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By His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on 13th June 2020 in Śrīdhāma Māyāpur, India
So today we are continuing reading our compilation of the different scriptures that glorify Caitanya-līlā,
today the chapter is entitled:
And after the conversion of the Chand Kazi, He took His kīrtana through the different bazzars of the
conchshell merchants, the weavers, and ended up in Śrīdhara’s house. There, He drank the water from
the broken iron pot of Śrīdhara, and this is the water kept at the door for washing the feet or other
external uses. But Lord Caitanya because it was His devotee’s water, He drank it and Śrīdhara was
lamenting that, the Lord took this water which was not fit for Him. But Lord Caitanya was dancing in
the courtyard of Śrīdhara, and said now that I have taken My devotee water, and today My bhakti has
been awakened, and all the people who were present, they were crying when they said the mercy of the
Lord on His poor devotee. Kolaveca Śrīdhara made a living by selling banana products in the market, he
was very poor but he was a very sincere devotee. We heard the glories about being a devotee of the
Lord. Now we are continuing the glories not only of devotion, but serving the devotees. This is the
message of devotee care, in Lord Caitanya’s pastimes. The Bengali will be read by Deva Gaurāṅga
dāsa, and I will try to translate it.
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Jayapatākā Swami: After showing His mercy to Śrīdhara by drinking his water, He took His kīrtana
party again into the city of Navadvīpa. Lord Gaurāṅga, Śrī Hari, again entered the city of Navadvīpa.
Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Gauracandra was dancing. He is the Lord of all the transcendental, devotional
mellows. From all directions, one could hear tumultuous vibration of the names of Hari and auspicious
sounds.
Jayapatākā Swami: The beauty of Navadvīpa city surpassed all the planetary system, as everyone in
the city of Navadvīpa were simply vibrating the sound on their tongues, of “Haribol! Haribol! Haribol!”
This would be heard from everybody. Somehow, in this material world, people are normally absorbed in
their material affairs. But in the city of Navadvīpa, by the influence of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, all the
people were chanting the names of Hari and on everyone’s tongue was the sound of Haribol! Haribol!
Haribol! So, this place of Navadvīpa city did not appear to be anywhere in the material world. Here all
the people were Kṛṣṇa conscious at that time, so its beauty became incomparable, with anywhere in the
material world.
Jayapatākā Swami: The trans loving ecstasy that overwhelmed Śukadeva Gosvāmī, Nārada Muni and
Śaṅkaradeva, Lord Śiva, that transcendental loving ecstasy, now had overwhelmed all the residents of
Navadvīpa city.
Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Gaurāṅga, the Lord of the three worlds, He danced throughout the city of
Navadvīpa, through the neighborhoods named as Gādigāchā, Pāraḍāṅgā and Mājidā, while dancing
throughout Navadvīpa city.
Purport by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura: Among the many villages of Navadvīpa, the
villages of Gādigāchā (presently known as Svarūpa-gañja), Ṭyāṅrā, and Maheśa-gañja are still present.
The village of Pāraḍāṅgā was in the area of the present-day Brahma-nagara. The village of Mājidā is
situated within Madhyadvīpa. The location of the village of Pāraḍāṅgā is presently lost or the name of
the village has been changed.
Jayapatākā Swami: Do not think that the kīrtana passed only one night, that nocturnal kīrtana lasted
for several number of days of Brahmā. So, Lord Caitanya, dancing in His kīrtana lasted for a long time.
By the mercy of the Lord, everyone was experiencing timeless ecstasy, and although the experience was
extended to a vast amount of time, the external world only saw that one night. But the devotees, they
could experience long period of ecstasy.
Jayapatākā Swami: Nothing is impossible for Caitanyacandra. Simply by the movement of His
eyebrows, the entire universe can be annihilated.
Jayapatākā Swami: The greatly fortunate persons, know all these truths of Lord Caitanya. The dry
argumentors who are sinful, they do not understand or accept this at all. So just as Kṛṣṇa in His pastime
of the rāsa-līlā, they said it would last a night of Brahmā, but the external people would only experience
it as one night. Lord Caitanya, He would have unlimited pastimes which are not possible to be realized
in one night, and the devotees of Lord Caitanya could understand this, they could experience it. But the
mental speculators, the sinful argumentors, they cannot understand how the Lord can expand, how the
experience of the devotees, can be extended.
Jayapatākā Swami: The Lord of Vaikuṇṭha, He was dancing in each neighborhood, and the residents
of that neighborhood also floated in an ocean of spiritual bliss.
Jayapatākā Swami: The loud roaring, the cries, the flow of ecstatic love, when the men and women of
Nadia beheld this, they were crying in ecstasy.
Jayapatākā Swami: Someone said, I offer my obeisances to the lotus feet of Mother Śacī, who is such a
great personality, who has taken birth from her womb.
Jayapatākā Swami: Another person said, Jagannātha Miśra is most pious, someone else said, there is
no end to the good fortune of Nadia.
Purport by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura: In this way the Lord performed His pastimes
for several kalpas as everyone expressed the desire that the night would never end.
Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Gaurāṅga performed this pastime for so many kalpas or days of Brahma.
Because, everyone was praying, that the night would never end, and the morning would not come.
So, all the residents of Navadvīpa they were enjoying the transcendental pastimes of Lord Gaurāṅga, as
He was dancing throughout the city, in each and every neighborhood, crossing different rivers, and
enjoying these transcendental pastimes. So, all the people were absorbed in these ecstatic pastimes, they
were all chanting the name of Hari. This is the perfection of human life, to be able to participate in the
Lord’s transcendental pastimes, and this is what the human being is meant to achieve. Unfortunately, in
this material world, people are thinking that achievement of some material sense gratification is the
ultimate goal. But the real happiness that the residents of Navadvīpa experienced by participating in
Lord Gaurāṅga’s pastimes, is beyond any ability to explain.
Jayapatākā Swami: In this way everyone expressed their jubilation, and chanted glories! glories!
vibrating the name of Hari. There is no other name, no other vibration, to be heard, than the name of the
Lord. “Haribol! Haribol! Haribol!”
Jayapatākā Swami: When the people saw Lord Gaurāṅga, they spontaneously offered their prostrate
obeisances. Men, women and children, were all offering their obeisances when they saw the Lord.
Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Gauracandra, He mercifully glanced, over everyone present. Absorbed in His
own ecstasy, the Lord was enjoying His kīrtana.
Jayapatākā Swami: There is no ending to the Lord’s pastimes, although the Vedas describe the Lord’s
appearance and disappearance, there is actually no end to His pastimes.
Jayapatākā Swami: The devotees, whichever form of the Lord they meditate on, Lord Gaurāṅga would
appear in that form, to the devotee.
caitanya-līlāra nityatva—
Jayapatākā Swami: Even today, Lord Caitanya performs these transcendental pastimes. Those who
have the good fortune, they can constantly see them. If you are only seeing a part of the whole truth, you
cannot get the whole vision, and those living entities who do not have the transcendental vision, are
limited by their material conditioning and desire to enjoy their senses. They are not able to actually
understand the Lord fully. Those who are free from desire of sense gratification, of karma and jñana,
they can always see the pastimes of Lord Caitanya. So, the mundane desire to enjoy or to renounce make
a person materially conditioned, when they become free from such conditioning, they attain the power to
surpass the platforms of enjoyment and renunciation. If people don’t have this transcendental vision,
they may mistake the pastimes of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu with karma and jñana, covered activities of
human beings.
Jayapatākā Swami: The Supreme Lord descends in this material world to satisfy His devotees. The
devotees can understand the transcendental pastimes of Lord Kṛṣṇa. No one else can understand. Kṛṣṇa
said in Bhagavad-gītā:
So, He had many agents who can destroy the miscreants, but His devotees are only happy to have the
association of the Lord. So, actually the reason for coming is to satisfy His devotees. Therefore, being a
devotee of the Lord is very special. They get the qualification to realize the Lord’s pastimes, and His
eternal incarnations or avatāras. Now the Supreme Lord is appearing in the heart of His pure devotees,
which are inclined to serving the Lord. Unless one has this inclination to the Lord’s service, one cannot
realize the transcendental pastimes of Kṛṣṇa. So therefore, it’s so important to become a devotee, and
Śrīla A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, he distributed this pure devotion for Lord Caitanya, on
behalf of Lord Caitanya, all over the world. Otherwise, it is very confidential, and the conditioned souls
do not have any access, but he has made the good fortune for the conditioned souls.
Jayapatākā Swami: Even if one practices yoga, sacrifice and penances for millions of births, unless
they practice it with devotional service, he cannot achieve the fruits or any result. So, practices of yoga,
sacrifices, penances, austerities without devotional service are still material, and they are very distinct
from pure spirit. So, by practice of devotional service, one’s conditioning to enjoy or renounce is
checked, and thus one is able to transcend the network of karma and understand the transcendental
characteristics of devotional service, which is the eternal propensity of the spirit soul. This was asked by
Sanātana Gosvāmī to Lord Caitanya, and He presented that the nature of the soul is to engage in the
service of Kṛṣṇa, eternally. So, this propensity is awakened by devotional service, and other activities
like austerity, yoga, sacrifice, if they are not performed in devotional service for the pleasure of Hari,
then they result in a desire to lord it over the material nature, and thus they remain conditioned. And
they do not achieve the spiritual realm.
Jayapatākā Swami: So, one cannot achieve pure devotional service by not serving the devotee, without
serving the devotees. In other words, therefore, serving the devotees is glorified in all the scriptures. So,
there is no alternative for the conditioned soul to become liberated, other than exclusively serving, and
following the devotee of the Lord. In all the spiritual education, this is the ultimate point. In Śrīmad-
Bhāgavatam, this point is mentioned in various verses:
Translation by Śrīla Prabhupāda: “My dear King Rahūgaṇa, unless one has the opportunity to smear
his entire body with the dust of the lotus feet of great devotees, one cannot realize the Absolute Truth
simply by observing celibacy (brahmacarya), strictly following the rules and regulations of householder
life, leaving home as a vānaprastha, accepting sannyāsa, or undergoing severe penances in winter by
keeping oneself submerged in water or surrounding oneself in summer by fire and the scorching heat of
the sun. There are many other processes to understand the Absolute Truth, but the Absolute Truth is
only revealed to one who has attained the mercy of a great devotee.” (Śrīmad-bhāgavatam 5.12.12),
Jayapatākā Swami: So, throughout the Bhāgavatam, the importance of serving a devotee is mentioned.
And that should be one’s secret of success. In the seventh canto there is a similar verse.
Translation by Śrīla Prabhupāda: “Unless they smear upon their bodies the dust of the lotus feet or a
vaisnava completely freed from material contamination, persons very much inclined toward materialistic
life cannot be attached to the lotus feet of the Lord, who is glorified for His uncommon activities. Only
by becoming Kṛṣṇa conscious and taking shelter at the lotus feet of the Lord in this way can one be freed
from material contamination. (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.5.32)
Jayapatākā Swami: So, serving a devotee of the Lord or devotees, is the method recommended to
obtain the realization of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and without this, there is no alternative.
So, this chapter has glorified the Lord and His devotees, and service to the devotees.
So, thank you all very much. Today, I think we are a bit late. It was a long chapter, and so I thank
everyone for participating. The author of this Caitanya-bhāgavata today spoke his realizations about the
importance of serving a devotee. This is a great secret, People ask, is there any shortcut to achieving
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success? He says that one may, without serving a devotee, he may practice various kinds of auspicious
activities for millions of births, but do not achieve any spiritual result. But if you serve a devotee of the
Lord, then you can achieve all the perfection, realization, etc. Thank you very much!