CC Adi 13.98–100, 13.121–122 – Sri Gaura-purnima

Giriraj Swami: He appeared on what we now call Gaura-Purnima, in the evening of the full moon day in the month of Phalguna. At that time, there was a lunar eclipse, and as was the tradition, as was recommended in scripture, Hindus immersed themselves in the Ganges and chanted the holy names. Eclipses are considered inauspicious, and to counteract the inauspiciousness, strict followers of the Vedic scriptures stand in a sacred body of water—a river, a kuṇḍa or lake, or the sea—and chant the Hare Krishna maha-mantra. So, from the very beginning, Lord Chaitanya was surrounded by the chanting of Hare Krishna, and He induced people to chant Hare Krishna more and more.

Advaita Acharya and Haridasa Thakura danced in ecstasy, and on the plea of giving charity to brahmans on the occasion of the eclipse, Advaita Acharya and others distributed various gifts. All the devotees were jubilant, and they danced, performed saṅkīrtana, and gave charity. The whole world was full of auspiciousness, and everyone was filled with transcendental bliss.

nadīyā-udayagiri, pūrṇacandra gaurahari,
kṛpā kari’ ha-ila udaya
pāpa-tamaḥ haila nāśa, tri-jagatera ullāsa,
jagabhari’ hari-dhvani haya

“Thus by His causeless mercy the full moon, Gaurahari, rose in the district of Nadia, which is compared to Udayagiri, where the sun first becomes visible. His rising in the sky dissipated the darkness of sinful life, and thus the three worlds became joyful and chanted the holy name of the Lord.” (Cc Ādi 13.98)

When Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was a baby, sometimes He would cry and the elders would try to pacify Him in different ways, as people do when a baby cries. They would try to comfort Him, distract Him, and please Him, but nothing worked. Soon they discovered that if they chanted the holy name of Krishna, He would become peaceful and stop crying. So, thereafter, whenever He cried, they would chant, and He would immediately become happy. His appearance inspired chanting, and His activities thereafter inspired more chanting.

sei-kāle nijālaya, uṭhiyā advaita rāya,
nṛtya kare ānandita-mane
haridāse lañā saṅge, huṅkāra-kīrtana-raṅge
kene nāce, keha nāhi jāne

“At that time Śrī Advaita Ācārya Prabhu, in His own house at Śāntipura, was dancing in a pleasing mood. Taking Haridāsa Ṭhākura with Him, He danced and loudly chanted Hare Kṛṣṇa. But why they were dancing, no one could understand.” (Cc Ādi 13.99)

By his divine will, Krishna arranged for His associates from Goloka Vrindavan to come to earth to join Him in His pastimes as Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Some associates played the parts of elders, and they took birth before He did. Advaita Acharya and Haridasa Thakura were elders, and they were friends with each other. Advaita Acharya is Maha-Vishnu, and Thakura Haridasa is Lord Brahma, and Lord Brahma is a disciple and direct servant of Maha-Vishnu. So, it is natural that they became close.

When the news spread that Saci-mata had given birth to a baby boy, all sorts of respectable brahman gentlemen and ladies came with gifts and blessed the newborn child. Even the wives of the demigods came, disguised as the wives of brahmans, and presented various gifts. The day after the Purnima there was a great celebration at Jagannatha Misra’s home, and that day is observed as the festival of Jagannatha Misra or the feast of Jagannatha Misra, because to celebrate the birth of his son he received many visitors and well-wishers and gave presentations to them all. And in the end, they all feasted.

Now, I shall read from Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā, Chapter Thirteen, “The Advent of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu,” beginning with the chapter summary.

CHAPTER 13 SUMMARY

The Thirteenth Chapter of Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta describes Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s appearance.

A learned brāhmaṇa named Upendra Miśra, who resided in the district of Śrīhaṭṭa, was the father of Jagannātha Miśra, who came to Navadvīpa to study under the direction of Nīlāmbara Cakravartī and then settled there after marrying Nīlāmbara Cakravartī’s daughter, Śacīdevī. Śrī Śacīdevī gave birth to eight children, all daughters, who died one after another immediately after birth. After her ninth pregnancy she gave birth to a son, who was named Viśvarūpa. Then, in 1407 Śaka Era (A.D. 1486), in the full-moon evening of the month of Phālguna, with the constellation of Siṁha (Leo) on the horizon, Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu appeared as the son of Śrī Śacīdevī and Jagannātha Miśra. After hearing of the birth of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, learned scholars and brāhmaṇas, bringing many gifts, came to see the newborn baby. Nīlāmbara Cakravartī, who was a great astrologer, immediately prepared a horoscope, and by astrological calculation he saw that the child was a great personality. This chapter describes the symptoms of this great personality.

COMMENT

So, we can see the resemblance between the pastimes of Lord Chaitanya and those of Lord Krishna. In Mathura, Lord Krishna’s parents, Vasudeva and Devaki, first had six sons, all of whom were killed by Kamsa. Their seventh child was Balarama, but by the arrangement of yoga-māyā, under Krishna’s direction, Balarama was transferred from the womb of Devaki to the womb of Rohini in Vrindavan, and thus, Devaki appeared to have had a miscarriage.

The eighth child was Krishna. Vasudeva did not want Kamsa to kill—or even try to kill—Krishna, and by yoga-māyā’s influence all the guards in Kamsa’s prison fell asleep and all the locked doors opened. Vasudeva then carried baby Krishna across the Yamuna to Gokula. There he found that Yasoda had given birth to a baby girl, but Yasoda was so exhausted from the labor of childbirth that she didn’t know if she had given birth to a son or a daughter. Vasudeva placed baby Krishna on Yasoda’s bed and picked up her daughter whom he carried back to Kamsa’s prison in Mathura.

As soon as the baby girl was placed in the prison room with Vasudeva and Devaki, she began to cry, and Kamsa realized that Devaki had given birth to a daughter. Earlier, on the occasion of Devaki’s wedding, Kamsa had heard a voice from the sky (ākāśa—vāṇī), that said that the eighth son of Devaki would kill him. This child was a girl, but Kamsa was such a demon and was surrounded by such demonic advisors, that he thought, Let me not take any chances. He snatched the baby to dash her on a rock and kill her as he had done with the other six children, but she slipped from his hands and flew into the sky, manifesting her form as the goddess Durga, and said, “You fool! The person who will kill you has already taken birth elsewhere.”

This is a striking statement—"The person who will kill you has already taken birth elsewhere"—because from the account so far, Krishna had taken birth in Kamsa’s prison in Mathura. Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura, as quoted by Srila Prabhupada, cites evidence from within Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and from other Puranas, such as the Hari-vaṁśa, that Yasoda actually gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl. The girl was an expansion of yoga-māyā, and the boy was the original Krishna. When Vasudeva carried the Vasudeva Krishna to Gokula, the Vasudeva Krishna entered into the original Krishna, and Vasudeva carried the baby girl back to Mathura.

Excuse me.

Here in Caitanya-līlā we find that Sacidevi gave birth to eight daughters and that all of them died. Then finally she gave birth to a son, Visvarupa. At an early age, Visvarupa left home and took sannyasa, and so for all material purposes He was dead. Srila Prabhupada said that sannyasa means civil death. The day on which Visvarupa took sannyasa is called Visvarupa-mahotsava, and it is the same day on which our Srila Prabhupada took sannyasa some four hundred years later.

In any case, it was a great occasion that Sacidevi had given birth to a boy, and all the devotees from the area, such as Advaita Acharya and his wife Sita and Srivasa Thakura and his wife Malini, came and brought gifts and offered blessings to the new child.

TEXT 100

dekhi’ uparāga hāsi’, śīghra gaṅgā-ghāṭe āsi’
ānande karila gaṅgā-snāna
pāñā uparāga-chale, āpanāra mano-bale,
brāhmaṇere dila nānā dāna

TRANSLATION

Seeing the lunar eclipse and laughing, Advaita Ācārya and Haridāsa Ṭhākura immediately went to the bank of the Ganges and bathed in the river in great jubilation. Taking advantage of the occasion of the lunar eclipse, Advaita Ācārya, by His mental strength, distributed various types of charity to the brāhmaṇas.

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

It is the custom of Hindus to give in charity to the poor as much as possible during the time of a lunar or solar eclipse. Advaita Ācārya, therefore, taking advantage of this eclipse, distributed many varieties of charity to the brāhmaṇas. In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.3.11) there is a statement that when Kṛṣṇa took His birth, Vasudeva immediately took advantage of this moment and distributed ten thousand cows to the brāhmaṇas. It is customary among Hindus that at the time a child is born, especially a male child, the parents distribute great charity in jubilation. Advaita Ācārya was actually interested in distributing charity because of Lord Caitanya’s birth at the time of the lunar eclipse. People could not understand, however, why Advaita Ācārya was giving such a great variety of things in charity. He did so not because of the lunar eclipse but because of the Lord’s taking birth at that moment. He distributed charity exactly as Vasudeva did at the time of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s appearance.

COMMENT

So, in Vedic culture householders observe all auspicious ceremonies by giving in charity. They are happy, and they know they are happy by the grace of the Lord and the devotees. And in their happiness they want to give charity and receive more blessings. When the children become adults and observe their own birth anniversaries, they also give charity. A friend of the Juhu temple who was very strict about Vedic traditions did not like that we celebrated birthdays by giving presents to the birthday boy or girl. He said, “Birthday means the birthday person gives charity.” And he didn’t like birthday cakes either. He said, “You should distribute sandeśa, rasagullā, or gulābjāmun. Those are real sweets.”

TEXT 101

jagat ānandamaya, dekhi’ mane sa-vismaya,
ṭhāreṭhore kahe haridāsa
tomāra aichana raṅga, mora mana parasanna,
dekhi — kichu kārye āche bhāsa

TRANSLATION

When he saw that the whole world was jubilant, Haridāsa Ṭhākura, his mind astonished, directly and indirectly expressed himself to Advaita Ācārya: “Your dancing and distributing charity are very pleasing to me. I can understand that there is some special purpose in these actions.”

TEXT 102

ācāryaratna, śrīvāsa, haila mane sukhollāsa
yāi’ snāna kaila gaṅgā-jale
ānande vihvala mana, kare hari-saṅkīrtana
nānā dāna kaila mano-bale

TRANSLATION

Ācāryaratna [Candraśekhara] and Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura were overwhelmed with joy, and immediately they went to the bank of the Ganges to bathe in her waters. Their minds full of happiness, they chanted the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra and gave charity by mental strength.

TEXT 103

ei mata bhakta-tati, yāṅra yei deśe sthiti,
tāhāṅ tāhāṅ pāñā mano-bale
nāce, kare saṅkīrtana, ānande vihvala mana,
dāna kare grahaṇera chale

TRANSLATION

In this way all the devotees, wherever they were situated, in every city and every country, danced, performed saṅkīrtana and gave charity by mental strength on the plea of the lunar eclipse, their minds overwhelmed with joy.

TEXT 104

brāhmaṇa-sajjana-nārī, nānā-dravye thālī bhari’
āilā sabe yautuka la-iyā
yena kāṅcā-soṇā-dyuti, dekhi’ bālakera mūrti,
āśīrvāda kare sukha pāñā

TRANSLATION

All sorts of respectable brāhmaṇa gentlemen and ladies, carrying plates filled with various gifts, came with their presentations. Seeing the newborn child, whose form resembled natural glaring gold, all of them happily offered their blessings.

TEXT 105

sāvitrī, gaurī, sarasvatī, śacī, rambhā, arundhatī
āra yata deva-nārīgaṇa
nānā-dravye pātra bhari’, brāhmaṇīra veśa dhari’,
āsi’ sabe kare daraśana

TRANSLATION

Dressing themselves as the wives of brāhmaṇas, all the celestial ladies, including the wives of Lord Brahmā, Lord Śiva, Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva, King Indra and Vasiṣṭha Ṛṣi, along with Rambhā, a dancing girl of heaven, came there with varieties of gifts.

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

When Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu was a newborn baby, He was visited by the neighboring ladies, most of whom were the wives of respectable brāhmaṇas. In the dress of brāhmaṇas’ wives, celestial ladies like the wives of Lord Brahmā and Lord Śiva also came to see the newborn child. Ordinary people saw them as respectable brāhmaṇa ladies of the neighborhood, but actually they were all celestial ladies dressed in that way.

COMMENT

So, Savitri is the wife of Lord Brahma, Gauri is the wife of Lord Shiva, Sarasvati here is mentioned as the wife of Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva, and Saci is the wife of King Indra. They all disguised themselves as brahman ladies, looking like ladies of the neighborhood, and came to offer respects to the newborn baby.

TEXT 106

antarīkṣe deva-gaṇa, gandharva, siddha, cāraṇa,
stuti-nṛtya kare vādya-gīta
nartaka, vādaka, bhāṭa, navadvīpe yāra nāṭa,
sabe āsi’ nāce pāñā prīta

TRANSLATION

In outer space all the demigods, including the inhabitants of Gandharvaloka, Siddhaloka and Cāraṇaloka, offered their prayers and danced to the accompaniment of music, songs and the beating of drums. Similarly, in Navadvīpa city all the professional dancers, musicians and blessers gathered together, dancing in great jubilation.

COMMENT

The word bhāta means “professional blessing-givers.”

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

As there are professional singers, dancers and reciters of prayers in the heavenly planets, so in India still there are professional dancers, blessers and singers, all of whom assemble together during householder ceremonies, especially marriages and birth ceremonies. These professional men earn their livelihood by taking charity on such occasions from the homes of the Hindus. Eunuchs also take advantage of such ceremonies to receive charity. That is their means of livelihood. Such men never become servants or engage themselves in agriculture or business occupations; they simply take charity from neighborhood friends to maintain themselves peacefully. The bhāṭas are a class of brāhmaṇas who go to such ceremonies to offer blessings by composing poems with references to the Vedic scriptures.

COMMENT

So, Vedic culture is very beautiful and highly elevated. Even now in India the culture is there, not as much as before. When I was in Bombay some time ago, I visited an old friend, a very nice devotee, who was related to the Birlas. And it just so happened that there was an engagement ceremony in the Birla family, from the mother’s side. The Birlas were the richest family in India. In fact, Srila Prabhupada said no one could measure their wealth.

So, our good friend, Sri Brijratan Mohatta, had married R. D. Birla’s daughter, and their son’s daughter was about to be engaged. So, I went to the engagement reception, and there I met a bhajana singer named Puruṣottama dasa Jalota. When I first went to India in 1970, he was very popular. He sang bhajanas in aristocratic Hindus’ homes and gave lessons in voice and harmonium. As he grew older, his son, as happens, became his apprentice and also began to sing bhajanas and play harmonium. So, we invited his son, who was relatively unknown then, to perform at our auditorium in Juhu.

At the engagement reception Puruṣottama Jalota approached me. He was about eighty-seven, and wearing a traditional Hindu jacket and cap. After we spoke for some time, he made an indication and said, “Anup is there,” his son, and he tried to call him, but because his voice was not so loud, his son Anup could not hear him. I said, “That is all right. I will go and see him.” I guess the father wanted me to bless and encourage his son.

Anup remembered his first performance in the ISKCON auditorium. I didn’t usually attend such performances, but somehow that evening near the end of the performance, I felt drawn into the auditorium. I found a seat toward the back and sat down. The whole atmosphere had been surcharged—I can’t explain it—and he had sung with such devotion that his words and voice had entered people’s minds and hearts. It had been a very special performance, and the devotees who had recorded it produced an audio cassette that they would distribute on saṅkīrtana—and it had become a hit. Many people would come and ask for Anup Jalota’s tape.

When I met Anup at the reception, he remembered that night, and he said that when he had entered the auditorium, he had not been sure whether or not he would pursue a career as a singer. He had prayed, “Lord Krishna, I am Yours. Whatever You want You can do. If You want me to pursue this career, You can make me a success. If You don’t, that is all right—whatever You wish.” And he remarked that it was because of his performance in the ISKCON auditorium and the recording of it that he had become a success as a singer.

That culture and that mood are becoming rare. That mood of devotion of surrender, of dependence on the Lord. But they are still there.

So, now we return to Jagannatha Misra’s festival. I am just a little bit concerned about the time. Yes, we will read a little more from this section. I think to save time, I won’t read the Bengali, but just the translations.

TEXT 107

No one could understand who was coming and who was going, who was dancing and who was singing. Nor could they understand one another’s language. Yet all unhappiness and lamentation were immediately dissipated, and people became all-jubilant. Thus Jagannātha Miśra was also overwhelmed with joy.

TEXT 108

Candraśekhara Ācārya and Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura both came to Jagannātha Miśra and drew his attention in various ways. They performed the ritualistic ceremonies prescribed at the time of birth according to religious principles. Jagannātha Miśra also gave varieties of charity.

TEXT 109

Whatever riches Jagannātha Miśra collected in the form of gifts and presentations, and whatever he had in his house, he distributed among the brāhmaṇas, professional singers, dancers, bhāṭas and the poor. He honored them all by giving them riches in charity.

TEXT 110

The wife of Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura, whose name was Mālinī, accompanied by the wife of Candraśekhara [Ācāryaratna] and other ladies, came there in great happiness to worship the baby with paraphernalia such as vermilion, turmeric, oil, fused rice, bananas and coconuts.

COMMENT

So, the parents and the other elders did whatever they could to ensure the wellbeing of the child in all respects. They knew that the purpose of the child’s life was to serve and please God and that the child’s success in all respects depended on the mercy of God and His devotees. So, this is very interesting. So,

TEXT 121

After calculating the birth moment of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Nīlāmbara Cakravartī privately said to Jagannātha Miśra that he saw all the different symptoms of a great personality in both the body and birth moment of the child. Thus he understood that in the future this child would deliver all the three worlds.

COMMENT

Although Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu had all the signs of a great personality and was in fact the Supreme Personality of Godhead, His father, Jagannatha Misra, considered Him to be his son.

As a child, Lord Chaitanya was quite naughty, and Jagannatha Misra would often chide Him and instruct Him in proper behavior. One night Jagannatha Misra had a dream in which a brahman angrily told him, “You do not know anything about your son. Because you think Him to be your son, you rebuke and chastise Him.” Jagannatha Misra replied, “He may be a demigod, a mystic yogi, or a great saint, but whatever He may be, I know Him only as my son, and it is my duty to teach Him religion and morality. Otherwise, how will He learn? Even if He is Lord Narayana Himself, it is the duty of the father to instruct the son.” So, even in his dreams, Jagannatha Misra was absorbed in the mellow of pure parental affection.

In His youth, Lord Chaitanya asked an astrologer to tell Him who He had been in His past life. Through calculation and meditation, the astrologer saw the brilliantly effulgent form of the Lord as the resting place of the Vaikuntha planets. Struck with wonder, he said, “In Your previous birth You were the shelter of all creation, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, full of all opulence. And You are the same Personality of Godhead now.” Lord Chaitanya smiled and said, “I think you do not know very clearly what I was, for I know that in My previous birth I was a cowherd boy. I was born in a family of cowherd men and gave protection to the cows and calves, and because of these pious activities, I have now become the son of a brahman.”

TEXT 122

In this way Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, out of His causeless mercy, made His advent in the house of Śacīdevī. Lord Caitanya is very merciful to anyone who hears this narration of His birth, and thus such a person attains the lotus feet of the Lord.

COMMENT

So, my dear devotees, thank you for joining us on the auspicious occasion of Sri Gaura-Purnima and participating in our Krishna-kirtan and kṛṣṇa-kathā or Gaura-kathā. And now, if there is time, you can ask questions or share reflections and comments. So, if you wish to say anything, please raise your hand, your physical hand or your virtual hand, and we will discuss more. Well, I don’t see any hands. That is also okay, I don’t mind moving along to my next service, which will be breaking the fast. But again, thank you for joining, and let us conclude by offering Vaishnava praṇāma.

Let us offer our respectful obeisances unto all the Vaishnava devotees of the Lord. They are just like desire trees who can fulfill the desires of everyone, and they are full of compassion for the fallen conditioned souls.

vāñchā-kalpa-tarubhyaś ca kṛpā-sindhubhya eva ca
patitānāṁ pāvanebhyo vaiṣṇavebhyo namo namaḥ

Anant koti Vaishnava Vrinda ki jaya!

Srila Prabhupada ki jaya!

Chaitanya Mahaprabhu ki jaya!

Devotee: His Holiness Giriraj Swami Maharaja ki jaya!