20230330 The Dacoit Leader Surrenders and Offers Prayers to Lord Niyānanda

The following is a Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book Compilation given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on March 30th,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! Dear Devotees! Jay Nitāi! Jay Rāmacandra ! Today we will continue with the compilation of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book. Today's chapter is entitled as:

The Dacoit Leader Surrenders and Offers Prayers to Lord Niyānanda
Under the Section: The Pastimes of Nityānanda

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 5.618

dasyusenā-patira nityānanda-aiśvarya-smaraṇe jñānodaya—

kato-kṣaṇe dasyu-senāpati ye brāhmaṇa
akasmāt bhāgye tāra haila smaraṇa

Jayapatākā Swami: After some time the commander of those dacoits, who was a brāhmaṇa, by birth, suddenly out of some good fortunate, he got remembrance.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 5.619

mane bhāve vipra—“nityānanda nara nahe
satya eho īśvara,—manuṣya kabhu kahe

Jayapatākā Swami: The brāhmaṇa thought, “Lord Nityānanda is not a human being. Truly, He is the Supreme Lord. He is certainly a never a human being.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 5.620

eka-dina mohilena sabāre nidrāya
tathāpiha nā bujhiluṁīśvara-māyāya

So, the leader or commander of the dacoits, he started to remember what happened. One day Lord Nityānanda bewildered us with sleep, yet we could not understand because of the influence of the Lord’s illusory energy.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 5.621

āra dina mahā-adbhuta padātika-gaṇa
dekhāila, tabu mora nahila cetana

Jayapatākā Swami: “Another day Lord Nityānanda, He showed us the most wonderful foot soldiers, but still we did not come to our senses.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 5.622

yogya muñi-pāpiṣṭhera e saba durgati
harite prabhura dhana yena kailuṅ mati

Jayapatākā Swami: “This type of suffering and misfortune is appropriate for sinful persons like us, for we desired to steal the Lord’s wealth.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 5.623

e mahāsaṅkaṭe more ke karibe pāra
nityānanda bai mora gati nāhi āra”

Jayapatākā Swami: “So who can cross me over this great danger? I have no shelter other than Lord Nityānanda’s mercy.”

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 5.624

dasyusenāpatira nityānanda-caraṇe śaraṇagrahaṇa; aśoka abhaya-amṛtera ādhāra nitāi-pādapadma—

eta bhāvi’ dvija nityānandera caraṇa
cintiyā ekānta-bhāve laila śaraṇa

Jayapatākā Swami: Thus thinking, the brāhmaṇa meditated on and took shelter completely of the lotus feet of Lord Nityānanda.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 5.625

se caraṇa cintile āpada nāhi āra
sei-kṣaṇe koṭi aparādhīra o nistāra

Jayapatākā Swami: By thinking of His lotus feet, there is no more misfortune. At the same times, tens of millions of offenders are delivered.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 5.626

dasyusenāpatira nityānanda-stava —

“rakṣa rakṣa nityānanda śrī-bāla-gopāla!
rakṣā kara’ prabhu, tumi sarva-jīva-pāla

Jayapatākā Swami: “Protect, Protect, O Lord Nityānanda, O Śrī Bāla-gopāla, protect me O Lord, You are the maintainer and protector of all living entities.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 5.627

ye jana āchāḍa prabhu, pṛthivīte khāya
punaś ca pṛthivī tāre hayena sahāya

Jayapatākā Swami: “O Lord, one who trips and falls forcefully on the earth, again the earth is the shelter for him.

Purport (by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura): When a person falls to the ground, the earth does not allow him to fall further but kindly protects him.

It is stated: “Those who trip and fall have only the ground as support to again get up. Similarly, O Lord, those who commit offenses to You have no one but You for refuge.”

Haribol!

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 5.628

e-mata ye tomāte aparādha kare
śeṣe seho tomāra smaraṇe duḥkha tare

Jayapatākā Swami: “In this way, one commits offenses to You, at the end if he remembers Your Lotus feet, he is delivered from the suffering.

Purport (by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura): If a person who suffers distress or poverty becomes angry or disappointed with the Supreme Lord, then that angry or disappointed person commits an offense. For after facing some form of distress or poverty one can understand that You are the only protector.

One by suffering his karma, faces distress or poverty, but actually the only person to help one get over this problem is the Supreme Lord so there is no use of being angry at Him.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 5.629

tumi se jīvera kṣama sarva aparādha
patita-janero tumi karaha prasāda

Jayapatākā Swami: “You forgive all the offenses of the living beings. You bestow mercy on all the fallen souls.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 5.630-631

tathāpi yadyapi āmi brahmaghna govadhī
mora vāḍā āra prabhu nāhi aparādhī

sarva mahāpātakī o tomāra śaraṇa
laile, khaṇḍaye tāra saṁsāra-bandhana

Jayapatākā Swami: “Even though I am a killer of the brāhmaṇas and cows, there is no greater offender than me. But if the most sinful person takes shelter of You, he is freed from all material bondage.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 5.632

janmāvadhi tumi se jīvera rākha prāṇa
ante o tumi se prabhu, kara paritrāṇa

Jayapatākā Swami: “From the time of their birth, You maintain the life of the living entities and also at the time of their death, My Lord, You deliver them.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 5.633

e saṅkaṭa haite prabhu, kara āji rakṣā
yadi jīṅa prabhu, tabe kainu ei śikṣā

Jayapatākā Swami: My Lord, protect me today from this calamity. O Lord, If I survive, I have learned this lesson.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 5.634

janma janma prabhu tumi, muñi tora dāsa
kibā jīṅa maroṅ ei hau mora āśa

Jayapatākā Swami: “Birth after birth You are my Lord and I am Your servant. Whether I live or die, let this be my hope.”

After going through the three different test, falling asleep, seeingt the mystical soldiers who were protecting the house, they fell in the ditches, canal, and holes, after suffering all kinds of miseries from leeches and insects, finally the commander of the dacoits came into senses and surrendered to Lord Nityānanda. Jaya Nitāi! Gaurāṅga! Last night everyone was asking Lord Nityānanda is supposed to be most merciful, why they are suffering so much? We can see that sometimes giving them suffering is also a way of showing mercy. They realize that this material world is a place of suffering and we have to take shelter of the Lord, and He protects one from all dangers and all calamities and delivers them. Haribol! Jaya Nitāi! Thus ends the chapter entitled,

The Dacoit Leader Surrenders and Offers Prayers to Lord Niyānanda
Under the Section: The Pastimes of Nityānanda