20230527 The Gopīs are amazed by the good fortune of the flute of Kṛṣṇa

The following is a Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book Compilation given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on May 27th, 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:

The Gopīs are Amazed by the Good Fortune of the Flute of Kṛṣṇa
Under the section: Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu Tastes Nectar from the Lips of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 16.134

prabhura utkaṇṭhā —

kahite kahite prabhura mana phiri’ gela
krodha-aṁśa śānta haila, utkaṇṭhā bāḍila

Translation: While Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was talking like this, His mind changed. His anger subsided, but His mental agitation increased.

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya, in the mood of Rādhā and the gopīs, His love for Kṛṣṇa went through various changes. His ecstatic love for Kṛṣṇa went through changes. One minute He was angry, next minute He was something else. The ecstasy of Lord Caitanya constantly changed.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 16.135

prabhukarttṛka kṛṣṇādharāmṛtera parama-mahimā kīrtana:—

parama durlabha ei kṛṣṇādharāmṛta
tāhā yei pāya, tāra saphala jīvita

Translation: Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu continued, “This nectar from Kṛṣṇa’s lips is supremely difficult to obtain, but if one gets some, his life becomes successful.

Jayapatākā Swami: I am combining different books on Caitanya-līlā, now we are at the end and here Lord Caitanya is trying to understand the love of Rādhā and His devotees for Him. As Kṛṣṇa, when they told Him He knew everything but one thing. He didn’t know how much His devotees loved Him, and in what way they loved Him. But Rādhā and Rukmiṇī knew. So, in order to do experiment and realize, Lord Kṛṣṇa came as a devotee, as Lord Caitanya. So, in the mood of the gopīs and Rādhā, He is glorifying the lips of Lord Kṛṣṇa. One can taste the nectar of Kṛṣṇa’s lips by eating prasāda or by kissing Him. Of the five rasas those in mādhurya-rasa, they want the nectar of Kṛṣṇa’s lips in a conjugal way, rest take the nectar of Kṛṣṇa’s lips as prasāda.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 16.136

yogya hañā keha karite nā pāya pāna
tathāpi se nirlajja, vṛthā dhare prāṇa

Translation: “When a person competent to drink that nectar does not do so, that shameless person continues his life uselessly.

Jayapatākā Swami: What is the use of living, if you don’t have kṛṣṇa-prasāda? How many here like kṛṣṇa-prasāda?

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 16.137

ayogya hañā tāhā keha sadā pāna kare
yogya jana nāhi pāya, lobhe mātra mare

Translation: “There are persons who are unfit to drink that nectar but who nevertheless drink it continuously, whereas some who are suitable never get it and thus die of greed.

Jayapatākā Swami: In the opinion of the gopīs, that flute is just wood. But the flute is always tasting the nectar of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s lips. So, they think he is unfit, the flute! The gopīs were fit, but they were not getting the chance. So, they die in separation.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 16.138

tāte jāni,—kona tapasyāra āche bala
ayogyere deoyāya kṛṣṇādharāmṛta-phala

Translation: “It is therefore to be understood that such an unfit person must have obtained the nectar of Kṛṣṇa’s lips on the strength of some austerity.”

Jayapatākā Swami: The gopīs are glorifying the nectar of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s transcendental lips and getting the taste of nectar of Kṛṣṇa’s lips, they certainly had done some austerity or something that earned it, otherwise, they are not qualified.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 16.139

prabhura ādeśe rāyera śloka-paṭhana:—

‘kaha rāma-rāya, kichu śunite haya mana’
bhāva jāni’ paḍe rāya gopīra vacana

Translation: Again Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu said to Rāmānanda Rāya, “Please say something. I want to hear.” Understanding the situation, Rāmānanda Rāya recited the following words of the gopīs.

Jayapatākā Swami: Rāmānanda Rāya would quote appropriate ślokas. Sometimes, Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī would sing appropriate songs. In this way, they would help Lord Caitanya experience deeper and deeper ecstasies.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 16.140

gopīgaṇera kṛṣṇādharasparśasukhī veṇura praśaṁsā —

śrīmad-bhāgavate (10/21/9)—

Translation: “My dear gopīs, what auspicious activities must the flute have performed to enjoy the nectar of Kṛṣṇa’s lips independently and leave only a taste for us gopīs, for whom that nectar is actually meant. The forefathers of the flute, the bamboo trees, shed tears of pleasure. His mother, the river on whose bank the bamboo was born, feels jubilation, and therefore her blooming lotus flowers are standing like hair on her body.”

Purport: This verse, quoted from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.21.9), is part of a discussion the gopīs had among themselves. As the autumn season began in Vṛndāvana, Lord Kṛṣṇa was tending the cows and blowing on His flute. The gopīs then began to praise Kṛṣṇa and discuss the fortunate position of His flute.

Jayapatākā Swami: The gopīs were completely focused on Kṛṣṇa. They were always thinking about Kṛṣṇa, talking about Kṛṣṇa, and they were desiring to please Kṛṣṇa, and they were worrying if He walked barefoot on the stony path, one way or the other they were always thinking of Kṛṣṇa, and they were thinking how the bamboo was very fortunate. And it’s interesting that they are praising the mother and father of the bamboo. They were saying that the father is the bamboo stick, and that the mother is the Yamunā river. And she is so happy that the lotus flowers on her body were standing up like hairs standing up in ecstasy.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 16.141

prabhura bhāvāveśe pralāpa-vyākhyā:—

ei śloka śuni’ prabhu bhāvāviṣṭa hañā
utkaṇṭhāte artha kare pralāpa kariyā

Translation: Upon hearing the recitation of this verse, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu became absorbed in ecstatic love, and with a greatly agitated mind He began to explain its meaning like a madman.

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He would fall into different types of ecstatic love for Kṛṣṇa and He would manifest different ecstatic symptoms. And there are generally no words to accurately describe what Lord Caitanya was feeling and He says words, like He was explaining like a madman. People, they aspire to have some intoxication to temporarily become mad! and that way they can feel somewhat happy. But then they get sick, anyway the intoxication wears off. But here, Lord Caitanya is showing, that by loving Kṛṣṇa one can naturally become filled with ecstatic love and He was not taking any intoxication, but He was almost speaking like a madman.

So, when He was in Navadvīpa, He started to act ecstatically. And some of the neighbors of Śacī said, “You have to do something about your Son, He is sick.” One neighbor said, “Yes, you should feed Him tender coconut water and cool Him down.” Another one said, “No, no, it is not strong enough.” How many of you have had tender coconut, ḍāb? It is a very pleasant drink. Makes you cool but if you really have some serious mental ailment that’s not so strong. One person said, “Your son is very foregone. You have to massage on His head some special oil from ten roots – daśamūla-taila. Rub that on His head it will cool him down.” No, another lady said, “He is very foregone! He rolls on the ground, you tie Him up!” Mother Śacī said, “Nothing is wrong with my Son!”

One time, Śacīnandana, Lord Caitanya, Lord Gaurāṅga, He asked Śrīvāsa, “Can I ask you a question?” Śrīvāsa said, “Sure what is that?” “Do I have a disease?” Lord Caitanya asked. Śrīvāsa said, “What is your symptom?” “Whenever I hear the names of Kṛṣṇa, tears come from My eyes and hairs stand on end! Sometimes I laugh uncontrollably, sometimes My hairs stand on end, sometimes My voice gets choked up, sometimes I faint. This happens whenever I hear the names of Kṛṣṇa!” Śrīvāsa said, “Yes! You have a disease, and I want that disease also!” Haribol! You have the disease of kṛṣṇa-prema! Haribol!

What do you think Jananivāsa Prabhu? You think they should want kṛṣṇa-prema?

Anyway, he is the life of Māyāpur! Māyāpur-vāsīs are very angry that he left. But he is so dedicated, he wants to see the TOVP finish, that he agreed to come. So please give to the TOVP and let him go back to Māyāpur!

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 16.142

ślokārtha; veṇura kṛṣṇādharāmṛtapānasaubhāgya-darśane gopīgaṇera īrṣā athaca stuti-vākya (citrajalpa):—

eho vrajendra-nandana, vrajera kona kanyā-gaṇa,
avaśya kariba pariṇaya

se-sambandhe gopī-gaṇa, yāre māne nija-dhana,
se sudhā anyera labhya naya

Translation: “Some gopīs said to other gopīs, ‘Just see the astonishing pastimes of Kṛṣṇa, the son of Vrajendra! He will certainly marry all the gopīs of Vṛndāvana. Therefore, the gopīs know for certain that the nectar of Kṛṣṇa’s lips is their own property and cannot be enjoyed by anyone else.

Jayapatākā Swami: The gopīs had done the Kātyāyanī-pūjā, which is a special worship to get the husband of your choice and they all desired Kṛṣṇa as their husband. So, He knew that, He is the Supersoul. So that’s why He wanted to please all the gopīs.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 16.143

gopī-gaṇa, kaha saba kariyā vicāre

kon tīrtha, kon tapa, kon siddha-mantra-japa,
ei veṇu kaila janmāntare?

Translation: “My dear gopīs, fully consider how many pious activities this flute performed in his past life. We do not know what places of pilgrimage he visited, what austerities he performed, or what perfect mantra he chanted.”

Jayapatākā Swami: So, the gopīs were thinking in this way, how the flute was so fortunate. They wanted that fortune for themselves. They would do the things the flute did if they could get their desired Kṛṣṇa! They would do the things the flute did, to get Kṛṣṇa!

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 16.144

hena kṛṣṇādhara-sudhā, ye kaila amṛta mudhā,
yāra āśāya gopī dhare prāṇa

ei veṇu ayogya ati, sthāvara ’puruṣa-jāti’,
sei sudhā sadā kare pāna

Translation: “This flute is utterly unfit because it is merely a dead bamboo stick. Moreover, it belongs to the male sex. Yet this flute is always drinking the nectar of Kṛṣṇa’s lips, which surpasses nectarean sweetness of every description. Only by hoping for that nectar do the gopīs continue to live.

Jayapatākā Swami: When the Bengal devotees go back to Bengal, then Lord Caitanya gets back to realizing the ecstasies of Rādhā and the gopīs. Actually, this mādhurya-rasa activities were kept very secret, very confidential. Lord Caitanya, He made them available. He discussed, He enacted, and thus by His mercy, all the rasas were understood.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 16.145

yāra dhana, nā kahe tāre, pāna kare balātkāre,
pite tāre ḍākiyā jānāya

tāra tapasyāra phala, dekha ihāra bhāgya-bala,
ihāra ucchiṣṭa mahā-jane khāya

Translation: “Although the nectar of Kṛṣṇa’s lips is the absolute property of the gopīs, the flute, which is just an insignificant stick, is forcibly drinking that nectar and loudly inviting the gopīs to come drink it also. Just imagine the strength of the flute’s austerities and good fortune! Even great devotees drink the nectar of Kṛṣṇa’s lips after the flute has done so.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, in some previous ślokas it was mentioned how by tasting Kṛṣṇa food, the ordinary food became spiritually imbibed with Kṛṣṇa’s mercy. And that by taking that prasāda one could have a taste, a smell, which was incomparable. So, in various ways they are glorifying Kṛṣṇa’s lips.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 16.146

mānasa-gaṅgā, kālindī, bhuvana-pāvanī nadī,
kṛṣṇa yadi tāte kare snāna

veṇura jhuṭādhara-rasa, hañā lobhe paravaśa,
sei kāle harṣe kare pāna

Translation: “When Kṛṣṇa takes His bath in universally purifying rivers like the Yamunā and the Ganges of the celestial world, the great personalities of those rivers greedily and jubilantly drink the remnants of the nectarean juice from His lips.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, the rivers that Kṛṣṇa bathes in are especially purifying and those rivers are very ecstatic to have Kṛṣṇa bathing in them. There was a brāhmaṇa, he was chanting his Gāyatrī mantra in the Ganges. He found the water was rising up down, up down, he said, “What is going on?” He looked to his left and saw a young brāhmaṇa boy, Nimāi walk close to the river and then walk a little out of the river, and the river would rise up and try to touch His lotus feet. So, like this the river was rising up and down. Then further He went, the further the river would go and then the personified Gaṅgā Devī, she came out the water and offered her obeisances to Lord Caitanya. Then the brāhmaṇa, he was a great devotee of the Gaṅgā. And he was seeing the Ganges personified coming out of the river! And he got out himself and he overheard Gaṅgā Devī offering her praṇāma to Lord Gaurāṅga, and then the Ganges went back into the water and shooo… disappeared. He realized that the Ganges would only offer obeisances to Kṛṣṇa. So, he asked Gaurāṅga, “Who are You?” He said, “I will tell you, but you cannot tell anyone else, as long as I am on this planet. If you tell, I will have to remove you.” Then He revealed that He was Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa combined. Gaurāṅga! Gaurāṅga! Gaurāṅga!

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 16.147

e-ta nārī rahu dūre, vṛkṣa saba tāra tīre,
tapa kare para-upakārī

nadīra śeṣa-rasa pāñā, mūla-dvāre ākarṣiyā,
kene piye, bujhite nā pāri

Translation: “Aside from the rivers, the trees standing on the banks like great ascetics and engaging in welfare activities for all living entities drink the nectar of Kṛṣṇa’s lips by drawing water from the river with their roots. We cannot understand why they drink like that.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, the gopīs, Lord Caitanya, He is constantly meditating on Lord Kṛṣṇa. So, somehow or another, they were thinking how the trees are drinking the nectar from Kṛṣṇa’s lips from the roots.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 16.148

nijāṅkure pulakita, puṣpe hāsya vikasita,
madhu-miṣe vahe aśru-dhāra

veṇure māni’ nija-jāti, āryera yena putra-nāti,
‘vaiṣṇava’ haile ānanda-vikāra

Translation: “The trees on the bank of the Yamunā and Ganges are always jubilant. They appear to be smiling with their flowers and shedding tears in the form of flowing honey. Just as the forefathers of a Vaiṣṇava son or grandson feel transcendental bliss, the trees feel blissful because the flute is a member of their family.’

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Gaurāṅga is glorifying the flute. That means that He is glorifying Lord Kṛṣṇa. To the trees, that are growing on the side of the Yamunā.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 16.149

veṇura tapa jāni yabe, sei tapa kari tabe,
e—ayogya, āmarā—yogyā nārī

yā nā pāñā duḥkhe mari, ayogya piye sahite nāri,
tāhā lāgi’ tapasyā vicāri

Translation: “The gopīs considered, ‘The flute is completely unfit for his position. We want to know what kind of austerities the flute executed, so that we may also perform the same austerities. Although the flute is unfit, he is drinking the nectar of Kṛṣṇa’s lips. Seeing this, we qualified gopīs are dying of unhappiness. Therefore, we must consider the austerities the flute underwent in his past life.”

Jayapatākā Swami: So, they were thinking that the flute has done all this austerity to get this position. They want to know what austerity, so that they can do the same thing to get Kṛṣṇa’s association, like the flute does.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 16.150

prabhura gopībhāve kṛṣṇapremonmāda:—

eteka pralāpa kari’, premāveśe gaurahari,
saṅge lañā svarūpa-rāma-rāya

kabhu nāce, kabhu gāya, bhāvāveśe mūrcchā yāya,
ei-rūpe rātri-dina yāya

Translation: While thus speaking like a madman, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu became full of ecstatic emotion. In the company of His two friends, Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī and Rāmānanda Rāya, He sometimes danced, sometimes sang and sometimes became unconscious in ecstatic love. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu passed His days and nights in this way.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, while the Bengali devotees were in Jagannātha Purī, He sometimes maintained His external consciousness and engaged in saṅkīrtana with them. When they left then He went back and absorbed Himself in ecstatic love and He was talking like a madman.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 16.151

svarūpa, rūpa, sanātana, raghunāthera śrī-caraṇa,
śire dhari’ kari yāra āśa

caitanya-caritāmṛta, amṛta haite parāmṛta,
gāya dīna-hīna kṛṣṇadāsa

Translation: Expecting the mercy of Svarūpa, Rūpa, Sanātana and Raghunātha dāsa, and taking their lotus feet on my head, I, the most fallen Kṛṣṇadāsa, continue chanting the epic Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, which is sweeter than the nectar of transcendental bliss.

Thus ends the chapter entitled, The Gopīs are Amazed by the Good Fortune of the Flute of Kṛṣṇa
Under the section: Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu Tastes Nectar from the Lips of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa

Jayapatākā Swami: So, actually like in Juhu temple of Mumbai, I see that many people are gathering around Rādhā Rāsabihārī Lalitā Viśākhā, Sītā Rāma Lakṣmaṇa and Hanumān, not many people around Gaura Nitāi. Actually, it is only by Gaura Nitāi’s mercy that we are able to get the mercy of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. That’s why Lord Caitanya came down especially, to give His mercy to people all over the world. He told Lord Nityānanda that, “You can go back to Bengal to preach, because We promised We would deliver four kinds of people - the foolish, the lowborn, the fallen and the distressed.” I mean, foolish means those who think they are the body.

Śrīla Prabhupāda, he said that Bombay was his office, Vṛndāvana was his home and Māyāpur his place of worship. He said we can worship Lord Gaurāṅga. So, we are trying to build the TOVP – The Temple of the Vedic Planetarium, of which the West Wing is the Museum of the Vedic Planetarium. So, everyone who is my dīkṣā, shelter, aspiring, or śikṣā disciple who donates to the TOVP, 50% goes to the Museum of the Vedic Planetarium. So, we are very grateful for His Grace Jananivāsa and Braja-vilāsa and to all the donors for making this temple possible.