20220602 The Dog Goes Back to Godhead

The following is a Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book Compilation given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on June 2nd,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 class the chapter entitled is:

The Dog Goes Back to Godhead
Under the section: Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī’s Second Meeting with the Lord

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 1.26

sabā lañā kailā jagannātha daraśana
sabā lañā mahāprabhu karena bhojana

Translation: Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu went with them to see the Lord in the temple, and on that day He also took lunch in the company of all those devotees.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Caitanya He liked to associate with His confidential associates and He took lunch with all those devotees, He gave them immense bliss.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 1.27

pūrvavat sabāre prabhu pāṭhāilā vāsā-sthāne
prabhu-ṭhāñi prātaḥ-kāle āilā āra dine

Translation: As previously, the Lord provided them all with residential quarters. And the next morning all the devotees came to see the Lord.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Caitanya Mahāprabhu although the Supreme Lord, He offered arranges, residential quarters for all His devotees. So, this teaches how we should take care of all the devotees so taking care of the devotee is one of the vaiṣṇava-ācāra.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 1.28

āsiyā dekhila sabe sei ta kukkure
prabhu-pāśe vasiyāche kichu alpa-dūre

Translation: When all the devotees came to the place of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, they saw the same dog sitting a little apart from the Lord.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, the dog that had taken by Śivānanda Sena which apparently was lost now seen with Caitanya Mahāprabhu a little apart from Him. In Māyāpur someone told that there was a dog coming after all the devotees left the temple, offering his prostrated obeisances before Śrīla Prabhupāda vyāsa-āsana and I hid outside the temple and looked through the jhāli and sure enough I saw the dog coming before Śrīla Prabhupāda and offering His obeisances. We know that devotees who somehow deviate from the path of devotional service they come back as animals in the holy-dhāma.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 1.29

prasāda nārikela-śasya dena phelāñā
‘rāma’ ‘kṛṣṇa’ ‘hari’ kaha’—balena hāsiyā

Translation: Furthermore, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was throwing remnants of green coconut pulp to the dog. Smiling in His own way, He was saying to the dog, “Chant the holy names ‘Rāma,’ ‘Kṛṣṇa’ and ‘Hari.”

Jayapatākā Swami: So, being a dog of a Vaiṣṇava one gets such mercy from Caitanya Mahāprabhu, our previous ācāryas have composed a song, that asking to be a dog in the serive of Vaiṣṇavas.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 1.30

śasya khāya kukkura, ‘kṛṣṇa’ kahe bāra bāra
dekhiyā lokera mane haila camatkāra

Translation: Seeing the dog eating the green coconut pulp and chanting “Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa” again and again, all the devotees present were very surprised.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Caitanya could get the dog to chant Kṛṣṇa! Kṛṣṇa! it may not be possible for us, at least if we can get the human beings to chant then that would be a great offering to Kṛṣṇa.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 1.31

śivānanda kukkura dekhi’ daṇḍavat kailā
dainya kari’ nija aparādha kṣamāilā

Translation: When he saw the dog sitting in that way and chanting the name of Kṛṣṇa, Śivānanda, because of his natural humility, immediately offered his obeisances to the dog just to counteract his offenses to it.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Śivānanda Sena felt that because the dog was not fed and because the dog left the party, he was guilty of many offenses for the dog, so he was offering his obeisances. Lord Caitanya advised us in the third verse of His Śikṣāṣṭakam that we should all be very humble and also respect others.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 1.32

kukurera siddhi o vaikuṇṭha-prāptiḥ—

āra dina keha tāra dekhā nā pāilā
siddha-deha pāñā kukkura vaikuṇṭhete gelā

Translation: The next day, no one saw that dog, for it had obtained its spiritual body and departed for Vaikuṇṭha, the spiritual kingdom.

Purport: This is the result of sādhu-saṅga — consequent association with Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and promotion back home, back to Godhead. This result is possible even for a dog, by the mercy of the Vaiṣṇava. Therefore, everyone in the human form of life should be induced to associate with devotees. By rendering a little service, even by eating prasādam, what to speak of chanting and dancing, everyone can be promoted to Vaikuṇṭhaloka. It is therefore requested that all our devotees in the ISKCON community become pure Vaiṣṇavas, so that by their mercy all the people of the world will be transferred to Vaikuṇṭhaloka, even without their knowledge. Everyone should be given a chance to take prasādam and thus be induced to chant the holy names Hare Kṛṣṇa and also dance in ecstasy. By these three processes, although performed without knowledge or education, even an animal went back to Godhead.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, the three processes, chanting hare Kṛṣṇa, dancing in ecstasy and taking prasāda, anyone can be transferred to Vaikuṇṭha to the kingdom of God. the dog he had prasāda, he chanted Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa and thus he achieved his siddha-svarūpa and went back to godhead. Śrīla Prabhupāda said that everyone who comes for the darśana of the deity should get some prasāda and we saw that in Tirupati temple, they do this they give a dona of lemon rice, curd rice or some kind of preparations and we are trying to arrange the same program even in Māyāpur but every temple in Māyāpur should see that some prasāda is given actually Śrīla Prabhupāda even said we can give even purī, halavā, and sabjī, that’s unimaginable that’s very opulent, something like that something should be give to all the visitors.

Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka, 10.8

Translation: Then, by the will of providence, he saw the dog alone at Puruṣottama-kṣetra, on the beach near Lord Caitanya.

When he saw the dog, Śivānanda bowed down as if he had committed offence and stood at a distance looking at the dog. Lord Caitanya was then throwing pieces of jagannātha-prasāda coconut-pulp to the dog, and told, “Chant Kṛṣṇa”.

The dog was eating the pieces of coconut pulp one by one, and it was also chanting “Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa”. When Śivānanda saw this wonder, he again bowed down to the dog and begged forgiveness. After that incident no one could see the dog anywhere. I think the dog must have attained another body and entered the spiritual world.

Jayapatākā Swami: Actually a dog body is not seen in the spiritual world, because the dogs tend to urinate on tulasī so the dog must have achieved another body and gone to the spiritual world.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 1.33

alaukika līlāmaya prabhuḥ—

aiche divya-līlā kare śacīra nandana
kukkurake kṛṣṇa kahāñā karilā mocana

Translation: Such are the transcendental pastimes of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, the son of mother Śacī. He even delivered a dog simply by inducing it to chant the mahā-mantra, Hare Kṛṣṇa.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Caitanya was so merciful and everyone He met He induce them to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, even this dog and many animals in the Jhārikhaṇḍa forest chanted the holy name and thus were purified.

Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka, 10.9

Foreigner: Brother, today is an auspicious day for me, for today the news of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya’s pastimes has become a guest in my ear. Lord Caitanya made even a dog chant the holy name of the Supreme Lord, then surely he will bestow his mercy on human beings. O brother, how do the thorn like toll-collectors behave with those travelling on the path?

Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka, 10.10

Gandharva: Brother, listen. Every year, by the influence of the Lord, all the devotees travel to and from Puruṣottama-kṣetra with great happiness. But some years there were some hardships.

Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka, 10.11

Foreigner: What happened? What kind of trouble was that?

Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka, 10.12

Gandharva: One year my master (Advaita Ācārya) with more than thousands of people travelled and Śivānanda along with his associates led them by arranging everything. In each of the quay, Śivānanda having ascertained the amount required as fees for crossing the river and paid the fare for everyone other than Advaita Ācārya and the associates of my Lord (Advaita Ācārya) and thus everyone travelled happily. While travelling thus, the devotees reached Remuṇā. At that time, when Mahārāja Pratāparudra was in the south, a minister of King who is the tax-collecting officer arrived there independently. That wicked fellow, counting all the devotees, impertinently breaking proper behavior, demanded a very large toll, far more than what had been asked in any previous year, and in order to collect the huge amount he put Śivānanda in wooden shackles. My master (Advaita Ācārya) and the other devotees did not perform their āhnika (religious ceremony to be performed every day at a fixed hour) grieving because Śivānanda was bound.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, this showed how Śivānanda Sena was bound and all the devotees were put into difficulty, they couldn’t bear to see how Śivānanda Sena was bound.

Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka, 10.13

Foreigner: Then?

Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka, 10.14

Gandharva: Then, when six hours of the night had passed, that fool’s (the minister who is the tax-collecting officer) guards holding a staff, called for Śivānanda. Fearing that he was about to be beaten, Śivānanda meditated on Lord Caitanya’s feet as he walked there with Vallabha.

Translation: Seeing the minister risen from sleep and surrounded by many men bearing torches, Śivānanda became afraid.

The minister asked him, “You have come along with the entourage?”

Śivānanda replied, “Yes”

The minister asked again, “Whose man are you?”

Śivānanda replied, “Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya’s.”

Haribol! The minister said: “You are Caitanya’s (man), and I am Jagannātha’s (man). Who among Caitanya and Jagannātha is the greatest?”

“My Kṛṣṇa Caitanya is the greatest”, Śivānanda replied.

When he heard this, the minister became loving and happy and considering himself an offender spoke, “I saw a dream. Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya said to me: “You have shackled my servant. Set him free at once.”

Therefore, please forgive my offence. There is no need for you to pay any toll. In the morning you may all happily rise and go on your way.”

Saying this, the minister turned to two torch-bearing guards and said, “Take them to the place where his associates are present.”

After that, on the following morning, my master and all the devotees commenced their āhnika (religious ceremony to be performed every day at a fixed hour).

Jayapatākā Swami: So, āhnika is the chanting of the Gāyatrī mantra, it is supposed to be chanted at a certain time in the morning, noon and sunset. This showed how Śivānanda Sena and the party was protected by Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka, 10.15

Foreigner: Ah! Lord Caitanya’s mercy, power and opulence are very wonderful.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, this drama Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka displays Lord Caitanya's power, mercy, influence and opulence. Lord Caitanya He was with His devotees all the time, He is the moving Jagannātha, so He gives more mercy than Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa gives mercy if we surrender to Him, Lord Caitanya gives mercy even to those who are not surrendered, even He gave the mercy to dog.

Gaurāṇga!

Thus ends the chapter entitled, The dog goes back to Godhead
Under the section: Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī’s Second Meeting with the Lord

Śrīla Prabhupāda kī jaya! Śrīla Gurumahārāja kī jaya! Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhū kī jaya!