20230515 Lord Caitanya wanders in the garden mistaking it for Vṛndāvana [Part 1]

The following is a Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book Compilation given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on may 15th,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!

Today we will continue with the compilation of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya book Today's chapter is entitled as:

Lord Caitanya Wanders in the Garden Mistaking It for Vṛndāvana [Part 1]

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya is known as Mahāprabhu, the Great Spiritual master and He is showing how to love the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Every scripture tells us we should love God, but the process of bhakti-yoga is telling us, showing us how to love God. So, Lord Caitanya is already expressing His love of Godhead to such an extent that He is almost mad in love of Godhead. So, He saw a garden and He mistook it for the groves in the spiritual world and He started talking to the trees, where is Kṛṣṇa? Where is the Supreme Person? Although normally one doesn’t talk to trees and doesn’t expect trees to give an answer. But He is mad after the Supreme Person. So, He did things which were extraordinary. These are recorded in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta, which is written in Sanskrit and Bengali which have been translated by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 15.62

viśākhāprati kṛṣṇadarśana-tṛṣṇārttā śrī-rādhāra vākya:—

viśākhāre rādhā yaiche śloka kahilā
sei śloka mahāprabhu paḍite lāgilā

Translation: Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu then recited the following verse, which was spoken by Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī to Her dear friend Viśākhā.

Jayapatākā Swami: Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī is the pleasure potency of the Supreme Lord and is considered the most exalted loving devotee of the Lord.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 15.63

citrajalpokti:—

govinda-līlāmṛte (8/4) śrī-rādhikā-vākya—

Translation: “My dear friend, the luster of Kṛṣṇa’s body is more brilliant than that of a newly formed cloud, and His yellow dress is more attractive than newly arrived lightning. A peacock feather decorates His head, and on His neck hangs a lovely necklace of brilliant pearls. As He holds His charming flute to His lips, His face looks as beautiful as the full autumn moon. By such beauty, Madana-mohana, the enchanter of Cupid, is increasing the desire of My eyes to see Him.”

Purport: This verse is also found in the Govinda-līlāmṛta (8.4).

Jayapatākā Swami: So Rādhārāṇī is praising the beauty of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Normally, it’s a mystery what the Supreme Lord looks like. Many people speculate that He is impersonal. But we find that since we are people, He is not less than what we are. We are minute, made in the image of the Supreme Persona. By definition, He is all beauty, all knowledge, all strength, all wealth, all fame and all renunciation. So people generally pray to Him for blessing of wealth or something material. But actually, the highest perfection is to have pure love in service to the Supreme Person. Rādhārāṇī, She is describing some of the beautiful features of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 15.64

ślokārtha; kṛṣṇarūpa-varṇana (citrajalpa)—

nava-ghana-snigdha-varṇa, dalitāñjana-cikkaṇa,
indīvara-nindi sukomala

jini’ upamāna-gaṇa, hare sabāra netra-mana,
kṛṣṇa-kānti parama prabala

Translation: Caitanya Mahāprabhu continued, “Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s complexion is as polished as powdered eye ointment. It surpasses the beauty of a newly formed cloud and is softer than a blue lotus flower. Indeed, His complexion is so pleasing that it attracts the eyes and minds of everyone, and it is so powerful that it defies all comparison.

Jayapatākā Swami: Caitanya Mahāprabhu is a great Master. He is showing how naturally one should appreciate the Supreme Personality of Godhead. His beauty is so profound, that He naturally attracts the eyes and heart of everyone.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 15.65

kaha, sakhi, ki kari upāya?
kṛṣṇādbhuta balāhaka, mora netra-cātaka,
nā dekhi’ piyāse mari’ yāya

Translation: “My dear friend, please tell Me what I should do. Kṛṣṇa is as attractive as a wonderful cloud, and My eyes are just like cātaka birds, which are dying of thirst because they do not see such a cloud.

Jayapatākā Swami: Cātaka birds only drink water which falls from the rain cloud. So, if they don’t see a cloud, they are very anxious. So that kind of intense desire one should have to see the Supreme Lord. We chant His holy names, we engage in saṅkīrtana, because the names of the Lord and the Lord are non-different. So, then there is a very esoteric text like this one, which actually describes that the Lord is actually a person and He has beautiful, personal qualities. As I was saying there are very esoteric texts which describe the actual qualities of the Supreme Personality, His personal features. n the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam it mentions that the Lord has three features. His impersonal feature, His all-pervasive feature, He is present in everyone’s heart, in every atom, and then His personal feature which is the most confidential. Although sometimes it says the Lord is all merciful, He is all kind, He is very just, things like that. They don’t think about like this a merciful light bulb, something impersonal. Mercy means, it’s a person and so, Rādhārāṇī, Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu is seeing the Lord – He is not only the Supreme Lord, He is the most wonderful person. Why do we worship Him then? He is the most beautiful, most wonderful. So, we are hearing from the mouth of Lord Caitanya, how He is realizing the glories of the Supreme Person. He calls the Supreme Person by different names, with the meaning in Sanskrit which these names mean more beautiful than Cupid, and like, Kṛṣṇa means the all-attractive, reservoir of all happiness so every name means something.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 15.66

kṛṣṇarūpera upamā:—

saudāminī pītāmbara, sthira nahe nirantara,
muktā-hāra baka-pāṅti bhāla

indra-dhanu śikhi-pākhā, upare diyāche dekhā,
āra dhanu vaijayantī-māla

Translation: “Kṛṣṇa’s yellow garments look exactly like restless lightning in the sky, and the pearl necklace on His neck appears like a line of herons flying below a cloud. Both the peacock feather on His head and His vaijayantī garland [containing flowers of five colors] resemble rainbows.

Jayapatākā Swami: All the details of Lord Kṛṣṇa the Supreme Personality of Godhead’s features are transcendental and spiritual. So, Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu is meditating on these qualities of the Lord in a very poetic language. Actually, we cannot compare anything material but Lord Caitanya is trying to give some indication like, He mentions the cātaka bird looking for the cloud, some herons, some migratory birds flying below the cloud, certain ways these things may be very beautiful. How the Lord wears a flower garland of five colors known as the vaijayantī-mālā or garland. This resembles a rainbow and all the beautiful things that exist in this world, they are in some respect in the Supreme Lord. But actually these are just indicative, actually He is more beautiful. Lord Caitanya, He has developed His love for Lord Kṛṣṇa the Supreme Lord, to such an extent that He is expressing this in this poetic, figurative language.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 15.67

muralīra kala-dhvani, madhura garjana śuni’,
vṛndāvane nāce mayūra-caya

akalaṅka pūrṇa-kala, lāvaṇya-jyotsnā jhalamala,
citra-candrera tāhāte udaya

Translation: “The luster of Kṛṣṇa’s body is as beautiful as the glow of a spotless full moon that has just risen, and the vibration of His flute sounds exactly like the sweet thundering of a newly formed cloud. When the peacocks in Vṛndāvana hear that vibration, they all begin to dance.

Jayapatākā Swami: Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead He may play on His flute, and that produces a sound vibration which is completely out of this world. The peacocks are dancing, everybody goes mad at His wonderful melodies. If you tell someone,that you love this person and they say well, what is the person like? It’s a mystery. Well, but you should love him. What does he look like? It’s a mystery! Everything you say it’s a mystery, it’s a mystery! Then how will you love Him? Just like if you tell someone how do you love this lady? What does she look like? It is a secret! then you wonder what! Lord Caitanya, He actually realized the Supreme Lord, and He awakened His love. He is showing us how a person who loves the Supreme Lord actually behaves, actually thinks. So, this is very purifying and this is a kind of inspiration for us to develop this level of God consciousness, Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 15.68

kṛṣṇadarśana-sukha-vañcita śrī-rādhāra svīya durbhāgya-varṇana

līlāmṛta-variṣaṇe, siñce caudda bhuvane,
hena megha yabe dekhā dila

durdaiva-jhañjhā-pavane, meghe nila anya-sthāne,
mare cātaka, pite nā pāila

Translation: “The cloud of Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes is drenching the fourteen worlds with a shower of nectar. Unfortunately, when that cloud appeared, a whirlwind arose and blew it away from Me. Being unable to see the cloud, the cātaka bird of My eyes is almost dead from thirst.”

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Caitanya is expressing His feeling of separation. How Kṛṣṇa the Supreme Personality of Godhead is so attractive, so beautiful and how somehow, He is not visible to Lord Caitanya at this moment. So therefore, He is feeling great separation. He is showing us how if we can develop this intense desire to see, to serve the Supreme Personality of Godhead, actually, then by that we can become spiritually enlightened. So, He is showing us how to serve in separation.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 15.69

rāmānandera prabhura bhāvopayogi-ślokapāṭha; svayaṁ prabhura tadvyākhyā:—

punaḥ kahe,—‘hāya hāya, paḍa paḍa rāma-raya’,
kahe prabhu gadgada ākhyāne

rāmānanda paḍe śloka, śuni’ prabhura harṣa-śoka,
āpane prabhu karena vyākhyāne

Translation: In a faltering voice, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu again said, “Alas, go on reciting, Rāma Rāya.” Thus Rāmānanda Rāya began to recite a verse. While listening to this verse, the Lord was sometimes very jubilant and sometimes overcome by lamentation. Afterwards the Lord personally explained the verse.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu had different assistants, like Rāmānanda Rāya and Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī. Rāmānanda Rāya would read these confidential verses and Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī would sing esoteric songs. Rāmānanda Rāya while reading some verse, he gave Lord Caitanya ecstasy of love for Godhead. 

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 15.70

citrajalpokti:—
śrīmad-bhāgavate (10.29.39)—

Translation: “Dear Kṛṣṇa, by seeing Your beautiful face decorated with tresses of hair, by seeing the beauty of Your earrings falling on Your cheeks, and by seeing the nectar of Your lips, the beauty of Your smiling glances, Your two arms, which assure complete fearlessness, and Your broad chest, whose beauty arouses conjugal attraction, we have simply surrendered ourselves to becoming Your maidservants.”

Purport: This verse quoted from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.29.39) was spoken by the gopīs when they arrived before Kṛṣṇa for the rāsa dance.

Jayapatākā Swami: It says that, the scripture describes how in the liberated stage, one could serve the Supreme Lord in five different relationships - one is neutral, which means you just appreciate the greatness of the Lord and you can glorify and pray to Him. Next thing is dāsya, doing service to the Lord. Where you hear the Lord, sing His glories, remember the Lord, do different services of nine types. Then next relationship is friendship, sakhya. That means considering the Lord as a friend. There are two levels of friends. One is more formal, or official, and one is very intimate and so the Lord, actually everybody worships Him, everybody appreciates His greatness, but actually He would like some relationships where they just love Him. So, these two aspects where the Lord is worshiped as the greatest, and where the Lord is worshiped with love. So, the three aspects of love without much importance to the position and greatness of the Lord, more the personal love of the Lord, based on - the first is the friendship and then there is parental love, that the Lord, He assumes the form of a baby or youth. Some devotee poses as His mother father, by His spiritual potency they just see the Lord in that relationship and these pastimes, there are many pastimes of the Lord with His friends, parents, and He also has the fifth kind of relationship which is conjugal, like with the wives in Dvārakā or His gopī girlfriends in Vṛndāvana. So, they don’t care, maybe they know that He is the Supreme Lord, they just love Him for His qualities. So that is the level that Lord Caitanya is on. Mahāprabhu, the great spiritual master. He is showing us how we can love the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 15.71

ślokārtha; gopīra prati kṛṣṇera rūpa-mādhuryera balaprayoga-varṇana (citrajalpa):—

kṛṣṇa jini’ padma-cānda, pātiyāche mukha phānda,
tāte adhara-madhu-smita cāra

vraja-nārī āsi’ āsi’, phānde paḍi’ haya dāsī,
chāḍi’ lāja-pati-ghara-dvāra

Translation: Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, “After conquering the moon and the lotus flower, Kṛṣṇa wished to capture the doelike gopīs. Thus He spread the noose of His beautiful face, and within that noose He placed the bait of His sweet smile to misguide the gopīs. The gopīs fell prey to that trap and became Kṛṣṇa’s maidservants, giving up their homes, families, husbands and prestige.

Jayapatākā Swami: Kṛṣṇa appeared as the son of Devakī and Vasudeva. And He manifested His four handed form with all the weapons, the facilities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Because He wanted to prove to them that He was the Supreme Lord. They had worshiped Him and prayed for the blessing to have a son like Him but He said there was no one like Him so He would become their son for three births. This is the third birth, He told His so called father to transfer Him to the home of Nanda and Yaśodā and so He assumed a baby form and was taken by Vasudeva to the home of Yaśodā and Nanda Mahārāja. And Yaśodā Devī had just given birth to a baby girl. She did not know boy or girl because the act of labor was so tiring that she fell asleep. So Vasudeva put down the baby boy Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead and took the girl with him. So in this way the foster parents did not know that he was the Supreme Person. So He grew up in Vṛndāvana under their care and love. So a great astrologer Garga Muni, he came and read His chart. He saw that He was the Supreme Person. But he could not tell that to the parents He said your Son will have the power of the Supreme Lord. He will be very good for your cowherd men and for the whole cowherd village. When Kṛṣṇa was seven years of age He lifted up a whole mountain on one finger called the Govardhana. In Houston temple they have the govardhana-śilā just to represent the Govardhana hill. The hill is still there in Vṛndāvana, where Kṛṣṇa lifted up the whole hill and protected all the villagers from the flood, and the cowherd men they came to Nanda Mahārāja and asked, “Who, who is your child?! He just lifted the whole mountain with one finger! Don’t tell us He is just ordinary! Who is He?” Then he said, “I was told by Garga Muni the great astrologer that He has the power of the Supreme Lord.” and they said, “Oh! But how does He get the power of the Supreme Lord!” He was the Supreme Lord.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 15.72

bāndhava kṛṣṇa kare vyādhera ācāra
nāhi māne dharmādharma, hare nārī-mṛgī-marma,
kare nānā upāya tāhāra

Translation: “My dear friend, Kṛṣṇa acts just like a hunter. This hunter does not care for piety or impiety; He simply creates many devices to conquer the cores of the hearts of the doelike gopīs.

Jayapatākā Swami: As I said, there are five kinds of relationships with the Supreme Lord. Everything that exists in the material world is there in the spiritual world. But here things are kind of a perverted reflection. Because they exist in the spiritual world in the kingdom of God, in its pure form, they exist here also. But they are only partial perverted reflections. So, because in this world you have things like relationships between men and women, in the spiritual world you have the Supreme Personality of Godhead and He has relationships with different types of devotees and so given the quality for each devotee, He reciprocates with their love for Him in an appropriate way and He likes to relate with the different devotees in an appropriate way, that devotee who wants to serve the Lord in a conjugal relationship, He relates with him in a more appropriate way.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 15.73

gaṇḍa-sthala jhalamala, nāce makara-kuṇḍala,
sei nṛtye hare nārī-caya

sasmita kaṭākṣa-bāṇe, tā-sabāra hṛdaye hāne,
nārī-vadhe nāhi kichu bhaya

Translation: “The earrings dancing on Kṛṣṇa’s cheeks are shaped like sharks, and they shine very brightly. These dancing earrings attract the minds of all women. Over and above this, Kṛṣṇa pierces the hearts of women with the arrows of His sweetly smiling glances. He is not at all afraid to kill women in this way.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, I am at the end of the Caitanya-caritāmṛta, end of the compilation of the Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s pastimes and I would not be complete without explaining these aspects also. That there is nothing we have, that is not there in the pure form in the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This material world is like a prison house. We are all trying to enjoy this material world. But actually, in the spiritual world the only enjoyer is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. But the devotees, in their different relationships also enjoy. They enjoy by serving, by pleasing. So, the things in this world are very insignificant, and to actually develop our spontaneous love for the Supreme Lord is the real perfection of life. So, these things are being explained by Lord Caitanya as He is wandering through the garden, remembering the gardens in the spiritual world and the beautiful pastimes of the Lord there.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 15.74

ati ucca suvistāra, lakṣmī-śrīvatsa-alaṅkāra,
kṛṣṇera ye ḍākātiyā vakṣa

vraja-devī lakṣa lakṣa, tā-sabāra mano-vakṣa,
hari-dāsī karibāre dakṣa

Translation: “On Kṛṣṇa’s chest are the ornaments of the Śrīvatsa marks, indicating the residence of the goddess of fortune. His chest, which is as broad as a plunderer’s, attracts thousands upon thousands of damsels of Vraja, conquering their minds and breasts by force. Thus they all become maidservants of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu He is describing the personal beauty of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Kṛṣṇa, the vision of the maidservants. They have a particular flavor of love for Kṛṣṇa. As I had mentioned there are five kinds of primary relationships, and the conjugal one is the most developed of all the relationships.