20230507 The Sand Dune Named Caṭaka-Parvata is Mistaken to be Govardhana

The following is a Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book Compilation given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on May 7th,2023 in Dallas, Texas, USA.

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

Hariḥ oṁ tat sat!

Welcome! Dear Devotees! Today we are continuing from the compilation of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book. Today's chapter entitled is:

The Sand Dune Named Caṭaka-Parvata is Mistaken to be Govardhana
Under the section: Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s Feelings of Separation from Kṛṣṇa

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 14.84

prabhura govardhana-jñāne caṭakaparvatābhimukhe mahābhāvāveśe drutadhāvana:—

eka-dina mahāprabhu samudre yāite
‘caṭaka’-parvata dekhilena ācambite

Translation: One day, while Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was going to the sea to bathe, He suddenly saw a sand dune named Caṭaka-parvata.

Jayapatākā Swami: This Caṭaka parvata is near the Hanumān temple.

Hare Kṛṣṇa!

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 14.85

govardhana-śaila-jñāne āviṣṭa ha-ilā
parvata-diśāte prabhu dhāñā calilā

Translation: Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu mistook the sand dune for Govardhana Hill and ran toward it.

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya was always in Vṛndāvana in His mood and thus He saw the sand dune known as Caṭaka parvata as Govardhana Hill.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 14.86

śrīmad-bhāgavate (10/21/18)—

Translation: “[Lord Caitanya said:] ‘Of all the devotees, this Govardhana Hill is the best!

O my friends, this hill supplies Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma, as well as Their calves, cows and cowherd friends, with all kinds of necessities — water for drinking, very soft grass, caves, fruits, flowers and vegetables.

In this way the hill offers respect to the Lord.

Being touched by the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma, Govardhana Hill appears very jubilant.’”

Purport: This is a quotation from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.21.18).

It was spoken by the gopīs when Lord Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma entered the forest in the autumn.

The gopīs spoke among themselves and glorified Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma for Their pastimes.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, the gopīs are also glorifying Govardhana Hill. 

Govardhana Hill is considered as non-different from Kṛṣṇa, but Govardhana Hill is serving Kṛṣṇa in so many ways.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 14.87

saṅgī govindera tatpaścāddhāvana:—

ei śloka paḍi’ prabhu calena vāyu-vege
govinda dhāila pāche, nāhi pāya lāge

Translation: Reciting this verse, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu ran toward the sand dune as fast as the wind.

Govinda ran after Him, but he could not approach Him.

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya was in meditation and He saw the sand dune as Govardhana and He was running as fast as He could to Govardhana.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 14.88

kolāhalapūrvaka lokera paścāddhāvana:—

phukāra paḍila, mahā-kolāhala ha-ila
yei yāhāṅ chila sei uṭhiyā dhāila

Translation: First one devotee shouted loudly, and then a tumultuous uproar arose as all the devotees stood up and began to run after the Lord.

Jayapatākā Swami: All the devotees were running after Lord Caitanya and they were loudly chanting.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 14.89

sakala bhaktera tathāya āgamana:—

svarūpa, jagadānanda, paṇḍita-gadādhara
rāmāi, nandāi, āra paṇḍita śaṅkara

Translation: Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī, Jagadānanda Paṇḍita, Gadādhara Paṇḍita, Rāmāi, Nandāi and Śaṅkara Paṇḍita are some of the devotees who ran after Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

Jayapatākā Swami: All these associates of Lord Caitanya were running after Śrī Caitanya.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 14.90

purī-bhāratī-gosāñi āilā sindhu-tīre
bhagavān-ācārya khañja calilā dhīre dhīre

Translation: Paramānanda Purī and Brahmānanda Bhāratī also went toward the beach, and Bhagavān Ācārya, who was lame, followed them very slowly.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, everyone present there was following Lord Caitanya to the best of their ability.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 14.91

pathe stambhādi-vikāra varṇana:—

prathame calilā prabhu,—yena vāyu-gati
stambha-bhāva pathe haila, calite nāhi śakti

Translation: Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was running with the speed of the wind, but He suddenly became stunned in ecstasy and lost all strength to proceed further.

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu would suddenly experience different ecstasies and He was running as fast the wind and then He suddenly got the ecstasy of becoming stunned, and He could not proceed any further.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 14.92

prati-roma-kūpe māṁsa—vraṇera ākāra
tāra upare romodgama—kadamba-prakāra

Translation: The flesh at each of His pores erupted like pimples, and His bodily hairs, standing on end, appeared like kadamba flowers.

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya manifested this unusual ecstasy and symptom.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 14.93

prati-rome prasveda paḍe rudhirera dhāra
kanṭḥe gharghara, nāhi varṇera uccāra

Translation: Blood and perspiration flowed incessantly from every pore of His body, and He could not speak a word but simply produced a gargling sound within His throat.

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu suddenly was experiencing this type of ecstasy, and from all pores of His body blood and perspiration were flowing.

He was not able to speak and simply made the sound - ga ga ga ga.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 14.94

dui netre bhari’ aśru vahaye apāra
samudre mililā yena gaṅgā-yamunā-dhāra

Translation: The Lord’s eyes filled and overflowed with unlimited tears, like the Ganges and Yamunā meeting in the sea.

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu started to cry and the tears flowed from His eyes went to the sea.

Just like the Ganges and Yamunā meet the Bay of Bengal in the Sagara island, Lord Caitanya’s tears were flowing to the ocean.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 14.95

vaivarṇye śaṅkha-prāya śveta haila aṅga
tabe kampa uṭhe,—yena samudre taraṅga

Translation: His entire body faded to the color of a white conchshell, and then He began to quiver like the waves in the ocean.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 14.96

prabhura patana:—

kāṅpite kāṅpite prabhu bhūmete paḍilā
tabe ta’ govinda prabhura nikaṭe āilā

Translation: While quivering in this way, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu fell down on the ground.

Then Govinda approached Him.

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya was feeling such separation from Kṛṣṇa that His body started to quiver, and He fell down.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 14.97

govindera jala-secana o vyajanapūrvaka prabhura caitanya-sampādana-ceṣṭā:—

karaṅgera jale kare sarvāṅga siñcana
bahirvāsa lañā kare aṅga saṁvījana

Translation: Govinda sprinkled water from a karaṅga waterpot all over the Lord’s body, and then, taking His own outer garment, he began to fan Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Govinda dāsa, he was serving Lord Caitanya by bringing water for Him and fanning Him.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 14.98

prabhura avasthā-darśane sakalera rodana:—

svarūpādi-gaṇa tāhāṅ āsiyā mililā
prabhura avasthā dekhi’ kāndite lāgilā

Translation: When Svarūpa Dāmodara and the other devotees reached the spot and saw the condition of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, they began to cry.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 14.99

prabhura aṣṭasāttvika vikāra-darśane sakalera vismaya:

prabhura aṅge dekhe aṣṭa-sāttvika vikāra
āścarya sāttvika dekhi’ hailā camatkāra

Translation: All eight kinds of transcendental transformations were visible in the Lord’s body.

All the devotees were struck with wonder to see such a sight.

Purport: The eight ecstatic symptoms are the state of being stunned, perspiration, standing of the bodily hairs on end, faltering of the voice, trembling, fading of the body’s color, tears and devastation.

Jayapatākā Swami: These aṣṭa-sāttvika-bhāvas are manifest when someone has ecstatic love for Kṛṣṇa.

All these eight symptoms were manifesting simultaneously on Lord Caitanya’s body.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 14.100

sakalera uccasaṅkīrtana o govindādira jalasecana

ucca saṅkīrtana kare prabhura śravaṇe
śītala jale kare prabhura aṅga sammārjane

Translation: The devotees loudly chanted the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra near Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and washed His body with cold water.

Jayapatākā Swami: When Lord Caitanya was in this ecstatic state, the only medicine which would bring Him around was the loud chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 14.101

prabhura vāhyadaśāya avataraṇa:—

ei-mata bahu-bāra kīrtana karite
‘hari-bola’ bali’ prabhu uṭhe ācambite

Translation: After the devotees had been chanting for a long time, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu suddenly stood up and shouted,

Jayapatākā Swami: Haribol! Haribol! Haribol!

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 14.102

haryabhare sakalera haridhvani:—

sānande sakala vaiṣṇava bale ‘hari’ ’hari’
uṭhila maṅgala-dhvani catur-dik bhari’

Translation: When Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu stood up, all the Vaiṣṇavas loudly chanted, “Hari! Hari!” in great jubilation.

The auspicious sound filled the air in all directions.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, devotees were very happy when Lord Caitanya stood up and chanted Haribol, in response they chanted Hari Hari!

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 14.103

Translation: Astonished, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu stood up and began looking here and there, trying to see something.

But He could not catch sight of it.

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu was in His ecstasy and obviously He was looking for something in Vṛndāvana, but He could not see it in Purī.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 14.104

‘vaiṣṇava’ dekhiyā prabhura ardha-bāhya ha-ila
svarūpa-gosāñire kichu kahite lāgila

Translation: When Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu saw all the Vaiṣṇavas, He returned to partial external consciousness and spoke to Svarūpa Dāmodara.

Jayapatākā Swami: When Lord Caitanya was in this half external consciousness, He would reveal what He had seen when He was fully in ecstasy.

In this way, devotees could understand what the Lord did when He had been experiencing this ecstasy.

Thus ends the chapter entitled, The Sand Dune Named Caṭaka-Parvata is Mistaken to be Govardhana
Under the section: Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s Feelings of Separation from Kṛṣṇa

So, something new and exciting every minute with Lord Caitanya!

Suddenly, He started running, He saw what He thought was the Govardhana and everyone was running after Him.

Then suddenly He stopped, He was stunned and He started manifesting the eight aṣṭa-sāttvika-bhāva.

Eight ecstatic symptoms and fell to the ground.

Like this, the devotees caught up to Him started chanting, fanning him and sprinkling cool water on Him, and He started to regain consciousness and started chanting Hari bol! and now He will tell Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī what He saw.

Exciting!