20210328 Śrī Gaura Pūrṇimā Address: Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 11.5.32

mūkaṁ karoti vācālaṁ paṅguṁ laṅghayate girim
yat-kṛpā tam ahaṁ vande śrī-guruṁ dīna-tāraṇam
paramānandaṁ mādhavaṁ śrī caitanya iśvaram

hariḥ oṁ tat sat

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 11.5.32:

kṛṣṇa-varṇaṁ tviṣākṛṣṇaṁ
sāṅgopāṅgāstra-pārṣadam
yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtana-prāyair
yajanti hi su-medhasaḥ

Translation

In the Age of Kali, intelligent persons perform congregational chanting to worship the incarnation of Godhead who constantly sings the names of Kṛṣṇa. Although His complexion is not blackish, He is Kṛṣṇa Himself. He is accompanied by His associates, servants, weapons and confidential companions.

Purport

This same verse is quoted by Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā, Chapter Three, verse 52. His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda has given the following commentary on this verse. “This text is from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.5.32). Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī has explained this verse in his commentary on the Bhāgavatam known as the Krama-sandarbha, wherein he says that Lord Kṛṣṇa also appears with a golden complexion. That golden Lord Kṛṣṇa is Lord Caitanya, who is worshiped by intelligent men in this age. That is confirmed in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam by Garga Muni, who said that although the child Kṛṣṇa was blackish, He also appears in three other colors — red, white and yellow. He exhibited His white and red complexions in the Satya and Tretā ages respectively. He did not exhibit the remaining color, yellow-gold, until He appeared as Lord Caitanya, who is known as Gaurahari.

“Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī explains that kṛṣṇa-varṇam means Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya. Kṛṣṇa-varṇam and Kṛṣṇa Caitanya are equivalent. The name Kṛṣṇa appears with both Lord Kṛṣṇa and Lord Caitanya Kṛṣṇa. Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but He always engages in describing Kṛṣṇa and thus enjoying transcendental bliss by chanting and remembering His name and form. Lord Kṛṣṇa Himself appears as Lord Caitanya to preach the highest gospel. Varṇayati means ‘utters’ or ‘describes.’ Lord Caitanya always chants the holy name of Kṛṣṇa and describes it also, and because He is Kṛṣṇa Himself, whoever meets Him will automatically chant the holy name of Kṛṣṇa and later describe it to others. He injects one with transcendental Kṛṣṇa consciousness, which merges the chanter in transcendental bliss. In all respects, therefore, He appears before everyone as Kṛṣṇa, either by personality or by sound. Simply by seeing Lord Caitanya one at once remembers Lord Kṛṣṇa. One may therefore accept Him as viṣṇu-tattva. In other words, Lord Caitanya is Lord Kṛṣṇa Himself.

“Sāṅgopāṅgāstra-pārṣadam further indicates that Lord Caitanya is Lord Kṛṣṇa. His body is always decorated with ornaments of sandalwood and with sandalwood paste. By His superexcellent beauty He subdues all the people of the age. In other descents the Lord sometimes used weapons to defeat the demoniac, but in this age the Lord subdues them with His all-attractive figure as Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī explains that His beauty is His astra, or weapon, to subdue the demons. Because He is all-attractive, it is to be understood that all the demigods lived with Him as His companions. His acts were uncommon and His associates wonderful. When He propagated the saṅkīrtana movement, He attracted many great scholars and ācāryas, especially in Bengal and Orissa. Lord Caitanya is always accompanied by His best associates like Lord Nityānanda, Advaita, Gadādhara and Śrīvāsa.

“Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī cites a verse from the Vedic literature that says that there is no necessity of performing sacrificial demonstrations or ceremonial functions. He comments that instead of engaging in such external, pompous exhibitions, all people, regardless of caste, color or creed, can assemble together and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa to worship Lord Caitanya. Kṛṣṇa-varṇaṁ tviṣākṛṣṇam indicates that prominence should be given to the name Kṛṣṇa. Lord Caitanya taught Kṛṣṇa consciousness and chanted the name of Kṛṣṇa. Therefore, to worship Lord Caitanya, everyone should together chant the mahā-mantra — Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. To propagate worship in churches, temples or mosques is not possible because people have lost interest in that. But anywhere and everywhere, people can chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. Thus worshiping Lord Caitanya, they can perform the highest activity and fulfill the highest religious purpose of satisfying the Supreme Lord.

“Śrīla Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya, a famous disciple of Lord Caitanya, said: ‘The principle of transcendental devotional service having been lost, Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya has appeared to deliver again the process of devotion. He is so kind that He is distributing love of Kṛṣṇa. Everyone should be attracted more and more to His lotus feet, as humming bees are attracted to a lotus flower.’”

The incarnation of Caitanya Mahāprabhu is also described in the Śrī Viṣṇu-sahasra-nāma, which appears in Chapter 189 of the Dāna-dharma-parva of Mahābhārata. Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī has quoted this reference as follows: suvarṇa-varṇo hemāṅgo varāṅgaś candanāṅgadī. “In His early pastimes He appears as a householder with a golden complexion. His limbs are beautiful, and His body, smeared with the pulp of sandalwood, seems like molten gold.” He has also quoted, sannyāsa-kṛc chamaḥ śānto niṣṭhā-śānti-parāyaṇaḥ: “In His later pastimes He accepts the sannyāsa order, and He is equipoised and peaceful. He is the highest abode of peace and devotion, for He silences the impersonalist non devotees.”

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Jayapatākā Swami:  Gaurāṅga! Today is a very auspicious day! This verse shows us how fortunate we are. Lord Kṛṣṇa has come to give out love of Kṛṣṇa. Previously to get Kṛṣṇa’s mercy one had to surrender. But now Lord Caitanya is giving out love of Kṛṣṇa. What a great opportunity! If we do not take this facility, then it would be nothing but sheer foolishness. So Lord Caitanya, He was coming, chanting and dancing. He would embrace everyone and distribute Kṛṣṇa Prema, love of Kṛṣṇa. Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya he was a Māyāvādī. Then Lord Caitanya so expertly cultivated him. Within a week or so He made Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya a pure devotee! And even when He came into his bedroom after maṅgala-ārati, He gave him some mahā-prasāda, and Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya took that without washing his teeth, anything, he was still on the bed.

So then Lord Caitanya asked, “You did not follow your rules of a smārta brāhmaṇa?”

Then Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya quoted a verse, and he said, “Whenever we get kṛṣṇa-prasāda, we should take it.” Like that, he was completely changed and became a devotee.

He came on this particular astrological constellation or tithi on this particular day of the lunar eclipse. At that time of the moon eclipse, all the Hindus were in the river chanting the holy names. But the system was that one should not chant the holy names out loud. But when one is in the Ganges, it is alright. So, when Lord Caitanya appeared in the world, everyone was chanting the holy names! Even Navadvīpa non-Hindus they also joked how the Hindus were chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa! Hare Kṛṣṇa! Ha! Ha! So like this, we remember the pastimes of Lord Caitanya and also meditating on Lord Caitanya. Because His names, His pastimes, His form, His beauty all are one. And when one thinks of the Lord’s qualities and pastimes, or līlā, then they are meditating on the Lord. So, that is why we were discussing the topics about Lord Caitanya every day. Because by discussing His pastimes, we are also meditating on Him. Now when Lord Caitanya appeared, then at that time the neighboring ladies came to the house of Mother Śacī and saw that she had given birth to a golden colored child. Even from the heavenly planets some of the devīs came and took the form of earthly brāhmaṇīs.

So, the Lord came from the spiritual world on this planet. In Navadvīpa the spot where He appeared that place is known as Yogapiṭhā, where the Lord had connected Himself with this world. In the other yugas, the Lord comes as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is why one of His names is Triyuga. But this Kali-yuga, He comes in a covered way. He came as a devotee. So, this is a rare opportunity for us to have the association of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. When Bhāgī Mahārāja was taking the Ganges down from the heavenly planets, then at that time the Ganges was flooding Jahnu Muni’s āśrama. So Jahnu Muni swallowed the whole Ganges! So Bhāgī Mahārāja, he was bewildered, “Where do the Ganges go?!” So, one of the nine islands in Navadvīpa is Jahnudvīpa. And he realized that Jahnu Muni had swallowed the Ganges.

So he asked Jahnu muni, “Please reinstate the Ganges. I will take her away from your āśrama.”

But he said, “I am sorry, I digested her!!”

Then Bhāgī Mahārāja said, “If you can drink the Ganges, you can reproduce it too!”

Then Jahnu Muni reproduced the Ganges from his knee. Therefore, she is known as Jāhnavī. But then, just by the birthplace of Lord Caitanya she stopped. Bhāgī Mahārāja, has been in so many problems!

He prayed to Ganges, “Why have you stopped again?”

The Ganges said that, “Very soon the appearance day tithi is approaching and in order to celebrate that I will remain here. Because whoever bathes on this tithi, they get love of Kṛṣṇa!” If they take bath by Ganges at Gaurāṅga’s birthplace. So there is always difficulty as today is celebrated as Holi and the Ganges is colored if you go to take bath in the Ganges. At least up till mid-day. So, we see that Ganges has some special līlā with Lord Caitanya. He would go and bathe in the Ganges every day.

And when He was doing kīrtana in the house of Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura, Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura’s maid servant, Duḥkhīnī she would bring in pots of Ganges water. With that Ganges water they would bathe Lord Caitanya. Lord Caitanya said that, “She should not be called Duḥkhīnī, she should be called Sukhīnī. So Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu had predicted that pṛthivīte āche yata nagarādi-grāma sarvatra pracāra haibe mora nāma – that My name will be spread in all villages and towns of the earth. Śrīla Prabhupāda started that, now we should finish it! So, people are put to great tests with this pandemic. It is our chance to get everyone to chant the holy names.

 So, this is a very special day. Lord Caitanya appeared in this world 535 years ago! According to Anuttamā Prabhu [ACBSP]. And this is Śrīla Prabhupāda’s 125th appearance anniversary. So, this is the year we should concentrate on expanding the recognition of Śrīla Prabhupāda and Lord Caitanya. Expanding Śrīla Prabhupāda’s history, and about him means glorifying Lord Caitanya. Because Śrīla Prabhupāda’s appearance was only meant for the service to Lord Caitanya.

So Lord Caitanya has encouraged everyone to chant whether they are gṛhasthas or renounced. Śaṅkarācārya, he taught if you want to get mukti, you should be a sannyāsī. Lord Caitanya said, gṛhe thāko vane thāko sadā hari bole ḍāko – Lord Caitanya said whether you are staying at home or in the forest always chant the name of Lord Hari. You can get the kṛṣṇa-prema which is the post graduate mukti! So this was the teaching of A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami and also the teaching of His Divine Grace Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura. Śrīla Prabhupāda wanted that all the followers of Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura should cooperate together to expand this saṅkīrtana movement. Anyway, this is our mandate in ISKCON.

We see that Lord Caitanya said, bhārata-bhūmite haila manuṣya-janma yāra/ janma sārthaka kari' kara para-upakāra We see that Lord Caitanya had mentioned that one who is born in the holy land of India, they should make their lives successful and engage in welfare activities of others. So we see that so many devotees in different countries now come from India. It is their duty to perfect their lives and spread the message of Lord Caitanya.

It is 8’O clock, time for darśana ārati. The Deities in Māyāpur will have a new dress! So after a short break I will give darśana to the devotees in the Eastern part of the world.