19900604 Excerpts from N.O.D 6,12-13 and 18

The following is a class given by His Holiness  Jayapatākā swāmī on June 4, 1990, in Atlanta, Georgia. The class was given the day after the Pānihaṭi Festival.

mūkaṁ karoti vācālaṁ paṅguṁ laṅghayate girim yat-kṛpā tam ahaṁ vande paramānanda-mādhavam  śrī-Caitanya īśvaram

 pada-dhūli lañā svagṛhe āilā Nityānanda-kṛpā pāñā kṛtārtha mānilā

( CC ANTYA 6.154)

 

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 this merciful benediction. That's very important how Raghunātha dāsa got the mercy of Lord Nityānanda Prabhu. It’s also very very significant how He felt greatly obligated to Lord Nityānanda. This is actually the characteristic of a civilised person. Just like in human society if someone was given some, amongst pious people if someone had given some mercy, given something then they feel obligated. If the demons or those who are uncivilised inspite of receiving so much mercy, they don't feel any obligation. It’s called lack of compassion or mercy. Krpana, miser some people they get the mercy they do not care. They do not take it very seriously. We have seen Śrīla Prabhupāda gave out so much mercy yet there are some who not at all appreciated. Even after getting Prabhupāda's mercy they have neglected. This, don't feel any indebtedness to Śrīla Prabhupāda in any practical sense. So this is the symptomatic or lack of civilisation, lack of piety, lack of Godliness. This makes very difficult to preach in western countries or modern world because inspite of taking vows, people don't take the vows very seriously. Sometimes they take it very lightly. We should understand this is very mystical, Prabhupāda, He, once gave a lecture on shameless, so the devotees are shameless. They take vows and they don't follow, they don't care. Its shameless. The initiation vows, wedding vows, they don't, afterwards they just drop it out, they don't care. For their sense gratification, they can sacrifice anything. Here,  Raghunātha dāsa He didn't take any vow 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., Its 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 just felt obligated, and accordingly he acted to serve Lord Nityānanda and His devotees.

“ sei haite abhyantare nā karena gamana bāhire Durgā-maṇḍapa yāñā karena śayana “(CC Antya 6.155)

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]. Śrīla Prabhupāda explained in one class , in the Bengali culture houses there was a exterior part of the house and interior part of the house. There was like a …. (Conch) Haribol!! There was an interior side of house, exterior (noise). Nitāi Gaurachandra Ki Jaya!! In fact in all parts of India and still in rural place, many of the sitting place its like the so called living room or like the reception room for public. Nobody goes into the interior part of the house. People would sit down there. Even sometimes there are guests room outside and it's totally separated from the inside. Prabhupāda explained that initially the interior part of the house is where the women and children would stay. Even the husbands or in joint family maybe the father and the five sons. All the women would live inside of the house and men would live in the exterior part of the house. They only go inside is to see children or something and they come out. They only sleep in inside room for the purpose of procreation. They won't sleep in the same room or something all the time. So that way they would be very regulated (background noise) and easily practice garbhodana saṁskāra and the wife was respected as very highly not used just for sense gratification but for procreation. Great respect. So there is an interior they won't go just like that , day time they go interior but he won't even go into the interior section of the house , he just stayed outside. Even at night he slept in the exterior part of the house where he sets the Durgā-maṇḍapaa. Bengal Durgā-maṇḍapaa means that Kṛṣṇa is worshipped everyday so there is a Kṛṣṇa temple but Durgā may not be worshipped everyday but specially these are big landlords so they had to do so many like Ambarish also did so many types of worships for different devas. So being a big landlord in Bengal, they also have to do various pūjās. So especially on Vijayā-dāsamī . Before that (upto ekādaśī) upto Navmi, in Bengal they do a special Durgā pūjā. I think it's four days which is the (break) . So that time they have a little stage, they build it so that they don’t have to make a rear open stage like for a drama. That's where they put the deity in and that's called the Durgā maṇḍapa. And then they decorate it and the time of,.. They make a Durgā deity out of clay. They place Mother Durgā there and worship her once a year. So rest of the year you find it vacant. There is also a pastime of Lord Nityānanda. He went to visit the village of Rāmchandra Kant who had offended Haridās Ṭhākura by trying to offering a reward to any prostitute to make him fall down. So Rāmchandra Kant was very offensive to the vaiṣṇava . So he told Nityānanda(not clear) sat on the Durgā maṇḍapa ,Rāmchandra thought that the Durgā maṇḍapa is being polluted by Nityānanda by ---- (10:40)cow dung. He was so offensive to the vaiṣṇavas. Then after that the Maha…… (10:54), people that supervised whether the taxes are being paid. Rāmchandra cow was much smaller than Lord Nityānanda’s but they also had some powers. So they came and found he was cheating his taxes and they arrested him, deluded his whole village, burnt it down and destroyed the whole place. Therefore its said that if one offends the vaiṣṇava not only the person who offends the vaiṣṇava suffers but the whole place, the whole village, whole family everyone has to suffer for the offence of one . Here is such a great offence that contaminates everybody. When there is some offence, of course, vaiṣṇava aparādha is very rare but even in a temple, so many, 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 that they had illicit sex or something who were accustomed to some kind of unvaiṣṇava activity, they would bathe the deities with milk to Purify, to beg forgiveness for the offence. One of the ways of counteracting the offence. Prabhupāda had (12:32) I forget the details. Now in Māyāpur we bathe deities everyday with Panchāmrta

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

 (CC Antya 6.156)

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

 hena-kāle gauḍa-deśera saba bhakta-gaṇa prabhure dekhite nīlācale karilā gamana (CC Antya 6.157)

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

tāṅ-sabāra saṅge Raghunātha yāite nā pāre prasiddha prakaṭa saṅga, tabahiṅ dharā paḍe (CC Antya 6.158)

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

ei-mata cintite daive eka-dine bāhire devī-maṇḍapae kariyāchena śayane daṇḍa-cāri rātri yabe āche avaśeṣa yadunandana-ācārya tabe karilā praveśa (CC Antya 6.159-6.160)

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.

 vāsudeva-dattera teṅha haya ‘anugṛhīta’ raghunāthera ‘guru’ teṅho haya ‘purohita’ (CC Antya 1.161)

 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 also accepted Vāsudeva Datta as his spiritual master. Must be  Vāsudeva Datt was like the śīkṣā guru. dīkṣā guru was Advaita Ācārya. (Break) Purohit is like the family guru who does the all the, like the brāhmaṇa who does all the rites on behalf of his disciples. Sometimes maybe for a family or maybe for a yajña, say that someone has a private temple and they want a brāhmaṇa to worship there so they arrange for the brāhmaṇa to give him some honaranium , some daksina and he worships the deities on behalf of the family. That brāhmaṇa is considered as purohit. He is acting on behalf of someone else. He is serving the deities but the deities are not his personal deities. (break)

 In Bangladesh, there is a temple of a brāhmaṇa. This temple was established hundred years ago by  one  rich vaiśya and he made a variatary  system of sevaite . The property is put under the name of deity and he made the sevaite of the deity or the trustee who manages the diety , property on behalf of the deity is his descendents, is called the sevaite. Then there being the vaiśyas they were doing buissness and other things, they have one brāhmaṇa who does the deity worship and he is considered as purohit. That’s one of the meanings of purohit. You can say that… maybe different explanations. But here it says that not only was Yadunanadan ācārya was the purohit or the priest but also he was accepted as guru by Raghunātha dāsa. The other point, in that time, brāhmaṇa, the caste consciousness was very strong so much so that if someone was just, someone just spit in a glass of water and threw the water on someone, then they were considered converted to muslims, they were outcaste. So that was so easy that people ---(19:02)-that’s why today there is twenty percent of muslims in India but their real problem was because the brāhmaṇas they were saying that once it happens you are out. You lost your Hinduism. You lost your caste forever. There was like, No You could get it back. One of the Buddhimant khan, he approached the brāhmaṇas and asked how can I get back. He just said you take some hot ghee. You take ghee and you boil it, you drink some two kilos (laughter). He said but I will die. Ya but the next birth you take birth as hindu. So this way, so many they were not prepared to take the ghee treatment (laughter). So they remained the outcaste so they said we are muslims now what to do. (laughter). It was the most amazing kind of conversion. So they went to,nothing but  reality. Just because of this caste consciousness. Of course, one of the saintly person, they approached Lord Caitanya how can I get Purified, someone spit on me I am an outcaste. He said you chant ‘Hare Kṛṣṇa’ three times, it will be alright. So here Vāsudeva Dutta although He was not born in a brāhmaṇa family but because He was a pure vaiṣṇava even Yadunanadan ācārya, he was obviously the pure devotee. He didn’t have all this, any kind of jāti-buddhiḥ. In the Purāṇas, it states that if someone thinks that a vaiṣṇava is coming from some particular jāti, a particular caste, that’s actually a hellish mentality.jāti-buddhiḥ. “vaiṣṇava jāti-buddhiḥ nāhi. Guru  nā matir “one thinks Guru as ordinary human being , if one thinks the deity is made out of stone. If one thinks that one’s (break) all these things are. (aside ) These are hellish mentalities. So Vāsudeva Dutta was very broad minded vaiṣṇava. (excuse) Yadunanada ācārya because when he found that Vāsudeva Dutta was a pure vaiṣṇava , pure devotee he didn’t care what people would think or what their caste was. vaiṣṇava is transcendental to all these things. He took the, accepted Vāsudeva Dutta as his guru.

advaita-ācāryera teṅha ‘śiṣya antaraṅga’ ācārya-ājñāte māne — caitanya ‘prāṇa-dhana’ (CC Antya 6.162)

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

aṅgane āsiyā teṅho yabe dāṇḍāilā Raghunātha āsi’ tabe daṇḍavat kailā (CC Antya 6.163)

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.

tāṅra eka śiṣya tāṅra ṭhākurera sevā kare sevā chāḍiyāche, tāre sādhibāra tare (CC Antya 6.164)

 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.

raghunāthe kahe, — “tāre karaha sādhana sevā yena kare, āra nāhika brāhmaṇa”(CC Antya 6.165)

Yadunandana Ācārya requested Raghunātha dāsa, “Please induce the brāhmaṇa to resume the service, for there is no other brāhmaṇa to do it.” So, even time of Lord Caitanya there were devotees who were looting, devotees who were giving up their responsibility. Putting the guru into hardship, Yadunandan , he had to see that the deity was worshipped for his disciple may give up the worship of the deity. He left the service. So then its natural that one of the other God brothers of the fallen disciple, irresponsible disciple should go in also preached to that disciple and get him on the right track. So Yadunandan ācārya was requesting Raghunātha dāsa to find that devotee and preach to him to take up the devotional service again. (Break) (Background noise ) 9:13.. (laughter) 9.30, we have to take grains otherwise, .. 9.13….. by 9:13, some grains here 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.

ācāryera ghara ihāra pūrva-diśāte kahite śunite duṅhe cale sei pathe (CC Antya 6.167)

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.

ardha-pathe Raghunātha kahe gurura caraṇe “āmi sei vipre sādhi’ pāṭhāimu tomā sthāne (CC Antya 6.168)

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.

“tumi sukhe ghare yāha — more ājñā haya” ei chale ājñā māgi’ karilā niścaya (CC Antya 6.169) “

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

 “sevaka rakṣaka āra keha nāhi saṅge palāite āmāra bhāla eita prasaṅge” (CC Antya 6.170) “

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

” eta cinti’ pūrva-mukhe karilā gamana ulaṭiyā cāhe pāche, — nāhi kona jana (CC Antya 6.171) “

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

“śrī-caitanya-Nityānanda-caraṇa cintiyā patha chāḍi’ upapathe yāyena dhāñā (CC Antya 6.172) “

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.

“grāme-grāmera patha chāḍi’ yāya vane vane kāya-mano-vākye cinte caitanya-caraṇe ( CC Antya 6.173)”

 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.

“pañca-dāsa-krośa-patha cali’ gelā eka-dine sandhyā-kāle rahilā eka gopera bāthāne (CC Antya 6.174)”

 Walking about thirty miles in one day, and in the evening he took rest in the cowshed of a milkman. By walk. Putting altogether he walked 15-20 kms a day, which is about five to ten miles. He walked thirty miles. He is very enthusiastic. To get to see Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. This time he knew how he had to stay, he head to east. Here Lord Caitanya is in Jagannātha Purī which is southwest of where adisaptak gram  is, Raghunātha dāsa’s house. Raghunātha dāsa goes in the complete opposite direction, east, thirty miles towards Bangladesh. And he is going completely different way so they can forget where is he going. An --- tactic.

“upavāsī dekhi’ gopa dugdha āni’ dilā sei dugdha pāna kari’ paḍiyā rahilā (CC Antya 6.175)”

 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.

“ethā tāṅra sevaka rakṣaka tāṅre nā dekhiyā tāṅra guru-pāśe vārtā puchilena giyā (CC Antya 6.176)”

 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.

“teṅha kahe, ‘ājñā māgi’ gelā nija-ghara’ ‘palāila Raghunātha’ — uṭhila kolāhala ( CC Antya 6.177)”

 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!” Raghunātha has gone away!!!

“tāṅra pitā kahe, — “gauḍera saba bhakta-gaṇa prabhu-sthāne nīlācale karilā gamana ( CC Antya 6.178)”

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

“sei-saṅge Raghunātha gela palāñā dāsa jana yāha, tāre ānaha dhariyā” (CC Antya 6.179)”

 

 

“Raghunātha dāsa has fled with them. Ten men should immediately go catch him and bring him back.” (he wasn’t so foolish)

 śivānande patrī dila vinaya kariyā ‘āmāra putrere tumi dibā bāhuḍiyā’ (CC Antya 6.180)”

 

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

” jhāṅkarā paryanta gela sei dāsa jane jhāṅkarāte pāila giyā vaiṣṇavera gaṇe”(CC Antya 6.181)”

 

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

“ patrī diyā śivānande vārtā puchila śivānanda kahe, — ‘teṅha ethā nā āila’”(CC Antya 6.182)”

 

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

.” bāhuḍiyā sei dāsa jana āila ghara tāṅra mātā-pitā ha-ila cintita antara”(CC Antya 6.183)”

 

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

ethā Raghunātha-dāsa prabhāte uṭhiyā pūrva-mukha chāḍi’ cale dakṣiṇa-mukha hañā(CC Antya 6.184)”

 

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. (Aside). 25-30. roughly, I am just speculating.

Devotee- How old Raghunātha dāsa was at this time?

 Guru Mahārāja- He had young wife. And he was taking sannyāsa. Maybe twenty five, somewhere, he was not old. He had children but he was already married. Wife like an apsara in the previous birth. -----(33:16)He wanted to just join Caitanya Mahāprabhu. (Break) He went east for thirty miles. Now he is going towards south. Direct path is going straight southeast but he is going thirty miles off the path.

“ chatrabhoga pāra hañā chāḍiyā sarāṇa kugrāma diyā diyā karila prayāṇa “(CC Antya 6.185)”

 

He crossed Chatrabhoga, but instead of going on the general path, he proceeded on the path that went from village to village. 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. He went to see this Chatrabhoga . Also Lord Caitanya went to Chatrabhoga, crossing, This was the main place of crossing the river from Bengal to bindapur. Crossed the Ganges to bindapur. That time was for the route…… (34:57) part of orrisa actually. There is a river—(35:03)--- which has come flow from the Ganges and from that it explains that Lord Caitanya went upto that river and he was still within the Orrisan kingdom of Prataparuda, crossing over that he entered into the mahamilan, kingdom of the emperor Hussain Shah. Today Orrisa is still ---- further especially in the wars they push back, they capture some of the area from the orrisan king but he never got even upto Yamuna. But this time, this was the transfer point, Chatrabhoga. In this Chatrabhoga even today there is a lotus foot print of Lord Caitanya established. He also crossed. Chatrabhoga has many temples there. Jayanagara is famous because they make puff rice sweetballs. Jayanagara there big work  puffed rice, its not like popcorn, they pop the rice and then they make balls out of it. They had nice claypots. They sell over Bengal. They are famous. Jayanagar clay pots. Its the famous, very old village celebrated. Round about twenty four (36:54)----- this way that way, going by the side of ----–(37:00), the tigers, even today the famous Indian tiger is reserved there in twenty four…(37:05)……….. hundreds of tigers. The royal tiger of Bengal, the biggest cat in the world. Twelve feet long. (37:19)…………….. (aside) laughter.. Ten to twelve feet. Usually, you can find here, seven eight feet is like a common small. They are very big. Bigger than that. (38:08)---------Over the Ganges, Jayanagara, Chatrabhoga, cross over, then he was (break) going to the other kingdom. There was no passport in those days. You could go from one place to the next but of course when you cross over from one kingdom to next then the king’s people, the government people they require some special pass otherwise if they  get caught thay would fine ordinary brāhmaṇas they could go freely anywhere. They didn’t have to..

“kabhu carvaṇa, kabhu randhana, kabhu dugdha-pāna yabe yei mile, tāhe rākhe nija prāṇa”(CC Antya 6.187)”

 

 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

.” bāra dine cali’ gelā śrī-puruṣottama pathe tina-dina mātra karilā bhojana(CC Antya 6.188)”

 

 He reached Jagannātha Purī in twelve days but could only eat for three days on the way. Its about five hundred miles from Jagannātha Purī that means about five hundred km which is like the average. Almost 30 miles a day, everyday , walking, running to go to Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

“svarūpādi-saha gosāñi āchena vasiyā hena-kāle Raghunātha milila āsiyā “(CC Antya 6.189)”

 

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

“aṅganete dūre rahi’ karena praṇipāta mukunda-datta kahe, — ‘ei āila Raghunātha’ (CC Antya 6.190)”

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

” prabhu kahena, — ‘āisa’, teṅho dharilā caraṇa uṭhi’ prabhu kṛpāya tāṅre kailā āliṅgana (CC Antya 6.191)”

 

“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.

“svarūpādi saba bhaktera caraṇa vandilā prabhu-kṛpā dekhi’ sabe āliṅgana kailā “(CC Antya 6.192)”

 

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.

prabhu kahe, — “kṛṣṇa-kṛpā baliṣṭha sabā haite tomāre kāḍila viṣaya-viṣṭhā-garta haite” (CC Antya 6.193)”

 

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. (Break)

I don’t know in the west, here how many of you have the experience of worms in stool(laughter). Or what a open hole is like with the worms in stool. In Māyāpur recently we had a personal experience because initially when we lived in the grass hut for two years, the bathroom was beginning with the hole on the ground about ten feet deep, two and a half feet wide then next to that there was a bathroom built with the slide for the excrement to go down to the hole where we accumulate. It was not a septic arrangement; it was a natural, what you can call a ‘dark well stool house’. So sometimes we had to inspect that the hole wasn’t overflooding or anything. We would find that after sometime in that well which is cumulated filled with stool the white maggot type lice, I don’t know lice or , maggot type worm, white worms they would be calling and the place would be filled . You wouldn’t see any stool , you would just see the worms. See the crawling over one another. And then these worms would be sliding out of the sink, wanting to get out. And they crawl up but it would be so slippery and moist and dark they crawl out for about the half way and then they (boom), go back down. In other words the worm has its own couldn’t cross out of their own hole, they try to get out always to the top crawling one worm over the other’s body, over the other’s body and over the other body and getting to the topmost second and then the whole thing is just warming, slimy, worm piled and again it falls down. Its said that like comparative worms in the stool have been used many times for explaining how even coming up to political posts sometimes is like that. Someone gets to the top little bit ‘ Ya Ya I Am the worm in the pot !! (laughter) back down into the pit. In other words i need it the top of the pot but then someone is already crawling on his back. So even in time to be the president for four years is like crawling like the little worm in a --------. Some next four years later someone else would be there. So material life from the transcendental point of view even some little comfort got well, because so much suffering is there and what is the standard? even the worm they maybe happy to live there. Their food is stool. They are living in stool. That means you didn’t like you know, for them it’s like an ocean of edibles but from any objective point of view this is the most hellish existence. Its disgusting. But for a worm as they are like, they think this is great. But even if some worm decides that I want to get out of this hellish place, he try to come out he can’t get out. There is no way to get out on your own. If he wants to get out, someone can stick down and you can crawl over it and to lift him out. Otherwise on your own it’s hopeless. You are just crawling down on top of the other worm but 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 it’s Indira, sense gratification is not the basis of happiness. Of transcendental happiness. It’s just a sense gratification. You are trying to enjoy through the senses. But if someone thinks that by my senses I am going to be happy that person is living in the garbage. We should understand that real happiness is in Kṛṣṇa Consciousness. We should be completely disgusted, hopeless that there is no happiness in this material world. The material world is the dark world. With that determination, can one puzzles unnecessarily, try to increase the material comforts and happiness whatever the---- (48:53) be, the brāhmaṇas, Chanakya paṇḍita was the prime minister of emperor Chandragupta. He is even mentioned in the Bhāgavatam twelfth canto. Prediction is there in twelfth, I think twelfth only and when he was offered the primeministership of the biggest emperor who practically had conquered the whole of India. He said that I don’t want any opulent palace. I don’t want any…. I won’t accept any salary. I am a brāhmaṇa. I will live in a grass hut. And I advice you for the welfare of the whole kingdom, people’s upliftment but I don’t want--------- (49:40), some chappatis, some vegetable, some fruit and I offer to my deity, my śālagrāma śilā and I eat. Even a grass hut, not in your palace, I don’t need anything. I wake up at one o clock. I don’t want all these servants and all. Its simply illusion. So that was, Chanakya was a gṛhastha. He lived in his grass hut with his wife, his children. He was the most powerful-------. He was the real -----(50:10) behind the king. He was the one, was the kings arms . He was the one who was controlling the whole place by his intelligence the whole kingdom was running. So this was brāhmaṇical culture that there were brāhmaṇas, that were detached. They were situated in the mode of goodness and the vaiṣṇavas were transcendentally situated. They even, they were detached from the things in mode of goodness. Everything they used for Kṛṣṇa. So this brāhmaṇaical culture was considered the most worshippable thing in the vedic culture. But today in modern world brāhmaṇaical culture no one considers. If you don’t have a big house then you are considered as dumb, if someone lives in a grass hut they think they are poor people. When in nāmahaṭṭa  preachings we go on our tour, then they are about twenty devotees, (51:16) from the gurukul, they are surprised in grass hut they are feeding the devotees twenty preparations in feast. They have so many vegetables. They have rice, they have dal,, they have wheat. They cooked the huge feast for the devotees. One chance of lifetime. When will they get the chance of twenty devotees coming from all over the world to their remote village so they gave everything they had. Cooked a wonderful feast for initiated devotees. They cooked in a grass hut. One after another. Its like a Janmāṣṭamī feast or something. Eight- ten vegetables, two three dals, eight ten sweets, they have opulence. But the opulence is in the mode of goodness. So this is not understood like there is a multi millionare, they have a big grass hut but he prefer. He says it is much better. The sun radiates and it becomes hot and the thick mud wall, this is a very good insulation. Inside is very cool. In the hot weather, in summer. In the winter, its very warm, the thick grass roof ,its also a very good insulation. So especially for that time a person in cold climate may be different but that kind of climate is more comfortable. Whatever the house is, the person thinks that this house is going to be my enjoyment, then that’s a dark well. So more culture of Caitanya Mahāprabhu is vairāgya vidya. Nija bhakti yoga. Perform devotional service and be detached due to transcendental knowledge and understanding. But, the devotees are --- (53:21) ,they are living in a dark well. They may think that they have a big house, big car whatever. But actually they are 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 dark, well, like a worm in the well. But sometimes even devotees who are more better, they know all these things but due to imitating the karmis, due to trying to keep up with the (54:01), whatever, they think that this is the kind of life we should have. They are trying to imitate the same thing. They are not very careful about daily attending temple programs and daily chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa and doing everything in devotional service. They start to become—-- (54:23)vaiṣṇavas, almost vaiṣṇavas. They think that they do some devotional service but their happiness but they actually think this world is needed to make them happy is some material comforts and that becomes the primary endeavour. How to get money, how to get comfortable thing, how to – that becomes the not for sustenance. Its like sometimes people say we live to eat or eat to live. Are you living to be comfortable or you are 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 in the ocean of worms here, ocean, big well like an ocean. Everyone is got their dark well. They are all trying to be happy in material sense gratification but only Kṛṣṇa Consciousness; we can see its openly preaching that this material existence is not the goal of life. Although its there in all the scriptures but who is educating the people about it. So then when one gets lost 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, once you are in , you can’t get out like a little rat its running in the cage, it goes to the wheel, trying to run across to get out. But the real disease is sitting around. ---- (56:10) When I was a little boy we would see it running around the wheel (sound) and we would like but this keeps spitting doesn’t get anywhere. But he keeps ---- , he is going to get out in a minute. Then he realise the whole wheel is spinning. Who didn’t take the grains yet? Devotee- its late by an hour (57:00-57:32) I just saw my watch here, twelve seconds left! (laughter) Break. I remember 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 and said I want to take sannyāsa. I understood now that material life is frustration. So Prabhupāda accepted. Its like a two cases like this. And immediately held a yajña in Māyāpur. Next time, you know they were standing with dandas, they were sannyāsīs. Of course, they had really prepared themselves. They had thoroughly detached themselves. Although they tried but unfortunately after sometime the sannyāsīs didn’t make it all the way. Because they didn’t stay strictly in that… again tried to have comfortable situation. They didn’t accept whatever Kṛṣṇa gives. Sometimes you are in comfort, sometimes you are in hardships. Whatever Kṛṣṇa provides you just, sannyāsīs of course,…Previous times the sannyāsīs used to live in forest. Now they live in temples. Sometimes in temples there are facilities , sometimes no facility. Sometimes you are in a wood, in the travelling saṅkīrtana party, for taking shower, taking a bucket, a lota , sometimes we got hot and cold running water but the you need a , renunciants they always take cool showers. So, take whatever comes, don’t endeavour unnecessarily for comfort. Actually Prabhupāda accepted it, this was a reasonable reason. Someone is totally virakti. Virakti means,, see the sannyasi is like total renunciation. Virakti means feeling disgusted , fed up, detached, vairāgya but that has to be properly applied in devotional service. Actually one should realise that this material life is not the source of happiness but if somehow if a person got into that mentality that he can be happy due to material life and then they realise Oh! this is not the source of real happiness. Then they can take the impetus opportunity that Kṛṣṇa is giving the mercy that they can fully again get absorbed whether as a sannyāsī or whether as a properly situated devotee, there is no set..- whatever, I shouldn’t compromise. Actually Prabhupāda said that if someone is fully Kṛṣṇa Conscious that there is no doubt that they go back to Godhead. For one who take ----(1:01:05) for the whole life there is no doubt. But if one takes the gṛhastha life there is fifty percent chance that they won’t make it. Because the māyā is such that the ‘grha’, retired, (sutāpta) they will start getting into this thing. Whole of life have a bigger house, have a bigger car, have more money after this after that never end. They have a licence to have all these things. Renunciants doesn’t have the licence so he goes even one inch everyone will follow, gṛhastha has the licence. They have to control themselves how much to work for what is the limit what is the necessity. Of course, that why Prabhupāda was merciful he said that no other guru in our sampradaya has allowed gṛhasthas to live in temple community like this. He said that all of them are ‘matt’ . So all the people are renunciants. All the gṛhasthas are living outside. Living outside India is one thing but in a grass hut you can live but in western world as soon as you live outside you have to work so hard to have more people looking job, looking day and night and this……… You see so often once the devotees work out , they are lucky if they can come once a week for the Sunday feast. When you live in the community there is the opportunity to come everyday. People don’t take that opportunity that’s a great misfortune for them. What is the use of living in the temple community where you can have daily sādhna bhakti and one doesn’t take it. So Prabhupāda he was giving us special mercy like in Māyāpur. He said this is the Māyāpur Chandrodaya Mandir . All other are the Gaudiya matt, Caitanya matt. ‘matt’ means only the renounced people. sannyāsīs, brahmacārīs and maybe some widows. matta, no couples can live. But this is a mandir. Mandir, temple you can also have like so many temples have priests, husband and wife are living. So like this but this is , one should be careful for the purpose of serving Rādha Mādhava , Lord Caitanya in Māyāpur, this was the standard. So Prabhupāda wanted some brāhmaṇas wanted some vaiṣṇavas who would be dedicated to cultivating their God Consciousness. That’s the biggest problem. Especially the whole American system is meant everyone should work hard and enjoy more. So somehow Raghunātha dāsa when he was born, he was already having a golden spoon in his mouth. He had everything but his parents they thought that this was the goal of life. They couldn’t understand why his son would wander away with Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu and he is chanting with Lord Caitanya with all his 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 that’s alright. One day you can do kīrtana at night or something. That was their understanding. They were devotees but Lord Caitanya called them as vaiṣṇava aparādhi because althoughThey were devotees. They were having tilak, they were having daily Bhāgavatam class in evening, they were walking around with their bead bags and things but actually they were not thinking, this was their real happiness. They were very attached to their material thing. There is a whole difference from say Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi who had, he was a landlord, he had… 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. No attachment for these things. For masumdhar Family they were considered as vaiṣṇava by Lord Caitanya. They were almost vaiṣṇavas but they were not fixed up in pure devotional service. They were too attached to the other things. So they are holding on. That’s why they thought that all these things won’t be happy. Whereas devotees likePuṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi , he had things and he used them in Kṛṣṇa’s service without his, it didn’t make any difference to him. He showed that on different occasion. He thought that Kṛṣṇa gave it so why misuse it so he used it. He was also born as a son of great landlord, brāhmaṇa famiily. He didn’t , he wasn’t attached. He used it for going to Lord Caitanya. Going to Navadvīpa. He is always giving discourses on Kṛṣṇa consciousness. But that lifestyle didn’t affect him. He was already in the transcendental position. (1:06:38) -----------------------------------------, lifestyle may also affect someone so one has to be very careful to stricty follow the regular sādhna and everything. And sometimes devotees they usually realise that somethings are really useful for devotional service, whats the use of saying just for having a comfortable life there is no use, what is this discomfort so much suffering you have to suffer so much to get comfort, you strive to work endeavour to get so called comfort. Its not the highest understanding actually. If someone is really intelligent , Kṛṣṇa gives mercy they can see that I should simplify my whole existence and engage fully in devotional service. That’s where one feels—that’s where one feels peace, that’s where one feels ecstacy that’s where one actually having a little transcendental bliss is wonderfully absorbed in devotional service. Otherwise material life is so delicate. Its like the lotus leaf on the water. That bead of water on the lotus….. …. (1:07:45). one minute everything seems alright and next minute everything is just like a hurricane. You just tossed around and you don’t know what’s going to 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 maya gives, you have to be happy. You have to make this arrangement, that arrangement. Illusion, maya. 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 this material arrangement. The only happiness that one can actually hold on to permanently which is the real happiness is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Thank you very much. Hare Kṛṣṇa. Jaya!!

Any questions?? Yes!! Pardon? You would like to continue the reading? Its late otherwise I would . (aside) You liked the class.? We will continue tomorrow. Devotees- Jaya! Guru Mahārāja- Any other questions? Devotee- --- (1:09:33) Was he considered a brāhmaṇa or vaiṣṇava? Guru Mahārāja- Śrīla Prabhupāda said basically he was more like a brāhmaṇa. brāhmaṇas would also worship śālagrāma. But he was not considered specifically like a pure vaiṣṇava as such. But like a very ethical brāhmaṇa. But as a brāhmaṇa he was also worshipping Vishnu. Devotee- But he knew how he ------ ?(1:10:05) Guru Mahārāja- Ya, He was the.. just like Dronācārya was a brāhmaṇa but he was teaching the military arm so Chanakya was a brāhmaṇa but here his teacher…… (1:10:15) was a teacher. But he was an expert from political sides. In fact he wrote many books on economy, arthaśāstra, how to run a kingdom, economically how the people can be prosperous, everything he wrote. Śrīla Prabhupāda also said he was a very great moralist. He would give many moral instructions. A very moral person. Chanakya sayings are so called all over India. His book on government and administration or the arthasastra. How to choose and who should be a good minister for the king. How to set up the kingdom? What should be the administration?. How many ministries you require? How many departments? How the, , what to do if someone, even if …(1:11:15)………. It’s like a running commentary on manusamhita or vishvas teachings on Mahābhārata.. Prabhupāda kind of condensed thing and put them into one thing. He even gave how the king should judge even if somebody steals the money from someone else and he should pay the ---(1:11:35)---, he should be… or he should even pay the person eight times. Eight time per------ he had the capacity. -----------------------first put him in jail, … them eight times and then…. (1:11:50) Break. What to do if all they say, in marital problems if something happens. What was the king supposed to decide in what circumstances, all codes are given. Don’t have to take it to the Supreme court all the time. This time they change this time what to do this way, next time that way. According to the sastras, if this thing happens its like this. You should decide like that. Supreme court is already there in the scriptures and the great sages. The king didnt have to tax their brain too much because already the codes were well defined. They simply have to apply which circumstance actually does this fit. What should be the decision that’s already known. Everyone knows. So he gave so many things like that. He also said if a person is not God conscious is not a vaiṣṇava. You cannot depend on him. He is not believing in God. Yes? Devotee- Kṛṣṇa says that my devotee when he does service, whatever he does I will take care.. is not the karma, because of my karma I have to go out and work .. (not clear) 1:14:00) Guru Mahārāja- well, Prabhupāda explained that it doesn’t mean sit there and Kṛṣṇa will bring anything but the point is you should do your duty for Kṛṣṇa. You do what you are doing for Kṛṣṇa and then Kṛṣṇa will fulfil his obligation to you whatever his promise is to you, not obligation but its his promise. A devotee does his duty, it’s like a guru, Prabhupāda has instructed that you do this service, do this, preach Kṛṣṇa consciousness more so you work , you give in this way. People may say how will I survive, how will I do. Kṛṣṇa is saying I will give you what you need. You have to work. Not that we don’t work. We have to work according to what Prabhupāda has said. Someone may contemplate by working like that I may never get that. That’s not the question is, depending on Kṛṣṇa and Prabhupāda… (break) Yes?

 Devotee- -----------household life is like a well (not clear)- 1:15:30, so how to understand this prediction? How to --- well?------------- there are gṛhasthas who donot perform Garbhodana saṁskāra and their offspring….. ?(not clear) (Break) Guru Mahārāja- The first point is that if one artificially leaves the house then that’s also against regulative principles. That also is a kind of disturbance. The Lords Caitanya’s teachings is the Vairagya-vidyā. One should use everything in the service of Kṛṣṇa so in this one sense Raghunātha dāsa is running away. Many times people their actually intention might be I want to be happy. They are having some material anxiety so that want to renounce the family. Too much headache, maintain the family, kids… -(1:17:45)------------- But that’s the only impetus, negative impetus. They have not actually developed the strong attachment for Kṛṣṇa. Then what happens is that once things cool down then again they start forgetting the sufferings of material life and they think that its going to be hunky-----, its going to be great again when I go back. Whole material world starts to look better due to our forgetful nature. So that’s considered type of negative or dry renunciation. Lord Caitanya didn’t want people to just renounce artificially. If someone really realise, on one hand material life is a dark well and on the other hand they have developed positive attraction for Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then it’s quite natural that they leave the dark well and peacefully engage in devotional service. They don’t look back. If they are going to continue thinking that I was happy at that moment, that second I really liked it. Maybe I can be happy again. It didn’t work out because this thing wasn’t right, that thing wasn’t right. Again in the future I can make some arrangement. It will be right. Don’t worry. So that means one’s mind is not fixed yet in the real Vairagya-vidyā So therefore, it’s not appropriate for that person to enter the renounced order of life. This we have seen that some people the moment they took sannyāsa, they were not prepared. Later they weren’t able to maintain that virakti bhava, the renounced mood. Because of not fully realising that--- not having positive attraction to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, not strong. So, Lord Caitanya, he wouldn’t be ready, he knew that.,, not that there was a contradiction. That was not a real contradiction nut they realise that you come to the point of actually realising that this is the dark well. You should leave it if you are still thinking that you know forced , nice parents and all---- if you are not seeing the dark well then don’t leave it. And just seeing it as a dark well and not actually attracted to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then leaving that you are in more dark anyway. So both the way. One has a very strong renounced feeling, he can get out or if one has, better than that is to have simultaneously a very strong attachment for the Lord. So Lord Caitanya didn’t want to accept someone running and saying I wanted to join you. He said you practice in your house, you could use anything for Kṛṣṇa. Practically he could use everything for Kṛṣṇa. Why he is not using his own property which is Lords property. They are not hundred present Kṛṣṇa consciousness. They have so many other. They were called as Kṛṣṇa conscious, they were vaiṣṇava but they weren’t ready to use everything. They had so many other, they had little bit other interest, they used something for Kṛṣṇa. Wasn’t all better. It was ninety percent, eighty percent, I don’t know what to say but some percent. So Raghunātha dāsa he used it to make festivals where hundreds and thousands of people he gave donations, he supported vaiṣṇavas, he used everything. By serving the vaiṣṇavas he got the mercy—you don’t need to do this, so much other things he had to do, he had to use his energy to his uncle who was stealing tax money from the emperor, he had to get him saved, he had to do so many other things. Not that just he could devotional service. To run that, the business of being a landlord, he had to do other politics, so he wanted to do fully devotional service. He wasn’t able to do fully the way he would like to and plus he wanted to directly take the association of Lord Caitanya.

 Transcribed by Rasapriya Gandharvika Devi Dasi (2017)

Proofread by : Srivani Mtji

27/Oct/2020