Wonder (CC)
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta
CC Adi-lila
The first wonder is that both brothers appear simultaneously, and the other is that They illuminate the innermost depths of the heart.
"Who manifests an abundance of sweetness greater than Mine, which has never been experienced before and which causes wonder to all? Alas, I Myself, My mind bewildered upon seeing this beauty, impetuously desire to enjoy it like Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī."
Whenever he shouted aloud the name Nityānanda, the people around him were filled with great wonder and astonishment.
When Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu thus showed for each and every sūtra the defects in Śaṅkarācārya's explanations, all the assembled Māyāvādī sannyāsīs were struck with wonder.
I am struck with wonder when I hear about the devotional service he executed. I accept Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī and Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī as my guides.
Seeing all these marks, neither His father nor His mother could understand whose footprints they were. Thus struck with wonder, they could not understand how those marks could be possible in their home.
When the child was going out, there was a tinkling of ankle bells from His lotus feet. Hearing this, His father and mother were struck with wonder.
Mother Śacī said, “I also saw another wonder. People were coming down from the celestial kingdom and crowding the entire courtyard.
Struck with wonder by the influence of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu's intellectual prowess, many hundreds of students came to the Lord and began studying under His direction.
“The existence of mother Ganges begins from the lotus feet of the Lord. Although this statement that water comes from a lotus flower is a contradiction, in connection with Lord Viṣṇu it is a great wonder.
After hearing the explanation of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, the champion poet was struck with wonder. His cleverness stunned, he could not say anything.
Thinking thus, the paṇḍita said, “My dear Nimāi Paṇḍita, please hear me. Hearing Your explanation, I am simply struck with wonder.
When he heard this judgment from Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, the paṇḍita sorrowfully wondered why mother Sarasvatī wanted to defeat him through a small boy.
Although less intelligent men cannot understand it, this is the special power of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Actually, the body of a Kṛṣṇa conscious person changes in many ways. Even in the United States, when our devotees chant on the street, American ladies and gentlemen inquire from them whether they are actually Americans because no one could expect Americans to become such nice devotees all of a sudden. Even Christian priests are greatly surprised that all these boys from Jewish and Christian families have joined this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement; before joining, they never regarded any principles of religion seriously, but now they have become sincere devotees of the Lord. Everywhere people express this astonishment, and we take great pride in the transcendental behavior of our students. Such wonders are possible, however, only by the mercy of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. They are not ordinary or mundane.
As people looked on, the tree became fully grown, with fruits that fully ripened. Thus everyone was struck with wonder.
Struck with wonder, the astrologer remained silent, unable to speak. But when the Lord again put the question before him, he replied as follows.
“The chanting of the holy name of Kṛṣṇa from your mouth has performed a wonder—it has nullified the reactions of all your sinful activities. Now you have become supremely pure.
CC Madhya-lila
In the northern division (uttara-vibhāga) there is a description of the indirect mellows of devotional service—namely, devotional service in laughter, devotional service in wonder, and devotional service in chivalry, pity, anger, dread and ghastliness. There are also mixing of mellows and the transgression of different humors. Thus there are nine waves in this part. This is but a brief outline of the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu.
Having shown the verse to Svarūpa Dāmodara with great wonder, Caitanya Mahāprabhu asked him how Rūpa Gosvāmī could understand the intentions of His mind.
I have now become too old and disturbed by invalidity. While I write, my hands tremble. I cannot remember anything, nor can I see or hear properly. Still I write, and this is a great wonder.
When Advaita Ācārya arrived, He stood before the Lord and offered His obeisances. After seeing Him, the Lord began to wonder about the entire situation.
Being very pleased, all the people loudly began to shout the holy name of the Lord, "Hari! Hari!" Indeed, they became struck with wonder upon seeing the beauty of the Lord.
All the servants of the Deity were struck with wonder due to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu's intense love, His exquisite beauty and His transcendental qualities.
Saying this, the boy left the place. Indeed, He suddenly could be seen no more, and Mādhavendra Purī’s heart was filled with wonder.
“For many days I have been observing you, and I have been wondering, "When will Mādhavendra Purī come here to serve Me?"
When they saw the Deity covered with dirt and grass, they were all struck with wonder and pleasure.
Seeing the influence of Mādhavendra Purī, all the people gathered there were struck with wonder. They saw that the Annakūṭa ceremony, which had been performed before during the time of Kṛṣṇa, was now taking place again by the mercy of Śrī Mādhavendra Purī.
Upon seeing the ecstatic loving symptoms manifest in Mādhavendra Purī, the priest was struck with wonder. He could understand why Kṛṣṇa had become so much obliged to him, and he saw that Kṛṣṇa's action was befitting.
Caitanya Mahāprabhu placed the standard of Mādhavendra Purī’s intense love before Nityānanda Prabhu for judgment. "All his loving activities are uncommon," Caitanya Mahāprabhu said. "Indeed, one is struck with wonder to hear of his activities."
The young brāhmaṇa then went to the town and informed all the people about Gopāla's arrival. Hearing this, the people were struck with wonder.
Upon hearing Caitanya Mahāprabhu's explanation of the ātmārāma verse, Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya was struck with wonder. He then understood Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu to be Kṛṣṇa in person, and he thus condemned himself in the following words.
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu very elaborately explained the harer nāma verse of the Bṛhan-nāradīya Purāṇa, and Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya was struck with wonder to hear His explanation.
After hearing of these wonderful occurrences, everyone came to see Him there. When they saw the beauty of the Lord and His ecstatic condition, they were all struck with wonder.
When Rāmānanda Rāya saw the wonderful sannyāsī, he was struck with wonder. He went to Him and immediately offered his respectful obeisances, falling down flat like a rod.
When the stereotyped, ritualistic brāhmaṇas who were following the Vedic principles saw this ecstatic manifestation of love, they were struck with wonder. All these brāhmaṇas began to reflect as follows.
When Rāmānanda Rāya fell to the ground unconscious, Caitanya Mahāprabhu touched his hand, and he immediately regained consciousness. But when he saw Lord Caitanya in the dress of a sannyāsī, he was struck with wonder.
In the temple of Raṅganātha, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu chanted and danced in ecstatic love of Godhead. Seeing His performance, everyone was struck with wonder.
Later, after seeing Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu in ecstatic love, they were struck with wonder. Then, considering Him a Vaiṣṇava, they gave Him a nice reception.
After hearing Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, the ācārya of the Tattvavāda sampradāya became very much ashamed. Upon observing Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu's rigid faith in Vaiṣṇavism, he was struck with wonder.
May the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya, who danced in front of the car of Śrī Jagannātha, be all glorified! By seeing His dancing, not only was the whole universe held in wonder, but Lord Jagannātha Himself became very much astonished.
“I do not care for My personal unhappiness, but when I see the morose face of mother Yaśodā and the hearts of all the inhabitants of Vṛndāvana breaking because of You, I wonder whether You want to kill them all. Or do You want to enliven them by coming there? Why are You simply keeping them alive in a state of suffering?
In a moment the car reached the door of the Guṇḍicā temple. Upon seeing the uncommon strength of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, all the people were struck with wonder.
“A drop from the ocean of Your mercy can drown great mountains like Sumeru and Mandara. Since these two gentlemen are little hills by comparison, it is no wonder that they are being drowned in the ocean of Your mercy.
“She wondered, "Why did Lord Jagannātha give up so much opulence and go to Vṛndāvana?" To make Him a laughingstock, the goddess of fortune made arrangements for much decoration.
“She then began to wonder who had eaten all that food. "Why is the plate empty?" she wondered, doubting that Bāla-gopāla had eaten it all.
“She began to wonder whether there had actually been anything on the plate in the first place. Then again she thought that some animal might have come and eaten everything.
“Thus wondering, she called Īśāna, the servant, and had the place cleaned again. She then offered another plate to Gopāla.
“It is no wonder that this Muslim governor has attained such results. Simply by seeing You, all this is possible.
When all the tigers and does danced and jumped, Balabhadra Bhaṭṭācārya saw them and was struck with wonder.
When the people saw Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu's dancing and chanting, they were struck with wonder, and they all said, "Such transcendental love is never an ordinary thing."
Vallabha Bhaṭṭācārya was struck with wonder to see Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Raghupati Upādhyāya dance. He even brought forward his two sons and made them fall down at the Lord's lotus feet.
“"Besides the five direct mellows, there are seven indirect mellows, known as laughter, wonder, chivalry, compassion, anger, disaster and fear."
“In addition to the five direct mellows, there are seven indirect mellows, known as laughter, wonder, chivalry, compassion, anger, disaster and fear.
Similarly, adbhuta-rasa is described in the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (4.2.1):
- ātmocitair vibhāvādyaiḥ svādyatvaṁ bhakta-cetasi
- sā vismaya-ratir nītādbhuta-bhakti-raso bhavet
“When one's general attachment is fixed in wonder, it is called adbhuta-bhakti-rasa.”
“"Who manifests an abundance of sweetness greater than Mine, which has never been experienced before and which causes wonder to all? Alas, I Myself, My mind bewildered upon seeing this beauty, impetuously desire to enjoy it like Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī."
“When the Lord Brahmā from this universe saw this pastime, he was astonished and struck with wonder. After offering his prayers, he gave the following conclusion.
“‘Apart from these sixty transcendental qualities, Kṛṣṇa has an additional four transcendental qualities, which are not manifested even in the personality of Nārāyaṇa. These are: (1) Kṛṣṇa is like an ocean filled with waves of pastimes that evoke wonder within everyone in the three worlds. (2) In His activities of conjugal love, He is always surrounded by His dear devotees who possess unequaled love for Him. (3) He attracts the minds of all three worlds with the melodious vibration of His flute. (4) His personal beauty and opulence are beyond compare. No one is equal to Him, and no one is greater than Him. Thus the Personality of Godhead astonishes all living entities, both moving and nonmoving, within the three worlds. He is so beautiful that He is called Kṛṣṇa.
“"For those who are completely washed of all material contamination by pure devotional service, who are always satisfied and brightly enlightened in the heart, who are always attached to understanding the transcendental meaning of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, who are always eager to associate with advanced devotees, whose happiness in the service of the lotus feet of Govinda is their very life, who always discharge the confidential activities of love—for such advanced devotees, who are by nature situated in bliss, the seed of love (rati) is expanded in the heart by previous and current reformatory processes. Thus the mixture of ecstatic ingredients becomes tasty and, being within the perception of the devotee, reaches the highest platform of wonder and deep bliss."
“"I was wondering whether all the boars and other animals that are half-killed belong to you."
“The hunter replied, "Yes, what you are saying is so."
“The hunter then admitted that he was convinced of his sinful activity, and he said, "I have been taught this business from my very childhood. Now I am wondering how I can become freed from these unlimited volumes of sinful activity."
“When the hunter saw the half-killed animals flee, he was certainly struck with wonder. He then offered his respectful obeisances to the sage Nārada and returned home.
After hearing all the explanations of all the different meanings of the ātmārāma verse, Sanātana Gosvāmī was struck with wonder. He fell down at the lotus feet of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and began to offer prayers.
When everyone heard Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu's explanation of the ātmārāma-śloka, everyone was astonished and struck with wonder. They concluded that Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was none other than Lord Kṛṣṇa Himself.
CC Antya-lila
Then Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī recited the verse, and when all the devotees heard it, their minds were struck with wonder.
When all the devotees of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, especially Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya, heard this verse, they were all filled with transcendental bliss and were struck with wonder.
Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī gradually informed Rāmānanda Rāya about everything he asked. Hearing his explanations, all the devotees of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu were struck with wonder.
“"The transcendental vibration of Kṛṣṇa"s flute blocked the movements of the rain clouds, struck the Gandharvas full of wonder, and agitated the meditation of great saintly persons like Sanaka and Sanandana. It created wonder in Lord Brahmā, wrought intense curiosity that agitated the mind of Bali Mahārāja, who was otherwise firmly fixed, made Mahārāja Ananta, the carrier of the planets, whirl around, and penetrated the strong coverings of the universe. Thus the sound of the flute in the hands of Kṛṣṇa created a wonderful situation.’
Seeing Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu's special mercy toward Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī and seeing his personal qualities, all the devotees were struck with wonder.
Hearing this, all the devotees were struck with wonder, and Śivānanda became confident that the incident was true.
What is the wonder if the maidservant of Kṛṣṇa, His external energy, begs for love of Godhead? Without the mercy of a devotee and without the chanting of the holy name of the Lord, love of Godhead cannot be possible.
Hearing this explanation, all the members of the assembly were struck with wonder. "Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī has spoken the real truth," they admitted. "The brāhmaṇa from Bengal has committed an offense by wrongly describing Lord Jagannātha and Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu."
Having seen the causeless mercy of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu upon Raghunātha dāsa, all the devotees, struck with wonder, praised his good fortune.
The Lord again danced with the devotees during the Ratha-yātrā festival. Seeing this, Raghunātha dāsa was struck with wonder.
“Struck with wonder by my affairs, the populace is glorifying the greatness of Your mercy.
Seeing the extraordinary mercy the Lord granted to the family of Bhavānanda Rāya, everyone was struck with wonder. They could not understand the behavior of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.
After hearing of the transcendental qualities of Haridāsa Ṭhākura, all the devotees present were struck with wonder. They all offered their respectful obeisances to the lotus feet of Haridāsa Ṭhākura.
When He saw the deities, Lord Caitanya thought He was seeing Kṛṣṇa in Kurukṣetra. He wondered, "Have I come to Kurukṣetra? Where is Vṛndāvana?"
All eight kinds of transcendental transformations were visible in the Lord's body. All the devotees were struck with wonder to see such a sight.
Although the boy was only seven years old and still had no education, he composed such a nice verse. Everyone was struck with wonder.
As they tasted the uncommon sweetness and fragrance of the prasādam, everyone's mind was struck with wonder.
Even Lord Kṛṣṇa is struck with wonder at seeing the transformations of ecstasy in His devotees. If Kṛṣṇa Himself cannot estimate the limits of such emotions, how could others?
| Page Title: | Wonder (CC) |
| Compiler: | Visnu Murti, Mayapur |
| Created: | 09 of Jun, 2011 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=81, OB=0, Lec=0, Con=0, Let=0, false=NaN |
| No. of Quotes: | 84 |