20200531 Exultation of the Residents of Navadvīpa Seeing the Dancing of Mahāprabhu

Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book Compilation by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on 31^st May 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

Exultation of the Residents of Navadvīpa Seeing the Dancing of Mahāprabhu

Jayapatākā Swami: We are continuing with the transcendental saṅkīrtana procession, on the way to the house of the Chand Kazi, throughout the different neighborhoods or towns of Navadvīpa dhāma.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 23.307

sabhakta gauracandrera nṛtye nagaravāsīra ullāse vividha kriyā o ukti—

āge nāce śrīvāsa, advaita, haridāsa
pāche nāce gauracandra sakala-prakāśa

Jayapatākā Swami: Ahead were dancing the different groups, headed by Advaita, Haridāsa and Śrīvāsa, in the rear, Gauracandra danced with all His associates.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 23.308

ye-nagare praveśa karaye gaura-rāya
gṛha-vṛtti parihari' sarva loka dhāya

Jayapatākā Swami: Whichever neighborhood Lord Gaurāṅga-rāya entered, all the householders of that area left their household duties and came running.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 23.309

dekhiyā se cāṅdamukha jagata-jīvana
daṇḍavat haiyā paḍaye sarva-jana

Jayapatākā Swami: Seeing the beautiful, moonlike face of the life of the universe, Lord Gaurāṅga Mahāprabhu, the people of the neighborhood, immediately offered their prostrate obeisances. They fell to the ground to offer their prostrate obeisances.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 23.310

nārī-gaṇa hulāhuli diyā bale `hari'
svāmi, putra, gṛha, vitta, sakala pāsari'

Jayapatākā Swami: The women folk became absorbed in chanting ulu-dhvani and chanting the names of Hari. At that time, they were so ecstatic, that they forgot their husbands, their children, their house, their wealth, everything was forgotten. Just as Kṛṣṇa in His līlā, He had the amazing pastime of the Kurukṣetra war, where millions of people were participating in this massive war. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa lifted the Govardhana mountain, and gave shelter to all the residents of Vraja, from the torrential rain caused by Indradeva. So, since Caitanya Mahāprabhu had appeared to establish the saṅkīrtana-yajña, this was His amazing display of the saṅkīrtana-yajña, and everyone had a part to play. The men, the ladies, all the people of Navadvīpa dhāma, participated in this great saṅkīrtana procession. Either by joining the procession, or by greeting the procession, but everyone was offering obeisances to the procession.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 23.311

arbuda arbuda nagariyā nadīyāra
kṛṣṇa-rase-unmāda haila sabākāra

Jayapatākā Swami: Millions and millions of residents of Navadvīpa, they became enmaddened with the mellow of kṛṣṇa-prema, and thus they were all intoxicated in the ecstasy of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 23.312

keha nāce, keha gāya, keha bale ‘hari’
keha gaḍāgaḍi’ yāya āpanā’ pāsari’

Jayapatākā Swami: Someone danced, someone sang, and some chanted the holy name of Hari. While some forgot themselves and rolled on the ground in ecstasy. Haribol!

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 23.313

keha keha nānā-mata vādya vā’ya mukhe
keha kā’ro kāndhe uṭhe parāmnda-sukhe

Jayapatākā Swami: Some people played on different types of musical instruments, with their mouths, and some were overwhelmed in ecstasy, they climbed on other’s shoulders.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 23.314

keha kā’ro caraṇa dhariyā paḍi’ kānde
keha kā’ro caraṇa āpana keśe bāndhe

Jayapatākā Swami: Some grabbed another’s lotus feet and fell to the ground, crying, someone tied another’s lotus feet with their hair.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 23.315

keha daṇḍavat haya kāhāro caraṇe
keha kolākuli vā karaye kā'ro sane

Jayapatākā Swami: Some offered their prostrate obeisances at the lotus feet of others, some embraced others, they call this kolākuli, it is like embracing from one side to the next.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 23.316

keha bale,—“muṣi ei nimāi paṇḍita
jagata uddhāra lāgi' hainu vidita”

Jayapatākā Swami: Some said, like a dramatic performance, I am Nimāi Paṇḍita, I have come, I have advented to deliver the entire universe.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 23.317

keha bale,—“āmi śvetadvīpera vaiṣṇava”
keha bale,—“āmi vaikuṇṭhera pāriṣada”

Jayapatākā Swami: Someone else said I am a Vaiṣṇava from Śvetadvīpa, and someone else said I am an associate of the Lord from Vaikuṇṭha.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 23.318

keha bale,—“ebe kājī beṭā gela kothālā
gāli pāile āji cūrṇa karoṅ māthā”

Jayapatākā Swami: Someone said, where is that fellow, Kāzi, now? If I catch him, I will smash his head!

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 23.319

pāṣaṇḍī dharite keha raḍa diyā yāya
“dhara dhara ei pāpa-pāṣaṇḍī palāya”

Jayapatākā Swami: Someone ran to catch the atheists, exclaiming, catch him, catch him! there goes the sinful, atheist, running away!

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 23.320

vṛkṣera upare giyā keha keha caḍe
sukhe punaḥ punaḥ giyā lāpha diyā paḍe

Jayapatākā Swami: Someone rose up on a tree, in their happiness, again and again, they jumped to the ground. In other words, people were out of themselves, they felt so much happiness, so much ecstasy, they were doing amazing things, like climbing trees and jumping off, playing musical instruments, rolling on the ground, saying all kinds of things, people were overwhelmed with ecstasy. So, this is describing some of the things that they were doing, we can understand that they must have been doing so many things, the author can only describe so much.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 23.321

pāṣaṇḍīre krodha kari' keha bhāṅge ḍāla
keha bale,—“ei muṣi pāṣaṇḍīra kāla”

Jayapatākā Swami: Some expressed their anger and broke a tree branch, and some said, I am death personified for the atheists.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 23.322

alaukika śabda keha ucca kari’ bale
yamarājā bāndhiyā ānite keha cale

Jayapatākā Swami: Some transcendental sounds were made loudly, and someone went to arrest Yamarāja and bring him there, as a dramatic performance!

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 23.323-324

seikhāne thāki’ bale,—“āre yamadūta!
bala giyā yathā āche tora sūrya-suta

vaikuṇṭha-nāyaka avatari’ śacī-ghare
āpani kīrtana kare nagare nagare

Jayapatākā Swami: Standing there someone said, O listen, Yamadūtas, go and inform your master, the son of the sun god, that the Lord of Vaikuṇṭha has descended as the son of Śacī, and He is doing kīrtana throughout Navadvīpa, neighborhood to neighborhood.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 23.325

ye nāma-prabhāve tora dharmarāja yama
ye nāme tarila ajāmila viprādhama

Jayapatākā Swami: By the influence of the holy names, Yamarāja became renowned as Dharmarāja, the authority on religious principles. By the chanting of the holy names, the fallen brāhmaṇa, Ajāmila, was delivered.

Purport by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura: “Simply by the influence of the name of Hari, Yamarāja was designated “Dharmarāja.” Simply by the influence of nāmābhāsa, the fallen brāhmaṇa Ajāmila was delivered from the hands of Yamarāja. In other words, Yamarāja released Ajāmila because he engaged in nāmābhāsa.”

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 23.326

hena nāma sarva mukhe prabhu bolāilā
uccāraṇe śakti nāhi se tāhāśunilā

Jayapatākā Swami: The Lord, Gaurāṅga Mahāprabhu, is inducing everyone to chant these holy names. Those who don’t have the power to chant, are hearing those names. So since the holy name of Kṛṣṇa is not different from Kṛṣṇa, by chanting the holy names or even by hearing the holy names, being chanted by pure devotee, a person is delivered from so many bad karmic reactions, and their natural devotion for the Lord is awakened. So here the power of the holy name is being glorified, and how, by the influence of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, all the people were chanting these holy names, and therefore, they are out of the jurisdiction, of the punishment of Yamarāja.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 23.327

prāṇī-mātra kāre yadi kare adhikāra
mora doṣa nāhi tabe kariba saṁhāra

Jayapatākā Swami: If Yamarāja attempts to display his authority, by punishing any living entities, then I cannot be blamed when I destroy him.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 23.328

jhāṭa kaha giyā yathā āche citragupta
pāpīra likhana saba jhāṭa kara' lupta

Jayapatākā Swami: Go quickly and inform the scribe Citragupta, he should destroy all the records of the sinners. It is said that Citragupta is the chief accountant for Yamarāja, and he keeps track of all the sins and bad karmas of the living entities. But here since everyone is chanting the holy names, they are freed from the reactions. Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, has said in this regard:

Purport by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura: “There are fourteen Yamas. Citragupta is one of them. He is entrusted with the duty of recording the sinful and pious activities of the human beings. Someone intoxicated by chanting the Lord's names is saying that whatever Citragupta Yama has recorded about the sinful human beings should now, by the influence of chanting the holy names, be wiped clean. Haribol!

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 23.329

ye nāma-prabhāve tīrtha-rāja vārāṇasī
yāhā gāya śuddha-sattva śvetadvīpa-vāsī

Jayapatākā Swami: By the influence of these holy names, Vārāṇasī has been declared the king of all holy places. The transcendentally situated Śvetadvīpa residents, chant these holy names.

Purport by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura: “The five-headed Mahādeva resides in Vārāṇasī and chants the holy names of the Lord, therefore Vārāṇasī is a primary tīrtha, or a primary place of learning. The transcendentally situated associates of the Supreme Lord residing in Śvetadvīpa remain free from the three modes of material nature by singing the glories of the holy names.”

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 23.330

sarva-vandya maheśvara ye nāma-prabhāve
hena nāma sarva-loke śune, bale ebe

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Maheśvara, Śiva, has become worshipable by everyone by the influence of chanting these holy names, now everyone is hearing and chanting these holy names.

Purport by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura: “Mahādeva is worshipable by all the demigods. Demigods and human beings chant the holy names after hearing them from Mahādeva. The Viṣṇusvāmī-sampradāya, which comes from Rudra, its original founder, was inaugurated two hundred years before the advent of Christ in the province of Madura. In that line appeared Lakṣmīdhara, the author of Nāma-kaumudī, and his brother, Śrīdhara Svāmipāda, whose compositions are based on śuddhādvaita philosophy. Both describe the glories of the holy names in their writings. Śrī Sanātana Gosvāmī Prabhu has glorified the book Śrī Nāma-kaumudī. The descendants of Premākara and other [According to Sundarānanda Vidyāvinoda in acintya-bhedābheda-vāda, page 105, Lakṣmaṇa Bhaṭṭa, the father of Vallabhācārya, was the disciple of Premākara Muni.] family gurus of Vallabhācārya did not realize the inconceivable glories of the holy names.”

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Śiva, is the founder of one of the four Vaiṣṇava disciplic successions. And in the Padma Purāṇa it states, that unless one receives the mantra from one of these four disciplic successions or sampradāyas, that their mantra will be fruitless. So in all these disciplic successions or sampradāyas, they glorify the chanting of the holy name, and especially they do that also in the Rudra-sampradāya, which is headed by Viṣṇusvāmī, and it has been mentioned to highlight that Lord Śiva, He is always chanting the holy names of the Lord and spreading the glories of the holy name. Now Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu is giving that holy name, and the whole Navadvīpa town was chanting it.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 23.331

hena nāma lao, chāḍa' sarva apakāra
bhaja viśvambhara, nahe karimu saṁhāra”

Jayapatākā Swami: Someone was saying, take these holy names, give up all wicked and prohibited activities. Worship Lord Viśvambhara, otherwise I will destroy you.

Purport by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura: “Simply by giving up the desire for engaging in any type of harmful activity, one develops a propensity for chanting the Lord's names. As maintainer of the entire world, Viśvambhara Gaurasundara has maintained the entire world by distributing the holy names. Śrī Gaurasundara and His intimate servant Dharmarāja are eager to completely destroy the sinful conceptions of those who are opposed to chanting the holy names.”

Jayapatākā Swami: At the present time we have the Corona Virus pandemic, and they are hoping to find a vaccine, but they haven’t established which treatment is effective. So at this time, at least if the people chant the holy names of the Lord, and if they chant these mantras, and the māhā-mantra, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare, that can counteract all the evil influences of the present Age of Kali.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 23.332

āra jana saba diśe raḍa diyā yāya
“dhara dhara kothā kājī bhāṇḍiyā palāya

Jayapatākā Swami: Some people ran around in all directions, they called out, catch him, catch him! Where is the Kāzi? He tricked us and escaped somewhere!

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 23.333

kṛṣṇera kīrtana ye ye pāpī nāhi māne'
kothā gela se-sakala pāṣaṇḍī ekhane”

Jayapatākā Swami: Now where are those sinful atheists who did not accept the chanting of the holy names, Kṛṣṇa’s names? Now where are they gone?

Purport by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura: “When sinful people's aversion to the Supreme Lord becomes prominent, they are unwilling to accept the remedy of kṛṣṇa-kīrtana. Since people opposed to kīrtana equate the subordinate demigods with the Supreme Lord, they are called pāṣaṇḍīs. It is the nature of pāṣaṇḍīs to count the names of the subordinate demigods as equal to kṛṣṇa-kīrtana.

The names of Kṛṣṇa are spiritual names, while the names of the demigods are mundane. There is a difference between the names of the demigods and the demigods themselves. Therefore, the endeavor to equate Kṛṣṇa's name with the demigods' names, which are separate from Kṛṣṇa's names, is one of the ten offenses in chanting the holy names.

Jayapatākā Swami: If someone thinks that chanting the name of Kālī! Kālī, or Dūrgā! Durgā, or some demigod, is equal to the chanting of Viṣṇu’s name, this is an offence to the holy name. So, one should not chant any other name, than the name of God.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 23.334

māṭite kilāya keha ‘pāṣaṇḍī’ baliyā
‘hari' bali’ bule punaḥ huṅkāra kariyā

Jayapatākā Swami: Someone figuratively punched the ground, saying atheists! and then they chanted the name of Hari and roared loudly, wandering about, chanting Haribol! Haribol!

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 23.335

ei mata kṛṣṇera unmāde sarva-kṣaṇa
kibā bale, kibā kare, nāhika smaraṇa

Jayapatākā Swami: So, in this way being always enmaddened with the ecstasy of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, what they said, what they did, they didn’t remember!

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Madhya-khaṇḍa 23.336

nagariyāgaṇera kṛṣṇonmāda-darśane pāṣaṇḍagaṇera gātradāha—

nagariyā sakalera unmāda dekhiyā
maraye pāṣaṇḍī saba jvaliyā puḍiyā

Jayapatākā Swami: Seeing that all the Navadvīpa townspeople were ecstatic, the atheists were burning with envy, they were burnt to a crisp!

Purport by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura: “The atheists who maintained the mentality of opposing the process of worshiping and chanting the holy names always burned with envy and invoked one of the ten types of death. To extinguish the fire in their bodies, they enviously become hostile to the devotees.”

Thus, ends the chapter, Exultation of the Residents of Navadvīpa Seeing the Dancing of Mahāprabhu.

So, there are the theists and the atheists, those who believe in the Supreme Personality of Godhead, normally they are persecuted by the atheists, they are normally very humble and meek. But they became enmaddened with the chanting on the saṅkīrtana of Lord Caitanya. So, their resentment for the persecution that was dealt out by the various atheists, and the persecution by the non-believers, that came out, and they expressed their anger at all the misdeeds which were done. So, it is somewhat natural, that they would express themselves in this way. But actually, by Lord Caitanya’s mercy, everyone was ultimately very peaceful, and filled with love of Godhead. So somehow Lord Caitanya, He was inspiring the entire Navadvīpa city, to chant the holy names, and this amazing display, universal kīrtana, which had inspired all the people, is a good example how we should use the saṅkīrtana, to inspire the people of the world. Haribol! Are there any questions?

Question: Dearest Guru Mahārāja! Please accept my respectful obeisances, the saṅkīrtana movement in the time of Lord Caitanya was massive. How come did the movement shrink so much after Lord Caitanya left? Till the point that it seems that only very few devotees kept the movement going for a number of generations, can we say the Golden Age has ups and downs?

Your insignificant servant,
Acintya Nitāi dāsa.

Jayapatākā Swami: You see, the Golden Age is supposed to start 5000 years after the advent of Kali-yuga. Lord Caitanya came 4500 years ago, so the Golden Age starts at 5000 years, that’s just now. That’s when Śrīla Prabhupāda took the movement all over the world. We need to now spread the chanting of the hoy name all over the world, and of course after maybe 200 years of Lord Caitanya’s appearance, there was 200 years of some weaker situation. That’s due to the influence of Kali, but somehow, different misconceptions had entered into the society of devotees. There were different apa-sampradāyas or improper disciplic successions, unauthorized disciplic successions, and these were mistaken as true representative of Lord Caitanya’s philosophy. So, people lost faith that Vaiṣṇavas were not so good, at that time, Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, he reestablished the vaiṣṇava-dharma, in their proper understanding, and he reestablished the Nāmahaṭṭa which had been started by Lord Nityānanda Prabhu. So since then, in his disciplic succession, we are being working to reestablish the proper understanding of Lord Caitanya’s teachings, and His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, taking the inspiration from Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Prabhupāda Ṭhākura, he went around the world and established Kṛṣṇa consciousness, worldwide, so you can say, now is the beginning of the Golden Age.

Question: How to overcome the habit of sleeping more than required? Your spiritual daughter, Nāgnajitī Rāṇī devī dāsī. Hare Kṛṣṇa Guru Mahārāja, Please accept my respectful obeisances. Seeking your blessings. With your mercy and Mahāprabhu’s mercy, I try to chant constantly more and more rounds, but my sleeping habit is impediment like mudha. I am foolishly wasting time in sleeping. Please Guru Mahārāja, I am sincerely seeking your blessings and mercy to overcome this habit, so that I can be chanting the holy name Hare Kṛṣṇa constantly and be able to serve you. My only desire Guru Mahārāja.

Your spiritual daughter,
Nāgnajitī Rāṇī devī dāsī, Seattle.

Jayapatākā Swami: Since this is a more personal question, I don’t know the personal details, how many hours’ you are sleeping. Generally, if we don’t eat too heavy prasāda at time, Śrīla Prabhupāda would take some puffed rice, or some light evening meal. He said this is a stomach cheater! Actually, it has not much food value. But you chew it, and this way you cheat your stomach that you ate something. So he would advise people who had difficulty with sleeping late, not to eat a heavy meal late at night, and going to bed a bit early, usually they say, it was not said by Śrīla Prabhupāda, the doctors say that sleep before midnight, is more potent. I am not the one to speak, since many times I end up preaching late at night! but maybe you can write me an email and I can see how I can answer your question more personally. My email address is jayapataka@gmail.com.

Thank you very much. I will go take dinner now, I think then we have a Zoom call to Brazil!

On the 4^th of June we intend to have Pānihāṭi Festival, here in Māyāpur. If anyone wants to sponsor anything from the cidā, flat rice, fruits or anything, Mayapur.com you can mention for “Food for Life” “devotee care”, especially for Pānihāṭi Festival, and I don’t know, I hope that they offer something to the deities at Atlanta, New Pānihāṭi dhāma, and give me the opportunity to have darśana of the deities via Zoom. Thank you very much, Haribol!