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Introduction: We are continuing with the compilation of Caitanya līlā book, the chapter
entitled today is:
The Maulāna, Vijulī Khān and the Western People Become Vaiṣṇavas
Under the section: Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s Visit to Śrī Vṛndāvana
Translation: Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, “Please get up. You have chanted the holy
name of Kṛṣṇa; therefore, the sinful reactions you have accrued for many millions of
lives are now gone. You are now pure.”
Jayapatākā Swami: By simply saying the name of Kṛṣṇa, Lord Caitanya is saying that
one gets purified. Even millions of lives of sinful reactions may be destroyed so, people
somehow or another, chant the holy name of Kṛṣṇa they will benefit immensely.
Translation: Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu then told all the Muslims there, “Chant the holy
name of Kṛṣṇa! Chant the holy name of Kṛṣṇa!” As they all began to chant, they were
overwhelmed by ecstatic love.
Jayapatākā Swami: So, Kṛṣṇa! Kṛṣṇa! was chanted by the Muslims, anyone who chants
they get the blessings, no matter what caste or creed. So, by chanting the holy names
of Kṛṣṇa one gets blessed and they all began to overwhelm in ecstatic love .
Translation: In this way Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu directly initiated the saintly Muslim by
advising him to chant the holy name of Kṛṣṇa. The Muslim’s name was changed to
Rāmadāsa. Another Pāṭhāna Muslim present there was named Vijulī Khān.
Purport by Śrīla Prabhupāda: After being initiated, the devotees in the Kṛṣṇa
consciousness movement change their names. Whenever a person in the Western
world becomes interested in this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, he is initiated by this
process. In India we are falsely accused of converting mlecchas and yavanas to the
Hindu religion. In India there are many Māyāvādī sannyāsīs known as jagad-guru,
although they have hardly visited the whole world. Some are not even sufficiently
educated, yet they make accusations against our movement and accuse us of
destroying the principles of the Hindu religion by accepting Muslims and yavanas as
Vaiṣṇavas. Such people are simply envious. We are not spoiling the Hindu system of
religion but are simply following in the footsteps of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu by
traveling all over the world and accepting those who are interested in understanding
Kṛṣṇa as Kṛṣṇadāsa or Rāmadāsa. By the process of a bona fide initiation, their names
are changed.
Translation: Vijulī Khān was very young, and he was the son of the king. All the other
Muslims, or Pāṭhānas, headed by Rāmadāsa, were his servants.
Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya could understand who was who, and gave shelter to
Vijulī Khān, the son of the King.
Translation: Vijulī Khān also fell down at the lotus feet of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and
the Lord placed His foot on his head.
Jayapatākā Swami: So, by preaching from the Koran, He established great faith and He
ordered everyone to chant the names of Kṛṣṇa. Vijulī Khān surrendered to the Lord and
bowed down before Him. Lord Caitanya put His lotus foot on the head of Vijulī Khān and
so Vijulī Khān got the special mercy of Lord Caitanya.
Translation: After bestowing His mercy upon them in this way, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu
left. All those Pāṭhāna Muslims then became mendicants.
Jayapatākā Swami: Such was the mercy of Lord Caitanya, just by seeing Him once one
will be completely changed.
Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 18.211
Translation: Later these very Pāṭhānas became celebrated as the Pāṭhāna Vaiṣṇavas.
They toured all over the country and chanted the glorious activities of Śrī Caitanya
Mahāprabhu.
Jayapatākā Swami: So, this is how the Pāṭhānas became Vaiṣṇavas by the mercy of
Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu.
Translation: Vijulī Khān became a greatly advanced devotee, and his importance was
celebrated at every holy place of pilgrimage.
Jayapatākā Swami: Having received the blessings of seeing Lord Caitanya
Mahāprabhu, Vijuli Khan became a great devotee and mahā bhāgavat so such is the
mercy of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu.
Translation: In this way Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu performed His pastimes. Coming
to the western part of India, He bestowed good fortune upon the yavanas and
mlecchas.
Purport: The word yavana means “meat-eater.” Anyone from a meat-eating community
is called a yavana. One who does not strictly observe the Vedic regulative principles is
called a mleccha. These words do not refer to any particular man. Even if a person is
born in a brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya or śūdra family, he is a mleccha or yavana if he
does not strictly follow the regulative principles or if he eats meat.
Jayapatākā Swami: Although in Bengal there are many brāhmaṇas, but recent census
show that 98% of the population are non-veg. if anyone is a non-veg then according to
this purport be considered as yavanas and mlecchas . In the Western world most of the
people are yavanas and mlecchas, but His Divine Grace AC Bhaktivedanta Swami
Prabhupāda was disseminating Kṛṣṇa consciousness and making all the mlecchas and
yavanas into Vaiṣṇavas.
Translation: Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu next went to a holy place of pilgrimage called
Soro-kṣetra. He took His bath in the Ganges there and started for Prayāga on the path
along the banks of the Ganges.
Translation: At Soro-kṣetra, the Lord requested the Sanoḍiyā brāhmaṇa and Rājaputa
Kṛṣṇadāsa to return home, but with folded hands they began to speak as follows.
Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 18.216
Translation: They prayed, “Let us go to Prayāga with You. If we do not go, when shall
we again get the association of Your lotus feet?
Jayapatākā Swami: So, they were very eager to maintain the association of Lord
Caitanya, therefore they proposed the lord to accompany the Lord until Prayāga.
Translation: “This country is mainly occupied by Muslims. At any place someone can
create a disturbance, and although Your companion Balabhadra Bhaṭṭācārya is a
learned scholar, he does not know how to speak the local language.”
Jayapatākā Swami: So, these two from Mathurā gave some practical reason how they
could help, since they know the local vernacular.
Translation: Hearing this, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu accepted their proposal by smiling
mildly. Thus those two persons continued to accompany Him.
Jayapatākā Swami: So, the two from Mathurā convinced the Lord to accompany Him to
Prayāga.
Jayapatākā Swami: So, whoever saw Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu would start to chant
Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma
Hare Hare and they would feel overwhelmed with ecstatic love by the mercy of Lord
Caitanya. Just by seeing Lord Caitanya all the people along the path became Kṛṣṇa
conscious and became mad in love of Kṛṣṇa.
sakaladeśera uddhāra :—
Translation: Whoever met Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu became a Vaiṣṇava, and whoever
met that Vaiṣṇava also became a Vaiṣṇava. In this way, all the towns and villages
became Vaiṣṇava, one after the other.
Jayapatākā Swami: Such was the power of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, similarly Śrīla AC
Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda was empowered by Lord Caitanya, that whoever
saw Him also became a Vaiṣṇava and whoever saw the Vaiṣṇava also became a
Vaiṣṇava.
Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 18.221
Translation: Just as the Lord inundated South India on His tour there, He also inundated
the western part of the country with love of Godhead.
Purport: According to some opinions, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu visited Kurukṣetra while
going to Prayāga from Vṛndāvana. There is a temple of Bhadra-kālī in Kurukṣetra, and
near that temple there is a temple containing the Deity of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.
Jayapatākā Swami: So, all the places that Lord Caitanya visited could have pada pitha,
or lotus foot print established there in case His Divine Grace Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta
Sarasvatī Ṭhākura had installed these things and his desire was that at least 108 of
Lord Caitanya’s lotus feet should be established. So, we could finish the job and
establish the lotus footprints in all tīrthas that Lord Caitanya visited.
So, I would like to thank all the devotees for sponsoring Śrīmad-bhāgavatam,
Caitanya-caritāmṛta and Bhagavad-gītā and other books as Śrīla Prabhupāda asked me
to distribute ten thousand big books and hundred thousand small books. If you are
distributing from the temple that’s alright but please have the scores of your temple in
my zone submitted to the Saṅkīrtana Newletter and if you are in other zones, you could
also inform my secretary who helps me with the books scores. So, I thank all the
devotees.
Thus ends the chapter entitled, The Maulāna, Vijulī Khān and the Western People
Become Vaiṣṇavas
Under the section: Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s Visit to Śrī Vṛndāvana
- END OF TRANSCRIPTION -
Transcribed by JPS Archives
Verifyed by JPS Archives
Reviewed by JPS Archives