20231216 Avatāra-mahimā (Part 3)

The following is a Śrī Caitanya-candrāmṛtam class given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja, on December 16th,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! Śrīla Guru Mahārāja ! Ki Jay! Today we will be continuing with the comentation of the Śrī Caitanya Candrāmṛtam by Śrīla Prabodhānanda Sarasvatīpāda. We will continue chapter 10. Chapter entitled:

avatāra-mahimā — Avatāra mahimā

Śrī Caitanya-candrāmṛtam 113

gaurāvatāre viṣayī, karmī, jñānī o yogīdigera nija-nija-dharma parityāga-pūrvaka premarasonmattatā—

Glorious subject, workman, wise man and yogi, relinquish their own dharma-premature love- 

strī-putrādi-kathāṁ jahur viṣayiṇaḥ śāstra-pravādaṁ budhā
yogīndrā vijahur marun niyamaka-kleṣaṁ tapas tāpasāḥ
jñānābhyāsa-vidhiṁ jahuś ca yatayaś caitanyacandre param
āviṣkurvati bhakti-yoga-padavīṁ naivānya āsīd rasaḥ

Anuvāda: Śrī-caitanyacandra parā-bhakti-yoga-padavī ābiṣkāra karile prākṛta-viṣaya-rasamagna, vyaktigaṇa strīputrādira kathā parityāga kariyāchilena, paṇḍitagaṇa śāstrasambandhīya vāda-visamvāda tyāga kariyāchilena, yogiśreṣṭhagaṇa prāṇavāyu-nirodhārtha sādhana-kleśa sarvatobhāve varjjana kariyāchilena, tapasvi-gaṇa tāṅhādera tapasyā tyāga kariyāchilena, jñānasannyāsigaṇa nirbheda-brahmāmu sandhāna parityāga kariyāchilena; takhana bhakti-rasa vyatīta anya kona prakāra ‘rasa’ āra jagate dṛṣṭa haya nāi. 

Translation: When Śrī Caitanya candra has found the supreme path of spontaneous devotional service (the rāgānuga bhajana-mārga), persons absorbed in material sense pleasure have given up the ordinary talks of common men related to maintenance and protection of wife and children, the paṇḍitas have given up arguments and counter arguments related to scriptures, the best of the yogīs have completely given up hardships while practicing the stoppage of inhaling and exhaling the prāṇa-vāyu by prāṇayāma and kumbhakā, those who execute austerities have given up the austerity, the sannyāsīs practicing to become merged into the existence of the Absolute Brahman have given up these practices; Then other than the mellow of devotional service, there was no other type of ‘mellow’ seen in the world. 

Jayapatākā Swami: So, people are naturally very attached to their particular activities, yogīs, gṛhastha like that, they give up their attachment to different activities, which awakens their attachment, their love for the Lord Caitanya.

Lord Caitanya has given this highest of all mellows.

Actually, Lord Caitanya is described as Rasa-śekhara, He is the source of all transcendental relationships.

So naturally people when they achieve Kṛṣṇa consciousness by Lord Caitanya’s mercy, they will give up their attachments for other things.

But in the pastimes of Lord Caitanya, we see that most of His followers are gṛhastha and He told them to go back to their families and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa.

Śrī Caitanya-candrāmṛtam 114

gaurāvatāre vedaguhya unnatojjala-rasapracāra o sarva-sādhāraṇera premaprāpti- 

During the Gaura-avatāra, preaching of the most sublime and radiant mellow of devotional service, the mellow of conjugal love and attainment of love of Kṛṣṇa by the ordinary persons 

abhūd gehe gehe tumula-hari-saṅkīrtana-ravo
babhau dehe dehe vipula-pulakāśru-vyatikaraḥ
api snehe snehe parama-madhurotkarṣa-padavī
davīyasy āmnāyād api jagati gaurevatarati

Anuvāda: Śrīgaurasundara jagate avatīrṇa haile gṛhe gṛhe tumula harisaṅkīrttanera rola utthita haiyāche, dehe dehe paripuṣṭa pulakāśru-kadamba śobhā pāiyāche, premabhaktira gāḍhatbera uttarottara utkarṣe śrutira agocara paramā madhurā śreṣṭhā padabī o prakāśitā haiyāche. 

Translation: When Śrī Gaurasundara descended in this world, tumultuous sound of the congregational chanting of the holy names of Hari is manifest in every house.

Various ecstatic symptoms such as standing of the bodily hairs on end and tears etc.

decorate all the bodies.

By the increase in the excellence of the condensation of loving devotional service, the super-excellent sweet path that is secretly presented in the Vedas is manifest.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Caitanya brought this saṅkīrtana, chanting and dancing, singing the holy name.

Every house started to sound this kīrtana.

So, this kīrtana is resounding all over the world and naturally people would feel transcendental emotions.

It is described here that their hairs would stand on end, their crying would come in their eyes.

There will be various symptoms of love would manifest.

So, this is a common thing to those devotees who chant the holy name.

Then people started to imitate and play as if, they are feeling ecstasy even though they are not.

So, our ācāryas advised, that we should keep our emotions confidential.

We heard that Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, He would suddenly be overcome by emotions and he would exit the room quickly, not willing to show his ecstasy.

So, some people or some sahajiyās put chills in their nose and they would cry and manifest the symptoms.

These are all imitations.

You could copy some of the ecstatic symptoms.

If you are a good actor, you can act it out, rather he said we should keep it confidential.

We have seen Śrīla Prabhupāda on certain occasions, he would break down.

He would be describing Lord Caitanya’s pastimes and he would become choked up.

He went to one house in Kolkata in the early ‘70s, this guy was like showing off and he was playing an act, how Kṛṣṇa had come to his house.

oh! Kṛṣṇa, you have come oh!

He was playing this act but devotees they were not impressed.

They got out and walked out.

When he saw them walking out he stopped acting.

If Kṛṣṇa really comes, you don’t care about people watching.

So, we have seen that some people do put on an acts, and we have seen our spiritual masters sometimes they experience ecstasies.

This is the super excellence of Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes is manifested by Lord Caitanya’s mercy.