Instances of Ecstacy
Antya 14-19
In Chapters 14 to 19, Krishnadasa narrates the details of Shri Chaitanya’s ecstasy. Due to His feelings of separation, a variety of occurrences would trigger and induce His transcendental madness. This would agitate a variety of bodily transformations and ecstatic symptoms, which could only be pacified by the loud chanting of the holy name. After coming back to ‘external consciousness’, Shri Chaitanya would again fall into a deep separation, recounting His transcendental experiences. At this time He would request Ramananda and Svarupa to soothe His consciousness by reciting appropriate verses from the scriptures and singing select songs.
Krishna is Jagannatha – while taking darshan in the temple, Shri Chaitanya perceived the Deity of Jagannatha as the cowherd boy, Krishna. While absorbed in that ecstatic meditation, the Orissan lady stepped on Him and He thus returned to external consciousness. Seeing the Deity as Jagannatha again, Shri Chaitanya was plunged into anxiety and moroseness, thinking that he had left Vrindavana and was now in Kurukshetra. When various ecstatic bodily symptoms manifested, He began explaining how the “yogi of His mind” had become completely captured by Krishna.
Sand Dune (Chataka Parvata) – when Shri Chaitanya saw a sand dune, He mistook it for Govardhana Hill and began running towards it in great anticipation, falling to the ground in ecstasy. Coming back to partial consciousness, Shri Chaitanya explained how He was witnessing the beautiful scene of Govardhana where Krishna regularly performs His playful pastimes. Thus, He began to lament that He was no longer there.
Flower Garden – while walking by the sea, Shri Chaitanya came across a flower garden and immediately envisioned Vrindavana. He adopted the mood of gopis who were anxiously looking for Radha and Krishna after They had left the rasa dance. Thus, Shri Chaitanya wandered around that garden in ecstatic love, inquiring from the trees, creepers, flowers and animals about the whereabouts of Krishna. When Shri Chaitanya finally found Krishna, He fell unconscious.
Prasadam of Jagannatha – after taking darshan and tasting the maha- prasadam from Jagannatha, Shri Chaitanya meditated on how the food had touched Krishna’s lips. This sent Him into a fit of ecstasy! With the help of His associates, Shri Chaitanya became immersed in thoughts of Krishna’s flute, which is eternally enjoying the nectar of Krishna’s lips.
Sound of the Flute – when Shri Chaitanya was in the Gambhira He heard the sound of Krishna’s flute. Although the three doors were locked and Govinda was guarding the room, Shri Chaitanya mystically managed to escape. Realising what had happened, the devotees began frantically searching for Him. They eventually found Him lying unconscious in a cow shed, with all His limbs sunken into His body like a tortoise. After bringing the Lord back to consciousness, the devotees recited a series of verses glorifying the enchanting sound of Krishna’s flute. His escaping from the Gambhira became a repeated event.
Jumping in the Sea – while reciting verses describing the rasa-lila, Shri Chaitanya reached the section glorifying Krishna’s frolicking with the gopis in the river Yamuna. Absorbed in that mood, Shri Chaitanya walked past the sea, remembered the Yamuna, and instinctively jumped in. He fell unconscious, floated downstream, and eventually disappeared out- of-sight. After a desperate search, the devotees encountered a delirious fisherman who had retrieved what he thought was a dead corpse. After handling the body he manifested signs of madness, and had concluded he was now haunted! Svarupa Damodara could understand that this was the transcendental effect of touching Shri Chaitanya’s body, and he thus pacified the fisherman. The devotees went to see Shri Chaitanya, whose body had become subject to mystical convulsions. After chanting loudly, Shri Chaitanya suddenly returned to consciousness and enthusiastically narrated the water pastimes of Krishna.
Advaita Acharya’s sonnet – when Jagadananda was returning to Jagannatha Puri from Bengal, he brought a sonnet written by Advaita Acharya. The sonnet described how everyone in Bengal was going mad due to separation from Shri Chaitanya. The profound words of the Acharya doubled the Lord’s feelings of ecstasy, as He remembered the scene of Krishna’s departure to Mathura, which threw the gopis into pangs of separation. In that emotional remembrance, Shri Chaitanya rubbed His face against the walls of the Gambhira till He was bleeding.
Ashoka Tree – when Shri Chaitanya entered the Jagannatha Vallabha gardens, He saw Krishna sitting underneath an Ashoka Tree. He ran towards Him, but Krishna smiled and disappeared. The garden emanated the scent of Krishna’s body, and when Shri Chaitanya smelt that transcendental aroma He fell unconscious and wandered around like a bumblebee.
Although these esoteric pastimes are unfathomable to spiritual novices, they do highlight a practical aspiration that each one of us can strive for. The quintessential spiritual vision is highlighted by Shri Krishna in the Bhagavad-Gita: “For one who sees Me everywhere and sees everything in Me, I am never lost, nor is he ever lost to Me.” People complain that they cannot see God at work, that He is not manifest in person before their eyes, and that they have no direct experience of His existence. “Show me God, and then I’ll believe in Him,” the sceptics posit. The entire process of bhakti, however, is meant to purify our consciousness and bring us face-to-face with Krishna. Over TIME, one can learn to see Krishna everywhere:
T – Temple – Some people doubt that God can appear in a ‘material’ form made of marble, metal or wood. To them, it appears limiting, imaginary and childish – to treat God like a doll by bathing Him, dressing Him and feeding Him. Deities, however, are not simply representations or icons, but actual manifestations of the divine personality. Anyone who enters such transcendental exchange with devotion and sincerity can personally experience a deep and direct reciprocation.
I – Individual – The advanced Vaishnavas, by virtue of their knowledge and devotion, see Krishna seated within every living entity. They treat all beings with utmost respect, and practically perceive how the Supersoul within different individuals can offer guidance, inspiration and instruction.
M – Material Nature – A devotee sees Krishna as the source of creation and also within the creation. The extreme intricacy and sophistication of the cosmos, reminds one of the higher intelligence behind it; as pearls are strung upon an indiscernible thread, God similarly designs, creates and sustains the entire universe yet remains invisible to the immature observer. Krishna is also perceivable within the creation; the taste of water, light of the sun, and ability in man, are all examples of His allpervading opulence. One can thus think about, meditate upon, and see Krishna within every aspect of the material world.
E – Events – Not a blade of grass moves without the sanction of God. A mature and realised devotee can thus see Krishna’s hand behind everything, impregnating each event with purpose and meaning. Rather than becoming sentimentally elated or depressed and down, a devotee gracefully embraces every situation as part of the Lord’s master plan for his spiritual development.
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