CONTENTS:
- TRANSCENDENTAL PASTIMES OF SRI CHAITANYA MAHAPRABHU CONTINUES
- SRILA PRABHUPADA'S APPRECIATION
- GURU MAHARAJA’S INSTRUCTIONS
1. TRANSCENDENTAL PASTIMES OF SRI CHAITANYA MAHAPRABHU CONTINUES
Nimai was very naughty. He was grown up a little more. He used to go to the bank of the Ganges and in those the bank of the Ganges had 2 areas the ghat area to approach the river, one for men and one for the women. They used to go there and take bath. Nimai as a little boy not alone with his friends used to switch the clothes from the men’s and women’s ghat and after taking their bath they would come out and see that their clothes were not there. They used to wonder did we come to the other side of the river. They were extremely embarrassed and didn’t know what to do. Sometimes Nimai would go the young and unmarried girls, they used to worship Lord Shiva.
Do you know why unmarried girls worship Lord Shiva? In order to get a good husband and they used to offer flowers and fruits and Nimai used to go and sit there. He would tell them “I know why you are worshipping Lord Shiva and Mother Parvati but Shiva is my servant and Parvati is my maid servant and I am their master so why offering to them offer it to Me.” They would get very upset and tell him, “Nimai why are you speaking like this its blaspheming under minding Lord Shiva and Parvati like that, you should never speak like that.” Nimai would reply, “Whatever I say is the truth and nothing but the truth.” They would say, “Nimai we will complain to your mother.” Nimai would say, “Okay you want to complain to my mother go ahead and do that but I can tell you that if you worship Me then you will get handsome husbands who are qualified as the demi-gods.” Some girls would try to run away and Nimai would say, “Those who are running away without offering Me the worship will get a 75 years old husband and three co-wives.” They would immediately come running.
Sometimes Nimai would go to the Ganges and some Brahmana was chanting Gayatri half submerged in the river and Nimai would grab them by their legs and drag them in and he would be afraid thinking it was a crocodile and would scream and be in great anxiety and finally the person would come out and be relieved from this attack. Sometimes when some were chanting Gayatri, He would go in front of them and say, “Look the one whom you are mediating upon is standing in front of you.” Sometimes he would take water in his mouth and splash it on their faces. Sometimes these Brahmanas would complain to Jagannatha Misra so Jagannatha Misra, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s father would be very upset and say, “I don’t know what to do anymore, Nimai is so naughty and causing so much of stress and such disgrace to the family.” He would take a stick and say that he must beat Nimai up. Those who came to complain used to say, “Please don’t get angry with him the reality is when he does those things we all feel very happy about it so please does not chastise him.” Jagannatha Misra would not listen and feel that he must do something. He would take the stick and the girls who used to complain would run and tell Nimai that his father was coming.
Jagannatha Misra would see Nimai coming from the other side of the ghat not the one from the Ganges and feel that it doesn’t look like Nimai has been there. His body was dry, looked dusty and marks of ink on his face. Jagannatha Misra would ask Nimai, “Where did you go?” Nimai would say he came from school. These Brahmanas and ladies have complained, “I don’t know why they all say things like that because I am just coming from my school.” Jagannatha Misra would be completely perplexed. He couldn’t understand. In this way Chaitanya Mahaprabhu would have his wonderful pastimes in Navadwip with his devotees playing different roles. Nimai in school was an extremely brilliant student. He went to the school of Ganga das Pandit and Ganga das Pandit had never seen such a brilliant student. Anything Nimai heard once he would remember no matter how difficult the topic was and as a result of that he started to advance very quickly in his studies. That is another aspect of Nimai and extremely brilliant student but at the same time extremely naughty.
Ganga das Pandit started to wonder who this boy is because he could relate to this kind of memory only when Krishna and Balarama went to Sandipani Muni’s ashrama. Ganga das Pandit wanted to check Nimai out so one day he let all the students go and he went to Ganga with Nimai and he heard that Nimai at the time of his sacred thread ceremony he resolved that only he would touch Ganga with his feet at the time of bathing not any other time. Ganga das Pandit went to Ganga and was doing his worship and he told Nimai that he forgot the sesame seeds and Nimai should bring them for him. Nimai was ordered so he took one step and a lotus appeared so he stepped on the lotus and another step another lotus appeared so his vow was kept and Ganga das Pandit could see who this little boy is. This is how Ganga das Pandit could understand who Nimai really was and Chaitanya Mahaprabhu told Ganga das Pandit not to reveal his identity to anyone. In this way we are seeing although Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is trying to hide his identity, he could not do that. In that respect there is another consideration those two lotuses that appeared were actually the two lotus hands of Mother Ganga to hold the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
In the school there was another student who was extremely brilliant, Ragunatha Siromani who was extremely studious, very gentle and obedient, a real good boy and was extremely brilliant. Whereas Nimai never touched his books, he was naturally brilliant so Ragunatha Siromani was very ambitious and wanted to proof himself to be the greatest scholar of Naya sastra and he was writing a commentary and one day he told Nimai that he heard Nimai was also writing a commentary on the same thing. Naya means logic. He asked Nimai to tell him what he wrote so Nimai said that he would show him. “Tomorrow after school when we go by boat across the river, I will show you.” Nimai was reading that and he saw that Ragunatha Siromani upon hearing his commentary started to cry and Nimai asked him, “What happened, why you are crying? “He told Nimai, “I was also writing a commentary and wanted mine to be the best but when I hear yours, I can see that no one will read mine as yours is so brilliant yet simple” he told Nimai about his ambition and when Nimai heard he took his writings and threw it into the Ganges.
Ragunatha asked Nimai why did he do that and Nimai replied, “If that is what you want, I do not want to be an impediment on the path of your ambition. Yes, become the greatest scholar and I will not come in your way. “Since then, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu did not write anything although he was the greatest scholar of all time the only thing, he presented were the 8 verses of Siksastakam. Some scholars said that Brahma Samhita was not written by Brahma but by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and you know what was the Gaudiya Vaishnava response to that, “That would be wonderful we got something that was given by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu himself. “Now whose presentation is more authentic Brahma’s or the Supreme Personality of Godhead’s? One cannot under mind Brahma. Brahma can see Vrindavan and describe Goloka Vrindavan. Is Brahma an ordinary person? No, he is the most exalted acharya of a sampradaya. The point is that Chaitanya Mahaprabhu did not present anything in writing since then. This Ragunatha Siromani did become the greatest exponent in the Naya sastra.
One day a great personality came to Navadwip and became the guest of Advaita Acharya and seeing him Advaita Acharya considered that this person is someone very exalted and asked him where did he get that understanding which was loving devotion to Krishna and through whom did this loving devotion of Krishna became manifest? Who remembers? Madhavendra Puri. In that tree of devotion who has been considered to be the seed? Madhavendra Puri. Advaita Acharya wondered who he was and asked him. He found out that this was Isvara Puri and his guru was Madhavendra Puri. By that time Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was recognized as a very great scholar. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu met Isvara Puri and he immediately became attracted to him and Isvara Puri also became attracted to him, actually that was the first time they met. Isvara Puri once told Chaitanya Mahaprabhu that he was writing a book on Krishna’s pastimes called Krishna Lilamrita, the Nectarian pastimes of Sri Krishna.
He asked Chaitanya Mahaprabhu to correct the mistakes in this book and Chaitanya Mahaprabhu said that in the writing of a devotee there is no consideration of mistakes. Those who find mistakes they are mistaken because the descriptions about Krishna and his pastimes by a devotee is an expression of his love and in that loving expression there is no consideration of mistakes. This is how Chaitanya Mahaprabhu set another beautiful example that the descriptions, expressions and writing of a devotee there is no mistakes. In the meantime, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu met one very beautiful girl. At first sight the girl got awestruck and he also became so enchanted by the beauty of this girl. Who is this girl? Laksmi Priya. An arrangement was made for Nimai to marry this girl. Mind you he did not make the arrangement; the arrangement was made the proper way. The one who makes it happen so they carry the news of possible candidates to the grown-up boys and girls. This person brought the news to Sachi mata that this girl is extremely qualified and this is the right candidate for Nimai and that was true. Laksmi Priya is none other than Laksmi devi Herself.
Who is Chaitanya Mahaprabhu? He is Narayana Himself. The arrangement was made for Them to get married and the beautiful description is there. I will not go into that detail. In the meantime, He started his own school. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was quite young after he finished his studies and was getting double promotion since he was so brilliant. Murari Gupta for example was his classmate but Murari Gupta was much senior to Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu had some wonderful pastimes with him. Murari Gupta was initially a follower of impersonalism so one day Murari Gupta was explaining the impersonalist theory based on yoga vashista. Yoga Vashista is the book for the impersonalist. All of a sudden, he heard some laughter from behind and he turned around and he saw Nimai with his friends. He was much younger not even in school Nimai about 5 6 years old. The way he was speaking Nimai was imitating him and all Nimai’s friends were laughing. This is how Nimai was having his pastimes.
Later on, when he grew up he was a great scholar who was so not really spiritually inclined so to speak, he seemed to be absorbed in studies and debates and any scholarly person Nimai would challenge him. Murari Gupta was one. He had the wonderful ability using logic he would make the presentation that the sun actually rises at night and naturally they would contest and he would defeat them proving the sun actually rises at night and then he would correct himself and say the sun actually rises in the day. That was the amazing expertise Nimai had which was Naya was actually word jugglery that is why Sankaracharya said that your word jugglery will not help you at the time of death. Nimai started his teaching in the house of Sanjaya who was a very wealthy person and wanted Nimai to teach his son and he gave a big hall in his house. Vedic households in those days, wealthy people had an area which was meant for worshipping demigods so he offered that place to Nimai and Nimai started to teach. As a result of that many students became attracted to Nimai’s teachings.
Although he was young about 16 years old, he had so many students, he became known as the great scholar Nimai Pandit. After he started his educational institution Chaitanya Mahaprabhu got married to Laksmi Priya and then he decided to go to east Bengal and east Bengal was known for its wealth which today has become Bangladesh. It is said that Chaitanya Mahaprabhu went there to collect wealth with his knowledge. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu delivered that land which was known to be the place which the Pandavas did not go to and was considered inauspicious. Now one part of Bengal became auspicious because of Ganga flowing but, in that part, Ganga adds not flow so Mahaprabhu went there to deliver them. He became well known for his education. A branch of Ganga goes into that area known as Padma and Chaitanya Mahaprabhu went to sanctify Padma devi and he set up his residence of the bank of the Padma and he had many students. At that place there was an exalted Brahmana and his name was Tapana Misra was very spiritually inclined and was searching for the actual process for spiritual advancement and achieving spiritual perfection.
He wanted to find out the course for spiritual advancement and the goal for spiritual endeavours. He could not find anybody who could guide him in that. He had spoken too many but was not content what others were offering. Does it happen sometimes I must admit that it happened to me. I was looking for a guru and I didn’t even know what to expect from a guru but at least meeting those people I could understand that this is not what I was looking for. So Tapana Misra was searching for spiritual perfection but could not find the way. One night he had a dream and a divine looking person told him that this Nimai Pandit who is teaching on the bank of Padma River is the Supreme Personality of Godhead so go to him and he will teach you. Again, these exalted personalities did not tack a dream as a dream, what they saw they believed. Do you remember the dream of the pujari that Kñéra-cora Gopénatha had? Gopinatha is telling him that there is a persona named Madhavendra Puré in such and such a hut go and give him some kheer and even in his dream he said no kheer is left and Gopinatha said you will find one behind my clothes so go and give it.
He did not think it’s just a dream, he immediately got up, took bath, went to the temple and found that behind Gopinatha’s dhoti there was a pot of kheer. Obviously, no one knew about that kheer so who kept it? Gopinatha himself as if Gopinatha stole that pot of kheer for his devotee that is why Gopinatha got the name Kñéra-cora Gopénatha who stole kheer. This is how we see the perceive the reality in the subtle plain it’s not just dreams. Similarly, Tapana Misra felt there is some true meaning there and he just went and met Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and told him and what did Chaitanya Mahaprabhu told him? The ultimate goal is to develop one’s relationship with Krishna in different means in different ages. In Satya yuga the means is meditation, Treta yuga offering sacrifice; Dwapar yuga worshipping the deity and Kali yuga, this age it is chanting the holy name of the Lord.
Lord Chaitanya gave evidence from the BåhanNäradéya Puran concerning chanting in this present age: harer näma harer näma harer nämaiva kevalam kalau nästy eva nästy eva nästy eva gatir anyathä. In the age of Kali, the only or process for spiritual advancement is chanting the holy name besides that there is no other way there is no other way. Then He told him that the process in this age is to chant the Hare Krishna Maha mantra consisting of 16 names of the Lord in 32 letters. Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare. He explained to him that the Lord descends in different yugas to establish the yuga dharma and pointed out that this is the process of making spiritual advancement designed by the Lord Himself. In this way Mahaprabhu actually started his sankirtan movement during his time. Tapana Misra became so attracted to Chaitanya Mahaprabhu he decided to go with him to Navadwip, he said I don’t have any interest in family life or these other interests I just want to go with you. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu told him not to do that and rather go to Varanasi also known as Benares and later on after Chaitanya Mahaprabhu took sanyasi Tapana Misra was there in Benares. This incident happened when Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was 16 years old. Thank you very much. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
2. SRILA PRABHUPADA'S APPRECIATION
We want to develop single-minded determination to think, speak and act as Srila Prabhupada wants us. This is Krishna consciousness.
3. GURU MAHARAJA’S INSTRUCTIONS
A Vaishnava’s heart is very pure & a pure hearted person is extremely magnanimous. So, one’s Vaishnavism is judged by the degree of his being magnanimous.
(The content of this E-magazine is based on a seminar entitled, “the transcendental Pastimes of Lord Chaitanya” given by HH Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaja at Drakensburg Retreat, South Africa on 20 January 2017)
(Compiled and Edited by Hemavati Radhika Devi Dasi)