20230207 All-encompassing Saṅkīrtana

The following is a Caitanya Book Class by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on February 7th, 2023.

The talk is about:

The All-Encompassing Saṅkīrtana

mūkaṁ karoti vācālaṁ paṅguṁ laṅghayate girim
yat-kṛpā tam ahaṁ vande śrī-guruṁ dīna-tāraṇam
paramānandaṁ mādhavaṁ śrī caitanya iśvaram

Hariḥ oṁ tat sat!

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 10.57

ekadina prāte prabhura bhaktasaha jagannātha darśanaḥ—

āra dina mahāprabhu nija-gaṇa lañā
jagannātha dekhilena śayyotthāne yāñā

Translation: The next day, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu went with His personal devotees to see Lord Jagannātha when Lord Jagannātha arose early in the morning.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 10.58

sāta-sampradāye beḍā-saṅkīrtana-varṇanaḥ—

beḍā-saṅkīrtana tahāṅ ārambha karilā
sāta-sampradāya tabe gāite lāgilā

Translation: After seeing Lord Jagannātha, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu began His all-encompassing saṅkīrtana. He formed seven groups, which then began to chant.

Purport: For an explanation of the beḍā-saṅkīrtana, one may refer to Madhya-līlā, Chapter Eleven, verses 215-238.

Jayapatākā Swami: The beḍā-saṅkīrtana was a kīrtana or saṅkīrtana which was all excompassing and Lord Caitanya would have different groups of devotees, seven groups chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa māhā-mantra.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 10.59

sāta-sampradāye nṛtya kare sāta jana
advaita ācārya, āra prabhu-nityānanda

Translation: In each of the seven groups was a principal dancer, such as Advaita Ācārya or Lord Nityānanda.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 10.60

vakreśvara, acyutānanda, paṇḍita-śrīvāsa
satyarāja-khāṅna, āra narahari-dāsa

Translation: The dancers in the other groups were Vakreśvara Paṇḍita, Acyutānanda, Paṇḍita Śrīvāsa, Satyarāja Khān and Narahari dāsa.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, these seven dancers were in seven different groups. They were chanting and dancing with mṛdaṅga playing. Each group had its own team of chanters and mṛdaṅga players ,etc.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 10.61

prabhura mahaiśvarya-prakāśaḥ—

sāta-sampradāye prabhu karena bhramaṇa
‘mora sampradāye prabhu’—aiche sabāra mana

Translation: As Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu walked from one group to another inspecting them, the men in each group thought, “The Lord is within our group.”

Jayapatākā Swami: Somehow Lord Kṛṣṇa when He took picnic with cowherd boys in Vṛndāvana, each boy was thinking that Lord Kṛṣṇa is looking at me, He had this mystic power so everyone was thinking that Kṛṣṇa is looking at me, and then when Lord Caitanya He walked through the different groups, each group thought that Lord Caitanya is in my group.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 10.62

mahāsaṅkīrtana-dhvaniḥ —

saṅkīrtana-kolāhale ākāśa bhedila
saba jagannātha-vāsī dekhite āila

Translation: The congregational chanting made a tumultuous roar that filled the sky. All the inhabitants of Jagannātha Purī came to see the kīrtana.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Caitanya's seven groups doing saṅkīrtana filled the whole atmosphere with the Holy name, and this attracted all the people in Jagannātha Purī to come and watch.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 10.63

mahiṣīgaṇasaha rājāra saṅkīrtana-darśanaḥ—

rājā āsi’ dūre dekhe nija-gaṇa lañā
rāja-patnī saba dekhe aṭṭālī caḍiyā

Translation: Accompanied by his personal staff, the King also came there and watched from a distance, and all the queens watched from the elevated parts of the palace.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, the queens did not mix with the people, they were on the roof of the palace but they were watching the kīrtana. King Pratāparudra, although he was the monarch, His house, his palace was relatively small compared to the large temple of Lord Jagannātha.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 10.64

mahāsaṅkīrtana-begaḥ—

kīrtana-āṭope pṛthivī kare ṭalamala
‘hari-dhvani’ kare loka, haila kolāhala

Translation: Due to the forceful vibration of kīrtana, the entire world began trembling. When everyone chanted the holy name, they made a tumultuous sound.

Haribol!

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 10.65

prabhura nṛtya-vāñchāḥ—

ei-mata kata-kṣaṇa karāilā kīrtana
āpane nācite tabe prabhura haila mana

Translation: In this way the Lord had congregational chanting performed for some time, and then He Himself desired to dance.

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya desiring to dance is something very special.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 10.66

saptasampradāyera madhye prabhura nṛtyaḥ—

sāta-dike sāta-sampradāya gāya, bājāya
madhye mahā-premāveśe nāce gaura-rāya

Translation: The seven groups began chanting and beating their drums in seven directions, and Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu began dancing in the center in great ecstatic love.

Jayapatākā Swami: This display of saṅkīrtana with seven groups Lord Caitanya dancing in the center was something which attracted all the people, and they started to chant, Hari bol!

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 10.67

svarūpake uḍiyā-gānera pada gāite ājñāḥ—

uḍiyā-pada mahāprabhura mane smṛti haila
svarūpere sei pada gāite ājñā dila

Translation: Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu remembered a line in the Orissan language and ordered Svarūpa Dāmodara to sing it.

Jayapatākā Swami: Each place has their own kīrtana, melodies and mantras, similarly there were special songs glorifying Lord Kṛṣṇa which was in the Odiya language.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 10.68

yathā padam —

”jagamohana-pari-muṇḍā yāu”

Translation: “Let my head fall at the feet of Jagannātha in the kīrtana hall known as Jagamohana.”

Jayapatākā Swami: The devotees from Odisha had great devotion for Lord Jagannātha. So, this song in Odia language, displays one’s complete surrender to Lord Jagannātha.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 10.69

premāveśe prabhura narttane sakalera ānandaḥ —

ei pade nṛtya karena parama-āveśe
saba-loka caudike prabhura prema-jale bhāse

Translation: Simply because of this line, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was dancing in greatly ecstatic love. People all around Him floated in the water of His tears.

Jayapatākā Swami: In the śāstra, it is said that preach according to time, place and circumstance. By chanting the line in Odia language and dancing in ecstasy, naturally all the people of Odisha would be highly motivated.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 10.70

prabhura vadane kevala ‘haribola’ dhvaniḥ—

‘bol’ ’bol’ balena prabhu śrī-bāhu tuliyā
hari-dhvani kare loka ānande bhāsiyā

Hari bol! Hari bol!

Translation: Raising His two arms, the Lord said, “Chant! Chant!” Floating in transcendental bliss, the people responded by chanting the holy name of Hari.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 10.71

prabhura sāttvika vikārasamūhaḥ—

prabhu paḍi’ mūrchā yāya, śvāsa nāhi āra
ācambite uṭhe prabhu kariyā huṅkāra

Translation: The Lord fell to the ground unconscious, not even breathing. Then suddenly He stood up, making a loud sound.

Jayapatākā Swami: Hari Bol!

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 10.72

saghana pulaka,—yena śimulera taru
kabhu praphullita aṅga, kabhu haya saru

Translation: The hairs on His body constantly stood up like the thorns on a śimula tree. Sometimes His body was swollen and sometimes lean and thin.

Jayapatākā Swami: The śimula trees has thorns on it, and Lord Caitanya's hairs on His body were standing up like the thorns in the śimula tree. Sometimes He would become very swollen, and sometimes He would become very thin.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 10.73

prati roma-kūpe haya prasveda, raktodgama
‘jaja’ ‘gaga’ ‘pari’ ‘mumu’—gadgada vacana

Translation: He bled and perspired from every pore of His body. His voice faltered. Unable to say the line properly, He uttered only “jaja gaga pari mumu.”

Jayapatākā Swami: Instead of Lord Jagannātha, Lord Caitanya was saying “jaja gaga pari mumu. ”Like this His voice was completely muffled in ecstasy.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 10.74

dantāndolanaḥ—

eka eka danta yena pṛthak pṛthak naḍe
aiche naḍe danta,—yena bhūme khasi’ paḍe

Translation: All His teeth shook, as if each was separate from the others. Indeed, they seemed about to fall to the ground.

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya ecstatic symptoms were incomparable, even His teeth appeared like they would fall out and He was having different kinds of ecstatic symptoms that never seen before.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 10.75

ānandāmbudhi-varddhanaḥ—

kṣaṇe kṣaṇe bāḍe prabhura ānanda-āveśa
tṛtīya prahara ha-ila, nṛtya nahe śeṣa

Translation: His transcendental bliss increased at every moment. Therefore even by midafternoon the dancing had not ended.

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya was not conscious of the external world. He was fully conscious of Kṛṣṇa and He was full of ecstasy.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 10.76

sakalerai deha o vāhya jagadvismṛtiḥ—

saba lokera uthalila ānanda-sāgara
saba loka pāsarila deha-ātma-ghara

Translation: The ocean of transcendental bliss overflowed, and everyone present forgot his body, mind and home.

Jayapatākā Swami: Normally people are very attached to body, home and their mental thoughts but here with Lord Caitanya everyone was much absorbed in the kīrtana, that they forgot everything else.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 10.77

nityānandakartṛka kīrtana-bhaṅgera upāya-udbhāvanaḥ—

tabe nityānanda prabhu sṛjilā upāya
krame-krame kīrtanīyā rākhila sabāya

Translation: Then Lord Nityānanda found a way to end the kīrtana. He gradually stopped all the chanters.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Nityānanda was concerned about all the devotees, they cannot keep chanting and dancing so long through the afternoon. He came out with a strategy to stop the kīrtana.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 10.78

svarūpādira mṛdusvare gānaḥ—

svarūpera saṅge mātra eka sampradāya
svarūpera saṅge seha manda-svara gāya

Translation: Thus only one group continued chanting with Svarūpa Dāmodara, and they chanted very softly.

Jayapatākā Swami: When Śrīla Prabhupāda was in Vṛndāvana during his final pastime he asked his devotees to chant very softly.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 10.79

prabhura arddhavāhyadaśāya āgamanaḥ—

kolāhala nāhi, prabhura kichu bāhya haila
tabe nityānanda sabāra śrama jānāila

Translation: When there was no longer a tumultuous sound, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu returned to external consciousness. Then Nityānanda Prabhu informed Him of the fatigue of the chanters and dancers.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, the other chanters, they could not keep up with the ecstasy of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Nityānanda prabhu informed Lord Caitanya of these chanters' fatigue.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 10.80

nityānandera kathāya bhaktaśrama jāniyā kīrtana-samāpti o sakalera samudrasnānaḥ—

bhakta-śrama jāni’ kailā kīrtana samāpana
sabā lañā āsi’ kailā samudre snapana

Translation: Understanding the fatigue of the devotees, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu stopped the congregational chanting. Then He bathed in the sea, accompanied by them all.

Jayapatākā Swami: Jagannātha Purī is just next to the Bay of Bengal, so He took all the devotees to bathe there in the sea.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 10.81

sakalera prasāda-sammānaḥ—

saba lañā prabhu kailā prasāda bhojana
sabāre vidāya dilā karite śayana

Translation: Then Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu took prasādam with all of them and then asked them to return to their dwellings and take rest.

Jayapatākā Swami: In the spiritual world one doesn’t need to eat or rest there is no time like in the material world, and one has a spiritual body which doesn’t get fatigued like these material bodies. Actually, Lord Caitanya had a totally spiritual body, Lord Nityānanda reminded Him that the devotees had material bodies and were feeling tired. 

Thus ends the chapter entitled, All-encompassing Saṅkīrtana
Under the section: Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu Accepts Prasādam from His Devotees

Haribol!