20200801 The Lord Decides to Take Sannyāsa to Deliver the Offenders

Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book Compilation by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on 1^st August 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, we just finished the inaugural session of the ‘Prabhupāda Memoirs’ and now we are continuing with the Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya book. Lord Caitanya was in the mood of the vraja-vāsī gopīs, and without the mercy of the gopīs, one cannot have the mercy of Śrī Kṛṣṇa. So, He was chanting, gopī, gopī, and then one foolish student heard Him, and instructed Him, that He should chant the name of Kṛṣṇa. So who is the student to instruct the great Master, Caitanya Mahāprabhu? Lord Caitanya was angry at him, for not understanding His mood, and chased him with a stick. He ran and reported to the other students, and they were all speaking against Lord Caitanya, that’s where we left off.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 26.111

keha bale,—“śunilāṅa adbhuta ākhyāna
vaiṣṇave japaye mātra ‘gopī gopī’ nāma”

Jayapatākā Swami: Someone else said, I heard a strange story. I am hearing that a Vaiṣṇava is only chanting, the ‘gopī, gopī,’ name, very strange.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā, 17.256

prabhuke prahārārtha ṣaḍayantra —

punaḥ yadi aiche kare māriba tāhare
kon vā mānuṣa haya, ki karite pāre

Translation: “If He again performs such an atrocious act, certainly we shall retaliate and strike Him in turn. What kind of important person is He, that He can check us in this way?”

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 26.112

keha bale,—“eta vā sambhrama kene kari
āmarā ki brāhmaṇera teja nāhi dhari

Jayapatākā Swami: Yet another said, “Why should we be afraid? Don’t we possess the brāhmaṇa prowess?”

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 26.113

teṅho se brāhmaṇa, āmarā ki vipra nahi
teṅho māribena āmarā kenai vā sahi?

Jayapatākā Swami: “He is a brāhmaṇa, but aren’t we also brāhmaṇas? If He attacks us, why should we tolerate it?”

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 26.114

rājā ta' nahena teṅho māribena kene
āmarā o samavāya hao sarva-jane

Jayapatākā Swami: “He is not a king, that he can attack anyone, we shall cooperate together and fight back.”

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 26.115

yadi teṅho mārite dhāyena punar-bāra
āmarā sakala tabe nā sahiba āra

Jayapatākā Swami: “If He attacks us again, all of us together will not tolerate it anymore.”

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 26.116

tiṅho navadvīpe jagannātha-miśra-puta
āmarā o nahi alpa-mānuṣera suta

Jayapatākā Swami: “He may be the son of Jagannātha Miśra of Navadvīpa, but we are not the sons of less important people.”

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 26.117

hera sabe paḍilāṅa kāli tāra sane
āji tiṅho ‘gosāñi’ vā haila kemane!”

Jayapatākā Swami: “Just see! We have recently studied with Him, today He has become a ‘Gosvāmī!’”

Purport by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura: The frightened student approached his proud fellow students, who were less intelligent like him, and told them about Śrī Gaurasundara's behavior. As a result, some of his fellow students said, “We all studied together with Viśvambhara, so how can He suddenly become a liberated mahā-bhāgavata? He may be the son of Jagannātha Miśra, but we are also the sons of learned persons like Jagannātha Miśra. He is not a king who can award punishment. If He comes to punish us, we will punish Him. Like Him, we are also the sons of brāhmaṇas. If He comes to beat a brāhmaṇa, why should we tolerate it? If someone accepts Him as superior to a brāhmaṇa by calling Him a Vaiṣṇava, then we should have heard the name of Kṛṣṇa coming from His mouth, as befitting a Vaiṣṇava. On hearing the strange name ‘gopī’ coming from His mouth, no one will consider Him a Vaiṣṇava. The duty of a Vaiṣṇava is to follow in the footsteps of a brāhmaṇa (!), therefore since He became angry enough to beat a brāhmaṇa, we can certainly understand that He is envious of the brāhmaṇas.”

The mentality that sinful-minded people develop under the burden of their sinful activities has been current since time immemorial. We can see examples of such hard-heartedness even today.

Jayapatākā Swami: The sons of the brāhmaṇas, were very envious of Lord Caitanya, not understanding His actual position, not understanding His mood, or anything, and they were saying so many envious things, out of their false pride. So, this false pride is something that which is still present in society. And so, this is an obstacle in the path of preaching Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā, 17. 257

prabhu hiṁsāphale tāhādera vidyā-buddhi lopa –

prabhura nindāya sabāra buddhi haila nāśa
supaṭhita vidyā kārao nā haya prakāśa

Translation: When all the students thus resolved, criticizing Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, their intelligence was spoiled. Thus although they were learned scholars, because of this offense the essence of knowledge was not manifested in them.

Purport by Śrīla Prabhupāda: In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, māyayāpahṛta-jñānā āsuraṁ bhāvam āśritāḥ: when one becomes inimical to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, adopting an atheistic attitude (āsuraṁ bhāvam), even if one is a learned scholar the essence of knowledge does not become manifested in him; in other words, the essence of his knowledge is stolen by the illusory energy of the Lord. In this connection Śrī Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura quotes a mantra from the Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad (6.23):

yasya deve parā bhaktir
yathā deve tathā gurau
tasyaite kathitā hy arthāḥ
prakāśante mahātmanaḥ

The purport of this verse is that one who is unflinchingly devoted to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Viṣṇu, and similarly devoted to the spiritual master, with no ulterior motive, becomes a master of all knowledge. In the heart of such a devotee, the real essence of the Vedic knowledge becomes manifested. This essence is nothing but surrender unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead (vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyaḥ). Only unto one who fully surrenders to the spiritual master and the Supreme Lord does the essence of Vedic knowledge become manifested, not to anyone else.

This same principle is emphasized by Śrī Prahlāda Mahārāja in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (7.5.24):

iti puṁsārpitā viṣṇau
bhaktiś cen nava-lakṣaṇā
kriyate bhagavaty addhā
tan manye ’dhītam uttamam

“A person who directly applies these nine principles [hearing, chanting, remembering, etc.] in the service of the Lord is to be understood as a greatly learned man who has assimilated the Vedic literatures very well, for the goal of studying the Vedic literature is to understand the supremacy of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa.” Śrīdhara Svāmī confirms in his commentary that first one must surrender to the spiritual master; then the process of devotional service will develop. It is not a fact that only one who diligently pursues an academic career can become a devotee. Even with no academic career, if one has full faith in the spiritual master and the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he develops in spiritual life and real knowledge of the Vedas. The example of Mahārāja Khaṭvāṅga confirms this. One who surrenders is understood to have learned the subject matter of the Vedas very nicely. One who adopts this Vedic process of surrender learns devotional service and is certainly successful. One who is very proud, however, is unable to surrender either to the spiritual master or to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Thus he cannot understand the essence of any Vedic literature.

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.11.18) declares:

śabda-brahmaṇi niṣṇāto
na niṣṇāyāt pare yadi
śramas tasya śrama-phalo
hy adhenum iva rakṣataḥ

“If one is learned in the Vedic literature but is not a devotee of Lord Viṣṇu, his work is a useless waste of labor, just like the keeping of a cow that does not give milk.”

Anyone who does not follow the surrendering process but is simply interested in an academic career cannot make any advancement. His profit is only his labor for nothing. If one is expert in the study of the Vedas but does not surrender to a spiritual master or Viṣṇu, all his cultivation of knowledge is but a waste of time and labor.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā, 17. 258

tathāpi dāmbhika paḍuyā namra nāhi haya
yāhāṅ tāhāṅ prabhura nindā hāsi’ se karaya

Translation: But the proud student community did not become submissive. On the contrary, the students spoke of the incident anywhere and everywhere. In a laughing manner they criticized the Lord.

Jayapatākā Swami: In this way, the students were destroying their spiritual advancement. So, Lord Caitanya was naturally interested, how to save them from the offence.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā, 17. 259

pāṣaṇḍagaṇera durgatidarśane prabhura karuṇā:—

sarva-jña gosāñi jāni’ sabāra durgati
ghare vasi’ cinte tā’-sabāra avyāhati

Translation: Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, being omniscient, could understand the degradation of these students. Thus He sat at home, contemplating how to rescue them.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 26.118

ei mata yukti karilena pāpi-gaṇa
jānilena antaryāmīśrī-śacīnandana

Jayapatākā Swami: In this way, the sinful students made a plan, but Śrī Śacīnandana, who is the Supersoul of everyone, understood the plan.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā, 17. 260

abhakta janagaṇera paricaya –

eka-dina mahāprabhu āchena vasiyā
catur-dike sakala pārṣada-gaṇa laiyā

Translation: “All the so-called professors and scientists and their students generally follow the regulative principles of religion, fruitive activities and austerities,” the Lord thought, “Yet at the same time they are blasphemers and rogues.”

Purport by Śrīla Prabhupāda: Here is a depiction of materialists who have no knowledge of devotional service. They may be very religious and may work very systematically or perform austerities and penances, but if they blaspheme the Supreme Personality of Godhead they are nothing but rogues. This is confirmed in the Hari-bhakti-sudhodaya (3.11):

bhagavad-bhakti-hīnasya
jātiḥ śāstraṁ japas tapaḥ
aprāṇasyaiva dehasya
maṇḍanaṁ loka-raṣjanam

If they are without knowledge of devotional service to the Lord, then great nationalism, fruitive, political or social work, science or philosophy are all simply like costly garments decorating a dead body. The only offense of persons adhering to these principles is that they are not devotees; they are always blasphemous toward the Supreme Personality of Godhead and His devotees.

Jayapatākā Swami: One may have academic qualifications, maybe very active in social activities, and may be a great politician, or somehow very famous, but if they are not active in devotional service, if they don’t have respect for the Supreme Personality of Godhead, then all their achievements, are simply illusory. So, they will be in the repetition of birth and death.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā, 17. 261

kṛṣṇavidveṣāparādha haite vimocanopāya-cintana —

ei saba mora nindā-aparādha haite
āmi nā laoyāile bhakti, nā pāre la-ite

Translation: “If I do not induce them to take to devotional service, because of committing the offense of blasphemy none of these people will be able to take to it.”

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā, 17. 262

nistārite āilāma āmi, haila viparīta
e-saba durjanera kaiche ha-ibeka hita

Translation: “I have come to deliver all the fallen souls, but now just the opposite has happened. How can these rogues be delivered? How may they be benefited?”

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā, 17. 263

āmāke praṇati kare, haya pāpa-kṣaya
tabe se ihāre bhakti laoyāile laya

Translation: “If these rogues offer Me obeisances, the reactions of their sinful activities will be nullified. Then, if I induce them, they will take to devotional service.”

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya, He is considering, the welfare of these offensive students. Sometimes devotees ask me that, if someone treats me bad, how can we tolerate it? We see here, Lord Caitanya was being treated bad, and He was being offended by the foolish students, but He is thinking how to deliver them. He is thinking of their welfare. So, He is showing us a good example.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā, 17. 264

pāṣaṇḍigaṇera uddhāra-vāñchā:

more nindā kare ye, nā kare namaskāra
e-saba jīvere avaśya kariba uddhāra

Translation: “I must certainly deliver all these fallen souls who blaspheme Me and do not offer Me obeisances.”

Jayapatākā Swami: So we will end here, and continue tomorrow. This shows how Lord Caitanya is committed to delivering even those who have offended Him. Where will you find such a merciful Lord? Hare Kṛṣṇa! Wow!

Kaivalya Sundarī devī dāsī: Guru Mahārāja! All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda, who came to our beloved New Tālavana 45 years ago, on this day! All glories to you and all of the many services you have done with the highest caliber of determination and devotion.

Jayapatākā Swami: I am very happy that this is the anniversary day that Śrīla Prabhupāda visited New Tālavana 45 years ago. I was seeing last night, how Haridhvani had participated in the Jhulan-yātrā. We hope that many devotees from around the world will participate in the Jhulan-yātrā. And remember to send your text in to the what’s app number. Your name, mention New Tālavana or wherever you are from, and your country. What number? The number is +91 that is the India code right! +91 99323 28446. You are saying +91 9932328446! Wow!