20230502 Question and Answer Session

The following is a Q&A Session by Guru Mahārāja.

Question: Sometimes it is very difficult for us to understand these pastimes especially of Lord Caitanya. It is very esoteric and sometime we feel not very able to understand and sometimes we feel we should not be listening to them as our minds are polluted. How should we listen and what mood should we listen to them even though we don’t understand them?

Jayapatākā Swami: I mean, Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja is saying that he cannot understand them. How can they be understood? But by hearing how Lord Caitanya was feeling such ecstasy, we may experience a drop. It is not that we can experience all that what Lord Caitanya is experiencing. But we can understand that it is something really, really elevated. And He is so much absorbed in Kṛṣṇa, He is following the mood of Rādhārāṇī. But that is not possible for us, but to a little extent we can appreciate.

Question: Just by hearing these pastimes we can actually develop our love for Kṛṣṇa. My question is you mention almost mechanically Lord Caitanya was doing his daily routine, taking darśana of Lord Jagannātha every day. Could you elaborate what this means because sometimes we do things and we feel it is mechanical and we feel that is that okay?

Jayapatākā Swami: You see the difference is that you may be spaced out, He is so absorbed in Kṛṣṇa that He does His ordinary routine but His mind is completely on Kṛṣṇa. And that when He sees Lord Jagannātha, He sees Śyāmasundara, I mean, we are doing our activities and that is our service. But Lord Caitanya’s service is His deep concentration on Kṛṣṇa. So He is doing the routine activities, He is not actually concentrating on those, He is doing them automatically. It says also a pure devotee, it is not unusual that Kṛṣṇa takes charge of their bodily activities. And they are totally concentrating on Lord Kṛṣṇa.

Hare Kṛṣṇa!