Lecture at Mamgachi

A lecture given by HH Kadamba Kanana Swami, 29 November 2008,
Mamgachi, Modadrumadvipa, Sri Navadvipa Dhama

The birthplace of Srila Vrndavana das Thakura

We have reached Modadrumadvipa, in Sridhama Navadvipa, one of the nine islands, the island where Srila Vrndavana das Thakura appeared in this world. It is said that Vrndavana das Thakura was non other than Vyasadeva Himself and thus He specifically appeared to write down the pastimes of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. These pastimes of Mahaprabhu were written down in the Caitanya Bhagavat. It is the second biography written about Lord Caitanya; the first biography was written by Murari Gupta who was elder than Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and who kept notes on the pastimes of the Lord and wrote therefore his records on the appearance of Mahaprabhu in a code-like form- in the form of sutras. But, the Caitanya Bhagavata, is an elaborate description especially of the early pastimes of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu as He is here in Navadvipa dhama. And then, in His 24th year Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu took sannyasa and that is also described in the Caitanya Bhagavata. And finally, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu went to Jagannatha Puri and some of the pastimes in Puri are mentioned here also but many of the pastimes in Puri are only described in the Caitanya caritamrta.

We will just read something from the Caitanya Bhagavata; because Srila Prabhupada said that the nature of scripture is that it is sweet on all sides- it doesn�t matter where you begin, it is always sweet.

�Lord Visvambhara, looked at Advaita Acarya and said, �I have descended to this world in response to your vow and repeated worship. I was resting on the ocean of milk but your roaring woke Me up. You are so merciful that you could not bear to see the suffering of the conditioned living entities and so you summoned Me to alleviate their painful condition. All of these demigods, sages, devotees and associates have appeared in response to your call.��

Advaita Acarya had worshipped the salagram sila with ganga-jal and Tulasi, because he had read in the scriptures that the Lord said, �When you offer Me ganga-jal and tulasi, then there is nothing in My possession to repay such an offering. And thus all I can do is give Myself.� Thus, Advaita Acarya thought, �This is it! I will force the Lord to appear!� but he never knew because for so many years Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu remained hidden. No one knew that Nimai Pandita, the extraordinary scholar, was the Supreme Personality of Godhead. No one had any idea but yet, somehow or other He was. At this point, what we�re reading now, Lord Caitanya has just revealed to Advaita Acarya that He�s the Supreme Lord. So Advaita Acarya is in ecstasy.

�Lifting his arms Advaita Acarya responded, �Today my life has become successful. All of my dreams have been fulfilled. By seeing Your lotus feet my birth has gained meaning. O Lord, who else but You could liberate all the living entities.� Tears rolled down Advaita Acarya�s cheeks as He spoke. �Now perform My worship,� the Lord said. Having received this instruction, Advaita Acarya began worshipping the Lord�s lotus feet in great ecstasy. First he washed Visvambhara�s lotus feet, then he smeared scented oil on them. Next he dipped tulasi-manjari�s into sandalwood paste and placed them on the Lord�s lotus feet. Advaita Acarya performed worship with flowers, frankincense and lamps while everyone glorified the Lord. While Advaita Acarya continued the worship, he chanted the verse: �O my Lord, You are well-wishers of the cows and the brahmanas indeed. You are the maintainer of the entire universe.��

Or the famous verse: namo brahmanya-dev�ya go-br�hmana-hit�ya ca/ jagad-dhit�ya krsn�ya govind�ya namo namah. Advaita Acarya kept on repeating that mantra again and again while he was worshipping the Lord. So it�s very interesting that that mantra is now so much part of our everyday life. At least a few times a day we�re chanting that mantra as if it�s just another mantra not realizing how intimate and how very close that mantra is to the Supreme Lord, how dear it is to the Lord, how essential it is to the pastimes of the Lord.

�As Advaita Acarya continued his worship, he chanted that verse. Advaita Acarya fell prostate before the Lord, seeking shelter at His lotus feet. Lord Gauranga lifted His lotus feet and placed it on Advaita Acarya�s head. Upon seeing this the devotees became mad with jubilation, completely forgetting themselves. Some rolled on the ground, others embraced one another or slapped each other boisterously while many others cried out loudly. Advaita Acarya felt as if all of his desires had been fulfilled because the Lord had placed His lotus feet upon his head. Lord Caitanya then instructed, �Nada, let Me see you dance!��

Advaita Acarya was not a young man; it said that when Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu appeared in this world that Advaita Acarya was already 52 years old! So after the Lord revealed Himself to him- that was in His 22nd year- so that means 74 years old! And he�s supposed to dance! �Let Me see you dance!� Advaita Acarya lived another 25 years after the disappearance of Lord Caitanya and thus we understand that Advaita Acarya actually became 125 years old.

�Advaita Acarya happily began to dance and so the devotees started a very sweet melodious kirtana. As he continued dancing in front of the Lord, Advaita Acarya sometimes moved in a spirited manner and sometimes moved very gracefully. Sometimes he felt very humbled and kept a bunch of straw in between his teeth. Sometimes Advaita Acarya would spin around and jump into the air and then fall to the ground and roll back and forth. At other times he would breathe deeply and quickly and then fall unconscious.�

We know that keeping a bunch of straw between the teeth is indicating humility; that in the mood of humility one keeps straw between the teeth. Exactly why this custom is there, I cannot say, but it is there. And more important than the custom is the mood that Advaita Acarya manifested; because no one can do anything without the mercy of the Supreme Lord. Although Advaita Acarya Himself was also the Supreme Lord, still He was not govindam adi purusam- the original purusa, the original Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Krsna- but rather he was the avatara of Lord Sri Krsna.

In the Bhagavad-Gita it is stated, paritr�n�ya s�dh�n�m vin�s�ya ca duskrt�m dharma-samsth�pan�rth�ya sambhav�mi yuge yuge, that the Lord appears in various millenniums for the sake of establishing the principles of religion and to annihilate the miscreants. That is the work of the incarnations of the Lord. But only the Supreme Lord can give krsna-prema and that is why Advaita Acarya was very eager for Krsna to appear, because Advaita Acarya was not interested just to establish the principles of dharma; Advaita Acarya wanted to establish that one thing he wanted to drown the entire world- in love of God.

Now we can see how it is happening; we can see how gradually, little by little, invisibly, the sankirtana movement of Lord Caitanya is infiltrating. Because, as a person becomes touched by this sankirtana movement, as one hears the holy name or as one engages in devotional service, one becomes captured. Earlier in the Caitanya Bhagavat, it is described how at the time when the Chand Kazi in Navadvipa tried to stop the kirtana and broke the mrdanga, then Nimai Pandita organized a very big procession. He organized a very large protest against this activity and it is said that an enormous sankirtana party was going through the street and there were so many mrdangas, it sounded like thunder! And it was in the early evening and there were so many torches, it was if light was daylight! And all the people that saw the sankirtana party come by just walked out of their houses and as they walked out of their houses they just followed the kirtana party and thieves thought, �O, this is very good!� the doors were wide open, they walked in but even those thieves, they couldn�t full their pockets because somehow or other their ears captured them also and they also joined the kirtana party! So in this way, Lord Caitanya�s sankirtana party can capture even the rogues and thieves and the most fallen, and thus it is spreading everywhere and anywhere.

So Advaita Acarya, although he was the Supreme Lord, was thinking of himself as a servant. His mood was to worship. In the Caitanya caritamrta it is said, ami caitanyera dasa muni, �I am the servant of Lord Caitanya,� again and again. Advaita Acarya tried to establish that he was the servant of Lord Caitanya. And this is actually according to the direction of the scripture; there is one Supreme Lord and all others are dependent on Him, and all others are simply His servants. All are just like puppets, dancing according to His will. Thus the Supreme Lord Sri Krsna has now appeared with a golden luster of Srimati Radharani. Now in that very compassionate mood that She has, but at the same time with His own omnipotent energy, now this incarnation of the Supreme Lord is performing miracles that have never been performed before.

We are here now at this place for our purification. We�ve come to Mayapur for that very purpose- to get some mercy- and now we�ve come here today, to this place, hearing a little bit from the Caitanya Bhagavat for the sake of developing some vaisnava quality, of understanding better what it means to be a devotee, of understanding how even Advaita Acarya who�s unlimitedly powerful is completely dependent and gives up all pride. We also pray that we may become humble, we pray that through the mercy of Srila Vrndavana das Thakura we may become purified in this place today. And again and again we will take our shelter, knowing that�it is said that when the lion-like Simha Caitanya enters into the heart, He drives away all the elephant-like vices- all sinful desire will disappear from the heart. So we pray that that may happen to us very soon- that all sinful desires may disappear from our heart.

The birthplace of Vasudeva Datta

Srila Vasudeva Datta was a very close associate of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, �Vasudeva owns my body. He can do with it whatever he likes. He can sell it in the market place; I am his property.� So in this way, Srila Vasudeva Datta was a very close devotee of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. The reason was that he had prayed that all the sinful reactions of all the living beings in the entire universe would be transferred upon him so that they could all go back to Godhead. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta writes in his commentary on the Caitanya Caritamrta that that is in that way he was even greater than Jesus Christ, in the way that he took the sinful reactions of his followers, he was ready to take the reactions of anyone and everyone. So Vasudeva Datta embodies compassion particularly and we are here. The Deities are named Madan Gopala and there�s a very nice elderly devotee who has been here for so many years and is now cooking for us because he is addicted to serving the vaisnavas.

Another great devotee who was residing here at this place was Saranga Thakura, and he was also an intimate associate of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Caitanya Mahaprabhu use to come and meet him here and Saranga Thakura was on the bank of the Ganga absorbed in his own, personal bhajan, he was worshipping his deities and chanting the holy name. The smaller Deities are his Deities- Sri Sri Radha Gopinatha. And Saranga Thakura was just totally satisfied and absorbed in his worship. One day Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu came and said that, �My dear Saranga, your Bakula tree is dying. So what are you going to do about it?� Saranga Thakura said, �I don�t know what to do about it. I have no idea what to do about it. The only idea I can think of is I�m depending on your mercy.� Then Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu embraced that Bakula tree and it said that although the tree is hollow it is still alive since that time, and it has stayed alive. Thus it is counted as a Siddhi Bakula- tree that has been touched by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu personally. Saranga Thakura is quite famous because Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu mentioned that he should initiate disciples. He said, �But I�m not qualified.� Caitanya Mahaprabhu was not convinced and still wanted him to initiate. Then Saranga Thakura said, �but I cant see anyone who�s qualified� then Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu still was not satisfied. So then finally Saranga Thakura said, �all right, I will initiate the first person whom I�ll meet tomorrow.�

So early in the morning he went to the Ganga to take his bath and as he went to take his bath somebody bumped into him- this is the one! But it happened to be a dead body! It was a young boy who apparently had died of snakebite and sometimes it happens that such people come back to consciousness. So it is a practice that if somebody dies of snakebite that they make a raft of banana trees and they place the body on top even with a mosquito net and put it in the Ganga, because sometimes after many days someone wakes up. Anyway, in this case the body bumped into Saranga Thakura. Saranga Thakura touched that body with his lotus foot and immediately that personality came back to consciousness and realized that he was before a great, saintly personality. He came out of the water, offered his obeisances and Saranga Thakura then recited the maha-mantra in his ear and thus in this way he was initiated and he gave him the name Murari Caitanya. Murari Caitanya was a special devotee because he was not afraid of death- he was totally fearless it is said. And he would go up to tigers and slap them in the face- �chant Hare Krsna! Chant!� he would play with snakes on his lap and that wouldn�t face him out at all. Such a devotee was this Murari Caitanya- very ecstatic. Immediately he was on the level of total love of God. He was quite young actually, he was a young boy. So Murari Caitanya got the mercy of a vaisnava and in that way he became uplifted.

That is the way; not through our own service. Yes our own service is required but more so even than depending on the good result of our own service are we dependent upon the blessings of the senior vaisnavas, of the pure devotee. By the blessings of the senior vaisnavas, one advances more- very rapidly, very quickly- and that actually is the major feature. So the house of Vasudeva Datta is nearby. Now it doesn�t exist anymore but there is still a plot of land in the back here where that house was once existing. Here in this temple, his Deities remained and of course we are thinking especially of Vasudeva Datta here because Vasudeva Datta is known for his compassion. How can one be compassionate if one has no sense of the suffering that exists in this world? So in remembering our own suffering and then seeing the suffering of the people in the entire world, then yes, then we can become compassionate.

I saw a little movie clip which was showing children in Australia and how much they were suffering- it was too much! You know, they had an I-pod and it was only 1GB! And on Saturday, you cant believe it, their parents would go and do the shopping and the whole �car was loaded up with food supplied for the whole week and they had to unload it all, and bring it from the car! Too much suffering! (Sarcastic) and then in the same clip, it showed children in Vietnam and how the children in Vietnam grew up and how they were playing with the old shells of the granites that were lying everywhere in the forest and the kids thought that it was far out- if nobody blew themselves up! And they showed these two worlds next to each other. So sometimes, coming from the West, it is very difficult to appreciate how much suffering there is in this world because we�ve never suffered that much. But then we�ve suffered from emptiness; we�ve suffered from just complete emptiness- the shallowness of material comfort. So by freeing from ignorance and by thoroughly understanding actually how in this material world every living being is suffering, but doesn�t know it, doesn�t understand it�Vasudeva Datta, his eyes had been thoroughly opened. He had received the mercy of the vaisnavas, he had received the mercy of the Lord, he thoroughly, thoroughly could see the suffering of all living beings. Thus Vasudeva Datta, in that mood could feel compassion.

Compassion; one might think that a superior might feel compassion for an inferior but Vasudeva Datta didn�t consider himself superior; he considered himself the most inferior. He realized how he himself was totally dependent on the mercy of the Lord but somehow or other by the mercy of the Lord; he understood the nature of the material world. And only by the mercy of the Lord and by carrying on in service to the Lord could he hold on to that understanding. Thus it was his desire that all living beings would be saved from ignorance and engaged in service. So true compassion depends on humility, because true compassion means that one realises that �who am I? What have I got to give? Who am I, so great that I can be compassionate to someone else? What have I got to give? What great quality in me is there that I can give to someone else? What gift do I have? Nothing! The only gift that I have is the Supreme Lord- that�s all. I can only give people the Supreme Lord.� Then yes, that is compassion, otherwise where is the question of compassion? Anything that may seem so compassionate: I reach out my hand to the one that sticks out of the swamp and seem so compassionate- but that is illusion. But true compassion means actually to give someone the Supreme Lord, who is so easily accessible in this age, in the form of His holy name.

Anyway, that�s my meditation because we come here to meditate. We come here to think deeply. We can also stay home and read a book and read about Vasudeva Datta but it�s a little different. When we come here our meditation becomes a little intense, more deeper; we think �now we are here! Here is Vasudeva Datta! What does it mean?� thus we can now in meditation go deeper. That is why we came. We came to pray to Vrndavana das Thakura for being allowed to enter into the pastimes of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and to appreciate how He can lift us above our sinful life, how He can drive away the sins from our heart. And we came to Vasudeva Datta to pray that we may also develop a little bit of compassion so that we can become sankirtana devotees, so that we can give out the mercy. That�s how it works. So here we come to pray- pray to become free from doubt, pray to become free from material contamination, free from ignorance, we pray to become pure servants- dasyam. Dasyam is the mood of this particular island. It is said that Rudradvipa, the island where our Mayapur Chandradoya temple is, is dedicated to sakhya- to friendship. There we are feeling close but here we�re coming to meditate on service, we�re coming to meditate that the true service is the service that Vasudeva Datta did. He took service to the ultimate by wanting to give the mercy to every living being. What greater service can be done? That is the greatest service. There is no greater service; so much service is there. But we think about ourselves, that�s the problem. So how can we become such a servant, that is our meditation.