20221212 Tricky Method of Escape by Raghunātha Dāsa

The following is a Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book Compilation given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on December 12th,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!

Reading from compilation of Lord Chaitanya's pastimes,

Tricky Method of Escape by Raghunātha Dāsa
Under the section: The Meeting of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 6.24

madhura-bhāṣī, mānada raghunāthera mochlema caudhurīra prati savinaya ukti:—

tabe raghunātha kichu cintilā upāya
vinati kariyā kahe sei mleccha-pāya

Translation: While this was going on, Raghunātha dāsa thought of a tricky method of escape. Thus, he humbly submitted this plea at the feet of the Muslim caudhurī.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Raghunatha dāsa he was captured by the Muslim caudhurī and he planned, how he would escape.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 6.25

“āmāra pitā, jyeṭhā haya tomāra dui bhāi
bhāi-bhāiye tomarā kalaha kara sarvadāi

Translation: “My dear sir, my father and his elder brother are your brothers. All brothers always fight about something.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 6.26

kabhu kalaha, kabhu prīti—ihāra niścaya nāi
kāli punaḥ= tina bhāi ha-ibā eka-ṭhāñi

Translation: “Sometimes brothers fight among themselves, and sometimes they have very friendly dealings. There is no certainty when such changes will take place. Thus, I am sure that although today you are fighting, tomorrow you three brothers will be sitting together in peace.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, being very intelligent Raghunatha dāsa was pleading with the caudhurī that he could work out something usefully between him and his father and his uncle.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 6.27

āmi yaiche pitāra, taiche tomāra bālaka
āmi tomāra pālya, tumi āmāra pālaka

Translation: “Just as I am my father’s son, so I am also yours. I am your dependent, and you are my maintainer.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 6.28

pālaka hañā pālyere tāḍite nā yuyāya
tumi sarva-śāstra jāna ’jindā-pīra’-prāya”

Translation: “For a maintainer to punish the person he maintains is not good. You are expert in all the scriptures. Indeed, you are like a living saint.”

Jayapatākā Swami: So, now Raghunatha dāsa is trying to appeal to the religious sentiments of this tax collector.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 6.29

mochlema caudhurīra raghunāthera prati snehārdratā:—

eta śuni’ sei mlecchera mana ārdra haila
dāḍi vāhi’ aśru paḍe, kāṅdite lāgila

Translation: When the Muslim heard Raghunātha dāsa’s appealing voice, his heart softened. He began to cry, and tears glided down his beard.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Raghunatha dāsa had touched the heart of the Muslim Caudhurī,

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 6.30

mleccha bale,—“āji haite tumi—mora ‘putra’
āji chāḍāimu tomā’ kari’ eka sūtra”

Translation: The Muslim caudhurī told Raghunātha dāsa, “You are my son from this day on. Today, by some means, I shall have you released.”

Jayapatākā Swami: So, this was the result of Raghunatha dāsa’s talking to the Caudhurī.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 6.31

ujirake jānāiyā raghunāthera bandhana-mocana:—

ujire kahiyā raghunāthe chāḍāila
prīti kari’ raghunāthe kahite lāgila

Translation: After informing the minister, the caudhurī released Raghunātha dāsa and then began to speak to him with great affection.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 6.32

hiraṇyadāsera svārthaparatā o arthalobhahetu lobhī mochlema caudhurīra bhartsanā

“tomāra jyeṭhā nirbuddhi aṣṭa-lakṣa khāya
āmi—bhāgī, āmāre kichu dibāre yuyāya

Translation: “Your father’s elder brother is less intelligent,” he said. “He enjoys 800,000 coins, but since I am also a shareholder, he should give some portion of it to me.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Hiraṇya Majumdhar the uncle of Raghunatha dāsa was supposed to give 15 lakh gold coins to the King, Nawab but he was only giving 12 lakhs. So the Muslim Caudhurī was saying since you are taking 3 lakhs extra give me a little bit.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 6.33

raghunāthera prati snehārdratā-hetu ubhayera milana-sampādana:—

yāha tumi, tomāra jyeṭhāre milāha āmāre
ye-mate bhāla haya karuna, bhāra diluṅ tāṅre

Translation: “Now you go arrange a meeting between me and your uncle. Let him do whatever he thinks best. I shall completely depend on his decision.”

Jayapatākā Swami: So, in this way Raghunatha dāsa had to act like a pounds and shillings man, and in this way use different tricks to solve these and find a solution to this critical situation.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 6.34

raghunātha āsi’ tabe jyeṭhāre milāila
mleccha-sahita vaśa kaila—saba śānta haila

Translation: Raghunātha dāsa arranged a meeting between his uncle and the caudhurī. The matter was settled, and everything was peaceful.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, this is the nature of materialistic dealings, one can be put into difficulty at any time and has to use their intelligence to get out of the difficulty.

Thus ends the chapter entitled, Tricky Method of Escape by Raghunātha Dāsa

Today is the disappearance day of His Divine Grace Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Prabhupāda Ṭhākura and on these days His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda would put a picture of his, spiritual master, Gurudeva on the Vyāsāsana and he would sit down. Today he would speak on how on the disappearance days it’s appropriate to remember the guru and the previous ācāryas. And that since the disappearance day we feel happiness, that he has gone back to Godhead and also separation due to being deprived of His association. And today we also think about carrying on the heritage, the legacy of the spiritual master. Śrīla Prabhupāda took the order of his spiritual master as life and soul and therefore he went to the West to preach Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Also he established the TOVP, he did many things on the order of his spiritual master.

Haribol!