CONTENTS:
- CHAITANYA MAHAPRABHU’S TRANSFORMS EXALTED PERSONALITIES
- QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
- SRILA PRABHUPADA'S APPRECIATION
- GURU MAHARAJA’S INSTRUCTIONS
1. CHAITANYA MAHAPRABHU TRANSFORMS EXALTED PERSONALITIES
When Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu went to Jagannatha Puri, He ran in ecstasy and He fainted. The guards there they thought He was a disturbance and was going to manhandle Him but at that time Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya the main scholar of King Prataparudra, extremely learned and influential. He was there in the temple and he saw that Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu had fainted and he could see that this fainting seeing Lord Jagannatha was an ecstatic symptom not just ordinary fainting. It seemed that He was dead as there was no sign of life so he took some cotton in front of His nose and he could see the cotton was moving so he could see that He was still breathing. He arranged to carry Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu to his house. Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s other companions ran after Hm and came to Jagannatha temple knowing that He must have come there and when they enquired about Him they said, “Yes one young sanyasi came and fainted and Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya has taken Him to his house so they all went to his house.
At this point I can say something about Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya just to show what a brilliant personality he was. At that time Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya was considered to be the greatest Vedantist, an exponent of Vendanta philosophy. He was so brilliant in those days in Mithila, which is a place where Sitadevi is from. She was known as the daughter of the King of Mithila, King Janaka. Naya philosophy, they wanted to keep this place of Mithila the only place where they would allow the students to come but they could not take anything in writing so that it would not go out of Mithila. Mithila would remain as the place of learning Naya shastra. Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya went to Mithila and he was so brilliant while studying he memorised everything. They said that he stole the scriptures with his brains so all the scriptures of Naya he brought to Navadwip and that is how Navadwip then became the place of Naya sastra. The people there was so upset that sent people to murder Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya so you can see how ruthless some of these Brahmanas were.
In order to preserve the unique aspects of their things they did that and those who were sent to murder on seeing Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya became so impressed and fell at his feet and told him what they were sent for. Eventually Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya took shelter of King of Orissa. He was extremely brilliant and considered to be the greatest exponent of Vedanta philosophy. He was so brilliant even sanyasis used to comes and study under him. When Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya took kshetra sanyas another kind of sanyas that a householder can take and that is by remaining in a holy dham and taking a vow not to leave that place. Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya was a kshetra sanyasi so he was staying at Jagannatha Puri and was the King’s sabha pandit, most exalted scholar. They came to Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya’s house and found that Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was still unconscious so they started to chant the holy name and when they chanted then Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu came to external consciousness.
Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya expressed his concern about this young sanyasi, “He is so handsome and He is not serious at all, seems that He is so sentimental so frivolous, He sings and dances, that’s not the business of a sanyasi.” Sanyasi should sit at one place and he became so concerned. His brother-in-law was Gopinath Acharya. Gopinath Acharya was in Jagannatha Puri and he was also another scholar and He knew Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu because he was in Navadwip. Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya left Navadwip before Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s appearance therefore he did not know about Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu but he knew His grandfather. Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya’s father and Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s grandfather were great friends and great scholars so he knew about Jagannatha Misra and Saci mata but he did not know about Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Gopinath Acharya knew and he was a great devotee of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.
Gopinath Acharya met Mukunda and asked him, “What brings you heres? How is everything in Navadwip? How is Nimai?” Then Mukunda told what happened so Gopinath Acharya also came with them to the house of Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya. When Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya started to speak about his concerns and he said, “I will teach Him Vedanta and that is how I will fix Him up and also He took sanyas at a lower category so I will uplift Him in a higher category.” Gopinath Acharya was so upset he said, “Give us a break. Do you know who you are talking about? He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead!” Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya said, “What? In this age of Kali there is no incarnation of the Lord, therefore He is known as Triyuga” He pointed out that in the age of Kali the Lord comes hiding His identity. Consider the Lord’s appearance has been broadcasted in Srimad Bhagavatam, in Mahabharata, He will appear with His golden complexion and He will accept sanyas. sannyäsa-kåc chamaù çänto niñöhä-çänti-paräyaëaù suvarëa-varëo hemäìgo.
The Lord whose complexion is dark will assume a golden complexion. varäìgaç candanäìgadé His beautiful form will be decorated with sandalwood and sannyäsa-kåc chamaù çänto niñöhä-çänti-paräyaëaù accepting sanyas He will establish peace and spiritual progress. So, in this way Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya and Gopinath Acharya started to have arguments. I don’t know about here but in India brothers in law have a very sweet relationship. Two brothers in law had this sweet relationship of argument and Gopinath Acharya told Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya, “One can recognise the Lord only by His mercy, unfortunately you have not received this mercy therefore you will not be able to recognise and I pity your condition.” Then Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya said, “I have seen enough sentimentalists but they were not like you. I don’t mind accepting Him as an exalted spiritual personality but the Supreme Personality of Godhead, come on, there are limits to sentimentalism!” When Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu got to know that Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya was planning to educate Him in Vedanta Sutra then He said, “He is My well-wisher and if he wants to teach Me Vedanta Sutra then fine. I will study under him.” Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu accepted his teachings and for seven days Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya explained Vedanta Sutra, Vedanta are aphorisms like symbolic expressions and therefore needs elaboration.
The real explanation of Vedanta Sutra is Srimad Bhagavatam but these Mayavadis give a concocted understanding of Vedanta Sutra explaining their philosophy of Vedanta Sutra. For seven days Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya explained Vedanta Sutra and Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu just sat there and listened. Finally, Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya said, “Krishna Chaitanya, do you understand what I am saying?” Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu said, “Yes, I understand the aphorisms and sutras but not your explanation.” Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya said, “What do you mean you understand the sutra but not the explanation?” Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu: Your explanations are not clarifying sutras rather they are covering the sutras. The aphorisms in Vedanta sutra are clear and they are all indicating the Supreme Personality of Godhead but your explanation is totally contradictory to that. You are developing some concocted ideas from your mind and intelligence. You are giving some concocted intellectual understanding that has nothing to do with the Vedas.
Then it came to a consideration and Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu then asked him to explain one verse of Srimad Bhagavatam and that verse is very simply explaining the point
ātmārāmāś ca munayo
nirgranthā apy urukrame
kurvanty ahaitukīṁ bhaktim
ittham-bhūta-guṇo hariḥ
ātmārāmāś ca munayo the exalted personalities who are deriving joy from their souls, they have become identified in their spiritual identity and are deriving their joy from their spiritual situation. They are nirgranthā free from all material attachments but still kurvanty ahaitukīṁ bhaktim they render unconditional devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead this is how wonderful the qualities of the Lord are ittham-bhūta-guṇo hariḥ. So, the point is that those who have already attained the state of liberation they in that liberated state become completely free from all material bondage and they deriving their joy from within being situated in their liberated condition they become engaged in rendering loving devotional service to the Lord. So, what does this actually imply? Devotion to the Lord is beyond liberation so liberation is not the goal. The spiritual engagement after liberation is the goal. An example a prisoner may think that he must get out of the prison.
When he is in the prison, he may think that the goal of life is to get out of the prison but when he is out of the prison is that all or will he have to become engaged in some activities? Prisoner when he comes out of the prison, he has to perform some activities to maintain himself. Here devotional service can be considered to be like the prisoner goes out of the prison and from the prison he is taken to the palace of the King and he is allowed to live with the King. Now isn’t that the most coveted situation for a living entity? Just getting out of the material nature is not the main consideration the main consideration is to become engaged in loving devotional service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and thereby becoming eligible to live with the King. When one is rendering service to the King he will be living with the King and he will be enjoying with the King and that is the situation of a devotee. What to speak of apparently the person in the prison is the son of the King. When he goes out of the prison where does he go? To his father’s palace and becomes a son of his father so that is a situation that a devotee achieves when he becomes engaged in devotional service.
Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya was heart-broken and like Keshava Kashmeri a very arrogant person naturally because of his exalted position. He was elderly and left Navadwip before Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s appearance meaning that he left Navadwip maybe 30 or 35 years. He was about 60 or 65 years and now the personality who was considered to be the greatest exponent of Vedanta philosophy is defeated by one 24-year-old boy whom he thought was a sentimentalist and an individual who won’t be able to maintain his service. Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya locked himself in his room feeling so despondent and heart broken. In the middle of the night Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu appeared to him and first He showed 4 arms holding lotus, conch, disc and mace and 2 other hands holding sanyas danda and kamandal. Then that form transformed to 2 arms holding bow and arrow of Lord Ramchandra and 2 arms holding the flute of Krishnachandra with other 2 hands holding sanyas stick and water pot. This is how Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu revealed to him that he was the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya recognising Him fell at His feet and he composed 100 prayers, all 100 are so beautiful.
The first one is actually revealing the identity of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.
vairāgya-vidyā-nija-bhakti-yogaśikṣārtham ekaḥ puruṣaḥ purāṇaḥ
śrī-kṛṣṇa-Chaitanya-śarīra-dhārī
kṛpāmbudhir yas tam ahaṁ prapadye
the Supreme Personality in order to teach the science of renunciation which is actually His own bhakti, His own devotion. Krishna’s devotion is actually the cause of renunciation, devotion to Krishna is actually the cause of renunciation.
In that respect there is one analogy Bhaktidevi has two sons. How many of you know about them? Jnana and Viragya, Knowledge and renunciation. Wherever the mother goes the sons will naturally go with the mother therefore wherever there is Bhakti devotion knowledge and renunciation are automatically there. The actual renunciation takes place through devotion to Krishna and real knowledge develops due to devotion to Krishna. Another consideration is as one develops his attachment to the Supreme Personality of Godhead automatically, he becomes detached from material life and attachment to Him causes detachment to material. Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu came to teach us the process of detachment, in order to teach that science the Supreme Personality of Godhead has come down as Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu so this is how Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya was made into a devotee. Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya gave up his impersonalistic concept and became a devotee.
Another exalted person who also transformed was King Prataparudra the King of Orissa, he was so powerful at that time actually the entire India was under Muslim domination. Muslims defeated all the Hindu Kings only King they could not defeat was King Prataparudra. We can well imagine how powerful he was. They made repeated attacks but failed. His main power came from being a devotee of Lord Jagannatha. King Prataparudra also heard that Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was the Supreme Personality of Godhead but he couldn’t accept it how can a human being be the Supreme Personality of Godhead? Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu left Jagannatha Puri and travelled to South India and then King Prataparudra actually heard that Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu by travelling to South India He used to stop at different places at night and one night He stopped in one village and Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu used to associate with the village people the exalted personalities of the village and spend the entire night. He used to tell them about Krishna Consciousness.
Do you know how Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu spread Krishna Consciousness? I am sure you all know. He used to stop there wherever He would go and instruct about Krishna Consciousness and then He would instruct whoever you see instruct him about Krishna’s teachings of Bhagavad Gita and Srimad Bhagavatam. Whatever I told you about Krishna go and tell them and in this way by My order you become a guru. Just one night’s association Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu not only turned these people into Krishna Consciousness but He would make them amazing preacher as well. They would go to others and tell them and they would go and preach to others and in this way Krishna Consciousness was spreading in leaps and bounds. Srila Prabhupada also did that, the young boys and girls became affected by Srila Prabhupada’s teachings and they went to different places, different corners of the world and they started to spread Krishna Consciousness. Of course, Prabhupada’s support was there and Prabhupada was travelling, he was going to those places but they created the initial ground then Srila Prabhupada went and planted the seed.
In one village Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu stopped and there was one Brahmana who had leprosy. Leppers were austricized from the society because it was a contagious disease therefore, they were not allowed to come out. This Brahma’s name was Vasudev and he was such a great devotee and so compassionate that the worms that were eating up his flesh if the worms fell out of his body, he would pick it up and put it back, such an exalted personality. Vasudev got to know that the Supreme Personality of Godhead came to his village but he got the news a little late. When he ran to see the Supreme Personality of Godhead by that time Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu left and Vasudev became so heart-broken that he missed such an opportunity. The Lord came so close but he could not meet Him so he just started crying.
Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu travelled some distance already but he came back and picked up Vasudev and embraced him by His touch not only did Vasudev’s leprosy got cured but Vasudev some form of a demi-god. Vasudev started to lament. It was better when I was in that suffering condition, I was able to remember you now that I got this handsome feature and healthy body, I am afraid that I will indulge in sense gratification.
This news reached King Prataparudra and he felt only the Supreme Personality can heal such a person’s condition. Many people have cured lepers before but no one has ever embraced them. Just as the father in no matter what condition the child is will not hesitate to embrace him as the mother will not hesitate to embrace the child no matter the condition so the Supreme father, the Supreme Personality of Godhead can embrace a leper. Then King Prataparudra became eager to meet Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was travelling to South India and when He came back the King expressed his desire to meet the Lord. Many of His exalted associates told the Lord to meet the King but Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu refused to meet him.
They appealed to him please give him your association Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, said, “ I am a sanyasi and the King is considered to be situated on the highest platform of sense gratification it’s not good.” When Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu refused to see the King then the King became very heart-broken and said, “I will give up my kingdom and become a sanyasi myself.” They all started to appeal to Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and when they started to persuade Him like that then the Lord said, “You all stay with the King and I will leave you.” They became afraid and finally due to their persuasion Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu agreed to see him but his representative his son, the son is considered to be the extension. Then came the Ratha Yatra Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu saw the King so humbly sweeping the street in front of the Lord.
In orthodox Vedic society for an exalted person to touch a broom was a very disgraceful act. Once a marriage proposal was going on between the Princess of Kanchi and King of Orissa but when the King of Kanchi got to know that he sweeps the streets he said I will not give my daughter in marriage to this person a sweeper, that is another story then the Orissa King became so upset that he attacked the capital of Kanchi. Kanchi was very powerful but before the King could reach with his army, he got the news that the King of Kanchi has been defeated by a small little army led by a black warrior and a white warrior so who are They? Jagannatha and Baladeva went on behalf of the King and fought and defeated him. Jagannatha actually takes care of the devotees. Anyway, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu when He saw that the King was sweeping the streets in front of Lord Jagannatha’s chariot. It’s a custom actually.in Jagannatha’s chariot festival.
Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was very pleased and that day Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was dancing in front of Lord Jagannatha’s chariot. The chariot stops at a place called Balghati receives the offerings of all of them and Lord Jagannatha will receive every single offering starting from the King’s palace to the roadside. At that time Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was lying under a tree in the adjacent garden and that time King Prataparudra came disguised as an ordinary villager and was massaging Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s lotus feet. While he was massaging Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s lotus feet, he was singing prayers from 31st Chapter, 10th Canto of Srimad Bhagavatam. When he was reciting the ninth verse
tava kathāmrtam tapta-jīvanam
kavibhir īditam kalmasāpaham
śravana-mańgalam śrīmad ātatam
bhuvi grnanti ye bhūri-dā janāh
At that point Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu jumped up embraced King Prataparudra and kept on saying bhūri-dā bhūri-dā!! Indeed, the greatest most munificent person. Here actually it takes us to another consideration, why Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu responded like that? Because this verse is saying the personality that distributes Krishna Consciousness all over the world is the most munificent personality. Who is that personality distributing Krishna Prema? Nectarian words about the Supreme Personality of Godhead and mitigates the suffering condition of a living entity and these words are spoken by the most exalted personality and by hearing these words one becomes free from all his impurities. śravana-mańgalam just by hearing one receives the greatest benediction bhuvi grnanti, one who distributes it all over the world is the bhūri-dā janāh, is the most munificent personality.
Probably King Prataparudra’s mood was “You have come to deliver everyone all over the world to distribute Your mercy to everyone but You will not bestow Your mercy upon Prataparudra.” Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, “Yes that’s true. I am that personality.” Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu responded in that way because Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu appreciated that statement that the one who will distribute it all over the world is indeed the most munificent person. Now tell me who is that person? Srila Prabhupada! Yes, we can see in this way Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was forecasting the appearance of a personality who would distribute Krishna Consciousness all over the world. We can also see how amazingly Srila Prabhupada had done that. It’s one of the most amazing things that this world has ever seen.
Can you imagine going to a country like America without a penny. Prabhupada didn’t even have a cent, we may say Prabhupada had forty rupees with him but what is forty rupees in America? What is forty rupees even in South Africa? Can you take forty rupees to a bank and say give me some Rands will they take it? Fifty years back, India’s rupee what was its value? Prabhupada didn’t have anything and going to Amercia in that way. Then what did he do? Starting the movement literally from scratch and then spreading it all over the world. That is the unique arrangement of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Thank you all very much. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
2. QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Q: Since you were speaking of taking sanyas I could not help but ask what were your thoughts and feelings at the point when you took sanyas?
A: I felt wonderful and you know what I did right after getting my sanyas? I went to the kitchen and started to cook for Srila Prabhupada. As a matter of a fact, I didn’t really feel much difference because I was just doing whatever I was doing only I sat in the ceremony and I did not notice the change that took place until went to Mayapur. Only when I went to Mayapur, I started to see that the devotees started to treat me differently. Previously I was a brahmacari with other brahmacaris and now all the brahmacaris were offering dandavat to me. It was quite embarrassing because they all were senior to me.
Q: Could you please explain more about the verse that Srimad Bhagavatam is saying about Vedanta sutra?
A: Vedanta sutras, sutras literally Sanskrit word means aphorism. Aphorism means in a small and short way you explain the big and great understanding, Like Bhagavatam is the natural commentary of Vedanta sutra. Why? Because what Vedanta sutra is saying that has been elaborated not that every single verse is there in Srimad Bhagavatam from Vedanta sutra. Vedanta sutra is saying that Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and different attributes and qualities of Krishna. The first verse of Srimad Bhagavatam is indicating that
janmādy asya yato ’nvayād itarataś cārtheṣv abhijñaḥ svarāṭ
tene brahma hṛdā ya ādi-kavaye muhyanti yat sūrayaḥ
tejo-vāri-mṛdāṁ yathā vinimayo yatra tri-sargo ’mṛṣā
dhāmnā svena sadā nirasta-kuhakaṁ satyaṁ paraṁ dhīmahi
janmā means birth creation, adi, etc of everything that means everything that has been created, is being maintained and eventually will be annihilated, the cause of all that is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That Supreme Personality of Godhead imparted this knowledge in the heart of Brahma tene brahma hṛdā ya ādi-kavaye muhyanti this is how Srimad Bhagavatam is starting. Srimad Bhagavatam is explaining about the Supreme Personality of Godhead and His attributes and qualities.
Q: Why was Srivas mother-in-law present in the house and affected the chanting that even Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu felt it?
A: It’s an effect of a non-devotee. What actually happened was Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu wanted to chant the holy name in the presence of devotees but just the presence of a non-devotee who came to watch what was going on affected Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s consciousness. He wanted to chant in the association of devotees when everyone is absorbed in chanting the holy name and here somebody is quietly watching what’s going on and that is what affected Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.
Q: Why do we chant aloud to benefit others so if non devotees affect the chanting then how to overcome this?
A: Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s chanting had two aspects one aspect is relishing the holy name which He did at night and during the day He went out to distribute the holy name to others. So, he did that during the daytime.
3. SRILA PRABHUPADA'S APPRECIATION
Just one night’s association Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu not only turned these people into Krishna Consciousness but He would make them amazing preacher as well. They would go to others and tell them and they would go and preach to others and in this way Krishna Consciousness was spreading in leaps and bounds. Srila Prabhupada also did that, the young boys and girls became affected by Srila Prabhupada’s teachings and they went to different places, different corners of the world and they started to spread Krishna Consciousness. Of course, Prabhupada’s support was there and Prabhupada was travelling, he was going to those places but they created the initial ground then Srila Prabhupada went and planted the seed.
Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu responded in that way because Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu appreciated that statement that the one who will distribute it all over the world is indeed the most munificent person. Now tell me who is that person? Srila Prabhupada! Yes, we can see in this way Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was forecasting the appearance of a personality who would distribute Krishna Consciousness all over the world. We can also see how amazingly Srila Prabhupada had done that. It’s one of the most amazing things that this world has ever seen. Can you imagine going to a country like America without a penny. Prabhupada didn’t even have a cent, we may say Prabhupada had forty rupees with him but what is forty rupees in America? What is forty rupees even in South Africa? Can you take forty rupees to a bank and say give me some Rands will they take it? Fifty years back, India’s rupee what was its value? Prabhupada didn’t have anything and going to America in that way. Then what did he do? Starting the movement literally from scratch and then spreading it all over the world. That is the unique arrangement of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.
4. GURU MAHARAJA’S INSTRUCTION
- Devotion to the Lord is beyond liberation so liberation is not the goal. The spiritual engagement after liberation is the goal;
- Jagannatha actually takes care of the devotees.
- Wherever there is Bhakti devotion knowledge and renunciation are automatically there.
- The actual renunciation takes place through devotion to Krishna and real knowledge develops due to devotion to Krishna.
- As one develops his attachment to the Supreme Personality of Godhead automatically, he becomes detached from material life and attachment to Him causes detachment to material.
(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)