20210629 The Eagerness of Devotees to Get the Remnants of Lord Caitanya

The following is a Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book Compilation given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on June29th, 2021 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!

Hare Kṛṣṇa! Dear Devotees! Today we will continue with the compilation of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book. Today's chapter is entitled:

The Eagerness of Devotees to Get the Remnants of Lord Caitanya. 
Under the Section: The Lord’s Attempt to Go to Vṛndāvana

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 4.306

prabhura adharāmṛtera janya bhaktagaṇera āgraha — 
ācamana kari' mātra īśvara vasilā
bhakta-gaṇa avaśeṣe luṭite lāgilā

Jayapatākā Swami: As soon as Lord Caitanya washed His hands and mouth and sat down, the devotees began to plunder Lord Caitanya’s remnants.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 4.307

keha bale,—“brāhmaṇera ihāte ki dāya
śudra āmi, āmāre se ucchiṣṭa yuyāya”

Jayapatākā Swami: Someone said, “What right does a brāhmaṇa have to eat these remnants? I am a śūdra, so therefore I am qualified to eat the remnants.”

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 4.308

āra keha bale,—“āmi nahi re brāhmaṇa”
āḍe thāki' lai' keha kare palāyana

Jayapatākā Swami: Someone else said, “I am not a brāhmaṇa,” and another person grabbed some prasāda remnants and ran away. So all the devotees were very eager to get the remnants of Lord Caitanya. Someone take it orally, someone grab it and run, someone would say I am a low-born, therefore I need the mercy, like this everyone was the prasāda everyone was taking the prasāda remnants of Lord Caitanya.

 Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 4.309

keha bale,—“śūdrera ucchiṣṭa yogya nahe
‘haya’ ‘naya’ vicāriyā bujha—śāstre kahe”

Jayapatākā Swami: Someone else said, “śūdras are not qualified to eat prasāda remnants. You should try to understand whether this is right or wrong according to the scriptures.”

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 4.310

keha bale,—“āmi avaśeṣa nāhi cāi
śudhu pātakhānā-mātra āmi lai’ yāi”

Translation: Another person said, “I do not want any remnants, I will simply take the empty plate and go.”

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 4.311

keha bale,—“āmi pāta pheli sarva kāla
tomarā ye lao se kevala ṭhākurāla”

Translation: Someone else said, “I have always thrown out the empty plates, but now out of arrogance you are taking my duty.”

Jayapatākā Swami: So, everyone is eager to serve the Lord and sometimes there is disagreement in the service of the Lord, but this is actually considered as transcendental.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 4.312

ei mata kautuke capala bhakta-gaṇa
īśvara-adharāmṛta karena bhojana

Jayapatākā Swami: In this way the restless devotees eagerly honored Lord Caitanya's nectarean remnants and by eating them.

Purport (by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhāta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura): All classes of devotees honored the Lord's remnants. Those who identified themselves as śūdras said that they alone had the right to honor the Lord's remnants. Someone secretly grabbed some remnants and ran away. Another said that śūdras are never qualified to eat the Lord's remnants; only brāhmaṇas are qualified. Someone else said that it was his duty to throw out the plates, so he alone had the right to take the Lord's plate.

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 4.313

āira randhana—īśvarera avaśeṣa
kāra vā ihāte lobha nā janme viśeṣa

Translation: Who would not hanker for remnants of the food that was cooked by Mother Sacī and tasted by Lord Caitanya?

Jayapatākā Swami: Once a devotee got a sweet prasāda from Prabhupada‘s plate and put it on his plate and looking at it in great honour. But then the person sitting next to him took out the sweet and put it in his mouth. Then he said, “Oh! you took my sweet” Śrīla Prabhupāda said actually there is no rule for taking mahā-prasāda, you can even take it from me, but please let me finish!

Jay Śrīla Prabhupāda!

Caitanya-Bhāgavata Antya-khaṇḍa 4.314

parānande bhojana kariyā bhakta-gaṇa
prabhura sammukhe sabe karilā gamana

Translation: After they blissfully finished eating, the devotees all went before Lord Caitanya.

Jayapatākā Swami: Every day with Lord Caitanya there was unlimited pastimes, and He is paying obeisances, circumambulating the prasāda and He is eating, eating and glorifying the preparations, doing ācamana and leaving. Then the devotees one way or another they took His remnants, and they went and sat before the Lord. So, this simple act has so many aspects.

Thus ends the chapter entitled, The Eagerness of Devotees to Get the Remnants of Lord Caitanya 
Under the Section: The Lord’s Attempt to Go to Vṛndāvana