Madhya-līlā · 14

Sometimes members of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness — especially in the Western countries — find it difficult to approach people to distribute books because people are unfamiliar with the traditional saffron robes of the devotees. The devotees have therefore inquired whether they can wear European and American dress before the general public. From the instructions given to King Pratāparudra by Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya, we can understand that we may change our dress in any way to facilitate our service. When our members change their dress to meet the public or to introduce our books, they are not breaking the devotional principles. The real principle is to spread the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, and if one has to change into regular Western dress for this purpose, there should be no objection.

These verses from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Canto Ten, chapter thirty-one, constitute what is known as the Gopī-gīta.

This verse is Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.31.9.

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s mercy is so powerful that it acts automatically. If a person renders loving service to Kṛṣṇa, it never goes in vain. It is recorded in a spiritual account, and in due time it will fructify. This is confirmed by the Bhagavad-gītā (2.40): nehābhikrama-nāśo ’sti pratyavāyo na vidyatesv-alpam apy asya dharmasya trāyate mahato bhayāt “In this endeavor there is no loss or diminution, and a little advancement on this path can protect one from the most dangerous type of fear.” Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu has particularly bestowed upon all fallen souls in this age the most potent method of devotional service — saṅkīrtana, the congregational chanting of the Lord’s holy name — and whoever takes to it through the mercy of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is immediately elevated to the transcendental position. As Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.5.32) recommends, yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtana-prāyair yajanti hi su-medhasaḥ. A student of Kṛṣṇa consciousness must receive Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s mercy; then his devotional service will quickly succeed. This was the case with King Pratāparudra. One has to be noticed by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and a little service with sincere efforts will convince the Lord that one is a proper candidate for returning home, back to Godhead. At first Mahārāja Pratāparudra did not have a chance to meet Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, but when the Lord saw that the King was serving Lord Jagannātha as a menial sweeper, the Lord’s mercy upon the King became a solid fact. When Mahārāja Pratāparudra, in the dress of a Vaiṣṇava, was serving the Lord, the Lord did not even inquire who he was. Rather, He had compassion upon him and embraced him. Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī wants to point out that nothing could compare to the Lord’s mercy toward Mahārāja Pratāparudra; therefore he uses the word dekha (“just see”) and caitanyera kṛpā-mahābala (“how powerful is the mercy of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu”). This is also confirmed by Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī: yat-kāruṇya-kaṭākṣa-vaibhava-vatām (Caitanya-candrāmṛta 5). Even a little of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s mercy serves as a great asset for spiritual advancement. Therefore the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement must be spread through the mercy of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. When Rūpa Gosvāmī experienced the mercy and magnanimity of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, he said: namo mahā-vadānyāya kṛṣṇa-prema-pradāya tekṛṣṇāya kṛṣṇa-caitanya- nāmne gaura-tviṣe namaḥ “I offer my respectful obeisances unto the Supreme Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya, who is more magnanimous than any other avatāra, even Kṛṣṇa Himself, because He is bestowing freely what no one else has ever given — pure love of Kṛṣṇa.” Śrīla Locana dāsa Ṭhākura has also sung, parama karuṇa, pahuṅ dui jana, nitāi-gauracandra: “The two brothers Nitāi and Gaura are so kind that no one can compare to Them.” Similarly, Śrīla Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura has sung: vrajendra-nandana yei, śacī-suta haila sei,balarāma ha-ila nitāi,dīna-hīna yata chila, hari-nāme uddhārila,tā’ra sākṣī jagāi-mādhāi “Just to deliver all the sinful persons of this age by propagating the chanting of the holy name, Lord Kṛṣṇa and Lord Balarāma have advented as Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Nityānanda Prabhu. Jagāi and Mādhāi are evidence of Their success.” Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s special mission is the deliverance of all fallen souls in Kali-yuga. Devotees of Kṛṣṇa must persistently seek the favor and mercy of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu to become fit to return home, back to Godhead.

The greatest achievement for a devotee is to become a servant of the servants of the Lord. Actually, no one should desire to become the direct servant of the Lord. That is not a very good idea. When Prahlāda Mahārāja was offered a benediction by Nṛsiṁhadeva, Prahlāda rejected all kinds of material benedictions, but he prayed to become the servant of the servants of the Lord. When Dhruva Mahārāja was offered a benediction by Kuvera, the treasurer of the demigods, Dhruva could have asked for unlimited material opulence, but he simply asked for the benediction of becoming the servant of the servants of the Lord. Kholāvecā Śrīdhara was a very poor man, but when Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu wanted to give him a benediction, he also prayed to the Lord to be allowed to remain a servant of the servants of the Lord. The conclusion is that being the servant of the servants of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the highest benediction one can desire.

This is characteristic of a pure Vaiṣṇava. He is never envious if another devotee receives the mercy and strength of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. A pure Vaiṣṇava is very happy to see a person elevated in devotional service. Unfortunately, there are many so-called Vaiṣṇavas who become envious to see someone actually recognized by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. It is a fact that no one can preach Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s message without receiving the special mercy of the Lord. This is known to every Vaiṣṇava. Yet there are some envious people who cannot tolerate the expansion of this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement all over the world. They find fault with the preacher who has spread this movement and do not praise him for the excellent service he has rendered in fulfilling Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s mission.

This is the first list of prasādam offered to Lord Jagannātha.

In verses 26-34, the author describes the various foods offered to Lord Jagannātha. He has described them as far as possible, but he finally admits his inability to describe them completely.

Following in the footsteps of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, a Vaiṣṇava should be fully satisfied simply to see a variety of food offered to the Deity of Jagannātha or Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. A Vaiṣṇava should not hunger for a variety of food for his own sake; rather, his satisfaction is in seeing various foods being offered to the Deity. In his Gurv-aṣṭaka, Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura writes: catur-vidha-śrī-bhagavat-prasāda- svādv-anna-tṛptān hari-bhakta-saṅghānkṛtvaiva tṛptiṁ bhajataḥ sadaiva vande guroḥ śrī-caraṇāravindam “The spiritual master is always offering Kṛṣṇa four kinds of delicious food [analyzed as that which is licked, chewed, drunk and sucked]. When the spiritual master sees that the devotees are satisfied by eating bhagavat-prasādam, he is satisfied. I offer my respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of such a spiritual master.” The spiritual master’s duty is to engage his disciples in preparing varieties of nice foods to offer the Deity. After being offered, this food is distributed as prasādam to the devotees. These activities satisfy the spiritual master, although he himself does not eat or require such a variety of prasādam. By seeing to the offering and distribution of prasādam, he himself is encouraged in devotional service.

In a song, Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura chants: miche māyāra vaśe, yāccha bhese’,khāccha hābuḍubu, bhāijīva kṛṣṇa-dāsa, e viśvāsa,ka’rle ta’ āra duḥkha nāi “O people! Why are you being captivated by the waves of the ocean of nescience? If you would immediately accept Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa as your eternal master, there would be no chance of being carried away by the waves of illusion. Then all your sufferings would stop.” Kṛṣṇa conducts the material world under the three modes of material nature, and consequently there are three platforms of life — higher, middle and lower. On whatever platform one may be situated, one is tossed by the waves of material nature. Someone may be rich, someone may be middle class, and someone may be a poor beggar — it doesn’t matter. As long as one is under the spell of the three modes of material nature, he must continue to experience these divisions. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu therefore advised the beggars to chant “Haribol!” while taking prasādam. Chanting means accepting one’s self as the eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa. This is the only solution, regardless of social position. Everyone is suffering under the spell of māyā; therefore the best course is to learn how to get out of the clutches of māyā. How to do so is stated by Kṛṣṇa in the Bhagavad-gītā (14.26): māṁ ca yo ’vyabhicāreṇa bhakti-yogena sevatesa guṇān samatītyaitān brahma-bhūyāya kalpate “One who engages in full devotional service, unfailing in all circumstances, at once transcends the modes of material nature and thus comes to the level of Brahman.” One can overcome the spell of māyā and attain the transcendental platform by agreeing to engage in the devotional service of the Lord. Devotional service begins with śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam; therefore Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu advised the beggars to chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra for elevation to the transcendental position. On the transcendental platform, there is no distinction between the rich, the middle class and the poor.

To feel the emotion of ecstatic love of God is to be on the transcendental platform. If one can keep himself in that transcendental position, he will surely return home, back to Godhead. In the spiritual world there are no higher, middle or lower classes. This is confirmed in the Īśopaniṣad (7): yasmin sarvāṇi bhūtāny ātmaivābhūd vijānataḥtatra ko mohaḥ kaḥ śoka ekatvam anupaśyataḥ “One who always sees all living entities as spiritual sparks, in quality one with the Lord, becomes a true knower of things. What, then, can be illusion or anxiety for him?”

Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura has pointed out that this vṛndāvana-vihāra — the pastimes of Vṛndāvana — does not refer to Kṛṣṇa’s mixing with the gopīs or the transcendental mellow of parakīya-rasa. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s vṛndāvana-līlā in the garden of Jagannātha Purī did not involve association with women or with other people’s wives in the fashion transcendentally demonstrated by Śrī Kṛṣṇa. In His vṛndāvana-līlā, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu conceived of Himself as the assistant of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī. When Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī enjoyed the company of Kṛṣṇa, Her maidservants were very pleased. One should not compare Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s vṛndāvana-vihāra in the garden of Jagannātha with the activities of the gaurāṅga-nāgarīs.

The Herā-pañcamī festival takes place five days after the Ratha-yātrā festival. Lord Jagannātha has left His wife, the goddess of fortune, and gone to Vṛndāvana, which is the Guṇḍicā temple. Due to separation from the Lord, the goddess of fortune decides to come to see the Lord at Guṇḍicā. The coming of the goddess of fortune to Guṇḍicā is celebrated as Herā-pañcamī. Sometimes this is misspelled as Harā-pañcamī among the ativāḍīs. The word herā means “to see” and refers to the goddess of fortune going to see Lord Jagannātha. The word pañcamī means “the fifth day” and is used because this takes place on the fifth day of the moon.

Sundarācala is the Guṇḍicā temple. The temple of Jagannātha at Jagannātha Purī is called Nīlācala, and the temple at Guṇḍicā is called Sundarācala.

When Lord Jagannātha starts His car festival, He gives assurance to the goddess of fortune that He will return the next day. When He does not return, the goddess of fortune, after waiting two or three days, begins to feel that her husband has neglected her. She naturally becomes quite angry. Gorgeously decorating herself and her associates, she comes out of the temple and stands before the main gate. All the principal servants of Lord Jagannātha are then arrested by her maidservants, brought before her and forced to fall down at her lotus feet.

After seeing the impudence of the goddess of fortune, Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī wanted to inform Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu about the superexcellence of the gopīs’ loving affairs. He therefore said, “My Lord, I have never experienced anything like the behavior of the goddess of fortune. We sometimes see a beloved wife becoming proud of her position and then frustrated due to some neglect. She then gives up caring for her appearance, accepts dirty clothes and morosely sits on the ground and draws lines with her nails. We have heard of such egoistic pride in Satyabhāmā and the gopīs of Vṛndāvana, but what we see in the goddess of fortune here at Jagannātha Purī is completely different. She becomes very angry with her husband and attacks Him with her great opulence.”

Svarūpa Dāmodara replied, “The pride of the gopīs is like a river flowing with hundreds of tributaries.

Rasābhāsa occurs when one’s relationship with Kṛṣṇa is adulterated. There are different types of rasābhāsa — first class, second class and third class. The word rasa means “mellow,” and ābhāsa means “a shadow.” If one tastes one kind of mellow and something extra is imposed, that is uparasa. If something is derived from the original mellow, it is called anurasa. If something is appreciated that is far removed from the original mellow, it is called aparasa. Uparasa, anurasa and aparasa are, respectively, first-, second- and third-class rasābhāsas. As stated in the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (4.9.1-2): pūrvam evānuśiṣṭena vikalā rasa-lakṣaṇārasā eva rasābhāsā rasa-jñair anukīrtitāḥ syus tridhoparasāś cānu- rasāś cāparasāś ca teuttamā madhyamāḥ proktāḥ kaniṣṭhāś cety amī kramāt

This verse is a quotation from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.33.25). The gopīs are all transcendental spirit souls. One should never think that the gopīs and Kṛṣṇa have material bodies. Vṛndāvana-dhāma is also a spiritual abode, and there the days and nights, the trees, flowers and water, and everything else are spiritual. There is not even a trace of material contamination. Kṛṣṇa, who is the Supreme Brahman and Supersoul, is not at all interested in anything material. His activities with the gopīs are all spiritual and take place within the spiritual world. They have nothing to do with the material world. Lord Kṛṣṇa’s lusty desires and all His dealings with the gopīs are on the spiritual platform. One has to be transcendentally realized before even considering relishing the pastimes of Kṛṣṇa with the gopīs. One who is on the mundane platform must first purify himself by following the regulative principles. Only then can he try to understand Kṛṣṇa and the gopīs. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī are here talking about the relationship between Kṛṣṇa and the gopīs; therefore the subject matter is neither mundane nor erotic. Being a sannyāsī, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was very strict in His dealings with women. Unless the gopīs were on the spiritual platform, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu would have never even mentioned them to Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī. Therefore these descriptions do not at all pertain to material activity.

The left wing and right wing of the gopīs has been explained by Rūpa Gosvāmī in his Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi (Sakhī-prakaraṇa 26 and 32). The left wing is described in this way: māna-grahe sadodyuktā tac-chaithilye ca kopanāabhedyā nāyake prāyaḥ krūrā vāmeti kīrtyate “A gopī who is always eager to be jealously angered, who is very enthusiastic for that position, who immediately becomes angry when defeated, who is never under the control of a hero, and who always opposes Him is called a vāmā, or a left-wing gopī.” Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī describes the right-wing gopīs in this way: asahyā māna-nirbandhe nāyake yukta-vādinīsāmabhis tena bhedyā ca dakṣiṇā parikīrtitā “A gopī who cannot tolerate womanly anger, who speaks suitable words to the hero, and who is satisfied by His sweet words is called a dakṣiṇā, or a right-wing gopī.”

This is a quotation from Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī’s Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi (Śṛṅgāra-bheda-prakaraṇa 102).

The thirty-three vyabhicārī-bhāvas, bodily symptoms manifest in ecstatic love, are as follows: (1) nirveda, indifference; (2) viṣāda, moroseness; (3) dainya, meekness; (4) glāni, a feeling that one is in a faulty position; (5) śrama, fatigue; (6) mada, madness; (7) garva, pride; (8) śaṅkā, doubt; (9) trāsa, shock; (10) āvega, intense emotion; (11) unmāda, craziness; (12) apasmāra, forgetfulness; (13) vyādhi, disease; (14) moha, bewilderment; (15) mṛti, death; (16) ālasya, laziness; (17) jāḍya, invalidity; (18) vrīḍā, shame; (19) avahitthā, concealment; (20) smṛti, remembrance; (21) vitarka, argument; (22) cintā, contemplation; (23) mati, attention; (24) dhṛti, forbearance; (25) harṣa, jubilation; (26) autsukya, eagerness; (27) augrya, violence; (28) amarṣa, anger; (29) asūyā, jealousy; (30) cāpalya, impudence; (31) nidrā, sleep; (32) supti, deep sleep, and (33) prabodha, awakening.

Whenever Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī leaves Her house, She is always well dressed and attractive. It is Her womanly nature to attract Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s attention, and upon seeing Her so attractively dressed, Śrī Kṛṣṇa desires to touch Her body. The Lord then finds some fault in Her and prohibits Her from going to a river crossing and stops Her from picking flowers. Such are the pastimes between Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī and Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Being a cowherd girl, Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī regularly carries milk in a container and often goes to sell the milk on the other side of the Yamunā. To cross the river, She has to pay the boatman, and the spot where the boatman collects his fares is called the dāna-ghāṭi. Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa stops Her from going, telling Her, “First You have to pay the fee; then You will be allowed to go.” This pastime is called dāna-keli-līlā. Similarly, if Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī wants to pick a flower, Śrī Kṛṣṇa claims to be the garden’s proprietor and prohibits Her. This pastime is called kila-kiñcita. Rādhārāṇī’s shyness arises due to Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s prohibitions, and ecstatic loving bodily symptoms called kila-kiñcita-bhāva are manifest at this time. These ecstatic symptoms are explained in the following verse, which is from Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī’s Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi (Anubhāva-prakaraṇa 39).

This is further explained in the following verse from the Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi (Anubhāva-prakaraṇa 41) of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī.

This is a quotation from the Govinda-līlāmṛta (9.18).

This is described in the following verse, taken from the Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi (Anubhāva-prakaraṇa 39).

This is explained in the following verse, which is found in the Govinda-līlāmṛta (9.11).

This verse is from the Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi (Anubhāvaprakaraṇa 51).

This verse is quoted from the Govinda-līlāmṛta (9.14).

This is a quotation from the Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi (Anubhāva-prakaraṇa 44).

This is a quotation from the Brahma-saṁhitā (5.56).

This verse, by Bilvamaṅgala Ṭhākura, is quoted in the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (2.1.173).

It is understood that silken rope was being manufactured by the local inhabitants of Kulīna-grāma; therefore Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu asked Rāmānanda Vasu and Satyarāja Khān to get ropes every year for Lord Jagannātha’s service.

For a description of Śeṣa Nāga, refer to Ādi-līlā 5.123-124.

Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports to Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā, fourteenth chapter, describing the Performance of the Vṛndāvana Pastimes and the Herā-pañcamī-yātrā.