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A Lecture on the topics of
1)Vasanta-Pancami
2)The Appearance Day of Visnu-priya devi
3)The Appearance Day of Srila Raghunatha dasa
Gosvami
Murwillumbah,
Australia, February 17, 2002
Tridandisvami Sri Srimad Bhaktivedanta Narayana
Maharaja
[This year, 2007, the anniversary of the
holiday celebrating Vasanta-Pancami, the
appearance days of Srimati Visnu-priya devi and
Srila Raghunatha dasa Gosvami, and the
disappearance day of Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti
Thakura takes place on Jan. 23th. After the
week-long hari-katha festival in Hawaii, Srila
Narayana Maharaja returned to his writing
retreat in the neighboring island of Oahu. We
will not be there in Oahu to send you news on
the 23th, and therefore we submit to you the
class he gave in celebration of this holy day in
Murwillumbah, Australia, 2002. In this way, you
will be able to read about the celebration the
exact day of the festival.]
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In India, there are many festivals held for
the worship of Krsna. There, the year is divided
into six seasons, each lasting for two months.
Among the six seasons, the most glorious is
Vasanta, Spring. The Vasanta season is very
pleasant, for the weather is neither too hot nor
too cold at that time. An abundance of fragrant
flowers, like beli, cameli, jui and others bloom
everywhere, and flowers such as ratkerani (night
queen) bloom even at night. Rivers like Ganges
and Yamuna are especially clean and pure at that
time, looking as though they are simply waiting
for Radha and Krsna, and the lands in many
places look like yellow carpets because they are
full with varieties of yellow flowers. Krsna's
garments are also yellow, because His most
beloved Srimati Radhika has a yellowish golden
complexion and He wants to be always embraced by
Her.
Today is the beginning of the Vasanta season,
Vasanta-Pancami, at which time the Rasa Dance of
Krsna was performed in Govardhana, in the
village of Parasauli, by the lake known as
Candra Sarovara. At that time the gopis were
dancing with Krsna for the duration of a night
that became billions of years; it became as long
as one entire day of Brahma. On that night the
moon stood still, not moving from its best view
of the sight of the dancing of Radhika and all
Her sakhis with Krsna. Such beautiful pastimes
were born from an ocean of rasas, sweet
transcendental mellow tastes, saturated with
unlimited happiness.
In Saradiya, the autumn season, the Rasa
Dance was performed in Vrndavana, under the
shade of the Vamsivata tree, in the beginning of
Kartika month. All classes of gopis participated
in that Saradiya rasa-yatra, whereas in this
Govardhana vasanti-rasa-yatra only the highest
class of gopis were allowed to participate. In
this lila, Krsna openly demonstrated the
prominence and superiority of Srimati Radhika.
Krsna disappeared in the midst of this
vasanti-rasa-lila, and all the gopis were
bitterly crying, "Where is Krsna? Where is Krsna?"
The gopis were searching for Him everywhere, and
after some time they saw Him in His four-handed
form, standing like a statue. Coming nearer,
they said, "Oh, He looks like Krsna, but at the
same time He is not Krsna. Our Krsna is not
four-handed. Where has His flute, His peacock
feather, and all His other apparel gone? He now
carries a sankha, cakra, gada and padma (conch
shell, disc, club, and lotus flower) in four
hands!" They prayed to Him,"We are very attached
to Krsna, and we are searching for Him. Without
Him we willdie. If you are Narayana, please be
merciful and tell us which way Krsna went.Be
merciful so that we may find Him." Then, after
praying in this way, they left Him and went on
their way.
When Srimati Radhika was arriving after the
other gopis had left that place, the breeze that
had just touched Her veil carried so much
fragrance from Her body that it entered the
nostril of Krsna and He thought, "Oh, My most
beloved is near." He forgot that He was supposed
to maintainHis four-handed form, and He could no
longer hide His original form. Two hands
disappeared at once, entering His body, and His
original two-armed form reappeared with His
flute in His hands and His peacock feather atop
His head.
rasarambha-vidhau niliya vasata kunje
mrgaksi-ganair
drstam gopayitum svam uddhura-dhiya ya susthu
sandarsita
adhayah pranayasya hanta mahima yasya sriya
raksitu
sa sakya prabhavisnunapi harina nasic
catur-bahuta
["At the beginning of the rasa dance, Lord
Krsna hid Himself ina grove just to have fun.
When the gopis came, their eyes resembling those
of deer, by His sharp intelligence He exhibited
His beautiful four-armed form to hide Himself.
But when Srimati Radharani came there, Krsna
could not maintain His four arms in Her
presence. This is the wonderful glory of Her
love." (a quotation from the Ujjvala-nilamani by
Srila Rupa Gosvami, as quoted in Sri
Caitanya-caritamrta Adi 17.293)]
When Krsna sees Radhika, His most beloved and
the embodiment of all love and affection, He
forgets everything else. She is no one other
than Krsna. She is Krsna Himself, but in the
body of Radhika.
In this way, Krsna returned to His own form
and quickly embraced Her. This occurred in
vasanti-rasa-lila.
In the chapter of Sri Caitanya-caritamrta
called Raya Ramananda Samvad, Sri Caitanya
Mahaprabhu questioned Sri Raya Ramananda Prabhu,
"What is our sadhya (perfection) and our sadhana
(the process to achieve that perfection)?" Raya
Ramananda replied, beginning from Varnasrama-dharma.
He told Mahaprabhu, "According to the adherents
of Varnasrama-dharma, to be in family life and
pursue Varnasrama-dharma (the execution of the
religious duties of the different castes and
statuses of life), in order to please Krsna, is
the best process to please Him." Mahaprabhu
rejected this and said, "In Varnasrama there is
no pure relationship between the soul and Krsna."
After that, Raya Ramananda suggested, "One
should offer the fruits of allhis activities to
the lotus feet of Krsna," but Mahaprabhu
rejected this also, and said, "This is okay, but
go further." After that Raya Ramananda said,
"One should take shelter of the lotus feet of
Krsna," and he quoted a verse from Bhagavad-gita:
sarva-dharman parityajya
mam ekam saranam vraja
aham tvam sarva-papebhyo
moksayisyami ma sucah
["Abandon all varieties of religion and just
surrender unto Me.I shall deliver you from all
sinful reactions. Do not fear." (Bhagavad-gita
18.66)]
Krsna is saying here, "If you take the
shelter of My lotus feet, you will be happy
forever." People all over the world think that
this is the essence of the Bhagavad-gita, but
Mahaprabhu rejected it as external and therefore
not the ultimate goal of life, and He told Raya
Ramananda, "Go on; continue further. Raya
Ramananda then suggested karma-jnana-misra-bhakti
(devotion contaminated by mental speculation and
the desire to enjoy the fruits of one's
actions), and he uttered the verse:
brahma-bhutah prasannatma
na socati na kanksati
samah sarvesu bhutesu
mad-bhaktim labhate param
["One who is transcendentally situated by
realizing the impersonal brahma never laments or
desires to have anything. He is equally disposed
toward every living entity. He has the
opportunity to realize the Supreme Brahman and
become fully joyful if he attains pure
devotional service unto Me."(Bhagavad-gita
18.54)]
Mahaprabhu also rejected both these concepts,
karma-jnana-misra-bhakti and brahma-bhutah,
because they are devoid of pure devotion, and
then Raya Ramananda gradually came to the topic
of prema-bhakti. Still, Mahaprabhu replied,
"This may be the stage of perfection, but please
go further." Raya Ramananda then discussed dasya,
sakya, and vatsalya-prema (love for Krsna in the
moods of servant, friend, and parent) and
Mahaprabhu said, "Oh, very good, very good! But
please continue further." In bhakti-rasa Krsna
is not anyone's father or mother.In pure bhakti,
the Supreme Lord cannot be anyone's father or a
mother He may only be a son. One can serve
Krsna in four relationships, but if we thinkthat
Krsna is our father and mother, we cannot serve
Him because fathers and mothers serve their
children.
After hearing about these relationships,
Caitanya Mahaprabhu told Raya Ramananda, "Please
speak further," and Raya Ramananda then said, "Gopi-prema
(serving Krsna as a beloved) is the highest
attainment, and among the gopis Srimati Radhika
is the best. When Mahaprabhu asked Raya
Ramananda to give an example of a pastime that
reveals Radhika's supremacy, Raya Ramananda
first gave the example of Saradiya rasa-lila. He
said, "All the gopis were dancing with Krsna,
and it appeared that one gopi danced between
each two Krsnas and one Krsna danced between
each two gopis. Billions of gopis were dancing
together with Krsna, but all of a sudden He
disappeared. Why did He disappear? He did so to
please Radhika. He took Her with Him, and no one
knew where He or His beloved had gone."
Mahaprabhu then expressed His doubt thus:
"Because Krsna met with Radhika after His
disappearance from the Rasa Dance, it seems that
He was fearing all the other gopis. If He openly
gives up all the gopis, leavingwith Radhika in
front of them all, then only it will be shown
that the love of Radhika is the highest."
Sri Raya Ramananda therefore explained about
this vasanti-rasa.He said, "Krsna was dancing
with billions of gopis, and meanwhile Radhika
thought, 'Krsna always promises: "You are My
most beloved." But I see that He is dancing with
Me and all the other gopis as well; so perhaps
we are all equal in His eyes.' At that time
Radhika adopted a sulky mood and became somewhat
angry. She thus left the rasa dance in front of
all the other gopis, and Krsna followed Her.
"Krsna was thinking, 'If Radhika is not here,
there can be no rasa. There can be no meaning to
the Rasa. I am performing rasa-lila onlyfor
Radhika. She is My half, My whole, My guru, and
My servant; She is everything to Me. She is my
life and soul. In vasanti-rasa, Krsna declared
this openly."
Mahaprabhu then said, "Oh, this is good!" and
He questioned further, "I want to know about
krsna-tattva, radha-tattva, prema-tattva, and
rasa-tattva from you." When Raya Ramananda began
to deeply describe these topics, however,
Mahaprabhu stopped him and said, "Dont say
anymore. These subject matters are so elevated
that there is no one in this world qualified to
hear them. If you continue to speak about them,
I will at once enter the mood of Krsna and I
will have to give up this form of Sacinandana
Gaurahari." Raya Ramananda then stopped
speaking.
For us, today is the observance of the
anniversary celebration of that very same
vasanti-rasa, and for Krsna this rasa is going
on eternally. All of His pastimes are eternally
manifest in Goloka Vrndavana, and He also
displays them throughout innumerable universes
as He appears in one universe after another.
Here in vasanti-rasa, Krsna declared openly, "My
super-most beloved is Srimati Radhika." There is
no difference between Radhika and Krsna. Krsna
manifested Radhika from His left side. If we can
make Radhika happy, then Krsna will be happy and
He will be controlled quite easily; and thisis
the purpose of our observance of vasanti-rasa.
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Today is also the birthday of Visnu-priya
devi the wife the power the energy of
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. She is one of the
manifestations of Srimati Radhika, she is
especially a manifestation of Satyabhama, and
sheis Bhagavan's Bhu-sakti.* She had great love
and affection for Sacinandana Gaurahari, and she
was married to Him for many years; but
Mahaprabhu was always absorbed in Radha's mood,
calling out, "Ha Krsna, Ha Krsna," and He had no
time to talk with her. Though they were in one
family, in one house, He was always absorbed in
the ecstasies of Srimati Radhika, sometimes
falling down and rolling on the earth, sometimes
crying, and sometimes singing loudly like a mad
person.
evam-vratah sva-priya-nama-kirtya
jatanurago druta-citta uccaih
hasaty atho roditi rauti gayaty
unmada-van nrtyati loka-bahyah
["In the stage of love of Godhead, the
devotee is fixed in his vow as an eternal
servant of the Lord, and he becomes very much
attached to a particular name and form of the
Supreme Personality of Godhead. As his heart
melts with ecstatic love, he laughs very loudly
or cries or shouts. Sometimes he sings and
dances like a madman, for he is indifferent to
public opinion." (Srimad-Bhagavatam 11.2.40)]
Caitanya Mahaprabhu was always acting in this
way, and continually weeping. If you want to
develop love for Krsna you will have to follow
Caitanya Mahaprabhu and always weep for Krsna.
We see that He was weeping throughout His life,
from the beginning. This increased further when
He took sannyasa and left everything to go to
Jagannatha Puri, and it increased still further
after He met with Raya Ramananda.
Although Visnu-priya devi was married to
Mahaprabhu in His family life, He hardly ever
spoke with her, especially when He returned from
Gaya where He took harinama and diksa initiation
from His gurudeva, Sri Isvara-puripada. His
personality changed at that time. He was no
longer known as Nimai Pandita. Now He became
known as Bhavuka Nimai, Nimai who is always
absorbed in His ecstatic moods of krsna-prema.
At this time, however, some of the inhabitants
of Navadvipa, especially the students and His
former teachers in the schools, became somewhat
unfavorable towards Him and wanted to control
Him. Mahaprabhu thought, "I came to give the
supreme medicine for everyone's material
disease, but these persons quarrel with Me and
insult Me. I should take sannyasa, for then they
will weep for Me* [See Endnote 2], and thus I
will immerse the whole world including
mayavadis like Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya and
Prakasananda Sarasvati in krsna-prema." This
is one of the reasons Caitanya Mahaprabhu took
sannyasa, the renounced order of life.
On the day He decided to take sannyasa,
Visnu-priya devi, went to bathe in the Ganges.
While She was on the way there, she accidentally
stubbed her toe on a stone, and it was injured
and started bleeding. Then, while she was in the
midst of bathing there, the nose-ring she had
received on her marriage day and which is very
auspicious for a wife, fell in the Ganges.
Although she searched for it with great
endeavor, She could not find it. She began to
weep bitterly, "Why are all these things
happening today?" Later, when She returned home,
Saci Mata asked her, "O my daughter, why you are
weeping so?" She replied, "Today I went to bathe
in the Ganges. My foot was injured, and I lost
the nose-ring of my marriage day. I dont know
what is to be my fate." Her mother tried to
console her in this condition.
Although Caitanya Mahaprabhu had previously
paid practically no attention to her, that
night, after taking some prasadam, He decorated
her hair and placed betel nuts in her mouth.
That morning He had gone to visit and meet with
all His associates. He had procured some milk,
He had also gotten a loki vegetable from
Sridhara, with whom He would always jokingly
quarrel.When he returned home in the evening He
told Saci Ma, "Mother, please make a lak-laki
preparation from these, adding sugar, ghee,
camphor and other ingredients, and offer it to
Krsna." He later honored that prasada, after
which He entered the room of Visnu-priya devi
like a luxurious person, invery fine dress, as
one would dress for a wedding ceremony. Then,
with love and affection He asked her, "O, how
are you?" He decorated her, gave her a beautiful
garland, placed betel nuts in her mouth, and
engaged in loving conversation with her.
Visnu-priya began thinking, "What am I
seeing? A hurricane light, that burns with
kerosene oil, burns brightly when it is just
about to be extinguished. It makes the sounds 'buk
buk', then 'tuk', and then it becomes dark; it's
finished. I see now that my fate may be like
this. Consideringwhat happened this morning, and
seeing how He is decorating me so lavishly,
giving me betel nuts and saying with flattering
words, 'My dear-most beloved', I wonder what is
my fate. Why is He doing this?"
In the meantime, as Visnu-priya thought thus,
Yogamaya came and entered her eyes in the form
of sleepiness. She did not want to fall asleep,
but by the power of Yogamaya she was forced to
do so. Caitanya Mahaprabhu glanced at her once,
and then stood up to leave home and take
sannyasa.
Without giving up everything in this world,
how can one love Krsna totally? If your love and
affection is divided between many persons,
situations and objects, how can you love Krsna?
We have seen that in India, exalted devotees
like Srila Raghunatha dasa Gosvami and Srila
Rupa Gosvami, and also Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu
Himself, quickly gave up their positions,
wealth, reputation, father, mother, wife and
children. Weeping for Krsna, they left their
homes and took sannyasa, not remembering their
homes or families at all, and always
remembering, "Krsna! Krsna! Krsna!"
When Mahaprabhu was coming out of His home,
He saw His mother standing like a dried-up
statue, with no tears in her eyes. She couldn't
even think of what to do. Air was coming and
going from her nostrils, but she had no external
consciousness at all, for Mahaprabhu, by His
power of Yogamaya, was controlling her.
Mahaprabhu did parikrama of His mother three or
four times, touched her lotus feet, and told
her, "Mother I am going to searchfor My beloved
Krsna." Then, in the middle of that cold and
dark night, He jumped in the Ganges, calling out
"O Krsna!" He came out on the other side of the
river, in Kantaka Nagari, and there He went to
see Kesava Bharati to take sannyasa from him.
After accepting the sannyasa order,
Mahaprabhu went to Jagannatha Puri, and from
Puri He returned to Navadvipa on the way to
Vrndavana. While there, all the residents of
Navadvipa came from here and there, by boat and
other conveyances, to take darsana of
Sacinandana Gaurahari. Even dogs and blind
persons came, and Saci Maiya also came. Everyone
was present except Visnu-priya. Why was she not
allowed to come? This is the symptom of loveand
affection for Krsna. If you will give up your
dear-most object for Krsna,this is the symptom
that you have some love and affection for Him.
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu taught this by His own
example, and for this reason Visnu-priya was not
there. Everyone else was allowed to come, but
she was not.
What she was doing? She was weeping
continuously. She was more attached to Sri
Caitanya Mahaprabhu than anyone else was, and
she was more detached from worldly things than
even Caitanya Mahaprabhu Himself. She maintained
her life by taking some grains of rice, one by
one, and using them as counting beads as she
continually chanted, "Hare Krsna Hare Krsna,
Krsna Krsna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama
Rama Hare Hare." Every time she completed the
utterance of these sixteen words, she picked up
one grain of rice and placed it on a pile. She
would wash the rice grains, one by one,with the
water of her tears as she chanted until midday,
and then she would cook that rice with some
vegetables. She would then give the bhoga to
Mother Saci, who would offer it to her Deity,
Narayana. After that she would eat very little
of it, remembering the pastimes of Sacinandana.
Her life was totally absorbed in Krsna and
Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and she chanted Hare Krsna
day and night. After some time Mahaprabhu
somehow gave her a Deity of Himself, made from
neem wood, and that Deity is being worshiped in
Navadvipa up tothe present day. Visnu-priya used
to worship that Deity, weeping bitterly and
talking with Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and He would
also speak to her in the form of that Deity.
Saci Maiya also remembered Caitanya
Mahaprabhu always. She usedto offer Him prasadam,
and He used to come to her house and eat it. He
was bound to come bound by the love and
affection of Saci Maiya and Visnu-priya devi.
If one wants to serve Mahaprabhu or
Radha-Krsna, he must be like Visnu-priya. She
was much more renounced than anyone else,
including Mahaprabhu. He was renounced, but not
like her. Also, He was always surrounded by so
many bhaktas who consoled Him, but she had none
to console her.
Today is birthday of Visnu-priya, who is the
embodiment of prema-bhakti. She is prema-bhakti
itself.
Visnu-priya devi ki Jaya !
[Question:] Gurudeva, you said Visnu-priya
devi is Bhu-sakti. So is she like Laxmi?
[Srila Narayana Maharaja:] No, she is like
Satyabhama.
[Question:] But we hear that Navadvipa-dhama
is non-different from Vraja.
[Srila Narayana Maharaja:] Yes
[Question:] How can Satyabhama be in
Vraja-lila?
[Srila Narayana Maharaja:] Radhika has come
as Gadadhara Pandita, and Sri Svarupa Damodara
and Sri Raya Ramananda have come as Lalita and
Visakha. The associates of Nrsimhadeva,
Ramacandra, and all other incarnations have also
come to Navadvipa, because Sacinandana Gaurahari
includes all incarnations. All incarnations are
within Him. So Satyabhama may also come to
Navadvipa-lila and have the association of Sri
Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
[Question:] Is this also true in Svetadvipa (Navadvipa
in Goloka Vrndavana?* [See Endnote 3]
[Srila Narayana Maharaja:] Yes, they all can
be there also. Everything exists in Krsna, as
stated in the Vedanta Sutra: Viruddha dharmam
tasmin na cittram all mutually contradictory
characteristics exist harmoniously in Krsna's
pastimes, and Caitanya Mahaprabhu is Krsna
Himself.
[Question:] We worship Visnu-priya devi and
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu in the path of arcana
following the principles of sravanam kirtanam,
visnu-smaranam, pada sevanam (hearing, chanting,
remembering and praying, etc.) in a regulative
way, in awe and reverence?
[Srila Narayana Maharaja:] Yes, one serves
Visnu-priya devi and Mahaprabhu in arcana-marga
(the path of regulative worship), and he serves
Gaura-Gadadhara in bhava-marga, that is hearing,
chanting, etc. in spontaneous love, following in
the footsteps of the gopis.
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Today is also the birthday of Srila
Raghunatha dasa Gosvami. If you want to become
pure devotees, you will have to follow Srila
Raghunatha dasa Gosvami. You want to follow, but
you are weak as Srila Gour Govinda Maharaja
says, "Mr. Dog, Mr. Hog, Mr. Pig." and some
are like camels, tigers or bears. We must try to
follow Srila Raghunatha dasa Gosvami. He was
wealthy and he was situated in a high position,
but he left everything for Krsna and was
continually crying, "O Krsna, O Sacinandana
Gaurahari." By the mercy of Nityananda Prabhu he
quickly received the shelter of Mahaprabhu.
Hardly eating anything but somehow maintaining
his life, He went to Vrndavana after Mahaprabhu
departed, and he lived at Radha kunda.
Without the mercy of the guru you cannot have
love and affection for Krsna or Caitanya
Mahaprabhu. Guru-krpa (guru's mercy) is
essential, and guru-nistha (faith in guru) is
the backbone of all kinds of bhakti. When Srila
Raghunatha dasa Gosvami received the mercy of
Nityananda Prabhu, all his problems and
obstacles quickly disappeared, and he was able
to leave hometo be with Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
Performance of bhajana in one's house, while
still living with one's father, mother, wife,
and husband, is one kind of bhajana, but that
kind of bhajana cannot give the fruit of love
and affection for Krsna. One day you will have
to thoroughly give this up.
The first symptom of real bhakti, achieved by
the austerities of chanting and remembering
Krsna, is causeless knowledge and detachment
from this world. You will surely become
renounced, whether you are in worldly life or in
the renounced order. If you are chanting
seriously and perfectly, renunciation is bound
to come. We have heard that when Guru Nanak (the
saint in India who founded the Sikh religion)
was young, his father told him, "Go to the
market and bring back the ingredients we need to
sell at our shop." On the way to the market he
came upon many Vaisnavas and sadhus. Seeing that
there was no management of prasadam for them, he
quickly went to the market and bought all the
paraphernalia needed to make a festival (mahotsava)
for them, and for that purpose he spent on all
his father's money. He later returned home
empty-handed, and his father asked, "Where are
the ingredients I told you to buy the rice,
dahl, ghee and other things?"
Guru Nanak replied, "I did the shopping, but
I have given all the goods for the service of
Vaisnavas. In this way I have done some very
good shopping for my future life for the benefit
of my whole dynasty." He had so much strong
belief in Krsna; he knew that if one serves
Krsna, Krsna willgive him everything he needs.
We do not have this same belief, and therefore
it is even very hard for us to give a penny.
Some persons can give some of their wealth, but
he gave everything.
Because Srila Raghunatha dasa Gosvami was
chanting and remembering Krsna, having been
spiritually brought up by Srila Haridasa Thakura
and initiated by Sri Yadunandana Acarya, some
good effect was bound to come. He became
detached from the world, and now he considered
Krsna to be his father, his mother, and his
everything. All tattvas (established
philosophical truths) came in his heart, and he
quickly left his home and beautiful wife. He was
the only son of his father, who was as wealthy
as a king, and his wife was as beautiful as Miss
Universe. It would have been very hard for an
ordinary person to give up such luxuries.
After leaving home, Raghunatha dasa did not
travel on the main road. Hiding, he went on the
village road, not eating anything except some
puffed rice and some milk, and a journey of one
month passed quickly in 12 days. At that time
there were no trains or cars, but he ran
quickly, without taking time to bathe at all.
When he came in Jagannatha Puri he did not
take darsana of Jagannatha, Baladeva, and
Subhadra. He came directly to the assembly of
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who was surrounded by
many associates like Svarupa Damodara and Raya
Ramananda. Someone told Mahaprabhu, "Raghunatha
has come," and Mahaprabhu quickly embraced him
and said, "O Raghunatha, you have just come from
the ditch of stool." Some time before,
Mahaprabhu had told him to return home, but now
He said, "All worldly life is like stool, and
Krsna is so merciful that He delivered you and
you have come out from that house." Mahaprabhu
then placed him in the hands of Svarupa Damodara,
and Srila Raghunatha dasa Gosvami thus began a
transcendental life; always hearing from Sri
Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Sri Svarupa Damodara, Srila
Rupa Gosvami, Sri Pundarika Vidyanidhi, Sri
Vakresvara Pandita, Sri Gopal Guru, and Sri
Haridasa Thakura.
His life history is one of the jewels in Sri
Caitanya Caritamrta, and moreover, whatever
Krsnadasa Kaviraja wrote in Sri Caitanya
Caritamrta he had heard from the lotus mouth of
Srila Raghunatha dasa Gosvami. You should try to
remember his life and character. If you do, a
power will enter within you and thus you will be
able to become a devoteelike him whether you
are in worldly life or renounced life. Try to be
like Raghunatha dasa Gosvami. We cannot be so
without help, so we should pray to Nityananda
Prabhu to help us.
Gaura premanande.
[Endnote 1 Bhagavan has three potencies
Sri (Laksmi), Bhu (the Goddess of the Earth),
and Lila (the Goddess of pastimes). Bhu is the
energy that creates the cosmic manifestation (Caitanya-caritamrta
Adi 5.27-28 purp.). Bhu-sakti also assists in
manifesting Krsna's pastimes in Bhauma-Vrndavana,
the place of His pastimes as they are displayed
on the Earth planet in this universe and
innumerable other universes. The goddess of this
Earth, Pritivi devi, is also included within
this potency. Without this Bhu potency, Krsna
will have no place in which to perform His
pastimes.]
[Endnote 2 In Vedic culture sannyasis are
given honor]
[Endnote 3 The confidential innermost
region of Goloka,Krsna's own transcendental
planet, is divided into two sections, and they
are Vrndavana (also known as Vraja and Gokula)
and Navadvipa (also known as Svetadvipa). .
Editorial Advisors: Pujapad Madhava Maharaja
and Brajanatha dasa
Editors: Rsabhadeva dasa, Syamarani dasi
Assistant editor: Anita dasi
Transcribers: Jagan Mohini dasi, Vasanti dasi
Typists: Anita dasi, Rama dasi
Teachers 
