This YouTube recording (Jayapataka Swami archives) presents devotional chanting and a narrated lecture focusing on the story of Raghunath Das—his belonging to an aristocratic Kayastha family, repeated attempts to run away to join Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, conflicts with a local tax-collector (chaudhary) over alleged tax evasion by Raghunath’s relatives, and Chaitanya’s instruction discouraging false renunciation and advising sincere service while remaining a grihastha. The transcript also contains Jaya Pataka Swami’s contemporary anecdote about being arrested in Montreal in 1968 for ‘disturbing the peace.’
Questions this video answers
November 7, 2005
1968 (arrested for 'disturbing the peace')
Ram. It's Ram. Sai. Ram. Jam Sam. Ram. Ram. Ram. It's. It's Sam. It's Ram. Sam. Ram. It's Sam. Ram. Nitai. You might Sam Nam. Ram. Ham Taco sa. All.
All glories to the assembly. All glories to the assembly. All glory to the assembly. All glory.
People. Ram. Ram.
Indeed, the chaudhary was afraid of Raghunath. Because Raghunathas belonged to the Kaista community. Although the chotary were chastised him with oral vibrations. He was afraid to beat him. Report by Srila Prabhupada. Raghunath Das belonged to a very aristocratic family of the Kayesta community. He had substantial influence with the local people. And therefore the chaudhary or minister was afraid to beat him. Superficially he was chastised. Raghunathas was threatening vibrations. But he did not meet him. The members of the Kaiste community India are generally very intelligent and expert in business management. Formerly they were mostly government officers. They were mentioned even by Yangji Valkya as quoted by Shira Bhakti Vitaku and his Amrit Prabhaha Basya. From this verse it appears that the government officials of the Kaiste community would sometimes chastise the citizens. Thus it was the duty of the king to protect the people in general from the atrocities of the Kaistas. In Bengal. The Kaistan community is not there almost as much as to Brahmana community in the upcountry. Due to the crisis, they considered sugars because they generally eat meat and drink wine. In any case in history the Caiastas appear very intelligent. Thus the Muhammadan chaudhary was afraid of Raghun advance because he belonged to the Kaista community. So how did Rabban Dance get arrested? Have you ever been arrested? Not nice to be arrested. I was arrested for doing Harvard in Montreal 1968. Disturbing the peace. Disturbing all the chanting in the park, on the road. Disturbing St. Catherine Street. Some crazy police guy arrested us. We got released later after eight hours. Raghuna Das. He wanted to join Chaitanya Mahap. And he kept running away from home. And his father kept arresting him. His father was a big landlord. It's like the feudal system. Lords are like small kings. They have their own area that they gather the taxes from and pay the big king. That was their role in society. So they had their own police force. They had. They had some protection. They had some enforcement. They were the local government. So he was in a very influential family. He wanted to join Chaitanya Mahapu. He went to see Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and said please take me. The Lord Chaitanya told him not to be a false renouncer. Anyone who was a grihatsa that said he wanted to give everything up and join as some kind of renunciate. Lord Chaitanya would discourage them. He would call it Margata Vairagya monkey renunciation. Salginis is Sita tradition. Everything up human needs Spanish translation is happening here.
So.
He said, don't try to falsely renounce. And you can serve me by being wherever you are. So you can serve Ka as a grihasta. So you do your grihasta duties so diligently. Nobody can tell that you are so attached to Krishna. Just like a wife who is cheating on her husband doesn't want to get found out. So be very careful how to do it. Maybe serve the husband more. Even better than normal. Such example was used by Lord Chaitanga. You be like that. You keep your heart with Krishna. But you do your duties very nicely.
No.
Nobody can tell you're not fully committed to all your materialistic duties. So that was the order of the Lord. So at that time he went back home and was performing his duties in this mood. Then so happened that just at that.
Time.
This Chaudhary, he was a government officer. He was like Minister of Finance or something. Before he used to be the tax collector for. He was the tax collector before for that area. And he knew that the actual income of the area was 2 million gold coins. And the rule was 1/4 of the total tax should be paid to the can be kept by the tax collector for his expenses. And three fourths should be be paid to the government. So that means they should be paying 15,001,500,000. But actually he was only paying 1,200,000. 300,300,000 gold coins. That Raguna Das. This was his uncle. Yeah, his uncle. This was his uncle, not Raghunathas. His uncle was doing this kind of tax evasion. Very famous in North America. IRS watching the tax evas. So this old tax collector who used to get so much income because half of million gold coins. A gold coin is worth a lot more than a dollar nowadays. An ounce of gold is what, 400 plus. So you're talking about millions and millions of dollars. As far as I know in those days a gold coin was 11 grams or a about tolas. And 11 grams is more than a third. Saying $200. It's a round number, easy to go. So 200 times 800. 800,000. So that's 16 million or 160 million. Two times 200 times 800,000. One hundred and sixty. $160 million was how much money he was making by our dollar today. Which in those days money had value you could live off of. You could buy enough food with one rupee for the whole year. He was fabulously wealthy. So the heir apparent for all this wealth was Raghunathas. So this chaudhary complained to the minister that they're cheating at your 300,000 gold coins. And the minister came to arrest.
The.
Uncle and the father of Raghunathas. They got the information and escaped. Not finding anybody else there asked Raghunath Das. So the chaudhary was threatening Raghunathas. We're going to beat you. Where is your uncle? Where is your father? Harassing, torturing him. I mean verbally at least. They're framed as innum. Because. And I figured, you know, they're so powerful. Anybody that powerful, that influential. Maybe they'll get me back. So I didn't actually physically torture him. I just scolded it. So then says how Rabindradass he used his intelligence and he called the guy. You know, you are like you my guru. You are like such a great saintly person. You are the brother. Actually. You and my uncles are like all like brothers. You're always working together. Brothers always have fights amongst themselves. Then they become friends. I think my uncle and my father, they didn't do right to you. They should give you some money also. This whole thing can be resolved all very mutually. For everybody. A win win solution can be. That's a mother.
Bingo.
Of course. So then the chori started crying. Oh, you're such a nice boy. He was singing music to my ears. And then. Okay, I'm going to have you released. This is not right. You're not the one that's won't call you.
I'm going.
No. I will try to bring you two together. And we've got a nice neutral solution. Then he was released. And that has he got a secret other uncle. My father. They worked everything out. Probably something for the government, something for you, something for me. No, it doesn't say ancient image. It's not relevant. You know how these things go. But after all this running a dance. This material world stinks. What if you were on the planet? Lord Chaitanya is there having his pastimes in Jagannath Puri. You want to sit with the millions of dollars and wrestling with all the time. But he couldn't get the mercy. He wasn't allowed to go. Even Lord Chaitanya didn't allow. What a mystery. Then he began to run away again from his house. He got up alone one night and left. But his father caught him in a distant place and brought him back. This became almost a daily affair. Raghunath would run away from home and his father would again bring him back. When Raghunatha's mother began speaking to his father. Our son has become mad, the mother said. Just keep him by binding him with ropes. His father, being very unhappy, replied to her as follows. Raghunan Das. Our son has opulences like Indra, the heavenly king. And his wife is as beautiful as an angel. Yet all this could not tie down his mind. How then can we keep this boy home by binding him with ropes? It is not possible for one's father to nullify the reactions of one past activities. Lord Chichaitanya Mahprabhu has fully bestowed his mercy on him who can keep home such a madman. Thank you for watching our videos. Be sure to subscribe. Subscribe to our channel. We publish new videos every day. And don't forget to like and share our channel.
