19900603 Caitanya-caritamrita Antya-līlā 6.32-101

The following is a class given by HH Jayapatākā Swami on June 3rd 1990 in Atlanta, Georgia. The class begins with a reading from the Caitanya Caritāmṛta - Antya-līlā, Chapter 6, Text 32 through 101.

Jayapatākā Swami: So here Raghunātha dāsa had many times tried to go away from his family and join Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Once he met Lord Caitanya, who told him about yukta-vairāgya. Told him to remain in his house and serve Kṛṣṇa, using everything in the service of Kṛṣṇa favorably. So during that time, Raghunātha dāsa, he was doing his devotional service. He was helping his uncle and father in their business of being landlords and tax collectors. It was a feudal system at that time in India. There was emperor. There were kings. There were Lords of different sizes. Raghunātha dāsa was the son of one of the most illustrious landlords in Bengal. He would pay taxes, one million two hundred thousand gold coins. Each gold coin in those days used to weigh 1 tola or 11 grams. So that's annular tax 500 years ago. Something like 600 Krugerrand 2:09 or 600 ounces of gold. 600000 ounces of gold which is multiply 600000 by 400 dollars and today's market, he was paying, you know, hundreds and millions of dollars on taxes. So he said that

Text 32

“tomāra jyeṭhā nirbuddhi aṣṭa-lakṣa khāya
āmi — bhāgī, āmāre kichu dibāre yuyāya

“Your father’s elder brother is less intelligent,” he said. “He enjoys 800,000 coins, but since I am also a shareholder, he should give some portion of it to me.

Jayapatākā Swami: Actually, his uncle was apparently not giving all the money in tax. They were allowed, the lords were allowed to keep one third and give two thirds. Since he was giving one million two hundred thousand gold coins, he should have only kept 400000. But he was keeping 800000. So this Mohammedan Chaudhary who was checking on all the taxes, all the landlords. Actually what he wanted was his cut (devotees laughing). So he arrested Raghunātha dāsa. But then Raghunātha dāsa convinced him.

Text 33

yāha tumi, tomāra jyeṭhāre milāha āmāre
ye-mate bhāla haya karuna, bhāra diluṅ tāṅre

“Now you go arrange a meeting between me and your uncle. Let him do whatever he thinks best. I shall completely depend on his decision.”

 Text 34

raghunātha āsi’ tabe jyeṭhāre milāila
mleccha-sahita vaśa kaila — saba śānta haila

Raghunātha dāsa arranged a meeting between his uncle and the caudhurī. The matter was settled, and everything was peaceful.

Text 35

ei-mata raghunāthera vatsareka gela
dvitīya vatsare palāite mana kaila

In this way Raghunātha dāsa passed one year exactly like a first-class business manager, but the next year he again decided to leave home.

Text 36

rātre uṭhi’ ekelā calilā palāñā
dūra haite pitā tāṅre ānila dhariyā

He got up alone one night and left, but his father caught him in a distant place and brought him back.

Text 37

ei-mate bāre bāre palāya, dhari’ āne
tabe tāṅra mātā kahe tāṅra pitā sane

This became almost a daily affair. Raghunātha would run away from home, and his father would again bring him back. Then Raghunātha dāsa’s mother spoke to his father as follows.

Text 38

“putra ‘bātula’ ha-ila, ihāya rākhaha bāndhiyā”
tāṅra pitā kahe tāre nirviṇṇa hañā

“Our son has become mad,” she said. “Just keep him by binding him with ropes.” His father, being very unhappy, replied to her as follows.

Text 39

“indra-sama aiśvarya, strī apsarā-sama
e saba bāndhite nārileka yāṅra mana

daḍira bandhane tāṅre rākhibā ke-mate?
janma-dātā pitā nāre ‘prārabdha’ khaṇḍāite

“Raghunātha dāsa, our son, has opulences like Indra, the heavenly king, and his wife is as beautiful as an angel. Yet all this could not tie down his mind.“How then could we keep this boy home by binding him with ropes? It is not possible even for one’s father to nullify the reactions of one’s past activities.

Text 40

caitanya-candrera kṛpā hañāche iṅhāre
caitanya-candrera ‘bātula’ ke rākhite pāre?”

“Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu has fully bestowed His mercy on him. Who can keep home such a madman of Caitanyacandra?”

Text 41

tabe raghunātha kichu vicārilā mane
nityānanda-gosāñira pāśa calilā āra dine

Then Raghunātha dāsa considered something in his mind, and the next day he went to Nityānanda Gosāñi

Text 42

pānihāṭi-grāme pāilā prabhura daraśana
kīrtanīyā sevaka saṅge āra bahu-jana

In the village of Pānihāṭi, Raghunātha dāsa obtained an interview with Nityānanda Prabhu, who was accompanied by many kīrtana performers, servants and others.

Text 43

gaṅgā-tīre vṛkṣa-mūle piṇḍāra upare
vasiyāchena — yena koṭī sūryodaya kare

Sitting on a rock under a tree on the bank of the Ganges, Lord Nityānanda seemed as effulgent as hundreds of thousands of rising suns.

 Text 44

tale upare bahu-bhakta hañāche veṣṭita
dekhi’ prabhura prabhāva raghunātha — vismita

Many devotees sat on the ground surrounding Him. Seeing the influence of Nityānanda Prabhu, Raghunātha dāsa was astonished.

Text 45

daṇḍavat hañā sei paḍilā kata-dūre
sevaka kahe, — ‘raghunātha daṇḍavat kare’

Raghunātha dāsa offered his obeisances by falling prostrate at a distant place, and the servant of Nityānanda Prabhu pointed out, “There is Raghunātha dāsa, offering You obeisances.”

Text 46

śuni’ prabhu kahe, — “corā dili daraśana
āya, āya, āji tora karimu daṇḍana”

Hearing this, Lord Nityānanda Prabhu said, “You are a thief. Now you have come to see Me. Come here, come here. Today I shall punish you!”

 Text 47

prabhu bolāya, teṅho nikaṭe nā kare gamana
ākarṣiyā tāṅra māthe prabhu dharilā caraṇa

The Lord called him, but Raghunātha dāsa did not go near the Lord. Then the Lord forcibly caught him and placed His lotus feet upon Raghunātha dāsa’s head.

Jayapatākā Swami: Nitāi-Gaura premānande Hari Hari bol!

 Text 48

kautukī nityānanda sahaje dayāmaya
raghunāthe kahe kichu hañā sadaya

Translation: Lord Nityānanda was by nature very merciful and funny. Being merciful, He spoke to Raghunātha dāsa as follows.

Text 49

“nikaṭe nā āisa, corā, bhāga’ dūre dūre
āji lāg pāñāchi, daṇḍimu tomāre

“You are just like a thief, for instead of coming near, you stay away at a distant place. Now that I have captured you, I shall punish you.

Jayapatākā Swami: So this punishment Nityānanda Prabhu is about to mete out Raghunātha dāsa forms a basis of this festival, the Pānihāṭi. This is called Pānihāṭi. This is called the daṇḍa-mahotsava. Nityānanda Prabhu's giving punishment to Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī. So it's Raghunātha dāsa's daṇḍa-mahotsava. Daṇḍa meaning punishment, the stick. Prabhupāda is seen in the picture holding the stick. So the gurukula, the daṇḍa. So punishment also is called daṇḍa. This is known as the daṇḍa-mahotsava. Nityānanda Prabhu is preaching all over Bengal on behalf of Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Certainly, Raghunātha dāsa could have taken association from Nityānanda Prabhu directly, but somehow he was always trying to run away and go to Caitanya Mahāprabhu. So Nityānanda Prabhu is the original Guru. If someone tries to go directly to the Lord by passing the guru, he fails. He is not successful. So somehow Raghunātha dāsa got the idea, let me go to see Nityānanda Prabhu. So now Nityānanda Prabhu is punishing him for his bypassing the Guru, bypassing Nityānanda Prabhu. To get the mercy of Lord Caitanya is very easy if we get the mercy of Nityānanda Prabhu. So now, of course Nityānanda Prabhu is doing everything in a merciful and humorous way. So He is, but all these things have a lot of deep meaning to them and the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas, they recognize that in order to get the mercy of Lord Caitanya, we need the mercy of Nityānanda Prabhu. Of course Nityānanda Prabhu is all merciful. So who will not want to go to Him to get mercy. So Raghunātha dāsa has come to the right place. If he wants to get Lord Caitanya, he has come to Lord Nityānanda. So now Lord Nityānanda Prabhu is going to give the punishment to Raghunātha dāsa.

Text 51

dadhi, ciḍā bhakṣaṇa karāha mora gaṇe”
śuni’ ānandita haila raghunātha mane

“Make a festival and feed all My associates yogurt and chipped rice.” Hearing this, Raghunātha dāsa was greatly pleased.

Jayapatākā Swami: Raghunātha dāsa was pleased with his punishment given by the Lord. It was an opportunity to serve the Lord and all His devotees. Raghunātha dāsa had no shortage or capacity when the required opportunity to be able to express his service attitude. So here he was given the opportunity to serve Lord Nityānanda and all the other devotees.

 Text 52

sei-kṣaṇe nija-loka pāṭhāilā grāme
bhakṣya-dravya loka saba grāma haite āne

Raghunātha dāsa immediately sent his own men to the village to purchase all kinds of eatables and bring them back.

 Text 53

ciḍā, dadhi, dugdha, sandeśa, āra cini, kalā
saba dravya ānāñā caudike dharilā

Raghunātha dāsa brought chipped rice, yogurt, milk, sweetmeats, sugar, bananas and other eatables and placed them all around.

 Text 54

‘mahotsava’-nāma śuni’ brāhmaṇa-sajjana
āsite lāgila loka asaṅkhya-gaṇana

As soon as they heard that a festival was going to be held, all kinds of brāhmaṇas and other gentlemen began to arrive. Thus there were innumerable people.

 Text 55

āra grāmāntara haite sāmagrī ānila
śata dui-cāri holnā tāṅhā ānāila

Seeing the crowd increasing, Raghunātha dāsa arranged to get more eatables from other villages. He also brought two to four hundred large, round earthen pots.

 Text 56

baḍa baḍa mṛt-kuṇḍikā ānāila pāṅca sāte
eka vipra prabhu lāgi’ ciḍā bhijāya tāte

He also obtained five or seven especially large earthen pots, and in these pots a brāhmaṇa began soaking chipped rice for the satisfaction of Lord Nityānanda.

Jayapatākā Swami: This when we say baḍa baḍa mṛt-kuṇḍikā in Bengal because cultivation previously was more seasonal. They didn't have irritation with mechanical means. So primarily they grew rice in the rainy season. So they would sail that rice in different containers. Some would say make like silos but someone maybe less rice or in a house they would save in huge earthen pots which are either 4 feet, 5 feet or even 6 feet high and about you know this way or upto that way. So you can understand that to prepare the mixtures, one of these very big pots, baḍa baḍa, it's not just, like big enough for the whole man to fit inside. They were mixing up and the other 2 to 400 were round, maybe this size. Something like that or even bigger earthen pots. Of course, here, America, we don't get these types of earthen pots. We get some earthen pots but they are not exactly made for ciḍā-dahī. We had to adapt them.

Text 57

eka-ṭhāñi tapta-dugdhe ciḍā bhijāñā
ardheka chānila dadhi, cini, kalā diyā

In one place, chipped rice was soaked in hot milk in each of the large pots. Then half the rice was mixed with yogurt, sugar and bananas.

 Text 58

āra ardheka ghanāvṛta-dugdhete chānila
cāṅpā-kalā, cini, ghṛta, karpūra tāte dila

The other half was mixed with condensed milk and a special type of banana known as cāṅpā-kalā. Then sugar, clarified butter and camphor were added.

Jayapatākā Swami: Cāṅpā-kalā is a special banana sometimes known as butter banana. Because they are yellow like butter. Sometimes they are known as cini-cāṅpā or sugar banana because they are the sweetest of all these bananas. One I went to purchase some seedlings of cāṅpā-kalā from one horticulture research center and the research scientist was begging this is how the banana which has the highest vitamin C of any banana in the world. Therefore, it's not ripe, taste a little acidic but when it's fully ripe, it's also the sweetest and it's the most in vitamin C. He is giving a whole lecture on this. How great, this was a unique banana. So in other words, the best ingredients available at that time for procured by Raghunātha dāsa for this picnic feast for Nityānanda Prabhu.

 Text 59

dhuti pari’ prabhu yadi piṇḍāte vasilā
sāta-kuṇḍī vipra tāṅra āgete dharilā

After Nityānanda Prabhu had changed His cloth for a new one and sat on a raised platform, the brāhmaṇa brought before Him the seven huge pots.

Text 60

cabutarā-upare yata prabhura nija-gaṇe
baḍa baḍa loka vasilā maṇḍalī-racane

On that platform, all the most important associates of Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu, as well as other important men, sat down in a circle around the Lord.

 Text 61

rāmadāsa, sundarānanda, dāsa-gadādhara
murāri, kamalākara, sadāśiva, purandara

Among them were Rāmadāsa, Sundarānanda, Gadādhara dāsa, Murāri, Kamalākara, Sadāśiva and Purandara.

Jayapatākā Swami: These were the names of different associates of Lord Nityānanda who were present. They are all famous preachers. Murāri was the disciple of Sāraṅga Ṭhākura who was of course sporting in the Ganges. When Sāraṅga Ṭhākura took a vow, the first person he met he would initiate. Because Lord Caitanya told him, this is the duty of the preacher to accept disciples. So at least you have to accept one disciple to continue the disciplic succession. So he decided, but he never fulfilled that. Why you are not taking a disciple. So then he decided that okay, the first person he'll meet, he'll preach him. Give him the mantra. So he went to the Ganges early in the morning before sunrise and someone bumped against him. He said - Oh! This is the first person. So he immediately gave the mantra in his ear. Actually, it was a corpse, (devotees laughing) a cadaver floating in the water. But his mantra was so powerful, that brought him back to life. Nitāi-Gaura Hari haribol. Then he gave him the initiated name Murāri and explained how actually he was a young man who was going for his, marry that day, he went for the traditional Ganges bath and somehow drowned on the day of his wedding, before his wedding. He said you gave me back my life. But since you have given me back my life, so now I am going to stay with you. He didn't go back to that previous existence. So Murāri having already died, come back from death, he was fearless. He talked to tigers - Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. The tigers, “Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa!” (laughter) like that. This is just one of, Gadādhara Dāsa, he was Śrīpāt. He established where Lord Caitanya took sannyāsa in Katwa. His samā

dhi is also there. He is connected also with Gadādhara Prabhu. He was really active preacher. Sadaśiva, all these are very famous devotees. Other devotees were

Text 62

dhanañjaya, jagadīśa, parameśvara-dāsa
maheśa, gaurīdāsa, hoḍa-kṛṣṇadāsa

Dhanañjaya, Jagadīśa, Parameśvara dāsa, Maheśa, Gaurīdāsa and Hoḍa Kṛṣṇadāsa were also there.

Jayapatākā Swami: Mahesh Paṇḍita, also Śrīpat is there. Near Chakdaha, Prabhupāda went to his Śrīpat. Jagadīśa Paṇḍita went to Jagannātha Purī also, to see Lord Caitanya. His Śrīpat is in Chakdaha. Gaurīdāsa whose Śrīpat is in Aṁbikā Kālnā, who is the older brother of Suryakhela, who is the father of  consorts of Lord Nityānanda – Jahnavā and Vasudhā Devī. Hoḍa Kṛṣṇadāsa was a king who became a pure Vaiṣṇava preacher. He was made a guru. He was given the title mahanta and he was also, from him there is a disciplic succession of Vaiṣṇavas. He was the one who arranged the wedding between Nityānanda Prabhu and His consorts.

Text 63

uddhāraṇa datta ādi yata nija-gaṇa
upare vasilā saba, ke kare gaṇana?

Similarly, Uddhāraṇa Datta Ṭhākura and many other personal associates of the Lord sat on the raised platform with Nityānanda Prabhu. No one could count them all.

Jayapatākā Swami: Prabhupāda explains if you can, where you can find the details of all His associates of the Ādi-līlā or Prabhupāda has explained who they are. Of course, Uddhāraṇa Datta Ṭhākura was a vaiśya by caste, although he is a liberated nitya-siddha pure devotee. He was in, appeared in Suvarṇa Bhūmi 18 in order to deliver them. Prabhupāda also appeared in that same family and one time this family, leaders of their Kulu, whole dynasty, they invited Śrīla Prabhupāda to go to the temple of Uddhāraṇa Datta Ṭhākura as a special guest. It was somewhat illustrious, present a Vaiṣṇava in succession. Prabhupāda never stressed his family connection but actually we saw the Uddhāraṇa Datta Ṭhākura's temple and all of the dynasty from Uddhāraṇa Datta Ṭhākura. They were not allowed their daughters or sons to get married before taking initiation. They had to take initiation before they are allowed to get married. Just like they are still maintaining many of the traditions. So that affected Prabhupāda very much.

 Text 64

śuni’ paṇḍita bhaṭṭācārya yata vipra āilā
mānya kari’ prabhu sabāre upare vasāilā

Hearing about the festival, all kinds of learned scholars, brāhmaṇas and priests went there. Lord Nityānanda Prabhu honored them and made them sit on the raised platform with Him.

 Text 65

dui dui mṛt-kuṇḍikā sabāra āge dila
eke dugdha-ciḍā, āre dadhi-ciḍā kaila

Everyone was offered two earthen pots. In one was put chipped rice with condensed milk, and in the other chipped rice with yogurt.

 Text 66

āra yata loka saba cautarā-talāne
maṇḍalī-bandhe vasilā, tāra nā haya gaṇane

All the other people sat in groups around the platform. No one could count how many people were there.

 Text 67

ekeka janāre dui dui holnā dila
dadhi-ciḍā dugdha-ciḍā, duite bhijāila

Each and every one of them was supplied two earthen pots — one of chipped rice soaked in yogurt and the other of chipped rice soaked in condensed milk.  

Text 68

kona kona vipra upare sthāna nā pāñā
dui holnāya ciḍā bhijāya gaṅgā-tīre giyā

Some of the brāhmaṇas, not having gotten a place on the platform, went to the bank of the Ganges with their two earthen pots and soaked their chipped rice there.

Jayapatākā Swami: So this way so many people came. As soon as the word spread, festival, festival, mahotsava!!!! Raghunātha dāsa is giving a big feast for Nityānanda Prabhu and all of His associates. All the people came and everyone who came, they were offered this mahā-prasādam, ciḍā-dahī with condensed milk and ciḍā chipped rice. So, so many people came and not only around it, the tree under which Nityānanda Prabhu was sitting and the whole area was surrounded. But even the field and not only the field but even the side of the river became packed with people. Finally, there's no room that even people, they took their prasāda and went and they were standing inside the river. Some people were standing upto their waist in the Ganges to take. There's no, completely packed with people. Hundreds and thousands of people. Actually, even today 500 years from that time, Kali-yuga is so much progressed. But even today 200,000 people come every year to this Pānihāṭi festival. There's no advertisement. No banners are needed. No advertising. No newspaper. Everyone knows on this day Nityānanda Prabhu had this festival. You go there. Big kīrtana festival and every devotee comes and they bring with them in the mood of Raghunātha dāsa, they bring some ingredients. They mix and they distribute to some other, offered to Nityānanda. So, they have some brāhmaṇas and the race. Platform is same raised platform is there, that Nityānanda Prabhu sat. Small enough but at least something is still there. The same tree is there. So people go and then the brāhmaṇas offer to the deity of Nitāi-Gaura and they take the prasādam and distribute to others. ISKCON also goes every year. We distribute to at least 50,000 of the people. Sometimes 100,000. It's maybe more than you can count. They come and take the ciḍā-dahī. Last year, we set up at the house of Raghu Paṇḍita, little bit distant, maybe about 2 city blocks from the tree because there's no room. They packed us, completely packed all around the tree. So the organizers requested us to do it a little distance. So the pūjārīs and the Raghu Paṇḍita temples. Otherwise, before the first year we were doing it from our boat. We got the boat by the side of the Ganges and we mixed everything in the boat. And from there, somewhere, we brought the truck. Some here, we set up, a candle in the fields, one city by four. So many people come, all day, all night. So the time 500 years ago, so many people also came. May be even more that time because Nityānanda Prabhu was personally there. So they were just countless people, come for kīrtana and for some mahā-prasādam. This is a simple festival. This is simple but it is very ecstatic festival. Because it is a personal ecstacy of Nityānanda Prabhu. We heard Nityānanda Prabhu is very funny, is very merciful. So in His ecstasy, His yogurt, He wants to relieve the pastimes as Balarāma, as a cowherd boy picnicking with Kṛṣṇa and the gopālas. Many of these devotees, they were mentioned here are dvādaśa-gopālas. Gaurīdāsa Paṇḍita is one of the dvādaśa-gopālas. Abhirāma is one of the... there are many dvādaśa-gopālas and these are the 12 cowherd boys who came from Goloka Vṛndāvana to assist Lord Caitanya, Nityānanda. Especially Nityānanda Prabhu when He was preaching in Bengal, they were there when both were there. They were there when Nityānanda Prabhu was there. So here Nityānanda Prabhu, He became in that ecstasy and He was so merciful that all these people to participate hundreds and thousands of people to participate and become integrated in His pastime. To take prasādam like cowherd boys with Nityānanda Prabhu. When they set up, then of course Rāghava Paṇḍita himself came. His house was very nearby. He brought all type of cooked prasādam. Rice, dal, sabji, vegetables cooked in, things cooked in ghee.  He said - Here I  offered everything to the diety. So you are engaged in a festival. Here the food is lying untouched by Nityānanda Prabhu. Nityānanda Prabhu said - Today I'm going to eat this food here and I shall eat at your home in the night.

Text 75

gopa-jāti āmi bahu gopa-gaṇa saṅge
āmi sukha pāi ei pulina-bhojana-raṅge”

“I belong to a community of cowherd boys, and therefore I generally have many cowherd associates with Me. I am happy when we eat together in a picnic like this by the sandy bank of the river.”

Jayapatākā Swami: So this is Nityānanda Prabhu's ecstasy and His mercy is giving to all this people. They are all experiencing this ecstasy of picnicking with Nityānanda Prabhu like He did 4500 years before in Vṛndāvana with all the cowherd boys.

Text 76

rāghave vasāñā dui kuṇḍī deoyāilā
rāghava dvividha ciḍā tāte bhijāilā

Jayapatākā Swami: So then Nityānanda Prabhu gave, made Rāghava Paṇḍita sit down and made him also to part. So while they were making the seats, they had one seat for Lord Caitanya. They put His seat. They put a banana leaf for the pots there. Then when everything was arranged like this, Nityānanda Prabhu by His meditation, He brought Lord Caitanya there.

Text 78

mahāprabhu āilā dekhi’ nitāi uṭhilā
tāṅre lañā sabāra ciḍā dekhite lāgilā

When Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu arrived, Lord Nityānanda Prabhu stood up. They then saw how the others were enjoying the chipped rice with yogurt and condensed milk.

Jayapatākā Swami: Nityānanda Prabhu and Lord Caitanya, they were personally satisfied to see devotees accepting the chipped rice prasādam. I'm sure no one would want to not satisfy Lord Caitanya Nityānanda. Then every once a day we’ll take chipped rice prasādam after the Lords have accepted. This was their special ecstasy, to see everyone taking the mahā-prasādam. Then walking amongst all the people, watching them, enjoying them, enjoying seeing them taking the prasādam. Then Lord Nityānanda, He started to take some chipped rice from the pots and He was putting them, chipped rice into the mouth of Lord Caitanya. Now Lord Caitanya would take chipped rice and put it in the mouth of Nityānanda. So people were watching. This is… the chipped rice can float. (laughter) Only a few could see He was invincible to the mass of the people. They are seeing Nityānanda take chipped rice, putting it in the air. They don't know what's going on (laughter). But anyway everyone was so ecstatic that they didn't meditate on these things very much. It is completely inconceivable what was going on anyways. So it was over everybody's head (devotees laughing). So in this way Nityānanda was walking to all the groups and all the Vaiṣṇavas were standing there. Then some could see, there's Lord Caitanya. They are seeing what's going on. And some, they could feel what's going on but could not see. Others they don't know what's going on but they are just Haribol!! Haribol!! Nitāi-Gaura premānande.

 Text 82

ki kariyā beḍāya, — ihā keha nāhi jāne
mahāprabhura darśana pāya kona bhāgyavāne

No one could understand what Nityānanda Prabhu was doing as He walked about. Some, however, who were very fortunate, could see that Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was also present.

 Text 83

tabe hāsi’ nityānanda vasilā āsane
cāri kuṇḍī āroyā ciḍā rākhilā ḍāhine

Then Nityānanda Prabhu smiled and sat down. On His right side He kept four pots of chipped rice that had not been made from boiled paddy.

Text 84

āsana diyā mahāprabhure tāhāṅ vasāilā
dui bhāi tabe ciḍā khāite lāgilā

Lord Nityānanda offered Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu a place and had Him sit down. Then together the two brothers began eating chipped rice.

Text 85

dekhi’ nityānanda-prabhu ānandita hailā
kata kata bhāvāveśa prakāśa karilā

Seeing Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu eating with Him, Lord Nityānanda Prabhu became very happy and exhibited varieties of ecstatic love.

 Text 86

ājñā dilā, — ‘hari bali’ karaha bhojana’
‘hari’ ‘hari’-dhvani uṭhi’ bharila bhuvana

Lord Nityānanda Prabhu ordered, “All of you eat, chanting the holy name of Hari.” Immediately the holy names “Hari, Hari” resounded, filling the entire universe.

Jayapatākā Swami: Nitāi-Gaura premānande Hari Hari bol!

So everyone, they all were chanting Hari! Hari! Eating and chanting and they are remembering Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma. All of them were feeling separation from Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma. Actually, Śrīla Prabhupāda, even on more than one occasion to Pānihāṭi with us and then he showed us one temple which was a very ancient temple, just by the side of the tree under which Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu sat. And there it's interesting that there is Revatī-Balarāma temple. Very rare to find Revatī-Balarāma. And also at Prabhupāda’s ancestral temple, Rādhā-Govinda, there is also Revatī-Balarāma Deities. Many of you have gone to the temple in Calcutta of Prabhupāda’s Deities, you will see also Revatī-Balarāma is being worshipped. It's very rare to find, however, but this is a special festival Balarāma, because Nityānanda is non-different than Balarāma. Vrajendra-nandana yei, śacī-suta hoila sei, balarāma hoila nitāi. So in the ecstacy of transcendental pastimes of the cowherd boys and the pastime of giving the mercy to Raghunātha dāsa in the form of punishment. If we are punished by the Lord, that's also mercy. Śivānanda Sena expresses that he accepted the punishment of Nityānanda Prabhu as causeless mercy. The devotees take whatever the Lord gives as His mercy. So even if it is punishment, it is mercy. The point is never to be separated from the Lord. That is the real diagnosis, tāmasa. The real ignorance is to be separated from the Lord, therefore we are connected whether the Lord is punishing or whether He is blessing, it's all mercy. We simply want the eternal connection with the Lord and His servants.

Text 88

nityānanda mahāprabhu — kṛpālu, udāra
raghunāthera bhāgye eta kailā aṅgīkāra

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Lord Nityānanda Prabhu are extremely merciful and liberal. It was Raghunātha dāsa’s good fortune that They accepted all these dealings.

 Text 89

nityānanda-prabhāva-kṛpā jānibe kon jana?
mahāprabhu āni’ karāya pulina-bhojana

Who can understand the influence and mercy of Lord Nityānanda Prabhu? He is so powerful that He induced Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu to come, eat chipped rice on the bank of the Ganges.

 Text 90

śrī-rāmadāsādi gopa premāviṣṭa hailā
gaṅgā-tīre ‘yamunā-pulina’ jñāna kailā

All the confidential devotees who were cowherd boys, headed by Śrī Rāmadāsa, were absorbed in ecstatic love. They thought the bank of the Ganges to be the bank of the Yamunā.

Jayapatākā Swami: Śrīla Prabhupāda came here and he saw Nitāi-Gauracandra. He said how merciful. I should be nice to hear that, that sort of that tape. Play it in Prabhupāda smṛti-utsava. How merciful Nitāi and Gauracandra are. They are so merciful, out of their causeless mercy, they personally come. Actually Prabhupāda became overwhelmed and tears started to flow from his eyes as he was taking the darśana of Nitāi and Gauracandra. Here he chanted the 'parama-karuṇā' song for the first time. Taught the devotees how to chant and they didn't know how to do the one-two beat. But normally he is doing ting ting ting, ting ting ting. But this song is ba-bum, ba-bum, one-two. So teach them how to play the kartālas in the proper tempo, proper beat. So this, then he named this place as the, this temple as New Pānihāṭi. New Pānihāṭi-dhāma kī jaya!!

Devotees: Jaya!

Actually here Nitāi-Gauracandra were personally present. They are still present. Prabhupāda in his ecstasy would appreciate all these pastimes. So even according to the Vaiṣṇava tradition, if some big ācārya preaches in the place or does some pastimes, that place becomes recognized as a Śrīpat. Pānihāṭi is a dhāma because there Lord Nityānanda, Lord Caitanya, the Lords themselves personally appeared. But even if say just a devotee those, I mean some great devotees also go Śrīpat, just like a dhāma kind of. Special type of miniature dhāma. So here Śrīla Prabhupāda came. He had so many pastimes with the devotees. Like, to remember the glories of Śrīla Prabhupāda, focusing on specifically on pastimes how here in Pānihāṭi and generally all of these transcendental qualities and pastimes. Because Śrīla Prabhupāda gave the name and initiated the worship of Nitāi-Gauracandra here through his visit, so every year we also remember Śrīla Prabhupāda, the founder ācārya of the New Pānihāṭi-dhāma. On this day also his personal appearance here and his transcendental qualities. Just as Lord Caitanya was brought by Nityānanda Prabhu, so also here Prabhupāda personally came and he brought Nitāi-Gauracandra. Enjoy taking the chipped rice and yogurt with all the devotees and Lord Caitanya-Nityānanda, we can pray to their Lords that one day we will be so fortunate to be able to see how they are dancing amongst all the devotees and how they are also accepting that ciḍā and dahī. How they are observing the devotees taking their prasādam. How they are happy with the festival. One day will be so fortunate to see that, that prayer. But even though we cannot see it, we can feel how happy the Lord is because although the festival is nothing very special. There are many more opulent festivals and Ratha-yātrās all over the world. But just because Lord Nityānanda, Lord Caitanya become very pleased when the devotees participate in this festival. When they are pleased, naturally devotees become pleased. So, everybody leaves with some sublime feeling, transcendental contentment which is inexplicable. If you try to analyse why one feels so happy. You know that the secret is the mercy of Nitāi-Gauracandra. Lord Nityānanda is very humorous. Lord Caitanya also in the presence of Nityānanda, He became also very jolly. And sometimes they express their humor in different ways. Actually, one day Nityānanda Prabhu and one day mother Śacī, she had a dream. When she woke up, she was very perturbed by that dream. She asked Nimāi, what is the meaning of this dream?  and Nimāi, what dream did you have? And she said, well last night in my dream, I was preparing a meal for the Deities and then I came and I saw, I gave the one plate and I came to get the other. I came back and there I saw a baby You and Nityānanda as babies. We are talking to the deity Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma. Nityānanda was talking and He was telling that this bhoga should not go to You. You are from the Dvāpara-yuga (devotees laughing). The Lord of this age is Gaurahari. The offering should go to Him. He is the predominate deity in the age of Kali (devotees laughing).  Mother Śacī was watching and she couldn't understand. All of a sudden Nityānanda Prabhu as a baby wrapped her and said Feed Me! Feed Me! I'm hungry (devotees laughing). Then she woke up. What does this mean? Your Deities are very active. Also, maybe Nityānanda Prabhu is hungry. So I'll go, invite Him for lunch. You can prepare. She was very happy. Meanwhile Nityānanda Prabhu had run to the Ganges, jumped in, swam to the other side and was getting all the kids to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. Then He jumped in, swam back. He was in a very jolly mood that day. Then Nityānanda saw, on the other side there was Lord Caitanya standing. And then He said, “Come, you have to take lunch with Me today.”

He says, “Alright.”

And Lord Caitanya told Him, like, “Listen. No funny business.” (laughter).

“What do you mean, no funny? You made funny business. You are the one who is always doing the funny business. I am not doing any display there.”

Having their discussion amongst each other who is doing the funny business. So they went and mother Śacī in her ecstasy, she was so happy to be able to give prasādam to Nitāi-Gaura. Then after offering to the Deities, she came and she set up the plates, the new plate. In ecstasy somehow, she put 3 plates down. Not understanding, it's two, but they put three. In another way, she was outside herself. She was so happy to be able to serve, so filled with pure love, pure Kṛṣṇa-prema. So she came and then she started to, she brought in the preparations, had to put the preparations on their plates. She went to get more. They started to eat prasāda. Then she came back and she looked and glanced at Lord Caitanya Nityānanda. There were sitting Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma eating prasāda. She was like Ohh!!! (devotees laughing). Fainted on the ground. Immediately Lord Caitanya jumped up. Mother Śacī!! Mother Śacī!!, what's the matter? And she looked and she saw there's Lord Caitanya, there's  Nityānanda. Go out and locked the door. “I won't speak to anybody the whole day.” (laughter)

Lord Caitanya said, “I told You not to play around.” (laughter). But the Lord keeps Himself covered. He's in different pastimes and sometimes He reveals Himself but since the devotees are covered by yoga-māyā, they cannot comprehend the significance. It contradicts with their siddha-svarūpa there, eternal rasas playing at that time, so it becomes overwhelming for their consciousness. Here all the devotees, they are considering themselves brāhmaṇas and Vaiṣṇavas and they all love Nityānanda Prabhu and Lord Caitanya more than their very soul. In this way Lord Nityānanda is accepting all of them as His eternal in His eternal service, even so many new people, all people, all devotees meaning the ones who came down from along Vṛndāvana, they are sitting all around Him but all so many new people. I integrated in the pastimes of Lord Caitanya. Prabhupāda explained that when we leave this body, one of the ways we integrate in Kṛṣṇa's pastimes is we go to some universe where Kṛṣṇa, Lord Caitanya's pastimes are going on and we enter into those pastimes. And then from there we are transferred to the spiritual world. So this way, so many hundreds and thousands of devotees became completely filled with love of Kṛṣṇa by the mercy of Lord Nityānanda, integrated in different ways in His pastimes. It became such a famous occasion that the, when Raghunātha dāsa and his people to buy the things, they came with a big bullock cart with bullock down here. They bring bullock carts of yogurt, of sandeśa, rasagulla. Then the shopkeepers, they also come along and they also take their prasāda and stay there. Everyone just you know so many, then it became like an ocean of people. Just one after another, they are all coming. Whatever came Raghunātha dāsa just bought it. Then he gave the people back again, take some prasāda. You can't go without prasāda. So, it was a very funny, very ecstatic situation. Everyone was chanting Hari! Hari! Nitāi-Gaura premānande Hari Hari bol! Eating and continually chanting Hari! in so much… Hari! Hari! Gaurahari! Gaurahari! Like this, they are all chanting. So people are coming, the whole air is filled with the sound Hari Hari. So then after Nityānanda Prabhu finished, washed His hands, he gave Raghunātha dāsa the four parts with all the remnants. He gave the remnants to Raghunātha dāsa. Can’t imagine the causeless mercy Raghunātha dāsa is getting the personal remnants of Nityānanda Prabhu. After Lord Nityānanda Prabhu finished eating, He washed His hands and mouth, gave Raghunātha dāsa the food remaining in the 4 pots. Then there were 3 other big pots that Nityānanda Prabhu had. So they distributed it to all the other devotees giving a morsel each.

 Text 96

puṣpa-mālā vipra āni’ prabhu-gale dila
candana āniyā prabhura sarvāṅge lepila

Then a brāhmaṇa brought a flower garland, placed the garland on Nityānanda Prabhu’s neck and smeared sandalwood pulp all over His body.

Jayapatākā Swami: So we had devotees of Nityānanda take ciḍā-dahī, then given candana-sevā. Kṛṣṇa and Nityānanda Prabhu distributed to all the devotees. There were other flower garlands he distributed. Had all the other devotees went for garlands and sandalwood was given to the other devotees. So after receiving the remnants of prasādam by Nityānanda Prabhu, Raghunātha dāsa accepted some of that and he distributed the rest to the other devotees.

 Text 100

ei ta’ kahiluṅ nityānandera vihāra
‘ciḍā-dadhi-mahotsava’-nāme khyāti yāra

Thus I have described the pastimes of Lord Nityānanda Prabhu in relation to the celebrated festival of chipped rice and yogurt.

Jayapatākā Swami: Then Nityānanda Prabhu went and took little rest. There are more pastimes that evening. So actually, when Śrīla Prabhupāda, he said that this Pānihāṭi was most important. In Bengal, the Pānihāṭi, he said that he wanted from BBT funds, from his own, he wanted to have a big temple built there. Because that time the government was saying, they'll give us a land right there, at that place. So Prabhupāda said we'll build a temple right here. Local people objected that sitting place, original sitting place would be disturbed. Prabhupāda said, “No, we'll build a two temple with a big concrete corner. We'll build it on the second floor and the ground floor will remain all as it is. The whole temple will be up, right up on the side of the Ganges. It will have regular motor launch service, yard service from Calcutta to Pānihāṭi, Pānihāṭi to Māyāpur tour will be there. Always coming and going. Everyone stops at Pānihāṭi. Special ciḍā-dahī prasāda will be there.” So Prabhupāda, of course then the government changed, a big communist government somehow. Now maybe there is a chance, now the communist became favorable with us again after 12 years. Now that the Russians came and swept the road for the Jagannātha and everything, they melted out a little bit. But initially they were not so favorable. Now they become so helpful. So now maybe there is a chance to get that property. Develop that temple Prabhupāda wanted. After that Prabhupāda said… he also said, “You participate in this festival here.” I remember the first year we went there, explained before that, we didn't have any idea how many people actually were there. And you know sometime I have the problem of being a little late. So he came with a whole truck load of, it may be a ton of chipped rice and hundreds of pots of miṣṭi-dahī (sweet dahī). So he arrived at about 9.30 or 10 which is actually too late and  had to be there early, early in the morning. Already by that time, the place was completely packed. We went down. Somehow at least to get to the place, we could only the trucks. It was stopped at least half a mile away. The closer than that was the people. If you took 15 or 20 minutes just to go and come back, it took half hour. With empty hands just to go there and see the situation. So it seemed almost like how we are going to get our ton or more of chipped rice, ciḍā and all the dahī and sugar and everything to that tree side. See now, of course we know a day before setup, handles everything. But at that time was the first time. We didn't know. We had a Nitāi-Gaura Deities. So then, we were completely frustrated. I don't know, we really kind of you know blew it. We came, there's no way on getting all the things there. So we were praying to Nitāi-Gaura what to do. And all of a sudden, although it was a bright day, right over the whole place a little cloud came and (*rain sfx*) started to rain. So when the rain, all the people went off the road, kind of, like trying to go under the tree or under and the whole road, half mile, suddenly became empty. So all the devotees picked up and put the Deities on our heads and  some you know cheerly, all ran down quick while it was still raining. Ran right down. (*sfx*) It was like, right to the tree where the and took over. Shut the brāhmaṇas up. You don't want to show them mark any more. This is by surprise. Put the Nitāi-Gaura Deities there and we made a 108. Then as soon as we got there, the rain stopped. And then the people when they saw these Deities of Nitāi-Gaura, Oh! they have got such nice beautiful Deities. One man was there. He was like a balancing and he all of a sudden singing Nitāi-Gaura, Hari Hari. Abhiṣeka. “Nitāi-Gaura come to Pānihāṭi today, giving us today the kṛṣṇa-prema.” Like that he started singing. Oh! People started jumping up. Nitāi-Gaura Panihati eseche. Eseche means they have come, they have come and everyone is… people are rolling in the mud there. They are rolling around (laughter) So well we had to people, they go. That is one chanting to the point, they become all completely mad. So then we got there, we got half the things there and it stopped raining. All the people back on the roads and then again somehow, we went back to the truck, say another half of the things there. Again the cloud came, (*rain sfx*) started raining. Then we took all the rest of the things. When it stops, we got there. Lord Caitanya's special mercy. Nityānanda wanted to. And then we made the clay pots, offered to Nitāi-Gaura and then, see we had no experience. We didn't know how the people there. They are completely spontaneous, you can say. They are just into chanting and getting the mercy. So we are thinking, how to distribute the prasādam. Here's like a hundred, may be thousand. In that area 50,000 people and beyond, you know more. Here we have 108. Filled with you know opulent, nicely decorated things. How to distribute little bit to each. So then one devotee, I don't even remember if it was… I don't know, one devotee, he took out the pot. He decided, I'll go and distribute. And we saw when the count and we just saw like thousand hands kind of (laughter). And that person disappeared. (laughter) Like a person in the waves of the ocean. Just disappeared. And there was no one over there (laughter). Then about 5 minutes later, he called out between someone late. This is not the way to do it (devotees laughing). Then another devotee climbed up on a tree and was hanging down, like feeding birds, they are going like (laughter). People are very. Now we built big, you know, put bricks, wooden poles and make a queue, so people can't fall over.  But people really, everyone to chant, all the people, they are chanting

Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare,
Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare

Nitāi Gaurāṇga! Nitāi Gaurāṇga!

So today's a special day for chanting for Nitāi and Gaura. I want to give them blessing. We want that especially Raghunātha dāsa there, pure devotee, who is first given him the mercy. Later today there is so many, this topic is go on being discussed, the mercy that Raghunātha dāsa got. The later pastimes of the day, there's so many other. Sannyāsīs and devotees who are explaining these things. But we are praying to Śrīla Prabhupāda for his mercy, so they're able to perform this festival. To remember Śrīla Prabhupāda's voice and so we can serve that 6 gosvāmīs, especially Raghunātha dāsa who is specially dear to the Lord. He was the assistant secretary of Svarūpa Dāmodara. He was taken later by Lord Caitanya and given such intimate service. Caitanya-caritāmṛta is written from the notes that, mainly from the notes of  Raghunātha dāsa and recorded. He kept detailed notes of all the things and that was heard by Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja, recorded especially to his devotees for the pleasure of their Lords Nitāi Gauracandra. Very happy to see many devotees chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa and taking prasādam. They want to accept them all as their associates in the picnic on the side of the river Yamunā. We don't have the river Yamunā here. So one may say, how can we have the New Pānihāṭi. So the only thing we have to have is a river of nectar flowing from the mouths of all devotees constantly chanting

Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare,
Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare

and chanting the glories of the Lord’s devotees. Hare Kṛṣṇa. (devotees shouting Hare Kṛṣṇa).

(indistinct)

You see, in Bengal, there's two kinds of rice. There's parboiled and unboiled. Some people, because Bengal is very humid place, the rice doesn't dry so properly and it's harder to make the rice from parboiled paddy.

Rather we say, it's easier if you steam the paddy to make the rice, has less breakage in such a humid place as Bengal. In Orissa, they don't boil the rice, they bury it for 6 months. In other drier places like Rajasthan, they don't boil at all, they are able to crack it. It gets dry enough. If it's not dry enough, then when you try to take the husk of the rice, it cuts. So some of this ciḍā may have that made from rice which was steamed before. But some ciḍā was made from very fine rice which was not all steamed. It was directly made from unboiled rice. I think that, it's referring to that. In other words, for the general distribution, it might have been different qualities of rice but for Nityānanda Prabhu, in front of the mahāprasāda especially, they only use the parboiled. They are unboiled ciḍā. You don't have to cook ciḍā. Ciḍā is already cooked. Actually ciḍā is the, the way we see it is, people soak the paddy with the husk on it, means rice with the husk. They soak it and then they let it dry out in the open. Then they cook it in the sand. They have a big pan of sand. Special coarse sand which doesn't stick and they heat the sand with the fire underneath it. And the sand becomes hotter, much hotter than water, like almost as hot as ghee. But it's sand. Then they will put the hot, wet paddy, moist paddy into the sand and it will cook in its own husk. Then they will throw the hot paddy with the sand. The sand will fall through and the hot paddy will stay. Then while it's still hot, they will flatten the paddy. There’re various ways of flattening. Now they have a big machine that does it. A big kind of wheel that spins. But I also have seen like the ladies do it with the theki, they use the wooden thing or they use even the hemp. In the morning, one place I saw 60-year-old lady. Completely looked like she was going to a beauty spa or something, in perfect health. Every morning, she would make her own cereal. *pow pow* pounding with the stick, you know, kept in good health and she just, you see. Here we have everything prepackaged, pre made and we don't have to go to the spa or gymnasium and keep fit. But there it's like, you make your cereal in the morning and you are fit (laughter). You don't have to pay 500$ a year for membership and nothing (laughter). So anyways the technique I mean, cheer up. But so there must have been, there's also other way. There may be other ways of making ciḍā. The point is when the rice is hot, when you smash it flat, then the husk over rides and the rice flattens out and then when it cools down, it becomes hardened and stays in that shape. So then it is just soak it. After that, it expands and so on. You make the cereals a picnic. So the people, the farmers, they'll take a some ciḍā with them and they work in the field. When they get hungry, they will just take some, put in the water, wash it off a little bit, let it wait for 10 minutes and then it's ready to eat. It's like instant food. You don't have to put rice, you have to cook and this is already precooked. So, I don't know, maybe there was a special way of making ciḍā even that I don't know about. Maybe they are talking themselves. Some way of making that ciḍā, some even more opulent way. But...

Devotee: There are 2 kinds of rice , one is white and one is brown.

Jayapatākā Swami:  The brown, that's the par boiled.

Question: The brown one is the cooked one.

Jayapatākā Swami: Yeah.

Question: The white one is the sun rise, by sunset, but that's all

Jayapatākā Swami: Here we don't import into America the brown one. They only import the white one. The brown one takes about 20 mins, you have to soak it. For 20 minutes before it gets soft. The white one, as soon as you put in water, it's very quick. It's also difficult for us because when we are making such big quantities, put in water, it becomes soft. So how to do it without having a break. A big amounts of people, actually the brāhmaṇas, you see,  because it doesn't break. So mixing it with all the things, it stays. It only becomes soft after 20 minutes. When I was explaining, I was thinking that red one was the proper.

Śrīla Prabhupāda kī… Jaya!!

Nitāi Gauracandra kī… Jaya!!

Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī kī… Jaya!!

Pānihāṭi ciḍā-dahī utsava kī… Jaya!!

Bolo Pānihāṭi kī… Jaya!!

Gaura-Premānande Hari Hari bol!!