20230714 Equivocal Sonnet by Advaita Ācārya

The following is a Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book Compilation given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on July 14th, 2023 in Śrī Dhāma Māyāpur, India.

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

Hariḥ oṁ tat sat!

Hare Kṛṣṇa! Dear Devotees! Today we will continue with the compilation of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book. Today's chapter is entitled as:

Equivocal Sonnet by Advaita Ācārya
Under the section: The Inconceivable Behavior of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 19.16

navadvīpa o śāntipure avasthānānte vidāya-yācñā:—

ācāryādi bhakta-gaṇe mililā prasāda diyā
mātā-ṭhāñi ājñā la-ilā māseka rahiyā

Translation: He then met all the other devotees, headed by Advaita Ācārya, and gave them the prasādam of Jagannātha. After staying for one month, he took permission from mother Śacī to leave.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Jagadānanda Paṇḍita, he had gone to Navadvīpa and stayed there for one month and he took permission to go back to Jagannātha Purī.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 19.17

ācāryera ṭhāñi giyā ājñā māgilā
ācārya-gosāñi prabhure sandeśa kahilā

Translation: When he went to Advaita Ācārya and also asked His permission to return, Advaita Prabhu gave him a message to deliver to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Advaita was giving a message, a message that Lord Caitanya would understand.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 19.18

paṇḍitadvāre mahāprabhura nikaṭa śrī-advaita-prabhura prahelikā-preraṇa :—

tarajā-prahelī ācārya kahena ṭhāre-ṭhore
prabhu mātra bujhena, keha bujhite nā pāre

Translation: Advaita Ācārya had written a sonnet in equivocal language with an import that Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu could understand but others could not.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Advaita He wrote such a song that no one could understand the song, the real meaning, only Lord Caitanya could.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 19.19

“prabhure kahiha āmāra koṭi namaskāra
ei nivedana tāṅra caraṇe āmāra

Translation: In His sonnet, Advaita Prabhu first offered His obeisances hundreds and thousands of times unto the lotus feet of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. He then submitted the following statement at His lotus feet.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 19.20

mahāprabhura avatāroddeśya-siddhi evaṁ līlā saṅgopanārtha iṅgita :—

bāulake kahiha,—loka ha-ila bāula
bāulake kahiha,—hāṭe nā vikāya cāula

Translation: “Please inform Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, who is acting like a madman, that everyone here has become mad like Him. Inform Him also that in the marketplace rice is no longer in demand.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Caitanya, He had come with the intention that everyone would become mad in love of Kṛṣṇa so Lord Caitanya was mad after Kṛṣṇa, so Advaita Ācārya said that all the people have become mad. So, when He was saying that no one wants to buy the rice, He means that all the people have already purchased, they have already purchased the holy name. Nāmahaṭṭa is the market of the holy name, now nobody wants rice, nobody wants the nāma because everybody has it!

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 19.21

bāulake kahiha,—kāye nāhika āula
bāulake kahiha,—ihā kahiyāche bāula”

Translation: “Further tell Him that those now mad in ecstatic love are no longer interested in the material world. Also tell Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu that one who has also become a madman in ecstatic love [Advaita Prabhu] has spoken these words.”

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Advaita Ācārya had called for Lord Caitanya to advent, so that He would distribute love of Kṛṣṇa to everyone. But now all the people had become mad in love of Kṛṣṇa, and Advaita Ācārya is also one of those madmen. He is writing this sonnet, this song to Lord Caitanya.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 19.22

tacchravaṇe jagadānandera hāsya o purīte āsiyā prabhuke tadvarṇana :—

eta śuni’ jagadānanda hāsite lāgilā
nīlācale āsi’ tabe prabhure kahilā

Translation: When he heard Advaita Ācārya’s statement, Jagadānanda Paṇḍita began to laugh, and when he returned to Jagannātha Purī, Nīlācala, he informed Caitanya Mahāprabhu of everything.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 19.23

tacchravaṇe prabhura hāsya o tūṣṇīmbhāva :—

tarajā śuni’ mahāprabhu īṣat hāsilā
‘tāṅra yei ājñā’—bali’ mauna dharilā

Translation: After hearing the equivocal sonnet by Advaita Ācārya, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu quietly smiled. “That is His order,” He said. Then He fell silent.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Advaita Acarya is Mahā-Viṣṇu, He could give out liberation. But to give out love of Godhead, He needed Kṛṣṇa to come. So, He prayed for Kṛṣṇa to come and Lord Caitanya came and distributed the love of Kṛṣṇa to everyone.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 19.24

śrī-svarūpakarttṛka artha-jijñāsā :—

jāniyāo svarūpa gosāñi prabhure puchila
‘ei tarajāra artha bujhite nārila’

Translation: Although he knew the secret, Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī inquired from the Lord, “What is the meaning of this sonnet? I could not understand it.”

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 19.25

prabhukarttṛka prahelikāra vyākhyā-saṅketa :—

prabhu kahena,—‘ācārya haya pūjaka prabala
āgama-śāstrera vidhi-vidhāne kuśala

Translation: Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu replied, “Advaita Ācārya is a great worshiper of the Lord and is very expert in the regulative principles enjoined in the Vedic literatures.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Caitanya Mahāprabhu is glorifying Advaita Ācārya.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 19.26

upāsanā lāgi’ devera karena āvāhana
pūjā lāgi’ kata kāla karena nirodhana

Translation: “Advaita Ācārya invites the Lord to come and be worshiped, and to perform the worship He keeps the Deity for some time.

Jayapatākā Swami: Advaita Ācārya, He worshiped the Lord but actually His intention was to flood the world with love of Kṛṣṇa.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 19.27

pūjā-nirvāhaṇa haile pāche karena visarjana
tarajāra nā jāni artha, kibā tāṅra mana

Translation: “After the worship is completed, He sends the Deity somewhere else. I do not know the meaning of this sonnet, nor do I know what is in Advaita Prabhu’s mind.

Jayapatākā Swami: In Bengal where they worship different clay Deities, after the worship is completed, they take the Deities and throw them in the river. So, Lord Caitanya, He gave this example, Advaita worshiped the Deity and now after the worship is over He wants to throw it away, that’s called visarjana, where they throw it in the river.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 19.28

mahāyogaiśvaryaśālī advaita-prabhu :—

mahā-yogeśvara ācārya—tarajāte samartha
āmiha bujhite nāri tarajāra artha’

Translation: “Advaita Ācārya is a great mystic. No one can understand Him. He is expert in writing sonnets that even I Myself cannot understand.”

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya is saying that He didn’t understand the sonnet, but He must have understood!

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 19.29

bhaktagaṇera vismaya, svarūpera vimarṣa :—

śuniyā vismita ha-ilā saba bhakta-gaṇa
svarūpa-gosāñi kichu ha-ilā vimana

Translation: Hearing this, all the devotees were astonished, especially Svarūpa Dāmodara, who became somewhat morose.

Jayapatākā Swami: Because the meaning Lord Caitanya gave is that Advaita Ācārya was saying, the mission for which I called You is now complete. So now everyone has got the product, we are all mad after Kṛṣṇa, we are no longer interested in material life. So that may mean, hey, You can go now! Naturally, Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī will become very morose.

Thus ends the chapter entitled, Equivocal Sonnet by Advaita Ācārya
Under the section: The Inconceivable Behavior of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu