The Origin of Ratha-yatra -5

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The Origin
of
Ratha-yatra

REUNION AT KURUKÑETRA
will go forever and He will never return to Dvärakä!”
She wanted to tell Yaçodä, “O Yaçodä, Kåñëa is not your son.
He is my son, but now He is forgetting me and accepting you as
His real mother.” She also wanted to tell Kåñëa, “You are not the
son of Yaçodä. You are my son.” She could not say all this in the
assembly of so many persons, however, and therefore she spoke
her mind in a roundabout way.
Being very intelligent, she said, “O dear friend Yaçodä, you are
wonderful and merciful. When we were in the prison of Kaàsa,
we could not support Kåñëa. Then, in a hidden way, we sent our
son to Gokula – to you. Although He is my son, you have kept
and supported Him. You have nourished Him better than anyone
could nourish her own son. Although you knew that Kåñëa is my
son, you nourished Him as though He was yours. As the eyelids
protect the most important part of the eyes – the pupils – you
protected Kåñëa. You never thought, ‘He is the son of Devaké.’
You saw Him only as your son. I see, therefore, that there is no
one as merciful as you in the entire world. You are very humble
and broadminded, and you have served Him up to now. Because
of this, He never remembers me. He always thinks that you are
His mother.”
Rohiëé saw that Devaké was trying to do something wrong –
she was trying to come between Yaçodä and Kåñëa. Rohiëé
wanted her not to disturb them. To trick her, therefore, she
quickly said, “Oh, Mother Kunté and so many more persons are
waiting for you. We should go there.” She cleverly sent her away
to welcome all the guests, and she also sent Vasudeva Mahäräja.
After some time Yaçodä-maiyä became relieved, but she could
not say anything. She was not in a state to say anything, and
Kåñëa was also in that condition. There was now only an
exchange of moods – from heart to heart. Yaçodä then thought,
“Outside, nearby, all the gopés like Lalitä, Viçäkhä, and Çrématé
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THE ORIGIN OF RATHA-YÄTRÄ
Rädhikä are waiting. They cannot meet Kåñëa if I am here – and
Nanda Bäbä and Baladeva are also here.”
Up until now the gopés were checking their moods of separation
and their lives remained in their bodies. Once they reached
Kåñëa, however, they could no longer tolerate a moment’s separation.
They were about to die. Being very kind and generous,
Mother Yaçodä thought, “They will die if I do not give a chance
to them at once. I must take everyone away from here, by trick,
and then the gopés will come. If I delay, they will all die. They
cannot tolerate the separation any longer.”
I remember an example from my boyhood, when I was fifteen.
My father was a farmer. I went with him to a place far from my
house, and there I picked a bundle of very delicious, beautiful
green chickpeas. At first I thought the bundle was very light,
when I reached the midway point it became heavy, and as my
village became nearer I could not bear the weight. When I came
into the village I should have instantly fallen down, but somehow
I persevered. When I reached the door of my house, however, I
could not take the load inside. I dropped it outside.
This was also the case with the gopés. When they were in Vraja
they were somehow tolerating separation, and as they traveled to
Kåñëa their separation-feeling increased. Then, when they saw
Kåñëa but had no chance to meet Him because Yaçodä, Nanda
Bäbä, and others were with Him, they could not endure the separation
at all. Yaçodä realized this fact, and she at once took the
hand of Baladeva Prabhu. She put his fingers in her hand and,
looking towards Nanda Bäbä, she told him, “Let us meet with the
others.” Being very intelligent, Baladeva Prabhu also considered,
“If I am here, the gopés will not come,” and he hurriedly left with
his parents.
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REUNION AT KURUKÑETRA
Yaçodä thus went to Devaké and embraced her, and some dialogue
ensued. Nanda Bäbä met with Vasudeva and others, and
they also engaged in conversation.

1 2 3
That time has passed
As Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu dances at the Ratha-yäträ Festival,
He remembers a poem from a mundane Sanskrit literature called
Sähitya-darpaëa. He raises His arms and recites that poem in a
loud voice:
yaù kaumära-haraù sa eva hi varas tä eva caitra-kñapäs
te conmélita-mälaté-surabhayaù prauòhäù kadambäniläù
sä caiväsmi tathäpi tatra surata-vyäpära-lélä-vidhau
revä-rodhasi vetasé-taru-tale cetaù samutkaëöhate
Çré Caitanya-caritämåta (Madhya-lélä 13.121)
That very personality who stole away my heart during my youth is
now again my master. These are the same moonlit nights of the
month of Caitra. The same fragrance of mälaté flowers is there,
and the same sweet breezes are blowing from the kadamba forest.
In our intimate relationship, I am also the same lover, yet still my
mind is not happy here. I am eager to go back to that place on the
bank of the Revä under the Vetasé tree. That is my desire.
KÅÑËA MEETS THE GOPÉS AT
KURUKÑETRA
C H A P T E R S I X
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THE ORIGIN OF RATHA-YÄTRÄ
Mahäprabhu sings, “In our teenage years, when we were
twelve or fourteen, we used to meet on the bank of the Revä
river, where there were so many fragrant kadamba trees and
vetasé canes.” Cane cannot be uprooted, even if there is a strong
wind. It will bend according to the direction in which the wind
blows, and even a flood cannot uproot it. It will simply bend this
way and that. Devotees should be like this vetasé cane in their
practice of bhakti.
Mahäprabhu continues, “Although there are thorns in the
groves of vetasé cane, we never cared for them when we were
meeting. We never cared about any problems. We engaged in
very sweet talks on the river bank, opening our hearts to one
another in love and affection, and there was no one to create any
walls or problems. But some time has passed, and now we are
married. You are my husband and I am your wife, but I am not
happy. I was happy then, but I am not happy now. We are meeting
here, and there is no obstruction. We can live in our home
together without any shame, because we have permission. We
can meet now, because we have a ‘passport’ to meet. No one will
criticize us now, but we don’t have the love and affection that we
had at our first meeting. How glorious, how beautiful, how sweet
and pleasing was that love! I want you to come to those very
groves on the banks of the Revä river, and I want our love and
affection to be renewed. I want it to be the same as it was
before.”
Mahäprabhu remembers this scene, and He is dancing and
weeping, and reciting this verse at the same time: “yaù kaumäraharaù
– He who stole our youth and teenage years, and played
with us, has now become our husband. Our kaumära age has
been stolen away by marriage.”
A girlfriend and boyfriend meet together without being married.
They meet very secretly here and there, and enjoy themselves.
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KÅÑËA MEETS THE GOPÉS AT KURUKÑETRA
Then, if after some time they get married, there is no longer any
restriction at all, and they can meet freely. Mahäprabhu’s mood
is like this, though not exactly the same. In other words, in the
mood of the gopés, and especially in Rädhäräëé’s mood, He is
actually saying, “All Your relatives are here at Kurukñetra. I
cannot meet You in the forest, where we used to meet. There
were many good kadamba trees with beautiful flowers, all with
an abundance of fragrance. There was no one there to disturb us.
There were only the two of us sitting on the bank of the river,
talking throughout the day without ever stopping. We talked
continually while we were meeting each other and pleasing each
other. I remember this. I do not want a royal palace or vast
wealth. I want to be in that place where we used to meet together
and sit and talk.”
Giving this example, Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu is thinking, “We
were meeting there in Våndävana, at Rädhä-kuëòa, in
Nandagaon, Saìkeöa, Öera-kadamba, Kadamba-kyäré, and elsewhere.”
The air was so fragrant in the beautiful groves of
kadamba, and Rädhä and Kåñëa used to meet each other and
perform so many pleasant pastimes there. Sometimes They
played on swings and sometimes They gambled. When Çrématé
Rädhikä used to defeat Kåñëa, everyone on the gopés’ side
clapped, and Kåñëa became very happy even though He was
defeated. Sometimes the gopés stole Kåñëa’s flute, and He would
look for it here and there. He would say, “Oh, I will die if you
keep My flute. Why are you keeping it? I will have to search
everywhere to see where you have kept it.”
The gopés remember these pastimes and they tell Kåñëa at
Kurukñetra, “If You come to Våndävana, we will meet freely there
once again. We cannot meet You here, because there are thousands
and thousands of horses, elephants, and soldiers.
Grandfather Bhéñma, Droëäcärya, and many kings are here;
THE ORIGIN OF RATHA-YÄTRÄ
Vasudeva and Devaké are here; and especially, all Your queens
are here.”
Kåñëa asks the gopés, “What shall I do?” They reply, “We want
You to come with us to Våndävana. We are feeling some happiness
in our meeting here, but not full happiness. We cannot talk
with You here in front of the others, and there is so much opulence
here. We remember Våndävana, when we were kiçora and
kiçoré. You were kiçora at that time, entering Your teenage years,
and You were more beautiful than in Your childhood. There was
no restriction at all at that time. We met freely in the shade of the
kadamba trees, where the fragrance of the belé, cämelé, and jühé
flowers mixed together. We talked with each other happily, and
there was no need of a mediator.”
This is the hidden meaning of the poem of the mundane poet,
which Çré Rüpa Gosvämé transformed into his own poem. Rüpa
Gosvämé heard this çloka from Mahäprabhu, and he at once
wrote another çloka that explained it: “I am that same Rädhä, and
You are that same Kåñëa. We used to be lover and beloved. There
was no mediator then, and we met freely. So many cuckoos were
singing, and peacocks were dancing there. Now we are meeting
here, but there is not as much pleasure as when we met freely in
Våndävana. We want You to come with us to Våndävana, to play
with all the gopas and gopés. You should make Your friends
happy, and we will also become happy by dancing and singing
with You there – freely.”
Rädhikä is like that lover and Kåñëa is like Her beloved. They
were meeting in Våndävana outside of marriage – dancing in räsalélä,
and meeting each other and pleasing each other. Sometimes
Kåñëa massaged Rädhikä’s feet and sometimes He applied red lac
to Her feet. Sometimes Rädhikä placed Her foot on Kåñëa’s head,
and Her footprint became like a stamp on it because the red lac
was fresh and moist. That stamp stated: “Now You are Mine.”
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KÅÑËA MEETS THE GOPÉS AT KURUKÑETRA
Now Kåñëa becomes ready. A chariot is there, and that chariot
is the gopés’ hearts. They have made their hearts like a chariot,
and now they tell Kåñëa to sit there. They say, “You should sit on
this chariot of our hearts and come to Våndävana. We will never
give You up. You will always remain there.” All the gopés become
very happy as they take Kåñëa to Våndävana on the chariots of
their hearts, and Caitanya Mahäprabhu is bringing this same
mood to Puré.
To bring Kåñëa to His chariot
During the Ratha-yäträ Festival, bringing Kåñëa (in the form of
Jagannätha) to His chariot is a very difficult and dangerous task.
Many strong, tall, and beautiful dayitäs wrap their chaddars
around themselves as wrestlers would, and then, imitating the
mood of the gopés, they tie Jagannätha-deva with ropes. They
“abuse” Him in so many ways, addressing Him, “Sälä, Sälä!” Sälä
means “brother-in-law,” but in India the word is also used to
abuse others. The dayitäs are telling Kåñëa, “We don’t know
where You took birth, or who Your mother and father are.
Perhaps You are fatherless and motherless.” This is like an abuse.
It is not certain who Kåñëa’s father is – Vasudeva or Nanda
Mahäräja. Neither is it certain who is actually His mother; in fact,
no one is actually His mother. The gopés hurl so much abuse at
Kåñëa as they pull Him on the chariot of their hearts, and during
the festival attended by Mahäprabhu, Jagannätha-deva is pulled
by hundreds and hundreds of big wrestlers who jostle Him back
and forth to make Him move forward. He is well decorated with
jewels and many garlands, and He wears very large peacock
feathers on His head.
Then, there is a very big problem when Jagannätha-deva
approaches His chariot to get up on it. Sometimes He slips from
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THE ORIGIN OF RATHA-YÄTRÄ
above. Sometimes He does not reach His throne on the chariot,
even after two, three, four, or five hours, and sometimes even for
the whole day. There are always many parties continually performing
kértana and chanting, “Jaya Jagannätha! Jaya Jagannätha!
Jaya Jagannätha, Subhadrä, and Baladeva!”, “Hare Kåñëa, Hare
Kåñëa, Kåñëa Kåñëa, Hare Hare,” and “sei ta paräëa-nätha päinu.”
In this way there were many kértanas, and millions of people
were pulling the chariots.
sei ta paräëa-nätha päinu
yähä lägi’ madana-dahane jhuri’ genu’
Çré Caitanya-caritämåta (Madhya-lélä 13.113)
Now I have gained the Lord of My life, in whose absence I was
being burned by Cupid and was withering away.
Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu becomes completely immersed in
this mood, and Jagannätha is totally absorbed in Mahäprabhu’s
dancing and singing. His chariot makes the sound, “haòa haòa,
haòa haòa.”
gaura yadi päche cale, çyäma haya sthire
gaura äge cale, çyäma cale dhére-dhére
Çré Caitanya-caritämåta (Madhya-lélä 13.118)
When Caitanya Mahäprabhu was dramatically enacting the song,
He would sometimes fall behind in the procession. At such times,
Lord Jagannätha would come to a standstill. When Caitanya
Mahäprabhu went forward again, Lord Jagannätha’s car would
slowly start again.
These are very pleasing pastimes. Who made it so? Çré Caitanya
Mahäprabhu Himself. The Ratha-yäträ Festival was not like this at
first. Before Caitanya Mahäprabhu’s time, there was only one
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KÅÑËA MEETS THE GOPÉS AT KURUKÑETRA
ratha. It carried Jagannätha, Subhadrä, and Baladeva and was
pulled by their servants and elephants, but there was no kértana
and no special moods. Mahäprabhu introduced these moods by
His dancing and singing when He joined along with His associates
such as Vakreçvara Paëòita and others in His kértana party.
Hundreds of thousands of devotees also began to join from
Bengal, Orissa, and other places, and all in all there were not less
than four million devotees.
Sometimes Caitanya Mahäprabhu wanted to test Jagannätha.1
He thought, “Will Kåñëa go forward or not, if I do not come?” He
therefore went behind Jagannätha’s chariot, and then the chariot
stopped. Thousands of elephants pulled, and millions of people
were chanting, “Jaya Jagannätha-deva! Jaya Jagannätha-deva!”
but Jagannätha became “deaf” at that time, and did not hear
them. Instead, He stood in one place for hours and hours, until
Mahäprabhu came forward and began to sing. Then Mahäprabhu
said, “Everyone else can stop trying. I will do it alone.” He put
His head against the chariot and pushed it, and it began moving
in a good way. The chariot stopped when Mahäprabhu was
behind it, and moved when He proceeded in front, dancing and
singing. In this way Jagannätha watched the dancing and singing
of Caitanya Mahäprabhu, and it took two or three days to reach
the Guëòicä Mandira.
Mahäprabhu sang:
sei ta paräëa-nätha päinu
yähä lägi’ madana-dahane jhuri’ genu’
1
Mahäprabhu “tested” Jagannätha by going behind the chariot to see if
Jagannätha would continue onward without Him. Here Mahäprabhu is in the
mood of Çrématé Rädhikä, so She is testing Kåñëa to see if He is willing to go and
be in Våndävana with the other gopés if She is not there. Jagannätha’s stopping
the chariot until Mahäprabhu pushed it very easily with His own head shows the
superiority of Rädhikä over the other gopés.
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THE ORIGIN OF RATHA-YÄTRÄ
We should feel some separation for Kåñëa. We begin by feeling
separation from gurudeva and devotees, and gradually develop
that feeling for Rädhä and Kåñëa. This is our objective, and it has
been explained very beautifully and sweetly in Çré Caitanyacaritämåta.
The gopés are weeping and half-dead when they first reach
Kåñëa. Then, when they meet Him, their whole mood pours from
their hearts and they begin to weep even more bitterly. In their
entire lives, they have never wept as they do on this day. They
have become almost senseless and are about to die, but now
they finally have the chance to come and meet Kåñëa.
gopyaç ca kåñëam upalabhya ciräd abhéñöaà
yat-prekñaëe dåçiñu pakñma-kåtaà çapanti
dågbhir hådékåtam alaà parirabhya sarväs
tad-bhävam äpur api nitya-yujäà duräpam
Çrémad-Bhägavatam (10.82.39)
[Çukadeva Gosvämé said:] While the young gopés used to gaze at
their beloved Kåñëa, they condemned the creator of their eyelids
(which would momentarily block their vision of Him). Now,
seeing Kåñëa again after such a long separation, by their eyes they
took Him into their hearts, and there they embraced Him to their
full satisfaction. In this way they became totally absorbed in
ecstatic meditation on Him, although those who constantly practice
mystic yoga find it difficult to achieve such absorption.
Now, when Kåñëa sees the gopés, He also begins to weep more
loudly than before.
Çré Vyäsadeva and Çré Çukadeva Gosvämé explain the way in
which they meet. A person becomes like this if he dies and then
by good fortune is restored back to life. The gopés are all as if
dead, but they come to life again when they see Kåñëa. Here
Çukadeva Gosvämé says: “kåñëam upalabhya ciräd abhéñöam
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KÅÑËA MEETS THE GOPÉS AT KURUKÑETRA
– they are meeting Kåñëa after a long time.” Through their eyes
they take Him into their hearts, and there they embrace Him very
tightly. It is there that they become as one, and this is especially
true for Çrématé Rädhikä.
Lakñmé, who resides on Näräyaëa’s chest as a curl of goldenwhite
hair, always remembers Kåñëa in her heart, and the åñis and
munis who have purified their hearts do so as well. Still, Kåñëa’s
lotus feet never actually manifest in their hearts. They try and try,
but no such event ever occurs. On the other hand, these gopés,
who are weeping and feeling profound separation, take Kåñëa
into their hearts and embrace Him there.
They cannot speak. They want to speak, but they cannot; so
Kåñëa Himself says, “O gopés, My friends! You are the life of My
life. I know that you were feeling terrible separation, thinking
that I was very cruel-hearted. You gave up everything for Me –
your husbands, homes, wealth, reputation, and everything else.
You even gave up your Vedic religious principles of chastity for
My sake, but I left you. Please forgive Me for this. You must be
thinking that I am a very ungrateful creature, but I am not
ungrateful to you. I always remember you.”
After some time, when their weeping subsides, Kåñëa tells
them:
ahaà hi sarva-bhütänäm
ädir anto ’ntaraà bahiù
bhautikänäà yathä khaà vär
bhür väyur jyotir aìganäù
Çrémad-Bhägavatam (10.82.45)
Dear ladies, I am the beginning and end of all created beings. I
exist both within them and outside them, just as the elements
ether, water, earth, air, and fire are the beginning and end of all
material objects.
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THE ORIGIN OF RATHA-YÄTRÄ
“My dear gopés, I want to tell you a secret. Have you heard that
I am the Supreme Personality of Godhead? Really I am. You
should know that I am Viñëu. I am everywhere, in everyone’s
heart, and I am even in the hearts of animals, grass, and particles
of water and air. I am in your hearts as well. I am everywhere,
and therefore you are never separate from Me.
“An earthen vessel cannot be separated from the earth from
which it is made. You are My parts, so you are like My body. You
are made of Me, and I am everywhere. I am inside and outside,
and up and down. I am in you, so why do you feel separated?
You should go into trance. Meditate on Me, and then you will
realize that I am everywhere. You should think that your body,
your mind – your everything – is made of My love and affection.
Think about Me and remember Me, and do not be upset. I am
always with you.”
When the gopés hear this, their feelings of separation increase
more and more, and their mood changes to one of anger. They
tell Kåñëa, not by words, but by mood, “O big cheater, You are
black inside and outside. You always want to cheat us. We know
that You are not Bhagavän; You are not the Supreme Personality
of Godhead. We know You from the beginning. We know that
You came from Mother Yaçodä’s womb. You were always weeping
for her milk, and always wandering here and there, telling
lies. You put earth in Your mouth, and then You told Your
mother, ‘I have not eaten earth!’ You were always stealing butter
and milk in the houses of the elderly gopés and telling them, ‘I
have never stolen anything.’ Bhagavän cannot be like this.
Bhagavän cannot steal the garments of young girls and make
them naked. Can He do that? Why would He do that? The
Supreme Personality of Godhead would do that?
“We know that You are very passionate. You used to call us by
the melody of Your flute: ‘Rädhä! Rädhä! Lalitä! Viçäkhä!’ You
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KÅÑËA MEETS THE GOPÉS AT KURUKÑETRA
called all the gopés by playing ‘kléà’ on Your flute, and then we
came and danced with You. Why would the Supreme Personality
of Godhead come and dance with us? We also know that You
kept Your sweet vaàçé and Your head at Rädhikä’s lotus feet, and
You begged for Her forgiveness. Would the Supreme Personality
of Godhead behave like this? Never. You are cheating. We know
that You are not Bhagavän.”
ähuç ca te nalina-näbha-padäravindaà
yogeçvarair hådi vicintyam agädha-bodhaiù
saàsära-küpa-patitottaraëävalambaà
gehaà juñäm api manasy udiyät sadä naù
Çrémad-Bhägavatam (10.82.48)
[The gopés spoke thus:] Dear Lord, whose navel is just like a lotus
flower, Your lotus feet are the only shelter for those who have
fallen into the deep well of material existence. Your feet are worshiped
and meditated upon by great mystic yogés and highly
learned philosophers. We wish that these lotus feet may also be
awakened within our hearts, although we are only ordinary persons
engaged in household affairs.
The gopés speak the words of this çloka externally, but their
real mood is hidden. Internally they are saying, “You Yourself are
drowning in the well of separation from our love and affection.
We know this, and only we can save You. You cannot save us.
We are powerful, and we can give You life by our love and affection.
When You tell us, ‘You should meditate,’ it is like a joke; this
is a laughing matter for us. You tell us, ‘You should meditate on
Me’ but don’t You remember that we were playing with You from
the beginning of our lives? Brahmä, Çaìkara, Çukadeva Gosvämé,
and others can meditate on Your lotus feet – and nothing but
Your lotus feet – in their hearts, but it may be that these feet will
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THE ORIGIN OF RATHA-YÄTRÄ
still not come into their hearts. On the other hand, we have kept
those same feet directly on our breasts. Why? To please You and
to give You satisfaction, because You become happy when we
keep Your feet there.
“Brahmä was born from the lotus-navel of Padmanäbha Viñëu,
so he is like that lotus flower. His intelligence is quite dull,
because he has come from the stem of an inert lotus. How can
demigods like Brahmä know anything? They can pray to You and
believe that You are the Supreme Lord. They can believe that You
can create this entire universe in a second and then destroy it.
They can glorify You like this, but we have known You from the
beginning of Your birth, and we know You at this very moment.
These demigods and yogés may pray to You for salvation, or they
can pray to You that Your lotus feet may appear in their hearts.
They should do so, because they are as foolish as anything.
“We are not like them, for we are very clever and intelligent.
We know who You really are: You are only a black cheater. You
can cheat anyone, and You can even easily take our hearts.
Brahmä says – and others say so, too – that if anyone in this
world is drowning in the well of birth and death, and suffering
greatly from old age and all kinds of troubles and problems, he
can chant Your name and escape from that well. But we are not
in any well like that.
“We are not like Brahmä, that we will meditate on You. We are
hankering for Your satisfaction, not for our own. We know that
You will die without us, and that is why we have mercifully come
to You. Don’t think that we have come to enjoy our own happiness;
we want You to be happy. We have come here because we
want You to remain alive. We are not weeping for ourselves. We
are weeping for You, because You are helpless. No one can satisfy
You except us, and especially our sakhé Rädhikä. She is Your
life and soul.
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KÅÑËA MEETS THE GOPÉS AT KURUKÑETRA
“If You want to be happy forever, then please come onto the
chariot of our hearts. We will take You where our minds and
hearts reside, and we will satisfy You there – not here. We don’t
want to meet You here, because we cannot satisfy You here.
Here You have thousands of wives, so many children, so many
generals, a great army, and so many friends, åñis, and maharñis.
But we remember Våndävana.”
The gopés remember Våndävana
Kåñëa tells the gopés, “You should remember Me and see Me in
trance. I am always there with you. I cannot give you up.” Now
He personally tells them what He explained in Bhagavad-gétä,
what He had requested Uddhava to tell them, and what He had
asked Baladeva Prabhu to tell them: “You should always remember
Me as Paramätmä, as the yogés do.”
Somewhat angry, the gopés continue their reply with this çloka:
anyera hådaya mana, mora mana våndävana,
‘mane’ ‘vane’ eka kari’ jäni
tähäì tomära pada-dvaya, karäha yadi udaya,
tabe tomära pürëa kåpä mäni
Çré Caitanya-caritämåta (Madhya-lélä 13.137)
[Speaking in the mood of Çrématé Rädhäräëé, Caitanya Mahäprabhu
said:] For most people, the mind and heart are one, but I consider
My mind and Våndävana to be one, because My mind is never separated
from Våndävana. My mind is already Våndävana, and since
You like Våndävana, will You please place Your lotus feet there? I
would deem that Your full mercy.
Mahäprabhu is remembering Kurukñetra and thinking, “I am
Rädhikä, and all my friends, the gopés, are in Kurukñetra with
1 3 6
THE ORIGIN OF RATHA-YÄTRÄ
Nanda Bäbä and Yaçodä.” From there, the gopés carry Kåñëa on
their mano-ratha, the chariot of their hearts. They always carry
Him in that way.
In Rädhikä’s mood, Mahäprabhu tells Jagannätha-deva, “Our
hearts and minds are the same, and especially, our hearts are
Våndävana. Others’ hearts are not.” We try to make our hearts
and minds one, and we try to make them both like Våndävana.
We want to be in Våndävana, but our hearts are not there because
our minds and hearts are made of material things. The gopés are
quite different, and they tell Kåñëa, “Our hearts are Våndävana.
You have said, ‘You should remember Me in trance,’ but we are
not yogés. We are ordinary people, and we were with You from
the beginning of our lives; from birth.”
Yogés can meditate in trance, and sometimes they can see the
lotus feet of Paramätmä, but not of Kåñëa. Paramätmä is not aàçé,
the origin. The origin of Paramätmä is Garbhodakaçäyé Viñëu,
and His origin is Käraëodakaçäyé Viñëu. His origin is Mahä-
Saìkarñaëa, His origin is Müla-Saìkarñaëa, His origin is Baladeva
Prabhu, and His origin is Kåñëa.
The gopés continue, “We always kept Your feet on our breasts
and upon our laps. We played with those feet. And what to speak
of Your feet – You used to massage our feet with Your hands. We
played with You as friends from the beginning, from our childhood.
You could not be separated from us at that time. You were
always with us, playing here and there in the groves of
Govardhana, and we used to dance with You at Vaàçévaöa. We
are not like yogés. In their trance, they may think, ‘I pray that the
lotus feet of Paramätmä should appear in my heart,’ but those
feet never come; they may come, but very seldom; very rarely. As
far as we are concerned, we want to forget You – to forget You.
The root of all our problems is remembering You and Your pastimes
– especially remembering You – so we want to forget You.
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KÅÑËA MEETS THE GOPÉS AT KURUKÑETRA
If You can forget us, why can we not forget You? But this is the
problem: we cannot forget You. We want to give You up, but we
cannot. We can give You up in the sense that You can leave
Våndävana, as You have done – no harm. But we cannot give up
remembering Your pastimes.”
Previously, when Kåñëa resided in Våndävana, the gopés used
to say, “Don’t have any relation with that black person, that
cheater. Stay far away from Him and don’t utter His name. He is
the biggest cheater. If anyone remembers Him, or hears His pastimes,
or chants His name, that person will become bewildered,
like a mad person. If you want to live with your husbands, sisters,
brothers, fathers, and other family members, and if you want
to remain very happy with them, then don’t remember this boy,
or have any relationship with Him. We have seen that those who
remember Him become like birds. Birds have no homes to live
in, and no fields where they can grow flowers or wheat or anything
else. They have nothing. Similarly, if anyone hears, chants,
and remembers Kåñëa’s glories, they become like street beggars.”
Now, at Kurukñetra, they tell Kåñëa, “We can give You up, as
You have given us up. In other words, You are living in a place
very distant from us, and we can also live far away from You. But
we cannot give up remembering You. You instruct us to remember
You, but we wonder why You are giving us such instructions.
We have always remembered You since our childhood, and yet
You say, ‘You should remember Me.’ We want to forget You forever,
and not remember anything about You. We laugh at Your
words. You are telling very learned Ph.D. scholars, ‘Oh, you
should go to primary school and learn A-B-C-D.’”
The gopés begin to weep loudly, and at that time Kåñëa tells
them:
1 3 8
THE ORIGIN OF RATHA-YÄTRÄ
mayi bhaktir hi bhütänäm
amåtatväya kalpate
diñöyä yad äsén mat-sneho
bhavaténäà mad-äpanaù
Çrémad-Bhägavatam (10.82.44)
Devotional service that the living beings render to Me revives their
eternal life. O My dear damsels of Vraja, your affection for Me is
your good fortune, for it is the only means by which you have
obtained My favor.
Kåñëa is “tricky”
As you know, only Vedic Hindus can enter Lord Jagannätha’s
temple in Puré; no Western or Eastern devotees are allowed in.
The temple administrators are very strict. Those who are not
actually Hindu by birth cannot enter, even if they were born in
India. Indira Gandhi, the former Prime Minister of India, was
born of a brähmaëa family, but she left her brahminical religion
and married a Muslim. She was a powerful and wealthy person,
but still the päëòäs of Puré never allowed her or her son Rajiv
Gandhi to enter the temple. They told them, “You can come to
Puré, but you cannot enter the temple.” There are so many police
guards everywhere, at all the four doors of the temple. Not even
a bird from a Western or Eastern country can enter; even Western
air cannot get in there.
The guards once checked me at the gate. They said, “Your
eyes are not like the Hindus’ eyes, and you have a rather fair
complexion.” I am not really so fair, but still they checked me. My
paëòä was there and he told them, “O bogus people, he is my
client.” And he took me inside.
The guards are very strict, but Kåñëa is very funny and “tricky.”
They may make these rules, but Kåñëa does not. Kåñëa – that is,
1 3 9
KÅÑËA MEETS THE GOPÉS AT KURUKÑETRA
Jagannätha, Baladeva, Subhadrä, and Sudarçana cakra – come
out on the road, and they do not move quickly at all. They are not
in a hurry. Sometimes they stand at the same place for a day, two
days, or even three days, abundantly giving Their darçana to all.
Jagannätha comes with Subhadrä and Baladeva, by a “trick,” as
Patita-pävana, the deliverer of the most fallen. He is Patita-pävana
and He belongs to everyone. He does not make any distinction
between an Indian devotee, a brähmaëa, a kñatriya, or a Western
devotee, and that is why He plays a trick. He thinks, “I will remain
in the temple for the entire year, but for these nine or ten days I
will be Patita-pävana. I will go on the street, and then everyone
can receive My darçana and be liberated.”
Kåñëa is very merciful, and His devotees are more merciful
still. You could not have called parama-püjyapäda Çréla
Bhaktivedänta Swämé Mahäräja to preach in the West, and you
have not called me. Our guru-varga (disciplic succession) has
sent me, and Çréla Swämé Mahäräja came because his gurudeva
mercifully ordered him to preach throughout Western countries.
Çréla Swämé Mahäräja also came through his own compassion
and mercy. He came on a ship belonging to Scindia Navigation,
and, in his human-like pastimes, he almost died of a heart attack
on the way. He thought, “Will I die? What will happen?” But
Kåñëa’s mercy was with him. Kåñëa wanted him to come, so he
came; and he preached with immediate effect.
Kåñëa also played a trick with Arjuna during the Mahäbhärata
battle. He told him:
sarva-dharmän parityajya
mäm ekaà çaraëaà vraja
ahaà tväà sarva-päpebhyo
mokñayiñyämi mä çucaù
Bhagavad-gétä (18.66)
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THE ORIGIN OF RATHA-YÄTRÄ
Abandon all varieties of material religion and just surrender to Me.
I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear.
This is the best instruction to Arjuna in Bhagavad-gétä, but
Mahäprabhu still rejected it. When He met Rämänanda Räya at
Godävaré, He told him, “These are external things. Say something
more.” Why did He reject this statement? Arjuna felt great pain
when Kåñëa gave him this instruction. He thought, “How ‘funny’
Kåñëa is. He is telling me to be çaraëägata, surrendered. But He
has been my bosom friend for so many years. He has even slept
with me on the same bed.”
Sometimes Arjuna used to place his feet on Kåñëa’s chest when
they both lay down together, and Rukmiëé and Satyabhämä
fanned them with cämaras. At the same time, Kåñëa’s feet lay
upon Arjuna’s chest, and Draupadé and Subhadrä fanned at the
other end of the bed. Kåñëa was very happy to lie on the same
bed as Arjuna, and also to take prasäda remnants with him.
Arjuna therefore thought, “Friends are far superior to
çaraëägatas, and yet He is telling me to surrender. Haven’t I
surrendered? Why is this tricky person telling me this?” Arjuna
was not satisfied, just as the gopés were not satisfied, so Kåñëa
told him, “Don’t worry. I am not giving this instruction for you. I
am giving it to others through you.”
Now, at Kurukñetra, the gopés also complain to Kåñëa.
The gopés are more “tricky” than Kåñëa
Mädhurya (sweetness) and aiçvarya (opulence) can never
exist together. There is immense opulence in Dvärakä. There
Kåñëa cannot say, “I am the son of Nanda Bäbä and Yaçodä;” He
is bound to say, “I am a kñatriya, and I am the son of Vasudeva
and Devaké.” He cannot wear a peacock feather and He cannot
1 4 1
KÅÑËA MEETS THE GOPÉS AT KURUKÑETRA
play His flute. In Dvärakä He is surrounded by many thousands
of räja-maharñis, queens, horses, and so on, so the gopés request
Him, “We want You to come to Våndävana.”
The gopés seem to be very selfish. Why did they request Kåñëa,
“You should give up all the thousands of devotees in Mathurä
and Dvärakä, and come to Våndävana”? I am giving a very simple
answer. All the Vrajaväsés, and especially the gopés, know Kåñëa’s
heart. In Vraja, Kåñëa is not like the Supreme Personality of
Godhead. The Vrajaväsés cannot think of Him in that way, even
in dreams. They can only think that He is the son of Nanda Bäbä
and Yaçodä, the beloved of all the gopés, and the friend of
Çrédämä and Subala Sakhä.
All the Vrajaväsés want Kåñëa to be happy in every way, and
they also know that He is always very shy. Therefore Nanda
Bäbä, Yaçodä, and all the gopés and friends have to be very tricky
with Him. They know that He will be shy to eat butter when
Yaçodä offers it to Him, so she plays many tricks to induce Him
to eat. Once she told Him, “Oh Kåñëa, You are so weak, but still
You don’t want to take any bread and butter and other prasäda.
How will Your çikhä become thick like Baladeva’s? You see?
Baladeva is very strong, and his çikhä is very thick and long. But
You are so weak. We cannot compare You with Him.” Kåñëa
replied, “Mother, I want to defeat Baladeva. Please give Me bread
and butter.” This is how Yaçodä and others trick Kåñëa to make
Him eat.
Yaçodä had previously thought, “Kåñëa is going to become
weak, because He doesn’t want to eat anything.” She therefore
called Çrématé Rädhikä from Yävaöa by a trick, by regularly sending
Rädhikä’s in-laws in Yävaöa vast wealth in the form of many
jewels, ornaments, and garments. Why did Yaçodä call Çrématé
Rädhikä? She considered, “Kåñëa doesn’t eat very much, because
He becomes shy and cannot admit His hunger. But He will
1 4 2
THE ORIGIN OF RATHA-YÄTRÄ
become very strong if He eats what Rädhikä cooks.2 If I send
these gifts to Her in-laws, they will surely send Her to cook.” As
a result of Yaçodä’s trick, Çrématé Rädhikä comes and prepares
manohara-laòòu, amåta-keli, and so many other dishes.
There is no one in Mathurä or Dvärakä who can give Kåñëa
delicious food like Yaçodä-maiyä, and Kåñëa can never address
other elderly relatives, “Mother! Mother!” Yaçodä-maiyä cooked a
great variety of preparations through Rohiëé, Rädhikä, Lalitä, and
Viçäkhä. She would call them all to her kitchen, and they would
quickly prepare many delicious dishes. Then, if Kåñëa was not
eating, Mother Yaçodä would come over and tell Him, “Oh, I
have made a vow to Näräyaëa that You will eat this. If You don’t
eat, Näräyaëa will be disappointed with You, and that will be
very inauspicious for You.” She would request Him again, and
then He would take His meal. Neither Devaké nor anyone else in
Dvärakä knew all these tricks. Kåñëa may have felt hungry there,
but He was too shy to ask for anything to eat.
All the gopés know how Yaçodä-maiyä used to trick Kåñëa into
taking those preparations, so they think, “He will always be neglected
in Dvärakä. He cannot say, ‘Mother, give me bread and
butter.’” The gopés remember Kåñëa’s shy nature. Sometimes He
would want something from them, and He would play on His
flute to call them all. But then, when they came to Him, He
would tell them, “You should return home now.” In His heart He
thought, “I want to dance with the gopés,” and the gopés thought,
“We want to satisfy Kåñëa.” But because Kåñëa was tricky, He
would tell them, “You should all return home.” The gopés are also
tricky, however, and they knew how to satisfy Him. They would
tell Him, “Oh, You are our guru, and we are all Your disciples.
2
Rädhikä had received a boon from Durväsä Åñi that whoever will eat her
cooking will be very powerful, long-lived, and able to defeat all enemies.
1 4 3
KÅÑËA MEETS THE GOPÉS AT KURUKÑETRA
Disciples should worship their guru, and after that they can
worship their husbands or even Näräyaëa. If someone is not
worshiping his guru, he cannot satisfy the Supreme Personality
of Godhead, Näräyaëa. Therefore, You will be an offender of the
Vedas if You do not accept this worship.”
ye yathä mäà prapadyante
täàs tathaiva bhajämy aham
mama vartmänuvartante
manuñyäù pärtha sarvaçaù
Bhagavad-gétä (4.11)
I reward everyone according to their surrender unto Me. Everyone
follows My path in all respects, O son of Påthä.
The gopés would thus defeat Kåñëa by clever words so that He
could engage in the räsa dance with them. Kåñëa desired to
touch their bodies, but they would tell Him, “Oh, You cannot
touch us. You should remain far away.” They were always able
to satisfy Kåñëa by continually increasing His greed.
Kåñëa can only be satisfied by these tricks, which are not
known in Dvärakä or Mathurä, or in any other place in the world.
Thus, the gopés are selfless. There is no blemish in their hearts,
and they have no desire other than to please Kåñëa. They serve
Kåñëa totally with all their senses, with their minds, and with their
souls, and He is always indebted to them.
Now Kåñëa assures them, “Those who are engaged in the
process of attaining My love and affection – beginning with
çraddhä, niñöhä, ruci, and so on – are all fortunate. But even
more fortunate are those who already have prema, sneha,
praëaya, and beyond that. You have these qualities, and they
attract Me to come to Våndävana very soon. Don’t worry. I must
come to you, because you have that sneha, mäna, praëaya,
1 4 4
THE ORIGIN OF RATHA-YÄTRÄ
räga, anuräga, bhäva, and mahäbhäva. Your qualities charm
and attract Me, and they will also compel Me to return with you
to Våndävana.”
The gopés tell Kåñëa, “You should come on our chariot.” Their
chariot is their minds and hearts, which are the same as
Våndävana. “You should come to Våndävana, and then we will
think that You are entering our trance. This is ‘trance’ – that You
should come to Våndävana.”
Çrématé Rädhikä is reminding Kåñëa – that is, Çré Caitanya
Mahäprabhu is reminding Kåñëa as Jagannätha: “We are those
unmarried teenage girls. We used to meet in Våndävana with love
and affection under the kadamba trees.”
The meaning of prema
Try to understand the meaning of prema. In English, there is
no exact word for prema; there are only words such as “love”
and “affection.” In Sanskrit, however, each word has a special
meaning. All the stages of prema, such as äsakti, bhäva, prema,
sneha, mäna, praëaya, räga, anuräga, and so on, have specific
meanings.
What kind of love does Rädhikä have for Kåñëa? Her love
increases more and more, even if there are circumstances that
should make it diminish. This is the meaning of prema.
Kåñëa left Rädhikä, the gopés, and the other Vrajaväsés and went
to Mathurä, where He took upanayana-saàskära (brahminical
initiation), became a kñatriya, and declared, “I am the son of
Devaké and Vasudeva. I am a Yädava.” After that He went to
Dvärakä, where He married eight very beautiful princesses, and
then 16,100 more, and then He begot so many children. This
should be enough to break anyone’s love and affection, but here
you can see the nature of the love and affection that Rädhikä has
1 4 5
KÅÑËA MEETS THE GOPÉS AT KURUKÑETRA
toward Kåñëa. You can see the nature of the love of Mother
Yaçodä and Nanda Bäbä, the love of Kåñëa’s friends, and the love
of all the Vrajaväsés, including the cows and other animals. They
did not give up their love and affection, although they were actually
dying of separation.
Here in this world, if a husband divorces his wife and marries
again, the ex-wife will go to court and file a suit, and he will be
bound to sign an agreement to pay her maintenance. She will
forcibly take that money, and she may also marry another man.
She cannot tolerate the thought that he has given her up, but she
will herself remarry two, three, four, or five times. Thus, here in
this world, love and affection stops when there is an obstacle.
But there, Rädhikä’s love for Kåñëa and His love for Her did not
stop, even though He had so many wives and children, and even
though He changed His name. If you want to realize that transcendental
love, then try to be like the Vrajaväsés. Love in this
world is not actually love, it is merely sense gratification and lust.
We simply kick away and divorce our spouse upon the slightest
provocation.
Rädhikä knows that Kåñëa has many wives and many children.
Now He is like a king, and He has changed into a Yädava – but
still Her love increases. This is called transcendental prema. Read
these topics, and then go deeply into what you have read. Try to
forget yourself, where you are, and what you are doing. Forget
everything else, go deep, become totally absorbed in meditation
upon these topics, and then you will be able to realize something
of this love. It is because you cannot do this that you become
weak in your spiritual life. So try to hear all these topics in elevated
association.
The gopés have forgotten everything other than Kåñëa. They
are feeling great separation for Him, and consequently they have
become more than yogés. Through the window of their eyes, they
1 4 6
THE ORIGIN OF RATHA-YÄTRÄ
take Him in their hearts, and there they embrace Him so
intensely that they lose external consciousness.
I have already described how Kåñëa tried to pacify Rädhäräëé
and the gopés by saying, “O gopés, why are you feeling so much
separation? I am not away from you for even a moment. There is
no separation between clay and a clay statue or mürti, because
the clay is everywhere in the mürti. In just the same way, this
physical body is made of five elements – earth, water, fire, air,
and ether – so one’s body cannot be separated from them. As one
cannot differentiate between the body and these elements, similarly,
You are made of My mood.”
Kåñëa is sac-cid-änanda-vigraha, the complete form of eternity,
knowledge, and bliss, and Çrématé Rädhikä’s constitutional
position is mahäbhäva. Because She is the embodiment of
mahäbhäva, She is called hlädiné-çakti. She and Kåñëa are
always combined as the essence of hlädiné and saàvit. Saàvit
and hlädiné are the same as cit and änanda, and that is why
Kåñëa told Her, “I am always with You. I am sac-cid-änanda, so
how can I be separated from You? I am always in Your body and
Your heart.”
I have already explained that the gopés became very sulky and
angry when they heard Kåñëa’s words, and they began to chastise
Him, not by words but by mood: “Why are You telling us
these things? We don’t accept this theory of Yours. We are not
yogés. Yogés worship You and meditate upon You, but they
cannot purify their hearts, or even their minds, in thousands and
thousands of births. We, on the other hand, want to forget You
forever. We were so happy in the homes of our fathers and mothers
in Vraja, but You have upset and destroyed everything. We
gave You our whole love, one hundred percent, or one hundred
and ten percent. We left our fathers, mothers, husbands, children,
and everything else. Our relation was very deep when You were
1 4 7
KÅÑËA MEETS THE GOPÉS AT KURUKÑETRA
in Vraja, and it is the same even today. So we want to forget You
forever.
“If You can forget us and all of Your Våndävana – Gokula,
Govardhana, and all Your cows, Your calves, Your peacocks,
Your deer, and even Your own mother from whom You took
birth – then why can we not forget You? This is the problem: we
cannot forget You. From the beginning, whenever we were
engaged in any household task, we sang, ‘Govinda Dämodara
Mädhaveti, Govinda Dämodara Mädhaveti.’ Even when we were
cleaning our houses, sweeping, or churning yogurt, tears came
from our melting hearts as we remembered Your pastimes and
sang, ‘Govinda Dämodara Mädhaveti,’ ‘Rädhä-ramaëa hari bol,’
and ‘Govinda jaya jaya.’”
In Vraja, the gopés had always been weeping and lamenting,
“O Kåñëa, where are You? Where are You?” Words cannot explain
how they were behaving internally and externally. Now at
Kurukñetra, they say, “We want to drive You away from our
hearts, but You come inside automatically. You tell us, ‘Give up
saàsära-küpa, the deep, dark well of family life,’ and, ‘Meditate
upon Me as the yogés do.’ But where is our family life? We have
no saàsära-küpa.”
The gopés had forgotten their homes, duties, husbands, fathers,
and mothers, and they had even forgotten to eat anything or to
see anything. They appeared to look at things just as we do, but
they did not see anything. They only contemplated, “Where is
my beloved Kåñëa?” Only this. It is we who are in the well of
family attachments. Still, although the gopés were not attached to
their families as we are, Kåñëa advised them, “Come out of that
well and meditate upon Me.”
The gopés now reply:
1 4 8
THE ORIGIN OF RATHA-YÄTRÄ
ähuç ca te nalina-näbha padäravindaà
yogeçvarair hådi vicintyam agädha-bodhaiù
saàsära-küpa-patitottaraëävalambaà
gehaà juñäm api manasy udiyät sadä naù
This çloka has two meanings. The meaning for general persons
and for those who are not very advanced devotees is that the
gopés are requesting Kåñëa, “You are the Supreme Personality of
Godhead. O Kamala-nayana, You whose eyes are like reddish
lotus petals, You are very, very merciful. We have now fallen into
the well of family life, and we want to remember Your lotus feet
as the yogés do. We want to meditate, so please be merciful to us.”
This meaning is external. Sometimes, when juniors try to
instruct superiors, the superiors may reply, “I am very foolish,
and you are so intelligent. I want to obey your instructions.
Please instruct me how to act properly.” In reality, the senior is
angry at heart, and he is actually speaking sarcastically. His real
meaning is, “I’m so many years older than you, and I am so much
more intelligent than you. You’re instructing me, even though
you’re so junior to me?” Similarly, the gopés are in an angry mood,
and their deeper meaning is, “O Kåñëa, don’t try to cheat us. We
have known You from the beginning, and we know that You are
a great cheater. You have been deceiving us for a long time, but
now we have become somewhat clever. You can cheat Lakñmédevé,
You can cheat Your wives in Dvärakä, and You can cheat
everyone else; but as for us, we will not enter Your trap.”
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KÅÑËA MEETS THE GOPÉS AT KURUKÑETRA
The heart cannot consider
anyera hådaya mana, mora mana våndävana,
‘mane’ ‘vane’ eka kari’ jäni
tähäì tomära pada-dvaya, karäha yadi udaya,
tabe tomära pürëa kåpä mäni
Çré Caitanya-caritämåta (Madhya-lélä 13.137)
[Caitanya Mahäprabhu, in the mood of Çrématé Rädhäräëé, said:]
Most people’s minds are one with their heart, but I consider My
mind to be one with Våndävana, because My mind is never separated
from Våndävana. My mind is already Våndävana, and since
You like Våndävana, will You please place Your lotus feet there? I
would deem that Your full mercy.
The gopés tell Kåñëa, “We know, and You should also know,
that there is so much difference between the heart and the mind
of a worldly person. The heart is always full of love, whereas the
mind calculates, ‘What is better for me? What is good? What is
bad? This is better; this is not so good.’ The mind can do all this,
but the heart can never consider whether a person is beautiful or
not, or whether or not he is very intelligent or qualified.”
Rukmiëé had heard abundant glorification of Kåñëa’s mercy,
beauty, and all His other qualities. Because of this, she did not
accept the proposal of her friends, parents, and others to give her
in marriage to Çiçupäla. They told her, “Kåñëa is not a king; He is
only the son of a landlord – and not even that. He is not as
qualified as Çiçupäla. Çiçupäla is the King of kings. He is a very
beautiful young emperor and he has a golden complexion,
whereas this other person is black and unqualified. When Kåñëa
was younger, He always used to tell lies and steal from others’
houses. You should give up that black fellow and marry Çiçupäla.
1 5 0
THE ORIGIN OF RATHA-YÄTRÄ
Try to obey your father, mother, and brother.” Rukmiëé replied,
“Once I have given my heart to someone, I can never, ever
reclaim it.” Without the consent of her father, mother, and
brother, she then sent a brähmaëa to Kåñëa with a message: “I
don’t want to marry this jackal. I have given my heart to a lion.
How can a jackal come and take me away in the presence of the
lion? Everything depends on the lion. I have given myself solely
to You, for You are that lion, and I will not go with that jackal. If
that lion is not qualified and powerful enough to save me from
the jackal, then I will take poison and die.”
Before Umä was married to Çaìkara, Närada came and revealed
Çaìkara’s glories to her. After that, Çaìkara told someone, “Go and
test that girl,” so his messenger went to Umä and told her, “Çiva is
an unintelligent, bogus man. He is always naked, he wears garlands
of skulls and ornaments of snakes, he smears dust from the
ashes of corpses all over his body, he wears rudräkña beads, he
always carries a trident, and he sits on a bull like a mad person.
Why have you chosen him to be your husband?”
Her father also told her, “O my dear darling daughter, change
your mood. I will marry you to an exalted personality like Viñëu,
or someone else who is very beautiful. Why have you chosen
Çaìkara?”
Umä told her father, “It may be that Çaìkara wanders naked,
plays with ghosts and witches, ornaments himself with serpents,
and sometimes swallows poison. But even if this is true, I will
marry him and no one else. I have chosen him for all time, even
though he does nothing. I don’t want to give him up. I will marry
him.” So many other suitors came, and even Çaìkara came in
disguise to test her, but she did not change her mind.
For worldly persons, for all of you, the mind and heart are different,
but these examples confirm that the hearts of elevated
personalities never consider whether someone is beautiful or
1 5 1
KÅÑËA MEETS THE GOPÉS AT KURUKÑETRA
not, or what he has done or not done. The decision to love is
“forever.” Anyera hådaya mana. For most people the mind
always gives problems. Sometimes it accepts something, and at
other times it rejects the same thing; this is called saìkalpavikalpa.
But “mora mana våndävana – My mind is Våndävana.”
The mind and heart of the gopés are one.
The gopés continue, “You have told us, ‘Meditate upon Me,’ but
from where does meditation come? It comes from the mind.
Understanding comes from the mind. But mora mana våndävana.
Let others meditate. You are instructing us, ‘You should meditate,
and My lotus feet will come in Your meditation.’ Therefore, we
will be satisfied if Your lotus feet walk to Våndävana; otherwise,
we can never be satisfied.”
Try to make your heart and mind Våndävana, under the guidance
of the gopés. It does not matter whether you are male or
female. Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu has said that all jévas – both
male and female – are a transformation of taöastha-çakti, Kåñëa’s
marginal potency. We are prakåti (the potency – feminine
gender), not puruña (the possessor of the potency – male
gender). Try to realize this. If you think very deeply, these meanings
will come in your heart, and your heart will be greatly developed.
There is no need to do anything else.
If Närada Åñi comes before the gopés, however, they will offer
him praëäma, and it may be that they will take the dust of his
lotus feet. Närada Åñi will then think, “I should not upset these
gopés. Kåñëa is my worshipable Lord, and these gopés are His worshipable
deities, so I should not disturb their mood.” Then, after
the gopés leave, he will take their foot-dust and rub it all over his
body.
Even Närada is not qualified to be the foot-dust of the gopés.
He prays for this perfection, but he cannot achieve it. Such perfection
is very rarely achieved for anyone, even Brahmä. Çré
1 5 2
THE ORIGIN OF RATHA-YÄTRÄ
Prabodhänanda Sarasvaté has written, “I always remember the
dust of Rädhikä’s lotus feet. Even Brahmä, Närada, Çuka,
Çaìkara, Bhéñma, and other devotees like them meditate on
Kåñëa’s lotus feet so that His lotus feet may enter their hearts. On
the other hand, when Kåñëa calls to the maidservants of the
gopés, ‘Come on! Come on!’ they reply, ‘We will not come. We
know that You are a cheater.’ Instead of their following Kåñëa, He
follows them.”
yat-kiìkaréñu bahuçaù khalu käku-väëé
nityaà parasya puruñasya çikhaëòa-mauleù
tasyäù kadä rasa-nidher våñabhänu-jäyäs
tat-keli-kuïja-bhavanäìgana-märjané syäm
Rädhä-rasa-sudhä-nidhi (8)
O daughter of Våñabhänu Mahäräja, O ocean of rasa! The
Supreme Bhagavän, the source of all incarnations who wears a
peacock feather in His hair, falls at the feet of Your maidservants
and propitiates them with many humble and griefstricken words
to be allowed entrance into Your kuïja where You engage in
playful, amorous pastimes. I would consider my life a success if I
could become one stick in the broom used by Your maidservants
to clean Your delightful grove.
Kåñëa knocks at the door of the gopés’ kuïja, and Çré Rüpa
Maïjaré and Çré Rati Maïjaré stand there in a somewhat angry
mood. They tell Kåñëa, “Go back at once, You cheater. Go back!
You cannot come and meet Çrématé Rädhikä. She is angry with
You now, and She has told us, ‘Be aware that this cheater may
come in a disguise. Although disguised as a gopé or someone
else, He will be that same Kåñëa, the friend of Subala. I don’t
want to see anything black. Not even a black bumblebee should
enter My kuïja. You should even remove your black kajjala
before you come here.’”
1 5 3
KÅÑËA MEETS THE GOPÉS AT KURUKÑETRA
Kåñëa then offers His head at the lotus feet of Rüpa Maïjaré
and her sakhés, and begs them, “Please allow me to go there, just
for a moment.” They reply, “Never!” How can we imagine the
greatness of Rädhikä’s position? Çré Prabodhänanda Sarasvaté
concludes, “I want to be a broom – and not even a whole broom,
just one straw of a broom – that is used for sweeping Rädhikä’s
kuïja.” How glorious She is!
More mysterious meaning
After citing the Çrémad-Bhägavatam verse beginning ahuç ca
te nalina-näbha pädäravindaà, Çréla Kåñëadäsa Kaviräja
Gosvämé quotes the gopés (Çré Caitanya-caritämåta (Madhyalélä
1.82)):
tomära caraëa mora vraja-pura-ghare
udaya karaye yadi, tabe väïchä püre
[The gopés thought:] If Your lotus feet again come to our home in
Våndävana, our desires will be fulfilled.
The gopés tell Kåñëa, “O Präëanätha! Vraja is our life and soul.
We are telling You the truth: Vraja is our home. If You do not
come and meet us in Våndävana, we will not be able to remain
alive. We will die at once. Fish become restless the moment they
are taken out of water, and the next moment they are dead. We
are in an even worse condition than that. Fish may have a
moment to live, but we will not be able to live even that long.”
Çréla Kåñëadäsa Kaviräja Gosvämé then quotes Rüpa Gosvämé’s
deep explanation of that same Çrémad-Bhägavatam verse:
1 5 4
THE ORIGIN OF RATHA-YÄTRÄ
yä te lélä-rasa-parimalodgäri-vanyäparétä
dhanyä kñauëé vilasati våtä mäthuré mädhurébhiù
taträsmäbhiç caöula-paçupé-bhäva-mugdhäntaräbhiù
saàvétas tvaà kalaya vadanolläsi-veëur vihäram
Çré Caitanya-caritämåta (Madhya-lélä 1.84)
[The gopés said:] Dear Kåñëa, the fragrance of the mellows of Your
pastimes is spread throughout the forests of the glorious land of
Våndävana, which is surrounded by the sweetness of the district of
Mathurä. In the congenial atmosphere of that wonderful land, You
may enjoy Your pastimes, with Your flute dancing on Your lips,
and surrounded by us, the gopés, whose hearts are always
enchanted by unpredictable ecstatic emotions.
The gopés are sad and feel separation when they see Kåñëa in
the royal dress of a prince of Dvärakä. Similarly, in their mood,
Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu felt separation when He sometimes
saw Baladeva and Subhadrä along with Jagannätha. Usually He
saw only Jagannätha – as Vrajendra-nandana – but when He saw
the three deities there, He immediately remembered the gopés’
pastimes at Kurukñetra.
ei-mata mahäprabhu dekhi’ jagannäthe
subhadrä-sahita dekhe, vaàçé nähi häte
Çré Caitanya-caritämåta (Madhya-lélä 1.85)
In this way, when Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu saw Jagannätha, He
saw that the Lord was with His sister Subhadrä and was not holding
a flute in His hand.
tri-bhaìga-sundara vraje vrajendra-nandana
kähäì päba, ei väïchä bäòe anukñaëa
Çré Caitanya-caritämåta (Madhya-lélä 1.86)
1 5 5
KÅÑËA MEETS THE GOPÉS AT KURUKÑETRA
Absorbed in the ecstasy of the gopés, Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu
wished to see Lord Jagannätha in His original form as Kåñëa, the
son of Nanda Mahäräja, standing in Våndävana and appearing very
beautiful, His body curved in three places. His desire to see that
form was always increasing.
The gopés are actually telling Kåñëa, not by their words but by
their mood, “Kåñëa, You cheater, You should know that our mind
and heart are the same. Our heart is Våndävana. Tähäì tomära
pada-dvaya karäha yadi udaya tabe tomära pürëa kåpä mäni
(Çré Caitanya-caritämåta (Madhya-lélä 13.137)): If you come to
Våndävana with us, You can meet us there with Your flute. Don’t
forget Your flute and peacock feather. And You should change
Your dress. You will have to be the son of Nanda and Yaçodä. Be
Gopé-känta and Rädhä-känta, and then You can enter Våndävana.
Otherwise don’t come. We will not allow You to enter.”
The gopés’ accusations
The moods of Lord Jagannätha’s Chariot Festival are very, very
mysterious. It seems from an external point of view that Kåñëa
simply instructed Çrématé Rädhikä and the gopés, “You should
chant, remember, and meditate on Me. Then you can realize My
lotus feet in your heart, and by that meditation you will come out
of the well of worldly attachment.” It also seems that the gopés
appreciated this instruction and simply replied, “You have given
us good instruction. From now on we will meditate on You and
remember You, and then we will be able to come out of the well
of worldly life and give up all kinds of attachments.”
However, as I have already explained, the actual mood of the
gopés is quite different. Externally their words seem to have a particular
meaning, but Çréla Kåñëadäsa Kaviräja has revealed their
1 5 6
THE ORIGIN OF RATHA-YÄTRÄ
inner purport. He heard this meaning from Çréla Raghunätha däsa
Gosvämé, who had understood everything from Çréla Svarüpa
Dämodara and Çréla Rüpa Gosvämé, and had noted it all down.
Kåñëadäsa Kaviräja Gosvämé’s explanation therefore follows the
words of Svarüpa Dämodara, and especially those of Rüpa
Gosvämé.
Although the gopés are not satisfied at all by Kåñëa’s instruction,
their anger is also a tie of love and affection – a crooked tie.
The gopés are actually saying, “You’ve just told us to meditate,
and You previously sent Uddhava and Baladeva Prabhu, who
also delivered Your message: ‘Meditate on Me.’ You must be
joking! Where is our attachment to this world? Where is our
family attachment? We’ve never had any. ‘Who am I?’ ‘Where am
I?’ We have forgotten these things. We have completely forgotten
everything, including all of our senses. Where has our attachment
gone? To You! We are always remembering You when You
were in Våndävana. We remember how we sometimes played
together at Rädhä-kuëòa and Çyäma-kuëòa, and sometimes
under Bhäëòéravaöa, or in Nandagaon, and how we sometimes
used to meet together at Öera-kadamba as well. How glorious it
was!”
In those days, Çrématé Rädhikä used to go from Yävaöa to
Yaçodä-bhavana with all Her sakhés, headed by Lalitä and
Viçäkhä, to cook for Kåñëa. Meanwhile, Kåñëa was milking His
cows midway, at Öera-kadamba. As Rädhikä walked with Her
sakhés, Lalitä said, “We should change our direction and go by
that other path. This cheater has blocked our way. He’s only
milking His cows here because He knows that we will come this
way. Better that we change paths.” Rädhikä replied, “Oh, why
fear? We will not change our course. Let us see what happens.”
As She continued walking, Kåñëa began milking a cow in such a
way that Her whole face was splashed with milk, and everyone
1 5 7
KÅÑËA MEETS THE GOPÉS AT KURUKÑETRA
began to laugh. The gopés always remembered all these pastimes.
There were so many pastimes that Kåñëa Himself would not be
able to describe them all, even if He were to have thousands and
thousands of mouths.
Now the gopés say, “We only remember those pastimes! We
already feel so much separation from You, and now You are
telling us, ‘You should meditate on My lotus feet.’ We’re not
happy with this instruction. We’re not like the four Kumäras.
Grandfather Bhéñma and Närada can meditate on You, but we
want to forget You altogether! We don’t want to think about You,
because You are very cruel and ungrateful.”
Kåñëa wanted to hear all this. He held His head down in shame
and enjoyed thinking, “All the gopés are blaming Me.”
The gopés continue, “Previously, when we were in Våndävana,
You told us, ‘I am coming back tomorrow. If not, then surely I
will come the day after tomorrow.’ But You never came! You
never returned! You told Uddhava, ‘Tell them that I am coming
right away. I am coming after only four days.’ After that Baladeva
came to Vraja, and He said on Your behalf, ‘Oh, don’t be worried.
Kåñëa is coming very soon.’ But You never came.”
nahe gopé yogeçvara, pada-kamala tomära,
dhyäna kari’ päibe santoña
tomära väkya-paripäöé, tära madhye kuöinäöé,
çuni’ gopéra äro bäòhe roña
Çré Caitanya-caritämåta (Madhya-lélä 13.141)
[In the mood of Çrématé Rädhikä, Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu said:]
The gopés are not like the mystic yogés. They will never be satisfied
simply by meditating on Your lotus feet and imitating the so-called
yogés. Teaching the gopés about meditation is another kind of
duplicity. When they are instructed to undergo mystic yoga practice,
they are not at all satisfied. On the contrary, they become
more and more angry with You.
1 5 8
THE ORIGIN OF RATHA-YÄTRÄ
“We don’t like Your mode of expression. Tära madhye
kuöénäöé. There are so many things that are not good about it.
Kuöénäöé. Ku-öé-nä-öé. You are telling so many kuöé, things that are
not good, and näöé, things that are not favorable. You say, ‘You
should try to meditate on Me and remember Me.’ But You know
that since our childhood we were never able to forget You for
even a moment.”
This is pure love, without desire for any gain. The gopés continue,
“You speak to us as if we are unintelligent, and that makes
us angry.”
deha-småti nähi yära, saàsära-küpa kähäì tära,
tähä haite nä cähe uddhära
viraha-samudra-jale, käma-timiìgile gile,
gopé-gaëe neha’ tära pära
Çré Caitanya-caritämåta (Madhya-lélä 13.142)
[Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu continued:] The gopés have fallen in the
great ocean of separation, and they are being devoured by the
timiìgila fish, which represent the ambition to serve You. The
gopés are to be delivered from the mouths of these timiìgila fish,
for they are pure devotees. Since they have no material conception
of life, why should they aspire for liberation? The gopés do not
want that liberation desired by yogés and jïänés, for they are
already liberated from the ocean of material existence.
The gopés continue, “You speak about a well of material life
(saàsära-küpa), but where are we? We are in an endless, bottomless
ocean of separation. And what is going on in that ocean?
There are whales, and there are also fish called timiìgila fish,
which are so huge that they can even swallow those whales.”
1 5 9
KÅÑËA MEETS THE GOPÉS AT KURUKÑETRA
våndävana, govardhana, yamunä-pulina, vana,
sei kuïje räsädika lélä
sei vrajera vraja-jana, mätä, pitä, bandhu-gaëa,
baòa citra, kemane päsarilä
Çré Caitanya-caritämåta (Madhya-lélä 13.143)
It is amazing that You have forgotten the land of Våndävana. And
how is it that You have forgotten Your father, mother, and friends?
How have You forgotten Govardhana Hill, the bank of the
Yamunä, and the forest where You enjoyed the räsa dance?
vidagdha, mådu, sad-guëa, suçéla, snigdha, karuëa,
tumi, tomära nähi doñäbhäsa
tabe ye tomära mana, nähi smare vraja-jana,
se ämära durdaiva-viläsa
Çré Caitanya-caritämåta (Madhya-lélä 13.144)
Kåñëa, You are certainly a refined gentleman with all good qualities.
You are well-behaved, soft-hearted, and merciful. I know that
there is not even a tinge of fault to be found in You, yet Your mind
does not even remember the inhabitants of Våndävana. This is
only My misfortune, and nothing else.
The gopés, and especially Çrématé Rädhäräëé, continue to voice
their apparent complaints, “Do you remember Våndävana for
even a moment? Do you remember Govardhana? In Våndävana,
we gopés were all assembled in räsa-lélä. At that time, when we
were tired and perspiring, You used to wipe our bodies with
Your pétämbara (upper yellow garment).”
Çrématé Rädhäräëé tells Kåñëa, “You would ask me, ‘Are you
tired?’ and then I would keep My hand on Your shoulder.” She
used to stand in a “crooked” way and look at Kåñëa with
“crooked” sidelong glances. She leaned on Him with all Her
weight, as if He were a pillar, and She looked at Him from the
3
Panaghaöa has two meanings. Pan is an abbreviation for päni, water. This
ghäöa was originally called päni-ghäöa, and later on it became known as
panaghaöa. Pan also means promise, and it is called panaghaöa because Kåñëa
and the gopés promised to meet each other there.







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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