20200726 Jumping in Gaṅgā to Counteract the Sinful Activity (Part 2)

The following is the Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book Compilation given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on 26th 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, in combining these books on Caitanya’s pastimes and activities, some of the books are written in Sanskrit language. I don’t particularly know Sanskrit. So I can only get to read out the English translation that is provided to us, and the Bengali text, I am able to translate, many texts are more or less the same, as far as I understand. If I see something left out, then I try to correct that. So today we have started a little late. Tonight at 8.30 pm we are having an interview with the Temple of Vedic Planetarium. I don’t know if you would like to attend that. How that is being broadcast. But we will have to proceed now with finishing these existing verses.

Caitanya Carita Mahā Kāvya 17.95: The merciful Lord then went to Murāri Gupta’s house with the devotees. He then went to a brāhmaṇa’s house and spent the night there.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 7.80

tabe sabajana mili’ prabhu viśvambhara
murāriguptera ghara gelā ta satvara

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Viśvambhara, accompanied by His associates, then went to Murāri Gupta’s house quickly.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā, 17.246

vijaya ācāryera ghare se rātre rahilā
prātaḥ-kāle bhakta sabe ghare lañā gelā

Translation: That night the Lord stayed at the house of Vijaya Ācārya. In the morning the Lord took all His devotees and returned home.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, we can see that Vijaya Ācārya was mentioned in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta about Vijaya Ācārya, that since the Lord stayed at His house, it would be interesting to note his qualities.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 7.81

kṣaṇeka thākiyā prabhu calilā turite
vijaya-miśrera ghara gelā ācambite

Jayapatākā Swami: Staying at Murāri Gupta’s house for a short time, Lord Gaurāṅga went to the house of Vijaya Miśra. He quickly went, proceeded to the house of Vijaya Miśra.

Caitanya Carita Mahā Kāvya 17.96: On another day in the early morning, the Lord crossed the Gaṅgā with the devotees and came to the northern bank. He rested there for a moment, with his heart agitated.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, His birthplace, His house is on the eastern bank of the Ganges. So, it is important that to get to the western bank of the Ganges, He had to cross the Ganges. That gives a proper understanding, of the location of the birthplace of Lord Caitanya. Since the Ganges is not straight, it curves around, therefore, crossing the Ganges, one may reach the northern part of the Ganges, on the western side. For some reason, Lord Caitanya was agitated in His heart, and that will be seen later.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 7.82

rajanī vañciyā prabhu uṭhilā prabhāte
gaṅgāra uttara-kule gelā ācambite

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Gaurāṅga He arose in the early morning, after passing the night. Then He went to the northern bank of the Ganges suddenly.

Caitanya Carita Mahā Kāvya 17.97: In great fear the devotees constantly tried to calm him in a gentle way. Joyfully they brought him to a house. He was under the control of the mood of the devotees.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 7.83

bhramaṇa karaye—tāra nā bujhiye mana
tarāsa pāilā saṅge chila yatajana

Jayapatākā Swami: There the Lord wandered, and no one could understand what was in His mind, or His heart. We translate mana as heart. Whoever was with the Lord, became frightened.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 7.84

brāhmaṇasajjana āra yata nijajana
sabhe mili’ nivedila vinaya-vacana

Jayapatākā Swami: All the assembled devotees, the saintly brāhmaṇas, and His associates, together, they humbly requested the Lord.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 7.85

parasanna hao prabhu gauraguṇanidhi
kātare kahaye ei saba aparādhī

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Gaurāṅga, the ocean of good qualities, please be kind with us. They said, being distressed, everyone is an offender. The nature of the devotees is to think of themselves as an offender, if the Lord is somehow displeased.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 7.86

kṛpā kara mahāprabhu chāḍa ati roṣa
emana kateka nibe sevakera doṣa

Jayapatākā Swami: Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Gaurāṅga Mahāprabhu, please be merciful with us. Please give up Your extreme anger. How many offenses of Your servants, will You consider? So, the associates of Lord Caitanya are considering that He must be angry because of their offences.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 7.87

karuṇāsāgara prabhu karuṇāvigraha
karuṇāya avatāra loka anugraha

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Gaurāṅga, “You are an ocean of mercy, You are personified mercy. You have descended to this material world, to give out Your mercy kindly to the people of this world.”

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 7.88

emana vimukha kene hao ta āpane
āmarā ki jāni tora cita-ācaraṇe

Jayapatākā Swami: “Why do You turn Your face away from us? What can we understand, the thoughts within Your heart?”

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 7.89

gharere āisa prabhu ghucāha pramāda
nija anugata dekhi’ karaha prasāda

Jayapatākā Swami: “Please return to Your home, Lord Gaurāṅga, Give up Your illusory spell. Give Your mercy to Your own followers, and please look again to them.”

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 7.90

eteka vinaya yabe kaila nijajane
sadaya hṛdaya prabhu dravilā takhane

Jayapatākā Swami: When His own associates spoke these humble, humble words, Lord Gaura’s heart became filled with mercy, and began to melt, at that time.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 7.91

gharere āilā prabhu ānandita-mane
nijaguṇa gāya nija-anugata-sane

Jayapatākā Swami: Then Lord Gaurāṅga, He went to His house, with a joyful mind. And then He glorified the Supreme Personality of Godhead, accompanied by His own followers. He is actually the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So, He was glorifying Himself, taking the mood of a devotee, and glorifying the Supreme Person.  In this way He is teaching us, how we should always remember Kṛṣṇa, and never forget Him.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 7.92

nadiyānagare bhela ānanda ullāsa
gaurāguṇa gāya sukhe e locanadāsa

Jayapatākā Swami: In this way the places of Navadvīpa became filled with bliss, joyful and happy. So, with great happiness, Locana dāsa glorifies the transcendental qualities of Lord Gaurāṅga. 

Thus, ends the chapter, Jumping in Gaṅgā to Counteract the Sinful Activity.

So, the last part of this chapter that we read today, is actually a different aspect. It is a mystery, what is the Lord thinking about? and how the associates were coming to Him and pleading humbly with Him, to be merciful on them. So why He was actually upset is not mentioned. But when the devotees pleaded humbly with the Lord, He reciprocated and very humbly and very mercifully listened to them. One aspect was that this brāhmaṇī touched His feet, took the dust again and again. Then He looked very distressed and filled with grief, He ran to the Ganges and jumped in, and He would disappear. Then mother Śacī became wild, All the devotees were saying, “Oh no!” And jumping into the Ganges. Finally, Lord Nityānanda, He went into the Ganges, He found Lord Caitanya and lifted Him up. Then Lord Caitanya was alright, everybody was very relieved. Then He went to the house of Murāri Gupta and then He stayed overnight at Vijaya Miśra’s. Then He crossed the Ganges and walked on the northern bank. He was disturbed, no one understood why He was disturbed, and pleaded with Him, please return home. Please be merciful to us, and then He melted, and He was merciful on them. Why was He unhappy? That is a mystery! 

Any questions? Only five minutes.

Question: Guru Mahārāja! I have a question. Here we see that the devotees they were feeling that they were the offenders. Even though we know the associates of Lord Caitanya were highly qualified and there is no scope for them to commit any offences. But still they were feeling, because the Lord was distressed, they were feeling that they were the offenders. But in our situation, we see that even though we commit offence, we tend to say that I didn’t do this, and we always try to protect ourselves. So how to develop that mentality that the associates of Lord Caitanya had, when they were with Him? - Gopati Kṛṣṇa dāsa.

Jayapatākā Swami: Interesting. In other words, you are saying we have false ego. We think we don’t have any faults. But the associates of Lord Caitanya, always think, it must be because of some faults they did. So, we should follow in their example. Don’t blame others, see yourself first. What mistake you made, “Not me! It was he!” The associates of Lord Caitanya are teaching by their good example, because of their good qualities, Lord Caitanya’s heart melted. 

Question: Hare Kṛṣṇa Guru Mahārāja, please accept my respectful obeisances. (Jayapatākā Swami: Hare Kṛṣṇa). Thank you for the beautiful class and Your holy darśana. In this class we learn that if we take the dust from the lotus feet of a devotee, or a great personality, our sins are transferred to that Vaiṣṇava. How can we understand whether one should seek the dust from the lotus feet of our spiritual master or not? This same question goes for taking the remnants of your maha-prasāda.

Your servants and daughters,
Gīteśvarī Viṣṇupriyā devī dāsī and Kairava Candrīkā devī dāsī.

Jayapatākā Swami: In the purport Śrīla Prabhupāda said, not to give the remnants of prasāda other than to initiated disciples. So, since you are all initiated disciples, then you could take the remnants of guru’s prasāda, not something to be distributed to others.

Alright! Thank you very much! Haribol!