20240308 Śrī Caitanya Śikṣāmṛta | Second Stream — the teaching method of Śrī Caitanya

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

Jayapatākā Swami Guru Mahārāja cut the cakes and wished his secretary Haridāsa Caitanya dāsa a very happy birthday for his birthday yesterday.

Jayapatākā Swami: Since yesterday was Ekādaśī and everybody was busy and could not make an Ekādaśī cake, so today we got him two grain cakes!

Śrī Caitanya-śikṣāmṛta

The Nectar of the teachings of Śrī Caitanya

Today’s chapter is: First Shower — General description of determining the religion of highest goal.

First Stream — the beginning

Respectful obeisances unto Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa

The names, ‘Īśvara’, ‘Bhagavān’ and ‘Kṛṣṇa’ —

In this first shower, first the name ‘Īśvara’ is used, then the word Bhagavān’ and fi-nally the word ‘Kṛṣṇa’. Readers should not think that ‘Īśvara’, ‘Bhagavān’ and ‘Kṛṣṇa’ are separate concepts or truths.

Note:

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.2.11

vadanti tat tattva-vidas
tattvaṁ yaj jñānam advayam
brahmeti paramātmeti
bhagavān iti śabdyate

“Learned transcendentalists who know the Absolute Truth call this nondual substance Brahman, Paramātmā or Bhagavān.”

Kṛṣṇa is the only truth (not different from ‘Brahman’ or ‘Bhagavān’) and the object of pure worship for the living entities. Kṛṣṇa is the manifestation of full sweetness of the truth of Bhagavān (bhagavat-tattva). When Kṛṣṇa is considered in relation to other truths (tattvas) or substances, then He can be noticed as a controller (Īśvara) and the name ‘Īśvara’ can be used. That is why, in the beginning of this first shower, while defining three objects viz., matter, conscious entities, and the Īśvara (Supreme Lord), the name ‘Īśvara’ is used instead of the name ‘Kṛṣṇa’. The mood of Īśvara is nothing other than that of svarūpa-tattva Lord Kṛṣṇa’s mere inherent controlling potency over the created matter. So, Īśvara is only the identity of that. The name Īśvara is used everywhere in enumerating the substances, viz., cit, acit and Īśvara.

Jayapatākā Swami: Today I am not able to read very well, maybe I am too tired. But here they use the word Īśvara. Īśvara is in one sense is the svarūpa of Lord Kṛṣṇa. He is the controller. But He has also many other names, many other attributes. Just like He is the reservoir of all pleasure, and He is the source of all happiness. But Īśvara is His controlling function. So Īśvara, Bhagavān, are also in Kṛṣṇa, but they may include others also. But Kṛṣṇa is containing more.

Second Stream — the teaching method of Śrī Caitanya –

Source book for Śrī Caitanya-śikṣāmṛta —

If we want to know Śrī Mahāprabhu’s teaching method, we are forced to discuss Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta. Mahāprabhu Himself has not composed any books. Apart from the eight verses of Śrī Śikṣāṣṭaka, no book written by him is available. One or two more verses are collected in the Padyāvalī book but we do not find any systematic advice in those verses. Apart from this, another very tiny half-book has been published by some as written by the Lord. We have decided after much judgment that all these books seem to be imposed.

The great Gosvāmīs have written many books, in which Mahāprabhu’s teachings are certainly found in many forms, but nothing is written in them as Mahāprabhu’s own composition. Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta is an authentic book in which the Lord’s life and teachings are abundantly found, and all those teachings are fully proved in the words of great Gosvāmīs. For this reason, much love for Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta is seen everywhere.

Śrī Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī appeared just after Mahāprabhu’s disappearance and wrote the book. Śrī Mahāprabhu’s direct disciples such as Śrī (Raghunātha) dāsa Gosvāmī and Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī helped (Śrī Kṛṣṇadāsa) Kavirāja Gosvāmī in the composition of Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta. Earlier to this, Śrī Kavi Karṇapūra wrote Śrī Caitanya-candrodaya Nāṭaka and Śrī Vṛndāvana dasa Ṭhākura wrote Śrī Caitanya-Bhāgavata; by this, both helped Kavirāja Gosvāmī in many ways. All things considered, we were obliged to resort to Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta.

Jayapatākā Swami: Rūpa and Raghunātha helped Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja to write the Caitanya-caritāmṛta. In the same way Rūpa and Raghunātha helped Vṛndāvana dāsa Ṭhākura to write the Caitanya-bhāgavata. We heard that Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, he wanted a copy of the Caitanya-caritāmṛta but it was not available. It was out of print, he could not get it anywhere. So, finally, he got a copy. Now, this time until Gaura-Pūrṇimā, we are having a Caitanya-caritāmṛta Marathon. And everyone can order a copy of the Caitanya-caritāmṛta by calling on the address that Vrajeśvara Gaura dāsa will give you soon. Discounted price is English Rs. 3,500 and Bengali is Rs. 2,600. Russian? Odiya Rs. 1900, Hindi is Rs. 4,500 (undiscounted).

When the three, Śrīla Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura, Śyāmānanda Paṇḍita and Śrīnivāsa Ācārya were carrying all the books written by the Gosvāmīs, while they were crossing Bankura district, the books were stolen. Because the king had an astrologer that told him, “Three persons are taking an immense treasure!” And therefore, he had a gang of thieves which he sent out to get the treasure. And from Vṛndāvana, the king of Bharatpur had some guards sent but they had fallen asleep. The thieves saw this, that they were already asleep, they stole the treasure case very easily as everybody was asleep. Then when the ācāryas woke up, they were heartbroken to see that the books which were the original manuscripts were stolen! So, they looked, but they could not find them. Śrīnivāsa Ācārya, he said, “The Deities have ordered me, you go to your places, I will look, certainly Kṛṣṇa has some plan.” He went to many places, finally he went to the king’s court. So there every night he would have the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam read. But the Bhāgavatam was not read very authoritatively. So Śrīnivāsa Ācārya was making faces! The king said, “Oh! Why, you don’t like my royal paṇḍita?” Śrīnivāsa Ācārya said, “No, he is a very nice man but his speaking on the Bhāgavatam was incorrect.” So the king said, “Aright, you can give the class. But if your class is not good, I will kill you for insulting my royal paṇḍita!” So Śrīnivāsa Ācārya, he was very expert in giving class, since he had learnt from Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī. He gave a class, and everybody was really, really melted, he gave a really nice class! Then the king thought that maybe he knows about the treasure. He opened up the treasure and all were books! He told the thieves that they should go out and find the owners of the books to give them back. Because they are literary treasures, very high spiritual books. So he knew that this time he would definitely go to hell. He would be punished by Yamarāja for stealing the books from, the sādhus. So he took Śrīnivāsa Ācārya behind and he asked him, to identify who he is. And he said, “The great Gosvāmīs of Vṛndāvana have written these books. The Deities asked me to carry them back to Bengal. Then to have them copied. These are the original manuscripts.” Then, the king said, “I have them, I have them!” And then Śrīnivāsa Ācārya asked, “Show me!” He took him to the treasure room, there was a treasure chest. He opened it up and on the top, he saw the Caitanya-caritāmṛta. Haribol! He was so relieved he had the books again! He, explained to the king how Lord Caitanya was the Supreme Personality of Godhead and He had come to deliver all the fallen souls. So this book, Caitanya-caritāmṛta is so important. And there are other books like Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu. The king said, “You can take it back but there is one thing I would like to request you, please accept me as your disciple, I want to be your disciple.” To be a rāja-guru is a big thing. Śrīnivāsa Ācārya said, “I have to think about it. I will tell you very soon.” So he went and he asked Narahari whether (for) the king, he can be a raja-guru or not. Because to be a rāja-guru you have to be married. Narahari told him that, it is good he can be a rāja-guru and he can marry some Kṛṣṇa conscious lady. So he married two ladies. Previously, people would marry more than one, sometimes. I don’t know how the law in India has changed! So, he married two ladies, who were very advanced. As far as I know. His āśrama was near Katwa, a place called Jājigrāma. He went to Bankura again to Viṣṇupur the capital, and there he initiated the king and the queen came and they also begged him for initiation. There are many other stories where it shows how devotees are protected by Lord Kṛṣṇa. And how every devotee should do their activities for the pleasure of Lord Kṛṣṇa. So, Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura and his wife they prayed to the Deities for an ācārya, for an advanced devotee. When we would ask Śrīla Prabhupāda to tell something about Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, he would say, “What can I Say? He was a Vaikuṇṭha man.” And he had come down from the spiritual world to establish the saṅkīrtana movement. So we are all very fortunate to be under Śrīla Prabhupāda’s mercy. In the material world people, they plan out they will be happy if this happens or that happens. They are always thinking of their own pleasure. But they are never happy. If it doesn’t work then they think, I will happy with something else, like this take birth after birth after birth. But if they think of something that I can serve Kṛṣṇa better, always keep Kṛṣṇa in the equation, then actually by pleasing Kṛṣṇa, they are happy.

We are so fortunate to read the Caitanya-caritāmṛta. And this mentions all the texts, all the books, some of the books. I have already read and combined the līlās of all the books, during the night time reading of caitanya-līlās.

All of you take my blessings! Kṛṣṇe matir astu!