20211104 Sanātana Gosvāmī Inquires About Sādhya and Sādhana

The following is a Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book Compilation By His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on 4th November 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 continue Diwali Special Lecture today So we will continue,with the compilation of Caitanya līlā book, the chapter today is entitled:

Sanātana Gosvāmī Inquires About Sādhya and Sādhana

Under the section: Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu Instructs Sanātana Gosvāmī in the Science of the Absolute Truth

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 20.94

sanātanake prabhura śakti-sañcāra

prasanna hañā prabhu tāṅre kṛpā kaila
tāṅra kṛpāya praśna karite tāṅra śakti haila

Translation: Being pleased with Sanātana Gosvāmī, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu bestowed His causeless mercy upon him. By the Lord’s mercy, Sanātana Gosvāmī received the spiritual strength to inquire from Him.

Jayapatākā Swami: Even to inquire properly from the spiritual master requires special mercy. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu gave the special mercy to Sanātana Gosvāmī so he was able to ask questions appropriately.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 20.95-96

pūrve prabhura śakti-bale rāyera prabhu-praśnera uttaradāna-sāmarthya

pūrve yaiche rāya-pāśe prabhu praśna kailā
tāṅra śaktye rāmānanda tāṅra uttara dilā

tadrūpa prabhura śakti-sañcāra-bale sanātanera praśna, āra svayaṁ prabhura uttara-pradāna

ihāṅ prabhura śaktye praśna kare sanātana
āpane mahāprabhu kare ’tattva’-nirūpaṇa

Translation: Formerly, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu had asked Rāmānanda Rāya spiritual questions, and by the Lord’s causeless mercy, Rāmānanda Rāya could properly reply. Now, by the Lord’s mercy, Sanātana Gosvāmī questioned the Lord, and Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu personally supplied the truth.

Jayapatākā Swami: In both cases, Rāmānanda Rāya and Sanātana Gosvāmī they have received the Lord’s special mercy. Thus, they were enabled to answer or ask questions.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 20.97

sanātanake svayaṁ prabhura sambandhābhidheya-prayojana-tattva -kīrtana—

(granthakāra-vākya—)

kṛṣṇa-svarūpa-mādhuryaiś-
varya-bhakti-rasāśrayam
tattvaṁ sanātanāyeśaḥ
kṛpayopadideśa saḥ

Translation: Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, personally told Sanātana Gosvāmī about Lord Kṛṣṇa’s real identity. He also told him about the Lord’s conjugal love, His personal opulence and the mellows of devotional service. All these truths were explained to Sanātana Gosvāmī by the Lord Himself out of His causeless mercy.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Sanātana Gosvāmī had asked the Lord to explain the Truths of devotional service and Lord Caitanya did that very lucidly explaining the aspects of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s devotional service, sambandha relationship with Kṛṣṇa, abhidheya, the practical service to Lord Kṛṣṇa and prayojana, the ultimate objective or goal of devotional service.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 20.98

sanātana-śikṣā’ varṇanārambha; sadainye praṇipāta-paripraśna-sevā-pūrvaka lokaśikṣārtha nitya-siddha sanātanera baddha-jīvabhinaye śiṣyavat kīrtana-vigraha jagad-guru prabhura samīpe tattva-jijñāsā

tabe sanātana prabhura caraṇe dhariyā
dainya vinati kare dante tṛṇa lañā

Translation: Putting a straw in his mouth and bowing down, Sanātana Gosvāmī clasped the lotus feet of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and humbly spoke as follows.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 20.99

“nīca jāti, nīca-saṅgī, patita adhama
kuviṣaya-kūpe paḍi’ goṅāinu janama!

Translation: Sanātana Gosvāmī said, “I was born in a low family, and my associates are all low-class men. I myself am fallen and am the lowest of men. Indeed, I have passed my whole life fallen in the well of sinful materialism.

Purport: Actually Śrī Sanātana Gosvāmī belonged to a brāhmaṇa family because he belonged to the Sārasvata division of the brāhmaṇas and was well cultured and well educated. Somehow or other he accepted a ministership in the Muslim government; therefore he had to associate with meat-eaters, drunkards and gross materialists. Sanātana Gosvāmī considered himself fallen, for in the association of such men, he also fell victim to material enjoyment. Having passed his life in that way, he considered that he had wasted his valuable time. This statement about how one can become fallen in this material world is made by the greatest authority in the Gauḍīya-Vaiṣṇava-sampradāya. Actually the whole world is presently fallen into material existence. Everyone is a meat-eater, drunkard, woman-hunter, gambler and whatnot. People are enjoying material life by committing the four basic sins. Although they are fallen, if they simply submit themselves at the lotus feet of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, they will be saved from sinful reactions.

Jayapatākā Swami: Actually, the reactions for doing the sinful bad karmic things are very extreme, but by begging at the lotus feet of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu for forgiveness and engagement in devotional service as Sanātana Gosvāmī did with a straw in his tooth, in other words, he begged very humbly and presented himself as the most fallen and sinful person, although he was born in a very cultured family had the prime ministership in the empire of Nawab Hussain Shah and many other opulences like wealth and influence, but he didn’t report that he rather saw that spiritually he had wasted his time and prayed for the mercy of Lord Caitanya. We see that all the previous ācāryas, they present themselves in a very fallen condition. Although they had very many great qualities, but Lord Caitanya is patita-pāvana the deliverer of the fallen. They presented themselves as the most fallen, therefore deserving His special mercy.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 20.100

āpanāra hitāhita kichui nā jāni!
grāmya-vyavahāre paṇḍita, tāi satya māni

Translation: “I do not know what is beneficial for me or what is detrimental. Nonetheless, in ordinary dealings people consider me a learned scholar, and I am also thinking of myself as such.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 20.101

kṛpā kari’ yadi more kariyācha uddhāra
āpana-kṛpāte kaha ‘kartavya’ āmāra

Translation: “Out of Your causeless mercy, You have delivered me from the materialistic path. Now, by the same causeless mercy, please tell me what my duty is.

Jayapatākā Swami: We see how Sanātana Gosvāmī is presenting himself in a very humble way, praying for the mercy of Lord Caitanya. This is the example everyone should follow, although one may be a Ph.D., Doctor or great businessman, sportsman or Musician or be very famous in the world, but actually if they fall at Lord Caitanya’s lotus feet and beg for His mercy to be saved from all material reactions.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 20.102

jīvera svarūpa o bandhana-janita duḥkhera kāraṇa jijñāsā

‘ke āmi’, ‘kene āmāya jāre tāpa-traya’
ihā nāhi jāni—‘kemane hita haya’

Translation: “Who am I? Why do the threefold miseries always give me trouble? If I do not know this, how can I be benefited?

Purport: The threefold material miseries are miseries arising from the body and the mind, miseries arising from dealings with other living entities, and miseries arising from natural disturbances. Sometimes we suffer bodily when we are attacked by a fever, and sometimes we suffer mentally when a close relative dies. Other living entities also cause us misery. There are living entities born of the human embryo, of eggs, perspiration and vegetation. Miserable conditions brought about by natural catastrophes are controlled by the higher demigods. There may be severe cold or thunderbolts, or a person may be haunted by ghosts. These threefold miseries are always before us, and they entrap us in a dangerous situation. padaṁ padaṁ yad vipadām. There is danger in every step of life.

Jayapatākā Swami: Today there are many activists, who are expressing their requirements to make superior control of climate interfering practices because these are causing the adhīdaivika or the natural disturbances. But in the material world, there will always be some problem, actually the living entities if they understand their actual position, then naturally all the other things will be solved.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 20.103

‘sādhya’-‘sādhana’-tattva puchite nā jāni
kṛpā kari’ saba tattva kaha ta’ āpani”

Translation: “Actually I do not know how to inquire about the goal of life and the process for obtaining it. Being merciful upon me, please explain all these truths.”

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 20.104

sanātanake nitya-siddha-jñāne śudhu baddha-jīvera maṅgalārthai prabhura uttara pradāna

prabhu kahe,—“kṛṣṇa-kṛpā tomāte pūrṇa haya
saba tattva jāna, tomāra nāhi tāpa-traya

Translation: Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, “Lord Kṛṣṇa has bestowed His full mercy upon you so that all these things are known to you. For you, the threefold miseries certainly do not exist.

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya said that Sanātana Gosvāmī actually understands his duties but he is asking Him to explain it.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 20.105

kṛṣṇa-śakti dhara tumi, jāna tattva-bhāva
jāni’ dārḍhya lāgi’ puche,—sādhura svabhāva

Translation: “Since you possess Lord Kṛṣṇa’s potency, you certainly know these things. However, it is the nature of a sādhu to inquire. Although he knows these things, the sādhu inquires for the sake of strictness.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 20.106

tattva-jijñāsāra ekānta prayojanīyatā, tāhātei abhīṣṭasiddhi :—

Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.2.103)-dhṛta nāradīya vākya—

Translation: “‘Those who are eager to awaken their spiritual consciousness and who thus have unflinching, undeviated intelligence certainly attain the desired goal of life very soon.’

Purport: This verse, quoted from the Nāradīya Purāṇa, is found in the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.2.103).

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya cites these scriptures so that although He Himself is the Supreme authority, He refers to the scripture. This is because śāstra, sādhu and guru and śāstras are the basis.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 20.107

sanātanake ācāryarūpe prabhura aṅgīkāra

yogya-pātra hao tumi bhakti pravartāite
krame saba tattva śuna, kahiye tomāte

Translation: “You are fit to propagate the cult of devotional service. Therefore, gradually hear all the truths about it from Me. I shall tell you about them.

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya agreed to instruct Sanātana Gosvāmī about all the truths of bhakti-yoga and Sanātana Gosvāmī would in turn take his notes and later put that in scientific books. One of the books that he wrote was the Bṛhad-Bhāgavatāmṛta which is available from the BBT.

Thus ends the chapter entitled, Sanātana Gosvāmī Inquires About Sādhya and Sādhana 
Under the section: Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu Instructs Sanātana Gosvāmī in the Science of the Absolute Truth