṇāya kṛṣṇa-caitanya-
nāmne gaura-tviṣe namaḥ

Translation: “O most munificent incarnation! You are Kṛṣṇa Himself appearing as Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu. You have assumed the golden color of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, and You are widely distributing pure love of Kṛṣṇa. We offer our respectful obeisances unto You.

Jayapatākā Swami: This prayer is offered by the devotees of Lord Caitanya as part of our daily practice, here it is being revealed.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 19.54

granthakārera gaura-praṇāma:—

Srī-Govinda-līlāmṛte (1.2) granthakāra-vākya—

yo ’jñāna-mattaṁ bhuvanaṁ dayālur
ullāghayann apy akarot pramattam
sva-prema-sampat-sudhayādbhutehaṁ
śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanyam amuṁ prapadye

Translation: “We offer our respectful obeisances unto that merciful Supreme Personality of Godhead who has converted all three worlds, which were maddened by ignorance, and saved them from their diseased condition by making them mad with the nectar from the treasure-house of love of God. Let us take full shelter of that Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya, whose activities are wonderful.”

Purport His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda: This verse is found in the Govinda-līlāmṛta (1.2).

Jayapatākā Swami: This prayer shows how Lord Caitanya had come to deliver the three worlds, and make everyone mad in the nectar of love of Godhead. So, normally it is very difficult to get love for Godhead, for this one has to be a pure devotee, which is very rare. Lord Caitanya gives out His mercy to everyone, even one may not be a pure devotee when he gets the mercy of Lord Caitanya then he becomes a pure devotee. Because there is nothing as super excellent as the mercy of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. His activities are most wonderful.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 19.55

śrī-rūpera nikaṭa sanātanera saṁvāda-jijñāsā:—

tabe mahāprabhu tāṅre nikaṭe vasāilā
‘sanātanera vārtā kaha’—tāṅhāre puchilā

Translation: After this, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu sat them down by His side and asked them, “What news do you have of Sanātana?”

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya wanted to know what had happened to Sanātana Gosvāmī, why he wasn’t with him.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 19.56

rūpakarttṛka sanātanera kārābandhana-saṁvāda-dāna:—

rūpa kahena,—teṅho bandī haya rāja-ghare
tumi yadi uddhāra’, tabe ha-ibe uddhāre

Translation: Rūpa Gosvāmī replied, “Sanātana has now been arrested by the government of Hussain Shah. If You kindly save him, he can be liberated from that entanglement.”

Jayapatākā Swami: Many times wants the devotees want the mercy of the Lord to enable them to do devotional service. So, Rūpa Gosvāmī was saying that if Lord Caitanya shows His mercy on Sanātana Gosvāmī, he can get out of the imprisonment and join Lord Caitanya.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 19.57

prabhukarttṛka sanātanera vandhana-mocana-saṁvāda-dāna:—

prabhu kahe,—sanātanera hañāche mocana
acirāt āmā-saha ha-ibe milana

Translation: Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu immediately replied, “Sanātana has already been released from his confinement, and he will very soon meet with Me.”

Jayapatākā Swami: Since Lord Caitanya is Supreme Personality of Godhead, He actually knows all the facts what is happening, He could immediately tell that Sanātana had already being released and would soon meet with Him, actually Sanātana Gosvāmī met Lord Caitanya in Benares.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 19.58

seidina ubhayera tathāya avasthāna:—

madhyāhna karite vipra prabhure kahilā
rūpa-gosāñi se-divasa tathāñi rahilā

Translation: The brāhmaṇa then requested Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu to accept His lunch. Rūpa Gosvāmī also remained there that day.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 19.59

ubhayera prabhubhuktāvaśeṣa-prāpti:—

bhaṭṭācārya dui bhāiye nimantraṇa kaila
prabhura śeṣa prasāda-pātra dui-bhāi pāila

Translation: Balabhadra Bhaṭṭācārya invited the two brothers to take lunch also. The remnants of food from the plate of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu were offered to them.

Jayapatākā Swami: They wanted the remnants of Lord Caitanya’s prasāda, this is known as mahā-prasāda, this is considered as very special mercy.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 19.60

prabhura vāsa-sthānera nikaṭe ubhayera avasthāna:—

triveṇī-upara prabhura vāsā-ghara sthāna
dui bhāi vāsā kaila prabhu-sannidhāna

Translation: Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu selected His residence beside the confluence of the Ganges and the Yamunā, a place called Triveṇī. The two brothers — Rūpa Gosvāmī and Śrī Vallabha — selected their residence near the Lord’s.

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya was staying next to the holy confluence. Śrī Rūpa and Śrī Vallabha decided to stay close to Lord Caitanya, so they could receive His instructions.

Thus ends the chapter entitled, Rūpa Gosvāmī and Śrī Vallabha Receive the Mercy of Lord Caitanya 
Under the section: Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu Instructs Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī