20220720 Why 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 20th, 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! Today we will continue with the compilation of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book. Today's chapter is entitled as:

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

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 2.114

haridāsera gabhīra duḥkha o upavāsaḥ—

dvāra mānā haila, haridāsa duḥkhī haila mane
ki lāgiyā dvāra-mānā keha nāhi jāne

Translation: When Junior Haridāsa heard that he had been ordered not to approach Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, he was very unhappy. No one could understand why he had been ordered not to come.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, coming to see Lord Caitanya was a special mercy to all and Junior Haridāsa, he was enjoying this privilege and then when he was forbidden he didn’t know why - he was fasting and was very sad.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 2.115

tina-dina haila haridāsa kare upavāsa
svarūpādi āsi, puchilā mahāprabhura pāśa

Translation: Haridāsa fasted continuously for three days. Then Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī and other confidential devotees approached Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu to inquire from Him.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 2.116

prabhusamīpe svarūpādira śrī-haridāsera dvāra-mānāra kāraṇa-jijñāsāḥ—

“kon aparādha, prabhu, kaila haridāsa?
ki lāgiyā dvāra-mānā, kare upavāsa?”

Translation: “What great offense has Junior Haridāsa committed? Why has he been forbidden to come to Your door? He has now been fasting for three days.”

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 2.117

prakṛti-sambhāṣī vairāgīra prati mahāprabhura asantoṣaḥ—

prabhu kahe,—“vairāgī kare prakṛti sambhāṣaṇa
dekhite nā pāroṅ āmi tāhāra vadana

Translation: The Lord replied, “I cannot tolerate seeing the face of a person who has accepted the renounced order of life but who still talks intimately with a woman.

Purport: Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura comments that saralatā, or simplicity, is the first qualification of a Vaiṣṇava, whereas duplicity or cunning behavior is a great offense against the principles of devotional service. As one advances in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, one must gradually become disgusted with material attachment and thus become more and more attached to the service of the Lord. If one is not factually detached from material activities but still proclaims himself advanced in devotional service, he is cheating. No one will be happy to see such behavior.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Caitanya is existing in everyone’s heart as the Supersoul, He knows what we are all thinking, and He wants the devotees to be very sincere and in a renounced āśrama they should behave like a renounced person and if someone is a gṛhastha, they have different rules. It is very important that they be sincere and simple and follow simplicity. So, Lord Caitanya was saying that a person in the renounced order of life should be very strict in association with ladies. Actually, we see today that people tend to talk to ladies without following the orders of renunciation. So, Junior Haridāsa apparently transgressed that behavioral code

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 2.118

jaḍendriyera bhoga-pravaṇa-svabhāva o yoṣiddarśanera viṣamaya phalaḥ—

durvāra indriya kare viṣaya-grahaṇa
dāravī prakṛti hare munerapi mana

Translation: “So strongly do the senses adhere to the objects of their enjoyment that indeed a wooden statue of a woman attracts the mind of even a great saintly person.

Purport: The senses and the sense objects are so intimately connected that the mind of even a great saintly person is attracted to a wooden doll if it is attractively shaped like a young woman. The sense objects, namely form, sound, smell, taste and touch, are always attractive for the eyes, ears, nose, tongue and skin. Since the senses and sense objects are naturally intimately related, sometimes even a person claiming control over his senses remains always subject to the control of sense objects. The senses are impossible to control unless purified and engaged in the service of the Lord. Thus even though a saintly person vows to control his senses, the senses are still sometimes perturbed by sense objects.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, the sense object affect the senses and the principle in Bhagavad-gītā is that we are not this body, those who are in the renounced order, brahmacārī, vānaprastha or sannyāsī they should be very careful to engage their senses in the service of Lord Kṛṣṇa.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 2.119

Śrīmad-Bhāgavate (9/19/17) o manu-saṁhitāya (2/215) —

mātrā svasrā duhitrā vā
nā viviktāsano bhavet
balavān indriya-grāmo
vidvāṁsam api karṣati

Translation: “One should not sit closely with one’s mother, sister or daughter, for the senses are so strong that they may attract even a person advanced in knowledge.’

Purport: This verse appears in the Manu-saṁhitā (2.215) and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (9.19.17).

Jayapatākā Swami: So, this speaks about sitting in a solitary place. So, one should be careful not to sit in a solitary place even with one’s mother, sister or daughter. So, this advice is given in two places in the Vedas - in the Manu-Saṁhitā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 2.120

kṛṣṇendriya-tuṣṭi-bidhāna chāḍilei anadhikārī vairāgibruvera puruṣābhimāne prakṛti-bhoga evaṁ vāhya-veṣāśraye kṛtrima asthira vairāgyahetu jihevādaropastha-lāmpaṭya :—

kṣudra-jīva saba markaṭa-vairāgya kariyā
indriya carāñā bule ‘prakṛti’ sambhāṣiyā”

Translation: “There are many persons with little in their possession who accept the renounced order of life like monkeys. They go here and there engaging in sense gratification and speaking intimately with women.”

Purport: One should strictly follow the regulative principles, namely no illicit sex, no meat-eating, no intoxication and no gambling, and in this way one should make progress in spiritual life. If an unfit person sentimentally accepts vairāgya or takes sannyāsa but at the same time remains attached to women, he is in a very dangerous position. His renunciation is called markaṭa-vairāgya, or renunciation like that of a monkey. The monkey lives in the forest, eats fruit and does not even cover itself with a cloth. In this way it resembles a saint, but the monkey always thinks of female monkeys and sometimes keeps dozens of them for sexual intercourse. This is called markaṭa-vairāgya. Therefore, one who is unfit should not accept the renounced order of life. One who accepts the order of sannyāsa but again becomes agitated by sensual disturbances and talks privately with women is called dharma-dhvajī or dharma-kalaṅka, which means that he brings condemnation upon the religious order. Therefore, one should be extremely careful in this connection. Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura explains the word markaṭa to mean “restless.” A restless person cannot be steady; therefore, he simply wanders about, gratifying his senses. Just to get praise from others, to get cheap adoration from his followers or people in general, such a person sometimes accepts the dress of a sannyāsī or bābājī in the renounced order, but he cannot give up desires for sense gratification, especially for the association of women. Such a person cannot make advancement in spiritual life. There are eight different kinds of sensual enjoyment with women, including talking about them and thinking about them. Thus for a sannyāsī, a person in the renounced order, talking intimately with women is a great offense. Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya and Śrīla Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura actually achieved the most elevated stage of the renounced order, but those who imitate them, accepting them as ordinary human beings, fall under the influence of the material energy, for that is a great misunderstanding.

Jayapatākā Swami: Therefore, in Kali yuga it is recommended to be a gṛhastha and not imitate a vairāgī when one is not really renounced. So as a gṛhastha there is some license for associating with your wife, but they also should try to keep Kṛṣṇa in the center, and in that way husband and wife work as a team and help each other in practicing Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 2.121

prabhura krodhāveśe sthāna-tyāga, sakalerai maunāvalambanaḥ—

eta kahi’ mahāprabhu abhyantare gelā
gosāñira āveśa dekhi’ sabe mauna hailā

Translation: After saying this, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu entered His room. Seeing Him in such an angry mood, all the devotees fell silent.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Caitanya was so merciful but sometimes He could be hard as a thunderbolt, when they saw He was very angry, they fell silent and didn’t know what to do.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 2.122

haridāsera nimitta anyadina bhaktagaṇera prabhusamīpe āvedana :—

āra dine sabe meli’ prabhura caraṇe
haridāsa lāgi, kichu kailā nivedane

Translation: The next day, all the devotees together approached the lotus feet of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu to submit an appeal on behalf of Junior Haridāsa.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 2.123

“alpa aparādha, prabhu karaha prasāda
ebe śikṣā ha-ila nā karibe aparādha”

Translation: “Haridāsa has committed a small offense,” they said. “Therefore, O Lord, please be merciful to him. Now he has received a sufficient lesson. In the future he will not commit such an offense.”

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 2.124

jagadguru lokaśikṣaka prabhura nirapekṣatā o vajrādapi kaṭhoratāḥ—

prabhu kahe,—“mora vaśa nahe mora mana
prakṛti-sambhāṣī vairāgī nā kare darśana

Translation: Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, “My mind is not under My control. It does not like to see anyone in the renounced order who talks intimately with women.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Caitanya was very strict although He would sometimes name the babies of gṛhastha at the same time when someone was taking the renounced order, He wanted then to follow the renounced order principles. As jagad-guru, He is there to teach everybody. Sometimes He might make a devotee an example to teach everyone.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 2.125

prabhura tīvra śāsanaḥ—

nija kārye yāha sabe, chāḍa vṛthā katha
punaḥ yadi kaha āmā nā dekhibe hethā”

Translation: “You should all tend to your respective engagements. Give up this useless talk. If you speak this way again, I shall go away, and you will no longer see Me here.”

Jayapatākā Swami: So, what a threat! Lord Caitanya was more dear than their life and if He goes away, that is good as all of them dying.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 2.126

prabhuvākya-śravaṇe sakalera trāsa o lajjāḥ—

eta śuni’ sabe nija-karṇe hasta diyā
nija nija kārye sabe gela ta’ uṭhiyā

Translation: Hearing this, all the devotees covered their ears with their hands, got up and went about their respective duties.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 2.127

durvodhya prabhu-līlāra tātparyaḥ—

mahāprabhu madhyāhna karite cali, gelā
bujhana nā yāya ei mahāprabhura līlā

Translation: Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu also left that place to perform His noon duties. No one could understand His pastimes.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Caitanya in order to teach everyone not to take devotional service cheaply, but to carry it out very sincerely. Tthus He acted in such a strict way.

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