Because his disease produced wet sores on his body, Sanātana Gosvāmī used to avoid embracing Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, but nevertheless the Lord would embrace him by force. This made Sanātana Gosvāmī very unhappy, and therefore he consulted Jagadānanda Paṇḍita about what he should do. Jagadānanda advised him to return to Vṛndāvana after the car festival of Jagannātha, but when Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu heard about this instruction, He chastised Jagadānanda Paṇḍita and reminded him that Sanātana Gosvāmī was senior to him and also more learned. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu informed Sanātana Gosvāmī that because Sanātana was a pure devotee, the Lord was never inconvenienced by his bodily condition. Because the Lord was a sannyāsī, He did not consider one body better than another. The Lord also informed him that He was maintaining Sanātana and the other devotees just like a father. Therefore the moisture oozing from Sanātana's itching skin did not affect the Lord at all. After speaking with Sanātana Gosvāmī in this way, the Lord again embraced him, and after this embrace, Sanātana Gosvāmī became free from the disease. The Lord ordered Sanātana Gosvāmī to stay with Him for that year, and the next year, after seeing the Ratha-yātrā festival, he left Puruṣottama-kṣetra and returned to Vṛndāvana.
Embrace (CC Antya-lila)
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta
CC Antya-lila
When the Lord arrived, Rūpa Gosvāmī immediately offered his obeisances. Haridāsa informed the Lord, "This is Rūpa Gosvāmī offering You obeisances," and the Lord embraced him.
Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī offered his respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of them all, and all the devotees, by their mercy, embraced him.
"My heart is very confidential. How did you know My mind in this way?" After saying this, He firmly embraced Rūpa Gosvāmī.
As soon as Haridāsa Ṭhākura and Rūpa Gosvāmī saw the Lord coming, they both stood up and then fell down to offer Him their respectful obeisances. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu embraced them both and then sat down.
Thus Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu embraced Haridāsa and Rūpa Gosvāmī and left for the seaside to perform His noontime duties.
"(Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī said to Her constant companion Viśākhā:) "My dear friend, if Kṛṣṇa is unkind to Me, there will be no need for you to cry, for it will not be due to any fault of yours. I shall then have to die, but afterwards please do one thing for Me: to observe My funeral ceremony, place My body with its arms embracing a tamāla tree like creepers so that I may remain forever in Vṛndāvana undisturbed. That is My last request.""
‘Desiring the happiness of His association and embraces, My dear friend, I disregarded even My superiors and relaxed My shyness and gravity before them. Furthermore, although you are My best friend, more dear to Me than My own life, I have given you so much trouble. Indeed, I even put aside the vow of dedication to My husband, a vow kept by the most elevated women. Oh, alas! Although He is now neglecting Me, I am so sinful that I am still living. Therefore I must condemn My so-called patience.
"My dear friend the flute, you are actually full of many holes or faults. You are light, hard, juiceless and full of knots. But what kind of pious activities have engaged you in the service of being kissed by the Lord and embraced by His hands?"
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu then embraced Rūpa Gosvāmī and asked him to offer prayers at the lotus feet of all the devotees present.
Advaita Ācārya, Nityānanda Prabhu and all the other devotees showed their causeless mercy to Rūpa Gosvāmī by embracing him in return.
Then, when Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu left with all of His devotees, Haridāsa Ṭhākura also embraced Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī.
Having thus spoken, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu embraced Rūpa Gosvāmī, who then placed the lotus feet of the Lord upon his head.
Greatly satisfied by the statements of Haridāsa Ṭhākura, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu embraced him. Outwardly, however, He avoided further discussions of these matters.
Upon meeting Advaita Ācārya, Haridāsa Ṭhākura offered Him respect and obeisances. Advaita Ācārya embraced him and showed respect to him in return.
He offered his respects to the lotus feet of Haridāsa Ṭhākura, who knew him and thus embraced him.
Seeing Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, both Haridāsa Ṭhākura and Sanātana Gosvāmī immediately fell flat like rods to offer obeisances. The Lord then lifted Haridāsa and embraced him.
When Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu came forward to embrace him, Sanātana backed away and spoke as follows.
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, however, embraced Sanātana Gosvāmī by force. Thus the moisture oozing from the itching sores touched the transcendental body of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.
Upon hearing this, we each embraced him and encouraged him by saying, "You are a great saintly devotee, for your determination in devotional service is fixed." In this way we praised him.
Thus Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu embraced both Haridāsa Ṭhākura and Sanātana Gosvāmī and then got up and left to perform His noon duties.
My dear Sanātana,” Haridāsa Ṭhākura said, embracing him, “no one can find the limits of your good fortune.
After saying this, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu embraced Sanātana Gosvāmī, and the moisture oozing from the itching sores on Sanātana's body smeared the body of the Lord.
Although Sanātana Gosvāmī repeatedly forbade Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu to embrace him, the Lord still did so. Thus His body was smeared with the moisture from Sanātana's body, and Sanātana became greatly distressed.
Although I forbid Him to do so, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu nevertheless embraces me, and therefore His body becomes smeared with the discharges from my itching sores.
Haridāsa Ṭhākura offered obeisances to the lotus feet of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and the Lord embraced him in ecstatic love.
Sanātana Gosvāmī offered his obeisances and daṇḍavats from a distant place, but Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu called him again and again to embrace him.
Sanātana Gosvāmī backed away, but Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu caught him by force and embraced him.
You embraced the leper Vāsudeva, whose body was fully infected by worms. You are so kind that in spite of his condition You embraced him.
By embracing him You made his body as beautiful as that of Cupid. We cannot understand the waves of Your mercy.”
If I had hated Sanātana Gosvāmī and had not embraced him, I would certainly have been chastised for offenses to Kṛṣṇa.
Sanātana Gosvāmī is one of the associates of Kṛṣṇa. There could not be any bad odor from his body. On the first day I embraced him, I smelled the aroma of catuḥsama (a mixture of sandalwood pulp, camphor, aguru and musk).”
In fact, however, when Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu embraced the body of Sanātana Gosvāmī, by the Lord's touch alone there was manifested a fragrance exactly like that of sandalwood pulp.
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu continued, “My dear Sanātana, do not be aggrieved, for when I embrace you I actually get great pleasure.
After saying this, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu again embraced Sanātana Gosvāmī. Thus immediately Sanātana's sores disappeared, and his entire body resembled the color of gold.
After embracing both Haridāsa Ṭhākura and Sanātana Gosvāmī, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu returned to His residence. Then Haridāsa Ṭhākura and Sanātana Gosvāmī, in great ecstatic love, began to describe the Lord's transcendental attributes.
Because of Jīva Gosvāmī’s relationship with Rūpa Gosvāmī and Sanātana Gosvāmī, who were greatly favored by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Lord Nityānanda Prabhu placed His feet on the head of Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī and embraced him.
As soon as Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu heard these words, He immediately welcomed Raghunātha dāsa. "Come here," He said. Raghunātha dāsa then clasped the lotus feet of the Lord, but the Lord stood up and embraced him out of His causeless mercy.
Raghunātha dāsa offered prayers at the lotus feet of all the devotees, headed by Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī. Seeing the special mercy Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu had bestowed upon Raghunātha dāsa, they embraced him also.
Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī accepted Raghunātha dāsa, saying, "Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, whatever You order is accepted." He then embraced Raghunātha dāsa again.
Having heard this, Raghunātha dāsa offered prayers at the lotus feet of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and the Lord, out of great mercy, embraced him.
When Vallabha Bhaṭṭa arrived, he offered his obeisances at the lotus feet of the Lord. Accepting him as a great devotee, the Lord embraced him.
Thus the conditioned souls, purified by chanting the holy name, are liberated from the blazing fire of material existence. In this way, spiritual benefit grows increasingly full, like the waxing moon in the sky. The true ācārya, the spiritual master of the entire world, must be considered an incarnation of Kṛṣṇa's mercy. Indeed, he is personally embracing Kṛṣṇa. He is therefore the spiritual master of all the varṇas (brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya and śūdra) and all the āśramas (brahmacarya, gṛhastha, vānaprastha and sannyāsa). Since he is understood to be the most advanced devotee, he is called paramahaṁsa-ṭhākura. Ṭhākura is a title of honor offered to the paramahaṁsa. Therefore one who acts as an ācārya, directly presenting Lord Kṛṣṇa by spreading His name and fame, is also to be called paramahaṁsa-ṭhākura.
When Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa was dancing with the gopīs in the rāsa-līlā, the gopīs were embraced around the neck by the Lord's arms. This transcendental favor was never bestowed upon the goddess of fortune or the other consorts in the spiritual world. Nor was such a thing ever imagined by the most beautiful girls in the heavenly planets, girls whose bodily luster and aroma resemble the beauty and fragrance of lotus flowers. And what to speak of worldly women, who may be very, very beautiful according to material estimation?’
Smiling slightly, the Lord embraced him and spoke sweet words so that others would also hear.
Paramānanda Purī offered respects at the feet of Rāmacandra Purī, and Rāmacandra Purī strongly embraced him.
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu also offered obeisances unto Rāmacandra Purī, who then embraced Him and thus remembered Kṛṣṇa.
Pleased with Īśvara Purī, Mādhavendra Purī embraced him and gave him the benediction that he would be a great devotee and lover of Kṛṣṇa.
Bhavānanda Rāya, along with his five sons, fell at the lotus feet of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, who lifted him up and embraced him.
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu embraced them all and bade them farewell. Then all the devotees got up and left, loudly chanting the holy name of Hari.
All the devotees immediately fell at the lotus feet of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and the Lord lifted and embraced every one of them.
After embracing him, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu left to perform His noon duties and went to the sea to take His bath.
When Lord Nityānanda heard this, He was very happy. He rose and embraced Śivānanda Sena in great love.
Catching hold of His devotees, the Lord embraced them all and began to cry and cry.
After saying this, the Lord embraced Jagadānanda Paṇḍita, who then worshiped the Lord's lotus feet and started for Vṛndāvana.
After eating the prasādam, they embraced each other and cried due to separation from Lord Caitanya.
After offering prayers at the lotus feet of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Jagadānanda Paṇḍita greeted everyone. Then the Lord embraced Jagadānanda very strongly.
Raghunātha Bhaṭṭa fell straight as a rod at the lotus feet of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Then the Lord embraced him, knowing well who he was.
Then the Lord embraced him and bade him farewell. Overwhelmed with ecstatic love, Raghunātha Bhaṭṭa began to cry due to imminent separation from Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.
After saying this, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu embraced Raghunātha Bhaṭṭa, and by the Lord's mercy Raghunātha was enlivened with ecstatic love for Kṛṣṇa.
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu returned to complete external consciousness and immediately offered prayers to them. Then these two elderly gentlemen both embraced the Lord with loving affection.
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, “"O wife of the deer, Lord Kṛṣṇa has been embracing His beloved, and thus the kuṅkuma powder on Her raised breasts has covered His garland of kunda flowers. The fragrance of this garland is flowing here. O my dear friend, have you seen Kṛṣṇa passing this way with His dearmost companion, increasing the pleasure of the eyes of all of you?"
Kṛṣṇa has been embracing Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, and the kuṅkuma powder on Her breasts has mixed with the garland of kunda flowers decorating His body. The fragrance of the garland has scented the entire atmosphere.
“Thousands of hands splashed water, and the gopīs saw Kṛṣṇa with thousands of eyes. With thousands of legs they came near Him, and they kissed Him with thousands of faces. Thousands of bodies embraced Him. The gopīs heard His joking words with thousands of ears.
“Dear bumblebee, Lord Kṛṣṇa has no residence here, but we know Him as Yadupati (the King of the Yadu dynasty). We know Him very well, and therefore we are not interested in hearing any more songs about Him. It would be better for you to go sing to those who are now very dear to Kṛṣṇa. Those women of Mathurā have now achieved the opportunity of being embraced by Him. They are His beloveds now, and therefore He has relieved the burning in their breasts. If you go there and sing your songs to those fortunate women, they will be very pleased, and they will honor you.
Let Kṛṣṇa tightly embrace this maidservant who has fallen at His lotus feet, or let Him trample Me or break My heart by never being visible to Me. He is a debauchee, after all, and can do whatever He likes, but still He alone, and no one else, is the worshipable Lord of My heart.
I am a maidservant at the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. He is the embodiment of transcendental happiness and mellows. If He likes He can tightly embrace Me and make Me feel oneness with Him, or by not giving Me His audience, He may corrode My mind and body. Nevertheless, it is He who is the Lord of My life.
| Page Title: | Embrace (CC Antya-lila) |
| Compiler: | Visnu Murti, Mayapur |
| Created: | 07 of Mar, 2012 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=67, OB=0, Lec=0, Con=0, Let=0 |
| No. of Quotes: | 67 |