20230127 Reception of Advaita Ācārya by Lord Caitanya Part 1

The following is a Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book Compilation given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on January 27th,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!

Today we are reading from the Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya compilation class, todays chapter is entitled as:

Reception of Advaita Ācārya by Lord Caitanya, Part 1
Under the section: Śrī Advaita Ācārya and other devotees’ arrival in Nīlācala

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 8.49

mahāprabhu-kartṛka agre kaṭake advaitera prati mahāprasāda-preraṇa—

advaitera prati ati prīti-yukta haiyā
agre mahāprasāda dilena pāṭhāiyā

Jayapatākā Swami: With great affection mahā-prasāda was sent to Advaita Gosāñi by Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

Advaita Gosāñi had reached Cuttack, which is some distance from Jagannātha Purī, and the Lord Caitanya somehow heard of this Advaita Gosāñi's coming and He sent māhā-prasāda from Lord Jagannātha ahead.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 8.50

ki adbhuta prīti se tāhāra nāhi anta
prasāda pāṭhāye yāṅre kaṭaka paryanta

Jayapatākā Swami: What wonderful love and affection Lord Caitanya had for Advaita Gosāñi, there is no end to His affection. He sent māhā-prasāda to Advaita Gosāñi upto Cuttack.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 8.51

śrī-advaitera prati mahāprabhu—

“śayane āchiluṅ, kṣīra-sāgara-bhitare
nidrā-bhaṅga haila mora nāḍāra huṅkāre

Jayapatākā Swami: “I was resting lying down in the ocean of milk, my rest was broken by the loud yelling of Nāḍā. Nāḍā is the nickname for Advaita Gosāñi.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 8.52

advaita-nimitta mora ei avatāra”
ei mata mahāprabhu bale bārabāra

Jayapatākā Swami: “Śrī Advaita Ācārya is the cause of this incarnation of Mine.” Caitanya Mahāprabhu would repeatedly speak like this again and again.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 8.53

eteke īśvara-tulya yateka mahānta
advaita-siṁhere bhakti karena ekānta

Jayapatākā Swami: There are many great exalted devotees, who are no less than the Lord, or they are comparable to the Lord. But they all offered their devotion and respect to Advaita siṁha, to the lionlike Advaita Ācārya.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 8.54

nīlācale sagoṣṭhī advaitera āgamana-vārtā śravaṇe śrīman-mahāprabhura saṅge śrī-nityānanda-gadādharādira śrī-advaitake abhyarthanārtha agra-gamana—

“āilā advaita”śuni’ śrī-vaikuṇṭha-pati
āgu bāḍilena priya-goṣṭhīra saṁhati

Jayapatākā Swami: When Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu heard that Advaita with many devotees had arrived, then along with Nityānanda and Gadādhara went ahead. The Lord of Vaikuṇṭha went ahead to greet His dear devotees along with His associates.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 8.55

nityānanda, gadādhara, śrī-purī-gosāñi
calilena hariṣe kāhāro bāhya nāi

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Nityānanda, Gadādhara Paṇḍita, and Śrī Purī Gosvāmī they went joyfully, and no one was conscious of anything else. They happily accompanied Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 8.56-61

sārvabhauma, jagadānanda, kāśī-miśra-vara
dāmodara-svarūpa, śrī-paṇḍita-śaṅkara

kāśīśvara-paṇḍita, ācārya-bhagavān
śrī-pradyumna-miśra—prema-bhaktira pradhāna

pātra śrī-parāmānanda, rāya-rāmānanda
caitanyera dvārapāla—sukṛti govinda

brahmānanda-bhāratī, śrī-rūpa-sanātana
raghunātha-vaidya, śivānanda, nārāyaṇa

advaitera jyeṣṭha-putra-śrī-acyutānanda
vāṇīnātha, śikhi-māhāti ādi bhakta-vṛnda

ananta caitanya-bhṛtya, kata jāni nāma
ki choṭa, ki baḍa sabe karilā payāna

Jayapatākā Swami: Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya, Jagadānanda Paṇḍita, Kāśī Miśra, Svarūpa Dāmodara, Śrī Śaṅkara Paṇḍita, Kāśīśvara Paṇḍita, Bhagavān Ācārya, Śrī Pradyumna Miśra, Paramānanda Purī, Rāmānanda Rāya, the Lord’s pious doorkeeper Govinda, Brahmānanda Bhāratī, Śrī Rūpa and Sanātana, Raghunātha Vaidya, Śivānanda, Nārāyaṇa, Śrī Acyutānanda the eldest son of Advaita, Vāṇīnātha, Śikhi Māhiti, and innumerable other topmost devotees, both prominent and obscure, whose names are unknown to Lord Caitanya, all forgot everything and joyfully went with Lord Caitanya to greet Advaita Gosāñi and the other devotees.

Purport: Śrī Acyutānanda was more advanced in devotional service to Viṣṇu than the other sons of Advaita. The other sons were not advanced in their devotional service.

Jayapatākā Swami: We can see when Lord Caitanya went to receive Advaita Ācārya and all the devotees, there was so much loving emotion. And Lord Caitanya and all His associates went to participate in this grand reunion.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 8.62

paramānande sabe calilena prabhu-saṅge
bāhya-dṛṣṭi, bāhya-jñāna nāhi kāro aṅge

Jayapatākā Swami: Everyone went with Lord Caitanya in transcendental ecstasy. External vision or external consciousness was not present in anyone.

All the associates of Lord Caitanya are experiencing extreme transcendental bliss, fully absorbed in thinking of meeting with Advaita Ācārya and others, they were all mad in ecstasy.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 8.63

āṭhāranālāte advaita-pramukha vaiṣṇava-goṣṭhīra mahāprabhura goṣṭhīra sahita milana o paraspara prema-sambhāṣaṇa—

śrī-advaita-siṁha sarva vaiṣṇava-sahite
āsiyā mililā prabhu āṭhāranālāte

Jayapatākā Swami: The lionlike Śrī Advaita Ācārya and His group of Vaiṣṇavas met Lord Caitanya’s group at river known as Āṭhāranālā.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 8.64

prabhu o āilā narendere āguyāna
dui goṣṭhī dekhādekhi haila vidyamāna

Jayapatākā Swami: When Lord Caitanya passed by Narendra-sarovara, He saw the two groups meet each other.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 8.65

dūre dekhi’ dui goṣṭhī anyo’nye saba
daṇḍavata hai’ saba paḍilā vaiṣṇava

Jayapatākā Swami: From a distance the two groups saw each other, they all fell flat on their ground and offered their daṇḍavats, their obeisances.

Śrīla Prabhupāda said that the pastimes of Lord Caitanya are like the post graduate study, Bhagavad-gītā is like high school and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is like college course and Caitanya-caritāmṛta and the teachings of Lord Caitanya are like post graduate. Here we see how all the Vaiṣṇavas respect each other, even from a distance they are offering their prostrate obeisances.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 8.66

dūre advaitere dekhi’ śrī-vaikuṇṭha-nātha
aśru-mukhe karite lāgilā daṇḍapāta

Jayapatākā Swami: From a distance when Lord Caitanya, the Lord of Vaikuṇṭha saw Advaita Ācārya, with tears pouring down his face He offered his prostrate obeisances.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 8.67

śrī-advaita dūre dekhi’ nija-prāṇa-nātha
punaḥ punaḥ haite lāgilā praṇipāta

Jayapatākā Swami: When Śrī Advaita Ācārya saw the Lord of His life, Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, from a distance, again and again He offered his obeisances.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 8.68

aśru, kampa, sveda, mūrcchā, pulaka, huṅkāra
daṇḍavata bai kichu nāhi dekhi āra

Jayapatākā Swami: Tears of love, shivering, perspiration, fainting, hairs standing on end, loud roaring, and offering prostrate obeisances was all that one could see.

The emotions, the ecstasies that all the devotees were experiencing in seeing all the exalted devotees of the other group is something that is actually beyond description. But here the author, he tried to express how the devotees were overwhelmed in these ecstatic expressions.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 8.69

dui goṣṭhī daṇḍavata ke vā kāre kare
sabei caitanya-rase vihvala antare

Jayapatākā Swami: The two groups were offering their prostrate obeisances but who they were offering to is not clear. Everybody was completely overwhelmed in Caitanya rasa and inside were completely filled with loving mellows.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 8.70

kibā choṭa, kibā baḍa, jñānī vā ajñānī
daṇḍavata kari’ sabe kare hari-dhvani

Jayapatākā Swami: Hari Bol! whether junior or senior, learned or not learned, everybody offered their prostrate obeisances and all one could hear was the loud chanting of Hari bol.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 8.71

īśvaro karena bhakta-saṅge daṇḍavata
advaitādi-prabhu o karena sei-mata

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya along with His devotees, offered Their prostrate obeisances, and Advaita Ācārya and his devotees offered similarly, prostrate obeisances.

Purport: Mahāprabhu, Nityānanda, and Advaita Prabhu reciprocated with all the devotees by offering them obeisances. Such pure dealings based on transcendental literatures are not found in the non-devotee smārta community.

It is quite merciful that tomorrow is Advaita Saptami, we get to hear all the glories of Advaita Ācārya and Lord Caitanya, Lord Nityānanda and others.