20230308 Merchants in Saptagrāma and Āmbuyā-mulluka are Delivered

The following is a Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book Compilation given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on March 8th,2023 in Śrī Dhāma Māyāpur, India. So today we are continuing from the compilation of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book. Today's chapter entitled is:

Merchants in Saptagrāma and Āmbuyā-mulluka are Delivered
Under the section: The Pastimes of Nityānanda

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 5.443

saptagrāme sapārṣada nityānanda—

kata-dine thāki’ nityānanda khaḍadahe
saptagrāma āilena sarva-gaṇa-sahe

Jayapatākā Swami: After passing of some days at Khaḍadaha, Lord Nityānanda went with His associates to Ādi Saptagrāma.

Purport: For an elaborate description of Saptagrāma, see the Anubhāṣya commentary on Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā, Chapter Eleven, text 41.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 5.444

saptagrāme saptarṣi-sthāna triveṇī ghāṭa—

sei saptagrāme āche-sapta-ṛṣi-sthāna
jagate vidita se ‘triveṇī-ghāṭa’ nāma

Jayapatākā Swami: There in Saptagrāma is a place of the seven ṛṣis (sages). This is known throughout the universe as Triveṇī-ghāṭa.

Purport: The confluence of the Ganges, Sarasvatī, and Yamunā is known as Triveṇī even today. The riverbed of the Yamunā is still found near Kāñcarāpāḍā. Some time ago this river used to flow into the Triveṇī-saṅgama. Reports that the Yamunā riverbed existed near Govaraḍāṅgā are still current.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 5.445

sei gaṅgā-ghāṭe pūrve sapta-ṛṣi-gaṇa
tapa kari’ pāilena govinda-caraṇa

Jayapatākā Swami: On the bank of the Ganges at this place, previously, the seven ṛṣis performed austerities and attained the lotus feet of Śrī Govinda.

So, on this place known as Saptagrāma, is the place where the seven ṛṣis have performed tapasyā and various Kṛṣṇa consciousness methods by which they received the shelter of Govinda’s Lotus feet.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 5.446

tina devī sei sthāne ekatra milaña
jāhnavī-yamunā-sarasvatīra saṅgama

Jayapatākā Swami: The three goddesses meet together at this place — the saṇgama of the Goddesses of the rivers Jāhnavī, Yamunā, and Sarasvatī.

So, there is Triveṇī at Prayāga, Uttar Pradesh and there is one Triveṇī in Bengal and in Adi Saptagrāma.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 5.447

prasiddha ‘triveṇī-ghāṭa’ sakala bhuvane
sarva pāpa-kṣaya haya yāṅra daraśane

Jayapatākā Swami: Triveṇī-ghāṭa is famous throughout the world. All of one’s sins are destroyed by taking darśana of this holy place.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 5.448

triveṇī ghāṭe śrī-nityānandera snāna—

nityānanda prabhuvara parama-ānande
sei ghāṭe snāna karilena sarva-vṛnde

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Nityānanda, the best of the Lords, in great ecstasy, took bath at this ghāṭa along with His associates.

Lord Nityānanda He took His Ganga, Sarasvatī, Yamunā bath and along with His transcendental associates, He purified this holy place.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 5.449

triveṇī-tīre uddhāraṇa-gṛhe śrī-nityānanda—

uddhāraṇa-datta bhāgyavantera mandire
rahilena tathā prabhu triveṇīra tīre

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Nityānanda stayed on the bank of the Triveṇī at the house of the fortunate Uddhāraṇa Datta.

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda is a descendant of this Uddhāraṇa Datta Ṭhākura.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 5.450

kāya-mano-vākye nityānandera caraṇa
bhajilena akaitave datta-uddhāraṇa

Jayapatākā Swami: Uddhāraṇa Datta unduplicitously worshiped the Lotus feet of Lord Nityānanda with his body, mind and speech.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 5.451

nityānanda-svarūpera sevā-adhikāra
pāilena uddhāraṇa, kibā bhāgya tāṅra

Jayapatākā Swami: Uddhāraṇa Datta Thakura received the great fortune of achieving the opportunity of serving Lord Nityānanda Svarūpa!

Purport: Nityānanda Prabhu is nondifferent from Baladeva. To achieve His service is rare for even demigods like Brahmā. But His dear servant Śrī Uddhāraṇa Ṭhākura received that opportunity.

Jayapatākā Swami: The temple of Uddhāraṇa Datta Ṭhākura is still there on the bank of the river, and one could see the place where Lord Nityānanda stayed.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 5.452

janma janma nityānanda-svarūpa īśvara
janma janma uddhāraṇo tāṅhāra kiṅkara

Jayapatākā Swami: Birth after birth, Lord Nityānanda Svarūpa was Uddhāraṇa Datta’s master, and birth after birth Uddhāraṇa Datta was servant of Lord Nityānanda.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 5.453

nityasiddha nityānanda-bhṛtya uddhāraṇera kṛpāya vaṇikkulera uddhāra—

yateka vaṇik-kula uddhāraṇa haite
pavitra haila, dvidhā nāhika ihāte

Jayapatākā Swami: There is no doubt that the entire mercantile community was delivered by Uddhāraṇa Datta.

Purport: Śrī Uddhāraṇa Ṭhākura appeared in the suvarṇa-vaṇik community, the community of bankers and gold merchants. According to social consideration, this community is inferior. Although he appeared in an inferior community, he was the recipient of Śrī Nityānanda’s mercy. There is no doubt that all the people from inferior communities followed his example and gave up their respective family prestige. Inferior mercantile communities like Kāleyora and Bhāṅgārī also became inclined to worship Hari.

Jayapatākā Swami: Uddhāraṇa Datta Ṭhākura was a vaiśya and vaiśyas are not considered very exalted. But somehow Uddhāraṇa Datta Ṭhākura was delivered by Lord Nityānanda and Uddhāraṇa Datta Ṭhākura managed to preach to all the other vaiśyas and bankers and this way they are all delivered. And it is their custom to worship Rādhā-Govinda, but they don’t allow anyone to get married unless they are initiated.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 5.454

vaṇik tārite nityānanda-avatāra
vaṇikere dilā prema-bhakti-adhikāra

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Nityānanda advented to deliver the mercantile community. He gave them the qualification to develop ecstatic love of God.

Lord Caitanya had told Lord Nityānanda that His avatāra was to deliver the foolish, the low-born, the fallen and the distressed. So, with Lord Nityānanda’s mercy all these foolish bankers and low-born bankers were delivered and developed ecstatic love of Kṛṣṇa.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 5.455

saptagrāmastha tadānīntana vaṇikulera prati patitapāvana nityānandera ahaituka-kṛpā—

saptagrāme saba vaṇikera ghare ghare
āpane nitāicāṅda kīrtane vihare

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Nitāicandra would personally enjoy kīrtana pastimes, He went house to house to all the merchants in Saptagrāma.

How many Lotus feet of Lord Nityānanda was established in Saptagrāma? How many Lotus feet? Every house… Hari Bol!

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 5.456

vaṇik-sakala nityānandera caraṇa
sarva-bhāve bhajilena laiyāśaraṇa

Jayapatākā Swami: All the merchants took shelter at the lotus feet of Lord Nityānanda and worshiped Him and took His shelter in all respects.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 5.457

vaṇik sabāra kṛṣṇa-bhajana dekhite
mane camatkāra pāya sakala jagate

Jayapatākā Swami: People of the entire world became astonished on witnessing the merchants’ community’s devotional service to Lord Kṛṣṇa.

With Lord Nityānanda’s mercy, the merchants, the banker community in Saptagrāma became fully engaged in worshipping Kṛṣṇa, so much so that anyone who saw it would be astonished!

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 5.458

nityānanda-prabhuvara-mahimā apāra
vaṇik adhama mūrkha ye kaila nistāra

Jayapatākā Swami: The glories of Lord Nityānanda Prabhu are unlimited. He delivered even the foolish, degraded merchants.

Purport: Since the suvarṇa-vaṇiks were naturally uneducated fools