20141120 Introduction to Lord Gaurāṅga's Boyhood Pastimes

Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book work 20^th  November 2014 in New Delhi, India

By His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Guru Mahārāja

Reading from the Caitanya-Bhāgavata  Ādi-Khanda, Chapter-7.

Deva Gaurāṅga Dāsa:

Śrī Caitanya-Bhāgavata, Ādī-khaṇḍa 7.44

śuddhasattvamaya adhokṣaja-tattvera madhye ākarṣarkatva o ākṛṣṭatva-līlā vā cicchakti-vilāsa-rahasya akṣaja-jñānāgamya—

prabhuo se āpana-bhaktera citta hare’
e kathā bujhite anya-jane nāhi pāre

Translation: Materialistic persons are unable to understand how the Lord steals the hearts of His devotees.

Jayapatākā Swami: The Lord stole away the minds of His own devotees that it is not understood by others.

Deva Gaurāṅga Dāsa:

Śrī Caitanya-Bhāgavata, Ādī-khaṇḍa 7.45-46

śrīmad-bhāgavata-pramāṇa —

e rahasya vidita kailena bhāgavate
parīkṣit śunilena śukadeva haite

śrīśu-parīkṣit-samvāda—

prasaṅge śunaha bhāgavatera ākhyāna
śuka-parīkśitera saṁvāda anupama

Translation: Yet this mystery was disclosed by Śukadeva Gosvāmī to Mahārāja Parīkṣit in the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam. Please hear now the matchless discussion between Śukadeva and Parīkṣit from Śrīmad Bhāgavatam in this connection.

Commentary: In the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam (10.14.49) it is stated: “King Parīkṣit said: O brāhmaṇa, how could the cowherd women have developed for Kṛṣṇa, someone else’s son, such unprecedented pure love—love they never felt even for their own children? Please explain this.” Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī replied in verses 50-57 as follows: “Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: O King, for every created being the dearmost thing is certainly his own self. The dearness of everything else—children, wealth and so on—is due only to the dearness of the self. For this reason, O best of kings, the embodied soul is self-centered: he is more attached to his own body and self than to his so-called possessions like children, wealth and home. Indeed, for persons who think the body is the self, O best of kings, those things whose importance lies only in their relationship to the body are never as dear as the body itself. If a person comes to the stage of considering the body “mine” instead of “me,” he will certainly not consider the body as dear as his own self. After all, even as the body is growing old and useless, one’s desire to continue living remains strong. Therefore it is his own self that is most dear to every embodied living being, and it is simply for the satisfaction of this self that the whole material creation of moving and nonmoving entities exists. You should know Kṛṣṇa to be the original Soul of all living entities. For the benefit of the whole universe, He has, out of His causeless mercy, appeared as an ordinary human being. He has done this by the strength of His internal potency. Those in this world who understand Lord Kṛṣṇa as He is see all things, whether stationary or moving, as manifest forms of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Such enlightened persons recognize no reality apart from the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa. The original, unmanifested form of material nature is the source of all material things, and the source of even that subtle material nature is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa. What, then, could one ascertain to be separate from Him?” One should refer to these verses and their translation by the author [Vṛndāvana dāsa Ṭhākura] in the following verses.

Jayapatākā Swami: This mystery was spoken in Śrīmad Bhāgavatam by Śukadeva Gosvāmī to Parīkṣit Mahārāja. He explained how of all things the self is most dear, and the family, the children and the possessions are only dear because of the connection they have with the self. If one thinks that the self is the body then the possessions of the body would be most dear but still the body itself would be the dearest of all, even the old people who have decrypted aged body still wish to survive and they want to live on. If one understands that the ātma is the self and not the body, then one will feel that the ātma is the most dear and the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the original ātma. Those who are thinking that they are the body, body is the product of impersonal unmanifested mahat-tattva, the material elements but this is also are the product of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So, He is the most dear. Whether one is self realized or body conscious the Lord is most dear and this is revealed in the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam to Parīkṣit Mahārāja. So it is quite natural that the people present in the Advaita’s sabha, in the assembly of devotees, they all felt attached and attracted by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Kṛṣṇa.

Deva Gaurāṅga Dāsa:

Śrī Caitanya-Bhāgavata, Ādī-khaṇḍa 7.47

māyāvādīra gaura-kṛṣṇe bhedajñāna-nirasana, gaurerai dvāpare kṛṣṇa-līlā, kṛṣṇerai kalite gaura-līlā—

ei gauracandra yabe janmilā gokule
śiśu saṅge gṛhe gṛhe krīḍā kari’ bule

Translation: When Śrī Gauracandra appeared as Kṛṣṇa in Gokula, He played in all the houses there with the other children.

Commentary: Śrī Gauracandra personally appeared in Gokula as Śrī Kṛṣṇacandra. The atheist community says that Śrī Kṛṣṇa appeared 4,712 years prior to the advent of Śrī Gaura, and since Kṛṣṇa came before Gaura and Gaura came after Kṛṣṇa there is certainly a difference between Them. Śrīla Vṛndāvana dāsa Ṭhākura, however, has herein forbidden the pure devotees from considering material time, place, and circumstances in relation with the Absolute Truth.

Jayapatākā Swami: When Gauracandra appeared in Gokula, He went with his friends into all the houses and thus all the gopīs could see Kṛṣṇa Caitanya and naturally they felt more attached to Kṛṣṇa Caitanya than to their own children. By material calculation Kṛṣṇa Caitanya appeared 4,712 years after Lord Kṛṣṇa in Gokula. But in the absolute truth the writer is telling us not to consider the time, place and circumstance. Because the Lord is always the Lord, sometimes it becomes earlier sometimes it becomes later that is in consequential. The atheists and impersonalists are preoccupied with this time difference but the pure devotees are warned not to even consider that the two are interchangeable that Lord Caitanya was in Gokula and Lord Kṛṣṇa was in Navadvīpa.

Deva Gaurāṅga Dāsa:

Śrī Caitanya-Bhāgavata, Ādī-khaṇḍa 7.48

paraputra kṛṣṇera prati gopīgaṇera putrādhika svābhāvika vātsalya-sneha–

janma haite prabhure sakala gopī-gaṇe
nija-putra haiteo sneha kare mane

Translation: From the time of the Lord’s birth, the gopīs had more affection for Him than they had for their own sons.

Commentary: Sneha, or affection, is always meant for subordinates. Although the servants of Kṛṣṇa who constantly serve Him in the mood of confidential friendship, parenthood, and conjugal love totally remain under His subordination, they proudly consider themselves superior to Kṛṣṇa in order to solidify their affection. This pure affection is present more in Kṛṣṇa’s devotees than in Kṛṣṇa Himself. The supremacy of the worshipable Lord is greater than that of His servants. When Śrī Kṛṣṇa was unable to repay His debt for the loving service rendered by Śrīmatī Rādhikā, He accepted the mood of Śrī Rādhikā and displayed Her mentality. The pseudo-sampradāyas such as gaura-nāgarīs, who engage in material enjoyment, nourish a mood of opposing Śrī Gaurasundara’s preaching of both pure devotional service and the glories of His servant’s pure love. Pure devotees of Gaura-Kṛṣṇa do not accept this.

Jayapatākā Swami: The servants of the Lord Caitanya approached the Lord in friendship, paternal love and conjugal love; naturally think themselves as superior to the Lord although they are all under the control of the Lord. Lord Caitanya in order to glorify both Himself and His pure devotees accept the mood of a pure devotee and thus repays his debt to Radhārāṇī. The pseudo-sects of gaura-nāgarīs, who actually try to enjoy material sense gratification in the name of devotional service, are against the pure teachings of Lord Caitanya, where he appreciates the love of his devotees and wants to have it displayed and glorified.

Deva Gaurāṅga Dāsa:

Śrī Caitanya-Bhāgavata, Ādī-khaṇḍa 7.49

gopīgaṇera aiśvaryabhāvabihīna putrādhika svābhāvika kevalā rati —

yadyapi īśvara-buddhye nā jāne kṛṣṇere
svabhāvei putra haite baḍa sneha kare

Translation: Although they never considered Kṛṣṇa the Supreme Personality of Godhead, they had a natural attraction for Him more than they had for their own sons.

Jayapatākā Swami:  The elderly gopīs naturally feel more affection to Kṛṣṇa Caitanya than to their own children, although they don’t realize that Kṛṣṇa Caitanya is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. They naturally feel this affection for Him.

Deva Gaurāṅga Dāsa:

Śrī Caitanya-Bhāgavata, Ādī-khaṇḍa 7.50

tacchravaṇe parīkṣitera vismaya o pulaka—

śuniyā vismita baḍa rājā Parīkṣit
śuka-sthāne jijñāsena hai pulakita

Translation: Hearing this, Mahārāja Parīkṣit was struck with wonder. His hair stood on end, and he inquired from Śukadeva Gosvāmī as follows.

Jayapatākā Swami: Parīkṣit Mahārāja, he was astonished to hear and his hairs were standing on end.

Deva Gaurāṅga Dāsa:

Śrī Caitanya-Bhāgavata, Ādī-khaṇḍa 7.51

gopīgaṇera abhūtapūrvā kṛṣṇaprītira praśaṁsā—

“parama adbhuta kathā kahilā, gosāñi!
tribhuvane emata kothāo śuni nāi

Translation: “O Gosvāmī, I have never before heard such wonderful narrations within the three worlds.”

Jayapatākā Swami: Parīkṣit Mahārāja spoke to Śukadeva Gosvāmī, this is truly a wonderful revelation, how the elderly gopīs felt more affection for Kṛṣṇa than their own children, I have not heard anything like this in the whole world.

Deva Gaurāṅga Dāsa:

Śrī Caitanya-Bhāgavata, Ādī-khaṇḍa 7.52

paraputra kṛṣṇera prati gopīgaṇera gāḍha snehera kāraṇa-jijñāsā —

nija-putra haite para-tanaya kṛṣṇere
kaha dekhi,—sneha kaila kemana-prakāre?”

Translation: “Please explain to me how the gopīs displayed more affection for Kṛṣṇa, another’s son, than for their own sons.

Jayapatākā Swami: Parīkṣit Mahārāja asked to Śukadeva Gosvāmī, please explain to me, how the elderly gopīs felt more affection for Lord Kṛṣṇa than their own children.

Deva Gaurāṅga Dāsa:

Śrī Caitanya-Bhāgavata, Ādī-khaṇḍa 7.53-54

śrī-śukera uttara, paramātmāra sarvajīva-preṣṭhatva —

śrī-śuka kahena,—“śuna, rājā Parīkṣit
paramātmā—sarva-dehe vallabha, vidita

ātmāra sattāyai prītira sattvā, tadabhāve prītirāhitya —

ātmā vine putra vā kalatra bandhu-gaṇa
gṛha haite bāhira karāya tata-kñaṇa

Translation: Śukadeva Gosvāmī replied, “O Mahārāja Parīkṣit, it is well-known that the Supersoul is dear to all. When the soul leaves the son, wife, or friend, their body is taken out of the house.”

[Commentary read in the next session on 22^nd November]

Jayapatākā Swami: Just as the soul leaves the body of the child and the parents put the dead body outside the house. So the soul is actually dear to everyone and once the soul has left the body, body is no more dearer, so similarly the soul of all souls is the most dear and this was expressed by all the elderly gopīs in their dealings with Kṛṣṇa than their own children.