20200224 Viśvambhara Eats Cooked Rice from Śuklāmbara Brahmacārī and bestows mercy on Vijaya (Part 1)

mūkaṁ karoti vācālaṁ paṅguṁ laṅghayate girim
yat-kṛpā tam ahaṁ vande śrī-guruṁ dīna-tāraṇam
paramānandaṁ mādhavaṁ śrī caitanya iśvaram
hariḥ oṁ tat sat

Viśvambhara Eats Cooked Rice from Śuklāmbara Brahmacārī and Bestows Mercy on Vijaya (Part 1)

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 26.1

prabhura śuklāmbarera anna-bhojane icchā o tatsthāne anna-yācñā—

eka-dina śuklāmbara-brahmācāri-sthāne
kṛpāya tāhāne anna māgilā āpane

Jayapatākā Swami: One day at Śuklāmbara Brahmacārī’s house the Lord personally, because of His causeless mercy, asked, begged, for a little rice!

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 26.2

“tora anna khāite āmāra icchā baḍa
kichu bhaya nā kariha balilāṅa daḍha”

Jayapatākā Swami: To eat your rice, I have a strong desire, no reason to have any fear! I am emphatically telling you this.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 26.3

śuklāmbarera dainya o prabhura prārthanāke ‘rahasya’ baliyā jñāna—

ei-mata mahāprabhu bale bāra bāra
śuni’ śuklāmbara kāku karena apāra

Jayapatākā Swami: So, when Lord Mahāprabhu made this request again and again, hearing this, Śuklāmbara Brahmacārī emotionally pleaded with the Lord.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 26.4

“bhikṣuka adhama muñi pāpiṣṭha garhita
tumi dharma sanātana, muñi se patita

Jayapatākā Swami: I am a lowly beggar, I am fallen, sinful, wretched, and You are the eternal religion, I am completely fallen!

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 26.5

more kothā dibe prabhu, caraṇera chāyā
kīṭa-tulya nahoṅ more eta baḍa māyā”

Jayapatākā Swami: You are not giving me the shelter of Your lotus feet. I am not even an insect, in comparison, so why are You trying to deceive me in a big way?

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 26.6

prabhura punaḥ-prārthanāya śuklāmbarera bhaktagaṇa-samīpe yukti-grahaṇa—

prabhu bale,—“māyā hena nā vāsiha mane
baḍa icchā vāse mora tomāre randhane

Jayapatākā Swami: The Lord said, don’t consider this a deception. I have a strong desire to taste your cooking!

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 26.7

satvare naivedya giyā karaha vāsāya
āji āmi madhyāhe yāiba sarvathāya”

Jayapatākā Swami: Go home and quickly prepare an offering for the Lord. I will surely come by at the midday.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 26.8

tathāpiha śuklāmbara bhaya pāi’ mane
yukti jijñāsilena sakala bhakta-sthāne

Jayapatākā Swami: Still, Śuklāmbara was in fear and anxiety and therefore he asked all the devotees present for a solution.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 26.9

bhaktagaṇera yukti-pradāna o śuklāmbarera bhāgya praśaṃsā—

sabe balilena,—“tumi kene kara bhaya
paramārthe īśvarera keha bhinna naya

Jayapatākā Swami: So the assembled devotees told him, why you are fearful - from the spiritual point of view of the Lord, no one is separate.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 26.10

viśeṣe ye jana tāne sarva-bhāve bhaje
sarva-kāla tāna anna āpanei khoñje

Jayapatākā Swami: The Lord desires prasāda from the person who always worships Him, with unflinching devotion. Therefore, He is always looking for that prasāda, that food. This shows how the pure devotees’ offering is very much appreciated by the Lord. He would rather eat, He is happy to eat the simplest of offerings of the pure devotees but He doesn’t accept offerings, however opulent it is, from the non-devotees.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 26.11

āpane śūdrāra putra vidurera sthāne
anna māgi’ khāilena bhaktira kāraṇe

Jayapatākā Swami: Vidura was the son of a sudra but because of his pure devotion, Lord Kṛṣṇa personally begged food from him and ate it!

Purport by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura: “For a description of the Lord begging rice from Vidura, see the Mahābhārata, Udyoga Parva, Chapter 90.”

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 26.12

bhakta-sthāne māgi’ khāya, prabhura svabhāva
deha’ giyā tumi baḍa kari’ anurāga

Jayapatākā Swami: The Lord’s nature is to beg food from the pure devotees. Just go and offer Him lunch with great devotion. So devotees are recommending that Śuklāmbara Brahmacārī, that he should offer the food, and give to Lord Viśvambhara, that’s the nature of the Lord, to ask for the food from His pure devotees.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 26.13

tathāpiha tumi yadi bhaya vāsa’ mane
ālagoche tumi giyā karaha randane

Jayapatākā Swami: If you still feel fearful, then go and cook, separately, without touching it.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 26.14

baḍa bhāgya tomāra, e-mata kṛpā yāre”
śuni’ dvija hariṣe āilā nija-ghare

Jayapatākā Swami: You have great good fortune! Who gets such mercy? so when Śuklāmbara heard this, he became happy and he came to his own house.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 26.15

śuklāmbarera kīrtana karite karite randhana evaṃ lakṣmīdevīra tāhāte dṛṣṭipāta—

snāna kari’ śuklāmbara ati sāvadhāne
suvāsita jala tapta karilā āpane

Jayapatākā Swami: After taking his bath, Śuklāmbara very carefully boiled some scented water.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 26.16

taṇḍula sahita tabe divya garbha-thoḍa
ālagoche diyā vipra kailā kara-yoḍa

Jayapatākā Swami: So, he gave some rice with a choice stem of the banana tree. He didn’t touch the things but put it in, and folded his hands. He prepared with great devotion.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 26.17

“jaya kṛṣṇa govinda gopāla vanamālī”
balite lāgilāśuklāmbara kutūhalī

Jayapatākā Swami: Śuklāmbara began to sing very joyfully, very happily, Jaya Kṛṣṇa! Jaya Govinda! Jaya Gopāla! Jaya Vanamali! Jaya Govinda Jaya Kṛṣṇa! Jaya Kṛṣṇa Govinda! Gopāla Vanamāli! Jaya! Jaya! Jaya! Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa!

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 26.18

sei kṣaṇe bhakta-anne rāmā jagan-mātā
dṛṣṭipāta karilena mahā-pati-vratā

Jayapatākā Swami: So, at that time, at that moment the rice of the devotee was glanced on by Lakṣmī, the Mother of the Universe! by Her glance, She made the offering sacred, She was a great, chaste wife of the Lord.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 26.19

prabhura śuklāmbara-gṛhe āgamana o anna-bhojana karite karite svādutāra praśaṁsā

tata-kṣaṇe sarvāmṛta haila se anna
snāna kari’ prabhu āsi’ hailā upasanna

Jayapatākā Swami: Then immediately, all the rice became nectarean by the glance of Mother, Lakṣmī-devī! Meanwhile the Lord had finished His bath and came.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 26.20

saṅge nityānanda-ādi āpta kata jana
titā-vastra eḍilena śrī-śacīnandana

Jayapatākā Swami: Along with Viśvambhara came Nityānanda and other intimate associates, Śacīnandana prabhu then changed His clothes, His wet clothes.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 26.21

āpane lailā anna tāna icchā pāli’
śuklāmbara dekhiyā hāsena kutūhalī

Jayapatākā Swami: According to his desire he took Viśvambhara took the rice and he was happily glancing at Śuklāmbara and smiled happily.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 26.22

gaṅgāra agrete ghara gaṅgāra samīpe
viṣṇu-nivedana karilena baḍa sukhe

Jayapatākā Swami: Śuklāmbara Brahmacārī’s house was right next to the Ganges. The Lord offered the rice to Lord Viṣṇu very happily.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 26.23

hāsi’ vasilena prabhu ānande bhojane
nayana bhariyā dekhe saba bhṛtya-gaṇe

Jayapatākā Swami: The Lord smiled as He joyfully sat down to eat prasāda, all his servants watched to their full satisfaction, of their eyes.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 26.24

brahmādira yajña-bhoktāśrī-gaurasundara
śuklāmbara-anna khāya—e baḍa duśkara

Jayapatākā Swami: It was most amazing that Lord Śrī Gaurasundara who was offered the remnants of sacrifice offered by such personalities as Lord Brahmā, was eating the rice cooked by Śuklāmbara Brahmacārī! This was a very amazing, unusual thing. So, Śuklāmbara he begged His rice from door to door so since it was touched by various  non-devotees the rice is considered as contaminated. But since he took it as the mercy of the Supreme Lord and since his heart was pure and he was offering to the Lord with pure devotion therefore it was considered as a very special offering, so the most important thing in prasāda is the purity of the heart!

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 26.25

hena prabhu bale,—“janma yāvat āmāra
e-mata annera svādu nāhi pāi āra

Jayapatākā Swami: So the Lord said, from birth I have never tasted such palatable rice as this! Haribol! There was one rich lady, she told us I can cook khichuḍī and add pistachios and various opulent things but it can never match the taste of the Māhā-prasāda of Māyāpur!

Jayapatākā Swami: So meanwhile, if anyone wants a book I will sign and we can also answer a few questions, and then I will take rest. Anyone from China online? Are there any questions?

Question: Dear Guru Mahārāja (Guru Mahārāja: Yes!) Please accept my humble obeisances at your lotus feet (Guru Mahārāja: Accepted). All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda! (Guru Mahārāja: Yes!) How should one pray to all our paramparā ācāryas for mercy and what is the way by which we can develop unflinching faith and love for all our paramparā ācāryas? - Your insignificant fallen servant, Prema Gaurasundara dāsa.

Jayapatākā Swami: Another how to question? How to develop love? that is a whole process, is to develop love. So, we should pray to the Brahma-Madhva-Gauḍīya-sampradāya Ācāryas and offer them our respectful prostrated obeisances. Hare Kṛṣṇa! So we shouldn’t think that the Lord will only accept the offerings of the rich people. He accepts the offering from His pure devotes – they may be rich, or they may poor. What He cares about, is the devotion! We want to express our love to the Lord and he appreciates that love. In the prema-sarovara, there was a bumble bee who was disturbing Rādhārāṇī, and Rādhārāṇī was seated next to Kṛṣṇa. So Kṛṣṇa asked Madhumaṅgala to chase away that bumble bee. She he said, Madhusūdana has gone! Madhumaṅgala can also be the name for a bee – Madhusūdana – one who eats honey. But that is also the name of Kṛṣṇa. So Rādhārāṇī when she heard Madhusūdana has gone, She fell oh Kṛṣṇa has gone, oh Kṛṣṇa! She started crying. Kṛṣṇa was sitting right next Her! He saw how much love She had for Him and He also started crying. They filled up a whole lake, prema-sarovara. Or Prema-Lake, filled with the tears of love of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. Haribol! Any other question? Anyone who has just arrived?

Kṛṣṇa Kiśora, you have just arrived!