20231215 Avatāra-mahimā (Part 2)

The following is a Śrī Caitanya-candrāmṛtam class given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja, on December 15th,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. We will continue chapter 10. Chapter entitled:

Avatāra-mahimā

Śrī Caitanya-candrāmṛtam 111

gaurāvatāre sādhanamātra-rahita niṣiddhācārarata vyaktigaṇera o premānanda-prāpti
During Gaura-avatāra, even those devoid of any trace of sādhana and engaged in forbidden activities, attain the happiness of love

na yogo na dhyānaṁ na ca japa-tapas-tyāga-niyamā
na vedā nācārā kva nu bata niṣiddhādy-uparatiḥ
akasmāc caitanye ‘vatarati dayā-sāra-hṛdaye
pumarthānāṁ mauliṁ param iha mudā luṇṭhati janaḥ

Anuvāda: Paramadayālu śrī-caitanyadeva iha-jagate akasmāt avatīrṇa haile yāhāra yoga, dhyāna, japa, tapa, tyāga, niyama, vedādhyayana, sadācāra ei sakala kichui chila nā, hāya! Emana ki, yāṅhāra pāpādi karme nivṛttio nāi, seirūpa vyaktio parama harṣe puruṣārtha śiromaṇi paramaprema luṇṭhana karitechena!

Translation: When the most merciful Lord Caitanya suddenly descends in this world, then even those who do not have any of yoga, meditation, chanting, austerity, renunciation, regulative principles, study of the Vedic scriptures and good behavior, aho!, even those who have not even stopped their sinful activities, even such persons plunder the highest perfection of life, love of Godhead.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Caitanya is a special avatāra, just as the song by Locana dāsa Ṭhākura saba avatāra-sāra śiromaṇi, kevala ānanda-khaṇḍa, you see of all the avatāras, the incarnations of Godhead those who have descended from the spiritual world, Lord Caitanya is the crown jewel, He is the best. Because His process is simply blissful, You see Him in big kīrtana parties, many people chanting and dancing. Chanting purifies them, even if they have no previous credit by the mercy of Lord Caitanya, people awaken their natural attraction for Kṛṣṇa, they are in the ocean of love of Kṛṣṇa.

In South India when Lord Caitanya was walking on the road, when He would see someone, He would come up and embrace them, Hari Guru, that person would be changed and revealed that how I can’t observe certain Ekādaśī and how their sins are wiped out, You can imagine if Lord Caitanya the Supreme Personality of Godhead, if He embraces you, not only all the sin goes. Lord Caitanya just by seeing Him chanting and dancing in ecstasy would purify people and get them to give up all their bad habits and achieve the perfection of love and taste the love of Godhead and what was the like someone asked Śrīla Prabhupāda, You said that if we have devotional service, we have got through all these previous things jñāna, yoga etc., If I look at my life I didn’t do any of these things, I look back at my life I didn’t do anything piouṣ so how did I get this mercy to be here as a devotee, Śrīla Prabhupāda said, “I have made your good fortune!” Śrīla Prabhupāda ki Jaya! Caitanya Mahāprabhu ki jaya! So Śrīla Prabhupāda was empowered by the mercy of Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

Śrī Caitanya-candrāmṛtam 112

karmajaḍa-smārtta o yogīdigera kaṭhina cittakeo dravakārī gaurāvatārera mahimā
The glory of Gaura-avatāra - Melting even the hard hearts of those engaged in ritualistic ceremonies and yogīs.

mahā-karma-sroto-nipatitam api sthairyam ayate
mahā-pāṣāṇebhyo’py ati-kaṭhinam eti drava-daśām
naṭaty ūrdhvaṁ niḥsādhanam api mahā-yoga-manasāṁ
bhuvi śrī-caitanye’vatarati manaś citra-vibhave

Anuvāda: Āścaryya vibhavaśālī śrī-caitanyadeva bhūmaṇḍale avatīrṇa haile, karmikulera mana mahākarma-pravāhe nipatita thākileo, praremalābha kariyā sthairyaprāpta haiteche evaṁ mahāpāṣāṇa haiteo atiśaya kaṭhina manao bhakti-rase dravatā prāpta haiteche. Mahāyogādi-sādhane cittavṛtti-viśiṣṭa vyaktigaṇerao mana yogādi (akṣaja)-sādhana haite virata haiyā ūrddhve nṛtya kariteche arthāt adhokṣaja cidvilāsa-rājye premāsvādana kariteche.

Translation: When the Lord Caitanya, having wonderful capability, suddenly descends in this world, the minds of the fruitive workers even if fallen in the currents of big karma becomes steady and even the minds that are harder than the large stone have become melted by the mellow of devotional service. Even those whose minds are in the practice of yoga (knowledge perceived by material senses), have stopped these practices and are dancing with high jumps, i.e. they are relishing the mellow of love in the kingdom of spiritual pleasure beyond knowledge perceived by material senses.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, here the author is telling the glories of Lord Gaura, like people with hard hearts are not at all open to devotional service, by associating with Lord Caitanya their hearts become melted and they start to jump with joy. Just like we see in saṅkīrtana, some people when they hear the kīrtana and immediately started dancing and so this is the effect of Lord Caitanya's mercy. Sometimes we see that in the street saṅkīrtana, when people hear, they start smiling and clapping their hands, someone would dance and all these changes are nothing amazing for Lord Caitanya and these are symptoms of love of Godhead, the spiritual pleasure is beyond the material senses. In the 70’ I had a high fever due to some disease and all my body was hurting but since I was in my room, I played Śrīla Prabhupāda tapes, and heard his lecture in Vṛndāvana on Nectar of Devotion and although my body was in extreme pain I felt so happy to hear Śrīla Prabhupāda lectures, it was so blissful that I am not this body, my body is burning but I felt happy hearing Śrīla Prabhupāda. We think that happiness is from our senses, but real happiness is beyond that which is perceived by material senses and that is given by Lord Caitanya. He is not seeing who is qualified or who is unqualified.

Is it convenient for you all to have my class early. I has a meeting now.