19850713 Caitanya-caritāmṛta Madhya-līlā 14.36

The following is a lecture given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami, on July 13th 1985 in Kolkata, India. The class begins with a reading from the Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā, Chapter 14, text 36.

Jayapatākā Swami: (Recites the verses; reads the translation and purport with devotees repeating the verses)

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya līlā 14.36

ei-mata jagannātha karena bhojana
ei sukhe mahāprabhura juḍāya nayana

Translation: Indeed, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was fully satisfied just to see how Lord Jagannātha accepted all the food.

Purport: Following in the footsteps of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu; a Vaiṣṇava should be fully satisfied simply to see a variety of food offered to the Deity of Jagannātha or Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa.

kṛtvaiva tṛptiṁ bhajataḥ sadaiva
vande guroḥ śrī-caraṇāravindam

“The spiritual master is always offering Kṛṣṇa four kinds of delicious food [analyzed as that which is licked, chewed, drunk and sucked]. When the spiritual master sees that the devotees are satisfied by eating Bhagavat-prasāda, he is satisfied. I offer my respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of such a spiritual master. The spiritual master’s duty is to engage his disciples in preparing varieties of nice foods to offer the Deity. After being offered, this food is distributed as prasāda to the devotees. These activities satisfy the spiritual master, although he himself does not eat or require such a variety of prasāda. By seeing to the offering and distribution of prasāda, he himself is encouraged in devotional service.

Jayapatākā Swami: Actually, we can see how the Gurvaṣṭaka, each verse has got so many little instructions for guiding us to spiritual life –

Taking the different kinds of prasāda for our purification. One thing is also in the verse which I don’t know how often we realize when we sing that song, saṁsāra prayers in the morning - svādv-anna-tṛptān hari-bhakta-saṅghān. Hari bhakta sanghān - to take the prasāda in the association of the devotees of the Lord.

I remember in Māyāpur, Śrīla Prabhupāda… many places Śrīla Prabhupāda, he said this was practically like this was a regulative principle that the devotees should take prasāda; the devotees should take prasāda in the association of Vaiṣṇavas, Hari-bhaktas. This is very important. This is much more purifying when we take Kṛṣṇa-prasāda in the atmosphere of taking with other devotees. All these things are very important.

You know how Śrīla Prabhupāda always was stressing to take Kṛṣṇa-prasāda together. Sometimes people want to go out and eat Kṛṣṇa-prasāda. But here it is said that it is better recommended that apart from just taking by oneself, one should take in the association of Hari bhakta saṅga, in the association of other devotees of the lord.

Caitanya caritāmṛta, Madhya 14.37

keyā-patra-droṇī āila bojhā pāṅca-sāta
eka eka jane daśa donā dila, — eta pāta

Translation: There then arrived five or seven loads of plates made of the leaves of the ketakī tree.

(What is that ketakī tree?

Devotee: (inaudible)

Jayapatākā Swami: (aside): big leaves? (asks the devotees))

Each man was supplied ten of these plates, and in this way the dishes were served.

Jayapatākā Swami: One man to serve ten others. Then how much it was? For each man…this is how they served it out.

Caitanya caritāmṛta, Madhya 14.38

kīrtanīyāra pariśrama jāni’ gaurarāya
tāṅ-sabāre khāoyāite prabhura mana dhāya

Translation: Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu understood the labor of all the kīrtana chanters; therefore, He was very eager to feed them sumptuously.

Caitanya caritāmṛta, Madhya 14.39

pāṅti pāṅti kari’ bhakta-gaṇe vasāilā
pariveśana karibāre āpane lāgilā

Translation: All the devotees sat down in lines, and Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu personally began to distribute the prasāda.

Jayapatākā Swami: See, how exalted the service it is. Even the lord Himself wanted to serve the other, serve the Vaiṣṇavas.

Caitanya caritāmṛta, Madhya 14.40

prabhu nā khāile, keha nā kare bhojana
svarūpa-gosāñi tabe kaila nivedana

Caitanya caritāmṛta, Madhya 14.41

āpane vaisa, prabhu, bhojana karite
tumi nā khāile, keha nā pāre khāite

Translation: However, the devotees would not accept the prasāda until Caitanya Mahāprabhu took it. It was Svarūpa Gosvāmī who informed the Lord of this. Svarūpa Dāmodara said, “My Lord, would you please sit down. No one will eat until You do.”

Caitanya caritāmṛta, Madhya 14.42

tabe mahāprabhu vaise nija-gaṇa lañā
bhojana karāila sabāke ākaṇṭha pūriyā

Translation: At that time, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu sat down with His personal associates and fed every one of them very sumptuously until they were filled to the necks.

Jayapatākā Swami (comments): ākaṇṭha pūriyā, pūriyā, kaṇṭha means the kaṇṭhīmālā. This is the kaṇṭha. So ākaṇṭha means up to here. It’s coming up to here. (devotees laughing) There is no more rooms. It is stacked. So one when he takes mahāprasāda on special days like festival days, then they have to take ākaṇṭha-bhojana, up to the neck.

One time there was a devotee, went on to bloop. So he was taking prasāda at a feast day and he got up to leave. Then Prabhupāda said, “You have taken prasada?”

He said, “Yes.”

“Are you feeling sick?”

 He said, “No.”

“Sit down, take more.” (devotees laughing)

They forced him to sit down and take, until he was, “I can’t take.”

Then he is so filled that he had to take rest and he never left. (Devotees laughing)

So even by prasāda sometimes someone can be saved from blooping, from leaving devotional service.

Know how, Svarūpa Dāmodara all the senior devotees, they were the ones who were serving, even Mahāprabhu Himself. Sometime we see in temples that all the brāhmaṇas sit down, all the leading devotees and then they asked the bhakta to serve. This is not the principle. Only in ISKCON, I see this. due to, not knowing But in any other Vaishnava traditional institution, it is the brāhmaṇas who serve. Those who are second initiated, the senior devotees. Someone who is a bhakta is never allowed to serve a twice initiated devotee. Apart from that it is a very important service. Not just a caste thing or something. But that’s a very important service that should be done in a proper mood and very efficiently. You don’t ask a new person to do it unless he is very expert, you see. Things can become very confused. They will start serving that this preparation the sweet rice first, and then the śuktā after the sweet rice, and so on and so forth, becomes all confused. There is a specific way especially the East Indian prasāda, Oriya-Gauḍīya prasāda is served. It comes in a certain way and also this should be served in such a way that everyone gets as much as they can take. But no one should get so much that it is wasted. So, to do that effectively that means it has to be many visits and the person has to be expert in this understanding - how much a person should get, and if they need more, keep on giving more.

Sometimes the people serve you see him stand, when they are not expert, they stand with a spoon and say “Want more? Want more?” Instead the person eats, if he wants, he has to answer. (Mahārāja makes coughing sound)

“Yes.”

Then they serve. This is not the system. The system is that he slowly gives, and then if they don’t want, they will go. (devotees laughing). They will run you know (inaudible 10.49) Interference. No more. They don’t have to stop chewing and clear their throat and do it. They automatically by waving their hands say, “No.” And if they are undecided, then give them more. If they are hesitating, if they are not objecting, then all right. So, everyone has to concentrate on the prasāda. Otherwise, if they are looking this way or that way, then in the meantime someone would come, before they know it their plate will be packed. So, all these things required a little bit maturity to be able to do these things. And also, when a person is serving, they themselves should not be so neophyte that they are worried, “Whether anything will be left for me.”

This type of you know. So that requires a little bit senior devotee; otherwise, all the time they might be thinking you know, “Will I get enough? Look at this...” And then they are lusting over the food, the prasāda they are serving out. Then the people will get nervous you know because the person himself serving, you know has become servant but when he sees the pot getting empty or something.

So, you find that of course not [Not Clear – 00:12:02] but automatically the senior devotees, even Mahāprabhu Himself was taking up, He wanted to serve the Vaiṣṇavas. But there are also these practical reasons we see that when we don’t follow the system of having, at least expert, somewhat senior devotees serve, then sometimes all this type of confusions comes out. So, it’s not a service generally for guests or for bhaktas. Of course, in India, guests might be very expert in serving because this is a tradition in Hindu families to serve out to guests. So that’s seen in many agriculture families how the hosts took a personal interest to see that all of the guests were served, and we can see that the tradition had been headed down, here in Eastern India.

So, Śrīla Prabhupāda told us in Māyāpur that it was very important. He was very concerned that in ISKCON we know how to serve, especially the distinguished Indian gentlemen prasāda in a correct manner. And as he was telling us this, how in other temples, and in other they were very expert in this; we have to also learn these techniques. He became so enthused, that then he said… Just at that time one commissioner or minister had come to the temple. So then he said, “Bring my chair.” and he personally had his chair brought over to where the person was taking… (Break)

Caitanya caritāmṛta, Madhya 14.44

prabhura ājñāya govinda dīna-hīna jane
duḥkhī kāṅgāla āni’ karāya bhojane

Translation: Following the orders of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Govinda, His personal servant, called for all the poor beggars, who were unhappy due to their poverty, and fed them sumptuously.

Caitanya caritāmṛta, Madhya 14.45
kāṅgālera bhojana-raṅga dekhe gaurahari
‘hari-bola’ bali’ tāre upadeśa kari

Translation: Observing the beggars eating prasāda, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu chanted, “Haribol!” and instructed them to chant the holy name.

Purport: In a song, Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura chants:

miche māyāra vaśe,     yāccha bhese’,
khāccha hābuḍubu, bhāi
jīva kṛṣṇa-dāsa,     e viśvāsa,
ka’rle ta’ āra duḥkha nāi

”O people! Why are you being captivated by the waves of the ocean of nescience? If you would immediately accept Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa as your eternal master, there would be no chance of being carried away by the waves of illusion. Then all your sufferings would stop.” Kṛṣṇa conducts the material world under the three modes of material nature, and consequently there are three platforms of life—higher, middle and lower. On whatever platform one may be situated, one is tossed by the waves of material nature. Someone may be rich, someone may be middle class, and someone may be a poor beggar—it doesn’t matter. As long as one is under the spell of the three modes of material nature, he must continue to experience these divisions.

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu therefore advised the beggars to chant ”Haribol!” while taking prasādam. Chanting means accepting one’s self as the eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa. This is the only solution, regardless of social position. Everyone is suffering under the spell of māyā; therefore the best course is to learn how to get out of the clutches of māyā. How to do so is stated by Kṛṣṇa in the Bhagavad-gītā (14.26):

māṁ ca yo ’vyabhicāreṇa bhakti-yogena sevate
sa guṇān samatītyaitān brahma-bhūyāya kalpate

”One who engages in full devotional service, unfailing in all circumstances, at once transcends the modes of material nature and thus comes to the level of Brahman.”

One can overcome the spell of māyā and attain the transcendental platform by agreeing to engage in the devotional service of the Lord. Devotional service begins with śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam; [ŚB. 7.5.23] therefore Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu advised the beggars to chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra for elevation to the transcendental position. On the transcendental platform, there is no distinction between the rich, the middle class and the poor.

Caitanya caritāmṛta, Madhya 14.46

‘hari-bola’ bali’ kāṅgāla preme bhāsi’ yāya
aichana adbhuta līlā kare gaurarāy

Translation: As soon as the beggars chanted the holy name, “Haribol,” they were immediately absorbed in ecstatic love of Godhead. In this way Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu performed wonderful pastimes.

Purport: To feel the emotion of ecstatic love of God is to be on the transcendental platform. If one can keep himself in that transcendental position, he will surely return home, back to Godhead. In the spiritual world there are no higher, middle or lower classes. This is confirmed in the Īśopaniṣad (7):

yasmin sarvāṇi bhūtāny ātmaivābhūd vijānataḥ
tatra ko mohaḥ kaḥ śoka ekatvam anupaśyataḥ

“One who always sees all living entities as spiritual sparks, in quality one with the Lord, becomes a true knower of things. What, then, can be illusion or anxiety for him?”

Jayapatākā Swami (comments): So, Lord Caitanya saw that everyone got Kṛṣṇa-prasāda. According to their social position and so on, they may have all got prasāda. Once they are taking prasāda, Lord Caitanya got them all to rise up to the transcendental position. chanting Haribol!

Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare,
Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare

Here we can see that when we give out prasāda, we should make all the people chant Haribol! Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa! In this way feeling transcendental happiness, they will be purified, they will be raised up to transcendental position.

So real sāmyavāda or equality is only possible through this transcendental process. Otherwise, it will simply be artificial. This is the real process of equalizing people, by elevating their consciousness to the transcendental platform. They all become on the same equal spiritual platform. Because on the spiritual platform there is not any differentiation of high, middle or lower class।

You must have heard some pastimes, some instructions you heard Prabhupāda said on some of these things?

Devotee: He said we should distribute prasāda.

Devotee: In every ten kilometers, in every direction, so we calculated out that means ten thousand; sorry ten kilometers in India for prasāda distribution. If you calculate ten thousand centers will distribute Prasāda, ten thousand people, twice a day. 

Jayapatākā Swami: And no one wants to take responsibility? (inaudible)

Devotee: (inaudible)

Jayapatākā Swami: Nāmahaṭṭas. We have already two thousand seven hundred centers. Now you have to do organized prasāda distributions, we can ten thousand overnight.

Jayapatākā Swami: No, it has to be ten thousand. (Devotees laughing) No according if ten by ten, even ten-mile radius…So, that means 20 by 20, 400 square kilometers.

Devotee: Ten kilometers.

Jayapatākā Swami: All right that means twenty by twenty, four hundred square kilometers. Twenty by twenty. So proportionately if you have a greater concentration that means four hundred square kilometers. Ten thousand means twenty-five people have to be fed for each square kilometer. Isn’t it?

Devotee: (Inaudible)

Jayapatākā Swami: [Not Clear – 00:23:03] So ten kilometers paths. Radius ten means diameters 12 miles. Simultaneously ten miles. That means twenty.

Devotee: Every ten kilometers [Not Clear – 00:23:24]

Jayapatākā Swami: That’s a higher standard. Prabhupāda said within ten means normally within ten kilometres radius. You can take it either way. Stage by stage. First stage you can start ten, that’s five thousand…(inaudible) That’s already...So then that way (inaudible) In this way we have in a ten kilometers radius four, five Nāmahaṭṭas, no problem. One in the ten kilometers daily. Nāmahaṭṭa program daily. Kilometers, four hundred. One in every village.

So, in any way in any case this indicates that Prabhupāda how much wanted that ISKCON will unite the people through serving them Kṛṣṇa-prasādam and the holy name. While they are taking prasāda, they also will be chanting. So, this way all of the essentials of life, material and spiritual are being met.

(24.41 to 26.37 is in Bengali)

Verified by: Sadānanda Kṛṣṇaprema dāsa

End of Transcription.