20200315 Persons Present In the Kīrtana In the House of Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura (Part 2)

mūkaṁ karoti vācālaṁ paṅguṁ laṅghayate girim
yat-kṛpā tam ahaṁ vande śrī-guruṁ dīna-tāraṇam
paramānanda-mādhavam śrī caitanya īśvaram
Harihi oṁ tat sat

Chapter entitled as Persons involved in the Kīrtana in The House of Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura – Continued…

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 8.230

dhāiyā āise loka kīrtana śuniyā
praveśite nāre loka, dvāre rahe giyā

Translation: On hearing the loud kīrtana, people came running. But being unable to enter, they stood at the door.

Jayapatākā Swami: People came running when they heard the sound of the kīrtana, but they were not able to enter because the door was closed. So, they stood at the door. So, people wanted to enter when they heard the kīrtana, they came running, but they could not enter because the door was closed. It seems that some of those people were favorable, interested, but they could not enter. We know that some were envious and against, nobody could enter except the devotees who were confidential and able to understand the manifestations of Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 8.231

sahasra sahasra loka kalarava kare
“kīrtana dekhiba,—jhāṭa ghucāha duyāre”

Translation: Thousands of people loudly clamored, “Open the door quickly, we want to see the kīrtana.”

Jayapatākā Swami: Thousands of people, they loudly clamored, OPEN THE DOOR QUICKLY! WE WANT TO SEE THE KĪRTANA! Haribol!

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 8.232

yateka vaiṣṇava-saba kīrtana-āveśe
nā jāne āpana deha, anya jana kise

Translation: The Vaiṣṇavas in the ecstasy of kīrtana were not aware of their own bodies, so what did they know of others?

Another reading of kīrtana-āveśe (“in the ecstasy of kīrtana”) is kīrtanera rase, or “in the mellows of kīrtana.”

Jayapatākā Swami: But inside the garden of Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura all the Vaiṣṇavas were completely absorbed in the kīrtana. They weren’t even aware of their own bodies, so what to speak of what was going on outside! So, these devotees were in the kīrtana-rasa, in the mellow of kīrtana, filled in that ecstasy. So, they were not aware of all the people clamoring outside.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 8.110

vaiṣṇavagaṇera ānanda evaṃ kevala pārṣadagaṇa saṅge kīrtana-vilāsārambha—

sarva-vaiṣṇavera haila śuniyā ullāsa
ārambhilā mahāprabhu kīrtana-vilāsa

Translation: On hearing this, all the Vaiṣṇavas became ecstatic. Thus Mahāprabhu began His kīrtana pastimes.

Jayapatākā Swami: As the devotees present heard the kīrtana, they became ecstatic. At this time, Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He began His kīrtana pastimes.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 8.111

śrīvāsa-mandire prati niśāya kīrtana
kona-dina haya candraśekhara bhavana

Translation: Every night kīrtana was held at the house of Śrīvāsa, except some nights it was held at the house of Candraśekhara.

Jayapatākā Swami: Generally, the kīrtana was held at the house of Śrīvāsa, except some days, it was held at the house of Candraśekhara prabhu.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 8.112-116

nityānanda, gadādhara, advaita, śrīvāsa
vidyānidhi, murāri, hiraṇya, haridāsa

gaṅgādāsa, vanamālī, vijaya, nandana
jagadānanda, buddhimanta khān, nārāyaṇa

kāśīśvara, vāsudeva, rāma, garuḍāi
govinda, govindānanda, āchena tathāi

gopīnātha, jagadīśa, śrīmān, śrīdhara
sadāśiva, vakreśvara, śrīgarbha, śuklāmbara

brahmānanda, puruṣottama, sañjayādi yata
ananta caitanya-bhṛtya nāma jāni kata

Translation: Nityānanda, Gadādhara, Advaita, Śrīvāsa, Vidyānidhi, Murāri, Hiraṇya, Haridāsa, Gaṅgādāsa, Vanamālī, Vijaya, Nandana, Jagadānanda, Buddhimanta Khān, Nārāyaṇa, Kāśīśvara, Vāsudeva, Rāma, Garuḍa, Govinda, Govindānanda, Gopīnātha, Jagadīśa, Śrīmān, Śrīdhara, Sadāśiva, Vakreśvara, Śrīgarbha, Śuklāmbara, Brahmānanda, Puruṣottama, Sañjaya, and innumerable other servants of Lord Caitanya were present in those kīrtanas. I know only a few names out of many.

Jayapatākā Swami: Nityānanda, Gadādhara, Advaita, Śrīvāsa, Vidyānidhi, Murāri, Hiraṇya, Haridāsa, Gaṅgādāsa, Vanamālī, Vijaya, Nandana, Jagadānanda, Buddhimanta Khān, Nārāyaṇa, Kāśīśvara, Vāsudeva, Rāma, Garuḍa, Govinda, Govindānanda, Gopīnātha, Jagadīśa, Śrīmān, Śrīdhara, Sadāśiva, Vakreśvara, Śrīgarbha, Śuklāmbara, Brahmānanda, Puruṣottama, Sañjaya, and innumerable other servants of Lord Caitanya were present in those kīrtanas. I know only a few names out of many.

So many devotees were present in the kīrtanas of Lord Caitanya, and these are devotees who had some previous pastime with Kṛṣṇa in different avatāras. I noted one of the names was Buddhimanta Khān. Normally when you do the parikrama, in Godrumdvīpa, we visit the place after Āma Ghāṭa, we go to Suvarṇa Vihār, Surabhī Kuñja. There Suvarṇasena a previous king of Navadvīpa, he worshipped Lord Caitanya, by chanting His name. Gauuuuurāṅga! Gaurāṅga! Gaurāṅga! Gaurāṅga Gaurāṅga! Gaurāṅga! Gaurāṅga! Gaurāṅga! Gaurāṅga! Gaurāṅga! Gaurāṅga! Gaurāṅga! Gaurāṅga! Gaurāṅga! And thereby chanting like that again and again, Lord Gaurāṅga appeared before him. But He said, you will come in My pastimes as Buddhimanta Khān. So Buddhimanta Khān was mentioned in these descriptions of the kīrtanas at Śrīvāsa aṅgan. Some of the other devotees like Jagadānanda, he was Satyabhāma in Dvārakā līlā, Gadādhara was Rādhārāṇī in Vṛndāvana. So different devotees were present. It was a very special mercy to be present in these confidential pastimes, the kīrtana of Lord Caitanya. After this, after sometime, Lord Caitanya took His kīrtana to the public. But the ecstatic symptoms that He showed here are very special. Maybe He didn’t show such ecstatic symptoms in the public kīrtana.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 8.117

sabei prabhura nṛtye thākena saṁhati
pāriṣada bai āra keha nāhi tathi

Translation: They all participated in the Lord's dancing. Other than the Lord's associates, no one was present there.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, they all participated in the Lord’s ecstatic, loving dancing. Other than the Lord’s associates, no one was allowed to be present there.

This shows about the people present in the house of Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura. The next chapter is about the people who were not present, they were outside, and were envious. How they got the mercy and what happened. So we know that thousands of devotees were at the doorway. Some of them were devotees, some were envious. And inside were the associates of the Lord, so His kīrtana at that time - remember that in Navadvīpa, loud chanting was not done. The paṇḍitas said that the loud chanting was taking the Lord’s name in vain, and should not be done. The only time they did loud chanting was, when they were bathing in the Ganges, because they thought the Ganges made them pure. So generally, people did not chant loud. So, Lord Caitanya, by His loud chanting, He was changing the whole system, He was breaking the tradition. So, sometimes devotees ask, why Lord Caitanya had private kīrtanas? But we should understand that kīrtana at that time, loud kīrtana was not permitted in the society. So, Lord Caitanya was breaking from the tradition. Later on, He chanted publicly. But He started His chanting with His associates. And then He went out and chanted publicly. So that was the background information. Tomorrow or the next class we will hear about how the envious people spoke about Lord Caitanya and how they got the mercy. Hare Kṛṣṇa!

Thus ends the chapter “Persons involved in the Kīrtana in The House of Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura”

* * *

Since it is 9 o clock, any questions? And then I will do the same thing with the books. If someone wants books, they will order it there and they will be brought to me for signing. Any devotees from China online?

Announcement: Devotees of China contributed Rs. 70,400 to perform Narasiṁhadeva’s special puja for 64 days for the protection of China and the whole world and for the upliftment of everyone. We pray for everyone’s spiritual awakening and everyone can practice Kṛṣṇa consciousness in a healthy situation.

Jayapatākā Swami: Haribol! Thank you! All glories to the Chinese devotees! So, book the Narasiṁha-pūjā being offered.

Question: Dear Guru Mahārāja, Please accept my humble obeisances! All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda! (Jayapatākā Swami: Please accept my humble obeisances. or Please accept my respectful obeisances?) During the course of your service to Śrīla Prabhupāda, when you faced obstacles, especially which appeared unsurmountable, how were you able to overcome them? Was it through prayers? Or by seeking shelter of our acaryas? Or the Lord? What would you recommend to us as the best course of action when we face such obstacles? What should be our prayers?—Your insignificant servant, Prema Gaurasundara dāsa.

Jayapatākā Swami: Yes, yes, yes, yes! You have asked whether I prayed, whether I depended on my guru, whether I depended on the previous acaryas? Yes, I did. And what should you do? Yes, do the same! Ha! Ha!

Question: Dear Guru Mahārāja, I am Jaya Mādhava dāsa from Bengaluru. I had retired from my job and left Bengaluru and decided to reside in Śrīdham Māyāpur with my wife, Hemakānti Rādhikā devī dāsī. We wish to stay and engage in some service.

Jayapatākā Swami: Are they here? (Guru Mahārāja waved to them.) Thank you for your service attitude, we hope that you will be able to see Hari-līlā what service you can do. We hope that you will be able to be engaged. Send me a letter and tell me what job experience or education you have, and I will think about what service. And your wife also, what experience she has and what education.

Question: Hare Kṛṣṇa Guru Mahārāja! Please accept my respectful obeisances. (Jayapatākā Swami: Accepted) Dear Guru Mahārāja, kindly tell me what should be the right mood to study Bhakti-śāstrī? —Your sheltered daughter, Śrī.

Jayapatākā Swami: Śrī what? Is she here? What should be the right attitude? Lord Caitanya told us, we should chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, we should perform devotional service to Kṛṣṇa and we should study Kṛṣṇa’s teachings. So, you can think how by studying Bhakti-śāstrī, by reading the Bhagavad-gītā, you are following the instructions of Lord Caitanya. Do so very, very dedicatedly. I saw Bhagavad-gītā on Śrīla Prabhupāda’s desk, I wanted, I thought Bhagavad-gītā was like a preliminary book, but Śrīla Prabhupāda said that we must regularly study Bhagavad-gītā, because the Bhagavad-gītā contains all the instructions we need to preach. So, to preach we need the Gītā. I am very glad that you are studying Bhagavad-gītā, and studying Bhakti-śāstrī. So, this way you can think how you are following Lord Caitanya’s instructions, how you are following in the footsteps of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta, and how I am very satisfied that you are studying Bhagavad-gītā of Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Question: Lalitāṅgī Rādhā devī dāsī, Facebook question. Daṇḍavat praṇāmas Guru Mahārāja! If a devotee is following principles and chanting 16 rounds, but his job promotes sinful activities, for example, owning a gas station in the US and the shop that sells meat products. Please tell us what is recommended for him to take initiation?

Jayapatākā Swami: In Fiji, a particular family owned a grocery store and some of the products in the grocery were meat derivatives. One of the brothers wanted to take initiation. So Śrīla Prabhupāda told him that he should calculate what the meat income was, and except that percent, donate it for prasāda distribution or something. Then he gave him initiation. So some formula has to be worked out if this gas station sells meat products. Ideally if they avoid any meat products, a gas station is supposed to sell gas, maybe they sell other snacks like potato chips and so on. So they could avoid meat products. I think. Anyway, we have to take up on an individual basis, what products he sells which are meat type or how he can avoid that or how he can purify that.

Sheltered disciple Śrī: Seeking your blessings. Hare Kṛṣṇa Guru Mahārāja, Please accept my respectful obeisances. (Jayapatākā Swami: Accepted.) From today onwards my Bhagavad-gītā session in Bhakti-śāstrī is about to begin. I heard that loving surrender to the lotus feet of guru is the success of hearing the teachings, learning it, remembering it, and utilizing it in the right situation and right mood. I don’t know if I have surrendered fully to you and Kṛṣṇa or not? Only you know that. I beg your kind blessings upon me so that I can learn Bhakti-śāstrī in a proper mood and receive the teachings to serve you and Śrīla Prabhupāda. As I am a fool, only when you empower me, I can learn this. I seek your blessings. Your sheltered daughter, Śrī, from Māyāpur.

Jayapatākā Swami: (Guru Mahārāja waved and blessed).

Question: Hari-dhvani: Please accept my respectful obeisances! Dear Guru Mahārāja. Because of Gaurāṅga’s extreme mercy, will all jīvas eventually get prema-bhakti?

Jayapatākā Swami: If they want, they can get it easily. There may be some people who avoid. But Lord Caitanya was expressing to Haridāsa Ṭhākura, that there were some yavanas and people of different religions and some fishermen etc. who somehow avoided His mercy. Haridāsa Ṭhākura, he replied that, all Hindus, sometimes they are attacked by a boar and they think that pigs are sacrilegious, and so they say haram, and haram in some languages means, oh, sacrilege! But haram literally means, “O, Rāma!” So somehow by chanting the name of Rama they will get the mercy even though they are chanting it accidentally. So like that there may be certain ways the people are chanting, even in the namabhas, they get the mercy! Like in America there are the Ramada Inns. So somehow Rama is mentioned there. Ramada Inn. Also, in Singapore there is Ramada.

Question: Hare Kṛṣṇa Gurudeva! PAMRO. My question is in our war against māyā, how can we perform our duties as liberators when we are ourselves prisoners of war? —Your servant, Milan Mādhava dāsa.

Jayapatākā Swami: You see, Śrīla Prabhupāda said that just like in India previously people liked to have government jobs because government jobs you can work less, get all kinds of perks, people liked it. Now I don’t know if people like government jobs, or high placed private. But previously there was a lot of interest in government jobs. So Śrīla Prabhupāda was describing that working for Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Government, the government of the universe, Jagannātha! Jagannātha! Jagannātha! So, by working for Kṛṣṇa, we are in a special position. You should not think you are a prisoner, but you should either somehow, you are in the prison house, you are working for Kṛṣṇa, and therefore your situation is special! Hare Kṛṣṇa! You ready the next question. I will come back.

Question: Hare Kṛṣṇa Guru Mahārāja, Guru Mahārāja, now because of the people increasing getting corona virus, I have been telling some people to stop having meat, and chant the harināma, but they have reacted so badly at me. How can we preach to them? —Your insignificant daughter, Kackuli Rāṇī from Dāmodaradeśa.

Jayapatākā Swami: The question is how can we promote vegetarianism in this corona virus outbreak or pandemic? Right? So, the scientists have studied and they say that in the outbreak beginning earlier in Wuhan, China, people ate bats, snakes, raw animals, and that this virus came from the animals to the human beings especially by eating such creatures. It is interesting that some thousand years ago, a paṇḍita in South India had predicted that one day people would eat animals, creatures, with poison, like snakes and they will have some respiratory problems and some will die. So, the corona virus COVID-19 is basically a respiratory illness. And you could see how it started by eating different kinds of meat. So, it is good practice to not eat meat in this time! Ha! Ha! Maybe Chinese devotees can use this opportunity to also preach to their fellow Chinese and all over the world that being a vegetarian, the corona virus will become karuṇa virus! Ha! Ha!

So, one thing is that, if people get sick they don’t know what to do. In case they die, the recommendation of the Bhāgavatam is that at the time of death, we should remember the name of Kṛṣṇa, example Ajāmila was chanting his son’s name, Nārāyaṇa! Nārāyaṇa! And also in the Padma Purāṇa, there is a lady who had a parrot who would chant the name of Rāma – RĀ MA, RĀ MA, RĀ MA RĀ MA! RĀ MA! RĀ MA! RĀ MA! RĀ MA! She would always chant the name of Rāma with her parrot and therefore, she actually became very advanced and developed attachment for chanting the name of Rāma. So at the time of death, she was delivered by the Viṣṇudūtas. So generally we want to recommend to the people that they should chant the name of God. But if they don’t, if they have another name, you can ask them – Śrīla Prabhupāda said, do you know the name of God? Do you know His address? Most people don’t know, they don’t know the address of God! And Śrīla Prabhupāda said, I know the address! I know His name! His name is Kṛṣṇa! He lives in Goloka Vṛndāvana! 108! Goloka Vṛndāvana! Ha! Ha! But if they don’t want to chant the name of Kṛṣṇa, then chant some other name of God, as mentioned in some authorized śāstra. In that way, you will go back to Godhead. So get the people somehow to get chanting. I had one lady in South America, she was a nun. And she started chanting Jesu Kristo, Jesu Kristo, Kristo Kristo Jesu Jesu! That is like Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ, Christ Christ, Jesus Jesus! So, one day she thought well, it is very much like Hare Kṛṣṇa! Why don’t I just try it, no one is watching! So, she started chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare! Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare! So she became my disciple! She started chanting 16 rounds a day. But she remained as a Catholic nun. So, we want people to chant the name of Kṛṣṇa. But any name of God is also the name of Kṛṣṇa. So, that is how we can go forward. Get the people to prepare for the time of death. But if they don’t want to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, what name they want to chant. If it is a bona fide name of Kṛṣṇa, that is alright!

Question: Hare Kṛṣṇa Guru Mahārāja. Please accept my respectful obeisances. (Jayapatākā Swami: Accepted.) These topics of the ecstasy of Lord Caitanya and His associates are very esoteric. Thus, we feel that we are very far away from our goal of achieving love of Kṛṣṇa. Please guide us how to go forward?—Vraja Kṛṣṇa dāsa, Māyāpur.

Jayapatākā Swami: Well, that is a good realization! We should understand how great Lord Caitanya is, how pure and wonderful is pure love of Kṛṣṇa and we should try to serve the Lord, to get His mercy! Without His mercy, how is it possible to get such an elevated state? So it is a very great mercy to serve the Lord in His pure devotional service. Being in Māyāpur dhāma, it is very easy to have the mercy of Lord Caitanya. So please, try for it! BE GREEDY FOR IT! I WANT LOVE OF KṚṢṆA!

Dear Jayapatākā Swami: Please accept my respectful obeisances, your śikṣā disciple from Ekaterinburg (Ekacakraburg), Russia, is leaving tomorrow morning. Please bless him to come back to Māyāpur every year and for devotional service!

Jayapatākā Swami: Gestured with his hands and blessed! All Glories to Ekacakrā dham in Russia, New Ekacakrā dhāma! Haribol!