20221223_Raghunātha Dāsa Stops to Invite Lord Caitanya for Partaking Prasādam

The following is a Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book Compilation given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on December 23rd, 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!

So today we are continuing from the compilation of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book. So today's chapter entitled is:

Raghunātha Dāsa Stops to Invite Lord Caitanya for Partaking Prasādam, Part 1
Under the section: The Meeting of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 6.246

śivānandakarttṛka raghunāthake govardhanadāsera tadanveṣaṇa-ceṣṭā-varṇana:—

śivānanda-sena tāṅre kahena vivaraṇa
tomā laite tomāra pitā pāṭhāila daśa jana

Translation: He also met Śivānanda Sena, who informed him, “Your father sent ten men to take you away.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, his father had repeatedly had him taken back, but this time he was able to escape.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 6.247

tomāre pāṭhāite patrī pāṭhāila more
jhāṅkarā ha-ite tomā nā pāñā gela ghare

Translation: “He wrote me a letter asking me to send you back, but when those ten men received no information about you, they returned home from Jhāṅkarā.”

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 6.248

cāturmāsyānte bhaktagaṇera purī haite gauḍe pratyāgamana:—

cāri māsa rahi’ bhakta-gaṇa gauḍe gelā
śuni’ raghunāthera pitā manuṣya pāṭhāilā

Translation: When all the devotees from Bengal returned home after staying at Jagannātha Purī for four months, Raghunātha dāsa’s father heard about their arrival and therefore sent a man to Śivānanda Sena.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 6.249

śivānanda-samīpe govardhanadāsera loka pāṭhāiyā raghunāthera saṁvāda-jijñāsā:—

se manuṣya śivānanda-senere puchila
“mahāprabhura sthāne eka ‘vairāgī’ dekhila

Translation: That man inquired from Śivānanda Sena, “Did you see anyone in the renounced order at the residence of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu?

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 6.250

govardhanera putra teṅho, nāma—‘raghunātha’
nīlācale paricaya āche tomāra sātha?”

Translation: “That person is Raghunātha dāsa, the son of Govardhana Majumadāra. Did you meet him in Nīlācala?”

Jayapatākā Swami: So, the father of Raghunatha dāsa, he wanted to find out if his son had reached Nīlācala. But he knew that if he was there, he would be in vairāgya-veśa or in the renounced order dress.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 6.251

śivānandakarttṛka raghunāthera tātkālika vairāgya o vaiṣṇavī-pratiṣṭhāra praśaṁsā:—

śivānanda kahe,—“teṅho haya prabhura sthāne
parama vikhyāta teṅho, kebā nāhi jāne

Translation: Śivānanda Sena replied, “Yes, sir. Raghunātha dāsa is with Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and is a very famous man. Who does not know him?

Jayapatākā Swami: Raghunatha dāsa was famous because he was fully surrendered to Lord Caitanya.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 6.252

svarūpera sthāne tāre kariyāchena samarpaṇa
prabhura bhakta-gaṇera teṅho haya prāṇa-sama

Translation: “Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu has placed him under the charge of Svarūpa Dāmodara. Raghunātha dāsa has become just like the life of all the Lord’s devotees.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Śivānanda Sena was describing how Raghunatha dāsa had become very dear to all the devotees by his wonderful qualities.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 6.253

rātri-dina kare teṅho nāma-saṅkīrtana
kṣaṇa-mātra nāhi chāḍe prabhura caraṇa

Translation: “He chants the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra all day and night. He never gives up the shelter of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, not even for a moment.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, how Raghunatha dāsa is taking the full shelter of Lord Caitanya lotus feet, constantly chanting the holy names and in this way he was very exemplary devotee.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 6.254

parama vairāgya tāra, nāhi bhakṣya-paridhāna
yaiche taiche āhāra kari’ rākhaye parāṇa

Translation: “He is in the supreme order of renounced life. Indeed, he does not care about eating or dressing. Somehow or other he eats and maintains his life.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Govardhana Majumadāra had his son in extreme richness, and to hear about his vairāgya would certainly be disturbing for his father, His father would want to provide him some food an dress.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 6.255

daśa-daṇḍa rātri gele ‘puṣpāñjali’ dekhiyā
siṁha-dvāre khāḍā haya āhāra lāgiyā

Translation: “After ten daṇḍas [four hours] of the night have passed and Raghunātha dāsa has seen the performance of puṣpāñjali, he stands at the Siṁha-dvāra gate to beg some alms to eat.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 6.256

keha yadi deya, tabe karaye bhakṣaṇa
kabhu upavāsa, kabhu karaye carvaṇa”

Translation: “He eats if someone gives him something to eat. Sometimes he fasts, and sometimes he chews fried grains.”

Jayapatākā Swami: This is demonstrating the extreme renunciation of Raghunatha dāsa.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 6.257

govardhanadāsa-samīpe giyā sei lokera raghunāthera vairāgyayuk bhajana-saṁvāda-jñāpana —

eta śuni’ sei manuṣya govardhana-sthāne
kahila giyā saba raghunātha-vivaraṇe

Translation: After hearing this, the messenger returned to Govardhana Majumadāra and informed him all about Raghunātha dāsa.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 6.258

raghunāthera kṛṣṇa-bhajanārtha bhoga-tyāga-śravaṇe kṛṣṇa-bhogya bhaktake sva-bhogyaputra-buddhikārī sapatnīka govardhanadāsera duḥkha—

śuni’ tāṅra mātā pitā duḥkhita ha-ila
putra-ṭhāñi dravya-manuṣya pāṭhāite mana kaila

Translation: Hearing the description of Raghunātha dāsa’s behavior in the renounced order, his father and mother were very unhappy. Therefore, they decided to send Raghunātha some men with goods for his comfort.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, the parents naturally wanted to see their son well fed an taken care of. Like this, Kṛṣṇa, He is the seed giving father of all living entities, and He wants to see all the living entities out of this material world of suffering. So He comes down as Caitanya Mahāprabhu to deliver the fallen souls

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 6.259

raghunāthake pradānārtha śivānanda-samīpe mudrā, bhṛtya o pācaka-preraṇa:—

cāri-śata mudrā, dui bhṛtya, eka brāhmaṇa
śivānandera ṭhāñi pāṭhāila tata-kṣaṇa

Translation: Raghunātha dāsa’s father immediately sent four hundred coins, two servants and one brāhmaṇa to Śivānanda Sena.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 6.260

śivānandera saṅge laibāra āśvāsa-pradāna:—

śivānanda kahe,—“tumi saba yāite nāribā
āmi yāi yabe, āmāra saṅge yāibā

Translation: Śivānanda Sena informed them, “You cannot go to Jagannātha Purī directly. When I go there, you may accompany me.

Jayapatākā Swami: Śivānanda Sena would personally take the party of devotees from Bengal to Jagannātha Purī.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 6.261

ebe ghara yāha, yabe āmi saba calimu
tabe tomā sabākāre saṅge lañā yāmu

Translation: “Now go home. When all of us go, I shall take all of you with me.”

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Śivānanda Sena gave them assurance that they would go with him when he goes.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 6.262

śrī-kavikarṇapūra-karttṛka sva-kṛta nāṭake raghunātha-māhātmya varṇana:—

ei ta’ prastāve śrī-kavi-karṇapūra
raghunātha-mahimā granthe likhilā pracura

Translation: Describing this incident, the great poet Śrī Kavi-karṇapūra has written extensively about the glorious activities of Raghunātha dāsa in his Śrī Caitanya-candrodaya-nāṭaka.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 6.263

yadunandanācārya o raghunāthera guṇa śrī-caitanya-candrodaya-nāṭake saṅgī yātrīra prati śivānandera ukti—

Translation: “Raghunātha dāsa is a disciple of Yadunandana Ācārya, who is very gentle and is extremely dear to Vāsudeva Datta, a resident of Kāñcanapallī. Because of Raghunātha dāsa’s transcendental qualities, he is always more dear than life for all of us devotees of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Since he has been favored by the abundant mercy of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, he is always pleasing. Vividly providing a superior example for the renounced order, this very dear follower of Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī is the ocean of renunciation. Who among the residents of Nīlācala [Jagannātha Purī] does not know him very well?

Purport: This verse is from Śrī Caitanya-candrodaya-nāṭaka (10.3) of Kavi-karṇapūra.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 6.264

śrī-caitanya-candrodaya-nāṭake saṅgī yātrīra prati śivānandera ukti—

Translation: “Because he is very pleasing to all the devotees, Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī easily became like the fertile earth of good fortune in which it was suitable for the seed of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu to be sown. At the same time that the seed was sown, it grew into a matchless tree of the love of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and produced fruit.”

Purport: This is the next verse from Śrī Caitanya-candrodaya-nāṭaka (10.4).

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Kavi-karṇapūra had written these verses about Raghunatha dāsa and how Raghunatha dāsa is very dear to all the devotees and how he manifested the tree of love of Kṛṣṇa, love of Lord Caitanya. Actually, every devotee has a particular quality and Raghunatha dāsa's quality is one of extreme renunciation, he went from a rich billionaire to a very renounced mendicant.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 6.265

śivānanda yaiche sei manuṣye kahilā
karṇapūra sei-rūpe śloka varṇilā

Translation: In these verses, the great poet Kavi-karṇapūra gives the same information that Śivānanda Sena conveyed to the messenger from Raghunātha dāsa’s father.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 6.266

govardhana-prerita artha, bhṛtya o vipra-saṅge varṣākāle śivānandera purī gamana:—

varṣāntare śivānanda cale nīlācale
raghunāthera sevaka, vipra tāṅra saṅge cale

Translation: The next year, when Śivānanda Sena was going to Jagannātha Purī as usual, the servants and the brāhmaṇa, who was a cook, went with him.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 6.267

sei vipra bhṛtya, cāri-śata mudrā lañā
nīlācale raghunāthe mililā āsiyā

Translation: The servants and brāhmaṇa brought four hundred coins to Jagannātha Purī, and there they met Raghunātha dāsa.

Jayapatākā Swami: Govardhana Majumadāra had sent these people to provide support to Raghunatha dāsa.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 6.268

raghunāthera tatsamasta asvīkāra:—

raghunātha-dāsa aṅgīkāra nā karila
dravya lañā dui-jana tāhāṅi rahila

Translation: Raghunātha dāsa did not accept the money and men sent by his father. Therefore the brāhmaṇa and one of the servants stayed there with the money.

Thus ends the chapter entitled, Raghunātha dāsa stops to invite Lord Caitanya for partaking prasādam, part 1
Under the section: The Meeting of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī

Jayapatākā Swami: So, the part where he used the money from his father to invite Lord Caitanya for prasāda is coming tomorrow.