Chapter Four of the book The Origin of Ratha-yātrā, by Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja

 

The Chariot Festival is performed every year in Jagannātha Purī, a very beautiful place near the shore of the Indian Ocean. I have explained that Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu Himself made the Guṇḍicā Temple neat and clean on the previous day, using His own garments, and after that Jagannātha went there. I have also related two histories explaining how Jagannātha, Subhadrā, and Baladeva Prabhu manifested their forms.

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu brought new meaning and light to the Ratha-yātrā Festival, but only a very few rare souls will understand these topics, even if they are explained completely. Yet, one day you will have to understand the truths within these topics.

You can all come with me to the shore of the ocean at Nīlācala, to the Bay of Bengal at Purī, where over four million devotees have assembled. These devotees are pulling the chariots and shouting, “Jagannātha-deva kī jaya, Baladeva Prabhu kī jaya, Śrī Subhadrā-devī kī jaya, Śacīnandana Gaurahari kī jaya,” and Caitanya Mahāprabhu is dancing here and there.

Sometimes the chariot does not reach the Guṇḍicā Temple even after an entire day; it may take two or three days. Sometimes it will not even move an inch, although crowds of devotees try to pull it. The devotees want to pull it, but it cannot move unless Jagannātha desires. When He wants it to move, it does so very quickly and easily.

At the time of Mahāprabhu, Pratāparudra Mahārāja was the King of Orissa. Although he was the supreme ruler of that kingdom and a very powerful emperor, he served Jagannātha by sweeping. He used an ordinary broom made from the sticks of a coconut tree, with a golden handle, and he swept during the procession. Mahāprabhu became very happy to see him working and serving like an ordinary sweeper, and He wanted to meet him. However, there was a wall between Mahāprabhu and King Pratāparudra, and that wall was the word “king.” This is a very dangerous word because “king” generally refers to someone with great opulence and wealth, and full of material desires.

Mahāprabhu wanted to be merciful to King Pratāparudra, but that wall was there, and love and affection could only dissolve it. There would be no other process. Although the King was a very high-class devotee, he was still a king. He had a kingdom, a very beautiful wife and children, and he possessed great wealth and power. A very dangerous venomous snake is still a snake, even if its venom has somehow been removed and its fangs removed; if anyone comes close, it will hiss and attack. For this reason, before the festival, Caitanya Mahāprabhu had refused to meet King Pratāparudra, although he was an advanced devotee.

At that time, when the King heard that Mahāprabhu had refused to meet him, he said, “Caitanya Mahāprabhu has promised to liberate the entire world and give everyone kṛṣṇa-prema. I am the only exception. If He is determined not to see me, then I am determined to give up my life. If I do not see Him, if He does not give me His mercy, I will give up my kingdom, my wife, children, and everything else. I do not need my wealth, reputation, or position anymore. I will give them all up.”

Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya pacified the King by saying, “Don’t do anything in a hurry – wait. The right time will come, and you will be able to serve Him. There is one means by which you can see Him directly. On the day of the Chariot Festival, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu will dance before the deity in great ecstatic love. After dancing before Jagannātha, He will enter the Guṇḍicā garden, absorbed in a deep mood. At that time, you can go there alone, without your royal dress, and you can approach Him as a mendicant – a street beggar. You can recite Gopī-gīta and the other chapters of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam concerning Lord Kṛṣṇa’s dancing with the gopīs, and in this way you will be able to catch hold of the Lord’s lotus feet.”

Jagannātha-deva, Baladeva Prabhu, and Subhadrā were riding on very large, newly built chariots. Baladeva’s chariot was in front, followed by Subhadrā’s chariot, and Kṛṣṇa’s chariot came last. As the chariot stood still, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu gathered all His devotees, and with His own hand, decorated them with flower garlands and tilaka made with sandalwood pulp. He then divided all His close associates into four kīrtana groups. Each group had eight chanters, and He gave two mṛdaṅgas to each group and ordered them to begin kīrtana. Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu danced in one group, Advaita Ācārya danced in the second, Haridāsa Ṭhākura in the third, and Vakreśvara Paṇḍita danced beautifully in the fourth. All of them were very good dancers, and they could all dance throughout the day and night. Svarūpa Dāmodara, Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita, Mukunda, and Govinda Ghoṣa were the main singers in each of the four respective groups.

Mahāprabhu then created three more groups. One was made up of Bengali householder devotees from the village of Kulīnagrāma, the second group came from Śāntipura, and the third group was from Śrīkhaṇḍa. Thus, four groups chanted and danced in front of Jagannātha-deva, one more group on each side of Him, and another group behind Him. In this way, there were seven groups, and thousands and thousands of devotees followed each group.

After dividing the devotees into kīrtana groups, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu began to dance, sometimes in all the groups simultaneously. Caitanya Mahāprabhu is one, but He manifested seven forms, and thus began to dance and sing in each kīrtana group simultaneously. Tears shot from His eyes as if from a syringe, and He danced very quickly, as Kṛṣṇa had danced in His līlā. At that time, King Pratāparudra saw Him in the form of Kṛṣṇa and thought, “Oh, He is Kṛṣṇa Himself!”

Although Mahāprabhu was in seven groups simultaneously, the devotees in each group thought, “Mahāprabhu is only with us,” and they sang and danced very happily. This incident was like the pastime that took place when Kṛṣṇa was taking His meal with His sakhās at Bhāṇḍīravaṭa, when there were many thousands of circles of sakhās. Some of the cowherd boys were behind Kṛṣṇa, some were by His side, and some were very far away; yet all of them thought, “I’m in front of Kṛṣṇa. I’m taking prasāda with Him, putting my prasāda in His mouth, and He is putting His in mine.” All of them – whether they were behind Kṛṣṇa, in front of Him, beside Him, or anywhere here and there – thought that Kṛṣṇa was always with them. Similarly, at the time of rāsa-līlā, it seemed that thousands and thousands of Kṛṣṇas were dancing with thousands and thousands of gopīs (there was one Kṛṣṇa with each gopī). There was one Kṛṣṇa in between each pair of gopīs, and one gopī in between each pair of Kṛṣṇas. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu now performed the same miracle.

Except for three people – Pratāparudra Mahārāja, Kāśī Miśra, and Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya – everyone saw Caitanya Mahāprabhu only in their own group. By Mahāprabhu’s mercy, the King saw that He was dancing in the seven kīrtana groups simultaneously. His tears fell in showers, and sometimes He fell down and rolled on the earth, and the devotees lifted Him up. The King asked the others, “What am I seeing? Am I wrong? No, I see Him. He is here, and He is there simultaneously. He is dancing in all seven groups.” Kāśī Miśra and Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya replied, “You are very fortunate. You have received Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s mercy. Only a select few people are seeing this scene as you are.”

The devotees formed three circles to prevent the crowds from coming too near the Lord, keeping Mahāprabhu in the middle. Nityānanda Prabhu led the first circle; devotees headed by Kāśīśvara and Govinda linked hands and formed a second circle; and a third circle was formed around the two inner circles by King Pratāparudra and his personal assistants, as well as by his police and soldiers. Pratāparudra’s general, Haricandana, was with the King, wearing many medals and carefully guarding him as hundreds of thousands watched Mahāprabhu dance. To see Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu dancing, King Pratāparudra lifted himself by putting his hands on Haricandana’s shoulders, and he felt greatly ecstatic.

Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita, who is Nārada Ṛṣi in kṛṣṇa-līlā, also wanted to watch Mahāprabhu’s beautiful dance. The King was standing behind Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura, and he wanted to see Mahāprabhu without interference, but as Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita was absorbed in watching Mahāprabhu, he was moving from side to side in such a way that the King could not see properly. The King’s general warned Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura, “Don’t do that. The King wants to see. Stay here on one side.” Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita was so absorbed that he did not take any notice of the warning at first, but after Haricandana had told him twice, Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita became angry and slapped him.

The commander-in-chief was very tall, strong, and stout, and he wanted to retaliate by arresting Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita. All the guards also became angry and wanted to arrest him, but King Pratāparudra immediately told Haricandana, “Don’t do anything. These are Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s associates, and Mahāprabhu is Kṛṣṇa Himself. You are so fortunate to be slapped by this very elevated devotee. You are very fortunate, so be silent.” And the general did as he was told.

Caitanya Mahāprabhu was reciting a śloka while He danced, but no one could understand or explain its meaning – no one, except a boy named Rūpa. Mahāprabhu’s mood entered Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī’s heart, and he thus wrote a similar śloka, which Mahāprabhu later took from the roof of Haridāsa Ṭhākura’s bhajana-kuṭīra, where Rūpa Gosvāmī was also residing. “How did you know My mood?” Mahāprabhu asked Rūpa Gosvāmī. Svarūpa Dāmodara, Rāya Rāmānanda, and all of Mahāprabhu’s other associates then glorified Rūpa Gosvāmī, and they told Mahāprabhu, “You have inspired him. How could he have known without Your inspiration? No one can know this without Your mercy.” Only someone on the level of Svarūpa Dāmodara could know; no one else.

King Pratāparudra was an exalted devotee who wanted to take darśana of Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s lotus feet. However, Mahāprabhu told his associates, “I cannot give him darśana. He is a king, so he is like a black serpent.”

Mahāprabhu has also said that a wooden statue of a lady can attract even a muni, 

durvāra indriya kare viṣaya-grahaṇa
dāravī prakṛti hare munerapi mana

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Antya-līlā 2.118)

[“So strongly do the senses adhere to the objects of their enjoyment that indeed a wooden statue of a woman attracts the mind of even a great saintly person.”]

Munis such as Viśvāmitra and Nārada are renounced and realised, but just to set an example for us and to teach us how careful we must be, they both performed pastimes in which they appeared to be under the spell of illusion. We should be very cautious in the association of the opposite sex because men and women are like Kāmadeva (Cupid) for one another; they cannot control their senses or hearts when they are together. I therefore request my disciples and friends to be very careful. You are independent, but you should always remember these principles.

Mahāprabhu was very strict, so He did not give the King His association, even though he was a very advanced devotee. Moreover, when Nityānanda Prabhu, Advaita Ācārya, Rāya Rāmānanda, and Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya requested Mahāprabhu to see the King, He told them, “I will leave Purī and go to Ālālanātha or somewhere else. I will not remain here; you can stay here with him.”

Since Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu would not agree to see the King, Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya, Rāya Rāmānanda, and other associates told the King, “When your beautiful son went to Mahāprabhu, the Lord embraced him and said, ‘Come and meet with Me daily.’ In this way, somehow or other, you have ‘half’ taken His darśana, and He has shown His compassion to you. Mahāprabhu is very satisfied and pleased with you, and He has given you so much mercy, especially because you are a very simple person and have engaged in the service of the Lord as a sweeper. So now, if you want to have His darśana directly, dress very simply and secretly meet Him when He becomes tired from dancing in seven groups. He will be lamenting continually in Śrīmatī Rādhikā’s mood, and at that time you can approach Him and sing the sweet Gopī-gīta.”

jayati te ’dhikaṁ janmanā vrajaḥ
śrayata indirā śaśvad atra hi
dayita dṛśyatāṁ dikṣu tāvakās
tvayi dhṛtāsavas tvāṁ vicinvate

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.31.1)

[“O beloved, Your birth in the land of Vraja has made it exceedingly glorious, and thus Indirā, the goddess of fortune, always resides here. It is only for Your sake that we, Your devoted servants, maintain our lives. We have been searching everywhere for You, so please show Yourself to us.”]

tava kathāmṛtaṁ tapta-jīvanaṁ
kavibhir īḍitaṁ kalmaṣāpaham
śravaṇa-maṅgalaṁ śrīmad ātataṁ
bhuvi gṛṇanti ye bhūri-dā janāḥ

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.31.9)

[“The nectar of Your words and the descriptions of Your activities are the life and soul of those suffering in this material world. These narrations, transmitted by learned sages, eradicate one’s sinful reactions and bestow good fortune upon whoever hears them. These narrations are broadcast all over the world and are filled with spiritual power. Certainly those who spread the message of Godhead are most munificent.”]

These verses are some of the most valuable diamonds in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. First comes pūrva-rāga* in Veṇu-gīta, then this Gopī-gīta, and then Yugala-gīta, Bhramara-gīta, and Praṇaya-gīta. These most precious jewels are called pañcaprāṇa-vāyu, the five life airs, and our main objective is to enter the deep truths of these gītas. Your life will be successful if you can realise these topics, especially with the commentaries by Śrī Sanātana Gosvāmī and Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī, and above all with that of Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura, who has explained these ślokas in an especially marvellous way. There are more than one thousand commentaries on Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, but it is the commentaries of our Gosvāmīs that express the moods of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

As mentioned, Caitanya Mahāprabhu had become pleased and satisfied to see the King sweeping the road. Consequently, by the influence of His yogamāyā-śakti, the King could see His miracle of dancing in seven groups simultaneously. “What am I seeing?” the King had said to Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya. “This is very wonderful. One Caitanya Mahāprabhu is dancing in each group.” Sārvabhauma replied, “This is His mercy. You swept the road like a street beggar, and now He is pleased with you. Not everyone sees as you do. Others think, ‘He is only in our group.’ You have already received His mercy, so what else remains? Just dress as a very simple devotee and wait until He rests in the garden.”

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu will also sprinkle His mercy upon you if you give up all your opulence and the conception that you are intelligent and qualified. This will happen if you become like King Pratāparudra, whose heart was as hollow as a flute for Caitanya Mahāprabhu to play on, and if you serve your gurudeva and Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa in this way. By Mahāprabhu’s mercy, you can know His opulence, love, and affection.

Caitanya Mahāprabhu and the Ratha-yātrā chariot stopped midway between the Jagannātha Temple and Guṇḍicā. Hundreds of thousands of devotees were there, offering many coconuts from wherever they stood, and He accepted the essence of their offerings with His eyes. They also offered many sweet and tasty preparations, including jackfruits, mangoes, and other fruits, some from as much as a mile or two away, and He ate by glancing at those as well.

jagannāthera choṭa-baḍa yata bhakta-gaṇa
nija nija uttama-bhoga kare samarpaṇa

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Madhya-līlā 13.197)

[“All kinds of devotees of Lord Jagannātha — from neophytes to the most advanced — offered their best cooked food to the Lord.”]

āge pāche, dui pārśve puṣpodyāna-vane
yei yāhā pāya, lāgāya, — nāhika niyame

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Madhya-līlā 13.200)

[“The devotees offered their food everywhere — in front of the car and behind it, on the two sides and within the flower garden. Wherever possible, they made their offering to the Lord, for there were no hard and fast rules.”]

bhogera samaya lokera mahā bhiḍa haila
nṛtya chāḍi’ mahāprabhu upavane gela

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Madhya-līlā 13.201)

[“While the food was being offered, a large crowd of people gathered. At that time Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu stopped His dancing and went to a nearby garden.”]

Caitanya Mahāprabhu had been dancing for some time, and now He became somewhat tired.

yata bhakta kīrtanīyā āsiyā ārāme
prati-vṛkṣa-tale sabe karena viśrāme

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Madhya-līlā 13.204)

[“All the devotees who had been performing saṅkīrtana came there and took rest under each and every tree.”]

Mahāprabhu was thinking, “I am Rādhikā. Kṛṣṇa has left Me and gone to Mathurā.” His eyes were full of tears, and He wept, not knowing where He was or what He was doing. He did not know anything – only, “Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa!” He wanted to take some rest along with Nityānanda Prabhu, Advaita Ācārya, Svarūpa Dāmodara, Vakreśvara Paṇḍita, Puṇḍarīka Vidyānidhi, Paramānanda Purī, and other exalted associates. Accordingly, He went into the Jagannātha-vallabha Garden at Āiṭoṭā in a mood of great separation, with His heart melting and tears flowing from His eyes. He laid His head on the root of a tree and cried, “Where is My prāṇanātha? Where is My Kṛṣṇa?”

The King had been trying to meet Mahāprabhu for many years, but Caitanya Mahāprabhu had instructed, “I don’t want to meet with a king; he should not come to Me.” King Pratāparudra had invited Caitanya Mahāprabhu to his palace, but He had refused to come. He never met a king, any other royal person, or anyone wealthy. Besides that, He never touched any woman, even if she was a young girl.

Now Caitanya Mahāprabhu was lying down and weeping, lamenting as Śrīmatī Rādhikā had done in separation from Kṛṣṇa.

The King approached Rāya Rāmānanda, Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya, Advaita Ācārya, and Nityānanda Prabhu. He offered praṇāma to them all and said, “I am going to Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Please bless me.” He then removed his royal dress and ornaments and put on very simple clothes. Wearing only a dhotī and looking like an ordinary person, he approached Mahāprabhu, took His lotus feet in his hands, and gently and expertly massaged them. As he did so, he sang:

jayati te ’dhikaṁ janmanā vrajaḥ
śrayata indirā śaśvad atra hi
dayita dṛśyatāṁ dikṣu tāvakās
tvayi dhṛtāsavas tvāṁ vicinvate

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.31.1)

[“O beloved, Your birth in the land of Vraja has made it exceedingly glorious, and thus Indirā, the goddess of fortune, always resides here. It is only for Your sake that we, Your devoted servants, maintain our lives. We have been searching everywhere for You, so please show Yourself to us.”]

He sang ślokas like this in a melody so full of feeling that Caitanya Mahāprabhu wept more and more, and His heart melted further. He had been unconscious, but now He sat up and cried, “Who is pouring such sweet nectar in My ears? Go on, go on. Keep on giving Me this nectar.” The King continued:

tava kathāmṛtaṁ tapta-jīvanaṁ
kavibhir īḍitaṁ kalmaṣāpaham
śravaṇa-maṅgalaṁ śrīmad ātataṁ
bhuvi gṛṇanti ye bhūri-dā janāḥ

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.31.9)

[“The nectar of Your words and the descriptions of Your activities are the life and soul of those suffering in this material world. These narrations, transmitted by learned sages, eradicate one’s sinful reactions and bestow good fortune upon whoever hears them. These narrations are broadcast all over the world and are filled with spiritual power. Certainly those who spread the message of Godhead are most munificent.”]

Mahāprabhu could not control Himself. He embraced the King and asked, “Who are you? Who are you?” King Pratāparudra told Him, “I am the servant of the servant of the servant of Your servant.” Mahāprabhu was satisfied and said, “I am a street beggar, a niṣkiñcana-sannyāsī. I have no pockets, so I have nothing to give you. I shall therefore give you My embrace, which is My only wealth.” Mahāprabhu then embraced the King heart to heart. Both their hearts mixed, and Mahāprabhu transferred some of His moods to the King’s heart, empowering and satisfying him.

All the verses of Gopī-gīta have beautiful and esoteric meanings. They are all connected, and a rasika devotee can explain the meaning of each śloka for a month or more. These verses reveal a very pathetic scene. All the gopīs are feeling separation and begging, “O Kṛṣṇa, come and meet with us; otherwise we will die.” Janmanā vrajaḥ means, “You took birth in Gokula-Vṛndāvana, in Vraja, and that is why Mahā-Lakṣmī sweeps and serves here, making Vṛndāvana beautiful. It is the best place for Your sweet pastimes.”

There are many hundreds of meanings for the verse beginning with the words tava kathāmṛtaṁ tapta-jīvanam, but I will tell you two meanings in brief. The first is general, and the second is somewhat deeper. The gopīs tell Kṛṣṇa: “tava kathāmṛtam – Your sweet pastimes are the life and soul of those who face great difficulties, sorrows, and sufferings in the endless chain of birth and death in this world. Your pastimes are like nectar for them, and if they hear those pastimes, You Yourself enter their hearts in the form of hari-kathā.”

śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ
puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ
hṛdy antaḥ stho hy abhadrāṇi
vidhunoti suhṛt satām

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.2.17)

[“Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Personality of Godhead, who is the Paramātmā (Supersoul) in everyone’s heart and the benefactor of the truthful devotee, cleanses desire for material enjoyment from the heart of the devotee who has developed the urge to hear His messages, which are in themselves virtuous when properly heard and chanted.”]

Kṛṣṇa Himself enters the ears and hearts of those who carefully hear these pastimes. He comes as a dear and intimate friend, and clears away their lust, anger, worldly desires, and problems. He quickly sweeps all these impediments from their hearts, and when He has made those hearts clear, He comes to live there. One who is always unhappy after being tossed on the ocean of problems will become happy upon hearing harikathā.

Parīkṣit Mahārāja would die after seven days from the bite of a poisonous snake, and no one in this world was competent to save him. He therefore gave up eating, drinking, and sleeping altogether, and remained on the bank of the Gaṅgā for those seven days, hearing from Śukadeva Gosvāmī.

nivṛtta-tarṣair upagīyamānād
bhavauṣadhāc chrotra-mano-’bhirāmāt
ka uttamaśloka-guṇānuvādāt
pumān virajyeta vinā paśughnāt

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.1.4)

[“Glorification of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is performed in the paramparā system, that is, it is conveyed from the spiritual master to disciple. Such glorification is relished by those no longer interested in the false, temporary glorification of this cosmic manifestation. Descriptions of the Lord are the right medicine for the conditioned soul undergoing repeated birth and death. Therefore, who will cease hearing such glorification of the Lord except a butcher or one who is killing his own self?”]

Śukadeva Gosvāmī had no worldly desires at all. The hari-kathā spoken by a rasika-tattvajña** devotee like him is your greatest medicine, for it will cure all diseases and problems. Snakebites and other calamities will disappear very quickly, along with lust, anger, and all worldly desires. Do not have any doubt about this.

Tava kathāmṛtaṁ tapta-jīvanam. The hari-kathā of a self-realised devotee who explains the sweet pastimes of Kṛṣṇa will pacify you; you will become calm and quiet, and you will have a new life. Tapta-jīvanam. When those suffering hear these glories, they will become happy forever, in this life and all their lives. After liberation, they will go to Vṛndāvana and be happy forever. Nityānanda Prabhu assures us, “I guarantee this. If you are not happy, then chant and remember Kṛṣṇa. If, as a result of this, you do not feel happy, it will be my responsibility.”

Kavibhir īḍitam. Kavis (poets and writers) such as Brahmā, Śukadeva Gosvāmī, Vālmīki, and Kṛṣṇa-dvaipāyana Vyāsadeva, who is the highest type of kavi, have all said kalmaṣa-apaham: all kinds of sins and past fruitive karmas will disappear very soon. Śravaṇa-maṅgalam: All types of auspiciousness will come to you if you do nothing but hear hari-kathā. Śrīmad ātatam: This will cause the glories of your śrī – your opulence, wealth, beauty, and fortune – to spread all over the world.

One who gives hari-kathā purely will be famous throughout the world. For example, Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Svāmī Mahārāja was not a very popular speaker before he took sannyāsa and came to the West. He was very learned, but not many people came to hear him, and his wife and children rejected him. However, a miracle occurred after he took the renounced order and reached America. Within a very short time, he established many centres worldwide and made hundreds of thousands of devotees. So many became his servants and disciples that we cannot count them; this was a miracle. And I am also now experiencing something similar, although I am like a dry piece of straw.

The greatest donors in this world are those who explain sweet hari-kathā under the guidance of Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī, Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, Śrīla Prabhupāda Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, my gurudeva, and Śrīla Svāmī Mahārāja. Bhuvi gṛṇanti te bhūri-dā janāḥ – they glorify Kṛṣṇa and thereby benefit the whole world. Many benefactors can donate thousands and thousands of dollars or pounds. A king may give his entire kingdom, and a wealthy man may give the opulence and wealth of the entire world, but they would still not be bhūri-dāḥ. The greatest benefactors are those who describe Kṛṣṇa’s sweet pastimes to others.

This is a general understanding of the tava kathāmṛtam verse, which glorifies Kṛṣṇa. Perhaps this is Candrāvalī’s mood when she is speaking and praying. Śrīmatī Rādhikā, on the contrary, is in an angry mood, and She says: “tava kathāmṛtam – Your kathā is not amṛtam (nectar); it is poison. What type of poison? Deadly (mṛtam) poison. One should certainly avoid drinking this poison; in fact, one should keep very far away from it. If a person merely smells it, he will die, and no one will be able to save him. Those who hear Your pastimes must die like flapping fish. First, they will flap, and then they will die.”

Tapta-jīvanam. Gopīs like Rādhikā say, “We are the proof of this. We were perfectly happy in our family life, but then Kṛṣṇa came and created so many problems, and now we are helpless. He made us street beggars; we have no place to stay, and now we are on the verge of death. Anyone who wants to be happy with his family should never hear Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes.

“Kavibhir īḍitam. Poets will glorify even a paper horse. They will say, ‘It is very strong, and it runs faster than the wind and the mind,’ but their words have no substance. Similarly, such kavis have said, ‘Hearing hari-kathā will make you very happy,’ but this idea is not true; it is bogus. Kṛṣṇa cheated us, and His hari-kathā also cheated us. But now we are intelligent; we no longer believe in hearing these pastimes and warn everyone else never to hear them. If a lady hears these pastimes, she will forget her husband and children. She will become like a bird without a nest and will always weep.

“Those who want to be happy with their families, wives, children, and husbands should not hear the glories of that black Kṛṣṇa. He will cut off the relationship with his family if he hears them. Fathers and sons, and husbands and wives, will be separated from each other. Everyone who hears this hari-kathā will forget their husbands, wives, children, and others. They will become mad, always calling, ‘Kṛṣṇa! Kṛṣṇa! Kṛṣṇa!’ We also became mad, roaming here and there, always weeping and weeping. So Kṛṣṇa’s glories are like poison.

“Anyone who doesn’t want to be like this must not hear Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes, especially from the mouths of cheaters. They will come with a book under their arms and say, ‘Come here! Come here! I will relate Kṛṣṇa’s sweet and beautiful pastimes to you, and I won’t charge you anything. Don’t worry about donating. There is no cost. Simply hear.’ Such kavis will sing with a beautiful tune like a śuka (male parrot). They will charm a person, and then kill him at once with a very sharp knife. They are bhūri-dā janāḥ, greatly cutting: they will take away all one’s worldly happiness, create trouble for him, and make him like a beggar. So no one should hear from them.

“Those who give hari-kathā are very cruel, even if they do it as charity, giving classes on Bhāgavatam without taking any money. Instead of listening to them, he should simply give them a donation and say, ‘Go away from here. We don’t want to hear from you, because we will forget our wives, husbands, and relatives. We will lose our wealth and everything else. We will become beggars and weep forever.’ Nowadays, we are very careful to avoid hearing the glories of Kṛṣṇa.

“But what can we do?” Rādhikā and Her associates continue, “We cannot give up chanting about Kṛṣṇa and remembering Him, and we cannot give up hearing His glories. So what can we do? Those who distribute these glories are like hunters.”

There are two ways of saying something: a negative way and a positive way. The negative way has the same meaning as the positive; it only appears negative. For example, the gopīs once complained to Kṛṣṇa, “We cannot maintain our lives without You.” Kṛṣṇa replied, “Then why are you still alive? I am separated from you, but I see that you have not died yet.” The gopīs replied, “Do You know why we are still alive? You and Your friend Brahmā, the Creator, are very cruel. You both want to give suffering to others; you become very happy seeing others suffer. How will You be able to make others suffer if we die? Because of You, we are the best candidates for suffering, and You will never find anyone like us. We tolerate so much. To whom will You give this much suffering if we die? How will You be happy? Your cruel creator-friend is also like You, and he also wants to see us suffer. That is why he put our lives in You, and we don’t die. Our souls are not here within us. They are in You, and Brahmā created us like this. If our souls were with us, we would already have died long ago.

mṛgayur iva kapīndraṁ vivyadhe lubdha-dharmā
striyam akṛta virūpāṁ strī-jitaḥ kāma-yānām
balim api balim attvāveṣṭayad dhvāṅkṣa-vad yas
tad alam asita-sakhyair dustyajas tat-kathārthaḥ

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.47.17)

[“Like a hunter, He cruelly shot the king of the monkeys with arrows. Because He was conquered by a woman, He disfigured another woman who came to Him with lusty desires. And even after consuming the gifts of Bali Mahārāja, He bound him up with ropes as if he were a crow. So let us give up all friendship with this dark-complexioned boy, even if we can’t give up talking about Him.”]

The gopīs lament and weep, “Why do we remember You, hear so much about You, and chant Your name? We don’t want to have any love and affection for You, but what can we do about it? We cannot do anything. We want to forget You, but Your pastimes always come into our memory.”

The gopīs are anupamā, incomparable; no one in this world can compare with them. If you hear their pastimes and try to remember them, they will give you so much energy and strength that all your unwanted bad habits (anarthas) will disappear very soon. It is better to forget your job and everything else. There will be no harm, and Yogamāyā will arrange everything for your maintenance. Kṛṣṇa has given an order to Yogamāyā, and I myself will also manage everything for you. Don’t worry that you must go to work and perform many other duties. I have no job, so who is managing all my affairs? I have thousands and thousands of servants who always help me. They worry about me and think, “I should give something to Mahārāja.” Who is behind this? It is Kṛṣṇa Himself. Have strong faith in Kṛṣṇa. Do not worry about your maintenance. Chant and remember Kṛṣṇa more and more.

Don’t worry and wonder, “Who will look after me? What will become of me after Mahārāja leaves this world? This is a very big problem.” Actually there is no problem at all. Chant and remember Kṛṣṇa. By Kṛṣṇa’s order, Yogamāyā will always help you, and Kṛṣṇa’s cakra will always save you from danger; do not be worried. Keep this valuable jewel – the Festival of the Chariots message – in your hearts.

These are not my teachings; they are the teachings of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, and all the other ācāryas. I have brought their message to you as a postman. Take it and be happy. Try to help each other and thus be happy.

At the commencement of the Chariot Festival, Pratāparudra Mahārāja, the Emperor of Orissa, began sweeping the road. Although he was the King, he wore the dress of a devotee and looked very simple, like a beggar. He swept using a broom with a golden handle, and with his own hands, he watered the ground with fragrant substances like rose water so that the dust on the road would not rise. This was the job of a sweeper.

The tradition of the King of Orissa sweeping the road at the beginning of the Ratha-yātrā Festival is old. Many years before, the previous King, Mahārāja Puruṣottama Jānā, had also swept the road every year for Jagannātha-deva. Puruṣottama Jānā was very influential and powerful, but he would take a golden broom in his hand and sweep in front of Jagannātha’s chariot, sprinkling the ground with rose water and other aromatic substances. Like Mahārāja Pratāparudra, he dressed like an ordinary person, without shoes and royal dress.

When Puruṣottama Jānā (also known as Puruṣottama-deva) was about 24 years old, he was very beautiful and strong, and he had an agreement with the King of Vidyānagara in South India that he would marry the King’s daughter. He had been communicating with the King of Vidyānagara through messengers, and the King informed him he would come to meet him in person, but he did not specify when. Later, the King went unannounced to see with his own eyes how beautiful, wealthy, and qualified Puruṣottama Jānā actually was. He went with his whole family to see if they would agree with the marriage proposal.

At that time, fortunately or unfortunately, it was the first day of the Chariot Festival, and King Puruṣottama Jānā was dressed as a sweeper, sweeping the road before Jagannātha-deva. Seeing this, the King of Vidyānagara became quite upset and felt some disgust towards him. He appreciated that Puruṣottama Jānā was very youthful and beautiful, but he considered him a mere sweeper. He thought, “He is supposed to be so wealthy and qualified, but he is sweeping? I wanted to give my daughter to him, but now I see he is not qualified. He is sweeping like a street cleaner. I cannot give my daughter to this sweeper.” Thinking like this, he returned home and cancelled the marriage.

A few days after the festival, Puruṣottama Jānā remembered the agreement and wondered what had happened. He asked his counsellors, “That king wanted to give his daughter to me in marriage, but there has been no recent indication. Why not?” The counsellors informed him, “He saw you sweeping on the day of the Ratha-yātrā Festival and thought you were a mere sweeper. He doesn’t want to give his daughter to a common sweeper.” When Puruṣottama Jānā heard this, he became angry and said, “I must invade his kingdom!” In his mind, he told the king, “You don’t know the glory of my Jagannātha-deva!” He collected all his soldiers and generals, declared war on that king, and a ferocious battle took place in the state of that other king.

The King of Vidyānagara worshipped the demigod Gaṇeśa, who was therefore somewhat favourable towards him. Gaṇeśa fought against Puruṣottama Jānā’s army and defeated them. Thus, extremely disturbed, they returned to Purī empty-handed. Weeping, Puruṣottama Jānā went to the temple and told Lord Jagannātha, “O Lord, I am your servant. That very mighty King told me, ‘You are only a sweeper of Jagannātha,’ and he refused to give me his daughter in marriage. Please help me. I was sweeping for You. I thought You would always help me, but he defeated me. I’m serving You, and yet You didn’t help me. I was defeated because Gaṇeśa helped him. I remembered You, but You did not help me. Now everyone will think, ‘Jagannātha has no power, and that is why His devotee has no power. Jagannātha is very weak and insignificant.’ This is so shameful; I will die here. I will not eat or drink anything, and I will die here in front of You, in Your temple.”

Later that night, King Puruṣottama Jānā had a dream in which Jagannātha-deva told him, “Try again. Last time you went straight to war without calling Me, so I did not help you. But now I will help you. March again with all your soldiers and generals. Don’t be afraid, and don’t worry. Go and invade that king’s territory again. Baladeva and I will go there personally, and somehow you will be aware of this. You will defeat that king, Gaṇeśa, and everyone else on his side.” Puruṣottama Jānā became very happy and made arrangements to invade the kingdom again. The next day, he called for more soldiers and generals, and they started on their way and marched quickly towards Vidyānagara.

Meanwhile, Jagannātha and Baladeva got up on very strong and beautiful horses. Baladeva’s horse was white, and Kṛṣṇa Himself rode a red one. They were both sixteen years of age, one blackish and the other white, and both were very powerful, strong, and beautiful. They wanted Puruṣottma Jānā to believe they would fight for him, so they went some miles ahead of him. Many miles from Purī, they reached a village near Chilka, Ālālanātha, near a very large and beautiful lake. There, Kṛṣṇan and Baladeva came upon an old village gvālinī (milk-lady) carrying a large pot of buttermilk on her head. It was a hot summer day, and Jagannātha and Baladeva said to her, “Mother, can you give us some buttermilk? We are very thirsty.”

“Can you pay me?” the gvālinī asked them. “I will give you some buttermilk if you pay me.” Kṛṣṇa and Baladeva replied, “We cannot pay you. We are soldiers of the King and on the way to battle. Our King is coming and he will pay you when he arrives. You can tell him, ‘Your two soldiers were going this way. One was blackish and the other white. They were riding on their horses with their swords and other weapons.’ ” She asked, “How will he be able to recognise that you are his soldiers? How will he know it is his own soldiers who have taken this buttermilk?” They replied, “We will give you some proof to show the King, and then he will pay you.”

The village lady gave them her whole pot of buttermilk, and they drank it all and felt satisfied. Then they gave her their very beautiful rings and told her, “Give these rings to the King and tell him, ‘The owners of these rings have gone before you, and they said that you will pay for their buttermilk.’” The boys then went happily onwards.

The milk seller waited, and finally, the King arrived with his army of hundreds of thousands of soldiers. When the army arrived, the old lady searched for him, asking, “Where is the King? Where is the King?” The soldiers told her, “The King is there.” She approached him and said, “Your two soldiers have gone ahead. They were both young, beautiful, and very energetic, and they were riding on horses. They drank my entire pot of buttermilk, and they told me, ‘Our King will pay.’ So you should pay for my buttermilk.”

The King told the old lady, “None of my soldiers have gone before us.” She replied, “Yes, they have. I’ve seen them and I’ve given them my buttermilk.” The King told her, “How can I believe they are my soldiers? All my soldiers are with me. No one has gone ahead. We are the first to come.” Then he asked her, “Do you have any proof?” “Yes,” she said, “I have proof.”

The milk-lady showed the two rings to the King, and on the rings he saw the names Jagannātha Siṁha and Baladeva Siṁha (Siṁha means “lion”). He became happy and inspired and thought, “These are the two rings I had made by the goldsmith. They are the same rings that I presented to Jagannātha and Baladeva! Jagannātha and Baladeva have done this for me so that I know they are with me. This time, I will surely conquer that King.” He then donated some of his kingdom to that old village woman. He offered her a large estate, telling her, “Take this land and nourish many generations of your family with it.” That lady’s family is living on the same estate to this very day.

Puruṣottama Jānā then invaded his enemy’s kingdom and defeated his entire army. He forcibly took away the King’s daughter and imprisoned her, and all the King’s counsellors as well. He also took the King’s golden throne, and the deity of Bhaṇḍa (cheater) Gaṇeśa. Bhaṇḍa Gaṇeśa had been fighting on the side of the King of Vidyānagara, so Kṛṣṇa and Baladeva captured him and bound him up, saying, “He is Bhaṇḍa Gaṇeśa.” Gaṇeśa knows well that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the all-in-all, yet he took the wrong side. That is why Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma called him “Cheater Gaṇeśa.” Puruṣottama Jānā arrested the King and mercifully released him, saying, “I shall not kill you.” Then, having conquered Vidyānagara, he took permission of the deity Sākṣi-gopāla, the witness of the young brāhmaṇa, and brought that deity to Kaṭaka. He also took the very large and beautiful deities of Rādhā-kānta, who are still in the Śrī Rādhā-kānta Maṭha in Jagannātha Purī, where Caitanya Mahāprabhu used to live in the Gambhīrā. He also took Bhaṇḍa Gaṇeśa, bringing all these deities to Purī.

In this regard, Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Madhya-līlā 5.120–4) states:

utkalera rājā puruṣottama-deva nāma
sei deśa jini’ nila kariyā saṅgrāma

[“Later there was a fight, and this country was conquered by King Puruṣottama-deva of Orissa.”]

sei rājā jini’ nila tāṅra siṁhāsana
‘māṇikya-siṁhāsana’ nāma aneka ratana

[“That King was victorious over the King of Vidyānagara, and he took possession of his throne, the Māṇikya-siṁhāsana, which was bedecked with many jewels.”]

puruṣottama-deva sei baḍa bhakta ārya
gopāla-caraṇe māge, — ‘cala mora rājya’

[“King Puruṣottama-deva was a great devotee and was advanced in the civilisation of the Āryans. He begged at the lotus feet of Gopāla, ‘Please come to my kingdom.’ ”]

tāṅra bhakti-vaśe gopāla tāṅre ājñā dila
gopāla la-iyā sei kaṭake āila

[“When the King begged Him to come to his kingdom, Gopāla, who was already obliged for his devotional service, accepted his prayer. Thus the King took the Gopāla Deity and went back to Kaṭaka.”]

jagannāthe āni’ dila māṇikya-siṁhāsana
kaṭake gopāla-sevā karila sthāpana

[“After winning the Māṇikya throne, King Puruṣottama-deva took it to Jagannātha Purī and presented it to Lord Jagannātha. In the meantime, he also established regular worship of the Gopāla Deity at Kaṭaka.”]

Puruṣottama Jānā also brought the King’s daughter to Purī, but he decided, “I will not marry her; I will give her to my sweeper.” Later, when he was ready to give her away, all of his ministers, who were very kind, saw her crying and lamenting, “He will give me to a sweeper.” They pacified her and also told the King, “Don’t worry. At the right time, you can give this girl to your sweeper during the next Chariot Festival.” The following year, when the Chariot Festival again took place, Mahārāja Puruṣottama Jānā again swept the road. At that time, all his ministers inspired the beautiful princess to go to him and say, “I will marry this very sweeper, not any other.” She boldly told him, “You are the sweeper of Jagannātha-deva. I only want to marry His sweeper; I cannot marry any other sweeper.” The King’s advisers approached him and said, “Yes, this is very good. We agree with this proposal. You are a sweeper, and this girl will be the wife of a sweeper. Why don’t you accept her? You must accept her.” The girl began to weep, and the King was bound to accept her as his wife. Puruṣottama Jānā’s son became a very beautiful prince, and that prince later became King Pratāparudra, the associate of Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

The most merciful Jagannātha is surely patita-pāvana, the saviour of the fallen, and He is also bhakta-vatsala – He always wants to please His devotees.

* Pūrva-rāga is described in Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi as follows: “When attachment produced in the lover and beloved before their meeting by seeing, hearing, and so on becomes very palatable by the mixture of four ingredients, such as vibhāva and anubhāva, it is called pūrva-rāga.”

** Rasika means one who fully appreciates and explains the transcendental mellows of pure devotional service. Tattvajña means one who fully understands the various truths described in the scriptures, such as bhagavat-tattva, śakti-tattva, jīva-tattva, and māyā-tattva.

Source(s): Purebhakti.com

Image(s) made possible by Pixabay.com, Krishnapath.org.in and/or Bhaktiart.net
Unless indicated differently, all verse translations and quotes are from the books by Śrīla Prabhupāda (Vedabase.com)