20230722 Prayer to Kṛṣṇa for Bhakti and Be Able to Chant the Mahā-mantra in Ecstatic Love

The following is a Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book Compilation given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on July 22nd,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:

Two Verses of Advanced Devotion – Love in Separation and Union
Under the section: The meaning of the Śikṣāṣṭaka and how the Lord tasted it Himself

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 20.38

siddhi vā sādhyabhaktira antarlakṣaṇa; aprākṛta vipralambha (kṛṣṇa-viraha)-mūlaka-bhajana –

rasāntarāveśe ha-ila viyoga-sphuraṇa
udvega, viṣāda, dainye kare pralapana

Translation: Separation from Kṛṣṇa awoke various mellows of distress, lamentation and humility. Thus Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu spoke like a crazy man.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Caitanya was diving into various aspects of separation.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 20.39

padyāvalīte (327) dhṛta śikṣāṣṭakera 7ma śloka—

yugāyitaṁ nimeṣeṇa
cakṣuṣā prāvṛṣāyitam
śūnyāyitaṁ jagat sarvaṁ
govinda-viraheṇa me

Translation: ‘My Lord Govinda, because of separation from You, I consider even a moment a great millennium. Tears flow from My eyes like torrents of rain, and I see the entire world as void.’

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya, each verse of the Śikṣāṣṭakam, He would go deeper into it and so, how He will see the days very long.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 20.40

ślokārtha-vyākhyā:—

udvege divasa nā yāya, ‘kṣaṇa’ haila ‘yuga’-sama
varṣāra megha-prāya aśru variṣe nayana

Translation: “In My agitation, a day never ends, for every moment seems like a millennium. Pouring incessant tears, My eyes are like clouds in the rainy season.

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya, He is expressing how His separation is very intense and without Govinda, He is feeling a second like a millennium.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 20.41

govinda-virahe śūnya ha-ila tribhuvana
tuṣānale poḍe,—yena nā yāya jīvana

Translation: “The three worlds have become void because of separation from Govinda. I feel as if I were burning alive in a slow fire.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Caitanya is absorbed in separation and His intense separation was burning Him alive.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 20.42

kṛṣṇa udāsīna ha-ilā karite parīkṣaṇa
sakhī saba kahe,—‘kṛṣṇe kara upekṣaṇa’

Translation: “Lord Kṛṣṇa has become indifferent to Me just to test My love, and My friends say, ‘Better to disregard Him.’ ”

Jayapatākā Swami: So, the devotee is put through dire tests, if their love for Kṛṣṇa is pure. 

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 20.43

eteka cintite rādhāra nirmala hṛdaya
svābhāvika premāra svabhāva karila udaya

Translation: While Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī was thinking in this way, the characteristics of natural love became manifest because of Her pure heart.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu was manifesting the sentiments of Rādhārāṇī, and His emotions had changed.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 20.44

ekānta kṛṣṇaparatantrā-śiromaṇi śrī-rādhā-bhāvamaya prabhu—

īrṣyā, utkaṇṭhā, dainya, prauḍhi, vinaya
eta bhāva eka-ṭhāñi karila udaya

Translation: The ecstatic symptoms of envy, great eagerness, humility, zeal and supplication all became manifest at once.

Jayapatākā Swami: Rādhārāṇī would express the different emotions simultaneously, so Lord Caitanya was going through these transformations.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 20.45

eta bhāve rādhāra mana asthira ha-ilā
sakhī-gaṇa-āge prauḍhi-śloka ye paḍilā

Translation: In that mood, the mind of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī was agitated, and therefore She spoke a verse of advanced devotion to Her gopī friends.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 20.46

sei bhāve prabhu sei śloka uccārilā
śloka uccārite tad-rūpa āpane ha-ilā

Translation: In the same spirit of ecstasy, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu recited that verse, and as soon as He did so, He felt like Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Caitanya is Kṛṣṇa Himself, who took the mood of Rādhārāṇī and so He is taking the mood and therefore He feels like Rādhārāṇī.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 20.47

siddhi vā sādhyabhaktira niṣṭhā arthāt ekānta kṛṣṇaparatantratā—

padyāvalīte (134) dhṛta śikṣāṣṭakera 8ma śloka—

āśliṣya vā pāda-ratāṁ pinaṣṭu mām
adarśanān marma-hatāṁ karotu vā
yathā tathā vā vidadhātu lampaṭo
mat-prāṇa-nāthas tu sa eva nāparaḥ

Translation: ‘Let Kṛṣṇa tightly embrace this maidservant who has fallen at His lotus feet, or let Him trample Me or break My heart by never being visible to Me. He is a debauchee, after all, and can do whatever He likes, but still He alone, and no one else, is the worshipable Lord of My heart.’

Jayapatākā Swami: So, this verse of the Śikṣāṣṭakam, Rādhārāṇī expresses her unconditional love for Lord Kṛṣṇa, and that is the mood that Lord Caitanya is expressing in these Śikṣāṣṭakam prayers.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 20.48

ślokārtha-vyākhyā; “āmi ta tomāra, tumi ta’ āmāra, ki kāja apara dhane?”—

“āmi—kṛṣṇa-pada-dāsī, teṅho—rasa-sukha-rāśi,
āliṅgiyā kare ātma-sātha
kibā nā deya daraśana, jārena mora tanu-mana,
tabu teṅho—mora prāṇa-nātha

Translation: “I am a maidservant at the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. He is the embodiment of transcendental happiness and mellows. If He likes He can tightly embrace Me and make Me feel oneness with Him, or by not giving Me His audience, He may corrode My mind and body. Nevertheless, it is He who is the Lord of My life.

Jayapatākā Swami: Haribol! So, these verses of the Śikṣāṣṭakam prayer expresses the feeling of Rādhārāṇī. Lord Caitanya is feeling these emotions whilst He says these prayers.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 20.49

sakhi he, śuna mora manera niścaya
kibā anurāga kare, kibā duḥkha diyā māre,
mora prāṇeśvara kṛṣṇa—anya naya

Translation: “My dear friend, just hear the decision of My mind. Kṛṣṇa is the Lord of My life in all conditions, whether He shows Me affection or kills Me by giving Me unhappiness.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Rādhārāṇī is completely dedicated to serving Lord Kṛṣṇa. He is the Lord of Her life, whether He gives Her happiness or unhappiness.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 20.50

madīyatva o tadīyatva-sneha, vā madhu o ghṛta sneha- mādhurya-vaicitry-varṇana; tatsaṅge āmāra sukhakāleo kṛṣṇendriya-tarpaṇecchu āmi tatparatantrā—

chāḍi’ anya nārī-gaṇa, mora vaśa tanu-mana,
mora saubhāgya prakaṭa kariyā

tā-sabāre deya pīḍā, āmā-sane kare krīḍā,
sei nārī-gaṇe dekhāñā

Translation: “Sometimes Kṛṣṇa gives up the company of other gopīs and becomes controlled, mind and body, by Me. Thus He manifests My good fortune and gives others distress by performing His loving affairs with Me.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Rādhārāṇī is expressing how sometimes Kṛṣṇa gives Her all the attention, and at that time She feels very fortunate.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 20.51

tadvirahe āmāra duḥkhakāleo kṛṣṇendriyatarpaṇecchu āmi tatparatantrā—

kibā teṅho lampaṭa, śaṭha, dhṛṣṭa, sakapaṭa,
anya nārī-gaṇa kari’ sātha

more dite manaḥ-pīḍā, mora āge kare krīḍā,
tabu teṅho—mora prāṇa-nātha

Translation: “Or, since after all He is a very cunning, obstinate debauchee with a propensity to cheat, He takes to the company of other women. He then indulges in loving affairs with them in front of Me to give distress to My mind. Nevertheless, He is still the Lord of My life.

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Kṛṣṇa, He sometimes causes distress to His consorts, to test their love or something and still Rādhārāṇī was committed that He is the Lord of Her life.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 20.52

aikāntikī kṛṣṇendriyaprītivāñchā—‘tomāra sevāya, duḥkhahaya yata, seo ta’ parama sukha”—

nā gaṇi āpana-duḥkha, sabe vāñchi tāṅra sukha,
tāṅra sukha—āmāra tātparya

more yadi diyā duḥkha, tāṅra haila mahā-sukha,
sei duḥkha—mora sukha-varya

Translation: “I do not mind My personal distress. I only wish for the happiness of Kṛṣṇa, for His happiness is the goal of My life. However, if He feels great happiness in giving Me distress, that distress is the best of My happiness.

Purport: Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura says that a devotee does not care about his own happiness and distress; he is simply interested in seeing that Kṛṣṇa is happy, and for that purpose he engages in various activities. A pure devotee has no way of sensing happiness except by seeing that Kṛṣṇa is happy in every respect. If Kṛṣṇa becomes happy by giving him distress, such a devotee accepts that unhappiness as the greatest of all happiness. Those who are materialistic, however, who are very proud of material wealth and have no spiritual knowledge, like the prākṛta-sahajiyās, regard their own happiness as the aim of life. Some of them aspire to enjoy themselves by sharing the happiness of Kṛṣṇa. This is the mentality of fruitive workers who want to enjoy sense gratification by making a show of service to Kṛṣṇa.

Jayapatākā Swami: Prākṛta-sahajiyās are people that try to enjoy the devotional service and pure love is just trying to make Kṛṣṇa happy.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 20.53

nirantara anukṣaṇa kṛṣṇendriya-tarpaṇa vā kṛṣṇasukhavarddhana-ceṣṭā:–

ye nārīre vāñche kṛṣṇa, tāra rūpe satṛṣṇa,
tāre nā pāñā haya duḥkhī

mui tāra pāya paḍi’, lañā yāṅa hāte dhari’,
krīḍā karāñā tāṅre karoṅ sukhī

Translation: “If Kṛṣṇa, attracted by the beauty of some other woman, wants to enjoy with her but is unhappy because He cannot get her, I fall down at her feet, catch her hand and bring her to Kṛṣṇa to engage her for His happiness.

Jayapatākā Swami: This expresses Her pure love for Lord Kṛṣṇa.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 20.54

kāntā kṛṣṇe kare roṣa, kṛṣṇa pāya santoṣa,
sukha pāya tāḍana-bhartsane

yathā-yogya kare māna, kṛṣṇa tāte sukha pāna,
chāḍe māna alpa-sādhane

Translation: “When a beloved gopī shows symptoms of anger toward Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa is very satisfied. Indeed, He is extremely pleased when chastised by such a gopī. She shows her pride suitably, and Kṛṣṇa enjoys that attitude. Then she gives up her pride with a little endeavor.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, the aspects of pure love which are exchanged between the gopīs and Kṛṣṇa which Lord Caitanya was experiencing, are being explained here.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 20.55

kṛṣṇera sambhoga-kāminīke tiraskāra—

sei nārī jīye kene, kṛṣṇa-marma vyathā jāne,
tabu kṛṣṇe kare gāḍha roṣa

nija-sukhe māne kāja, paḍuka tāra śire vāja,
kṛṣṇera mātra cāhiye santoṣa

Translation: “Why does a woman continue to live who knows that Kṛṣṇa’s heart is unhappy but who still shows her deep anger toward Him? She is interested in her own happiness. I condemn such a woman to be struck on the head with a thunderbolt, for We simply want the happiness of Kṛṣṇa.

Purport: A devotee who is satisfied only with his own sense gratification certainly falls down from the service of Kṛṣṇa. Being attracted by material happiness, he later joins the prākṛta-sahajiyās, who are considered to be non-devotees.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, this verse is making the goal for one’s personal happiness and therefore one falls down from pure devotional service. So, pure bhakti means that we simply want the happiness of Kṛṣṇa.

Thus ends the chapter entitled, Two Verses of Advanced Devotion – Love in Separation And Union
Under the section: The meaning of the Śikṣāṣṭaka and how the Lord tasted it Himself

So here we understand how Lord Caitanya would taste the Śikṣāṣṭakam Himself. In this way He wanted to realize how Radharani had higher happiness than He did. So, by making Kṛṣṇa’s happiness as the goal, She will achieve higher happiness.

Haribol! Hare Kṛṣṇa!