20220530 Drāviḍa Brāhmaṇa Obtains the Mercy of Lord Caitanya

The following is a Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book Compilation given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on May 30th,2022 in Chennai, 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!

Continuing the Caitanya Lila Compilation the chapter entitled is:

Drāviḍa Brāhmaṇa Obtains the Mercy of Lord Caitanya
Under the section: Wonderful Episode of Drāviḍa brāhmaṇa

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 4.71

punaḥ cala yāi sei prabhu-barābare
ajñāna brāhmaṇa muñi - kaha mo tomāre

Translation: The brāhmaṇa said, “Please take me back to meet Lord Caitanya again. I’m an ignorant brāhmaṇa, but let’s go and see the Lord. I am requesting you”

Jayapatākā Swami: So, the Drāviḍian brāhmaṇa, Rāmadāsa, was admitting his ignorance he wanted to meet Lord Caitanya again who was described by Vibhīṣaṇa as non-different from Lord Jagannātha. Actually, Lord Caitanya is described as moving Lord Jagannātha because He walks all around because Lord Jagannātha stays on the altar at one place. So this secret identity of Lord Caitanya was revealed by Vibhīṣaṇa so the Drāviḍian brāhmaṇa want to meet Lord Caitanya again after understanding His importance.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 4.72

aneka yatana kaila eḍāite nāri
punaḥ leuṭiyā yāya prabhu-barābari

Translation: Although, Vibhīṣaṇa tried to evade him in many ways, he could not and so finally again he returned to meet Lord Caitanya.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, now the Drāviḍian brāhmaṇa he was very eager to meet Lord Caitanya. So he followed Vibhīṣaṇa wherever he want and finally Vibhīṣaṇa took him to meet Lord Caitanya.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 4.73

prabhura sammukhe gelā antara tarāsa
punaḥ dohā dekhi’ prabhura upajila hāsa

Translation: They both went in front of Lord Caitanya being anxious and seeing both of them again Lord Caitanya laughed.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, actually when the conditioned soul wants to meet or serve Kṛṣṇa then Lord is very happy, most people in the material world are not trying to think about Lord.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 4.74

prabhu bole-leuṭiyā āilā ki kāraṇe
rājā kahe—ye kāraṇa—puchaha brāhmaṇe

Translation: Lord Caitanya said, “Oh, why did you come back?” Vibhīṣaṇa replied, “For the reason, ask this brāhmaṇa.”

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 4.75

brāhmaṇa kahaye–gosāñi āmi ta abudha
kata kata jīva āche arbuda-arbuda

Translation: Brāhmaṇa, “O Gosāi, I am ignorant. There are many living entities as much as arbuda, arbuda (one arbuda equals 100,000,000)

Jayapatākā Swami: So, arbuda arbuda means hundred million times hundred million and that would be nine more zeros. In this way its very rare as Kṛṣṇa says in Bhagavad-gītā, out of thousands of people one tries to get liberated, and out of thousands of those only one achieve liberation and out of those only one is pure devotee of Kṛṣṇa.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 4.76

sabhākāra prāṇa tumi sabhākāra nātha
to bahi nāhika keho tumi Jagannātha

Translation: You are the life and soul of everyone, and You are the Lord of everyone and there is no one other than You. Actually, You are Lord Jagannātha Himself.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, the Drāviḍian brāhmaṇa has realised this truth from Vibhīṣaṇa and he is revealing his mind to Lord Caitanya. In the material world, we are trying to enjoy our senses, we think we are the body but actually we are the eternal spirit soul and out nature is to serve the Supreme soul.

Murāri Gupta Kaḍaca, 4.21.22

Translation: Hearing this, the elevated brāhmaṇa said, “O guru of the cosmos! Kindly do not abandon me. Fulfill the boon promised by You.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 4.77

āmi mahādhama chāra mahā aparādhī
nijakarma-doṣe mo dāridra-roga-vyādhi

Translation: I am the most lowly, and the worst offender. Due to my bad karma, I suffered from poverty, disease, and other miseries.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 4.78

vyādhi-pīḍāye mo kupathya karoṅ āśā
auṣadha nā ruce mukhe -kupathye pratyāśā

Translation: “Because of my impoverished condition, I came to You and asked for the wrong diet. Despite my distress, I don’t have any taste for the medicine, because I was attached to the wrong diet.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, real solution for the conditioned soul is to leave this material world and go to the spiritual world where one can serve Kṛṣṇa and His expansions fully. In this world whatever birth, we take we have to suffer, disease, old age and death but actually if we engage in the pure devotional service we attain unlimited happiness in this world and at the end of this life we can go back to godhead.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 4.79

bujhiyā auṣadha deha-tumi dhanvantari
karmadoṣe bhava-vyādhe āmi chāra mari’

Translation: But You give the correct medicine after diagnosing the disease, because You are Dhanvantari. I’m dying because of my misdeeds and the disease of material existence.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Rāmadāsa, the Drāviḍian brāhmaṇa he realised that he was suffering because of him being in the material existence and the solutions that he saw was actually not the solution for this disease. We are thinking that if we can satisfy our senses then only, we will be happy but the senses are actually never satisfied, they have their limits but our requirement is unlimited. But actually, living in material world having basic fulfillment of our material desires and engaging in the pure devotion for Lord Hṛṣīkeśa is the actual solution. The material activities can never satisfy the spirit soul.

Murāri Gupta Kaḍaca, 4.21.23

Translation: “O Jagannātha, Lord of the universe! O Hṛṣīkeśa, Master of the senses! O deliverer of conditioned souls from the ocean of repeated birth and death! You are the bestower of kṛṣṇa-prema to the fallen souls. Indeed, You are Kṛṣṇa, the all attractive person! Kindly deliver me.”

Jayapatākā Swami: So, the Drāviḍian brāhmaṇa is asking for kṛṣṇa-prema, so sometimes suffering in the material world is a blessing in disguise because if we think that material world is a nice place, then we will stay here birth after birth. There is a story of one person who wanted touchstone and he approached Sanātana Gosvāmī for touchstone and he asked Sanātana Gosvāmī, give me the most valuable thing you have, because I heard that you have a touchstone. “Oh! Touchstone, that is the garbage pile, if you want it, you can have it.” So, he went and found the touchstone in the garbage. So, he asked Sanātana Gosvāmī after he had the touchstone that, if this is the most valuable thing you have then why did you put it in the garbage, he said that, “it’s not the most valuable thing I have.” “Oh, then give me the most valuable thing”, “I will give if you throw the touchstone back in the garbage” and then he gave the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra.

Haribol!

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 4.80

e bola śuniyā prabhu hāsite lāgilā
jagannāthadeva tomāra saba bhāla kailā

Translation: Hearing this confession, Lord Caitanya laughed and said, “Lord Jagannatha did you a favor.

Murāri Gupta Kaḍaca, 4.21.24

Translation: The ocean of compassion answered him, “Return to your home. Enjoy your pleasures after first renouncing them at Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s feet.

Murāri Gupta Kaḍaca, 4.21.25

Translation: “Through such worship you shall receive bhakti, and by the practice of bhakti the wealth of kṛṣṇa-prema can arise in your heart.” On hearing this, the brāhmaṇa offered Mahāprabhu respectful obeisances and then departed for his home.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Caitanya taught the South Indian brāhmaṇa, Rāmadāsa, the secret, he can return home and offer all his activities and pleasure everything to Kṛṣṇa and by practicing the nine practices of bhakti-yoga, He will achieve bhakti, and from bhakti spontaneous love for Kṛṣṇa may arise.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 4.81

āgāo īpsita tumi bhuñjibe ekhana
śeṣakāle pābe jagannāthera caraṇa

Translation: Go ahead and now you will enjoy the coveted wealth. At the end of your life, you will attain the lotus feet of Lord Jagannātha.”

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Caitanya gave his blessings to the Drāviḍian brāhmaṇa, use the wealth that he gets by Lord Jagannātha’s mercy in the service of the Lord and then at the end of the life your life you will get the shelter at the lotus feet of Lord Jagannātha.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 4.82

e bola balite vipra daṇḍavata kare
caudige sakala loka hari hari bole

Translation: After hearing this, the brāhmaṇa offered daṇḍavats to Lord Caitanya. The devotees all around chanted, “Hari! Hari!”

Jayapatākā Swami: Hari! Hari! Hari! Hari! Hari! Hari! So, the brāhmaṇa offered his daṇḍavats or his prostrated obeisances to Lord Caitanya who had given him His mercy and everyone being inspired by this poor brāhmaṇa getting the mercy of Lord Caitanya chanted the holy name. Hari! Hari

Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare,
Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 4.83

śuna sarvajana hera apūrva kathana
bara pāñā cali’ gelā daridra-brāhmaṇa

Translation: Everyone listen to this amazing pastime. After receiving the boon, the poor brāhmaṇa left.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord is know as the giver of boon, Varadarāja means the king of the boon givers so this poor brāhmaṇa get his desired wealth and would also get kṛṣṇa-bhakti.

Murāri Gupta Kaḍaca, 4.21.26

Translation: After offering prayers of praise to Gaura Hari and bowing down before Him repeatedly, Vibhīṣaṇa also departed for his charming home while meditating on the Lord’s lotus feet.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, like this every day Lord Caitanya countless pastimes would happen, and we are having the advantage of hearing about one, about the Drāviḍian brāhmaṇa Rāmadāsa and coming of King Vibhīṣaṇa, like this Lord Caitanya pastimes are pure nectar and if we can always listen to the pastimes of Lord Caitanya and Kṛṣṇa then we get purified.

Haribol!

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 4.84

hariṣe hailā doṅhe bāḍīra bahira
bhaktajana prabhura puchaye dhīre dhīra

Translation: Vibhīṣaṇa and the poor brāhmaṇa left the house in a joyful mood. The devotees gradually questioned the Lord.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 4.85

purī gosāñi bole-prabhu dayā kara yadi
ihāra kāraṇa kaha-sabhe kara śuddhi

Translation: Purī Gosāi said, “Please be merciful and reveal the reason for all these, for our purification. Kindly explain what just happened?”

Jayapatākā Swami: So, the devotees associate of Lord Caitanya they didn’t know anything what was going on, they didn’t know who this person was, King Vibhīṣaṇa they didn’t know the Drāviḍian brāhmaṇa Rāmadāsa, what is situation was and they couldn’t understand anything. They just saw that Lord Caitanya gave his special mercy to both of them so they wanted to know what actually happened.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 4.86

sudhāite nāre keho-mane baḍa icchā
sāhasa kariyā muñi sudhāila pāchā

Translation: Everyone is curious, but they are afraid to ask You. Everyone is greatly eager to know. So finally, taking courage, I am enquiring.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, just as Kṛṣṇa said in Bhagavad-gītā that He instructed the Gītā to the Sun-god but Arjuna wanted to asked that was like 40 million years ago, and you are standing before me like a young man. So, Lord Kṛṣṇa explained that I was in the same body and I remember what happened, 40 million years ago, you were there but you don’t remember. So, that’s the difference between a individual soul and the Supreme soul, we have some qualities that are same as Kṛṣṇa but the quantity we are infinitesimal and He is infinite.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 4.87

ṭhākura kahaye—śuna śunaha gosāñi
e kathā tomarā sabhe kichu bujha nāñi

Translation: Lord Caitanya said, “Listen Purī Gosāi. None of you in the assembly has understood what just occurred.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 4.88

drāviḍe āchila ei daridra brāhmaṇa
aneka yantraṇā-duḥkha pāñāche takhana

Translation: This poor brāhmaṇa from South India was suffering tremendously.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 4.89

dāridra-jvālāya dagdha āila ei deśe
jagannātha upare prahāra kare śeṣe

Translation: Being oppressed by poverty, he came to this place and finally he was beating Lord Jagannātha.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, if we blame the Supreme Lord of our own bad karma, that’s like beating the Lord, but actually we are responsible we don’t know what we did bad, we did something, and if we blame the Lord for that that’s not fair. Finally the poor brāhmaṇa he realized that he must have committed many aparādhas and he begged for forgiveness.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 4.90

duḥkhita dekhiyā tuṣṭa hailā jagannātha
ācambite vibhīṣaṇa-sane haila sātha

Translation: Seeing his miserable plight, Lord Jagannātha felt sorry for him. By the Lord’s arrangement, he met King Vibhīṣana

Jayapatākā Swami: So, it is not an accident that he met king Vibhīṣaṇa, it was by the Lord's intervention and Vibhīṣaṇa is very special person, very few people see or recognize King Vibhīṣaṇa and he was the brother of Rāvaṇa, who surrendered to Lord Rāma.

Haribol!

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 4.91

vibhīṣaṇa ei-ye basila mora pāśe
dhana-dāna kaila teṅho brāhmaṇa-santoṣe

Translation: One who was sitting next to Me is this Vibhīṣaṇa. He pleased that brāhmaṇa by giving him abundant wealth.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 4.92

e bola śuniyā sarvajanera ullāsa
premāya bhāsila saba e bhūmi-ākāśa

Translation: The devotees exploded with ecstasy upon hearing this story. The land and sky flooded with kṛṣṇa-prema.

Haribil!

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Caitanya had revealed what actually had happened so these are truly wonderful pastimes of the Lord. No one can imagine seeing Vibhīṣaṇa and how the poor brāhmaṇa got the mercy. So, understanding how Lord Caitanya had enacted all these pastimes in front of the devotees, they are filled with kṛṣṇa-prema.

Haribol!

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 4.93

sarvajana nāce - sabhe bole haribola
ānande sabhāi sabhe dhari’ dei kola

Translation: Everyone danced jubilantly, chanting, “Hari!” Happily, all the devotees embraced one another.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, the associates of Lord Caitanya after they heard the wonderful pastimes, they started to dance and chant Hari bol! And they meraced each other in ecstasy.

Thus ends the chapter entitled, Drāviḍa Brāhmaṇa Obtains the Mercy of Lord Caitanya
Under the section: Wonderful Episode of Drāviḍa brāhmaṇa

Śrīla Prabhupāda ki jaya! Śrīla Gurumahārāja ki jaya!