20231221 Avatāra-mahimā (Part 8)

The following is a Śrī Caitanya-candrāmṛtam class given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja, on December 21st,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. Continuing the chapter 10 Today's chapter is entitled as:

Avatāra mahimā

Śrī Caitanya-candrāmṛtam 130

ujjalarasa, vṛndāvana-mādhurī o rādhā-mahimāra ekamātra prakāśaka śrī-gaurahari—

Śrī Gaurahari is the only revealer of the conjugal mellow, sweetness of Vṛndāvana and the glories of Rādhā

premā nāmādbhutārthaḥ śravana-patha-gataḥ kasya nāmnāṁ mahimnaḥ
ko vettā kasya vṛndāvana-vipina-mahā-mādhurīṣu praveśaḥ
ko vā jānāti rādhāṁ parama-rasa-camatkāra-mādhurya-sīmāṁ
ekaś caitanyacandraḥ parama-karuṇayā sarvam āviścakāra

Anuvāda: ‘prema’ nāmaka parama-puruṣārtha kāhārai vā śravaṇagocara haiyāchila? Kei vā śrīnāmera mahimā jānita? Kāhārai vā vṛndāraṇyera gahana-mahā-mādhurī-kadambe praveśa chila? Kei vā paramacamatkāra adhirūḍha-mahā-bhāva-mādhuryera parākāṣṭhā śrī-vāryabhānavīke (upāsthya-vasturūpe) jānita? Eka caitanya-candrai parama audārya-līlā prakaṭa kariyā ei samasta āviṣkāra kariyāchena.

Translation: Who had heard about the supreme goal of life, by the name ‘love’? Who knew the glories of Śrī-nāma (the holy names)? Who could have entered the impenetrable great sweetness of Vṛndāvana forest? Who would have known the greatly wonderful supremely topmost of adhirūḍha-bhāva, Śrī Vārṣabhānavī to be the worshipable object? Only Caitanyacandra, by manifesting greatly munificent pastime, has revealed all of these.

Commentary (by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura): Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, quoting this verse, has written in the fifth chapter of the book, Śrīman Mahāprabhura Śikṣā, “Only the Jagat-guru, Śrī Caitanyadeva has brought to this world the nectarean mellow of Śrī Kṛṣṇa. No one had brought before. In order to reveal this, Śrīla Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī has made the descent of this verse.”

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Sri Gaurahari! His divine Grace Śrīla Prabodānanda Sarasvatī has repeated this many times that Lord Caitanya had given the most confidential details of the conjugal loving relationships between Rādhārāṇī, the gopīs and Kṛṣṇa. So, this aspect of Lord Caitanya’s pastimes is revealed in the final chapters of the Caitanya-caritāmṛta. So, Lord Caitanya, He revealed the most confidential relationship between Rādhārāṇī and Kṛṣṇa. This was not given before by the other Vaiṣṇava ācāryas. This is the special contribution of Lord Caitanya and therefore this has repeatedly mentioned by Prabodānanda Sarasvatī.

Śrī Gaura-rūpollāsa-nṛtyādi— Śrī Gaura’s form, ecstasy, dancing and so on, Part 1

Śrī Caitanya-candrāmṛtam 131

Śrī Gaura-rūpollāsa-nṛtyādi

brahmādira vandya, tarkera agocara, vedaguhya, apūrva-nṛtyaśīla, parama-brahma śrī-gaurahari

Param-brahma Śrī Gaurahari- worshiped by Brahmā, beyond the perception of reason and logic, secret in the Vedas, wonderfully dancing

pūrṇa-prema-rasāmṛtābdhi-laharī-lolāṅga-gaura-cchaṭā-
koṭy-ācchadita-viśvam īśvara-vidhi-vyāsādibhiḥ saṁstutam
durlakṣayaṁ śruti-koṭibhiḥ prakaṭayan mūrtiṁ jagan-mohinīṁ
āścaryaṁ lavaṇodha-rodhasi paraṁ brahma svayaṁ nṛtyati

yini paripūrṇa-prema-rasa-sudhā-samudra-taraṅga-kampita- gaurakāntikoṭi dvārā viśbake āvṛta kariyāchena evaṁ yāṅhāke śiva-viriñci vyāsādi manīṣigaṇa nirantara stava karitechena, sei āścarya parama-brahma śrī-gaurasundara śrutikoṭi-guhyā bhuvana-mohinī mūrti prakaṭa kariyā svayaṁ labaṇāmbudhitaṭe nṛtya karitechena.

Anuvāda: Śrī Gaurasundara’s limbs are shaking due to the waves of the nectarean ocean of complete love. Crores of golden effulgence from those limbs has covered the universe. He is perfectly glorified by the prayers of Lord Śiva, Brahmā, Vyāsadeva, and great sages. That Śrī Gaurasundara is personally dancing on the shore of the ocean by manifesting the form that bewildering the world and which is secretly present in the śrutis.

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya Lord Gaurasundara, He is dancing in ecstasy and His limbs are shaking as He is in the ocean of kṛṣṇa-prema. It mentions that His ecstatic presence is felt throughout the universe. That the universe is covered by His transcendental limbs. He is perfectly glorified by Lord Brahmā, Lord Śiva, Vyāsadevā and others. And somehow Lord Caitanya’s dancing and ecstatic manifestations are also mentioned in the śrutis. But Lord Caitanya is mentioned in śrutis and smṛtis but not everyone is able to digest that. So, by Lord Caitanya’s presence in the śāstras, in the universe, the universe is covered, flooded by the ocean of love. Most people seek the four perfections as dharma, artha, kāma and mokṣa but actually Lord Caitanya taught there is a fifth puruśārtha which is the fifth perfection is love and Lord Caitanya He distributes that love. That is why He is so special.

Śrī Caitanya-candrāmṛtam 132

nija-nāma-saṅkīrtanasaha nṛtyaśīla śrī-gaura-kṛṣṇa

Śrī Gaura-kṛṣṇa is dancing along with His own nāma-saṅkīrtana

ko’yaṁ paṭṭa-dhaṭī-virājita-kaṭī-deśaḥ kare kaṅkanaṁ
hāraṁ vakṣasi kuṇḍalaṁ śravaṇayor bibhrat pade nūpuram
ūrdhvī-kṛtya nibaddha-kuntala-bhara-protphulla-malli-srag-ā-
pīḍaḥ krīḍati gaura-nāgara-varo nṛtyaṁ nijair nāmabhiḥ

kaṭideśe paṭṭavastra, karayugale kaṅkaṇa, vakṣaḥsthale hāra, karṇadvandve kuṇḍala, caraṇe nūpura, ūrddhabhāve nivaddha kuñcita keśadāme praphulla-mallikāmālā-racita cūḍā dhāraṇa kariyā ke ei apūrvāvatāra paramarasika- śiromaṇi gauravarṇa puruṣa nija nāmakīrtanera sahita nṛtya karite karite krīḍā karitechena?

Anuvāda: Who is this indescribable person, who is decorated with a loin-cloth around the waist, bracelets on both the arms, necklace on the chest, earrings on the ear, ringing leglets on the legs, and a garland of blossomed jasmine flowers adorning the bound-up locks of His hair made into a crown, the crest jewel of the relishers of mellow is dancing in the saṅkīrtana of His own names while performing the pastimes.

Jayapatākā Swami: When Kṛṣṇa Caitanya is observing or performing the nāma-saṅkīrtana, actually nāma-saṅkīrtana are the names of Lord Kṛṣṇa. So Kṛṣṇa Caitanya is chanting His own names and dancing in ecstasy. In this way He is encouraging everyone to perform the saṅkīrtana. Here is the description how He is decorated is given - with bracelets, earring, with garlands, with ankles on the feet and He is wearing the ankle bells. I mean, it is very beautiful to watch Lord Caitanya, hear His movements and so He is performing all these pastimes. And presenting Himself as a humble devotee. So, people are watching and they are wondering who is this amazing person? Actually how the Supreme Personality of Godhead descends as His own devotee is really an astonishing, wonderful thing! So He is the crest jewel of all the avatāra and He is performing this Harināma-saṅkīrtana to give the love of Himself to everyone.

Śrī Caitanya-candrāmṛtam 133

gauraharira nṛtya— deva, gandharva, siddhagaṇerao harṣa-vismayotpādaka

The dancing of Gaurahari creates happiness and wonder even in demigods, Gandharvas, and Siddhas.

devā dundubhi-vādanaṁ vidadhire gandharva-mukhyā jaguḥ
siddhāḥ santata-puṣpa-vṛṣṭibhiḥ imaṁ pṛthivīṁ samācchādayan
divya-stotra-parā maharṣi-nivahaḥ prītyopatasthur nija-
premonmādini tāṇḍavaṁ racayati śrī-gauracandre bhuvi

Anuvāda: nija-preme unmatta haiyā śrī-gaurasundara pṛthivīte uddagu-nṛtya ārambha karile devatāgaṇa dundubhi-vādana karite lāgilena, pradhāna pradhāna gandharvagaṇa saṅkīrtana ārambha karilena, siddhagaṇa nirantara puṣpavṛṣṭi dvārā bhūmaṇḍala samācchanna karilena, manohara stotra-pāṭhakuśala-maharṣivṛnda prītira sahita stava karite lāgilena.

Translation: When, being maddened due to His own love, Śrī Gaurasundara began dancing on the earth, then the demigods played the dundubhi, the leading Gandharvas started saṅkīrtana, the Siddhas completely covered this earth by constant showering of flowers, and the groups of saintly persons who are experts in reciting the stotra (prayer), lovingly recited the stotras.

Jayapatākā Swami: These residents of the higher planets were appreciating all the transcendental activities of Lord Caitanya. When He began to dance, they played different instruments, the Gandharvas did sankīrtana, the devas beat on drums, dhundubis, the whole celestial planets were completely ecstatic to see the Supreme Person engaging in this transcendental pastime. I don’t know what it is like to actually see the saṅkīrtana of Lord Caitanya. We saw sometime the dancing of His Holiness Radhanath Swami and different devotees is very beautiful, very nice. But actually, Lord Caitanya’s dancing, that’s something that all these personalities from different parts of the universe, they were enjoying and glorifying. So, we can understand that Lord Caitanya’s dancing was something very special. Lord Caitanya told Lord Nityānanda that His dancing was very special. Whenever Lord he dances Lord Caitanya wants to be there. Unfortunately, we are 500 years too late but this writer, Prabodānanda Sarasvatī, is trying to share his experience how wonderful is the dancing of Lord Caitanya in saṅkīrtana. Sometimes he more or less says the same thing again and again because as he said, it is indescribable. We asked Śrīla Prabhupāda to tell us something about Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura. Tears would come from his eyes and he would say what can I say? He was a Vaikuṇṭha man! So, we have to be satisfied with these descriptions given and understand, Lord Caitanya’s Krsna’s dancing in saṅkīrtana is something that cannot be described.

Hare Kṛṣṇa!

Śrīla Jayapatākā Swami Guru Mahārāja Ki ! Jay!