20230122 Phalaśruti – Gets Kṛṣṇa-bhakti and Kṛṣṇa, Part 2

The following is a Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book Compilation given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on January 22nd,2023 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! So today we are continuing:

Phalaśruti – Gets Kṛṣṇa-bhakti and Kṛṣṇa, Part 2
Under the section: Śrī Nityānanda’s Return Journey to Nīlācala from Navadvīpa

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa, 7.146

nityānanda-dravya, gopīnāthera prasāda
tomāra randhana — mora ithe āche bhāga”

Jayapatākā Swami: “I am certainly entitled to a share of the items brought by Lord Nityānanda, Gopīnātha’s prasāda and the things that you have cooked”

In this compilation, in this Antya-līlā there is mainly Caitanya-caritāmṛta, but here there is a section by Caitanya-bhāgavata. We are combining the writings on Lord Caitanya from various books, Caitanya-maṅgala, Murāri Gupta Kaḍacā, Prema-vilāsa by Jagadānanda Paṇḍita and many others, to give a more complete picture of the writings of Lord Caitanya's līlās, pastimes on earth.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa, 7.147

kṛpā-vākya śuni’ nityānanda, gadādhara
magna hailena sukha-sāgara-bhitara

Jayapatākā Swami: Hearing this statement of mercy Lord Nityānanda and Gadādhara Paṇḍita were astonished and merged in an ocean of happiness.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa, 7.148

gauracandrera agre prasāda-sthāpana—

santoṣe prasāda āni’ deva-gadādhara
thuilena gauracandra-prabhura gocara

Jayapatākā Swami: In great satisfaction, Śrī Gadādhara Prabhu then brought the prasāda and placed it before Lord Gauracandra.

So, Lord Nityānanda Prabhu and Gadādhara Paṇḍita were happy to have Lord Caitanya present and respectfully they placed the prasāda before Him.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa, 7.149

mahāprabhura prasādānna-vandanā—

sarva-ṭoṭā vyāpileka annera saugandhe
bhakti kari’ prabhu punaḥ punaḥ anna vande

Jayapatākā Swami: The fragrance of the rice prasāda permeated the entire garden. In a devotional mood Lord Caitanya repeatedly offered prayers to the rice prasāda.

So, here is the example why we don’t say we are eating prasāda, we say we are respecting prasāda.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa, 7.150

prabhu bale,—“tina bhāga samāna kariyā
bhuñjiba prasāda-anna ekatra vasiyā”

? Jayapatākā Swami: Then Lord Caitanya said, “Divide this rice prasāda into three equal portions, and will sit together and take the prasāda rice.”

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa, 7.151

nityānanda-svarūpera taṇḍulera prīte
vasilena mahāprabhu bhojana karite

Jayapatākā Swami: Being attracted by the rice prasāda brought by Lord Nityānanda prabhu, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu sat down to take prasāda.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa, 7.152

dui prabhu bhojana karena dui pāśe
santoṣe īśvara anna-vyañjana praśaṁse

Jayapatākā Swami: Gadādhara Prabhu and Lord Nityānanda sat down on either side of Lord Caitanya, and being satisfied the Lord complimented the rice and the vegetable prasāda.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa, 7.153

prabhu bale,—“e annera gandhe o sarvathā
kṛṣṇa-bhakti haya, ithe nāhika anyathā

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya declared, “This fragrance of this rice prasāda is all pervasive and without doubt will bestow Krsna-bhakti,devotion to Lord Kṛṣṇa on anyone.

So, the preparation prepared by Gadādhara Paṇḍita and offered to Lord Gopīnātha was so powerful that anyone who takes it will get devotion to Lord Kṛṣṇa.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa, 7.154

gadādharera pāka-praśaṃsā—

gadādhara, ki tomāra manohara pāka
āmi ta’ e-mata kabhu nāhi khāi śāka

Jayapatākā Swami: “O Gadādhara, you have cooked so wonderfully! I have never tasted such śāka before.

Purport:Lord Caitanya was a perfect guest, because He praised the cook. But actually Gadādhara Prabhu’s cooking is first class and in His previous līlā, Rādhārāṇī was blessed by Dūrvāsa muni that whatever She cooked would be nectar.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa, 7.155

gadādhara, ki tomāra vicitra randhana
teṅtula-patrera kara e-mata vyañjana

Jayapatākā Swami: “O Gadādhara, your cooking is so amazing and unique! You have made such a nice vegetable prasāda with tamarind leaves.

Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja he likes to explain the details of the cooking preparations, this is one of the ways, we can offer service to Kṛṣṇa. We see that many gṛhasthas have Deities in their home and they worship the Deities by offering their meals before the Deities first, before they eat them.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa, 7.156

bujhilāṅa vaikuṇṭhe randhana kara tumi
tabe āra āpanāke lukāo vā keni”

Jayapatākā Swami: “I can understand that you cook in Vaikuṇṭha dhāma. So why are You hiding Yourself, for what reason?”

Purport (by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura): The daughter of Śrī Vṛṣabhānu cooks for Kṛṣṇa. Since Śrī Gadādhara Paṇḍita Gosvāmī displayed expertise in cooking offerings for Śrī Gopīnātha, Śrī Gaurasundara understood who he actually was and identified him as a cook of Vaikuṇṭha.

Jayapatākā Swami: I mentioned earlier that Rādhārāṇī desired to have a male form so that She could associate with Kṛṣṇa openly. So She appeared as Gadādhara Prabhu and Gadādhara was able to associate with Lord Caitanya and She could also associate with Lord Nityānanda.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa, 7.157

ei mata santoṣete hāsya-parihāse
bhojana karena tina prabhu prema-rase

Jayapatākā Swami: In this way, the three Prabhus in great satisfaction laughed and joked, they relished the mellows of ecstatic love as They ate together.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa, 7.158

e-tina-janera prīti e-tine se jāne
gauracandra jhāṭa nā kahena kāro sthāne

Jayapatākā Swami: These three persons fully understood the meaning, but these things were not revealed by Lord Gauracandra.These three persons shared their affection with each other and these three only understood. Lord Gauracandra, He would generally not discuss this with anyone else.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa, 7.159

bhaktagaṇera avaśeṣa-pātra luṇṭhana—

kata-kṣaṇe prabhu saba kariyā bhojana
calilena, pātra luṭa kaila bhakta-gaṇa

Translation: After sometime, the Prabhus they finished Their meals got up and left. The devotees then looted; they snatched the remnants that were left.

I remember in Boston, when Śrīla Prabhupāda had given darśana and then went to his room, and we followed him. He was then served a big plate of māhā-prasāda, he took a few things and then he left and went downstairs, so I followed him and saw him off in the snowy weather, then I remembered that there was a big plate of māhā-prasāda, I ran upstairs but someone was already there taking, so I quickly went there and started taking some prasāda and then the pūjārī walked in and said. “Ah! what are you doing?"