Page 36 - Powerful Feminine Qualities

chance for the common people to have access to Sanskrit learning due to the exclusive rights of the Brahmin families to
Sanskrit learning. Lord Caitanya inspired his learned disciples to translate the Vedic Sanskrit learning into holy chants of
poetic songs (bhajans) in the vernacular of the common people (Bengali language). This was considered a sacrilege by the
Brahmins, who guarded their exclusive right to Sanskrit. By translating the Vedic knowledge into the common language of
the people, the brahminical exclusivity was broken and thus all people were benefited.
After Amogha insulted Lord Caitanya and Sarvabhauma chased him away, he spoke the following to his daughter and wife.
“It is said, ‘Patim ca patitam tyajet,’ (CC Madhya 15.265) when a husband is fallen, his relationship must be given up. He
advised his daughter to leave her husband. In disgust, he vowed never to see Amogha again, nor utter his name.
The Srimad Bhagavatam says, “One cannot be a husband if he cannot liberate his dependents from inevitable death”. (SB
5.5.18) Such a person cannot be accepted as a husband. A wife should dedicate her life to serving Lord Krishna and share
her spiritual happiness with her family members by giving them holy food (prasadam) everyday with love and affection. If
she is happy in Krishna consciousness, she will have the patience and love to make her family members happy also. If her
husband abandons Krishna consciousness or is antagonistic to her being Krishna conscious, then she may follow the
example of the dvija-patnis, the wives of the brahmanas who lived in Vrindavan in the time of Krishna. Their husbands
refused to serve Krishna who requested some prasadam from their performance of Vedic sacrifices. Kamsa, the inimical
King of Mathura, who wanted to kill Krishna, employed them. However, the wives of the Brahmanas were not afraid to
serve Krishna by bringing Him prasadam that they especially cooked for Him. After feeding Krishna, the wives received a
precious instruction from the Lord.
“My dear dvija-patnis, rest assured that your husbands will not neglect you on your return, nor will your brothers,
sons or fathers refuse to accept you. Because you are My pure devotees, not only your relatives but also people in
general, as well as the demigods, will be satisfied with you. Transcendental love for Me does not depend upon bodily
connection, but anyone whose mind is always absorbed in Me will surely, very soon, come to Me for My eternal
association.” (CC Madhya 15.264)
After the wives returned to their Brahmana husbands, they were welcomed with respect. The husbands realized that
their wives were much more advanced in Krishna knowledge than themselves. They were expert in reciting the Vedic
mantras and performing sacrifices for materialistic benefits. Their wives, however, understood the essence of spiritual
knowledge: always meditating on Krishna with love and devotion and actually serving the Lord.
In the case of Amogha’s wife, Sathi, she was advised to separate from her husband for good. Sarvabhauma decided not to
take any further action against his son-in-law because he thought, “The Lord will take this sinner in His own hands!” He
implied that the laws of karma would overcome Amogha because it is stated in the Vedic scriptures that a person who
criticizes Lord Krishna or His devotee will lose everything and fall into a hellish existence to suffer immeasurably.
Predictably, Amogha was soon afflicted with cholera and deteriorated quickly. He suffering was terrible and he was on the
verge of death when Lord Caitanya went to his side. The Lord touched his heart and said, “Why have you allowed jealousy
to sit here? Because of this, you have become like a candala, the lowest of men, and you have also contaminated a
purified place – your heart.” The Lord advised Amogha to chant the Hare Krishna Mahamantra. By the transcendental
touch of Lord Caitanya’s mercy, Amogha jumped up re-energized, and chanted and danced. Amogha’s faultfinding and
critical nature was purified, and he became inspired to serve the Lord with love and devotion.

Rectification and forgiveness
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A devotee naturally is adverse to faultfinding. This is stressed by Lord Krishna in the 16 chapter of the Bhagavad-gita,
“Apaishunam means that one should not find fault with others or correct them unnecessarily. Of course to call a thief
a thief is not faultfinding, but to call an honest person a thief is very much offensive for one who is making
advancement in spiritual life.” Amogha criticized Lord Caitanya by viciously accusing Him of not being a genuine
sannyasi. To criticize a devotee who has dedicated his life to propagating the Holy Name of the Lord, Hare Krishna, is a
serious offence that must be forgiven; otherwise, the entire spiritual life of the offender is ruined.

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