The Origin
of
Ratha-yatra
THE ORIGIN OF RATHA-YÄTRÄ
Jagannätha Puré is a very elevated
pastime place, especially
regarding the gambhérä-lélä of
Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu, but still
it is like Dvärakä. There is no forest
or sub-forest of Våndävana
there. Neither Gokula, Bhäëòéravana,
Nandagaon, nor Varñäëä
are there. They are not on the bank of
the Godävaré, nor are they
found in Kurukñetra or Jagannätha Puré.
Therefore, Navadvépa
must be superior to these places.
Because so many places exist in
Navadvépa in a hidden way,
Navadvépa is known as gupta-våndävana.
One of the nine
islands of Navadvépa is Godrumadvépa,
which is described by
Çréla Bhaktivinoda Öhäkura in his Jaiva-dharma.
Godrumadvépa
is Nandagaon, nearby Varñäëä. The
birthplace of Caitanya
Mahäprabhu in Mäyäpura is Mathurä and
Gokula combined.
Caitanya Mahäprabhu is Kåñëa, with the
internal mood and complexion
of Çrématé Rädhikä. Kåñëa took birth in
Våndävana; partly
in Mathurä, but fully in Gokula, and
both places are combined
there in Mäyäpura Yogapéöha.
Then, crossing the Gaìgä from there to
Koladvépa where our
Devänanda Gauòéya Maöha is situated, we
find Giriräja-
Govardhana. There, all the kuïjas and
caves where Kåñëa played
with the sakhäs and sakhés are
situated. Nearby there is Rasauli,
or räsa-sthalé, where
Candra-sarovara is located at the foot of
Giriräja-Govardhana, and nearby there
is Åtudvépa, where
Rädhä-kuëòa and Çyäma-kuëòa are
situated. The Gaìgä and
Yamunä rivers meet together at Prayaga
and continue to flow
side-by-side to Navadvépa and all
around its nine islands. Our
Devänanda Gauòéya Maöha was constructed
by our gurudeva on
the west bank of the Gaìgä, the bank
where the Yamunä flows;
and Mäyäpura is on the east bank of the
Gaìgä, the bank where
the Gaìgä flows. Lord Brahmä performed
thousands of austerities
on that east bank.
In Navadvépa there is Païcaveëé, the
meeting place of the
2 6 7
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN JAGANNÄTHA
PURÉ AND NAVADVÉPA
Gaìgä, Yamunä, Sarasvaté, Alakanandä,
and Mandäkiné. Mänaségaìgä
is there, Rädhä-kuëòa and Çyäma-kuëòa
are there, and
this is all very wonderful. In
Mämagächi (Modadrumadvépa)
Bahulävana is present, and in the north
of Mäyäpura is
Bhadravana. Jahnudvépa is Bhäëòéravana,
and Sémantadvépa is
Mathurä. All these truths have been
explained by Çréla
Bhaktivinoda Öhäkura in his Çré
Navadvépa-dhäma-mähätmya.
Våndävana is in Navadvépa, not in
Jagannätha Puré or Godävaré.
There is one very important thing to
know, and you should
know it very deeply. With regards to
Navadvépa being
Våndävana, there are two añöa-käléya-léläs,
eternal pastimes performed
during the eight periods of the day.
One is Çré Caitanya
Mahäprabhu’s añöa-käléya-lélä and
one is Rädhä and Kåñëa’s
añöa-käléya-lélä. Mahäprabhu’s añöa-käléya-lélä took
place in
Navadvépa, and it is that añöa-käléya-lélä
upon which devotees
meditate. There is no such añöa-käléya-lélä
on which to meditate
in Jagannätha Puré.
In their gaura-gäyatré-mantra,
the brähmaëas chant,
“viçvambharäya dhémahi” and “gauräya.”
Why do they utter
“gauräya?” Who is Gaura? Gaura,
or Gauräìga, is Kåñëa, with the
intrinsic mood, beauty, and golden
complexion of Rädhikä. He is
actually Kåñëa, but now He is fully
absorbed in the mood of
Rädhikä. He feels as though He has
become Rädhikä, but there
are three Rädhikäs: Våñabhänu-nandiné
Rädhikä, Viyoginé-
Rädhikä, and Saàyoginé-Rädhikä.
Like Kåñëa, Våñabhänu-nandiné Rädhikä
never goes out of
Våndävana. Kåñëa and Rohiëé-nandana
Balaräma also cannot go
out of Våndävana, because Balaräma
always remains with Kåñëa.
Only Their manifestations,
Vasudeva-nandana Kåñëa and
Vasudeva-nandana Baladeva, will go to
Mathurä and Dvärakä.
The pastimes of Kåñëa in Mathurä and
Dvärakä are transcendental
and everlasting, as are the pastimes of
Vrajendra-nandana Kåñëa
2 6 8
THE ORIGIN OF RATHA-YÄTRÄ
in Våndävana. Väsudeva-Kåñëa eternally
sports in Mathurä, and
in Våndävana, Vrajendra-nandana Kåñëa
is eternally playing.
Similarly, there are three Rädhikäs.
Actually there is only one
Rädhikä, but She has three moods or
features. Kåñëa will not
change when He goes to Mathurä, but He
will not use His flute
and peacock feather. He will change His
father and mother, but
not His form. Only His mood will be
changed, and mood is the
predominant factor of determination. If
He takes His flute and
peacock feather and tells everyone, “I
am the son of Nanda and
Yaçodä,” then He is Vrajendra-nandana
Kåñëa. On the other
hand, if He has no peacock feather and
flute and He tells everyone,
“I am the son of Vasudeva and Devaké,”
then He is present
by His prakäça (manifestation).
His manifestation is not fully
Kåñëa Himself, the Supreme.
In the same way, Våñabhänu-nandiné
Rädhikä is always with
Kåñëa in Våndävana. In Nandagaon, where
Rädhikä felt great
separation and spoke Bhramara-géta,
She is Viyoginé-Rädhikä.
Actually, She is never in viyoga (separation),
in the sense that she
is never separated from Kåñëa. Çréla
Rüpa Gosvämé has explained
this truth in his Lalita-mädhava and
also in Ujjvala-nélamaëi.
This is why Kavi Karëapüra has not
discussed the lélä of Mathurä
and Dvärakä. He completes his Änanda-våndävana-campü
just
after the räsa-lélä. Our äcäryas
can never tolerate the idea that
Rädhikä should be separated from Kåñëa.
In Her original and
complete feature She is called
Våñabhänu-nandiné. She is always
with Nanda-nandana Kåñëa, and the
Rädhikä who feels separation
in Nandagaon is Her manifestation,
Viyoginé-Rädhikä. She is
the same Rädhikä, but She is feeling
separation. Then, in
Kurukñetra, She is Saàyoginé-Rädhikä.
She goes there for a
moment, for one or two days and, keeping
Kåñëa on the chariot
of Her mind, She brings Him back to
Våndävana. Saàyoga means
“always meeting.”
2 6 9
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN JAGANNÄTHA
PURÉ AND NAVADVÉPA
In the mantra “gauräya svähä”
or “tan no gauraù
pracodayät,” the name Viçvambhara is uttered.
Viçvambhara
never lived in the cave (the Gambhérä)
in Jagannätha Puré, for He
is Çacénandana Gaurahari in Navadvépa.
From there He gives so
much knowledge, so much love and
affection, and a very highclass
prema to the jévas. He even gave prema
to Jagäi and
Mädhäi. Viçvambharäya dhémahi –
we meditate on Him in
Navadvépa.
In the cave of the Gambhérä, Mahäprabhu
played a role of great
opulence. At that time, in the night,
no one but Räya Rämänanda
and Svarüpa Dämodara – that is, Viçäkhä
and Lalitä – were able to
witness His pastimes. At that time,
although he was intimately
familiar with all of Mahäprabhu’s
pastimes, even Çréla Rüpa
Gosvämé could not go there. In
Godävaré, Mahäprabhu manifested
His form as rasaräja-mahäbhäva –
this is opulence. At that
time even Rämänanda Räya began to pray
like Devaké or Arjuna,
“Oh, You are that same Supreme
Personality of Godhead!”
In Navadvépa there is no opulence. In
Navadvépa, Çacénandana
played as Kåñëa played with the girls
in Våndävana. While
bathing in the Gaìgä He would say to
the little girls, “Will you
marry Me? I want to marry you; if you
will not marry Me then you
will not be happy. Give your offerings
of sandeça and bananas
to Me rather than to Çiva.” This comes
in the category of the añöakäléya-
lélä of Caitanya Mahäprabhu, and it is therefore far superior
to any lélä in Jagannätha Puré.
In Navadvépa there is
svärasiké-upäsanä, meditational worship on the continual
flow
of unlimited léläs taking place
throughout the various periods of
each day, whereas in Puré there is mantramayé-upäsanä,
meditational
worship of a specific lélä, in
this case Çrématé Rädhikä’s
feelings of separation for Kåñëa. In
Navadvépa, Mahäprabhu performed
His mädhurya-lélä, whereas in
Jagannätha Puré the lélä is
full of aiçvarya. In Navadvépa,
Çacénandana’s school friends
2 7 0
THE ORIGIN OF RATHA-YÄTRÄ
could quarrel with Him. Gadädhara
Paëòita and Jagadänanda
Paëòita always used to quarrel with Him
as young schoolboys,
and Çacé Mätä used to chastise her son.
In Jagannätha Puré, however,
even the King, although wanting to keep
his head at
Mahäprabhu’s lotus feet, could not
approach Him. Räya
Rämänanda and all others always prayed
to Mahäprabhu. He was
not considered their friend, but rather
He was considered much
greater than them. In this way, navadvépa-lélä
is sweeter than the
lélä of Jagannätha Puré, and there are many deep truths hidden
there.
If you take bath in Navadvépa at
Bärakoëa-ghäöa, you will
emerge at Keçé-ghäöa, Våndävana, where
the räsa-lélä is taking
place. However, if you bathe in the
ocean at Jagannätha Puré at
Svarga-dvära, you will not emerge in
Våndävana. Only if you are
in the Gambhérä can you know something
of the glory of
Våndävana, and only then if you have
intense greed to go there.
Navadvépa is therefore more glorious
than Jagannätha Puré and it
is even more glorious than the bank of
the Godävaré.
Although Caitanya Mahäprabhu enacted
plentiful pastimes in
Navadvépa, He still felt the necessity
to accept sannyäsa. He did
not only want to taste rasa, He
also wanted to sprinkle mercy. In
Navadvépa He was both tasting and
giving something, but in
order to give even more, He accepted
the renounced life of a
sannyäsé. He quickly left Çacé Mätä and
Viñëupriyä, and these
were very sorrowful scenes. Kåñëa
abandoned the gopés in
Våndävana, went to Mathurä, and after
that to Dvärakä. Similarly,
Mahäprabhu left Viñëupriyä-devé just as
Rämacandra left Sétä forever,
and this was particularly
heart-rending.
After taking sannyäsa,
Mahäprabhu went to Puré. After that He
was admitted into the school of Räya Rämänanda
and then into
the school of Svarüpa Dämodara, and
after that He preached His
mission of räga-märga; that is, rägänuga-bhakti.
2 7 1
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN JAGANNÄTHA
PURÉ AND NAVADVÉPA
Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu at
Öoöä-gopénätha in Puré
On the occasions that Mahäprabhu saw
Subhadrä and
Baladeva, He did not experience much
pleasure. Rather, in front
of Baladeva and His sister Subhadrä, He
felt shy and thought, “I
have come to Kurukñetra.” He was in the
mood of Çrématé
Rädhikä at Kurukñetra where, in great
separation, She tried to
bring Kåñëa (Jagannätha) to Våndävana.
In the mood of Çrématé
Rädhikä, Mahäprabhu did not like to see
Kåñëa at Kurukñetra
because all His associates, along with
all His queens of Dvärakä,
were present, and there were many
horses and elephants.
There was no chance for Rädhikä to be
with Kåñëa in private
at Kurukñetra, and this is why
Mahäprabhu felt unbearable separation
during the Ratha-yäträ Festival. He
also felt unbearable
separation in the Gambhérä. There, His
mood was like that of
Rädhikä’s in Våndävana as She felt
separation from Kåñëa when
He was in Dvärakä. The mood of
separation was always present
in Mahäprabhu when He was in Puré. When
Rädhikä went to
Kurukñetra, She could not take rest
with Kåñëa. Instead, She was
given separate accommodation in a tent,
and Kåñëa lived with the
Yädavas and His queens. When He went to
His own accommodation,
She felt great separation from Him.
In Puré, Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu
sometimes saw the sea as the
Yamunä and jumped in it, but once there
He wept still more
because Kåñëa would disappear.
Sometimes He became like a
tortoise, His limbs drawn into His
body, and sometimes the joints
of His hands and legs would become
separated by as much as
eight inches and remain connected only
by skin. At that time He
sometimes appeared like a ghost, and
when the devotees would
see Him in that condition, they would
become fearful and begin
to weep for Him. All this was due to
His separation from Kåñëa.
2 7 2
THE ORIGIN OF RATHA-YÄTRÄ
Therefore, to get some relief, He would
go to take darçana of the
deity of Öoöä-gopénätha. Seeing
Öoöä-gopénätha, He thought,
“Oh, I have come to Våndävana. My präëanätha
is here.” In this
way His tears of separation would
subside.
On the left side of Öoöä-gopénätha is
Rädhikä, on the right side
Lalitä, and both are black like Kåñëa.
Rädhä becomes black by
seeing Her präëanätha and
becoming deeply absorbed in Him.
She sometimes takes Kåñëa’s flute and
begins to play it, and in
this way also, being fully absorbed in
Him, She becomes black.
This is also true of Lalitä. Thinking
of black Kåñëa, she also
becomes black. This is the mood of
Öoöä-gopénätha accompanied
by Rädhikä and Lalitä. Likewise, in the
mood of Çrématé Rädhikä,
Kåñëa becomes Mahäprabhu, and at that
time Lalitä becomes Çré
Svarüpa Dämodara.
Although you will not see any other vigraha
sitting, He sits.
Some say that when Çréla Gadädhara
Paëòita became old, he
could no longer offer garlands to
Öoöä-gopénätha, and therefore
Öoöä-gopénätha sat down. But this is
not actually true. Caitanya
Mahäprabhu disappeared at the age of
48, and Gadädhara
Paëòita was only one year younger. He
left this world a year after
Mahäprabhu disappeared, and thus there
was no chance for him
to become old. The actual history is
that when Mahäprabhu disappeared,
following Mahäprabhu’s order, Gadädhara
Paëòita did
not leave the worship of
Öoöä-gopénätha. Always feeling separation
from Mahäprabhu, he quickly became lean
and thin, and it
was for this reason that he could not stand
up to give Öoöägopénätha
a garland. Seeing Gadädhara Paëòita in
such a state,
Öoöä-gopénätha sat down for him, and
Gadädhara Paëòita continued
to offer garlands along with his tears.
There was a devotee of Çré Caitanya
Mahäprabhu named Mämu
Öhäkura who used to render various
services to Him. Soon after
Mahäprabhu disappeared, Gadädhara
Paëòita also disappeared,
2 7 3
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN JAGANNÄTHA
PURÉ AND NAVADVÉPA
and at that time his disciple Mämu
Öhäkura was appointed by the
government of Puré to serve
Öoöä-gopénätha. He was old – about
84 years – and he could not properly
offer garlands to Öoöägopénätha.
Some say that perhaps because Mämu
Öhäkura could
not give garlands to Öoöä-gopénätha in
his old age, Öoöägopénätha
sat down for him. Actually, however,
Öoöä-gopénätha
sat only for Çrématé Rädhikä (who
appeared as Gadädhara
Paëòita). It is a common thing for
Kåñëa to stand up and sit down
for Çrématé Rädhikä.
At first Mahäprabhu resided in
Navadvépa, from childhood up
to kiçora-lélä, reading and
writing. When He was 24 years old He
left His home and came to Jagannätha
Puré, where He bestowed
His mercy upon Särvabhauma Bhaööäcärya.
After that He went to
South India, and there He met Çré Räya Rämänanda
at Godävaré.
First Räya Rämänanda saw Him as rasika-çekhara
(Kåñëa). Then
He saw rasaräja-mahäbhäva,
Çrématé Rädhikä and Kåñëa combined,
and he fainted. After that Mahäprabhu
returned to Puré
and fully relished the vipralambha-bhäva
of Çrématé Rädhikä.
Caitanya Mahäprabhu performed His kiçora-lélä
in Navadvépa,
and therefore Navadvépa is none other
than Våndävana. Çréla
Narottama däsa Öhäkura and others have
explained that it is
actually non-different from Våndävana,
but they never said that
Jagannätha-kñetra is Våndävana. Rather,
Jagannätha-kñetra represents
Dvärakä or Kurukñetra.
Those who follow Çré Caitanya
Mahäprabhu and perform
bhajana in Navadvépa will emerge in Våndävana
on the bank of
the Yamunä at Vaàçévaöa. Our äcäryas
have revealed this in their
writings, but they have never said that
Jagannätha Puré is the
same as Våndävana. Çré Kñetra means
Lakñmé-kñetra, where
Satyabhämä and Rukmiëé, or Mahä-Lakñmé,
reside. If someone
leaves his body in Jagannätha Puré, he
assumes a four-handed
form (in Vaikuëöha), but this is not so
in Våndävana and
2 7 4
THE ORIGIN OF RATHA-YÄTRÄ
Navadvépa. There, one will become two
handed like the associates
of Rädhä and Kåñëa. Therefore,
Navadvépa is superior to
Jagannätha Puré.
The four places of Mahäprabhu are
Navadvépa, Puré, Godävaré,
and Våndävana. Våndävana and Navadvépa
are the same, but
they are seen as two. At the time of sädhana,
Navadvépa is seen
as Navadvépa, and when the devotee has
reached perfection, it is
seen as Våndävana. In sädhanävastha (the
stage of performing
sädhana) we will see Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu
in the form of Çré
Caitanya Mahäprabhu, but when we become
perfected, we will
exclaim, “Oh, Rädhä and Kåñëa have
together become Çré
Caitanya Mahäprabhu.” So both are one.
In the intense separation of divyonmäda,
Çré Caitanya
Mahäprabhu used to see Puré as
Kurukñetra and Dvärakä. As far
as Godävaré is concerned, it is
Mahäprabhu’s “school.” There He
learned from His çikñä-guru,
Viçäkhä-devé, in the school
of Räya
Rämänanda, and after that He returned
to Puré. And in Puré, He
was always absorbed in thoughts of
Våndävana.
Some people say that the part of Puré
in which Öoöä-gopénätha
resides is gupta-våndävana. It
is true that Mahäprabhu used to
see Öoöä-gopénätha’s dwelling as
Våndävana, but it is not
Våndävana. It is part of Dvärakä and
Kurukñetra, and Çré Caitanya
Mahäprabhu used to feel separation
there in Puré throughout the
entire day and night. He would only
lament in the mood of
separation.
The äcäryas in our disciplic
line are associates of Çrématé
Rädhikä, pälyadäsés. They want
Çrématé Rädhikä to be always
cheerful, and She is cheerful when She
is with Kåñëa. We are
pleased when Rädhikä is hidden in a kuïja
and Kåñëa is searching
for Her, calling, “Where is Rädhä?
Where are Rädhä, Lalitä,
Viçäkhä, and the others?” At that time
the gopés are most pleased,
thinking, “Oh, today He is searching.”
We should come to the
2 7 5
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN JAGANNÄTHA
PURÉ AND NAVADVÉPA
stage in which we can also be pleased
in that way.
In Puré, Rädhikä (Caitanya Mahäprabhu)
is always calling, “O
Kåñëa! O Kåñëa!” We do not desire that.
We select as the best
place, that place where Kåñëa will
search – a place like Rädhäkuëòa.
There Kåñëa approaches Rädhikä and
serves Her lotus
feet, and at that time Rädhikä feels
proud and happy. In Puré
there is no räsa-lélä. Yet
Jagannätha Puré is extremely important.
For us, at our stage, the mood of
separation is more helpful than
meeting. But ultimately we want Çrématé
Rädhikä to be always
pleased. In Puré She is always weeping
and we don’t want to see
that. We consider Våndävana the best
place, because Våndävana
is where Rädhikä will place Her feet in
Kåñëa’s lap, and He will
paint His name on them. Kåñëa will then
keep Her feet on His
head and heart, and the fresh color on
Her feet will make stamplike
prints on His body. Kåñëa always serves
Her in Våndävana,
where She will say, “Oh, He loves Me
best.” This is what we
desire. For sädhana, on the
other hand, separation is helpful.
Without developing feelings of
separation, we cannot advance
an inch.
Ratha-yäträ in Çrédhäma Navadvépa –
is it contradictory to the conception
of
rüpänuga-bhakti?
[In the following article originally
printed in the December 1969
issue of Çré Bhägavata Patrikä, Çréla
Näräyaëa Mahäräja replies
to some doubts regarding the
present-day performance of Çré
Ratha-yäträ in Navadvépa by the Gauòéya
Vedänta Samiti, as
established by Çréla Bhakti Prajïäna
Keçava Gosvämé
Mahäräja.]
Doubt 1: Ratha-yäträ is not performed in Çré
Våndävana.
Therefore, in Çré Navadvépa-dhäma,
which is abhinna-vraja2
7 6
THE ORIGIN OF RATHA-YÄTRÄ
maëòala (non-different from Vraja), why should
this lélä be
exhibited?
Reply 1: The three worshipable deities of the
Gauòéya Vaiñëavas,
namely Çré Madana-mohana, Çré Govinda,
and Çré Gopénätha,
have Their respective temples in
Våndävana. The festival of rathayäträ-
lélä has been held in these temples with great pomp and
splendor for hundreds of years. At the
same time as the Çré Rathayäträ
procession is held in Puré, the same
festival is also held in
the temples established by the
Gosvämés, such as the Çré Rädhä-
Dämodara Mandira, and also in the Çré
Rädhä-Çyämasundara
Mandira, the Çré Rädhä-Gokulänanda
Mandira, and others. In
addition, it is also held in almost all
the prominent temples of the
other sampradäyas such as the Çré Raìganätha
Temple and the
Çré Çaha-bihäré Mandira. This annual ratha-yäträ-lélä
is also a
common sight in the homes of thousands
of Vrajaväsés. This procession
takes place not only in Våndävana but
also in Mathurä,
Nandagaon, Varñäëä, and even at
Rädhä-kuëòa. Moreover, there
are also ancient temples of Çré
Jagannätha-deva in Våndävana and
at Rädhä-kuëòa. Therefore, the
statement that the ratha-yäträlélä
is not performed in Våndävana or
Vraja-maëòala is completely
false.
There are rüpänuga Vaiñëavas
throughout the world. They
have performed the procession of çré-ratha-yäträ-lélä
in the past,
and they are still performing it, in
order to nourish their bhajana.
An associate of Çré Gaurasundara, Çré
Kamaläkara Pippaläi, is a
friend of Kåñëa named Mahäbala Sakhä
among the dvädaçagopälas
(twelve prominent cowherd boys) in kåñëa-lélä.
He
manifested the service and pastimes of ratha-yäträ-lélä
of Çré
Jagannätha-deva in Bengal,
in the district known as Maheça.
Even today, this Ratha-yäträ Festival
is observed annually with
magnificent pageantry. In the nearby
district of Çré Räma-pura,
2 7 7
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN JAGANNÄTHA
PURÉ AND NAVADVÉPA
the service of Çré Jagannätha-deva is
conducted both in
Vallabhapura and Chatra, where
Ratha-yäträ has been observed
for hundreds of years. In the village of Dhäma-räi (in the district
of Òhäkä), Ratha-yäträ is also very
famous.
The Vyäsadeva of çré-gaura-lélä,
Çré Våndävana däsa Öhäkura,
has also established a deity of Çré
Jagannätha-deva in his own village
of Çrépäöa, Çré Mämagächi in Çré Modadrumadvépa
in Çré
Navadvépa-dhäma. The service of Çré
Jagannätha-deva is still
going on there even today. The
Ratha-yäträ of Mahéñadala, in the
district of Medinépura, is also very
famous. These days, even in
large cities of America such as San Francisco, Çré Ratha-yäträ is
celebrated in a grand style, in
accordance with the mood of Çré
Caitanya Mahäprabhu.
Çréman Mahäprabhu expressed a
particular mood in regard to
Ratha-yäträ. He always considered that
Çré Kåñëa, being mounted
upon His chariot, is returning to
Våndävana to meet with all the
gopés, especially Çrématé Rädhikä, who had been afflicted by
the
severe pains of separation from Kåñëa
for a very long time. We
should always remember that the rüpänuga-äcäryas
who had the
necessary facilities manifested this
pastime of the Ratha-yäträ
Festival on the earthly plane in order
to stimulate the aforementioned
mood of Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu within
their hearts and
to nourish their bhajana. Some niñkiïcana-rüpänuga
Vaiñëavas,
being bereft of the necessary facilities
for observing this festival,
have stimulated this mood within their
hearts by mänasé-sevä,
service performed within the mind.
Alternatively, they nourish
their bhäva by taking darçana
of çré-ratha-yäträ-lélä in various
places such as Puré-dhäma. The purpose
of both approaches is
fundamentally one; there is no
difference between them.
Doubt 2: Seeing the ratha would
stimulate a terribly undesirable
apprehension in the hearts of the vraja-gopés.
Therefore, how
2 7 8
THE ORIGIN OF RATHA-YÄTRÄ
can the rüpänuga Vaiñëavas, who
are following the moods of the
gopés, join in the Ratha-yäträ procession?
Reply 2: This concept is also completely wrong
in all respects.
Adorned with the sentiment and
complexion of Çré Rädhä, Çré
Gaurasundara is directly Çré Kåñëa Himself.
Çré Gadädhara
Gosvämé (Çrématé Rädhikä), Çré Svarüpa
Dämodara (Çré Lalitä), Çré
Räya Rämänanda (Çré Viçäkhä), Çréla
Rüpa Gosvämé (Çré Rüpa
Maïjaré), Çré Sanätana Gosvämé (Çré
Lavaìga Maïjaré), Çré
Raghunätha däsa Gosvämé (Çré Rati
Maïjaré), and all of the associates
of Çré Gaurasundara, who were all
mainly sakhés or sakhäs
in Vraja, assembled together for
Ratha-yäträ. They all danced and
chanted before the chariot, deeply
immersed in the mood:
“kåñëa laïä vraje yäi e-bhäva antara
– let us take Kåñëa and go
back to Våndävana.” Did the associates
of Mahäprabhu feel any
distress or anguish upon seeing the
chariot? Definitely not. Then
why will their followers, the rüpänuga
Vaiñëavas, feel any
anguish or undesirable apprehension?
The internal moods of Ratha-yäträ as
promoted by Çré
Gaurasundara are as follows: after a
long period of separation,
on the occasion of the solar eclipse at
Kurukñetra, Çrématé
Rädhikä and the gopés met with
Çré Kåñëa. But Çrématé Rädhikä
was not satisfied because Çré Kåñëa was
dressed as a king and
surrounded by immense opulence,
elephants, horses, military
generals, and His associates of
Dvärakä. She wanted to see Kåñëa
dressed as a cowherd boy in Våndävana,
the place of His sweet,
human-like pastimes. Therefore She
wanted to bring Kåñëa back
to Vraja. It is evident from the Padma
Puräëa that çré-rathayäträ-
lélä, the pastime of Kåñëa’s returning again to Våndävana
on a chariot, is exhibited in Çré
Jagannätha Puré and other places.
Therefore, what is there to impede the
manifestation of Rathayäträ
in Çré Våndävana or Çré
Navadvépa-dhäma? In order to stimulate
this profound mood that was established
by Çréman
2 7 9
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN JAGANNÄTHA
PURÉ AND NAVADVÉPA
Mahäprabhu, His devout followers can
perform Ratha-yäträ
everywhere, and have indeed done so.
The mood of Çréman
Mahäprabhu has been revealed in this
verse:
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.
And also:
ei dhuyä-gäne näcena dvitéya prahara
kåñëa laïä vraje yäi e-bhäva antara
Çré Caitanya-caritämåta (Madhya-lélä 1.56)
Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu used to sing
this song [sei ta paräëanätha]
especially during the latter part of
the day, and He would
think, “Let Me take Kåñëa back to
Våndävana.” This ecstasy was
always filling His heart.
Yes, it is true that when the gopés,
or the Vaiñëavas who have
taken shelter of gopé-bhäva, see
the chariot which takes Kåñëa
out of Vraja and far away from them,
they feel anguish and the
apprehension that Kåñëa will not
return. However, when they see
the chariot on which Kåñëa sat and
returned to Våndävana, they
become overjoyed – not sorrowful.
2 8 0
THE ORIGIN OF RATHA-YÄTRÄ
After taking permission from the gopas
and gopés of
Våndävana, Uddhava sat upon his chariot
and was about to
return to Mathurä to meet with Kåñëa.
At that time the vrajagopas
and gopés, overwhelmed with prema,
adorned the chariot
with various gifts for Kåñëa and bade
Uddhava farewell with
great respect.
atha gopér anujïäpya
yaçodäà nandam eva ca
gopän ämantrya däçärho
yäsyann äruruhe ratham
Çrémad-Bhägavatam (10.47.64)
[Çukadeva Gosvämé said:] Uddhava, the
descendant of Daçärha,
then took permission to leave from the gopés
and from Mother
Yaçodä and Nanda Mahäräja. He bade
farewell to all the cowherd
men and, about to depart, mounted his
chariot.
Furthermore, after some time, Çré
Baladeva came to Nanda-
Gokula on a chariot. When he arrived,
all the gopas and gopés
welcomed Him with great affection.
balabhadraù kuru-çreñöha
bhagavän ratham ästhitaù
suhåd-didåkñur utkaëöhaù
prayayau nanda-gokulam
Çrémad-Bhägavatam (10.65.1)
[Çukadeva Gosvämé said:] O best of the
Kurus, once Lord
Balaräma, eager to visit his
well-wishing friends, mounted his
chariot and traveled to Nanda-Gokula.
2 8 1
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN JAGANNÄTHA
PURÉ AND NAVADVÉPA
pariñvaktaç cirotkaëöhair
gopair gopébhir eva ca
rämo ’bhivädya pitaräv
äçérbhir abhinanditaù
Çrémad-Bhägavatam (10.65.2)
Having long suffered the anxiety of
separation, the cowherd men
and their wives embraced Lord Balaräma.
The Lord then offered
respects to his parents, and they
joyfully greeted him with
blessings.
Çréla Jéva Gosvämé, on the basis of the
verses of the Padma
Puräëa, has described that Kåñëa, after
killing Dantavakra,
indeed returned to Vraja upon a
chariot. Upon hearing the sound
of Kåñëa’s conch and the rumbling of
His chariot, all the gopas
and gopés of Vraja surmised that
Kåñëa was returning. Driven by
excessive eagerness to see Him, even
feeble old women ran with
great haste from wherever they were in
the direction of the
sound of Kåñëa’s conch and chariot.
When they drew nearer and
saw that Garuòa was sitting on the flag
of the chariot, they
became sure that Kåñëa was definitely
returning to Vraja. Being
overwhelmed with joy, they became
motionless like statues and
were unable to go any further. Only
their gaze advanced in the
direction of the approaching chariot.
This is described in the following
verse from Çré Gopäla-campü (30.34):
stré-bäla-våddha-valitä vraja-väsinäs
te
kåñëägatià yadu-puräd anumäya-çaìkhät
evaà dravanti capalaà sma yathä vidur
na
svätmänam apy ahaha kià punar
agra-paçcät
Therefore, the idea that the vraja-gopés
become distressed and
apprehensive upon seeing a chariot in
all circumstances is
incorrect.
2 8 2
THE ORIGIN OF RATHA-YÄTRÄ
In the pastime of Çré Ratha-yäträ, and
also on the path of çrérüpänuga-
bhajana, the importance of the internal mood
is predominant.
Externally perceived substances or
places are not
more important than the internal mood.
In Ratha-yäträ, the internal
mood that Kåñëa is returning to Vraja
is stimulated and
inspired, not the pastimes of Dvärakä
or Mathurä. Kåñëa returned
to Vraja after being absent for a very
long time, and it is in this
mood that Çré Jagannätha-deva travels
from the Jagannätha
Mandira in Puré to the Çré Guëòicä
Mandira. During this journey
Çré Gaurasundara and His confidential
associates experienced the
utmost jubilation, being deeply
absorbed in the moods of Çré
Rädhä and the vraja-gopés,
respectively. Moreover, they all
assembled together before the chariot,
singing and dancing in
great joy, fully absorbed in exactly
the same bhäva, during the
ulta-ratha-yäträ (the festival of Jagannätha-deva’s
return to Çré
Mandira from Çré Guëòicä).
Did they think that by observing
Ratha-yäträ as it proceeded in
the opposite direction that Çré Kåñëa
was leaving Våndävana and
returning to Mathurä or Dvärakä? Never.
Such an understanding
must be mistaken. It has been mentioned
in Çré Caitanyacaritämåta
how Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu and His
associates
assembled together, danced, and
performed kértana at the ultaratha-
yäträ:
ära dine jagannäthera bhitara-vijaya
rathe caòi’ jagannätha cale nijälaya
Çré Caitanya-caritämåta (Madhya-lélä 14. 244)
The next day Lord Jagännätha came out
from the temple and,
riding on the car, returned to His own
abode.
2 8 3
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN JAGANNÄTHA
PURÉ AND NAVADVÉPA
pürvavat kaila prabhu laïä bhakta-gaëa
parama änande karena nartana-kértana
Çré Caitanya-caritämåta (Madhya-lélä 14. 245)
As previously, Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu
and His devotees chanted
and danced with great pleasure.
Although the vraja-gopés,
especially Çrématé Rädhikä, were
extremely anxious to see Çré Kåñëa,
they would not leave
Våndävana even to go the very short
distance to where Kåñëa was
staying in Mathurä. Then how can Çré
Gaurasundara, who is
adorned with the sentiments of Çrématé
Rädhikä, along with His
associates, stay at the Puré Mandira or
Çré Gambhérä? The Puré
Mandira and Çré Gambhérä are the
embodiment of Dvärakä
because the Ratha-yäträ sets off from
there. Alternatively, Çré
Gaurasundara used to see the gardens of
Puré as Våndävana, the
ocean as Yamunä, and Caöaka-parvata as
Govardhana. In such a
Våndävana, what aspect of the
Ratha-yäträ Festival would be
contrary to the principles of rägänuga-
or rüpänuga-bhakti?
Why did the Vrajaväsé Gosvämés, Çréla
Öhäkura Bhaktivinoda,
Çréla Bhaktisiddhänta Sarasvaté Öhäkura
Prabhupäda, Çréla
Çrédhara Mahäräja, and all the prominent
rüpänuga-äcäryas go
to Çré Puré-dhäma to have darçana of
Ratha-yäträ, if Ratha-yäträ
darçana would be the cause of any type of
disturbance or apprehension
that something undesirable was about to
happen? It
appears that darçana of
Ratha-yäträ simply stimulates vrajagopé-
prema.
Doubt 3: From ancient times up until the
present day, no great
personality who was expert in the
performance of bhajana has
ever performed the procession of ratha-yäträ-lélä
in Çré
Navadvépa-dhäma, which is abhinna-vraja,
non-different from
Vraja-maëòala.
2 8 4
THE ORIGIN OF RATHA-YÄTRÄ
Reply 3: This statement is meaningless and
incoherent in all
respects for the following reason. From
the time of Çréman
Mahäprabhu until the present day,
almost all Gauòéya äcäryas
and bhaktas have made a
pilgrimage to Puré-dhäma at the time of
Ratha-yäträ to have darçana of
the festival. In this way, the
divinely inspired vision of the moods
exhibited by Çré
Gaurasundara is stimulated within their
hearts and thus their
bhajana is nourished. Until now, there had been
no impetus to
manifest Ratha-yäträ in Çré
Navadvépa-dhäma and our previous
äcäryas had not considered it necessary to do
so. However, whenever
the inspiration came in the hearts of
great personalities, they
manifested this lélä in various
places in Gauòa-maëòala, such as
in the district of Maheça. Thus if a
great personality is also
inspired to manifest this lélä in
Çré Navadvépa-dhäma, then it is in
no way contrary to the path of çré-rüpänuga-bhajana.
For example, in the Gauòéya Vaiñëava sampradäya,
from the
time of Çréman Mahäprabhu, Çrémad-Bhägavatam
has been considered
the natural commentary on Çré
Brahma-sütra. However,
when the necessity arose, Çré Gauòéya
Vedäntäcärya Baladeva
Vidyäbhüñaëa Prabhu manifested a
separate commentary, namely
Çré Govinda-bhäñya. Is this activity contrary to siddhänta,
or is it
the embodiment of prestige for our
Gauòéya sampradäya?
Doubt 4: Çréla Bhaktisiddhänta Sarasvaté
Öhäkura did not perform
ratha-yäträ-lélä in Çré Gaura-dhäma.
Reply 4: Çréla Bhaktisiddhänta Sarasvaté
Öhäkura manifested Çré
Rädhä-kuëòa and Çré Çyäma-kuëòa in
Vrajapattana (at Çré Caitanya
Maöha) within Çrédhäma Mäyäpura. He
preached daivavarëäçrama-
dharma, re-established the use of saffron
cloth and
tridaëòi-sannyäsa in the Gauòéya Vaiñëava sampradäya,
and
flew the victory flag of Gauòéya
Vaiñëava dharma throughout the
world. Prior to the appearance of this
crown jewel in the dynasty
2 8 5
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN JAGANNÄTHA
PURÉ AND NAVADVÉPA
of äcäryas, no other äcärya ever
inaugurated the aforementioned
activities. Yet, can any of these
projects of Çréla Bhaktisiddhänta
Prabhupäda be considered contrary to
the principles of
rüpänuga-bhakti? Never. Anyone who says such a thing
is utterly
ignorant of bhakti-tattva. [The
point here being that, just as Çréla
Bhaktisiddhänta Sarasvaté Öhäkura set
precedents in certain areas,
so his disciple, Çréla Bhakti Prajïäna
Keçava Gosvämé Mahäräja,
can also set precedents when there is a
need to do so.]
Doubt 5: In Çré Navadvépa-dhäma, how is the darçana
of
Dvärakä possible or appropriate?
Reply 5: We have already explained that the
predominant bhäva
in çré-ratha-yäträ-lélä is “kåñëa
laïä vraje yäi – let us take Kåñëa
to Vraja.” There is not even the
slightest scent of a sphürti
(momentary vision) or darçana of
Dvärakä in this bhäva.
Therefore, even the question of any
kind of dvärakä-darçana
arising from the performance of ratha-yäträ-lélä
in Çré
Navadvépa-dhäma is irrelevant. On the
other hand, Çré
Navadvépa-maëòala, which is
non-different from Våndävana, is
aàçi-dhäma, i.e. the root dhäma in which
all other dhämas
exist. Mathurä, Dvärakä, Ayodhyä, and
Paravyoma are all eternally
existing in Çré Navadvépa-dhäma, just
as all the plenary portions
of aàçé Kåñëa, such as Näräyaëa
and Viñëu, exist eternally
within Him.
At Candraçekhara-bhavana
(Vrajapattana) in Mäyäpuradhäma,
Çré Gaurasundara personally used to
dance in the mood
of Çré Rukmiëé, yet it is well known
that Çré Rukmiëé-devé is an
associate of dvärakä-lélä.
Therefore, if this lélä is possible in
Vrajapattana, which is non-different
from Vraja or Çré Rädhäkuëòa,
then how can dvärakä-darçana be
impossible in
Çrédhäma Navadvépa? Thus on what
grounds can it be said that
the manifestation of ratha-yäträ-lélä
is not possible?
2 8 6
THE ORIGIN OF RATHA-YÄTRÄ
Hence, the conclusion is that there is
an inseparable relationship
between ratha-yäträ-lélä and rüpänuga-änugatya,
the
pursuance of the pure path established
by Çréla Rüpa Gosvämé.
Çré-rüpänuga Vaiñëavas manifest this lélä throughout
Navadvépadhäma
and thus, according to the path founded
by Çréman
Mahäprabhu, they inspire the internal
mood expressed in the
following verse written by Çréla Rüpa
Gosvämé:
priyaù so ’yaà kåñëaù sahacari
kuru-kñetra-militas
tathähaà sä rädhä tad idam ubhayoù
saìgama-sukham
tathäpy
antaù-khelan-madhura-muralé-païcama-juñe
mano me kälindé-pulina-vipinäya
spåhayati
Çré Caitanya-caritämåta (Madhya-lélä 1.76)
[Çrématé Rädhäräëé said:] My dear
friend, now I have met My very
old and dear friend Kåñëa on this field
of Kurukñetra. I am the
same Rädhäräëé, and now we are meeting
together. It is very
pleasant, but still I would like to go
to the bank of the Yamunä
beneath the trees of the forest there.
I wish to hear the vibration of
His sweet flute playing the fifth note
within that forest of
Våndävana.
This mood thoroughly nourishes the bhajana
of the genuine
çré-rüpänuga Vaiñëavas.
2 8 7
Sending the deity back
Toward the end of His lélä, Çré
Caitanya Mahäprabhu read a
sonnet written by Çré Advaita Äcärya:
bäulake kahiha, loka ha-ila bäula
bäulake kahiha, häöe nä vikäya cäula
Çré Caitanya-caritämåta (Antya-lélä 19.20)
Please inform Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu,
who is acting like a madman,
that everyone here has become mad like
Him. Inform Him also that rice
is no longer in demand in the marketplace.
It is fully available in the
market, but no one is purchasing.
What does this mean? Caitanya
Mahäprabhu had been called
by Çré Advaita Äcärya when there was no
“rice” anywhere, when
there was only emptiness everywhere.
Mahäprabhu and His
associates then brought “rice,” which
was the love and affection
for Kåñëa that is attained through
chanting His name. Now,
everyone everywhere had become
satisfied and wealthy. No one
needed to buy rice any more, so there
was no more need for
CLOSING WORDS
CHAPTER ELEVEN
2 8 8
THE ORIGIN OF RATHA-YÄTRÄ
shops and shopkeepers. Advaita Äcärya
had called the deity, and
now he was sending Him back to His
abode.
Practically no one could understand the
letter. Only one
person, Çré Svarüpa Dämodara,
understood, and that is why he
questioned Caitanya Mahäprabhu:
jäniyä svarüpa gosäïi prabhure puchila
‘ei tarajära artha bujhite närila’
Çré Caitanya-caritämåta (Antya-lélä 19.25)
Although he knew the secret, Svarüpa
Dämodara Gosvämé
inquired from the Lord, “What is the
meaning of this sonnet? I
could not understand it.”
Caitanya Mahäprabhu replied:
upäsanä lägi’ devera karena ävähana
püjä lägi’ kata käla karena nirodhana
Çré Caitanya-caritämåta (Antya-lélä 19.26)
Advaita Äcärya invites the Lord to come
and be worshiped, and he
keeps the deity for some time to
perform the worship.
Svarüpa Dämodara wanted to hear from
Çré Caitanya
Mahäprabhu’s own mouth, and Mahäprabhu
explained everything:
“He called Me, and now he is praying,
‘Please return to
Goloka Våndävana.’” Çréla Haridäsa
Öhäkura was one of the few
people who knew that the Lord would
soon depart, and that is
why he left the world before
Mahäprabhu. He was very intelligent.
Then, one day, Caitanya Mahäprabhu went
to the temple of
Öoöä-gopénätha to listen to Çré
Gadädhara Paëòita reciting
Bhägavatam. Gadädhara Paëòita was weeping while
explaining
the verses, especially this one:
2 8 9
CLOSING WORDS
barhäpéòaà naöa-vara-vapuù karëayoù
karëikäraà
bibhrad väsaù kanaka-kapiçaà
vaijayantéà ca mäläm
randhrän veëor adhara-sudhayäpürayan gopa-våndair
våndäraëyaà sva-pada-ramaëaà präviçad
géta-kértiù
Çrémad-Bhägavatam (10.21.5)
Çyämasundara entered the forest of
Våndä-devé, accompanied by
His cowherd boyfriends. His head was
decorated with a peacock
feather, He wore yellow karëikära flowers
over His ears, and a
dazzling golden-yellow garment on His
body. A fragrant
vaijayanté garland made of five kinds of flowers
hung around His
neck, and extended down to His knees.
He was splendidly attired
as a beautiful naöavara, a most
expert dancer, and He appeared
just like a very fine actor on stage.
He poured the nectar of His lips
through the holes of His flute, and the
cowherd boys followed
behind Him, singing His glories. Çré
Kåñëa made the land of
Våndävana even more charming than
Vaikuëöha, for He beautified
it with prints of His lotus feet, which
were marked with the conch,
disk, and other symbols.
Mahäprabhu became very absorbed and
cried out in separation,
“Where is My beloved Vrajendra-nandana
Çyämasundara?”
Then He entered the altar of Öoöä-gopénätha,
although the curtains
of the altar were closed, and He never
returned from there.
Hardly anyone knew what became of Him.
He finished His
worldly pastimes, and merged into
Öoöä-gopénätha forever.
Mahäprabhu’s final teaching
Caitanya Mahäprabhu was thinking, “I am
Rädhä, and I am
taking Kåñëa to Våndävana.” This is the
essence of the entire
Chariot Festival. Your prayojana (goal)
is that prema.
We also go to Jagannätha Puré with that
objective. Because
Jagannätha Puré is Dvärakä or
Kurukñetra, I would not be in the
THE ORIGIN OF RATHA-YÄTRÄ
mood to go there if it were not for Çré
Caitanya Mahäprabhu. I go
because of Caitanya Mahäprabhu’s
dancing, and because of the
way He saw that unusual figure with
round eyes. Caitanya
Mahäprabhu never thought, “Here are
Jagannätha, Baladeva, and
Subhadrä.” He saw Vrajendra-nandana
Çyämasundara. At present,
we cannot see Jagannätha like that. We
only go there to
obtain that mood of Caitanya Mahäprabhu
– to take all His
moods within us. That is why Çréla Rüpa
Gosvämé used to go, and
that is why Çréla Sanätana Gosvämé and
all the other Gosvämés
were there, as well as Çré Svarüpa
Dämodara, Çré Räya
Rämänanda, and all their associates. It
was only for this.
You should try to remember all these
histories properly. Then
you will have a taste for them, and you
will forget all worldly
attachments. You will forget where you
are, and that is the symptom
that your bhakti is developing.
It is for this reason that Kåñëa
came, Mahäprabhu came, Nityänanda
Prabhu came, Rüpa
Gosvämé and all other gurus came:
only to give these mellows. If
you receive even one drop of them, or
even a tiny fraction of a
drop, your life will be successful.
First we should decide on our
objective, and that objective
is kåñëa-prema-prayojana. What
is kåñëa-prema? Hanumän’s
love for Räma is prema, and
Rukmiëé and Satyabhämä also serve
Kåñëa with prema. Subala Sakhä
and Madhumaìgala also have
prema, and so do Pradyumna and Aniruddha. Uddhava is a
highclass
premätura-bhakta (a devotee imbued with overwhelming
love); Mother Yaçodä and Nanda Bäbä
love Kåñëa still more than
Uddhava; and the gopés have
still greater affection for Kåñëa.
Among these various kinds of prema,
which kåñëa-prema is the
highest and most superior?
Caitanya Mahäprabhu did not come to
this world to sprinkle
all types of prema, nor did He
come only to give regulated
bhakti:
2 9 0
2 9 1
CLOSING WORDS
anarpita-caréà cirät karuëayävatérëaù
kalau
samarpayitum unnatojjvala-rasäà
sva-bhakti-çriyam
hariù
puraöa-sundara-dyuti-kadamba-sandépitaù
sadä hådaya-kandare sphuratu vaù
çacé-nandanaù
Çré Caitanya-caritämåta (Ädi-lélä 1.4)
May the Supreme Lord who is known as
the son of Çrématé Çacédevé
be transcendentally situated in the
innermost chambers of
your heart. Resplendent with the
radiance of molten gold, He has
appeared in the age of Kali by His
causeless mercy to bestow what
no incarnation has ever offered before:
the most sublime and radiant
mellow of devotional service, the
mellow of amorous love.
What is unnatojjvala-prema? Is
it the mood of Subala? Can we
call his love unnatojjvala-prema?
We cannot attain that type of
prema if we do not know this siddhänta.
We can only know
these truths if we have high-class
association, because those who
have no gopé-prema cannot
explain them. We should therefore
go to rasika Vaiñëavas, and they
will explain the meaning of
unnatojjvala-bhakti-rasa and kåñëa-prema. Unnatojjvala
or
upapati-bhäva refers only to the moods of the gopés.
Upapatibhäva
means paramour love. Subala does not
have this type of
love. He has a high class of love, and
the love of Nanda and
Yaçodä is also greatly elevated. They
can control and bind Kåñëa,
but not fully. The love of the queens
of Dvärakä is also very
exalted, but it still cannot be called unnatojjvala-prema,
because
they do not think, “Kåñëa is my
beloved.” Consequently, they can
never actually control Him.
Only the kåñëa-prema of the gopés
can be called unnatojjvalarasa,
and it can never be given to anyone
else. However, the
“beauty” (çré ) of this prema
can be sprinkled upon the jéva, and
it is for this purpose that Kåñëa came
to this world in the form of
Caitanya Mahäprabhu. The beauty of this
prema is Çré Rüpa
2 9 2
THE ORIGIN OF RATHA-YÄTRÄ
Maïjaré’s love and affection for Kåñëa
and Rädhikä; it is Rüpa
Maïjaré’s service to Rädhä-Kåñëa
Yugala, with an inclination
toward Rädhikä. If Rädhikä is happy,
she is happy. If Rädhikä is
unhappy and in a mood of separation,
she will also be in that
mood. If Kåñëa comes to meet Rädhikä,
and Rädhikä tells Rüpa
Maïjaré, “Oh, you should stop Kåñëa
there at the door,” she will
at once go and say to Him, “You cannot
enter Rädhikä’s kuïja.
You must remain here. You are a
cheater, and Rädhikä is not
pleased with You.” Kåñëa will then fall
down at Rüpa Maïjaré’s
lotus feet and pray, “Please permit Me
to enter.”
yat kiìkaréñu bahuçaù khalu käku-väné
nityaà parasya puruñasya
çikhaëòa-mauleù
tasyäù kadä rasa-nidher våñabhänu-jäyäs
tat-keli-kuïja-bhavanäìgana-märjané
syäm
Çré Rädhä-rasa-sudhä-nidhi (8)
O daughter of Våñabhänu Mahäräja, O
ocean of rasa! The Supreme
Bhagavän, who wears a peacock feather
in His hair, falls at the feet
of Your maidservants and propitiates
them with many humble and
grief-stricken words to be allowed
entrance into Your kuïja,
where You engage in playful, amorous
pastimes. If only I could
become one stick in the broom used by
Your sakhés to clean Your
delightful grove, I would consider my
life a success.
Çré Prabodhänanda Sarasvaté prays to
Çrématé Rädhikä, “Kåñëa
folds His palms and prays to the lotus
feet of Rüpa Maïjaré and
Rati Maïjaré, ‘Please let Me enter. I
want to take darçana of
Rädhä.’ They reply, ‘Never. You cannot
go in.’ I therefore want to
be one of the sticks in the broom that
is used for sweeping those
kuïjas of Rädhikä. I just want to be one stick
of that broom, and
then I will think myself fortunate.”
This is the greatest prema-prayojana
– the moods of the
maïjarés who are always serving Çrématé Rädhikä.
2 9 3
CLOSING WORDS
äçä-bharair amåta-sindhu-mayaiù
kathaïcit
kälo mayäti-gamitaù kila sämprataà hi
tvaà cet kåpäà mayi vidhäsyasi naiva
kià me
präëair vrajena ca varoru bakäriëäpi
Viläpa-kusumäïjali (102)
Çréla Raghunätha däsa Gosvämé prays, “O
Rädhikä! O Rädhikä!
Where are You? If You are not merciful
to me, I will give up my
body. I will die, I will die, I will
die. I don’t want to live in
Våndävana or at Rädhä-kuëòa. I don’t
want to live at
Govardhana, I don’t want to worship
Kåñëa, and I don’t even
want to see Him if You are not merciful
to me. I am only waiting
for You, waiting for You. I will die if
You are not merciful to me.”
This is the highest class of prema-prayojana.
We must know
that this rare prema is the
object of life, and then we must enter
the process to achieve it. This is the
pinnacle of vraja-prema, and
you cannot know this truth if you are
not in the association of
pure rasika Vaiñëavas. You will
not be able to differentiate
between the many grades of prema,
and you will be cheated.
You will think “Hanumän’s prema is
the highest,” or “Uddhava’s
prema is the highest.” You will not be able
to differentiate
between the prema of Dvärakä and
the prema of Vraja.
Caitanya Mahäprabhu came especially to
give this rare mood,
and we should try to understand it. But
you cannot achieve this
goal if you are not in good
association, and you are only hearing
this verse: çravaëaà kértanaà viñëoù
smaraëaà pädasevanam
– that is in relation to regulated bhakti. Caitanya
Mahäprabhu did not come for that at
all; Çré Rämänujäcärya and
Madhväcärya had already given it. They
gave bhakti – but not
bhakti-rasa. Therefore, you cannot have it if you
do not read the
books of Çréla Rüpa Gosvämé and Çréla
Raghunätha däsa
Gosvämé, and if you have no greed to
attain this elevated
2 9 4
THE ORIGIN OF RATHA-YÄTRÄ
unnatojjvala mood. You should follow only the
regulative principles
of this type of bhakti –
life after life, after life, after life.
I have only come to remind you of this,
and to give you some
understanding and taste. Never be weak.
Do not think about girlfriends
and boyfriends. Be situated in your
current position. If
you are a family man, remain in that
position. If you are a
brahmacäré, remain there. If you are in the
renounced order,
remain there. Don’t deviate from that
position. If you are a
brahmacäré or brahmacäriëé, your love and
affection for Kåñëa
should develop. How can you decide to
marry if you have taste
for chanting, remembering, and hearing
these sweet pastimes?
How can you decide to be attached to
any girl or boy? Material
attachment cannot touch those who have
some taste. Such devotees
cannot deviate.
Mahäprabhu explained the process for
chanting and remembering
harinäma, and it is written in Çré
Caitanya-caritämåta.
Mahäprabhu prayed, “I do not want
wealth, reputation, position,
a beautiful wife, or advanced
education. I want nothing material.
I only want to serve Kåñëa in all of My
lives – birth after birth.”
Mahäprabhu instructed:
tåëäd api sunécena
taror api sahiñëunä
amäninä mänadena
kértanéyaù sadä hariù
Çikñäñöaka (3)
Thinking oneself to be even lower and
more worthless than
insignificant grass which is trampled
beneath everyone’s feet,
being more tolerant than a tree, being
prideless, and offering
respect to all others according to
their respective positions, one
should continuously chant the holy name
of Çré Hari.
2 9 5
CLOSING WORDS
Do not desire praise for yourself, but
try to honor everyone
else according to their qualities. If
you have no taste – if you are
chanting, but tears do not come and
your heart does not
melt – you should think, “Surely this
is due to my past activities,
especially my offenses to Vaiñëavas.”
Repent for this, and chant
and remember the pastimes of Kåñëa
always. Chant twenty-four
hours a day, as Haridäsa Öhäkura did.
Chant His name thinking, “I am in
Våndävana under the guidance
of a qualified and rasika Vaiñëava.”
This is the process. You
should think, “I am like a particle of
dust at the feet of Kåñëa. This
is my constitutional position; I am
part and parcel of Kåñëa. I
don’t want to be separated from Him,
but because of my own
fault I am separated. O Vaiñëavas! O
Gurudeva! Please be merciful
to me so that I can be a dust particle
at your lotus feet forever.
I want the same mood felt by the gopés.”
yugäyitaà nimeñeëa
cakñuñä prävåñäyitam
çünyäyitaà jagat sarvaà
govinda-viraheëa me
Çikñäñöaka (7)
O sakhé, in separation from
Govinda, even a moment seems like a
millennium to Me. Tears begin to shower
from My eyes like rain
from the clouds, and this entire world
seems void to Me.
The highest aspiration is to serve
Çrématé Rädhikä, whose love
is very elevated: “Kåñëa is still My
beloved, whether He crushes
My heart by separation, or gives Me
great happiness by meeting
with Me. I want to serve Him with love.
If He gives intense separation
and crushes Me, He will still be My
beloved. I cannot live
without Him in any way.” This was the
final teaching of Çréman
Mahäprabhu.
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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