23. Patita Pavana Darshan

23. Patita Pavana Darshan:

Sri Chaitanya took sannyasa at a very young age. As a new sannyasi, he was about to go to Vrindavan, but his mother said, "No, no. Go to Jagannath Puri. Then I can easily get messages from you." Whatever his mother said, Mahaprabhu obeyed. When he was arriving at Jagannath Puri and from a distance saw the flag on top of the temple, Gaura became ecstatic. He ran so swiftly that the devotees who were following couldn't catch up with him. He rushed into the temple of Jagannath. Big, big eyes, no hands, no legs but to Mahaprabhu, Jagannath showed his syamasundara-rūpa, his all-beautiful śyāmam tribhanga-lalita form. The Lord stood there with a bluish-blackish complexion, gracefully bending in three places. Has Jagannath ever shown such a hand-some form, His śyāmasundara-rúpa, to anyone else? No. Never. He only showed it to Gaura.

Why did He show His śyāmasundara-rúpa only to Gaura? Mahaprabhu, as the ideal teacher, teaches how one can have darsana of Jagannath, and to whom Jagannath shows this form. Jagannath is Shyamasundar, but externally you cannot see such a form. Jagannath will never show it to you. He showed it to Gaura because Gaura had assumed the mood and complexion of Srimati Radharani.

It is stated in Sri Caitanya-carítámria (adı 4.82):

govindanandini rädhä, govinda-mohini

govinda-sarvasva, sarva-käntä-širomani

It's Radha who is govindanandini, who gives pleasure to Krishna, Madan Mohan. Radharani is madana-mohana- mohini, who enchants Madan Mohan. She is govinda-mohini, the enchantress of Govinda. Govinda-sarvasva, -Govinda is Radharani's life and soul. He is everything to her. She is sarva-kantā-širomani, the crest jewel of all the consorts of Krishna.

Mahaprabhu has accepted that mood. If you want to see the all-beautiful śyāmasundara-rūpa of Jagannath, you should have this mood. Otherwise, Jagannath will never show you His real form. This is what Mahaprabhu teaches.

Rupa Goswami says in Bhakti-rasamrta-sundhu (1.1.11 quoted in Cc madhya 19.167)

anyabhilasita sunyam 

jnana-karmady-anavrtam 

anukülyena krsnanu silanam 

bhaktir uttama

One should render transcendental loving service to the Supreme Lord Krsna favorably and without desire for material profit or gain through fruitive activities or philosophical speculation. That is called pure devotional service.

What is uttama-rari, the best type of rati, the best type of love, prema-bhakti! What is anukalyena krsnanu silanam! In English, you simply say, "serving Krishna favorably. But that is not all that it means. It has a very deep purport to it. What is that!

Mahaprabhu teaches, ramya kacid upasana vraja- vadhu-vargena ya kalpită. "The most pleasing form of worship for the Lord is that which was performed by the gopis of Vrindavan." How will you serve Krishna! How will you worship Krishna! As the vraja-vadhús, the damsels of Vrajabhumi do, with that love, the kind of love by which Krishna becomes bound up that is favorable, anukülya. Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur has said that. The love that binds up Krishna, gopi-prema, radha-prema that is what is favorable, anukülyena krsnanu-Silanam. If you offer such worship, then Krishna will accept it. Otherwise no one can get such mercy from Krsna. Lord Jagannath will never show His all-beautiful syamasundara-rupa to one who has not developed such gopi-prema or rådhä-prema.

This is Mahaprabhu's teaching for us. Unless we become the follower of Srimati Radharani and the gopis we cannot receive the mercy of Krishna, Jagannath. That is what it says here. 

Govinda-sarvasva-Govinda - Shyamasundar, Madana-Mohan is the life and soul of Radharani. He is everything for her. 

govinda-sarvasva hrdaya dhana - Radharani's most confidential, invaluable asset stored up in Her heart is Govinda, Krishna, Madan Mohan. 

Mahaprabhu had assumed that same bhava, and thus Jagannath showed Him His all-beautiful syämasundara-rupa. Thereby Mahaprabhu teaches that if you want to see Jagannath, if you want to have real darśana of Jagannath, you should have this mood.

Unfortunately, however, we have no such prema. Krishna belongs to Radharani, but we are not followers of Radharani. We have not gotten Radharani's mercy.

But guru is rādhā-priya-sakhi, a dear devotee, a dear girl companion of Radharanı, nikuñja-yūno rati-keli-siddhyai -"The spiritual master is very dear, because he is an expert in assisting the gopis." So Krishna belongs to him.

Next to Jagannath, stands Baladev. Why! There is a very deep purport to that. Baladev is Jagannath's prakāśa-vigraha. If you have no qualification to see, to have darsana of Jagannath, then see His prakāśa-vigraha, Baladev. Prakāśa-vigraha means the personality who by giving you darśana makes you eligible to see Krishna. Baladev mercifully gives you darsana and makes you eligible to see Lord Jagannath, Shyamasundar.

Therefore if you ask, "I am not a qualified person. Krishna, Jagannath, will never show me His syämasundara-rupa, His all-beautiful Shyamasundar form. What shall I do, what darsana should I have!"

"You should see Lord Baladev. He is Krishna's prakāśa-vigraha. See Him! He is more merciful. He is Nityananda Rama. Nityananda Rama is more merciful than Gauranga. Baladev is more merciful than Jagannath. Guru-pada- padma, the lotus feet of guru, is Baladev's manifestation and is abhinna guru-pada-padma nityananda-rama, non-different from Lord Nityananda Rama. Baladev is prakāśa-vigraha, Krishna's manifestation. If He casts his merciful eye on you then you will get the qualification to have darsana of Lord Jagannath. Then Lord Jagannath will show you His all-beautiful syämasundara-rüpa." The next stage is if someone is not even qualified to have darsana of Baladev. Then he should see the catur-vyüha, his quadruple manifestation, Väsudev, Sankarshan, Pradyumna, and Aniruddha. After that, if he is not even qualified to have darsana of the catur-vyüha, what can he do? See the Lord's opulence? And if someone is not even qualified to see the Lord's opulence, what will he do? Such a person should see the Patita Pavana incarnation of Lord Jagannath, the deliverer of the patitas, the fallen. In this way you move on. 

Devotee: 

What is Jagannath's Patita Pavana incarnation?

Gour Govinda Swami: 

Patita Pavana is a deity form of Jagannath. As you enter into Jagannath temple in Puri through the Lion-gate, there, in the corner inside the gate is the vigraha of Jagannath known as Patita Pavana. You see that Patita Pavana form first, then Jagannath inside the temple. You first take darsan of Patita Pavana because you consider, "I am such an unqualified person. I am fallen." Therefore, you get mercy from Him first. Then move forward and receive Baladev's mercy. Then you will see jagannath. This is the process. This is how you can have daršana of Jagannath. Jagannath will show you his all-beautiful form as Shyamasundar. Jagannath will accept you. 

- Sri Srimad Goura Govinda Swami Maharaja (From a lecture in Bhubaneswar, 3rd January 1992)