| • easily drives away all kinds of material lamentation • everything is made pure and blissful • awakens transcendental bliss • quarrels and disagreements arising among different scriptures are vanquished • causes the heart to jubilate by pouring forth transcendental mellows • always stimulates devotional service, which is full of joy |
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A very important verse spoken by Svarupa Damodara
when seeing Sri Caitanya once again in Puri
heloddhūnita-khedayā viśadayā pronmīlad-āmodayā
śāmyac-chāstra-vivādayā rasa-dayā cittārpitonmādayā
śaśvad-bhakti-vinodayā sa-madayā mādhurya-maryādayā
śrī-caitanya dayā-nidhe tava dayā bhūyād amandodayā
TRANSLATION
“O ocean of mercy, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu! Let there be an awakening of Your auspicious mercy, which easily drives away all kinds of material lamentation. By Your mercy, everything is made pure and blissful. It awakens transcendental bliss and covers all material pleasures. By Your auspicious mercy, quarrels and disagreements arising among different scriptures are vanquished. Your auspicious mercy causes the heart to jubilate by pouring forth transcendental mellows. Your mercy always stimulates devotional service, which is full of joy. You are always glorifying the conjugal love of God. May transcendental bliss be awakened within my heart by Your causeless mercy.
PURPORT
This important verse (Śrī Caitanya-candrodaya-nāṭaka 8.10) specifically describes the Lord’s causeless mercy. Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura explains that Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, who is the most magnanimous Personality of Godhead, distributes His causeless mercy in three ways to the conditioned soul. Every living entity is morose in the material world because he is always in want. He undergoes a great struggle for existence and tries to minimize his miserable condition by squeezing the utmost pleasure out of this world. But the living entity is never successful in this endeavor. While in a miserable condition, a person sometimes seeks the favor of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but this is very difficult for materialistic people to obtain. However, when one becomes Kṛṣṇa conscious by the grace of the Lord, the fragrance of the lotus feet of the Lord expands, and in this way a materialist may gain freedom from his miseries. Actually his mind is cleansed by his transcendental connection with the lotus feet of the Lord. At such a time one is enlightened by the loving service of the Lord.
There are many different kinds of scriptures, and by reading them one often becomes puzzled. But when one receives the mercy of the Lord, his confusion is mitigated. Not only are scriptural disparities resolved, but a kind of transcendental bliss is awakened, and in this way one is fully satisfied. The transcendental loving service of the Lord constantly engages the conditioned soul in serving the Lord’s lotus feet. Through such fortunate engagement, one’s transcendental love for Kṛṣṇa is increased. One’s position is thus completely purified, and one is filled with transcendental bliss accompanied by the spirit soul’s jubilation.
Thus the transcendental causeless mercy of Lord Kṛṣṇa is manifest in the heart of the devotee. At such a time, material needs no longer exist. The lamentation that invariably accompanies material desires also vanishes. By the grace of the Lord one is elevated to the transcendental position, and then the transcendental mellows of the spiritual world are manifest in him. One’s devotional service then becomes firm, and one engages in the Lord’s transcendental loving service with great determination. All these combine to fully awaken the devotee’s heart with love of Kṛṣṇa.
In the beginning, a conditioned soul is bereft of Kṛṣṇa consciousness and is always morose in his material activities. Later, by associating with a pure devotee, one becomes inquisitive to know the Absolute Truth. In this way one begins to engage in the transcendental service of the Lord. Next, by the Lord’s grace all misconceptions are vanquished and the heart is cleansed of all material dirt. It is only then that the pleasure of transcendental bliss is awakened. By the Lord’s mercy one is completely convinced of the value of devotional service. When one can see the pastimes of the Lord everywhere, he is firmly situated in transcendental bliss. Such a devotee is relieved of all kinds of material desires, and he preaches the glories of the Lord all over the world. These Kṛṣṇa conscious activities separate him from material activities and the desire for liberation, for at every step the devotee feels himself connected with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Although such a devotee may sometimes be involved in household life, he is untouched by material existence due to his constant engagement in devotional service. Thus everyone is advised to take shelter of devotional service to become happy and liberated. (CC/madhya/10/119)
We had so many great and wonderful Gaura Pur Nim celebrations from the time I was a simple Bhakta back in 1973 in Toronto. Setting up the small hallway and temple room decorations all night with some other devotees. The householders where at their apts. and all the ladies and gentlemen devotees were fast asleep unaware of the visual pleasantries awaiting them come Mongala Arotika. We always stayed up all night, got ready for the morning programme looking fresh and rested. Afterall the only service we had was decorations the cut up and prepping was done by the experts over three days before. Streamers and balloons of many colors, large paper flowers and paper globes that opened large and small to hang over the doorways and ceiling lights. The main hall archway was alive with cedar and juniper bows pilfered from the park across the street. They were secured with an industrial stapler.
Many Mum flowers also pilfered from across the street of yellow, white and pink decorated the temple doorway and main front door. The devotees coming downstairs floated wide eyed on the cedar and juniper aromas. The guests coming in and householders always had wide eye smiles that showed their teeth.
Sri Sri Radha Ksircora Gopinatha, Gaura Nitai and Lord Jaganatha were famous throughout the land. The kirtans were famous for their leaders, the musical skills and their grand voices.
During that whole day there was not one minute of idle chatter or idle hands and feet. The stairways vibrated with the rhythmic thumps of devotees on a mission. As the guests arrived the front hallway became a beach of shoes, sandles and children’s footwear while coats were placed on the second floor in the women’s quarters. Soon shoes were left outside on the old wooden porch. Jappa mala continued through the day by those on break. “I can’t prabhu I have rounds” was a favorite excuse. The whole block end that the temple house was on wreaked of a glorious feast. By the previous morning the thick odor of the best sweet rice that rose in clouds from the massive pot had dissipated. Now the Vanilla offering had chilled for 24 hours in the cooler. Kirtans would break out on the small vacant lot next door while it was being set up with a table to hold the plates and utensils.
We were all much younger then and hungry for whatever Lord Caitanya and Srila Prabhupada provided. There were only a few complaints from time to time. There was no difference between living in or outside the temple all association was relished regardless of any apparent faults. We had far more laughs in those days than we had tears.
The day was full of activity, kirtan and dancing right up to the midnight arotika. By 12:45 in the am only the devotees remained as the guests and householders had had early prasadam and gone home to their divine dwellings. We all gorged ourselves until fully satisfied. Again, our team stayed up to clean up for the next day. Following Srila Prabhupada’s instruction that cooking means cleaning we had the kitchen, main floor and temple room looking new for another festival by the 4:15 am mongala arotika. Very few showed up for that morning programme. Many just feel asleep on their portion of the floor in their dhotis or saris with just a simple blanket. You could not wake them of course.
There were always some great leftovers for the next day to be enjoyed by some and passed on by those who had overindulged. Strawberry malpour was my favorite. Any extra that became rather rank in odor was buried in a large hole in the small back yard. We never felt too tired in those days nor did we feel too enthusiastic because every day we discovered something more about Lord Caitanya and Srila Prabhupada. We were older then but we are younger than that now.
Thank you Srila Prabhupada and Lord Caitanya for those wonderful days and those even more wonderful days ahead