The Origin
of
Ratha-yatra
The reason behind Lord Jagannätha’s
appearance
You have now heard the first history, but it does not fully
explain why Jagannätha desired to manifest in a form that
appeared to be incomplete. That explanation is contained in
a
somewhat different history, which was discovered by the
Gosvämés in Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu’s line. It is not
written
down anywhere in its entirety; it exists only in the hearts
of pure
devotees, especially those devotees who have received Çré
Caitanya Mahäprabhu’s mercy. Actually, there are two
histories
like this, not just one, and they are both very beautiful.
Çréla
Sanätana Gosvämé has included part of the first of these
histories,
which is most interesting, in his Båhad-bhägavatämåta.
Kåñëa took birth in Gokula. He manifested Himself partially
in
Mathurä as well, but He Himself is fully the son of Mother
Yaçodä
and Nanda Bäbä. In Mathurä He did not appear as a son – He
appeared with four hands, and was sixteen years old. He was
wearing golden ornaments, a golden crown, and very opulent
clothing, and His wavy hair was very long. In Gokula, on
the
THE SECOND HISTORY
CHAPTER TWO
1 8
THE ORIGIN OF RATHA-YÄTRÄ
other hand, He emerged from the womb of Yaçodä as a baby,
along with His younger sister. He was actually the son of
Nanda
and Yaçodä, not their adopted son. Sometimes it is written
that
He was the son of Vasudeva and Devaké, but the Vrajaväsés
do
not accept that idea. They personally saw Him come
from the
womb of Yaçodä, so how could they believe that He took
birth
in Mathurä? There was no birth ceremony in Mathurä, but in
Vraja, Nanda Bäbä gave thousands of cows to the brähmaëas
on
Kåñëa’s birthday. He donated everything and kept nothing in
his
house, but his house still filled up with wealth again. It
was such
a good festival.
Kåñëa was raised in Gokula, where Yaçodä bound Him to the
grinding mortar by her love and affection, and where so
many
other sweet pastimes took place. When Kåñëa became older,
He
went cowherding with His friends, playing sweetly on His
flute.
Over a period of time, He killed Tåëävarta, Bakäsura,
Aghäsura,
and other demons. He performed the räsa-lélä in
Våndävana, and
He played at Vaàçévaöa and Keñé-ghäöa. Then, after some
time,
Akrüra came to Våndävana and told Kåñëa, “Kaàsa wants to
kill
Your father and mother, Vasudeva and Devaké.” Kåñëa
replied,
“My father is Nanda Bäbä and My mother is Yaçodä-maiyä. But
Vasudeva and Devaké are friends of My father and mother, so
I
should go and save them.” He immediately went with Akrüra,
killed Kaàsa, enthroned Ugrasena as the king, and after
some
time He went to Dvärakä.
Çré Sanätana Gosvämé’s Båhad-bhägavatämåta relates
the
following pastime that took place while Kåñëa was residing
in
Dvärakä. You have heard of Çré Närada Muni, who is very expert
in performing many unfathomable pastimes to please Kåñëa.
He
is very near and dear to Kåñëa, and he always discovers new
ways by which he can glorify Kåñëa’s various manifestations
and
pure devotees. It may be said that Närada Muni is very
“tricky,”
1 9
THE SECOND HISTORY
because no one can comprehend what he is doing, or why, or
how, or where he is going. Kåñëa is “tricky,” and so are
His gopés,
His mother, His Vraja, His Yamunä, and His devotees.
Similarly,
wherever Närada goes, only for the purpose of serving
Kåñëa, he
is always busy inventing unique ways to glorify his holy
master
Kåñëa, along with Rädhikä, the gopés, and the
devotees.
Once Närada went to Dvärakä in order to see the
everincreasingly
new glories of Kåñëa and the gopés. No one would
understand who are the greatest devotees if Närada had not
revealed this knowledge. He went to Dvärakä to discover a
scheme to glorify them.
In the palace
of Rukmiëé, Närada saw a
big festival taking
place. All the 16,108 queens were present, headed by the
eight
prominent queens, such as Rukmiëé, Satyabhämä, Jämbavaté,
Bhadrä, Mitravindä, and Nägnajité; and other Dvärakäväsés
were
also there. Närada approached Rukmiëé, Satyabhämä, and the
other queens and said in their assembly, “You are very
fortunate
to serve Kåñëa. You are the best servants of Kåñëa. You are
His
queens. You are the most glorious in this entire world. I
pay my
respects to you.” What Närada was really conveying to the
queens was: “Kåñëa does not love any of you. I know that He
only and always remembers the gopés. He does not
really want to
be with you – really He wants to return to Våndävana and
taste
the love of the gopés.”
Rukmiëé and Satyabhämä became unhappy and informed
Närada, “You are glorifying us, but we are well aware that
we have
not been able to make Kåñëa happy since the time He married
us.
Our love cannot control Him. There are so many of us, and
we
are very beautiful and qualified in all the arts, but still
we cannot
satisfy Him.”
Rukmiëé said, “When He sleeps in my room, on my bed, He
cries continually. Sometimes when He dreams, He takes hold
of
THE ORIGIN OF RATHA-YÄTRÄ
my veil and pulls on it, crying, ‘O Rädhikä! O Rädhikä!
Where are
You? I will die without You! O Lalitä, where are you? O
Viçäkhä,
where are you?’ Sometimes He weeps piteously and calls out,
‘Mother Yaçodä, where are you? I want to eat bread and
butter! I
want to sit in your lap! I want to drink your breast milk!
Where
are you?’ Sometimes He calls His friends, ‘O Çrédämä!
Subala!
Madhumaìgala! Kokila! Bhåìga! Where are you? Come on! Come
on! I cannot maintain My life without you. Where are you?
The
cows are waiting and you aren’t coming. Now it’s time for
cowherding. You must come.’ And sometimes He even calls His
cows, ‘Çyämalé, Dhavalé, Kälindé, Gaìgä, Piçaìgä! Where are
you?
Where are you?’ He weeps like this throughout the night,
and the
entire bed becomes wet with His tears. And this did not
happen
on just one night – He is always like this. He never sees
where
we are or who we are. We are just ‘there.’
“We are very sad. We are not near and dear to Him at all.
If
we’re near and dear, why does He not call out, ‘Rukmiëé!
Satyabhämä!’? He never calls out our names.”
Then Satyabhämä said, “O sakhé, you speak the truth.
Last
night He wept bitterly and pulled my veil, calling out, ‘O
Rädhä!
O Rädhä!’ He fell unconscious, and I could not think of
what to
do. What is the history behind this? Why does Kåñëa never
look
upon us, although we are married to Him? We are so sweet
and
beautiful, and we are so expert in all the arts, yet we
cannot
please Kåñëa. We want to know how we can please Him.”
Meanwhile, Kåñëa was sitting in His assembly hall named
Sudharmä. This hall was equipped with all kinds of
facilities.
Sometimes it was large, sometimes small, sometimes cool,
sometimes
warm, and sometimes it was air-conditioned. It would
provide whatever one desired simply by the power of his
mind.
Sometimes one hundred people would be present there, and
sometimes thousands. It expanded and contracted, like Kåñëa
2 0
2 1
THE SECOND HISTORY
Himself. While the queens were talking, Kåñëa’s associates
were
sitting in the council chamber, discussing various problems
and
how to solve them. Ugrasena Mahäräja sat on the throne in
the
middle, and Akrüra, Kåñëa, Baladeva, Uddhava, and others sat
beside him.
Kåñëa was not His normal self. He was somewhat upset,
absorbed in worrying about something. In the Padma
Puräëa it
is said:
nähaà tiñöhämi vaikuëöhe
yoginäà hådayeñu vä
tatra tiñöhämi närada
yatra gäyanti mad-bhaktäù
Kåñëa once told Närada, “I never live in Vaikuëöha, nor do
I live
in the hearts of the yogés. I live in the hearts of
pure devotees. I
live wherever they remember me, and I take rest very
comfortably
there. I do not live anywhere else.” It was for this reason
that
Kåñëa was upset. Being the Supreme Personality of Godhead,
He
could understand the following pastime was taking place in
Rukmiëé’s palace:
Mother Rohiëé entered in the midst of the queens. She was
Baladeva Prabhu’s mother, had lived in Våndävana with
Yaçodä
for many years, and had nourished and supported both Kåñëa
and Baladeva. As soon as she came in, all the queens
present
offered her praëäma and gave her a good seat. Then,
when she
was comfortably seated, they all approached her and said,
“O
Mother, we know that you were in Vraja when Kåñëa and
Baladeva were babies, and you stayed there for eleven
years.
You know the history of all the gopés. You know
about the love
and affection of the gopés, of Mother Yaçodä, and of
all the
Vrajaväsés. We want to know the importance of Vraja. We
want to
know what it is about the nature of the Vrajaväsés’ love
that
2 2
THE ORIGIN OF RATHA-YÄTRÄ
makes Kåñëa unable to forget them. Many years have now
passed. We have been serving Kåñëa for more than fifty
years, but
still He is not controlled by our loving service. He never
calls out,
‘O Rukmiëé! O Satyabhämä!’ Rather, He always calls, ‘Rädhä!
Rädhä! Lalitä! Viçäkhä!’ What is the reason for all this?
“Sometimes His heart melts so much that He calls out,
‘Mother!
Mother Yaçodä! Where are you? Give Me bread and butter. My
cows are hungry. I must go out cowherding at once. The boys
are calling Me – Dämä, Sudämä, Çrédämä, and others are
calling
Me. They are waiting for Me by the door, and all the cows
are
mooing very loudly. They are not giving milk to their
calves,
because they are all hankering for Me; so I must go at
once.’
“He does not think, ‘I am in Dvärakä with My beloved
Rukmiëé
and Satyabhämä.’ Why? What is there in Vraja? They do not
have
any wealth, as we do here. The gopés have no ornaments
like us,
and they are not as beautiful. They live in the forest, and
they can
only decorate themselves with flowers, not with gold and
jewels
as we do. Kåñëa used to go cowherding there, and here He is
like
a king, so why does He always remember them? Why has He
given His heart to them? We want to know. Do they know some
magic? Do they know an enchanting mantra? They must
know
one, and that must be why Kåñëa always remembers them and
weeps for them.
“We are Kåñëa’s 16,108 queens. We are the most beautiful
ladies in the entire world, and our qualities and expertise
in
everything is unique and unparalleled. Still, all of us
together can
never control Him. Mother, what is the reason that He never
looks toward us? Why is it that we cannot satisfy one Kåñëa
although we are so many? We serve Him in innumerable ways
and we love Him so much, but we cannot satisfy Him. He is
only
worried about the gopés – and about calling out to
them. What is
the reason? We want to know everything.”
2 3
THE SECOND HISTORY
When Rohiëé-maiyä remembered her friend Yaçodä and all the
gopés, she began to
weep, and then she began to explain the
reason. She related all of Kåñëa’s pastimes, from boyhood
up to
His twelfth year. Meanwhile, Kaàsa’s mother came in their
midst.
Being more than a hundred years old, she was bent over with
her
head at an odd angle and walked with a stick. “This is very
dangerous,” she told them. “Why talk about the gopés and
gopas?
They are very cruel, very cruel. Yaçodä could not nurture
Kåñëa
and Baladeva properly. They are the sons of Devaké, but
somehow
they were sent to Gokula because their parents were afraid
of Kaàsa. Yaçodä never gave a drop of yogurt or butter to
Kåñëa
and Baladeva, so they were forced to steal them from
neighbors’
houses. Then, when the neighbors complained to Yaçodä, she
would immediately chastise Kåñëa, and sometimes she would
tie
His hands and bind Him to a grinding mortar. Yaçodä and
Nanda
Bäbä were so cruel and evil that they never gave Kåñëa any
shoes
or sandals, although the forests were full of many thorns
and
hard pieces of stone. Don’t talk about them.
“Kåñëa used to herd the cows from morning to evening all
over
Vraja, with no pay and without shoes or an umbrella to
shield
Him from the afternoon sun. There are great quantities of
butter
there in Vraja, but He never got any of it. Anyone would
give
butter even to a servant, but they never gave Him any.
“Yaçodä once tied Kåñëa up with ropes. He was weeping
bitterly,
but that lady had no mercy. She took a stick and wanted to
beat Him, although He was crying, ‘Mother! Mother! Please
don’t
beat Me! I will never do it again!’ He never did anything
wrong,
but still she wanted to beat Him. On the other hand, my
husband,
Ugrasena, is extremely merciful.
“I think Kåñëa was there for twelve years, and during that
entire time He only received a small quantity of milk from
Mother
Yaçodä. Between the ages of five and twelve years He and
2 4
THE ORIGIN OF RATHA-YÄTRÄ
Balaräma were merely given some bread and butter. So we
should count how much Yaçodä and Nanda Bäbä spent on Kåñëa
during those twelve years. We should also count how many
days
He herded the cows there, and we also have to consider that
sometimes He went to others’ houses and stole their goods.
They
should pay Kåñëa and Baladeva some money for the
cow-grazing
they did. But on the other hand, Kåñëa received at least
some
clothing from them. Anyway, we will count everything up and
call Gargäcärya, because he is an expert accountant, as
well as an
astrologer. He knows everything. When he writes the
accounts,
he will make a statement regarding the salary owed to Kåñëa
and
Baladeva for cowherding, and what was actually already
spent
on them.
“We will not pay for Rohiëé, because she is a member of the
party of Nanda, Yaçodä, and the gopés. We will never
pay for her.
We can only pay for Kåñëa and Baladeva. There should be a
report. When the accounts are written and balanced, if
anything
is owed to Yaçodä and Nanda, we will pay double.”
Rohiëé became more and more angry as Padmävaté continued,
“My husband is extremely broadminded, generous, and
merciful.
If anything is owed to Yaçodä and Nanda, we can pay double,
and if something is owed for Kåñëa and Baladeva’s herding
the
cows, we will immediately be compassionate and say, ‘We
will
not take anything.’ So we are going to call Gargäcärya.”
Mother Rohiëé then became extremely angry and said, “I know
who you are!” Padmävaté was the wife of Ugrasena, but Kaàsa
was not Ugrasena’s son. Once, when Padmävaté was very
young,
she was playing with her friends on the bank of the Yamunä
in
the evening. A demon named Drumila approached her in a
lusty
mood, and that is how Kaàsa was conceived. Rohiëé
continued,
“I know that you are not a chaste lady, and that is why you
can’t
understand the glory of the Vrajaväsés’ love and
affection.”
2 5
THE SECOND HISTORY
Rohiëé stopped speaking to Padmävaté and now addressed the
queens. One by one, she explained the moods of Nanda Bäbä,
Yaçodä, Subala, and Çrédämä; and at last she began to speak
about the gopés. She said, “The Vrajaväsés love
Kåñëa so much that
they cannot live without Him. When Kåñëa and Baladeva were
still very young, they wanted to take the cows out to
graze, so
they told Mother Yaçodä again and again, ‘Mother, we want
to go
cowherding, because we are gopas. Please give us the
order to
go.’ When they were not given permission, they began to
weep.
At last, Mother Yaçodä told them, ‘You may go with the
calves to
a nearby forest in Våndävana, but you must return home
soon.’
She brought them very beautiful shoes and umbrellas to
shade
them from the sun, but Kåñëa told her, ‘The cows are
worshipable
for us because they are like our mothers. If you want to
give Me
shoes, then bring shoes for all the 900,000 cows. You
should
bring 400,000 shoes for every 100,000 cows, because they
each
have four feet. Bring umbrellas for all of them, too, and
then I
will also take the shoes and umbrella; otherwise I won’t. I
don’t
want to be their master. I want to be a servant of the
cows,
because I am a gopa. Gopa means maintainer,
supporter, and
nourisher of the cows – as their servant.’
“Yaçodä once told Kåñëa, ‘My son, all the gopés come
to me and
complain that You have been going to their houses and
taking
butter from their storerooms.’ Kåñëa said, ‘Mother, why are
you
speaking like this? Maiyä, maiì nahéì makkhana
khäya –
Mother, why do you say that I have stolen butter? I have
not
stolen butter and eaten it. You sent Me cowherding in
Madhuvana in the very early morning, so I went there, and I
was
always with the cows. Now it’s evening, so I have come back
with the cows, and after this I will go to bed. When did I
have
time to steal butter? If you think I’ve stolen it, then it
must be
because I’m not your son. Either you’ve borrowed Me, or
else I
2 6
THE ORIGIN OF RATHA-YÄTRÄ
took birth somewhere and My mother left Me, and that is why
you think I’m a thief. I want to go to the Yamunä and jump
in –
I will not live with you anymore.’
“Yaçodä at once began to weep bitterly. She embraced Kåñëa
and said, ‘O Kåñëa, You have not taken butter. I have not
said
this.’ Kåñëa replied, ‘Mother, I have taken butter: Maiyä,
maiì ne
hé makkhana khäya,’
and Yaçodä replied to Him, ‘No, no, You
have not taken butter.’ Then she began to caress Kåñëa. She
wept
and bathed Him in her tears, and milk flowed spontaneously
from her breasts. Yaçodä cried, ‘I will never say such a
thing
again.’”
Rohiëé-devé continued, “The Vrajaväsés only know that Kåñëa
is
their son, their beloved, or their friend. You sometimes
think that
Kåñëa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself, and
you
can see His four hands, but this idea is never present in
Vraja. The
Vrajaväsés see Kåñëa as an innocent boy. He is always
dancing
and playing on His flute, His turban is decorated with a
peacock
feather, and all the gopés are His beloveds. He is
Gopéjanavallabha,
the beloved of all the gopés.
“The gopés do not require a formal relationship with
Kåñëa.
Since childhood they have given their hearts and everything
else
to Him, and therefore He cannot repay them. Oh, listen
attentively.
The gopés never want to gain anything from Kåñëa.
They
always serve Him without any desire for self-gain. In
Dvärakä,
you, Rukmiëé and Satyabhämä, are Kåñëa’s wives, but not His
beloveds. Do you know why? Because your love and affection
is
divided into many fractions. Besides your husband Kåñëa,
you
each have ten sons and a daughter as well. Your one husband
plus these eleven make twelve, so your love and affection
is
divided into twelve parts. The gopés’ love, on the
other hand, is
not divided. They have given up their husbands, they have
no
children, they do not take care of their houses, and they
have no
2 7
THE SECOND HISTORY
animals – they have nothing to look after. Their love and
affection
is akhaëòa – total, full, and undivided.
“In the relationship of a lover and beloved, a lady gives
her
entire time for her beloved, but her love and affection
becomes
divided if a child is born. She will give much more time to
the
baby than to her husband. If she has ten or eleven
children, her
love and affection will then be divided still further.”
Rohiëé explained that when the gopés perform any
duty, such
as sweeping in their homes, they always keep Kåñëa foremost
in
their minds and hearts. They sweep, and at the same time
they
chant, “Govinda Dämodara Mädhaveti,” and while cooking,
they
sing, “Govinda Dämodara Mädhaveti.” If a gopé is
looking after
her elders’ small son and she wants him to sleep, she pats
him
and sings, “Govinda Dämodara Mädhaveti.” The gopés do
not tell
the babies, “Go to sleep, go to sleep.” Instead they sing,
“Govinda Dämodara Mädhaveti.” If they are threshing corn,
wheat, or rice, they sing, “Govinda Dämodara Mädhaveti.”
There
are some parrots in the gopés’ homes, and very early
in the
morning, at four a.m., they teach those parrots, “Repeat
after me:
‘Govinda Dämodara Mädhaveti.’”
The minds and hearts of the gopés are always
absorbed in
Kåñëa. Their minds and hearts are like a chariot on which
Kåñëa
is always sitting, and His mind and heart is like a chariot
on
which the gopés ride. Kåñëa always thinks of the gopés,
calling,
“Rädhe, Rädhe, Rädhe, Jaya, Jaya, Jaya, Çré Rädhe...” He
always
remembers, “Rädhä, Rädhä! Lalitä! Viçäkhä! Mother Yaçodä!”
Kåñëa’s love and affection is divided into many parts. In
the
Gétä (4.11) He has
promised, “ye yathä mäà prapadyante – I
will remember those who remember Me,” and He is bound to
keep His promise. He will go to that place where His
devotee
remembers Him and chants His name. He is very loving
towards
the Vrajaväsés, but at the same time, He cannot give up the
2 8
THE ORIGIN OF RATHA-YÄTRÄ
devotees of Mathurä, Dvärakä, or other parts of India or the
rest
of the world. If anyone chants, He will go to that person.
He
always remembers them, and He always feels great separation
from them. Consequently, His love is divided; but the gopés’
love
is not divided, and that is why He is so attached to them.
Mother Rohiëé continued, “Kåñëa used to wipe the faces of
the
gopés when they became
tired from dancing and singing during
the räsa-lélä. The gopés can sing more sweetly
than He can. He
can sing, ‘sä, re, gä, mä, pä,’
but the gopés can do more than this.
Kåñëa will stop there, but they will sing, ‘sä, re,
gä, mä, pä, dä,
ni, sä.’ When
Kåñëa heard them He became very happy and said,
‘Sädhu, sädhu! Very good! I cannot do as you
have done.’ He
always used to praise them.”
The gopés’ rati, their love and affection for Kåñëa
in mahäbhäva,
is called samartha-rati. The word samartha means
capable, suitable,
and complete; therefore samartha-rati means “capable
of
controlling Kåñëa.” The rati of the queens of
Dvärakä is called
samaïjasä, which means
that it is doubtful that their love can
control Kåñëa. They are not like the gopés, whose
love is capable
of controlling Him. The gopés’ prema is so elevated
that the
queens’ love can never even be compared with it. The
queens’
love reaches the stages of prema, sneha, mäna,
praëaya, räga,
and anuräga. Sometimes they attain a shadow of mahäbhäva,
and sometimes they experience divyonmäda and citra-jalpa,
but
only to a very slight extent. Their añöa-sättvika-bhävas
cannot go
up to ujjvalita (blazing) and prajvalita (inflamed).
Their bhäva
may go up to dhümäyita, which is compared to a flame
covered
with smoke. Sometimes their bhäva is also without
smoke, in
other words more intense, but it is never as high as that
of the
gopés. The “smokeless”
flame of the gopés’ love goes up to the
highest extent.
Mother Rohiëé then began to glorify Çrématé Rädhikä’s
affection
2 9
THE SECOND HISTORY
for Kåñëa. She said, “Once Çrématé Rädhikä was sitting on
Kåñëa’s
lap. A bee came by, humming, thinking that Her feet were a
very
fragrant, sweet and tasteful lotus flower. It wanted to
enter Her
lotus feet and Rädhikä became frightened. She tried to
chase the
bee away, but it kept coming back. Meanwhile, Madhumaìgala
came and drove it away with his stick. When he returned, he
boasted, ‘Madhusüdana has gone. I have driven him away and
he
will not come back.’ When Çrématé Rädhikä heard this, She
forgot
that She was sitting in Kåñëa’s lap and being caressed by Him,
and She began to weep. Taking the word Madhusüdana to mean
Kåñëa Himself, She cried out, ‘O Madhusüdana! Where have
You
gone? When will You come back? You must come, otherwise I
will die.’ Speaking in this way, She became unconscious in
Her
mood of separation. Astonished, Kåñëa thought, ‘What shall
I do?
How will I pacify Her?’”
Rohiëé-maiyä continued, “Once Kåñëa was going cowherding
with Dämä, Çrédämä, Madhumaìgala, and all the other cowherd
boys and His hundreds of thousands of cows. Some of the
cows
were black, some were golden, and some were white, and it
looked as though the rivers Gaìgä, Yamunä, and Sarasvaté
were
mixing together and separating again. All that could be
seen for
miles and miles were the heads and bodies of cows. Kåñëa
was
just going to enter the forest, and Mother Yaçodä and Nanda
Bäbä were following Him. They could not leave Him easily,
although Kåñëa told them, ‘It is My wish that you return
home
now.’ Just then, Kåñëa somehow saw Lalitä, Viçäkhä, and all
the
other gopés as they peered from their windows,
groves, and
doors here and there. Kåñëa was at once attracted, and then
He
saw Çrématé Rädhikä.”
veëu-karän nipatitaù skhalitaà çikhaëdaà
bhrañöaà ca péta-vasanaà vraja-räja-sünoù
3 0
THE ORIGIN OF RATHA-YÄTRÄ
In this verse (Çré-Rädhä-rasa-sudhä-nidhi (39)),
Prabodhänanda
Sarasvaté Öhäkura is explaining that Kåñëa saw Çrématé
Rädhikä
performing arcana from the corners of Her eyes, and
He very
lovingly accepted Her glance. He began to tremble, His
flute fell
from His hands, and His yellow garment fell from His
shoulders.
He was just about to faint when Madhumaìgala pushed Him and
said, “Don’t You see that Your father Nanda Bäbä is here?
What
are You doing?”
Kåñëa is controlled by this kind of love and affection. The
gopés have so much
affection that they think that they have only
a little.
dhanyäh sma müòha-gatayo ’py hariëya etä
yä nanda-nandanam upätta-vicitra-veçam
akarëya veëu-raëitaà saha kåñëa-säräh
püjäà dadhur viracitäà praëayävalokaiù
Çrémad-Bhägavatam (10.21.11)
[The gopés lamented:] The female deer are coming
with their husbands.
Their husbands are somewhat black in color, so they are
called kåñëa-sära. Their husbands tell them, “You
can happily go
and see Kåñëa. Don’t fear – we are with you.” Our husbands
are
just the opposite. If they see us talking with Kåñëa or
looking at
Him, they come and chastise us. We want to die and take
birth
again as deer.
Sometimes Kåñëa becomes upset because He lacks the moods
enjoyed by Çrématé Rädhikä, Lalitä, and Viçäkhä. Therefore
He
comes in the form of Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu to learn those
moods. Mahäprabhu went to Godävaré and met Çré Räya
Rämänanda, who is Viçäkhä-devé in his gopé-svarüpa,
and there
He underwent training for many days. After that He went to
the
Gambhérä, and only then was He able to taste something of
Rädhikä’s love. The moods of the gopés are thus very
high.
3 1
THE SECOND HISTORY
Kåñëa is the ocean of rasa, the mellows exchanged in
transcendental
loving relationships. He Himself is rasa, and He is
also rasika, the taster of rasa. At one and
the same time, He is
eka-rasa (one rasa)
and aneka-rasa (many rasas). When He is
eka-rasa, there is
nothing in all the three worlds, even in Goloka
Våndävana, that is not in Him. He is pürëatama, most
complete.
He knows everything; nothing is unknown to Him. When He is
aneka-rasa, however,
there is a certain mixture of rasas that He
both knows and does not know. Although He knows the rasa
(the taste that He experiences) in Himself, He does not
know the
rasa in Çrématé
Rädhikä. He knows what He can taste as the
enjoyer, but He does not know what is tasted by the
enjoyed. The
pastimes of Caitanya Mahäprabhu, Çacénandana Gaurahari, are
a
mixture of both eka-rasa and aneka-rasa. Eka-rasa
is fully in
Kåñëa, but aneka-rasa is fully in Caitanya
Mahäprabhu, because
in Him Çrématé Rädhikä is present with Kåñëa.
What are the moods in Rädhikä? They are of mahäbhäva,
and
especially adhirüòha and mädana.1 Even if
Çrématé Rädhikä is
sitting on the lap of Kåñëa, She may forget that She is
with Him.
She thinks, “Where am I? Where has Kåñëa gone?” She feels
such
separation in meeting that Kåñëa cannot imagine its depth.
He
thinks, “I am here, and She is on My lap. My hand is on Her
shoulder, and yet She is searching for Me, crying, ‘Where
is He?
Where is He?’ Why is this so?”
To understand Rädhikä’s mood, Kåñëa assumed the form of Çré
Caitanya Mahäprabhu. Sometimes it is said that He stole it,
and
sometimes it is said that He begged for it. Rädhikä gave
Him
something of Her mood, and in the form of Çré Gadädhara
Paëòita, She was testing to see whether He was playing Her
part
well or not.
1
Please refer to the Glossary for explanations of these
terms.
3 2
THE ORIGIN OF RATHA-YÄTRÄ
In this way there is something that Kåñëa never knows, and
that is the mood of Rädhikä, the nature of Her love for
Him, and
the way in which She tastes the mädhurés (sweet
mellows) of His
flute playing, His beautiful face, His form, His qualities,
and His
pastimes. Although those mädhurés exist in Kåñëa
Himself, He
does not fully know their sweetness – He cannot taste their
sweetness fully. In aneka-rasa, therefore, Kåñëa
lacks something
and He has to go to the school of the gopés. There,
Çrématé
Rädhikä is like the principal, and Viçäkhä and Lalitä are
like
departmental heads, and there He learns something about
love
and affection.
You should know that if one performs bhajana of
Rädhä-
Kåñëa Yugala, and at the same time worships Dvärakädhéça
and
Rukmiëé or Satyabhämä, Çrématé Rädhäräëé will give him up.
She
will say, “Go to the queens in Dvärakä.”
An incident occurred one hundred and fifty years ago, in a
place in India
called Raëaväòé, a village in Vraja-maëòala. A very
advanced devotee lived there, and he always remembered
Rädhikä and Kåñëa and Their eternal pastimes throughout the
eight praharas (periods) of the day. He was so
absorbed that he
almost forgot his body, senses, and everything else. One
day,
however, he had a desire to go to the places of pilgrimage.
As he
had never been to Dvärakä before, he especially desired to
go
there. In the meantime, a brähmaëa of his village
came to him
and said, “I am going to Dvärakä. If you want, you can come
with
me. I will pay the full fare and take care of everything.”
The
devotee replied, “Yes, I want to go with you.” So they
traveled
here and there together, and finally arrived in Dvärakä.
There is a rule in Dvärakä that if one wants to enter its
territory
he must be stamped with the hot firebrand of a cakra.
The brand
will remain throughout his life, but he will receive some
medicine
so that it will not be like a scar. That devotee from
3 3
THE SECOND HISTORY
Våndävana was branded, and then he entered the city and had
darçana of many places
there. After that, he returned to his own
place in Våndävana and tried to resume his bhajana.
However,
something strange occurred when he wanted to remember all
of
Kåñëa’s pastimes: the pastimes no longer came in his
memory,
and instead he remembered incidents from Dvärakä and other
places. He became very, very worried and disturbed because
of
not being able to chant and remember as he had done before.
He
wanted to know the cause of his misfortune, but he could
not
discern it. Although he practiced for many days, the léläs
did not
manifest as before.
This Bäbäjé Mahäräja had a very dear friend who lived at
Rädhä-kuëòa. He was called Siddha Kåñëadäsa Bäbäjé, and he
was always absorbed in remembering Kåñëa, and in chanting.
Tears constantly fell from his eyes, and his heart was
always
melted. Bäbäjé Mahäräja went to visit his friend, but when
Siddha
Kåñëadäsa saw him from a distance, he turned away and
refused
to converse with him. “Go away from here at once,” he said,
“otherwise Çrématé Rädhikä will be displeased with me as
well. I
know that you have gone to Dvärakä and you have accepted
the
firebrand there. Why have you come here? If Rädhikä knows
that
you have come to me, She will be displeased with me. Go at
once. At once!”
That devotee became very upset and thought, “If the
pastimes
of Rädhikä and Kåñëa do not come in my meditation, what is
the
use of my life?” He returned to his bhajana-kuöéra and
locked the
door from inside in a mood of great separation from Çrématé
Rädhikä. After three days a fire emanated from his heart,
and he
was totally consumed, so that only some ashes remained. The
villagers
could not understand why he had not come out for three
days, and finally they broke open the door and saw that
there
were only the ashes remaining. “Perhaps Bäbäjé was in a
mood
3 4
THE ORIGIN OF RATHA-YÄTRÄ
of separation,” they said. When they put some wooden sticks
in
those ashes, the sticks burned at once, and thus they
realized,
“Yes, Bäbäjé has left his body in separation.” To this very
day, the
residents of that village celebrate his disappearance day.
Çrématé Rädhikä may give up a devotee if he worships Rädhikä
and Kåñëa of Vraja, but is simultaneously remembering
Rukmiëé
and Satyabhämä, and offering praëäma and arcana to
them.
You should know all these truths. Çréla Rüpa Gosvämé and
Çréla
Viçvanätha Cakravarté Öhäkura have written that you should
be
one-pointed in your devotion to your gurudeva and
your
iñöadeva. You can
honor everyone, including trees, creepers, animals,
and devotees who are favorable to Kåñëa, and even those
who are not favorable. You can think that Kåñëa is
everywhere,
and that all beings are His eternal servants in their
constitutional
spiritual forms. However, if one takes initiation in the rüpänuga
line and is trying to be one-pointed, especially in trying
to be a
servant of Rädhikä, he cannot honor everyone in the same
way.
He cannot think that all are in the same category.
Dvärakädhéça-
Kåñëa and Vrajeça-Kåñëa are not the same. They are the
same, but
at the same time, They are different.
If one is just entering bhakti, there is no harm in
worshiping
Jagannätha, Rukmiëé, Satyabhämä, Rämacandra, Nåsiàhadeva,
Gaura-Nitäi, and also Rädhä-Kåñëa. However, this is not for
advanced madhyama-adhikärés in Çré Caitanya
Mahäprabhu’s
line. One will have to be determined in one-pointed
devotion;
otherwise, Çrématé Rädhikä, the gopés, and Yogamäyä
will give him
up. Though all incarnations and expansions are the same in
tattva-siddhänta,
there is some difference from the perspective of
rasa. One cannot
remain a neophyte devotee forever. He should
gradually learn all these truths and try to become one-pointed.
There is no harm in worshiping Jagannätha if one sees Him
as
Vrajendra-nandana Çyämasundara, which is how He appears in
3 5
THE SECOND HISTORY
the eyes of Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu and Çréla Rüpa Gosvämé.
Whenever Mahäprabhu went to the Jagannätha Temple, He did
not see Baladeva Prabhu and Subhadrä. He simply thought, “O
Vrajendra-nandana!” and He ran like a mad person to embrace
Him. He never saw Jagannätha’s large, round eyes, and He
never
saw Him without His peacock feather and flute. He thought,
“Kåñëa is there, playing on His flute, His eyes are very
attractive,
and He is wearing a large peacock feather.”
Do you see that very Kåñëa there in Jagannätha Puré? Do you
see Rädhikä? At present you do not see Them, and therefore,
in
order to achieve this vision, you should be one-pointed to
your
gurudeva. There may be
many çikñä-gurus, but one çikñä-guru
should be prominent so that we can follow him and give him
our
hearts. Even the cloud, the mountain, the earth, and the
python
may be our çikñä-gurus, but one çikñä-guru should
be prominent,
and he is similar to our dékñä-guru. There is no
difference
between the two. Sometimes the çikñä-guru may be
superior to
the dékñä-guru, sometimes the dékñä-guru may
be superior, or
they may be on the same level.
From the beginning, we should be one-pointed to
Vrajendranandana
Kåñëa. That Kåñëa should not simply be Gopé-känta, the
beloved of the gopés, because if He is, then He may
also be
Candrävalé-känta, Padmä-känta, and Çaibyä-känta. We should
be
one-pointed to Rädhä-känta and pray, rädhä-känta namo
’stu te.
This is a very deep and high siddhänta. During the
Ratha-yäträ
Festival, Caitanya Mahäprabhu engaged in many elevated
dialogues with His intimate associate, Svarüpa Dämodara,
about
the difference between the love of the gopés and
that of the
queens of Dvärakä. If one has some taste and greed to
follow the
gopés, and his aim and
object is samartha-rati, then he can know
something about these topics. This is the essence of the
entire
Chariot Festival.
3 6
THE ORIGIN OF RATHA-YÄTRÄ
Caitanya Mahäprabhu added to the meaning of the Ratha-yäträ
Festival, turning it in a different way than previously
performed.
He made Guëòicä like Sundaräcala, Våndävana, while the
Jagannätha Puré temple in Niläcala represented Dvärakä. All
the
gopés were in a mood
of great separation at their Guëòicä
Mandira, just as they were in Våndävana. That is why, after
Jagannätha had been in the Puré temple for an entire year,
He
made an excuse to leave. He told His wife Lakñmé, “I am so
sick.
I need to go somewhere else for ten days, for a change. I
will go
and then return very quickly.” That is how He got
permission
from Lakñmé to go.2
Jagannätha-deva took Baladeva with Him, because Baladeva
had taken birth in Gokula as Rohiëé-suta, the son of Rohiëé.
His
sister Subhadrä is a manifestation of Yogamäyä, and she
always
used to associate with Rohiëé, so she knew the glories of
the
gopés and gopas.
She requested Kåñëa, “Brother, I want to go with
You. Please take me.” And He replied “Yes, you can come.”
Lakñmé never knew where Kåñëa desired to go. None of the
queens ever knew. Vimalä-devé,3 who represents the queens
of
Dvärakä, never knew, and that is why she allowed Him to go.
Kåñëa was so engaged in playing in the groves with the gopés
that He forgot to return. On the fifth day, called
Herä-païcamé,
Lakñmé became very worried and wondered, “Where has my
husband
gone?” She searched here and there, but could not discover
His whereabouts. Then, adorned with great opulence, she sat
on
a golden chariot and went to search further with many
associates,
who were holding sticks and other paraphernalia. When they
arrived at the Guëòicä Mandira and saw Kåñëa’s chariot
there, the
2
This subject is more elaborately discussed in Chapter 7,
Herä-païcamé,
wherein Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu and His associates enjoy
seeing the enactment
of this drama.
3
More information on Vimalä-devé can be found in the
Appendix.
3 7
THE SECOND HISTORY
associates of Lakñmé picked up their sticks and began to
beat the
chariot. They captured all the associates of Jagannätha,
who
were all actually associates of Mahäprabhu and who
represented
the gopés. When Kåñëa entered a room and locked it
from the
inside, Lakñmé told the gopés, “You must return Him;
otherwise I
will come again and punish you, and Kåñëa as well.” After
speaking
like this, she returned.
rathera upare kare daëòera täòana
cora-präya kare jagannäthera sevaka-gaëa
saba bhåtya-gaëa kahe, – yoòa kari’ häta
‘käli äni diba tomära äge jagannätha’
tabe çänta haïä lakñmé yäya nija ghara
ämära lakñméra sampad – väkya-agocara
Çré Caitanya-caritämåta (Madhya-lélä
14.211–13)
All the maidservants began to beat the chariot with sticks,
and they
treated the servants of Lord Jagannätha almost like
thieves. Finally
all of Lord Jagannätha’s servants submitted to the goddess
of fortune
with folded hands, assuring her that they would bring Lord
Jagannätha before her the very next day. Being thus
pacified, the
goddess of fortune returned to her apartment. Just see! My
goddess
of fortune is opulent beyond all description.
Mahäprabhu added this idea to the Ratha-yäträ Festival,
that
the gopés brought Kåñëa from the mandira in
Niläcala – they
brought Him from Dvärakä.
sei ta paräëa-nätha päinu
yähä lägi’ madana-dahane jhuri’ genu
Çré Caitanya-caritämåta (Madhya-lélä
13.113)
[Çrématé Rädhikä said:] Now I have gained the Lord of My
life, in
the absence of whom I was being burned by Cupid and was
withering
away.
3 8
THE ORIGIN OF RATHA-YÄTRÄ
This singing of Rädhikä and the gopés is the deep
mood behind
the Ratha-yäträ Festival. They were pulling the ropes of
Jagannätha’s chariot by their moods of separation, and He
was
coming with them to Våndävana. Caitanya Mahäprabhu was in
the mood of Rädhikä, and therefore, when He came in front
of
the ratha, it made a haòa haòa, haòa haòa (cracking)
sound. It
was coming – running – toward Guëòicä Mandira. In the mood
of Rädhikä, Caitanya Mahäprabhu did not think, “I am
Kåñëa.”
Rather, He saw Kåñëa in the deity of Jagannätha.
Rohiëé-maiyä related many pastimes, and all the queens were
listening eagerly. As Kåñëa sat in His Sudharmä assembly
hall, He
was aware that Rohiëé was speaking in Rukmiëé’s palace, and
He
could no longer remain where He was. He wanted to go to the
place where Rohiëé-maiyä was talking about Våndävana, and
at
once He arrived at her door with Baladeva. Subhadrä was
already standing guard at the door, and as she heard
Rohiëé’s
words she said, “Brother, You cannot go in. Maiyä Rohiëé
will
rebuke me if I let You enter. She told me, ‘Stay by the
door, and
make sure that no males come here – not even Kåñëa and
Baladeva. If they come, stop them.’ So please remain here.
You
can go in when the discussion is finished.”
Although Subhadrä stopped Kåñëa and Baladeva from entering,
they could hear through the door what Rohiëé was telling
the
queens. Kåñëa was standing at Subhadrä-devé’s left, and
Baladeva
Prabhu at her right, and together they began to listen very
carefully.
As Rohiëé-maiyä continued to speak, her heart began to
melt, and all the queens were struck with wonder. As she
described the glories of the love and affection of
Våndävana,
Kåñëa became so absorbed that His own heart began to melt,
and
His fingers also melted in that love and affection. As all
three
heard about the glories of the gopés and how they
love Kåñëa,
they all began to melt. They wept, and as they wept, their
hands
3 9
THE SECOND HISTORY
melted, their feet melted, their mouths melted, and only
the
shapes of the Jagannätha deities remained. At that time
Rohiëémaiyä
could not continue her description. She could no longer
speak, for she had fainted from her bitter weeping.
Gradually, Kåñëa began to return to external consciousness,
and His former shape began to come back, little by little.
When
His form had fully returned to its normal features, Kåñëa
entered
the palace room and saw that Mother Rohiëé had fainted.
Then
He saw Närada, who was looking very guilty, thinking, “I am
responsible for all these incidents. I said something to
Rukmiëé
and Satyabhämä, and then they called Mother Rohiëé and she
began to speak about all these topics. So I am guilty.” As
he was
thinking like this, Kåñëa told him, “I think all this has
happened
only because of you – you are the main cause. Perhaps you
said
something to the queens to worry them, and that is why they
began questioning Mother Rohiëé. You are the root cause of
these events. I am very happy – very happy. You reminded Me
of
Vraja, and I heard its glories. I want to give you a boon.
You may
ask Me for anything.”
Närada then became very happy as well, and he told Kåñëa,
“I
want this boon: all three of you melted when you heard
about
your pastimes, and the glories of the gopés and
Vrajaväsés. My
desire is that you will remain in those forms somewhere in
this
world, and that the whole world will see you. In that form,
you
will be patita-pävana, the savior of the fallen, and
the entire
world will be liberated by your darçana. That is
what I want.
Your hands and feet shrank and you melted completely.
Everything was melted, and at that time you were absorbed
in
love and affection. I want the deities of you three to be
manifest
in this world and worshiped everywhere. People throughout
the
world will see you, they will learn this history, and they
will
develop pure love and affection for you.”
4 0
THE ORIGIN OF RATHA-YÄTRÄ
Kåñëa replied, “Yes. Tato ’stu – it will be. I will
manifest these
three deities and Sudarçana cakra in Jagannätha
Puré, on the
bank of the ocean. We will always remain there. There is a
mountain
called Nélädri there, and that mountain is in the shape of
a
tortoise or a conchshell. I will always be there, and
everyone will
be able to see us.”
It is because of this incident that the deity of Jagannätha
smiled
when speaking to King Indradyumna. Jagannätha-deva had been
remembering this pastime of Rohiëé-maiyä speaking to the
queens, and also His promise to Närada Åñi.
Why did Kåñëa mention Sudarçana cakra here? Su means
“very
good” and darçana means “vision.” If Sudarçana does
not give
you eyes, if he does not help you by purifying you and
giving
you transcendental vision, you cannot actually see
Jagannätha,
Baladeva, and Subhadrä. You will think they are made of
wood, and not very beautiful. But if Sudarçana gives you
this
light, this vision, then you can realize, “He is
Vrajendra-nandana
Çyämasundara.” This history of the appearance of Jagannätha
is
very lovely, and you are fortunate to hear it.
4 1
We should know that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is
one without a second. He is the same God for the
Christians,
Muslims, Hindus, and all others. There are not different
Gods –
He is the same God, the same Allah, the same Christ. Just
as there
is one sun and one moon for the entire world, similarly,
there are
not different Gods for different people. How can God be
divided? There cannot be more than one God; otherwise all
the
gods will quarrel over territory and position. There is
only one
God, but He appears according to the vision of the devotee.
An analogy can be given in relation to the moon. It appears
that there are fifteen different moons. For fifteen days
the moon
gradually increases in size, eventually becoming a full
moon.
After that it decreases in size again, becoming a new moon
on
the last day of the month. The “moons” are not different;
it is the
names of the moon that are different: full moon, new moon,
quarter moon, and so on. Similarly, there is only one God,
but He
appears to be many because people have seemingly divided
Him
up by their different languages and understandings.
Kåñëa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He has many
manifestations such as Räma, Nåsiàha, Jagannätha, Baladeva,
GUËÒICÄ-MANDIRA-MÄRJANA
CHAPTER THREE
4 2
THE ORIGIN OF RATHA-YÄTRÄ
and Näräyaëa, and they are all the same. Even the person
Christians call “God” is the same, for He is also one of
Kåñëa’s
manifestations, as are Allah and Jehovah. These are all
names of
God’s manifestations. Some of these manifestations are more
complete and have more power, and some have less power. The
full moon, the new moon, and the stages in between all
belong
to the same moon, but we see differences according to our
angle
of vision. Actually, the moon is always full, but we
consider that
it is waxing or waning when it is covered to varying
degrees.
In the same way, Kåñëa is one without a second. He has
innumerable
manifestations, but they are all Kåñëa. We are also parts
and parcels of Kåñëa. We are not Kåñëa, but at the same
time, we
are non-different from Him. Both principles are there:
difference
and non-difference. We can use the analogies of the sun and
its
rays, and the fire and its heat; they are also different
and nondifferent.
This is an astonishing truth, which Caitanya Mahäprabhu
has explained thoroughly.
The Supreme Personality of Godhead is one without a second.
Sometimes He manifests in this world personally, and
sometimes
He sends His associates to give pure knowledge. All the
souls
here in this world are eternal servants of that Supreme
Personality of Godhead. This is the true conception,
whether we
accept it or not. We have forgotten Him from the beginning
of the
creation of this world, so He sometimes descends and
performs
very sweet and powerful pastimes so that all conditioned
souls
will be attracted to Him and engage in His service. He
sometimes
descends as Kåñëa, sometimes as Räma, and sometimes as
Jagannätha, Baladeva, and Subhadrä.
We cannot realize Kåñëa if our hearts are full of lust,
worldly
desires, and unwanted habits. He cannot come into our
hearts
under these circumstances; so these impurities must first
be given
up. There is no place for doubt in devotion. No one has any
4 3
GUËÒICÄ-MANDIRA-MÄRJANA
confusion or doubt about whether the sun exists, so why
should
there be any doubt about the existence of the creator of
millions
of suns? He can create millions and millions of worlds in a
moment, and He can also destroy them. Sometimes He comes
here, only to save us and to engage us all in His service.
Other
than serving Him, there is no way to be happy in this world
or in
any other world. There is only one God, and ignoring Him is
the
cause of our unhappiness.
We can be happy if we engage in Kåñëa’s service. Don’t be
afraid that serving Him will be like serving someone in
this
world. There is immense happiness in serving Him, more so
than
in serving your wife, husband, children, father, and so on.
There
is very, very relishable love and affection in His service.
There is
so much love and affection in Kåñëa’s transcendental abode
–
oceans of love and affection. In this world the master
gains and
the servant has to lose something, but it is not like that
there.
First we should know that we are Kåñëa’s eternal servants,
but
we have forgotten Him, and that is the cause of all our
suffering
and sorrow, birth and death. We should have very firm faith
in
this. Don’t have any doubt that we are spirit souls, parts
and
parcels of Godhead, that we are His eternal servants, and
that it
is due to forgetting Him that we are suffering now. We can
realize
His mercy if we chant His name and surrender to Him, giving
up all doubts as Arjuna did.
Jagannätha-deva, Baladeva Prabhu, and Subhadrä have
descended to this world from their transcendental abode. We
will
gradually try to explain the true identity (svarüpa)
of Jagannätha,
Baladeva, and Subhadrä – who they are and how they came to
this world.
Today is the day of guëòicä-mandira-märjana, the
cleansing
of the Guëòicä Temple. Çré Caitanya-caritämåta states
that the
THE ORIGIN OF RATHA-YÄTRÄ
temple of Jagannätha represents Dvärakä, while the temple
at
Guëòicä is called Sundaräcala and represents Våndävana. All
the
gopés, such as Lalitä,
Viçäkhä, and Çrématé Rädhikä, are there in
Våndävana, and so are Nanda Bäbä, Yaçodä, and all the other
Vrajaväsés. Vasudeva, Devaké, Baladeva, Subhadrä, and all
the
other Dvärakäväsés reside in Dvärakä. While Kåñëa resides
in
Dvärakä, He always remembers the Vrajaväsés – His father
Nanda
Bäbä, His mother Yaçodä, His cows, calves, friends, and
especially
His beloved gopés. He sometimes becomes so
distraught in
separation from them that He arranges to go to Våndävana to
meet them.
One day before the Ratha-yäträ Festival, Mahäprabhu leads
all
the devotees to the Guëòicä Mandira to clean it. On the
next day,
Jagannätha goes to Guëòicä Mandira along with Baladeva,
Subhadrä, and His devotees for ten days, after which they
all
return. Just as Jagannätha goes to Guëòicä Mandira after it
is
cleaned, so He may come into your heart if you make it very
pure
and clean.
This festival of guëòicä-märjana has been performed
every
year since Satya-yuga. In Çré Caitanya-caritämåta we
see that
previously, before the participation of Çré Caitanya
Mahäprabhu,
the servants of the King used to clean that temple, but
they would
not clean it properly because they were being paid to do
it. They
could not give Jagannätha much pleasure because they had no
devotion. Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu therefore told the King
through his priest Käçé Miçra, “I would like the service of
cleaning
the temple and the surrounding area to be given to us.” He
told
Käçé Miçra, Särvabhauma Bhaööäcärya, and others, “Please
get
permission from the King so that this year I Myself will
serve the
Guëòicä Mandira along with My associates. We will sweep and
clean it ourselves. There is no need to send any servants
of the
King; no need at all. We only need some brooms and
pitchers.”
4 4
4 5
GUËÒICÄ-MANDIRA-MÄRJANA
Hundreds and thousands of pitchers and brooms were
obtained, and Caitanya Mahäprabhu’s associates arrived.
Thousands of Bengali devotees and many thousands of Orissan
devotees accompanied Caitanya Mahäprabhu with dancing and
kértana. They had
about fifteen mådaìgas and many karatälas.
Caitanya Mahäprabhu personally gave them all garlands and
candana, and then,
dancing in line formation, they all began to
sing. They all went to Guëòicä Mandira, singing and
dancing,
and holding their brooms and pitchers.
The King became very happy. He wanted to meet Caitanya
Mahäprabhu and serve Him, but although he was a very
highclass
devotee, he had the name and position of a king. He had
great wealth and reputation and was always surrounded by
armies, commanders, and so on. Following the regulations of
the
sannyäsa order,
Caitanya Mahäprabhu never wanted a sense
enjoyer (viñayé) such as a king to come to Him. He
considered
that it would be a disturbance, because He would be bound
to
hear mundane talk (viñayi-kathä). We will be alarmed
and fearful
if a snake comes near us, even if its poison has been
removed.
Similarly, a devotee fears association with a sense enjoyer
because it will disturb his sädhana-bhajana. Now,
however, we
ourselves are like sense enjoyers, because we are hankering
for
wealth, reputation, and position.
Caitanya Mahäprabhu is Svayam Bhagavän Himself. He is
nondifferent
from Jagannätha, but He was playing the role of a devotee,
which is why He had sent a representative to tell the King,
“I
want to go personally and clean the entire temple.” The
King had
then requested Käçé Miçra, who was his superintendent,
minister,
priest, and spiritual master, “His devotees can take
whatever
utensils and other paraphernalia He wants.”
Mahäprabhu had thus called His associates, such as Svarüpa
Dämodara, Räya Rämänanda, Gadädhara Paëòita, and others.
4 6
THE ORIGIN OF RATHA-YÄTRÄ
Advaita Äcärya and Nityänanda Prabhu were also there, along
with all the Gauòéya bhaktas. There were thousands
and thousands
of devotees, and on the evening before the festival,
Mahäprabhu had told them all, “You should each bring a big
broom made of coconut tree fibers, and each of you should
also
bring a clay pitcher.”
Now, on the next day, at about seven in the morning,
devotees
assembled from all over India and all over the world – not
only
one or two hundred thousand, but about one million. First
Caitanya Mahäprabhu accepted flower garlands and candana
Himself, and then He gave them to all the devotees. They
all
wanted to offer praëäma to Him, but instead He very
humbly
offered praëäma to all of them. Nityänanda Prabhu
wanted to
touch His feet, but He very humbly touched Nityänanda’s
feet.
He had no false ego, thinking, “I am a guru;
everyone should
respect me. Why should I respect others?” Actually, people
who
think like that are not pure devotees. A guru is one
who respects
others. His symptoms are:
tåëäd api sunécena
taror api sahiñëunä
amäninä mänadena
kértanéyaù sadä hariù
Çikñäñöaka (3)
He is very humble, even more so than a blade of grass, and
he is
also very tolerant, more so than a tree. Even if a tree is
dry, it will
never request, “Water! Water! Water!” If someone cuts the
branches of a tree, it will not protest, “Oh, spare me!
Don’t cut
me!” It will never speak like that. Mango trees give very
sweet
mangoes, even if one throws stones at the tree in an
attempt to
make the mangoes fall. The bark, seeds, fruits, leaves, and
sap of
4 7
GUËÒICÄ-MANDIRA-MÄRJANA
trees are always for others, not for themselves. Kåñëa
tells us that
we should be like the trees. In other words, our lives
should be
for others, not for ourselves, and our lives should be
especially
for Kåñëa. If one lives only for himself, he is lower in
consciousness
than the trees.
The devotees with Mahäprabhu were touching each other’s
feet and at the same time performing kértana. Each
holding a
broom and a pitcher, they performed nagara-saìkértana the
entire distance from the Jagannätha Temple to Guëòicä. The
hundreds of thousands of devotees began to bring water from
the very large pond known as Indradyumna-sarovara, and as
they did so, they said, “Kåñëa! Kåñëa!” to each other as
they gave
and received the clay pitchers. They were filling their
clay pots
with water, carrying the pots on their heads or in other
ways, and
giving them to others, saying, “Hare Kåñëa!” to others on
the way.
Then, taking back the empty pots, they again said, “Hare
Kåñëa!”
In this way they were running back and forth very quickly.
Similarly, while the devotees were sweeping, they were
saying,
“Kåñëa! Kåñëa!” Everything was going on only with the
chanting
of the names, “Kåñëa! Kåñëa!” and no other sound could be
heard.
If a clay pot was broken due to the haste, there would be
sounds
of, “O Kåñëa! Kåñëa!” and new clay pots were brought from a
shop at once.
In this way, everyone was engaged in cleaning the courtyard
of the Guëòicä Mandira. Water was thrown everywhere, and
all
the areas were cleared so that torrents of water flowed
from the
drain like the current of a river. Mahäprabhu cleaned
everywhere,
high and low, throwing water here and there, and thus
everything became as clean as His own heart. This is known
as
guëòicä-mandira-märjana.
Your heart is like a throne (siàhäsana), and you
will have to
clean it if you want to keep Kåñëa and Rädhikä there. First
clean
4 8
THE ORIGIN OF RATHA-YÄTRÄ
it, and then They will come. Who will clean it? Nityänanda
Prabhu may do so and gurudeva may do so, but you
will also
have to do something. Guru will help you; he has the
power to
do so, and he is very merciful, but you will also have to
do
something. You must follow his orders. Be like Arjuna, who
told
Kåñëa in Bhagavad-gétä (2.7): “çiñyas te ’haà
çädhi mäà tväà
prapannam – I have
offered myself at Your lotus feet. I will
follow Your order and obey all Your instructions.” Kåñëa
then
ordered him to fight, and he was successful.
Similarly, guru can help you if you follow and obey
him, but
if you disobey, that is an offense and your desire to serve
Kåñëa
will disappear. Try to obey. For example, gurudeva says,
“You
should chant every day. You should chant not less than
sixteen
rounds, and chant your guru-gäyatré and all other gäyatrémantras
daily.” A disciple may say, “Gurudeva, I’m very weak, I
cannot chant gäyatré-mantra. When I chant, I get a
headache. I
become sick and my mind becomes upset. What should I do?”
Gurudeva will reply,
“You should continue to chant, and your
headache, sickness, and all other disturbances will go
away. But
you will have to do it.” Then, if you do not obey, what can
he do?
Although Caitanya Mahäprabhu is Kåñëa Himself, the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, He was cleaning the temple. Merely
sweeping with a broom will not do, for a broom can never
touch
our hearts. In order to demonstrate this, Mahäprabhu told
His
associates, “We should chant and remember, performing kértana
along with the sweeping. Then it will have some effect.” If
you
are cleaning your house in your householder life, while you
sweep you can sing, “Govinda Dämodara Mädhaveti, Govinda
Dämodara Mädhaveti.” Whatever job you do, chant these names
with your heart, and then your heart will be “swept.” It
will
become pure and clear, neat and clean.
4 9
GUËÒICÄ-MANDIRA-MÄRJANA
Caitanya Mahäprabhu and all His associates began to perform
kértana with many mådaìgas,
kholas, and karatälas. The temple
compound was so large that over two million devotees were
able to fit there, and they swept and cleaned everywhere.
Mahäprabhu personally took His uttaréya-veça (sannyäsa
upper
cloth), and He cleaned the spots that were very stubborn. Çré
Caitanya-caritämåta (Madhya-lélä
12.1, 99, 104) has stated:
çré-guëòicä-mandiram ätma-våndaiù
sammärjayan kñälanataù sa gauraù
sva-citta-vac chétalam ujjvalaà ca
kåñëopaveçaupayikaà cakära
Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu washed and cleansed the Guëòicä
Temple with His devotees and associates. In this way He
made it
as cool and bright as His own heart, and thus He made the
temple
a befitting place for Çré Kåñëa to sit.
çré-haste kareëa siàhäsanera märjana
prabhu äge jala äni’ deya bhakta-gaëa
Then Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu began to wash the sitting
place of
Lord Jagannätha with His own hands, and all the devotees
began
to bring water to the Lord.
nija-vastre kaila prabhu gåha sammärjana
mahäprabhu nija-vastre mäjila siàhäsana
The Lord mopped the rooms with His own clothes, and He
polished
the throne with them also.
We should give up all our worldly positions and ego that
dictates, “I am so intelligent; I have so much power; I am
the
superintendent; I am the monarch of all; I am guru.”
Advaita
Äcärya was Mahä-Viñëu Himself, but he was very humble and
polite, and he also cleaned the temple.
5 0
THE ORIGIN OF RATHA-YÄTRÄ
All the devotees were sweeping, as was Caitanya Mahäprabhu
Himself. First they swept away very big stones, stone
chips, and
pieces of grass. If you want to make a seat in your heart
for
Rädhä and Kåñëa, your heart must be like Våndävana, and if
you
do not make your heart very pure and transcendental like
Våndävana, Kåñëa cannot come. If you have any worldly
desires,
they will be like thorns pricking Kåñëa’s body. These thorns
are
lust, anger, greed, envy, attachment for worldly things,
quarreling,
and criticizing. If you want bhakti, don’t criticize
anyone. Be
tolerant and follow this verse:
tåëäd api sunécena
taror api sahiñëunä
amäninä mänadena
kértanéyaù sadä hariù
Çikñäñöaka (3)
One who thinks himself lower than the grass, who is more
tolerant
than a tree, and who does not expect personal honor, yet is
always prepared to give all respect to others, can very
easily
always chant the holy name of the Lord.
If you do not have these four qualities, you will never be
able
to chant, because the holy name is transcendental. You
cannot
chant with your tongue, and you cannot see Kåñëa with your
eyes.
ataù çré-kåñëa-nämädi
na bhaved grähyam indriyaiù
sevonmukhe hi jihvädau
svayam eva sphuraty adaù
Bhakti-rasämåta-sindhu (1.2.234)
5 1
GUËÒICÄ-MANDIRA-MÄRJANA
Material senses cannot appreciate Kåñëa’s holy name, form,
qualities,
and pastimes. When a conditioned soul is awakened to Kåñëa
consciousness and renders service by using his tongue to
chant
the Lord’s holy name and taste the remnants of the Lord’s
food, the
tongue is purified, and one gradually comes to understand
who
Kåñëa really is.
You should think, “I am serving Kåñëa by chanting – this is
my
service. O Kåñëa, please purify me.” If you surrender and
offer
yourself unto the lotus feet of Kåñëa, He will mercifully
come and
dance on your tongue.
There are three stages of chanting: näma-aparädha, nämaäbhäsa,
and çuddha-näma. When you practice by your tongue
and by your endeavor, this is näma-aparädha. When
you chant
with some çraddhä (faith), then it will be näma-äbhäsa,
and if
your chanting is pure, then Kåñëa Himself will dance on
your
tongue. We should try to pray to Kåñëa, “I offer myself
unto Your
lotus feet, giving up all worldly desires. I have no
beloved except
You. You are mine.” Be like the gopés, and then
Kåñëa may come.
When the stones were cleared away, the thousands of
devotees,
along with Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu, Çré Nityänanda
Prabhu, Çré Advaita Äcärya, and Çré Svarüpa Dämodara, swept
again. Mahäprabhu told them, “I want to see who has swept
up
the biggest pile of dust. Everyone should collect their
pile in their
cloths, and I will examine them; otherwise some may cheat
the
others by only pretending to sweep, but not really doing
so.” In
the end, everyone saw that Mahäprabhu had swept up much
more than all the others combined. Sometimes Mahäprabhu
would give a very sweet lesson to those who were only
pretending,
instead of actually sweeping. He would say to them, “Oh,
you have done so much. You should teach others.” Hearing
these
joking words, all the devotees would laugh.
5 2
THE ORIGIN OF RATHA-YÄTRÄ
The devotees swept three times, and there is a deep meaning
behind this. We have committed so many offenses, we are in
so
much ignorance, and we have so many unwanted habits. We
should very boldly and strongly give up activities that are
not
favorable for kåñëa-bhakti, and we should very
boldly reject
things and people that are not favorable to bhakti.
We should
totally reject any wish, any desire, or any result that is
not favorable
for pleasing Kåñëa or a pure devotee and guru.
You should reject anyone who criticizes high-class
devotees.
You can defeat his arguments, and if you are like Hanumän,
you
can burn all of Laìkä and also cut out his tongue. If you
are not
of Hanumän’s caliber, then you should block your ears and
simply leave that place where criticism is going on. Always
try to
accept only the things, the society, and the association
that are
favorable for bhakti. Do not desire or expect praise
for yourself.
Never have any wish to be honored by others, but always
give
honor to all devotees according to their standard of bhakti.
The heart of a devotee who is chanting and remembering
Kåñëa should be pure. Why should a brahmacäré or sannyäsé
who has been worshiping, chanting, and serving his gurudeva
for twenty years have the desire to marry and amass wealth?
And
why does he leave aside his sannyäsa or brahmacäré
saffron
cloth, and get a girlfriend or even a boyfriend? This is
not
advancement towards Kåñëa. It may be that he has neglected
pure devotees and has no faith in his gurudeva’s words,
and it
may also be that his gurudeva is fallen.
A devotee who is chanting the holy name purely from the
beginning will be like Çréla Raghunätha däsa Gosvämé. Däsa
Gosvämé left everything and never again accepted worldly
enjoyment.
Çréla Bhaktivedänta Swämé Mahäräja left worldly life and
his wife and children, and he never returned to them again.
If
brahmacärés and sannyäsés
accept worldly life again, it means
5 3
GUËÒICÄ-MANDIRA-MÄRJANA
they have no faith in Kåñëa’s name. Kåñëa has invested His
whole
power, His whole mercy, opulence, and so forth in His name.
Brahmä can create the world only by the mercy of this name
– by
his chanting of this name. Çaìkara, too, can only perform
any
task by chanting Kåñëa’s name. Neither of them can do
anything
without the help of the holy name.
We have no faith that Kåñëa’s name can maintain our lives.
From the beginning, we have no taste and have committed so
many offenses. Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu is therefore telling
us,
“You must purify your hearts, if you want to be devotees
and
realize Kåñëa, and if you want Kåñëa to be seated in your
hearts.”
But you have no power to do it. You cannot purify your
hearts,
so who will purify them? You can do it if you are under the
guidance
of Mahäprabhu, Çré Nityänanda Prabhu, Çré Advaita Äcärya,
Çré Gadädhara Paëòita, Çré Svarüpa Dämodara, and Çré Räya
Rämänanda. Otherwise, your doubts will never go away, you
will
commit offenses, and you will remain attached to unwanted
habits. So many desires to taste worldly enjoyment will
come to
you, and you will not be able to check them.
Caitanya Mahäprabhu is therefore instructing us. He Himself
was sweeping, along with His devotees, in order to teach
us.
That is why His devotees swept a first time, then a second
time,
and then a third time. The first time they swept, they
removed big
stones, chips, and grasses; the second time, they removed
very
fine dust; and the third time still finer dust.
When all the dust was taken out, there still remained spots
of
black tar, which cannot be removed simply by sweeping. For
this
you will have to try much harder. You will have to use a
very
sharp instrument, and then you will have to wash off the
spots
with a cleaner like kerosene or alcohol. These spots are
our
offenses, and they will not disappear by sweeping alone.
These
spots are deceit (kuöénäöé ) and desires for profit
(läbha), adoration
5 4
THE ORIGIN OF RATHA-YÄTRÄ
(püjä), and fame (pratiñöhä). Çré
Caitanya-caritämåta (Madhyalélä
19.159) has explained this, and Çréla Swämé Mahäräja has
given the translation:
niñiddhäcära kuöénäöé jéva-hiàsana
läbha-püjä-pratiñöhädi yata upaçäkhä-gaëa
Some unnecessary creepers growing with the bhakti creeper
are
the creepers of behavior unacceptable for those trying to
attain
perfection: diplomatic behavior, animal killing, mundane
profiteering,
mundane adoration, and mundane importance. All these
are unwanted creepers.
Nowadays, many persons have no proper respect for
Vaiñëavas. They tell them, “Oh, you cannot enter our
temple.”
Juniors are not giving proper respect to seniors, and
seniors are
not giving proper respect, love, and affection to juniors.
This is
the problem, and the root of it is offenses to the holy
name. Many
devotees have no regard for the holy name. They have no
strong
faith in chanting, and that is why so many senior devotees
are
going away and junior devotees are coming, becoming senior,
and then also going away. These are the problems nowadays.
You can easily give up your children, your wives, your
husbands,
your relatives, and even your wealth. But it is very hard
to give
up the desire for praise, and it is hard to follow this
verse
(Çikñäñöaka (3)):
tåëäd api sunécena
taror api sahiñëunä
amäninä mänadena
kértanéyaù sadä hariù
Thinking oneself to be even lower and more worthless than
insignificant grass that is trampled beneath everyone’s
feet, being
more tolerant than a tree, being prideless, and offering
respect to
Om Tat Sat
(Continued...)
(My
humble salutations to the lotus feet of Swami jis great Devotees , Philosophic
Scholars, Purebhakti dot com for
the collection)
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