20230509 Svarūpa Dāmodara and Rāmānanda Rāya Hear the Lamentation of Lord Caitanya [Part 1]

The following is a Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book Compilation given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on May 9th, 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!

Dear Devotees! Welcome! Today we are continuing from the compilation of the Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book, todays chapter is entitled as:

Svarūpa Dāmodara and Rāmānanda Rāya Hear the Lamentation of Lord Caitanya
[Part 1]
Under the Section: The Transcendental Madness of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 15.1

kṛṣṇaviraha-mahābhāvasāgare nimagna prabhu

Translation: The ocean of ecstatic love for Kṛṣṇa is very difficult to understand, even for such demigods as Lord Brahmā. By enacting His pastimes, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu submerged Himself in that ocean, and His heart was absorbed in that love. Thus He exhibited in various ways the exalted position of transcendental love for Kṛṣṇa.

Jayapatākā Swami: Haribol!

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 15.4

aprākṛta kṛṣṇavirahapremāveśe acaitanya:—

ei-mata mahāprabhu rātri-divase
ātma-sphūrti nāhi kṛṣṇa-bhāvāveśe

Translation: Thus Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu forgot Himself throughout the entire day and night, being merged in an ocean of ecstatic love for Kṛṣṇa.

Jayapatākā Swami: In the last years of Lord Caitanya’s stay on this earth, He was very much absorbed in ecstatic love for Kṛṣṇa and He was reliving the separation that Rādhārāṇī felt for Kṛṣṇa. So, in that way, all day all night, He was absorbed in love for Kṛṣṇa.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 15.5

antardaśā, arddhavāhyadaśā o vāhyadaśā:—

kabhu bhāve magna, kabhu ardha-bāhya-sphūrti
kabhu bāhya-sphūrti,—tina rīte prabhu-sthiti

Translation: The Lord would maintain Himself in three states of consciousness: sometimes He merged totally in ecstatic emotion, sometimes He was in partial external consciousness, and sometimes He was in full external consciousness.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, sometimes Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu would be completely absorbed in ecstasy, of love of Kṛṣṇa and, He would not have any communication with the outside. Sometimes, He was half submerged, or partially in externally consciousness. Therefore, He would reveal what He was seeing in His ecstatic love. Sometimes, He would be fully in external consciousness. He would just be talking with the devotees as we talk to each other.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 15.6

svabhāva o abhyāsakrame nityanaimittika-kriyānuṣṭhāna:—

snāna, darśana, bhojana deha-svabhāve haya
kumārera cāka yena satata phiraya

Translation: Actually, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was always merged in ecstatic emotion, but just as a potter’s wheel turns without the potter’s touching it, the Lord’s bodily activities, like bathing, going to the temple to see Lord Jagannātha, and taking lunch, went on automatically.

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya was totally absorbed in ecstasy but His normal daily activities would go on and He would actually not be very conscious, it would just like automatically go on. He would be fully absorbed in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 15.7

jagannātharūpī kṛṣṇākṛṣṭa prabhura hṛṣīkadvārā govinda-sevā:—

eka-dina karena prabhu jagannātha daraśana
jagannāthe dekhe sākṣāt vrajendra-nandana

Translation: One day, while Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was looking at Lord Jagannātha in the temple, Lord Jagannātha appeared to be personally Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the son of Nanda Mahārāja.

Jayapatākā Swami: Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu looking at Lord Jagannātha, Lord Jagannātha suddenly appeared like Śyāmasundara, the son of Nanda Mahārāja.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 15.8

eka-bāre sphure prabhura kṛṣṇera pañca-guṇa
pañca-guṇe kare pañcendriya ākarṣaṇa

Translation: When Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu realized Lord Jagannātha to be Kṛṣṇa Himself, Lord Caitanya’s five senses immediately became absorbed in attraction for the five attributes of Lord Kṛṣṇa.

Purport: Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s beauty attracted the eyes of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Kṛṣṇa’s singing and the vibration of His flute attracted the Lord’s ears, the transcendental fragrance of Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet attracted His nostrils, Kṛṣṇa’s transcendental sweetness attracted His tongue, and Kṛṣṇa’s bodily touch attracted the Lord’s sensation of touch. Thus each of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s five senses was attracted by one of the five attributes of Lord Kṛṣṇa.

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He became absorbed in appreciating the different attributes, the five attributes of Lord Kṛṣṇa.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 15.9

eka-mana pañca-dike pañca-guṇa ṭāne
ṭānāṭāni prabhura mana haila ageyāne

Translation: Just as in a tug-of-war, the single mind of Lord Caitanya was attracted in five directions by the five transcendental attributes of Lord Kṛṣṇa. Thus the Lord became unconscious.

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu while having the darśana of Lord Jagannātha, in realizing how Lord Jagannātha is Kṛṣṇa Himself, each of the five attributes of Lord Kṛṣṇa were pulling Him in a different way and so He became overwhelmed and became unconscious. Haribol! Haribol! Gaurāṅga!

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 15.10

bhaktagaṇera prabhuke gṛhe ānayana:—

hena-kāle īśvarera upala-bhoga sarila
bhakta-gaṇa mahāprabhure ghare lañā āila

Translation: Just then, the upala-bhoga ceremony of Lord Jagannātha concluded, and the devotees who had accompanied Lord Caitanya to the temple took Him back home.

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya in His ecstasy of love for Kṛṣṇa had fallen unconscious. Then the devotees with Him, picked Him up and accompanied Him to His home.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 15.11

svarūpa, rāmānanda,—ei dui-jana lañā
vilāpa karena duṅhāra kaṇṭhete dhariyā

Translation: That night, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was attended by Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī and Rāmānanda Rāya. Keeping His hands around their necks, the Lord began to lament.

Jayapatākā Swami: Now, Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu will reveal what His thoughts were.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 15.12

kṛṣṇera viyoge rādhāra utkaṇṭhita mana
viśākhāre kahe āpana utkaṇṭhā-kāraṇa

Translation: When Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī was very much agitated due to feeling great separation from Kṛṣṇa, She spoke a verse to Viśākhā explaining the cause of Her great anxiety and restlessness.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 15.13

sei śloka paḍi’ āpane kare manastāpa
ślokera artha śunāya duṅhāre kariyā vilāpa

Translation: Reciting that verse, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu expressed His burning emotions. Then, with great lamentation, He explained the verse to Svarūpa Dāmodara and Rāmānanda Rāya.

Jayapatākā Swami: Yesterday, we were reading about Lord Caitanya seeing the sand dune alongside the seashore. He thought it was Govardhana and He ran to it. Everyone started running after Him. He got aṣṭa-sāttvika-bhāva, eight ecstatic transformations, all simultaneously, and He fell unconscious us feet. and the devotees, they loudly started to sing the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra and then Lord Caitanya after a while He jumped and started chanting Haribol! Haribol! They lifted Him up, “Oh, no I was in Govardhana, I was in Vṛndāvana! and Kṛṣṇa and Rādhā are having pastimes and now I am here. I want to be in Vṛndāvana, seeing kṛṣṇa-līlā...” Actually, Lord Caitanya is having these transcendental pastimes. Remember that Kṛṣṇa came when Rādhārāṇī was playing the flute in Māyāpur and He had promised that He would understand what Rādhārāṇī was feeling for Him. Then He took the heart of Rādhārāṇī and the color of Rādhārāṇī, and They combined together, He became Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. So, by hearing these ecstatic emotions of Lord Caitanya, the fruit is that you will get the shelter of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet. Today I was thinking how Lord Caitanya, He was expressing His lamentation in the mood of Rādhārāṇī and it makes one appreciate the sweetness of Lord Kṛṣṇa. Certainly, by hearing these pastimes, one gets closer to Lord Kṛṣṇa’s shelter.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 15.14

kṛṣṇera vigraha-mādhurya balera ākarṣaṇa-kṣamatā:—
govinda-līlāmṛte (8/3) viśākhāra prati śrī-rādhā-vākya:—

saundaryāmṛta-sindhu-bhaṅga-lalanā-cittādri-samplāvakaḥ

Translation: Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, “‘Though the hearts of the gopīs are like high-standing hills, they are inundated by the waves of the nectarean ocean of Kṛṣṇa’s beauty. His sweet voice enters their ears and gives them transcendental bliss, the touch of His body is cooler than millions and millions of moons together, and the nectar of His bodily fragrance overfloods the entire world. O My dear friend, that Kṛṣṇa, who is the son of Nanda Mahārāja and whose lips are exactly like nectar, is attracting My five senses by force.’

Purport: This verse is found in the Govinda-līlāmṛta (8.3), by Śrīla Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja.

Jayapatākā Swami: Rādhārāṇī is speaking these things to Viśākhā sakhi and She is expressing how Kṛṣṇa is attracting Her.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 15.15

gopīkarttṛka aprākṛta puṣpavāṇera mādhuryabala-varṇana (citrajalpa):—

kṛṣṇa-rūpa-śabda-sparśa, saurabhya-adhara-rasa,
yāra mādhurya kahana nā yāya

dekhi’ lobhe pañca-jana, eka aśva—mora mana,
caḍi’ pañca pāṅca-dike dhāya

Translation: “Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s beauty, the sound of His words and the vibration of His flute, His touch, His fragrance and the taste of His lips are full of an indescribable sweetness. When all these features attract My five senses at once, My senses all ride together on the single horse of My mind but want to go in five different directions.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He is describing the realizations of Rādhārāṇī in the mādhurya-rasa. These things are very confidential and Lord Caitanya has revealed all these things. Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja has written them in his books.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 15.16

puṣpābāṇākṛṣṭa gopīndriyagaṇa:—

sakhi he, śuna mora duḥkhera kāraṇa
mora pañcendriya-gaṇa, mahā-lampaṭa dasyu-gaṇa,
sabe kahe,—hara’ para-dhana

Translation: “O My dear friend, please hear the cause of My misery. My five senses are actually extravagant rogues. They know very well that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but they still want to plunder Kṛṣṇa’s property.

Jayapatākā Swami: You see, Rādhārāṇī, She wants to always please Kṛṣṇa. But Her senses are attracting Her to Kṛṣṇa and She says that these senses are rogues because they want to enjoy Kṛṣṇa.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 15.17

gopīra kṛṣṇādhīna avasthā:—

eka aśva eka-kṣaṇe, pāṅca pāṅca dike ṭāne,
eka mana kon dike yāya?

eka-kāle sabe ṭāne, gela ghoḍāra parāṇe,
ei duḥkha sahana nā yāya

Translation: “My mind is just like a single horse being ridden by the five senses of perception, headed by sight. Each of My senses wants to ride that horse, and thus they pull My mind in five directions simultaneously. In what direction will it go? If they all pull at one time, certainly the horse will lose its life. How can I tolerate this atrocity?

Jayapatākā Swami: So, in a very poetic way, Rādhārāṇī is expressing how Kṛṣṇa is attracting Her senses and which way will She go? In this way, Her mind seems to lose its life by being pulled simultaneously in five directions.

This gives us some idea, a glimpse, how full absorption in Kṛṣṇa works. That Rādhārāṇī was so much attracted to serving Kṛṣṇa and every aspect of Kṛṣṇa was attracting Her mind. So, like that, if we could get a drop of that mercy, of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, then we could appreciate all the attractive features of Lord Kṛṣṇa. People, they think they pray to God to have Him provide some material blessings. But actually, we see here that the greatest benediction is to have love for Kṛṣṇa.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 15.18

kṛṣṇera rūpa-mādhuryera bala:—

indriye nā kari roṣa, iṅhā-sabāra kāhāṅ doṣa,
kṛṣṇa-rūpādira mahā ākarṣaṇa

rūpādi pāṅca pāṅce ṭāne, gela ghoḍāra parāṇe,
mora dehe nā rahe jīvana

Translation: “My dear friend, if you say, ‘Just try to control Your senses,’ what shall I say? I cannot become angry at My senses. Is it their fault? Kṛṣṇa’s beauty, sound, touch, fragrance and taste are by nature extremely attractive. These five features are attracting My senses, and each wants to drag My mind in a different direction. In this way the life of My mind is in great danger, just like a horse ridden in five directions at once. Thus I am also in danger of dying.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, She can’t be angry at Her senses. Kṛṣṇa is all-attractive, and so the senses, what can they do if they are attracted by Kṛṣṇa? But each sense was pulling her in a different way, and that way She is afraid She may die!

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 15.19

kṛṣṇa-rūpāmṛta-sindhu, tāhāra taraṅga-bindu,
eka-bindu jagat ḍubāya

trijagate yata nārī, tāra citta-ucca-giri,
tāhā ḍubāi āge uṭhi’ dhāya

Translation: “The consciousness of each woman within the three worlds is certainly like a high hill, but the sweetness of Kṛṣṇa’s beauty is like an ocean. Even a drop of water from that ocean can flood the entire world and submerge all the high hills of consciousness.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, if someone is Kṛṣṇa conscious, then they can appreciate the beauty of Kṛṣṇa and the wonderful attributes of Kṛṣṇa. This way, Kṛṣṇa can flood the whole world!

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 15.20

kṛṣṇera vacana-mādhuryera bala:—

kṛṣṇera vacana-mādhurī, nānā-rasa-narma-dhārī,
tāra anyāya kathana nā yāya

jagatera nārīra kāṇe, mādhurī-guṇe bāndhi’ ṭāne,
ṭānāṭāni kāṇera prāṇa yāya

Translation: “The sweetness of Kṛṣṇa’s joking words plays indescribable havoc with the hearts of all women. His words bind a woman’s ear to the qualities of their sweetness. Thus there is a tug-of-war, and the life of the ear departs.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, all these prayers of Rādhārāṇī are being spoken by Lord Caitanya to Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī and Rāmānanda Rāya. Rādhārāṇī is speaking to Viśākhā, and Lord Caitanya is repeating all these conversations.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 15.21

kṛṣṇāṅga-mādhuryera bala:—

kṛṣṇa-aṅga suśītala, ki kahimu tāra bala,
chaṭāya jine koṭīndu-candana

saśaila nārīra vakṣa, tāhā ākarṣite dakṣa,
ākarṣaye nārī-gaṇa-mana

Translation: “Kṛṣṇa’s transcendental body is so cool that it cannot be compared even to sandalwood pulp or to millions upon millions of moons. It expertly attracts the breasts of all women, which resemble high hills. Indeed, the transcendental body of Kṛṣṇa attracts the minds of all women within the three worlds.