Pastimes of Lord Caitanya and His associates. Seminar 1
Divnomorsk
30 September 2003

Hare Krishna. We’d like to welcome all of you to our seminar on this trip. I think this festival is becoming very famous all over the world. It appears that in attendance it is over-taking the Mayapur-Vrindavan Festival. I was told that the attendance this year is about 3,000 devotees. The purpose of this festival is to hear Krishna-katha and that is why you se so many senior devotees coming here to give discourses.

This location where we are having our programs is from what I understand is a dance hall. The stage we are sitting at the moment is probably where they play the orchestra from. And the place where all of you are sitting is probably the floor on which they do ball-room dancing. And I am sure they have a bar on the side. It is nice to see that this facility is being used to glorify the Lord once a year.

I am sure devotees are benefiting from these festivals and that’s why they come back in increasing numbers. I have a slightly infected throat but I will do my best to communicate. Our subject matter is Caitanya Caritamrita. Actually there is nothing in the Caitanya Caritamrita that you will be hearing for the first time. The spiritual subject matter has been heard again and again from different sources. As devotees we never get tired hearing that and the nature of spiritual subject matter is that it is ever increasing and fresh.

In the Srimad Bhagavatam, Tenth Canto Pariksit Maharaj is requesting Sukadeva Goswami to please continue describing the transcendental glories of Lord Sri Krishna even though Pariksit Maharaj was fasting from food and water. He was feeling so much nectar and ecstasy by hearing the glories of the Lord. Similarly we get ecstasy and pleasure in hearing about the glories of the Lord and importance of devotional service.

This year in the talks that we will be giving for the next few days we are going to of course discuss Lord Caitanya’s teachings and pastimes but also the pastimes of the devotees of the Lord. Today we will discuss a little bit of Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s teachings and pastimes and Lord Nityananda’s. Tomorrow we will discuss again about Lord Caitanya and Advaita Acarya. So in the next few days we will discuss in addition to Caitanya Mahaprabhu the following devotees: Sivananda Sena, Raghunatha Das Goswami, Kalidas, Kala Krishna das, Mukunda Datta, Sikhi Mahiti, Govinda Ghosh, Gadadhara das etc. The Lord never comes alone. He comes accompanied by His devotees. So devotees take pleasure in discussing both the pastimes of the Lord and of His devotees.

Caitanya Mahaprabhu as you know is the Supreme Personality of Godhead who appeared in the role of the devotee to teach us the process of devotional service. Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s pastimes and teachings have been very nicely presented by Krishnadas Kaviraj in Caitanya Caritamrita and Vrindavan das Thakur in Caitanya Bhagavata. What we are presenting to you actually is substance from both of these books, not just Caitanya Caritamrita. There are many pastimes of the Lord that are covered by Caitanya Caritamrita in details but are in summary form in Caitanya Bhagavata. Similarly, some pastimes are covered in details in Caitanya Bhagavata and in brief in Caitanya Caritamrita. There is also Caitanya Mangala composed by Locan das Thakur.

Caitanya Mahaprabhu has many names characterizing His different pastimes. We are going to be discussing some pastimes some aspects of the Lord’s pastimes and philosophy, not entire thing as it is not possible to this in few days. Caitanya Mahaprabhu displayed many different pastimes even when He was a young child that are establishing that He is the Supreme Lord. We will not be discussing His childhood pastimes as most of you have heard them many times. But these child pastimes clearly established Nimai as none else but the Supreme Lord.

Caitanya Mahaprabhu in the young age became very prominent Sanskrit scholar. At the age of eleven He established His own school of teaching Sanskrit. Five hundred years ago Navadvipa was a very respected city on the planet. It was not what you see today. It was also the seat of Sanskrit learning. Almost all the prominent Sanskrit scholars resided in Navadvipa at that time. Nimai had started His own school and His fame as a Sanskrit scholar had gone very far and wide. Though eleven He had defeated every scholar in the city. If fact all the scholars would shiver in front Him. This is explained in the Caitanya Bhagavata. They couldn’t imagine how this young boy could become so scholarly.

At that time there was a prominent Sanskrit scholar called Digvijay. This pastime is very nicely described in Caitanya Bhagavata by Vrindavan das Thakur. Caitanya Caritamrita has presented it in brief but Caitanya Bhagavata explains it in greater details. Many times Vrindavan das Thakur did not want to increase the size of his book. So he did not want to repeat what was already covered by Krishnadas Kaviraj and many times Krishnadas Kaviraj did want to increase the size of his book, so he did not elaborate on something that Caitanya Bhagavata had.

This scholar Digvijay was very proud, arrogant. He was a devotee of goddess Saraswati, the goddess of learning and he pleased goddess Saraswati by his austerities. But the purpose of his austerities was to become proud. Just like sometimes people perform austerities to get benedictions so that they may become rich, powerful, famous. Digvijay had performed austerities and pleased goddess Saraswati because he wanted to be proud and arrogant. Digvijay already defeated everyone except this one young scholar in Navadvipa. Wherever Digvijay would go he would be accompanied by his followers  carrying  flags of victory, elephants, horses, band playing music. He was like a King because he had defeated everyone in Sanskrit learning.

He sent information to Navadvipa that he wanted to come and have a debate with their representatives. The scholars in Navadvipa refused to debate with him. Digvijay sent them a notice saying that if none of you want to debate with me then give me a certificate saying that I defeated you in the Sanskrit debate. These scholars in Navadvipa assembled to discuss the situation and they invited Nimai to participate in the discussion. Nimai saw that none of them wanted to enter a debate with him. They were ready to give him a certificate that he had defeated everyone in Navadvipa. Nimai stopped it. He said that this man is very proud. He must be taught a lesson. Nimai taught him a lesson but He did it very tactfully.

On the bank of the River Ganges Nimai was holding a class when Digvijay walked in along with his whole entourage. Nimai gave him the utmost respect. He said, you are the greatest scholar ever to appear. I am a fool, a beginner, what am I compared to you? When the scholar heard this he became even more proud. He said, look at this, even this famous Nimai is surrendering to me. Nimai asked him out of respect, ‘You compose something. We are sitting at the bank of the Ganges. The Ganges is the most sacred of all rivers. Why don’t you compose something in her glorification’.

In response to His request he composed hundred verses glorifying mother Ganges. He was so confident that he had done a wonderful job. He said, ‘So, You liked my composition?’ Nimai said, ‘Yes. Wonderful! But I think there were also some flaws in it’. He said, ‘You are incapable of finding flaws in my composition. You don’t even understand what I am saying, how can you point out any flaws!’ Nimai recited the sloka and explained it’s five plus points and five minus points. When he heard that sloka recited he was stunned with shock. He said, ‘I spoke at the speed of the wind. How could you have possibly memorized it?’

Someone who can memorize by hearing once is called in Sanskrit srutidhara. This Digvijay was unable to respond to the objections that Nimai had formed out to his fault. Digvijay was praying to goddess Saraswati intently, ‘Please help me to defend myself against this young boy Nimai!’ When Digvijay could not reply Nimai’s students began making fun but Nimai stopped it. He said, ‘No! You cannot embarrass him’. And Nimai came to his defense! Nimai said, ‘You are tired today. You have been traveling from very far. So tomorrow you can give the reply’. See Nimai’s approach. He wanted to teach him a lesson because this man was very proud and arrogant.

Pride is an obstacle on the path back to Godhead. Therefore a spiritualist it is advised to give up pride. Therefore in the Bhagavatam in the Fourth Canto there is a following example. It says, when the fruits of a tree are ripe by the weight of the fruits of the tree the branches get pulled downwards. Is this true in Russia also? When fruits are ripe the branches are pulled downwards and when the fruits are raw the branches are shooting upwards. The sign of one who is advancing spiritually is that even he has a lot of pluses he is very humble and gentle in dealing with others.

Nimai first stopped His students from embarrassing Digvijay. Then He came to his rescue by saying, ‘Oh, you are tired you better give your reply tomorrow’. When in the evening he went home Digvijay fell at the feet of Saraswati and said, ‘You have always spoken through me but today I could not reply to this young eleven-year old boy’. Then the goddess said, ‘I cannot defend you against this boy. This boy is none else but the Supreme Personality of Godhead!’ Then this Sanskrit scholar surrendered at the feet of Nimai and he became a humble devotees. Humility is a key point. Therefore Krishnadas Kaviraj says that that famous verse of Siksastaka should be in the forefront of everyone’s mind.

I will also tell you a little bit about Lord Nityananda now. I will do a little bit about Lord Caitanya and a little bit about every devotee every day. Nityananda is none else but Lord Balarama and Laxman. Nitya means eternal, ananda means bliss. Is there anyone who does not want bliss? Of course, everyone wants bliss but unfortunately most of all want it by a false process. Lord Nityananda being an incarnation of Lord Balarama from His very birth, His childhood, He has started performing these transcendental pastimes of Lord Krishna and Lord Rama. Normally, we train a child in these pastimes but Nityananda new all of this by birth, without any training. His parents would wonder, who has taught our child these pastimes.

He used to do dramas with His friends depicting the different pastimes of the Lord in different incarnations. His parents were amazed. His mother’s name was Padmavati and His mother’s name was Hadai Pandit. His parents were amazed who is teaching my child these pastimes. Lord Nityananda appeared as the elder brothers of Lord Caitanya just like Balarama appeared as the elder brother. Same Lord manifests in two different forms. Sevya as the Lord who is served and sevaka as the Lord who serves. Lord Caitanya is sevya and Lord Nityananda is sevaka, is one who serves the Lord. Just like Lord Caitanya is Radha and Krishna combined, sri krsna caitanya – radha-krisa nahe anya. Similarly, Nityananda is none else but Balarama and Ananga Manjari combined.

There was once a sannyasi who had come to stay in Hadai Pandit’s house. After the sannyasi stayed for few days, he was living and he made a request with Nityananda’s father. He said, I have to go and travel to many places of pilgrimage and I am all alone. Can you give me your son as my assistant? His parents only had one child, they were immensely attached to this child. But here was a request from the sannyasi, can I have your son as my assistant. Reluctantly, they agreed. And then Lord Nityananda traveled to all the places of pilgrimage very much like Balarama traveled to all the places of pilgrimage while the battle of Kuruksetra was going on. Balarama wasn’t happy about the battle of Kuruksetra. He did not want to take part in this battle. So He left for different places of pilgrimage.

Nityananda also traveled to different places of pilgrimage. When He came to Vrindavan He was in ecstasy. He remembered all the places where He and Krishna had performed Their pastimes five thousand years ago. Materially, Lord Nityananda was about twelve years older then Lord Caitanya. When Lord Nityananda was about thirty-two years age, He knew that now Caitanya Mahaprabhu has started displaying His mission. What was Mahaprabhu’s mission? To reclaim the fallen people of Kali-yuga. But initially He did not reveal that. He appeared in the role of a devotee. But gradually, he began to reveal His purpose.

Just like when Lord Caitanya haven’t yet started His preaching mission, one man by the name Tapan Mishra came to Him and said, ‘What is the goal of life? What should I do with my life?’ He said, ‘I am very unhappy. I am miserable. Please tell me what should be the goal of life?’ Do all of you agree with this question? So Lord Caitanya said, ‘Chant the holy names and serve Krishna!’ This was the Lord’s advice to everyone He met.

So when He was in Vrindavan, Lord Nityananda realized that Lord Caitanya was beginning to execute His mission which was to preach, so He came to Navadvipa. When He came to Navadvipa He came and stayed in a devotee called Nandana Acarya. Lord Caitanya knew that Lord Nityananda was now in Navadvipa. He sent his associates, Haridas and Srivas Pandit to every house in Navadvipa to look for Nityananda but they could not find Him. They went to every house and they could not find Him. Nityananda was also known as Avadhuta. Lord Caitanya at once came to Nandana Acarya’s house and found Him. When the two Lords met and everyone saw that They were embracing each other, everyone was full of ecstasy just by seeing it.

Lord Caitanya started His preaching mission and instructed everyone as follows, bolo krsna, bajo krisna, koro krsna sikha. The translation of this is as follows. Bolo krsna – speak about Krishna. Bhajo krsna – worship Krishna. Koro krsna sikha – accept Krishna’s instructions as a life and soul. Krsna mata – Krishna is your mother. Krsna pitta – Krishna is your father. Krsna prana-dhana – Krishna is your life and soul. Are you all agree? This was Lord Caitanya’s instruction to all His associates. Bolo krsna – talk about Krishna. Bhajo krsna – worship Krishna. Koro krsna sikha – accept Krishna’s instructions as a goal of your life. He is your father, your mother and your life and soul.

Lord Caitanya told His associates to go house to house and tell this to everyone. Not only that, He told them, ‘Come back every night and give your report about your preaching success’. All these devotees would go house to house and preach and come back in the evening and give the Lord report about their preaching success of failures. When Srila Prabhupada was on this planet in the evening when we would come after him for darshan he would all ask each of us, ‘So! What was your preaching success? What are the preaching reports for today?’ When the book distributor would come after him he would say, ‘So, how is the book distribution score?’ Similarly in Caitanya Bhagavata it is said that Lord Caitanya gave this mantra to all His associates and told them, ‘Come back every evening and report to me’.

All of Lord Caitanya’s’ associates were thus dispatched to preach this mantra. Actually this is the mantra that each of us should adopt in our preaching. That is our real mission – to take to Krishna, to worship Krishna and to accept Krishna’s instructions as our life and soul. It as the result of that preaching instruction that was given by the Lord that Nityananda teamed up with Haridas and they started going house to house. Can you imagine a preaching team of Nityananda and Haridas Thakur together? They could probably save everyone in Russia today if they came here. That would be a fantastic team!

While they were preaching, you know the famous story how they encountered two drunkard brothers known as Jagai and Madhai. Actually, their names were Jagadananda and Madhavananda. Though born in brahminical families they had fallen to very low levels. You become a brahmana by qualification, not by birth. When they started preaching they were received differently by different sections of society. Some received them very warmly, ‘Hey, you brahmana sannyasis, please stop at my house’, and gave them respect. Some said, ‘They are spies. They are going house to house. They want to see what is inside of the hose and then they will rob’. And some said, ‘No! You cannot come in!’ Because when Lord Caitanya started his sankirtana in the house of Srivasa Thakur He only allowed the most confidential devotees to come and see His chanting and dancing. So many of the brahmanas of Navadvipa had become the Lord’s enimies.

They were brahmanas but they did not have pure devotion. When Nityananda and Haridas went to their houses they would say, ‘Get out! You did not allow to come for your kirtana. We won’t let you to our house!’ When you devotees go and preach and you get offended don’t feel bad. If you are thrown out don’t feel bad. Caitanya Bhagavata describes how Nityananda and Haridas were thrown out of people’s homes. They did not let them come in, they would keep them out. But still they did not get discouraged.

You know how they were attacked by Madhai and how Jagai saved Madhai from attacking Nityananda any more. Jagai and Madhai wanted to repent, so Lord Caitanya gave them the repentance. They started chanting the holy name 200,000 times a day. There is a ghat in Navadvipa called Madhai-ghat even today where thousands of pilgrims would come every day. Jagai and Madhai would take the dust from their feet and washed in the ghat. They constructed the ghat themselves by digging. Madhai was so repentant for what he had done that everyone who came to him he would say, ‘Please forgive me for the offences I committed’. Every day he would take the dust from the feet of thousands of pilgrims and chanted the holy name 200,000 times a day. Not bad for repentance, isn’t it?

Nityananda of course performed many miracles also. Once Mallini, the wife Srivas Pandit was holding a bowl with ghi in it meant to be offered to Krishna. A crow came, took the bowl away and kept it in it’s nest. When the bowl with ghi was taken away Mallini felt very-very depressed. The bird kept the bowl in it’s nest and came to where Nityananda was along with Mallini who was like His mother. Nityananda said, ‘Bring the bowl back!’ The bird went back to the nest and brought the bowl back and Mallini was very relieved.

As I told you Nityananda was an avadhuta. Sometimes you have present day devotees trying to imitate Him. But He was a real avadhuta. Once some rich followers offered Him a lot of diamonds, rings, gold necklaces. Nityananda was staying in the house of a brahmana-follower. Just like Jagai and Madhai were born in a brahminical family, there was another brahmana who had become a big thief. This brahman was a big thief, dacoit, murderer. He had a whole gang of gangsters with him, his own mafia. It was a Navadvipa mafia, not the Russian mafia.

This thief said, ‘This avadhuta, Nityananda is full of gold and diamond jewelry. If we can just rob Him then we will all become millionaires’. The robbers started to make plan how to rob Nityananda. Their leader said, ‘I am going to take the diamond necklace that is on Nityananda’s neck’. The other thief said, ‘I will take the golden bangle that is on His left hand’. They made a whole plan of how they will rob and share the wealth. Their leader traveled with Nityananda for few days, studied Nityananda’s movements so that he could know how to rob Him.

Nityananda was eating prasadam staying in the house of His devotee Hiranya Pandit. The gagsters made a plan, ‘Okay! Tonight is a big day, we are going to plunder Nityananda of all His wealth’. They went and surrounded Nityananda’s house with their gang and sent a spy inside to see what Nityananda was doing. The spy came inside and saw that Nityananda was eating prasadam with one devotee Hiranya Pandit. The thieves said, ‘Okay. Let Him finish the prasadam and go to sleep. When He goes to sleep we will plunder the house’. All the thieves sat underneath a tree waiting for Nityananda to finish his prasadam, shut the lights off and go to sleep, and they would come and rob Him.

They were all sitting their together and they all fell asleep by the mercy of the Lord. First their leader fell asleep and then they all fell asleep. They did not get up till the next morning when they heard the crows and the birds chirping. When they got up in the morning because of chirping of birds they all started accusing each other, ‘You fell asleep first, then I fell asleep’. Their leader said, ‘goddess Durga was not pleased with us right then. Okay, we will make another attempt’.

The next night they again came with their weapons, bows, tridents, determined to rob Nityananda’s wealth. As they were coming to rob Nityananda they saw heavy security guards standing on all four sides of the house. These guards were standing with big tridents, right on the North, South, West, East of the house. As these robbers came near the house, they saw that Nityananda’s house was so well protected by these heavy security guards. They said, how did that happen? Nityananda must have known that we were coming to rob him. Then another robber said, maybe some big man has come to see Nityananda and these are his security men and they are protecting Nityananda.

Their leader was very depressed. The first time they came to rob Nityananda they all fell asleep. The second time they came they saw all these security guards that they had never seen before. Their leader said, ‘This time let us worship goddess Durga for ten more days and then will come back and again rob him’. For ten days they worshiped goddess Durga. After ten days they again came to rob Nityananda’s jewels. But this time as they approached the house it was the darkest night of history. The thieves could not see each other. They all became blind and Indra wanted to teach them a lesson. He started pouring very-very heavily and the thieves, one fell in the gutter, because they could not even see each other – it was very dark. Another one was bitten by mosquitoes and the others were drenched heavily by the rain and they fell sick.

Then their leader realized that this Nityananda is not ordinary. He must be God Himself. He said, ‘This was the third attempt. The first time we fell asleep, the second time the security men were there and the third time it was the darkest night and we are falling on each other, we are bitten by snakes, birds, mosquitoes’. So they decided to surrender to Lord Nityananda. They revealed to Him their plans and then they surrendered and became great devotees of the Lord.

This whole lila has been very nicely presented by Vrindavan das Thakur in his book on Lord Nityananda. There are many wonderful pastimes of Lord Nityananda. Once a devotee Murari Gupta went and offered obeisances to Lord Caitanya first and Lord Nityananda later. Lord Caitanya was not very happy with this because he offered obeisances to Lord Caitanya first and then Lord Nityananda. Then Murari Gupta had a dream in which he was instructed by the Lord to first offer obeisances to Lord Nityananda. The next day they were sitting together, Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityananda. Murari Gupta came and first offered obeisances to Lord Nityananda and then to Lord Caitanya. Lord Caitanya was very pleased with it.

Lord Nityananda also represents the spiri-tual master. There are so many wonderful pas-times of the Lord but we just gave you a sam-pling of three or four. We will continue to-morrow. Hare Krishna!