20221129 The pastime of causing itching sores and examining Sanātana Gosvāmī

The following is a Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book Compilation given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on November 29th,2022 in Śrī Dhāma Māyāpur, 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!

Today we will continue with the compilation of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya book Today's chapter is entitled as:

The pastime of causing itching sores and examining Sanātana Gosvāmī
Under the section: Sanātana Gosvāmī Visits the Lord at Jagannātha Purī

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 4.181

amānī bhaktadvayera prabhukarttṛka svīya praśaṁsā-asvīkāraḥ—

haridāsa kahe,—“prabhu, ye kahilā tumi
ei ‘bāhya pratāraṇā’ nāhi māni āmi

Translation: Haridāsa said, “My dear Lord, what You have spoken deals with external formalities. I do not accept it.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 4.182

āpanādigake dīna-jñāne ubhayera prabhustutiḥ—

āmā-saba adhame ye kariyācha aṅgīkāra
dīna-dayālu-guṇa tomāra tāhāte pracāra”

Translation: “My Lord, we are all fallen, but You have accepted us due to Your attribute of being merciful to the fallen. This is well known all over the world.”

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Haridāsa Ṭhākura is taking a very humble position, he is stating that he and Sanātana Gosvāmī are fallen and therefore Lord Caitanya, who is patita-pāvana, He is delivering the fallen souls.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 4.183

ubhayera prati prabhura yathārtha hṛdayabhāva-jñāpanaḥ—

prabhu hāsi’ kahe,—“śuna, haridāsa, sanātana
tattvataḥ kahi tomā-viṣaye yaiche mora mana

Translation: Lord Caitanya smiled and said, “Listen, Haridāsa and Sanātana. Now I am speaking the truth about how My mind is attached to you.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Caitanya reveals His mind, how He actually feels towards Haridāsa Ṭhākura and Sanātana Gosvāmī.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 4.184

bhakta o bhagavān, parasparera vyavahāraḥ—

tomāre ‘lālya’, āpanāke ‘lālaka’ abhimāna
lālakera lālye nahe doṣa-parijñāna

Translation: “My dear Haridāsa and Sanātana, I think of you as My little boys, to be maintained by Me. The maintainer never takes seriously any faults of the maintained.

Purport: When a father maintains a child and the child is maintained by the father, the father never takes seriously the faults of the child. Even if they actually are faults, the father does not mind them.

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya is revealing that both His devotees are dear to Him like sons to a father. Therefore, He does not take seriously any faults they have.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 4.185

śuddha-bhakta-vātsalyahetu sudarśanadhārī bhagavānera bhaktadoṣa-darśanābhāvaḥ—

āpanāre haya mora amānya-samāna
tomā-sabāre karoṅ muñi bālaka-abhimāna

Translation: “I always think of Myself as deserving no respect, but because of affection I always consider you to be like My little children.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, the Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He considers these two great devotees Haridāsa Ṭhākura and Sanātana Gosvāmī to be like His own children.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 4.186

mātāra yaiche bālakera ‘amedhya’ lāge gāya
ghṛṇā nāhi janme, āra mahā-sukha pāya

Translation: “When a child passes stool and urine that touch the body of the mother, the mother never hates the child. On the contrary, she takes much pleasure in cleansing him.

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya is revealing the transcendental relationship between His devotees and Himself.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 4.187

svāṅgīkṛta nija-preṣṭha sanātanake prabhura ātmasama-jñānaḥ—

‘lālyāmedhya’ lālakera candana-sama bhāya
sanātanera klede āmāra ghṛṇā nā upajāya”

Translation: “The stool and urine of the maintained child appear like sandalwood pulp to the mother. Similarly, when the foul moisture oozing from the sores of Sanātana touches My body, I have no hatred for him.”

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Sanātana Gosvāmī is considering that his purpose of coming to Jagannātha Purī is not being served because he is being doing offences to Lord Caitanya. But Lord Caitanya is revealing that His mood is such that He did not take any offence.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 4.188

vividha ghaṭanādvārā haridāsera prabhura atula kṛpā o bhaktavātsalya-varṇanaḥ—

haridāsa kahe,—“tumi īśvara dayā-maya
tomāra gambhīra hṛdaya bujhana nā yāya

Translation: Haridāsa Ṭhākura said, “My dear Sir, You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead and are most merciful toward us. No one can understand what is within Your deeply affectionate heart.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Haridāsa Ṭhākura is expressing his appreciation for the great mercy of Lord Caitanya.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 4.189

kuṣṭhagrasta vāsudeva viprera ghaṭanāḥ—

vāsudeva—galat-kuṣṭhī, tāte aṅga—kīḍā-maya
tāre āliṅgana kailā hañā sadaya

Translation: “You embraced the leper Vāsudeva, whose body was fully infected by worms. You are so kind that in spite of his condition You embraced him.

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya showed His great mercy by embracing the leper, Vasudeva.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 4.190

āliṅgiyā kailā tāra kandarpa-sama aṅga
bujhite nā pāri tomāra kṛpāra taraṅga

Translation: “By embracing him You made his body as beautiful as that of Cupid. We cannot understand the waves of Your mercy.”

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya cured the leper, Vasudeva of his leprosy and gave him a healthy body.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 4.191

prabhukarttṛka vaiṣṇavera aprākṛta svarūpa varṇanaḥ—

prabhu kahe,—“vaiṣṇava-deha ‘prākṛta’ kabhu naya
‘aprākṛta’ deha bhaktera ‘cid-ānanda-maya’

Translation: Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, “The body of a devotee is never material. It is considered to be transcendental, full of spiritual bliss.

Purport: Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is trying to convince Haridāsa Ṭhākura and Sanātana Gosvāmī that a devotee whose life is dedicated to the service of the Lord is never in the material conception. Because he always engages in the service of the Lord, his body is transcendental and full of spiritual bliss. One should never consider his body material, just as one should never consider the body of the Deity worshiped in the temple to be made of stone or wood. Factually, the Deity is directly the Supreme Personality of Godhead, without a doubt. The injunctions of the Padma Purāṇa therefore state, arcye viṣṇau śilā-dhīr guruṣu nara-matir vaiṣṇave jāti-buddhiḥ . . . yasya vā nārakī saḥ: “That person is a resident of hell who considers the Deity worshiped in the temple to be stone or wood, who considers the spiritual master an ordinary man, and who thinks that the body of a Vaiṣṇava fully dedicated to the service of the Lord belongs to the material modes of nature.”

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Caitanya is teaching how one should see the body of a Vaiṣṇava. Since the Vaiṣṇava is completely dedicated to the service of Kṛṣṇa, his body is transcendental.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 4.192

vaiṣṇava viṣṇura svāṅgīkṛta ‘āśraya’ baliyā tadabhinna cidvilāsa; gurukarttṛka brāhmaṇa-jñāne dīkṣitera acyutātmatāḥ—

dīkṣā-kāle bhakta kare ātma-samarpaṇa
sei-kāle kṛṣṇa tāre kare ātma-sama

Translation: “At the time of initiation, when a devotee fully surrenders unto the service of the Lord, Kṛṣṇa accepts him to be as good as Himself.

Jayapatākā Swami: At the time of initiation when a devotee fully surrenders to the service of the Lord, this shows how initiation is so important that Kṛṣṇa accepts the devotee at the time of initiation on the spiritual platform.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 4.193

dīkṣita vā labdha-bhagavat-sambandha-jñāna brāhmaṇerai abhidheya viṣṇu-bhakti-yoge vaiṣṇavākhyā, sutarāṁ vaiṣṇavatāya brāhmaṇatā anusyūtaḥ—

sei deha kare tāra cid-ānanda-maya
aprākṛta-dehe tāṅra caraṇa bhajaya

Translation: “When the devotee’s body is thus transformed into spiritual existence, the devotee, in that transcendental body, renders service to the lotus feet of the Lord.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 4.194

Śrīmad-bhāgavate (11.29.34) —

Translation: “The living entity who is subjected to birth and death attains immortality when he gives up all material activities, dedicates his life to the execution of My order, and acts according to My directions. In this way he becomes fit to enjoy the spiritual bliss derived from exchanging loving mellows with Me.”

Purport: This is a quotation from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.29.34). At the time of initiation, a devotee gives up all his material conceptions. Therefore, being in touch with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he is situated on the transcendental platform. Thus having attained knowledge and the spiritual platform, he always engages in the service of the spiritual body of Kṛṣṇa. When one is freed from material connections in this way, his body immediately becomes spiritual, and Kṛṣṇa accepts his service. However, Kṛṣṇa does not accept anything from a person with a material conception of life. When a devotee no longer has any desire for material sense gratification, in his spiritual identity he engages in the service of the Lord, for his dormant spiritual consciousness awakens. This awakening of spiritual consciousness makes his body spiritual, and thus he becomes fit to render service to the Lord. Karmīs may consider the body of a devotee material, but factually it is not, for a devotee has no conception of material enjoyment. If one thinks that the body of a pure devotee is material, he is an offender, for that is a vaiṣṇava-aparādha. In this connection one should consult Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī’s Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta (1.3.45 and 2.3.139).

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya is revealing how the body at the time of initiation becomes non-material by fully surrending to the service of the Lord.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 4.195

prākṛta akṣajadarśana o sampūrṇa kṛṣṇecchā-paricālita aprākṛta vaiṣṇavācāraḥ—

sanātanera dehe kṛṣṇa kaṇḍu upajāñā
āmā parīkṣite ihāṅ dilā pāṭhāñā

Translation: “Kṛṣṇa somehow or other manifested these itching sores on the body of Sanātana Gosvāmī and sent him here to test Me.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Caitanya considers that Kṛṣṇa has given these itching sores just to test him, if he manifested resistance to the sores then he would fail the test.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 4.196

marttyabuddhite guṇātīta guru-vaiṣṇavera konaprakāra doṣadarśane aparādhahetu niraya-lābhaḥ—

ghṛṇā kari’ āliṅgana nā karitāma yabe
kṛṣṇa-ṭhāñi aparādha-daṇḍa pāitāma tabe

Translation: “If I had hated Sanātana Gosvāmī and had not embraced him, I would certainly have been chastised for offenses to Kṛṣṇa.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Caitanya is saying why He had to embrace Sanātana Gosvāmī and not despise him for his sores.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 4.197

bhagavatpārṣada guru-vaiṣṇava—gauṇa indriya-dharmātīta vaikuṇṭhavastuḥ—

pāriṣada-deha ei, nā haya durgandha
prathama divase pāiluṅ catuḥsama-gandha

Translation: “Sanātana Gosvāmī is one of the associates of Kṛṣṇa. There could not be any bad odor from his body. On the first day I embraced him, I smelled the aroma of catuḥsama [a mixture of sandalwood pulp, camphor, aguru and musk].”

Purport: An associate of the Lord is one whose body is fully engaged in the service of the Lord. A materialist might see Sanātana Gosvāmī’s body as being full of itching sores that exuded foul moisture and a bad smell. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, however, said that actually the aroma of his body was the excellent scent of a mixture of sandalwood pulp, camphor, musk and aguru. In the Garuḍa Purāṇa this mixture, which is called catuḥsama, is described as follows:

“Two parts of musk, four parts of sandalwood, three parts of aguru or saffron and one part of camphor, when mixed together, form catuḥsama.” The aroma of catuḥsama is very pleasing. It is also mentioned in the Hari-bhakti-vilāsa (sixth vilāsa).

Jayapatākā Swami: So, all the sores of Sanātana Gosvāmī’s body smelt like perfume for Lord Caitanya.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 4.198

prabhura āliṅganasparśe sanātanera aṅga-saurabhaḥ—

vastutaḥ prabhu yabe kailā āliṅgana
tāṅra sparśe gandha haila candanera sama

Translation: In fact, however, when Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu embraced the body of Sanātana Gosvāmī, by the Lord’s touch alone there was manifested a fragrance exactly like that of sandalwood pulp.

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya's embracing Sanātana Gosvāmī produced a beautiful fragrance like sandalwood pulp.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 4.199

prabhura sanātanake sāntvanā dāna, sanātanasparśe prabhura sukhaḥ—

prabhu kahe,—“sanātana, nā māniha duḥkha
tomāra āliṅgane āmi pāi baḍa sukha

Translation: Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu continued, “My dear Sanātana, do not be aggrieved, for when I embrace you, I actually get great pleasure.

Jayapatākā Swami: Sanātana Gosvāmī was feeling that he was committing an offence, but Lord Caitanya was telling him not to be aggrieved, that He felt great pleasure in embracing him.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 4.200

sei vatsara sva-samīpe avasthānāntara paravatsara vṛndāvane yāite ājñāpradānaḥ—

e-vatsara tumi ihāṅ raha āmā-sane
vatsara rahi’ tomāre āmi pāṭhāimu vṛndāvane

Translation: “Stay with Me at Jagannātha Purī for one year, and after that I shall send you to Vṛndāvana.”

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya told Sanātana Gosvāmī that He would personally send him to Vṛndāvana after one year.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 4.201

prabhura āliṅganasparśa-phale sanātanadehera svarṇakāntiḥ—

eta bali’ punaḥ tāṅre kailā āliṅgana
kaṇḍu gela, aṅga haila suvarṇera sama

Translation: After saying this, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu again embraced Sanātana Gosvāmī. Thus immediately Sanātana’s sores disappeared, and his entire body resembled the color of gold.

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya could have obviously taken away the sores anytime. For some reason He kept the sores until this moment and then He cured Sanātana Gosvāmī.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 4.202

taddarśane haridāsera vismaya o sampūrṇa prabhura icchā-paricālita sanātanera dehe akṣajadarśane dṛṣṭa kaṇḍurasa-kleśa pradarśana-līlāra prakṛta-marmmārtha varṇanaḥ—

dekhi’ haridāsa mane hailā camatkāra
prabhure kahena,—“ei bhaṅgī ye tomāra

Translation: Seeing the change, Haridāsa Ṭhākura, greatly astonished, told the Lord, “This is Your pastime.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 4.203

sei jhārikhaṇḍera pānī tumi khāoyāilā
sei pānī-lakṣye iṅhāra kaṇḍu upajāilā

Translation: “My dear Lord, You made Sanātana Gosvāmī drink the water of Jhārikhaṇḍa, and You actually generated the consequent itching sores on his body.

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya was teaching how the devotees should not consider taking their body or committing suicide and many other things were told by this pastime.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 4.204

kaṇḍu kari’ parīkṣā karile sanātane
ei līlā-bhaṅgī tomāra keha nāhi jāne”

Translation: “After thus causing these itching sores, You examined Sanātana Gosvāmī. No one can understand Your transcendental pastimes.”

Jayapatākā Swami: Actually, Lord Caitanya He performs many different pastimes and no one can understand until He gives the understanding.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 4.205

prabhura prasthāna o bhaktadvayera bhagavat-kṛpālocanāḥ—

duṅhe āliṅgiyā prabhu gelā nijālaya
prabhura guṇa kahe duṅhe hañā prema-maya

Translation: After embracing both Haridāsa Ṭhākura and Sanātana Gosvāmī, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu returned to His residence. Then Haridāsa Ṭhākura and Sanātana Gosvāmī, in great ecstatic love, began to describe the Lord’s transcendental attributes.

Jayapatākā Swami: Actually Lord Caitanya’s transcendental pastimes are very sweet and He teaches many things through His pastimes.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 4.206

pratyaha sanātanera haridāsa-saha prabhura kathālāpaḥ—

ei-mata sanātana rahe prabhu-sthāne
kṛṣṇa-caitanya-guṇa-kathā haridāsa-sane

Translation: In this way Sanātana Gosvāmī stayed under the care of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and discussed the transcendental qualities of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu with Haridāsa Ṭhākura.

Jayapatākā Swami: Sanātana Gosvāmī received the special mercy of Lord Caitanya and discussed with Haridāsa Ṭhākura his transcendental qualities.

Thus ends the chapter entitled, The pastime of causing itching sores and examining Sanātana Gosvāmī
Under the section: Sanātana Gosvāmī Visits the Lord at Jagannātha Purī

Haribol!