20220425 Lord Caitanya and Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī Glorify Each Other, Part 1

The following is a Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book Compilation given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on April 25th,2022 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!

Hare Kṛṣṇa! Dear Devotees! Today we will continue with the compilation of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya bookToday's chapter is entitled as:

Lord Caitanya and Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī Glorify Each Other, Part 1

Under the section: How All the Residents of Vārāṇasī Became Vaiṣṇavas

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta Madhya-līla 25.59

mahārāṣṭrīya viprera prabhuke śubha-sandeśa-jñāpanārtha yātrā :—

e saba vṛttānta śuni’ mahārāṣṭrīya brāhmaṇa

prabhure kahite sukhe karilā gamana

Translation: After hearing all these statements, the Maharāṣṭriyan brāhmaṇa very jubilantly went to inform Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

Jayapatākā Swami: The Maharāṣṭriyan brāhmaṇa Tapana Miśra and Candraśekhara were very upset to hear all the offenses against Lord Caitanya. So, naturally they became jubilant when all the Māyāvādī sannyāsīs started to glorify Lord Caitanya.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta Madhya-līla 25.60

kāśīte dainika niyamānusāre pañcanade snānānantara prabhura śrī-bindu-mādhava-darśane yātrā :—

hena-kāle mahāprabhu pañca-nade snāna kari’
dekhite caliyāchena ‘bindu-mādhava hari’

Translation: When the Mahārāṣṭriyan brāhmaṇa went to see Caitanya Mahāprabhu, the Lord was going to the temple of Bindu Mādhava after bathing in the waters of the Pañca-nada.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Pañca-nada is one of the sacred bathing places in the Ganges river at Benares and Bindu-Mādhava is a deity considered ancient and very prominent in Benares.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta Madhya-līla 25.61

mahārāṣṭrīya vipramukhe bhakta-prakāśānandera kathā śravaṇe prabhura sukha :—

pathe sei vipra saba vṛttānta kahila
śuni’ mahāprabhu sukhe īṣat hāsila

Translation: While the Lord was on His way, the Mahārāṣṭriyan brāhmaṇa informed Him about the incident that took place in the camp of Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī. Hearing this, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu smiled happily.

Jayapatākā Swami: The Māyāvādī sannyāsī generally are not very open to Vaiṣṇava discussion, but in this case somehow by the mercy of Lord Caitanya they became converted they were praising Lord Caitanya and they were praising what is said.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta Madhya-līla 25.62

śrī-bindu-mādhava-darśane prabhura āveśa o nṛtya :—

mādhava-saundarya dekhi’ āviṣṭa ha-ilā
aṅganete āsi’ preme nācite lāgilā

Translation: Upon reaching the temple of Bindu Mādhava, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, seeing the beauty of Lord Bindu Mādhava, became overwhelmed in ecstatic love. He then began to dance in the courtyard of the temple.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Caitanya would become ecstatic whenever He saw Kṛṣṇa deity, when He saw the beauty of Bindu Mādhava, He naturally danced in ecstasy.

Haribol ! Jay!

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta Madhya-līla 25.63

cāri bhaktera saṅkīrtana :—

śekhara, paramānanda, tapana, sanātana
cāri-jana mili’ kare nāma-saṅkīrtana

Translation: There were four people accompanying Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and these were Candraśekhara, Paramānanda Purī, Tapana Miśra and Sanātana Gosvāmī. They were all chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra in the following way.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta Madhya-līla 25.64

nāma-saṅkīrtana :—

“haraye namaḥ kṛṣṇa yādavāya namaḥ
gopāla govinda rāma śrī-madhusūdana”

Purport: ♫ This is another way of chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. The meaning is as follows: “I offer my respectful obeisances unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa. Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto Gopāla, Govinda, Rāma and Śrī Madhusūdana.”

Jayapatākā Swami: Śrīla Prabhupāda said that the devotees in Mayapur chant, especially should chant this mantra, Lord Caitanya expressed His devotion for Lord Kṛṣṇa by chanting this mantra. So, it is alright for His followers to also chant according to Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Swami.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta Madhya-līla 25.65

caturddike asaṃkhya lokera haridhvani :—

caudikete lakṣa loka bale ‘hari’ ‘hari’
uṭhila maṅgala-dhvani svarga-martya bhari’

Translation: In all directions, hundreds of thousands of people began to chant, “Hari! Hari!” Thus there arose a tumultuous and auspicious sound filling the entire universe.

Jayapatākā Swami: Hari hari! Hari Hari! caudikete lakṣa loka bale ‘hari’ ‘hari’. Hari Hari! Maṅgala-dhvani means chanting of Hari bol for men, chanting of Hari bol by women as well.  Ulu-dhvani, only the auspicious women can chant.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta Madhya-līla 25.66

saśiṣya prakāśānandera tathāya āgamana :—

nikaṭe hari-dhvani śuni’ parakāśānanda
dekhite kautuke āilā lañā śiṣya-vṛnda

Translation: When Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī, who was staying nearby, heard this tumultuous chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, he and his disciples immediately came to see the Lord.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, this is the difference previously they would laugh and critize now they are coming close, so, we see a big change.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta Madhya-līla 25.67

prabhura nṛtya o prema-mādhurya-darśane tāṅhārao kīrtana :—

dekhiyā prabhura nṛtya, prema, dehera mādhurī
śiṣya-gaṇa-saṅge sei bale ‘hari’ ‘hari’

Translation: When Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī saw the Lord, he and his disciples also joined the chanting with Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī was charmed by the Lord’s dancing and ecstatic love and by the transcendental beauty of His body.

Jayapatākā Swami: Hari bol! Hari Hari Hari Hari! So, Lord Caitanya had touched the heart of Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī and all his disciples so that they were all joining in the kīrtana.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta Madhya-līla 25.68

kampa, svara-bhaṅga, sveda, vaivarṇya, stambha
aśru-dhārāya bhije loka, pulaka-kadamba

Translation: Ecstatic spiritual transformations began to take place in the Lord’s body. His body trembled, and His voice faltered. He perspired, turned pale and wept a constant flow of tears, which wet all the people standing there. The eruptions on the Lord’s body appeared like kadamba flowers.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, when Lord Caitanya went into the ecstatic symptoms of love of Kṛṣṇa and His tears wet the body who was standing around. Everyone was also blessed by the love of Kṛṣṇa.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta Madhya-līla 25.69

bhāva-darśane kāśīvāsīra vismaya :—

harṣa, dainya, cāpalyādi ‘sañcārī’ vikāra
dekhi’ kāśī-vāsī lokera haila camatkāra

Translation: All the people were astonished to see the Lord’s jubilation and humility and to hear Him talk in ecstasy. Indeed, all the residents of Benares [Kāśī] saw the bodily transformations and were astonished.

Jayapatākā Swami: So Lord Caitanya ecstatic symptoms of love of Kṛṣṇa touched the hearts of all the residents of Kāśī and they were astonished and amazed to see the Lord’s ecstatic symptoms.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta Madhya-līla 25.70

lokasaṁghaṭṭa o sannyāsi-darśane prabhura bhāva-nṛtya samvaraṇa :—

loka-saṅghaṭṭa dekhi’ prabhura ‘bāhya’ yabe haila
sannyāsīra gaṇa dekhi’ nṛtya saṁvarila

Translation: When Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu regained His external consciousness, He saw that many Māyāvādī sannyāsīs and other people were gathered there. He therefore suspended His dancing for the time being.

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya He was a bit sober to see all the Māyāvādī sannyāsīs and other people surrounding Him, so He maintained an external consciousness

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta Madhya-līla 25.71

prabhu o prakāśānanda, ubhayera paraspara vandanā :—

prakāśānandera prabhu vandilā caraṇa
prakāśānanda āsi’ tāṅra dharila caraṇa

Translation: After stopping the kīrtana, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, who is a great example of humility, offered prayers unto the feet of Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī. At this, Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī immediately came forward and clasped the Lord’s lotus feet.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Caitanya was an emblem of humility, so Seeing Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī, the ācārya of all the Māyāvādī sannyāsīs He paid His obeisances but immediately Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī grabbed the lotus feet of Lord Caitanya. This is something unprecedented. Somehow in preaching Kṛṣṇa consciousness, a devotee should also be humble. When I was in West, I asked Śrīla Prabhupāda, “What should I do when I see a Māyāvādī sannyāsī?”, he said, “Pay him obeisances”. So we are very humble, we are determined to transmit the message of Lord Caitanya.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta Madhya-līla 25.72

prabhura dainya-jñāpana :—

prabhu kahe, — ‘tumi jagad-guru pūjyatama
āmi tomāra nā ha-i ‘śiṣyera śiṣya’ sama

Translation: When Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī caught hold of the Lord’s lotus feet, the Lord said, “My dear sir, you are the spiritual master of the whole world; therefore you are most worshipable. As far as I am concerned, I am not even on the level of the disciple of your disciple.”

Purport: Māyāvādī sannyāsīs generally call themselves jagad-guru, the spiritual master of the whole world. Many consider themselves worshipable by everyone, although they do not even go outside India or their own district. Out of His great magnanimity and humility, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu presented Himself as a subordinate disciple of Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, when Śrīla Prabhupāda attended the Kumba-mela in Allahabad in Prayāga, he saw that some sannyāsī gurus, they rode on the back of elephants, and they called themselves as jagad-guru but Śrīla Prabhupāda commented that they have never left their own area, how they are jagad-guru and we rather walk in front of the elephants, have the elephants carry the deity of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. therefore, he preached around the world and he is real jagad-guru. Since the title of jagad-guru is become very cheap, he didn’t prefer to be called as jagad-guru. Here Lord Caitanya He offered His respects to Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī and thus he presented Himself in a subordinate.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta Madhya-līla 25.73

śreṣṭha hañā kene kara hīnera vandana
āmāra sarva-nāśa haya, tumi brahma-sama

Translation: Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu continued, “You are a great, spiritually advanced personality, and therefore you cannot worship a person like Me. I am far inferior. If you do so, My spiritual power will be diminished, for you are as good as the impersonal Brahman.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, we see Lord Caitanya is presenting Himself very humbly, the spiritual truths, the Spiritual Brahman is situated in three forms in the impersonal brahman, localized paramātma and the Person, Supreme Personality of Godhead Bhagavān. So, Lord Caitanya is actually Bhagavān, he is the source of Brahman. But as a preacher he is taking a very humble position.

♫ Thus Ends the Chapter entitled, Lord Caitanya and Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī Glorify Each Other, Part 1

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