20200806 The Lord Consoles Śrīvāsa, Mukunda, Murāri and Gadādhara

Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book Compilation by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on 6^th 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

Continuing with the chapter:

The Lord Consoles Śrīvāsa, Mukunda, Murāri and Gadādhara

Introduction: So, we are in our compilation of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya pastimes, and Visvambhara Gaura Hari has decided that He will take sannyāsa. So, He is going to different devotees, and informing them, and they are reacting to His statement in various ways. So, this is kind of very tear-jerking situation, that people have learnt to love Lord Caitanya so much, that the possibility of losing His association is unbearable and maybe brings them to the point of near madness. So this shows the love for Kṛṣṇa.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 26.166

gadādhara-samīpe prabhura gamana o sannyāsa vārtā-kathana, taduttare gadādharera abhimānokti—

mukundera vākya śuni’ śrī-gaurasundara
calilena yathāya āchena gadādhara

Jayapatākā Swami: After hearing the appeal of Mukunda Datta, Śrī Gaurasundara went to the house of Gadādhara Prabhu.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 26.167

sambhrame caraṇa vandilena gadādhara
prabhu bale,—“śuna kichu āmāra uttara

Jayapatākā Swami: Gadādhara Prabhu, He quickly offered His obeisances to the lotus feet of Lord Gaurāṅga, who said, “Listen, I have something to tell You.”

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 26.168

nā rahiba gadādhara, āmi gṛha-vāse
ye-te dike calibāṅa kṛṣṇera uddeśe

Jayapatākā Swami: “O Gadādhara, I will not remain at home, to find Kṛṣṇa, I will go somewhere.” So, Lord Gaura Hari told Gadādhara, He was leaving home, and going to search for Kṛṣṇa, and He would go anywhere to search for Kṛṣṇa, and so this was His statement to Gadādhara Prabhu.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 26.169

śikhā-sūtra sarvathāya āmi nā rākhiba
māthā muḍāiyā ye-te dike cali' yāba”

Jayapatākā Swami: “So, I will certainly shave My head, and I will give up My brāhmaṇa thread. After shaving My head, I will go whichever way I please.”

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 26.170

śrī-śikhāra antardhāna śuni’ gadādhara
vajrapāta yena haila śirera upara

Jayapatākā Swami: When Gadādhara Prabhu heard that the Lord would shave His head, it was like He was struck in the head by a thunderbolt, by a lightning.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 26.171

antare duḥkhita hai’ bale gadādhara
“yateka adbhuta prabhu, tomāra uttara

Jayapatākā Swami: His heart distressed, Gadādhara Prabhu replied, “O Lord Gaurāṅga, Your statement is quite disturbing.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 26.172

śikhā-sutra ghucāilei se kṛṣṇa pāi
gṛhastha tomāra mate vaiṣṇava ki nāi?

Jayapatākā Swami: By shaving Your head, and taking off Your brāhmaṇa thread, You mean to say that You will get Kṛṣṇa? That in Your opinion, a gṛhastha cannot be a Vaiṣṇava and get Kṛṣṇa?”

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 26.173

māthā muḍāile prabhu, kibā karma haya
tomāra se mata, e vedera mata naya

Jayapatākā Swami: “O Lord Gaurāṅga, by shaving Your head, what is the benefit? This is Your opinion; this is not the opinion of the Vedas.”

Translation by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura: Śrī Gadādhara said, “If one is a householder, is he unable to perform devotional service to Viṣṇu? Is this the purport of the Vedas? So can one become advanced simply by giving up one's śikhā and brāhmaṇa thread like the impersonalists do to make a show of devotional service to Hari? If one remains as a householder and worships Hari, then his mother is pleased. All his friends and relatives also become happy.”

Śrī Gaurasundara gave up the company of His envious friends and companions to teach that unfavorable family life must be given up. Another purpose of Śrī Gaurasundara was to teach everyone to become free from the prākṛta-sahajiyā principles based on illicit household life that have nowadays spread throughout India. It is the duty of every human being to always worship Hari in whatever āśrama one is situated. If people considering household life as favorable engage in mundane activities like offering oblations to the forefathers under the direction of smārta principles that are unfavorable to devotional service, or if people who are averse to the Supreme Lord are offered respect to satisfy the public, then the devotees of the Lord lose respect in the eyes of ignorant people—to demonstrate this, Śrī Gaurasundara enacted the pastime of accepting sannyāsa according to proper regulations.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, actually Lord Caitanya’s teaching was that, you can achieve Kṛṣṇa in any āśrama. By getting into pure devotional service. So many people approached Him, like in Kūrmadeśa, a brāhmaṇa said that he felt like leaving His household and following Lord Caitanya, and Lord Caitnya told him don’t be a markaṭa-vairāgī or monkey renunciant. Rather yāre dekha, tāre kaha ‘kṛṣṇa’-upadeśa āmāra ājñāya guru hañā tāra’ ei deśa - whoever you meet, tell them the message of Lord Kṛṣṇa. In this way, deliver your country, by My order be a guru. So Lord Caitanya had told people that they should stay as gṛhasthas, and not artificially renounce. So, this seems to be a contradiction. And Gadādhara Prabhu is pointing that out. That just by accepting renunciation, does that mean you achieve Kṛṣṇa? There are so many impersonalists sannyāsīs, but they are not Kṛṣṇa conscious. So, it is an interesting point. But of course, Lord Caitanya, being the independent Personality of Godhead, He had different reasons why He wanted to take sannyāsa. So we will hear what His response is.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 26.174

anāthinī, māyere vā ke-mate chāḍibe
prathamei jananī-vadhera bhāgī habe

Jayapatākā Swami: How will You leave Your widowed mother? On the outset, you will be responsible for Your mother’s death.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 26.175

tumi gele sarvathā jīvana nāhi tāna
sabe avaśiṣṭa ācha tumi tāṅra prāṇa

Jayapatākā Swami: If you leave, then Your mother, will certainly not survive. You are the only one, she has left. You are her life and soul.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 26.176

gharete thākile ki īśvarera prīta naya
gṛhastha se sabāra prītera sthalī haya

Jayapatākā Swami: Is the Supreme Lord not pleased if one stays at home? A householder is liked by everyone.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 26.177

tathāpi o māthā muṇḍāile svāsthya pāo
ye tomāra icchā tāi kari’ cali’ yāo”

Jayapatākā Swami: Nevertheless, if You are satisfied by shaving Your head, then do whatever is Your desire, and doing that, go away!

Conclusion: So Gadādhara Prabhu, He expressed to the Lord that if He leaves, it may cause the death of His mother. That she lost her husband, she lost her elder son, her life and soul is Lord Viśvambhara, and if Viśvambhara leaves and takes sannyāsa, she had nothing left to live for. So, Gadādhara painted a very bleak picture. And of course, He said You are free to do whatever You want. But is it so easy to achieve Kṛṣṇa by taking sannyāsa? Just by shaving Your head? That as a gṛhastha You cannot achieve Kṛṣṇa? So, like this Gadādhara Prabhu was presenting His case before Lord Caitanya. Every associate of Lord Caitanya presented from a different point of view, how He should not go. But the Lord is independent and finally, He will do what He wants to do.

Thus Ends the Chapter, The Lord Consoles Śrīvāsa, Mukunda, Murāri and Gadādhara

No one is consoled!

So, we are going to have a special Rādhāṣṭamī, virtual experience. I will explain that tomorrow night. Just to let you know, that there is a very special Rādhāṣṭamī presentation. That is my 50^th year of taking sannyāsa! And Rādhārāṇī is the maker, creator of the Navadvīpa dhāma. And that Lord Kṛṣṇa appreciated this dhāma, He said that since this dhāma was made by Rādhārāṇī to please Kṛṣṇa, here all the holy places would reside, this is non-different from Vṛndāvana. So for us in Māyāpur, Rādhāṣṭamī is a special festival. I don’t know how it is normally observed in other places, but in Māyāpur it is one of the major festivals. Of course, first in a few days we will observing the Janamāṣṭamī. For some reason, in Māyāpur, the Janamāṣṭamī is on the 12^th, which is Wednesday and according to some of the Purāṇas, Janamāṣṭamī is held on a Monday or a Wednesday, it is especially powerful, and that by observing the Janamāṣṭamī, you can deliver 10 million of your relatives. So in other parts of the world, they observe it on the 11^th. So you can observe it on 11^th and stay tuned to observe it in on Māyāpur on the 12^th!! So any questions?

Comment: Hare Kṛṣṇa dear Guru Mahārāja! Please accept my respectful obeisances. On the occasion of your 50^th sannyāsa anniversary on this Rādhāṣṭamī, we have desired to give you a small gift and that is to translate ‘Vṛndāvane Bhajana’, to Telugu, and present it to you on that day. Guru Mahārāja, as per plan, the book will have to go for printing, the day after tomorrow, and then sent to you to Māyāpur, by Rādhāṣṭamī. The time is short and the pandemic situations are making the service more challenging. Guru Mahārāja, it is all your blessings that this service has reached to this stage. To complete this service, by Rādhāṣṭamī, and to please you by doing so, more of your blessings are required, Guru Mahārāja please bless that it would happen.

Your humble servants,

Vrajeśvara Śyāma dāsa, Sumukhi Rādhā devī dāsī, Sumukhī Harinī devī dāsī and Mahāteja Narahari dāsa.

Jayapatākā Swami: Thank you very much for translating the ‘Vṛndāvane Bhajana’ into Telugu. I hope that it would be properly proof read. It is more important that the quality of the writing, is of the highest nature. And even if you present to me by internet, it is alright. While you may send one copy up to Māyāpur, in case if that doesn’t reach in time, you can still present to me by internet. But please see that the translation, proof reading, everything, is up to the BBT standard. I hope that you are in consultation with the BBT authorities of Telugu.

Question: Dear Guru Mahārāja! Please accept my respectful obeisances. All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda. We all really feel very much aggrieved when a great Vaiṣṇava, or a close family member, or a friend leaves this world. In view of this fact, could you please elaborate how we should correctly understand Lord Kṛṣṇa’s statement in the Bhagavad-gītā, chapter 2, text 11. Those who are wise, lament neither for the living nor for the dead.

Your servant,
Prema Gaurasundara dāsa

Jayapatākā Swami: You said that we are very aggrieved when a great Vaiṣṇava or a very close member, or a friend, leaves the world. So, I don’t know how you are saying all the things in the same breath. That the lamentation on the departure of a great Vaiṣṇava, is because we are feeling separation, we will not have association with the Vaiṣṇava again, during this lifetime. But a friend or family member, that lamentation may be material also. So, the point is that as Kṛṣṇa said in the Bhagavad-gītā, that a person never dies. The ātmā lives on. So if a great Vaiṣṇava leaves, we know that he goes back to Godhead. In one sense we are happy, but we are deprived of his association, and in that way we lament. But a friend or relative leaves, that may be material, and we may lament, but actually as Kṛṣṇa said, we should not lament, because people never die.

Question: Hare Kṛṣṇa dear Guru Mahārāja! Please accept my respectful obeisances unto your lotus feet. All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda. Is it okay to meditate on Māyāpur dhāma while chanting? I feel separation from Māyāpur dhāma. Hence I meditate on it. Hence kindly enlighten Gurudeva.

Your insignificant and aspiring servant,
Keya Rāṇī

Jayapatākā Swami: I see that Keya Rāṇī is sometimes asking questions, I appreciate your attendance to the class. If you meditate on the spiritual pastime of Māyāpur, how Lord Caitanya, He did His various pastimes here, that is ideal. Māyāpur is the holy dhāma, but I don’t know what you are remembering. If you remember the Ganges or some holy places, or the Deities, then that is very spiritual. If you are remembering the tea stalls, that is something material, that is not so auspicious. They are on the crust of the dhāma, they are not actually part of the dhāma. So, I think you are remembering the holy aspects of the dhāma, and certainly there is nothing wrong with that.

Question: I was reading Nectar of Devotion, there it is said that the pleasure derived from material enjoyment is insignificant in front of the pleasure derived from devotional service. We read and hear this but I am not able to practically realize and feel this due to which I fall prey to material enjoyment. What should we do in this situation?

Your servant,
Rasasindu Advaita dāsa

Jayapatākā Swami: If you are not able to realize the ecstasy in the pastimes of the Lord, by rendering service to the Lord, you should certainly be crying. You should be crying that you do not realize this bliss. And instead you are being cheated by māyā, that she is giving you material enjoyment, which is insignificant. So in the pastimes of Lord Caitanya, we see that Lord Caitanya’s decision to take sannyāsa, hits the devotees like a lightning bolt or a thunderbolt, and they have so much love for Lord Caitanya and the thought of being separated from Him is so lamentable, so distressing, but that itself is the ecstasy, because that is completely meditating on Kṛṣṇa. But if one is not able to understand this, then they should certainly be crying, that they are not able to have this appreciation for Kṛṣṇa! What else can I say? You are asking a question what should one do in this situation? You should be crying. You should be praying to Kṛṣṇa, praying to Gaurāṅga, praying to Nityānanda, praying to Advaita, praying to everyone, praying to Gadādhara, praying to Śrīvāsa. When will I have the real appreciation for Kṛṣṇa Prema? When will I be absorbed in the bliss of the transcendental pastimes. Haribol!

So I want to thank all the sponsors in advance, by chanting the name of Nitāi Gaurāṅga! Nitāi Gaurāṅga! Nitāi Gaurāṅga! Nitāi Gaurāṅga! Haribol!