20220521 Lord Caitanya Consoles Mother Śacī and Bids Farewell to the Residents of Navadvīpa Part 1

The following is a Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book Compilation given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on May 21st, 2022 in New Town in Kolkata, 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: Today we are continuing reading for the compilation of Caitanya-līlā book, the chapter entitled is:

Lord Caitanya Consoles Mother Śacī and Bids Farewell to the Residents of Navadvīpa, Part 1

Under the section: Return to Nīlācala

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa Khaṇḍa 3.3.48

māyera vacane prabhū astavyasta hañā
māyāye jinite nāre—ubharāye dayā

Translation: Lord Caitanya became perturbed by His Mother’s words. Because He couldn’t convince her, consequently compassion overflowed from Him.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Mother Śacī was expressing such maternal affection that Lord Caitanya could not convince her otherwise, she was becoming very emotional.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa Khaṇḍa 3.3.49

ye tora āchaye icchā-kara nija sukhe
ekamātra śeṣa āmi nivediba toke

Translation: He said, “Do whatever you want that pleases you, but I have one last request unto you.”

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Caitanya is making His request to Mother Śacī.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa Khaṇḍa 3.3.50

śacī bole––navadvīpa chāḍi yāha tumi
navadvīpe duṣṭa viṣṇupriyā āra āmi

Translation: Śacī said, “You want to leave Navadvīpa because both wicked Viṣṇupriyā and myself stay in Navadvīpa.”

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Mother Śacī is portraying herself and her daughter-in-law as wicked but that’s not the purport of Lord Caitanya.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa Khaṇḍa 3.3.51

māyera vacane punaḥ gelā navadvīpa
bārakoṇā-ghāṭa nija bāḍīra samīpa

Translation: Following the words of His mother, Lord Caitanya again went to Navadvīpa and Bārakoṇa-ghāṭa, near His own home.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Caitanya used to bathe in the Bārkoṇa-ghāṭa so he went there visiting.

Murāri Gupta Kaḍaca, 4.14.6

Translation: Thus at dusk, Śrīla Gaurāṅga Candra, the guru of all rasa, received from His mother supremely tasty and excellent foods. Śrī Hari ate that food in the company of Nityānanda, being a captive of Śacī’s consummate maternal affection. All glories to our Prabhu, the bestower of all happiness, who allows Himself to be controlled by His devotee!

Jayapatākā Swami: So, since Lord Caitanya is bhakta-vatsala, He is controlled by His devoteeṣ So, he went and ate Mother Śacī’s prasāda.

Murāri Gupta Kaḍaca, 4.14.7

Translation: Glory to Nityānanda, whose heart forever delights in gaura-prema, who takes shelter of Navadvīpa-dhāma which shimmers with condensed bliss. He is rendered service by a legion of confidential associates, each endowed with a unique mood. As they chant the ambrosial names of their Lord, they nullify the three-fold miseries of the three worlds.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Nityānanda on the order of Lord Caitanya has taken the gṛhastha-āśrama, not to visit the Navadvīpa so he is going to give His association to the residents of Navadvīpa

Murāri Gupta Kaḍaca, 4.14.8

Translation: By His personal manifestation, He came near His own beloved Viṣṇupriyā, in His own Deity form and thus made her feel near to Him. In this way, Lord Kṛṣṇa (Lord Caitanya) bestowed on her His personal presence, which abides in her heart. Thus, that form of Lakṣmī, Visṇupriyā rendered service to the Lord.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Caitanya came in His deity form to Viṣṇupriyā and in this way He gave His mercy to Viṣṇupriyā.

Murāri Gupta Kaḍaca, 4.14.9

Translation: Accompanied by Gadādhara, Gaurāṅga Candra, the connoisseur of rasa, reveled day and night amidst the residents of Navadvīpa, whose minds were immersed in śrī-kṛṣṇa-saṅkīrtana.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, after a long time Lord Caitanya was back in Navadvīpa performing a saṅkīrtana-yajña.

Murāri Gupta Kaḍaca, 4.14.10

Translation: In His form of sva-prakāśa, the Lord entered each and every home of His bhaktas led by Śrīvāsa and endowed them with the full bliss of kīrtana.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Caitanya gave His devotees the blessings of full bliss of kīrtana.

Murāri Gupta Kaḍaca, 4.14.11

Translation: The fully complete Personality of Godhead, Lord Gaura-sundara, enjoys His pleasure pastimes of scholarship and prank-playing, forever frolicking in the company of Śrīdhara, the salesman of banana products.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Caitanya He visited Kholāvecā Śrīdhāra and gave His blessings.

Murāri Gupta Kaḍaca, 4.14.12

Translation: Thereafter, the two Prabhus, Nityānanda and Gauracandra the controllers of all universal controllers, who gloriously dwelt in the home of Gaurīdāsa Paṇḍita.

Murāri Gupta Kaḍaca, 4.14.13

Translation: Gaura and Nitāi became bound up by the power of Gaurīdāsa’s love. In his home They revealed the sublime splendor of Their Deity forms, which are complete in all the potencies of Their Lordships.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Gaurīdāsa Paṇḍita also received the deity of Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityānanda and these deities are non-different from Nitāi and Gaura.

Murāri Gupta Kaḍaca, 4.14.14

Translation: Being very satisfied with him, They pleasantly took up residence there and enjoyed a variety of tasty foods through those Deity forms.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, one can see the deity forms residing in Ambika kālna.

Murāri Gupta Kaḍaca, 4.14.15

Translation: Looking upon those two forms of eternity, bliss and knowledge, that exalted brāhmaṇa always renders Them service in the mellow of pure friendship (sakhya-rasa).

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Gaurīdāsa Paṇḍita is also one of the friend of Kṛṣṇa in Vṛndāvana.

Murāri Gupta Kaḍaca, 4.14.16

Translation: As accepted by the Vedas, all the forms of the Supreme Soul are eternal, imperishable, and free from diminution as well as the material laws of cause and effect.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, the arcā-avatāra form of the Lord is also transcendental.

Murāri Gupta Kaḍaca, 4.14.17

Translation: The Deities are all pastime forms of the Lord. They incessantly reside within the hearts of Their pure bhaktas, awarding them transcendental happiness and reciprocating affectionately with them.

So, the deities in the temple they have intimate relationship with devotees and one should not consider them idols, They are avatāras of Lord visible to our eyes.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa Khaṇḍa 3.3.52

śuklāmbara brahmacāri-ghare bhikṣā kaila
māye namaskari’ prabhu prabhāte calila

Translation: He took prasāda from the house of Śuklāmbhara Brahmacārī. After offering obeisances to His mother, the Lord left in the early morning.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Caitanya was visiting all His childhood associates. Śuklāmbhara Brahmacārī in his house Lord Caitanya manifested the saṅkīrtana-yajña after getting initiated in Gayā. so, although Śuklāmbhara Brahmacārī was very poor, Lord Caitanya took prasāda in his house and paid obeisances to His mother and left early morning to Nīlācala.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa Khaṇḍa 3.3.53

māyere kahila––muñi bandī tora guṇe
pūruva rahasya-kathā pāśarile kene

Translation: He told His mother, “I’m bound by your qualities. But why have you forgotten the confidential talk?”

Jayapatākā Swami: So, before Lord Caitanya took sannyāsa, He had some confidential talks with Mother Śacī.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa Khaṇḍa 3.3.54

kibā bhakta, kibā viṣṇupriyā, kibā tumi
ye bhajaye kṛṣṇa––tāra kole āchi āmi

Translation: “Let it be a devotee or Viṣṇupriyā or yourself or anyone who worships Kṛṣṇa, I stay on their lap.”

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Caitanya is describing that anyone worships Kṛṣṇa, He is with them eternally on their lap. In this way He was merciful also to His mother, previous wife Viṣṇupriyā, and to all the devotees.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa Khaṇḍa 3.3.55

māye namaskari’ prabhu bole bāra bāra
nā chār̤iha kṛṣṇa––nā bhajiha e saṁsāra

Translation: Offering obeisances to His mother, the Lord said again and again, “Do not leave Kṛṣṇa. Don’t be attached to this material existence.”

Jayapatākā Swami: So, this was the repeated instructions of Lord Caitanya to His mother.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa Khaṇḍa 3.3.56

śacīra antara-hiyā kare dapa dapa
calila ṭhākura––pāche dhāya bhakta saba

Translation: Śacī’s heart throbbed painfully. The Lord went and all the devotees ran behind Him.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Caitanya gave His special mercy to His devotees in Navadvīpa and now He is heading back to Jagannātha Purī.

Murāri Gupta Kaḍaca, 4.15.1

Translation: Then Kṛṣṇa Caitanya and Nityānanda, the two gurus of all sentient beings, went to the house of Śrīla Advaitācārya while immersed in prema.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Nitāi and Gaurāṅga fully immersed in prema went to Śāntipura to the house of Advaita Ācārya.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa Khaṇḍa 3.3.57

śāntinagare gelā ācāryera ghara
kīrtana-vilāse gela se aṣṭaprahara

Translation: Lord Caitanya went to the house of Śāntipura and spent the whole day in kīrtana-vilāsa [relishing the nectar of chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa].

Jayapatākā Swami: So, in the house Advaita Ācārya, in Śāntipura Lord Caitanya chanted the whole day and night.

Thus ends the chapter entitled, Mother Śacī Meets Nimāi in Navadvīpa

Under the section: Return to Nīlācala

So, these pastimes devotees don’t know about, how Lord Caitanya after many years visited Navadvipa and gave mercy to all His associates.

So today we went to Pānihāṭi and we had an initiation ceremony, we heard an interview with Śrīla Prabhupāda and he said we should have at least four steamers or special speed boats, which will go between Kolkata and Māyāpur and in this way it would be a great recreation and people could ride on the boat and then on the way have different point to take a snacks of ciḍā-dahi in Pānihāṭi-dhāma and see the pastimes places of Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityānanda.

Today we have many devotees visiting from Mathurādeśa and various places and we are having classes in New Town, Kolkata.

Hare Kṛṣṇa!