20231217 Avatāra-mahimā (Part 4)

The following is a Śrī Caitanya-candrāmṛtam class given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja, on December 17th,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 Śrīla Prabodhānanda Sarasvatīpāda. Today's Chapter entitled: 

avatāra-mahimā — Avatāra mahimā

Śrī Caitanya-candrāmṛtam 115

prema-rasavanyāya bhuvana-plāvanakārī caitanyāvatārera mahimā

The glory of Caitanya-avatāra who inundates the world with the mellow of love

akasmād evaitad bhuvanam abhitaḥ plāvitam abhūn
mahā-premāmbhodheḥ kim api rasa-vanyābhir akhilam
akasmāca adṛṣṭa-śruta-cara-vikārair alam abhūc
camatkāraḥ kṛṣṇe kanaka-rucirāṅge’vatarati

Anuvāda: Sarvacittākarṣaka svayaṁ bhagavān śrī-kṛṣṇa manohara kanaka-kānti dhāraṇa-pūrvaka avatīrṇa haile mahāpremavāridhira rasavanyāya ei nikhila-jagat akasmāt sarvatobhāve plāvita evaṁ adṛṣṭapūrva o aśruta-cara prema-vikāradvārā atyanta camatkṛta haiyāchila.

Translation: When svayam-bhagavān, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the attractor of everyone’s consciousness has descended accepting the wonderful golden complexion, then this whole world was certainly suddenly became flooded in all directions by by the flood of mellow of ocean of great love and became greatly wonderful suddenly by the transformations of love that was not seen or heard before.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Caitanya by His descent to this universe, He brings in the flood of pure love of Kṛṣṇa and people will then understand how the world had so become filled with the love of Lord Caitanya. Lord Caitanya is Kṛṣṇa in golden color, He entered in to this universe and the atmosphere suddenly changed. People they become intolerant with any quality or lack of love. We should understand that Lord Caitanya, He comes to give out love to everyone. This is the special quality of this incarnation, that He gives out love.

Śrī Caitanya-candrāmṛtam 116

gaurāvatāre paṇḍitābhimānī karmī, tapasvīrao prema-prāpti

By the Gaura-avatāra, even the karmīs falsely proud of being scholars and the tapasvīs obtain love

udgṛhṇanti samasta-śāstram abhito durvāra-garvāyitā
dhanyam-manya-dhiyaś ca karma-tapasādy-uccāvaceṣu sthitāḥ
dvi-trāny eva japanti kecana harer nāmāni vāmāśayāḥ
pūrvaṁ samprati gauracandra udite premāpi sādhāraṇaḥ

Anuvāda: Kona kona vyakti durnivāra garve garvita haiyā samagraśāstra sarvatobhāve saṁgraha karitena, arthāt ‘āmi sarvaśāstravit, āmā apekṣā śreṣṭhavyakti keha nāi’—eirūpa mane karitena. Keha keha vā nijei nijake kṛtārtha mane karitena, sei sakala kṛtārthamanya evaṁ smṛti-śāstrokta nitya-naimittika karma, tathā tapasyā, sāṁkhya-yogādimārge uccanīcabhāve avasthita vyaktigaṇera keha keha dui tinavāramātra harira nāmāvalī japa karitena, tathāpi tāṅhādera citta kaitavapūrṇai chila. Pūrvera avasthā ei prakāra, kintu ekhana gauracandra avatīrṇa haile ‘prema’o sādhāraṇa haiyā paḍila arthāt āpāmara sarvasādhāraṇei prema prāpta haila.

Translation: Some people proud with irresistible pride used to collect all scriptures in all respects, i.e. they used to boast like this, “We have studied many scriptures, who is better than us?” Some people considered themselves fortunate and these people were situated high and low by the paths of nitya (compulsory) and naimittika (occasional) activities mentioned in the śruti-śāstras, by austerity and sāṅkhya-yoga. Some of these people who considered themselves fortunate used to chant the series of names of Hari only two or three times. Nevertheless, their mind was crooked (situated on the path of karma) and full of cheating. All these conditions were in the past, but now when Gauracandra has descended, then the love also became common, that is, love was obtained by everyone including the most sinful.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, the descent of Lord Caitanya has created an atmosphere in the world where everyone is more inclined to love. Actually, a lot of people, due to their little knowledge, they think that I am the most knowledgeable. I have read many śāstras, I have done many austerities. Even so many people chant the holy name two or 3 times and are very proud to say that see I am chanting. But by Lord Caitanya’s coming, people's hearts changed and their chanting creates a different situation. So, Lord Caitanya has descended to give everybody the love of Kṛṣṇa. Sometimes, in hospitals we request the doctors and nurses to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and they start to chant, it changes their whole consciousness. So, in this way, we should understand that Lord Caitanya He is coming has changed the atmosphere where people are naturally inclined to love. Just like in our temple, previously there were not so many people coming, but now after the Lord Caitanya's descent and Śrīla A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda’s preaching, the teachings of Lord Caitanya spread, and more and more people are coming. So, Lord Caitanya would give even the proud people who were proud of their knowledge,they would start to chant and their hearts melt.

Śrī Caitanya-candrāmṛtam 117

gaurāvatāre bālaka, vṛddha, jaḍamati, andha, vadhira prabhṛtirao prema-rasonmattatā

During Gaura-avatāra, children, elders, foolish, blind and even deaf become mad in loving mellow

deve caitanya-nāmany avatarati sura-prārthya-pādābja-seve
viśva-drīciḥ pravistārayati su-madhura-prema-pīyūṣa-vīcīḥ
ko bālaḥ kaś ca vṛddhaḥ ka iha jaḍa-matiḥ kā vadhūḥ ko varākaḥ
sarveṣām aika-rasyaṁ kim api hari-pade bhakti-bhājāṁ babhūva

Anuvāda: Suragaṇa yāṅhāra pādapadma-sevā vāñchā karena, sei līlāmaya puruṣa śrī-caitanyadeva prapañce avatīrṇa haiyā viśvavyāpinī sumadhura premapīyūṣalaharī (sarvatra) prakṛṣṭarūpe vistāra karile ki bālaka, ki vṛddha, ki strī, ki jaḍamati, ki śocanīya nīcavyakti— ei saṁsāre sakalerai bhaktilābhe yogyatā evaṁ śrī-harira caraṇe konao eka apūrva camatkāramaya advayajñānarasa udita haiyāchila.

Translation: The service unto whose lotus feet, which the demigods desire to obtain, that person known by the name Caitanya, with full of pastimes or he who desired to relish His own sweetness and has accepted the mood and complexion of Rādhikā has now descended in this material existence. Thus when He completely spread the waves of very sweet loving mellow all over the world, then, whether children or elderly or whether fool or women or whether a miserable lowly person, they all became qualified to obtain devotional service and in everyone in this material existence, a unprecedented wonderful loving mellow or non-dual cognizant mellow rose.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Caitanya, His descent in this universe shows how His presence can inspire people with love of Kṛṣṇa. Here in the temple we see many visitors, they come and see the ārati and kīrtana and they become changed. They become naturally positive to the loving sentiments of Lord Kṛṣṇa. The devas, the demigods, they want the dust from the Lord’s lotus feet. But on this planet people are not aware of the greatness of the Caitanya avatāra. Normally people hesitate to practice devotional service. But by Lord Caitanya’s presence everyone is more inclined to render devotional service. Whether one is very educated or not, they may be children or elderly people, they may be very simple women, everyone is touched by Lord Caitanya’s presence. Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, he saying how when he took Harināma through the village, the children left their parents and came running to see the Harināma. And the ladies, they did uludhvani and men said Haribol!. Like this, everyone becomes enthusiastic hearing the holy name, like this unprecedented loving mellow was spread everywhere. Actually, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda went to the āśrama of Vinod Bhave, who was an associate of Gandhiji, and he was having a special conference on Bhagavad-gītā. Śrīla Prabhupāda had the devotees chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa and people were clapping their hands, they were appreciative. Vinod Bhave was in mauna-vrata and he was not speaking and he had his āśramites chant some mantras from one of the chapters of Gītā and Śrīla Prabhupāda spoke very nicely. And there was one Māyāvādī sannyāsī, he wanted somehow he would not do the kīrtana. We were doing kīrtana and mantra, but somehow he didn’t like that and he started to chant his own mantra. Sac cid ānanda clap clap Kṛṣṇa clap clap.. It was definitely meant to be an insult to Śrīla Prabhupāda. Śrīla Prabhupāda told his devotees to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, and then all of them started playing kartāla and mṛdaṅga and started chanting loudly. And everyone was feeling the love of Kṛṣṇa. So, that Māyāvādī he stopped. But anyway Śrīla Prabhupāda was saying later that you are all pure devotees, then we said how we can say that we are all pure devotees. Śrīla Prabhupāda said just like a mango, there is green mango and ripe mango, but still a mango, doesn’t mean they are all fully ripe but if you keep them they become ripe, so you are already mangos, so you all are pure devotees. The Māyāvādī they are not devotees, they are not pure. So, Śrīla Prabhupāda, he was explaining like that. Actually if you find people chanting, they are reciprocating, it's not ordinary, it's actually the mercy of Lord Caitanya, Haribol!

Gaurāṅga ! Gaurāṅga ! Gaurāṅga ! So we would like to offer all our prayers to His Holiness Bhakti Vigna Vināśana Naarsiṁha Swami for his health, he is in Malaysia, he has a high fever.

namas te narasiḿhāya
prahlādāhlāda-dāyine
hiraṇyakaśipor vakṣaḥ-
śilā-ṭańka-nakhālaye
ito nṛsiḿhaḥ parato nṛsiḿho
yato yato yāmi tato nṛsiḿhaḥ
bahir nṛsiḿho hṛdaye nṛsiḿho
nṛsiḿham ādiḿ śaraṇaḿ prapadye

ugra vīraḿ mahāviṣṇuṁ
jvalantam sarvato mukhaṁ
nṛsiḿhaḿ bhiṣaṇaḿ bhadraṁ
mṛtyor mṛtyuḿ namāmy ahaḿ

So, we have a special message from Vaiśeṣika Prabhu to distribute the books, so the motto for this marathon is Live to give, Live to give, Live to give and the goal is 3.7 million. So, I would like to thank all of the devotees who helped me to distribute the books. First two days it was 800, 700, and we heard this morning it was 100. We would like to help Vaiśeṣika Prabhu to see that 3.7 million is achieved. Everyone should try to sponsor books, distribute books. If you want you can take books from my table.

Hare Kṛṣṇa.

Live to give, Live to give, Live to Give.