CONTENTS:
- SRI CHAITANYA MAHAPRABHU’S PASTIMES IN JAGANNATHA PURI, NILACHALA (PART - 1)
- SRILA PRABHUPADA'S APPRECIATION
- GURU MAHARAJA’S INSTRUCTIONS
1. SRI CHAITANYA MAHAPRABHU’S PASTIMES IN JAGANNATHA PURI, NILACHALA (PART - 1)
Hare Krishna! Om ajnana timirandhasya jnananjana salakaya Caksur unmilitam yena tasmai sri gurave namah Namo om Vishnu padaya Krishna prestaya butele srimate Bhaktivedanta swami iti namine Namaste Saraswati deve gaura vani pracarine nirvisesa sunyavadi pascatya dese tarine. Jaya Sri Krishna Chaitanya Prabhu Nityananda Sri Advaita Gadadhar Srivasadi Gaura bhakta Vrinda Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
The Topic will be Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s pastimes in Jagannatha Puri, Nilchala.
Nilachala literally means Blue Mountain. Jagannatha puri actually is a mountain. Over a long period of time, it has been covered by sand. The shape of the mountain is a conch therefore it is also called Sshankasetra. Shanka means conch shell. It very important because Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu came here and out of His 48 years he spent 18 years here. He took sanyas at the age of 24 and the first 24 years Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu performed His pastimes in Mayapur. At the age of 24 He took sanyas and generally when one takes sanyas he travels from one place of pilgrimage to another. Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu took sanyas and those days travel was not so easy; communication was not so easy. Nowadays you can tract anybody and there are all kinds of systems especially the government. In those days things were very different. Taking sanyas actually meant one’s previous life is completely lost and the sanyas ceremony is that one dies meaning his previous connections and everything is finished just like death.
After taking sanyas Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu actually wanted to go to Vrindavan but Nityananda Prabhu tricked Him and brought Him back to Shantipur. Shantipur is about 20 miles from Mayapur and then Nityananda Prabhu sent the message that Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is in Mayapur in the house of Advaita Acharya. The whole of Navadwip came because Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was so dear to them that when Mahaprabhu left to take sanyas all of a sudden one fine morning they woke up and found Nimai is gone. Literally the apple of their eyes was just gone, the whole of Navadwip was extremely heart-broken. Nityananda Prabhu recognising the condition of the residents of Mayapur brought Chaitanya Mahaprabhu back. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was thinking that He was going to Vrindavan. He was running constantly for 3 days and 3 nights nonstop. Nityananda Prabhu and 3 other associates were also running but Nityananda Prabhu make Him go in a wrong direction and come back to the bank of the Ganges.
He told some local cowherd boys tending the cows that when Chaitanya Mahaprabhu asks then tell Him that this is Vrindavan. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu heard this is Vrindavan. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu said, “This is Yamuna?” Nityananda Prabhu said yes and Mahaprabhu just jumped in. Then He saw Advaita Acharya coming in a boat and He was surprised. He said, “Advaita, how come you are here?” He said, “Nityananda Prabhu said I must come here to bring some dry fruits for you”. Then He understood what happened and was very upset and very angry with Nityananda Prabhu. “You are lying to Me! You must have told those boys to tell me this is Vrindavan” Nityananda Prabhu said, “No, I didn’t lie because wherever You are that is Vrindavan. Ganga merged with Yamuna and Yamuna is flowing to the left side and Ganga is flowing to the right side and since this is the left side this is Yamuna.” This is how Nityananda Prabhu reasoned with Mahaprabhu. This is how Mahaprabhu went to Shantipur and the whole of Navadwip came.
Sacimata also came and Chaitanya Mahaprabhu seeing His mother He lamented, “Dear Mother, I made a mistake taking sanyas and leaving you. There is no one to take care of you. In the house there is no male just His young wife Vishnu Priya Devi and His old mother. Things were very different. Even in today’s world for two women a young wife and elderly mother to be alone is very difficult so you can well imagine in those days a time when women never left home. Nowadays women can do practically everything what a man does. In a way they can even do it better than a man. In those days things were very different. In that respect Prabhupada actually mentioned that taking sanyas in that kind of condition Chaitanya Mahaprabhu demonstrated to the world that when you leave everything, all responsibility for the sake of Krishna don’t worry Krishna will take care of you.
In this way Chaitanya Mahaprabhu took sanyas at a very young age of 24 and Vishnu Priya was only 15 or 16 years old, Sacimata must have been over 60 years old. He left them and took sanyas. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was lamenting and said, “Anyway I will give up My sanyas to take care of you.” Sacimata said, “No, once You have taken sanyas you cannot come home. Anyway, stay in a place where I can get information or news about You. Sacimata suggested that Mahaprabhu stay in Jagannatha Puri because Jagannatha Puri and Bengal are very closely related. Devotees from Jagannatha Puri used to come to Bengal to take bath in Ganga and the devotees from Bengal used to go to take part in Ratha Yatra festival or take darshan of Gauranga.
Jagannatha actually affected this part of India, eastern part of India very effectively, apparently that is why Chaitanya Mahaprabhu at the request of Sacimata, His mother stayed here. There are various other reasons also. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is Krishna who is crying out to Krishna, Krishna in love with Krishna in the mood of Srimati Radharani.
2. SRILA PRABHUPADA'S APPRECIATION
One Ekadasi, a semi-monthly day of increased spiritual focus and fasting from grains and beans, the devotees had not been properly informed and had eaten grains for breakfast. Later, when we found out that it was Ekadasi and I informed Srila Prabhupada, he became upset. He called Pradyumna and asked, “What’s the point in having a pandita with us if he can’t even figure out when is Ekadasi?” When Tamal Krishna Maharaja asked Srila Prabhupada what we should do, Prabhupada said that we should fast the next day. He had not taken any grains, but since we were not observing Ekadasi that day, he would not either, he would fast with us on the following day. Later, I learned from Hari-bhakti-vilasa, the Vaishnava instruction manual that people under eight or over eighty years of age need not observe Ekadasi fast. Srila Prabhupada was eighty, but he fasted anyway – for our sake.
(Excerpt from page 158 & 159 of Ocean of Mercy, book written by HH Bhakti Charu Swami)
3. GURU MAHARAJA’S INSTRUCTIONS
If you will follow Srila Prabhupada’s Instructions very sincerely accepting, Him as your Siksha Guru, then Your spiritual perfection is guaranteed.
(The content of this E-magazine is based on a lecture given by His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami on 10 December 2019 at Jagannatha Puri at morning class (Divine Pilgrimage 2019))
(Compiled and Edited by Hemavati Radhika Devi Dasi)