“The Beauty of Ratha Yatra.” Srila B. S. Goswami Maharaj. June 23, 2017. Gupta Govardhan
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English
Śrīla Bhakti Sudhīr Goswāmī Mahārāj
The Beauty of Ratha-yātrā
(June 23, 2017. Gupta Govardhan)
The Lord sprinkled everyone’s mind
with the nectar of the transcendental love of God...
Goswāmī Mahārāj: In our continuing discussion... when I last spoke, I spoke quite extensively, I think, about Ratha-yātrā, the appearance of Jagannātha. Bhakti Vinod Ṭhākur has emphasized the importance of Kurukṣetra, and Kurukṣetra-bhajan. Tomorrow is Guṇḍichā-mārjana, which Mahāprabhu and his devotees perform with great delight. It means that Jagannātha is going to go... the Ratha-yātrā will be Dwārkā-Kṛṣṇa, He is going to Vṛndāvan, represented as Guṇḍichā, on the chariot with His brother and sister.
#00:01:00#
And Akṣaya-tṛtīyā, which was back in May some time. … That’s a good day for beginning some new work. It’s the day that they begin the construction of the new chariots. They build new chariots every year, they don’t use the same ones. Every year they build three new chariots and that’s the day they begin. And while that’s going on, we know, two weeks, two weeks back, the Snāna-yātrā ceremony, the bathing of Jagannātha, which leads to the Navakalevar, means...how do you say, Gurudeva used the word nourishing. And the deity will be painted anew, during that time.
#00:02:05#
I mean there are external observations to [understand], and internal. Internally, Jagannātha goes into seclusion, for approximately two weeks. And in the words of the Charitāmṛtam, has pastimes with the goddess of fortune. At that time, at the Jagannātha mandir, there’s no darśan. So, this is heart-breaking for the devotees, particularly Mahāprabhu. Thematically, we are discussing separation and mentioning that gopī-gītā ślokā:
aṭati yad bhavān ahni kānanaṁ
truṭi yugāyate tvām apaśyatām
kuṭila-kuntalaṁ śrī-mukhaṁ ca te
jaḍa udīkṣatāṁ pakṣma-kṛd dṛśām
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 10.31.15)
#00:03:07#
It escapes me, some of the words... but, how they cannot tolerate the blinking of an eye. They’re cursing Brahma. Here, no Jagannātha, means [no] Kṛṣṇa-darśan for two weeks, that’s an interminable amount of time for Mahāprabhu. His heart is very... it’s filled with anguish, [we’re] told that sometimes He goes to another town nearby, Ālālanātha, but is brought back by the devotees. They’re always afraid that Mahāprabhu is going to leave, or they will be deprived of His association. And Mahāprabhu returns, but now they have some eagerness because the Ratha-yātrā is approaching and the day before, they have the... there’s a Puṣpāñjali and bhoga offering and Mahāprabhu and the devotees are privileged to see Jagannātha in the Navakalevar, and they’re very happy, but just prior to that, understanding that Jagannātha Ratha-yātrā is about to take place, they go to Guṇḍichā to cleanse that temple.
#00:04:41#
Only once a year, they’re coming, so it needs to cleaned, swept, washed, everything. But some devotees think that this is inappropriate for Mahāprabhu. At least, this is līlā-talk, creates dramatic [tension], they’re thinking, you know, we can do that, but He wants to show something. He personally takes charge of this cleansing. And assembles all the devotees and all the water pots and the brooms and it turns into practically a festival.
#00:05:29#
Like, a cleaning festival. That’s why in all the temples, it’s always, this is the day, not the only day, but certainly the day for cleaning the altar, and the altar room, and the kitchen and everything, but particularly the altar and the kitchen [where] the direct sevā of the deity [is performed]. So, Mahāprabhu, with great enthusiasm and delight, assembles all the devotees and all the paraphernalia and they enter the Guṇḍichā-mandir and begin their cleaning. And at first, we’re told, they sweep away all the gross, the obvious dirt and dust.
#00:06:23#
But then, we’re told, a second time they go through. And more finely clean. And Saraswati Ṭhākur, Bhaktivinod Ṭhākur, the commentators, they’re saying, this is also in parallel the process of cleansing of devotees. The internal cleansing, external, internal. Gross and more subtle. For all of those who are aspiring servitors and practitioners, you know, certain types of gross behaviour are to be abandoned immediately. But then there’s subtle cleaning that has to take place in time. Because of... as Guru Mahārāj says sometimes, the seat of karma is in the mind.
#00:07:31#
Whatever the activities are, desirable, undesirable, but let’s say undesirable, the seat, the inauguration of that action that results in a particular act is in the mental plane, mental, intellectual, subtle. So, anartha-nivṛtti means we have to try our best under care [of] guru and vaiṣṇava, association of the vaiṣṇavas, to cleanse the subtle things. Certain types of mentality, fault-finding, duplicity etc. So, there’s some significance, the gross cleaning, then they clean again, like, no, that’s not enough, have to clean again.
#00:08:32#
And, then, they’re cleaning with water. And as we’ve seen, particularly, to this day in India, I mean, when you clean with water, you don’t just throw water on the floor. You throw it on the walls, you throw it on the ceilings, you throw water everywhere. That’s how you clean. And, while they’re doing this, and, ohh, Mahāprabhu has told the devotees too, when He saw before when they’re cleaning the dust, they take it in their cloth, and He’s examining how much dust you’ve got. And when He sees someone who’s like, got a lot of dust, He’s telling everybody else, He’s cleaning properly, you’re not, you know, putting your heart into it.
#00:09:27#
So, who He observes, but we’re told, no one is better at cleaning than Mahāprabhu. And... but then, when they’re throwing the water everywhere, and they’re all chanting Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa, they’re running, getting water pots. Some times they collide, and the pots break... but they’re laughing, and taking the Holy Name and it’s like, a big festival, and they’re throwing water everywhere. Some devotees notice that, like, the water is touching the lotus feet of Mahāprabhu, and they’re like, secretly, like, taking that water and taking charaṇāmṛtam. Giving some to another devotee, their hands are out... And, Mahāprabhu, although He’s omniscient, His play is He cannot observe all these things. But then, we’re told, one devotee who’s very bold, he just comes up with a pot of water and starts pouring water on Mahāprabhu’s feet, and then, like... [slurping sound]... and taking... [laughter].
#00:10:32#
And Mahāprabhu says to Svarūp Dāmodar, “What is this!” The others, at least, they’re doing, like, secretly, or in a hidden way. [And this man], he’s pouring the water there and like, drinking... And He tells Svarūp Dāmodar, “Throw him out, this man, get him [out of here, he’s one of] your…” what does he say, “your Bengali vaiṣṇavas.” And Svarūp Dāmodar is saying, “He’s a simple-hearted man, he didn’t mean to do anything [bad]...” But Mahāprabhu is saying, this is too much! Pouring water and drinking... [laughter]. So, but then the place [is] shining, now it’s so clean, it’s shining beautifully, it has spiritual effulgence and at the conclusion, they have a resounding kīrtan.
#00:11:33#
And Mahāprabhu is dancing, Advaita Āchārya, Nityānanda Prabhu, everyone, all the two hundred or more devotees from Bengal who have come, means Śrīvās Ṭhākur, Advaita Āchārya’s family, Gopāl, Achyutānanda, Raghunandan Ṭhākur, Vakreśvara Paṇḍit, Gadādhar Paṇḍit, of course. So many [devotees]... and it’s becoming more and more intense, this kīrtan. And Mahāprabhu is becoming ecstatic and the intensity keeps increasing, increasing and Advaita Āchārya’s son, Gopāl, he starts dancing madly, but he dances so... in such a frenzy that he collapses and it appears that he’s left the world, he is lying on the floor lifeless.
#00:12:35#
And all the devotees, they’re all crying and wailing... and then Mahāprabhu comes to him, seeing him lying there, and he’s [a] young boy, his name is Gopāl, and He says, “Gopāl! get up!” Like uttiṣṭhata jāgrata prāpya varān nibodhata (Kaṭha Upaniṣad: 1.3.14) in the Upaniṣad, [like that,] He’s saying. “Wake up!” jīva jāga, jīva jāga, gorāchada bale kata nidrā yāo māyā-piśāchīra kole (Song by Śrīla Bhakti Vinod Ṭhākur). “Get up, get up!” And here, direct command from Mahāprabhu, “Gopāl, get up!” And then Gopāl, his eyes open, he comes to life, and like the son of Chitraketu, who gave some philosophical talk—Bhaktivinod Ṭhākur has written songs about this—then of course, all the devotees are happy again.
#00:13:34#
But their eagerness is increasing day by day, and now the... they go for the Navakalevar offering and they’re seeing after this two-week separation, which is interminable to them... and, with their eyes, they’re drinking the beauty of the nectar of Jagannātha. And, [the] saying [is] that if His face is like honey, then their eyes are like bees. And so they’re just overwhelmed in appreciation of the beauty of Jagannātha.
#00:14:30#
And... we’re told, at that time, because the next day is Ratha-yātrā, the servitors of Jagannātha, they’re doubling the offerings in size, they’re making them [bigger]. They’re feeding Him even more, you know, because He’s going to go on a journey. [Laughter]. But then the day comes, as we will see, and it’s also, it’s [broadcast]. Last year, and I assume this will happen this year [also], it was broadcast on Youtube. The whole 9 hours or more. And it’s interesting to see, the first 5 hours, what they call the Pāṇḍu-vijaya, is Jagannātha going from the temple and taking seat on the cart. That’s the Pāṇḍu-vijaya, that’s around 5 hours.
#00:15:32#
To come from the temple, and as we, they still honour this tradition, the big pandas, they grab by the arms, some by the waist, they have a rope to [pull], and they have these... like that, you had in your hand, but big, see this? [Gesture]. Like that, big cotton pads. And they move Him from one [to the other], and He’s going like this, and to another, and some times it’s not going so smoothly, and we’re told, the pandas are cursing... They originally come from the sabar community, which are, like, hunter-gatherer types, primitives, but it’s the mercy of Jagannātha that He accepted them as His servitors. They’re not brahminical in the ordinary way we might think... previously, this is generations since.
#00:16:33#
But... and Jagannātha, we will see, you’ll see, They are wearing these crowns, Jagannātha, Subhadrā, Balarām, and the crowns they go to the left, and the right, and they’re going like this, and like that, and they’re pulling Jagannātha, and it takes around 5 hours. [Laughter]. And during that time, the pūjas are going on with the chariots and you see the different gods and goddesses that are on the chariots, all the horses, each horse has a specific name, and personality. The ropes are Anantadeva, the ropes are spiritually conscious ropes, every aspect is described in great detail and has some significance.
#00:17:30#
And even the... there are gods and goddesses worshipped with... you see the main dome of Jagannātha, and little, subordinate domes within, like, there’s a goddess, Vimala devi... Saraswati Ṭhākur was named Vimala Prasād by Bhaktivinod Ṭhākur. So... is there a conversation? [addressing someone in the audience]. I keep hearing a conversation. So... he was named Vimala Prasād when Bhaktivinod Ṭhākur was stationed in Jagannāth Purī. So...
#00:18:26#
The Pāṇḍu-vijaya, that is observed by Mahāprabhu and since by all the devotees... and when He sees Jagannātha coming, He starts saying, “Maṇi mā, maṇi mā!” which is in the local dialect, it’s someone, the beloved crying out to the beloved, you know, “My Lord!” in a very heartfelt way. Because after such a long time, this is celebrating after such a long time, Rādhārānī and Vraja-gopīs again seeing Kṛṣṇa. Jagannātha represents Dwārkā Kṛṣṇa. But we see... you’re saying, well, how did... is that what Kṛṣṇa looked like when He was in Dwārkā? And, yes, when feeling intense separation from Vṛndāvan, He underwent His ecstatic transformation.
#00:19:33#
That is the form of Jagannātha. So, they’re... Mahāprabhu’s heart is, you know rādhā-bhāva-dyuti-suvalitaṁ (Chaitanya-Chritāmṛtam, Ādi-līlā: 1.5) Svarūpa Dāmodara says He’s enveloped by the heart of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī and these sort of expressions are pouring out of His heart when He sees Jagannātha. And when Jagannātha ascends the chariot and the yātrā, the journey begins, then Mahāprabhu is dancing, and singing. But He has divided His devotees into 7 groups. And in each group, they have, like, two principal mṛdaṅga players, several kartāl players, a lead singer, a lead dancer...
#00:20:42#
So, Svarūp Damodar is a singer, Nityānanda is in the group, Śrīvās Ṭhākur, Vakreśvara Paṇḍit, Raghunandan Ṭhākur, Advaita Āchārya, Haridās Thakur... Gadādhara Paṇḍit. Gadādhar Paṇḍit’s position... Tomorrow is Tirobhav of Gadādhar Pandit, disappearance day. And... appeared on Amāvāsya, disappeared on Amāvāsya. Means the new moon, not visible. Gadādhar is in the background.
#00:21:31#
In one place, Kṛṣṇadās Kavirāj Goswāmī compares the position of Gadādhara Paṇḍit to that of the Dwārkā queen, Rukmiṇī. And, at first this appears to present an ontological dilemma, as we understand Gadādhar Paṇḍit to be Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī. So, why compare to the queen Rukmiṇī when in fact we’re told that Rādhārāṇī expands out of Vṛndāvan in the Dwārkā as Satyabhāmā. And if we know anything of the pastime of Satyabhāmā, she is very... she is filled with vāmya-bhāva. She is not agreeable to everything. She likes special treatment, and many things are Her character... as when Kṛṣṇa got [the] pārijāta flower for Rukmiṇī, Satyabhāmā wanted a tree. [Laughter].
#00:22:39#
Whereas Chandrāvalī, heart in Vṛndāvan, heart over intellect—heart is in the superior position. In Dwārkā, reverse will take place. So, intellect is in the superior position, heart in the secondary position. Means principal queen... Chandrāvalī expands in the Dwārkā as Rukmiṇī, Rādhārāṇī as Satyabhāmā. So, why would Kavirāj Goswāmī, the expert, compare Gadādhar Paṇḍit to Rukmiṇī? And... other than Guru Mahārāj, there’s no explanation. So, it helps you understand something about who Śrīla Guru Mahārāj is. He explains this. This is his original explanation.
#00:23:32#
He solves this apparent ontological dilemma. Why?
apāraṁ kasyāpi praṇayi-jana-vṛndasya kutukī
rasa-stomaṁ hṛtvā madhuram upabhoktuṁ kam api yaḥ
rucaṁ svām āvavre dyutim iha tadīyāṁ prakaṭayan
sa devaś caitanyākṛtir atitarāṁ naḥ kṛpayatu
(Śrī Chaitanya-charitāmṛta, Ādi-līlā: 4.52)
In the Chaitanyaṣṭakam of Śrīla Rūpa Goswāmī, very interestingly, perfectly, he is expressing who is Mahāprabhu, with reference to the rāsa-līlā, saying, in rāsa-līlā, Kṛṣṇa, as we hear from Gīta-govinda and elsewhere, millions, billions, if not trillions of gopīs [are there]. And they’re... imagine, they’re all incomparably beautiful, and unique in their beauty, charm, sweetness, speech, movement, dance, nature. That is inconceivable. Brahma-saṁhitā tells us what,
ānanda-cinmaya-rasa-pratibhāvitābhis
tābhir ya eva nija-rūpatayā kalābhiḥ
goloka eva nivasaty akhilātma-bhūto
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi
(Śrī Brahma-saṁhitā: 5.37)
#00:25:09#
As Kṛṣṇa has so many expansions, Rādhārāṇī has so many expansions. And of ascending qualification, the Lakṣmīs of Vaikuṇṭha, the mahiṣī-gaṇa, the queens of Dwārkā and the Vraja-gopīs of Vṛndāvan. Still, in that rāsa-līlā in Vrndāvan, all these gopīs and what, Kṛṣṇa, observing all of them, that the qualifications of one is superior to all others. And that is capturing His heart and imagination. She is super-qualified.
#00:26:04#
And, Jayadeva—Rāmānda Rāya, in expressing this to Mahāprabhu—rādhām ādhāya hṛdaye tatyāja vraja-sundarīḥ (Śrī Chaitanya-charitāmṛtam, Ādi-līlā: 4.219). Taking Rādhārāṇī in His heart, He, tatyāja vraja-sundarīḥ, the Vraja-sundarīs—the beautiful Vraja-gopīs, He leaves all of them to go in search of one. That’s his method of expressing Her unparalleled, incomparable, superior qualifications. So, as qualified as they are, and by that we mean, beauty, intellect, sweetness etc. She is so qualified as to cancel all of them to pull Kṛṣṇa. Hare, Hare Kṛṣṇa, we say. Guru Mahārāj said, Hare, Hara, harata. One meaning, it means Rādhārāṇī, but in the capacity of mind-stealing, heart-stealing.
#00:27:10#
As Kṛṣṇa is Madan-Mohan, you know, He is bewildering cupid whom everyone is under the bewildering influence of, Rādhārāṇī [is] Madan-Mohan Mohinī. She can bewilder and attract Kṛṣṇa. So rādhām ādhāya hṛdaye tatyāja vraja-sundarīḥ (Śrī Chaitanya-charitāmṛtam, Ādi-līlā: 4.219). So, observing Her... Rūpa Goswāmī says in his śloka, that
apāraṁ kasyāpi praṇayi-jana-vṛndasya kutukī
rasa-stomaṁ hṛtvā madhuram upabhoktuṁ kam api yaḥ…
(Śrī Chaitanya-charitāmṛta, Ādi-līlā: 4.52)
This has awakened the curiosity in Him about what is the... oh, harata, I was saying, Hare, She can take, steal Kṛṣṇa. So, Guru Mahārājj [says], “She has the greatest stealing capacity. Because She can steal Krsna.”
#00:28:12#
But Kṛṣṇa observing Her, and He is thinking... it awakens in Him the curiosity of what Her heart is like and what it is capable of. He is on the receiving end of Her love and affection. That’s why all this expansion has taken place, is out of the love and affection for Rādhārāṇī for Kṛṣṇa, to expand that. She wants there to be unlimited, infinite expansion of loving service to Kṛṣṇa. That’s why She is happy to hear any newly recruited devotee, because it will culminate in the expansion of loving service to Kṛṣṇa. Rādhārāṇī is very happy about that.
#00:29:04#
I remember hearing, when I first joined... Prabhupāda would say that when a new devotee came, that Rādhārani goes to Kṛṣṇa and says, “Kṛṣṇa! You must accept them, they are better than Me!” That’s impossible. But that is Her mood. But, if they will, in Guru Mahārāj’s words, accept Rādhārāṇī’s suggestion, they may be able to exhibit something extraordinary that is very much appreciated by Kṛṣṇa. If they come under Her influence, and accept Her suggestion. So, this awakens in Mahāprabhu, [no], in Kṛṣṇa, the thought of experiencing Her position. But as Govinda, the enjoyer, that’s not possible, it’s only theoretically possible, but He cannot feel that and experience that.
#00:30:11#
He will have to suppress the position of enjoyer, right? So, we say Rādhā-bhāva, means the heart of Rādhārāṇī—rādhā-bhāva-dyuti-suvalitaṁ (Śrī Chaitanya-charitāmṛtam, Ādi-līlā: 1.5). Enveloped by the heart and halo of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, is Gauraṅga Mahāprabhu. rāsotsa vah… So, He can taste what She is tasting, experience the kind of love She has for Kṛṣṇa, that She alone possesses and the sort of ecstasy that She experiences. Kavirāj Goswāmī in the beginning of Charitāmṛtam quoting Svarūp Dāmodar, is saying:
śrī-rādhāyāḥ praṇaya-mahimā kīdṛśo vānayaivā-
svādyo yenādbhuta-madhurimā kīdṛśo vā madīyaḥ
saukhyaṁ cāsyā mad-anubhavataḥ kīdṛśaṁ veti lobhāt
tad-bhāvāḍhyaḥ samajani śacī-garbha-sindhau harīnduḥ
(Śrī Chaitanya-charitāmṛta, Ādi-līlā: 1.6)
I can’t recall now.
#00:31:23#
But, those three things, he pointed [out], these are the internal reasons for Mahāprabhu’s descent, for Kṛṣṇa’s descent as Mahāprabhu. And, here, the point is, He... what does He do to achieve this position? He steals Her heart. That, those words are used. We first heard them from Śrīla Guru Mahārāj. But Guru Mahārāj is echoing what is expressed by Rūpa Goswāmī. The very word, steal... this is not something that She is going to give, we can say, voluntarily. So, He steals, plunders, Her heart. We say Her heart [unintelligible], He’s stealing Her heart. And, by extension, [Her] halo.
#00:32:16#
And, what [it] means, [is] that the remainder of Rādhārāṇī, absent the heart and halo, is Gadādhar. So, now as Kṛṣṇa’s position has been suppressed, Her vāmya-bhāva, that divine disagreeable nature of opposition, that makes, is really the hallmark of who She is, which inspires Kṛṣṇa to greater and greater degrees of loving affection and intensity, that’s been plundered. And that’s Her real wealth. So, Guru Mahārāj said, Gadādhar is the remainder. And he said, like a man who had money in a bag, and someone stole all the money, and he is running after that person with empty bag, saying, give me my wealth back, please!
#00:33:17#
So… but... so, Gadādhar Paṇḍit knows what He is experiencing. Gadādhar Paṇḍit and Svarūp Dāmodar know, and of course, Rūpa Goswāmī, Śrī Rūpa. They know what He is experiencing. So Guru Mahārāj wrote in his Gadādhar praṇām
nīlāmbhodhi-taṭe sadā sva-virahā-kṣepanvitaṁ bāndhavaṁ
śrīmad-bhāgavatī kathā madirayā sañjīvayan bhāti yaḥ
śrīmad-bhāgavataṁ sadā sva-nayanāśru-pāyanaiḥ pūjayan
gosvāmi-prabaro gadādhara-vibhūr-bhūyāt mad-ekā-gatiḥ
- Śrīla Bhakti Rakṣak Śrīdhar
Dev-Goswāmi Mahārāj
(see The Golden Volcano of Divine Love, p. 11)
#00:34:08#
That... so Mahāprabhu and the broad blue, shore of the broad blue ocean in Purī sometimes we hear Jagannātha called Nīlachala-chandra. Nīlachala means blue mountain, but nīla means blue, and the blue ocean. Nīlachala-chandra. nīlāmbhodhi-taṭe—on the shore of the broad blue ocean, nīlāmbhodhi-taṭe sadā sva-virahā. sva-virahā means what is He experiencing? Separation from Himself. kṣepanvitaṁ bāndhavaṁ. In the association of His dearest friend. And this is so sweet if we think... Who is Mahāprabhu’s dearest friend here? Nityānanda Prabhu in another context, but who’s His dearest friend? Gadādhar Paṇḍit. Who is Gadādhar Pandit? Śrīmati Rādhārāṇī.
#00:35:12#
And Rādhārāṇī is explaining the Bhāgavatam. What sort of Bhāgavatam class is that? We can say, so many great speakers of the Bhāgavatam we hear, great commentators on the Bhāgavatam. And certainly they are, and we worship them and their commentaries, and what they’ve extracted. But imagine, if Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī Herself, She is explaining the Bhāgavatam. What verses will She select, how will She explain them? Only she can know what they mean to Her when She is feeling deep separation from Kṛṣṇa. And She likes to hear the singing Lalitā sakhī and Viśākhā sakhī, and they’re singing songs to either assuage the grief and anguish in Her heart or augment, amplify, certain emotions.
#00:36:21#
But [only] She knows this. There’s Mahāprabhu, Kṛṣṇa, in terra incognita, a previously unexplored world, which is the heart of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, Kṛṣṇa, is astonished. Remember, He descended in the world for this purpose. Externally, nāma-saṅkīrtan for everyone, but internally, jadi gaura nā ho’to tobe ki hoito kemone dhoritām de rādhāra mahimā prema-rasa-sīmā jagate jānāta ke? (Song by Śrīla Vāsudeva Ghoṣa). To tell the glories of Rādhārāṇī to the world. He wants everyone to know this. Kṛṣṇa wants everyone to know how great Rādhārāṇī is. How sweet is that! He wants everyone to know, how exalted is His beloved. How great... She is the greatest devotee and what is the power of Her devotion? [The power of Her devotion is] to convert Kṛṣṇa into a devotee.
#00:37:28#
That should be impossible. She has converted Him into a devotee. He wants to be like Her. She never wants to be like Him. There’s no inverse [desire]. Sometimes, in the madness of separation, the vraja-gopīs are [saying], I am Kṛṣṇa, and I will punish Kāliya! That’s another thing, they’re playing. It’s in līlā, they’re lost in divine madness, they’re... they’re trying to help one another, comfort [each other]. That’s not the same. The devotees never desire the position of the Lord. She doesn’t have some parallel pastime where She is the enjoyer. Never.
#00:38:22#
This is so beautiful. But He, wants to be like a devotee. How humble also. He wants to be a devotee. sva-bhaktebhyaḥ śuddhāṁ nija-bhajana-mudrām upadiśan (Śrī Chaitanya-charitāmṛta, Ādi-līlā: 3.66). And show everyone how to be a proper devotee. She is the proper devotee. And Her friends, and assistants, entourage. So, their... Mahāprabhu, He’s feeling the deepest pain of separation, what She feels like when She is separated from Kṛṣṇa. It’s heart-breaking, but nectar-producing. And in that condition, Gadādhar Paṇḍit is taking verses from the Bhāgavatam and supplying them to Mahāprabhu.
#00:39:29#
And that’s either bringing some relief, or augmenting certain sentiments. And what does He say? Sañjīvayan. Sañjīvayan means life-giving. The tenth stage—separation has different stages—the tenth and final stage is death. na prema-gandho ‘sti darāpi me harau (Śrī Chaitanya-charitāmṛta, Madhya-līlā: 2.45). Echoing the sentiments of Rādhārāṇī, Mahāprabhu is saying, I don’t have a scent of the fragrance of Kṛṣṇa-prema, what to speak of a drop of that divine substance. What’s the proof? I go on living. Because if you really love Kṛṣṇa, you couldn’t live for a moment [without Him]. You would have to die immediately. On a moment’s separation from Kṛṣṇa, you would drop dead on the spot. And here I am, alive, showing my face to the world, going on.
#00:40:28#
Means I have no love for Kṛṣṇa. So all those devotees who’ve reached a death-like condition, their last thought is, that would make Kṛṣṇa unhappy. So they avoid that. Only for Kṛṣṇa’s [sake]. It’s intolerable to them, but they don’t want to make Kṛṣṇa unhappy. So, Mahāprabhu, He has had a death-like stage of separation so many times. We hear, in the middle of the night, He suddenly vanishes from the gambhīrā, He is in front of Siṁha-dvārā They find His limbs, like Jagannātha, His limbs are within His body, like a tortoise, He looks like a golden pumpkin. Giant, golden, pumpkin. They find [Him like this], the devotees, this is very disturbing to them, where they find Him floating in the ocean, as if in a death-like state.
#00:41:30#
All on the verge… it’s so heart-swallowing, devouring, heart-stopping. So... why did I say that? Ohh, so, Gadādhar Paṇḍit is giving those ślokas. But imagine Gadādhar is singing with—there’s Mahāprabhu, it’s Kṛṣṇa, and Rādhārāṇī but now in their āchārya-līlā. Mahāprabhu and Gadādhar Paṇḍit. And Gadādhar Paṇḍit singing these ślokas to Mahāprabhu, and while singing tears are streaming from the eyes of Gadādhar Paṇḍit and falling on to the pages of the Bhāgavatam, like offerings. And washing away the words of those ślokas.
#00:42:20#
And that Gadādhar Paṇḍit, when Mahāprabhu tries to go to Vṛndāvan, first He—every time He tries to go, somehow, the devotees, the pull of the devotees keeps Him from going. And He’s trying to negotiate something with them where they will allow Him to go... and, Sarvabhauma Bhaṭṭāchārya, and... they’re [like], well, now, yes, you can go, but now is the rainy season for four months, so you can go after that. Then that time comes, and they go, ooh, so cold now, not good, you know. And again... and then finally Mahāprabhu, when they say, all right, at the... [they’re saying], stay for Ratha-yātrā, and then at the end of the four months, then, Kārtika, then [they say] you can go, you are free, you can always… now you could go, but please, don’t go till then. And then Mahāprabhu is saying, “I tried to go, but Gadādhar was unhappy.”
#00:43:20#
[Laughter]. And Gaḍādar Paṇḍit is saying, You’re always [blaming me], You can do whatever you want! He [Mahāprabhu] is saying, I tried to go, but you were unhappy, but now, if you’ll give some permission... Gadādhar is saying, just stay for this time, and few festivals are coming, and then... And Mahāprabhu says, all right. And that day, we’re told, Gadādhar Paṇḍit cooks so beautifully, wonderfully. Rādhārāṇī is the best cook of all. And Gadādhar Paṇḍit cooks in Purī sometimes and Mahāprabhu comes. That day is a very happy day. And Nityānanda Prabu comes, sometimes Nityānanda Prabhu brings the ingredients for Gadādhar Paṇḍit to cook for Mahāprabhu.
#00:44:20#
So, Narottam Ṭhākur [says] gaura prema-moya tanu paṇḍita gadādhara. Gadādhar Paṇḍit is Gaura-prema... Gaura-prema personified. As there is Kṛṣṇa-prema, there’s Gaura-prema. And Gadādhar Paṇḍit is Gaura-prema personified. And Śrīla Bhatisiddhanta Saraswati Ṭhākur told that, in his conclusion of the Chaitanya-charitāmṛtam commentary, that if I look very deeply my gurus, Gaura Kishor Dās Bābāji Mahārāj, Bhaktivinod Ṭhākur, I see Bābāji Mahārāj as Svarūp Dāmodar, and I see Bhaktivinod Ṭhākur as Gadādhar Paṇḍit.
#00:45:21#
And Gaura Gadādhar, as Śrīla Gurudeva said, is the private bhajan chamber of Bhaktivinod Ṭhākur. His worshipful deity is Gaura Gadādhar. So...and as the chariot begins to move, and Jagannātha [is moving], and Mahāprabhu starts singing prayers...
namo brahmaṇya-devāya
go-brāhmaṇa-hitāya ca
jagad-dhitāya kṛṣṇāya
govindāya namo namaḥ
(Śrī Chaitanya-charitāmṛta, Madhya-līlā: 13.77)
and jayati jana-nivāso (Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 10.90.48) śloka from the Bhāgavatam and other ślokas... begins by offering some very profound, but foundational type prayers, we could say.
#00:46:20#
But then as time goes on, the more heart-revealing, personal prayers are being expressed. He is dancing, we’re told, in three different ways, sometimes the so-called tāṇḍava, excuse me, uddaṇḍa nṛtya. That means leaping high, hands raised, leaping straight up in the air, like a daṇḍa, uddaṇḍa nṛtya. Jumping up in the air and landing in [the ground], jumping up in the air and landing again. Then there’s tāṇḍava nṛtya, that means, like, devastating, wild, frenetic, mad, uncontrolled dancing. But then, there’s madhura nṛtya, the sweet dancing. And when Svarūp Dāmodar starts singing the, like, sweet type love songs, then Mahāprabhu shifts to sweet type of dancing.
#00:47:30#
And sometimes, we’re told, He is in the mood of Rādhārāṇī, remember... and then, like, He’s behind the cart, then the chariot stops. Mahāprabhu as Rādhārāṇī is saying, did you forget us? Vraja-gopīs and Nanda, Yaśodā, Śrīdāma, Subala and the cows... did you forget everybody? And Jagannātha is stopping the cart—No. I have not forgotten you, I have never forgotten you. Then, gradually, when He comes before the cart, then the chariot begins again. And we’re told, Jagannātha is astonished to see the dancing of Mahāprabhu. And Jagannātha is Kṛṣṇa. But Jagannātha is... His eyes are getting even bigger. He is watching the dancing of Mahāprabhu in astonishment. And also, Subhadrā and Baladeva, they’re also astonished to see the dancing of Mahāprabhu.
#00:48:32#
And... I just want to read something from this one section, because this is very favorite to Śrīla Guru Mahārāj and Śrīla Gurudeva. It’s actually... they can sing this by heart. So, it says... I’ll just read a little: The car of Lord Jagannātha began to move slowly while the son of mother Sachī went and danced in front. While dancing and singing, all the devotees in front of Jagannātha kept their eyes on Him. Mahāprabhu then went to the end of the procession with the saṅkīrtan performers, the kīrtanīyas. His eyes and mind fully absorbed in Jagannātha, Mahaprabhu began to play the drama of the song with His two arms.
#00:49:30#
When Mahāprabhu was dramatically enacting the song, He would sometimes fall behind in the procession and sometimes Jagannātha’s car would come to a standstill. Mahāprabhu again went forward, Jagannātha’s car would start slowly again. Thus, [there was] this sort of competition between Mahāprabhu and Jagannātha in seeing who would lead. But Mahāprabhu was so strong, He made Jagannātha wait in His car. While Mahāprabhu was dancing—nācite nācite prabhura hailā bhāvāntara hasta tuli’ śloka paḍe kari’ uccaiḥ-svara (Śrī Chaitanya-charitāmṛta, Madhya-līlā: 13.120). While Mahāprabhu was dancing, His ecstasy changed. Raising His two arms, He began to recite the following verse in a loud voice:
yaḥ kaumāra-haraḥ sa eva hi varas tā eva caitra-kṣapās
te conmīlita-mālatī-surabhayaḥ prauḍhāḥ kadambānilāḥ
sā caivāsmi tathāpi tatra surata-vyāpāra-līlā-vidhau
revā-rodhasi vetasī-taru-tale cetaḥ samutkaṇṭhate
(Śrī Chaitanya-charitāmṛta, Madhya-līlā: 13.121)
#00:50:42#
“That person who stole my heart during my youth is now again my master. These are the same moonlit nights of the month of chaitra, the same fragrance of mālatī flower is there and the same sweet breezes are blowing the kadamba forest. In our intimate relationship, I am also the same lover, yet still my mind is not happy here. I am eager to go back to that place on the bank of the Revā under the Vetasī tree. That is my desire”. This verse was recited by Mahāprabhu again and again. But for Svarūp Dāmodar, no one can understand its meaning. And we know, of course, Rūpa Goswāmī wrote the parallel śloka, priyaḥ so’yaṁ kṛṣṇaḥ, saying that boy is Kṛṣṇa, that girl is Rādhārāṇī, the river is Yamunā, the place is Vṛndāvan, and this is the mood that comes from Her in Vrndāvan, in [the] Kurukṣetra meeting.
#00:51:35#
That’s why [in the] Ratha-yātrā they want to take Kṛṣṇa back to Vṛndāvan. Formally, all the gopīs were pleased when they met with Kṛṣṇa in the holy Kurukṣetra. Similarly, after seeing Jagannātha, Mahāprabhu woke with the ecstasy of the gopīs. Being absorbed in this ecstasy He asked Svarūp Dāmodar to sing the refrain. Mahāprabhu spoke thus to Jagannātha: You are the same Kṛṣṇa, I am the same Rādhārāṇī, We are meeting again in the same way We met in the beginning of Our lives. Although We are both the same, My mind is still attracted to Vṛndāvan. I wish that you would please appear there again with your lotus feet in Vṛndāvan.
#00:52:22#
She says, here in Kurukṣetra, you are dressed like a prince. Accompanied by so many soldiers... In Vṛndāvan, You appear like a cow-herd boy, gopa-veśa and muralī-vadana. Playing your flute. Here there is not even a drop of the ocean of happiness that I enjoy with you in Vṛndāvan. I therefore request You to come to Vṛndāvan and enjoy Your pastimes with Me. If you do so, then My desires will be fulfilled. I have already described Rādhārāṇī’s statement from Bhāgavatam. In an ecstatic mood, Mahāprabhu recited many verses. But people in general could not understand their meaning. The meaning of those verses was well understood by Svarūp Dāmodar, but he did not reveal it. However, Rūpa Goswāmī broadcast the meaning.
#00:53:18#
āhuś ca te nalina-nābha padāravindaṁ
yogeśvarair hṛdi vicintyam agādha-bodhaiḥ
saṁsāra-kūpa-patitottaraṇāvalambaṁ
gehaṁ juṣām api manasy udiyāt sadā naḥ
(Śrī Chaitanya-charitāmṛta, Madhya-līlā: 13.136)
The gopīs say, “Dear Lord whose navel is like a lotus flower, Your lotus feet are the only shelter for those have fallen deep in the deep well of material existence. Your feet are worshipped and meditated upon by great mystic yogis and highly learned philosophers. We wish that—means karmīs, jñānīs, yogis—we wish that those lotus feet may be awakened within our hearts, although we are ordinary persons engaged in household affairs.” And these are the lines Guru Mahārāj, Gurudev liked about…
#00:54:08#
Speaking in the mood of Rādhārāṇī, Mahāprabhu would say:
anyera hṛdaya—mana, mora mana—vṛndāvana,
‘mane’
‘vane’ eka kari’ jāni
tāhāṅ tomāra pada-dvaya, karāha yadi udaya,
tabe tomāra
pūrṇa kṛpā māni
(Śrī Chaitanya-charitāmṛta, Madhya-līlā: 13.137)
Rādhārāṇī—Mahāprabhu as Rādhārāṇī is saying, “For most people the mind and heart are one. But because My mind is never separated from Vṛndāvan, my mind and Vṛndāvan are one.” So one thing we can understand from this, Vṛndāvan is a construct of the heart of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī. She is... wants expansion of the sevā of Kṛṣṇa.
#00:55:02#
So Bhaktivinod Ṭhākur in one of his songs, Rādhāṣtakam says, rādhā-padāṅkita dhāma vṛndāvana jār nāma. What is Vṛndāvan proper? He is saying, that land, remember vaikuṇṭhera pṛthivy-ādi sakala chinmaya (Śrī Chaitanya-charitāmṛta, Ādi-līlā: 5.53). The soil is all chinmaya. Spiritually conscious substance enriched with the highest sort of dedicating tendency or devotion. He’s saying, the soil that is embellished with the lotus footprints of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, that is Vṛndāvan.
#00:55:50#
So, She said, my mind is already Vṛndāvan. Since You like Vṛndavan, will you please place your lotus feet there? That would be, I think, Your [complete,] full mercy.
prāṇa-nātha, śuna mora satya
nivedana
vraja—āmāra sadana, tāhāṅ tomāra saṅgama,
nā
pāile nā rahe jīvana
(Śrī Chaitanya-charitāmṛta, Madhya-līlā: 13.138)
“My dear Lord, hear my true submission. My home is Vṛndāvan, I want Your association there. But if I do not get it, it’ll be very difficult for Me to keep My life.”
pūrve uddhava-dvāre, ebe sākṣāt āmāre,
yoga-jñāne kahilā
upāya
tumi—vidagdha, kṛpāmaya, jānaha āmāra hṛdaya,
more aiche kahite nā
yuyāya
(Śrī Chaitanya-charitāmṛta, Madhya-līlā: 13.139)
“My dear Kṛṣṇa, formerly, when you were staying in Mathurā, You sent Uddhava to teach Me yoga and jñāna. Now, You are saying the same thing. But My mind doesn’t accept it. There’s no place in My mind for jñāna or yoga. Although You know Me very well, still You are instructing Me in jñāna-yoga and dhyāna-yoga. It is not right for You to do this.
#00:57:19#
citta kāḍhi’ tomā haite, viṣaye cāhi lāgāite,
yatna
kari, nāri kāḍhibāre
tāre dhyāna śikṣā karāha, loka hāsāñā māra,
sthānāsthāna
nā kara vicāre
(Śrī Chaitanya-charitāmṛta, Madhya-līlā: 13.140)
“I would like to withdraw My consciousness from You, stop thinking about You and engage in material activities. But even if I try, I cannot do that. I am naturally inclined to You only. Your instructions for Me to meditate on You are ludicrous.” The gopīs are saying, we cannot stop thinking about You. So, what could You possibly mean by “learn to meditate?” We can’t get You out of our minds, we can’t stop remembering the beauty of Your face, Your gestures, Your voice, the sweet sound of Your flute...
#00:58:18#
And She says, “In this way, You’re killing Me. It is not very good for You to think of Me as a candidate for Your instructions.”
nahe gopī yogeśvara, pada-kamala tomāra,
dhyāna
kari’ pāibe santoṣa
tomāra vākya-paripāṭī, tāra madhye kuṭināṭī,
śuni’
gopīra āro bāḍhe roṣa
(Śrī Chaitanya-charitāmṛta, Madhya-līlā: 13.141)
“The gopīs are not mystic yogīs. We will never be satisfied by simply meditating on Your lotus feet, imitating yogīs. Teaching the gopīs about meditation is another type of cheating. When they’re instructed to undergo mystic yoga practice, they’re not at all satisfied. On the contrary, they become more and more angry with You.”
#00:59:18#
deha-smṛti nāhi yāra, saṁsāra-kūpa kāhāṅ tāra,
tāhā
haite nā cāhe uddhāra
viraha-samudra-jale, kāma-timiṅgile gile,
gopī-gaṇe
neha’ tāra pāra
(Śrī Chaitanya-charitāmṛta, Madhya-līlā: 13.142)
“The gopīs have fallen into the great ocean of separation and are being devoured by the timiṅgila fish of their ambition to serve You. The gopīs are to be delivered from the mouth of this timiṅgila fish (which is a whale-eating fish).” You understand? Whales... these can eat, swallow whales.
#01:00:00#
Since they have no material conception of life, why they should they aspire for liberation? She’s saying deha-smṛti nāhi yāra—we have no bodily conception and no bodily consciousness. So why should You give us instructions that are meant for people who are in bodily consciousness? We don’t have any. The gopīs do not want liberation, they’re already liberated.
vṛndāvana, govardhana, yamunā-pulina, vana,
sei
kuñje rāsādika līlā
sei vrajera vraja-jana, mātā, pitā, bandhu-gaṇa,
baḍa
citra, kemane pāsarilā
(Śrī Chaitanya-charitāmṛta, Madhya-līlā: 13.143)
She said, “It is amazing you have forgotten Vṛndāvan. How is it You have forgotten Your mother, Your father, Your friends... did You forget the Govardhana hill, the Jamunā and the rāsa-līlā?
#01:01:07#
Kṛṣṇa, She’s saying, You’re vidagdha—means clever, mṛdu—gentle, full of good qualities, nice, You’re merciful, You are all these things... I know that there’s not even a tinge of fault to be found in You, yet, Your mind does not remember us. And then She said, this is only My misfortune. āmāra durdaiva-vilāsa (Śrī Chaitanya-charitāmṛta, Madhya-līlā: 13.144). Durdaiva means misfortune, sometimes Guru Mahārāj said, it means my bad luck. Remember the second verse of Śikṣāṣṭakam:
nāmnām akāri bahudhā nija-sarva-śaktis
tatrārpitā niyamitaḥ smaraṇe na kālaḥ
etādṛśī tava kṛpā bhagavan mamāpi
durdaivam īdṛśam ihājani nānurāgaḥ
(Śikṣāṣṭakam: Verse 2)
#01:02:06#
Durdaivam is there again. He’s saying, so, in Your Holy Name, Your Holy Name has all these wonderful potencies everything, what’s wrong with Me? I have no appreciation for that. Durdaivam, it’s my misfortune, my bad luck. Then, She said:
nā gaṇi āpana-duḥkha, dekhi’ vrajeśvarī-mukha,
vraja-janera
hṛdaya vidare
kibā māra’ vraja-vāsī, kibā jīyāo vraje āsi’,
kena
jīyāo duḥkha sahāibāre?
(Śrī Chaitanya-charitāmṛta, Madhya-līlā: 13.145)
I do not care for My personal unhappiness, but when I see the morose face of mother Yaśodā, the hearts of the inhabitants of Vṛndāvan breaking because of You, I wonder whether You want to kill them all...
#01:03:04#
Or, do you want to enliven them by coming there. Why are You keeping them alive in a state of suffering? She’s saying like, You are killing them, but You’re keeping them alive at the same time with this hope that You may return, but You don’t come back. tomāra ye anya veśa (Śrī Chaitanya-charitāmṛta, Madhya-līlā: 13.146). And remember, this is what Mahāprabhu is saying in front of the Jagannātha. And people are singing, dancing, kīrtan everything...then, these are what’s coming from His heart, what’s being expressed.
tomāra ye anya veśa, anya saṅga, anya deśa,
vraja-jane
kabhu nāhi bhāya
vraja-bhūmi chāḍite nāre, tomā nā dekhile mare,
vraja-janera
ki habe upāya
(Śrī Chaitanya-charitāmṛta, Madhya-līlā: 13.146)
#01:04:09#
So, She’s saying, the Vraja-jana, the people of Vṛndāvan, they don’t want You dressed like a prince. They don’t like it. Nor do they want You with all these soldiers and people in a different country. They cannot leave Vṛndāvan. See, this is the problem. And without Your presence, they’re all dying. What is their condition…? They can’t leave Vṛndāvan... we might [be saying], wait, but if Kṛṣṇa is in another place, the solar eclipse Kurukṣetra is an excuse for this one-time chance meeting, but because Guru Mahārāj [also said], Vṛndāvan—Kṛṣṇa’s paraphernalia is inseparable from Him. So, Kṛṣṇa in another place... that can’t be... Svayam Bhagavān, Pūrṇa Bhagavān, Kṛṣṇa.
#01:05:09#
Therefore, Dwārkā Kṛṣṇa, Mathurā Kṛṣṇa, Vaikuṇṭha Kṛṣṇa… Their love is so great for Kṛṣṇa, that even... you would think Dwārka Kṛṣṇa comes pretty close. He’s got to come back to Vṛndāvan, dressed like a cowherd-boy, get the flute, [play on the] banks of the Jamunā... Vrndāvan is [an] inseparable paraphernalia of Kṛṣṇa and His devotees. Remember, Vṛndāvan... in another point of view, Vṛndāvan is Rādhārāṇī. What kind of Kṛṣṇa without Rādhārāṇī?
#01:06:10#
tumi—vrajera jīvana, vraja-rājera prāṇa-dhana,
tumi
vrajera sakala sampad
kṛpārdra tomāra mana, āsi’ jīyāo vraja-jana,
vraje
udaya karāo nija-pada
(Śrī Chaitanya-charitāmṛta, Madhya-līlā: 13.147)
“My dear Kṛṣṇa, You are the life and soul of Vṛndāvan. You’re especially the life of Nanda Mahārāj. You are the only opulence in the land of Vṛndāvan and You are very merciful. Please, come and let all the residents of Vṛndāvan live. Kindly keep Your lotus feet again in Vṛndāvan.”
śuniyā rādhikā-vāṇī, vraja-prema mane āni,
bhāve
vyākulita deha-mana
vraja-lokera prema śuni’, āpanāke ‘ṛṇī’ māni’,
kare
kṛṣṇa tāṅre āśvāsana
(Śrī Chaitanya-charitāmṛta, Madhya-līlā: 13.148)
#01:07:22#
After hearing Rādhārāṇī’s statements, Kṛṣṇa’s love for the inhabitants of Vṛndāvan was evoked and His body and mind became very much perturbed. After hearing of their love for Him, He immediately thought Himself to be always indebted to the residents of Vṛndāvan. Then, Kṛṣṇa began to pacify Rādhārāṇī as follows: Prāṇa-priye... that is a beautiful name, Prāṇa-priya.
prāṇa-priye, śuna, mora
e-satya-vacana
tomā-sabāra smaraṇe, jhuroṅ muñi rātri-dine,
mora duḥkha nā jāne kona
jana
(Śrī Chaitanya-charitāmṛta, Madhya-līlā: 13.149)
#01:08:14#
“My dear Prāṇa-priye Rādhārāṇī, please hear Me. I’m telling You the truth, I cry day and night simply upon remembering all of You. No one knows how unhappy this makes Me.” So whenever anyone is bewildered by Kṛṣṇa’s apparent cruelty, insensitivity or separating Himself, here Kṛṣṇa is saying, I cry day and night. No one knows how unhappy I am.
vraja-vāsī yata jana, mātā, pitā, sakhā-gaṇa,
sabe haya
mora prāṇa-sama
tāṅra madhye gopī-gaṇa, sākṣāt mora jīvana,
tumi
mora jīvanera jīvana
(Śrī Chaitanya-charitāmṛta, Madhya-līlā: 13.150)
#01:09:13#
All the inhabitants of Vṛndāvana-dhāma, the vraja-vāsis, My mother, father, the cowherd boys, everyone, are like My life and soul. And among the inhabitants of Vṛndāvan, the gopī-gaṇa—the gopīs are My life and soul. And among the gopīs... anyway, Kṛṣṇa is apologising.
#01:10:37#
And it concludes with the verse:
mayi bhaktir hi bhūtānām
amṛtatvāya kalpate
diṣṭyā yad āsīn mat-sneho
bhavatīnāṁ mad-āpanaḥ
(Śrī Chaitanya-charitāmṛta, Madhya-līlā: 13.160)
Where He is saying, it’s His good fortune to be the object of love and affection that’s in the heart of Rādhārāṇī and Vraja-gopīs. And then Kavirāj Goswāmī concludes by saying, Mahāprabhu would sit in His room with Svarūp Dāmodar and taste these topics, these verses, day and night.
#01:11:16#
“Mahāprabhu danced completely absorbed in ecstatic emotions while looking at the face of Jagannātha and He danced and recited these verses.” I didn’t read all of them but this whole section is Mahāprabhu before Jagannātha. “No one can describe the good fortune of Svarūp Dāmodar Goswāmī for he is always absorbed in the service of the Lord with his body, mind and words. The senses of Mahāprabhu were identical with the senses of Svarūp Dāmodar. Therefore, Mahāprabhu used to become fully absorbed in tasting the singing of Svarūp Dāmodar. In emotional ecstasy, Mahāprabhu would sometimes sit on the ground and looking down would write on the ground with His finger. Fearing that the Lord would injure His finger by writing in this way, Svarūp Dāmodar would check Him with his own hand.”
#01:12:15#
prabhura bhāvānurūpa svarūpera gāna (Śrī Chaitanya-charitāmṛta, Madhya-līlā: 13.167). Svarūp Dāmodar used to sing exactly according to the ecstatic emotions of the Lord, whether [whenever] a particular mellow was being tasted by Mahāprabhu, whenever. Svarūp Dāmodar would personify it by singing. Mahāprabhu looked upon the beautiful lotus face, like, face and eyes of Jagannātha. Jagannātha was garlanded, dressed in nice garments, adorned in beautiful ornaments, His face glittering from the rays of sunshine, the entire atmosphere fragrant. An ocean of transcendental bliss expanded in the heart of Mahāprabhu and symptoms of madness immediately intensified like a hurricane. The madness of transcendental bliss created waves of various emotions. The emotions appeared like opposing soldiers staging a fight.
#01:13:17#
And he’s saying, His body was like a transcendental Himalayan mountain bearing ecstatic emotional flower trees, all of them blooming. The sight of this attracted everyone’s mind and consciousness. Indeed the Lord sprinkled everyone’s mind with the nectar of transcendental love of God—premāmṛta-vṛṣṭye (Śrī Chaitanya-charitāmṛta, Madhya-līlā: 13.174). He sprinkled the minds of the servants of Jagannātha, the government officers, the pilgrims, the people in general, all the residents of Purī. Upon seeing His dancing, everyone was astonished and their hearts became infatuated with Kṛṣṇa-prema. Everyone danced in ecstatic love and a great noise resounded. Everyone was overwhelmed just to see the dancing of Mahāprabhu, as were Jagannātha, Balarāma...
#01:14:23#
And, then when Mahāprabhu falls in ecstasy—He falls on the ground—then Pratāparudra Mahārāj comes and—he is dressed as a king in this time—and he picks Him up and, like, nurses Him back to consciousness and Mahāprabhu sees he is a king, and He goes, like “Ahhh!” Like, oh, my God, what happened? Who can save Me now?... Pratāparudra Mahārāj is like, ohh, no! Because all the devotees are telling him, certainly you are going to get the Lord’s mercy, we can see it coming. But when He saw him sweep in front of Jagannātha, again Mahāprabhu’s heart melted. Like, ohh, so humble, he’s the king and he is sweeping before the chariot. And to this day, the king comes out with the broom and sweeps before the chariot.
#01:15:27#
But then, we are told but Mahāprabhu is showing everyone, avoid bad association. Then... poor Pratāparudra Mahārāj... but then Sārvabhauma says, “No, what you need to do now... Mahāprabhu is very exhausted from singing and dancing, you go in this garden [and] wait there, but not in your king dress, just dress like a humble devotee.” And, so he is waiting there in the garden, Mahāprabhu comes in and He is lying down, and then, he thinks one of His devotees is massaging His feet, and it’s Pratāparudra Mahārāj. And he starts singing the gopī-gītā. And this is too much for Mahāprabhu, it’s so beautiful, their songs in separation. And when he sings the śloka:
tava katamṛtam tapta jīvanam
kavibhir īḍitaṁ kalmaṣāpaham
śravaṇa-maṅgalaṁ śrīmad-ātataṁ
bhuvi gṛṇanti ye bhūridā janāḥ
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 10.31.9)
#01:16:28#
Where they [gopīs] are saying, the topics of You, hearing about You, this is the life-saving nectar. Puts an end to all suffering and is sprinkling nectar on the heart, it gives one wealth, auspiciousness. The best thing you can do for anyone in the world. And Mahāprabhu jumps up and... so, He doesn’t know who it is who’s doing this... and He is saying, ohh, bhūri-dā, bhūri-dā, you’re such a generous person, you’re so wonderful, you’re doing the real welfare work in this world, there’s no one giving anything more wonderful than you, I can’t possibly repay you, I can just hug you. And then He hugs Pratāparudra Mahārāj, Gajapati [king]. Gajapati-taralah, kripotseka-taralah (Rupa Goswami, Stava Mala, 1.3).
#01:17:26#
And of course, it goes on. So... and then, when they finally... they begin again, and the chariot cannot move, then Mahāprabhu with His [entourage], Pratāparudra Mahārāj, they try to bring these big wrestlers to move the chariot [but] it won’t budge, then they bring elephants [but] it won’t budge, then they start goading the elephants, they’re screaming [but] they can’t make the chariot move. Then Mahāprabhu releases the elephants and everyone and then tells His devotees to hold the ropes and He goes behind the chariot and with His head He starts pushing it and it moves. And the devotees realize, they’re just holding the ropes, they’re not actually pulling. And then He dances before Jagannātha. Again, Nityānanda sees Him take the form of Rādhārāṇī...
#01:18:33#
And, when they reach Guṇḍichā, they’re very happy to see now Kṛṣṇa is back in Vrndāvan and their separation is relieved and everyone is happy and they just keep celebrating day after day after day in great happiness. And then the next festival that they’ll celebrate will be the Herā-pañchamī pastime. But anyway, tomorrow, Guṇḍichā-mārjana, tirobhāva of Bhaktivinod Ṭhākur, Gadādhar Paṇḍit. Sunday is the Ratha-yātrā. Can just put it on, it will be on the [TV], you can watch as much as you can or from time to time. I remember watching with Gurudeva and we were watching for around nine hours.
#01:19:31#
But around six or seven o’clock at night, they stopped the broadcast and Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa Prabhu was there, and he was mortified. He, like, had a meltdown, that they just stopped broadcasting. He couldn’t tolerate it. After nine continuous hours, then they just [stopped]. Because at a certain point, they stop the live broadcast. He, like, showed what a great devotee he is, and the type of devotion he has. He was in a state of shock and mortified and [in] disbelief that they discontinued the broadcast. I thought, ohh... such appreciation he has.
#01:20:21#
And at this time, Guru Mahārāj gave Gurudeva Harinām initiation. And Guru Mahārāj said, it’s a great day to begin some new auspicious task or sevā. Most auspicious and it’s the day, the founding day of Śrī Chaitanya Sāraswat Maṭh, is on the Ratha-yātrā day. Really, 1942, Guru Mahārāj moved [in] ’41 to Navadwīp, but ’42 [was when it was founded,] and [he gave] the śloka, and [it was] the [year of the] official founding of Śrī Chaitanya Sāraswat Maṭh as based upon all these conceptions.
Hare Krṣṇa.
Transcribed by: Anand Prabhu,
Suvasini Devi Dasi
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