20221205 Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu Considers His Personal Profit to Demonstrate the Qualities of His Devotees in Various Ways

The following is a Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book Compilation given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on December 05th,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!

Todays chapter,

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu Considers His Personal Profit toDemonstrate the Qualities of His Devotees in Various Ways
Under the section: How Pradyumna Miśra Received Instructions from Rāmānanda Rāya

Haribol!

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 5.55

miśrera rāyagṛhe gamana, amānī o mānada rāyera miśrake abhinandanaḥ—

rāya-pāśa gela, rāya praṇati karila
’ājñā kara, ye lāgi’ āgamana haila’

Translation: Pradyumna Miśra went to Rāmānanda Rāya, who offered him respectful obeisances and said, “Please order me. For what purpose have you come?”

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Rāmānanda Rāya was humbling asking the devotee Pradyumna Miśra what service could he do.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 5.56

miśrera prabhuparicaya pradānaḥ—

miśra kahe,—‘mahāprabhu pāṭhāilā more
tomāra sthāne kṛṣṇa-kathā śunibāra tare’

Translation: Pradyumna Miśra answered, “Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu has sent me to hear topics about Lord Kṛṣṇa from you.”

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Pradyumna Miśra explained that he was sent by Lord Caitanya to hear from Rāmānanda Rāya.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 5.57

rāyera ānandaḥ—

śuni’ rāmānanda rāya hailā premāveśe
kahite lāgilā kichu manera hariṣe

Translation: Hearing this, Rāmānanda Rāya became absorbed in ecstatic love and began to speak with great transcendental pleasure.

Jayapatākā Swami: Hearing this instruction of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Rāmānanda Rāya was feeling great spiritual ecstasy.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 5.58

prabhura ādeśa-vāṇī-śravaṇe rāyera sva-saubhāgya-varṇanaḥ—

“prabhura ājñāya kṛṣṇa-kathā śunite āilā ethā
ihā va-i mahā-bhāgya āmi pāba kothā?”

Translation: “Following the instruction of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, you have come to hear about Kṛṣṇa. This is my great fortune. How else would I get such an opportunity?”

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Rāmānanda Rāya was very happy to fulfill the orders of Lord Caitanya, to speak about Lord Kṛṣṇa.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 5.59

gopane miśrake jijñāsāḥ—

eta kahi tāre lañā nibhṛte vasilā
‘ki kathā śunite cāha?’ miśrere puchilā

Translation: Saying this, Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya took Pradyumna Miśra to a secluded place and inquired from him, “What kind of kṛṣṇa-kathā do you want to hear from me?”

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 5.60

pūrve rāyaprabhu-saṁvāde varṇita sambandhābhidheya-prayojanātmaka kṛṣṇa-kathāra punaḥ kīrtane prārthanāḥ—

teṅho kahe,—“ye kahilā vidyānagare
sei kathā krame tumi kahibā āmāre

Translation: Pradyumna Miśra replied, “Kindly tell me about the same topics you spoke about at Vidyānagara.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Pradyumna Miśra wanted to hear what Lord Caitanya heard from Rāmānanda Rāya in Andhra Pradesh, Vidyānagara.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 5.61

miśrera dainyoktiḥ—

ānera ki kathā, tumi—prabhura upadeṣṭā!
āmi ta’ bhikṣuka vipra, tumi—mora poṣṭā

Translation: “You are an instructor even for Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, what to speak of others. I am but a beggar brāhmaṇa, and you are my maintainer.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Pradyumna Miśra submitted himself very humbly as a beggar who wants to hear the glories of Kṛṣṇa from Rāmānanda Rāya.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 5.62

bhāla, manda—kichu āmi puchite nā jāni
‘dīna’ dekhi’ kṛpā kari’ kahibā āpani”

Translation: “I do not know how to inquire, for I do not know what is good and what is bad. Seeing me to be poor in knowledge, kindly speak whatever is good for me by your own good will.”

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Pradyumna Miśra he submitted himself to Rāmānanda Rāya and he begged Rāmānanda Rāya, to give him knowledge which is more beneficial for him.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 5.63

śrī-rāmānandera kṛṣṇa-kathā-kīrtanaḥ—

tabe rāmānanda krame kahite lāgilā
kṛṣṇa-kathā-rasāmṛta-sindhu uthalilā

Translation: Thereupon Rāmānanda Rāya gradually began speaking on topics of Kṛṣṇa. Thus the ocean of the transcendental mellows of those topics became agitated.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Rāmānanda Rāya is someone who has great love for Kṛṣṇa and by discussing the topics of Lord Kṛṣṇa, the ocean of bhakti-rasā started to flood.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 5.64

śiṣyera adhikāra bujhiyā svayaṁi praśna o uttarakārīḥ—

āpane praśna kari’ pāche karena siddhānta
tṛtīya prahara haila, nahe kathā-anta

Translation: He began personally posing questions and then answering them with conclusive statements. When afternoon came, the topics still did not end.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Rāmānanda Rāya gave questions and answers and the discussions went on like that.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 5.65

ubhayei kṛṣṇa-kathāya ātmahārāḥ—

vaktā śrotā kahe śune duṅhe premāveśe
ātma-smṛti nāhi, kāhāṅ jāniba dina-śeṣe

Translation: The speaker and listener spoke and heard in ecstatic love. Thus they forgot their bodily consciousness. How, then, could they perceive the end of the day?

Jayapatākā Swami: So, being completely absorbed in the topics of Lord Kṛṣṇa, they lost their bodily consciousness and were in complete ecstasy of Kṛṣṇa-prema.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 5.66

kṛṣṇa-kathāya divāvasānaḥ—

sevaka kahila,—’dina haila avasāna’
tabe rāya kṛṣṇa-kathāra karilā viśrāma

Translation: The servant informed them, “The day has already ended.” Then Rāmānanda Rāya ended his discourses about Kṛṣṇa.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, the servant reminded Rāmānanda Rāya of the passing of time. Rāmānanda Rāya he ended his discourse there.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 5.67

miśrake vidāya-dāna o miśrera harṣaḥ—

bahu-sammāna kari’ miśre vidāya dilā
‘kṛtārtha ha-ilāṅa’ bali’ miśra nācite lāgilā

Translation: Rāmānanda Rāya paid great respect to Pradyumna Miśra and bade him farewell. Pradyumna Miśra said, “I have become very satisfied.” He then began to dance.

Jayapatākā Swami: Pradyumna Miśra was so ecstatic hearing the topics of Kṛṣṇa from Rāmānanda Rāya, he began to dance in ecstasy.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 5.68

sandhyāya prabhusamīpe miśrera āgamanaḥ—

ghare giyā miśra kaila snāna, bhojana
sandhyā-kāle dekhite āila prabhura caraṇa

Translation: After returning home, Pradyumna Miśra bathed and ate his meal. In the evening he came to see the lotus feet of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 5.69

prabhukarttṛka miśrera kṛṣṇa-kathālābha-jijñāsāḥ—

prabhura caraṇa vande ullasita-mane
prabhu kahe,—‘kṛṣṇa-kathā ha-ila śravaṇe’?

Translation: In great happiness he worshiped the lotus feet of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. The Lord inquired, “Have you heard topics about Kṛṣṇa?”

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 5.70

miśrera svīya kṛtārthatā-jñāpanaḥ—

miśra kahe,—“prabhu, more kṛtārtha karilā
kṛṣṇa-kathāmṛtārṇave more ḍubāilā

Translation: Pradyumna Miśra said, “My dear Lord, You have made me extremely obliged to You because You have drowned me in a nectarean ocean of talks about Kṛṣṇa.

Jayapatākā Swami: Pradyumna Miśra is revealing his indebtedness to Lord Caitanya. He was in flood of nectarean discourses.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 5.71

kṛṣṇa-kīrttanakārī gurute marttyabuddhira niṣiddhatāḥ—

rāmānanda rāya-kathā kahile nā haya
‘manuṣya’ nahe rāya, kṛṣṇa-bhakti-rasa-maya

Translation: “I cannot properly describe the discourses of Rāmānanda Rāya, for he is not an ordinary human being. He is fully absorbed in the devotional service of the Lord.

Purport: One is forbidden to accept the guru, or spiritual master, as an ordinary human being (guruṣu nara-matiḥ). When Rāmānanda Rāya spoke to Pradyumna Miśra, Pradyumna Miśra could understand that Rāmānanda Rāya was not an ordinary human being. A spiritually advanced person who is authorized to act as the spiritual master speaks as the Supreme Personality of Godhead dictates from within. Thus it is not he that is personally speaking. In other words, when a pure devotee or spiritual master speaks, what he says should be accepted as having been directly spoken by the Supreme Personality of Godhead in the paramparā system.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Pradyumna Miśra by hearing from Rāmānanda Rāya, he could understand that Rāmānanda Rāya was not an ordinary human being and that he could hear directly from Lord Kṛṣṇa speaking through Ramananda Raya, from within.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 5.72

gurudeva śrī-rāmānanda-mukhe baktā śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya mahāprabhuḥ—

āra eka kathā rāya kahilā āmāre
‘kṛṣṇa-kathā-vaktā kari’ nā jāniha more

Translation: “There is one other thing Rāmānanda Rāya said to me: ‘Do not consider me the speaker in these talks about Kṛṣṇa.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu is speaking through Rāmānanda Rāya. Although externally it seems that Rāmānanda Rāya is speaking, the actual speaker is Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 5.73

mora mukhe kathā kahena āpane gauracandra
yaiche kahāya, taiche kahi,—yena vīṇā-yantra

Translation: “Whatever I speak is personally spoken by Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Like a stringed instrument, I vibrate whatever He causes me to speak.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 5.74

yogyapātra rāmānandamukhe prabhura kṛṣṇa-kathā-pracāraḥ—

mora mukhe kahāya kathā, kare paracāra
pṛthivīte ke jānibe e-līlā tāṅhāra?’

Translation: “In this way the Lord speaks through my mouth to preach the cult of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Within the world, who will understand this pastime of the Lord’s?’

Jayapatākā Swami: His Divine Grace Śrīla A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda in his preaching in the western world or anywhere in the world, actually Kṛṣṇa is speaking through him, Lord Caitanya and the previous ācāryas were speaking through him.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 5.75

rāyamukhe kīrtita o śruta kṛṣṇa-kathā brahmārao agocaraḥ—

ye-saba śuniluṅ, kṛṣṇa-rasera sāgara
brahmādi-devera e saba nā haya gocara

Translation: “What I have heard from Rāmānanda Rāya is like a nectarean ocean of discourses about Kṛṣṇa. Even the demigods, beginning with Lord Brahmā, cannot understand all these topics.

Jayapatākā Swami: Rāmānanda Rāya revealed many confidential topics of Lord Kṛṣṇa to Pradyumna Miśra.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 5.76

prabhupade miśrera ātma-nivedanaḥ—

hena ‘rasa’ pāna more karāilā tumi
janme janme tomāra pāya vikāilāṅa āmi

Translation: “My dear Lord, You have made me drink this transcendental nectar of kṛṣṇa-kathā. Therefore I am sold to Your lotus feet, life after life.”

Jayapatākā Swami: So, getting the special mercy from Lord Caitanya to hear the topics of Kṛṣṇa has indebted Pradyumna Miśra to the lotus feet of Lord Caitanya forever.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 5.77

prabhukarttṛka rāyera ādarśānusārī śuddha-vaiṣṇavera svabhāva-kīrtanaḥ—

prabhu kahe,—“rāmānanda vinayera khani
āpanāra kathā para-muṇḍe dena āni’

Translation: Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, “Rāmānanda Rāya is a mine of great humility. Therefore he has attributed his own words to another’s intelligence.

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya is attributing Rāmānanda Rāya’s expression as his humility.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 5.78

sādhu-sajjana, mahat vā vaiṣṇavera svabhāvaḥ—

mahānubhavera ei sahaja ‘svabhāva’ haya
āpanāra guṇa nāhi āpane kahaya”

Translation: “This is a natural characteristic of those advanced in devotional service. They do not personally speak of their own good qualities.”

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya is taking this opportunity to glorify His devotees.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 5.79

aśaukrabiprakulodbhava nikhila-brāhmaṇa-kula-guru kṛṣṇa-kīrtanakārī śrī-rāyera śrotṛrūpī śiṣya miśraḥ—

rāmānanda-rāyera ei kahilu guṇa-leśa
pradyumna miśrere yaiche kailā upadeśa

Translation: I have described but a fraction of the transcendental attributes of Rāmānanda Rāya, as revealed when he instructed Pradyumna Miśra.

Jayapatākā Swami: Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja is just revealing a fraction of the transcendental attributes of Rāmānanda Rāya which he revealed to Pradyumna Miśra. That means there are many more good qualities which have not been mentioned here by the author.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 5.80

rāyera mahadguṇa haite śikṣaṇīya viṣaya— vāhya-varṇāśramācāra kṛṣṇa-bhakti vā gurutvera nidarśana naheḥ—

‘gṛhastha’ hañā nahe rāya ṣaḍ-vargera vaśe
‘viṣayī’ hañā sannyāsīre upadeśe

Translation: Although Rāmānanda Rāya was a householder, he was not under the control of the six kinds of bodily changes. Although apparently a pounds-and-shillings man, he advised even persons in the renounced order.

Purport: Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya externally appeared to be a gṛhastha who was under the influence of the external, material energy, not a self-controlled brahmacārī, vānaprastha or sannyāsī. Gṛhasthas (householders) who are under the influence of the external energy accept householder life for the purpose of sense enjoyment, but a transcendentally situated Vaiṣṇava is not subjected to the influence of the senses by the Lord’s material rule of the six kinds of bodily changes (kāma, krodha, lobha, moha, mada and mātsarya), even when he plays the part of a gṛhastha. Thus although Śrīla Rāmānanda Rāya acted as a gṛhastha and was accepted as an ordinary pounds-and-shillings man, he was always absorbed in the transcendental pastimes of Lord Kṛṣṇa. Therefore his mind was spiritually situated, and he was interested only in the subject of Kṛṣṇa. Rāmānanda Rāya was not among the Māyāvādī impersonalists or materialistic logicians who are opposed to the principles of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s transcendental pastimes. He was already spiritually situated in the order of renounced life; therefore he was able to turn sand into gold by spiritual potency, or, in other words, to elevate a person from a material to a spiritual position.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Rāmānanda Rāya although born in a śūdra family he was actually transcendentally situated. Like this Śrīla Prabhupāda instructed in London 1973 that he wanted all his gṛhasthas followers to be paramahaṁsas. So, they have to follow in the footsteps of Rāmānanda Rāya.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 5.81

rāyera dvārā kṛṣṇa-bhakta vā gurura māhātmya-pradarśanaḥ—

ei-saba guṇa tāṅra prakāśa karite
miśrere pāṭhāilā tāhāṅ śravaṇa karite

Translation: To demonstrate the transcendental attributes of Rāmānanda Rāya, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu sent Pradyumna Miśra to hear discourses about Kṛṣṇa from him.

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya sent Pradyumna Miśra to hear from Rāmānanda Rāya to understand how Rāmānanda Rāya was transcendentally situated. Like that, we should listen to the pure devotees or the spiritual master in that same mood.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 5.82

bhaktaguṇa-kīrtanakārī bhagavānḥ—

bhakta-guṇa prakāśite prabhu bhāla jāne
nānā-bhaṅgīte guṇa prakāśi’ nija-lābha māne

Translation: The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, knows very well how to demonstrate the qualities of His devotees. Therefore, acting like an artistic painter, He does so in various ways and considers this His personal profit.

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya, He pointed out the transcendentally qualities of His advanced devotees, so this was His personal profit and personal gain.

Thus ends the chapter entitled, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu Considers His Personal Profit to Demonstrate the Qualities of His Devotees in Various Ways
Under the section: How Pradyumna Miśra Received Instructions from Rāmānanda Rāya

Hare Kṛṣṇa!