19900604 Caitanya-caritāmṛta Antya līlā.6.154-193

The following is a lecture given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami on June 4th 1990 in Atlanta Georgia. The lecture was given day after Panihatti festival and reading from Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta Antya-līlā chapter 6, verse 154 through 193.

mūkaṁ karoti vācālaṁ paṅguṁ laṅghayate girim
yat-kṛpā tam ahaṁ vande śrī-gurum dīna-tāranam
paramānanda mādhavaṁ śrī caitanya īśvaraṁ

 

Cc. Antya 6.154

tāṅra pada-dhūli lañā svagṛhe āilā
nityānanda-kṛpā pāñā kṛtārtha mānilā

Translation: After taking dust from the feet of Rāghava Paṇḍita, Raghunātha dāsa returned to his home, feeling greatly obligated to Lord Nityānanda Prabhu because of having received His merciful benediction.

Jayapatākā Swami: It’s very important how Raghunātha dāsa got the mercy of Lord Nityānanda Prabhu, is also very-very significant, how he felt greatly obligated to Nityānanda prabhu.

This is actually the characteristic of a civilized person. Just like in human society, if someone was given some, amongst the pious people, someone were given some mercy, given something, then they feel obligated. It is the demons or those who are uncivilized, in spite of receiving so much mercy they don't feel any obligation; it’s called lack of compassion and mercy; kṛpaṇa - miser, some people they get mercy, they don't care, they don't take it very seriously.

We have seen Śrīla Prabhupāda give out so much mercy, yet there are some who are not at all appreciative even after getting Prabhupāda's mercy they have neglected and just don't feel any indebtedness to Śrīla Prabhupāda in any practical sense.

So, this symptom of lack of civilization, lack of piety, lack of godliness. It makes very difficult to preach in the western countries or in modern world because in spite of taking vows, people don't take the vows very serious. Sometimes they take it very lightly, we should understand it is very despicable.

Prabhupāda, he gave a lecture once on shameless. So the devotees are shameless. They take vows and they don't follow and they don't care, it is shameless. The initiation vows, wedding vows and they don't... afterward they just drop them. They don't care. For their sense gratification they can sacrifice anything, here Raghunātha dāsa, he didn't take any vows but he is lifelong indebted to Nityānanda Prabhu for the mercy He gave him, eternally indebted.

That's actually the system of Vedic culture that if one gets even one syllable from the Guru, that one syllable of spiritual instruction, that syllable of spiritual instruction will give one eternally benefit. Therefore one can never fully repay that for any amount of material service or gifts or reciprocation, it is simply a token that one gives, knowing that one remains always indebted, that's the actual consciousness of the devotees, to always be feeling obligated to the spiritual master for the mercy. So we see this quality in Raghunātha dāsa, that's another reason why he is glorified. He got the mercy from Lord Nityānanda and he justifiably felt obligated and accordingly he acted to serve Lord Nityānanda and His devotees. 

Cc. Antya 6.155

sei haite abhyantare nā karena gamana
bāhire durgā-maṇḍape yāñā karena śayana

Translation: From that day on, he did not go into the interior section of the house. Instead, he would sleep on the Durgā-maṇḍapa [the place where mother Durgā was worshiped].

Jayapatākā Swami: Śrīla Prabhupāda explained in one class how in the Bengali cultured houses there was an exterior part of the house and an interior part of the house.

(*conch shell blows*) Haribol.

Nitāi-Gaurasundara kī… Jaya!

In fact, in all parts of India still in the rural place, in many of the city place, there is the so-called living room or the... like a reception room for the public. Nobody goes into the interior part of the house, people would sit out there. Even sometimes they have guest rooms outside and it is totally separated from the inside and Prabhupāda explained that initially, the interior part of the house was where the woman and children would stay. Even the husbands, some with joint family, maybe his father and five sons, all the women would live inside, inside of the house and men would live in the exterior part of the house. They will only go on the interior side just to see the children or something or when the children are out, they only sleep inside for purpose of procreation. They don't even sleep in the same room or something all the time. So that way they will be quite regulated quite easily practice garbhādāna-saṁskāra and wife was respected very highly and not used for sense gratification but for procreation. Great respect.

So there is an interior. He won't even go in the interior section of the house. He just stayed outside. Even at night he didn't sleep in the exterior part of the house,  but he slept in the Durgā-maṇḍapa, in Bengal Durgā-maṇḍapa means that Kṛṣṇa is worshiped everyday. So there is Kṛṣṇa temple. But Durgā may not be worshiped everyday, but especially these are big landlords. So they have to do so many, like Ambarīṣa also did so many types of worships for different devas.

So being a big landlord in Bengal, you have to do various pūjās. Especially on Vijaya Daśamī, before that the up till Ekādaśī, up till Navamī, in Bengal they do a special Durgā Pūjā, where I think its 4 days which is the... so that time they have like a little stage, they build it so they don't have to make every year, it will be like an open stage like for drama. That's where they actually put the deity in there, it’s called Durgā-maṇḍapa and then they decorate it at the time of... They make a Durgā Deity out of clay and they place mother Durgā there and worship once a year. There is also a pastime where Lord Nityānanda where he went to visit the village of Rāmacandra Khān, who had offended Haridāsa Ṭhākura by trying to offer a reward if any prostitute could make him fall down. So Rāmacandra Khan was very offensive to the Vaiṣṇavas. So he told Nityānanda he wouldn't let Him stay in his guest facility, but said He stay out. When Lord Nityānanda went and sat in the Durgā-maṇḍapa, Rāmacandra Khān thought that Durgā-maṇḍapa has been polluted by Nityānanda and he applied cow dung. He was so offensive to the Vaiṣṇavas. Then after that the Mohammedans people that supervised whether the taxes were being paid, Rāmacandra Khān was much smaller landlord, but he also had some powers, so they came and found out that he was cheating his taxes and they arrested him and looted his whole village and burned it down and completely destroyed his place. If one offends a Vaiṣṇava, not only the person who offend the Vaiṣṇava suffers, but the whole place, the whole village, the whole family, everyone has to suffer for the offense for the one because it’s such a great offense that it contaminates everywhere. When there is some offense, of course Vaiṣṇava-aparādha is very rare. But even in the temple, if somebody breaks the... if one of the brāhmaṇas or priests, one of the servants of the deity or someone in the community breaks the regulative principles, they find they had some illicit sex or something, they would be customary to… some kind of un-Vaiṣṇava activity, they would bathe the deities with milk to purify and beg forgiveness for their offense and by bathing with milk is one of the ways of counteracting offense. Even Prabhupāda had bathed the deities with milk in one case. Now in Māyāpur we bathe the deities everyday with pañcāmṛta milk. 

Cc. Antya 6.156

tāṅhā jāgi’ rahe saba rakṣaka-gaṇa
palāite karena nānā upāya cintana

Translation: There, however, the watchmen alertly kept guard. Raghunātha dāsa was thinking of various means by which to escape their vigilance.

Cc. Antya 6.157

hena-kāle gauḍa-deśera saba bhakta-gaṇa
prabhure dekhite nīlācale karilā gamana

Translation: At that time, all the devotees of Bengal were going to Jagannātha Purī to see Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

Cc. Antya 6.158

tāṅ-sabāra saṅge raghunātha yāite nā pare
prasiddha prakaṭa saṅga, tabahiṅ dharā paḍe

Translation: Raghunātha dāsa could not accompany them, for they were so famous that he would have been caught immediately.

Cc. Antya 6.159-160

ei-mata cintite daive eka-dine
bāhire devī-maṇḍape kariyāchena śayane

daṇḍa-cāri rātri yabe āche avaśeṣa
yadunandana-ācārya tabe karilā praveśa

Translation: Thus Raghunātha dāsa thought deeply about how to escape, and one night while he was sleeping on the Durgā-maṇḍapa, the priest Yadunandana Ācārya entered the house when only four daṇḍas remained until the end of the night.

Cc. Antya 6.161

vāsudeva-dattera teṅha haya ‘anugṛhīta’
raghunāthera ‘guru’ teṅho haya ‘purohita’

Translation: Yadunandana Ācārya was the priest and spiritual master of Raghunātha dāsa. Although born in a brāhmaṇa family, he had accepted the mercy of Vāsudeva Datta.

Purport: Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura comments that although the atheists who have deviated from the order of Śrī Advaita Ācārya introduce themselves as followers of Advaita Ācārya, they do not accept Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa. Yadunandana Ācārya, one of the most confidential followers of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, was the initiated disciple of Advaita Ācārya. He was not polluted by sentimental distinctions classifying Vaiṣṇavas according to birth. Therefore, although Vāsudeva Datta had not been born in a brāhmaṇa family, Yadunandana Ācārya accepted Vāsudeva Dutta as his spiritual master.

Jayapatākā Swami: It must be that Vāsudeva Datta was like a śikṣā-guru, it mentions dīkṣā-guru was Advaita Ācārya. Purohit, just like a family Guru because all the brāhmaṇa does all the rites on behalf of his disciple. Sometimes maybe for the family or maybe for a yajña. Say that someone has a private temple and they want a brāhmaṇa to worship there, so the arrange a brāhmaṇa to give him some honorarium, some dakṣiṇā, and he worships the Deity on behalf of the family. And that brāhmaṇa is considered a purohita. And he is acting on behalf of someone else. He is serving the Deities but the Deities are not his personal deities.

In Bangladesh, there is a temple that they have offered us. This temple was established 100 years ago sold by one rich vaiśya. He made a hereditary system of sevaite. That the property put in the name of the deity. And he made the sevaite of the deity or the trustee who manages the deity, property on behalf of the deity, his descendants. That is called a sevāite, and then they being vaiśyas, they are busy doing business and other things. They have one brāhmaṇa who does the deity worship, he is considered the purohit. That’s one of the meanings of purohit, maybe different applications.

But here it says not only was Yadunandana Ācārya was the purohita or the priest, but he was accepted as a guru by Raghunātha dāsa. In that time, the brāhmaṇa, the caste consciousness was very strong, so much so that if someone was, just Muslim sipped in a glass of water, and threw the water on someone, then they were considered converted to Muslim, they are outcaste so. That's why today there is about 20% Muslims in India. But their real problem was because the brāhmaṇas, they were saying that once this happens you are out. You have lost your Hinduism, you have lost your caste forever. One Buddhimanta Khān, he approached the brāhmaṇas  and asked how can I get back. He (brāhmaṇa) said you just take some hot ghee, you take some ghee and you boil it, you drink 2 kilos (laughter)

He said, “But I will die.”

“Yeah, but next birth you will take birth as a brāhmaṇa.”

So, this way so many... they were not prepared to take the ghee treatment. So they remained a outcaste. “Okay, now I am Muslim. Now what to do?” It was a most amazing kind of conversion. Nothing to do with reality, just because of this caste consciousness.

Of course, when same person when approached Lord Caitanya, “How can I get purified, I am an outcaste?”

He said, “You chant Hare Kṛṣṇa 3 times and you will be alright.”

So here, Vāsudeva Datta, although he was not born in a brāhmaṇa family but because he was a pure Vaiṣṇava, even Yadunandana Ācārya, he was obviously a pure devotee, he didn't have this any kind of jāti-buddhi. In Purāṇas it is stated that if someone thinks that a Vaiṣṇava is coming from some particular jāta, or particular caste, that's actually hellish mentality, jāti-buddhi, vaiṣṇave jāti-buddhiḥ śrī-viṣṇor guruṣu nara-matir - one thinks Guru as an ordinary human being, if one thinks deities to be made out of stone, if one thinks that… all these things are... these are hellish mentalities.

So Vāsudeva Datta was very broad minded Vaiṣṇava. Excuse me, Yadunanadana Ācārya. Because when he found that Vāsudeva Datta was a pure Vaiṣṇava, pure devotee, he didn’t care what people would think or what the caste was. As a Vaiṣṇava, he was transcendental to all these things. He accepted Vāsudeva Datta as his Guru.

Cc. Antya 6.162

advaita-ācāryera teṅha ‘śiṣya antaraṅga’
ācārya-ājñāte māne — caitanya ‘prāṇa-dhana’

Translation: Yadunandana Ācārya had been officially initiated by Advaita Ācārya. Thus he considered Lord Caitanya his life and soul.

Cc. Antya 6.163

aṅgane āsiyā teṅho yabe dāṇḍāilā
raghunātha āsi’ tabe daṇḍavat kailā

Translation: When Yadunandana Ācārya entered the house of Raghunātha dāsa and stood in the courtyard, Raghunātha dāsa went there and fell down to offer his obeisances.

Cc. Antya 6.164

tāṅra eka śiṣya tāṅra ṭhākurera sevā kare
sevā chāḍiyāche, tāre sādhibāra tare

Translation: One of Yadunandana Ācārya’s disciples had been worshiping the Deity but had left that service. Yadunandana Ācārya wanted Raghunātha dāsa to induce the disciple to take up that service again.

Cc. Antya 6.165

raghunāthe kahe, — “tāre karaha sadhana
sevā yena kare, āra nāhika brāhmaṇa”

Translation: Yadunandana Ācārya requested Raghunātha dāsa, “Please induce the brāhmaṇa to resume the service, for there is no other brāhmaṇa to do it.”

Jayapatākā Swami: So even at the time of Lord Caitanya there were devotees who were blooping. Devotees were giving up their responsibility, putting that Guru into hardship. Yadunananda had to see the deity was worshiped, but the disciple gave up the worship of the deity. Left that service. So then it’s natural that one of the other godbrothers of the fallen disciple, irresponsible disciple, should go and also preach to that disciple to get him on the right track, so Yadunandana Ācārya was requesting Raghunātha dāsa to find devotee to take up his devotional service again.

(some conversation about breaking the Ekādaśī fast)

After saying this Yadunandana Ācārya took Raghunātha dāsa with him and went out. By that time all the watchmen were deeply asleep because it was the end of the night.

Cc. Antya 6.167

ācāryera ghara ihāra pūrva-diśāte
kahite śunite duṅhe cale sei pathe

Translation: East of the house of Raghunātha dāsa was the house of Yadunandana Ācārya. Yadunandana Ācārya and Raghunātha dāsa talked together as they went toward that house.

Cc. Antya 6.168

ardha-pathe raghunātha kahe gurura caraṇe
“āmi sei vipre sādhi’ pāṭhāimu tomā sthāne

Translation: Halfway along the path, Raghunātha dāsa submitted at the lotus feet of his spiritual master, “I shall go to the home of that brāhmaṇa, induce him to return, and send him to your home.

Cc. Antya 6.169

tumi sukhe ghare yāha — more ājñā haya”
ei chale ājñā māgi’ karilā niścaya

Translation: “You may go home without anxiety. Following your order, I shall persuade the brāhmaṇa.” On this plea, after asking permission, Raghunātha dāsa decided to go away.

Cc. Antya 6.170

“sevaka rakṣaka āra keha nāhi saṅge
palāite āmāra bhāla eita prasaṅge”

Translation: Raghunātha dāsa thought, “This is the greatest opportunity to go away because this time there are no servants or watchmen with me.”

Cc. Antya 6.171

eta cinti’ pūrva-mukhe karilā gamana
ulaṭiyā cāhe pāche, — nāhi kona jana

Translation: Thinking in this way, he quickly proceeded toward the east. Sometimes he turned around and looked back, but no one was following him.

Cc. Antya 6.172

śrī-caitanya-nityānanda-caraṇa cintiyā
patha chāḍi’ upapathe yāyena dhāñā

Translation: Thinking of the lotus feet of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Lord Nityānanda Prabhu, he left the general path and proceeded with great haste on the one not generally used.

Cc. Antya 6.173

grāme-grāmera patha chāḍi’ yāya vane vane
kāya-mano-vākye cinte caitanya-caraṇe

Translation: Giving up the general path from village to village, he passed through the jungles, thinking with heart and soul about the lotus feet of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

Cc. Antya 6.174

pañca-daśa-krośa-patha cali’ gelā eka-dine
sandhyā-kāle rahilā eka gopera bāthāne

Translation: He walked about thirty miles in one day, and in the evening, he took rest in the cowshed of a milkman.

Jayapatākā Swami: That’s a long walk. Our Padayātrā walks 10-15 km a day, which is about 5 - 10 miles. He walked 30 miles, he is very enthusiastic to get to Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. This time he knew how he had to stay. He head east, you see. Here Lord Caitanya was in Jagannātha Purī, which is south-west of where Ādi-saptagrāma is, Raghunātha Dāsa's house. Raghunātha dāsa goes the complete opposite direction, east, 30 miles towards Bangladesh. Otherwise he is going a completely different way so they can’t figure out where he is going, diversionary tactic.

Cc. Antya 6.175

upavāsī dekhi’ gopa dugdha āni’ dilā
sei dugdha pāna kari’ paḍiyā rahilā

Translation: When the milkman saw that Raghunātha dāsa was fasting, he gave him some milk. Raghunātha dāsa drank the milk and lay down to rest there for the night.

Cc. Antya 6.176

ethā tāṅra sevaka rakṣaka tāṅre nā dekhiyā
tāṅra guru-pāśe vārtā puchilena giyā

Translation: At the house of Raghunātha dāsa, the servant and watchman, not seeing him there, immediately went to inquire about him from his spiritual master, Yadunandana Ācārya.

Cc. Antya 6.177

teṅha kahe, ‘ājñā māgi’ gelā nija-ghara’
‘palāila raghunātha’ — uṭhila kolāhala

Translation: Yadunandana Ācārya said, “He has already asked my permission and returned home.” Thus there arose a tumultuous sound, as everyone cried, “Now Raghunātha has gone away!”

Cc. Antya 6.178

tāṅra pitā kahe, — “gauḍera saba bhakta-gaṇa
prabhu-sthāne nīlācale karilā gamana

Translation: Raghunātha dāsa’s father said, “Now all the devotees from Bengal have gone to Jagannātha Purī to see Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

Cc. Antya 6.179

sei-saṅge raghunātha gela palāñā
daśa jana yāha, tāre ānaha dhariyā”

Translation: “Raghunātha dāsa has fled with them. Ten men should immediately go catch him and bring him back.”

Cc. Antya 6.180

śivānande patrī dila vinaya kariyā
‘āmāra putrere tumi dibā bāhuḍiyā’

Translation: Raghunātha dāsa’s father wrote a letter to Śivānanda Sena, asking him with great humility, “Please return my son.”

Cc. Antya 6.181

jhāṅkarā paryanta gela sei daśa jane
jhāṅkarāte pāila giyā vaiṣṇavera gaṇe

Translation: In Jhāṅkarā, the ten men caught up with the group of Vaiṣṇavas going to Nīlācala.

Cc. Antya 6.182

patrī diyā śivānande vārtā puchila
śivānanda kahe, — ‘teṅha ethā nā āila’

Translation: After delivering the letter, the men inquired from Śivānanda Sena about Raghunātha dāsa, but Śivānanda Sena replied, “He did not come here.”

Cc. Antya 6.183

bāhuḍiyā sei daśa jana āila ghara
tāṅra mātā-pitā ha-ila cintita antara

Translation: The ten men returned home, and Raghunātha dāsa’s father and mother were filled with anxiety.

Cc. Antya 6.184

ethā raghunātha-dāsa prabhāte uṭhiyā
pūrva-mukha chāḍi’ cale dakṣiṇa-mukha hañā

Translation: Raghunātha dāsa, who had been resting at the milkman’s house, got up early in the morning. Instead of going to the east, he turned his face south and proceeded.

Jayapatākā Swami: He had a young wife. Maybe 30, he was young, he is not old. I don't know if he had children. But he was already married because it is said that he had a wife like an apsarā in the previous verse. He was a gṛhastha for many years and then he wanted to just join Caitanya Mahāprabhu. He went east for 30 miles, now he is going direct south, direct path, he is going straight south, he is 30 miles up the path.

Cc. Antya 6.185

chatrabhoga pāra hañā chāḍiyā sarāṇa
kugrāma diyā diyā karila prayāṇa

Translation: He crossed Chatrabhoga, but instead of going on the general path, he proceeded on the path that went from village to village.

Purport: Chatrabhoga, known now as Chāḍa-khāḍi, is in the district of Twenty-four Parganas in West Bengal. It is situated near the celebrated village Jayanagara-majilapura. Formerly the Ganges or some of its branches flowed through this region. Sometimes Chatrabhoga is misunderstood to have been a village on the river Kāṅsāi-nadī in Benāpola.

Jayapatākā Swami: He went to see this Chatrabhoga, also Lord Caitanya went to Chatrabhoga. It was the main place of crossing the river from Bengal to Midnapore, you have to cross the Ganges, but it is now in Midnapore, which at So Rupanarāyaṇa was a part of Orissa. Actually there is a river Rupanarāyaṇa, that has confluence with the Ganges and from that it explains how Lord Caitanya went up to that river. And he was still within the Orissan kingdom of Pratāparudra. Crossing over that, he entered into the Mohammedan kingdom of the emperor Hussain Shah. Today Orissa is still a bit further. Probably in the wars, they had pushed back, they had captured some of the area from the Orissan king. But they never got even up to Remunā. But this time this was the crossover point, Chatrabhoga. In this Chatrabhoga, even today there is a lotus footprint of Lord Caitanya established. He also crossed Chatrabhoga.

Jayanagara is also famous because they make popped rice sweet balls, Jayanagara moa in candy date gur. It’s not popcorn, but its popped rice (khoi). Then they make balls using the date gur. Then they put that in nice clay pots and they sell all over bengal, they are famous, Jayanagara moa. Famous, very old village, celebrated. The Lord, he went and around there were 24 Parganas, this way just by by the side of the Sundarbans where there are tigers. Even today famous Indian tiger reserve is there in 24 Parganas, in the south. Hundreds of tigers, they are royal Bengal tiger, the biggest cat in the world, 12 feet long, over half a ton weight. That’s the maximum pound, 10-12 feet. You can find 7-8 feet is a common. They are really big; they are bigger than lions. So he went. Then he circled around and ended up Ganges, Jayanagar. Chatrabhoga. Crossed over. His father couldn't go into the other kingdom. There was no passports in those days, you could go from one place to the next. But of course when you cross over from one kingdom to the next, then the king's people, the government people, they require some special pass, otherwise if they got caught they will be apprehended as spies. Ordinary brāhmaṇas, they could go freely anywhere, they didn’t have to worry.

Cc. Antya 6.187

kabhu carvaṇa, kabhu randhana, kabhu dugdha-pāna
yabe yei mile, tāhe rākhe nija prāṇa

Translation: Sometimes he chewed fried grains, sometimes he cooked, and sometimes he drank milk. In this way he kept his life and soul together with whatever was available wherever he went.

Cc. Antya 6.188

bāra dine cali’ gelā śrī-puruṣottama
pathe tina-dina mātra karilā bhojana

Translation: He reached Jagannātha Purī in twelve days but could eat only for three days on the way.

Jayapatākā Swami: It’s about 500 miles from Jagannātha Purī that means averaging almost 30 miles a day, every day walking running to go to Caitanya Mahāprabhu

Cc. Antya 6.189

svarūpādi-saha gosāñi āchena vasiyā
hena-kāle raghunātha milila āsiyā

Translation: When Raghunātha dāsa met Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, the Lord was sitting with His companions, headed by Svarūpa Dāmodara.

Cc. Antya 6.190

aṅganete dūre rahi’ karena praṇipāta
mukunda-datta kahe, — ‘ei āila raghunātha’

Translation: Staying at a distant place in the courtyard, he fell down to offer obeisances. Then Mukunda Datta said, “Here is Raghunātha.”

Cc. Antya 6.191

prabhu kahena, — ‘āisa’, teṅho dharilā caraṇa
uṭhi’ prabhu kṛpāya tāṅre kailā āliṅgana

Translation: As soon as Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu heard these words, He immediately welcomed Raghunātha dāsa. “Come here,” He said. Raghunātha dāsa then clasped the lotus feet of the Lord, but the Lord stood up and embraced him out of His causeless mercy. 

Cc. Antya 6.192

svarūpādi saba bhaktera caraṇa vandilā
prabhu-kṛpā dekhi’ sabe āliṅgana kailā

Translation: Raghunātha dāsa offered prayers at the lotus feet of all the devotees, headed by Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī. Seeing the special mercy Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu had bestowed upon Raghunātha dāsa, they embraced him also.

Cc. Antya 6.193

prabhu kahe, — “kṛṣṇa-kṛpā baliṣṭha sabā haite
tomāre kāḍila viṣaya-viṣṭhā-garta haite”

Translation: Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, “The mercy of Lord Kṛṣṇa is stronger than anything else. Therefore, the Lord has delivered you from the ditch of materialistic life, which is like a hole into which people pass stool.”

Purport: According to the law of karma, everyone is destined to suffer or enjoy according to a certain material standard, but the mercy of Lord Kṛṣṇa is so powerful that the Lord can change all the reactions of one’s past karma, or fruitive activities. Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu specifically drew attention to the mercy of Lord Kṛṣṇa. That mercy is more powerful than anything else, for it had saved Raghunātha dāsa from the strong bondage of materialistic life, which the Lord compared to a hole where people pass stool. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu gave His verdict that those addicted to the materialistic way of life are like worms that are living in stool but cannot give it up. A gṛha-vrata, one who has decided to live in a comfortable home although it is actually miserable, is in a condemned position. Only the mercy of Kṛṣṇa can save one from such misery. Without Kṛṣṇa’s mercy, one cannot get out of the filthy entanglement of materialistic life. The poor living entity cannot give up his materialistic position on his own; only when granted the special mercy of Kṛṣṇa can he give it up. Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu knew very well that Raghunātha dāsa was already liberated. Nevertheless, He emphasized that Raghunātha dāsa’s life of material comfort, as a very rich man’s son, with a very beautiful wife, and many servants to attend him was like a ditch of stool. The Lord thus specifically indicated that ordinary men who are very happy with material comforts and family life are in no better position than worms in stool.

Jayapatākā Swami: I don’t know in the West, here in America, maybe many of you don't have experience of worms in stool, or what a open hole is like with worms in stool.

But in Māyāpur we had personal experience. Because initially when we lived in grass hut for 2 years, our bathroom was by digging a hole in the ground about 10 feet deep and 2 and half feet wide. And then next to that, there was a bathroom built with the slide for the excrement to go down to the hole, where it would accumulate. It was not a septic arrangement, it was a natural, what you can call ‘dark well stool house’.

So sometime we had to inspect that the hole wasn't overflooding or anything. we would find that after sometime in that well which had accumulated, filled with stools, that white maggot type worms. They would be crawling there and the place would be filled. You wouldn't see any stool, you would just see the worms, crawling over one another. And then these worms would be crawling up the side of the thing, they wanna get out. And when they crawl up and it will be so slippery, moist and dark there, they crawl out a little bit, half way and they fall back down. In other words, the worm it couldn't crawl out of that hole, they try to get always to the top. Crawling on one worm over the other's body over the others over the others and get it to the top for a second, but then the whole thing is slimy worm pile and again it falls down. So this worm in the stool have been used many times for explaining how even coming up to political posts sometimes is that, someone gets to the top a little bit, “I am in the worm in the top...…!!!!” (laughter) Back down into the pit. “I made it! Top of the pile.” But then someone’s already crawling on his back and getting up. So in eternal time, you want to be president for four years you know. Its like crawling to the top of the worm pile. Next four years later, someone else is there. So, material life, from the transcendental point of view, even some little comfort is just a dark well because so much suffering is there. And even the worm maybe happy, but their food is stool. For them it’s an ocean of edibles. But from any objective point of view, it’s the most hellish existence, it’s disgusting. But for the worm, that's their life. They think this is great. But even if some worm decides I want to get out of this hellish place, he tried to crawl out. He can’t get out. There is no way to get out on your own. You want to get out, someone can stick a stick down and you can crawl on it and he can lift you out. Otherwise on your own, its hopeless, you are just crawling on top of the other worms and pretty soon there is no way to get out.

So, this whole material world is temporary. It’s based on sense gratification. Whether it’s a worm or whether its Indra, sense gratification is not the basis of happiness, of transcendental happiness. Its sense gratification you are trying to enjoy through the senses. So someone thinks that by senses I am going to be happy, that person is living in the darkness. You should understand that real happiness is in Kṛṣṇa Consciousness. We should be completely disgusted, hopeless. There is no happiness in this material world. The material world is a dark well. With that determination, then one doesn’t unnecessarily try to increase the material comforts and opulence, whatever the bare minimum.

Cāṇakya Paṇḍita was the prime minister of the emperor Candragupta, he is even mentioned in the Bhāgavatam 12th canto. Prediction is there, I think 12^th. When he was offered a prime ministership of the biggest emperor who practically conquered the whole of India, he said that, “I don't want anything.” He is offered a palace, he said, “I don't want a palace, I won’t accept any salary, I am a brāhmaṇa, I will live in a grass hut, I will advise you for the welfare of the whole kingdom, for the people's upliftment but I don't want to dine from you. I eat some capātīs, some vegetables, some fruit. I will offer to my deity, my śālagrāma-śilā and eat, live in a grass hut, what I need your palace for, I don't need anything. I wear one cloth I am brāhmaṇa. I don't need all these servants and opulence. It’s simply illusion.” So that was… Cāṇakya was a gṛhastha, he lived in his grass hut with his wife, his children. He went and he was the most powerful person. He was the real brain behind the king. He was the one. The king was the arms, he was the brain. He was the one who was controlling the whole city. By his intelligence the whole kingdom was running.

So, this was the brahminical culture, that actually the brāhmaṇas, they were detached. They were situated in the mode of goodness, and the Vaiṣṇavas, were transcendentally situated, they even were detached from the in the mode of goodness, they wanted everything to be used for Kṛṣṇa. So, this brahminical culture was considered the most worshipable thing in the Vedic culture. But today, in the modern world, brahminical culture no one considers. If you don’t have a big house, then they consider you are bum. Someone lives in a grass hut, that they think they are poor people.

When our Nāmahaṭṭa preachers, when they go on a tour, they were amazed how 20 devotees came, when Laxmimoni was there with the gurukula from Gainsville. They were surprised. In the grass hut, they were feeding the devotees 20 preparations feast. They have so many vegetables. They have rice, they have dal, they have the wheat. They cooked the huge feast for the devotees.  When will they get 20 devotees from all over the world to come in their remote village. So they gave everything they had you know, put a wonderful feast they were all initiated devotee, they couldn't believe they live in a grass hut and one after another, it was like a Janmāṣṭamī feast or something. 8-10, 12 vegetables, 2-3 dal, 8-10 sweets, they have opulence but their opulence is in the mode of goodness. So, this man understood.

I actually know one multimillionaire, he has a very big grass hut, grass and mud. He preferred. He said this is much better. The brick house, when the sun radiates it becomes hot. The thick mud wall, this is a very good insulation, inside its very cool, in the hot weather.  In the winter, it’s very warm. The thick grass roof is also a very good insulation. So especially for that climate. Of course, in a cold climate it may be different but for that climate its more comfortable. Whatever the housing, if a person thinks that this house is going to be my enjoyment, then that's a dark well.

So, the whole culture of Caitanya Mahāprabhu is vairāgya vidyā, nija bhakti-yoga. Perform devotional service and be detached due to transcendental knowledge and understanding. But a devotee, the preacher, they know that people are living in the dark well. They may think that they may have a big house, a big car or whatever but actually their suffering so many inconveniences due to material existence. You cannot avoid it, so many anxieties. And their happiness is based on sense gratification, they are not having any transcendental bliss. Actually, they are like a worm in a well. Sometimes even devotees who are no better, they know all these things. But due to imitating the karmīs, due trying to keep up with the joneses whatever, they think that yes, this the type of life we should have, try to imitate these things. They are not very careful about daily attending temple programs, daily chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa and doing everything in devotional service. They start to become prāya-vaiṣṇavas, almost Vaiṣṇava. They do some devotional service but their happiness what they actually think that is needed to make them happy is some material comforts. The primary endeavor is how to get money, how to get comfortable. Not for sustenance, it’s like some people say do you live to eat or eat to live, are you living to be comfortable or are you just working so that you can exist.

Actually the purpose in Kṛṣṇa Consciousness is you take whatever you need and do your devotional service, but sometimes due to the whole environment, we are in the ocean of worms here. Big well like an ocean, everyone has got their dark well, they are all trying to be happy in material sense gratification and only through Kṛṣṇa Consciousness, that we can see as openly preaching, that this material existence is not the goal of life, although it’s there in all the scripture but who is educating the people in that? So then, when one gets washed in this well, when they get into that type of rat-race, into that type of situation, they can't get out. Even rat-race, that concept is there here in the world. Once you are in it, you can't get out, like a little rat its running in the cage, he goes, he tries to run and run to get out but the wheel just keeps spinning around. I had a pet hamster when I was a little boy. You would see it running on the wheel. (*running effect*) But it just keeps spinning, it doesn't get anywhere. But he runs fast and fast thinking he is going to get out any minute, doesn't realize the whole wheel is spinning. So people get locked up into that.

(indistinct conversation about time to break fast)

I remember that there was one gṛhastha couple and the wife had run off with some other man, and the husband was very upset, and went to Śrīla Prabhupāda. He said, “I want to take sannyāsa.” So I understood that material life is frustration. So Prabhupāda accepted. Actually I know 2 cases like this. And immediately had the yajña made in Māyāpur, next thing we know they were standing with the daṇḍa, they were sannyāsīs. Of course, they had really prepared themselves, they had thoroughly detached themselves. Although they should have, but unfortunately after some time these sannyāsīs didn’t make it all the way because they didn't stay strictly. They again tried to have a comfortable situation. Didn’t accept whatever Kṛṣṇa gives. Sometimes you are in comfort, sometimes you are in hardship, whatever Kṛṣṇa provides for a sannyāsī.

Of course, in previous times sannyāsīs live a forest. Now they live in the temples. Sometimes the temple has facility, sometimes no facility. Sometimes you are in the travelling saṅkīrtana, taking shower by taking a bucket and a loṭā. Sometimes you got a hot and cold running water. But only the renunciants, they always take cool shower. So, take whatever comes. Don't endeavor unnecessarily for comfort. Actually, Prabhupāda accepted this is was a reasonable reason. If someone is totally virakti. Virakti means, actually the sannyāsīs are total virakti. Virakti means a little disgusted, fed-up, detached, vairāgya. But that has to be properly applied in devotional service. Actually one should realize that this material life is not the source of happiness. If somehow a person got into that mentality that we can be happy due to material life and then they realize, “Oh this is not the source of happiness.” Then they can take that opportunity; Kṛṣṇa is giving mercy that they can fully again get absorbed. Whether he is a sannyāsī or whether as a properly  situated devotee that knows the whatever I shouldn't compromise.

Actually Prabhupāda said that if someone is fully Kṛṣṇa conscious, there is no doubt that they will go back to Godhead. And that one can stay in renounced status for their whole life, there is no doubt. But if one thinks the gṛhastha life, there is 50% chance they won't make it. Because of this thing, they get tied up. Māyā is such thing that the gṛha, vittāya, sutāpta, they just start getting into this thing. Goal of life, have a bigger house, have a better car, have more money after this, after that, never ends. They have a license to have all these things. Renunciants doesn't have license so if it even goes one inch, everyone will fall. The gṛhastha has the license, they have to control themselves how much to work for, what is the limit, what is the necessity. Of course that's why Prabhupāda was merciful, he said that, “No other Guru in our sampradāya has allowed gṛhasthas to live in temple community like this.” He said that, “All of them are maṭha, only renounced people. Gṛhasthas are living outside.” Living outside in India is one thing, with a grass hut you can live. But in the western world as soon as you live outside, you have to work so hard just to… both people having jobs, working day  and night, you see, so often once a devotee work out if they are lucky they can come once for the Sunday feast. You live in the community, there is opportunity to come every day. People don't take that opportunity, its great misfortune for them. What is the use of living in the temple community where you can have daily sādhana-bhakti, if one doesn't take it.

So Prabhupāda said he is giving us special mercy. Like in Māyāpur he said this the Māyāpur Candrodaya Mandir. All other Gauḍīya Maṭha, Caitanya Maṭha. Maṭha means only the renounced people; sannyāsīs, brahmacārīs and maybe some widows. Maṭha no couples can live. This is mandir, mandir, temple you can also have, like so many temples are there in India, the priest husband and wife are living but this is... Everyone should be careful for the purpose of serving Rādhā-Mādhava, Lord Caitanya in Māyāpur, that was his standard.

So Prabhupāda wanted some brāhmaṇas, wanted some Vaiṣṇavas who were dedicated to cultivating their God Consciousness. That's the biggest problem. Especially the American system is meant that everyone should work hard and enjoy more. So somehow, Raghunāth dāsa he was already born in that, he was born with a golden spoon in his mouth. He had everything, but his parents they thought this was the goal of life, they couldn’t understand why his son  would run away to Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu and be chanting with Lord Caitanya and all the other associates in Jagannātha Purī, when he had such a nice house with so many servants and everything he wanted. They couldn't understand why he would want to go and join Lord Caitanya. You worship in your house, it’s alright. One day you can do a little kīrtana at night. That was their understanding. They were devotees but they were not... They were.. Lord Caitanya called them as vaiṣṇava-prāya. Although they were devotees, they were having tilaka, they were having daily Bhāgavatam class in the evening, they were walking around with their bead bag but actually they were not thinking this was the real happiness. They were very attached to their material things, there is a total  difference from Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi who had all things, he was a landlord but he was completely detached from all these material things. He just put a show on to do his job but he was completely absorbed in Kṛṣṇa Consciousness, he had no attachment for these things.

Mazumdar family, they were considered vaiṣṇava-prāya by Lord Caitanya, they were almost Vaiṣṇava. They were overtly Vaiṣṇava, but not fixed up in pure devotional service. They were too attached to other things, they were holding on. And that's why they thought without these things we won’t be happy. For other devotees like Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi, the things came so he used them in Kṛṣṇa's service. Without these things, it wouldn't make any difference to him. And he showed that in many occasions. Not that he misused since Kṛṣṇa gave him, why throw it? He used it. He was also born a son of a great landlord, brāhmaṇa family but he didn't... he wasn't attached to it. He would spend his time going to Lord Caitanya, going to Navadvīpa. He would always be hearing discourses on Kṛṣṇa Consciousness. That’s how he was already in the transcendental.

So Pundarik Vidyānidhi was of course a nitya-siddha devotee. He was a... someone may not be nitya-siddha, his lifestyle may also affect one. So one has to very careful to strictly follow the regular sādhanā and everything, and sometime a devotee may realize is it really useful for devotional service and that's why some are using that. What is the use of staying? Just for having a comfortable life, there is no use. What is this comfort? So much suffering is here. You have to suffer so much to get comfort. You have to strive and work endeavor to get so called comfort, it’s not the highest understanding actually. If someone is really intelligent and Kṛṣṇa gives mercy, they can see that I should simplify my whole existence, and engage fully in devotional service. That's where the nectar is. That's when one feels peace. That's when one feels ecstasy that's what actually is having real transcendental bliss, is when we are fully absorbed in devotional service. Otherwise, material life is so delicate. It’s like a lotus leaf on the water, ei āche, ei nāi. One minute it seems that everything is all right, next minute that everything is like in a hurricane, you are just tossed around, you don't know what's gonna happen from one second to the next. This is the material life, so how we can build a permanent foundation on such a quick sand base. But this is the illusion māyā gives that yes you can be happy; you just have to have this, that, you make this arrangement, make that arrangement. Illusion is māyā, there is no such arrangement you can make to be happy in this material world. And the real devotee, whatever āśrama he may be in, he knows that there is zero possibility of being happy simply by material arrangement. The only happiness one can actually hold on to permanently, which is the real happiness, is Kṛṣṇa Consciousness.     

Thank you very much. Hare Kṛṣṇa.

Any question, yes, pardon? You like the class? We will continue tomorrow.

Any other question?                     

Prabhupāda said it, he was actually more like a brāhmaṇa. Brāhmaṇas would also worship śālagrāma, but he was not considered specifically like a pure Vaiṣṇava as such. He was just a very ethical brāhmaṇa. But as a brāhmaṇa, he was also worshiping Viṣṇu. He was a, just like Droṇācārya was a brāhmaṇa but he was teaching military art. So Cāṇakya was a brāhmaṇa but here he was a teacher. Brāhmaṇa's function is a teacher, but he was an expert form political science. In fact he wrote many books on economy, on how to run a kingdom. Economically how the people can be prosperous, everything he wrote. He is very great moralist. He would give many moral instructions, very ethical, very moral person. Cāṇakya’s sayings are still quoted all over India. Famous. And his book on governmental administration or the artha-śāstra. How to choose who should be a minister or the king, how to set up a kingdom, what should be the administration, how many ministries you require, how many departments you require, what to do if someone. It’s like a running commentary on Manu Saṁhitā and Bhīṣmadeva’s teachings in Śānti Parva in Mahābharata, it’s like kind of condenses that and he puts that into one thing. Even gave how a king should judge. If somebody steals money from someone else, then if he gets caught, he should either suffer in jail or he should pay the person 8 times what he stole from. 8 times fine or both, if he had the capacity. If he spent it then jail, if he still has it then 8 times fine. All different… marital problem, if something happened, what was the king supposed to decide. It’s all, codes are given. Don’t have to take it to the supreme court every time they change for this amendment. Do it this way, next time that way. According to the śāstras, if this thing happens like this, then you should decide like that. The supreme court is already there, the decision from the scriptures and great sages. So the king didn't have to tax their brain too much, because already the codes were well defined. They simply had to apply it, they have to see which circumstance actually does this fit? What should be the decision that everyone knows. So he gave so many things like that. He also said if a person is not a Vaiṣṇava, you cannot depend on him; if he is not believing in God, then its hopeless.