20240309 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

Śrī Caitanya-Śikṣāmṛta

The Nectar of the teachings of Śrī Caitanya

Today’s chapter is: Second Stream — the teaching method of Śrī Caitanya –

Even while Śrī Mahāprabhu was in the householder life for twenty-four years, he preached in Śrīvāsa Āṅgana, on the banks of the Ganges, in the school (Catuṣpāṭhī) and on the streets about the glories of harināma and the necessity to perform hari-kīrtana to all living entities. Later, after accepting sannyāsa, he instructed various persons such as, Śrī Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya and so on in Jagannātha Purī (Puruṣottama Kṣetra), Śrī Rāya Rāmananda in Vidyānagara, Veṅkaṭa Bhaṭṭa etc. in South India and Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī in Prayāga, Śrī Sanātana Gosvāmī and Śrī Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī, etc., in the village of Vārāṇasī, and out of fun He also in-structed Śrī Raghupati Upādhyāya and Śrī Vallabha Bhaṭṭa. By all these instructions, we can obtain all of Śrī Mahāprabhu’s teachings ‘As It Is’. After considering all those teachings, we have collected the systematic teaching method of the Lord.

Jayapatākā Swami: So in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta the method that Lord Caitanya used to preach to the Māyāvādī sannyāsīs in Benaras, His way of promoting the Harināma saṅkīrtana in Navadvīpa, demonstrated His way of liberating the people. He wanted to see that the whole world becomes Kṛṣṇa conscious and everybody becomes happy in the spiritual sense. He also taught that material happiness is considered to be insignificant, that devotees by serving Kṛṣṇa, they experience this spiritual happiness. Lord Caitanya gave His instructions to various people. And those are recorded in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta and other books.

* * *

Preaching of the Holy Name —

Expressing immense kindness towards the living entities of the material world, Śrī Mahāprabhu propagated all over India, pure Vaiṣṇava-dharma or Jaiva-dharma (the occupational duty of the living entities). He went to some country Himself to preach and in some other country he sent a preacher and completed that work. Empowering the preachers with infinite power, He sent them from country to country. The preachers of Mahāprabhu used to work in the principle of love. They do not expect any salary or reward. Propagation of pure religion is not possible without preachers of pure character. This is why in other religions these days paid people continue to preach without sufficient results. As Caitanya-caritāmṛta has written in the seventh chapter of Ādi-līlā 7.163-167: ―

Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu and His associates of the Pañca-tattva distributed the holy name of the Lord to invoke love of Godhead throughout the universe, and thus the entire universe was thankful. Lord Caitanya dispatched the two generals Rūpa Gosvāmī and Sanātana Gosvāmī to Vṛndāvana to preach the bhakti cult. As Rūpa Gosvāmī and Sanātana Gosvāmī were sent toward Mathurā, so Nityānanda Prabhu was sent to Bengal to preach extensively the cult of Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu personally went to South India, and He broadcast the holy name of Lord Kṛṣṇa in every village and town. Thus the Lord went to the southernmost tip of the Indian peninsula, known as Setubandha [Cape Comorin]. Everywhere He distributed the bhakti cult and love of Kṛṣṇa, and in this way He delivered everyone.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, here it is indicated that preachers should be pure. They should practice what they preach. They should read Śrīla Prabhupāda’s books. Just like, Śrīla Prabhupāda used the example, if someone said have you read the book, how is it? He did not want his book distributors to say, “I don’t know, I did not read it, I just sell it!” So he was hoping that the people would read the books and be inspired and distribute the books. So for that reason, Śrīla Prabhupāda established various degrees – Bhakti-śāstrī, Bhakti-vaibhava, Bhakti-vedānta, Bhakti-sārvabhauma. Here Rūpa and Sanātana are described as great generals, so it was like a transcendental army. And all these great ācāryas were serving in the army. As Lord Caitanya had sent different devotees, Śrīla Prabhupāda to some extent followed the same system, to have some devotees be GBC in different parts of the world. He really appointed these members, and they did not receive any payment. They did it by spontaneous dedication and love.

* * *

Essence of the teachings of Lord Caitanya —

Śrī Mahāprabhu’s teaching is that love of Kṛṣṇa is the eternal wealthy occupational duty of the living entities. The living entity can never be separated from that wealthy occupational duty. But because of the forgetfulness of Kṛṣṇa, being captivated by the illusory energy and being fond of other things, gradually that occupational duty has become almost secret and hidden in the innermost chambers of the spirit soul. Due to that, the living entity suffers in the material existence. Again, if the living entity by chance remembers this saying, ‘I am eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa’, then the said occupational duty (love of Kṛṣṇa) will revive again and will surely restore the health of the living entity.

Jayapatākā Swami: So living entities in this conditioned life in this material world, they have forgotten their occupational duty of serving Kṛṣṇa, and their love of Kṛṣṇa is dormant. But by chanting the holy name, the dormant love for Kṛṣṇa is awakened and gradually, they become very awakened in the service of Kṛṣṇa. Everyone has this natural propensity of love for Kṛṣṇa.

nitya-siddha kṛṣṇa-prema ‘sādhya’ kabhu naya
śravaṇādi-śuddha-citte karaye udaya
(Cc. Madhya 22.107)

So by offering the nine practices of devotional service, starting from śravaṇam, kīrtanam, we can awaken our dormant love for Kṛṣṇa. In material life people love their country, they love some material sense objects. They may love some ism or mission, but these things just last for a flicker. They only last for a short time. When Lord Caitanya awakened His Kṛṣṇa consciousness, He wanted to spread that everywhere. Because Kṛṣṇa said people of Kali-yuga should also taste the immense happiness I had. Lord Caitanya, He started the saṅkīrtana movement and then here in this verse it says the different people He sent to different places.

* * *

Truthful faith is the cause —

Faith in this truth is the cause of all auspiciousness. Faith arises in two ways, i.e. when a person is relieved from the bondage of material existence, by the result of piety in many lives (sukṛti), perfection of natural faith arises. As stated in Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā, 23.9.

kona bhāgye kona jīvera ‘śraddhā’ yadi haya
tabe sei jīva ‘sādhu-saṅga’ ye karaya

“If, by good fortune, a living entity develops faith in Kṛṣṇa, he begins to associate with devotees. Another name of ‘śraddhā’ is ‘viśvāsa’ as stated in Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā, 22.62.

‘śraddhā’-śabde — viśvāsa kahe sudṛḍha niścaya
kṛṣṇe bhakti kaile sarva-karma kṛta haya

Śraddhā is confident, firm faith that by rendering transcendental loving service to Kṛṣṇa one automatically performs all subsidiary activities. Such faith is favorable to the discharge of devotional service.

Jayapatākā Swami: So here Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura explains how faith is so crucial. If one starts to perform devotional service, one has to have some faith. And with that faith by having some pious activities, by association of pure devotees he awakens his own devotion. In this way, we know that there are eight levels up to bhāva. Bhāva being ecstatic love of Kṛṣṇa. From bhāva one comes to prema which is pure love for Kṛṣṇa. There are eight levels of prema. So devotional service is a very scientific, systematic program. But it starts by the causeless mercy of Pañca-tattva, Lord Caitanya and His associates.

* * *

The sequence of Bhajana —

‘By performing kṛṣṇa-bhakti, all the subsidiary activities of the living entity are automatically done’; this confident, firm faith is called ‘śraddhā’ *

Note:

Śrīmad-Bhagavatam 4.31.14

yathā taror mūla-niṣecanena
tṛpyanti tat-skandha-bhujopaśākhāḥ
prāṇopahārāc ca yathendriyāṇāṁ
tathaiva sarvārhaṇam acyutejyā

“As pouring water on the root of a tree energizes the trunk, branches, twigs and everything else, and as supplying food to the stomach enlivens the senses and limbs of the body, simply worshiping the Supreme Personality of Godhead through devotional service automatically satisfies the demigods, who are parts of that Supreme Personality.”

Due to piety (sukṛti), resulting in self-satisfaction, from the soul’s eternal occupational duty, arises the perfection of natural faith.

Jayapatākā Swami: Sukṛti! If people chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, they engage in devotional service, they are following the rules, then they are awakening their love for Kṛṣṇa. Just like, if you water on the root of the tree, or feeding the stomach, it nourishes the whole body. So if we start to do devotional service, then naturally we develop faith. In New York, when Śrīla Prabhupāda went there to preach, and he said that, “You should bow down to Kṛṣṇa and the guru.” So some of the devotees had questioned, “Why? Why should I bow down?” Śrīla Prabhupāda said, “If you do it, you will feel it.” So they did it and they felt better! Some things, by doing devotional service actually we start to feel our faith is growing. Śravaṇam, kīrtanam, smaraṇam, pāda-sevanam, vandanam, arcanam, dāśyam, sakhyam, ātma-nivedanam. These are the nine practices of devotional service. And if we walk around Māyāpur, each island represents one of these nine practices. So in this way, Navadvīpa parikramā is a very good way to reawaken our faith in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Thank you.

Kṛṣṇe matir astu!

Who is the GBC of Canada?

(Four devotees were awarded the Bhakti-vedānta degree and presented the same. Śrīnivāsa Gopāla dāsa, Sītalā Mādhavī devī dāsī, Jalāṅgī Rādhā devī dāsī, Rāmakṛṣṇa dāsa (?))

Thank you all for studying Śrīla Prabhupāda’s books. For getting the Bhakti-vedānta degree, and this knowledge is to spread the message of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Bhakti-vedānta means they have completed their study of the twelve cantos of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Bhakti-śāstrī means Bhagavad-gītā, Īśopaniṣad, Nectar of Instruction and Nectar of Devotion.

So I told that, I would attend the drama and the drama I think is tomorrow from 6.30 to 7.30 or so. So I don’t know if I will have time for class. I should drop in for the Kīrtana-melā also. So, I won’t be here before 8 pm that is too late. Is that?