20221202 Rāmānanda Rāya Trains the Two Deva-Dāsīs How To Dance part 1

The following is a Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book Compilation given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on December 2nd, 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 we will be reading from part 1 of the chapter entitled:

Rāmānanda Rāya Trains the Two Deva-Dāsīs How To Dance,
Under the section: How Pradyumna Miśra Received Instructions from Rāmānanda Rāya

Śrī-gaurāṅga-līlā-smaraṇa-maṅgala-stotram
Text 63 By Bhaktivinoda Ṭhakura

Translation: He very mercifully taught Pradyumna Miśra the secret that a person who because of past karma takes birth in a low family may become a spiritual master by intelligently understanding the truth of spiritual life. I meditate on Lord Gaurāṅga, who is free of folly, and who is a bumblebee, relishing the virtues of others.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 5.1

bhavarogagrasta saṁsārārṇavapatita acaitanyajīvera caitanya-padāśrayei maṅgalaḥ—

vaiguṇya-kīṭa-kalitaḥ [paragraph] paiśunya-vraṇa-pīḍitaḥ
dainyārṇave nimagno ’haṁ [paragraph] caitanya-vaidyam āśraye

Translation: I am infected by the germs of material activity and am suffering from the boils of envy. Therefore, falling in an ocean of humility, I take shelter of the great physician Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja is offering his humble prayers to Lord Caitanya, we should take his example and offer humble prayers and glorify others.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 5.4

prabhu o pradyumnamiśra-saṁvāda; prabhura nikaṭa miśrera kṛṣṇa-kathā-śravaṇārtha sadainye prārthanā :—

eka-dina pradyumna-miśra prabhura caraṇe
daṇḍavat kari’ kichu kare nivedane

Translation: One day Pradyumna Miśra came to see Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, offering his respects and inquiring from Him with great submission.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 5.5

“śuna, prabhu, muñi dīna gṛhastha adhama!
kona bhāgye pāñāchoṅ tomāra durlabha caraṇa

Translation: “My Lord,” he said, “kindly hear me. I am a cripple-minded householder, the most fallen of men, but somehow, by my good fortune, I have received the shelter of Your lotus feet, which are rarely to be seen.

Jayapatākā Swami: He offered his submission to Lord Caitanya, he was very happy to have received Lord Caitanya's shelter.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 5.6

kṛṣṇa-kathā śunibāre mora icchā haya
kṛṣṇa-kathā kaha more hañā sadaya”

Translation: “I wish to hear topics concerning Lord Kṛṣṇa constantly. Be merciful unto me and kindly tell me something about Kṛṣṇa.”

Jayapatākā Swami: He wanted to hear something about Lord Kṛṣṇa constantly, he was very eager to have the shelter of the spiritual master. His only desire was to serve and hear about Krsna.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 5.7

prabhura anabhijñatāra bhāṇa, śaukraviprakulodbhava miśrake aśaukra-vipra-kulodbhūta caturvarṇāśrami-guru-rāmānandasamīpe śuśrūṣu-ṣyarūpe abhigamanārtha ājñā :—

prabhu kahena,—“kṛṣṇa-kathā āmi nāhi jāni
sabe rāmānanda jāne, tāṅra mukhe śuni

Translation: Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu replied, “I do not know about topics concerning Lord Kṛṣṇa. I think that only Rāmānanda Rāya knows, for I hear these topics from him.

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya is glorifying Rāmānanda Rāya and thus He is encouraging Pradyumna Miśra to hear from Rāmānanda Rāya.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 5.8

kṛṣṇa-kathāśravaṇecchura saubhāgya-praśaṁsāḥ—

bhāgye tomāra kṛṣṇa-kathā śunite haya mana
rāmānanda-pāśa yāi’ karaha śravaṇa

Translation: “It is your good fortune that you are inclined to hear topics regarding Kṛṣṇa. The best course for you would be to go to Rāmānanda Rāya and hear these topics from him.

Jayapatākā Swami: To hear the topics of Lord Kṛṣṇa is a rare blessing, actually hearing about Lord Kṛṣṇa is real perfection of life. Rāmānanda Rāya is expert in discussing it the topics of Lord Kṛṣṇa.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 5.9

prakṛta saubhāgyavānera saṁjñā-nirddeśaḥ—

kṛṣṇa-kathāya ruci tomāra—baḍa bhāgyavān
yāra kṛṣṇa-kathāya ruci, sei bhāgyavān

Translation: “I see that you have acquired a taste for hearing talks regarding Kṛṣṇa. Therefore you are extremely fortunate. Not only you but anyone who has awakened such a taste is considered most fortunate.

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya had said being a human being born in India, you should achieve your spiritual success and then help others. So hearing about the topics of Kṛṣṇa is the supreme success in life.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 5.10

sādhya-bhakti kṛṣṇarati binā vaidha-dharmācaraṇa niṣphalaḥ—
śrīmad-bhāgavate (1/2/8)—

dharmaḥ sv-anuṣṭhitaḥ puṁsāṁ
viṣvaksena-kathāsu yaḥ
notpādayed yadi ratiṁ
śrama eva hi kevalam

Translation: “A person who properly performs his regulative duties according to varṇa and āśrama but does not develop his dormant attachment for Kṛṣṇa or awaken his taste for hearing and chanting about Kṛṣṇa is certainly laboring fruitlessly.”

Purport: This is a quotation from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.2.8).

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Pradyumna Miśra is considered fortunate because he has awakened his desire to hear about the topics about of Lord Kṛṣṇa. So, one who is very expert in performing Vedic rituals but who does not have taste, he is simply laboring fruitlessly.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 5.11

śrī-rādhāgovinde sākṣātsevā-saṁrata rāmānanda-gṛhe pradyumna-miśrera gamana, rāyera bhṛtyakarttṛka abhyarthanāḥ—

tabe pradyumna-miśra gelā rāmānandera sthāne
rāyera sevaka tāṅre vasāila āsane

Translation: Pradyumna Miśra, being thus advised by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, went to the home of Rāmānanda Rāya. There the servant of Rāmānanda Rāya gave him a proper place to sit down.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 5.12

miśrera jijñāsāphale bhṛtyakarttṛka mahā-bhāgavata paramahaṁsa ātmārāma rāyera kṛtya varṇanaḥ—

darśana nā pāñā miśra sevake puchila
rāyera vṛttānta sevaka kahite lāgila

Translation: Unable to see Rāmānanda Rāya immediately, Pradyumna Miśra inquired from the servant, who then described what Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya was doing.

Jayapatākā Swami: Pradyumna Miśra enquired about Rāmānanda Rāya and he was told what Rāmānanda Rāya was doing.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 5.13

“dui deva-kanyā haya parama-sundarī
nṛtya-gīte sunipuṇā, vayase kiśorī

Translation: “There are two dancing girls who are extremely beautiful. They are very youthful, and they are expert in dancing and singing.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 5.14

sei duṅhe lañā rāya nibhṛta udyāne
nija-nāṭaka-gītera śikhāya nartane

Translation: “Śrīla Rāmānanda Rāya has taken these two girls to a solitary place in his garden, where he is teaching and directing them to dance according to the songs he has composed for his drama.

Purport: The drama being rehearsed by Rāmānanda Rāya and the two young girls was the well-known Jagannātha-vallabha-nāṭaka. The songs and dances were meant for the pleasure of Lord Jagannātha; therefore Rāmānanda Rāya was personally giving instructions on how to sing and dance for the drama.

Jayapatākā Swami: In the Gaura-gaṇoddeśa-dīpikā, it says Rāmānanda Rāya is an avatāra of Visakha and thus he was able to teach the devadāsīs how to dance and how to sing to please Lord Kṛṣṇacandra.