Sri Vishvarupa-mahotsava

Today is a very auspicious day. It is called Vishvarupa-maha-mahotsava, and today is also the day that nitya-lila-pravishta om vishnupada ashtottara-shata Srila Bhaktivedanta Svami Maharaja took sannyasa, and nitya-lila-pravishta om vishnupada ashtottara-shata Sri Srimad Bhakti Prajnana Keshava Gosvami Maharaja also took sannyasa. First I want to explain vishvarupa-tattva.

Mahaprabhu's Descent With His Associates

Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Svayam Bhagavan. When He descends from Goloka Vrindavana, He comes with His own parikaras, His associates:

śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu jīve doyā kori’ 

swa-pārṣada swīya dhāma saha avatari’ 

atyanta durlabha prema koribāre dāna 

śikhāya śaraṇāgati bhakatera prāna

Sri-krishna-chaitanya prabhu jive doya kori (1)

[Out of compassion for the fallen souls, Sri Krisna Chaitanya came to this world with His personal associates and divine abode to teach sharanagati (the goal of surrender), surrender to the almighty Godhead, and to freely distribute ecstatic love of God, which is ordinarily very difficult to obtain. This sharanagati is the very life of the true devotee.]

Chaitanya Mahaprabhu descended from Goloka Vrindavana with His dhama and with His own parikaras, associates. He performed His lila in Navadvipa-dhama. Before Chaitanya Mahaprabhu appeared in Navadvipa-dhama, He stayed there with all His parikaras, His father and mother. Jagannatha Mishra and Shachi-devi are non-different from Nanda and Yashoda.

Vishvarupa's Education Under Advaita Acharya

Before Nimai, Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, appeared, His elder brother Vishvarupa had already appeared. Vishvarupa learned all the shastras from Advaita Acharya at his school. But sometimes Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, then a very small boy, used to come to Advaita Acharya's school with Vishvarupa. Sometimes Advaita Acharya was simply surprised to have darshana of baby Nimai. At those times Nimai would hint, "Advaita Acharya, do you know who I am? One day you will know who I am." In this way Advaita Acharya and Nimai talked to each other through their hints.

Jnana and Vairagya: The Symptoms of Bhakti

So Vishvarupa learned all the shastras from Advaita Acharya. Then Vishvarupa realised what is the essence of our life, that is krishna-bhajana. Because the shastras explain that bhakti manifesting in one's heart is the symptom, that is called vasudeve para-bhakti. If para-bhakti, the highest bhakti, manifests in one's heart, then there are two symptoms, jnana and vairagya. Jnana vairagya ca yad ahaitukam. Jnana means transcendental knowledge. Here Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Prabhupada explains there are three types of knowledge: tat-padartha-jnana, tvam-padartha-jnana, and jiva-brahma-aikya-jnana. Tat-padartha-jnana is knowledge about the Lord. Tvam-padartha-jnana is knowledge about the soul, atma. And jiva-brahma-aikya-jnana is oneness with Brahman, which is the philosophy of the advaitavadis, especially the mayavadis or Shankara philosophers, who explain jiva and Brahman as one. A sadhaka should reject this kind of philosophy, but should know the other two: tat-padartha-jnana and tvam-padartha-jnana.

The Rare Human Form of Life

So when Vishvarupa learned all the shastras from Advaita Acharya, he realised the essence of our life. Srimad-Bhagavatam gives evidence:

labdhvā su-durlabham idaṁ bahu-sambhavānte 

mānuṣyam artha-dam anityam apīha dhīraḥ 

tūrṇaṁ yateta na pated anu-mṛtyu yāvan 

niḥśreyasāya viṣayaḥ khalu sarvataḥ syāt

Srimad-Bhagavatam (11.9.29)

[After many, many births and deaths one achieves the rare human form of life, which, although temporary, affords one the opportunity to attain the highest perfection. Thus a sober human being should quickly endeavour for the ultimate perfection of life as long as his body, which is always subject to death, has not fallen down and died. After all, sense gratification is available even in the most abominable species of life, whereas Krishna consciousness is possible only for a human being.]

Labdhvā su-durlabham idaṁ. Idam means "this body." Bahu-sambhavānte means that we receive this body after millions and millions of births and deaths. Mānuṣyam artha-dam: the essence of human life is to perform bhajana and sadhana to the Lord. And everything in this material world is anityam, temporary, and all these material things always give distress and unhappiness. So krishna-bhakti and krishna-nama are called the essence of life, as stated in the shastras. Everybody gets all kinds of sense gratification according to their previous fruits of action, karma-phala, but krishna-bhakti, krishna-nama, and the association of sadhu are very rare.

The Rarity of Sadhu-sanga

sādhu-saṅga’, ‘sādhu-saṅga’ — sarva-śāstre kaya 

lava-mātra sādhu-saṅge sarva-siddhi haya

Chaitanya-charitamrita (Madhya-lila 22.54)

[The verdict of all revealed scriptures is that by even a moment’s association with a pure devotee, one can attain all success.]

So sadhu-sanga, association of sadhu, is very very rare. So when Vishvarupa learned all these shastras, Vedas, Puranas, Upanishads, he realised, "If I do not do bhajana and sadhana to Krishna, then my life will not be successful." And especially our shastras also explain ashrama-dharma: brahmachari, grihastha, vanaprastha, and sannyasi. And our shastra also explains that sannyasa-dharma is the topmost. Krishna says, "Sannyasa-dharma is like My head," sannyāsaḥ śirasi sthitaḥ.

Vishvarupa Takes Sannyasa

So for this reason Vishvarupa left his house and took sannyasa. Then his sannyasa name was Shankararanya. Then Shachimata felt pangs of separation from her son Vishvarupa. Actually, here Yogamaya arranges everything. Mahaprabhu is Krishna. Where Krishna is, Baladeva Prabhu is there too. And Nityananda Prabhu is non-different from Baladeva Prabhu. So Nityananda Prabhu was coming, and that is why Yogamaya arranged how Vishvarupa departed from his house. For this reason Yogamaya arranged this lila.

Shachimata's Offense and Forgiveness

Vishvarupa is also called a prakasha of Nityananda Prabhu or Baladeva Prabhu. When Vishvarupa left his house, Shachimata and Jagannatha Mishra felt pangs of separation from Vishvarupa. Shachimata thought in her mind, "Advaita Acharya is the cause of my son Vishvarupa's sannyasa. He is not advaita, nondual; he is dvaita, dual."

For this reason, Mahaprabhu thought, "I will not give mercy to My mother, because she committed an offense at the lotus feet of Advaita Acharya." Then everyone asked Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, "How is it possible that Your mother, Shachi-devi, committed an offense at the lotus feet of Advaita Acharya?" Mahaprabhu then explained these things. After hearing this, Shachimata asked forgiveness from Advaita Acharya. Then Lord Chaitanya gave mercy to Shachimata. This lila is also discussed in Chaitanya-bhagavata. 

The Passing of Jagannatha Mishra

Now, when Vishvarupa left his house, Jagannatha Mishra felt so much separation from his son that after a few days he left his body and departed from this material world. Then Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Nimai, pacified Shachimata.

The Pilgrim Brahmana's Offering

Vishvarupa was so beautiful and attractive. Our shastra even describes in Chaitanya-bhagavata that once a taithika-vipra, a pilgrim brahmana, came to the house of Shachimata. She served the brahmana, and he told her, "I am a brahmana, and I cook with my own hands." Shachimata then arranged all the raw ingredients for him to cook.

After the offering was prepared, baby Nimai took the prasada once or twice. The brahmana became disturbed and said that he could not cook again at such a late hour and decided to leave. At that time, Vishvarupa came and pacified him. When the brahmana saw Vishvarupa's extraordinarily beautiful form, his heart melted. At midnight he cooked again and offered the preparations to Thakuraji. Once again, baby Nimai ate his offering.

Then Nimai told the brahmana, "Why are you disturbed? You are chanting My mantra, and I am eating your offering. You are chanting My gopala-mantra, so I am coming and accepting your prasada." In this way, this very beautiful lila is described.

Mahaprabhu's Search for Vishvarupa

So Vishvarupa took sannyasa. Then many years passed. Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu also accepted sannyasa and came to Jagannatha Puri. Later, Mahaprabhu outwardly said, "I am going to travel to South India to search for My brother Vishvarupa."

During His South Indian tour, Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu met many devotees, including Raya Ramananda, Prabodhananda Sarasvati, Venkata Bhatta, Trimalla Bhatta, and the entire Bhatta parivara, or family. As He continued travelling through South India, He eventually came to the bank of the Bhima River (Bhima Nadi). There He heaishvarupa had also accepted sannyasa under the name Shankararanya and had departed from this material world just three months earlier.

Vishvarupa-kshaura-mahotsava: The Shaving of the Head

When Mahaprabhu heard that His elder brother Vishvarupa had departed from this material world, He became very upset. According to loka-lila, His human-like pastimes, Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu shaved His head in remembrance of His brother Vishvarupa.

For this reason, in our Gaudiya sampradaya, we observe chaturmasya-vrata for four months, during which we follow certain rules, such as not cutting our hair or shaving. However, on that day, Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu Himself shaved His head as an expression of remembrance and separation from His brother Vishvarupa. Therefore, we also shave our heads on this day.

For this reason, this day is called Vishvarupa-kshaura-mahotsava. By remembering Vishvarupa and this lila, we also observe this tradition of shaving and keeping ourselves neat and clean.

Date: 02 September 2020 Location: Zoom

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Transcriber: Indira dasi (UK)

Integrity check: Divya-premamayi dasi (Slovakia) Editor: Divya-premamayi dasi (Slovakia) Proofreader: Ramakanta dasa (UK) Photo: Navina-krishna dasa (Holland)