20240203 Sādhu-saṅga Address

mūkaṁ karoti vācālaṁ paṅguṁ laṅghayate girim
yat-kṛpā tam ahaṁ vande śrī-gurun dina tāriṇam
paramānanda-mādhavam śrī caitanya īśvaram
hariḥ oṁ tat sat

Jayapatākā Swami: My class was stopped. And there is a little competition in the temple. So we will give a smaller class here.

Akrūra was asked by Kaṁsa to invite Kṛṣṇa to come out to Mathurā. So, he asked Akrūra, you go and bring Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma to see the wrestling match. But actually, when They come, I want to kill Them. So, he did not keep any secret from Akrūra. And he came to Vṛndāvana, They were very happy to see him. He was an important devotee, like Their grandfather, and so was very much loved by all the vraja-vāsīs. So, Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma asked him, what was his purpose to come? He told Them that Kaṁsa wanted to kill Them. He had wrestlers, had elephant, etc. Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma laughed hearing this! Because They are undefeatable!

Now when Kṛṣṇa went to Mathurā, there was some mystical feat by Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma, when they bathed in the river. Akrūra went to bathe and he was amazed that he saw Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma in the river. Then Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma, They sometimes say They never leave Vṛndāvana. So maybe another Kṛṣṇa, another Balarāma, left Vṛndāvana. Then Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma went back on the chariot. And They drove to Mathurā. And somewhere outside Mathurā they stayed.  They told Akrūra this later. So then Kṛṣṇa He broke a bow which no one could even wind. Kaṁsa heard it breaking and he was worried, he sent his soldiers to get Kṛṣṇa, but they drove all the soldiers off.

The gopīs of Vṛndāvana were thinking, all these city girls of Mathurā, they are seeing now Kṛṣṇa’s beauty. Then Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma entered the arena, there was a large elephant. But Kṛṣṇa bewildered that elephant. And so by hiding under the legs of the elephant, They defeated the elephant. They were carrying the tusk of the elephant over Their shoulders.  They came in and there was a man playing and Kṛṣṇa saw the wrestlers. So Kṛṣṇa said, “I am a small boy, you are very big wrestlers.” All the people present there they thought this is not fair. But Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma were so powerful that they defeated the wrestlers. Then another pair of wrestlers came out, but they were also defeated. So then, the wrestlers ran away. So, Kṛṣṇa took the opportunity, He jumped on the royal dais. He started punching Kaṁsa. Since it was predicted that He would kill Kaṁsa, He did that. And then He dragged Kaṁsa on the ground by his hair. So that was the end of Kaṁsa. Kaṁsa had said, kill Vasudeva, kill Devakī, kill them all. Kṛṣṇa went to His mother and father, Devakī and Vasudeva. But they were offering Him obeisances. So He sprinkled some special līlā-śakti, so they became motherly and fatherly. Haribol! Kṛṣṇa set all His mother, father and other relatives free, and all the people saw Kṛṣṇa in a particular way. Some saw Kṛṣṇa as Paramātmā. Some saw Kṛṣṇa as a fool. How a little boy is going to fight these big wrestlers? But people were amazed how Kṛṣṇa had defeated Kaṁsa.  Thereafter, He coronated Ugrasena and made him the king. So this was the short pastime of Kṛṣṇa.

Yesterday, I told you how Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya decided to go to Jagannātha Purī on the request of His mother. And He went to Haridāsa Ṭhākura and told him that, “You come with Me.” “I won’t be allowed in the temple there,” Haridāsa Ṭhākura said. “Alright, I will talk to Lord Jagannātha,” Lord Caitanya said. So He was telling Advaita Gosāñī, “Don’t cry. If You cry everybody will cry.” So, Advaita Gosāñī, He stopped crying. Then Lord Caitanya told all the gṛhasthas, to go home to their families and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. So like this Lord Caitanya was establishing the saṅkīrtana movement. And many devotees were following in His footsteps. He would say, gṛhe thāko vane thāko sadā hari bole ḍāko. So, He got everybody, gṛhasthas, single, to chant the holy name. His mercy was to get all the people to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa.

So like this, Lord Caitanya was going to Jagannātha Purī. An all new chapter of His pastimes started there. So, there are many pastimes of Lord Caitanya with the saṅkīrtana-yajña. So since my class is a little short today, I will give blessings!