20200701 Actors and Qualifications to See the Drama

Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book Compilation by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on 1^st July 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: So, tonight we are reading about Lord Caitanya’s dramatic performance at the house of Candraśekhara. We got half-way through the chapter. Lord Caitanya ordered Buddhimanta Khān and Sadāśiva to bring costumes, they brought all the costumes and paraphernalia needed for the drama. Then Śrīvāsa asked, “Who can see the drama?” and Lord Caitanya said, “I will dance as a woman, so the participants should be self-controlled,” so that is where we left off.

Caitanya-candrodaya-nāṭaka 3.34

maitrī: tado tado?

Maitrī: Then? Then?

Caitanya candrodaya nāṭaka 3.35

prema-bhaktiḥ: tato bhagavatā punar api śrīvāso nija-gade—śrīvāsa! bhavatā nāradena bhavitavyam | śuklāmbareṇa tava snātakena bhāvyam | gāthakāḥ śrī-rāmādayas traya ācārya-ratna-vidyānidhī ceti devenaiva niyojitāḥ |

And then the personified friendship said: Then! Then! What next?

Prema Bhakti: Then the Lord told Śrīvāsa: “Śrīvāsa, you will be Nārada, and Śuklāmbara will be your snātaka (snātaka is a brahmacārī who has completed his study with the spiritual master and is about to return home to marry). The chorus of singers will be Ācāryaratna, Vidyānidhī and your three brothers headed by Śrīrāma.” In this way the Lord assigned the parts.

Jayapatākā Swami: We can see how the producer of the drama is Lord Gaurāṅga Himself. He is assigning the different parts to the different devotees.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 18.20

lakṣmī-veśe aṅka-nṛtya kariba ṭhākura
sakala vaiṣṇava-raṅga bāḍila pracura

Jayapatākā Swami: Understanding that Lord Gaurāṅga would participate in the drama, dancing in the dress of Lakṣmī, all the Vaiṣṇavas’ happiness increased greatly.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 18.21

prabhuvākye vaiṣṇavagaṇera viṣāda—

śeṣe prabhu kathā-khāni karilena daḍha
śuniyā haila sabe viṣādita baḍa

Jayapatākā Swami: In the end when they heard Lord Gaurāṅga’s strict order, then they became filled with great lamentation.

Purport by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura: To test the intelligence of the materialists by proposing to dance in the dress of Lakṣmī, Śrī Gaurasundara revealed that the mental speculators have no qualification to realize the variegated pastimes of the transcendental Lord. Those who in illusion consider themselves enjoyers and the women of this world as objects of enjoyment follow in the footsteps of Rāvaṇa by maintaining the sinful desire to become the husband of Sītā. The service of Lakṣmī is the highest principle of Vaiṣṇavism. Those who rather than serving Lakṣmī attempt to become “master of Lakṣmī” while proudly considering themselves “enjoyers” are not even qualified to become servants of Lakṣmī on the path of awe and veneration, what to speak of becoming qualified to serve the Lord in mādhurya-rasa, or conjugal love. Whenever Śrī Gaurasundara displays the pastimes of His internal potencies, realization that He is directly Lord Kṛṣṇa is obstructed. Those who desire to enjoy Gaura as His consorts proudly consider Gaurasundara as simply the object of their enjoyment.

Jayapatākā Swami: Certain apasampradāyas or non bona fide disciplic successions consider Lord Gaurāṅga as the object of enjoyment. They are not qualified at all, to participate in the Lord’s pastimes. Actually, although the Lord’s pastimes may appear different to the materialists because their subjective viewpoint is simply material, they cannot – in the spiritual world the mood is service, and love to the Supreme Lord.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 18.22-023

prabhuvākya-śravaṇe advaita o śrīvāsera abhimata—

sarvādye bhūmite aṅka dilena ācārya
“āji nṛtya daraśane mora nāhi kārya

āmi se ajitendriya nā yāiba tathā”
śrīvāsa paṇḍita kahe,—“mora oi kathā”

Jayapatākā Swami: So Advaita Gosvāmī, He drew a line on the ground. He said, “I am not going to go to see this drama. I am not a sense-controlled person”, Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita replied, “I was going to say the same thing!” Since devotees are naturally humble, Lord Caitanya said only one who is completely ajitendriya, sense controlled, should attend. So, devotees, naturally are not proud they think alright, tonight I can’t attend, even if a person like Advaita Gosvāmī or Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura, they are completely sense controlled, if Lord Caitanya says this, they can’t attend as a matter of principle. Their attending would be saying, “I am sense controlled.”

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 18.24

prabhura sakalake āśvāsa o abhinaya-darśane adhikāra pradāna—

śuniyāṭhākura kahe īṣat hāsiyā
“tomarā nā gele nṛtya kāhāre laiyā”

Jayapatākā Swami: Since Advaita Gosvāmī was supposed to take the role of the hero, He said, He would not go. So, this was heard by Lord Caitanya. He smiled slightly, “If You don’t go, then with whom will We dance in the drama?”

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 18.25

sarva-raṅga-cūḍāmaṇi caitanya-gosāṅi
punaḥājṣā karilena,—“kāro cintā nāi

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya, the Crest Jewel, the Crown Jewel, of all the playful actors, again declared, there is no worry for anyone.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 18.26

mahāyogeśvara āji tomarā haibādekhiyā
āmāre keha moha nā pāibā”

Jayapatākā Swami: “You all will become great mystic yogīs today, and none of you will be bewildered, by seeing Me dance in the drama.”

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 18.27

prabhura ājñāya vaiṣṇavagaṇera ullāsa—

śuniyā prabhura ājñā advaita, śrīvāsa
sabāra sahita mahā pāila ullāsa

Jayapatākā Swami: When they heard Lord Gaurāṅga’s order, Lord Advaita, Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita, and all other devotees, they experienced great happiness and became overjoyed.

Caitanya candrodaya nāṭaka 3.36

ataḥ paraṁ na keṣām api tatra praveśaḥ kintu śrīvāsādi-sahodara-vadhūbhiḥ sahācārya-ratna-murāri-vadhū-prabhṛtayaḥ prāg eva tatra praviśya sthitāḥ | adhikāra-bhājaś ca tāḥ

Besides these, no one else was allowed entrance. But, the wives of Śrīvāsa and his brothers, and the wives of Ācāryaratna, Murāri, and some others who had already entered being qualified to be there to see.

Jayapatākā Swami: We can see how the ladies of the great devotees were also allowed, the wives of the great devotees like Śrīvāsa and others, they were qualified to see the drama. So, they have the special mercy from Lord Gaurāṅga.

Thus, ends the chapter, Actors and Qualifications to See the Drama

So, at 7 O’clock Indian time, we heard that they are going to have the digital ratha visit Māyāpur, visit all the devotees. So, we want to see that. First, we would like to request everyone, please pray on this holy day, if it so pleases Kṛṣṇa, for the recovery of His Holiness Bhakti Cāru Mahārāja.

Any questions?

Question: Why the women Vaiṣṇavīs not engaged in these dramas? Lord Gaurāṅga and Lord Nityānanda were dressed up for the female characters but now we see that in our society, ISKCON, in dramas, Vaiṣṇavīs are acting on the stage. How can we follow the same standards in the footsteps of the Lord?

Your servant,
Śyāma Rasika dāsa

Jayapatākā Swami: Kali-yuga, So, there is a different standard. our Nāmahaṭṭa dramas, have men dressed up as ladies. But in the West, ladies play ladies, because if men play ladies, they will have different connotation in the West. Anyway, so it was interesting that Lord Caitanya was the combined form of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, He was dividing Himself into two and taking the role, half of Him as Rādhārāṇī, and then empowering Advaita Ācārya, and entering into Him as Kṛṣṇa, very interesting drama.

Question: Hare Kṛṣṇa dear Guru Mahārāja! Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda! My friend has left Kṛṣṇa consciousness, I don’t know how to communicate with her now, because I am afraid to adopt the wrong mindset. But at the same time, I hope that she will return and somehow, I try to keep in touch. Dear Gurudeva, please kindly tell me how to act in this situation?

Your spiritual daughter,
Ekapriyā Mādhavī devī dāsī, Chelyabinsk, Russia.

Jayapatākā Swami: You said that she is your friend. So, if you relate with her as a friend, then that should be appropriate. Then you can, as a friend, if you see the opportunity, you can encourage her to practice Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Anyway, if she is your friend, you can write to her or talk to her, how she is doing.

Alright, thank you all very much. I hope you all are enjoying the digital return ratha. By getting the live darśana of Lord Jagannātha, back in Māyāpur, and also getting the darshan of all the major Deities in Māyāpur. Haribol!