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Very faithful devotee

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta

CC Madhya-lila

Dāmodara Paṇḍita was a very faithful devotee and a staunch lover of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Whenever there was anything that might touch or taint the character of the Lord, Dāmodara Paṇḍita would immediately point it out, not even considering the exalted position of the Lord.
CC Madhya 12.25, Translation and Purport:

"I shall not meet the King at the request of all the devotees, but I shall do so if Dāmodara will give his permission."

From the spiritual point of view, a sannyāsī is strictly forbidden to see materialistic people, especially a king who is always engaged in counting pounds, shillings and pence. Indeed, the meeting between a sannyāsī and a king is always considered abominable. A sannyāsī is always subjected to public criticism, and a small fault on his part is taken seriously by the public. People actually expect a sannyāsī to preach and not take part in any social or political matters. If a sannyāsī is subject to public criticism, his preaching will not be fruitful. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu specifically wanted to avoid such criticism so that His preaching work would not be hampered. It so happened that while the Lord was talking to His disciples at that time, the devotee Dāmodara Paṇḍita was present. This Dāmodara Paṇḍita was a very faithful devotee and a staunch lover of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Whenever there was anything that might touch or taint the character of the Lord, Dāmodara Paṇḍita would immediately point it out, not even considering the exalted position of the Lord. It is sometimes said that fools rush in where angels dare not, and Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu wanted to point out Dāmodara Paṇḍita's foolishness in coming forward to criticize the Lord. This is why the Lord stated that if Dāmodara Paṇḍita would give Him permission, He would go to see the King. There was deep meaning in this statement, for it is a warning that Dāmodara should not dare criticize the Lord any more, for it was not befitting his position as a devotee. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was considered the guide and spiritual master of all the devotees living with Him. Dāmodara Paṇḍita was one of them, and the Lord rendered Dāmodara Paṇḍita a special favor by warning him to avoid criticizing Him any further. A devotee or a disciple should never attempt to criticize the Lord or His representative, the spiritual master.

Conversations and Morning Walks

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

Jayānanda should be congratulated. Yes. Give one letter, written. I...
Room Conversation -- July 18, 1976, New York:

Prabhupāda: And Jayānanda should be congratulated. Yes. Give one letter, written. I...

Bali-mardana: The carts looked magnificent.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Two people worked the hardest Prabhupāda, Jayānanda and all of his assistants, and Toṣaṇa Kṛṣṇa. He did all of the publicity and advertisement.

Prabhupāda: They should be congratulated.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: These two men, they worked the hardest.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: They worked for two months in a row, solid. The carts were very good, I think.

Prabhupāda: Oh, yes, very nice, very strong.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Because you gave him that warning. When he heard that, oh, he became very... "I must do it right." We told him, "Now you will have to be replaced. Prabhupāda has said that 'Jayānanda's wheels will never hold up.' So we have to find a replacement for you." So he took no chances.

Prabhupāda: San Francisco it also happened.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Seems to me that he must be a great devotee of Lord Jagannātha.

Prabhupāda: Same thing happened in London also.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Really? The legs, wheels.

Hari-śauri: That's why they gave difficulty, the authorities, because the wheels broke?

Prabhupāda: No, that is wrong idea.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes, that happened, though. I remember hearing about it. This Jayānanda, it seems, must be a very faithful devotee of Lord Jagannātha.

Prabhupāda: Now, where these things will be kept?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: In our garage. No problem. That's one of the advantages of our garage. It's one block away and it has ten thousand square foot of area, so we can store all the carts easily.

Hari-śauri: Good storage is very important.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: And one block away in Manhattan is very unusual.

Prabhupāda: Be careful that termite may not attack.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Hm. I'll make a note.

Bali-mardana: There are not many termites in New York. We are fortunate. In Hawaii there are many termites. But here you don't usually have to protect wood against termites. Here the wintertime kills them. It gets so cold.

Prabhupāda: Oh, yes, very cold.

Hari-śauri: That kills them.

Bali-mardana: Yes.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: There were devotees from Miami, Gainesville, Atlanta, Washington, Baltimore, Boston, Detroit, Toronto, Montreal, Los Angeles, Vancouver, South America—all over South America, I think. A gigantic turnout of devotees. Very international group.

Bali-mardana: This could be like Lord Caitanya used to invite all His devotees to come and see Him at Ratha-yātrā...

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Page Title:Very faithful devotee
Compiler:Visnu Murti
Created:19 of Jan, 2012
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=1, OB=0, Lec=0, Con=1, Let=0
No. of Quotes:2