20231214 Avatāra-mahimā (Part 1)

The following is a Śrī Caitanya-candrāmṛtam class given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja, on December 14th,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!

Today we will be continuing with the comentation of the Śrī Caitanya Candrāmṛtam by Srila Prabodhānanda Sarasvatīpada. We will continue chapter 9. Chapter entitled:

Śrī-caitanyotkarṣatā — Śrī Caitanya’s excellence

Śrī Caitanya-candrāmṛtam 109 

rādhā-mādhava-milita-tanu śrī-gaurahari 
Gaurahari, the combined form of Rādhā-mādhava

bibhrad varṇaṁ kim api dahanottīrṇa-sauvarṇa-sāraṁ
divyākāraṁ kim api kalayan dṛpta-gopāla-bālaḥ 
āviṣkurvan kvacid avasare tad-tad-āścarya-līlāṁ 
sākṣād-rādhā-madhuripu-vapur bhāti gaurāṅgacandraḥ

Anuvāda: dahanottīrṇa-tapta-kāñcanasārera nyāya konao eka anirvacanīya varṇa dhāraṇa-pūrvaka bāla-gopāla-līlā-prakāśa, kakhanao vā kona eka anirvacanīya cinmaya-vigrahe atiśaya camatkāriṇī kaiśoralīlā āviṣkāra-pūrvaka sākṣāt rādhā-mādhava milita-tanu śrī-gaurasundara dīpti pāitechena. 

Translation: Manifesting the pastime of the Bāla-gopāla by accepting an indescribable color like that of molten gold rising from the fire, at some other time manifesting those very wonderful adolescent pastime in an indescribable transcendental form, the combined form of Rādhā-Mādhava, Śrī Gaurasundara shines.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, here they are mentioning the beauty of Lord Gaurāṅga, they say that its indescribable in other words it’s not golden, bluish, but really, we can’t describe, Kṛṣṇa and Lord Caitanya is so wonderful that we cannot actually describe there is nothing to compare with Him, how Kṛṣṇa produces Rādhā from His body and how the two Kṛṣṇa and Rādhā recombine to form Gaurāṅga.

All this is easy to say but it is actually impossible to describe perfectly.

So the author is trying to describe but he admits that it’s indescribable, molten gold rising from fire, we don’t know what that exactly means.

So, we are very fortunate to be here in Navadvīpa dhāma, to have the Lord’s pastimes happening here. 

Hare Kṛṣṇa!

Tenth Chapter 
Avatāra-mahimā

Śrī Caitanya-candrāmṛtam 110 

vajratulya kaṭhina hṛdayakeo dravakārī kṛṣṇa-nāmera sahita avatīrṇa gaurāvatārera mahimā 
The glory of Gaura-avatāra who descended with the name of Kṛṣna that melts even the thunder-like hard heart

akasmād evāvirbhavati bhagavan-nāma-laharī 
parītānāṁ pāpair api purubhir eṣāṁ tanu-bhṛtām 
aho vajra-prāyaṁ hṛd api nava-nītāyitam abhūn
nṛṇāṁ loke yasminn avatarati sa gauro mama gatiḥ 

Anuvāda: Manuṣyaloke yini avatīrṇa haile, aho!

sumahat pāpapuñje parivṛta dehadhārigaṇera sambandheo śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāma-taraṅga akasmāt prakāśita haiyāchena evaṁ aparādha-kaṭhina aśmasāra hṛdayao navanītera nyāya snehe dravībhūta haiyāche, sei gaurasundarai āmāra ekamātra gati hauna. 

Translation: Aho!

When he descended in the material world, the waves of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s name (i.e. the series of names such as ‘Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa’) were manifested easily even in relation to all of those embodied beings who were infested with huge quantities of sins and even the offensive heart heardened like thunder has become gentle and soft due to affection, like butter, that Gaurasundara be my only goal. 

Jayapatākā Swami: So, avatāra means to descend, Lord Caitanya comes from Goloka Vṛndāvana and he comes chanting the holy names of Kṛṣṇa. Chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa. In this way, even people with lots of sins, lots of material contamination, they get purified. Even if their heart is hard like steel or thunderbolt. I mean, we don't really know how hard a thunderbolt is. We can assume that it's super hard and when Lord Caitanya was chanting, and he went by, even very offensive, sinful people, but seeing Lord Caitanya, hearing his chanting, their hearts melted, they became soft-hearted. They started chanting, raising their arms. So, Lord Caitanya, his presence was able to change the heart of even the most offensive materialistic people. Lord Caitanya, his avatāra is really something special. Every avatāra has a particular mood, like Narasiṁhadeva, He's very angry. Varāhadeva - He picks up the Earth from the bottom of the universe. Every avatāra has a particular mood. Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme personality of Godhead. So it can't be predicted what He'll do, He's independent. Lord Caitanya is Kṛṣṇa combined with Rādhārāṇī. He was always chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa. He would make people who have hard hearts and he would melt their hearts like butter.

The author, he's recommending that we should make Lord Gaurasundara as goal in our life. He's the most merciful of all the personalities. In the 10th canto, Rukmi, the brother of Rukmiṇī, he challenged Balarāma to a dice game. If you challenge a kṣatriyā, I guess, you are supposed to take up the challenge. Although we don't gamble. But if the kṣatriyā is challenged, they should be given a chance, they accept. So Rukmi, he challenged Balarāma. Someone told him that Balarāma is not very expert in dice. You can beat him. So, he won a couple of games and he increased the wager to 100,000 gold coins, but Balarama won. But, he cheated. He said, I won. And somehow, the wager was increased to a million gold coins and he threw the dice and again, Balarāma won and even the voice in the sky said, Balarāma won! Rukmi is cheating!

When he heard the ākāśavāṇī he started to criticize, You don't know Dice, because you're a cowboy, and you're in the forest, and take your cows, and you don't know. This game is for kings, or kṣatriyā, and you are not really a kṣatriyā. So, Balarāma, he got angry. So, he hit on his head with his club, and he died, that was Balarāma in Kṛṣṇa Leela. In Caitanya Līlā, Balarāma came as Nitāi and he was hit by Mādhāi on the head with a wine bottle and it caused him to bleed. Because they said, in this avatāra they won’t use weapons of violence. Nitāi said, just because you caused me to bleed, does that mean I won't give you love of God? I mean, just someone criticized Balarāma and then he got killed. But he hit Nitāi on His head and caused Him to bleed, but He still gave him mercy. So that gives a little indication between the difference between the avatāra of Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma and Gaurāṅga and Nityānanda.

So that's why we are very fortunate to have Gaura and Nitāi. Because their mood is to really give out mercy. Even we don't deserve it, even to the rascals, they still give out mercy. But Kṛṣṇa can do everything. Lord Caitanya showed mercy to the Supreme. 

I heard there are 41 devotees from Warangal. 

Thank you.

We had a class early tonight because I have a meeting. 

Please take my blessings - Kṛṣṇer matir astu!