20200405 The Duration of Kīrtana In the House of Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura

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

So, there are some technical difficulties. So, we were discussing about Mukunda Datta, how he offered his prayers to Lord Caitanya. He said without bhakti we cannot appreciate the Lord. He gave different examples, how Duryodhana, he saw Kṛṣṇa, but he did not think He was God. He gave so many examples that people who have no bhakti, even if they see Kṛṣṇa, they cannot appreciate. He said like the washer man in Mathurā, he saw Kṛṣṇa, but he offended Him. So, to see Kṛṣṇa, is not an ordinary thing! People after millions of births, they get the opportunity to see the Supreme Lord face to face. But then if they have no bhakti, they may see Him as very beautiful, strong, but they don’t appreciate it. So, like Kṛṣṇa slapped that washer man and he died instantly and he achieved the impersonal Brahman. But other people like Kubjā, she had devotion for Kṛṣṇa. The florist, he had flower garlands to give to Kamsa, but he naturally gave it to Kṛṣṇa. So, having bhakti is not a small thing! When we read how in Śāntipura, we take prasādam on Govinda-Dvādaśī, we get govinda-bhakti. Bhakti is such a valuable thing! Only if we have bhakti can we actually appreciate Kṛṣṇa. Śrīla Prabhupāda was saying that how to be a pure devotee is a very special thing! And to have bhakti is an extremely rare blessing! So, we should not take it as very cheap! That we shouldn’t think of ourselves as devotees, we should think that we are aspiring to be devotees, being a devotee of the Lord is a very big thing! Śrīla Prabhupāda, as a devotee of the Lord, he had compassion for the people of the whole world! He was not worried about his own sense gratification; he did everything to please his Guru Mahārāja. And he had genuine compassion for all the people of the material world. When he went to America he saw that these people are in the mode of passion and ignorance, and that they need help, they should be spiritually guided. When he heard about the preaching in Russia, he went there, and he saw the people that these are very spiritual. But they were being prohibited. He said that after 20 years this whole system will fall apart. When he heard about the possibility of preaching in China, then he thought we should do that. Because he had genuine mercy for everyone. So, we want to carry out Śrīla Prabhupāda’s mission. And to be a devotee is a very special blessing. We should not take it as very easy or cheap. We read the Bhāgavatam, we chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, it is possible to awaken devotion in our heart. Actually, it is not possible, I mean it is natural to have love of Kṛṣṇa, but that has to be awakened. Just like a child, it is natural for it walk, but it happens in due course. Like that, kṛṣṇa-prema sādhya kabhu naya, not something that you practice that you get. It wakens naturally. So that is why we need to chant, we need to serve, and then naturally love of Kṛṣṇa, that bhakti awakens in the heart.

So, Lord Caitanya when He blessed the whole world, He came down from the spiritual world to give out His devotion to Kṛṣṇa. Prahlāda Mahārāj, he was worried about all the suffering, conditioned souls. Nārada Muni, he travels all over the universe, heaven and hell. Actually, for the devotees, heaven and hell does not make a difference. Everywhere the devotees try to preach, try to tell the people they have an eternal relation with Kṛṣṇa. This is the real purpose of life, to serve Kṛṣṇa. And that is the happiness that everybody is looking for.

So, I was thinking how Śrīla Prabhupāda gave us such a special opportunity, to build the TOVP, develop the Navadvīpa-dhāma, to make Māyāpur city self-sufficient and to develop the Gauḍa-maṇḍala-bhūmi. We read about like Mukunda Datta, how great a devotee he was. Vāsudev Datta, he took all the karma of all the people. Lord Caitanya said, why will Kṛṣṇa have a dear devotee like you suffer? He can easily forgive countless people. So, we are all devotees because of the mercy of people like Vāsudeva Datta. So, we have this special privilege to actually have built a center at their birthplace, center at their āśrama. So, we have the birthplace of Advaita Gosāñi, Srivas Thakur and Pundarik Premanidhi and Haridas Thakur, so many others. And so, these are special mercies that we have. And now we are trying to unite all the branches of the Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Prabhupāda tree, which Śrīla A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda wanted us to do. These are like pleasing the previous acharyas. Śrīla Prabhupāda said that he was developing Vṛndāvana and Māyāpur, so that people who are preaching in the material world, could come and associate with the devotees in the dhāma. So, Śrīla Prabhupāda was looking out for his devotees, how to purify them. Now we see like the whole world is being affected by this, and all the people should be saved from this pandemic, but they should make amends, repent for their misdeeds. So many cows are being killed every hour, how did we get this animal disease? On one hand people should change their old habits. There was recently a video of Śrīla Prabhupāda put out and he was saying about quarantine, that we cannot break the laws of natures and expect that there will be no reaction. So now we are facing the reactions. And we should chant the name of God, that is the supreme atonement. And then we should change the habits we have. Make them more favorable to the planet. Make them part of the laws of Nature, or the laws of God. So, we hope that all the devotees will take up the initiative to use their contacts and request the political leaders, the national leaders, the state leaders, the spiritual heads, request everyone side by side with following these guidelines not to get the disease, do bhajanas, do kīrtana, do the prayers, do namāz, whatever, be God conscious. And get purified from these. This works now? What time is it? No use to start. Any questions? They just got the thing working now!

So, we start a new chapter –

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The Duration of Kīrtana In the House of Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura

Caitanya Canritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā, 17.34

tabe prabhu śrīvāsera gṛhe nirantara
rātre saṅkīrtana kaila eka saṁvatsara

Translation: Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu regularly led congregational chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra in the house of Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura every night for one full year.

Caitanya Carita Mahā Kāvya 5.125

ity evaṁ pracura-kṛpāmṛtaṁ vitanvan
jyaiṣṭhādy-aṣṭabhir atisammadena māsaiḥ
pauṣāntaṁ naṭana-rasair nidāgha-varṣair
hemantaṁ saha śaradā nināya nāthaḥ

Translation: The Lord spread the nectar of his deep mercy from Jyeṣṭha month for eight months till Pauṣa, with the rasa of dancing, during summer, monsoon, autumn and winter.

Caitanya Carita Mahā Kāvya 5.126

ṛtūnām eteṣāṁ pratidinam athānukṣaṇam asau
prabhur māsaṁ māsaṁ prati yad akaron nartana-rasam
tad etan naivāyaṁ kathayitum alaṁ kiṁ punar aho
manuṣyās tu kṣudrāḥ sura-guru-sahasraṁ kva nu punaḥ

Translation: Every day during those four seasons, continually the Lord, month after month, displayed the rasa of dancing. Even Mahāprabhu cannot describe this, what to speak of puny humans.  Even Bṛhaspati cannot describe it.

Caitanya Carita Mahā Kāvya 5.127

śrīvāsālaya eva nṛtyati sadā tad-bhrātṛbhir nirbharaṁ
gāyadbhir hari-kīrtanāmṛta-rasaṁ śrī-gauracandraḥ prabhuḥ
tat-saṅgāmṛta-dīrghikā-niravadhi-snātās tad-āsyodgataṁ
vāk-pīyūṣam amī nipīya bahudhā nityaṁ vijahrus tathā

Translation: The Lord always danced at Śrīvāsa’s house with the four brothers, who sang kīrtana with sweet rasa. They continually bathed in the lake of his sweet association and drank the nectar of his words emanating from his mouth. In this way they continually performed pastimes.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, while they were having these nocturnal kīrtanas in the garden of Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura, the Lord was chanting and dancing to the rasa of kīrtana. And that was giving unlimited joy to all the devotees present. Actually, it is not possible to describe the beautiful dancing of Caitanya Mahāprabhu. So, Murāri Gupta expressed that, even Lord Caitanya could not describe it. It was so beautiful! So those people who could attend that kīrtana, they were specially blessed. And so, the kīrtana was held for about eight months. In Bengal there are six seasons – and so four seasons, the program went on every night.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaëòa 8.275

caitanyera gaṇa-saba matta kṛṣṇa-rase
bahirmukha-vākya kichu karṇe nā praveśe

Translation: The followers of Lord Caitanya were intoxicated in the mellows of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, therefore the statements of the materialists did not enter their ears.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, the devotees of Lord Caitanya, they were intoxicated by the kṛṣṇa-rasa, mellows of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, Lord Caitanya’s chanting and dancing. The words of the materialists outside, could never enter the ears of the devotees.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaëòa 8.276

“jaya kṛṣṇa murāri mukunda vanamālī”
ahar-niśa gāya sabe hai' kutūhalī

Translation: Day and night they happily chanted, “Jaya Kṛṣṇa, Murāri, Mukunda, Vanamālī!”

Jayapatākā Swami: With great happiness they chanted, day and night, “Jaya Kṛṣṇa, Murāri, Mukunda, Vanamālī!”

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaëòa 8.277

ahar-niśa bhakti-saṅge nāce viśvambhara
śrānti nāhi kāro, sabe sattva-kalevara

Translation: Viśvambhara danced day and night with the devotees. No one became tired, for they all had spiritual bodies.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, day and night, Viśvambhara Prabhu was dancing in the association of His devotees. No one felt tired, because all of them had spiritual bodies. We heard that when Kṛṣṇa would have rāsa-līlā, that actually the rāsa-līlā would go on for a day of Brahmā, but no one felt tired because they all had spiritual bodies. So, like that, the kīrtana-rasa was something transcendental.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaëòa 8.278

Caitanyera kīrtana-vilāsera kāla-nirūpaṇa—

vatsareka nāma mātra kata yuga gela
caitanya-ānande keha kichu nā jānila

Translation: A number of yugas passed as one year with no one understanding due to the ecstasy of being with Lord Caitanya.

Jayapatākā Swami: In the period by outside calculation as one year, how many yugas, how many ages actually passed! And no one could understand this, in the bliss and ecstasy of being with Lord Caitanya.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaëòa 8.279

yena mahā-rāsa-krīḍā kata yuga gela
tilārdheka-hena saba gopikā mānila

Translation: While a number of yugas passed during the rāsa-līlā pastime, the gopīs thought that only a moment had passed.

In this regard one should discuss Śrīla Cakravartī Ṭhākura's Sārārtha-darśinī commentary on Śrīmad Bhāgavatam (10.29.1 and 10.33.38).

Jayapatākā Swami: In the performance of the rāsa-līlā pastime, how many yugas had passed by, but the gopīs thought that only a moment had passed! This is explained in the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam about the rāsa-līlā in 10.29.1 and 10.33.38.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaëòa 8.280

ei-mata acintya kṛṣṇera parakāśa
ihā jāne bhāgyavanta caitanyera dāsa

Translation: In this way Kṛṣṇa manifests inconceivable pastimes that are known only to the fortunate servants of Lord Caitanya.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, in this way the pastimes of Lord Kṛṣṇa manifest in inconceivable manners, only known to the fortunate servitors of Lord Caitanya.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaëòa 8.281

nijatattva prakāśārtha prahareka rātri thākite mahāprabhura viṣṇukhaṭṭāya ārohaṇa—

ei mate nāce mahāprabhu viśvambhara
niśi avaśeṣa mātra se eka prahara

Translation: In this way Viśvambhara Mahāprabhu danced until only three hours of the night remained.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, in this way, Viśvambhara Mahāprabhu danced, until only three hours of the night remained.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaëòa 8.282

śālagrāma-śilā-saba nija-kole kari'
uṭhilā caitanya-candra khaṭṭāra upari

Translation: Śrī Caitanyacandra then took all the śālagrāma-śilās on His lap and sat on the siṁhāsana.

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya Candra took all the śālagrāma-śilās on His lap, and sat on the siṁhāsana.

So, some place it says a year, some place it says eight months – four seasons of the six. But actually, the period went by for many yugas, and the devotees were chanting and dancing in ecstasy, that they didn’t realize how much time passed. So, this is the special mercy of Lord Caitanya. We cannot compare His kīrtana pastime with ordinary activities of the world. His people would chant transcendentally, for many millions of years. But it was as if one night went by! So, if you are in the pastime of the Lord, time is a relative thing. It can change as the Lord desires. And one can experience so many pastimes, which even Anantadeva, the snake incarnation with thousands of heads, could not explain, each mouth sang glories of the Lord, but He cannot find an end. So, we read how by experiencing spiritual bliss, and hearing the prayers of Mukunda, one can become an assistant to Mukunda Datta, singing in Lord Caitanya’s kīrtana. Haribol! So, we hope that all of you will be in the saṅkīrtana party of Lord Caitanya!

Thus ends the chapter "The Duration of Kīrtana in the House of Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura"

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So now, worldwide Japathon. Hare Kṛṣṇa!

Announcement: Virtual table sponsorship of Bhagavad-gitas were announced.

HG Mahāvarāha dāsa: Thank you to all the donors for various causes. And we all pray, all those who are online, please pray for all these donors, and we also expect more donors to come forward for this noble cause. Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare! Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare!

So now they are having the Japathon. So, the different puranas describe how the holy name relieves all the karmas and sufferings of the human beings. (Guru Mahārāja then spoke in the Japathon on Zoom).