20221103 Addressing Kārtika Navadvīpa Mandala Parikramā Devotees

The following is an address given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on November 3rd,2022 in Sri Dhama Mayapur, India. The address was given during the Kārtika Navadvīpa Maṇḍala Parikramā, Pañcavakra, 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!

Jayapatākā Swami: So, we usually make a parikramā during Gaura Pūrṇimā. But Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura said that also, Kārtika month is a good time to do parikramā. Since some time, ten years ago I guess, Nāru Gopāla dāsa has started taking the Kārtika parikramā. This year I see more devotees than usual. So, we hope that all of you have been having nice realizations of the holy dhāma. I was supposed to come to Narasiṁhapallī, but I was ill and sent some message to Harihara Kṣetra, did you get that? So you been quickly visiting all the nine islands of Navadvīpa-dhāma and as you heard, it is said that this Navadvīpa-dhāma is created by Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī. Kṛṣṇa was so pleased with this Navadvīpa-dhāma that He benedicted it, that it will be nondifferent from Vṛndāvana and all the holy places will appear here. So, some of the places have been revealed to us, but some of them are yet to be revealed. We went for Safari one time to see Haṁsa-vāhana. Have you seen Haṁsa-vāhana? All the Ganges water spilt in the Ganges. One can bathe Lord Śiva in the Haṁsa-vāhana. Then we decided to go to Puṣkara-tīrtha and bring that water to bathe the deity of Haṁsa-vāhana. Right? So then a person came up and said, “Don’t chant, don’t chant, don’t make a racket!” Then Lord Śiva started giving blessings. He said, “Chant, chant, chant!” As we are chanting, Lord Śiva is giving blessings! Blessings would be you put a flower on Lord Śiva and the flower would pop up and that would be the blessing. If the flower does not pop up and falls down, rejected. Lord Śiva was happy when the kīrtana was going on and he was giving his blessings.

Another place of Lord Śiva, here Nimbāditya, a great rṣī, he came here and he was told by Lord Śiva that he should come here and he would find the four Kumāras nearby. There are four Vaiṣṇava sampradāyas – Lakṣmī, Brahmā, Śiva and Kumāras. Nimbāditya, he became Nimbārkācārya, he became the mouth piece of the Nimbārka sampradāya. We remember how Lord Caitanya as Nimāi Paṇḍita he repeated what Keśava Kāśmīrī said and Keśava Kāśmīrī prayed to Sarasvatī, “Why did you let me down? Why did this young paṇḍita defeat me?” She said “I cannot help you because He is my husband?” That is Lord Viṣṇu. Then Keśava Kāśmīrī went to the house of Śacīmātā, bowed down to Lord Caitanya and then Lord Caitanya revealed who He was. Actually, Lord Caitanya wanted to humble Keśava Kāśmīrī. But He wanted to do it in such a way that he would not be destroyed. He cares about His devotees. If He defeated him in public, then people would loot him. So He defeated him very subtly. Anyway, later on, Keśava Kāśmīrī, he became one of the ācāryas in the Nimbārka sampradāya. What a pity Keśava Kāśmīrī did not become an ācārya here, Nimbārkācārya, he became the ācārya of the Nimbārka line.

Anyway, Lord Kṛṣṇa went from Satyabhāmā’s house to Rukmiṇī’s house. There was the whole reception, brāhmaṇas, music, kids. Then Lord Kṛṣṇa was moved to His private quarters. Rukmiṇī was bathing His lotus feet and Rukmiṇī was crying.

Lord Kṛṣṇa said, “What, why are you crying? You should be happy! I have come to see you!”

And He started speculating: “Did some servant not listen to you?” He was giving some reasons.

Rukmiṇī shook her head. She said: “You know what Lord Brahmā is doing in Satyaloka! You know what Lord Śiva is doing in Kailāsa. You know what is happening in all the ananta-koṭi-brahmāṇḍa. But there is one thing that You don’t know! I know, Rādhārāṇī knows! But You don’t know. Because You have no one above You. You are the Supreme Lord! But You don’t know this thing!”

Lord Kṛṣṇa said: “What is that?!”

No one had ever told Him He did not know something before!

Rukmiṇī said: “You don’t know how much the devotees love You and in what way we love You!”

Then Lord Kṛṣṇa said: “Alright, I will come as a devotee in Kali-yuga! I will come as a devotee! I will come as a devotee! I will come as a devotee!” Three times He said.

So that is Lord Caitanya. He took the heart of Rādhārāṇī, and the color of Rādhārāṇī. He took the mood of a devotee. That is why He did not want people to call him as Kṛṣṇa, that is why He covered His ears. He was acting as a devotee. And He was experiencing the ecstasy of love of Rādhārāṇī. And He was giving it out to us! But we are so foolish, we don’t take it! He is giving us the most, priceless thing! People pray to be born in Kali-yuga when Lord Caitanya is there. So now, by Śrīla Prabhupāda’s mercy, we got this opportunity to be in Lord Caitanya’s movement. We should take this advantage. We should guard it with our life, the most valuable treasure! To serve Kṛṣṇa in pure ecstatic love! Haribol!

Thank you for participating in this Navadvīpa parikramā and I am glad that I could be present. Today I was told that there was a Master Plan meeting. So I planned to participate in my car, sneak out, give a class and then go back! But I came here and cannot go back to the meeting! Nāru Gopāla’s prayers! Then my secretary said, he was calling you again and again, we have to go to the party. Anyway, any questions?

Question: Lord Caitanya is acting as His devotee, but sometimes He shows His form of Narasiṁhadeva and other avatāras, can you explain that?

Jayapatākā Swami: He is Kṛṣṇa, He is playing as a devotee. Sometimes Murāri Gupta was chanting the Viṣṇu-sahasranāma. When he came up to the name of Narasiṁhadeva, Lord Caitanya became in the mood of Narasiṁhadeva and He ran out on the streets – “Where are the demons? Where are the demons?” In the mood of Narasiṁhadeva. And people ran, wow! And then Lord Caitanya felt bad. I scared all these people! But Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura said, “You liberated all the people! Just by seeing You all of them were liberated.” Also, in the Viṣṇu-sahasranāma, he chanted the name of Varāhadeva. Then Lord Caitanya assumed the form of Varāha, four hooves. So in the purport it says, if someone says he is God, then tell them to show their hooves! So, it is not easy to manifest hooves, unless you are the Supreme Person. Yes, sometimes Lord Caitanya manifested these different things. These are very secret, very confidential, only few people saw. One time, He showed to Advaita Gosāñi, for 21-hours they did the ārati and He displayed Himself. Apart from that, generally He kept Himself hidden as much as possible. Anyway, He is Kṛṣṇa! Like in Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya’s house in Jagannātha Purī, He showed His six-handed form as Lord Caitanya, Lord Kṛṣṇa, and Lord Rāma. Some devotees, Rāmānanda Rāya and others, He revealed His divine form. But these are all recorded in the history books. But in general, He would not say anything.

In the kīrtana to the Chand Kazi, the massive public disobedience, He was in the fourth party with Lord Nityānanda and Gadādhara Paṇḍita. His chanting was loud, so transcendental, that it went through the whole universe, even to the spiritual world. Lord Indra and different devas came and joined.