20210501 Absorbed in the Mood of Vṛndāvana, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and His Devotees Perform Pastimes Near the Guṇḍicā Temple Part 2

Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book Compilation By His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on 1st May 2021 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!

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya was bathing in the Indradyumna Sarovara and the devotees were having water sports, splashing each other, even Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya and Rāmānanda Rāya, both of them were very grave paṇḍitas but they were splashing water like kids. So Ācāryaratna, Gopīnātha Ācārya, he commented that, “by Your mercy everyone becomes filled with spiritual bliss.” So, then He went to the special garden of Lord Jagannātha where He was then doing the drama.

So, Hare Kṛṣṇa! Dear Devotees we will continue with the compilation of the Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book.

Today's chapter is entitled:

Absorbed in the Mood of Vṛndāvana, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and His Devotees Perform Pastimes Near the Guṇḍicā Temple [part 2]

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 14.92

mukhya-bhaktagaṇera ācāryera nimantraṇa-svīkāra:—
purī, bhāratī ādi yata mukhya bhakta-gaṇa
ācāryera nimantraṇe karilā bhojana

Translation: Paramānanda Purī, Brahmānanda Bhāratī and all the other chief devotees of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu took lunch at the invitation of Advaita Ācārya.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 14.93

prabhura gaṇera vāṇīnātha-ānīta prasāda-svīkāra:—
vāṇīnātha āra yata prasāda ānila
mahāprabhura gaṇe sei prasāda khāila

Translation: Whatever extra prasāda was brought by Vāṇīnātha Rāya was taken by the other associates of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Caitanya during the nine days of ratha in Guṇḍicā, he took invitation for luch from Advaita Ācārya and other prominent devotees. Then after that, when Lord Jagannātha went back to Nīlācala, the rainy season started and that lasted for about four months or 120 days, each day a devotee would invite Lord Caitanya. So then since some devotees didn’t get a chance in 120 days, two or three devotees would join together to give Lord Caitanya prasāda, so in that way they all would get a chance to do some personal service. So, we see how Lord Caitanya He was giving such opportunity to the devotees, He was doing devotee care in that way by going to each devotee's house and taking prasāda.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 14.94

aparāhne darśana-nartana, niśāya upavane nidrā:—
aparāhne āsi’ kaila darśana, nartana
niśāte udyāne āsi’ karilā śayana

Translation: In the afternoon, Śri Caitanya Mahāprabhu went to the Guṇḍicā temple to visit the Lord and dance. At night He went to the garden to take rest.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 14.95

anyadina īśvara-darśana o mandira-prāṅgaṇe nṛtyagīta:—
āra dina āsi’ kaila īśvara daraśana
prāṅgaṇe nṛtya-gīta kaila kata-kṣaṇa

Translation: The next day, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu also went to the temple of Guṇḍicā and saw the Lord. He then chanted and danced in the yard for some time. 

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Caitanya was doing kīrtana morning, noon and night associating with all His devotees.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 14.96

bhaktagaṇa-saṅge ārāme vraja-vihāra:—
bhakta-gaṇa-saṅge prabhu udyāne āsiyā
vṛndāvana-vihāra kare bhakta-gaṇa lañā

Translation: Accompanied by His devotees, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu then went into the garden and enjoyed the pastimes of Vṛndāvana.

Purport: Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura has pointed out that this vṛndāvana-vihāra — the pastimes of Vṛndāvana — does not refer to Kṛṣṇa’s mixing with the gopīs or the transcendental mellow of parakīya-rasa. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s vṛndāvana-līlā in the garden of Jagannātha Purī did not involve association with women or with other people’s wives in the fashion transcendentally demonstrated by Śrī Kṛṣṇa. In His vṛndāvana-līlā, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu conceived of Himself as the assistant of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī. When Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī enjoyed the company of Kṛṣṇa, Her maidservants were very pleased. One should not compare Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s vṛndāvana-vihāra in the garden of Jagannātha with the activities of the gaurāṅga-nāgarīs. 

Jayapatākā Swami: So, the gaurāṅga-nāgarīs think that Lord Caitanya was trying to enjoy like Kṛṣṇa and they imitate Kṛṣṇa-līlā in that way. Whereas Lord Caitanya, He was always in the serving mood and He would engage in the pastimes of Vṛndāvana in that mood.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 14.97

prabhu-darśane caturddike harṣa-lakṣaṇa:—
vṛkṣa-vallī praphullita prabhura daraśane
bhṛṅga-pika gāya, vahe śītala pavane

Translation: There were multifarious trees and creepers in the garden, and they were all jubilant to see Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Indeed, the birds were chirping, the bees were buzzing, and a cool breeze was blowing.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 14.98

prabhura nṛtya, vāsudeva-dattera kīrtana:—
prati-vṛkṣa-tale prabhu karena nartana
vāsudeva-datta mātra karena gāyana

Translation: As Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu danced beneath each and every tree, Vāsudeva Datta sang alone.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, in this way Lord Caitanya was reliving the pastimes of Vṛndāvana and Vāsudeva Datta was singing.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 14.99

prati-vṛkṣatale nṛtyakārī prabhu:—
eka eka vṛkṣa-tale eka eka gāna gāya
parama-āveśe ekā nāce gaurarāya

Translation: As Vāsudeva Datta sang a different song beneath each and every tree, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu danced there alone in great ecstasy.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Caitanya, He was in extreme ecstasy of love of Kṛṣṇa, in that ecstasy He was dancing.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 14.100

nṛtyānte vakreśvarake nācite ādeśa:—
tabe vakreśvare prabhu kahilā nācite
vakreśvara nāce, prabhu lāgilā gāite

Translation: Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu then ordered Vakreśvara Paṇḍita to dance, and as he began to dance, the Lord began to sing.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Vakreśvara Paṇḍita, he is famous as a dancer, he could dance non-stop for 72 hours.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 14.101

prabhu-saha svarūpādira gāna, sakalerai prema-vihvalatā:—
prabhu-saṅge svarūpādi kīrtanīyā gāya
dik-vidik nāhi jñāna premera vanyāya

Translation: Then devotees like Svarūpa Dāmodara and other kīrtana performers began to sing along with Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Being inundated with ecstatic love, they lost all consideration of time and circumstance.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, everyone was completely absorbed in love of Kṛṣṇa, and they wer enot conscious of the external world.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 14.102

vana-līlānte narendra-sarovare jalakeli:—
ei mata kata-kṣaṇa kari’ vana-līlā
narendra-sarovare gelā karite jala-khelā

Translation: After thus performing pastimes in the garden for some time, they all went to a lake called Narendra-sarovara and there enjoyed sporting in the water.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, this Narendra-sarovara is where Lord Jagannātha enjoys His candan-yātrā vihāra and next to that is the Jagannātha Vallabha gardens where Lord Caitanya would dance under different trees.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 14.103

snānānte ārāme bhakta-gaṇa-saha prasāda-sammāna:—
jala-krīḍā kari’ punaḥ āilā udyāne
bhojana-līlā kailā prabhu lañā bhakta-gaṇe

Translation: After sporting in the water, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu returned to the garden and accepted prasāda with the devotees.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, just as Kṛṣṇa would take prasāda with His cowherd boys in Vṛndāvana, Lord Caitanya took His prasāda with His associates, with His devotees and in this way in Vṛndāvana, every cowherd boy thought that Kṛṣṇa is looking at me, in the same each one was thinking that Lord Caitanya was watching them.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 14.104

guṇḍicāya jagannāthera 9 dina avasthitikālei eirūpa līlā:—
nava dina guṇḍicāte rahe Jagannātha
mahāprabhu aiche līlā kare bhakta-sātha

Translation: For nine continuous days His Lordship Śrī Jagannātha-deva stayed at the Guṇḍicā temple. During this time Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu also stayed there and performed the pastimes with His devotees that have already been described.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, while Lord Jagannātha was in Guṇḍicā, which is non-different from Vṛndāvana, Lord Caitanya was observing these Vṛndāvana pastimes.

Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 14.105

jagannātha-vallabhe prabhura viśrāma-līlā:—
‘jagannātha-vallabha’ nāma baḍa puṣpārāma
nava dina karena prabhu tathāi viśrāma

Translation: The garden of His pastimes was very large and was named Jagannātha-vallabha. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu took His rest there for nine days.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Caitanya would have these intimate pastimes with His devotees, performing drama in the Jagannātha Vallabha garden. Sometimes bathing in the Indradyumna Sarovara, sometimes in Narendra-sarovara and His associates would have water sports and then they would all take prasāda together and chant morning, noon and night in the Guṇḍicā temple. And sometimes perform dramas in the garden. So, in this way He passed the nine days when Jagannātha was in Guṇḍicā. 

Thus ends the chapter entitled, Absorbed in the Mood of Vṛndāvana, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and His Devotees Perform Pastimes Near the Guṇḍicā Temple. Part-2

So, we can see that Lord Caitanya was actually caring for His devotees and they had the special opportunity to be engaged in His personal association. Actually, He first came to Jagannātha Purī for 18 days. Then for some years, He went to South India, He went to Maharashtra and saw the Viṭṭhala Deity, He saw Pāṇḍharapura and He found the samādhi of His elder brother, and initiated Tukarāma, who then preached the chanting of the holy name. It is said that what Lord Caitanya didn’t do in Navadvīpa, He didn’t disturb the smārtas, but in South India He would embrace people and would give bhakti-śaktī and order them to preach, to be a spiritual master. In this way, He stayed every night in a different house, except for Śrīraṅgam, where He stayed for four months in the rainy season. So, in this He was giving His mercy. 

So, we see that Lord Kṛṣṇa visited some houses, but not like Lord Caitanya, everyday a new house, every day loving care. So, being followers of Lord Caitanya, we have athis special mercy, He came down to spread the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement all over the world. He predicted that He would preach in India, and later He would send His senāpati-bhakta, who would preach all over the world. Then He predicted that in every town and village of the world, His name would be sung. So, we need to fulfill Lord Caitanya’s desire. Hare Kṛṣṇa