20231229 Śrī Caitanya-śikṣāmṛtam | First Stream — the beginning

mūkaṁ karoti vācālaṁ paṅguṁ laṅghayate girim
yat-kṛpā tam ahaṁ vande śrī-guruṁ dīna-tāraṇam
paramānanda-mādhavam śrī caitanya īśvaram
Harihi oṁ tat sat

Today we will continue reading from the Śrī Caitanya-śikṣāmṛta by Śrīla Saccidānanda Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura. It is translated as the Nectar of the Teachings of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

Śrī Caitanya-śikṣāmṛta

The Nectar of the teachings of Śrī Caitanya

Respectful obeisances unto Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa.

First Shower — determining the religion of highest goal

First Stream — the beginning

We cannot see (the spiritual form) with material eyes.

The nature of the atheist

Many unfortunate people do not believe in God, for their eye of knowledge is closed. Because they cannot see the Lord’s form with their material eyes, they think that there is no one called as God. Atheists are unable to believe in God just as people born blind do not perceive the light of the sun.

Note:

Bhagavad-gītā 16.7-8

pravṛttiṁ ca nivṛttiṁ ca
janā na vidur āsurāḥ
na śaucaṁ nāpi cācāro
na satyaṁ teṣu vidyate

asatyam apratiṣṭhaṁ te
jagad āhur anīśvaram
aparaspara-sambhūtaṁ
kim anyat kāma-haitukam

“Those who are demoniac do not know what is to be done and what is not to be done. Neither cleanliness nor proper behavior nor truth is found in them. They say that this world is unreal, with no foundation, no God in control. They say it is produced of sex desire and has no cause other than lust.”

* * *

Jayapatākā Swami: In this world we are trying to practice Kṛṣṇa consciousness. But some of the people are basically atheists. They don’t believe in the existence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. They don’t see any Absolute Truth. Like people who are born blind, they cannot see the sun. That doesn’t mean there is no sun. So, we have to present Kṛṣṇa consciousness understanding that there are some people who are atheistic, some people are theistic, and some people are atheistic. We are trying to come in contact with those who, people, who are open to the Personality of Godhead. Normally, it is very difficult to present Kṛṣṇa consciousness to atheistic people. By the mercy of Lord Caitanya even the people who are atheistic, get His special mercy. Gaurāṅga!

By the very nature, humans believe in God. Only those people who from childhood, learn duplicitous logic through bad association, they gradually succumb to bad influence and do not believe in the existence of God; Other than their loss, what can be the loss for the Lord?

* * *

Jayapatākā Swami: I was talking to one person in San Francisco. That person said I don’t believe in God. There is no God. And San Francisco, it is always said that there may be a huge earthquake. Suddenly all the windows, everything started shaking and there was an earth tremor. All of a sudden that person said, “Oh God save me!” One minute there was no God and soon as there was danger who is going to help him? “Help me God, save me!” I remembered that here was a person that was denying God, but as soon as danger came, he immediately expressed his dependence on God.

The Spiritual world or Vaikuṇṭha is obtained by Bhakti

It should not be thought that Vaikuṇṭha is a material place. Madras, Mumbai, Benares, Calcutta, London, and Paris are all material places. If we have to go there, we go by crossing many material lands or countries. Even if we have to go by ship or railway, it takes a lot of time. One has to go taking steps of the legs of the material body. Vaikuṇṭha is not a region of such a place. It is a special residence, transcendental to all material worlds. It is conscious, eternal and faultless. It is not seen by the eye, nor thought of by the mind. The Supreme Lord resides in this inconceivable place. If we please the Lord, then we can go to that world and serve Him eternally.

Note:

Śrī Brahma-saṁhitā 5.56

śriyaḥ kāntāḥ kāntaḥ parama-puruṣaḥ kalpa-taravo
drumā bhūmiś cintāmaṇi-gaṇa-mayi toyam amṛtam
kathā gānaṁ nāṭyaṁ gamanam api vaṁśī priya-sakhi
cid-ānandaṁ jyotiḥ param api tad āsvādyam api ca

sa yātrā kṣīrābdhiḥ sravati surabhībhyaś ca su-mahān
nimeṣārdhākhyo vā vrajati na hi yatrāpi samayaḥ
bhaje śvetadvīpaṁ tam aham iha golokam iti yaṁ
vidantas te santaḥ kṣiti-virala-cārāḥ katipaye

“I worship that transcendental seat, known as Śvetadvīpa whereas loving consorts the Lakṣmīs in their unalloyed spiritual essence practice the amorous service of the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa as their only lover; where every tree is a transcendental purpose tree; where the soil is the purpose gem, all water is nectar, every word is a song, every gait is a dance, the flute is the favorite attendant, effulgence is full of transcendental bliss and the supreme spiritual entities are all enjoyable and tasty, where numberless milk cows always emit transcendental oceans of milk; where there is eternal existence of transcendental time, who is ever present and without past or future and hence is not subject to the quality of passing away even for the space of half a moment. That realm is known as Goloka only to a very few self-realized souls in this world.”

* * *

Jayapatākā Swami: Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, he is explaining Vaikuṇṭha, Goloka to readers who may not know or heard of these places before. So he is explaining that there are many material places, and he named some. Then he named some prominent cities in India and places like London and Paris. He said it is not a place like this, it is a transcendental place. So he is systematically explaining the spiritual world. And so the conditioned souls may be getting an idea of the spiritual world. Actually, Vaikuṇṭha is fully spiritual. But people may think that it is some material place. There is such a place like Vaikuṇṭha which is beyond the material world. Very few people may actually understand this. And how all the gopīs and goddesses of fortune, they are worshiping the Lord, they are serving the Lord. So it is described that they are doing this service in love. And they are doing it in love, and it is being accepted by Kṛṣṇa in love. Gradually this transcendental realm is being exposed to the conditioned souls.

Material world and sorrow

What is called happiness in this world is not eternal; it remains for a short time, and then disappears. Everything of this world is filled with suffering. Birth itself is difficult and a cause for sorrow. After birth, we must nourish the body with food and the scarcity of food brings forth suffering. There is always suffering. Various problems of heat or cold. To get rid of all those sufferings, one has to accept many physical hardships and earn money. Without constructing a house, we cannot stay. On getting married, we have to raise children. Nothing feels better as you gradually get older. Among this, there is lot of pain through argument and disagreement with others. In short, there is no such thing as pure happiness in the world. People consider as happiness, the momentary cessation of grief or want. It is difficult for us to exist in such a material existence. If we attain the Lord’s Vaikuṇṭha abode, then there will be none of the temporary happiness and distress. We will attain unlimited eternal happiness. Therefore, to please the Supreme Lord alone is our necessity.

* * *

Jayapatākā Swami: Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura is explaining how we have to suffer in various ways in this material world. And the momentary cessation of suffering is considered as happiness. And the attainment of devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, they attain the Lord’s Vaikuṇṭha abode where there is none of the temporary happiness or distress, rather there is unlimited, eternal happiness. So our real purpose in life is to serve the Lord in devotional service. So, Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, he is explaining this difference between material happiness and distress and the spiritual bliss. Actually, Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura was trying to preach Lord Caitanya’s message but people were basically atheistic, non-believers. He had to explain the thing very carefully, very gradually. I came to see Śrīla Prabhupāda and he was talking to my material mother. He told her that you are not the body, you are the living force in the body. I never heard Śrīla Prabhupāda present so simply, you know you are not the body, but you are the living force. Somehow that had a deep depression on my pūrvāśrama mother. She liked to take care of roses. She would bring a bouquet of roses to Śrīla Prabhupāda every day. So it is not very difficult to render devotional service. Just doing the things you like to do, but doing them for Kṛṣṇa and guru. Last night I was reading the Kṛṣṇa Book, tenth canto rather. How Kṛṣṇa Arjuna and Bhīma, they went and begged, disguised as brāhmaṇas, to Jarāsandha. Although he saw that these are definitely royal people, because in their arms they had marks of arrows and things. But since they came as brāhmaṇas, he needed to do his duty and so for 27 days Bhīma, he fought with Jarāsandha. And he told Kṛṣṇa that, “I am not able to defeat him.” So Kṛṣṇa took a grass and tore it into two. Jarāsandha was born to two ladies half-and-half. So the king thought it is useless and threw them out. But a witch called Jarā put the two pieces together and so he was known as Jarāsandha. The way he would be killed was to tear him up. So Bhīma threw him down on the ground put one leg on his foot and with his hand he divided into half and he was completely cut into half. So they were amazed that Jarāsandha was dead.

Actually, I have a meeting with the co-directors, and I am already 10 minutes late.

Kṛṣṇe matir astu!