Caitanya Caritamrta, Madhya Lila – 12.72~135| HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj | ISKCON Chennai | June 22, 2025 |
Om Namo Bhagavate Vāsudevāya
Om Namo Bhagavate Vāsudevāya
Om Namo Bhagavate Vāsudevāya
nama om vishnu-padaya krishna-preshthaya bhu-tale
srimate bhaktivedanta-svamin iti namine
namas te sarasvate deve gaura-vani-pracharine
nirvishesha-shunyavadi-pashchatya-desha-tarine
jaya sri-krishna-Caitanya
prabhu nityananda
sri-adwaita gadadhara
shrivasadi-gaura-bhakta-vrinda
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
Reading from Caitanya Caritamrta, Madhya Lila, Chapter 12, Verse 72, Gunduicha Marjana.
Text 72
প্রথমেই কাশীমিশ্রে প্রভু বোলাইল ।
পড়িছা-পাত্র, সার্বভৌমে বোলাঞা আনিল ॥ ৭২ ॥
prathamei kāśī-miśre prabhu bolāila
paḍichā-pātra, sārvabhaume bolāñā ānila
Synonyms
prathamei — in the beginning; kāśī-miśre — Kāśī Miśra; prabhu — Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu; bolāila — called for; paḍichā-pātra — the superintendent of the temple; sārvabhaume — Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya; bolāñā — calling; ānila — brought.
Translation
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu first of all called for Kāśī Miśra, then for the superintendent of the temple, then for Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya.
Text 73
তিনজন-পাশে প্রভু হাসিয়া কহিল ।
গুণ্ডিচা-মন্দির-মার্জন-সেবা মাগি’ নিল ॥ ৭৩ ॥
tina-jana-pāśe prabhu hāsiyā kahila
guṇḍicā-mandira-mārjana-sevā māgi’ nila
Synonyms
tina-jana-pāśe — in the presence of the three persons; prabhu — the Lord; hāsiyā — smiling; kahila — said; guṇḍicā-mandira-mārjana — of washing the temple known as Guṇḍicā; sevā — service; māgi’ nila — obtained by begging.
Translation
When these three people came before the Lord, He begged them for permission to wash the temple known as Guṇḍicā.
Purport
The Guṇḍicā temple is situated two miles northeast of the Jagannātha temple. At the time of the Ratha-yātrā festival, Lord Jagannātha goes to the Guṇḍicā temple from His original temple and stays there for one week. After one week, He returns to His original temple. It is understood by hearsay that the wife of Indradyumna, the King who established the Jagannātha temple, was known as Guṇḍicā. There is also mention of the name of the Guṇḍicā temple in authoritative scripture. The area of the Guṇḍicā temple is estimated to be 288 cubits by 215 cubits (a cubit is about a foot and a half). The main temple inside is about 36 cubits by 30 cubits, and the kīrtana hall is 32 cubits by 30 cubits.
Text 74
পড়িছা কহে, — আমি-সব সেবক তোমার ।
যে তোমার ইচ্ছা সেই কর্তব্য আমার ॥ ৭৪ ॥
paḍichā kahe, — āmi-saba sevaka tomāra
ye tomāra icchā sei kartavya āmāra
Synonyms
paḍichā kahe — the superintendent said; āmi-saba — we are all; sevaka tomāra — Your servants; ye tomāra — whatever Your; icchā — desire; sei — that; kartavya āmāra — our duty.
Translation
Upon hearing the Lord’s request for permission to wash the Guṇḍicā temple, the paḍichā, the superintendent of the temple, said, “My dear Sir, we are all Your servants. Whatever You desire is our duty to perform.
Text 75
বিশেষে রাজার আজ্ঞা হঞাছে আমারে ।
প্রভুর আজ্ঞা যেই, সেই শীঘ্র করিবারে ॥ ৭৫ ॥
viśeṣe rājāra ājñā hañāche āmāre
prabhura ājñā yei, sei śīghra karibāre
Synonyms
viśeṣe — specifically; rājāra — of the King; ājñā — order; hañāche — there is; āmāre — upon me; prabhura — of Your Lordship; ājñā — order; yei — whatever; sei — that; śīghra karibāre — to execute without delay.
Translation
“The King gave a special order for me to do without delay whatever Your Lordship orders.
Text 76
তোমার যোগ্য সেবা নহে মন্দির-মার্জন ।
এই এক লীলা কর, যে তোমার মন ॥ ৭৬ ॥
tomāra yogya sevā nahe mandira-mārjana
ei eka līlā kara, ye tomāra mana
Synonyms
tomāra — of You; yogya — befitting; sevā — service; nahe — not; mandira-mārjana — washing the temple; ei — this; eka — one; līlā — pastime; kara — You perform; ye tomāra mana — as You like.
Translation
“My dear Lord, washing the temple is not service befitting You. Nonetheless, if You wish to do so, it is to be accepted as one of Your pastimes.
Text 77
কিন্তু ঘট, সংমার্জনী বহুত চাহিয়ে ।
আজ্ঞা দেহ — আজি সব ইহাঁ আনি দিয়ে ॥ ৭৭ ॥
kintu ghaṭa, sammārjanī bahuta cāhiye
ājñā deha — āji saba ihāṅ āni diye
Synonyms
kintu — but; ghaṭa — waterpots; sammārjanī — brooms; bahuta — many; cāhiye — You require; ājñā deha — just order; āji — immediately today; saba — everything; ihāṅ — here; āni diye — I shall bring and deliver.
Translation
“To wash the temple, You need many waterpots and brooms. Therefore order me. I can immediately bring all these things to You.”
Text 78
নূতন একশত ঘট, শত সংমার্জনী ।
পড়িছা আনিয়া দিল প্রভুর ইচ্ছা জানি’ ॥ ৭৮ ॥
nūtana eka-śata ghaṭa, śata sammārjanī
paḍichā āniyā dila prabhura icchā jāni’
Synonyms
nūtana — new; eka-śata — one hundred; ghaṭa — waterpots; śata — hundred; sammārjanī — brooms; paḍichā — the superintendent; āniyā — bringing; dila — delivered; prabhura — of the Lord; icchā — the desire; jāni’ — knowing.
Translation
As soon as the superintendent understood the desire of the Lord, he immediately delivered a hundred new waterpots and a hundred brooms for sweeping the temple.
Text 79
আর দিনে প্রভাতে লঞা নিজগণ ।
শ্রীহস্তে সবার অঙ্গে লেপিয়া চন্দন ॥ ৭৯ ॥
āra dine prabhāte lañā nija-gaṇa
śrī-haste sabāra aṅge lepilā candana
Synonyms
āra dine — on the next day; prabhāte — in the morning; lañā — taking; nija-gaṇa — His personal devotees; śrī-haste — by His own hand; sabāra aṅge — on everyone’s body; lepilā candana — smeared pulp of sandalwood.
Translation
The next day, early in the morning, the Lord took His personal associates with Him and, with His own hand, smeared sandalwood pulp on their bodies.
Text 80
শ্রীহস্তে দিল সবারে এক এক মার্জনী ।
সবগণ লঞা প্রভু চলিলা আপনি ॥ ৮০ ॥
śrī-haste dila sabāre eka eka mārjanī
saba-gaṇa lañā prabhu calilā āpani
Synonyms
śrī-haste — by His own hand; dila — delivered; sabāre — unto every one of them; eka eka — one by one; mārjanī — a broom; saba-gaṇa — all the associates; lañā — taking; prabhu — Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu; calilā — went; āpani — personally.
Translation
He then gave each devotee a broom with His own hand, and taking all of them personally with Him, the Lord went to Guṇḍicā.
Text 81
গুণ্ডিচা মন্দিরে গেলা করিতে মার্জন ।
প্রথমে মার্জনী লঞা করিল শোধন ॥ ৮১ ॥
guṇḍicā-mandire gelā karite mārjana
prathame mārjanī lañā karila śodhana
Synonyms
guṇḍicā-mandire — to the temple known as Guṇḍicā; gelā — went; karite — to do; mārjana — washing; prathame — in the first instance; mārjanī — the brooms; lañā — taking; karila — did; śodhana — cleansing.
Translation
In this way the Lord and His associates went to cleanse the Guṇḍicā temple. At first they cleansed the temple with the brooms.
Text 82
ভিতর মন্দির উপর, — সকল মাজিল ।
সিংহাসন মাজি’ পুনঃ স্থাপন করিল ॥ ৮২ ॥
bhitara mandira upara, — sakala mājila
siṁhāsana māji’ punaḥ sthāpana karila
Synonyms
bhitara mandira — of the interior of the temple; upara — the ceiling; sakala mājila — cleansed everything; siṁhāsana — the sitting place of the Lord; māji’ — cleansing; punaḥ — again; sthāpana — setting down; karila — did.
Translation
The Lord cleansed everything inside the temple very nicely, including the ceiling. He then took up the sitting place [siṁhāsana], cleansed it and again put it in its original place.
Text 83
ছোট-বড়-মন্দির কৈল মার্জন-শোধন ।
পাছে তৈছে শোধিল শ্রীজগমোহন ॥ ৮৩ ॥
choṭa-baḍa-mandira kaila mārjana-śodhana
pāche taiche śodhila śrī-jagamohana
Synonyms
choṭa-baḍa-mandira — all the small and big temples; kaila — did; mārjana-śodhana — proper cleansing; pāche — thereafter; taiche — in the similar way; śodhila — cleansed; śrī-jagamohana — the place between the original temple and the kīrtana hall.
Translation
Thus the Lord and His companions cleansed and swept all the temple’s buildings, big and small, and finally cleansed the area between the temple and the kīrtana hall.
Text 84
চারিদিকে শত ভক্ত সংমার্জনী করে ।
আপনি শোধেন প্রভু, শিখা’ন সবারে ॥ ৮৪ ॥
cāri-dike śata bhakta sammārjanī-kare
āpani śodhena prabhu, śikhā’na sabāre
Synonyms
cāri-dike — all around; śata — hundreds of; bhakta — devotees; sammārjanī-kare — do the cleansing work; āpani — personally; śodhena — cleanses; prabhu — the Lord; śikhā’na sabāre — teaching all others.
Translation
Indeed, hundreds of devotees were engaged in cleansing all around the temple, and Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was personally carrying out the operation just to instruct others.
Text 85
প্রেমোল্লাসে শোধেন, লয়েন কৃষ্ণনাম ।
ভক্তগণ ‘কৃষ্ণ’ কহে, করে নিজ-কাম ॥ ৮৫ ॥
premollāse śodhena, layena kṛṣṇa-nāma
bhakta-gaṇa ‘kṛṣṇa’ kahe, kare nija-kāma
Synonyms
prema-ullāse — in great jubilation; śodhena — cleanses; layena — chants; kṛṣṇa — Hare Kṛṣṇa; nāma — name; bhakta-gaṇa — the devotees; kṛṣṇa kahe — chant Kṛṣṇa; kare — do; nija-kāma — their own duty.
Translation
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu washed and cleansed the temple in great jubilation, chanting the holy name of Lord Kṛṣṇa all the time. Similarly, all the devotees were also chanting and at the same time performing their respective duties.
Text 86
ধূলি-ধূসর তনু দেখিতে শোভন ।
কাহাঁ কাহাঁ অশ্রুজলে করে সংমার্জন ॥ ৮৬ ॥
dhūli-dhūsara tanu dekhite śobhana
kāhāṅ kāhāṅ aśru-jale kare sammārjana
Synonyms
dhūli — dust; dhūsara — dirt; tanu — body; dekhite — to see; śobhana — very beautiful; kāhāṅ kāhāṅ — somewhere; aśru-jale — with tears; kare — does; sammārjana — washing.
Translation
The entire beautiful body of the Lord was covered with dust and dirt. In this way it became transcendentally beautiful. At times, when cleansing the temple, the Lord shed tears, and in some places He even cleansed with those tears.
Text 87
ভোগমন্দির শোধন করি’ শোধিল প্রাঙ্গন ।
সকল আবাস ক্রমে করিল শোধন ॥ ৮৭ ॥
bhoga-mandira śodhana kari’ śodhila prāṅgaṇa
sakala āvāsa krame karila śodhana
Synonyms
bhoga-mandira — the place where food is placed; śodhana kari’ — cleansing; śodhila prāṅgaṇa — cleansed the yard; sakala — all; āvāsa — residential places; krame — one after another; karila śodhana — cleansed.
Translation
After this, the place where the Deity’s food was kept [bhoga-mandira] was cleansed. Then the yard was cleansed, and then all the residential quarters, one after the other.
Text 88
তৃণ, ধূলি, ঝিঁকুর, সব একত্র করিয়া ।
বহির্বাসে লঞা ফেলায় বাহির করিয়া ॥ ৮৮ ॥
tṛṇa, dhūli, jhiṅkura, saba ekatra kariyā
bahirvāse lañā phelāya bāhira kariyā
Synonyms
tṛṇa — straws; dhūli — dust; jhiṅkura — grains of sand; saba — all; ekatra — in one place; kariyā — combining; bahirvāse lañā — taking on His personal cloth; phelāya — throws; bāhira kariyā — outside.
Translation
After Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu collected all the straw, dust and grains of sand in one place, He gathered it all in His cloth and threw it outside.
Text 89
এইমত ভক্তগণ করি’ নিজ বাসে ।
তৃণ, ধূলি বাহিরে ফেলায় পরম হরিষে ॥ ৮৯ ॥
ei-mata bhakta-gaṇa kari’ nija-vāse
tṛṇa, dhūli bāhire phelāya parama hariṣe
Synonyms
ei-mata — similarly; bhakta-gaṇa — all the devotees; kari’ — doing; nija-vāse — in their own cloths; tṛṇa — straw; dhūli — dust; bāhire phelāya — throw outside; parama hariṣe — with great jubilation.
Translation
Following the example of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, all the devotees, in great jubilation, began to gather straws and dust with their own cloths and throw them outside the temple.
Text 90
প্রভু কহে, — কে কত করিয়াছ সংমার্জন ।
তৃণ, ধূলি দেখিলেই জানিব পরিশ্রম ॥ ৯০ ॥
prabhu kahe, — ke kata kariyācha sammārjana
tṛṇa, dhūli dekhilei jāniba pariśrama
Synonyms
prabhu kahe — the Lord said; ke — every one of you; kata — how much; kariyācha — have done; sammārjana — cleansing; tṛṇa — straw; dhūli — dust; dekhilei — when I see; jāniba — I can understand; pariśrama — how much you have labored.
Translation
The Lord then told the devotees, “I can tell how much you have labored and how well you have cleansed the temple simply by seeing all the straw and dust you have collected outside.”
Text 91
সবার ঝ্যাঁটান বোঝা একত্র করিল ।
সবা হৈতে প্রভুর বোঝা অধিক হইল ॥ ৯১ ॥
sabāra jhyāṅṭāna bojhā ekatra karila
sabā haite prabhura bojhā adhika ha-ila
Synonyms
sabāra — of all; jhyāṅṭāna — the dirt collected; bojhā — load; ekatra — combined in one place; karila — made; sabā haite — than all of them; prabhura bojhā — the pile of dirt collected by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu; adhika ha-ila — was greater.
Translation
Even though all the devotees collected dirt in one pile, the dirt collected by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was much greater.
Text 92
এইমত অভ্যন্তর করিল মার্জন ।
পুনঃ সবাকারে দিল করিয়া বণ্টন ॥ ৯২ ॥
ei-mata abhyantara karila mārjana
punaḥ sabākāre dila kariyā vaṇṭana
Synonyms
ei-mata — in this way; abhyantara — inside; karila — did; mārjana — cleansing; punaḥ — again; sabākāre — to all of them; dila — gave; kariyā vaṇṭana — allotting areas.
Translation
After the inside of the temple was cleansed, the Lord again allotted areas for the devotees to cleanse.
Text 93
সূক্ষ্ম ধূলি, তৃণ, কাঁকর, সব করহ দূর ।
ভালমতে শোধন করহ প্রভুর অন্তঃপুর ॥ ৯৩ ॥
sūkṣma dhūli, tṛṇa, kāṅkara, saba karaha dūra
bhāla-mate śodhana karaha prabhura antaḥpura
Synonyms
sūkṣma dhūli — fine dust; tṛṇa — straw; kāṅkara — grains of sand; saba — all; karaha — do; dūra — away; bhāla-mate — very well; śodhana — cleansing; karaha — do; prabhura — of the Lord; antaḥpura — inside.
Translation
The Lord then ordered everyone to cleanse the inside of the temple very perfectly by taking finer dust, straws and grains of sand and throwing them outside.
Text 94
সব বৈষ্ণব লঞা যবে দুইবার শোধিল ।
দেখি’ মহাপ্রভুর মনে সন্তোষ হইল ॥ ৯৪ ॥
saba vaiṣṇava lañā yabe dui-bāra śodhila
dekhi’ mahāprabhura mane santoṣa ha-ila
Synonyms
saba — all; vaiṣṇava — devotees; lañā — taking; yabe — when; dui-bāra — for the second time; śodhila — cleansed; dekhi’ — seeing; mahāprabhura — of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu; mane — in the mind; santoṣa — satisfaction; ha-ila — there was.
Translation
After Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and all the Vaiṣṇavas cleansed the temple for the second time, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was very happy to see the cleansing work.
Text 95
আর শত জন শত ঘটে জল ভরি’ ।
প্রথমেই লঞা আছে কাল অপেক্ষা করি’ ॥ ৯৫ ॥
āra śata jana śata ghaṭe jala bhari’
prathamei lañā āche kāla apekṣā kari’
Synonyms
āra — other; śata jana — about one hundred men; śata ghaṭe — in a hundred waterpots; jala — water; bhari’ — filling; prathamei — in the first instance; lañā — taking; āche — were; kāla — the time; apekṣā kari’ — awaiting.
Translation
While the temple was being swept, about a hundred men stood ready with filled waterpots, and they simply awaited the Lord’s order to throw the water from them.
Text 96
‘জল আন’ বলি’ যবে মহাপ্রভু কহিল ।
তবে শত ঘট আনি’ প্রভু-আগে দিল ॥ ৯৬ ॥
‘jala āna’ bali’ yabe mahāprabhu kahila
tabe śata ghaṭa āni’ prabhu-āge dila
Synonyms
jala āna — bring water; bali’ — saying; yabe — when; mahāprabhu — Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu; kahila — ordered; tabe — at that time; śata ghaṭa — one hundred pots; āni’ — bringing; prabhu-āge — before the Lord; dila — delivered.
Translation
As soon as Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu called for water, all the men immediately brought the hundred waterpots, which were completely filled, and delivered them before the Lord.
Text 97
প্রথমে করিল প্রভু মন্দির প্রক্ষালন ।
ঊর্ধ্ব-অধো ভিত্তি, গৃহ-মধ্য, সিংহাসন ॥ ৯৭ ॥
prathame karila prabhu mandira prakṣālana
ūrdhva-adho bhitti, gṛha-madhya, siṁhāsana
Synonyms
prathame — in the first instance; karila — did; prabhu — Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu; mandira prakṣālana — washing of the temple; ūrdhva — on the ceiling; adhaḥ — on the floor; bhitti — walls; gṛha-madhya — within the home; siṁhāsana — the sitting place of the Lord.
Translation
In this way, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu first washed the main temple and then thoroughly washed the ceiling, the walls, the floor, the sitting place [siṁhāsana] and everything else within the room.
Text 98
খাপরা ভরিয়া জল ঊর্ধ্বে চালাইল ।
সেই জলে ঊর্ধ্ব শোধি ভিত্তি প্রক্ষালিল ॥ ৯৮ ॥
khāparā bhariyā jala ūrdhve cālāila
sei jale ūrdhva śodhi bhitti prakṣālila
Synonyms
khāparā — basin; bhariyā — filling; jala — water; ūrdhve — on the ceiling; cālāila — began to throw; sei jale — with that water; ūrdhva śodhi — washing the ceiling; bhitti — walls and floor; prakṣālila — washed.
Translation
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu Himself and His devotees began to throw water onto the ceiling. When this water fell, it washed the walls and floor.
Text 99
শ্রীহস্তে করেন সিংহাসনের মার্জন ।
প্রভু আগে জল আনি’ দেয় ভক্তগণ ॥ ৯৯ ॥
śrī-haste karena siṁhāsanera mārjana
prabhu āge jala āni’ deya bhakta-gaṇa
Synonyms
śrī-haste — with His own hand; karena — does; siṁhāsanera mārjana — washing of the sitting place of the Lord; prabhu āge — before the Lord; jala — water; āni’ — bringing; deya — deliver; bhakta-gaṇa — all devotees.
Translation
Then Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu began to wash the sitting place of Lord Jagannātha with His own hands, and all the devotees began to bring water to the Lord.
Text 100
ভক্তগণ করে গৃহ-মধ্য প্রক্ষালন ।
নিজ নিজ হস্তে করে মন্দির মার্জন ॥ ১০০ ॥
bhakta-gaṇa kare gṛha-madhya prakṣālana
nija nija haste kare mandira mārjana
Synonyms
bhakta-gaṇa — devotees; kare — do; gṛha-madhya — within the room; prakṣālana — washing; nija nija — each one of them; haste — in the hand; kare — does; mandira mārjana — cleansing of the temple.
Translation
All the devotees within the temple began to wash. Each one had a broom in his hand, and in this way they cleansed the temple of the Lord.
Text 101
কেহ জল আনি’ দেয় মহাপ্রভুর করে ।
কেহ জল দেয় তাঁর চরণ-উপরে ॥ ১০১ ॥
keha jala āni’ deya mahāprabhura kare
keha jala deya tāṅra caraṇa-upare
Synonyms
keha — someone; jala āni’ — bringing water; deya — delivers; mahāprabhura kare — to the hand of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu; keha — someone; jala deya — pours water; tāṅra — His; caraṇa-upare — on the lotus feet.
Translation
Someone brought water to pour into the hands of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and someone poured water on His lotus feet.
Text 102
কেহ লুকাঞা করে সেই জল পান ।
কেহ মাগি’ লয়, কেহ অন্যে করে দান ॥ ১০২ ॥
keha lukāñā kare sei jala pāna
keha māgi’ laya, keha anye kare dāna
Synonyms
keha — someone; lukāñā — concealing himself; kare — does; sei jala — of that water; pāna — drinking; keha — someone; māgi’ laya — begging, takes; keha — another; anye — to another; kare — gives; dāna — in charity.
Translation
The water that fell from the lotus feet of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was drunk by someone who hid himself. Someone else begged for that water, and another person was giving that water in charity.
Text 103
ঘর ধুই’ প্রণালিকায় জল ছাড়ি’ দিল ।
সেই জলে প্রাঙ্গণ সব ভরিয়া রহিল ॥ ১০৩ ॥
ghara dhui’ praṇālikāya jala chāḍi’ dila
sei jale prāṅgaṇa saba bhariyā rahila
Synonyms
ghara dhui’ — washing the room; praṇālikāya — unto the outlet; jala — water; chāḍi’ dila — let go; sei jale — by that water; prāṅgaṇa — the yard; saba — all; bhariyā — filled; rahila — remained.
Translation
After the room was washed, the water was let out through an outlet, and it then flowed and filled the yard outside.
Text 104
নিজ-বস্ত্রে কৈল প্রভু গৃহ সংমার্জন ।
মহাপ্রভু নিজ-বস্ত্রে মাজিল সিংহাসন ॥ ১০৪ ॥
nija-vastre kaila prabhu gṛha sammārjana
mahāprabhu nija-vastre mājila siṁhāsana
Synonyms
nija-vastre — by His own garment; kaila — did; prabhu — Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu; gṛha — room; sammārjana — mopping; mahāprabhu — Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu; nija-vastre — by His own garment; mājila — polished; siṁhāsana — throne.
Translation
The Lord mopped the rooms with His own clothes, and He polished the throne with them also.
Text 105
শত ঘট জলে হৈল মন্দির মার্জন ।
মন্দির শোধিয়া কৈল — যেন নিজ মন ॥ ১০৫ ॥
śata ghaṭa jale haila mandira mārjana
mandira śodhiyā kaila — yena nija mana
Synonyms
śata — one hundred; ghaṭa — of waterpots; jale — by the water; haila — became; mandira — the temple; mārjana — cleansed; mandira — the temple; śodhiyā — cleansing; kaila — did; yena — as if; nija mana — his own mind.
Translation
In this way all the rooms were cleansed with a hundred waterpots. After the rooms had been cleansed, the minds of the devotees were as clean as the rooms.
Text 106
নির্মল, শীতল, স্নিগ্ধ করিল মন্দিরে ।
আপন-হৃদয় যেন ধরিল বাহিরে ॥ ১০৬ ॥
nirmala, śītala, snigdha karila mandire
āpana-hṛdaya yena dharila bāhire
Synonyms
nirmala — purified; śītala — cool; snigdha — pleasing; karila — made; mandire — the temple; āpana-hṛdaya — own heart; yena — as if; dharila — kept; bāhire — outside.
Translation
When the temple was cleansed, it was purified, cool and pleasing, just as if the Lord’s own pure mind had appeared.
Text 107
শত শত জন জল ভরে সরোবরে ।
ঘাটে স্থান নাহি, কেহ কূপে জল ভরে ॥ ১০৭ ॥
śata śata jana jala bhare sarovare
ghāṭe sthāna nāhi, keha kūpe jala bhare
Synonyms
śata śata jana — hundreds of men; jala bhare — draw water; sarovare — from the lake; ghāṭe — on the bank; sthāna — place; nāhi — there is not; keha — someone; kūpe — from the well; jala bhare — draws the water.
Translation
Since hundreds of men were engaged in bringing water from the lake, there was no place to stand on the banks. Consequently someone began to draw water from a well.
Text 108
পূর্ণ কুম্ভ লঞা আইসে শত ভক্তগণ ।
শূন্য ঘট লঞা যায় আর শত জন ॥ ১০৮ ॥
pūrṇa kumbha lañā āise śata bhakta-gaṇa
śūnya ghaṭa lañā yāya āra śata jana
Synonyms
pūrṇa kumbha — a filled waterpot; lañā — taking; āise — come; śata bhakta-gaṇa — hundreds of devotees; śūnya ghaṭa — an empty waterpot; lañā — taking back; yāya — go; āra — another; śata jana — hundreds of men.
Translation
Hundreds of devotees brought water in the pots, and hundreds took the empty pots away to fill them up again.
Text 109
নিত্যানন্দ, অদ্বৈত, স্বরূপ, ভারতী, পুরী ।
ইঁহা বিনু আর সব আনে জল ভরি’ ॥ ১০৯ ॥
nityānanda, advaita, svarūpa, bhāratī, purī
iṅhā vinu āra saba āne jala bhari’
Synonyms
nityānanda — Nityānanda Prabhu; advaita — Advaita Ācārya; svarūpa — Svarūpa Dāmodara; bhāratī — Brahmānanda Bhāratī; purī — Paramānanda Purī; iṅha — these; vinu — except; āra — others; saba — all; āne — bring; jala — water; bhari’ — filling up.
Translation
With the exception of Nityānanda Prabhu, Advaita Ācārya, Svarūpa Dāmodara, Brahmānanda Bhāratī and Paramānanda Purī, everyone was engaged in filling the waterpots and bringing them there.
Text 110
ঘটে ঘটে ঠেকি’ কত ঘট ভাঙ্গি’ গেল ।
শত শত ঘট লোক তাহাঁ লঞা আইল ॥ ১১০ ॥
ghaṭe ghaṭe ṭheki’ kata ghaṭa bhāṅgi’ gela
śata śata ghaṭa loka tāhāṅ lañā āila
Synonyms
ghaṭe ghaṭe ṭheki’ — when there was a collision between one pot and another; kata — so many; ghaṭa — pots; bhāṅgi’ gela — became broken; śata śata — hundreds of; ghaṭa — pots; loka — people; tāhāṅ — there; lañā — bringing; āila — came.
Translation
Many of the waterpots were broken when people collided with one another, and hundreds of men had to bring new waterpots to fill.
Text 111
জল ভরে, ঘর ধোয়, করে হরিধ্বনি ।
‘কৃষ্ণ’ ‘হরি’ ধ্বনি বিনা আর নাহি শুনি ॥ ১১১ ॥
jala bhare, ghara dhoya, kare hari-dhvani
‘kṛṣṇa’ ‘hari’ dhvani vinā āra nāhi śuni
Synonyms
jala bhare — they were drawing water; ghara dhoya — washing the rooms; kare hari-dhvani — chanting the holy name of Hari; kṛṣṇa — Lord Kṛṣṇa; hari — the holy name of Hari; dhvani — vibration; vinā — except; āra — anything else; nāhi — there was not; śuni — hearing.
Translation
Some people were filling the pots, and others were washing the rooms, but everyone was engaged in chanting the holy name of Kṛṣṇa and Hari.
Text 112
‘কৃষ্ণ’ ‘কৃষ্ণ’ কহি’ করে ঘটের প্রার্থন ।
‘কৃষ্ণ’ ‘কৃষ্ণ’ কহি’ করে ঘট সমর্পণ ॥ ১১২ ॥
‘kṛṣṇa’ ‘kṛṣṇa’ kahi’ kare ghaṭera prārthana
‘kṛṣṇa’ ‘kṛṣṇa’ kahi’ kare ghaṭa samarpaṇa
Synonyms
kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa kahi’ — while chanting “Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa”; kare — do; ghaṭera — for the waterpots; prārthana — begging; kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa — the holy name of Lord Kṛṣṇa; kahi’ — chanting; kare — does; ghaṭa — of the waterpots; samarpaṇa — delivery.
Translation
One person begged for a waterpot by chanting the holy names “Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa,” and another delivered a pot while chanting “Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa.”
Text 113
যেই যেই কহে, সেই কহে কৃষ্ণনামে ।
কৃষ্ণনাম হইল সঙ্কেত সব-কামে ॥ ১১৩ ॥
yei yei kahe, sei kahe kṛṣṇa-nāme
kṛṣṇa-nāma ha-ila saṅketa saba-kāme
Synonyms
yei yei kahe — anyone who was speaking; sei — he; kahe — says; kṛṣṇa-nāme — by uttering the holy name of Kṛṣṇa; kṛṣṇa-nāma ha-ila — the holy name of Kṛṣṇa became; saṅketa — indication; saba-kāme — for everyone who wanted something.
Translation
Whenever anyone had to speak, he did so by uttering the holy name of Kṛṣṇa. Consequently, the holy name of Kṛṣṇa became an indication for everyone who wanted something.
Text 114
প্রেমাবেশে প্রভু কহে ‘কৃষ্ণ’ ‘কৃষ্ণ’-নাম ।
একলে প্রেমাবেশে করে শতজনের কাম ॥ ১১৪ ॥
premāveśe prabhu kahe ‘kṛṣṇa’ ‘kṛṣṇa’-nāma
ekale premāveśe kare śata-janera kāma
Synonyms
prema-āveśe — in ecstatic love; prabhu — Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu; kahe — says; kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa-nāma — the holy name of Lord Kṛṣṇa; ekale — alone; prema-āveśe — in ecstatic love; kare — does; śata-janera kāma — the work of hundreds of men.
Translation
As Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was vibrating the holy name of Kṛṣṇa in ecstatic love, He Himself was performing the work of hundreds of men.
Text 115
শত-হস্তে করেন যেন ক্ষালন-মার্জন ।
প্রতিজন-পাশে যাই’ করান শিক্ষণ ॥ ১১৫ ॥
śata-haste karena yena kṣālana-mārjana
pratijana-pāśe yāi’ karāna śikṣaṇa
Synonyms
śata-haste — with one hundred hands; karena — He does; yena — as if; kṣālana-mārjana — rinsing and washing; pratijana-pāśe yāi’ — going to the side of everyone; karāna śikṣaṇa — He was teaching them.
Translation
It appeared as though Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu were cleansing and washing with a hundred hands. He approached every devotee just to teach him how to work.
Text 116
ভাল কর্ম দেখি’ তারে করে প্রসংশন ।
মনে না মিলিলে করে পবিত্র ভর্ত্সন ॥ ১১৬ ॥
bhāla karma dekhi’ tāre kare prasaṁśana
mane nā milile kare pavitra bhartsana
Synonyms
bhāla — good; karma — work; dekhi’ — seeing; tāre — to him; kare — does; prasaṁśana — praising; mane — in His mind; nā — not; milile — being approved; kare — He does; pavitra — purified, ungrudgingly; bhartsana — chastisement.
Translation
When He saw someone doing nicely, the Lord praised him, but if He saw that someone was not working to His satisfaction, He immediately chastised that person, not bearing him any grudge.
Text 117
তুমি ভাল করিয়াছ, শিখাহ অন্যেরে ।
এইমত ভাল কর্ম সেহো যেন করে ॥ ১১৭ ॥
tumi bhāla kariyācha, śikhāha anyere
ei-mata bhāla karma seho yena kare
Synonyms
tumi — you; bhāla kariyācha — have done well; śikhāha anyere — teach others; ei-mata — in this way; bhāla karma — good work; seho — he also; yena — so that; kare — performs.
Translation
The Lord would say, “You have done well. Please teach this to others so that they may act in the same way.”
Text 118
এ-কথা শুনিয়া সবে সঙ্কুচিত হঞা ।
ভাল-মতে-কর্ম করে সবে মন দিয়া ॥ ১১৮ ॥
e-kathā śuniyā sabe saṅkucita hañā
bhāla-mate karma kare sabe mana diyā
Synonyms
e-kathā śuniyā — hearing these words; sabe — all; saṅkucita hañā — being ashamed; bhāla-mate — very well; karma kare — do work; sabe — all; mana diyā — with attention.
Translation
As soon as they heard Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu say this, everyone became ashamed. Thus the devotees began to work with great attention.
Text 119
তবে প্রক্ষালন কৈল শ্রীজগমোহন ।
ভোগমন্দির-আদি তবে কৈল প্রক্ষালন ॥ ১১৯ ॥
tabe prakṣālana kaila śrī-jagamohana
bhoga-mandira-ādi tabe kaila prakṣālana
Synonyms
tabe — thereafter; prakṣālana — washing; kaila — performed; śrī-jagamohana — in front of the temple; bhoga-mandira — the place where food is offered; ādi — all such places; tabe — then; kaila prakṣālana — washed.
Translation
They washed the Jagamohana area and then the place where food was kept. All other places were also washed.
Text 120
নাটশালা-ধুই’ ধুইল চত্বর-প্রাঙ্গণ ।
পাকশালা-আদি করি’ করিল প্রক্ষালন ॥ ১২০ ॥
nāṭaśālā dhui’ dhuila catvara-prāṅgaṇa
pākaśālā-ādi kari’ karila prakṣālana
Synonyms
nāṭa-śālā — the meeting place; dhui’ — washing; dhuila — washed; catvara-prāṅgaṇa — the yard and the raised sitting place; pāka-śālā — the kitchen; ādi — and so on; kari’ — making; karila prakṣālana — washed.
Translation
In this way the meeting place was washed, the entire yard, the raised sitting places, the kitchen and every other room.
Text 121
মন্দিরের চতুর্দিক্ প্রক্ষালন কৈল ।
সব অন্তঃপুর ভালমতে ধোয়াইল ॥ ১২১ ॥
mandirera catur-dik prakṣālana kaila
saba antaḥpura bhāla-mate dhoyāila
Synonyms
mandirera — the temple; catur-dik — all around; prakṣālana kaila — washed; saba — all; antaḥpura — inside the rooms; bhāla-mate — with great care; dhoyāila — washed.
Translation
Thus all places around the temple were thoroughly washed within and without.
Text 122
হেনকালে গৌড়ীয়া এক সুবুদ্ধি সরল ।
প্রভুর চরণ-যুগে দিল ঘট-জল ॥ ১২২ ॥
hena-kāle gauḍīyā eka subuddhi sarala
prabhura caraṇa-yuge dila ghaṭa-jala
Synonyms
hena-kāle — at this time; gauḍīyā — Vaiṣṇava from Bengal; eka — one; su-buddhi — very intelligent; sarala — simple; prabhura caraṇa-yuge — on the lotus feet of the Lord; dila — poured; ghaṭa-jala — one potful of water.
Translation
After everything was thoroughly washed, a Vaiṣṇava from Bengal, who was very intelligent and simple, came and poured water on the lotus feet of the Lord.
Text 123
সেই জল লঞা আপনে পান কৈল ।
তাহা দেখি’ প্রভুর মনে দুঃখ রোষ হৈল ॥ ১২৩ ॥
sei jala lañā āpane pāna kaila
tāhā dekhi’ prabhura mane duḥkha roṣa haila
Synonyms
sei jala — that water; lañā — taking; āpane — personally; pāna kaila — drank; tāhā dekhi’ — seeing that; prabhura — of the Lord; mane — in the mind; duḥkha — unhappiness; roṣa — anger; haila — there was.
Translation
The Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava then took that water and drank it himself. Seeing that, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu felt a little unhappy and was also outwardly angry.
Text 124
যদ্যপি গোসাঞি তারে হঞাছে সন্তোষ ।
ধর্মসংস্থাপন লাগি’ বাহিরে মহারোষ ॥ ১২৪ ॥
yadyapi gosāñi tāre hañāche santoṣa
dharma-saṁsthāpana lāgi’ bāhire mahā-roṣa
Synonyms
yadyapi — although; gosāñi — the Lord; tāre — with him; hañāche — became; santoṣa — satisfied; dharma-saṁsthāpana lāgi’ — for establishing the etiquette of religious principles; bāhire — externally; mahā-roṣa — very angry.
Translation
Although the Lord was certainly satisfied with him, He became angry externally in order to establish the etiquette of religious principles.
Text 125
শিক্ষা লাগি’ স্বরূপে ডাকি’ কহিল তাঁহারে ।
এই দেখ তোমার ‘গৌড়ীয়া’র ব্যবহারে ॥ ১২৫ ॥
śikṣā lāgi’ svarūpe ḍāki’ kahila tāṅhāre
ei dekha tomāra ‘gauḍīyā’ra vyavahāre
Synonyms
śikṣā lāgi’ — for instruction; svarūpe — unto Svarūpa Dāmodara; ḍāki’ — calling; kahila — said; tāṅhāre — unto him; ei dekha — just see here; tomāra — your; gauḍīyāra — of this Vaiṣṇava from Bengal; vyavahāre — behavior.
Translation
The Lord then called for Svarūpa Dāmodara and told him, “Just see the behavior of your Bengali Vaiṣṇava!
Text 126
ঈশ্বরমন্দিরে মোর পদ ধোয়াইল ।
সেই জল আপনি লঞা পান কৈল ॥ ১২৬ ॥
īśvara-mandire mora pada dhoyāila
sei jala āpani lañā pāna kaila
Synonyms
īśvara-mandire — in the temple of the Lord; mora — My; pada — feet; dhoyāila — washed; sei jala — that water; āpani — personally; lañā — taking; pāna kaila — drank.
Translation
“This person from Bengal has washed My feet within the temple of the Personality of Godhead. Not only that, but he has drunk the water himself.
Text 127
এই অপরাধে মোর কাহাঁ হবে গতি ।
তোমার ‘গৌড়ীয়া’ করে এতেক ফৈজতি ! ১২৭ ॥
ei aparādhe mora kāhāṅ habe gati
tomāra ‘gauḍīyā’ kare eteka phaijati!
Synonyms
ei aparādhe — by such an offense; mora — of Me; kāhāṅ — where; habe — will be; gati — destination; tomāra gauḍīyā — your Bengali Vaiṣṇava; kare — does; eteka — such; phaijati — implication.
Translation
“I now do not know what My destination is because of this offense. Indeed, your Bengali Vaiṣṇava has greatly implicated Me.”
Purport
It is significant that Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu told Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī that the Bengali Vaiṣṇava was “your Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava.” This means that all Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas who are followers of the Caitanya cult are subordinate to Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī. The paramparā system is very strictly observed by Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s personal secretary was Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī. The next group of devotees was the six Gosvāmīs, then Kavirāja Gosvāmī. It is necessary to observe the paramparā system of the Caitanya cult. There are many offenses one can commit while serving the Lord, and these are described in the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, Hari-bhakti-vilāsa and other books. According to the rules and regulations, no one should accept obeisances in the temple of the Lord before the Deity. Nor is it proper for a devotee to offer obeisances and touch the feet of the spiritual master before the Deity. This is considered an offense. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu Himself was personally the Supreme Personality of Godhead; therefore it was not actually offensive to wash His lotus feet in the temple. However, because He was playing the part of an ācārya, the Lord considered Himself an ordinary human being. He also wanted to give instructions to ordinary human beings. The point is that even though one plays the part of a spiritual master, he should not accept obeisances or permit a disciple to wash his feet before the Deity. This is a matter of etiquette.
Text 128
তবে স্বরূপ গোসাঞি তার ঘাড়ে হাত দিয়া ।
ঢেকা মারি’ পুরীর বাহির রাখিলেন লঞা ॥ ১২৮ ॥
tabe svarūpa gosāñi tāra ghāḍe hāta diyā
ḍhekā māri’ purīra bāhira rākhilena lañā
Synonyms
tabe — thereafter; svarūpa gosāñi — Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosāñi; tāra — of him; ghāḍe — on the neck; hāta diyā — touching with the hand; ḍhekā māri’ — pushing a little; purīra bāhira — out of the temple of Guṇḍicā Purī; rākhilena — kept; lañā — taking.
Translation
At this point Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī caught the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava by the neck and, giving him a little push, ejected him from the Guṇḍicā Purī temple and made him stay outside.
Text 129
পুনঃ আসি’ প্রভু পায় করিল বিনয় ।
‘অজ্ঞ-অপরাধ’ ক্ষমা করিতে যুয়ায় ॥ ১২৯ ॥
punaḥ āsi’ prabhu pāya karila vinaya
‘ajña-aparādha’ kṣamā karite yuyāya
Synonyms
punaḥ āsi’ — again coming back; prabhu pāya — at the lotus feet of the Lord; karila vinaya — made a submission; ajña-aparādha — offense by innocent person; kṣamā karite — to be excused; yuyāya — deserves.
Translation
After Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī returned within the temple, he requested Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu to excuse that innocent person.
Text 130
তবে মহাপ্রভুর মনে সন্তোষ হইলা ।
সারি করি’ দুই পাশে সবারে বসাইলা ॥ ১৩০ ॥
tabe mahāprabhura mane santoṣa ha-ila
sāri kari’ dui pāśe sabāre vasāilā
Synonyms
tabe — thereafter; mahāprabhura — of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu; mane — in the mind; santoṣa ha-ilā — there was satisfaction; sāri kari’ — making a line; dui pāśe — on two sides; sabāre — all of them; vasāilā — made to sit.
Translation
After this incident, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was very satisfied. He then asked all of the devotees to sit down in two lines on both sides.
Text 131
আপনে বসিয়া মাঝে, আপনার হাতে ।
তৃণ, কাঁকর, কুটা লাগিলা কুড়াইতে ॥ ১৩১ ॥
āpane vasiyā mājhe, āpanāra hāte
tṛṇa, kāṅkara, kuṭā lāgilā kuḍāite
Synonyms
āpane — personally; vasiyā mājhe — sitting in the middle; āpanāra hāte — with His own hand; tṛṇa — straw; kāṅkara — grains of sand; kuṭā — dirt; lāgilā — began; kuḍāite — to pick up.
Translation
The Lord then personally sat down in the middle and picked up all kinds of straw, grains of sand and dirty things.
Text 132
কে কত কুড়ায়, সব একত্র করিব ।
যার অল্প, তার ঠাঞি পিঠা-পানা লইব ॥ ১৩২ ॥
ke kata kuḍāya, saba ekatra kariba
yāra alpa, tāra ṭhāñi piṭhā-pānā la-iba
Synonyms
ke kata kuḍāya — how much one has collected; saba — all; ekatra — in one place; kariba — I shall gather; yāra — of whom; alpa — small; tāra ṭhāñi — from him; piṭhā-pānā la-iba — I will ask for cakes and sweet rice as a fine.
Translation
While Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was picking up the straws and grains of sand, He said, “I shall gather everyone’s collection, and I shall ask whoever has collected less than all the others to pay a fine of sweet cakes and sweet rice.”
Text 133
এই মত সব পুরী করিল শোধন ।
শীতল, নির্মল কৈল — যেন নিজ-মন ॥ ১৩৩ ॥
ei mata saba purī karila śodhana
śītala, nirmala kaila — yena nija-mana
Synonyms
ei mata — in this way; saba purī — all of Guṇḍicā Purī; karila śodhana — they cleansed; śītala — cool; nirmala — clean; kaila — made; yena — as; nija-mana — his own mind.
Translation
In this way all the quarters of the Guṇḍicā temple were completely cleansed and cleared. All quarters were cool and spotless, like one’s cleansed and pacified mind.
Text 134
প্রণালিকা ছাড়ি’ যদি পানি বহাইল ।
নূতন নদী যেন সমুদ্রে মিলিল ॥ ১৩৪ ॥
praṇālikā chāḍi’ yadi pāni vahāila
nūtana nadī yena samudre milila
Synonyms
praṇālikā — water from the outlets; chāḍi’ — releasing; yadi — when; pāni — water; vahāila — flowed; nūtana — new; nadī — river; yena — as if; samudre — in the ocean; milila — met.
Translation
When the water from the different rooms was finally let out through the halls, it appeared as if new rivers were rushing out to meet the waters of the ocean.
Text 135
এইমত পুরদ্বার-আগে পথ যত ।
সকল শোধিল, তাহা কে বর্ণিবে কত ॥ ১৩৫ ॥
ei-mata puradvāra-āge patha yata
sakala śodhila, tāhā ke varṇibe kata
Synonyms
ei-mata — in this way; pura-dvāra — of the gateway of the temple; āge — in front; patha yata — as many avenues; sakala — all; śodhila — were cleansed; tāhā — that; ke varṇibe — who can describe; kata — how much.
Translation
Outside the gateway of the temple, all the roads were also cleansed, and no one could tell exactly how this was done.
Purport
In commenting on the cleansing of the Guṇḍicā temple, Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura says that Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, as the world leader, was personally giving instructions on how one should receive Lord Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, within one’s cleansed and pacified heart. If one wants to see Kṛṣṇa seated in his heart, he must first cleanse the heart, as prescribed by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu in His Śikṣāṣṭaka: ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam. In this age, everyone’s heart is especially unclean, as confirmed in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam: hṛdy antaḥ-stho hy abhadrāṇi. To wash away all dirty things accumulated within the heart, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu advised everyone to chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. The first result will be that the heart is cleansed (ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam). Similarly, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.2.17) confirms this statement:
śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ
hṛdy antaḥ-stho hy abhadrāṇi vidhunoti suhṛt satām
“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 relishes His messages, which are in themselves virtuous when properly heard and chanted.”
If a devotee at all wants to cleanse his heart, he must chant and hear the glories of the Lord, Śrī Kṛṣṇa (śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ). This is a simple process. Kṛṣṇa Himself will help cleanse the heart because He is already seated there. Kṛṣṇa wants to continue living within the heart, and the Lord wants to give directions, but one has to keep his heart as clean as Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu kept the Guṇḍicā temple. The devotee therefore has to cleanse his heart just as the Lord cleansed the Guṇḍicā temple. In this way one can be pacified and enriched in devotional service. If the heart is filled with straw, grains of sand, weeds or dust (in other words, anyābhilāṣa-pūrṇa), one cannot enthrone the Supreme Personality of Godhead there. The heart must be cleansed of all material motives brought about through fruitive work, speculative knowledge, the mystic yoga system and so many other forms of so-called meditation. The heart must be cleansed without ulterior motive. As Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī says, anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam. In other words, there should not be any external motive. One should not attempt material upliftment, understanding the Supreme by speculative knowledge, fruitive activity, severe austerity and penance, and so on. All these activities are against the natural growth of spontaneous love of Godhead. As soon as these are present within the heart, the heart should be understood to be unclean and therefore unfit to serve as Kṛṣṇa’s sitting place. We cannot perceive the Lord’s presence in our hearts unless our hearts are cleansed.
A material desire is explained as a desire to enjoy the material world to its fullest extent. In modern language, this is called economic development. An inordinate desire for economic development is considered to be like straws and grains of sand within the heart. If one is overly engaged in material activity, the heart will always remain disturbed. As stated by Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura:
saṁsāra viṣānale, divā-niśi hiyā jvale,
juḍāite nā kainu upāya
In other words, endeavor for material opulence is against the principle of devotional service. Material enjoyment includes activities such as great sacrifices for auspicious activity, charity, austerity, elevation to the higher planetary system, and even living happily within the material world.
Modernized material benefits are like the dust of material contamination. When this dust is agitated by the whirlwind of fruitive activity, it overcomes the heart. Thus the mirror of the heart is covered with dust. There are many desires to perform auspicious and inauspicious activities, but people do not know how life after life they are keeping their hearts unclean. One who cannot give up the desire for fruitive activity is understood to be covered by the dust of material contamination. Karmīs generally think that the interaction of fruitive activities can be counteracted by another karma, or fruitive activity. This is certainly a mistaken conception. If one is deluded by such a conception, he is cheated by his own activity. Such activities have been compared to an elephant’s bathing. An elephant may bathe very thoroughly, but as soon as it comes out of the river, it immediately takes some sand from the land and throws it all over its body. If one suffers due to his past fruitive activities, he cannot counteract his suffering by performing auspicious activities. The sufferings of human society cannot be counteracted by material plans. The only way suffering can be mitigated is by Kṛṣṇa consciousness. When one takes to Kṛṣṇa consciousness and engages himself in the devotional service of the Lord — beginning with chanting and hearing the glories of the Lord — the cleansing of the heart begins. When the heart is actually cleansed, one can clearly see the Lord sitting there without any disturbance. In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (9.4.68) the Lord confirms that He sits within the heart of the pure devotee: sādhavo hṛdayaṁ mahyaṁ sādhūnāṁ hṛdayaṁ tv aham.
HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj:
This goes on for many more pages.
So there are several lessons we can learn from this cleansing of the Gundicha temple. Of course, in this purport here, as explained by Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur, the cleansing of the Gundicha temple is comparable to the cleansing of the heart of the devotee.
If the heart is not cleansed, we cannot communicate with the Lord. Of course, Paramatma is in all hearts of all human beings, whether they are devotees or demons. But Paramatma is the witness. He does not inspire the devotee in his devotional service. When we perform bhakti, and especially chanting the name of the Lord, we begin to cleanse the heart. So this is ‘cetodarpana marjanam’, cleaning the mirror of the heart. If the mirror is dirty, it cannot reflect properly the image of anything. When the mirror of the heart is clean, then we get a very nice reflection of the form of the Lord. So to establish our relationship with the Lord in devotional service, we have to first cleanse the mind or the heart.
So how do we cleanse the heart? We cleanse the heart by Nama Sankirtan. We do not depend upon auspicious activities or punyas. We do not depend on Jnana or Yoga. So all the rules of varnashrama dharma, artha dharma, kama, etc., and liberation, moksha, are not to be employed to even cleanse the heart. Everything is accomplished by Nama Sankirtan. So in this example, we find Lord Caitanya cleansing the Gundicha temple, at the same time, what are they doing? They are chanting Krishna’s name!
Of course, all activities of bhakti will cleanse the heart. So cleansing the Lord’s temple, cleansing the Gundicha temple, is a type of bhakti. And even we mention this in the Guruvastakam that we recite every morning. So there is ‘mandira marjanam’, cleansing the temple. So that act itself also cleanses the heart. Why? Because it’s an action for pleasing the Lord. We can please the Lord by many actions. So one of the actions is, cleaning the Lord’s house. We can do many other activities, such as cooking for the Lord, offering the Lord food or we can bathe and dress the Lord. So though these activities involve our mind, our intelligence, and our senses, body, which are material, they produce spiritual effect. So all these activities destroy karma. They destroy ignorance. And in this way, the mind becomes purified.
So we use the mind, we use the senses, we use the intelligence, we don’t destroy them. When we use them favorably to please the Lord, then they give us spiritual result. The spiritual result is, the Jiva becomes the servant of the Lord. So by serving with our mind and senses, the Jiva also begins to serve the Lord. So the service to the Lord in the Jiva gradually develops like a plant. A plant sprouts leaves and then eventually gives a flower and then finally a fruit. So the Jiva sprouts the plant of bhakti. It becomes the flower of bhava, then it becomes the fruit of prema. So the Jiva, by planting the seed of bhakti in the heart, begins to transform. So of course, we are utilizing our material body, material senses and mind, but in developing this plant of bhakti, we develop spiritual body, spiritual senses, spiritual mind. So it is with that spiritual body, spiritual mind, etc., that we are able to experience, see the Lord and experience prema.
So this can all take place by any type of service, but the most powerful type of bhakti is Nama Sankirtan. So through Nama Sankirtan, we cleanse the heart. We develop our knowledge. Finally, we develop prema and realization of Krishna. So the process of Nama Sankirtan is complete in itself. It does not depend on anything else. So in this way, we get perfection of the human life through the process of chanting Krishna’s name.
So Caitanya Mahaprabhu and his devotees, they cleansed the Gundicha temple. And when it was thoroughly cleansed, then what happened? Jagannath came there. And when Jagannath came there, all the devotees could serve the Lord directly. So Caitanya Mahaprabhu is illustrating the power of bhakti and Nama Sankirtan through this cleansing of the temple.
So one incident took place here where the Bengali Vaishnava poured water on Lord Caitanya’s foot and then drank it. So in itself, nothing wrong with that, because we’re always encouraged to drink the foot water of the devotee or even of a brahmana. However, and of course, if it’s Lord Caitanya himself, who is also Supreme Lord, nothing wrong with that. However, Caitanya Mahaprabhu, though he is the Supreme Lord, was acting as a normal person. So in Bhagavatam, he’s called Channa avatar, the avatar who is covered. He doesn’t manifest directly all of his powers. So Caitanya Mahaprabhu acts as a human being.
So one rule in deity worship is that, you should not worship anyone else in front of the deity. So to take the foot water of anyone else except the Charana-amrta of the Lord is considered to be offensive. So therefore, Lord Caitanya was not so satisfied when the Bengali Vaishnava took that water and drank it. It would be considered an offense against Jagannath. Of course, Jagannath was not there yet. But the devotees also considered the temple of Jagannath to be the same as Jagannath. So therefore, Caitanya Mahaprabhu was displeased with this particular devotee. So through this, Lord Caitanya is teaching the devotees proper conduct in the temple of the Lord. So of course, through this incident, there are many other lessons that Caitanya Mahaprabhu is teaching.
And one is, of course, that any service to the Lord is welcomed by the devotee. So we have many devotees who say, yes, I will worship the deity, but I won’t clean the floor. I will offer the Lord, flowers, but I won’t throw out the garbage [Laughs]. So here we see Lord Caitanya personally, even he is Supreme Lord, he is gathering all the dust and the straw and whatever, and taking it outside, and he’s washing the temple. So Caitanya Mahaprabhu is teaching that any type of service to the Lord is welcomed by the devotee. And it cleanses the heart – ‘cetodharpana marjanam’, and it leads to prema and bliss. So in this way, he’s illustrating the purity of any type of bhakti. Whatever bhakti we do, that bhakti will be completely purified.
Hare Krsna !
Q & A:
1.) Thank you, Maharaj. Maharaj, we see that in various places of the scriptures, the worship of a devotee, pure devotee of the Lord is greater than the worship of the L ord himself. Even as said by the Lord, that the worship of the devotee is great. Being the case, here we see the worship of a devotee, even Caitanya Mahaprabhu is teaching as a devotee, is so great. But that is considerably offense in the deity worship aspects. How to understand this properly, Maharaj?
So the Lord himself says, the worship of the devotee is greater than the worship of the Lord. At the same time, in the rules for deity worship, we have these strictures, so that we don’t worship others in front of the Lord. So the rules are there, so that the focus is always on the Supreme Lord.
Now what do we do about the worship of the devotee ? So we’ll find in very strict temples like the Sri Vaishnava temples, they worship the Lord, they worship Ramanuja-acharya, but separately! They even worship Lakshmi separately. Separate temple even [Laughs]. Andal – separate temple [Laughs]. So that is, and of course Ramanuja-acharya is there, but he’s also separate. Alwars are there, separate. Worship goes on, but separately.
So one of the reasons for such a rule is that, we should never confuse Supreme Lord with the Jiva [Laughs]. So devotees are very special, but they’re still Jivas. So to keep that distinction, they keep the worship separate.
2.) Maharaj, all the activities of devotional service are pleasing to the Lord. However, be it cooking, deity worship, dressing, abhisek, cleanliness seems to make a foundational role. So cleanliness is most important in all these activities. So that needs to be given priority by the Vaishnavas / sadhakas Maharaj ?
[Clarification of question]
Well yes, cleanliness is there, especially in deity worship. But we see in chanting the holy name, clean or unclean, you can chant [Laughs]. So in deity worship, the cleanliness is emphasized because technically, the Lord is spiritual and our body is material. So technically, we can’t even approach the Lord, because we got a material body. So, how can we worship Him?
So the whole process of archana, pancharatric archana, is to purify us, so we become qualified to worship the Lord. So the purification takes place on different levels. So the most basic level is, body has to be pure. So we take a bath, we wear fresh cloth, and brush the teeth, do all these things. But, what about the mind? So we have to purify the mind. So of course, there is a process for doing that, purification of the mind, through something called bhuta-suti, in which you gradually get rid of all your material conceptions. So purification is one level, physical and mental, etc. But then, beyond that, we have to make the body spiritual. Not just purified of matter, but we have to make it Krishna-ized. So that is done by meditating on ourself as the servant of Krishna. So, in the process of archana, we have all these elements of physical purity, purity of the articles, purity of the body, purification of the mind and intelligence, etc. And then finally, spiritualizing everything, by meditating ourself as servant of the Lord. And once that is done, we are qualified to begin worshipping the deity.
In chanting the name of the Lord, none of that is required. Of course, cleanliness internally, externally, etc. is very good. It’s favorable. But, in situations where it’s not possible, still, chanting the name has great power. Whereas, with deity worship, the more you don’t follow the rules, or very impure, etc., much less, less effect.
3.) Hare Krsna Maharaj, as per ISKCON’s standards, is it ok to fall at the feet of the devotee in front of the deity ?
[Laughs] Lord Caitanya says no [Laughs].
4.) Maharaj, we discussed about the Lord in the heart. So Yogis are also seeing the Paramatma in the heart, so devotee also sees the Lord in the heart, so what is the difference?
The form of Paramatma, of course, is Sat and Chit. And, he is the witness and permitter of all the activities of all the Jivas. If a Yogi realizes Paramatma, that’s very good. But, the Yogi does not have devotion and does not serve the Lord. What happens to the Yogi who realizes Paramatma? He merges into Paramatma.
The same form with blue complexion, four arms, holding shankha and chakra and lotus and club is there in Vaikuntha as Bhagavan. Same! It looks the same! But, that form is realized by a devotee. His goal is to serve the Lord. So, the Lord responds to that devotee, even in sadhana, by giving him intelligence to perform bhakti, so he can get to the spiritual world and serve in a spiritual body. So, the Lord is Paramatma and Bhagavan, but he functions differently, according to the difference of the interest of the Yogi and different interest of the bhakta.
5.) Hare Krishna Maharaj, from the ant to Brahma, all are subject to 3 modes, being the case, how Parampara starts from Brahma ?
[Clarification of question]
Oh ! Brahma is in control of Rajo-gun. Shiva is in control of Tamo-gun. Vishnu is in control of Sattva-gun. Though they are in control of the gunas, this does not mean that they are influenced by the gunas. Shiva is actually a form of Vishnu, he can never be contaminated. Vishnu, of course, can never be contaminated by sattva.
Usually, Brahma is a Jiva, he creates the material world, but he’s a great devotee of the Lord, so also not influenced by the gunas. So the greatest devotees are beyond the gunas. Of course, in Bhagavad Gita, it says that anyone who practices bhakti is beyond the gunas [Laughs]. In the Madhva Sampradaya, Brahma is considered to be the number one devotee. Therefore, he’s not touched by the gunas.
6.) Hare Krsna Maharaj, Dandavat. Maharaj you said, the Yogi, he will be merge into Paramatma. But after that, what will happen to him ? After merging, that is all over, or next, what is the understanding, actually, for Yogi ?
So, the Lord fulfills the desires of everyone. If the Yogi or the Jnani desires to merge eternally in Brahman, fine, the Lord arranges that. A Jnani who is fortunate or a Yogi who is fortunate to get association with a devotee may change, and he may realize paramatma or Brahman or whatever. But because of the influence of devotion, he may go further and become a devotee. Sukadeva Goswami was fixed in Brahman, but by the influence of Krishna and Vedavyasa, he became a devotee. But without that influence, they will not change, so they just merge in Brahman.
7.) Maharaj, in case of Prahlad Maharaj, when Prahlad Maharaj was sitting on the lap of the Lord, he felt so much joy, and the Lord was thinking, what type of joy that this Prahlad is feeling, Narasimha did not know. For experiencing the joy, he appeared in Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s Leela. My question is that, now in this case, Bengali Vaishnava devotees wash the feet and drink water from the lotus feet of Mahaprabhu. So the same thinking or feeling is there?
[Clarification of question]
Well, everybody experiences joy. Not just those. All devotees experience joy. Not just the one who drank the water from Lord Caitanya’s feet. So, I don’t see the relationship.
Devotee: Actually, when Prahlad Maharaj was sitting on the lap of Narasimha Dev, so he felt joy at that time. And Narasimha Dev was thinking, I was hearing the lecture, what type of joy he felt now. And for experiencing that joy, he appeared as Caitanya Mahaprabhu. And in this case, Caitanya Mahaprabhu indicated this Bengali Vaishnava. They are drinking lotus feet, some drinking water from the lotus feet. So, my question is that Maharaj, that both feeling is there, but now he’s also thinking.
[Clarification of the question again]
HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj: Was that what he says here? It doesn’t say that, does it? Doesn’t say anything about his joy or anything like that. He was dissatisfied because he didn’t follow the proper rules, that’s all. Doesn’t say he didn’t understand his joy or whatever. So, I don’t know [Laughs].
8.) Maharaj, Hare Krishna Mahamantra itself is a cleaning process. How can we understand that Maharaj?
Well, any form of bhakti is kleshagini. It destroys ignorance, karmas, papa-bhija. But chanting the name of the Lord is the quickest way of doing that.
Hare Krsna !
Devotees: Grantharaj Srimad Bhagavatham ki jai!!! HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj ki jai!!!