Gundicā Mandira Mārjana
Today is Gundicā Mandira Mārjana.
First of all, I want to inform you that prior to the time of Śrīman Mahāprabhu, the King of Orissa, following his own advice, along with his officers and workers, used to personally arrange the cleaning of the Gundicā Mandira.However, when Śrīman Mahāprabhu came to Śrī Jagannātha Purī, He completely changed this tradition. Mahāprabhu expressed His desire to personally perform the Gundicā Mandira Mārjana—that is, the cleaning of the Gundicā Temple—with the help of His devotees and associates.
Mahāprabhu conveyed this wish to Kāśī Miśra, who was the Gurudeva of King Pratāparudra. Upon hearing this, Kāśī Miśra informed King Pratāparudra. The king became overjoyed and said, “Whatever Mahāprabhu desires, we must certainly arrange for it.” So, what did Mahāprabhu request? He asked for about one hundred brooms and one hundred clay pots. Everything was promptly arranged according to His instructions.
From that time until now, this tradition has continued every year without fail.
However, this year, the tradition was unfortunately broken. Many Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas and other devotees went to the Gundicā Mandira with the sincere intention to clean the temple and its surroundings, but the temple administration did not allow them to even enter the premises. At times, they opened a small door to give a brief view of the interior of the Gundicā Mandira, but no one was permitted to enter and perform the service.
I do not know what is the desire of Śrī Jagannātha Deva in this regard. What happened and why it happened is beyond our understanding.
Now let us discuss the significance of Gundicā Mandira Mārjana.
There are two main temples connected with Śrī Jagannātha Deva. The first is the Śrī Jagannātha Mandira, where Śrī Jagannātha Deva resides throughout the entire year, except for the period from the day of Ratha-yātrā until Punar Ratha-yātrā (the Return Cart Festival). During this time, Śrī Jagannātha Deva stays at the Gundicā Mandira.
One day before Ratha-yātrā, all the devotees, especially the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas, traditionally gather to perform the ceremonial cleaning of the Gundicā Mandira.
You may wonder: why are the two temples known as Gundicā Mandira and Jagannātha Mandira?
Śrī Jagannātha Deva permanently resides in Nīlācala, hence the main temple is called Jagannātha Mandira—this is His eternal abode.
Regarding the Gundicā Mandira: according to tradition, the Jagannātha Mandira was originally established by King Indradyumna during Satya-yuga. Śrī Jagannātha Deva Himself declared that for eight days each year, He would leave His eternal abode and go to reside at another place—the Gundicā Mandira and that place is non other than Gundicha Mandir (like Vrindavan). King Indradyumna’s wife’s name was Gundicha, so according to her name, this temple’s name became Gundicha Mandir. So what is Gundicha Mandir Marjan? Marjan means to clean, so Jagannath Dev will go and stay there for 8 days, so all the devotees clean the Gundicha Mandir. The significance of cleaning Gundicha Mandir is we have to make Sri Jagannath Dev (Sri Krishna) sit in our heart, so our hearts need to be clean. Therefore, Gundicha Mandir Marjan means cleaning our own hearts (not others’). Sriman Mahaprabhu, when he started Gundicha Mandir Marjan, firstly he himself along with his associates, they used a broom to remove big pebbles and stones and other similar things. After that they used a broom again to clean small chips and pieces etc everything cleansed completely. Then post that Mahaprabhu asked everyone to clean very nicely, basically clean the Gundicha Mandir as clean as your heart. Now some are spacing out, and Sriman Mahaprabhu is chastising in a very sweet way, CC Madhya 12.117
“tumi bhāla kariyācha, śikhāha anyere
ei-mata bhāla karma seho yena kare”
you have done it in a marvellous and wonderful way, now teach others. So they became ashamed and started cleaning in a nice way. At the time of Sriman Mahaprabhu also some are spacing out, this is the tradition of this Material world. So nowadays if someone is spacing out, it is not a strange thing.
This is not something strange. Śrīman Mahāprabhu Himself said, “Whether I clean or others clean—when it is finished, I will compare who has collected the least amount of dirt. That person will have to take piṭhāpānā, meaning they will be given something delicious to eat, and I will distribute to all the devotees.”
When the cleaning was done, Mahāprabhu personally gathered all the dirt and dust. Even though many senior devotees had collected dirt, Mahāprabhu’s pile was larger than all the others combined.
Then Mahāprabhu asked them to bring water. They cleaned everything thoroughly. What happened next? The devotees came very early and gave Mahāprabhu clay pots filled with water. Sometimes, the clay pots were so fragile that they broke just by being touched. Even then, Śrīman Mahāprabhu used those broken pots to throw water towards the ceiling to clean it. He cleaned the ceiling as well—He did everything! Śrīman Mahāprabhu even used His uttarīya, His upper sannyāsī cloth, to clean the bedī, the altar platform where Jagannātha sits. Some Gauḍīya devotees brought water and directly poured it on Mahāprabhu’s lotus feet, and then they drank that water on the spot. Seeing this, Mahāprabhu became angry.
He called out, “Svarūpa Dāmodara! O Svarūpa Dāmodara! Look at the behaviour of these Gauḍīyas! See what they have done! I am a human being. They are pouring water on My feet and drinking it here, right in front of Jagannātha Deva’s altar!” Svarūpa Dāmodara immediately came, grabbed the neck of that devotee, and took him outside from the altar area.Although the devotee had done a very good job in cleaning, still Svarūpa Dāmodara removed him. However, they reassured him, saying, “Sometimes we will take you inside again.”
During this Gundicā Mandira Mārjana, many devotees secretly collected the water that had touched Mahāprabhu’s lotus feet, but they did not let Mahāprabhu see this.
This was the mood: simple-hearted and innocent devotees. Mahāprabhu, while appearing stern in front of everyone, was actually full of internal affection. He was teaching all by example: No one should perform such activities like pouring water on someone’s feet and drinking it directly in front of the Deity’s altar.
Mahāprabhu Himself acted this way to teach others. During the cleaning, when they opened the water outlets, the water began flowing out so forcefully that it looked as though a new river was forming, rushing towards the ocean. This is Gundicā Mandira Mārjana.
Now, what is the significance of this pastime?
Coming to that, I will share what Guru Mahārāja and other senior devotees have told.
On one occasion, during Gundicā Mandira Mārjana, a great devotee named Param Pūjyapāda Bhakti Prajñāna Keśava Gosvāmī Mahārāja, a disciple of Śrīla Prabhupāda Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, was present. Śrīla Gurudeva, Śrīla Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja, was also there.
At that time, Śānta Gosvāmī Mahārāja said, “Gurudeva! O Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja! Please speak some Hari-kathā on the significance of Gundicā Mandira Mārjana.”
Hearing Śrīla Gurudeva’s words, Śānta Gosvāmī Mahārāja became very happy. He said, “O! I am very pleased that after our departure, the disciples of Śrīla Prabhupāda and devotees like you can continue Mahāprabhu’s mission very nicely. I am very happy.”
What did Śrīla Gurudeva explain?
That this pastime of Mahāprabhu and the devotees cleaning the temple represents the cleansing of the heart. The dust is symbolic of anarthas (unwanted things in the heart). As long as these anarthas remain, Bhagavān will not take His seat in the heart.
What are these anarthas? Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura explains in Bhajana Rahasya:
* Svarūpa-bhrama (illusion about one’s true identity)
* Asakti (material attachments)
* Hṛdaya-daurbalya (weakness of heart)
What is svarūpa-bhrama?
It is confusion about our real identity. People think, “I am the GM of this company,” “I am the owner of this business,” “I am the DM of this district,” “I am the CM of this state,” “I am the PM of this country.”Or they think, “I am the husband of this woman,” “I am the wife of this man,” “I am a big officer,” “I am doing this or that.” All of this is false ego.
What is our actual identity?
Śrīman Mahāprabhu answered this clearly when Sanātana Gosvāmī asked Him, “Who am I? Why am I suffering from the threefold miseries? And what is the ultimate goal of life?”
Mahāprabhu replied:
*“jīvera svarūpa haya—nitya kṛṣṇera dāsa”*
“The eternal constitutional identity of the jīva is that he is the eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa.”
The eternal identification of the jīva is that the jīva is the eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa. This is the simple meaning. Later, Mahāprabhu said at another place, in Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 13.80:
“nāhaṁ vipro na ca nara-patir nāpi vaiśyo na śūdro
nāhaṁ varṇī na ca gṛha-patir no vanastho yatir vā
kintu prodyan-nikhila-paramānanda-pūrnāmṛtābdher
gopī-bhartuḥ pada-kamalayor dāsa-dāsānudāsaḥ”
Generally, we identify ourselves by saying, “I am from this varṇa, from this āśrama.” But no, this is not our real identification. Mahāprabhu says, “nāhaṁ varṇī na ca gṛha-patir”—I am not a sannyāsī, not a brahmacārī, not a gṛhastha, not a vānaprasthī.
Then Sanātana Gosvāmī asked, “Who am I then?”
Mahāprabhu answered, “gopī-bhartuḥ pada-kamalayor dāsa-dāsānudāsaḥ.”
Who is this Gopī-bhartuḥ? It refers to Vrajendra-nandana Śyāmasundara. And who are the gopīs? Śrīmatī Rādhikā and Her associates.
What is the meaning of pada-kamalayor dāsa—servant of the lotus feet? It refers to Rādhikā’s eight principal sakhīs: Lalitā, Viśākhā, Citrā, Campakalatā, Indulekhā, Tuṅgavidyā, Raṅgadevī, and Sudevī.
And after that? Dāsānudāsa—servant of the servants. Who are these? Rūpa Mañjarī, Rati Mañjarī, Lavaṅga Mañjarī, and other prominent mañjarīs. Serving under them are our guru-varga: Rāga Mañjarī, Rāmaṇa Mañjarī, Vinoda Mañjarī, Kamala Mañjarī, and others. These are dāsānudāsa.
This means that we are all ultimately mañjarīs of Śrīmatī Rādhikā.
How can we say this with conviction? Śrīla Gurudeva (Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja) said: whoever has come with attraction to Mahāprabhu, their internal identity is as maidservants of Śrīmatī Rādhikā. If they were not in this category, they could not even enter Mahāprabhu’s line.
Almost all of them are in this mañjarī mood: gopī-bhartuḥ pada-kamalayor dāsa-dāsānudāsaḥ. If one does not have this mood, they will go to the Rāmānuja-sampradāya or another sampradāya. This is the proof, based on our guru-varga and Mahāprabhu’s own words from Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā 4.15:
“prema-rasa-niryāsa karite āsvādana
rāga-mārga bhakti loke karite pracāraṇa”
What does prema-rasa-niryāsa mean? If you churn Kṛṣṇa-prema, what comes out of it? Gopī-prema—like butter. If you melt that butter, what comes out? Ghee. And what is that? Rādhā-prema.
Kṛṣṇa appeared to relish this Rādhā-prema. So, prema-rasa-niryāsa means the essence of prema-rasa.
Then, rāga-mārga bhakti loke karite pracāraṇa—Mahāprabhu came to preach rāga-mārga-bhakti to the world.
First, we must understand rāgātmikā. Who are rāgātmikās? They are the eternal associates of Vraja, whose hearts are saturated with spontaneous love for Kṛṣṇa. Their mood is called rāgātmikā.
By seeing or hearing about the activities of these rāgātmikā associates, if someone develops greed to attain such mood, they are called rāgānuga.
Among rāgānuga-bhaktas, there are various rasas—dāsya, sakhya, vātsalya, and mādhurya. But rūpānuga is exclusive to mādhurya-rasa.
Who is a rūpānuga? One who follows Rūpa Mañjarī in their siddha-deha (perfect spiritual body) and follows Rūpa Gosvāmī in their sādhaka-deha (practicing body).
So, Mahāprabhu came to distribute this—to relish it Himself and to give it to others.
Now, coming to svarūpa-bhrama (misconceptions about one’s identity), it is of four types:
- Sva-svarūpa—our own spiritual identity.
- Para-svarūpa—who is our worshipable deity.
- Sādhya-svarūpa—our ultimate goal.
- Sādhana-svarūpa—the means to attain that goal.
When we were first created, we had a choice: to look upwards or downwards.
Looking downwards appeared very glittery and attractive. Those who looked downwards became bound by Māyā, the external energy.
Those who looked upwards went to the Vaikuṇṭha planets.
Śrīla Gurudeva said that one cannot go directly to Goloka Vṛndāvana. In order to reach Goloka Vṛndāvana, the jīva must first come to this material world and perform bhajana under the guidance of a bona fide guru and a rasika Vaiṣṇava. Only then is it possible.
Upon coming to this world, we naturally develop the desire to enjoy. This tendency is called asat-kṛṣṇa—a bad choice, a weakness of heart. Even though we know that sense enjoyment is bad, still we cannot stop ourselves. Sometimes we do this, sometimes that. We know, “No, this is bad,” but still, we cannot control our senses.
This condition is called indriya-daurbalya—weakness of the senses. When we are under the control of this indriya-daurbalya, we are bound to commit offenses. This leads to many types of aparādhas: ten kinds of nāmāparādha (offenses to the holy name), ten kinds of dhāmāparādha (offenses to the holy dhāma), and thirty-two kinds of sevāparādha (offenses in service)—a total of fifty-two types of aparādhas.
Among these fifty-two offenses, the most dangerous is sādhu-nindā-aparādha—offending the devotees.
Now coming to svarūpa-bhrama (misconceptions about one’s identity), there are four main types:
- Sādhu-bhrama—misconceptions about the nature and position of a sādhu.
- Asat-tṛṣṇa-bhrama—misconceptions about what is favorable and unfavorable for Kṛṣṇa.
- Indriya-daurbalya—weakness of the senses.
- Aparādha—tendencies to commit offenses.
Each of these is further divided into four subtypes.
For more detailed understanding, one should study the scriptures of Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura. On the other hand, Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura explains in Madhurya-kādambinī the stages before niṣṭhā. These are:
- Utsāha-mayī
- Ghana-taralā
- Vyūḍha-vikalpā
- Viṣaya-saṅgarā
- Niyamākṣamā
What is utsāha-mayī? It means enthusiastic but immature zeal. For example, according to Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura, when a small boy first goes to school, he chants enthusiastically: “A for apple, B for boy, C for cat, D for dog, E for elephant, F for fox!” Singing this alphabet, the boy thinks, “Now I have become a big student!”
The next day, he eagerly wakes up and says to his mother, “Don’t delay! The bus is coming! I have to go!” This is called utsāha-mayī. Similarly, when someone takes initiation, they declare, “I must chant 64 rounds! I must do this! I must do that!”
But what happens after some time? The mood becomes inconsistent—sometimes very thick, sometimes very thin. Sometimes the devotee can do everything, sometimes nothing at all. He wakes up in the night with a headache and cannot attend maṅgala-ārati. Even if he wakes up, he falls back asleep.
When asked, “How are you, Prabhu?” the devotee replies, “I am not feeling well. My health is not good. I cannot do any service.”
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura gives the example of the small schoolboy again. When the boy doesn’t do his homework, the teacher gives him a small sweet chastisement: “Hey boy! Why could you not do this?”
The next day, the boy refuses to wake up. His mother says, “Hey boy! The bus will come soon!” But the boy answers, “I am not going.”
When the mother asks why, he says, “Nothing! I will not go.” The real reason is that the homework given by the teacher was too difficult for him, so he doesn’t want to go. This inconsistency is called ghana-taralā—sometimes thick, sometimes thin.
Then comes vyūḍha-vikalpā, the stage of indecision: “What should I do? Should I become a renounced person? Or should I remain a householder?”
One thinks, “I don’t know what to do. Our guru-varga were all in the renounced order. Śrīman Mahāprabhu accepted sannyāsa. I must also now become a renunciate, a mahārāja with daṇḍa—a tridaṇḍī-sannyāsī.”
Then the thought comes, “No, no, it’s not possible. Almost all associates of Mahāprabhu were householders. Śrī Kṛṣṇa, Śrī Rāma—both were householders. I will remain a householder. I will produce children and make them devotees.”
Then again, “No, no! I will not do that! I will become a sannyāsī. Sannyāsīs have so much etiquette, so much honor. I will do that.” Then again, “No, how can I? My parents are too old. Moreover, my wife is so young, so nice, so attractive. My baby is speaking broken words to me. I cannot leave them. It’s not possible.”
This internal conflict is called vyūḍha-vikalpā—the struggle of “What to do? What not to do?”
Next comes viṣaya-saṅgarā—the struggle with material sense objects. One thinks, “I shall not indulge in this,” but still fights with material desires. Sometimes the devotee wins, sometimes he is defeated.
Saṅgara means fight, and viṣaya means sense objects.
Following this is niyamākṣamā—the stage of making vows but being unable to maintain them. One resolves, “I will do this, I will do that,” but after some time, fails to maintain the vow. This is called niyamākṣamā—inability to follow rules and regulations.
Then comes taranga-raṅgiṇī. Taranga means waves, raṅgiṇī means playful or colorful.
At this stage, the devotee starts noticing, “This makes me low, this makes me high. This is disturbing, this is distracting.”It’s like standing on the bank of the ocean, watching how the waves dance. In the same way, the devotee watches how the waves of sense gratification come and go—sometimes pulling him in, sometimes letting him go.
This too is an anartha.
