CONTENTS:
- CHAITANYA MAHAPRABHU’S SANKIRTAN MOVEMENT
- QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
- SRILA PRABHUPADA'S APPRECIATION
- GURU MAHARAJA’S INSTRUCTIONS
1. CHAITANYA MAHAPRABHU’S SANKIRTAN MOVEMENT
Hare Krishna. So, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu started the sankirtan movement, when did He start the movement in Navadwip? After he got initiated and that was how Chaitanya Mahaprabhu showed through initiation transformation takes place. He was in a certain way all His life and right after initiation He totally changed. The devotees of Navadwip used to pray to the Lord and lament Nimai Pandit is such a great person and Chaitanya Mahaprabhu used to also make fun of them that one day I will become a devotee. When I will become a devotee you will see what it is to be a devotee. He was playing His pastimes in such a good way and He was totally transformed after initiation. He became mad with Krishna Consciousness and then He came to Navadwip and gradually started the sankirtan movement. Right after returning to Navadwip He was so absorbed in thinking of Krishna all the time and feeling that intense separation from Krishna that everyone was very worried and some even thought that He became mad.
He gradually started congregationally chanting and for one full year every night He had a programme in the house of Srivas Thakur, every night, He would not sleep at night. During the day they would also go out on sankirtan, throughout the day and night they chanted, at night at Srivas Thakur’s house and during the day they would go out in the city and would chant. Some very wonderful incidents happened during that time. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu instructed Nityananda Prabu and others to go out and go from door to door and beg. What was their kind of begging? Chant the holy name of the Lord and please accept His teaching. Sri Vrindavan das Thakur describes this very beautifully describing when Nityananda prabhu tells, “Brothers just chant the holy name of the Lord then I will become responsible to take you across this ocean of material suffering, you simply chant and I will be responsible to take you out of here.” Nityananda Prabhu is giving that assurance.
Nityananda Prabhu went house to house with His hands raised upwards. Vrindavan Thakur made a translation of this verse into Bengali and it became even more My dear brothers please chant the holy name of the Lord and with that price you buy me. What a condition He is making that you simply chant the holy name and I will become purchased by you. Nityananda, the Supreme Personality of Godhead is saying. This is how merciful Lord Nityananda is and with that mood He went and was telling everybody and He came across two persons who were so sinful, they were like rulers of Nawadwip, extremely powerful. The Muslims were ruling so they got the worst persons maintaining the so-called law and order and these two were born in an exalted Brahmana family but they were like two rogues, classic demons, who are these persons? Jagai and Madai. Hiranyakashipu and Hiranyaksha; Ravana and Kumbakarna; Sisupala and Dantavakra and now Jagai and Madai. We can see their nature extremely offensive to the Lord.
They would murder people for no rhyme or reason, they would just set the houses on fire, and they would have some conflict or something they didn’t like about someone. Nobody dared to go near them and they were so terrible and if anything happened example, they went to a wine shop and even those days there was a wine shop in India and one person did not stand up when they entered and they chased him and he ran away but they found out where he stays and set his house on fire. They would rape women and burn houses daily they were merciless. Nityananda Prabhu considered if these two persons can become devotees, then the glory of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu will really be established. The holy name can even transform such fools. Haridas Thakur and Nityananda Prabhu used to go out as a team and these two were totally drunk one day and they approached, “My dear brothers please chant the holy name.” Just by that they became so upset. They were drunk but they were chasing Nityananda Prabhu and Haridas Thakur and the people were praying for them.
Finally, Nityananda Prabhu and Haridas Thakur went to a potter’s shop where all the clay pots were piled up and they hid behind these pots and they couldn’t find them. When Nityananda Prabhu and Haridas Thakur went back to Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, every day they would report, Haridas Thakur said he does not want to go with Nityananda Prabhu anymore and he started to describe the whole incident and he said others things he can tolerate but this one they would have been finished. Another day Nityananda Prabhu approached those two and in India those days there was no glass bottle it was in clay pots, use it once and throw it away. They were drinking from clay pots and they hit Nityananda Prabhu on His head with the edge of the pot and it started to bleed. The news reached Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and immediately Madai was about to hit again and Jagai stopped him.
When Chaitanya Mahaprabhu came seeing Nityananda Prabhu in that condition, He took out His Sudarsan Cakra and Nityananda Prabhu said, “My Lord in this incarnation You have taken a vow not to use any weapon, your weapon is love.” Seeing that those two brothers became scared and Nityananda Prabhu told Chaitanya Mahaprabhu that “this Madai hit me but Jagai actually protected me because he was about to hit me again.” Chaitanya Mahaprabhu said that since you protected my Nityananda I forgive you. These two brothers fell at the feet of Nityananda Prabhu and from then onwards they were totally transformed, they joined the sankirtan and took bath in the Ganges. They were so sinful that Mahaprabhu’s golden complexion became black and seeing what Chaitanya Mahaprabhu had done Yamaraja had fainted and was having trouble how to judge this because they committed so many sins there was just no way. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s mercy absorbed all the sin and these two brothers were transformed.
This is how the sankirtan movement was established, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu went out and anybody no matter how sinful he may be, he can become a devotee. The Lord’s mercy descended in this age to deliver the most fallen and when one takes shelter of the holy name then he will be free from sin. Since then, what Madai used to do, he used to feel so guilty, from morning till night he would sit on the bank of the Ganges (he created steps to go into the river) and the people that would come to take bath he would see them. They used to have the kirtan at night. Unfortunately, the Brahmanas became upset and they complained to the Kazi, the Magistrate under the King for administration and law and order. Chand Kazi became very upset and the complaint was this Nimai Pandit is introducing a strange culture in the name of religion and you are the ruler so see that dharma is properly practiced and you must take care of this. This was a very unfortunate thing the Hindus did. It reminds me of another consideration, yesterday I mentioned about the Sheiks, Sheikism started from Guru Govind Singh, the Brahmanas reported to Guru Govind Singh that this was going on so he must please do something.
His father was murdered by the Muslims and that is also another beautiful incident. The Muslims wanted to arrest him and he asked for 6 months and he went from village to village inspired people about Vedic knowledge and after 6 months he voluntarily went to the Muslim ruler so they gave him a proposal to surrender and become a Muslim but he said no so they decided to slaughter him. He used to wear a turban and when his head fell, they found a piece of paper said I gave my head but not my innocence. He was the leader at the age of 12, others were trying to become the leader but by divine intervention Guru Govind Singh became the leader and when he grew up people came to him.
He called all his followers and announced that dharma needs some sacrifice who is prepared to offer himself and one person stepped forward and he took him into a room and altogether five came forward and finally he came back with all five and said dharma is not asking for this kind of sacrifice and who is willing to offer himself and that is how Sikhism started, the word sheik means teaching and he was fighting in the mountain area and the Muslims made truce with the Hindu kings to fight against him and that is why he separated himself as he was protecting the Hindus and now the Hindus were siding with the Muslims against him that is why today the Sheiks do not identify themselves with Hindus and these are the unfortunate aspects for the Hindus. The Gaudiya Vaishnavas do not identify themselves with anyone; we have our understanding clear we are not Hindus and look at what is Hinduism today. All other religions have their convictions but Hindus do not have any conviction.
Whatever is your way you can do anything? Anyway, the point is the Hindus reported about Chaitanya Mahaprabhu to Chand Kazi. The Muslim ruler came and started to beat them up. Chand Kazi himself took the mådaìga and broke it whoever will do this again I will take care of him. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was not present at that time but in the morning, He got the news and His form became like Rudra Lord Shiva in His destructive mood and He was roaring, “Whoever dares to stop the chanting! This evening everyone assemble here with a torch in your hand and we will go marching to Chand Kazi and let us see what he will do.” There is a beautiful description of that. Throughout the day you all make the arrangements, they made the torches, decorated the houses with banana trees, water pots with mango leaves and they made all the decoration and then at night billions and Chaitanya Bhagavat describes even the demi-gods joined assuming the form of a human. Can you imagine billions of people with torches chanting the holy name and some shouting?
Chand Kazi heard all of this and sent his men to find out what was happening. They came and saw this sight and ran back saying so many are coming we do not know what to do. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu said let’s see what He will do and they went to his palace broke the fencing destroyed the garden and Chand Kazi was hiding inside and Chaitanya Mahaprabhu went into the house and He started to say, “How dare you try to stop the chanting?” Chand Kazi became mellow and said, “Nimai the village relationship you are my nephew, those days the village members were so closely connected the young boys and girls used to develop brother and sister relationship. Your mother was my sister so this is another connotation, who is this, Chand Kazi? He was Kamsa so that relationship was there. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu had a discussion and pointed out that your religion is very young religion and it doesn’t really have the depth.
Eventually, Chand Kazi admitted the night when he broke the Mådaìga, that night when he was sleeping a lion came and sat on his chest and said, “You dare to stop my chanting?” Chand Kazi picked up his vest and showed the marks of the lion and since then he became a follower of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Chand Kazi’s descendants are still there although they Muslims they meditate, he made the announcement that from then onwards no one from his family will stop the sankirtan and if anyone went against the sankirtan movement he would disown him. You must have seen Chand Kazi’s samadi, there are two trees a neem tree and a frangipani embracing each other, neem tree is symbolic of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and frangipani tree is Chand Kazi. How many of you went on Navadwip parikrama? Have you seen how he is honoured by Vaishnavas and this is how it started.
When they used to have sankirtan at night no unqualified individuals were allowed that means only devotees were allowed to take part, they used to select who could attend so Srivas Thakur’s mother-in-law became curious what is happening here? So that night Chaitanya Mahaprabhu started the kirtan and he was saying that he was not feeling the mood and ecstasy and Srivas Thakur became worried as to why the Lord is not feeling it tonight and he went inside and found his mother-in-law hiding under the bed and he pulled her out. Although it was his mother-in-law but her presence was affecting the chanting. Another night Chaitanya Mahaprabhu felt the same way son that day what happened when the kirtan was going on Srivas Thakur heard a sound of crying from inside and he went inside and he found that the ladies were crying because his son passed away so Srivas Thakur told them this crying is affecting the Lords’ chanting so stop or else I will go and drown myself.
His son died and he did not care for that and he went back and told the ladies to stop crying. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was not feeling the kirtan then Nityananda Prabhu told him what happened and the Lord was so upset, “Srivas your son died and you are not at all affected by that.” Srivas Thakur’s response was “Your sankirtan should never stop no matter what “This is how Srivas Thakur showed his attachment to the holy name and chanting. Nityananda Prabhu chastised Srivas and He went inside the house and revived the dead body of the son his son asked, “Which parents are you talking about? I had so many parents. My Lord I am going back.” These are such beautiful incidents that mark the glory of the chanting. Thank you all very much. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
2. QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Q: Yesterday Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu stopped the sudarshan Cakra from being used against the assassins of Haridas Thakur and this morning you spoke about that weapon yet again on Nityananda Prabhu, May I ask you to elaborate on this mood of the Lord wanting to serve His devotees?
A: Very good. You see in Bhagavad Gita you remember Krishna made Arjuna declare and make a promise because He doesn’t hesitate to break a promise especially for His Bhakta vatsalya He doesn’t hesitate to break His promise especially for His devotee and these are the indications. Although He has His agenda that He will not touch any weapon but He doesn’t hesitate to do that when it comes to protecting His devotee. My vow can go to hell for the sake of defending My devotee. The same thing He was going to do on the battlefield of Kurukshetra He took a vow not to touch a weapon but when Bhisma was fighting so fiercely and Arjuna was almost defeated then Krishna broke His vow, He picked up the broken wheel of a chariot which became His Sudarshan Chakra and attacked Bhisma and Bhisma dropped His weapon and started to offer respects and Arjuna stopped Him, “My Lord you took a vow.”
Q: In the third Canto it is mentioned that Jay and Vijay came three times as demons yet now we see Jagai and Madai which is the fourth time so how is it that they appeared as Jagai and Madai when the curse was finished?
A: This has two aspects one is if the fourth appearance was announced then Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s identity would have been revealed and His identity was covered. It has been pointed out that three times they came due to the curse but the fourth time they came out of their own accord, they themselves wanted to play the role. Since Mahaprabhu was hiding His identity, they also did not disclose their identity.
3. SRILA PRABHUPADA'S APPRECIATION
Srila Prabhupada will save you from this dangerous ocean of material nature and take you back to the spiritual sky. Just remain attached to his Divine lotus feet.
4. GURU MAHARAJA’S INSTRUCTION
- The ultimate purity and perfection in life is to develop a loving relationship with Krishna.
(The content of this E-Magazine was based on a Lecture given by HH Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaja on given at Drakensburg Retreat, South Africa on 21 January 2017.)
(Compiled and Edited by Hemavati Radhika Devi Dasi)