Caitanya Mahaprabhu is not any saintly person, He is Lord Himself
Venue: Pune yatra
Dated: October 2005
Hare Krishna, say Hare Krishna

Thank you for this rare opportunity. Very sincere group of devotees, very serious students of Krishna Consciousness. I could see some of you having ipads, very serious business going on here; we are not used to this.

dharmasya glanirbhavati

So much decline, religion had declined to such a low level that now people say, oh every morning when I get up I give 2 minutes to God and not just that also before I go to bed another 2 minutes. 2 + 2 that is 4. Take it be happy God, 4 minutes for you and 23 hours and 56 minutes for myself, that’s the kind of the degradation.

Such descriptions are there in Caitanya Bhagavat also as Advaitacharya had come to do the advance party work and do the feasibility study. And then he does make many observations like this, the kali pooja and Bhattacharyas and others they were just chanting some mantras only in the bathroom while taking shower they don’t have additional time for God. While taking bath naturally the water is cold and they just scream as our brahmachari’s also do (laughter). So from those times to this time big difference finally by the sincere prayers of Advaitacharya then
Mahaprabhu appeared. But then again while doing His sankirtan only with selected group of devotees indoor, closing all the windows and doors. Some karma, jnana or anything, you are short or not 100% then out, and this was going on for good amount of time. Advaitacharya was certainly not happy thinking I am the one I prayed for Lord’s advance thinking that, I can’t handle the kind of situation that exist around. I cannot alone do,

dharma-samsthapanarthaya

Lord Himself has to make His appearance. Of course Lord was very-very kind to respond to my prayers and He is here and but look He is limiting His mercy to just select few pure devotees, but what about the others. One day Advaitcharya approached Shri Krishna Caitanya Mahaprabhu grabbed His lotus feet and begged on behalf of all those fallen souls. My dear Lord make this mercy available to everyone, you are known as mahavadanyaya.

namo mahavadanyaya

It’s not just vadanyaya magnanimous charitable but you are manavadanyaya you are most magnanimous most charitable most merciful Lord. My dear Lord please be kind upon all the fallen souls. Merciful Lord how could He neglect, ignore humble plea of non other than Advaitacharya. Advaita is not different from Lord, advaita not two it’s like Himself another form Advaitacharya. So from that time onwards Caitanya Mahaprabhu was out on the streets of Navadvipa.

patrapatra-vicara nahi, nahi sthanasthana

No more discrimination, the person was pure or impure, whether he is patra, deserving candidate or apatra non deserving, whether this place fit place where Caitanya Mahaprabhu perform His sankirtan or this is fit unfit,
qualified not qualified, no more consideration, Caitanya Mahaprabhu started His mission.

udilo aruna puraba-bhage dwija-mani gora amani jage,
bhakata-samuha loiya sathe gela nagara-braje
tathai tathai bajalo khol ghana ghana tahe jhajera rol,
preme dhala dhala sonara anga carane nupura baje

Taking along hundred and thousands of devotees, the jewel of the twice-born, Lord Gaurasundara did sankirtana all over Navadvipa.

preme dhala dhala sonara anga

His golden, beautiful form this way and that way, back and forth, up and down while little tinkling bells jingle around His ankles that sankirtana of Gauranga Mahaprabhu. Those tinkling jingling of the bells which took place 500 years ago is the one that vibration which turned on has now began to inspire the whole world. That sankirtan is the cause, Mahaprabhu’s sankirtana is the cause of all causes that sankirtana, that chanting that dancing that ecstasy that prem.

Niranjana Maharaj had been talking about love of the Lord, love of the God head, Krishna prem. Mahaprabhu taught the lessons about Krishna prem. Otherwise it was just a word prem, it was either written or spoken. But He translated that into action, He taught us what love is about, love for His devotes and then of course love amongst the devotees. Caitanya Mahaprabhu chanted and danced. He started at Srivas angan then He came out and then He was doing it all over Navadvipa, Navadvipa mandal. He was still not satisfied, I am still limiting myself, I am come out of house but I am only chanting within the boundary of Nadiya district or Navadvipa it’s not sufficient, then Lord broke all the bonds. Varnashram was binding Him, oh I am grahastha, I had to be at home, I have beautiful wife and my loving mother. So many of my friends and relatives, they are all over the whole world they were awaiting. Rest of Bharat rest of India was also awaiting, first arrival in their home, home towns, home villages. So Mahaprabhu took sanyasa breaking the heart of His devotees. Devotees found out that Catainya Mahaprabhu has taken sanyasa. They were thinking ok we will also go back home now and we will burn our house and also join Mahaprabhu all the possessions are useless now just burn them to ashes and just follow the path of Gauranga, this was the state of separation. Caitanya Mahaprabhu took sanyasa and of course many past times.

Finally He went to Jagannath Puri, His headquarter as per wishes of His mother Sachi mata. I know you have taken sanyas and there is no question of you returning home or staying with me pretty well stay here near.

Jagannath Puri is not very far from here you stay there, at least I will get some news of your some time to time. Mahaprabhu agreed and proceed to Jagannath Puri.

But the world was still awaiting, Mahaprabhu begins His travel throughout the area. Next 6 years He travelled far and wide every town every village. prithviteacheyata nagaradi grama sarvatra prachara haibe mora nama My name would be chanted in every town every village on this planet. He wasn’t thinking of just Bengal or Orissa or India. Mahaprabhu was thinking that whole planet.

prithvite ache yata

He continues His mission of spreading the holy name all over the world. He continues to travel South India. All the residence of Jagannath Puri were ready to go with Him just like the residence of Ayodhya were ready to go with Shri Ram, even the trees of Ayodhya were thinking, is it possible for us to join Sri Ram. But this was just a thought, they knew oh how unfortunate we are, we are bound we cannot leave Ayodhya.

Unfortunate we are, look everyone else is so fortunate, they are following Sri Ram but we trees cannot move. Similar or even more separation was in the hearts of the residences of JagannathPuri. Mahaprabhu’s condition, no I will go alone, and then they had to make a big bargain big deal. Ok at least one person; all right all right only one person was allowed and Caitanya Mahaprabhu continued. He was all the day, He was doing kirtaniya sada hari May be just little rest, some time, some night, half of the night then He would proceed again. He had left students of Puri behind but wherever He would go people were chanting, dancing with Shri Krishna Caitanya Mahaprabhu. There was no publicity campaign, no one was putting banners or posters, who knows, only God knew from where all these people are coming and how did they find out that tonight’s kirtana is in this village. People of so many villages would come there in hundreds and thousands and Mahaprabhu would dance with them. He would make them dance. Caitanya Mahaprabhu was a very tall figure, 7 feet tall, not only 7 feet tall he had long arms.

ajanu-lambita-bhujau

His bhuja was long ‘ajanu’ reaching His knees. Any body’s hands reaching knees? Everybody’s, mine also reaching but not while sitting you stand up. Mahaprabhu was standing His arms were reaching His knees. Mahaprabhu would stand up His hands were reaching His knees. So He was tall and long arms not just that He would jump up high in the sky, no need of going on the stage, the artist or performer has to be on the stage, everyone could watch Him. But Mahaprabhu was going up and down and golden.

“bahu koti chandra jini vadan ujjaval”

Bhaktivinod Thakur describes in that Gaura arati song that Mahaprabhu’s face was effulgent. Effulgence of millions of moons, effulgence of together was emitting from lotus face of Lord and from the rest of the body also. Koti surya sama prabha The prabha, the effulgence, the golden body personality of Godhead was dancing in the mist of hundred and thousand of devotees and making them dance also. They were just like little puppets in His hands as He danced He was also looking them up and down. They all were going up and down, sometimes Mahaprabhu would do inspiring everyone saying haribol. As He did as He was lifting everyone and dropping, not only bodies were being lifting their souls were getting lifted and elevated, elevation Consciousness.

Wherever Lord went He was transforming lives of hundreds and thousands and these devotees were returning like the way back to their homes, villages struggling to walk difficult to walk, they were in ecstasy, trembling, falling and rolling getting up and going few more steps falling down again, hundreds and thousands were to reach their homes and that state of consciousness is one glimpse of the Lord, just one time they took part in Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s sankirtan and all the mountains the heaps of sins were burn to the ashes Burning to the ashes.

Mahaprabhu travelling to South India then Mahaprabhu blessed Maharashtra also passing through Kolhapur, they had come to Kolhapur to take darshana of Mahalakshmi or give darshan to Mahalakshmi. There are two ways to look at it, those who want to prove that Mahalakshmi is not an ordinary and Mahaprabhu came to see her or Mahaprabhu came to bless her, give her directions. Then Lord comes to Pandharpur and spends some time at other places Srirangam was one place where Mahaprabhu stayed for four months (Chaturmasa) some places only one night or half the night . But He knew that if He would be there till the morning the whole village will be ready to walk with Him. He wanted to avoid that, before people get up Mahaprabhu move on to next village, like that He was moving very fast and He had good excuse to find His Vishvarupa. Have you seen my Vishva rupa? Have any one heard about Vishva rupa? In fact He knew He gave this reason to all the devotees in Jagannath Puri. I had to go, I must go, to find my brother Vishva rupa. When He was giving good reason why He should leave Jagannathpuri, vishva rupa had already departed, he was no more already on the planet.

Mahaprabhu knew this, He gave that as a reason and He was enquiring. Caitanya Mahaprabhu was in Pandharpur there He spent 11 days or could be 14 days, possibilities of spending 15 days . For 11 days He was in Chandra Bhaga river, He doesn’t have to take bath in Chandra Bhaga bhima ani chandrabhaga, tuja charni chaya ganga Bhima or handrabhaga, Ganga or Yamuna, all these rivers come from lotus feet of Gauranga Mahaprabhu. So He doesn’t have to take bath, water that emanates from His lotus feet but to set example. Mahaprabhu taking bath and dancing towards mahadwara and right in front of Lord Panduranga inside chanting and dancing in great ecstasy Mahaprabhu continues His travel. Near Satara Krishnavena sangam and He found a very rare scripture, Krishna Karanamrita. He already had one, He had taken Brahma Samhita. He had been carrying now another scripture from Maharashtra. Jai Maharashtra.

Krishna Karanamrita is very dear to the Lord and His devotees. So in this way Lord blessed South India and then central India, Maharashtra. And another time to Jharkhand forest through Uttar Pradesh, dharma Pradesh as it was known once upon a time, dharma Pradesh close to Vrndavan. So like this South, North, East, West He blessed India with His chanting. Then He left the job of spreading holy name outside India, Prabhupada writes this, left this job to International Society of Krishna Consciousness to Founder Acharya Srila Prabhupada ki jai. Gets the credit for spreading chanting Hare Krishna all over the planet and already the holy name is spread in all the countries of this world. This is the beginning, prediction of Mahaprabhu is bound to come true.

If it was my prediction who knows, if it was Mr. Pawar’s prediction, who knows, but it is, I don’t know why I had remember that name. May Lord bless Him. But Lord is Supreme Personality of God head, mayadhyaksena prakrtih suyate sa-caracaram (BG 9.10) This is bound to come true, as we see here a big gathering of devotees, we may be devotees of Krishna or Ram or Panduranga but for sure we are devotees of Shri Krishna Caitanya Mahaprabhu. In this age of kali one becomes a devotee of Shri Krishna Caitanya Mahaprabhu that does include Krishna, Ram or Panduranga.

So we were devotees of Pandurang, Ram, Krishna. Now we are devotees of Shri Krishna Caitanya Mahaprabhu, this is good great fortune of all of us. There was a time in India, Maharashtra very little was known about Mahaprabhu or He was just being listed as just another saintly person like Meera, Guru Nanak or Tulsi.

Likewise they were saintly person who took sanyasa that is Caitanya like that was a talk used to go on when I was a school boy. I used to study, I had one lesson in my school. So then I used to think, when would it come then I realized the position of Caitanya Mahaprabhu by grace of Prabhupada when that day would come such a big offence committing India, Maharashtra committing offence listing Mahaprabhu in the list of sanyasi, swamis, devotees.

He is Supreme Personality Godhead. Now by the grace of his divine grace A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada and his followers, thousands of devotees are becoming devotees of Shri Krishna Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Gauranga This gives us a delight and gives us confidence that yes yes for sure Mahaprabhu’s holy name will reach every town, every village. There are already devotees here from half of the Maharashtra villages and towns, at least from 100 villages, 100 towns for sure but if not more. So from zero to 1 and 2 zeros, soon there will be another zero. You all are heroes. In every home there is a ray of hope now Mahaprabhu mentioned in the beginning Mahaprabhu started chanting and dancing with jingling bells, that is the cause of spreading sankirtana movement all over the world. Mahaprabhu is making us dance and we are confident that you will make others as you will touch the devotees, more souls you will transfer your ecstasy and share your realizations of Gauranga with others. They would get transformed; this is how Mahaprabhu’s mercy spreading started with the heart of Prabhupada and spreading from heart to heart transformation of the heart. Others were taking leadership Radhanath Swami Maharaj ki jai. Leader of leaders and there are so many other leaders from Chowpatty, Pune, Kolhapur and Belgaum, Aurangabad. I appreciate all the work of pushing on Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Srila Prabhupada’s sankirtan movement is being done.

Goal of course is stop not till the goal is reached. What is the goal? Every town, every village of Maharashtra is one goal immediate goal for us. If you could go beyond the boundaries and bring it to more villages more towns, let us do our part within our life time, this is a task of many generations. Maya is strong and kali will stay in action and active so future generations will have to carry on this task of bringing the holy name in the towns and more villages. The work you are doing is the foundational work on the strong foundation, when the foundation is strong you could build sky scrapers.

I am confident that Srila Prabhupada is pleased Kunja Bihari, Caitanya Mahaprabhu is pleased with all the endeavors of all of us . Push on may Srila Prabhupada and Gauranga bles you, spread the holy name
Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare, Hare Ram Hare Ram Ram Ram Hare Hare
Thank you