20210406 Lord Caitanya And His Associates Cleanse the Guṇḍicā Temple

The following is a Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book Compilation given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on April 6th, 2021 in Sri Dhama Mayapur, 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

Hare Krishna! Today we are continuing with the Compilation of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya book, today’s chapter entitled is:

Lord Caitanya And His Associates Cleanse the Guṇḍicā Temple

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 12.81

prathamei svayaṁ ācaraṇadvārā ādarśa-pradarśana:—
guṇḍicā-mandire gelā karite mārjana
prathame mārjanī lañā karila śodhana

Translation: In this way the Lord and His associates went to cleanse the Guṇḍicā temple. At first they cleansed the temple with the brooms.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, first, they cleansed the temple with brooms and gradually they got finer and finer

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 12.82

bhitara mandira upara,—sakala mājila
siṁhāsana māji’ punaḥ sthāpana karila

Translation: The Lord cleansed everything inside the temple very nicely, including the ceiling. He then took up the sitting place [siṁhāsana], cleansed it and again put it in its original place.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 12.83

choṭa-baḍa-mandira kaila mārjana-śodhana
pāche taiche śodhila śrī-jagamohana

Translation: Thus, the Lord and His companions cleansed and swept all the temple’s buildings, big and small, and finally cleansed the area between the temple and the kīrtana hall.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, they are giving a description of how the Lord systematically cleansed every part of the temple. This teaches us as to how all the parts of the temple are included. The external, internal, the path ways and all the parts.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 12.84

prabhura svayaṁ śodhana o śikṣādāna:—
cāri-dike śata bhakta sammārjanī-kare
āpani śodhena prabhu, śikhā’na sabāre

Translation: Indeed, hundreds of devotees were engaged in cleansing all around the temple, and Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was personally carrying out the operation just to instruct others.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Caitanya is teaching by His own example.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 12.85

bhaktagaṇera prabhuke anusaraṇa:—
premollāse śodhena, layena kṛṣṇa-nāma
bhakta-gaṇa ’kṛṣṇa’ kahe, kare nija-kāma

Translation: Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu washed and cleansed the temple in great jubilation, chanting the holy name of Lord Kṛṣṇa all the time. Similarly, all the devotees were also chanting and at the same time performing their respective duties.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, everyone was chanting the holy names of Kṛṣṇa, while they were doing their respective services.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 12.86

aśrujale mandira-mārjjana:—
dhūli-dhūsara tanu dekhite śobhana
kāhāṅ kāhāṅ aśru-jale kare sammārjana

Translation: The entire beautiful body of the Lord was covered with dust and dirt. In this way it became transcendentally beautiful. At times, when cleansing the temple, the Lord shed tears, and in some places. He even cleansed with those tears.

Jayapatākā Swami: This shows that the Lord is cleansing the temple in pure love.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 12.87

sarvatra sampūrṇarūpe śodhana-mārjjana:—
bhoga-mandira śodhana kari’ śodhila prāṅgaṇa
sakala āvāsa krame karila śodhana

Translation: After this, the place where the Deity’s food was kept [bhoga-mandira] was cleansed. Then the yard was cleansed, and then all the residential quarters, one after the other.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 12.88

bhaktagaṇera tṛṇa-dhūli prabhṛti bahirnikṣepa:—
tṛṇa, dhūli, jhiṅkura, saba ekatra kariyā
bahirvāse lañā phelāya bāhira kariyā

Translation: After Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu collected all the straw, dust and grains of sand in one place, He gathered it all in His cloth and threw it outside.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 12.89

ei-mata bhakta-gaṇa kari’ nija-vāse
tṛṇa, dhūli bāhire phelāya parama hariṣe

Translation: Following the example of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, all the devotees, in great jubilation, began to gather straws and dust with their own cloths and throw them outside the temple.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, everyone was in great jubilation, cleansing the Guṇḍicā temple, throwing the leaves, twigs and sand outside.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 12.90

malera parimāṇānusāre mārjjana-tāratamya:—
prabhu kahe,—ke kata kariyācha sammārjana
tṛṇa, dhūli dekhilei jāniba pariśrama

Translation: The Lord then told the devotees, “I can tell how much you have labored and how well you have cleansed the temple simply by seeing all the straw and dust you have collected outside.”

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Caitanya had a competition, where He saw how much each devotee had collected the dust and piled it, and He saw which devotee had done more.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 12.91

sarvāpekṣā prabhura mārjjanaphalei guṇḍicāra nirmalatādhikya:—
sabāra jhyāṅṭāna bojhā ekatra karila
sabā haite prabhura bojhā adhika ha-ila

Translation: Even though all the devotees collected dirt in one pile, the dirt collected by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was much greater.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, this shows how great was the effort of Lord Caitanya compared to all others.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 12.92

sevaka-gaṇa-saṅge sevyera sevā-nirvāha:—
ei-mata abhyantara karila mārjana
punaḥ sabākāre dila kariyā vaṇṭana

Translation: After the inside of the temple was cleansed, the Lord again allotted areas for the devotees to cleanse.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 12.93

mandirake malahīna karite prabhura ājñā:—
sūkṣma dhūli, tṛṇa, kāṅkara, saba karaha dūra
bhāla-mate śodhana karaha prabhura antaḥpura

Translation: The Lord then ordered everyone to cleanse the inside of the temple very perfectly by taking finer dust, straws and grains of sand and throwing them outside.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Caitanya was cleansing the temple in order to receive Lord Jagannātha, Baladeva and Subhadrā, so He was instruction everyone to take up that mood.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 12.94

duibāra āvaraṇa pariṣkaraṇa:—
saba vaiṣṇava lañā yabe dui-bāra śodhila
dekhi’ mahāprabhura mane santoṣa ha-ila

Translation: After Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and all the Vaiṣṇavas cleansed the temple for the second time, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was very happy to see the cleansing work.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, they cleansed the temple twice and then Lord Caitanya became very happy seeing how the temple was getting cleaned.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 12.95

apara sampradāyera mandira-mārjjane sahāyatā:—
āra śata jana śata ghaṭe jala bhari’
prathamei lañā āche kāla apekṣā kari’

Translation: While the temple was being swept, about a hundred men stood ready with filled waterpots, and they simply awaited the Lord’s order to throw the water from them.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 12.96

‘jala āna’ bali’ yabe mahāprabhu kahili
tabe śata ghaṭa āni’ prabhu-āge dila

Translation: As soon as Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu called for water, all the men immediately brought the hundred waterpots, which were completely filled, and delivered them before the Lord.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, not too far from the Guṇḍicā temple is Indradyumna Sarovar, it is about hundred meters. Devotees were lined up and passing the full water pots from one to another, and also return the empty water pots back.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 12.97

mandirera sarvatra prakṣālana-śodhana:—
prathame karila prabhu mandira prakṣālana
ūrdhva-adho bhitti, gṛha-madhya, siṁhāsana

Translation: In this way, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu first washed the main temple and then thoroughly washed the ceiling, the walls, the floor, the sitting place [siṁhāsana] and everything else within the room.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Caitanya was throwing the water on the ceiling, on the walls, all over the siṁhāsana, the sitting place.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 12.98

khāparā bhariyā jala ūrdhve cālāila
sei jale ūrdhva śodhi bhitti prakṣālila

Translation: Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu Himself and His devotees began to throw water onto the ceiling. When this water fell, it washed the walls and floor.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 12.99

svahaste bhagavat-siṁhāsana-mārjjana:—
śrī-haste karena siṁhāsanera mārjana
prabhu āge jala āni’ deya bhakta-gaṇa

Translation: Then Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu began to wash the sitting place of Lord Jagannātha with His own hands, and all the devotees began to bring water to the Lord.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 12.100

bhaktagaṇera vicitra sevā:—
bhakta-gaṇa kare gṛha-madhya prakṣālana
nija nija haste kare mandira mārjana

Translation: All the devotees within the temple began to wash. Each one had a broom in his hand, and in this way they cleansed the temple of the Lord.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, first they cleaned with a broom, and then later they cleansed the sand and stones and then they washed with water.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 12.101

keha jala āni’ deya mahāprabhura kare
keha jala deya tāṅra caraṇa-upare

Translation: Someone brought water to pour into the hands of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and someone poured water on His lotus feet.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, pouring water on His lotus feet was not helping clean the temple but was with the intension of the devotion of the devotee. Someone brought water to pour in the hands of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and someone poured waster on His Lotus feet. Hari Bol!

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 12.102

keha lukāñā kare sei jala pāna
keha māgi’ laya, keha anye kare dāna

Translation: The water that fell from the lotus feet of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was drunk by someone who hid himself. Someone else begged for that water, and another person was giving that water in charity.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, valuable is the water from the lotus feet of the Lord, even the devotees lotus foot water is very powerful.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 12.103

payaḥ praṇālīte jala-niḥsāraṇa:—
ghara dhui’ praṇālikāya jala chāḍi’ dila
sei jale prāṅgaṇa saba bhariyā rahila

Translation: After the room was washed, the water was let out through an outlet, and it then flowed and filled the yard outside.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, the details of how they cleansed the Guṇḍicā temple is described here.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 12.104

svavastre gṛha o siṁhāsana-mārjjana:—
nija-vastre kaila prabhu gṛha sammārjana
mahāprabhu nija-vastre mājila siṁhāsana

Translation: The Lord mopped the rooms with His own clothes, and He polished the throne with them also.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, this shows how much devotion the Lord is putting into the cleansing of the sitting place, siṁhāsana and temple.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 12.105

śrī-rādhāra nirmmala-manera sahita mārjjita o dhauta-mandirera upamā:—
śata ghaṭa jale haila mandira mārjana
mandira śodhiyā kaila—yena nija mana

Translation: In this way all the rooms were cleansed with a hundred waterpots. After the rooms had been cleansed, the minds of the devotees were as clean as the rooms.

After the rooms had been cleansed, the minds of the devotees were as clean as the rooms.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, this shows how cleansing the temple cleanses the mind of the devotees.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 12.106

nirmala, śītala, snigdha karila mandire
āpana-hṛdaya yena dharila bāhire

Translation: When the temple was cleansed, it was purified, cool and pleasing, just as if the Lord’s own pure mind had appeared.

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya is describing the mood of Rādhārāṇī, so the cleansing of the temple means that it was as pure as the mind of Rādhārāṇī.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 12.107

śata śata bhaktera mandira-śodhana-ceṣṭā:—
śata śata jana jala bhare sarovare
ghāṭe sthāna nāhi, keha kūpe jala bhare

Translation: Since hundreds of men were engaged in bringing water from the lake, there was no place to stand on the banks. Consequently someone began to draw water from a well.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 12.108

pūrṇa kumbha lañā āise śata bhakta-gaṇa
śūnya ghaṭa lañā yāya āra śata jana

Translation: Hundreds of devotees brought water in the pots, and hundreds took the empty pots away to fill them up again.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, there were two lines, one passing the filled water pots and another line passing the empty water pots.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 12.109

nityānanda, advaita, svarūpa, bhāratī, purī prabhṛtira mandira-mārjjana, anyabhaktera jalānayana:—
nityānanda, advaita, svarūpa, bhāratī, purī
iṅhā vinu āra saba āne jala bhari’

Translation: With the exception of Nityānanda Prabhu, Advaita Ācārya, Svarūpa Dāmodara, Brahmānanda Bhāratī and Paramānanda Purī, everyone was engaged in filling the waterpots and bringing them there.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 12.110

mandira-śodhana-mārjjane sakalerai utsāha:—
ghaṭe ghaṭe ṭheki’ kata ghaṭa bhāṅgi’ gela
śata śata ghaṭa loka tāhāṅ lañā āila

Translation: Many of the waterpots were broken when people collided with one another, and hundreds of men had to bring new waterpots to fill.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, everyone was engaged in service. Sometimes the pots used to break, hitting one another. Sometimes some devotees would bring new pots.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 12.111

mārjjana-prakṣālana-kāle sarvakṣaṇa kṛṣṇanāma-kīrtana:—
jala bhare, ghara dhoya, kare hari-dhvani
’kṛṣṇa’ ’hari’ dhvani vinā āra nāhi śuni

Translation: Some people were filling the pots, and others were washing the rooms, but everyone was engaged in chanting the holy name of Kṛṣṇa and Hari.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, everyone was engaged in the chanting of the holy name Hari Bol!, no other sound could be heard.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 12.112

‘kṛṣṇa’ ‘kṛṣṇa’ kahi’ kare ghaṭera prārthana
‘kṛṣṇa’ ‘kṛṣṇa’ kahi’ kare ghaṭa samarpaṇa

Translation: One person begged for a waterpot by chanting the holy names “Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa,” and another delivered a pot while chanting “Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa.”

Jayapatākā Swami: So, the name of Kṛṣṇa was used for everything.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 12.113

yei yei kahe, sei kahe kṛṣṇa-nāme
kṛṣṇa-nāma ha-ila saṅketa saba-kāme

Translation: Whenever anyone had to speak, he did so by uttering the holy name of Kṛṣṇa. Consequently, the holy name of Kṛṣṇa became an indication for everyone who wanted something.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, this was the universal language chanting Kṛṣṇa’s name.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 12.114

prabhura anukṣaṇa kṛṣṇa-nāma grahaṇa o ekārai śata-bhaktera tulya sevā:—
premāveśe prabhu kahe ‘kṛṣṇa’ ‘kṛṣṇa’-nāma
ekale premāveśe kare śata-janera kāma

Translation: As Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was vibrating the holy name of Kṛṣṇa in ecstatic love, He Himself was performing the work of hundreds of men.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Caitanya was performing His service in pure love of Kṛṣṇa, therefore He was serving like hundreds of men.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 12.115

svayaṁi ācāra o upadeśakārī:—
śata-haste karena yena kṣālana-mārjana
pratijana-pāśe yāi’ karāna śikṣaṇa

Translation: It appeared as though Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu were cleansing and washing with a hundred hands. He approached every devotee just to teach him how to work.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, we can see from this that a devotee can do a simple service with great enthusiasm, taking inspiration from Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and thus his service will be filled with love.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 12.116

suṣṭhu-sevakera sevāra praśaṁsā:—
bhāla karma dekhi’ tāre kare prasaṁśana
mane nā milile kare pavitra bhartsana

Translation: When He saw someone doing nicely, the Lord praised him, but if He saw that someone was not working to His satisfaction, He immediately chastised that person, not bearing him any grudge.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Caitanya would praise those who did well, those who were little slack in their service, He would chastise them but He would not hold any ill feeling towards them, Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā in this way He was enthusing everyone to try to reach to their maximum service.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 12.117

suṣṭhu sevakake ācāryera kārya karite ājñā:—
tumi bhāla kariyācha, śikhāha anyere
ei-mata bhāla karma seho yena kare

Translation: The Lord would say, “You have done well. Please teach this to others so that they may act in the same way.”

Jayapatākā Swami: So, this is the standard of devotional service that someone who does well, should teach others to serve similarly.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 12.118

prabhura utsāhe bhaktagaṇa sotsāhe sevārata:—
e-kathā śuniyā sabe saṅkucita hañā
bhāla-mate karma kare sabe mana diyā

Translation: As soon as they heard Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu say this, everyone became ashamed. Thus, the devotees began to work with great attention.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Caitanya’s system of praising those who did well and chastising those who didn’t come up to that standard, encouraged everyone to pay attention to what they were doing.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 12.119

mandirera sarvatra prakṣālana:—
tabe prakṣālana kaila śrī-jagamohana
bhoga-mandira-ādi tabe kaila prakṣālana

Translation: They washed the Jagamohana area and then the place where food was kept. All other places were also washed.

Jayapatākā Swami: Since the Guṇḍicā temple is practically not used for one year, naturally it needs sufficient cleaning. So, to receive Lord Jagannātha very nicely, Lord Caitanya cleansed all aspects of Guṇḍicā temple.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 12.120

nāṭaśālā dhui’ dhuila catvara-prāṅgaṇa
pākaśālā-ādi kari’ karila prakṣālana

Translation: In this way the meeting place was washed, the entire yard, the raised sitting places, the kitchen and every other room.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 12.121

mandirera catur-dik prakṣālana kaila
saba antaḥpura bhāla-mate dhoyāila

Translation: Thus, all places around the temple were thoroughly washed within and without.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Caitanya, He was cleaning all the aspects of the Guṇḍicā temple in and out and engaging all the devotees in this special service. So, we can see that how even a menial service of cleaning can become very joyful and blissful if done in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Thus ends the chapter entitled, Lord Caitanya And His Associates Cleanse The Guṇḍicā Temple.