20231224 Śocaka - Lamentation (Part 2)

The following is a Śrī Caitanya-candrāmṛtam class given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja, on December 24th,2023 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!

Hare Kṛṣṇa! Dear Devotees! Today we will be continuing with the comentation of the Śrī Caitanya Candrāmṛtam by Śrīla Prabodhānanda Sarasvatīpāda. Today's chapter 12 Chapter entitled:

Śocaka - Lamentation

Śrī Caitanya-candrāmṛtam 140

śrī puruṣottama, śrī-navadvīpa, śrī-harināma prabhṛti gauraharira bhāvoddīpaka vastu-darśane bhaktahṛdaye gaura-viraha

Feelings of separation of Gaura in the hearts of devotees, upon seeing the objects that stimulates remembrance of Gaurahari, such as Śrī Puruṣottama, Śrī Navadvīpa, Śrī Harināma etc.

saiveyaṁ bhuvi dhanya-gauḍa-nagarī velāpi saivāmbudheḥ
so’yam śrī-puruṣottamo madhupates tāny eva nāmāni tu
no kutrāpi nirīkṣyate hari hari premotsavas tādṛśo
hā caitanya kṛpā-nidhāna tava kiṁ vīkṣye punar vaibhavam

Anuvāda: Pṛthivīte sei ei dhanyā gauḍanagarī, sei ei samudrera upavanādiyukta-tīra, sei ei śrī puruṣottama, śrī-kṛṣṇera sei sakala ‘hare kṛṣṇādi nāmao vartamāna, hari! hari!! kintu kothāo ta’ tādṛśa premānandotsava dṛṣṭa haiteche nā. hā caitanya, hā rūpānidhe, tomāra vaibhava punarāya ki āmāra nayanagocara haibe?

Translation: On the surface of the earth is this same fortunate town of Gauḍa, this is also the very same gardens on the shore of the ocean, here is the same Śrī Jagannātha, even the names such as ‘Hare Kṛṣṇa’ of Śrī Kṛṣṇa are also present. But, hari hari! (Exclamation of lamentation), a similar festival loving happiness is not seen anywhere. Hā Caitanya! O ocean of mercy, will I again see Your opulence?

Jayapatākā Swami: So, these devotees were part of Lord Caitanya’s pastimes, but Lord Caitanya has now disappeared from sight. Expecting that this lamentation would happen when Lord Caitanya disappears, Haridāsa Ṭhākura prayed that he could leave when Lord Caitanya was present. He did not want to see the pastime where Lord Caitanya is no longer visible. So, we heard that to some degree when Śrīla Prabhupāda disappeared. He is the one who brought us Lord Caitanya’s mercy and suddenly he left and it was a very horrible thing. We were depending on his mercy and we did his disappearance festival. I was with Śrīla Prabhupāda that day and he said that he would come to Māyāpur so I went to Māyāpur to make all the arrangements after seeing Śrīla Prabhupāda on his bed. I caught a train, and just as I was arriving in Calcutta I found in the newspaper where it mentioned that the ISKCON Founder Ācārya, His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda of had left. I couldn’t help but cry and immediately took a plane back to Delhi and drove to Vṛndāvana. But by the time I reached Vṛndāvana, he had already been put in samādhi. They said he had gone to each of the main temples and the temple priests had garlanded him and worshiped him and they had brought him back to the samādhi. They had just finished covering up when I reached. Someone said maybe Śrīla Prabhupāda didn’t want you to see him when he left the body. Because we are relating with the body but actually the person is the spirit soul which we are not able to see. But I am left with the orders that Śrīla Prabhupāda gave, that he wanted certain things to be done like building the TOVP and many different things. I was thinking that I should try to fulfill all his requests. So, when Lord Caitanya left the associates had the feeling when He was there He was dancing in saṅkīrtana, it was completely blissful, but now that He had left, they were chanting but they were feeling great lamentation.

Śrī Caitanya-candrāmṛtam 141

śrī-gauraharii para-tattva—

gaurahari aṁśa nahena, kintu pūrṇa svayaṁ-bhagavān vrajendranandana

Śrī Gaurahari is the Absolute Truth— Gaurahari is not a plenary portion, but is personally the complete Supreme Personality of Godhead (Bhagavān), the son of the king of Vraja (Vrajendranandana)

yadi nigadita-mīnādy-aṁśavad gauracandro
na tad api sa hi kaścic chakti-līlā-vikāśaḥ
atula-sakala-śakty-āścarya-līlā prakāśair
anadhigata-mahattvaḥ pūrṇa evāvatīrṇaḥ

Anuvāda: Yadi bala gauracandra śrutyukta mīnādi aṁśāvatārera nyāya, vastutaḥ tāhā tini nahena; kenanā, maṁsyādi-aṁśāvatāra kona eka viśeṣa śakti o līlāra prakāśa mātra. kintu ei avidita-mahima gauracandra apratima-sarva-śaktisamanvita āścarya śīlā prakāśa kariyā niścayai paripūrṇa-rūpe avatīrṇa.

Translation: If you say that Gauracandra is a plenary portion like Matsya, Varāha and so on, mentioned in the śrutis, then He is certainly not that in truth; because the incarnations of the plenary portions like Matsya are the manifestation of only a certain specific power and pastime. But, this Gauracandra whose glories are not known, has descended by the manifesting unparalleled wonderful pastimes with all powers.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, 24 years in Navadvīpa as a gṛhastha and 24 years in Jagannātha Purī as a sannyāsī. Of course some of the years as a sannyāsī, He spent travelling around India, visiting Vṛndāvana, etc. He, Lord Gauracandra He has manifested various pastimes. And He did only what the Supreme Personality of Godhead could do. He could transform sinful people into ecstatic devotees. He could do things which were inconceivable. So, all the devotees were able to see Lord Caitanya’s transcendental potencies. So, the last 24 years He converted the Māyāvādī sannyāsīs in Benares, He had pastimes in Śrīraṅgam in south India, and He went and talked to the tattvavādīs in Udupi and understood what their philosophy was. But He had the system of simultaneously one and different. So that was something that Madhavācārya allowed that his followers can research and develop and reveal more expanded tattva. So, like this, Lord Caitanya was visiting all states of south India, Dvārakā, also Vṛndāvana, going up along the side of the Ganges. Then coming back to Nīlācala. So, He said He would come back to Nīlācala and He did that. Haribol!

Śrī Caitanya-candrāmṛtam 142

upasaṁhāra — svayaṁ-bhagavān gaurahari śiva-brahmādirao ādi o acintya śaktimān

Conclusion — Gaurahari is the Personality of Godhead Himself, is the source of Śiva, Brahmā and is inconceivably powerful

brahmeśādi-mahāścarya-
mahimāpi mahāprabhoḥ
mugdha-bāloditaṁ śrutvā
snigdho’vaśyaṁ bhaviṣyati

Anuvāda: Śiva-viriñcirao ādi arthāt kāraṇa śrī-nārāyaṇa haiteo adhika camatkārakārī, asamorddha prabhāvaśālī śrīman-mahāprabhu ei muḍha-bālakocita vākya śravaṇa kariyā niścayai snigdha haibena arthāt kṛpā-kariyā āmāra prati sneha-vidhāna karibena.

Translation: Śrī Nārāyaṇa is the source of Brahmā and Śiva. More than Nārāyaṇa is Śrīman Mahāprabhu, whose power is unparalleled and very wonderful. Śrīman Mahāprabhu, having heard the words befitting this foolish boy, will certainly be pleased, i.e. by showing mercy He will be affectionate towards me.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, how Lord Caitanya had been challenged by Rukmiṇī that He knew everything in all the planets. What Siva is doing what Brahma is doing. All the ananta koṭi brahmāṇdas, what is happening He knows. But there is one thig He doesn’t know. I know and Radharani knows but He doesn’t know. Then He was saying what is that? Because it is not wrong that He is not proud but its something that He knew everything. Then He asked Rukmiṇī Rāṇī what do I not know? She said You don’t have anyone above You. So, You don’t know how much Your devotees love You and in what way we love You. So, then He said ok, I will come in Kali-yuga as My devotee, I will come in Kali-yuga as My devotee! I will come in Kali-yuga as My devotee! Gaurāṅga! so He combined with Rādhārāṇī and He came as Śrī Gaurāṅga and He played the part as Kṛṣṇa’s devotee.

Śrī Caitanya-candrāmṛtam 143

gauraharira kṛpāi ekamātra prārthanīya

Gaurahari's mercy alone is to be prayed for

dṛṣṭaṁ na śāstraṁ guravo na dṛṣṭā
vivecitaṁ nāpi budhaiḥ su-buddhyā
yathā tathā jalpatu bāla-bhāvāt
tathaiva me gaura-hariḥ prasīdatu

Anuvāda: Āmi śāstrādi darśana kari nāi, bahu upadeṣṭāra nikaṭao upadeśa prāpta hai nāi, śāstrajña paṇḍitagaṇera sahitao śāstrālāpa kari nāi, tathāpi mūrkhatva-prayukta āmāra vākya gaurahari sambandhe ye konarūpei varṇana karuka nā kena, tāhātei śrī-gaurahari āmāra prati prasanna hauna.

Translation: I have not seen the scriptures, have not received instructions from many instructors of many sampradāyas, and did not discuss the scriptures with the scholars who are well versed in the scriptures. Still, out of foolishness, my words describe in relation to Śrī Gaurahari, in whatever way it may be. Let Gaurasundara be pleased towards me, in that.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Prabodānanda Sarasvatī is presenting himself as very foolish and he had not read many scriptures and not talked to many ācāryas. This is hard to believe but he says his realizations about Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu are written here. So, he just prays that Lord Caitanya will be pleased with his presentation. We see that Lord Caitanya was delivering all the sinful people. and that His purpose was to deliver may people. So our saṅkīrtana movement of Lord Caitanya is still going on. People are joining and taking shelter of Lord Caitanya. In this way the saṅkīrtana movement is spreading all over the whole world. Hare Kṛṣṇa

His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda had carried out the order of His Divine Grace Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura and spread the message of Lord Caitanya all over the world.

Hare Kṛṣṇa!