CHAPTER FIFTEEN
The Lord Accepts Prasādam at the House of Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya
The following summary of this chapter is given by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura in his Amṛta-pravāha-bhāṣya. After the Ratha-yātrā festival, Śrī Advaita Ācārya Prabhu worshiped Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu with flowers and tulasī. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, in return, worshiped Advaita Ācārya with the flowers and tulasī that remained on the offered plate and said a mantra, yo ’si so ’si namo ’stu te (“Whatever You are, You are — but I offer My respects unto You”). Then Advaita Ācārya Prabhu invited Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu for prasādam. When Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and His devotees performed the Nandotsava ceremony, the Lord dressed Himself as a cowherd boy. Thus the ceremony was very jubilant. Then the Lord and His devotees observed Vijayā-daśamī, the day of victory when Lord Rāmacandra conquered Laṅkā. The devotees all became soldiers of Lord Rāmacandra, and Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, in the ecstasy of Hanumān, manifested various transcendentally blissful activities. Thereafter, the Lord and His devotees observed various other ceremonies.
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu then asked all the devotees to return to Bengal. Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu sent Nityānanda Prabhu to Bengal for preaching and also sent Rāmadāsa, Gadādhara dāsa and several other devotees with Him. Then Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, with great humility, sent some Jagannātha prasādam and a cloth from Lord Jagannātha to His mother through Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura. When the Lord bade farewell to Rāghava Paṇḍita, Vāsudeva Datta, the residents of Kulīna-grāma and other devotees, He praised them for their transcendental qualities. Rāmānanda Vasu and Satyarāja Khān asked some questions, and Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu instructed them that all householder devotees must engage themselves in the service of Vaiṣṇavas exclusively devoted to chanting the holy name of the Lord. He also instructed the Vaiṣṇavas from Khaṇḍa, as well as Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya and Vidyā-vācaspati, and He praised Murāri Gupta for his firm faith in the lotus feet of Lord Rāmacandra. Considering the humble prayer of Vāsudeva Datta, He established that Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa is qualified to deliver all the conditioned souls.
Thereafter, when Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was accepting prasādam at the house of Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya, Sārvabhauma’s son-in-law, Amogha, created trouble in the family with his criticisms. The following morning, he was attacked by the disease of visūcikā (cholera). Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu very kindly saved him from death and enlivened him in chanting the holy name of Lord Kṛṣṇa.
Bengali
অঙ্গীকুর্বন্ স্ফুটাং চক্রে গৌরঃ স্বাং ভক্তবশ্যতাম্ ॥ ১ ॥
Text
sva-nindakam amoghakam
aṅgī-kurvan sphuṭāṁ cakre
gauraḥ svāṁ bhakta-vaśyatām
Synonyms
sārvabhauma-gṛhe — at the house of Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya; bhuñjan — while eating; sva-nindakam — a person who was criticizing Him; amoghakam — named Amogha; aṅgī-kurvan — accepting; sphuṭām — manifested; cakre — made; gauraḥ — Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu; svām — His; bhakta-vaśyatām — obligation to His devotees.
Translation
While Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was taking prasādam at the house of Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya, Amogha criticized Him. Still, the Lord accepted Amogha, thereby showing how much He was obliged to His devotees.
Bengali
জয়াদ্বৈতচন্দ্র জয় গৌরভক্তবৃন্দ ॥ ২ ॥
Text
jayādvaita-candra jaya gaura-bhakta-vṛnda
Synonyms
Translation
All glories to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu! All glories to Lord Nityānanda Prabhu! All glories to Advaitacandra! And all glories to all the devotees of Lord Caitanya!
Bengali
চৈতন্যচরিতামৃত — যাঁর প্রাণধন ॥ ৩ ॥
Text
caitanya-caritāmṛta — yāṅra prāṇa-dhana
Synonyms
Translation
All glories to the listeners of Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta who have accepted it as their life and soul!
Bengali
নীলাচলে রহি’ করে নৃত্যগীত-রঙ্গে ॥ ৪ ॥
Text
nīlācale rahi’ kare nṛtya-gīta-raṅge
Synonyms
Translation
While Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu stayed at Jagannātha Purī, He constantly enjoyed chanting and dancing with His devotees.
Bengali
নৃত্যগীত করে দণ্ডপরণাম, স্তবন ॥ ৫ ॥
Text
nṛtya-gīta kare daṇḍa-paraṇāma, stavana
Synonyms
Translation
In the beginning of the day, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu saw the Deity of Lord Jagannātha in the temple. He offered Him obeisances and prayers and danced and sang before Him.
Bengali
হরিদাস মিলি’ আইসে আপন নিলয় ॥ ৬ ॥
Text
haridāsa mili’ āise āpana nilaya
Synonyms
Translation
After visiting the temple, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu would remain outside during the upala-bhoga offering. He would then go meet Haridāsa Ṭhākura and return to His residence.
Purport
At noon, when there was an upala-bhoga offering in a place called bhoga-vardhana-khaṇḍa, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu would go outside the temple. Before going outside, He used to stand near the Garuḍa-stambha column and offer His obeisances and prayers. Afterwards, the Lord would visit Siddha-bakula, where Haridāsa Ṭhākura lived. After visiting with Haridāsa Ṭhākura, the Lord would return to His own place at the abode of Kāśī Miśra.
Bengali
অদ্বৈত আসিয়া করে প্ৰভুর পূজন ॥ ৭ ॥
Text
advaita āsiyā kare prabhura pūjana
Synonyms
Translation
Sitting in His room, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu would chant on His beads, and Advaita Prabhu would come there to worship the Lord.
Bengali
সর্বাঙ্গে লেপয়ে প্রভুর সুগন্ধি চন্দন ॥ ৮ ॥
Text
sarvāṅge lepaye prabhura sugandhi candana
Synonyms
Translation
While worshiping Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Advaita Ācārya would offer Him scented water to wash His mouth and feet. Then Advaita Ācārya would smear very fragrant sandalwood pulp all over His body.
Bengali
যোড়-হাতে স্তুতি করে পদে নমস্করি’ ॥ ৯ ॥
Text
yoḍa-hāte stuti kare pade namaskari’
Synonyms
Translation
Śrī Advaita Prabhu would also place a flower garland around the Lord’s neck and tulasī flowers [mañjarīs] on His head. Then, with folded hands, Advaita Ācārya would offer obeisances and prayers unto the Lord.
Bengali
সেই সব লঞা প্রভু আচার্যে পূজিল ॥ ১০ ॥
Text
sei saba lañā prabhu ācārye pūjila
Synonyms
Translation
After being worshiped by Advaita Ācārya, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu would take the dish containing flowers and tulasī and, with whatever paraphernalia remained, worship Advaita Ācārya.
Bengali
মুখবাদ্য করি’ প্রভু হাসায় আচার্যেরে ॥ ১১ ॥
Text
mukha-vādya kari’ prabhu hāsāya ācāryere
Synonyms
Translation
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu would worship Advaita Ācārya by chanting the mantra “Whatever You are, You are — but I offer My respects unto You.” In addition, the Lord would make some sounds within His mouth that would make Advaita Ācārya laugh.
Bengali
প্রভুরে নিমন্ত্রণ করে আচার্য বার বার ॥ ১২ ॥
Text
prabhure nimantraṇa kare ācārya bāra bāra
Synonyms
Translation
In this way Advaita Ācārya and Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu would offer Their respectful obeisances unto each other. Then Advaita Ācārya would extend an invitation to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu again and again.
Bengali
বিস্তারি’ বর্ণিয়াছেন দাস-বৃন্দাবন ॥ ১৩ ॥
Text
vistāri’ varṇiyāchena dāsa-vṛndāvana
Synonyms
ācāryera nimantraṇa — the invitation of Advaita Ācārya; āścarya-kathana — wonderful story; vistāri’ — very vividly; varṇiyāchena — described; dāsa-vṛndāvana — Vṛndāvana dāsa Ṭhākura.
Translation
Indeed, Śrī Advaita Ācārya’s invitation is another wonderful story. It has been very vividly described by Vṛndāvana dāsa Ṭhākura.
Bengali
আর ভক্তগণ করে প্রভুরে নিমন্ত্রণ ॥ ১৪ ॥
Text
āra bhakta-gaṇa kare prabhure nimantraṇa
Synonyms
Translation
Since Advaita Ācārya’s invitation has been described by Vṛndāvana dāsa Ṭhākura, I shall not repeat the story. But I shall say that other devotees also extended invitations to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.
Bengali
প্ৰভু-সঙ্গে তাহাঁ ভোজন করে ভক্ত সব ॥ ১৫ ॥
Text
prabhu-saṅge tāhāṅ bhojana kare bhakta saba
Synonyms
Translation
Day after day, one devotee after another would invite Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and the other devotees to lunch and would also hold a festival.
Bengali
জগন্নাথের নানা যাত্রা দেখে মহারঙ্গে ॥ ১৬ ॥
Text
jagannāthera nānā yātrā dekhe mahā-raṅge
Synonyms
Translation
All the devotees remained at Jagannātha Purī for four continuous months, and they observed all Lord Jagannātha’s festivals with great pleasure.
Bengali
গোপবেশ হৈলা প্রভু লঞা ভক্ত সব ॥ ১৭ ॥
Text
gopa-veśa hailā prabhu lañā bhakta saba
Synonyms
Translation
The devotees celebrated the festival of Janmāṣṭamī, Kṛṣṇa’s birthday, which is also called Nanda-mahotsava, the festival of Nanda Mahārāja. At that time Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and His devotees dressed themselves as cowherd boys.
Bengali
মহোত্সব-স্থানে আইলা বলি ‘হরি’ ‘হরি’ ॥ ১৮ ॥
Text
mahotsava-sthāne āilā bali ‘hari’ ‘hari’
Synonyms
Translation
Having dressed up like cowherd boys, all the devotees carried pots of milk and yogurt balanced on rods over their shoulders. Thus they all arrived at the festival grounds chanting the holy name of Hari.
Bengali
জগন্নাথ মাহাতি হঞাছেন ‘ব্রজেশ্বরী’ ॥ ১৯ ॥
Text
jagannātha-māhāti hañāchena ‘vrajeśvarī’
Synonyms
kānāñi-khuṭiyā — Kānāñi Khuṭiyā; āchena — is; nanda-veśa dhari’ — in the dress of Nanda Mahārāja; jagannātha-māhāti — Jagannātha Māhāti; hañāchena — was; vrajeśvarī — mother Yaśodā.
Translation
Kānāñi Khuṭiyā dressed himself like Nanda Mahārāja, and Jagannātha Māhiti dressed himself as mother Yaśodā.
Bengali
সার্বভৌম, আর পড়িছা-পাত্র তুলসী ॥ ২০ ॥
Text
sārvabhauma, āra paḍichā-pātra tulasī
Synonyms
āpane pratāparudra — personally King Pratāparudra; āra — and; miśra-kāśī — Kāśī Miśra; sārvabhauma — Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya; āra — and; paḍichā-pātra tulasī — Paḍichāpātra Tulasī, the temple superintendent.
Translation
At that time, King Pratāparudra was also personally present with Kāśī Miśra, Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya and Tulasī Paḍichāpātra.
Bengali
দধি-দুগ্ধ হরিদ্রা-জলে ভরে সবার অঙ্গ ॥ ২১ ॥
Text
dadhi-dugdha haridrā-jale bhare sabāra aṅga
Synonyms
Translation
As usual, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu danced jubilantly. Everyone was covered with milk, yogurt and yellow turmeric water.
Bengali
লগুড় ফিরাইতে পার, তবে জানি গোপ ॥ ২২ ॥
Text
laguḍa phirāite pāra, tabe jāni gopa
Synonyms
Translation
At this time Śrīla Advaita Ācārya said, “Please do not be angry. I speak the truth. I shall know that You are a cowherd boy only if You can wheel this rod about.”
Bengali
বার বার আকাশে ফেলি’ লুফিয়া ধরিলা ॥ ২৩ ॥
Text
bāra bāra ākāśe pheli’ luphiyā dharilā
Synonyms
Translation
Accepting Advaita Ācārya’s challenge, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu took a big rod and began to wheel it around and around. Again and again He threw the rod into the sky and caught it when it fell.
Bengali
পাদমধ্যে ফিরায় লগুড়, — দেখি’ লোক হাসে ॥ ২৪ ॥
Text
pāda-madhye phirāya laguḍa, — dekhi’ loka hāse
Synonyms
Translation
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu wheeled and threw the rod, sometimes over His head, sometimes behind His back, sometimes in front of Him, sometimes to His side and sometimes between His legs. All the people laughed to see this.
Bengali
দেখি’ সর্বলোক-চিত্তে চমত্কার পায় ॥ ২৫ ॥
Text
dekhi’ sarva-loka-citte camatkāra pāya
Synonyms
Translation
When Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu whirled the rod in a circle like a firebrand, the heart of everyone who saw it was astonished.
Bengali
কে বুঝিবে তাঁহা দুঁহার গোপভাব গূঢ় ॥ ২৬ ॥
Text
ke bujhibe tāṅhā duṅhāra gopa-bhāva gūḍha
Synonyms
Translation
Nityānanda Prabhu also played at whirling the rod. Who can understand how They were ecstatically immersed in the deep emotions of the cowherd boys?
Bengali
জগন্নাথের প্রসাদ-বস্ত্র এক লঞা আসি ॥ ২৭ ॥
Text
jagannāthera prasāda-vastra eka lañā āsi
Synonyms
pratāparudrera — of King Pratāparudra; ājñāya — on the order; paḍichā-tulasī — the temple superintendent named Tulasī; jagannāthera — of Lord Jagannātha; prasāda-vastra — used cloth; eka — one; lañā — taking; āsi — came.
Translation
Following the orders of Mahārāja Pratāparudra, the temple superintendent, named Tulasī, brought one of Lord Jagannātha’s used cloths.
Bengali
আচার্যাদি প্রভুর গণেরে পরাইল ॥ ২৮ ॥
Text
ācāryādi prabhura gaṇere parāila
Synonyms
Translation
This valuable cloth was wrapped around the head of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. The other devotees, headed by Advaita Ācārya, also had cloths wrapped about their heads.
Bengali
আবেশে বিলাইল ঘরে ছিল যত ধন ॥ ২৯ ॥
Text
āveśe vilāila ghare chila yata dhana
Synonyms
Translation
In ecstasy, Kānāñi Khuṭiyā, who was dressed as Nanda Mahārāja, and Jagannātha Māhiti, who was dressed as mother Yaśodā, distributed all the riches they had stocked at home.
Bengali
মাতাপিতা-জ্ঞানে দুঁহে নমস্কার কৈলা ॥ ৩০ ॥
Text
mātā-pitā-jñāne duṅhe namaskāra kailā
Synonyms
Translation
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was greatly satisfied to see this. Accepting them as His father and mother, He offered them obeisances.
Bengali
এইমত লীলা করে গৌরাঙ্গসুন্দর ॥ ৩১ ॥
Text
ei-mata līlā kare gaurāṅga-sundara
Synonyms
Translation
In great ecstasy, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu returned to His residence. In this way, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, known as Gaurāṅga-sundara, performed various pastimes.
Bengali
বানর-সৈন্য কৈলা প্রভু লঞা ভক্তগণে ॥ ৩২ ॥
Text
vānara-sainya kailā prabhu lañā bhakta-gaṇe
Synonyms
Translation
On the day celebrating the conquest of Laṅkā — a day known as Vijayā-daśamī — Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu dressed up all His devotees as monkey soldiers.
Bengali
লঙ্কা-গড়ে চড়ি’ ফেলে গড় ভাঙ্গিয়া ॥ ৩৩ ॥
Text
laṅkā-gaḍe caḍi’ phele gaḍa bhāṅgiyā
Synonyms
Translation
Displaying the emotions of Hanumān, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu took up a large tree branch and, mounting the walls of the Laṅkā fort, began to dismantle it.
Bengali
‘জগন্মাতা হরে পাপী, মারিমু সবংশে ॥’ ৩৪ ॥
Text
‘jagan-mātā hare pāpī, mārimu savaṁśe’
Synonyms
Translation
In the ecstasy of Hanumān, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu angrily said, “Where is that rascal Rāvaṇa? He has kidnapped the universal mother, Sītā. Now I shall kill him and all his family.”
Bengali
সর্বলোক ‘জয়’ ‘জয়’ বলে বার বার ॥ ৩৫ ॥
Text
sarva-loka ‘jaya’ ‘jaya’ bale bāra bāra
Synonyms
Translation
Everyone became very much astonished to see the emotional ecstasy of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and everyone began to chant, “All glories! All glories!” again and again.
Bengali
উত্থান-দ্বাদশীযাত্রা দেখিলা সকলি ॥ ৩৬ ॥
Text
utthāna-dvādaśī yātrā dekhilā sakali
Synonyms
Translation
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and His devotees participated in all the festivals, including Rāsa-yātrā, Dīpāvalī and Utthāna-dvādaśī.
Purport
The Dīpāvalī festival takes place on the dark-moon night in the month of Kārttika (October-November). The Rāsa-yātrā, or rāsa dancing of Kṛṣṇa, takes place on the full-moon night of the same month. Utthāna-dvādaśī takes place the day after Ekādaśī in the waxing fortnight of the moon in the same month. All the devotees of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu participated in all these festivals.
Bengali
দুই ভাই যুক্তি কৈল নিভৃতে বসিয়া ॥ ৩৭ ॥
Text
dui bhāi yukti kaila nibhṛte vasiyā
Synonyms
Translation
One day the two brothers, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Nityānanda Prabhu, consulted with each other while sitting together in a solitary place.
Bengali
ফলে অনুমান পাছে কৈল ভক্তগণে ॥ ৩৮ ॥
Text
phale anumāna pāche kaila bhakta-gaṇe
Synonyms
Translation
No one could understand what the brothers discussed between Themselves, but later all the devotees could guess what the subject matter was.
Bengali
গৌড়দেশে যাহ সবে বিদায় করিল ॥ ৩৯ ॥
Text
gauḍa-deśe yāha sabe vidāya karila
Synonyms
Translation
Thereafter, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu called for all the devotees and asked them to return to Bengal. In this way, He bade farewell to them.
Bengali
গুণ্ডিচা দেখিয়া যাবে আমারে মিলিয়া ॥ ৪০ ॥
Text
guṇḍicā dekhiyā yābe āmāre miliyā
Synonyms
Translation
Bidding farewell to all the devotees, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu requested them to return to Jagannātha Purī every year to see Him and then see the cleansing of the Guṇḍicā temple.
Bengali
‘আ-চণ্ডাল আদি কৃষ্ণভক্তি দিও দান’ ॥ ৪১ ॥
Text
‘ā-caṇḍāla ādi kṛṣṇa-bhakti dio dāna’
Synonyms
Translation
With great respect, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu requested Advaita Ācārya, “Give Kṛṣṇa consciousness, devotion to Kṛṣṇa, even to the lowest of men [caṇḍālas].”
Purport
This is Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s order to all His devotees. Kṛṣṇa-bhakti, devotion to Kṛṣṇa, is open to everyone, even low-class men like caṇḍālas. One should follow this order in the disciplic succession stemming from Śrī Advaita and Nityānanda Prabhu and distribute Kṛṣṇa consciousness without discrimination throughout the world.
There are different kinds of men, beginning with the brāhmaṇa and going down to the lowest platform, known as caṇḍāla. Whatever one’s position, everyone in this Age of Kali needs to be enlightened in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is the greatest need of the day. Everyone is acutely feeling the pangs of material existence. Even in the ranks and files of the American Senate, the pinpricks of material existence are felt, so much so that April 30, 1974, was actually set aside as Prayer Day. Thus everyone is feeling the resultant pinpricks of Kali-yuga brought about by human society’s indulging in illicit sex, meat-eating, gambling and intoxication. Now is the time for the members of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness to distribute kṛṣṇa-bhakti all over the world and thus follow the orders of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. The Lord has ordered everyone to become a guru (Cc. Madhya 7.128): āmāra ājñāya guru hañā tāra’ ei deśa. Everyone in every town and village should be enlightened by the instructions of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Kṛṣṇa consciousness should be distributed to everyone indiscriminately. In this way, the entire world will be peaceful and happy, and everyone will glorify Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, as He desires.
The word caṇḍāla actually refers to a dog-eater, who is considered the lowest of men. Even caṇḍālas can be enlightened in Kṛṣṇa consciousness due to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s benedictions. Kṛṣṇa-bhakti is not the monopoly of a certain caste. Everyone is eligible to receive this great benediction given by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Everyone should be given a chance to receive it and be happy.
The word dāna, meaning “charity,” is also significant in this verse. Whoever engages in the distribution of Kṛṣṇa consciousness is a charitable person. Professional men recite Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and discuss kṛṣṇa-bhakti for an exchange of money. They cannot distribute such exalted transcendental property to everyone and anyone. Only pure devotees, who have no motive other than serving Kṛṣṇa, can give such transcendentally valuable benedictions out of charity.
Bengali
অনর্গল প্রেমভক্তি করিহ প্রকাশে ॥ ৪২ ॥
Text
anargala prema-bhakti kariha prakāśe
Synonyms
Translation
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu ordered Nityānanda Prabhu, “Go to Bengal and, without restriction, manifest devotional service to the Lord, Kṛṣṇa consciousness.”
Purport
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu thus ordered Nityānanda Prabhu to deliver all the Bengalis to devotional service. In the Bhagavad-gītā (9.32) the Lord says:
striyo vaiśyās tathā śūdrās te ’pi yānti parāṁ gatim
“O son of Pṛthā, those who take shelter in Me, though they be of lower birth — women, vaiśyas [merchants], and śūdras [workers] — can attain the supreme destination.” Whoever takes to Kṛṣṇa consciousness and follows the regulative principles can return home, back to Godhead.
In his Anubhāṣya, Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura writes, “There is a class of so-called devotees called prākṛta-sahajiyās who think that Nityānanda Prabhu is an ordinary human being. They have spread the news that Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu ordered Nityānanda Prabhu to return to Bengal from Orissa just to marry and beget children. This is certainly a great offense against Nityānanda Prabhu.”
Such an offense is called pāṣaṇḍa-buddhi, or an atheistic remark. Offenders consider Nityānanda Prabhu to be like one of them, an ordinary human being. They do not know of Nityānanda Prabhu’s identity with the viṣṇu-tattva. Thinking Nityānanda Prabhu to be an ordinary human being is the business of mental speculators known as kuṇapātma-vādīs. These people accept the material body, which is a bag of three material elements (kuṇape tri-dhātuke), as themselves. They think that Nityānanda Prabhu’s body was similarly material and that it was meant for sense gratification. Whoever thinks in this way is a candidate for the darkest regions of hell. Those who hanker after women and money, who are self-interested and have the mentality of merchants, can certainly discover many things with their fertile brains and speak against the authorized revealed scriptures. They also engage in some moneymaking businesses to cheat innocent people, and they try to support their business programs by making such offensive statements. Actually Nityānanda Prabhu, being the expansion of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, is the most munificent incarnation. No one should consider Him an ordinary human being or an entity like the prajāpatis, who were ordered by Brahmā to increase generations. Nityānanda Prabhu should not be considered instrumental for sense gratification. Although professional so-called preachers support this idea, such statements are not found in any authorized revealed scriptures. Actually there is no support for these statements made by sahajiyās or other professional distributors of kṛṣṇa-bhakti.
Bengali
তোমার সহায় লাগি’ দিলু তোমার সনে ॥ ৪৩ ॥
Text
tomāra sahāya lāgi’ dilu tomāra sane
Synonyms
Translation
Nityānanda Prabhu was given assistants like Rāmadāsa, Gadādhara dāsa and several others. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, “I give them to You to assist You.
Bengali
অলক্ষিতে রহি’ তোমার নৃত্য দেখিব’ ॥ ৪৪ ॥
Text
alakṣite rahi’ tomāra nṛtya dekhiba’
Synonyms
Translation
“I shall also go to see You at intervals. Keeping Myself invisible, I shall watch You dance.”
Bengali
কণ্ঠে ধরি’ কহে তাঁরে মধুর বচন ॥ ৪৫ ॥
Text
kaṇṭhe dhari’ kahe tāṅre madhura vacana
Synonyms
Translation
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu then embraced Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita and, with His arm about his neck, began to speak to him in sweet words.
Bengali
তুমি দেখা পাবে, আর কেহ না দেখিব ॥ ৪৬ ॥
Text
tumi dekhā pābe, āra keha nā dekhiba
Synonyms
Translation
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu requested Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura, “Perform congregational chanting daily, and be assured that I shall also dance in your presence. You will be able to see this dancing, but not others.
Bengali
দণ্ডবৎ করি’ আমার ক্ষমাইহ অপরাধ ॥ ৪৭ ॥
Text
daṇḍavat kari’ āmāra kṣamāiha aparādha
Synonyms
Translation
“Take this prasādam of Lord Jagannātha’s and this cloth and deliver them to My mother, Śacīdevī. After offering her obeisances, please request her to excuse My offenses.
Bengali
ধর্ম নহে, করি আমি নিজ ধর্ম-নাশ ॥ ৪৮ ॥
Text
dharma nahe, kari āmi nija dharma-nāśa
Synonyms
Translation
“I have given up the service of My mother and have accepted the sannyāsa order. Actually I should not have done this, for by so doing I have destroyed My religious principles.
Bengali
তাহা ছাড়ি’ করিয়াছি বাতুলের কর্ম ॥ ৪৯ ॥
Text
tāhā chāḍi’ kariyāchi vātulera karma
Synonyms
Translation
“I am subordinate to the love of My mother, and it is My duty to serve her in return. Instead of doing so, I have accepted the renounced order. Certainly this is the act of a madman.
Bengali
এই জানি’ মাতা মোরে না করয় রোষ ॥ ৫০ ॥
Text
ei jāni’ mātā more nā karaya roṣa
Synonyms
Translation
“A mother is not offended by her mad son, and knowing this, My mother is not offended by Me.
Bengali
যে-কালে সন্ন্যাস কৈলুঁ, ছন্ন হৈল মন ॥ ৫১ ॥
Text
ye-kāle sannyāsa kailuṅ, channa haila mana
Synonyms
Translation
“I had no business in accepting the renounced order and sacrificing My love for My mother, which is My real property. Actually I was in a crazy state of mind when I accepted sannyāsa.
Bengali
মধ্যে মধ্যে আসিমু তাঁর চরণ দেখিতে ॥ ৫২ ॥
Text
madhye madhye āsimu tāṅra caraṇa dekhite
Synonyms
Translation
“I am staying here at Jagannātha Purī, Nīlācala, to comply with her orders. But at intervals I go see her lotus feet.
Bengali
স্ফূর্তি-জ্ঞানে তেঁহো তাহা সত্য নাহি মানে ॥ ৫৩ ॥
Text
sphūrti-jñāne teṅho tāhā satya nāhi māne
Synonyms
Translation
“Indeed, I go there daily to see her lotus feet. She is able to feel My presence, although she does not believe it to be true.
Bengali
শাক, মোচা-ঘণ্ট, ভৃষ্ট-পটোল-নিম্বপাত ॥ ৫৪ ॥
শালগ্ৰামে সমর্পিলেন বহু উপহার ॥ ৫৫ ॥
Text
śāka, mocā-ghaṇṭa, bhṛṣṭa-paṭola-nimba-pāta
śālagrāme samarpilena bahu upahāra
Synonyms
eka-dina — one day; śāli-anna — cooked rice made of śāli paddy; vyañjana — vegetables; pāṅca-sāta — five to seven different kinds; śāka — spinach; mocā-ghaṇṭa — curry made from banana flowers; bhṛṣṭa — fried; paṭola — paṭola vegetables; nimba-pāta — with leaves of the nimba tree; lembu — lemon; ādā-khaṇḍa — pieces of ginger; dadhi — yogurt; dugdha — milk; khaṇḍa-sāra — sugar candy; śālagrāme — unto Lord Viṣṇu in the form of the śālagrāma; samarpilena — offered; bahu upahāra — many other varieties of food.
Translation
“One day My mother, Śacī, offered food to Śālagrāma Viṣṇu. She offered rice cooked from śāli paddies, various kinds of vegetables, spinach, curry made of banana flowers, fried paṭola with nimba leaves, pieces of ginger with lemon, and also yogurt, milk, sugar candy and many other foods.
Bengali
নিমাইর প্রিয় মোর — এসব ব্যঞ্জন ॥ ৫৬ ॥
Text
nimāira priya mora — e-saba vyañjana
Synonyms
Translation
“Taking the food upon her lap, Mother was crying to think that all that food was very dear to her Nimāi.
Bengali
মোর ধ্যানে অশ্রুজলে ভরিল নয়ন ॥ ৫৭ ॥
Text
mora dhyāne aśru-jale bharila nayana
Synonyms
Translation
“My mother was thinking, ‘Nimāi is not here. Who will accept all this food?’ As she meditated upon Me in this way, her eyes filled with tears.
Bengali
শূন্যপাত্র দেখি’ অশ্রু করিয়া মার্জন ॥ ৫৮ ॥
Text
śūnya-pātra dekhi’ aśru kariyā mārjana
Synonyms
Translation
“While she was thus thinking and crying, I immediately went there with great haste and ate everything. Seeing the dish empty, she wiped her tears away.
Bengali
বালগোপাল কিবা খাইল সব ভাত ? ৫৯ ॥
Text
bālagopāla kibā khāila saba bhāta?
Synonyms
Translation
“She then began to wonder who had eaten all that food. ‘Why is the plate empty?’ she wondered, doubting that Bāla-gopāla had eaten it all.
Bengali
কিবা কোন জন্তু আসি’ সকল খাইল ? ৬০ ॥
Text
kibā kona jantu āsi’ sakala khāila?
Synonyms
Translation
“She began to wonder whether there had actually been anything on the plate in the first place. Then again she thought that some animal might have come and eaten everything.
Bengali
এত চিন্তি’ পাক-পাত্র যাঞা দেখিল ॥ ৬১ ॥
Text
eta cinti’ pāka-pātra yāñā dekhila
Synonyms
Translation
“She thought, ‘Perhaps by mistake I did not put any food on the plate.’ So thinking, she went into the kitchen and saw the pots.
Bengali
দেখিয়া সংশয় হৈল কিছু চমৎকার মনে ॥ ৬২ ॥
Text
dekhiyā saṁśaya haila kichu camatkāra mane
Synonyms
Translation
“When she saw that all the pots were still filled with rice and vegetables, there was some doubt in her mind, and she was astonished.
Bengali
পুনরপি গোপালকে অন্ন সমর্পিল ॥ ৬৩ ॥
Text
punarapi gopālake anna samarpila
Synonyms
Translation
“Thus wondering, she called Īśāna, the servant, and had the place cleaned again. She then offered another plate to Gopāla.
Bengali
মোরে খাওয়াইতে করে উৎকণ্ঠায় রোদন ॥ ৬৪ ॥
Text
more khāoyāite kare utkaṇṭhāya rodana
Synonyms
Translation
“Now whenever she prepares some good cooked food and wants to feed it to Me, she cries in great anxiety.
Bengali
অন্তরে মানয়ে সুখ, বাহ্যে নাহি মানে ॥ ৬৫ ॥
Text
antare mānaye sukha, bāhye nāhi māne
Synonyms
Translation
“Being obliged by her love, I am brought there to eat. Mother knows all these things internally and feels happiness, but externally she does not accept them.
Bengali
তাঁহাকে পুছিয়া তাঁর করাইহ প্ৰতীতি ॥ ৬৬ ॥
Text
tāṅhāke puchiyā tāṅra karāiha pratīti
Synonyms
Translation
“Such an incident took place on the last Vijayā-daśamī day. You can ask her about this incident and thus make her believe that I actually go there.”
Bengali
লোক বিদায় করিতে প্রভু ধৈর্য ধরিলা ॥ ৬৭ ॥
Text
loka vidāya karite prabhu dhairya dharilā
Synonyms
Translation
While describing all this, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu became a little overwhelmed, but just to finish bidding farewell to the devotees, He remained patient.
Bengali
‘তোমার শুদ্ধ প্রেমে আমি হই’ তোমার বশ ॥ ৬৮ ॥
Text
‘tomāra śuddha preme āmi ha-i’ tomāra vaśa’
Synonyms
Translation
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu next spoke some relishable words to Rāghava Paṇḍita. He said, “I am obliged to you due to your pure love for Me.”
Bengali
পরম পবিত্র সেবা অতি সর্বোত্তম ॥ ৬৯ ॥
Text
parama-pavitra sevā ati sarvottama
Synonyms
Translation
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu then informed everyone, “Just hear about the pure devotional service rendered to Kṛṣṇa by Rāghava Paṇḍita. Indeed, Rāghava Paṇḍita’s service is supremely pure and highly accomplished.
Bengali
পাঁচ গণ্ডা করি’ নারিকেল বিকায় তথা ॥ ৭০ ॥
Text
pāṅca gaṇḍā kari’ nārikela vikāya tathā
Synonyms
Translation
“Apart from other commodities, just hear about his offering of coconuts. A coconut is sold at the rate of five gaṇḍās each.
Bengali
তথাপি শুনেন যথা মিষ্ট নারিকেল ॥ ৭১ ॥
Text
tathāpi śunena yathā miṣṭa nārikela
Synonyms
Translation
“Although he already has hundreds of trees and millions of fruits, he is still very eager to hear about the place where sweet coconuts are available.
Bengali
দশক্রোশ হৈতে আনায় করিয়া যতন ॥ ৭২ ॥
Text
daśa-krośa haite ānāya kariyā yatana
Synonyms
Translation
“He collects coconuts with great endeavor from a place twenty miles away, and he pays four paṇas each for them.
Bengali
সুশীতল করিতে রাখে জলে ডুবাইঞা ॥ ৭৩ ॥
Text
suśītala karite rākhe jale ḍubāiñā
Synonyms
Translation
“Every day five to seven coconuts are clipped and put into water to keep cool.
Bengali
কৃষ্ণে সমর্পণ করে মুখ ছিদ্র করি’ ॥ ৭৪ ॥
Text
kṛṣṇe samarpaṇa kare mukha chidra kari’
Synonyms
Translation
“At the time of offering bhoga, the coconuts are again clipped and cleansed. After holes are made in them at the top, they are offered to Lord Kṛṣṇa.
Bengali
কভু শূন্য ফল রাখেন, কভু জল ভরি’ ॥ ৭৫ ॥
Text
kabhu śūnya phala rākhena, kabhu jala bhari’
Synonyms
Translation
“Lord Kṛṣṇa drinks the juice from these coconuts, and sometimes the coconuts are left drained of juice. At other times the coconuts remain filled with juice.
Bengali
ফল ভাঙ্গি’ শস্যে করে সৎপাত্র পূরিত ॥ ৭৬ ॥
Text
phala bhāṅgi’ śasye kare sat-pātra pūrita
Synonyms
Translation
“When Rāghava Paṇḍita sees that the juice has been drunk from the coconuts, he is very pleased. He then breaks the coconuts, takes out the pulp and puts it on another plate.
Bengali
শস্য খাঞা কৃষ্ণ করে শূন্য ভাজন ॥ ৭৭ ॥
Text
śasya khāñā kṛṣṇa kare śūnya bhājana
Synonyms
Translation
“After offering the pulp, he meditates outside the temple door. In the meantime, Lord Kṛṣṇa, having eaten the pulp, leaves the plate empty.
Bengali
শ্রদ্ধা বাড়ে পণ্ডিতের, প্রেমসিন্ধু ভাসে ॥ ৭৮ ॥
Text
śraddhā bāḍe paṇḍitera, prema-sindhu bhāse
Synonyms
Translation
“Sometimes, after eating the pulp, Kṛṣṇa fills the plate again with new pulp. In this way, the faith of Rāghava Paṇḍita increases, and he floats in an ocean of love.
Bengali
ভোগ লাগাইতে সেবক আইল লঞা ॥ ৭৯ ॥
Text
bhoga lāgāite sevaka āila lañā
Synonyms
Translation
“One day it so happened that about ten coconuts were properly clipped and brought by a servant to offer to the Deity.
Bengali
ফল-পাত্র-হাতে সেবক দ্বারে ত’ রহিল ॥ ৮০ ॥
Text
phala-pātra-hāte sevaka dvāre ta’ rahila
Synonyms
Translation
“When the coconuts were brought, there was little time to offer them because it was already late. The servant, holding the container of coconuts, remained standing at the door.
Bengali
সেই হাতে ফল ছুঁইল, পণ্ডিত দেখিল ॥ ৮১ ॥
Text
sei hāte phala chuṅila, paṇḍita dekhila
Synonyms
Translation
“Rāghava Paṇḍita then saw that the servant touched the ceiling above the door and then touched the coconuts with the same hand.
Bengali
তার পদধূলি উড়ি’ লাগে উপর ভিতে ॥ ৮২ ॥
Text
tāra pada-dhūli uḍi’ lāge upara bhite
Synonyms
Translation
“Rāghava Paṇḍita then said, ‘People are always coming and going through that door. The dust from their feet blows up and touches the ceiling.
Bengali
কৃষ্ণ-যোগ্য নহে, ফল অপবিত্র হৈলা ॥ ৮৩ ॥
Text
kṛṣṇa-yogya nahe, phala apavitra hailā
Synonyms
Translation
“ ‘After touching the ceiling above the door, you have touched the coconuts. Now they are no longer fit to be offered to Kṛṣṇa because they are contaminated.’
Purport
Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura states that Rāghava Paṇḍita was not simply a crazy fellow suffering from some cleansing mania. He did not belong to the mundane world. In lower consciousness, accepting something to be spiritual when it is actually material is called bhauma ijya-dhīḥ. Rāghava Paṇḍita was an eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa, and everything he saw was related to the service of the Lord. He was always absorbed in the transcendental thought of how he could always serve Kṛṣṇa with everything. Sometimes neophytes, devotees on the lower platform, try to imitate Rāghava Paṇḍita on the platform of material purity and impurity. Such imitation will not help anyone. As explained in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Antya-līlā 4.174), bhadrābhadra-vastu-jñāna nāhika ‘prākṛte.’ On the transcendental platform there is no higher or lower, pure or impure. On the material platform, distinction is made between good and bad, but on the spiritual platform everything is of the same quality.
‘ei bhāla, ei manda’, — ei saba ‘bhrama’
“In the material world, conceptions of good and bad are all mental speculations. Therefore, saying ‘This is good and that is bad’ is all a mistake.” (Cc. Antya 4.176)
Bengali
ঐছে পবিত্র প্রেম-সেবা জগৎ জিনিয়া ॥ ৮৪ ॥
Text
aiche pavitra prema-sevā jagat jiniyā
Synonyms
Translation
“Such is the service of Rāghava Paṇḍita. He did not accept the coconuts but threw them over the wall. His service is purely based on unalloyed love, and it conquers the whole world.
Bengali
পরম পবিত্র করি’ ভোগ লাগাইল ॥ ৮৫ ॥
Text
parama pavitra kari’ bhoga lāgāila
Synonyms
Translation
“Thereafter, Rāghava Paṇḍita had other coconuts gathered, cleansed and clipped, and with great attention he offered them to the Deity to eat.
Bengali
যাহা যাহা দূর-গ্রামে শুনিয়াছে ভাল ॥ ৮৬ ॥
Text
yāhā yāhā dūra-grāme śuniyāche bhāla
Synonyms
Translation
“In this way, from distant villages he collects excellent bananas, mangoes, oranges, jackfruits and whatever other first-class fruits he has heard about.
Bengali
পবিত্র সংস্কার করি’ করে নিবেদন ॥ ৮৭ ॥
Text
pavitra saṁskāra kari’ kare nivedana
Synonyms
Translation
“All these fruits are collected from distant places and bought at a high price. After trimming them with great care and purity, Rāghava Paṇḍita offers them to the Deity.
Bengali
এত মত চিড়া, হুড়ুম, সন্দেশ সকল ॥ ৮৮ ॥
Text
ei mata ciḍā, huḍuma, sandeśa sakala
Synonyms
Translation
“Thus with great care and attention Rāghava Paṇḍita prepares spinach, other vegetables, radishes, fruits, chipped rice, powdered rice and sweetmeats.
Bengali
পরম পবিত্র, আর করে সর্বোত্তম ॥ ৮৯ ॥
Text
parama pavitra, āra kare sarvottama
Synonyms
Translation
“He prepares cakes, sweet rice, condensed milk and everything else with great attention, and the cooking conditions are purified so that the food is first class and delicious.
Bengali
গন্ধ, বস্ত্র, অলঙ্কার, সর্ব দ্রব্য-সার ॥ ৯০ ॥
Text
gandha, vastra, alaṅkāra, sarva dravya-sāra
Synonyms
Translation
“Rāghava Paṇḍita also offers all kinds of pickles, such as kāśamdi. He offers various scents, garments, ornaments and the best of everything.
Bengali
যাহা দেখি’ সর্বলোকের জুড়ায় নয়ন ॥ ৯১ ॥
Text
yāhā dekhi’ sarva-lokera juḍāya nayana
Synonyms
Translation
“Thus Rāghava Paṇḍita serves the Lord in an incomparable way. Everyone is very much satisfied just to see him.”
Bengali
এইমত সম্মানিল সর্ব ভক্তগণে ॥ ৯২ ॥
Text
ei-mata sammānila sarva bhakta-gaṇe
Synonyms
Translation
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu then mercifully embraced Rāghava Paṇḍita. The Lord also offered all the other devotees a farewell with similar respect.
Bengali
বাসুদেব-দত্তের তুমি করিহ সমাধান ॥ ৯৩ ॥
Text
vāsudeva-dattera tumi kariha samādhāna
Synonyms
Translation
The Lord also respectfully told Śivānanda Sena, “Take care of Vāsudeva Datta very nicely.
Bengali
সেই দিনে ব্যয় করে, নাহি রাখে শেষে ॥ ৯৪ ॥
Text
sei dine vyaya kare, nāhi rākhe śeṣe
Synonyms
Translation
“Vāsudeva Datta is very liberal. Every day, whatever income he receives, he spends. He does not keep any balance.
Bengali
সঞ্চয় না কৈলে কুটুম্ব-ভরণ নাহি হয় ॥ ৯৫ ॥
Text
sañcaya nā kaile kuṭumba-bharaṇa nāhi haya
Synonyms
Translation
“Being a householder, Vāsudeva Datta needs to save some money. Because he is not doing so, it is very difficult for him to maintain his family.
Bengali
‘সরখেল’ হঞা তুমি করিহ সমাধানে ॥ ৯৬ ॥
Text
‘sara khela’ hañā tumi kariha samādhāne
Synonyms
Translation
“Please take care of Vāsudeva Datta’s family affairs. Become his manager and make the proper adjustments.
Purport
Vāsudeva Datta and Śivānanda Sena were living in the same neighborhood, which is presently called Kumārahaṭṭa or Hālisahara.
Bengali
গুণ্ডিচায় আসিবে সবায় পালন করিয়া ॥ ৯৭ ॥
Text
guṇḍicāya āsibe sabāya pālana kariyā
Synonyms
Translation
“Come every year and bring all My devotees with you to the Guṇḍicā festival. I also request you to maintain all of them.”
Bengali
প্রত্যব্দ আসিবে যাত্রায় পট্টডোরী লঞা ॥ ৯৮ ॥
Text
pratyabda āsibe yātrāya paṭṭa-ḍorī lañā
Synonyms
Translation
The Lord then with great respect extended an invitation to all the inhabitants of Kulīna-grāma, asking them to come every year and bring silken rope to carry Lord Jagannātha during the Ratha-yātrā festival.
Bengali
তাহাঁ একবাক্য তাঁর আছে প্রেমময় ॥ ৯৯ ॥
Text
tāhāṅ eka-vākya tāṅra āche premamaya
Synonyms
Translation
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu then said, “Guṇarāja Khān of Kulīna-grāma compiled a book named Śrī Kṛṣṇa-vijaya, in which there is a sentence revealing the author’s ecstatic love of Kṛṣṇa.”
Purport
Śrī Kṛṣṇa-vijaya is a book of poems considered to be the first poetry book written in Bengal. Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura states that this book was begun in the year 1395 Śakābda (A.D. 1473). After seven years, it was completed (in 1402 Śakābda). This book was written in plain language, and even half-educated Bengalis and women could read it very clearly. Even ordinary men with little knowledge of the alphabet could read this book and understand it. Its language is not very ornamental, and sometimes the poetry is not very sweet to hear. Although according to the sonnet style each line should contain fourteen syllables, there are sometimes sixteen, twelve or thirteen syllables in his verse. Many words used in those days could be understood only by local inhabitants, yet this book is still so popular that no bookstore is complete without it. It is very valuable for those who are interested in advancing in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Śrī Guṇarāja Khān was one of the topmost Vaiṣṇavas, and he translated the Tenth and Eleventh Cantos of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam for the understanding of the common man. The book Śrī Kṛṣṇa-vijaya was highly praised by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and it is very valuable for all Vaiṣṇavas. Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura gives a genealogical table and family history of Guṇarāja Khān. When a Bengali emperor named Ādiśūra first came from Kānyakubja, or Kānauj, he brought with him five brāhmaṇas and five kāyasthas. Since the king is supposed to be accompanied by his associates, the brāhmaṇas accompanied the King to help him in higher spiritual matters. The kāyasthas were to render other services. In the northern Indian high country, the kāyasthas are accepted as śūdras, but in Bengal the kāyasthas are considered among the higher castes. It is a fact that the kāyasthas came to Bengal from northern India, specifically from Kānyakubja, or Kānauj. Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura says that the kāyasthas who came from Kānyakubja were high-class men. Of them, Daśaratha Vasu was a great personality, and the thirteenth generation of his family included Guṇarāja Khān.
His real name was Mālādhara Vasu, but the title Khān was given to him by the Emperor of Bengal. Thus he became known as Guṇarāja Khān. Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura gives the following genealogical table of Guṇarāja Khān: (1) Daśaratha Vasu; (2) Kuśala; (3) Śubhaśaṅkara; (4) Haṁsa; (5) Śaktirāma (Bāgāṇḍā), Muktirāma (Māinagara) and Alaṅkāra (Baṅgaja); (6) Dāmodara; (7) Anantarāma; (8) Guṇīnāyaka and Vīṇānāyaka. The twelfth generation included Bhagīratha, and the thirteenth Mālādhara Vasu, or Guṇarāja Khān. Śrī Guṇarāja Khān had fourteen sons, of whom the second son, Lakṣmīnātha Vasu, received the title Satyarāja Khān. His son was Śrī Rāmānanda Vasu; therefore Rāmānanda Vasu belonged to the fifteenth generation. Guṇarāja Khān was a very well known and wealthy man. His palace, fort and temples are still existing, and from these we can deduce that the opulence of Guṇarāja Khān was certainly very great. Śrī Guṇarāja Khān never cared for the artificial aristocracy introduced by Ballāl Sena.
Bengali
এই বাক্যে বিকাইনু তাঁর বংশের হাত ॥ ১০০ ॥
Text
ei vākye vikāinu tāṅra vaṁśera hāta
Synonyms
Translation
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, “ ‘Kṛṣṇa, the son of Nanda Mahārāja, is my life and soul.’ By this statement I am sold into the hands of the descendants of Guṇarāja Khān.
Purport
The full verse-referred to here is:
nandanandana kṛṣṇa — mora prāṇa-nātha
“With folded hands I offer my prayers unto Kṛṣṇa, Nanda Mahārāja’s son, who is my life and soul.”
Bengali
সেহ মোর প্রিয়, অন্যজন রহু দূর ॥ ১০১ ॥
Text
sei mora priya, anya-jana rahu dūra
Synonyms
Translation
“To say nothing of you, even a dog living in your village is very dear to Me. What, then, to speak of others?”
Bengali
প্রভুর চরণে কিছু কৈল নিবেদন ॥ ১০২ ॥
Text
prabhura caraṇe kichu kaila nivedana
Synonyms
Translation
After this, Rāmānanda Vasu and Satyarāja Khān both submitted questions at the lotus feet of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.
Bengali
শ্রীমুখে আজ্ঞা কর প্রভু — নিবেদি চরণে ॥ ১০৩ ॥
Text
śrī-mukhe ājñā kara prabhu — nivedi caraṇe
Synonyms
Translation
Satyarāja Khān said, “My dear Lord, being a householder and a materialistic man, I do not know the process of advancing in spiritual life. I therefore submit myself unto Your lotus feet and request You to give me orders.”
Bengali
‘নিরন্তর কর কৃষ্ণনাম-সংকীর্তন’ ॥ ১০৪ ॥
Text
‘nirantara kara kṛṣṇa-nāma-saṅkīrtana’
Synonyms
Translation
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu replied, “Without cessation continue chanting the holy name of Lord Kṛṣṇa. Whenever possible, serve Him and His devotees, the Vaiṣṇavas.”
Bengali
কে বৈষ্ণব, কহ তাঁর সামান্য লক্ষণে ॥ ১০৫ ॥
Text
ke vaiṣṇava, kaha tāṅra sāmānya lakṣaṇe
Synonyms
Translation
Upon hearing this, Satyarāja said, “How can I recognize a Vaiṣṇava? Please let me know what a Vaiṣṇava is. What are his common symptoms?”
Bengali
কৃষ্ণনাম, সেই পূজ্য, — শ্রেষ্ঠ সবাকার ॥” ১০৬ ॥
Text
kṛṣṇa-nāma, sei pūjya, — śreṣṭha sabākāra”
Synonyms
Translation
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu replied, “Whoever chants the holy name of Kṛṣṇa just once is worshipable and is the topmost human being.
Purport
Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura says that a person who simply chants the holy name of Kṛṣṇa once becomes perfect and should be regarded as a Vaiṣṇava. This is confirmed by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī in his Upadeśāmṛta (5): kṛṣṇeti yasya giri taṁ manasādriyeta. With such faith in the holy name one may begin a life of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. But an ordinary person cannot chant the holy name of Kṛṣṇa with such faith. One should accept the holy name of Kṛṣṇa to be identical with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Transcendence Himself. As the Padma Purāṇa states, “The holy name of Kṛṣṇa is identical with Kṛṣṇa and is like a cintāmaṇi gem, a touchstone. That name is Kṛṣṇa personified in sound and is therefore perfectly transcendental and eternally liberated from material contamination.” Thus one should understand that the name “Kṛṣṇa” and Kṛṣṇa Himself are identical. Having such faith, one must continue to chant the holy name.
When one is situated on the neophyte platform, one cannot understand the devotional ingredients of a pure, unalloyed devotee. However, when the novice engages in devotional service — especially in Deity worship — and follows the order of a bona fide spiritual master, he is a pure devotee. Anyone can take advantage of hearing about Kṛṣṇa consciousness from such a devotee and thus gradually become purified. In other words, any devotee who believes that the holy name of the Lord is identical with the Lord is a pure devotee, even though he may be in the neophyte stage. By his association, others may also become Vaiṣṇavas.
One is known as a materialistic devotee if he simply worships the Deity of Hari with faith but does not show proper respect to the devotees and to others. This is stated in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.2.47):
na tad-bhakteṣu cānyeṣu sa bhaktaḥ prākṛtaḥ smṛtaḥ
Yet even by associating with such a neophyte devotee, one can become a devotee also. When Lord Caitanya was teaching Sanātana Gosvāmī, He said:
‘uttama’, ‘madhyama’, ‘kaniṣṭha’ — śraddhā-anusārī
krame krame teṅho bhakta ha-ibe ‘uttama’
“A person who has attained firm faith is a real candidate for advancing in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. According to the faith, there are first-class, second-class and neophyte devotees. One who has preliminary faith is called a kaniṣṭha-adhikārī, or a neophyte. The neophyte, however, can become an advanced devotee if he strictly follows the regulative principles set down by the spiritual master. Therefore it is on the basis of faith and attachment to Kṛṣṇa that one can judge who is a madhyama-adhikārī or an uttama-adhikārī.” (Cc. Madhya 22.64, 69, 71)
It is thus concluded that even a neophyte devotee is superior to the karmīs and jñānīs because he has full faith in chanting the holy name of the Lord. A karmī or a jñānī, regardless of his greatness, has no faith in Lord Viṣṇu, His holy name or His devotional service. One may be advanced religiously, but if he is not trained in devotional service, he has very little credit on the transcendental platform. Even a neophyte devotee engaged in Deity worship in accordance with the regulations set forth by the spiritual master is in a position superior to that of the fruitive worker and speculative philosopher.
Bengali
নববিধা ভক্তি পূর্ণ নাম হৈতে হয় ॥ ১০৭ ॥
Text
nava-vidhā bhakti pūrṇa nāma haite haya
Synonyms
Translation
“Simply by chanting the holy name of Kṛṣṇa once, a person is relieved from all the reactions of a sinful life. One can complete the nine processes of devotional service simply by chanting the holy name.
Purport
The nine types of devotional service are mentioned in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (7.5.23):
arcanaṁ vandanaṁ dāsyaṁ sakhyam ātma-nivedanam
kriyeta bhagavaty addhā tan manye ’dhītam uttamam
“The process of devotional service entails hearing, chanting and remembering the holy name, form, pastimes, qualities and entourage of the Lord, offering service according to the time, place and performer, worshiping the Deity, offering prayers, always considering oneself the eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa, making friends with Him and dedicating everything unto Him. These nine items of devotional service, when directly offered to Kṛṣṇa, constitute the highest attainment of life. This is the verdict of the revealed scriptures.”
As for being freed from all sinful reactions by chanting the holy name of Kṛṣṇa only once, one must chant the holy name without committing any offenses. Then chanting one name is sufficient to rescue a living being from all sinful reactions. Such a person who chants the holy name of the Lord offenselessly is very important and woshipable. Indeed, the nine devotional processes, beginning with śravaṇa and kīrtana, can all be attained at once if one simply chants the holy name of the Lord offenselessly.
In this regard, Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī states in his book Bhakti-sandarbha (173): yadyapi anyā bhaktiḥ kalau kartavyā, tadā; kīrtanākhya-bhakti-saṁyogenaiva. Out of the nine processes of devotional service, kīrtana is very important. Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī therefore instructs that the other processes, such as arcana, vandana, dāsya and sakhya, should be executed, but they must be preceded and followed by kīrtana, the chanting of the holy name. We have therefore introduced this system in all of our centers. Arcana, ārati, bhoga offering, Deity dressing and decoration are all preceded and followed by the chanting of the holy name of the Lord — Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare.
Bengali
জিহ্বা-স্পর্শে আ-চণ্ডাল সবারে উদ্ধারে ॥ ১০৮ ॥
Text
jihvā-sparśe ā-caṇḍāla sabāre uddhāre
Synonyms
Translation
“One does not have to undergo initiation or execute the activities required before initiation. One simply has to vibrate the holy name with his lips. Thus even a man in the lowest class [caṇḍāla] can be delivered.
Purport
Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī explains dīkṣā in his Bhakti-sandarbha (283):
tasmāt dīkṣeti sā proktā deśikais tattva-kovidaiḥ
“Dīkṣā is the process by which one can awaken his transcendental knowledge and vanquish all reactions caused by sinful activity. A person expert in the study of the revealed scriptures knows this process as dīkṣā.” The regulative principles of dīkṣā are explained in the Hari-bhakti-vilāsa (2.3-4) and the Bhakti-sandarbha (283). As stated:
yathādhikāro nāstīha syāc copanayanād anu
tathātrādīkṣitānāṁ tu mantra-devārcanādiṣu
nādhikāro ’sty ataḥ kuryād ātmānaṁ śiva-saṁstutam
“Even though born in a brāhmaṇa family, one cannot engage in Vedic rituals without being initiated and having a sacred thread. Although born in a brāhmaṇa family, one becomes a brāhmaṇa only after initiation and the sacred thread ceremony. Unless one is initiated as a brāhmaṇa, one cannot worship the holy name properly.”
According to the Vaiṣṇava regulative principles, one must be initiated as a brāhmaṇa. The Hari-bhakti-vilāsa (2.6) quotes the following injunction from the Viṣṇu-yāmala:
paśu-yonim avāpnoti dīkṣā-virahito janaḥ
“ ‘Unless one is initiated by a bona fide spiritual master, all his devotional activities are useless. A person who is not properly initiated can descend again into the animal species.’ ”
Hari-bhakti-vilāsa (2.10) further quotes:
gṛhṇīyād vaiṣṇavaṁ mantraṁ dīkṣā-pūrvaṁ vidhānataḥ
“ ‘It is the duty of every human being to surrender to a bona fide spiritual master. Giving him everything — body, mind and intelligence — one must take Vaiṣṇava initiation from him.’ ”
The Bhakti-sandarbha (298) gives the following quotation from the Tattva-sāgara:
tathā dīkṣā-vidhānena dvijatvaṁ jāyate nṛṇām
“ ‘By chemical manipulation, bell metal is turned into gold when touched by mercury; similarly, when a person is properly initiated, he can acquire the qualities of a brāhmaṇa.’ ”
The Hari-bhakti-vilāsa (17.11-12), in discussing the puraścaryā process, quotes the following verses from the Agastya-saṁhitā:
homo brāhmaṇa-bhuktiś ca puraścaraṇam ucyate
pañcāṅgopāsanā-siddhyai puraś caitad vidhīyate
“ ‘In the morning, afternoon and evening one should worship the Deity, chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, offer oblations, perform a fire sacrifice and feed the brāhmaṇas. These five activities constitute puraścaryā. To attain full success when taking initiation from the spiritual master, one should first perform these puraścaryā processes.’ ”
The word puraḥ means “before,” and caryā means “activities.” Due to the necessity of these activities, we do not immediately initiate disciples in the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. For six months, a candidate for initiation must first attend ārati and classes in the śāstras, practice the regulative principles and associate with other devotees. When one is actually advanced in the puraścaryā-vidhi, he is recommended by the local temple president for initiation. It is not that anyone can be suddenly initiated without meeting the requirements. When one is further advanced by chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra sixteen rounds daily, following the regulative principles and attending classes, he receives the sacred thread (brahminical recognition) after the second six months.
In the Hari-bhakti-vilāsa (17.4-5, 7) it is stated:
kṛtena yena labhate sādhako vāñchitaṁ phalam
ataḥ puraṣkriyāṁ kuryāt mantra-vit siddhi-kaṅkṣayā
vīrya-hīno yathā dehī sarva-karmasu na kṣamaḥ
puraścaraṇa-hīno hi tathā mantraḥ prakīrtitaḥ
“Without performing the puraścaryā activities, one cannot become perfect even by chanting this mantra for hundreds of years. But one who has undergone the puraścaryā-vidhi process can attain success very easily. If one wishes to perfect his initiation, he must first undergo the puraścaryā activities. The puraścaryā process is the life force by which one is successful in chanting the mantra. Without the life force, one cannot do anything; similarly, without the life force of puraścaryā-vidhi, no mantra can be perfected.”
In his Bhakti-sandarbha (283-84), Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī describes the importance of Deity worship and initiation (dīkṣā) as follows:
yadyapi śrī-bhāgavata-mate pañcarātrādi-vat arcana-mārgasya āvaśyakatvaṁ nāsti, tad vināpi śaraṇāpattyādīnām ekatareṇāpi puruṣārtha-siddher abhihitatvāt, tathāpi śrī-nāradādi-vartmānusaradbhiḥ śrī-bhagavatā saha sambandha-viśeṣaṁ dīkṣā-vidhānena śrī-guru-caraṇa-sampāditaṁ cikīrṣadbhiḥ kṛtāyāṁ dīkṣāyām arcanam avaśyaṁ kriyetaiva.
yadyapi svarūpato nāsti, tathāpi prāyaḥ svabhāvato dehādi-sambandhena kadarya-śīlānāṁ vikṣipta-cittānāṁ janānāṁ tat-tat-saṅkocī-karaṇāya śrīmad-ṛṣi-prabhṛtibhir atrārcana-mārge kvacit kvacit kācit kācin maryādā sthāpitāsti.
“It is Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam’s opinion that the process of Deity worship is not actually necessary, just as the specific prescriptions of the Pañcarātra and other scriptures do not have to be followed. The Bhāgavatam enjoins that even without practicing Deity worship one can achieve the complete success of human life by any of the other devotional processes, such as simply offering oneself at the Lord’s feet for His protection. Nonetheless, Vaiṣṇavas following the path of Śrī Nārada and his successors endeavor to establish a personal relationship with the Lord by receiving the grace of a bona fide spiritual master through initiation, and in this tradition the devotees are obliged at the time of initiation to begin engaging in Deity worship.
“Although Deity worship is not essential, the material conditioning of most candidates for devotional service requires that they engage in this activity. When we consider their bodily and mental conditions, we find that the character of such candidates is impure and their minds are agitated. Therefore, to rectify this material conditioning the great sage Nārada and others have at different times recommended various kinds of regulations for Deity worship.”
Similarly, the Rāmārcana-candrikā states:
vinaiva nyāsa-vidhinā japa-mātreṇa siddhi-dā
“O best of the brāhmaṇas, even without initiation, preliminary purification or acceptance of the renounced order, one can attain perfection in devotional service simply by chanting the Lord’s holy name.”
In other words, the chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra is so powerful that it does not depend on official initiation, but if one is initiated and engages in pañcarātra-vidhi (Deity worship), his Kṛṣṇa consciousness will awaken very soon, and his identification with the material world will be vanquished. The more one is freed from material identification, the more one can realize that the spirit soul is qualitatively as good as the Supreme Soul. At such a time, when one is situated on the absolute platform, one can understand that the holy name of the Lord and the Lord Himself are identical. At that stage of realization, the holy name of the Lord, the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, cannot be identified with any material sound. If one accepts the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra as a material vibration, he falls down. One should worship and chant the holy name of the Lord by accepting it as the Lord Himself. One should therefore be initiated properly according to revealed scriptures under the direction of a bona fide spiritual master. Although chanting the holy name is good for both the conditioned and liberated soul, it is especially beneficial to the conditioned soul because by chanting it one is liberated. When a person who chants the holy name is liberated, he attains the ultimate perfection by returning home, back to Godhead. In the words of Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Ādi 7.73):
kṛṣṇa-nāma haite pābe kṛṣṇera caraṇa
“Simply by chanting the holy name of Kṛṣṇa one can obtain freedom from material existence. Indeed, simply by chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra one will be able to see the lotus feet of the Lord.”
The offenseless chanting of the holy name does not depend on the initiation process. Although initiation may depend on puraścaryā or puraścaraṇa, the actual chanting of the holy name does not depend on puraścaryā-vidhi, or the regulative principles. If one chants the holy name even once without committing an offense, he attains all success. During the chanting of the holy name, the tongue must work. Simply by chanting the holy name, one is immediately delivered. The tongue is sevonmukha-jihvā — it is controlled by service. One whose tongue is engaged in tasting material things and also talking about them cannot use the tongue for absolute realization.
sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ
“With the material senses one cannot understand the transcendental holy name of the Lord or His form, activities and pastimes. But when one actually engages in devotional service, utilizing the tongue, the Lord is revealed.” As it is said in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Madhya 17.134):
prākṛtendriya-grāhya nahe, haya sva-prakāśa
“The holy name of Kṛṣṇa, His body and His pastimes cannot be understood by the blunt material senses. They are manifested independently.”
Bengali
চিত্ত আকর্ষিয়া করায় কৃষ্ণে প্রেমোদয় ॥ ১০৯ ॥
Text
citta ākarṣiyā karāya kṛṣṇe premodaya
Synonyms
Translation
“By chanting the holy name of the Lord, one dissolves his entanglement in material activities. After this, one becomes very much attracted to Kṛṣṇa, and thus dormant love for Kṛṣṇa is awakened.
Bengali
মাচণ্ডালমমূকলোকসুলভো বশ্যশ্চ মুক্তিশ্রিয়ঃ ।
নো দীক্ষাং ন চ সৎক্রিয়াং ন চ পুরশ্চর্যাং মনাগীক্ষতে
মন্ত্রোঽয়ং রসনাস্পৃগেব ফলতি শ্রীকৃষ্ণ-নামাত্মকঃ ॥ ১১০ ॥
Text
ācaṇḍālam amūka-loka-sulabho vaśyaś ca mukti-śriyaḥ
no dīkṣāṁ na ca sat-kriyāṁ na ca puraścaryāṁ manāg īkṣate
mantro ’yaṁ rasanā-spṛg eva phalati śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmātmakaḥ
Synonyms
ākṛṣṭiḥ — attraction; kṛta-cetasām — of saintly persons; su-manasām — of the most liberal-minded; uccāṭanam — annihilator; ca — also; aṁhasām — of sinful reactions; ā-caṇḍālam — even to the caṇḍālas; amūka — except the dumb; loka-su-labhaḥ — very easy to achieve for all persons; vaśyaḥ — full controller; ca — and; mukti-śriyaḥ — of the opulence of liberation; na u — not; dīkṣām — initiation; na — not; ca — also; sat-kriyām — pious activities; na — not; ca — also; puraścaryām — regulative principles before initiation; manāk — slightly; īkṣate — depends upon; mantraḥ — mantra; ayam — this; rasanā — tongue; spṛk — touching; eva — simply; phalati — is fruitful; śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāma-ātmakaḥ — consisting of the holy name of Lord Kṛṣṇa.
Translation
“ ‘The holy name of Lord Kṛṣṇa is an attractive feature for many saintly, liberal people. It is the annihilator of all sinful reactions and is so powerful that, save for the dumb who cannot chant it, it is readily available to everyone, including the lowest type of man, the caṇḍāla. The holy name of Kṛṣṇa is the controller of the opulence of liberation, and it is identical with Kṛṣṇa. When a person simply chants the holy name with his tongue, immediate effects are produced. Chanting the holy name does not depend on initiation, pious activities or the puraścaryā regulative principles generally observed before initiation. The holy name does not wait for any of these activities. It is self-sufficient.’ ”
Purport
This verse is found in the Padyāvalī (29), an anthology of verses compiled by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī.
Bengali
সেই ত’ বৈষ্ণব, করিহ তাঁহার সম্মান ॥” ১১১ ॥
Text
sei ta’ vaiṣṇava, kariha tāṅhāra sammāna”
Synonyms
Translation
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu then finally advised, “One who is chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra is understood to be a Vaiṣṇava; therefore you should offer all respects to him.”
Purport
In his Upadeśāmṛta, Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī states: kṛṣṇeti yasya giri taṁ manasādriyeta dīkṣāsti cet praṇatibhiś ca bhajantam īśam. An advanced devotee should respect a person who has been initiated by a bona fide spiritual master and who is situated on the transcendental platform, chanting the holy name with faith and obeisances and following the instructions of the spiritual master. Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura comments that serving Vaiṣṇavas is most important for householders. Whether a Vaiṣṇava is properly initiated or not is not a subject for consideration. One may be initiated and yet contaminated by the Māyāvāda philosophy, but a person who chants the holy name of the Lord offenselessly will not be so contaminated. A properly initiated Vaiṣṇava may be imperfect, but one who chants the holy name of the Lord offenselessly is all-perfect. Although he may apparently be a neophyte, he still has to be considered a pure, unalloyed Vaiṣṇava. It is the duty of the householder to offer respects to such an unalloyed Vaiṣṇava. This is Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s instruction.
Bengali
শ্রীনরহরি, — এই মুখ্য তিন জন ॥ ১১২ ॥
Text
śrī-narahari, — ei mukhya tina jana
Synonyms
Translation
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu then turned His attention to three persons — Mukunda dāsa, Raghunandana and Śrī Narahari — inhabitants of the place called Khaṇḍa.
Bengali
‘তুমি — পিতা, পুত্র তোমার — শ্রীরঘুনন্দন ? ১১৩ ॥
Text
‘tumi — pitā, putra tomāra — śrī-raghunandana?
Synonyms
Translation
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, the son of mother Śacī, next asked Mukunda dāsa, “You are the father, and your son is Raghunandana. Is that so?
Bengali
নিশ্চয় করিয়া কহ, যাউক সংশয় ॥’ ১১৪ ॥
Text
niścaya kariyā kaha, yāuka saṁśaya’
Synonyms
Translation
“Or is Śrīla Raghunandana your father and you are his son? Please let Me know the facts so that My doubts will go away.”
Bengali
আমি তার ‘পুত্র’, — এই আমার নিশ্চয় ॥ ১১৫ ॥
Text
āmi tāra ‘putra’, — ei āmāra niścaya
Synonyms
Translation
Mukunda replied, “Raghunandana is my father, and I am his son. This is my decision.
Bengali
অতএব পিতা — রঘুনন্দন আমার নিশ্চিতে ॥ ১১৬ ॥
Text
ataeva pitā — raghunandana āmāra niścite
Synonyms
Translation
“All of us have attained devotion to Kṛṣṇa due to Raghunandana. Therefore in my mind he is my father.”
Bengali
যাঁহা হৈতে কৃষ্ণভক্তি সেই গুরু হয়” ॥ ১১৭ ॥
Text
yāṅhā haite kṛṣṇa-bhakti sei guru haya”
Synonyms
Translation
Hearing Mukunda dāsa give this proper decision, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu confirmed it, saying, “Yes, it is correct. One who awakens devotion to Kṛṣṇa is certainly the spiritual master.”
Bengali
ভক্তের মহিমা কহিতে হয় পঞ্চমুখ ॥ ১১৮ ॥
Text
bhaktera mahimā kahite haya pañca-mukha
Synonyms
Translation
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu became very happy just to speak of the glories of His devotees. Indeed, when He spoke of their glories, it was as if He had five faces.
Bengali
নিগূঢ় নির্মল প্রেম, যেন দগ্ধ হেম ॥ ১১৯ ॥
Text
nigūḍha nirmala prema, yena dagdha hema
Synonyms
Translation
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu then informed all His devotees, “Please hear about Mukunda’s love of Godhead. It is a very deep and pure love and can only be compared to purified gold.
Bengali
অন্তরে কৃষ্ণ-প্রেম ইঁহার জানিবেক কেবা ॥ ১২০ ॥
Text
antare kṛṣṇa-prema iṅhāra jānibeka kebā
Synonyms
Translation
“Mukunda dāsa externally appears to be a royal physician engaged in governmental service, but internally he has a deep love for Kṛṣṇa. Who can understand his love?
Purport
Unless Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu discloses the fact, no one can understand who is actually a great devotee of the Lord engaged in His service. It is therefore said in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Madhya 23.39), tāṅra vākya, kriyā, mudrā vijñeha nā bujhaya: even the most perfect and learned scholar cannot understand a Vaiṣṇava’s activities. A Vaiṣṇava may be engaged in governmental service or in a professional business so that externally one cannot understand his position. Internally, however, he may be a nitya-siddha Vaiṣṇava — that is, an eternally liberated Vaiṣṇava. Externally Mukunda dāsa was a royal physician, but internally he was the most liberated paramahaṁsa devotee. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu knew this very well, but ordinary men could not understand it, for the activities and plans of a Vaiṣṇava cannot be understood by ordinary men. However, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and His representative understand everything about a devotee, even though the devotee may externally pretend to be an ordinary householder and professional businessman.
Bengali
চিকিৎসার বাত্ কহে তাঁহার অগ্রেতে ॥ ১২১ ॥
Text
cikitsāra bāt kahe tāṅhāra agrete
Synonyms
Translation
“One day Mukunda dāsa, the royal physician, was seated with the Muslim King on a high platform and was telling the King about medical treatment.
Bengali
রাজ-শিরোপরি ধরে এক সেবক আনি’ ॥ ১২২ ॥
Text
rāja-śiropari dhare eka sevaka āni’
Synonyms
Translation
“While the King and Mukunda dāsa were conversing, a servant brought a fan made of peacock feathers to shade the King’s head from the sun. Consequently he held the fan above the King’s head.
Bengali
অতি-উচ্চ টুঙ্গি হৈতে ভূমিতে পড়িলা ॥ ১২৩ ॥
Text
ati-ucca ṭuṅgi haite bhūmite paḍilā
Synonyms
Translation
“Just by seeing the peacock-feathered fan, Mukunda dāsa became absorbed in ecstatic love of Godhead and fell from the high platform onto the ground.
Bengali
আপনে নামিয়া তবে করাইল চেতন ॥ ১২৪ ॥
Text
āpane nāmiyā tabe karāila cetana
Synonyms
Translation
“The King, fearing that the royal physician had been killed, personally descended and brought him to consciousness.
Bengali
মুকুন্দ কহে, — অতিবড় ব্যথা পাই নাই ॥ ১২৫ ॥
Text
mukunda kahe, — ati-baḍa vyathā pāi nāi
Synonyms
Translation
“When the King asked Mukunda, ‘Where is it paining you?’ Mukunda replied, ‘I am not very much pained.’
Bengali
মুকুন্দ কহে, রাজা, মোর ব্যাধি আছে মৃগী ॥ ১২৬ ॥
Text
mukunda kahe, rājā, mora vyādhi āche mṛgī
Synonyms
Translation
“The King then inquired, ‘Mukunda, why did you fall down?’
Purport
“Mukunda replied, ‘My dear King, I have a disease like epilepsy.’
Bengali
মুকুন্দের হৈল তাঁর ‘মহাসিদ্ধ’-জ্ঞানে ॥ ১২৭ ॥
Text
mukundere haila tāṅra ‘mahā-siddha’-jñāne
Synonyms
Translation
“Being extraordinarily intelligent, the King could understand the whole affair. In his estimation, Mukunda was a most uncommon, exalted, liberated personality.
Bengali
দ্বারে পুষ্করিণী, তার ঘাটের উপরে ॥ ১২৮ ॥
নিত্য দুই ফুল হয় কৃষ্ণ-অবতংসে ॥ ১২৯ ॥
Text
dvāre puṣkariṇī, tāra ghāṭera upare
nitya dui phula haya kṛṣṇa-avataṁse
Synonyms
raghunandana — Raghunandana; sevā kare — serves; kṛṣṇera mandire — in the temple of Lord Kṛṣṇa; dvāre — near the door; puṣkariṇī — a lake; tāra — of it; ghāṭera upare — on the bank; kadambera — of kadamba flowers; eka vṛkṣe — on one tree; phuṭe — blossom; bāra-māse — all year around; nitya — daily; dui phala — two flowers; haya — become; kṛṣṇa-avataṁse — decoration for Lord Kṛṣṇa.
Translation
“Raghunandana is constantly engaged in serving Lord Kṛṣṇa in the temple. Beside the entrance of the temple is a lake, and on its banks is a kadamba tree, which daily delivers two flowers to be used for Kṛṣṇa’s service.”
Bengali
‘তোমার কার্য — ধর্মে ধন-উপার্জন ॥ ১৩০ ॥
Text
‘tomāra kārya — dharme dhana-upārjana
Synonyms
Translation
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu again spoke to Mukunda with sweet words: “Your duty is to earn both material and spiritual wealth.
Bengali
কৃষ্ণ-সেবা বিনা ইঁহার অন্য নাহি মন ॥ ১৩১ ॥
Text
kṛṣṇa-sevā vinā iṅhāra anya nāhi mana
Synonyms
Translation
“Furthermore, it is the duty of Raghunandana to always engage in Lord Kṛṣṇa’s service. He has no other intention but the service of Lord Kṛṣṇa.”
Bengali
এই তিন কার্য সদা করহ তিন জনে ॥’ ১৩২ ॥
Text
ei tina kārya sadā karaha tina jane’
Synonyms
Translation
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu then ordered Narahari: “I wish you to remain here with My devotees. In this way the three of you should always execute these three duties for the service of the Lord.”
Purport
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu set forth three duties for three different people. Mukunda was to earn money and follow the religious principles, whereas Narahari was to remain with the Lord’s devotees, and Raghunandana was to engage in the Lord’s service in the temple. Thus one person worships in the temple, another earns money honestly by executing his professional duty, and yet another preaches Kṛṣṇa consciousness with the devotees. Apparently these three types of service appear separate, but actually they are not. When Kṛṣṇa or Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is the center, everyone can engage in different activities for the service of the Lord. That is the verdict of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.
Bengali
দুইজনে কৃপা করি’ কহেন গোসাঞি ॥ ১৩৩ ॥
Text
dui-jane kṛpā kari’ kahena gosāñi
Synonyms
Translation
Out of His causeless mercy, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu gave the following directions to the brothers Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya and Vidyā-vācaspati.
Bengali
‘দরশন’-স্নানে’ করে জীবের মুকতি ॥ ১৩৪ ॥
Text
‘daraśana’-‘snāne’ kare jīvera mukati
Synonyms
Translation
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, “In this Age of Kali, Kṛṣṇa is manifest in two forms — wood and water. Thus, by enabling the conditioned souls to see the wood and bathe in the water, He helps them become liberated.
Bengali
ভাগীরথী হন সাক্ষাৎ ‘জলব্রহ্ম’-সম ॥ ১৩৫ ॥
Text
bhāgīrathī hana sākṣāt ‘jala-brahma’-sama
Synonyms
Translation
“Lord Jagannātha is the Supreme Lord Himself in the form of wood, and the river Ganges is the Supreme Lord Himself in the form of water.
Purport
The Vedas enjoin, sarvaṁ khalv idaṁ brahma: everything is the energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Supreme Brahman or Parambrahma. Parasya brahmaṇaḥ śaktis tathedam akhilaṁ jagat: everything is a manifestation of the energy of the Supreme Brahman. Since the energy and energetic are identical, actually everything is Kṛṣṇa, Parambrahma. In the Bhagavad-gītā (9.4) Lord Kṛṣṇa confirms this:
mat-sthāni sarva-bhūtāni na cāhaṁ teṣv avasthitaḥ
“By Me, in My unmanifested form, this entire universe is pervaded. All beings are in Me, but I am not in them.”
Kṛṣṇa is spread throughout the whole universe in His impersonal form. Since everything is a manifestation of the Lord’s energy, the Lord can manifest Himself through any energy. In this age, the Lord is manifest through wood as Lord Jagannātha, and He is manifest through water as the river Ganges. Therefore Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu ordered the two brothers — Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya and Vidyā-vācaspati — to worship Lord Jagannātha and the river Ganges.
Bengali
বাচস্পতি, কর জলব্রহ্মের সেবন ॥ ১৩৬ ॥
Text
vācaspati, kara jala-brahmera sevana
Synonyms
Translation
“Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya, you should engage in the worship of Lord Jagannātha Puruṣottama, and Vācaspati should worship mother Ganges.”
Bengali
তাঁর ভক্তিনিষ্ঠা কহেন, শুনে ভক্তগণ ॥ ১৩৭ ॥
Text
tāṅra bhakti-niṣṭhā kahena, śune bhakta-gaṇa
Synonyms
Translation
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu then embraced Murāri Gupta and began to speak about his firm faith in devotional service. This was heard by all the devotees.
Bengali
পরম মধুর, গুপ্ত, ব্রজেন্দ্রকুমার ॥ ১৩৮ ॥
Text
parama madhura, gupta, vrajendra-kumāra
Synonyms
Translation
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, “Previously I induced Murāri Gupta again and again to be allured by Lord Kṛṣṇa. I said to him, ‘My dear Gupta, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, Vrajendra-kumāra, is the supreme sweetness.
Bengali
বিশুদ্ধ-নির্মল-প্রেম, সর্বরসময় ॥ ১৩৯ ॥
Text
viśuddha-nirmala-prema, sarva-rasamaya
Synonyms
Translation
“ ‘Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the origin of all incarnations and the source of everything. He is pure transcendental love itself, and He is the reservoir of all pleasure.
Bengali
বিদগ্ধ, চতুর, ধীর, রসিক-শেখর ॥ ১৪০ ॥
Text
vidagdha, catura, dhīra, rasika-śekhara
Synonyms
Translation
“ ‘Kṛṣṇa is the reservoir of all transcendental qualities. He is like a mine of gems. He is expert at everything, very intelligent and sober, and He is the summit of all transcendental humors.
Bengali
চাতুর্য-বৈদগ্ধ্য করে যাঁর লীলারস ॥ ১৪১ ॥
Text
cāturya-vaidagdhya kare yāṅra līlā-rasa
Synonyms
Translation
“ ‘His character is very sweet, and His pastimes are melodious. He is expert in intelligence, and thus He enjoys all His pastimes and mellows.’
Bengali
কৃষ্ণ বিনা অন্য-উপাসনা মনে নাহি লয় ॥ ১৪২ ॥
Text
kṛṣṇa vinā anya-upāsanā mane nāhi laya
Synonyms
Translation
“I then requested Murāri Gupta, ‘Worship Kṛṣṇa and take shelter of Him. But for His service, nothing appeals to the mind.’
Bengali
আমার গৌরবে কিছু ফিরি’ গেল মন ॥ ১৪৩ ॥
Text
āmāra gaurave kichu phiri’ gela mana
Synonyms
Translation
“In this way, he heard from Me again and again. By My influence, his mind was a little converted.
Bengali
তোমার আজ্ঞাকারী আমি নহি স্বতন্তর ॥ ১৪৪ ॥
Text
tomāra ājñākārī āmi nāhi svatantara
Synonyms
Translation
“Murāri Gupta then replied, ‘I am Your servant and Your order-carrier. I have no independent existence.’
Bengali
রঘুনাথ-ত্যাগ-চিন্তায় হইল বিকলে ॥ ১৪৫ ॥
Text
raghunātha-tyāga-cintāya ha-ila vikale
Synonyms
Translation
“After this, Murāri Gupta went home and spent the whole night thinking how he would have to give up the association of Raghunātha, Lord Rāmacandra. Thus he was overwhelmed.
Bengali
আজি রাত্র্যে প্রভু মোর করাহ মরণ ॥ ১৪৬ ॥
Text
āji rātrye prabhu mora karāha maraṇa
Synonyms
Translation
“Murāri Gupta then began to pray at the lotus feet of Lord Rāmacandra. He prayed that death would come that night because it was not possible for him to give up the service of the lotus feet of Raghunātha.
Bengali
মনে সোয়াস্তি নাহি, রাত্রি কৈল জাগরণ ॥ ১৪৭ ॥
Text
mane soyāsti nāhi, rātri kaila jāgaraṇa
Synonyms
Translation
“Thus Murāri Gupta cried the entire night. There was no rest for his mind; therefore he could not sleep but stayed awake the entire night.
Bengali
কান্দিতে কান্দিতে কিছু করে নিবেদন ॥ ১৪৮ ॥
Text
kāndite kāndite kichu kare nivedana
Synonyms
Translation
“In the morning Murāri Gupta came to see Me. Catching hold of My feet and crying, he submitted an appeal.
Bengali
কাঢ়িতে না পারি মাথা, মনে পাই ব্যথা ॥ ১৪৯ ॥
Text
kāḍhite nā pāri māthā, mane pāi vyathā
Synonyms
Translation
“Murāri Gupta said, ‘I have sold my head unto the lotus feet of Raghunātha. I cannot withdraw my head, for that would give me too much pain.
Bengali
তব আজ্ঞা-ভঙ্গ হয়, কি করোঁ উপায় ॥ ১৫০ ॥
Text
tava ājñā-bhaṅga haya, ki karoṅ upāya
Synonyms
Translation
“ ‘It is not possible for me to give up the service of Raghunātha’s lotus feet. At the same time, if I do not do so I shall break Your order. What can I do?’
Bengali
তোমার আগে মৃত্যু হউক, যাউক সংশয় ॥ ১৫১ ॥
Text
tomāra āge mṛtyu ha-uka, yāuka saṁśaya
Synonyms
Translation
“In this way Murāri Gupta appealed to Me, saying, ‘You are all-merciful, so kindly grant me this mercy: Let me die before You so that all my doubts will be finished.’
Bengali
ইঁহারে উঠাঞা তবে আলিঙ্গন কৈলুঁ ॥ ১৫২ ॥
Text
iṅhāre uṭhāñā tabe āliṅgana kailuṅ
Synonyms
Translation
“Hearing this, I became very happy. I then raised Murāri Gupta and embraced him.
Bengali
আমার বচনেহ তোমার না টলিল মন ॥ ১৫৩ ॥
Text
āmāra vacaneha tomāra nā ṭalila mana
Synonyms
Translation
“I said to him, ‘All glories to you, Murāri Gupta! Your method of worship is very firmly fixed — so much so that even upon My request your mind did not turn.
Bengali
প্রভু ছাড়াইলেহ, পদ ছাড়ান না যায় ॥ ১৫৪ ॥
Text
prabhu chāḍāileha, pada chāḍāna nā yāya
Synonyms
Translation
“ ‘The servitor must have love and affection for the lotus feet of the Lord exactly like this. Even if the Lord wants separation, a devotee cannot abandon the shelter of His lotus feet.
Purport
The word prabhu, or master, indicates that the Lord is to be continuously served by His devotee. The original prabhu is the Lord, Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Nonetheless, there are many devotees attached to Lord Rāmacandra, and Murāri Gupta is a vivid example of such unalloyed devotion. He never agreed to give up Lord Rāmacandra’s worship, not even upon Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s request. Such is the chastity of devotional service, as stated in the Antya-līlā of Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta (4.46-47):
sei prabhu dhanya, ye nā chāḍe nija-jana
sei ṭhākura dhanya tāre cule dhari’ āne
In a firm relationship with the Lord, the devotee does not give up the Lord’s service under any circumstance. As far as the Lord Himself is concerned, if the devotee chooses to leave, the Lord brings him back again, dragging him by the hair.
Bengali
তোমারে আগ্রহ আমি কৈলুঁ বারে বারে ॥ ১৫৫ ॥
Text
tomāre āgraha āmi kailuṅ bāre bāre
Synonyms
Translation
“ ‘Just to test your firm faith in your Lord, I requested you again and again to change your worship from Lord Rāmacandra to Kṛṣṇa.’
Bengali
তুমি কেনে ছাড়িবে তাঁর চরণ-কমল ॥ ১৫৬ ॥
Text
tumi kene chāḍibe tāṅra caraṇa-kamala
Synonyms
Translation
“In this way, I congratulated Murāri Gupta, saying, ‘Indeed, you are the incarnation of Hanumān. Consequently you are the eternal servant of Lord Rāmacandra. Why should you give up the worship of Lord Rāmacandra and His lotus feet?’ ”
Bengali
ইঁহার দৈন্য শুনি’ মোর ফাটয়ে জীবন ॥ ১৫৭ ॥
Text
iṅhāra dainya śuni’ mora phāṭaye jīvana
Synonyms
Translation
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu continued, “I accept this Murāri Gupta as My life and soul. When I hear of his humility, it perturbs My very life.”
Bengali
তাঁর গুণ কহে হঞা সহস্র-বদন ॥ ১৫৮ ॥
Text
tāṅra guṇa kahe hañā sahasra-vadana
Synonyms
Translation
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu then embraced Vāsudeva Datta and began to speak of his glories as if He had a thousand mouths.
Bengali
নিবেদন করে প্রভুর চরণে ধরিয়া ॥ ১৫৯ ॥
Text
nivedana kare prabhura caraṇe dhariyā
Synonyms
Translation
When Caitanya Mahāprabhu glorified him, Vāsudeva Datta immediately became very much embarrassed and shy. He then submitted himself, touching the Lord’s lotus feet.
Bengali
মোর নিবেদন এক করহ অঙ্গীকার ॥ ১৬০ ॥
Text
mora nivedana eka karaha aṅgīkāra
Synonyms
Translation
Vāsudeva Datta told Caitanya Mahāprabhu, “My dear Lord, You incarnate just to deliver all conditioned souls. I now have one petition, which I wish You would accept.
Bengali
তুমি মন কর, তবে আনায়াসে হয় ॥ ১৬১ ॥
Text
tumi mana kara, tabe anāyāse haya
Synonyms
Translation
“My Lord, You are certainly able to do whatever You like, and You are indeed merciful. If You so desire, You can very easily do whatever You want.
Bengali
সর্বজীবের পাপ প্রভু দেহ’ মোর শিরে ॥ ১৬২ ॥
Text
sarva-jīvera pāpa prabhu deha’ mora śire
Synonyms
Translation
“My Lord, my heart breaks to see the sufferings of all the conditioned souls; therefore I request You to transfer the karma of their sinful lives upon my head.
Bengali
সকল জীবের, প্রভু, ঘুচাহ ভবরোগ ॥ ১৬৩ ॥
Text
sakala jīvera, prabhu, ghucāha bhava-roga
Synonyms
Translation
“My dear Lord, let me suffer perpetually in a hellish condition, accepting all the sinful reactions of all living entities. Please finish their diseased material life.”
Purport
Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura gives the following commentary on this verse. In the Western countries, Christians believe that Lord Jesus Christ, their spiritual master, appeared in order to eradicate all the sins of his disciples. To this end, Lord Jesus Christ appeared and disappeared. Here, however, we find Śrī Vāsudeva Datta Ṭhākura and Śrīla Haridāsa Ṭhākura to be many millions of times more advanced than even Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ relieved only his followers from all sinful reactions, but Vāsudeva Datta is here prepared to accept the sins of everyone in the universe. So the comparative position of Vāsudeva Datta is millions of times better than that of Lord Jesus Christ. A Vaiṣṇava is so liberal that he is prepared to risk everything to rescue the conditioned souls from material existence. Śrīla Vāsudeva Datta Ṭhākura is universal love itself, for he was willing to sacrifice everything and fully engage in the service of the Supreme Lord.
Śrīla Vāsudeva Datta knew very well that Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was the original Personality of Godhead, Transcendence itself, above the material conception of illusion and māyā. Lord Jesus Christ certainly finished the sinful reactions of his followers by his mercy, but that does not mean he completely delivered them from the pangs of material existence. A person may be relieved from sins once, but it is a practice among Christians to confess sins and yet commit them again. By getting freed from sins and again engaging in them, one cannot attain freedom from the pangs of material existence. A diseased person may go to a physician for relief, but after he leaves the hospital he may again be infected due to his unclean habits. Thus material existence continues. Śrīla Vāsudeva Datta wanted to completely relieve the conditioned souls from material existence so that they would no longer have an opportunity to commit sinful acts. This is the significant difference between Śrīla Vāsudeva Datta and Lord Jesus Christ. It is a great offense to receive pardon for sins and then commit the same sins again. Such an offense is more dangerous than the sinful activity itself. Vāsudeva Datta was so liberal that he requested Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu to transfer all offensive activity upon him so the conditioned souls would be purified and go back home, back to Godhead. This prayer was certainly without duplicity.
Vāsudeva Datta’s example is unique not only within this world but within the universe. It is beyond the conception of fruitive actors or the speculation of mundane philosophers. Due to being illusioned by the external energy and due to a poor fund of knowledge, people tend to envy one another. Because of this they are entangled in fruitive activity, and they try to escape this fruitive activity by mental speculation. Consequently neither karmīs nor jñānīs are purified. In the words of Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Ṭhākura, they are kukarmīs and kujñānīs — bad fruitive actors and bad speculators. The Māyāvādīs and karmīs should therefore turn their attention to the magnanimous Vāsudeva Datta, who wanted to suffer for others in a hellish condition. No one should consider Vāsudeva Datta a mundane philanthropist or welfare worker. Nor was he interested in merging into the Brahman effulgence or in gaining material honor or reputation. He was far, far above philanthropists, philosophers and fruitive actors. He was the most exalted personality to ever show mercy to the conditioned souls. This is not an exaggeration of his transcendental qualities. It is perfectly true. Actually, there cannot be any comparison to Vāsudeva Datta. As the perfect Vaiṣṇava, he was para-duḥkha-duḥkhī, very much aggrieved to see others suffer. The entire world is purified simply by the appearance of such a great devotee. Indeed, by his transcendental presence the whole world is glorified and all conditioned souls are also glorified. As Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura confirms, Vāsudeva Datta is the ideal devotee of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu:
se yāya vrajendrasuta-pāśa
One who executes Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s mission must be considered eternally liberated. He is a transcendental person and does not belong to this material world. Such a devotee, engaging in the deliverance of the total population, is as magnanimous as Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu Himself.
kṛṣṇāya kṛṣṇa-caitanya- nāmne gaura-tviṣe namaḥ
Such a personality factually represents Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu because his heart is always filled with compassion for all conditioned souls.
Bengali
অশ্রু-কম্প-স্বরভঙ্গে কহিতে লাগিলা ॥ ১৬৪ ॥
Text
aśru-kampa-svarabhaṅge kahite lāgilā
Synonyms
Translation
When Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu heard Vāsudeva Datta’s statement, His heart became very soft. Tears flowed from His eyes, and He began to tremble. In a faltering voice He spoke as follows.
Bengali
তোমার উপরে কৃষ্ণের সম্পূর্ণ প্রসাদ ॥ ১৬৫ ॥
Text
tomāra upare kṛṣṇera sampūrṇa prasāda
Synonyms
Translation
Accepting Vāsudeva Datta as a great devotee, the Lord said, “Such a statement is not at all astonishing because you are the incarnation of Prahlāda Mahārāja. It appears that Lord Kṛṣṇa has bestowed complete mercy upon you. There is no doubt about it.
Bengali
ভৃত্য-বাঞ্ছা-পূর্তি বিনু নাহি অন্য কৃত্য ॥ ১৬৬ ॥
Text
bhṛtya-vāñchā-pūrti vinu nāhi anya kṛtya
Synonyms
Translation
“Whatever a pure devotee wants from his master, Lord Kṛṣṇa doubtlessly grants because He has no duty other than to fulfill the desire of His devotee.
Bengali
বিনা পাপ-ভোগে হবে সবার উদ্ধার ॥ ১৬৭ ॥
Text
vinā pāpa-bhoge habe sabāra uddhāra
Synonyms
Translation
“If you desire the deliverance of all living entities within the universe, then all of them can be delivered even without your undergoing the tribulations of sinful activity.
Bengali
তোমাকে বা কেনে ভুঞ্জাইবে পাপ-ফল? ॥ ১৬৮ ॥
Text
tomāke vā kene bhuñjāibe pāpa-phala?
Synonyms
Translation
“Kṛṣṇa is not incapable, for He has all potencies. Why would He induce you to suffer the sinful reactions of other living entities?
Bengali
বৈষ্ণবের পাপ কৃষ্ণ দূর করে সব ॥ ১৬৯ ॥
Text
vaiṣṇavera pāpa kṛṣṇa dūra kare saba
Synonyms
Translation
“Whosever welfare you desire immediately becomes a Vaiṣṇava, and Kṛṣṇa delivers all Vaiṣṇavas from the reactions of their past sinful activities.
Purport
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu here informed Vāsudeva Datta that since Kṛṣṇa is all-powerful, He can immediately deliver all conditioned souls from material existence. In essence, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, “You desire the liberation of all kinds of living entities without discrimination. You are very anxious for their good fortune, and I say that simply by your prayer all living entities within the universe can be liberated. You do not even have to take up the burden of their sinful activities. Thus there is no need for you to suffer for their sinful lives. Whoever receives your compassion becomes a Vaiṣṇava immediately, and Kṛṣṇa delivers all Vaiṣṇavas from the reactions to their past sinful activities.” Kṛṣṇa also promises this in the Bhagavad-gītā (18.66):
ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ
“Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear.”
As soon as one fully surrenders to Kṛṣṇa, he becomes a Vaiṣṇava. In this verse from the Bhagavad-gītā Kṛṣṇa promises to relieve His devotee from all the reactions to sinful life. It is a fact that a fully surrendered Vaiṣṇava is completely out of the range of material infection. This is to say that he does not suffer the results of his previous pious or impious actions. Unless one is freed from sinful life, one cannot become a Vaiṣṇava. In other words, if one is a Vaiṣṇava, his sinful life is certainly ended. According to the Padma Purāṇa:
krameṇaiva pralīyeta viṣṇu-bhakti-ratātmanām
“There are different stages of dormant reactions to sinful activities to be observed in a sinful life. Sinful reactions may be just waiting to take effect [phalonmukha], reactions may be still further dormant [kūṭa], or the reactions may be in a seedlike state [bīja]. In any case, all types of sinful reactions are vanquished one after another if a person engages in the devotional service of Lord Viṣṇu.”
Bengali
বন্ধানুরূপফলভাজনমাতনোতি ।
কর্মাণি নির্দহতি কিন্তু চ ভক্তিভাজাং
গোবিন্দমাদিপুরুষং তমহং ভজামি ॥ ১৭০ ॥
Text
bandhānurūpa-phala-bhājanam ātanoti
karmāṇi nirdahati kintu ca bhakti-bhājāṁ
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi
Synonyms
yaḥ — He who (Govinda); tu — but; indra-gopam — to the small red insect called indra-gopa; atha vā — or even; indram — to Indra, King of heaven; aho — oh; sva-karma — of one’s own fruitive activities; bandha — bondage; anurūpa — according to; phala — of reactions; bhājanam — enjoying or suffering; ātanoti — bestows; karmāṇi — all fruitive activities and their reactions; nirdahati — destroys; kintu — but; ca — certainly; bhakti-bhājām — of persons engaged in devotional service; govindam — unto Lord Govinda; ādi-puruṣam — the original person; tam — unto Him; aham — I; bhajāmi — offer my obeisances.
Translation
“ ‘Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto the original Personality of Godhead, Govinda, who regulates the sufferings and enjoyments due to fruitive activity. He does this for everyone — from the heavenly King Indra down to the smallest insect [indra-gopa]. That very Personality of Godhead destroys the karmic reactions of one engaged in devotional service.’
Purport
This is a quotation from the Brahma-saṁhitā (5.54).
Bengali
সর্ব মুক্ত করিতে কৃষ্ণের নাহি কিছু শ্রম ॥ ১৭১ ॥
Text
sarva mukta karite kṛṣṇera nāhi kichu śrama
Synonyms
Translation
“Because of your honest desire, all living entities within the universe will be delivered, for Kṛṣṇa does not have to do anything to deliver all the living entities of the universe.
Bengali
কোটি যে ব্রহ্মাণ্ড ভাসে বিরজার জলে ॥ ১৭২ ॥
Text
koṭi ye brahmāṇḍa bhāse virajāra jale
Synonyms
Translation
“Just as there are millions of fruits on the uḍumbara tree, millions of universes float on the waters of the river Virajā.
Purport
Virajā is a river that divides the material world from the spiritual world. On one side of the river Virajā is the effulgence of Brahmaloka and innumerable Vaikuṇṭha planets, and on the other side is this material world. It is to be understood that this side of the Virajā River is filled with material planets floating in the Causal Ocean. The name Virajā indicates a marginal position between the spiritual and material worlds, but the Virajā River is not under the control of the material energy. Consequently it is devoid of the three guṇas.
Bengali
তথাপি বৃক্ষ নাহি জানে নিজ-অপচয় ॥ ১৭৩ ॥
Text
tathāpi vṛkṣa nāhi jāne nija-apacaya
Synonyms
Translation
“The uḍumbara tree is filled with millions of fruits, and if one falls down and is destroyed, the tree does not even consider the loss.
Bengali
তবু অল্প-হানি কৃষ্ণের মনে নাহি লয় ॥ ১৭৪ ॥
Text
tabu alpa-hāni kṛṣṇera mane nāhi laya
Synonyms
Translation
“In the same way, if one universe is vacated due to the living entities’ having been liberated, that is a very little thing for Kṛṣṇa. He does not take it very seriously.
Bengali
তার গড়খাই — কারণাব্ধি যার নাম ॥ ১৭৫ ॥
Text
tāra gaḍa-khāi — kāraṇābdhi yāra nāma
Synonyms
Translation
“The entire spiritual world constitutes the unlimited opulence of Kṛṣṇa, and there are innumerable Vaikuṇṭha planets there. The Causal Ocean is considered the surrounding waters of Vaikuṇṭhaloka.
Bengali
গড়খাইতে ভাসে যেন রাই-পূর্ণ ভাণ্ড ॥ ১৭৬ ॥
Text
gaḍa-khāite bhāse yena rāi-pūrṇa bhāṇḍa
Synonyms
Translation
“Māyā and her unlimited material universes are situated in that Causal Ocean. Indeed, māyā appears to be floating like a pot filled with mustard seeds.
Bengali
ঐছে এক অণ্ড-নাশে কৃষ্ণের নাহি হানি ॥ ১৭৭ ॥
Text
aiche eka aṇḍa-nāśe kṛṣṇera nāhi hāni
Synonyms
Translation
“Of the millions of mustard seeds floating in that pot, if one seed is lost, the loss is not at all significant. Similarly, if one universe is lost, it is not significant to Lord Kṛṣṇa.
Bengali
তথাপি না মানে কৃষ্ণ কিছু অপচয় ॥ ১৭৮ ॥
Text
tathāpi nā māne kṛṣṇa kichu apacaya
Synonyms
Translation
“To say nothing of one universal mustard seed, even if all the universes and the material energy [māyā] are destroyed, Kṛṣṇa does not even consider the loss.
Bengali
ষড়ৈশ্বর্যপতি কৃষ্ণের মায়া কিবা করে ? ১৭৯ ॥
Text
ṣaḍ-aiśvarya-pati kṛṣṇera māyā kibā kare?
Synonyms
Translation
“If a person possessing millions of wish-fulfilling cows loses one she-goat, he does not consider the loss. Kṛṣṇa owns all six opulences in full. If the entire material energy is destroyed, what does He lose?”
Purport
Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, in clarifying verses 171-179, states that the meaning of these stanzas is very simple but that the purport is a little difficult to understand. Generally, the conditioned souls forget Kṛṣṇa when they are enticed by the material, external energy. Consequently they are called kṛṣṇa-bahirmukha, bereft of their relationship with Kṛṣṇa. When such a living entity comes under the jurisdiction of the material energy, he is sent into one of the innumerable material universes created by the material energy to give a chance to conditioned souls to fulfill their desires in the material world. Being very eager to enjoy the fruits of their activities, conditioned souls become involved in the actions and reactions of material life. Consequently they enjoy and suffer the results of karma. However, if a conditioned soul becomes Kṛṣṇa conscious, the karma of his pious and impious activities is completely destroyed. Simply by becoming a devotee, one is freed of all the reactions of karma. Similarly, simply by the desire of a devotee, a conditioned soul can attain liberation and transcend the results of karma. Since everyone can be liberated in this way, one may conclude that it is according to the sweet will of the devotee whether the material world exists or does not exist. Ultimately, however, it is not the sweet will of the devotee but the will of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who, if He so desires, can completely annihilate the material creation. There is no loss on His part. The owner of millions of cows does not consider the loss of one she-goat. Similarly, Lord Kṛṣṇa is the proprietor of both the material and spiritual universes. The material world constitutes only one-fourth of His creative energy. If, according to the desire of the devotee, the Lord completely destroys the creation, He is so opulent that He will not mind the loss.
Bengali
ত্বমসি যদাত্মনা সমবরুদ্ধসমস্তভগঃ ।
অগজগদোকসামখিলশক্ত্যববোধক তে
ক্বচিদজয়াত্মনা চ চরতোঽনুচরেন্নিগমঃ ॥” ১৮০ ॥
Text
tvam asi yad ātmanā samavaruddha-samasta-bhagaḥ
aga-jagad-okasām akhila-śakty-avabodhaka te
kvacid ajayātmanā ca carato ’nucaren nigamaḥ”
Synonyms
jaya jaya — kindly exhibit Your glory; jahi — please conquer; ajām — nescience, māyā; ajita — O unconquerable one; doṣa — faulty; gṛbhīta-guṇām — by which the qualities are accepted; tvam — You; asi — are; yat — because; ātmanā — by Your internal potency; samavaruddha — possessing; samasta-bhagaḥ — all kinds of opulences; aga — nonmoving; jagat — moving; okasām — of the embodied living entities; akhila — all; śakti — of potencies; avabodhaka — master; te — You; kvacit — sometimes; ajayā — by the external energy; ātmanā — of Your self; ca — also; carataḥ — manifesting pastimes (by Your glance); anucaret — confirm; nigamaḥ — all the Vedas.
Translation
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu continued, “ ‘O my Lord, O unconquerable one, O master of all potencies, please exhibit Your internal potency to conquer the nescience of all moving and inert living entities. Due to nescience, they accept all kinds of faulty things, thus provoking a fearful situation. O Lord, please show Your glories! You can do this very easily, for Your internal potency is beyond the external potency, and You are the reservoir of all opulence. You are also the demonstrator of the material potency. You are also always engaged in Your pastimes in the spiritual world, where You exhibit Your reserved, internal potency, and sometimes You exhibit the external potency by glancing over it. Thus You manifest Your pastimes. The Vedas confirm Your two potencies and accept both types of pastimes due to them.’ ”
Purport
This verse is taken from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.87.14). It is from the prayers of the śruti-gaṇa, the personified Vedas, who glorify the Lord.
The almighty Personality of Godhead has three potencies — internal, external and marginal. The conditioned souls, who are condemned due to their forgetfulness of the Lord, are put under the control of the external potency when she creates the material world. The three modes of material nature keep the living entity in a constant state of fear (bhayaṁ dvitīyābhiniveśataḥ). The conditioned soul is always fearful due to being controlled by the external potency; therefore the conditioned soul should always pray to the almighty Lord to conquer the external potency (māyā) so that she will no longer manifest her powers, which bind all living entities, moving and inert. By praying in this way one will become eligible to remain constantly in the association of the Lord, thus fulfilling the mission of going back home, back to Godhead.
Bengali
সবারে বিদায় দিল করি’ আলিঙ্গন ॥ ১৮১ ॥
Text
sabāre vidāya dila kari’ āliṅgana
Synonyms
Translation
In this way, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu described the good qualities of His devotees one after the other. He then embraced them and bade them farewell.
Bengali
ভক্তের বিচ্ছেদে প্রভুর বিষণ্ণ হৈল মন ॥ ১৮২ ॥
Text
bhaktera vicchede prabhura viṣaṇṇa haila mana
Synonyms
Translation
Due to the impending separation from Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, all the devotees began to cry. The Lord was also morose due to separation from the devotees.
Bengali
যমেশ্বরে প্রভু যাঁরে করাইলা আবাসে ॥ ১৮৩ ॥
Text
yameśvare prabhu yāṅre karāilā āvāse
Synonyms
Translation
Gadādhara Paṇḍita remained with Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and he was given a place to live at Yameśvara.
Purport
Yameśvara is on the southwest side of the Jagannātha temple. Gadādhara Paṇḍita resided there, and there was a small garden and a sandy beach known as Yameśvara-ṭoṭā.
Bengali
দামোদর-পণ্ডিত, আর গোবিন্দ, কাশীশ্বর ॥ ১৮৪ ॥
জগন্নাথ-দরশন নিত্য করে প্রাতঃকালে ॥ ১৮৫ ॥
Text
dāmodara-paṇḍita, āra govinda, kāśīśvara
jagannātha-daraśana nitya kare prātaḥ-kāle
Synonyms
purī-gosāñi — Paramānanda Purī; jagadānanda — Jagadānanda; svarūpa-dāmodara — Svarūpa Dāmodara; dāmodara-paṇḍita — Dāmodara Paṇḍita; āra — and; govinda — Govinda; kāśīśvara — Kāśīśvara; ei-saba — all these personalities; saṅge — accompanied by; prabhu — Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu; vaise — stays; nīlācale — at Jagannātha Purī; jagannātha-daraśana — seeing Lord Jagannātha; nitya — daily; kare — does; prātaḥ-kāle — in the morning.
Translation
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu remained at Jagannātha Purī, Nīlācala, with Paramānanda Purī, Jagadānanda, Svarūpa Dāmodara, Dāmodara Paṇḍita, Govinda and Kāśīśvara. It was Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s daily practice to see Lord Jagannātha in the morning.
Bengali
যোড়হাত করি’ কিছু কৈল নিবেদন ॥ ১৮৬ ॥
Text
yoḍa-hāta kari’ kichu kaila nivedana
Synonyms
Translation
One day Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya came before Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu with folded hands and submitted a request.
Bengali
এবে প্রভুর নিমন্ত্রণে অবসর হৈল ॥ ১৮৭ ॥
Text
ebe prabhura nimantraṇe avasara haila
Synonyms
Translation
Since all the Vaiṣṇavas had returned to Bengal, there was a good chance that the Lord would accept an invitation.
Bengali
প্রভু কহে, — ধর্ম নহে, করিতে না পারি ॥ ১৮৮ ॥
Text
prabhu kahe, — dharma nahe, karite nā pāri
Synonyms
Translation
Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya said, “Please accept my invitation for lunch for one month.”
Purport
The Lord replied, “That is not possible, because it is against the religious principles of a sannyāsī.”
Bengali
প্রভু কহে, — এহ নহে যতিধর্ম-চিহ্ন ॥ ১৮৯ ॥
Text
prabhu kahe, — eha nahe yati-dharma-cihna
Synonyms
Translation
Sārvabhauma then said, “Please accept the invitation for twenty days.”
Purport
But Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu replied, “It is not a religious principle of the renounced order.”
Bengali
প্রভু কহে, — তোমার ভিক্ষা ‘এক’ দিবস ॥ ১৯০ ॥
Text
prabhu kahe, — tomāra bhikṣā ‘eka’ divasa
Synonyms
Translation
When Sārvabhauma requested Caitanya Mahāprabhu to accept lunch for fifteen days, the Lord said, “I shall accept lunch at your place for one day only.”
Bengali
‘দশদিন ভিক্ষা কর’ কহে বিনতি করিয়া ॥ ১৯১ ॥
Text
‘daśa-dina bhikṣā kara’ kahe vinati kariyā
Synonyms
Translation
Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya then caught hold of the Lord’s lotus feet and submissively begged, “Please accept lunch for at least ten days.”
Bengali
পাঁচ-দিন তাঁর ভিক্ষা নিয়ম করিল ॥ ১৯২ ॥
Text
pāṅca-dina tāṅra bhikṣā niyama karila
Synonyms
Translation
In this way, by and by, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu reduced the duration to five days. Thus for five days He regularly accepted the Bhaṭṭācārya’s invitation to lunch.
Bengali
তোমার সঙ্গে সন্ন্যাসী আছে দশজন ॥ ১৯৩ ॥
Text
tomāra saṅge sannyāsī āche daśa-jana
Synonyms
Translation
After this, Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya said, “My Lord, there are ten sannyāsīs with You.”
Purport
A sannyāsī should not cook food for himself or accept an invitation to eat at a devotee’s house continuously for many days. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was very kind and affectionate toward His devotees, yet He would not accept a long invitation at Sārvabhauma’s house. Out of affection, He accepted only five days in the month. The ten sannyāsīs living with the Lord were (1) Paramānanda Purī, (2) Svarūpa Dāmodara, (3) Brahmānanda Purī, (4) Brahmānanda Bhāratī, (5) Viṣṇu Purī, (6) Keśava Purī, (7) Kṛṣṇānanda Purī, (8) Nṛsiṁha Tīrtha, (9) Sukhānanda Purī and (10) Satyānanda Bhāratī.
Bengali
পূর্বে আমি কহিয়াছোঁ তোমার গোচরে ॥ ১৯৪ ॥
Text
pūrve āmi kahiyāchoṅ tomāra gocare
Synonyms
Translation
Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya then submitted that Paramānanda Purī Gosvāmī would accept a five-day invitation at his place. This had already been settled before the Lord.
Bengali
কভু তোমার সঙ্গে যাবে, কভু একেশ্বর ॥ ১৯৫ ॥
Text
kabhu tomāra saṅge yābe, kabhu ekeśvara
Synonyms
Translation
Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya said, “Dāmodara Svarūpa is my intimate friend. He will come sometimes with You and sometimes alone.
Bengali
এক একদিন, এক এক জনে পূর্ণ হইল মাসে ॥ ১৯৬ ॥
Text
eka eka-dina, eka eka jane pūrṇa ha-ila māse
Synonyms
Translation
“The other eight sannyāsīs will accept invitations for two days each. In this way there will be engagements for each and every day during the entire month.
Purport
During the entire month, consisting of thirty days, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu would visit Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya for five days, Paramānanda Purī Gosvāmī would visit for five days, Svarūpa Dāmodara for four days, and the eight other sannyāsīs for two days each. In this way the thirty days of the month would be filled.
Bengali
সম্মান করিতে নারি, অপরাধ পাই ॥ ১৯৭ ॥
Text
sammāna karite nāri, aparādha pāi
Synonyms
Translation
“If all the sannyāsīs came together, it would not be possible for me to pay them proper respects. Therefore I would be an offender.
Bengali
কভু সঙ্গে আসিবেন স্বরূপ-দামোদর ॥ ১৯৮ ॥
Text
kabhu saṅge āsibena svarūpa-dāmodara
Synonyms
Translation
“Sometimes You will come alone to my place, and sometimes You will be accompanied by Svarūpa Dāmodara.”
Bengali
সেই দিন মহাপ্রভুর কৈল নিমন্ত্রণ ॥ ১৯৯ ॥
Text
sei dina mahāprabhura kaila nimantraṇa
Synonyms
prabhura — of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu; iṅgita — acceptance; pāñā — receiving; ānandita — very happy; mana — mind; sei dina — on that day; mahāprabhura — of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu; kaila — made; nimantraṇa — invitation.
Translation
Having this arrangement confirmed by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, the Bhaṭṭācārya became very glad and immediately invited the Lord to his house on that very day.
Bengali
প্রভুর মহাভক্ত তেঁহো, স্নেহেতে জননী ॥ ২০০ ॥
Text
prabhura mahā-bhakta teṅho, snehete jananī
Synonyms
Translation
Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya’s wife was known as Ṣāṭhīra Mātā, the mother of Ṣāṭhī. She was a great devotee of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and she was affectionate like a mother.
Bengali
আনন্দে ষাঠীর মাতা পাক চড়াইল ॥ ২০১ ॥
Text
ānande ṣāṭhīra mātā pāka caḍāila
Synonyms
Translation
After returning to his home, Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya gave orders to his wife, and his wife, Ṣāṭhīra Mātā, began cooking with great pleasure.
Bengali
যেবা শাকফলাদিক, আনাইল আহরি’ ॥ ২০২ ॥
Text
yebā śāka-phalādika, ānāila āhari’
Synonyms
Translation
At Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya’s house, there was always a full stock of food. Whatever spinach, vegetables, fruit and so on were required, he collected and brought back home.
Bengali
ষাঠীর মাতা — বিচক্ষণা, জানে পাক-মর্ম ॥ ২০৩ ॥
Text
ṣāṭhīra mātā — vicakṣaṇā, jāne pāka-marma
Synonyms
Translation
Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya personally began to help Ṣāṭhīra Mātā cook. She was very experienced, and she knew how to cook nicely.
Bengali
এক-ঘরে শালগ্রামের ভোগ-সেবা হয় ॥ ২০৪ ॥
Text
eka-ghare śālagrāmera bhoga-sevā haya
Synonyms
Translation
On the southern side of the kitchen were two rooms for offering food, and in one of them the food was offered to Śālagrāma Nārāyaṇa.
Purport
Among the followers of the Vedic way, the śālagrāma-śilā, the vigraha of Nārāyaṇa, is worshiped in the form of a stone ball. In India, every brāhmaṇa still worships the śālagrāma-śilā in his home. The vaiśyas and kṣatriyas may also engage in this worship, but it is compulsory in the house of a brāhmaṇa.
Bengali
নিভৃতে করিয়াছে ভট্ট নূতন করিয়া ॥ ২০৫ ॥
Text
nibhṛte kariyāche bhaṭṭa nūtana kariyā
Synonyms
Translation
The other room was for Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s lunch. The Lord’s lunchroom was very secluded, and it was newly constructed by the Bhaṭṭācārya.
Bengali
পাকশালার এক দ্বার অন্ন পরিবেশিতে ॥ ২০৬ ॥
Text
pāka-śālāra eka dvāra anna pariveśite
Synonyms
Translation
The room was so constructed that there was only one door opening on the outside, which served as an entrance for Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. There was another door attached to the kitchen, and it was through this door that the food was brought.
Bengali
তিন-মান তণ্ডুলের উভারিল ভাতে ॥ ২০৭ ॥
Text
tina-māna taṇḍulera ubhārila bhāte
Synonyms
Translation
First, three mānas of cooked rice — almost six pounds — was poured onto a big banana leaf.
Purport
This is the beginning of a description of the food prepared for Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. This description is given by Kavirāja Gosvāmī, who, it is assumed, was an expert cook who knew both how to prepare and how to serve food.
Bengali
চারিদিকে পাতে ঘৃত বহিয়া চলিল ॥ ২০৮ ॥
Text
cāri-dike pāte ghṛta vahiyā calila
Synonyms
Translation
Then the whole stack of rice was mixed with so much yellowish and fragrant clarified butter that it began to overflow the leaf.
Bengali
চারিদিকে ধরিয়াছে নানা ব্যঞ্জন ভরি’ ॥ ২০৯ ॥
Text
cāri-dike dhariyāche nānā vyañjana bhari’
Synonyms
Translation
There were a number of pots made of the bark of banana trees and the leaves of the keyā plant. These pots were filled with various cooked vegetables and placed on all sides of the leaf.
Bengali
মরিচের ঝাল, ছানাবড়া, বড়ি ঘোল ॥ ২১০ ॥
Text
maricera jhāla, chānā-baḍā, baḍi ghola
Synonyms
Translation
There were about ten kinds of spinach, a soup called sukhta, which was made with bitter nimba leaves, a pungent preparation made with black pepper, a mild cake made of fried curd, and buttermilk mixed with small fried pieces of dhal.
Bengali
মোচাঘণ্ট, মোচাভাজা, বিবিধ শাক্রা ॥ ২১১ ॥
Text
mocā-ghaṇṭa, mocā-bhājā, vividha śākrā
Synonyms
Translation
There were preparations of dugdha-tumbī, dugdha-kuṣmāṇḍa, vesara, lāphrā, mocā-ghaṇṭa, mocā-bhājā and other vegetables.
Bengali
ফুলবড়ী-ফল-মূল বিবিধ প্রকার ॥ ২১২ ॥
Text
phulabaḍī-phala-mūla vividha prakāra
Synonyms
Translation
There were unlimited quantities of vṛddha-kuṣmāṇḍa-baḍī, phula-baḍī, fruits and various roots.
Bengali
ফুলবড়ী, পটোল-ভাজা, কুষ্মাণ্ড-মান-চাকী ॥ ২১৩ ॥
Text
phula-baḍī paṭola-bhājā, kuṣmāṇḍa-māna-cākī
Synonyms
Translation
Other preparations included eggplant mixed with newly grown nimba leaves fried together, light baḍī, fried paṭola and fried rounds of squash and pumpkin.
Bengali
মধুরাম্ল, বড়াম্লাদি অম্ল পাঁচ ছয় ॥ ২১৪ ॥
Text
madhurāmla, baḍāmlādi amla pāṅca chaya
Synonyms
Translation
There was a soup made with fried urad dhal and mung dhal, defeating nectar. There were also sweet chutney and five or six kinds of sour preparations, beginning with baḍāmla.
Bengali
ক্ষীরপুলি, নারিকেল-পুলি আর যত পিষ্ট ॥ ২১৫ ॥
Text
kṣīra-puli, nārikela-puli āra yata piṣṭa
Synonyms
Translation
There were baḍās made of mung dhal, of urad dhal and of sweet bananas, and there were sweet-rice cakes, coconut cakes and various other cakes.
Bengali
আর যত পিঠা কৈল, কহিতে না শকি ॥ ২১৬ ॥
Text
āra yata piṭhā kaila, kahite nā śaki
Synonyms
Translation
There were kāṅji-baḍā, dugdha-ciḍā, dugdha-laklakī and various cakes that I am unable to describe.
Bengali
চাঁপাকলা-ঘনদুগ্ধ-আম্র তাহা ধরি ॥ ২১৭ ॥
Text
cāṅpākalā-ghanadugdha-āmra tāhā dhari
Synonyms
Translation
Sweet rice mixed with ghee was poured into an earthen pot and mixed with cāṅpā-kalā, condensed milk and mango.
Bengali
গৌড়ে উৎকলে যত ভক্ষ্যের প্রকার ॥ ২১৮ ॥
Text
gauḍe utkale yata bhakṣyera prakāra
Synonyms
Translation
Other preparations included a very delicious churned curd and a variety of sandeśa sweetmeats. Indeed, all the various eatables available in Bengal and Orissa were prepared.
Bengali
শুভ্র-পীঠোপরি সূক্ষ্ম বসন পাতিল ॥ ২১৯ ॥
Text
śubhra-pīṭhopari sūkṣma vasana pātila
Synonyms
Translation
Thus the Bhaṭṭācārya prepared a great variety of food and spread a fine cloth over a white wooden platform.
Bengali
অন্ন-ব্যঞ্জনোপরি দিল তুলসী-মঞ্জরী ॥ ২২০ ॥
Text
anna-vyañjanopari dila tulasī-mañjarī
Synonyms
Translation
On two sides of the stack of food were pitchers filled with scented cold water. The flowers of the tulasī tree were placed atop the mound of rice.
Bengali
জগন্নাথ-প্রসাদ সব পৃথক্ ধরিল ॥ ২২১ ॥
Text
jagannātha-prasāda saba pṛthak dharila
Synonyms
Translation
Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya also included several types of food that had been offered to Lord Jagannātha. These included sweetballs known as amṛta-guṭikā, sweet rice and cakes. All these were kept separate.
Purport
Although the remnants of food left by Jagannātha were brought into the Bhaṭṭācārya’s house, they were kept separate from the preparations he had made at his home. It sometimes happens that prasādam is mixed with a larger quantity of food and then distributed, but in this case we find that Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya kept the jagannātha-prasādam separate. He kept it aside particularly for the satisfaction of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.
Bengali
একলে আইল তাঁর হৃদয় জানিয়া ॥ ২২২ ॥
Text
ekale āila tāṅra hṛdaya jāniyā
Synonyms
Translation
When everything was ready, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu came there alone after finishing His midday duties. He knew the heart of Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya.
Bengali
ঘরের ভিতরে গেলা করিতে ভোজন ॥ ২২৩ ॥
Text
gharera bhitare gelā karite bhojana
Synonyms
bhaṭṭācārya — Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya; kaila — performed; tabe — thereafter; pāda prakṣālana — washing the feet; gharera bhitare — within the room; gelā — entered; karite bhojana — to take lunch.
Translation
After Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya washed the Lord’s feet, the Lord entered the room to take His lunch.
Bengali
ভট্টাচার্যে কহে কিছু ভঙ্গি করিয়া ॥ ২২৪ ॥
Text
bhaṭṭācārye kahe kichu bhaṅgi kariyā
Synonyms
Translation
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was a little astonished to see the gorgeous arrangement, and gesturing, He spoke to Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya.
Bengali
দুই প্রহর ভিতরে কৈছে হইল রন্ধন ? ২২৫ ॥
Text
dui prahara bhitare kaiche ha-ila randhana?
Synonyms
Translation
“This is most uncommon! How was this arrangement of rice and vegetables finished within six hours?
Bengali
তবু শীঘ্র এত দ্রব্য রান্ধিতে না পারে ॥ ২২৬ ॥
Text
tabu śīghra eta dravya rāndhite nā pāre
Synonyms
Translation
“Even a hundred men cooking on a hundred stoves could not possibly finish all these preparations within so short a time.
Bengali
উপরে দেখিয়ে যাতে তুলসী-মঞ্জরী ॥ ২২৭ ॥
Text
upare dekhiye yāte tulasī-mañjarī
Synonyms
Translation
“I hope the food has already been offered to Kṛṣṇa, since I see there are tulasī flowers on it.
Bengali
রাধাকৃষ্ণে লাগাঞাছ এতাদৃশ ভোগ ॥ ২২৮ ॥
Text
rādhā-kṛṣṇe lāgāñācha etādṛśa bhoga
Synonyms
Translation
“You are most fortunate, and your endeavor is successful, for you have offered such wonderful food to Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa.
Bengali
রাধাকৃষ্ণ সাক্ষাৎ ইহাঁ করিয়াছেন ভোজন ॥ ২২৯ ॥
Text
rādhā-kṛṣṇa sākṣāt ihāṅ kariyāchena bhojana
Synonyms
Translation
“The color of the rice is so attractive and its aroma so good that it appears Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa have directly taken it.
Bengali
আমি — ভাগ্যবান্, ইহার অবশেষ পাব ॥ ২৩০ ॥
Text
āmi — bhāgyavān, ihāra avaśeṣa pāba
Synonyms
Translation
“My dear Bhaṭṭācārya, your fortune is very great. How much shall I praise you? I also am very fortunate to be able to take the remnants of this food.
Bengali
মোরে প্রসাদ দেহ’ ভিন্ন পাত্রেতে করিয়া ॥ ২৩১ ॥
Text
more prasāda deha’ bhinna pātrete kariyā
Synonyms
Translation
“Take away Kṛṣṇa’s sitting place and put it aside. Then give Me prasādam on a different plate.”
Bengali
যেই খাবে, তাঁহার শক্ত্যে ভোগ সিদ্ধ হয় ॥ ২৩২ ॥
Text
yei khābe, tāṅhāra śaktye bhoga siddha haya
Synonyms
Translation
Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya said, “It is not so wonderful, my Lord. Everything has been made possible by the energy and mercy of Him who will eat the food.
Bengali
যাঁর শক্ত্যে ভোগ সিদ্ধ, সেই তাহা জানে ॥ ২৩৩ ॥
Text
yāṅra śaktye bhoga siddha, sei tāhā jāne
Synonyms
Translation
“My wife and I did not especially exert ourselves in the cooking. He by whose power the food has been prepared knows everything.
Bengali
প্রভু কহে, — পূজ্য এই কৃষ্ণের আসন ॥ ২৩৪ ॥
Text
prabhu kahe, — pūjya ei kṛṣṇera āsana
Synonyms
Translation
“Now please sit in this place and take Your lunch.”
Purport
Caitanya Mahāprabhu replied, “This place is worshipable because it was used by Kṛṣṇa.”
According to etiquette, things used by Kṛṣṇa should not be used by anyone else. Similarly, things used by the spiritual master should also not be used by anyone else. That is etiquette. Whatever is used by Kṛṣṇa or the spiritual master is worshipable. In particular, their sitting or eating places should not be used by anyone else. A devotee must be very careful to observe this.
Bengali
অন্ন খাবে, পীঠে বসিতে কাহাঁ অপরাধ ? ২৩৫ ॥
Text
anna khābe, pīṭhe vasite kāhāṅ aparādha?
Synonyms
Translation
The Bhaṭṭācārya said, “Both the food and the sitting place are the Lord’s mercy. If You can eat the remnants of the food, what is the offense in Your sitting in this place?”
Bengali
কৃষ্ণের সকল শেষ ভৃত্য আস্বাদয় ॥ ২৩৬ ॥
Text
kṛṣṇera sakala śeṣa bhṛtya āsvādaya
Synonyms
Translation
Caitanya Mahāprabhu then said, “Yes, you have spoken correctly. The śāstras enjoin that the devotee can partake of everything left by Kṛṣṇa.
Bengali
উচ্ছিষ্টভোজিনো দাসাস্তব মায়াং জয়েম হি ॥ ২৩৭ ॥
Text
vāso ’laṅkāra-carcitāḥ
ucchiṣṭa-bhojino dāsās
tava māyāṁ jayema hi
Synonyms
tvayā — by You; upayukta — used; srak — flower garlands; gandha — scented substances like sandalwood pulp; vāsaḥ — garments; alaṅkāra — ornaments; carcitāḥ — being decorated with; ucchiṣṭa — remnants of food; bhojinaḥ — eating; dāsāḥ — servants; tava — Your; māyām — illusory energy; jayema — can conquer over; hi — certainly.
Translation
“ ‘My dear Lord, the garlands, scented substances, garments, ornaments and other such things that have been offered to You may later be used by Your servants. By partaking of these things and eating the remnants of food You have left, we will be able to conquer the illusory energy.’ ”
Purport
This is a quotation from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.6.46). In the Hare Kṛṣṇa movement, the chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, the dancing in ecstasy and the eating of the remnants of food offered to the Lord are very, very important. One may be illiterate or incapable of understanding the philosophy, but if he partakes of these three items, he will certainly be liberated without delay.
This verse was spoken by Uddhava to Lord Kṛṣṇa. This was during the time when the Uddhava-gītā was spoken. At that time there was some disturbance in Dvārakā, and Lord Kṛṣṇa decided to leave the material world and enter the spiritual world. Uddhava could understand the situation, and he talked with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The verse quoted above is an excerpt from their conversation. Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes in this material world are called prakaṭa-līlā (manifested pastimes), and His pastimes in the spiritual world are called aprakaṭa-līlā (unmanifested pastimes). By “unmanifested” we mean that they are not present before our eyes. It is not that Lord Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes are nonexistent. They are going on exactly as the sun is shining perpetually, but when the sun is present before our eyes, we call it daytime (manifest), and when it is not present, we call it night (unmanifest). Those who are above the jurisdiction of night are always in the spiritual world, where the Lord’s pastimes are constantly manifest to them. As the Brahma-saṁhitā (5.37-38) confirms:
tābhir ya eva nija-rūpatayā kalābhiḥ
goloka eva nivasaty akhilātma-bhūto
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi
santaḥ sadaiva hṛdayeṣu vilokayanti
yaṁ śyāmasundaram acintya-guṇa-svarūpaṁ
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi
“I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, who resides in His own realm, Goloka, with Rādhā, who resembles His own spiritual figure and who embodies the ecstatic potency [hlādinī]. Their companions are Her confidantes, who embody extensions of Her bodily form and who are imbued and permeated with ever-blissful spiritual rasa. I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, who is Śyāmasundara, Kṛṣṇa Himself, with inconceivable innumerable attributes, whom the pure devotees see in their heart of hearts with the eye of devotion tinged with the salve of love.”
Bengali
ভট্ট কহে, — জানি, খাও যতেক যুয়ায় ॥ ২৩৮ ॥
Text
bhaṭṭa kahe, — jāni, khāo yateka yuyāya
Synonyms
Translation
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu then said, “There is so much food here that it is impossible to eat it all.”
Purport
The Bhaṭṭācārya replied, “I know how much You can eat.
Bengali
এক এক ভোগের অন্ন শত শত ভার ॥ ২৩৯ ॥
Text
eka eka bhogera anna śata śata bhāra
Synonyms
Translation
“After all, at Jagannātha Purī You eat fifty-two times a day, and each time You eat hundreds of buckets filled with prasādam.
Bengali
অষ্টাদশ মাতা, আর যাদবের ঘরে ॥ ২৪০ ॥
Text
aṣṭādaśa mātā, āra yādavera ghare
Synonyms
Translation
“At Dvārakā, You keep sixteen thousand queens in sixteen thousand palaces. Also, there are eighteen mothers and numerous friends and relatives of the Yadu dynasty.
Bengali
সখাবৃন্দ সবার ঘরে দ্বিসন্ধ্যা-ভোজন ॥ ২৪১ ॥
Text
sakhā-vṛnda sabāra ghare dvisandhyā-bhojana
Synonyms
vraje — at Vṛndāvana; jyeṭhā — the father’s elder brothers; khuḍā — the father’s younger brothers; māmā — the mother’s brothers; pisā — the husbands of aunts; ādi — and so on; gopa-gaṇa — cowherd men; sakhā-vṛnda — hundreds of friends; sabāra — of all of them; ghare — in the houses; dvi-sandhyā — twice a day; bhojana — eating.
Translation
“In Vṛndāvana You also have Your father’s elder brothers, Your father’s younger brothers, maternal uncles, husbands of Your father’s sisters and many cowherd men. There are also cowherd boyfriends, and You eat twice a day, morning and evening, in the house of each and every one.
Purport
In Dvārakā, Lord Kṛṣṇa had eighteen mothers — Devakī, Rohiṇī and others. Besides these was His foster mother, Yaśodā, in Vṛndāvana. Lord Kṛṣṇa also had many uncles. As stated by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī in his Bṛhat Śrī Śrī Rādhā-kṛṣṇa-gaṇoddeśa-dīpikā (32), upanando ’bhinandaś ca pitṛvyau pūrva-jau pituḥ: “The elder brothers of Nanda Mahārāja were Upananda and Abhinanda.” Similarly, in the same verse the names of the younger brothers of Nanda Mahārāja are given: pitṛvyau tu kanīyāṁsau syātāṁ sannanda-nandanau. “Sannanda and Nandana [also known as Sunanda and Pāṇḍava] were the younger brothers of Kṛṣṇa’s father, Nanda Mahārāja.” Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s maternal uncles are also described in this book (in verse 46): yaśodhara-yaśodeva-sudevādyās tu mātulāḥ. “Yaśodhara, Yaśodeva and Sudeva were the maternal uncles of Kṛṣṇa.” Also mentioned in the Rādhā-kṛṣṇa-gaṇoddeśa-dīpikā (38) are Kṛṣṇa’s uncles who were the husbands of Nanda Mahārāja’s sisters: mahānīlaḥ sunīlaś ca ramaṇāv etayoḥ kramāt. “Mahānīla and Sunīla are the husbands of Kṛṣṇa’s aunts.”
Bengali
তার লেখায় এই অন্ন নহে এক গ্রাসী ॥ ২৪২ ॥
Text
tāra lekhāya ei anna nahe eka grāsī
Synonyms
Translation
“Indeed,” Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya continued, “at the Govardhana-pūjā ceremony You ate stacks of rice. In comparison to that, this small quantity is not even a morsel for You.
Bengali
এক-গ্রাস মাধুকরী করহ অঙ্গীকার ॥ ২৪৩ ॥
Text
eka-grāsa mādhukarī karaha aṅgīkāra
Synonyms
Translation
“You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead, whereas I am a most insignificant living being. Therefore please accept a little quantity of food from my house.”
Purport
A sannyāsī is expected to collect a little food from each and every householder. That is to say, he should take whatever he requires to eat. This system is called mādhukarī. The word mādhukarī comes from the word madhukara and means “honey-collecting bees.” Bees collect a little honey from each flower, but all these small quantities of honey accumulate to become a beehive. Sannyāsīs should collect a little from each and every householder and should eat simply what is necessary to maintain the body. Being a sannyāsī, Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu could collect a little food from the house of Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya, and this was the Bhaṭṭācārya’s request. Compared to the food eaten by the Lord on other occasions, the Bhaṭṭācārya’s feast was not even a morsel. This is what the Bhaṭṭācārya is pointing out to the Lord.
Bengali
জগন্নাথের প্রসাদ ভট্ট দেন হর্ষ-মনে ॥ ২৪৪ ॥
Text
jagannāthera prasāda bhaṭṭa dena harṣa-mane
Synonyms
Translation
Hearing this, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu smiled and sat down to eat. The Bhaṭṭācārya, with great pleasure, first offered Him the prasādam from the Jagannātha temple.
Bengali
কুলীন, নিন্দক তেঁহো ষাঠি-কন্যার ভর্তা ॥ ২৪৫ ॥
Text
kulīna, nindaka teṅho ṣāṭhī-kanyāra bhartā
Synonyms
Translation
At this time the Bhaṭṭācārya had a son-in-law named Amogha, who was the husband of his daughter Ṣāṭhī. Although born in an aristocratic brāhmaṇa family, Amogha was a great faultfinder and blasphemer.
Bengali
লাঠি-হাতে ভট্টাচার্য আছেন দুয়ারে ॥ ২৪৬ ॥
Text
lāṭhi-hāte bhaṭṭācārya āchena duyāre
Synonyms
Translation
Amogha wanted to see Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu eat, but he was not allowed to enter. Indeed, the Bhaṭṭācārya guarded the threshold of his house with a stick in his hand.
Bengali
অমোঘ আসি’ অন্ন দেখি’ করয়ে নিন্দন ॥ ২৪৭ ॥
Text
amogha āsi’ anna dekhi’ karaye nindana
Synonyms
Translation
However, as soon as the Bhaṭṭācārya began distributing prasādam and was a little inattentive, Amogha came in. Seeing the quantity of food, he began to blaspheme.
Bengali
একেলা সন্ন্যাসী করে এতেক ভক্ষণ ! ২৪৮ ॥
Text
ekelā sannyāsī kare eteka bhakṣaṇa!
Synonyms
Translation
“This much food is sufficient to satisfy ten or twelve men, but this sannyāsī alone is eating so much!”
Bengali
তাঁর অবধান দেখি’ অমোঘ পলাইল ॥ ২৪৯ ॥
Text
tāṅra avadhāna dekhi’ amogha palāila
Synonyms
Translation
As soon as Amogha said this, Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya turned his eyes upon him. Seeing the Bhaṭṭācārya’s attitude, Amogha immediately left.
Bengali
পলাইল অমোঘ, তার লাগ না পাইল ॥ ২৫০ ॥
Text
palāila amogha, tāra lāga nā pāila
Synonyms
Translation
The Bhaṭṭācārya ran after him to strike him with a stick, but Amogha fled so fast that the Bhaṭṭācārya could not catch him.
Bengali
নিন্দা শুনি’ মহাপ্ৰভু হাসিতে লাগিলা ॥ ২৫১ ॥
Text
nindā śuni’ mahāprabhu hāsite lāgilā
Synonyms
Translation
The Bhaṭṭācārya then began to curse his son-in-law and call him ill names. When the Bhaṭṭācārya returned, he saw that Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was laughing to hear him criticize Amogha.
Bengali
‘ষাঠী রাণ্ডী হউক’ — ইহা বলে বারে বারে ॥ ২৫২ ॥
Text
‘ṣāṭhī rāṇḍī ha-uka’ — ihā bale bāre bāre
Synonyms
Translation
When Ṣāṭhī’s mother, the Bhaṭṭācārya’s wife, heard of this incident, she immediately began to strike her head and chest, saying again and again, “Let Ṣāṭhī become a widow!”
Bengali
দুঁহার ইচ্ছাতে ভোজন কৈল তুষ্ট হঞা ॥ ২৫৩ ॥
Text
duṅhāra icchāte bhojana kaila tuṣṭa hañā
Synonyms
Translation
Seeing the lamentation of both husband and wife, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu tried to pacify them. According to their desire, He ate the prasādam and was very satisfied.
Bengali
তুলসী-মঞ্জরী, লবঙ্গ, এলাচি রসবাস ॥ ২৫৪ ॥
Text
tulasī-mañjarī, lavaṅga, elāci rasa-vāsa
Synonyms
Translation
After Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu finished eating, the Bhaṭṭācārya poured water for the Lord to wash His mouth, hands and legs and offered Him flavored spices, tulasī-mañjarīs, cloves and cardamom.
Bengali
দণ্ডবৎ হঞা বলে সদৈন্য বচন ॥ ২৫৫ ॥
Text
daṇḍavat hañā bale sadainya vacana
Synonyms
Translation
The Bhaṭṭācārya then placed a flower garland over Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and smeared His body with sandalwood pulp. After offering obeisances, the Bhaṭṭācārya submitted the following humble statement.
Bengali
এই অপরাধ, প্রভু, ক্ষমা কর মোরে ॥ ২৫৬ ॥
Text
ei aparādha, prabhu, kṣamā kara more
Synonyms
Translation
“I brought You to my home just to have You blasphemed. This is a great offense. Please excuse me. I beg Your pardon.”
Bengali
ইহাতে তোমার কিবা অপরাধ হৈল ? ২৫৭ ॥
Text
ihāte tomāra kibā aparādha haila?
Synonyms
Translation
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, “What Amogha has said is correct; therefore it is not blasphemy. What is your offense?”
Bengali
ভট্টাচার্য তাঁর ঘরে গেলা তাঁর সনে ॥ ২৫৮ ॥
Text
bhaṭṭācārya tāṅra ghare gelā tāṅra sane
Synonyms
Translation
After saying this, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu left and returned to His residence. Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya followed Him.
Bengali
তাঁরে শান্ত করি’ প্রভু ঘরে পাঠাইল ॥ ২৫৯ ॥
Text
tāṅre śānta kari’ prabhu ghare pāṭhāila
Synonyms
Translation
Falling down at the Lord’s feet, Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya said many things in self-reproach. The Lord then pacified him and sent him back to his home.
Bengali
আপনা নিন্দিয়া কিছু বলেন বচনে ॥ ২৬০ ॥
Text
āpanā nindiyā kichu balena vacane
Synonyms
Translation
After returning to his home, Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya consulted with his wife, the mother of Ṣāṭhī. After personally condemning himself, he began to speak as follows.
Bengali
তারে বধ কৈলে হয় পাপ-প্রায়শ্চিত্তে ॥ ২৬১ ॥
Text
tāre vadha kaile haya pāpa-prāyaścitte
Synonyms
Translation
“If the man who blasphemed Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is killed, his sinful action may be atoned.”
Purport
The Hari-bhakti-vilāsa cites the following quotation from the Skanda Purāṇa concerning the blaspheming of a Vaiṣṇava:
karoti tasya naśyanti artha-dharma-yaśaḥ-sutāḥ
patanti pitṛbhiḥ sārdhaṁ mahā-raurava-saṁjñite
krudhyate yāti no harṣaṁ darśane patanāni ṣaṭ
In a conversation between Mārkaṇḍeya and Bhagīratha, it is said, “My dear King, one who derides an exalted devotee loses the results of his pious activities, his opulence, his reputation and his sons. Vaiṣṇavas are all great souls. Whoever blasphemes them falls down to the hell known as Mahāraurava, accompanied by his forefathers. Whoever kills or blasphemes a Vaiṣṇava and whoever is envious of a Vaiṣṇava or angry with him, or whoever does not offer him obeisances or feel joy upon seeing him, certainly falls into a hellish condition.”
Also, the Hari-bhakti-vilāsa (10.314) gives the following quotation from the Dvārakā-māhātmya:
nindāṁ kurvanti ye pāpā vaiṣṇavānāṁ mahātmanām
In a conversation between Prahlāda Mahārāja and Bali Mahārāja, it is said, “Those sinful people who blaspheme Vaiṣṇavas, who are all great souls, are subjected very severely to the punishment offered by Yamarāja.”
In his Bhakti-sandarbha (313), Jīva Gosvāmī quotes this statement concerning the blaspheming of Lord Viṣṇu:
śata-janmārjitaṁ puṇyaṁ teṣāṁ naśyati niścitam
bhakṣitāḥ kīṭa-saṅghena yāvac candra-divākarau
taiḥ sārdhaṁ vañcaka-janaiḥ saha-vāsaṁ na kārayet
“ ‘One who criticizes Lord Viṣṇu and His devotees loses all the benefits accrued in a hundred pious births. Such a person rots in the Kumbhīpāka hell and is bitten by worms as long as the sun and moon exist. One should therefore not even see the face of a person who blasphemes Lord Viṣṇu and His devotees. Never try to associate with such persons.’ ”
In his Bhakti-sandarbha (265), Jīva Gosvāmī further quotes from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.74.40):
tato nāpaiti yaḥ so ’pi yāty adhaḥ sukṛtāc cyutaḥ
“ ‘If one does not immediately leave upon hearing the Lord or the Lord’s devotee blasphemed, he falls down from devotional service.’ ” Similarly, Lord Śiva’s wife Satī states in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (4.4.17):
dharmāvitary asṛṇibhir nṛbhir asyamāne
chindyāt prasahya ruśatīm asatīṁ prabhuś cej
jihvām asūn api tato visṛjet sa dharmaḥ
“If one hears an irresponsible person blaspheme the master and controller of religion, he should block his ears and go away if unable to punish him. But if one is able to kill, then one should by force cut out the blasphemer’s tongue and kill the offender, and after that he should give up his own life.”
Bengali
দুই যোগ্য নহে, দুই শরীর ব্রাহ্মণ ॥ ২৬২ ॥
Text
dui yogya nahe, dui śarīra brāhmaṇa
Synonyms
Translation
Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya continued, “Or, if I give up my own life, this sinful action may be atoned. However, neither of these ideas is befitting because both bodies belong to brāhmaṇas.
Bengali
পরিত্যাগ কৈলুঁ, তার নাম না লইব ॥ ২৬৩ ॥
Text
parityāga kailuṅ, tāra nāma nā la-iba
Synonyms
Translation
“Instead, I shall never see the face of that blasphemer. I reject him and give up my relationship with him. I shall never even speak his name.
Bengali
‘পতিত’ হইলে ভর্তা ত্যজিতে উচিত ॥ ২৬৪ ॥
Text
‘patita’ ha-ile bhartā tyajite ucita
Synonyms
Translation
“Inform my daughter Ṣāṭhī to abandon her relationship with her husband because he has fallen down. When the husband falls down, it is the wife’s duty to relinquish the relationship.
Purport
Śrīla Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya considered that if Amogha were killed, the killer would suffer sinful reactions for killing the body of a brāhmaṇa. For the same reason, it would have been undesirable for the Bhaṭṭācārya to commit suicide because he also was a brāhmaṇa. Since neither course could be accepted, the Bhaṭṭācārya decided to give up his relationship with Amogha and never see his face.
As far as killing the body of a brāhmaṇa is concerned, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.7.53) gives the following injunction concerning a brahma-bandhu, a person born of a brāhmaṇa father but devoid of brahminical qualities:
brahma-bandhur na hantavya ātatāyī vadhār-haṇaḥ
“The Personality of Godhead Śrī Kṛṣṇa said, ‘A brahma-bandhu is not to be killed, but if he is an aggressor, he must be killed.’ ”
Quoting from the smṛti, Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī comments on this quotation from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam:
jighāṁ santaṁ jighāṁsīyān na tena brahma-hā bhavet
“ ‘An aggressor intent on killing may be a very learned scholar of Vedānta, yet he should be killed because of his envy in killing others. In such a case, it is not sinful to kill a brāhmaṇa.’ ”
It is also stated in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.7.57):
eṣa hi brahma-bandhūnāṁ vadho nānyo ’sti daihikaḥ
“Cutting the hair from his head, depriving him of his wealth and driving him from his residence are the prescribed punishments for a brahma-bandhu. There is no injunction for killing the body.”
As far as Ṣāṭhī, the daughter of Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya, was concerned, she was advised to give up her relationship with her husband. Concerning this, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (5.5.18) states, na patiś ca sa syān na mocayed yaḥ samupeta-mṛtyum: “One cannot be a husband if he cannot liberate his dependents from inevitable death.” If a person is not in Kṛṣṇa consciousness and is bereft of spiritual power, he cannot protect his wife from the path of repeated birth and death. Consequently such a person cannot be accepted as a husband. A wife should dedicate her life and everything to Kṛṣṇa for further advancement in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. If her husband abandons Kṛṣṇa consciousness and she gives up her connection with him, she follows in the footsteps of the dvija-patnīs, the wives of the brāhmaṇas who were engaged in performing sacrifices. The wife is not to be condemned for cutting off such a relationship. In this regard, Śrī Kṛṣṇa assures the dvija-patnīs in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.23.31-32):
lokāś ca vo mayopetā devā apy anumanvate
tan mano mayi yuñjānā acirān mām avāpsyatha
“My dear dvija-patnīs, 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.”
Bengali
Text
Translation
“ ‘When a husband is fallen, one’s relationship with him must be given up.’ ”
Purport
This is a quotation from the smṛti-śāstra. As stated in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (7.11.28):
apramattā śuciḥ snigdhā patiṁ tv apatitaṁ bhajet
“A wife who is satisfied, who is not greedy, who is expert and knows religious principles, who speaks what is dear and truthful and is not bewildered, and who is always clean and affectionate should be very much devoted to her husband if he is not fallen.”
Bengali
প্রাতঃকালে তার বিসূচিকা-ব্যাধি হৈল ॥ ২৬৬ ॥
Text
prātaḥ-kāle tāra visūcikā-vyādhi haila
Synonyms
Translation
That night Amogha, Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya’s son-in-law, fled, and in the morning he immediately fell sick with cholera.
Bengali
সহায় হইয়া দৈব কৈল মোর কার্য ॥ ২৬৭ ॥
Text
sahāya ha-iyā daiva kaila mora kārya
Synonyms
Translation
When the Bhaṭṭācārya heard that Amogha was dying of cholera, he thought, “It is the favor of Providence that He is doing what I want to do.
Bengali
এত বলি’ পড়ে দুই শাস্ত্রের বচন ॥ ২৬৮ ॥
Text
eta bali’ paḍe dui śāstrera vacana
Synonyms
Translation
“When one offends the Supreme Personality of Godhead, karma immediately takes effect.” After saying this, he recited two verses from the revealed scripture.
Bengali
অস্মাভির্যদনুষ্ঠেয়ং গন্ধর্বৈস্তদনুষ্ঠিতম্ ॥ ২৬৯ ॥
Text
hasty-aśva-ratha-pattibhiḥ
asmābhir yad anuṣṭheyaṁ
gandharvais tad anuṣṭhitam
Synonyms
mahatā — very great; hi — certainly; prayatnena — by endeavor; hasti — elephants; aśva — horses; ratha — chariots; pattibhiḥ — and by infantry soldiers; asmābhiḥ — by ourselves; yat — whatever; anuṣṭheyam — has to be arranged; gandharvaiḥ — by the Gandharvas; tat — that; anuṣṭhitam — done.
Translation
“ ‘What we have had to arrange with great endeavor by collecting elephants, horses, chariots and infantry soldiers has already been accomplished by the Gandharvas.’
Purport
This is a quotation from the Mahābhārata (Vana-parva 241.15). Bhīmasena made this statement when all the Pāṇḍavas were living in exile in the forest. At that time there was a fight between the Kauravas and the Gandharvas. The Kaurava soldiers were under the command of Karṇa, but the commander-in-chief of the Gandharvas was able to arrest all the Kauravas by virtue of superior military strength. At that time Duryodhana’s ministers and commanders requested Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira to help. After being thus petitioned, Bhīmasena spoke the verse given above, remembering Duryodhana’s former nefarious and atrocious activities against them. Indeed, Bhīmasena felt it very fitting that Duryodhana and his company were arrested. This could have been accomplished by the Pāṇḍavas only with great endeavor.
Bengali
হন্তি শ্রেয়াংসি সর্বাণি পুংসো মহদতিক্রমঃ ॥ ২৭০ ॥
Text
lokān āśiṣa eva ca
hanti śreyāṁsi sarvāṇi
puṁso mahad-atikramaḥ
Synonyms
Translation
“ ‘When a person mistreats great souls, his life span, opulence, reputation, religion, possessions and good fortune are all destroyed.’
Purport
This statement (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.4.46) was made by Śukadeva Gosvāmī to Mahārāja Parīkṣit. This quotation concerns the attempted killing of Kṛṣṇa’s sister (Yogamāyā), who appeared before Kṛṣṇa’s birth as the daughter of mother Yaśodā. This daughter Yogamāyā and Kṛṣṇa were born simultaneously, and Vasudeva replaced Yogamāyā with Kṛṣṇa and took Yogamāyā away. When she was brought to Mathurā and Kaṁsa attempted to kill her, Yogamāyā slipped out of his hands. She could not be killed. She then informed Kaṁsa about the birth of his enemy, Kṛṣṇa, and being thus baffled, Kaṁsa consulted his associates, who were all demons. When this big conspiracy was taking place, this verse was spoken by Śukadeva Gosvāmī. He points out that a demon can lose everything because of his nefarious activities.
The word mahad-atikrama, meaning “envy of Lord Viṣṇu and His devotees,” is significant in this verse. The word mahat indicates a great personality, a devotee or the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself. Being always engaged in the Lord’s service, the devotees themselves are as great as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The word mahat is also explained by Lord Kṛṣṇa in the Bhagavad-gītā (9.13):
bhajanty ananya-manaso jñātvā bhūtādim avyayam
“O son of Pṛthā, those who are not deluded, the great souls, are under the protection of the divine nature. They are fully engaged in devotional service because they know Me as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, original and inexhaustible.”
Being envious of the Lord and His devotees is not at all auspicious for a demon. By such envy, a demon loses everything considered beneficial.
Bengali
প্রভু তাঁরে পুছিল ভট্টাচার্য-বিবরণে ॥ ২৭১ ॥
Text
prabhu tāṅre puchila bhaṭṭācārya-vivaraṇe
Synonyms
gopīnāthācārya — Gopīnātha Ācārya; gelā — went; prabhu-daraśane — to see Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu; prabhu — Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu; tāṅre — unto Him; puchila — inquired; bhaṭṭācārya-vivaraṇe — the affairs in the house of Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya.
Translation
At this time, Gopīnātha Ācārya went to see Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and the Lord asked him about the events taking place in Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya’s house.
Bengali
বিসূচিকা-ব্যাধিতে অমোঘ ছাড়িছে জীবন ॥ ২৭২ ॥
Text
visūcikā-vyādhite amogha chāḍiche jīvana
Synonyms
Translation
Gopīnātha Ācārya informed the Lord that both the husband and the wife were fasting and that their son-in-law, Amogha, was dying of cholera.
Bengali
অমোঘেরে কহে তার বুকে হস্ত দিয়া ॥ ২৭৩ ॥
Text
amoghere kahe tāra buke hasta diyā
Synonyms
Translation
As soon as Caitanya Mahāprabhu heard that Amogha was going to die, He immediately ran to him in great haste. Placing His hand on Amogha’s chest, He spoke as follows.
Bengali
কৃষ্ণের বসিতে এই যোগ্যস্থান হয় ॥ ২৭৪ ॥
Text
kṛṣṇera vasite ei yogya-sthāna haya
Synonyms
Translation
“The heart of a brāhmaṇa is by nature very clean; therefore it is a proper place for Kṛṣṇa to sit.
Bengali
পরম পবিত্র স্থান অপবিত্র কৈলে ॥ ২৭৫ ॥
Text
parama pavitra sthāna apavitra kaile
Synonyms
Translation
“Why have you allowed the caṇḍāla of jealousy to sit here also? In this way you have contaminated a most purified place, your heart.
Bengali
‘কল্মষ’ ঘুচিলে জীব ‘কৃষ্ণনাম’ লয় ॥ ২৭৬ ॥
Text
‘kalmaṣa’ ghucile jīva ‘kṛṣṇa-nāma’ laya
Synonyms
Translation
“However, due to the association of Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya, all your contamination is now vanquished. When a person’s heart is cleansed of all contamination, he is able to chant the mahā-mantra, Hare Kṛṣṇa.
Bengali
অচিরে তোমারে কৃপা করিবে ভগবান্ ॥ ২৭৭ ॥
Text
acire tomāre kṛpā karibe bhagavān
Synonyms
Translation
“Therefore, Amogha, get up and chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra! If you do so, Kṛṣṇa will unfailingly bestow mercy upon you.”
Purport
The Absolute Truth is realized in three phases — impersonal Brahman, Paramātmā and the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Bhagavān. All of these are one and the same truth, but Brahman, Paramātmā and Bhagavān constitute three different features. Whoever understands Brahman is called a brāhmaṇa, and when a brāhmaṇa engages in the Lord’s devotional service, he is called a Vaiṣṇava. Unless one comes to understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead, his realization of impersonal Brahman is imperfect. A brāhmaṇa can chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra on the platform of nāmābhāsa, but not on the platform of pure vibration. When a brāhmaṇa engages in the Lord’s service, fully understanding his eternal relationship, his devotional service is called abhidheya. When one attains that stage, he is called a bhāgavata, or Vaiṣṇava. This indicates that he is free from contamination and material attachment. Lord Kṛṣṇa confirms this in the Bhagavad-gītā (7.28):
te dvandva-moha-nirmuktā bhajante māṁ dṛḍha-vratāḥ
“Persons who have acted piously in previous lives and in this life and whose sinful actions are completely eradicated are freed from the duality of delusion, and they engage themselves in My service with determination.”
A brāhmaṇa may be a very learned scholar, but this does not mean that he is free from material contamination. A brāhmaṇa’s contamination, however, is in the mode of goodness. In the material world, the three modes are goodness, passion and ignorance, and all of these are simply different gradations of contamination. Unless a brāhmaṇa transcends such contamination and approaches the platform of unalloyed devotional service, he cannot be accepted as a Vaiṣṇava. An impersonalist may be aware of the impersonal Brahman feature of the Absolute Truth, but his activities are on the impersonal platform. Sometimes he imagines a form of the Lord (saguṇa-upāsanā), but such an attempt is never successful in helping one attain complete realization. The impersonalist may consider himself a brāhmaṇa and may be situated in the mode of goodness, but nonetheless he is conditioned by one of the modes of material nature. This means that he is not yet liberated, for liberation cannot be attained unless one is completely free from the modes. In any case, the Māyāvāda philosophy keeps one conditioned. If one becomes a Vaiṣṇava through proper initiation, he automatically becomes a brāhmaṇa. There is no doubt about it. The Garuḍa Purāṇa confirms this:
satra-yāji-sahasrebhyaḥ sarva-vedānta-pāragaḥ
sarva-vedānta-vit-koṭyā viṣṇu-bhakto viśiṣyate
“Out of many thousands of brāhmaṇas, one may become qualified to perform yajña. Out of many thousands of such qualified brāhmaṇas, one may be fully aware of the Vedānta philosophy. Out of many millions of learned Vedānta scholars, there may be one viṣṇu-bhakta, or devotee of Lord Viṣṇu. It is he who is most exalted.”
Unless one is a fully qualified brāhmaṇa, he cannot advance in the spiritual science. A real brāhmaṇa is never envious of Vaiṣṇavas. If he is, he is considered an imperfect neophyte. Impersonalist brāhmaṇas are always opposed to Vaiṣṇava principles. They are envious of Vaiṣṇavas because they do not know the goal of life. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum. However, when a brāhmaṇa becomes a Vaiṣṇava, there is no duality. If a brāhmaṇa does not become a Vaiṣṇava, he certainly falls down from the brāhmaṇa platform. This is confirmed by Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.5.3): na bhajanty avajānanti sthānād bhraṣṭāḥ patanty adhaḥ.
We can actually see that in this Age of Kali many so-called brāhmaṇas are envious of Vaiṣṇavas. The Kali-contaminated brāhmaṇas consider Deity worship to be imaginative: arcye viṣṇau śilā-dhīr guruṣu nara-matir vaiṣṇave jāti-buddhiḥ. Such a contaminated brāhmaṇa may superficially imagine a form of the Lord, but actually he considers the Deity in the temple to be made of stone or wood. Similarly, such a contaminated brāhmaṇa considers the guru to be an ordinary human being, and he objects when a Vaiṣṇava is created by the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Many so-called brāhmaṇas attempt to fight us, saying, “How can you create a brāhmaṇa out of a European or American? A brāhmaṇa can be born only in a brāhmaṇa family.” They do not consider that this is never stated in any revealed scripture. Lord Kṛṣṇa specifically states in the Bhagavad-gītā (4.13), cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ: “According to the three modes of material nature and the work associated with them, the four divisions of human society are created by Me.”
Thus a brāhmaṇa is not a result of the caste system. He becomes a brāhmaṇa only by qualification. Similarly, a Vaiṣṇava does not belong to a particular caste; rather, his designation is determined by the rendering of devotional service.
Bengali
প্রেমোন্মাদে মত্ত হঞা নাচিতে লাগিলা ॥ ২৭৮ ॥
Text
premonmāde matta hañā nācite lāgilā
Synonyms
Translation
After hearing Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and being touched by Him, Amogha, who was on his deathbed, immediately stood up and began to chant the holy name of Kṛṣṇa. Thus he became mad with ecstatic love and began to dance emotionally.
Bengali
প্রভু হাসে দেখি’ তার প্রেমের তরঙ্গ ॥ ২৭৯ ॥
Text
prabhu hāse dekhi’ tāra premera taraṅga
Synonyms
Translation
While Amogha danced in ecstatic love, he manifested all the ecstatic symptoms — trembling, tears, jubilation, trance, perspiration and a faltering voice. Seeing these waves of ecstatic emotion, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu began to laugh.
Bengali
অপরাধ ক্ষম মোরে, প্রভু, দয়াময় ॥ ২৮০ ॥
Text
aparādha kṣama more, prabhu, dayāmaya
Synonyms
Translation
Amogha then fell before the Lord’s lotus feet and submissively said, “O merciful Lord, please excuse my offense.”
Bengali
Text
eta bali’ āpana gāle caḍāya āpane
Synonyms
Translation
Not only did Amogha beg the Lord’s pardon, but he also began slapping his own cheeks, saying, “By this mouth I have blasphemed You.”
Bengali
হাতে ধরি’ গোপীনাথাচার্য নিষেধিল ॥ ২৮২ ॥
Text
hāte dhari’ gopīnāthācārya niṣedhila
Synonyms
Translation
Indeed, Amogha continued slapping his face over and over until his cheeks were swollen. Finally Gopīnātha Ācārya stopped him by catching hold of his hands.
Bengali
সার্বভৌম-সম্বন্ধে তুমি মোর স্নেহপাত্র ॥ ২৮৩ ॥
Text
sārvabhauma-sambandhe tumi mora sneha-pātra
Synonyms
Translation
After this, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu pacified Amogha by touching his body and saying, “You are the object of My affection because you are the son-in-law of Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya.
Bengali
সেহ মোর প্রিয়, অন্য জন রহু দূর ॥ ২৮৪ ॥
Text
seha mora priya, anya jana rahu dūra
Synonyms
Translation
“Everyone in Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya’s house is very dear to Me, including his maids and servants and even his dog. And what to speak of his relatives?
Bengali
এত বলি’ প্রভু আইলা সার্বভৌম-স্থান ॥ ২৮৫ ॥
Text
eta bali’ prabhu āilā sārvabhauma-sthāna
Synonyms
Translation
“Amogha, always chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra and do not commit any further offenses.” After giving Amogha this instruction, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu went to Sārvabhauma’s house.
Bengali
প্রভু তাঁরে আলিঙ্গিয়া বসিলা আসনে ॥ ২৮৬ ॥
Text
prabhu tāṅre āliṅgiyā vasilā āsane
Synonyms
Translation
Upon seeing the Lord, Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya immediately caught hold of His lotus feet. The Lord embraced him and then sat down.
Bengali
কেনে উপবাস কর, কেনে কর রোষ ॥ ২৮৭ ॥
Text
kene upavāsa kara, kene kara roṣa
Synonyms
Translation
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu pacified Sārvabhauma, saying, “After all, Amogha, your son-in-law, is a child. So what is his fault? Why are you fasting, and why are you angry?
Bengali
শীঘ্র আসি, ভোজন কর, তবে মোর সুখ ॥ ২৮৮ ॥
Text
śīghra āsi, bhojana kara, tabe mora sukha
Synonyms
Translation
“Just get up and take your bath and go see the face of Lord Jagannātha. Then return here to eat your lunch. In this way I shall be happy.
Bengali
যাবৎ না খাইবে তুমি প্রসাদ আসিয়া ॥ ২৮৯ ॥
Text
yāvat nā khāibe tumi prasāda āsiyā
Synonyms
Translation
“I shall stay here until you return to take Lord Jagannātha’s remnants for your lunch.”
Bengali
মরিত’ অমোঘ, তারে কেনে জীয়াইলা ॥ ২৯০ ॥
Text
marita’ amogha, tāre kene jīyāilā
Synonyms
Translation
Catching hold of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s lotus feet, the Bhaṭṭācārya said, “Why did You bring Amogha back to life? It would have been better had he died.”
Bengali
বালক-দোষ না লয় পিতা, তাহাতে পালক ॥ ২৯১ ॥
Text
bālaka-doṣa nā laya pitā, tāhāte pālaka
Synonyms
Translation
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, “Amogha is a child and your son. The father does not take the faults of his son seriously, especially when he is maintaining him.
Bengali
তাহার উপরে এবে করহ প্রসাদ ॥ ২৯২ ॥
Text
tāhāra upare ebe karaha prasāda
Synonyms
Translation
“Now that he has become a Vaiṣṇava, he is offenseless. You can bestow your mercy upon him without hesitation.”
Bengali
স্নান করি’ তাঁহা মুঞি আসিছোঁ এখনে ॥ ২৯৩ ॥
Text
snāna kari’ tāṅhā muñi āsichoṅ ekhane
Synonyms
Translation
Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya said, “Please go, my Lord, to see Lord Jagannātha. After taking my bath, I shall go there and then return.”
Bengali
ইঁহো প্রসাদ পাইলে, বার্তা আমাকে কহিবা ॥ ২৯৪ ॥
Text
iṅho prasāda pāile, vārtā āmāke kahibā
Synonyms
Translation
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu then told Gopīnātha, “Stay here and inform Me when Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya has taken his prasādam.”
Bengali
ভট্ট স্নান দর্শন করি’ করিলা ভোজনে ॥ ২৯৫ ॥
Text
bhaṭṭa snāna darśana kari’ karilā bhojane
Synonyms
Translation
After saying this, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu went to see Lord Jagannātha. Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya completed his bath, went to see Lord Jagannātha and then returned to his house to accept food.
Bengali
প্রেমে নাচে, কৃষ্ণনাম লয় মহাশান্ত ॥ ২৯৬ ॥
Text
preme nāce, kṛṣṇa-nāma laya mahā-śānta
Synonyms
Translation
Thereafter, Amogha became an unalloyed devotee of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. He danced in ecstasy and peacefully chanted the holy name of Lord Kṛṣṇa.
Bengali
যেই দেখে, শুনে, তাঁর বিস্ময় হয় মন ॥ ২৯৭ ॥
Text
yei dekhe, śune, tāṅra vismaya haya mana
Synonyms
Translation
In this way, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu performed His various pastimes. Whoever sees them or hears them recounted becomes truly astonished.
Bengali
তার মধ্যে নানা চিত্র-চরিত্র-প্রকাশ ॥ ২৯৮ ॥
Text
tāra madhye nānā citra-caritra-prakāśa
Synonyms
Translation
Thus Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu enjoyed eating in Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya’s house. Within that one pastime, many wonderful pastimes were manifested.
Bengali
সার্বভৌম-প্রেম যাঁহা হইলা বিদিত ॥ ২৯৯ ॥
Text
sārvabhauma-prema yāṅhā ha-ilā vidita
Synonyms
Translation
These are the peculiar characteristics of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s pastimes. Thus the Lord ate in Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya’s house, and in this way Sārvabhauma’s love for the Lord has become very well known.
Purport
As stated in the Śākhā-nirṇayāmṛta:
prema-gadgada-sāndrāṅgaṁ pulakākula-vigraham
“I offer my obeisances unto Amogha Paṇḍita, who was accepted by Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. As a result of this acceptance, he was always merged in ecstatic love, and he manifested ecstatic symptoms such as choking of the voice and standing of the hairs on his body.”
Bengali
ভক্ত-সম্বন্ধে যাহা ক্ষমিল অপরাধ ॥ ৩০০ ॥
Text
bhakta-sambandhe yāhā kṣamila aparādha
Synonyms
Translation
Thus I have related the ecstatic love of Sārvabhauma’s wife, who is known as the mother of Ṣāṭhī. I have also related Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s great mercy, which He manifested by excusing Amogha’s offense. He did so due to Amogha’s relationship with a devotee.
Purport
Amogha was an offender because he blasphemed the Lord. As a result, he was about to die of cholera. Amogha did not receive an opportunity to be freed from all offenses after being attacked by the disease, but Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya and his wife were very dear to the Lord. Because of their relationship, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu excused Amogha. Instead of being punished by the Lord, he was saved by the Lord’s mercy. All this was due to the unflinching love of Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya for Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Externally, Amogha was Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya’s son-in-law, and he was being maintained by Sārvabhauma. Consequently if Amogha were not excused, his punishment would have directly affected Sārvabhauma. Amogha’s death would have indirectly brought about the death of Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya.
Bengali
অচিরাৎ পায় সেই চৈতন্য-চরণ ॥ ৩০১ ॥
Text
acirāt pāya sei caitanya-caraṇa
Synonyms
Translation
Whoever hears these pastimes of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu with faith and love will attain the shelter of the Lord’s lotus feet very soon.
Bengali
চৈতন্যচরিতামৃত কহে কৃষ্ণদাস ॥ ৩০২ ॥
Text
caitanya-caritāmṛta kahe kṛṣṇadāsa
Synonyms
śrī-rūpa — Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī; raghunātha — Śrīla Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī; pade — at the lotus feet; yāra — whose; āśa — expectation; caitanya-caritāmṛta — the book named Caitanya-caritāmṛta; kahe — describes; kṛṣṇadāsa — Śrīla Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī.
Translation
Praying at the lotus feet of Śrī Rūpa and Śrī Raghunātha, always desiring their mercy, I, Kṛṣṇadāsa, narrate Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, following in their footsteps.
Purport
Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports to Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā, fifteenth chapter, describing the Lord’s eating at the house of Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya.