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Peacock Feather on Lord Caitanya

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Haribol

 

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

 

Does anyone know where this verse comes from?

 

sri-ganda-mandollasi

ratna-kundala-manditam

savya-karna-suvinyasta

sphurac-caru-sikhandakam

 

His cheeks are round and they shine brilliantly. He wears jeweled earrings. He has a peacock feather placed near His left ear.

 

Thank you.

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Srila Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya, one of the foremost disciples of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu in Jagannatha Puri, composed an entire series of prayers describing in detail the various features of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, called Sri Gauranga-Prati- Anga-Varnanakhya-Stava-Rajah, or the King of Prayers, proclaiming the glory of each limb of Sri Gauranga. Let us carefully present a few of these divine gems.

Verse 48

Sri-ganda-mandollasi-

ratna-kundala-manditam

savya-karna-suvinyasta-

sphurac-caru-sikhandakam (48)

 

His cheeks are round and they shine brilliantly. He wears jewelled earrings. He has a peacock feather placed near His left ear.

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"Radharani cries, 'O My dear girl companion, where is that moon of the Nanda dynasty, nanda-kula-candramah? Kva sikhi-candra-kalankrtih, where is He on whose crest is a peacock feather? Where is He? Kva mandra-murali-ravah, where is Krsna, upon whose lips a flute plays so sweetly? Where is He?'

"Can you put a flute on Gaura? Although He is Krsna, you cannot put a flute on Gaura. Similarly, how can you put a peacock feather on He who is crying for Krsna like Radharani? His mood will be disturbed. Although He is Krsna, Gaura’s mood is different. Therefore Prabhupada has said, 'Don’t disturb the mood of Gauranga.' [Cc. Adi 4.41p.] It is very painful to Him. Our service is meant to give Him pleasure, not pain. We are servants and we must render service to please Him, not for our own pleasure. He is to be pleased. If we say, 'O Gaura, a peacock feather is on Your head. You are Krsna,' then how can He cry? 'Oh, I am Krsna? I cannot cry now.'"

 

- Sri Srimad Gour Govinda Swami Maharaja - Embankment of Separation, 'Mahaprabhu in Sri Gambhira.'

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  • 2 months later...

CC Adi 11.21 ---- All the associates of Lord NityAnanda were formerly cowherd boys in VrajabhUmi. Their symbolic representations were the horns and sticks they carried, their cowherd dress and the peacock plumes on their heads.

 

CC Madhya 17.44 ---- Various birds, including the peacock, saw SrI Caitanya MahAprabhu and began to follow Him, chanting and dancing. They were all maddened by the holy name of KRSNa.

 

 

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Sri Sarvabhauma saw Lord Caitanya n associated with Him ...surely he is to be obeyed

 

 

The divine personal visions of this suddha-bhakta were not the manner in which Mahaprabhu presented Himself to the world. Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya at some point saw Mahaprabhu with pearls in his shikha, with a peacock feather in his hair, etc., when in reality He was a sannyasi with a shaved head. Some people had divine visions of Mahaprabhu as Krishna, but when Mahaprabhu was performing lila his ecstacy was in feeling seperation from the Lord. In such a mood it is incompatible for Him to wear the signs of Vishnu or Krishna.

 

There is no contradiction in the words of these two great acharyas.

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Srila Prabhupada as our founder acarya never expressed objection when he saw the Deities of Lord Caitanya dressed with peacock feather and not as sannyasi who is in the mood of separation....so since the acarya sets the standards and since he, Srila Prabhupada is our founder acarya....we ought to follow him.

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Srila Prabhupada as our founder acarya never expressed objection when he saw the Deities of Lord Caitanya dressed with peacock feather and not as sannyasi who is in the mood of separation....so since the acarya sets the standards and since he, Srila Prabhupada is our founder acarya....we ought to follow him.

 

 

Srila Prabhupada was silent on seeing many things which could be considered improper. His silence does not necessarily mean he endorsed it, but that the devotees were new and couldn't assimilate too many rules and regulations at one time.

 

An example is once when Prabhupada came to New York and all the brahmacaris were wearing uttariya (the upper clother that sannyasis wear around their neck). When he saw them he didn't say anything, but latter after leaving he sent a message that no one should wear this cloth except sannyasis. His silence didn't mean he accepted it, just that it wasn't the time or place to tell them of their mistake.

 

Another situation is the Ratha Yatra in Los Angeles. When Prabhupada was there the devotees had put the three Ratha's in the wrong order in the procession, and he didn't say anything. I believe till this day they continue to keep the Ratha's in the wrong order on the grounds that Srila Prabhupada didn't object to it. It is foolish to continue the mistake since the Ratha Yatra festival has a specific tradition which we are trying to recreate.

 

There are many such examples, but I think the point is understandable. Silence does not necessarily mean Srila Prabhupada endorsed something as right.

 

As far as I understand, there is no other bonafide Gaudiya line that puts peacock feathers on Gauranga other than some people in ISKCON. And this originated from some new devotees in in the 1970's who really didn't have much knowledge of the tradition at the time. Thus I ask myself should I give more importance to the words of a great sadhu who was steeped in the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition such as Gour Govinda Maharaja, or should I prefer to follow the new tradition established by devotee XYZ in 1970 who is probably no longer in ISKCON? I will choose to follow the instructions of recognized sadhus.

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JNDas, in Toronto the carts always start with Lord Baladeva, then Lady Subhadra, and finally Lord Jagannatha. Is the order different in Puri? This is also the order from our left to right on the altar as They are seen.

 

gHari

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******************************

 

As far as I understand, there is no other bonafide Gaudiyaline that puts peacock feathers on Gauranga other than some people in ISKCON. And this originated from some new devotees in in the 1970's who really didn't have much knowledge of the tradition at the time. Thus I ask myself should I give more importance to the words of a great sadhu who was steeped in the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition such as Gour Govinda Maharaja, or should I prefer to follow the new tradition established by devotee XYZ in 1970 who is probably no longer in ISKCON? I will choose to follow the instructions of recognized sadhus.

 

************************

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JNDas, in Toronto the carts always start with Lord Baladeva, then Lady Subhadra, and finally Lord Jagannatha. Is the order different in Puri? This is also the order from our left to right on the altar as They are seen.

 

 

That is the way it is done in Puri. As far as I am aware all ISKCON temples also follow this system except for Los Angeles.
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