The purpose of Chaitanya's mission in this world # 23

23

Bengal is now reinvigorated by the waves of enthusiasm poured out by a people frustrated for generations by masters unfavorable to their religious belief. This cultural and spiritual stir produces transformations difficult for everyone to reconcile. On the other hand, the lower classes, and especially the pariahs, take full advantage of it, as if this phenomenon were an apology for their poor status. Their defender, Nimaï, whom some consider a messiah and others see as an incarnation of God, incites them to overstep the taboos imposed by their atavism and the prejudices scrupulously shared by the other classes of society. These untouchables, whose very shadow must not brush against the body of a brahmana, and who cannot frequent public places as they please, these men whom care is taken to keep in ignorance and misery, now interfere in every corner of privileged places, defying established traditions. To stop the scourge and frighten the superstitious population, recourse is had to prohibitions, severe imprecations, or local authorities. In short, they try by all means to stem this tidal wave which shakes the habits and prerogatives of the upper classes and to muzzle the instigator of all this upheaval.

Critics become aware of the importance of this undesirable prophet and intrigue against him. But the conspiracy cannot take shape, for he has won the respect of all layers of society: not only the unfortunate and the proletariat, but also the merchants, the rich, the priests, the religious, the educators, the scholars and even the people of the government, captivated by his piety, his grammatical prowess, his eloquence, his mystical manifestations, and so many other qualities which, even if listed, could not transmit in all its intensity the image projected by this holy man. Women do not escape his charm either. An undeniable attraction subjugates their senses. From the depths of their hearts spring complex feelings; they have fallen in love with this figure who represents, in their eyes, the personification of beauty and absolute love. Of course, we are not alluding to that concupiscence of passion that attracts two beings of the opposite sex, but rather to that platonic and natural tendency that leads a chaste woman to admire a man of angelic and, in this case, transcendent silhouette and beauty. Nimaï is of great stature, his arms hang down to his knees; his superb eyes are shaped like a lotus petal, and his long, wavy hair falls over his shoulders; his body has the color of molten gold. he is continually followed by a procession that forms in his path and which becomes intoxicated with the holy names and his presence.

Until now, Nimaï modulated traditional religious hymns, but from now on, he is often heard singing the names of the young girls who form Krishna's entourage in his amorous pastimes: "Radhe! Vishaka! Lalita!" Some of his students consider it unbecoming for a man, and moreover a spiritualist, to sing and be ecstatic in this way. Chanting the names of Krishna to the point of delirium is one thing, but dancing while singing those of the gopis resembles a sentimentality of poor quality.

One of the students therefore approaches him to ask for explanations: "Master, for some time your attitude has seemed strange to us... Among fellow students, we have consulted each other and we have decided to question you on this subject. We think that you should not let yourself go like this to glorify... or to keep on your lips female first names instead of the names of God, so sublime and auspicious. What do you gain from such a demonstration?"

Despite the admiration shown to him, Nimaï is not fooled; he clearly perceives the antipathy and envy of his contemporaries. he had always strived to avoid any provocation, and in many situations, he had shown a disarming humility: if he was attacked in person, he ignored the offense; when he met innocent spirits, he embraced them with his unmotivated love; he encouraged the weak and inoculated faith in the unbelievers, even despite their resistance; but an insult made towards the devotees, and in this case to the servants most devoted to Krishna, the gopis, so exalted that their memory alone purifies the mind of all contamination, such an insult can only inflame Nimaï's wrath towards those who dare to ridicule or molest the devotees of Krishna. This is no longer the Nimaï of old that one teased, the adolescent, then the teacher with whom one allowed oneself bravado. This man is different. "Maturity" would not be the word to describe the evolution, for this wisdom, this perfection that have recently been externalized seem to belong to him, they suit him perfectly. Nimaï, it is true, has always benefited from singular gifts and qualities, but this transformation that we are trying to describe here is quite different: it is a kind of magnificent grandeur endowed with a surreal power, it emanates from waves saturated with mystical and magical effects. Those who are receptive or curious are drawn by his magnetism.

So, when the student challenges him to denounce his conduct judged illicit, a visceral anger rises in him, reddens his eyes, and, without warning, he rushes at the unconscious one who narrowly escapes his grip. Without losing a moment, Nimaï seizes a club and sets off in pursuit of the insolent one. Understanding the danger, the boy takes to his heels and loses him. he runs to a group of students passing by and who, at that time, travel by the hundreds following a master. When they hear the scandalous story, they are indignant at the audacity of this eccentric teacher. His aggression and displaced violence require their intervention, these defects must be corrected. For after all, by what right does he arrogate to himself the right to treat his students in this way?

Agitation soon reaches other groups. The vindictive tone rises and spreads like wildfire. The student circle foments a plot to take revenge for the affront and the manifest pretension in their eyes of Nimaï.

His relatives are worried about the turn of events and a brawl is feared.

This situation plunges Nimaï into deep sadness, and he takes refuge in his home for several days. It is not fear that forces him to retreat, but a desire for solitude, for meditation, an aversion for this ungrateful world.

No one can approach him. he refuses the dishes his wife cooks and neglects all the attention and care provided by his mother. he spends whole days in silence and reflection. he came into this world to distribute the love of God freely and profusely, and for that he took on the features of an ordinary man. But there is more to it than that. His plan has a double objective. The first, we already know, is the apostolate; the second, which represents the main goal of his advent, is more delicate, of a subtle and complex nature, an exhaustive study would be necessary to give it all the light, which we will not be able to afford in this work. We are therefore going to briefly explain its nature, which will enlighten us a little better on the origin of the troubles that caused the incident.

For some time now, Nimaï has started singing the names of the gopis, the young girls from the same village as Krishna's. The latter are passionate with an incomparable love for their divine lover. The association between transcendental conjugal relations and spiritual integrity, in this case, is very difficult for the common man to grasp. For this reason, and wrongly, many commentators have made them into erotic and debasing stories. Nimaï, as we will see later, is not in search of sensual emotions; he is not a sentimentalist or a romantic either. On the contrary, he is grave and sober, very strict on the principles and rules that govern religious disciplines. And he has for these gopis a fervent adoration, exceptional and singular. he worships them, glorifies them and places them at the peak of spiritual success. They personify the perfect example of devotion and the highest form of relationship with God, in other words, sublime love. Among all these exalted devotees, Radha is the most dedicated and the dearest to Krishna, for her service of love is matchless, ineffable; not for a fraction of a second will she forget this beautiful boy whom she surrounds with refined attentions, she prepares garlands for him, sews clothes, talks to him of her love, cooks dishes and, tirelessly, applies herself to pleasing him in a thousand and one ways. She cannot do without him. Every moment of separation appears to her like an eternity. If he must be absent for too long, she sinks into an ocean of grief. In such moments, no one can console her; and, as if struck by madness, she wanders here and there believing she sees Krishna everywhere. Sometimes she mistakes him for a tree whose trunk color resembles his complexion, sometimes she sees him in a cloud; sometimes again she takes a bumblebee buzzing near her for one of his messengers. The only way to get her out of this torpor is to talk to her about her lover, Krishna. But even this solution turns out to be more negative than beneficial.

In short, Krishna is amazed by the devotion that permeates the consciousness of this gopi. he would also like to know this divine feeling, unique in its quality; and the only way to taste it is to put himself in "the skin" of his dear devotee and, thus, experience this pleasure inaccessible in his current position.

For this, he will appear on earth, in the age of Kali, in human form, inhabited by the sentiment of Radha. he will incarnate the example of the perfect devotee dying from separation from his lord, and will show, by his attitude, the conduct that a servant of Krishna must adopt during his life to free himself from constraints and the most ecstatic and sublime way to adore God: conjugal love.

This undoubtedly constitutes a revolution in religious thought. Never before, in the schemes of theology, had there been a question of such intimate and detailed revelations. Never. And like everything new in this field, these views clash with the criticism of the profane and the injustice of the no less ignorant orthodox who smell heresy in him.

Nimaï, protected from all distraction, in the claustral calm of his room, meditates on the unhealthy character created by this situation: "I brought with me a medicine that relieves the most painful ills, a panacea, but instead of healing, I perceive that their disease is getting worse and that they are not reacting positively. The patients don't care at all about their doctor's advice and push impudence to the point of insulting him. What must I do to bring them to reason? They take me for one of them, a family man, and foment diabolical plans against me. They are damned. This situation is absurd and cannot continue."

If he wants to carry out his mission, he must at all costs rectify the offensive behavior of these different classes of people, in this case traditionalist brahmanas, social-climbing students and impersonalist philosophers. he does not want to use force, whether physical or paranormal, or even miracles, which would of course attract the whole world to him. No! No thaumaturgy. What he wants is to fight nihilism, the impersonal concept and materialism through the beauty and attraction provided by devotional service to God. Nityananda reminded him well of these things when he was preparing to finish off Jagai and Madhai.

Now he must find a plan to put this project into execution. In fact, this idea, whose goal is to circumvent the unhealthy game of these stubborn spirits, has been running through his head for a long time, but given his social position, it was difficult for him to realize it. Therefore, to win the respect of all, he intends to adopt the dress of the wandering monk: the sannyasa.

 Next chapter : ​A crucial decision # 24

Preceding chapter : Nityananda Converting Jagai and Madhai # 22