The Origin
of
Ratha-yatra
GUËÒICÄ-MANDIRA-MÄRJANA
all others according to their
respective positions, one should continuously
chant the holy name of Çré Hari.
This is the meaning of “sweeping the
heart,” and Çré Caitanya
Mahäprabhu wanted this. At this stage
you will honor even a
creeper and a tree, what to speak of
devotees. You will see Kåñëa
in everyone and everywhere, and then
you will be able to honor
everyone properly. We should try to
sweep in our hearts today,
on this sacred day of guëòicä-mandira-märjana.
We should try to understand what are niñiddhäcära,
prohibited
activities. For example, if you are a brahmacäré
or sannyäsé,
be far away from lust.
asat-saìga-tyäga, – ei vaiñëava-äcära
‘stré-saìgé’ – eka asädhu,
‘kåñëäbhakta’ ära
Çré Caitanya-caritämåta (Madhya-lélä 22.87)
A Vaiñëava should always avoid the
association of ordinary
people. Common people are very much
materially attached,
especially to the opposite sex.
Vaiñëavas should also avoid the
company of those who are not devotees
of Lord Kåñëa.
Try to follow this, whether you are a
family man or in the
renounced order. Do not associate with
Mäyävädés who do not
believe in the personal form of Kåñëa
or Godhead. To such persons,
everything is God, which means that
everything is zero.
Also, do not associate with those who
are lusty – one should
remain very far away from such people.
Do not tell lies, do not
be duplicitous, do not be politicians,
and do not be hypocrites.
These are basic principles.
Kuöénäöé: ku means “evil,” öé means
“the,” nä means “no” or
“that which is prohibited,” and öé means
“particular.” Kuöénäöé
means activities that are like those of
Pütanä. The word pütanä
means impure, and she was the first
demon killed by Kåñëa; He
5 6
THE ORIGIN OF RATHA-YÄTRÄ
killed impurity first of all. First be
pure by body, mind, and soul,
by chanting and remembering, and by
always serving Vaiñëavas
and giving them proper respect.
Jéva-hiàsana: don’t kill anything, even a creeper.
This is also
a basic principle. Jéva-hiàsana means
violence, but in this connection
violence does not only mean killing by
the hands or by
a weapon. It also means killing by the
tongue, mind, or heart. Do
not be envious. If you want to be pure
devotees, remove envy
from your hearts and don’t criticize
any Vaiñëava, for this is also
hiàsä.
These spots will not be removed merely
by sweeping, nor will
they disappear simply by washing them
with water. Rather, they
will only become stronger and more
prominent. In other words,
these spots are not very easy to
remove. They manifest as offenses
at the lotus feet of Vaiñëavas and guru,
and also as neglect of guru.
Among the ten kinds of näma-aparädha,
the first is the offense to
pure devotees. The aspiring devotee
must remove all these spots
quickly, and Caitanya Mahäprabhu
therefore took His own outer
garment and washed everything – up,
down, here, there, and
everywhere. He did not leave even one
corner unclean.
Thousands and thousands of devotees
continually took water
from Indradyumna Sarovara, and placed
the water-pots in the
hands of Çré Svarüpa Dämodara, Çré Räya
Rämänanda, Çré
Gadädhara Paëòita, Çré Nityänanda
Prabhu, Çré Advaita Äcärya,
and Çréman Mahäprabhu Himself.
Nowadays, those who consider
themselves gurus will give
orders to others and do nothing
themselves. They think that they should
only taste delicious
mahä-prasäda and enjoy opulent surroundings; they
may even
have chairs made of gold. Such false gurus
do not remain; rather,
they go to hell.
In this way, Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu
was clearing away all
unwanted mentalities and behaviors. In
the first and second
5 7
GUËÒICÄ-MANDIRA-MÄRJANA
verses of his Upadeçämåta, Çréla
Rüpa Gosvämé also discusses the
unwanted habits to be swept away.
Without such sweeping, pure
bhakti cannot be attained even in millions of
births. In the first
verse Rüpa Gosvämé states:
väco vegaà manasaù krodha-vegaà
jihvä-vegam udaropastha-vegam
etän vegän yo viñaheta dhéraù
sarväm apémäà påthivéà sa çiñyät
A sober person who can tolerate the
urge to speak, the mind’s
demands, the actions of anger and the
urges of the tongue, belly,
and genitals is qualified to make
disciples all over the world.
There are six kinds of vegas (urges),
and the root is the tongue,
which has no backbone. If you cannot
control the tongue, all the
other five urges will control you; and
if you do control it, everything
else is controlled. The tongue has two
functions, the first of
which is speaking. If this function is
not controlled, you may say
something wrong to another person and
that may create a very
big problem for you – you may even be
ruined forever.
Draupadé, the wife of the Päëòavas,
once said something that
was actually correct, but the
circumstance in which she said it
was inappropriate. She told Duryodhana,
“Your father is blind,
and you are also blind. Like father,
like son.” Duryodhana was
offended, and as a result the great
Mahäbhärata War was fought
and millions of people were killed.
Similarly, the Rämäyaëa War
was fought only because of Sétä’s
tongue. She chastised
Lakñmaëa, and this ultimately led to a
war in which so many
were killed. You should therefore try
to control your tongue; do
not speak what should not be spoken.
The second function of the tongue is
eating. If you eat meat,
fish, and other prohibited items, or if
you take drugs, they will
also harm you, and you will not be able
to control your mind or
5 8
THE ORIGIN OF RATHA-YÄTRÄ
your heart. On the other hand,
everything will be controlled if
you take only mahä-prasäda and
chant Hare Kåñëa, Hare
Kåñëa....
In the second verse of Upadeçämåta,
Çréla Rüpa Gosvämé
states:
atyähäraù prayäsaç ca
prajalpo niyamägrahaù
jana-saìgaç ca laulyaà ca
ñaòbhir bhaktir vinaçyati
One’s devotional service is spoiled
when he becomes too entangled
in the following six activities: (1)
eating more than necessary
or collecting more funds than required,
(2) over-endeavoring for
mundane things that are very difficult
to attain, (3) talking unnecessarily
about mundane subject matters, (4)
practicing the scriptural
rules and regulations only for the sake
of following them and
not for the sake of spiritual
advancement, or rejecting the rules
and regulations of the scriptures and
working independently or
whimsically, (5) associating with
worldly-minded persons who are
not interested in Kåñëa consciousness,
and (6) being greedy for
mundane achievements.
Both Çréla Bhaktisiddhänta Sarasvaté
Öhäkura and Çréla
Bhaktivedänta Swämé Mahäräja have
written commentaries on
how to be free from these habits, and
we can clean our hearts by
reading these commentaries. It is
stated in Çréla Swämé Mahäräja’s
purport (Çré Caitanya-caritämåta (Madhya-lélä
12.135)):
Çréla Bhaktisiddhänta Sarasvaté Öhäkura
explains that even though
one may become free from the desire for
fruitive activity, sometimes
the subtle desire for fruitive activity
again comes into being
within the heart. One often thinks of
conducting business to
improve devotional activity. However,
the contamination is so
strong that it may later develop into
misunderstanding, described
5 9
GUËÒICÄ-MANDIRA-MÄRJANA
as kuöénäöé (faultfinding) and pratiñöhäçä
(the desire for name and
fame and for high position), jéva-hiàsä
(envy of other living entities),
niñiddhäcära (accepting things forbidden in the çästra),
käma (desire for material gain), and püjä (hankering for
popularity).
The word kuöénäöé means
“duplicity.” As an example of
pratiñöhäçä, one may attempt to imitate Çréla
Haridäsa Öhäkura by
living in a solitary place.
Some Western devotees once went to
Puré. They were not
allowed to take darçana of
Jagannätha, Baladeva, and Subhadrä
in the temple, but they were able to go
to the Öoöä Gopénätha
Temple, Çréla Haridäsa Öhäkura’s samädhi,
and Siddha-bakula.
One of those devotees gave over a
thousand dollars to an Indian
püjäré at Siddha-bakula and said, “Give me the
mälä kept here,
the beads on which Haridäsa Öhäkura was
chanting.” The man
took the thousand dollars, stole the mälä,
and gave it to that
“devotee” who then thought, “Oh, when I
chant on this mälä, I
will be liberated and I will have bhakti.”
Imitation will not do,
however. That person was offensive.
Nowadays many people
want to have large mälä weighing
not less than five kilos. They
cannot chant properly, but still they
collect big tulasé neckbeads
with “Rädhe, Rädhe” written on them.
This will not do; rather,
false ego will increase by this. Try to
chant and remember purely,
and associate with devotees. It is
stated in the same purport:
One’s real desire may be for name and
fame. In other words, one
thinks that fools will accept one to be
as good as Haridäsa Öhäkura
just because one lives in a holy place.
These are all material
desires. A neophyte devotee is certain
to be attacked by other
material desires as well, namely
desires for women and money. In
this way the heart is again filled with
dirty things and becomes
harder and harder, like that of a
materialist. Gradually one desires
to become a reputed devotee or an avatära
(incarnation).
6 0
THE ORIGIN OF RATHA-YÄTRÄ
Nowadays there are so many
“incarnations” like this. They
have no belief in God, but they want to
be guru, and after some
days they fall down. This disease of
false gurus and gods is
spreading like the plague, and now
there are so many “gods,”
both in India and the West. We have
been duplicitous since our
birth; but now we must become very
simple, and we should
always honor devotees.
Also, be free from lobha, the
greed for worldly things. Be free
from thinking, “I must have this
thing,” or “My relatives and
neighbors have very good cars, but I
don’t.” Be simple like Çréla
Raghunätha däsa Gosvämé, who followed
the instructions given
to him by Caitanya Mahäprabhu:
grämya-kathä nä çunibe, grämya-värtä nä
kahibe
bhäla nä khäibe ära bhäla nä paribe
amäné mänada haïä kåñëa-näma sadä la’be
vraje rädhä-kåñëa-sevä mänase karibe
Çré Caitanya-caritämåta (Madhya-lélä 6.236–7)
Do not talk like people in general or
hear what they say. You
should not eat very palatable food, nor
should you dress very
nicely. Do not expect honor, but offer
all respect to others. Always
chant the holy name of Lord Kåñëa, and
within your mind render
service to Rädhä and Kåñëa in
Våndävana.
Follow Çréla Raghunätha däsa Gosvämé,
Çréla Jéva Gosvämé,
and others like them. Be simple like
Caitanya Mahäprabhu and
His associates. Mahäprabhu personally
removed all the spots
from the siàhäsana on which
Jagannätha, Baladeva, and
Subhadrä would sit – He did not leave
it to anyone else to do.
This means that we should try to make
our hearts like a
siàhäsana where Jagannätha, Baladeva, and
Subhadrä will sit,
where Rädhä and Kåñëa will sit, and
where Mahäprabhu will sit.
6 1
GUËÒICÄ-MANDIRA-MÄRJANA
This opportunity will not come if there
are dirty thoughts and
aspirations in our hearts. They will
never come. Take your ears
in your hands1 and promise, “From today
I will practice properly.”
Kåñëa will provide for you if you are
always chanting and
remembering. He will look after you,
and sometimes He may
come to you as a servant, bringing
paraphernalia for you on His
head. There are many examples as
evidence of this, so do not
worry about how to maintain yourselves.
The only problem
should be how to purify yourselves, and
how to attain love and
affection for Kåñëa.
While Caitanya Mahäprabhu was cleaning,
a very young
Gauòéya bhakta took a pitcher of
water, poured the water on
Mahäprabhu’s feet, and drank some of
it. Mahäprabhu then
appeared very angry and said, “What are
you doing? Nonsense!
Jagannätha is coming here. Jagannätha
is the Supreme
Personality of Godhead Himself, and we
are cleaning here,
preparing for Him to come. I am an
ordinary person, a man, and
yet this person is washing My feet and
taking that water to drink.
This offense is very bad for Me, and
for him.”
If you wash the feet of an ordinary
person in Kåñëa’s temple, it
is a very big offense. Of course,
Caitanya Mahäprabhu is
Jagannätha Himself, but He is giving
instruction to others. A bona
fide guru will never proudly
think, “Very good! My disciple
comes and places flowers on my feet,
pours water on them,
washes them, sprinkles that water on
others, and then drinks it.”
A pure Vaiñëava or guru never
considers, “I am an advanced
devotee.” Even Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu,
in the mood of Çrématé
Rädhikä, has said:
1
This is an Indian expression. In India
when one is expressing regret due to a
sense of guilt, he holds his earlobes
as he apologizes.
6 2
THE ORIGIN OF RATHA-YÄTRÄ
na prema-gandho ’sti daräpi me harau
krandämi saubhägya-bharaà prakäçitum
vaàçé-viläsy-änana-lokanaà vinä
bibharmi yat präëa-pataìgakän våthä
Çré Caitanya-caritämåta (Madhya-lélä 2.45)
My dear friends, I have not the
slightest tinge of love of Godhead
within My heart. When you see Me crying
in separation, I am just
falsely exhibiting a demonstration of
My great fortune. Indeed, not
seeing the beautiful face of Kåñëa
playing His flute, I continue to
live My life like an insect, without
purpose.
“I have not even a scent of bhakti to
Kåñëa. I am more wretched
than anyone.” Rädhikä Herself is
saying, “Oh, the forest deer are
superior to me. They can go near to
Kåñëa and beg His love and
affection as a beloved, but we cannot
go there. The rivers are
also so much more fortunate than us gopés.
Kåñëa goes to the
Yamunä to bathe and she can embrace
Kåñëa; she can give Him
a lotus flower from her hand-like
waves. She can give her whole
heart to Kåñëa and tell Him, ‘O my
beloved.’ When Kåñëa plays
on His flute, she becomes stunned and
stops flowing. She is
much greater than us, for we cannot do
as she does.
“And what is the condition of the
calves and cows? The cows
are grazing, but when they hear the
sweet sound of Kåñëa’s flute,
they raise their ears to hear and to
drink in the sweet nectar of
that flute. Their calves also drink the
nectar of Kåñëa’s flute
through their ears. While they drink
the milk from their mothers’
udders, they hear the flute, and at
that time they forget the milk
altogether; they neither swallow it nor
spit it out, and it simply
remains in their mouths. Oh, we are not
like this.”
Mahäprabhu similarly laments, “The fish
are superior to me. If
they are taken from water, they will
die at once; but I am not
dying although I have no darçana of
Kåñëa. How wretched I am!”
6 3
GUËÒICÄ-MANDIRA-MÄRJANA
Nowadays many devotees think, “Gurudeva
simply gave us
chanting beads, and by this we became
more than God and we
began to control the whole world.” The
next day, however, we
see that nothing is there – no tulasé
beads, no chanting beads;
nothing. And now they have again become
mice.2
Mahäprabhu performed this pastime in
order to teach us devotional
principles, so He called Svarüpa
Dämodara and told him,
“Svarüpa Dämodara Prabhu! Just see the
behavior of your
Gauòéya bhakta. He is insulting
Me in front of Öhäkurajé. You
have not instructed him how to be a
pure devotee. See how he
is behaving! He is in the temple of
Jagannätha, who is the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, and
although I am an ordinary
person, he is pouring water on My feet
and drinking it. This is
very offensive to Jagannätha, Baladeva,
and Subhadrä, and I am
very upset about this.”
Svarüpa Dämodara then slapped the young
devotee and
dragged him outside – as a gesture.
Actually, he was very happy
with him. Outside the temple, when he
was beyond Caitanya
Mahäprabhu’s view, he told that
devotee, “You have done very
well. Caitanya Mahäprabhu is Jagannätha
Himself, but He wants
to teach others that we should not
behave like this towards ordinary
persons. You have not done anything
wrong. You have
done the right thing. Wait here, and I
will call for you again.”
Then, when he was called, that Bengali
devotee told
2
There is an instructive story called
“Punar Müñéka Bhava – Again Become a
Mouse.” A mouse was very much harassed
by a cat, and therefore he
approached a saintly person to request
to become a cat. When the mouse
became a cat, he was harassed by a dog,
and then, being blessed by the sädhu,
when he became a dog, he was harassed
by a tiger. When by the grace of the
saint he became a tiger, he stared at
the saintly person, who then asked him,
“What do you want?” The tiger replied,
“I want to eat you.” Then the saintly
person cursed him, saying, “May you
again become a mouse.”
6 4
THE ORIGIN OF RATHA-YÄTRÄ
Mahäprabhu, “I have done wrong.” He
begged for forgiveness,
and Mahäprabhu forgot the matter.
No one should tell anyone else to
worship him. One should
not love anyone or weep for anyone in
front of the deity. You can
only do praëäma to your pure gurudeva,
not to anyone else.
Wherever the deities are present, we
should not try to control
anyone; that will be an offense. We
can learn all the rules and
regulations of deity worship by reading
the book Arcana-dépikä.
Nowadays, gurus are coming like
kan-gurus. All are gurus but
none are gurus. They are
everywhere, like the germs of a plague.
They are cheaters, not gurus.
They are not Bhagavän. In India
you can very easily find so many
“Gods,” so many “Supreme
Personalities of Godheads.” One thinks
that he is Çaìkara,
another thinks that he is Gaëeça, and
someone else thinks he is
Sarasvaté. Caitanya Mahäprabhu knew
this day would come.
Try to enter the real process of bhakti.
Hear from the proper
person, take his words into your heart
and try to follow him.
Then you can sweep your heart and also
become a pure devotee.
First you will enter the stage of kaniñöha-adhikära,
then
madhyama-adhikära, and then you will be a devotee.
Otherwise, you are like a shadow
devotee – fallen. Kåñëa has
given you good intelligence. You should
realize whether someone
is a pure devotee or not, and if he is,
then you can hear from
him. A sädhu is a very elevated
devotee who embodies the
verse:
anyäbhiläñitä-çünyaà
jïäna-karmädy-anävåtam
änukülyena kåñëänuçélanaà
bhaktir uttamä
Bhakti-rasämåta-sindhu (1.1.11)
6 5
GUËÒICÄ-MANDIRA-MÄRJANA
The cultivation of activities that are
meant exclusively for the
pleasure of Çré Kåñëa, or in other
words the uninterrupted flow of
service to Çré Kåñëa, performed through
all endeavors of the body,
mind, and speech, and through the expression
of various spiritual
sentiments (bhävas), which is
not covered by jïäna (knowledge
aimed at impersonal liberation) and karma
(reward-seeking activity)
and which is devoid of all desires
other than the aspiration to
bring happiness to Çré Kåñëa, is called
uttama-bhakti, pure devotional
service.
Such a sädhu or guru has
no worldly desires. His devotion is
always like a stream of sweet honey,
which flows like an unbroken
current when it is poured.
Similarly, you should see whether your
own activities – by
body, by words, by mind, and by heart
or mood – are to please
Kåñëa or not. Suppose you are taking mahä-prasäda.
Why are
you taking it? Is it to please Kåñëa or
not? If you are not taking it
to please Kåñëa, then it is like karma.
If you go to sleep for yourself,
it is karma, not bhakti.
However, if you go to sleep thinking,
“I will take some rest, and from early
morning I will serve
Kåñëa. I will be always chanting,
remembering, worshiping, and
serving here and there,” then even your
sleeping is for Kåñëa.
yat karoñi yad açnäsi
yaj juhoñi dadäsi yat
yat tapasyasi kaunteya
tat kuruñva mad-arpaëam
Bhagavad-gétä (9.27)
Whatever you do, whatever you eat,
whatever you offer or give
away, and whatever austerities you
perform – do that, O son of
Kunté, as an offering to Me.
6 6
THE ORIGIN OF RATHA-YÄTRÄ
After some time, whatever you do will
be to please Kåñëa and
your pure gurudeva. If someone
follows this principle and
always acts to please Kåñëa, you can
accept him as your guru;
otherwise don’t. If, when you were
ignorant, you selected as
guru someone who does not perform all his activities to please
Kåñëa, Guru, and Vaiñëavas, then reject
that person. Reject him
totally. Choose another guru very
carefully and take initiation;
otherwise you cannot have pure devotion
and love for Kåñëa.
If you were initiated by a guru who
was sincere at one time,
but who fell down later on, reject him
at once. Then you may
enter the proper line and accept the
self-realized devotees who
are actually following anyäbhiläñitä-çünyaà
jïäna-karmädyanävåtam
änukülyena kåñëänuçélanam. Whatever they do, they
do to please Kåñëa, Guru, and
Vaiñëavas. They will be in the line
of Çréla Rüpa Gosvämé, Çréla Sanätana
Gosvämé, and Çréla
Raghunätha däsa Gosvämé. If a person
professing to be a guru is
not actually in that line, he should be
rejected at once. Bali
Mahäräja rejected his gurudeva,
Çukräcärya. Bharata Mahäräja
rejected his mother, Prahläda Mahäräja
rejected his father, the
gopés rejected their husbands, and Vibhéñaëa
rejected his brother
Rävaëa. There are abundant examples of
this.
If the guru is chanting and is
somewhat in this line but he
cannot give you prema-bhakti,
then request him, “Please permit
me to associate with a self-realized
devotee.” If he does not give
permission for you to do so, he is not
a pure Vaiñëava and he also
should be rejected. However, if he
gives the order, “You should
go, and I will also go,” then he is a
Vaiñëava. You should respect
him, and also go to take the
association of that high-class
devotee. This is the proper process,
and it was followed by Çré
Çyämänanda Gosvämé, Çré Narottama däsa
Öhäkura, Çré Çréniväsa
Äcärya, Çréla Haridäsa Öhäkura, and so
many others. If you
follow çästra and your
superiors, you will come to the stage of
6 7
GUËÒICÄ-MANDIRA-MÄRJANA
madhyama-adhikära. This is actually the meaning of guëòicämandira-
märjana.
It is better to honor real Vaiñëavas
than to only worship the
deities. Worship the deity, but serve
the Vaiñëavas at the same
time. Gradually try to come from the
stage of kaniñöha to the
stage of madhyama. We are
entering kaniñöha, but we are not
even kaniñöha yet, because we do
not have full faith in the deity.
When we realize siddhänta, the
established truths of Vaiñëava
philosophy, in the association of pure
Vaiñëavas, we will gradually
become madhyama-adhikäré. This
is the object of today’s
function. By this, the seed of the bhakti-creeper
that your
gurudeva has given to you will sprout, and it
will then develop
into the shape of a creeper that will
ultimately lead you to
Goloka Våndävana. This is the real
process.
When all the spots are removed, your
status will be of the
nature of pure devotion. Whatever we
do, we should do as a
service to Kåñëa, for His pleasure, but
this is not sufficient by
itself. There should be no worldly
desire at all in that service. If
one takes initiation from a bona fide guru,
and he is chanting,
remembering, and reading books, but he
thinks, “I want to be
wealthy, I want to have a very
well-qualified son, and a very
beautiful home and wife,” his bhakti
will not be pure. Rather, it
will be completely ruined. Even the
desire for liberation is
not pure bhakti. It is bhakti,
but not pure uttama-bhakti. It is
called äropa-siddha-bhakti,
or sometimes saìga-siddha-bhakti.
His bhakti will be mixed with karma,
jïäna, yoga, or anything
else.
More than ninety-five percent of those
who call themselves
bhaktas don’t actually follow uttama-bhakti or
pure bhakti.
They follow only äropa-siddha-bhakti
and saìga-siddha-bhakti.
What is äropa-siddha-bhakti ?
Making a garden or establishing
gurukulas and goçäläs is not really bhakti,
but it may create
6 8
THE ORIGIN OF RATHA-YÄTRÄ
impressions (saàskäras) in the
heart if the fruits are given to
Kåñëa. If there is a gurukula,
there is an opportunity that the boys
will be given impressions from
childhood for later development
in bhakti. We see, however, that
the students very rarely get these
impressions. Many are ruined and are
without character, they do
not obey their fathers and mothers,
they are not humble, and
they do not honor devotees. Many are
desperate. If that impression
of bhakti had come, it would
have been very good for them.
It is only to give this impression that
high-class devotees or gurus
establish such institutions.
If we make a garden, we can take the
fruits to the deities and
to pure devotees, but if the fruit is
not given to them, the result
will be very bad. Actual bhakti is
that activity in which there is
chanting and remembering only to please
Kåñëa. In the past,
many devotees collected vast wealth for
their temples. They collected
vast amounts of money in a few days,
but what became of
them? They left Kåñëa consciousness.
Çréla Bhaktivedänta Swämé
Mahäräja wanted them to become
qualified devotees.
It is not sufficient merely to sweep,
or merely to wash off all
the varieties of unwanted habits such
as aparädhas. Something
affirmative should be there – a strong
taste for harinäma and for
hearing hari-kathä. It is not
enough just to clean your heart.
What will remain if you simply do that?
Nothing. There should be
something positive. There is no harm if
you have no taste for
chanting harinäma, but you
should have a taste for hearing harikathä.
If you do not, then hear again and
again, and give proper
respect to the pure devotees from whom
you are hearing.
satäà prasaìgän mama vérya-saàvido
bhavanti håt-karëa-rasäyanäù kathäù
taj-joñaëäd äçv apavarga-vartmani
çraddhä ratir bhaktir anukramiñyati
Çrémad-Bhägavatam (3.25.25)
6 9
GUËÒICÄ-MANDIRA-MÄRJANA
In the association of pure devotees,
discussion of the pastimes and
activities of the Supreme Personality
of Godhead is very pleasing
and satisfying to the ear and the
heart. By cultivating such knowledge
one gradually becomes advanced on the
path of liberation,
and thereafter he is freed, and his
attraction becomes fixed. Then
real devotion and devotional service
begin.
The speaker should be satäm, a
pure devotee. Do not maintain
your own false idea that an ordinary
person or devotee is a
mahä-bhägavata. Who has the qualification to realize
who is a
mahä-bhägavata? Çréla Vaàçé däsa Bäbäjé Mahäräja, a
disciple of
Çréla Gaura-kiçora däsa Bäbäjé
Mahäräja, was an exalted uttamamahä-
bhägavata, but he used to pretend he was smoking
marijuana.
He sometimes put dry fish bones here
and there around
his hut so people would think that he
ate fish. He considered,
“Those who are materially inclined
should remain far away from
me so I can be alone to chant Kåñëa’s
name and remember Him.”
Çréla Gaura-kiçora däsa Bäbäjé Mahäräja
was on friendly terms
with Çréla Vaàçé däsa Bäbäjé Mahäräja,
and Çréla Prabhupäda
Bhaktisiddhänta Sarasvaté Öhäkura
honored him so much. Our
Guru Mahäräja, Çréla Bhakti Prajïäna
Keçava Mahäräja, used to
take his darçana, and at that
time Bäbäjé Mahäräja gave him
many deep teachings. Guru Mahäräja told
us, “Sometimes he
spoke such high philosophy that I could
not understand him.” If
a devotee is ignorant and not even a kaniñöha
Vaiñëava, how can
he know who is actually a mahä-bhägavata?
He will choose an
unqualified person as a “mahä-bhägavata,”
and the next day he
will see how that person has fallen
down.
You should see what is your superior’s
idea regarding who is
a madhyama-adhikäré or who is an
uttama-adhikäré, and you
can also realize this if you follow
Kåñëa consciousness and
establish yourself on the platform of
the advanced stage of
madhyama-adhikära. It is an offense at the lotus feet of
the real
7 0
THE ORIGIN OF RATHA-YÄTRÄ
mahä-bhägavata if you do not give him proper respect,
and
instead give great respect to a
third-class, bogus person, calling
him “mahä-bhägavata.”
7 1
The Chariot Festival is performed every
year in Jagannätha
Puré, a very beautiful place near the
shore of the Indian Ocean. I
have explained that Çré Caitanya
Mahäprabhu Himself made the
Guëòicä Temple neat and clean on the
previous day, using His
own garments, and after that Jagannätha
went there. I have also
related two histories explaining how
Jagannätha, Subhadrä, and
Baladeva Prabhu manifested their forms.
Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu brought new
meaning and light to
the Ratha-yäträ Festival, but only a
very few, rare souls will
understand these topics, even if they
are explained completely.
Yet, one day you will have to
understand the truths within these
topics.
Come with me
You can all come with me to the shore
of the ocean at Néläcala,
to the Bay of Bengal at Puré, where
more than four million devotees
have assembled. These devotees are
pulling the chariots and
shouting, “Jagannätha-deva ké jaya,
Baladeva Prabhu ké jaya, Çré
MAHÄPRABHU AND
KING PRATÄPARUDRA
CHAPTER FOUR
7 2
THE ORIGIN OF RATHA-YÄTRÄ
Subhadrä-devé ké jaya,
Çacénandana Gaurahari ké jaya,” and
Caitanya Mahäprabhu is dancing here and
there.
Sometimes the chariot does not reach
the Guëòicä Temple
even after an entire day; it may take
two or three days.
Sometimes it will not even move an
inch, although crowds of
devotees try to pull it. The devotees
want to pull it, but it cannot
move unless Jagannätha desires. When He
wants it to move, it
does so very quickly and easily.
Mahäprabhu refuses the King
At the time of Mahäprabhu, Pratäparudra
Mahäräja was the
King of Orissa. Although he was the
supreme ruler of that kingdom
and a very powerful emperor, he served
Jagannätha by
sweeping. He used an ordinary broom
made from the sticks of a
coconut tree, with a golden handle, and
he himself swept during
the procession. Mahäprabhu became very
happy to see him
working and serving like an ordinary
sweeper, and He wanted to
meet him. There was a wall between
Mahäprabhu and King
Pratäparudra, however, and that wall
was the word “king.” This
is a very dangerous word, because
“king” generally refers to one
who has great opulence and wealth, and
who is full of material
desires.
Mahäprabhu wanted to be merciful to
King Pratäparudra, but
that wall was there, and it could only
be dissolved by love and
affection. There would be no other
process. Although the King
was a very high-class devotee, he was
still a king. He had a kingdom,
a very beautiful wife and children, and
he possessed great
wealth and power. A very dangerous,
poisonous snake is still a
snake, even if its poison has somehow
been taken out and its
fangs removed; if anyone comes close to
it, it will hiss and attack.
It was for this reason that, prior to
the festival, Caitanya
7 3
MAHÄPRABHU AND KING PRATÄPARUDRA
Mahäprabhu had refused to meet King
Pratäparudra, although he
was an advanced devotee.
At that time, when the King heard that
Mahäprabhu had
refused to meet him, he said, “Caitanya
Mahäprabhu has promised
to liberate the entire world and give
everyone kåñëa-prema.
I am the only exception. If He is
determined not to see me, then
I am determined to give up my life. If
I do not see Him, if He does
not give me His mercy, I will give up
my kingdom, my wife, children,
and everything else. I do not need my
wealth, reputation,
or position anymore. I will give them
all up.”
Särvabhauma Bhaööäcärya pacified the
King by saying, “Don’t
do anything in a hurry – wait. The
right time will come and you
will be able to serve Him. There is one
means by which you can
see Him directly. On the day of the
Chariot Festival, Çré Caitanya
Mahäprabhu will dance before the deity
in great ecstatic love.
After dancing before Jagannätha, He
will enter the Guëòicä
garden, absorbed in a deep mood. At
that time you can go there
alone, without your royal dress, and you
can approach Him as a
mendicant – a street beggar. You can
recite Gopé-géta and the
other chapters of Çrémad-Bhägavatam concerning
Lord Kåñëa’s
dancing with the gopés, and in
this way you will be able to catch
hold of the Lord’s lotus feet.”
Mahäprabhu’s dancing
Jagannätha-deva, Baladeva Prabhu, and
Subhadrä were riding
on very large, newly built chariots.
Baladeva’s chariot was in
front, followed by Subhadrä’s chariot,
and Kåñëa’s chariot came
last. As the chariot stood still, Çré
Caitanya Mahäprabhu gathered
all His devotees, and with His own hand
decorated them with
flower garlands and tilaka made
with sandalwood pulp. He then
divided all His close associates into
four kértana parties. Each
THE ORIGIN OF RATHA-YÄTRÄ
party had eight chanters, and He gave
two mådaìgas to each
party and ordered them to begin kértana.
Çré Nityänanda Prabhu
danced in one party, Advaita Äcärya
danced in the second,
Haridäsa Öhäkura in the third, and
Vakreçvara Paëòita danced
beautifully in the fourth. All of them
were very good dancers, and
they could all dance throughout the
entire day and night.
Svarüpa Dämodara, Çréväsa Paëòita,
Mukunda, and Govinda
Ghoña were the main singers in each of
the four respective
groups.
Mahäprabhu then created three more
parties. One was made
up of Bengali householder devotees from
the village of Kulénagräma,
the second party came from Çäntipura,
and the third party
was from Çrékhaëòa. Thus, four parties
chanted and danced in
front of Jagannätha-deva, one more
party on each side of Him,
and another party behind Him. In this
way there were seven parties,
and each party was followed by
thousands and thousands of
devotees.
After dividing the devotees into kértana
parties, Çré Caitanya
Mahäprabhu began to dance, sometimes in
all the parties at the
same time. Caitanya Mahäprabhu is one,
but He manifested seven
forms, and He thus began to dance and
sing in each kértana party
at the same time. Tears shot from His
eyes as if from a syringe,
and He danced very quickly, as Kåñëa
had danced in His lélä. At
that time King Pratäparudra saw Him in
the form of Kåñëa and
thought, “Oh, He is Kåñëa Himself!”
Although Mahäprabhu was in seven groups
at one and the
same time, the devotees in each group
were thinking,
“Mahäprabhu is only with us,” and they
sang and danced very
happily. This incident was like the
pastime that took place when
Kåñëa was taking His meal with His sakhäs
at Bhäëòéravaöa,
when there were many thousands of
circles of sakhäs. Some of
the cowherd boys were behind Kåñëa,
some were by His side,
7 4
7 5
MAHÄPRABHU AND KING PRATÄPARUDRA
and some were very far away; yet all of
them thought, “I’m in
front of Kåñëa. I’m taking prasäda with
Him, I’m putting my
prasäda in His mouth and He is putting His in
mine.” All of them
– whether they were behind Kåñëa, in
front of Him, beside Him,
or anywhere here and there – were
thinking that Kåñëa was
always with them. Similarly, at the
time of räsa-lélä, Kåñëa
appeared to be thousands and thousands
of Kåñëas, as many
Kåñëas as there were gopés, and
there was one Kåñëa with each
gopé. There was one Kåñëa in between each pair of gopés,
and one
gopé in between each pair of Kåñëas. Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu
now performed the same miracle.
Except for three people – Pratäparudra
Mahäräja, Käçé Miçra,
and Särvabhauma Bhaööäcärya – everyone
saw Caitanya
Mahäprabhu only in their own group. By
Mahäprabhu’s mercy,
the King saw that He was dancing in the
seven kértana parties at
the same time. His tears were falling
in showers, and sometimes
He fell down and rolled on the earth and
the devotees lifted Him
up. The King asked the others, “What am
I seeing? Am I wrong?
No, I see Him. He is here, and He is
there at the same time. He is
dancing in all seven parties.” Käçé
Miçra and Särvabhauma
Bhaööäcärya replied, “You are very
fortunate. You have received
Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu’s mercy. Only a
select few people are
seeing this scene as you are.”
Just to prevent the crowds from coming
too near the Lord, the
devotees formed three circles, keeping
Mahäprabhu in the
middle. Nityänanda Prabhu led the first
circle; devotees headed
by Käçéçvara and Govinda linked hands
and formed a second
circle; and a third circle was formed
around the two inner circles
by King Pratäparudra and his personal
assistants, as well as by
his police and soldiers. Pratäparudra’s
general, Haricandana, was
with the King, wearing many medals and
guarding him very carefully
as hundreds of thousands of people
watched Mahäprabhu
7 6
THE ORIGIN OF RATHA-YÄTRÄ
dance. So he could see Lord Caitanya
Mahäprabhu dancing,
King Pratäparudra lifted himself by
putting his hands on
Haricandana’s shoulders, and he felt
great ecstasy.
Çréväsa Paëòita, who is Närada Åñi in kåñëa-lélä,
also wanted to
watch Mahäprabhu’s beautiful dance. The
King was standing
behind Çréväsa Öhäkura, and he wanted
to see Mahäprabhu without
interference; but as Çréväsa Paëòita
was absorbed in watching
Mahäprabhu, he was moving from side to
side in such a way
that the King could not see properly.
The King’s general warned
Çréväsa Öhäkura, “Don’t do that. The
King wants to see. Stay here
on one side.” Çréväsa Paëòita was so
absorbed that he did not
take any notice of the warning at
first; but after Haricandana had
told him twice, Çréväsa Paëòita became
angry and slapped him.
The commander-in-chief was very tall, strong,
and stout, and
he wanted to retaliate by arresting
Çréväsa Paëòita. All the guards
also became angry and they wanted to
arrest him as well, but
King Pratäparudra immediately told
Haricandana, “Don’t do
anything. These are Caitanya
Mahäprabhu’s associates, and
Mahäprabhu is Kåñëa Himself. You are so
fortunate to be slapped
by this very elevated devotee. You are
very fortunate, so be
silent.” And the general did as he was
told.
Caitanya Mahäprabhu was reciting a çloka
while He danced,
but no one could understand or explain
its meaning – no one,
that is, except a boy named Rüpa.
Mahäprabhu’s mood entered
Çré Rüpa Gosvämé’s heart, and he thus
wrote a similar çloka,
which Mahäprabhu later took from the
roof of Haridäsa Öhäkura’s
bhajana-kuöéra, where Rüpa Gosvämé was also residing.
“How
did you know My mood?” Mahäprabhu asked
Rüpa Gosvämé.
Svarüpa Dämodara, Räya Rämänanda, and
all of Mahäprabhu’s
other associates then glorified Rüpa
Gosvämé, and they told
Mahäprabhu, “You have inspired him. How
could he have
known without Your inspiration? No one
can know this without
7 7
MAHÄPRABHU AND KING PRATÄPARUDRA
Your mercy.” Only someone on the level
of Svarüpa Dämodara
could know; no one else.
Mahäprabhu meets the King
King Pratäparudra was an exalted
devotee, and he wanted to
take darçana of Caitanya
Mahäprabhu’s lotus feet; but
Mahäprabhu told His associates, “I
cannot give him darçana. He
is a king, so he is like a black
serpent.”
Mahäprabhu has also said that a wooden
statue of a lady can
attract even a muni: däravé
prakåti hareta muner api mana.
Munis such as Viçvämitra and Närada are
renounced and realized,
but just to set an example for us and
to teach us how careful
we must be, they both performed
pastimes in which they
appeared to be under the spell of illusion.
We should be very
cautious in the association of the
opposite sex because men and
women are like Kämadeva (Cupid) for one
another; they cannot
control their senses or hearts when
they are together. I therefore
request my disciples and friends to be
very careful. You are independent,
but you should always remember these
principles.
Mahäprabhu was very strict, so He did
not give the King His
association, even though the King was a
very advanced devotee.
Moreover, when Nityänanda Prabhu,
Advaita Äcärya, Räya
Rämänanda, and Särvabhauma Bhaööäcärya
requested
Mahäprabhu to see the King, He told
them, “I will leave Puré and
go to Älälanätha or somewhere else. I
will not remain here; you
can stay here with him.”
Since Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu would not
agree to see the
King, Särvabhauma Bhaööäcärya, Räya
Rämänanda, and other
associates told the King, “When your
beautiful son went to
Mahäprabhu, the Lord embraced him and
said, ‘Come and meet
with Me daily.’ In this way, somehow or
other you have ‘half’
7 8
THE ORIGIN OF RATHA-YÄTRÄ
taken His darçana, and He has
shown His compassion to you.
Mahäprabhu is very satisfied and
pleased with you, and He has
given you so much mercy, especially
because you are a very
simple person and have engaged in the
service of the Lord as a
sweeper. So now, if you want to have
His darçana directly, dress
very simply and go secretly to meet Him
when He becomes tired
from dancing in seven parties. He will
be lamenting continually
in Çrématé Rädhikä’s mood, and at that
time you can approach
Him and sing the sweet Gopé-géta.”
jayati te ’dhikaà janmanä vrajaù
çrayata indirä çaçvad atra hi
dayita dåçyatäà dikñu tävakäs
tvayi dhåtäsavas tväà vicinvate
[The gopés said:] O beloved,
Your birth in the land of Vraja has
made it exceedingly glorious, and thus
Indirä, the goddess of fortune,
always resides here. We cannot live
without You, and only
maintain our lives for Your sake. We
have been searching everywhere
for You, so please show Yourself to us.
tava kathämåtaà tapta-jévanaà
kavibhir éòitaà kalmañäpaham
çravaëa-maìgalaà çrémad ätataà
bhuvi gåëanti te bhüri-dä janäù
The nectar of Your words and the
descriptions of Your activities
are the life and soul of those who are
suffering in this material
world. When these narrations are
transmitted by learned sages,
they eradicate one’s sinful reactions
and bestow good fortune
upon whoever hears them. They are
broadcast all over the world,
and they are filled with spiritual
power. Certainly those who
spread the message of Godhead are most
munificent.
Çrémad-Bhägavatam (10.31.1, 9)
7 9
MAHÄPRABHU AND KING PRATÄPARUDRA
These verses are some of the most
valuable diamonds in the
Çrémad-Bhägavatam. First comes pürva-räga1 in Veëu-géta,
then
this Gopé-géta, and then Yugala-géta,
Bhramara-géta, and
Praëaya-géta. These most precious jewels are called païcapräëa-
väyu, the five life airs, and our main objective is to enter
the deep truths of these gétas.
Your life will be successful if you
can realize these topics, especially
with the commentaries by Çré
Sanätana Gosvämé and Çré Jéva Gosvämé,
and above all with that
of Çréla Viçvanätha Cakravarté Öhäkura,
who has explained these
çlokas in an especially marvelous way. There
are more than one
thousand commentaries on Çrémad-Bhägavatam,
but it is the
commentaries of our Gosvämés that
express the moods of Çré
Caitanya Mahäprabhu.
As mentioned, Caitanya Mahäprabhu had
become pleased and
satisfied to see the King sweeping the
road. Consequently, by the
influence of His yogamäyä-çakti,
the King was able to see His
miracle of dancing in seven groups at
the same time. “What am I
seeing?” the King had said to
Särvabhauma Bhaööäcärya. “This is
very wonderful. There is one Caitanya
Mahäprabhu dancing in
each party.” Särvabhauma replied, “This
is His mercy. You swept
the road like a street beggar, and now
He is pleased with you.
Not everyone sees as you do. Others
think, ‘He is only in our
party.’ You have already received His
mercy, so what else
remains? Just dress as a very simple
devotee and wait until He
takes rest in the garden.”
Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu will also
sprinkle His mercy upon
you if you give up all your opulence
and the conception that you
are intelligent and qualified. This
will happen if you become like
1
Pürva-räga is described in Ujjvala-nélamaëi as
follows: “When attachment
produced in the lover and beloved
before their meeting by seeing, hearing, and
so on becomes very palatable by the
mixture of four ingredients, such as
vibhäva and anubhäva, it is called pürva-räga.”
8 0
THE ORIGIN OF RATHA-YÄTRÄ
King Pratäparudra, whose heart was as
hollow as a flute for
Caitanya Mahäprabhu to play on, and if
you serve your gurudeva
and Rädhä-Kåñëa in this way. By
Mahäprabhu’s mercy you can
know His opulence, and everything about
His love and affection
as well.
Caitanya Mahäprabhu and the Ratha-yäträ
chariot stopped
midway between the Jagannätha Temple
and Guëòicä. There
were hundreds of thousands of devotees
there, offering many
coconuts from wherever they stood, and
He accepted the
essence of their offerings with His
eyes. They also offered many
sweet and tasty preparations, including
jackfruits, mangoes, and
other fruits, some from as much as a
mile or two away, and He
ate those by His glance as well.
jagannäthera choöa-baòa yata
bhakta-gaëa
nija nija uttama-bhoga kare samarpaëa
Çré Caitanya-caritämåta (Madhya-lélä 13.197)
All kinds of devotees of Lord
Jagannätha – from neophytes to the
most advanced – offered their best
cooked food to the Lord.
äge päche, dui pärçve puñpodyäna-vane
yei yähä päya, lägäya – nähika niyame
Çré Caitanya-caritämåta (Madhya-lélä 13.200)
The devotees offered their food
everywhere – in front of the car
and behind it, on both sides and within
the flower garden. They
made their offering to the Lord
wherever possible, for there were
no hard and fast rules.
bhogera samaya lokera mahä bhiòa haila
nåtya chäòi’ mahäprabhu upavane gela
Çré Caitanya-caritämåta (Madhya-lélä 13.201)
8 1
MAHÄPRABHU AND KING PRATÄPARUDRA
A large crowd of people gathered while
the food was being
offered, and at that time Çré Caitanya
Mahäprabhu stopped His
dancing and went to a nearby garden.
Caitanya Mahäprabhu had been dancing
for some time, and
now He became somewhat tired.
yata bhakta kértanéyä äsiyä äräme
prati-våkña-tale sabe karena viçräme
Çré Caitanya-caritämåta (Madhya-lélä 13.204)
All the devotees who had been
performing saìkértana came there
and took rest under each and every
tree.
Mahäprabhu was thinking, “I am Rädhikä.
Kåñëa has left Me
and gone to Mathurä.” His eyes were
full of tears and He wept,
not knowing where He was, or what He
was doing. He did not
know anything – only, “Kåñëa, Kåñëa!”
He wanted to take some
rest along with Nityänanda Prabhu,
Advaita Äcärya, Svarüpa
Dämodara, Vakreçvara Paëòita, Puëòaréka
Vidyänidhi,
Paramänanda Puré, and other exalted
associates. Accordingly, He
went into the Jagannätha-vallabha
Garden at Äiöoöä in a mood of
great separation, with His heart
melting and tears flowing from
His eyes. He laid His head on the root
of a tree and cried, “Where
is My präëanätha? Where is My
Kåñëa?”
The King had been trying to meet
Mahäprabhu for many years,
but Caitanya Mahäprabhu had given the
instruction, “I don’t want
to meet with a king; he should not come
to Me.” King
Pratäparudra had invited Caitanya
Mahäprabhu to his palace, but
He had refused to come. He never met a
king or any other royal
person, or anyone who was very wealthy.
Beside that, He never
touched any woman, even if she was a
young girl.
Now Caitanya Mahäprabhu was lying down
and weeping,
lamenting as Çrématé Rädhikä had done
in separation from Kåñëa.
8 2
THE ORIGIN OF RATHA-YÄTRÄ
The King approached Räya Rämänanda,
Särvabhauma
Bhaööäcärya, Advaita Äcärya, and
Nityänanda Prabhu. He offered
praëäma to them all and said, “I am going to
Caitanya
Mahäprabhu. Please bless me.” He then
took off his royal dress
and ornaments, and put on very simple
clothes. Wearing only a
dhoté and looking like an ordinary person, he
approached
Mahäprabhu, took His lotus feet in his
hands, and began to massage
them very gently and expertly. As he
did so, he sang:
jayati te ’dhikaà janmanä vrajaù
çrayata indirä çaçvad atra hi
dayita dåçyatäà dikñu tävakäs
tvayi dhåtäsavas tväà vicinvate
Çrémad-Bhägavatam (10.31.1)
He sang çlokas like this in a
melody so full of feeling that
Caitanya Mahäprabhu wept more and more,
and His heart
melted still further. He had been
unconscious, but now He sat up
and cried, “Who is pouring such sweet
nectar in My ears? Go on,
go on. Keep on giving Me this nectar.”
The King continued:
tava kathämåtaà tapta-jévanaà
kavibhir éòitaà kalmañäpaham
çravaëa-maìgalaà çrémad ätataà
bhuvi gåëanti te bhüri-dä janäù
Çrémad-Bhägavatam (10.31.9)
Mahäprabhu could not control Himself.
He embraced the King
and asked, “Who are you? Who are you?”
King Pratäparudra told
Him, “I am the servant of the servant
of the servant of Your
servant.” Mahäprabhu was satisfied and
said, “I am a street
beggar, a niñkiïcana-sannyäsé. I
have no pockets at all, so I have
8 3
MAHÄPRABHU AND KING PRATÄPARUDRA
nothing to give you. I shall therefore
give you My embrace,
which is My only wealth.” Mahäprabhu
then embraced the King
heart to heart. Both their hearts
mixed, and Mahäprabhu transferred
some of His moods to the King’s heart,
empowering and
satisfying him.
All the verses of Gopé-géta have
beautiful and esoteric meanings.
They are all connected with each other,
and a rasika devotee
can explain the meaning of each çloka
for a month or more.
These verses reveal a very pathetic
scene. All the gopés are feeling
separation and begging, “O Kåñëa, come
and meet with us;
otherwise we will die.” Janmanä
vrajaù means, “You took birth
in Gokula-Våndävana, in Vraja, and that
is why Mahä-Lakñmé
sweeps and serves here, making
Våndävana beautiful. It is the
best place for Your sweet pastimes.”
There are many hundreds of meanings for
the verse beginning
with the words tava kathämåtaà
tapta-jévanam, but I will tell
you two meanings in brief. The first is
general, and the second is
somewhat deeper. The gopés tell
Kåñëa: “tava kathämåtam –
Your sweet pastimes are the life and
soul of those who face great
difficulties, sorrows, and sufferings
in the endless chain of birth
and death in this world. Your pastimes
are like nectar for them,
and if they hear those pastimes, You
Yourself enter their hearts in
the form of hari-kathä.”
çåëvatäà sva-kathäù kåñëaù
puëya-çravaëa-kértanaù
hådy antaù-stho hy abhadräëi
vidhunoti suhåt satäm
Çrémad-Bhägavatam (1.2.17)
Çré Kåñëa, the Personality of Godhead,
who is the Supersoul in
everyone’s heart and the benefactor of
the truthful devotee,
cleanses the desire for material
enjoyment from the heart of the
8 4
THE ORIGIN OF RATHA-YÄTRÄ
devotee who has developed the urge to
hear His messages, which
are in themselves virtuous when
properly heard and chanted.
Kåñëa Himself enters the ears and
hearts of those who hear
these pastimes very carefully. He comes
as a dear and intimate
friend, and clears away their lust,
anger, worldly desires, and
problems. He quickly sweeps all these
impediments from their
hearts, and when He has made those
hearts clear, He comes to
live there. One who is always unhappy
due to being tossed on
the ocean of problems will become happy
upon hearing harikathä.
Parékñit Mahäräja was due to die after
seven days from the bite
of a poisonous snake, and no one in
this world was competent
to save him. He therefore gave up
eating, drinking, and sleeping
altogether, and remained on the bank of
the Gaìgä for those
seven days, hearing from Çukadeva
Gosvämé.
nivåtta-tarñair upagéyamänäd
bhavauñadhäc chrotra-mano-’bhirämät
ka uttamaçloka-guëänuvädät
pumän virajyeta vinä paçu-ghnät
Çrémad-Bhägavatam (10.1.4)
Glorification of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead is conveyed
from spiritual master to disciple in
the paramparä system. Such
glorification is relished by those who
are no longer interested in
the false, temporary glorification of
this cosmic manifestation.
Descriptions of the Lord are the right
medicine for the conditioned
soul who is undergoing repeated birth
and death. Who, therefore,
will refrain from hearing such
glorification of the Lord, except for
a butcher, or one who is killing his
own self?
8 5
MAHÄPRABHU AND KING PRATÄPARUDRA
Çukadeva Gosvämé had no worldly desires
at all. The harikathä
spoken by a rasika-tattvajïa2
devotee like him is the
greatest medicine for you, for it will
cure you of all diseases and
problems. Snakebites and other
calamities will disappear very
quickly, along with lust, anger, and
all worldly desires. Do not
have any doubt about this.
Tava kathämåtaà tapta-jévanam. The hari-kathä of a
selfrealized
devotee who explains the sweet pastimes
of Kåñëa will
pacify you; you will become calm and
quiet, and you will have a
new life. Tapta-jévanam. When
those who are suffering hear
these glories, they will become happy
forever – in this life, and
in all their lives to come. After
liberation they will go to
Våndävana, and they will be happy
forever. Nityänanda Prabhu
assures us, “I guarantee this. If you
are not happy, then chant and
remember Kåñëa. If you do not feel
happy as a result of this, it
will be my responsibility.”
Kavibhir éòitam. Kavis (poets and writers) such
as Brahmä,
Çukadeva Gosvämé, Välméki, and
Kåñëa-dvaipäyana Vyäsadeva,
who is the highest type of kavi,
have all said kalmaña-apaham:
all kinds of sins and past fruitive karmas
will disappear very
soon. Çravaëa-maìgalam: all
kinds of auspiciousness will come
to you if you do nothing but hear hari-kathä.
Çrémad ätatam:
this will cause the glories of your çré
– your opulence, wealth,
beauty, and fortune – to spread all
over the world.
One who gives hari-kathä purely
will be famous throughout
the world. For example, Çréla
Bhaktivedänta Swämé Mahäräja was
not a very popular speaker before he
took sannyäsa and came
to the West. He was very learned, but
not many people came to
2
Rasika means one who is able to fully
appreciate and explain the transcendental
mellows of pure devotional service, and
tattvajïa means one who fully
understands the various truths
described in the scriptures, such as bhagavattattva,
çakti-tattva, jéva-tattva, and mäyä-tattva.
8 6
THE ORIGIN OF RATHA-YÄTRÄ
hear him, and his wife and children
rejected him. However, a
miracle occurred after he took the
renounced order and reached
America. Within a very short time he
established many centers all
over the world, and he made hundreds of
thousands of devotees.
So many people became his servants and
disciples that we
cannot count them; this was a miracle.
And I am also now experiencing
something similar to this, although I
am like a dry piece
of straw.
The greatest donors in this world are
those who explain sweet
hari-kathä under the guidance of Çréla Çukadeva
Gosvämé, Çréla
Rüpa Gosvämé, Çréla Bhaktivinoda
Öhäkura, Çréla Prabhupäda
Bhaktisiddhänta Sarasvaté Öhäkura, my gurudeva,
and Çréla
Swämé Mahäräja. Bhuvi gåëanti te
bhüri-dä janäù – they glorify
Kåñëa and thereby benefit the whole
world. There are so many
benefactors who can donate thousands
and thousands of dollars
or pounds. A king may give his entire
kingdom and a wealthy
man may give the opulence and wealth of
even the entire world,
but still they would not be bhüri-däù.
The greatest benefactors
are those who describe Kåñëa’s sweet
pastimes to others.
This is a general understanding of the tava
kathämåtam verse,
which clearly glorifies Kåñëa. Perhaps
this is Candrävalé’s mood
when she is speaking and praying.
Çrématé Rädhikä, on the
contrary, is in an angry mood, and She
says: “tava kathämåtam
– Your kathä is not amåtam (nectar);
it is poison. What type of
poison? Deadly (måtam) poison.
One should certainly avoid
drinking this poison; in fact, one
should keep very far away from
it. If a person merely smells it he
will die, and no one will be able
to save him. Those who hear Your
pastimes must die like
flapping fish. First they will flap,
and then they will die.”
Tapta-jévanam. Gopés like Rädhikä say, “We
are the proof of
this. We were perfectly happy in our
family life, but then Kåñëa
came and created so many problems, and
now we are helpless.
8 7
MAHÄPRABHU AND KING PRATÄPARUDRA
He made us street beggars; we have no
place to stay and now we
are on the verge of death. Anyone who
wants to be happy with
his family should never hear Kåñëa’s
pastimes.
“Kavibhir éòitam. Poets will
glorify even a paper horse. They
will say, ‘It is very strong, and it
runs faster than the wind and the
mind,’ but there is no substance in
their words. Similarly, such
kavis have said, ‘Hearing hari-kathä will
make you very happy,’
but this idea is not true; it is bogus.
Kåñëa cheated us and His
hari-kathä also cheated us. But now we are
intelligent; we don’t
believe in hearing these pastimes
anymore, and we warn everyone
else to never hear them. If a lady
hears these pastimes, she
will forget her husband and children.
She will become like a bird
without a nest, and she will weep all
the time.
“Those who want to be happy with their
families, wives, children,
and husbands should not hear the
glories of that black
Kåñëa. If anyone hears them, he will
cut off the relationship with
his family. Fathers and sons, and
husbands and wives will be
separated from each other. Everyone who
hears this hari-kathä
will forget their husbands, wives,
children, and everyone else.
They will become mad, always calling,
‘Kåñëa! Kåñëa! Kåñëa!’ We
also became mad, and now we roam here
and there, always
weeping and weeping. So Kåñëa’s glories
are like poison.
“Anyone who doesn’t want to be like
this must not hear
Kåñëa’s pastimes, especially from the
mouths of cheaters. They
will come with a book under their arms
and say, ‘Come here!
Come here! I will relate Kåñëa’s sweet
and beautiful pastimes to
you, and I won’t charge you anything at
all. Don’t worry about
giving a donation. There is no cost.
Simply hear.’ Such kavis will
sing with a beautiful tune like a çuka,
male parrot. They will
charm a person, and then kill him at
once with a very sharp
knife. They are bhüri-dä janäù,
greatly cutting: they will take
away all one’s worldly happiness,
create trouble for him, and
8 8
THE ORIGIN OF RATHA-YÄTRÄ
make him like a beggar. So no one
should hear from them.
“Those who give hari-kathä are
very cruel, even if they do it as
charity, giving classes on Bhägavatam
without taking any money
in return. Instead of listening to
them, he should simply give them
a donation and say, ‘Go away from here.
We don’t want to hear
from you, because we will forget our
wives, our husbands, and all
our relatives. We will lose our wealth
and everything else. We will
become beggars and weep forever.’
Nowadays we are very careful
to avoid hearing the glories of Kåñëa.
“But what can we do?” Rädhikä and Her
associates continue,
“We cannot give up chanting about Kåñëa
and remembering Him,
and we cannot give up hearing His
glories. So what can we do?
Those who distribute these glories are
like hunters.”
There are two ways of saying something:
a negative way and
a positive way. The negative way has
the same meaning as the
positive; it only appears to be
negative. For example, the gopés
once complained to Kåñëa, “We cannot
maintain our lives
without You.” Kåñëa replied, “Then why
are you still alive? I am
separated from you, but I see that you
have not died yet.” The
gopés replied, “Do You know why we are still
alive? You and Your
friend Brahmä, the Creator, are very
cruel. You both want to give
suffering to others; you become very
happy when you see others
suffering. How will You be able to make
others suffer if we die?
Because of You, we are the best
candidates for suffering, and
You will never find anyone like us. We
tolerate so much. To
whom will You give this much suffering
if we die? How will You
be happy? Your cruel creator-friend is
also like You, and he also
wants to see us suffer. That is why he
put our lives in You, and
that is why we don’t die. Our souls are
not here within us. They
are in You, and it was Brahmä who
created us like this. If our
souls were with us, we would already
have died long ago.
8 9
MAHÄPRABHU AND KING PRATÄPARUDRA
mågayur iva kapéndraà vivyadhe
lubdha-dharmä
striyam akåta-virüpäà stré-jitaù
käma-yänäm
balim api balim attväveñöayad
dhväìkña-vad yas
tad alam asita-sakhyair dustyajas
tat-kathärthaù
Çrémad-Bhägavatam (10.47.17)
[The gopés said:] Like a hunter,
He cruelly shot the king of the monkeys
with arrows. He was conquered by a
woman, so He disfigured
another woman who came to Him with
lusty desires. And
even after consuming the gifts of Bali
Mahäräja, He bound him up
with ropes as if he were a crow. So let
us give up all friendship
with this dark-complexioned boy, even
if we can’t give up talking
about Him.
The gopés lament and weep, “Why
do we remember You, hear
so much about You, and chant Your name?
We don’t want to
have any love and affection for You,
but what can we do about
it? We cannot do anything. We want to
forget You, but Your pastimes
always come into our memory.”
The gopés are anupamä,
incomparable; no one in this world
can compare with them. If you hear
their pastimes and try to
remember them, they will give you so
much energy and strength
that all your unwanted bad habits (anarthas)
will disappear very
soon. It is better to forget your jobs
and everything else. There
will be no harm in that, and Yogamäyä
will arrange everything
for your maintenance. Kåñëa has given
an order to Yogamäyä,
and I myself will also manage
everything for you. Don’t worry
that you will have to go to work and
perform many other duties.
I have no job, so who is managing all
my affairs? I have thousands
and thousands of servants who always
help me. They
worry about me and think, “I should
give something to
Mahäräja.” Who is behind this? It is
Kåñëa Himself. Have strong
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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