20180806 Śrī Nimāi’s visit to Gayā

The following is a Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book compilation class given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on August 6, 2018, in Chennai, India.

Under the section: Śrī Nimāi’s visit to Gayā

* * *

Śrī Caitanya-bhāgavata, Ādi 17.32

gadādharera pādapadma-darśanārtha cakraveḍera abhyantare prabhura āgamana o drutavege prasthāna —

tabe āilena cakraveḍera bhitare
pāda-padma dekhibāre calilā satvare

Jayapatākā Swami: The Lord then He went inside the lotus feet of Lord Viṣṇu. He went quickly to see the lotus footprint of the Lord’s lotus feet.

Śrī Caitanya-maṅgala, Ādi 7.57

devapūjā pitṛpūjā kaila sei ṭhāya
viṣṇupada dekhibāre calilā tvarāya

Jayapatākā Swami: He did worship to the devas and to His forefathers. He quickly went to see the lotus footprint of Lord Viṣṇu.

Śrī Caitanya-maṅgala, Ādi 7.83

sarvakārya samādhiyā calilā tvarite
viṣṇupada dekhibāre haraṣita cite

Jayapatākā Swami: So after performing all the ceremonies He went very quickly to see the lotus footprint of Lord Viṣṇu. He was very blissful.

Śrī Caitanya-bhāgavata, Ādi 17.33

pāṇḍāgaṇa-veṣṭita pādapadmera upara stūpīkṛta puspādi pūjopakaraṇa nirmālyopacāra-rāśi—

vipra-gaṇa veḍiyāche śrī-caraṇa-sthāna
śrī-caraṇe mālā,—yena deula-pramāṇa

Jayapatākā Swami: These brāhmaṇas were situated on all sides of the lotus footprints of Lord Viṣṇu. There were flower garlands stacked up on these lotus footprints. The garlands were stacked up like a temple of Lord Viṣṇu.

Śrī Caitanya-bhāgavata, Ādi 17.34

gandha, puṣpa, dhūpa, dīpa, vastra, alaṅkāra
kata paḍiyāche,—lekhā-jokhā nāhi tāra

Jayapatākā Swami: Sandalwood pulp, flowers, incense, lamps, clothes, decorations, so many things were offered to the Lord’s lotus feet. It is not possible to write all the things which were offered to Lord Viṣṇu.

Śrī Caitanya-bhāgavata, Ādi 17.35

vipragaṇa kartṛka gayā-śirastha gadādhara-viṣṇura pādapadme stuti-kīrtana

catur-dike divya rūpa dhari’ vipra-gaṇa
kariteche pāda-padma-prabhāva varṇana

Jayapatākā Swami: So, the brāhmaṇas were seated all around Lord Viṣṇu’s lotus footprints. They were glorifying the Viṣṇu form, how the lotus footprints were so spiritually powerful. All the bright brāhmaṇas appeared as spiritual forms.

Śrī Caitanya-bhāgavata, Ādi 17.36

“kāśīnātha hṛdaye dharilā ye-caraṇa
ye-caraṇa niravadhi lakṣmīra jīvana

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Śiva accepted these lotus footprints in His heart, holding them in His heart. These lotus feet which are the object of worship of Lakṣmīdevī, they are the life and soul of Lakṣmī.

Śrī Caitanya-bhāgavata, Ādi 17.37

bali-śire āvirbhāva haila ye-caraṇa
sei ei dekha, yata bhāgyavanta jana

Jayapatākā Swami: Bali Mahārāja accepted His lotus feet on His head. So, the brāhmaṇas said, “See, how wonderful, the same lotus footprints are here!”

Śrī Caitanya-bhāgavata, Ādi 17.38

tilārddheko ye-caraṇa dhyāna kaile mātra
yama tāra nā hayena adhikāra-pātra

Jayapatākā Swami: “Those who see these lotus feet for even less than a second and remember, they never see the… fall under the jurisdiction of Yamarāja.”

Śrī Caitanya-bhāgavata, Ādi 17.39

yogeśvara-sabāra durlabha ye-caraṇa
sei ei dekha, yata bhāgyavanta jana

Jayapatākā Swami: Seeing the lotus feet is difficult and rare even for the yogīs. Those who are able to see now are fortunate.

The haṭha-yogīs, impersonalists and Buddhists, they think that any form of the Lord which is visible is not appropriate, not possible. But they have an idea that the Lord’s form is material. But for the bhakti-yogīs, they see the divine form of the Lord as transcendental. These yogīs want to achieve mystic powers and they don’t take love of Godhead as very important. Rather they criticize kṛṣṇa-prema.

Śrī Caitanya-bhāgavata, Ādi 17.40

ye-caraṇe bhāgīrathī hailā prakāśa
niravadhi hṛdaye nā chāḍe yāre dāsa

Jayapatākā Swami: The lotus feet which are the source of the Ganges River, they are kept in the hearts of all the devotees. Those who are servants of the Lord hold these lotus feet to their hearts very firmly.

Śrī Caitanya-bhāgavata, Ādi 17.41

ananta-śayyāya ati-priya ye-caraṇa
sei ei dekha, yata bhāgyavanta jana”

Jayapatākā Swami: These lotus feet on the bed of Ananta are most enchanting, most dear. See the lotus feet, those who are very fortunate... fortunate ones see the lotus foot.

Śrī Caitanya-maṅgala, Ādi 7.84

viṣṇupada-cihna āmi dekhi nayane
hariṣe antara kathā kahe mane mane

Jayapatākā Swami: “The sign of the Lord’s lotus foot, I will see with My eyes.” So with a happy heart He thought this again and again.

Śrī Caitanya-maṅgala, Ādi 7.85

etabhāvi uttarilā viṣṇupade āsi
parama-ānande daṇḍavat kari basi

Jayapatākā Swami: So thinking in this way to see the lotus footprint of Lord Viṣṇu, He came with transcendental happiness. He fell down offering His obeisances like a stick. In this way He offered His obeisances to the lotus footprint.

Śrī Caitanya-maṅgala, Ādi 7.86

bolaye gaurāṅga śuna śuna sarvajana
kemana karaye viṣṇupada dekhi mana

Jayapatākā Swami: Gaurāṅga said to the assembled devotees, “listen everyone, listen. How I see the lotus feet of the Lord. I gaze at the lotus footprint, Viṣṇupāda.”

Śrī Caitanya-bhāgavata, Ādi 17.42

vipragaṇa-mukhe gadādharera pādapadma-māhātma-śravaṇe prabhura premāveśe aśru, kampa, pulaka—

caraṇa-prabhāva śuni’ vipra-gaṇa mukhe
āviṣṭa hailā prabhu premānanda-sukhe

Jayapatākā Swami: Hearing the glories of the lotus footprint of Viṣṇu from the mouths of the assembled brāhmaṇas, the Lord manifested spiritual bliss. Tears flowed from His eyes, He had quivering in His body, His voice was choked up, His hairs stood on end and He was absorbed in kṛṣṇa-prema. So these lotus feet were put on the head of Gayāsura at Gayā. These lotus footprints are the source of all spiritual rasas. The impersonalists or Buddhists, the pañcopāsakas, are kept under the lotus feet of Lord Viṣṇu. Buddhists don’t follow Vedic principles and the pañcopāsakas say that they accept the Vedas, but actually they don’t accept. So therefore, the Māyāvādīs is a type of covered Buddhism. So the devotees accept the variegated pastimes of the Lord. The Lord is sac-cit-ānanda-vigraha. pañcopāsakas means cheating innocent, foolish people. Therefore, the intelligent devotees never accept impersonalism, covered form of Buddhism.

Śrī Caitanya-bhāgavata, Ādi 17.43

aśru-dhārā vahe dui śrī-padma-nayane
loma-harṣa-kampa haila caraṇa-darśane

Jayapatākā Swami: As the Lord saw with His transcendental eyes the lotus footprint of Lord Viṣṇu, He was crying with unlimited tears. His bodily hairs were standing on end. He was experiencing aṣta-sāttvika-bhāva seeing the lotus feet of Viṣṇu.

Śrī Caitanya-bhāgavata, Ādi 17.44

samagra jagatera sarvottama saubhāgya-phalei prabhu-kartṛka āśrayavigrahera bhāva-prakāśa-līlārambha —

sarva-jagatera bhāgye prabhu gauracandra
prema-bhakti-prakāśera karilā ārambha

Jayapatākā Swami: So the whole world was blessed by the Lord Gauracandra. He manifested kṛṣṇa-prema in Gayā. So He expanded love of Kṛṣṇa. He then began expanding the ecstasy of devotional service to Kṛṣṇa. Up till now Lord Caitanya did not show any symptoms of kṛṣṇa-prema or giving kṛṣṇa-prema out. By seeing the lotus feet of Lord Viṣṇu Lord Caitanya started to manifest loving service to Viṣṇu. He started displaying the eight symptoms of ecstatic love. So the conditioned souls don’t manifest devotional service to Viṣṇu. But when they do see the lotus footprint they start to manifest devotion to Lord Kṛṣṇa. So seeing the lotus footprints awakens natural love for Kṛṣṇa.

Śrī Caitanya-bhāgavata, Ādi 17.45

prabhu-netre mahāvegavatī gaṅgotrīdhārāra nyāya aśru-nirgama—

avicchinna gaṅgā vahe prabhura nayane
parama-adbhuta saba dekhe vipra-gaṇe

Jayapatākā Swami: So, just as the Ganges flows incessantly, Lord Caitanya’s eyes filled with tears of love, which flowed with love without any stopping. The brāhmaṇas were all amazed to see these symptoms manifesting.

Caitanya-carita Mahā-kāvya 4.63-64: tadanantara navadvīpacandra sei gaurāṅgadeva tathā haite dakṣiṇa o uttara mānasa sarovare evaṁ gayāśire piṇḍa pradāna pūrvaka gadādharera pādapadma darśana kariyā sahacaragaṇera sahita prasthāna karilena.

Translation: “Leaving there the Lord, the soul abode of nectar for the heart, went to Dakṣiṇa Mānasa and Uttara Mānasa with affectionate brāhmaṇas and performed rites for His forefathers. At Gayā Śiras He performed rites for His forefathers. Seeing the Lord’s feet in joy, He immediately left with the brāhmaṇas.”

Jayapatākā Swami: Oṁ tat sat!