20231125 Chapter 6 Dainya-rūpa-sva-nindā (Part 3)

The following is a Śrī Caitanya-candrāmṛtam class given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja, on November 25th,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. We will continue chapter 6. Chapter entitled:

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

Śrī Caitanya-candrāmṛtam Chapter 6.53

gaurapadāśraya vyatīta sarvasādhanai viphala—

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

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

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: The author is saying that he has millions of seeds of sādhana but they have all become useless, without the mercy of Lord Caitanya. Therefore, he wants to take full shelter of Lord Caitanya which is the only way we are sure to have awakening of love of Godhead.

Śrī Caitanya-candrāmṛtam Chapter 6.53

śrī-caitanya-nāma-grahaṇa-mātrei kaṭhina hṛdayeo bhakti-kalpalatikāra aṅkurodgama—

Even in the hard heart, the creeper of devotional service sprouts simply by chanting the name of Śrī Caitanya,

hā hanta citta-bhuvi me paramoṣarāyāṁ
sad-bhakti-kalpa-latikāṅkuritā kathaṁ syāt
hṛdy ekam eva paramāśvasanīyam asti
caitanya-nāma kalayan na kadāpi śocyaḥ

Hāya! Hāya! Āmāra ei atyanta ūṣara hṛdaya-kṣetre prema-bhaktira aṅkura arthāt sthāyibhāva vā rati ki prakāre haibe? Āśā haya nā! Tabe, ekamātra parama bharasā ei ye, śrī-caitanyera nāma grahaṇa karile kāhārao kakhanao konao śokera viṣaya thāke nā.

Alas! Alas!; In the barren land of my heart, how can there be the sprouting of loving devotional service, i.e., sthāyi-bhāva or rati? There is no hope! But then there is only one hope that by chanting Lord Caitanya’s name no one at any time has no subject to grieve for.

Jayapatākā Swami: Gaurāṅga! Lord Caitanya is the avatāra of mercy. By simply remembering His name, one awakens love Kṛṣṇa. So the author is expressing his realization that without the mercy of Lord Caitanya, there is no hope. Therefore, it’s recommended that before you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, you chant the Pañca-Tattva mantra first – Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Prabhu Nityānanda Śrī Advaita Gadādhara Śrīvāsa ādi gaura bhakta vṛnda, then you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare, Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare! So, there was a tribe in Africa where the tribals drank cows’ blood. They would cut in the neck and take the blood. Śrīla Prabhupāda said that it would be very difficult for them to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. He advised to chant the Pañca-Tattva mantra first. So, in this way they could chant Hare Kṛṣṇa in spite of their offences.

Śrī Caitanya-candrāmṛtam Chapter 6.54

nirāśrayera āśraya śrī-caitanya

Śrī Caitanya is the shelter for the shelterless.

saṁsāra-duḥkha-jaladhau patitasya kāma-
krodhādi-nakra-makaraiḥ kavalīkṛtasya
durvāsanā-nigaḍitasya nirāśrayasya
caitanya-candra mama dehi padāvalambam

He caitanyacandra, āmi saṃsāra-duḥkhārṇave patita, durvāsanāra dṛḍhaśṛṅkhale āmāra hastapadādi baddha, He caitanyacandra, āmi saṃsāra-duḥkhārṇave patita, durvāsanāra dṛḍhaśṛṅkhale āmāra hastapadādi baddha, āmi avalamvana-hīna kāmakrodhādi-nakramakara-samūha āmāke grāsa kariyāche; (he prabho! erūpa saṅkaṭe) tomāra padataraṇīte āśraya pradāna kariyā āmāke rakṣā kara.

O Caitanyacandra! I have fallen in the ocean of painful material existence, my hands and legs are strongly bound by the shackeles of bad desires and I am caught by the crocodiles and sharks of lust and anger while I have nothing to hold on for support. Oh Lord! Such a crisis! Protect me by giving the shelter in the boat of your feet.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, this is the ocean of material suffering – adhidaivika, adhibhautika, adhyātmika and sufferings. His legs and hands are tied by the bad desires of crocodiles and sharks which are tying him to lust and anger, which is not allowing him to take shelter. So, the devotee, he realizes that without the shelter of Lord Caitanya, I have no shelter. And he is tied down by crocodiles, sharks due to his lust and anger. Actually, Lord Kṛṣṇa, He gives us this pure love of Kṛṣṇa. and therefore we should take shelter of Lord Kṛṣṇa. Lord Caitanya taught us how to take shelter of Kṛṣṇa, and we have no hope if we don’t take shelter of Lord Caitanya. We will be stuck in the waves of material suffering.

Śrī Caitanya-candrāmṛtam Chapter 6.55

devadurllabhā bhaktipadavī gaurakṛpāya pāmaragaṇera o labhyā—

By the mercy of Gaura, even a lowly man gets the path of devotional service that is rarely obtained by the demigods

Gauranga!

mṛgyāpi sā śiva-śukoddhava-nāradādyair
āścarya-bhakti-padavī na davīyastī naḥ
durbodha-vaibhava-pate mayi pāmare’pi
caitanya-candra yadi te karuṇā-kaṭākṣaḥ

He caitanyacandra, tumi acintya vaibhavera adhīśvara; mādṛśa pāmarajanera pratio yadi tumi kṛpākaṭākṣapāta kara, tabe āmādera pakṣeo śiva-śuka-nārada-uddhavādi mahātmagaṇerao anveṣaṇīyā sei paramāścarya ujjvala-bhakti-padavī dūravarttinī haibena nā.

O Caitanyacandra, you are the master of inconceivable potencies. If you show your merciful sidelong glance, then the wonderful path of devotional service that is searched after by great personalities like Śiva, Śukadeva Gosvāmī, Uddhava, Nārada and so on, will not be far away even for a lowly person like me.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, If Caitanya candra, He just gives His sidelong glance then the devotional service path is opened. Personalities like Śiva, Śukadeva Gosvāmī, Uddhava, Nārada and so on. The author is saying that if Lord Caitanya shows His sidelong glance, then the devotional service would not be very far away even for a lowly, fallen person like myself. So, we keep coming to this point that we should get the mercy of Lord Caitanya.

How many of you want the mercy of Lord Caitanya?

So, we are living here in Māyāpur is a very good place to get the mercy of Lord Caitanya. So, we should focus our attention on Lord Caitanya. I mean, Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityānanda, They descended from the spiritual world to deliver the most fallen souls. So, those who have qualified as being fallen, they can get the mercy of Lord Caitanya. You are all very advanced, but I am the most fallen, so I need the mercy first! What do you think? How many of you need the mercy first? So, there is big competition!

So in these verses the author again and again is saying that there is no hope for me, except Lord Caitanya’s mercy. So, he is trying to get Lord Caitanya’s mercy.