20230419 Lord Kṛṣṇa’s Instruction on the Danger of Offending a Devotee and Glories of Serving a Devotee

The following is a Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book Compilation given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on April 19th,2023 in Dallas, Texas, USA.

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: Today is the appearance day of Gadādhara Paṇḍita. He is the avatāra of Rādhārāṇī. Rādhārāṇī desired that sometimes she could take appearance as a male, so she could associate freely with Lord Kṛṣṇa, Lord Caitanya. So in this līlā She took as a man and could associate with Lord Kṛṣṇa Himself as Lord Caitanya.

Continuation of the compilation of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book, Today's chapter is entitled as:

Lord Kṛṣṇa’s Instruction on the Danger of Offending a Devotee and Glories of Serving a Devotee
Under the section: The Glories of Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 6.78

brahmāra pautraṣaṭkera śāpabhraṣṭa haiyā asura-yonite janmagrahaṇa—

se saba brahmāra pautra siddha deva-gaṇa
tā-sabāra eta duḥkha śuna ye-kāraṇa

Jayapatākā Swami: They (the six sons of Devakī) were grandsons of Lord Brahmā and perfected demigods. All of them obtained so much suffering. Listen to the reason.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 6.79

prajāpati marīci-ye brahmāra nandana
pūrve tāna putra chila ei chaya-jana

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Brahmā’s son is Prajāpati Marīci and previously his sons were these six.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 6.80

brahmāra ācaraṇera prati hāsyai uhāra kāraṇa—

daive brahmā kāmaśare hailā mohite
lajjā chāḍi’ kanyā-prati karilena cita

Jayapatākā Swami: By the will of providence, Lord Brahmā was bewildered by the arrow of Cupid and giving up shame he was attracted to his daughter.

Purport: See Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.12.28.

[O Vidura, we have heard that Brahmā had a daughter named Vāk who was born from his body and who attracted his mind toward sex, although she was not sexually inclined towards him.

Purport: Balavān indriya-grāmo vidvāṁsam api karṣati (Bhāg. 9.19.17). It is said that the senses are so mad and strong that they can bewilder even the most sensible and learned man. Therefore it is advised that one should not indulge in living alone even with one’s mother, sister or daughter. Vidvāṁsam api karṣati means that even the most learned also become victims of the sensuous urge. Maitreya hesitated to state this anomaly on the part of Brahmā, who was sexually inclined to his own daughter, but still he mentioned it because sometimes it so happens, and the living example is Brahmā himself, although he is the primeval living being and the most learned within the whole universe. If Brahmā could be a victim of the sexual urge, then what of others, who are prone to so many mundane frailties? This extraordinary immorality on the part of Brahmā was heard to have occurred in some particular kalpa, but it could not have happened in the kalpa in which Brahmā heard directly from the Lord the four essential verses of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam because the Lord blessed Brahmā, after giving him lessons on the Bhāgavatam, that he would never be bewildered in any kalpa whatsoever. This indicates that before the hearing of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam he might have fallen a victim to such sensuality, but after hearing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam directly from the Lord, there was no possibility of such failures.

One should, however, take serious note of this incident. The human being is a social animal, and his unrestricted mixing with the fair sex leads to downfall. Such social freedom of man and woman, especially among the younger section, is certainly a great stumbling block on the path of spiritual progress. Material bondage is due only to sexual bondage, and therefore unrestricted association of man and woman is surely a great impediment. Maitreya cited this example on the part of Brahmā just to bring to our notice this great danger.

Jayapatākā Swami: In the fifth canto of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, it mentions that relation between husband and wife is considered a form of celibacy. So anything apart from that is considered illicit sex. So one should be very, very careful how one deals.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 6.81

tāhā dekhi’ hāsilena ei chaya jana
sei doṣe adhaḥpāta haila sei-kṣaṇa

Jayapatākā Swami: Seeing this, these six persons laughed. For this fault they immediately fell down.

So, since Lord Brahmā was a very exalted person, if he gets afflicted by some illusion, he can correct himself very quickly. And we should not laugh at him. But these six sons of Marīci, although they were grandsons of Brahmā, they laughed. As a result, they were killed by Kaṁsa.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 6.82

mahāntera karmete karila upahāsa
asura-yonite pāilena garbhavāsa

Jayapatākā Swami: As a result of ridiculing the activities of an exalted personality, they took birth in a demoniac womb.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 6.83

hiraṇyakaśipura jagatera droha-nimitta asura-yonite janmalābha—

hiraṇyakaśipu jagatera droha kare
deva-deha chāḍi’ janmilena tāra ghare

Jayapatākā Swami: Hiraṇyakaśipu gave trouble to the entire universe. Giving up the bodies of Devas, these six took birth in his house.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 6.84

indra-vajrāghāte ukta chayajanera vividha duḥkha—

tathāya indrera vajrāghāte chaya-jana
nānā duḥkha yātanāya pāila maraṇa

Jayapatākā Swami: There by Lord Indra’s thunderbolt, these six persons suffered various miseries and died.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 6.85

tāhādigake yogamāyā-kartṛka devakī-garbhe sthāpana—

tabe yogamāyā dhari’ āni āra-bāra
devakīra garbhe laiñā kailena sañcāra

Jayapatākā Swami: Thereafter Yogamāyā took them and brought them again and placed them in Devakī’s womb in their next birth.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 6.86

janmāvadhi ukta chayajanera aśeṣa duḥkha o mātula kaṁsera haste nidhana-prāpti—

brahmāre ye hāsilena, sei pāpa haite
sei dehe duḥkha pāilena nānā-mate

Jayapatākā Swami: They laughed at Lord Brahmā and because of that sinful activity, they achieved bodies which obtained various sufferings.

So the brāhmaṇa was asking what was the position of Lord Nityānanda? And Lord Caitanya said that He is a very exalted soul. And now He gives this example of the grandsons of Lord Brahmā, who laughed at Lord Brahmā, as a result they obtained so much suffering. So if we laugh or ridicule Lord Nityānanda not understanding His transcendental position, we would be forced to suffer various sufferings.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 6.87

janma haite aśeṣa-prakāra yātanāya
bhāginātathāpi mārilena kaṁsa-rāya

Jayapatākā Swami: From the time of their birth, they suffered unlimited miseries. Although they were the nephews of Kaṁsa, King Kaṁsa killed them.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 6.88

devakī e saba gupta-rahasya nā jāne
āpanāra putra bali’ tā’—sabāre gaṇe

Jayapatākā Swami: Devakī does not know all these hidden, confidential secrets. She considered them all as her sons.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 6.89

sei chaya putra jananīre diba dāna
sei kārya lāgi’ āilāṅa tomā-sthāna

Jayapatākā Swami: I will give these sons to my mother in charity. For this reason, I came to you.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 6.90

devakīra stana-pāne sei chaya-jana
śāpa haite mukta haibena sei-kṣaṇa’

Jayapatākā Swami: As soon as these six persons drink milk from Devakī’s breast, they will immediately be relieved from the curse.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 6.91

vaiṣṇavera vyavahāre siddha vyaktirao parihāsera bhīṣaṇa phala, asiddha vyaktira āra kā kathā?—

prabhu bale,—‘śuna śuna bali mahāśaya!
vaiṣṇavera karmete hāsile hena haya

Jayapatākā Swami: So Lord Kṛṣṇa said, “Listen, listen Bali Mahāśaya, this is what happens if one laughs at the activities of a Vaiṣṇava.”

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 6.92

siddha-sabo pāilena eteka yātanā
asiddha-janera duḥkha ki kahiba sīmā

Jayapatākā Swami: If perfected beings suffer so much, then what can one say of the limit of suffering of the imperfect beings?

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 6.93

ye duṣkṛti jana vaiṣṇavera nindā kare
janma janma niravadhi se-i duḥkhe mare

Jayapatākā Swami: Those miscreants who criticize a Vaiṣṇava birth after birth, they continuously die in great distress.

Purport: People who are devoid of service to Hari, Guru, and Vaiṣṇava and who are servants of lust and anger blaspheme Vaiṣṇavas. As a result of criticizing the Vaiṣṇavas, they fall from good fortune birth after birth.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, we see that they were very exalted beings, therefore they could take birth as sons of Devakī and they got special mercy. But by laughing at a Vaiṣṇava, by criticizing a Vaiṣṇava, one has to suffer.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 6.94

śuna bali, ei śikṣā karāi tomāre
kabhu pāche nindā-hāsya kara vaiṣṇavere

Jayapatākā Swami: Listen Bali Mahārāja I am teaching you this lest you criticize or laugh in the future at a Vaiṣṇava.

Lord Kṛṣṇa is giving this advice to Bali Mahārāja. We should also be very careful not to laugh or criticize a Vaiṣṇava. Haribol!

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 6.95

vaiṣṇava-ārādhanā-vyatīta viṣṇupūjāra chalanā nisphala—

mora pūjā, mora nāma-grahaṇa ye kare
mora bhakta ninde yadi tāro vighna dhare

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Kṛṣṇa is saying, if one worships Me and chants My holy name, but he criticizes My devotee, then even he will obtain obstacles.

So we have to learn from this instruction not to criticize or laugh at any devotee of the Lord.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 6.96

bhakta-sevāyai niścitarūpe bhagavatsevā-prāpti –

mora bhakta-prati prema-bhakti kare ye
niḥsaṁśaya balilāṅa more pāya se’

Jayapatākā Swami: If towards My devotee, one has loving devotion, then without any doubt, He will attain Me. Haribol! If someone asks, what do we think of guru or Vaiṣṇavas, we can understand from this that if we think of guru or Vaiṣṇava at the time of leaving the body, one achieve the Lord. Haribol!

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 6.97

pramāṇa—tathāhi varāhapurāṇe—

Jayapatākā Swami: “There is doubt whether or not the servants of the Supreme Personality of Godhead will attain perfection, but there is absolutely no doubt that those who are attached to serving His devotees will attain perfection.

Jayapatākā Swami: Haribol!

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 6.98

vaiṣṇavapūjāya anādarakārī o kevala-viṣṇupūjāra chalanākārī dāmbhika mātra—

‘mora bhakta nā pūje, āmāre pūje mātra
se dāmbhika, nahe mora prasādera pātra’

Jayapatākā Swami: He who does not worship My devotee, he only worships Me, he is proud, then certainly he is not the object of My mercy!

So the kaniṣṭha-adhikārī he only thinks to worship the Lord. But the madhyama and uttama-adhikārīs, they worship the Lord’s devotees. So Kṛṣṇa is recommending that.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 6.99

pramāṇa— tathāhi-(hari-bhakti-sudhodaye 13/76)

Jayapatākā Swami: “Proud and arrogant persons who worship Lord Kṛṣṇa but do not worship the Lord’s devotees do not attain Lord Kṛṣṇa’s mercy.”

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 6.100

‘tumi bali mora priya sevaka sarvathā
ataeva tomāre kahiluṅ gopya-kathā’

Jayapatākā Swami: O Bali, you are My dear servant always. And therefore, I have revealed to you this confidential topic.

All of you have received this very confidential topic!

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 6.101

śuniñā prabhura śikṣā bali-mahāśaya
atyanta ānanda-yukta hailā hṛdaya

Jayapatākā Swami: Hearing Lord Kṛṣṇa’s instruction, Bali Mahāśaya became greatly happy in his heart.

Sometimes we think the Lord, He is worshipable, but we don’t appreciate devotees. But actually, Kṛṣṇa appreciates His devotees who are worshiping Him, or those who are worshiping His devotees. So today is the appearance day of Gadādhara Prabhu. He would always worship the devotees and in this way, he was especially very dear to Lord Caitanya.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 6.102

sei kṣaṇe chaya putra ājñāśire dhari’
sammukhe dilena āni’ puraskāra kari’

Jayapatākā Swami: Bali Mahārāja immediately brought the six sons. Taking the Lord’s order on his head, he brought those sons in front of the Lord and gave them to the two Lords as a gift.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 6.103

tabe rāma-kṛṣṇa prabhu lai chaya-jana
jananīre āniñā dilena tata-kṣaṇa

Jayapatākā Swami: Thereafter Lord Kṛṣṇa and Lord Balarāma took the six persons and immediately brought them to their mother and gave them to her.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 6.104

mṛta-putra dekhiyā devakī sei-kṣaṇe
snehe stana sabāre dilena harṣa-mane

Jayapatākā Swami: As soon as Mother Devakī saw her dead sons, with great affection she fed them her breast milk, very happily.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 6.105

viṣṇura ucchiṣṭa stana-pāne ukta chayaputrera divya-jñānodaya—

īśvarera avaśeṣa-stana kari’ pāna
sei-kṣaṇe sabāra haila divya-jñāna

Jayapatākā Swami: By drinking the breast milk that had been drunk by the Lord, at that moment or immediately they attained transcendental knowledge.

Purport: Although the sons of Brahmā were deprived of drinking Devakīs breast milk before the advent of Kṛṣṇa, now, as a result of drinking the breast milk that Kṛṣṇa had drunk, they attained transcendental knowledge. They then immediately surrendered to the Supreme Lord. The degradation that they achieved because of ridiculing a Vaiṣṇava guru was destroyed by drinking the Lord’s remnants. If one who sees a superficial display of sinful activities does not understand their meaning, one commits an offense at the feet of the Lord’s devotees. And if one understands the inauspicious consequences of seeing superficially, his qualification for committing such offenses will be destroyed and he will attain the qualification to serve Vaiṣṇavas.

Jayapatākā Swami: So by drinking the breast milk which was previously taken by Lord Kṛṣṇa, they got forgiven from all their offences and they got transcendental knowledge.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 6.106

viṣṇura caraṇe praṇati —

daṇḍavat hai’ sabe īśvara-caraṇe
paḍilena sākṣāte dekhaye sarva-jane

Jayapatākā Swami: As everyone there watched, they offered their prostrate obeisances at the lotus feet of the Lord.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 6.107

viṣṇura kṛpā-dṛṣṭi o upadeśa —

tabe prabhu kṛpā-dṛṣṭye sabāre cāhiyā
balite lāgilā prabhu sadaya haiyā

Jayapatākā Swami: Then Lord Kṛṣṇa, He looked upon them with His merciful glance and the Lord began speaking with compassion.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 6.108

‘cala cala deva-gaṇa, yāha nija-vāsa
mahāntere āra nāhi kara upahāsa

Jayapatākā Swami: Go, go! O demigods! Return to your own abodes. Do not ridicule any exalted personalities or laugh at them again.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 6.109

īśvarera śakti brahmāīśvara-samāna
manda karma karile o manda nahe tāna

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Brahmā has the potency of the Supreme Lord. So in one sense, he is as good as the Supreme Lord. Even if he does something wrong, he is not wrong.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 6.110

tāhāne hāsiyā eta pāile yātanā
hena buddhi nāhi āra kariha kāmanā

Jayapatākā Swami: Because you laughed at Lord Brahmā, you suffered so much. Do not maintain such a mentality again.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 6.111

brahmā-sthāne giyā māgi’ laha aparādha
tabe sabe citte punaḥ pāibā prasāda’

Jayapatākā Swami: Go to Lord Brahmā and beg forgiveness for your offence, then you will again attain satisfaction.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 6.112

īśvarera ājñāśuni’ sei chaya jana
parama-ādare ājñā kariyā grahaṇa

Jayapatākā Swami: After hearing the Supreme Lord’s order, those six persons accepted it with great respect.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 6.113

pitā-mātā-rāma-kṛṣṇa-pade namaskari’
calilena sarva-deva-gaṇa nija-purī

Jayapatākā Swami: After offering their obeisances to the lotus feet of their mother, father, Lord Balarāma and Lord Kṛṣṇa, those demigods returned to their own abode.

Purport: See Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.85.47-58).

Text 47: The Supreme Lord said: During the age of the first Manu, the sage Marīci had six sons by his wife Ūrnā. They were all exalted demigods, but once they laughed at Lord Brahmā when they saw him preparing to have sex with his own daughter.

Texts 48-49: Because of that improper act, they immediately entered a demoniac form of life, and thus they took birth as sons of Hiraṇyakaśipu. The goddess Yoga-māyā then took them away from Hiraṇyakaśipu, and they were born again from Devakī’s womb. After this, O King, Kaṁsa murdered them. Devakī still laments for them, thinking of them as her sons. These same sons of Marīci are now living here with you.

Text 50: We wish to take them from this place to dispel their mother’s sorrow. Then, released from their curse and free from all suffering, they will return to their home in heaven.

Text 51: By My grace these six — Smara, Udgītha, Pariṣvaṅga, Pataṅga, Kṣudrabhṛt and Ghṛṇī — will return to the abode of pure saints.

Text 52: [Śukadeva Gosvāmī continued:] After saying this, Lord Kṛṣṇa and Lord Balarāma, having been duly worshiped by Bali Mahārāja, took the six sons and returned to Dvārakā, where They presented them to Their mother.

Text 53: When she saw her lost children, Goddess Devakī felt such affection for them that milk flowed from her breasts. She embraced them and took them onto her lap, smelling their heads again and again.

Text 54: Lovingly she let her sons drink from her breast, which became wet with milk just by their touch. She was entranced by the same illusory energy of Lord Viṣṇu that initiates the creation of the universe.

Texts 55-56: By drinking her nectarean milk, the remnants of what Kṛṣṇa Himself had previously drunk, the six sons touched the transcendental body of the Lord, Nārāyaṇa, and this contact awakened them to their original identities. They bowed down to Govinda, Devakī, their father and Balarāma, and then, as everyone looked on, they left for the abode of the demigods.

Text 57: Seeing her sons return from death and then depart again, saintly Devakī was struck with wonder, O King. She concluded that this was all simply an illusion created by Kṛṣṇa.

Text 58: Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Soul, the Lord of unlimited valor, performed countless pastimes just as amazing as this one, O descendant of Bharata.

Thus ends the chapter entitled, Lord Kṛṣṇa’s Instruction on the Danger of Offending a Devotee and Glories of Serving a Devotee
Under the section: The Glories of Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu

So if we remember the brāhmaṇa, he was confused how Lord Nityānanda, He acted in apparently contradictory ways. So Lord Caitanya, He is giving this instruction that Lord Nityānanda is a very exalted soul. VERY EXALTED! We cannot laugh at Him. We cannot criticize Him. All the Pañca-tattva are very exalted. Lord Caitanya, Lord Nityānanda, Advaita Ācārya, Gadādhara Paṇḍita, Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura, all are very exalted. Lord Caitanya when He came back to Bengal after ten years, and He did not go into Bengal, but He stayed at the house of Śrīvāsa for a day or two. But He said that Śrīvāsa, “You do not do anything to maintain your family. You don’t go out, you don’t work, you don’t do anything!” He said, “I just follow the principle of clapping my fingers three times.” “What is that clapping the fingers?” “If I after three times, don’t have enough to eat, then I will tie some weight on my feet and I will go in the Ganges and drown myself! I just depend on Kṛṣṇa.” Lord Caitanya said that, “Even if Lakṣmī devī has to go door to door begging, you will never, never suffer any shortage!” We cannot imitate. But he was so much dependent on Kṛṣṇa. Gadādhara Paṇḍita, he was worshiping the Deity of Ṭoṭā-Gopīnātha. And so this year when they had the special program in Purī, I went to the Ṭoṭā-Gopīnātha temple and there were many devotees there. Also, Gadādhara Paṇḍita would stay there and worship the Deity. Lord Caitanya would come and take prasāda with Gadādhara Paṇḍita sometimes. And so would Nityānanda Prabhu. We know that Rādhārāṇī, She did not like to appear before Lord Nityānanda. But as Gadādhara Prabhu, She did not face such a problem. So sometimes He had Nitāi-Gaura over for prasāda. Hare Kṛṣṇa!