English
04 August 2024
Glories of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu
Speaker: HH Lokanath Swami Maharaj
Hare Krsna. Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur is singing this Gaura Aarti. I remember how we used to fight to sing the Gaura Aarti in the Sri Sri Radha Rasbihari Mandir. A loving fight, of the good old days. This Aarti praises Gauranga Mahaprabhu. Both Bhoga Aarti and Gaura Aarti are composed by Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur. As soon as the temple doors opened, many devotees would start singing together. Then some would continue singing and some humble devotees would stop singing out of shyness. I used to be in the queue of those who kept singing.
(kiba) jaya jaya goracander aratiko sobha
jahnavi-tata-vane jaga-mana-lobha
jaga-jana-mana-lobha
(First Refrain)
gauranger arotik sobha
jaga-jana-mana-lobha (Gaur Aarti 1)
dakhine nitaicand, bame gadadhara
nikate adwaita, srinivasa chatra-dhara (Gaur Aarti 2)
Translation: (1) All glories, all glories to the beautiful arati ceremony of Lord Caitanya. This Gaura-arati is taking place in
a grove on the banks of the Jahnavi [Ganges] and is attracting the minds of all living entities in the universe.
(2) On Lord Caitanya’s right side is Lord Nityananda, and on His left is Sri Gadadhara. Nearby stands Sri
Advaita, and Srivasa Thakura is holding an umbrella over Lord Caitanya’s head.
He is describing the scene so beautifully. Here are some names of Gods and Goddesses. But we have thirty crore Gods and Goddesses and all of them have come now for Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. But they had come for Krsna also and for Lord Narasimha also.
bosiyache goracand ratna-simhasane
arati koren brahma-adi deva-gane (Gaur Aarti 3)
Translation: Lord Caitanya has sat down on a jeweled throne, and the demigods, headed by Lord Brahma, perform the
arati ceremony.
suta uvaca
yam brahma varunendra-rudra-marutah stunvanti divyaih stavair
vedaih sanga-pada-kramopanisadair gayanti yam sama-gah
dhyanavasthita-tad-gatena manasa pasyanti yam yogino
yasyantam na viduh surasura-gana devaya tasmai namah (SB 12.13.1)
Translation: Suta Gosvami said: Unto that personality whom Brahma, Varuna, Indra, Rudra and the Maruts praise by chanting transcendental hymns and reciting the Vedas with all their corollaries, pada-kramas and Upanisads, to whom the chanters of the Sama Veda always sing, whom the perfected yogis see within their minds after fixing themselves in trance and absorbing themselves within Him, and whose limit can never be found by any demigod or demon — unto that Supreme Personality of Godhead I offer my humble obeisances.
narahari-adi kori’ camara dhulaya
sanjaya-mukunda-basu-ghosh-adi gaya (Gaur Aarti 4)
Translation: Narahari Sarakara and other associates of Lord Caitanya fan Him with camaras, and devotees headed by Sanjaya Pandita, Mukunda Datta, and Vasu Ghosha sing sweet kirtana.
Vasu Ghosh is famous for his singing. Vasudev Ghosh used to sing very beautifully, and it is described that he is singing the Aarti.
jaya jaya jagannātha sacīra nandan
tribhūvana kore jār caraṇa vandan (Jaya Jaya Jagannath 1)
Translation: All glories, all glories to the dear son of Jagannatha Misra and Saci Devi! All the three worlds offer prayers unto His lotus feet.
vāsudeva ghoṣa bole kori joḍa hāt
jei gaura sei kṛṣṇa sei jagannāth (Jaya Jaya Jagannath 5)
Translation: Vasudeva Ghosa says with folded hands, “He who is Gaura is He who is Krishna is He who is Jagannatha.”
We sing many songs written by Vasudev Ghosh. There is also a ulādhvanī.
sankha baje ghanta baje baje karatala
madhura mridanga baje parama rasala
(Second Refrain)
sankha baje ghanta baje
madhur madhur madhur baje (Gaur Aarti 5)
Translation: Conchshells, bells, and karatalas resound, and the mridangas play very sweetly. This kirtana music is supremely sweet and relishable to hear.
Blowing the conch is a symbol of pride. So here the glory of the Lord is shown. That is why the priest blows the conch at the beginning of every Aarti.
bahu-koti candra jini’ vadana ujjvala
gala-dese bana-mala kore jhalamala (Gaur Aarti 6)
Translation: The brilliance of Lord Caitanya’s face conquers millions upon millions of moons, and the garland of forest flowers around His neck shines.
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is fair and beautiful, his body parts are beautiful. The English sentence "Millions of moons" comes from here. The radiance of millions of moons is emanating from the lotus face of Lord Chaitanya. This radiance is beyond the imagination of the worshipers of Brahma Jyoti. The radiance of Lord Chaitanya's face conquers millions of moons, and a garland of forest flowers shines around his neck.
siva-suka-narada preme gada-gada
bhakativinoda dekhe gorara sampada (Gaur Aarti 7)
Translation: Lord Siva, Sukadeva Gosvami, and Narada Muni are all there, and their voices are choked with the ecstasy of transcendental love. Thus Thakura Bhaktivinoda envisions the glory of Lord Sri Caitanya.
Brahma, Narada Muni and Srila Sukhadeva Goswami have also come here to pay their respects. The center of this Hare Krsna movement is Sri Krsna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. This is my opinion. Just some time ago, Lord Gauranga Mahaprabhu appeared in form and Srila Prabhupada propagated his movement. We have two Bhagavatas - Srimad Bhagavata and Chaitanya Bhagavata. Srila Vyasadeva again appeared and preached Chaitanya Bhagavata.
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu himself has established this Sankirtana movement. His open lotus-like eyes are now showering compassion. People of this world also want to look like him and he is not alone. There are two Bhagavans - Gauranga and Nityananda.
vadanti tat tattva-vidas
tattvaṁ yaj jñānam advayam
brahmeti paramātmeti
bhagavān iti śabdyate (ŚB 1.2.11)
Translation: Learned transcendentalists who know the Absolute Truth call this nondual substance Brahman, Paramātmā or Bhagavān.
Gauranga Nityananda Bol Hari Bol! We can say this only twice. Once I did kirtan in Delhi temple and chanted Hari Bol! many times, others were also doing it. It was Radhastami day. Then when Srila Prabhupada met me in Mayapur, he forbade us from doing this.
ajanu-lambita-bhujau kanakavadhatau
sankirtanaika-pitarau kamalayataksau
visvambharau dvija-varau yuga-dharma palau
vande jagat-priyakaro karunavatarau (Caitanya-bhagavata 1.1.1)
Translation: I offer my respects unto Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Sri Nityananda Prabhu, whose arms extend down to Their knees, who have golden yellow complexions, and who inaugurated the congregational chanting of the Holy Names. Their eyes resemble the petals of a lotus; They are the maintainers of all living entities; They are the best of brahmanas, the protectors of religious principles for this age, the benefactors of the universe, and the most merciful of all incarnations.
Krsna Balaram and Ram Lakshman, these two always appear together. Like that time also Krsna has become Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Balaram has become Nityananda.
Vrajendra-nandana jei, saci-suta hoilo sei,
balarama hoilo nitai
dina-hina jata chilo, hari-name uddharilo,
tara sakshi jagai madhai (Hari Hari Bifale 3)
Translation: Lord Krishna, who is the son of the King of Vraja, became the son of Saci (Lord Caitanya), and Balarama became Nitai. The holy name delivered all those souls who were lowly and wretched. The two sinners Jagai and Madhai are evidence of this.
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is born in the house of Jagannath Mishra. And Nityananda is born as the son of Hadi Pandit. Life is very boring. But Chaitanya Mahaprabhu gives life. Chaitanya means conscious - The one who gives life. He is the protector of the religious principles of this age, the benefactor of the universe, and the most compassionate of all incarnations.
paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśhāya cha duṣhkṛitām
dharma-sansthāpanārthāya sambhavāmi yuge yuge (BG 4.8)
Translation: To protect the righteous, to annihilate the wicked, and to reestablish the principles of dharma I appear on this earth, age after age.
King Nimi asked in what form will God appear in the next age. And how will He be worshiped? In reply Karbhajan Muni said, this is given in the 11th chapter of Shrimad Bhagavat and is very famous.
kṛṣṇa-varṇaṁ tviṣākṛṣṇaṁ
sāṅgopāṅgāstra-pārṣadam
yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtana-prāyair
yajanti hi su-medhasaḥ (ŚB 11.5.32)
Translation: In the Age of Kali, intelligent persons perform congregational chanting to worship the incarnation of Godhead who constantly sings the names of Kṛṣṇa. Although His complexion is not blackish, He is Kṛṣṇa Himself. He is accompanied by His associates, servants, weapons and confidential companions.
We are all foreigners here. We have to go back to our real home which is Bhagavad Dham. This question has been answered in Sanskrit. Sanskrit is the language of the Gods. The Lord also uses this language and sings in this language. This is how the Lord will be worshiped in Kaliyug. In Kaliyug, people are very degraded.
But if there is Kaliyug, then Satyug will also come. Some time ago Darwin also came. He said that we all have originated from amoeba or humans have evolved from monkeys. This is about 1000 years ago. And forget about Mahabharata. It comes in the 10th chapter of Bhagavad Gita. Arjuna says to the Lord, whatever you are saying is absolutely true. A cycle of four yuga’s is one day of Brahma. Seven cycles of such four yuga’s are his one week. And a thousand such cycles means one breath of Mahavishnu. So is God not great!!
We shall stop now. Hare Krsna.
