20200819 Viśvambhara Somewhat Pacifies Śacī devī

The following is a reading from the new Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on August 19th, 2020 in Śrī Dhāma 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 are continuing now, Viśvambhara Mahāprabhu, has decided to take sannyāsa. But mother Śacī expressed her great anxiety, that she may die losing the association of Lord Caitanya. Lord Caitanya had given a description of Dhruva Mahārāja and how he went to Dhruvaloka with his mother. But Śacīmātā was not satisfied with that. She said, she can shave up her head, wear saffron and join Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and then they can hear the pastimes of Kṛṣṇa. Now we are continuing with the chapter:

Viśvambhara Somewhat Pacifies Śacī devī

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 11.180

hena adbhuta kathā śravaṇa-maṅgala nāma re
śuna gaurā-guṇa-gāthā śacīra dulāla cāṁda re

Jayapatākā Swami: So, this is written as a song. Listen to this song glorifying the wonderful qualities of Lord Gaura. By hearing the song, by chanting the names, brings all auspiciousness. Hear the song glorifying the transcendental qualities of Gaura Hari, the dear moon like son of mother Śacī.

antavyasta naha—śuna āmāra vacana
michā-kāje duḥkha citte kara ki kāraṇa

Jayapatākā Swami: Nimāi said to Śacī devī, “Don’t be hasty. Listen to My words. Don’t make your heart sorrowful with false activities – what is the use of making your heart sorrowful, with false activities of this material world?”

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 11.181

bāre bāre kahi’ tore-nāhi avadhāne
michā kara lobha, moha, krodha, abhimāne

Jayapatākā Swami: Again and again, I will tell you, “Without paying attention, you falsely show greed, illusion, anger and false ego.”

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 11.182

ke tumi tomāra putra–ke bā kāra bāpa
michā ‘tora mora’ kari’ kara anutāpa

Jayapatākā Swami: “You are lamenting saying, who is your son, who is your father, who is His father, who is whose father? falsely considering yours and Mine.”

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 11.183

ki nārī, puruṣa āra kebā kāra pati
śrīkṛṣṇacaraṇa binu āra nāhi gati

Jayapatākā Swami: Who is a woman? Who is a man? and who is whose husband? Other than the lotus feet of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, there is no auspicious goal.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 11.184

se-i pitā, se-i mātā, se-i bandhujana
se-i hartā, se-i kartā, se-i mātra dhana

Jayapatākā Swami: Kṛṣṇa is the father, Kṛṣṇa is the mother, Kṛṣṇa is the friend. Kṛṣṇa is the one who takes away, Kṛṣṇa is the doer and Kṛṣṇa is the person who gives. He is the only true treasure.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 11.185

tā binu sakala michā-kahila e tattva
tā binu sakala michā yateka jagata

Jayapatākā Swami: Without Lord Kṛṣṇa, everything is an illusion, it is false. I speak this truth. Without Lord Kṛṣṇa, the whole universe is a false illusion.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 11.186

viṣṇumāyābandhe saba loka suyantrita
nija mada ahaṅkāre kevala pīḍita

Jayapatākā Swami: The people of this world are captives, in the prison of the illusory potency of Lord Kṛṣṇa. They are shackled and intoxicated, by their own pride and false ego. Lord Gaurāṅga, He is preaching to His mother, explaining that this conception of the father, mother, child, is part of the illusory potency of Lord Viṣṇu, and one should be identified with Lord Kṛṣṇa, not with this illusion of the material world.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 11.187

nija bhāla bhāla bali’ yei kare karma
parakāle bandī haya sei saba dharma

Jayapatākā Swami: Those who act saying, this is good, this is good, are later bound by the results of these “religious” acts.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 11.188

karmasūtre bandī haiyā bulaye bhramiyā
āpanā nā jāne mūḍha kṛṣṇa pāśariyā

Jayapatākā Swami: Bound by the ropes of karma, the law of action and reaction, they wander in the material world. Not knowing themselves, they are fools as they have forgotten Kṛṣṇa.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 11.189

caturdaśaloka madhye manuṣera janma
durlabha kariyā jāni’-kahila e karma

Jayapatākā Swami: In the fourteen worlds, a human birth is rare and valuable. I tell you, this is the truth, which I have realized.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 11.190

viṣamavipāka ithe āchaye apāra
kṣaṇeka bhaṅgura ei anitya saṁsāra

Jayapatākā Swami: The great sufferings in the material world, are the outcome of the material activities. They are unlimited or they are boundless. In one moment, this entire world is destroyed, this temporary world may be destroyed.

tabahu durlabha jāni manuṣya-śarīra
śrīkṛṣṇa bhajaye ye māyāya haiye sthira

Jayapatākā Swami: Nevertheless, know that this human body is very rare, for one can worship Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, and be steady during the onslaughts of māyā.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 11.192

śrīkṛṣṇa bhajana mātra ei saba deha
muktabandha haya yadi kṛṣṇe kare neha

Jayapatākā Swami: This human form of life is for the purpose of worshipping Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa. One becomes free from māyā’s shackles, if he develops affection for Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa. So the value of human birth is being expressed by Śrī Gaurāṅga. Of the 8,400,000 species of life, there are 400,000 human species, and these give us the opportunity of worshipping Lord Kṛṣṇa, which can free one from the bondage of māyā. Simply one needs to hear about Lord Kṛṣṇa, engage in His service, read the teachings of Kṛṣṇa and develop affection, or love for Lord Kṛṣṇa. In this way, all the different scriptures of the world are fulfilled, since they all say, one should love God.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 11.193

putrasnehe kara more yata baḍa bhava
śrīkṛṣṇacaraṇe haile kata haya lābha

Jayapatākā Swami: If you had much love for Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet, as you have affection for Me as your son, how much good fortune would you attain? Of course, Lord Caitanya is Kṛṣṇa, and the love that mother Śacī feels for Lord Gaurāṅga, is actually kṛṣṇa-prema.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 11.194

saṁsāre ārati kare maribāra tare
śrīkṛṣṇe ārati kare bhava taribāre

Jayapatākā Swami: By loving the things of this world, one attains only death as a result. If you love Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, then you are delivered from this world of birth and death.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 11.195

se-i se paramabandhu, se-i mātā-pitā
śrīkṛṣṇacaraṇe yei premabhaktidātā

Jayapatākā Swami: He is the true, greatest friend, the true mother and the true father, who gives pure loving devotion for Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet. Sometimes devotees consider, how can they benefit their friends, their parents. Here Lord Caitanya teaches that by giving, by awakening their natural love for Kṛṣṇa, they are their best friend, best son, best relative.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 11.196

kṛṣṇera virahe mora antara kātara
caraṇe paḍiyā bali’ stavana uttara

Jayapatākā Swami: My heart is tormented by separation from Lord Kṛṣṇa. I fall at your feet and offer My prayer, for your empathy.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 11.197

vistara pīriti more kariyācha tumi
tomāra ājñāya śuddhacitta hai āmi

Jayapatākā Swami: You have loved me deeply. By following your instructions, I became pure at heart.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 11.198

āmāra nistāra haya tora paritrāṇa
śrīkṛṣṇacaraṇa bhaja chāḍa putrajñāna

Jayapatākā Swami: My deliverance is your deliverance. Please renounce your idea of Me being your son and worship the lotus feet of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 11.199

sannyāsa kariba kṛṣṇapremāra kāraṇe
deśe deśe haite āni diba prema dhane

Jayapatākā Swami: I will accept sannyāsa to attain love of Lord Kṛṣṇa. I will travel from country to country and give you the great treasure of pure love for Lord Kṛṣṇa.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 11.200

ānera tanaya āne rajata-suvarṇa
khāile vināśa pāya–nahe paradharma

Jayapatākā Swami: Other sons bring gold and silver, after enjoying them one perishes. They are not the true goal of life.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 11.201

dhana-upārjana kare āne baḍa duḥkha
dhanai yāuka kibā āpani maruka

Jayapatākā Swami: To gain wealth, he undergoes great suffering. Either they gain the wealth, or he must die.

We are halfway through the chapter. We will stop here because we don’t have enough time. We will see the devotees and answer the questions.

A normal son needs to travel and bring back money, to the mother. But then, sooner or later one has to die. So, the wealth does not solve anything permanently. However, Lord Caitanya is saying that He will go to get love of Kṛṣṇa and distribute everywhere. He will bring that back, naturally that will be given back to His mother. Although He is speaking the correct philosophy, that naturally Śacīmātā has great love for her son. That love is actually, kṛṣṇa-prema. But anyway, Lord Caitanya is preaching to her as a son to the mother. We will do some questions?

Question-and-Answer

Question: Hare Kṛṣṇa, daṇḍavat-praṇāma, Guru Mahārāja! Please accept my respectful obeisances Gurudeva! How can we overcome the bondage of relationships of this material world? Even after chanting the holy names why is it so difficult sometimes to overcome the attachment with our family?

—Your insignificant daughter,
Jānakī Śantirūpā devī dāsī

Jayapatākā Swami: By spiritual knowledge, we can understand that Kṛṣṇa is our real mother, father, friend. He is our son, He is everything. He is our dhana-prāṇa – our life and soul. As one develops that natural affection to Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, then naturally the other relationships fall into place. So, that is why it is a different period of mourning for different varṇas. Depending on how spiritual one is able to see. You see that the person actually never dies, only that they leave the body. The body dies but the soul lives on. So then by that spiritual vision, you can resolve these dualities.

Question: Hare Kṛṣṇa! How much should we give importance to new devotees versus encouraging and giving time to already practicing devotees?

—Your spiritual son,
Keśava-kṛpā Sindhu dāsa

Jayapatākā Swami: Depends on what someone needs. If the older devotee is going through some difficulty, we try to show that devotee our devotee care, our compassion, our empathy with his situation. But normally, we see that the older devotees are correctly situated. So, then we concentrate on new devotees. So, who needs the help most at that time, that should be ascertained; and then what capacity you have to help the senior devotee or the new devotee.

Question: Hare Kṛṣṇa dear Guru Mahārāja! Please accept my respectful obeisances. You said somehow develop affection or love of Kṛṣṇa. Please distinguish between sentimental bhakti from ecstatic love for Godhead.

—Your insignificant servant,
Karuṇāpati Keśava dāsa, Bengaluru, India

Jayapatākā Swami: Any affection to Kṛṣṇa we take it as ecstatic love for Kṛṣṇa. The idea of sentimental means, oh, I like that costume, I think you are nice because of your yellow dhoti, something superficial. But actually, everything related to Kṛṣṇa, is transcendental. But if someone has a completely wrong idea of Kṛṣṇa, and thinks about and loves that wrong idea, that is what we would consider as sentimental. Otherwise having affection for Kṛṣṇa is auspicious. Alright, one more question.

Question: Thank you very much for the wonderful class. Could you please let us know whether we try to develop material assets for our child, or do we try to leave it to karma of our child? Do we consider this the duty of a parent?

—You insignificant, fallen disciple,
Ānandamayī Gopīnātha dāsa, Sydney.

Jayapatākā Swami: It costs money for higher education. Basically, you want to equip your child to deal with this world. But the most important thing, the real duty of a parent, is to promote the child’s affection for Kṛṣṇa. At the same time, basic education and things, parents should take care of. Not just make a lot of money and give it to the child. Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, he divided his wealth - 25% for emergencies, 25% for his family, for his children and 50% for Kṛṣṇa’s bhaktas. Haribol!