20200619 The Affectionate Inclinations of Śrī Gaurahari Towards His Own Devotees

The following is the reading from the new Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on 19th June 2020 in Śrīdhāma Māyāpur, India.

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

Introduction: So, we had our Temple of Vedic Planetarium, the Exhibits and Planetarium meeting this evening, that’s why the class is late today. Now I am not expecting any evening meetings before next Wednesday, 1st of July, tomorrow is Saturday, 20th, Wednesday is Ratha-yātrā day, 23rd. We hope you all have registered in the website www.mercyonwheel.com We are expecting thousands of registrations from Bangladesh, and we hope that all the devotees are praying that if Kṛṣṇa so pleases, that His Holiness Bhakti Cāru Swami will recover his health, tonight we are reading from the chapter:

The Affectionate Inclinations of Śrī Gaurahari Towards His Own Devotees.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 25.45

paṇḍita balena— “prabhu mora kon duḥkha
yāra ghare suprasanna tomāra śrī-mukha

Jayapatākā Swami: Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita said, “Oh Lord Gaurāṅga, what sadness can I have when Your auspicious lotus face is present in my house?”

Śokaśātana - The Dispelling of Grief – 6

from Śrī Śrī Gītāmālā 29 by Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura

prabhura vacana, takhana śuniyā,
śrīvāsa loṭāñā bhūmi
bale, śuno nātha! tava rasa-bhaṅga,
sahite nā pāri āmi

Translation: Then hearing these words of the Lord, Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita began rolling on the ground, crying out, “Please hear me, oh Lord! I am simply not able to tolerate any disturbance or interruption of the ecstatic mellows of Your kīrtana!”

Jayapatākā Swami: Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita was totally fixed on pleasing the Lord and he wanted the Lord’s kīrtana to go on uninterrupted, and therefore, he didn’t tell about his son’s leaving his body.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 25.46

śeṣe āchilena yata sakala mahānta
kahilena paṇḍitera putrera vṛttānta

Jayapatākā Swami: Finally, the great devotees, who were present, they told Lord Gaurāṅga about Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita’s son’s situation.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 25.47

sambhrame balaye prabhu, — “kaha kata-kṣaṇa?”
śunilena cāri daṇḍa rajanī yakhana

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Gaurāṅga gravely asked, “When did this happen?” He heard that the incident happened early in the evening.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 25.48

“tomāra ānanda-bhaṅga-bhaye śrīnivāsa
kāhāre o ihā nāhi karena prakhāśa

Jayapatākā Swami: “As Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita was afraid that he would break Your ecstasy, therefore, he did not inform anyone about this."

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 25.49

paraloka haiyāche āḍāi prahara
ebe ājñā deha' kārya karite satvara”

Jayapatākā Swami: "He has left his body two and a half praharas or seven and a half hours ago, one prahara is three hours, so please give Your order, and we will go to perform the last rites.”

Śrī Gītāmālā 29

ekaṭi tanaya, mariyāche nātha,
tāhe mora kibā duḥkha
yadi saba mare, tomāre heriyā,
tabu ta' pāiba sukha

Translation: Only one of my sons has died, oh Lord, and has that really made me upset? Even if all of my sons die, then I will certainly get more than enough happiness by seeing You.

Jayapatākā Swami: So normally, the householders, if they lose a child, they suffer great lamentation. But Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita was so dedicated to Lord Caitanya, that if he saw Lord Caitanya, then he would only feel happiness.

Śrī Gītāmālā 29

tava nṛtya-bhaṅga, haile āmāra,
maraṇa haite hari
tāi ku-saṁvāda, nā dila tomāre,
vipada āśaṅkā kari'

Translation: “I would certainly die on the spot if I were to interrupt Your dancing. Oh Lord! That is why I did not inform You of this bad news. For I was dreading the calamity of disturbing Your ecstasy.”

Jayapatākā Swami: So Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita, he thought that to disturb the chanting and dancing of Lord Gaurahari, would be like death to himself. So, he didn’t inform the Lord about the death of his son. Being afraid that it would disturb the Lord’s kīrtana. So much was he dedicated to Lord Gaurāṅga.

Śrī Gītāmālā 29

ebe ājñā deha, mṛta suta la'ye,
satkāra karuna sabe
eteka śuniyā, gorā dvija-maṇi,
kāṅdite lagila tabe

Translation: Lord if You will kindly grant us Your permission now, then we shall all take the boy’s body and perform the proper funeral rites. Hearing this much from the mouth of Śrīvāsa Pandita, the jewel of the twice-born, Lord Gaurasundara, then broke down and began to weep piteously, on the spot

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Gaurāṅga was greatly affected by the great qualities of His devotee Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita, that He cried piteously in appreciation of His devotee’s love for Him!

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 25.50

śuni' śrīvāsera ati adbhuta kathana
‘govinda’ ‘govinda’ prabhu karena smaraṇa

Jayapatākā Swami: Hearing the wonderful qualities of Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita, the Lord began to chant the name Govinda! Govinda! Remembering the Lord.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 25.51

śrīvāsera nyāẏa bhaktasaṅga-tyāge prabhura anicchā—

prabhu bale,—“hena saṅga chāḍiba ke-mate?”
eta bali' mahāprabhu lāgilā kāndite

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Gaurāṅga Mahāprabhu said, “How can I give up such association?” Saying these words, Gaurāṅga Mahāprabhu began to cry. Since Lord Gaurāṅga, according to the prediction, He will be twenty-four years as a gṛhastha, and twenty-four years as a sannyāsī. As a sannyāsī, He has to leave Navadvīpa and go elsewhere. So, He was thinking, how can I give up such loving association of Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita? And began to cry.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 25.52

putra-śoka nā jānila ye mohāra preme
hena saba saṅga muñi chāḍiba kemane

Jayapatākā Swami: How will I give up the transcendental association of one who out of love for Me, does not lament the loss of his son? So Śrīvāsa, he had so much love for Lord Caitanya, that he didn’t lament for his own son. So, this impressed Lord Gaurāṅga so much, and He was thinking, how can He give up such a wonderful, loving association.

Translation: Householders become disturbed with lamentation when a calamity occurs in their family.Yet even the lamentation arising out of a householder’s separation from his most beloved child could not bewilder Śrīvāsa, because he was in the association of the Supreme Lord. Therefore, the devotees of the Lord are not considered products of matter or counted among ordinary people. There is no possibility for one who is totally intoxicated with love for Kṛṣṇa to have love for objects not related to Kṛṣṇa. On seeing the unique example of love exhibited by Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita, the foremost of Śrī Gaurasundara’s friends in Navadvīpa, the Lord had no desire to leave his association and go anywhere else.

Śrī Gītāmālā 29

kemane e sabe, chāḍiyā yāiba, paraṇa vikala haya
se kathāśuniyā, bhakativinoda, manete pāila bhaya

Translation: Crying and crying, the Lord thought within Himself, “How could I possibly abandon such loving servitors and go elsewhere by taking sannyāsa? If I were to do so, My heart could certainly split.” Hearing this type of talk, Bhaktivinoda’s mind become somewhat fearful.”

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya knew that He would take sannyāsa, but He was thinking, how can I leave such a loving association? So, this is causing Him great distress.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 25.53

eta bali' mahāprabhu kāndena nirbhara
tyāga-vākya śuni' sabe cintena antara

Jayapatākā Swami: After speaking in this way, Gaurāṅga Mahāprabhu, He cried profusely. When the others heard Lord Caitanya speaking about renunciation, the others became very thoughtful. Previously, no one in Navadvīpa could think that Lord Caitanya would leave His loving mother, loving wife and all the devotees. But now Lord Gaurāṅga, He was mentioning, how could He leave such a loving devotee like Śrīvāsa? So, this is the first hint that devotees had, that He might take sannyāsa.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 25.54

nāhi jāni ki pramāda paḍaye kakhona
anyo'nye cintaye sakala bhaktagaṇa

Jayapatākā Swami: They didn’t know, the different devotees were discussing among themselves, but they could not understand when such a calamity would happen. This was the first, they heard about Him taking sannyāsa, and naturally they were hoping that it would happen long from now.

Caitanya-bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 25.55

gārihastha chāḍiyā prabhu karibe sannyāsa
tabe dhani kari’ kānde chāḍiyā niśvāsa

Jayapatākā Swami: They concluded that Lord Gaurāṅga would give up His household life and take sannyāsa, and therefore, He cried loudly and greatly sighed. Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, he was writing poetry of this pastime, and he was deeply moved by the expressions of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

So, we can see how Lord Gaurāṅga Mahāprabhu is deeply moved by the love of His devotee. He says in Bhagavad-gita that He reciprocates with His devotee’s love. But Śrīvāsa Thakura had such love, that even Lord Gaurāṅga was moved by His love. Normally, gṛhasthas, they lament if there is any misfortune in their house, but Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita had such love for Lord Caitanya, that he did not lament over his son’s death. Rather he was simply worried that Lord Caitanya’s kīrtana would be disturbed. Lord Caitanya, He wouldn’t mind if Śrīvāsa had informed that his son had died, this is a normal thing. But Śrīvāsa is so exceptional, that he didn’t inform the Lord, being afraid that he would disturb the Lord’s ecstasy. So, such love is not visible normally, and that was very impressive to Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

Any questions?

Question: Dear Guru Mahārāja! Please accept my respectful obeisances. I heard that Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita is the embodiment of a devotee of Kṛṣṇa. Could you tell us more about him, I understand that he always accompanies Lord Caitanya in His pastimes, who is he in the pastimes of Lord Kṛṣṇa?

—Your insignificant daughter,
Lokapālikā devī dāsī, Moscow, Russia.

Jayapatākā Swami: Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita is Nārada muni in Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes, and we can see that he has exceptional qualities of devotion, and in the Pañca-tattva mantra we say śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda – Śrīvāsa and all other devotees of Lord Gaurāṅga. So, Śrīvāsa is the chief devotee. There were so many devotees of Lord Gaurāṅga, of them, the chief is Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita, but there are so many devotees and some of them are mentioned in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta, in the Ādi-līlā, Thank you Lokapālikā devī dāsī.

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Question: Dear Guru Mahārāja, Please accept my respectful obeisances. Are insects and animals that die during kīrtana get liberation from material bondage? and what could be the destination of a mosquito after being killed by a devotee, while chanting the holy name, and what could be the reaction to the devotee?

—Your insignificant servant,
Acintya Nitāi dāsa.

Jayapatākā Swami: Well, Śrīla Prabhupāda would scold the devotees in Calcutta, for placing a dark blue velvet curtain, which attracted many mosquitos, and then devotees would kill the mosquitos. Śrīla Prabhupāda would say, you are attracting them and then killing them. So, you should put some other curtain, which would not attract so many mosquitos. So, if a mosquito is biting us, we may kill it in self-defense, but we should avoid just killing mosquitos. Śrīla Prabhupāda would have the dhuna or the frankincense burn in his room and the windows open, and the mosquitos would fly out.

Haridāsa Ṭhākura said that if we loudly chant, then insects and plants would reap the benefit, by hearing the holy name. There was someone, they took in regression to his previous life, and he said in his previous life he was a butterfly. He went into some place, where there was a statue and there was a fruit in front of the statue. He landed on the fruit to eat the fruit, and someone came out and killed him. In the next life he was a human being, a devotee, so in this case, it seemed that he was eating the fruit offering offered to a Deity of Kṛṣṇa, we don’t know Kṛṣṇa’s Deity or someone else.

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Question: Please accept my respectful obeisances dearest Guru Mahārāja! When praying for our spiritual master, we are desperate to have their association and when we pray for their stay here, we cannot really say, from the heart, the phrase ‘if Kṛṣṇa desires’ because that means we are okay to accept, even if the Lord desires otherwise, is it due to my deep rooted bodily concept of life? Please help me to be sincere in my prayers.

 —Your insignificant servant,
Lalithāṅgī Rādhā devī dāsī.

Jayapatākā Swami: Anyway, whatever Kṛṣṇa wants will happen, and we don’t want to use our devotion to Kṛṣṇa, as some kind of business deal. I will do worship to You; You satisfy what I want. If Kṛṣṇa wants something, even if it is not what we want, we accept it that Kṛṣṇa knows best, therefore, we say, if it so pleases you.

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Question: Dear Guru Mahārāja, please accept my humble obeisances! All the devotees from the spiritual world, Yaśodā, Nanda Mahārāja, etc. were nitya-siddhās who appeared in Gaura-līlā, but Śrīvāsa had a wife and children in Gaura-līlā, how do we understand this?

-Gītā Varadarājan.

Jayapatākā Swami: Śacī-mātā came in Gaura-līlā, she is non-different from Devakī or Yaśodā. So similarly, Śrīvāsa’s wife was Mālinī, and she was a great devotee of Lord Nityānanda. So, what’s difficult to understand this? that sometimes the Lord’s devotees come in different roles, in the pastimes of the Lord. So, like that, Śrīvāsa had a wife and children, but although he was a gṛhastha, he had more love for Lord Gaurāṅga.

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Haribol! Alright, thank you very much!