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EDITORIAL May 17, 1999 VNN3889 Ramananda Raya BY ARIJIT DAS  EDITORIAL, May 17 (VNN) — While touring South India, Lord Caitanya met Ramananda Raya by the bank of the Godavari, and in their long discourses the Lord took the position of a student, and Ramananda Raya instructed Him. Caitanya Mahaprabhu concluded these discourses by saying, "My dear Ramananda Raya, both you and I are madmen, and therefore we met intimately on an equal level." Lord Caitanya advised Ramananda Raya to resign from his government post and come back to Jagannatha Puri to live with Him. Although Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu refused to see Maharaja Prataparudra because he was a king, Ramananda Raya, by a Vaisnava scheme, arranged a meeting between the Lord and the King. This is described in the Madhya-lila, Chapter Twelve, verses 41-57. Sri Ramananda Raya was present during the water sports of the Lord after the Ratha-yatra festival.Sriman Krsna Das Kaviraj explains in Caitanya Caritamrita Antya-lila Mahaprabhus purpose for going to Puri. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu said; "My reason for coming to Nilacala (Jagannatha Puri) was to meet the three of you, you (Maharaja Prataparudra), Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya and Ramananda Raya. The Lord's pastimes in Nilacala are numerous, and He enjoyed His own activities. The Lord's eternal associates who appeared in Nilacala all spontaneously recognized Lord Caitanya as the Lord of their heart. Although Caitanya Mahaprabhu Himself was a brahmana and a sannyasi, He took instructions from Ramananda Raya, who was a sudra and grhastha but nonetheless, very exalted spiritually. When Caitanya Mahaprabhu saw that Ramananda Raya was hesitant to give instructions, the Lord said, "Why are you hesitating? Although you are a grhastha and are born in a sudra family, I am prepared to take lessons from you." kiba vipra, kiba nyasi, sudra kene naya yei krsna-tattva-vetta, sei 'guru' haya (Cc. Madhya 8.128) This is Caitanya Mahaprabhu's teaching. Whoever is qualified in Krsna consciousness can become a guru. His family or material identity does not matter. He simply must know the science of Krsna Bhakti. The process of approaching and understanding the Supreme Personality of Godhead was also discussed between Ramananda Raya and Caitanya Mahaprabhu. First, Ramananda Raya explained the process in terms of varnasrama-dharma. He said first of all that human life is meant for approaching Lord Visnu through the rules and regulations governing varnasrama-dharma. Caitanya Mahaprabhu replied that it is very difficult in this age to execute the rules and regulations of varnasrama-dharma. It is very difficult to be a brahmana in this age, and it is practically impossible to revive the old varnasrama-dharma culture. Caitanya Mahaprabhu therefore said that this method is not very practical. Caitanya Mahaprabhu has been called by Srila Rupa Gosvami "the most munificent avatara" because He distributes love of Krsna free of charge. First of all, we cannot even understand Krsna; therefore there is no question of loving Him. If we do not understand someone, how can we love him? The love is very far away, but Caitanya Mahaprabhu is so kind that He distributes krsna-prema, love of Krsna, to whomever will take it. The Sri Gita Govinda of Jaya Dev goswami is also mentioned by Krishnadas Kaviraja Goswami in the Caitanya Caritamrita as follows (CC ML 2/11): "Day and night, in the company of Svarupa Damodara and Ramananda Raya, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu used to hear with great ecstasy the songs of Vidyapati and Chandidas, as well as a drama composed by Ramananda Raya. Meeting with Ramananda Raya on the banks of the Godavari; Ramananda's vision o f Mahaprabhu's dual feature as Rasaraja and Mahabhava; the Lord's visit to Panchavati and Shri Rangam; how he bestowed mercy on Trimalla Bhatta; his four month stay in Shri Rangam during the period of Chatur Masya; his meeting with Paramananda Puri; the prayers by Paramananda Puri to Gaura Bhagvan. Around the same time that Svarupa Damodara came to Puri, Shri Ramananda Raya arrived from Vidyanagara. Shri Ramananda Raya was a great poet and could explain everything in a very elegant style. Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu heard rasatattva from Ramananda's mouth. In the daytime, Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu used to perform kirtan with his devotees. At night, in the company of Ramananda Raya and Svarupa Damodara, he would relish the truths about the pastimes and mellows of Radha and Krishna. In the same way that Lalita and Vishakha are the internal confidantes of Shri Radha, Svarupa Damodara and Ramananda Raya are the internal confidantes of Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. In Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu's final pastimes, both Ramananda Raya and Svarupa Damodara always engaged in reciting suitable verses from Srimad-Bhagavatam to pacify the Lord's ecstatic feelings of separation from Krsna. It is said that when Lord Caitanya went to southern India, Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya advised Him to meet Ramananda Raya, declaring that there was no devotee as advanced in understanding the conjugal love of Krsna and the gopis. While touring South India, Lord Caitanya met Ramananda Raya by the bank of the Godavari, and in their long discourses the Lord took the position of a student, and Ramananda Raya instructed Him. Caitanya Mahaprabhu concluded these discourses by saying, "My dear Ramananda Raya, both you and I are madmen, and therefore we met intimately on an equal level." Lord Caitanya advised Ramananda Raya to resign from his government post and come back to Jagannatha Puri to live with Him. Although Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu refused to see Maharaja Prataparudra because he was a king, Ramananda Raya, by a Vaisnava scheme, arranged a meeting between the Lord and the King. This is described in the Madhya-lila, Chapter Twelve, verses 41-57. Sri Ramananda Raya was present during the water sports of the Lord after the Ratha-yatra festival. Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu considered Sri Ramananda Raya and Sri Sanatana Gosvami to be equal in their renunciation, for although Sri Ramananda Raya was a grhastha engaged in government service and Sri Sanatana Gosvami was in the renounced order of complete detachment from material activities, they were both servants of the Supreme Personality of Godhead who kept Krsna in the center of all their activities. Sri Ramananda Raya was one of the three and a half personalities with whom Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu discussed the most confidential topics of Krsna consciousness. Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu advised Pradyumna Misra to learn the science of Krsna from Sri Ramananda Raya. As Subala always assisted Krsna in His dealings with Radharani in krsna-lila, so Ramananda Raya assisted Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu in His feelings of separation from Krsna. Sri Ramananda Raya was the author of Jagannatha-vallabha-nataka. Submitted for the pleasure of all the sincere devotees of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and his followers by Arijit Das. Comment on this story | Contact VNN about this story | Send this story to a friend
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