Thursday, July 4, 2019

About the Hera Pancami Festival





"Herā-pañcamī festival takes place five days after the Ratha-yātrā festival..."
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"Tomorrow will be the function of Herā-pañcamī or Lakṣmī-vijaya. Hold this festival in a way that it has never been held before."
PURPORT
This Herā-pañcamī festival takes place five days after the Ratha-yātrā festival. Lord Jagannātha has left His wife, the goddess of fortune, and gone to Vṛndāvana, which is the Guṇḍicā temple. Due to separation from the Lord, the goddess of fortune decides to come to see the Lord at Guṇḍicā. The coming of the goddess of fortune to Guṇḍicā is celebrated by Herā-pañcamī. Sometimes this is misspelled as Harā-pañcamī the section known as ativāḍī. The word herā means "to see" and refers to the goddess of fortune going to see Lord Jagannātha. The word pañcamī means "the fifth day" and is used because this takes place on the fifth day of the moon

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta - 1975 > Cc. Madhya-lila > Madhya 14 > Madhya 14.107

King Pratāparudra said, "Hold this festival in such a gorgeous way that upon seeing it, Caitanya Mahāprabhu will be completely pleased and astonished.

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta - 1975 > Cc. Madhya-lila > Madhya 14 > Madhya 14.108

"Take as many printed cloths, small bells, umbrellas and cāmaras as there are in my storehouse and in the Deity's storehouse.

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta - 1975 > Cc. Madhya-lila > Madhya 14 > Madhya 14.109

"Collect all kinds of small and large flags and ringing bells. Then decorate the carrier and have various musical and dancing parties accompany it. In this way decorate the carrier attractively.

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta - 1975 > Cc. Madhya-lila > Madhya 14 > Madhya 14.110

"You should also double the quantity of prasāda. Make so much that it will even surpass theRatha-yātrā festival.

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta - 1975 > Cc. Madhya-lila > Madhya 14 > Madhya 14.111

"Arrange the festival in such a way that Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu may freely go with His devotees to visit the Deity without difficulty."

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta - 1975 > Cc. Madhya-lila > Madhya 14 > Madhya 14.112

In the morning, Śrī CaitanyaMahāprabhu took His personal associates with Him to see Lord Jagannātha at Sundarācala.
PURPORT
Sundarācala is the Guṇḍicātemple. The temple of Jagannātha at Jagannātha Purī is called Nīlācala, and the temple at Guṇḍicā is called Sundarācala.

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta - 1975 > Cc. Madhya-lila > Madhya 14 > Madhya 14.113

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and His personal devotees returned to Nīlācala with great eagerness to see the Herā-pañcamī festival.

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta - 1975 > Cc. Madhya-lila > Madhya 14 > Madhya 14.114

Kāśī Miśra received CaitanyaMahāprabhu with great respect, and taking the Lord and His associates to a very nice place, he had them seated.

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta - 1975 > Cc. Madhya-lila > Madhya 14 > Madhya 14.115

After taking His seat, ŚrīCaitanya Mahāprabhu wanted to hear about a particular mellow of devotional service; therefore, mildly smiling, He began to question Svarūpa Dāmodara.

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta - 1975 > Cc. Madhya-lila > Madhya 14 > Madhya 14.116

"Although Lord Jagannātha enjoys His pastimes at Dvārakā-dhāma and naturally manifests sublime liberality there, still, once a year, He becomes unlimitedly eager to seeVṛndāvana."

Madhya 14.117-18

Pointing out the neighboring gardens, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhusaid, "All these gardens exactly resemble Vṛndāvana; therefore Lord Jagannātha is very eager to see them again.

Madhya 14.119

Externally He gives the excuse that He wants to participate in the Ratha-yātrā festival, but actually He wants to leaveJagannātha Purī to go to Sundarācala, Guṇḍicā temple, the replica of Vṛndāvana.

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta - 1975 > Cc. Madhya-lila > Madhya 14 > Madhya 14.120

"The Lord enjoys His pastimes day and night in various flower gardens there. But why did He not take Lakṣmīdevī, the goddess of fortune, with Him?"

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta - 1975 > Cc. Madhya-lila > Madhya 14 > Madhya 14.121

Svarūpa Dāmodara replied, "My dear Lord, please hear the reason for this. Lakṣmīdevī, the goddess of fortune, cannot be admitted to the pastimes of Vṛndāvana.

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta - 1975 > Cc. Madhya-lila > Madhya 14 > Madhya 14.122

"In the pastimes of Vṛndāvana, the only assistants are the gopīs. But for the gopīs, no one can attract the mind of Kṛṣṇa."
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta - 1975 > Cc. Madhya-lila > Madhya 14 > Madhya 14.123

The Lord said, "Using the car festival as an excuse, Kṛṣṇa goes there with Subhadrā and Baladeva.

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta - 1975 > Cc. Madhya-lila > Madhya 14 > Madhya 14.124

"All the pastimes with the gopīs that take place in those gardens are very confidential ecstasies of Lord Kṛṣṇa. No one knows them.

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta - 1975 > Cc. Madhya-lila > Madhya 14 > Madhya 14.125

"Since there is no fault at all in Kṛṣṇa's pastimes, why does the goddess of fortune become angry?"

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta - 1975 > Cc. Madhya-lila > Madhya 14 > Madhya 14.126

Svarūpa Dāmodara replied, "It is the nature of a girl afflicted by love to become immediately angry upon finding neglect on the part of her lover."

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta - 1975 > Cc. Madhya-lila > Madhya 14 > Madhya 14.127

While Svarūpa Dāmodara and Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu were talking, the procession of the goddess of fortune came by. She was riding upon a golden palanquin carried by four men and bedecked with a variety of jewels.

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta - 1975 > Cc. Madhya-lila > Madhya 14 > Madhya 14.128

The palanquin was also surrounded by people carrying umbrellas, cāmara whisks and flags, and it was preceded by musicians and dancing girls.

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta - 1975 > Cc. Madhya-lila > Madhya 14 > Madhya 14.129

The maidservants were carrying water pitchers, cāmarawhisks and boxes for betel nuts. There were hundreds of maidservants, all attractively dressed with valuable necklaces.
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta - 1975 > Cc. Madhya-lila > Madhya 14 > Madhya 14.130

In an angry mood, the goddess of fortune arrived at the maingate of the temple accompanied by many members of her family, all of whom exhibited uncommon opulence.

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta - 1975 > Cc. Madhya-lila > Madhya 14 > Madhya 14.131

When the procession arrived, the maidservants of the goddess of fortune began to arrest all the principal servants of LordJagannātha.
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta - 1975 > Cc. Madhya-lila > Madhya 14 > Madhya 14.132

The maidservants bound the servants of Jagannātha, handcuffed them, and made them fall down at the lotus feet of the goddess of fortune. Indeed, they were arrested just like thieves who have all their riches taken away.
PURPORT
When Lord Jagannātha starts His car festival, He gives assurance to the goddess of fortune that He will return the next day. When He does not return, the goddess of fortune, after waiting two or three days, begins to feel that her husband has neglected her. She naturally becomes quite angry. Gorgeously decorating herself and her associates, she comes out of the temple and stands before the main gate. All the principal servants of Lord Jagannātha are then arrested by her maidservants, brought before her and forced to fall down at her lotus feet.

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta - 1975 > Cc. Madhya-lila > Madhya 14 > Madhya 14.133

When the servants fall down before the lotus feet of the goddess of fortune, they almost fall unconscious. They are chastised and made the butt of jokes and loose language.

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta - 1975 > Cc. Madhya-lila > Madhya 14 > Madhya 14.134

When Śrī CaitanyaMahāprabhu's associates saw such impudence exhibited by the maidservants of the goddess of fortune, they covered their faces with their hands and began to smile.

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta - 1975 > Cc. Madhya-lila > Madhya 14 > Madhya 14.135

Svarūpa Dāmodara said, "There is no egoistic pride like this within the three worlds. At least I have neither seen nor heard of it.
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta - 1975 > Cc. Madhya-lila > Madhya 14 > Madhya 14.136

"When a woman is neglected and disappointed, out of egoistic pride she gives up her ornaments and morosely sits down on the floor, marking lines on it with her nails.

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta - 1975 > Cc. Madhya-lila > Madhya 14 > Madhya 14.137

"I have heard of this kind of pride in Satyabhāmā, Kṛṣṇa's proudest Queen, and I have also heard of it in the gopīs ofVṛndāvana, who are the reservoirs of all transcendental mellows.

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta - 1975 > Cc. Madhya-lila > Madhya 14 > Madhya 14.138

"But in the case of the goddess of fortune, I see a different kind of pride. She manifests her own opulences and even goes with her soldiers to attack her husband."
PURPORT
After seeing the impudence of the goddess of fortune, SvarūpaDāmodara Gosvāmī wanted to inform Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhuabout the superexcellence of the gopīs' loving affairs. He therefore said, "My Lord, I never experienced anything like the behavior of the goddess of fortune. We sometimes see a beloved wife becoming proud of her position and then frustrated due to some neglect. She then gives up caring for her appearance, accepts dirty clothes and morosely sits on the floor and draws lines with her nails. We have heard of such egoistic pride in Satyabhāmāand the gopīs of Vṛndāvana, but what we see in the goddess of fortune here at Jagannātha Purī is completely different. She becomes very angry with her husband, and attacks Him with her great opulence."

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta - 1975 > Cc. Madhya-lila > Madhya 14 > Madhya 14.139

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, "Please tell me of the varieties of egoistic pride manifest inVṛndāvana." Svarūpa Dāmodarareplied, "The pride of the gopīs is like a river flowing with hundreds of tributaries.

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta - 1975 > Cc. Madhya-lila > Madhya 14 > Madhya 14.140

"The characteristics and modes of love are different in different women. Their jealous anger also takes on different varieties and qualities.
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta - 1975 > Cc. Madhya-lila > Madhya 14 > Madhya 14.141

"It is not possible to give a complete statement about the different types of jealous anger manifest by the gopīs, but a few principles may serve as an indication.

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta - 1975 > Cc. Madhya-lila > Madhya 14 > Madhya 14.142

"There are three types of women experiencing jealous anger: sober women, restless women and women both restless and sober.

Madhya 14.143

"When a sober heroine sees her hero approaching from a distance, she immediately stands up to receive him. When he comes near, she immediately offers him a place to sit.

Madhya 14.144

"The sober heroine conceals her anger within her heart and externally speaks sweet words. When her lover embraces her, she also returns his embrace.

Madhya 14.145

"The sober heroine is very simple in her behavior. She keeps her jealous anger within her heart, but with mild words and smiles she refutes the advances of her lover.

Madhya 14.146

"The restless heroine, however, sometimes chastises her lover with cruel words, sometimes pulls his ear and sometimes binds him with a flower garland.

Madhya 14.147

"The heroine who is a combination of sobriety and restlessness always jokes with equivocal words. She sometimes praises her lover, sometimes blasphemes him and sometimes remains indifferent.

Madhya 14.148

"Heroines may also be classified as captivated, intermediate and impudent. The captivated heroine does not know very much about the cunning intricacies of jealous anger.

Madhya 14.149

"The captivated heroine simply covers her face and goes on crying. When she hears sweet words from her lover, she is very satisfied.

Madhya 14.150

"Both the intermediate and impudent heroines can be classified as sober, restless and both sober and restless. All their characteristics can be further classified in three divisions.

Madhya 14.151

"Some of them are very talkative, some are mild, and some are equipoised. Each heroine, according to her own character, increases Śrī Kṛṣṇa's loving ecstasy.

Madhya 14.152

"Although some of the gopīs are talkative, some mild and some equipoised, all of them are transcendental and faultless. They please Kṛṣṇa by their unique characteristics."

Madhya 14.153

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu felt unlimited happiness upon hearing these descriptions, and He again and again requested Svarūpa Dāmodara to continue speaking.

Madhya 14.154

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