20220719 Choṭa Haridāsa is Forbidden to Meet Lord Caitanya

The following is a Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book Compilation given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on July 19th, 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!

Hare Kṛṣṇa! Dear Devotees! Welcome for Caitanya lila class! We are reading:

Choṭa Haridāsa is Forbidden to Meet Lord Caitanya
Under the section: The Chastisement of Junior Haridāsa

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 2.101

anya ekadina choṭa-haridāsake prabhura bhojanārtha mādhavīdevīra nikaṭa taṇḍula ānayane preraṇaḥ—

eka-dina ācārya prabhure kailā nimantraṇa
ghare bhāta kari’ kare vividha vyañjana

Translation: One day Bhagavān Ācārya invited Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu to dine at his home. Thus he was preparing rice and various types of vegetables.

Jayapatākā Swami: I explained before a sannyāsī would take invitations for rice and vegetables from gṛhasthas, and normally people would give mahā-prasāda of Lord Jagannātha but here it says ghare bhātha, that means Bhagavān Ācārya’s cooking bhoga in his house.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 2.102

‘choṭa-haridāsa’ nāma prabhura kīrtanīyā
tāhāre kahena ācārya ḍākiyā āniyā

Translation: A devotee named Choṭa Haridāsa used to sing for Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Bhagavān Ācārya called him to his home and spoke as follows.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 2.103

‘mora nāme śikhi-māhitira bhaginī-sthāne giyā
śukla-cāula eka māna ānaha māgiyā’

Translation: “Please go to the sister of Śikhi Māhiti. In my name, ask her for a māna of white rice and bring it here.”

Purport: In India śukla-cāula (white rice) is also called ātapa-cāula, or rice that has not been boiled before being husked. Another kind of rice, called siddha-cāula (brown rice), is boiled before being husked. Generally, first-class fine white rice is required for offerings to the Deity. Thus Bhagavān Ācārya asked Choṭa Haridāsa, or Junior Haridāsa, a singer in the assembly of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, to get some of this rice from the sister of Śikhi Māhiti. A māna is a standard of measurement in Orissa for rice and other food grains.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, a māna is about 40 kilos or something.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 2.104

mahā-bhāgavata mādhavīdevīra paricayaḥ—

māhitira bhaginī sei, nāma—mādhavī-devī
vṛddhā tapasvinī āra paramā vaiṣṇavī

Translation: Śikhi Māhiti’s sister was named Mādhavī-devī. She was an elderly lady who always performed austerities. She was very advanced in devotional service.

Jayapatākā Swami: Mādhavī devī is one of the devotee that gave Caitanya Mahāprabhu some stories of Rādhārānī, she is said to be an associate of Śrīmatī Rādhārānī from Vṛndāvana.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 2.105

samagra prabhu bhaktagaṇera madhye kevala 3½ jana śrīmatīra gaṇa : —

prabhu lekhā kare yāre—rādhikāra ‘gaṇa’
jagatera madhye ‘pātra’—sāḍe tina jana

Translation: Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu accepted her as having formerly been an associate of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī. In the entire world, three and a half people were His intimate devotees.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, these devotees would be with Lord Caitanya when He would relish the confidential pastimes of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 2.106

svarūpa gosāñi, āra rāya rāmānanda
śikhi-māhiti—tina, tāṅra bhaginī—ardha-jana

Translation: The three were Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī, Rāmānanda Rāya and Śikhi Māhiti, and the half a person was Śikhi Māhiti’s sister.

Jayapatākā Swami: A lady was described as half jana.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 2.107

mādhavīra nikaṭa haite haridāsera sūkṣma-taṇḍulānayana o ācāryera randhana :—

tāṅra ṭhāñi taṇḍula māgi’ ānila haridāsa
taṇḍula dekhi’ ācāryera adhika ullāsa

Translation: After begging the rice from her, Junior Haridāsa brought it to Bhagavān Ācārya, who was very pleased to see its quality.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Bhagavān Ācārya was cooking for Lord Caitanya and He liked the quality of the rice.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 2.108

snehe rāndhila prabhura priya ye vyañjana
deula prasāda, ādā-cāki, lembu-salavaṇa

Translation: In great affection, Bhagavān Ācārya cooked varieties of vegetables and other preparations dear to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. He also obtained remnants of food from Lord Jagannātha and digestive aids such as ground ginger and also lime with salt.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Bhagavān Ācārya was preparing various preparations for Lord Caitanya and digestive aids. So he was doing this with great love and devotion.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 2.109

prabhura bhojana o sūkṣma taṇḍulaprāptira kāraṇa jijñāsāḥ—

madhyāhne āsiyā prabhu bhojane vasilā
śālyanna dekhi’ prabhu ācārye puchilā

Translation: At noon, when Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu came to eat the offerings of Bhagavān Ācārya, He first appreciated the fine rice and therefore questioned him.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 2.110

uttama anna eta taṇḍula kāṅhāte pāilā?
ācārya kahe,—mādhavī-pāśa māgiyā ānilā

Translation: “Where did you get such fine rice?” the Lord asked.

Bhagavān Ācārya replied, “I got it by begging from Mādhavī-devī.”

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 2.111

ācāryera mādhavī o choṭa-haridāsera nāma-jñāpanaḥ—

prabhu kahe,—‘kon yāi’ māgiyā ānila?’
choṭa-haridāsera nāma ācārya kahila

Translation: When Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu asked who had begged the rice and brought it back, Bhagavān Ācārya mentioned the name of Junior Haridāsa.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Caitanya was inquiring about all the details of the rice, how it had been gotten.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 2.112

bhojanānte prabhura govindake choṭa-haridāsera svagṛhe praveśa-niṣedhājñāḥ—

anna praśaṁsiyā prabhu bhojana karilā
nija-gṛhe āsi’ govindere ājñā dilā

Translation: Praising the quality of the rice, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu partook of the prasādam. Then, after returning to His residence, He gave the following order to Govinda, His personal assistant.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 2.113

‘āji haite ei mora ājñā pālibā
choṭa haridāse ihāṅ āsite nā dibā’

Translation: “From this day forward, do not allow Choṭa Haridāsa to come here.”

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Caitanya, He was forbidding Chota Haridāsa to come. Since Chota Haridāsa was a singer for Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, this is a very serious decision.

Thus ends the chapter entitled, Choṭa Haridāsa is Forbidden to Meet Lord Caitanya
Under the section: The Chastisement of Junior Haridāsa