20200228 Mahāprabhu’s Proposal for Kīrtana-vilāsa

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

Mahāprabhu’s Proposal for Kīrtana-vilāsa

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 1.72

caudige beḍhiyā loka-mājhe gaurahari
made mātoyāla yena kiśora-kiśorī

Jayapatākā Swami: On all four sides there were devotees chanting the holy names. In the middle was Gaura Hari, mad in love for Kiśora Kiśorī or Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. Śrī Śrī Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa! Can you repeat what I am saying?

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 1.73

kṣaṇe uṭhe, kṣaṇe paḍe bhumite loṭāya
hari hari bali’ ḍāke kānde uccarāya

Jayapatākā Swami: Sometimes He rose, sometimes He fell on the ground, chanting Hari Hari! And He cried out, while crying loudly! So this is showing some ecstatic symptoms of Lord Caitanya during the kīrtana.

Day and night, He was absorbed in the transcendental ecstasy of pure love of Kṛṣṇa. On His body, His hairs were standing on end. There was no other topic of His discussion except the kṛṣṇa-kathā or the topics about Lord Kṛṣṇa. So it shows how Lord Caitanya He was demonstrating that someone who has pure love of Kṛṣṇa, is completely absorbed in the Supreme Personality of Godhead. They don’t have any other interests.

As the glories of the Lord rose up, pure devotion for Kṛṣṇa was manifested. The Supreme Personality of Godhead, He was enjoying with all His servitors.

Murāri Gupta Kaḍacā 2.2.7

ekadā nija-gehe sa vasan premāti-vihvalaḥ
vasāmi kutra tiṣṭhāmi kathaṁ me syān matir harau

Translation: “Once while at home Śacī Sūta became overwhelmed by love for Kṛṣṇa and exclaimed, Oh, where shall I dwell? And where shall I stay? How may I fix My mind upon Hari?!”

Jayapatākā Swami: So in the mood of Rādhārāṇī, Lord Gaurāṅga was thinking where He would go? Where He would have the association of Lord Kṛṣṇa!

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 1.75

eka-kāle nija ghare āche preme bhorā
rodana karaye āmkhe sāta-pāmcadhārā

Jayapatākā Swami: One time, in His own house, He became overwhelmed with pure love of Kṛṣṇa. He began to cry as if, five or seven streams were flowing from His eyes. So, the Caitanya Mangal is Bengali expansion of the Sanskrit verses in the Murāri Gupta Korca which means Murāri Gupta Notebook, which is written in Sanskrit. We can see that what is said in the Murāri Gupta Korca is also said in Bengali, may be some more details are given.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 1.76

ki kariba-kothā yār-kemana upāra
śrīkṛṣṇe āmāra mati kona mate haya

Jayapatākā Swami: What will I do? Where will I go? What is the solution? How will I always fix My mind on Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa?

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 1.77

ihā bali’ rodana karaye ārttanāde
kātara vacana śuni sarvaloka kānde

Jayapatākā Swami: Hearing these words, the Lord wept loudly and in despair, hearing these desperate words, all the people also began to cry.

Murāri Gupta Kaḍacā 2.2.8

iti vihvalitaṁ devo nāmnā taṁ prāha sādaram
harer vaṁśam avehi tvam ātmānaṁ pṛthivī-tale

Translation: “While He thus perplexed, a celestial being pleasingly called Him by name and told, Hey Bhagavān, You should know that You are Yourself, the aṁśa of Śrī Hari on earth.”

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 1.78

henakāle daivavāṇī uṭhila sādare
āpane īśvara tumi śuna viśvambhare

Jayapatākā Swami: At that moment, there was a divine voice which was heard pleasantly saying, You are Yourself, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, our dear Viśvambara!

Murāri Gupta Kaḍacā 2.2.9-10

avatīrṇo’si bhagavan lokānāṁ prema-siddhaye
khedaṁ mā kuru yajṣo’yaṁ kīrtanākhyaḥ kṣitau kalau
tvat-prasādāt susampanno bhaviṣyati na saṁśayaḥ
evaṁ śrutvā giraṁ devyā harṣa-yukto babhūva saḥ

“You have descended to bring people the highest perfection of life which is kṛṣṇa-prema. Do not be despondent. This sacrifice of the chanting of Kṛṣṇa’s names on the earth in this Age of Kali, will be supremely successful by Your mercy. Of this there is no doubt. Upon hearing these words of the goddess, the Lord became filled with joy.”

Translation: So, this angelic voice predicted that Lord Caitanya’s chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa would give love to everyone, throughout the whole world. No doubt that His chanting would be successful. Haribol! Gauuuurāṅga!

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 1.79

prema prakāśite mahī kaile avatāra
nija-karuṇāya premā karibe pracāra

Jayapatākā Swami: To manifest pure love of Kṛṣṇa, You have descended from the spiritual world, to this earth. By Your causeless mercy, pure love of Kṛṣṇa will be preached.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 1.80

dharmmasaṃ sthāpana kṣiti karibe kīrtana
kheda nā kariha-kara kṛṣṇa-saṅkīrtana

Jayapatākā Swami: To establish the principle of eternal religion on the earth, do kīrtana. Don’t lament. Do Kṛṣṇa saṅkīrtana, congregational chanting of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s holy names! So this explains one purpose of Lord Caitanya’s descent. And that is to give us all this priceless jewel of love of Godhead. Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura has explained, it is not to benefit just a limited number of people in the land of India, it is for the whole world, all the fallen souls! Haribol!

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 1.81

tomāra prasāde kali nistāriba loka
nija-prema diyā saba ghucāiba śoka

Jayapatākā Swami: So that angelic voice from the sky continued to speak. By Your mercy, in this Kali-yuga, You will deliver the conditioned souls. You will give Your own love and remove everyone’s sorrows.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 1.82

saṁśaẏa nāhika ithe-śunaha vacana
kheda dūra kari’ kara nija saṅkīrtana

Jayapatākā Swami: Don’t have any anxiety or doubt, Listen to my words. Put Your sorrow far away, or Your lamentation. Through Your own congregational chanting of the holy names, in this way make everyone happy.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 1.83

eteka vacana yabe daiva mukhe śuni
antara hariṣa—kichu nā kahila vāṇī

Jayapatākā Swami: When He heard these divine words from the hidden goddess’s mouth, He was very joyful inside, but He did not speak anything.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 8.106

mahāprabhura kīrtana-vilāsera prastāva—

prabhu bale,—“bhāi-saba, śuna mantra-sāra
rātri kene mithyā yāya āmā sabākāra

Jayapatākā Swami: The Lord said, oh brothers, listen to Me, the essence of all truths. Why do We waste our nights uselessly? All of us.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 8.107

āji haite nirabandhita karaha sakala
niśāya kariba sabe kīrtana-maṅgala

Jayapatākā Swami: From today, make a resolution that all of us will follow, We will chant kīrtana congregationally in the night. So just as you have a new year’s resolution, we make our firm commitment, I will do something. So He is inspiring all His associates and followers, MAKE A RESOLUTION, A FIRM COMMITMENT, from today on, every night We will perform maṅgala-kīrtana or auspicious congregational chanting. Haribol! So it was thereby resolved that they would every night without fail, they would chant the 16 syllable holy names of Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 8.108

saṅkīrtana kariyā sakala gaṇa-sane
bhakti-svarūpiṇī gaṅgā kariba majjane

Jayapatākā Swami: I will perform the congregational chanting with all the devotees, and I will immerse everyone in the Ganges of pure devotional service!

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 8.109

jagata uddhāra hau śuni' kṛṣṇa-nāma
parmārthe tomarā sabāra dhana-prāṇa”

Jayapatākā Swami: Let the whole world be delivered by listening to the holy names of Kṛṣṇa! Which is the life and treasure for all of you! Your wealth and life! And the process of your spiritual advancement.

Thus ends the chapter, “Mahāprabhu’s proposal for kīrtana vilāsa.”

So are you ready? What about maṅgala arati? Ha! Ha! Last night I saw many books but there was no announcement in the morning, then I heard you had purchased books from downstairs and had me sign it. That is alright! We want to inspire other sannyasis and devotees to distribute books. So, is there a book table today? Why not?

There are many ladies who are saṅkīrtana devotees, why don’t they set up a table? Sakhi Sundarī Mātājī, Doctor Parīkṣit Viśākhā from Abu Dhabi. Want blessings from me! They are … Swami’s disciples. Blessings! They don’t want the blessings very much! Varada Kṛṣṇa Prabhu – is he attending the South Indian parikramā? He is the temple president of Gāndarvikā Giridhārī and Narasiṁha Mandir in Bengaluru and co-president of Hyderabad. I was seeing today how a young man was playing the accordion and leading the kīrtana. Next to him, with head covered was an elderly man, playing the accordion. So I look closer and the elderly man was none other than Mahā-Viṣṇu Mahārāja!! He is 75 and still dancing and playing on the parikramā. So, a good example for all of us. And he is very blissful! He was leading in the morning. Later the younger guy was leading in the afternoon, but Mahā Viṣṇu Mahārāja was still there dancing and playing. What is the question?

Question: What about those who don’t chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, but other names of Kṛṣṇa?

Jayapatākā Swami: What about them? Any other name of Kṛṣṇa also has some benefit. But the special mantra for Kali-yuga is the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. But if someone likes to chant some other mantra, so long as it is bona fide, we have no objection. A bona fide name of Godhead.

So, so many people from China are online. Bhaktin Gow Ying, Sucitrā, Kṛṣṇa Dharma, Śyāmalā,

Haribol! Gau Yu! Cāru Mādhavī! Mādhavī Priyā! Sevā Hari! Olivia Bhaktin! Śyāmalā devī!

Guru Mahārāja, a devotee couple from Bangladesh, Biswajit Yadāva dāsa, Vrajarāṇā Vṛndā devī dāsī entering gṛhastha-āśrama. Seek blessings!

Jayapatākā Swami: When is the wedding? March 11. When are you going? Giving you blessings that you keep Kṛṣṇa in the center and have a nice family life.

Bhavānandinī and Mahātmā dāsa have been here for four days, seek blessings.

Question: How you and other devotees established the pastime places of Lord Caitanya in Navadvīpa-maṇḍala parikramā?

Jayapatākā Swami: So, we saw in the Navadvīpa parikramā book how Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura said there were so many places and some of those places, it was not known where they are. So we talked to some old disciples of Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Prabhupāda, they showed us some of the places they went to and spoke on. So, that way we located some. Others, Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura indicated that in the old British land maps, there were ancient names for places here in the dhāma. For example, the place where we are now, was Rudrapāra. And Śrīla Prabhupāda said that means Rudradvipa. So similarly, Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura said the Pāṇḍavas came to a place called Mahatpur, so we found in the ancient British maps there was a place called Mahatpur. And that was in the same island of Navadvīpa that it was supposed to be, in the Modadrumadvīpa. Like that various means we located some of the holy places. Puṣkara tīrtha, Naimiṣāraṇya tīrtha. Also, between two rivers there is a place non-different from Kurukṣetra called Ucchahaṭṭa. So those two rivers we located. They dry up in the dry season and they have water in the wet season. But they have bridges over them. And so, like that we located various places. Still some places we don’t know. Like, the place of Hari dhāma, where Nārāyaṇa stays with His consorts. We know the island but we don’t know the place. That is in Modadrumdvīpa. Also, there in the Tretā-yuga there was a gigantic banyan tree and there, Lord Rāma, Sītā and Lakṣmaṇa, They went and Lord Rāma was smiling. Sītā said, why are You smiling. He said, well in this līlā You go to the forest and I worship a golden form of You. In the Kali-yuga I go to the forest and You worship a golden form of Me! So Sītā did not like to hear either one! Because she didn’t want any separation from Rāma. That was in Tretā-yuga, the banyan tree, it is not visible now. So, we only know the island. Similarly, there are Sapta-ṛṣi ṭilās in Madhyadvīpa. Somewhere there are seven hills, where the seven ṛṣis would meditate. If you can find that we will appreciate. Maybe Google map will show it! Seven hillocks in Madhyadvīpa. So like that we found some places, but some places are still lupta, hidden!

We also heard that a devotee who came from somewhere in the Middle East, he was seventy years old. He went to Sīmantadvīpa. He went bathing in the Jalangī and had a heart attack and left his body on parikramā, yesterday. That devotee’s name was Acyuta Gaurāṅga dāsa. Everyone can chant Hare Kṛṣṇa for his safe journey to the spiritual world. Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. Another disciple named Sanātana Caitanya dāsa, from South 24 Parganas, south of Kolkata, he took initiation about 30 years ago, He left his body on February 26^th. My disciple Mohinī Rādhā left her body peacefully at her home, with Śrīla Prabhupāda kīrtana playing, with her Deities. Thank you very much! Amānī Jayānandinī. Let us all chant for Mohinī Rādhā and Sanātana Caitanya dās. Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. One thing is sure that we will all leave our body! So these devotees they left with the chanting of Śrīla Prabhupāda, with their Deities, or on parikramā, so their destination is very auspicious. But please be careful when you swim in the Ganges. If you don’t know swimming, wear a life jacket. When you are on a boat crossing the Ganges. Recently they were having a JSSS picnic and one boat sunk because it was overloaded! So, two guests who were not initiated, they weren’t found again. One daughter, she was also uninitiated, they found her body, but she was deceased. So don’t overload boats, and if you don’t know swimming, wear life jackets. They are supposed to have life jackets. So, are there any other questions?

So these are after offering to Śrīla Prabhupāda, we are formally releasing these Navadvīpa parikramā books for children. Samudrasena, the vaiṣṇava warrior. This is a pastime that happened in Ṛtudvīpa. The glories of Sīmantinī Devī. This happened in Sīmantadvīpa. Nāgarāja in Navadvīpa. It is how Anantadeva came to Navadvīpa and got the mercy of Lord Caitanya. And then there is the Rājāpur Jagannātha, special Jagannātha Deity! And the Navadvīpa-maṇḍala parikramā book released by Guru Mahārāja and Bhakti Puruṣottama Mahārāja has been printed now in Tamil. So, vāṅga! Please come and take your Tamil book! Vāṅga! (Vāṅga means please come in a respectful manner, in Tamil).

Varada Kṛṣṇa and the Vaiṣṇavī group from Bengaluru, can you give them a mike?

Varada Kṛṣṇa dāsa: About 40 devotees from the Gāndarvikā Giridhārī mandir in Bengaluru have come. Some from the Jagannātha Mandir also. We are participating in the International group as well as the Tamil group which has started this year. Hopefully more and more will participate in the parikramā. We are all waiting eagerly Guru Mahārāja for you to come to South India in June for the 50^th anniversary of your sannyāsa celebration so that we can suitably recognize this great achievement and offer our appreciation for the services that you have been rendering. Guru Mahārāja, on behalf of all the devotees in South India, I would like to mention that you are an unlimited source of inspiration for all of us. And, we are never tired of thinking about you, meditating about your glories. And we are begging on this auspicious dhāma that you will be merciful to grant us your mercy so that we will continue to seflessly engage in doing things intensely, that are very pleasing to you, completely dedicating our lives in serving you and pushing ahead your mission. So it is with that desire that we have come here and seeking your blessings, Guru Mahārāja! At the same time, we pray to our beloved Deities, Śrī Śrī Gandarvika Giridhari, Śrīmān Mahāprabhu, and Śrī Narasiṁhadeva, that They continue to protect you and bless you with a long life, great health and more success in fulfilling the instructions of Śrīla Prabhupāda! Thank you Guru Mahārāja! A garland made with cloth, made by our Vaiṣṇavīs. They will make one every day for you. We are here till the 6^th of March. Thank you Guru Mahārāja. These are offered garlands, and has some Mahā beads from Śrī Giridhārī in Bengaluru. Guru Mahārāja I also want to convey to you the earnest prayers of all the devotees in Raichur. You saw the plan and you blessed the project when you were in Chennai during the SIDC meet. We seek your blessings, as we want to start the construction on Gaura-pūrṇimā day Guru Mahārāja!

Jayapatākā Swami: Bring a brick or something, and I can touch it to put in the ground when they start construction.

Take the sweets on my behalf!