Some of you may have heard the glorifications of Sri Vakreshvara Pandita. By our hearing the glorifications of the eternal associates of Gaurasundara, Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, we rectify our offences and improve our lives.
gaurāṅgera saṅgi-gaṇe nitya-siddha kari māne
Gaurangera duti pada (3)
by Srila Narottama dasa Thakura
[The associates of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu were all nitya-siddhas.]
All aspects of Mahaprabhu’s eternal associates are eternal, and through them we can attain Vraja-bhumi. If we want to drown ourselves in the ocean of Gaurasundara’s love, just like swimmers who dive deep in the ocean, and come out with so many ornaments from the ocean.
In the same way, when we drown ourselves in the loving ocean of Mahaprabhu, we will attain many kinds of transcendental moods: dasya (servitorship), sakhya (friendship), vatsalya (parental love, and madhurya (amorous love).
All kinds of bhavas are described in our scriptures. In Chaitanya-charitamrita, Krishnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami describes all of these things. In order to receive that treasure which Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu wanted to give, we need the mercy of His eternal associates.
Sometimes when performing bhakti, we commit offences at some devotees’ feet, knowingly or unknowingly. As in the pastime of Devananda Pandita in connection with Vakreshvara Pandita. In Chaitanya-bhagavata and in Chaitanya-charitamrita, his character is mentioned.
In Navadvipa-dhama, there was a great scholar and a great speaker of bhagavat-katha, Devananda Pandita. Thousands would gather to hear his katha. He would sing very nicely, and always perform kirtana in a beautiful rhythm. When Sri Devananda Pandita would perform his bhagavat-kirtanas, he recited the shlokas so beautifully, everybody became attracted to his katha.
One day, in that assembly, Sri Srivasa Thakura attended. And when he began hearing the shlokas of Bhagavatam, Srivasa began weeping. Perhaps the verse Devananda Pandita was reciting was related to Rasa-panchadhyayi or Gopi-gita. Anyway, after hearing the sweet tunes of this katha, Srivasa Thakura began crying.
And what is a symptom of a maha-bhagavata? If they just hear a portion of a shloka, they enter in bhava. In the same way, when he heard the shlokas, Srivasa Thakura entered into a deep mood. Actually, he drowned himself in bhava and started crying, as his mind was absorbed in sweet mellows. This kind of conduct is described in Bhakti-rasamrita-sindhu as sadharani-karana, which means that the listener becomes connected with the emotions of the participants of the lila.
It is described that when Srivasa Thakura began to cry, others who were there hearing the hari-katha started thinking, “He is disturbing our listening of Bhagavatam”. Then, Srivasa Thakura was thrown out of the assembly hall where the hari-katha was being spoken.
Later, when Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu heard of this, He became very upset. Try to understand that there are two kinds of bhagavatas: one is bhakta-bhagavata and the other is grantha-bhagavata. And how can we realise who is a grantha-bhagavata? Only by the mercy of bhakta-bhagavata.
yāha, bhāgavata paḍa vaiṣṇavera sthāne
ekānta āśraya kara caitanya-caraṇe
Chaitanya-charitamrita (Antya-lila 5.131)
[“If you want to understand Srimad-Bhagavatam,” he said, “you must approach a self-realised Vaishnava and hear from him. You can do this when you have completely taken shelter of the lotus feet of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.”]
If you want to understand the purport of Bhagavatam, you have to take shelter of a pure devotee. Thus, Devananda Pandita was not able to understand this. And while in the assembly, he did not say anything when they removed Srivasa Thakura. This is why he committed an offence at the feet of Srivasa Thakura— he was unable to realise that Srivasa was a pure devotee of the Lord.
After this pastime, Devananda Pandita was able to serve Vakreshvara Pandita. Once, as Vakreshvara Pandita danced, he became absorbed in bhava. Upon noticing the auspicious symptoms of Vakreshvara Pandita, Devananda Pandita kept the crowd away, so Vakreshvara and his associates remained undisturbed. A bhakta-bhagavata wants someone to serve him, even just a little service, so he can offer his mercy unto them.
Gurudeva would say, “In this material world, if you serve worldly people with your heart and soul, nobody will be pleased. However, if you serve Guru, Vaishnavas, even just a little, Bhagavan will become pleased very easily.” There is a shloka in Chaitanya-charitamrita which says:
alpa-sevā bahu māne ātma-paryanta prasāda
Chaitanya-charitamrita (Antya-lila 1.107)
[The Lord accepts whatever small service a devotee renders as being such a great service that He is prepared to give even Himself, what to speak of other benedictions.]
Thus, if you serve a Vaishnava, even just a little, they will think ''O, he has served me so much.'' And you will very easily attain the fruits of that service. Perhaps, some of you have heard of Narada Rishi. When Naradaji was describing his life to Vyasadeva, he mentioned how, when he was a little boy staying with his mother, during caturmasya he was serving santa-mahatmas and sadhus by cleaning their pancha-patra and offering other services.
But, what was Narada’s biggest service to the sadhus? He would very nicely, with nishtha, hear the hari-katha coming from the mouths of sadhus or pure devotees— this is the biggest service. And this is actually true. Because how are santa-mahatmas or sadhus pleased? By somebody hearing their hari-katha.
Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Prabhupada used to say, “Those who have come here to listen to my hari-katha, are my problem solvers. They are all my problem solvers.” How humbly he said these words. “They have come, and that is why I am speaking hari-katha. If there are no listeners, then how can I speak hari-katha? Also, if there are no listeners, the anarthas will come into my heart, maya will grab me and nidra (sleepiness), alasya (laziness) will take hold of me.” Only when listeners come, do the speakers have a chance to speak bhagavat-katha.
The sun rises and sets each day, and each day, we age. However, while you speak bhagavat-katha, you do not age. And when you hear bhagavat-katha you also do not age.
āyur harati vai puṁsām
udyann astaṁ ca yann asau
tasyarte yat-kṣaṇo nīta
uttama-śloka-vārtayā
Srimad-Bhagavatam (2.3.17)
[Both by rising and by setting, the sun decreases the duration of life of everyone, except one who utilises the time by discussing topics of the all-good Personality of Godhead.]
The time we are to spend in this material world is predestined and already predicted.
sita rāma sita rāma sita rāma kahiye
yhahi vidhi rahke rāma tahi vidhi rahiye
vidhi ke vidhān jān hani lāb sayiye
yhahi vidhi rahke rāma tahi vidhi rahiye
Sita ram kahiye (verses 1-2)
[Sing Sita Rama Sita Rama Sita Rama! Whatever circumstances and conditions
of life Sri Rama has offered you, always live happily in them. Accept all the happy and sad moments as destiny and endure them.]
Yet, anytime we perform kirtana or hari-katha, maya cannot have any effect on us, and our age is not destroyed during those moments. Let’s say you are hearing hari-katha for two hours, those two hours will not count against your predestined time— this is actually true!
So, Narada Rishi was telling Vyasadeva that while he was eagerly hearing the sadhus’ hari-katha, he was taking all of their remnants. There are actually three kinds of rules to attain bhakti:
bhakta-pada-dhūli āra bhakta-pada-jala
bhakta-bhukta-avaśeṣa, — tina mahā-bala
ei tina-sevā haite kṛṣṇa-premā haya
punaḥ punaḥ sarva-śāstre phukāriyā kaya
tāte bāra bāra kahi, — śuna bhakta-gaṇa
viśvāsa kariyā kara e-tina sevana
Chaitanya-charitamrita (Antya-lila 16.60-62)
[The dust of the feet of a devotee, the water that has washed the feet of a devotee, and the remnants of food left by a devotee are three very powerful substances. By rendering service to these three, one attains the supreme goal of ecstatic love for Krishna. In all the revealed scriptures this is loudly declared again and again. Therefore, My dear devotees, please hear from Me, for I insist again and again: please keep faith in these three and render service to them without hesitation.]
In Chaitanya-charitamrita, Srila Vishvanatha Chakravartipada says there are three things you should accept with firm faith: the dust from the feet of a sadhu, the caranamrita of a bhakta, and the remnants from a sadhu or bhakta— called maha-prasada. Anything you offer to the Lord is called maha-prasada, and the maha-prasada remnants of a pure devotee is called maha-maha-prasada.
Hence these are the three things. Except, what are their internal meanings? What does the dust of the lotus feet of a pure devotee mean? It means that you have to follow the instructions of a pure devotee. Whenever you go to Vraja-mandala parikrama, dust will follow you. This is why, when Bhagavan would graze the cows, He would say, “I am going because I want to take the dust of the devotees.” This is the speciality of the dust from the lotus feet of pure devotees of the Lord.
So the meaning of taking a sadhu’s footdust is that you need to follow his instructions, the meaning of taking his caranamrita is that you have to take his kathamrita, his bhava, and taking remnants of his food, meaning, you have to take prema-bhakti from this sadhu. We have to observe the internal feelings in their hearts and take the nectar of their katha.
By accepting these three things in faith, we will receive the mercy of the Vaishnavas. The mercy of the Vaishnavas and Bhagavan is transcendental and even though Devananda Pandita did not offer much service to Vakreshvara Pandita, all-knowing Mahaprabhu still became pleased and forgave his offence.
vakreśvara paṇḍita — prabhura baḍa priya bhṛtya
eka-bhāve cabbiśa prahara yāṅra nṛtya
Chaitanya-charitamrita (Adi-lila 10.17)
[Vakreshvara Pandita, the fifth branch of the tree, was a very dear servant of Lord Chaitanya’s. He could dance with constant ecstasy for seventy-two hours.]
āpane mahāprabhu gāya yāṅra nṛtya-kāle
prabhura caraṇa dhari’ vakreśvara bale
Chaitanya-charitamrita (Adi-lila 10.18)
[Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu personally sang while Vakreshvara Pandita danced, and thus Vakreshvara Pandita fell at the lotus feet of the Lord and spoke as follows,]
“daśa-sahasra gandharva more deha’ candramukha
tārā gāya, muñi nācoṅ — tabe mora sukha”
Chaitanya-charitamrita (Adi-lila 10.19)
[“O Candramukha! Please give me ten thousand Gandharvas. Let them sing as I dance, and then I will be greatly happy.”]
prabhu bale — tumi mora pakṣa eka śākhā
ākāśe uḍitāma yadi pāṅ āra pākhā
Chaitanya-charitamrita (Adi-lila 10.20)
[Lord Chaitanya replied, “I have only one wing like you, but if I had another, certainly I would fly in the sky!”]
Here, it is beautifully described how Mahaprabhu was singing and dancing in front of Lord Jagannatha during Ratha-yatra. And Vakreshvara Pandita would dance alongside Him. He was an outstanding dancer and a very good kirtaniya.
Mahaprabhu said there were three things which are prominent for prema-dharma. They are kirtana-nritya-gita, chanting while singing and dancing and playing musical instruments. We should always dance before the Lord in a very nice mood and we should sing padavali, the beautiful glorifications of the Lord. We should also play beautiful tunes with our instruments for Him. Then, the Lord will be pleased by this. Sri Chaitanya showed us all sorts of things through His sankirtana-yatra. Our scriptures mention how He was performing nagara-sankirtana with all the devotees:
udilo aruṇa pūraba-bhāge,
dwija-maṇi gorā amani jāge,
bhakata-samūha loiyā sāthe,
gelā nagara-brāje
'tāthaī tāthaī bājalo khol,
ghana ghana tāhe jhājera rol,
preme ḍhala ḍhala soṇāra ańga,
caraṇe nūpura bāje
Udilo Aruna Puraba Bhage (verse 1-2)
[When the rising sun appeared in the East, the jewel of the twice-born, Lord Gaurasundara, awakened, and, taking His devotees with Him, He went all over the countryside towns and villages. The mridangas (khol) resounded "tathai, tathai," and the jhanjha [large metal karatalas that look like small cymbals] in that kirtana played in time. Lord Gauranga's golden form slightly trembled in ecstatic love of Godhead, and His ankle bells jingled.]
So Mahaprabhu’s nama-sankirtana, there were these three things— singing, dancing and playing musical instruments— this is called the sankirtana-rasa. Krishna did not perform the sankirtana-rasa, He performed the gopi-rasa in Vrindavana. At the time, there were those like Shishupala who criticised Krishna, and for this, among other reasons, Krishna killed him with His chakra. And now in this Kali-yuga, there are many kinds of Shishupalas. This is why Krishna said, “In Kali-yuga, I will not perform gopi-rasa. I will perform nama-sankirtana-rasa.”
Thus, the Lord performed His nama-sankirtana rasa-lila in this Kali-yuga. And when Mahaprabhu would do kirtana He would dance while He was absorbed in the bhavas of Srimati Radhika. Especially when Svarupa Damodara recited certain shlokas, in those moments Sriman Mahaprabhu would drown in bhava and begin dancing very nicely.
“ ‘sei ta parāṇa-nātha pāinu
yāhā lāgi’ madana-dahane jhuri’ genu’ ”
Chaitanya-charitamrita (Madhya-lila 13.113)
[“Now I have gained the Lord of My life, in the absence of whom I was being burned by Cupid and was withering away.”]
While thinking, “Jagannatha is My pranakanta,” the Lord was dancing on the streets of Navadvipa. And at the time, all the associates of Mahaprabhu used to observe His bhavas, and in the same way, dance along with Him.
Though Devananda Pandita only offered a little service to Vakreshvara Pandita, Mahaprabhu was still very pleased and forgave his offence. This is why it is stated:
prabhu bale,—“tumi ye sevilā vakreśvara
ataeva hailā tumi āmāra gocara
Chaitanya-bhagavata (Antya-khanda 3.493)
[The Lord said (to Devananda Pandita), “You are able to see Me because you served Vakreshvara Pandita.”]
vakreśvara paṇḍita-prabhura pūrṇa-śakti
sei kṛṣṇa pāya ye tāṅhāre kare bhakti
Chaitanya-bhagavata (Antya-khanda 3.494)
[“Vakreshvara Pandita possesses the full potencies of the Supreme Lord. Anyone who serves him attains Krishna.”]
vakreśvara-hṛdaye kṛṣṇera nija-ghara
kṛṣṇa nṛtya karena nācite vakreśvara
Chaitanya-bhagavata (Antya-khanda 3.495)
[“Krishna personally resides in the heart of Vakreshvara Pandita. When Vakreshvara dances, Krishna dances.”]
ye-te-sthāne yadi vakreśvara-saṅga haya
sei sthāna sarva-tīrtha śrī-vaikuṇṭha-maya”
Chaitanya-bhagavata (Antya-khanda 3.496)
[“Any place that is associated with Vakreshvara Pandita is equal to all the holy places and is as good as Vaikuntha.”]
In Chaitanya-bhagavata, Antya-lila, it is described that Chaitanya Mahaprabhu gave His mercy to Devananda Pandita. Afterwards, Mahaprabhu left Puri-dhama and came to Ramakeligaon. And Vakreshvara Pandita was with Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu at that time. As mentioned, Vakreshvara was a prominent dancer. Our scriptures state:
vakreśvara paṇḍita — prabhura baḍa priya bhṛtya
eka-bhāve cabbiśa prahara yāṅra nṛtya
Chaitanya-charitamrita (Adi-lila 10.17)
[Vakreshvara Pandita, the fifth branch of the tree, was a very dear servant of Lord Chaitanya’s. He could dance with constant ecstasy for seventy-two hours.]
Vakreshvara Pandita had such great potency that he could dance for three days non-stop while playing mridanga. Those who have tried, know that it is actually very hard to play mridanga while dancing. And who else knew this? Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu knew. This is why the Lord became so pleased by seeing the ecstatic dancing of Vakreshvara Pandita.
Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu Himself said, ''All the places where the dust from the lotus feet of My pure devotee touches becomes a maha-tirtha, and you become pious by bathing in these pilgrimage places.” However, when demonic people visit these same pilgrimage sites, the tirthas’ become tainted or impure. This is why Chaitanya-bhagavata mentions that when a maha-bhagavata goes to a holy tirtha, they actually purify that place.
ye-te-sthāne yadi vakreśvara-saṅga haya
sei sthāna sarva-tīrtha śrī-vaikuṇṭha-maya
When a person, who has Bhagavan residing always in his or her heart, visits a pilgrimage site, they purify that tirtha.
bhavad-vidhā bhāgavatās
tīrtha-bhūtāḥ svayaṁ vibho
tīrthī-kurvanti tīrthāni
svāntaḥ-sthena gadābhṛtā
Srimad-Bhagavatam (1.13.10)
[“My lord, devotees like your good self are verily holy places personified. Because you carry the Personality of Godhead within your heart, you turn all places into places of pilgrimage.”]
For this reason, Caityanya Mahaprabhu says that by bathing in the Ganges you will be purified, and by taking darshana of a pure devotee of the Lord, you will also be purified.
gańgāra paraśa hoile
paścate pāvan darśane
pavitra koro-ei tomāra guṇ
Ei-baro karuna koro (3)
[After bathing in the waters of the sacred Ganges many times, one becomes purified, but just by the darshana of a pure Vaishnava, the fallen souls are purified. This is the great power of a pure Vaishnava.]
hari-sthāne aparādhe tāre hari-nām
tomā sthāne aparādhe nāhi paritrāṇ
Ei-baro karuna koro (4)
[The holy name delivers one who has committed an offence to Lord Hari. But, if one commits an offence to you (Vaishnava), there is no means of deliverance.]
When you commit offences while chanting the holy names, by simply chanting the holy names more, all aparadhas will be removed. However, when you commit offences at the lotus feet of bhakta or Bhagavan— how can this be removed? Only by rendering service unto the bhakta to whom you have committed an offence against, will it be eliminated.
If a thorn enters your foot, it will not come out from your shoulder, it will only come out from where it entered. And in the same way, when you have committed offences to a Vaishnava, you must serve that Vaishnava to remove the offences. After Devananda Pandita committed an offence towards Srivasa Thakura, because of his service to another Vaishnava, Vakreshvara Pandita, Devananda pleased Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and his offences were mercifully removed.
In the same way, Indra committed an offence at the feet of the Vrajavasis. When Krishna lifted Govardhana, Indra realised that He was Bhagavan Himself. Then, what did Indra do? It is shown that first Indra went to take shelter of the Vrajavasis (from the Surabhi cow). Then Indra approached Sri Krishna and asked Him for forgiveness also. Here, in the same way, Devananda Pandita’s offence was forgiven by the mercy of Vakreshvara Pandita. And Vakreshvara Pandita very nicely and beautifully blessed him and then, krishna-bhakti manifested in the heart of Devananda Pandita.
[Jaya Sri Vakreshvara Pandita ki jaya!]
[Gaura Premanande! Hari Haribol!]
Translator: Anadi-govinda dasa (India) Transcriber: Manasini dasi (UK) Editor: Sanatana dasa (USA) Proofreading: Chandrika dasi (UK) Integrity check: Divya-premamayi dasi (Slovakia), Sanatana dasa (USA) Image: Narasimhananda dasa (Russia)
Date: 10 June 2020 Location: Vrindavana
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