Chaitanya Bhagavata

by Bhumipati Dāsa | 2008 | 1,349,850 words

The Chaitanya Bhagavata 1.9.211, English translation, including a commentary (Gaudiya-bhasya). This text is similair to the Caitanya-caritamrita and narrates the pastimes of Lord Caitanya, proclaimed to be the direct incarnation of Krishna (as Bhagavan) This is verse 211 of Adi-khanda chapter 9—“Nityananda’s Childhood Pastimes and Travels to Holy Places”.

Bengali text, Devanagari and Unicode transliteration of verse 1.9.211-213:

যদ্যাপিহ নিত্যানন্দ ধরে সর্ব শক্তি তথাপিহ কা’রেহ না দিলেন বিষ্ণু-ভক্তি যবে গৌরচন্দ্র প্রভু করিবে প্রকাশ তা’ন সে আজ্ঞায ভক্তি-দানের বিলাস কেহ কিছু না করে চৈতন্য-আজ্ঞা বিনে ইহাতে ‘অল্পতা’ নাহি পায প্রভু-গণে ॥ ২১১-২১৩ ॥

यद्यापिह नित्यानन्द धरे सर्व शक्ति तथापिह का’रेह ना दिलेन विष्णु-भक्ति यबे गौरचन्द्र प्रभु करिबे प्रकाश ता’न से आज्ञाय भक्ति-दानेर विलास केह किछु ना करे चैतन्य-आज्ञा विने इहाते ‘अल्पता’ नाहि पाय प्रभु-गणे ॥ २११-२१३ ॥

yadyāpiha nityānanda dhare sarva śakti tathāpiha kā’reha nā dilena viṣṇu-bhakti yabe gauracandra prabhu karibe prakāśa tā’na se ājñāya bhakti-dānera vilāsa keha kichu nā kare caitanya-ājñā vine ihāte ‘alpatā’ nāhi pāya prabhu-gaṇe || 211-213 ||

yadyapiha nityananda dhare sarva sakti tathapiha ka’reha na dilena visnu-bhakti yabe gauracandra prabhu karibe prakasa ta’na se ajnaya bhakti-danera vilasa keha kichu na kare caitanya-ajna vine ihate ‘alpata’ nahi paya prabhu-gane (211-213)

English translation:

(211-213) Although Lord Nityānanda is omnipotent, He did not distribute devotional service to the Lord at that time. When Lord Gauracandra manifests His opulence, then on His order He would begin to distribute devotional service. The servants and associates of Lord Caitanya did not like to do anything without His instruction, but this does not diminish their glories in the least.

Commentary: Gauḍīya-bhāṣya by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura:

Being a personal expansion of and nondifferent from Śrī Gaura-Kṛṣṇa, Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu, who is Baladeva, the personification of pure goodness, and who is the only bestower of love for Gaura-Kṛṣṇa, neither displayed mercy on anyone nor distributed or preached chanting the holy names in love of God while visiting the holy places, thereby surpassing His eternally worshipable Lord Śrīman Mahāprabhu’s desire, direct order, or time for the pastimes of preaching the chanting of the holy names in love of God (see verse 208). When the supreme independent Lord Mahāprabhu, out of His own free will and causeless mercy, will manifest His own glories to the fallen souls, at that time Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu will also manifest the pastime of door to door distribution of the holy names and love of God to the sinful living entities.

Therefore, following in the footsteps of Śrī Nityānanda, anyone who desires his own welfare does not transgress etiquette and manifest elevated language or material ego on the pretext of preaching topics of Kṛṣṇa while proudly masquerading as a guru in the presence of the Supreme Lord or His empowered representative, the Vaiṣṇava guru. That is why Śrī Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura has written in his pure devotional song book Kalyāṇa-kalpa-taru as follows:

āmi ta’ vaiṣṇava, e buddhi haile, amānī nā ha’ba āmi

pratiṣṭhāśā āsi’ hṛdaya dūṣibe, haiba nirayagāmī

“If I think I am a Vaiṣṇava, I shall look forward to receiving respect from others. And if the desire for fame and reputation pollute my heart, I shall certainly go to hell.” The eternally blissful form of knowledge, Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya, is the eternal worshipable Lord of the living entities, and to carry out His order with body, mind, and speech is real Vaiṣṇava fame; this is pure transcendental spiritual identification. This position is most relishable and beyond the insignificant, partial, abominable nature of perishable matter. And becoming prominent or dominant in the material sense is actually abominable, anxiety-filled service and simply another way of describing one’s insignificance.

Like what you read? Consider supporting this website: