20220426 Lord Caitanya and Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī Glorify Each Other, Part 2

The following is a Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book Compilation given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on April 26th,2022 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!

So today from the compilation of Lord Caitanya book:

Lord Caitanya and Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī Glorify Each Other, Part 2
Under the section: How All the Residents of Vārāṇasī Became Vaiṣṇavas

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta Madhya-līla 25.74

yadyapi tomāre saba brahmā-sama bhāse

loka-śikṣā lāgi’ aiche karite nā āise’

Translation: “My dear sir, for you everyone is on the level of impersonal Brahman, but for the enlightenment of people in general you should not behave in that way.”

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Caitanya should be more calm down so that people will understand what He is saying.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta Madhya-līla 25.75

prabhupāda-sparśe prakāśānandera aparādha-mocana jñāpana :—

teṅho kahe, ‘tomāra pūrve nindā-aparādha ye karila
tomāra caraṇa-sparśe, saba kṣaya gela

Translation: Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī replied, “Formerly I committed many offenses against You by blaspheming You, but now the effects of my offenses are counteracted by my touching Your lotus feet.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, this by taking the dust from the lotus foot of someone we are offended, one is freed from the offenses.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta Madhya-līla 25.76

muktagaṇerao bhagavadaparādhaphale vandhana-daśā :–

vāsanā-bhāṣya-dhṛta pariśiṣṭa-vacana—

Translation: “If a person considered liberated in this life commits offenses against the reservoir of inconceivable potencies, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he will again fall down and desire the material atmosphere for material enjoyment.’

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī had admitted that he has committed offenses on the Supreme Personality of Godhead and that this could be the cause of his fall down. So, by touching the lotus feet of Śrī Lord Caitanya he got freed from that offense

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta Madhya-līla 25.77

bhagavatpādasparśe aparādha-mocana :— Śrīmad-Bhāgavate (10.34.9)—

Translation: “Being touched by the lotus feet of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, that serpent was immediately freed from the reactions of his sinful life. Thus the serpent gave up his body and assumed the body of a beautiful Vidyādhara demigod.’ ”

Purport: This is a quotation from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.34.9). The inhabitants of Vṛndāvana, under the leadership of Nanda Mahārāja, once went to the bank of the Sarasvatī on a pilgrimage. Nanda Mahārāja was fasting, and he lay down near the forest. At that time a serpent, who was formerly cursed by Āṅgirasa Ṛṣi, appeared. This serpent had formerly been named Sudarśana, and he had belonged to the Vidyādhara planet. However, because he joked with the ṛṣi, he was condemned to take on the body of a big snake. When this serpent attacked Nanda Mahārāja, Nanda Mahārāja began to call, “Kṛṣṇa! Help!'' Kṛṣṇa immediately appeared and began to kick the serpent with His lotus feet. Due to being touched by the Lord’s lotus feet, the serpent was immediately freed from the reactions of his sinful life. Being freed, he again assumed his original form of Sudarśana, the Vidyādhara.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, there are three dhāma bhūr, bhuva, svaḥ and more above them. Human beings join from the Bhū-loka the vidhyādhara, I think they are from, they are considered as svarga-devas, svarga demigods. Vidyādharas, they are from bhuvara-loka, so being freed from their sin, he assumed his original body as Vidyādhara and went back to his own place.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta Madhya-līla 25.78

svayaṁ bhagavān haiyāo lokaśikṣārtha prabhura jagad-guru ācāryarūpe āpanāke dīna jīvābhimāna :—

prabhu kahe, — ‘viṣṇu’ ‘viṣṇu’, āmi kṣudra jīva hīna
jīve ‘viṣṇu’ māni — ei aparādha-cihna

Translation: When Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī supported himself by quoting the verse from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu immediately protested by uttering the holy name of Lord Viṣṇu. The Lord then presented Himself as a most fallen living entity, and He said, “If someone accepts a fallen conditioned soul as Viṣṇu, Bhagavān, or an incarnation, he commits a great offense.”

Purport: Although Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was Viṣṇu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, to teach us a lesson He nonetheless denied belonging to the Viṣṇu category. Unfortunately, there are many so-called Viṣṇu incarnations in this Age of Kali. People do not know that posing oneself as an incarnation is most offensive. People should not accept an ordinary man as an incarnation of God, for this also is a very great offense.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Caitanya although He was Kṛṣṇa Himself, He came to teach others. So, he said that He should not be called as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. If one calls the ordinary jīva the Supreme jīva that is very offensive.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta Madhya-līla 25.79

pāṣaṇḍera kārya vā paricaya :—

jīve ‘viṣṇu’ buddhi dūre — yei brahmā-rudra-sama
nārāyaṇe māne tāre ‘pāṣaṇḍīte’ gaṇana

Translation: Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu continued, “To say nothing of ordinary living entities, even Lord Brahmā and Lord Śiva cannot be considered on the level of Viṣṇu or Nārāyaṇa. If one considers them as such, he is immediately considered an offender and atheist.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, no one is equal to or greater than Viṣṇu and even if one is great like Lord Brahmā and Śiva, and if they say that, they are equal or greater than Viṣṇu that is very offensive.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta Madhya-līla 25.80

śāstra-pramāṇa :— vaiṣṇava-tantra vākya o pāsadmottara-khaṇḍe (23.12)—

Translation: “A person who considers demigods like Brahmā and Śiva to be on an equal level with Nārāyaṇa is to be considered an offender, a pāṣaṇḍī.”

Jayapatākā Swami: So, in the material world, Brahmā and Śiva are very powerful. Lord Brahmā is normally a living entity who is especially empowered by Kṛṣṇa and Lord Śiva, He is above jīvas but he is not on the same level as Nārāyaṇa. So if you think they are same, its offensive.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta Madhya-līla 25.81

prabhura prati prakāśānandera dṛḍha viśvāsa vā śraddhā :—

prakāśānanda kahe, — “tumi sākṣāt bhagavān
tabu yadi kara tāṅra ‘dāsa’-abhimāna

Translation: Prakāśānanda replied, “You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa Himself. Nonetheless, You are considering Yourself His eternal servant.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, this is the actual position of Lord Caitanya, He is Kṛṣṇa Himself but He is the mood of a devotee and He always considers Himself as a devotee of Kṛṣṇa.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta Madhya-līla 25.82

tabu pūjya hao, tumi baḍa āmā haite
sarva-nāśa haya mora tomāra nindāte

Translation: “My dear Lord, You are the Supreme Lord, and although You consider Yourself the Lord’s servant, You are nonetheless worshipable. You are much greater than I am; therefore all my spiritual achievements have been lost because I have blasphemed You.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, His Holiness Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī is realizing his position. He had offended Lord Caitanya and therefore he lost his spiritual credits. So, he is saying that Lord Caitanya is Kṛṣṇa, but He thinks Himself as Kṛṣṇa's servant.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta Madhya-līla 25.83

Śrīmad-Bhāgavate (6.14.5)—

muktānām api siddhānāṁ nārāyaṇa-parāyaṇaḥ
su-durlabhaḥ praśāntātmā koṭiṣv api mahā-mune

Translation: “O great sage, out of many millions of materially liberated people who are free from ignorance, and out of many millions of siddhas who have nearly attained perfection, there is hardly one pure devotee of Nārāyaṇa. Only such a devotee is actually completely satisfied and peaceful.’

Purport: This verse is quoted from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (6.14.5).

Jayapatākā Swami: So, being a pure devotee of Kṛṣṇa is a very great position, we should aspire to serve the pure devotees of Kṛṣṇa by their mercy to become one and try to become one.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta Madhya-līla 25.84

mahat vā vaiṣṇavera nindāya sarvanāśa :– Śrīmad-Bhāgavate (10.4.46)—

Translation: “When a person mistreats great souls, his life span, opulence, reputation, religion, possessions and good fortune are all destroyed.’

Purport: This statement (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.4.46) was made by Śukadeva Gosvāmī to Mahārāja Parīkṣit.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, His Holiness Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī, He was in various ways repenting his offenses to Lord Caitanya.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta Madhya-līla 25.85

Śrīmad-Bhāgavate (7/5/32)—

Translation: “Unless human society accepts the dust of the lotus feet of great mahātmās — devotees who have nothing to do with material possessions — mankind cannot turn its attention to the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. Those lotus feet vanquish all the unwanted, miserable conditions of material life.’

Purport: This verse appears in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (7.5.32). For an explanation, see Madhya-līlā 22.53.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, by taking shelter of the lotus feet of a pure devotee, one is able to get the shelter of Lord Kṛṣṇa and overcome all the problems of material life.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta Madhya-līla 25.86

ahaṅkāra tyāgapūrvaka kṛṣṇacaraṇe praṇāmaphale śuddha-bhakti-lābha :—

ebe tomāra pādābje upajibe bhakti
tathi lāgi’ kari tomāra caraṇe praṇati

Translation: “Henceforward I shall certainly develop devotional service unto Your lotus feet. For this reason, I have come to You and have fallen down at Your lotus feet.”

Jayapatākā Swami: So, His Holiness Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī had become a Vaiṣṇava and he was clasping the lotus feet of Lord Caitanya so that he could develop love for Kṛṣṇa. So, this is actually a miracle performed by Lord Caitanya. We are very fortunate to be in the succession of Lord Caitanya.

Thus Ends the Chapter entitled, Lord Caitanya and Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī Glorify Each Other, Part 2

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