MS: This story from Caitanya Caritamrta, we are beginning a new story here – this is from Madhya Lila, chapter 10, verse 49 through 60. ‘Bhavananda Raya offers his family to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.’
Of course the implication of describing the story is that, anyone who has a family, of course it should be offered, that family should be offered to Lord Caitanya. Of course if you want to get philosophical, there is something called as indriya kula, indriya kula , kula means family. If you apply it to a person – well I don’t have any family, I am an individual, I am brahmachari, sannyasi or single lady – you have your family also, your five, your ten senses, your eleven senses called indriya kula.
So then your indriya kula, the family, that Bhavananda Raya offered his family to Lord Caitanya, so we should offer our family also – indriya kula, indriya kula. We should offer our kama indriyas as five family members, our jnana indriyas, that’s five family members, then the big boss, the Godfather. Who is the Godfather of all of them? Mano..mano vijnani…or whatever, some big Italian mafia or something, the eleventh family member is the mind. So these are the eleven senses, indriya kula, so we can offer, we can also apply like that.
Bhavananda Raya offered his family members, so we can offer our family members. That’s pretty difficult, but that’s what our attempt is, we are trying to offer all our family members to the divine service of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
But in this story, this is verse 49 through 60, we can see how he did that, how did Bhavananda Raya do that and who were his family members…
Text 49
hena-kale aila tatha bhavananda raya
cari-putra-sange pade mahaprabhura paya
SP: At this time Bhavananda Raya appeared with four of his sons, and all of them fell down at the lotus feet of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
MS: At this time Bhavananda Raya appeared, this is in Jagannatha Puri, the Lord’s return to Jagannatha Puri. So at this time in Puri Bhavananda Raya appeared with four of his sons and all of them fell down at the lotus feet of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu
cari-putra-sange pade mahaprabhura paya
MS: Bhavananda Raya had five sons, one of whom was the exalted personality of Raya Ramananda. So he was already there. So then he brought the other four.
Text 50
sarvabhauma kahe,—ei raya bhavananda
inhara prathama putra—raya ramananda
SP: Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya continued, “This is Bhavananda Raya, the father of Sri Ramananda Raya, who is his first son.”
MS: Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya continued, now he is speaking, so now we have to transport ourselves to Jagannatha Puri, we were on Benares. Last story we were in Benares, ‘Isvara Puri instructs Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’. He learnt all about the instructions that Lord Caitanya received from His guru by hearing Lord Caitanya speak the same instructions to Prakasananda Saraswati. That is a perfect disciple; he hears from his guru and then he repeats faithfully. So Caitanya Mahaprabhu heard from His guru (tomara murkha, You are a fool) and He repeated the same thing (ami tomara murkha), “My guru just said I am a fool, I am not fit for Vedanta. I can simply chant the Holy Name.” krsna mantra sada krsna mantra sara – Always chant, this is the essence of everything.
So now we are leaving Benares, and I am glad to leave there, so many Mayavadis, I am going back, we are returning with the Lord, we have come to Jagannatha Puri. And there is so much of mahaprasadam everywhere. And we are very happy to have that mahaprasadam, everywhere we look we see Jagannatha’s smiling face and Subhadra and Balarama and the waves are calling us and they are pounding on the ocean beach, they are reminding us of a endless waves of ecstasy flowing in the heart of Mahaprabhu. So we are there in Puri and Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya is speaking and we are hearing.
So he is saying that, Sarvabhauma is saying, “This is Bhavananda Raya, the father of Sri Ramananda Raya, who is his first son.” So this is, in other words, Bhavananda Raya has appeared in the sanga, among the bhakta gana and Mahaprabhu is there and Raya Ramananda is there, Svarupa Damodara is there, and so many devotees are there.
So now the father of Raya Ramananda has come into the assembly and he is known to Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya. So Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya, being a senior person of equal rank as Bhavananda Raya, of same age etc., he is doing the proper introductions. This is the culture, the elder introduces the elder, like this. So Lord Caitanya is quite younger, obviously, so he is being introduced, Bhavananda Raya is being formally introduced to Lord Caitanya by Sarvabhauma.
Text 51
tabe mahaprabhu tanre kaila alingana
stuti kari’ kahe ramananda-vivarana
SP: Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu embraced Bhavananda Raya and with great respect spoke of his son Ramananda Raya.
MS: Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu embraced Bhavananda Raya with great respect and spoke of his son Ramananda Raya. stuti kari’ kahe, stuti, with great respect…. stuti kari’ – in one sense means that He practically started offering, practically, prayers…Stutis and Stavas. He started offering prayers in the glorification of illustrious first son of Bhavananda Raya.
Text 51
ramananda-hena ratna yanhara tanaya
tanhara mahima loke kahana na yaya
SP: Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu honored Bhavananda Raya by saying, “The glories of a person who has a jewel of a son like Ramananda Raya cannot be described within this mortal world.
MS: Mahaprabhu honored Bhavananda Raya by saying – “The glories of a person who has a jewel of a son Ramananda Raya cannot be described in this mortal world.”
This is called paroksa vada, it is indirect glorification which is much more pleasing and appeasing, pleasing to the Lord than the direct glorification. Instead of saying – “Oh! You really are a great person, you have such a great son. You are such a great father to have produced such an illustrious son” – that’s quite…, it’s called direct. But He is saying – “That person who has, has a jewel of a son Ramananda Raya, he cannot be described in the three worlds and all the mortal worlds” and then Bhavananda is thinking – “That’s me! That person is me!”
He says, mahima loke kahana na yaya
Text 53
saksat pandu tumi, tomara patni kunti
panca-pandava tomara panca-putra maha-mati
SP: “You are Maharaja Pandu himself, and your wife is Kuntidevi herself. All your highly intellectual sons are representatives of the five Pandavas.”
MS: He is saying, Mahaprabhu said to Bhavananada, to glorify him. These are His stutis, these are His prayers as glorification of Bhavananda Raya, the father of Raya Ramananda, Ramananda Raya. He is saying, “Your son is a jewel, you have a jewel like son, he is a great jewel, most valuable, rare, precious gem. And amm… you can’t be described; he can’t be described, anyway I will try to say something to describe, this is what I can say – Bhavananda raya (this is Lord Caitanya Speaking), you are Maharaja Pandu himself and your wife is Kunti-devi herself, all your highly intellectual sons are representatives of the five pandavas.”
He says maha-mati, maha-mati means they are greatly intelligent, very good intelligence, maha-mati. You are Pandu and your wife is Kunti, and your five sons Ramananda Raya, etc. they are all panch –pandavas. This is Lord Caitanya’s statement, then He says…Then Krsnadasa kaviraj speaks
Text 54
raya kahe,—ami sudra, visayi, adhama
tabu tumi sparsa,—ei isvara-laksana
SP: After hearing Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s praise, Bhavananda Raya submitted, “I am in the fourth class of the social order, and I engage in mundane affairs. Although I am very fallen, You have still touched me. This is proof that You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead.”
MS: After hearing Mahaprabhu’s praise, Bhavanada Raya submitted. In other words, this is generally the nature, when devotees meet one another, you’ll see in this exchange, in this ukti – this verbal exchange between Bhavananda Raya and Lord Chaintanya you will learn something about Vaisnava behavior. There are so many levels and layers of teachings here, so we will learn in this exchange something about Vaisnava behavior.
On one side Caitanya Mahaprabhu, He is exalting, He is exalting Bhavananda Raya – Oh you are so great, your son is a gem, your son is jewel and you, your son is a rare jewel, and you…there are no words in this universe which can describe how exalted you are.
So Lord Caitanya is really putting him on a high pedestal, He is really glorifying, elevating Bhavananda Raya. So how will Bhavananda Raya reply…then how he replies, then you will understanding something about the mentality, and the heart and the behavior of pure Vaisnava.
Whereas a materialist, if someone glorifies him, he generally says “Yes! Yes! You are quite right.” When you glorify him, his chest becomes very broad and his head comes up very high and he extends his neck, “Yes! Yes! Anior! Anior! More!More! Speak more..speak more, this is music to my ears. My glorification..yes! Yes!” and they often when they have these Lions Club or Rotary club meetings, they introduce some speaker, “Yes we like to introduce Mr. so & so…he wrote this book, he is the president of this, he is the CEO of this and he is this and that and then he is sitting in this chair” and everyone claps their hands.
But now, what is the response after Bhavanada Raya hears such glorification from God! God is glorifying him..Caitanya Mahaprabhu
He says ami sudra, visayi, adhama, tabu tumi sparsa,—ei isvara-laksana
MS: Bhavananda Raya submitted, “I am a Sudra, I am in the fourth class of social order and I am engaged in mundane affairs. Although I am very fallen, You have still touched me, because previously in the story Mahaprabhu welcomed, when Mahaprabhu was introduced – Here is the father of Ramananda Raya…Caitanya Mahaprabhu stood up and gave him premalingana , He embraced him, body-to-body, chest-to-chest, premalingana, He embraced him.
And now he is saying, “Oh! You are a high class Brahmin, You are born in a high class Brahmin family from Navadvipa.” Because Bhavananda Raya, at this juncture, does not understand that He is God. He knows something about who He is, He is a great sannyasi, He is a paramahamsa, paribrajak sannyasi, and He is born in a high class Brahmin family, Misra family. He is a famous pandita of Navadvipa, and me, I am a sudra, You lose your caste by touching me, You become so contaminated, and defiled by contacting my body.
I am a sudra, I am a visayi, I am totally attached. On one side, You are a paramhamsa sannyasi, vairagya vidya…so much knowledge and detachment and what am I, I am the opposite. You are a Sadhu, I am a papi. I am a visayi, I am a sense-gratifier – pounds, shillings, pence, women, wives, house, food, power, land, influence – prathistatha, I am full of this prathistatha.
Adam…I am very low person, fallen person, but despite my disqualification, despite my lack of having any good qualities, You such an exalted person, You have embraced me, showed such intimacy towards me, such love, such affection, disregarding all my disqualifications, disregarding all my contaminations. How broad minded are You! Then he says, “This is the proof that You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead.”
Because Krsna, is the father of all living entities, every living entity – fly, demigod, cockroach, alligator, they are all children of God. He loves them all, God loves all of His creation, they are all His parts & parcels…
mamaivamso jiva-loke
jiva-bhutah sanatanah
manah-sasthanindriyani
prakrti-sthani karsati
(Bhagvad-gita 15.7)
MS: So He is showing His love, as stated in Bhagvata Gita
vidyā-vinaya-sampanne
brāhmaṇe gavi hastini
śuni caiva śva-pāke ca
paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ
(Bhagvad-gita 5.18)
So this is Nimai pandita, baro, baro pandita , great pandita, baro pandita, maha pandita, and He is showing this tuliya darsana, sama darsana – equal vision, friend or foe. There is no friend or foe, all are friendly, all are friends, all are welcome, all are loved, all are accepted, all are honored.
This is the bhakti dristi, this is the bhakti dristi, this is the look of love, bhakti locana, the glance of love, all are welcome, all are equal, all are friends, all are related, there are no enemies in this plane, there is no envy on this plane. So this is the Prema Purusottama, Prema Purusottama Bhagavan Gauranga.
Bhagavan Gauranga Prema Purusottama Patita Pavana avatara – Sri Gauranga Mahaprabhu, so all are welcome. None are barred, all are welcome – Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Sindhi, Bindi…anyone, everyone…rich, poor, Russian, American, German, French, children, adults, everyone, animals…everyone can come, everyone is welcome, there is no discrimination.
SPP: The humble sage by virtue of true knowledge see with equal vision a learned and gentle Brahmin, a cow, elephant, a dog and dog eater. Those who are highly advanced in spiritual knowledge do not care about a person’s material condition. A spiritually advanced person sees the spiritual identity of every living entity and consequently he makes no distinction between a learned Brahmin, dog, candala, and anyone one else.
He is not influenced by the material body, but sees a person’s spiritual identity. Consequently, Bhavananda Raya appreciated Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s statement which showed that the Lord did not consider the position of Bhavananda Raya who actually belonged to a sudra caste engaged in mundane activities.
Rather the Lord considered the spiritual position of Bhavananda Raya along with that of Ramananda Raya and his brothers. The servant of the Lord is also similarly inclined. The Lord’s servant gives shelter to any person – any living entity. So Shamu, Ramu, Gulayri, Paki…Prabhupada says the Lord’s servant, the Lord’s servant, he gives shelter to any person – person means human being, manusa, man – oh not only that – any living entity. The lord’s servant – the bhakta, Krsnadas, Krsnadasi, they give shelter, they help, they feed, they nourish, they protect, guide, uplift.
Any person, any human being, and also any living entity – dog, cat, anyone comes to the shelter of a Vaisnava, Gaudiya Vaisnava especially – yes you are my friend, brother dog, brother cat, brother bird, brother squirrel…yes! Eat, take prasad, be happy, take prasad, take maha-water, drink Giriraja’s maha-water. Eat Giriraja’s maha-bajra, be happy. Listen to the chanting. This is the mood, the shelter, the asraya.
He gives shelter to any person, any living entity regardless of whether he belongs to a Brahmin family or candala family, Spiritual master reclaims all people and encourages everyone in spiritual life. By taking shelter of such a devotee, one can make his life successful, as confirmed in the 2nd canto – chapter 4 – verse 18
kirata-hunandhra-pulinda-pulkasa
abhira-sumbha yavanah khasadayah
ye ’nye ca papa yad-apasrayasrayah
sudhyanti tasmai prabhavisnave namah
Kiratas, Hunas, Andhras, (Andhra Pradesh is also included), Pulindas, Pulkasas, Abhiras (that is the caste that Krsna was in), so Krsna is also included here. Nanda Maharaja was in the class of viasyas called Abhira.
Abhiras, Sumbhas, Yavanas (we are also included) and members of the Khasa races and even others who are addicted to sinful acts can be purified by taking shelter of the devotees of the Lord due to His being the Supreme power. I beg to offer my respectful obeisances unto Him. Whoever takes shelter of Supreme Personality of Godhead or His pure devotee, is elevated to the spiritual order, and purified from material contamination.
This is also confirmed by Lord Krsna in the Bhagavat Gita (9.32)
mam hi partha vyapasritya ye ’pi syuh papa-yonayah
striyo vaisyas tatha sudras te ’pi yanti param gatim
MS: “O Son of Prtha! Arjuna! Those who take shelter of Me, though they be of lower birth – women, vaisyas, sudras, they can attain the supreme destination.”
Text 55
nija-grha-vitta-bhrtya-panca-putra-sane
atma samarpilun ami tomara carane
SP: Appreciating Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s favor, Bhavananda Raya also
said, “Along with my home, riches, servants and five sons, I surrender
myself at Your lotus feet.
MS: Appreciating Mahaprabhu’s favour, Bhavananda Raya also said, nija-grha-vitta-bhrtya, “Along with my home (grha), riches (vitta), Servants (Britya) and five sons, I surrender myself at Your lotus feet.”
So this is the prabhava, the great influence of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and those who represent Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, they also have this bhakti prabhava – this influence, the power of transformation. We have these college courses – ‘Transformational Psychology.’
Turning away the face from Krsna bahir-mukha to Krsna antar-mukha, looking within the Sri Krsna. So upon meeting Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, by touching Him, by being embraced by Lord Caitanya, he became so much inclined to Gaudiya Vaisnavism. And by hearing a few words from the lotus mouth of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, he was ready to give up everything, surrender everything.
So this is the power of the touch of the Vaisnava – sparsa, sparsa alingana, if someone touches the body of a Vaisnava, they become purified. If someone sees the face of a Vaisnava, they become purified. If someone hears the holy words from lips of a Vaisnava, they become purified. And if that Vaisnava is a cent percent a pure representative of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, then they can become totally transformed on the spot…
sadhu-sanga sadhu-sanga sarva sastre koy,
laba matra sadhu-sange sarva siddhi hoy
(CC, Madhy lila 22.54)
MS: This is sadhu prabhava, bhakti prabhava, bhakta prabhava…laba matra – All the sastras proclaim , sarva sastra, sarva sastra – every sastra, every holy book is saying “Sadhu sanga, sadhu sanga, sarva sastra…associating with the Sadhus – in the ways I mentioned – touching him, seeing him and most importantly hearing from him, is so powerful that even a momentary association (laba matra) can give one siddhi, can give one the perfection, can put one on the path of perfection – can immediately stop once sojourn in the samsara cakra and put the person on the path – Sadhu vartamam nivartate, put him on the Sadhu vartaman, put him on the path of truth, back home, back to Godhead.
So Caitanya Mahaprabhu has created that transformation in Bhavananda Raya, so Bhavananda Raya is ready, “My Lord, whatever I have in my possession…
manasa, deha, geha, yo kichu mora
arpilun tuya pade nanda-kisora!
(Saranagati)
Everything… I am taking shelter of You for protection, whatever I have I am offering to You, My Lord, what do I have, Oh Caitanya Mahaprabhu what do I have?
Well, I have my five sons – I offer them to You. I have my wealth (vitta), I offer that to You. I have my grha, my house, I offer that to You. And in my house, I have my bhrtya, my house-servants, I offer them to You. What’s left! Whatever I have body, mind, words, wealth, everything I am offering to You.”
This is the first meeting, one meeting with the devotee, the ideal devotee – Caitanya Mahaprabhu, of course He is also Bhagavan and everything is happening like this….So much power.
So Srila Prabhupada explains – This is the process of surrender. As Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura sings,
manasa, deha, geha, yo kichu mora
arpilun tuya pade nanda-kisora!
(Saranagati)
When one surrenders unto the lotus feet of the Lord, he does so with everything in his possession – house, body, mind and whatever else he possesses. If there is any obstruction to this surrendering process, one should immediately give it up without attachment. One can surrender with all his family members, there is no need to take sannyasa, however if the surrendering process is hampered by so-called family members, one should immediately give them up to the complete surrendering process.
So there is… you can stay in household life and you can surrender, but if being surrounded by house and family and servants is retarding your surrender or delaying your surrender, then one may give those things up to favor the path of surrender.
Text 56
ei vaninatha rahibe tomara carane
yabe yei ajna, taha karibe sevane
SP: “This son Vaninatha will remain at Your lotus feet to always immediately attend to Your orders and serve You.
MS: “This son Vaninatha will remain at your lotus feet to always immediately attain to Your orders and serve You.”
So now, of course, Ramananda Raya is already engaged in the full service of Lord Caitanya. So that was his first son. So now the father has come with his other four sons to offer at the feet of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
Now he is offering each son one by one and saying, yes this son – because he knows the qualification of his son, he knows the bio-data of his son, he knows what each son is good at, what talents he has, what ability he has. So to save Lord Caitanya the time of having to perform an interview or job interview. If to Lord Caitanya, he simply said, “Here is my four sons” (it should be are my instead of is my) and leaves then Lord Caitanya would have to interview them one by one,
“Well what can you do? Do you know typing? Do you know computer? Do you know internet?”
“No, I don’t know…”
“Do you know cooking?”
“No.”
“Do you know massage?”
“No.”
“Hmmmm…Do you know kirtana?”
“No.”
“Do you know mrdanga? You are useless. What can you do in the preaching mission?”
“Well…ahhh…I am a good chowkidar..”
“OK you be the chowkidar and you throw out any demons come in the temple, you throw them out.”
There is always some usefulness. Everyone has… everything and everyone has its usefulness. We have to find the way and wherefore to do it.
So to save Lord Caitanya the time, the father, he offered each son and told Lord Caitanya, “Yes this son can do this, this son can do that.” So immediately, immediately without any hesitation, without any delay, these sons could immediately be enlisted in Lord Caitanya’s service… immediately without any wasting time.
So while speaking this I am thinking of an anecdote of Srila Prabhupada, and he explains how he was, Srila Prabhupada was not successful initially in his preaching in India, in Jhansi and another places in order to establish his league of devotees, which is the forerunner of ISKCON. The predecessor of ISKCON was the League Of Devotees which he began in Jhansi (U.P.) and Srila Prabhupada had several lifelong friends and one of them had three sons.
Very dear and intimate friend of Srila Prabhupada, they were life-long friends and Srila Prabhupada met with this Indian friend – he said, “Listen my friend, you have three sons, and I would like, because you know me so well, you know everything about me, you know my character and my life and what I represent. So I would like to beg you, could you contribute one of your sons, can you donate one of your sons to me? What I would do if you do that, I will train your son to become a pure Brahmin, a pure devotee of Krsna and I will prepare him to travel and preach all around the world to benefit people around the world, give them the greatest welfare, the greatest charity,”
The greatest charity one can ever give is the charity of knowledge, its called vidya dana. And what to speak of paravidya. Vidya Dana is the greatest charity, to give knowledge of some field or some area of study, but the greatest form of all vidyas is paravidya – knowledge of God, atmatattva jnana.
“So he will be the greatest welfare worker, he will be giving the, distributing the greatest charity all over the world. Paravidya dana, and you will be famous and you will become glorious and generations of your ancestors become liberated, fourteen generations by having such an illustrious son in your family. He will become like a sandalwood tree in a forest and give fragrance to your entire dynasty. Can you please donate one of your sons?”
Srila Prabhupada presented like this. Then what did the man say? “Ooh, swamiji, you are my very good friend and I have known you my whole life and we are like one, you are my heart and I am your heart, and I am loving you so much and you love me so much, I can do anything for you and you could do anything for me. But there is one thing I cannot do; I cannot give you one son because I am attached to all three of my sons. I want all my sons to be visayis – just like me. Agarwal 1, Agarwal 2 and Agarwal 3 ….they must become pukka Agarwals and carry on the family business of selling shoes.”
This is a very important contribution to the human society – selling shoes, if the shoe fits wear it. So swamiji recounted this story. Swamiji is Srila Prabhupada, he recounted this story saying – “I was not very successful convincing my fellow Indians to take up Krsna consciousness. But when I came to the West and I convinced all of you, then I knew, that now, this is my secret weapon. When I bring you western people back to India then people will take notice. Ooh! Swamiji has converted the foreigners, they are Americans! British! They have become Vaisnavas? Oh maybe there is something in this, may be there is something in this Krsna consciousness, may be I should take this seriously, I never took swamiji seriously before.”
So now we see in India how seriously people are taking Krsna consciousness and it is all because of the iccha, the desire of Srila Prabhupada. He wanted all of India to become Krsna conscious.
He even said in another conversation, he said “My Guru Maharaja –Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura, he wanted me to preach in the western worlds, he wanted me to go to the West and preach. So I have tried to execute that order and I have been successful to some extent. But it was my desire, it was my personal agenda, it was my personal desire to preach in India, to preach in India and spread this Krsna consciousness in India. This was my personal desire, so I tried my best to fulfill my guru’s order by preaching in the West.”
And obviously no one can argue, that Srila Prabhupada did that in a fabulous way and then he spent the last few years of his life establishing his mission in India, his preaching campaign in India which was his personal desire. So some of Srila Prabhupada’s disciples, they have taken up the mission of preaching in India as their personal mission in life because they heard this conversation that this was Srila Prabhupada’s personal desire.
So our parama guru wanted our guru maharaja to preach in the West, but our guru – his heart’s desire was to preach in India. So this person sitting here has tried to, has committed his life to preaching in India. Because this was Srila Prabhupada’s personal desire – to preach in India. So everyone is doing their work so this is our contribution, our understanding of how we should be engaged in the service of our guru maharaja.
Traveling and preaching in India. And someone says, “Oh, you should go to the West,” and I say, “Yes – sometimes I go the west, I go to Jaipur (everyone laughs) and preach in Jaipur”
“Oh, you should go to the far East.”
“Yes I go, I go to Mayapur and I preach in Mayapur.”
“Oh, you should come to the south, go to south, south America, so many places.”
“Yes, I go to Bombay, Bangalore, Chennai and preach there.”
“You should go to the North.”
“Yes, it is actually about three hours north of Vrndavan is Delhi. So I go to Delhi and preach and I have also been to Chandigarh and preached and Badrinath and Haridwar and Hrishikesh – I have been preaching there.”
So my north, south, uttar dig, paschim dig, dakshin dig, purva dig is only in Bharat. Jai Bharat mata and after all you have to consider, I am an Indian citizen.
bharata-bhumite haila manusya-janma yara
So when I became Indian citizen, that means I have been born in India, because when you are born in the country you become a citizen of that country. Isn’t it? If you are born in Russia, you become Russian. You are born in America; you become American, by birth, nationalization by birth or whatever.
So now I am born in India in 1998. So how old am I? I am Five and two – I am seven. So seven years old, you start moving and walking here and there, so slowly I am getting to, I am starting to walk here and there, seven year old boy.
(someone from audience prompts)
Oh I am nine years old now, oh I can walk even faster now!
(laughs…)
I was never good in Mathematics, thanks Braj. So now I am nine years old, so vayasandhi.
So this
bharata-bhumite haila manusya janma yara
janma sarthaka kari’ kara para-upakara
Lord Caitanya said, if you are born in Bharatvarsa then you should make your life perfect and preach to others.
So now, I am a nine year old boy in Bharatvarsa and trying to make my life perfect. Didn’t have to do welfare work for others, Para kara upkara. In many ways we can see things, but ah….we are going to the next verses here
ei vaninatha rahibe tomara carane
yabe yei ajna, taha karibe sevane
MS: This is repeating. Bhavananda Raya said, “This son Vaninatha, he will remain at Your Lotus Feet Mahaprabhu, to always immediately attain to Your orders and serve You. Your ajna and seva.”
Text 57
atmiya-jnane more sankoca na karibe
yei yabe iccha, tabe sei ajna dibe
SP: “My dear Lord, please consider me Your relative. Do not hesitate to order whatever You desire at any time You desire it.”
MS: My dear Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, please consider me Your relative. Do not hesitate to order whatever You desire at anytime You desire it. Sankoca, that’s like Hindi, means hesitation.
Text 58
prabhu kahe,—ki sankoca, tumi naha para
janme janme tumi amara savamse kinkara
SP: Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu accepted Bhavananda Raya’s offer, saying, “I
accept without hesitation because you are not an outsider. Birth after
birth you have been My servant, along with your family members.
MS: Mahaprabhu accepted Bhavananda Raya’s offer saying – “Without any hesitation, I accept, because you are not an outsider, birth after birth, you have been My servant along with your family members.”
Text 59
dina-panca-sata bhitare asibe ramananda
tanra sange purna habe amara ananda
SP: “Sri Ramananda Raya is coming within five to seven days. As soon as he arrives, My desires will be fulfilled. I take great pleasure in his company.”
MS: Now Mahaprabhu is speaking still, “Your eldest son, your eldest jewel-like son, Sri Ramananda Raya, he is coming to Jagannatha Puri in five to seven days. As soon as he arrives, My desires will be fulfilled. I take great pleasure in his company” sange purna habe amara ananda
MS: So in his sange purna, in his complete association or complete bliss, Caitanya Mahaprabhu relishes great bliss in the association of Ramananda Raya. Just as Radharani relishes great bliss in association of Visakha.
Visakha is inseparable. Ramananda Raya is Visakha sakhi and Svarupa Damodara is Lalita Sakhi – this is the general consensus among Gaudiya Acaryas. So Raya Ramananda is none other than Visakha sakhi and Caitanya Mahaprabhu is Radharani.
Mahaprabhu is Krsna in Radha bhava, experiencing Radharani’s bhava. So you know that, or you will know or should know that, Visakha is inseparable from Radharani – they are born on the same day on Astami, Bhadra-Sukla-Astami, they are born in the same place – Vraja Mandala and Barsana and nearby Barsana. They are born at the same time, noon time, they have the same bhava, the same mood, and that’s why – Visakha, Bi – Sakha, without branch, Bi – Sakha, no branch, no difference.
Whatever You are, I am, there is no difference, there is no-bhed, its abhed. Vi-Sakha, Bi – Sakha, there is no branch, there is no break, there is no separation. You are Me, I am You. You go here, I go there. You stand on the right, I stand on the left. Where You are standing, I am standing.
If you see on the altar, you must have noticed, Visakha is the bosom buddy of Radharani, she is always shoulder to shoulder with Radharani.
One shoulder of Radharani – Krsna, the other shoulder of Radharani – Visakha. There is no separation, Visakha means, no separation – Their bhava is the same, Their hearts are the same, Their mind is the same, Their movements…Visakha.
You can understand, how much satisfaction, pleasure, ananda (Sange purnananda, Sange purnananda) In association of Visakha, Radharani relishes unlimited bliss (Purnananda). Full, complete, absolute happiness and joy and that same Visakha in this Gaur-lila is Ramananda Raya and Radharani becomes mahabhava aspect of rasaraja Sri Krsna – Mahabhava …Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu. So Ramananda Raya gives purnananda to Lord Caitanya
Text 60
eta bali’ prabhu tanre kaila alingana
tanra putra saba sire dharila carana
SP: Saying this, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu embraced Bhavananda Raya. The Lord then touched the heads of his sons with His lotus feet.
MS: Saying this Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu embraced Bhavananda Raya. The Lord then touched the heads of the sons with His Lotus Feet.
This is a great blessing, all the sons of Bhavananda Raya, they attained the dust of Lord Caitanya’s feet, sire dharila carana. They held on their heads the lotus feet of Lord Caitanya. What fortune! This is the perfection of son of God. All the sons of Bhavananda Raya are sons of God.
sarva-yonisu kaunteya
murtayah sambhavanti yah
tasam brahma mahad yonir
aham bija-pradah pita
(Bhagvad-gita 14.4)
Krsna is telling in Bhagvad-gita 14th Chapter 4th verse – He says, all, sarva yoni, all these spices, all these animals, all these beings, all the beings that you see or don’t see, visible and invisible, moving and unmoving, all the beings and creatures in the universe, the known and unknown universes, they are all coming from Me. And I (aham bija-pradah pita), I am that mahapita, I am the great father, the Godfather, the father of everyone, God the father, we say God the father.
Indeed! God is the father of every single living entity (aham bija-pradah pita), I am the seed-giving father. So I am the father of Bhavanada Raya, I am the father of all the sons, I am the father of all fathers, God of all Gods, King of all Kings. So everyone is a son of God, so all sons of God will find perfection, all the sons of God, all the children of God will find perfection when their head is decorated or holding upon it the lotus feet of Gauranga.
So this perfection was attained, at this moment, in Puri, when Bhavananda Raya offered his four remaining sons to the service of Lord Caitanya. Lord Caitanya very mercifully placed His Lotus Feet on their heads, sire dharila carana
Sire means head, Sire dharila….So we can also pray to the sons of Bhavananda Raya –
“Oh sons of Bhavananda Raya, Oh Vaninatha Raya, Oh Ramananda Raya… Bhavananda Raya, you are so fortunate that the Lord embraced you Sparsa, Sparsa alingana, He touched you, so Bhavananda Raya please bless me that Lord Caitanya will also touch me, that He will embrace me. Oh Bhavananda Raya, please bless me, that I will embrace the teachings of Lord Caitanya and the teachings of…the Siksa.. Sri Caitanya Siksa…Siksastakam..that the teachings of Lord Caitanya will embrace my heart and mind. And now I turn my attention to the sons of Bhavananda Raya – Vaninatha & Raya Ramananda, of course he is not here right now but these are the four sons. Oh four sons of Bhavananda Raya beginning with Vaninatha , I pray to you, I pray to your lotus feet, because you are so fortunate, and you are so compassionate being such elevated Vaisnavas, nitya parisadas of the Lord. I pray to your lotus feet, please bless me that I can attain the same fortune as you have attained. That I can have the lotus feet of Lord Caitanya on my head.” (Sire dharila carane…)
So these are the prayers, these are how we approach the merciful devotees in these various lilas, we approach with a straw in our teeth, with great humility, with prayer and submission and petition.
“Please benefit me, please bless me, please help me.”
This is not a story, these are persons. It’s not a drama, its not some drama that we read about as passive observers, we must be very actively involved in the drama. And we get involved by entering the hearts of these devotees, we get involved by praying to them, we get involved by remembering them, we get involved by telling others about them.
That involvement produces result, result is – mercy flows. And when the mercy floes into our minds and hearts, everything changes, everything becomes cleansed (ceto darpana marjanam). We become elevated, transformed, enlightened, accepted.
We want to be accepted by Bhavananda Raya, we want to be accepted by his sons. Because we will know them…Someday we will meet them, someday we will know them. They will be our friends, our associates. They are not beyond us, they are not untouchable to us, they are not invisible to us. They are available for us, they are our future company, they are our future friends. So get to know them now.
Become friendly, get to know them. Establish relationship – the sambandha, sambandha jnana…the sambandha means not only jnana but prema… sambandha prema.. sambandha jnana, relationship of affection.
So tomorrow we will hear the story by the mercy of the Lord, if we have the fortune to seat again together. We will hear the story of ‘Lord Caitanya takes prasadam from the sanodiya brahmana in Mathura.’
This is very…this is right here..this is Mathura..Mathura Mandala…Caurasi Kosa…Tomorrow we will hear the very interesting story of how Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu accepted prasadam from the Sanodiya brahmana in Mathura.
Now we have to think, of course it is ekadasi, don’t think too much! What type of prasadam did He accept and why did He accept it? Where did He accept it? And who is this Sanodiya Brahamana? And how is he so fortunate? The Lord Caitanya is accepting food from his hand..what did he do to have that fortune? So all these questions are arising in our mind, but don’t think too much about what prasadam he gave Him because we are fasting..Today is ekadasi…