16. Meaning Behind Ratha-yatra

16. Meaning Behind Ratha-yatra:

The day before Ratha-yātrā is called gundică- marjana, the cleaning of Gundică temple. What is the tattva behind gundicā-marjana? Mahāprabhu cleaned with His own hands, along with His associates, and thus showed us how to make our heart purified. Our heart is the seat for the Lord, hrdaya-simhāsana. But unless your heart is purified of all material contamination-duplicity, crookedness, desire for material enjoyment, desire for material liberation, desire for name, fame, prestige and adoration-the Lord won't sit there. All these things are like straws, sands of grain, and pebbles. Mahaprabhu cleaned the temple twice. Then with his own garment He rubbed and rubbed so that not a tiny spot would be there. Thus He showed us that our hearts must be clean, otherwise the Lord won't sit there. That is the tattva of gundică-lila. Then what is the tattva behind Ratha-yatra? Mahaprabhu revealed?

anyera hṛdaya mana, mora mana vrndavana, 

'mane' 'vane' eka kari jāni 

tähän tomāra pada-dvaya, karäha yadi udaya,

tabe tomāra pürņa kṛpā māni

[Speaking in the mood of Śrīmati Rädhäräni, Caitanya Mahaprabhu said:] For most people, the mind and heart are one, but because My mind is never separated from Vrndāvana, I consider My mind and Vrndāvana to be one. My mind is already Vrndāvana, and since You like Vrndāvana, will You please place Your lotus feet there? I would deem that Your full mercy.

tomara ye anya veša anya sanga, anya-deša vraja 

jane kabhu nahi bhāya 

vraja-bhūmi chadite nare, tomā nā dekhile mare, vraja-janera ki habe upaya

The inhabitants of Vrndāvana do not want You dressed like a prince, nor do they want You to associate with great warriors in a different country. They cannot leave the land of Vrndavana, and without Your presence, they are all dying. What is their condition to be?

tumi-vrajera jivana, vraja-rajera prana-dhana, 

tumi vrajera sakala sampad

kṛpārdra tomāra mana, äsi jiyão vraja-jana 

vraje udaya karão nija-pada

My dear Krsna, You are the life and soul of Vrndāvana-dhama. You are especially the life of Nanda Mahārāja. You are the only opulence in the land of Vrndāvana, and You are very merciful. Please come and let them all live. Kindly keep Your lotus feet again in Vrndāvana.

Two Crying Forms:

Mahaprabhu is Jagannatha, He is Krsna, the supreme authority. What He has revealed to us concerning the tattva behind Ratha-yätra, that is authentic. Krsna is Mahaprabhu and He is Jagannatha-sei krşņa, sei gaura, sei jagannatha- there is no difference between them. But Mahāprabhu's mood is different. Krsna in the mood of Rädhäräņī is Mahāprabhu. Krsna's form as Gaura is krsna-viraha-vidurā-rūpa-feeling pangs of separation from Krşņa. He who is Krsna Himself is feeling pangs of separation from Krsna. Krsna crying for Krsna means Gaura. This is tattva. Jagannatha is Krsna, but crying for Rädhä. That form is rādhā-viraha-vidură-rūpa, with big, big dilated eyes and His hands and legs shrunken in like a tortoise. In that form Krsna is feeling pangs of separation from Rädha. That is mahabhava - the highest feelings of loving ecstasy. Feelings of separation from Krşņa and feelings of separation from Rädhä, both are there in Purusottama-kşetra... Gaura and Jagannatha, and so there is a union. 

Gaura is in rādhā-bhāva, crying for Krsna, 

"Where is My prāņa-vallabha, Syāmasundara Krşņa? 

kva krşna nanda-kula- candramāh, kva krşņa nanda-murali-ravah, 

kva krsna śikhi candrakālankṛtiḥ, 

kva krşņa rāsa-rasa-tändavi

Where is that Krsna who is the moon of the Nanda dynasty? 

Where is that Krşņa who plays so sweetly on the flute - nanda-murali-ravah? 

Where is that Krsna whose head is adorned with a peacock feather? 

Where is that Krsna who dances in rasa? 

Where is that Krsna-prāna- vallabha-Lord of my life, my heart... Where is He?" 

Mahaprabhu is crying and crying. When He goes to have darśana of Jagannatha He sees, "Oh! Here is My prana-vallabha-the Lord of My heart. Jagannatha shows Him His beautiful form of Syamasundara, because Mahāprabhu is in rādhā bhāva. Who will see that form in Jagannatha? He shows it to one who is in radha bhava, who is crying for Krsna, "My prana-vallabha, the Lord of my heart." As soon as Gaura saw, "Oh My praņa-vallabha, Syämasundara!" He ran! And in the middle, fainted and fell down. Jagannatha is Krsna crying for Rädhä. When Jagannatha saw Mahaprabhu, He saw, "Oh My sweetheart, Rädhä!" He sees Rädhä in Gaura and Gaura sees Śyāmasundara in Jagannatha. The union of these two is, there in Nilācala-in Purusottama-kşetra. Two crying forms, crying for Krsna and crying for Rādhā. Two crying forms feeling pangs of separation - vipralambha. So Jagannatha-kşetra is vipralambha-ksetra-the place of feelings of separation.

Meeting at Kurukşetra:

In Śrīmad-Bhagavatam it is mentioned that once there was a sūryāparāga a solar eclipse. According to Vedic rules, on the day of an eclipse people go to some holy place, bathe there in the sacred waters, give some charity, and chant Hare Krsna, So on the occasion of the solar eclipse, Krşņa, Balarama, and all the Yadavas went to Kurukşetra. Kurukşetra is a holy place-dharma-ksetre kuru-ksetre, samaveta yuyutsavah. All the Yadavas, Vasudeva, Krsna, and Balarama went there on the occasion of the eclipse. By a strange coincidence, from Vrajabhūmi all the gopas, the cowherd men, and the cowherd women, the damsels of Vrajabhūmi, also went there. By chance there was a meeting after a long separation from Krsna. The inhabitants of Vrajabhūmi-and especially the gopis-met with their prana- vallabha-the Lord of their heart, Krsna. At Ratha-yäträ time Mahaprabhu was in rådhā- bhāva, gopi-bhāva. So in that sentiment, that mood, Mahaprabhu pulled the ratha cart. Doing so He sang this song:

sei ta parana-natha päinu

yähä lagi madana-dahane jhuri genu

"Now I have gained the Lord of My life, in the absence of whom I was being burned by Cupid and was withering away."

Mahāprabhu sang this song and pulled the ratha. "I have found the Lord of My heart today after a long separation. Feeling such acute pangs of separation, I was dying. I was being pierced by the arrows of Cupid. Mahāprabhu sang and pulled the ratha. From where? From Kurukşetra. So Nīlācala is Kuruksetra, and Mahaprabhu pulled Jagannatha to Sundarācala, Vrndāvana. This is the tattva Mahaprabhu revealed behind Ratha-yātrā. When Krsna went to Mathura and then Dvārakā, leaving Vrajabhūmi, the Vrajavāsīs- the inhabitants of Vrajabhūmi, especially the gopis were feeling acute pangs of separation from Krsna. They were drowning in the ocean of separation-viraha. Dying, feeling the acute pangs of separation, that fire causes very intense heat. Krşņa is king in Dvārakā with all royal opulence. But on the side of the gopis- they are dying! Feeling acute pangs of separation for Krsna they are crying and crying day and night. 

Now after a long separation they meet, "O, sei ta parāna-nātha päinu-we found that Lord of our heart! For whom we have been pieced by the sharp arrows of Cupid" Mahaprabhu sang this and pulled the ratha...