20210926 Mahā-rāsa-sthalī, Part 4

Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book Compilation

By His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on 26^th September 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

Introduction: We are continuing with the compilation of Caitanya līlā book, the chapter entitled today is:

Mahā-rāsa-sthalī, Part 4

Under the Section: Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s Visit to Śrī Vṛndāvana

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 2.291

bhramarā hāṭera vādya—pasāra yauvana
garāka rasikavara madana-mohana

Jayapatākā Swami: Bumblebees are the Musical Notes in the marketplace of rasa. The market is of the youthfulness. The customer and the foremost enjoyer of the mellows of love is Madana-mohana.

The environment of rāsa-līlā is expressed here, that it is youthful and it has been  made for the pleasure of Lord Madana-mohana, or Lord Kṛṣṇa. This shows the highest level of exchange of love.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 2.292

gopikāra śuddha prema jāniñā śrī-hari
bhakata-baśyatāguṇa prakāśa se kari’

Jayapatākā Swami: Knowing the pure love of the gopīs, Lord Śrī Hari exhibited the quality of being under the subjugation of the devotees

In the Hari dhāma everyone treats Lord with awe and respect but here we see in the land of Vṛndāvana, the Lord is acting in the subjugation to His lovers of Gopīs. So, this is the special feature of Vṛndāvana dhāma.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 2.293

yuthe yuthe pāṭoyāra naṭinī gopinī
nāṭuyā tāhāra mājhe prabhu yadumaṇi

Jayapatākā Swami: The gopīs in many groups are the expert dancers who danced in this marketplace of rāsa. Kṛṣṇa, the crest jewel of the Yadus, danced amongst them.

The gopīs and Kṛṣṇa were dancing in a most beautiful artistic and loving way. So people like to dance in the  mortal world , they should try this transcendental dancing, that is the way of Supreme bliss.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 2.294

balayā-nūpura-maṇi-kiṅkiṇīra rola
murulī-madhura-dhvani tāhāte ujora

Jayapatākā Swami: The bangles, bracelets and the ankle bells sounded and the sweet sound of Muralī enhanced it.

Muralī means flute sound, Kṛṣṇa playing on His flute and gopīs dancing, all these sounds are music to the ears.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 2.295

ravāba upāṅga svara-maṇḍalera-gāna
mṛdaṅga, mandirā, ḍampha pākhoyāja sutāna

Jayapatākā Swami: Also the sound of the ravāb (a musical instrument similar to Spanish guitar), mṛdaṅga, mandirā, ḍampha provided rhythmic and harmonic support for the melody.

So there were stringed instruments, drums various types of kartālas and percussion  instruments which created a wonderful melody and rhythm.

Murāri Gupta Kaḍaca, 4.9.12

atra taṁ paśya gaurāṅga govinda-rasa-kautukī
vṛndāvanādhipatyaṁ ca cakāra rasa-vallabhaḥ

Translation: “O Golden Lord! Since You are eager to taste Govinda-rasa, see here that place where rasa-vallabha Śrī Kṛṣṇa was crowned sovereign over Vṛndāvana-dhāma.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Caitanya was enjoying these pastimes places of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa and Sanoḍiyā Brāhmaṇa Kṛṣṇa dāsa, showed Him a place where Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa was serving the sovereign in Vṛndāvana dhāma. He was sovereign of all the hearts of all the devotees.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 2.296

āra aparūpa hera dekha seikhāne
rāi-rājā kaila kṛṣṇa ei vṛndāvane

Jayapatākā Swami: And see another wonder here. Lord Kṛṣṇa made Srimati Rādhārāṇī as King here in Vṛndāvana.

Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa made Śrīmatī Rādhārānī the sovereign of Vṛndāvana.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 2.297

divya candana-mālā dila rādhāra aṅge
āpane karaye stuti gopīgaṇasaṅge

Jayapatākā Swami: He offered divya-candana-mālā on the limbs of Srimati Rādhārāṇī. He personally offered praises to Srimati Rādhārāṇī along with the gopīs.

So, here the super excellence of Rādhārānī has being glorified by Lord Kṛṣṇa and the other gopīs, She has attracted Lord Kṛṣṇa, who is the conqueror of cupid, therefore She is known as madana-mohana-mohīnī.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 2.298

abhiṣeka kari’ kahe-śuna gopīgaṇe
āji haite rādhā rājā haila vṛndāvane

Jayapatākā Swami: Performing abhiṣeka, Kṛṣṇa told, “Hear gopīs. From Today onwards, Rādhārāṇī became King in Vṛndāvana.

So, to this day the residents of Vṛndāvana, they call out “Rādhe! Rādhe!” They accept Rādhārānī as Vṛndāvaneśvarī, the sovereign of Vṛndāvana.

Murāri Gupta Kaḍaca, 4.9.13

evaṁ rāsa-rasāmodī gopīṇāṁ rāga-vṛddhaye
ekām ādāya sahasā tirobhūto’tra paśya tat

Translation: “While enjoying conjugal mellow while rāsa dancing, in order to increase the gopīs’ attachment for Him, Kṛṣṇa suddenly disappeared, taking one of them with Him. Behold that place!

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Kṛṣṇa left the rasa dance and all the gopīs were dancing with one expansion of Kṛṣṇa and suddenly they were left alone, and they felt great separation from the Lord. Then Kṛṣṇa went with Rādhārānī, but they didn’t notice who He went with until later.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 2.299

henamate rāse vihāraye yadurāya
ācambite saba gopī dekhite nā pāya

Jayapatākā Swami: In this way, Yadurāja (Kṛṣṇa), enjoys transcendental bliss. Suddenly, all the gopīs could not see Lord Kṛṣṇa.

Lord Kṛṣṇa is rāsaśekhara, He knows how to increase the ecstasy of the devotees, so in this way He disappeared and all the gopīs felt great separation and their attachment increased.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 2.300

eka gopī eka lañā gelā sabhāre eḍiyā
kāndaye ekhāne gopī aṅga āchāḍiyā

Jayapatākā Swami: Taking eka gopī (Srimati Rādhārāṇī) alone, Kṛṣṇa left everyone. The gopīs cried here, tumbling.

Lord Caitanya was being shown where all the different pastime sod Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa and gopīs occurred. We can understand that Lord Caitanya is absorbed in relishing the pastimes of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa.

Murāri Gupta Kaḍaca, 4.9.14

tasyāḥ sucaritaṁ kena varṇyate śrūyate’thavā
yasyāḥ prema-parādhīnas tāṁ hi svādhīna-bhartṛkām

Translation: “Her character is so exalted that the Lord Himself accepts subordination to Her love. Who is that person qualified to describe or hear of Her sublime character?

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Ananta śesa is not able to describe the good qualities of Kṛṣṇa with His thousands of mouths and, Rādhārānī’s character is so great that Kṛṣṇa accepts His subordination to Her love, who can describe Her great qualities?

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 2.301

saṅgera gopikā sei ādarei tara
hāsiyā kahaye-muñi calite kātara

Jayapatākā Swami: Rādhārāṇī being fondled by Kṛṣṇa, laughed and told, “I am not able to walk.”

Rādhārānī wanted to be carried by Lord Kṛṣṇa so She was saying that She cannot walk further.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 2.302

yenamate pāra-tenamate laha tumi
kānu kahe—āisa kāndhe kari’ niba āmi

Jayapatākā Swami: “Please carry Me wherever You want to go.” Am not able; Thus addressed by Rādhārāṇī, Lord Kṛṣṇa replied, “Come on. Just climb on My shoulder. I will carry you.”

So this was pastime between Śrī Rādhā and Śrī Kṛṣṇa.

Murāri Gupta Kaḍaca, 4.9.15-16

tatyāja kautukī kṛṣṇas tv ito’syāḥ sannidhiṁ hasan
sā’pi kṛṣṇaṁ na paśyantī vihvalā tat-sakhī-janāḥ

militāḥ kṛṣṇa-janmādi-līlā-tan-mayatāṁ yayuḥ
gopyaḥ prema-parādhīnās tat-tad-rūpa-prakāśikām

Translation: But then, just as She began to think Herself superior to Him, tricky Kṛṣṇa abandoned Her and waited secretly in a nearby place, laughing to Himself. When that damsel was thus unable to see Him, She became dazed with distress. Then meeting with Her sakhīs, all of them together became absorbed in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, as one by one they imitated His pastimes, beginning with His birth in Mathurā. In this way the gopīs became subordinate to Kṛṣṇa’s love, and thus He manifested His person within each and every pastime that they emulated.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, we can see how the gopīs and Rādhārānī are Kṛṣṇa conscious, feeling separation from Lord Kṛṣṇa and remembering Him by His qualities and pastimes

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 2.303

kole kari’ lañā gelā āra kathodura
ācambite tāhākeo bhaigelā niṭhura

Jayapatākā Swami: But, carrying her to some distance on His shoulder, suddenly even towards Rādhārāṇī Kṛṣṇa became cruel.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 2.304

eikhāne antardhāna hailā tāṅhāre
vyākulitā sei gopī kānde ekeśvare

Jayapatākā Swami: Herein, disappeared from the sight of Rādhārāṇī. Being perturbed, Rādhārāṇī cried alone.

Having being left by Lord Kṛṣṇa Rādhārānī was feeling very sorry and She was crying in separation of Kṛṣṇa.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 2.305

kṛṣṇa hārāiyā āra gopī saba yata
ekhāne bule tārā carita unmata

Jayapatākā Swami: Having lost Lord Kṛṣṇa, all the other Gopīs came wandering here in search of Lord Kṛṣṇa, being maddened.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 2.306

virahe vyākula gopī kāle ubharāya
e kathā śunite duḥkha bāḍhaye hiyāya

Jayapatākā Swami: Desperate due to separation, the gopīs cried at the top of their voice. Hearing this topic pain in the heart increases.

The gopīs had received the highest mercy to dance with Kṛṣṇa Himself, when He suddenly disappeared from their sight, they were crying very intensely following His footsteps in the forest.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 2.307

eikhāne gopī-kṛṣṇa-carite tanmaya
yekhāne ye kaila kṛṣṇa tenamata haya

Jayapatākā Swami: Herein, the gopīs being absorbed in the thought of Lord Kṛṣṇa, they enacted the pastimes of Kṛṣṇa and they became as Lord Kṛṣṇa performed the pastimes.

So, the third practice of devotional service is smaranam, the gopīs were absorbed in remembering Kṛṣṇa and thus they began to enact different pastimes of Lord Krsna, and in this way their separation for Kṛṣṇa was somewhat mitigated. Since Kṛṣṇa was present in His pastimes.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 2.308

sei abhinaya kare-sei saba rīta
unamata gopī saba kṛṣṇamaya-cita

Jayapatākā Swami: The gopīs exactly acted all the pastimes as it happened since the consciousness of the gopīs was completely absorbed in Lord Kṛṣṇa.

The gopīs consciousness was completely absorbed in Lord Kṛṣṇa.

Murāri Gupta Kaḍaca, 4.9.17

tābhyaḥ sva-viraha-vyādhi-pīḍitābhyo nijāṁ tanum
prahasan darśayām āsa kṛṣṇo nārāyaṇaḥ svayam

Translation: “Then seeing how the gopīs were so critically afflicted with the disease of separation from Him, Lord Kṛṣṇa Nārāyaṇa loudly laughed as He showed Himself to them.

Jayapatākā Swami: Seeing the gopīs' intense separation, Kṛṣṇa had mercy on them and appeared suddenly to them.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 2.309

henamate mūrcchā yabe pāila gopīgaṇa
eikhāne kṛṣṇa tabe dila daraśana

Jayapatākā Swami: The gopīs became unconscious and then in this place Lord Kṛṣna gave audience to them.

So, the gopīs were unconscious in separation of Lord Kṛṣṇa and almost ready to leave their body but Kṛṣṇa appeared to them and brought them back to life.

Murāri Gupta Kaḍaca, 4.9.18

tābhiḥ sammānitaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ parihāse parājitaḥ
rāsaṁ cakāra dharma-jño maṇḍalīṁ parikalpayan

Translation: “Kṛṣṇa was nicely honored by the gopīs. But still He again teased them, declaring that He had become defeated by their great love for Him. The Lord, who is the supreme knower of the highest religious principle, then performed the rāsa dance by forming a circle amongst the gopīs.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Kṛṣṇa said, He could not repay the great love the gopīs had for Him, they have to be satisfied with their love and then He performed the rasa dance with them.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 2.310

punarapi kaila tabe e rāsa-vilāsa
punaḥ rāsotsave gopī-ānanda ullāsa

Jayapatākā Swami: Again, Lord Kṛṣṇa performed the pleasure pastime of rāsa. Because of the festival of rāsa happening again, the gopīs were jubilantly happy.

The gopīs' happiness in performing the rāsa-līlā with Kṛṣṇa was described as ānanda-ullāsa, which means a type of ecstatic happiness.

Murāri Gupta Kaḍaca, 4.9.19

vilāsa-rasa-mādhurī-rasa-madena mattaḥ kila
saṁnīya subalo janān yama-bhaginī-tīraṁ hariḥ

prakāśya bahu-rūpatāṁ jagad-anaṅga-saṁmardano
rarāja vraja-sundarī-nija-bhujais tu baddhaḥ svayam

Translation: “Truly delighted by the intoxicating mellows of these rasa-permeated pastimes, Śrī Hari, the possessor of auspicious strength, led the gopīs to the bank of Yamunā and exhibited His ability to expand in multiple forms, thereby utterly crushing Cupid’s pride. Then He brilliantly shone by agreeing to be perpetually bound up within the arms of those beautiful girls of Vraja.”

So having danced for long time they might have been very tired, so He took everyone to Yamunā and take a bath, so He multiplied Himself into multiple forms, so He would be in the embrace of all the gopīs.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 2.311

eimate ānanda-kautuke rātriśeṣa
alase abaśa aṅga—ślatha bhela veśa

Jayapatākā Swami: In this way, the night ended in playful pleasure. The gopis'limbs of their body became sluggish and fatigued. The dresses became dishevelled.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 2.312

yamunā-pulina gelā saba gopī lañā
gopī-kole nidrā yāya śramayukta hañā

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Kṛṣṇa went to the banks of Yamunā taking all the gopīs with Him and He slept on their lap being very tired.

Lord Kṛṣṇa was experiencing the pastimes in various ways and thus He was satisfying all the desires of the Gopīs.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 2.313

ekhāne yamunā jala suśītala bāya
kṛṣṇa-kole saba gopī sukhe nidrā yāya

Jayapatākā Swami: Herein flowed the Yamunā and on the banks of the cooling waters of Yamunā, the Gopīs slept happily on the lap of Lord Kṛṣṇa.

Kṛṣṇa was resting on the lap of gopīs and gopīs were resting on the lap of Kṛṣṇa.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 2.314

eimate śubha-rātri suprabhāta haila
praṇati kariyā gopī nijaghara gela

Jayapatākā Swami: In this way, the auspicious night passed and dawn appeared; Paying their obeisances, the Gopīs went to their own home.

So, Lord Caitanya was being described these pastimes of the Rasa-līlā and all the places it happened by  the Sanoḍiyā Brāhmaṇa Kṛṣṇa dāsa and then all the gopīs they paid their obeisances to Lord Kṛṣṇa and went home.

Murāri Gupta Kaḍaca, 4.9.20

śrutvā rāsa-vilāsa-vaibhava-rasaṁ śrī-gauracandro hariḥ
premonmāda-vibhinna-dhairya-nivaho mādhurya-sārojjvalaḥ

rādhā-kṛṣṇaṁ vraja-vadhū-gaṇair veṣṭitaṁ saṁvibhāvya
prākaṭyaṁ tat svātmani tayor darśayan sambabhau sma

Translation: After hearing of the glorious mellows of the rāsa-līlā, the Golden Moon of Śrī Hari utterly lost all composure due to the inebriating effects of love for Kṛṣṇa. He became ablaze with the essence of the conjugal rasa, and He contemplated very deeply Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa surrounded by the damsels of Vraja. Thinking about this again and again, He caused a visible manifestation within Himself of the Divine Couple and thus displayed it brilliantly to all.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Caitanya manifested Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa in His heart and showed that to all the devotees. His form was very brilliant. We were reminded how Hanumān showed Sītā-Rāma in His heart, Lord Caitanya showed Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa in His heart.

Caitanya Maṅgala, Śeṣa-khaṇḍa 2.315

eimane sthāne sthāne dekhe gaurārāya
ānande locanadāsa gaurāguṇa gāya

Jayapatākā Swami: Like this, Gaurarāya saw one place after another and jubilantly Locana dāsa sings the qualities of Gaura.

All these pastimes of Vraja dhama was visited by Lord Caitanya and HE was absorbed in the pastimes of Vṛndāvana. I heard devotees in Vṛndāvana want to place Lord Caitanya’s lotus foot prints in all the places He went, He went everywhere! But anyway this is a nice meditation of Lord Caitanya’s visit to Vṛndāvana and His absorption in the pastimes of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa and the gopīs.

Thus ends the chapter entitled, Mahā-rāsa-sthalī, Part 4

Under the Section: Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s Visit to Śrī Vṛndāvana

Transcribed and Verified 27^th Sep 2021