20231208 Chapter 8 Loka-śikṣā (Part 5)

The following is a Śrī Caitanya-candrāmṛtam class given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja, on December 8th, 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 the comentation of the Śrī Caitanya Candrāmṛtam by Srila Prabodhānanda Sarasvatīpada. Continuing chapter 8. Chapter entitled:

Loka-śikṣā — Instructions to the People

Śrī Caitanya-candrāmṛtam 95

caitanyābhaktera saṁsāre gatāgatimātrai lābha

The non-devotees of Caitanya simply wander about in the ocean of birth and death

acaitanyam idam viśvaṁ yadi caitanyam īśvaram
na bhajet sarvato mṛtyur upāsyam amarottamaiḥ

Anuvāda: Ei kṛṣṇa-bhaktihīna bahirmukha jagat yadi śiva-viriñci prabhṛti devottamagaṇerao upāsthya sarvaniyattā svayaṁ bhagavān śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanyake bhajanā nā kare, tāhā haile sarvaprakāre maraṇamātrai lābha haiyā thāke arthāt tāhārā janma-maraṇera vaśībhūta haiyā sukha-duḥkhādi karmaphalabhogai karite thāke.

Translation (By His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupāda): This material world is without Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu is Kṛṣṇa consciousness personified. Therefore, if a very learned scholar or scientist does not understand Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, certainly he is wandering uselessly in this world.

Translation (by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura): If this material world without devotional service to Kṛṣṇa, does not worship Lord Kṛṣṇa Caitanya, who is the controller of everything and who is worshiped even by the best of the demigods headed by Śiva and Brahmā, then they gain only death in all ways, i.e. they are subject to birth and death and continue to enjoy the fruits of happiness and sorrow.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, If one doesn’t understand devotional service from Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, certainly they have to again and again rotate in the material ocean of birth and birth. The world of birth and death is there for everyone. But Lord Caitanya wanted to give the fallen souls a chance to go back home back to Godhead and therefore He brought the ecstasy of Kṛṣṇa consciousness to everyone. People usually worship devas like Śiva or Brahmā but they don’t know about worshiping the lotus feet of Lord Caitanya. Therefore, they have to die and take birth again. The material world gives us the opportunity to try to be happy. But no matter how much one tries there is always suffering. And so, Lord Caitanya has come to deliver people from suffering. Lord Caitanya has descended from the spiritual world just to give us conditioned souls a chance to go back home, back to Godhead. So, we should take advantage of the mercy Lord Gaurāṅga. If we don’t then again and again, we have to come back to the material world.

Śrī Caitanya-candrāmṛtam 96

caitanyacandre atyalpa-bhaktimān puruṣao indrādi devagaṇake dāsatbe niyukta karite samartha

Even a person who has little devotion to Caitanyacandra is capable of enslaving the demigods headed by Indra

āśā yasya pada-dvandve
caitanyasya mahāprabhoḥ
tasyendro dāsavad bhāti
kā kathā nṛpa-kīṭake

Anuvāda: Śrī-caitanya mahāprabhura śrī-caraṇa-yugale yāhāra āśā vartamāna, tāṅhāra nikaṭa surapati o dāsera nyāya pratibhāta hana, anya kṣudra kīṭatulya nṛpatira kathā ki?

Translation: Even Indra, the king of demigods, appears to be like a servant in front of the person who has hope in the two lotus feet of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, then what to speak of the other kings who are like insignificant insects.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, after doing many pious works, someone is elevated to the position of Indra, the king of the heavenly planets. But he is not to be compared with a devotee of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. In fact, Lord Indra is like an insect compared to the devotee of Lord Caitanya. One should take the shelter of Lord Caitanya and chant and dance in ecstasy.

Śrī Caitanya-candrāmṛtam 97

gaurabhajana-cintāmaṇira mahājanagaṇa nijabharaṇapoṣaṇacintāśūnya

Great personalities, who have the touchstone of Gaura-bhajana, are free of anxiety about their maintenance and protection

yasyāśā kṛṣṇacaitanye
nṛpadvāri kimarthinaḥ
cintāmaṇimayaṁ prāpya
ko mūḍho rajataṁ vrajet

Anuvāda: Ye yācakera śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanyacaraṇa-dhane abhilāṣa rahiyāche, rājadvāre tāṅhāra prayojana ki? Cintāmaṇi lābha kariyāo rajatera nimitta (dūra deśe) gamana kariyā thāke, emana murkha ke āche?

Translation: A mendicant who lives by begging and has the desire to obtain the wealth of the lotus feet of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya, what purpose he has to fulfil at the doorstep of a king? Who is such a fool who goes (to a distant land) for the sake of silver even after gaining touchstone?

Jayapatākā Swami: So, by the mercy of Lord Caitanya’s lotus feet, one has achieved a touchstone which turns everything to gold that is fully transcendental. So, what is the use of such a devotee or mendicant to beg at the doorstep of a king? Even a king can only give things of the material world. But Lord Caitanya’s lotus feet, is like a touchstone which is valuable in the material world as well as the spiritual world. So, one who gets the mercy of Lord Caitanya has no use to beg from a king, there is something much more valuable.

Śrī Caitanya-candrāmṛtam 98

jagate gaurabhakta-vyatīta premonmatta-puruṣa āra keha nāi

There is no person maddened by ecstatic love in the world except Gaurabhakta

dhyāyanto giri-kandareṣu bahavo brahmānubhūyāsate
yogābhyāsa-parāś ca santi bahavaḥ siddhā mahī-maṇḍale
vidyā-śaurya-dhanādibhiś ca bahavo jalpanti mithyoddhatāḥ
ko vā gaura-kṛpāṁ vinādya jagati premonmado nṛtyati

Anuvāda: Girikandare nirbheda-brahmānusandhāna-rata bahu dhyāna-tatpara jñāna-yogī brahmopalabdhi kariyā avasthāna karitechena evaṁ pṛthivī-maṇḍale aṣṭāṅga-yogābhyāsa-parāyaṇa aṇimādi-siddhi-labdha bahupuruṣa vartamāna āchena, ārao bahu-vyakti prākṛta vidyā-bala-dhanādi asatya-viṣaye pramatta haiyā buthāprajalpe pravṛtta āchena; kintu gauraharira kṛpā vyatīta jagate āja kon vyaktii vā premonmade nṛtya karitechena?

Translation: There are many meditative jñāna-yogīs present in the caves of the mountains, who were searching after oneness with Supreme Brahman and have attained Brahman realization. There are also many persons present on the earthly planet, who are engaged in the eight-fold mystic yogic process and have obtained the mystic perfections headed by aṇimā. Ther are also many persons present who are engaged in useless talks, maddened by false objects of education, strength, wealth and so on. But, without the mercy of Gaura, who else in the world today is dancing maddened by loving ecstasy.

Jayapatākā Swami: This verse mentions the yoga perfections. Some people in the caves they are meditating to realize the oneness of the Absolute Truth. Some are meditating on the earth for getting the eight mystic powers like laghimā, prāpti and so on. Most people are wandering around the world hoping to enjoy wealth and education and various material opulences. Where will you find someone in this world like Lord Caitanya, who is dancing in ecstasy of love? Where will you find someone completely absorbed in love of Kṛṣṇa? So, that is why one should take shelter of Lord Caitanya.

Śrī Caitanya-candrāmṛtam 99

gaurabhakta kāśīvāsa-gayā-śrāddhādi tuccha-abhilāṣaśūnya—

The devotees of Gaura are without the insignifact desire to reside in Kāśī, to perform Śrāddha in Gayā and so on

kāśī-vāsīn api na gaṇaye kiṁ gayāṁ mārgayāmo
muktiḥ śuktī-bhavati yadi me kaḥ parārtha-prasaṅgaḥ
trāsābhāsaḥ sphurati na mahāraurave’pi kva bhītiḥ
strī-putrādau yadi kṛpayate deva-devaḥ sa gauraḥ

Anuvāda: Brahma-śivādi devatāgaṇerao prabhu sei śrī-gaurasundara yadi kṛpā karena, tāhā haile kāśī-vāsīdigakeo gaṇanā kari nā, gayā-dhāma anveṣaṇai vā ki janya kariba? Yadi muktii āmāra nikaṭa śuktitulya pratibhāta haya, tāhā haile dharmārtha-kāma ei trivargera kathā āra ki? Āra mahāraurabeo yadi leśamātra bhaya upasthita nā haya, tāhā haile strīputrādi viṣayei vā bhīti kothāya?

Translation: If the Lord of even the demigods such as Brahmā and Śivā, that Śrī Gaurasundara, shows mercy, then I do not have regard even for the residents of Kāśī, then for what reason will I search for Gayā-dhāma? If liberation appears to me to be like a small shell or cockle, then what to speak of the other three goals of life (religiosity, economic development and sense gratification)? And if there is no fear even in the mahā-raurava hell, then where is the fear in relation to the wife and children?

Jayapatākā Swami: I was talking with Śrīla Prabhupāda and he mentioned in the dharma artha kāma mokṣa, most people are interested in artha and kāma. They want wealth and sense gratification. Religiosity is performed just to get wealth and sense gratification and they are not very interested in liberation. So we see here that liberation is very insignificant, what to speak about the other three goals, dharma, artha, kāma. Religiosity, money and sense gratification are very tuccha, very insignificant. And if one is chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa if they are in a hellish situation like Mahā Rauravā hell, one has no fear, because of the mercy of Lord Caitanya. So, if one is a gṛhastha and having wife and children, normally there may be some doubt of getting some sin. But if one is doing a gṛhastha life for Lord Caitanya, he has no fear. So, like this, how important it is to be fully absorbed in Lord Caitanya’s devotional service.