20231111 Chapter 4 Śrī Caitanya-bhakta-mahimā (Part 1)

The following is a Sri Chaitanya Chandrāmṛtam Class given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on November 11th,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 be continuing with comentation of the Śrī Caitanya Candrāmṛtam Chapter 4.

The Glories of the devotees of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, śrī caitanya-bhakta-mahimā

Śrī Caitanya-candrāmṛtam 4.18

anarpitacara-prema-rase krīḍā-śīla gaurabhakta-vṛnda—

bhrāntaṁ yatra munīśvarair api purā yasmin kṣamā-maṇḍale
kasyāpi praviveśa naiva dhiṣaṇā yad veda no vā śukaḥ
yan na kvāpi kṛpāmayena ca nije ‘py udghāṭitaṁ śauriṇā
tasmin ujjvala-bhakti-vartmani sukhaṁ khelanti gaura-priyāḥ

Anuvāda: Sudūra atīta-kāle śreṣṭha muniṛṣigaṇao ye madhura-rasāśrita bhakti-mārge bhrānta haiyāchena, samagra kṣitimaṇḍale kāhārao buddhi yāṅhāra abhyantare praveśa karite pāre nāi, śukadevao yāṅhāra sandhānao avagata chilena nā; adhika ki, nija-bhaktagaṇera sakāśeo parama karuṇāmaya śrī-kṛṣṇa svayaṃ yāhā udghāṭana karena nāi, sei unnatojjvala bhakti-mārge śrī-gaurapriya-bhaktagaṇa ekhana paramānande vihāra karitechena.

Translation: The dear devotees of Lord Gaura play happily on the path of the most elevated mellow of devotional service, the mellow of conjugal love, on which previously even the greatest sages were bewildered, into which any intelligent people on the entire earth could not enter, about which even Śukadeva GosvāmĪ did not know, and which was not personally revealed in front His own devotees even by the merciful Lord Kṛṣṇa.

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya’s devotees were playing very happily and they were understanding the mellow of conjugal love, which was kept a secret from all the other devotees. Even Lord Kṛṣṇa, although He is most merciful, He kept these mellows secret and people, they didn’t understand the Lord’s transcendental pastimes. The whole world, they didn’t understand. You see, Kṛṣṇa, He has unlimited potencies. and, He likes to enjoy in ways which are very esoteric. And so, Lord Caitanya, He took on the mood of Rādhārāṇī and actually He was able to taste the transcendental mellow of kṛṣṇa-prema. And others on the earth could not understand. Even Śukadeva Gosvāmī did not understand. So that’s why Lord Caitanya, He is such a special avatāra.

Śrī Caitanya-candrāmṛtam 4.19

gaurabhaktera saṅga nā haoyā paryyantai jīvera bhukti, mukti o haituka-tarke ruci—

tāvad brahma-kathā vimukti-padavī tāvan na tiktī-bhavet
tāvac cāpi viśṛṅkhalatvam ayate no loka-veda-sthitiḥ
tāvac chāstra-vidāṁ mithaḥ kala-kalo nānā-bahir-vartmasu
śrī-caitanya-padāmbuja-priya-jano yāvan na dṛg-gocaraḥ

Anuvāda: Ye kāla paryanta śrī-caitanya-pādāravinda-makaranda-bhṛṅga antaraṅga-jana darśanera viṣaya nā hana, sekāla paryantai nirviśeṣa-brahma- vicāra evaṃ īśvara-sāyujyādi muktimārga tikta bodha haya nā, sekāla paryantai lokamaryādā o vedamaryādā viśṛṅkhalatā prāpta haya nā arthāt ‘loke o vede pariniṣṭhita-mati’ parityakta haya nā, sekāla paryantai vividha bahirmukha-mārge vicaraṇaśīla śāstravit arthāt paṇḍitamanya-vyaktigaṇera sva-sva-matavāda laiyā paraspara vāda-visaṃvāda avaśyambhāvī.

Translation [By His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Śrīla Prabhupāda]: A discussion of the impersonal Brahman is not very palatable to a devotee. The so-called regulations of the śāstras also appear null and void to him. There are many people who argue over the śāstras, but for a devotee such discussions are but tumultuous roaring. By the influence of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, all these problems disappear.

Translation [By Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura]: As long as the intimate devotees of Lord Śrī Caitanya, who are the bees immersed in drinking the honey from the lotus feet of Śrī Caitanya do not become the object of vision, only up to that time the discussion of impersonal brahman and the paths of liberation such as that of merging into the body of the Lord etc., do not taste bitter, only up to that time the bonds of worldly and Vedic activities and customs do not break, i.e., the mentality of attachment to rules and regulations in the world and the Vedas are not given up, and only up to that time it is impossible to avoid the confused arguments and false assertions of various knowers of the scriptures pursuing various external paths who think themselves scholars.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, some of the people who consider themselves scholars like to talk about the impersonal Brahman or about the types of sāyujya-mukti. But devotees are not interested in these types of liberation. So, they are interested in the personal features and pastimes of the Supreme Lord. So, we find that devotees, they are more interested in various pastimes of the Lord and they are not interested in the impersonal discussions. So, they are absorbed in activities of the Lord. But the materialist scholars, they like to discuss about the Vedas, about the different activities of the Lord and attain liberation. The devotees are not so interested in these types of liberation. They want to serve the Lord, and that is the real purpose or interest that they have. Somehow, the devotees, they do not absorb themselves in this type of liberation. So, the devotees, they don’t feel interested, they don’t feel a taste for it.

Śrī Caitanya-candrāmṛtam 4.20

gaurabhaktagaṇai ekamātra sarva-sad-guṇākara—

kva tāvad vairāgyaṁ kva ca viṣaya-vārtāsu narakeṣv
ivodvegaḥ kvāsau vinaya-bharam āpūrya-laharī
kva tāvat tejo ‘laukikam atha mahā-bhakti-padavī
kva sā vā sambhāvyā yad avakalitaṁ gaura-gatiṣu

Anuvāda: Gaurahari yāṅhādera ekamātra gati, tāṅhādera madhye ye ahaituka vairāgya vā bhagavadanurakti dṛṣṭa haya, tādṛśa vairāgya āra kothāya! viṣayavārttā vā grāmya-kathāte narakapatanera nyāya udvegai vā kothāya! sei vinaya-namratāra paripūrṇa saundaryalaharī vā āra kothāya! seirūpa alaukika prabhāvai vā āra kothāya! āra seirūpa mahābhāvamayī camatkāriṇī bhaktipadavīrai vā sambhava kothāya!

Translation [Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura]: Where else is the type of renunciation that is found among those who have made Lord Gaurahari alone the goal or shelter? Or where else is that type of attachment to the Lord? Or where else is that type of distress as if hellish in the topics of material enjoyment or worldly matters? Or where is such surging waves of great humility? Or where is such uncommon power? Or where else it is possible to get the similar wonderful supreme ecstasy on the path of devotional service?

Jayapatākā Swami: So, this is the translation of the Bengali translation. The method of discussing the personality of Kṛṣṇa by different impersonal speculators so that is something which is difficult to understand. Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, he liked to present the Absolute Truth in a very special way. So, he made the philosophy of Lord Caitanya to be understood by scholars. He would present the philosophy in a very special way. So many people, they actually didn’t understand what Lord Caitanya meant. Lord Caitanya, He meant that we should. So Lord Caitanya, He would explain the things that people could understand. Then they would be able to relish the unlimited ecstasy of Lord Caitanya’s pastimes.

Śrī Caitanya-candrāmṛtam 4.21

gaurabhaktera gaura-vyatīta anyatra rati asambhava—

sakṛn-nayana-gocarī-kṛta-tad-aśru-dhārākula-
praphulla-kamalekśaṇa-praṇaya-kātara-śrī-mukhaḥ
na gaura-caraṇaṁ jihāsati kadāpi lokottara-
sphuran-madhurimārṇavaṁ nava-navānurāgonmadaḥ

Anuvāda: Vipralambha-rasamaya śrī-gaurasundarera aśrudhārāpluta praphulla-nayana-padma-pariśobhita praṇaya-kātara śrī-mukhamaṇḍala yini ekavāramātra avalokana kariyāchena, tini nitya nava-nava-anurāgottha-harṣagarvādi-bhāvavikārayukta haiyā alaukikabhāve prakāśita mādhuryera samudrasvarūpa sei gauraharira śrī-caraṇa parityāga karite kakhanao vāsanā karena nā.

Translation [Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura]: Upon once seeing Lord Gaura’s eyes filled with tears like the blossomed lotus on the supremely beautiful face overwhelmed by love, a person becomes endowed with various ecstatic transformation such as pride and joy because of newer and newer loving affection and he never wishes to give up the lotus feet of Gaura which is like the uncommonly manifested form of ocean of conjugal mellow.

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya He took sannyāsa at the age of 24. He was not at all interested in mundane sex pleasure. But somehow Kṛṣṇa in His pastimes of conjugal love, He would take away all the lusty desires and give the natural transcendental love. So, Lord Caitanya, it is said if you see His face filled with love then naturally you would get transcendental joy.