20201208 Mahāprabhu Entering Śrī Jagannātha Mandir

Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book Compilation By His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on 8th December 2020 in Śrīdhāma 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 !

Introduction: Today we are continuing with the compilation of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book, today’s chapter entitled as:

Entering the Temple and Seeing Jagannātha, Subhadrā and Baladeva

Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka 6.76: Everyone: Although the path to the temple is reached within a moment, it appears to the Lord to be very very long. We should think what we should do in this matter. The servants seeing Lord Nīlācala-candra (Jagannātha), is easy for His servants, not for others. It is very difficult, especially for us, the Foreigners. We will not easily see Him without the help of the king's men.

Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka 6.77: [Mukunda:] There is a solution.

Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka 6.78: [The Others:] What is the solution?

Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka 6.79: [Mukunda:] Gopīnātha Ācārya, who is very dear to the Lord, and who is Viśārada's son-in-law and Sārvabhauma's brother-in-law, lives here. Just like you, he knows about Lord Caitanya's pastimes in Navadvīpa.

Jayapatākā Swami: Gopīnātha Ācārya, was one of the special associates of Lord Caitanya from Navadvīpa dhāma. So, he lives in Jagannātha Purī so Mukunda dutta he is saying that by his help we can easily enter the temple

Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka 6.80: [The Others:] How can he help us?

Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka 6.81: [Mukunda:] Through Sārvabhauma, he can do everything.

Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka 6.82: [Everyone:] (enacting pleasure) Well spoken! Let us first find his home. (They walk).

Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka 6.83: (Gopīnātha Ācārya enters) [Gopīnātha Ācārya:] (to himself) My right eye trembles. My heart is happy and clear. I do not know what kind of happiness will be generated by the darśana of Lord Jagannātha.

Jayapatākā Swami: When the males right side trembles it is an auspicious sign so something good is going to happen. (He walks to go to see Lord Jagannātha).

Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka 6.84: [Mukunda:] He is Gopīnātha Ācārya.

Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka 6.85: [Nityānanda:] Mukunda, go quickly. Go before he reaches the lion-gate.

Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka 6.86: (Mukunda does that).

Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka 6.87: [Gopīnātha Ācārya:] (looking ahead) Who is this? Could he be a Gauḍīya (Bengali)? (Looking) Ah! He is Navadvīpa-vāsī. (Looking again) Ah! He is Mukunda, the dear servant of Lord Viśvambhara. The auspicious signs have borne fruit. (approaching) Ah! You are Mukunda.

Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka 6.88: [Mukunda:] Ācārya, I offer my respects to you.

Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka 6.89: [Gopīnātha Ācārya:] Is Lord Viśvambhara well?

Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka 6.90: [Mukunda:] Lord Viśvambhara has come here.

Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka 6.91: [Gopīnātha:] (blissful) What did you say? Where is He? Where is He? (He again embraces Mukunda).

Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka 6.92: [Mukunda:] (Taking Gopīnātha with him, he returns).

Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka 6.93: Gopīnātha Ācārya: (looking ahead) Mukunda, who is this best of sannyāsīs?

Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka 6.94: (Mukunda tells him everything).

Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka 6.95: [Gopīnātha]: (filled with wonder) The mellow of love that was before, is now mixed with the mellow of vairāgya. Although my eyes taste that same rasa (I feel the same pleasure now seeing Him as sannyāsī as when He was gṛhastha), our heart tastes both sour and sweet.

Jayapatākā Swami: Gopīnātha Ācārya is expressing change of rasa while adding vairāgya to Lord Caitanya’s bliss.

Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka 6.96: [Mukunda:] (approaching) Lord, to bring You to Him, Lord Jagannāthadeva has sent His representative Gopīnātha Ācārya.

Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka 6.97: [Bhagavān:] (Enacting external consciousness) Where is he? Where is he?

Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka 6.98: [Gopīnātha Ācārya:] Here I am. (He falls at the Lord's feet).

Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka 6.99: (The Lord embraces him).

Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka 6.100: (Gopīnātha Ācārya bows down before Jagadānanda and Dāmodara after bowing down to Lord Nityānanda)

Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka 6.101: [Mukunda:] How can we see Lord Jagannātha without interference and for as long as we wish?

Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka 6.102: [Gopīnātha Ācārya:] You can see Him if Sārvabhauma tries in this regard which depends on his good fortune.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Sārvabhauma Bhattācārya, is the head priest. But he presently a Māyāvādī, I don’t know when he will have good fortune to see Lord Caitanya as He is.

Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka 6.103: [Everyone:] Then, let the Lord (Caitanya) Himself communicate.

Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka 6.104: [Gopīnātha Ācārya:] Lord, we think that without Your speaking to Sārvabhauma it will not be easy for us to see Lord Jagannātha. Lord, what is Your wish in this matter.

Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka 6.105: [Bhagavān:] Your desire is My desire.

Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka 6.106: [Gopīnātha Ācārya:] Then the tree of Sārvabhauma's past pious deeds has borne fruit. Let the Lord may place His feet in this direction.

Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka 6.107: [Bhagavān:] Show the way.

Caitanya Candrodaya Nāṭaka 6.108: [Gopīnātha:] This way. This way. (Everyone walks).

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 6.3

premāveśe jagannāthake āliṅgana karite giyā prabhura mūrcchā:— 

āveśe calilā prabhu jagannātha-mandire
jagannātha dekhi’ preme ha-ilā asthire 

Translation: In ecstasy, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu went from Āṭhāranālā to the temple of Jagannātha. After seeing Lord Jagannātha, He became very restless due to love of Godhead.

Caitanya Carita Mahā Kāvya 11.85: Falling on the ground with the others, he bathed in his own tears. Arriving at Purī, he entered with devotion, and seeing Jagannātha, he offered respects.

Caitanya Carita Mahā Kāvya 11.86: Continually gazing at the Lord’s sweet, moon-like face, he bathed his body in an ocean of flowing tears. Jagannātha also, seeing him with his unblinking lotus eyes, became continually submerged in an ocean of bliss.

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Jagannātha is reciprocating with the Lord Caitanya’s loving glance.

Murāri Gupta Kaḍaca 3.10.15: As He entered the great festival within the temple of the God of gods, all the hairs of His body thrilled due to great ecstasy, and His chest became covered with tears because of He was thinking of the Lord who resides in the hearts of all. Then beholding that Master of all worlds, our Prabhu bowed down.

Jayapatākā Swami: Seeing Lord Jagannātha, the Lord of all gods, Lord Caitanya offered His prostrated obeisances by falling down.

Murāri Gupta Kaḍaca 3.10.16: Falling again like a rod to the ground, He then arose and fell again and again. His face showed the struggle of holding back the symptoms of prema, but after a moment He displayed His overwhelming ecstatic feelings for the Lord of the universe. His fists clenched and He wept loudly.

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya cannot control His ecstatic love for Lord Jagannātha.

Murāri Gupta Kaḍaca 3.10.17: Seeing Him thus affected, Śrī Puruṣottama Hari extended His soft lotus hand, revealing His ruddy palm, and Caitanya-deva laughed with gladness.

Jayapatākā Swami: So in ecstasy Lord Caitanya was seeing Jagannātha extending His hands.

Murāri Gupta Kaḍaca 3.10.18: He said, "O ocean of mercy! God of gods, who are offered prayers by Maheśa! Please show Your mercy to Me!" Then being unable to see again the blossom-like fingers of Lord Jagannātha's hand, Gaura felt be grieved and wept with redoubled strength.

Jayapatākā Swami: Normally we don’t see the fingers of Lord Jagannātha, but Lord Jagannātha, He somehow displayed His fingers to Lord Caitanya and then it was not visible to Lord Caitanya and then he cried tears of joy and cried with doubled strength.

Murāri Gupta Kaḍaca 3.10.19: Again seeing Jagannātha's hand, Gaura became filled with immense exultation, and His slender body became flooded by streams formed of tears of joy.

Murāri Gupta Kaḍaca 3.10.20: Those who hear and sing of the exalted and magnanimous behavior of Jagannātha Swāmī and Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu can see the ultimate goal of life and thus enter the supreme abode of Murāri, wherefrom one never again falls.

Jayapatākā Swami: If one is able to appreciate this transcendental exchange between Lord Jagannātha, the Supreme Personality of Godhead and Lord Caitanya, the Supreme Personality of devotee then they can enter into the Kṛṣṇaloka planet, where from one never falls to this material world again.

Murāri Gupta Kaḍaca 3.11.1: After hearing all this, the learned vipra Śrī Dāmodara Paṇḍita further inquired, "How did the blessed Lord Gaura again see the Supreme Lord Puruṣottama-deva?

Murāri Gupta Kaḍaca 3.11.2: “By whose assistance did He see Jagannātha, and what did Śrī Caitanya Janārdana then do?” Hearing this, the physician

Jayapatākā Swami: Murāri Gupta was satisfied and continued narrating that sublime history.

Murāri Gupta Kaḍaca 3.11.3: O brāhmaṇa, listen attentively to this divine story that purifies the three worlds. It arises from the joy Mahāprabhu took in looking upon the Master of all sentient beings.

Jayapatākā Swami: When Lord Caitanya went into the temple of Lord Jagannātha, Baladeva and Subhadrā and saw Lord Jagannātha, the bliss that He felt on seeing the Lord was completely transcendental was overwhelming to Lord Caitanya, so hearing about that gives one special blessing.

Caitanya Carita Mahā Kāvya 11.87: In this way, the Lord, decorated with sandalwood, garlands, scents and camphor, flooding unlimited places with the sweetness of his dress, produced by his own sweet will, the highest bliss in the land of Navadvīpa through his skillful dancing along with His devotees.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, the Lords blissful dancing in front of Lord Jagannātha, flooded the place with the highest bliss of Navadvīpa-dhāma.

Caitanya Carita Mahā Kāvya 11.88: When he performed his pastimes in Navadvīpa at His will, Lakṣmī personified appeared in all the houses, and all happiness personified also appeared everywhere. Prema for the Lord appeared in everyone continually, in newer and newer ways.

Caitanya Carita Mahā Kāvya 11.89: When the Lord played with great pleasure in Navadvīpa, there was no sleep, no fear, no hunger, no thirst , no whimsical actions, and no fear of time or punishment from Yama for anyone, by the Lord’s mercy.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, this is the quality of Lord Caitanya’s mercy, when He was performing His pastimes in Navadvīpa-dhāma.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 2.427

mandire jagannātha-sandarśane—

hena-kāle gauracandra jagata-jīvana
dekhilena jagannātha, subhadrā, saṅkarṣaṇa 

Jayapatākā Swami: At that time Lord Gauracandra, the life and soul of the universe, He saw Lord Jagannātha, Subhadrā devī, and Lord Saṅkarṣaṇa (Baladeva).

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 2.428

dekhi' mātra prabhu kare parama huṅkāre
icchā haila jagannātha kole karibāre

Jayapatākā Swami: As soon as the Lord Caitanya saw Jagannātha, He loudly roared and felt an intense desire to embrace Lord Jagannātha.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 2.429

lampha dena viśvambhara ānande vihvala
catur-dike chuṭe saba nayanera jala 

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Viśvambhara leapt into the air, overwhelmed with ecstatic love, and tears from His eyes shot in all directions.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 2.430

prabhura ānanda-murchā—

kṣaṇeke paḍilā hai' ānande mūrcchita
ke bujhe e īśvarera agādha carita 

Jayapatākā Swami: The next moment Lord Caitanya, fell to the ground unconscious in ecstasy. Who can understand the unfathomable characteristics of the Supreme Personality of Godhead?

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 6.4

jagannātha āliṅgite calilā dhāñā
mandire paḍilā preme āviṣṭa hañā

Translation: Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu went swiftly to embrace Lord Jagannātha, but when He entered the temple, He was so overwhelmed with love of Godhead that He fainted to the floor.

Jayapatākā Swami: This explains the loving ecstasies of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, when He saw Lord Jagannātha. Now He is unconscious on the ground, overwhelmed with love of Kṛṣṇa, ecstatic love of Godhead. So Lord Caitanya is showing by His practical example how one can naturally have love for Kṛṣṇa and by hearing about the Lords spontaneous love we can also achieve His this natural love for the Lord, our dormant love can be awakened by the mercy of Lord Caitanya.

Thus ends the chapter entitled, Entering the Temple and Seeing Jagannātha, Subhadrā and Baladeva