20220609 Rāmānanda Rāya Questions Rūpa Gosvāmī About Vidagdha-mādhava, Part 1

The following is a Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book Compilation given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on June 09th,2022 in Chennai, 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 Kṛṣṇa! Dear Devotees! Continuing the Caitanya Lila Compilation the chapter entitled is:

Rāmānanda Rāya Questions Rūpa Gosvāmī About Vidagdha-mādhava, Part 1
Under the section: Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī’s Second Meeting with the Lord

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 1.123

śrīrāya rūpa-saṁlāpa varṇana; rāyakarttṛka mūlagranthera paricaya-jijñāsā :—

rāya kahe,—“kon grantha kara hena jāni?
yāhāra bhitare ei siddhāntera khani?”

Translation: Rāmānanda Rāya inquired, “What kind of drama are you writing? We can understand that it is a mine of conclusive statements.”

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 1.124

svarūpakarttṛka nāṭakadvayera paricaya-pradāna —

svarūpa kahe,—“kṛṣṇa-līlāra nāṭaka karite
vraja-līlā-pura-līlā ekatra varṇite

Translation: Svarūpa Dāmodara replied for Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī: “He wanted to compose a drama about the pastimes of Lord Kṛṣṇa. He planned to describe in one book both the pastimes of Vṛndāvana and those of Dvārakā and Mathurā.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 1.125

ārambhiyāchilā, ebe prabhu-ājñā pāñā
dui nāṭaka kariteche vibhāga kariyā

Translation: “He began it in that way, but now, following the order of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, he has divided it in two and is writing two plays, one concerning the pastimes of Mathurā and Dvārakā and the other concerning the pastimes of Vṛndāvana.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, while Rūpa Gosvāmī stayed overnight in Satyabhāmā court, Satyabhāmā came and gave an order to write a separate play about Her in Dvārakā and Lord Caitanya He indirectly confirmed this order. Actually, we know that Kṛṣṇa in Vṛndāvana has the mood of cowherd boy and in Dvārakā, He had the mood of kṣatriya, two different moods.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 1.126

vraja-līlātmaka-vidagdha-mādhava o puralīlātmaka-lalitā-mādhavaḥ—

vidagdha-mādhava āra lalita-mādhava
dui nāṭake prema-rasa adabhuta saba”

Translation: “The two plays are called Vidagdha-mādhava and Lalita-mādhava. Both of them wonderfully describe ecstatic emotional love of God.”

Purport: Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura informs us in this connection that Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī finished the drama known as Vidagdha-mādhava in the year Śakābda 1454 (A.D. 1532) and the Lalita-mādhava in Śakābda 1459 (A.D. 1537). The discussion between Rāmānanda Rāya and Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī at Jagannātha Purī took place in Śakābda 1437 (A.D. 1515).

Jayapatākā Swami: So, all these discussion took place before the writing of Vidagdha-mādhava and Lalita-mādhava.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 1.127

śrī-rūpake rāyera vidagdha-mādhavera nāndī-paṭhane anurodhaḥ—

rāya kahe,—“nāndī-śloka paḍa dekhi, śuni?”
śrī-rūpa śloka paḍe prabhu-ājñā māni’

Translation: Rāmānanda Rāya said, “Please recite the introductory verse of the Vidagdha-mādhava so that I can hear and examine it.” Thus Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī, being ordered by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, recited the verse (1.1).

Jayapatākā Swami: So, as explained previously the system for writing proper Vedic drama was established since long time and the first verse is called the nāndī-śloka which gives the gist of the whole drama.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 1.128

jaganmaṅgala-vidhātrī kṛṣṇa-līlāḥ—vidagdha-mādhave maṅgalācaraṇe (1/1) —

Translation: “May the pastimes of Śrī Kṛṣṇa reduce the miseries existing in the material world and nullify all unwanted desires. The pastimes of the Supreme Personality of Godhead are like śikhariṇī, a blend of yogurt and sugar candy. They overpower the pride of even the nectar produced on the moon, for they distribute the sweet fragrance of the concentrated loving affairs of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī and the gopīs.”

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 1.129

rāyakarttṛka svābhīṣṭadeva varṇane anurodha, śrī-rūpera lajjāḥ—

rāya kahe,—‘kaha iṣṭa-devera varṇana’
prabhura saṅkoce rūpa nā kare paṭhana

Translation: Rāmānanda Rāya said, “Now please recite the description of the glories of your worshipable Deity.” Rūpa Gosvāmī, however, hesitated due to embarrassment because Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was present.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 1.130

prabhura sanirbandha ādeśaḥ—

prabhu kahe,—“kaha, kene kara saṅkoca-lāje?
granthera phala śunāibā vaiṣṇava-samāje?”

Translation: The Lord, however, encouraged Rūpa Gosvāmī, saying, “Why are you embarrassed? You should recite it so the devotees can hear the good fruit of your writing.”

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Rūpa Gosvāmī knew that Lord Caitanya was the Supreme Personality of Godhead but that He was in the mood of devotee, so if he declares anything different that may embarrass Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. But having received the encouragement of Lord Caitanya, he would do that.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 1.131

śrī-rūpera āśīrvāda śloka-paṭhana, tacchravaṇe prabhura vāhye kṛtrima asantoṣa prakāśaḥ—

tabe rūpa-gosāñi yadi śloka paḍila
śuni’ prabhu kahe,—‘ei ati stuti haila’

Translation: When Rūpa Gosvāmī thus recited his verse, Caitanya Mahāprabhu disapproved of it because it described His personal glories. He expressed the opinion that it was an exaggerated explanation.

Jayapatākā Swami: As suggested Rūpa Gosvāmī glorified Lord Caitanya but Lord Caitanya saying that this was excessive exaggeration.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 1.132

vidagdha-mādhave (1/2)—

anarpita-carīṁ cirāt karuṇayāvatīrṇaḥ kalua
samarpayitum unnatojjvala-rasāṁ sva-bhakti-śriyam

hariḥ puraṭa-sundara-dyuti-kadamba-sandīpitaḥ
sadā hṛdaya-kandare sphuratu vaḥ śacī-nandanaḥ

Translation: “May the Supreme Lord who is known as the son of Śrīmatī Śacīdevī be transcendentally situated in the innermost core of your heart. Resplendent with the radiance of molten gold, He has descended in the Age of Kali by His causeless mercy to bestow what no incarnation has ever offered before: the most elevated mellow of devotional service, the mellow of conjugal love.”

Purport: This verse (Vidagdha-mādhava 1.2) also appears in the Ādi-līlā (1.4 and 3.4). In his commentary on the Vidagdha-mādhava, Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura remarks,

“Without the mercy of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, one cannot describe the pastimes of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.”

Therefore Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī said,

“May Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, who is exactly like a lion that kills all the elephants of desire, be awakened within everyone’s heart, for by His merciful blessings one can understand the transcendental pastimes of Kṛṣṇa.”

Jayapatākā Swami: Kṛṣṇa's pastimes are not easily understood, by the mercy of Lord Caitanya one can understand Him and thus realize that Kṛṣṇa's pastimes are fully transcendental.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 1.133

śloka-śravaṇe bhaktagaṇera praśaṁsāḥ—

saba bhakta-gaṇa kahe śloka śuniyā
kṛtārtha karilā sabāya śloka śunāñā

Translation: All the devotees present so greatly appreciated this verse that they expressed their gratitude to Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī for his transcendental recitation.

Jayapatākā Swami: In spite of Lord Caitanya saying that it was an exaggeration all the devotees appreciated this verse and they congratulated Rūpa Gosvāmī.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 1.134

rāyakarttṛka vidagdha-mādhavera vividha aṅga o paricaya-jijñāsā, śrī-rūpera nāṭake likhita ślokoddhārapūrvaka uttara-dāna :—

rāya kahe,—“kon āmukhe pātra-sannidhāna?”
rūpa kahe,—“kāla-sāmye ‘pravartaka’ nāma”

Translation: Rāmānanda Rāya inquired, “How have you introduced the assembly of the players?”

Rūpa Gosvāmī replied, “The players assemble at a suitable time under the heading of pravartaka.

Purport: In a drama all the actors are called pātra, or players. This is stated by Viśvanātha Kavirāja in the Sāhitya-darpaṇa (6.283):

The meaning of āmukha is stated by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī in the Nāṭaka-candrikā:

When Śrīla Rāmānanda Rāya inquired about the arrangement for introducing the assembly of players in the drama, Rūpa Gosvāmī replied that when the players first enter the stage in response to the time, the introduction is technically called pravartaka. For an example, see verse 136 below. Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura says that the introduction, which is technically called āmukha, may be of five different kinds, according to the Sāhitya-darpaṇa (6.288):

“Introductions may be classified as follows: (1) udghātyaka, (2) kathodghāta, (3) prayogātiśaya, (4) pravartaka and (5) avalagita.” These five kinds of introduction are called āmukha. Thus Śrīla Rāmānanda Rāya asked which of the five introductions had been employed, and Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī replied that he had used the introduction called the pravartaka.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, we see the system for writing Vedic play is very systematic and Rāmānanda Rāya was asking questions Each drama had a particular form so when the players come in they are introduced to the viewers and they use a system to introduce them and in this drama Rūpa Gosvāmī used the system of pravartaka .

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 1.135

nāṭaka-candrikāya (12) —

ākṣiptaḥ kāla-sāmyena praveśaḥ syāt pravartakaḥ

Translation: “When the entrance of the actors is set in motion by the arrival of a suitable time, the entrance is called pravartaka.’

Purport: This verse is from the Nāṭaka-candrikā (12), by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī.

Jayapatākā Swami: In ISKCON the drama of Appearance of Lord Jagannātha which was written by Tamāla Kṛṣṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja following this standard process. He followed all these standards of writing a Vedic drama, it’s a very interesting process and everything done in the Vedic time was following systematic process.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 1.136

tasyodāharaṇaṁ yathā :—

vidagdha-mādhave (1/10) pāripārśvikera prati sūtradhārokti-

Translation: “Springtime had arrived, and the full moon of that season inspired the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is complete in everything, with new attraction to meet the beautiful Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī at night to increase the beauty of Their pastimes.”

Purport: Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura interprets this verse (Vidagdha-mādhava 1.10) in two ways, for Lord Kṛṣṇa and for Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī. When interpreted for Kṛṣṇa, the night is understood to have been a dark-moon night, and when interpreted for Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, it is considered to have been a full-moon night.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, the pastimes of Śrīmatī Rādhārānī and Lord Kṛṣṇa gives greatest pleasure to Lord Kṛṣṇa so Lord Caitanya has revealed these confidential pastimes of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa and this will destroy material desires of people by making them aware that how in the transcendental world, the ecstasy of pure love is so great.

So all glories to Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī!

Thus ends the chapter entitled, Rāmānanda Rāya Questions Rūpa Gosvāmī About Vidagdha-mādhava,

Under the section: Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī’s Second Meeting with the Lord. Part 1