20230202 The Boat Festival of Balarāma, Kṛṣṇa, and Govinda Part 1

The following is a Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book Compilation given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on February 2nd,2023 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!

Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book Compilation:

The Boat Festival of Balarāma, Kṛṣṇa, and Govinda (Part 1)
Under the section: Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu Accepts Prasādam from His Devotees

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 8.91

svahaste mahāprabhura sarvavaiṣṇavera aṅge mālā-candana-pradāna—

sarva-vaiṣṇavera aṅga śrī-haste āpane
paripūrṇa karilena mālāya candane

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya with His own hand gave all the assembled Vaiṣṇavas on their bodies, He gave them sandalwood paste, flower garlands and fully satisfied them.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 8.92

dekhiyā prabhura kṛpā sarva bhakta-gaṇa
bāhu tuli’ uccaiḥ-svare karena krandana

Jayapatākā Swami: Seeing this display of Lord Caitanya’s mercy, all the devotees, they raised their hands and loudly chanted and cried in ecstasy. “Haribol!”

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 8.93

bhaktagaṇera śrī-gauracaraṇa dhāraṇapūrvakanitya śrī-gaurasevā-vara-prārthanā—

sabei māgena vara śrī-caraṇa dhari’
janma janma yena prabhu, tomā nā pāsari

Jayapatākā Swami: Everyone grabbing the lotus feet of Lord Caitanya asked for a boon, “Birth after birth, my dear Lord may we never forget You!”

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 8.94

ki manuṣya, paśu, pakṣī hai’ yathā tathā
tomāra caraṇa yena dekhiye sarvathā

Jayapatākā Swami: “Wherever we take birth—as human beings, animals, or birds— whatever may be, may we always see Your lotus feet at all times.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 8.95

ei vara deha’ prabhu karuṇā-sāgara!”
pāda-padma dhari’ kānde saba anucara

Jayapatākā Swami: “Please Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu give us this benediction, You are the ocean of mercy, we grab Your lotus feet and cry, all your devotees!”

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 8.96

pativratā vaiṣṇava-gṛhiṇīgaṇera dūra haite mahāprabhuke darśana kariyā krandana—

vaiṣṇava-gṛhiṇī yata pati-vratā-gaṇa
dūre thāki’ prabhu dekhi’ karaye krandana

Jayapatākā Swami: All the chaste wives of the Vaiṣṇavas, who were dedicated in serving their husbands, they stayed at a distance, and seeing Lord Caitanya, they cried.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 8.97

vaiṣṇavagṛhiṇīgaṇera akṛtrima prema sakalei vaiṣṇavī-śakti-svarūpiṇī —

tāṅ-sabāra premādhāre anta nāhi pāi
sabei vaiṣṇavī-śakti bheda kichu nāi

Jayapatākā Swami: There was no limit to their affection and love for the Lord. All the Vaiṣṇavī, all the devotee ladies were expansions of the Lord’s internal energy. There was no difference between them and the Vaiṣṇavas. Bheda kichu nāi.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 8.98

vaiṣṇavasahadharmiṇīgaṇa jñāna-bhakti-yoge sakalei patira sadṛśa; ihā prabhura svamukhera ukti—

‘jñāna-bhakti-yoge sabe patira samāna’
kahiyā āchena śrī-caitanya-bhagavān

Jayapatākā Swami: They were all equals to their husbands in knowledge and devotion. This was the opinion or verdict of Lord Caitanya-Bhagavān.

Purport: One should discuss the following verse from Śrīmad Bhāgavatam (12.12.55):

“Remembrance of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet destroys everything inauspicious and awards the greatest good fortune. It purifies the heart and bestows devotion for the Supreme Soul, along with knowledge enriched with realization and renunciation.”

Jayapatākā Swami: Many people think that because women, vaiśyas and śūdras are lower birth, therefore, they cannot be equal with kṣatriyas and brāhmaṇas but here Lord Caitanya’s verdict is that the Vaiṣṇavīs, may be devotees who are equal with their husbands in knowledge and devotional service. So, those persons who are attached to the smārta idea of varṇāśrama cannot understand this. How bhakti can purify anyone from all contamination of birth.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 8.99

vādyagītanṛtya-saṅkīrtana-saha sakalera mahāprabhura sahita śrī-kṣetre praveśa—

ei-mata vādya-gīta-nṛtya-saṅkīrtane
āilena sabāi caliyā prabhura sane

Jayapatākā Swami: In this way all the devotees entered Purī town with Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu playing on musical instruments, singing, dancing, and performing saṅkīrtana, congregational chanting of the holy names.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 8.100

hena se haila prema-bhaktira prakāśa
hena nāhi dekhi yāra nā haya ullāsa

Jayapatākā Swami: There was such a manifestation of prema-bhakti, pure ecstatic love Kṛṣṇa that no one could be seen who was not ullāsa, very joyful, very happy.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 10.41

gauḍīyagaṇera purīte upasthiti-dine narendra-sarovare śrī-govinda-devera jalakrīḍotsava-saṁghaṭanaḥ–

ei-mate vaiṣṇava saba nīlācale āilā
daive jagannāthera se dina jala-līlā

Translation: Thus all the Vaiṣṇavas from Bengal went to Jagannātha Purī. By chance, they arrived on the day when Lord Jagannātha performs pastimes in the water.

Jayapatākā Swami: All the Vaiṣṇavas from Bengal arrived at Jagannātha Purī by the will of providence they arrived on the day when Lord Jagannātha performs pastimes in the Narendra-sarovara.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 10.42

narendrera jale ‘govinda’ naukāte caḍiyā
jala-krīḍā kare saba bhakta-gaṇa lañā

Translation: Boarding a boat in the water of Narendra-sarovara, Lord Govinda performed His water pastimes with all the devotees.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 10.43

tatkāle prabhurao purīvāsī bhaktagaṇasaha kṛṣṇera jalakelidarśanaḥ-

sei-kāle mahāprabhu bhakta-gaṇa-saṅge
narendre āilā dekhite jala-keli-raṅge

Jayapatākā Swami: Then Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu arrived with His devotees and He came to Narendra-sarovara lake and with His devotees, He the pastimes of water play.

Caitanya Bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 8.101

āṭhāranālā haite narendra sarovarakūle āgamana—

āṭhāranālā haite daśa-daṇḍa haile
mahāprabhu āilena narendrera kūle

Jayapatākā Swami: Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu led them from Āṭhāranālā ten daṇḍas [each daṇḍa is about 22.5 mins, so ten daṇḍas would be 3 hours and 45 mins, almost four hours]. So He arrived at Narendra-sarovara lake.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 10.44

tatkālei prabhusaha gauḍīya-bhaktagaṇera milanaḥ—

sei-kāle āilā saba gauḍera bhakta-gaṇa
narendrete prabhu-saṅge ha-ila milana

Translation: At the same time, all the devotees from Bengal they arrived at Narendra-lake and had a great meeting with the Lord Caitanya and His devotees from Purī.

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā, 10.45

bhaktagaṇera praṇāma, prabhura āliṅganaḥ —

bhakta-gaṇa paḍe āsi’ prabhura caraṇe
uṭhāñā prabhu sabāre kailā āliṅgane

Translation: All the devotees immediately fell at the lotus feet of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu,

Jayapatākā Swami: And the Lord, He lifted up each devotee and embraced every one of them.

Lord Caitanya had so much affection and love for His devotees, and He would lift them up and embrace them. How many here would like to be embraced? We are at the bank of Narendra-sarovara Lord Caitanya has embraced all the devotees.

Tomorrow is Lord Nityānanda’s appearance day. Tomorrow there is a surprise darśana of Nitāi.