20231124 Chapter 6 Dainya-rūpa-sva-nindā (Part 2)

The following is a Śrī Caitanya-candrāmṛtam class given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja, on November 24th,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. Today we will continue from Chapter 6. The chapter entitled:

Dainya-rūpa-sva-nindā - Self-criticism by the Author in Humility

Śrī Caitanya-candrāmṛtam Chapter 6.50

dainya-rūpa-sva-nindā śrī-caitanyacaraṇābjabhṛṅga viśva-bhūṣaṇa gaurajanera saṅgai ekamātra vāñchanīya

The devotees of Gaura are the ornament of the world who are the bees at the lotus feet of Lord Caitanya. Their association is alone is desirable.

so’py āścaryamayaḥ prabhur nayanayor yan nābhavad gocaro
yan nāsvādi hareḥ padāmbuja-rasas tad yad gataṁ tad gatam
etāvan mama tāvad astu jagatīṁ ye’nye’py alaṅkurvate
śrī-caitanya-pade nikhāta-manasas tair yat prasaṅgotsavaḥ

Sei paramāścaryamaya prabhu gaurahario ye durbhāgyavaśataḥ nayanagocara hana nāi (arthāt darśana pāiyāo svīya avidvat pratītihetu tāṅhāra svarūpa-darśana karite pāri nāi; dainyekti) athavā ye kāraṇavaśataḥ hari-pādapadma-premāsvādanao āmāra bhāgye ghaṭe nāi, se yāhā haibāra tāhā haiyā giyāche. Ekhana kintu, āmāra ei mātra prārthanā, śrī-caitanya-pādapadme nirviṣṭa-citta anya ye bhaktagaṇa pṛthivī alaṅkṛta kariyā ekhanao vartamāna āchena, tāṅhādera sahita yena āmāra prakṛṣṭa saṅgotsava haya.

Because of my misfortune, even that very wonderful Lord Gaurahari did not appear within the perception of my eyes (i.e., despite having seen, I could not see his actual form due to my personal ignorant understanding (humble statement by the author). Or due to whatever reason, I was not fortunate to taste even the love of the lotus feet of Hari, whatever happened has happened. But now, this is my only prayer that I will have the excellent association of the other devotees whose hearts are fixed in Śrī Caitanya's lotus feet, who adorning the earth are present even now.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, the author is lamenting that he has not fully seen Lord Caitanya’s lotus feet. And he considers that he was very unfortunate not to taste the love of the lotus feet of Lord Hari. He is determined, whatever happens has happened, that I will associate with those excellent devotees, devotees surrendered to Lord Caitanya’s lotus feet. Sometimes, we may feel deprived, we feel unfortunate how this devotee said whatever that is, I will associate with His surrendered devotees. In this way I will get purified. So, we should take this opportunity to see the Lord or see the devotees of the Lord.

Śrī Caitanya-candrāmṛtam Chapter 6.51

kali-yuge duṣkṛta vyaktigaṇera ekamātra uddhārakartā gaurahari

Gaurahari is the only deliverer of the miscreant persons in the age of Kali

gaurahari duṣkarma-koṭi-niratasya duranta-ghora-
durvāsanā-nigaḍa-śṛṅkhalitasya gāḍham
kliśyan mateḥ kumati-koṭi-kadarthitasya
gauraṁ vinādya mama ko bhaviteha bandhuḥ

Āmi koṭi koṭi duṣkarme ekānta āsakta, durddama-dāruṇa-durvāsanā-śṛṅkhale sudṛḍha āvaddha, karmajñānādi prayāsa-janita kleśe kātaracitta evaṃ koṭi koṭi kubuddhijana dvārā viparīta-pathe paricālita haiyā abhibhūta; gaurahari binā āra ke āja ei saṃsāre, āmāra mata vipannera bandhu haibena?

I am engaged in crores of wicked sinful acts, bound by the chains of uncontrollable fierce bad desires, suffering and agitated due to the endeavors of karma and jñāna and perturbed by being guided on the contrary path by the crores of persons having perverted intelligence. Who else in this world today, other than Gaurahari will be a friend to a person in danger like me?

Jayapatākā Swami: So, he is feeling hopeless because he has committed tens of millions of sinful acts. Who would help someone so fallen? So that’s why he is saying only Caitanya Mahāprabhu will have mercy on me. I am praying that the Lord may deliver me. And he is saying that the chains of sinful reactions are keeping him bound up and thus he is hopelessly entangled. But he is hoping for the mercy of Lord Caitanya. So, it mentions here that he is bound by karma and jñāna. Karma means we do something hoping for some good reactions. But actually, the Lord is giving the person hope, by seeing Him, he will be freed from the repetition of birth and death. He will be able to see the Lord and go back to Godhead. So, he is praying for the mercy of Lord Caitanya’s lotus feet. He was saying, who would deliver a fallen person like him? Caitanya Mahāprabhu is the only hope.

Śrī Caitanya-candrāmṛtam Chapter 6.52

gaurapadāśraya vyatīta sarvasādhanai viphala—

hā hanta hanta paramoṣara-citta-bhūmau
vyarthī bhavanti mama sādhana-koṭayo’pi
sarvātmanā tad aham adbhuta-bhakti-bījaṁ
śrī-gauracandra-caraṇaṁ śaraṇaṁ karomi

All sādhana is fruitless without the shelter of the lotus feet of Gaura

Hāya, hāya, āmāra cittarūpa ati kaṭhora ūṣarabhūmite koṭi koṭi sādhanavīja vyartha haiteche! Tāi āmi ekṣaṇe sarvāntaḥkaraṇe aprākṛta-bhakti-bīja-svarūpa śrī-gaura-pādapadme śaraṇagrahaṇa karitechi.

Alas! Alas! In the barren land of my heart, even the crores of crores seeds of sādhana have become futile. Therefore, I wholeheartedly take shelter of the seed of transcendental devotional service in the form of the lotus feet Śrī Gauracandra.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, one’s heart may become dry like a desert. But if one gets the mercy of Lord Caitanya, then their heart becomes moist and one can hear and see Lord Caitanya’s mercy. Actually, we should take shelter of Lord Caitanya. In such a futile situation, we don’t take the mercy of Lord Caitanya. But without His mercy how will we get love of Kṛṣṇa? So therefore, now by surrendering to the lotus feet of Lord Caitanya, one can realize Kṛṣṇa and his actual position. It’s said, Lord Caitanya descends on the material world just to deliver the fallen souls, to send them back to home, back to Godhead. It’s not so difficult to get the mercy of Lord Caitanya. So, we try to get the mercy and, in this way, what would normally be very difficult to achieve, by the mercy of Lord Caitanya, it is quite easy. 

Hare Kṛṣṇa!